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A Tax Identification Number is one of the essential documents of a Nigerian citizen. But how do you get TIN number in Nigeria? Whether you want to obtain a TIN for yourself or your company, weve prepared a step by step guide, explaining all the details of this process. If you want to find out more, continue reading below!

TIN number in Nigeria

TIN is a one-of-a-kind number that serves as an identification tool. It records and contains all the tax payment information of a particular person or business. Every citizen of Nigeria, as well as any company, is required to have a TIN. In order to be eligible for a tax identification number, you have to be receiving revenue within the territory of Nigeria.

Interesting fact: Another reason to get a TIN is that this way you are sure to avoid double taxation in another country. When registered, your taxpayer information is globally available.

There are several places where you can apply for your TIN. These include the Registrar Generals Department, the Domestic Tax Revenue Office or a Custom Division Office.

If you would like to know what information you have to provide during the registration process, heres a short checklist. Make sure you dont miss anything:

Full legal name;

Certified copy of your birth certificate;

Valid Identification document;

Proof of Citizenship;

Current residential address;

Current occupation or position;

Primary e-mail address;

Mobile phone number;

Passport-sized photo if you are currently unemployed.

Now lets talk about the process of obtaining a valid TIN number in Nigeria. The registration process is pretty straightforward, and whats even better is that it doesnt have any fees attached to it. Some people hire third-party lawyers to complete this task, but its really unnecessary. All you need to do is to follow these simple steps:

Go to your local (or preferred) FIRS office;

Ask for all the necessary forms used in the application process;

Fill in all the blanks and checkboxes that are provided in the form;

Return the filled-in form to the tax office and show them a valid identification document (this may be an international passport, a bill or even a drivers license);

Submit your biometrical data, which includes your passport and fingerprints.

Side note: The tax identification number is valid for ten years.

After all of the information above has been checked by the tax office employees, you will be issued your TIN. Usually, you can receive it on the same day youve applied. However, it was reported that a lot of FIRS offices have a problem with backlogs. Due to this factor, the registration procedure can last for a week, sometimes even longer.

Once youve read this information, you may find yourself wanting to shorten the process of getting a TIN. Thus, a question arises  How to obtain a TIN number online? Well, the sad answer is  you cant. At the moment, the FIRS doesnt allow people to complete this process on the web.

How to obtain TIN number for your company

READ ALSO: How to register a money lending business in Nigeria?

If youre reading this article to find out how to register a TIN for your business, youre going to want to learn even more details. Some companies try to avoid this process, as they want to keep all the revenues to themselves. We highly advise you not to do that. First of all, its illegal to lead a business without paying taxes to the country. If you get caught committing this offense, it will deal a severe blow to your company, and can even lead to bankruptcy. The second reason is that you have to wield a valid TIN in order to conduct business operations on an international level.

Now lets talk about what you need to begin the registration process. Go to your local FIRS office (you can find the whole list on their website) with the following documents:

Memorandum & Articles of Association;

CAC2 and CAC7;

Company Seal;

Utility bill;

Application letter on company-branded paper;

Correctly-filled Tax Identification Number application form.

Tip: You need to have both the originals of these documents and two copies to be left at the FIRS office.

Same as with obtaining a personal TIN, the process is free and should be completed within a week. After youve registered for TIN, you now have the obligation to send VAT and tax returns every month.

TIN number verification in Nigeria

Now that weve finished the guide to getting a TIN lets talk about the verification process. First, you have to visit the FIRS official website.

Next, you have three options for verifying your TIN.

You can select the Tax Identification Number in the search window. Now input your personal number, fill in the captcha box and press the search button. You can choose the CAC Registration Number in the search box. Enter both your CAC figure and captcha. You can choose the Phone Number option and type in your number and captcha.

Now you know how to obtain and verify your TIN in Nigeria. Be sure to share this information with your friends and colleagues. Remember that tax payment is everyones duty. If you are performing business activities in Nigeria, you are obligated to get a TIN.

READ ALSO: Entrepreneurship development in Nigeria: problems and prospect

Source: Legit.ng
Are you a traveler? Have you even been to European countries? These are fast becoming a popular destination for traveling. If you want to have a remarkable trip, you need to be aware of the money used in a particular country. Today, we will be talking about Germany and its currency.

Germany is known for its direct involvement in the process of creation and implementation of the new mutual European currency. Our overview will help you to learn a little history of the countrys money, some interesting facts and how to navigate money matters in this country.

Currency used in Germany

From 1948 to 1999, the Germans official currency was called the German Mark. It is also known as Deutsche Mark. In 1999 it was replaced with the European Unions mutual currency - Euro. At the beginning it was only used for cashless transfers by banks and stock markets.

Deutsche Mark banknotes and coins circulated in Germany till 2002 when Euro began to be used for cash payments officially. From then on, Deutsche Marks were freely exchanged for Euros. Deutsche Marks can still be exchanged for Euros today.

Euro Era

READ ALSO: Highest currency in the world 2017 - Top 10

Germany was the first among 19 European countries to convert to Euro. The country has been using only Euros since 2002. Germans themselves pronounce Euro as Oy-row because of their native language peculiarities.

The symbol of Euro is  and which has now become the German currency symbol as well. Heres an interesting fact: this symbol was created by a German named Arthur Eisenmenger! So, in a way, Germany was the originator of the Euro!

These are the available Euro banknotes today: 5, 10, 20, 50, 200 and 500. Actually, the 1 and 2 are not actual banknotes but coins! Each Euro is divided into eurocents which are coins. Germany uses the following coins: 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c and 50c.

German currency symbol

As for the coins design, on one side, there is a unified picture of the European map. This side also reveals the value of the count. Each country has its own unique eurocent coins design on the other side.

Euro banknote designs are unified for all countries and portray different famous architectural objects in Europe. There are different pictures on different banknotes. However, you will notice one unified image which every Euro banknote has regardless of its denomination. It is the stars circle in the upper left corner of the banknote, a symbol of the European Union whose member is Germany, of course.

Facts about German money

In Germany, cash is king is more than just a saying. It is the way of life of the Germans. ATMs are the fastest and easiest ways to get cash.

These ATMs can be found in various spots across the country such as airports, train and bus stations, in large shopping centers, near banks and on the streets. They are available for users 24/7. ATMs in Germany are called Geldautomat, which can be literally translated to money machine.

To get money from the ATM, you need a bank card that can be used abroad. A traveler can also get German cash from the currency exchange offices. Just be sure you can exchange your countrys currency in Germany. It might be preferable to make such an exchange in your native country in advance so as not to find yourself stranded.

Travelers checks can be used to get cash as well. You can use credit or debit cards to make payments via bank transfers. Credit cards are widely accepted but check if yours holds Mastercard, Visa, Eurocard logo. Otherwise, they cannot be used in Germany.

A lot of banks have branches in Germany, so you might want to find out which banks in your country have offices in Germany.

READ ALSO: How to send money to a domiciliary account?

Source: Legit.ng
- The Inspector General of Police has ordered the dismantling of roadblocks nationwide

- He said the order was necessary to enable Nigerians to do their business with ease

- He also added that police officers on vehicular patrol must always wear their uniforms with a bold name tag and service number

The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has announced the immediate dismantling of all roadblocks in Nigeria, especially the ones on Lagos-Ibadan, Shagamu-Benin and Benin-Onitsha highways.

Other roads listed are Okene-Abuja, Kaduna-Kano, Katsina  Kano, Otukpo  Enugu, Enugu  Port Harcourt expressways.

In a statement on Monday night by the police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, the IG said that this will enable ease of doing business in Nigeria, safeguard, and guarantee free passage of goods and travellers throughout the country.

READ ALSO: President Buhari returns from London as promised by Femi Adesina

Moshood said: To this end, no police department, section, squad or unit should mount road block without express permission of the Inspector-General of Police.

Furthermore, police personnel involved in vehicular patrol on highways and major roads across the country must wear their uniforms with a bold name tag and service number.

The Special X-Squad teams of the Force have been deployed throughout the country, they are under strict instructions to arrest, investigate and discipline any police personnel violating this directive.

For avoidance of doubt, the Taxes and Levies act, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 section 2 (2) disallowed any person, including a Tax Authority from mounting a Road block in any part of the Federation for the purposes of collecting any Tax or Levy."

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Meanwhile, officers of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested several kidnappers who specialize in carrying out operations along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway.

The development was made public by the head of the police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abba Kyari.

Legit.ng notes that Kyari disclosed via his Facebook page, that the operations that led to the successful arrests of the suspects were carried out by the IRT and police special forces, who were deployed by the inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris.

Various weapons including many rifles and other gun models, were also confiscated by the police when the suspects were arrested.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video asking if the police is truly your friend:

Source: Legit.ng
- Senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki, is still facing criticisms for his stance on the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation

- One of such organisations not happy with Saraki is the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN)

- The group is the umbrella body for all Fulani herdsmen operating in Nigeria

Fulani herdsmen under the aegis of MACBAN, has urged the federal government to commence probe into the activities of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, to ascertain if he was among those sponsoring Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB.

The national coordinator of MACBAN, Garus Gololo, who made the call in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, while speaking with newsmen, noted that the activities of IPOB in recent times demonstrated that it was more of a danger to the unity of Nigeria than the clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers.

According to him, the statement made by Saraki, faulting the proscription of the group by the federal government, was inciting and a clear signal that Saraki might be supporting the agitation by IPOB to divide Nigeria.

Saraki had last week faulted the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist organization. Photo credit: Senate President's media team

READ ALSO: FG to notify banks, embassies, foreign missions about proscription of IPOB

He also said Saraki was no longer fit to lead the Senate by making such a statement.

He further argued that Saraki s presence in the National Assembly was a threat to the unity and oneness of Nigeria.

His words: I think it is a high-time the federal government commenced full scale investigation into Senator Bukola Sarakis activities in the Senate. I doubt if that man has the interest of this country, Nigeria, at heart.

For the number three citizen to be saying different things from the government, which he is fully part and parcel of, shows that Saraki hates Nigeria, Buhari and Fulani herdsmen and as such, his leadership is in doubt and he should step aside.

We cant continue to have someone in power that would declare support for a group agitating to break up Nigeria. We are for one Nigeria and in unity we stand.

The ability of the government to declare IPOB as a terrorist group has saved the country from a premeditated war that could have led to the collapse of the unity and peaceful coexistence of Nigeria.

He described the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist group as a right step in a right direction.

Saraki had last week condemned the ban on the activities of IPOB by the southeast governors and its classification as a terrorist group by the Nigerian military.

He stated that the army's decision to declare IPOB a terrorist group did not follow due process.

He, however, commended the military effort in restoring peace to Abia state and all other southeast cities after the crises with the IPOB.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Senate highlights its priorities ahead of resumption

Watch this Legit.ng TV exclusive video of Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer reacting to the Nigerian Army's invasion of his client's residence in Abia state:

Source: Legit.ng
- Members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the group of pro-democracy activists, said the recent raid on southeast is an indication that the military is gradually taking over

- NADECO said the developments is a clear sign that the democracy is once again under threat

- The group, however, said it is time to rise and defend the nation's democracy

Members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the group of pro-democracy activists has said that Nigeria is back to dictatorship.

The Guardian reports that Amos Akingba, Chiefs Ayo Opadokun and Ayo Adebanjo, the NADECO chieftains made this known through a statement in Lagos.

Legit.ng gathered that the group made a damning verdict on the country's democracy with concern that Nigeria is back to dictatorship.

READ ALSO: IG of police orders dismantling of all road blocks nationwide

Statement read: ''It is time once again to rise and defend democracy in our dear country. We are very troubled by recent national developments and are forced to issue this warning to all our compatriots that democracy is once again under threat in our nation.

''In Abia state, the soldiers invaded communities, tortured civilian population, over-awed the constitutionally elected governor and civil institutions of the state, and declared the IPOB a terrorist organisation, in defiance of the judgment of the Federal High Court.

''All of these actions are unconstitutional and represent an illegal takeover of the functions of the National Assembly, the Abia state House of Assembly and the legal authorities.

''The Army High Command has announced further that the Operation Python Dance will be a regular event and that another similar activity named Operation Crocodile Smile will be carried out in the south-south and south-west.

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''The actions of the military, we restate, are inconsistent with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and may be the beginning, if not checked, of the unwitting or witting subversion of democracy in Nigeria''.

Moreover, the group also seeks a return to the 1963 constitution which it said described the essence of true federalism with emphasis on the coming together of independent federating units to form a federation.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari finally returned to the country from London where he had travelled to after taking part in the United Nations General Assembly for 2017.

Watch this video and hear what some Nigerians think about Buhari:

Source: Legit.ng
- Prof Ilochi Okafor, a former vice chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University says the proscription of IPOB is illegal

- Okafor says he is arguing from the point of the law as he stresses that the UN charter recognises such agitations

- However, the justice commissioner in Anambra, Anali Chude, thinks IPOB is an enemy for instructing residents to boycott the forthcoming election in the state

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof Ilochi Okafor, has described the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the federal government as illegal.

Okafor said IPOB has the right to agitate and that such an activity is recognised by the law.

READ ALSO: Arrest Nnamdi Kanu within 21 days or face national protest - Abia lawmakers tell FG

The professor and former vice chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, spoke in the Anambra state capital during the 2017/2018 legal year of its judiciary.

Okafor maintained the role of the military during the crisis was an aberration because the police never showed it lacked the powers to quell the agitation.

The Nigerian Tribune reports that Okafor wondered why the army would subject the defenceless and unarmed youths to physical torture and denigrating their dignity when their agitation is recognised as fundamental human rights in international law and United Nations charter.

Despite the verbal violence and grandiose rhetoric of Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB is not a terrorist Origination. No person has been killed by IPOB.

Its rallies have been heavily crowded but it has not been shown that any person carried or discharged weapons during the rallies, he added.

However, at the same event, the Attorney-General of the state, Anali Chude, described IPOB as enemies.

Enemies of the state wanted to take the advantage to plunge Anambra state into chaos by directing that elections will not hold in Anambra state.

It is the stand of the state government that elections must hold in Anambra state.

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We shall stand up to the occasion and refuse to allow people who do not wish Anambra State well to drag us into a situation whereby we will be turned into the guinea pig in Nigeria polity, he said.

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari might order the forfeiture of assets belonging to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to the federal government following the designation of the group as a terrorist organisation.

Watch this video as Nigerians react to Nnamdi Kanu's activities:

Source: Legit.ng
- The Arewa Consultative Forum says it will support restructuring if such a move will strengthen the unity of Nigeria with equal rights and opportunities for all citizens

- The Northern Elders Forum states that the north is ready for dialogue with other regions of the country on restructuring

Junaid Mohammed describes Atiku Abubakar as a nonentity who is not genuinely interested in restructuring

The northern region appears to has relaxed its opposition to the calls for restructuring of Nigeria as two northern groups, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) have indicated interest to partake in the debate on restructuring.

READ ALSO: Arrest Nnamdi Kanu within 21 days or face national protest - Abia lawmakers tell FG

The national publicity secretary of the ACF, Alhaji Muhammad Biu, told the Punch newspaper in an interview on Sunday, September 24, that the forum will support the call for the restructuring only if the country is restructured to strengthen the unity of Nigeria with equal rights and opportunities for all citizens.

He said: ACF respects the views of Nigerians on any structure of government that will strengthen our unity and peaceful coexistence for equitable development.

ACF reaffirms its commitment to one united, indivisible and indissoluble Nigeria with equal rights and opportunities for all.

We also support due process within our democratic institutions in effecting any structural change for the common good of all.

Similarly, the chairman of the NEF, Paul Unongo, said the north was ready for dialogue with other regions of the country on restructuring but warned that the north would not be coerced into carrying out any action unfavorable to its development.

Unongo said: The North is very open to dialogue. I am the chairman of the northern elders and nobody can say we will not encourage dialogue. We love Nigeria but we will not be stampeded into carrying out someones agenda.

The uneducated North of pre-independence times was not the same North of today. Today, we have Ph.D holders in every discipline.

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I think we need a dialogue.

It will not be easy for the North to say take away our advantages and give us nothing. They (southern elements) were the ones that allowed the British to do this."

Meanwhile, Junaid Mohammed who is a second republic lawmaker has lashed out at Atiku Abubakar describing him as a nonentity who is not genuinely interested in restructuring.

The former vice president had said that anyone opposed to the current clamour for the restructuring of the nation is lazy but Mohammed in his reaction said Atiku was a nonentity

The Sun reports that the former lawmaker said that Atiku thinks that by insulting the north, the south will support his presidential ambition.

In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerians if they prefer restructuring of Nigeria or separation of the country.

Source: Legit.ng
- Doyin Okupe has expressed support for President Muhammadu Buharis move to promulgate a law against hate speech

- While stating that former president Goodluck Jonathan was probably the most abused president in Nigerias history, Okupe stated that there is an absolute need for sanity because what goes on in the social media is pathetic

- According to Okupe, hate speech should not be allowed to go on, as he stated that people should not be exposed to all sorts of unreasonable assault just because they are public servants

President Muhammadu Buharis move to promulgate a law against hate speech, has received public support from Doyin Okupe, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

The former presidential aide made his comments while speaking as a panelist at the Vanguard Conference Hall on Hate Speech, on Monday, September 25.

READ ALSO: Why I refused to collect the petition for my recall from INEC - Dino Melaye

Legit.ng notes that while answering a question about whether the promulgation of a law against hate speech was justified, Okupe stressed that people in government needed to be protected from hate speech, as most of the things being shared on social media are pathetic.

He further revealed that Jonathan was perhaps the most abused president in the nations history.

He stated: I was the one who raised that issue, and I still say that Jonathan, as one person and as a leader of a country is perhaps, the most abused in terms of hate speech in the history of this country.

Now, your question is extremely very pertinent. If somebody has gone through it and nothing happened, do we now have a justification to want to stop it? Yes, we do.

I will support this administration with the idea that this type of thing should not be allowed to be visited.

The current president is also taking a share of his own hate speech, but we must stop it somewhere. There is no need to allow this thing to fester on more than it has gone so far.

I agree that there is a justification for the law and that we need to look into the situation properly and a proper law should be enacted that can control what we say and how we say them, especially on the social media.

There is absolute need for sanity because what goes on in the social media is pathetic, it is unthinkable. When I see a young man of 24 years old saying that Wole Soyinka is a fool, that may not be exactly hate speech, but it is intolerable.

Today, I am not in government but there are people in government; but being in government should not expose you to all sorts of assault simply because you are Minister of Information, President or Vice President. It should not make you be a target for unreasonable assault and attack.

You cannot protect or defend yourself, and there are no sanctions for those who do those things.

Therefore, for me, I will support this administration in this idea of trying to find a law to create sanity in the social media and also to prevent reckless statements that can incite or dehumanize people for no other reason except that they are in government offices.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Alhaji Saad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, threw his weight behind the move by the federal government to make the propagation of hate speech/fake news a crime.

The Sultan lamented that the propagation of hate speech had reached fever pitch, and supported the recent statement made by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, that none will be allowed to get away with making speeches that can cause sedition or that can cause violence."

According to the monarch, hate speech should be designated as a terrorism offence.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video asking Nigerians if they are tired of Buhari

Source: Legit.ng
- Justice Mamman Nasir has called on the north not to dismiss the calls for Nigerias restructuring, as mere developmental challenges

- Nasir stated that the north must also address the issue of the Boko Haram insurgency and the rise of hate speech, as a matter of urgency

- He stressed that Nigeria was currently at a crossroads, and that the north must attend to these various issues with resolution and tact

Justice Mamman Nasir, chairman, Advisory Council, Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, has urged the north not to dismiss the calls for restructuring, as doing so will be dangerous for the country.

According to reports, Nasir made his comments during a courtesy visit to the Nasarawa state governor, Tanko Al-Makura, with other members of the foundation.

READ ALSO: Why I support Buharis move to make hate speech a crime - Doyin Okupe

Legit.ng notes that Nasir stressed that the nation was at a crossroads and that the north must find ways to address the challenges Nigeria faces.

He stated: Nigeria is currently at a stage we may call crossroads, particularly, the challenge is for the North to find the appropriate, well-guided response to the myriads of issues surrounding the nation.

Most importantly, we cannot dismiss the calls for the restructuring for whatever that stands for, and the desires and threats of some groups to dismember the country as mere developmental challenges.

The irritating reappearances of the Boko Haram, even with the dogged commitment of the Nigerian Army to end the insurgency for good, are also of concern; similarly, the pervading hate speech through the social media that has engulfed our youths in particular has dangerous religious and sectional colors and needs to be urgently attended to resolutely and with tact.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) weighed in again on the controversial issues of restructuring the country, and disclosed what it would not accept.

According to the group, while they acknowledge the persistent calls for Nigeria to be restructured, they would not be stampeded into adopting a grand design from other regions, which would not be in their best interest.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video asking if Nigeria should be restructured or split:

Source: Legit.ng
You must have heard that you can use now WhatsApp on PC. Since the launch of WhatsApp web, people have started using it on computers and laptops. However, one small detail exists, you need to have a smartphone currently connected to the WhatsApp. So, if you are wondering how to use WhatsApp on computer without phone, keep reading this post to find out all answers.

WhatsApp is one of the largest social messaging application in the world. When WhatsApp was first launched, it was available only on Android smartphones. It was later extended to other operating systems such as iOS, Windows, Symbian and others. Then WhatsApp Web was later launched to allow people use WhatsApp on PCs.

Initially, when you use WhatsApp on PC, your smartphone must be conected. So, people started asking and searching for the answers for how they can use WhatsApp on a computer without a smartphone.

This was impossible before but now there is a way you can use WhatsApp on your computer without any obstacles. Follow the instructions below and find out how to use WhatsApp on your system.

READ ALSO: New Yahoo mail registration guide

How to use WhatsApp on computer without phone

First of all, you need to download an Android Emulator called BlueStacks on your PC. To do this, open your favorite browser and visit www.bluestacks.com.

Click on Download BlueStacks options on the website page.

After downloading the BlueStacks application, install it on your laptop.

After the application has finished installing, go to your desktop and double-click on the BlueStacks shortcut to open the application.

Once youve launched the application, you should see a list of popular applications. If WhatsApp is among them, select it and click on the install option.

After installation of WhatsApp on your computer, open the WhatsApp by double-clicking on it on the WhatsApp icon on your desktop.

You will be asked to provide your mobile phone number or home phone number. Enter the number and wait for a verification code which will be sent via SMS. If you are using a home phone number, you will see a verification failed message with a Call Me option on your system. Select the Call Me option, so that the code can be dictated to you over a voice message.

Once you have the verification code, enter it in the pop-up on your PC screen.

Your account will be created and ready for use if you entered the correct code.

You can now start chatting with your contacts from your computer.

Now you know how to use WhatsApp on PC without a smartphone. You can also use other social messaging applications on BlueStacks. Note that there are other ways you can use WhatsApp on a laptop without a smartphone but this is by far the easiest and best of them all.

READ ALSO: How many non-overlapping channels are available with 802.11h?

Watch how to use WhatsApp on PC without Smartphone below.

Source: Legit.ng
- Nigerian soldiers under Operation Sharan Daji raided Kahiru dreaded forest in Zamfara state

- The troops recovered cows, sheep and goats during the exercise

- The soldiers also killed one of the armed bandits occupying the forest

Troops of 1 Brigade, 1 Division Nigerian army under the Operation Sharan Daji have successfully raided a dreaded forest in Zamfara state where armed bandits had made their dens.

The raid by the soldiers took place on Monday September 25, 2017, at the Kahiru forest, Bakura local government rea of Zamfara state.

READ ALSO: Arrest Nnamdi Kanu within 21 days or face national protest - Abia lawmakers tell FG

On approaching the camp, the suspected bandits opened fire on the troops and attempted to escape.

Come of the makeshift homes in the camp set ablaze by the troops. Credit: SK Usman

The troops returned fire, killing one of the armed bandits and recovered 50 cows, 82 goats and 25 sheep abandoned by the armed bandits, a statement by Brigadier-General Sani Kukasheka Usman, the spokesperson of the army, said.

Some of the animals recovered by the Nigerian trrops. Credit: SK Usman

Legit.ng earlier reported that troops of 1 Division of the Nigerian army and operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) on Sunday, September 24, arrested two suspected illegal arms dealers along Funtua-Gusau road in Zamfara state.

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This was contained in a statement issued by Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman who is the director of army public relations on Monday, September 25.

Watch this video as the wife of a Boko Haram victim cries to the government to save her husband:

Source: Legit.ng
- The Nigeria police has arrested number 165 on Boko Haram wanted list

- Idris Babawo was arrested on Sunday, September 24, in Ondo state

- He has since been handed over to Nigerian army for further investigation and possible prosecution

The Nigeria police on Sunday, September 24, arrested a declared wanted Boko Haram terrorist Idris Babawo in Ondo state.

Babawo, 42, also known as Idiko and Nagada, the police said is believed to be number 165 on the Nigerian military's Boko Haram wanted list.

READ ALSO: IPOB: Saraki's presence in the National Assembly is a threat to Nigeria's unity

Idris Babawo was arrested on Sunday, September 24, in Ondo state. Photo credit: Facebook, Sani Usman

The spokesperson to the Nigerian army, Sani Usman, in a statement said Babawo was handed over to the 32 Brigade, 2 Division, Nigerian army, at about 2pm on Monday, September 25.

Usman said: "Preliminary investigation shows that the terrorist kingpin hailed from Chinade village, Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State. He escaped from the North East due to military onslaught on the terrorists with a view evade arrest and prosecution. But nemesis caught up with him"

Idris Babawo was arrested on Sunday, September 24, in Ondo state. Photo credit: Facebook, Sani Usman

READ ALSO: Only God can help Biafra now - IPOBs US coordinator laments on social media

Legit.ng earlier reported that the federal government is set to prosecute 1,600 Boko Haram members.

The trial of the terrorists, FG said, will resume on Monday, October 9.

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Also, the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice Abubakar Malami said there were 33 cases of terrorism taking place across several courts in Nigeria.

You can watch this Legit.ng exclusive video of woman begging Nigerian government to rescue her husband from Boko Haram terrorists:

Source: Legit.ng
- Senator Barau Jubrin states that it is necessary for the executive to be focused so that the country does not slide back into recession

- On his part, Senator NaAllah calls on the executive to immediately implement the 2017 budget

House of Representatives resolves to revisit the devolution of power bill on resumption of plenary

The Nigerian Senate has invited the minister of budget and national planning, Udoma Udo Udoma and his finance counterpart, Kemi Adeosun, over the lack of funding of the 2017 budget.

READ ALSO: IPOB: MACBAN frowns at Saraki's statement, calls for probe

The duo were summoned following a motion on the stabilizing and sustaining post-recession growth of the economy which was raised during plenary on Tuesday, September 26.

Senator Barau Jubrin, during deliberation on the floor of the House, stated that it was necessary for the executive to be focused so that the country does not slide back into recession.

On his part, Senator NaAllah called on the executive to immediately implement the budget.

Similarly, Senator Dino Melaye queried why the government was not funding the budget now that the country was out of recession.

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Senate president Bukola Saraki in his submission said the government was on the right track but needed to do more on infrastructure.

The Senate president then requested that Senate majority leader, Ahmed Lawan, follow up on the invitation of of the ministers of finance and budget and national planning over the issue.

See tweets on the Senates deliberation below:

Meanwhile, following the tension generated by agitation in the country, the House of Representatives has resolved to revisit the devolution of power bill on resumption of plenary.

The green chamber also plans to strengthen the unity of the country by assigning a high power committee to go round to interact with stakeholder across the six geo-political zones.

The House arrived at these resolutions following a motion moved by House majority leader, Femi Gbajabiamila on Tuesday, September 26, under matters of urgent public importance, The Independent reports.

Watch Nigerians on Legit.ng TV give their views on the age requirement reduction of political office holders by the Nigerian Senate

Source: Legit.ng
- Nigeria and turkey have agreed to cooperate to stop the export of harmful items into both countries

- The agreement was made by Col.Hameed Ali, the comptroller-general of Customs, retired and Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Hakan Cakil

- Joseph Attah, Customs service public relations officer said the meeting was held due to concerns expressed by the general public over the recent seizures of pump actions riffles imported from Turkey

The Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col.Hameed Ali and Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Hakan Cakil, have agreed to cooperate to stop the export of harmful items into both countries.

Ali announced this in a statement by the service public relations Officer, Mr Joseph Attah, on Tuesday, September 26, in Abuja.

Attah said the meeting was held due to concerns expressed by the general public over the recent seizures of pump actions riffles imported from Turkey.

He added that the aim of the meeting was to fashion out ways of dealing with the disturbing issues.

Attah said that Ali expressed concern that four different arms seizures with a total number of 2,671 pump action riffles came from one source.

According to him, the meeting lasted for about two hours, detailed with specific commitments and strategies to stem the ugly tide.

READ ALSO: Federal government crashes price of registering companies in Nigeria

The meeting ended with both sides agreeing to work together to stop the dangerous trend.

Both agreed to use the situation as opportunity to strengthen ties to prevent the use of either country as a base for export of harmful items to the other, Attah said.

Attah said that the highlights of the meeting included the Turkish ambassador restating his countrys support for Nigetias security and well being, saying that Turkey would not support any dangerous shipment to Nigeria.

All the four shipments intercepted were false declarations on the bill of lading , it is a clear case of smuggling.

The Turkish ambassador will immediately communicate to his home with the view to fishing out criminals behind the illegal arms shipment to Nigeria.

A team of Nigerian Customs will visit the Turkish Customs to further discus ways of nipping such arms export from Turkey and strengthening agreement on mutual customs-to-customs assistance.

The Nigeria Customs will provide for the Turkish authority list of prohibited items and in the case of arms, sample of end user certificate to enable them to always verify before approving any legal arms export to Nigeria.

Attah also stated that the Turkish government would co-operate with Nigeria in every step to deal decisively with those found involved.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that two out of the five men being prosecuted by the federal government for unlawful importation of 661 pump-action rifles into the country have indicated their intention to enter into plea bargain with the prosecution.

Legit.ng reports that the defendants - Mahmud Hassan, Oscar Okafor, Donatus Achinulo, Matthew Okoye, said to be at large, and Salihu Danjuma had been arraigned by the attorney general of the federation on June 14 before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video asking if Operation Crocodile Smile II is necessary:

Source: Legit.ng
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends much of her time in Asia and is currently working on a book about textile artisans.

The $3 trillion global fashion industry is second only to the oil industry in its pernicious impact on the environment.

The red hot, growing fast fashion industry which produces cheap, disposable clothes, sometimes for a single use only worsens the industrys environmental impact, by generating huge amount of textile waste. US consumers typically each toss out eighty pounds of textiles per year, while those in the UK, on average, 350,000 tonnes of used clothing ends up in landfills annually (as I discussed in this post, The High Hidden Costs of Fast Fashion).

Forbes has just published a ridiculously upbeat assessment of this problem, its headline clearly spelling out its thesis: Why India and China May Be The Solution To The Worlds Fast Fashion Crisis.

Forbes rests much of the argument on two observations. First, emerging market consumers, when surveyed, place greater emphasis on sustainability compared to those in mature markets. This is particularly true for respondents from India and China, which together, account for more than a quarter the global population:

The State of Fashion 2017 report, citing Global Lifestyle Monitor, reveals that 65% of consumers in emerging markets actively seek out sustainable fashion versus 32% or less in mature markets , a finding backed up by Mastercards 2015 Ethical Shopping Survey. Coming in at 78% of respondents for India and 65% for China, sustainability is by and large a key consideration for consumers in these two hotspots.

And second, these emerging market consumers currently consume less textiles than do consumers in more developed countries. Forbes again:

Even where sales grew eight times faster (in developing countries like Brazil, China, India, Mexico and Russia) consumers are still more reserved in their spending than their developed market counterparts. Even after this increase, the average developing-country resident purchases a fraction of the clothing that his or her developed-world counterpart buys each year,McKinsey reports.

Now, I admit, theres an attractiveness to this thesis. I dont know very much about China, although I have visited several times.

But I do know a bit about India which has a very different attitude toward waste than prevails in the US (as Ive previously discussed in this post, Waste Not, Want Not: Right to Repair Laws on Agenda in Some States. Wasting food is considered to be sinful, a healthy repair culture flourishes, and items are typically reused and repurposed including used clothing, which is either handed down, or often made into quilts such as kantha, the celebrated stitch painting of Bengal (see this luscious exhibition catalogue, Kantha: The Embroidered Quilts of Bengal).

In fashion area, India still maintains a certain separateness. To be sure, global brands are present, some are thriving, and demand for them is increasing particularly among younger city residents. Yet overall, Indian producers of traditional textiles are also flourishing. Indian women, for example, still wear saris particularly for more formal occasions or basic salwar kameez the far-more-attractive and climate appropriate version of Hillarys pant suits. And what Indian male politician would be willing to surrender his Nehru jacket the ubiquitous uniform throughout the country for politicians? India has for millennia, led the world in producing the finest quality textiles, and people retain an awareness of, and appreciation for quality. Tailoring is still widely available, and reasonably priced, so clothing fits (which is by no means the norm in the US and many parts of Europe, as discussed in What If Clothes Were Made to Fit Bodies?)

Unfortunately, as much as Id like to hope that consumers in emerging markets might herald a shift away from the current destructive, wasteful patterns, I have several concerns with the Forbes thesis.

My first concern, as with other similar arguments e.g., millennials consume fewer goods and appreciate sustainability more that are based in an expected shift in who is consuming, that still leaves us very much with the status quo, whereby consumers consume, and waste, too many textiles in the present day.

To follow on from that, there is a considerable leap that is being made here between what people say they value and what they actually buy as Ive discussed in this post, Fashion Industry Dogged By Sustainability Concerns. Some companies have developed successful models that make just such a leap, but they have tended to be small, niche operators. Im just not sure that consumers whether in emerging markets are elsewhere will widely be willing to pay up for sustainable fashion. As I wrote previously:

Of course, theres an obvious disconnect here, between what even these consumers say theyre worried about sustainability and what theyre willing to pay for. Nonetheless, some companies have already latched onto such concerns, by building communities that cater to these customers seemingly successfully, at least in the short-term as discussed further in this piece, Community Is Core to Next-Gen Brands. Other designers have explicitly developed eco-friendly alternatives to the prevalent fast fashion model, as discussed further in this South China Morning Post piece, Sustainable K-fashion finds fans in Korea as Seoul designers adopt eco-friendly strategies.

And finally, even if such a leap can be made between what people say they value and what they purchase, are such attitudes stable? I wonder whether consumer attitudes in emerging markets will stay as they are, or whether people will become more wasteful as they become richer. Maybe waste is a privilege that arises from wealth an admittedly unsustainable one but one that its not altogether surprising to find in mature, wealthier economies. Those with less simply can not afford to be wasteful. As more people in India and China move into the middle class, will they still maintain their current, more sustainable attitudes and purchasing patterns?Or will they, too, jump on the waste train, and help further despoil the planet.

Depressing Alternative

I just want to close with an alternative scenario, one spelled out by McKinsey in Style thats sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula. The following graphic illustrates what the impact would be on CO2 emissions, water use, and land use if 80% of emerging markets consumers achieve Western per capita consumption levels for clothing.

EXHIBIT A

Source: Style thats sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula

Bottom Line

I think this Forbes piece exemplifies a certain type of magical thinking. This time, the emerging markets fairy waves her magic wand, and ethical consumers rescue the planet from the consequences of fast fashion folly, by consuming and wasting less. That result certainly needs to happen, but it needs to happen soon, and among Western and emerging market consumers alike. The planet cannot sustain current, let alone increased, levels of CO2 emissions, water use, and land use.
Nerve implant restores consciousness to man in vegetative state Guardian (David L)

A Binary Asteroid Thats Actually a Binary Comet Syfy Wire

Giant Trilobite Crashes Wisconsin Corn Field Science

Humans are Wired for Negativity aeon (micael). Most people have mainly anxious dreams? Or maybe most people arent good at remembering their good dreams.

Ancient Primitive Amphibians Had Mouthful of Teeth, New Research Finds Sci-News. With a cool illustration.

Ex-HSBC Forex Trader Goes on Trial in New York FT. Prosecutors accuse the defendant of front-running; the defense says he acted according to standard practice in the banking industry.

Financialization impedes climate change mitigation: Evidence from the early American solar industry Science Magazine

Understanding Uber: Its Not About The App Reconnections (musicismath). The not about the app framing is a straw man, but lots of good detail.

Dudley sees Fed rate hikes; inflation weakness fading Reuters. UserFriendly: Shoot me.

How Did Women Fare in Chinas Communist Revolution? NYT

Revolutionary Possibility Jacobin. From China Mievilles October: Those who count themselves on the side of the revolution must engage with these failures and crimes. To do otherwise is to fall into apologia, special pleading, hagiography  and to run the risk of repeating such mistakes. [] The standard of October declares that things changed once, and they might do so again.

Give RPS a Chance Michael Albert and Justin Podur, ZNet. Have any readers looked in depth at Alberts detailed models for how participatory economics might work?

How an Economic Theory Helped Mire the United States in Vietnam The Conversation. On Walt Rostow.

The James Brown Theory of Black Liberation Adolph Reed, Jacobin. From 2015, but well worth a look.

German Election Aftermath

Brexit

Greece

North Korea

Syraqistan

Trial and Terror The Intercept. Comprehensive information on terrorism prosecutions since 9/11.

Health Care

Slaying the Partisan Gerrymander American Prospect (UserFriendly)

Trump Transition

Realignment and Legitimacy

Class Warfare

Puerto Rico

Indonesian Island Prepares for Devastating Volcanic Eruption Gizmodo

Alarm as Super Malaria Spreads in South East Asia BBC

Big Brother Is Watching You Watch

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
(Natural News) Curbing the use of fossil fuels is often singled out as the best way to tackle climate change, but a new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters shows that the problem of deforestation should not be overlooked as it contributes far more to climate change than once believed.

The new paper, which is titled, Are the Impacts of Land Use on Warming Underestimated in Climate Policy? illustrates the dramatic impact that deforestation has on climate change. In fact, it shows that even if all fossil fuel emissions were somehow eliminated, we would still note a 1.5-degree rise in global warming if the current tropical deforestation rates maintain their current pace through the year 2100.

Part of the reason for this, as the papers lead author Natalie M. Mahowald points out, is that the particulates that are released when fossil fuels are burned might be harmful to our health, but they actually have a cooling effect on the climate. Therefore, removing them would make it even more difficult to reach the lower temperatures set out by the Paris agreement.

In the cutting and burning that takes place in deforestation, carbon dioxide is released by the affected trees and plants, but that is only a small part of the equation. After the natural lands are converted to agricultural or other human uses, greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide are released. These compound carbon dioxides effect of trapping energy from the sun in the atmosphere, the paper says, contributing to a warmer climate.

In fact, although just 20 percent of the increase in carbon dioxide created by human activity can be traced to land-cover change and land use, the warming proportion that comes from land use versus other human activity rises to 40 percent once the co-emissions of methane and nitrous oxide have been taken into account.

Mahowald also pointed out that the carbon that is released by deforested areas doubles over time because its potential to function as a natural sink in the future is eliminated, as she discovered in a previous study. Therefore, extended timelines should be used to assess activities impact on the climate, particularly in tropical areas.

This is in line with research published in Science showing that rampant deforestation in places like Brazil and Indonesia emits more than a quarter of the greenhouse gases caused by human activity.

Deforestation is on the rise

According to data released by the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil, nearly 8,000 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest was lost to clear cutting in the year leading to July 2016, a year-over-year rise of 29 percent.

Many people feel powerless to stop mass deforestation, but grassroots initiatives can be surprisingly effective in this regard. A recent study by the University of Cambridge discovered that conservation initiatives led by indigenous and local groups can be every bit as effective as government-led schemes in stemming the problem. Moreover, they found that in some cases in the Amazon, grassroots efforts can be even more effective at protecting the ecosystem.

The scientists reached their conclusion after looking into the effectiveness of various approaches to Amazon conservation in Peru in the years from 2006 to 2011. By combining remote sensing data with socio-economic and environment-related datasets, they were able to assess the approaches and find which ones worked best.

Local conservation initiatives deserve more political, financial and legal support than they currently receive, said lead author Dr. Judith Schleicher. According to their analysis, there is not one single effective means of protecting tropical rainforests. Instead, multiple approaches must be used to keep the problem under control.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

ScienceDaily.com

NaturalNews.com

TreeHugger.com
(Natural News) Most Americans are well aware of the fact that Democrats are staunch supporters of a womans right to have an abortion, but what many people dont understand is the lengths that these leftists go to advance their agenda. In Missouri, for instance, Planned Parenthood is actually teaming up with Satanists in an effort to break through the states strict laws on abortion.

Despite the fact that Planned Parenthood has an uphill battle, the pro-abortion organization has certainly made progress in Missouri in recent months, especially after a U.S. district judge granted a preliminary injunction invalidating the states high standards for abortion clinics. Just this past Monday, Planned Parenthood Great Plains announced that they will soon be offering abortion services at two more clinics, including the one that they have located in midtown Kansas City (Related: The abortion industry generates nearly $1 billion per year by murdering babies.)

But a small handful of abortion clinics across the entire state of Missouri is not nearly enough for Planned Parenthood and the left, so they must continue looking for ways to ram their radical agenda even further down the throats of the American people. As it turns out, one such way is by teaming up with the Satanic Temple  because if youre already advocating for unethical practices and the abandonment of morality, why not just go all the way with it?

Earlier this week, the Satanic Temple indirectly advanced Planned Parenthoods agenda by arguing in a Missouri court that the states abortion laws violated the rights of their members to the freedom of religion. How ironic it is that the Satanic Temple argues for the freedom of religion when it comes to fighting for abortion rights, but would likely abandon that support for the freedom of religion if the individual or group in question were of the Christian faith.

The Satanic Temple has assisted Planned Parenthood on their quest to make abortions more accessible and socially acceptable before, primarily because of the Temples belief that Ones body is inviolable, subject to ones own will alone. When it was revealed last year that Planned Parenthood was selling the limbs and organs of aborted babies, for instance, the Satanic Temple rushed to Planned Parenthoods defense by planning and holding a series of counter protests at pro-life rallies. The Temple also filed a lawsuit with the state of Missouri because one of their members allegedly had to wait 72 hours before getting an abortion (Related: Planned Parenthood believes that DACA children should be protected unless they were murdered before being born.)

The fact that Planned Parenthood is working with a group that worships Satin is actually rather unsurprising when you consider the dark truth about the organizations founding. Margaret Sanger, the original founder of Planned Parenthood, was both a eugenicist who believed in abortion as a means of controlling the population, and a racist.

In her autobiography, Sanger even wrote about a time when she proudly delivered a speech before the Ku Klux Klan: I accepted an invitation to talk to the womens branch of the Ku Klux Klan I saw through the door dim figures parading with banners and illuminated crosses I was escorted to the platform, was introduced, and began to speak In the end, through simple illustrations I believed I had accomplished my purpose. A dozen invitations to speak to similar groups were proffered.

There really is no other way of looking at it: The abortion industry is sick, corrupt and evil. With any luck, America will one day look back on the practice of destroying an innocent form of life before its even outside of the womb and cringe. We will read about abortion in the history books and think to ourselves, Was that really us? How could we have done such a thing? What on earth were we thinking?

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

LifeSiteNews.com
(Natural News) A devastating sight came to shore last year, when over a dozen whales beached themselves along the German coastline. Four of the 13 stranded sperm whales had stomachs filled with plastic trash and other garbage  a sign of the times and a clear indicator that humans are taking their toll across the globe.

These findings show us the results of our plastic-oriented society. Animals inadvertently consume plastic and plastic waste, which causes them to suffer, and at worst, causes them to starve with full stomachs, Robert Habeck, the environment minister for the state of Schleswig-Holstein, commented.

The 13 whales were stranded in January and February of 2016 along Schleswig-Holsteins North Sea coast. Professor Ursula Siebert, head of the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research at the Tierarztliche Hochschule Hannover (ITAW), worked with her team to investigate. The team confirmed that all of the whales were young, between 10 and 15 years old  none of them had reached maturity yet. Though several had stomachs filled with plastic, further investigation revealed that was not their ultimate cause of death; the scientists concluded that the sperm whales died of heart failure. A tragedy, nonetheless  and further, you might question if the plastic garbage still may have contributed to the whales untimely demise in one way or another. Nearly 30 whales were found on the shores of Germany in the span of just a few months during 2016.

Regardless, ocean pollution  in all its various forms  is a real problem. When it comes to whales, this was not the first time members of the behemoth marine creatures were found dead with stomachs filled with plastic. And unless humans do something to stop their unyielding wave of plastic pollution, it probably wont be the last time, either.

As True Activist reports, back in 2011 another whale was found with a stomach full of plastic off the Greek island of Myokonos. The young whales stomach was so distended, scientists thought it had ingested a giant squid. What they found though, was that the poor creature had actually consumed over 100 plastic bags and other garbage.

More recently, a whale found in Norway was discovered to have consumed over 30 plastic bags as well. In early 2017, the young, malnourished whale had to be put down by local wardens after it got stranded and was in serious distress. The Daily Mail reported that the whale was emaciated and had little blubber, which led investigators to posit that the whale was malnourished. At the University of Bergen, researchers dissected the whale and found its stomach was filled with garbage.

Incidents like this occur on a regular basis, and every time is more disheartening than the last. When will enough be enough? Plastic waste has already become a planetary scourge and the problem is only going to get worse. Experts estimate that by the year 2050, there will be more pieces of plastic in the ocean than fish. If that doesnt paint a clear enough picture, current estimates suggest that there are already five trillion pieces of garbage floating in the oceanhow much more until we destroy the oceans completely? And further, what will happen when its too late and theres no recourse?

While climate-change enthusiasts are harping about something that may never actually come to be, there is real damage being done to the environment and the animals that live in it right now. [Related: Keep up with the latest news on environmental disasters, hoaxes and travesties at Environ.news.]

Sources for this article include:

NationaPark-Wattenmeer.de

TrueActivist.com

DailyMail.co.uk
(Natural News) Thunderstorms and flooding are expected to become more intense because of human activities, according to reports by Science Daily.

In the first report by the Science Daily, scientists observed how thunderstorms directly above two of the worlds busiest shipping lanes were more powerful than storms in areas of the ocean where ships do not travel.

The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, found that lightning occurred nearly twice as often directly above heavily-trafficked shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea than they do in other areas of the ocean with similar climates.

This study is the first to prove ship exhaust can affect thunderstorm intensity and that humans are changing cloud formation, which affects rainfall patterns and alters climate, on a nearly continual basis.

The researchers suggested that aerosol particles emitted in ship exhaust are changing how storm clouds form over the ocean and that particles from ship exhaust made cloud droplets smaller, which lifted them higher in the atmosphere. This created more ice particles which led to more lightning.

Its one of the clearest example of how humans are actually changing the intensity of storm processes on Earth through the emission of particulates from combustion, said Joel Thornton, lead author and an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington.

Katrina Virts, co-author and atmospheric scientist at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, noticed a nearly straight line of lightning strokes across the Indian Ocean when she analyzed data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network, a network of sensors that locates lightning strokes all over the globe.

All we had to do was make a map of where the lightning was enhanced and a map of where the ships are traveling and it was pretty obvious just from the co-location of both of those that the ships were somehow involved in enhancing lightning, Thornton said.

He said that ships burn dirtier fuels in the open ocean away from port, spewing more aerosols, and creating even more lightning. Aerosols act as cloud condensation nuclei, the seeds on which clouds form.

In another Science Daily report, researchers found that the East Coast of the United States may experience more frequent flooding in the future.

The findings, published in Scientific Reports, showed that the states of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina are most at risk.

The researchers from the Universities of Bonn, South Florida, and Rhode Island evaluated data from the East Coast of America, including global positioning system and satellite measurements. Results showed that large parts of the coastal region are slowly yet steadily sinking into the Atlantic Ocean.

According to Makan A. Karegar from the University of South Florida, there are two primary reasons for this phenomenon.

Karegar explained that during the last ice age, around 20,000 years ago, large parts of Canada were covered by an ice sheet. This tremendous mass passed down on the continent. When the ice sheet melted, the process was reversed and the East Coast has been sinking back down for the last few thousand years, which explains the submerging of some parts of the coastal regions. (Related: Global warming computer models collapse; Arctic ice sheets rapidly expand as planet plunges into global cooling.)

When groundwater is removed, the land mass can be compressed more greatly. It partially collapses into itself and thus sinks even more, he explained.

The researchers calculated that East Coast cities lie at least 45 centimeters lower today than 300 years ago because of the glacier effect. They also assumed that the significant use of groundwater caused it.

Even if the removal of groundwater is reduced, the number of floods will thus continue to increase, Karegar predicted.

Read more news at ClimateScienceNews.com.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com 1

ScienceDaily.com 2
The Trump administration said Monday it's not seeking to overthrow North Korea's government after the president tweeted that Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer" and called Pyongyang's assertion absurd that Donald Trump's comment amounted to a declaration of war.

Still, the fiery rhetoric carrying over from a week of threatening exchanges at the U.N. General Assembly only further fueled fears the adversaries might stumble back into open military conflict. The Korean War ended seven decades ago without a formal peace treaty and tensions related to the North's nuclear advances have escalated for months.

At the U.N. on Monday, the North's top diplomat, Ri Yong Ho, argued that Trump's Twitter blast gives it the right to shoot down U.S. warplanes, like the strategic bombers Washington flew close to the border between the two Koreas over the weekend.

Trump's Saturday tweet said: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" Trump also used "rocket man" for Kim in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly last week.

While the comments may be read as an implicit threat to eliminate Kim, administration officials said Washington hadn't changed its policy and the U.S. isn't seeking regime change in Pyongyang.

"We have not declared war on North Korea. Frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. "It's never appropriate for a country to shoot down another country's aircraft when it's over international waters."

"Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," she said.

Cabinet officials, particularly Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have insisted the U.S.-led campaign diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea is focused on eliminating the pariah state's nuclear weapons program, not its totalitarian government.

But the more Trump muddies the picture, the tougher it may become to maintain cooperation with China and Russia, which seek a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis and not a new U.S. ally suddenly popping up on their borders. It also risks snuffing out hopes of persuading Kim's government to enter a negotiation when its survival isn't assured.

Military maneuvers are adding to tensions along the two Koreas' heavily militarized border. In a show of might to North Korea, U.S. bombers and fighter escorts flew Saturday to the farthest point north of the border between North and South Korea by any such American aircraft this century.

Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning said Monday the operation was conducted in international airspace and legally permissible. The U.S. has a "deep arsenal of military options to provide the president so that he can then decide how he wants to deal with North Korea," he said.

"We are prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from an attack and are prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against the threat from North Korea," Manning told reporters.

North Korea's Ri said Monday that the world doesn't want "the war of words" between his country and the U.S. to "turn into real action." He said Trump's claim that "our leadership wouldn't be around much longer" exacerbates the situation.

"Given the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of (the) United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war."

North Korea has responded to past U.S. slights by equating them to declarations of war  a state that still formally exists between them because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a formal peace treaty.

In 2013, North Korea declared its relations with South Korea, a close U.S. ally, in a "state of war" after U.S. and international condemnation of a nuclear test explosion. Three years later, North Korea said U.S. sanctions on leader Kim and other top officials were tantamount to a war declaration. After that, the North severed a tenuous diplomatic channel to the State Department, which was renewed once Trump took office.

"What we see is another case of North Korean 'coercion by bluster'," said Bruce Bennett, a Rand Corp. analyst. "The North Korean regime is trying to convince the United States and President Trump in particular to back down."

A rapid series of missile and nuclear tests this year have raised alarm that North Korea is nearing its longstanding ambition of having an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction capable of striking the United States.

The General Assembly gathering, usually a time for diplomacy, has only added to global unease over the nuclear standoff. In his first U.N. speech, Trump threatened to destroy Korea if it attacks the U.S. or its allies. Kim responded with a rare statement, calling Trump "deranged" and warning of a stern "countermeasure."

Hours later, Ri said the North's response could be to detonate a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific. Its past nuclear tests have been underground inside North Korea.
In yet another sign of how the Internet of Things (IoT) is re-arranging the international corporate landscape, Japanese manufacturing giant Hitachi is reorganizing to challenge the global leaders in the IoT market. The conglomerate is combining three of its Bay Area divisions into a single $4 billion unit responsible for growing Hitachi's IoT operations in more than 130 countries.

The new IoT-centric operation will combine Hitachi Data Systems (data center infrastructure), Hitachi Insight Group (big data software) and Pentaho (analytics) into a wholly owned subsidiary called Hitachi Vantara, which will employ some 7,000 people (about a of third of Hitachis IT workforce) out of its Santa Clara, California, headquarters.

+ Also on Network World: Aruba rolls out security fabric designed for IoT and the digital era +

The company made its goals clear in a press release: Hitachi Vantara will harness business, human and machine data across OT and IT environments to build comprehensive, data-driven solutions. Customers will be able to manage, store, govern, blend, analyze and visualize data  and then take action based on uncovered insights.

On a more practical level, according to Nikkei Asian Review, Vantara will be responsible for linking IT teams in Japan, China, India, Europe and elsewhere to develop new services and create proposals for clients in markets around the world from Silicon Valley. The reorganization allows Vantara to give orders across departments and group companies.

Fortune reports that the three groups customers include Disney, BME, InfoSys and Marks & Spenser.

Targeting large-scale IoT deals

The move is significant for a couple of reasons. First, its a big bet on Insight's Lumada IoT technology platform for connected devices in industrial settings. Also in Fortune, IDC Research Director Stacy Crook explained, The big reveal is now Lumada will be a standalone commercial offering and sit at the middle of Hitachi's IoT strategy.

More importantly, though, its a clear announcement of intentions to compete on the largest-scale IoT deals against the likes of GE, Siemens, Microsoft, Amazon, Google and others.

Reports also noted that Hitachi is investing some $2.8 billion in three years to further build out its IoT business. For example, Hitachi Data Systems and Pentaho reportedly hired an additional 1,000 people last year. (Hitachi Data Systems bought Pentaho in 2015 for a reported $500 million to $600 million.) Hitachis overall goal is reportedly to boost IoT revenues by 20 percent from 2106 to almost $1 billion in 2018.

Vantara Chief Solutions and Services Officer Bobby Soni told Fortune, "Our strategy is to bring industrial IoT expertise, our software and ability to manage and run technology. We don't think many companies are in a position to pull all those things together."

Clearly, theres a lot at stake: Hitachis press release cited Gartner estimates that the IoT market will top $440 billion by 2020. And Bloomberg noted that IoT accounted for $5.4 billion of Hitachis sales in the fiscal year ended March 2016, about 6 percent of total revenue.

But Hitachi is convinced it can grab a bigger share of the potential market. The press release made it explicit: The new company is targeting the emerging IoT market opportunity in which there is no clear winner yet.

And with a variety of huge multinational technology companies wading in, it may take a while for the clear winners to separate themselves from the also-rans.
A new technique that targets drugs to specific cells could lead to improved therapies for diseases caused by an overactive immune response.

The approach could help people affected by conditions such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases, where the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues.

Researchers focused on a group of immune cells called macrophages - some of which help the body heal after injury, while others can promote harmful inflammation.

The team at the University of Edinburgh sought to devise a new therapy to remove harmful macrophages while leaving healing cells unaffected

They coupled a drug compound to a carrier molecule that only becomes active in acidic conditions, such as those found inside harmful macrophages.

A fluorescent tag attached to the molecules enabled the team to track the cells affected by the drug.

Lab tests on human macrophages showed the treatment preferentially affected inflammatory macrophages and did not affect healing cells.

Studies with zebrafish, which share features of their immune system with people, found the treatment helped to improve the recovery of tissues after injury.

The team hopes their approach could lead to more effective therapies, with fewer side effects, for the treatment of immune-related diseases.

Their research was published in the journal ACS Central Science.

Dr Marc Vendrell, of the Medical Research Council Centre for Inflammation Research at the University of Edinburgh, who led the study, said: "This is an important step forward in the design of more precise drugs with fewer side effects. In future studies, we want to exploit this technology to improve the treatment of diseases in which macrophages and immune cells are important."
Even a partial report from the Congressional Budget Office was enough to apparently tip the scales against the latest Republican effort to overhaul the Affordable Care Act and prompted a crucial senator to announce she cannot support the bill, seemingly sinking its chances.

The CBO said Monday that the bill offered by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) would meet the requirements for fast-track consideration in the Senate, but that "millions of additional people would be uninsured," if the bill became law.

Within minutes of the report's release, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) tweeted her opposition to the bill, becoming the third Republican to do so. Republicans can afford to lose only two votes to pass the bill.

In a statement, Collins said the CBO's analysis, "incomplete though it is due to time constraints, confirms that this bill will have a substantially negative impact on the number of people covered by insurance."

Unlike earlier GOP proposals, the CBO did not have enough time to fully evaluate the impact of the proposal unveiled earlier this month. "In the short time available, CBO and [the Joint Committee on Taxation] could not complete a full analysis on the effects of this legislation on the federal budget," the report said.

There's another complication  the version of the proposed legislation analyzed by the CBO is not even the latest version. Sponsors made changes over the weekend to try to win votes from fence-sitting moderates and conservatives, including Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Collins.

Asked at a Senate Finance Committee hearing Monday if the version on his website was the one the Senate might vote on, Cassidy replied, "I hope so."

The CBO said that fewer people would be covered because subsidies that help people pay premiums and other financial aid would be eliminated, and individuals would no longer be required to have insurance or pay a fine.

It also said the bill would dramatically change the Medicaid program. "All told, federal spending on Medicaid would be reduced by about $1 trillion over the 2017-2026 period under this legislation, and the program would cover millions less," the report said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said if someone brings him a health proposal that can gain the 50 votes needed to pass under the budget reconciliation process, he will resume consideration of the bill that he pulled from consideration in July.

The Senate's ability to use the fast-track process, however, expires at the end of the fiscal year, which is Saturday.

Collins' announcement makes it almost impossible for Senators to reach that threshold, unless they can convince either Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) or Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to change their minds. They pledged to vote no last week.
Adolescents who have experienced terror attacks suffer from sleep disturbance for years after the event. Researchers believe there is a need for better assessment and treatment of sleep disturbance in adolescents who have been exposed to trauma.

A new study has shown that adolescents who have experienced terror attacks were more prone to insomnia, were excessively sleepy during the daytime, had frequent nightmares and suffered from obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is defined as difficulty breathing when asleep, often causing the sufferer to waken frequently, resulting in poor quality of sleep.

"This indicates that sleep can be affected by stress, and that the extent of insomnia is cause for concern for these young lives," confirms Anne Marita Milde, Centre Director at Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, Uni Research Health, and one of the researchers behind the study.

Insomnia is also a risk factor related to drug use, attention deficiencies, poor performance at school, and injuries and accidents among the younger population in general.

More than 50% suffer from sleep disturbances

The new study comprises 42 of the young persons who experienced the terror attack on Utya island on 22 July 2011. The study shows that 52.4% of this group suffered sleep problems for two years after the event. They had not experienced sleep disturbances prior to the events on Utya island.

The mass shooting on Utya island is the deadliest attack in Norway since World War II. 564 members of the Labour Party's youth division (AUF) were taking part in the annual summer camp on the island of Utya in Norway and experienced the mass shooting. The terrorist traveled over to the island by ferry, dressed as a policeman. In the space of 80 minutes, 67 persons were brutally shot and killed, two died from a fall and drowning and 66 were shot and injured.

Link to mental health

Sleep disturbance also appears to have links with mental health. The researchers found that sleep disturbances were more prevalent in adolescents with psychiatric diagnoses than in adolescents without psychiatric diagnoses.

"It is therefore necessary to assess and treat sleep-related disturbances after trauma in order to prevent intensification of existing disorders. There is also a need to continue to clarify the link between trauma, psychiatric diagnoses and sleep disturbance so that we are more capable of developing tools for the treatment of victims of traumatic life events," states Anne Marita Milde.

The researchers believe that by treating sleep disturbances after a trauma, it will be possible to reduce the risk of the outbreak of mental health disorders and problem behavior.
Captain Marvel and the X-Men crossover for Revenge of the Brood and Lord of the Brood

Captain Marvel and the X-Men are about to embroiled in a two-part Brood-centric story
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If needed, India will execute more surgical strikes: Army Chief

New Delhi : Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday said the cross-LoC surgical strikes of last year were a message to Pakistan and hinted at more if necessary.

"Strikes were a message we wanted to communicate. I think they understood what we mean. These things could follow if required," Rawat said speaking after the launch of book 'India's Most Fearless'.

The book has an account of the surgical strikes conducted along the Myanmar border and across the LoC.

Rawat said that terrorists will continue to come and Indian soldiers are ready to 'welcome' them.

"We are prepared for any infiltration. Terrorists are ready at that side of the border and we are ready on this side to welcome them. We will receive them and send them to their graves," Rawat said.
Japanese scientists have invented an approach to quantum computing that renders a far larger number of calculations more efficiently than existing quantum computers.

They believe the technological building blocks exist and that the quantum loops can be experimentally realized with current technology. Their theoretical works suggests this can scale to millions of qubits for a universal quantum computer.

Above the Loop-based architecture for universal quantum computing is shown, featuring a homodyne detector (HD), displacement operation (Disp.), a phase shifter (PS) and a variable beam splitter (VBS).

Under the new method, many pulses of light, each carrying information, are allowed to go around in a loop circuit indefinitely. The circuit performs multiple tasks, switching from one task to another rapidly through instant manipulations of the pulses.

The invention was announced in an article by University of Tokyo professor Akira Furusawa and assistant professor Shuntaro Takeda that was posted on an electronic version of the U.S. journal Physical Review Letters.

Physical Review Letters  Universal Quantum Computing with Measurement-Induced Continuous-Variable Gate Sequence in a Loop-Based Architecture

Arxiv  Universal Quantum Computing with Measurement-Induced Continuous-Variable Gate Sequence in a Loop-Based Architecture (5 pages)

(a) Measurement-induced squeezing gate [5]. (b) Single-loop architecture for single-mode Clifford (Gaussian) gates. (c)(e) Procedure for an arbitrary single-mode Clifford gate. We assume that the input pulse initially arrives at the VBS at time t=0. (f) Programmable control sequence of system parameters. (g) Decomposition of an arbitrary n-mode Clifford gate

Well start work to develop the hardware, now that weve resolved all problems except how to make a scheme that automatically corrects a calculation error, Furusawa said.

In 2013, Furusawas team developed a basic system for optical quantum computing. The system requires more than 500 mirrors and lenses and occupies space 4.2 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, while it can handle only one pulse.

To boost the capacities, many units need to be connected. But that is difficult, given the size and complicated structure of the system.

In the new approach, a single circuit plays the role of many such systems.

In other types of quantum computers, including those using superconducting circuits, some are capable of handling up to dozens of qubits, or quantum bits, the basic unit of information in quantum computing.

Furusawas new approach will allow a single circuit to process more than 1 million qubits theoretically, his team said in a press release, calling it an ultimate quantum computing method.

Researchers theoretically showed that their quantum computation scheme using measurement-induced CV gates in a loop-based architecture provides the universal gate set for both qubits and CVs. This architecture offers electrical programmability of gate sequence and higher scalability, and also enables fault-tolerant quantum computation with logical qubits redundantly encoded in a large Hilbert space.

Experimental viability. They consider the feasibility of their architecture with current technology. Measurement-induced squeezing gates in our architecture was previously demonstrated for pulsed input states.

Although the measurement-induced cubic phase gate has not been demonstrated yet, recent progress in ancilla preparation makes its implementation within reach of current technology. Conversion of these gates into the loop architecture requires long (10 meter) and low-loss optical delay lines. Such delay lines have been developed in free-space or by using optical fibers in several experiments. In addition, the viability of loop-based beam splitter operation has been recently demonstrated in several experiments, such as quantum walk and boson sampling. These experiments demonstrate that fast dynamic control of optical switches and beam splitter transmissivity is possible while preserving the coherence of quantum states. The demonstrations described above show that all of the basic building blocks of their architecture are already available.

Abstract

We propose a scalable scheme for optical quantum computing using measurement-induced continuous-variable quantum gates in a loop-based architecture. Here, time-bin-encoded quantum information in a single spatial mode is deterministically processed in a nested loop by an electrically programmable gate sequence. This architecture can process any input state and an arbitrary number of modes with almost minimum resources, and offers a universal gate set for both qubits and continuous variables. Furthermore, quantum computing can be performed fault tolerantly by a known scheme for encoding a qubit in an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space of a single light mode.
A team of researchers from the UK and Russia have successfully demonstrated that a type of magic dust which combines light and matter can be used to solve complex problems and could eventually surpass the capabilities of even the most powerful supercomputers.

The researchers, from Cambridge, Southampton and Cardiff Universities in the UK and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia, have used quantum particles known as polaritons  which are half light and half matter  to act as a type of beacon showing the way to the simplest solution to complex problems. This entirely new design could form the basis of a new type of computer that can solve problems that are currently unsolvable, in diverse fields such as biology, finance or space travel. The results are reported in the journal Nature Materials.

Our technological progress  from modelling protein folding and behaviour of financial markets to devising new materials and sending fully automated missions into deep space  depends on our ability to find the optimal solution of a mathematical formulation of a problem: the absolute minimum number of steps that it takes to solve that problem.

The search for an optimal solution is analogous to looking for the lowest point in a mountainous terrain with many valleys, trenches, and drops. A hiker may go downhill and think that they have reached the lowest point of the entire landscape, but there may be a deeper drop just behind the next mountain. Such a search may seem daunting in natural terrain, but imagine its complexity in high-dimensional space. This is exactly the problem to tackle when the objective function to minimise represents a real-life problem with many unknowns, parameters, and constraints, said Professor Natalia Berloff of Cambridges Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, and the papers first author.

Modern supercomputers can only deal with a small subset of such problems when the dimension of the function to be minimised is small or when the underlying structure of the problem allows it to find the optimal solution quickly even for a function of large dimensionality. Even a hypothetical quantum computer, if realised, offers at best the quadratic speed-up for the brute-force search for the global minimum.

Berloff and her colleagues approached the problem from an unexpected angle: What if instead of moving along the mountainous terrain in search of the lowest point, one fills the landscape with a magical dust that only shines at the deepest level, becoming an easily detectible marker of the solution?

A few years ago our purely theoretical proposal on how to do this was rejected by three scientific journals, said Berloff. One referee said, Who would be crazy enough to try to implement this?! So we had to do it ourselves, and now weve proved our proposal with experimental data.

Their magic dust polaritons are created by shining a laser at stacked layers of selected atoms such as gallium, arsenic, indium, and aluminium. The electrons in these layers absorb and emit light of a specific colour. Polaritons are ten thousand times lighter than electrons and may achieve sufficient densities to form a new state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate, where the quantum phases of polaritons synchronise and create a single macroscopic quantum object that can be detected through photoluminescence measurements.

The next question the researchers had to address was how to create a potential landscape that corresponds to the function to be minimised and to force polaritons to condense at its lowest point. To do this, the group focused on a particular type of optimisation problem, but a type that is general enough so that any other hard problem can be related to it, namely minimisation of the XY model which is one of the most fundamental models of statistical mechanics. The authors have shown that they can create polaritons at vertices of an arbitrary graph: as polaritons condense, the quantum phases of polaritons arrange themselves in a configuration that correspond to the absolute minimum of the objective function.

We are just at the beginning of exploring the potential of polariton graphs for solving complex problems, said co-author Professor Pavlos Lagoudakis, Head of the Hybrid Photonics Lab at the University of Southampton and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, where the experiments were performed. We are currently scaling up our device to hundreds of nodes, while testing its fundamental computational power. The ultimate goal is a microchip quantum simulator operating at ambient conditions.

Nature Materials  Realizing the classical XY Hamiltonian in polariton simulators

Abstract

The vast majority of real-life optimization problems with a large number of degrees of freedom are intractable by classical computers, since their complexity grows exponentially fast with the number of variables. Many of these problems can be mapped into classical spin models, such as the Ising, the XY or the Heisenberg models, so that optimization problems are reduced to finding the global minimum of spin models. Here, we propose and investigate the potential of polariton graphs as an efficient analogue simulator for finding the global minimum of the XY model. By imprinting polariton condensate lattices of bespoke geometries we show that we can engineer various coupling strengths between the lattice sites and read out the result of the global minimization through the relative phases. Besides solving optimization problems, polariton graphs can simulate a large variety of systems undergoing the U(1) symmetry-breaking transition. We realize various magnetic phases, such as ferromagnetic, anti-ferromagnetic, and frustrated spin configurations on a linear chain, the unit cells of square and triangular lattices, a disordered graph, and demonstrate the potential for size scalability on an extended square lattice of 45 coherently coupled polariton condensates. Our results provide a route to study unconventional superfluids, spin liquids, BerezinskiiKosterlitzThouless phase transition, and classical magnetism, among the many systems that are described by the XY Hamiltonian.
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Mr. Tuzman assumed that he would be quickly extradited to the United States. But he soon found himself in a parallel universe, he said. In the beginning, every day I thought: Theyre going to let me out tomorrow. They have to realize this is a mistake.

But weeks went by. His lawyers asked the United States Embassy to step in, warning that he could be abused or killed. When Mr. Tuzmans lawyers recommended that he be released into the custody of a United States official and brought home where he could be rearrested, the United States authorities said their hands were tied by legal protocol.

That October, he said, he was raped. Within an hour, he told his lawyer, Amanda Blaurock of Pedley & Blaurock, about it during an in-person meeting. She then went to the United States Embassy.

When the Mr. Tuzmans imprisonment in Colombia was finally brought to the attention of a federal judge, Paul G. Gardephe, in the Southern District of New York, Judge Gardephe said he was shocked by the governments unwillingness to step in.

There is credible evidence here that this man is undergoing significant abuse, to the point that there is reason to be concerned about his life, the judge said. He also challenged the government to tell me face to face they cant do anything about the conditions this man is in, and that if he has to stay there for nine months, there is nothing they can do about that.

Judge Gardephe lashed out at the prosecutors who recommended that, as an alternative to bringing Mr. Tuzman home, they could help him be moved to another prison, known as Combita.

Having sentenced numerous Colombian defendants in this courtroom, and having heard over and over again about the conditions that they were in during the period of time that they were awaiting extradition at Combita, the judge said, its shocking to me that the governments solution to the problem would be to transfer him to Combita. Its shocking to me.
MILAN  It was 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, the Bottega Veneta show was about to start, and Francois-Henri Pinault, chief executive of Kering, the French conglomerate that owns the Italian brand, was het up.

Were the models late? Had some clothes not arrived? Did he  oops  not like what he saw?

Nope. His morning had been ruined because of the news that the Trump administration was changing the federal governments policy on sexual assault on campus, potentially allowing colleges to raise the standard of proof required, a decision widely seen as altering the balance of power toward the colleges and away from the victims.
A New Jersey man who won $338 million in the Powerball lottery four years ago was released from jail on Monday while he awaits trial on charges of sexually abusing a young girl.

The man, Pedro Quezada, turned himself in to the authorities in Passaic County, N.J., last week after a 20-year-old woman said he had repeatedly molested her when she was between 11 and 14. Prosecutors charged Mr. Quezada, 49, with multiple counts of felony sexual assault.

At a court hearing on Monday, a judge allowed him to go free pending trial but required Mr. Quezada to wear an ankle monitor and limited his travel outside his house.

Steven Wukovits, a lawyer who is representing him, said that Mr. Quezada was innocent and that the woman had fabricated the allegations to try to claim some of his lottery winnings. She is only the latest person to try to take advantage of Mr. Quezada after he won, Mr. Wukovits said.
The list is almost identical to the ban issued in January  all are Muslim-majority countries with the exception of two additions, North Korea and Venezuela, both of which look a lot like window dressing. Annual visa grants to North Koreans number in the dozens, while the ban in Venezuela applies only to officials from the government of the Trump nemesis Nicolas Maduro, along with their family members.

Meanwhile, no citizen from the barred countries has carried out a fatal terrorist attack in the United States in the past two decades. Thats in part because the extreme vetting that Mr. Trump and his anti-immigration cabal have been hawking was already the law of the land. The United States subjects visa applicants to some of the most thorough and rigorous scrutiny in the world. The risk of a terrorist attack by a foreign-born visitor who could be stopped by these procedures is minuscule.

As one federal appeals court said in blocking the earlier ban, the administration has presented no evidence that present vetting standards are inadequate, and no finding that absent the improved vetting procedures there likely will be harm to our national interests.

The new restrictions have, were told, been informed by rational, evidence-based concerns about countries whose vetting procedures pose a true security threat to the United States. That might be enough for the ban to be upheld by the federal courts, which are as a rule very deferential to presidential actions on immigration and national security. (On Monday, the Supreme Court, which was slated to hear challenges to the second ban on Oct. 10, removed the case from its calendar and ordered the parties to submit briefs on whether the new ban makes the case moot.) But considered in the broader context of Mr. Trumps own remarks  most recently, his call for a far larger, tougher and more specific travel ban  its hard to see how this latest version breaks much new ground.

This shows why it is so damaging to have a fundamentally untrustworthy commander in chief. All presidents must make hard choices about security, and all administrations have faced the intransigence or incompetence of foreign governments when it comes to fighting terrorism. But when the president has freely spouted his own longstanding animus toward adherents of one of the worlds major religions, his actions  which include, in addition to the travel ban, a pervasive hostility toward immigration  must be evaluated against that backdrop.
Hurricane Maria was the most powerful storm to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years. It left the entire island without electricity, which may take six months to restore. It toppled trees, shattered windows, tore off roofs and turned streets into rivers throughout the island.

President Trump declared that Puerto Rico was absolutely obliterated and issued a federal disaster declaration. But the United States needs to do more. It needs to suspend the Jones Act in Puerto Rico.

After World War I, America was worried about German U-boats, which had sunk nearly 5,000 ships during the war. Congress enacted the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, a.k.a. the Jones Act, to ensure that the country maintained a shipbuilding industry and seafaring labor force. Section 27 of this law decreed that only American ships could carry goods and passengers from one United States port to another. In addition, every ship must be built, crewed and owned by American citizens.

Almost a century later, there are no U-boats lurking off the coast of Puerto Rico. The Jones Act has outlived its original intent, yet it is strangling the islands economy.
Before long, the mission broadened to include advocacy. Members would stick fliers on the windshields of cars parked at a church during Mass warning that an abusive priest was inside. Victims stood outside cathedrals and even on St. Peters Square at the Vatican holding photographs of themselves as children when they were first molested.

Ms. Blaine told her story to the local news media in Toledo, and her abuser was removed from ministry after more of his victims came forward. She received a settlement from the church.

She wasnt trying to change the world; she was trying to heal herself, said Barbara Dorris, the managing director of the Survivors Network and an early participant in the group. She was trying to work within the church, but Barbara couldnt because the systems failed her and her perpetrator was still out there. She felt, like every victim feels, that theres this responsibility to speak up before what happened to you happens to someone else.

In 2002, after a vast cover-up of abusive priests in Boston was revealed by The Boston Globe, and after similar accounts emerged across the country, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops asked Ms. Blaine and Mr. Clohessy to address them at a pivotal meeting in Dallas. American bishops eventually adopted a zero-tolerance policy and pledged to remove priests credibly accused of abuse.

But since then SNAP has often accused bishops of failing to keep these promises, and the group continues to be seen by the church as an adversarial force.

Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, who was president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at the height of the scandal in 2002, recalled on Monday that he had first met Ms. Blaine when he was an auxiliary bishop in Chicago. He had helped her obtain a closed church to use as a Catholic Worker house.

She was a woman of faith; may God be merciful to her, Archbishop Gregory said.

Besides her husband, Ms. Blaine is survived by her stepsons, Brett and Joshua Rubin; two step-grandsons; three brothers; and four sisters, one of them her twin.
WASHINGTON  After months of quietly urging the Trump administration to preserve the Iran nuclear deal, European diplomats have begun an aggressive defense of it, warning of serious consequences if the United States ignores their concerns.

President Trump denounced the nuclear agreement in a speech to the United Nations last week as an embarrassment to the United States. But he said later that his real goal is not to scrap the deal right away but to enlist the European allies who were also signatories of the 2015 agreement in an effort toughen its provisions.

Responding to his speech, Federica Mogherini, the European Unions foreign policy chief, said there was no need to reopen the agreement because its fully delivering. And she expressed the near-disbelief among European officials that Mr. Trump might walk away from the Iran accord while trying to resolve an escalating crisis involving North Koreas nuclear and missile programs.

We already have one potential nuclear crisis, she said. We definitely do not need to go into a second one.
WASHINGTON  At least six of President Trumps closest advisers occasionally used private email addresses to discuss White House matters, current and former officials said on Monday.

The disclosures came a day after news surfaced that Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and adviser, used a private email account to send or receive about 100 work-related emails during the administrations first seven months. But Mr. Kushner was not alone. Stephen K. Bannon, the former chief White House strategist, and Reince Priebus, the former chief of staff, also occasionally used private email addresses. Other advisers, including Gary D. Cohn and Stephen Miller, sent or received at least a few emails on personal accounts, officials said.

Ivanka Trump, the presidents elder daughter, who is married to Mr. Kushner, used a private account when she acted as an unpaid adviser in the first months of the administration, Newsweek reported Monday. Administration officials acknowledged that she also occasionally did so when she formally became a White House adviser. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with reporters.

Officials are supposed to use government emails for their official duties so their conversations are available to the public and those conducting oversight. But it is not illegal for White House officials to use private email accounts as long as they forward work-related messages to their work accounts so they can be preserved.
WASHINGTON  Roger J. Stone Jr., a self-proclaimed political dirty trickster and an informal adviser to the president, will strongly deny to congressional investigators on Tuesday that he worked with Russians to aid President Trumps campaign.

I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support, Mr. Stone said in prepared remarks to the House Intelligence Committee, a copy of which was obtained Monday by The New York Times. There is one trick that is not in my bag, and that is treason.

Mr. Stone is scheduled to be interviewed by the committee behind closed doors in its continuing investigation of Russian interference in last years presidential election.

His prepared remarks amount to a combative and meandering defense, complete with exhibits intended to bolster his case  a touch more fitting to a courtroom than a closed-door interview with investigators. Though the opening statement presents little new information from Mr. Stone, who has for months caustically denied any involvement in the election meddling, it comes with added weight: Lying to Congress is a crime.
WASHINGTON  Republicans are unifying behind an aggressive tax code rewrite with a single, overarching goal: How low can they go?

Party leaders on Monday said they were coalescing around a plan that could slash corporate taxes to 20 percent from 35 percent, double the standard deduction for individual taxpayers and cut taxes on sole proprietorships, among other changes. President Trump, however, continues to insist the corporate tax rate be decreased even further, to 15 percent.

We are continuing to drive the rate down as low as possible, Representative Kevin Brady of Texas, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said at a briefing with reporters on Monday. My prediction is that the framework will deliver the lowest tax rates on businesses in modern history.

The big question is how they will pay for it.

The Trump administration and Republican leaders in Congress are expected to release a unified framework for a tax code rewrite on Wednesday, kick-starting a scramble to enact legislation by years end. Republicans have said eliminating corporate tax loopholes, combined with a surge of economic growth from the tax cuts, will offset lost government revenue. Last week, members of the Senate Budget Committee agreed on a framework that would add to the federal deficit to pave the way for a $1.5 trillion tax cut over a decade.


Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. The island has no electricity, and may not for months to come. Much of the water is undrinkable. About 80 percent of crop value is gone, a loss of $780 million.

More than 3.4 million people live in Puerto Rico, yet the political and popular response to the catastrophe has been far more muted than the response to the devastation in Houston from Hurricane Harvey or that in Florida from Hurricane Irma. This may be because, according to a new poll, only a slim majority of Americans realize Puerto Ricans are Americans, too.

Here are answers to some questions you might have about Puerto Ricos place in the United States.

Are Puerto Ricans American citizens?

Yes. Under Section 302 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, people born in Puerto Rico have the same birthright American citizenship as people born in the 50 states. (Puerto Ricans born from April 11, 1899, to Jan. 13, 1941, became citizens when the act was passed.)

Gov. Ricardo A. Rossello of Puerto Rico emphasized this on Monday, pleading for federal aid.

Puerto Rico, which is part of the United States, can turn into a humanitarian crisis, he said. To avoid that, recognize that we Puerto Ricans are American citizens. When we speak of a catastrophe, everyone must be treated equally.
SAN JUAN, P.R.  Gov. Ricardo A. Rossello of Puerto Rico said on Monday that the island was on the brink of a humanitarian crisis nearly a week after Hurricane Maria knocked out its power and most of its water, and left residents waiting in excruciating lines for fuel. He called on Congress to prevent a deepening disaster.

Stressing that Puerto Rico, a United States commonwealth, deserved the same treatment as hurricane-ravaged states, the governor urged Republican leaders and the federal government to move swiftly to send more money, supplies and relief workers. It was a plea echoed by Puerto Ricos allies in Congress, who are pushing for quick movement on a new relief bill and a loosening of financial debt obligations for the island, which is still reeling from a corrosive economic crisis.

Puerto Rico, which is part of the United States, can turn into a humanitarian crisis, Governor Rossello said. To avoid that, recognize that we Puerto Ricans are American citizens; when we speak of a catastrophe, everyone must be treated equally.

And Mr. Rossello did not mince words about the potential impact on the mainland, where Puerto Ricans are expected to arrive in droves to escape the post-Maria hardships they will face on the island, including a shortage of already hard-to-find jobs.
Luckily, every office has its own underdog or pecked hen. They usually gravitated to me as a kindred spirit, taking me aside to calm me down or nip out for a cigarette.

I remember on one occasion catching the girl who sat next to me glancing at my computer screen to see what I was working on. But she held the glance for about 10 seconds, which seemed like a really long time, more like an intrusive stare. I got very upset and sent a strongly worded email to the company manager, with a few line managers ccd for good measure. The email was so strongly worded that my colleague had tears in her eyes when she was called in about it and was granted permission to leave work for the day. She even brought some chocolate to say sorry to me and mentioned more than once that she was Christian.

Once I left that job she unfriended me on Facebook, on my birthday. Even though by that point she knew I had mental health problems.

When I got my dream job as a fashion writer in London, at a very decent salary, the flights of ideas that are part of my illness, compounded by the restlessness brought on by my medications, sabotaged my success. Id been there for two weeks when I asked if it was possible I could take a six-month leave to work as a trainee reporter at a local newspaper in Hawaii. That wasnt allowed, but two weeks later I took three days of holiday and a weekend away to travel to Paris to write a deodorant review for a small, independent magazine. I took another week off soon after to host writing workshops for people with disabilities.

My boss was very understanding, and I did last in that job for 18 months but ended up resigning to be closer to my mother, who was having health problems. My office goodbye card was memorable: Even though I hadnt told many people about my condition, all the notes went along the lines of Ill miss the madness.

An important lesson I have learned by overcoming adversity in the workplace and learning to live with mental illness is that we can build castles with the stones that life throws at us. I now work from home as a freelance writer, at hours to suit, which allows me the flexibility to get the regular therapy sessions and medical checkups that I need.

I mostly write about mental illness. I am also writing my first book, A Beginners Guide to Sanity, with a highly regarded professor of psychiatry.
Basil Gogos, who painted penetrating and chilling color portraits of movie monsters like Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Phantom of the Opera, and imbued Frankensteins monster with notable compassion, died on Sept. 13 at a hospital in Manhattan. He was 88.

Linda Touby, his wife and only immediate survivor, said the cause was probably a coronary.

Mr. Gogos produced dozens of covers for the horror magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland over more than 20 years. Many looked as if Mr. Gogos had invited the monsters into his studio, where he meticulously lighted them and bathed them in brilliant hues.
PARIS  Cerebral. Formal. Rigorously patterned and structured.

These are some ways to describe the choreography of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, who has been creating work to often-challenging scores since her first solo in 1980. But those descriptions dont suit A Love Supreme, a celebration of John Coltranes revered album that Ms. De Keersmaeker has choreographed with Salva Sanchis. For this piece, other descriptions apply: Ecstatic. Freewheeling. Improvisatory.

When A Love Supreme had its premiere in 2005, it was the first time the Belgian-born Ms. De Keersmaeker, 57, had collaborated with another choreographer. It was also the first time improvisation had featured in her work. And while it wasnt her first foray into jazz music (Bitches Brew/Tacoma Narrows from 2003 is set to Miles Davis), she has tended to turn to great classical scores  her most recent piece is set to Bachs suites for cello  or to modernist or contemporary composers like Gerard Grisey and or Steve Reich, who is often associated with her work.

A Love Supreme, which Ms. De Keersmaeker and Mr. Sanchis brought back this year, has changed. The work, coming to New York Live Arts on Wednesday, has a new opening section, performed in silence; revised choreography; and new costumes and lighting.

But the original  and unusual  division of labor between the two choreographers has remained constant: Mr. Sanchis is responsible for the movement vocabulary and improvisational techniques; Ms. De Keersmaeker for the spatial patterning and overall composition.
I wanted to create something uninhibited, spontaneous, in the same way that I started dancing, without a place to do it or the means of production, Ms. Ouizguen, 37, said, speaking in French in a telephone interview from Portland, Ore., where Corbeaux was being performed. The work has been all over the world, including the Marrakech Biennale, the Cour Carree at the Louvre and the Serpentine Pavilion in London. In each location, roughly half the women are locals, some professional dancers, others not.

The Moroccan-born Ms. Ouizguen (pronounced WEEZ-gen), grew up in Marrakesh and danced from an early age, without any formal training. At 14, she started to give concert performances; she had a contract to perform every two weeks in her neighborhood.

At 20, she began to create pieces that didnt necessarily please people, she said, without understanding that it was contemporary dance, which she had never seen. Her professional break came in 2006, when Jean-Paul Montanari, director of the Montpellier dance festival, commissioned two pieces after seeing a film of her work.

Ms. Ouizguen said Corbeaux was not in any sense traditional, even if it referred to traditions. The inspiration for the piece, she said, was a specific gesture: the abrupt, thrown-back movement of the head, throat and neck that she had seen in ritual ceremonies in both Morocco and Senegal. I am interested in the richness of my culture, but this is not an archaeological work, she said.

Nor, she said, did the womens black robes and head scarves refer to traditional Muslim female attire. The head scarves are very Mediterranean, not just Arab, she said. The costumes are all about focusing on the head and neck.
The museum will finally have its first purpose-built space on the site of its current cramped home in a former bank building. Despite persistent doubts about the financial capacities of predominantly black boards, the Studio Museum has succeeded in raising 70 percent of the money for its building project, cementing the institutions stature as a model of how to develop racially diverse trustees, staff members and audiences. Ms. Goldens name, meanwhile, keeps coming up for top posts, like those at the Brooklyn Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

At the same time, Ms. Golden must defend the Studio Museums importance in an age when the work of African-American artists is increasingly making its way into mainstream institutions. She must find new ways to attract visitors when even major institutions on Manhattans Museum Mile are struggling to compete with digital media for patrons leisure time. And she needs to raise the rest of the money for a new building when many institutions are also trying to secure donations.

Shes now considered a superstar in the art world, said Michael Govan, the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, who last year brought Ms. Golden onto his board. Some people have said, Mission accomplished; why do you need a big building? he added. Well, why does MoMA need a new building, why does the Whitney need a new building? Somehow the Studio Museum is supposed to stay in an unkempt, un-air-conditioned building. Why shouldnt they have the same institutional ambition?

The Studio Museums dual identities  as local community hub and an international champion of African-American artists and curators  are evident at its overflow openings, like the one for this months emerging artists show Fictions, where the gallery owner Gavin Brown and the artist Marilyn Minter rubbed elbows with Jonelle Procope, the president and chief executive of the Apollo Theater, and Dr. Edgar Mandeville, an esteemed obstetrician at Harlem Hospital.


As the ladys maid Anna Bates on Downton Abbey, Joanne Froggatt negotiated a series of increasingly horrific situations, from surreptitiously moving a dead houseguest to campaigning for her imprisoned husband to being raped by another lords valet.

It was good practice for her current role in Liar, a six-part British mini-series beginning Wednesday on SundanceTV. She plays Laura, a schoolteacher who goes on a date with a charming, handsome doctor, Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd), and wakes up the next morning convinced shes been raped. He denies it, convincingly, and the usual array of smears  alcohol, medication, past history  is thrown at Laura. The audience is kept in doubt: someones lying, but who?

Liar, created and written by the brothers Harry and Jack Williams, has another thing in common with Downton Abbey, beyond the presence of Ms. Froggatt. Both use serious business  social history in Downton, violence toward women in Liar  to dress up what is essentially well-made melodrama.
The Turner Prize exhibition, which showcases the nominees for the British contemporary art award, opened Tuesday at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, northern England.

On display are the works of the four shortlisted artists for the prestigious award: Hurvin Anderson, Andrea Buttner, Lubaina Himid and Rosalind Nashashibi.

The artists on the shortlist come from international and multicultural backgrounds, making it one of the most diverse selections to date. This is also the first year since 1991 in which artists age 50 and older are eligible for the prize, and two nominees  Mr. Anderson, 52, and Ms. Himid, 63  were made eligible by the lifting of the age limit.

Mr. Anderson, the son of Jamaican immigrants, is known for his paintings of barbershops, some of which are included in the exhibition. He is also showing vibrant paintings of trees and foliage.
In the annals of literary treachery, there is a special place reserved for David Plante and his memoir Difficult Women, a portrait of three of his friends (or so they believed): the novelist Jean Rhys; the feminist writer Germaine Greer; and Sonia Orwell, Georges widow, who presided, in her depressive fashion, over Londons bookish set in the 1970s.

First published in 1983 (and now reissued), the book had its champions, notably the critic Vivian Gornick, but many were horrified, in particular by Plantes treatment of Rhys. Elderly, and fatally trusting, she is shown tottering around with her pink wig on backward, slugging gin and falling drunkenly into a toilet. Plante took faithful dictation as she carried on like a character out of her own novels, ranting and weeping, endlessly victimized but breezily indifferent to the suffering she inflicted. On the death of her newborn son: I wondered if it died while we were drinking champagne.

Few writers have betrayed confidences with such uninhibited malice.

Difficult Women is creepy, it is cruel, it is morally indefensible  and it is exhilarating. As Dylan Thomas wrote: When one burns ones bridges, what a very nice fire it makes.

There may be no defending these heartless portrayals, but theres also no denying their power. Each scene is expertly staged, and burns with the same dark excitement you find in Mary Gaitskills fiction or Harold Pinters plays, the feeling that these characters have sought one another out to exercise hidden fears and desires, to expose primal wounds.
If youre in a city that is preparing for a weather-related emergency and are facing large price increases due to last-minute travel changes, the following may be effective:
Li Hongjie, a retiree in Yanji, said that while China had prospered, the North had achieved little but building weapons.



Now the whole world worries about what theyll do next, he said, especially us here in the northeast.
I perceive this family saga, which unfolds as the viewer walks along the sidewalks of Greenwich Village, as a folk tale, comments curator Lydie Diakhate. I wanted to bring the viewer through the infinite circle of life, from birth to death. As you walk along 3rd Street or LaGuardia Place, the narrative flows back and forth through the 13 windows. However, each window can also be seen individually as one story.

Almost four decades after Carlos and Claudes journey, they are bringing these archival images into the present moment, said Pamela Jean Tinnen, curator for Kimmel Galleries. Diakhate decided to avoid the idea of taking history as a nostalgic and frozen space and instead created for the viewer an atemporal space that allows for a new vision, which addresses the continuing dialogue about the principles of life, the effects of colonialism, and the ties of love and memory that bind between continents. The projects purpose is to invite the viewer to share what French philosopher Edouard Glissant called the emotions of the diversity of the world.

In 1980, equipped with various cameras  35 mm, Polaroid and a Super 8mm  Carlos de Jesus accompanied his friend Claude Oudey, who left his home in Paris, France and flew to Africa to meet his grandmother for the very first time.

Many years before, a Frenchman arrived in her village of Aby to manage a French plantation. Claudes grandmother had two children by this man, a boy and a girl. When he left the country to return to France, this man took his daughter with him; she was two years old. Claudes grandmother  his Nana  had no news of her child for many years, until her grandson resolved to bring his mother back to her birthplace, to find her family and to renew contact with the everyday life of her natal village.

This project was supported by grants from: The New York University Arts Council; the NYU Tisch Initiative for Creative Research; the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; and Michael S. DiLonardo, DDS. Special Thanks: Professor Shelley Rice, for planting the seed. For all press and sales inquiries, please contact Ms. Tinnen: Pamela.Jean.Tinnen@nyu.edu or 212.998.4950.

About the Kimmel Galleries: Established in 2003, Kimmel Galleries are dedicated to providing visually dynamic and thought provoking exhibitions. They are free and open to the public. For more information on tours, the artists or price inquiries, please contact the Curator, Pamela Jean Tinnen, at 212 298 4950 , or pamela.jean.tinnen@nyu.edu.

Past exhibitions include: Patterns of Interest: photography by Stephen Mallon; HOUSE: HOME; Field Season: records, wandering perspectives, side notes, a selection of photographs from Abydos, by Greg Maka, Amanda Kirkpatrick and Gus Gusciora; Preconceived Notions; and Perspectives: A photography exhibit about traveling and living in our world; DITTO: WORKS IN BLUE, Shira Toren, among others.
Amidst Rohingya crisis, centre reviews free movement regime with Myanmar

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The free movement regime, a bi-lateral agreement between Indian and Myanmar is under review in the wake of the Rohingya Muslim crisis. This agreement allows free movement of Indian and Myanmarese citizens within 16 kilometres of the border. This has on several occasions been exploited by terrorists and smugglers.

To review the situation, the Home Ministry sent two of its senior officials to four states along the Indo-Myanmar border. Special secretary (internal security) Rina Mitra and joint secretary (northeast), Satyendra Gard met with senior officials of the four states where the regime is in force.

India has a 1,643-km border with Myanmar and it is unique in many ways as it has a visa-free movement regime for people living within 16 km on either side of the border. They can stay up to 72 hours with effective and valid permits issued by the designated authorities on either side.

This regime has been in place keeping in view the traditional social relations among the border people. It helps genuine people living in close proximity of the border.

"However, it is misused by militants and criminals who smuggle weapons, narcotics, contraband goods and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN)," Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 7:16 [IST]
Andhra bureaucrat with Rs 500 crore disproportionate assets arrested three days before retirement

India

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The Andhra Pradesh anti-corruption bureau officials arrested a senior bureaucrat for allegedly amassing Rs 500 crore disproportionate assets. Golla Venkata Raghurami Reddy who was set to retire in three days was arrested after raids were conducted at properties belonging to him in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, and Maharashtra's Shirdi.

Reddy, director of state town planning in municipal administration department, was to retire on Wednesday and had already planned to throw a huge party abroad. After conducting raids 15 places belonging to the officer, the ACB sleuths arrested him. The government official, it was learned during the raids, also owns a hotel, Sai Suraj Kunj, in Shirdi. 300 acres of valuable land in Gannavaram near Vijayawada belongs to him among other properties. ACB officers also found Rs 50 lakh in cash at Reddy's residence. Raids were also conducted at properties belonging to the official's kin and friends.

The officials are continuing with the raids for the second day on Tuesday. The estimated value of assets unearthed only on Monday is pegged at Rs 500 crore, according to ACB officials. Officials are yet to identify and open bank lockers belonging to the official. "Reddy has been arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to his income, which is around Rs 1 lakh per month," said RP Thakur, Director General, ACB.

15 teams of the ACB carried out search operations in two states since Monday morning. Officials who carried out raids in Vijayawada claimed that huge amounts of gold and diamonds were stashed in electronics like washing machines.

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At BHU, what does Lanketing stand for

India

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By Vicky

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BHU Harassment case : What does term Lanketing means

4-'Lanketing' is a term that anyone who has studied at the Banaras Hindu University would know. The BHU has been in the news for the past couple of days.

The vice-chancellor has justified the curbs imposed on the women students saying that it was done keeping their safety in mind. However the students have complained that the curbs make no sense since they have been harassed outside their residence halls as well.

With the rise in the number of such complaints, it would be interesting to take a look at what 'Lanketing' means. Today the term broadly means harassment. However when the word was coined it was not supposed to mean that.

The term is derived from the name a market near BHU's Singh Dwar gate. The Lanka Market has a lot of cafes and restaurants and are frequented by students. Many complain that there are several local youth who land up and are seen loitering around in their bikes and very often harassing women.

While today 'Lanketing' means harassment, it meant something else when it was coined. Those who have studied at this university several years back say at that time, 'Lanketing' meant going to Lanka Market to shop or to eat.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 11:08 [IST]
What GST has got to do with Kautilya, globalisation with Manu? A lot for BHU

Varanasi: Student shot at in BHU, condition said to be critical

BHU violence: NHRC issues notices to UP govt, VC over eve-teasing complaint

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and BHU Vice-Chancellor on inaction over eve-teasing complaint and harsh police action against students.

In a statement to the media, the NHRC said: "Suo motu cognizance taken in subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP police.

Notices issued to Chief Secy, DGP UP and BHU VC calling for a detailed report in the matter. The response is expected within 4 weeks."

The development comes hours after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus.

A number of students were hurt when clashes broke out between the police and students of BHU after the students started protesting against alleged molestation of a girl.

The students alleged that the police thrashed them and dragged them by the hair, but DM Varanasi, who was present on the spot, denied all such claims.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 21:25 [IST]
BHU violence: Uttar Pradesh government orders judicial inquiry

India

oi-Anusha

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has ordered a judicial inquiry into violence on the campus of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Srikant Sharma, the spokesperson for the government confirmed the development on Tuesday.

An inquiry committee headed by Justice VK Dikshit of Allahabad High court will probe the matter. "The inquiry commission has been formed. Action will be taken based on the recommendations of the committee, said BHU VC Girish Chandra Tripathi.

Meanwhile, the Station House Officer of Lanka Chowk police station has been suspended for ordering lathi-charge on students. The Yogi government, as well as the BHU administration, had come under massive fire for the brutal use of force against protesting girl students.

At BHU, what does 'Lanketing' stand for

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The probe has been ordered after BHU vice-chancellor G C Tripathi sought a judicial inquiry into the events within the varsity between September 21 and 23. The government is yet to name those who will lead the probe into the matter that has come as a massive embarrassment to the BJP government, both, at the state and the center.

The police have already registered an FIR against 1,000 unidentified students of the university for allegedly indulging in violence. While the VC denied any lathi-charge on students and continued to make insensitive remarks about allegations of molestation on the campus, Varanasi DC's report nailed the administration.

Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Nitin Gokarn on Tuesday held Banaras Hindu University (BHU) administration responsible for the violence that was witnessed. In a preliminary report submitted to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, the officer said that the university administration did not deal with the complaint filed by the victim in a sensitive manner. It added that the administration failed to handle the situation on time.

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Varanasi to light up for Deep Deepavali, a festival of lights that is not Diwali

BHU violence: Varanasi police submits preliminary report, blames varsity administration

India

oi-Madhuri

Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn on Tuesday submitted preliminary report to Chief Secy Rajiv Kumar in connection with Banaras Hindu University violence. The reports blamed University administration for not dealing the issue in a serious manner.

In the report to Chief Secy, it says that BHU did not deal with victim complaint in sensitive manner and nor handled situation on time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah had spoken to UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditynanath following a police lathi-charge on BHU students and asked him to redress the issue at the earliest.

Trouble started in BHU on the night of September 21 when students of a girls' hostel sat on protest following the alleged sexual harassment of a student of visual arts near Bharat Kala Bhawan. The girl said she was harassed by three boys on a motorcycle while returning to her hostel in Triveni complex.

OneIndia News
Mamata's party has replaced 'Rule of Law' by 'Rule by TMC law': Rijiju

Check West Bengal Group D Result 2017 on wbgrdb.in

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The West Bengal Group D Result 2017 has been declared. The results are available on the official website.

The interviews would be held from October 16 2017 onwards. The OMR sheets of the candidates, who appeared in the West Bengal Group D written examination have been scanned and evaluated electronically, said a statement from the organisors.

Approximately, three times the total number of 6000 Group D vacancies will be intimated for the interviews. The candidates who are selected after the West Bengal Group D written exam, on the basis of the provisional Merit list will be called for Interview in a phased manner.

The West Bengal group D interviews are proposed to start from October 16, 2017, said a statement.

The recruitment of group D employees is being organised in West Bengal after a long interval. The last Group D recruitment was done during the erstwhile Left Front regime. The results are available on wbgdrb.in.

How to check West Bengal Group D Result 2017:

Go to wbgdrb.in

Click on the results tab

Click on the link "Result of Gr. D Examination 2017" from that page

Enter nine-digit application number and date of birth on the next page

Submit the details and check your results

Take a printout

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 7:39 [IST]
D-Syndicate raises its ugly head again: This time on the target are Hindu leaders

Dawood not only uses hawala, but Angadias too

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Thane police who are on a money trail have been told by Iqbal Kaskar that Dawood Ibrahim relies heavily on hawala and the Angadias to receive money. Kaskar, it may be recalled was arrested in connection with an extortion racket and the police believe that he was doing so at the behest of his brother.

The revelation regarding the hawala channels and Angadias came to light when the police seized a diary. There were several entries in the diary pointing towards the hawala network and the Angadias.

Who are the Angadias and how do they operate

The Thane police will soon begin questioning the hawala operators and the Angadias. It would be a herculean task for the police as the hawala operators are spread across the country. The D-Company relies heavily on the hawala operators from Delhi and Gujarat.

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Most of the hawala operators to be summoned will be from these two places.

With the money trail on the radar of the probe agencies, the police will also seek the help of the Enforcement Directorate and the Financial Intelligence Unit to crack the case.

OneIndia News
Najar, most dreaded terrorist in Kashmirs history killed

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Dreaded Grade A A terrorists Abdul Qayoom Najar was shot dead at Uri by the security agencies. He was killed while he was returning from Pakistan. This is a major success for the Indian Army since he has been on the most wanted list for over two years now.

He was involved in a series of attacks including the ones on mobile towers. He had broken away from the Hizbul Mujahideen and formed the Lashkar-e-Islam.

Najar was expelled by Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin blaming him in playing a key role in murdering innocent persons and indulging in character assassination of Hurriyat leaders and attacks on the telecommunication set-up in the Valley.

For years Najar, one of the most wanted militants of North Kashmir had kept the police and the army on toes. Najar came to the limelight after the attacks on mobile towers and killings of six civilians in Sopore and its adjacent villages. Though the Hizbul Mujahideen had been blaming the Indian agencies for these attacks, police officials were convinced that these killings and attacks are the handiwork of Najar and his associate Imtiyaz Kundoo.

The police had announced a reward of rupees 10 lakhs for information leading to the arrest of Najar. Najar, the longest surviving militant, was one of the top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen. A resident of Sopore town, he joined militancy barely at an age of 16. He was arrested in 1992 and later released. After his release, Najar recycled into the militancy in 1995. Though for many years, Najar was a militant, but he always aspired to become a top commander after killing and arrest of top Hizbul commanders, Najar was the senior most active commander and thus the de-facto operational chief of Hizbul Mujahideen.

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Drug mafia after me says Honeypreet Insan: HC reserves verdict on anticipatory bail plea

India

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By Vicky

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Honeypreet Insan has claimed that the drug mafia is after her. He says that she is under threat from drug syndicates in Haryana and Punjab. The submission was made in her anticipatory bail plea which was reserved for orders by the Delhi High Court.

She further said that she is a single woman and has clean antecedents. I am a law abiding citizen and will join the investigation, she also said. She has been accused of inciting the violence following the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim. He was sentenced to 20 years in jail by the special CBI court.

A court in Panchkula had issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet and two other members of the Dera Sacha Sauda.

In another development, Ram Rahim on Monday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the convictions he was awarded after being found guilty on two counts of rape.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 15:43 [IST]
Goa HC stays trial in Tarun Tejpal rape case, refuses to stop framing of charges

India

oi-Anusha

The High Court of Bombay at Goa extended some relief to rape accused senior journalist Tarun Tejpal. The court has stopped the examination of the witness in the case till further directions but refused to stay framing of charges against Tejpal.

Accused of sexually assaulting a junior colleague in 2013, Tejpal moved the High Court challenging the sessions court's directions of frame charges against him. The court had ordered framing of charges on September 28. He had also argued that the state had been delaying the case and even after three years was yet to hand over evidence.

While the High Court stayed trial until further directions in the case, it refused to stop framing of charges. Upon agreement by both sides, the framing of charges against Tejpal will continue as scheduled on September 28. Tejpal's counsel, in his defense, claimed that he had been falsely accused of rape while the prosecution accused him of implementing delaying tactics. The court will now hear further arguments in the case of November 1.

In November 2013, a journalist working in Tehelka had accused Tarun Tejpal, the magazine's founder and editor of sexual assault. The victim alleged that the incident took place in an elevator of a five-star hotel during a programme held in Goa. The victim first approached the organization with a complaint but quit within a month. Tejpal was arrested after a series of mails between him and managing editor Shoma Chaudhury were leaked. Tejpal is currently on bail and has sought an in-camera hearing of the case.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 12:31 [IST]
Halla bol, lungi khol": Ranchi civic body's mantra to stop open defecation for Swachh Bharat

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

The deadline to make urban areas open defecation free is just a week away and officials of Ranchi municipal corporation have decided to do everything it takes to stop the menace. Ranchi Municipal Corporation has resorted to naming and shaming those defecating in the open with an unabashed slogan, "Halla bol, lungi khol". Under this slogan, officials will simply take away the lungi (a cloth wrap popularly used in the region) of one defecating in the open and return it only after their apologize, pay a fine and pledge never to defecate in the open.

The Civic body modified the slogan to "halla bol, khule mein shauch karne waale ko door le jaa ke chhod" on Monday. Officials held 10 people for defecating in the open on Sunday alone and forced them to surrender their lungis to the RMC enforcement teams. Their lungis were returned only after they pledged that they would not defecate in the open again. They were also made to pay a fine of Rs 100 each.

On Monday officials picked up those defecating in the open and dropped them some kilometres away. They were forced to walk back home after taking the pledge to use toilets. Eight people wer made to walk for quite a distance so a message is sent across on Monday.

Officials claim that the efforts are only to help people understand that defecating in the open could cause them embarrassment. In a quote to a newspaper, Jharkhand Urban Development Minister C P Singh, who is also the Ranchi MLA, said, "It is just a part of the entire exercise. We have constructed toilets. Water supply is being provided wherever required. We have to raise awareness".

He is also quoted as stating that multiple drives and awareness campaigns have been taken up to stop people from defecating in the open. FInes have also been imposed and now officials are resorting to these measures. "This is not aimed at harassing people. The idea is to create some sort of deterrence," he said.

The civic body has appointed 18 enforcement teams to carry out such drives. "The drive is part of a multi-pronged strategy to make people aware that they are not doing the right thing by defecating in the open. Public ostracism is often a good deterrence. The results show that these initiatives are helping to check the number of those who defecate in the open," Municipal Commissioner Shantanu Agrahari was quoted as saying.

Not everyone is in agreement with the way the drive is taking shape. Ranchi's Mayor Asha Lakra has objected to the drive. She claimed that no formal orders were passed and suggested alternative ways to create awareness.

While many houses are yet to have a toilet, the officials are enouraging people to use public toilets that have been built. Their focus is to achieve zero urban open defecation before the October 2 deadline.

The people, however, believe that the drive is only a burden due to lack of public toilets. In some places, there are no toilets for men while in others, they are non-functional or non-usable. The raids are being conducted near slum areas where most residents are daily wagers, laborers, rickshaw-pullers, auto-rickshaw drivers and a fine of Rs 100 is a huge burden.

According to municipal officials, a total of 31,559 toilets have been constructed as part of the ODF campaign. They assure that water facilites have also been made but people refuse to use the same.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 13:34 [IST]
How Beti Bachao campaign failed to live up to its claim in Modis home turf Varanasi

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

There is something about all the campaigns started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With their catchy one-liners and tall claims, right from Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission), Make in India to Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save Girl Child, Educate Girl Child) movements, no former PM like Modi has probably ever launched so many flashy and equally relevant social and economic crusades with the intent of changing the very face of India.

Over the years, all these campaigns have become synonymous with Modi as the PM has been relentlessly speaking about issues ranging from making India clean to saving India's daughters at various national and international platforms.

One campaign which even Modi's detractors did not even dare to criticise is the Beti Bachao Beti Padho, since it has the power to uplift millions of Indian women and girls from the shackles of patriarchy, dominance, illiteracy, financial dependence, sexual abuse and every day struggles.

But now as we look around us, the campaign (no doubt started with the right purpose of saving girl children who are still being killed in the foetus because of country's great obsession with male children and end large-scale illiteracy among girl children which have led to women's financial dependence on men) has lost its relevance in the political rhetoric.

There are various estimates for female foeticide. One group says more than 10 million female foetuses may have been illegally aborted in India since 1990s, and 500,000 girls were being lost annually due to female foeticide.

According to another study, an estimated 100,000 abortions every year continue to be performed in India solely because the foetus is female.

As per the 2011 Census report, India has a literacy rate of 74.04 per cent. While the male literacy rate is 82.14 per cent, the female literacy rate is 65.46 per cent.

All the figures related to female foeticide and women illiteracy highlight social and economic gaps between India's men and women.

If India can substantially control female foeticide and female illiteracy, it would not only help more and more women to take over public spaces and assert their existence by achieving economic independence, but would also propel India's growth rate as an economic power in the world stage.

Thus, women empowerment is not specifically a gender issue, but should be a national priority if India wants to rub its shoulders with powerful nations like the US, China, Japan and Germany.

So, when we see a well-educated and brave woman like Varnika Kundu being stalked by Vikas Barala, the "goon-son" of Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Subhash Barala, and his friend Ashish Kumar or the beating of girl students by male police personnel at the prestigious Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Modi's constituency, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, as they "dared" to protest against eve-teasing in the campus, we can't help but see the farce nature of the campaign, Beti Bachao, which has become mere sloganeering for our politicians and is far away from being practiced at the ground level.

According to reports, girl students have been frequently harassed within the precincts of the university since long. Moreover, the female students in the hostels of the BHU are subjected to internet and food ban (they are not allowed to eat non-vegetarian food) and early curfew timings. None of these restrictions are being imposed on male students of the university.

It seems the university is a microcosm of 'modern' India, where men are pampered to the hilt and women are deprived of their basic rights and subjected to sexual harassment on a daily basis.

When women students are subjected to injustices in a university in Modi's constituency, they become more glaring because if the home turf of the country's PM is not safe for women, then where does India's betis live without fear?

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has demanded an apology from Modi for police action against students in the BHU. The Congress VP said the PM should tender apology as the incident took place in his constituency, Varanasi.

"The incident in the BHU is the BJP's version of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. And, when they (girls) demand their rights, beat them up. This incident happened in the PM's constituency. Modiji should apologise to the students of the BHU and take immediate action," Rahul told reporters in Jamnagar, Gujarat, on Monday.

Attaching a link to a video of woman students, who alleged they were beaten up by policemen, Rahul tweeted, "BJP version of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao in BHU".

BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU https://t.co/2XWIG5CG2q Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017

The criticism faced by the PM over the violence and insensitive treatment meted out to women students, who were protesting over a delicate issue like eve-teasing in the BHU, showcases the systematic failure of the BJP governments--both at the Centre and in the state--to provide free, fair and rightful place to women in India that takes great pride in big campaigns like, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.

OneIndia News
Is Mukul Roy BJP bound?

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Talk of Mukul Roy joining the BJP has surfaced yet again. Around two years back when the heat in the Saradha scam was high, there was talk that Roy would spill the beans on his colleagues in the Trinamool Congress and then join the BJP.

Considering to be a genius when it came to getting work done, Roy's entry into the saffron party may benefit it in the forthcoming elections. The rumour mill is abuzz that Mukul Roy, senior TMC leader had spoken with senior BJP leaders in the past couple of days.

The BJP has however denied that Roy had sent them any feelers to join the party. Some say Roy did try and get in touch with the senior BJP leaders, but the meeting did not happen.

For the BJP, the only problem would be that Roy's name had surfaced in the Saradha scam. The BJP has gone to town with this case and hence any association direct of indirect at this juncture may not go down too well.

A couple of months back, one BJP leader had told OneIndia, " If people from the TMC want to join the party, we welcome that, but no leader with a Saradha taint will be taken into the party. We have told our West Bengal unit to be extremely cautious on that front the leader also informed.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 11:12 [IST]
If Cong is elected in HP, decision on 1 lakh govt jobs, pension scheme in 1st cabinet meet: Rahul

Its PM's constituency, he should apologise to girls, says Rahul on police action in BHU

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Ahmedabad, Sep 26: On Monday, when Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi started his three-day tour of poll-bound Gujarat, the Gandhi scion criticised Narendra Modi government over the violence and police action against girl students at the well-known Banaras Hindu University (BHU), in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul demanded an apology from Prime Minister Modi for police action against students at the BHU during a protest over an eve-teasing incident on Saturday. The Congress VP said the PM should tender apology as the incident took place in his constituency, Varanasi.

"The incident at the BHU is the BJP's version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'. And, when they (girls) demand their rights, beat them up. This incident happened in the PM's constituency. Modiji should apologise to the students of the BHU and take immediate action," Rahul told reporters in Jamnagar.

Earlier in the day, Rahul slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over police baton-charge on woman students through a tweet. Attaching a link to a video of woman students, who alleged they were beaten up by policemen, Rahul tweeted, "BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU".

BJP version of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao in BHU https://t.co/2XWIG5CG2q  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 24, 2017

A number of students including women and two journalists were injured in a baton-charge after a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.

Meanwhile, Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on Monday spoke to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the violence that has been condemned by students, activists and opposition parties.

Two policemen and an officer have been removed in Varanasi, which is PM Modi's parliamentary constituency.

OneIndia News
J&K encounter: Infiltration bid foiled in Uri, 1 terrorist killed

India

oi-Madhuri

One terrorist has been killed after the Indian army foiled an infiltration bid in general area Zorawar in Uri area of Kashmir on Tuesday. According to media reports, the Army also recovered one weapon.

The operation which was launched on Sunday was resumed on Tuesday morning following reports that more militants were hiding in the area. According to Army official the area of operation was expanded to ensure that no militant get away from the security forces' cordon.

Earlier on Monday, four Pakistani militants were killed in the gunbattle with security forces in Kalgai area of Uri.

On September 18 last year, four terrorists stormed Army brigade headquarters in Uri, killing 19 soldiers.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 8:10 [IST]
Justice (retired) G Sivarajan commission submits report in Kerala Solar panel scam

India

oi-Anusha

The commission headed by Justice (retired) G Sivarajan on Tuesday submitted its report in the high-profile multi-crore solar scam. One day before the deadline, the commission submitted its report to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The former judge was entrusted by the former United Democratic Front (UDF) government with the inquiry on October 23, 2013, after allegations of corruption in the multi-crore solar panel deal rocked the then Kerala government. While the report was to be submitted within three months of the allegations, the commission was given multiple extensions.

Sources privy to the report were quoted by the regional media that the commission has not detected any losses to the exchequer. Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's name cropped up in the multi-crore scam dealing a death blow to the image of his government. Chandy was questioned by the commission for 15 long hours at a stretch when he was the Chief Minister. Thereafter he has appeared more than half a dozen times to record statements.

The commission has questioned Chandy for 53 hours in total. Justice Sivarajan commission was also the first to issue an arrest warrant. The commission sought accused, Sritha Nair's, arrest after she refused to depose.

The commission has probed for four years with extensions of eight times. 353 sitting have been completed with 214 witnesses being questioned. Witness statements alone run up to 8,464 pages apart from documents pertaining to the deal that make up 972. The findings of G Sivarajan Commission hold political bearing and are important to decide the Congress' future in the state.

In 2013, a solar energy company, Team Solar, later learned to be dubious, was accused of allegedly collecting advance amounts from large number of people and investors by offering to make them business partners, or in the guise of installing alternate sources of energy and failed to deliver the goods. The scam gained prominence after Oommen Chandy's name figured in it.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 16:07 [IST]
Mukul Roy's exit is neither a jolt or surprise for TMC, what does BJP stand to gain?

India

oi-Anusha

Seven months after he was brought back to the party as its vice president with much fanfare, Mukul Roy- once Mamata Banerjee's right-hand man- announced his exit from the Trinamool Congress. The move, however, came as no surprise to the party and its leaders who, within hours, suspended him. While Roy has met leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party fuelling speculations of him joining the saffron party, what really does the BJP stand to gain?

One of the founding members of the party, Roy is an electoral-strongman. Within the TMC it is a popular notion that if Mamata drew the crowds, Roy ensured they voted for her. In February when he made a comeback, Roy had famously said that his aim was to ensure that TMC sweeps the next assembly election with more than 250 seats. Months down the line, he is looking for a new political future, probably one with a saffron tinge to it.

TMC leaders, including ministers, believe that Roy was a master of scientific rigging, a talent that has been used largely by CPI(M) to identify booths, blocks, and districts where there was a vote deficit. This talent perhaps is a loss for the TMC, however, the party seems unfazed. The possibility of Roy joining the BJP has also not come as a surprise to the TMC. Many leaders within the TMC had highlighted Roy's 'proximity' to the BJP since 2015.

Roy's relationship with the party had been tumultuous since 2015 when he is said to have cooperated with the Central Bureau of Investigation probing the Saradha chit fund scam. Despite being accused in the Narada sting case, he has not faced arrest- unlike many of his party colleagues. For the TMC, Roy's exit was a foregone conclusion considering the many hints of rebellion that he had dropped- be it over Durga idol immersion or inclusivity of minorities in the state.

Roy chose not to say much during his Monday press conference. "I have been forced to exit from the party," he told reporters assuring to reveal more after he resigns from the primary membership of the party. The TMC, on the other hand, accused Roy of indulging in 'anti-party activities' and suspended him before he put out his resignation.

The BJP has worked its way to become the opposition in West Bengal. Its vote share has gradually grown in all recent elections. While the saffron party has a long way to go to even pose a challenge to Mamata Banerjee's presence, loss of a Roy for TMC is advantage BJP whether or not he chooses to join the party.

Roy is a heavy weight that the BJP can use- if not in its favor- at least against Mamata. Roy's political acumen can flare anti-incumbency sentiment and resentment against Mamata Banerjee given the recent decisions her government has taken. In the Durga Puja idol immersion matter, Mamata has offered a delightful agenda to the BJP on a platter. The saffron party only needs to exploit the agenda but its Hindutva brand of politics may not strike a chord with Bengalis. This is probably the place for a local yet strong leader like Roy.

While there is no clarity on whether Roy will join the BJP, his exit from the TMC is for now enough for the saffron party to gain more strenght.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 11:51 [IST]
No Indian troops contribution in Afghanistan, says Nirmala Sitharaman

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Sep 26: India and the US discussed ways to deepen their defence ties along with key issues such as Afghanistan, where New Delhi has ruled out any troop contribution, and terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US counterpart James Mattis held comprehensive talks covering the entire gamut of the bilateral defence partnership.

"The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth. There is growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue," Sitharaman said at a joint press conference. She said both sides recognise the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism. On his part, Mattis said there can be "no tolerance to terrorism safe havens". He also welcomed India's contribution in war-torn Afghanistan.

India, one of the largest contributors in Afghanistan where it in involved in several development projects, however, has ruled out troops contribution amidst the US emphasis for a greater participation by the country in the conflict-ridden Islamic nation.

"We have made it clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground (Afghan)," Sitharaman said while responding to a query on whether India will contribute troops in Afghanistan. Sitharaman also said that Mattis has assured her that he will raise with Pakistan the issue of terrorism emanating from there.

PTI
How Zahran Hashim converted the radical Islamists of South into violent Jihadists

A bayath, a massive suicide bombing, the Coimbatore blast was in the making for a year

With another ISIS module busted, TN has become a paradise of Islamic Jihadists

Ph.D student questioned by NIA in Kashmir terror funding case

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The National Investigation Agency questioned two more high-profile persons in connection with the Kashmir terror funding case. The head of a Srinagar based traders' body and a Ph.D student were questioned by officials of the NIA.

Yasin Khan of the Kashmir Traders and Marketing Federation and Aala Fazil, the Ph.D student were the ones to be questioned.

Up next for questioning in the Kashmir terror funding case is Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The Hurriyat hawk is the centre piece of the probe being conducted by the National Investigation Agency.

NIA sources say that Geelani was always on the radar, but before getting to the big-wig they wanted to set up a water tight case.

The Kashmir traders' body had called for a strike on Monday to protest Khan's summoning. Sources said they will be questioned about alleged funding to various groups which pelted security forces with stones.

Meanwhile, Kashmir Bar Association president Mian Qayoom is likely to be summoned again by the NIA, sources said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 11:20 [IST]
Will Sasikala return to AIADMK: Certainly suggests this audio clip

Sasikala visits Jayalalithaa's memorial in Marina beach; first since release from prison

Jayalalithaa death probe: TN cabinet to decide on enquiry against Sasikala and others

Sasikalas husband Natarajan health condition worsens

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

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VK Sasikala's husband M Natarajan in critical condition | Oneindia News

Health condition of M Natarajan - husband of jailed AIADMK leader V K Sasikala who has been admitted to Gleneagles Global Health City at Perumbakkam in Chennai remains critical.

Natarajan, 74, has been undergoing treatment at the Global Hospitals for the past nine months.

Maruthappa is suffering from various diseases of the liver along with lung congestion and Kidney failure. In a health bulletin, Gleneagles Global Health City said his condition remains critical and he was put on the ventilator.

It said while he was receiving dialysis and liver failure, he was not on ventilator support and was awaiting the organs for a transplant.

On February 5, he was brought to Apollo Hospitals on the Greams Road after reportedly complaining of breathing problems. He then moved to Global Hospital and has been under the care of liver transplant surgeon Dr Mohamed Rela.

On September 10, the hospital said Natarajan had registered with the Tamil Nadu Organ Sharing Registry for deceased donor liver transplant.

After being convicted in a corruption case by the Supreme Court, Sasikala is lodged in a Bengaluru jail.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)
Its true that Rahul is a dynast but its wrong for Modi to liken him to Aurangzeb

Shahzada Rahul starts debate on dynastic politics; BJP simply can't stop talking about it

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

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Rahul's comment on dynastic politics; BJP debate on issue backfiring| Oneindia News

New Delhi, Sep 26: Who says Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is politically "irrelevant"? Anything he says (even if that means quoting wrong facts and figures), not just social media, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too simply can't stop talking about it even after the passage of several days.

A case in point is Rahul's comment on prevalence of dynastic politics (of which Rahul himself is a part of and probably the most 'shining' example of it) in India. Since the time Rahul at an interaction with students at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States (US) said that "India is run by dynasts" recently, a debate has started back home about the prevalence of dynastic politics in the country.

Probably, the entire issue on dynastic politics would not have become so big had Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani would have simply ignored what Rahul had said in the US.

Since then, the BJP has been constantly lambasting Rahul over dynastic politics and in the process showed the saffron party's insecurity over the existence of the scion of Gandhi family in the space of Indian politics.

The BJP's jittery over Rahul's comments especially on dynastic politics could not be missed as even party president Amit Shah decided to attack Rahul over it on two occasions (the most recent one was on Monday).

Because of the BJP's obsession with the Gandhi family, it is Rahul who is getting the maximum publicity (remember, even bad publicity is good publicity). Responding to the question of whether the Congress was more associated with dynastic politics in the US, Rahul argued that India was being run by dynasties.

"Most parties in India have that problem So...Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is a dynast. Mr. Stalin [son of M. Karunanidhi in the DMK] is a dynast... even Abhishek Bachchhan is a dynast. So that's how India runs. So don't get after me because that's how they India is run. By the way, last, I recall, Mr. Ambanis are running the business. That's also going on in Infosys. So that's what happens in India," he said as he listed several prominent Indians born into famous families.

But, he said there were a large number of people in the Congress who were not from dynastic families.

Immediately after the media reported about Rahul's address (after Berkeley address, Rahul addressed students at the Princeton University during his recent two-week US tour) , which also included criticism on the Narendra Modi government, Irani decided to carry out her 'surgical strike' against the Congress VP.

Irani called Rahul a "failed dynast" and said Indian democracy runs on merit as is exemplified by the fact that the "Prime Minister, President, Vice President and even the BJP president aren't from political backgrounds". Not just that, PM Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu "all come from humble backgrounds".

"It shows the failed strategy of Rahul. That he's going to an international stage to speak about his failed political journey in a country where people didn't accept him."

As if Irani's scathing attack on Rahul was not enough, the BJP thought that the entire issue of dynastic politics could be used as a political "missile" to target the Congress again and again.

Moreover, the BJP, including the PM, has always been critical about the Gandhi family and have called Rahul as a "shahzada" (prince) on several occasions. So after Irani, senior BJP leaders like Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley and VP Venkaiah Naidu too targeted Rahul for his take on India's so-called dynasty culture.

Finance minister Jaitley said he was "embarrassed" listening to Rahul speaking about dynastic politics in India during an address in the US. Jaitley said some political parties think that being centered around dynasty is an asset, but in the long run it becomes a burden.

"Mujhe sharam aayi jab Amreeka mein baith ke kaha gaya ki parivarvaad is desh ke svabhaav mein hai (I was embarrassed when someone sitting in America said that dynasty politics is endemic to India)," Jailtey told.

Naidu, even after leaving the BJP to become the VP of the country and thus turning "apolitical", could not stop taking a dive into the debate over dynastic politics. The VP took a not-so-veiled dig at Rahul by making a rather poetic statement on the entire topic.

"Dynasty and democracy can't go together. Dynasty is nasty but tasty to some people," Naidu said. The VP of India was quick to add: "(I am) not speaking about a party or person."

On Monday, once again BJP president Shah decided to target Rahul and his dynastic politics.

Shah slammed Congress VP on the issue of dynastic politics, saying BJP believes in the politics of performance, which aims at alleviating the suffering of the people and ensures their welfare though 'swachhta', poverty eradication, fighting graft and terror and ending caste and communal politics.

Shah spoke against Rahul at the BJP national executive meet in the national capital, where he emphasised the "vision of New India" envisaged by Modi and exhorted the party workers to work towards achieving it in the next five years.

Taking on Rahul, Shah said he had compromised the dignity of the nation by stating during his recent foreign visit that belonging to a dynasty is a must in Indian politics and alleging that the Indian economy is not doing well.

Shah said the top constitutional posts - that of the president of India, the vice-president, the PM and the Lok Sabha speaker - are held by people who have risen from humble backgrounds through their performance, merit and hard work.

Finding the BJP harping on the same subject, the Congress, which was quiet all these days in spite of repeated verbal assaults on Rahul, decided to attack the BJP on Monday, so that the issue remains "burning" to carry forward Rahul's publicity campaign.

Hitting out at Shah over his criticism of Rahul on dynasty politics, the Congress on Monday said that the "BJP should look inwards as to who follows the practice".

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: "Those who talk about dynasty, if they don't believe in dynasty then why are Prem Kumar Dhumal's son Anurag Thakur and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's son Dushyant Singh in Parliament? What are they doing in Lok Sabha?

"Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, against whom there are charges of PDS scam, what is his son doing in Parliament. Before pointing fingers at others, BJP president should look inwards," he added.

Tewari lambasted the BJP for being selective in their approach. "They seem to suffer from permanent amnesia when it comes to their own corruption."

Now, we know the BJP would not remain silent on Tewari's reply to Shah's criticism. Thus the BJP and the Congress will carry their tu tu main main over dynastic politics for another few months, till one more 'irrelevant' subject comes to the fore.

Both the ruling and the main opposition parties hardly discuss about important issues like creation of jobs, downward spiral of economy, crisis in agriculture and women's security, to name a few, because in fighting over "irrelevant things" our political parties try to find their own "compatibility".

OneIndia News
State government should run from Gujarat and not Delhi, says Rahul Gandhi

India

pti-PTI

Jamnagar (Gujarat), Sep 26: Eyeing the support of the influential Patel community, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi hit the campaign trail in the Patidar-dominated areas of poll-bound Gujarat. While addressing supporters in Gujarat, Rahul said that the Gujarat government should function from within the state and not from Delhi, a veiled reference to PM Narendra Modi's Gujarat-centric projects.

Some members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the party's student wing, greeted him as he left Jamnagar for Rajkot this morning. The Congress leader urged the NSUI members to work hard to bring the party to power in Gujarat.

Taking a dig at BJP governments in the state and at the Centre, Gandhi said if the Congress was voted to power, his party's government would function from Gujarat and not on orders from Delhi. On his way, at Falla village in Jamnagar, locals welcomed him by raising the slogan 'Jai Patidar, Jai Sardar'. People were also seen wearing caps with the same slogan. Gandhi, who is on the second day of his three-day tour of Gujarat, is slated to visit several villages and towns, such as Dhrol and Tankara that have a sizable Patel population.

The Congress is hoping to get the support of this decisive vote bank during the polls due later this year. Yesterday, on the first day of his visit to the state, Gandhi was greeted by Hardik Patel, leader of the Patel quota agitation. "A warm welcome to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat," Patel tweeted in Hindi yesterday when Gandhi landed at Dwarka.

Patel had earlier hinted that he may consider supporting the Congress in the Assembly polls to achieve the goal of reservation to the Patel community under OBC quota. Gandhi had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over issues like note ban, GST, farm policies and 'Gujarat model' of development, during his campaign from Dwarka to Jamnagar yesterday. He also expressed confidence about winning the upcoming Assembly elections, claiming that there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat and the people regretted having voted for the BJP.

PTI
Womans easy virtue doesnt give anyone the right to take advantage of her: Bombay HC

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

A woman may have an easy virtue, but it does not give anybody the right to take advantage of it, the Bombay High Court observed. The court made these observations while refusing bail to a man convicted of raping a minor.

She has a right to say no," the court observed. The accused, who was the uncle of the accused, had approached the HC for suspension of his sentence besides seeking bail during the pendency of the appeal filed by him. He was tried and convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and for criminal intimidation under the IPC. He was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment.

The lawyer for the accused argued that there was a delay in lodging the FIR and when the girl was taken to a shelter home she did not disclose that she had been raped. Further, he added, the victim had two boyfriends with whom she had sexual relations. "A woman may be having easy virtue but that does not mean that all and sundry can take advantage of this fact. She has the right to say no. Therefore, even if it is assumed that the victim was having two boyfriends, that does not empower the applicant to commit penetrative sexual assault on her. She had not attained consenting age," observed Justice A M Badar.

Refuting the argument that the accused, being the only earning member in the family, be released on bail, Justice Badar said, "Unavailability of earning, particularly in the family, is not a relevant consideration for suspension of sentence."

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 7:19 [IST]
The police are to remain deployed at parliament today to maintain law and order ahead of the much anticipated debate on lifting of the age limit.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander Frank Mwesigwa says they have information that opposition politicians have mobilized people to stage anti-age limit protests and it is their duty to ensure security for Ugandans.

Mesigwa said that some roads around Parliament will be closed today, urging members of the general public to use alternative routes as shall be guided by traffic police.

Among the roads to be closed is Kimanthi Avenue, Parliamentary Avenue, Dewinton and Nile Avenue.

However, it is not yet clear if the age limit debate will be included on todays Order Paper.
After Emans death, sister thanks doctors at Burjee Hospital for doing their best

International

oi-Madhuri

Almost five months after Egyptian national Eman Abdul Atti left Mumbai after shedding 330 -kg from her once 500kg, she died at 4.35am on Monday at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi due to complications from heart disease and kidney dysfunction. Eman's sister Shaimaa Selim later thanked the Abu Dhabi doctors for 'doing their best' job.

"The doctors did their best, but suddenly in a moment everything changed. We are taking her back to Alexandria tomorrow (Tuesday). I cannot imagine life without her, but what more can we do now than pray for her?,'' she said to TOI.

Eman, who turned 37 earlier this month was joined by her mother and her niece for the celebrations at Burjeel, where she was housed in Room 528 on the fifth floor--a sprawling 93 sqm wood-panel led suite remodelled with an extra-wide double door.

The 36-year-old had arrived at the Bureej hospital in Abu Dhabi on May 4 to complete her treatment trip.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 12:54 [IST]
After India, Afghanistan slams Pakistan over terrorist safe havens

International

oi-Madhuri

Afghan foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani who attended the UN General Assembly on Tuesday said that Pakistan has been exporting terrorism across border for decades.

''Despite being on receiving-end of provocative actions, they have maintained a principled position in seeking to resolve differences through dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful means. It's particularly true in case of Pakistan,'' Afghanistan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said in United Nations Security Council.

''Pakistan has so far failed to respond positively at its own cost, particularly in relation to its global reputation & standing,'' Rabbani told UNSC.

The minister also said,''Scourge of terrorism affecting Afghanistan is product of long-standing policy by a neighboring State to keep Afghanistan unstable. It has menaced Afghanistan for several decades now, with its roots located in terrorist sanctuaries & safe havens outside Afghanistan.''

India, on Friday, gave a fitting response to Pakistan at the United Nations by highlighting that the neighboring nation has now become synonymous with terrorism. A statement made by India's First Secretary to the United Nations, Eenam Gambhir said, "Pakistan is now Terroristan."

OneIndia News
To say Donald Trump's UN speech last week was an embarrassment for his country is to understate the case; to say it made the U.S. a laughing stock is closer to the mark.

A cornucopia of falsehoods and half-truths, it included the risible assertion of America's respect for the sovereignty of other nations; North Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, even Ukraine all lost to temporary amnesia, the largely unsuccessful focus was on attracting support against North Korea and Iran -- recidivism to the Bush-Cheney neocon position. And meeting with the leaders of Columbia and Brazil to discuss Venezuela (could regime change be on someone's mind?) was the icing on the cake of hypocrisy.

Drug money is a perpetual flood in Columbia; political corruption runs rife in Brazil. Three weeks ago, $16 million worth of cash was found stashed in an apartment used by a former cabinet minister in President Michel Temer's government.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel was highly critical: "I am against threats of this kind ... I must say we consider any type of military solution absolutely inappropriate and we are counting on diplomatic efforts." She is also reported to have observed that more Germans are anti-Trump than are anti-immigration. Merkel, Xi and Putin were all absent from Trump's speech.

The new threats expanding the previous "fire and fury" now promise complete annihilation of North Korea, a country of 25 million. No thoughts about the effects on South Korea, or of the thousands there who still have relatives in the North. If Theodore Roosevelt advised us to "talk softly and carry a big stick," Donald Trump prefers the megaphone; so far to no tangible benefit.

He has relied on China to help, seemingly without realizing its relations with North Korea are at an ebb while the latter's ties with Russia have strengthened. Kim Jong-un has not visited Beijing and President Xi Jinping has not been to Pyongyang. More to the point, President Xi has held four summit meetings with his South Korean counterparts -- he is keen to foster closer ties.

Indeed, while China does help prop up the North Korean economy, its (and Russia's) current focus is on economic links with the South via a rail link through the North, joining the peninsula to China and Russia and beyond to the Eurasian One Belt One Road network -- new markets for the participants. As Mr. Trump throws Iran into their welcoming arms, it, too, is a willing participant in this massive development strategy.
Caveat to this article! Don't mistake me for an alt left liberal or a far right conservative! I am a neutral clear thinker of native descent! I didn't vote but I did have high hopes for Trump standing up to the deep state and making peace with Russia. So why is his attention focused on our own citizens who chose to express themselves according to our own first amendment? Maybe there are some who don't (and rightfully so) respect what this country stands for anymore! Maybe they don't like the fact that this country has turned into, and probably always has been, a war mongering, land grabbing, and divisive nation! Let's look at some real issues.

Trump ran on the platform of not interfering in sovereign nations yet he continues to allow his generals to militarily support and assist supposed freedom fighters in Syria, which are really USA created terrorists and paid mercenaries. What are we doing in Syria anyway? It's an act of war to be in a sovereign nation since we weren't invited. Russia was invited to come in...Not us! Russia is saving the day on eliminating ISIS, which they have almost done, no thanks to the USA. The USA has a habit of interfering in the sovereignty of other nations, which brings up another point. Leave Kim Jung Un and North Korea alone! You really think he is a threat? If you do then you are saying that our missile technology is out of date and behind that of North Korea! Is it? We should be able to take out any rocket he fires with pinpoint accuracy before it enters our airspace! North Korea's technology and nuclear capabilities can't be better than the all mighty USA's can it?

So is this NFL issue a big unneeded distraction? Didn't the founding fathers say we have the freedom of religion and the freedom for free expression! If you don't want to stand for the national anthem to make a statement, then so what? Is President Trump saying it is disrespectful to have free expression? These are first amendment rights! I am not a supporter of jingoistic nationalistic fervor! If I lean towards anything it would be what I call true patriots, who want to defend the constitution and keep the bill of rights in tact! As a native I never felt compelled to stand for the national anthem or salute the flag! Maybe it's because I saw what that flag and those flying that banner did to my ancestors who were the original inhabitants of this country! America came later! Over 100 million dead (some say 300 million) and displaced indigenous people! So I'm not a big fan of this government, but I am a realist and hope and pray that the people of this country don't end up like my ancestors! Trump needs to get back to the business of eliminating the deep state and fighting the New World Order fanatics who are bent on destroying America through their continual war mongering attitude! He needs to concentrate on eliminating the George Soros crew, anti-fa, and the treasonous camp that still surrounds him in his cabinet! I don't care about whether someone stands for the national anthem or not! This is trivial nonsense and a non-starter! Let's look at some history in regards to some symbols that represent America.

Francis Scott key penned the national anthem in an attempt at prisoner exchange. He wasn't fighting in a battle! But it's irrelevant who wrote some poem that was later turned into a national anthem by Woodrow Wilson signing an executive order! The Flag is just a piece of cloth and the Star Spangled banner mere words from a poem. There is nothing inherently wrong with these things, but what do they represent? What was this nation founded upon? The encroachment of this land by the Mayflower and its barbarous lot who displaced the native population with systematic mass extermination. No let me rephrase that!! Brutal mass extermination and horrific barbarous acts. In fact it was theft of land and mass extermination of the peoples inhabiting that land.

But I digress. Let's fast forward to the penning of the constitution and the amendments or the Bill of Rights! The wording of the Bill of Rights insures that the populace be free of any encumbrance by government. Freedom of expression or free speech, freedom to bear arms against even the government, freedom from searching one's private effects etc. So that's what the flag is supposed to represent. But does it? Not anymore. Look at the situation today, it's a deplorable mess and everything the Founding Fathers intended is in a shambles, including the Constitution. So why would anyone want to salute or stand up for something representing an eroded self-serving corporate entity known as "America"! Some say that standing, just as bowing down, is an act of worship, just as you would bow to an idol. Consider them idols representing a larger entity! Bowing down or reciting a pledge is a mindless act of obedience to a state which you may not feel any respect for! It's our right not to participate in that kind of ritual if we so desire, and in fact it's our right to overthrow what that flag represents, if it gets out of hand. It has gotten out of hand and in effect the Constitution has been eroded by things like the worthless piece of paper called the Patriot Act, which tries to circumvent the Bill of Rights.

This erosion has been caused by the elite money people who have co-opted the various departments of government and war to further their New World Order agenda. Power to the people and those who refuse to take part by acts of civil gestures to send a message! My hope was that Trump would challenge the ruling elite and throw them out! But his current actions of demonizing free expression and raising the flag issue have me questioning just who's side he is on. He is playing into the hands of those who call him a white supremacist or at the very least a nationalist, or jingoist! Not to mention the further pursuit of an agenda that is still warmongering, land grabbing and demonizing other nations. Perhaps he is bowing to some kind of unknown pressure behind the scenes. Screaming at North Korea and calling their leader names along with threats of complete destruction sound more to me like the previous administration! As Trump would say! NOT GOOD! Name calling and threats sound like a schoolyard bully with a loud mouth, not a President or Commander in Chief! Where is the decorum expected of such an office! You don't see Putin engaged in such nonsense.

So the bottom line is President Trump is not living up to expectations I might have had, and he's sidetracking us into an area that could cause more division in America. If I could talk to him I would say: "What in your God's name are you doing? Get back on the track of defeating the globalists, making peace with Russia, and making America worthy of respect, instead of a land grabbing, divisive nation".

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The United States is supporting and profiting from a war being waged by the richest Arab country, Saudi Arabia, against the poorest Arab country, its neighbor Yemen. Since March of 2015 a Saudi-led coalition has destroyed much of Yemen's infrastructure--ports, factories, warehouses, farms, roads, schools and medical facilities, leading to widespread misery and death.

The Saudi coalition of Sunni governments includes oil-rich absolute monarchies such as the UAE and Bahrain, and the corrupt dictatorship of Egypt's Al Sisi. They are trying unsuccessfully to restore an unpopular Sunni government forced out by Houthi Shiite rebels in 2015. This Yemeni civil war is partly a reflection of the wider civil war within Islam between Sunni and Shia, with Saudi Arabia and Iran as the leading powers on each side.

The Obama and Trump administrations have accepted Saudi claims that Iran is a major arms supplier for the Houthis. However, as award-winning investigative journalist Gareth Porter points out , the Houthis received Iranian guided missiles only after the Saudis began their bombing campaign, "to allow the Houthis to have some means of retaliation."

As Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Institution explains, from Iran's point of view supplying arms and training to the Houthis is an inexpensive way to bog down its Saudi adversary in a very costly quagmire. And, as Trump made clear on his May 20 visit when he joined Saudi King Salman in a traditional male-only sword dance, the U.S. will continue to help, with more multibillion-dollar weapon sales to the Saudis, intelligence sharing and aerial refueling of coalition aircraft so they can spend more time raining destruction on Yemen.

Given the Trump administration's mounting hostility to Iran, there seems to be no end in sight for the proxy war in Yemen. Gruesome numbers reveal the scale of the disaster overtaking this nation of 25 million. In July the UN special envoy to Yemen told the UN Security Council that seven million--including 2.3 million children under the age of five--are on the "cusp of famine."

Stephen O'Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General For Humanitarian Affairs, reported that between March 2015 and Oct. 31 of 2016, "10,000 children under the age of five have perished from preventable diseases as a result of the sharp decline in the availability of immunizations and remedies for diarrhea and pneumonia." According to Anas Shahari of Save the Children Yemen, there are 344,000 confirmed or suspected cholera cases. There have been "more than 1,700 cases of deaths because of cholera; 42 percent of this number is children."

Here's a picture that captures the obscenity of the U.S. role in Yemen: juxtapose a photo of an American tanker plane hovering over Yemen gracefully copulating by fuel line with a Saudi fighter-bomber, and a photo of one of the millions of young children on the ground starving because food sources have been destroyed by coalition aircraft.

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Daniel Kovalik is author of the recently-released book The Plot to Scapegoat Russia: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Russia. He teaches International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He has worked on Alien Tort Claims Act cases against The Coca-Cola Company and Occidental Petroleum -- cases arising out of egregious human rights abuses in Colombia. The Christian Science Monitor, referring to his work defending Colombian unionists under threat of assassination, recently described Mr. Kovalik as "one of the most prominent defenders of Colombian workers in the United States." Mr. Kovalik received the David W. Mills Mentoring Fellowship from Stanford University School of Law and was the recipient of the Project Censored Award for his article exposing the unprecedented killing of trade unionists in Colombia.



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By Mark Sumner



Donald Trump - Demagogue, Populist, Autocrat

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On Monday evening, Donald Trump finally got around to mentioning Puerto Rico for the first time since Hurricane Maria finished passing over the island. And what he delivered was a level of cruelty usually reserved for four-year-olds holding a magnifying glass above ants.

Trump followed this initial tweet with a couple of followups. They did not make things better.

"It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water, and medical are top priorities -- and doing well. #FEMA"

Donald Trump finally deigned to notice three and a half million Americans in Puerto Rico. Americans without power, without shelter, and -- despite Trump's afterthought -- without clean water, without adequate food or medical care. Americans living in the shattered ruins of their homes unable to even communicate with loved ones to let them know they're still alive. And he blamed them.

"It took Donald Trump five full days to respond to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria on the lives of 3.5 million Americans in Puerto Rico, and when he finally did so his comments on Twitter were so devoid of empathy it threatened to spark a new controversy."

It was the first comment Trump has made on Puerto Rico since hours before Maria made landfall as a category four hurricane pummelling the island and destroying its entire power network with winds of up to 155mph (250km/h). On that occasion he told the people of Puerto Rico: "We are with you."

But for many Puerto Ricans the reality five days after the hurricane struck is that the US president has not been with them.

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From Smirking Chimp

By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers



Health Care

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With just a week left before Congress' budget reconciliation process ends, the Senate is once again peddling a poorly-thought out plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). If Senators vote before the September 30 deadline, they only need 50 votes instead of the filibuster-proof 60 votes to pass amendments. And once again, people are rising up in opposition to the plan, making it unpopular and unlikely to pass.

At the same time, support for a National Improved Medicare for All single payer healthcare system is increasing and there are bills in both the House and Senate with record numbers of co-sponsors. Will the United States finally join the long list of countries that provide healthcare to everyone?

Overall, it is a time to be optimistic. The movement for National Improved Medicare for All has made great strides this year. Whether we succeed still hangs in the balance. We discuss what it will take to win and how to proceed.

Join Health Over Profit for Everyone (HOPE), a campaign for National Improved Medicare for All.

First, Some History

Efforts to create a national health insurance have existed in the United States for the past 100 years. Health historian, David Barton Smith, writes (in a draft chapter) that the fundamental struggle in the US has been over the question of whether health care is a commodity that belongs in a market or whether it is a basic necessity that requires the protection of government so that it is universal. Smith breaks up the past one hundred years into five phases and argues that in each phase, compromises were made that failed because they did not meet the fundamental criteria of covering everyone and achieving effective governmental oversight. He refers to these compromises as "more palatable approaches" that were considered to be politically feasible, but each "self-destructed."

These failures, including the most recent ACA, have driven health care deeper into the pockets of private industry from the provision of medical services to the the production and distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Doctors are turning their practices over to large institutions, "going corporate," in order to have the negotiating power to simply exist in this environment. Mergers by health insurers, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies have been acts of desperation, as each sector fights for control. But the bottom line in this fight is profit for a few, not health for the many, and so it is the public who suffers. Dr. Adam Gaffney traces and explains this trend from the 1940s to the present in "The Neo-liberal Turn in American Health Care."

Make no mistake, currently, in the United States, health care is a commodity, and the profiteers are going wild. Since passage of the ACA, major health insurance company stock values have quadrupled. And they are never satisfied. Democrats and Republicans in Congress are discussing a "bipartisan approach," as outlined by the Center for American Progress, which is funded by health industry lobbyists, to fix the healthcare system. Their plan is to give billions of more dollars to the industry to encourage it to cover our healthcare needs. They refer to this as "stabilizing the market."

Any person who says that health care is a right or basic necessity but supports keeping the existing market-based structure is either confused or lying. The market model of health care is a failure. Even Fareed Zakaria, conservative host of CNN, understands this.

This history is important because the elites in power are working to maintain their grip on the system. Incrementalists were out in full force after the failure of repeal attempts this summer. Writers who claim to be progressives argued that those who want National Improved Medicare for All are asking for too much, that it is just not politically feasible and that we must compromise. But what they might consider to be doable won't solve the healthcare crisis.

Incremental steps that were taken in the past did not succeed because they failed to meet the basic requirements of being both universal and properly overseen by the government. This is why we say that the smallest incremental step that we can take in the US is to create a National Improved Medicare for All, a universal publicly-funded healthcare system that relegates private insurers to a supplemental role to provide extras that the system does not cover. Beyond that, there will still be a lot to do to make sure everyone has their healthcare needs met.

National Improved Medicare for All is on the table

A victory this year is that there are bills in the House and Senate that outline a National Improved Medicare for All healthcare system, and they have record numbers of co-sponsors. HR 676 is considered the 'gold standard'. It has been introduced every session since 2003 and it has broad support from the single payer healthcare movement. It would truly treat health care as a public necessity and not a commodity.

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By Misairi Thembo Kahungu:

Ugandans living in South Korea are demanding that government

opens up an embassy in the capital Seoul to help solve the challenges they are currently facing.

There are currently about 500 members of the Ugandan Community in South Korea who claim to be facing legal, health

and work related problems, according to David Kituuka Nsubuga the groups General Secretary.

In a statement, he says all Ugandans in South Korea are served by the Ugandan embassy in Tokyo, the Japanese capital which is far away from us because it means you must fly there in case you case needs urgent attention from the mission staff.

According to Nsubuga, the Ugandans whose passports expire and those who lose them risk being imprisoned for illegal stay because of the delay by the embassy in Tokyo to respond to renewal requests.

The group also wants the government of Uganda to use the bilateral relations with Korea to work on an arrangement of E-7 visa an online process that allows foreign nationals to work in the country without immigration complications.

In response to these concerns, the Public Affairs communication officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Margaret Awino Kafeero, says plans are underway to establish an embassy in Seoul to but they are only waiting for funds from the Ministry of Finance.

This comes ahead of the 2nd Annual convention to Mark Ugandas 55th Independence anniversary slated for October 5, 2017 Pyongtaek City
From Smirking Chimp



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The immensely powerful, deeply moving and historic protests of our nation's athletes against the absurd rantings of our Great Dictator make one thing abundantly clear: the diversity of this nation is not going away.

But The Star Spangled Banner should. It's a lousy song with a racist message. We need a new anthem -- or to acknowledge many of them.

Likewise the dotard illegitimately occupying the White House. We can do better.

So let's combine the campaigns.

Words to the Star Spangled Banner were written by Francis Scott Key, a slaveowner. He commemorated the failure of the British to conquer Baltimore in the War of 1812, an utterly useless conflict. The Brits had just burned our nation's capital, partly in response to our burning their Canadian headquarters at York, now Toronto.

As Jason Johnson has shown in his "Star Spangled Bigotry," buried in the lyrics was a clear racist put-down of freed slaves fighting for the English. They were set to a drinking tune, To Anacreon in Heaven.

The Navy adopted the song in 1889, then Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Wilson was stirring up fervor for US entry into World War I, which the majority of Americans strongly opposed. He used that war as cover to crush the Socialist Party, which had millions of supporters. He jailed our greatest labor leader, Indiana's Eugene V. Debs, for daring to speak against a war that killed at least 10,000,000 people and accomplished nothing.

Congress turned down the song a number of times before it was officially adopted in 1931, in the midst of the Depression.

The iconic version came from Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, 1969. He did it with no lyrics. But in the midst of the useless, worthless war in Vietnam, he inserted a version of Taps.

Right-wingers freaked out and branded him "unpatriotic." Unlike most of them, Jimi had actually served in the military.

Now it's played at July 4th celebrations everywhere. I use it to start all my college history classes. Nobody stands.

According to political scientist Bob Fitrakis, in the 1930s American farmers and workers celebrated our country with Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land.

There are other candidates...and some heated opinions. The great activist Sheila Parks says:

"I am hoping you will listen, again perhaps, to these songs and see what they have to say about white people and Native American Peoples."

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This is a reprint from NewsBred.



Mainstream Media and Fake News

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(Facebook today came out with a full-page advertisement in Indian Express (September 26, 2017) with 10 tools for a reader to check if a news is fake. It asks readers to check headlines, evidence, photos, source to spot a Fake News. It's a good reference point to monitor our English national dailies--Lutyens' Media-- who abound in Fake News. It's a start today and we would gradually warm up to daily planting of Fake News by mainstream media.)

Indian Express today had 7 stories on Banaras Hindu University (BHU) violence, running from its Front Page to multiple pages inside its Delhi edition. It fails the Facebook Fake News Challenge on multiple counts.

EVIDENCE: A front page piece attributes several issues which girl hostellers face in BHU. There is not a SINGLE source attributed!!! Further there is no attempt to investigate--in this or in any other BHU story in Indian Express today if there is truth in (a) Outside BHU elements creating ruckus; (b) attempt to destroy the University property; (c) police targeting only these "troublemakers" (d) BHU Vice-Chancellor alleging protests politically motivated.

Interestingly, THE PROTESTORS THEMSELVES SAY THE OUTSIDE ELEMENTS HAVE CAUSED THE TROUBLE!!! Why Express has made no attempt to investigate it? Or other news reports? (see image)?

SOURCE: Seema Chisti writes thus on Edit Page in today's Express: "BHU has pushed for no Wi-Fi (How can the new VC risk Wi-Fis, as girls would watch porn). Meat-eating must be curbed and early bedtimes enforced. The VC, who defended RSS ideas, was keen to stamp out any trouble in BHU."

The Facebook Fake News Challenge asks readers to be sceptical of the source you don't trust. Seema Chisti falls in this bracket. She never mentions she is Seema Chisti Yechury, wife of Communist powerhead, Sitaram Yechury. Readers can't be faulted if she is perceived as part of Communist propaganda machine.

One, there is Wi-Fi in girls' hostel (so they can watch porn, Ms Chisti). Two, meat-eating is not curbed (Extra Rs 30 ensure it); Three, early bedtimes are not enforced--Girl students can take permission from BHU authorities and stay out as long as they want.

Let's not even stoop to reply her charge on the BHU VC having RSS leaning (And why readers must not presume you are a Communist loudspeaker, Ms Chisti?)

HEADLINES: The Front Page headline of "Why women BHU students are separate and unequal" is classically ambiguous. You can interpret it both ways--that WHY SHOULD girls have separate rules or WHY SHOULD NOT there be separate rules.. But for the standard tactics of misleading headlines, I would give a more concrete example.

On Page 11 of Indian Express, one of its exclusive story has this headline: "Rohingya illegal, purse-strings open for Lankan Tamil refugees". Now this headline clearly aims to influence the readers that the Modi government is discriminatory; it has one policy for Rohingya Muslims and another for Non-Muslims. What it shamelessly hides is that Rohingyas are ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS and not REFUGEES! So the two instances can't be compared. Unless the newspaper sees no difference between apples and oranges.

As an aside, click on this link to see how from politicians (Ashok Gehlot, Sanjay Sharma), to journalists (Mrinal Pande, Swati Chaturvedi) to lawyers (Prashant Bhushan) have blatantly peddled lies on the BHU affair and make up your own mind on these Fake News Promoters.


Raise the Minimum Wage

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Readings for 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: IS 55: 6-9; PS 145: 2-3, 8-9; 17-18; PHIL 1: 20c-24, 27A; MT 20: 1-16A.

What will the Kingdom of Heaven be like for minimum wage workers? Ask the poor people Jesus speaks to in today's gospel. There the Great Teacher tells them a story about a character every employee -- all of us, I'm sure -- encounters at some point in her or his life. He's the skinflint boss who imagines himself a great humanitarian, despises his workers as lazy, and treats them with complete arbitrariness. He takes great delight in disappointing them -- simply because he can.

The familiarity of this comic book character must have set Jesus' audience laughing. And it probably started a long animated conversation about bosses, wages and employment.

Anyway, the story goes like this . . . It's late in the harvest season and this big fat landowner goes to the town square to hire fruit pickers who are shaping up there. (You can imagine him coming by in his pick-up truck, smoking his cigar, pointing at the strongest workers, and shouting, "Hey, you guys, get off your lazy duffs and jump in the back. I haven't got all day. There's work to be done!")

In the story, you can tell the owner's a cheapskate because he's careful to hire just the minimum number of workers he thinks can get the job done -- if he pushes them really hard.

But he miscalculates. So he has to return at noon for more pickers. But instead of blaming his own stupidity, he blames the workers. He calls them "lazy" for "standing around idle." He shouts at them, "Get in the truck, you lazy no-goods! You should be working!" (What does he expect? They're waiting for someone to hire them, for God's sake! But then coupon-clippers, like the boss in the story, always despise calloused hands.)

Now it's almost quitting time. With only an hour's daylight left, and with his fruit ready to rot in the fields, the skinflint owner finds himself back in the square hiring more workers. Again, he blames them for being lazy. But off they go to finish the day's work.

Then the punch line comes. The completely capricious landowner suddenly decides to play the generous humanitarian. So with great flair he gives a full day's wage to those last hired -- my guess is: just a few workers.

Naturally, the other pickers rub their hands together, drooling with expectation that they'll be paid more generously too. But of course old Scrooge disappoints them. (These kinds of bosses always do! They love it.) He decides instead to turn legalistic and teach these lazy good-for-nothings a lesson -- about power.

"What do you mean: 'MORE?'" he shouts like the beadle in Oliver Twist. "Have you forgotten our contract? And besides, I'm the boss. I can do what I want, and you can't do a thing about it!"

By this time, Jesus' audience surely had stopped laughing. They were probably grumbling and rehearsing their own similar experiences with cheap legalistic bosses who love to play the generous philanthropist.

But then Jesus gets everyone smiling again by adding with a wink: "And so it will be when the revolution comes (or as he put it -- "in the Kingdom of God") where "the first will be last and the last will be first -- you know what I mean?" He winks again.

It takes a while for the message to sink in. Not everyone "gets it." The audience scratches its collective head. Finally the penny drops.

"Oh, I see what you're saying, Jesus," someone says. She looks around at the others. "Don't you get it?" she asks. "All of the workers in the story are 'the last;' it's the boss who's 'first'." In the final judgment, Uncle Scrooge will be last and all of us will be first!"

The audience starts to cop on.

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At the U.N. recently, Donald Trump followed up on his bloodcurdling threat to unleash on North Korea "fire and fury like the world has never seen" (essentially a warning of nuclear terror) with an even grimmer threat: to "totally destroy" that country. In his histrionic bluntness, Trump was not alone in raising the nuclear issue. We know, for instance, that Secretary of Defense James Mattis recently discussed with his South Korean counterpart the reintroduction of American "tactical" nuclear weapons, which happen to be anything but tactical in the normal sense of the word, in the South. While it's true that no previous American president has spoken in the style of The Donald, he stands in something of a proud American tradition when it comes to threatening North Korea, one that goes all the way back to the Korean War era.

During that conflict, the U.S. Air Force dropped World War II levels of explosives on the Korean peninsula, leaving hardly a building standing in the northern and central parts of the country, and driving much of the population quite literally underground. The city of Wosun, for example, was bombarded from the sea for 41 days and nights in what Rear Admiral Allan Smith called "the longest sustained naval or air bombardment of a city in history."

Meanwhile, the use of nuclear weapons was both considered and threatened. Here, for instance, is a passage from my book The End of Victory Culture on the subject:

"At rear bases in Japan, atomic bombs were readied, the president [Truman] spoke publicly of their use, and the government seriously weighed various plans for their employment. According to historians Bruce Cumings and Jon Halliday, the nearest the United States came to using them was 'in early spring 1951. On 10 March, [General] MacArthur asked for something he called a "D" Day atomic capability... On 5 April the Joint Chiefs ordered immediate atomic retaliation against Manchurian bases if large numbers of new [Chinese] troops came into the fighting... and on 6 April Truman issued an order approving the Joint Chiefs' request and the transfer of a limited number of complete atomic weapons "to military custody."'

"China, as well as Korea, was publicly and privately threatened with atomic attack. Lone B-29s were even sent on Hiroshima-like bombing runs over the North to drop dummy bombs in simulations of the real thing. In January 1953, a new artillery piece, the 280mm atomic cannon, was given a noticeable place in Dwight D. Eisenhower's inaugural parade and subsequently a battery of the guns was sent to Korea..."

Yet North Korea did not surrender. A lesson somehow not yet absorbed in the United States 64 years of confrontation later.

If, however, we all live through this grim moment of nuclear and other threats without Asia going up in flames (and then, undoubtedly, a crippled world economy going down in flames), historian Alfred McCoy offers quite a different vision of what World War III in Asia might look like in 2030. It's a high-tech tale of the rise of China and the decline of Donald Trump's America (never quite made "great" again), adapted from his dazzling new book, In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power. Tom

World War III With China

How It Might Actually Be Fought

By Alfred W. McCoy [This piece has been adapted and expanded from Alfred W. McCoy's new book, In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power.] For the past 50 years, American leaders have been supremely confident that they could suffer military setbacks in places like Cuba or Vietnam without having their system of global hegemony, backed by the world's wealthiest economy and finest military, affected. The country was, after all, the planet's "indispensible nation," as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright proclaimed in 1998 (and other presidents and politicians have insisted ever since). The U.S. enjoyed a greater "disparity of power" over its would-be rivals than any empire ever, Yale historian Paul Kennedy announced in 2002. Certainly, it would remain "the sole superpower for decades to come," Foreign Affairs magazine assured us just last year. During the 2016 campaign, candidate Donald Trump promised his supporters that "we're gonna win with military... we are gonna win so much you may even get tired of winning." In August, while announcing his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, Trump reassured the nation: "In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed." In this fast-changing world, only one thing was certain: when it really counted, the United States could never lose. No longer. The Trump White House may still be basking in the glow of America's global supremacy but, just across the Potomac, the Pentagon has formed a more realistic view of its fading military superiority. In June, the Defense Department issued a major report titled on Risk Assessment in a Post-Primacy World, finding that the U.S. military "no longer enjoys an unassailable position versus state competitors," and "it no longer can... automatically generate consistent and sustained local military superiority at range." This sober assessment led the Pentagon's top strategists to "the jarring realization that 'we can lose.'" Increasingly, Pentagon planners find, the "self-image of a matchless global leader" provides a "flawed foun dation for forward-looking defense strategy... under post-primacy conditions." This Pentagon report also warned that, like Russia, China is "engaged in a deliberate program to demonstrate the limits of U.S. authority"; hence, Beijing's bid for "Pacific primacy" and its "campaign to expand its control over the South China Sea." China's Challenge Indeed, military tensions between the two countries have been rising in the western Pacific since the summer of 2010. Just as Washington once used its wartime alliance with Great Britain to appropriate much of that fading empire's global power after World War II, so Beijing began using profits from its export trade with the U.S. to fund a military challenge to its dominion over the waterways of Asia and the Pacific. Some telltale numbers suggest the nature of the future great power competition between Washington and Beijing that could determine the course of the twenty-first century. In April 2015, for instance, the Department of Agriculture reported that the U.S. economy would grow by nearly 50% over the next 15 years, while China's would expand by 300%, equaling or surpassing America's around 2030.

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"Just nuke the bastards."

That's the reflexive response millions of people have given for dealing with Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, North Korea. In years past, they said the same for Cuba, North Vietnam and Russia.

It's Top down nuclear bomb masturbatory fantasy.

I call it masturbatory because it's about power and potency, or, more accurately, impotence. When it comes to war/violence, nuclear weapons are the ultimate porn.

I call it fantasy because nuclear weapons don't work and they never have... in terms of winning anything. Ward Wilson argues this very persuasively. He says that the US defeated Japan using carpet bombing of dozens of cities, that the nuclear bombs used on Nagasaki and Hiroshima did not win the war, just gave the emperor and Japanese generals a face-saving excuse.

I say it's top down because nuclear weapons are the ultimate hard power solution. Hard power is based on threat, force or money. Authoritarians love hard power-- forcing domination on people to make them compliant. The opposite of hard power is soft power, which is Bottom up. Joseph Nye, the author of book, Soft Power, told me that soft power is about attraction. Creating inspiring movies, music, stories, building schools, hospitals bridges-- those are soft power strategies which attract the people. Former State Department policy advisor Anne Marie Slaughter described to me how the future of diplomacy involves building bridges by creating relationships and deepening connections between people with similar interests-- say librarians in Africa and Albuquerque.

But there are millions of people who go with the "nuke the bastards" reflex. Why?

Some people have an investment in nuclear weapons-- Air Force generals, who deliver the bombs, for example. Industries that build components for the bombs or the missiles. Armed services that manage and "protect" the nuclear bombs, bombers, silos.

But then there are millions more who not only do not benefit, but they are hurt by them. After all, Nuclear weapons are among the worst parasites upon humanity and the earth's resources.

These millions are authoritarians, meaning, they are people who need to be dominated and told what to do by dominating authoritarian people. They embrace simple, Top Down solutions, and nuclear bombs are the absolute simplest. Stupid, but simple.

And of course, authoritarian dominators love the nuclear fantasy too. Donald Trump used this similar phrase, "Bomb the sh*t out of them" in his campaign gruntings. I'd wager that for Trump, thinking about nukes gives him some kind of sexual pleasure, or, at the least, makes him feel more manly.

The "nuke the bastards" and "bomb the hell out of them" reflexes are deeply programmed into millions of people, maybe even billions. They have been presented as the ultimate simple solution. But Occams razor would be wrongly applied here. There is no nuclear solution. There is a a nuclear annihilation, nuclear destruction, fast or slow, of the planet. But no nuclear weapons solutions. Those are fantasies that are totally devoid of the smallest amount of reality.

There are no winners when it comes to nuclear weapons in this day and age. The world should do all it can to prevent nuke porn fools like Donald Trump AND Kim Jong Un from having their hands on nuclear triggers.

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Wisdom Academy to provide Engineering Home Tutors in Mumbai

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Andheri, Mumbai - September 25, 2017  Wisdom Academy, a pioneering/result-oriented institute in providing quality courses, announced that it will provide Engineering Home Tutors for students .This mark the Wisdom Academy efficiency in delivering the top results in all competitive exams through Engineering Home Tutors in Mumbai.Wisdom Academy is one of the fastest growing Educational brand, with a will to provide qualitative and innovative education for engineering aspirants.Students will be given time for self preparation after the completion of syllabus. During this time, part syllabus tests and doubt clearing sessions will be conducted, said Prashant Ganger, Founder and CEO of Wisdom Academy.Students of our institute will go through a comprehensive training for a career in the ever-growing field of Engineering, he added.If you are a Mumbaikar with a dream to enter the IITs, then Wisdom Academy could be your alma-mater.FeaturesHome Tuitions all Over Mumbai by team of expertsGroup Tuitions with Individual AttentionResult Oriented and Dedicated team of TutorsExhaustive syllabus coverageProgress tracking toolsTopic TestsChapter-wise TestsProven Past Track RecordThe study material provided by the institute includes practice papers, and sample papers with explanatory notes, among other efficient tools of preparation. The institute has always focused on adapting with time and provide all the help and support to students so that they achieve nothing but the best in their professional careers.About Wisdom AcademyWisdom Academy is a result-oriented institute which believes in giving top results in all competitive exams.Mr. Prashant Ganger has been providing students of Mumbai with quality education since 1992.WA has brought the concept of Home Tuitions in Mumbai and has established a strong credibility for himself in the same field.The institute is always focused on adapting with time and provide all the help and support to students so that they achieve nothing but the best in their professional careers. For more information, visitContact Us:Mr. Prashant Ganger932-447-5566/981-949-5082prashant@wisdomacademy.co.inWebsite :Wisdom Academy is a result-oriented institute which believes in giving top results in all competitive exams.Mr. Prashant Ganger has been providing students of Mumbai with quality education since 1992.WA has brought the concept of Home Tuitions in Mumbai and has established a strong credibility for himself in the same field.Mr. Prashant Ganger932-447-5566/981-949-5082Andheri, MumbaiMaharasthra, Indiaprashant@wisdomacademy.co.inWebsite :
Global Omeprazole Magnesium Market, Market Share, Size, Forecast and Trends by 2020

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2016 Global Omeprazole Magnesium Industry Report is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions of the Omeprazole Magnesium industry, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia) and the main countries (United States, Germany, Japan and China).Browse 158 Pages of Recent Research report on Global Omeprazole Magnesium Market Research Report 2016 to 2020 @Scope of the Reports:The report firstly introduced the Omeprazole Magnesium basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Request Sample PDF Brochure@The report includes six parts, dealing with:basic informationthe Asia Omeprazole Magnesium Marketthe North American Omeprazole Magnesium Marketthe European Omeprazole Magnesium Marketmarket entry and investment feasibilitythe report conclusionProcure this Report @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. MIR intends to be a one-stop shop with an intuitive design, exhaustive database, expert assistance, secure cart checkout and data privacy integrated 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.Contact us:Sales Manager: Srikanth VishnuMarket Intelligence Reports PTE. LTDNorth Bridge RoadHigh Street CentreSingapore (179094)sales@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-261-5343
Global Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks Market 2016 Industry, Analysis, Research, Share, Growth, Sales, Trends, Supply, Forecast to 2021

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The Global Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks Industry 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Sample of this report is available upon request @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks1.1 Definition and Specifications of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks1.1.1 Definition of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks1.1.2 Specifications of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks1.2 Classification of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks2.4 Other Costs Analysis of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks Major Manufacturers in 20153.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks Major Manufacturers in 20153.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks Major Manufacturers in 20153.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Manufacture of OE Components For Heavy Trucks Major Manufacturers in 2015About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact UsBrooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Third Party Banking Software Market - Global Industry Trends,Size, Status and Forecast 2022

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Research Beam has added a report, titled, Global Third Party Banking Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022Get Sample Enquiry @The report provides an extensive analysis of sales, revenue, growth rate, and key market players for the historic period, 20112016 and the forecast period, 20172022. Moreover, marketing channels, major distributors, and supply channels are discussed in the study. These insights are helpful for market players, investors, and new entrants to get full value from assets, understand risk factors, and determine investment suitability.The research offers a brief overview of the Global Third Party Banking Software Market based on definition of the industry and types. Major market activities are highlighted in the industry along with similar industries. These insights are helpful for CEOs, VPs, stakeholders, and investors to save their time and gain overview of the industry. It helps them to weigh up opportunities and take necessary steps to gain strong position.Purchase Enquiry @Competitive landscape of the Global Third Party Banking Software Market is provided based on key segments and regions. Regions analyzed in the study are the U.S., Europe, China, India, Japan, and Southeast Asia. The report provides insights on revenue generated and revenue growth rate for the historic period as well as the forecast period. Moreover, sales and sales growth rate for aforementioned periods are outlined with the help of tabular representation. Revenue generated in aforementioned regions by major players is also explored for 2016. This information is valuable to gain excellent brand equity and unwavering geographical presence.Market share analysis of the Global Third Party Banking Software Market is offered for production and revenue of market players. Moreover, production market share and revenue market share based on regions are analyzed for the historic period. These insights are helpful to devise strategies to gain impressive & recurring revenue growth. Supply chain analysis is offered based on raw material, production process, production cost structure, and end users.Check Discount on Report @Key market players operating in the Global Third Party Banking Software Market are analyzed to outline competitive intensity. Details of a company, product information, and applications are highlighted. Moreover, insights on revenue, price, and operating profits are provided in a tabular format. Key market players analyzed in the study are Microsoft, IBM, TCS, Infosys, Oracle, TIBCO and SAP, Cap Gemini and Accenture, NetSuite Inc., Deltek Inc. COA Solutions, Epicor Software Corp., Exact Software Infor, Lawson Software Inc, Sage Group These insights are helpful to determine investment opportunities and collaborate with other market players to gain stronghold in the industry.Globalization and trade analysis are provided based on supply channels, marketing strategies, and barriers to entry. This information is helpful to gain improved profitability and strong revenue visibility across the world. Insights on major distributors and customers are enlisted based on regions. Moreover, detailed information on import, export, consumption, and consumption value for aforementioned countries is offered. This information is helpful to determine emerging economies and discover untapped geographies. Key success factors are outlined at the end of the research.Check Complete TOC@About Us:Research Beams uniqueness lies in its highly ethical reports at economical rates because we value your relationship and growth more than money. Your growth is our aim. With the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.Contact Us:Global Head Quarters5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United Statesphone+1 (800) 910-6452mail help@researchbeam.com
Ophthalmic Devices Market to Reflect a Modest CAGR of 6.5% Throughout 2014-2020

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Globally, the ophthalmic devices market is witnessing significant growth due to increasing prevalence of eye disorders, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. In addition, growing global aging population, increasing government initiatives towards healthcare infrastructure in developing countries, and increasing incidence of lifestyle-associated diseases are also driving the growth of the market.According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Ophthalmic Devices: Asia to Witness Highest Growth by 2020, the global ophthalmic devices market was valued at USD 29,171.5 million in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2014 to 2020, to reach an estimated value of USD 42,685.1 million in 2020.View and Download TOC of Ophthalmic Devices Market Research Report @However, lack of awareness among people about eye disorders, poor primary healthcare infrastructure, and lack of insurance in developing countries hamper growth of the global ophthalmic devices market. In addition, eye diseases in children are also increasing due to the general lack of awareness.The global ophthalmic devices market is anticipated to grow from an estimated USD 29,171.5 million in 2014 to USD 42,685.1 million in 2020 at a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period.Age-related eye diseases, such as glaucoma, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration, are the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness in North America. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, approximately 22 million Americans aged 40 and above were affected by cataract and 2.3 million Americans were affected by glaucoma in 2011.In Europe, increasing prevalence of chronic eye diseases among the rising aging population is becoming a challenge for the European healthcare system. In France, the number of age-related macular degeneration cases was 0.3 million in 2000 and it is anticipated to increase by 0.5 million in 2020.Request and Download Sample Report @However, glaucoma, cataract, and diabetic retinopathy are the major causes of blindness in Asia. Cataract can be held responsible for 50% to 80% of all cases of blindness in Southeast Asia. The prevalence of age-related macular degeneration is also increasing in Asia due to increase in life expectancy and rising incidence of diabetes among the younger population. As per the Centre for Eye Research Australia, prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among people ranged between 17% and 22% in India and 43.1% in rural China in 2012.Johnson & Johnson, Essilor International, Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, Novartis AG, HOYA CORPORATION and Abbott Laboratories, Inc. are some of the major players of ophthalmic devices market.Buy Full Ophthalmic Devices Market Report @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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Navigation Satellite System Market 2017 Global Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2022

Navigation Satellite System Market

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Global Navigation Satellite System MarketDescriptionWiseGuyReports.Com adds Global Navigation Satellite System Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 Research To Its Database.This report studies the global Navigation Satellite System Market, analyzes and researches the Navigation Satellite System development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeQualcommTrimble NavigationBroadcomCSRLairdFuruno ElectricRockwell CollinsTexas InstrumentsCobhamHexagonGet sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, Navigation Satellite System can be split intoCore Satellite Navigation SystemsRegional Satellite Navigation SystemsSatellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS)Market segment by Application, Navigation Satellite System can be split intoLocation-Based Services (LBS)RoadAviationRailMaritimeAgricultureSurveyingTime and Synchronisation (Timing & Sync)Enquiry About Report @Table of Contents -Major Key PointsGlobal Navigation Satellite System Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Navigation Satellite System1.1 Navigation Satellite System Market Overview1.1.1 Navigation Satellite System Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Navigation Satellite System Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Navigation Satellite System Market by Type1.3.1 Core Satellite Navigation Systems1.3.2 Regional Satellite Navigation Systems1.3.3 Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS)1.4 Navigation Satellite System Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Location-Based Services (LBS)1.4.2 Road1.4.3 Aviation1.4.4 Rail1.4.5 Maritime1.4.6 Agriculture1.4.7 Surveying1.4.8 Time and Synchronisation (Timing & Sync)2 Global Navigation Satellite System Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Navigation Satellite System Market Size (Value) by Players (2016 and 2017)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Qualcomm3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Trimble Navigation3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Broadcom3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 CSR3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 Laird3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 Furuno Electric3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 Rockwell Collins3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 Texas Instruments3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 Cobham3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 Hexagon3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 Navigation Satellite System Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.10.5 Recent Developments..CONTINUEDBuy Now@About UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, Industryresearch reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)
White Spirit Market to Witness a Rise of US$ 8,103.2 Mn through 2017-2025

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White Spirits Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Forecast (2017-2025), a new report published by Persistence Market Research, tracks the performance of the global white spirits market for a projected period of eight years, i.e. between 2017 and 2025. According to this report, in terms of value, the global white spirits market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.2% during the assessed period. This market is estimated to be valued at US$ 5,832.3 Mn by 2017 end and reach US$ 8,103.2 Mn by the end of 2025. The steady growth is anticipated in terms of demand from various applications, such as paints thinner and cleaning & degreasing solvents which is expected to drive the growth of the white spirits market during forecast period.Need: In the recent past, regulatory bodies have begun implementing regulations mandating the reduction of VOC emissions due to rising environmental concerns and deteriorating air quality across the globeView and Download TOC of White Spirits Market Research Report @Regulations: Directive 2004/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on the limitation of emissions of VOCs due to the use of organic solvents in certain paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products and amending Directive 1999/13/EC Paints based on white spirits, intended to be used by the general public, are restricted in Denmark for indoor use on ceilings and walls. In 2007, the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits proposed the following value as recommended occupational limit value for white spirits: 20 ppm (116 mg/m) as 8 h average level, 50 ppm (290 mg/m) as 15 min short-term exposure limit level. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set the legal limit (permissible exposure limit) for white spirits exposure in the workplace as 500 ppm (2,900 mg/m3) over an 8-hour workday. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has set a recommended exposure limit of 350 mg/m3 over an 8-hour workday and 1,800 mg/m3 over 15 minutes.Description: The VOC directive that aims to reduce ozone formation potential of VOCs in connection with photochemical reactions in ambient air, defines 12 sub-categories for coating products applied to buildings and five subcategories for vehicle refinishing products for which limits are set with regard to VOC content. The maximum permissible VOC content range is 30840 g/l, depending on the product.Effect on the White Spirits Market: Owing to regulations related to VOC emissions, there is increasing demand for low aromatic white spirits globally, which hinders demand for conventional white spirits. Major manufacturers are shifting focus towards marketing of white spirits with low aromatic content so as to comply with regulations.On the basis of application, this market is segmented into paint thinner, cleaning solvent, degreasing solvent, fuel, disinfectant and others. In terms of application, the paint thinner segment is expected to witness healthy growth owing to increase in demand from industrial and architectural/decorative coatings during the forecast period. Building & Construction segment is expected to register nearly 1.3X growth between 2017 and 2025. The Paint Thinner segment is anticipated to witness sound growth. It is expected to grow with a CAGR of 4.9% over the forecast period.Request and Download Sample Report @Grade type segment consists of low flash grade, regular flash grade and high flash grade. Regular flash grade segment is projected to expand at a relatively higher CAGR over the forecast period. The regular flash grade segment is estimated to account for a 60.9% revenue share in the global white spirits market in 2025, followed by high flash grade and low flash grade segments respectively.Product type segment includes type 1, type 2 and type 3 segments. In terms of value, the type 1 segment has been estimated to account for a 46.1% share by 2025 end. This is projected to grow 1.4X during the forecast period to be valued at US$ 3,778.4 Mn in 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 4.3%APAC is the key market that accounts for a major share in the global white spirits market. The market in APAC is expected to register high CAGR over the forecast period and provide significant opportunities in the global white spirits market owing to the growing paints & coatings, automotive, packaging and building & construction industry in this region as well as shifting of manufacturing industries to China, India and ASEAN Countries. APAC is estimated to account for around 41.4% share in terms of value in the global white spirits market in 2017.ExxonMobil Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Total S.A., Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Neste Oyj, Haltermann Carless Deutschland GmbH, DHC Solvent Chemie GmbH, GSB Chemical Co. Pty. Ltd., and Al Sanea Chemical Products are some of the key companies operating in the global white spirits market.Buy Full White Spirits Market Report @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.Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA,Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Aluminium Foil Packaging Market Predicted to Rise at a Lucrative CAGR throughout 2016 to 2022

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Aluminium foil provides various benefits to the food and packaging industries. The consumers can heat or freeze food items in the foil container directly. Aluminium foil packaging material is a part of the flexible packaging material and is generally formed using aluminium sheets. Aluminium foil can be utilized to wrap around any product for packaging functions. It is produced through the regular casting and cold calling.A sample of this report is available upon request @Aluminium foil packaging is a sort of packaging, which arranges a resistant barrier to safeguard food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals and helps in waste reduction. Aluminium packaging is extremely corrosion-resistant and chemically neutral. Moreover, it is hygienic and non-toxic in nature. The raw materials for aluminium foil packaging is produced utilizing aluminium sheets and it is a part of stretchable packaging material. The major users of aluminium foil packaging include pharmaceuticals, food and beverage industries. Aluminium foil wrap is produced through regular casting and cold rolling and thus it is favorable to be utilized to enclose around any product for packaging functions. The aluminium foil packaging market has showcased an upliftment in its revenue over the past few years and is likely to grow at a higher pace over the next few years till 2022.Robust economic growth along with rising middle population with inclining personal disposable income is anticipated to intensify the growth of global aluminium foil packaging market during the forecast period. The change in life style which includes changed food habits has led to inclining demand for packaging. Besides this, robust demand for aluminium foil packaging in snacks and chocolate industry are also strengthening the growth of aluminium foil packaging market all across the globe. Some of the major opportunities in global aluminium foil packaging market includes technological development to enhance the product quality, reduction in plants lossess, inclination in the obtainability of foils in different forms for crucial mass consumption usages and progress in the exportability of aluminium foils. The global aluminium foil packaging market is foreseen to observe a robust CAGR during the projected period.Global Aluminium Foil Packaging market is segmented by: type, and by regionAluminium Foil Packaging by Type of Packaging:Rigid Aluminium PackagingSemi-rigid PackagingFlexible PackagingAluminium Foil Packaging by Application:Aerosols PackagingTubes PackagingCansDishesLidsAluminium PouchesOtherAluminium Foil Packaging By End-users:HealthcareCosmeticsFood & BeveragesOthersAluminium Foil Packaging By Region:Asia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Geographically, the global aluminium foil packaging industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific region, Japan, Middle East and Africa. American region captured the highest share in revenue terms in 2014. Followed by it, Europe and Asia-Pacific region grabbed the market. The North American aluminium foil packaging market is likely to be dominant during the forecast period. This is majorly due to change in technology in order to enhance the product quality by the manufacturers in the region. Apart from this, inclining demand for packaged food in Asian region is anticipated to incline the growth of Aluminium foil packaging market in Asia by 2022.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the key vendors identified across the value chain of aluminium foil packaging includes Ardagh Group, ACM Carcano, Tetra Pack, Zenith, Jasch Foils, Assan Aluminyum, Flexifoil, Amcor, and others. The aluminium foil packaging manufacturers are focusing on development of varieties of packaging in order to gain the competitive advantage in the global aluminium foil packaging market.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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Paraxylene Market Analysis by Global Segments, Growth, Size and Forecast 2024

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The top three vendors in the global paraxylene market, namely Reliance Industries Limited, S-Oil Corporation, and BP plc., collectively accounted for a meagre 12% of the overall market in 2015, says a recent market research report by Transparency Market Research. Nearly 85% of the worlds paraxylene production is credited to a vast number of small firms or subsidiaries of larger chemical companies, making the market highly fragmented. Companies are focusing on export as a tool for geographical expansion in existing as well as established markets in Asia Pacific. High chances of forward integration by key manufacturers across the value chain are expected to increase competition in the market.View Full Report:Transparency Market Research states that the global paraxylene market, which held an opportunity of US$33.03 bn in 2015, is expected to exhibit a healthy 7.0% CAGR from 2016 through 2024. If the prediction holds true, the market will rise to US$60.04 bn by 2024. Of the key applications of paraxylene, its use in the production of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) earns the market its most significant and dominant share in revenues. In 2015, the segment accounted for a nearly 97% of the overall volume of paraxylene consumed in the global market. From a geographic perspective, the global paraxylene market is led by Asia Pacific, which accounted for a nearly 84% of the global market in 2015.Request to view Sample Report:Demand for Polyester in Textile Industry to Remain Key Determinant of Paraxylene Consumption GloballyParaxylene is one of the key raw materials used in the production of purified terephthalic acid (PTA), which is used to manufacture PET. The high use of PET in the textile industry across applications such as clothing, furnishings, and technical textiles earns the global paraxylene market a significant share in its overall revenues. In the next few years, the high growth expected across the textile industry is expected to have a significant positive impact on the overall development of the global paraxylene market. Analysts estimate that the textile industry will exhibit an 11% CAGR from 2016 to 2020. This factor is likely to lead to a vast rise in demand for paraxylene in the global market in the near future.The rising demand for PET container resins, especially in Asia Pacific, is also expected to lead to significant traction to the global paraxylene market over the forecasting horizon. The increased use of PET containers for packaging in the flourishing food and beverages industry in the region will result in the increased demand for paraxylene.Rising Consumer Awareness about Harms of Using Plastic to Hamper Global Paraxylene ConsumptionThe global market for paraxylene, however, is expected to be hampered due to the rising concern regarding the oversupply of paraxylene in Asia Pacific and growth in consumer awareness about plastic-free products. Many countries across developed economies such as North America and Europe are taking measures to completely ban the use of plastic bags and packaging materials. Implementation of stringent government regulations regarding the same is expected to have a significant negative impact on the development of the paraxylene market, at least in these developed economies.Request to download and view full ToC -Chemicals such as antimony oxide, acetaldehyde, and aldehydes are employed in the manufacture of polyethylene terephthalate products. Antimony oxide, which is used as catalyst in the manufacture of polyethylene terephthalate, and trace amounts of acetaldehyde and aldehydes are some of the unavoidable byproducts in the production of polyethylene terephthalate containers. These chemicals are hazardous to the environment and human health. Awareness regarding such adverse effects of paraxylene and its substitutes on humans and the environment is rising at a promising rate across developing economies as well. These factors will collectively hamper the markets development over the forecast period.Global Paraxylene Market Report is available at US$ 5795 -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend 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.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Progressive Bay Area Executive Protection Teams Incorporate Medical Component to Enhance Protection of Their Principals

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Bay Area Emergency & EP Professionals to Present, "Emerging Trends in Executive Protection Medical Programs" at ASIS International 2017.Redwood City, CA, USA -- Emergency University, the industry leader in corporate Emergency Response system design, emergency medical training and state-of-the-art response and collaborative technologies announced today that Dr. Odelia Braun, Medical Director of Emergency University, Eric Powell, Chief Security Officer of Bayshore Global Management, and William Killgallon, Head of Security and Crisis Management, GE Digital will lead an Impact session on, "Emerging Trends in Executive Protection Medical Programs" at the upcoming ASIS International Conference at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas on September 26, 2017.As Executive Protection models evolve, EP professionals are increasingly aware of the importance of integrating medical capabilities into their security protection models to reflect the needs of their principals. The panel will address the critical components to consider when designing EP Medical Programs.After studying the challenges faced in designing these complex Executive Protection Programs, the panel of EP professionals and experienced emergency physicians developed a standardized process to evaluate the status of their current teams, and set short-term and long-term goals. They designed and implemented a coordinated program of medical protocols, targeted training programs, equipment and technology, designed to orient and prepare security teams to effectively respond to medical issues while ensuring that the solutions emphasized security first."Medical capability in the executive/dignitary protection arena is a critical resource. Having medical care on hand dramatically increases the probability of mission success," Killgallon remarked. "For example, one of the primary reasons the murder rate has decreased in the last 30 years in the US is not because of less violence - there is actually more - or better law enforcement; it is because of better, faster, and closer emergency medical care - people are surviving things that used to kill them."A well-prepared medical program ensures the best clinical outcome for protectees experiencing medical emergencies. The presenters will emphasize due diligence, ways to minimize risk and assemble vital components into a cohesive system that predictably achieves effective medical protection.About Emergency University: For more than 20 years, Emergency University has assisted national and global corporations and government agencies in the development of effective internal emergency response system planning and design, provided comprehensive emergency response preparedness training, as well as researched, developed and implemented Executive Protection Medical program solutions with cutting-edge technological support - ensuring their clients are 100% prepared! Emergency University's clients enjoy an outstanding 100% response rate versus the national average of 2%. EU's educational methodology prepares students to respond while offering its clients a one-stop solution for emergency response system design, compliance and training. Additional information on Emergency University is available at:Media Contact:T. FarinaEmergency University622 Sylvan WayRedwood City, CA 94062866-233-4357tfarina@emergencyuniversity.com
Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market : Future Forecast Assessed on the basis of how the Market is Predicted to Grow

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https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/26276

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The market for healthcare informatics and patient monitoring in India is characterized by stiff competition among the existing numerous players. Currently the market is fragmented in nature on account of the presence of a copious number of local as well as international players. Some of the key players operating in the market are Mindray Medical India Pvt. Ltd., Philips India Ltd., Wipro GE Healthcare, Nihon Kohden India Pvt. Ltd., BPL Medical Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Schiller Healthcare India Pvt. Ltd., Drager India Pvt. Ltd., and India Medtronic Pvt. Ltd. The robust competition in the market is predicted to catalyze its phenomenal growth.As per a report by Transparency Market Research, the market for healthcare informatics and patient monitoring in India will likely expand at a stellar 16.3% CAGR during the period between 2017 and 2025. Expanding at this rate, the report forecasts the market to become worth US$560.9 mn by 2025 from US$124.7 mn in 2015.Obtain Report Details @Depending upon demography, the India market for healthcare informatics and patient monitoring can be broadly divided into metropolitan and urban hospitals and healthcare facilities and rural hospitals and healthcare facilities. Of the two, the metropolitan and urban hospitals and healthcare facilities segment leads the market with a mammoth share in it. In 2014, the segment held a whopping 88.0% share in the market. Growing occurrence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases has led to the segments swift progress so far. Apart from that, the increasing occurrence of fatal conditions and rising number of beds in tier 1 and tier 2 cities have also propelled the segment to a dominant position.Download Table of Content @At the forefront of driving growth in the India healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market is the alarming instances of chronic conditions resulting from a growing pool of elderly and changes in lifestyle due to increasing wealth of people. As per the lead analyst of the TMR report, With the increased prevalence of chronic disorders, patient monitoring devices are undergoing rapid and innovative technological advancement in order to establish an effective treatment platform for monitoring disease progression. This is also another reason for the rapid growth in the healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market in India along with the rising awareness about the latest technologies in the field.In addition, rise in the number of hospitals and home care centers and a dearth of nursing staff is also expected to fuel growth in the India healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market. For example, patient monitors are leveraged to keep a tab on a patients vital signs under critical care. Such monitors primarily measure five main vital signs of temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, pulse oximetry, and respiratory rate.Get Sample copy of the Report @The Indian market for Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring has been segmented as follows:Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market, by DemographyMetropolitan and Urban Hospitals and Healthcare FacilitiesRural Hospitals and Healthcare FacilitiesHealthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market, by TypeAmbulatory Care CentersHome HealthcareHospitalsHealthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market, by RegionNorthEastWestSouthAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box Market Outlook 2017 Analysis, Top Manufacturers - Arris, Inspur, Technicolor, Huawei, Netgem

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The Global 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box Market Research Report 2017 primarily focuses on the inclusive research study on the prevailing scenario of the 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box market worldwide. This study improves the business productivity and 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box market forecast of the industry which gives information about the 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box market capacity for each category during the forecasting period from 2017 to 2022.Primary sources are mainly industry experts from core and related industries, and suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, service providers, and organizations related to all segments of the industrys supply chain.Request Sample Report @4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box market size, share and end users are analyzed as well as Split markets by Types, Applications, Cost Stuctures this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box in each application. The report includes 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box markets new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, investment return analysis and development trend analysis. Information pertaining to key strategies adopted by these companies has been obtained from their respective financial reports, and a meticulous study on the market trends that has impacted their plan of action.The Leading Manufacturers and Suppliers Of The 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box include:ArrisZTEInspurTechnicolorEchostarRokuSagemcomHumaxZinwellMatrixStream TechnologiesNetgemSkyworth DigitalHuaweiHisenseMStar SemiconductorAn exhaustive qualitative review of the factors accelerating and restraining the growth of the 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box market and approaching opportunities has been deployed. The 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box market has been analyzed based on applications, geographic distribution, and the substantial factors accountable for the rising demand of the 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box market globaly have been detailed in this report.Browse Complete Report with TOC @With a view to deepen the scope of the analysis, the report also tracks milestone developments and regulations that have shaped the 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box market thus far. To help readers effectively plan their future strategies, the report provides a set of expert recommendations. The analysts working on the report have successfully identified expected policy changes, industry news and developments and trends and opportunities  this information can be harnessed by companies to strengthen their market presence.The bottom-up approach was used to estimate the global market size of 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box based on end-use industry and region, in terms of value. With the data triangulation procedure and validation of data through primary interviews, the exact values of the overall parent market, and individual market sizes were determined and confirmed in this study.The report has put special emphasis on the market share and size of global industry, because to their large scale share in the current and upcoming 4k Ultra Hd Set Top Box Market.If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Market Deeper is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Deeper is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air.We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Contact Us3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442.Tel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651Email: sales@marketdeeper.comWeb:
Digital Shadows raises $26m to expand its market leading Digital Risk Management Service and fuel global expansion

Dubai, UAE, September, 24, 2017  Digital Shadows, the industry leader in digital risk management, today announced it has raised $26m in a Series C funding round to expand the capabilities of its market leading SearchLightTM digital risk management service and fuel global expansion. Led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from World Innovation Lab, Industry Ventures and all of Digital Shadows existing investors, the funding will support company growth and support its continued commitment to protecting organizations with the best and most comprehensive digital risk management solution in the industry.Luke Hakes, investor at Octopus Ventures, will be joining the board of directors.Digital Shadows is a world-leader in digital risk management, and continues to innovate across all verticals and geographies in a highly competitive space. We are seeing growing demand for this service across our portfolio of technology companies, and we think Digital Shadows are best-placed to meet this considerable opportunity,said Will Gibbs, Investment Manager at Octopus Ventures.Digital Shadows has continually invested in its market leading SearchLightTM service which combines scalable data analytics with human analysis to give customers the context and awareness they need to protect their digital footprint from digital risks including cyber threats, data exposure, brand exposure, VIP exposure, infrastructure exposure, physical threat, and third party risk. Recently, Digital Shadows added mobile application support and increased Dark Web capabilities, and the latest funding will speed up the rate of innovation further to provide even more value to customers.Risk management is an increasing area of focus for most organizations, as risk profile complexity and interconnected relationships grow explosively, according to John A. Wheeler and Rob McMillan, Gartner analysts. To understand the full scope of risk, organizations require a comprehensive view across all business units and risk and compliance functions, as well as key business partners, suppliers and outsourced entities. As a result, new technology solutions are emerging to increase the collaborative nature of risk management, both within and external to the organization. 1Digital Shadows provides the most complete and adaptable service when it comes to helping us manage our digital risks, said Sascha Maier, IT & Information Security Manager at IWC Schaffhausen. This is crucial for protecting our intellectual property, brand, and reputation as we digitally transform our business.This funding event is a huge milestone for Digital Shadows so we can expand our lead to offer the best digital risk management service in the industry, said Alastair Paterson, CEO and co-Founder of Digital Shadows. We are excited to have the support of the likes of Octopus, World Innovation Lab and Industry Ventures as we embark on the latest phase of our development and continue to expand our geographic coverage and SearchLight service to help our customers manage their digital risk to protect their business, brand and reputation.Digital Shadows monitors and manages digital risk across the widest range of data sources within the open, deep, and dark web to protect an organizations business, brand, and reputation. The Digital Shadows SearchLight service combines scalable data analytics with human intelligence analysts to manage and mitigate risks of an organizations cyber threat, data exposure, brand exposure, VIP exposure, infrastructure exposure, physical threat, and third party risk, and create an up-to-the minute view of an organizations digital risk with tailored threat intelligence. The company is jointly headquartered in London and San Francisco.Conrad Offices, 19th FloorSheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
Goods Lift - Best Designs,Fast Delivery & Best Competitive Price In India

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www.technovisionengrs.com

Goods Lift - Best Designs,Fast Delivery & Best Competitive Price In IndiaWe are the Leading Manufacturer of Goods Lift like Hydraulic Goods Lift, Industrial Goods Lift, Material Lifts, etc.Application:Widely used to transfer material from one floor to another. It is to be installed with wall support at the one side and rest 3 sides can be used for loading & unloading purpose.Range:UDL Capacity available up to 1500kgs. Platform size is maximum 1500x2000mm and Lift height is available up to 10.0M.Note:Flameproof controls are availableCan be constructed in SS 304/316 etc.Inquiry Now:About UsTechnovision is one of the Leading Manufacturer of Material Handling Equipments. The core focus of the company lies in superior quality and excellent customer service. The company is one of the front runners in Lean Manufacturing Solutions in India with an ISO 9001-2008 certification.The company owns two manufacturing set-ups and total area of 28000 sq. ft. with all manufacturing and design equipments.Contact UsTechnovision Engineers Private LimitedGat No. 1559-1560,Dehu Alandi Road, Shelarvasti, ChikaliPune, Maharashtra- 412114, IndiaPhone- 020- 66346500 / 523Email- sales@technovisionengrs.comWebsite-
Vista Equity Partners Pledge $1 Million USD to Akshaya Patra

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www.powerschool.com/

https://www.akshayapatra.org

September 26, 2017, Bengaluru - Vista Equity Partners, the worlds leading private equity firm, focused exclusively on enterprise software, data, and technology solutions, together with several of its companies in India, partners with Akshaya Patra by pledging a contribution of USD 1 million over five years to aid in the Foundation's mid-day meal plan. Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, recently named by Forbes as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds, announced the collaboration alongside Mr. Hardeep Gulati, CEO of PowerSchool, and Mr. Shridhar Venkat, CEO of The Akshaya Patra Foundation.The pledge was announced during the opening of the new offices of the education-technology firm, PowerSchool. PowerSchool provides software solutions to schools in over 70 countries, it will continue to hire talent, and expand its presence in Bengaluru, joining eight other Vista portfolio companies with operations in India. This philanthropic investment in Akshaya Patra Foundations mid-day meal program demonstrates Vistas and the Vista companies commitment to creating access and opportunity for young people to reach their potential.The initial investment will be used to purchase trucks to transport meals to schools in various areas of the country. With $200,000 USD granted each year, contributions will aid the delivery of meals to 80,000 students per day, and over 18 million meals per year."Our culture at Vista emphasizes the importance of positively impacting and engaging with the communities in which we live and work, said Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. "At Vista, we invest in the future. And Akshaya Patras work does that. By ensuring that students across India have the nourishment they need to be able to learn, the foundation plays an integral role in the education of Indian youth, and we are honored to help them execute on their mission.""We are honored to partner with Vista and Vista companiesincluding PowerSchoolto continue to ensure that our children are well-nourished, and able to learn," said Shridhar Venkat, CEO of the Akshaya Patra Foundation in India. This commitment will immensely expand our ability to deliver meals to schools and students across India, and will help us in furthering the mission of serving 5 million children by 2020.With Vistas presence in India expanding, the Vista companies collaboration with Akshaya Patra Foundation represents Vistas and its companies commitment to India and its people.Vista Equity PartnersVista Equity Partners, a U.S.-based investment firm with offices in Austin, San Francisco, Chicago, and Oakland with more than $30 billion in cumulative capital commitments, currently invests in software, data and technology-enabled organizations led by world-class management teams with long-term perspective. Vista is a value-added investor, contributing professional expertise and multi-level support towards companies realizing their full potential. Vista's investment approach is anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions, and proven management techniques that yield flexibility and opportunity in private equity investing. For more information, please visit:PowerSchoolPowerSchool is the leading K-12 education technology provider of solutions that improve the education experience for 100 million students, teachers, and parents in over 70 countries around the world. We provide the industrys first Unified Classroom experience, empowering teachers with best-in-class, secure, and compliant online solutions, including student information systems, learning management and classroom collaboration, assessment, analytics, behavior, and special education case management. We streamline school office and administration operations with online solutions for student registration, school choice, and finance/HR/ERP. We drive student growth through digital classroom capabilities and engage families through real-time communications across any device. Visit:to learn more.The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The organisation strives to fight issues like hunger and malnutrition in India. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government schools and Government aided schools, The Akshaya Patra Foundation aims not only to fight hunger but also to bring children to school. Since 2000, the organisation has worked towards reaching more children with wholesome food on every single school day. Akshaya Patra Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and they attract curious visitors from around the world. In partnership with the Government of India, various State Governments and inestimable support from many philanthropic donors and well-wishers; Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across 5 schools. Today, Akshaya Patra Foundation is the worlds largest (not-for- profit run) Mid-Day Meal Programme serving wholesome food to over 1.6 million children from 13, 839 schools across 12 states in India.Visit:#72, 3rd Floor, 3rd Main Road, 1st & 2nd Stage Yeshwantpur Industrial Suburb, Rajajinagar Ward No. 10,Bengaluru
Unisecure unveils new affordable pricing plans for cloud server hosting in the US.

Unisecure recently announced their new cloud server hosting service plans in the United States which makes the cloud more affordable to SME's and startups.Philadelphia, US, September 26, 2017  Unisecure a leading tier-4 data center offering cloud server hosting and colocation services worldwide recently announced their new plans in cloud hosting in the US. These plans are crafted to deliver high-performance, efficiency, and scalability at pocket-friendly prices."Cloud web server hosting is an internet driven, on-demand computing technology. It gives the power of connectivity, scalability, security; yet economical. We want to offer the best pricing in the market to everyone so that organizations can shift their websites and applications on the cloud.That's why we offer server uptime of 99.995%." said Olivia, Head of Business Development at Unisecure. " The plan starts with just $19 a month.The announced plans are:UniCloud Budget for $19/m which includes 1vCore, 2GB RAM, 100GB Storage, 500GB B/W, 2 Dedicated IPs and No Setup Fee.UniCloud Standard for $29/m which includes 2vCore, 4GB RAM, 200GB Storage, 800GB B/W, 2 Dedicated IPs and No Setup Fee.UniCloud Enterprise for $39/m which includes 4vCore, 8GB RAM, 500GB Storage, 1000GB B/W, 2 Dedicated IPs and No Setup Fee.Unisecure is one of the leading data centers and cloud hosting provider in the US established in 1996. The data centers guarantee 99.995% uptime, high-density redundant power, flexible configurations, carrier neutral facilities, and 24x7x365 customer support. Unisecure has 5 data centers among which 2 are located in Philadelphia and Conshohocken, U.S embed with Information Security Management System (ISMS) to examine risks and develop better processes for security our data centers are most secure and reliable. These data centers offer services from vps hosting,cloud hosting,dedicated server hosting, co-location server services, and to the firewall and advanced backup solutions. Unisecure has 50000+ customers over 17 countries including brands such as Canon, DHL, HP, Microsoft, Pepsi, Mc Donalds and much more.For more information about their services, please visit Unisecure,Data Center & Cloud Server Hosting Provider.4, Sunrise lane, Scarsdale, New York - 10583, United States
Global Softgel Capsules Market Manufacturers, Aplications and Forecast 2017 to 2022

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To Understand the Pharmaceutical Industry Status worldwide, Market Research Hub (MRH) has included the latest Forecast report titled Global Softgel Capsules Market Forecast 2017 to 2017, to its vast database. Softgel Capsules These are also called as softgel. Softgel Capsules are manufactured as single piece capsule shell.Softgel Capsules are a type of capsules with a solid outer shell and inner surrounding a liquid or semi-solid (inner fill) active ingredient that can be incorporated into the outer shell, the inner fill, or both.Request For Free Sample Report:Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Softgel Capsules in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversCatalent, Aenova, NBTY, Procaps, Patheon Inc, IVC, EuroCaps, Captek, Strides Arcolab, Capsugel, Soft Gel Technologies, Amway, Sirio Pharma, Baihe Biotech, Ziguang Group, Shineway, Donghai Pharm, By-Health, Yuwang Group, Guangdong Yichao.Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Argentina, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversGelatin typeNon-animal typeMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoNutraOTCRxOther (Cosmetic etc.)Browse Full Report with TOC:Table of Content:1 Market Overview11.1 Softgel Capsules Introduction11.2 Market Analysis by Type21.3 Market Analysis by Applications41.4 Market Analysis by Regions51.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)51.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)61.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)71.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)81.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)81.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)101.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)111.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)121.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)131.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)141.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)141.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)161.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)171.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)181.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)191.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)201.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa201.4.4.1 South America Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)221.4.4.2 Middle East and Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)232 Manufacturers Profiles242.1 Catalent242.1.1 Business Overview242.1.2 Softgel Capsules Product252.1.3 Catalent Softgel Capsules Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share252.2 Aenova262.2.1 Business Overview262.2.2 Softgel Capsules Product272.2.3 Aenova Softgel Capsules Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share272.3 NBTY282.3.1 Business Overview282.3.2 Softgel Capsules Product292.3.3 NBTY Softgel Capsules Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share292.4 Procaps302.4.1 Business Overview302.4.2 Softgel Capsules Product312.4.3 Procaps Softgel Capsules Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share312.5 Patheon Inc322.5.1 Business Overview322.5.2 Softgel Capsules Product332.5.3 Patheon Inc Softgel Capsules Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share332.6 IVC332.6.1 Business Overview332.6.2 Softgel Capsules Product352.6.3 IVC Softgel Capsules Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share352.7 EuroCaps362.7.1 Business Overview362.7.2 Softgel Capsules Product372.7.3 EuroCaps Softgel Capsules Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share372.8 CaptekContinue.Enquire About This Report:About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of pharmaceutical 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.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News at -
Research Delivers Insight into the Global Outlook for Microbiome Sequencing Services Market

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In biotechnology, sequencing is the procedure to determine the sequence of amino acids in a protein or nucleotide sequence in the DNA. Currently, protein sequencing and gene sequencing methods are used for Microbiome sequencing. The process of identifying the order of genes in DNA is called DNA sequencing and order of amino acids in a protein is called protein sequencing. Genomic research is the most popular application of sequencing. The approaches include sequencing by synthesis (SBS), pyrosequencing, Sanger sequencing, and sequencing by ligation among others. Sequencing by synthesis or SBS is a method that utilizes DNA polymerase or ligase enzymes to extend many DNA strands in parallel. SBS methods can further be categorized as either ensemble based or single moleculebased SBS methods.However, Sanger sequencing is a DNA sequencing technique of selective incorporation of chain terminating dideoxynucleotides by the DNA polymerase enzyme. This sequencing process was developed by Frederick Sanger and colleagues in 1977. This method was followed for more than 40 years. Ligation sequencing is a DNA sequencing method to determine the mismatch sensitivity of nucleotides in a given DNA sequence using a DNA ligase enzyme. DNA ligase enzyme helps to join ends of DNA molecules. The scientific community depends on the above approaches. Moreover, no one single platform can provide all solutions. Some platforms are more costly. The cost of maintaining and purchasing multiple sequencing platforms is high, which is a drawback of this market.Request for Report TOC @New validated target and disease diagnosis and detection are market driven for microbiome sequencing services. In-depth research work and lack of expertization are key restraints of the microbiome sequencing services market. The microbiome sequencing services market is segmented based on technology, applied research type, laboratory type, end user, and by region. Based on application, the market is further divided into sequencing by synthesis, sequencing by ligation, Sanger sequencing, pyro-sequencing, and other sequencing. In terms of research type, the microbiome sequencing market is segmented into two segments - outsourced and internal. Outsourcing is a major factor driving the microbiome sequence market. On the bases of laboratory use, the segment is further divided into wet lab and dry lab. Wet lab is a laboratory where drugs, chemicals or biological products are tested using water. Dry lab is a computer generated lab where biological or chemical data is analyzed through computer generated models. In terms of end user, the microbiome sequencing services market is segmented into research institutes, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.The microbiome sequencing services market is also segmented on the basis of geography into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (China, India, and Japan), and Middle East & Africa. North America is considered the largest microbiome sequencing services market, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The U.S. was the top contributor for microbiome sequencing services market revenues. Government funding for genomic research, ongoing developments in sequencing methods, next generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis and increasing number of research studies in various fields including cancer, autoimmune disease, and rare diseases are major factors driving the microbiome sequencing services market in this region. However, the Asia Pacific region is projected to be the most promising market in the near future due to better healthcare infrastructure, economic growth, and a developing private healthcare sector with increasing awareness amongst people due to educational progress in India, China, and Japan.Request for Report Brochure @Key players operating in the microbiome sequencing services market include C3J Therapeutics, Inc., uBiome, Synlogic, Blue Turtle Bio, Eligo Bioscience, Enterome, Evelo Therapeutics, Kallyope, Rebiotix, Evolve BioSystems, Taxon Biosciences, EpiBiome, MicroBiome Therapeutics, and Microbiota Therapeutics. More companies are anticipated to enter the microbiome sequencing services market in the near future.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend 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.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cargo Shipping Market - Competitive Landscape & Growth Opportunities 2025

Cargo Shipping Market

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Cargo shipping means transportation of goods of various types through ships from one location to another. The cargo transported by ships can be of various types. Dry cargoes are common traded goods such as scrap metals, white-goods, paper, etc. that are transported by ships. Shipping cargoes are transported through large cuboidal shaped containers. Reefer cargo or refrigerated cargo means food and perishable items. They are transported through special dehumidified containers providing a temperature range from ~ -35 degrees to up to ~ +30 degrees when the ambient temperature is up to 50 degrees. Food items, rare and precious items, hazardous items such as chemicals and coffee can also be transported by ships. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is an index with provides information on prices of moving raw materials or cargo by sea. The indictor is issued by London-based Baltic Exchange. The cargos that are generally shipped are electrical and electronics equipment, iron ore, diesel, petrol, fruits, drinks, solids, manufacturing raw materials, bulk cargo consisting of commodity, materials and oil.By cargo type the market is segmented into dry cargo, hazardous cargo, reefer cargo and over-sized cargo. By vessel type the market is segmented into less than 2,300 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU), 2,300  4,000 TEU, 4,000  6,000 TEU, 6,000  8,000 TEU, 8,000  10,000 TEU, 10,000  13,000 TEU, 13,000  15,000 TEU, 15,000  18,000 TEU and more than 18,000 TEU. By industry the market is segmented into food & beverages, chemical, manufacturing, oil & gas, white-goods, etc.Browse Full Report With ToC @By geography the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. North America is a prominent cargo shipping market in the world. The U.S. is the largest market in the region. Canada and Mexico are other major market in North America. Europe is one of the largest cargo shipping market in the world. Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the U.K, Belgium, Sweden and Netherlands are major markets in Europe. Asia Pacific is one of the largest cargo shipping market in the world. China which is one of the largest exporter in the world is the largest market for cargo shipping in the Asia Pacific region. Japan, India, South Korea and Australia are other major markets in Asia Pacific. Middle East and Africa is a significant cargo shipping market led by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and South Africa. Latin America is another major cargo shipping market led by Brazil and Argentina. Brazil is the largest market in the region.Rising imports of soybeans, coal and iron ore to China from Australia, Brazil, etc have not increased the shipping rates and increased the demand for cargo shipping. Due to increase in new shipping vessels, shipping prices of commodities have not increased. Growth in foreign trade agreements such as NAFTA (North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement), TPSEP (Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership) and AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area), etc. is increasing the demand of cargo shipping market. A restraint for cargo shipping is goods and materials transported through air. As air transport is faster than transportation by ships, the former is the preferred mode of transport for quick transportation.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @The report mentions the diverse competitive strategies implemented by key players operating in the market to gain market share. Company profiles mention company details, market presence by geography and segments, strategic overview, SWOT analysis and historical revenue. The report also contains details of market share analysis of key players in the market. The major firms operating in the market are A.P. Moller  Mrsk A/S (Denmark), Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (Switzerland), China Cosco Holdings Company Limited (China), CMA CGM S.A (France), Hapag-Lloyd AG (Germany), CEVA Logistics (the Netherlands), Panalpina Welttransport (Holding) AG (Switzerland) and Nippon Express Co. Ltd. (Japan).The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers.We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
Antibody Library Technologies Market to Amass Revenues More Than US$ 172.9 Mn in 2026

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Amongst all the key regions, the antibody library technologies market in North America accounted for a massive revenue share of 57.5% in 2015. This is primarily due to the favorable government initiatives for development of cost-effective monoclonal antibodies in the US, which is driving the demand for antibody library technologies in the region. North America will continue to be most lucrative market over the forecast period followed by Europe and APAC.Demand for antibody library technologies is expected to surge, as the arrival of advanced antibodies and their display technologies continue to reduce complexities of life science and biotechnology research.Persistence Market Research (PMR), in its latest report, projects that the global antibody library technologies market revenue will increase at a CAGR of 4.4% between 2016 and 2024. Some of the latest antibody library design and selection methods enable easy identification of any MAB with any specificity, which is why pharmaceutical companies are increasingly making use of such technologies in their facilities.Owing to the limitation and shortcomings of the conventional molecular display technologies, medical research organizations are now shifting towards new age display less technologies, capable of isolating antibodies up to subnanomolar affinities.  Analyst, Persistence Market ResearchGlobal Antibody Library Technologies: Key Market TrendsAs the market becomes more competitive, players aim to offer additional services complementary to antibody libraries.Consolidation between technology developers and drug development organizations in order to increase the consumer base has been identified as a prominent trend in the global market for antibody library technologies.View and Download TOC of Antibody Library Technologies Market Research Report@Widespread adoption of cell-free display platform will persist throughout the forecast period, owing to the compact nature of such contemporary display platforms. For instance, the popularity of cell-free ribosome display technology has grown significantly amongst end-users in recent years.Phage display to remain as the predominant antibody library technology in 2017 and beyond. Moreover, constant technological advancement is expected to support its widespread adoption in the medium term. Phage display was the first in vitro technology developed for antibody selection and is extensively used by scientists all over the world.Request and Download Sample Report@In 2016, sales revenue of phage display technology reached US$ 68.0 Million and is likely increase at 5% CAGR over 2024. Based on application, antibody library technologies are primarily used in drug discovery programs. Nearly US$ 81.3 Million worth antibody library technologies were purchased for drug development purposes in 2016. Meanwhile, biopharmaceutical companies remain the major end users of such technologies and are expected to create an incremental opportunity of US$ 44.Mn between 2016 and 2026 for the market.Some of the leading companies profiled in the PMR report include MorphoSys AG, Dyax Corp., Abzena Plc., XOMA Corporation, AvantGen Inc., Creative-Biolabs, AbCheck s.r.o., Philogen S.p.A, Adimab LLC, Invenra Inc. AnaptysBio, Inc., Abwiz Bio Inc., Abgent Inc., Vaccinex Inc., and AxioMx Inc. Collaborations and cross-licensing have been key market strategies for many of these companies having operations across the globe.Buy Full Antibody Library Technologies Market Report@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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Organic Pea Protein 2017 Global Key Players Axiom Foods, The Scoular Company, Farbest Brands, AIDP, Shaanxi Fuheng Biotechnology, World Food Processing, The Green Labs Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Organic Pea Protein Market

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Organic Pea Protein Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Organic Pea Protein-Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:This report studies Organic Pea Protein in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringAxiom FoodsThe Scoular CompanyFarbest BrandsAIDPShaanxi Fuheng BiotechnologyWorld Food ProcessingThe Green LabsPhyto-TherapyBioway (Xi'An) Organic IngredientsZelang GroupRequest for Sample Report@On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoIsolatesConcentratesTexturedBy Application, the market can be split intoNutritional SupplementsBeveragesMeat Extender & AnalogsSnacksBakery ProductsBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Contents:Global Organic Pea Protein Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Organic Pea Protein1.1 Definition and Specifications of Organic Pea Protein1.1.1 Definition of Organic Pea Protein1.1.2 Specifications of Organic Pea Protein1.2 Classification of Organic Pea Protein1.2.1 Isolates1.2.2 Concentrates1.2.3 Textured1.3 Applications of Organic Pea Protein1.3.1 Nutritional Supplements1.3.2 Beverages1.3.3 Meat Extender & Analogs1.3.4 Snacks1.3.5 Bakery Products1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Organic Pea Protein2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Organic Pea Protein2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Organic Pea Protein2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Organic Pea Protein.8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Organic Pea Protein8.1 Axiom Foods8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 Axiom Foods 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 Axiom Foods 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 The Scoular Company8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 The Scoular Company 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 The Scoular Company 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Farbest Brands8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Farbest Brands 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Farbest Brands 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution Analysis8.4 AIDP8.4.1 Company Profile8.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.4.2.1 Product A8.4.2.2 Product B8.4.3 AIDP 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.4.4 AIDP 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution Analysis8.5 Shaanxi Fuheng Biotechnology8.5.1 Company Profile8.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.5.2.1 Product A8.5.2.2 Product B8.5.3 Shaanxi Fuheng Biotechnology 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.5.4 Shaanxi Fuheng Biotechnology 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution Analysis8.6 World Food Processing8.6.1 Company Profile8.6.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.6.2.1 Product A8.6.2.2 Product B8.6.3 World Food Processing 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.6.4 World Food Processing 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution Analysis8.7 The Green Labs8.7.1 Company Profile8.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.7.2.1 Product A8.7.2.2 Product B8.7.3 The Green Labs 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.7.4 The Green Labs 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution Analysis8.8 Phyto-Therapy8.8.1 Company Profile8.8.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.8.2.1 Product A8.8.2.2 Product B8.8.3 Phyto-Therapy 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.8.4 Phyto-Therapy 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution Analysis8.9 Bioway (Xi'An) Organic Ingredients8.9.1 Company Profile8.9.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.9.2.1 Product A8.9.2.2 Product B8.9.3 Bioway (Xi'An) Organic Ingredients 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.9.4 Bioway (Xi'An) Organic Ingredients 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution Analysis8.10 Zelang Group8.10.1 Company Profile8.10.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.10.2.1 Product A8.10.2.2 Product B8.10.3 Zelang Group 2016 Organic Pea Protein Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.10.4 Zelang Group 2016 Organic Pea Protein Business Region Distribution AnalysisContinued..Buy now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. 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Automotive Laser Headlight System Market - Global Industry Analysis 2017 - 2025

Automotive Laser Headlight System Market

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Laser headlight systems have a different orientation when compared to other headlight systems. What happens with each laser light system is that three lasers are positioned at the rearmost part of the assembly onto a group of mirrors that are situated closer to the front part of the assembly. These mirrors has the ability to focus the laser energy into a lens that is filled with phosphorus (yellow). The phosphorus, when agitated by the laser, produces a powerful white light. The white light thus produced shines backward, against a reflector. Then the reflector bounces the diffused white light frontward, shining it out through the front of the casing of the headlight. It eventually creates a beam that is powerful. The laser-powered headlights can generate brighter light for their size. Hence, the headlamp units can be much smaller in size. Therefore, designers of laser headlight system have more flexibility to make innovative aerodynamic shapes or fit additional stuff into other compartments in the freed-up space.The global automotive laser headlight system market is likely to grow at a considerable pace during the forecast period. Some of the factors responsible for this growth of the market are higher brightness and longer illumination range, among others. Laser headlights are essentially laser-assisted headlamps which offer around four times the brightness of a normal headlamp. Manufacturers in the market are likely to focus on shrinking of the headlight systems while keeping the intensity of light intact. The key benefit of laser-assisted headlights for drivers is that these type of headlights have longer illumination range when compared with the current headlight technology. Thus, these headlight systems offers the twin benefits of visibility enhancement for the driver and hence better road safety.Browse Full Report With ToC @The parallel beams focus of laser headlight system is emitted so tightly that they can act like a scalpel on the retina and hamper eyesight of the pedestrians. This may pose a threat to the growth of the overall automotive laser headlight system market. However, manufacturers in the market are introducing various technological advancements in the field of laser headlight system such as NPGL or narrow passage guidance lights. This technology is meant to prevent preventable night-time mishaps where the driver of the automobile will be guided in accordance with the car width. Therefore, the driver will be able to keep safe distances from other vehicles in the road. It is also likely that these headlight systems will be fitted out with advance collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and advance collision braking in order to minimize road collisions. Moreover, miniaturization of headlight systems will contribute significantly to the effective supply of laser headlight technology in vehicles during the forecast period. Additionally, the automotive laser headlight system market is likely to use multiple lighting technologies including xenon for lower beam, LEDs for medium beam and lasers for high beam. The amalgamation of these technologies is likely to fuel the overall growth of the automotive laser headlight system market during the forecast period.The global automotive laser headlight system market can be segmented on the basis of end user and geography. The market can be divided on the basis of end user into original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and aftermarket. The OEM segment is likely to constitute the major share of the global automotive laser headlight system market.The global automotive laser headlight system market can be segmented into five regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Europe is likely to account for the maximum share in the global laser headlight system market. The resurrection in European automotive industry and reduction in regulatory sluggishness in the region in the field of automotive industry are some of the factors responsible for the growth of this market during the forecast period.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @The key players in the global automotive laser headlight system market are BMW, Osram, Audi, Soraa, ZKW, Bosch, Hella, and Universe Optics.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers.We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
Manuka Honey Market Analysis: Key Findings, Regional Analysis, Key Players Profiles and Future Prospects

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Market Research Future published a Half Cooked Research Report (HCRR) on Global Manuka Honey Market which is estimated to grow more than 4.3% during the period 2017-2023Market OverviewThe increasing sale of Manuka is driven by changing consumers preference and adoption of healthy food consumption trend. Wide application of Manuka across bakery and confectionery industries and increased production of sugar alternatives is increasing its sale in the market. The health benefits obtained from manuka backed up by its high anti-oxidant content and anti-microbial properties is also supporting its sale amongst the consumers. Increasing consumption of healthy sweeteners helping in reducing the cholesterol content has a positive impact on the Manuka market as a potential sweetener. The consumption of Manuka is found to be high in and Asia-Pacific and is evaluated to increase at a positive growth rate in various countries of Europe and North America.Competitive Analysis-The major key players in Manuka Honey Market are API Health (New Zealand) Wedderspoon (New Zealand) Mossops Honey (New Zealand) Comvita Limited (New Zealand) Watson & Son Ltd (New Zealand) Manuka Health (New Zealand) Cammells Honey (New Zealand)Manuka manufacturers across various regions follow the strategy of improving their existing product as well as increasing the manufacture of organic manuka to add more value to their products to expand their business. This is one of the major factors due to which the demands of Manuka is experiencing a surge. New Zealand is amongst the dominating countries holding a major share in Manuka market and exports the product in various other countries which include U.S., China, Australia, Japan and others.Sample Copy of Report @Market ForecastGlobally, the Manuka market share is estimated to escalate at a higher growth rate due its high nutritional profile. The honey is known to boost up the immune system thereby improving the bodys metabolic functions. The high consumption of Manuka is backed up by its fair content of essential amino-acids, vitamin B and Minerals. The rising demand for sweeteners with rich and strong flavors in the bakery and confectionery industries is supporting its sale on a global level. The nutritional value of manuka honey also has increased its demand in pharmaceutical industries due to its medicinal properties.All these factors contribute to the calculated CAGR of 4.3% of Manuka market during 2017-2023.Downstream Analysis-Consumption of HFCS-Free Manuka is growing at significant rate based on high demand from the consumers side for healthy sugar substitutes. In addition, the application of manuka honey for direct consumption/Culinary purpose experiencing a rapid increase followed by its application in bakery and confectionery industries.The sale of Manuka through E-commerce is experiencing a surge backed up by consumers convenience and readily availability of the product. However, the sale through Hypermarkets and Supermarkets will witness a high growth rate in the given forecast period supported by increased trade on the basis of consumers demand.Regional AnalysisThe Global Manuka Honey Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (ROW). Asia Pacific holds a major market share followed by Europe. The high demands for Manuka from the developed countries of these regions are contributing to the positive growth of Manuka market. New Zealand, Australia, China, Germany and Spain are the major importers of Manuka. Asia-Pacific is found to be the major exporter of Manuka and exports majorly to countries of Europe and North America.Access Report Details @Key Findings:Application of Manuka Honey for medicinal purpose is anticipated to have a high growth during the forecast period.Top exporters of Manuka Honey include New Zealand, Australia, China, Germany and SpainAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Eyesight test device Worldwide Market by Revenue, Share, Size and Forecast 2021

ReportsWeb

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Publisher's Eyesight test device market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.The report includes the forecasts, Analysis and discussion of important industry trends, market size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry Players.The Players mentioned in our reportEyeNetraBhavana MDCAlcon, Inc.HeineHeidelberg Engineering GmbHSeiko Optical Products Co., Ltd.Nidek Co., Ltd.Carl Zeiss AGHoya CorporationEssilor InternationalAbbott Medical Optics, Inc.Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.Shenzhen Certainn TechnologyFor More Information About This Report:Global eyesight test device Market: Application Segment AnalysisChildrenAdultsThe olderGlobal eyesight test device Market: Product Segment AnalysisPortableStationaryGlobal Eyesight test device Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaRequest Sample Copy At:Table of ContentChapter 1 About the Eyesight test device IndustryChapter 2 World Market Competition LandscapeChapter 3 World Eyesight test device Market shareChapter 4 Supply Chain AnalysisChapter 5 Company Profiles5.1 EyeNetra5.1.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.1.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.1.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.2 Bhavana MDC5.2.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.2.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.2.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating ProfitsChapter 6 Globalization & TradeChapter 7 Distributors and CustomersChapter 8 Import, Export, Consumption and Consumption Value by Major CountriesChapter 9 World Eyesight test device Market forecast through 2021Chapter 10 Key success factors and Market OverviewInquire For This Report At:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Bentonite Market to Expand at 5.8% CAGR through 2025

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Future Market Insights (FMI), delivers key insights on the bentonite market in its latest report titled, Bentonite Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 20152025. According to the report, revenue from the global bentonite market is projected to expand at a healthy CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. Bentonite is a highly colloidal clay mineral which contains a various minerals such as feldspar, quartz, gypsum and calcite. Properties such as water swelling, absorption, hydration and viscosity broaden the application scope of bentonite across a wide range of industries, such as food and pharmaceuticals. It finds its use in the manufacture of detergents, paints pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, polishes, dyes, animal feed and paper. For instance, it is used as a binding agent in the production of iron ore pellets and finds application in foundries. Also, based on application or use of finished product the mechanical and chemical properties of bentonite can be modified through various combinations and additions of raw materials.Versatility of this material is driving increasing adoption in various industries, including automobiles, construction and chemicals. Technological advancements in bentonite production and increasing demand through exports are major underlying factors anticipated to fuel growth of the Asia Pacific bentonite market between 2015 and 2025. This is forecast to offer bentonite manufacturers, distributors and product converters unprecedented opportunities in the market. Furthermore, the trend is even more pronounced in emerging economies of the world (Brazil, India, Russia and China). Healthy trade relations and government support in these regions has served to boost bentonite export-import activities.View and Download TOC of Bentonite Market Research Report@Demand for bentonite is highest in North America -- the region accounting for 36.3% share of the global market in 2014. North America is expected to remain the most lucrative market for bentonite throughout the forecast period. India is projected to play an important role in this market owing to low labour and operational costs. Owing to the growth in the oil industry, especially in Asia Pacific and Middle East, the drilling fluid- and clarification agent- application segments are expected to exhibit high growth rates of over 6% during the forecast period.Some of the major driving factors identified in the global bentonite market include rapid growth of the construction sector in emerging markets and Use of bentonite in treating and filtering water is also driving the growth of the market. In addition, government support to SMEs in this region is forecast to further boost growth of the market. However, stiff competition on account of substitute products and shrinking profit margin can impede the growth of the market. Increasing application of bentonite in landscaping and landfill as a geosynthetics clay liner (GCL) are the key trends in the market.Request and Download Sample Report@On the basis of product type, the global bentonite market is segmented into calcium, sodium, and others. Key end-use application segments include sealant, binder, clarification agent, drilling fluid, and absorbent/adsorbent. Oil, food, construction, foundry, and pharmaceuticals are the key end-use industries for the bentonite market. North America is the largest market for bentonite, while Asia Pacific is the fastest growing.The report analyses the global bentonite market in terms of value (US$ Mn) and volume (000 tonnes) by region, product type, end-use application and end-use industries, and provides insightful information regarding market dynamics, value chain, competitive landscape, current trends, market estimations and forecast.Key market participants covered in the report include Black Hills Bentonite, LLC, Halliburton Co., Kemira OYJ, Charles B Chrystal Co. Inc., Mineral Technologies Inc., Clariant AG, Alfa Aesar, Kutch Minerals, Kunimine Industries Co. Ltd., Ashapura Group of Companies and Wyo- Ben Inc.Buy Full Bentonite Market 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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Workflow Automation  In-Depth study on Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022

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https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/715054-global-workflow-automation-market

Global Workflow Automation Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, risk analysis, and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. This study recognizes that in this quick-evolving and competitive environment, up-to-date industry information is essential to monitor performance and make critical decisions for growth and profitability. It provides information on trends and developments, and focuses on markets and materials, capacities and technologies, and on the changing structure of the Workflow Automation Market.Workflow Automation market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includes IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Pegasystems Inc., Xerox Corporation, Appian, Bizagi, Ipsoft, Inc., Newgen Software Technologies Limited, Nintex Global Limited, Opentext Corp, Tibco Software Inc, Uipath SRL, Sourcecode Technology Holdings, Inc., Thoughtonomy Ltd.The Workflow Automation Market consists of different international, regional, and local vendors. The market competition is foreseen to grow higher with the rise in technological innovation and M&A activities in the future. Moreover, many local and regional vendors are offering specific application products for varied end-users. The new vendor entrants in the market are finding it hard to compete with the international vendors based on quality, reliability, and innovations in technology.Get Access to sample pages @Workflow Automation (K Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product TypeMarket Segment by Type 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022xx xx xx xx xx xx xx-Change (%) xx% xx% xx% xx% xx% xx% xx%xx xx xx xx xx xx xx-Change (%) xx% xx% xx% xx% xx% xx% xx%Total xx xx xx xx xx xx xx-Change (%) xx% xx% xx% xx% xx% xx% xx%The research study is segmented by Application such as Large Enterprises, SMESwith historical and projected market share and compounded annual growth rate.Workflow Automation Market (K Units) by Application (2016-2022)Market Segment by Application 2012 2016 2022 Market Share (%) 2022 CGAR (%)(2016-2022)xx xx xx xx% xx%xx xx xx xx% xx%Total xx xx xx 100% xx%Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Workflow Automation Market in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringMarket Segment by Regions 2016-2022 Share (%) CAGR (2016-2022)United States xx xx xx xx% xx%Europe xx xx xx xx% xx %China xx xx xx xx% xx%Japan xx xx xx xx% xx %Southeast Asia xx xx xx xx% xx%Total xx xx xx xx% xx%This independent 103 page research with title Global Workflow Automation Market Professional Survey Report 2017 guarantees you will remain better informed than your competition. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions/countries like North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, India and important players/vendors such as IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Pegasystems Inc., Xerox Corporation, Appian, Bizagi, Ipsoft, Inc., Newgen Software Technologies Limited, Nintex Global Limited, Opentext Corp, Tibco Software Inc, Uipath SRL, Sourcecode Technology Holdings, Inc., Thoughtonomy Ltd. With n-number of tables and figures examining WLAN Card, the research gives you a visual, one-stop breakdown of the leading products, submarkets and market leaders market revenue forecasts as well as analysis to 2022Then, the report focuses on Global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. Whats more, the Workflow Automation industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at:The research includes historical data from 2012 to 2016 and forecasts is projected till 2022 which makes the research study a valuable resource for industry executives, marketing, sales and product managers, consultants, analysts, and other people looking for key industry related data in readily accessible documents with easy to analyze graphs and tables. The report will make detailed analysis mainly on above questions and in-depth research on the development environment, market size, development trend, operation situation and future development trend of Workflow Automation on the basis of stating current situation of the industry in 2017 so as to make comprehensive organization and judgment on the competition situation and development trend of Workflow Automation Market and assist manufacturers and investment organization to better analyze the development course of Workflow Automation Market.The study is organized with the help of primary and secondary data collection including valuable information from key vendors and participants in the industry making a comprehensive resultant output of market and vendor landscape in addition to a SWOT analysis of the key vendors.The research provides answers to the following key questions: What will be the market size and the growth rate in 2022? What are the key factors driving the Workflow Automation market? Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the Workflow Automation market? What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Workflow Automation market? What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the Workflow Automation market? What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the Workflow Automation market?There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the Workflow Automation market.Chapter 1, to describe Workflow Automation Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of WLAN Card, with sales, revenue, and price of Workflow Automation in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the Global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Workflow Automation for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application Notebook Computer, Desktop Computer, Other from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Workflow Automation market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Workflow Automation sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218
Alpha-Amylase Market to Reflect Impressive Growth Rate During 2016 - 2024

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/12172

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12172

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

Alpha-amylase is an enzyme, which is used for protein hydrolysis. It is used for hydrolysing the alpha bonds of polymeric carbohydrate molecules i.e. polysaccharide to yield maltose and glucose. Thus, it helps in breakdown of starch and carbohydrates in the body and hence are used as inhibitors for weight loss. Alpha-Amylase is derived from plants, bacteria and fungi. The bacterial and fungal alpha-amylase has dominated in terms of market share and is used in wide range of applications in food and pharmaceutical sector. Solid state and submerged fermentation methods are used in the manufacturing process of alpha-amylase. Submerged fermentation method is the conventional method of alpha-amylase production and the different parameters such as temperature, moisture, pH level etc. can be controlled with ease in this method.Request for Table of content @Solid state fermentation is expected to account for significant share, due to its resemblance to natural habitat favourable for the growth of microorganisms. Alpha-amylase is used in the production of products such as animal feed, bakery goods, sugar products, brewed products, detergents, biofuels etc. In September 2016, a Denmark-based leading biotechnology company announced acquisition of Organobalance GmbH, a Germany-based research and development company, specialist for manufacturing products based on microbial strain. BASF SE, a Germany-based leading global chemicals manufacturer has acquired Verenium Corporation, a leading manufacturer of performance enhanced enzymes.Alpha-Amylase Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe use of alpha-amylase in the manufacturing of wide range of products such as animal feed, bakery goods, sugar products etc. is the major driver for the growth of global alpha-amylase market. The demand for convenience food is increasing and the rapid growth of food processing industry in the developing economies is expected to boost the growth of global alpha-amylase market. The need for renewable and sustainable energy solutions has increased the demand for biofuels. Amylase enzymes have significant role in the production of biofuels, which is anticipated to fuel global alpha-amylase market growth. The increasing consumer awareness regarding nutritious and healthy food and the rapid growth of nutraceuticals market during the forecast period, is anticipated to upsurge the demand for alpha-amylase.Alpha-Amylase Market: SegmentationOn the basis of application, the global alpha-amylase market can be segmented as follows:-Fruit RipeningMedical DiagnosticsFlour ImproversMalt ProductionOn the basis of source, the global alpha-amylase inhibitors market can be segmented as follows:-PlantsBacteriaFungiOn the basis of production technology (fermentation process), the global alpha-amylase inhibitors market can be segmented as follows:-SubmergedSolid StateAlpha-Amylase Market: Region Wise OutlookThe global alpha-amylase market can be divided into five regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & Africa (MEA). North America is anticipated to account for significant share in global alpha-amylase market. This is attributed to the rise in expenditure for functional ingredients in food industry. The increasing consumption of beverages also contributes to the growth of alpha-amylase market. Europe also accounts for significant share in global alpha-amylase market. APAC is expected to record higher growth rate during the forecast period, owing to the increasing number of fast food outlets in the region. APAC holds significant share in the production of animal feed and the rising demand for feed ingredients is expected to increase the growth of alpha-amylase market in the region. There is a rapid growth of oil industry and agro business in Latin America, and hence the alpha-amylase market is expected to record higher growth rate in the region.Request For Sample Report @Alpha-Amylase Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the global alpha-amylase market are as follows:Novozymessuzhou Sino EnzymesCalzyme, Inc.Biogreen Technochem Pvt Ltd.Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC.EnmexBiolaxi CorporationSeydel CompaniesSpecialty Enzymes & BiotechnologiesAbout 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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Seaweed Market to Register Substantial Expansion by 2024

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http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

Seaweed is species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae, which are found in oceans and seas across the globe. The hydrocolloids such as alginate, agar, and carrageenan, gelatinous substances are extracted from seaweed. Seaweed is beneficial to health to fight against illness and diseases. Seaweed is used in food, medicines, cosmetics and organic fertilizers and feed additives. The red seaweed is a source for carrageenan hydrocolloid, which is highly used in food industry owing to its improved gelling and thickening property. The red seaweed segment is anticipated to dominate among the product type segment, due to the increasing demand for agar and carrageenan from the food industry.Request for Table of content @The brown seaweeds is expected to follow red seaweeds owing to the growing use of brown seaweed in animal feed additives and fertilizers. On the basis of form type, the liquid form seaweed is expected to account for larger market share in terms of value and volume, this is owing to rising demand from agriculture and pharmaceutical industries across the globe. On the other hand, the human food segment is expected to hold significant market share among the application segment, this is due to increase in seaweed consumption in human food coupled with increasing demand for seaweed derived snacks. The global seaweed market is anticipated to witness significant CAGR during the forecast period.Global Seaweed Market: Drivers, Restraints, and TrendsIncreasing consumption of seaweed as a food extract, medical use, and for bio-refining is expected to drive the demand for seaweed. Furthermore, growing consumer awareness regarding nutritional benefits of seaweed, rising demand for alginate in food, pharmaceutical industries is expected to boost the growth of global seaweed market. In addition, increasing demand for seaweed derived snacks is anticipated to fuel the demand for seaweed.However, lack of awareness of harvesting various species of seaweed among the manufactures is expected to hinder the growth of global seaweed market.Key trends are observed in the production of seaweeds are, the manufacturers are implementing growth strategies such as merger and acquisition, partnership, and agreement.Global Seaweed Market: SegmentationThe global seaweed market is segmented on the basis of product type, form type, and application.On the basis of product type, the global seaweed market is segmented into:Red SeaweedBrown SeaweedGreen SeaweedOn the basis of form type, the global seaweed market is segmented into:LiquidPowderedFlakesOn the basis of application, the global seaweed market is segmented into:Food and BeveragesAgricultureAnimal Feed AdditivesPharmaceutical and BiotechnologicalOther (Aquaculture, Biomass for Fuel, and Wastewater Treatment)Global Seaweed Market: Regional OutlookBased on the geographies, the global seaweed market is segmented into five key regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Owing to the increase in harvesting and consumption of seaweed in China, Japan and Indonesia, the Asia Pacific seaweed market is anticipated to hold major revenue market share. North America and Europe is anticipated to collectively, contribute in the global seaweed market, this is due to increasing seaweed harvesting coupled with consumption in US, Germany, UK and France. Also, rising demand for seaweed in food industries coupled with increasing investments in R&D activities by key manufacturers in US, and increasing popularity for seaweed baths coupled with increasing use of seaweed in German beer (contains agars, carrageenans and alginates) in Germany and UK are making these regions as favorable regions. Owing to growing consumer awareness regarding medical and other benefits of seaweeds in Brazil, GCC countries and South Africa, the Latin America and MEA are expected to witness modest growth rate.Request For Sample Report @Global Seaweed Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players identified in the global seaweed market includeCargill, IncorporatedDuPonAcadian Seaplants Limited (ASL)Biostadt India LimitedBrandt Consolidated, Inc.COMPO Expert GmbHGelymarLonza Group Ltd.Marinalg InternationalOcean Harvest TechnologyOcean Rainforest Sp/FQingdao Bright Moon Group Co., Ltd.Groupe RoullierSeasolTBK Manufacturing CorporationW Hydorcolloids Inc.CP KelcoHigh Hope Foods (Nanjing) Co., Ltd.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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Industrial studies 2017, Trends and Forecast Report

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"Global Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Industry 2017, Trends and Forecast Report" The Report covers current Industries Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Global Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.Description-Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, united Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).Get Sample Report With TOC @The report firstly introduced the Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.The report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Market;3.) the North American Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Market;4.) the European Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report conclusion.Table of ContentsPart I Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Industry OverviewChapter One Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Industry Overview1.1 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Definition1.2 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Classification Analysis1.2.1 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Application Analysis1.3.1 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Product Market Development Overview1.6 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Global Market Development Trend AnalysisChapter Two Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market Analysis2.1.1 Down Stream Market Analysis2.2.2 Down Stream Demand Analysis2.2.3 Down Stream Market Trend AnalysisPart II Asia Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Three Asia Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Market Analysis3.1 Asia Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Product Development History3.2 Asia Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competitive Landscape Analysis3.3 Asia Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Market Development TrendChapter Four 2012-2017 Asia Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast4.1 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Capacity Production Overview4.2 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Production Market Share Analysis4.3 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Demand Overview4.4 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Supply Demand and Shortage4.5 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Import Export Consumption4.6 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Cost Price Production Value Gross MarginChapter Five Asia Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Key Manufacturers Analysis5.1 Company A5.1.1 Company Profile5.1.2 Product Picture and Specification5.1.3 Product Application Analysis5.1.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.1.5 Contact Information5.2 Company B5.2.1 Company Profile5.2.2 Product Picture and Specification5.2.3 Product Application Analysis5.2.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.2.5 Contact Information5.3 Company C5.3.1 Company Profile5.3.2 Product Picture and Specification5.3.3 Product Application Analysis5.3.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.3.5 Contact Information5.4 Company D5.4.1 Company Profile5.4.2 Product Picture and Specification5.4.3 Product Application Analysis5.4.4 Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value5.4.5 Contact Information......Chapter Six Asia Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Industry Development Trend6.1 2017-2021 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Capacity Production Overview6.2 2017-2021 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Production Market Share Analysis6.3 2017-2021 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Demand Overview6.4 2017-2021 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Supply Demand and Shortage6.5 2017-2021 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Import Export Consumption6.6 2017-2021 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Cost Price Production Value Gross MarginPart III North American Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Seven North American Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Market Analysis7.1 North American Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Product Development History7.2 North American Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competitive Landscape Analysis7.3 North American Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Market Development TrendChapter Eight 2012-2017 North American Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast8.1 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Capacity Production Overview8.2 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Production Market Share Analysis8.3 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Demand Overview8.4 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Supply Demand and Shortage8.5 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Import Export Consumption8.6 2012-2017 Untethered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Cost Price Production Value Gross MarginFull Report @ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. 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Asia Pacific ECG Cables And ECG Lead Wires Market Analysis and Business Strategies by Market Data Forecast

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According to the report Asia Pacific ECG Cables and ECG Lead wires Market, published by Market Data Forecast, the Market was worth USD 350 million in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 6.55%, to reach USD 480 million by 2021. ECG Cables and ECG Lead wires are made use of in the process of recording an Electrocardiograph, which records the electrical activity of heart by using electrodes which are placed on the skin. The electrodes function by determining the electrical activity through electro-physiologic patterns of muscles in the heart.In a regularly found Electrocardiograph, there are 12-lead ECGs and 10 electrodes. These electrodes are placed above their chest and on the limbs. The ECG of a person recorded can be used to interpret properties of their heart such as position and size of heart chambers, presence of any damage to heart muscles, rhythm and rate of heart beats and the effect of cardiac drugs if any. Clinically, an ECG is recorded if there are signs such as seizures, pain in the chest, fainting, cardiac murmur, heart attack and shortness of breath.Browse market data tables and in-depth TOC of the Asia Pacific ECG Cables and ECG Lead wires Industry to 2021 @The driving factors of Asia-Pacific ECG Cables and ECG Lead wires market are growing technological advancements, favouring regulatory policies in the favour of electrocardiographs, rising incidence of cardiovascular diseases and increasing geriatric population. The trend of strategic mergers and acquisitions is also driving the growth of this market.Free sample of the report is available @The Asia-Pacific ECG Cables and ECG Lead wires market is divided on the basis of usability into reusable and disposable segments. By materials, the market is categorised into TPE (Thermoplastic elastomer), TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) and others (Silicone, PVC). Based on lead wires by type, the market is divided into single-lead ECG leadwire, 3-lead ECG leadwire, 5- lead ECG leadwire, 6- lead ECG leadwire, 12- lead ECG leadwire and other leadwires (15- and 18- lead ECG leadwires). 12-lead ECG leadwire segment is expected to have the largest market share. On the basis of patient care setting, the market is divided into hospitals, long term care facilities, clinics and ambulatory and homecare.The Asia-Pacific ECG Cables and ECG Lead wires market is divided based on geography into India, China, Australia, South Korea and other parts in the region. Asia-Pacific market is expected to be the fastest growing in the world and expected to have the third largest share followed by North America and Europe. Factors such as rising geriatric population and increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases is expected to drive the growth of this market in the region.Inquire before buying @Some of the major players in the market include 3M Company (U.S.), Becton, Dickinson and Company (U.S.), Welch Allyn, Inc. (U.S.), CONMED Corporation (U.S.), OSI Systems, Inc. (U.S.), SCHILLER AG (Switzerland), Medtronic plc (Ireland), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (The Netherlands), Mindray Medical International Limited (China), Curbell Medical Products, Inc. (U.S.).About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and skillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@marketdataforecast.com
Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 9.9% by 2020

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Increasing awareness among consumers about halal-certified products has boosted the demand for Halal cosmetics, according to a new report, titled, Halal Cosmetics Market: Asia Pacific Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015 - 2020, by Future Market Insights (FMI). FMI forecasts that the Halal cosmetics market in Asia Pacific will witness a 9.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the forecast period 2015-2020.As more consumers in Asia Pacific gain awareness about the ingredients used in conventional cosmetics and their transdermal nature, demand for Halal cosmetic will increase. This will prompt manufacturers to diversify their product offerings and introduce halal-certified products in the market, says FMI analyst, who compiled the report.Demand for Halal Colour Cosmetics is Robust in Asia PacificOn the basis of product type, the Asia Pacific halal cosmetics market is segmented into skin care, colour cosmetics, hair care, and fragrances. Among these, the demand for colour cosmetics is robust. This segmented accounted for 37.4% share of the Halal cosmetics market in 2014; FMI estimates that this segment will witness a 10.3% CAGR during the forecast period 2015-2020.View and Download TOC of Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market Research Report@The colour cosmetics segment is further sub-segmented into lip care, eye care, nail care and face care. Among these sub-segments, lip- and face- care collectively accounted for over 65% of the market share in 2014. FMI estimates the lip care segment to amplify at a 10.5% CAGR through 2020 and reach a valuation of US$ 400.6 Mn.FMIs analysis on the Asia Pacific hair care market revealed that skin care was the second most lucrative segment after colour cosmetics. The segment accounted for over 30% share of the market in 2014; FMI estimates it to amplify at a 10% CAGR through 2020.FMI forecasts that hair care and fragrances segment will amplify at a healthy CAGR through 2020. Although demand for Halal fragrances is not as robust as other Halal cosmetics, FMI estimates it to witness the highest CAGR through 2020.Demand for raw materials that are permissible to use according to Islamic law is high in Asia Pacific. FMIs research found that manufacturers relied heavily on plant derivatives for use in preparing Halal cosmetics. Halal cosmetic companies need to comply with the regulations set up by respective governments in Asia Pacific to gain halal-certification.Request and Download Sample Report@Southeast Asia & South Asia Most Lucrative Markets for Halal CosmeticsFMIs analysis found that the Southeast Asia was the most lucrative market for Halal cosmetics in Asia Pacific. It was valued at US$ 863.7 Mn in 2014 and FMI estimates it to amplify at a 10.2% CAGR and reach a valuation of US$ 1,535.3 Mn by 2020. On the other hand, the Halal cosmetics market in South Asia was worth US$ 342.9 Mn in 2014. According to FMIs analysis, the Halal cosmetics market in South Asia will witness a CAGR of 9.9% through 2020 and reach a valuation of US$ 599.6 Mn by 2020.East Asia and Oceania, other key regions in the Asia Pacific Halal cosmetics market are anticipated to expand at a healthy single-digit CAGR through 2020.Key players in the Asia Pacific Halal cosmetics market include INIKA, Martha Tilaar, Wipro Unza, Clara International, Brataco group of companies, Ivy Beauty Corporation Sdn Bhd, and Paragon Technology and Innovation.Buy Full Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market 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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Explore three unique destinations of Sri Lanka with OZO and Amari hotels in Colombo, Kandy and Galle

The rooftop bar ON14 at OZO Colombo offers a stunning view of the city

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Bangkok, Thailand.  A charming landscape, iconic sights, influences from its colonial heritage, rich cultural traditions and friendly locals blend perfectly in Sri Lanka, making it a one-of-a-kind South Asian holiday destination. With three hotels spread across some of the islands most beautiful destinations, ONYX Hospitality Group presents a guide of how best to take it all in when visiting the Resplendent Isle.Start the Trip in the Capital City:Make the capital, Colombo, your quick introduction to Sri Lanka. This port city offers a variety of experiences ranging from a spiritual break in the temples, exploration of culture in the museums, taking the vantage point from rooftop bars to a wide range of markets and retail options. The vocal local team at OZO Colombo recommends a late morning visit to Pettah Market and being amidst the energy of the historic streets crammed with fresh fruit, daily supplies and fabrics. This bustling area provides an adrenaline filled discovery through the citys busiest neighbourhood. The dynamic arrangement of heritage buildings, makeshift stores and generations-old shops is like a living museum, offering authentic insights into the local lifestyle and culture, as well as providing a unique backdrop for your photo gallery.Take a Scenic Train Ride:The three-hour train journey connecting Sri Lankas capital to Kandy, the cool city located in the inland hills, is a scenic delight. This train ride is not just a mode of transportation to OZO Kandy, but the highlight of the visit itself. The train leaves from the coastal lowlands and chugs up through the hill country past rolling and lush green rice fields, local communities, forests, gurgling rivers and tea plantations. All scenes provide photogenic snapshots of Sri Lankas dramatic scenic contrasts. For the best views, locals recommend sitting on the right side of the train while en route to Kandy.Explore the Birthplace of Ceylon Tea:Crucial to the nation's economy, Ceylon tea is renowned worldwide and has an interesting 150-year history which can be traced back to the period of the British Empire. In Kandy, the first successful experiments in tea cultivation were made and the first tea plantations were established, making the city a great destination for tea lovers. To learn about the production of tea, marvel at the old machinery, and taste the various blends, the team at OZO Kandy suggest a visit to the Ceylon Tea Museum, located three kilometres from the hotel, or a venture into the countryside to the Geragama Tea Estate.Wander through Time in One of The Countrys Best Preserved Colonial Towns:Be transported back to colonial times at Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest remaining European fortress in Asia. The fort was first built by the Portuguese in the 1500s and later fortified by the Dutch. Wander around impressive monuments and museums from Dutch Reformed Church to the iconic Galle Light House. Today the fort is no less vibrant with chic boutiques, cafes and galleries. Destination Amari, a local guide curated by the team at Amari Galle, recommends Stick No Bills, a poster gallery featuring a rare variety of vintage movie posters as well as retro postcards depicting the vibrant colours of Sri Lanka.Lounge around the Beach, Swim, Lay Back, Take a Nap and More:Sri Lanka is well known for its beaches. For beach enthusiasts, seeking a day at a beachfront retreat in Galle is recommended. From Amari Galle which offers an expansive beach-facing pool and guaranteed sea views from every room and suite, take a Tuk-Tuk ride to the shores of nearby Unawatuna and get active with watersports such as diving, fishing and boating. To laze the day away, head to the stunning, intimate and isolated Jungle Beach to take a dip in the Indian Ocean. No trip to Galle would be complete without checking out the traditional stilt fishermen at the Ahangama and Koggala Coasts, the best places to catch this centuries-old activity in full action.Rest well after days of exploration at OZO or Amari:ONYX Hospitality Group offers three unique hotels in Colombo, Kandy and Galle under its two brands - Amari and OZO. Situated a short Tuk-Tuk ride from the city centre, OZO Colombo offers rooms with ocean views, a rooftop infinity pool and bar, and delectable meals at EAT. OZO Kandy is the ideal base for exploring the temples, lush landscapes and the tea plantations. The newly-open Amari Galle offers the street-food inspired Ahara Gourmet Gallery, the sun-drenched Shoreline Beach Club, and a wide range of amenities and services. Until 31 December 2018 at OZO Colombo and OZO Kandy, get 15% off on room rates when booking a minimum stay of three consecutive nights. Discover Amari Galle with this special offer. Get 15% off when booking at least 45 days in advance or 10% off when booking at least 14 days in advance, along with free early check-in for stays until 31 December 2018.To learn more or make a reservation, please visit,and###About ONYXPart of the Italthai Group, ONYX Hospitality Group operates several diverse, yet complementary, brandsAmari, Shama and OZOeach catering to the distinctive requirements of todays business and leisure travellers. ONYX reaches beyond its Thai roots to offer innovative management solutions across the Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf and Asia-Pacific regions. Visit847 Petchburi Road, Phayathai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Kidney Dialysis Equipment Market is Poised to Reach US$ 25.128 Bn by 2024 End

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Persistence Market Researchs recent report on Global Market Study on Kidney Dialysis Equipment: Latin America Expected to Emerge the Third Attractive Regional Market  forecasts the market revenues to reach US$ 25.128 Bn by 2024 end. The US$ 15 Bn kidney dialysis market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% through 2024.The preponderance of chronic kidney disease (CKD), aggravated by geriatric population and rising life expectancy, will continue to spur the demand for hemodialysis therapy. Expanding ESRD patient pool is another factor influencing market growth. Favorable government initiatives and rising healthcare funding to increase awareness about therapeutic modalities are also anticipated to boost equipment sales during the forecast period. The introduction of technologically advanced and user-friendly dialysis equipment and adoption of renal dialysis over kidney transplantation are key trends impacting the market.View and Download TOC of Kidney Dialysis Equipment Market Research Report @Manufacturers will discover lucrative opportunities in pediatric dialysis. In addition, rising demand for cost-effective equipment in low and middle-income countries will also present multiple revenue generation channeAsia Pacific will remain the largest and the fastest growing market for kidney dialysis equipment throughout the projected period. Valued at US$ 4.57 Bn currently, the market in APAC is foreseen to surpass US$ 9.0 Bn by the end of 2024, accounting for over 38% market value share. North America, Europe, and Latin America will be the other key markets globally. While APAC is expected to thrive at a CAGR of 9.9%, MEA, and Latin America will remain the other fast-growing markets globally.Request and Download Sample Report @Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, Baxter International Inc., NIPRO Medical Corporation, B. Braun Melsungen AG, and NIKKISO CO., LTD. are the leading players in the kidney dialysis equipment market. Manufacturers are largely concentrating on development of cost-effective dialysis equipment and expanding revenue shares in regional markets; empowering the supply chain in developing countries is expected to gain traction among key players. Notable activity in the kidney dialysis equipment includes:Buy Full Kidney Dialysis Equipment Market Report @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, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, 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 decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, 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.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Regenerative Medicine Market to Grow at a CAGR of 11.1% through 2019

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The global regenerative medicine (bone and joint) market was valued at US$ 4,254.0 Mn in 2015, and is expected to grow at a year-over-year rate of 13.0% to reach US$ 4,808.9 Mn in 2016. In 2015, North America accounted for the largest revenue share of global regenerative medicine (bone & joints) market, representing a market value of US$ 2,039.8 Mn. Owing to increasing demand for bone and joint reconstructive surgeries and encouraging government initiatives, North America is expected to remain the largest market for regenerative medicine (bone and joint) in 2016. Europe is the second largest market for regenerative medicine, with the regions high geriatric population fuelling adoption at a robust pace.By technology, biomaterials segment accounts for the highest market share globally, owing to favourable reimbursement policies and strong demand for biomaterials. Apart from biomaterials, tissue engineering is the other segment which is quickly gaining traction among end-users, and is projected to witness the highest year-over-year growth among all the technology segments.View and Download TOC of Regenerative Medicine Market Research Report@On the basis of application, bone graft substitute holds the highest share of the market in terms of value owing to a robust demand of bone graft substitute in orthopaedic treatments. However, complications associated with bone graft substitute can pose challenges to adoption in 2016 and beyond.While North America and Europe are key to the growth of the regenerative medicine market, rising awareness among healthcare professionals and patients in developing countries of Asia Pacific is expected to open up new opportunities for stakeholders. Favourable government initiatives in growing Asian economies such as China and India has paved the way for regenerative medicine market in the region. Moreover, adoption in developed countries of APAC, such as Japan and South Korea is also fuelling the growth of the market.Request and Download Sample Report@Key participants in the global regenerative medicine market are: Medtronic, Inc. (INFUSE Bone Graft), DePuy Synthes, Inc. (HEALOS Bone Graft), Orthofix, Inc. (Trinity Evolution), NuVasive, Inc. (Osteocel Plus) and Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (CopiOs Bone Void Filler). The key strategy of these players is to expand globally through distribution agreements, mergers and acquisitions, public-private partnerships and new product development.Long-term Outlook: The global regenerative medicine market (bone and joints) is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 11.1% during the forecast period from 2015 to 2019. North America will remain the largest market throughout the forecast period, whereas Bone Graft Substitutes will continue to hold the largest share in terms of application.Buy Full Regenerative Medicine Market Report@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.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Know the Current Scenario and Insights of Window Sills Market 2017

Window Sills Market

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ReportsMonitor.com has added a new report to its database Global and Chinese Window Sills Market Report 2017.This report identifies the Window Sills market size for the years 2012-2017, and forecast of the same till the year 2022. It also highlights the market drivers, restraints, growth indicators, challenges, and other key aspects with respect to the Window Sills market.Window Sills Market tracks the major market events including product launches, technological developments, mergers and acquisitions, and the innovative business strategies opted by key market players. Along with strategically analyzing the key micro markets, the report also focuses on industry-specific drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges in the Copper Strips market. This research report offers in-depth analysis of the market size (revenue), market share, major market segments, and different geographic regions, forecast for the next five years, key market players, and premium industry trends. It also focuses on the key drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges.For Requesting a Sample Copy of This Report, Please Visit @The 'Global and Chinese Window Sills Industry, 2012-2022 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Window Sills industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Window Sills manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2012-2017 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of Window Sills industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2017-2022 market development trends of Window Sills industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Window Sills Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2012-2022 global and Chinese Window Sills industry covering all important parameters.Browse Full Table of Contents and Report Description @Some points from TOC:Chapter One Introduction of Window Sills Industry1.1 Brief Introduction of Window Sills1.2 Development of Window Sills Industry1.3 Status of Window Sills IndustryChapter Four 2012-2017 Global and Chinese Market of Window Sills4.1 2012-2017 Global Capacity, Production and Production Value of Window Sills Industry4.2 2012-2017 Global Cost and Profit of Window Sills Industry4.3 Market Comparison of Global and Chinese Window Sills Industry4.4 2012-2017 Global and Chinese Supply and Consumption of Window Sills4.5 2012-2017 Chinese Import and Export of Window SillsChapter Eight Global and Chinese Economic Impact on Window Sills Industry8.1 Global and Chinese Macroeconomic Environment Analysis8.1.1 Global Macroeconomic Analysis8.1.2 Chinese Macroeconomic Analysis8.2 Global and Chinese Macroeconomic Environment Development Trend8.2.1 Global Macroeconomic Outlook8.2.2 Chinese Macroeconomic Outlook8.3 Effects to Window Sills IndustryReports Monitor (ReportsMonitor.com) is a platform to meet the market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.Office C & D - 4th Floor,Siddhi Towers,Above Rupee Bank,Kondhwa Road,Pune 411048,Maharashtra,IndiaIndia: +91 2069535353Jay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Vegetable Capsules 2017 Global Key Players -Capsugel , Catalent , ACG Associated Capsules , Er-kang , Bahrain Pharma , Aenova Market Analysis and Forecast to 2022

World Vegetable Capsules Market

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World Vegetable Capsules MarketExecutive SummaryVegetable Capsules market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.The report includes the forecasts, Analysis and discussion of important industry trends, market size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry Players.Request a Sample Report @The Players mentioned in our reportCapsugelCatalentACG Associated CapsulesEr-kangBahrain PharmaAenovaProcaps LaboratoriosSIRIOShanxi GS CapsuleQualicapsGlobal Vegetable Capsules Market: Product Segment AnalysisPlant PolysaccharidesStarchHPMCGlobal Vegetable Capsules Market: Application Segment AnalysisPharmaceuticalHealth SupplementsGlobal Vegetable Capsules Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaEnquiry for buying report@Table of Content-Key Points CoveredChapter 1 About the Vegetable Capsules Industry1.1 Industry Definition and Types1.1.1 Plant Polysaccharides1.1.2 Starch1.1.3 HPMC1.2 Main Market Activities1.3 Similar Industries1.4 Industry at a GlanceChapter 2 World Market Competition Landscape2.1 Vegetable Capsules Markets by Regions2.1.1 USAMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.2 EuropeMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.3 ChinaMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.4 IndiaMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.5 JapanMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.1.6 South East AsiaMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2012-2022Sales and Growth Rate 2012-2022Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20172.2 World Vegetable Capsules Market by TypesPlant PolysaccharidesStarchHPMC2.3 World Vegetable Capsules Market by ApplicationsPharmaceuticalHealth Supplements2.4 World Vegetable Capsules Market Analysis2.4.1 World Vegetable Capsules Market Revenue and Growth Rate 2012-20172.4.2 World Vegetable Capsules Market Consumption and Growth rate 2012-20172.4.3 World Vegetable Capsules Market Price Analysis 2012-2017Chapter 3 World Vegetable Capsules Market share3.1 Major Production Market share by Players3.2 Major Revenue (M USD) Market share by Players3.3 Major Production Market share by Regions in 2017, Through 20223.4 Major Revenue (M USD) Market share By Regions in 2017, Through 2022Chapter 4 Supply Chain Analysis4.1 Industry Supply chain Analysis4.2 Raw material Market Analysis4.2.1 Raw material Prices Analysis 2012-20174.2.2 Raw material Supply Market Analysis4.2 Manufacturing Equipment Suppliers Analysis4.3 Production Process Analysis4.4 Production Cost Structure Benchmarks4.5 End users Market AnalysisContinuedBuy Now@Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Air Cooler Market in India and China to grow at a CAGR of 6.39% during the period 2017-2021

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The Report Air Cooler Market in India and China 2017-2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.bizAbout Air CoolerAir coolers are low-cost, eco-friendly, and energy-efficient alternatives to air conditioners. Air coolers cool air through the evaporation of water and are simple to use. Air coolers operate with maximum efficiency with free flow of fresh air and adequate ventilation. A major advantage that air coolers have over air conditioners is that they are best suited for residences, showrooms, shops, and offices, where doors are opened and closed frequently. Moreover, they consume significantly less amount of electricity without producing harmful emissions.Technavios analysts forecast the air cooler market in India and China to grow at a CAGR of 6.39% during the period 2017-2021.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the air cooler market in India and China for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the sales, volume, value and excludes retrofit, replacement, spares, aftermarket, services market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:IndiaChinaTechnavio's report, Air Cooler Market in APAC 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 vendorsBajaj ElectricalsHoneywell InternationalKenstarSymphonyView Report @Other prominent vendorsDAIKIN INDUSTRIESHaierINTEXKhaitanLG ElectronicsGroupe SEB IndiaMcCoyRam CoolersUsha ElectricalsVEGOVoltasMarket driverExpanding organized retail sector in developing countriesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengePotential complications associated with cardiac surgeryFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendIncreased use of solar air coolersFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?About usMarketResearchReports.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.Mr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
High Content Screening Market to Reflect a Significant US$ 1.24 Bn by end of 2016

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By 2016 end, the global high content screening market is likely to register a value of US$ 1.24 Bn. In terms of shipment, the consumption of HCS instruments will reach around 555 units in 2016. While the pharmaceutical and healthcare segment is expected to register the maximum consumption of HCS technology and instruments, Western Europe will remain the largest market in terms of high content screening technology adoption and revenue generation.Consistent demand for high content screening in order to identify human cell-associated small molecules, micro-molecules, and peptides, will continue to drive the market for high content screening globally. Surging biological research and drug discovery activities will also be the important drivers to the market growth. With growing preference to secondary screening for toxicity studies, the need for enhanced imaging is also rising, which is considered to be a major factor boosting the market for high content screening. In addition to burgeoning research in the field of life science, rising support from governments to research activities will escalate the sales of HCS instruments.View and Download TOC of High Content Screening Market Research Report @Increasing number of biotech and pharmaceutical companies specializing in research is likely to propel the demand for high content screening technology and devices. A major revenue share will be contributed by consistent sales of mid-end and high-end HCS instruments. Moreover, research institutions and educational organizations will also register notable consumption. Promising emergence of automated cell separation technique and scalability analysis is anticipated to accelerate market growth further by creating lucrative opportunities for manufacturers and researchers. Growing need for risks assessment in chronic disease cases is also considered to be a key factor driving the demand for HCS instruments.By product, the global high content screening market is likely to gain the maximum traction in the cell imaging and analysis equipment segment. Software segment is expected register a discernible growth rate.Based on application, the primary and secondary screening segment will remain dominant with over 36% market value share, accounting for the revenues of nearly US$ 459.4 Mn in 2016. With overall steady growth, this segment is projected to witness a consistently growing Y-o-Y growth rate post-2016. Toxicity studies segment will however exhibit a higher overall growth rate. Contributing around 17% share to the entire market revenues in 2016, this segment is anticipated to exceed a value of US$ 219 Mn. Other application segments include target identification and validation, compound profiling, and others.Request and Download Sample Report @On the basis of end-use, pharmaceutical and healthcare segment will continue its dominance over biotechnology segment.By regional analysis, Western Europe will remain the largest revenue generator, accounting for over US$ 424 Mn in terms of revenues. With over 34% market share in 2016, this segment is expected to continue dominance post-2016. North America will be the second largest market with nearly 32% market share in 2016, followed by Asia Pacific.Some of the key market players include Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., GE Healthcare, Olympus Corporation, PerkinElmer Inc., Merck Millipore Corporation, Danaher Corporation (Molecular Devices), Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Sysmex Corporation and Thorlabs Inc. Key players are increasingly concentrating on developing new, innovative products for enhanced cell analysis.Buy Full High Content Screening Market Report @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, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, 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 decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, 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.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Smart Parking Worldwide Market by Major Region, Analysis, Application and Forecast To 2025

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Smart parking market is expected to grow US$ 1462.3 million by 2025 from 398.6 million 2016. Off street parking is anticipated to continue its dominance over the forecast period. Presently, almost 68% of the smart parking systems are off street parking. Off-street smart parking solutions are majorly utilized by governments and municipalities, corporate institutions, commercial institutions and transport facilities. Globally off-street parking is considered as a cost-effective and convenient parking solution.Get Flat 25% Discount in This Report at(Offer available up to October 15, 2017)Key trend which will predominantly effect the market in coming year is rapid evolution of technologies supporting the growth of smart parking systems across the globe. Smart parking market is anticipated to witness several technological improvisations in terms of expansion of bandwidth and connectivity. Growth in smart parking systems market is fueled by the surging demand for flexible, scalable and efficient parking systems to manage the on-street and off-street parking spaces, in order to reduce the gridlocks taking place because of large number of commuters circling on road searching for parking spaces.Request a Sample Report atList of companiesAmano McGann, Inc.CiscoSmart Parking Ltd.UrbioticaSKIDATA AGNedap NVKapschXerox Corp.Parkmobile, LLCSWARCO AGSmart parking market by end-user industry is segmented into transport facilities, government & municipalities, commercial institutions and corporate institutions. Increasing number of vehicles running on road, surging sizes of vehicles in the luxurious segment, and decrease in the available parking space are influencing the traffic congestion, making it an alarming issue globally.View Complete Report atThe overall market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source. The research process begins with an exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. Also, primary interview were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers and national sales managers, and external consultant such as valuation experts, research analysts and key opinion leaders specializing in the smart parking industry.Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout The Insight PartnersThe Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Green Energy Market 2017: Technological Advancements Gaining More Customers,Trends To Look For

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Green Energy Market research report helps to get access to industry data and upcoming trends which will give you avenues to know about the market. This report gives opportunities to go through with industry analysis, share and forecast, Providing brief description about the market size its competitors and product identification.In this report, the global Green Energy market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Request For Free Sample Of The Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Green Energy in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Green Energy market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingGE EnergyABBNordexSuzlon EnergyEnerconKyocera SolarUS GeothermalCalpine CorporationJA Solar HoldingsAltera Power CorporationOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSolar EnergyWind EnergyHydroelectric EnergyBio-fuelsOthersObtain Report Details @On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Green Energy for each application, includingResidentialCommercialIndustrialIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.About UsAlltake Market Research is division of the Alltake LLC. that offers premium quality market intelligence, market research, industry analysis reports & forecast data for different domains across the business industry.Alltake Market Research understands the importance of market analysis for any strategy that is implemented in any organization or association. In order to provide the best solution, Alltake Market Research have associated with major organizations within market research and consultancy firm. This portfolio offers market analysis report at one place for different business verticals. Alltake Market Research ensures to offer you with the most reliable and quality market research available.Contact UsAlltake Market Research16192, Coastal Highway Lewes,DE 19958, United StatesUS - 188 8587 9717UK - 4480 0680 0195Email sales@alltakemarketresearch.com
Dysphagia Management Market to Exhibit a Healthy Growth of US$ 4,101.3 Million by 2024

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Rapid improvement of healthcare services is ensuring a qualitative development of medical treatments for dysphagia. The number of outpatients seeking dysphagia management services is also expected to be on a rise globally. More patients are opting for OTC (over-the-counter) drugs over prescription-based medications, which will continue to be a key determinant for growth in demand for dysphagia management since such diseases can be cured orally, without a mandatory medical supervision.According to Persistence Market Researchs report, titled Dysphagia Management Market: Global Industry Analysis & Forecast, 2016-2024, by the end of 2024, the global dysphagia management revenues are likely to reach US$ 4,101.3 million value, a majority of which will be accounted by nutritional solutions products. The report also predicts that global sales of thickeners in nutritional solutions (as dysphagia management products) will net revenues worth over US$ 1,700 million during the forecast period.View and Download TOC of Dysphagia Management Market Research Report @According to the report, over the forecast period, the global dysphagia management market will expand at a healthy CAGR of 6.2%. Growth in global demand for dysphagia management will be paralleled with improvement of medical services & facilities in the global healthcare sector. Increasing presence of specialty clinics and retail pharmacies will further add to the distribution of dysphagia management drugs and treatment solutions.In terms of global revenues, however, hospital pharmacies will continue to lead the worldwide dysphagia management market by reaping more than US$ 1.5 billion by 2024. Although, growth of the global dysphagia management market is likely to be restrained by side-effects of products sold as dysphagia drugs & tubes. Additionally, losing out on market exclusivity is also a key challenge incurred during sales of dysphagia drugs as OTC medications.Request and Download Sample Report @North Americas dysphagia management market is projected to grow substantially, owing to the surging incidences of strokes. Excessive addiction to smoking and binge-drinking is a major factor triggering occurrence of dysphagia-related disorders in North America. By 2024, nearly US$ 1,500 million revenues from sales of dysphagia management will be accrued in North America, among which, oropharangeal dysphagia indications will account for more than a billion dollars in revenues. Europe is also projected to be a key region, lucrative for the growth of dysphagia management market.In terms of global market share, Europes dysphagia management revenues will be contributing to about 27% of global revenues throughout the forecast period. Likewise, increasing production of pharmaceuticals in Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is also expected to favor the growth of dysphagia management in that region. By 2024-end, the APAC dysphagia management market will expand rampantly, registering the highest regional CAGR at 6.9%. On the other hand, Latin America and Middle East & Africa (MEA) regions are likely to incur nascent growth in terms of dysphagia management market value, over the projection period.Japanese pharmaceuticals manufacturer, Eisai Co. Ltd. is globally recognized for specializing in production of drugs for treatment of peptic ulcers and dysphagia. The company is also projected to be developing its businesses in generics production, and will continue co-marketing medications developed by industry leaders such as Johnson & Johnson. North American drugmakers, C. R. Bard, Inc. and Cook Medical Inc., along with Louisiana-based Kent Precision Foods Group, Inc. are also leading players in the global dysphagia management market. Besides, Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition, Cipla Ltd., Nestle Health Science, and Astra Zeneca plc. are other leading companies profiled in the report.Buy Full Dysphagia Management Market Report @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, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, 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 decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, 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.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Orally Disintegrating Tablets Market, is expected to Grow 15.7% By 2025

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Strategic shift from solid dosage forms to orally disintegrating tablets positively impacting market revenue growthIn line with a World Health Organization directive, pharmaceutical companies across the world are making a calculated move from solid dosage forms to orally disintegrating tablets, mainly due to increased acceptance of orally disintegrating tablets (ODT) among patients of diverse age groups. Orally disintegrating tablets are used by physicians to provide accurate dose combinations to patients. ODT mini tablets are the latest innovation in the drug class segment, and these combine the convenience of solid dosage forms with increased stability to enable ease of administration, especially in pediatric use. A rising awareness of the benefits of administering orally disintegrating tablets is fueling revenue growth of the global orally disintegrating tablets market.Request Free Sample Report :Opportunity assessment by drug classManufacturers in the orally disintegrating tablets market are leveraging advanced techniques to manufacture orally disintegrating tablets and are thereby looking to tap into the hitherto untapped market opportunities. There is a greater acceptance of this drug class over conventional solid dosage forms among patients of different age groups and this presents new market opportunities for manufacturers. Further, manufacturers of ODT are taking advantage of product life cycle extension by launching their drugs in different formulations. Also, a high penetration among end users in developed countries will boost the global demand for ODT in the foreseeable future. Owing to technological advancements, manufacturers are focusing on increasing the applicability of ODT technology to different therapeutic areas. This factor is likely to further augment revenue growth of the orally disintegrating tablets market during the forecast period.Anti-Psychotics drug class to emerge market leader by 2025 endAmong the drug class category in the orally disintegrating tablets market, the Anti-Psychotics drug class segment is likely to beat the other segments in terms of market value share by the end of the forecast period. From a market value share of about 15% estimated to be held in 2017, the Anti-Psychotics segment will account for about 20% market share by the end of 2025, leaving all segments behind. A market value of roughly US$ 1.7 Bn for Anti-Psychotics drugs is estimated in 2017 and this will increase to about US$ 5.6 Bn by the end of 2025, registering an impressive CAGR of 15.7% during the forecast period  the highest among all the drug class segments. The Anti-Psychotics drug class segment dominated the global orally disintegrating tablets market in revenue terms in 2016 and this trend is projected to continue throughout the forecast period. The Anti-Epileptics drug class segment is expected to be the second most lucrative segment in the global orally disintegrating tablets market, recording a market attractiveness index of 1.4 during the forecast period. The Anti-Epileptics drug class segment will hold a market value share of just under 13% by the end of 2025.Browse Full Report With TOC :Trends in ODT drug class witnessed across different regionsNorth America: Advancements in improved oral protein delivery technology through ODT will promote the adoption of protein and peptide based therapeutics. ODT in the North America healthcare market are manufactured using patented technologies such as fine particle coating or adding sweeteners into the tablet matrix for taste making, granulation, spray-drying, freeze-drying and molding. The flexibility of orally disintegrating tablets allows molecules of a wide variety of doses and chemical characteristics to be incorporated into an ODT.Latin America: Manufacturers of ODT in Latin America are focused on innovations such as controlled ODT drug release by changing their excipients. ODT technology is applicable in a wide range of therapeutic agents including generics, thereby adding value, i.e. super generics for veterinary or human applications. Manufacturers in Latin America are leveraging ODT technology to strengthen their product portfolio through product line extensions.Europe: Companies in the Europe market are adopting nanocrystal technologies to manufacture highly potent and hazardous material as these technologies help reduce the number of steps such as granulation, blending, and tableting. The nanocrystal technology has been patented by Elan Corporation Plc (acquired by Perrigo Company plc).Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTelephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comGoogle+:Linked in:Twitter:
Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Market Segments, Opportunity, Growth and Forecast By End-use Industry 2017-2022

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Global Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Market Research Report provides information on Products, Services, Trends, Top Companies, Verticals, Countries, Technology, Application, and Geography globally. This report will help the viewer in Better Decision Making ,offers by OrbisResearch.comDescription:The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Market has been witnessing steady rise for the past decade owing to its rise in applications in its relevant industry. The product is being actively used across the globe resulting in the quantitative increase in demand which is in-turn pushed the revenue generation year-on-year. With the incidences of use growing, the Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Market is projected to be on the up for the upcoming forecast period as reported in the latest Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Market report. 2016 has witnessed steady spurt of growth over 2015, while 2017 is estimated to follow the same trajectory if not more.Get a PDF Sample of Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Market Report @The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device report has been prepared keeping in mind the need of the customers for the latest information in the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device. With the Global and Chinese industries recording sharp growth through all the tough financial times, new players are looking to enter into the markets for a larger share of the market. The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device report has hence been prepared ensuring that the customer gains the maximum and the most accurate information about the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device. The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device report can aid the customer who could either be a competing player in the market to gain in-depth insights about the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device and plan accordingly, or gain academic knowledge about the market and put it to good use.The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device covers a comprehensive overview of the market in terms of the latest developments. Some key information covered in the Global and ChineseSaudi Arabia Wearable Health Device report is as follows: Development of the products; Segmentation of the products developed on the basis of stage of development, application, and players among others; Market assessment through segmentation; Product profiles (if applicable); Major players in the Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device.Browse the full report Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Market @The major players covered in the Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device report include the following: Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device report also covers a lot of statistics and visuals for a better representation of the figures about the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device. Every statistic is represented through tables, charts, and other similar mediums for easy and quick consumption of the information by the customer. The report further contains methodology of the research conducted and the development of the report, the coverage in the Global and Chinese report, and validations of the data in the report by industry experts.Make an enquiry Before Buying @The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device report is developed for a very niche market and the best brains and professionals have given it their all to prepare the report that will be fulfilling the needs of the customer for an accurate and in-depth insight of the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device. The amount of resources included and the numerous sources consulted for the information presented in this report makes it a must have for those who are looking to make a mark in the Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device.Major Points From Table of Contents:1 Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Market Overview2 Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Sales, Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Manufacturers3 Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)4 Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis5 North America Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)6 Latin America Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)7 Europe Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)8 Asia-Pacific Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)9 Middle East and Africa Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)10 Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Manufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Device Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 AppendixFor any enquires before buying, connect with us @ enquiry@orbisresearch.comAbout Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019For more information contact sales@orbisresearch.com
Welding Equipment & Consumables Market to exceed USD 25 billion by 2024

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A new report covers Welding Equipment & Consumables Market outlook providing historical facts, current status and future development trends information along with data on leading players and regions. Welding Equipment & Consumables Market size will surpass USD 25 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc.Rising income levels of the middle-class population in the developing countries like India, China, Mexico, Indonesia, and Brazil is fueling the automobile demand. This has also led to improvements in roads and other transit facilities. The total sales of vehicles in India and China accounted for over 30 billion in 2016, whereas that in Japan was recorded close to 5 billion in the same year. Extensive product use in the automotive industry will propel the welding equipment & consumables market demand in the next seven years.Request for a sample of this research report @Growing construction industry in the Asia Pacific region due to rapid growth in the fast-developing economies of China, India, and Japan will further enhance the welding equipment & consumables market. Asia Pacific contributed around 45% of the global construction spending in 2016 and accounted for over USD 4 billion. Moreover, infrastructural and transportation development shall further fuel the welding equipment & consumables market demand in the forecast span.Welding process leads to considerable environmental and health hazards due to the release of toxic gases such as nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide. These gases when released in the air cause contamination and may also result in pulmonary infection or respiratory illness to workers dealing with such welding activities. Poor working conditions in small and medium enterprises may lead to severe health hazards among workers. These factors might hinder the welding equipment & consumables market in coming years.Considering type, the welding equipment & consumables market is bifurcated into two broad categories, mainly, consumables and equipment. The consumables segment includes stick electrodes, solid wires, flux cord wires, SAW (submerged arc wires) & fluxes, and other segments such as rods, etc. Stick electrodes are rods used for sustaining the arc and providing filler metals for the welded joints.The equipment segment finds application in various industrial activities and include arc, resistant, oxy-fuel and laser-beam equipment. Arc welding equipment market will hold around 40% of the entire share by 2024 growing at an exponential rate due to the its rising popularity over its peers. Welding equipment & consumables market is set to witness significant gains in the next seven years.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Considering applications, the welding equipment & consumables market is segmented into marine applications, construction & building, automobile & transportation, metal working, defense & aerospace, and others which consists of overhaul, repair & maintenance works, etc. The automobile and transportation segment will surpass USD 5 billion by the end of the forecast period owing to rising personal car demand in Asia Pacific. The marine applications segment will raise with a healthy CAGR of around 4.5% in the estimated timeframe owing to increasing offshore oil extraction activities and increasing shipbuilding.Geographically, Asia Pacific accounts for a notable share in the welding equipment & consumables market and will grow at a significant rate to hold over 40% of the entire market by 2024. Asia Pacific will showcase strong growth opportunities owing to the rapidly growing automobile, shipbuilding, construction, and aerospace industries in the region.Prominent players operating in the entire welding equipment & consumables market are Obara Corporation, Miller Electric, Miyachi America Corporation, Lincoln Electric Company, Fronius International, ESAB Group, Doncasters Group, DAIHEN Corporation, Arcon Welding, Kiswel, Voestalpine AG, Senor Metals, Panasonic Corporation, Sonics & Materials, and ROFIN-SINAR Technologies to name some.Browse key industry insights spread across 115 pages with 156 market data tables & 11 figures & charts from the report, Welding Equipment & Consumables Market Size By Product (Welding Equipment [Arc Welding, Resistant Welding, Oxy-Fuel Welding, Laser-Beam Welding], Welding Consumables [Stick Electrodes, Solid Wires, Flux Cored Wires, SAW & Fluxes]), By Application (Automobile & Transportation, Building & Construction, Marine, Aerospace & Defense, Oil & Gas, Metal Working), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, China, India, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, GCC), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017  2024 in detail along with the table of contents:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.29L Atlantic Avenue, Suite L 105,
Experts review social media as a counter-propaganda tool

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Ric Cole, Special Advisor to the Federal Government of Somalia and Consultant at Albany Associates, has joined the speaker line-up for SMi Groups 7th Social Media within the Defence & Military Sector in London.With a nod to utilizing counter-propaganda, the forgotten Info Ops discipline, Ric will be presenting a session which includes a case study on countering Al-Shabab communications in Somalia. He will also discuss effective tactics such as monitoring social media, creating centralised official accounts and localised witness accounts without using bots and a fire-hose approach.Ric joins experts from military forces from Austria, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom and the USA, as well as key decision makers from solution providers at the cutting edge of innovation such as Cobham, Fujitsu and Saab.Social Media within the Defence & Military 2017 will explore top tips and trends surrounding the reality of social media integration into defence operations. The event will showcase fresh case studies exploring the power of social media during military campaigns such as Bundeswehr's Die Rekruten on YouTube; the Irish Defence Force's immersive video and virtual reality recruitment campaign; and how Fujitsu's Global Connectivity platform, which has transformed the way the Ministry of Defence collaborates with industry partners.The full conference agenda and registration details are available on. For those interested in attending, there is currently an Early Bird discount of 200.Social Media Within the Defence and Military Sector 20176-7 December 2017Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK--ENDSFor more updates on the conference, follow SMi Group on @smigroupdefence and join the conversation using #milsocialmedia on Twitter.For media queries please contact Honey de Gracia at hdegracia@smi-online.co.uk. For delegate registration queries please contact James Hitchen at jhitchen@smi-online.co.uk.About SMi Group:Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the worlds most forward thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found at1 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XW
Digital Health Market analysis research and trends report for 2016-2024

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Digital Health Market size is estimated to exceed USD 379 billion by 2024; as per a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc.Increasing demand for remote patient monitoring services, strong investment outlookand favorable government initiatives should drive global digital health market size. Emergence of healthcare IT coupled with growing penetration of smartphones, tablets and other mobile platforms have led to increased adoption of new business models. Digital technology has enabled people make smarter choices and receive products with value added services.Request sample copy @Digital health industry innovations including the integration of cloud-based technology into digital health systems and introduction of novel softwares like practice management, predictive analysis and care management software should serve as a high impact growth driver.mHealth industry could witness remarkable growth in excess of 35%, to surpass USD 200 billion by 2024. Increasing use of smartphones, improved distribution of diagnostic health services and growing trend towards use of cost effective services will stimulate segment growth.Germany digital healthcare market size was over USD 5.4 billion in 2015 and anticipated to exceed 40 billion by 2024. It will drive regional industry growth owing to increasing use of mobile communications technology, rapid technological developments and favorable E-Health regulations in this region.Make Inquiry about this report @Extensive application of remote patient monitoring services and favorable government initiatives should help build a sophisticated healthcare infrastructure for digital health market growth. For instance, HITECH Act have promoted digital health systems by funding hospitals and physicians in the U.S.Increasing number of start-ups to capitalize on industry revenue and growing number of venture capitalists investments will spur the global digital healthcare market share. Digital health entrepreneurs are striving to prove credibility and trustworthiness of their services and gain maximum industry share. Some of the recent start-ups include Validic, mySugr, Augmedix, CareDox, and Livongo Health. Furthermore, venture capitalist funding along with mergers and acquisitions attributed to over 4.7 billion with 670 deals in 2014 followed by over USD 4.6 billion with 574 deals the next year.EHR (Electronic health records) attributed to over 60% of global digital health market share in 2015, with expectations to reach over USD 116 billion by 2024. Some of the factors that should drive business growth are rising investments in interoperability, technological advancements and supportive government decisions favoring expansion of digital health market size.Key insights from the report include: Global digital health market size will reach USD 379.3 billion by 2024, with over 25% growth from 2016 to 2024. Digital health systems market share was over USD 32 billion in 2015 with more than USD 130 billion by 2024. Growing investments in interoperability and increasing awareness regarding usage of EHR platforms will drive business growth. Health analytics market size was over USD 4 billion in 2015 and should witness 25.9% growth over the forecast timeframe. It helps reduce instances of misdiagnosis and curb healthcare costs by providing reliable and cost- effective healthcare information to care providers. Japan digital health market size will grow at over 29% to exceed USD 20 billion by 2024, owing to extensive adoption of new healthcare technologies and improved government focus to reduce healthcare cost. Brazil digital health market size was over USD 843 million in 2015 and anticipated to grow at 27.9% over the forecast period. It held over 47% of regional digital healthcare market share in 2015. South Africa digital healthcare market share was over 15% of regional revenue in 2015 and expected to surpass USD 1.2 billion by 2024. Presence of large corporations, local industry players as well as start-ups are increasing the overall digital health market competitiveness. The key industry players will hold maximum revenue share owing to their brand recognition and prompt after sales service. The major players include Qualcomm, Philips Healthcare, McKesson Corporation, AT & T and LifeWatch.Digital health market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue in USD billion from 2012 to 2024, for the following segments:Global Digital Health Market, By Technology Telehealthcareo Telecare Activity Monitoring Remote Medication Managemento Telehealth LTC Monitoring Video Consultation mHealtho Wearables BP Monitor Glucose Meter Pulse Oximeter Sleep Apnea Monitors Neurological Monitors Otherso Apps Medical Apps Fitness Apps Health Analytics Digital Health Systemso Electronic Health Records (EHR)o e-prescribing SystemsThe above information is provided on a regional and country basis for the following: North Americao U.S.o Canada Europeo Germanyo UKo Franceo Italyo Spaino Russiao Poland Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australia Latin Americao Brazilo Mexico MEAo South AfricaAbout Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
2017 Global Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Market Report : Technologies, Markets Players

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Global Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Market Research Report provides information on Products, Services, Trends, Top Companies, Verticals, Countries, Technology, Application, and Geography globally. This report will help the viewer in Better Decision Making ,offers by OrbisResearch.comDescription:The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Market has been witnessing steady rise for the past decade owing to its rise in applications in its relevant industry. The product is being actively used across the globe resulting in the quantitative increase in demand which is in-turn pushed the revenue generation year-on-year. With the incidences of use growing, the Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Market is projected to be on the up for the upcoming forecast period as reported in the latest Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Market report. 2016 has witnessed steady spurt of growth over 2015, while 2017 is estimated to follow the same trajectory if not more.Get a PDF Sample of Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Market Report @The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors report has been prepared keeping in mind the need of the customers for the latest information in the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors. With the Global and Chinese industries recording sharp growth through all the tough financial times, new players are looking to enter into the markets for a larger share of the market. The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors report has hence been prepared ensuring that the customer gains the maximum and the most accurate information about the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors.The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors report can aid the customer who could either be a competing player in the market to gain in-depth insights about the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors and plan accordingly, or gain academic knowledge about the market and put it to good use.The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors covers a comprehensive overview of the market in terms of the latest developments.Some key information covered in the Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors report is as follows: Development of the products; Segmentation of the products developed on the basis of stage of development, application, and players among others; Market assessment through segmentation; Product profiles (if applicable); Major players in the Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors.Browse the full report Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Market @The major players covered in the Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors report include the following: Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors report also covers a lot of statistics and visuals for a better representation of the figures about the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors. Every statistic is represented through tables, charts, and other similar mediums for easy and quick consumption of the information by the customer. The report further contains methodology of the research conducted and the development of the report, the coverage in the Global and Chinese report, and validations of the data in the report by industry experts.Make an enquiry Before Buying @The Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors report is developed for a very niche market and the best brains and professionals have given it their all to prepare the report that will be fulfilling the needs of the customer for an accurate and in-depth insight of the Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors. The amount of resources included and the numerous sources consulted for the information presented in this report makes it a must have for those who are looking to make a mark in the Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors.Major Points From Table of Contents:1 Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Market Overview2 Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Sales, Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Manufacturers3 Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)4 Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis5 North America Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)6 Latin America Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)7 Europe Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)8 Asia-Pacific Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)9 Middle East and Africa Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Sales, Revenue (Value) by Countries, Type and Application (2012-2017)10 Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Manufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global and Chinese Saudi Arabia Wearable Health Sensors Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 AppendixFor any enquires before buying, connect with us @ enquiry@orbisresearch.comAbout Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019For more information contact sales@orbisresearch.com
Pumped Hydro Storage Market to reach $350bn by 2024

Global Market Insights

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Pumped Hydro Storage Market size will exceed USD 350 billion by 2024, as reported in the latest study by Global Market Insights, Inc.Favorable regulatory framework pertaining to the upgradation and expansion of electrical infrastructure coupled with growing adoption of sustainable energy will drive the pumped hydro storage market size. Lack of efficient monitoring system and frequent supply outages across the developing economies will further stimulate the product demand. The China National Energy Administration in 2017 declared a funding of USD 326.4 billion toward the expansion of renewable electrical network by 2020.Ongoing expansion of micro-grid networks favored by rapid development of distributed generation technology will propel the pumped hydro storage market size. Growing concerns toward reduction of carbon footprint along with upgradation and expansion of existing PHS system to enhance the operational flexibility will propel the business outlook. In 2016, the Government of Canada pledged to reduce emissions by 80% below 2005 levels until 2050.Request for a sample of this research report @Japan pumped hydro storage market size is set to exceed 30 GW by 2024. Growing concerns toward energy security along with increasing investments toward deployment of grid network will propel the product landscape. Upsurge across the integration of renewable energy technologies will further stimulate the business outlook. The Japan Ministry of Economy, have announced investments worth USD 700 million in line with the integration of sustainable energy storage technology across the country.High storage capacity, energy efficiency and grid stability are some of the key parameters that will drive the pumped hydro storage market. According to EASE, the PHS plants have an average efficiency of 70%  80% when compared with other technologies. Increasing energy demand across emerging economies will further foster the business outlook.U.S. pumped hydro storage market size will grow owing to upgradation and refurbishment of existing grid infrastructure along with rising adoption of advanced grid support system. Integration of clean energy technologies and expansion of micro grid networks will further embellish the product landscape. China under its sovereign wealth fund has proposed an investment of USD 800 billion across the U.S. infrastructure sector.Open loop in 2016, accounted for over 90% of pumped hydro storage market share. Availability of free-flowing water source along with effective compatibility with a hydroelectric plant will embellish the product penetration. According to Department of Energy, there are three open-loop projects announced and in under construction phase in the U.S.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Growing energy consumption along with ongoing investments toward modernization of electric grid infrastructure will embellish the South Korea pumped hydro storage market. Favorable government initiatives pertaining to sustainable energy mix will further stimulate the industry outlook. In 2017, The South Korea government has approved a plan to invest USD 1.67 billion toward development of renewable energy in the country.Key industry players in pumped hydro storage market includes Voith Hydro, EDF, Absaroka, Genex, Toshiba, Schluchseewerk AG, Dongfang Electric, Snowdonia, SinoHydro, Eskom, Enel, Northland Power and J-Power.About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
Mechanical Locks Market is likely to Attain Growth at a Moderate CAGR of 4.5% By 2022

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While evaluating the security characteristics of electronic locks and mechanical locks, the latter seems to hold inferiority owing to designing flaws, large area for surface impact, and lack of provision for security upgrades. A recent study published by Future Market Insights assesses the future prospects of global market for mechanical locks. Key findings from this report reveal that by the end of 2022, around US$ 7,160 million worth of mechanical locks are anticipated to be sold across the globe. The report also forecasts that for the assessment period, 2017-2022, the global mechanical locks market is likely to attain growth at a moderate CAGR of 4.5%.In the view of emerging technologies in the domain of physical security, the future demand for mechanical locks is less likely to witness steadfast growth. Adoption of smart locks, high-tech guarding systems, and biometric access platforms continues to surge, concurrently lowering the uptake for mechanical locks among consumers. Even as a retail commodity, mechanical locks are exhibiting a decline in terms of capturing the mass consumer appeal which continues to opt for adamantine security products.View and Download TOC of Mechanical Locks Market Research Report@Demand for Interconnected Mechanical Locks to Remain SteadyAccording to the report, interconnected mechanical locks will continue to gain grounds in the global market. Despite the moderate expansion anticipated for the global mechanical locks market, interconnected locks will bring in nearly US$ 1,880 Mn in revenues by the end of 2022. Interconnected mechanical locks will continue to find application in security of buildings, apartments, military housing, and other residential facilities. Moreover, the demands for interconnected locks are also expected to be influenced by their precise lever actions and compatibility to handicapped requirements. Easy installation and construction will also have a governing factor in compelling manufacturers towards increasing production of interconnected locks.Competitive Landscape of Mechanical Locks MarketThe report has profiled leading companies partaking in the growth of global mechanical locks market. These companies are expected to aim towards bringing cost-effectiveness in manufacturing of mechanical locks by procuring quality raw materials through a robust supply chain. Subjected to intrinsic engineering, manufacturing of mechanical locks will continue to incur qualitative enhancement, wherein apposite application of locksmithing knowledge and metallurgy will play a pivotal. Companies namely, Serrature Meroni Spa, ASSA ABLOY AB (key subsidiary - Mul-T-Locks), Dom Ronis, Allegion Plc, Winkhaus Austria Gmbh, Yale Security Inc., Dormakaba Holdings AG, The Eastern Company, Picard-Serrures, and ECO Schulte GMBH & Co. KG are observed to remain prominent in the competitive landscape of global mechanical locks market during the forecast period.Request and Download Sample Report@Additional Highlights from the Report include:The report also reveals that tubular locks will be a top-selling product in the global mechanical locks market, and will register 5.6% CAGR over the forecast periodOn the basis of materials, stainless steel will be viewed as a sought-after, revenues from which are projected to reach US$ 2,430 Mn by 2022-endSales of grade level 2 mechanical locks will gain steady traction, creating an incremental opportunity of approx. US$ 600 Mn between 2017 and 2022In 2017, external facility security will be viewed a lucrative application, revenues from which are expected to procure nearly one-fifth share on global market valueThroughout the forecast period, North America will remain the largest market for mechanical locksEuropes mechanical locks market is pegged to witness an absolute dollar opportunity of more than quarter of billion dollars between 2017 and 2022Buy Full Mechanical Locks Market Report@In 2017, sales of mechanical locks recorded in the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region are expected to contribute significantly to global revenuesAbout Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Bluetooth In Automotive Market Revenue Is Forecast To Reach USD 1, 09,979.0 Million By 2023

Bluetooth in Automotive Market

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Market Highlights;Bluetooth is wireless communication standard, which allows electronic devices to connect and interact with each other. It can be found in a range of gadgets such as smartphones, loudspeakers, laptops and cars. The automotive industry is a steadily growing market for Bluetooth technology. Devices that are Bluetooth compatible should be in close proximity to each other and they can take part in wireless, two way communication. Bluetooth in automotive allows users to access their cell phones through the in car infotainment system. Evidently, in recent years, global major automakers are offering Bluetooth as a factory installed feature. Using Bluetooth in infotainment systems would allow passengers and drivers to listen to music and information while driving. In addition to that, once connected to Bluetooth, drivers can use apps to navigate, check traffic, view latest weather report, and look for information such as movie times and restaurant locations. Overall, the use of Bluetooth technology improves driving experience.Request for a Sample Copy @Key Players:The major player operating in the market of global bluetooth in automotive are Nordic Semiconductor, Texas instruments, QUALCOMM Incorporated, Broadcom Corporation, MediaTek Inc, Pioneer Corporation, Fihonest Communication Co., Ltd, Hosiden Corporation, Silicon Laboratories, IVT Corporation and others.Market Research Future Analysis:The global Bluetooth in automotive market is a very dynamic and is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. The growth of the Bluetooth in automotive market is majorly influenced by the growing demand for smartphone features in cars and other vehicles. Furthermore, the use of Bluetooth enables analysis of vehicle diagnostics, which enhances the safety of vehicles. However, the limitations of coverage and slow data transfer of Bluetooth technology coupled with poor security of Bluetooth operations, are hindering the growth of Bluetooth in automotive market.Currently, Asia-Pacific is dominating the market with increasing vehicle production in countries such as India and China and the increasing production capacity. The market in the developing countries is largely driven by economic growth and ongoing industrialization, which is likely to lead to considerable production of motor vehicles and other manufacturing output.Brief TOC:1 Executive Summary2 Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.1 Assumptions2.2 Market Structure3 Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size Estimation3.5 Forecast Model4 Market Dynamics4.1 Introduction4.2 Drivers4.2.1 Growing demand for smartphone features in Cars4.2.2 Vehicle Diagnostic data update4.2.3 Enabling cross industry cooperation between Telecommunication and Automobile industry4.3 Restraints4.3.1 Bluetooth coverage limitation and slow data transfer4.3.2 Poor security of Bluetooth technology4.4 Opportunities4.4.1 A step stone for Autonomous Vehicles4.4.2 Increased access with cheap priceContinueAccess Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Technologies and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Smart Kitchen Market 2017- 2025 Analysis and Forecast Growth Rate and Demand Global Industry: United States, Europe, Japan and China

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The smart kitchen is about combination of smarter design, smarter food sourcing, storage, and preparation. It comprises design, technology, innovation, and disruptive thinking. Smart kitchen enables user to operate entire kitchen activity through mobile application, products in the refrigerator are recognized by cameras with image recognition software, which can send the information to either a smart oven so the oven can regulate the temperature and timing to cook the food, or to third-party recipe programs that generate recipes based on the available ingredients.Request Sample Copy is Available atThe report aims to provide an overview of global Smart Kitchen market with detailed market segmentation by appliances, connectivity and geography. The global Smart Kitchen market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. High energy efficiency with low food wastage in kitchen is one of the main driver of smart kitchen market.Global Smart Kitchen Market Players:- Whirlpool Corporation- LG Electronics- Dongbu Daewoo Electronics Corporation- AB Electrolux- Panasonic Corporation- Haier Group- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.- Koninklijke Philips N.V.- BSH Group- General Electric Co.Objectives of Smart Kitchen Market Report are as follows: To provide overview of the global Smart Kitchen market To analyze and forecast the global Smart Kitchen market on the basis of components, application, size and technology To provide market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Smart Kitchen market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and South America (SAM), which are later sub-segmented across respective major countries To evaluate market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend To provide exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions To profiles key Smart Kitchen players influencing the market along with their SWOT analysis and market strategiesComplete Report is Available atContact Us:Phone: +1-646-491-9876Email Id: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Aircraft Tyres Market to Significant Growth Foreseen by 2021

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Aircraft tyres are one of the most highly engineered products having significant complexity which require large number of raw materials pertaining to steel, cord fabric, artificial and natural rubber and other chemicals. Aircraft tyres have cords which serve as the reinforcing materials in the tyre that provide dimensional stability, supporting the aircraft weight, as well as keeping the tyres in shape different road conditions. Aircraft tyres play a vital role in the performance of the aircraft. Various reinforcement constructions are needed for different types of aircrafts based on their applications and load bearing requirements. They have different requirements of tyre fabrics and tyre cords as compared to other modes of transport such as light and heavy commercial vehicles, two wheelers, agricultural vehicles as they work on different road conditions, where each tyre has a different load bearing requirement.A sample of this report is available upon request @The global demand for aircraft tyres has been significant due to growth from the aircraft industry, particularly commercial aircrafts, which have witnessed huge surge in demand for advanced and new aircraft, which are largely influenced by certain factors such as network expansion by new airlines as well as entry of new airlines. Other prominent factors such as replacing obsolete aircrafts, rise air passenger traffic, growing demand for fuel efficient aircrafts and healthy economic growth shown by emerging markets has also contributed towards the growth of the aircraft tyres market. Large scale corporations such as Goodyear, Bridgestone Corporation, and Dunlop are significantly involved in the manufacturing of aircraft tyres that are eco-friendly, more intelligent, economical, safer and less noisy. They are consumed in significant quantities for various civil and military applications, where military operation hold huge demand on aircraft tyres where loads can be highly substantial with speed going more than 225 miles per hour.Large scale companies such as Dunlop have been involved in the industry as a key player which manufactures tyres used in military aircrafts from the well known Vulcan and Spitfire to the modern F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Heavy military aircraft such as C-130, the Tornado and the Hawk, and the latest A400M. The company serves various segments of the military aviation industry such as marine corps, naval forces and air forces across the world with tyres designed to give maximum operation characteristics in the fluctuating environmental conditions as well. In addition, Dunlop was awarded three year deal supply of aircraft tyres in July 2014 to Chinas privately owned airlines for the purpose of expending its footprint in regional airlines.Under the contract, Dunlop would be providing tyres for China Express Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen aircraft. In terms of agreements and joint ventures, The Triangle Group in 2012 collaborated with the Harbin Institute of Technology to design and manufacture arcraft tyres. Regionally, developed regions such as North America accounted for the largest market share in the aircraft tyres market, followed by Europe. Emerging regions such as Asia Pacific is likely to exhibit the fastest growth in the market owing to certain factors such as increasing disposable incomes of the individuals leading to rising air travel expenditures, entry of low cost airlines and infrastructure developments in economies such as India, Singapore and China.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Bridgestone Corporation, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, Goodyear, Michelin, and The Triangle Group are some of the key players present in the aircraft tyre industry.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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Mobile Augmented Reality Market for Marketing and Advertising in the US, Scope, Analysis and Forecasts to 2019

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Augmented reality technology blends digital content with the physical world. It is used to display computer-generated images in a user's field of vision and provide relevant information about objects in the real world. It allows the user to scan the physical real-world environment and provides an enhanced or augmented experience by adding virtual computer-generated information. End-users can make use of this technology through apps developed for mobile devices.Publisher's analysts forecast the mobile augmented reality market for marketing and advertising in the US to grow at a CAGR of 95.35% over the period 2014-2019.For more informationCovered in this reportThis report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the mobile augmented reality market for marketing and advertising in the US for the period 2015-2019. It presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of vendors in the market. The report covers the overall ecosystem of the mobile augmented reality market, which includes augmented reality engine, augmented reality software applications, and augmented reality hardware. In addition, the report discusses the major drivers that influence the growth of the augmented reality market for marketing and advertising in the US. It also outlines the challenges faced by the vendors and the market at large, as well as the key trends emerging in the market.Publisher's report, Augmented Reality Market for Marketing and Advertising in the US 2015-2019, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the landscape of the market and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Augmented Pixels- Aurasma- Blippar- Catchoom- Metaio- NGRAIN- Qualcomm- Total Immersion- Wikitude- ZapparRequest Sample CopyMarket driver- High usage of mobile devices- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Lack of content- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend- Increased integration in mobile devices- For a full, detailed list, view our reportCompanies Mentioned:Augmented PixelsAurasmaBlipparCatchoomMetaioNGRAINQualcommTotal ImmersionWikitudeZapparMake an enquiry:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Guidewires 2017 Global Market Key Players  St.jude Medical, Boston Scientific Corporation, Cordis Corporation, CR Bard, Abbott Laboratories  Analysis and Forecast to 2022

Guidewires Market

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Guidewires Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com adds Guidewires Market Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Report Details:This report provides in depth study of Guidewires Market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Guidewires Market report also provides an in-depth survey of key players in the market which is based on the various objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization.Global Guidewires market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Guidewires sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player;The top Key players/Manufacturers including ;St.jude MedicalBoston Scientific CorporationCordis CorporationCR Bard, Inc.ASAHI INTECCTerumo CorporationCovidienplcMedtronic, Inc.Abbott LaboratoriesBraun Melsungen AGCook MedicalRequest a Sample Report @Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Guidewires for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPeripheral GuidewiresCoronary GuidewiresNeurovascular GuidewiresUrology GuidewiresOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Guidewires for each application, includingHospitalsClinicsOtherIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Complete Report Details@Major Key Points in Table of Content:Global Guidewires Sales Market Report 20171 Guidewires Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Guidewires1.2 Classification of Guidewires by Product Category1.2.1 Global Guidewires Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Guidewires Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Peripheral Guidewires1.2.4 Coronary Guidewires1.2.5 Neurovascular Guidewires1.2.6 Urology Guidewires1.3 Global Guidewires Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Guidewires Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Hospitals1.3.3 Clinics1.3.4 Other1.4 Global Guidewires Market by Region1.4.1 Global Guidewires Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Guidewires Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Guidewires Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Guidewires Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Guidewires Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Guidewires Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Guidewires Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Guidewires (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Guidewires Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Guidewires Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022).9 Global Guidewires Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data9.1 St.jude Medical9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.1.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.1.2.1 Product A9.1.2.2 Product B9.1.3 St.jude Medical Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.2 Boston Scientific Corporation9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.2.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.2.2.1 Product A9.2.2.2 Product B9.2.3 Boston Scientific Corporation Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.3 Cordis Corporation9.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.3.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.3.2.1 Product A9.3.2.2 Product B9.3.3 Cordis Corporation Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.4 CR Bard, Inc.9.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.4.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.4.2.1 Product A9.4.2.2 Product B9.4.3 CR Bard, Inc. Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.5 ASAHI INTECC9.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.5.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.5.2.1 Product A9.5.2.2 Product B9.5.3 ASAHI INTECC Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.6 Terumo Corporation9.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.6.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.6.2.1 Product A9.6.2.2 Product B9.6.3 Terumo Corporation Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.7 Covidienplc9.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.7.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.7.2.1 Product A9.7.2.2 Product B9.7.3 Covidienplc Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.8 Medtronic, Inc.9.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.8.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.8.2.1 Product A9.8.2.2 Product B9.8.3 Medtronic, Inc. Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.9 Abbott Laboratories9.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.9.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.9.2.1 Product A9.9.2.2 Product B9.9.3 Abbott Laboratories Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.10 Braun Melsungen AG9.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.10.2 Guidewires Product Category, Application and Specification9.10.2.1 Product A9.10.2.2 Product B9.10.3 Braun Melsungen AG Guidewires Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.11 Cook MedicalContinued.Buy now @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Sales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Trend Analysis of Global Transosteal Implants Market 2017

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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Transosteal Implants Sales Market Report 2017-2022 The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units) , revenue (Million USD) , market share and growth rate of Transosteal Implants for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast) , coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest Sample copy @Global Transosteal Implants market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Transosteal Implants sales volume, Price (USD/Unit) , revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingStraumann Holding AGDentsply Sirona IncHenry ScheinZimmer Biomet HoldingsDanaher Corporation3M Health CareIvoclar Vivadent AGBiconOsstem ImplantAVINENT Implant SystemOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoTitanium ImplantsZirconium ImplantsOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Transosteal Implants for each application, includingHospitalsDental ClinicsAcademic & Research InstitutesOthersFor more Information Visit @Table of Contents1 Digital Notes Market Overview2 Global Digital Notes Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application3 United States Digital Notes (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4 China Digital Notes (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5 Europe Digital Notes (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6 Japan Digital Notes (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7 Korea Digital Notes (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8 Taiwan Digital Notes (Volume, Value and Sales Price)9 Global Transosteal Implants Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data9.1 Straumann Holding AG9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.1.2 Transosteal Implants Product Category, Application and Specification9.1.2.1 Product A9.1.2.2 Product B9.1.3 Straumann Holding AG Transosteal Implants Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.2 Dentsply Sirona Inc9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.2.2 Transosteal Implants Product Category, Application and Specification9.2.2.1 Product A9.2.2.2 Product B9.2.3 Dentsply Sirona Inc Transosteal Implants Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.3 Henry Schein9.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.3.2 Transosteal Implants Product Category, Application and Specification9.3.2.1 Product A9.3.2.2 Product B9.3.3 Henry Schein Transosteal Implants Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.4 Zimmer Biomet Holdings9.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.4.2 Transosteal Implants Product Category, Application and Specification9.4.2.1 Product A9.4.2.2 Product B9.4.3 Zimmer Biomet Holdings Transosteal Implants Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview10 Digital Notes Maufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global Digital Notes Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase this Report @Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Cellulose Acetate Fibers Market is Growing at Significant Rate, 2021

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Cellulose acetate is the acetate ester of cellulose. It is processed from wood pulp for commercial purposes. The wood pulp is first processed using an acids known as acetic anhydride which goes on to form acetate flakes from which products are then manufactured. As this fiber is processed from wood pulp, which is a renewable source, it is biodegradable unlike other fabricated fibers. Besides wood pulp, the other technique involved in the manufacture of cellulose acetate is treating cotton with acetic acid and using sulphuric acid as the catalyst.A sample of this report is available upon request @The main applications of this fiber include its use in spectacle frames, film media, use in some coatings, synthetic fibers, cigarette filters among others. Its main use lies in the textile and cigarette-manufacturing industries as these industries are rapidly growing. The key properties of cellulose acetate fibers include high transparency, very lustrous, good toughness and a very soft and natural feel. Its biodegradable quality makes it the most wanted fiber globally. The trade name for this acetate includes Acele, Avisco, Celanese, Chromspun and Estron. This acetate has very similar properties as that of rayon and were earlier believed to be the same textile. However, the two textiles differ from each in the use of acetic acid in the production of acetate fibers. The two fabrics are now treated and used very differently. Rayon resists heat while cellulose acetate burns or melts when heated. Cellulose acetate fiber textiles should be laundered gently and either hand washed or dry cleaned. Due to its rich and smooth, satiny texture is is a good synthetic alternative to silk and is usually used in bridal clothing and other attire.The main factors that drive the market for cellulose acetate fibers is its use in cigarette products. The demand for cigarettes is increasing rapidly for the past few years. Cellulose acetate fibres are used in the production of cigarette buds and hence the demand for this material is expected to grow rapidly in the near future. The textile industry also makes use of this fiber in the manufacturing of garments and as the material is rich, smooth and satiny, it is a cheaper alternative to silk with similar qualities. the use of this material in textile industries is expected to drive the market continually especially its use in wedding gowns as the wedding industry is also a huge multimillion industry and generates huge revenues throughout the year. This material is considered biodegradable as it is made from wood pulp. Hence more industries would prefer to use this material as a raw material in order to manufacture their end product. The end users for this market include ophthalmologists, textile industries, cigarette industries which are rapidly growing industries globally and demand for these end product is still high and is expected to grow over the next few years.The key segments for this market include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. the usage of this fiber in the U.S. was the maximum for the past few years and was a mature market for this material.China follows the U.S, after which comes the rest of Asia Pacific and then Europe. The market for cellulose acetate fibers is expected to rise in Asia pacific countries as the number of textile industries is increasing and is anticipated to rise in the next few years. The demand for biodegradable fabric is very high and its use will enhance the sale of end products especially in North America and Europe as there wont be any stringent regulation against its use.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @The main companies profiled for the manufacture of cellulose acetate fibers include BASF AG, Formosa Plastics Group, Sinopec, Du Pont- Akra Polyester LLC, Bayer AG 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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Telepresence Equipment Market 2017 Industry Analysis - Polycom, Array Telepresence, Avaya Inc, Vidyo Inc

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The report titled Telepresence Equipment is an in-depth and a professional document that provides a comprehensive overview of the global Telepresence Equipment market. The report offers an executive-level blueprint of the Telepresence Equipment market commencing with the definition of the market dynamics. The analysis classifies the Telepresence Equipment market in terms of products, application, and key geographic regions like North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India.Presenting a detailed value chain analysis, the study assesses the set of region-specific approaches forged by the industry. To discern the market potential for Telepresence Equipment in the international scenario, the study probes into the contentious landscape and development landscape shown by the key geographic regions.Download Free Sample Report @The reports analysis is established on technical data and industry figures derived from the most prestigious databases. Other aspects that will prove especially favorable to readers of the report are: investment feasibility analysis, recommendations for growth, investment return analysis, trends analysis, opportunity analysis, and SWOT analyses of participating companies. With the aid of inputs and perception from technical and marketing experts, the report accords an objective judgment of the Telepresence Equipment market.This report also displays product specification, manufacturing process, and product cost structure etc. Production is segregated by regions, technology and applications. Analysis also covers upstream raw materials, equipment, downstream client survey, Marketing channels, Industry development trend and proposals. In the end, the report entails Telepresence Equipment new project SWOT analysis, Investment feasibility analysis, Investment return analysis, and Development trend analysis.In conclusion, it is an in depth research report on Global Telepresence Equipment industry. Here, we express our thanks for the support and assistance from Telepresence Equipment industry chain related technical experts and marketing engineers during Research Teams survey and interviews.Access Full Report @Other important aspects that have been meticulously studied in the Telepresence Equipment market report is: Demand and supply dynamics, import and export scenario, industry processes and cost structures, and major R&D initiatives. The new opportunities they present to market players have been mentioned in the report.Supported by comprehensive primary as well as secondary research, the report Global Telepresence Equipment Industry 2017 accords commercial market insights. This market research report has positioned suggestions from varied industry experts and also presents expensive counsel from specialists and accomplished market analysts.The business overview, recent developments, key strategies, and revenue share of chief market players in the global Telepresence Equipment market have been covered in the research report.About Fior MarketsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerOffice-102, Sanskriti AspirationsBaner Road, Pune,MH 411045IndiaPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Industrial Gloves Market Research Report | Forecast up to 2025

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The Asia Pacific Industrial Gloves Market is consolidated with top four companies holding a massive 61% of the market. These players are: Top Glove Corporation Bhd, Hartalega Sdn Bhd, Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd, and Supermax Corporation Bhd. Players in the market are competing with each other and attempting to gain an edge by means of product innovation, states a new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). Key players are acquiring established players in an effort to gain more market shares. A key strategy adopted by players is expanding their manufacturing capacities to acquire more share in the market. Exploring untapped markets and collaborating with companies are some of the other business strategies adopted by players in the Asia Pacific industrial gloves market.As per the report, the Asia Pacific industrial gloves market was worth US$0.66 bn in 2016 and is expected to reach US$1.25 bn by the end of 2025, expanding at a 7.6% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. On the basis of type, the market is expected to be led by disposable gloves. Re-usable gloves cause hygiene concerns and thus, disposable gloves are being preferred. In 2016, disposable gloves segment accounted for 75% of the market. On the basis of country, Malaysia is anticipated to continue to lead. The country accounted for 49.9% of the market in 2016.Request to download and view full ToC -Increasing Importance of Maintaining Worker Safety Driving Demand for Industrial GlovesWorker safety and worker health are gaining importance from the past few years and this is expected to drive the demand for industrial gloves. A number of industries have shown a positive response towards adopting industrial gloves for the sake of having a safe working environment for workers, thus boosting the market. In addition to this, stringent regulations have been implemented by governments across countries in Asia Pacific, which is anticipated to fuel the demand for industrial gloves. Rising cases of accidents in workplaces have created a need for safety measures, which is aiding the growth of this market. Governments and other regulatory bodies are taking strong actions against those employers and industries that do not adhere to the safety norms. This is compelling employers and industries to adopt various protective gears for their employees.Request to view Sample Report -Lack of Awareness among Worker Population to Challenge DemandAsia Pacific is anticipated to witness a strong growth in the industrial gloves market as the region is facing rapid industrialization and flourishing industries such as textile, chemical, or automotive. Demand for industrial gloves is especially high from the rubber industry. 93% of the global rubber production is in Asia and thus, a high demand for gloves persist from this industry. Rubber industries are domiciled in Indonesia and Thailand. On the other hand, a large number of the worker population is still unaware about industrial protective gears, which is obstructing the markets growth. However, steps are being taken towards educating workers about the importance of following safety standards. This is anticipated to reduce the impact of this restraint in the forecast period. In addition to this, there lies an opportunity in the untapped developing countries in Asia Pacific, states a TMR analyst. Moreover, it is expected that some new industries will emerge in this region, which will create a heightened demand for industrial gloves by creating fresh opportunities in the market.Industrial Gloves Market Report is available @ US$ 5795About 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:
Silver Dressing Market 2017 - Annual Reports, SEC Filings, SWOT, Stock Report, Credit Score, Income Statements, Balance Sheet, Cash Flows

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Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Silver Dressing Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Silver Dressing Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Silver Dressing industry, and estimates the future trend of Silver Dressing market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Silver Dressing Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This Report3M HealthcareColoplastMedline IndustriesBSN MedicalMedtronic PlcSmith and NephewConvaTecDerma SciencesThe market research report explores the Silver Dressing market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Silver Dressing Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Silver Dressing market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Silver Dressing. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Silver Dressing market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Silver Dressing is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Silver Dressing market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Silver Dressing market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The worldwide Silver Dressing market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Silver Dressing production volume, data pertaining to demand and Silver Dressing supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Silver Dressing along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Silver Dressing across the world.About UsApex Research offer latest market research reports 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 Chemica1l and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.bizPhone: +177390426831155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4250Chicago, IL 60606
Global IoT Fleet Management Market 2017 Industry Analysis - IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Cisco Systems

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Global IoT Fleet Management Industry 2017 is an inclusive, adept report administering market research data that is pertinent for new market accepted players. The report emphasizes on global paramount dominant industry players with instruction such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information.Download Free Sample Report @The report, arranged by an extremely seasoned team of analysts and data experts, carries a formation of tables and graphs besides qualitative analyses. Commencing with a dialogue on the current state of the IoT Fleet Management market, the report goes on to discuss the dynamics influencing each segment within it. Complete guidance about the chief segments of the market and their expansion likelihood are obtainable in the report. The combative landscape of the market showed in the study outlines the most eminent players in the market.The IoT Fleet Management market research study has been unperturbed using key inputs from industry experts. Moreover, the comprehensive primary and secondary research data with which the report has been composed aids in delivering the chief statistical prediction, in terms of both revenue and volume. In addition to this, the trends and revenue analysis of the global IoT Fleet Management market has been mentioned in this report. This will provide a explicit panorama to the readers how the IoT Fleet Management market will succeed in globe.A basic overview of the IoT Fleet Management market is provided to readers through the use of market definition, segmentation, applications, and value chain analysis. Various strategies and news are also involved in the IoT Fleet Management Market report. The production procedure is inspected with respect to varied facets like, Manufacturing Plant Distribution, Capacity, Commercial production, R&D status, Raw material source and Technology source.Access Full Report @This report also depicts product Specification, Manufacturing process, and Product cost structure etc. Production is segregated by Regions, Technology and Applications. Analysis also covers upstream raw materials, Equipment, Downstream client survey, Marketing channels, Industry Development Trend and proposals. In the end, the report incorporates IoT Fleet Management new project SWOT analysis, Investment Feasibility Analysis, Investment Return Analysis, and Development Trend Analysis. In conclusion, it is a deep research report on Global IoT Fleet Management Industry.The company profiles of the major participants operating in the global IoT Fleet Management market have been reviewed in this study.About Fior MarketsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerOffice-102, Sanskriti AspirationsBaner Road, Pune,MH 411045IndiaPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems  Global Market Outlook (2016-2022)

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The report on global Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems market portrays comprehensive information and conducts a complete study to provide latest market updates and information about present and forecast market scenario. The changes taking place in Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems are elaborated in this report to help readers in making vital business decisions. The Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems industry details are provided in the form of graphs, pie-charts to help the emerging and existing market players, buyers, and suppliers in planning the business strategies. These details will fuel the development of their business and will bring huge revenues in return.Further, this report incorporates both quantitative as well as qualitative data sets which include market framework, executive summary for the global Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems market.The report also includes key players profile description, details on fiscal & accounting, business tactics and fresh developments in global Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Market.Tools for competition mapping are also inculcated in the report as an assistant to the end users.Do Inquiry Before Purchasing Report at:Illustration of each segment is precisely done in the further section of the research study.Global Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Market report is primarily segmentized into three major segments i.e product type, applications and geographical/region.Key Players/Manufacturers in the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Market are also enlisted in report.Key Dominant players enlisted in Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems market:Request for Sample Pages Of Report at :Market SegmentationGeographical distribution of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems MarketThe global Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Market is studied for five major geographic regions namely: USA, Europe, China, Japan, India, South East Asia.Market dimensions and prognosis for each regional and country-level market are added in the report for the examined periods.Further the global Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Market is segmented into Product Types , applicationsSplit by Product TypesSplit by applicationsOverall, this report will guide Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems manufacturers, system integrators, and related business partners to identify key investment regions and define their strategies.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the worlds most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4,Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns,Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041.Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog:
Shavers Market: Trends and Opportunities for the Industry by 2024

Emerging Trends in Shavers Market

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According to the research report, the global shavers market offered an opportunity worth US$46.38 bn in 2015. Estimated to rise at a CAGR 4.80% during the period from 2016 to 2024, the market will reach US$70.24 bn by the end of the forecast period. In terms of volume, the market is anticipated to touch 7.90 billion units mark over the same period of time. The demand for non-electric shavers is higher than their electric counterparts. Researchers expect this scenario to remain same throughout the period of the forecast, thanks to the user-friendly features of non-electric shavers and no requirement of electricity or battery for their operations.In this research report, a geographical analysis of the global market for shavers has also been provided to the readers. As per the study, the worldwide shavers market is spread across North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific. In 2015, Europe acquired the dominant position in this market with a share of nearly 43%. The regional market is anticipated to retain its position throughout the period of forecast on the grounds of the economic recovery in Europe, owing to which, consumers are again getting the confidence to uptake system razors and electric shavers.Asia Pacific and Latin America are also expected to witness a healthy progress in their market sizes, thanks to the increasing trend of urbanization and the rise in the purchasing power of consumers, notes the research study.Request to view Sample Report:The increasing aesthetic consciousness and the growing interest in personal grooming among people across the world are having the most prominent influence on the uptake of shavers for the removal of facial and body hairs, says an analyst of TMR. The global market for shavers is also gaining significant impetus due to the rising awareness among consumers regarding personal hygiene and cleanliness.While the female population base in developed countries has emerged as a prominent consumer base of shavers, reflecting greatly on the markets growth; their counterparts in the emerging economies are still showing less interest in personal grooming, which may hamper the progress of this market over the forecast period. Along with this, the dearth of knowledge regarding personal hygiene among them may also hamper the market to some extent in the long run.Over the forthcoming years, the rise in disposable income of consumers, which is likely to increase their purchasing power, will have a positive impact on the market for shavers across the world. The escalating investments from leading players to increase the research activities, in a bid to invent state-of-art products, is also projected to propel this market remarkably in the near future, states the research report.Request to Download TOC of the Report:With only a few companies, such as Panasonic, Philips, and P&G, having a stronghold on the entire market, the global market for shavers demonstrates a consolidated competitive landscape, finds a research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). These companies are likely to aggressively focus on innovation and product development to remain in competition over the next few years.Global Shavers Market Report is available @ US$ 5795 :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.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Hair Care Market Research Report | Key Growth Factors and Forecast up to 2024

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Henkel, LOreal S.A, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever that collectively held more than 55% of The Global Hair Care Market in 2015 depict a considerably consolidated vendor landscape, as per a research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). To maintain a strong presence, product innovation has thus far been the most successful business strategy for companies in the hair care market, says the author of the report.A case in point is Henkel Corporation. In January 2014, the company introduced OSiS+, a new hair product that gives volume. LOreal S.A too introduced a series of hair products with oil content. Brand expansion has also been favorable for some of the key players such as Unilever plc., which has leading hair care brands Dive, Sunsilk, Lux, Clear, and TRESemme to its name.A report by TMR predicts the global hair care market is likely to expand at a CAGR of 3.0% between 2016 and 2014, for the market to reach US$105.3 bn by the end of 2024 from its evaluated worth of US481.3 bn in 2015.Developing Countries in APAC and MEA to Present Lucrative Growth OpportunitiesVis-a-vis revenue, the shampoo product segment led the global hair care market in 2015 with a share of 30.9%. Changing social and economic demographics along with changing weather and rising pollution level are key reasons for the rising demand for shampoo.In particular, natural and organic source based shampoos and herbal shampoos are expected to display strong growth over the forecast period. This is because the rising acceptance for traditional health and beauty practices that favors the use of natural ingredients will boost the demand for herbal shampoos in countries such as India, China and countries in the Middle East. Asia Pacific held the leading share of 33.12% in the overall market in 2016. On the other hand, the Middle East and Africa is anticipated to display a robust 4.0% CAGR between 2016 and 2024.Request to download and view full ToC -Self-grooming Outlook and Willingness to Spend on Premium Products Bolsters GrowthThe increasing demand for natural hair care products due to the rising acceptance that they help maintain healthy hair in the long run is the key growth driver of the global hair care market. The purchasing decision of consumers are increasingly being impacted by this trend, and as a result traditional plant and botanical source based products are making a comeback. Companies are also striving to introduce new products that are inspired by natural ingredients.In emerging economies, excessive urbanization and changing lifestyle has taken a toll on health and beauty regimes of individuals. This is making a comeback for natural and organic hair care and skin care products as they are free of chemicals and synthetic ingredients.Request to view Sample Report -The rising awareness for personal grooming and rising disposable incomes is also displaying a demand for premium hair care products in these countries. Consumers especially the youth are willing to spend on an array of hair styling products such as mousse, gels, sprays, etc. for appearance. In the UAE, willingness of consumers to spend on premium hair care products is leading to the rising demand for salon-inspired products.The ever-increasing influence of the fashion industry and a rising aging population is leading to an increasing demand for hair colors. Male consumers have been observed to be major consumer of this product segment as male grooming products have gained much popularity in recent years.Hair Care Market Report is available @ US$ 5795About 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:
Digital Door Lock System Market Research Report | Forecast up to 2024

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The Global Digital Door Lock System Market is intensely competitive but features a slightly fragmented landscape, notes Transparency Market Research (TMR). The market is characterized by low barrier of entry for new companies while the noted presence of local players in a number of regional markets intensifies the competitive spirit. The advent of advanced security technologies is further anticipated to intensify the competition in the market. However, the large number of buyers and end users in major regional markets is anticipated to offer sustained opportunities for the growth of several emerging and established vendors alike. Various emerging markets are expected to provide lucrative avenues for many local and global manufacturers. This is attributed to the low investments required in the initial years, observes TMR. Some of the key players operating in the market include Siemens AG, Allegion PLC, the Assa Abloy Group, Cisco Systems, Inc., and Godrej & Boyce.The global market for digital door lock system is projected to rise at an impressive CAGR of 32.8% from 2016 to 2024. Rising at this pace, the market is anticipated to reach US$11.23 bn by the end of 2024 from the valuation of US$920.7 mn in 2015.View Report-Based on type, the digital door lock system market is segmented into biometrics and keypad locks. Major types of biometrics are face recognition, iris recognition, palm recognition, voice recognition, signature recognition, and fingerprint recognition. Of these, the biometrics segment held the major revenue and is projected to remain dominant in the years to come. Regionally, the market is segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Africa (MEA), and South America. Of these, Asia Pacific is anticipated to provide the most promising opportunities for market players along the forecast period.Request to download and view full ToC -Operational Expansion of MSME Businesses in Emerging Economies to Bolster DemandThe surge in the number of micro-, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) across the globe and the swift pace of industrialization in several emerging economies world over are the key factors driving the digital door lock system market. The geographical expansion of services and operations of emerging businesses in developing regions has led to the demand for advanced security technologies, thereby stimulating the demand for digital door lock systems. For example, the growing number of new offices opened by MSME businesses has catalyzed the demand for efficient and cost-effective digital door security systems and solutions in workplaces.The vast increase in residential and commercial constructions is a crucial factor bolstering the uptake of digital security systems. The incorporation of advanced technologies such as iris recognition and signature recognition in biometric systems is a key development boosting the market. In addition, the growing demand for reliable and convenient security systems among residential users is also expected to bode well for the digital door lock system market.Request to view Sample Report -High Cost of Advanced Digital Door Lock Solutions to Hinder DemandThe exorbitant cost of various premium product varieties offered by renowned brands is a key factor hindering the growth of the market to an extent. In addition, vast amounts required for timely troubleshooting and costly repairs have further hampered the demand for digital security systems in cash-strapped businesses and among organizations in low-income nations. Nevertheless, the accelerated deployment of fingerprint recognition devices across numerous commercial spaces is expected to boost the market.Furthermore, recent advances made in sectors such as banking, IT, and IT-enabled services (ITES) and the proliferation of internet-of-things (IoT) devices in developing and developed regions is likely to accentuate the market in the coming years. In addition, recent technological advances in biometrics for a variety of end-use industries have transformed access control systems and is anticipated to unlock exciting opportunities for market players in the forthcoming years.Digital Door Lock System Market Report is available @ US$ 5795About 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:
Operational Predictive Maintenance Market Insights & Global Outlook 2017-2022

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In our aim to provide our erudite clients with the best research material with absolute in-depth information of the market, our new report on Global Operational Predictive Maintenance Market is confident in meeting their needs and expectations. The 2017 market research report on Global Operational Predictive Maintenance Market is an in-depth study and analysis of the market by our industry experts with unparalleled domain knowledge. The report will shed light on many critical points and trends of the industry which are useful for our esteemed clients. The report covers a vast expanse of information including an overview, comprehensive analysis, definitions and classifications, applications, and expert opinions, among others. With the extent of information filled in the report, the presentation and style of the Global Operational Predictive Maintenance Market report is a noteworthy.Get a PDF sample of this report @The Global Operational Predictive Maintenance Industry report provides key information about the industry, including invaluable facts and figures, expert opinions, and the latest developments across the globe. Not only does the report cover a holistic view of the industry from a global standpoint, but it also covers individual regions and their development. The Global Operational Predictive Maintenance Industry report showcases the latest trends in the global and regional markets on all critical parameters which include technology, supplies, capacity, production, profit, price, and competition. The key players covered in the report provide a detailed analysis of the competition and their developments in the Global Operational Predictive Maintenance Industry. Accurate forecasts and expert opinion from credible sources, and the recent R&D development in the industry is also a mainstay of the Operational Predictive Maintenance Market report.Access the complete report with TOC & List of Tables @The report also focuses on the significance of industry chain analysis and all variables, both upstream and downstream. These include equipment and raw materials, client surveys, marketing channels, and industry trends and proposals. Other significant information covering consumption, key regions and distributors, and raw material suppliers are also a covered in this report.Finally, the Operational Predictive Maintenance Market report ends with a detailed SWOT analysis of the market, investment feasibility and returns, and development trends and forecasts. As with every report on Orbis Research, the Operational Predictive Maintenance Industry is the holy grail of information which serious knowledge seekers can benefit from. The report which is the result of ultimate dedication of pedigree professionals has a wealth of information which can benefit anyone, irrespective of their commercial or academic interest.Have any query? Feel free to ask us @Some TOC Points:Chapter One: Operational Predictive Maintenance Market OverviewChapter Two: Global Operational Predictive Maintenance Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter Three: Global Operational Predictive Maintenance Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2011-2016)Chapter Four: Global Operational Predictive Maintenance Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016)...ContinuedAbout Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Email id: sales@orbisresearch.com
Sun Care Products Market - Global Industry Insights, Distribution Channels, Key Market Players

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In United States, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer with more than one million cases reported annually. Some exposure to sunlight is not harmful but excessive exposure is dangerous. Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lead to painful sunburn. It may lead to more serious health problems including premature aging of skin, eye damage, immune system suppression, and skin cancer. The U.S environmental protection agency recommended some steps to protect from sunlight, among which one of the important step is to apply sunscreen generously about one ounce to cover all exposed skin 20 min before going outside.Request sample of Sun Care Products Market :Sun care products are made up of several ingredients, help to prevent the suns ultraviolet radiation reaching to the skin. Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is the measure of how sunscreen protect the skin from UVB rays, which causes sunburn, skin damage, and can contribute to skin cancer. The different factors of sunscreen has different properties, for example SPF 15 allows one to stay in the sunlight without burning for approximately 150 min. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives the standards to all sunscreen manufacturing companies, in order to make a UVB claim all sunscreen must undergo FDA approved SPF.Sun Care Products Market TaxonomyOn the basis of product type, the sun care products market is classified asSun protection productsAfter sun ProductsSelf-tanning care productsOn the basis of gender, the sun care products market classified asFemaleMaleChildOn the basis of form, the sun care products market is classified asCreamGelLotionPowderLiquidWipesSprayOthersOn the basis of distribution channel, the sun care products market is classified asHypermarketsSupermarketsSpecialty StoresConvenient StoresOnline MarketsGet discount on this report:Sun care product with SPF 15 or higher do great job in protecting from UVB. In terms of percentage, SPF 15 can filter approximately 92% of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 can filter 97% and SPF 50 can 98%. It may be a negligible difference but it worries to skin sensitive person or having history of skin cancer.Products containing para-amino benzoic acid (PABA) or oxybenzone as well as those containing preservatives or fragrances can cause allergy-prone skin or conditions such as acne or rosacea so dermatologist recommend to avoid such products.Sun Care Products Market outlookChanges in external environment, depletion of ozone layer, pollution, and skin disorders are increasing day by day. Increasing awareness of harmful effects of UV rays in populace has led to the growth of sun care products. In addition, sun care products are being recommended as an essential product by dermatologists in order to maintain the health of the skin.Higher per capita spending on sun care products in emerging countries, growing consumer awareness about harmful UV effects, increasing popularity of health ingredients in sun care products, rise in demand of SPF and anti-aging products drives the sun care market in regions such as North America and Europe. North America is the largest market in sun care products followed by Europe.Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest growing market during the forecast period.According to International Agency of Research on cancer (IARC) of WHO, estimated number of units sold worldwide in US every year are approximately 163 million and is growing at a burgeoning pace.Check the trending report Sun Care Products Market:Key Players in the Global Sun Care Products MarketSome of the key market players in Global sun care products market include OLAY(US), L'OREAL(France), Avene(France), NIVEA(Germany), Mentholatum(US), Pechoin(China), Neutrogena(US), ANESSA(Japan), Biore(Japan), LANCOME(France), Hanhoo(China), SOFINA(Japan), SHISEIDO(Japan), MeiFuBao(China), CHANDO(China), MARUBI(China), LANEIGE(Korea), KANS(China), Clinique(US), and Kiehl's(US).About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:
Edible Oils and Fats Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2017-25

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Edible oils and fats are esters of carboxylic acids and glycerols. Oils are liquid at room temperature while fats are partially solid at room temperature. Oils and fats are used in cooking to improve taste and give good texture. The demand for edible oils and fats is attributed to the growing demand for fried and processed food, increasing number of restaurants and fast food joints, urbanization and increasing population.Request sample of Edible Oils and Fats Market:The major challenge for edible oil and fat industry is the growing health problems caused by oils and fats such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Various innovative cholesterol free, low fat, low calorie oils enriched with vitamins and antioxidants are introduced in the market. These innovative products are increasing the demand of oils and fats in the global market.Global Edible Oils and Fats -Market TaxonomyBased on product type, global edible oils and fats is segmented into:Vegetable and Seed oilSpreadable oils and fatsButterMargarineOlive OilCooking FatsOthersBased on source, global edible oils and fats is segmented into:PlantAnimalBased on End use industries, global edible oils and fats is segmented into:CommercialFood industriesBased on Processing, global edible oils and fats is segmented into:ExpellerCold pressingGet discount on this report:Various vegetable oils such as soya bean, sunflower, cotton seed, groundnut, coconut oil are commonly used. Edible animal fats utilized are tallow and lard. Oils and fats are extracted using Expeller pressed and cold pressed techniques. In expeller pressed, the pressure and friction results in extraction of oil while in cold-pressed technique low temperatures are used.Global Edible Oils and Fats Market OutlookIn North America, the edible oils and fats market is driven by advanced manufacturing procedures, high capita per income and increasing demand for fast food by public.In Europe, there is a shift of consumers to high quality edible oils and fats due increased awareness about health. Low calorie, low fat and cholesterol free oils and fats are majorly preferred in this region, which in turn has anticipated the growth of global edible oils and fats market.Asia pacific is the largest market for edible oils and fats owing to increasing population especially in India and China.In South America, Middle East and Africa, the burgeoning growth in the commercial sector have boosted the market for edible oils and fats.Check the trending report of Edible Oils and Fats Market:The companies are adopting various organic and inorganic growth strategies to sustain their market positions such as new product launch, geographical expansion, merger and acquisition. An example of such strategy is the acquisition of Dalmia olive oil business by Cargill Inc in 2014. The important players in the market for edible oils and fats are Adani Wilmar Ltd., Ruchi Borges Mediterranean Group, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cargill Inc., American Vegetable Oils, Inc., Beidahuang Group, Fuji Vegetable Oil, Inc., ConAgra Foods Inc., International Foodstuff Company Limited, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., United Plantations Berhad, Associated British Foods plc, CHS Inc., Unilever plc, Bunge Limited, Mother Diary and Wilmar International Limited.About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Pharmaceutical Filtration Market is Expected to Record a Robust CAGR of 6.1% by 2022

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Active pharmaceutical ingredients are a key component of the pharmaceutical industry in the 21st century. Filters are essential in a number of cases during the course of API creation and are necessary in bioscience laboratory applications as well. An increased production of large biologics and molecules, nano fibre technological advancements, generic market growth, and regulatory guidelines for cleanroom pharmaceutical production are the main factors driving the pharmaceutical filtration market. Additional funds diverted towards R&D expenditure by major biopharmaceutical organizations also boost the profile of the pharmaceutical filtration market. According to Future Market Insights, the pharmaceutical filtration market is expected to record a robust CAGR of 6.1% for the period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturing has the major portion of the revenue share in the pharmaceutical filtration market by operation in 2017 and is likely to remain so throughout the duration of the forecast period. The manufacturing segment is expected to cross a value of more than US$ 9.3 billion by end 2022 making it imperative for companies to be present in this operation segment of the pharmaceutical filtration market. The pilot scale segment follows at a considerable distance but cannot be overlooked entirely in favour of manufacturing. The pilot scale filtration segment has strong scope in North America as the continent represents a little over a third of the pharmaceutical filtration market and is estimated to retain this share going forwardView and Download TOC of Pharmaceutical Filtration Market Research Report@The cell separation segment comprises slightly above a sixth of the pharmaceutical filtration market by application and is predicted to lose popularity in the future. Nonetheless, the North America cell separation market alone is on track to push past a billion dollars by end 2022 and companies are advised to take this into account while devising their business strategies. The water purification segment has a similar revenue share to the cell separation segment in the pharmaceutical filtration market by application. After North America, the water purification segment is particularly prominent in EuropeIn terms of technology, microfiltration is quite popular as it contributes nearly half the revenue share in the pharmaceutical filtration market in the year 2017. Furthermore, microfiltration is anticipated to witness a high CAGR of more than 5.5% for the period 2017-2022 ensuring that all key stakeholders have ample opportunity in this lucrative technology. Ultrafiltration is not as prominent as microfiltration in the pharmaceutical filtration market but is gaining traction recently. Ultrafiltration technology has the greatest scope in both North America and Europe as these two continents are projected to cross a billion dollars in terms of value by end 2022Request and Download Sample Report@North America is the largest region in the pharmaceutical filtration market and is poised to grow to more than US$ 6 billion by end 2022The report has profiled a few of the companies in the pharmaceutical filtration market. These include The Marmon Group LLC, Sartorius Stedim Biotech, Meissner Filtration Products, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Pall Corporation, Merck KGaA, GE Healthcare Inc., Eaton Corporation Plc., Amazon Filters Ltd., and 3M Companies.Buy Full Pharmaceutical Filtration Market Report@About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Non-Destructive Testing and Inspection Market By Industry Analysis, Drivers, Segmentation, Company Share Analysis 2024

"Global Non-Destructive Testing and Inspection Market" Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024

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Global Non-Destructive Testing and Inspection Market, By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa), By Technique (Ultrasonic Testing (UT), Visual Testing, Magnetic Particle Testing (MPT), Liquid Penetrant Testing (LPT), Eddy Current Testing (ECT), Radiographic Testing (RT), Acoustic Emission Testing (AET)); By Method (Visual Inspection, Surface Inspection, Volumetric Inspection) By Service (Inspection Services, Equipment Rental Services, Calibration Services, Training Services), By Vertical (Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Aerospace & Defense, Public Infrastructure, Automotive, Power Generation)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report AnalysisGlobal Non-Destructive Testing and Inspection Market accounted for USD 7.5 billion in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic year 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Report DefinitionNon-destructive testing and inspection is a non-invasive inspection technique used to testing, or evaluating materials, components or assemblies for discontinuities, or differences in characteristics without causing damage to the serviced part or system. These testing services are performed in variety of industries such as manufacturing, oil & gas, aerospace & defense, public infrastructure, automotive, power generation to comply with a wide variety of industry standards, government contracts, and unique customer requirements.Request for Sample Report @Major Market Drivers: Rising adoption of IOT solutions Continuous advancements in electronics, and automation & robotics Strong government to safety and product quality regulations Increasing need for the capability of aging assetsReport Segmentation: Global Non-Destructive Testing and Inspection MarketThe non-destructive testing and inspection market is segmented on the basis of technique into Ultrasonic Testing (UT), Visual Testing, Magnetic Particle Testing (MPT), Liquid Penetrant Testing (LPT), Eddy Current Testing (ECT), Radiographic Testing (RT), Acoustic Emission Testing (AET), and Other Techniques.The global non-destructive testing and inspection market is also segmented on the basis of method into visual inspection, surface inspection, volumetric inspection, and other methods.On the basis of service, the global non-destructive testing and inspection market is further segmented into inspection services, equipment rental services, calibration services, and training services.On the basis of end-user, the global non-destructive testing and inspection market is further segmented manufacturing, oil & gas, aerospace & defense, public infrastructure, automotive, power generation.On the basis of geography, global non-destructive testing and inspection market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Inquiry before Buying @Company Share Analysis: Global Non-Destructive Testing and Inspection MarketThe report for non-destructive testing and inspection market include detailed vendor level analysis for market shares in 2016 for Global, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America specifically. Also impact and development analysis of key vendors is registered in the market and factored on the basis of Vendor Positioning Grid Analysis which measures the vendors strengths and opportunities against present market challenges, measure providers ability to identify or satisfy present market needs, map providers market vision to current and upcoming market dynamics among others. The report also measures technology life line curve and market time line to analyze and do more affective investments.Major Market Competitors: Global Non-Destructive Testing and Inspection MarketSome of the major players of the global non-destructive testing and inspection market are General Electric Company, Olympus Corporation, Ashtead Technology Ltd., MISTRAS Group Inc., Nikon Corporation, Magnaflux Corporation, Zetec Inc., Sonatest Ltd., Sonotron NDT, Bosello High Tech SRL, Yxlon International GMBH, Fischer Technology Inc., Eddyfi NDT Inc., FujiFilm Corporation, ibg NDT Systems Corporation, Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG., KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, Magnetic Analysis Corporation, NDTS India (P) Limited, among others.View Full Report Visit @Related ReportGlobal Sensor Patch Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Sensor Patch Market, By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa), By Product (Temperature Sensor Patch, Blood Glucose Sensor Patch, Blood Pressure/Flow Sensor Patch, Heart Rate Sensor Patch, ECG Sensor Patch, Blood Oxygen Sensor Patch); By Application (Monitoring, Diagnostics) By End-Users (Healthcare, Fitness and Sports)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit Blog:Follow us on LinkedIn:
Egypt Automotive Parts Aluminium & Magnesium Die Casting Market Report 2017, Trends, Analysis, Share, Estimates and Forecasts to 2022.

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The Egypt Automotive Parts Aluminium & Magnesium Die-Casting report provides an in-depth analysis of the various market segments and its sub-segments.Product types Covered: Pressure die casting Semi-solid die casting Squeeze die casting Vacuum die castingApplications Covered: Body assemblies Engine Parts Transmission parts OthersFor More, Please Visit:The report focuses on current and upcoming market trends such as Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, and Challenges, technological advancements, Porters Five Forces analysis to assess the intensity of competition in the market. The market values are presented in the form of tables and graphs for better interpretation.Market Size EstimationsThe market assessment is made by the core industry experts using our 360 research approach. The data is derived from the most reliable, authenticated data sources and is validated by the industry experts (Primary Research). Both top down and bottom up analysis are implemented to enhance the accuracy of the market figures. The market projections are calculated for the next 8 years using the actual market numbers of previous year as the base year.Company ProfilingThis section provides the overview of the key players that are leading in the industry, covering their business operations, financials, list of products & services, SWOT analysis, major developments such as mergers & acquisitions, agreements, partnerships, joint ventures, new product launch, expansions etc.Report Highlights:- Market share assessments for all the mentioned market segments and sub-segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 8 years for all the given segments- 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 advancementsFor More, Please Visit: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.STRATISTICS MRC17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg,MD, 20877, USA
Competent Cells Market to Register an Impressive 8.1% CAGR by 2022

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A latest research study published by Future Market Insights (FMI) projects the global competent cells market to register an impressive 8.1% CAGR throughout the forecast period 2017 to 2022. The global market for competent cells is estimated to exceed US$ 2,000 Mn in revenues by 2022-end.Competent Cells Available in the Market in Ready-to-use FormatsPreparations of competent cells, along with other methods of transformation, have been continuously improvised, since the development of E. colis artificial transformation with the help of electroporation and chemicals. Currently, various competent cells are available in the market in ready-to-use formats for propagating cloned plasmids in the experiments of molecular biology. These competent cells are prepared for different transformation procedures, genotypes, packaging, and transformation efficiencies.With the advent of new technologies, several advancements have been witnessed in the molecular cloning research. Over the past few years, the recombinant proteins and molecular cloned products have experienced a robust commercial demand, thereby driving adoption of competent cells. However, adoption of competent cells is witnessing strong barriers on the back of increasing consolidation of the market, and huge cost of kits related to competent cells.View and Download TOC of Competent Cells Market Research Report@North America will Continue to be Largest Market for Competent CellsIn terms of revenues, North America is anticipated to remain the largest market for competent cells, with sales estimated to exceed US$ 750 Mn in revenues by 2022-end. Huge investments in research and development activities associated with competent cells is driving the market in North America. In addition, the market in Europe is estimated to create an absolute $ opportunity of nearly US$ 200 Mn between 2017 and 2022.On the basis of product type, although chemically competent cells will continue to be sought-after in the market, sales of electrocompetent cells are projected to register a relatively faster expansion through 2022. Growing demand for electrocompetent cells can be mainly attributed to their provision of high transformation efficiencies, making them suitable for several molecular biology applications, for example  construction of gene banks, or, generation of cDNA libraries. Revenues from sales of electrocompetent cells are projected to account for nearly one-third share of the market over the forecast period.Academic Research Institutes to Remain Largest End-users of Competent CellsAcademic research institutes are anticipated to remain the largest end-users of competent cells throughout the forecast period. Sales of competent cells in academic research institutes are projected to exhibit an impressive expansion to account for nearly half revenue share of the market during 2017 to 2022. However, sales of competent cells in pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies are expected to register the fastest expansion through 2022. Contract research organisations are expected to be the least lucrative end-users of competent cells in the global market.Request and Download Sample Report@Competent cells are expected to find the largest application in cloning during 2017 to 2022. Governments across the globe are providing tremendous support and funding for research and development activities associated with cloning. Revenues from sales of competent cells for application in cloning are estimated to account for over half revenue share of the market during the forecast period. Sales of competent cells for application in protein expression are expected to register the highest CAGR through 2022.Leading Market Players focusing on Increasing their Product PortfolioGlobal leading players in the competent cells market are focusing on increasing their product folio, in a bid to gain a competitive edge in the market. Key players listed in FMIs report on the global competent cells market include Agilent Technologies Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Genescript Biotech Corporation, Illumina, Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., New England Biolabs Inc., OriGene Technologies, Inc., QIAGEN N.V., Thermo Fischer Scientific, Inc., and Zymo Research Corporation.Buy Full Competent Cells Market Report@About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Growth of Waterborne UV Coating Systems Market Projected to Amplify During 2015 - 2021

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Waterborne UV coating systems is developed as a replacement for solvent coating systems. In order to meet specific requirements of the industries, these systems are available as UV coating systems within waterborne coating technology and waterborne coating systems within UV coating technology. Waterborne UV coating systems are easy to matt, superior in adhesion and are simple and easy to use. Waterborne UV coating systems are used in a variety of applications such as plastic, paper, soft touch coating, industrial metal, wood flooring, vinyl flooring and wood furniture (especially in kitchen and office) among others.A sample of this report is available upon request @Increasing environmental awareness and concern for our surrounding is expected to drive the global waterborne UV coating systems. The presence of stringent environmental standards for emission of volatile organic compounds imposed by various governments and regulatory bodies has played a crucial role in the development of a substitute for solvent coating systems. Waterborne UV coating systems uses water as the solvent unlike the solvent system which utilizes harmful chemicals. Moreover, the waterborne UV coating systems are easy to apply and have its emerging benefits as composite repair, direct to metal applications, sunshine-cure coatings for decking and aerospace application among others.The growing construction and furniture industry, particularly in China is expected to boost the growth of the market. Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest consumer of waterborne UV coating systems in the next few years, owing to the increasing population and growing industry for secondary processed products especially in China and India. Currently, Europe is the largest market for waterborne UV coating systems due to the stringent regulations with respect to the environment in this region. Therefore, numerous automobile companies in this region are replacing solvent coating systems with waterborne UV coating systems.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Bayers MaterialScience, Axalta Coating Systems, Nanovere Technologies, Becker coatings and Sirca SpA are some of the key participants of the waterborne UV coating systems.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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Contact Lens Market Estimated to Accumulate more than US$18.70 bn by 2024

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According to a TMR analyst, The global market for contact lens is expected to register a CAGR of 7.6% between 2016 and 2024. In 2015, the market was worth US$9.74 bn and is projected to rise to a valuation of US$18.70 bn by the end of 2024.View Full Report:Cast Molding Surfaces as Most Preferred Manufacturing TechnologyThe core technologies that are used for contact lens manufacturing are lathe cutting, cast molding, and spin casting. Amongst all these the most sought after technology in 2015 was cast molding with an overall share of 80% in the global contact lens market and it is expected that it will maintain the dominant position in the coming years. The growth of the market can be attributed to the computer controlled and automated manufacturing of the contact lenses with the aid of the technology of cast molding. This process assures the manufacturer of high quality and accuracy in the end product. In addition, injection molding further enables bulk manufacturing for extensively prominent disposable lens types, thus making cast molding the most preferred method for cost reduction. However, cast molding will continue its reign in the market, it might lose its popularity to the technology of lathe cutting.Request to view Sample Report:Region-wise, the global market for contact lens has been segmented into North America, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. At present, North America leads the market with almost 30% of the overall share in the global market owing to the number of senior and middle aged ophthalmological patients and a significant rise in ophthalmic issues in the region. However, Asia Pacific is expected to give a tough competition to North America with the most promising and lucrative opportunities present in the market for the players in the near future.Popularity of Lenses as a Fashion Accessory to Propel Demand GloballyRequest to download and view full ToC:The rise in the number of cases of weekend eyesight and refractory errors among the young population has increased the adoption of contact lenses globally. Youngsters are incessantly preferring contact lenses for aesthetics, convenience, and comfort and their easy availability with variety of colors and disposable varieties have also triggered their use a fashion accessory among the young and middle aged population. Furthermore, regular attempts are being made by manufacturers of contact lens for educating the masses regarding their ease of use and benefits. But damage due to careless usage is expected limit its mass adoption in the coming years such as sleeping wearing lenses or poor handling during storage.Global Contact Lens Market Report is available @ US$ 5795The global contact lens market witnesses a highly competitive and consolidated scenario, states Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a research report. The creme of all the companies present in the market are Bausch and Lomb, Alcona Inc., The Cooper Companies, and Johnson & Johnson. In 2015, these companies collectively held a share of approximately 68% in the global contact lens market. The leading vendor in the market in the same year with 31% of the overall share was Johnson & Johnson and is expected to maintain the lead over the years ahead. With the dominance of a handful of gigantic companies, the market is expected to witness innovation in the coming years as these companies will struggle to have a competitive advantage over each other. In order to boost their revenues and grasp a strong consumer base, the market players are integrating communication, monitoring, and electronics with their merchandises. With new products extensions and growing applications, the competition in the market is expected to further intensify in the years ahead. The other prominent companies are STAAR Surgical, Menicon Group, Carl Zeiss AG, Essilor International S.A., and Novartis International AG, among many others.About Us:Transparency 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.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automotive Microcontrollers Market has been Projected to Exhibit a Staggering 13.7% CAGR During 2017 to 2022

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The global market for automotive microcontrollers has been projected to exhibit a staggering 13.7% CAGR during 2017 to 2022, according to a latest research by Future Market Insights (FMI). The global automotive microcontrollers market is estimated to surpass US$ 1,500 Mn in revenues by 2022-end.Utilisation of Microchips to Enhance Flexibility and Improve Connectivity in Vehicles - A Major TrendOne of the major trends witnessed in the global market for automotive microcontrollers is utilisation of microchips for improving connectivity of vehicles with their moving systems, and for enhancing the vehicles flexibility. Automobile manufacturers have utilised microcontrollers for a variety of requirements such as engine control, antilock brakes, power steering, and seating. An automotive microcontroller helps in increasing speed of execution, enables automatic control sensing, and enhances safety features including air bag control and high temperature control. Currently, they are being used in sophisticated safety features, which include blind spot detection, automated braking & lighting, surround view cameras, lane change warning, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).View and Download TOC of Automotive Microcontrollers Market Research Report@Microcontrollers are also being deployed in infotainment systems, and provide connectivity to vehicle network. Popularity of hybrid electric vehicles has witnessed a surge owing to their energy efficiency. Hybrid electric vehicles need comparatively large number of microcontrollers than conventional vehicles. With modernisation of vehicles, number of microcontrollers required for vehicles has increased. Although cost of microcontrollers has remained lower over the recent past, the tags for microcontrollers are expected to witness a gradual rise over the next few years. This is expected to lead to an increased cost of vehicles. Moreover, integration of microcontroller has always remained a challenging task for automobile manufacturers, on the back of their complex design.Key Research Findings from FMIs Report on Global Automotive Microcontrollers MarketIn terms of revenues, although North America is expected to remain largest market for microcontrollers in 2017, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) will be the most lucrative region for automotive microcontrollers market by 2022-end. The convergence of transportation, automotive, and ICT sectors has increased demand for technologically advanced vehicles in APEJ, further resulting into advent of advanced vehicle ecosystem. The already imposed and impending safety regulations are expected to spur installation of the automotive safety technologies in vehicles across APEJ. In addition, introduction of driving assistance technologies has incentivised OEMs for opting efficient microcontrollers.Request and Download Sample Report@In terms of revenues, heavy commercial vehicles are expected to remain the most attractive in the market, based on vehicle type. In addition, premium passenger cars will also remain a lucrative vehicle type segment in the market over the forecast period. This is primarily attributed to rise in installation of advanced safety features in premium passenger cars, particularly across developed economies. Moreover, safety regulations and mandates have compelled OEMs to produce premium passenger cars featuring advanced technologies, thereby propelling demand for microcontrollers.On the basis of application, sales of automotive microcontrollers in ADAS and functional safety technology are expected to register similar CAGRs through 2022. ADAS application of automotive microcontrollers will remain comparatively more lucrative than functional safety technology. Brake control system will continue to be the most lucrative application of automotive microcontrollers.By material type, sales of copper alloy for automotive microcontrollers are expected to exhibit the highest CAGR through 2022. Tinned steel will remain sought-after among materials in the global automotive microcontrollers market, with sales estimated to reach approximately US$ 600 Mn by 2022-end.Buy Full Automotive Microcontrollers Market Report@FMIs report has profiled key players, who are actively contributing to growth of the global automotive microcontrollers market, which include Toshiba Corporation, Infineon Technologies, Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., Fujitsu Limited, Silicon Labs Private Limited, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Microchip Technology Inc., STMicroelectronics NV, NXP Semiconductors NV, and Texas Instruments Incorporated.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Galvanized Pipe Market Size 2017-2022 AK Steel, Garg Tube Limited

Galvanized Pipe

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Galvanized Pipe Market Research 2017A market study  Global Galvanized Pipe Market  will help you understand, formulate and implement strategic decisions by offering critical data, insights and analysis from technology as well as commercial perspective on the Galvanized Pipe market. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Galvanized Pipe market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report consist of comprehensive market data, on a granular level, providing a holistic picture of the Galvanized Pipe market for maximum clarity and understanding.The Global Galvanized Pipe Market 2017 report includes Galvanized Pipe market Revenue, market Share, Galvanized Pipe industry volume, market Trends, Galvanized Pipe Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Galvanized Pipe Market Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Galvanized Pipe Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Sample Report Of Galvanized Pipe Market:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Players of Global Galvanized Pipe Market 2017 :1. Garg Tube Limited2. Xiamen Landee Industries3. AK Steel4. Hunan Prime Steel PipeFirstly, the report covers the top Galvanized Pipe manufacturing industry players worldwide. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions like United States, Europe, Japan, China, Southeast Asia and Middle East and Africa. Furthermore the report covers Galvanized Pipe market on the basis of product types and its applications.The Galvanized Pipe report gives information on the top company profiles, market share, contact details and manufacturing cost analysis along with value chain analysis of Galvanized Pipe industry, Galvanized Pipe industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Galvanized Pipe Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Access Report With TOC :The Galvanized Pipe research report splits on the basis product types that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme, production and contribution to the Galvanized Pipe market revenue worldwide.Finally, Galvanized Pipe market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We have a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of the technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
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Global Companion Animal Vaccines Market Is Projected To Register A CAGR Of 6.8% And Is Expected To Be Valued At Nearly US$ 4,500 Mn By The End Of 2026

Companion Animal Vaccines Market

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Companion Animal Vaccines Market: Canine Segment Anticipated to Retain Its Dominance Throughout the Forecast Period: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026" to its huge collection of research reports.Companion animal vaccines are used to stimulate an immune response in pets such as canine, avian and feline. These vaccine products are of various types such as Attenuated Live Vaccines, Conjugate Vaccines, Inactivated Vaccines, Subunit Vaccines, Toxoid Vaccines, DNA Vaccines and Recombinant Vaccines. Attenuated live vaccines are derived from disease-causing pathogens such as virus or bacteria, which have been weakend under laboratory conditions. Conjugate vaccines are an antigen or toxoid-containing preparation that is linked to polysaccharides and stimulate the immature immune system to defend against the disease-causing organism. Inactivated vaccines are made from microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria that have been killed through physical or chemical processes. Subunit vaccines, like inactivated whole-cell vaccines, do not contain live components of the pathogen. Toxoid vaccines are based on the toxin produced by certain bacteria, which is rendered harmless and used as the antigen in the vaccine to elicit an immune response. DNA vaccines are manufactured by inserting DNA into a bacterial plasmid, which functions as the vector. Recombinant vaccines are produced by genetic engineering technology and use attenuated virus or bacterium as a vector to introduce microbial DNA to the cells of the body.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The global companion animal vaccines market was valued at more than US$ 2,100 Mn in 2015 and is projected to register a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period. The market is expected to be valued at nearly US$ 4,500 Mn by the end of 2026.Global Companion Animal Vaccines Market Forecast, By Species Type, 20162026The Canine species segment is anticipated to register a 6.9% CAGR over the forecast period and be valued at nearly US$ 2,500 Mn by 2026 end. The Canine species segment was estimated to account for 50.9% share of the global companion animal vaccines market by 2016 end. Whereas the Avian species segment was estimated to account for 14.1% value share of the global companion animal vaccines market by 2016 end.Global Companion Animal Vaccines Market Attractiveness Analysis, By Species Type, 20162026The Canine segment dominated the global companion animal vaccines market in revenue terms in 2016 and is projected to continue to do so throughout the forecast period. The Canine segment is the most attractive segment, recording an attractiveness index of 1.5 over the forecast period. The segment is projected to account for 51.0% value share by 2026 end. The Feline segment is expected to be the second most lucrative segment in the with an attractiveness index of 1.1 during the forecast period.Browse Detail Report With Full TOC @global companion animal vaccines marketMarket consolidation in developed regions could ease product availabilityMergers and acquisitions are gaining a wider footprint within the global companion animal vaccines market in developed regions, which is expected to widen product availability and ease market access. For example, global veterinary product manufacturer Elanco has agreed to buy Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc.s U.S. companion animal vaccines business apart from Fort Dodge manufacturing facility as of October 2016. Besides strengthening Elancos market position in the global animal health business, the company also plans to boost vaccine research and testing in collaboration with veterinarians.Rising adoption of pets is fuelling the global companion animal vaccines marketIncreasing humanisation of pets and adoption in developed markets such as the U.S. is driving the demand for animal vaccines. Furthermore, growing trend of using pets as a status symbol in many countries is also expected to fuel the markets revenue growth. Pets are known to provide relief from psychological stress emanating from solitary nuclear family structures, prevalent across most developed and rapidly emerging markets. To exemplify, data from the American Pet Products Association noted that as of 2016, 70 million to 80 million dogs (approximately 37% to 47% of all households) and 74 million to 96 million cats (30% to 37% of all households) are owned in the U.S.Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMozState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074For More Reports Visit @
Cone Beam Computed Tomography Market Estimated to Accumulate more than US$960.8 mn by 2023

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According to the research report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the opportunity in the global CBCT market was worth US$407.5 mn in 2014. However, analysts predict that the valuation of this market will be worth US$960.8 mn by 2023 as it expands at a steady CAGR of 10.0% between 2015 and 2023.View Full Report:Rising Pool of Geriatrics to Determine Market GrowthStatistics published by the United Nations Population Division in 2013 suggested that the aging population is anticipated to reach 2 billion by the end of 2050 from 841 million in 2013. This whopping rise is likely to be the basic premise ushering in a new wave of growth for the CBCT technologies across the globe. The dental complications of the aged people are going to increase the demand for sophisticated imaging techniques in dentistry, thereby propelling the revenues earned by these technologies in the coming few years. This growth will also be complemented by factors such as the need for effectiveness in medical interventions and result-oriented research and development activities.Request to view Sample Report:Heavy Excise Duties Hamper MarketThe tough excise duty imposed on the sale of medical devices across the U.S. is an unfair constraint for the CBCT market. The high cost of utilizing this technology is also holding back several institutes and healthcare centers to use CBCT technologies. TMR analyst says, The adamancy to stick with conventional methods instead of adopting new-age technologies is also hampering the growth of the CBCT technologies across the world.Developing Nations Open Up Growth OptionsAnalysts predict that strengthening economies of Mexico, Brazil, China, and India will offer a score of opportunities to the overall CBCT market to grow in the near future. Furthermore, the increasing healthcare expenditure of these countries is also going to play a major role in the surge of this market. The improving disposable incomes of Asia Pacific are also going to contribute generously to the CBCT market in the coming years.Request to download and view full ToC:The report published by Transparency Market Research states that the opportunity in the global CBCT market will be worth US$ 960.8 mn by the end of 2023. As of 2014, the market was valued at US$407.5 mn. However, the market will expand at a CAGR of 10.0% between 2015 and 2023. The report also suggests that oral surgery will be fastest-growing application segment promoting the use of CBCT technology. As of 2015, this application segment held a share of 26.4% in the overall market. Regionally, North America held a share of 41.4% in the total of CBCT market in 2015. The soaring demand for dental procedures is expected to keep this region as the leading geographical segment in the coming years.Global Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) Market Report is available @ US$ 5795The trend in the global cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) indicates that players must invest in developing countries to cater to consumers unmet medical demands and attain bigger revenue shares, says Transparency Market Research in a new report. Danaher, Planmeca, and Sirona jointly held a massive share of 70% in the global market in 2015.Analysts have identified Asia Pacific as the most promising region for growth in the coming few years. Furthermore, leading players are also focusing on strategic mergers and acquisitions to expand their product portfolio and their access to the customers.About Us:Transparency 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.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Frequency Synthesizer Market 2017 - Qorvo Inc., Sivers IMA AB, Analog Devices, Inc.

Global Frequency Synthesizer Market

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Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Frequency Synthesizer Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Frequency Synthesizer Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Frequency Synthesizer industry, and estimates the future trend of Frequency Synthesizer market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Frequency Synthesizer Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportUltra Electronics (Herley CTI Division)Texas Instruments IncorporatedAnalog Devices, Inc.National InstrumentsQorvo Inc.Fei-Elcom Tech, Inc.EM Research, Inc.Programmed Test Sources Inc.Sivers IMA ABMicro Lambda Wireless, Inc.Synergy Microwave CorporationMercury United ElectronicsThe market research report explores the Frequency Synthesizer market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Frequency Synthesizer Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Frequency Synthesizer market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Frequency Synthesizer. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Frequency Synthesizer market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Frequency Synthesizer is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Frequency Synthesizer market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Frequency Synthesizer market globally.Inquire Before Buying @The Global Frequency Synthesizer market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Frequency Synthesizer production volume, data pertaining to demand and Frequency Synthesizer supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Frequency Synthesizer along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Frequency Synthesizer across the world.About UsApexResearch 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.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Financial Services: Blockchain in Insurance Market Research Report

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"The Report Blockchain in Insurance provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Blockchain in Insurance MarketTimetrics Insight Report: Blockchain in Insurance analyses how this potentially revolutionary technology is affecting the global insurance industry now, and how it could shape the industry in the future.Blockchain is the core technology behind the bitcoin cryptocurrency. It is a digital ledger in which transactions are verified and recorded chronologically and publicly. It stores static records and dynamic transaction data without the need for central coordination, while constantly checking the validity of each transaction. A user has to be verified to be allowed into the database, and is then trusted completely once given access. Furthermore, the system is immutable by design, meaning that once a function or record is set, it cannot be undone or changed, vastly reducing the capacity for it to be tampered with.Get Sample Copy of this report @It is essentially an intermediary with the automated ability to transact value via data, currency, records and digital assets. It is hard-coded by design, and has a smart contracts function that can be completely trusted to execute the encrypted instructions; if event a specified event occurs, for example, the system will pay a certain amount to a specific party.SummaryTimetrics Insight Report: Blockchain in Insurance covers the following areas:It explains how this potentially revolutionary technology is affecting the global insurance industry now, and how it could shape the industry in the future.It gives an overview of how the technology works, and then explains how it can be used to change the way insurers operate. Applied to insurance this could enable insurers to significantly reduce the cost of their claims management operations.It evaluates the challenges and difficulties faced by insurers that could hamper their ability and enthusiasm to harness the benefits of blockchain technology to maximise profitability.View Sample PDF @ScopeThis report provides how blockchain technology works.It analyzes its impact on insurance relative to other industries .It provides specific explanations of how blockchain could change the way insurers operate.It offers an analysis of how regulators are likely to respond to the rise of blockchain.Reasons To BuyBuild understanding blockchain technology and its applications to insurance.Find out which insurers are most advanced in utilizing blockchain.Assees hurdles that insurers face in incorporating blockchain into their operational structures, and the different approaches they are likely to take.Send An Enquiry Request @Key HighlightsBlockchain technology has the ability to simplify and reduce the cost of insurers' claims-verification and management processes.An example would be blockchain facilitating the implementation of smart contracts, which pay out based on evidence submitted with the requirement for human intervention or approval. For example in the event of a car crash, where the policyholder could take a picture of the damage they received to their vehicle and upload it to the insurers app. This would then be used as proof of the incident and stored on the blockchain, after which the smart contract would receive an instruction to pay out a sum to the policyholder.Although insurers have started to invest in digital and blockchain labs they are still behind their counterparts in banking, where more investment is being made into harnessing blockchain technology.Lack of historical data is proving a very large problem for underwriters, who are having to base pricing on much lower quantities of hard data than would be the case for other commercial liability lines.Table of Contents1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2 INDUSTRY OVERVIEW2.1 How the Technology Works2.2 Bitcoin2.3 Impact So Far2.4 Relation to Insurance2.5 Potential Areas of Impact2.6 Regulation3 CHALLENGES4 ABOUT TIMETRIC4.1 Contact Timetric4.2 About Timetric4.3 Timetrics and Global Data Services4.4 DisclaimerAbout usMarketResearchReports.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.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Rapid Technological Advancement In Global Image Detection Sensor Market During The Forecast Period 2016 - 2024

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Rapid Technological Advancement In Global Image Detection Sensor Market During The Forecast Period 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.Increasing technological advancement and continuously growing application of image detection sensors in the consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive and industrial sector is expected to have a very strong impact on the market for image detection sensors globally. Increasing usage of CMOS sensors for advanced digital cameras is having a positive impact on the market. CMOS primarily offer a low-cost alternative for CCTV cameras and point to shoot cameras. Growing usages of CMOS sensors in advanced driver assistance system in automotive sector and usage of thermal sensors in aerospace and defense industry are some of the major boosting factors for the Image Detection Sensors market.The growing usage of CMOS sensors in mirror-less cameras is expected to have a positive impact on the Image Detection Sensor market. In addition, rise in usage of advanced lithography technology in CMOS sensor for consumer electronics is another prime factor which is contributing in the positive development of Image Detection Sensor market. With technological advancement, different sort of fabrication technology with reduced power dissipation and improved signaling have been developed for CCD and CMOS sensors. These advancements are fueling the growth of the Image Detection Sensor market.Global Image Detection Sensor Market: SegmentationBased on technology, the market has been segmented into three types CMOS, CCD and Thermal. The growing demand for smaller pixel size and improved fill factor in different digital cameras in order to enhance imaging quality is having a high impact on the market in terms of usage of CMOS sensors for consumer electronics. There is a significant rise in demand for CMOS area image sensor for x-ray imaging in healthcare industry since CMOS image sensors are best-suited for intra-oral x-ray imaging in dental diagnosis.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Furthermore, this growing usage of CMOS sensors in consumer electronics and healthcare industry is likely to have a positive impact on the expansion of the market. Growing usage of CCD sensors in wearable devices is expected to have moderate impact on the market .In addition to that, growing usage of thermal sensors in machine vision technology and thermal imaging is also going to create high impact in the Image Detection Sensor market during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024.Based on application, the market is segmented into imaging and photography.Global Image Detection Sensor Market: Geographical AnalysisGeographically, the Image Detection Sensor market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. The market for image detection sensors has been provided in (USD million) in terms of revenue and (Million units) in terms of volume as well as the CAGR for the forecast period of 2016 to 2024. The key players in the image detection sensors market have been competitively profiled across the five broad geographic regions. This competitive landscape is inclusive of the various business strategies adopted by these major players and their recent developments in the field of image detection sensors. Further, the report includes the market attractiveness analysis of different technology of image detection sensors and insight into the major application area of the image detection sensors.The report also provides assessment of different drivers that is impacting the global market, along with the restraints and opportunities that has also been covered under the scope of this report. For each segment (such as technology type, applications, end users), market dynamics analysis has been provided. All these factors help in determining different trends that has been impacting the overall market growth. Moreover, after taking into consideration all this factors, an extensive analysis of the region wise growth parameters of Image Detection Sensors market along with the overall assessment for the forecast period of 2016-2024 has also been provided within this report. Furthermore, the report includes the porters five forces.Companies Mentioned in the Research ReportSome of the leading players operating in the market are Hamamatsu Photonics (Japan), ON Semiconductor Corporation (The U.S.), Canon Inc. (Japan), Sony Corporation (Japan), Teledyne Technologies Inc. (The U.S.), Toshiba Corp. (Japan), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea), Omron Corporation (Japan), OmniVision Technologies, Inc. (The U.S.), Panasonic Corporation (Japan),FLIR Systems (The U.S.), Hikvision (China) ,Fluke Corporation(The U.S.), Festo (Germany), Cognex Corporation (The U.S.) and Texas Instruments (The U.S.) among others.The global image detection sensor market has been segmented as follows:By Technology TypeCCDCMOSThermalBy ApplicationPhotographyImagingBy End UserHealth CareAutomotiveConsumer ElectronicsIndustrialAerospace & DefenseOthersBy RegionNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaMexicoEuropeU.KGermanyFranceItalyRest of EuropeBrowse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Ultrasound Devices Market Estimated to Accumulate more than US$ 11.0 Bn by 2023

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According to a TMR analyst, The global market for ultrasound devices is expected to witness a CAGR of 5.8% between 2015 and 2023. Rising from a valuation of US$6.7 bn in 2014, the market will most likely touch US$11 bn by the end of 2023.View Full Report:Doppler Technology to be Prospect of Ultrasound DevicesThe high rate of mechanical headways happening presently are relied upon to cut the street for the eventual fate of ultrasound gadgets. One of the prime product advancements is the Doppler ultrasound gadget, and it is relied upon to pick up client support and market income share at a fast rate sooner rather than later. Doppler ultrasound gadgets are to a great degree profitable for imaging of blood stream and blood maladies. The symptomatic sharpness that Doppler ultrasound gadgets can add enables medicinal staff to rapidly focus on the issue and give successful treatment. Cutting edge concepts such as pocket ultrasound devices and Doppler ultrasound devices are anticipated to pave a successful path for sales in the near future.Request to view Sample Report:Region-wise, in 2014, the leading share of 33.8% in terms of revenue was accounted by Europe. It was closely trailed by Asia Pacific. However, the market is expected to witness a paradigm shift with Asia Pacific taking over the market giant Europe and replacing it to be the leading region in the global ultrasound devices market by the end of 2023. This sudden growth of the market in Asia Pacific can be attributed to the high amount of investments being made from China along with supportive healthcare reforms, thus increasing the adoption of ultrasound devices in the region.Request to download and view full ToC:Growing Patent Count to Accelerate Sales of Ultrasound Devices"Most therapeutic administrative and counseling bodies, including the WHO, concur that the quantity of patients experiencing cardiovascular ailments is developing at an alarmingly high rate," expresses a TMR expert. "The WHO clarifies that the quantity of heart patients is relied upon to cross 23 mn by 2030. This is all that anyone could need to demonstrate that human services associations around the globe are in grave requirement for cutting edge ultrasound gadgets."Comparative conditions can be found on account of tuberculosis, as the WHO expressed that the rising populace thickness is making it less demanding for the illness to spread and contaminate more individuals. TB is another sickness that can be successfully determined to have ultrasound gadgets, additionally boosting its request. However, the market might face little hindrances owing to the difficulty associated with the operation of these devices. Thus, to make these devices handy and light weight, researchers are focusing on making them technologically advanced enough to suit everyones purpose.Global Ultrasound Devices Market Report is available @ US$ 5795The global ultrasound devices market is highly consolidated with few key players leading the market, states Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a research report. Koninklijke Philips N.V., Fujifilm Holdings, and GE Healthcare were the leading companies operating in the market in 2014. In the exact same year, they collectively held a share of 67.1% in terms of revenue. This proves the level of consolidation in the market is extremely high. The vast majority of the major worldwide and provincial players figure out how to secure strong ground in this market through long haul deals contracts with clients. New contestants to the ultrasound gadgets situation won't just need to go up against the mammoth piece of the overall industry held by these best players, additionally need to oversee stores amid the costly starting period of establishment and acquisition.About Us:Transparency 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.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Military Biometrics Market By Type - Fingerprint Recognition, Facial Recognition, and Iris Recognition

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Military Biometrics Market By Type - Fingerprint Recognition, Facial Recognition, and Iris Recognition" to its huge collection of research reports.Biometric systems are becoming increasingly popular in wearable devices such as smart watches, eye glasses and fitness bands. These devices are equipped biometric identification capabilities such as heart rate sensors and blood pressure monitors. Furthermore, the wearable devices are also used for authentication purposes. Similarly, the biometrics applications are also gaining popularity in defense sector. The ongoing threat for terrorism and the rising concern for illegal migration in countries such as the U.K. and the U.S. are resulting into government focusing on upgrading the military and defense facilities with biometric authentication. These are few factors which are expected to drive the growth in the market during the forecast period.However, there is one major factor lowering the demand for these systems during the forecast period. The installation of biometric authentication systems is complex and needs skilled personnel. In case of a system breach, there is a chance of data loss. Moreover, the whole system installation cannot be reset easily. This is one primary reason hindering the demand for biometric systems in defense sector as it involves the security of highly confidential data which cannot be compromised. Nevertheless, the ongoing technological innovations are expected to reduce the chances of breaching or hacking biometric authentication systems. Furthermore, the ongoing research and development in the field of secure access in expected to drive the demand for biometrics in defense. In June 2016, the CIO of Pentagon, Terry Halvorsen announced a two year plan of replacing the functions of common access cards with biometric systems such as iris scanners and behavioral analytics. The same technology will further be incorporated by the U.S. allies who include Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Military Biometrics Market: SegmentationThe global military biometrics market can be segmented by types in fingerprint recognition, facial recognition and iris recognition primarily. The fingerprint recognition market is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period owing to the increasing application of these systems in developing regions such as Asia Pacific and Middle East. Furthermore, the iris recognition segment has been identified to be the most attractive segment owing to its accuracy in identifying the person with less malfunctionality. Iris recognition has been analyzed to be the most accurate way of identifying a person. Moreover, iris cannot be copied or used from a dead person as it becomes useless immediately. In addition, facial recognition is also becoming popular as it can be used to track a person in any area equipped with facial recognition cameras. Hence the demand for facial biometrics is expected to drive the market for military biometrics significantly. Hence the segment is expected to witness promising growth during the forecast period. Moreover, the growing concern over security from terrorist activities and the global rise in mass migration with illegal identities is expected to drive the global demand for facial and iris biometrics significantly. By geography, the global biometric market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America. North America has been analyzed to dominate the military biometrics market. The ongoing threat of illegal migrations from Mexico has resulted into the U.S. government upgrading their authentication systems in border security. Furthermore, Asia Pacific has been anticipated to have the fastest growth during the forecast period. Countries such India and China are gradually investing towards upgrading defense facilities with secured authentication which is expected to drive the market for military biometrics significantly.Companies Mentioned in the ReportThe major vendors in the global Military Biometrics market are 3M Cogent, Inc. (United States), Crossmatch (United States), M2SYS Technology (United States), NEC Corporation (Japan), Safran Identity and Security (France), Aware, Inc. ( United States), BIO-Key International, Inc. (United States), Fulcrum Biometrics LLC (United States) and HID Global Corporation (United States) among others.The segments covered in the global military biometrics market are as follows:By TypesFingerprint RecognitionFacial RecognitionIris RecognitionOthersBy GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaMexicoEuropeU.K.GermanyBrowse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Market Report: 2016 Edition - Major Players are Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb

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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Global Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Market Report: 2016 Edition " to it's Large Report database.Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is an infection which affects the liver which may lead to serious consequences if not taken care of. It spreads through infected blood transfusions and poorly sterilized medical equipments. The number of patients has increased significantly because its symptoms take time to be recognized before the patient progresses towards a clinically visible liver damage which worsens the situation since it may lead to liver damage or even failure. There was no proper therapy for HCV before 2010 but the coming of therapies like Sovaldi and Harvoni by Gilead and Viekira Pak by AbbVie has improved the scenario. Also the steps taken like proper blood screening is also helping in identifying the patients.The key factors which are anticipated to drive HCV market include medical reimbursement because of the therapy being very costly, growth in the number of patients, relatively smaller period of drug treatment from before, treatment of the warehoused patients who were waiting for a better therapy and pricing discounts and better regimens because of the increased competition. Some of the significant developments of this industry include launch of the interferon free regimen and development of products like Sovaldi, Harvoni and Viekira Pak and the newly identified and diagnosed patients. However, the challenges to be faced ahead is more number of patients asking for reimbursement, increasing competition leading to price cutting, risk associated with drug development and regulatory risk.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:This report offers a comprehensive analysis of the HCV market. Furthermore, market dynamics such as key trends and development; and challenges are analyzed in depth. On the contention front, the global HCV market is reined by few major players namely Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The competitive landscape of the respective market, along with the company profiles of the leading players are also discussed in detail.By combining SPSS Inc.s data integration and analysis capabilities with our relevant findings, we have predicted the future growth of the market. We employed various significant variables that have an impact on this industry and created regression models with SPSS Base to determine the future direction of the industry. Before deploying the regression model, the relationship between several independent or predictor variables and the dependent variable was analyzed using standard SPSS output, including charts, tables and tests.Browse more details @Table of Content1. HCV Market1.1 An Introduction1.2 Types of Hepatitis C Virus1.3 Ways of Spreading of HCV Infection1.4 HCV Co Infections1.5 Avoidance of HCV Infection2. Global HCV Market2.1 Global HCV Sales by Value2.2 Global HCV Prevalence by Region3. Global HCV Market by Region3.1 The US Market3.1.1 The US HCV Sales by Value3.1.2 The US HCV Market Dynamics3.1.3 HCV Patients Initiated Treatment with Sofosbuvir3.2 European Union HCV Sales by Value3.3 Japan HCV Sales by Value3.4 ROW HCV Sales by Value4. Market Dynamics4.1 Growth Drivers4.1.1 Impact of Reimbursement4.1.2 Growth in Number of Patients4.1.3 Smaller Period of Drug Treatment4.1.4 Improved Economic Growth4.1.5 Increasing Healthcare ExpenditureAbout 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. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany 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 Organic Baby Food Market Will Grow At A CAGR Of 11.61% Between The Period 2017 - 2021

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Organic Baby Food Market Will Grow At A CAGR Of 11.61% Between The Period 2017 - 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.Organic foods are grown or processed without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Baby food that is manufactured or processed with organic ingredients is called as organic baby food. The global baby food and infant formula market will see moderate growth during the forecast period. Owing to the declining birth and fertility rates in developed countries, the market has reached maturity. However, factors such as a high percentage of working mothers, increased purchasing power, and expansive product portfolios are expected to fuel the market growth during the forecast period. Parents' concern about offering their babies the best in terms of taste and nutrition will also contribute to market growth.Technavios analysts forecast the global organic baby food market to grow at a CAGR of 11.61% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global organic baby food market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the sales, volume, and value of organic baby food products.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global Organic Baby Food 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 vendorsAbbottDanoneHiPPNestlThe Hain Celestial GroupTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Other prominent vendorsAmara OrganicsArla FoodsBaby Gourmet FoodsBellamy's AustraliaGreenZooHealthy SproutsHero GroupLittle Duck OrganicsNorth Castle PartnersOlliOne Earth FarmsPlum, PBCTastybabyThe Organic Baby Food CompanyVitagermineMarket driverRise in number of working womenFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengePremium price of organic baby foodsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendIncreasing mergers and acquisitionsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?Browse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Heavy Trucks Market Research Report 2017 : Ashok Leyland, Daimler Trucks, Hino Motors

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Heavy Trucks Market Research Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.The research report on the global Heavy Trucks market is a scientific effort to present the performance of the market over the forecast period. The report has been prepared after an extensive research phase followed by data scrutiny. A number of secondary databases and scientific journals have been used for collecting data pertaining to vital technical and business aspects of the Heavy Trucks industry.Employing a holistic approach, the report presents growth trends and performance analysis of the global market for Heavy Trucks over the forecast period. It covers demand and supply dynamics, cost structures, and manufacturing processes in this industry. The report also presents granular information on the various segments of the Heavy Trucks market. This is followed by an analysis of segments and sub-segments for their growth indices over the forecast period.In matters of competition, the report presents information about leading players in the global Heavy Trucks market with details of the competitive profile of each of them. Key growth strategies of leading players that include mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and product development have also been discussed at length in this report.Request for the Report Sample:Global Heavy Trucks market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAshok LeylandDaimler TrucksHino MotorsIsuzu Motors Ltd.IvecoKamAZMAN SENavistar InternationalPaccarScania ABTata Motors LimitedVolvo TrucksBeiqi FotonThe report uses standard analytical tools and industry-centric research methodologies to present market attractiveness index and feasibility analysis of new investments in the global Heavy Trucks market in the upcoming years. The analysis is useful to formulate strategies for profitable ventures in the market in the forthcoming years.Lastly, the research report sheds light on the lucrative market segments that market participants can focus on for competitive gains.Get more information from Research Report Press Release:List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Heavy TrucksFigure Global Heavy Trucks Production (K Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2012-2022)Figure Global Heavy Trucks Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2016Figure Global Heavy Trucks Consumption (K Units) by Applications (2012-2022)Figure Global Heavy Trucks Consumption Market Share by Applications in 2016Figure Global Heavy Trucks Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Heavy Trucks Capacity, Production (K Units) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Heavy Trucks Major Players Product Capacity (K Units) (2012-2017)About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact US:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Modular Servers Market to Record Sturdy Growth by 2025

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Modular Servers Market: IntroductionModular servers are been defined as server hosted with dedicated chassis, including network and storage components. Modular servers provide improvised design over conventional multinode, supercomputing, blades, and IT designs. Conventional servers have functional limitations in terms of separation of blades and multinode servers and with the introduction of modular servers, the traditional servers are expected to be replaced by them.Modular Servers Market: Market DynamicsIncreasing number of mid-size organizations are expected to drive the demand for modular servers, which are used to address workloads requiring faster processing capability. They are well suited for modernization strategies of companies and consolidation of their data center. Some of the benefits offered by modular servers which will drive the demand include reliability, optimization of cost, simplified management, and serviceability.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Modular Servers Market SegmentationSegmentation of Modular Servers Market on the basis of CPU type:Reduced instruction set computing (RISC)System-on-chip (SoC)X86Segmentation of Modular Servers Market on the basis of size:Small size OrganizationsMid-size organizationsLarge size organizationsSegmentation of Modular Servers Market on the basis of the switching technology:Circuit SwitchingPacket SwitchingSegmentation of Modular Servers Market on the basis of geography:North America (U.S., Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil)Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)JapanThe Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa)Regional OverviewOn the basis of geography, modular servers market can be segmented into seven key regions namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Among various regions, the modular servers market in North America is expected to dominate during the forecast period. North America region is expected to be followed by Western Europe and APEJ. APEJ is expected to drive the demand for the modular server, supported by increasing presence of networking solution vendors in the region.The large size and mid-size players being the primary adopters of modular servers which require operational efficiency in their datacenters located on-premise, and these organizations are expected to lead the demand for modular servers. Most modular servers demand is shared between large size enterprise infrastructure for big data analytics and other IT service providers for their hybrid and public cloud deployment. However, implementation of modular servers can be a quite complex process as power consumption of data centers is still a challenge for network administrators and provides a threat of exceeding the capacity of their data centers.A sample of this report is available upon request @Competitive LandscapeMajor players in the field of modular servers include Atos SE, Cisco Systems, Inc., Dell Inc., Intel Corporation, Mellon Group SA, ASI Computer Technologies Inc. etc.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.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Sauces, Dressings, and Condiments Market in the US to grow at a CAGR of 2.84% during the period 2017-2021

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"The Report Sauces, Dressings, and Condiments Market in the US 2017-2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Sauces, Dressings, and CondimentsA sauce is a creamy liquid that is served with food or used to prepare foods. Sauces add flavor and moisture to food and enhance the palatability of food.Get Sample copy of this Report @Few of the major sauces that are consumed in the US are ketchup, soy sauce, mustard sauce, tabasco, and sriracha. Dressings are used for garnishing and adding taste to food, especially salads, burgers, sandwiches, and other snack items. Some of the widely used dressings are mayonnaise, vinaigrettes, Italian dressings, and Russian dressings. Dips are creamy, paste-like dressings that are generally consumed with breads, nachos, french fries, vegetables, and salad.Technavios analysts forecast the sauces, dressings, and condiments market in the US to grow at a CAGR of 2.84% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the sauces, dressings, and condiments market in the US for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of sauces, dressings, and condiments in the US sold to individual customers as well as foodservice customers through various retail outlets, including but not limited to hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, independent retailers, discount stores, warehouse clubs, and online channel.Technavio's report, Sauces, Dressings, and Condiments Market in the US 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.View Report @ Key vendorsKIKKOMAN SALES USAMcCormick & CompanyThe Kraft HeinzUnileverOther prominent vendorsBolton GroupCaJohns Fiery FoodsConagra BrandsDel MonteEdward and SonsGeneral MillsKen's FoodsMRS. KLEIN'S PICKLENewman's OwnStokes SaucesWilliams FoodsBrowse more Food Market Research Reports @Market driverRise in demand for healthy saucesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeRise in raw material pricesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendContinuous product innovationsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportRequest for Enquiry @ Key questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?About usMarketResearchReports.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.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Biofuels Market By Analysis of Major Industry Segments, Growth, Share, Demand 2019

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A new market research report has been recently published by Transparency Market Research, a U.S.-based market research and intelligence firm. The research report provides a detailed overview of the global biofuels market, including a market overview, product segmentation, and major participants of the market. The global biofuels market is expected to witness high growth, as biofuels are derived naturally and can easily substitute nonrenewable resources.The 85-page research report makes use of graphical representations such as tables and charts to showcase the historical data and present the forecast regarding the global biofuels market.The research report is titled Global Biofuels Market - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 - 2019. According to the research report, in terms of production capacities in 2012, the global biofuels market stood at 24326.7 million gallons and is anticipated to total 50921.4 million gallons by the end of 2019, growing significantly at a 9.6% CAGR between 2013 and 2019.View Full Report:Rising economic development, rigid environmental rules and regulations encouraging the use of biofuels, and increasing energy import bills resulting in negative balance of trade are some of the factors expected to fuel the growth of the global biofuels market. In addition, development of sustainable biofuels is one of the great opportunities for the market players. However, hurdles related to retailing, distribution, and development of biofuels and the competition between fuel and food resulting in high costs of food are the restraining factors anticipated to hamper the growth of the global biofuels market in the coming years.On the basis of types, the global biofuels market has been divided into two: biodiesel and bioethanol. Further, on the basis of form, the global biofuels market is categorized into liquid (biodiesel and bioethanol), solid (biocoal, fuel pellets, and biochar), and gaseous (syngas, biogas, and biopropane).Request to view Sample Report:For the purpose of geographical analysis, the global biofuels market has been segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World. Among all these regions, North America accounts for the largest market share, owing to the strict environmental regulations and policies and rising environmental awareness among the population in this region. North America is further followed by Europe, which is witnessing a steady growth rate. Developing nations such as India, Russia, and China are also anticipating significant growth in the forecast period.Request to download and view full ToC -Furthermore, the research report discusses the competitive landscape of the global biofuels market. It comprises a detailed analysis of each key player operating in the market in terms of company information, financial overview, business strategies, and recent developments in the industry. The report has also used several reliable analytical tools to present a better understanding to the readers. Some of the key players in the global biofuels market are Raizen Energia Participacoes S.A, Renewable Energy Group, BlueFire Renewables, Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings, Inc., Australian Renewable Fuels Limited, and Solazyme Inc.Global Biofuels Market Report is available at US$ 5795 -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend 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.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Pharmacovigilance Market share to reach $8bn by 2024

Global Market Insights, Inc.

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https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/pharmacovigilance-market

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https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/precision-medicine-market

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The research report Pharmacovigilance Market Size By Clinical Trial Phase (Preclinical, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, Phase IV), By Service Provider (In-house, Contract outsourcing) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, China, Japan, India, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024, by Global Market Insights, Inc. says, Pharmacovigilance Market size is expected to exceed USD 8 billion by 2024.Growing number of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) coupled with increasing prevalence of chronic diseases will drive global pharmacovigilance market size. Furthermore, growing geriatric population base is associated with increased drug consumption for treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, oncology cardiovascular and respiratory disorders.Request for a sample of this research report -Rising demand for drugs has driven the need for new drug development through clinical trials. Pharmaceutical companies are collaborating with CROs to streamline R&D, medical writing, manufacturing operations, clinical data management and other pharmacovigilance activities to achieve greater efficiency at reduced cost. Outsourcing should enable better regulatory compliance, higher productivity and improved strategic outcomes spurring pharmacovigilance market growth.Increasing number of National pharmacovigilance centers across the globe along with rising patient awareness regarding adverse drug events will stimulate global pharmacovigilance market growth. However, lack of skilled professionals and risk associated with data security and web-based drug sales will hamper business expansion.The phase IV clinical trial market size was valued more than USD 2 billion in 2015 and is expected to grow at over 10% by 2024. Phase IV studies ensure that restrictions could be imposed on a drug being sold depending on its safety performance.Contract outsourcing market size was valued over USD 1 billion in 2015, poised to grow at 12.2% from 2016 to 2024 and surpass USD 4 billion by 2024. Contract outsourcing reduces overall economic losses linked with drug approval delays and trial failures. It is widely opted by companies to avoid huge investments and delegate such activities to specialized firms in this area.U.S. pharmacovigilance market size was valued at more than USD 1 billion in 2015, with expectations to grow at 10.7% over the forecast period, owing to favorable governmental regulations, huge clinical trial volume and presence of large scale research companies. Additionally, growing patient concerns related to the drug safety and rising adverse drug events related mortality rates will positively impact pharmacovigilance market share.Spain pharmacovigilance market size was valued over USD 230 million in 2015 and should witness 10.2% CAGR from 2016 to 2024, to surpass USD 550 million by 2024. Rising demand for new drug development, growing geriatric population and increasing outsourcing by pharmaceutical companies should fuel regional industry growth. India pharmacovigilance market growth was more than 14% from 2016 to 2024, and expected to reach USD 668 million by 2024. The strong and robust growth is attributed to increasing number of clinical trials conducted across Asian countries, owing to low cost trial advantage over developed countries.Key industry players such as Quintiles offer literature monitoring, safety aggregate reporting, benefit risk management, analytics and signal detection services. Synowledge offer signal detection services, which help clinical experts determine medical significance with the use of hi-tech visualization techniques.Many industry participants are focusing on outsourcing pharmacovigilance services as a feasible cost reduction avenue. Outsourcing helps achieve better pharmacovigilance through regulatory compliance, better quality, enhanced productivity and improved strategic outcomes.Browse key industry insights spread across 111 pages with 66 market data tables & 6 figures& charts from the report, Pharmacovigilance Market Size By Clinical Trial Phase (Preclinical, Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, Phase IV), By Service Provider (In-house, Contract outsourcing) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, China, Japan, India, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024 in detail along with the table of contents:Key insights from the report include:Europe pharmacovigilance market size was over USD 790 million in 2015 growing at anticipated close to 10% CAGR. Germany, UK, Spain together contributed for over 70% of regional pharmacovigilance market share in 2015.Brazil pharmacovigilance market share was more than 60% of regional revenue for 2015, with target slated to exceed USD 300 million by 2024. South Africa pharmacovigilance market size was more than USD 37 million and anticipated for over 5% growth.Phase III clinical trial market size was more than USD 450 million in 2015, with expectations to grow over 10% CAGR, due to increasing requirement for drug safety monitoring and evaluation.Contract outsourcing held more than 50% of pharmacovigilance market share with target market size of over USD 1.7 billion in 2015. Increasing outsourcing trend adopted by pharmaceutical companies will serve as a high impact driver for the business growth.Global pharmacovigilance market will be driven by collaboration between pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations (CROs). The key industry participants include Accenture, Quintiles, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Boehringer Ingelheim, Covance, PAREXEL International Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen Research & Development, Synowlwedge, United BioSource Corporation and ICON.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Browse Related Reports:Precision Medicine Market Size By Technology (Big Data Analytics, Gene Sequencing, Drug Discovery, Bioinformatics, Companion Diagnostics), By Application (Oncology, CNS, Immunology, Respiratory), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Scandinavia, Italy, Japan, China, India, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2023About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Analysis Of Global Automotive HMI Industry by Material, Application, and Geography, 2017

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Analysis Of Global Automotive HMI Industry by Material, Application, and Geography, 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.Automotive HMI Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, united Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).The report firstly introduced the Automotive HMI basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.The report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia Automotive HMI Market;3.) the North American Automotive HMI Market;4.) the European Automotive HMI Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report conclusion.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Table of ContentsPart I Automotive HMI Industry OverviewChapter One Automotive HMI Industry Overview1.1 Automotive HMI Definition1.2 Automotive HMI Classification Analysis1.2.1 Automotive HMI Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Automotive HMI Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Automotive HMI Application Analysis1.3.1 Automotive HMI Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Automotive HMI Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Automotive HMI Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Automotive HMI Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Automotive HMI Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Automotive HMI Product Market Development Overview1.6 Automotive HMI Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Automotive HMI Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Automotive HMI Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Automotive HMI Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Automotive HMI Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Automotive HMI Global Market Development Trend AnalysisChapter Two Automotive HMI Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market AnalysisBrowse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Automotive Brake Discs Market 2017  TEXTAR, Brembo, Accuride Gunite, Kiriu, Winhere, AC delco, ZF TRW

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Global Automotive Brake Discs Market 2017 Research Report presents a professional and deep analysis on the present state of Automotive Brake Discs Market 2017 in Automotive Industry. High Use of Automotive Brake Discs in Automotive Industry Driving the Market Growth of Automotive Brake Discs. Automotive Brake Discs Market 2017 by Type (Drum Type, Disc), Power Rating, Application (Heavy Vehicles, Small and Medium-sized Cars), and Region  Global Forecast to 2022.In the first part, Automotive Brake Discs Market study deals with the comprehensive overview of the Automotive Brake Discs market, which consists of definitions, a wide range of applications (Heavy Vehicles, Small and Medium-sized Cars), classifications and a complete Automotive Brake Discs industry chain structure. The global Automotive Brake Discs market analysis further consists of a competitive landscape of Automotive Brake Discs market, Automotive Brake Discs market development history and major development trends presented by Automotive Brake Discs market.Request for Sample Report Click Here:* Leading Manufacturers Analysis in Global Automotive Brake Discs Market 2017: TEXTAR, Brembo, Accuride Gunite, Kiriu, Winhere, AC delco, ZF TRW, Continental, Aisin Seiki, Lpr Break, Bocsh, EBC Brakes and Remsa* Automotive Brake Discs Market: Type Segment Analysis: Drum Type, Disc* Automotive Brake Discs Market: Applications Segment Analysis: Heavy Vehicles, Small and Medium-sized CarsThe global Automotive Brake Discs market is expected to reach $ XX million by 2022.As the report progresses further, it explains development plans and policies, manufacturing processes, cost structures of Automotive Brake Discs market as well as the leading players. It also focuses on the details like company profile, product images, supply chain relationship, import/export details of Automotive Brake Discs Market, market statistics of Automotive Brake Discs Market, upcoming development plans, Automotive Brake Discs Market gains, Contact details, Consumption ratio.In addition to this, the Automotive Brake Discs Market report also covers gross margin by regions i. e. (US, EU, China and Japan)- Automotive Brake Discs market. Other regions can be added efficiently.Lastly, Automotive Brake Discs Market report includes an in-depth analysis of sub-segments, market dynamics, feasibility study, key strategies used by leading players, market share study and growth prospects of the industry. The Automotive Brake Discs Report also evaluates the growth established by the market during the forecast period and research conclusions are offered.Explore More About Report Here:Thus, Automotive Brake Discs Market Report 2017 serves as a valuable material for all industry competitors and individuals having a keen interest in Automotive Brake Discs Market study.Key Highlights of the Automotive Brake Discs Market:> A Clear understanding of the Automotive Brake Discs market based on growth, constraints, opportunities, feasibility study.> Concise Automotive Brake Discs Market study based on major geographical regions.> Analysis of improving business sections as well as a comprehensive study of existing Automotive Brake Discs market segments.For Any Kind of Query Visit Here:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Maharashtra, IndiaTel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Market Research Reports-Latest Reports-
United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Wireless Charging Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Wireless Charging Market Size, Status and Forecast 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.The United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Wireless Charging market is a highly dynamic market, witnessing constant changes at a frequent pace. Focusing on these frequent changes, this research study offer a detailed analysis of the performance of this market during the period from 2017 to 2022. In this market study, research analysts have identified the attractiveness of this market with the help of competent analytical tools, such as investment return analysis market feasibility analysis. The future potential of the worldwide market for Wireless Charging has also been estimated by them in this research study on the basis of results achieved from these analyses. These assessments also help in the expansion of the United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia market for Wireless Charging by providing a clear picture of the impacts of various vital strategies implemented by leading vendors of Wireless Charging for further their businesses over the next few years.Further, the research report has examined the competitive landscape of the United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia market for Wireless Charging by studying the profiles of the leading market participants thoroughly. It has also classified the market into various segments on the basis of a number of major market factors. The industry chain and the government policies and regulations that influence the demand for Wireless Charging have also been studied at length in this report.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @This report studies the global Wireless Charging market, analyzes and researches the Wireless Charging development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeErgo(aircharge)BEZALELFONENXP SemiconductorsIOttieHumavoxSemtechIntegrated Device Technology, Inc.LenmarGill ElectronicsIn conclusion, the report has studied the worldwide market for Wireless Charging on the basis of the availability of products. The production volume, products pricing, and the profit generated in the overall market are the main factors, based on which, researchers have determine the performance of this market. The production chain and the sales dynamics have also been assessed in this research report. The main intent of this research report is to present a clear picture of the United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia market for Wireless Charging to participants and help them in making profitable strategies to attain a competitive edge over their rivals.Browse Market Research Report @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Wireless Charging Product ScopeFigure Global Wireless Charging Market Size (2011-2016)Table Global Wireless Charging Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure Global Wireless Charging Market Share by Regions in 2015Figure United States Wireless Charging Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure EU Wireless Charging Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure Japan Wireless Charging Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)Figure China Wireless Charging Market Size and Growth Rate by Regions (2011-2016)About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact US:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Aromaaz International Presents the Therapeutic Properties of Rose Geranium Oils

Organic Natural Flower Oils, Floral Absolute Oils

http://www.aromaazinternational.com/natural-flower-oils.aspx

http://www.aromaazinternational.com/certified-organic-oils.aspx

Aromaaz International is a proficient Flower Oils Manufacturers that offers the best quality Organic Natural Flower Oils, Floral Absolute Oils, Bulk Essential Oils at wholesale prices.New Delhi, Tuesday, September 26, 2017:Flowers are often used for worship and other religious purposes. However, no one can deny its usefulness for health, beauty and skin care products. From years, natural flowers are used for obtaining pure essential oils that are safe to use. Aromaaz International is a leading Flower Oils Manufacturers that delivers best quality natural flower oils and is supplied worldwide to consumers.As a renowned name in the global market, Aromaazinternational.com is continuously engaged in supplying quality-approved Organic Natural Flower Oils () to consumers. These oils are used for various purposes and thus are high on demand. Among different Flower Oils offered at the portal, Rose Geranium Oil is one of them that are getting a strong hold among users. It is obtained from the fresh leaves & stalks of Pelargonium shrub by means of the steam distillation process. The musky rose fragrance of this Natural Flower Oil is often used to enhance mood & boost the health.During a discussion about the benefits of Rose Geranium Oils with the senior speaker of the online oil store explained, Whether it is Floral Absolute Oils or Natural Flower Oils, the pale yellow colored Rose Geranium oil has many therapeutic properties. It inhibits the growth of bacteria & fungi on wounds and prevents spread of infection, thus, acts as an excellent antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic agent. Besides this, it also helps in enhancing metabolism that maintains good growth and development of body cells.Talking more about the usefulness of Natural Flower Oils, one of the senior speakers of the portal stated, At Aromaaz International, get Bulk Essential Oils at wholesale prices, be it natural flower oils or any other. You can very well use Rose Geranium oils as immunity booster that helps to strengthen the defensive cells. This, in turn, helps in eliminating toxic chemicals from the body. Apart from this, you can also use this oil for treating many types of skin issues such as rashes, acne, fungal infections, dermatitis and many others. The oil has gained huge demand as a natural dehydrator that keeps skin moisturized. You can use the oil either by adding water to it or directly and get and clear and glowing skin.The portal offers different types of Wholesale Natural Flower Oils that one can buy online such as Spike Lavender oil, Lavender oil, Jasmine Grandiflorum oil, Chaulmoogra oil, Evening Primrose oil, Chamomile German oil, Lavandin oil, Chamomile Roman oil and Aniseed oil.In addition to Organic Natural Flower Oils, the portal also supplies Carrier & Base Oils, Traditional Indian Attars, Floral Absolute Oils, Certified Organic Oils, Spice Oils, Natural Essential Oils, Mint Oils, Massage and Spa Oils and Aromatherapy Oils.About the Online Oil Portal:Based in India, Aromaazinternational.com is a well-known online manufacturer and supplier of Wholesale Natural Flower Oils, Spice Oils Certified Organic Oils, Natural Essential Oils and many other types of Oils. People can make use of these oils for their variegated requirements such as in the manufacturing of body & skin care products, formulation of medicines and perfumes. Likewise, it finds its wide application in different industries such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, beverages and other allied industries. For more detailed information, visit the website of Company.Contact us:Aromaaz InternationalB3/B 3 Floor, Shiv Shakti ComplexEast Vinod Nagar, New DelhiIndia-110091Tele fax: +91-11-22783487Mobile: +91-9643342464Email Us: sales@aromaazinternational.comcustomercare@aromaazinternational.comWebsite:
Infrared LED 2017 Global Market Key Players  Osram, Royal Philips, Epistar, Nichia, ROHM Semiconductors, Everlight Electronics  Analysis and Forecast to 2022

Infrared LED Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2342269-global-infrared-led-market-research-report-2017

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Infrared LED Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com adds Infrared LED Market Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Report Details:This report provides in depth study of Infrared LED Market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Infrared LED Market report also provides an in-depth survey of key players in the market which is based on the various objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization.Global Infrared LED market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer;The top key players/manufacturers including ;Osram Opto SemiconductorsRoyal PhilipsEpistarNichiaROHM SemiconductorsEverlight ElectronicsHigh power LightingLextar ElectronicsOpto TechVishay IntertechnologyUshio EpitexLarson ElectronicsOpto DiodeFlukeEpiledsFairchild SemiconductorsNew Japan RadioExcelitas TechnologiesLite on Opto ElectronicsKingbright ElectronicsRequest a Sample Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Infrared LED in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into1mW-10mW20mW-50mW50mW-100mWOtherOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Infrared LED for each application, includingBiometricImagingLightingOtherIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Complete Report Details@Major Key Points in Table of Content:Global Infrared LED Market Research Report 20171 Infrared LED Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Infrared LED1.2 Infrared LED Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Infrared LED Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Infrared LED Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 1mW-10mW1.2.4 20mW-50mW1.2.5 50mW-100mW1.2.6 Other1.3 Global Infrared LED Segment by Application1.3.1 Infrared LED Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Biometric1.3.3 Imaging1.3.4 Lighting1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Infrared LED Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Infrared LED Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Infrared LED (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Infrared LED Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Infrared LED Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022).7 Global Infrared LED Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Osram Opto Semiconductors7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Osram Opto Semiconductors Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Royal Philips7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Royal Philips Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Epistar7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Epistar Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Nichia7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Nichia Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 ROHM Semiconductors7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 ROHM Semiconductors Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Everlight Electronics7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Everlight Electronics Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 High power Lighting7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 High power Lighting Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Lextar Electronics7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Lextar Electronics Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Opto Tech7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Opto Tech Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Vishay Intertechnology7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Infrared LED Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Vishay Intertechnology Infrared LED Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.10.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued.Buy now @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Sales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
SMis Social Media in Pharma: Driving Patient Engagement Through Powerful Social Strategies & Technology

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Social Media in the Pharmaceutical Industry will address questions on how to engage patients with an effective social media strategy, look into understanding behavioural and emotional marketing, and how pharma social media will evolve and stay relevant in this rapid developing world.Hear questions answered during our opening address on day 1, presented by Janssen and DRG Digital.Opening Address - Patient EngagementCreating Powerful Pharmaceutical Social Media Strategies Enabling Patient EngagementSpeaker: Aslihan Unal, Digital Strategy Group Manager, JanssenIt can be difficult to gain patient engagement on social platforms, even if the company has a solid following. Janssen will explain what steps should be taken in order to build a compliant social media strategy which delivers real commercial results. On top of this, Aslihan will explore the pitfalls and lessons learned, with examples to enable the organisation to stay relevant in today's increasingly changing technological and regulatory environment.Case Study: How to Map Out And Understand A Patients JourneySpeaker: Steve Reeves, Director, Social Intelligence, DRG DigitalProviding real life examples, DRG Digital will be discussing the emergence of the emotional aspect of the patient, using statistical models. Creating emotional and behavioural paths of shock, fear and excitement can be achieved with useful and relatable content to the audience. This could be by posting the existing patients' opinions on social media about a newly developed product, hoping to score emotional triggers such as excitement to engage and benefit others. In the end, this will lead to some engagement activity, as the ideal goal is to understand the patient's' journey.Check out the agenda + full speaker line-up:For those looking to attend there is currently a 400 early-bird saving by this Friday 29th September!SMi Presents the Launch ofSocial Media in the Pharmaceutical IndustryDate: 22nd  23rd January 2017Location: Kensington, LondonWebsite:---end---Contact Information:For all media inquiries contact Pavan Solanki on Tel: +44 (0)20 7827 6048 / Email: psolanki@smi-online.co.ukAbout SMi Group:Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the world's most forward-thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found at1 Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7XW
Global Steel Cord Market Size, Industry Analysis & Forecast Report 2017

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ReportsMonitor.Com Adds Global Steel Cord Market Professional Survey Report 2017 to Its Database.This report studies Steel Cord in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.GET SAMPLE REPORT @This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringBekaertJiangsu Xingda Steel CordArcelorMittalHyosungShandong SNTON Steel CordBridgestoneShougang CenturyTokusenTokyo Rope MFGHubei Fuxing New MaterialBMZHenan HengxingJunma Tyre CordSumitomo Electric IndustriesSodetalOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoNormal Tensile (NT)High Tensile (HT)OthersBy Application, the market can be split intoPassenger Car UseFreight Car UseOtherTo Enquire about report @By Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaTable of Contents1 Industry Overview of Steel Cord1.1 Definition and Specifications of Steel Cord1.1.1 Definition of Steel Cord1.1.2 Specifications of Steel Cord1.2 Classification of Steel Cord1.2.1 Normal Tensile (NT)1.2.2 High Tensile (HT)1.2.3 Others1.3 Applications of Steel Cord1.3.1 Passenger Car Use1.3.2 Freight Car Use1.3.3 Other1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Steel Cord2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Steel Cord2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Steel Cord2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Steel CordBROWSE FULL TABLE OF CONTENTS and REPORT DESCRIPTION @About Us:Reports Monitor (ReportsMonitor.com) is a platform to meet the market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.Contact Us:Jay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Global Recruitment Market: Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Recruitment Market: Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast" to its huge collection of research reports.Recruitment is the process of attracting, screening, and selecting a qualified person (from within or outside of an organization) for a job opening. The global recruitment/staffing industry comprises of recruitment or employment agencies providing for services of recruiting staff/employees for various business enterprises in different sectors. Such companies hire these employment agencies to recruit personnel to carry out their business operations. The recruitment market can be segmented into temporary and permanent staffing markets on the basis of job duration.The temporary staffing market is cyclical in nature and establishes high correlation with the global GDP. Permanent staffing market also maintains a positive relation with economic conditions. Both permanent and temporary staffing markets have a positive relation with the deregulation of labor market. The staffing market varies considerably from one country to another with the U.S., Japan and the UK showing the highest degree of fragmentation. North America represented the single largest market measured in terms of revenues followed by Japan, the UK, France and Germany.The EU region continues to struggle with its economic revival, especially France, Spain, Greece, among others. Income growth has also come under pressure from rising unemployment, putting downward pressure on real wages in many advanced economies. With the economic revival in the coming years, sources of new employment opportunities can be expected; however, the continuing challenge in overcoming the problem of skill gap in both advanced and emerging economies will continue to affect the revenue growth of the staffing industry.Most of the mergers and acquisitions that took place in the IT & Healthcare segment and involved middle sized staffing firms as they proved to be attractive acquisition targets, offering geographic coverage and differentiated services. The staffing industry acquisition activities remain primarily driven by privately held strategic buyers, as the larger and better known public staffing companies.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Table of Content1. Market Overview1.1 Recruitment1.2 Types of Recruitment1.3 Recruitment Strategies1.4 Industry Definition2. Global Recruitment Market2.1 Global Recruitment Market by Value2.2 Global Recruitment Market by Regions2.3 Global Recruitment Market by Services2.4 Global Recruitment Market by Employment Type2.5 Global Temporary Recruitment Market by Value2.6 Global Temporary Recruitment Market by Regions3. North American Recruitment Market3.1 The U.S. Recruitment/Staffing Market by Value3.2 The U.S. Staffing Market by Segments3.3 The U.S. Temporary Staffing Market3.1.1 The U.S. Temporary Staffing Market by Value3.3.2 The U.S. Temporary & Contract Staffing Market by VolumeBrowse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Comprehensive Study Of Global Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Market | ResearchMoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Comprehensive Study Of Global Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Market | ResearchMoz" to its huge collection of research reports.Cardiac rhythm management (CRM) is a well-established segment of the cardiology devices market. CRM majorly consists of devices such as implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), implantable pacemakers, and other CRM monitoring devices. Cardiac rhythm management devices are commonly used for the treatment of arrhythmias specifically superventricular arrhythmias (SVA) and ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and heart failure. CRM devices can be very efficient in decreasing the number of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). SCD is an unexpected death due to cardiac causes occurring in a short time period (generally within 1 hour of symptom onset) in a person with known or unknown cardiac disease.The emerging markets are offering significant potential for companies able to establish distribution channels in the region. However, low reimbursement and costs of living provide intense pricing pressure for market entrants. With limited financial resources available, current devices are largely unaffordable in developing countries, and significant reductions are expected in future as manufacturing operations improve and distribution becomes more global. In response to significant cost concerns, there are many companies which are developing value-tier platforms that enable the sale of lower-cost devices. As physician use and adoption continues to increase in these regions, significant market expansion is expected.The report provides a comprehensive study of global cardiac rhythm management (CRM) market and also the regional markets. The competition in the global CRM market is intense among large players like Medtronic, St. Jude Medical and Boston Scientific. All these companies have been profiled in the present report highlighting their key financials and business strategies for growth.The key factors driving the growth of the CRM market are growing consumption of tobacco and alcohol, rising global population, rising healthcare expenditure, the rise of irrigated RF ablation catheter device, expansion in emerging markets and increasing prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias. Some of the noteworthy trends and developments of this industry are new product launch, rising demand of leadless pacemaker, ICD procedure growth trend, increased adoption of subcutaneous ICD, introduction of quadripolar lead devices. However, the expansion of market is hindered by regulatory and environment issues.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Table of Content1. Market Overview1.1 Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices1.2 Types of Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices1.2.1 Catheter Ablation1.2.2 Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT)1.2.3 Implantable CardioverterDefibrillator (ICD)1.2.4 Pacemakers2. Cardiac Rhythm Management Analysis2.1 Global CRM MarketAnnual Market ValueQuarterly Market ValueGrowth Rate2.1.1 Global ICD MarketAnnual Market ValueQuarterly Market ValueGrowth Rate2.1.2 Global Pacemaker MarketAnnual Market ValueQuarterly Market ValueGrowth RateBrowse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Technological Advancements to Influence Sulphuric Acid Market Growth 2015 - 2025

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Sulfuric acid is a diprotic acid that exhibits different variety of properties depending upon its concentration. Sulphuric acid has the biggest output of any chemical in the world. Sulphuric acid is majorly used in the manufacture of chemicals to make sulfate salts, pigments, dyes, nitric acid, sulfate salts, and others. It also serves as the electrolyte in the lead acid storage battery.Sulphuric acid is widely used in the production of phosphate fertilizers. Sulphuric acid is a complex market that involves the chemistry of product supply and demand. There is variation in pricing of Sulphuric acid between regions depending upon the regulations and concentrations. There are four stages in the manufacturing of sulphuric acid that includes extraction of sulphur, conversion of Sulphur into sulphur dioxide, then converting sulphur dioxide to sulphur trioxide, and final conversion of sulphur trioxide to sulphuric acid.Request For Report Sample@Sulphuric acid is used to wash impurities out of gasoline and other refinery products in petroleum refining. Sulphuric acid is also used as catalyst and dehydrating agent in petrochemical process and organic chemical manufacturing. The global sulphuric acid market is segmented on the basis of manufacturing process, application, and region. Manufacturing process includes Lead Chamber Process, Contact Process, Wet Sulfuric Acid Process, and Others. Applications include Phosphate Fertilizers, Chemical Manufacturing, Agricultural Chemistry, Electrolyte In Lead-Acid Storage Battery, Metal Processing, and Others.Global Sulphuric Acid Market: DriversThe Global Sulphuric Acid Market is mainly driven by the growing demand for Sulphur based fertilizers. Rising demand for sulphuric acid in the oil & gas industry and waste water treatment is expected to drive the sulphuric acid market for the forecasted period.Global Sulphuric Acid: RestraintsRestraints for the global sulphuric acid market include stringent government regulations that are restricting its use, and high raw material prices. Some of the reasons that are hampering the growth of this market include effects on human health such as skin irritation, eyes irritation, skin sensitiveness and others.Global Sulphuric Acid Market: SegmentationGlobal Sulphuric Acid market is segmented by: application, manufacturing process, and by region.By Application:Phosphate FertilizersChemical ManufacturingAgricultural ChemistryElectrolyte In Lead-Acid Storage BatteryMetal ProcessingOthersBy Manufacturing Process:Lead Chamber ProcessContact ProcessWet Sulfuric Acid ProcessOthersSulphuric Acids By Region:North AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeJapanAsia pacific (APEJ)Middle East & Africa (MEA)Global Sulphuric Acid: Region-wise OutlookThe global Sulphuric Acid is projected to witness a moderate growth from 2015 to 2025. According to FMIs forecast, the market in Asia-Pacific is expected to show the fastest CAGR for the forecasted period due to increasing demand for consumer products from countries such as Japan, China, and India.Europe and North America are leading markets of global Sulphuric Acid. Latin America market is also expected to grow due to rapid industrialization. Due to the prevalence of base metal smelters in Japan and South Korea, these regions have significant sources of sulphuric acid traded in the market.Global Sulphuric Acid Market: Competitive LandscapeKey players in the global Sulphuric Acid market are doing product innovations, expansions and mergers and acquisitions in order to expand their geographic reach. Companies in this market are focusing on finding newer applications for Sulphuric Acids in order to increase their shares in the market.Visit For TOC@Global Sulphuric Acid Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players of the global Sulphuric Acid market are Tampa Electric, Chemtrade Refinery, The Mosaic, Lucite International, Climax Molybdenum, Valero Energy, Solvay, DuPont, Akzonobel N.V., BASF and others.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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
What will be the Trands and Forecast of "Global Cardiac Rhythm Management Market" in 2024

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Global Cardiac Rhythm Management Market, By Product type (Defibrillators ( Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDS), External Defibrillators), Pacemakers (by Implantability (Implantable Cardiac Pacemaker, External Cardiac Pacemaker), by Technology (Dual-Pacemaker, Single-Chamber, Bi-Ventricular), Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Devices (Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillators (CRT-D), Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Pacemakers (CRT-P)), by End user (Hospitals, Ambulatory surgical centers), By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024This report consists of below pages: No of pages : 350 No of Figures: 60 No of Tables:250Cardiac Rhythm Management Market accounted to USD 21.2 billion in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024Request for Sample Report @Global Cardiac Rhythm Management Market Key Drivers: Increasing Worldwide Incidence of Cardiovascular Diseases Increasing reimbursement for implantation of pacemaker Rising Geriatric Population Technological advancements in cardiac pacemakerGlobal Cardiac Rhythm Management Market is segmented on the basis of product type, end-user and geography.Browse Full Report @By product type the market for cardiac rhythm management is segmented into Defibrillators and Pacemakers. The Defibrillators segment is further sub segmented into Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDS), External Defibrillators.On the basis of end-user the market is segmented into Hospitals and Ambulatory surgical centers.Request for TOC:On the basis of geography, cardiac pacemakers market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Speak to our Analyst:The Global Cardiac Rhythm Management Market Report is highly fragmented and is based on new product launches and clinical results of products. Hence the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, clinical trials, market initiatives, high expense on research and development, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of cardiac pacemakers market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Some of the major players operating in this market areSome of the major players operating in cardiac rhythm management market are Medtronic PLC , St. Jude Medical, Inc. , Boston Scientific Corporation, GE Healthcare , Philips Healthcare , Biotronik Se & Co., Kg, Cardiac Science Corporation , Livanova PLC , Mortara Instrument, Inc., Schiller AG among others.Inquiry before Buying @Other ReportGlobal Active Wound Care Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Active Wound Care Market By Product Type (Allograft, Synthetic Skin Grafts, Xenografts, Collagen Dressings, Amniotic Tissue Grafts, Growth Factors (Platelet Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), Epidermal Growth Factors (EGF), Basic Fibroblast Growth Factors (BFGF), Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF), Talactoferrin ALFA, Thrombin Peptide, and Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF)), By Distribution Channel, By End Users, By Indication, Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogFollow us on LinkedIn:
Bio-Implants Market Intelligence Research Reports for Actionable Insights 2015 - 2025

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An implant is a medical device which replaces, supports or enhances a missing, damaged or existing biological structure. An implant is man-made device which is inserted into the human body cavity. Bio-implants are made from biological cells which are compatible with the human body cells. For instance, bio-implants are used in the treatment of skin burns or sores caused by surgeries. Eye bio-implants are used in the treatment of cornea sores or chemical damages in the eye.Bio-implants Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe advantage of bio-implants over the conventional forms of implants is that bio-implants is a fast method of treatment with negligible complications. The bio-implant owing to its nature builds into the human body organ naturally. The bio-implants are similar in morphology to the original human body tissue. Bio-implants do not necessarily need incisions but bio-implants are pressed through the human body organ. Bio-implants provide lifetime guarantee and heal the human body organ rapidly. However, high treatment costs and reimbursement issues are the factors that could hamper the growth of the global bio-implants market. The bio-implant approvals are regulated by a large number of laws which could act as a hurdle in the global bio-implants market due to this time consuming approval process.Request For Report Sample@Bio-implants Market: SegmentationThe global bio-implants market is classified on the basis of type of implant, therapeutic area and geography.Based on type of implant, the global bio-implants market is segmented into the following:AllograftAutograftXenograftBased on therapeutic area, the global bio-implants market is segmented into the following:OrthopedicsDentalOphthalmicOthersBio-implants Market: OverviewThe global bio-implants market is forecast to witness significant growth rates due to the rapidly improving healthcare infrastructure in developed as well as developing regions. The increasing prevalence of chronic health disorders especially in the aging population coupled with rising disposable incomes is expected to propel the growth of the global bio-implants market. The geriatric population is expected to double in 2030 as compared to 2010. This is a major factor that is expected to determine the growth of dental bio-implants and orthopedic bio-implants. The dental therapeutic area subsegment is estimated to account for a significant share in the global bio-implants market. By therapeutic area, orthopedics is the key growth subsegment in the global bio-implants market which is projected to register a high CAGR among other subsegments during the forecast period.Bio-implants Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic regions, global bio-implants market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the largest market for bio-implants in terms of revenue due to the large number of players in bio-implants and strong healthcare infrastructure. Europe is the second largest bio-implant market owing to the technological advancements in healthcare and considerably high geriatric population in the region. North America and Europe together account for a major share in the global bio-implants market. The MEA region has witnessed mass productions of bio-implants in diverse therapeutic areas which makes the MEA a potential bio-implant market. Also, the bio-implants in MEA bio-implant market are cheaper as compared to the global prices and are able to meet domestic demand.Visit For TOC@Bio-implants Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players identified in global bio-implants market are LifeNet Health, Arthrex, Inc., Clinic Lemanic, Nobel Biocare Services AG, Osprey Biomedical Corporation, Alpha Bio Tec, MiMedx Group, Inc to name a few. The global bio-implants market players are involved in collaborations, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions in order to enhance product development process and expand the global bio-implant footprint.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.CONTACTFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Spinal Fusion Market Intelligence Study for Comprehensive Insights 2015 - 2025

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There are several huge aspects impacting medical device technology field nowadays. A number of trends including consolidation, research and developments, and international strategies and alliances are driving the market for china spinal fusion market. The spinal fusion is one of the most common surgeries suggested for back problems. With the increasing spinal fusion surgery volumes in china due to the favourable reimbursement levels and patients willingness to undergo surgery with minimal invasive techniques is expected to foster the china spinal fusion market. Spinal fusion is surgical process are done to the patients suffering from a number of conditions such asdeformity, scoliosis, disc disease and fracture.The China Spinal Fusion Market is expected to register a double digit growth holding the fact that there is an increasing number of surgeries due to advancement in the technologies and use of minimal invasive techniques that benefits reduced cost. The procedures are highly benefited with the investment in the new technologies and their clinical success which are gaining more and more importance in the recent days and causing the China spinal fusion market to grow.Request For Report Sample@The emerging China spinal fusion market has been experiencing a phase of new product development and technological advancements due to greater demand. The manufacturing companies are raising their respective market share with aggressive marketing activities and increased R&D activities.China Spinal Fusion Market: Drivers & RestraintsSome of the major factors subsidizing the growth of China spinal fusion market are increasing rate of aging population with spine related diseases & related injuries coupled with the rising incomes of the Chinese populace ensuring the patients capability to pay for the treatment. On the other hand the price sensitive population of china is very responsive to the treatment price that are anticipated to drip considerably in near future due to the increasing competition in the market.Due to existing and upcoming advance technologies such as minimal invasive surgery and better implant materials are making it more widely accepted including the younger adult populace and thereby increasing the China spinal fusion market.The economic growth and additional initiatives taken by the Chinese government had resulted in treatment of a large number of previously untreated spinal disease patients in China's rural populace who are now undergoing minimally invasive spine surgery due to increased access.Despite of being widely used procedure for curing extremely debilitating disease related to spine, and spinal deformities, such as scoliosis and kyphosis, the China spinal fusion market is facing some challenges such as reimbursement cuts and heavy government regulations, high surgery cost, risk factors involved in the surgery etc.Due to high competition in the market, prices for bone graft substitutes and spinal implants are expected to come down in the Asia Pacific market, even when demand and expenditure on them has become greater than before, thus restraining the China spinal fusion market from growing. Some of the other growth restraining factors of the China spinal infusion market can be growing awareness for some other treatment methods such as IDET, artificial disc, posterior dynamic stabilization, disc regeneration.China Spinal Fusion Market: SegmentationBy spine fusion device types is segmented as follows:Spinal Plating SystemsPedicle Screw SystemsInterbody CagesBy procedure, the china spinal fusion market is segmented as follows:Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF)Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF)Anterior/Posterior Spinal FusionTransforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF)Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF)The developing region of China is projected to be potentially growing in market with reference to the increasing demand for spinal fusion holding the fact that increased number of technological advancements have made the devices and surgeries cost-effective.Visit For TOC@China Spinal Fusion Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the China spinal fusion market are Trauson, Depuy Synthes Companies, Biomet, Inc., Medtronic, Inc, Nuvasive Inc, Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Holding, Inc., Orthofix International N.V, B. Braun Aesculap and Weigao Orthopaedic Device Co., Ltd.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.CONTACTFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Polyols Market Predicted to Witness Surge in the Near Future 2015 - 2025

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Polyols are defined as sugar-free sweeteners, which are used in the same amount as sugar is used in food and beverage products. The chemical structure of polyols is partially sugar and alcohol thus, called as sugar alcohols. Different polyols available for use in food and beverage products include erythritol, sorbitol, maltitol, isomalt and others. Owing to demand for low calorie food and beverage products among consumers to overcome obesity, weight management and type-2 diabetes, the polyols market is predicted to witness significant growth in next five to six years.Also, benefits such as non-cariogenic nature, low insulin level for metabolism, less energy utilization and others have led manufactures adoption towards polyols as a replacement with sugar in the food and beverage products. Application of polyols as blends in food and beverage products, resulting in improved taste and stability is predicted to increase usage of polyols in food products. In addition, blending polyols offers flexibility to food manufacturers to take each sweeteners individual taste in the food product.Request For Report Sample@Polyols Market SegmentationThe global polyols market is segmented on the basis of polyols type, application and regions. The polyols segmentation includes erythritol, sorbitol, maltitol, isomalt and others. Among, all the polyols type, sorbitol is expected to witness considerable growth in the near future. This is primarily attributed to versatility, low caloric value and other health benefits resulting in low fat or calories.On the basis of application, polyols market is segmented into food and beverage, pharmaceutical and personal care. In addition, food segment is further sub-segmented into candies, frozen desserts, syrups, cookies and others. Pharmaceutical sub-segmentation includes breath mints, cough medicines and chewing gum. Personal care is sub-segmented into mouthwash and toothpaste, perfumes, make-up, deodorants and lotions.On the basis of regions, the global polyols market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East and Africa. Of which, currently North America dominates the market in terms of % share contribution. However, Asia Pacific excluding Japan and South America are expected to record high growth as compared to the other regions by 2025. This is attributed to increasing health concerns among consumers, changing lifestyle particularly in countries such as India, China and Brazil.Polyols Market DynamicsConsumer inclination towards low calorie food, growing health concerns and changing consumer lifestyle are key factors fuelling the global polyols market growth. In addition, increasing obesity levels and diabetes concerns among population are anticipated to drive the demand for low calorie food products, resulting in significant contribution of these products among consumes. Moreover, increasing awareness among manufacturers of processed food products regarding benefits of polyols such as suspension, thickness and stabilization offered by xanthum gum is predicted to increase uptake of polyols in food and beverage products.Although, raw material availability in developing regions is restraining the market growth; strategic alliances among players in the global polyols market is expected to increase the growth in the near future. There are numerous benefits associated with application of polyols in food and beverage products, regulatory approvals is a major factor hampering the complete use of all polyols in food and beverage products.Visit For TOC@Polyols Market Key PlayersSome of the prominent players operating in the global polyols market include Mitsubishi-Kagaku Foods, Cargill Inc., Jungbunzlauer Suisse AG, Ecogreen Oleochemicals Gmbh, American International Foods and Archer Daniels Midland among others.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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
DNA Diagnostics Market Analysis, Research Report, Forecast to 2023

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The global DNA diagnostics market is growing due to technological advancement, and cost effective diagnostic solution. The growing adoption of new technologies such as polymerase chain reaction, next generation sequencing, and microarray is also posing an opportunity for the global market. Among the various products, the instrument segment leads the market, due to improved healthcare facilities, and its inexpensive cost structure.However, the services and software segment is expected to grow with the fastest rate during the forecast period. Among the various technologies, the PCR segment accounted for the largest share in the global market of DNA diagnostics, due to its frequent usage in diagnostic procedures, such as sample separation, isolation, and preparation of the DNA sample. And among the various applications, the oncology segment dominated the market of DNA diagnostic, due to increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and growing geriatric population.Access Report Overview:Geographically, North America is expected to dominate the global market during the forecast period, due to increasing prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases, and increasing adoption of DNA diagnostics technology. In addition, the refined healthcare infrastructure, and strong government initiatives and funding for DNA testing are also fueling the growth of the North American market. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region during the forecast period, due to increasing healthcare expenditure, and large pool of undiagnosed patients in the region. In addition, the Asia-Pacific market is growing due to increasing awareness about healthcare and improving healthcare infrastructure in the emerging countries, such as India and China.Download Free Sample of This Research Report:Some of the companies operating in the global DNA diagnostics market are Sysmex Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Bayer Diagnostic, Illumina Inc., Gen-Probe Inc., Cephide Inc., Johnson and Johnson, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., and Novartis AG.Make Enquiry Before Buying the Report:Contact:Mr. Kundan KumarManager  Client Partner347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +18887787886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:Download Free Sample of This Research Report:
Baby Stroller and Pram Market in Europe to grow at a CAGR of 4.67% during the period 2017-2021

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"The Report Baby Stroller and Pram Market in Europe 2017-2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Baby Stroller and PramA stroller or a pram is a hand pushed vehicle that is used to carry babies and young infants. These baby care products are can be of distinct types for babies of different ages and weights.Get Sample copy of this Report @ The baby stroller and pram market in Europe is segmented by product, key leading countries, and distribution channels. An increased shift of the global population from rural to urban and semi-urban areas has been recorded over the past few years. In recent times, lifestyles in both developed and emerging countries, including China, Russia, and India, have changed considerably due to the growth in urbanization. The purchasing power and living standards of consumers have also increased owing to their high disposable incomes.Technavios analysts forecast the baby stroller and pram market in Europe to grow at a CAGR of 4.67% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the baby stroller and pram market in Europe for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the sales market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AustriaBelgiumBulgariaDenmarkFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceItalyLuxembourgNorwayPolandPortugalSpainSwitzerlandThe NetherlandsThe UKView Report @ Technavio's report, Baby Stroller and Pram Market in Europe 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 vendorsBaby JoggerBbcarBugaboo InternationalArtsana (Chicco)iCandyOther prominent vendorsPPH ARO KaroBreviBritaxColettoConcordGo-Go BabyzHartanInglesinaJoolzJoovyMamas & PapasMaxi-CosiMima InternationalMothercareMountain BuggyPeg Peregophil&tedsQuinnyRECAROSilver CrossThuleTutekBrowse more Toys & Games Market Research Reports @Market driverMultifunctionality featuresFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeLow profit marginsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendCustomization of strollersFor a full, detailed list, view our reportRequest for Enquiry @Key questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?About usMarketResearchReports.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.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Batting Helmet Market: Japan Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017 - 2022

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Batting Helmet Market: Japan Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017 - 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.The global Batting Helmet market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2017, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Japan plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2017, with a CAGR of xx%.This report, with focus on top players in the global and Japan, studies the Batting Helmet market's development status and future trend in the global and Japan. It splits Batting Helmet market by type and by applications to fully and deeply research and reveal market profile and prospect.The major players includeRawlings(US)Rip-It(US)DeMarini(US)EvoShield(US)All-Star(US)Mizuno(JP)Under Armour(US)EASTON(US)Franklin(US)Wilson(US)Nike(US)NOKONA(US)Schutt(US)Dudley(US)Worth(US)Packgout(CN)Markwort(US)Diamond(US)Champro(US)Amer Sports(US)BRG Sports(US)SKLZ(US)Geographically, this report splits the Global market into the following regions:Asia PacificJapanTokyoYokohamaOsakaNagoyaOthersChinaKoreaIndiaOthersEuropeFranceGermanyUnited KingdomItalyRussiaOthersNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @On the basis of product, the Batting Helmet market is primarily split intoBy StyleFlaplessSingle EarflapDual EarflapBy Age GroupAdultYouthBy PriceUnder $25$25-$35$35-$45$45-$55$55 & UPKey ApplicationsSportsTrainingCommercialTable of Contents2017-2022 Global and Japan Batting Helmet Market Analysis Report1 Batting Helmet Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Batting Helmet1.2 Global and Japan Batting Helmet Market by Applications/End Users1.2.1 Japan Batting Helmet Sales (K Pcs) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.1 Japan Batting Helmet Sales (K Pcs) and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.2 Japan Batting Helmet Sales Growth Rate (%) by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities1.2.2 Japan Batting Helmet Sales (K Pcs) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3 Global Batting Helmet Sales by Application (2012-2017)Browse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
North America Topical Drug Delivery Market Outlook to 2024 - 3M Drug Delivery Systems, Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sheffield Pharmaceuticals, Samyang Biopharmaceuticals Corporation

North America Topical Drug Delivery Market : Dynamics, Segments, Size and Demand, 2017-2024

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North America Topical Drug Delivery Market, By Product Type {Topical Drug Delivery Formulations (Solid, Liquid, Semi-Solid), Transdermal Drug Delivery Devices (Patches, Gels)}, End-User (Hospitals, Clinics, Home Healthcare, Diagnostic Centers, Others), Distribution Channel (Direct Tenders, Retail), Country (U.S, Canada, Mexico)  Trends and Forecast to 2024North America Topical Drug Delivery Market is expected to reach USD 89.3 billion by 2024 from USD 48.0 billion in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 8.0% in the forecast period 2017 to 2024. The new market report contains data for historic years 2014 & 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Request for Free Sample Report of North America Topical Drug Delivery Market Visit @Some of the major companies operating in this market are: MedPharm Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson Services Inc A J&J Company) Crescita Therapeutics Galderma S.A. Biofarmitalia s.r.l Pharmatek Laboratories, Inc. Stiefel Laboratories, Inc. Tapemark Acrux Limited Nitto Denko Corporation Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. Skinvisible Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. Pocono Coated Products LLC TheraSolve NV. Samyang Biopharmaceuticals Corporation Lohmann Therapie-Systeme AG Prosollus Pharmaceuticals Easton Pharmaceuticals Inc. Novosis AG Antares Pharma, Inc. Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. Transdermal Technologies, Inc. Sheffield Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Solvay 3M Drug Delivery SystemsThe North America topical drug delivery market is segmented on the basis of product type, distribution channel, end user, and geography.On the basis of product type the North America Topical Drug Delivery Market is segmented into transdermal drug delivery devices and topical drug delivery formulations. Topical drug delivery formulations are further segmented based on form into solid, semi-solid, and liquid. The semi solid segment is further classified into ointments, creams, lotions, gels, and pastes. The solid drugs segment is further segmented into powders and suppositors. The liquid drugs segment is further classified into solutions and suspensions.On the basis of end users, the North America Topical Drug Delivery Market is segmented into hospitals, home healthcare, clinics, diagnostic centers, and others.Based on country, the North America Topical Drug Delivery Market is segmented into U.S, Canada, and Mexico.The North America topical drug delivery market is highly fragmented with various companies operating in local regions. The major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market.Inquiry before Buying Visit @Table of Content:1. INTRODUCTION2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY3. MARKET LANDSCAPE SUMMARY4. PREMIUM INSIGHTS5. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY6. TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY MARKET, BY PRODUCT TYPE7. TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY MARKET, BY END-USER8. TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY MARKET, BY DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL9. TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY MARKET, BY GEOGRAPHY10. TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY MARKET: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE11. TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY MARKET, COMPANY PROFILESBrowse Full Report Visit @Related ReportAsia-Pacific (APAC) Infusion Pumps Market  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Asia-Pacific (APAC) Infusion Pumps Market, By Product Types, By End-Users, By Distribution Channel, By Country (Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillipines, Rest of APAC)  Indutry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit Blog:Follow us on LinkedIn:
Permeate Market Insights and Analysis for Period 2015 - 2025

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Permeate is a dairy ingredient rich in lactose content which is produced after the removal of protein and other ingredients from milk or whey. Whey and milk permeates are used in various food application to enhance the salty flavor. Permeate is considered as the cost effective alternative to the other expensive ingredients used to add salty flavor to the food products. Owing to the rising demand of consumers for low sodium products, which results to the increasing use of permeate in various applications including bakery, prepared meals, soup and others. Moreover, high lactose in permeate results in brown appearance and caramelized aroma in baked products. Whey permeate is formed as a co-product of whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate. However, milk permeate is a formed as the co-product of milk protein isolate and milk protein concentrate. Permeate is used as an alternative to ingredients such as whole milk powder and skim milk. Overall dairy industry is much consolidated market with various small players operating in it. Permeate market is expected to contribute significant growth in the next four to five years due to the evolving needs related to the milk coupled with the rising population in the forthcoming years.Permeate Market SegmentationGlobal permeate market is segmented on the basis of product type, application and region. Based on the product type global permeate segmentation includes whey and milk. Of which, whey permeate is expected to be the dominating segment over forecast period ,followed by the milk permeate segment due the various benefits associated with it such as it is less sweet than sucrose, absorbs synthetic and natural pigments, absorbs volatile flavor compounds and comparatively more moisture resistant. On the basis of application permeate market is segmented into, soups and sauces, dairy foods, beverages and meat. Among all the segments of permeate market dairy food is the leading segment, followed by other segments over the forecast period. Permeate market is expanding especially in Asia Pacific due to the rising awareness among consumers regarding the health benefits associated with the consumption of dairy products which includes high protein content coupled with increasing number of upper middle class population in the Asia Pacific region. Global permeate market is segmented on the basis of region into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Japan.Request For Report Sample@Permeate Market: Region-wise OutlookThe Global permeate market is expected to witness robust growth over the forecast period due the various health benefit related to the consumption of permeate. Globally, among all regions, North America is expected to contribute the maximum market share during the forecast period. In North America, U.S is the dominating segment that contributes highest market share owing to the increasing production of permeate in U.S. However Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness significant growth owing to the rising awareness among consumers related to benefits of dairy ingredient such as permeate coupled with rising high income consumers in region such as India and China.Permeate Market: DriversMajor factors that fuel the growth of permeate market includes increasing consumption of milk and rising awareness among the consumers related to the health benefits associated with the consumption of permeate in the mature markets. However factor that hinder the growth of permeate market include lack of awareness among consumers in the emerging countries related to the benefits of the dairy ingredient such as permeate.Visit For TOC@Permeate Market: Key PlayersMajor companies operating in permeate market are Arla Foods Ingredients Inc., American dairy product institute, Fonterra Co-Operative Group, Nestle S.A, Silwan International General Trading LLC , La Belle Inc. and Volac International LimitedABOUT 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.CONTACTFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Automotive Spare Parts Logistics Global Market Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast 2017 - 2022

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Automotive Spare Parts Logistics Market 2017Logistics and supply chains for spare parts are different from those of finished products because the market for them is unstable. Many manufacturing companies are facing challenges because of an increase in operational costs and a decline in demand from consumers. Vendors of logistics services should be efficient in the provision of IT, data management, and SCM services. Accurate forecasting of demand takes systematic and proper planning, purchasing, and ordering of logistics operations. Logistics is the framework used to transport spare parts such as machine components, tools, and equipment required for the manufacture of new vehicles and replacement of defective parts. These parts can be transported by road, sea, rail, and air. Spare parts are also known as replacement parts, service parts, and repair parts. Spare parts are stored by vendors to be used when the demand arises for replacement or repair of a product. The demand for spares is characterized by fluctuations and volatility. It is affected by stochastic factors such as the intensity of product use, wear behavior, failure rates, and type of maintenance.The analysts forecast the global automotive spare parts logistics market to grow at a CAGR of 6.12% during the period 2016-2020.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global automotive spare parts logistics market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated third-party logistics (3PL) providers providing spare parts logistics services in the market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: APAC Europe MEA North America South AmericaRequest a Sample Report @The report, Global Automotive Spare Parts Logistics Market 2016-2020, 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 CEVA Logistics DB Schenker Deutsche Post DHL Kuehne + Nagel UPSOther prominent vendors Broekman Logistics BEUMER Group FedEx Kerry Logistics Logwin Ryder System SEKO Logistics TVS Logistics DSV A/S Verst Group Logistics Yusen LogisticsKey questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2020 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?Any Query, Submit Here @Table of Contents Analysis of Key PointsPART 01: Executive summary HighlightsPART 02: Scope of the report Market overview Service offeringsPART 03: Market research methodology Research methodology Economic indicatorsPART 04: Introduction Value chain of automotive industryPART 05: Market landscape Market overview Market size and forecast Five forces analysisPART 06: Geographical segmentation Global automotive spare parts logistics market by geography 2015-2020 Automotive spare parts logistics market in APAC Automotive spare parts logistics market in North America Automotive spare parts logistics market in Europe Automotive spare parts logistics market in South America Automotive spare parts logistics market in MEAPART 07: Market driversPART 08: Market challengesPART 09: Impact of drivers and challengesPART 10: Market trends....ContinuedBuy Now @Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Asia Pacific Endoscopy Devices Market Size to Witness a CAGR Growth of 7.6% Through 2024

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Transparency Market Research states that the endoscopy devices market in Asia Pacific will expand at a healthy pace of 7.6% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. The market, which had a valuation of US$7.76 bn in 2015, is expected to rise to US$14.8 bn by 2024Rise in Investments and Mergers and Acquisitions to Have Far-reaching Impact on Markets TrajectoryOn a global scale, the endoscopy devices market has witnessed a vast rise in investment in companies already operating in the endoscopy devices business and acquisition of a large number of specialty medical device makers by many global medical device giants. A recent instance is the April 2016 acquisition of Stanmore Implants Worldwide Limited by Stryker Corporation. The vast numbers of mergers and acquisitions have helped the market gain notable level of maturation. This has also allowed global players to increase their scope for market expansion and pay more focus on lucrative regional markets such as Asia Pacific.View and Download TOC of Asia Pacific Endoscopy Devices Market Research Report@The Asia Pacific endoscopy devices market is also driven by the vast rise in the regions geriatric population, rising disposable incomes, increased emphasis on minimally invasive surgeries, increased healthcare expenditures. With the vast rise in geriatric population, especially in countries such as Japan and China, the number of surgeries employing a variety of endoscopy devices has also skyrocketed.High Costs of Treatment and Dearth of Trained Surgeons Still Key Challenges for MarketA vast share of population in Asia Pacific still belong to middle class or lower middle class income group. The relatively higher costs of endoscopy devices and inevitably the surgeries and diagnostic methods involving these devices is a huge setback when it comes to serving this demographic. The factor is a key restraint to the overall development of the Asia Pacific endoscopy devices market presently and is expected to remain a key-impact factor for the market for the next few years as well.Along with this, the factor of lack of adequate specialist surgeons and physicians trained and qualified for using complex medical devices such as endoscopes is also a prominent restraint for the Asia Pacific endoscopy devices market. According to the World Bank, China, India, and Indonesia had 1.8, 0.6, and 0.3 physicians per 1,000 people, including general and specialist medical practitioners.Request and Download Sample Report@Nevertheless, factors such as the rising awareness regarding the availability of effective medical devices for treating complex health conditions and rising prevalence of a number of chronic conditions will continue to drive the increased demand for endoscopy devices in Asia Pacific in the next few years. On the basis of geography, Japan led the market in 2015, accounting for a 35% share in markets overall revenues. The product segment of endoscopy visualization systems dominated, accounting for over 46% of markets overall revenues in 2015.The Asia Pacific endoscopy devices market features a moderate level of consolidation, with the top four vendors collectively accounting for over 60% of the overall market in 2015, states Transparency Market Research in a recent report. These companies, including Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Boston Scientific Corporation, Olympus Corporation, and Stryker Corporation, compete with a large number of small- and medium-sized companies operating across specialty segments, giving rise to an intense level of price competition.The rising demand for technologically advanced products across developing economies in Asia Pacific could further fuel rivalry among key vendors in the market. So as to stay ahead of the competition in the market, key vendors are adopting the course of innovation and introduction of technologically advanced products. Most of countries in the region being developing economies and having a large base of cost-conscious consumers, focusing on ways of reducing product costs could also enable vendors to reach-out to a larger consumer base.Buy Full Asia Pacific Endoscopy Devices Market Report@About TMRTransparency 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.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Analysis and Assessment on Black Pepper Market by Future Market Insights 2016 - 2026

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Black Pepper is a pungent hot-tasting powder spice prepared from dried and ground peppercorns, used to flavor food. It is also known as king of spices because it contains rich anti-oxidants and other nutrients. The high demand for pepper presents an attractive market opportunity for new vendors to enter the market. In the present market scenario, it is estimated that the new crop of black pepper accounts for nearly 30% to 35% of the market. The high demand is expected to increase the price of black pepper, thereby increasing the profit margin of the vendors in this market.Apart from this, black pepper powder is also used to make medicines. It often used to cure stomach upset, bronchitis, and cancer. It is sometimes applied directly to the skin for treating nerve pain(neuralgia) and a skin disease called scabies. Black peppers are also used typically as a counterirritant for pain.Request For Report Sample@Black Pepper Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe black pepper market is directly influenced by the growing processed food industry. The rise in consumption of bakery products, confectionery products, and ready-to-eat and ried food in the developed economies is driving the market for the spice. The recent trend of using natural flavor enhancer has also catalyzed the growth of the global market. In the year 2013-15, the global pepper consumption is estimated at around 400,000 tons and has been increasing steadily. Increasing demand from Far East countries, which have started using more pepper in cooking, has been quite significant in driving the global black pepper market. Growth in the cosmetics industry is also directly influencing the pepper market. Due to the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of black pepper, it is often included in skin care products.As stated earlier, that the market is experiencing a major year on year increase in demand for black pepper. But unfortunately, this demand is not backed by adequate supply, which has proved to be a major restraint in this market. This is majorly due to the intensive crop losses in various parts of the world, especially in India & Brazil. Sudden climatic changes and untimely rainfall has significantly led to the fall in the yield of black pepper.Black PepperMarket: SegmentationThe global black pepper market can be broadly segmented on the basis of; type, end use and application. On the basis of type, the market can be further segmented into  organic and inorganic. Based on end use, the market can be segmented into bakery and confectionery products, frozen products, soups, sauces & dressing, beverages, meat & poultry products, snacks and convenience food, and others. Based of application, the black pepper market can be segmented into food & beverages, health care and personal care & cosmetics.Black PepperMarket: Region Wise OutlookGeographically, the global black peppermarket is segmented into seven regions which are ; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Japan.Vietnam, followed by Brazil, India & Indonesia are the leading producer of black pepper in the year 2014 globally.India saw a fall in its average production in the same year. The leverage of large scale production and productivity helps Vietnam growers to offer world's lowest price tags.In terms of export, Vietnam leads the market globally. U.S. market continues to be the largest importer of black pepper from Vietnam. While most markets like India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Netherlands, Spain have seen an increase in their imports, except Germany. German market recorded a drop in imports from Vietnam. Thus, with a market share of approximately 50% per cent in the global market, Vietnam has been able dominate the market.Visit For TOC@Black PepperMarket: Key PlayersSome of the major companies operating in global black peppermarket are Baria Pepper, British Pepper and Spice, Catch, Everest Spices, McCormick, MDH, Agri food Pacific, Akar Indo, Brazil Trade Business, DM AGRO, Gupta Trading, Pacific Production, PT AF, Silk Road Spices, The Spice House, Vietnam Spice Company, Visimex, and Webb James, Olam International Limited.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 trendsCONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Online Recruitment Market 2017 - Dice Holdings, Glassdoor, SimplyHired, TopUSAJobs, Indeed, Idealist, US.Job

Online Recruitment Market

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Global Online Recruitment Market 2017 Survival Strategies explore Economic Impact in Global Industries Manufactures, Growth, Size, Share, Trends, Development Challenges and Opportunities till 2022A Research study on " Global Online Recruitment Market 2017-2022 " represent the market share and size of Online Recruitment in international Industry. MRS Research Group added latest market research report by QY Research. Research Report provides an essential information and statistically evaluated data about the Online Recruitment. The research report provides a detailed study of the Online Recruitment market, enlightening the major areas such as future market scenario, market growth factors, market growth restraints, and others. The advanced technological trends and various new opportunities are also provided in this research report.Detail Information of Research Report @Report Focuses on Some Important Manufacturers in Global Market Includes :LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, Monster, SEEK, Naukri, StepStone, Dice Holdings, Glassdoor, SimplyHired, TopUSAJobs, Indeed, Idealist, US.Job.Reports Describes Product Type Devided by :Recruitment Services for Individual, Recruitment Services for Enterprise , OthersReport Focuses on the Status and Outlook for Major Applications/End Users Includes:Secretarial/Clerical, Accounting/ Financial, Computing , Technical/Engineering, Professional/Managerial, OthersReport Covers by Some Importatnt Regions/Countries as Following :United States, EU, Japan, China, India, Southeast AsiaThe research report provides the Online Recruitment markets classification in detail. The Online Recruitment market is bifurcated into a number of segments on the basis of materials,types,applications,and end-users. The geographical analysis of the global Online Recruitment market is also coveredin the report. The vital information mentioned in the research report helps in significantly predicting the future scope of the global market.Get Free Sample Copy Of Report @The various segmentation of the global market is based on the overall product profit, costing, global market growth, and manufacturing processes. The report covers a region-wise analysis which provides the customer with different market studies that give a detailed analysis of the product and its impact on the global market. The Online Recruitment report also highlights the growth statistics depending on the supply and demand in the different regions.Features of our report:1. The market analysis of the global market share, position, and size from the different regions are done.2. The admired players in the market and their share in the global market are discussed.3. Suggestions and the strategic plans that will help the new market players to maintain the competitive edge are also included.4. Several other major points that are included in the Online Recruitment Market report are growth factors, limiting factors, challenges that are faced, new upcoming opportunities, the technological advancements, and much more.5. On the basis of the estimations of the global market, the recommendations and the observations are included in the business segments.6. The current trends that are being followed in the market are included along with examples.7. How the technological advancements and the research and development activities are impacting the market are further explained in detail.Read Complete Report with TOC @The Online Recruitment report covers the precisely studied and evaluated data of the global market players and their scope in the market using a number of analytical tools. The analytical tools such as investment return analysis, SWOT analysis and feasibility study are used to analyze the key global market players growth in the Online Recruitment industry.About Us: MRS Research Group provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Prof Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United States
Macadamia Market Predicted to Witness Steady Growth During the Forecast Period 2016 - 2026

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Macadamia nut was introduced in the early 1960s to the Kenyan highlands from Australia. Macadamia is a member of the family Proteaceae, native to Australia. Australia and Hawaii are the major producing areas of macadamia with others including eastern and southern Africa, and Central and Latin America. Several species of macadamia exist in Australia but only two species such as M. tetraphylla and Macadamia integrifolia and their hybrids are grown commercially. Production of macadamia nuts in Australia is mainly in eastern shore of Australia (northern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland). Currently, Hawaii is the largest producer of global macadamia, accounting for around 70 percent of total macadamia production worldwide followed by Australia, around 22 percent, rest is produced by other countries including Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, Guatemala, Mexico, California, Costa Rica, Brazil, New Zealand and China.Tree nuts include almond, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio, walnut, macadamia, and pecan. Currently, macadamia accounts for around only one percent among all the tree nuts available across the globe. Almond nut dominates the nut segment, accounting for around 34 percent. Increasing health claims for macadamia have witnessed a surge in recent years, which if succeeded is expected to increase the consumption of macadamia nuts among consumers.Request For Report Sample@Global Macadamia Market Segmentation:On the basis of application the global macadamia market is broadly segmented into food industry, and cosmetics industry. In food industry macadamia is widely used in confectionaries including chocolate bar, chocolate covered candy, ice cream and other baking products. In cosmetics industry it is used in shampoos, sunscreens, soaps and others.Geographically, global macadamia market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East & Africa. Currently, North America and Western Europe account for major market share for macadamia however, Asia Pacific excluding Japan is expected to grow significantly in the forecasted years.Global Macadamia Market Dynamics:Owing to increasing variety of applications of macadamia, various workshop are taking places in order to increase the international trade for macadamia and since capitalise the growing demand for macadamia. Adoption of macadamia in chocolate and ice cream among consumers is expected to drive the demand for global macadamia in the near future. The biggest restraint for macadamia market is increasing crop losses due to immature nuts and moldy / rotten nuts. The crop losses due to these type of nuts accounts for around 50 percent of the total macadamia wastage globally. Thereby, reducing inclination of crop growers for macadamia and thus, hampering the market growth.There is a high opportunity to increase the market share of macadamia in terms of revenue across countries such as Mexico, China, South Africa and others. Companies are investing in these countries through promotional activities in order to increase the footprint of macadamia worldwide.Visit For TOC@Global Macadamia Market Key Players:Some of the key players operating in the global macadamia market are Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corp., Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company, MacFarms, Wondaree Macadamias, NAMBUCCA MACNUTS Pty Ltd, Golden Macadamias, Royal Macadamia (Pty) Ltd., Kenya Nut Company Ltd. and MWT Foods Australia.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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Surgical Navigation System Market Analysis and Forecast Study for 2015 - 2025

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Surgical Navigation Systems is one of the most reliable technology which is developed to render surgeries safer and less invasive as compared to the surgeries without Surgical Navigation Systems. Navigation during surgery is an excellent technology applied currently in medical devices. Surgical Navigation Systems have accelerated the technical processes in a surgery and paved the way for complex procedures. Surgical Navigation Systems target the anatomy to be operated on and guide to place the implant safely to the particular anatomy of the human body. Surgical Navigation Systems act as information centers during surgeries. Surgical Navigation System is essential in accurate visualization of the anatomy and in surgery planning in a virtual environment. Surgical Navigation Systems reduce risks associated with surgeries.Surgical Navigation System Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe global surgical navigation system market is driven by the navigation technology which encompasses surgical planning software, intra-operative imaging and instrument tracking technologies. Surgical Navigation Systems aid in guiding the surgeons to make data-oriented decisions during surgeries. This Surgical Navigation System technology is a driver for the global Surgical Navigation Systems market. A major factor that could adversely affect the growth of the global Surgical Navigation Systems market is the surge of minimally invasive and non-invasive surgeries. The minimally invasive and non-invasive surgeries are becoming popular among the masses owing to the rapid post-operative recovery with minimal pain to the patient.Request For Report Sample@Surgical Navigation System Market: SegmentationSurgical Navigation System market is classified on the basis disease indication and geography.Based on disease indication, the global Surgical Navigation System market is segmented into the following:Neurosurgery Navigation SystemSpine Navigation SystemENT Navigation SystemOrthopedic Navigation SystemSurgical Navigation System Market: OverviewSurgical Navigation System is also known as computer-aided surgery or computer-assisted intervention. The navigation system has to perform medical imaging of the anatomy which leads to image analysis. Based on the image generated, the navigation system helps in diagnosis and surgery simulation. The global surgical navigation system market is majorly dominated by the neurosurgery segment owing to the complicated procedures. Orthopedic navigation systems accounted for the second highest share in the global surgical navigation system market, closely followed by ENT navigation system.Surgical Navigation System Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic regions, global Surgical Navigation System market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Due to the mature healthcare sector in the North American countries, North America held a substantial market share in the global surgical navigation system market and is expected to retain the share over the forecast period. The countries of Japan and Germany are projected to present considerable growth rate in the global surgical navigation system market due to the well-established infrastructure and advanced Information Technology (IT) in healthcare.Visit For TOC@Surgical Navigation System Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the global Surgical Navigation System are GE Healthcare Ltd., Medtronic Inc., Siemens Healthcare Corporation, Stryker Corporation, B.Braun Melsungen AG, Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, CAScination AG and Brainlab AG. The global surgical navigations system manufacturers are involved getting product approvals from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory authorities for market launch of their products. The global surgical navigations system market players are encouraging acquisitions and strategic collaborations to gain competitive advantage, expand into emerging markets and broaden the product portfolio.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.CONTACTFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Rencore releases major update for SPTransformator now allowing for automated discovery of SharePoint customizations

SPTransformator now helps organizations to consider all customizations on their farms when modernizing their environment.Orlando, FL.Rencore today released a major update to SPTransformator, adding automated detection and inventory of customizations on SharePoint farms. SPTransformator is now able to automatically discover all customizations including their usage in your SharePoint environment, no matter whether developed and deployed by IT or implemented by end users with InfoPath, SharePoint Designer, or citizen development. This enables IT teams to find customizations they have forgotten about or are unaware of.SPTransformator helps organizations who are seeking to gradually modernize or de-customize their SharePoint environment, or who are in the process of migrating to Office 365. It helps them to discover, analyze, and then transform their existing on-premises customizations so that they align with the new standards that Microsoft has been encouraging developers to follow for customization - such as the SharePoint Framework. This will prepare them for the new requirements of next generation SharePoint platforms like SharePoint 2016 and beyond, and SharePoint Online.SPTransformator was released in 2016 to help IT teams to modernize existing SharePoint on-premises customizations towards the cloud, learn how customizations are built and how they impact a migration. SPTransformator also provides guidance on how to update customizations in the most secure and future-proof way as well as automatic code transformation to the modern client-side development techniques.However, many organizations with extensive SharePoint environments struggle to keep track of customizations they have deployed across large, legacy farms. This means they may miss major customizations during the process of updating their environments.The update to SPTransformator resolves this issue. It can scan entire SharePoint farms and discover all customizations including their usage, while simultaneously identifying dependencies. The update also includes improvements to Rencore's knowledge base which provides guidance for developers on how to transform legacy code.The update saves developers hundreds of hours manually searching for old customizations and assessing whether they need to be upgraded.Matthias Einig, CEO of RENCORE, explained the value of this update:'In many organizations, hundreds of SharePoint customizations will have been added over time by internal developers, external consultants or even end users. This means that when organizations decide to migrate, they often won't be aware of the full scale of impact their existing customizations deployed across SharePoint farms have. As a result, they miss important customizations and slow down the whole migration project. The update to SPTransformator now gives them a full view of all those customizations - including the ones they didn't know about?.To learn more about the updates, visit Rencore at Microsoft Ignite in Orlando, Florida, this week. The team will be providing more info about SPTransformator today and all week at booth #1645.Rencore is the leading provider of software protecting organizations against customization risks in Microsoft SharePoint and Office 365. Their proven suite of products detects and resolves potential security issues and compliance risks caused by custom coded solutions, third party components, and citizen developers. Rencore's customers are able to comply with regulations more easily, optimize usage of their Microsoft SharePoint infrastructure and pass audits faster and with less effort.RENCOREBayerstrasse 71-7380335 MunichGermanyRencore Website: rencore.comFor further information or comment, please contact Rencore today:If personal contact details required:Matthias SeidelHead of Marketingmatthias.seidel@rencore.com0049 171 14 18 463
Gov. Scott Walker has vetoed a last-minute provision in the state budget that would have stripped local governments of the right to regulate quarries.

Walker is scheduled to sign the $76 billion two-year spending package Thursday at an elementary school in Neenah. His office released a list Wednesday of 99 items he plans to strike or change with his line-item veto authority.

Walker explained in the memo that he objected to inserting a major policy item into the budget without sufficient time to debate its merits.

The Legislatures budget-writing committee introduced the measure on the night of Sept. 5 after less than 90 minutes of debate as part of an omnibus motion to amend the transportation budget. Among other things, it prohibited counties and municipalities from regulating blasting, hours of operation, and noise, air and water quality. It also limited the reach of local zoning laws.

The language prompted objections from organizations representing local governments who objected to the state usurping local control.

Some local leaders feared it could be expanded to include the frac sand mines prevalent in western Wisconsin. It also drew criticism from the state business lobby, which had pushed to have frac sand mining included.

Walker did not object to the idea of limiting local control but to the manner in which the law was introduced.

While I support the need to address quarry regulations and the ability to provide materials for public works projects in a timely manner, Walker wrote, changes of this magnitude should be addressed as separate legislation where the implications can be more carefully explored.

Walker also vetoed provisions in the motion that prohibited local ordinances that conflict with state statute and that limited the authority of railroads to condemn private property.

However, he let stand a provision that prohibits the use of eminent domain for recreational trails and pedestrian walkways, over the objection of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, which said in its letter to the governor, While municipalities seldom use this power, it is an important and sometimes necessary tool for ensuring that vital community assets like bike paths are connected into a logical and well-planned system of routes.
Comprehensive Industry Report Offers Forecast and Analysis on BFSI Security Market 2016 - 2026

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In past one decade, electronic banking platforms have been implemented as an efficient channel to process banking transactions remotely. These banking transactions are executed from web based applications over the internet network, thus creating security risk by exposing users data to hackers. Apart from this, the banking, financial and insurance industry is continuously witnessing threat from global terrorism, cyber-crimes, and espionage which are leveraging the loopholes in the critical infrastructure. With the increase in cyber-crimes activities, security of sensitive data including, personably identifiable information, personal banking details, commercial banking details, and confidential corporate information is at high risk, due to which, the demand for BFSI security solutions has witnessed traction in the past couple of years.Bank and financial institutions are operated in highly regulated environment. Data breach incidences in these cases occur mainly due to non-compliance to various operational standards.. Therefore, there is increasing need of BFSI security to ensure the long term visibility of banking and financial institutions and their data. BFSI security includes cyber security and physical security of banking and financial institutions.Request For Report Sample@Component and Technologies Used in BFSI SecurityAccess Control SystemsCloud Based ServicesPhysical Security SoftwareSurveillance SystemsBFSI Security Market: Drivers and RestraintsIn the current changing world of information technology, banking and financial institutions are facing privacy issues due to increased data theft and unauthorized accesses. In BFSI sector, there is always existence of both internal and external threats with increased adoptions of ATMs and online banking solutions. As security breach of customers financials can hamper brand image of a particular financial institution, there necessity of safeguarding physical assets and continuous monitoring of banking data driving the growth of the market. However, the initial investment required to set up the security infrastructure is one of the challenge for the growth of this market.BFSI Security Market: SegmentationSegmentation of business BFSI Security market on the basis of systems and components:Video Surveillance:Video surveillance is used for monitoring activities inside out of the organization. Physical security has become necessary for banking and financial institutions to combat pilferage to theft related activities. This has created increase in demand for video surveillance solutions in the BFSI industry.Access Control :Access control is deployed for both physical security as well as information security. Access control systems seamlessly work against any unauthorized access. Access control solutions includes web-based access control, managed access control, control panel, visitor management systems, readers, and credentials.Intrusion and Fire Detection:Intrusion detection systems inspect all the inner and outer network activities and identifies suspicious pattern to indicate data breach attempt in the system. Fire detection system is a combination of various devices which work seamlessly to counsel end-users from any threat of fire.Physical Security Information Management (PSIM):Physical security information management is a software that act as a standalone platform for integrating multiple unconnected security application and devices. It controls them using single user interface.Visit For TOC@Regional OverviewAsia-Pacific is witnessing rapid growth in the adoption of BFSI security solutions. With respect to this trend, various security vendors such as Honeywell International Inc. and Cisco System Inc. are expanding their business in this region in order to increase its market share in this market. Besides, the Asia-Pacific market is worlds fastest growing economy and soon is expected to be largest wealth market with the increase in private banks and financial instructions in countries such as China and India. In India, according to the data released by The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the total number of bank accounts in India are around 600 million, out of which 25 million bank accounts holder are active users for mobile banking applications. North America has observed increased data breach attacks against BFSI industries in the recent past. The banking and financial institutions are promoting the use of digital wallet which is in turn is raising the risk of security for consumers data.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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market Estimated to Cross US$27.6 Billion by 2024

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According to TMR, the global physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market stood at US$11.2 bn in 2015. Rising at a CAGR of 10.6% between 2016 and 2024, the market is expected to reach US$27.6 bn by 2024.Increased Sales Opportunities Expected as Dermatologists Venture into Cosmeceuticals ManufacturingWith dermatologists manufacturing cosmeceuticals alongside running their skincare centers, the market is expected to gain momentum in the forthcoming years. However, consumer apprehensions related to potential side effects associated with the use of cosmeceuticals may stand in the way of the markets growth. Besides this, the lack of awareness among customers regarding the revenue generating cosmeceuticals such as derma fillers and Botox is likely to create bottlenecks or the market in developing and under-developed countries. Since the products offered in the market are highly sensitive to prevailing economic trends, financial downturns are also expected to have a negative impact on their sale, said a lead analyst at TMR.View and Download TOC of Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market Research Report@Nevertheless, the rising demand for branded cosmeceuticals due to their safety and efficacy is expected to boost opportunities for the market in the near future, he added. Furthermore, the knowledge about new skin conditions caused by exposure to pollution and climate changes will also boost sales of cosmeceuticals.Among the products currently available in the market, the skincare products segment accounted for the leading market share in 2015. The increasing demand for cosmeceuticals across emerging economies and due to the rising geriatric population for treating various skin conditions will boost demand from this segment.North America Exhibits Most Lucrative Opportunities for Cosmeceuticals SaleRegionally, North America has been exhibiting the most lucrative prospects for the sales of cosmeceuticals. As per TMR, the regional market stood at US$4.7 bn in 2015 and is expected to reach US$10.52 by the end of 2024. If these valuations hold true, the physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market in North America will exhibit a CAGR of 9.6% between 2016 and 2024. However, TMR forecasts opportunities for the market in Asia Pacific to increase at the fastest CAGR. The Asia Pacific physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market is therefore expected to surge at a CAGR of 12.3% during the forecast period.Request and Download Sample Report@The global physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market features the presence of prominent names from the skincare and cosmetic industry. The market is currently undergoing a paradigm shift with a large pool of skincare specialists, dermatologists, and trichologists emerging as entrepreneurs, states Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study. However, the top three companies, L'Oreal S.A., Valeant Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Allergan plc, held more than 56% of the market in 2015. Of these, L'Oreal S.A. accounted for a larger share of 28% in the same year.Since the physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market offers a plethora of products, it is important for manufacturers to cater to the consumer preference to gain a strong footing in the market. Product differentiation has therefore become a preferred strategy among competitors to enhance the marketability of their products. Even local manufacturers are focusing on advanced cosmeceuticals with a myriad of benefits to elevate rivalry.Buy Full Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market Report@About TMRTransparency 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.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Answering Machine (TAD) Market Analysis by Region Analysis and Business Development, By 2022

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Market Size Forecasters Add New Global Answering Machine (TAD) Market Professional Survey Report 2017 to its research database presenting a deep study of the market growth factors and drivers. The report spread across 109 pages with table and figures in it.This report studies Answering Machine (TAD) in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report on global Answering Machine (TAD) market is a detailed research study that helps provides answers and pertinent questions with respect to the emerging trends and growth opportunities in this industry. It helps identify each of the prominent barriers to growth, apart from identifying the trends within various application segments of the global market for Answering Machine (TAD). Collecting historical and recent data from various authentic resources, and depending on all the factors and trends, the report presents a figurative estimate of the future market condition, along with compound annual growth rate (CAGR).Request Sample Copy of this Report:The study comprises a mix of data pertaining to the key restraints, drivers, competitive landscape, regulatory forces, key strategies implemented by the key players, and opportunities, expected to have a profound impact on the scope of growth of the market. A detailed analysis of these factors allows the report to present a reliable forecast regarding the future growth dynamics of the Answering Machine (TAD).The report also implements primary and secondary research techniques for gathering the most crucial pieces of professional information, and applies many industry-best techniques upon the data for projecting the future state of the global Answering Machine (TAD) market. Based on current market development, the report includes an analysis of how activities such as mergers and shapes the markets future.A section containing exceptional detailed data about all the influential players operating in the market has also been included in the report, giving readers and enterprises access to information such as challenges faced by the companies, the growth strategies implemented, the recent developments reported by them, and the financial and business overview of the company.Get Discount on this Report:This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering AT&T, Panasonic, VTech, Casio, GE, Clear Sounds, Motorola, Uniden, Amplicom, RCA.Market segment by Type, Answering Machine (TAD) can be split into Combo, Corded, Cordless.Market segment by Application, Answering Machine (TAD) can be split into Home, Commercial.For More Details on this Report:Related Report:United States Junction Field-effect Transistor (JFET) Market Report 2017In this report, the United States Junction Field-effect Transistor (JFET) market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.About Us:MarketSizeForecasters.com, a Skyline Market Research LLP brand, is an online aggregator of market research reports. MarketSizeForecasters.com offers a comprehensive collection of full length reports on global and regional markets in 100+ industry verticals. We have partnered with some of the leading business and market research publishing houses and regularly update our online library to offer wide range of reports to our customers.Contact Us:Market size forecastersThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketsizeforecasters.comWebsite:News:Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter
Global Antivirus Software Market 2017-2022 Key Players: Microsoft, Anti-Virus Guard Technologies (AVG), Avast Software, Symantec, ESET, Bitdefender, Fortinet, F-Secure, G DATA Software, McAfee, Panda Security,..

Antivirus Software Market

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Antivirus Software Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Antivirus Software Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2021reports to its database.Executive SummaryThis report studies the global Antivirus Software market, analyzes and researches the Antivirus Software development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeMicrosoft,Anti-Virus Guard Technologies (AVG),Avast Software,Symantec,ESET,Bitdefender,Fortinet,F-Secure,G DATA Software,McAfee,Panda Security,PSafe,Sophos,Wontok,Request Sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Application, Antivirus Software can be split intoApplication 1Application 2Application 3For further information on this report, visit -Table of ContentsUnited States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Antivirus Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 20211 Industry Overview of Antivirus Software1.1 Antivirus Software Market Overview1.1.1 Antivirus Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Antivirus Software Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Antivirus Software Market by End Users/Application1.3.1 Application 11.3.2 Application 21.3.3 Application 32 Global Antivirus Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Antivirus Software Market Size (Value) by Players (2015-2016)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Microsoft3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Anti-Virus Guard Technologies (AVG)3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Avast Software3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 Symantec3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 ESET3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 Bitdefender3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 Fortinet3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 F-Secure3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 G DATA Software3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 McAfee3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 Antivirus Software Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.10.5 Recent Developments3.11 Panda Security3.12 PSafe3.13 Sophos3.14 Wontok4 Global Antivirus Software Market Size by Application (2011-2016)4.1 Global Antivirus Software Market Size by Application (2011-2016)4.2 Potential Application of Antivirus Software in Future4.3 Top Consumer/End Users of Antivirus Software5 United States Antivirus Software Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States Antivirus Software Market Size (2011-2016)5.2 United States Antivirus Software Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)6 EU Antivirus Software Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU Antivirus Software Market Size (2011-2016)6.2 EU Antivirus Software Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)7 Japan Antivirus Software Development Status and Outlook7.1 Japan Antivirus Software Market Size (2011-2016)7.2 Japan Antivirus Software Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)8 China Antivirus Software Development Status and Outlook8.1 China Antivirus Software Market Size (2011-2016)8.2 China Antivirus Software Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)9 India Antivirus Software Development Status and Outlook9.1 India Antivirus Software Market Size (2011-2016)9.2 India Antivirus Software Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)10 Southeast Asia Antivirus Software Development Status and Outlook10.1 Southeast Asia Antivirus Software Market Size (2011-2016)10.2 Southeast Asia Antivirus Software Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)11 Market Forecast by Regions and Application (2016-2021)11.1 Global Antivirus Software Market Size (Value) by Regions (2016-2021)11.2 Global Antivirus Software Market Size (Value) by Application (2016-2021)11.3 The Market Drivers in Future12 Antivirus Software Market Dynamics12.1 Antivirus Software Market Opportunities12.2 Antivirus Software Challenge and Risk12.2.1 Competition from Opponents12.2.2 Downside Risks of Economy12.3 Antivirus Software Market Constraints and Threat12.3.1 Threat from Substitute12.3.2 Government Policy12.3.3 Technology Risks12.4 Antivirus Software Market Driving Force12.4.1 Growing Demand from Emerging Markets12.4.2 Potential Application13 Market Effect Factors Analysis13.1 Technology Progress/Risk13.1.1 Substitutes13.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry13.2 Consumer Needs Trend/Customer Preference13.3 External Environmental Change13.3.1 Economic Fluctuations13.3.2 Other Risk Factors14 Research Finding/Conclusion15 AppendixAuthor ListDisclosure SectionResearch MethodologyData SourceChina DisclaimerContinuedBuy this Report @Contact Us:Norah TrentContact Us: sales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042
Kickstarter News: Architect to Watch Entrepreneur

Kickstarter now LIVE

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David Tomic, a Perth university architecture graduate decided not to follow the yellow brick road. Instead launching a collection of architecturally designed timepieces. The latest collection just launched on Kickstarter!It has been informed by architectural principals and the feedback from a years worth of customers.Check out the campaign, back the project and join him on this incredible journey!Link:WHY Watches are designed with a purposeful reason behind every decision, hence WHY. Every decision made on each watch has a story behind it, every more importantly, an architectural principal embedded into it.WHY WatchesFulmar WaySeville GroveWestern Australia6112AustraliaPress contact: David TomicPress contact information, same as above.Website:
There is an election at the Software-QS-Tag, too

Moehrendorf, 25 September 2017  For 25 years, the Software-QS-Tag  the leading conference for software QA and testing in Germany  addresses itself each time to a new forward-looking guiding theme from the area of IT quality assurance. So who could know better, what currently taxes the brains of the community, than the community itself? Thats why the online brainstorming for the focus of Software-QS-Tag 2018 starts in the same-named XING group today. Participants of this years event as well as of those of the years before are invited to submit their proposals.Only a few days are left before this years Software-QS-Tag takes place on 19 and 20 October 2017 and the preparations for 2018 are already in full swing. Which topic has the potential for mesmerizing and thrilling 500 attendees for two days next year? It will run like a golden thread through all technical lectures, tutorials and workshops  divided in the five parallel tracks Requirements , Test Automation, Test Design, Test Management and Special Topics. For that reason, it should be possible to break the suggested guiding themes down into the separate tracks.The pivotal element of the idea gathering is the group Software-QS-Tag at xing.com. Only registered participants of this years conference and former conferences have access to the community. Deadline for the submission of possible topics is 19 November 2017.The communitys feedback on the posted ideas will be ascertained by an online poll. The ranking places as well as the programme committees professional assessment decide which topic will become the focus for 2018. At the beginning of next year, the official conference theme will be proclaimed.The participant who posts the winning theme will be invited as VIP to attend for free the conference 2018. Lest there should be more persons who submit the winning theme during the action, the winner of the VIP ticket will be chosen at random.imbus is a leading solution partner for professional software testing and intelligent software quality assurance.Our portfolio includes consulting for process improvement, software testing services, test outsourcing, test tools, and training.With our comprehensive know-how, the latest tools, and our proven methodology, we increase the reliability and performance of software products, software-intensive systems, and complete IT structures, and as a manufacturer-independent partner, we assure their correct functionality.Since 1992, the experienced and highly-qualified imbus team has been synonymous with across-the-board software quality assurance from a single source that covers the entire lifecycle.The expertise acquired from around 6,000 successful projects over a period of 25 years provides a solid foundation for the daily work of our experts, all of whom are ISTQB Certified Testers. Here you can find the corresponding reference projects.imbus is currently represented by more than 270 employees at locations in Moehrendorf near Erlangen, Munich, Cologne, Hofheim near Frankfurt, Lehre near Braunschweig, Norderstedt near Hamburg, Toronto (Canada), Shanghai (China), Peja (Kosovo) and Sousse (Tunisia).imbus AGPress OfficeFiona ProellKleinseebacher Str. 991096 MoehrendorfPhone +49 9131 7518-0Fax +49 9131 7518-50Mail presse@imbus.de
Mental Illness, ADAAA, and the Workplace: Taking Responsibility as an Employer

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Edupliance announces webinar titled, Mental Illness, ADAAA, and the Workplace: Taking Responsibility as an Employer that aims to update attendees on mental illness as a covered disability under the ADA and how the management must engage in an interactive process with their employees exhibiting the signs of mental illness while creating a stigma-free workplace that is centered on the well-being of its employees physical and mental health. The event goes LIVE on Friday, October 6, from 01:00 PM to 02:30 PM, EST / 10 AM to 11:30 AM PST.In 2016, the EEOC resolved 5000 disability based claims dealing with mental health conditions costing employers approximately $20 million. With the increase in claims came a newly released EEOC Guidance on Mental Health Discrimination which is addressed to employees informing them of their employment rights under the ADA. Workplaces can and should play a significant role in minimizing their employees mental health risks. Employee stress levels continue to rise as more and more employees spend more and more hours at work without an increase in pay or benefits. Burnout and depression, particularly to millennials and millennial women are reported more than any other generation.The 90-minute webinar will be conducted by Dr. Susan Strauss who is a national and international speaker, trainer, consultant and a recognized expert on workplace and school harassment and bullying. She conducts harassment and bullying investigations and functions as an expert witness in harassment and bullying lawsuits. She has helped clients from all industries whether they be business, education, healthcare, law, and government organizations from both the public and private sector. Dr. Strauss has conducted research, written over 30 books, book chapters, and journal articles on harassment, bullying, and related topics. Susan has a doctorate in organizational leadership. She is a registered nurse, has a bachelors degree in human services and counseling, a masters degree in community health, and professional certificate in training and development. She has been involved in the harassment and bullying arena since 1985.Webinar attendees will learn: Find out the signs of mental illnesses and bust the myths around them How to minimize liability based on the American Disabilities Act recognizing mental illness as a disability Details about depression, anxiety, and a variety of personality disorders to help the participant have a better understanding about mental illness and the organizations role in supporting their mentally ill employees What is the ethical and legal responsibility of HR and managers when dealing with those employees who may have a mental illness Interactive process and accommodations required by the ADA to be provided by the employer Differentiate mental health from mental illness Identify the demographic groups most at risk for mental health issues Differentiate between personality traits and personality disorders Explore the costs of mental illness to U.S. businesses Outline U.S. mental illness statistics Define current, past, and perceived disabilities What strategies should organizations design and implement to ensure their work culture is one of respect and dignity to all employeesTo register for the webinar, visitMedia Inquiriessupport@edupliance.comEdupliance is a online information provider which offers webinars (Live and On-Demand), DVDs and downloadable resources that cover concurrent topics pertaining to various industries. With an expert panel of guest speakers, Edupliance brings state-of-the-art virtual technology solutions and industry-leading training sessions that are easy to learn, easily accessible and cater to people with varied interests. Edupliance is privately held and located in Hillsboro, Oregon. For more information, visit-Edupliance-101, 4660, NE Belknap Court, Hillsboro, Oregon 97124-Toll Free: +1-(844) 810-1151-support@edupliance.com
Senator Aaron Bean Files Federal Immigration Enforcement Legislation

Senator Aaron Bean

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Tallahassee, FL, Sept. 25, 2017 - Senator Aaron Bean (R-Fernandina Beach) has filed Senate Bill 308, Federal Immigration Enforcement, prohibiting sanctuary policies in the State of Florida. SB 308, also known as the Rule of Law Adherence Act, requires local governmental entities and law enforcement agencies to comply with and support the enforcement of federal immigration law. It also provides penalties for government agencies and elected officials that fail to comply with federal immigration authorities.The United States is a nation of laws, and you cannot refuse to enforce certain laws simply because you disagree with them, stated Senator Bean. To do so sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the very foundation of our legal system. This legislation requires local governments to actually enforce federal immigration laws and put the safety of their citizens above their own political views.To help local governments with the costs of enforcement, this bill authorizes a board of county commissioners to adopt an ordinance to recover costs for complying with an immigration detainer. This legislation also allows local governmental entities and law enforcement agencies to petition the Federal Government for reimbursement of certain costs relating to immigration enforcement.To read more, visitSenator Aaron Bean represents District 4, which includes parts of Nassau and Duval Counties. He can be contacted in Tallahassee at 850-487-5004 or in his District Office at 904-757-5039.Senator Aaron Bean404 South Monroe StreetTallahassee, FL 32399-1100
Automotive Refinish Coatings Market Projected to Grow Steadily During (2015-2025)

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Automotivevehicles require timely maintenance and repairing to enhance the appearance and durability of vehicle by protecting them from external factors such as extreme temperature and UV radiation. For the need of refinishing the automotive refinishing coatings are frequently used in automotive aftermarket by end-users like automotive body shops and automotive repair centers. For durability, speed and perfect matching color the service providers use advance technology such as spray gun to apply primer and color coats of paints. Refinishing coatings are also applied to components and body of vehicle to protect from deterioration caused by foreign particles such as stone and other debris.An increasing demand for refinishing of vehicles across the globe, has led to significant improvements in automotive refinish coatings market such asdevelopment of advance coating material which are eco-friendly and low-solvent content. These products also provide good blend of ease of use, speed, durability and color match.Some of the underlying growth factors in global automotive refinish coatings market is consistent increase in number of vehicles in operation worldwide. Increase in miles driven, road accidents, and demand for recreational vehicles are the major drivers responsible for the growth of global automotive refinish coatings market. However, volatility of raw material prices and enhanced road safety parameters are some of the major challenges inglobal automotive refinish coatings market.Request Report Sample@The global automotive refinish coatings market is geographically segmented into seven key regions which are, North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Middle East & Africa. Asia-pacific is leading automotive refinish coatings market in terms of revenue due to rising vehicles in operation and increasing sales of pre-owned cars. However the growth in North America, Eastern Europe and Western Europe is expected to remain stagnant for the forecast period. Growth in automotive refinish coatings market is relatively high in BRIC nations when compared with matured economies due to developing automotive aftermarket in these countries. This rapid growth in automotive refinish coatings market is fuelled by multiplemacro-economic factors such as rising number of cab-services, increasing car customization and rising capacity of collision repair& vehicle body shops. In addition, it is expected that in the next 30 years the total number of passenger cars in developing countries would reach around 3.5 to 4 billion.On the basis of product type the global automotive refinish coatings market is further segmented into two sub-segments which are Solvent-borne Coatings and water-borne Coatings. The solvent-borne coatings dominates the global automotive refinish coatings market, whilst for the forecast period the growth rate of water-borne coating type is estimated to be high. In Europe and North America automotive refinish coatings market adoption of water-borne coating material segment is increasing rapidly due to government regulationsto reduce volatile organic compounds (VOC) level, which is generally high in solvent-borne coatings.Visit For TOC@Some of the examples of market participants in global automotive refinish coatings market are DuPont Performance Coating, BASF SE, Kansai Paint Co. Ltd, Akzo Nobel N.V, KCC Corp, Noroo Paint Coatings Co. Ltd., PPG Industries Inc., and Matrix System Automotive Finishes.In future, global automotive refinish market is expected to grow significantly in terms of volume and value. This growth will give rise to new product development with enhanced properties like quick drying, cost-efficient and high performance coatings.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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Specialty Fats and Oils Market : Impact of Existing and Emerging Market 2025

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Global Specialty Fats and Oils Market: SnapshotSpecialty fats and oils find a diverse array of niche applications across a number of fields, especially in the food and beverages industry. The properties of specialty fats and oil are quite different from the general fats and oils, the latter group including cream fats, pastry fats, margarine, shortening, and a number of other products. Some of the largest applications for specialized fats and oils come from the chocolate and confectionary makers. Specialized fats, for instance, are finding a growing scope of applications in chocolate products, especially ones that are molded, including chocolate bars.The demand for specialty fats and oils is also growing among the manufacturers of chocolate products, such as chocolate wafers and biscuits, fruits and nuts, and other similar applications. Specialty oils and fats are also being used in the confectionery industry. A lot of applications of specialized fats distinguish them largely as cocoa butter alternatives, more specifically, cocoa butter substitutes, cocoa butter replacements, and cocoa butter equivalents. There is a growing but currently niche segment of exotic fats, but nearly all specialized fats find most of their applications in the confectionery and bakery goods production. Other end users of specialized oil and butters include the personal care and cosmetics markets, the manufacturers of animal feed, and the manufacturers of dairy products or processed foods.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Specialty Fats and Oils Market: OverviewThe world specialty fats and oils market is prognosticated to grab a massive chuck of demand in the food and beverages industry with a number of products fetching indispensable applications. The global market is deemed to be a highly fertile ground for high-paying business opportunities. Specialty fats and oils are lavishly used in a multiple food applications and possess the capability to enhance sensory and physiochemical characteristics such as appealing flavors, creamy and rich texture, and smoothness. Most countries have already restricted the usage of trans fats that risk the consumers with fatal heart diseases. This could be a great opportunity for the manufacturers dealing with trans-free specialty fat and oil products to rake in handsome revenues.The report offered here considers the vital segmentation categories of the global specialty fats and oils market, viz. form, application, oil type, and fat type. With our customized approach, all of these segments can be comprehensively analyzed to determine the most lucrative market types and ensure a tangible business success.The tailor-made reports prepared at TMR Research, a market research hub, are a foolproof guideline to capitalize on the most promising and unrevealed opportunities. Buyers of this report can prepare their businesses to get aligned in just the right direction for securing a reliable growth in the international specialty fats and oils market.Request TOC of the Report @Global Specialty Fats and Oils Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe market for cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) is anticipated to count its dominance on the application in compound coatings and chocolates. CBEs are extensively used in confectionery and bakery products. The flourishing rise of this specialty fats type segment could significantly raise the bar of growth for the world specialty fats and oils market. Since CBEs reduce the risk of heart disease by being free of trans fats and non-hydrogenated, the demand growth is expected to elevate even more in the global market. In addition to that, CBEs can be used to enrich the flavor of the ingredients used in various products. Besides CBEs, exotic fats, dairy fat replacers, cocoa butter improvers (CBIs), cocoa butter replacers (CBRs), and cocoa butter substitutes (CBSs) could fairly contribute to the market.The liquid form of specialty fats and oils is foreseen to hold the potential to register a higher CAGR against the dry form specialty fats and oils market because of its saturated fatty acid melting point properties. A large number of chocolate and confectionery items today are produced without trans fats. As a result, there has been an augmenting inclination toward trans-fat-free chocolate and confectionery products, which could intensify the demand in this segment. With respect to its exhaustive availability and usage in the making of different products such as confectionery fillings, palm oil is forecasted to gain traction over other specialty oils type markets.Get Discount @Global Specialty Fats and Oils Market: Regional OutlookThe Asia Pacific region is prophesied to emerge as a leading market for specialty fats and oils with a host of remunerative opportunities in store. The global specialty fats and oils market has recently witnessed the birth of a broad-ranging scope of applications in Asia Pacific, viz. animal feed, cosmetics, and personal care. This is envisaged to mark a rising rate of demand in the region. Palm oil and other specialty oils are consumed in vast amounts in India while China, Indonesia, and Malaysia are hailed as the authoritative makers of specialty oils and fats. In this regard, Asia Pacific could record an impressive CAGR against the background of other key regional markets such as North America. Such a dominance of the Asia Pacific market is expected to be in place with reference to both value and volume.Global Specialty Fats and Oils Market: Companies MentionedThe top companies making their mark in the international specialty fats and oils market could take advantage of the new geographies yet to be explored. Salient business strategies such as collaborations with key players, investments and agreements, joint ventures, and launch of novel offerings are predicted to be implemented by most firms operating in the global market. Some of the leading organizations anticipated to take charge are AAK AB, Wilmar International, IFFCO, Bunge Ltd., and Cargill.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
The American Red Cross blood drive held at Melrose-Mindoro High School Sept. 18 collected 37 units. The champion donors of the day were Roxanne Storandt reaching three gallons and Tammy Johnson completing six gallons. Congratulations! Thanks to Organic Valley Farms, Mindoro Lions Club and Melrose-Mindoro Schools and maintenance staff. Thanks to all donors and volunteers. The next drive at Melrose-Mindoro will be Dec.r 6.
Global Commercial Building Automation Market 2017-2022 Key Players: ABB, Honeywell International, Cisco Systems, Ingersoll Rand, Hubbell, Robert Bosch, Johnson Controls International, United Technologies,..

Commercial Building Automation

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Commercial Building Automation:Executive SummaryWiseGuyReports.com adds Commercial Building Automation Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.This report studies the global Commercial Building Automation market, analyzes and researches the Commercial Building Automation development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeABB,Honeywell International,Cisco Systems,Ingersoll Rand,Hubbell,Robert Bosch,Johnson Controls International,United Technologies,Schneider Electric,Siemens,Tyco International,Invensys Building Systems,Delta Controls,Request Sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, Commercial Building Automation can be split intoBMS SystemsEnvironmental Controls (HVAC)Energy ManagementLighting ManagementSecurity and Access ControlOtherMarket segment by Application, Commercial Building Automation can be split intoOfficesHospitality SectorHealthcareOtherFor further information on this report, visit -Table of ContentsGlobal Commercial Building Automation Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Commercial Building Automation1.1 Commercial Building Automation Market Overview1.1.1 Commercial Building Automation Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Commercial Building Automation Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Commercial Building Automation Market by Type1.2.2 BMS Systems1.2.3 Environmental Controls (HVAC)1.2.4 Energy Management1.2.5 Lighting Management1.2.6 Security and Access Control1.2.7 Other1.4 Commercial Building Automation Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Offices1.4.2 Hospitality Sector1.4.3 Healthcare1.4.4 Other2 Global Commercial Building Automation Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Commercial Building Automation Market Size (Value) by Players (2015-2016)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles....4 Global Commercial Building Automation Market Size by Type and Application (2011-2016)4.1 Global Commercial Building Automation Market Size by Type (2011-2016)4.2 Global Commercial Building Automation Market Size by Application (2011-2016)4.3 Potential Application of Commercial Building Automation in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of Commercial Building Automation5 United States Commercial Building Automation Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States Commercial Building Automation Market Size (2011-2016)5.2 United States Commercial Building Automation Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)6 EU Commercial Building Automation Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU Commercial Building Automation Market Size (2011-2016)6.2 EU Commercial Building Automation Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)7 Japan Commercial Building Automation Development Status and Outlook7.1 Japan Commercial Building Automation Market Size (2011-2016)7.2 Japan Commercial Building Automation Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)8 China Commercial Building Automation Development Status and Outlook8.1 China Commercial Building Automation Market Size (2011-2016)8.2 China Commercial Building Automation Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)9 India Commercial Building Automation Development Status and Outlook9.1 India Commercial Building Automation Market Size (2011-2016)9.2 India Commercial Building Automation Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)10 Southeast Asia Commercial Building Automation Development Status and Outlook10.1 Southeast Asia Commercial Building Automation Market Size (2011-2016)10.2 Southeast Asia Commercial Building Automation Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2016-2021)11.1 Global Commercial Building Automation Market Size (Value) by Regions (2016-2021)11.1.1 United States Commercial Building Automation Revenue and Growth Rate (2016-2021)11.1.2 EU Commercial Building Automation Revenue and Growth Rate (2016-2021)11.1.3 Japan Commercial Building Automation Revenue and Growth Rate (2016-2021)11.1.4 China Commercial Building Automation Revenue and Growth Rate (2016-2021)11.1.5 India Commercial Building Automation Revenue and Growth Rate (2016-2021)11.1.6 Southeast Asia Commercial Building Automation Revenue and Growth Rate (2016-2021)11.2 Global Commercial Building Automation Market Size (Value) by Type (2016-2021)11.3 Global Commercial Building Automation Market Size by Application (2016-2021)12 Commercial Building Automation Market Dynamics12.1 Commercial Building Automation Market Opportunities12.2 Commercial Building Automation Challenge and Risk12.2.1 Competition from Opponents12.2.2 Downside Risks of Economy12.3 Commercial Building Automation Market Constraints and Threat12.3.1 Threat from Substitute12.3.2 Government Policy12.3.3 Technology Risks12.4 Commercial Building Automation Market Driving Force12.4.1 Growing Demand from Emerging Markets12.4.2 Potential Application13 Market Effect Factors Analysis13.1 Technology Progress/Risk13.1.1 Substitutes13.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry13.2 Consumer Needs Trend/Customer Preference13.3 External Environmental Change13.3.1 Economic Fluctuations13.3.2 Other Risk Factors14 Research Finding/Conclusion15 AppendixMethodologyAnalyst IntroductionData SourceCONTINUEDBuy this Report @Contact Us:Norah TrentContact Us: sales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042
Research Focused on the Hall-effect Sensors Market Forecast up to 2025

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A Hall-effect sensor is as sort of transducer. The output voltage of a hall-effect sensor varies as a response to magnetic field. Proximity switching, positioning, current sensing along with speed detection are major application areas of hall-effect sensors.The sensor primarily follows the principal of analog transducer, and it directly returns the voltage. Hall-effect sensors are often combined with the threshold detection and it is frequently known as switch. In terms of type, the market can be segmented into Hall ICS and Hall elements. In terms of material, the market can be segmented into GaAs (gallium arsenide), InAs (indium arsenide), InSb (indium antimonide), InP (indium phosphide), and grapheme. In terms of application, the market can be segmented into flow rate sensing, position sensing, proximity detection, navigation, and electronic compass. In terms of geography, the market can be segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa.View TOC for this Market Report @Hall-effect sensors are primarilyapplied to time the speed of shafts and wheels. It is also used to measure internal combustion engine ignition timing, anti-lock braking systems and tachometers. Hall-effect sensors have a wide range of applications in industries such as automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, and defense and aerospace. Growing advancement in the field of automotive and consumer electronics along with increasing application of high-end sensing devices are driving the Hall-effect sensors market globally. Increasing application of hall-effect sensors for automotive fuel level indicators is another key factor fuelling the expansion of the market.Hall-effect sensors are linear type of transducers. These kinds of sensors primarily require a linear circuit for processing of sensors output signal. Furthermore, this type of hall-effect sensor is also operated as electronic switch. This kind of sensor primarily measures a wide array of magnetic fields, and it can be operated upto 100 kHz. There are some technical issues with hall-effect sensors. For instance, they offer much lower detection and measuring accuracy than any other magneto-resistance-based sensors or fluxgate magnetometers. This kind of technical limitations is likely to hinder the growth of the market during the forecast period. However, with growing research activities in the field of hall-effect sensors, the innovation of high-end hall-effect sensors and application of hall-effect sensorsin hybrid vehicles are major opportunities for the market.In 2016, In terms of revenue, Asia Pacific led the global Hall-effect sensors market in 2016.North America and Europe followed Asia Pacific in terms of revenue share. In 2016, China is leading the market due to its technological advancement in the field of magneto-resistive sensors. India, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan follow China in the Asia Pacific market.The U.S. is dominating the market, followed by Canada and Mexico. Increasing proliferation of high-end and advanced consumer electronics such as smartphones, laptops, computers, and wearable gadgets is fuelling the demand for hall-effect sensors in North America. Germany, the U.K., Italy and France are holding prominent positions in the hall-effect sensors market across Europe. The UAE, South Africa, Brazil, and Argentina are dominating the market across Middle East and Africa and Latin America. Increasing advancement in the automotive sector is a major factor boosting the rising application of hall-effect sensors across the Middle East & Africa and Latin America.For more information on this report, fill the form @Geographical expansions along with establishing partnership agreements with other companies are key strategies adopted by companies to strengthen their presence worldwide.Major players operating in the global Hall-effect sensors market include MEMSIC, Inc. (The U.S.), Bartington Instruments Ltd (U.K.), TE Connectivity Ltd (Switzerland), Analog Devices, Inc. (The U.S.), Honeywell International Inc. (The U.S.), Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), NXP Semiconductors N.V. (The Netherlands), ams AG (Austria), The Micronas Group (Switzerland), Melexis NV (Belgium), Infineon Technologies AG (Germany), Sanken Electric Co., Ltd. (Japan), and Asahi Kasei Corporation (Japan).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend 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.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Castor Oil Derivatives Market Research Study for the Period (2015-2025)

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Castor oil is one of the most multipurpose plant oils, obtained by pressing the seed of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis).It is well known source of a monounsaturated, ricinoleic and 18-carbon fatty acid. Owing to its unique chemical structure and rich properties, castor oil and its derivatives find uses in many industries such as cosmetics, food, lubricants, paints, agriculture, electronics & telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, perfumeries, plastics and rubber, inks & adhesives and textile chemicals. After plant oils, castor oil is considered to be the most required oil. However, growing concerns pertaining to biofuels specially biodiesel and biopolymer across the globe is pushingcastor oil to play a much larger role in the world economy.Castor Oil Derivatives: Drivers & RestraintsGrowth of major end-use industries (includes lubricants, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals) and increasing demand for sustainable products & biodegradable, on account of reducing dependence on petrochemicals is anticipated to fuel the demand for castor oil derivatives market. Also regulatory support and rising prices of alternative renewable chemicals is expected to drive the global castor oil derivatives market. However, factors influencing its manufacturing cost includes raw material availability, weather uncertainties, shortage of working capital, techniques & methods used for extraction and availability of substitute oil are resulting in restraints for the castor oil derivative market.Request Report Sample@Castor Oil Derivatives: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the global castor oil derivatives market is segmented into Undecylenic Acid, Sebacic Acid (largest consumed castor oil derivatives), Castor Wax or Hydrogenated castor oil (HCO), Dehydrated Castor Oil (DCO) and others. On the basis of application, global castor oil derivatives market is segmented into Lubricants, Cosmetics & Pharmaceuticals (largest application segment), Biodiesel, Plastics & Resins and Others.Castor Oil Derivatives: Region-wise OutlookThe global castor oil derivatives market is expected to register a double digit CAGR for the forecast period, 2015?2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to continue its dominance on the global castor oil derivatives market. India accounts for largest production of castor oil derivatives worldwide, followed by China and Brazil. Higher demand from the US, Europe and China has resulted in the higher prices for castor as well as increase in demand for castor oil derivatives. The major castor producing countries are India, China, Brazil, Paraguay, Ethiopia, Philippines, Russia and Thailand.Visit For TOC@Castor Oil Derivatives: Key PlayersSome of players in global castor oil derivatives market are Thai Castor Oil Industries Co. Ltd., Jayant Agro Organics, Hokoku Corporation, ITOH Oil Chemicals Co. Ltd., Gokul Overseas, Bom Brazil, Liaoyang Huaxing Chemical Co., Ltd., Kanak Castor Products Pvt. Ltd., and others.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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Level Sensor Industry Trend, Revenue and Demand 2017

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The Insight Partners added Level Sensor Market to 2025 to its research database. The report is spread across 150 pages and supported by 9 company leaders.Level sensors are used to detect the level of liquids, fluids and fluidized solids. Level sensors include various sensing technologies and applications types. On a broader level, the level sensors market is divided into two categories as still-level sensors market (fluidized solid materials) and flow-level sensors market (liquids objects).With advancement in digital electronics, level sensor products features such as user friendly, reliability, easy accessibility and cost reduction have been enhanced which is analyzed to drive the growth of the level sensor market. Additionally, government regulations within the industrial and power sectors are further expected to drive the global level sensor market. Implementation of multipurpose level sensors for manufacturing and vehicle production industries further adds to growth of the level sensor market. Another factor leading to significant growth of the level sensor market is miniaturization of level sensors.Request a Sample Report atWith rapid growth and presence of a number of manufacturing industries within APAC, the level sensor market in APAC is expected to foster during the forecast period. Although, the current market is dominated by contact based level sensors, strong growth in non-contact based level sensing segment is expected during the forecast period. Organizations are coming up more advanced non-contact based level sensors such as microwave, load cells, ultrasonic, laser, optical, and nuclear level sensors, which are beneficial over contact based level sensors.With more emphasis on research and development (R&D) for nanotechnology and enhancing the level sensing applications and products to match the enhancement in technologies, the global level sensor market is expected to foster significantly. Multinational companies such as Siemens AG, ABB Ltd., Emerson Electric Co., Honeywell Sensing & Control including others are investing heavily in acquisitions and R&D activities for innovative development within the non-contact based level sensing technologies. However, wide usage of thin film technology for production of sensing products hinders the level sensor market. Implementation of different technologies for manufacturing of similar level sensing products is another major issue faced by the suppliers.View Complete Report atThe global level sensor market has been bifurcated on basis of technology into contact based level sensors and non-contact based level sensors. Furthermore, the market has been segmented based on monitoring type as level sensors monitoring for solids, level sensors monitoring for liquid, and level sensors monitoring for both solids & liquids. Additionally the global level sensor market has been classified by applications, namely: consumer sector, ICT & computing sector, industrial sector, automotive & transportation sector, energy & utility sector, healthcare sector, agricultural sector, and military & defense sector.The global level sensor market has been divided into five regions based on geography as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM). With a number of advanced manufacturing units, North America leads the global level sensor market. Government progressive initiatives in developing nations such as China, India, and Brazil for waste water treatment are expected to drive the level sensor market. Asia Pacific (APAC) is believed to be the key region for global level sensor market, owing to technology advancements and increasing demand for high performance sensors.Some of the key players operating within the global level sensor market include Pepperl+Fuchs AG, Vega GmbH, Gems Sensors & Control Co., Magnetrol International, Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., Endress+ Hauser AG, ABB Ltd., and Siemens AG among others.Level sensors are used to detect the level of liquids, fluids and fluidized solids. Level sensors include various sensing technologies and applications types. On a broader level, the level sensors market is divided into two categories as still-level sensors market (fluidized solid materials) and flow-level sensors market (liquids objects).Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township, Amanora Chambers, East Block, Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
2017 Global Backscatter X-Ray System Market by Key Players, Type, Application and Region

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Global Backscatter X-Ray System Market Report illustrates the present development status of Backscatter X-Ray System along with the growth of Backscatter X-Ray System expected during the forecast period during 2017-2022. Backscatter X-Ray System Market analyses the industry based on different factors like growth trends, consumer volume, Backscatter X-Ray System market size and demand and supply status. Backscatter X-Ray System Market is a beneficial research material which conducts a competitive analysis of the Backscatter X-Ray System market. This report also portrays the Backscatter X-Ray System industry structure based on the product cost, major industry players, product applications, import/export details and Backscatter X-Ray System market competition.A complete study of Backscatter X-Ray System based on emerging and dominant market segments, major geographical regions, supply chain analysis, Backscatter X-Ray System revenue analysis will drive important business decisions. This research also lists covers the details related to the downstream buyer analysis, supply chain scenario, distributor scenario, labor cost and the cost of raw materials.More regarding Global Backscatter X-Ray System Market 2017 Report at:Complete details of Backscatter X-Ray System are listed in the below TOC, Figures, Charts, Graphs. The major Companies leading to the growth of Backscatter X-Ray System are covered in this report with their consumer base, company profile, and Backscatter X-Ray System revenue share.A thorough analysis of Backscatter X-Ray System based on the primary market segments, sub-segments, emerging market sectors, Backscatter X-Ray System development trends, opportunities and threats to the market development has been evaluated. Comprehensive details related to Backscatter X-Ray System market development during the forecast period, investment return analysis, technological advancement taking place in Backscatter X-Ray System will assist all the market players for planning development strategies.Request A Sample Copy Here:Complete Manufacturer study of Backscatter X-Ray System Market:3DX-RAY Ltd (UK)Anritsu Infivis Co Ltd (Japan)Bosello High Technology srl (Italy)General Electric Company (US)Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (Switzerland)Nikon Metrology NV (Belgium)Nordson DAGE (UK)North Star Imaging Inc (US)Sartorius Intec (Germany)Major regions and their revenue analysis covered in Backscatter X-Ray System include North America,Europe,Japan,China,India,South East Asia. This report also covers the marketing strategies followed by Backscatter X-Ray System players, distributors analysis, marketing channels, potential buyers and Backscatter X-Ray System development history.Backscatter X-Ray System Market analysis based on top players, Backscatter X-Ray System market gains, sales, product type, production capacity and gross margin analysis will favor the market development.Based on the dynamic market trends, developments taking place in Backscatter X-Ray System, competitive study, growth opportunities, Backscatter X-Ray System market will reflect huge development in coming years. All the crucial Backscatter X-Ray System market factors leading to growth has been covered in this report.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:GlobeMetrixJames JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4,Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns,Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog:
Vehicle Electrification Market Intelligence and Forecast by Future Market Insights 2015-2025

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Electrification of a vehicle is considered as one of the best way to reduce carbon emission, increase vehicle efficiency and reduce dependency over oil. Vehicle electrification generates new opportunities for consumer engagement along with various environmental and economic benefits. We can replace various hydraulic or mechanical systems with electric systems: hydraulic power steering with electric power steering and mechanical or hydraulic pumps with electric pumps. The air conditioner in a vehicle canVehicle Electrification Market: Drivers & RestraintsIncreasing prices of conventional fuels, growth in the sales of electric vehicles will enhance the growth of vehicle electrification. Growing demand for fuel efficient vehicles, stringent emission norm along with increasing environmental awareness among the consumer are also expected to fuel the growth of vehicle electrification market. Governments of various countries such as US are actively supporting vehicle electrification by providing tax exemption and subsidies.Vehicle Electrification Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, vehicle electrification market is broadly segmented as:StartStop SystemElectric Power Steering (EPS)Liquid Heater PTCElectric Air-Conditioner CompressorElectric Vacuum PumpElectric Oil PumpElectric Water PumpThermoelectric GeneratorElectric TurbochargerRequest Report Sample@On the basis of vehicle type, the market is segmented into:Passenger CarLight Commercial VehicleHeavy Commercial VehicleTwo  WheelerVehicle electrification market is segmented on the basis of degree of hybridizationas:Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) & Micro-Hybrid VehicleHybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)Battery Electric Vehicle (Bev) & Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)In addition, report also includes segmentation on the basis of channel type:OEMsAftermarketVisit For TOC@Vehicle Electrification Market: Region  Wise OutlookAsia  Pacific region owing to the fast growing automotive industry in developing countries such as India, China and South Korea is expected to show a significant growth in the vehicle electrification market. Strict laws in Western & Eastern Europe for vehicle efficiency will drive the vehicle electrification market in this region. North America is also anticipated to a moderate growth with credits to the strong fuel efficiency norms and support from government in the region. With rapid technological advancement and growing automobile industry, vehicle electrification market is expected to increase at a double CAGR during the forecast period.Vehicle Electrification Market: Key PlayersSome of the players in the market we identified includes, Continental AG, Robert Bosch GmbH., TRW Automotive Holdings Corp., Denso Corporation, (Japan), Nexteer Automotive, JTEKT Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mando Corp., Borgwarner Inc. and ZF Friedrichshafen AG.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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Hermetic Packaging Market : Industry Trends, Growth Rate With Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Hermetic Packaging Market: SnapshotThe global hermetic packaging market is predicted to witness strong opportunities emerging from the ascendency of ceramic-metal sealing (CERTM) demonstrating a higher growth rate and share in terms of type. There are some crucial factors that could propel the demand for CERTM in the market. The assurance of failure-free operation and passenger safety in the automotive sector is anticipated to fortify the growth of CERTM sealed sensors such as differential non-contacting, chassis level, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) sensors. The growth of the market could also gain a telling impetus on the back of an elevating demand for low-porosity and thermal shock-resistant hermetic packaging materials.Although military and defense could take a leading share in the global hermetic packaging market on the basis of application, healthcare, food and beverages, petrochemicals, and consumer electronics are also expected to be significant. The healthcare market is prognosticated to record an impressive demand while riding on major advancements in technology for medical implants and other critical fields. The need to protect food from dirt, yeasts, molds, and bacteria could intensify the demand for hermetic packaging in the food and beverages sector. Glass bottles and rigid metal cans employ hermetic packaging seals as per the standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Request Sample Copy of the Report @Expansion and new product launch are envisaged to be some of the top strategies adopted to gain a strong foothold in the global hermetic packaging market. For instance, Amkor Technology expanded its China test factory and assembly in 2015 and Schott AG launched Puravis and autoclavable Solidur LED in 2017.Global Hermetic Packaging Market: OverviewExhibiting a positive CAGR between 2017 and 2025, the global hermetic packaging market is forecast to spawn into a multi-billion dollar industry by the end of the forecast period. The need to protect the sensitive electronic components used in sectors such as defense and military against invasion of moisture, oxygen, humidity, and any other forms of contaminant, which may result in system failure is the key factor spurring the demand for hermetic packaging. Besides this, with the growing use of hermetic packaging across end-use industries such as aeronautics and automobile electronics, experts see strong growth on cards for the market in the coming years.Request TOC of the Report @The report provides a holistic market overview, covering growth witnessed across end-use industries, key application segments, and major regions. The classifications under these segments are studied in detail. The study also includes an in-depth analysis of various drivers and restraints projected to impact the markets trajectory across the aforementioned segments. It therefore compiles exhaustive information regarding the market obtained via proven research methodologies. The market study also identifies the most lucrative segments in the market and gauges the investment feasibility for the new market players.Global Hermetic Packaging Market: Trends and OpportunitiesAmong major end users, the demand for hermetic packaging is considerably high in the military and defense sector. This segment is expected to gain from the high budget allocation in the defense sector in countries such as the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Besides this, the high demand from the defense industries in India and China will boost the hermetic packaging market in Asia Pacific. In the coming years, the rising demand from the aeronautics and space industry will contribute to the markets growth as well.Get Discount @Among other segments helping the market gain pace, the contribution of the multilayer ceramic segment is worth mentioning. The market players are expected to witness considerably high opportunities in response to the increasing adoption of multilayer ceramic packages across high-frequency applications such as wireless communication, optical communication, and data communication. Multilayer ceramics allow a large volume of electrical feed-throughs, which is a key factor fueling its demand, subsequently gaining increased traction for the overall market.In the coming years, the use of hermetic packaging transistors is expected to increase at a robust pace. This growth will be stoked by the increasing uptake of hermetically sealed transistors for designing home appliances and telecommunication circuits. Spurred by the increasing applications across diverse segment, the global hermetic packaging market is forecast to report strong growth in the coming years.Global Hermetic Packaging Market: Regional OutlookRegionally, the leading manufacturers will find a lucrative market in Asia Pacific. The region exhibits increasing demand for energy, backed by growth in the rate of GDP across emerging nations such as India and China, which will create growth opportunities for hermetic packaged electronic component manufacturers. Besides this, India, Japan, and China are now allotting increased funds in space research. The growth in space-related activities such as exploration missions and satellite launches in these countries will give impetus to the Asia Pacific hermetic packaging market. Additionally, North America and Europe will continue offering attractive opportunities to the enterprises operating in the market.Global Hermetic Packaging Market: Vendor LandscapeTeledyne Microelectronics, AMETEK, Inc., SCHOTT AG, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Amkor Technology, Legacy Technologies Inc., Micross Components, Inc., Willow Technologies, KYOCERA Corporation, and Materion Corporation are among the established players in the global hermetic packaging market. Besides in-depth assessment of the companies profiled, the report also studies the impact of the strategies they adopt on the overall market.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
2017 Global Manual Tape Dispenser Market by Key Players, Type, Application and Region

Global Manual Tape Dispenser Market

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Global Manual Tape Dispenser Market Report illustrates the present development status of Manual Tape Dispenser along with the growth of Manual Tape Dispenser expected during the forecast period during 2017-2022. Manual Tape Dispenser Market analyses the industry based on different factors like growth trends, consumer volume, Manual Tape Dispenser market size and demand and supply status. Manual Tape Dispenser Market is a beneficial research material which conducts a competitive analysis of the Manual Tape Dispenser market. This report also portrays the Manual Tape Dispenser industry structure based on the product cost, major industry players, product applications, import/export details and Manual Tape Dispenser market competition.A complete study of Manual Tape Dispenser based on emerging and dominant market segments, major geographical regions, supply chain analysis, Manual Tape Dispenser revenue analysis will drive important business decisions. This research also lists covers the details related to the downstream buyer analysis, supply chain scenario, distributor scenario, labor cost and the cost of raw materials.More regarding Global Manual Tape Dispenser Market 2017 Report at:Complete details of Manual Tape Dispenser are listed in the below TOC, Figures, Charts, Graphs. The major Companies leading to the growth of Manual Tape Dispenser are covered in this report with their consumer base, company profile, and Manual Tape Dispenser revenue share.A thorough analysis of Manual Tape Dispenser based on the primary market segments, sub-segments, emerging market sectors, Manual Tape Dispenser development trends, opportunities and threats to the market development has been evaluated. Comprehensive details related to Manual Tape Dispenser market development during the forecast period, investment return analysis, technological advancement taking place in Manual Tape Dispenser will assist all the market players for planning development strategies.Request A Sample Copy Here:Complete Manufacturer study of Manual Tape Dispenser Market:3MIPGBetter PackagesShurtape TechnologiesUlineStaplesTechnical Papers CorporationAbbott-ActionPoppinMajor regions and their revenue analysis covered in Manual Tape Dispenser include North America,Europe,Japan,China,India,South East Asia. This report also covers the marketing strategies followed by Manual Tape Dispenser players, distributors analysis, marketing channels, potential buyers and Manual Tape Dispenser development history.Manual Tape Dispenser Market analysis based on top players, Manual Tape Dispenser market gains, sales, product type, production capacity and gross margin analysis will favor the market development.Based on the dynamic market trends, developments taking place in Manual Tape Dispenser, competitive study, growth opportunities, Manual Tape Dispenser market will reflect huge development in coming years. All the crucial Manual Tape Dispenser market factors leading to growth has been covered in this report.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:GlobeMetrixJames JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4,Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns,Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog:
Research Focused on the Tilt Sensor Market Forecast up to 2025

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Tilt sensor primarily measures the tilting in two axes of a reference plane. Primarily tilt sensors are used for indicating roll and pitch of vehicles, aircraft, and sail boats. Moreover, it also helps in monitoring the boom angle of material handlers and cranes. Tilt sensors are also employed for measuring the height of polls and trees. Tilt sensors are utilized for the measurement of angles, primarily in reference to gravity. In terms of material type, the tilt sensor market can be segmented into metal tilt sensors and non-metal tilt sensors. In terms of technology, the market can be segmented into MEMS technology, force balance technology, and fluid filled technology. In terms of end-use industry, the market for tilt sensor can be segmented into aerospace and defense, mining and construction, automotive and transportation, and telecommunications. In terms of geography, the market for tilt sensor can be segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle East &Africa.View TOC for this Market Report @The non-metal segment leads the market for tilt sensors globally in 2016 due to the increasing adoption of plastic housing material in different end-use industries. However, nylon and ceramic are major non-metallic tilt sensors which have wide range of applications in different industries. Moreover, the MEMS technology tilt sensor segment is anticipated to expand significantly during the forecast period due to its cost-effectiveness and small size. The mining and construction segment lead the market for tilt sensors in terms of end-use industry. These tilt sensors have a wide range of applications in mining and construction machines and equipment.Measuring the angle of drilling is another major driving factor for the tilt sensors in the construction industry. Additionally, the automotive and transportation segment is anticipated to see highest growth rate in terms of adopting tilt sensors. Automobile security systems along with wheel alignment systems are two key application fields of tilt sensors in the automotive industry. Force balance technology based tilt sensors are expensive, which is a restraining factor for the market. Application areas of tilt sensors are increasing due to rising research activities, which is a major opportunity for the market.In terms of revenue, Asia Pacific is leading the global tilt sensor market in 2016. North America and Europe follow Asia Pacific in terms of revenue share. China is leading the market in Asia Pacific due to its technological advancement in the field of tilt sensors. Japan, India, South Korea and Taiwan among others are some of the major countries contributing in the positive development of the market for tilt sensors.Increasing number of prominent aerospace and defense, mining and construction along with automotive and transportation companies is boosting the market for tilt sensor across Asia Pacific. Moreover, expansion of the semiconductor industry is also fuelling the demand for tilt sensors across Asia Pacific. In North America, the U.S. is leading the market for tilt sensors, followed by Canada and Mexico. Germany, the U.K., Italy and France contributed prominent shares in the tilt sensors market in terms of revenue across Europe. The UAE, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina among others are dominating the markets for tilt sensor across Middle East &Africa and Latin America.For more information on this report, fill the form @Strategic partnership agreements with other companies along with new product development with added features and advanced technologies are key business strategies practiced by major companies operating in the tilt sensors market globally. Prominent players operating in the global tilt sensor market include Sick AG (Germany),TE Connectivity Ltd. (Switzerland), IFM Electronic GmbH (Germany), Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Japan), Level Developments Ltd (U.K.), Pepperl+Fuchs Vertrieb GmbH & Co. Kg (Germany), Jewell Instruments LLC (The U.S.), Balluff (Germany), DIS Sensors Bv (The Netherlands), and The Fredericks Company (The U.S.).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend 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.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market Research Report 2017

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"The Report Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market Research Report 2017 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"In this report, the global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaView Report @Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingF. Hoffmann-La RocheAlereAbbottBeckman CoulterBio-RadQiagenViennaLabWama DiagnosticaAutobio DiagnosticsHema DiagnosticsGet Sample Copy of this Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoIgG Antibody TestIgM and IgG testOthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits for each application, includingHospitalsClinicsOthersTable of ContentsGlobal Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market Research Report 20171 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits1.2 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 IgG Antibody Test1.2.4 IgM and IgG test1.2.5 Others1.3 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Segment by Application1.3.1 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Hospitals1.3.3 Clinics1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Rapid Test Kits Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)About usMarketResearchReports.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.Mr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Forecast on Skin Replacement Market for the Period (2015-2025)

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Skin is the largest organ in human body which is highly dynamic in nature. It is composed of two layers, the outer layer called epidermis and the inner layer called dermis. Its network of nerves, blood vessels and cells thus acting as a protective armor. It serves the body in diverse ways. Its of paramount importance owning to its protective functionality. The skins protective function creates a barrier for internal organs and tissues from toxins, disease-carrying microbes, heat and cold and other dangers present in the environment. It also plays a significant role in regulating the body temperature and preserving bodys fluid balance. Nerves within skin sense the presence of potentially harmful agents, such as bees, and immune cells in the skin help to fight against these malicious agents. For the aforementioned reasons, the loss of skin due to burns or trauma can cause a severe blow to the human body; leading to impairment or sometimes elimination of many vital functions which it typically performs.John F. Burke invented the first synthetic skin, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Artificial skin considered to be the Holy Grail in treating burn victims for more than hundred years till a flexible material was found. It protects against dehydration and infection, easy to produce from ordinary substance and is completely acceptable by the victims immune system. The artificial skin can be easily sterilized and usually stored at room temperature. Skin replacement represents a prospective source of advanced therapy in combating acute and chronic skin wounds. With the capability of large scale production and immediate availability for grafting, its potential for use is easy and relatively economic among the burn patients.Request Report Sample@Skin Replacement Market: Drivers & RestraintsMuch progress has been made toward the development of artificial skin replacement products. Continued research promises to bring more products to the marketplace, and each new product seems to develop a niche in the field of skin replacement. Increased life expectancy, increasing disposable income and favorable demographics are some of the key factors driving the growth of the global skin replacement market.Bioengineered skin replacements are continually being developed and improved. The next generation of skin replacements will probably evolve from lessons learned from our understanding of wound repair and regeneration. Competition from low-cost substitutes, lack of clinical support are probable factors restraining the growth of the global skin replacement market.Skin Replacement Market: SegmentationThe global skin replacement market is broadly classified on the basis of product type, material, end-use industry and geographies.Based on product type, the global skin replacement market is segmented into:EpicelIntegraBased on material, the global skin replacement market is segmented into:Spider silkCollagenBased on end use industry, the global skin replacement market is segmented into:ChemicalCosmeticPharmaceuticalVisit For TOC@Skin Replacement Market: OverviewThough skin replacement is a new technology for emerging economies, but in the developed nations the same technology is in use for few decades. With increasing disposable income and rising urbanization the acceptance of skin replacements is gaining popularity. The global skin replacement market is expected to expand at a promising CAGR during the forecast period (2015-2025).Skin Replacement Market: Region-wise OutlookSkin replacement market is still in its early stage of maturity. The global skin replacement market is expected to register an optimistic CAGR for the forecast period. Depending on geographic regions, global skin replacement market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.Skin Replacement Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market participants in global skin replacement market are Cellular Dynamics International, Cynata Therapeutics Limited, Platelet BioGenesis, Tengion, TissueGene, Inc.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types.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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Document Imaging Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has included a new study titled, Document Imaging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025 to its huge archive of research reports. Document imaging services continue to gain popularity across all areas of business as it provides better security and confidentiality of critical information. Document imaging is an information technology solution which uses advanced and modern equipment such as scanners, software, and camera. Document imaging also helps to control large volumes of documents. The document imaging market is segmented on the bases of three categories: by service, component, and end use. In terms of service, the market for document imaging is segmented into cloud and on-premises. By component, the market is segmented into software and hardware. Hardware component segment can be further bifurcated into scanners, printers, microfilm, readers and others. In terms of end use, the document imaging market is segmented into government organizations, law firms, physician practice, and educational institutions among others. Document imaging solutions are becoming an integral part of a business entity for big data handling or analytics. The document imaging market is anticipated to witness significant growth during the forecast period owing to the rising demand for big data handing and analytics in many organizations. Big data technology is a new potential revenue generating source of an organization.Request For Sample Report:Therefore, the demand for document imaging is booming in recent times and is anticipated to witness significant growth during the forecast period. Currently, the impact of this factor has been analyzed to be high, and can be expected to remain high during the forecast period. However, advanced technology such as IT and manufacturing hubs are facing challenges from short supply of skilled operators. Document imaging solutions are complex to handle and require skilled operators. Advanced scanners come with software that makes scanning and saving documents possible. Operators not only require having knowledge about how to operate the equipment, but also know how to operate associated programs in order to modify and store electronic files. These operators usually lack technical education and skills, and hence require specialized training which is time consuming. Rising demand for document imaging due to its benefits, organizations are ready to invest in training the operators. The impact of this restraint is medium in recent times and is expected to be low during the forecast period.By Service the global document imagingmarket has been segmented into cloud and on-premises. On-premises service is initially dominating the global document imaging market. However, cloud service is expected a robust growth during the forecast period and is anticipated to be the largest market share holder in document imaging market. Cloud helps to accommodate large scale information and scanning and printing online data. In addition, cloud deployment better structured than centralized systems to process large constant data streaming produced across the value chain.By region the global document imagingmarket has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. North America which includes U.S. and Rest of North America (Canada and Mexico) captured the largest market share in 2016 due to growth in production facilities and rising demand of digitalized documentation. Europe which includes countries such as Germany, U.K., France, Italy and Rest of Europe captured the second largest market share in 2016. Asia Pacificshowed the fastest growth in 2016 due to its high penetration rateand coupled more high adoption rate of digitalization in document management solutionover the years.The global market of document imagingreport provides company market share analysis of the various key participants. Key players have also been profiled on the basis of company overview. Global key participants of the document imaging market include Fujitsu Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), Hewlett-Packard Company (California, U.S.), Canon Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), Kodak Alaris (Hemel Hempstead, U.K.), Xerox Corporation (Connecticut, U.S.), Qorus Software (Pty) Ltd (Cape Town, South Africa), CBSL Group (Delhi, India), Epson America (California, U.S.), Aramex (Dubai, U.A.E) and Newgen Software Technologies Ltd (Delhi, India) among others.Document imaging solutions use tools such as scanners, printers, software, and camerato digitize a document. It is a key feature for any business entity as the document imaging process is used for better speed and agility in work stations. Improved and advanced efficiencies lead to a competitive improvement and better customer satisfaction.The document imaging market is gaining popularity due to several benefits to organizations such as cost effectiveness, increasing efficiency, risk reduction of losing documents in transit.Browse Full Report With TOC:The document imaging market is segmented on the bases of three categories: by service, component, and end use. In terms of service, the market for document imaging is segmented into cloud and on-premises. By component, the market is segmented into software and hardware. Hardware component segment can be further bifurcated into scanners, printers, microfilm, readers and others. In terms of end use, the document imaging market is segmented into government organizations, law firms, physician practice, and educational institutions among others.The installation of document imaging has dramatically changed due to the rising installation of cloud based document imaging solutions. Cloud deployment is becoming a critical and flexible part of an organization, for storing data and to expedite workflows. Information technology departments are expanding their cloud budgets for its numerous benefits. Quality document-management systems are available on the cloud since the last few years. Almost every business entity has started installing cloud as the most modern deployment solution to store important data. Organizations are always very careful about storing critical documents in a cloud environment, and recently increasing importance of cloud deployment is fueling growth of the document imaging market which is expected to see significant growth during the forecast period.The impact of this driver is medium in recent times and is expected to be high during the forecast period. However, Core printing companies are looking for diversification for higher profit generation. Many dealers are trying to expand their business by offering new products and services. In addition, rising competition in the MPS (managed printing service) industry is encouraging dealers to diversify or invest in other business entities. Although, cost cutting and decreasing price trends are attracting existing dealers and new entities to invest in this industry. Therefore, demand for documents imaging is expected to be high during the forecast period.The impact of this restraint is medium in the current phase and is expected to be high during the forecast period.Additionally, considering the growth in population and rapid urbanization in several emerging economies, there is an increased demand for digitalized documents. The growth of document imaging is strongly correlated to urbanization, which is compelling government organization, law firms, educational institutions and industries to emphasize on this technology.Such demand for document imaging can be expected to offer good growth opportunities for this market. In addition, there are various research initiatives undertaken by different companies worldwide to develop document imaging into more versatile products. More advanced products and awareness among target customers are expected to drive future opportunities in the document imaging market both in developed and developing nations. Hence, the customer base is expected to grow, creating a larger market for future businesses.Currently, people are more focused on print and less on digitalized paper. Paper work or printing work is more time consuming; therefore, most SMBs (small medium business) pay interest on digitalized paper scanning technology. Growing trend of document scanning or photocopying in recent times is predicted to be an opportunity for the document imaging market.The global market of document imaging report provides company market share analysis of the various key participants. Key players have also been profiled on the basis of company overview. Global key participants of the document imaging market include Fujitsu Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), Hewlett-Packard Company (California, U.S.), Canon Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), Kodak Alaris (Hemel Hempstead, U.K.), Xerox Corporation (Connecticut, U.S.), Qorus Software (Pty) Ltd (Cape Town, South Africa), CBSL Group (Delhi, India), Epson America (California, U.S.), Aramex (Dubai, U.A.E) and Newgen Software Technologies Ltd (Delhi, India) among others.Global Smart Grid Security market can be segmented as follows;-Global Document Imaging Market, by ServiceCloudOn-PremisesGlobal Document Imaging Market, by ComponentSoftwareHardwareScanningPrintingMicrofilm ReadersOthersGlobal Document Imaging Market, by End UseGovernment OrganizationLaw FirmsPhysician PracticesEducational InstitutionOthersGlobal Document Imaging Market, by Geography: The market is broadly segmented on the basis of geography into:North AmericaS.Rest of North AmericaEuropeGermanyFranceItalyRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanRest of APACMiddle East and AfricaSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin AmericaEnqiure About this Report:About UsMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
2017 Global Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy Market by Key Players, Type, Application and Region

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Global Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy Market Report illustrates the present development status of Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy along with the growth of Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy expected during the forecast period during 2017-2022. Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy Market analyses the industry based on different factors like growth trends, consumer volume, Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy market size and demand and supply status. Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy Market is a beneficial research material which conducts a competitive analysis of the Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy market. This report also portrays the Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy industry structure based on the product cost, major industry players, product applications, import/export details and Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy market competition.A complete study of Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy based on emerging and dominant market segments, major geographical regions, supply chain analysis, Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy revenue analysis will drive important business decisions. This research also lists covers the details related to the downstream buyer analysis, supply chain scenario, distributor scenario, labor cost and the cost of raw materials.More regarding Global Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy Market 2017 Report at:Complete details of Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy are listed in the below TOC, Figures, Charts, Graphs. The major Companies leading to the growth of Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy are covered in this report with their consumer base, company profile, and Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy revenue share.A thorough analysis of Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy based on the primary market segments, sub-segments, emerging market sectors, Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy development trends, opportunities and threats to the market development has been evaluated. Comprehensive details related to Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy market development during the forecast period, investment return analysis, technological advancement taking place in Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy will assist all the market players for planning development strategies.Request A Sample Copy Here:Complete Manufacturer study of Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy Market:Abbott LaboratoriesOmronAdvanced Cardiac TherapeuticsCarmatVolcanoAtriCureBerlin HeartBiosensors InternationalBiotronikMajor regions and their revenue analysis covered in Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy include North America,Europe,Japan,China,India,South East Asia. This report also covers the marketing strategies followed by Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy players, distributors analysis, marketing channels, potential buyers and Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy development history.Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy Market analysis based on top players, Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy market gains, sales, product type, production capacity and gross margin analysis will favor the market development.Based on the dynamic market trends, developments taking place in Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy, competitive study, growth opportunities, Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy market will reflect huge development in coming years. All the crucial Mechanical Venous Thrombectomy market factors leading to growth has been covered in this report.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:GlobeMetrixJames JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4,Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns,Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog:
Global Clothing Store Inventory Software Market 2017: NetSuite, Revel Systems, Springboard Retail, COMCASH Retail ERP, AmberPOS

Clothing Store Inventory Software Market 2017

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Global Clothing Store Inventory Software Market 2017-2022QY Market Research include new Clothing Store Inventory Software market research report "2016-2022 Report on Global Clothing Store Inventory Software Market Competition, Status and Forecast, Market Size by Players, Regions, Type, Application" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global Clothing Store Inventory Software market is highly useful as it covers all the aspects which are important in determining the future of this industry. The Clothing Store Inventory Software report is collated by experienced analysts who have made use of their market intelligence to cover all basic and important data about the global Clothing Store Inventory Software industry.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:The Clothing Store Inventory Software market report makes use of tables, charts, graphs, maps, and statistics to present the data in the easiest to understand way. The Clothing Store Inventory Software market report is a comprehensive analysis of the key factors impacting the global Clothing Store Inventory Software industry. This Clothing Store Inventory Software market report includes both the driving factors as well as the restraining factors that are influencing the market's performance positively and negatively, respectively.Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This Research Report,Epos NowLightspeed RetailNetSuiteRevel SystemsSpringboard RetailCOMCASH Retail ERPAmberPOSQuetzal POSCORESenseAgilironRetailSTARGiftLogicCelerant TechnologyNCR CounterpointThe current trends shaping the global Clothing Store Inventory Software market and how it will influence the Clothing Store Inventory Software market in the future are also studied. In addition to this, the future opportunities within the Clothing Store Inventory Software market that have the potential to help the market to expand are also given in the Clothing Store Inventory Software report.Enquire Here:The segments within the global Clothing Store Inventory Software industry and their sub-segments are also studied in detail. This ensures that the entire Clothing Store Inventory Software market is covered. The leading segment along with the declining segment and the most promising segment has been given in this Clothing Store Inventory Software report. This helps the readers, investors, new entrants, and established players to decide which segment or sub-segment to invest on so as to reap maximum profits.The Clothing Store Inventory Software market report discusses the degree of competition, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, and a threat of substitutes, both internal and external substitute of Clothing Store Inventory Software market. The threat of new entrants or the barriers faced by new players in entering the global Clothing Store Inventory Software market has been discussed. This gives new players an idea as to whether they can survive in the competitive Clothing Store Inventory Software market.About Us:Business Worldwide is a trusted brand in the research industry with a capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Business Worldwide, we believe in building long-term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries including Energy, Chemicals and Materials, Automotive and Aerospace.Contact Us:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
Wind Power in Chile Market Outlook to 2030

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ReportsWeb.com published Wind Power Market from its database. 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."Wind Power in Chile, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2017-Capacity, Generation, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), Investment Trends, Regulations and Company Profiles", is the latest report from Publisher, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information and understanding of the wind power market in Chile.The report provides in depth analysis on global renewable power market and global wind power market with forecasts up to 2030. The report analyzes the power market scenario in Chile (includes conventional thermal, nuclear, large hydro and renewable energy sources) and provides future outlook with forecasts up to 2030. The research details renewable power market outlook in the country (includes wind, small hydro, biopower and solar PV) and provides forecasts up to 2030. The report highlights installed capacity and power generation trends from 2006 to 2030 in Chile wind power market. A detailed coverage of renewable energy policy framework governing the market with specific policies pertaining to wind power is provided in the report. The research also provides company snapshots of some of the major market participants.The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by Publisher's team of industry experts.For more information about this report atScopeThe report analyses global renewable power market, global wind power (Onshore and Offshore) market, Chile power market, Chile renewable power market and Chile wind power market. The scope of the research includes--A brief introduction on global carbon emissions and global primary energy consumption.-An overview on global renewable power market, highlighting installed capacity trends, generation trends and installed capacity split by various renewable power sources. The information is covered for the historical period 2006-2016 (unless specified) and forecast period 2016-2030.-Renewable power sources include wind (both onshore and offshore), solar photovoltaic (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP), small hydropower (SHP), biomass, biogas and geothermal.-Detailed overview of the global wind power market with installed capacity and generation trends, installed capacity split by major hydropower countries in 2016 and key owners information of various regions.-Power market scenario in Chile and provides detailed market overview, installed capacity and power generation trends by various fuel types (includes thermal conventional, nuclear, large hydro and renewable energy sources) with forecasts up to 2030.-An overview on Chile renewable power market, highlighting installed capacity trends (2006-2030), generation trends(2006-2030) and installed capacity split by various renewable power sources in 2016.-Detailed overview of Chile wind power market with installed capacity and generation trends and major active and upcoming wind projects.-Deal analysis of Chile wind power market. Deals are analyzed on the basis of mergers, acquisitions, partnership, asset finance, debt offering, equity offering, private equity (PE) and venture capitalists (VC).-Key policies and regulatory framework supporting the development of renewable power sources in general and wind power in particular.-Company snapshots of some of the major market participants in the country.Request a sample copy atReasons to buy-The report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner.-Identify key growth and investment opportunities in Chile wind power market.-Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data for wind power market.-Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industry's growth potential.-Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events.-Identify key partners and business development avenues.-Understand and respond to your competitors' business structure, strategy and prospects.Companies MentionedPattern Energy Group LPEngieEnel S.p.A.Enel Green Power S.p.A.Barrick Gold CorporationAcciona Energia, S.A.Inquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Donald Trump UN Speech Reinforces Need For US Department Of Peace - Author Frances Fuller Issues Statement

Author Frances Fuller

http://www.inborrowedhouseslebanon.com

In his speech at the United Nations, President Trump stated that the United States could totally destroy North Korea. The ongoing game of political one-upmanship could put the United States and North Korea on a path to nuclear war. While most astute world leaders understand the perils of any type of nuclear conflict, it has become apparent that calm, level-headed thinking and strategizing is not employed by some of those world leaders. Frances Fuller, award winning author of 'In Borrowed Houses' spent many years living in the Middle East. She is an ardent supporter of the concept of a US Department of Peace. She recently issued a statement that clearly defines how such a body could help create peace rather than war, promote justice and reduce conflict."Donald Trumps belligerent words in the United Nations have made plain our desperate need for a Department of Peace," Fuller stated."For months Trump and Kim Jong-un have been exchanging taunts like school-yard bullies over North Koreas testing of nuclear weapons. And now the president in his first appearance before the United Nations, has told the world, that if the United States needed to defend ourselves or our allies, we would totally destroy North Korea."It is possible that many Americans, accustomed to Trumps exaggerations, dont take this literally. But my guess is that the people of North Korea do, because they know that during the 1950s war on the Korean peninsula most of the cities of North Korea were obliterated by American bombing. That is the kind of thing that people dont forget, and Trumps statement will only remind them."And Kim Jong-un, obsessed with his own security, believes it. Did America not recently destroy two regimes, in Iraq and Libya? Could she have done this, would she have done this, if Iraq and Libya had had nuclear weapons?"And vital to us is the question, does Trump believe what he says?"And how shall we protect the world from lone individuals in places of power?"Frances Fuller proposes A Department of Peace, authorized to lead our government in the pursuit of peace. In a survey box on her website, she says:Building armies to defeat whatever enemies come is a reasonable response to tensions in the world. Making friends instead of enemies is even better. Solving problems before people lose hope is better. Promoting justice, acting justly, erasing oppression, listening, apologizing, respecting, opening doors, sharing essential commodities, resolving neighborhood conflicts, all of these are preferable to war. All of these are deterrents to war. And cheaper. And doable.The catch is that they mostly have to be done before a crisis occurs, and nobody does them unless they are someones job.Peace, like war, is a responsibility that has to be assigned.Thats why we need a Department of Peace with a place in the Presidents Cabinet.The full statement and a survey regarding the US Department of Peace, is available at Fuller's website.Frances Fuller puts a face on the Middle East many Americans have not yet seen. Her award-winning memoir, 'In Borrowed Houses', gives readers a penetrating glimpse of the Middle East from the inside.The Syrian occupation of Lebanon during that countrys long civil war is part of Fullers experience in the Middle East, related in her memoir. Told in short episodes, Fullers book reveals the alienation, confusion and courage of civilians in the Lebanese civil war, introducing to the reader a variety of real people with whom the author interacts: editors, salesmen, neighbors, refugees, soldiers, missionaries, lawyers, shepherds, artists, students. With these people she works, studies, plays games, prays, laughs and cries, all to the accompaniment of gunfire. Together these small stories tell what war is like for civilians caught on a battlefield, and they create the impression of the Lebanese as a fun-loving, witty, patient and resilient people. Fuller's stories compose not a political history, but a historical document of a time and a place.'In Borrowed Houses' has taken three industry awards. Frances Fuller was the Grand Prize winner in the 2015 '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading' Book Awards. It received the bronze medal for memoir in the Illumination Book Awards in 2014. Northern California Publishers and Authors annually gives awards for literature produced by residents of the area. In 2015 'In Borrowed Houses' received two prizes: Best Non-fiction and Best Cover.Critics have praised In Borrowed Houses. A judge in the 22nd Annual Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards called 'In Borrowed Houses'  . . a well written book full of compassion . . . a captivating story . . . . Another reviewer described the book as Wise, honest, sensitive, funny, heart-wrenching . . .. Colin Chapman, lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut said,  . . . western Christians and Middle Eastern Christians need to read this storyfull of remarkable perceptiveness and genuine hope.Frances Fuller is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at frances0516@att.net. The full text of her latest article is available at her website. Fuller's book is available at Amazon and other book retailers. A free ebook sample from 'In Borrowed Houses' is available at Payhip. Frances Fuller also blogs on other issues relating to the Middle East on her website.Frances Fuller spent thirty years in the violent Middle East and for twenty-four of those years was the director of a Christian publishing program with offices in Lebanon. While leading the development of spiritual books in the Arabic language, she survived long years of civil war and invasions.PO Box 1613Shallotte, NC 28462
Smart Parking Systems Market Expected CAGR Of 20.2% From 2015 To 2022 Valued At US$59.7 Mn by the End Of 2016 And Reach US$177.1 Mn By 2022

MRRSE

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has included a new study titled, Smart Parking Systems Market (By Parking Site Type - On-street Parking, Off-street Parking; By Component - Sensor and Network Hardware, Software, Services; By Application Areas - Airports, Government and Municipalities and Corporate and Commercial Institutions) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2022 to its huge archive of research reports. The staggering amount of vehicles coming on to roads around the world calls for advanced methods for parking. Traffic and parking problems are on the rise and people are finding lesser space for either. This is creating a high level of discomfort, fuel wastage, and high levels of emissions. Urban and city parking has therefore become a major concern for both developed and emerging nations, forming the primary driver leading most entities towards seeking smart parking system solutions. Smart parking systems provide a highly flexible, scalable, and efficient way for buildings and locations of all sizes and types, thus ensuring a smoother flow of traffic and a considerable drop in emissions. The latter forms a high concern issue as the growing emission levels are creating multiple complications in climate change and human health. The leading employers of smart parking systems in most countries are their municipalities. Their interest and involvement allows for the development of better smart parking systems through an upwards scaling of parking fees that can directly be used for advancing smart parking technologies.Request For Sample Report:The global market revenue for smart parking systems is therefore expected to show an exceptionally positive CAGR of 20.2% from 2015 to 2022. This revenue is expected to be valued at US$59.7 mn by the end of 2016 and reach US$177.1 mn by 2022.North America Shows High Demand for Smart Parking SystemsNorth America is expected to generate a revenue of US$34.6 mn for the global market for smart parking systems by 2022, due to the presence of dense traffic in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and others. These cities are also showing a higher level of awareness towards modern solutions for traffic control and parking, thereby becoming an optimized region for the large-scale adoption of smart parking systems.Various smart parking systems have already been implemented in North America, such as the SFpark program implemented in San Francisco. Areas in the city equipped with SFpark systems have sped up parking of vehicle by five minutes on average when compared to conventional parking methods. Programs such as these are proof that the smart parking systems can bring about a successful change in traffic and parking conditions across the world.Off-street Parking Demand SoarsIn terms of the site of parking, the smart parking systems can be classified into off-street and on-street parking solutions. At the moment, off-street smart parking systems are in high demand due to the ease with which they can be implemented and fine-tuned. Additionally, they can be privately owned, while almost all on-street parking spaces are owned by the government. Therefore, while the need for smart parking systems is extremely high in both sites, it is being implemented on a larger scale in off-street sites. Most off-street parking areas are made of commercial parking lots and garages. On the other hand, on-street smart parking systems have to prepare for permit timers, passenger zones, loading zones, bus and truck zones, and street cleaning vehicles.Off-street parking spots are the easier place to implement effective smart parking systems in tandem with robot-assisted or automated parking services. These systems help increase the comfort and safety of all passengers. On the other hand, on-street smart parking systems are gathering steam. This parking site segment is expected to progress at a CAGR of 23.6% from 2015 to 2022.The key providers of smart parking systems on a global front include Streetline, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., ParkMe, Inc., Urbiotica, Skidata AG, Amano McGann, Inc., Swarco AG, Smart Parking Ltd, Nedap N.V., and Parkmobile, LLC.Browse Full Report With TOC:Smart parking system provides real-time information about the availability of parking space in a particular location, thereby enabling hassle-free vehicle parking while saving on time, cost, and fuel. It consists of low-cost sensors, real-time data collection and analytics, and automated payment systems that allow people to find parking in desired locations and pay for it in advance.Once deployed, the smart parking system helps in reducing exhaust emissions from cars in urban cities by reducing the needless circling of city blocks in the search of parking space. It also efficiently manages the availability of parking space for cities and controls illegal parking. The rapid growth in the number of vehicles worldwide is increasing the scarcity of parking space, which is further magnifying the need for smart and innovative parking systems. Whether at airports or shopping centers, parking issues are a regular occurrence, in turn hurting the local business and affecting the quality of life of the city residents. These intelligent parking management systems provide high levels of convenience to the drivers while simplifying and automating the parking site operations. Deploying smart parking systems in cities requires data collection and management, integration with mobile phones, and various software and hardware innovations. Furthermore, there is a need for cooperation among various parking stakeholders such as off and on-street parking operators, transport authorities, municipalities, as well as customers. The smart parking market is growing significantly with numerous advanced solutions being adopted by major global cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Stockholm, Shanghai, Beijing, and Sao Paulo. In the long run, smart parking can significantly transform these and other cities by making them friendlier to citizens. Smart parking systems are expected to open up opportunities for the reuse of commercial as well as municipal parking garages Hence, smart parking systems contribute toward making urban cities cleaner, greener, compact, and thereby more freely walkable and drivable.This research report provides in-depth analysis of the global smart parking systems market based on parking site types, components, application areas, and geography. In terms of geographical regions, the report segments the global smart parking systems market into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America; these are analyzed in terms of revenue generation. North America is further segmented into the U.S. and Rest of North America, while Europe is divided into EU7, CIS, and Rest of Europe. Moreover, the analysis for Asia Pacific is subdivided into Japan, China, South Asia, Australasia, and Rest of Asia Pacific. Likewise, MEA is further segmented into GCC countries, South Africa, and Rest of MEA, while Latin America is subdivided into Brazil and Rest of Latin America.The report analyzes the factors that drive and restrain the growth of the smart parking systems market. The report also identifies prospective growth opportunities, prevailing market trends, and major strategies enhancing the popularity of smart parking systems. It also provides market estimates and forecasts for all the segments in terms of revenue. The global smart parking systems market is categorized based on parking site types as on-street parking and off-street parking. The market is also segmented on the basis of components that include sensor and network hardware, software, and services. The report further subdivides the smart parking services market into system integration and installation, parking management, and maintenance. This research report provides complete insight into different application areas of the smart parking systems market including airports, government and municipalities, and corporate and commercial institutions. The report also includes profiles of major players engaged in providing these smart parking systems. Key business strategies adopted by the major players, their market positioning, and various recent developments have also been identified in the research report. Besides, market positioning of key players in the smart parking systems market has also been provided. The major players in the smart parking systems market include Streetline, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., ParkMe, Inc., Urbiotica, Skidata AG, Amano McGann, Inc., Swarco AG, Smart Parking Ltd, Nedap N.V., and Parkmobile, LLC.The global smart parking systems market is segmented as below:Smart Parking Systems MarketBy Parking Site TypeOn-Street ParkingOn-Street ParkingBy ComponentSensor and Network HardwareSoftware (Management and Analytics Software and Mobile Applications)ServicesSystem Integration and InstallationParking ManagementMaintenanceBy End-use IndustryAirportsGovernment and MunicipalitiesCorporate and Commercial InstitutionsBy GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificLatin AmericaMiddle East and AfricaEnqiure About this Report:About UsMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Global LNG Bunkering Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, And Forecast, 2014 - 2025

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has included a new study titled, LNG Bunkering Market (By Vessel Segment - Tankers, Container Ships, Bulk & General Cargo Vessels, and Ferries & Offshore Support Vessels): Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2014 - 2025 to its huge archive of research reports. The new legislation from the United Nations shipping agency has set new limits for sulfur emissions from vessels that would come into effect from 2020. LNG as a bunker fuel has the inherent properties to comply with environmental emission norms that are to come into effect in future. This is because it has negligible sulfur content and its combustion emits low NOx as compared to that produced by fuel oil and marine diesel oil. At present, only 45 vessels globally utilize LNG as a bunker fuel with the majority of these vessels operating in the inland waterways of Northern Europe. Nevertheless, port authorities in Northern Europe are investing substantially in promoting the use of LNG as a bunker fuel. For example, Norway is investing substantially for the development of LNG bunkering terminals at major trading ports. In Norway, the presence of several small-scale LNG production units enables easy distribution of LNG to bunker terminals.Request For Sample Report:Despite economic and environmental benefits, adoption of LNG is presently restricted to offshore support vessels and passenger ships. Underdeveloped infrastructure for handling LNG bunkering in worlds major ports is considerably challenging the growth of LNG bunkering market.Nevertheless, projects underway for the development of LNG refueling infrastructure in worlds major ports is expected to boost the adoption of LNG bunker and may even be used by the mainstream marine sector. Furthermore, the emergence of policy based support network and strict emission compliance regulations in place will play a crucial role in the development of LNG bunkering industry.Europe to Continue Lead over Forecast PeriodAt present, Europe tops among other regional markets for LNG bunkering. Inland ferries and offshore support vessels are the initial adopters of LNG as a bunker fuel in the region. Several pre-investment studies have been carried out at major ports in Europe to gauge the feasibility of expansion of LNG bunkering capacities.North America is also emerging as a significant market for LNG bunkering to comply with sulfur emission norms for marine vessels that will come into effect in the near future. The economical prices of natural gas compared to fuel oil and diesel oil is attracting shipping companies to make investments for LNG fueled vessels. In addition, In North America, the shale gas boom is a crucial development encouraging gas distribution companies to make investments in LNG bunkering services.China and South Korea are taking initiatives for the use of LNG as a marine bunkering fuel.Ferries and Offshore Support Vessels to Continue as Leading End-user for LNG BunkerAt present, ferries and offshore support vessels (OSVs) account for the major consumption of LNG as a bunker fuel. They are expected to display the leading consumption of LNG bunker until 2020. The LNG bunkering facilities at existing European ports have been designed to serve the fuel needs of OSVs and ferries. Passenger ships and ferries in Europe ply in inland waterways and thus shipping companies are switching to LNG bunker fuel to comply with sulfur emission regulations.In Asia Pacific, deep-sea ships predominantly tankers and container ships are expected to use LNG bunker after strict regulations for sulfur emissions have been enforced. In North America, container ships and tankers are expected to be the primary consumers of LNG bunker over the forecast period. Tanker vessels are expected to be dominant end-user of LNG bunker fuel in the Rest of the World region in the future.Some of the leading companies in the global LNG bunkering market are Harvey Gulf International Marine LLC, Skangass AS, Gasnor AS, GDF SUEZ S.A., and Korea Gas Corporation.Usage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a ship fuel reduces sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions by 90% to 95% compared to conventional petroleum fuels. Due to strict sulfur emission mandates in place executed via Annexure VI of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an increasing number of shipping companies and vessel operators are switching to LNG as a bunker fuel.The report studies the global LNG bunkering market on the basis of end users and geography. The high-level analysis offers in-depth insights into the LNG bunker supply business globally. This report covers key market dynamics that affect the demand for LNG bunker fuel, which are illustrated through numerous graphs and tables.Browse Full Report With TOC:The market study presents market size forecast in terms of revenue and volume for the period from 2014 to 2025. Employing analytical tools such as Porters Five Forces, the report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global LNG bunkering market. The report comprehensively discusses the competitive front and features profiles of major companies operating in the LNG bunkering market.Overview of LNG Bunker Fuel MarketFor shipping companies and vessel operators, the utilization of LNG is an attractive bunkering alternative for waterways determined as emission control areas (ECAs). In North America and Europe, the lower cost of LNG bunker fuel in comparison to other ECA-compliant fuels is the major reason propelling the LNG bunkering market.The use of LNG as a bunker fuel curbs sulfur emission substantially, which addresses one of the major shortcomings of conventional bunker fuels. LNG bunker fuel largely complies with the new sulfur regulations to in effect in Northern Europe and North America. Additional regulations pertaining to sulfur emission limits are expected to be enforced by 2020. Thus, the maritime industry counts on LNG as a ship fuel for the present and the future, which holds promise for the global LNG bunkering market.Despite increasing opportunities for eco-friendly fuels such as LNG, lack of specialty ports and terminals for fuel handling is slowing the utilization of this fuel. Currently, LNG is used as a bunker fuel for only 45 vessels that trade majorly in the inland waterways of Northern Europe.However, due to the anticipated sulfur emission regulations further restricting the use of petroleum fuels, the development of LNG bunkering ports has gained momentum in other European regions and North America.In North America, increasing shale gas exploration activities have led to plunging natural gas prices, which is expected to boost sales of LNG bunker fuel in the region. In Asia Pacific, countries such as China and South Korea have invested substantially in LNG bunkering terminals. In this region, regulations pertaining to LNG as a bunker fuel will not come into effect before 2020. Hence, Asia Pacific is expected to majorly contribute to the growth of the global LNG bunkering market from 2020 onwards.Due to these reasons, by capacity, the global LNG bunkering market will exhibit a robust 63.6% CAGR from 2014 to 2025.Major Companies in Global LNG Bunkering MarketBomin Linde LNG GmbH & Co. KG, Korea Gas Corporation, Skangass AS, GDF SUEZ S.A., Gasnor AS, and Harvey Gulf International Marine LLC are the major companies that operate in the global LNG bunkering market.Global LNG Bunkering Market by End UserContainer VesselsTankers VesselsBulk & General Cargo VesselsFerries & OSVGlobal LNG Bunkering Market by RegionalNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRest of the World (RoW)This report gives you access to decisive data such as:Market growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for the coming yearsKey highlightsOverview of key market forces propelling and restraining market growthUp-to-date analyses of market trends and technological improvementsPin-point analyses of market competition dynamics to offer you a competitive edgeAn analysis of strategies of major competitorsAn array of graphics and SWOT analysis of major industry segmentsDetailed analyses of industry trendsA well-defined technological growth map with an impact-analysisA clear understanding of the competitive landscape and key product segmentsEnqiure About this Report:About UsMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
New Report Shares Details about the Anemometer Market

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Anemometer is a sort of device which is primarily used for measuring the speed of wind, and it is also known as a general weather station instrument. Anemometers detect and identify changes and differences in some physical property of the fluid. It also detects the effect of the fluid on a mechanical equipment or device integrated into the flow. The anemometer measures the velocity of gases (air) either in a contained flow, which includes airflow in a duct, or in unconfined flows, such as atmospheric wind. The Anemometer market is segmented by type which includes velocity anemometer and pressure anemometer.View TOC for this Market Report @Velocity anemometer is furthermore segmented into vane anemometers; hot-wire anemometers, cup anemometers, laser doppler anemometers and ultrasonic anemometers among others. Pressure anemometers are furthermore segmented into plate anemometers and tube anemometers among others. The market for Anemometer is segmented on the basis of end use industry which includes oil & gas, power generation, medical, chemical, construction, among others. The market for Anemometer has been segmented geographically into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America and Middle East and Africa.The hot wire anemometers are one of the most useful anemometers and it has application for measuring and detecting the velocities of wind or gases. Rising demand for advanced instruments for air pressure, velocity and quality monitoring is fueling the applications for anemometers globally. Anemometers primarily contain both wind direction and wind speed sensors. The cup anemometer primarily measures the speed and velocity in a simple perpendicular in line with the axis of its rotation cups when it is applied in weather stations. If the cup anemometer is mounted with the shaft perpendicular to the horizontal, it primarily measures the wind component that is parallel to the ground.Other types of anemometer, for instance vane anemometers, are applied with the tip attached with the whole velocity vector. Weather condition monitoring, air pollution and air pressure monitoring are some of major application area of anemometer globally. Increasing application of anemometer device in different industries which include chemical, oil and gas among others are also fueling the demand for anemometer across different developing nations globally. Establishment cost and design complexities are some of the major restraints for the anemometer market globally. With the increasing research and development activities the growing application of anemometer in different industries for instance mining and construction industries are some of the major opportunities for the market.In 2016, North America is leading the market for anemometer in terms of revenue, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific globally. In North America, the U.S. is leading the market for anemometer, followed by Canada and Mexico. Germany, the U.K., Italy and France contributed prominent shares in the anemometer market in terms of revenue across Europe. China is leading the market for anemometer owing to its technological advancement across different end use industry, followed by Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and India among others. The U.A.E, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina among others are dominating the market for anemometer across Middle East and Africa and South America.For more information on this report, fill the form @Siemens AG (Germany), Kusam - Meco (India), Fortive Corporation (The U.S.), OMEGA Engineering (The U.S.) Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (The U.S.), CEM Corporation (The U.S.), Teledyne Technologies Inc. (The U.S.), Horiba Ltd. (Japan), Servomex (The UK), Vaisala (Finland), PCE Holding GmbH (Germany) and Aeroqual (New Zealand) among others are some of the prime players operating in the anemometer market globally. Research activities along with strategic alliances with other companies are some of the major business strategies followed by the companies. Strengthening business relationships with the distributers and raw material suppliers along with geographical expansion by opening new sales offices and research centers are some of the prime business strategies adopted by the companies.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend 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.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
UK Protection Insurance 2017-Critical Illness & Income Protection

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ReportsWeb.com published Protection Insurance Market from its database. 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."UK Protection Insurance 2017: Critical Illness & Income Protection", discusses income protection and critical illness insurance, looking at market size with regards to changes in contracts and premiums, in addition to claims. It highlights the barriers to consumer engagement, how products are distributed, and the main market players and their propositions. It provides five-year forecasts of market size in premiums to 2021, and discusses how the market is likely to change as healthcare technology is developed.For more information about this report atThe income protection and critical illness insurance markets continued to grow in 2016. Their year-on-year percentage growth outstripped the total protection market, highlighting a growing market for illness-and injury-oriented products. However, together they still only account for less than 10% of the total protection market in terms of contracts and premiums. Protection products remain complex, and are still sold and not bought, making advisors key to distribution. Income protection in particular is highly reliant on advisors, and this is not likely to change soon. Meanwhile, individuals are beginning to purchase critical illness insurance independently online without advice, although advisors will remain key. To maintain market growth, providers and advisors must continue to build consumer engagement with these products.Scope-Income protection grew by 7.4% to 119,459 in contracts and 10.8% to 48.3m in premiums from 2015 to 2016.-Standalone critical illness insurance grew by 50.5% to 28,751 in contracts and 47.3% to 14.1m in premiums from 2015 to 2016.-Legal & General dominates the critical illness insurance market, holding a 25.4% market share in 2016. LV= and Friends Life dominate the income protection market, with 27.3% and 23.1% shares respectively in 2016.Request a sample copy atReasons to buy-Understand the barriers of uptake for critical illness and income protection, and learn how to increase consumer engagement.-Explore how the distribution landscape is changing for these products.-Discover which providers lead the critical illness and income protection markets.-See how critical illness and income protection are forecast to grow over the next five years.Companies MentionedLegal & GeneralAvivaVitalityFriends LifeRoyal LondonLVAIGInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
The Janesville man who was the subject of a nationwide manhunt last April was found guilty in federal court Tuesday of stealing guns and illegally possessing them.

A jury of 10 men and two women deliberated for about 1 hour and 45 minutes before finding Joseph Jakubowski, 33, guilty of stealing 18 firearms and two silencers from a Janesville gun shop and illegally possessing guns because he is a felon. His trial in U.S. District Court of the Western District of Wisconsin began Monday.

Jakubowski, who did not show any emotion during the announcement of the guilty verdicts, admitted on the witness stand Monday afternoon and on the day of his arrest to stealing the guns from Armageddon Supplies. Police say he stole the guns, burned his vehicle and disappeared on April 4 after sending a 161-page anti-government manifesto to President Donald Trump. He was captured without incident 10 days later on private land in Vernon County.

It is not particularly common that individuals confess and then go to trial and confess at trial, said Acting U.S. Attorney Jeff Anderson. However, everybody is entitled to their day in court. We gave him his day in court and the jury found him guilty on both counts.

Jakubowski will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William Conley on Dec. 20. The maximum combined sentence for both charges is 20 years.

Conley told Jakubowski after the verdict was read that he appreciated the respect he showed to the jury during the trial. At court hearings at the state and federal levels prior to this trial, Jakubowski did not stand for the judge entering the courtroom, and he did it sparingly Monday and Tuesday as well. But he always stood for the jury.

Although he had pleaded not guilty to the theft, Jakubowski never denied stealing the weapons. He told the Wisconsin State Journal earlier this month he was planning to tell the jury he needed guns to defend himself from a corrupt U.S. government, which would not let him possess them because of a felony conviction.

He also said he burned his Dodge Durango truck that he loved because he had to pay license fees to the government to drive it.

So the government owned it, not me, he said in the Sept. 14 interview. It would be his last act in Janesville before disappearing in his attempt to escape the law, get off the grid and live without money or people around.

But the jury never heard his story because Conley granted a prosecutors motion excluding testimony or any other evidence in which Jakubowski might assert a necessity for committing the crime.

The judge will listen

Now, Jakubowski plans to use the sentence hearing to address what motivated him to steal the weapons, write the manifesto, burn his vehicle and disappear, his attorney, Joe Bugni, said.

I dont know what hell do (at the sentence hearing), but I know the judge will listen, Bugni said. Everybody wants to know (his motivations). The judge wants to know.

Whats most important to Jakubowski is having an opportunity to apologize to Scott Kuhl, the owner of Armaggedon Supplies, Bugni said. Jakubowski wrote an apology letter to Kuhl and told the State Journal that the only person he believes he has to answer to for the gun thefts is Kuhl.

It was the first time I stole anything in my life. I hate thieves, Jakubowski said in his earlier interview at the Dane County Jail. I didnt want to steal, but how do you get back your gun rights without stealing? You cant.

But apologizing for stealing the guns is one thing; telling Kuhl or law enforcement officials where they are located is another. Jakubowski, who has contended since his arrest that he buried the guns, also said he has no plans to tell Kuhl or anyone else where the guns are located.

I cant give them back because I wont help government, he said. Its like a game of chess. I had no choice in doing this.

Anderson did not want to say if the prosecution will ask for the maximum sentence for Jakubowski. But he said prosecutors could entice Jakubowski with a promise of a lesser sentence for the location of the 12 stolen firearms that prosecutors say are still missing.

There is a provision within the statute that an individual can get consideration if he assists in the prosecution of others. So I guess there is that possibility, Anderson said. Its really hard to say. This is mostly speculation.

After prosecutors rested their case in a little more than two hours Monday afternoon, Jakubowski took the stand and answered just a few questions asked by Bugni. Jakubowski calmly testified that he broke into Armageddon Supplies on April 4 and took guns, magazines and bullets.

When asked what he did next, he said in a low voice, I took off northwest.

Bugni then asked Jakubowski if he was in court to tell the truth and he answered, Yes I am.

Prior to Jakubowskis in-court confession, prosecutors laid out a strong case for the jury that included video of Jakubowski telling investigators shortly after his arrest how he broke into Armageddon Supplies and stole the guns.

In the video, Jakubowski was still recovering from his 10 days in the wild. As he ate some snacks, a disheveled and dirty Jakubowski told investigators that he had checked out the gun shop twice before he burglarized it and that the theft was as easy as it gets.

Jakubowskis story matched what the jury saw on a gunshop surveillance video, which showed a person wearing a hooded sweatshirt breaking into and stealing guns from the store.

Also, a DNA expert from the State Crime Lab testified that blood found at the gun shop matched blood taken from Jakubowski, and photos taken by federal agents were shown of the campsite where Jakubowski was captured and of five guns and a silencer found in the tent. Federal agents testified the weapons matched those stolen from Armageddon Supplies..
Poultry Feed Market Research Study for the Period (2015-2025)

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Poultry feed market is a part of vast animal feed market and makes an important part of it as poultry is invariably consumed in most parts of the world. The concept of animal feed has been there in the market for several years especially in the developed markets. However, with the advent of globalization and rise in the standard of living of consumers, companies are expanding in the emerging markets of the world with improved products and wide range of options for each animal group. Poultry meat is the highest among others such as pork, beef and fish meat. Therefore, vast opportunity lies in the poultry feed segment.Poultry Feed Market: Drivers & RestraintsRising per capita income and widespread poultry diseases are the major driving factors of the poultry feed market globally. In addition, growth of domestic and international quick service restaurants in developing countries and demand for quality meat products by consumers has significantly contributed to the rising demand of poultry feed those regions. In 2014, Asia Pacific was the largest market in terms of poultry feed demand and revenue and would continue to dominate the market for several factors. The market growth is attributed to the higher standard of living among consumers coupled with shift towards away-from-home-eating. Manufacturers are closely working with the factory farmers to direct them towards higher yield of poultry thereby increasing their return on investment (ROI). For instance, Cargill Inc. were engaged closely with Malaysia based TD Poultry to deliver best poultry solution. As a result, TD Poultry could achieve remarkable results in broilers with 1.63 feed conversion rates. Also, 2.35 kg body weight was achieved in 35 days, down from previous 40 days.Request Report Sample@Poultry Feed Market: SegmentationThe various type of poultry feed additives available in the market consists of antibiotics, vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids, feed enzymes and feed acidifiers. Feed acidifiers are the largest among all other poultry additive segment across the world. The regional segmentation includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is the largest market followed by North America. On the basis of type, the poultry feed market can be segmented as broilers, layers, turkey and others. The consumption of meat varies from region to region, for instance, in North America, broilers is the most preferred meat category and antibiotics falls under the largest category under the feed additives segment.Poultry Feed Market: Market OverviewPoultry feed is required to increase the feed conversion ratio by improving gut micro flora thereby enhancing animals health. It also maintains animal health by preventing diseases among them. The manufacturers are concentrating more on the developing markets to tap the under penetrated feed market in countries such as Vietnam, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Lebanon and Turkey. These markets offer greater opportunities to increase revenue and sales with higher per capita expenditure on quality food. Moreover, it is a proven fact that with rise in per capita income, people tend to consume more meat and meat products. Therefore the poultry feed market is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR through the forecast period (2015-2020).Visit For TOC@Poultry Feed Market: Recent DevelopmentPlayers such as Novus International, Inc. and Kemin group continue to deliver new products for poultry farmers. In November 2012, Novus International, Inc. launched AVIMATRIX- a feed solution for optimized broiler performance by acting over gut environment through targeted and controlled release of compounds in the broilers gut. There is an increasing demand of solution oriented customized products from the poultry farmers in the emerging markets. In May 2013, a South African firm AgriProtein Technologies bagged the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) for developing a commercial method to develop animal feed through maggots.Poultry Feed Market: Key PlayersKey global players of the poultry feed market include Alltech Inc., ADM (Archer Daniels Midland Company), ABF Plc (Associated British Food), BASF (Badishce Anilin und Soda Fabrik), Charoen Popkhand Foods, Cargill Inc., Evonik Industries AG, CHR.Hansen Holdings A/S, Novus International Inc, Nutreco NV, Royal DSM N.V., DLG Group and InVivo NSA.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:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
New Vice President Automotive: Christoph Hartmann brings 15 years industry experience in joining flexis AG

Christoph Hartmann, VP Automotive, flexis AG

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STUTTGART, GERMANY - Christoph Hartmann has recently joined flexis AG bringing more than 15 years of automotive industry experience as flexis looks to enhance its footprint and expand its customer base.Hartmann, who most recently worked with Volkswagen Consulting in a similar role of facilitating expansion and growth, will serve as vice president of automotive and will focus primarily on strengthening and growing flexis customer base on a global level.A graduate of Technische Universitat Berlin, Hartmann earned degrees in business and engineering and began his career at DaimlerChrysler AG. In this role, Hartmann oversaw and administered the implementation of new inbound logistics functions including Mercedes new strategy of standardized delivery methods within the 1st-tier supplier level. In addition, Hartmann implemented a new Sales & Operations Execution (S&OE) process as an interface between sales and production enable a proper build program for the Mercedes car plants in Germany.Following his tenure with DaimlerChrysler AG, Hartmann joined the new Supply Chain Management-Practice Group within McKinsey & Co. where he worked as a SCM Expert in a number of strategic and implementation studies in the automotive and pharma industries. Hartmann then joined Volkswagen Consulting as the head of Volkswagens Project Management Office, which was responsible for the construction and ramp-up of the new Chattanooga car plant in Tennessee. He also worked as a general manager of in-house logistics at the Volkswagen mother plant in Wolfsburg where he successfully implemented a major lean program to substantially improve productivity and quality of supply.Outside of his work with global automotive and logistics companies, Hartmann has presented lectures in production control at the University of Applied Science in Pforzheim, co-authored several publications on the importance of automotive logistics, and has been twice honored with the AKJ elogistics award.flexis AGSolutions for intelligent planningflexis is a consulting and software solutions provider with a clear focus on variant rich production.For the last 17 years, flexis has been recognized as an industry leader in offering customers integrated supply chain, planning, and sales and operations planning software solutions. Our goal is provide companies with the capability to achieve end-to-end supply and planning visibility, and to empower our customers with the knowledge and tools to manage the flow of their products from order to delivery and all points in between.flexis AGSchockenriedstr. 4670565 StuttgartGermany+49 711 7823800info@flexis.comMarketing contact:Caecilia Winandcaecilia.winand@flexis.com
Global Contact Center Software Market 2017: Avaya (US), SAP SE (Germany), Five9, Inc (US), Huawei Technologies (China), 8x8 (US)

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Global Contact Center Software Market 2017-2022QY Market Research include new Contact Center Software market research report "2016-2022 Report on Global Contact Center Software Market Competition, Status and Forecast, Market Size by Players, Regions, Type, Application" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global Contact Center Software market is highly useful as it covers all the aspects which are important in determining the future of this industry. The Contact Center Software report is collated by experienced analysts who have made use of their market intelligence to cover all basic and important data about the global Contact Center Software industry.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:The Contact Center Software market report makes use of tables, charts, graphs, maps, and statistics to present the data in the easiest to understand way. The Contact Center Software market report is a comprehensive analysis of the key factors impacting the global Contact Center Software industry. This Contact Center Software market report includes both the driving factors as well as the restraining factors that are influencing the market's performance positively and negatively, respectively.Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This Research Report,Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc.(US)Cisco Systems (US)Avaya Inc. (US)Mitel Networks Corporation (Canada)Enghouse Interactive (US)SAP SE (Germany)Five9, Inc (US)Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (China)Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (France)Oracle Corporation (US)8x8, Inc. (US)Unify Inc. (US)Drishti Soft Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (India)The current trends shaping the global Contact Center Software market and how it will influence the Contact Center Software market in the future are also studied. In addition to this, the future opportunities within the Contact Center Software market that have the potential to help the market to expand are also given in the Contact Center Software report.Enquire Here:The segments within the global Contact Center Software industry and their sub-segments are also studied in detail. This ensures that the entire Contact Center Software market is covered. The leading segment along with the declining segment and the most promising segment has been given in this Contact Center Software report. This helps the readers, investors, new entrants, and established players to decide which segment or sub-segment to invest on so as to reap maximum profits.The Contact Center Software market report discusses the degree of competition, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, and a threat of substitutes, both internal and external substitute of Contact Center Software market. The threat of new entrants or the barriers faced by new players in entering the global Contact Center Software market has been discussed. This gives new players an idea as to whether they can survive in the competitive Contact Center Software market.About Us:Business Worldwide is a trusted brand in the research industry with a capability of commissioning complex projects within a short span of time with high level of accuracy. At Business Worldwide, we believe in building long-term relations with our clients. Our services cover a broad spectrum of industries including Energy, Chemicals and Materials, Automotive and Aerospace.Contact Us:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
Intra-cranial pressure monitors Market Factors Driving Growth Post 2022

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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor Market Research Report- Forecast To 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Global Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor market information, by techniques (invasive and non-invasive), by methods (intra-ventricular catheter, subdural screw, epidural sensor) by application (traumatic brain injury, intra-cerebral hemorrhage, meningitis and others), Forecast till 2022Market Synopsis of Global Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) Monitor Market:Market Scenario:Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitors are devices used for treating severe brain injury by recording the pressure (swelling) inside different areas of the brain. This devise segment is growing rapidly due to increase in number of cases related to neurological disorders, along with technology advancement and awareness about different types of treatment in the market. Other factors leading to the increasing growth of the device market includes increase cases of sleep disorders, brain disorders autoimmune disease and depression cases in the present generation.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Key players of Global Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor market: Covidien plc (Ireland) Compumedics Limited (Australia) Natus Medical Incorporated (US) Integra LifeSciences Corporation (US) Codman & Shurtleff, Inc. (US) Raumedic (USA) VittamedStudy Objectives of Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor market: Providing detail analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years on various segments and sub-segments of the global Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor market. Providing insights about factors affecting the market growth. Analyzing the global Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters Five Force analysis etc. Giving past and predicted future revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Providing country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and predicted future growth. . Giving country level analysis of the market for segments by methods, by techniques, by application and by end-users. Giving an overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies and drawing the current competitive scenario of the market Tracking and analyzing competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments along with research and developments in the global Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor market.Browse Full Report Details @Segments:The global intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor market is majorly segmented on the basis of techniques, methods and application. Based on techniques, market is segmented into invasive and non-invasive ICP monitoring. Based on methods used in screening these are classified into intra-ventricular catheter, subdural screw and epidural sensor. Further on the basis of application the market is again classified into traumatic brain injury, intra-cerebral hemorrhage, meningitis and others.The report for Global Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regionsContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Global Intra-cranial pressure (ICP) monitor Market Research Report- Forecast To 2022 related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Auto-Injectors Industry Analysis and New Market Opportunities, Forecast to 2022

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Market Research Future published a research report on Auto-Injectors Market Research Report- Global Forecast to 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Global Auto-Injectors Market Information, By Product Type (Disposable, Reusable and others), By Application (Anaphylaxis, Allergies, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and others), By Suppliers (Online Retailers, Pharmacy, Retailers) - Forecast Till 2022Market Synopsis of Global Auto-Injectors Market:Market Scenario:Auto-injectors is defined as a medical device which is designed to deliver a single dose of a particular life-saving drug. Auto injectors are easy to use and are intended for self administration by patients, or can be administered by untrained personnel. These injectors were initially designed to overcome the hesitation associated with self-administration of the needle-based drug delivery device. Most of the injectors are springe-loaded based. Currently, companies are striving to create auto injectors syringes out of plastic to prevent unnecessary contamination. The global market for auto-injectors is growing rapidly. Increasing prevalence and incidences of anaphylaxis and food allergies around the world is majorly responsible for the growth of the global auto-injectors market.The global market for Auto-Injectors is expected to reach USD 2.4 billion by the end of the forecasted period and is expected to grow at a CAGR of ~17.2%.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Key Players for Global Auto-Injectors Market: UNILIFE CORPORATION Scandinavian Health Ltd Owen Mumford Ltd. (UK) kaleo, Inc. Amedra Pharmaceuticals LLC EnbrelStudy Objectives Global Auto-Injectors Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Auto-injectors market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by product type, by application and other sub segments. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments globally.Intended Audience Auto-injectors manufacturers Auto-injectors suppliers Private Research Laboratories Research and Development (R&D) Companies Market Research and Consulting Service Providers Government Research LaboratoriesBrowse Full Report Details @Segments:Global auto-injectors market has been segmented on the basis of product type which comprises of disposable, reusable and others. On the basis of application; market is segmented into Anaphylaxis, Allergies, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and others. On the basis of suppliers; market is segmented into online retailers, pharmacy, retailers and others.Regional Analysis of Global Auto-Injectors Market:Globally North America is the largest market for auto-injectors. The North American market for auto-injectors is expected to reach at USD 0.9 billion by the end of the forecast period of 2016-2022.Europe is the second-largest market for auto-injectors. Asia pacific region is expected to be fastest growing region in auto-injectors market.The report for Global Auto-Injectors Market of Market Research Future comprises extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Auto-Injectors Market Research Report- Global Forecast to 2022 related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Europe Cancer Diagnostics Market 2017 - Industry Value, Growth Trends, Opportunities 2024

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Europe Cancer Diagnostics Market By Product Type, By End User, By Country (Germany, France, United kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Rest of Europe)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024This report consists of below pages: No of pages : 175 No of Figures: 30 No of Tables:125Europe cancer diagnostics Market is expected to reach USD 13.02 billion by 2024 from USD 5.16 billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 12.3% in the forecast period 2017 to 2024. The new market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Request for Sample Report @Key Drivers: Europe Cancer Diagnostics Market Stringent regulations imposed by the international and local authorities and shortage of the skilled and trained professionals are the factors which may hinder the growth of this market. Many companies are increasingly focusing on next generation sequencing (NGS) and biopsy products in order to strengthen their product portfolios in the cancer diagnostics market. Increasing demand for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and next generation sequencing (NGS) will drive the market in future.The Europe cancer diagnostics market is segmented on the basis of technology, application and geography.Browse Full Report @On the basis of application, the market is segmented into lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, melanoma and others.Cancer diagnostics platform based market is segmented into polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in situ hybridization (ISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC), next generation sequencing (NGS), DNA microarrays, flow cytometry and others. Cancer diagnostics instrument based market is segmented into imaging and biopsy. Imaging is further segmented into magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography- computed tomography (PET-CT), mammography and ultrasound.Request for TOC:On the basis of geography Europe cancer diagnostics market is segmented into Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Rest of Europe.Speak to our Analyst:Some of the major players operating in this market areSiemens Healthcare is going to dominate the cancer diagnostics market, by imaging following with Hologic, Inc, Becton, Dickinson and Company. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. is going to dominate the cancer diagnostics market, by platform based following with Illumina, Inc. along with others such as Roche Diagnostics, Abbott Laboratories, Inc., QIAGEN.Inquiry before Buying @Other ReportGlobal Active Wound Care Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Active Wound Care Market By Product Type (Allograft, Synthetic Skin Grafts, Xenografts, Collagen Dressings, Amniotic Tissue Grafts, Growth Factors (Platelet Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), Epidermal Growth Factors (EGF), Basic Fibroblast Growth Factors (BFGF), Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF), Talactoferrin ALFA, Thrombin Peptide, and Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF)), By Distribution Channel, By End Users, By Indication, Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogFollow us on LinkedIn:
Auto Leasing Market 2017 Global Analysis By key Players  Hertz, Avis Budget Group, Europcar, Sixt, ALD Automotive, Localiza

Auto Leasing Market

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On - Auto Leasing Market 2017 Global Analysis By key Players  Hertz, Avis Budget Group, Europcar, Sixt, ALD Automotive, Localiza.Global Auto Leasing market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingEnterpriseHertzAvis Budget GroupEuropcarSixtALD AutomotiveLocalizaMovidaCARUnidasGoldcarFox Rent A CarLeasePlanACE Rent A CarU-SaveGet a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Auto Leasing in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoBy Business PurposeBy TimeOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Auto Leasing for each application, includingCommercialCivilAsk Query @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsGlobal Auto Leasing Market Research Report 20171 Auto Leasing Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Auto Leasing1.2 Auto Leasing Segment By Business Purpose1.2.1 Global Auto Leasing Production and CAGR (%) Comparison By Business Purpose (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Auto Leasing Production Market Share By Business Purpose (Product Category) in 20161.2.31.2.41.3 Auto Leasing Segment By Time1.3.11.3.21.4 Global Auto Leasing Segment by Application1.4.1 Auto Leasing Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.4.2 Commercial1.4.3 Civil1.5 Global Auto Leasing Market by Region (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Auto Leasing Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.5.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.6 Global Market Size (Value) of Auto Leasing (2012-2022)1.6.1 Global Auto Leasing Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.6.2 Global Auto Leasing Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022).7 Global Auto Leasing Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Enterprise7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Auto Leasing Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Enterprise Auto Leasing Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Hertz7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Auto Leasing Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Hertz Auto Leasing Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Avis Budget Group7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Auto Leasing Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Avis Budget Group Auto Leasing Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Europcar7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Auto Leasing Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Europcar Auto Leasing Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Sixt7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Auto Leasing Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Sixt Auto Leasing Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 ALD Automotive7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Auto Leasing Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 ALD Automotive Auto Leasing Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Localiza7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Auto Leasing Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Localiza Auto Leasing Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Movida7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Auto Leasing Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Movida Auto Leasing Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 CAR7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Auto Leasing Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 CAR Auto Leasing Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.9.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinue.For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comBuy 1-User PDF@ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Pharmaceutical Filtration Devices Market 2022: Global Growth, Demand, Trends, Share and Key Manufacturers Analysis Report

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Market Research Future published a research report on Pharmaceutical Filtration Devices Market Research Report- Global Forecast To 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Pharmaceutical Filtration Market information, by type (Air filtration, water filtration, chemical filtrations, Grade filtration (liquid and gas), and absorptive filtrations), by product (membrane filters, media filters, cartridges and capsule filtration and others) by application (air purification, water purification, sterilization, cell separation, media and buffer filtrations and others) - Forecast to 2022Market Synopsis of Pharmaceutical filtration Devices Market:Market Scenario:Filtration in pharmaceutical has been used to purify or separate the component and also to maintain the sterile conditions during the process to prevent contamination. Various methods are being used for filtration depends on the component that need to be filtered. Major factors such as increasing growth of pharmaceutical industry and rapid growth in the generic drug production are the main reasons driving the market growth. On the other hand the huge capital required to set up new production facilities and stringent government regulations to legalize the filtration process are expected to limit market growth to a certain extent. Globally, the market is growing rapidly and it is anticipated to show an exponential growth reaching approximately $23 Billion in 2022.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Key Players for Pharmaceutical filtrations devices Market:Some of the key players in this market are: GE Healthcare (U.S.), Pall Corporation (U.S.), Parker Hannifin Corporation (U.S.), Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A. (France), Merck KGaA (Germany), Alfa Laval (Sweden), Graver Technologies, LLC (U.S.), Koch Membrane Systems Inc. (U.S.), and GEA Group (Germany).Study Objectives of Pharmaceutical filtration Devices Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the pharmaceutical filtration market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by type, by application, by end user and its sub-segments. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global pharmaceutical filtration market.Segments:The pharmaceutical filtrations market has been segmented on the basis of type of filtrations, product, and their application in pharmaceutical industry. On the basis of type the market has been segmented as air filtration, water filtration, chemical filtrations, Grade filtration (liquid and gas), and absorptive filtrations. Similarly on the basis of product, the market has been segmented into membrane filters, media filters, cartridges and capsule filtration and others. On the basis of application in pharmaceutical industry the filtrations market has again segment into air purification, water purification, sterilization, cell separation, media and buffer filtrations and others.Browse Full Report Details @Regional Analysis of Pharmaceutical filtration devices Market:Considering the global scenario of the market, Americas region is believed to be the largest market for Pharmaceutical filtration techniques and devices. Moreover the European market is also growing continuously and slowly catching up with the American market. On the other hand, Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at the fastest pace in the pharmaceutical filtration devices segment during the forecasted period. Middle East & Africa region are likely to have a limited but steady growth in the market.The report for Pharmaceutical Filtrations Devices Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regionsContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Pharmaceutical Filtration Devices Market Research Report- Global Forecast To 2022 chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Dermatology Diagnostic Devices and Therapeutics Market Overview and Forecast up to 2024

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The Global Dermatology Diagnostic Devices And Therapeutics Market is marked by intense competition, which is likely to remain an unchanging feature of the market in the coming years. Leading players in the global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market include Michelson Diagnostic Ltd., Strata Skin Sciences, GSK, Galderma, Agfa-Gevaert, AbbVie, and Janssen Biotech. These seven companies collectively accounted for more than 96% of the global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market in 2015 and are likely to retain dominant shares in the market in the coming years. Expansion of geographical outreach and establishment of widespread distribution networks is likely to be a key competitive tactic for players in the dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market.The global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market was valued at more than US$18.5 bn in 2015 and is likely to rise to around US$21 bn by 2024. The dermatology therapeutics market is by far the dominant component of the global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market and is likely to rise to a valuation of more than US$20 bn by 2024. On the other hand, the dermatology diagnostic devices market is likely to exhibit a robust CAGR of 7.1% between 2016 and 2024 and is expected to rise in valuation from US$595.6 mn to US$1,095.1 mn.Request to download and view full ToC -North America to Remain Leading Contributor to Dermatology Diagnostic Devices and Therapeutics MarketRegionally, North America is likely to dominate the global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market in the coming years due to the steady presence of a number of major healthcare sector players in the region. North America is expected to account for 46.4% of the global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market by 2024. The steady support to innovation in the medical sector in North America is also likely to remain a key driver for the North America dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market in the coming years.Within the dermatology diagnostic devices market, imaging equipment is likely to remain the leading contributor to the global market, with the segment expected to exhibit a strong 7.4% CAGR between 2016 and 2024. On the other hand, the dermatology therapeutics market is dominated by antibacterial therapeutics, as bacterial dermal infections are becoming a common concern around the world and are likely to lead to consistent demand from the global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market. Antibacterial therapeutics accounted for 28.4% of the global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market in 2015 and are likely to retain a dominant share through the forecast period.Request to view Sample Report -Rising Air Pollution Likely to Contribute to Rising Prevalence of Dermatological ProblemsOne of the key drivers for the global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market is the rising concerns regarding air pollution in developed regions. Rising air pollution has led to a steady increase in the prevalence of dermatological conditions and is likely to play a key role in the development of the dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market in the coming years due to the rapid pace of urbanization and industrialization across the world.The rising geriatric population is also likely to aid growth of the global dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market in the coming years. Anti-aging products already constitute a key part of the global cosmetics sector and are likely to contribute significantly to the dermatology diagnostic devices and therapeutics market in the coming years.Dermatology Diagnostic Devices and Therapeutics Market Report is available @ US$ 5795About 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:
Spatial Light Modulator Market 2022 Research Depth Study and Key Players - American Electric Power, Texas Instruments, Jenoptik AG, Santec Corporation and Meadowlark Optics

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SUMMERY:Market Research Future published a research report on Global Spatial Light Modulator Market Research Report- Forecast 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Get Sample of Report @Market Synopsis of Spatial Light Modulator MarketMarket ScenarioSLM or Spatial Light Modulator is a component which imposes spatially varying modulation on beam of a light. Overhead projector in the institutes and organizations are the best example of a Spatial Light Modulator. Some factors which are driving the market of spatial light modulator are growing economy and expansion of organizations as well as implementation of advance technology in education sector. Technological advancement in the field of information technology is also one of the factor supporting the market. Global Spatial Light Modulator Market has been valued at US ~$215 million in the year 2015 which is expected to grow at US ~$553 million by the end of forecast period with expected CAGR of ~15%.Key Players:The prominent players in the market of Spatial Light Modulator are- American Electric Power (U.S.), Texas Instruments Inc. (U.S.), Jenoptik AG (Germany) Laser 2000 (UK) Ltd (UK), Forth Dimension Displays (UK), Santec Corporation (U.S.), PerkinElmer, Inc., (U.S.), Holoeye Photonics AG (Germany), Hamamatsu Photonics (Japan), Meadowlark Optics, Inc (U.S.) among others.Segments:Market Research Future has segmented the Spatial Light Modulator into Types and Applications. Types of SLM includes- Optically Addressed SLM and Electrically Addressed SLM whereas the applications of SLM has been identified as Optical, Display, Holographic among others.Study Objectives of Spatial Light Modulator Market:To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Spatial Light Modulator MarketTo provide insights about factors affecting the market growthTo analyze the Spatial Light Modulator market based on various factors- supply chain analysis, porters five force analysisTo provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW)To provide country level analysis of the Market with respect to the current market size and future prospectiveTo provide country level analysis of the Market for segment by Capacity, Battery Type, Power bank Type, No. of USB ports and sub-segments.To provide strategic profiling of key players in the Market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the marketTo Track and Analyze competitive developments such as Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances, Mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Spatial Light Modulator Market.Intended AudienceOEMsTechnology Service ProvidersInvestors in Technology and ITGovernmentOEM Technology Solution ProvidersGet Complete Report @Regional Analysis of Spatial Light Modulator Market:Currently, Asia-Pacific accounts for largest market share due to the growing economy of countries and strong manufacturing presence in China and Japan. North America stands as second biggest market closely followed by Europe.About Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Tumor Ablation Market | Latest Trends and Forecast Analysis up to 2024

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A recent study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) has detected that the competition in The Global Tumor Ablation Market is intense, in a fragmented scenario with the presence of a number of participants. That being said, there are plenty of growth opportunities too in the market for tumor ablation, which will continue to attract pharmaceutical companies and further intensify the competition. The TMR report projects the global tumor ablation market to witness a healthy growth rate of 12.20% during the forecast period of 2016 to 2024, reaching an estimated valuation of US$1.9 bn by 2024, considerably up from its evaluated worth of US$702.9 mn in 2015.Among the key vendors currently operating in the global tumor ablation market, is Medtronic plc. The company has a diverse product portfolio and continues to add new products as well as enhances the successful ones. Geographical expansion has also helped Medtronic to gain ground over its competitors. In the near future, some of the other prominent companies, such as Ethicon, Boston Scientific, and AngioDynamics, are expected to depend on product innovation to stay afloat in the fragmented and competitive landscape.View Report-Radiofrequency Ablation Profitable Technology SegmentTechnology-wise, this report segments the global tumor ablation market into microwave ablation, laser interstitial thermal ablation, high-intensity focused ultrasound, and radiofrequency ablation, which currently is the most profitable segment. The demand for radiofrequency segment is projected for a CAGR of 10.90% during the forecast period of 2016 to 2024, significantly exceeding the overall growth rate of the market for tumor ablation. This substantial demand for tumor ablation is a reflection of several benefits offered by the procedure, which is efficient, causes nominal damage to the tissues, and offers high-density focused ultrasound.Based on material, the report segments the global tumor ablation market into cancers of liver, lung, kidney, bone, breast, and prostate. Liver cancer is more common among men than women, and has significant demand, although lung cancer category is high profitable too, primarily as a result of changing lifestyle among the urban population.Request to download and view full ToC -North America Remains Highly ProfitableOut of five regions analyzed by the report: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa, the former accounted for nearly a third (30%) of the global demand in the tumor ablation market. In the near future, North America will continue to be the most lucrative region, gaining traction from factors such as high adoption rate of new technology, robust healthcare infrastructure, escalating geriatric population percentage, and high prevalence of cancer. Europe is another profitable region, although vastly populated Asia Pacific will turn into a highly profitable region as the technology goes cheaper and reaches widespread unmet demands.Request to view Sample Report -Prevalence of Cancer Driving DemandA number of factors are ensuring the prosperity of the global tumor ablation market in the near future, such as growing geriatric population across the world, technological advancements in ablation devices, increasing population base of cancer patients, which is a chronic disease, mushrooming number of hospitals, ablation centers, and surgical facilities across the globe, changing lifestyle, and government benefits for the companies indulging the in the research and development in this field. On the other hand, while cost constraints continue to hinder the proper progress of the market for tumor ablation, ongoing healthcare reforms is not supporting the current inflow of the demand.Tumor Ablation Market Report is available @ US$ 5795About 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:
Transdermal Scopolamine Market | Key Growth Factors and Forecast up to 2024

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A new study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) indicates that Novartis AG, alone, contributed nearly 41.0% of the overall revenue of The Global Transdermal Scopolamine Market in 2016. Other two torch bearers in the market, namely, GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Baxter International Inc., commanded a cumulative share of 49.0% in the same year. Even though, the number of small players in the market is less, the degree of competition within the arena will remain low over the forthcoming years. The leading participants are focusing towards acquiring small companies in order to consolidate their position in the market, says the author of the report.The opportunity in the global transdermal scopolamine market was pegged at US$330.0 mn in 2015 and is poised to reach a valuation of US$585.3 mn by the end of 2024, progressing at a healthy CAGR of 6.70% between 2016 and 2024.View Report-North America to Stay Ahead through 2024, thanks to Robust Healthcare FacilitiesGeographically, North America will continue to be at the forefront of the growth of the global market for transdermal scopolamine until 2024. The presence of an advanced healthcare infrastructure along with the increasing consumer healthcare spending is acting as the primary factor driving the regional market. The market in North America is witnessing increased usage of transdermal scopolamine in surgeries and post-operative treatments. However, the growth of the region is impeded by the limited availability of generics. Owing to these factors, the region will exhibit a CAGR of 6.40% during the forecast period.Europe and Asia Pacific are expected to register strong growth during the same period. The growth of Europe can be attributed to the widening pool of travelers and the presence of a state-of-art healthcare industry.Request to download and view full ToC -Increasing Number of Surgeries Performed Worldwide to Stir up Uptake of Transdermal ScopolamineThe global market for transdermal scopolamine is gaining significant momentum, thanks to the increasing awareness among consumers regarding its high effectiveness in treating motion sickness. The growing number of travelers worldwide are, therefore, shot in the arm for the global market. Transdermal scopolamine is also being increasingly used in surgeries as it aids in controlling hyper salivation and helps in recovering from anesthesia-induced and postoperative vomiting and nausea, says a TMR analyst. Hence, the dramatic rise in the number of people undergoing surgeries every year is reflecting positively on the global sales of transdermal scopolamine patches. Researchers anticipate that the market will continue to post phenomenal growth in the coming years as well.Request to view Sample Report -Side-effects of Transdermal Scopolamine to Limit their Widespread AdoptionOn the flip side, the upward growth of the market is marred by the side-effects caused by the consumption of these patches, such as retarded motion, drowsiness, and diluted pupils. Besides this, the rising reporting of cases of adverse withdrawal symptoms for these patches and the presence of stringent rules and regulations pertaining to the manufacturing and marketing of these products are limiting the global transdermal scopolamine market from realizing its utmost potential.Nevertheless, emerging countries are expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities. The proliferation of small- and medium- scale players in developing regions is boosting the scope of market expansion. The improving healthcare sector and booming medical tourism are providing the immense potential to these countries, which in turn is likely attract the attention of key global players.Transdermal Scopolamine Market Report is available @ US$ 5795About 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:
Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Market | Key Growth Factors and Forecast up to 2024

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The three leading entities in this market  Mobility Ventures LLC., BraunAbility, and Vantage Mobility International  took up over 65% of the North America Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Market in 2015. According to Transparency Market Research in its recently published research report, the market featured a moderately fragmented competitive landscape for that year, and is likely to slowly grow more consolidated over time. A majority of the players in this market are highly reliant on bringing out newer and advanced products in the market as a core part of their strategic expansion plans. It is also likely for the leading players to change their focus towards mergers and acquisitions over the coming years.According to TMR, the North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market was valued at US$1.74 bn in 2015. It is expected to expand at a positive CAGR of 5.30% within a forecast period from 2016 to 2024, eventually reaching US$3.47 bn by the end of 2024.Full Size Vehicles Dominate Demand Volume in North America MarketOn the basis of the type of vehicle, the North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market has so far been led by full size vehicles, in terms of revenue in 2015. This segment took up over 48% of the market for the year, thanks to a rise in the uptake of wheelchair accessible vehicles as a type of family vehicle. However, over the coming years the overall rise in demand for medium size vehicle is expected to be higher in North America.The U.S. dominated the North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market in 2015 with a share of close to 95% and is expected to remain in the lead for the given forecast period. This might be achieved by the increasing presence of a disabled and geriatric population, the increasing demand for wheelchair accessible vehicles, and a rise in trauma and accident cases. The market growth rate is further enhanced by increased government funding and the rising number of awareness initiatives.Request to download and view full ToC -Patients with Mobility Issues to Rise, Fueling DemandThe growth in the number of disabled patients is currently influencing the North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market. In 2015, almost 3.3 mn wheelchair users were already present in North America, a number which is likely to rise over the coming years due to the growth in prevalence of disability of mobility among patients, states a TMR analyst. The massive geriatric population is a primary proponent of this demographic, followed by the obese and the trauma and accident victims. This, as a result, is likely to fuel the demand for wheelchair accessible vehicle converters further over the forecast period.The North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market is also being driven by the overall addition of these type of vehicles in the increasingly asked for user-friendly accessible vehicles category. The market is, however, currently being restrained by the high price of these vehicles and the essential components required.Request to view Sample Report -Advancements in Technology to Guide Markets FutureSide entry vehicles have so far been a widely demanded segment in the North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market. According to analysts, this segment is also likely to propel the market over the coming years, owing to the increased expenditure on them, fueling the development rate of manufacturers.Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Market Report is available @ US$ 5795About 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:
Public Cloud Service Market 2022 with Focus on Growth Analysis and Key Vendors : Amazon, Microsoft Corporation, Google, Salesforce, Oracle Corporation and Cisco Systems

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SUMMERY:Market Research Future published a research report on Public Cloud Service Market Research Report- Forecast 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market Synopsis of Public Cloud Service MarketMarket ScenarioCloud computing is a type of computing that provides services like servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics and other over internet (cloud). The companies offering cloud computing services are called as the cloud providers. There are three different types of cloud deployment models as public cloud, private cloud and hybrid cloud. The cloud services that are offered over a network which is open for public use are called as the public cloud services.Get Sample of Report @In this changing environment recently many businesses have moved to cloud technologies. The major drivers for the public cloud service market is immense benefits of cloud technologies. The public cloud services may be offered free or on a pay-per usage model and offers many features and benefits as ultimate scalability, cost effective models, reliability and others. Public cloud service market also include professional, consulting, support and maintenance and integration and design services.Recent developments in IT and Innovation has increased the public cloud service market. Public cloud services are differentiated as Software as a Service, Platform as a Service and Infrastructure as a Service. Software as a Service occupies the largest market share and is still growing. In Software as a Service internet/web is used to deliver applications. These applications are managed by a third-party vendor. Software as a Service helps to use various applications without installing them on individual systems this is a key driver for software as a service market. Platform as a Service is used for development, testing and deployment of applications. Platform as a Service makes it quick, simple and cost effective. Infrastructure as a Service provides infrastructure as virtual machines, storage, networks and operating systems. Public cloud system is designed as multi-tenant environment so that a huge number of users can share computing resources at a same time.The global Public Cloud Service market is expected to grow at USD ~249 Billion by 2022, at ~4% of CAGR between 2016 and 2022.Key Players:The prominent players in the Public Cloud Service Market are - International Business Machines Corporation (U.S.), Amazon.com, Inc. (U.S.), Microsoft Corporation (U.S.), Google (U.S.), Hewlett-Packard (U.S.), Salesforce.com (U.S.), Oracle Corporation (U.S.), VMware, Inc.(U.S.) , Cisco Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Verizon Wireless (U.S.), and Rackspace Inc. (U.S.) among others.Segments:Public Cloud Service Market by Delivery Model:Software as a Service (SaaS)Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)Platform as a service (PaaS)Public Cloud Service Market by End-User:Small and Medium BusinessEnterprisePublic Cloud Service Market by Vertical:ITTelecommunicationBankingInsuranceRetailHealthcareGovernmentEducationManufacturingOthersStudy Objectives of Public Cloud Service Market:To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Public Cloud Service MarketTo provide insights about factors affecting the market growthTo analyze the Public Cloud Service market based on various factors- supply chain analysis, porters five force analysisTo provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW)To provide country level analysis of the Market with respect to the current market size and future prospectiveTo provide country level analysis of the Market for segment by Capacity, Battery Type, Power bank Type, No. of USB ports and sub-segments.To provide strategic profiling of key players in the Market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the marketTo Track and Analyze competitive developments such as Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances, Mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Public Cloud Service Market.Intended AudienceCloud providersMES (Manufacturing Execution System) and MOM (Manufacturing Operations Management) PlayersSystem IntegratorsGovernment OrganizationsResearch/Consultancy firmsGet Complete Report @Regional AnalysisThe regional analysis of Public Cloud Service market is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, Americas, Europe and Rest of the World. IT modernization has driven the market of public cloud service in North America. It has been observed that United States is the leading country in public cloud services market. Western Europe has a fair share in the public cloud service market and is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period. The public cloud service market is expected to grow significantly in Asia-Pacific as adoption of technology is in various industries are increasing significantly.About Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Europes leading Air and Missile Defence Programme Managers to convene in Prague next month

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SMi Groups Air Missile Defence Technology 2017 conference, which takes place in Prague on the 24th and 25th October, is set to provide delegates with the latest updates in this crucial line of defence.With the final Early Bird expiring this week, places are now filling up and those interested are advised to secure their place as soon as possible.Attendees include CEE National Militaries and a wider set of Europes leading Air Missile Defence programme managers, as well as top managers representing leading air missile defence systems manufacturers including Rafael, Lockheed Martin, Diehls Defence, MBDA, Raytheon, Kongsberg, Terma, Weibel Scientific and more.Key takeaways include: National updates on air and missile defence capabilities Exclusive briefings from leading solution providers Insights on AMD systems architecture and technology V4 integration on air defence and air policing Briefings on air defence training from the Czech Air ForceBringing together air defence operators and technical experts from the military and industry, the event agenda has been curated to provide a discussion on threats to the increasingly complex air space and the solutions available to defeat these threats from the air including missiles, rockets, artillery, planes and unmanned aerial vehicles.The full agenda can be viewed onFor those interested in attending, there is currently an Early Bird discount of 100 valid until the 30th of September.2nd annual Air Missile Defence Technology ConferenceOctober 24 & 25, 2017Courtyard by Marriott Prague Airport Hotel, Czech RepublicContact Information:For queries on military bookings, contact James Hitchen on jhitchen@smi-online.co.uk.For sponsorship and exhibition details, contact Sadia Malick on smalick@smi-online.co.uk. For media enquiries contact Honey de Gracia on hdegracia@smi-online.co.uk.About SMi Group:Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the worlds most forward thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found at1 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XW
Phototherapy Equipment Market Competition, Value chain Analysis and Forecast 2024

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The Global Phototherapy Equipment Market exhibits a high degree of competition. Nearly 80% of the overall market revenue in 2016 was contributed by seven players, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study. These frontrunners are Herbert Waldmann GmBH & Co. KG, Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Phoenix Medical Systems Pvt. Ltd, GE Healthcare, Natus Medical Incorporated, Atom Medical Corporation, and The Daavlin Company.These market players are entering into strategic collaborations with end users and offer them support in forms of equipment refurbished services, insurance reimbursement, and post-sale services, to strengthen their foothold. These strategies are intensifying the competition prevailing in the global phototherapy equipment market, in order to sustain which key companies are focusing on pricing strategies and product upgradation with new technologies to stay ahead, says TMRs lead analyst. The global phototherapy equipment market was valued at US$415.0 mn in 2015 and is poised to rise to US$603.2 mn by 2024, progressing at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2016 to 2024.Presence of Advanced Healthcare Infrastructure to Fuel North Americas DominanceOn the basis of end user, hospital was at the forefront of growth in 2015, representing over 47.0% of the overall market revenue. The high customer preference along with the presence of favorable reimbursement policies for hospital treatments will help the segment in retaining dominance until 2024.Geographically, North America held a dominant share of about 40.0% in the global phototherapy equipment market in 2015. The growth of the segment can be attributed to the high levels of awareness and advanced healthcare infrastructure. Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is estimated to post a tremendous CAGR during the review period, thanks to the increasing investments in the upgradation of distribution channels.Request to download and view full ToC -Advent of Novel Technologies to Widen Scope of Applications of Phototherapy EquipmentThe growing number of cases of neonatal jaundice worldwide is escalating the demand for effective phototherapy treatments. In some cases, it can lead to severe hyperbilirubinemia, acute bilirubin encephalopathy, and chronic bilirubin encephalopathy. It is possible to prevent hyperbilirubinemia through early diagnosis and effective phototherapy, which has an important part to play in the growth of the global phototherapy equipment market, says a TMR analyst. Apart from this, the rising incidence of skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis is stoking the growth the global market.With the introduction of new and innovative technologies, the global phototherapy equipment market is anticipated to tread along a healthy growth track. The new designs available are cheaper and more advanced, which has stirred up the demand for phototherapy equipment in developing countries. Considering this, their increased use has been witnessed in alternative treatments as well. To put this in perspective, phototherapy, along with photosensitizing chemical substances, finds application in photodynamic therapy to treat cancer. Moreover, the spiraling demand for minimally invasive procedures is providing a fillip to the market.Request to view Sample Report -Increasing Stringency in Regulations to Hamper Growth ProspectsThe high prices of phototherapy equipment are limiting their widespread adoption, especially in developing and less developed countries. Besides this, the increasing stringency in regulations pertaining to their approval is rendering it difficult for new players to enter the arena, thus restricting the scope of expansion of the global phototherapy equipment market,Furthermore, rapid advancements and developments in the medical science sector have paved way for various alternative modes of treatment. The growing demand for alternative treatment such as systematic and topical therapies is, therefore, keeping the market from realizing its utmost potential. Nevertheless, the increasing initiatives by key players to promote phototherapy outreach and the presence of favorable reimbursement policies in emerging countries are offering immense growth opportunities to the global phototherapy equipment market.Phototherapy Equipment Market Report is available @ US$ 5795About 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:
High Frequency Power Amplifier Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2022

High Frequency Power Amplifier Market

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On - High Frequency Power Amplifier Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2022.Global High Frequency Power Amplifier market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAvogoAnadigicsDAC SemiconductorEpicInfineonGaAsMurataRDASamsungTriQuintGet a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of High Frequency Power Amplifier in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoUnder VoltageOverpressureCriticalOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of High Frequency Power Amplifier for each application, includingCommunicationRadioRadarTVOtherAsk Query @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsGlobal High Frequency Power Amplifier Market Research Report 20171 High Frequency Power Amplifier Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of High Frequency Power Amplifier1.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Under Voltage1.2.4 Overpressure1.2.5 Critical1.3 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Segment by Application1.3.1 High Frequency Power Amplifier Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Communication1.3.3 Radio1.3.4 Radar1.3.5 TV1.3.6 Other1.4 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 EU Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 South Korea Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of High Frequency Power Amplifier (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers High Frequency Power Amplifier Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 High Frequency Power Amplifier Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 High Frequency Power Amplifier Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion.7 Global High Frequency Power Amplifier Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Avogo7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Avogo High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Anadigics7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Anadigics High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 DAC Semiconductor7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 DAC Semiconductor High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Epic7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Epic High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Infineon7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Infineon High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 GaAs7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 GaAs High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Murata7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Murata High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 RDA7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 High Frequency Power Amplifier Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 RDA High Frequency Power Amplifier Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.8.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinue.For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comBuy 1-User PDF@ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Research Report- Global Forecast to 2022

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Testing, Inspection and Certification Market 2017 Industry Research Report to its huge collection of research reports.The market research publication about offers a select once-over of the variables that are probably going to have an enduring or here and now have an impact on the development of the Testing, Inspection and Certificationmarket amid the figure time frame. The report impeccably investigates components that are probably going to have a jolt or deferred impact on the Testing, Inspection and Certificationmarket in the short or long run. The development direction of the market has additionally been minutely examined with uncommon consideration on the drivers, restrictions, and prospects display in the Testing, Inspection and Certificationmarket for the players and financial specialists to look on to. A few aspects, for example, inflow of crude materials and outpouring of final results, imports and fares, arrangements and controls of governments, execution of the market in the worldwide and territorial level, items circulated and sold, and industrialized limit of the mechanical unit have additionally been accentuated upon in the investigation.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Changed areas where the market is set-up have likewise been focused on and the components affecting everything helping or ruining the development of the market in those districts. The report likewise gives a comprehensive viewpoint of the first class organizations working in the Testing, Inspection and Certificationmarket. With the assistance of this, the reader can have an unmistakable photo of the focused scene of the players and a cognizance of the items and advertising strategies of the main players in the Testing, Inspection and Certificationmarket. The report also delves deep into several companies and their placement and product portfolios in the global market.Table of Contents1 Industry Overview11.1 Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Overview11.1.1 Testing, Inspection and Certification Product Scope11.1.2 Market Status and Outlook11.2 Global Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2012-2017)31.2.1 United States Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Status and Outlook41.2.2 EU Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Status and Outlook51.2.3 Japan Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Status and Outlook61.2.4 China Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Status and Outlook71.2.5 Korea Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Status and Outlook81.2.6 Australia Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Status and Outlook91.2.7 Korea and Australia analysis / write-up of Testing, Inspection and Certification Market.91.3 Testing, Inspection and Certification Market by End Users/Application10Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Testing, Inspection and Certification Competition Analysis by Players162.1 Global Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size by Players (2012-2017)162.2 Competitive Status and Trend192.2.1 Market Concentration Rate192.2.2 New Entrants193 Analysis of Testing, Inspection and Certification Industry Key Manufacturers213.1 SGS Group213.1.1 Company Profile213.1.2 Product Information223.1.3 Testing, Inspection and Certification Revenue and Gross Margin223.2 Bureau Veritas243.2.1 Company Profile243.2.2 Product Information253.2.3 Testing, Inspection and Certification Revenue and Gross Margin253.3 Dekra Certification273.3.1 Company Profile273.3.2 Product Information283.3.3 Testing, Inspection and Certification Revenue and Gross Margin283.4 Intertek293.4.1 Company Profile293.4.2 Product Information304 Global Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size Application (2012-2017)644.1 Global Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size by Application (2012-2017)644.2 Potential Application of Testing, Inspection and Certification in Future664.3 Top Consumer / End Users of Testing, Inspection and Certification67Get discount copy @List of Tables and FiguresGlobal Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size Share by Players in 20161Figure Global Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size (M USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2Figure Global Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Share by Regions (2012-2017)3Figure United States Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size (M USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4Figure EU Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size (M USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5Figure Japan Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size (M USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6Figure China Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size (M USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)7Figure Korea Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size (M USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)8Figure Australia Testing, Inspection and Certification Market Size (M USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)9Table Application of Testing, Inspection and Certification10About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.QYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Shave Grass Extract Market Analysis, Segments, Growth and Value Chain -2025

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Shave Grass Extract Market Overview:Shave Grass is popularly known as horse trail. Shave grass contains high amounts of silica which is very important for hair and nail growth thus, horse tail is richest plant source of silica. Shave grass extract helps in bone strength and also avoid skin wrinkles.Request Sample Copy of the Report@Horsetail has been used in traditional medicines in Greece and Rome as a remedy for wounds, kidney, and ulcers, problems, to promote fluid balance and encourage normal urination. It's also recommended to help treat osteoporosis. Some of the recent research claims that shave grass extract can be proven helpful in type 2 diabetics treatment too. As considering its versatile medicinal properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cognition, osteoporosis treatments etc., market demand for shave grass is growing continuously. Also increasing popularity of herbal medicine is another factor driving growth of the global shave grass extract market.Shave Grass Extract Market Segmentation:Shave grass extract market is segmented on the basis of its applications in food and beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, herbal medicine. Shave grass extract has been proven effective in various medical conditions such as kidney and bladder health, bone health, diabetes etc., thus market demand from pharmaceutical segment is higher. Herbal medicine markets segment is gaining popularity for treatment and management of various disease conditions and thus significant market growth is expected over the forecast period. Shave grass extract is useful in hair and nail treatment, and proven very effective in hair growth as rich silica contains help in calcium absorption in the body, thus possess significant demand from cosmetics market segment specifically for hair and nail related products. Shave grass tree is helpful in digestion, weight management and for pile problems thus market demand from food and beverages segment is expected to grow in near future.Shave grass extract market is further segmented on the basis of its forms available in the market as powder extract and liquid extract. Powder extract is directly added or can be converted into capsules. Liquid shave grass extract is majorly used in pharmaceutical formulations.Shave grass extract is further segmented on the basis of regions as North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa ,and Asia Pacific. North America and Europe are major grower and consumer markets for shave grass extract.Shave Grass Extract Market Drivers:Shave grass extract possess high market demand from pharmaceutical as well as skincare and personal care product market segments as due to its versatile properties. Shave grass extract is one of the rich source of silica which makes it useful in hair and nail health, is factor driving market demand from hair care product segment. As per recent research silica in horsetail extract can be useful for treatment of bone related diseases such as osteoporosis, which is expected to fuel market growth over the forecast period. Silica is also responsible for absorption of calcium in human body.Shave grass extract possess antioxidant, anti- inflammatory , and antimicrobial makes it super herb which makes it useful in various disease conditions as well as skin and hair care products. Horsetail tea or shave grass tea is proven effective in treatment of bronchitis, dry cough etc.Considering various health benefits of shave grass or horse tail extract driving attraction of researchers and various pharmaceutical industries, thus are investing in R & D for shave grass extract products and medicines, in turn driving market demand. Increasing popularity of herbal medicine and natural herbal skin and hair care products as well as changing consumer preferences towards herbal and natural medicine is another factor expected to drive growth of the global shave grass extract market over the forecast period.Shave Grass Extract Market Key Players:Key players operating in shave grass extract market are Xian Sobeo Biotech Co. Ltd., Cheng Green, Equine Natural Health, Penna Herb Co. Ltd., iHerb Inc., G. Baldwin & Co. etc. Considering the continuous growth in market demand for shave grass extract globally, various new entries are expected into the market to grab upcoming opportunities over the forecast period..Request TOC of the Report@The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Self-lubricating Materials Market Dynamics, Forecast, Analysis and Supply Demand -2025

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Self-lubricating materials are high performance engineering materials that reduce friction and provide lubrication to bearing components. This facilitates smooth functioning of machines. Self-lubricating materials are widely used in various sectors such as consumer electronics, automotive, home appliances, industrial equipment, marine, and machines. These materials offer low friction of coefficient, high wear and corrosion resistance. Self-lubricating materials possess high compressive strength and chemical resistance. These can be employed in water bearing and high load applications. These materials provide high thermal stability (up to 320oC), thereby eliminating the need for additional exterior lubricating products such as oil or grease. Such products are hazardous to dispose and are expensive; thus, self-lubricating materials provide cost-effective solutions to various end-users compared to grease or oil.Request Sample Copy of the Report@The global self-lubricating materials market can be characterized in terms of product type. Based on product type, the market can be further classified into plastic and metal-solid lubricant fillers. The plastic segment comprises thermosets and thermoplastic resins such as nylon, polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE), and polyacetals. Thermosets resins lower friction and provide smooth surface; however, these resins wear out rapidly. Thus, the segment is anticipated to lose market share during the forecast period. Nylon and PTFE segments are expected to expand significantly during the forecast period, led by their prime features such as high dimensional stability, high strength, better wear resistance, and long service life. Metal-solid lubricant filler product type is further split into the following segments: sintered bronze, sintered iron, iron-graphite, and sintered iron-bronze. Sintered bronze is a porous self-lubricating material that comprises tin powder, elemental copper, and pre-alloyed bronze powder. Sintered bronze materials provide high corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and high ductility. Sintered bronze materials are quite expensive and typically used in a wide range of applications such as farm machinery and home appliances. Sintered iron and sintered-bronze are extensively used in machineries that are less susceptible to galvanic corrosion; thus, they are less expensive than sintered bronze. Iron-graphite type contains 3% graphite and is typically employed in the consumer electronics sector. Sintered bronze is a leading product segment; it is anticipated to expand significantly during the forecast period due to its beneficial characteristics and high performance.Growth in the automotive industry and increase in demand for self-lubricating materials for the maintenance of machineries in order to increase efficiency and reduce cost are the key factors driving the global self-lubricating materials market. Additionally, increase in focus on quality is estimated to influence manufacturers to opt for quality lubricating materials that provide optimum performance. Furthermore, growth in chemical industry is encouraging manufacturers to invest in quality machines. This, in turn, is projected to create strong business for manufacturers of self-lubricating materials. Rise in research & development activities in the field of bio-based self-lubricating materials is estimated to create substantial opportunities for manufacturers of self-lubricating materials.Based on region, the global self-lubricating materials market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. In terms of consumption, Asia Pacific is the leading region of the market due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. Growth in the automotive industry and strong foreign direct investment in various sectors such as consumer electronics and chemical industry are expected to boost the self-lubricating market in the region. Latin America is also one of the key consumers of self-lubricating materials. It is followed by Middle East & Africa. Increase in investment by various automakers, especially in GCC, South Africa, and Mexico, is estimated to create immense opportunities for manufacturers of self-lubricating materials. North America and Europe are comparatively mature markets for self-lubricating materials; these regions are likely to expand at moderate pace during the forecast period.Key players operating in the self-lubricating materials market include LATI Industria Termoplastici S.p.A., Federal-Mogul LLC, TriStar Plastics Corp., and Glebus Alloys, LLC.Request TOC of the Report@The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Alfalfa extract Market Growth, Trends, Absolute Opportunity and Value Chain 2017-2025

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Alfalfa is a perennial herb which is being used for centuries as naturopathy plant for the treatment of various diseases such as diabetes control, cholesterol control, pregnancy and lactation, and control hormonal changes. Alfalfa extract are available in the various form which includes powder, syrup, and tablets. Alfalfa contains abundant vitamins, minerals and proteins which is highly used in the manufacture of the herbal product for humans and it is used as feed for the livestock. Alfalfa has abundant bioactive compound such as coumarins, alkaloids, saponins, phytoestrogen, flavonoids, and phytosterols.Request to view Sample Report -Alfalfa is used as an ingredient for the preparation of many herbal medicines as it is naturally high in many essential vitamins and minerals which includes vitamin A, D, E, K and B complex vitamins, calcium, folic acid, iron and magnesium and alfalfa extract contain high protein content.Alfalfa extract market: segmentationAlfalfa extract market is segmented on the basis of application which includes pharmaceutical industry, food and beverage industry. Pharmaceutical industry chiefly utilizes alfalfa extract for the manufacture of medicines which helps in the treatment of many health conditions like sugar control, increase urine flow, high cholesterol and asthma.Alfalfa extract market is segmented on the basis of form which includes solid, powder, and liquid. Alfalfa extract in solid form are available as tablets, capsules and alfalfa hay cubes. In liquid form alfalfa extract are available as syrup and juice which helps in control blood sugar, hormonal control and control allergic reactions.Alfalfa extract market is segmented on the basis of the nature of the product which includes natural and organic. Organic food has minimal side effect as compared to the traditionally grown alfalfa that is grown using harmful pesticides and herbicides.Alfalfa extract market is segmented on the basis of the end use which includes retail and industrial. The retail segment is further sub-segmented as distribution channel which includes online stores, and specialized stores.Alfalfa market: regional outlookAlfalfa is majorly grown in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific region. North America is the leading producer of alfalfa as it is used majorly in the production of biofuel. Huge capital investment is being done on the research for using alfalfa for biofuel production and to improve the efficacy of the fuel. Also North America is the leading exporter of the alfalfa. The region exports alfalfa to japan, middle-east and Africa. In Asia pacific region, China and India possess deep penetration for alfalfa extract as these region use this extract for utilizing its medicinal properties.Alfalfa extract market: driversAlfalfa extract are required in abundance by the pharmaceutical industry and dairy industry as it is used majorly for the manufacture of the medicines and forage food. The major drivers for the alfalfa extract may include the increasing demand for the dairy product, increase in demand for the forage food, cure for health conditions like asthma, diabetes and hormonal imbalance. Not only can this but the use of alfalfa extract in the biofuel production is also expected to fuel alfalfa extract market during the forecast period.Alfalfa extract market: RestraintsAlfalfa extract manufacture is mainly limited to North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Although there are a lot of manufactures in China and U.S. who are exporting Alfalfa extract in global market but poor distribution channel is a major setback for Alfalfa extract market. Alfalfa extract has been introduced to the new potential markets like Middle-east, but the lack of proper advertisement and information among the consumers and buyers is a significant restraint for alfalfa extract market.Alfalfa extract market: key playersThe key players in the alfalfa extract market are Desialis, Gaia Herbs, Mountain Rose Herbs, Shining Mountain Herbs, Phyt's USA, Alive Organic Sdn Bhd and Equinox Botanicals.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request to download and view full ToC -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Banaba Leaf Extract Market Segments, Opportunity, Growth and Forecast By End-use Industry 2017-2025

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Banaba tree (Lagerstroemia speciosa), the tropical flowering tree also known as pride of India has been used for making tea by brewing the dried leaves. Banaba leaf extract is still being used as a folk remedy for the treatment of diabetes in India, Philippines and other South East Asian countries. The anti-diabetic effect of banaba leaf extract is due to the presence of corosolic acid as found in clinical studies. With no adverse drug effects being reported, this extract has proven to be of immense potential, providing an alternate and safe method for the treatment of diabetes. The banaba leaf extract has shown a moderate decrease in weight and therefore it is also used in many weight loss formulations. In addition to this banaba leaf extract also helps maintain normal levels of antioxidants. This natural herbal extract has gained significant attraction from diabetic population who are looking for a better and safe diabetes medicine and thus creating a huge demand globally.Request to view Sample Report -Banaba Leaf Extract Market SegmentationBanaba leaf extract is segmented on the basis of dosage form, distribution channel and region. On the basis of dosage form it is segmented as powder, capsules and tinctures. The capsule formulation being more popular in use, is expected to endure its steady growth rate. However factors like increasing health awareness and availability of quick information online are expected to supplement the growth in sales of capsules formulation.On the basis of distribution channel banaba leaf extract is segmented as; retail stores, specialty stores, and online retail. The major share of revenue being driven by retail segment, the online retail is expected to attain a superior growth rate and a substantial market share by showcasing the information available on internet.On the basis of region the banaba leaf extract is segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Japan Western Europe and Middle East. Japan with its high share in demand attributed to the vast popularity of traditional medicine and its benefits has attracted exporters worldwide and the wide acceptance of herbal health products in other developed countries like United States, Canada, France and U.K. has created a powering demand and thus it is expected to show an accelerated growth during the forecast period.Banaba leaf extract market Global Market Trends and Market Drivers:The growth of herbal healthcare market remains persistent due to its appeal as healthy and safe to use products. The sedentary lifestyle among people is creating an ever increasing demand for health and wellness promoting supplements. Banaba leaf extract with its natural no side effect USP has gained attention from the diabetic population, furthermore the consumer centric approach in treatment of disease has led to a boom in the herbal product market; consumers looking for a safer alternative to pharmaceutical medicines have approached herbal products. The high valued trust on Ayurvedic preparation in western countries has attracted the Ayurvedic manufacturers to sell their products worldwide. The cemented faith among consumers of Ayurvedic products backed by the information available globally is expected to fuel the market growth of banaba leaf extract. Further innovations like use of nanotechnology by EastGate Biotech Corp. to boost the blood glucose lowering ability of banaba leaf extract is expected to drive the market growth.Banaba Leaf Extract Market Key Players:Variety of banaba leaf extract formulations have been introduced by the manufacturers and some of the global market players manufacturing banaba leaf extract market include; Nutra Green Biotechnology Co., Ltd., JIAHERB Inc., Eastgate Biotech Corp., Cambridge Commodities Ltd., New Directions Aromatics Inc., Vitaco Holdings Ltd., Swanson Health Products Inc. Among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request to download and view full ToC -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Valerian Root Powder Market Value Share, Supply Demand, share and Value Chain 2017-2025

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Derived from root of the plant Valeriana officinalis, the valerian root extract is famously used to treat sleeplessness or insomnia in traditional culture, this is due to the presence of valerenic acid. The extract is used both alone and in combination with other ingredients to form balms or other dosage form which synergies the sleep inducing effect of valerian root extract. Apart it is use in treating insomnia it is also used as a nootropic supplement. Enhancing cognitive function by the use of valerian extract is one of its key attraction and is expected to drive the market growth of valerian root powder during the forecast period.Request to view Sample Report -This naturally derived extract offers a much safer alternative to prescription medicines and for those who are trying to withdraw the use of sleeping pills. The valerian root powder market is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period due to the associated health benefits offered by the use of valerian extract, manufacturers using research based evidence and mass communication to spread these benefits. The global valerian extract market is set to take a hike in growth attributed to the high demand among health conscious consumers.Valerian Root Powder Market SegmentationValerian root powder market is segmented on the basis of application and by regions. On the basis of application, valerian root powder market is segmented into three main segments as herbal supplements, flavors and cosmetics. The herbal supplements are further sub-segmented into tablets and capsules. These forms are being used by the herbal manufacturers from a long time and the demand for the same has also been increasing throughout attributed to the health benefits of valerian root extract and the convenience in use of these dosage forms. The approval by FDA for the use of valerian extract as an additive for flavor and fragrance is further expected to fuel the market growth of valerian root powder.China being the largest exporter of herbal medicines followed by India. There is an increasing demand of herbal products throughout the globe with the major exports accounting to the following regions; North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa. In regional segments North America accounts for a significantly higher share whereas rise in market demand originating from developing countries, Asia Pacific regions are expected to grow to a considerable fraction during the forecast period.Valerian Root Powder Global Market Trends and Market Drivers:The growth of organic food market remains persistent due to the attraction of healthier and safe to use products. The sedentary lifestyle among people is creating an ever increasing demand for health and wellness promoting supplements.The growing concern among consumers regarding the toxic and the habit forming effect of pharmaceutical grade sleep medicines is shifting the consumers preference towards the natural plant derivatives is expected to show a favorable market growth during the forecast period.The valerian root powder form is versatile in use and the applications in use include; cosmetic preparations and additive for food and beverages. The value addition in food product by adding valerian extract such as an additive in bakery, drinks and use as a health enhancing remedy is expected to drive the global valerian root powder market.Valerian root powder Market Key Players:Variety of forms of valerian root extract have been introduced by the manufacturers and some of the key global market players manufacturing valerian root powder include; BioTae, Nutra Green Biotechnology Co., Ltd., JIAHERB Inc., Foodchem International Corporation, Martin Bauer GmbH & Co. KG, Productos Quimicos Gonmisol SA.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Cardiac Pacemakers Market Strategies, Production and Production Value & Forecast 2017-2024

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Global Cardiac Pacemakers Market, By Product type (Implantable Cardiac Pacemaker, External Cardiac Pacemaker), by Technology (Dual-Pacemaker, Single-Chamber, Bi-Ventricular), by End user (Hospitals, Ambulatory surgical centers), By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024The Cardiac Pacemakers Market accounted to USD 5.2 billion in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Browse Report:Global Cardiac Pacemakers Market  Market Definition:Cardiac pacemaker is a small device placed in the chest or abdomen that control abnormal heart rhythms initiated by electrical impulses. This device uses electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate.Global Cardiac Pacemakers Market  Major market drivers and restraints: Increasing Worldwide Incidence of Cardiovascular Diseases Increasing reimbursement for implantation of pacemaker Rising Geriatric Population Technological advancements in cardiac pacemakerRequest For Sample:Global Cardiac Pacemakers Market  Market Segmentation:By product type the market for cardiac pacemakers is segmented into implantable cardiac pacemaker, external cardiac pacemaker.By technology, the cardiac pacemakers market is segmented into Dual-Pacemaker, Single-Chamber, Bi-Ventricular. On the basis of end-user the market is segmented into Hospitals and Ambulatory surgical centers.On the basis of geography, cardiac pacemakers market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Request For Toc:Global Cardiac Pacemakers Market  Competitive Analysis:The Cardiac pacemakers market is highly fragmented and is based on new product launches and clinical results of products. Hence the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, clinical trials, market initiatives, high expense on research and development, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of cardiac pacemakers market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Global Cardiac Pacemakers Market  Major Market Competitors:Some of the major players operating in cardiac pacemakers market are BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, Boston Scientific Corporation, Medtronic PLC, St. Jude Medical Inc., LivaNova PLC, Osypka Medical GmbH, MEDICOWEB, ZOLL Medical Corporation, MEDICO S.p.A., Vitatron, Pacetronix, Cordis, Inc. among others.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogData Bridge is an organization lead by well versed forecasters, analysts and researchers who indulge in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. Data Bridge aims to make your organization well acquainted with profound knowledge of the global and local market statistics.Data Bridge Market ResearchOffice Number 402 & 317, Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India
Magnetic Refrigeration Market Segments, Opportunity, Growth and Forecast By End-use Industry -2025

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Magnetic refrigeration is a cooling technology based upon the magnetocaloric effect. The technique can be used to attain extremely low temperatures. Magneto caloric effect (MCE) is a phenomenon, wherein temperature change of the magneto caloric material (MCM) is caused by exposing the material to a changing magnetic field. The temperature of MCMs increases when exposed to magnetic field and decreases when removed from it. The effect is reversible and instantaneous. Under the magnetic refrigeration system, a controlled magnetic field applies a series of magnetization & demagnetization cycles to the magnetocaloric alloys. Each of these cycles creates a temperature gradient in the MCE material. A rapid succession of these cycles produces the final and stabilized hot and cold temperatures in the refrigerated system. The magnetic refrigeration system involves components such as magnetic materials, regenerators, superconducting magnets, and active magnet regenerator.Gas is used in conventional refrigeration systems for the cooling effect. Magnets used in the magnetic refrigeration systems are permanent and do not require any external energy. Furthermore, the magnetic refrigeration system does not utilize any gas for the cooling function; thus, it is a low maintenance and environmentally-friendly technology. Refrigeration systems using the magnetic refrigeration technology tend to be quieter and energy efficient. Based on type, the magnetic refrigeration technology can be segmented into refrigeration systems, air conditioning systems, and heat pumps. Refrigeration systems consist of refrigerators, cabinet displays, freezers, ice-cream cabinets, and beverage coolers. The magnetic refrigeration technology can also be used in air conditioning systems. It can also be employed in heat pumps. Magnetic refrigeration systems are widely used in domestic, industrial, and transportation & commercial segments.Increase in awareness about global warming is the major driver of the magnetic refrigeration market. Conventional cooling or refrigeration systems make use of gases such as Co2, CFC, and liquid nitrogen. These toxic substances are harmful for the environment and cause ozone depletion. The usage of air conditioning and other refrigeration systems for food preservation and other use is rising. Thus, refrigeration and air cooling systems are estimated to account for 13% share of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emission by 2030. The magnetic refrigeration technology is free of gas; thus, it is environmentally-friendly. Less energy consumption is another driver of the magnetic refrigeration market.In terms of region, the magnetic refrigeration market in Europe is expected to expand significantly owing to the large presence of players dealing in the magnetic refrigeration technology. Some companies in countries such as France and Germany are carrying out extensive research in the technology of MCE materials and magnetic refrigeration. Governments of countries in Europe are also encouraging research associated with refrigeration to minimize global warming and ozone layer depletion. The magnetic refrigeration market in Asia Pacific is also anticipated to exhibit strong growth due to the rise in population in the region. Increase in population is estimated to result in higher demand for domestic and industrial food preservation cooling technology. This provides an opportunity for the magnetic refrigeration market. Food preservation industry, beverage industry in North America are vast. This is projected to propel the magnetic refrigeration market in the region.Prominent players operating in the magnetic refrigeration market are Cooltech Applications, Camfridge, BASF SE, Fujikura Ltd., TOSHIBA MATERIALS CO., LTD., GE Electric Co., Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC., Astronautics Corporation of America, Whirlpool Corporation, and VACUUMSCHMELZE GmbH & Co. KG.Request TOC of the Report@The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Machine Vision Systems Market to 2025: Trends, Business Strategies and Opportunities with Key Players Analysis & Get Flat 25% Discount on This Report For Limited Time

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The Machine Vision Systems is a technology that enables its users to govern the lighting of any space without being surrounded by unnecessary wires. Machine Vision Systems is a part of upcoming IoT technology, facilitating mobile and sensor based control on the luminosity of lights in a particular space. The intelligent connected lighting offers ecofriendly environment and effectively reduces the consumption of energy. The global Machine Vision Systems market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.1% during the forecast period 2016  2025 and accounts for US$ 51.05 Bn in the year 2025.The global Machine Vision Systems market is fragmented on the basis of lighting Type into. Light Emitting Diode (LED) Lamp, Fluorescent Lamps, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL), High Intensity Discharge Lamps and Others (Neon Lamps and Photographic Flashes). Furthermore the segmentation is based upon application of Machine Vision Systems viz. Industrial lighting, Commercial lighting, Residential lighting, Outdoor lighting, Automotive lighting and Government. According to the geographic regions, the market is segmented into Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific (APAC), North America and South America (SAM). With many developing countries in the region of Middle East and Africa, it is expected to have the highest CAGR of 24.4% during the forecast period.Request Sample Copy @The shortcoming of a wireless system are occasional disturbance in communications among the devices. When a wireless lighting system is installed in a place, one should always make sure that the keypads, processors and dimmers are within a specific range. For example, some old residential buildings may be constructed with metal wire integrated in the walls that might create disturbance or weaken the signals of a wireless system. Though it has certain drawbacks, it is expected to capture more than half of the lighting market in next few years. Thus, maximum companies are switching their product portfolio to wireless Machine Vision Systems solutions. Major players in this segment are Philips, GE, OSRAM and Daintree.Now a days wireless connectivity is taking a leap over the wire abled connecting networks as wireless is more convenient to use. First this technology was used in the telephones now called as the mobile phones and since then the wireless technology has revolutionized the way things were viewed. Wireless technology has given its consumers freedom from the limited range of the wired devices.The wireless technology has become an integral part of day to day lifestyle. Wireless technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RF Ids are experiencing high adoption rate among users. The rising popularity of wireless technology in lighting solution is thus considered to be one of the major reasons driving the Machine Vision Systems market. The wireless lighting solutions are easy to control and help its customers to attain maximum energy saving.The lighting hardware is highly integrated and dependent on the software platform being used. As there is no common standard for wireless Machine Vision Systems products, the complete idea of various Machine Vision Systems devices networked together and the entire process of networking becomes complicated. For example, Philips employs ZigBee Light Link, GreenWave uses NXP JenNet-IP and Insteon uses its own wireless technology and all these are incompatible with each other. This incompatibility would result in inconvenience for the user as the choice of products and services will get limited by the platform being used, or else the entire operation of Machine Vision Systems would get complicated.Major players in the global Machine Vision Systems market comprises of Osram Licht AG (Germany), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.A), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherland), Eaton Corporation PLC. (Ireland), Digital Lumens Inc. (U.S.A), Lutron Electronics Company Inc. (U.S.A), General Electric Company (U.S.A), Legrand SA (France), Streetlight.Vision (France) and Acuity Brands Lighting Inc. (U.S.A).among others.Browse market data tables and in-depth TOC of the Machine Vision Systems Market to 2025 @Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout The Insight Partners:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Market Share - Industry Trends Forecast Report 2017-2022 on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications

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This report studies the Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package market by product type and applications/end industries.The global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.Request For Sample Copy Of Report :North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package. United States plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of XX.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share (%) and growth Rate (%) of Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East and AfricaThe major players in global and United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package market, including Malco Products, Roxtec, Olympus Corporation, KARL STORZ, KG, Richard WOLF, Coloplast, Cook Medical, Shanghai Medical Instruments, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Teleflex Incorporated, Stryker Corporation, CooperSurgical, ConMed Corporation.The On the basis of product, the Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package market is primarily split intoBasic ToolPrecision InstrumentOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report coversPrivate ClinicsRetail PharmaciesDrug StoresE-CommerceOthersSend An Enquiry :Table of Contents2017-2022 Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications1 Methodology and Data Source1.1 Methodology/Research Approach1.1.1 Research Programs/Design1.1.2 Market Size Estimation1.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation1.2 Data Source2.1.1 Secondary Sources2.1.2 Primary Sources1.3 Disclaimer2 Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Market Overview2.1 Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Product Overview2.2 Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Market Segment by Type2.2.1 Basic Tool2.2.2 Precision Instrument2.3 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Product Segment by Type2.3.1 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units) and Growth (%) by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.3.2 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.3 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.4 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)2.4 United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Product Segment by Type2.4.1 United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units) and Growth by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.4.2 United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)2.4.3 United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)2.4.4 United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)3 Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Application/End Users3.1 Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Segment by Application/End Users3.1.1 Private Clinics3.1.2 Retail Pharmacies3.1.3 Drug Stores3.1.4 E-Commerce3.1.5 Others3.2 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Product Segment by Application3.2.1 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.2.2 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)3.3 United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Product Segment by Application3.3.1 United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.3.2 United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)4 Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1 Global Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1.1 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Market Size and CAGR by Regions (2012, 2016 and 2022)4.1.2 North America4.1.3 Asia-Pacific4.1.4 Europe4.1.5 South America4.1.6 Middle East and Africa4.1.7 United States4.2 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales and Revenue by Regions4.2.1 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)4.2.2 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)4.2.3 Global Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.4 North America Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.5 Europe Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.6 Asia-Pacific Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.7 South America Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4.2.8 Middle East and Africa Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.9 United States Adult Cardiovascular Surgical Instrument Package Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (2012-2017)MRRbiz supports your business intelligence needs with over 700,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Brain Ischemia Market to Observe Strong Development by 2027

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Global Brain Ischemia Market Research Report, by Diagnosis (MRI, CT, ultrasound, angiography and other), by Treatment (angioplasty, drug treatment and other), by End User (hospital, clinics and other)- Forecast Till 2023Study Objectives Global Brain Ischemia Market- Detail analysis of global brain ischemia market with respect to region specific market growth and competitive analysis on the basis of major players present in the market. Detail analysis of market as well as different drivers and restraints affecting the growth of this market. Detail analysis of markets past and estimated future growth based on various analyses which includes price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters Five Force analysis etc. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments along with research and developments in the global brain ischemia market. Detail analysis on possible segments and sub segments of the market. Along with this regional analysis of the market which includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa. Insights of major countries/regions in which this industry is flourishing including untapped regions which could be the potential market of brain ischemia in futureKey Players for Global Brain Ischemia MarketThis market has numerous key players some of them are Bayer AG (Germany), H. Lundbeck A/S (Denmark), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (US), Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Germany), ThromboGenics NV (Belgium), Vernalis Plc (UK), Neurotec Pharma SL (Spain), Johnson and Johnson (US), Covidien Plc (Ireland), Stryker Corporation (US), Abbott Laboratories (US), Penumbra, Inc. (US), Philips Healthcare (Netherland), Hitachi Ltd. (Japan), GE Healthcare (UK) and Siemens Healthcare (US).Get a sample report atBrain ischemia is a condition in which there is an insufficient blood flow to the brain which results in poor oxygen supply to the brain. Brain ischemia is also known as cerebral ischemia or cerebrovascular ischemia. Major driving factor for global brain ischemia market are increasing number of patient suffering from diabetes, obesity hypertension and other related diseases as well as increasing aging population. On other hand high cost of treatment and limited availability of effective drugs may be responsible for restraining the markets growthThe global brain ischemia market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% during forecasted period 2017-2023.SegmentationGlobal brain ischemia market is segmented on the basis of diagnosis which are segmented into MRI, CT, ultrasound, angiography and other. On the basis of treatment the market is segmented into angioplasty, drug treatment and other. Drug treatment is further sub segmented into anticoagulation therapy, antiplatelet and other. Anticoagulation therapy is further sub segmented as heparin and warfarin and antiplatelet therapy is further sub segmented into aspirin and other. On the basis of end user the market is segmented into hospital, clinics and other.Regional AnalysisOn regional basis, North America has the largest market of brain ischemia. Due to the increasing diabetic and obese population in this region, these have become a major driving factor for this markets growth. Moreover increasing governments support has also lead to the growth of this market. Europe is the second largest market due to increasing aging population and technological advances here. Emerging economies like India and China in Asia-Pacific region has provided to be a fuel for the growth of this market here. Middle East and Africa contributes less to this markets growth.Browse complete report atThe report of global brain ischemia market by Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with detail analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts and key opinion leaders to gain a deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives a clear picture of current market scenario which includes past and estimated future market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides detail information about and strategies used by top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the markets segments and regions.Table of Content1 INTRODUCTION1.1 DEFINITION1.2 SCOPE OF STUDY1.2.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE1.2.2 ASSUMPTIONS & LIMITATIONS1.2.2.1 ASSUMPTIONS1.2.2.2 LIMITATIONS1.3 MARKET STRUCTURE:2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.1 RESEARCH PROCESS:2.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH2.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH:3 MARKET DYNAMICS3.1 DRIVERS3.2 RESTRAINTS3.3 OPPORTUNITIES3.4 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS4 MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS4.1 PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL4.2 BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS4.3 BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS4.4 THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS4.5 THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES4.6 INTENSITY OF RIVALRYAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact usMarket Research FutureMaharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@Marketresearchfuture.Com
Sulfur Chemicals Market to Record Study Growth by 2024

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Global Sulfur Chemicals Market: OverviewThe growing demand for sulfur chemicals in various end use industries such as the food, wine, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, agriculture, detergents, and bio chemical processes is aiding the expansion of the global sulfur chemicals market. Sulfur chemicals are also vital ingredients in fertilizers. They are used in the vulcanization of black rubber, for plaster production in the construction industry, and for the treatment of bacterial, fungal, and skin related diseases. All these factors are driving the growth of the sulfur chemical market.Request Sample Copy of the Report@Sulfur is among the most important raw materials in the chemical industry. The majority of the sulfur is used in the preparation of its derivatives such as sodium hydro sulfide, sodium hydrosulfite, sodium sulfide, sodium sulfite, sodium thiosulfate, and sulfuric acid. These chemicals are extensively used in the paper, pulp, water treatment, photographic, and textile industries.The report discusses the growth prospects of the global sulfur chemicals market. The rising concerns over hygiene and cleanliness are driving the demand for this chemical. This is primarily because sulfur is used in the manufacturing of detergents and acts as an anti-bacterial agent. Factors hindering the growth of the global sulfur market have also been discussed in detail. The impact of regulatory policies and predominant economic trends on the overall market has been studied in the report. The study covers key industry parameters such as market definition, classification, specification, and application.Global Sulfur Chemicals Market: Key Opportunities and ThreatsThe growth in the food industry in the emerging nations of Asia Pacific is expected to open new opportunities in the sulfur market. As the population is increasing in this region, there is an increase in the demand for food and food products, which will bode well for the sulfur market. On the other hand, sulfuric acid is one of the primary causes for environmental pollution. It reacts with the atmosphere forming smog and causes acid rain. This may lead to health hazards such as respiratory disorders or skin inflammations. Therefore, environmental and health issues are expected to hamper the growth of the sulfur chemicals market.Global Sulfur Chemicals Market: Region-wise OutlookAsia Pacific is expected to lead in the sulfur market owing to a high demand for the chemical from the food industry. A rise in the disposable income and the changing lifestyle of the people in emerging countries such as China and India are resulting in a higher consumption of processed food. Another factor driving the sulfur market in the region is the increased focus of the textile industry on developing nations such as China and India. Sulfur chemicals are used for the production of textiles and sodium hydrosulfide is used extensively for dyeing. These factors are driving the demand for sulfur chemicals in these countries.With progressively more income at their disposal, the growing demand for processed food among consumers in South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa is creating an unprecedented opportunity for preservatives. This in turn is driving the sulfur market in these regions. Strict regulations regarding water treatment have created a heightened demand for sulfur chemicals in North America countries such as Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. The sulfur market in the Rest of the World and in the Middle East and Africa is also expected to witness significant growth in the coming years.Sulfur Chemicals Market: Competitive OutlookIn order to study the existing degree and nature of competition, the report profiles some of the leading companies operating in the global sulfur market. These include: Georgia Gulf Sulfur Corporation, Eastman Chemical Company, ENERSUL, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, The STEBBINS Engineering and Manufacturing Company, Hydrite Chemical Co. and Valero.Request TOC of the Report@The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.The study is a source of reliable data on:Key market segments and sub-segmentsEvolving market trends and dynamicsChanging supply and demand scenariosQuantifying market opportunities through market sizing and market forecastingTracking current trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive insightsOpportunity mapping in terms of technological breakthroughsThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, North Africa)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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
IoT Communication Protocol Market show exponential growth by 2024

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Global IoT Communication Protocol Market: SnapshotThe global IoT communication protocol market is expected to witness a healthy growth on account of the high demand from businesses and organizations. IoT will be in high demand and be used as a key model for organizations across various verticals in the years to come on account of the high operational efficiency it provides. In addition to this, IoT enables cost savings, which is a key requirement for most organizations.Request Sample Copy of the Report@Some of the factors boosting the global IoT communication protocol are increased adoption of wireless sensors and increasing popularity of cloud computing. Another factor aiding the growth of the global IoT communication protocol market is the support of the government. Across the globe, governments have been increasingly funding for the research and development of the IoT field. This support from the government has been a key factor for widening the scope of the IoT communication protocol market. Huge funding from governments across the globe has resulted in innovative cross-domain applications of IoT and has immensely benefitted the growth of this industry and therefore, IoT is now increasingly penetrating across industries. It is anticipated that the future will see higher adoption of IoT across verticals supported by the easy availability of high speed internet and increasing popularity of wearable devices.The initiatives taken by emerging countries to brace up and join other nations in terms of being technologically advanced will make them key markets for IoT communication protocol in the future. Aggressive investments are being made by nations such as India, China, and Japan and leading towards an increased adoption of the Internet of Things. This is boosting the demand for IoT chip and driving the IoT communication protocol market in turn.In Internet of Things, the interconnected devices are usually of short range, low power, wireless devices with their own predefined set of operations. Moreover, these devices are not compatible to existing internet protocol due to which a new set of protocols are developed to cater the requirements of the IoT. Some of the most widely used protocols in IoT are Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) etc. These protocols facilitates in power conservation making devices operate for a longer duration of time.The IoT communication protocol market has been experiencing massive growth in the recent years due to growing popularity of Internet of Things and the increasing adoption of smart watches and activity trackers in consumer markets. Continuous growth in demand for smartphones and other connectivity devices and increasing demand for cloud computing is expected to drive the market in near term. Additionally, expansion in use of wireless sensors and low-power wide-area network is further expected to fuel the market growth. However, lack of communication standard across platforms and high power consumption by connected devices is hindering the market growth. Significant government funding across globe for Internet of Things and increasing adoption of wearable devices in multiple application areas such as healthcare, industrial, and military is expected to create huge opportunities for the companies operating in global IoT communication protocol market.The global IoT communication protocol market is segmented on the basis of connectivity technology, end-use application and geography. Based on the connectivity technology, the market is broadly classified into Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), EnOcean, ANT+, cellular and others. Among these EnOcean, is expected to show sustainable market growth during the forecast period. The development of IoT needed for ultra-low power devices and sensors is expected to increase need for EnOcean protocol technology. In terms of end-use application, the market for IoT communication protocol is segmented into wearable devices, healthcare, automotive and transportation, building automation, industrial, consumer electronics, and precision farming. Among these, building automation segment is expected to dominate the market due to high demand for energy efficiency and security & safety required in buildings. Moreover, advancements in the wireless communication technologies and convergence of IoT and building automation is expected to further increase the growth of the building automation system market. On the basis of geography, the global IoT communication protocol market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these, Asia Pacific is expected to lead the IoT communication protocol market during the forecast period due to huge potential for the applications of Internet of Things in developing economies such as China and India. Moreover, Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Latin America is expected to tender growth opportunities owing to the increasing in consumer devices market.Some of the leading companies operating in the global IoT communication protocol market with significant developments include Synopsys, Inc., Stmicroelectronics N.V., Mediatek Inc., Gainspan Corporation, Ceva, Inc., NXP Semiconductors N.V., Texas Instruments Inc., Enocean GmbH, Atmel Corporation and Mindtree Ltd.Request TOC of the Report@The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.The study is a source of reliable data on:Key market segments and sub-segmentsEvolving market trends and dynamicsChanging supply and demand scenariosQuantifying market opportunities through market sizing and market forecastingTracking current trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive insightsOpportunity mapping in terms of technological breakthroughsThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, North Africa)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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Gov. Scott Walker on Monday announced he was appointing Dan Meyer, a former chamber of commerce director and Republican lawmaker from northern Wisconsin, as state Department of Natural Resources secretary, a pick that drew guarded praise from at least one conservation group.

Meyers voting record representing an Assembly district around Eagle River from 2001 to 2012 earned him an approval rating of under 37 percent from the League of Conservation Voters. But the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation said his grasp of how environmental protection improves hunting and fishing may make him an improvement over Walkers last appointee.

Meyer replaces Cathy Stepp, whom Walker appointed in 2011 saying he wanted someone with a chamber of commerce mentality in charge of the department.

Walker, who lauded Stepp for her performance, said Meyer was an avid outdoorsman who would properly balance business interests and conservation.

He understands the balance between protecting our natural resources and supporting economic prosperity in our state, Walker said in a statement. As a highly respected former legislator and mayor who cares deeply about conservation, Dan will serve in the best interests of Wisconsin.

When Meyer was first elected to the state Assembly in 2001 he pushed to weaken shoreline protections, but his longtime interest in hunting and fishing helped him learn over time about the importance of protecting wildlife habitat, said George Meyer, wildlife federation director.

I think hes someone who can be worked with on conservation issues, said George Meyer, a former DNR secretary who isnt related to Dan Meyer.

Although the state League of Conservation Voters gave $17,433 to his Democratic Party opponent in 2008, the group said there are reasons to hope the new DNR chief will be more independent from the governor than his predecessor.

Dan Meyer was not a consistent champion of conservation issues during his time in the legislature, but he repeatedly voted to re-establish an independent DNR secretary, said league legislative director Jennifer Giegerich.

State law was changed in 1995 to place the DNR chief under direct control of the governor, instead of the Natural Resources Board. Environmentalists say the change allowed Walker and Stepp to prevent agency experts from alerting the public to dangers of ongoing rollbacks of air and water protections.

It is our hope that he will show some independence as Gov. Walkers DNR Secretary and return the DNR to its mission, including enforcing against illegal polluters, working with communities to make sure our drinking water is safe and protecting lakes, rivers and public lands for future generations, Giegerich said.

He received ratings between 70 and 93 percent from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and Americans for Prosperity, the conservative group founded by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, according to votesmart.org.

Meyer graduated with a bachelors in business administration from UW-Oshkosh in 1978. He was executive director of the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center before serving as Eagle Rivers mayor from 1997 to 2001.

Meyer didnt seek re-election in 2012, saying his 12 years in the Legislature was enough.

The governors office said Meyer had been a strong advocate for the environment, with a particular interest in protecting Wisconsins lakes from invasive species.

I am honored to serve as DNR secretary, Meyer said in the statement from the governor. Our state is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, and we will work to responsibly protect them and ensure they remain a source of recreation, tourism, economic growth, and rich natural history now and for our children.

Meyers salary will match the $127,026 that Stepp made, Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said.

Stepp, who also served as a Republican lawmaker, resigned recently to take a post in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

During her tenure, Stepp drew rebukes from members of the public after the department removed language about the causes of climate change from its website. She publicly supported Walker and the GOP-controlled Legislature when they withdrew tax support for state parks and eliminated the jobs of research scientists because they had studied the impact of mining and climate change on wildlife habitat and water quality.
Neuromorphic Chip Market : Recent Industry Developments and Growth Strategies Adopted by Players

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The global neuromorphic chip market is expected to grow considerably during the forecast period from 2015 to 2023. The global market for neuromorphic chips is estimated reach an overall valuation of US$1.809 bn by the end of the given forecast period by registering a robust CAGR of 19.1% in the forecast period.Geographically, North America dominated the global neuromorphic chip market in the recent past and is expected to continue its dominance in the coming years too. This is because of the increasing use of these neuromorphic chips in the defense and aerospace sectors. Also, increasing use of these chips to power the Internet of Things (IoT) is boosting the market as well. Furthermore, implementation of these neuromorphic chips in the signal processing segment has been projected to witness great development in the coming years.Obtain Report Details @Defense, aerospace, automotive, and logistics are some of the segments that heavily make use of the neuromorphic chips for image recognitions. Increasing demand for artificial intelligence is also one of the significant drivers of growth in the global neuromorphic chip market. Artificial intelligence is a type of machine learning technology that enables machines or computers to cope with partial programming. It involves use of advanced computing programs which are potent enough to update themselves when exposed to real time information or data.The artificial intelligence enforces these neuromorphic chips to carry out numerous operation in different ways. It leads to the conclusion that the artificial intelligence possibly will perform a specific task in multiple ways instead of sticking to one single way of completing that task. Thus, evolution in artificial intelligence is also projected to bring about a huge development in the global neuromorphic chips over the course of the given forecast period.On the flipside, there are many complexities involved in designing the hardware of neuromorphic chips. The neuromorphic synapses are highly complicated and are difficult to implement in the established chip design hardware. The reason for this difficulty is the elaborate algorithm and space required to be run in the given structured hardware. Another big challenge is the restriction on the capacity of memory that can be incorporated in these neuromorphic chips. In the coming years, with more technological advancements, these complexities are expected to diminish.Make an Enquiry @This review is based on the research report published by Transparency Market Research titled Neuromorphic Chip Market (Function - Signal Processing, Data Processing, and Image Recognition; Application - Defense and Aerospace, Automotive, Medical, and Industrial) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023Some of the key vendors in the global neuromorphic chip market are Brain Corporation, Qualcomm Inc., Intel Corp., International Business Machine Corporation, Vicarious FPC Inc., HRL Laboratories LLC., Hewlett Packard Corp., General Vision Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and Lockheed Martin Corporation. The global market for neuromorphic chips is highly fragmented. The prominent companies in the market are taking strategic decisions such as mergers and acquisitions to enhance their market presence.These companies are also raising funds to grow their operations and market shares. Recently, artificial intelligence start-up company Vicarious raised US$50 million. Established in 2010, Vicarious is now developing the recursive cortical network, a working system that the start-up claims use the theoretical computational principles of the human brain to construct a software that can learn and think just like a human.The network works a visual impression system that can decode the content of videos and photographs in a way similar to humans by making use of mathematics, sensory data, and biological plausibility.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Hosted Test Environment Management Market trends estimates high demand by 2024

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Test Environment Management (TEM) has evolved as an efficient capability to provide software developers and organizations with test-environment to aid their software testing cycle to execute test scenarios and identify bugs. Hosted TEM facilitates an organization to speed up their software testing process and enable faster release of their software to the market, as the setup time for creating a traditional test environment is reduced to great extent. This provides organizations with lead time in the market due to the faster release of their software and gain a competitive advantage in the market. On-demand access to varying needs of test tools on the hosted test environment serves as an important factor to attract software organizations to hosted TEM management services. Furthermore, it reduces the cost attached with allocating a dedicated teams for critical software testing and also enhance the quality of software testing procedures. The hosted TEM eliminates the need for the setup of complex infrastructure within an organization. Hosted TEM service provider offers comprehensive solutions that include technology and infrastructure, resources, and security and standard compliance.Request Sample Copy of the Report@Hosted TEM services market is anticipated to observe continuous increase in demand in the coming years. This is attributed to the rise in the IT industry sector in recent past. The rise in IT industry sector has intensified the competition among the software organizations, thus encouraging them to adopt hosted TEM services and increase the testing process time. Moreover, increasing demand for cloud services due to its cost benefits over on-premise deployment has attracted many organizations towards the deployment of Hosted TEM services. Pay-as-you-use model is another factor to add to the growth of hosted TEM among the small and medium-sized businesses. Increasing complexity of web and mobile applications, and its requirements to test for multiple operating systems is another major factor to support the TEM management services market. However, hosted TEM faces certain challenges such as security and environment availability might affect its widespread adoption in the market.Hosted TEM services market is segmented depending on the enterprise size that include small and medium-sized enterprises and large enterprises. Small companies with lack of resources for testing are more likely to prefer hosted test environment management services. Hosted TEM services witnessed huge demand in the North America region. The concentration of established software organizations have largely contributed to the hosted TEM services market growth in the U.S. Furthermore, established infrastructure and fast adoption of new technologies have aided the TEM services market across the region. However, Asia Pacific region is likely to be a potential market for the hosted TEM services in coming years due to the growing IT industry sector in countries such as India and Philippines. Moreover, China and Japan are expected to contribute largely to the growth of Hosted TEM market in the Asia Pacific region.Considering the high potential market and growing opportunities for the hosted TEM services market, large number of software organizations are focused on providing these services across the world. The key players offering the hosted TEM services include Capgemini Group, Infosys Limited, and Plutora, Inc., and Computer Sciences Corporation.Request TOC of the Report@The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.The study is a source of reliable data on:Key market segments and sub-segmentsEvolving market trends and dynamicsChanging supply and demand scenariosQuantifying market opportunities through market sizing and market forecastingTracking current trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive insightsOpportunity mapping in terms of technological breakthroughsThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, North Africa)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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Effervescent Packaging Global Market 2017: Key Players  Sanner GmbH, Romaco Pharmatechnik GmbH, Nutrilo GmbH, Unither Pharmaceuticals

Effervescent Packaging Market 2017

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Effervescent Packaging Market 2017Summary:MarketResearchFuture adds Effervescent Packaging Market 2017: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, Forecast to 2023reports to its Database.Key Players:The prominent players in the Effervescent Packaging market include Sanner GmbH (Germany)Romaco Pharmatechnik GmbH (Germany)Nutrilo GmbH (Germany)Unither Pharmaceuticals (France)Amerilab Technologies, Inc. (U.S.)Hebei Xinfuda Plastic Products Co., Ltd. (China)Parekhplast India Ltd. (India)Zhejiang Sorfa Life Science Research Co., Ltd (China)GEA Group (Germany).Hence, global effervescent Packaging market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period.Market Scenario:On the basis of regions, global effervescent packaging market is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). Europe dominates the global effervescent packaging market. Countries such as Germany, France and U.K. have a very high healthcare expenditure. Rising consumer demand in preventive health and increased spending by the government on healthcare are some factors driving the growth of the market. North America is the second largest region in the market. It is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Continuously growing pharmaceutical market in North America region has a positive influence on the growth of the market.Request For Sample Report @The global effervescent packaging market has been segmented based on packaging type, product, application and region. On the basis of packaging type, the market is segmented as tubes, sachets, stick packs, and others. The Tubes segment dominates the packaging type segment of the market. Effervescent tablet tubes are non-toxic and immune to microbiological attack. Additionally, these tubes are customer friendly and optimal for daily use. On the basis of product, the market is segmented as tablets and powder. The tablets segment dominates the product segment of the market. Effervescent tablets are a widely used dosage form in the pharmaceutical industry, for example for treating pain, fever or respiratory diseases. These tablets ease the intake of medicines for patients, especially for those with difficulty in swallowing. Powder product is also expected to contribute significantly during the forecast period.Effervescent Packaging is used for packing effervescent tablets and powders. Effervescent tablets are high on vitamin content, and in contact with liquid, they break up and form a solution.The report for Global Effervescent Packaging Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.Complete Report Details @Table of Contents1 Executive Summary.4 Global Effervescent Packaging Market, By Packaging Type4.1 Introduction4.2 Tubes4.3 Sachets4.4 Stick Packs4.5 Others5 Global Effervescent Packaging Market, By Product5.1 Introduction5.2 Tablets5.3 Powder6 Global Effervescent Packaging Market, By Application6.1 Introduction6.2 Pharmaceuticals6.3 Nutraceuticals6.4 Others.8 Competitive Analysis8.1 Introduction8.2 Competitive Scenario8.2.1 Market Share Analysis8.2.2 Market Development Analysis8.2.3 Product/Service Benchmarking8.3 Sanner GmbH8.3.1 Overview8.3.2 Product/Service Offering8.3.3 Strategy8.4 Romaco Pharmatechnik GmbH8.4.1 Overview8.4.2 Product/Service Offering8.4.3 Strategy8.5 Nutrilo GmbH8.5.1 Overview8.5.2 Product/Service Offering8.5.3 Strategy8.6 Unither Pharmaceuticals8.6.1 Overview8.6.2 Product/Service Offering8.6.3 Strategy8.7 Amerilab Technologies, Inc.8.7.1 Overview8.7.2 Product/Service Offering8.7.3 Strategy8.8 Hebei Xinfuda Plastic Products Co., Ltd.8.8.1 Overview8.8.2 Product/Service Offering8.8.3 Strategy8.9 Parekhplast India Ltd.8.9.1 Overview8.9.2 Product/Service Offering8.9.3 Strategy8.10 Zhejiang Sorfa Life Science Research Co., Ltd8.10.1 Overview8.10.2 Product/Service Offering8.10.3 StrategyContinued.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Solutions, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.CONTACT US:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Breast Biopsy Devices Market Regions, Type and Application, Forecast Analysis to 2024

Global Breast Biopsy Devices Market ? Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024

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Global Breast Biopsy Devices Market,By Product (Table, Needle, Localization wire, Guidance System), Type (Open Biopsy- Excisional, Incisional, Needle- Core Needle Aspiration, Vacuum Assisted), by Guidance system (Ultrasound, Stereotactic, MRI), by End-User (Diagnostics centres, Hospitals), By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024The Global Breast Biopsy Devices Market accounted to USD 436.5 million in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 10.9% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Full Report:Global Breast Biopsy Devices Market  Market Definition:A Breast Biopsy is a test that removes tissue or sometimes fluid from the suspicious area which are examined under a microscope and further tested to check for the presence of breast cancer. Biopsy is the only diagnosticprocedure that can definitely determine if the suspicious area is cancerous.Major Market Drivers and Restraints: Rising incidences of breast cancer New reimbursement guidelines for breast biopsy procedures in the U.S. Increasing number of awareness about breast cancer and cancer screening programs Increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeriesRequest For Sample:Global Breast Biopsy Devices Market  Market Segmentation:By type the market for breast biopsy devices is segmented into Needle Breast Biopsy and Open Surgical Breast Biopsy. The needle breast biopsy segment is further segmented into Core-Needle Biopsy (CNB), Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB), and Vacuum-Assisted Biopsy (VAB). The Open Surgical Breast Biopsy segment is further segmented into Excisional Breast Biopsy and Incisional Breast Biopsy.By product the breast biopsy devices market is segmented into Biopsy Needles, Guidance Systems, Biopsy Tables, Localization Wires, and Others. By Guidance the breast biopsy devices market is segmented into Mammography-Guided Stereotactic Breast Biopsy, Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy, MRI-Guided Breast Biopsy, and Other Guidance Techniques.On the basis of end-user the market is segmented into diagnostic centers and hospitals.On the basis of geography, breast biopsy devices market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, andBrazil among others. In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Request For Toc:Global Breast Biopsy Devices Market  Competitive Analysis:The breast biopsy devices market is highly fragmented and is based on new product launches and clinical results of products. Hence the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, clinical trials, market initiatives, high expense on research and development, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of breast biopsy devices market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Global Breast Biopsy Devices Market  Major Market Competitors:Some of the major players operating in angiography devices market are Becton, Dickinson and Company , C.R. Bard, Inc., Devicor Medical Products Inc., Hologic Inc., Argon Medical Devices, Cook Medical Incorporated, Encapsule Medical Devices LLC, Ethicon Endo Surgery (Johnson and Johnson) , Galini SRL, Intact Medical Corporation among others.Contact:Ankit SinghData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogData Bridge is an organization lead by well versed forecasters, analysts and researchers who indulge in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. Data Bridge aims to make your organization well acquainted with profound knowledge of the global and local market statistics.Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit Blog
Global Spirometer Market and key players of this market are ecton, Dickinson and Company, Philips Healthcare, Schiller and Many More

Global Spirometer Market  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024

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Global Spirometer Market, By Product (Table-top, Hand-held, Desktop) Technology{Volume (Wet and Dry), Flow (Pneumotachograph, Mass Flow Meter), and Peak Flow Meter (PFM)} Application (Diagnostic and Therapeutic) End-user (hospital, clinic and homecare) Distribution Channel (OTC and Direct Tenders) Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, MEA)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global spirometer market is expected to reach USD 1.2 billion by 2024 from USD 595.3 million in 2016, at a CAGR of 9.6 percent in the forecast period 2017 to 2024. The new market report contains data for historic years 2014 and 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Global spirometer market is segmented on the basis of product, technology, application, end-user, distribution channel, and geography.Browse Full Report:Market Segmentation:Based on product type, the spirometer market is categorized into table-top spirometer, hand-held spirometer, desktop (PC) spirometer.The global spirometer market is segmented on the basis of technology into Volume Measurement Spirometer (Wet and Dry), Flow Measurement Spirometer (Pneumotachograph System and Mass Flow Meter), and Peak Flow Meter (PFM).Request For TOC:Based on application, the spirometer market is segmented into diagnostic and therapeutic. The global spirometer market is segmented on the basis of end-user into hospital, clinic and homecare. Global spirometer market is segmented on the basis of distribution into over the counter and direct tenders.Based on geography, the global spirometer devices market covers data points for 52 countries across multiple geographies: North & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. North America is expected to dominate the global spirometer market, followed by Europe. North America is dominating the market owing to drivers such as technological advancements, government regulations, rise in incidences of respiratory diseases, increase in healthcare expenditure, and improvements in healthcare infrastructure. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the forecast period 2017 to 2024 owing to factors such as rising incidences of chronic diseases, increase in healthcare expenditure, and rise in awareness regarding the availability of various respiratory care monitoring and therapeutic devices in this region.Sample Request:Market Analysis:The global spirometer market is highly fragmented with various companies operating in local regions. The major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes company share data for different geographies including Global, North America, Europe and APAC.The global spirometer market report contains an in-depth profiling of the key market players, along with the recent developments (new product launches, partnerships, agreements, collaborations, and joint ventures) and strategies adopted by them to sustain and strengthen their position in market. For example: in July, 2017, Amplivox Ltd., announced the launch of their product Otowave 302. This development is expected to increase the companies foothold in the local market. The report also covers the market shares for Global, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America .Major Players:Some of the major players operating in the global spirometer market are Becton, Dickinson and Company, Philips Healthcare, Schiller, Welch Allyn, Inc., SDI Diagnostics, Cardiotech, MIR Medical International Research S.r.l, Vitalograph, MGC Diagnostics Corporation, NDD Medical Technologies, SDI Diagnostics, Jones Medical Corporation, Gerathern Respiratory GmbH, Thor Medical Systems, Fukuda Sangyo Inc., Nihon Kohden Corporation, and nSpire Health Inc., among others.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogData Bridge is an organization lead by well versed forecasters, analysts and researchers who indulge in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. Data Bridge aims to make your organization well acquainted with profound knowledge of the global and local market statistics.Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit Blog
Global Herbal Organic Mascara Market: key Vendors, Trends, Analysis, Segmentation, Forecast to 2017-2022

Herbal Organic Mascara Industry

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Market Synopsis of Herbal & Organic MascaraDefinitionHerbal & organic mascara is used to enhance the volume of eyelashes. Application of mascara makes the eyes look more prominent and voluminous. Developing economy and increasing disposable income has propelled the sale of organic products at the global level. Rising disposable income has influenced consumers spending behavior in recent years. Mass consumers have a high inclination towards quality cosmetics with no harmful chemicals and irritants, which has increased the sale of herbal and organic mascara worldwide. Owning to these fluctuating trends and product improvisations, herbal & organic mascara market share has increased in the eye cosmetics market. Furthermore, rising awareness about side effects of harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde and paraben in the mascara is also found to be one of the major drivers for this market.Market ScenarioIncreasing beauty consciousness and more emphasis on natural, chemical-free cosmetic products have a significant impact on this market. Manufacturers high focus on the product innovations has resulted in wide range product offerings. This has attracted the attention of consumers over the time further increasing the products market share. Technological strides and a keen focus on R & D has supported in fueling up the market share. Players emphasize on launching the unique product line in eye cosmetic range to gain consumers attention. Increasing population of women adopting natural and chemical-free makeup trends has been increasing the sale of herbal & organic mascara globally.Among the various herbal & organic mascara products, volumizing herbal & organic mascara is evaluated to hold a major share based on the high demand for mascara to enhance the volume of the lashes to make them look thicker and prominent. Based on the form, share of liquid herbal & organic mascara is found to be high owing to convenience in applications. Based on the certification of the product, herbal & organic both is found to be dominating the segment due to high awareness amongst the consumers and rising demand for herbal products. Specialty stores are found to be the major hub for the sale of herbal & organic mascara backed up by one stop shopping experience and high availability of the desired products through the channel.Access Report Details@Key FindingsMarket share of cake based herbal & organic mascara is found to be growing at a higher rate during the forecast periodTop exporters of herbal & organic mascara include Germany, France, South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and SingaporeSegmentsHerbal & organic mascara has been segmented on the basis of types, which comprises volumizing mascara, lengthening mascara, curling mascara, and others. Voluminizing herbal & organic mascara is found to hold a major share due to high consumers preference.Herbal & organic mascara has been segmented on the basis of forms, which include liquid, cake, cream, and others. Among the segments cake based form of herbal & organic mascara is expected to have a high growth rate.Herbal & organic mascara has been segmented on the basis of certification, which comprises organic, herbal, and organic & herbal. Organic and herbal certification of mascara holds a major share.Herbal & organic mascara has been segmented on the basis of the distribution channel, which comprises supermarket/hypermarket, specialty stores, drug-stores, convenience stores, e-commerce, and others. Sale through supermarket/hypermarket is growing with a higher growth rate.Request Sample Report@Regional AnalysisThe global herbal & organic mascara market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (ROW). North America accounts for the major market share followed by Asia Pacific. High demand for organic products influencing the production capacity in the country is projected to generate a high revenue during the given forecast period. Furthermore, urbanization will support the sale of herbal & organic mascara in Asia Pacific region during the forecast period. The Major importers of herbal & organic mascara include China, Hong Kong, the U.K., Singapore, and Germany.Key PlayersSome of the key players profiled in the global herbal & organic mascara market are Ecco Bella (U.S.), Ulta Beauty, Inc. (U.S.), Lotus Herbals Limited (India), Odylique (U.K.), Au Naturale, Llc (U.S.), RMS Beauty (U.S.) and josie maran cosmetics (U.S.)At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Solutions, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028 Maharashtra, India
Americas insomnia 2017 Global Key Players  EISAI, CO., MERCK & CO INC, SANOFI, PFIZER, INC. 2023 Market Analysis, Demand And Forecast

Americas insomnia

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The Global Americas insomnia Market Research Report provides detailed analysis of the key regional market status of the Americas insomnia Industry.Americas Insomnia Market Research Report, by types of therapy (Pharmacological therapy and Non Pharmacological therapy), by drug formulation (Capsules, Tablet and others), by type of disease (poor quality of sleep, sleep maintenance and others)- Forecast till 2023Insomnia is disorder related to sleep, it creates difficulty in sleeping. The symptoms show dissatisfaction with sleep, fatigue, low energy, less concentration, low performance, irritation, change in moods and many more. There are three types of insomnia that is transient, acute and chronic. The transient insomnia is sleeping disorder that occurs for few days or few weeks. The acute insomnia may be experience when students have exams or a person has an interview. This is a short time difficulty in sleep that lasts for some weeks. While the chronic insomnia is long term disorder of sleep seen in people having regular shift timings on their jobs, unhealthy sleeping habits, clinical disorders and some other psychiatric issues or health issues and many more reasons associated. The prevalence rate of insomnia is very high and is increasing day by day. Worldwide millions of people are getting affected by the sleeping disorder. According to the CDC study, it says that American do sleep for 7hrs and 36min in working days while 40min more on non-working days. The insomnia is majorly seen in American women, data says that 24 percent of women have woken up with no well rest, while the 16 percent of men have experienced same. This percentage is very less in contrast to people who suffers from insomnia. Americas Insomnia market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6% during forecasted period of 2017-2023.SegmentationThe Americas insomnia market is segmented on the basis of, types of therapy, drug formulation and by type of disease. On the basis of types of therapy market is segmented into pharmacological therapy and non-pharmacological therapy. On the basis of the pharmacological therapy is sub-segmented into Benzodiazepines, Non-benzodiazepines, Melatonin receptor agonists and others. Likewise on the basis of the non-pharmacological therapy is also sub-segmented into Relaxation therapy, Cognitive behavioural therapy, Sleep hygiene education, Stimulus Controls, Paradoxical intension and others. On the basis of drug formulation the drugs are being formulated in capsules, tablets and others. Whereas on the basis of type of disease it includes poor quality of sleep, sleep maintenance and others.Players for Americas Insomnia MarketThe number of local and global level players working for the insomnia are: Eisai, Co. (Japan), Pfizer, Inc. (US), Merck & Co Inc (US), Sanofi (France), Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (Japan), Meda Consumer Healthcare Inc (US), Pernix Therapeutics (US), Purdue Pharma L.P. (US), Consumer Healthcare Inc. (Canada), Dainippon Sumitomo (Japan), ECR Pharmaceuticals (US), Flynn Pharma (UK), Johnson & Johnson (US), Astellas (UK), Biocodex S A (France), Neurim (Switzerland), SkyePharma (UK), and Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (US).Request a Sample Report @Regional AnalysisOn regional basis the Americas insomnia market is segmented into two regions- North America and South America. Further North America is segmented into US and Canada. The North America region is experiencing more number of cases for insomnia. The cases are seen with unintentionally falling asleep and nodding while driving. The sleep related disorders are also seen because of the hypertension, cardio problems, cancer, depression, obesity and many more. It is estimated that near about 70 million US citizens are affected by insomnia.Study Objectives Americas Insomnia Market Research ReportTo provide the Detail Overview of American insomnia market.To provide In-depth market segmentation and sub segmentations.To provide insights about factors affecting the market growthTo analyze the market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc.To provide Competitive landscape and key players in the market.To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to geography and countries- North America and South America.To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospectiveTo track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Americas Insomnia Market.TABLE OF CONTENTS1 INTRODUCTION2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY3 MARKET DYNAMICS4 MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS5 AMERICAS INSOMNIA MARKET, BY TYPES OF THERAPY6 AMERICAS INSOMNIA MARKET, BY DRUG FORMULATION7 AMERICAS INSOMNIA MARKET, BY TYPES OF DISEASE8 AMERICAS INSOMNIA MARKET, BY REGION9 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE10 COMPANY PROFILEAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Pune, India
New Research on Global GPS Tracking Device Market by focusing on Top Companies like Calamp Corporation, Sierra Wireless, Inc., Orbocomm Inc.,Queclink Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd.

Global GPS Tracking Device Market ? Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024

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Global GPS Tracking Device Market By Type (Standalone Tracker, PBD Device, Advance Tracker) By Deployment type (Commercial Vehicle, Cargo and Container, Others), By Application (Transportation & Logistics, Construction, Oil & Gas, Metals & Mining, Government, Others) By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024This report consists of below pages:No of pages :350No of Figures:60No of Tables:220Ask for Free Sample Report @Global GPS Tracking Device Market accounted to USD 1.5 billion in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 13.0% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Global GPS Tracking Device Market Definition:A GPS tracking unit is a device, normally carried by a moving vehicle or person, that uses the Global Positioning System to determine and track its precise location, and hence that of its carrier, at intervals. The latest trend in this market is growth in commercial vehicle leading to the growth of GPS system, they are in small in size, easy to carry, which may further develop the market in future. There is need of GPS tracking devices for several applications like Transportation & Logistics, Construction, Oil & Gas, Metals & Mining,Government, Otherswill create a huge market for the GPS tracking devices.Global GPS Tracking Device Market Competitive Analysis:GPS Tracking Device Market is highly fragmented and is based on new product launches and clinical results of products. Hence the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, clinical trials, market initiatives, high expense on research and development, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of flow cytometry market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Questions? Well Put You On The Right Path Request Analyst Call @Major Market Drivers and Restraints: Commercial Vehicles increment leading to large supply of GPS system Smaller Size, Longer Life, and High ROI Low Prices Several Environmental Factors Leads to Poor User Experience Advancement in the SoftwareRequest for Detail TOC@Market Segmentation: Global GPS Tracking Device MarketOn the basis of type the GPS tracking device marketis segmented into Standalone Tracker, PBD Device, and Advance Tracker. The advance tracker market is expected to grow in the forecasted period.On the basis of deployment type the GPS tracking device market is segmented into Commercial Vehicle, Cargo and Container, Others.The commercial vehicle market is expected to grow in the forecasted period.On the basis of application the GPS tracking device market is segmented into Transportation & Logistics, Construction, Oil & Gas, Metals & Mining, Government, Others.The transportation and logistic market is expected to grow in the forecasted period.On the basis of geography, GPS tracking device marketreport covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Global GPS Tracking Device Market Major Market Competitors:Some of the major players operating in GPS tracking device market are: Calamp Corporation, Sierra Wireless, Inc., Orbocomm Inc., Queclink Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd, Shenzhen Concox Information Technology Co., Ltd, Laird PLC., Tomtom International Bv, MeitrackGroup, Teltonika UAB, Atrack Technology Inc., Trackimo LLC,Geotab Inc., Shenzhen Coban Electronics Co., Ltd, Xirgo Technologies, Inc., Maestro Wireless Solutions Ltd., Ruptela UAB, Spy tech, Inc., Verizon Wireless among others.In 2017, Volkswagen sign a deal with Sierra wireless Inc. to use the GPS tracking devices in their cars.Read more about This Report @About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit Blog:Follow us on LinkedIn:Data Bridge is an organization lead by well versed forecasters, analysts and researchers who indulge in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. Data Bridge aims to make your organization well acquainted with profound knowledge of the global and local market statistics.Data Bridge Market ResearchOffice Number 402 & 317,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India
Global GPS Tracking Device Market Premium Insight Market, Trends and forecast 2017-2024

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Global GPS Tracking Device Market By Type (Standalone Tracker, PBD Device, Advance Tracker) By Deployment type (Commercial Vehicle, Cargo and Container, Others), By Application (Transportation & Logistics, Construction, Oil & Gas, Metals & Mining, Government, Others) By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024This report consists of below pages: No of pages : 350 No of Figures: 60 No of Tables:250The Global GPS Tracking Device Market accounted to USD 1.5 billion in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 13.0% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic years 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.Request for Sample Report @Global GPS Tracking Device Market Key Drivers: Commercial Vehicles increment leading to large supply of GPS system Smaller Size, Longer Life, and High ROI Low Prices Several Environmental Factors Leads to Poor User Experience Advancement in the SoftwareGlobal Diabetes Care Devices Market is segmented on the basis of type, deployment type, application, and geography.Browse Full Report @On the basis of type the GPS tracking device marketis segmented into Standalone Tracker, PBD Device, and Advance Tracker. The advance tracker market is expected to grow in the forecasted period.On the basis of deployment type the GPS tracking device market is segmented into Commercial Vehicle, Cargo and Container, Others.The commercial vehicle market is expected to grow in the forecasted period.Request for TOC:On the basis of application the GPS tracking device market is segmented into Transportation & Logistics, Construction, Oil & Gas, Metals & Mining, Government, Others.The transportation and logistic market is expected to grow in the forecasted period.On the basis of geography, GPS tracking device marketreport covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Speak to our Analyst:GPS Tracking Device Market is highly fragmented and is based on new product launches and clinical results of products. Hence the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, clinical trials, market initiatives, high expense on research and development, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of flow cytometry market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.Some of the major players operating in this market areSome of the major players operating in GPS tracking device market areCalamp Corporation, Sierra Wireless, Inc., Orbocomm Inc.,Queclink Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd, Shenzhen Concox Information Technology Co., Ltd, Laird PLC., Tomtom International Bv,MeitrackGroup,Teltonika UAB,Atrack Technology Inc.,Trackimo LLC,Geotab Inc., Shenzhen Coban Electronics Co., Ltd,Xirgo Technologies, Inc., Maestro Wireless Solutions Ltd.,Ruptela UAB, Spy tech, Inc., Verizon Wireless among others. In 2017, Volkswagen sign a deal with Sierra wireless Inc. to use the GPS tracking devices in their cars.Inquiry before Buying @Other ReportGlobal Active Wound Care Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Global Active Wound Care Market By Product Type (Allograft, Synthetic Skin Grafts, Xenografts, Collagen Dressings, Amniotic Tissue Grafts, Growth Factors (Platelet Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), Epidermal Growth Factors (EGF), Basic Fibroblast Growth Factors (BFGF), Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF), Talactoferrin ALFA, Thrombin Peptide, and Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF)), By Distribution Channel, By End Users, By Indication, Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024Report Access:About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Vishal DixitData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogFollow us on LinkedIn:
Baby Carriers Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 Tula Baby Carriers, Snuggy Baby, Balboa Baby , Beachfront Baby, Beco Baby, Carrier Moby, Wrap BabySwede and Others

Baby Carriers Market

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Global Baby Carriers market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Tula Baby Carriers, Snuggy Baby, Balboa Baby , Beachfront Baby, Beco Baby, Carrier Moby, Wrap BabySwede and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.A baby carrier is one of the most comfortable and secure ways of carrying the baby around. With a baby carrier, your baby will always be close to you, without you having to sacrifice your arms to holding them. You can carry on working inside the house, or outside while your baby sleeps serenely beside you. Baby carriers are especially helpful when you are travelling or visiting friends or family, and pushing a stroller around is not a choice.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Baby Carriers Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Baby BjornChiccoErgobabyEvenfloInfantinoTula Baby CarriersSnuggy BabyBalboa BabyBeachfront BabyBeco Baby CarrierMoby WrapBabySwedeChimparooHotslingsManducaPoe WovensWrapsodyUPPAbabyOtherGlobal Baby Carriers Market: Key Application0-6 Months6-12 Months1-3 YearsGlobal Baby Carriers Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Baby Carriers Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Baby Carriers Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Baby Carriers Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Global Market Overview1.1 Scope of Statistics1.1.1 Scope of Products1.1.2 Scope of Manufacturers1.1.3 Scope of Application1.1.4 Scope of Regions/Countries1.2 Global Market Size2 Regional Market2.1 Regional Production2.2 Regional Demand2.3 Regional Trade....................ContinueGlobal Baby Carriers Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Confusion swirled Tuesday about whether Russian hackers tried to access Wisconsin voter registration data in 2016, as new information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says the attempts instead were directed at another state agency.

An email to the state Elections Commission from Homeland Security official Juan Figueroa was released by the commission Tuesday. It says a state IP address that was targeted last year is linked to the state Department of Workforce Development.

That differs from an account given Friday by the elections commission, based on information received that day in a call with Homeland Security officials.

It said scanning for security vulnerabilities by Russian cyber-actors in 2016 was directed at Wisconsins Internet-connected election infrastructure, likely as part of a bid to access the voter registration database.

The commissions administrator, Michael Haas, confirmed Tuesday that Homeland Security officials were clear in the Friday phone call that Wisconsins voter database was targeted.

Either they were right on Friday and this is a cover-up, or they were wrong on Friday and we deserve an apology, commission chairman Mark Thomsen said of the new information offered Tuesday by Homeland Security.

Homeland Security officials said in a statement late Tuesday that the department stands by its assessment that Internet-connected networks in 21 states were the target of Russian government cyberactors seeking vulnerabilities and access to U.S. election infrastructure.

Its important to point out that discussions of specific IP addresses do not provide a complete picture of potential targeting activity, said Homeland Security spokesman Scott McConnell.

McConnell did not immediately respond Tuesday to a State Journal inquiry about whether the department still believes Russian hackers sought access to Wisconsin election systems.

The states IT agency, the Division of Enterprise Technology, also told state elections commissioners Tuesday that the scanning attempts were directed at Department of Workforce Development systems. The agency said it cant confirm the origin of those attempts.

Still, it remained unclear Tuesday if the attempts were made with the objective of accessing voter files.

Elections commission spokesman Reid Magney said the same hackers that sought vulnerabilities in Workforce Development systems tried to access election systems in other states. He said its possible they were also trying to target election systems in Wisconsin but simply missed the target.

Russian cyberactors might have thought accessing Workforce Development systems would help them access voter files, said Barry Burden, a UW-Madison professor and elections expert.

Asked Tuesday if that were possible, Steve Michels, a spokesman for the Division of Enterprise Technology, said it locks and audits the state system in a way that prevents this from occurring.

State notified in 2016

A timeline provided by the division Tuesday said it was notified in October 2016 of a suspicious traffic from a known malicious IP related to voter and election compromises. The notification came from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a nonprofit that partners with Homeland Security and others to guard against cyberthreats.

The state IT agency says it investigated the matter and found the traffic attempted to access a nonexistent server at Workforce Development on July 30 and July 31. The suspicious IP address was blocked on Aug. 2, 2016, and the scan had no effect on any state system and no data was exfiltrated, Michels said.

The U.S. intelligence community consensus is that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election with the intent of helping elect Republican Donald Trump and undermine U.S. faith in its elections. The U.S. agencies found Russian operations included supporting the hacking of email systems of the U.S. political parties and relaying the emails to WikiLeaks, which later published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee.

Homeland Security officials revealed in June that they had evidence of election-related systems in 21 states that were targeted but did not say which ones. On Friday, it notified the states that were affected.

In most states, the hacking attempts were unsuccessful. But in Illinois, hackers successfully accessed voter information.

Separate from

vote counting

Voter registration systems are separate from those that actually count votes. But they still could be a tempting target for someone seeking to tamper with election results.

Someone who accessed voter-registration rolls conceivably could try to alter or delete them, creating chaos on Election Day, Burden said.

Speaking at Tuesdays meeting before the commission was advised of the latest message from Homeland Security, commission chairman Thomsen publicly apologized for what he described as a belated acknowledgement of attempts to hack state elections systems in 2016.

In June, Haas testified to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee that we have not been told  that there was an attack in Wisconsin. Haas added that the commission would likely be able to detect any attempt to gain access to the states election system.

Tuesdays elections commission meeting included discussion of how to bolster state election cyber defenses in 2018 and beyond. Thomsen said he hopes the commission will hold a special meeting in the near future to discuss the matter further.
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market Report for Period 2017 till 2022 AKG Gazbeton, Ultratech, Hansa Baustoffwerke and Others

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market

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Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely AKG Gazbeton, Ultratech, Hansa Baustoffwerke and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Aerated Concrete is a type of precast concrete composed of all natural raw materials producing great benefits and better energy efficient performance. As early as 1914, the Swedes discovered a mixture of cement, lime, water and sand, just like regular concrete but adding aluminum powder. This last material gives the Autoclaved Aerated Precast Concrete expansion properties.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Xella GroupAercon AACH+H International A/SACICOMasa GroupEastlandBiltechAKG GazbetonUltratechHansa BaustoffwerkeJ K Lakshmi CementDOMAPOREco GreenSchlamann KGDongying City FranshionYABALANG BuildingOthersGlobal Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market: Key Product TypeBlocksLintelsPanelsOthersGlobal Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market: Key ApplicationIndustrialCommercialResidentialOthersGlobal Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Blocks1.2.2 Lintels1.2.3 Panels1.2.4 Others1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Industrial1.3.2 Commercial1.3.3 Residential1.3.4 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions.......................Continue (Global Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Organic Baby Gourmet Food Market Report 2017: Global on Markets, Companies, Products, Key Drivers, Crops and forecast to 2022.

Baby Gourmet Food Market

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Global Baby Gourmet Food Market report 2022 by Key Players, Application, Region, Segmentation and Revenue AnalysisSummaryGlobal Baby Gourmet Food Market Information- by Ingredient (fruits, vegetables, grains & cereals, dairy and others) by Product type (probiotic cereal, baby meals, snacks, starting solids and others) and by Region - Forecast to 2022Request a Sample Report @Study Objectives of Baby Gourmet Food Market: Detailed analysis for micro and macro markets. To estimate market size by ingredients, and product type. To understand the supply and demand dynamics including supply and consumption concentration mapping. To provide region level market analysis and future outlook for North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) and their countries. Competitive landscaping evaluating key strategies taken by top players in the market. Company profiling of major players in the market. Value chain analysis and supply chain analysis Analysis of historical market trends, and technologies, and current government regulatory requirements.Key Findings: Secondary data reveals that the organic chocolate sales is projected to grow more than 3% annually post the year 2022. Consumers preference towards innovation of new flavors, ingredients and forms, are in high demand.Key Players:The key players profiled in Baby Gourmet Food are: Kuhne Gourmet Selection Fig, Baby Gourmet Foods Inc Parent's Choice Squoosh, Crockery Gourmet Grocery & Gourmet Food Fresh Gourmet Yogourmet Taffy Town and Folgers.Reasons to Buy: This report includes in-depth study analysis of baby gourmet food market. It covers market segmentation by source, and nutrition per serving. It helps in identifying region-wise major suppliers and understand consumption patterns. The report will provide useful and premium insights that will support in investments for Baby Gourmet Food and allied companies providing details on the fast growing segments and regions. In addition, it will provide key findings that will help the companies to improve profitability by using supply chain strategies, cost effectiveness of various products mentioned in the report. The data used in the report is primarily based on primary interviews with the major producing companies and industry experts and also supported by authentic industry data from secondary sources.Intended Audience: Baby Gourmet Food manufacturers Baby Food Manufacturers Retailers, wholesalers E-commerce companies Traders, Importers and exportersBrowse Complete report @At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Office No. 524/528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar
Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 TATVA CHINTAN, Huadong Chem, Kailida Chem, Sachem, Kente Chem and Others

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Global Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Runjing Chem, CCP, Merck, TATVA CHINTAN, Huadong Chem, Kailida Chem, Xinde Chem, Zhenfeng Chem, Kente Chem, Longxiang Chem, Sachem, Greenda Chem, Tama and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.Tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) is a quaternary ammonium alkali with the molecular formula (CH3)4NOH. It is widely used in micro-or nanofabrication as an etchant and developer.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:SachemGreenda ChemTamaSunheatRunjing ChemCCPMerckTATVA CHINTANHuadong ChemKailida ChemXinde ChemZhenfeng ChemKente ChemLongxiang ChemOthersGlobal Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide Market: Key Product TypeElectronic Grade TMAHIndustrial Grade TMAHOthersGlobal Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide Market: Key Application TypeOrganosilicon SynthesisSilicon Wafer Treatment AgentOthersGlobal Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Type1.2.1.1 Electronic Grade TMAH1.2.1.2 Industrial Grade TMAH1.2.2 by Application1.2.2.1 Organosilicon Synthesis1.2.2.2 Silicon Wafer Treatment Agent1.2.2.3 Others........................Continue (Global Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023 ICL-IP, Jordan Bromine, Shandong Moris, Kingboard Chemical Holdings, Shenrunfa and Others

Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market

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Global Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Tianjin Changlu Hangu Saltern, Kingboard Chemical Holdings, Shenrunfa, Shandong Weifang Longwei, Shandong Futong Chemical, Albemarle, Chemtura, ICL-IP, Jordan Bromine, Shandong Moris, Shandong Brother Sci.&Tech and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:AlbemarleChemturaICL-IPJordan BromineShandong MorisShandong Brother Sci.&TechTianjin Changlu Hangu SalternKingboard Chemical HoldingsShenrunfaShandong Weifang LongweiShandong Futong ChemicalOthersGlobal Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market: Key Product TypeDirect Bromine Generation MethodCatalytic Bromine Generation MethodOxidation Bromine Generation MethodOthersGlobal Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market: Key End UsersPCB or LaminatesPlastic HousingsIntermediateOthersGlobal Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Global Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBA) (CAS 79-94-7) Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
ATM Market Report for Period 2017 till 2022 GRG Banking, Hitachi, Synkey Group and Others

ATM Market

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Global ATM Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely GRG Banking, Hitachi, Synkey Group and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.This report studies the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) market. An automated or automatic teller machine (ATM), also known as an automated banking machine (ABM), cash machine, cashpoint, cashline or hole in the wall, is a computerized telecommunications device that enables the clients of a financial institution to perform financial transactions without the need for a cashier, human clerk or bank teller. ATMs are known by various other names including ATM machine, automated banking machine, cash machine and various regional variants derived from trademarks on ATM systems held by particular banks.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global ATM Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Diebold NixdorfNCRGRG BankingHitachiSynkey GroupFujitsuOKINautilus HyosungKebaOthersGlobal ATM Market: Key Product TypeOn-site ATMOff-site ATMOthersGlobal ATM Market: Key ApplicationBankingRetailOthersGlobal ATM Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global ATM Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global ATM Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global ATM Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 ATM Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 On-site ATM1.2.2 Off-site ATM1.2.3 Other1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Banking1.3.2 Retail1.4 Market Analysis by Regions......................Continue (Global ATM Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Test Phantoms Market Report for Period 2017 till 2022 IBA, Standard Imaging, Biodex Medical Systems, RaySafe, 3-Dmed, Kyoto Kagaku, Carville and Others

Test Phantoms Market

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Global Test Phantoms market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely IBA, Standard Imaging, Biodex Medical Systems, RaySafe, Capintec, Gammex, Fluke, Pro-Project, The Phantom Laboratory, Carville, CIRS, Modus Medical Devices, Radiology Support Devices, 3-Dmed, Kyoto Kagaku and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.This report studies the Test Phantoms market, Test Phantoms can ensure your patients are receiving maximum image quality at the lowest possible dose.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Test Phantoms Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:GammexFlukeIBAStandard ImagingBiodex Medical SystemsRaySafeCapintecPro-ProjectThe Phantom LaboratoryCarvilleCIRSModus Medical DevicesRadiology Support Devices3-DmedKyoto KagakuOthersGlobal Test Phantoms Market: Key Segment TypeCT Test PhantomsMammography Test PhantomsUltrasound Test PhantomsRadiation Oncology Test PhantomsMRI Test PhantomsOthersGlobal Test Phantoms Market: Key Application TypeResearch instituteSchoolHospitalOthersGlobal Test Phantoms Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Test Phantoms Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Test Phantoms Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Test Phantoms Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Test Phantoms Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 CT Test Phantoms1.2.2 Mammography Test Phantoms1.2.3 Ultrasound Test Phantoms1.2.4 Radiation Oncology Test Phantoms1.2.5 MRI Test Phantoms1.2.6 Others1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Research institute1.3.2 School1.3.3 Hospital1.3.4 Others........................Continue (Global Test Phantoms Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Astronomical Telescope Market Report for Period 2017 till 2022 ASTRO-PHYSICS, Bushnell, Bresser and Others

Astronomical Telescope Market

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Global Astronomical Telescope Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely ASTRO-PHYSICS, Bushnell, Bresser and Others+. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Astronomical telescope is an optical instrument used to view heavenly bodies such moon,stars, planets and distant objects. Astronomical telescope consists of two convex lenses objective and eye piece. The objective is a convex lens of large focal length and large aperture. It usually made of two convex lenses in contact with each other to reduce the chromatic and spherical aberrations. The eye piece is also a convex lens .Its focal length is smaller than that of objective. It is also a combination of two lenses.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Astronomical Telescope Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:CelestronMeadeVixen OpticsTAKAHASHIASTRO-PHYSICSBushnellBresserORION+++BarskaSky WatcherBosmaSharpStarVisionkingTianLangOthersGlobal Astronomical Telescope Market: Key Product TypeRefracting TelescopeReflector TelescopeCatadioptric TelescopeOthersGlobal Astronomical Telescope Market: Key ApplicationEnter-levelIntermediate LevelProfessional ResearchOthersGlobal Astronomical Telescope Market: Key RegionUnited StatesCanadaMexicoThe Global Astronomical Telescope Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Astronomical Telescope Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Astronomical Telescope Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Astronomical Telescope Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Refracting Telescope1.2.2 Reflector Telescope1.2.3 Catadioptric Telescope1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Enter-level1.3.2 Intermediate Level......................Continue (Global Astronomical Telescope Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 Arkema, ISU, Sanshin Chemical Industry and Others

Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market

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Global Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely ISU, Chevronphillips, Arkema, Sanshin Chemical Industry and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan (TDM) is colorless oil liquid, and diffuses foul smell. It is insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol, ether, acetone, benzene, gasoline and other organic solvents and esters. It is mainly used as molecular weight modifier.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:ChevronphillipsArkemaISUSanshin Chemical IndustryOthersGlobal Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market: Key Product TypeTDM Products Based on DodeceneTDM Products Based on PropyleneOthersGlobal Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market: Key Application TypeStyrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR)Nitrile Rubber (NBR)Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)SurfactantOthersGlobal Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Type1.2.1.1 TDM Products Based on Dodecene1.2.1.2 TDM Products Based on Propylene........................Continue (Global Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Temperature Data-loggers Market Report for Period 2012 till 2022 Dickson, Elpro-Buchs, KIMO, Gemini Data Loggers, MadgeTech, SIGNATROL and Others

Temperature Data-loggers Market

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Global Temperature Data-loggers market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Lascar Electronics, Testo, Dickson, Elpro-Buchs, KIMO, Rotronic, Omega, SIGNATROL, Temprecord International, Gemini Data Loggers, MadgeTech, Ebro Electronic, Onset and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Temperature Data-loggers Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Gemini Data LoggersMadgeTechEbro ElectronicOnsetLascar ElectronicsTestoDicksonElpro-BuchsKIMORotronicOmegaSIGNATROLTemprecord InternationalTmi OrionOthersGlobal Temperature Data-loggers Market: Key Product TypePaper-Temperature Data LoggerPaperless-Temperature Data LoggerOthersGlobal Temperature Data-loggers Market: Key Application TypeMedicalFoodElectronicAgriculturalOthersGlobal Temperature Data-loggers Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Temperature Data-loggers Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Temperature Data-loggers Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Temperature Data-loggers Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Product........................Continue (Global Temperature Data-loggers Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Anti-static Film Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 Mitsubishi Polyester Film, Toray, Unitika and Others

Anti-static Film Market

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Global Anti-static Film Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Mitsubishi Polyester Film, Toray, Unitika and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Anti-Static Film is a stretch film used to prevent static electricity from being rubbed. It is widely used in electronics, electrical appliances, power transmission equipment field.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Anti-static Film Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:AchillesWimanBlueridge FilmsSyfanMitsubishi Polyester FilmTorayUnitikaSEKISUI Chemical GmbHSaint-GobainToyoboTechno Stat IndustrySKCEsterNAN YA PLASTICSYUN CHI PLASTICS FABRICATION CO., LTDHIMORECKKCixinFeisiteRuixianda.OthersGlobal Anti-static Film Market: Key Product TypePE Anti-Static FilmPET Anti-Static FilmPVC Anti-Static FilmOthersGlobal Anti-static Film Market: Key ApplicationElectronic FieldIndustrial FieldPharmaceutical FieldFood FieldOthersGlobal Anti-static Film Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East AfricaThe Global Anti-static Film Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Anti-static Film Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Anti-static Film Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Type1.2.1.1 PE Anti-Static Film1.2.1.2 PET Anti-Static Film1.2.1.3 PVC Anti-Static Film1.2.1.4 Others1.2.2 by Application.......................Continue (Global Anti-static Film Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
After prosecutors took just two hours arguing in federal court that Joseph Jakubowski stole and then illegally transported 20 firearms during his run from the law last April, Jakubowski one-upped the prosecutors efforts during his trial Monday when he confessed from the witness stand to committing both crimes.

After Jakubowskis attorney asked him if he was in court to tell the truth, the 33-year-old Janesville man, sporting a scruffy goattee while wearing a buttoned-down gray shirt and black pants, said in his low voice, Yes I am.

The 10-man, two-woman jury will begin deliberations Tuesday morning at the U.S. District Court in Madison after the trial for the man who was the subject of a nationwide manhunt last April after he wrote a 161-page anti-government manifesto and mailed it to President Donald Trump, then stole the guns, burned his car and disappeared. He was captured 10 days later on private land in Vernon County.

Jakubowski told the Wisconsin State Journal during an interview before the trial that he wanted the case to go to court because it provided a platform for him to speak publicly about how he believes the U.S. government is corrupt. But U.S. District Judge William Conley squashed those plans when he granted the prosecutors pre-trial motion to exclude testimony or any other evidence from Jakubowski of any claimed necessity defense.

The prosecution was rarely knocked off course after the jury was selected Monday morning and opening statements were made. The only surprise was that Jakubowski, who had refused to stand to honor judges in previous court hearings, was polite and stood when told to stand after the jury was selected.

Jurors saw a video interview of Jakubowski on the day of his arrest describing how he broke into Armageddon Supplies in Janesville and stole the guns. In the video, Jakubowski tells federal agents that he had checked out the gun shop twice before he robbed it and that the robbery was as easy as it gets.

The jury watched surveillance video of a person wearing a hooded sweatshirt breaking into and stealing guns from the store that matched what Jakubowski described during his confession.

A DNA expert from the State Crime Lab said blood found at the gun shop matched blood taken from Jakubowski.

The prosecution also presented photos of the campsite where Jakubowski was found and of five guns and a silencer found in the tent. Federal agents testified the weapons matched those stolen from Armageddon Supplies.

Jakubowski was on the stand for just a few minutes. Prior to testifying that he was there to tell the truth, he told the court that he broke into and robbed Armageddon Supplies on April 4 and took guns, magazines and bullets.

When asked what he did next, he said, I took off northwest.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio M. Trillo made just a brief closing argument. Theres an overwhelming amount of evidence ... that (Jakubowski) is guilty of the charges, he told the jury.

Jakubowskis attorney, Joe Bugni, cross-examined just two of the prosecutions witnesses: Scott Kuhl, the owner of Armageddon Supplies, and Jimmy Holford, the Janesville police officer who arrested Jakubowski in 2008 after he said Jakubowski resisted arrest and tried to disarm him. Jakubowski was convicted in that case.

Kuhl testified under cross examination that he did not have a separate license hanging in his business that showed he was a gun dealer but said later in further questioning from prosecutors that he didnt need one because of the type of manufacturers license he had.

Jakubowskis hopes rested on Bugnis efforts to convince jurors that they had to find Jakubowski not guilty because he was wrongly convicted of disarming Holford in 2008. But under questioning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Rita M. Rumbelow, Holford said the incident was more clear to him than any he has been involved in during his 11-year career with Janesville police.

When asked why, Holford answered, Because the defendant tried to kill me.

During his closing argument, Bugni rattled off evidence presented by the prosecution and asked the jury, Is that everything you need to convict? Its not. But Trillo said Bugni was trying to confuse the jury with a technicality and said Holfords testimony proved they arrested the right man.

(Jakubowski) is a prior felon, Trillo said.
Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment Market by MELAS, PEO, MERRF, MNGIE, KSS, MDS, NARP Analysis and Forecasts Till 2020

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The Global Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment Market is growing moderately and it is expected to grow at the same pace over the forecast period 2017-2018. The Global Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment Market is segmented on the basis of type, diagnostic tests and therapy. Based on type, the market has been segmented as mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO), myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibres (MERRF), mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome (MNGIE), KearnsSayre syndrome (KSS), mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDS), Pearson syndrome, Leigh syndrome, neuropathy, ataxia, and retinitis pigmentosa (NARP).Get Sample PDF Illustration @Major Players in Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment Market Key players profiled in the report are Centogene AG, GeneDx, Ixchel Pharma, Khondrion BV, Mitobridge, NeuroVive Pharmaceutical AB, Reata Pharmaceuticals Inc., Stealth Biotherapeutics and others.The Americas account for the maximum market share due to favorable reimbursement scenario and greater expenditure on healthcare. The Americas mitochondrial myopathy diagnosis & treatment market is expected to reach USD 116.7 million by the end of 2025 at the CAGR of 19.39% during 2017 to 2025. The faster market uptake of new technology in the US is also an important driver of the market for global mitochondrial myopathy diagnosis & treatment. Europe is the second largest market due to large disposable income and rising awareness. Asia Pacific region is expected to have the most future potential and it is estimated to be led by China and India. The Asia Pacific mitochondrial myopathy diagnosis & treatment market is expected to reach USD 4.4 million by the end of 2025 at the CAGR of 9.94% during 2017 to 2020. The Middle East & Africa market is led by the gulf nations particularly Saudi Arabia and UAE. The regions of Africa are expected to witness a moderate growth due to poor economic and political conditions and poor healthcare penetration.Mitochondrial myopathies are associated with mitochondrial diseases which are caused by certain nuclear DNA deletions and mutations. Mitochondrial myopathies affect mitochondria which is responsible for energy production within a cell associated with mitochondrial disease. Thus, they cause low energy and free radical production which results in a variety of symptoms.The factors such as rising number of screening services for mitochondrial disorders, growing number of mitochondrial myopathy cases, increased government funding and incentives for rare genetic diseases are driving the market for mitochondrial myopathy diagnosis & treatment. However, poor treatment options and absence of curative treatment have constrained the market.Get Discount @Considering all these factors, the market for mitochondrial myopathy diagnosis & treatment is expected to reach $ 33.6 million by the end of 2020, this market is projected to growing at a CAGR of ~ 9.82 % during 2017-2020.Major TOC for Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment Market:Research methodologyMarket dynamicsMarket factor analysisGlobal Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment market, by typeGlobal Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment Market, By Type of ContentGlobal Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment market, by technologyGlobal Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment market, by end userGlobal Mitochondrial Myopathy Diagnosis and Treatment market, by regionCompetitive landscapeThe report for Global Mitochondrial myopathy diagnosis & treatment Market by Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain a deeper insight of the market and industry performance.Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research and Consulting Services.Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Anti Reflective Glass Market Report for Period 2011 till 2022 Guardian, AbrisaTechnologies, EuropeTecGroupe and Others

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Global Anti Reflective Glass Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Guardian, AbrisaTechnologies, EuropeTecGroupe and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Anti-Reflective Glass is a specialised glass product that has been treated to reduce the amount of surface reflection seen from the face of the glass.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Anti Reflective Glass Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:ScohottCorningSaint-GobainAGCNSGGuardianAbrisaTechnologiesEuropeTecGroupeAVIC SanxinOthersGlobal Anti Reflective Glass Market: Key Product TypeDouble LayersFour LayersOthersGlobal Anti Reflective Glass Market: Key ApplicationArchitectural WindowsInstrumentation WindowsElectronic DisplaysFront Panel DisplaysOthersGlobal Anti Reflective Glass Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Global Anti Reflective Glass Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Anti Reflective Glass Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Anti Reflective Glass Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Type1.2.1.1 Double Layers1.2.1.2 Four Layers1.2.2 by Application1.2.2.1 Architectural Windows......................Continue (Global Anti Reflective Glass Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 FedEx Corp., Sonoco Products Company, AmerisourceBergen Corp., Pelican Biothermal, va-Q-tec AG, Saeplast and Others

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Global Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Softbox, va-Q-tec AG, Saeplast, Sofrigam SA Ltd., Snyder Industries Inc., ACH Foam Technologies, LLC, Cryopak, Inmark Packaging, Tempack, DHL, FedEx Corp., Sonoco Products Company, AmerisourceBergen Corp., Pelican Biothermal, Cold Chain Technologies and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.Temperature Controlled Packaging is the latest design in Packaging, for temperature controlled products.Temperature-controlled packaging (TCP) is one element of the cold chain. TCP is designed and validated to rigorous standards to keep products within a specific temperature range for a given time periodRequest for Free Sample Copy of Global Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:DHLFedEx Corp.Sonoco Products CompanyAmerisourceBergen Corp.Pelican BiothermalCold Chain TechnologiesSoftboxva-Q-tec AGSaeplastSofrigam SA Ltd.Snyder Industries Inc.ACH Foam Technologies, LLCCryopakInmark PackagingTempackOthersGlobal Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market: Key Product TypeActive SystemsPassive SystemsHybrid SystemsOthersGlobal Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market: Key Application TypeFood BeveragesHealthcareOthersGlobal Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Type1.2.1.1 Active Systems1.2.1.2 Passive Systems1.2.1.3 Hybrid Systems........................Continue (Global Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Anti Acne Cosmetics Market Report for Period 2011 till 2023 Neutrogena, Ancalima Lifesciences Ltd, Vichy and Others

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Global Anti Acne Cosmetics Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Neutrogena, Ancalima Lifesciences Ltd, Vichy and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Anti Acne Cosmetics Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:CliniqueProactivMuradNeutrogenaAncalima Lifesciences LtdVichyLaRochPosayMentholatumKoseDoctorLiOthersGlobal Anti Acne Cosmetics Market: Key Product TypeMaskEmulsionCleanserOthersGlobal Anti Acne Cosmetics Market: Key ApplicationWomenMenOthersGlobal Anti Acne Cosmetics Market: Key RegionAsia-PacificNorth AmericaEuropeSouth AmericaMiddle East AfricaThe Global Anti Acne Cosmetics Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Anti Acne Cosmetics Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Anti Acne Cosmetics Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Objectives of Research1.1.1 Definition1.1.2 Specifications1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 by Type1.2.1.1 Mask1.2.1.2 Emulsion1.2.1.3 Cleanser1.2.1.4 Others1.2.2 by Application1.2.2.1 Women1.2.2.2 Men1.2.3 by Regions......................Continue (Global Anti Acne Cosmetics Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Anthrax Vaccines Market Report for Period 2017 till 2022 Bayer Sanidad Animal, Colorado Serum, PharmAthene and Others

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Global Anthrax Vaccines Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Bayer Sanidad Animal, Colorado Serum, PharmAthene and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc.Anthrax is a serious disease that can affect both animals and humans. It is caused by bacteria called Bacillus anthracis. People can get anthrax from contact with infected animals, wool, meat, or hides.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Anthrax Vaccines Market 2017Top Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Emergent BioSolutionsMerialMerckZoetisBayer Sanidad AnimalColorado SerumPharmAtheneTiankangBiognesis-BagoCAVACRosenbuschAgrovetVecolCVCRIIVPMProndilCDVIndian ImmunologicalsBotswana Vaccine InstituteCeva Sant AnimaleIntervacJOVACOthersGlobal Anthrax Vaccines Market: Key Product TypeLive VaccinesCell free PA VaccinesOthersGlobal Anthrax Vaccines Market: Key ApplicationHuman UseAnimal UseOthersGlobal Anthrax Vaccines Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)The Global Anthrax Vaccines Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Anthrax Vaccines Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Global Anthrax Vaccines Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Anthrax Vaccines Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Live Vaccines1.2.2 Cell free PA Vaccines1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Human Use1.3.2 Animal Use1.4 Market Analysis by Regions.......................Continue (Global Anthrax Vaccines Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Windows 10 S is no longer just for education. On Monday at its Ignite conference for corporate partners, Microsoft unveiled four new Windows 10 S laptops from Acer, HP, and Lenovo, together with a new shorthand for the services theyll provide: Microsoft 365.

The new Windows 10 S machines will be sold to such customers later this year, and all cost less than $350. Theyre part of the cadre of low-cost Windows 10 S devices that Microsoft showed off at the introduction of Windows 10 S last year. Contrary to that events educational bent, however, these machines are being positioned as business PCs for what Microsoft terms firstline workers but might better be known as front-line workersthe staff you meet on support lines or at service counters, who interface with the public.

As for Microsoft 365, this is a suite that used to be just for business PCs, but is now being sold to educational customers as well. In the education space, it includes Office 365 for Education, Windows 10, Minecraft: Education Edition, and a device management service known as Enterprise Mobility + Security. Microsoft hasnt released pricing for the service, encouraging potential customers to get it in touch with sales agents instead.

Microsoft The new Windows 10 S PCs are due by this holiday, with the exception of the Lenovo V330.

Unfortunately, none of the hardware makers shared additional details of the new devices. We just know the prices and some of the basic configurations, as theyve been adapted from previously announced PCs. One example is the new HP Stream 14 Pro, which appears to have been adapted from the 14-inch Stream HP announced earlier this year.

One of the new features theyll be available with, according to Microsoft, is Windows Autopilot, a new business-oriented feature that will ship as part of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Instead of forcing an IT admin to create an image and associated hardware drivers for a new PC, they can provide a standard configuration, together with approved apps, that the user can install with the click of a button.

The story behind the story: In some ways, Windows 10 S machines are already a bit of a bust, releasing too late in time to ship to students in time for the fall semester. It makes sense, then, to try and reposition them for the business world, including the crop of recent grads who will be filling those frontline (not firstline!) positions.
Otto Richard has won the 2017 Winamax Poker Open Dublin Main Event. He saw off the second largest Winamax Poker Open field in history, a total of 1,069 players, to take home 92,000 and the much-coveted trophy.

Richard, who is from Paris but lives in Brighton, was the oldest player at the final table at 33 years of age. A former Magic: The Gathering player, he moved to poker in 2006 and now boasts a poker CV with more than $200,000 in live tournament winnings in the space of eleven years.

Despite re-entering in Day 1A after, according to him, twice trying the same bluff, Richard rode a chip lead that started at the final two tables all the way to the title and prize money.

Position Name Country Prize Money 1 Otto Richard France 92,000 2 Sonny Franco France 67,000 3 Lozano Manzanares Spain 45,000 4 Adrien Decramer France 32,500 5 Teunis Kooij Netherlands 23,000 6 Jason Tompkins Ireland 16,000

The bust outs began early today, with Jonathan Barusta, Guillermo Sanchez and Day 1B chip leader Laurent Decauwert heading to the exit.

At this stage, Matthieu Vincendeau was still in control of proceedings as chip leader on the feature table, but it wasn't long before Teunis Kooij took over at the head of the leaderboard.

This was in part due to his elimination of Jean-Robert Autran, whose attempted hero-call all in for his tournament life with pocket threes on a was met with the of Kooij.

Kooij was then superseded by Otto Richard at the top of the leaderboard, after Richard too a chunk from the Dutchman, and then eliminated Tony David Nadau to get the tournament down to two tables.

Most of the eliminations from two tables down to one occurred on the outer table, with Kooij and Richard the beneficiaries of the eliminations of Matthieu Martin and Knut Berntsen.

Berntsen suffered somewhat of a cooler in his elimination, getting in against the of Richard. There was an Ace on the flop and turn for Berntsen, before the six on the river sent him to the rail.

Start of day chip leader Vincendeau was eliminated in 8th place when he ran into the Kings of Sonny Franco, and the unofficial final table was set.

The tournament lost its last two remaining Irishmen - Michael O'Sullivan and Jason Tompkins in 7th and 6th place respectively, followed by Kooij in 5th.

By this stage Sonny Franco had begun to challenge Richard for the chip lead, helped in part by an audacious stone-cold five-bet flop bluff into Adrien Decramer before Decramer departed in 4th.

It wasn't long before the tournament lost its final non-Frenchman, Lozano Manzanares, who was eliminated after getting his chips in against Otto Richard drawing dead on the turn, and Richard took a more than 2:1 chip lead into the heads-up match.

The pivotal moment came on a board with Richard moving all in and Franco snap-calling. Franco had a house with but Richard had an even bigger one having flopped aces full of fives with . It was only a matter of time then for Richard to close it out, when his Ace-Queen held for him to take down the tournament.
Support for abortion rights drove women to the polls in Tuesdays elections. But for many, the issue took on higher meaning, part of an overarching concern about the future of democracy. Women, especially Democratic women, were more likely than men to say the Roe v. Wade reversal was a top factor in their vote. That was according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 94,000 voters in the midterm elections. More women also said the reversal made them angry, and said abortion had a major impact on their decision to turn out and which candidate they supported. In interviews with AP reporters, many women linked their concerns about abortion to fears for the country.
Cathay Dragon, the regional carrier of the Cathay Pacific Group, will operate a charter flight to Guam on Nov. 19, returning to Hong Kong on Nov. 23, according to the airline's Corporate Affairs Department.

Cathay Dragon was branded Dragonair until its name change last year.

The round-trip flight will use the airline's Airbus A320 aircraft, which has a seating capacity of 164 passengers.

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Customers are able to book the flights in conjunction with hotel stays through Cathay Pacific Holidays.

Further details can be found here.

The airline stated it regularly reviews flight services to destinations based on market and customer demands.
The rising need for advanced insulation supplies in its important processes boosts the growth for oil & gas segment of the aerogels market.

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Aerogel is a microporous, dense foam in which the liquid component is replaced by gas, making it the lightest solid. It exhibits high temperature resistance, low density, low optical index of refraction, low dielectric constant, high degree of porosity, high specific surface area, and thermal, acoustic, and impact damping properties. It can hold up to 4000 times its own weight.Aerogel sponge, can be recycled after use, thus indicating its ecological nature. Aerogel has important applications in the oil and gas, aerospace, healthcare, and electronic industries. High production cost and poor mechanical strength are major disadvantages of the aerogels market.The multi-disciplinary use of aerogels across various sectors is a major driver for growth of the aerogel market. This has led to various technological advancements in the market. However, aerogels are found to irritate the eyes, skin, respiratory tract, and digestive system. Small silica particles can lead to silicosis when inhaled. This results in dehydration of the skin and eyes. Hence protective gear including respiratory protection, gloves, and eye goggles need to be worn while handling aerogels.Request For Customization: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-customization/568 Aerogels Market Taxonomy:On the basis of type, the global aerogels market is classified into:SilicaPolymerCarbonGrapheneOrganicAluminaOthersOn the basis of Form, the global aerogels market is classified into:BlanketParticlePanelMonolithOn the basis of Processing, the global aerogels market is classified into:Virgin AerogelFabricated AerogelOn the basis of application, the global aerogels market is classified into:Adsorption agentCatalystThickening agentThermal InsulatorTo trap space dustWater purificationOthersOn the basis of end user, the global aerogels market is classified into:Oil & GasConstructionAutomotiveMarineSportsAerospaceOthersSilica aerogel is the most used aerogel. It is used in important applications such as oil & gas, building insulation, automotive, aerospace, electronics, and others. The rising need for biodegradable products has been observed due to increasing awareness regarding environment protection. Aerogel proves to be an efficient alternative to conventional insulators as a result of its low thermal circulation, thus reducing the loss of energy and costs. Blankets are the most used form of aerogels as a result of its easy handling. Blankets are formed by the blending of silica aerogels and flexible fibers. As oil well lines, LNG tankers, and transfer lines need to be heated, super cooled, and protected to maintain product temperature aerogels are said to provide better thermal insulating properties. Oil & gas is the largest market for aerogels. The rising need for advanced insulation supplies in its important processes boosts the growth for oil & gas segment of the aerogels market. The increasing demand for aerogels applications in industries such as construction, oil & gas, and automobiles, is expected to drive the growth for the global aerogels market.Request To View The Table of content: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/toc/568 Aerogels Market OutlookIn North America, the US is a major shale producer, enabling the use of aerogels in shale gas pipelines. This has resulted in North America being a major player in the shale market. NASA has successfully used aerogel as a hypervelocity particle capture and thermal insulator in its space missions. The U.S. is the top consumer of aerogel materials globally.As the Middle East is a major oil exporter, the use of aerogels in its pipelines has increased. The Middle East has connections to various nations. The use of aerogels in its pipelines improves the ease of transport.In Europe, the growth of the aerogel market depends mainly on the improving economies of countries such as the U.K. and Sweden. The subsequent increase in investment and technologies coupled with a rise in the number of new industrial establishments can lead to the development of Europe as a prominent market for aerogels.In Asia, the development of the construction and automobile sector is an important factor for the growth of the aerogel market. Developing countries such as India and China have increased the use of aerogel for safer and efficient constructions of buildings, as thermal insulators.In Africa, aerogels have a widespread use among various industrial sectors such as oil & gas, construction, production of automobiles, etc. As Africa is home to a number of developing countries, the aerogels prove to be an important component.In South America, Venezuela is one of the largest oil producers. The growth of the housing sector combined by the important use of aerogel as an insulator would improve the potential of the aerogel market in this region.Green Earth Aerogel Technologies has developed carbon-based aerogel product by the usage of agricultural waste. This is a major advancement in the global aerogel market, as the widespread use combined with the biological nature of aerogel is projected to boost the aerogels market globally. The top companies of the market include Aspen Aerogels Inc. (U.S.), Cabot Corporation (U.S.), Aerogel Technologies LLC (U.S.), Nano High-Tech Co. Ltd. (China), Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech Co. Ltd. (China), Active Aerogels (Portugal), Enersens SAS (France), JIOS Aerogel Corporation (South Korea), and BASF SE (Germany).
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Global Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections (SSSIs) Treatment Market: OverviewSkin and skin structure infections (SSSIs) caused by different bacteria may range from mild to severe infections. Some of the common skin and skin structure bacterial infections include carbuncles, post-surgical wound infections and traumatic wound infections. These are one of the most common infections treated in hospital settings. These infections (SSTIs) may be caused by any of these bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogene, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, beta-hemolytic streptococci, Enterococcus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, Clostridium, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp. and S. pyogenes. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and streptococci are the most common organisms causing skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs).Request Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17048 Skin and skin structure bacterial infections are classified as acute/uncomplicated and complicated infections. Simple skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs) include furuncles, cellulitis, erysipelas, superficial abscesses and wound infections, whereas complicated skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs) include myositis, gas gangrene and necrotizing fasciitis. A comorbidity such as diabetes or HIV can also lead to complicated skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs).Global Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections (SSSIs) Treatment Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe market for bacterial skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs) treatment is analyzed based on the medications used for its treatment which includes antibiotics and anti-bacterial agents. Rise in the incidence of skin and skin structure infections especially in hospitals, has led to the development of resistance. Moreover, new strains of infectious bacteria urge the need for development of new therapies. For instance, vancomycin is the choice of drug against resistant Gram-positive cocci. However, increase in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and resistance to his drug has fueled the demand for new drugs. Physicians have started using linezolid, tigecycline and daptomycin for the management of complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSIs). The selection of an appropriate drug depends on the causative microorganism. Besides medications, surgical methods are also practiced for the treatment of skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs).Rising incidence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections has led to the need for new therapies. In addition, new product developments will drive the bacterial skin and skin structure infections treatment market. Recently, in May 2014, Durata Therapeutics, Inc. announced the U.S. FDA approval of its injectable product Dalvance (dalbavancin) intended for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) caused by susceptible gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), in adult patients. Dalvance is the first and the only intravenous antibiotic approved for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI).Global Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections (SSSIs) Treatment Market: Regional AnalysisThe classification of bacterial skin and skin structure infections was proposed by the U.S. FDA in 2010 in order to standardize definitions and establish objectives in assessing the clinical response within clinical trials. Based on geography, the skin and soft tissue infections treatment market is analyzed into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. According to the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program database, Staphylococcus aureus was the dominant pathogen, ranking highest in North America, than in Europe and Latin America. The relevant statistics has been recorded in this database over several years until 2009. Owing to the high prevalence of these infections, North America is the dominant market for the bacterial skin and skin structure infections treatment products.Global Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections (SSSIs) Treatment Market: Key PlayersSome of the companies involved in the development of medications for bacterial skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs) include Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Melinta Therapeutics, Inc, Debiopharm International S.A., MerLion Pharmaceuticals Pte Ltd., Durata Therapeutics, Inc., Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Cempra, Inc.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=17048
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 06:02:01

Bests Special Report: Stormy Currents Emerging for MENA Reinsurers

A.M. Best

Mahesh Mistry, +(44) 20 7397 0325

Senior Director, Analytics

mahesh.mistry@ambest.com

or

Yvette Essen, +(44) 20 7397 0322

Director, Research & Communications - Europe & Emerging Markets

yvette.essen@ambest.com

or

Edem Kuenyehia, +(44) 20 7397 0280

Director, Market Development & Communications

edem.kuenyehia@ambest.com

or

Jim Peavy, +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644

Director, Public Relations

james.peavy@ambest.com

Insurance markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have continued to grow, with increased demand for products over the past decade driven by a period of high oil prices that has funded infrastructure development and increased commercial activity, and the introduction of compulsory covers, particularly for medical health care and liability risks.

However, many Middle Eastern economies are now facing challenges as a result of the low oil price environment, with lower revenue increasing pressure on government finances. This has resulted in governments reconsidering their fiscal stances, with the adoption of a value-added tax regime in the process of being rolled out across the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and increasing restraint on government spending on infrastructure.

A new special report published by A.M. Best, titled, Stormy Currents Emerging for MENA Reinsurers, states that while domestic markets remain important to MENA reinsurers, in a global reinsurance world, they are also looking further afield for diversification in order to stabilise earnings against the uncertainties and volatility of their local markets.

Mahesh Mistry, senior director of analytics, said: The profile of the regions reinsurers has not changed materially over the past few years, and they concentrate on prudent underwriting and risk selection in order to maintain profitability. However, given the pressure on rates experienced in core product lines, coupled with the higher frequency of property losses, MENA reinsurers have gradually reduced their exposure to MENA markets, and supplemented revenues by focussing more on Asian and African markets, where pricing is more attractive.

The report states that while reinsurance markets in the MENA region are competitive, for international reinsurers, they are also considered to be a source of expansion. This is owing to a range of factors, including continued market liberalisation, and the majority of markets being open with few restrictions on reinsurance operations.

Yvette Essen, director of research and report author, said: Many of the regions markets are perceived to be attractive as they have benign exposure to natural catastrophe events in comparison with other more mature insurance markets. Reinsurers are drawn to the prospect of establishing geographically diverse underwriting portfolios without encountering the significant earnings volatility driven by natural catastrophe exposure. Regional and international reinsurers are seeking less catastrophe-prone business to complement their existing portfolios.

The report notes all A.M. Best-rated reinsurers domiciled in the MENA region are generally well-capitalised. It states that while balance sheet strength is strong for rated MENA reinsurers, underwriting profitability remains the main concern, with many companies delivering marginal to weak performance. Therefore, reinsurers in the region are dependent on investment income to generate earnings. While investment yields are low, pressure to improve underwriting margins is growing, and any failure to improve technical performance is likely to put greater pressure on ratings as this weakness gradually erodes balance sheet strength and the profile of the companies.

To access a complimentary copy of this special report, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?recor.

A.M. Best is the worlds oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2017 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201709250064
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 09:03:02

Bicycle Therapeutics Strengthens Senior Management Team with Appointment of Maria Koehler, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer

Ten Bridge Communications (U.S.)

Sarah Sutton, +1-518-932-3680

Sarah@tenbridgecommunications.com

or

Consilium Strategic Communications (EU)

Mary-Jane Elliott / Chris Gardner / Ivar Milligan, +44 20 3709 5700

Bicycle@consilium-comms.com

Bicycle Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering a new class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle) product platform, today announced the appointment of Maria Koehler, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Koehler will lead clinical strategy and oversee operational functions for Bicycles clinical development team to bring BT1718 and additional Bicycles to patients for the treatment of a range of cancers with poor survival outcomes.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201709260055

Bicycle Therapeutics Strengthens Senior Management Team with Appointment of Maria Koehler, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer (Photo: Business Wire)

We are delighted to welcome Maria to the Bicycle leadership team. As Chief Medical Officer, she will play a pivotal role in furthering our mission to transform the treatment regimens for cancer and other diseases, said Dr. Kevin Lee, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Bicycle Therapeutics. Maria has an exemplary track record, both as an oncology clinician and researcher, and as a drug development expert. We look forward to drawing on her breadth of experience in the development, registration and launch of oncology drugs. This expertise will prove invaluable as we continue to advance our broad pipeline of oncology therapeutics including our lead program, BT1718, and further evolve Bicycle Therapeutics as an integrated pharmaceutical company.

Dr. Koehler, a trained oncologist with two decades of industry experience, joins Bicycle from Pfizer, where she was Vice President of Strategy, Innovation and Collaborations for the Oncology Business Unit. At Pfizer, Dr. Koehler was a key member of the oncology leadership team responsible for creating and coordinating innovative strategies for their oncology pipeline from early stage clinical trials through pivotal trials and product approval. Her accomplishments at Pfizer include leading development strategies for Palbociclib/IBRANCE, which was launched in 2015, and shaping the oncology portfolio. Prior to joining Pfizer, Dr. Koehler was the Group Leader for the Medicine Development Center of GlaxoSmithKline Oncology, and a Senior Medical Director for Oncology Research and Development at AstraZeneca. During her academic career, she was the Clinical Director of Bone Marrow Transplantation at University Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, and Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program and Associate Professor at St. Christophers Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. She is a Board Certified Hematology/Oncology physician, and the author of more than 160 peer reviewed publications and book chapters. Dr. Koehler received her M.D. and Ph.D. from the Silesian School of Medicine in Katowice, Poland.

This is a tremendous opportunity to contribute to the clinical development of Bicycles, which are a truly innovative new class of cancer treatment with broad potential to make a life-changing impact on patients with cancer, said Dr. Koehler. Im eager to work with the Bicycle team to bring these unique and powerful therapies to patients.

About Bicycle Therapeutics

Bicycle Therapeutics is developing a new class of medicines to treat oncology and other important diseases based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle) product platform. Bicycles exhibit the affinity and exquisite target specificity usually associated with antibodies. Their small size enables rapid and deep tissue penetration, allowing tissues and tumours to be targeted from within. Their peptidic nature provides a tuneable pharmacokinetic half-life and a renal route of clearance, thus avoiding the liver and gastrointestinal tract toxicity often seen with other drug modalities. Bicycle Therapeutics is rapidly advancing towards the clinic with its lead programs using Bicycle Drug Conjugates to selectively deliver toxins to tumours. Bicycle Therapeutics is collaborating in oncology and other areas to realise the full potential of the technology. Bicycle Therapeutics unique intellectual property is based on the work initiated at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, U.K., by the scientific founders of the company, Sir Gregory Winter and Professor Christian Heinis. Bicycle Therapeutics is headquartered in Cambridge, U.K., with a U.S. subsidiary in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.bicycletherapeutics.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201709260055
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 18:14:47

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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: www.transparencymarketresearch.comHead Internet Marketing+1-518-618-1030

Global Bio-based Isoprene Market: OutlineIsoprene with formula C5H8 is a colorless volatile liquid produced by various plants. Many trees and plants such as poplars, oaks, legumes and eucalyptus emit isoprene into the atmosphere. Isoprene is also known as 2-methyl-1, 3-butadiene which is used as a chemical raw material. It is used as a starting material for a host of synthetic polymers, especially synthetic rubbers. A very small proportion of bio-based isoprene is used in the production of fragrance intermediates and flavors. Isoprene along with other unsaturated compounds is used to manufacture polymeric materials.Request Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17033 Isoprene is produced naturally from plants through methyl-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway i.e. MEP pathway in the chloroplasts of trees and plants. One among the two end products of this pathway such as dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMADP) forms isoprene by the catalytic reaction by isoprene synthase. Through industrial process, isoprene was isolated from natural rubber by thermal decomposition. Industrially, it is readily available as a byproduct of thermal cracking of oil or naphtha as a side product in the ethylene production. Major fraction of isoprene produced worldwide is converted into polyisoprene. It is produced mainly from the petroleum derived feedstocks leading to inherent risk of volatility in prices and demand of oil. Moreover, it is expensive and environment unfriendly. These factors led to the use of bio-based products to manufacture isoprene.Global Bio-based Isoprene Market: Trends and OpportunitiesRising interest is seen in the production of isoprene from the genetically engineered micro-organisms. This new technology increases the fermentative capabilities of micro-organisms through a process of genetically engineering DNA. This process improves enzyme activity leading to increased yield of isoprene. This technology has huge potential in the market for manufacturing bio-based isoprene. Bio-based isoprene has applications in various end-user industries. It is used in the production of footwear, medical appliances, mechanical instruments and sporting goods. The major application of bio-based isoprene is in manufacturing rubber tires. It is also used in manufacturing various adhesives and elastomers. Surgical gloves such as nitrile, vinyl and latex gloves are also manufactured using bio-based isoprene. Transportation jets and jet fuels also make use of bio-based isoprene for its production.The growing rubber industry and demand for rubber products is the major driving factor of global bio-based isoprene market. The rising awareness for environmental friendly products is also expected to boost demand for bio-based isoprene for a host of applications.Global Bio-based Isoprene Market: Regional OutlookNorth America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW) are the key segments for global bio-based isoprene market. Asia Pacific, especially China and Latin America is the expected to fuel demand for bio-based isoprene due to large number of rubber industries in the region. North America and Europe are also expected to boost demand for bio-based isoprene for various applications such as adhesives and elastomers among others.Global Bio-based Isoprene Market: Key Players Mentioned in the ReportThe major companies profiled for global bio-based isoprene include: DuPont, Amyris, Good year Tire and Rubber Company, Genencor, Michelin, BioXcell, Ajinomoto Co. Inc, Bridgestone Corporation, PolymerOhio Inc, GlycosBio and Danisco among others. Companies into manufacture of bio-based isoprene have altered various enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway to enhance both the yield of isoprene and the rate of production. Technological advancements along with changes in the enzymatic pathways have improved the quantity and efficiency of isoprene and have reduced the production of by-products DuPont developed an innovative fermentation process for producing bio-based isoprene monomers from biomass using metabolically engineered E. coli strains.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=17033
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 20:46:39

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Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: www.transparencymarketresearch.com/Internet Marketing Head5186181030

Global Biometric Point-of-Sale Terminals Market: OverviewBiometrics technology is used for identification and authentication of people with the help of their biological and behavioral characteristics. An employee is asked for his user ID as soon as he logs into the retail PoS system. However, without typing in his password, he can simply scan his finger on the biometric fingerprint reader. Every time an employee tries to access a password-protected area, he is required to scan his finger. This leads to increased accountability, which ensures protection from accidental and intentional damage to the companys data.Request Sample Copy of the Report@Based on technology, fingerprint identification, iris-retina scan recognition, palm-vein identification, iris recognition, voice recognition, and facial recognition are the segments of the global market for biometric point-of-sale terminals. Of these, fingerprint identification has been dominating the market. The prominence of this segment can be attributed to the convenience, ease of access, and high accuracy offered by this technology.Global Biometric Point-of-Sale Terminals Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe rising incidents of fraud at point-of-sale terminals has been a key growth driver of the global biometric point-of-sale terminals market. Growing number of restaurants are adopting biometric technology at merchant point-of-sale terminals to keep track of employee attendance and time and ensure security while making payments. Several government authorities and private sector businesses and companies have been deploying these technologies. As a result, the growing demand is expected to translate into greater expansion of the global market for biometric point-of-sale terminals.As hackers worldwide find new ways of targeting vulnerable point-of-sale terminals, the demand for biometric point-of-sale terminals is likely to grow. Installation of skimmers that read and transit data from swiped cards on point-of-sale terminals and use of point-of-sale RAM scarpers have been some major techniques adopted by hackers, necessitating the deployment of this technology to prevent these thefts.On the other hand, lack of standardization might slacken the growth of the market. However, the emergence of new technologies in sensors and hardware is likely to encourage further expansion, outpacing the negative impact of this market restraint. For instance, electroencephalogram (EEG) and keystroke have been recently introduced for precise identification of individuals in the biometric point-of-sale terminals market.Global Biometric Point-of-Sale Terminals Market: Regional OutlookBased on geography, the global market for biometric point-of-sale terminals has been segmented into Asia Pacific, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Western Europe, and North America. In 2015, North America emerged as the leading regional segment, accounting for a major share in the global market for biometric point-of-sale terminals.Asia Pacific is slated for significant growth owing to the increasing number of non-cash payments by consumers, favorable government initiatives, greater penetration of technology, and rising purchasing power of the people. In India, for instance, YES BANK partnered with Lastmile.mobi to develop a point-of-sale terminal that allows biometric authentication for carrying out cash withdrawals, transfers, and balance enquiries, among many other functions. The Middle East and Africa (MEA) might also exhibit considerable growth as its industries flourish.Request TOC of the Report@Companies mentioned in the reportSome of the major companies operating in the global market for biometric point-of-sale terminals are DERMALOG Identification Systems GmbH, Biyo Bright Co., Ltd., KEMP Technologies, M2SYS Technology, Bitel Company Limited, Danal, Inc., Ingenico Group, Cross Match Technologies, Inc., and Fujitsu. The market appears to be highly fragmented in terms of competition due to the presence of a large number of vendors. Being in its nascent stage, the market holds immense potential for advancement. As the number of new entrants and technological advancements are rising, the level of competition among the market players is expected to intensify.Major regions analyzed under this research report are:EuropeNorth AmericaAsia PacificRest of the WorldThis report gives you access to decisive data such as:Market growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for the coming years
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 20:44:58

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Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: www.transparencymarketresearch.com/Internet Marketing Head5186181030

Global Corneal Neovascularization Market: OutlookCorneal neovascularization is a disorder of the eyes, which is mainly characterized by the incursion of novel blood vessels into the cornea of the individuals suffering from the disease. This disorder is majorly caused due to disruption of the balance between the factors that protects and maintain the corneal transparency. The two factors that need to be balanced include angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors. The incursion of new blood vessels, which are relatively immature, hence can cause lipid exudation as well. Other major symptoms include scarring in eyes, persistent inflammation, which leads to diminishing corneal transparency and visual perception. The corneal neovascularization disorders if left untreated it may lead to high growth of new blood vessels that may reach visual axis to permanently threat the vision of the affected individual. Presently, several patients suffering from various eye problems, many a times undergo corneal grafts; corneal neovascularization may lead to rejection of such grafts as well. Thus, timely and proper treatment (may include surgical intervention and therapeutic drugs) of corneal neovascularization is necessary for effective management of the disease to ensure proper eye vision.Request Sample Copy of the Report@Global Corneal Neovascularization Market: Drivers and RestraintsMajor driving factors for the growth of corneal neovascularization market include increasing incidences of ophthalmic disorders, rising number of corneal grafts, aging population, increasing obesity rate, increasing number of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and increasing demand for advanced treatment options. Ophthalmic disorders are one of the leading disorders that affect very large population globally; several eye related disorders require ophthalmic interventions that may increase the risk of developing corneal neovascularization, hence accompanied by graft rejections. Increasing geriatric population will also contribute towards the growth of this market as aged individuals are more prone to several disorders and hence, tend to suffer from ophthalmic disorders. Increasing obesity rates are also adding to various eye related disorders mainly the lipid deposition increase the chances of developing corneal neovascularization, hence will contribute towards the growth of this market. Several diseases like diabetes, hypertension and others also lead to ophthalmic diseases, in turn require diagnostics and therapeutics from this market, thus will contribute towards the growth of corneal neovascularization market. Several pharmaceutical companies are having many therapeutic drugs for the effective treatment of this disorder in different phases of clinical trials, which will soon hit the market.Global Corneal Neovascularization Market: Regional AnalysisGeographically, North America and Europe are expected to dominate the corneal neovascularization market. Major factors responsible for their expected dominance in the corneal neovascularization market are high prevalence of ophthalmic disorders in the region, aging population, rising overweight as well obese population, and high awareness levels of the population. However, emerging economies like China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, and Malaysia among others from Asia-Pacific, LATAM, Middle East and other regions will present tremendous opportunities towards the growth of this market. Major factors responsible for the growth of the corneal neovascularization market in these regions are availability of high patient population, high prevalence of diseases like diabetes and hypertension, increasing healthcare awareness in these regions and increasing purchasing power of the people in APAC and RoW.Global Corneal Neovascularization Market: Companies Mentioned in the ReportSome of the major players operating in this market include, Amakem NV, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., GTx, Inc., and Sirnaomics, Inc. that have their drugs in different phases of clinical trials, which will soon be commercialized in the global corneal neovascularization market.Request TOC of the Report@The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)
Alastair Paterson, CEO and co-Founder of Digital Shadows

PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 07:31:56

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Dubai, UAE, September, 24, 2017  Digital Shadows, the industry leader in digital risk management, today announced it has raised $26m in a Series C funding round to expand the capabilities of its market leading SearchLightTM digital risk management service and fuel global expansion. Led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from World Innovation Lab, Industry Ventures and all of Digital Shadows existing investors, the funding will support company growth and support its continued commitment to protecting organizations with the best and most comprehensive digital risk management solution in the industry.Luke Hakes, investor at Octopus Ventures, will be joining the board of directors.Digital Shadows is a world-leader in digital risk management, and continues to innovate across all verticals and geographies in a highly competitive space. We are seeing growing demand for this service across our portfolio of technology companies, and we think Digital Shadows are best-placed to meet this considerable opportunity,said Will Gibbs, Investment Manager at Octopus Ventures.Digital Shadows has continually invested in its market leading SearchLightTM service which combines scalable data analytics with human analysis to give customers the context and awareness they need to protect their digital footprint from digital risks including cyber threats, data exposure, brand exposure, VIP exposure, infrastructure exposure, physical threat, and third party risk. Recently, Digital Shadows added mobile application support and increased Dark Web capabilities, and the latest funding will speed up the rate of innovation further to provide even more value to customers.Risk management is an increasing area of focus for most organizations, as risk profile complexity and interconnected relationships grow explosively, according to John A. Wheeler and Rob McMillan, Gartner analysts. To understand the full scope of risk, organizations require a comprehensive view across all business units and risk and compliance functions, as well as key business partners, suppliers and outsourced entities. As a result, new technology solutions are emerging to increase the collaborative nature of risk management, both within and external to the organization. Digital Shadows provides the most complete and adaptable service when it comes to helping us manage our digital risks, said Sascha Maier, IT & Information Security Manager at IWC Schaffhausen. This is crucial for protecting our intellectual property, brand, and reputation as we digitally transform our business. This funding event is a huge milestone for Digital Shadows so we can expand our lead to offer the best digital risk management service in the industry, said Alastair Paterson, CEO and co-Founder of Digital Shadows. We are excited to have the support of the likes of Octopus, World Innovation Lab and Industry Ventures as we embark on the latest phase of our development and continue to expand our geographic coverage and SearchLight service to help our customers manage their digital risk to protect their business, brand and reputation.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 12:51:46

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Today organizations try to gain competitive advantage in industry through outsourcing their business processes to third party service providers. This helps them to reduce operational cost and focus on key functional areas. Organizations use a large quantity of information in daily business operations which are stored in the form of files, blueprints, invoice and mail orders. The maintenance and storing of these valuable documents requires more space and is costly issue for any organization. Hence organizations try to convert and store these documents in digital format in order to save cost and space. Organizations opt for document outsourcing services where third party service provider transforms typed and handwritten text document into electronic or digital information. This electronic information can be stored in computer or server and used directly for future purpose. Document outsourcing involves a combination of intelligent character recognition (ICR) and optical character recognition (OCR) method to convert hand-written documents into electronic information. In some cases, important paper documents are converted to electronic format by experienced data entry clerks. Traditional document outsourcing services include data and content scanning, mailroom and print management. However, due to increasing demand for outsourcing in organization, document outsourcing service providers have tried to solve customer business challenge by providing value added services. Today, document outsourcing service providers provide a wide range of advance services apart from delivering traditional document outsourcing services. Document outsourcing service providers focus on providing value added services such as cross-media service, digital mailbox services and marketing analytics.Today organizations are finding problem in providing quality information to their customers due to lack of expertise in quality writing. Hence, document outsourcing providers are providing email writing service where content writers provide relevant information based on customer query. Document outsourcing is also used in creating technical brochures, product specifications and repair manuals. Document outsourcing is also used in creating both printed and digital marketing communication documents to promote brand image. Thus, the role of document outsourcing has increased in many areas of a business.Request for Report TOC @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=16901 Many financial institutions too, such as banks and insurance, favor document outsourcing for delivering accurate and complete archiving of financial information. Thus, document outsourcing providers are becoming strategic partners for organizations through providing value added services. Document outsourcing also helps to improve process as well as distribute risk between the organization and the service provider.The major challenge for document outsourcing service provider is the flexibility in service level agreement (SLA). Organizations which do not plan on future business strategies, may not include relevant clauses in the service level agreements. These may later result in problem for document outsourcing service providers in providing service to organizations as the service requirements would vary as per the clients they cater to.The demand for document outsourcing market will increase in coming years as organizations will try to reduce operational cost and gain competitive advantage among its competitors. Although, the document information may be critical for organization, document outsourcing solutions such as marketing analytics can help organization to use information in order to improve organization operations. Document outsourcing service finds its application in the area of financial services, insurance, healthcare, legal, telecommunication and manufacturing.Request for Report Brochure @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=16901 Some of the key document outsourcing service providers are Hewlett-Packard Company, Lexmark International Inc, Integreon Inc, Ricoh Company Ltd, Xerox Corporation, Canon Inc, Konica Minolta Holdings Inc, Swiss Post Solutions AG, Kyocera Document Solution Inc, Williams Lea Holdings Plc, Firstsource Solutions Ltd, Formost Mediaone, Pitney Bowes Inc and Toshiba Corporation.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 18:14:51

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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: www.transparencymarketresearch.comHead Internet Marketing+1-518-618-1030

Global Finished Lubricants Market: SynopsisFinished lubricants are considered to be high performance lubricants used in applications encountering high heat. The lubricants are expected to maintain their lubricating qualities at high working temperatures. Finished lubricants offer safety and performance advantages in hight temperature applications in order to reduce the risk of fire. Typical applications of finished lubricants include power generation units, hydraulic equipments and other industrial units employed in several industries. Finished lubricants form an important aspect of the lubricants industry across the globe. The energy industry is the largest consumer of finished lubricants across the globe.Request Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17051 Global Finished Lubricants Market: Drivers and RestraintsFinished lubricants are also used in automotive applications such as heavy duty diesel engine oil, transmission oils and passenger car motor oils. Finished lubricants are also used in several hydraulic applications. The demand for finished lubricants is expected to be mainly driven by the growing industrial activities and the growth in the demand for automobiles across the globe. Finished lubricants offer high heat resistance and are effective in high temperature environments. The use of finished lubricants considerably reduces the risk of fire in these applications. The growth of emerging economies and the growing industrial activities taking place in the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to drive the demand for finished lubricants across the globe. Growing population has led to an increase in the demand for electricity in several regions of the globe. The energy industry is one of the largest consumers of finished lubricants. With the growing demand for electricity, the demand for finished lubricants is also expected to increase on similar lines. Further, the growth in the construction industry is expected to propel the demand for heavy machinery, which consequently is expected to increase the demand for finished lubricants used in hydraulic circuits. Finished lubricants are extensively used in the hydraulic circuits of various equipments and machinery owing to its favorable properties. Increasing construction activities in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Latin America is expected to fuel the growth for finished lubricants used in heavy machinery.The demand for finished lubricants is also anticipated to be high from the automotive industry. The recent revival of North America from economic downturn has led to an increase in the sales volume of automobiles. The growth in the automotive sales is expected to further spur the demand for finished lubricants across the globe. Asia Pacific is one of the largest automotive market and accounts for a larger chunk of automotive demand across the globe. The growth of the automobile industry in Asia Pacific and other emerging economies is further projected to bolster the demand for finished lubricants across the globe.Global Finished Lubricants Market: Regional AnalysisIn terms of demand Asia Pacific is the largest market for finished lubricants followed by North America, Europe and Rest of the World. In North America, U.S was the largest market followed by Canada and Mexico. The demand for finished lubricants used in automotive, energy and industrial applications is expected to be high in this region on account of growing automobile and construction industry in this region. In Europe the major markets for finished lubricants were Germany, France, U.K, and Italy. Other major European country for finished lubricants was Russia, where the recent economic growth has propelled the demand for lubricants employed in automobile and industrial applications. The growth for finished lubricants is also expected to witness strong growth from emerging economies from Asia Pacific such as India, China etc. and developing economies such Indonesia and other South Asian countries. Middle East, Latin America and Africa are also expected to contribute substantially in the demand for finished lubricant used in various applications.Global Finished Lubricants Market: Key Companies Mentioned in the ReportSome of the major companies operating in the global finished lubricants market are Shell, ExxonMobil, Chemtura, BP, Chevron and NexLube Operating LLC among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=17051
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Frontier Lithium Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Sudbury, Ontario (FSCWire) - Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSX Venture:FL). has issued a press release with the following headline:Frontier Lithium Announces Geomechanical Drilling Program and Provides Update on PAK Lithium ProjectTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Frontier Lithium Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Frontier Lithium Inc.Source: Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSX Venture: FL, WKN: A2ANKZ, ISIN: CA35910P1099)Date: September 26, 2017Time: 9:55 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Frontier Lithium Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for GLG Life Tech Corporation--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - GLG Life Tech Corporation (TSX:GLG). has issued a press release with the following headline:GLG Life Tech Corporation Announces Breakthrough Development of Super RA SeedTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on GLG Life Tech Corporation, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/GLG Life Tech CorporationSource: GLG Life Tech Corporation (TSX: GLG, OTC Bulletin Board: GLGLF)Date: September 26, 2017Time: 9:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of GLG Life Tech Corporation and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
The Global Hormone Replacement Therapy Market is estimated at USD 15.75 billion in 2016 and is predicted to reach USD 22.31 billion by 2021, growing at a CAGR of 7.21%.

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Through Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a patient receives hormones, either to supplement a lack of naturally occurring hormones or to replace them with other hormones. Most of the hormone replacement therapies takes place for conditions like Menopause in woman (Estrogen Therapy). The Global Hormone Replacement Therapy Market is estimated at USD 15.75 billion in 2016 and is predicted to reach USD 22.31 billion by 2021, growing at a CAGR of 7.21%.Nearly 80% of menopausal women experience mild symptoms. While a quarter have severe symptoms, of these only a small proportion of menopausal women currently take hormone replacement therapy. At present, combination of drugs is used to treat these conditions, which are known to have a better efficacy and safety parameter.Increasing awareness on post-menopausal hazards, novel formulations, rise in unmet medical needs which require the employment of hormone therapy are the few factors driving the growth of global hormone replacement therapy market.Full report at: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-hormone-replacement-therapy-market-957/ However, presence of side effects, such as bleeding, bloating, breast tenderness or enlargement, headaches, mood changes, and nausea, risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke is restraining the growth of the market. Along with this, high cost of therapy is acting as a major hurdle. An average estrogen replacement therapy will cost $ 10,000 per annum to a patient. This is limiting its reach to middle class consumers, especially those of developing nations. Further, several researches shows that women with high susceptibility to coronary diseases should not go for hormone replacement therapy thereby decreasing the size of target audience.The global hormone replacement therapy market is segmented on the basis of hormone type into Estrogen Replacement Therapy, Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy, Thyroid replacement therapy and others. With a market share of more than 60%, the estrogen replacement therapy segment dominates the market. And on the basis of route of administration the market is classified as oral, parenteral, transdermal and other routes. The oral route of administration is regarded as one of the safest and most preferred routes of drug administration.Request sample: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-hormone-replacement-therapy-market-957/request-sample Further, on the basis of geography, the hormone replacement therapy market is analysed under regions namely, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle-East & Africa. Moreover, under each region, major countries market values are provided. North America dominated the market, where the majority of the contribution was from the USA. While, the market in the APAC region is expected to witness a rapid growth during the forecast period.Some of the key players operating in the hormone replacement industry are Abbott Laboratories, Novartis, Pfizer, Mylan Laboratories, Amgen, Merck & Co., Bayer, Eli Lily, Novo Nordisk, Wyeth, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co. Inc.About Market Data Forecast:The publisher of this report is Market Data Forecast whose forte lies in Market research and Business Intelligence. Handling both individual and corporate clients across multiple business domains they offer syndicated/customized research to suit the clients research objective. Their research reports section offers a wide variety of market studies ranging from all-encompassing comprehensive market studies to product specific niche markets covering North America among other regions of the global market as well. For more info kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit MarketDataForecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases
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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: www.transparencymarketresearch.comHead Internet Marketing+1-518-618-1030

Iron oxide pigments are colorants extensively used in tinting and coloring applications. In terms of global usage, they are second only to TiO2 pigments. The construction sector is the primary end-user of iron oxide, followed by paints & coatings and plastics. Other applications include paper & pulp, inks, rubbers, and ceramics. Iron oxide pigments are available in various colors and shades. These pigments are obtained naturally in ore forms such as hematite, magnetite, limonite, sienna, ochre, goethite, and umber. They are also synthetically produced through three prime processes: iron salt precipitation, thermal deposition of iron compounds, and organic compound reduction by iron.Request Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17378 Rapid expansion of paints & coatings and building & construction industries  the former specifically in developing nations such as China, India, and South Korea, and the latter due to urbanization and industrialization  has propelled the iron oxide pigments market. These pigments exhibit excellent properties of dispersibility, opacity, tinting strength, stability, and consistency over its alternatives, thereby gaining importance across all industries, including plastics and inks.Based on color, the iron oxide pigments market can be divided into five categories: red, yellow, brown, black, and others. A multitude of shades are also obtainable, but they are essentially created by mixing the red, yellow, and black ones.Black iron oxide pigments are widely used in building & construction applications, and therefore dominate the market, while the red variety is used in paints and coatings. Based on type, the market has been bifurcated into natural and synthetic  although the latter is purer and has a potentially broader application range, the former is preferred due to its low extraction costs and easy availability. In terms of application, the iron oxide pigments market is split into the following segments: building & construction, paints & coatings, plastics, paper & pulp, ceramics, surface finishing, abrasives, and others. A high amount of iron oxide is employed in the building & construction industry to color mortar and concrete, pavement blocks, and bricks. This is followed by the paints & coatings industry, wherein iron oxide is used to induce color in paints, coatings, and emulsions.Based on region, the iron oxide pigments market has been segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific constitutes major share of the market due to the burgeoning building & construction industry and robust growth in the paints & coatings industry in China, India, and ASEAN. Thus, the region is expected to remain the prominent consumer of iron oxide pigments during the forecast period. Demand for iron oxide pigments is substantial in Europe as well, due to significant requirements from the paints & coatings industry. Western Europe has been leading the demand for iron oxide pigments in Europe since the last few years. This trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period. Middle East & Africa is also projected to exhibit ample growth opportunities for the iron oxide pigments market in the next few years.The global iron oxide pigments market is mature; it displays consolidated structure, except for the market in Asia Pacific, which has large number of manufacturers. Key players operating in the iron oxide pigments market include BASF SE, Clariant, Lanxess AG, The Earth Pigments Company LLC., CATHAY INDUSTRIES, Tata Pigments Limited, and Huntsman Corporation. These companies are developing various processes and techniques to synthesize more functional iron oxide pigments.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=17378
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 18:14:34

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Blown films are blend of plastics with polymers which is further transformed into polyolefin plastics, polyethylene etc. by using the blow filming process used in packaging industry. Blown films are made up of single layer and have low film strength. Multilayer blown films as the name suggests are multilayer films of two or more polymers which is produced by coextrusion process. Multilayer blown films possesses properties such as low permeability to oxygen and carbon dioxide, heat sealability, high film strength, good adhesion, printability properties, which makes it ideal for food packaging. Multilayer blown films applied on the surface of packages as a lamination providing additional strength to the packaging.Request Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17327 Global Multilayer Blown films Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe growth of global multilayer blown films market is driven by the demand for effective packaging solutions among various industries. Multilayer blown films with its eminent properties such as high film strength and puncture resistance provides additional strength for packaging. Multilayer blown films are widely used among the food & beverage industries, healthcare and electronics industry. Thus, the augmenting demand for multilayer blown films from these industries are anticipated to supplement the growth of global multilayer blown films market. Furthermore, increasing demand for FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) among the consumers is also contributing to the growth of global multilayer blown films market to an extent. Macroeconomic factors such as contribution of flexible packaging to the GDP and rise in disposable income of the middle class population are some factors which are driving the market for global multilayer blown films market. Trend noted in the global multilayer blown films market is the emergence of eleven layer blown films, owing to the demand for effective packaging in the food industry. In the latter years, five to seven layer was enough to satisfy the custom packaging requirements, however, the scenario is changing and customers are asking for multilayer blown films with enhanced properties such as protection against sunlight, effective sealing, preservation of flavor and aroma to name some. Hence, to address the demand of consumers the eleven layer blown films is emerging and various R&D activities are being carried out to make it effective and economic. However, manufacturing process complexity of multilayer blown films as compared to monolayer blown films might hamper the growth of global multilayer blown films market.Global Multilayer Blown films Market: SegmentationThe global multilayer blown films market is segmented on the basis of multilayer blown films materials, manufacturing process, applications, end-use industries and regionOn the basis of materials, the global multilayer blown films market is segmented into:NylonEthyl Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH)Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVCD)Polyethylene (PE)Polypropylene (PP)Polystyrene (PS)On the basis of manufacturing process, the global multilayer blown films market is segmented into:Cast Film ExtrusionBlown Film ExtrusionCo-extrusion CoatingCo-extrusion LaminationOn the basis of applications, the global multilayer blown films market is segmented into:Packaging FilmsLamination FilmsPrinting FilmsIndustrial FilmsConverter-grade FilmsOn the basis of end-use industries, the global multilayer blown films market is segmented into:Food & BeveragesPharmaceuticalElectronicsOthersMultilayer blown films Market: Regional OutlookBased on the geographies, global multilayer blown films market is segmented into five key regions- North America, Latin America, Europe, APAC, and Middle East & Africa. Among the aforementioned regions, North America accounts for significant share for multilayer blown films market, owing to the high concentration of major end-use industries of multilayer blown films such as food and pharmaceutical industries in the region in comparison with other regions. Asia-Pacific market for multilayer blown films is followed by the North America market for multilayer blown films market which is trailed by the Europe market for the multilayer blown films. Asia-Pacific market for multilayer blown films market is anticipated to exhibit healthy growth rate during the forecast period among all the regions, owing to the rapid industrialization and flourishing growth of multilayer blown films end-use industries in the region. Overall, the global multilayer blown films market is anticipated to register a healthy growth rate during the forecast period.Global Multilayer blown films Market: Key PlayersSome of the few players identified in the global multilayer blown films market include Ultimate Flexipack Limited, Optimum Plastics., Girish Polychem Industries, HOSOKAWA ALPINE Aktiengesellschaft, ISO POLY FILMS, INC., Danafilms Corp., Borealis AG, SIVA GROUP, Raven Engineered Films Division and Balcan Plastic among othersThe report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=17327
North America PEGylated Proteins Market was worth USD 262.43 million in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of 9.90%, to reach USD 420.73 million by 2021.

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The market is showing great potential in the forecast period, i.e. till 2021. PEGylation is a process of attachment of covalent or non-covalent bond of PolyEthylene Glucol (PEG) polymer chains to molecules and macrostructures, like protein in case of PEGylation of proteins. PEGylated Proteins have become very important because PEGylation of proteins help to protect protein against enzymatic dehydration and it also increases the half-life of drugs.View Full Report @ http://marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-pegylated-proteins-market-3356/ Increasing R&D investments on pharmaceuticals and healthcare sector in this region because of high awareness of people regarding health related issues, high risk of diseases, increase in adoption of protein based drugs over non-protein based drugs and increased half-life of drugs due to PEGylation are the major driving factors of this market. On the other hand, the unpredictable accumulation of high molecular weight compounds in liver might lead to inclusion bodies with no known consequences. Furthermore, chain length of these compounds can change which might lead to unexpected clearance times in vivo. These concerning matters are challenging this market.Free sample of the report is available @ http://marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-pegylated-proteins-market-3356/request-sample The North America market for PEGylated Proteins is broadly categorized into Protein Type, Services, Applications, consumable and by end-users. On the basis of Protein types, it is further sub-categorized into Interferons, erythropoietin and mAbs. On the basis of Applications, It is sub-categorized into Chronic Kidney Disease and Cancer treatment applications. On the basis of consumables, it is segmented into Reagents and PEGylation kits. On the basis of End-Users, it is analysed under Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies, CROs and academic research institutes. On the basis of End-Users, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies are the biggest sector for this market.Inquire before buying @ http://marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-pegylated-proteins-market-3356/inquire Geographically, this market has been sub-categorized into USA and Canada. On the basis of market share, North America is leading the charge with more than 30% of the North America PEGylated Proteins Market. Among these two regions, USA has the bigger share and higher growth rate.Some of the major companies dominating the market, by their products and services include Laysan Bio, Ltd., Iris Biotech GmbH, Biomatrik Inc., Quanta BioDesign Ltd., Cealares GmbH, Creative PEGworks, Jenkem Technology USA Inc., NOF Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., and Merck Millipore.About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and sksillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.
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Global p-Dichlorobenzene Market: Overviewp - Dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) is an organic compound with a strong odor. It is used as a pesticide in the form of mothballs. Its solubility in water is low and it is highly volatile, owing to which it is used to control moths, mold and mildew. p-DCB is used to control insect infestation in crops, it is used as a fumigant for clothes and for ant control. Industrially, p-DCB is used to prevent leather and other fabrics from mold and mildew attack. It finds use in manufacturing of deodorant block for indoor air. Furthermore, p-DCB is used as a raw material to manufacture polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resins. The vapors of p-DCB are toxic to insects, mildews and molds. Additionally, p-DCB is used as an intermediate for manufacturing of other chemicals such as 1, 2 ,4-trichlorobenzene and in resin bonded abrasives.Request Sample Copy of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17036 p - DCB is used as an insect repellant for apricots, nectarines, cherries, plums and other fruits. P-DCB is a broad range insect repellant. It controls soil diseases, potato weevil, root aphids, peach tree borer, wire worms and other insects. It is commercially available in the form of an oil suspension which is applied at the base of trees especially for peach tree borer control. PPS resin is one of the most important applications of p-DCB. It is known by brand names such as paramoth, paracide, and para crystals and is used to deodorize restrooms and waste bins. It is a high temperature thermoplastic and possesses several properties such as heat resistance, resistance to acids, alkalis, abrasion, bleaches and sunlight. Chevron Phillips Chemicals manufactures PPS resins using p-DCB under the brand name Ryton.Global p-Dichlorobenzene Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe growth of the pest management industry for domestic and commercial purposes has been driving the growth of p-DCB market. This trend is expected to continue within the forecast period. Additionally, the use of room freshening agents in retail spaces, hospitality industry, commercial spaces and household applications is expected to augment the growth of p-DCB market within the forecast period. PPS resins used as a high performance thermoplastic for the manufacture of coal boilers, specialty membranes and gasket are manufactured using p-DCB as a raw material. The increasing demand for these membranes and coil boilers is expected to propel the market of p-DCB within the forecast period. However, the environmental pollution caused due to the use of p-DCB could hamper the growth of this market in the coming years. Bio based p-DCB which are milder on the environment are expected to open new areas of opportunity for the p-DCB market.Global p-Dichlorobenzene Market: Regional OutlookPPS resins have a large market in the U.S, Japan and China. Capacity expansion is underway in China and the Republic of Korea. This in turn is responsible for the large demand for p-DCB in the U.S, Japan, China and Korea. China is the worlds largest producer and consumer of p-DCB. The U.S, Canada, South America and Western Europe are other producers of p-DCB. It is used extensively in Brazil in agriculture. Canada was a large exporter of p-DCB until 2009Global p-Dichlorobenzene Market: Key PlayersThe key players in this market are ABI Chemicals, AK Scientific, Alfa Aesar, Angene, Apollo Scientific Ltd, Conier Chem, Dalian Haokang Electronic Technology Co., Ltd, GFS Chemicals, Finetech Industry, Hangzhou Uniwise International Co., Ltd, Hengyang KT Chemical Co., Ltd, J and K Scientific, Merck Millipore, Sigma  Aldrich, TCI and Tractus Co. Ltd among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.Request TOC of the Report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=17036
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 02:02:01

As demand for mobile printing increases, the Mopria Alliance announces additional mobile devices to have Mopria Print Service pre-installed

Select ZTE Mobile Devices Now Include the Mopria Print Service

Tech Image

Harvey Henao

(312) 673-6059

harvey.henao@techimage.com

The Mopria Alliance, a global non-profit membership organization chartered to drive industry-wide standards for mobile printing, today announced significant traction in its effort to promote and simplify printing from Android devices. Exclusively in China, ZTE Axon 7 and Axon 7 Max smartphones will be preloaded with Mopria Print Service, enabling users to have immediate access to Mopria mobile print capabilities.

The ZTE devices join select Amazon Fire and Huawei devices that also have Mopria Print Service functionality, as well as Samsung Galaxy devices that utilize Mopria technology in the Samsung Print Service. Additionally, Android 8.0 Oreos new Default Print Service features core technology from the Mopria Print Service, immediately delivering mobile printing convenience in the Operating System.

The Mopria Print Service enables printing on Android (4.4 or later) smartphones or tablets to Mopria certified printers and multi-function printers (MFPs) from many manufacturers through a wireless network or using Wi-Fi Direct. The installation of the Mopria Print Service on ZTE Axon 7 and Axon 7 Max devices will provide users automatic access to Mopriawithout the need to download the print service app or other printer drivers/apps independentlyenabling easy printing of photos, documents, or other content. Mopria print technology is designed to simplify printing from Android devices to more than 100 million Mopria certified printers.

The companies that make up the Mopria Alliance set out to join forces so more people than ever are able to seamlessly and intuitively print from their Android devices, said Greg Kuziej, Chairman of the Board at Mopria Alliance. Todays announcement is evidence that we are succeeding, as is the fact that we recently reached the milestone of nearly 700 million installations  a number that continues to climb.

The demand for mobile print continues to grow as more companies seek to digitize their processes to be more efficient. According to research from Quocirca on managed print services, 80 percent of respondents are looking to grow strategically by adopting smart multifunction printer technology along with interconnected software to support digital transformation.

Since its launch, the Mopria Print Service has enabled printing on Android smartphones and tablets to Mopria certified printers. It lets users easily customize color, number of copies, duplex, paper size, page range, media type and orientation, as well as workplace features like user authentication, pin printing and accounting capabilities all without having to install printer brand specific apps.

In the four years since the establishment of the Mopria Alliance by founders Canon, HP, Samsung and Xerox, the nonprofit membership organization has grown to 20 members, representing the worldwide printer business. In addition to the founding companies, the Mopria Alliance today includes Adobe, Konica Minolta, Qualcomm, Lexmark, Kyocera, Toshiba, Brother, Epson, Fuji Xerox, NEC, Pantum, Ricoh, YSoft, Sharp, Dell and Primax.

While the Mopria Alliance will continue its efforts to make mobile printing easy, it will also expand its focus to standardizing cloud printing and scanning. Its goal is to make these solutions more accessible and intuitive for both consumer and business users.

The Mopria Print Service is available for download from Wandoujia, Baidu, 360 and the Mopria website for any Android 4.4 device or higher. For the latest list of Mopria certified printers and print accessories, please visit http://mopria.org/certified-products.

About the Mopria Alliance

The Mopria Alliance is a non-profit membership organization of leading global technology companies with the initial goal of simplifying printing from smartphones, tablets and other devices. The Alliance develops and promotes technology standards that deliver an intuitive experience connecting different devices and mobile operating systems. The adoption of these standards allow users to seamlessly interact with a printer, regardless of brand. Plus, app downloads and setups for new mobile devices or printers will become unnecessary. Look for Mopria certified printers and accessories for easy printing with Mopria-enabled mobile devices. Learn more at www.mopria.org or download the latest Mopria software on the Google Play Store.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201709250052
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 08:32:01

Six-month period of 1 January-30 June 2017

The return of Solidium's holdings in the review period was 8.5 per cent

Solidium acquired 3 per cent of Konecranes for a purchase price of EUR 93 million

Solidium increased its voting rights in Stora Enso

Solidium reduced its holding in Outokumpu

Antti Makinen became the Managing Director on 2 May 2017

Financial year 1 July 2016-30 June 2017

The return on equity holdings was 35.5 per cent in the financial year

Solidium's result for the financial year was EUR 1,033 million. The result before reversals of impairments and taxes was 405 million

Solidium's net asset value increased as a result of the value changes of equity investments by EUR 1.6 billion during the review period and was EUR 7.7 billion at the end of the financial year

Solidium's Annual General Meeting decided on a distribution of dividends totalling EUR 307 million, and Timo Ahopelto was elected to Solidium's Board of Directors



Solidium's Board of Directors approved the updated strategy after the end of the financial year



Solidium's Managing Director Antti Makinen's comments on the review period:



"The positive tone in the equity market continued during the review period from January to June, and this had a positive impact on Solidium's portfolio companies. The value of equity holdings grew from EUR 7.8 billion to EUR 8.2 billion during the review period. The delights of the review period included the good returns of Valmet, Outotec, and Metso. In the long-term, we expect our companies to perform better than the median of peer companies. During the financial year, six out of twelve companies met our expectations in this regard, and the same was accomplished by five companies over the longer, five-year period. The equity holdings yielded an excellent return, more than 35 per cent, during the financial year.



Solidium continuously monitors the equity market, investigates new investment opportunities, and assesses the development of its current investments. At the beginning of the review period, Solidium reduced its holding in Outokumpu by approximately EUR 94 million. The holding in Outokumpu was higher than pursued, and the timing and price were attractive for the divestment.



Solidium will spend the funds received from divestments of shares on new investments. In May, Solidium had an opportunity to purchase 3 per cent of Konecranes' shares for EUR 93 million. Konecranes is a technology leader in its industry, with globally scalable business operations. The investment by Solidium stabilises Konecranes' Finnish ownership by further anchoring the company's ownership to Finland.



At the end of the financial period, in June, Solidium strengthened its voting rights in Stora Enso by purchasing 5.7 million A shares and divesting a corresponding number of R shares with more limited voting rights. Stora Enso is transforming from a paper company to a growth company of renewable materials with a strategy based on global trends. It creates good prerequisites for developing Stora Enso's shareholder value."





SOLIDIUM'S HOLDINGS



Development of holdings and key indicators



The value of Solidium's all holdings (equity holdings and money market investments) was EUR 8,930 million on 30 June 2017 (EUR 8,536 million on 31 December 2016 and EUR 6,970 million on 30 June 2016). The return on all holdings was 8.1 per cent over the review period of six months, and 32.4 per cent for the past financial year. More detailed information on the investment key indicators are attached.



Equity holdings

The value of Solidium's equity holdings was EUR 8,223 million on 30 June 2017 (EUR 7,848 million on 31 December 2016 and EUR 6,308 million on 30 June 2016). The total return of Solidium's equity holdings was 8.5 per cent during the review period and 35.5 per cent for the past financial year. During the six-month period, the best returns were generated by Valmet, Outotec and Metso, whereas in Outokumpu, Kemira and Telia Company, the development was the weakest. The best return during the financial year was generated by SSAB, Outokumpu and Stora Enso, while the returns of Telia Company, Elisa and Kemira were low.



Money market investments

Solidium's money market investments amounted to EUR 707 million on 30 June 2017 (EUR 688 million on 31 December 2016 and EUR 662 million on 30 June 2016). The return of money market investments was 0.2 per cent during the review period and 0.5 per cent for the past financial year.



Distribution of profit to Solidium



During the financial year, Solidium received a total of EUR 314 million before taxes as dividends distributed by its portfolio companies (1 July 2015 - 30 June 2016: EUR 282 million) and after taxes EUR 307 million (EUR 278 million). The dividend income received by Solidium was approximately 3.8 per cent proportioned to the value of equity holdings on 30 June 2017.



Participation in nomination boards



A central aspect of Solidium's corporate governance model is to actively influence the composition of the boards of directors of the portfolio companies. Solidium actively participated in the work of the nomination boards responsible for preparing board elections. Solidium pursues board compositions which best serve the needs of the companies and the goal of shareholder value creation. During the financial year, a total of nine new members were elected to the boards of directors of Solidium's portfolio companies. Four of the new members were women.



Solidium's representatives have served as the chairman of the shareholders' nomination boards of Elisa, Metso, Outokumpu, Outotec, Stora Enso, Talvivaara Mining Company and Valmet, and as members of the shareholders' nomination boards of Kemira, SSAB, Telia Company and Tieto. The nomination boards prepared the proposals related to the selection and remuneration of the board members for the 2017 Annual General Meetings.



Share acquisitions and other events



During the six-month review period, Solidium executed its owner strategy by decreasing its holding in Outokumpu Oyj from 26.2 per cent to 23.8 per cent through the divestment of shares in the market for approximately EUR 93.7 million. The sales gain from the shares was EUR 56.4 million.



In May 2017, Solidium acquired 3.0 per cent of Konecranes Plc's shares for the purchase price of EUR 93.0 million. Konecranes is a world-leading manufacturer of lifting equipment and machinery, serving a broad range of customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. The company supplies its customers with lifting solutions for more efficient operations and maintenance services for all types and makes of industrial cranes, hoists and port equipment. The company has 17,000 employees and 600 service points in 50 countries. Konecranes' strong market position and unparalleled technological expertise in the value chain of the machine and metal products industry as a whole are appealing characteristics. As Terex divested its holding in Konecranes, Solidium's investment will strengthen and stabilise the Finnish ownership of the company.



In June 2017, Solidium purchased Stora Enso's A shares for EUR 68.6 million and divested Stora Enso's R shares for EUR 67.3 million. After the transactions, Solidium's share of the votes in Stora Enso increased from 25.1% to 27.3% and the share of the number of shares remained at 12.3%. Stora Enso's voting A shares are rarely available in greater numbers, and therefore Solidium took the opportunity and divested a corresponding number of R shares. The sales gain from the shares was EUR 35.6 million.





SOLIDIUM OY'S EVENTS



Solidium's strategy update



At the beginning of the financial year, Solidium received a new Board of Directors and a revised mandate, and a new Managing Director took his position in spring 2017. Reassessing Solidium's strategy was also deemed appropriate in the same connection. Strategy work based on the new mandate was led by Managing Director Antti Makinen in the spring and summer, and the strategy was approved by the company's Board of Directors in August.



Solidium's core task remains unchanged: to strengthen and stabilise Finnish ownership in companies of national importance and grow the value of its ownership in the long-term. However, the strategy update resulted in changes in the methods by which this goal is pursued. The key change concerns a more active role as an owner. Solidium applies methods available for a minority owner in order to support and challenge the portfolio companies to develop and outperform their peers. The goal is for Solidium to have a representative in the board of directors of every portfolio company in the long term.



In accordance with its updated strategy, Solidium is also more active than before in reforming the composition of its equity portfolio. We can increase or decrease our holding in portfolio companies on the basis of our well-founded view and financial grounds, as well as invest in new companies with national interest. We continuously investigate new investment opportunities. Previously, Solidium primarily pursued holdings of a minimum of 10 per cent. According to the new strategy, a smaller holding is also possible if it can influence the shareholder value of the portfolio company and stabilise Finnish ownership.



Annual General Meeting



Solidium's Annual General Meeting was held in Helsinki on 26 September 2017. The Annual General Meeting adopted the company's financial statements for the financial year 1 July 2016-30 June 2017 and discharged the members of the Board of Directors and the current Managing Director as well the temporary Managing Director and the former Managing Director from liability. In accordance with the Board's proposal, the Annual General Meeting decided on a profit distribution of EUR 307 million to the owner, which corresponds to the amount of dividends received by Solidium, taking the taxes payable on the dividends into consideration. For a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting, the following persons were elected to the Board of Directors: Harri Sailas was elected as the Chairman, Eija Ailasmaa as the Vice Chairman, and Timo Ahopelto (new member), Aaro Cantell, Markku Hyvarinen, Paula Lehtomaki, and Marjo Miettinen as Board members. The Annual General Meeting confirmed the existing remuneration of the Board of Directors: Chairman of the Board of Directors shall receive a remuneration of EUR 5,500 per month, the Vice Chairman EUR 3,000 per month, and each member EUR 2,500 per month. In addition, a meeting remuneration of EUR 600 was confirmed for each meeting. KPMG Oy Ab, authorised public accountants, with APA Raija-Leena Hankonen as the principal auditor, was appointed as Solidium's auditor to serve for a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting.



Financial key indicators



Solidium's net profit for the financial year was EUR 1,033 million (EUR 405 million before reversals of impairments and taxes). Solidium's operating expenses were EUR 4.6 million (EUR 3.5 million in the previous financial year), resulting in a management cost ratio of operations of 0.07% at an annual level. The increase in the operating expenses was mostly attributable to the expenses related to the change of the Managing Director. The financial expenses include a reversal of impairment totalling EUR 742 million in accordance with the accounting principles, of which EUR 408 million is related to Outokumpu Oyj's shares, EUR 54 million related to Outotec Oyj's shares, and EUR 280 million related to SSAB AB's shares. Solidium's net asset value increased as a result of the value changes of share investments by EUR 1.6 billion during the review period and was EUR 7.7 billion at the end of the review period.





1 July 2016-

30 June 2017 1 July 2015-

30 June 2016 1 July 2014-

30 June 2015 Operating profit, EUR million 89.1 -3.5 534.5 Profit for the period, EUR million 1,032.6 11.2 216.6 Return on investment at fair value, % 32.4 -7.4 4.3 Management cost ratio of operations, % 0.07 0.05 0.07 Net asset value, EUR million 7,695.0 6,127.9 6,853.6 Shareholders' equity, EUR million 4,590.1 3,835.5 4,090.3 Financial liabilities, EUR million 350.0 350.0 950.0 Equity ratio, % 90.9 91.6 81.1 Average number of employees 11 12 12

Solidium's Annual Report in English will be published and available on Solidium's website at http://www.solidium.fi/en/publications-and-media/annual-report/ in October. This report is unaudited.





Solidium Oy



Further information: Managing Director Antti Makinen, tel. +358 10 830 8905



Solidium is a limited liability company wholly owned by the State of Finland. Its core task is to strengthen and stabilise Finnish ownership in companies of national importance and grow the value of its ownership in the long-term. Solidium is a minority owner in thirteen listed companies (Elisa Corporation, Kemira Oyj, Konecranes Plc, Metso Corporation, Outokumpu Oyj, Outotec Oyj, Sampo Plc, SSAB AB, Stora Enso Oyj, Talvivaara Mining Company Plc, Telia Company AB, Tieto Corporation and Valmet Corporation). The market value of Solidium's equity holdings is approximately EUR 8,3 billion on the date of this report. Further information: www.solidium.fi/en.

Attachment:

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Solidium Oy via Globenewswire


The Tomah branch of the American Association of University Women will conduct its next monthly meeting at the Tomah Veterans Administration Medical Center Thursday Oct. 12 starting at 5:30 p.m.

The presenter will be Tomah VA Medical Center director Victoria Brahm, who will speak on Building a Culture of Excellence.

Anyone with questions or seeking information about joining AAUW can contact Kathy Peterson, AAUW Tomah branch public relations officer, at 608-343-8632 or petesplace1208@yahoo.com.

AAUW advances equity for all women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. The groups website is tomah-wi.aauw.net.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 15:00:29

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Altamira Gold Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, BC (FSCWire) - Altamira Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:ALTA). has issued a press release with the following headline:Surface Sampling at Crepori Project Identifies Additional High-Grade Zones with Values up to 148.2g/T Gold. Additional Ground AcquiredTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Altamira Gold Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Altamira Gold Corp.Source: Altamira Gold Corp. (TSX Venture: ALTA, WKN: A12CWK, ISIN: CA29458R2054, FWB: T6UP, OTC Pink: EQTRF)Date: September 26, 2017Time: 9:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Altamira Gold Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 07:02:01

New Madrid Theatre Showcases an Interactive Commerce Experience to Solve Retail Challenges

Toshiba Opens New European Retail Innovation Experience Theatre

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Inc.

Renee Kiefer, 1-919-523-7241

Toshiba_Comms@toshibagcs.com

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Inc. (Toshiba) today announces the opening of its new European Retail Theatre showroom in Madrid, Spain to help retailers and business partners navigate the fast-moving retail marketplace. Focused on the needs of retailers and their shoppers both today and tomorrow, the showroom will allow Toshiba customers and business partners to experience Brilliant CommerceTM and discover new ways to become more agile, improve store productivity and increase profits.

Located in the Toshiba office strategically situated near the Madrid airport, Toshibas new state-of-the art showroom will allow visitors an immersive experience to transform into the role of the shopper or store associate. Toshiba designed a retail store experience and meeting space on 400 square meters called the Retail Experience Theatre. The theatre is highly adaptable with retractable seating, making it an excellent demonstration and meeting space. The spatial design also incorporates education space for classes to be offered to customers and business partners.

Todays retailers have to bring all of their channels, touchpoints and applications together to spark innovation and bridge to a whole new generation of technologies that will power the future of commerce. The concept of the theatre is to take all visitors on a customer journey and let retailers and partners experience the way we can shop tomorrow -- which is possible today. The centerpiece behind the scenes is Toshibas new TCxTM Elevate platform which affords all retail customers the capacity to implement creative and impactful solutions at their own pace. Fully-integrated interactive shopping scenarios have been developed in cooperation with Toshibas large strategic partner network, with a wide range of capabilities featured in the Madrid Theatre including:

Home shopping with click and collect based on digital shopping list, home delivery

In-store mobile self scanning

Frictionless checkout

Optimized no waste innovation for perishable goods

Real-time digital pricing

Smart weigh scales with built-in clienteling

Interactive digital experiences featuring facial analysis and actionable consumer insights

"The new Madrid showroom is the ideal location for our clients to get inspired, meet with Toshiba retail experts, collaborate with our strategic partners and experience Toshiba as the one-stop shop in providing commerce solutions to meet the dynamic needs of the rapidly changing retail landscape, said Yevgeni Tsirulnik, Group Vice President, EMEA Sales and Omni Channels, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.

Says Adam Sheppard, President and CEO, Toshiba TEC European Retail Operations: "Our customer and business partner growth has inspired the opening of a centrally located Retail Experience Theatre in Europe that will allow retailers from many countries to experience first-hand the end-to-end customer shopping experiences. The future is already here!"

The power of Toshiba and our full integration with an extensive network of Together Commerce Alliance partners delivers proven end-to-end solutions that offer retailers significant business value and improved performance, said Gerard Pruijn, European Director of Strategic Partnerships, Toshiba TEC.

About Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions

Toshiba is the global leader in Brilliant CommerceTM and ranks as the largest installed programmable electronic point of sale system provider in the world, according to analyst firm RBR. To learn more about how Toshiba and our global team of dedicated business partners enable retailers to deliver engaged shopping experiences, gain actionable insights and provide frictionless checkout, visit toshibacommerce.com or engage on Twitter @toshibagcs

The information in this document represents current goals and objectives and is subject to change or withdrawal without notice.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201709250065

New @toshibagcs Madrid Retail Theatre showcases an interactive commerce experience to solve #retail challenges
PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 13:00:12

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Turbo Power Systems Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Whitehorse, Canada (FSCWire) - Turbo Power Systems Inc. (AIM:TPS). has issued a press release with the following headline:Turbo Power Systems Inc and TAO Sustainable Power Solutions (UK) Ltd. Announce Group Restructure and Conversion of SharesTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Turbo Power Systems Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Turbo Power Systems Inc.Source: Turbo Power Systems Inc. (AIM: TPS)Date: September 26, 2017Time: 7:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Turbo Power Systems Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Zeolite Molecular Sieve Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-26 09:59:26

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Global Zeolite Molecular Sieve Market: OverviewMolecular sieve is a specialty material used to separate small-sized molecules from a mixture, whereas zeolite molecular sieve is a special class of molecular sieve that uses aluminosilicates as its skeletal composition. Zeolite molecular sieve has small-sized holes that block large molecules and allow small molecules to pass through it. Hence, it can be used as a desiccant. A molecular sieve can adsorb water up to 22% of its own weight. The adsorbed product remains trapped as it is able to penetrate the pore and fill the space in absence of another material. Molecular sieve can be further classified into microporous, mesoporous, and macroporous materials depending upon size of molecular sieve. Microporous materials have pore diameters less than 20 angstrom (A), the mesoporous category lies in the middle with pore diameters between 2 and 50 nanometers (nm), and macroporous materials have pore diameters greater than 500 A.Zeolite molecular sieve is a microporous material where size of molecular sieve lies between 3 and 4 A. Zeolites are highly crystalline material with anionic framework. Thus, they can be used as an adsorbent for liquids and gases. Zeolite molecular sieve with a pore size of 3 A blocks molecules with size more than 3 A; hence, it can be used in diversified applications such as purification of gas streams, drying reaction starting materials, and in the chemical laboratory for separating compounds. The ratio of silica to alumina in zeolite molecular sieve is close to two, which provides it with characteristic features such as fast adsorption speed, good crushing resistance, frequent regeneration ability, and good pollution resistance. These properties help improve durability and efficiency of sieve. Zeolite molecular sieve is used in the petroleum and gas industry for selective adsorption of water from gas so that the latter can be used in applications where moisture from gas can corrode the equipment. This sieve can also be used to filter air supplied for breathing apparatus by removing particulates and compressor exhaust products from breathing air supply.Browse Full Report With ToC @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=17000 Environmental effects of detergents can be manipulated by replacing sodium tripolyphosphate with zeolite molecular sieve. This type of zeolite molecular sieve can reduce surface tension. This, in turn, assists detergents by producing demineralized water through calcium ion exchange, thereby avoiding deposition of dirt. Zeolite molecular sieve can also be used in soil conditioning. Extensive research and development activities are being conducted to use silver zeolite as an antibacterial agent in medicines. In April 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of sodium aluminosilicate for direct contact with consumable items. As a result, it is employed in personal care and pharmaceutical industries. Zeolite molecular sieves have high selectivity for ammonium ions; therefore, they are widely used to combat eutrophication and other effects in waterways. Zeolite molecular sieves have also been used to remove heavy metal ions present in water due to industrial activities.Global Zeolite Molecular Sieve Market: Regional OutlookDiversified applications of zeolite molecular sieve are likely to significantly propel its market growth during the forecast period. Raw materials required for production of zeolite molecular sieve are abundantly available in China, which makes it the leading producer of zeolite molecular sieve. Additionally, India is a frontrunner in the manufacture of zeolite molecular sieve. This country also exports zeolite to various economies. Asia Pacific accounts for major share of the zeolite molecular sieve market. The market for zeolite molecular sieve is projected to rise in regions, such as the Middle East and Africa due to increasing use of zeolite molecular sieve in petrochemical industries. High cost of zeolite molecular sieve can act as barrier for growth of the zeolite molecular sieve market.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17000 Global Zeolite Molecular Sieve Market: Key PlayersKey manufacturers of zeolite molecular sieve include Tricat Group, Luoyang Jiandong Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., Sorbead India, Pingxiang XINTAO Chemical Packing Co. Ltd, N Shashikant & Co., and Patalia Chem Industries.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




The former Director of the Department of International Trade (DIT) in Cambodia joins the team in October

By: British Chamber of Commerce Singapore

Media Contact

Lucy Haydon

***@britcham.org.sg

67180535 Lucy Haydon67180535

End

-- The British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore is delighted to announce the appointment of Olivia Widen as Executive Director.Ms Widen, who will assume the role from 10October 2017 was most recently Director of the Department of International Trade (DIT) in Cambodia and previously the Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia. Before moving to the region, Ms. Widen worked on Global Partnerships in the British Chamber of Commerce UK headquarters."We are delighted to welcome Olivia to the team", commented Dr. Bicky Bhangu, President of the British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore."Olivia brings a solid mix of global and regional experience to our management team and we look forward to the next stage of the Chamber's growth under her leadership and with the support of our exceptional team."Whilst the new Executive Director recruitment process has been in progress the Chamber has been led by Deputy Executive Director Lucy Haydon, in an Interim capacity.The British Chamber team looks forward to welcoming Ms. Widen who will have the opportunity to meet members and key partners at our upcoming BritCham Fair event on 12October 2017. ( www.britcham.org.sg/ events/upcoming- events/2664
Local author Lorena Beniquez will be available to sign copies of book

Lost Coal Country of NE PA

End

-- Lost Coal Country of Northeastern Pennsylvania documents the region's disappearing anthracite history, which shaped the legacy of the United States of America and the industrial revolution. The coal mines, breakers, coal miners' homes, and railroads have all steadily disappeared. With only one coal breaker left in the entire state, it was time to record what would soon be lost. Unfortunately, one piece of history that persists is underground fires that ravage communities like Centralia. Blazing for over 50 years, the flames of Centralia will not be doused anytime soon. Images featured in the book include the St. Nicholas coal breaker, Huber coal breaker, Steamtown National Historic Site, Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, Eckley Miners' Village, Centralia, and the Knox Mine disaster. A hybrid history book and travel guide, Lost Coal Country of Northeastern Pennsylvania is one final recounting of what is gone and what still remains.Author and photographer Lorena Beniquez captures the oral and physical history of the anthracite region. Although the great-granddaughter of a coal miner, Beniquez knew little of her family's story, so she set out on a journey to recover not only her own history but that of countless other families as well.Books-A-Million100 Viewmont MallScranton, PA 18508Saturday, October 7, 2017; 1:00 p.m.  3:00 p.m.Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town? www.arcadiapublishing.com
AEW announces, on behalf of its Europe Value Investors Fund, that it has acquired the Calle de Francisco Silvela 106 office building in Madrid, from a private investor for c. 30mn. This is the third acquisition in Spain for EVI, a value add fund focusing on European manage-to-core office assets,

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Knight Frank has been appointed sole agent of the Pin Park in Wroclaw. The construction of the complex is scheduled for the end of this year. Probuild is the investor of the project and Strabag was chosen general contractor.

Pin Park will be located in Fabryczna Street in the major business district...

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According to Knight Franks latest report on major office markets, the total volume of modern office space in Poland exceeded 9.6m sq m at the end of June 2017. In Warsaw and six main regional markets the office stock after H1 2017 approached 9m sq m, while 1.6m sq m

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Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate has acquired the Pegaz office property in Wroclaw, Poland, on behalf of an individual fund for an institutional investor. Built in 2016 and centrally situated in inner-city Wroclaw, the property has a total rental area of 20,900 sqm and 390 parking spaces. Pegaz, located at Kazimierza

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Agreement among research institute, four state universities

to help patients, generate economic growth

INDIANAPOLIS  The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute has partnered with four Indiana universities to license available life sciences technologies at pre-defined terms. Ball State University, Indiana University, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame have signed onto the agreement.

The agreement will enable the IBRI more rapid access to available technologies that can be combined with its own research to create synergies and help commercialize technologies more quickly.

With this arrangement in place, the IBRI will be able to unlock the value of discoveries being made at the states top research universities by further developing them or combining them with other technologies and bringing treatments to patients and innovations quicker to market, said IBRI chief scientific and innovation officer and incoming CEO Rainer Fischer. Successful commercialization will provide a return to the IBRI, to the universities that contributed intellectual property, and ultimately, to the state of Indiana in the form of economic growth.

The memorandum of understanding streamlines the process for licensing of university technology and removes hurdles to acquiring valuable technologies and helping speed ideas to market. It also accelerates the IBRIs mission to bridge the gap between universities and industry.

The creation and work of the IBRI is a gift to the state of Indiana and its residents, said Dan Hasler, chief entrepreneurial officer of the Purdue Research Foundation. This agreement sets the groundwork for stronger research and technology transfer collaboration among Indiana universities. Not only will it expedite IBRI access and translation of university developed intellectual property, it will enhance the quality of life for people across the state.

The first technologies that the IBRI will license include a mass spectrometry technology and a high sensitivity detection technology for single cell analysis developed at Purdue, and a microfluidic technology developed at the University of Notre Dame.

IBRI is unique among research institutes in the country, said Bryan Ritchie, vice president of innovation at Notre Dame. Not only will IBRI work to make new discoveries in the biosciences arena, but it will facilitate the collaboration and engagement of all the major bioscience players in Indiana. In this new environment, the potential for larger, faster and more impactful commercialization outcomes is now much greater than it has ever been.

Indiana Universitys School of Medicine is already closely collaborating with IBRI as researchers in complementary fields work to advance investigation in areas linked to cardio metabolic disease.

Partnering with the IBRI and other outstanding research universities across Indiana to combine strengths and jointly promote our innovations benefits all of us, said IU vice president for engagement Bill Stephan. Not only will we be able to more rapidly move innovations to market, well also further enhance the states economic vitality and continue to distinguish Indiana as a life and bio-sciences leader.

This agreement marks the first time Ball State has worked with the IBRI.

Ball State is excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) and Indianas other research institutions, said Wil Davis, president of Ball State Innovation Corporation. Moving Ball State research from the laboratory to the market efficiently is key to advancing our mission of serving the world through innovation. 

About Indiana Biosciences Research Institute

The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) is an independent, nonprofit discovery science and applied research institute currently focused on innovation targeting cardio-metabolic diseases, diabetes and poor nutrition. Inspired by the state and Indianas leading life sciences companies, research universities and philanthropic community, the IBRI is building a world-class organization of researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs that will catalyze scientific discovery and its application, resulting in improved health outcomes for patients. For more information about the IBRI and donation or collaboration opportunities, please visit www.indianabiosciences.org.

About Ball State University

Founded in 1918 and located in Muncie, Ball State is one of Indianas signature universities and an economic driver for the state. The universitys 2017-18 enrollment  22,513  is the largest in school history and its incoming freshman class of 4,002 is just three students shy of another school record. Every Indiana county is represented among Ball States student body, as are all 50 states and 69 countries. Ball States 1,140-acre campus is large enough to accommodate premier facilities and 19 NCAA Division 1 sports, but small enough to ensure the friendliness, personal attention and access that are the hallmarks of the university, where 90 percent of classes are taught by faculty. Ball State will have its smallest tuition increase in 41 years for fiscal years 2018 and 2019

About Indiana University

Founded in 1820, Indiana University is one of worlds foremost public institutions. With more than 112,000 students and 19,000 employees statewide, innovation, creativity and academic freedom are hallmarks of its world-class contributions in research and the arts. Bloomington is the flagship campus of the university, and each one of its seven campuses is an accredited, four-year degree-granting institution.

About Purdue University

Purdue University, a top public research institution, offers higher education at its highest proven value. Committed to affordability, the University has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels. Purdue has about 40,000 students at its West Lafayette campus and is ranked 21st for public universities by U.S. News and World Report. With 24 alumni who became astronauts, including the first and last person on the moon, Purdue is called the Cradle of Astronauts. Committed to pursuing scientific discoveries and engineered solutions, Purdue has streamlined pathways for faculty and student innovators who have a vision for moving the world forward.

About the University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame is a large, four-year, highly residential research university. Undergraduate students are organized into six colleges: Arts and Letters, Science, Engineering, Business, Architecture, and Global Affairs. The university offers over 50 foreign study abroad yearlong programs and over 15 summer programs. Notre Dame's graduate program has more than 50 master, doctoral and professional degree programs offered by the five schools, with the addition of the Notre Dame Law School and a MD-PhD program offered in combination with IU medical School. It maintains a system of libraries, cultural venues, artistic and scientific museums, including the Hesburgh Library and the Snite Museum of Art. Over 80 percent of the university's 8,000 undergraduates live on campus in one of 31 single-sex residence halls, each with its own traditions, legacies, events, and intramural sports teams. In 2017, Notre Dame is ranked 15th for national universities overall in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. The university counts approximately 120,000 alumni.

Media contacts:

Christy Denault, IBRI, 317-417-6322, cdenault@indianabiosciences.org

Cynthia Sequin, Purdue Research Foundation, 765-413-6031, casequin@prf.org

Kathy Wolf, Ball State University, 513-470-3420, kmwolf@bsu.edu

Marc Ransford, Ball State University, 765-717-9783, 00meransford@bsu.edu

Ryan Piurek, Indiana University, 812-855-5393, rpiurek@iu.edu

Nick Swisher, University of Notre Dame, 574-631-2984, nswisher@nd.edu
Now that the Islamic State's caliphate is collapsing in Iraq and Syria, Europe is bracing for an influx of foreign fighters attempting to return home to their respective countries of origin. Many of the Islamic State's European cadres have a criminal past, and tracking and arresting them in the criminal underworld will be vital for preventing potential attacks and longer-term counterterrorism success.

To date, European government officials have not identified one clear or common route back to Europe for returning foreign fighters. But inevitably, foreign fighters will return to their home countriesremaining in Iraq or Syria is becoming more untenable with each passing month. To be sure, some returnees will be met at the airport by police or security officials where they might be arrested or subjected to questioning. Others may return unnoticed ( PDF ), but either report themselves to authorities or be reported by family members or acquaintances. By far, the most troubling returnees are those who return surreptitiously with the intention of conducting attacks in their home countries or elsewhere in Europe.

Since the foreign-fighter phenomenon began in 2014, significant research has been dedicated to determining how Westerners intent on jihad earned money to travel to Iraq and Syria. Yet there is a complete dearth of analysis attempting to discern how returning foreign fighters might finance their trips home and how they would seek to earn money once they successfully returned. This has become an even more pressing issue in the past six months as the Islamic State's territory has been recaptured and its fighters killed, arrested, or forced to flee.

The remainder of this commentary is available at lawfareblog.com

Colin P. Clarke is a political scientist at RAND and an associate fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT)-The Hague.

This commentary originally appeared on Lawfare on September 24, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
The telenovela-focused network Pasiones has reached an agreement with Argentinean pay-TV operator Cablevision to be added to all its packages, including its TV everywhere platform Cablevision Flow.





Thus, the Spanish-language channel, owned by Hemisphere Media Group, will reach the largest pay-TV subscriber base in the country.Were happy to have reached an agreement with Cablevision to increase our reach in Argentina, said Alan Sokol, president, CEO, Hemisphere Media Group . Pasiones delivers a mix of international content that is the perfect add-on for Cablevision.The network is fully dedicated to telenovelas, delivering soap operas produced not only in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela, but also Turkey, the US and South Korea.Distributed by some of the main pay-TV operators in the Americas, Pasiones currently reaches 18 million homes in the US and Latin America.
Turkey has removed three Kurdish television channels based in northern Iraq from its national satellite operator Turksat.





The satellite channels Rudaw TV, K-24 TV and Waar TV were reportedly removed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) on 25 September because their broadcasting policies [are] undermining the international agreements signed by Turkey, and violating provisions of law.An official from the Turkish Higher Authority for Broadcasts confirmed the move to Reuters, although Kurdish news agency Rudaw said it had not yet been officially told of the decision.This is a hostile attitude toward the Kurdish people and Kurdish language media, said the Pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) in a statement. The decision to take Kurdistan Regions Rudaw, K-24, and Waar off Turksat is a severe blow to the freedom of the press, broadcasting, and communication, it added.The RTUK decision comes as voters in areas under the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), including disputed areas between Baghdad and Irbil, voted in a referendum on whether to secede from Iraq.Turkey had threatened to take various steps against the Kurds if the referendum went ahead, including stemming the flow of oil from Northern Iraq through Turkey to its international customers.Turkey is not alone in opposing the poll. Baghdad , Iran, the US and the UN have taken issue with the referendum, suggesting it could further destabilise the region and distract from the fight against Daesh.
Amazon today announced that critically-acclaimed multi-hyphenates Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (Gilmore Girls) have entered a multi-year overall deal with Amazon Studios.





The two will develop television projects that will add to their two-season green light of upcoming Amazon Original Series The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, which debuts this autumn on Prime Video."Amy and Dan are brilliant. Everything they create has such an incredible vision behind it. On top of that, they're wonderfully funny and smart people. Also, Amy has the best hats in show business," said Joe Lewis, head of comedy, drama and VR, Amazon Studios . "We're excited about the next two seasons of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel with them and, with this deal, we can't wait to do a lot more together."The Marvelous Mrs Maisel stars Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards) as Miriam Midge Maisel, a 1958 New York City woman who has everything she's ever wanted - the perfect husband, two kids and an elegant Upper West Side apartment perfect for hosting Yom Kippur dinner. But her perfect life suddenly takes an unexpected turn and Midge discovers a previously unknown talent - one that changes her life forever. She charts a course that takes her from her comfortable life on Riverside Drive, through the basket houses and nightclubs of Greenwich Village as she storms the world of stand-up comedy ... a course that will ultimately lead her to a spot on Johnny Carson's couch.The team at Amazon has allowed us to have Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy as our presidents for the next few years and for that we are eternally grateful," said Sherman-Palladino and Palladino. "Amazon is the future of television and we are thrilled to tag along for the ride."
Azerbaijani investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova and three lawyers who have fought for social justice have won the Right Livelihood Award, a prize sometimes called the "alternative Nobel."

Ismayilova, an RFE/RL journalist who has tenaciously investigated evidence of graft in President Ilham Aliyev's government, is the first Azerbaijani winner of the award given by the Stockholm-based Right Livelihood Award Foundation.

She was cited for her "courage and tenacity in exposing corruption at the highest levels of government," the jury said.

After the awards were announced in Stockholm on September 26, Ismayilova tweeted, "Alternative Nobel Prize - Right Livelihood Award - for Honesty. Thanks to those who supported me on this endeavor!"

Ethiopian activist Yetnebersh Nigussie, who is blind, was credited with "promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities," the foundation said.

Indian attorney Colin Gonsalves, founder of the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), received mention for obtaining key court rulings to ensure basic human rights for "India's most marginalized and vulnerable citizens."

In 2001, Gonsalves secured an Indian Supreme Court ruling ensuring the right for all schoolchildren to get a free midday meal.

Ismayilova, Nigussie, and Gonsalves are to share the cash prize worth 3 million Swedish kronor ($374,000).

U.S. attorney Robert Bilott, who specializes in environmental law and regulating hazardous substances, was given an honorary award, meaning he would not receive a share of the prize money.

His cases include representing 70,000 people in the U.S. state of West Virginia whose drinking water was contaminated with a chemical.

In all, 102 nominations from 51 countries were considered this year. An award ceremony is scheduled for December 1.

The annual Right Livelihood Award, which was created in 1980, honors efforts that the prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.

With reporting by dpa, AFP, and AP
VITEBSK, Belarus -- A court has sentenced a Belarusian man to a two-year suspended sentence for fighting alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The court in the eastern city of Vitebsk on September 26 found Alyaksey Yarshou, 29, guilty of illegally participating in armed conflicts abroad.

The trial was held behind closed doors.

The prosecution is the first known case involving a Belarusian citizen found to be fighting alongside separatists, whom Russia has backed with irregular forces and heavy weaponry.

In two earlier cases, two Belarusian men were found guilty of fighting alongside Ukraine's armed forces in the conflict, which has killed at least 10,000 people since erupting more than three years ago.

Large-scale fighting in the region, known as the Donbas, has mainly ebbed, though outbreaks of intense fighting have periodically broken out.
Political campaigning for the sixth local elections to be held in Macedonia officially started on September 25.

The first round of the vote is scheduled for October 15, with over 1.7 million people expected to cast ballots for mayors and members of local councils in 80 municipalities, plus the capital, Skopje.

The elections are considered to be a test for Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who has promised quick progress toward joining NATO and the European Union and quick resolution of criminal investigations of members of the previous government led by the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party.

Zaev heads a governing coalition made up of the Social Democratic SDSM party and the Albanian DUI party, which took power over three months ago.

Several citizens interviewed by RFE/RL's Balkan Service said they are not following the election closely because they do not trust politicians and that experience has shown that preelection promises are empty.

Nineteen parties and coalitions as well as independent candidates and citizens are participating in the election.

The vote will be held in 3,480 voting stations across Macedonia. Over 300 observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights will follow the elections on the day of the vote.
A Croatian court has sentenced a former Serb paramilitary commander to 15 years in prison for war crimes committed during the conflict that engulfed the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

The three-judge panel at the Split municipal court on September 26 found Dragan Vasiljkovic guilty of crimes that occurred when Serbs took up arms when Croatia broke away from Yugoslavia.

Vasiljkovic has claimed his innocence, saying the judicial process was rigged.

Known also as Captain Dagan, Vasiljkovic went to Australia as a teenager, but returned to the Balkans to train Croatian Serb rebels in 1991. He was extradited from Australia in July 2015, after fighting a 10-year legal battle.

The judges said Vasiljkovic tortured and beat imprisoned Croatian police and army troops and commanded a special forces unit.

He was also found guilty of the death of at least two civilians.

With reporting by AP


An Iranian teenager sneaks up behind a cleric in the capital, Tehran, and knocks his turban off his head before dashing off.

The incident, uploaded on social media, is part of a new tactic employed by anti-government demonstrators in Iran.

Nationwide antiestablishment protests have raged across the Islamic republic since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died on September 16 shortly after she was arrested for allegedly violating the hijab law on women's dress.

As the authorities have waged a deadly crackdown on the rallies, some demonstrators have turned to new tactics to sustain the monthslong protests, including tipping off Islamic clerics' turbans in the streets.

Many Iranians associate members of the clergy with Iran's Islamist regime, which many blame for the repression and corruption in the country.

While some Iranians have praised the "turban throwing" as an act of resistance, others have expressed concern that low-level clerics who are not affiliated with the state could become the victims of harassment and violence.

Lawmaker Mohammad Taghi Naqd Ali on November 10 called the new trend "the devil's conspiracy" and warned that young protesters tossing clerics' turbans were "playing with the lion's tail."

State media reported the arrests of two people in recent days who were accused of knocking off clerics' turbans.

London-based human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr said the tactic was a "brave and revolutionary act." Sadr, the co-founder of the rights group Justice for Iran, told RFE/RL that protesters were "humiliating" clerics without resorting to violence. "They're [targeting] the clergy's turban as a symbol of the crimes and corruption of the past 43 years as well as the privileges clerics have enjoyed," she said.

"There is no violence in it, and it also includes youthful mischief, which highlights the spirit of the revolution," Sadr added, referring to the monthslong protests that have posed the biggest threat to the establishment in years.

But Ahmad Zeidabadi, a Tehran-based journalist and former political prisoner, said that some of the clerics targeted in the streets "may be critics or even victims of [state] policies."

"This phenomenon...mainly targets clerics who do not hold any government positions," he said on Twitter, adding that senior clerics in powerful positions rarely appear in public and are often protected by security guards if they do.

Reformist cleric Hojatoleslam Ahmad Heidari, who was jailed in the past for his support for the opposition Green Movement, warned that the new trend could taint the "beautiful face of [the] protest movement against oppression and injustice."

"You're right to be angry at those wearing turbans," Heidari wrote on the news site Esafnews.com. But he added that "those who have a hand in power and are your target" are out of reach. He said many of the clerics targeted were "young and elderly" clerics who are not sitting in "ivory towers."

Attacks on clerics, particularly those who attempt to enforce Islamic codes in public, had been on rise in Iran even before the protests erupted, forcing many clerics to appear in public without their robes and turbans.

Last week, a cleric was reportedly hospitalized after being wounded in Karaj, near Tehran, amid antiestablishment protests in the city. The hard-line Fars news agency claimed that protesters attacked the cleric with knives.

Hassan Fereshtian, a Paris-based Iranian cleric and researcher, said the turban-throwing trend was the result of the "suppressed anger of the past four decades."

"If it aims at eliminating the clergy, we could be facing the start of violence," he warned in comments to RFE/RL's Radio Farda. "In fact, the clergy should be eliminated from the centers of power. But they shouldn't be eliminated from society."

Fereshtian, a student of the late dissident Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, expressed hope that Iran will reach a point "where secular people can live peacefully next to the clergy and unveiled women next to those who choose to wear the hijab."

In the past year, regime supporters have knocked off the turbans of clerics who had criticized the establishment, including former Interior Minister Abdollah Nuri and former parliament speaker Mehdi Karrubi, who has been under house arrest since 2011 for disputing the 2009 reelection of former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
Georgian lawmakers have given final approval to draft constitutional amendments that would shift the government to a parliamentary-style system, with the president elected by lawmakers.

The amendments, which also include a measure to legalize the purchase of land by foreigners, passed parliament on September 26.

They were pushed through mainly on the vote of lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream political party.

Two opposition parties, United National Movement and European Georgia-Movement for Liberty, walked out of the session, while a third party, the Alliance of Georgia's Patriots, voted against the amendments.

The vote was held despite speaker Irakli Kobakhidzes request to convene a special session of parliament. That request was rejected by President Giorgi Margvelashvili on September 25.

Opponents have argued that the amendments had been drafted by the State Constitutional Commission, whose members are mainly from Georgian Dream, with the aim of consolidating the partys power.

With the parliamentary vote, the amendments now go to Margvelashvili for his signature and publication in the official legislative bulletin before they go into effect.

If Margvelashvili vetoes the measures and returns them to parliament, only 76 votes in parliament will be required to overturn the veto, compared with 113 votes under normal circumstances.



The changes to the country's land law are a further step away from Georgia's communist legacy.

Under current law, agricultural land can only be sold to state entities, or private individuals, or groups of individuals, who are Georgian citizens.

The amendments set up a mechanism that will allow exceptions if parliament decides by a super-majority.

In addition to the election of the president by parliament and legalizing land sales to foreigners, the amendments enable  party who dominates in an election to acquire more parliamentary seats through redistribution after elections.

The changes will not affect next years presidential election.
The scheming and infighting surrounding the process of amending Georgia's constitution was reminiscent of a TV soap opera just three weeks ago. But with the third and final parliament reading expected before the end of this month, it is coming to look more like theater of the absurd.

The four main actors in this ongoing drama are the ruling Georgian Dream party, which controls 115 of the total 150 parliament mandates; Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, who refused from the outset to take part in the work of the commission Georgian Dream established to draft the amendments; the parliamentary and extraparliamentary opposition parties and civil-society groups; and the Council of Europe's Venice Commission of constitutional experts to which the other three look for support.

The fundamental disagreements between Georgian Dream on the one hand, and President Margvelashvili and the opposition parties on the other, focus on the way the president and parliament should be elected. Initially, it was envisaged that in future the president should be indirectly elected, while future parliaments should be elected by a fully proportional system instead of the current mixed system in which 73 lawmakers are elected from single-mandate constituencies and the remaining 77 from party lists.

Margvelashvili, who is widely expected to seek a second term in the 2018, objected vehemently, arguing that the Georgian people should retain the right to elect their president. In March, the constitutional commission, which was dominated by Georgian Dream and chaired by parliament speaker Irakli Kobakhidze, duly announced that the transition to an indirect presidential ballot will take place only in 2023 (the number of consecutive terms a president may serve is limited to two).

Georgian Dream initially also agreed to the planned transition to a fully proportional electoral system, but insisted on preserving the existing 5 percent threshold to qualify for parliamentary representation and on abolishing the possibility of smaller parties forming electoral blocs. A draft incorporating those points was submitted in June to the Venice Commission, which largely approved them, while objecting to the proposal that the winning party should automatically receive as a "bonus" the parliament mandates left unallocated as a result of votes cast for parties that failed to garner the required minimum 5 percent of the vote.

Just days later, however, apparently as the result of pressure from a group of Georgian Dream lawmakers elected from single-mandate constituencies who feared the loss of their mandates in the event of a transition to the fully proportional system, Georgian Dream announced that that transition will take place only in 2024, with the parliamentary elections due in 2020 being held under the current mixed system. At the same time, Georgian Dream tweaked the draft amendments to take into account the Venice Commission's objections to the proposed distribution of unallocated parliament mandates.

Dialogue, Not Compromise

That amended draft was passed in the first and second readings on June 22 and 23; none of the three opposition factions attended the parliament sessions in question. Angry and outraged, the opposition appealed to the international community and to the Venice Commission, whose president, Gianni Buquicchio, professed himself profoundly disappointed.

Over the next two months, Georgian Dream and the opposition both reaffirmed their readiness for dialogue with the aim of reaching a consensus, while setting the precondition that the other should state in advance what concessions it was prepared to make. At the same time, individual Georgian Dream lawmakers stressed periodically that no substantive changes could be made to the draft during the final reading.

Three hours of talks between the two sides on August 11 failed to narrow the differences between them, and when the opposition subsequently presented a written list of demanded changes, Georgian Dream announced that it saw no point in any further discussions, thereby effectively serving notice that it would not attend the talks the Venice Commission had offered to mediate on September 6.

At that juncture, President Margvelashvili, who had repeatedly called to no avail for the draft to be recalled from parliament after the second reading, together with 20 opposition parties, set to work on an alternative version of the articles of the draft constitution on which the two sides disagreed. His purpose, as explained by his spokesman Giorgi Abashishvili, was to "save Georgia's democratic image" by demonstrating that consensus is possible.

Kobakhidze, who in May had openly accused Margvelashvili of lying, responded by asking how consensus could be reached by excluding the political force for which the majority of Georgians had voted last year from drafting the document intended to guarantee it.

The alternative draft document was unveiled on September 19, three days before the Venice Commission was scheduled to make public its assessment of the draft constitution revised in June by Georgian Dream. Margvelashvili was quoted as saying he hoped it would prompt Georgian Dream to review its "very uncompromising stance."

Some Room For Maneuver

The alternative draft comprises five points, two of which enhance the powers of the president (i.e. Margvelashvili): the parliamentary elections due in 2020 should be held under the fully proportional system, and direct presidential elections should be preserved indefinitely (not only until 2018); the National Security Council, which is chaired by the president, is to be preserved (Georgian Dream had proposed abolishing it); the possibility of forming electoral blocs should be preserved, and the barrier for representation should be lowered from 5 to 3 percent; parliamentary oversight of the government should be intensified; and the independence of the judiciary should be strengthened by empowering the president to appoint Supreme Court judges.

Georgian Dream, whose representatives had, as noted above, ruled out any changes to the draft amendments already passed in the first and second readings, responded to those demands with two minor concessions, one of which partially coincided with one of the Margvelashvili-initiated alterative five points.

In a statement released on September 21, Kobakhidze announced that forming electoral blocs will be allowed, exceptionally, for the parliamentary elections due in 2020. In addition, in 2024 when the transition to the fully proportional electoral system takes place, the provision whereby the party that garners the largest number of votes also receives as a bonus a disproportionately large share of the unallocated mandates will no longer apply. Instead, the unallocated mandates will be distributed among the parties that poll the minimum 5 percent in strict proportion to the percentage of the vote they receive.

It is worth noting that the proposed abolition of electoral blocs and the "bonus" system that would benefit the winning party were among the points that the Venice Commission expressed reservations about in June. Given that according to Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream has been in constant contact with the Venice Commission, that body's September 22 assessment is likely to reflect those two minor revisions.

Those concessions did not, however, satisfy the opposition. Veteran Republican Party member Levan Berdzenishvili termed Kobakhidze's statement "cynical," while Roman Gotsiridze of the former ruling United National Movement stressed that "our principal demand did not concern electoral blocs and it has not been met."

Final Confrontation

It remains unclear why Margvelashvili waited until the last minute to launch an initiative that was almost certainly doomed to fail -- unless he had been proceeding on the assumption that the planned talks in early September under the aegis of the Venice Commission would result in that body pressuring Georgian Dream to make substantive concessions to the opposition.

Political commentator Ramaz Saqvarelidze suggested that Margvelashvili's alternative draft was intended primarily to exert pressure on Georgian Dream, while Avtandil Demetrashvili, who chaired a commission established by the United National Movement in 2009 to draft constitutional amendments, opined that Margvelashvili was seeking simply to save face.

Assuming that the Georgian Dream parliament faction passes the amended draft in the third and final reading on September 26 as planned, Margvelashvili will almost certainly avail himself of his prerogative to veto it. Kobakhidze has made it clear that Georgian Dream will then override that veto.

The Alliance of Patriots, which has six seats in parliament, plans to stage weekly protests against the new constitution; 23 of its members launched a hunger strike in Tbilisi last week. Saqvarelidze considers it unlikely, however, that the population en masse will rally to their support.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL
Turkey has accused the head of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region of "treachery" for pursuing an independence referendum, while the Iraqi government has threatened to ban flights into Kurdish regional airports.

The rhetoric from both Ankara and Baghdad on September 26 ratcheted up pressure on the Kurdish region following the referendum vote a day earlier.

Initial results showed 72 percent of eligible voters had taken part and an overwhelming majority, possibly over 90 percent, had said "Yes," according to Kurdish television Rudaw. Final results were expected September 27.

Some 30 million ethnic Kurds live in Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria, and regional governments fear the spread of separatism from northern Iraq to their own Kurdish populations.

In a speech in Ankara on September 26, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkey blocks Kurdish trucks from crossing the border, and he said all options, including economic and military, were on the table.

Turkey, in particular, has seen the vote as a threat to its national security and fears it will inflame separatism among its own Kurdish population.

"Until the very last moment, we weren't expecting Barzani to make such a mistake as holding the referendum, apparently we were wrong," Erdogan said, referring to Kurdistan region President Masud Barzani.

"This referendum decision, which has been taken without any consultation, is treachery," Erdogan said, threatening again to cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world.

Erdogan's remarks came after the Iraqi government also ruled out talks on possible secession for Kurdish-held parts of northern Iraq.

"We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional," Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said in a speech.

Abadi also gave the Kurdish authorities until September 29 to hand over control of its airports or face an international air embargo.

Just hours after polls closed on September 25, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced the launch of "large-scale" joint military exercises with Turkey.

In Tehran, the Iranian parliament announced it would hold a closed-door meeting on the referendum on September 27.

WATCH: Iraq's Kurds Vote In Independence Referendum

Meanwhile, in northwestern Iran, thousands attended demonstrations in support of the referendum in the Kurdish-majority cities of Baneh, Saghez and Sanandaj.

The referendum took place in the three provinces that officially make up the Kurdish autonomous region -- Dahuk, Irbil, and Sulaymaniyah -- and some neighboring areas. These areas include disputed cities such as oil-rich Kirkuk, Makhmour, Khanaqin, and Sinjar, over which Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have established control while fighting against Islamic State (IS) militants who captured large parts of northern Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014.

The UN -- as well as the United States and other Western powers -- expressed concern that the referendum would pull attention away from the efforts to defeat IS.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert criticized the referendum.

"The United States' historic relationship with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan region will not change in light of today's nonbinding referendum, but we believe this step will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people," she said.

In New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said he was concerned about the "potentially destabilizing effects" of the referendum.

While saying he supported "the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of Iraq," Guterres called for "structured dialogue and constructive compromise" between Baghdad and Kurdish leaders to resolve their differences.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa
BISHKEK -- Authorities in Kyrgyzstan are investigating allegations that teachers at the state-run Law Academy have pressured students to vote for the ruling party candidate in the October 15 presidential election.

The Prosecutor-General's Office office said on September 26 that an Interior Ministry probe was launched following a complaint by the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, an NGO.

According to the complaint, a teacher at the academy warned students that they would be expelled unless they voted for Sooronbai Jeenbekov, who stepped down as prime minister in August to run for president and is the ruling Social Democratic Party's nominee.

President Almazbek Atambaev, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term, has voiced support for Jeenbekov.

Interior Ministry investigators are looking into whether laws on voting rights and the operations of electoral commissions were violated, the Prosecutor-General's Office said.

A video that circulated on the Internet earlier in September was purportedly filmed during a class at the Law Academy in Bishkek and showed what appeared to be a teacher calling on students to vote for Jeenbekov.

In the video, the teacher warns the students that, if they do not vote for Jeenbekov, they might face the fate of four students she said had been expelled after they voted for the "wrong" candidate in a previous election.

After a student objects to the instruction, saying it violates her rights, the teacher orders her out of the classroom.

Jeenbekov and Omurbek Babanov, a businessman who is also a former prime minister, are seen as the main contenders for the presidency of the Central Asian nation of about 6 million.

A potential challenger, opposition Ata-Meken party leader Omerbek Tekebaev, was convicted of bribe-taking and sentenced to eight years in prison in August after a trial the party contends was engineered to keep him out of the election.

Atambaev has been president of Kyrgyzstan since 2011. Presidents were chased from office by popular protests in the former Soviet republic in 2005 and 2010.


MINSK -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka told the visiting head of Russias southern Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, that his country is ready for economic and industrial cooperation.

At the talks in Minsk on September 25, Lukashenka said that Minsk's cooperation with "Russia's multiethnic regions had saved Belarusian-Russian ties when there were misunderstandings with the center," referring to an economic and trade standoff between Minsk and Moscow between 2014 and 2016.

"We would like to work...with you across the Caucasus in terms of economic cooperation. We are ready to create joint ventures, produce joint high-tech outputs and trade in your region not only in the south but also in the north," Lukashenka said.

Lukashenka stressed that Belarus could start production of automobiles and sewage products in Chechnya, as well as other parts of the North Caucasus. And he said the Belarusnafta oil company could also assist Chechnya in oil production and refining.

Kadyrov told journalists after the talks that the sides had agreed to develop trade and economic ties "in concrete directions."

"If together with Belarus we implement good pilot industrial projects in Chechnya, that will open perspective for the whole North Caucasus region," Kadyrov said.

With reporting by BelTA


Moldova's pro-Russia president has renewed criticism of plans for a liaison office of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the country, saying the ex-Soviet republic should stay clear of a "geopolitical confrontation" between Washington and Moscow.

Igor Dodon's comments in a September 26 interview came weeks after he accused his country's pro-Western government of trying to "add the Moldovan Army" to the alliance by sending a contingent of soldiers to NATO-led military exercises in neighboring Ukraine.

The planned NATO office in Moldova's capital, Chisinau, "will not bring peace" to Moldova and will hamper efforts to resolve the frozen conflict with the country's breakaway Transdniester region, Dodon said.

"We are a neutral state. Why would we need offices of military blocs in Chisinau?" he told RFE/RLs Moldovan Service.

Moldova's government, which backs closer ties with the United States and the European Union, signed an agreement with NATO on the opening of the liaison bureau in November.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has described the planned office as "a small diplomatic mission with only civilian staff" and said "it is absolutely possible to further strengthen our partnership with Moldova, fully respecting the neutrality of Moldova."

Dodon, who took office in December, has opposed the plan. The Moldovan presidency is largely symbolic but Dodon's position has been strengthened by the fact that he was elected in a direct popular vote, the first president to win office through such an election since 1997.

Moldova has been a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program for more than two decades, with the alliance helping it to train troops for international peacekeeping missions.

Growing Suspicion From Moscow



Dodon told RFE/RL that, while he welcomes some forms of cooperation between Moldova and NATO, "that doesn't mean we should open a NATO office here."

Dodon advocates stronger ties with Russia, which has bristled at NATO's expansion toward its borders after the fall of the Soviet Union. The three ex-Soviet states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined the alliance in 2004.

After years of growing suspicion from Moscow, relations with the alliance deteriorated sharply in 2014 following Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its subsequent backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Moldova's government overruled Dodon in order to send 57 Moldovan soldiers to NATO-led exercises in Ukraine.

Russia maintains an estimated 2,000-strong force in the pro-Moscow Transdniester region, which declared independence from what was then the Soviet republic of Moldova in 1990.

The Russian presence includes 1,500 troops who Moscow says guard huge Soviet-era arms depots, and up to 500 peacekeepers to maintain the uneasy 25-year-old cease-fire that ended fighting between Moldova and its eastern separatist region.
Pakistans former prime minister condemned an anticorruption court as he made his first appearance before the tribunal in Islamabad.

The case against Nawaz Sharif is the highest profile corruption prosecution in years in Pakistan, which has seen a handful of previous prime ministers investigated for corruption or other crimes.

Sharif's September 26 appearance in court was his first since he was disqualified by the Supreme Court in July following an investigation that found he had concealed financial assets.

The proceedings, which have captured widespread attention throughout the country, came a day after Sharif returned from London, where his wife is undergoing medical treatment.

Backers of Sharif chanted slogans inside the courtroom during his appearance. Sharif subsequently left, leaving his lawyers there to represent him.

At a news conference later, Sharif condemned the courts actions, and suggested the country's powerful military and security agencies were behind his prosecution.

"For God sake, let the country run according to the constitution. If the constitution gives the right to its people to rule this country, so accept this right. Dont target the elected leadership [of the people] under pretexts," he said.

"This is happening for the past 70 years," he said, referring to the period since Pakistan split from India in 1947.

The court also issued warrants for two of Sharifs sons, a daughter, and a son-in-law, and ordered them to appear before the tribunal next week.



Sharif is expected to be indicted on October 2 in connection with three corruption cases filed against him by Pakistan's anticorruption body earlier this month.

The allegations against the three-time former prime minister and three of his children date back to one of his previous stints in power, in the 1990s.

His political adversaries accused Sharif and his family of laundering money from Pakistan and using the wealth to buy properties in London.

Known as a strong supporter of civilian rule, Sharif has a rough relationship with the military, and his supporters and some political commentators suggest the powerful military was behind his ouster.

His family says the London properties were acquired as a settlement for investments they made with Qatars royal family in the 1980s.

With reporting by AP and dpa
There are no elections in Central Asia like Kyrgyzstan's elections, and the upcoming presidential election there is further proof of that.

As of early August, there were 59 people saying they would run for president. There are now 11 candidates left in the race and there will probably be even fewer by October 15, when the election is held.

Since September 17, two of the stronger contenders have indicated they are supporting the front-runners in an example of the political deal making we're likely to see much more of before mid-October.

There have been accusations of "administrative resources" being used to support the incumbent president's pick as his successor. And there have been complaints about some of the endorsements candidates are receiving, and accusations of biased coverage on TV.

On September 10, Kyrgyzstan's Central Election Commission announced the 13 officially registered candidates for the presidential election.

The three leading contenders were all prime ministers during incumbent President Almazbek Atambaev's term in office -- Omurbek Babanov, Temir Sariev, and Sooronbai Jeenbekov.

Four other candidates -- Adakhan Madumarov of Butun (United) Kyrgyzstan, Bakyt Torobaev of Onuguu-Progress, Kamchybek Tashiev of Ata-Jurt (Fatherland), and Azimbek Beknazarov from the newly formed Union of National Patriotic Forces of Kyrgyzstan -- probably could not win, but they would likely each receive 5 percent or more of the vote.

We recently heard from Bakyt Beshimov, professor at Northeastern University in Boston and a former deputy in Kyrgyzstan's parliament, and Timur Tokotonaliev, the Bishkek-based Central Asia editor for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, that the race is really between Babanov and Jeenbekov.

Strongest Candidates Emerging

Recent events support their assertion that a process of consolidation has started among the candidates.

It started with Babanov, a businessman who leads the Respublika party. On September 17, Onuguu-Progress presidential candidate Torobaev and Babanov announced they were forming a tandem. Should Babanov win, Torobaev would become prime minister.

Admittedly, Torobaev might not prove the staunchest of political partners. At the start of August, a short-lived alliance was formed consisting of Torobaev's party, Madumarov's Butun Kyrgyzstan, and Tashiev's Ata-Jurt with the goal of nominating a single candidate.

There was speculation at the time that the three candidates, all from southern Kyrgyzstan, were merely trying to strengthen their hand for potential quid pro quo negotiations with one of the front-runners: give your support in the elections now in exchange for positions in the government later.

That alliance fell apart in mid-September and days later Torobaev joined with Babanov.

Madumarov had already showed up at a Babanov campaign rally in the town of Uzgen on September 16, but Madumarov held back from making any direct statements of throwing his support behind Babanov.

Tashiev announced on September 20 he was dropping out of the presidential race and appeared the same day at a rally for Jeenbekov. Tashiev announced his support for Jeenbekov, indicating the Ata-Jurt party was moving behind Jeenbekov's (and President Atambaev's) Social Democratic Party.

In the meantime, the Respublika-Ata-Jurt coalition that was formed before the 2015 parliamentary elections continues to maintain the unity of its faction in parliament.

Elmira Ibraimova, the campaign manager for Temir Sariev and his Ak-Shumkar (White Falcon) party, announced on September 25 she was leaving the team due to differences with Sariev over the course of campaigning.

There are rumors Sariev might be planning to make a deal with Jeenbekov.

'Administrative Resources'

There have always been accusations of the use, or more correctly misuse, of administrative resources in Kyrgyzstan's elections and this one is no exception.

The accusations target Jeenbekov, who has the official backing of President Atambaev. There are claims of pressure being put on employees and students to vote for Jeenbekov or face an uncertain future.

The Knews.kg news site posted a photograph on September 25 purportedly showing a Jeenbekov campaign banner hanging on a polling station in the southern Nooken district.

Babanov's and Jeenbekov's respective campaign teams have complained to the Central Election commission about reports in various news outlets that they contend are meant to smear their images.

There have been accusations against other media outlets.

Torobaev, who is still a presidential candidate despite the announcement of the tandem with Babanov, rejected his allotted 15-minute campaign spot with the Public Television and Radio Corporation because he said the station had broadcast material that blackened his reputation and caused harm to his political reputation. Torobaev called on other candidates to boycott their free 15 minutes of airtime on the station, too.

Powerful Endorsements

The greatest uproar has come from endorsements and perceived endorsements for Jeenbekov and Babanov.

There was the incident with Deputy Prime Minister Duishenbek Zilaliev in Batken on September 19, when he addressed a group of state employees and not only openly pledged support for Jeenbekov, but warned those present they should do the same.

However, Jeenbekov would receive far more powerful support the next day at a campaign rally in Jalal-Abad.

At the same event where Tashiev announced he was supporting Jeenbekov, the country's former chief mufti, Chubak Ajy Jalilov, addressed the crowd.

"I came here not as the former mufti, not as a member of the international council of the Ulema or as a member of the Ulema Council of Kyrgyzstan, but as a son of the Kyrgyz people, as a citizen of this country," Jalilov said. "Standing here, on our soil, in front of our people, next to Kamchy ake [Tashiev], we say that you Kamchy ake, are not alone...we also will give our support [to Jeenbekov]."

Civic activist Adil Turdukulov and Erik Iriskulbekov, the head of Babanov's campaign team, complained immediately to the Central Election Commission.

Article 22 of the Electoral Code clearly forbids clerics from campaigning for political candidates.

"Chubak ajy Jalilov is a well-known religious figure and an active member of the Ulema Council," Turdukulov said. "And the question of responsibility [for allowing Jalilov to speak] needs to be raised with the campaign team of Sooronbai Jeenbekov, who permitted this."

Jeenbekov's campaign team responded that Tashiev had invited Jalilov to the event and the former mufti spoke because members of a workers group asked him to do so.

Whatever the election commission says about Jalilov's comments, Jalilov is an extremely influential person, and what he said is very likely to have an effect on the course of the campaign. I spoke with an Uzbek friend of mine who is from the Osh area. He told me Jalilov was a "powerful weapon that cannot be overestimated."

Jalilov is generally popular in Kyrgyzstan, but importantly he appears to have the respect of the 700,000-strong Uzbek community in southern Kyrgyzstan, many of whom did not vote in the 2015 parliamentary elections.

Kyrgyzstan has some 3 million registered voters, but more than 600,000, officially, are outside the country, working mainly in Russia. Most of these will not cast ballots.

So the possibility of picking up a couple of hundred thousand votes from the Uzbek community represents a huge boost to Jeenbekov's chances.

Foreign Aid

There is another element in Kyrgyzstan's elections that has not been seen before. On September 19, pictures were published of Babanov meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.

Candidates are forbidden from posting pictures of themselves with foreign officials, the result of previous elections when candidates went to Russia to get pictures with top officials there.

In this case, the pictures came from Kazakhstan, but they appeared in Kyrgyz media and Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry handed over a note on September 20 protesting the meeting and Nazarbaev's alleged support for Babanov.

Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry shot a note back quickly dismissing these allegations and noting that Nazarbaev had met with Jeenbekov as recently as August 14.

Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry omitted mentioning that Jeenbekov was still Kyrgyzstan's prime minister at the time and was in Astana for a meeting of the prime ministers of Eurasian Economic Union countries.

Babanov's meeting with Nazarbaev came after a curious incident earlier in September, when Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev visited Kyrgyzstan.

Mirziyoev met with leaders of Kyrgyzstan's political parties who were lined up to shake hands with the Uzbek leader. When Mirziyoev reached Babanov he stopped for a few extra seconds and said to Babanov, "[I've] heard something about you."

Mirziyoev continued walking down the line of political party leaders without ever explaining the cryptic remark.

Russia has certainly had an influence on some of Kyrgyzstan's previous elections, whether it was Russian officials making visits to Kyrgyzstan ahead of elections, or political figures from Kyrgyzstan going to Russia during campaigning, or simply Russian TV broadcasts, widely available in Kyrgyzstan, reporting in favorable or negative terms on a particular candidate.

The Central Asian leaders really have never had a chance to dabble in Kyrgyz elections.

During the 1990s they had their own problems and were in no position to try to influence the outcome of elections in Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan's 2005 parliamentary elections caught everyone by surprise when they sparked a revolution that ousted President Askar Akaev.

The other Central Asian leaders were shocked to see a fellow postindependence president forced to flee the country, and there was nothing they could do when Kurmanbek Bakiev was elected three months later but work to ensure something similar could not happen in their own countries.

The April 2010 revolution again shook up the other Central Asian leaders and again there was little they could do as a parliamentary system was approved in Kyrgyzstan, and parliamentary elections were held in October 2010 and a presidential election the next year.

This time it appears the Kazakh and Uzbek leaders are taking a greater interest in Kyrgyzstan's presidential election.

Runoff Unlikely?

The shifting political landscape seems to indicate the first round of elections will be the only round.

Had most, or all, of the second-tier candidates, such as Torobaev and Tashiev, participated it is unlikely any single candidate could have received the 50 percent plus one vote needed to win outright, which would have necessitated a second round in November.

The recent political horse-trading increases the probability Kyrgyzstan's next president will be elected on October 15.

Based on material from RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service. The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL
The Russian state agency that monitors and regulates the Internet has threatened to block Facebook in 2018 if it fails to comply with a law requiring IT companies to store the personal data of Russian clients on servers inside Russia.

"The law is mandatory for everyone. We will enforce the law by all means [necessary], or the company will stop operating in Russia," Roskomnadzor chief Aleksandr Zharov told reporters on September 26.

"We will insist on Facebook's...compliance with Law No. 242," he said of the data storage legislation that President Vladimir Putin signed in 2014. "That will certainly happen in 2018."

Zharov said that the Russian government understands that Facebook is a "unique service" but said it will not make exceptions and will have to block it next year if Facebook does not comply.

Roskomnadzor blocked the professional-networking website LinkedIn in November 2016, saying it failed to comply with the law.

Putin's government is seeking to reduce its reliance on foreign technology amid severe tension between Moscow and the United States.

Based on reporting by AP, Bloomberg, Interfax, and TASS


The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of entities and individuals that it says are involved in supplying Russia with military technology to use in its war against Ukraine.

The Treasury said in a statement on November 14 that the sanctions targeted a "transnational network procuring technology that supports the Russian military-industrial complex."

In addition, it also designated a global network of financial facilitators, enablers, and others associated with two key Kremlin-linked elites whose fortunes are intertwined with the West. In all, the actions designated 14 individuals and 28 entities, and identified eight aircraft as blocked property.

Washington has targeted sanctions at major military industrial firms in Russia and made moves to cut off exports of U.S.-made components and U.S. technologies that have been used in some of Russia's military hardware.

This has pushed the Kremlin to seek other military suppliers such as Iran, which has supplied Moscow with drones that are said to be part of Russia's barrage of air attacks on cities across Ukraine in recent weeks.

"The United States will continue to expose and disrupt the Kremlin's military supply chains and deny Russia the equipment and technology it needs to wage its illegal war against Ukraine," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

"Today's actions demonstrate Treasury's steadfast commitment to targeting people around the world aiding [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's war effort and the crony elites who bankroll his regime. Together with our broad coalition of partners, we will continue to use our sanctions and export controls to weaken Russia's military on the battlefield and cut into the revenue Putin is using to fund his brutal invasion."

Milandr, a Russian microelectronics company that the United States says is part of Moscow's military research and development structure, was placed on the list, as well as three entities tied to the company and several company executives.

The sanctions also targeted the family of billionaire oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, who was already placed on the list in September, and a network of people around businesses he is linked to.

Kerimov, a trained economist who made a career investing in distressed companies in Russia, is considered to have close ties with Putin.

In May, Fiji seized a $300 million yacht he owns at the request of the United States. It is now impounded in San Diego, California.

The sanctions target Kerimov's wife, children, and a nephew, four French real estate firms controlled by one of his daughters, and several Swiss nationals linked to Kerimov's companies.

Among them is Swiss national Alexander-Walter Studhalter, who was placed under sanctions along with Russian businessman Murat Aliyev for their involvement in more than a dozen companies in Kerimov's financial network, according to the Treasury Department.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Studhalter as "a key player in Kerimov's financial network." Blinken said he was designated along with eight Studhalter-linked entities across five European countries and two of Kerimov's adult sons who hold leadership positions in their father's companies.

In addition, the Treasury Department placed a block on eight small jet aircraft it said were luxury planes used by Kerimov's family, leaving them potentially vulnerable to seizure.

The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets belonging to the foundation and generally bars Americans from dealing with it. Those dealing in certain transactions with the foundation also risk sanctions.

In response to Moscow's unprovoked war against Ukraine, the United States will continue to disrupt Russia's military supply chains and impose high costs on President Putin's enablers, it said, as well as all those who support Russia's brutality against its neighbor.
Russia and U.S.-allied forces in Syria exchanged accusations that deaths within their ranks were caused by fire from the other side, adding to tensions as they wage separate campaigns within close proximity of one another.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov asserted on September 25 that the United States was to blame for the death of a Russian general over the weekend, without providing evidence.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert denied the accusation, saying on Twitter that claims the United States was complicit in the general's death had "no basis in fact."

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Russian planes targeted SDF fighters in gas fields not far from the city of Deir al-Zor, killing one and injuring two of the fighters.

Russia denied the accusation and a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Syria said that while rounds hit the SDF forces, it could not confirm that the fire came from Russian forces.

It was the latest of a series of accusations traded as Russian-backed Syrian troops and a U.S.-allied, Kurdish-led militia battle in close proximity to retake territory held by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border.

In exchanges last week, each side accused the other of targeting and injuring their troops, but no deaths were reported.

Moscow and Washington held a first-ever meeting between their generals last week to try to prevent such accidental clashes, but reports this week of deaths in continuing clashes suggest the problem was not resolved and may be worsening.

Ryabkov and Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S. coalition, said military-to-military communications were continuing.

In the latest exchange, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Lieutenant General Valery Asapov was killed by shelling at a command post near Deir al-Zor where he was assisting Syrian government forces.

"The death of the Russian commander is the price, the bloody price for the two-faced American policy in Syria," Ryabkov was quoted by state-run RIA Novosti and other news agencies as saying.

"The American side declares that it is interested in the elimination of [IS]...but some of its actions show it is doing the opposite and that some political and geopolitical goals are more important for Washington," he said.

Nauert denied that and called the Russian accusations "untrue and unhelpful," but said the United States would continue de-confliction efforts aimed at avoiding deadly incidents.

"Claims that U.S. supports ISIS or complicit in Russian commander death has no basis in fact. U.S./Coalition has one objective: defeat of ISIS," the State Department spokeswoman said on Twitter, using another acronym for Islamic State.

The United States made similar accusations against Moscow last week, asserting that Russian forces say they are targeting IS fighters, but are in fact targeting U.S.-backed forces.

In the latest incident, the U.S.-allied SDF militia said Russian and Syrian forces appeared to be targeting its fighters because they recently captured the largest gas field in the region, Koniko, on September 23.

"Russian and regime forces have mounted a treacherous attack against our forces...with artillery and aircraft," the SDF said in a statement.

"We will not stand by with our arms crossed and we will use our legitimate right to self-defense," it said.

The Russian military denied the accusations, saying it conducts accurate air strikes on targets "confirmed by multiple sources."

Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power and Iranian-allied militias, have gained control of most of Deir al-Zor on the western side of the Euphrates River.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led SDF militia has said that their campaign to capture the IS stronghold of Raqqa, north of Deir Al-Zor, is in its final stages.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and dpa
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Tajikistan has issued regulations on how mourners can behave at funerals, forbidding wearing black, pulling one's hair, or wailing too loudly. The measures are part of wide-ranging restrictions on cultural life, intended, officials say, to promote native Tajik traditions and rein in religious extremism. (RFE/RL's Tajik Service)
Hungary has pledged to block Ukraine's further integration with Europe after Kyiv enacted a controversial education law that critics say will restrict the study of minority languages in schools.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on September 26 that the consequences for Kyiv would be "painful" after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the measure making Ukrainian the required language of study in state schools from the fifth grade on.

"Hungary will block all steps within the European Union that would represent a step forward in Ukraine's European integration process," Szijjarto said in comments to the Hungarian news agency MTI that were also posted on the Hungarian government's website.

"We can guarantee that all this will be painful for Ukraine in future," Szijjarto added.

His comments come two months ahead of the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels. A draft statement seen by RFE/RL last week suggests the summit will be dominated by the issue of the EU's ties to Ukraine and two other ex-Soviet states, Georgia, and Moldova.

The new Ukrainian law does not outlaw instruction in other languages; students can still learn their native languages as a separate subject. Poroshenko said it "raises the role of Ukrainian as a state language in the education process" and "ensures equal opportunities for all."

A spokeswoman for the European Union called on Ukraine to make good on Kyiv's pledge to submit the new law to the Council of Europe to obtain what she called an "expert opinion" on whether it met the EU's standards.

Maja Kocijancic said such language laws "need to be carefully balanced" between the goal of instituting Ukrainian as the state language and "the need the protect minority and regional languages."

Once the Council of Europe's opinion is obtained, Kocijancic said its advice "should be duly taken into account...in advance of implementation of the legislation."

Poroshenko's assurances about the law haven't assuaged the fears of sizable ethnic communities in Ukraine, including Poles, Romanians, and Hungarians. And the law has incensed officials in other countries neighboring Ukraine as well.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said that the legislation "drastically limits" minority groups' access to their respective native languages, and he canceled a previously planned trip to Kyiv.

Russia has been particularly harsh in its criticism, saying this month that the legislation was designed to "forcefully establish a mono-ethnic language regime in a multinational state."

Hot-Button Issue



Language has become a hot-button issue across Ukraine, particularly in eastern regions where the majority of the population speaks Russian as its first language.

The new law's language requirement overturns a 2012 law passed under then-President Viktor Yanukovych, a Kremlin ally who fled to Russia two years later amid mass street protests.

That law allowed for minorities to introduce their languages in regions where they represented more than 10 percent of the population.

Kyiv has sought greater integration with the EU under the pro-Western government that took power following Yanukovych's ouster. That was followed by Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

In June, it secured visa-free travel for its citizens to most EU countries in what Poroshenko called a "final exit of our country from the Russian Empire."

On September 1, an Association Agreement strengthening ties between Ukraine and the EU entered into force.

Yanukovych's decision not to sign that agreement in 2013 helped trigger the street protests that preceded his fall from power.

With reporting by AFP
Ukraine's president has signed into law a controversial bill that makes Ukrainian the required language of study in state schools from the fifth grade on.

Petro Poroshenko signed the measure on September 25 after days of criticism, particularly from Ukraines ethnic minorities.

The bill does not outlaw instruction in other languages; students can still learn their native languages as a separate subject.

But that hasnt assuaged the fears of groups such as Poles, Romanians, and Hungarians, all of which have sizable ethnic communities in Ukraine.

Russia has been particularly vociferous in its criticism, with the Foreign Ministry asserted this month that the law was designed to "forcefully establish a mono-ethnic language regime in a multinational state."

Poroshenko in signing the bill insisted that it "is in harmony with European standards and is an example for neighboring countries," according to a statement on the presidential website.

"The law raises the role of Ukrainian as a state language in the education process," he said. "The law ensures equal opportunities for all...It guarantees every graduate strong language skills essential for a successful career in Ukraine."

Language has become a hot-button issue across the country, particularly in eastern regions where the majority of the population speaks Russian as its first language.

The bill's language requirement overturns a 2012 law passed under Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia two years later amid mass street protests.

That legislation allowed for minorities to introduce their languages in regions where they represented more than 10 percent of the population.

With reporting by AFP
The United States on September 25 said it is "deeply troubled" by the conviction of RFE/RL journalist Mykola Semena by a court in Russia-occupied Crimea last week.

The court convicted Semena, 66, on separatism charges and handed down a 2 1/2-year suspended sentence and a ban on future journalistic activity.

"This conviction was based on the fact that Mr. Semena had criticized Russias occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea in his writing," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

"We call on the Russian occupation authorities to vacate Mr. Semena's conviction, allow him to resume his journalistic activity, and cease their campaign to stifle dissent in Crimea," she said.

"Crimea remains an integral part of Ukraine, and the United States remains steadfast in its support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," she said.

Semena, a contributor to RFE/RL's Krym.Realii (Crimea Realities), was arrested on April 19, 2016, by Russia-imposed authorities and charged with acting against the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.

Semena says the accusation is politically motivated and that Russian authorities based their case on an inaccurate translation of one of his stories from Ukrainian into Russian.

The European Union and human rights groups have also expressed concern over the case.
Even though multiple cases have been reported, it is likely that ADAS is not the only culprit here
Renault is the largest European auto brand in India, a market which has a reputation for ruthlessly driving global giants into the ground. The French automaker didnt get there by fluke. The disruptions caused by the Duster and then the Kwid sufficiently demonstrate Renaults deep understanding of complicated and unforgiving Indian customers (there were learnings from the rebadged Scala/Pulse debacle as well).

Armed with that confidence, the company is gearing up to have a shot at the highly lucrative premium compact crossover segment which is currently being dominated by the fine Hyundai Creta. Renaults equipment of choice is the Captur which is quite popular in markets like Europe, Russia , Brazil, etc. Has Renault India done enough with the Captur to impress the target customers who are well informed, tech savvy and demanding? After a day of driving on variety of Goan roads, we now have the answer.

What is it?

Renault Captur (Kaptur in Russia) is a global compact crossover based on Renault-Nissan Alliances B Platform which also underpins the Duster. The Indian version has been subjected to significant rework to suit local requirements including jacking up the ride height (unladen ground clearance of 210 mm). Equipment, engine and variant lineup too incorporate India-specific changes. For our market, Renault is emphasizing on the word premium and hence has come up with a new top-of-the-line variant called Platine which is not offered anywhere else in the world.

Appearance

Someone who has seen the European version of the Captur in flesh would immediately notice that the increased ground clearance has made an ocean of difference to the crossovers stance. What looks like an overgrown hatchback in the old continent masquerades as a small SUV in the sub-continent.

The design is almost half a decade old (production model debuted at 2013 Geneva Motor Show) but has aged gracefully and still feels fresh. The oversized Renault lozenge, trademark trough shaped grille, stylish LED headlamps, bumper-mounted vertical DRLs and contoured bonnet set the tone for a bold and inviting visual character.

Renaults designers have come up with a delightfully proportionate profile which looks good without trying too hard. Dual-tone color theme, striking 17-inch alloy wheels, Kwid-like rub strips (with chrome inserts) and subtle bulges on the sheet metal render a sporty appeal to the crossover. The rather simple rear fascia relies on generous chrome appliques, a silver diffuser and swept back taillights to garner attention.

Overall, the Renault Captur isnt imposing by any measure but its a handsome and likable crossover whose design stay fresh for a long time.

The Cabin

The Captur borrows its dashboard design, layout and components heavily from the Clio hatchback but in the Indian context, its refreshingly new and has a modern appeal. The instrument binnacle with a digital speedometer display, AC vents and centre console with rich looking copper bezel, dual-tone color theme, plush leather seats, etc., make the cabin a fine place to be in. That said, the overall build quality, fit and finish of the dashboard fall short of our expectations (especially considering that the Captur is gonna sit above the Duster in Renaults portfolio).

The front seats are large, have nice contours and are supremely comfortable while the rear bench offers good comfort as well. Leg room is adequate but it seems, Renaults packaging engineers have opted for a generous boot space at a slight expense of rear legroom. No matter where you sit, the cabin feels light and airy.

Ergonomics

In an attempt to give the Captur an SUV-ish appeal, Renault has given the car a tall seating position but we are not sure if we like it. Even the lowest seat height setting feels a bit too high but I guess its just a matter of getting used to. Otherwise, the driving position is very comfortable and one can really settle in for a long haul without any issues.

While overall visibility is good, A-pillars do come in the way at times. Also, the blind zones in the rear three quarters are large enough to hide a two wheeler.

Under the hood

Renault Captur for India is available with 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol and turbocharged diesel engines. The former produces 104 bhp at 5,600 rpm and 142 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm while the latter is good for 106 bhp at 4,000 rpm and 240 Nm of torque at 1,750 rpm. The diesel motor is offered with a 6-speed manual transmission while the petrol mill makes do with a 5-speed unit.

We only got an opportunity to drive the diesel version and right from the word go, things were familiar. Thats not a bad thing because the K9K has been a core part of Renault Indias success and in its 106 bhp avatar, it has proven to be a terrific mile muncher.

In the Duster, this motor is known to be very sluggish under 2,000 rpm but we are happy to note that things have improved in Capturs case. There is still some grey area below 1,500 rpm but once past it, part throttle response is good enough to keep you moving without hiccups. The good news is, whatever the boffins have done with the engine to improve its low-speed driveability didnt affect its brilliant mid-range punch even a bit. As ever, the 1.5 K9K feels best between 2,000 to 3,000 rpm and can stay there happily all day.

The 6-speed gearbox has well distributed ratios and offers impressive in-gear acceleration in higher gears. This makes overtaking on the highways a breeze and at the same time, reduces the number of gearshifts in urban environment.

To sum it up, the Captur diesel has retained all the advantages of the Duster diesel while offering noticeably improved driveability. Renault has not revealed the ARAI mileage figures and we didnt have the chance to calculate the real world mileage ourselves but rest assured, the motors positive track record speaks for itself.

Dynamics

Renault Captur is based on Dusters platform and it shows in the way it drives. The ride quality is supple and there are no unnecessary vertical movements when the car traverses rough patches or potholes. While the 210 mm ride height induces inherent body roll, the car holds its line well even when pushed hard around the corners. ESP steps in promptly if things go out of hand.

The Captur has assuring high speed stability and comes to a drama-less halt under panic braking. The stopping power from the front discs and rear drums are adequate and no complains there. Overall NVH level is a notch higher than what the Duster offers.

All in all, the Capturs on-road mannerisms are very similar to those of the Duster, so much so that if youre driving them back to back with a blindfold, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

Features

Renault is keen on positioning the Captur as a premium compact SUV and the equipment list justifies that. Key highlights of the top-end Platine trim include front and side airbags, ABS, EBD, ESP, LED headlamps, floating turn indicators (front), ULC 3.0 touchscreen infotainment system with reverse parking camera display, automatic climate control, leather seats, keyless entry with smart access card, start/stop button, and so on.

Apart from dual-tone exterior color theme, rear spoiler and 17-inch alloy wheels, the customers can also opt to personalize their crossover with a wide array of accessory packs.

Verdict

Renault Captur emerges as an able all rounder with good looks, comfortable cabin, impressive dynamics and a long equipment list. Of course, there are rooms for improvement. For example, the dashboard plastic quality and overall fit & finish could be better. And it could do with an obvious unique selling proposition like the Duster or Kwid.

It is essentially an extensively repackaged Duster with different appeal, slightly better equipment list, and premium pricing (how much is still a question to be answered by Renault). Considering that the Duster has managed to make the Indian customers happy, we dont see why the Captur cant. That said, the extent of premium that Renault is going to ask for its latest offering over the Duster will determine its value-for-money quotient which will be crucial for its success. Lets wait and watch!
The incident took place in Mudapuram, district Chirayinkeezhu, Kerala. Two men on a motorcycle, were going round and round in circles in the middle of a junction. Video shows how dangerous it could have been. Before the duo created any more nuisance, a biker who was coming from the opposite direction, stopped these two idiots on a motorcycle.

The two men who were going around the junction got angry. Within seconds, they got into a fist fight which then became a blood bath on the middle of the road. No one came to rescue the bike. Police have identified the miscreants and are on the lookout. The injured biker is in the hospital. Watch the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YiUYuraEKE

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) conducted a survey of Indian states and how they ranked in terms of road rage and rash driving. It was a surprising fact that the state of Kerala, which had to lowest vehicle count of just 10% of Indian vehicles, ranked the highest in terms of both road rage and rash driving.

The report also revealed that out of the 1,538 instances of rash driving and road race recorded across the country, 500 of these were in Kerala along involving juvenile drivers, thus recording the maximum number in this category as well.

Thiruvanathapuram recorded 12,440 related offences followed by Kochi with 10,502 offences and Thrissur with 8,068 offences. These figures, in comparison to Delhi, with a record of just 7,411 offences are considerably high. Taking into account Union Territories, Delhi recorded the highest cases of road rage and rash driving with juveniles at the wheel.

The reason behind these high statistics in Kerala, according to Rishi Raj Singh, former Transport Commissioner, could be attributed to bad road conditions. The state of Kerala has a population of 3.5 crores and registered vehicles of 1 crore but the smallest road network as compared to other states. 2.75 lakh kms of roads in Kerala see 2.5 lakh kms of local roads which are less than 5 meters in width.
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The Nevada Pregnant Workers' Fairness Act (NPWFA) goes into effect Oct. 1. The NPWFA applies to employers with 15 or more employees and generally expands the scope of protections provided to female employees for pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions (protected conditions). The act makes it an "unlawful employment practice" for an employer to:

Refuse to provide a reasonable accommodation to a female employee or applicant for a protected condition.



Take adverse action against or deny an employment opportunity to an otherwise qualified female employee or applicant due to a request for, or use of, a reasonable accommodation.



Like the Americans with Disabilities Act, the NPWFA requires the employer and employee to engage in a "good faith and interactive process" to determine an effective and reasonable accommodation. This process is triggered when a female employee or applicant "requests an accommodation" for a protected condition. The employer is permitted to require a statement from the employee's physician concerning the specific accommodation recommended.

An employer may not require a female employee or applicant affected by a protected condition to accept an accommodation if she has not sought one or chooses not to accept one. And, the employer is not required to create a new position or discharge or transfer any employee with more seniority unless the employer has or would take similar action to accommodate other classes of employees.

Employers are also prohibited from requiring female employees affected by a protected condition to leave employment if there is a reasonable accommodation that would allow the employee to continue to workalthough leave can be a reasonable accommodation if the employer and affected employee agree.

Finally, employers subject to the act are required to provide two distinct written or electronic notices to inform:

Employees that they have the right to be free from discriminatory or unlawful employment practices pursuant to the NRS 613.335 and Sections 2-8 of the act.



Female employees that they have the right to a reasonable accommodation for pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition.



The employer is required to post notice of these rights in a conspicuous place at its place of business and in an area accessible to employees.

The first notice must be provided to new employees upon beginning employment. The employer must provide the second notice within 10 days after the employee notifies her immediate supervisor that she is pregnant.

Bill Curran is an attorney with Ballard Spahr in Las Vegas. Ronald J. Stolkin is an attorney with Ballard Spahr in Phoenix.  Ballard Spahr. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.


Straight shot up U.S. 31 to I-94 finally open in Berrien County

Last few miles had been unfinished since 2004 because of a lack of money to pay for it.
Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that involves the origin and evolution of the universe, from the Big Bang to today and on into the future. According to NASA (opens in new tab), the definition of cosmology is "the scientific study of the large scale properties of the universe as a whole."

Cosmologists puzzle over exotic concepts like string theory, dark matter and dark energy and whether there is one universe or many (sometimes called the multiverse). While other aspects astronomy deal with individual objects and phenomena or collections of objects, cosmology spans the entire universe from birth to death, with a wealth of mysteries at every stage.

History of cosmology & astronomy

Humanity's understanding of the universe has evolved significantly over time. In the early history of astronomy, Earth was regarded as the center of all things, with planets and stars orbiting it. In the 16th century, Polish scientist Nicolaus Copernicus suggested that Earth and the other planets in the solar system in fact orbited the sun, creating a profound shift in the understanding of the cosmos, according to The Royal Society (opens in new tab). In the late 17th century, Isaac Newton calculated how the forces between planets  specifically the gravitational forces  interacted.

Before the solar system was understood, people thought all planets orbited Earth. (Image credit: Getty)

The dawn of the 20th century brought further insights into comprehending the vast universe. Albert Einstein proposed the unification of space and time in his General Theory of Relativity. In the early 1900s, scientists were debating whether the Milky Way contained the whole universe within its span, or whether it was simply one of many collections of stars.

Edwin Hubble calculated the distance to a fuzzy nebulous object in the sky and determined that it lay outside of the Milky Way, proving our galaxy to be a small drop in the enormous universe, according to Scientific American (opens in new tab). Using General Relativity to lay the framework, Hubble measured other galaxies and determined that they were rushing away from the us, leading him to conclude that the universe was not static but expanding.

In recent decades, cosmologist Stephen Hawking determined that the universe itself is not infinite but has a definite size. However, it lacks a definite boundary. This is similar to Earth; although the planet is finite, a person traveling around it would never find the "end" but would instead constantly circle the globe. Hawking also proposed that the universe would not continue on forever but would eventually end.

Cosmological missions & instruments

Launched in November 1989, NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (opens in new tab) (COBE) took precise measurements of radiation across the sky. The mission operated until 1993.

Although NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is probably best known for its astounding images, a primary mission (opens in new tab) was cosmological. By more accurately measuring the distances to Cepheid variables, stars with a well-defined ratio between their brightness and their pulsations, Hubble helped to refine measurements regarding how the universe is expanding. Since its launch, astronomers have continued to use Hubble to make cosmological measurements and refine existing ones.

NASA's COBE satellite precisely mapped cosmic microwave background. (Image credit: NASA)

Thanks to Hubble, "If you put in a box all the ways that dark energy might differ from the cosmological constant, that box would now be three times smaller," cosmologist Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute said in a statement (opens in new tab). "That's progress, but we still have a long way to go to pin down the nature of dark energy."

NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (opens in new tab) (WMAP) was a spacecraft that operated from 2001 to 2010. WMAP mapped tiny fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the ancient light from the early universe, and determined that ordinary atoms make up only 4.6 percent of the universe, while dark matter makes up 24 percent.

"Lingering doubts about the existence of dark energy and the composition of the universe dissolved when the WMAP satellite took the most detailed picture ever of the cosmic microwave background," said cosmologist Charles Seife in the journal Science (opens in new tab).

The European Space Agency's Planck space mission (opens in new tab) ran from 2009 to 2013 and continued the study of the cosmic microwave background.

ESA is currently developing the Euclid mission, which should launch in 2023, according to ESA's fact sheet (opens in new tab). Euclid will study dark matter and dark energy with greater precision, tracing its distribution and evolution through the universe.

"At the heart of the mission is one of the billion pound questions of physics," the ESA's David Parker said in a statement (opens in new tab).

Common cosmological questions

What came before the Big Bang?

Because of the enclosed and finite nature of the universe, we cannot see "outside" of our own universe. Space and time began with the Big Bang. While there are a number of speculations about the existence of other universes, there is no practical way to observe them, and as such there will never be any evidence for (or against!) them.

Where did the Big Bang happen?

The Big Bang did not happen at a single point but instead was the appearance of space and time throughout the entire universe at once, according to Live Science (opens in new tab).

The expansion of the universe gradually slowed down as the matter in the universe pulled on itself via gravity. (Image credit: Getty)

If other galaxies all seem to be rushing away from us, doesn't that place us at the center of the universe?

No, because if we were to travel to a distant galaxy, it would seem that all surrounding galaxies were similarly rushing away. Think of the universe as a giant balloon. If you mark multiple points on the balloon, then blow it up, you would note that each point is moving away from all of the others, though none are at the center. The expansion of the universe functions in much the same way.

How old is the universe?

According to data released by the Planck team in 2013, the universe is 13.8 billion years old, give or take a hundred million years or so, according to the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (opens in new tab). Planck determined the age after mapping tiny temperature fluctuations in the CMB.

"Patterns over huge patches of sky tell us about what was happening on the tiniest of scales in the moments just after our universe was born," said Charles Lawrence, the U.S. project scientist for Planck, in a statement (opens in new tab).

Will the universe end? If so, how?

Whether or not the universe will come to an end depends on its density  how spread out the matter within it might be. Scientists have calculated a "critical density" for the universe. If its true density is greater than their calculations, eventually the expansion of the universe will slow and then, ultimately, reverse until it collapses. However, if the density is less than the critical density, the universe will continue to expand forever, Space.com previously reported.

Which came first, the galaxy or the stars?

The post-Big Bang universe was composed predominantly of hydrogen, with a little bit of helium thrown in for good measure, according to NASA (opens in new tab). Gravity caused the hydrogen to collapse inward, forming structures. According to the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University (opens in new tab), the first stars are likely to have formed before the first galaxies, when the universe was about 100 million years old.

Additional resources

You can read more about cosmology and the foundations of the Big Bang model in Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe's Introduction to Cosmology (opens in new tab) by NASA. For more answers to common cosmology questions, go to NASA's Ask an Astrophysicist (opens in new tab)page.

Bibliography

"Edwin Hubble and the Expanding Universe". Scientific American (1993). https://www.jstor.org/stable/24941551 (opens in new tab)

"Illuminating the Dark Universe". Science (2003). https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.302.5653.2038 (opens in new tab)

"The Collision Time of the Observable Universe is 13.8 Billion Years per Planck time: A New Understanding of the Cosmos based on Collision Space-Time". Norwegian University of Life Sciences (2021). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350874725 (opens in new tab)

"The First Stars and Galaxies". Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University (2021). https://www.physics.uu.se/research/astronomy-and-space-physics/research (opens in new tab)

"The work of Nicolaus Copernicus". Proceedings of The Royal Society A (1974). https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rspa.1974.0009 (opens in new tab)
The partner agencies of the ISS program said Sept. 25 they were in no rush to decide on the stations future beyond 2024.

ADELAIDE, Australia  The partner space agencies of the International Space Station said Sept. 25 they have had discussions about the future of the station beyond 2024, but indicated no urgency in making a decision.

At a press conference during the 68th International Astronautical Congress here, NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot said he has talked with the other partners about both an extension of the ISS as well as cooperation on the agency's proposed Deep Space Gateway, although no decisions on either were imminent.

"We've got a list of criteria that we're putting together to say what would we do post-2024," he said, referring to past studies that conclued it's technically feasible to operate the ISS beyond that date. "This is something that we've talked about pretty consistently, whether it's at our level of the heads of agencies or the level just below." [Related: How the International Space Station Will Fall from Orbit]

Lightfoot added that discussions among the heads of agencies are planned for this week at the conference, but didn't indicate a timeline for making a decision beyond noting that the European Space Agency didn't formally commit to the extension of the ISS to 2024 until a ministerial meeting last December.

Igor Komarov, head of the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos, suggested that there would be the need for a research facility in low Earth orbit beyond 2024. "We need something in low Earth orbit," he said. "It's better to make research in LEO if its possible to make them there."

Future research, though, could be done with a different approach that the current management of the ISS. "In the future, should it be a different structure, maybe less investment-consuming, more efficient?" he said. "The next generation shouldn't be a copy of the existing one."

Komarov, however, backed away from reports that Russia was considering separating its modules from the ISS to form a Russian space station after 2024, acknowledging that the technical feasibility of that has been studied. "We have no plans to separate the Russian segment from the ISS," he said. "We keep the same position, that we should work on the ISS together with our partners."

Naoki Okumura, president of the Japanese space agency JAXA, said consideration of the long-term future of the ISS was premature at this time. "We need to look at the reality today before we think about the future that's too far away," he said through an interpreter. "By 2024, we need to make sure to generate as many results as possible from ISS-related missions."

However, he said JAXA was in discussions with NASA about a potential role on the Deep Space Gateway facility in cislunar space. "JAXA is now making a serious deliberation as to what JAXA can do if we join the Deep Space Gateway and how we can support that," he said. "We are in the middle of those discussions."

Lightfoot cautioned that the Deep Space Gateway remained just a concept at this time, without the former endorsement of the project by the administration or Congress. "We shared that with our international partners," he said, starting with discussions in April at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

At a panel discussion later in the day at the conference, executives with Boeing and RSC Energia endorsed continued work on the ISS as well as development of the Deep Space Gateway concept.

"I think that it's really important that, when you look at the transition of the International Space Station, we look at some lessons learned from shuttle and don't repeat those," said John Elbon, vice president and general manager of space exploration at Boeing. That means, he said, "we don't set an arbitrary date to retire the station before there's another low Earth orbit destination that can fill the requirements of the space station."

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
With the lack of an international accord to mitigate the growth of orbital debris, countries are relying on bilateral and international partnerships on issues like space situational awareness.

WASHINGTON  International cooperation in dealing with the growing problem or orbital debris is essential, a panel of experts argued, but said not to expect a comprehensive accord on the issue for the foreseeable future.

At a discussion about international approaches to orbital debris, organized by the Aerospace Corporation here Sept. 21, panelists from the United States and several other nations emphasized bilateral and multilateral approaches over comprehensive international accords, like a proposed International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities.

That proposed code, introduced by the European Union in 2008, included a number of provisions intended to reduce the chance of collisions and minimizing the creation of debris, either though accidental or deliberate actions. While the code had the support of some major space nations, including the United States, opposition from others has effectively blocked its progress. [The Worst Space Debris Events of All Time]

Michiru Nishida of the Japanese Embassy's political section noted on the panel that Japan has supported development of the code. "Unfortunately, due to various factors, including strong opposition from certain countries, the progress of this rulemaking for the code of conduct is currently suspended," he said.

Later in the panel, he said he was skeptical that there would be near-term progress in reviving the code. "I don't see much prospect for that," he said.

Frank Rose, a former assistant secretary of state and deputy assistant secretary for space and defense policy during the Obama Administration who is now chief of government relations for the Aerospace Corporation, said the future of U.S. support for the proposed code has "yet to be determined" by the Trump administration.

"I don't believe the new administration here in Washington has outlined its view," he said. "At some point in the near future I'm sure it will once they conduct their space review."

Nishida and Rose instead supported an ongoing effort by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space to develop guidelines for what it calls the long-term sustainability of space. That effort includes space debris and other issues. The committee approved an initial set of guidelines last year and plans to submit a complete set to the UN General Assembly in the fall of 2018.

"I think we've actually made very good progress with the technical experts at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space," Rose said. "We still have more work to do, but I think we're making progress."

Panelists also emphasized progress made in agreements between countries on space situational awareness. Nishida noted that Japan has expanded its cooperation with the United States, providing space situational awareness information to the U.S. in addition to receiving it.

"Over the last decade, U.S.-Japan space cooperation has, I like to say, expanded beyond our wildest belief," Rose said. That growth, he said, was enabled by a change in Japanese law in 2008 that ended a prohibition on national security space activities. "As a result, we can cooperate with Japan on the full spectrum of issues: civil space, but also national security space. That is a big deal."

Jan Drobik, minister-counsellor for defense, science and technology at the Australian Embassy, said his country, despite lacking a space agency or strong space industry, has found ways to cooperate on space situational awareness with the U.S. and others by leverage its capabilities, such as the ability to host tracking assets.

"We're pushing this partnership model. We can't do it alone," he said. "We occupy a unique piece of geography in the Southern Hemisphere: a safe, stable political environment. That enables us to have a range of terrestrial-based space tracking facilities."

Neville Clayton, who serves on the defense staff at the British Embassy, said he was encouraged by comments by U.S. Air Force officials at the recent Air, Space and Cyber Conference that talked about the importance of international cooperation. However, he said those broad comments don't always translate at the operational level. [From SpaceNews: Space Debris Is More Than a Nuisance]

"I'm absolutely convinced that we have senior leadership buy-in into this, but sometimes we're a bit stymied at the tactical level, when people are just prone to overclassify things, and that makes the access and that partnership more difficult," he said.

Such partnerships among countries, panelists said, can address orbital debris mitigation and space security issues to at least a degree in the absence of a broader international accord. Rose said that, despite broader geopolitical issues in the U.S.-China relationship, the countries have recognized it is in the benefit of both countries to mitigate the growth of orbital debris.

"In the near term, I don't think the prospects of a code of conduct are particularly positive, but I think there's a lot of work we can do," he said.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
The Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility, named for a mathematician whose calculations helped put the first Americans in orbit and onto the moon, has opened its doors after a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new computation center is situated at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, where Johnson and other "human computers" calculated the trajectories that made early spaceflight possible. During the Sept. 22 ribbon cutting, special guests included Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe; Hampton, Virginia, Mayor Donnie Tuck; Virginia Sen. Mark Warner; and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Dan Tenney  along with Katherine Johnson herself, who is now 99 years old, and her biographer, Margot Shetterly.

The "building sets the stage for our continuing digital transformation in an exciting new era of sophisticated modeling and simulation," David Bowles, Langley's director, said during the ribbon cutting. "We know that these are the tools that will help us shape the world of the future, just as Langley's wind tunnels have helped shape nearly every aircraft that's in the skies flying today." [William Shatner Narrates History of NASA's 100-Year-Old Langley Research Center (Video)]

Mathematician Katherine Johnson poses for a photo with her namesake, the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility at NASAs Langley Research Center in Virginia, during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 22, 2017. Johnsons story as one of NASAs human computers who calculated trajectories for early crewed spaceflights is told in the book and film "Hidden Figures." (Image credit: David C. Bowman/NASA)

"Thanks to this new building's robust, carefully designed infrastructure, we'll do more calculations than ever, and we'll do them faster, more efficiently and with more reliability," he added.

Johnson was honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and her story and that of her fellow computers at Langley was recently told in Shetterly's book "Hidden Figures," which was also made into a movie.

Shetterly was the keynote speaker at the dedication, and had this to say about Johnson's legacy: "By now, most of us know the details of the work that Katherine Johnson did here at NASA; we know about the calculations she provided for Alan Shepard's flight [the first American to fly in space], the calculations she provided for John Glenn's pioneering orbital flight. We know about the math that she contributed to the parking orbit calculations for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon," she said.

"Today, all of those things seem inevitable, but without her past, full of diverging roads and choices that made all the difference, we would not be standing on the brink of this future," Shetterly added.

The new facility is 37,000 square feet (3,400 square meters), and around 1,200 servers will be moved there in the fall, NASA officials said; these servers will have the computational power to do far more than Johnson and her colleagues, who worked by hand and with simple calculating machines, could ever accomplish.

Katherine Johnson attended the ribbon-cutting for the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility Sept. 22. (Image credit: NASA Langley/ Flickr

But "what we're really doing is taking lessons learned when Katherine Johnson and her fellow human computers calculated spacecraft trajectories with paper, pencil and adding machines, and applying them to today's missions," Bowles said. "With this new facility, we will continue to advance the same techniques that she used to such spectacular effect, and I can't imagine a better tribute to Mrs. Johnson's character and accomplishments than this building that will bear her name."

Johnson herself attended the event and helped cut the ribbon, but she didn't give a speech; instead, the audience watched a recent video interview with the mathematician.

"The main thing is, I liked what I was doing," she said in the video. "I liked work. I liked the stars and the stories we were telling. And it was a joy to contribute to the literature that was going to be coming out. But little did I think that it would go this far."

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
An up-close view of Mars' rocky deposits by NASA's Curiosity rover shows a changing climate in the planet's ancient past that would have left the surface warm and humid enough to support liquid water  and possibly life. Evidence of an ancient lake points to the prospect of two unique habitats within its shores; the lower part of the lake was devoid of oxygen compared to an oxygen-rich upper half.

In a recent paper published in the journal Science, Redox stratification of an ancient lake in Gale crater, Stony Brook University geoscientist Joel Hurowitz and his colleagues used more than three years of data retrieved from the rover to paint a picture of ancient conditions at Gale Crater, the lowest point in a thousand kilometers. The site, a 150-mile kilometer crater formed during an impact around 3.8 billion years ago, once flowed with rivers ending in a lake. The sedimentary rocks laid down by these rivers and onto the lakebed tell the story of how the environment changed over time.

Curiosity landed on a group of sedimentary rocks known as the Bradbury group. The rover sampled a part of this group called the Sheepbed mudstones, as well as rocks from the Murray formation at the base of the 5-kilometer high peak at the center of the crater known as Mount Sharp. Both types of rocks were deposited in the ancient lake, but the Sheepbed rocks are older and occur lower in the stratigraphic layers of rocks. Comparing the two types of rocks can lead to interesting revelations about the paleoenvironment. [Life on Mars: Exploration & Evidence]

Rocks that form at the same time in the same area can nevertheless display differences in composition and other characteristics. These different groupings are known as "facies and the Murray formation is split into two facies. One is comprised mainly of hematite and phyllosilicate, and given the name HP, while the other is the magnetite-silicate facies, known as MS.

"The two Murray facies were probably laid down at about the same time within different parts of the lake," explained Hurowitz. "The former laid down in shallow water, and the latter in deeper water."

The near-shore HP facies have thicker layers in the rocks compared to the thin layers of the deeper water MS facies. This difference in layer thickness is because the river flowing into the lake would have slowed down and dumped some of its sedimentary material at the lake shore. The flow would then have spread into the lake and dropped finer material into the deeper parts of the lake.

Curiosity landed on rocks known as the Bradbury group. The Murray formation consist of younger rocks at the base of Mount Sharp. The height is exaggerated in the diagram. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The different mineralogy of the two facies was caused by the lake becoming separated into two layers. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation along with low levels of atmospheric oxygen penetrated the upper part of the lake and acted as oxidants on molecules in the water. These ions of iron (Fe2+) and manganese (Mn2+) were brought to the lake via seepage of groundwater through the lake floor.

When the UV and oxygen interacted with these, they lost electrons, meaning that they had become "oxidized." The oxidized iron and manganese precipitated into minerals  hematite and manganese oxide  that eventually made up the rocks sampled by Curiosity in the HP facies. However, the UV and oxygen didn't reach all the way to the lake floor, so the iron and manganese wasn't oxidized in the deeper part of the lake, and instead became the mineral known as magnetite, making up the MS facies.

The difference in oxidation of the two facies in the Murray formation due to differences in layers of the lake is known as redox stratification. Identifying redox stratification in the ancient lake shows that there were two completely different types of potential habitat available to any microbial life that might have been present.

The researchers also discovered that the Murray formation has a high concentration of salts, which provide clues relating to evaporation of the lake, and thus the end of the potential habitat. High salinity is a result of water evaporating and leaving salts behind. However, evaporation leaves other tell-tale signs such as desiccation cracks  similar to what you see when mud dries and cracks  and none of these signs appear in the Murray formation. This indicates that the evaporation occurred at a later period of time and that the salts seeped through layers overlying the Murray formation before becoming deposited in the Murray rocks.

"Curiosity will definitely be able to examine the rocks higher up in the stratigraphy to determine if lake evaporation influenced the rocks deposited in it," said Hurowitz. "In fact, that's exactly what the rover is doing as we speak at the area known as Vera Rubin Ridge."

Once Curiosity examines these rocks, it will be able to confirm that the salts found in the Murray formation came from a later period of evaporation, and therefore no significant evaporation occurred during the time that the Murray formation was deposited, meaning the environment would have been stable enough to support possible life forms.

The inflowing river deposits thicker material (clastics) close to the lake shore, and finer material towards the deeper part of the lake. The incoming UV and O2 oxidizes the iron and manganese in the upper part of the lake, but not the lower part of the lake. This creates what is known as redox stratification and is reflected in the different mineralogy of the two different facies of the Murray formation. (Image credit: Hurowitz et al. (2017). Science.)

Another result of the research is evidence of climate change. The older Sheepbed formation shows very little evidence of chemical weathering compared to the Murray formation. The change to substantial chemical weathering in the younger rocks indicates that the climate likely changed from cold, arid conditions to a warm, wet one.

"The timing of this climate shift is not something we can tell for sure because we haven't seen the Sheepbed member and the Murray formation in contact with each other," said Hurowitz. "If we had, then we might be able to tell if the change in their chemical and mineralogical properties were abrupt (indicating rapid climate change) or gradual. At best, what we can say is that the rocks that we examined were likely deposited over a timespan of tens of thousands of years to as much as around 10 million years."

The cause of the climate change on Mars is still a matter of debate. If the climate changed in a short period of time, it could have been due to short-term variations or an asteroid impact. A slower change in climate could have been the result of changes in the obliquity cycle of the planet.

The climate change indicated in the rocks shows that the ancient Martian environment would have been warm and humid enough to sustain liquid water on the surface. The redox stratification of the lake as revealed by the different mineralogy in the Murray formation shows that there would have been two different environments within the lake itself. If microbial life was present on Mars at this time, the different potentially habitable niches could have encouraged diversity with anaerobic forms possibly living in the lower depths of the lake.

"I'm not sure that this was something we would have predicted if we hadn't had the opportunity to examine Gale's rock record up close and personal," adds Hurowitz.

This story was provided by Astrobiology Magazine, a web-based publication sponsored by the NASA astrobiology program. Follow Space.com @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence spoke with three NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station during his visit to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on Monday (Sept. 25).

Pence asked NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, the space station's current commander, and Mark Vande Hei and Joseph Acaba, who both arrived two weeks ago, about what it's like to be in space. He also queried the astronauts on their best advice for kids who dream of spaceflight and how their work in orbit advances U.S. leadership in space.

"The president and I, and every American, sees each one of you as true trailblazers in a great American tradition," Pence told the space station astronauts. "You may not be aware, but the president asked me to chair a restart of the National Space Council, and I want to assure each one of you that the National Space Council [is] looking to build on the historic work that you're building on today. [See More Photos of Pence's Visit to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center]

"We're just really honored to speak to three courageous Americans who are such an essential part of NASA's mission today," Pence added. The National Space Council is set to meet for the first time in a few weeks, he said, adding that the council will work to put the United States at the forefront of space exploration.

Vice President Mike Pence (right) and Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama speak with NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hei on the International Space Station from the Payload Operations Integration Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama on Sept. 25, 2017. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

During his trip to Marshall, Pence visited the facility where engineers are working on engines for the Space Launch System (SLS), a megarocket that will be powerful enough to send humans beyond low-Earth orbit, where the space station circles, to the moon and Mars. He also stopped at the Payload Operations Integration Center, which manages the research on the space station.

"Today, I met pioneers who are helping America travel into the unknown and expand our knowledge for the benefit of the nation," Pence said in a statement. "I'm inspired by the people at Marshall, and NASA as a whole, who are passionate and dedicated to space exploration. The massive hardware and innovative technologies we are building will propel us far beyond our home planet and allow America to lead in space again."

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on Sept. 26 and spoke to the astronauts on the International Space Station. (Image credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA)

Pence also visited the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, where Army leaders briefed him on missile defense projects, according to the statement.

"The work underway today at Marshall, supporting station science and with the SLS, is integral to ensuring this nation's incredible global leadership in human exploration," Robert Lightfoot, NASA's acting administrator, said in the statement. "Vice President Pence now has personally visited three NASA centers in the last four months, and I deeply appreciate the vice president's strong commitment to our space-exploration mission."

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
The full moon of October, called the Hunter's Moon, will grace the skies on Oct. 9, the same day that the planet Mercury reaches its highest altitude in the pre-dawn sky, and a day after it reaches greatest elongation (separation) from the sun.

That means on the night of the full moon Mercury will be visible before sunrise and at an altitude high enough to make it easier than usual for observers in mid-northern latitudes.

The moon becomes officially full on Oct.9 at 4:55 p.m. EDT (2055 UTC ), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory (opens in new tab). For New York City observers, the moon will rise on that day at 6:34 p.m. local time (opens in new tab) and set the next morning at 7:41 a.m. Rising about 9 minutes after sunset (which will happen at 6:25 p.m.) the moon will be in the constellation Pisces, the fish. Pisces is not an especially bright constellation so it will be largely outshined by the moon itself, as the glare tends to render many nearby objects hard to see.

Related: The brightest planets in October's night sky: How to see them (and when)

TOP TELESCOPE PICK! (Image credit: Celestron) Looking for a telescope to see the planets or the next skywatching event? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 (opens in new tab) as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.

Given that it is autumn in the Northern hemisphere, the moon will reach a maximal altitude  also known as crossing the meridian  of about 55 degrees (opens in new tab) in New York City at about 1:01 a.m. on Oct. 10. As one moves south the moon's altitude will increase, until it reaches a maximum near the equator, before losing altitude again as one moves south. In Miami, for example, the moon reaches 70 degrees at 1:27 a.m. on Oct. 10 (opens in new tab), when it crosses the meridian there.

In Quito, the moon (which technically becomes full at 3:55 p.m. local time on Oct. 9) crosses the meridian on Oct. 10 at 12:20 a.m. and reaches an altitude of 83 degrees (opens in new tab). Moving further south, to Buenos Aires, the full moon's maximum elevation on Oct. 10 will be 49 degrees (opens in new tab).

Mercury greatest elongation

Mercury will reach its highest altitudes for Northern Hemisphere observers on Oct. 9 and 10 (Image credit: Starry Night Software)

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Mercury will reach its highest altitudes for Northern Hemisphere observers on Oct. 9 and 10. From New York City, on Oct. 10, Mercury rises at 5:26 a.m., while the sun rises at 6:59 a.m. That means by sunrise the planet will be 17 degrees high (opens in new tab), according to in-the-sky.org. The planet will be magnitude -0.6, a bit brighter than the star Vega . Civil twilight, which is when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon and the sky is getting light, is at 6:34 a.m. At that point, Mercury will be about 12 degrees high just south of east.

Mercury will be in the constellation Virgo; to find it one can look for the "sickle" shape of stars that marks the head of Leo the lion, which will be high in the east, and looking below it towards the horizon. Mercury will make a rough triangle with Regulus to the right and Denebola to the left, with Mercury marking the point at the bottom.

From more southern latitudes Mercury will be harder to observe; from Quito, for example, it will only be 15 degrees above the horizon at sunrise, and from Buenos Aires, it will be even lower  about 7 degrees.

Other visible planets in October

Venus is nearing superior conjunction when it is on the opposite side of the sun from Earth ; the planet will be lost in the glare of the sun at dawn and not readily visible.

Mars rises in New York at 9:44 p.m. on the evening of Oct. 9 (opens in new tab). The Red Planet is in Taurus , and will be to the left of Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation as it rises.

Jupiter is visible almost all night; the Moon makes a close approach to the planet, passing 2 degrees south of it on Oct. 8 at 2:11 p.m. Eastern. By the next day, the planet will be to the right of the full Moon. On Oct. 9 Jupiter rises at 5:54 p.m. (opens in new tab) in New York and sets the next morning at 5:46 a.m. Jupiter is in Pisces, and its steady bright light will be easily spotted among the fainter stars of the Fish.

Saturn rises in the afternoon in New York, at about 4:07 p.m., and sets at 2:06 a.m. the morning of Oct. 10. Saturn is, like Jupiter, in a faint constellation that makes the planet itself more distinct. Saturn will be about 30 degrees above the southern horizon by 10 p.m. From mid-northern latitudes, Saturn will form a rough line with Jupiter and the moon across much of the southern sky, with Saturn on the right (west) and the moon on the eastern side.

October stars and constellations

The Summer triangle and meteors were captured in this photograph taken from Grunstadt, Germany. (Image credit: davidhajnal via Getty Images)

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At about 10 p.m. on Oct. 9, the Summer Triangle is still visible, but it is in the western half of the sky, with Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus the Swan the highest of the three stars that make up the asterism. Below and to the right of Deneb will be Vega, in Lyra the Lyre, and Altair, the "eye" of the Eagle, to Vega's left. Meanwhile, moving left (towards the south) one will see Fomalhaut, the alpha star in Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish. Fomalhaut will be below and to the left of Saturn.

Looking towards the East, Capella, in Auriga, the Charioteer, will be rising, as it ushers in the winter stars. Turning further north and upwards from Capella, the "W" of Cassiopeia is visible, which points one to Polaris, the Pole Star, in Ursa Minor. While there are no "pointers" in Cassiopeia as there are in the Big Dipper , if one draws a rough line from the middle peak of the "W" to the left and downwards, one will reach Polaris. The Big Dipper, meanwhile, will be close to the horizon and will become more prominent as the hours pass.

How the "Hunter's Moon" got its name

The full moon of October, sometimes referred to as the Hunter's Moon, rises over the small Portuguese village of Montes Altos in this photo by Jose Zarcos Palma. He captured this photo from a hilltop in the nearby town of Moreanes on Oct. 24, 2018. (Image credit: Courtesy of Jose Zarcos Palma)

The October full moon is often called the Hunter's Moon, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, because that moon occurs when the season for hunting many game animals begins. Traditional names for the full moon often reflect local environment and history; according to the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition, the Ojibwe people called October's full moon the "Mskawji Giizis," or the Freezing Moon, because October is when the first frosts occur in their traditional territory in the Great Lakes region. The Cree people called it "Pimahamowipisim" (Migrating Moon), as in North America, many bird species start migrating south for the winter in mid-autumn.

In the Pacific Northwest, the Tlingit called the October full moon "Dis Tlein" (Big Moon), while the Haida called the moon "Kalk Kungaay," or the Ice Moon, according to the " Tlingit Moon and Tide Teaching Resource (opens in new tab)" published by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

For traditional Chinese calendars, Oct. 9 is in the 9th lunar month, called Juyue or Chrysanthemum Month, as it is when the flower of that name tends to bloom. The full moon will also mark the start of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which is when traditionally the Israelites were called to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Jewish people sometimes celebrate by building a temporary structure (called a sukkah) in which meals are served; sometimes people sleep in them to commemorate the temporary homes Jews lived in during their time in the desert after the escape from Egypt.
Mercury has much more ice scattered across its north pole than previously thought, new research suggests  both inside craters as well as in shadowed terrain between them. The small deposits add to a significant amount of previously unrecognized water ice, researchers said in a statement.

Mercury may seem like a surprising place to find ice: Although nights can get as cold as minus 275 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 170 degrees Celsius), temperatures can soar to 840 degrees F (450 degrees C) during the day. This is more than hot enough to boil away any water on the surface.

But Mercury's axis has very little tilt, so its polar regions don't receive much direct sunlight. This keeps the floor of some of its polar craters in perpetual shadow, researchers said in the statement. Mercury also has almost no atmosphere to hold in ambient heat, so the temperatures in these craters stay low enough for water to remain frozen. [Water Ice on Mercury: How It Stays Frozen (Infographic)]

The idea that Mercury may have water ice emerged in the 1990s when Earth-based telescopes first detected highly reflective regions at the planet's poles, researchers said in the statement. The hypothesis was verified in late 2012 by NASA's MESSENGER probe, which had entered Mercury's orbit in 2011. After a successful mission, the spacecraft deorbited in April 2015, crashing into the planet's surface. But the wealth of information it provided is still fueling research today.

In the new study, researchers from Brown University combed through old data from the MESSENGER spacecraft. They took advantage of readings from the orbiter's laser altimeter, which is generally used to determine map elevation, but also measures surface reflectivity, the researchers said in the statement.

They found evidence of ice in three large craters that had been measured at an oblique angle, rather than straight down. Ariel Deutsch, the study's lead author and a planetary scientist at Brown University, estimates that these deposits may account for an additional 1,313 square miles (3,400 square kilometers) of ice. That's a quarter larger than the state of Rhode Island.

The small-scale deposits scattered between the craters could add even more, though, the researchers said. Scientists believe the moon hosts similar ice deposits near its poles, and research models suggest that these deposits could roughly double the amount of lunar surface that could harbor ice.

"The assumption has been that surface ice on Mercury exists predominantly in large craters, but we show evidence for these smaller-scale deposits as well," Deutsch said in the statement. "Adding these small-scale deposits to the large deposits within craters adds significantly to the surface ice inventory on Mercury."

Scientists are still uncertain how water arrived on Mercury. According to the statement, their best hypothesis right now is that it was delivered by water-rich comet and asteroid impacts. Another idea is that hydrogen supplied by the solar wind combined with oxygen on the planet's surface to form water. These are some of the topics the researchers hope to investigate further.

Email Harrison Tasoff at htasoff@space.com or follow him @harrisontasoff. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
New York, Sep 23, 2017 (SPS) - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, Mr. Alfonso Dastis Quecedo, welcomes the intention expressed by the UN Secretary General to relaunch the talks between the parties to the conflict in Western Sahara.

In his address to the general debate of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, Spain trusts that the new Personal Envoy will facilitate progress towards a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of arrangements consistent with the purposes and principles of the charter of the United Nations. (SPS)

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Brussels, Sep 25, 2017 (SPS) -The European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) agreed upon "renaming" their summit between Europeans and Africans scheduled for 29-30 November in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), the EU-AU summit, Algeria's ambassador Amar Belani said Sunday in Brussels.

"The AU and the EU agreed upon renaming their next meeting +EU-AU Summit+," which is expected to take place on 29-30 November 2017 in Abidjan, named in the previous editions EU-Africa Summit," Belani told APS.

This agreement between the Pan-African and European institutions "thwarts the manoeuvres and pressure exerted directly by Morocco on the EU or through European countries that support it, with a view to excluding the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), founding country of the African Union, with which Morocco had agreed to sit by acceding to the Pan-African institution and by ratifying its constitution, without conditions or reservations."

The European Parliament welcomed the "renaming" of the next Abidjan Summit through the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), which has recently adopted an opinion about "the draft report on the EU-Africa strategy: Accelerating development," an opinion, in which it "considers the fact that AU encompasses the entire African continent as a very positive step towards pan-African integration and welcomes the initiative to rename the EU-Africa Summit, EU-AU Summit."

"Given this convergence of views between the two regional organizations, Morocco is warned of any attempt to foil the forthcoming EU-AU Summit because it will bear full responsibility, as was the case in the humiliating attempt thwarted in Maputo on the occasion of the ministerial meeting on the development of Africa (TICAD-VI), held from 23 to 25 August," warned Amar Belani. (SPS)

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New York, Sep 25, 2017 (SPS) - Angola has called for ensuring the application of the United Nations and African Union resolution on the issue of Western Sahara.

During the General Debate of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, Angola's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mr. Ismael Abraao Gaspar Martins, called for the effective implementation of the resolutions of the Security Council and the African Union concerning the Saharawi question.

In this regard, Angola encourages the parties to the conflict to continue the dialogue to resolve the conflict. (SPS)

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Brussels, Sep 25, 2017 (SPS) - The Green Group in the European Parliament denounced Monday the continuation of negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Morocco aimed at circumventing the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union, underlining that this bargaining infringes the decision of the Court and the international law.

By legitimating Moroccos continued exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara, EU seems to be engaged in a trade negotiation process which directly infringes the decision of the Court of Justice and the fundamental principles of international law, wrote the European deputies Florent Marcellesi, Bodil Valero, Barbara Lochbihler, Pascal Durand, Bart Staes et Margrete Auken in the blog of the Green Group of the European Parliament.

These Euro-deputies consider that the continuation of EU-Morocco negotiations aim at normalizing the occupation of Western Sahara, pointing out that neither the United Nations, nor any State member of the European Union recognizes the alleged sovereignty of Morocco over this territory.

The European commission obtained in May from EUs member States a mandate to re-examine the liberalisation agreement with Morocco to include products coming the occupied territories of Western Sahara. (SPS)

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Last night, actress Meghan Markle made her first official appearance with boyfriend Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in Toronto.

Sitting side by side, the pair - who have been publically dating for a year - looked blissfully unfazed by the incessant flashing of cameras and the inevitable interest in their appearance.

Not least, however, has been the interest in Markle's choice of shirt - more precisely, its name.

Designed by Misha Nonoo and retailing at $185, the relaxed-fit white shirt has been revealed as the brand's 'Husband shirt' setting impending engagement alarms off in the conscience of many onlookers.

Meghan Markle: The Duchess of Sussex - style file 1 /146 Meghan Markle: The Duchess of Sussex - style file October 25, 2018 Meghan Markle in Nadi, Fiji on October 25, 2018 Getty Images May 8, 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son PA June 8, 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Trooping of the Colour PA November 11, 2019 The Duchess of Sussex wore a 1,500 Stella McCartney coat at the annual Remembrance Sunday memorial Getty Images March 2021 Harpo Productions January 07, 2020 The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Canada House, where the Duchess wore a Massimo Dutti slip skirt in an all-brown outfit Getty Images November 9, 2019 Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, arrived in bespoke Erdem Getty Images November 7, 2019 Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex at The Fields of Remembrance in Westminster Abbey Jeremy Selwyn October 25, 2019 Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queens Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle Jeremy Selwyn October 22, 2019 Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends the One Young World Summit Opening Ceremony at Royal Albert Hall Getty Images October 2, 2019 Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits a township with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex to learn about Youth Employment Services Getty Images October 1, 2019 The Duchess of Sussex visiting Action Aid, a gender based violence education club in Johannesbur PA October 1, 2019 Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, arrives to meet academics and students during a roundtable discussion on female access to higher education with the Association of Commonwealth Universities, at the University of Johannesburg Reuters September 25, 2019 Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits Woodstock Exchange, a women founders/social entrepreneurs event during her royal tour of South Africa with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Getty Images September 25, 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex along with their son Archie meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mrs Tutu at their legacy foundation in Cape Town PA September 24, 2019 Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits Waves for Change, an NGO supporting local surf mentors to provide mental health services to vulnerable young people living in under resourced communities, with Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (not pictured) at Monwabisi Beach, in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters September 24, 2019 Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, attends a reception for young people, community and civil society leaders at the Residence of the British High Commissioner in Cape Town, South Afric Reuters September 23, 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, visit Nyanga township, on the first day of their African tour in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters September 12, 2019 Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrives to launch the Smart Works capsule collection Getty Images September 07, 2019 Meghan (R), Duchess of Sussex attends the Women's Singles final match between Serena Williams of the United States and Bianca Andreescu of Canada on day thirteen of the 2019 US Open Getty Images July 7, 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the christening of their son Archie Chris Allerton July 4, 2019 The Duchess of Sussex at Wimbledon Championships PA June 29, 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox baseball game PA March 11, 2019 At a Commonwealth Day Youth Event Getty Images March 11, 2019 At the Commonwealth Service Getty Images March 8, 2019 Attending the Queen's Commonwealth Trust Getty Images March 5, 2019 At the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales Getty Images February 25, 2019 At a reception with King Mohammed VI of Morocco Getty Images February 24, 2019 At a reception hosted by the British Ambassador to Morocco Getty Images February 23, 2019 At Casablanca Airport in Morocco Getty Images January 30, 2019 At the National Theatre Getty Images January 16, 2019 At Cirque du Soleil Getty Images January 16, 2019 During a visit to the Mayhew Getty Images January 14, 2019 During a visit to Birkenhead Town Hall Getty Images December 25, 2018 At the Christmas Day Church service Getty Images December 10, 2018 At the British Fashion Awards Getty Images October 26, 2018 At the Australian Geographic Society Awards Getty Images October 25, 2018 Meghan and Prince Harry attend a state dinner in Tonga Getty Images October 23, 2018 Meghan and Harry in Fiji Getty Images October 28, 2018 Meghan and Harry attending an evening reception at Government House in Wellington Getty Images October 27, 2018 At the Invictus Games Sydney Getty Images October 23, 2018 Attending a state dinner in Fiji Getty Images October 24, 2018 Meghan visits the University of the South Pacific Getty Images October 19, 2018 Meghan and Harry visit Bondi Beach Getty Images October 16, 2018 On the couple's royal tour of Sydney Getty Images October 12, 2018 At the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York to Jack Brooksbank Getty Images July 11, 2018 Visiting Croke Park, Ireland Getty Images July 10, 2018 During a royal tour of Ireland PA July 10, 2018 At the RAF centenary service PA July 9, 2018 At the christening of Prince Louis PA July 5, 2018 At Your Commonwealth Youth Challenge reception Getty Images June 26, 2018 At the Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony Getty Images June 19, 2018 At day one of Royal Ascot Getty Images June 14, 2018 During her first engagement to Cheshire with Her Majesty The Queen Getty Images May 22, 2018 At The Prince of Wales' 70th Birthday Patronage Celebration wearing the Goat Flavia Dress Getty Images May 19, 2018 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend an evening reception at their wedding Getty Images April 23, 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at a memorial service at St Martin-in-the-Fields PA April 21, 2018 The couple attend a reception for Invictus Games at Australia House AFP/Getty Images April 21, 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at the Royal Albert Hall to attend a star-studded concert to celebrate the Queen's 92nd birthday Getty Images April 19, 2018 At a Women's Empowerment reception at the Royal Aeronautical Society Getty Images April 18, 2018 At a reception with delegates from the Commonwealth Youth Forum during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Getty Images April 6, 2018 At the team trials for the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 at the University of Bath Sports Training Village in Bath Reuters March 23, 2018 Visiting the Titanic Belfast Getty March 23, 2018 Attending an event to mark the second year of youth-led peace-building initiative Amazing the Space PA March 12, 2018 At a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey AFP/Getty Images March 8, 2018 At an International Women's Day event at Millennium Point in Birmingham PA March 8, 2018 At an International Women's Day event at Millennium Point in Birmingham PA February 13, 2018 At Edinburgh Castle, during a visit to Scotland AFP/Getty Images February 13, 2018 With Prince Harry during their visit to Scotland AFP/Getty Images February 1, 2018 Attending the Endeavour Fund Awards ceremony Getty Images January 18, 2018 At Cardiff Castle during a visit to Wales Getty Images January 9, 2018 Arriving to visit Reprezent Radio AFP/Getty Images December 25, 2017 At the royals Christmas Day Church service Getty Images December 1, 2017 On an official visit to Nottingham with Prince Harry Getty Images November 27, 2017 With Prince Harry at the official photocall to announce the engagement Getty Images September 25, 2017 With Prince Harry at a Wheelchair Tennis match during the Invictus Games Getty Images September 23, 2017 At the Opening Ceremony of the 2017 Invictus Games PA July 14, 2016 At the 'Today' show in New York MediaPunch/Rex Features May 20, 2016 At the pARTy! - celebrating 25 years of P.S. ARTS Getty Images April 27, 2016 At Glamour's Women Of The Year awards in New York Getty Images March 17, 2016 At AOL Build Speaker Series Startraks Photo/Rex Features November 2, 2015 At the 12th annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards Getty Images June 24, 2015 At NBC Universal Summer Press day MediaPunch/Rex Features May 14, 2015 At the 2015 NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Upfront Getty Images March 10, 2015 At the Step It Up For Gender Equality event Getty Images February 13, 2015 On her way to MADE Fashion Week Rex Features February 13, 2015 At the Wes Gordon runway show during MADE Fashion Week Getty Images October 28, 2014 At the Elton John AIDS Foundation gala Getty Images October 1, 2014 At RELAIS & CHATEAUX 60th Anniversary Guest Chef Dinner Launch Getty Images September 5, 2014 At an exclusive preview of the Marchesa Voyage for ShopStyle collection Getty Images February 8, 2014 At the Herve Leger By Max Azria fashion show during New York Fashion Week Getty Images January 22, 2014 At ELLE's Annual Women in Television Celebration Getty Images November 19, 2013 At the London Global Gift Gala at ME Hotel Getty Images November 11, 2013 At the world premier of 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' in Leicester Square AFP/Getty Images October 2, 2013 At the Gala Tribute for Cate Blanchett during the 51st New York Film Festival Getty Images September 11, 2013 At the Annual Charity Day Hosted By Cantor Fitzgerald And BGC Getty Images September 10, 2013 At the Novak Djokovic Foundation New York dinner Getty Images September 10, 2013 At the Tory Burch fashion show during New York Fashion Week Getty Images September 8, 2013 At the Tracy Reese show during New York Fashion Week MediaPunch/Rex Features September 7, 2013 At the Herve Leger By Max Azria fashion show during New York Fashion Week Getty Images June 16, 2013 At the 2013 MuchMusic Video Awards Getty Images May 16, 2013 At the USA Network 2013 Upfront Event Getty Images January 26, 2013 At the Entertainment Weekly Pre-SAG party Getty Images January 24, 2013 At the ELLE's Women in Television Celebration Getty Images January 13, 2013 At NBC Universal's 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards after party Getty Images September 11, 2012 At the FINCA Canada Fundraiser At TIFF 2012 during the Toronto International Film Festival Getty Images September 5, 2012 At the Rising Stars: 2012 Producers Ball during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival Getty Images February 15, 2012 At the USA Network's and The Moth's Storytelling Tour Getty Images August 26, 2010 At the Some Kind-a Gorgeous Style and Beauty Lounge at the Chateau Marmont Getty Images September 18, 2009 At the DPA pre-Emmy Gift Lounge at the Peninsula Hotel Getty Images

The pair's appearance and relaxed aesthetic were in stark contrast to the previous day's occurrences, which saw the couple sit an astounding 18 seats apart with Markle dressed in a more formal outfit.

Staged in the Canadian city of Toronto - which also happens to be Markle's hometown - and it seems the 'Suits' actress drew a lot of inspiration from her surroundings when it came to dressing for the occasion.

PA

Her outfit was a appropriately autumnal rich red hue, which she wore head-to-toe, donning a elegant maroon midi dress, which boasted a sophisticated pleated skirt and low V neckline.

Staying true to her roots, both coordinating pieces were from Canadian designers. The 36-year-old's dress was by Aritzia, retailing at a rather affordable 137.

Unsurprisingly, the perfect transeasonal dress has already sold out. It is, however, still available in a number of other colours including, black, dusty pink and slate grey.

EXACT MATCH :

Beaune Dress by Aritza, 137, Shop it now

HIGH STREET ALTERNATIVES :

1. Lace midi dress by Self Portrait, 168, Shop it now

2. Crepe Midi Dress by CO, 635 from Net A Porter, Shop it now

Markle also covered up in a matching burgundy biker jacket by Mackabge, which was adorned with exposed zips, giving the outfit a modern edge.

EXACT MATCH :

Leather Jacket by Mackage Baya , 519.22, Shop it now

HIGH STREET ALTERNATIVES

1. Leather Look Jacket by New Look, 39.99, Shop it now

2. Zip Leather Jacket by Mango, 119.99, Shop it now

Markle finished off the look with a smokey eye, loose curls and a velvet clutch bag, giving off the perfect mix of casual chic for the upcoming season.
F reshers Week is said to be one of the most exciting and memorable weeks of your University life.

It is the traditional way most students in the UK embark on their start onto higher education and getting their independence - I mean a week filled with drinking and all night partying is the only way to embark into adulthood, right?

Its the social event in every university,so here's our pick of where to go outside your campus:

Friday, September 22

Shoreditch Pub Crawl

Whether youve just moved to London or youre just not up-to-date with Londons nightlife, experience our #1 pub crawl event. Enjoy your night out with free shots, free entry to bars and clubs, discounted drinks and a professional photography to capture your evening.

Every Friday and Saturday. 20 on the door or save up to 40% by booking online.

The Shoreditch, 145 Shoreditch High Street, E1

www.nightsgonewild.com

Bar Rumba

Come party at Londons premier party bar known for some of the most diverse and electrifying club nights in the capital. Located at the heart of the West End, each night is served with different themes, with a promise to having the best and most colourful clubbing event.

Every Monday to Sunday.

36 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D

www.barrumbadisco.co.uk

5 Fridays

Wicked Student Nights presents Student Night at Cafe de Paris every Friday. With 5 entry, with a free drink and 5 drinks all night, this is the cheapest Friday night - ideal for students - at one of Londons swankiest venues.

Every Friday, 8

3-4 Coventry Street, W1D

www.cafedeparis.com

Saturday, September 23

People from Ibiza: Tube and Berger

Still in the summer party mode, Ibiza presents their end of summer party by the Ministry of Sound. The closing party will welcome some of the biggest names in house music, including Wankelmut, George Kwali and Mike Mago.

20

103 Gaunt Street, Elephant&Castle, SE1

www.club.ministryofsound.com

Wanderlust at Cargo

Presenting the best club experience in Shoreditch, that brings you the best of club classics and pop music - with music ranging from Hip Hop, Funky House, Pop and R&B - you should expect a night filled with good vibes and dazzling dance moves.

Every Saturday, 11.25

83 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, EC2A

www.cargo.skiddletickets.com

Sunday, September 24

Abode in the Park

Summer may be over, but that doesnt mean you cant party festival-style one more time. Abode in the Park is an all-day electronic music festival at Londons Finsbury Park that includes vver 25 DJs. If you didnt attend a festival over the summer, here is your chance.

48.40

Finsbury Park, N4

www.festicket.com

Monday September 25

Wicked Student Nights

Looking for the biggest parties happening in London, then look no further. If you choose to attend the Wicked Student Nights, then be sure to get yourself prepared for the craziest nights. With seven events at six venues, enjoy everything from nights filled with live music, masquerade balls and Full Moon Parties.

For full events listing visit www.wickedstudentnights.co.uk

Tuesday, September 26

Freshers Moving in Party  Tiger Tiger London

Kick off the biggest week of your life by parting at one of London's most popular clubs. You can re-live your younger years in their Decadia room or get some VIP treatment in their LUXE room. It will be the cheapest party event to attend. #TigerTuesdays

Tuesday and Wednesday, 5

29 The Haymarket, Piccadilly, SW1Y

www.tigertiger.co.uk

Friday, September 29

Freshers Party 2017 featuring Nick Grimshaw

The BBC Radio One presenter with be headlining the epic freshers party thats set to include the best and brightest talent from Londons club scene - with only one thousand tickets available  be sure to book now before its too late. Confirmed line-up includes Radio 1 DJ Abbie McCarthy, youtuber Jack Maynard and Lucy Daniels, resident of major club nights across Londons West End.

Early bird: 10 and Non-member: 20

The Venue, Student Central, Malet Street, WC1E

www.studentcentral.london

Black Parade  00s emo anthems

Because its not everyday pop, R&B and rap. For one massive night, celebrate the biggest emo anthems from the noughties. Expect to hear music from the likes of Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco, Paramore and much more.

5.50

O2 Academy Islington, Angel Cnetral 16 Parkfield Street N1

www.academymusicgroup.com
P laying a convincing drunk on camera may be a notoriously tricky business but, as Emily Beecham explains to me, feigning inebriation without breaking character in a south-London chicken shop is a whole different ball game.

The people who sold me the chicken perhaps thought I was quite nuts, laughs the 33-year-old actor, best known for 28 Weeks Later and US fantasy series Into the Badlands. Although I didnt really pay attention to them because I was doing the drunk thing. It was all quite technical as well because I had to come out, hit this mark and cross the road without killing myself.

This image of behind-the-scenes meticulousness put to work in an unvarnished urban setting is as good as any in giving you a sense of Daphne, the film Beecham and I have met to talk about. Set amid the crowded weeknight pubs and strip-lit off licences of modern-day London, its the tale of titular trainwreck Daphne Vitale (Beecham), a flawed, bitterly funny, and blithely promiscuous aspirant sous chef whose hedonistic existence is suddenly upended when she encounters a violent incident.

Directed by Scottish first-timer Peter Mackie and already generating a fair bit of buzz following screenings at festivals, its an incredibly effective, thoroughly 2017 indie marvel that deftly walks the line between acerbic comedy (If you mean yes, just say yes. Dont be a twat, mutters Daphne after her boss says, correct) and squirming, nuanced tragedy.

Whats more, Beecham  joint winner of the Best Performance award at Junes Edinburgh International Film Festival  is a complete revelation, utterly selling Daphnes recognisable brand of spiky millennial dysfunction.

So, having been handed the career-making role after starring in a thematically similar short film made with Mackie, did Beecham draw on personal experience to play Daphne? I definitely feel that I recognise parts of friends and parts of myself in her, says Beecham, perched on a low-slung sofa in the BFI and nibbling popcorn to quell some self-confessed hanxiety.

Daphne doesnt aim to please and she has what many people might think are quite masculine traits  which I like

Beecham is wry, watchful and considered with her words. Daphnes just so unusual and shes not the kind of character whos represented enough on screen, she says. Although I think at the moment there seem to be a lot more interesting female characters. Fleabag is in a similar vein. Daphne doesnt aim to please and she has what many people might think are quite masculine traits  which I like.

She isnt the first to spot similarities between her film and Phoebe Waller-Bridges Bafta-winning cultural phenomenon (more than one early review has branded Daphne the big-screen Fleabag). But Beecham, who counts Waller-Bridge as a friend, is keen to deny charges of hurried bandwagon-jumping. We were actually making them at the same time. It wasnt influenced by Fleabag at all, she says, noting subtle differences between the two filthy-minded anti-heroines.

With Daphne, the sex seems like something shes kind of doing out of boredom, says Beecham, with reference to her characters multiple hook-ups. Fleabag probably has more of a strong objective to sleep with as many people as possible but Daphne is more of a drifter.

One undeniable shared thread running through both projects, however, is an examination of how young people  and specifically young, single women  career through London. Shes quite isolated and disconnected, says Beecham. A lot of people in a big city like London can probably relate to that.

Filmed in and around Elephant and Castle, the movie holds up a mirror to a version of the capital thats rarely glimpsed on screen. Beechams stumbling encounters with pedestrians and unwitting, real-life chicken shop employees  covertly filmed at long-range  only underscore this easy naturalism. And the performer threw herself into the challenge of playing a chef in a frantic London kitchen too.

I did work experience at 10 Greek Street and I loved it, beams Beecham, before pausing. I mean, they wouldnt let me work there in the busy hours because thats when chefs get really fiery and I would have had a lot of abuse thrown at me. But its still really tiring and I think thats part of her character as well. Its an exhausting lifestyle and then shes drinking on top of that. People always say that working as a chef is an adrenaline-fuelled thing. Theres so much pressure and you need to wind down at the end of it.

If Daphne the characters hard-charging approach to work and play makes her a quintessential Londoner, then Beecham  despite currently living in Haggerston and routinely spending days off at The Photographers Gallery  is harder to categorise. Born in Wythenshawe to an American mother and British father, she admits shes still a northern girl at heart despite the fact she has dual British-American citizenship and voted in last years US election (Not for Trump, she chuckles ruefully).

Having moved around a lot as a child  thanks to her dads job as a pilot  Beecham initially only clung to the arts as a constant amid a whirl of ever-changing school syllabuses.

A place at Lamda and a resultant move to the capital focused her ambition, and she soon won roles in 28 Weeks Later and prime-time mainstays like New Tricks. Still, she characterises her early years as a working actor as a time when it was easy to be insecure.

I would be offered the girlfriend, then for a while it would be serial killers or vulnerable people. Often you get pigeonholed because of the way you look

Was it the competitiveness? The lack of interesting roles? A combination of both? Oh yeah, it would go in phases, she says. I would be offered the girlfriend, then for a while it would be serial killers or vulnerable people. Often you get pigeonholed because of the way you look.

Having worked for a decade Beecham is now starting to evade the casting cliches that tend to still hound a certain class of young British actress. She popped over from Dublin midway through her third series playing an artery-spraying martial artist in Into the Badlands and, having depicted a Fifties starlet in the star-packed Hail, Caesar! she was considered for a role in the Coen brothers forthcoming western, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Apparently I didnt look right, she says, good-naturedly. I even sent a really shabby, ugly photograph of myself  with lots of spots and a gormless expression  and they still said no.

The Coens loss may well be another directors gain  and I dont doubt that her latest role will nudge open doors (shes already had a meeting with lovely, sweet Mike Leigh). But Beecham seems more energised by the wider shift that a such as like Daphne  or a series like Fleabag  represents. I never went to school wanting to play cute characters, or girly characters, she says firmly. I wanted to play junkies, I wanted to play really complicated, heavy things and I havent really had those opportunities until now.

Daphne is released on September 29
J ennifer Lopez has pledged $1 million to the relief effort in Puerto Rico after the island was ravaged by Hurricane Maria last week.

The singer, whose parents are Puerto Rican, said she would donate a portion of the sales from her Las Vegas shows to help victims.

During a joint press conference with the Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo on Sunday, J-Lo said: Puerto Ricans are American citizens. And today, Puerto Ricans need our help.

I will be donating $1 million from the proceeds of my Las Vegas show to the designated beneficiaries, charities and NGO organizations.

Lopez, who has taken up residency at the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood resort, will donate $1m from the proceeds of her show, which runs until February next year.

Hurricane Maria has devastated Puerto Rico, leaving the islandss 3.4 million residents without power and forcing some 15,000 people to seek refuge in shelters.

Puerto Ricans were forced to seek refuge in shelters as their homes were destroyed / AFP/Getty Images

Lopez said she had not been able to make contact with some family members living on the islands.

We are concerned for them and for everyone on the island, she said.

Given the loss and devastation, we need to pay attention and to urgently support Puerto Rico and the Caribbean with donations and contributions.

I will always be a New Yorker and I am a proud Puerto Rican, Lopez added. It is now time for all Americans to be front and center in helping to bring awareness and solutions to the task of rebuilding Puerto Rico.
T here is a lot to be said for the restorative power of a proper meal. A while back I was due to meet a pal for dinner. Then, London being London, it started lashing rain and suddenly it seemed venturing into central could be postponed for another day.

Plus the journey involved going north, and as a south Londoner, well it was easy to find a myriad of reasons why I shouldnt. Except the thing is, I often feel like I put things off because sometimes thats the easiest option isnt it? So no, I tell myself, stop groaning and get on the tube.

An hour or so (closer to two) later I arrive in The Little Viet Kitchen, Islington, with squeaky wet shoes and a sopping umbrella feeling like, well, like I should have stayed at home. But then I was shown to a lovely window table and it started to be OK. Rather more than OK as dish after dish arrived dancing with flavours and colours; a feast for our tired senses.

Thuy Pham-Kelly opened the restaurant in 2015 with her husband Dave, having originally started out as a supper club. Thuys style of cooking is one of my favourite kinds  inspired by her childhood. Its cooking with love and it is evident from every dish that it means a great deal to this brilliant chef.

Thuy hails from a small village in South Vietnam, Hanh My, after the war her family was forced to leave their home and start a new life. Shes lived in London for 29 years now but its clear when you talk to her that she keeps her heart connected to her home country, mainly through her cooking. Thuys food was the perfect accompaniment for catching up with an old friend. That rainy night, we sat and ate while chatting about everything and nothing all at the same time. It was one of those meals that you dont quite want to end. Suddenly being at home didnt seem so important anymore.

For our lunch box, it has to be one dish  an adaptation of Thuys chicken noodle bowl. For her this dish captures the beauty of Vietnamese cooking in a bowl and takes her back to the sounds of the morning village market. Its packed with chillies, lemongrass, garlic, pops of fresh herbs and crunchy onions and peanuts. Its comforting and refreshing all at the same time. A few weeks after that dinner I made it for lunch.

Eating it brought me back to that lovely night with my pal. And isnt that what food and cooking should be about  creating and reminding you of the memories that matter in life? Yes.

Try your own variations on this dish  swap the chicken for beef. Or add cucumber, finely shredded baby gem, crispy garlic or even some fresh dill. If youre keen to learn more about Thuys cooking, she is happily writing her first cookbook which will be published in April 2018.

Its a story about her journey from Vietnam to England and celebrates her love of Vietnamese cooking. I for one shall be adding it to my bookshelf and cooking from it.

Special thanks to Thuy for her recipes. Recipe below has been adapted from the original. See more of Thuys beautiful cooking on Instagram the_little_viet_kitchen.

Chicken noodle bowl

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the marinade

1 red chilli, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp soft brown sugar

2 chicken breasts

1-2 nests vermicelli rice noodles (depending on how hungry you are)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

To serve

80g bean sprouts

1 carrot, finely sliced

Small handful fresh mint, leaves roughly torn

Small handful fresh coriander, leaves and stalks finely chopped

Small handful Thai basil, leaves roughly torn

1 tbsp peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped

1 tbsp crispy onions

Lime juice

Soy sauce

Method

Add the chicken to a bowl with all the marinade ingredients and toss well to coat thoroughly. Marinate in the fridge for 3 hours or for the best results overnight, if you have time.

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over the rice noodles until they are just covered. Set aside for 3 minutes. Rinse and drain.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan on a high heat. Thuy recommends the wooden chopstick test to check if the oil is hot enough to cook. Place a wooden chopstick into the pan and when bubbles form youre good to cook.

Add the chicken to the pan, with its marinade, and cook for 3  4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.

Take 2 large bowls. Start with a handful of beansprouts then a handful of noodles topped with the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs, peanuts and crispy onions. Finally add lime juice and soy sauce to taste and tuck in.

Laoise (Lee-sha) is a chef, food stylist and writer, living in London. Follow her on Twitter @laoisecooks and Instagram @laoisecooks. She studied at Leiths School of Food and Wine, where she now teaches. She has worked in a number of top London restaurants including The Dairy in Clapham and Paradise Garage in Bethnal Green.
W ith vibrant and innovative Cuban cuisine, hip beach clubs and sleek Art Deco hotels, this unashamedly glitzy and glamorous hub has always known how to get travellers to let their hair down.

But in latter years the so-called Magic City has undergone a fully-fledged cultural resurgence and has thoroughly wooed the international art crowd, with Miami Beach icons such as The Bass Contemporary Art Museum alongside grandiose garden estates such as the Vizcaya.

Whats more, Art Basel Miami has also endowed the Floridian city with even more cultural credibility, bestowing this fun-loving party town with exceptional allure for international visitors. Even Miamis streets have something of the art gallery about them; wander the Thirties hotel facades lining Ocean Drive for one of the worlds greatest concentrations of Art Deco buildings.

Creativity and cuisine

Getty Images

With such a thrilling culinary, cultural and clubbing scene, the right Miami hotel will put you right in the middle of the action. On Ocean Drive, The Betsy is a grand and traditional yet young-at-heart colonial-style property complete with plantation-style shutters and serene white interiors. Miamis celebrated creative bent is evident at every turn  The Betsy runs atmospheric jazz evenings, literary clubs and writers retreats.

From beach to boutique

Getty Images

Miami isnt just a place to sip amazing cocktails, shop vintage boutiques, laze on a beach, perfect Instagram poses and get up to speed on the latest in visual art and architecture.

With such close proximity to the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park, its also perfect fly-drive turf. How about a decadent city weekender with lazy days out on the water, trying your hand at paddleboarding or fly-fishing, followed by an exploration of the largest subtropical wilderness in the US in The Everglades?

Packed with so much, Miami is the ideal winter break destination for a sun-seeking hipster. One tip: skip Miamis sweltering summer months and visit when it turns grey and cold here in the UK, trading dull skies and drizzle for blue skies, scorching sun and creative inspiration.

Fly to Miami the British way...

Book your next trip to Miami at ba.com/miami
A sadistic killer who was caught on camera torturing a vulnerable gay man in his own home was today jailed for at least 39 years.

Jason Marshall, 29, posed as an MI5 agent then stripped, gagged, handcuffed and smothered 58-year-old Peter Fasoli with cling film.

Mr Fasoli begged for his life when Marshall threatened him with a knife before killing him.

He stole his bank cards and PIN numbers, and torched his flat in Northolt, west London, to cover his tracks in January 2013.

Marshall then fled to Italy, where he killed again and attacked a third man before being caught.

Peter Fasoli was tortured before being killed

Mr Fasolis death was put down as an accident until his nephew stumbled across harrowing webcam footage of his last hours on his uncles computer hard drive.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Marshall, from East Ham, east London, was found guilty of murder and arson.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC today sentenced him to life with a minimum of 39 years for the sadistic killing.

He said: I am sure you were motivated by a desire to cause Mr Fasoli pain without his consent, which would be a significantly greater source of pleasure or gratification to you.

You tortured him for so long because you enjoyed it so much.

Im sure that you can have felt no remorse whatsoever for what you have done.

On the contrary, you derived pleasure from it.
P olice are hunting a thief who stole a 2,000 Rolex watch and other hugely sentimental items from a home in Westminster.

Detectives have released clear CCTV footage of the suspect as he roams around inside the house, following the burglary on July 31 at around 9.30pm.

Officers descended on the property in Montagu Square  where three-bedroom flats cost at least 2 million  after the CCTV system automatically notified the absent owner of a potential break-in.

The suspect had already fled by the time police arrived. It is believed he had gained entry by forcing open a ground floor window.

Hunt: Police released this CCTV of the suspect in order to track him down / Met Police

A 1962 Rolex valued at 2,000 was stolen, as well as a 1960s Faberge-style china egg of unknown value.

Four gold rings and two costume gold necklaces were also taken during the raid, with an estimated worth of 2,400.

The CCTV footage shows a man searching through cupboards, with a torch in his mouth and a satchel over his shoulder. He has a shaved head and is wearing a dark hooded top.

This 1962 Rolex worth 2,000 was also stolen / Met Police

Detective Constable Andrea Hewes, of Westminster police, said: "The items stolen in this burglary are of huge sentimental value to their owner, who is deeply upset about the intrusion into his home and the thefts.

"We have clear CCTV of the suspect committing the burglary, and we would urge anyone who recognises the man, or who has come across the items that were stolen, to get in touch with us."

No arrests have been made in connection with the burglary.

Anyone with any information relating to this incident is urged to contact Westminster police on 0207 321 7616 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
T hree men arrested following the Parsons Green terror attack have been released by police.

Two men, aged 25 and 30, who were arrested in Newport following the explosion, and a 20-year-old man detained in Cardiff, have since been released, Scotland Yard said.

Seven people in total were arrested as part of the Mets counter-terrorism investigation into the attack on a District Line Tube train on September 15.

Ahmed Hassan, 18, was charged, but the six other men have all now been released with no further action to be taken by police.

Hassan appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday September 22, and was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on Friday, October 13.

Thirty people were injured when the bomb went off on a Tube, travelling from Wimbledon, at Parsons Green station.

Counter terrorism officers are still searching a property in Cardiff in relation to the incident, Scotland Yard added.
D eliveroo is giving head cameras to drivers who work in areas it classes as high-risk.

At least another 500 drivers will be given 15 towards a camera.

Last month, the delivery firm said it was improving security measures after a rider was a victim of an acid attack.

The high-risk areas are Finsbury Park, Islington, Victoria, Westminster, Pimlico, Shoreditch and Brick Lane.

The move is the second phase of a safety trial, but it will be rolled out if it is successful.

Deliveroo said it was also writing to MPs who serve these areas, urging them to raise the issue of rider safety in Parliament in a bid to find other solutions.

It first trialled the head cameras in Hackney and improved its app so riders could report safety concerns more easily.

In July, riders protested outside Parliament, claiming the Government had not done enough to stop moped crime and acid attacks.

Dan Warne, Deliveroos general manager for UK and Ireland, said: The problem has not gone away and we need it to remain on the political radar until solutions are found.
T he harrowing reality of the Blitz in London has been brought back to life by a fascinating set of newly colourised photos.

The haunting images show Londoners huddled in the now-closed Aldwych Tube station for shelter during an air raid, while others show the devastation caused by German bombs.

In one picture, a London bus has been completely gutted, while the road has been ripped apart. Two police officers can be seen walking carefully through the wreckage.

The historic images are the work of Welsh electrician Royston Leonard, who has added colour to black and white photos from the time.

Children sit in front of the wreckage caused by a German air raid / Royston Leonard/mediadrumworld.com

The 55-year-old electrician from Cardiff told the Daily Mail: It's a time when we all pulled together and I think it's important to show the work of men and women which can so easily be forgotten in time.

A particularly poignant photo shows a young girl cradling her doll as she sits surrounded by the rubble left behind after a German air raid. Another shows a girl huddled up in a typical 'Anderson' shelter.

In one photo, men can be seen surveying the damage to a private library in Kensington following a bombing.

Around 32,000 civilians died during the Blitz, which was a German bombing campaign against Britain during the Second World War. The attacks also injured 87,000 people, and destroyed 2 million homes.

The Blitz lasted from September 7, 1940 to May 11, 1941.
A n alleged terrorist arrested near Downing Street has denied plotting a knife attack in the capital.

Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, from Edmonton, north London, was detained by police in Whitehall, where he was allegedly found with three blades.

The 27-year-old, who is not represented by a lawyer, appeared before Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC, via video link from Belmarsh prison on Tuesday.

Wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a maroon T-shirt and a white hat, Ali spoke to confirm his name.

He then pleaded not guilty to a charge of preparation of a terrorist act on or before April 27.

The charge states the alleged offence involved "purchasing knives and travelling to London".

Ali also denied two charges of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life, cause serious injury, or damage property outside the UK.

Both charges relate to activity in Afghanistan in 2012.

Ali, who faces a three-week trial at the Old Bailey starting on November 6, was remanded in custody.

He will appear before the same court for a pre-trial hearing on October 13.
B ONJOUR, Jean-Pierre Jouyet. The new French Ambassador, pictured, pulled up his chair at his Knightsbridge desk earlier this month, replacing the much-loved Sylvie Bermann, and The Londoner was keen to hear the goss.

He is an interesting character, our French Deep Throat told us (lets call our source Emmanuelle). He is a true example of the French political establishment. Hes a top civil servant. He was minister for Europe under Nicolas Sarkozy and chief of staff at the Elysee under Francois Hollande. He knows everyone there is to know in France and Europe, so hes a real heavyweight.

Certainly not underqualified then, but there is also a faint whiff of intrigue about the appointment. Sylvie Bermann was an outstanding ambassador. She had two years left to run on her posting and had asked to stay because of Brexit, Emman-uelle told us. French diplomatic postings are usually for three years, which she had served.Jouyet is keen. He has always been a mentor to Emmanuel Macron, and said hed like to have London. Not for any Anglophile sympathies, but because his wife (the champagne heiress Brigitte Taittinger) is a big socialite.

Apparently the first Bermann heard about it was when she read it in Le Monde. She didnt seem overly excited at the prospect of a Moscow winter when The Londoner wished her farewell in August. A spokesperson at the French Embassy said: His vast experience in European affairs makes him an obvious choice to represent France in the context of Brexit.

So should Londoners be en garde? Our secret source says: The only thing the British might not like is that he is very continental. He touches people, he kisses people in a Mediterranean way. Some Brits on the diplomatic scene might not enjoy that.

--

AT A gathering at the Labour Party conference MP Clive Lewis agreed with an audience member when they suggested the public choose the BBC director-general rather than the trustees. An elected director-general is accountable to some degree. Lewis said. Political book of the year winner Rob Ford wondered in response: What could possibly go wrong? Say, early front D-G runners Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Clarkson?

Baby bouncer: tot denied #Lab17 entry

ITS good to see Labour treating all humans as equal. At yesterdays conference a woman tried to introduce the next generation to the party  only to be told she hadnt filled in all the paperwork. Ive just seen a mum with a baby in a pram be refused entry to #lab17 because the baby didnt have a conference pass, notes BuzzFeeds Jamie Ross. Considering the fee to go to the conference, held in Brighton this year, is about 30 a pop, this seemed steep for a little one whose only opinions so far are gurgles. The baby was eventually given an under-14 pass.

Hats off to the FTs Henry Mance, who explained Labours door policy on Twitter: No gate-crechers.

Quote of the day

A man with class: Joe Lockhart (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) / AFP/Getty Images

Everyone should know, including the President, that this is what real locker room talk is

NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart says his players private conversations are a cut above Donald Trumps

The claws are out for some crabby Swedes

Swedish dinner parties are so full of life: Director Jonas Akerlund, Actress Alicia Vikander and Dancer Eric Underwood get ready to chow down (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for CDLP)

SWEDISH underwear parties dont get better than this. Gun-toting Tomb Raider star Alicia Vikander showed she is equally adept with a mallet as she crushed crustaceans at designer smalls brand CDLPs first birthday crayfish dinner. Besides underpants, the event was a celebration of all things Swedish as guests washed down seafood with shots of schnapps. Vikander was joined at Marks Club by ballet dancer Eric Underwood and fellow Swede, model Caroline Winberg  but there was no sign of her boyfriend Michael Fassbender. He obviously didnt get the Malmo.

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THE revamp of Vogue continues. Yesterday it was announced that Vanessa Kingori has become the new publishing director of the British edition. Welcome to the team, editor Edward Enninful posted on Instagram this morning. Good work from Vogue, which had been accused of being too pale and stale after their editorial staff photo went viral. Kingori has been a rising star for a while. She was the youngest ever publisher of British GQ and also the first black person in the role.

Howard shuns Tory parties

CONSERVATIVE parties are not what they used to be, according to former party leader Michael Howard, pictured. He is shunning the Tory party conference this year as I havent been to it for years, he told The Londoner at Simon Jenkinss Britains Best 100 Railway Stations book launch, held at the London Transport Museum last night. Im out of it now  Ive done my time. An interesting choice of words from Lord Howard, whose mantra was once prison works.

I do support the party in other ways, he said. Lord Howard laments that the after-parties at conference are not as good as when he reigned supreme. There used to be great parties but Im told they arent what they used to be. They used to be very good in my day  the Alexander Hesketh champagne party was the best: people guarded their ticket and quite a few people gatecrashed, but then he defected to Ukip.

Lord Howard will occupy his time away from conference by going on safari to Kenya  lets hope he avoids the big beasts.

Tweet of the Day:

Stat of the conference for me  85 per cent of all high court judges EVER come from only six schools. Labour candidate

Labour candidate for Maidstone and the Weald, Allen Simpson, notes a certain disparity.

Oktoberfest kit of the day: The Times reports that the late Duke of Windsors lederhosen are up for auction. The lucky buyer will be able to get royally leathered.

Ambers a cut above

Ambers a cut above Austin-born actress Amber Heard gets busy posing with her chainsaw on a video on Instagram today. The actress is currently in Australia filming actionpacked movie Aquaman, where she plays a fiery sea queen Mera.

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S adiq Khan today pledged to stand up for London if the Labour leadership ever tried to hammer the capitals businesses and taxpayers.

The Mayor said he absolutely would tackle John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn if they pressed ahead with policies that disproportionately targeted the capital.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Standard at the Labour party conference, Mr Khan insisted he was willing to say boo to a goose to the Labour leadership over taxes.

Sometimes its behind closed doors, some of it is in the open, he said.

There are always going to be occasions where I, as Mayor of London, work closely with a Tory government and sometimes disagree with the national Labour Party. Thats part and parcel of devolved administrations.

Mr Khan set out his concerns over Labours plan for a financial transaction tax which would hit London businesses.

If youre a business and theres a tax in London that doesnt apply in Paris or Berlin or Madrid or New York why would you come to London? he asked. In the context of Brexit its even more important we have a tax regime that recognises the importance of attracting businesses to London.

He claimed the shadow chancellor now gets it on business, but added: I appreciate that not all businesses will like Johns policies. There are some which may not be the flavour of the month.

Mr Khan was also worried over the prospect of higher personal taxes under a future Labour government. I am concerned about a lack of recognition by national politicians, of all parties, including the Labour party, he said.

Theyre not understanding the cost of living in London, not understanding that the wage  isnt high because of housing, transport, childcare.

National politicians have to recognise that the consequences of policies in London are acute when it comes to cost of living. We have to stand up for London.

The Mayor admitted the capital could lose out to the rest of the country as the political focus  and with it investment  shifted towards the north of England.

Mr McDonnell yesterday criticised disparities between public spending in different parts of the country and promised Labour would redress the balance.

But Mr Khan said: I dont think its us versus them. That idea is not constructive. Theres plenty for all of us.

I want all parts of the country to have decent infrastructure. He also pledged to push Londons best interests on the partys Brexit policy, including staying in the single market and London getting the lions share of skilled immigrant workers.

Mr Khan criticised Labour figures  amongst them Unite chief Len McCluskey  for claiming Labour had won the election because of the Corbyn surge.

We clearly didnt win the general election. Theresa May is Prime Minister and when she is finally removed it will be another Tory from the Cabinet who will be PM. We lost the general election.

He suggested Mr Corbyn could do better if given more time. With a bit of work, with it being a level playing field, we can win, he said.

THE Mayors support for the Labour leader marks a shift in tone from last year when he called on the party to ditch Mr Corbyn before it was too late, saying he had been a disastrous leader.

He suggested that Labours election surge  taking seats such as Kensington from the Tories  was responsible for his softened stance.

However, he warned the leadership that it would not win unless it can win over Tory switchers as well as younger voters: Youve got to appeal to the floating voter. Mr Khan, Labours most powerful politician in office, claimed that he was a team player and had no aspirations to become next leader of the party. He revealed that he and Mr Corbyn, who he met for face-to-face talks on Saturday, texted regularly, showing the Standard a message from the party leader which said dark suits and white shirts attached to a picture of the two men standing together smiling.

But in a thinly veiled warning to the leadership not to interfere in his City Hall empire, he said: Successful mayors around the world act independently from their party. Jeremy allows us to get on with it and thats as it should be. Otherwise people would object to the command and control from the centre.

Mr Khan said he would turn down the offer of a Cabinet job if Labour won the 2022 general election. No, I think being a mayor is a full-time job and I would rather be a full-time mayor, he said, adding that many of his policies would take some years to bear fruit in London.

But he refused to rule out returning to Parliament at some point after that. Mr Khan said he was dismayed over reports that BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg needed security to attend Labour conference.

There is no excuse or justification for anybody to be abused let alone to be, or to feel, physically threatened.

As a politician I may not always like what journalists say or write but I respect to the utmost their right to do so, he said.

The Mayor added that it was beyond the pale that the broadcaster received so much abuse on social media and suggested it was because she was a woman.

You compare and contrast the experience of male journalists, equally critical of the Labour Party and the leadership and they dont get anywhere near the level of crap that she gets, he said. @PippaCrerar
J eremy Corbyn faced rising pressure today to launch an investigation into alleged anti-Semitic outbursts at a fringe meeting at Labours annual rally.

Senior MPs called for perpetrators of anti-Jewish comments to be expelled from the party.

They intervened after speakers at a meeting in Brighton last night reportedly called for the Jewish Labour Movement and Labour Friends of Israel to be kicked out of the party and said Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.

One speaker at the event is alleged to have told the audience that Zionists should not be treated any differently to the Nazis or white South Africans during apartheid in terms of giving them speech time to lay out their views.It was also reportedly suggested at the meeting, which was not organised by Labour, that the party should be free to discuss whether the Holocaust happened.

Labours deputy leader Tom Watson swiftly condemned the alleged comments. If there was Holocaust denial, these people have no right to be in Labour and should be expelled, he said. When you get these allegations they have to be investigated.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth added: Party members who make anti-Semitic remarks, who make some of these disgusting Holocaust denial statements, they shouldnt be in the party, they should be expelled.

At a separate event yesterday, organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust, Labours parliamentary party chairman John Cryer told of his concerns of a seeping poison and of his shock at some of the anti-Semitic tweets by party members that come before its disciplinary panel.

He added: I have seen some of the tweets from paid-up Labour Party members and I am not kidding you, it makes your hair stand up, he said. This stuff is redolent of the Thirties.

Labour sources stressed the party was not responsible for the content of fringe events staged by groups that had no affiliation to the party.

A party spokesman added: Labour condemns anti-Semitism in the strongest possible terms and our National Executive Committee unanimously passed tough new rule changes last week. All groupings in the party should treat one another with respect. We will not tolerate anti-Semitism or Holocaust denial.

However, Ilford North MP Wes Streeting piled pressure on Mr Corbyn to take tougher action on the issue, saying: There are too many people in the party, including at the top, who have adopted an ostrich strategy, saying, This is not a problem, this is not an anti-Semitism issue.

The row erupted before a proposed rule change, backed by Mr Corbyn, to make it easier for Labour to take disciplinary action for anti-Semitic comments was due to be debated. Activists believe the passing of the motion is key to wrestling back seats in Londons so-called bagel belt of Chipping Barnet, Finchley, Golders Green and Hendon from Tory control.

The conference was also debating a series of rule changes that would give Mr Corbyn and his Left-wing allies a stronger grip on the party, including making it easier for them to put up a candidate in leadership elections.

Meanwhile, MP for Liverpool Wavertree, Luciana Berger, made a fresh call to expel Ken Livingstone from the party for his remarks suggesting Adolf Hitler supported Zionism.
T he EU has given a lukewarm reaction to the Governments divide and conquer charm offensive as a fourth round of Brexit talks got under way.

Foreign secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit secretary David Davis and trade secretary Liam Fox are meeting various EU ministers, leaders and officials this week to bolster support for the UKs negotiating position following the prime ministers Florence speech.

Theresa May met Irish premier Leo Varadkar in London yesterday and was today hosting European Council president Donald Tusk  the former Polish leader who now chairs the EUs quarterly summits  for lunch.

But one EU diplomat called it a divide and conquer approach, which another said is unlikely to work.

The EU is insisting the UK come up with concrete offers, particularly on money and the Irish border.

Lead negotiator Michel Barnier said yesterday that there was a need for a moment of clarity and a restoration of trust between the two sides.

He also said that talk of a transition deal was premature and that the EU has to decide whether this period of transition is in its interest.

The EU wants to nail down a deal on money, citizens and Ireland first, with Mr Barnier warning the government not to mix up past debts with down payments for single market access under a new trade deal.

But Mr Davis asked the EU side for flexibility and said there were no excuses for standing in the way of progress.

The British are trying, said one EU source. Thats all very well  there are just no solid proposals.

There are fears the UK is using this weeks meetings to hold parallel Brexit negotiations, with one senior EU source insisting that there is resounding support for Mr Barnier to be the sole point of contact.

EU leaders, including Mrs May, will meet in the Estonian capital Tallinn this Thursday for an informal dinner, which Mr Tusk wants to focus on the economy, migration, foreign affairs and the EUs future budget.

The foreign secretary is on the second day of a two-day visit to Prague, Bucharest and Bratislava, where he is meeting the Czech and Romanian foreign ministers, and the Slovak prime minister and deputy foreign minister.

These visits provide me with an opportunity to re-iterate directly to our friends that Britain has always  and will always  stand with its allies in defence of our shared values, security, and our prosperity, Mr Johnson said yesterday.

Trade secretary Liam Fox is meeting EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom in Brussels. And Mr Davis is in the Netherlands to meet Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders, after dining with Belgian deputy prime minister Didier Reynders last night. He also met European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt when he was in Brussels yesterday.
A former client manager for a private bank in Knightsbridge claims she was hit with her own employment contract during a campaign to force her out of the company, a tribunal heard.

Maribel Montero, 40, alleges she was belittled by Jerome Stern, chief executive of J Stern & Co, excluded from key meetings, and stripped of credit for multi-million pound investment deals.

She claims Mr Stern, the latest member of a 200-year-old banking dynasty, subjected her to ridicule and branded her efforts to introduce new clients useless.

Ms Montero is suing J Stern & Co for constructive unfair dismissal and victimisation, alleging she was subjected to a witch hunt over an expenses claim.

The firm has rejected the allegations, which it has told the hearing are false and made in bad faith.

Central London Employment Tribunal has heard Ms Monteros claim that managing partner Tom Price was one part of the campaign against her, including hitting her on the shoulder with a new employment contract as he tried to pressure her into signing it.

I was struck on each syllable of when are you going to sign this?, said in a threatening way, she said in her witness statement to the tribunal.

Ms Montero said Mr Stern watched the incident and then added: You know what will happen if you do not sign it. She was recruited to J Stern & Co in 2014 as a relationship manager on a basic 75,000-a-year salary, and would earn 25 per cent of any profits attributed to her efforts bringing in new clients.

However, Ms Montero claims colleagues at the firm dismissed her introductions as a waste of time before contacting the clients themselves and classifying them as re-introductions, to try to strip her of credit for any eventual investment.

Ms Montero submitted a grievance in February 2016, claiming she was the victim of discrimination.

She told the tribunal: I was ostracised and isolated from the moment I put in my grievance.

She said the final straw came in March last year, after a period off sick with stress, when she was accused of wrongly claiming a 294 dinner expense.

Claire Darwin, representing the firm, dismissed the allegations against the company. She told the tribunal: Theres documentary evidence that she was looking for a new job long before many of these incidents happened.

The tribunal continues.
B ritish Airways has started an investigation after a video emerged showing a woman wearing the company's uniform making racist comments about Nigerian passengers.

A clip emerged of the woman, who was dressed in BA uniform, partly captioned "I can't cope with this flight", in which she swears, adding "all Nigerians are going to be asking for f****** upgrades".

During the minute-long video, the unidentified woman suggests male passengers on the flight to Nigeria would need more leg room owing to the size of their genitals.

The airline said: "We expect the utmost professionalism from our staff when they are representing British Airways. We are investigating this video."

In the video, the woman said: "All right, so all of yous are there getting ready for your Friday night, getting in the pre-drinks, you know, as you do.

"And I'm here, getting ready to go to work, put on a yellow life jacket, point out the exits, hand out chicken or beef, what sort of Friday night is this for me?

"The upside is I'm going to Nigeria and there's gonna be bare BBC," in an apparent reference to male genitals, before adding: "I'm joking, I'm joking."

She then goes on to say: "All the Nigerians are gonna be there like 'gimme Coca Cola, gimme me beef, why you have no beef left? I want beef.

"And I'm just gonna be there like, 'Sorry sir, we ran out of beef'.

"All the Nigerians are gonna be there asking for f****** upgrades because they haven't got enough leg room because their BBCs are in their way," accompanied by suggestive gestures.

It is not clear when the video - filmed through mobile app Snapchat - was made or where it was published.
A British woman thought to have died after being mauled by dogs in Greece may have been attacked by wolves, a coroner has said.

The woman, named locally as Celia Hollingworth, of Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, was reported missing on Thursday.

The 62-year-old disappeared while walking back to her accommodation in Maroneia, in the northern part of the country, following a visit to a nearby archaeological site.

Coroner Nikolaos Kifinidis told The Times that the condition of remains found on Saturday suggested she was not attacked by stray dogs.

"It seems like she may have been attacked by other wild animals, like rabid wolves and jackals," he said.

According to animal welfare campaigners, there are an estimated one million stray dogs in Greece, but wolves are common to the wooded region.

Reports suggest that Ms Hollingworth tried to contact her relatives in London after being attacked but lost signal on her phone.

Several campaign groups in the UK paid tribute to the retiree, who was described as "dedicated" and "always optimistic".

Ms Hollingworth reportedly worked as an administrator at the University of Bristol and latterly dedicated her time to raising money for causes including Syrian refugees.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: "We are working closely with officers in Greece regarding the formal identification of the deceased.

"We are also working with colleagues from the Foreign Office and supporting her next of kin at this difficult time."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are in contact with Greek police in relation to a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.

"We are also providing consular assistance to her family."
A man with no legs has been pictured giving a helping hand to those still searching for the victims of two earthquakes that have devastated Mexico.

Twenty-two-year-old Victor Serrano arrived to offer assistance with search and rescue work in Mexico City on Monday after a second quake shook the southern state of Oaxaca.

Images emerged on social media of the young volunteer wearing a hard hat, fluorescent safety jacket and white gloves as he rested on his torso preparing for the rescue relief.

His kindness and bravery have been met with praise and Twitter users have called on officials to award him with a prosthetic leg.

The powerful 6.2 magnitude quake hit Mexico City just days after devastating tremors killed more than 200 people.

Emergency workers continue to evacuate sites already destroyed by Tuesdays disaster, while rescuers with dogs are hunting for people trapped in rubble.

Twenty children were killed when a school collapsed in the Mexican capital during the first quake.
F ears that the rhetoric between the United States and North Korea could explode into conflict grew today as it was reported that Pyongyang has been bolstering its defences in preparation for war.

Tensions escalated after North Korea claimed that Donald Trumps remark that the regimes leadership wont be around much longer amounted to a declaration of war. The US last night dismissed the claim as absurd. But hours later South Koreas Yonhap news agency alleged that the Pyongyang government was moving aircraft to its east coast.

The unverified report emerged after North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho warned of the possibility that US bombers could be shot down even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country. The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country, he told reporters in New York, where he had been attending the annual United Nations General Assembly. The question of who wont be around much longer will be answered then.

The war of words has been growing since North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3. The antagonism reached a new level in recent days with leaders on both sides exchanging threats and insults. US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, escorted by fighter jets, then flew east of North Korea in a show of force.

North Korea is one of the countries on Trump's new travel 'ban' list / AP

The US and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended in a truce and not a peace treaty.

Mr Trumps threat last week to totally destroy North Korea, a country of 26 million people, if it threatened the US or its allies led to an unprecedented direct statement by dictator Kim Jong-un in which he called Mr Trump a mentally deranged US dotard. China, North Koreas sole major ally and largest trading partner, has called for calm and dialogue, while world leaders such as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the only solution was a political one.

Kim Jong Un - In pictures 1 /52 Kim Jong Un - In pictures REUTERS North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the defence detachment on Jangjae Islet and the Hero Defence Detachment on Mu Islet located in the southernmost part of the waters off the southwest fron Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong UN has been pressuring US President Donald Trump for new concessions in a bid to salvage stalled nuclear talks AP North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (front L) and former NBA star Dennis Rodman speaking at a basketball game in Pyongyang, North Korea KCNA/AFP/Getty Images North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands over the military demarcation line upon meeting for the Inter-Korean Summit on April 27, 2018 in Panmunjom, South Korea Korea Summit Press Pool/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) looks through a periscope of a submarine during his inspection of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Naval Unit 167 Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the 3rd Meeting of Activists of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in the Movement for Winning the Title of O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment KCNA/Reuters Pegagus creates unveils his new street art of North Korean leader Kim Jong @pegasusart North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watching the ground jet test of a Korean-style high-thrust engine newly developed by the Academy of the National Defence Science KCNA/Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to Pyongyang Orphans' Primary School Reuters Schoolchildren stand beside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he arrives to attend "We Are the Happiest in the World", a performance of schoolchildren to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the Korean Children's Union (KCU) KCNA/Reuters A balloon thrown by a North Korean defector containing a colored liquid bursts on a portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a rally protesting North Korea Ahn Young-joon/AP North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sits in an airplane as he guides a flight drill for the inspection of airmen of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Air and Anti-Air Force KCNA/Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiles during a visit to the Chonji Lubricant Factory Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sits on a ski lift during a visit to a newly built ski resort in the Masik Pass region Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un meeting with children at a baby home and orphanage as he visits the Taesongsan General Hospital in Pyongyang AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting a flight drill of pursuit airwomen of the KPA Air and Anti-Air Force at an undisclosed location in North Korea AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) surrounded by fighter pilots during a visit to Unit 447 of the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force in Pyongyang, North Korea EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to the Jangchon Vegetable Co-op Farm in Sadong District, Pyongyang City Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provides field guidance to the newly built Pyongyang Corn Processing Factory Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks at a rocket warhead tip after a simulated test of atmospheric re-entry of a ballistic missile at an unidentified location Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives guidance during his visit to Samjiyon County Reuters Kim Jong Un visits Samjiyon County Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a sub-unit under KPA Unit 233 Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (L) visiting a pig farm at Taechon Air Base of the Korean People's Arm AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-Un inspecting the newly-built Pyongyang bag factory AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting tree nursery No. 122 of the Korean People's Army AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to Farm No. 1116 under the Korean People's Army (KPA) Unit 810 Reuters Kim Jong-un visiting the November 2 Factory of the North Korean People's Army at an undisclosed location in North Korea EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong-un surrounded by soldiers of a women's artillery unit in North Korea's southeastern province of Kangwon EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and his wife Ri Sol-Ju attend the opening ceremony of the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground on Rungna Islet along the Taedong River in Pyongyang Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong-un learning to fly an airplane at the North Korean Air Force unit 447 EPA Leader Kim Jong-un aboard submarine No.748 during an inspection of one of his nations naval units AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting the Ryugyong Kimchi Factory, a model and icon of the nation's kimchi factories in Pyongyang AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) aboard a newly manufactured subway train at Kaeson Station in Pyongyang, North Korea EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un riding a horse as he inspects the training ground of a horse riding company under the Korean People's Army (KPA) Unit 534 at undisclosed place in North Korea AFP/Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, with his wife Ri Sol Ju, right, riding on white horse during his visit to Mount Paektu, North Korea AP Kim Jong Un waving before boarding his train at Vietnam's Dong Dang railway station in 2019 Vietnam News Agency/AFP via Getty Images Kim Jong-un AP

Chinas UN ambassador Liu Jieyi said Beijing wanted the situation to calm down. Its getting too dangerous and its in nobodys interest, he added.

South Korea, which would be on the front line of any conflict, has also been desperately calling for calm on both sides. It is very likely that North Korea will conduct further provocations, warned foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha last night. It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation ... in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control.

White House national security adviser HR McMaster acknowledged the risks of escalation with any US military option. We dont think theres an easy military solution to this problem, said Mr McMaster. Theres not a precision strike that solves the problem. Theres not a military blockade that can solve the problem.
N orth Korea has released a propaganda video depicting attacks on a United States aircrafts and warships.

The bizarre clip was released by the DPRK Today news as the communist country ramps up its threat against the US.

It shows a series of missiles being fired at American targets, including a F-35 Raptor fighter and the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which are destroyed by computer-generated explosions.

It also shows a still of Donald Trump addressing his troops alongside the words: Madman Trump in the 70th anniversary of the US Air Force babbled that if there will be an attack on the north the F-35 will lead the way.

The North Korean propoganda video was released on Sunday

Military analysts say North Korea doesnt have the capability or intent to attack US bombers and fighter jets but that message isnt relayed in the video, which appears to be the country's way of showing that they have a wide range of options against the US.

It comes amid rising tension between the two nations after North Korea claimed that Donald Trumps tweet stating that Kim Jong Un wont be around much longer was a declaration of war.

A number of US targets are shown being blown up by computer generated explosions

The White House was forced to issue a bizarre statement on Monday denying North Korea's claim.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the US had not "declared war" on Pyongyang.

Donald Trump is described as a "madman" in the video

The Trump administration also clarified that it was not seeking to overthrow North Korea's government after President Trump tweeted that its leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer".
T hree Israelis were shot dead today after a Palestinian gunman opened fire at the entrance to a West Bank settlement.

A fourth was critically wounded in one of the deadliest attacks in a two-year spate of violence in the country.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker was a 37-year-old Palestinian who approached the back gate entrance of the Har Adar settlement, hiding among fellow Palestinian day labourers who were being checked by security forces.

She said he aroused their suspicions and was asked to stop, when he pulled out a weapon and began firing. The attacker was shot dead by other forces at the scene.

Three men in their 20s and 30s were killed and a fourth was taken to hospital in a critical condition. The dead men were reported to be two security guards and a border police officer.

Har Adar is a community west of Jerusalem, straddling the line between the West Bank and Israel proper and an unusual target in the wave of violence.

Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and car-ramming attacks.

During that same time, Israeli forces have killed more than 255 Palestinians - Israel says most of them were attackers, others died in clashes with Israeli forces.

Most of the attacks have been stabbings against security forces, primarily in the West Bank.
O ne of Britain's best-loved soap actresses, Liz Dawn, who played Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street for 30 years has died, her family confirmed today.

The former soap star passed away peacefully aged 77 on Monday night.

We are devastated and heartbroken at the passing of our much-loved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great grandmother, the incredible Liz Dawn, they said.

Liz died peacefully last night at home with her loving family around her.

Family affair: Vera and Jack Duckworth with their adopted son Tyrone Dobbs / ITV

She has been the love, light and inspiration in our lives and we are bereft at her passing.

Dawn played Vera for three decades on the Corrie cobbles alongside Bill Tarmey who played her long-suffering husband Jack.

The bickering duo went on to become one of soap's best-loved couples thanks to their funny interactions and fiery arguments over extramarital affairs.

Show bosses paid tribute to Dawn following the news of her death, saying she will forever be a true Coronation Street legend.

Liz Dawn - In pictures 1 /20 Liz Dawn - In pictures Vera (Liz Dawn) and Jack Duckworth (Bill Tarmy) in a 2010 episode of Coronation Street ITV Vera Duckworth (Liz Dawn) with Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) and Emily Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire) in Coronation Street (1984) Liz Dawn of Coronation Street fame with her MBE in 2000 Jeremy Selwyn Vera Duckwork (Liz Dawn) with Jack Duckworth (Bill Tarmy) and Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) with Molly Compton (Vicky Binns) in a 2008 episode of Coronation Street ITV Vera Duckwork (Liz Dawn) and Maud Grimes (Elizabeth Bradley )in a 1996 episode of Coronation Street Liz Dawn in 2008 PA Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair with Coronation Street star Ellizabeth Dawn who plays Vera Duckworth at the Granda Studios in Manchester. Blair was in Manchester for the Labour Party 2006 Conference PA Vera (Liz Dawn) and Jack Duckworth (Bill Tarmy) in a 2003 episode of Coronation Street ITV Vera Duckwork (Liz Dawn) in a 1996 episode of Coronation Street Vera (Liz Dawn) and Jack Duckworth (Bill Tarmy) in a 1999 episode of Coronation Street PA Vera Duckwork (Liz Dawn) in Coronation Street (1989) Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn with her honorary degree received from Leeds Metropolitan University PA Jack Duckwoirth (Bill Tarmey) goes down on one knee as he asks Vera (Liz Dawn) to tie the knot again during the filming of a Coronation Street 1997 Video Special in Las Vegas PA Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn with the Lifetime Achievements award at the British Soap Awards 2008 PA Actress Liz Dawn attends a photo call for new waxworks of Coronation Street's Jack and Vera Duckworth unveiled at Madame Tussauds, Blackpool in 2014 Getty Images

The statement read: It is with the greatest sadness that we have learned our beloved Liz Dawn has passed away last night. Her family at Coronation Street are heartbroken.

We extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathy at this very sad time to Lizs devoted husband Don, her loving children Graham, Dawn, Ann and Julie, their families and her six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Bickering: Vera and Jack Duckworth arguing on the Corrie cobbles / ITV

We have been blessed to have Liz in our lives, as she was such a kind, considerate and caring friend and colleague. As Coronation Streets Vera Duckworth for 34 years, Liz brought so much joy and happiness to so many. She was a wonderful actress who will forever be a true Coronation Street legend.

Bouts of ill health forced Dawn to retire from the soap in 2008 when her character died in her sleep. She briefly returned in 2010 when she played her own ghost as Jack bowed out.

Thumbs up: Liz Dawn at Buckingham Palace after receiving her MBE / Jeremy Selwyn

The actress, who was made an MBE in the 2000 Queens Birthday Honours, suffered from emphysema and was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) over a decade ago.

She was named a Celebrity Ambassador for the British Lung Foundation in 2009 to raise awareness of the disease.

In 2013 she had a pacemaker fitted after collapsing on holiday in Spain after a heart attack . At the time she said: I have only made one plan for 2013. To make sure I am alive this time next year.

Earlier this year she was forced to miss her grandson's wedding over ongoing heart concerns.
L aura and Jason Kenny christened newborn son Albert in an intimate family ceremony on their wedding anniversary.

The Team GB Olympic champions marked one year of married life by celebrating the arrival of first son Albert on Sunday.

Kenny (nee Trot), 25, shared a photo of the special moment on her Instagram account, writing: One year on.Happy Anniversary to my wonderful Husband and the best daddy to our little boy.

"Celebrated it with all our friends and family again by getting Albert Louie christened.

The couple announced the arrival of their first child back in August, saying that he had been more than a week overdue.

Welcome to the world little Albert Louie Kenny. 23/08/17 8lb 12.5oz 22.44. You kept us waiting a week but it was all worth it, she wrote on Instagram.

Laura Trott and Jason Kenny tie the knot 1 /12 Laura Trott and Jason Kenny tie the knot Kenny, 28, confirmed they had tied the knot on Saturday with a tweet today which said "Good morning Mrs Kenny." Martin Gardner Kenny, 28, confirmed they had tied the knot on Saturday with a tweet today which said "Good morning Mrs Kenny." Joe Gardner Kenny, 28, confirmed they had tied the knot on Saturday with a tweet today which said "Good morning Mrs Kenny." Martin Gardner Kenny, 28, confirmed they had tied the knot on Saturday with a tweet today which said "Good morning Mrs Kenny." Joe Gardner Kenny, 28, confirmed they had tied the knot on Saturday with a tweet today which said "Good morning Mrs Kenny." Joe Gardner Kenny, 28, confirmed they had tied the knot on Saturday with a tweet today which said "Good morning Mrs Kenny." PA Kenny, 28, confirmed they had tied the knot on Saturday with a tweet today which said "Good morning Mrs Kenny." PA Kenny, 28, confirmed they had tied the knot on Saturday with a tweet today which said "Good morning Mrs Kenny." PA Kenny, 28, confirmed they had tied the knot on Saturday with a tweet today which said "Good morning Mrs Kenny." (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

The Team GB hero, who is Britain's most successful female Olympian, revealed that she was expecting her first child on Valentines Day this year.

She shared the news my posting a photo of a tiny childs bike leaning against their own, captioned simply with a heart.

Laura Trott and Jason Kenny: The golden couple on their Rio domination

Speaking about raising their child earlier this year, she told the Standard: Me and Jason have had the conversation about consoles and phones.

That is what [children] have grown up with now. I never had a PlayStation or anything like that. I had a phone in Year 8  I think but that was it. It is about teaching them to be active from a young age. Hopefully, they will want to do [sport] rather than just sit on the sofa all day.

It is never the childs fault when you see little overweight children. Part of it is they dont know any different.

A bit of me feels so sorry for them as they havent experienced what I experienced as a child. I know how happy and how healthy my childhood was.

Laura and Jason married in a secret ceremony last September, after meeting during the 2012 London Olympics.


R udimentals Amir Amor thinks that international audiences will get their music despite its heavy UK influences as they gear up to crack the US.

The chart-topping British four-piece have just signed a global publishing deal with Kobalt after their new song Sun Comes Up went platinum across the pond.

Its mad because we come from the UK and grew up with UK culture, we started on pirate radio and DJing, so youd think that us going abroad would be a difficult thing for people to wrap their heads around, he told the Standard.

Amor, 31, puts their international success down to the global rise of the UK music scene as well as their soul-inspired sound.

UK star: Amir Amor wants to deliver a positive messgae / Dave Benett

Music in the UK is really starting to become a lot more important in the last few years. America usually dominates but its becoming a lot less dominant now. UK music is coming through, which is nice, he said.

Our music is also heavily influenced by soul, which is something that touches you and that translates anywhere, wherever we are.

The drum and bass band recently performed alongside James Arthur on Jimmy Fallons chat show in the US and are starting to make moves in the country.

We had our first platinum hit record out there so were starting to makes moves, he said. Its not just America, its Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. Were going to Tanzania in a couple of weeks to do a music project there.

Despite their global success, Rudimental still found time to perform in Hackney as part of Amnestys Give a Home series on Wednesday night.

Rudimental perform on plane

Amor said that he is always keen to use his voice and platform to raise awareness of refugees as he was once one himself.

Im an immigrant myself. I went through a period of not having a home and not being able to go to school, not having a fixed address and all those things, he said.

So this comes from my connection with that, I feel directly connected with that kind of thing and I like to spark other peoples interest in that subject.

The musician urged other people in the music industry to use their voices to make a difference in the world.

There are so many negative voices out there right now, even in music, the music that we hear, the message of whats being said just makes me feel a bit sad about the world, he said.

Theres a lot of self-appeasing going on. So its vital for anyone who has any kind of influence over people to try and do something positive or at least not add to the negativity.

We try and do that with our music; we try and do that with our videos and even with our live show. Its very open. Its super important.
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The U.S. Air Force is replacing its elderly EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft with the EC-37B, a smaller aircraft based on the G550 business jet. The EC-130Hs are worn out from extensive use in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thats because the air force discovered that for eavesdropping and jamming a single EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft could dramatically cripple Islamic terrorists below. The problem was the air force only has only 14 EC-130H aircraft in service and they were (and still are) in heavy demand.

EC-130H were introduced in the early 1980s and designed to jam Soviet anti-aircraft defenses. The Cold War ended before the EC-130H had a chance to do what they were designed for but later proved invaluable in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 2002 these 14 aircraft have flown nearly 7,000 sorties and spent over 40,000 hours in the air.

What made the EC-130H so useful was its ability to eavesdrop on cell phone and other radio communications and then selectively jam them. The EC-130H has space on board for linguists, who can listen to the radio traffic below, and decide who to just record (and perhaps immediately report to U.S. troops below), and who to jam. This information can also be shared in real-time with people on the ground. Because Afghanistan has limited land-line phone systems, especially in the countryside, the Taliban, and everyone else, relies on cell phones, walkie-talkies and ham radio type gear to communicate. The EC-130H can detect all of these, and jam or eavesdrop on them selectively. ISIL has similar preferences in communications gear and in the midst of combat they have found, like the Taliban, there is no solution to the problems created by an EC-130H overhead.

Another advantage is that while most Islamic terror organizations know of these aircraft they never know when there are operating nearby unless there is obviously selective jamming going on. This forces the enemy to either use their cell phones and radios sparingly, or use code words (which the U.S. can usually decipher, or just jam) or not use electronic communication at all. The latter choice makes it more difficult to control your forces in a rapidly changing battle.

The U.S. began using EC-130Hs frequently over Afghanistan in 2006. There they flew 300-400 sorties a year, each 6-8 hours long and they were considered a valuable tool by ground commanders. But only the most crucial ground operations got EC-130H support. The use of these aircraft has increased greatly but gradually as tactics and techniques for their most efficient use were developed. The U.S. Army also has some two engine electronic eavesdropping aircraft. But these are not as well equipped as the air force EC-130Hs. Nevertheless the army sent as many or these twin-engine aircraft as possible to Afghanistan and Iraq and was constantly seeking to buy more.

The need for something like the EC-37B became acute as the air force proposed to retire half the EC-130H fleet in order to provide more money for F-35s and the new heavy bomber. The elderly 69 ton EC-130H aircraft are expensive to operate and mainly support ground combat operations while air force leaders prefer jet fighters and heavy bombers.

The air force agreed to another solution and move electronic warfare equipment currently on EC-130Hs to a long range business jet, something which has become increasingly common worldwide. The 40 ton Gulfstream G550 is being used rather than the four engine turbo prop C-130. This is part of trend that has proved that the twin-engine business jets are cheaper to buy and operate and get the job done as well as older aircraft based on larger transport aircrafts. This use of business jets became particularly attractive once the G550 was introduced in 2004.

The G550 became particularly popular for this sort of thing after Israel showed it could be successfully used as an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft. This occurred in 2008 when Israel introduced a new AWACS design based on the G550 fitted out with Israeli made radar and electronics. The Israeli Air Force ordered these CAEW (Conformal Airborne Early Warning) AWACs in 2006 and the first two entered service in 2008. Israel had already sold the AWACS electronics to India, for installation in four Russian Il-50/76 aircraft but realized the CAEW gear could work on a smaller aircraft. Singapore, Italy, Australia and the U.S. Navy later bought CAEWs fitted to G550s.

The CAEW AWACS carries a Phalcon conformal (it is built into the lower fuselage) phased array radar, SIGINT equipment (to capture and analyze enemy electronic transmissions), and a communications system that can handle satellite signals as well as a wide array of other transmissions. There are six personnel on board to handle all this gear, plus the flight crew. The Gulfstream G550 used for this can stay in the air for over ten hours per sortie and can fly at up to 13,200 meters (41,000 feet).

The G550 based EC-37B uses the same CAEW technology to transfer the electronics now used in an EC-130H into the G55o. The air force will do one of these conversions a year until at least half the Compass Call aircraft are G550s rather than C-130s. Other nations have used the same basic idea of attaching the various sensors an airborne electronic intelligence aircraft needs to the fuselage of the G550 and then put most of the electronics, plus the equipment operators, inside the aircraft. By the time the G550 appeared electronics, both sensors, computers and displays, had gotten lighter, cheaper, more reliable and more powerful. A smaller aircraft was the way to go.

The G550 is a larger version of the Gulfstream G400, which the U.S. Army uses as the C-20H transport. The U.S. Coast Guard, Air Force, and Navy also use militarized Gulfstreams (usually as C-37Vs). The 30 meter (96 foot) long aircraft has two engines and was built for long flights (over 11,000 kilometers). Current Gulfstream G550s cost about $40 million each.
Since the late 1990s China has been introducing new weapons for its infantry and putting more of these troops in armored vehicles, often wheeled ones like the American Stryker. While these vehicles have a turret with (most often) a 30mm autocannon, 7.62mm machine-gun and one or two ATGMs (Anti-tank guided missiles) most of the manpower in these vehicles consists of seven infantry who can quickly exit the vehicle and fight on foot. The Chinese mechanized infantry squad has a distinctive mix of weapons. Five of these seven troops are armed with a unique Chinese QBZ-95G assault rifles (also called the Type 95), although one usually has the heavy barrel QBB-95 squad automatic weapon version that normally uses the 75 round drum magazine. Four of the troops have a QSZ92 5.8mm pistol as their personal weapon. Two of these troops are the vehicle driver and turret gunner while the other two usually operate the new PF98A 120mm rocket launcher (recoilless rifle).

Some of these weapons are uniquely Chinese. For example the QSZ92 pistol entered service in the mid-1990s and became popular because it was light (780 g/27.4 ounces), compact (190mm/7.5 inches long) and had a magazine with twenty 5.821mm rounds. The 5.8mm steel-core bullet used can penetrate 1.3mm of metal or 50mm (two inches) of wood at up to 100 meters. While only accurate up to 50 meters this standard 5.821mm armor piercing round is good at penetrating unarmored vehicle bodies and doors or cubicle walls encountered inside a building. Against people the 5.821mm round seems to produce the same degree of damage as the more common 9mm pistol round. Export versions are available that use the 9x19mm parabellum round but magazine capacity is only 15 rounds. Chinese troops prefer the 5.8mm model.

The PF98A 120mm rocket launcher is similar to the lighter 85mm Carl Gustav recoilless rifle that has been popular in Western armies for decades. The PF98A is a ten kg (22 pound) weapon that can be fired from the shoulder or on a lightweight tripod. It has two types of electronic sights. The heavier sight has night vision (out to 500 meters), a laser rangefinder and automates the aiming process of aiming and firing on a target. The lighter version has night vision only good out to 300mm, no laser rangefinder and uses a microprocessor and light spot in the sight to guide the gunner in aiming.

The PF98A uses two types of projectiles; an armor piercing (up to 800mm) one that is accurate out to 800 meters and a dual-purpose HE (high-explosive) one with a range of 2,000 meters and a warhead containing 120 steel balls and incendiary material that makes it effective against lightly armored vehicles and infantry. While the PF98A has little combat experience the troops like it, even outside a vehicle when it is used by a two man crew. This weapon showed up in the late 1990s and so far only China and three export customers (Bangladesh, Indonesia and Zimbabwe) have it.

And then there is the assault rifle. In 2010 China introduced an upgraded version of the QBZ-95 called the QBZ-95G. Upgrades solved several reliability and ease-of-use issues. Unlike earlier Russian designed (AK-47 type) weapons, the QBZ-95 requires more maintenance by users, and the new design addressed some complaints from users. Thus there is now a thumb operated safety selector switch and small accessory mounting rails. The trigger guard has also been modified.

The QBZ-95 is bullpup design (the magazine is behind the trigger) that uses Chinas proprietary 5.8x42mm cartridge, which is a little wider than the 5.56 NATO, but shorter in overall length. The QBZ-95G uses a 30-round magazine, similar to the M-16. The Type 95 fires single shots or bursts. China is still in the process of replacing its own Type 81 (improved AK-47) rifles with the new rifle. The Type 95 is about ten percent lighter than the older rifle, and has apparently been well received by the troops. But there were complaints about the different ergonomics of a bullpup weapon, and the maintenance and reliability issues. Testing showed that the new 5.8mm round was less likely to cause serious wounds. This issue has not been addressed with the new QBZ-95G.

The Type 95 was first seen in Hong Kong when China took over in 1997. The Type 95 comes in a variety of styles (a compact version, an automatic rifle, and a sniper rifle). An export version (the Type 97), using the standard 5.56mm NATO round is called the Type 97, and Burma is using it. Some have also been sold to Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan is under growing pressure, even from allies like China, to stop providing support and sanctuary for Islamic terror groups that, in effect, work for Pakistan to regularly carry out attacks on targets Pakistan selects. While China continues to use its veto to protect Pakistan from the growing number of counterterrorist measures directed at Islamic terrorists who operate openly in Pakistan, it recently reminded Pakistan that China is not an ally but a friend making it clear that these favors in the UN come at a price and the price is Pakistan giving up the state-sponsored Islamic terrorism.

One of the more recent embarrassing incidents that prompted this Chinese warning was the revelations about Pakistan, Saudi Islamic terrorism sponsors and radicalized Burmese Rohingya Moslems. One thing China and India can agree on is that Burma has a legitimate problem with its Rohingya Moslem minority, although all concerned wish Burma would have handled this matter without resorting to nationalist violence. Then again India and China have done the same thing, unofficially of course, but with similar results. Thus China is using its UN veto to protect Pakistan from punishment for supporting Islamic terrorism while China is also protecting Burma from UN punishment for tolertating mob violence against Moslems suspected of supporting Islamic terrorism.

India and China also backed the response of Burmese political leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who won international praise for her decades of efforts to get Burmese democracy revived in 2011 (with the removal of a military government). Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticized for not speaking out more forcefully against the treatment of the Burmese Rohingya. But all politics is local and Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese Buddhist who sympathizes with the plight of the Rohingya but recognizes that most Burmese feel less certain about who is at fault here.

But the most embarrassing revelations came after the August 25th Rohingya attacks in northwest Burma. During September it ecome clear that there was a Pakistani, and Saudi, connection with the growing violence in Burma against Moslems, particularly the Rohingya that Burmese associate with Bangladesh. The Pakistan connection is via the ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army), its founder and why much of the cash came from Saudi Arabia. Burma prefers to call groups like ARSA Islamic terrorists but until ARSA and the Saudi cash showed up there had not been much, if any, religious aspect to the armed Rohingya resistance. ARSA is now openly calling for Rohingya worldwide to support a war against Burma for the bad treatment the Rohingya have received since 2012. The ARSA leader; Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi (or just Ata Ullah) has received more attention now that Islamic terror groups like al Qaeda are calling for its members to help ARSA and the Burmese Rohingya any way they can. In Pakistan government-backed Islamic terror groups are now admit that Rohingya Ata Ullah was born in Pakistan (Karachi) in the 1980s but that his the family moved to Saudi Arabia where there was more work and Ata Ullah did well in school, particularly when it came to religious studies. Ata Ullahs father was also a popular Islamic cleric and his son was noticed by Saudi clerics who saw to it that Ata Ullah got a good education in Saudi Arabia. Eventually Ata Ullah became an Islamic cleric and the religious leader for the 150,000 Rohingya living and working in Saudi Arabia. This was largely because Ata Ullah was popular with many wealthy Saudis and their families. Ata Ullah always condemned the poor treatment of Rohingya in Burma and after 2011 called for extreme measures (Islamic terrorism) to enable Burmese Rohingya to defend themselves. While that attracted financial support from wealthy Saudis and charities that supported Islamic terrorism, Ata Ullah says he was treated poorly when he went to Pakistan in 2012 to try and obtain assistance from government supported Islamic terror groups there. Saudis who support Islamic terrorism take it for granted that the best place for someone like Ata Ullah to get started was with Islamic terror groups in Pakistan that have been supported financially by Saudis and politically by the Pakistani military since the 1980s.

What Ata Ullah encountered in Pakistan was a reluctance to get involved with a long-shot Moslem expatriate who had grown up in Saudi Arabia and while pleasant came off as clueless. Ata Ullah apparently also ran into the rampant Pakistani corruption that is particularly active in the military and associated Islamic terror groups. Ata Ullah was deceived and had much of his Saudi cash stolen. After that Ata Ullah then went into hiding and sought to recruit Rohingya wherever he could find them in Burma and Bangladesh who were willing to help build the ARSA. While most Rohingya are in Bangladesh and Burma there is a large overseas community who over half a million in Pakistan and the Persian Gulf (mainly Saudi Arabia) where there are jobs and educational opportunities for able, ambitious and religions Rohingya. Via these expatriates Ata Ullah was able to establish contacts in Burma that were more reliable and less larcenous than those in Pakistan.

Ata Ullah is one of these overseas Rohingya but of the generation born in exile and under the influence of some very conservative Islamic ideas. In Saudi Arabia local religious groups and clerics are encouraged to help these foreign workers become more religiously conservative and eventually return to where they are from to spread the conservative form of Islam (Wahhabism) predominant in Saudi Arabia. Moslem majority nations like Pakistan have learned to be wary of this sort of thing since when transplanted to places like Pakistan Wahhabism tends to create local Islamic terror groups who want to establish a religious dictatorship in Pakistan. That is apparently why Ata Ullah received such a hostile reception when he first returned to Pakistan looking for help in forming an Islamic terror organization in Burma to support the Rohingya there. But now these same Pakistani Islamic terror groups are offering help and Ata Ullah is turning it down, apparently because he figured out that the Pakistani Islamic terrorists now see an opportunity to establish themselves in Bangladesh and Burma and do so at the expense of the Rohingya and their self-proclaimed Rohingya-exile turned leader. If this sounds like Syria, Libya and numerous other revolutions in Islamic nations it is. Islamic conservatives see situations like this as attacks on Islam, not just another ethnic dispute.

Ata Ullah will have a hard time finding a safe hideout in or around Burma. Neighboring Bangladesh is not only very hostile to Islamic terrorist groups but also very effective in dealing with persistent efforts by Islamic terrorists to establish themselves in Bangladesh. There are practical reasons for this assessment. Recently Bangladesh released details on an August 24th assassination against the prime minister (Sheikh Hasina). This effort involved seven members of the special unit assigned to protect senior officials. The government, with the help of Indian intelligence, managed to detect the plot (which apparently involved Pakistani Islamic terrorists) and the seven Bangladeshi troops were arrested before they could carry out their plan (which came very close to succeeding). Now Bangladesh is seeking more information on foreign support or Islamic terrorist activities in Bangladesh. This sort of support has been more noticeable in the last few years, which is why the Bangladeshis were already working with Indian intelligence. This is not the first time Islamic terrorists have tried to kill Sheikh Hasina, who has survived 11 assassination attempts since she took office (as prime minister) in 2009. Bangladesh is not a safe place for anyone connected with Islamic terror groups or defending Islam by any means necessary.

Afghanistan Accuses

Meanwhile Afghanistan and India are more aggressively cooperating against the Pakistan sponsored terrorism sent their way. What is happening in Bangladesh is no surprise to India and Afghanistan and all three nations have created an informal intelligence-sharing network to keep track of what Pakistan-supported Islamic terror groups are up to. This has turned India and Afghanistan into allies, which infuriates the Pakistani military. That means India has to deal with more Pakistani-backed Islamic terrorist and separatist violence in Kashmir. This has been increasing since 2015. In 2016 there were about twenty terrorism related deaths a month in Kashmir and because of increased Pakistani aggression this is it is about 40 percent higher so far in 2017. Because of the increased Kashmir violence popular support in India (the largest democracy on the planet) for pressuring Pakistan (and risking a nuclear war) has increased. The problem with the Pakistani generals is that they place personal safety and security above doing what is best for Pakistan and that makes them very difficult to negotiate with. Elected Pakistani leaders have been struggling with that since the 1950s but at least now everyone (except the generals) are willing to discuss the situation as it is not as the Pakistani generals prefer to portray it.

Afghanistan, more so than India or Bangladesh, has experienced first-hand the problems Pakistan often has with the Islamic terror groups it sponsors. For example since early 2017 a growing number Afghan Taliban leaders (or former leaders) and their families have left sanctuaries in Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan. This isnt a long trip as it usually means goring from Taliban headquarters in Quetta (the capital of Baluchistan province in Pakistan and near the border with Helmand and Kandahar provinces) to safety in Kandahar city. Its a four hour drive (239 kilometers) from Quetta to Kandahar city. These people are related to or were associated with Mullah Omar, one of the Taliban founders and until 2015 the leader of the Afghan Taliban. The problem is that Mullah Omar had died in a Pakistani hospital in 2013 and that was kept secret by the acting head of the Taliban; Mullah Akhtar Mansour. That revelation led many Afghans to wonder if you could trust the Taliban if the Taliban dont trust each other. But Mansour had been Omars chief deputy for many years and knew his way around the organization as well as traditional allies like the Haqqani clan, an even more murderous bunch who eventually took control of the Taliban. Because of that anyone close to Mullah Omar now fears their sanctuary guarantee may be revoked at any time so that Pakistan can turn them over to the Americans as part of some deal that restores American aid or prevents stronger American moves against Pakistan. Despite enjoying Pakistani protection (even from American UAV attacks) since 2002 the Mullah Omar group came to mistrust the Pakistanis and the favorite Afghan Islamic terror group of the Pakistanis; the Haqqani Network.

The Taliban refugees in Kandahar spoke freely of their years in Pakistan and admitted, as have a growing number of retired Pakistani generals and senior government officials, that the army and its intel organization (ISI) have indeed provided sanctuaries for helpful (to the army) Islamic terror groups. The Pakistani military officially denies these accusations and usually blames India, Israel, the United States or all three for inventing and spreading lies. That excuse doesnt have the potency it once possessed and many Pakistanis quietly mock their own military for it. Mocking the generals in public is risky and doing in the media can get you killed, kidnapped (and released after you recant) or disappeared (for those who wont recant).

The Haqqani Network is a group of Islamic terrorists operating in the Pushtun tribal areas along the Afghan border. Founder Jalaluddin Haqqani was a major player during the 1980s battle with the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. He joined the Taliban in 1995, and became a senior official. But after 2001 he gradually grew apart from Taliban leader Mullah Omar. The Haqqani Network has survived by being the most obedient Afghan ally of Pakistan. That means no terror attacks in Pakistan and, when called on, carrying out specific attacks that Pakistani intelligence (ISI) wants carried out in Afghanistan. Jalaluddin Haqqani died in 2o14 and his successor continued to cooperate with the Taliban and maintain subservience to ISI. Because Jalaluddin Haqqani helped Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders escape Afghanistan in 2001 there has always been a sense of mutual dependence. For that reason Haqqani leaders were able to help fix the 2015-16 power struggle within the Taliban and thwart (but not stop) the recruiting efforts of ISIL. Given that Haqqani works for ISI, Pakistan is believed to have played a role the growing Afghan Taliban willingness to negotiate a peace deal with the Afghan government.

With Mullah Akhtar Mansour clearly in power he implemented some policies his predecessor Mullah Omar opposed or was not enthusiastic about. This included no interest at all in peace talks with the Afghan government and active support for al Qaeda. Then, in May 2016, an American UAV missile killed Mullah Akhtar Mansour in southwest Pakistan, an area that has always been off-limits to U.S. UAVs. A Pakistani general called this a violation of Pakistani sovereignty that must stop. It did, while the Haqqani Network quietly took over the leadership of the Afghan Taliban. It is now believed that that Pakistanis tipped off the Americans about where Mansour would be and indicated a UAV missile attack would be protested but go no further and the loss of Mansour might be beneficial to all concerned (except Mansour and his loyalists).

Meanwhile the Pakistan government quietly took care of the embarrassing revelation that Mansour was living in Pakistan when Pakistan always insisted they were not providing sanctuary for the Taliban. Yet when the wreckage of the car Mansour was killed in was found it became public knowledge that Mansour had been carrying one of the new forgery proof Pakistanis Ids that depicted him as someone else. In an effort to placate (by deception) the angry Americans Pakistani police diligently followed the evidence and arrested six government employees who had supplied Mansour (and apparently other Taliban) with authentic new IDs and fake names. But by mid-2017 those six government employees had been bailed out of jail and disappeared as had others who had been close to Mansour in Quetta. All this angered the Americans, who had seen the same sort of behavior in the wake of the 2011 U.S. raid into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. The Pakistani military went to a lot of effort to try and hide their connections with bin Laden but it was an obvious cover up and the Americans (and the rest of the world) is accusing the Pakistani military of that along with the continued support for Islamic terrorists.

September 24, 2017: Saudi Arabia is going to become a major investor in the new Pakistani Gwadar port facilities. Pakistan favors Saudi involvement because it makes Gwadar less Chinese dominated operation and assures the Saudis of better access to Chinese export and delivery of Saudi oil via the pipelines that are part of the Gwadar project. Earlier this year China and Pakistan finally signed the agreement that grants China a 40 year lease on new facilities China is building in the southwestern port of Gwadar. The lease grants China most (over 80 percent) of the revenue brought in by port and free trade zone operations. Gwadar is a key part of the $55 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This project began in 2013 when China agreed to spend $18 billion to build a road from Gwadar into northwest China. This will require drilling long tunnels through the Himalayan Mountains on the border (in Pakistani controlled Kashmir.) The road and a natural gas pipeline are part of the larger CPEC project. This will make it much easier and cheaper to move people, data (via fiber optic cables) and goods between China and Pakistan. India fears Gwadar will serve as a base for Chinese warships. Pakistan has no problem with Chinese warships using Gwadar as it helps keep local troublemakers out. Pakistan has assured China that there would be no terrorist violence against Chinese working on upgrading the port of Gwadar and land links north to China. Pakistan is willing to pay a high price to get CPEC done because it means Pakistan has an ally against Iran and even Western powers that might have some violent disagreement with Pakistan. The Saudis are interested not just because of the economic opportunities but also because over three million Pakistanis work in Saudi Arabia and have been there for some time.

September 23, 2017: In northwest Pakistan (Kyber) a soldier was killed when someone just across the border in Pakistan fired on a newly established border post. Pakistan blamed this on Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan while the Afghans pointed that a lot of Pushtun tribes on the Afghan side of the border object to Pakistan building new border posts.

India has ordered its border police to use forceful measures to stop Burmese Rohingya Moslems trying to enter India. There are already 40,000 Rohingya India is trying to send back to Bangladesh, where nearly half a million Rohingya refugees from Burma have arrived since 2012. Economic prospects for Rohingya are better in India but only the most determined Rohingya, with access to some cash, can move on from Bangladesh to enter India illegally.

September 21, 2017: In northwest Pakistan someone fired 37 mortar shells into Afghanistans Nangarhar province. Two civilians were killed and three wounded.

In Mumbai, India, the first of six Scorpene submarines was turned over to the navy by the Mazgaon shipyard. The Indian effort to build six French designed Scorpene submarines under license has been delayed numerous times. The delivery of the first sub comes after dealing yet another delay in 2015. The previous delay was in late 2014 when India said the first Scorpene would enter service in late 2016. Before that (2012) it was announced that the first Scorpene sub would not be ready until 2015. The 2015 delays (caused by problems procuring components) were fixed on schedule and the first Scorpene was ready by 2017. The problem is mainly poor management by the Indian firms building the Scorpenes. One of the worst examples of this occurred in 2013 with the abrupt departure of ten Spanish technical advisors essential for getting the Scorpenes built. Their contract expired at the end of March 2013 and, despite the expiration date being well known, Indian bureaucrats were unable to get a new contract in place on time. Similar avoidable delays have occurred several times already and the price has gone up with each delay.

September 20, 2017: Senior Pakistani and American officials met in New York and Pakistan continued to blame India for continued Islamic terrorist violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Americans have openly sided with India and Afghanistan on this issue and now Pakistan is being forced to decide. The U.S. threatens to cut off all military aid to Pakistan and treat Pakistan as a hostile nation if Pakistan continues providing sanctuary for Islamic terror groups it controls (and attacking those it does not control). Some Pakistani military leaders want to push back on this but this is another issue where Chinese advice gets in the way.

September 18, 2017: In Pakistan the new prime minister (Shahid Khaqan Abbasi) agreed that three of the four Islamic terrorists who carried out a major attack in Afghanistan during May (that killed 150) came from Pakistan. The Afghans determined that early on but Pakistan denied it until now. Abbasi admitted that the Haqqani Network and Afghan Taliban were still a problem but denied (despite ample evidence going back to 2002) that Pakistan was providing sanctuary for these two groups. Abbasi got his job when his predecessor was removed from the job by a Supreme Court decision that confirmed the previous prime minister was involved in corrupt practices. The military denies that they had anything to do with that court decision but few Pakistanis (or anyone outside the country) believe that. Meanwhile the military is pressuring the courts to allow Pakistani Islamic terrorists (as recognized internationally but not in Pakistan) to run for seats in parliament and, in effect, obtain another layer of protection from extradition and prosecution for their past (and often ongoing) terrorist activities.

September 15, 2017: In northwest Pakistan (Kurram) an American UAV used missiles against a compound where Islamic terrorists are known to use. Three men were killed and two wounded but their identities were not revealed. This was the second such attack this year. The previous one, in May, destroyed a building used by the Haqqani Network and killed two senior Haqqani commanders. The Pakistani military told the U.S. this was an illegal attack (the Americans did not have Pakistani permission) but cannot do much more. The Pakistanis criticized the U.S. for not sharing intel with them about Haqqani activity in the tribal territories of northwest Pakistan. The U.S. does not share intel with the Pakistanis because that intel will often be passed on to Haqqani. Since June the U.S. announced that it would increase these attacks inside Pakistan and respond accordingly if Pakistan tried to defend Islamic terrorists from these airstrikes. Pakistan has threatened to halt American military supplies from moving through Pakistan to landlocked Afghanistan and the U.S. said it would deal with that, without going into much detail (aside from a complete cut off of military aid and cooperation).

August 29, 2017: The Indian Navy took delivery of the first customized (for India) Israeli Barak 8 SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems. This is the LRSAM, a modified naval version of Barak 8 that was jointly developed by India and Israel. Although this project has been in the works since 2006 it encountered problems, mainly on the Indian side, that held up completing the work, and getting the missile into production.

In Pakistan, two years after the order was placed, Russia delivered four Mi-35M helicopter gunships. This is the export version of the most recent upgrade of the Mi-24. Back in late 2014 Russia offered to sell Pakistan up to twenty Mi-35s. The Pakistani army has been calling for all the helicopter gunships it can get, as these aircraft have proved a key weapon in the battles against Islamic terrorists in the tribal territories. The government, however was short of cash in 2015. The Russians are not known for offering generous credit terms like they did in the Cold War, but deals can be made if the long term benefit is attractive enough. The Russian offer to sell Pakistan weapons came as a surprise. Thats because India has long been the largest export customer for Russian weapons. But India is becoming disillusioned with Russia as a weapons supplier. Late deliveries, quality problems and inadequate support are all complaints that India finds Russia has no solutions for. So Russia apparently feels free to sell to Indias archenemy Pakistan. After all, Russia has long been the major weapons supplier to the other Indian archenemy; China.

August 28, 2017: China and India agreed to pull back their military forces on the Doklam plateau, near the Tibet border and negotiate terms to avoid another such incident. This confrontation has been going on since June when, for the first time since 2008, another ancient and unresolved border dispute between China and India escalated. The two nations blamed each other for this confrontation in a very inhospitable part of the world. The Doklam plateau is where the Tibet border meets Indias Sikkim State and is near Bhutan and Nepal. Sikkim is small (7,100 square kilometers) and has a population of less than 700,000. East of Bhutan is the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims most of. China claims smaller bits of Bhutan and Sikkim. The problem with Sikkim is that it was an independent monarchy until 1975 when the king allowed a referendum on joining India, which won. China protested Sikkim becoming part of India because of the border disputes China long had with independent Sikkim. The current incident began when China began building a road into Bhutan that was seen as part of a Chinese effort to threaten the Siliguri Corridor (a 22 kilometer wide strip of land between China and Bangladesh that connects northeast India to the rest of India). India had agreed to help Bhutan oppose Chinese efforts to just grab the disputed area (which is 3,000 meters up on the Doklam plateau and has no real value to anyone). China and India had signed an agreement in 2012 to respect the existing Bhutan border. But like most Chinese territorial claims revived recently incidents like this serve to make the Chinese government look like it is serving the (Chinese) people and are carried out at little cost in lives or money. So thousands of Chinese and Indian troops have been moved to this inhospitable part of the world because the Chinese government wants some good publicity inside China. There has not been much violence aside from some fistfights and rock throwing.

Meanwhile China is very obviously carrying out military training exercises nearby. These exercises in Tibet have become a regular event and get larger each year as more Chinese troops learn how to cope with the problems of high altitude operations. Most of Tibet is a high (over 3,000 meters/10,000 feet) plateau and that causes unique problems for people and equipment not prepared for it. Altitude sickness afflicts over 90 percent of lowland Chinese, but hardly any native born Tibetans. Equipment also has problems, as many mechanical and hydraulic items operate differently at the higher altitudes of Tibet. The pilots and maintenance personnel gain valuable experience each time they spend a week or two in Tibet for training. If the border dispute with nearby India ever got hot, China would have to rapidly fly in additional warplanes and operate them from Tibet.

China has, since 2011, very openly (lots of TV coverage) brought more lowland military personnel to the Tibet highlands to train and remain for extended periods. While India has lowlands close by on its side of the border China has no such advantage and on their side of the border must be capable to operating on a sustained basis at high altitude. China has turned a disadvantage into an advantage.

August 23, 2017: In northwest India (Kashmir) Indian and Pakistani officers met to try and arrange a lasting peace on the border. That seems unlikely but these meetings calm civilians on both sides of the border and garner some good press for both sides. So far this year there have been 280 Kashmir border violence incidents. This is nothing new, just worse. Incidents were way up during 2016, as it was along the entire Indian border. But half of the nearly 600 ceasefire border violations in 2016 were in Kashmir. This was in violation of a 2003 agreement between India and Pakistan. In December 2015 Indian and Pakistani military leaders met on the Kashmir border to reaffirm efforts to reduce violence on the LOC (Line of Control) in Kashmir. Yet such incidents continued to occur despite the 20o3 ceasefire and subsequent pledges to behave. It is generally understood that it is internal politics in Pakistan involving the Pakistan army that revived the border violence in 2016. This was all about the continuing battle between elected politicians and the military over the non-existent threat from India. The Pakistani generals justify their large budget and numerous other privileges by the perceived need to deal with the Indian threat. But there is no Indian threat. The Pakistani military refuses to accept that and the border erupts whenever the Pakistani generals need to justify their privileges and powers.
Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis.



Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy.



Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers. Tor's hidden services let users publish web sites and other services without needing to reveal the location of the site. Individuals also use Tor for socially sensitive communication: chat rooms and web forums for rape and abuse survivors, or people with illnesses.

Who uses the Tor Browser?

With Tor Browser having made Tor more accessible to everyday internet users and activists, Tor was an instrumental tool during the Arab Spring beginning in late 2010. It not only protected people's identity online but also allowed them to access critical resources, social media, and websites which were blocked.

Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers. Tor's hidden services let users publish web sites and other services without needing to reveal the location of the site. Individuals also use Tor for socially sensitive communication: chat rooms and web forums for rape and abuse survivors, or people with illnesses.

Journalists use Tor to communicate more safely with whistleblowers and dissidents. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Tor to allow their workers to connect to their home website while they're in a foreign country, without notifying everybody nearby that they're working with that organization.

Groups such as Indymedia recommend Tor for safeguarding their members' online privacy and security. Activist groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recommend Tor as a mechanism for maintaining civil liberties online. Corporations use Tor as a safe way to conduct competitive analysis, and to protect sensitive procurement patterns from eavesdroppers. They also use it to replace traditional VPNs, which reveal the exact amount and timing of communication. Which locations have employees working late? Which locations have employees consulting job-hunting websites? Which research divisions are communicating with the company's patent lawyers?

A branch of the U.S. Navy uses Tor for open source intelligence gathering, and one of its teams used Tor while deployed in the Middle East recently. Law enforcement uses Tor for visiting or surveilling web sites without leaving government IP addresses in their web logs, and for security during sting operations.

What is Tor Browser?

The Tor Browser is the flagship product from the Tor Project. The web browser is based on a modified version of Mozilla Firefox ESR that includes extras like the Tor proxy, TorButton, TorLauncher, NoScript, and HTTPS Everywhere extensions.

How does the Tor Browser keep my internet activity anonymous?

The Tor Browser uses the Tor network, which consists of more than six thousand relays located worldwide, to hide the users' location and online traffic. This ensures anonymity and avoids your activities from being seen by others.

Is Tor better than a VPN?

Tor is not a VPN. Tor is a free browser similar to Chrome or Firefox, but it includes features that encrypt your IP address, making your browsing sessions private. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is software that can change your IP address when you use any browser installed on your PC. To learn more about VPNs, you can read this article.

Journalists use Tor to communicate more safely with whistleblowers and dissidents. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Tor to allow their workers to connect to their home website while they're in a foreign country, without notifying everybody nearby that they're working with that organization.



Groups such as Indymedia recommend Tor for safeguarding their members' online privacy and security. Activist groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recommend Tor as a mechanism for maintaining civil liberties online. Corporations use Tor as a safe way to conduct competitive analysis, and to protect sensitive procurement patterns from eavesdroppers. They also use it to replace traditional VPNs, which reveal the exact amount and timing of communication. Which locations have employees working late? Which locations have employees consulting job-hunting websites? Which research divisions are communicating with the company's patent lawyers?

A branch of the U.S. Navy uses Tor for open source intelligence gathering, and one of its teams used Tor while deployed in the Middle East recently. Law enforcement uses Tor for visiting or surveilling web sites without leaving government IP addresses in their web logs, and for security during sting operations.

Welcome Screen

Our old screen had way too much information for the users, leading many of them to spend great time confused about what to do. Some users at the paper experiment spent up to 40min confused about what they needed to be doing here. Besides simplifying the screen and the message, to make it easier for the user to know if they need to configure anything or not, we also did a 'brand refresh' bringing our logo to the launcher.

Censorship circumvention configuration

This is one of the most important steps for a user who is trying to connect to Tor while their network is censoring Tor. We also worked really hard to make sure the UI text would make it easy for the user to understand what a bridge is for and how to configure to use one. Another update was a little tip we added at the drop-down menu (as you can see below) for which bridge to use in countries that have very sophisticated censorship methods.

Proxy help information

The proxy settings at our Tor Launcher configuration wizard is an important feature for users who are under a network that demands such configuration. But it can also lead to a lot of confusion if the user has no idea what a proxy is. Since it is a very important feature for users, we decided to keep it in the main configuration screen and introduced a help prompt with an explanation of when someone would need such configuration.

As part of our work with the UX team, we will also be coordinating user testing of this new UI to continue iterating and make sure we are always improving our users' experience. We are also planning a series of improvements not only for the Tor Launcher flow but for the whole browser experience (once you are connected to Tor) including a new user onboarding flow. And last but not least we are streamlining both our mobile and desktop experience: Tor Browser 7.5 adapted the security slider design we did for mobile bringing the improved user experience to the desktop as well.

What's New

This version includes important security updates to Firefox:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2022-14/

Tor Browser 11.0.10 updates Firefox on Windows, macOS, and Linux to 91.8.0esr.

We use the opportunity as well to update various other components of Tor Browser:

NoScript 11.4.3

The full changelog since Tor Browser 11.0.9 is:

Windows + OS X + Linux
If you've ever pressed yes and agreed to a company's lengthy list of terms and conditions without actually reading them, and let's face it, who hasn't, then more than likely you've agreed to a "mandatory arbitration clause." Companies like Equifax put these clauses in their contracts to protect themselves from class action lawsuits and other sweeping legal actions. On Monday, hundreds of law professors around the country sent a letter to two senators urging them to uphold a ban on these types of rules going forward.

The piece of legislation in question was originally created by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The House has since voted to repeal it and many, including the CFPB, are worried that the Senate may be next. They have "found that blocking group lawsuits makes it nearly impossible for most consumers to get justice and relief for wrongdoing." If it remains in effect though, companies would be required to comply with it for all contracts starting in March of 2018.

Large financial institutions including banks and credit card agencies have been increasingly forcing consumers to use arbitration agencies rather than the traditional legal system. By appointing these agencies, companies can save time, money, and avoid the PR nightmare that comes from a class action lawsuit. Of course, this all comes at the price of the consumer and their rights.

The professors chose Monday September 25th because it represents the anniversary of the passing of the Seventh Amendment (the right to a trial by jury).
No matter how much China already restricts citizens' online activities, the country is constantly introducing new ways to monitor and control its internet. Back in July, WhatsApp became the latest service to come under government scrutiny when users discovered they could no longer send photos and videos. Now, many people have found that the app has stopped working altogether.

Nadim Kobeissi, an applied cryptographer at Symbolic Software, a Paris-based research start-up that monitors digital censorship in China, told The Verge it was likely that China's government had upgraded its Great Firewall to detect and block the NoiseSocket protocol WhatsApp uses to send texts. This is in addition to already blocking the HTTPS/TLS that the software uses to send photos and videos.

Stopping citizens from using WhatsApp, which features end-to-end encryption, could force them onto alternatives that share user data with the government, such as WeChat.

The move will come as a disappointment for WhatsApp owner Facebook. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been looking for a way to enter the Chinese marker since the social network was blocked in 2009. With Instagram also unavailable, WhatsApp had been the last of Facebook's available apps in the country.

The block comes in the runup to the Communist Party's congress, which begins on October 18. The meeting will see the government choose its new leaders, though it is expected that President Xi Jinping will remain in charge.

July also brought news that China would start auditing online content to make sure it meets "core socialist values."
The contentious issue of customs officials and authorities demanding to search travelers' digital devices isn't one limited to the US. It's something that happens in other nations, too, including New Zealand and the UK. The latter of which has just seen a man convicted for not handing over his phone and laptop passwords.

Muhammad Rabbani, who is the international director of campaign group Cage, has been convicted of a terrorist offense after refusing to unlock his iPhone and MacBook Air while being detained at Heathrow Airport. He was ordered to pay 620 (around $833) in costs and given a conditional discharge for 12 months.

Rabbani says he was returning from a wedding in Qatar in November 2016 when he was stopped. He claims the devices contained evidence from a client of Cage, which was set up to raise "awareness of the plight of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and other detainees held as part of the War on Terror."

"It was a case involving the US against an individual who was allegedly tortured over the course of 12 or 13 years in US custody," he said.

"There were around 30,000 (documents) which I was especially uncomfortable handling and I felt an enormous responsibility to try and discharge the trust that was given to me and the lawyers I met at that event."

The court heard that Rabbani had been stopped more than 20 times in the past while crossing the British border. Two of these occasions saw him refuse to hand over his PIN number and password when asked, but this was the first instance where he had been charged for not complying. The prosecution said Rabbani was not chosen at random for the latest stop.

"I was prepared to face the outcome even if it meant a term of imprisonment," he said. "As the judge said, the importance of passwords and privacy cannot be overstated."

"I have been convicted of protecting the confidentiality of my client. Our only option is to change the law. We will be appealing this decision."

Rabbani was charged under schedule 7 of the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, which allows police to search a person's electronic devices when they are traveling through a port. It supposedly allows authorities to determine if someone is involved in the "commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism." Refusal to cooperate is a criminal offense.
Brazil's vice-president-elect and coordinator of the transition team of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government, Geraldo Alckmin, asked Jair Bolsonaro's government for access to complete... | Read More
Chelsea Manning. Photo: Heidi Gutman/ABC via Getty Images

Chelsea Manning was on the first leg of her bicoastal tour of the U.S. and Canada last week when Canadian border authorities reportedly held her overnight and sent her back to the U.S. According to a letter Manning posted to Twitter on Monday, the Canadian government finds she is inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality for having been convicted of an offence outside Canada.

so, i guess canada has permanently banned me ?  @CitImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to "treason" offense  pic.twitter.com/xp0JOEEOGd  Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 25, 2017

Manning, a former military intelligence analyst, spent nearly seven years in prison after releasing nearly 750,000 military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks in 2010. She was released in May of this year, after President Obama commuted her sentence in the last days of his presidency.

In the letter, which appears to be addressed to the Canadian Minister of Immigration, officials state that Manning is barred because her charges under the United States Espionage Act if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years, and that if committed in Canada, her charges would equate to an indictable offence, namely treason. A spokesperson for the Minister of Immigration has reportedly refused to comment, citing privacy laws.

Manning told Reuters she plans on hiring a Canadian lawyer, and challenging the decision in a Canadian court. Representatives for Manning are also reviewing whether or not she will be allowed entry to other foreign countries where she has scheduled speaking engagements.
Kylie Jenner at the iHeartRadio Music Festival this past weekend. Photo: Michael Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

Welcome to You Know What I Heard, the Cuts weekly celebrity gossip column about the peregrinations of the rich and famous. Have gossip? Email me at allie.jones@nymag.com, send me a message on Twitter, or contact me on Signal (ask for the number).

Despite Kris Jenners insistence that she hasnt confirmed anything, the big Kardashian news this week is that Kylie Jenner is pregnant. If you have been living without access to TMZ for the last four days, here are the essential details that have been reported so far: The father is her boyfriend of six months, Travis Scott. She is about five months along. The rest of the Kardashians were shocked when they found out, but now theyre sooo excited.

Oh, and TMZ reported on the sex of the baby this morning: Its a girl! This is only really interesting because Kim Kardashian will also be having a girl, via surrogate, in about four months. Kim and Kylie could potentially have baby girls with the same January birthday. For more on the insane timing of all of this, please read our Kardashian expert Mariah Smiths unbelievably detailed exploration. (A teaser: Kylie may have accidentally revealed her pregnancy on her own show.)

According to multiple reports, Kylie has wanted a baby for some time and was thrilled to get pregnant. So why hasnt she announced the good news? People reported Monday that Kris is still working on the business plan.

Kris is just trying to control what she can and make sure no one forgets Kylie is also a businesswoman, a source told the tabloid. She wants to set Kylie Cosmetics up to sell.

That explains why Kris told Womens Wear Daily in August that Kylies lip kit empire brought in $420 million in just 18 months.

Scott Disick and Sofia Richie in Miami. Photo: Splash News/Splash News

While Kylies pregnancy news burned through the tabloids this past weekend, several Kardashian associates celebrated at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Miami. Kylie showed up in a big T-shirt and plastic pants to watch Travis Scott perform. Also in the audience: Scott Disick and Sofia Richie, who are unfortunately dating.

Scott, 34, is the father of Kourtney Kardashians three young children. Sofia, 19, is the daughter of Lionel Richie. The two were kissing in front of cameras all weekend, which means they are now Instagram official.

Why is this happening? Youd have to empty Scotts addled brain to get all the way to the bottom of it, but since Kourtney split with him two years ago, he has dated more than one teenager. Sofia, meanwhile, may be trying to make some sort of point to her sister Nicole Richie or to Kourtney or to both.

This all goes back to Justin Bieber. Kourtney reportedly hooked up with him (yep) at the end of 2015. Sofia started dating him in the summer of 2016. Around the time news of the Sofia-Bieber romance broke, Kourtney posted an Instagram photo of her partying with Nicole. (The two have been friends since childhood.) So perhaps Sofia started dating the father of Kourtneys children out of spite? Either way, E! News reported Monday that Scott takes care of Sofia, which is what she loves. Okay!

In much happier relationship news, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially held hands at the Invictus Games yesterday. Royal experts take this to mean an engagement announcement is imminent. Markle is not wearing a ring yet, but she sent a blinding signal with her outfit choice for the event. You might think she was simply wearing a white, collared shirt, but according to a press release that hit my inbox last night, she was in fact wearing The Husband Shirt by New York designer Misha Nonoo. ($185, here.)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games. Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage

This was not an accident. Nonoo is one of Markles closest friends. When Markle met Harry for the first time last summer, she was on vacation with Nonoo and Soho House consultant Markus Anderson. Anderson reportedly introduced Markle to Harry, though Nonoo could have done so, easily. Her now-estranged husband, Alexander Gilkes, an art dealer, went to Eton with Prince William and Harry, and his brother dated Pippa Middleton.

Tapas con mis amigos @mishanonoo @anderson_markus #spain #madrid #eatpraylove #MMMinMadrid A post shared by Meghan Markle (@meghanmarkle) on Aug 13, 2016 at 8:11am PDT

Markle sat with Anderson on the first night of the Invictus Games, so it seems like she is taking care to honor the friends who brought her to Harry at her first public engagement with him. I love Meghan Markle!

Small blessings from this week:

Mandy Moore celebrated her engagement. Angelina Jolie posed for paparazzi at the grocery store. Joshua Jackson enjoyed the single life. Leo DiCaprio dated two German models under the age of 26. Cardi B beat Taylor Swift. Candace Bushnell got a new boyfriend. Luann de Lesseps got back in the studio. Jennifer Garner went to another farmers market. (Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus stayed quiet.)

Jennifer Garner examines her greens at a Los Angeles farmers market. Photo: BG004/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Finally, we ask an influential person, Where did you last hear a good piece of gossip?

Nobody gives me gossip, cause they know I will tweet it.

Spencer Pratt, former star of The Hills, great gossip, excellent tweeter

Thank you all for gossiping this week. Dont forget to email me at allie.jones@nymag.com, send me a message on Twitter, or contact me on Signal, if youd like to chat.
Portrait of Nusch Eluard wearing Schiaparelli by Pablo Picasso, 1937. Photo:  SuccessionPicasso 2017/RMN-Grand Palais (musee national Picasso - Paris)/Adrien Didierjean

Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli was known for her artistic flair, which fueled her rivalry with Coco Chanel. Chanel famously dismissed Schiaparelli as that Italian artist who makes clothes and once tried to set her on fire at a high-society ball in the 1930s. (She pushed Schiaparelli into a chandelier of blazing candles, and guests put out the flames with soda water.) Schiaparelli continued to champion surrealist art in pieces like her provocative lobster dress, which she created with Salvador Dali.

The new book Schiaparelli and the Artists, out October 3 from Rizzoli, traces the exchange of ideas between Schiaparellis flashy aesthetic and a long list of artists who inspired her work, including Dali, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Rene Magritte. Authors Andre Leon Talley, Suzy Menkes, and Christian Lacroix gathered rare images and anecdotes for the books pages, some of which were printed in Schiaparellis signature bright pink. They delve into how she used mind-bending touches of surrealism and the avant-garde in everything from her fragrances to a pair of black monkey-fur boots.

Most of all, the book offers a look into how artists used Schiaparelli herself as a muse. Picasso deconstructed her designs as abstractions, inspired by her Mediterranean influences. Dali sketched his wife Gala wearing Schiaparellis shoe hat (a hat topped with a high-heeled shoe) and lips suit (a black suit embellished with lips). Click ahead to preview the book.

If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.

A model dressed in Schiaparelli in front of the Schiaparelli boutique, 1954. Following his first trip to Paris in 1956, Andy Warhol made drawings of Vespas captioned Schiaparelli  a nod to to the many Vespas parked outside the place Vendome shop but also maybe the Vespa displayed in one of the windows of the Schiaparelli boutique.

Illustration for the fragrance Shocking by Marcel Vertes.

The collaboration between Marcel Vertes and Elsa Schiaparelli took numerous forms. It started in 1937, with the creation of colorful illustrations to promote the perfume Shocking.

Schiaparelli boots

Rene Magrittes painting Love Disarmed inspired Elsa Schiaparellis black suede and monkey fur boots, 1938.

Illustration for the fragrance Sleeping by Marcel Vertes.

The collaboration between Marcel Vertes and Elsa Schiaparelli took numerous forms. It started in 1937, with the creation of colorful illustrations to promote the perfume Shocking. Vertes then worked on most of the Schiaparelli fragrances: Sleeping, Eau de Sante, Salut, Zut, and Snuff, as well as on cosmetics.

Trompe loeil leather gloves, Schiaparelli Haute Couture Winter 19361937 collection, echoing the 1935 Pablo Picasso/Man Ray work Trompe loeil.

Photo: A RMN - Grand Palais - Adrien Didierjean

Portrait of Nusch Eluard wearing Schiaparelli by Pablo Picasso, 1937.

Schiaparelli and the Artists, published October 3 by Rizzoli.
Photo-Illustration: Photos: Getty Images

If you know what Im talking about when I talk about reiki, you likely feel strongly about it. Maybe you describe it as the life-changing saving grace to your chronic back pain, or maybe youre certain its quackery capitalizing on people at their weakest. At least for those moved to write about it on the internet, theres little middle ground.

For everyone else, a brief explainer: Reiki is a spiritual healing practice which originated in Japan in the early 20th century, and is built on the belief that the body is innately able to heal itself. The word reiki loosely translates to universal life energy  an energy which practitioners believe exists within, and surrounds, each body  and the practice involves transmitting or balancing that energy, through the specific placement of hands on or above a recipients (fully clothed) body. Most commonly, reiki is used to ease pain, anxiety, fatigue, and depression, but since at its core is the conviction that the body in its natural state can heal any ailment, the applications, theoretically, are endless. However, the few, small studies on the practice have yet to yield much evidence of its efficacy (though the research has also found that it doesnt appear to be harmful).

Six months ago, when I walked into my first reiki appointment at a Santa Fe oxygen spa, I had only ever heard the word in passing, and I didnt really know what to expect. The spas description spoke vaguely about healing and relaxation; I thought Id paid for a massage. What I got was one of the strangest experiences of my life: an hour in which my practitioner waved his hands over me and blew smoke across my body, to which my body responded with warm tingling in my arms and hands, mysterious pressure on my chest, and uncontrollable tremors in my legs. It was unexpected, a little scary, and definitely not relaxing.

According to my practitioner, these sensations indicated an energy blockage being released; they were merely signs that the session was working. He told me my body was returning to its natural state, i.e. nearly orgasmic energy. But it didnt feel orgasmic. It felt crazy. I tend to be a cautious believer, but even I couldnt accept this as the cause and effect. I needed to know: what had happened to my body?

***

What complicates discussion of reiki is that, unlike alternative medicines which have become more integrated into Western medicine such as acupuncture and chiropractic, reiki is unregulated. The result of this is a proliferation of many and varied manifestations of the practice, influenced by different historical traditions and lineages, and often linked by little other than the practitioners calling it reiki. This dispersal of technique can be a source of frustration to those whove trained in the specific method as developed by the man generally accepted as the founder of modern reiki, Mikao Usui.

So far, the research cautions that reiki should be used in conjunction with, and never instead of, conventional treatments for conditions like pain, anxiety, or depression. But if reiki is to be used with conventional medicine, then there first needs to be clarity around what, precisely, reiki even is. Practitioners going rogue, blending multiple spiritual practices into something new and naming it reiki, muddies the already sparse data. One person who is working toward a singular definition of the practice for patients, practitioners, and medical professionals is Pamela Miles.

Miles, author of Reiki: A Comprehensive Guide, is the unofficial leader of the movement to legitimize reiki in the mainstream. Having practiced and researched reiki for over 31 years, Miles has published in multiple peer-reviewed medical journals, collaborated on NIH-funded medical research, taught reiki at medical schools, and spoken about reiki in the media. Though she doesnt necessarily advocate for uniform regulation of the practice, she does emphasize the importance of continued research on its effectiveness, and for the education of those receiving it. When I described my experience to Miles over the phone, she wasnt entirely convinced shed call what happened reiki at all.

I cannot speak to any particular experience, but the kinds of things you described sound more like an energy medicine, a shamanic approach, where the practitioner was moving the energy, clearing the obstacles. I was confused. Isnt that exactly what reiki is?

Ideally not, according to Miles. When practiced according to its origins, she explained, reiki was less about intervention, and more about reestablishing the power already within the recipient to heal oneself. (How you feel about that description depends largely on your tolerance for all things woo.) The practitioner should only be facilitating that power, resulting, most immediately, in a sense of relaxation and stress relief. Regardless, my reaction was hardly unique. When I took to Google shortly after my session  looking up phrases like shaking during reiki, body moving during reiki, can I die from reiki, etc.  I found pages upon pages of testimonials echoing my experience, both from practitioners witnessing those reactions in the recipients, and from the recipients themselves. The explanations, usually provided by other members within the forums, were along the lines of what the practitioner had told me: it was an energy shift, or fluctuations of ki. But what did that actually mean? For those seeking scientific explanations, unfortunately, the answer is  well, there is no answer.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) lumps reiki, along with similar but distinct practices like therapeutic touch and Chinese qigong, within the category of biofield therapy, but any definition of biofield is maddeningly vague. The clearest description we have is from a 1992 conference, when the NIH defined it as a massless field, not necessarily electromagnetic, that surrounds and permeates living bodies and affects the body; however, the NIH has since backed away from that description. In an emailed statement, the NCCIH told me, to our knowledge there is no current definition of biofield that has been determined by the NIH. When I asked Miles for more clarity, she explained the NIHs proposed term describes the purported subtle vibrational field that surrounds and penetrates the human body, adding that its still a working definition. To my understanding, reiki practice holds that it is the manipulation of this field which causes either physiological distress or allows self-healing. No scientific proof of the biofield exists.

According to Miles, this mystery around the biofield and, in turn, the underlying mechanism of reiki itself doesnt negate the power of the practice. Indeed, medical professionals have a long history of using medicine before understanding its mechanism of action. Bayer released aspirin in 1897 and it became the most widely used drug in the world; we didnt know how it worked until 1971. Scientists are still theorizing how anesthesia works. Ditto antidepressants. Whats more, Miles emphasizes, reiki, like meditation, is at its core a spiritual practice being used in medical intervention, and the mechanism of spiritual practice isnt necessarily provable by scientific technique. But that shouldnt have any bearing on reikis effectiveness, Miles argues.

Unfortunately, clinical research doesnt tell us much about that effectiveness, either. A 2009 review of clinical trials found only 12 out of the 76 available which met methodological standards. Most of those 12 trials (which tested effects of reiki on depression, anxiety, stress, memory, and mental function in Alzheimer patients) reported positive outcomes, but conclusions drawn from them are less compelling for the small population size and the lack of consistency among the measures of those outcomes  some results were drawn from heart rate, others from mental-state examinations, others from self-reported questionnaires. It seems too, that, as with the practice of certain types of meditation, some reiki practice might aggravate anxiety in those prone to it. While the NIH reports no harmful side effects of reiki, some practitioners acknowledge the possibility of patients experiencing not only anxiety, but also short-term upset stomach, light-headedness, and fatigue. The danger arises when patients trade conventional care for only reiki.

But this is a service, often a pricey one (insurance rarely covers it, and treatment can cost up to $400 per session), and customers wouldnt be paying and returning if they werent benefiting from it. That evidence is mostly anecdotal, seen in gushing testimonials by patients  like Anne in Rochester, New York, who said reiki gave her the gift of freedom, attributing a release of depression, anxiety and feelings of abandonment to the sessions. And theres no denying that medical professionals are recommending reiki to patients or training as masters themselves. About 60 U.S. hospitals offer reiki sessions, including New York-Presbyterian, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and UCLA Medical Center; as of 2014, over 800 hospitals offer reiki training.

Dr. Ann Berger, chief of pain and palliative care at the NIH Clinical Center, explained via email exchange that the benefits they observe in patients relate to helping with psychosocial spiritual distress which is part of the total pain picture. Though she didnt confirm an increase in physicians using reiki, she acknowledged that if there were one, it might have to do with an industry-wide interest in finding alternatives to opiates. In an online testimonial, Danica Fiaschetti from UCLAs Urban Zen Integrative Therapy writes about practicing reiki on a patient who could no longer receive pain medication: The amazing thing was that the heart rate of the patient went down as the patient began to relax [] Wonderful experience, and the patient felt better. Others describe first-hand experience of patients reporting relief from pain, stress, fear, and insomnia.

One possible explanation of reikis observed benefits might have to do with recent findings on placebos  that is, that the placebo effect might offer more opportunities for symptom management than previously thought. This research is led by Ted Kaptchuk, director of Harvard Medical Schools Program in Placebo Studies & Therapeutic Encounter. Kaptchuks past research has demonstrated what is now commonly known about placebos (that when delivered with a suggestion of possible side effects, trial participants will often self-report those side effects) but a recent discovery is more surprising. It turns out sugar pills can ease symptoms in patients even if those patients know theyre receiving sugar pills, and even if those pills are given without any suggestion about the results the patients might see. It suggests a holistic look at the experience of healing, a therapeutic element to the doctor-patient interaction in full.

Whats going on in the patients [mind] is that the rituals of medicine, the symbols of medicine, and a warm, empathetic doctor (in the context of a clinical encounter) activate neurotransmitters in the brain, activates specific quantifiable and relevant brain regions that release these neurotransmitters, Kaptchuk told Vox. Its these neurotransmitters which can intensify or abate certain symptoms.

So the placebo effect isnt about trickery or deceit; it might just be a different option for care. And yet the benefits of therapies such as reiki and acupuncture go beyond what we normally think of as placebo effects, writes Jo Marchant, author of the 2016 book Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body. It isnt about fooling patients; instead, she argues, many aspects of the care that alternative medicine practitioners provide  from talking to touch  seem to have the power to relieve symptoms and even influence physical outcomes.  Conventional medicine, with its squeezed appointment times and overworked staff, often struggles to provide such human aspects of care.

The psychological power of reiki (or placebo) certainly has its limits. It cant cure cancer or stabilize an arrhythmia, but what it can do is ease pain, stress, and fatigue  which, perhaps not so coincidentally, is exactly where patients have benefited from reiki.

***

So where does my reaction  echoed by many other personal accounts  fit in? I didnt walk in with a specific ailment, but something physical happened, irrefutably. Did I just have to accept it as a result of a shift in energy I couldnt possibly understand? Maybe.

But maybe, too, it had more to do with the practitioner than with me. After all, before the session began, my practitioner had warned me (somewhat ominously) that physical sensations would come up, and along the way he explained my bodys need to release energy. And according to Miles, the manifestation of our reactions to reiki can be shaped by the practitioners influence.In my more than three decades of professional practice, she said, Ive often wondered if the reason I dont see that kind of screaming or drama is because I have never felt a need for my clients to have that kind of experience.

Whats clearest to me now is that to obsess over why and how reiki may help is to distract others from the fact that, often, it does. There is consensus in the medical community that Reiki practice is non-invasive and low-risk, Miles wrote in a follow-up email. What is needed is to document benefits.

Research on reiki right now is scarce; that which exists shows little proof of effectiveness, but also little danger when used in tandem with conventional treatment. In other words, if it makes you feel good, godspeed.
375-Year-Old Mummy Found in Korea, Has Parasites Contracted From Raw Shellfish

Heres a great reason not to eat raw seafood.

A 375-year-old mummy found in South Korea had a parasitic liver infection, and researchers think that he may have gotten the infection by eating raw shellfish.

The man was identified as Jing Lee, who died in 1642 at the age of 63 in Cheongo, and his body was very well-preserved when he was discovered, the New Scientist reported, citing a team headed by Min Seo at Dankook University College of Medicine, South Korea.

Seos team noted an odd lump in Jings liver, and they later discovered that it contained golden-brown eggs.

They identified them as belonging to a parasitic fluke, Paragonimus westermani, which can cause hepatic paragonimiasisa rare form of infestation. Theyre contracted via eating freshwater shellfish, and its likely that Jing picked it up by eating raw crabs or crayfish, according to the report.

Both animals were consumed by the Joseon culture that he was a member of. However, I cannot say that this pathological condition could be the cause of death, Seo said, adding that its unclear if he had pain or fever.

The parasite will penetrate through the lining of the intestine and then its free to move around the peritoneal cavity, said James Diaz at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans. A patient will spit up bloody sputum, added Diaz. Thats what brings them into the doctors office.

He noted that the parasite typically goes for the lungs, but it can end up in the liver.

The U.S. CDC said the infection affects the lungs of humans after eating an infected raw or undercooked crab or crayfish. Less frequent, but more serious cases of paragonimiasis occur when the parasite travels to the central nervous system.

Although rare, paragonimiasis has been acquired in the United States, with multiple cases reported from the Midwest. Once the diagnosis is made, effective treatment for paragonimiasis is available from a physician, according to the CDC.

In all, 18 ancient Korean mummies had at least one parasite, the New Scientist noted.

Research on the mummy was published in the Journal of Parasitology this month.

As many as 300 million people around the world are at risk of infection with Paragonimus, according to several studies, as noted by Haaretz.

In Korea, ancient peoples would lay a body on ice for three to 30 days during a mourning period, and then, the corpse was placed inside an inner and an outer pine coffin in a lime soil mixture. The clothes of the deceased were included.

The people believed the body should dissolve in a natural manner, without external factors such as worms. This is why they developed a special burial custom. said Mark Spigelman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, according to Softpedia.

In some cases, this inadvertently resulted in extremely good natural mummification. They didnt expect mummification and, in fact, thats the one thing they wouldnt want. The unusual Korean burial practice actually led to much better preserved DNA than the artificial mummification practiced in ancient Egypt, Spigelman added.
L: Chairman of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision, also known as Foxconn, Terry Guo in Osaka, Japan, on April 2, 2016. (STR/AFP/Getty Images); R: President Donald Trump in Glen Jean, West Virginia, on July 24, 2017. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Apple Supplier, Foxconn, to Invest $10B in Wisconsin as Trump Promotes Made in USA

Foxconn, the largest contract electronics maker in the world, has decided to invest $10 billion to build a display factory in Wisconsin that could employ up to 13,000 workers.

The investment comes partly thanks to President Donald Trumps emphasis on domestic manufacturing and support from other levels of government, according to Foxconn CEO Terry Gou.

I know you are committed to grow manufacturing in the United States. Because of you, we are also committed to creating great jobs for American people, Gou said during an announcement of the investment in the White House on Wednesday, July 26.

Gous comment was addressed to President Trump, as well as Vice President Mike Pence, House speaker Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.

Kushner, together with Trumps assistant, Reed Cordish, negotiated the investment as a members of Trumps White House Office of American Innovation.

This is a great day for American workers and manufacturing and for everyone who believes in the concept and the label Made in the USA, Trump said.

Foxconn plans to build a sprawling 20 million-square-foot plant over the next five years. It plans to initially employ 3,000 workers and eventually expand to employ up to 13,000. Salaries will average over $53,000, plus benefits, according to Governor Walkers Office.

The plant will make liquid crystal (LCD) displays for computer screens, televisions, and other purposes, heralding the revival of an American TV manufacturing industry that has been virtually dead for over two decades. It will focus on 8K technology, a screen resolution 16 times higher than Full HD.

The first 8K TV was introduced by Japanese electronics maker Sharp in 2012.

Taiwanese Foxconn, whose actual business name is Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., acquired Sharp last year.

Sharp previously announced a plan to invest $7 billion to build a display factory in United States.

Foxconn employs a million people in China, where it manufactures an array of popular electronics. It is probably best known for manufacturing Apple products, including the iPhone and iPad.

Gou previously said the U.S. plant would rely more on automation to offset higher labor costs (compared to China).

Trump has encouraged businesses to move their manufacturing to the United States, praised companies that have done so, and promised repercussions for those that move jobs abroad.

Foxconn joins a growing list of industry leaders who understand that Americas capabilities are limitless and that Americas workers are unmatched, and that Americas most prosperous days are just ahead, Trump said.

The electronic display industry is well positioned for local production partly because of peoples appetite for large screens. As the screen size of affordable TVs increases, shipping them across the ocean becomes increasingly impractical.

Atop the promised jobs at the plant itself, an estimated 10,000 jobs will be created during its construction. Moreover, the plant is expected to attract additional businesses to the area, creating up to 22,000 more jobs, according to Governor Walkers Office.

In turn, the state will award the company up to $3 billion in tax credits. The exact amount depends on how many jobs the company creates, how much it builds, and how much equipment it purchases.

The project is projected to generate $181 million annually in state and local taxes, including $60 million in local property taxes.
Aung San Suu Kyi Shows Feet of Clay

If there were statues to Aung San Suu Kyi outside of Burma, they would be surrounded by angry crowds seeking to pull them down.

Her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, which critics want revoked, now seems as meaningless as that awarded to President Barak Obama.

And even Jean Chretiens former Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy (1996-2000) has chimed in suggesting that Ottawa should cancel her honorary Canadian citizenship. (Probably not high among her concerns).

Over her long years in house arrest by Burmese generals unwilling to do away with her, but unable to contain her image as an iconic representative of democracy, she built a global following akin to Mother Teresas.

Related Coverage Democracy Under Gunpoint in Burma

And, having finally been released from custody with the overwhelming victory of her political party, democracy representatives around the globe expected that she would embrace the Muslim Rohingya as a persecuted minority needing her support and protection.

Instead, we have seen the other side of the coin: Suu Kyi as a Burmese nationalist, more than a little skeptical of the position of the Rohingya in Burma and dismissive of UN demands that she act on their behalf. Indeed, she (reflecting the attitudes of other Burmese) refers to them as Bengalis, claiming falsely that their presence in Burma is relatively recent, and they should settle in Bangladesh.

Circumstances Complex.

Settling in Rakhine State, in the west of Burma, the Rohingya, at approximately one million population, have been primarily farmers and fishers. As Muslims, however, in a predominately Buddhist state, their circumstances have become increasingly parlous, particularly as Burmese have become more nationalistic. In the 1982s, they were stripped of Burmese citizenship, making them the worlds largest stateless population.

Previous clashes with Burmese security forces in 2012, prior to Aung San Suu Kyi becoming state counselor (equivalent to prime minister), had already forced thousands of Rohingya into Bangladesh. Even during her process of achieving national leadership, she showed more concern for humanitarian problems abroad than within Burma. And when becoming leader, her objectives were primarily improving national economics and ending various local insurgencies. Consequently, she focused on suggestions for economic development for Rohingya and not on restoring their Burmese citizenship.

Moreover, the Rohingya have violated one of the basic laws of minorities: they have taken aggressive action against the majority. On Aug. 25, Rohingya militants reportedly attacked 30 police posts and a fort in a coordinated assault, killing a number of security personnel.

The Burmese armed forces were not amused. They have implemented a disproportionate eye for a tooth response, burning/destroying at least 100 villages and consequently driving upwards of 400,00 Rohingya across the Bangladesh-Burma border, where they are quartered in massive tent cities in need of virtually every level of assistance.

For her part, Aung San Suu Kyi has spoken with some sympathy but refused to blame the Burmese army, suggesting the Rohingya should return. She has ignored a cacophony of calls ranging from NGOs and the United Nations to, in effect, cease and desist, and provide Rohingya with humanitarian assistance and political rights.

Refugee Fatigue.

Regarding the Rohingya there is also more than an element of refugee fatigue. Moreover, although media such as the BBC provide endless video of displaced Rohingya, their plight, despite being labeled ethnic cleansing, does not appear to be at the levels of Rwandas genocide, or even of the endless stream of boats sinking in the Mediterranean with dying refugees.

For its part, the White House recently released a statement saying it was deeply troubled by the violence and, on Sept. 20, committed an additional $32 million in relief funds, bringing the U.S. total to roughly $95 million this budget year.

But facing the massive destruction from hurricanes striking Texas and Florida as well as the virtually total devastation of Puerto Rico, U.S. interest in far away Burmese refugees is peripheral. If we are going to help any foreigners, it will be Mexicans, struggling with a series of earthquakes that have left major population centers, including Mexico City, extensively damaged.

And Aung San Soo Kyi?

We are seeing a textbook illustration of real politik. While she is technically Burmas leader as prime minister, the Burmese armed forces hold defining power with constitutional authority over security affairs and 25 percent of the parliamentary seats. She will not act to succor an unpopular minority at the potential cost of vital domestic support. She has relatively narrow parameters within which she can operate.

Her vision for Burma does not include Quixotic charges at windmills to which she is indifferent.

David T. Jones is a retired U.S. State Department senior foreign service career officer who has published several hundred books, articles, columns, and reviews on U.S.Canadian bilateral issues and general foreign policy. During a career that spanned over 30 years, he concentrated on politico-military issues, serving as adviser for two Army chiefs of staff. Among his books is Alternative North Americas: What Canada and the United States Can Learn from Each Other.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Business Leaders Lobby for Tax Reform

American CEOs stress urgent need for a tax code overhaul

Major U.S. companies are advocating for changes in the tax system that they say will boost investment, jobs, and economic growth. Business leaders are urging Congress to pass a bill by the end of this year.

Chief executives of large corporations including UPS, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, AT&T, and Ernst&Young expressed their support for tax reform on Sept. 20 at a panel discussion hosted by Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of leading U.S. companies.

We need to get beyond the polarization in Washington, D.C., and focus on solving real problems, Dennis Muilenburg, chairman, president, and CEO of the Boeing Company, said during the panel discussion.

David Abney, chairman and CEO of UPS, said business leaders spend a lot of time in the nations capital to educate people and ensure they understand the importance of tax reform. But we also, as a business community, need to make sure that we are united on this issue and that we dont eat ourselves, he said.

The executives are calling for a competitive tax rate and a territorial tax system, which would exempt foreign income from domestic taxation. They say a tax code rewrite would energize the economy and create more jobs.

A cut in the corporate tax rate would allow us to build more manufacturing jobs in the U.S., create growth capacity, with the ripple benefit to the broader enterprise and our communities where we work, said Muilenburg.

Americas biggest exporter, Boeing has more than 140,000 employees, and nearly 90 percent are in the United States. Potential tax cuts will benefit not only Boeing and its employees, but also its massive supply chain, which includes 1.5 million U.S. jobs.

So we see this [tax reform] as a big enabler. It will unleash capital investment, it will unleash our ability to grow jobs, and it will allow us to lead in manufacturing, Muilenburg said.

It has been more than 30 years since the last major tax reform occurred, under President Ronald Reagan in 1986. Since then, other advanced nations have aggressively reduced their corporate tax rates and implemented a territorial tax system.

According to the CEOs, if the new tax code includes a territorial system, U.S. companies would be able to bring back to the United States trillions of foreign earnings trapped overseas.

The existing worldwide tax system double-taxes the foreign income of U.S. companies as soon as these earnings are repatriated. Hence most U.S. multinational corporations prefer to keep the money offshore rather than reinvesting it back in the United States.

We are an outlier, said Mark Weinberger, chairman and CEO of Ernst&Young.

What were suggesting, and the Business Roundtable is advocating for, is not to do something that nobody has done before. Its actually to catch up with the rest of the world and just be competitive.

Crossing the Finish Line

Business leaders are optimistic that President Donald Trump and Congress will be able to pass reforms by the end of the year.

The people in the Senate and Congress believe that if they dont get tax reform done, it may be [about] political survival for them. So I actually take comfort in that, said Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO of AT&T Inc.

The current tax code puts American corporations at a competitive disadvantage. The effective tax rate of UPS, for example, is 34 percent and there is a nearly 10 percent difference in tax rates between UPS and foreign competitors, according to Abney.

Abney is optimistic that the new administration recognizes the real need to fix this problem. Should a territorial tax system be enacted, UPS plans to bring some of its foreign earnings back and invest in the United States.

So the time is right, the need is there. More and more people are starting to understand it. We just need to make sure that we take this thing to the finish line, Abney said.

Corporate tax reform is also a national security issue, according to Marillyn Hewson, chairman, president, and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, the Pentagons largest defense contractor.

Were about national security. Were about investing in technology and capabilities to keep the edge for the United States against our adversaries, Hewson said.

The defense contractor has over 16,000 suppliers in the United States that are all small- and medium-sized businesses, she said.

If we are facing competition around the world that doesnt allow those businesses to invest in that capability and technology, then its going to have an impact on our national security.

According to a survey conducted by Business Roundtable in May, 71 percent of the CEOs said corporate tax reform would be the most efficient way to accelerate economic growth over the next 12 months. And 90 percent believed delaying tax reform would harm the U.S. economy.

Besides, 76 percent of the CEOs who responded to the survey said they would hire more people if tax reform were successfully implemented. More than 120 CEOs participated in the survey, conducted between April 12 and April 25.
This picture from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) taken on August 29, 2017 and released on Aug. 30, 2017 shows North Korea's intermediate-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 lifting off from the launching pad at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

China Worried Over Nuclear Radiation After North Korea Tests

The Chinese regime is on high alert for radiation seeping into China from North Koreas latest nuclear test.

The test took place less than 50 miles from Chinas border. The magnitude-6.3 earthquake could be felt by locals and Chinese hundreds of miles away as the nuclear test went off. A smaller tremor followed. It could be from a structural collapse after the first earthquake. The worry is that radiation was emitted into the atmosphere due to underground shifting, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The Chinese regime said that testing centers havent detected radiation yet. Soil, air, and water will continue to be tested. Seismologist Steven Gibbons told WSJ that it may take days or weeks to detect radiation. An environmental issue could become a political issue if the regime thinks that it is being perceived as weak on North Korea.

Chinese officials are reported to have told South Koreas former President Park Geun-hye that North Koreas nuclear testing in 2013 contaminated the Yalu River, which runs across the border between China and North Korea. Chinese officials neither confirm nor deny the comment, but since 2013 China has added several radiation-monitoring stations.

China had planned to add at least two more monitoring stations, to come some time after the latest nuclear test. This sixth test was the largest out of North Korea and 10 times bigger than last years test blast. A potential radiation leak is a great concern to the 100 million residents of Chinas northeastern provinces. Exposure to the radioactive elements emitted in a blast could cause cancer or even death.

If it turns out that there is fallout, and some leaking that threatens northeastern China, it will likely change Chinas stance, said Zhu Feng, an expert from Nanjing University. It would need to tell people that it will keep [North Korea] under check. China is North Koreas biggest trade partner, aid donor, and investor.

Nuclear tests are conducted underneath a large mountain. The North Korean state-run news agency stiffly stated that the test went off without a problem. Theres a lot of mountain to go before you reach air, said Gibbons. But Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization head Lassina Zerbo said that a leak could spread over northeastern China and then into far eastern Russia over the week.

There is also worry that the nuclear tests could set off a volcano on the border that is known as Mount Changbai to Chinese and Mount Paektu to Koreans. Chinese locals near the Korean border are worried about the panic continued testing could create. The last test was already a huge shock.

Kim Jong Un has bragged about having the capability of reaching the United States with a nuclear-tipped ICBM. The United States has systems in place to detect any such launch, Fox New reported. Military spy satellites can pick up a heat and plume signature of a launched missile. The detection can be transferred to NORAD and to U.S. Strategic Command.

Missile defense can then be put into action by ground-based interceptors on the U.S. West Coast.

From NTD.tv
Buddhist monks demonstrate against the UN and the return of Rohingya Muslims, in Yangon, Burma, on May 27, 2015. (Jonas Gratzer/Getty Images)

Democracy Under Gunpoint in Burma

Following decades of oppression, on Aug. 25, insurgents of the Muslim Rohingya minority attacked Myanmar police at 30 of their posts across Rakhine state under the banner of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which emerged during the past year and is funded from Saudi Arabia. The attacks unleashed a horrific response from the military and forced about 420,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.

The Swedish journalist and author Bertil Lintner, who has been writing about Burma/Myanmar and Asia for nearly four decades, wrote later in the Asia Times:

The simultaneous attacks on August 25 required meticulous planning. In the months before  as many as 50 people, Muslims as well as Buddhists suspected of serving as government informants, had their throats slit or were hacked to death in order to deprive the Myanmar military of intelligence in the area Videos released by Islamist groups in Indonesia show groups of young men undergoing military training  in preparation for a jihad in Rakhine state. Massive demonstrations in support of the Rohingya have been held throughout Bangladesh, where the influx of refugees has quickly become a domestic political issue pitting the ruling Awami League against a fundamentalist-backed opposition.

Related Coverage Aung San Suu Kyi Shows Feet of Clay

Lintner noted that in October 2016 a similar clash with security forces and the subsequent response, which forced as many as 70,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh, must have led to the conclusion that an even stronger response to the more widespread attacks of Aug. 25 would result. He added that the victims of this cynical game are the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya and others who have been forced from their destroyed homes.

The timing of the attacks was no coincidence. On Aug. 24, the Advisory Commission on Rakhine state, chaired by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, released its report, accepted in full by State Counselor (a position equivalent to prime minister) Suu Kyi, suggesting peaceful ways to end the regional conflict. Rohingya, who have lived in Burma for centuries, were citizens until 1982, when legislation by the military removed citizenship, rendering them stateless and subject to forced labor and arbitrary confiscation of their property.

Burmas Cardinal Charles Maung Bo stresses that Suu Kyi has been overly criticizedsometimes mercilesslyby many over the actions of the military. He adds that even if Suu Kyis perceptions of the Rakhine situation are incorrect her own lifetime sacrifice to resurrect from the ruins of junta misrule of sixty years is a great historic achievement  In her fragile hands, she holds the dreams of millions of this country.

Bo addresses two new concerns: the rise of transnational insurgent groups and the demographic balance in Rakhine State. The government is worried that the indigenous populationalready a minority in the statewill be overwhelmed if the Rohingya are given citizenship.

He credits Suu Kyi with resurrecting the peace process between the army and various ethnic militias, and organizing two conferences to provide space for dialogue among antagonistic parties. She also began the process of seeking a solution to the situation in Rakhine State.

Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, now head of the Asia Society in New York, wrote in The New York Times (Sept 21) about the many complexities of Burma, including Nov. 2015, when Suu Kyi emerged as its democratic leader after nearly 50 years of military dictatorship:

The military denied her the title of president through a constitutional provision. And most important  the military retained vast powers beyond its 25 percent stake in Parliament. It kept absolute authority over the countrys defenses, internal security and border controland over the entire Civil Service. That distribution of power has meant that  Suu Kyi is legally prevented from directing the military or broader security forces to do anything against the wishes of the countrys supreme military commanders.

The piece notes that many criticize Suu Kyis recent speech for not attacking the military brutality in Rakhine State. But the speech did strike a delicate balance between outright criticism of the military and the political constraints she faces. She said that those guilty of human rights abuses will be dealt with under the full force of the law. Given that the military continues to hold power through the barrel of a gun, that position took courage.

Rudd adds that Suu Kyis challenge is to avoid providing hard-line generals sufficient cause to justify a coup against her democratically-elected government while also working toward solutions for the Rohingya. The military wants to undermine her in the eyes of the international community as well.

The real danger is that unless the world understands the full dimensions of the crisis, the humanitarian disaster for the Rohingya can be prolonged and democratic governance in Burma will end.

In short, much more international pressure should be focused on the real culprits, including Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, and must involve effective action by the UN Security Council, a global arms embargo, and a visa ban on senior members of the military.

David Kilgour, a lawyer by profession, served in Canadas House of Commons for almost 27 years. In Jean Chretiens Cabinet, he was secretary of state (Africa and Latin America) and secretary of state (Asia-Pacific). He is the author of several books and co-author with David Matas of Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for Their Organs.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A customer tries Alipay's facial recognition payment solution "Smile to Pay" at KFC's new KPRO restaurant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, on Sept. 1, 2017. (Stringer/Reuters)

Face and Voice Recognition Used in Chinese University Dorms

Residents at Beijing Normal Universitys student halls can open the buildings doors with their faces.

The university has been using face or voice recognition technology to verify students identities since mid-August. The technology was first trialed in the student dormitories in May.

Facial recognition technology is becoming more common in China. It has been used to withdraw cash from ATMs, to pay for your chicken at the KFC in Hangzhou and authorities even installed cameras in public toilets at Tiantan Park in Beijing to prevent toilet paper theft.

At the universitys halls of residence, students are required to swipe their university cards, then the machine scans their faces or recognizes the student saying his or her own name. If this fails, students can enter a password that is linked to their university cards, according to a report in South China Morning Post.
Participants at Intel's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Day stand in front of a poster during the event in the Indian city of Bangalore on April 4, 2017. (MANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Facebook Shut Down AI That Developed Its Own Language: Is This What Experts Have Warned About?

Concerns about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) were invigorated this week when researchers at Facebook shut down an AI program after it created its own language.

While the incident itself doesnt necessarily signify any danger, the surprising rate of AI development in recent years has experts warning about potential risks. Some even say the dangers are inevitable.

AI has been advancing by leaps and bounds, allowing for Apple Siri to write our text messages, Tesla Autopilot to cruise our highways, and Google Translate to reach a level of sophistication thats no longer funny.

Yet leading experts in the field share a concern that AI has the potential to cause harm or even to be an existential threat.

More than 8,000 people, including top AI experts, have signed an open letter urging research into ways to ensure that AI helps, rather than harms, humankind.

Here are the major AI pitfalls they warn about, as well as some misconceptions the public has about AI.

Loss of Privacy

AI would be able to create increasingly detailed and precise profiles of people based on their personal data, accelerating the loss of privacy dramatically.

People Intentionally Making AI Do Evil

This is a legitimate and serious concern. Experts are generally opposed to development of AI-powered weapons. Even though robots may prevent some bloodshed by getting crushed on the battlefield instead of humans, experts worry that development of weaponized AI could start a global arms race. The problem is, even if the civilized world bans lethal AI, terrorists and unscrupulous regimes, like those of China and North Korea, may still develop it secretly. It may also be difficult to convince the public that AI weapons can be made impervious to hacking.

AI Causing Harm Unintentionally

This is a rather widespread concern. An AI may misinterpret what we want from it and thus cause damage. Even if it understands the order correctly in the literal sense, it could lead to unforeseen consequences. For example, if one were ordered to protect trees, it may simply exterminate beavers.

AI Causing Harm Indirectly

Many experts believe an AI matching human intelligence could be a mere 30-40 years away, and that theres no reason to believe it couldnt surpass our intelligence.

If you assume any rate of advancement in AI, we will be left behind by a lot, said Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, at the Recodes Code Conference 2016.

We would be so far below them in intelligence that we would be like a pet, he said. Well be like the house cat.

Once AI reaches a certain level, where it would be less fallible than the average human, people may defer more and more decisions to AI, gradually losing the ability to perform those tasks and make those decisions ourselves.

Many experts also worry about what would happen to people whose roles in society are displaced by AI.

Computers Turning Malevolent

AI professionals actually arent worried about this one. However intelligent computers may get, experts dont expect to see them getting angry, resentful, or otherwise display genuine emotion.

Robots Taking Over the Earth

While AI-powered robots are definitely being developed, with some appearing intimidating, experts are much more concerned about AI wreaking havoc on our civilization through the internet than through a mechanoid invasion.

Solution

Hundreds of experts agreed on a core set of principles that should govern AI development to prevent it from going awry. The principles were developed in conjunction with the 2017 Asilomar conference.

However, some of the principles may be hard, or even impossible, to put in practice.

A key principle, for example, demands AI be developed in accordance with human values. But who decides what those values should be, and which value gets higher or lower priority? Or will AI only follow the values everybody agrees upon?

Another principle stipulates that the economic prosperity created by AI should be shared broadly, to benefit all of humanity. But what does that mean? Is it a call for government confiscation of profits from AI? Or is it a pledge of AI developers and investors to donate their profits?

AI experts acknowledge they dont have answers to many such questions. They do, however, seem to agree on the questions that need to be answered before we flip the switch on advanced AI.
A picture of encrypted messaging service Telegram is seen during a news conference after Indonesian authorities blocked access to some Telegram channels in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 17, 2017 this photo taken by Antara Foto. Picutre taken July 17, 2017. (Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja via Reuters)

Indonesia to Lift Ban on Telegram Message Service Over Security

JAKARTAIndonesia and encrypted messaging service Telegram have agreed to establish better procedures to stamp out distribution of terrorist propaganda on the platform, the apps founder and the communications minister said on Tuesday.

Indonesia, home to the worlds largest Muslim population, has seen a resurgence in home-grown radicalism, and worries about the growing influence of the ISIS terrorist group.

Telegram is a messaging platform believed to be popular with ISIS sympathizers, who use chatrooms with hundreds of members, besides holding private conversations.

Indonesian authorities blocked access to some Telegram channels last month, saying it had several forums that were full of radical and terrorist propaganda.

We have discussed ways to block publicly available propaganda of terrorism on Telegram, which is something we have committed to do globally, and particularly in Indonesia, app founder Pavel Durov told a joint news conference with the minister.

Durov said the two had agreed to set up better lines of communication, because Telegram was not aware of email requests from the ministry to take down some channels.

It could take about 24 to 36 hours for the app to shut down public channels with terrorism content, but a direct communication line to Indonesian authorities would allow it to shut them down more efficiently within several hours, he said.

Durov has formed a team of Indonesian speakers, he added.

Once a standard operating procedure has been agreed, the government would free up operations of Telegram in Indonesia, said Communications Minister Rudiantara.

Once all the technicalities are done, we can remove the blockage, added the minister, who uses one name, like many Indonesians.

Indonesia had blocked 11 of Telegrams Domain Name Systems(DNS) for its web-based service on July 14 and these would be reopened this week, the ministry said in a statement.

Many messaging apps, such as Whatsapp and Telegram, offer end-to-end encryption from sender to recipient, which blocks even the companies providing the platform from seeing messages.

Security officials in some countries have complained that such apps provide a safe space for militants to communicate with each other. Several governments, including those of Australia and Britain, have urged technology companies to do more to help security agencies thwart threats.
Its Jail and Hard Labor for School Bullies in Chinese Pilot Program

A program in China is sending school bullies to jail, and sentencing them to hard labor.

The courts in China are working with the schools on a pilot program for young bullies. Girls aged 15 to 17 are going through the program with the Tongzhou District Peoples Court, BBC reported. A local Chinese paper said a student was convicted and sentenced to one year and 10 months.

Part of the hard labor sentence puts them on a tough military training regimen. Schools then assess whether or not to let the student return, or be expelled for good.

The program has created an uproar across social media. Some social media users have commented that bullying is an epidemic in China and does need to be tackled, and that even the current punishment pilot programs are too lenient.

One user said the practice of electroconvulsive therapy would be better. Electroconvulsive therapy is the controversial practice in China of using severe electric shocks to break a teen out of internet addiction. The person who undergoes the treatment experiences seizures at the application of the electricity.

Another social media user mentioned that hard punishments are needed since the families are not teaching the children any better. Some commenters think the training will lead to the opposite effect and create more ferocious bullies.

Chinese social media has been plagued with extremely violent bullying video posts. One video shows a gang of girls holding steel pipes. They use the pipes to viciously beat another group of girls. In fact, the majority of the violent incidents caught on video involve girls beating, abusing, or torturing other girls. In some cases, the victim is humiliated by having her clothes torn off in public to go along with the public beating, Whats on Weibo reported.

Other videos even show middle school students kicking their teacher during class. The violent videos are posted in an incessant stream, overwhelming users of the Weibo social media platform. The videos also spread on video hosting platforms Youku or Miaopai. Users also see the videos on the WeChat platform. The videos fall into three categories of student on student, student on teacher, or student vandalism of school property.

The reason extreme bullying is a growing issue in China is because it hasnt been taken very seriously. Its culturally not seen as a serious issue, according to Whats on Weibo.

Chinese politicians are being forced to look into the issue and dish out legal consequences. But the military boot camps and hard labor in jail may just compound the issue. It doesnt directly deal with the values that have made such behavior a widespread phenomenon.

From NTD.tv
Bottles of reformulated "100% Natural" 7Up soda are displayed by Cadbury Schweppes at the National Restaurant Association's annual trade show May 23, 2006 in Chicago, Ill. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Meth-Laced 7Up Found in Mexico, US Health Officials Issue Warning

Methamphetamine-laced 7Up soft drinks that somehow made their way onto shelves in Mexico have caused one death and sickened several more.

The tainted drinks were found in Baja California, a Mexican state, where its health department confirmed the reports. The drinks have now been removed from stores as a precaution, Fox News reported.

The manufacturers of the drink have also been notified of the incident. More than 77,000 individual containers of 7Up have been secured at a Mexican plant belonging to PepsiCo.

Mexican authorities are currently investigating how the drug got into the soda, according to a news release by the Baja California Health Department and also from a Facebook post from the Baja attorney general on Monday, Sept. 25.

Because of this recent incident, U.S. health experts are warning travelers planning to go to Mexico to pay extra attention and be vigilant during travel.

Banner Health, a medical department in the United States that operates 28 hospitals across six U.S. states warned citizens in a news release to make sure both food and drink are safe before consuming.

It is important to check that the seal for any food and drink consumed is still intact and show no signs of tampering, said Dr. Daniel Brooks, Banner Poison and Drug Information Center medical director.

If you notice any difference in color, taste or smell, throw it out, Brooks warned.

According to Banner Health, side effects from soft drink contamination can happen suddenly and could cause life-threatening illness.

Symptoms from the soft drink contamination may include:

Irritation of, or abnormal taste in, the mouth our throat

Burning to the esophagus or abdomen

Nausea or vomiting

Difficulty breathing

Fast or irregular heart beat

A spokesman for the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which manufactures 7Up in the United States told AZ Central that American consumers should not be worried about the contamination.

None of the 7Up products sold in the U.S. are affected by the issue being reported in Mexico, Barnes said. Dr Pepper Snapple owns and licenses the 7Up brand only in the U.S. and its territories. We do not market, sell, or distribute the brand internationally.

The recent incident involving meth-laced 7Up comes just months after the U.S. State Department warned travelers to Mexico about reports of tainted alcohol at certain Mexican resort locations. The warning comes after a 20-year-old college student from Wisconsin was found dead after consuming alcohol on a family trip to Playa Del Carmen earlier in 2017.

In January, Abbey Conner, 20, was having drinks with her brother at the all-inclusive Iberostar Hotel and Resort Paraiso Del Mar just south of Playa del Carmen in Mexico when both of them blacked out. They were later found face-down in the resorts pool. The brother survived.

According to the U.S. State Departments website, the warning states: There have been allegations that consumption of tainted or substandard alcohol has resulted in illness or blacking out. If you choose to drink alcohol, it is important to do so in moderation and to stop and seek medical attention if you begin to feel ill.

People who consume drinks or food suspected to have been contaminated in any manner should immediately contact the Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222.

From NTD.tv
The northern lights show off in Unstad, Lofoten, Norway on Sept. 22, 2015. (Mats Grimsth / Red Bull Content Pool)

Natures Free Light Show

Nows the perfect time to get up close and personal with the Northern Lights.

The Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, are a natural phenomenon that light up the night sky most notably in the Arctic region.

The dazzling spectacle  akin to a free laser show  is a hypnotic dance of colours which can be seen in a range of places from northern parts of Canada and Alaska to Scandinavia and Iceland.

So what is this phenomenon and how exactly does it take shape in the skies above?

In short, they are in effect collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun entering the earths atmosphere, and come in an array of colours: red, yellow, green, blue and violet.

It also visually adds as the perfect backdrop for a photoshoot, as Christophe Tack found out ahead of Red Bull Ragnarok, the toughest snowkite event in the world in 2015.

An array of cyclists used it for a night-time photoshoot the previous year in Norway while Horacio Llorens last year created a dazzling array of images as he flew through the Aurora Borealis in Troms, also in Norway the following year.





But its not all about the sky, the dazzling skyscape lighting up the seas below as Australian Mick Fanning surfed in the icy waters in December.




North Korea Is Trying to Build Mobile ICBMs and Submarine Missiles

North Koreas military parades have inspired many laughs in the past among weapons experts. They have featured soldiers carrying World War II-era weapons, special forces troops with non-combat sunglasses, and mobile missiles with their warheads on crooked.

Yet the weapons programs of the communist regime arent as backward as some would imagineand this is mainly due to weapons and technologies it has obtained from other nations, which have helped jump-start its nuclear programs.

When North Korea recently fired ballistic missiles over Japan, it released images showing a Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) that was provided by the Chinese regime. Reuters reported that the first launch was likely from a TEL. These launchers are nothing to scoff at, as they are technologies that even the United States has not developed for intercontinental ballistic missiles.

They give the rogue regime the ability to keep their nuclear weapons mobile, and the ability to fire nuclear warheads with little warning.

These TELs are actually critically important. Without them, the North Koreans would not be able to launch surprise nuclear attacks on the United States or our allies, said Richard Fisher, a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

By supplying North Korea with the launchers, Fisher said, the Chinese Communist Party had a direct hand in helping North Korea to have the capability to launch surprise nuclear strikes. He noted that when China shipped the TELs to North Korea around 2011, the exchange was monitored by Japanese, South Korean, and North American satellites.

Fisher noted that while the United States has TELs for weapons such as artillery rockets and short-range ballistic missiles, it does not have the transport vehicles for medium- or long-range ballistic missiles.

We dont have the larger 16-wheel TELs that Russia, China, North Korea, or Pakistan have for their missiles, he said.

According to Fisher, while North Korea has not yet been able to place an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on a TEL, it did display a TEL capable of this during a recent parade, with a placeholder cold-launch tube loaded on top.

The solid fuel three-stage ICBM from North Korea is not quite ready, but by putting the tube on top of the TEL, the North Koreans are telling us theyre on the way, he said.

North Koreas Next Goals

North Korea isnt conducting its tests of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in a haphazard manner. Its tests have instead followed a clear course.

According to Willliam Triplett, a veteran of the Reagan White House and the American intelligence community, the North Korean regime released a critical image after the launch from a TEL of a missile that flew over Japan, showing its missile crew standing on the TEL after the weapon had been fired. This suggests, he said, that the TEL was able to survive the launch.

Triplett said, If in fact they now have the capability to run these things over highways and just stop and shoot at that moment, that makes it much more difficult for us to take them out.

He noted the latest launch is part of a series of developments that North Korea appears to have made, and this pattern also shows what its next plans likely are.

Watching the developments in North Korea, he said the next logical step would be for it to test a hydrogen bomb in the ocean, then to launch a missile from a submarine.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has already said he plans to test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean, although Triplett said the new sanctions on North Korea that President Donald Trump pressed for may damage its plans.

If North Korea is able to move forward with the test, however, Triplett said, Then the next step of course is a submarine launchthen take it off the coast of Baja California.

North Korea already has several Soviet-era submarines, including models capable of firing ballistic missiles. It is currently developing its own versions of these submarines.

It acquired these rusted Soviet submarines in the 1990s, and they included Golf Class submarines. Fisher noted this model was capable of launching up to three submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and at least one of them was still loaded with its ballistic missiles.

North Korea could have also worked very hard to copy or to reverse engineer the Russian ballistic missile launching submarine, but in addition, China had the last Golf submarine in service until around 2012, and had 30 years of experience maintaining and upgrading that submarine, he said.

Fisher noted that Chinas history of supporting North Korea could mean the Chinese Communist Party has aided North Koreas development or restoration of its submarines.

North Korea, he said, is reportedly close to launching two larger-class ballistic missile submarines, possibly 3,000-ton submarines, which could be the same size as the Soviet Golf class.
A launch test of North Koreas intermediate-range ballistic missile Hwasong-12 at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang, in a photo released by North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency on Aug. 30. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

North Koreas Nuclear Weapons Tied to Network of Rogue States

China suspected of being key power enabling rogue network behind the scenes

North Koreas nuclear weapons programs cannot be viewed as merely the actions of a single rogue state. Many of its programs have signs of foreign financing, its technology is provided by other nations, and it is part of a network of rogue states that are collectively advancing their nuclear weapons capabilities.

The communist regime in North Korea is working closely with Iran, Syria, and Pakistan on their nuclear and chemical weapons programs. Russia and other nations have provided technology to aid their development of nuclear weapons, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has facilitated and supported the overall programs.

What China has done is create an unholy proliferation cooperation network, said Richard Fisher, a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center. The Chinese have helped Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea to different degrees.

The CCP provides different technologies to each nation to assist in their nuclear weapons programs; and North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran will then share this technologyand add their advancements to itamong themselves.

The Chinese only need to make discreet material contributions, but all three will eventually benefit from it, Fisher said.

Former CCP leader Jiang Zemin fostered and, through his political faction, has maintained relations with North Korea. Relations between current Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are relatively tense, and Xi has signaled to the Trump administration he will support harsh sanctions on North Korea.

A leaked State Department cable from Feb. 24, 2010, revealed that in 2005, North Korea shipped 19 ballistic missiles to Iran, which, for the first time, gave Iran the ability to strike capitals in Western Europe.

The Hwasong-10 missile, also known as the BM-25 or Musudan, was first seen in a North Korean military parade in October 2010, and the North Korean regime tested it in June 2016. According to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, the medium-range ballistic missile has an estimated range of over 2,000 miles, and its design was based on the Soviet SS-N-6 submarine-launched missiles.

Fisher noted that when Iran recently tested a ballistic missile, many defense experts believed the launch was of a BM-25, although he noted the available imagery was not strong enough to give definite proof.

After Iran fired the missile, President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on Sept. 23, Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!

Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea.Not much of an agreement we have!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

According to Fisher, North Korea and Pakistan are cooperating. North Korea and Iran have been cooperating on missiles. China also remains a principle potential source of such funding.

But it is just monumentally bizarre, he added, that a country as rock-bottom poor as North Korea has such a sophisticated and broad strategic weapons program.

Hidden Nuclear Alliance

Rogue states work closely with each other on their programs to build nuclear weapons, and North Korea is merely one of the players in this system, noted Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, at a March 2014 hearing of the Asia Subcommittee of the House foreign affairs committee.

Klingner said analysts have frequently underestimated North Koreas nuclear and missile programs, believing that the backward nation would be incapable of such developments. He notes, however, that this analysis overlooks North Koreas shared research programs with other nations.

As an example, he noted North Koreas lengthy collaborative nuclear and missile relationship with Pakistan and that the regime in Islamabad already has nuclear warheads and missiles able to carry them.

Part of North Koreas deal with Pakistan, Klingner said, is that North Korean scientists have provided critical assistance to Islamabads missile programs, and in return, Pakistan has provided North Korea with uranium-based nuclear weapon expertise, technology, and components.

As an example, he noted an exchange exposed in March 2004 in which A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistans nuclear weapons program, provided a nuclear package deal to Pyongyang including warhead designs, centrifuges, and nuclear fuel. In exchange for Pakistans assistance, North Korea assisted Pakistan by fitting a nuclear warhead onto its Ghauri missile.

Klingner said the warhead design may have been the same one Khan provided to Libya, which was exposed in February 2004, and contained detailed, step-by-step instructions to produce a Chinese-designed nuclear warhead that would be deliverable by North Koreas No Dong missile.

He noted that North Korea has also shown no hesitation in providing Syria with nuclear and chemical weapon technologies and has similarly worked with Iran on its nuclear and missile programswhile also assisting Iran in supplying the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah with weapons.

According to William Triplett, a veteran of the Reagan White House and the American intelligence community, its important to remember that when North Korea obtains foreign weapons or technology, someone is paying for it and someone is helping with the shipments.

Triplett said that when military equipment is flown between North Korea and Iran, you cannot fly an airplane from Pyongyang to Tehran without stopping in a military airport in China.

In the 1970s, he noted, the United States sold a 747-F freight airplane to Iran and sold C-130 planes to Iran and Pakistan. These airplanes have been spotted in North Korean airfields.

He also noted reports from August saying that either Ukraine or Russia had sold rocket engines to North Korea. Whatever it was, somebody had to pay them for it, and it got from point A to point B, he said.

Another key issue to keep in mind, Triplett said, is that while the North Korean regime is extremely poor and many of its people are starving, every rocket it launches into the ocean costs around $30 million. All that stuff is expensive. Somebody is paying for it, he said, adding that all roads have led back to the CCP.

China recently agreed to sanction North Korea, but in the past it has been a key supplier of weapons and technology used by Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea.

For the CCP, North Korea is a proxy to engage in a pseudo-nuclear Cold War with the United States, according to Fisher, who said the CCP has also been using other rogue states for similar purposes.

China has turned Pakistan into a nuclear missile state in order to assist its neutralization of India, and China turns Iran into a nuclear missile state to benefit from that instability as well, he said. China has managed to become a major arms supplier in the Middle East because other nations want to defend themselves against Iran, which was made powerful by China.
Rare Monkey Rediscovered After 80 Years in Remote Amazonian Region

Researchers traveled to the depths of the Amazon and found a monkey species that hadnt been seen in 80 years.

Saki monkey expert Laura Marsh was looking for anything that could lead her to the rare Vanzolini saki. She has been studying saki monkeys for 10 years. In 2014, she already identified five new species of saki, but the Vanzolini remained elusive.

Marsh and an international team of primatologists, photographers, drone operators, conservationists, and local guides set out to find the Vanzolini bald-faced saki. They set out in a small, two-story houseboat on the Eiru River, close to the border between Brazil and Peru, as National Geographic reported.

The teams main mission was to find the monkey, but it was also there to research the biodiversity of that little-explored region of the Amazon. They planned to spend four months there.

Marsh first spotted the monkey after only four days into her trip, she cried. It was fantastic, she said to National Geographic. I was trembling and so excited I could barely take a picture.

Vanzolini sakis were first seen in 1936 by Ecuadorian naturalist Alfonso Ollala. That was also the last sighting of the monkeys alive. Vanzolini saki monkeys are unique in that their long, bushy tails are not prehensile like other monkeys. Their arms and legs are covered in gold fur. They use their hands and feet to get around on trees in a way that resembles cats. Although the monkey has a unique appearance, scientist still need to determine its genetic peculiarities, now that it has again been seen.

Marsh will eventually determine the proper label for the monkeys population status for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. According to National Geographic she will likely choose threatened, but must first analyze how actively the species is hunted.

Large primates are eaten by locals. Their rainforest habitat often falls to development, agriculture, or cattle ranching. If it just stayed at this level of impact right now, Marsh said, in a Mongabay article, its not ideal for the conservation of Vanzolini populations, but at the end of the day its not killing the entire species because humans simply cant get at them all.

Marsh observed that hunting, even in this wild, remote region, is a big issue.

I have never seen people constantly with guns, Marsh said. Fishing and hunting in every little corner. Large birds were rare. Forest birds were gone  All of the Amazon is not homogeneous. Our little corner has special animals and new species.

The Amazon is a high priority for conservationists, since it contains 10 percent of the worlds biodiversity. But as the population shifts and Amazonian cities grow, protecting the region becomes more challenging. Logging restrictions are also difficult to enforce.

From NTD.tv
Report: Saudi King Issues Decree Allowing Women to Drive

RIYADHSaudi King Salman on Tuesday ordered that women be allowed to drive cars, state media said, ending the conservative Islamic kingdoms status as the only country where that is forbidden.

The royal decree ordered the formation of a ministerial body to give advice within 30 days and then implement the order by June 2018, according to state news agency SPA.

It stipulated that the move must apply and adhere to the necessary Sharia standards, without providing details, and said a majority of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars had approved its permissibility.

Saudi Arabia has been widely criticized for being the only country in the world that bans women from driving, despite ambitious government targets to increase their public role, especially in the workforce.

Women in the kingdom are also bound by law to wear long robes and a headscarf and require the consent of a male guardian for most legal actions.

The kingdom has been opening more areas for women through the governments modernizing reforms, which have sparked tensions with influential clerics upon whose support the ruling family relies.

The United States on Tuesday welcomed Saudi King Salmans order, reported by Saudi state media, allowing women to drive cars.

We would certainly welcome that, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. Its a great step in the right direction for that country. According to Saudi state news agency SPA, a royal decree ordered the formation of a ministerial body to provide advice within 30 days and to implement the order by June 2018.

Stephen Kalin and Arshad Mohammed
Kosher is widely interpreted as meaning pure, and many think kosher slaughter is better or more humane than traditional methods. But ritual slaughter is capable of causing great suffering, says animal expert Temple Grandin. Some plants use cruel methods of restraint, such as suspending a conscious animal by a chain wrapped around one hind-limb. In more progressive plants, the animal is placed in a restrainer that holds it in a comfortable, upright position, she writes.

Most large cattle slaughter plants are using more comfortable methods of restraint, but there are still some plant managers who have no regard for animal welfare, continues Grandin about kosher slaughter. They persist in hanging large cattle and veal calves upside down by one hind-leg. There is no religious justification for use of this cruel method of restraint. The plants that suspend cattle/calves by one hind-leg do so in order to avoid paying the cost of installing a humane restraint device. Humane restraint devices can often pay for themselves by improving employee safety.

Ritual slaughter isnt about religious freedom at all but about cruelty to animals.

In both kosher (sanctioned by Jewish law) and halal (sanctioned by Islamic law) slaughter, cattle, sheep, goats, and other animals have their throats cut while fully conscious. Because they are not stunned or otherwise rendered insensate, their consciousness can be prolonged for over 60 seconds, even though the laws, Grandin notes, were devised to minimize cruelty. Almost half of cattle that are hoisted and shackled bellow loudly, according to one study, and in some cases, those vocalizations can be heard outside the building, writes Grandin.

Related Coverage Poland Court Bans Kosher, Halal Slaughtering

Ritual slaughter is illegal in New Zealand, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian and Baltic countries. In 2011, the Dutch parliament voted to approve a ban on kosher and halal slaughter pending Senate approval. There are over one million Muslims and 52,000 fifty-two Jewish in the Netherlands. Both groups opposed the proposed ban as a direct attack. This is not about animal rights, said Joe M. Regenstein, a professor of food science who runs a kosher and halal food program at Cornell University. Its an invitation to Jews and Muslims to leave.

But animal advocates say the opposite: Ritual slaughter isnt about religious freedom at all but about cruelty to animals.

Former actress, sex symbol, and animal rights advocate Brigitte Bardot is a strong critic of ritual slaughter and the holiday Eid al-Adha, during which Muslims ritually slaughter sheep and other animals, often in public. 1,000 sheep were slaughtered last month only 300 yards from my house, she lamented to the Washington Post, asking when the French government would enforce its stunning laws, which are similar to those in the United States.

U.S. Laws

Hubert Humphrey is remembered as a civil rights leader and voice during the Vietnam War, but he spearheaded the drafting and passage of the 1958 Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, which requires animals to be made insensitive to pain before being shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast or cut.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the act and remarked that if I depended on my mail, I would think humane slaughter is the only thing anyone is interested in. Guess who opposed the act? The United States Department of Agriculture.

Humphrey wanted humane slaughter to be the law of the land, but a compromise was forced in 1958, making it only a condition of doing business with the federal government. In 1978, the year Humphrey died, Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) strengthened the law to make it mandatory for the nation, except for religious slaughter. Senator Dole was also instrumental in passing the 1985 Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act. Few realized Doles strong animal advocacy when he ran for President in 1996.

Whether or not an animal is properly stunned and insensible to pain is easy to determine, writes Grandin whose guidelines Animal Welfare and Humane Slaughter are widely observed in the nations slaughterhouses.

In the United States, the sale of kosher meat has escalated through the perception that it is somehow comparable to organic meat. And, even though some Jews and Muslims might be bitter enemies, meat is one thing they agree on: Muslims often substitute kosher foods when their own ritually produced and certified halal foods are not available, reports the Sioux City Journal.

Martha Rosenberg is author of the award-cited food expose Born With a Junk Food Deficiency, distributed by Random House. A nationally known muckraker, she has lectured at the university and medical school level and appeared on radio and television.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Epoch Times.
Russia Test-Fires Massive ICBM: Reports

Russia has test-fired its Topol intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) equipped with a new, advanced warhead, state media reported.

The RS-12M Topol launch was carried out at the Kapustin Yar range in Russias southern Astrakhan Region and the warhead hit its target in a range in Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry told the state-run TASS.

Strategic Missile Force carried out a test launch of Topol ICBM from Kapustin Yar https://t.co/QuXbClU1js pic.twitter.com/nMXs5BeoUo  russiamilitarywatch (@russiamilitaryw) September 26, 2017

A combat union of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile Topol RS-12M from the Kapustin Yar state central range in the Astrakhan region, a Defense Ministry spokesman told TASS. The goal of the launch was to test advanced ballistic missile warheads.

The data collected in the Topol launch will be used to develop anti-missile penetration aids, the ministry added.

The RS-12M Topol is a single-warhead ICBM that entered service in 1985. It has a maximum range of 6,125 miles with a yield of 550 kilotons.

Last week, the Russian Strategic Missile Force tested its modern Yars ICBM. A week before that, the military carried out another Yars missile launch.

In October, Russia will test its RS-28 Sarmat super-heavy thermonuclear missile, known by NATO as the SS-X-30 Satan 2, state-run TASS reported.

Top photo credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son at the 2017 Mobile World Congress in Feb. in Barcelona. (Luis Gene/AFP/Getty Images)

SoftBanks Massive $100 Billion Vision Fund Throws Its Weight Around

Masayoshi Son, the larger-than-life billionaire and chief executive of Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, doesnt do anything small.

When Son announced in May that hes raising $100 billion for a funddubbed the Vision Fundto invest in technology companies, the investment community was taken aback. Is it a private-equity buyout fund? Is it a venture capital fund? What will it invest in?

The funds sheer size is staggering. In May, it closed on $93 billion in capital, and Son expects the fund to reach the $100 billion mark by end of the year. That dwarfs any private equity or venture capital (VC) fund ever raised in history.

Even its list of backers is impressive. Besides SoftBank, which is contributing $28 billion, investors include sovereigns Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, corporations including Apple, Foxconn, and Qualcomm, and influential individuals such as Oracle founder Larry Ellison.

The drive to invest $100 billion in emerging technology comes from Sons belief in the so-called computing singularity, or a point at which artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence. I totally believe this concept, he said regarding singularity at the 2017 Mobile World Congress this year in Barcelona, according to TechCrunch. If superintelligence goes inside the moving device, then the world, our lifestyle, dramatically changes.

Son talked about the fund in awe-inspiring, if ambiguous, terms. Surpassing the typical scope of VC funds, the Vision Fund will help build and grow businesses creating the foundational platforms of the next stage of the Information Revolution by funding companies with the potential to address the biggest challenges and risks facing humanity today, Son announced at the funds first close.

Three months and a few deals later, SoftBank and Sons vision and strategy are coming into focus. The size, scope, and unconventional investment style have the potential to disrupt the technology and VC industry for years to come.

Working With WeWork

On Aug. 24, Son executed a $4.4 billion deal with office space sharing startup WeWork.

SoftBank and Vision Funds complicated investment and joint-venture deal with WeWork provides a glimpse of how Son plans to deploy his massive war chest and augment his existing business.

The deal has two parts. Vision Fund is investing $3 billion to buy direct shares of WeWork, with a post-investment valuation of $20 billion, people close to the deal told the Financial Times on Aug. 25.

Separately, SoftBank itself is contributing another $1.4 billion to form a series of new joint ventures with WeWork to expand its office-sharing operations into China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

WeWork has 214 buildings in 52 cities and leases temporary office space to established corporations and startups. It has its own list of qualified backers such as veteran VC fund Benchmark Capital.

The deal is unusual in the world of VC investing. Vision Funds $3 billion singular investment into one company is already one of the largest deals of the year, given that most VC funds dont exceed $10 billion in total assets. In addition, SoftBanks joint venture with WeWork to do business together is rare for a VC sponsor.

The Long View

At first glance, the WeWork deal is puzzling because it isnt the type of business the Vision Fund is targetingits not in robotics, automation, or artificial intelligence.

Neither is Indias leading e-commerce site, Flipkart. Vision Fund invested in Flipkart as part of a $1.4 billion financing round this summer. While the amount of the investment was not disclosed, the deal was the biggest ever private investment into an Indian technology startup.

Some of its other holdings do fit the artificial intelligence narrative. During the second quarter, SoftBank transferred its 4.9 percent stake in chipmaker and leading artificial-intelligence developer Nvidia Corp. to Vision Fund. The Financial Times reported that Vision Fund earlier this year bought a 25 percent stake in mobile chipmaker Arm Holdings, which had been acquired by SoftBank last year for more than $30 billion.

In July, Vision Fund led a $200 million Series B funding round into Plenty, a San Francisco-based agriculture technology startup. In the same month, it also invested $112 million into Brain Corp., a San Diego-based startup focused on self-driving technologies.

In assembling an eclectic portfolio of assets under the Vision Fund, Son could be building the 21st-century version of a keiretsu, a group of companies with interlocking ownership and business interests.

[Masayoshi Son] just wants to do bigger, bolder things. He looks at a 300-year vision, or a 50-year vision. He doesnt do things with a three-month, six-month, or nine-month process, former SoftBank President Nikesh Arora told Bloomberg.

Hes out there busy sowing the seeds for creating this cohesive information revolution.

The exact time when the so-called information revolution, or singularity, would arrive is unknown. But SoftBank is accumulating a diverse mix of companies embracing such a change. If the future is data-driven, then there need to be systems to process data, and artificial intelligence to act upon data, as well as governance tools to control and guide such intelligence.

Son could be building the 21st-century version of a keiretsu.

Because such a future is still years away, Son needs enough of a capital cushion and a diversified portfolio to withstand eventual failures.

The man Son tasked with spending $100 billion is Rajeev Misra, a technology industry outsider. Misra was head of the fixed income desk at Deutsche Bank in the 2000s. Deutsches fixed income desk was known for placing large contrarian bets by traders such as Greg Lippmann, who was famously portrayed in the 2015 film The Big Short for betting against subprime mortgage-related securities.

Misra and his well-connected, Wall Street-trained team will look to boost discipline and quantitative analysis to augment Sons brash, from-the-gut investing style. In an oft-repeated anecdote, Son decided to back Jack Ma only five minutes after meeting him. Sons conviction ultimately paid off, when his $20 million investment in Alibaba turned into more than $50 billion after Alibaba went public in 2014.

This Is Crazy

The Vision Fund also has an unusual structure for a fund.

For each $1 outside investorsexcept SoftBankcontribute, they receive 38 cents in equity and 62 cents in preferred units. The preferred units are debt-like, with a 12-year term and 7 percent annual interest. This structure enables investors to receive a 7 percent return on most of their capital, while only a minority portion of their outlay is at risk in the form of equity. The structure was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Howard Marks, co-founder of Oaktree Capital, thinks Vision Fund investors are getting a raw deal. That means when the fund reaches $100 billion, SoftBank will have put up only 28 percent of the capital but will own 50 percent of the equity, Marks wrote in a memo to investors July 27. Adding in management fees and carried interest, its 28 percent of the capital may give it 60 to 70 percent of the gains.

Some startup investors are also uncomfortable with Vision Funds scope, investment size, and unconventional style. It has the potential to disrupt the VC industry, the fundamentals of which havent changed for decades.

Especially puzzling to industry experts is SoftBanks hybrid investment style. Most buyout funds focused on established companies, whereas most VC funds focus on early-stage startups. The Vision Fund dispenses with such conventions.

And that has the potential to perpetuate the existing asset bubble in startup tech companies.

Most [VC] investors are thinking this is insane. This is crazy, Mangrove Capital CEO Mark Tluszcz told Business Insider. Now theyre no longer the big boys on the block and theyre going to have to adjust themselves.

Its going to drive up prices, and theyre moaning about it.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside students, members of congress, and his Administration before signing a memorandum to expand access to STEM education in the Oval Office at the White House on Sep. 25, 2017. (Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Trump Signs Presidential Memorandum Boosting Computer Science Education

President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Monday that will boost education in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects.

The workplace is changing. We need to create new pathways for all our citizens to get the best jobs, Trump said at an event in the Oval Office, where he was joined by students.

The memorandum directs the Department of Education to increase the availability in STEM education for K-12 and post-secondary students by increasing the number of highly qualified STEM teachers. It also establishes a goal of $200 million in spending each year to achieve the improvement in STEM education.

According to Code.org, 40 percent of schools currently do not teach computer science, even though 90 percent of parents want their children to study it. According to the nonprofit, there are currently 500,000 computing job openings, and the job category is expected to increase at twice the rate of other jobs.

According to the presidential memorandum, minorities and students in rural communities are more disadvantaged, with nationwide only 34 percent of African American students and 30 percent of rural high school students having access to computer science classes.

In his remarks, Trump said that out of the STEM subjects, computer science is especially important now.

Greater access to STEM and computer science programs will ensure that our children can develop the skills they need to compete and to win in the workforce of tomorrow, he said.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said that the initiative will give students more opportunities to pursue what they are interested in, and give them better opportunities for their futures.

Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter and adviser, has been overseeing the White Houses efforts for workforce development.

Need for Skilled Workers

A survey of 18,000 employers around the world in 43 countries conducted earlier this year shows that 1 in 5 employers expects technological disruption to increase jobs. According to the ManpowerGroup, the new technologies require increasingly specialized skills for employees.

The U.S. university system is not currently pumping out enough qualified science, technology, engineering, and math degree students. Our economy needs these talents, said Charles Foster, chairman of Foster LLP, an immigration law firm headquartered in Houston, in an interview with The Epoch Times in April.

Chairman and CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra, said in a statement that she supports the presidents decision to direct the Department of Education to prioritize high-quality STEM and computer science.

This is a great step in ensuring we are giving our kids the skills necessary for new technology jobs, she said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the labor participation rate is currently only 62.9 percent. However, a total of 6.2 million jobs were available as of July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Our country is facing a challenge that it hasnt had to address in two generations: reworking the education system to keep pace with advancing technology, said Microsoft President Brad Smith, in a statement.

In the 1950s, the race to space drove schools to start teaching physics. Today, its all about computer science, said Smith.
An airplane themed restaurant is seen damaged by mudslides and winds in Barranquitas, southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 24, 2017, following the passage of Hurricane Maria. (RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump to Visit Hurricane Devastated Puerto Rico Next Week

WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will travel to Puerto Rico next week to survey damage from Hurricane Maria.

Trump said he cant travel sooner than Oct. 3.

Its the earliest I can go because of the first responders and we dont want to disrupt the relief efforts, he said. The island is devastated  its literally destroyed.

Maria flipped the tops off buildings, knocked out phones and electricity across the island, and turned low-lying roads into swollen rivers awash with debris.

Puerto Ricos medical services are in critical condition in the wake of the hurricane.

The strongest storm to hit the island in decades has left hospitals flooded, strewn with rubble and dependent on diesel generators to keep the neediest patients alive.

Trump said federal authorities are dropping off relief supplies on an hourly basis.

He pledged to provide 100 percent federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, for 180 days.

But that island was hit as hard as you could hit, he said. People have never seen anything like that, and it was dead center  Dont forget a week before it had been hit by another hurricane.

FEMA administrator Brock Long and Senior Advisor to the Department of Homeland Security Tom Bossert arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday to assess the damage.

Trump said the islands infrastructure was already in bad shape in Puerto Rico before the storm.

And now in many cases it has no infrastructure. So youre really starting from almost scratch, he said.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authoritys (PREPA) grid was so severely hit by the storm that it could be months before electricity is restored to all customers. Making matters worse, PREPA has been in bankruptcy since July.

Trump reiterated his commitment to helping Puerto Ricans rebuild. The U.S. territory is home to 3.4 million residents, who are American citizens.

These are wonderful people. They are hardy people and theyll be back. But were helping them, he said.

Trump said at a press conference later in the day that he will also visit the Virgin Islands.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Sept. 25 that there has been an unprecedented push-through of billions of dollars in federal assistance that the administration has fought for.

Sanders said the focus was still on lifesaving efforts and immediate disaster-response efforts.

And once we have greater insight into the full assessment of damage, then well be able to determine what additional funds are needed, she said.

The devastation will also hurt the islands tourism.

Travel and tourism had grown from 7.3 percent of GDP in 2014 to an estimated 8.4 percent in 2017 and was projected to rise to 10.7 percent by 2027, including direct and indirect spending, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

Reuters contributed to this report.
A Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-214ON at Ramenskoye Airport in August, 2011. Russia flies the plane over military installations in United States under the Open Skies treaty meant to build trust and maintain transparency between Cold War opponents. The treaty comes under new strains as the United States imposes restrictions on Russia, alleging the Russian Federation has not met its compliance obligations under the treaty. (Oleg Belyakov/Wikimedia Commons)

US To Restrict Russian Open Skies Flights As Treaty Grows Strained

Russian spy planes once welcomed to fly over U.S. military installations are set to face new restrictions as a treaty meant to build trust between Cold War enemies comes under strain.

A State Department official told the Epoch Times the United States has long had concerns about Russias implementation of the Open Skies Treaty.

After repeated, unsuccessful attempts to engage Moscow diplomatically, we have elected to take some reasonable and comparable steps in response to Russias non-compliance.

Under the Treaty on Open Skies, 34 countries permit each other to fly spy planes over each others military bases and then share the photos. The treaty was created after the Cold War to create transparency on military personnel and equipment, allowing former rivals to trust, but verify.

Now, the United States will limit Russian access to American airspace, though the State Department would not comment on if those new restrictions would apply to flights over Hawaii and Alaska.

The official said it hoped that the new restriction would encourage Russia to deal with U.S. concerns more constructively.

Were ready to reverse these measures at any time, should Russia come back into compliance with its Open Skies Treaty obligations.

Russian officials, speaking to Russian state-run media on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 26, were already reacting to the possibility of restrictions and warning of retaliatory measures.

Treaty Tension

The treaty has always been contentious, but the current slide began as tensions between the United States and Russia have risen in recent years.

When Russia upgraded its spy planes participating in Open Skies flights to use four-band digital sensors, some U.S. defense personnel worried it allowed them to collect information a level of detail not available to U.S. aircraft as of late March last year.

While Russia has limited satellite capability, the United States gets enough information from satellites to have prompted a debate in Congress about the value of the program altogether.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has been detailing Russias failures to comply with the treaty in annual reports.

Under the treaty, nations get a quota of flights they can fly over each others territory. But Russia began restricting that flight distance to 500km for all flights over Kaliningrad since 2014.

U.S. experts have determined that 500 kilometers is insufficient to enable the United States to observe Kaliningrad in its entirety in one flight, warns the State Departments 2016 adherence report.

That distance is less than half what is needed to cover the exclave, leaving Russia the ability to move weapons or other assets out of the flight path and thereby prevent treaty members from getting an accurate picture of Russian military assets, comprising the purpose of the treaty.

Kaliningrad is Russias territorial outpost on the Baltic Sea, an exclave cut off from the rest of Russia that lies between Poland and Lithuania.

The exclave has strategic value, giving Russia an important platform to project power. It was home to the Soviets Baltic fleet in the 1950s and recent information indicating military buildup there has given cause for concern, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

There have been reports about all kinds of sophisticated radar systemsair defense, area denial capabilitiesdesigned to keep NATO warships and airships away, Michael Carpenter, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense with responsibility for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia told the Wall Street Journal. If they have that sort of weaponry, we would like to have more transparency about what is there.

Russia has also refused treaty members access to a ten-kilometer corridor along its border with the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia since 2010, areas affected by the Russia-Georgia war of 2008. As noted in a State Department Report.

In other instances, Russia has invoked force majeurean international law term that refers to a force or event beyond a States controlto limit observation flights due to the presence of high-level officials in the observation area.

Russian Reaction

With the United States now preparing countermeasures meant to respond to Russian restrictions, Russian media is voicing the Russian governments displeasure.

Russia rejects U.S. concerns, said Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the Russian foreign ministrys department on arms control.

As for the claims against us, we do not consider them grounded. In fact, the agreement is very complex, its provisions cannot always be straightforwardly interpreted, so it is necessary to look for compromises and solutions, Ulyanov told Russian state-run news agency, Sputnik.

Ulyanov said Russia was expecting the restrictions and preparing retaliatory measures.

An official with the State Department told the Jouranl its new measures are meant to induce Russia to come back into compliance with the treaty.

Meanwhile, Russia has claimed other nations have also placed limits on Russian observation flights, including Canada and the United States.

We have serious claims that a number of participating states are interfering with observation flights, retired Maj. Gen. Alexander Peresypkin, a member of Russias Vienna delegation, told the Journal.

He said claims of Russian non-compliance are exaggerated to balance out those restrictions and that the United States is resourceful in reducing access to its airspace.
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Ethics board subpoenas DCI for investigation into Noem's state airplane use

The Government Accountability Board subpoenaed the DCI for a report relating to an investigation if Gov. Kristi Noem misused the state airplane.
Nina Forgwe, who lives in Bamenda, in the northwest of Cameroon, missed the deadline to submit her doctoral application in March - one of many victims of an internet shutdown in her town and in the other English-speaking parts of the country.

 icetray via 123RF

The Cameroonian government suspended services after Anglophone teachers, lawyers and students went on strike over alleged historical biases in favour of Francophones. The suspension started in January this year and ended in March, and at nearly 100 days, is the longest period of internet disruption by an African government.

The impact of the internet disruption was severe, recalled Forgwe, who is an activist.

All personal services that required the internet were put on hold. Many internet-based businesses ground to a halt, especially tech start-ups. A lot of our activism is through online portals, she told Africa Renewal.

Access Now, a New Yorkbased international human rights organisation, put the financial cost of the shutdown at $5 million in tax revenue, profits of internet-related businesses, general operating expenses, bank transaction fees, and money transfer services, among others.

Communication minister and government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary said the shutdown was triggered by the propagation of false information on social media capable of inciting hate and violence in the crisis-hit regions.

The shutdown was a particular blow for Cameroons Silicon Mountain, a cluster of tech start-ups in the region that had been flourishing. Deprived of the internet, Silicon Mountain entrepreneurs were forced to drive to other parts of Cameroon whenever they wanted to go online. These long drives ate into work time.

Money is being lost. Some of us cant engage with our foreign clients because of the suspended internet service. Its disruptive to everyone, said Churchill Mambe. Mambe is the owner of Njorku, an employment and hotel services company recently listed among the top 20 African start-ups by Forbes magazine.

Internet blockades

Julie Owono, a lawyer and executive director of Internet without Borders, a Paris-based Internet rights organisation, told Africa Renewal that between January and June 2017, nine countries globally experienced internet blockades, including three in Africa - Cameroon, Egypt and Ethiopia.

A few months after Cameroons internet disruption, a nationwide blackout was imposed in Ethiopia over concerns about cheating at exams. Ethiopian government spokesperson Mohammed Seid explained that: The shutdown is aimed at preventing a repeat of exam leaks that occurred last year.

Since last May the Egyptian government has blocked 62 websites, including those of Qatar-based Al Jazeera television and prominent independent news site Mada Masr, accusing them of inciting terrorism and spreading false news. The organisations have since denied the claims.

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), a Ugandan information technology research and analysis centre, states that internet shutdown is becoming a preferred tool of social control and censorship by some African governments.

Full internet blockades are a marked shift from the short-message service ltering or website blocking that was hitherto more prevalent. Internet providers use filtering mainly to isolate spam or other unwanted messages, but it can also be used to remove texts that mention such terms as democracy, human rights or hunger strike.

Africa accounted for 11 of the 56 global internet shutdowns recorded in 2016, according to Deji Olukotun, Access Now senior global advocacy manager. This represents a 50% increase over 2015.

Shutdowns occurred four times in Ethiopia, twice each in Gambia and Uganda, and once each in Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon, Mali, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Open internet promoters say the shutdowns highlight how internet attacks and abuses, including the proliferation of internet-regulating laws, surveillance and interceptions of communication are worsening on the continent, just as there is an increase in internet diffusion.

Governments that have been used to closed societies where information is centralised, see connectivity as a threat rather than an opportunity.

States contend that internet shutdowns are needed to quell public protests, violence and misinformation fuelled by social media or mobile phone messaging applications, citing the role of the internet in the Arab Spring five years ago, when protests toppled regimes in Egypt and Tunisia.

Olukotun counters that governments fear the use of the internet by grassroots groups to share information, organise and advocate for their rights, adding that these uses are more threatening to the established order than preventing examination malpractices or curtailing cyber fraud, child pornography, hate speech or terrorism.

The rise in internet shutdowns comes as an increasing number of Africans are communicating via the internet, observed Owono. Governments that have been used to closed societies where information is centralised, see connectivity as a threat rather than an opportunity, she said.

The Brookings Institution, a Washington, DCbased think tank, analysed the costs to an economy from a shutdown of the internet. In seven African countries surveyed in 2016 where the internet was shut down, they lost an estimated $320 million in revenue.

There is also the issue of digital rights. In July 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning countries that prevent or disrupt online access and information, and called for free speech protections. Governments hide under the cover of threat to national security to justify shutting down the internet, says Owono. But so far, no government has allowed a judicial authority to determine if national security actually had been threatened, she says. On the contrary, shutdowns have happened during times of political tension, giving weight to arguments that the goal is to silence dissent.

Arsene Tungali, a Congolese activist and founder of Rudi International, a digital rights advocacy and security training company, said that in the past seven years, the DRC government has orchestrated an interruption of online communications on several occasions. In 2015 and 2016 the Congolese government blocked access to phone text messages (SMS) and the internet after protests erupted in response to the extension of President Joseph Kabilas time in power.

A similar blackout happened in the Republic of Congo as President Denis Sassou Nguesso moved to prolong his 32-year rule.

Human right

The growing number of shutdowns has mobilised internet access advocacy groups and global campaigns, including the #KeepitOn campaign at RightsCon Silicon Valley 2016, an annual global summit on human rights and the internet held in San Francisco, California.

#KeepItOn, a working group of RightsCon comprising 199 organisations, is working with governments, telecommunications companies, Internet companies, and civil society to tackle Internet shutdowns. The #BringBackOurInternet campaign is largely credited for ratcheting up the pressure that forced the Cameroonian government to restore the internet. Although the campaign focuses on highlighting the economic costs of shutdowns, Natasha Musonza, founder of the Digital Society of Zimbabwe, observes that the economic argument cannot alone deter governments from blocking the Internet.

We need to highlight other practical effects, such as the human impact. We are also better off suggesting useful alternative solutions to problems such as exam cheating or maintaining peace in the face of public protests, she suggested.

The African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), which assigns and manages internet addresses in Africa, proposed deactivating delinquent governments online platforms for 12 months as punishment for shutting down the internet. However, the proposal was shot down by AFRINIC members at the fifth African Internet Summit, held in Nairobi last June. The members said the proposal would be difficult to implement and could antagonise governments or even worsen the situation.

To skirt internet blockages, many civil and digital rights organisations have now increasing their digital security knowledge, especially on encryption, mitigation against surveillance and tools for safe online communication. Also, many internet consumers in Cameroon, the DRC, Uganda and Zimbabwe say the use of virtual private networks, which are used to avoid blockages, has increased.

Source: Africa Renewal.
OTTAWABombardiers hopes for breaking into the U.S. commercial aviation market took a massive blow on Tuesday, as the U.S. Department of Commerce proposed a hefty 219 per cent duty on its CSeries jets.

The department ruled in a preliminary decision that Bombardier benefited from improper government subsidies, which gave the Montreal-based company an unfair advantage when selling south of the border.

The investigation was sparked by a complaint from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing, after Bombardier secured a deal for up to 125 of its CS100s with Delta Air Lines in April 2016.

The list price for the planes is around $6 billion, but the actual amount of money involved in the deal has not been made public and Boeing alleges Bombardier offered them for much less.

The financial penalties arent officially due until Bombardier delivers the first CS100 to Delta, which is expected in the spring. They could also still be dropped or refunded.

The key will be whether the U.S. International Trade Commissions finds that Bombardier-Delta deal actually hurt Boeings business, a decision thats not expected until the spring.

But the ruling gives Boeing momentum as the dispute drags on, and more leverage in any future talks between the Trudeau government and the Chicago-based company to reach a negotiated settlement.

Boeing wasted no time in declaring victory on Tuesday.

Subsidies enabled Bombardier to dump its product into the U.S. market, harming aerospace workers in the United States and throughout Boeings global supply chain, the company said in a statement.

The dispute is not about limiting innovation or competition, it continued. Rather, it has everything to do with maintaining a level playing field and ensuring that aerospace companies abide by trade agreements.

Canada?s ambassador to the U.S., David MacNaughton, said on Sept. 12 Boeing ?walked away? from talks aimed at resolving a trade dispute with Bombardier. An executive with the Canadian aerospace firm denies Bombardier broke any trade rules. (The Canadian Press)

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in his own statement that while the United States values its relationship with Canada, even our closest allies must play by the rules.

Meanwhile, Bombardier and the Trudeau government appeared to be reeling. Most had expected the Commerce Department to rule against Bombardier, but the size of the proposed duty was surprising.

Boeing had been asking for an 80 per cent duty.

The magnitude of the proposed duty is absurd and divorced from the reality about the financing of multibillion-dollar aircraft programs, Bombardier said in a statement.

Boeing is seeking to use a skewed process to stifle competition and prevent U.S. airlines and their passengers from benefiting from the CSeries.

In Europe, meanwhile, Bombardiers rail business, Bombardier Transportation, faces a substantially larger rival after railway manufacturers Siemens Mobility and Alstom announced a merger.

The memorandum of understanding announced Tuesday is described as a merger of equals with each owning half the shares of the new company, to be headquartered in Paris. The Mobility Solutions business will be run out of Berlin.

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The combined company to be called Siemens Alstom will have $18 billion (U.S.) in revenues and $1.4 billion in adjusted EBIT. Annual cost savings of $554.2 million are expected four years after closing.

Alstom and Siemens said the two businesses are largely complementary in terms of activities and geographies.

We put the European idea to work and together with our friends at Alstom, we are creating a new European champion in the rail industry for the long-term, Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser said.

However, analyst Cameron Doerksen of National Bank Financial said Bombardier Transportation can still succeed as a stand-alone company.

In fact, John Zechner, chair of Toronto-based investment management firm J. Zechner Associates, said the emergence of a new rail partnership gobbling up rail and light transit contracts across Europe could heighten the importance of the Toronto and other North American deals for Bombardier.

Bombardier Transportation would be the worlds third-largest railway company with a strong presence in France, Germany and Britain. It has a four-year backlog of orders and is moving toward an 8-per-cent EBIT margin.

While a trade war with Boeing and a bulked up Siemens/Alstom partnership creates new headwinds for Bombardier, the company has not indicated any further delays in its delivery schedule for low-floor Toronto Transit Commission streetcars as a result, said Stuart Green, a TTC spokesperson.

Bombardier Transportation communications head Marc-Andre Lefebvre reiterated that the company is on track to deliver the entire fleet of streetcars by a deadline of the end of 2019, citing the deployment of extraordinary resources to the effort.

As we stated in July, in all transparency weve informed the TTC months ahead that there is a potential challenge to meeting the full target of 70 streetcars for 2017, he said in an email.

After delivery delays, the current contract between the TTC and Bombardier calls for delivery of 204 low-floor cars first ordered in 2009 to arrive by 2019, including 70 by the end of this year. The deal offers up an option to purchase another 60 cars at the same price per car as the original contract.

Union representatives of Bombardier workers said the Boeing case highlights flaws in Canadas trade agreements and the ability of big companies to use trade rules and the complaint processes to control the market.

Who pays the price for these corporate fights? We do, the workers, said Unifor Local 112 president Scott McIlmoyle during a rally last week at the Bombardier aerospace plant in Downsview.

With files from Michael Lewis

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The chairman and chief executive of Equifax, Richard Smith, retired on Tuesday in the aftermath of a major data breach that exposed the personal information of as many as 143 million people in the U.S. and 100,000 in Canada, the credit reporting agency said.

Equifax said Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., most recently the president of its Asia-Pacific region, had been appointed interim chief executive. The company said it planned to conduct a search for a new chief executive and would consider candidates from inside and outside the company.

Speaking for everyone on the board, I sincerely apologize, Mark Feidler, the Equifax boards new chairman, said in a statement. We have formed a special committee of the board to focus on the issues arising from the incident and to ensure that all appropriate actions are taken.

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The company declined to make Feidler and Barros available for interviews. Our leadership team looks forward to engaging more with the media in the coming weeks, Wyatt Jefferies, an Equifax spokesman, said in a statement.

Equifax, based in Atlanta, said this month that hackers had exploited an unpatched flaw in its website software to extract names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and other information about millions of people.

In the wake of the Equifax breach, a consumer group wants Congress to rethink how we use credit reporting agencies. Consumer Watchdog also wants lawmakers to mandate two factor authentication to safeguard personal information. (The Associated Press)

It later said about 100,000 Canadian consumers may have had their personal information compromised in the massive cyberattack, in addition to 400,000 in the United Kingdom.

The company faced a blistering outcry from lawmakers and the public for failing to protect the sensitive data and for a response that many considered lacklustre. A website that Equifax created to provide information about the breach was initially plagued by problems, and the company struggled to keep up with a deluge of questions from confused and alarmed consumers.

Three Equifax executives, including its chief financial officer, John Gamble Jr., sold $1.8 million (U.S.) in company shares in the days after the breach was discovered, but before it was publicly disclosed. (Equifax has said the executives were unaware of the breach at the time of the stock sales.)

Two other top Equifax executives  the chief information officer and the chief security officer  stepped down on Sept. 14.

Smith, 57, had been the chairman and chief executive of Equifax since 2005. He joined the company after a 22-year career at General Electric that included top executive positions in the conglomerates insurance, leasing and asset-management divisions.

Before the data breach at Equifax, Smith was widely admired on Wall Street for developing new products and increasing sales. Equifax had revenue of $3.1 billion last year, up from $1.4 billion the year he took over.

Smith will not receive a bonus in 2017 and will serve as an unpaid consultant to the company for up to 90 days, according to a regulatory filing. Smith will not receive a severance package or accelerated vesting of any stock that might have been due to him, Jefferies said.

In a sign of the fast-moving dynamics surrounding Smiths departure from the company, he and the Equifax board left up in the air the official circumstances of his exit, meaning the board could retroactively conclude that he had been fired for cause, Jefferies said. A termination for cause would probably lead Smith to have to forgo or repay certain compensation.

Smith will retain about $18.4 million in pension benefits, according to a regulatory filing. He received bonuses of roughly $3 million in 2015 and 2016 and could have been eligible for a comparable amount this year.

Mr. Smith has been very co-operative and supportive of this approach, Jefferies said.

Federal authorities, led by the FBI, have opened a criminal investigation into the cyberattack on the company.

More than 30 state attorneys general have begun investigations into the breach, and federal lawmakers from both parties have requested information from Equifax and called for hearings on what went wrong. The Massachusetts attorney general filed a lawsuit against Equifax on Sept. 19 seeking civil damages and other payments.

Smith had been scheduled to appear at two congressional hearings next week. The House Energy and Commerce Committee said in a message posted on Twitter on Tuesday that it planned to proceed with its hearing on Oct 3.

The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing for the next day. On Tuesday, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, issued a statement effectively ordering Smith to appear as scheduled.

A CEO walking out the door just days before he is to appear before Congress is an abdication of his responsibility, Schatz said.

Jefferies, the Equifax spokesman, indicated that Smith would co-operate.

If Congress asks him, he will go, Jefferies said.

With files from The Canadian Press

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When Hurricane Maria tore the roof off their house on the Caribbean island of Dominica, Sara Ouellette Subero, her two children and husband climbed inside a wooden closet to escape the trees and furniture the storm flung around.

The family stayed there for four hours. Subero and her husband held tightly to their baby and five-year-old daughter as the closet was buffeted by blasts of wind.

Once the hurricane passed through their resort, the family lived inside a car, the only dry place available to them. Just as the familys food supply was diminishing, two helicopters from the governments of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago came to their rescue.

Subero and her two children made it home to Sturgeon Falls, Ont. Monday.

Stephan Ricardo Subero, her husband who was born in Trinidad and raised in Venezuela, decided to stay in Dominica to salvage what he could of their property and possessions.

Its all so overwhelming, Sara Subero said Monday. I didnt know just how bad the devastation was until I was in the helicopter looking down. All the green, lush landscape was now just brown and black.

The Category 5 hurricane wrought havoc across the Caribbean island of Dominica last week, killing at least 15 people. The hurricanes extensive destruction to homes and power left thousands stranded without shelter. With winds above 255 km/h, the storm silenced all communication and ripped trees from their roots, rendering the island stripped of foliage.

Sara, 30, and her husband, Stephan, 33, moved from Sturgeon Falls, northwest of Algonquin Provincial Park, to Dominica in 2014. Their small resort once offered a simple, natural environment to travellers passing through the island.

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Sara said the resort is now unrecognizable. Palm trees and pieces of ripped bark lie scattered across the muddy ground. Two buildings have completely disappeared from the property and the home where guests used to stay is filled with mud waist-deep, due to a landslide.

It didnt look like home anymore, she said. The doors and windows had all flown off; we were able to walk through buildings, where the walls used to be.

The seven guests staying with the family when the hurricane hit were able to take the 27-kilometre walk to the capital city, Roseau, on Thursday. The Suberos were unable to do the same because of their small children. Mud, construction nails and debris lay across the roads and paths. The family had no choice but to stay in their car for five days with little food.

Everything we had was destroyed, said Sara. When we saw the helicopters approaching, we felt overwhelmed. It was shocking; we werent sure what to do.

Suberos mother, Lynn Cockburn-Ouellette waited days to hear about her daughters fate after the hurricane hit. The last time she spoke to her, Sara was huddled between mattresses, hiding from the hurricane with her two children.

Cockburn-Ouellette, who spent the entire week since the hurricane hit on her computer organizing rescue efforts and contacting consulates, said she organized a GoFundMe page to help the family rebuild all that they lost.

I know things were going to get worse if they stayed, she said Monday. When we saw them it was such a relief; I dont even know what to say. This whole week was so worrisome.

Dominica was Hurricane Marias first major casualty as it carved its deadly path through the Caribbean, causing further destruction in the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The U.S. East Coast is expected to get hit on Monday with high winds and treacherous surf from the storm. Maria followed Irma, another deadly hurricane.

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OTTAWAFree trade negotiators find themselves at a crossroads. Make that a crossrivers.

The secret talks to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement are taking place behind closed doors right across from a waterfall where the Rideau River plunges into the broad sweep of the Ottawa River.

This place was once at the heart of a thriving trade between European settlers and Indigenous peoples who exchanged beaver pelts for utilitarian goods such as needles, axes and kettles.

Theres not even a whisper of that trading history, or its colonial fallout, here.

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Canadas top NAFTA negotiator says U.S. hasnt proposed changes to thorny issues

The Canadian governments drive to modernize the NAFTA by demanding it include a new chapter on Indigenous peoples does not even appear on the agenda for this third round of talks.

Instead, according to a schedule obtained by the Star, negotiators are hashing out the nitty-gritty of more than two dozen topics ranging from government procurement, digital trade, the environment, state-owned enterprises, financial services, labour, rules of origin, and trade remedies and dispute settlement mechanisms.

You name it, its on the agenda.

Justin Trudeau says Canada is in ?exploratory talks? with China on free trade. In Toronto on Monday, the prime minister added that any deal would need to have ?progressive values? at its core.(The Canadian Press).

Negotiators spent a full day Saturday devoted to discussions of Canadas demand to include a chapter on gender in the new deal, as the recently-updated Canada-Chile free trade deal did.

Theyre even talking about topics where the United States has failed to put out specific proposals for its pet demands, according to Canadian officials: auto, dairy, trade-dispute-resolution panels.

International trade lawyer Michael Woods, whos a big advocate of a new Indigenous chapter, said hes not disappointed, because I think the government is planting the seed.

But Woods, who is working with a group called the International Intertribal Trade Organization which made a submission to Global Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland on the subject, is skeptical there is enough time to get it done.

Its something brand new. Its never been conceived of before in traditional trade law or trade policy, he said. And the other parties who are under domestic pressures of their own want some clarity, and, until theres some clarity, it would be difficult to engage in substantive discussion of what the chapters all about.

Obviously, the U.S. has made it pretty clear it wants these negotiations wrapped up by the end of the year, and, in that context, I would say additional chapters and new areas might be seen as problematic given that timeline, he added.

Then there is the Trudeau governments own commitment to consult with Indigenous people, Woods said.

The government wants to get it right and is consulting with and talking with Indigenous people, groups here in Canada. But in the NAFTA context, ideally all three parties would have to engage and agree. So there has to be more done in laying the foundation of what it is were talking about.

Its not that nobody has any idea what might go into such a chapter.

The International Intertribal Trade Organization has done work on this since 2015, and presented proposals to Freeland that are pretty specific.

For a start, the group argues the government of Canada does not have the right to act unilaterally on behalf of Indigenous Peoples and must include them in the process of negotiating a new international trade treaty, just as it consulted with provinces and territories when it was trying to seal a free trade deal with the European Union.

At minimum, Indigenous people need to be consulted, but, above all, need to be involved, in the NAFTA trade negotiations, the submission reads.

The group says a new NAFTA should establish a committee of Indigenous Peoples with representation from all three NAFTA partners, respect measures to protect and preserve Aboriginal rights, treaty rights and Aboriginal title interests in landm as in the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal in limbo after the U.S. withdrew. It should allow freer cross-border movement of Indigenous people and the goods traded by them in line with a treaty signed by the United States and Great Britain in 1794. And it should provide greater protection to Indigenous cultural property and traditional knowledge, the group argues.

For its part, the Assembly of First Nations, which applauded the move by Canada to add an Indigenous chapter, is keeping a distance from the talks. Whereas dozens of other so-called stakeholders are keeping an eagle eye on negotiations here, lurking in the basement of the venue where talks are being held, the AFN has not attended. National chief Perry Bellegarde declined the Stars request for comment on the talks.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland downplayed media reports of concern and uncertainty surrounding what exactly Washington wants at the negotiating table because the American team hasnt yet provided clarification of its demands on a whole range of contentious topics.

I think Canadians might get the impression that were not talking about everything yet; that is not the case. We have 28 tables where people are actively negotiating and working. We really are right now working on all areas of the negotiation, she told reporters, stressing the talks have been constructive.

We have been making some good progress this round on some of the real bread-and-butter economic issues which I heard about from Canadians in the negotiation, she said.

These might not be the most sexy issues, but they are the issues that really matter to Canadian business people, things like electronic forms, like automatic declarations of origin, like harmonizing regulation. These are the things that make a trade agreement and in particular an agreement like NAFTA really work. This . . . really is important.

These are the things that really are at the heart of talking about modernizing NAFTA . . . . This is going to make the lives of Canadian business people a lot easier.

A senior Canadian official told the Star that not every topic is discussed at every round, and the government is still engaging in consultations on its objectives for the Indigenous chapter.

Trade lawyer Lawrence Herman told the Star that the problem he sees is that Canada has introduced it in the first place, because negotiations are all about trade-offs.

I realize how important Indigenous issues are in Canada, said Herman. I dont believe these sort of value-type issues are properly on the trade negotiation table.

Trade negotiations are about advancing your countrys interests and interests are job-related. Theyre about economics. Theyre about access to markets . . . . I would frankly rather see Canada focus on hard, tough positions advancing our interests and not our values.

The problem is when you put value-type issues on the table, youre going to have to give up something somewhere else to make headway on advancing that value.

The Conservatives have criticized the governments efforts to add chapters on Indigenous and gender equality, calling it virtue-signalling.

But Woods says its a worthwhile pursuit, although he acknowledged time may be too short.

I believe what the Canadian negotiators are engaged in is a process of explaining and elaborating, said Woods.

If youre a negotiator and you say I want a chapter on x, y, z, and the other two parties dont know what the x, y, z is, its very hard for them to go back to their capitals and say lets engage on this, particularly under all the time pressures they are under.

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OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau is cheering Liberal MPs who walked out of a hearing Tuesday to prevent a Conservative counterpart with anti-abortion views from being named to head up the House of Commons committee on the status of women.

All the Liberal members of the committee got up and walked out right before they were scheduled to hold a vote on nominating Alberta MP Rachael Harder to the position of committee chair.

Harder, who represents the riding of Lethbridge, didnt want to discuss the matter Tuesday but she has in the past expressed support for laws enacted to protect the rights of unborn children, and has said she believes life begins at conception.

Trudeau told a news conference that his government supports the independence of committees, and that the Liberals on the status of women committee made the decision to walk out on their own  but that he supports their position.

We will always defend womens rights in this party and in this government, Trudeau said.

Quite frankly, one would hope that the committee for the status of women would have a spokesperson who would be able to stand up and unequivocally defend womens rights. Thats sort of the point of the status of women committee.

The Liberals hold a majority on the committee and could have voted down the nomination, but instead opted to make a show of their disapproval by walking out of the hearing.

As they left, Liberal MPs denounced Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer  also opposed to abortion, but in a far more delicate position as leader than an MP from Alberta  for putting Harder forward for the job.

These are not liberal values, said Liberal MP Marc Serre. We wanted to take a position as a party that we dont support this decision by the leader of the Opposition.

The Liberals are challenging Scheer to put forward someone who is not from the right-wing fringe of his party  and who doesnt share his opinion on abortion.

Scheer, however, insisted Tuesday that he put forward Harders name because shes a hard-working, strong and democratically elected MP, and repeated his position that his Conservative caucus has no interest in advancing an anti-abortion agenda.

And he made it clear that despite what the prime minister said later, he believes Trudeau had a hand in Tuesdays theatrics.

Its certainly unprecedented that the prime minister would interfere and block the nomination of a democratically elected member of Parliament to serve as chair of a committee, he said.

I think it shows a lack of respect for the parliamentary process. Its very unfortunate.

Conservative MP Lisa Raitt, one of several Tories who ran against Scheer for the leadership, defended the choice of Harder to chair the committee, insisting that her personal feelings about an issue neednt cloud her ability to do the job.

Look at it this way: her beliefs are her beliefs, and she holds them herself. There are members of cabinet, Justin Trudeaus cabinet, who hold the same beliefs, Raitt said.

Trudeau has made it abundantly clear that those members of cabinet are expected to toe the party line when it comes to voting on issues that might conflict with their beliefs on abortion, she added.

When the government says Rachel Harder cant be the chair of this committee, what theyre saying is they dont trust her to put her personal beliefs aside. They dont give her the benefit of the doubt.

Committee vice-chair and Liberal MP Pam Damoff said it now falls to the Conservatives to decide what to do next.

Inside the meeting room, Harder accused the Liberal MPs of disrespecting the democratic process. She refused to respond to questions from journalists asking about her position on abortion.

Maryam Monsef, the minister for the status of women, echoed Trudeaus support.

I support their choice, she said. And applaud their decision to be heard.

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The packed public meeting made clear the enthusiasm for a massive park decked over the rail corridor downtown remains strong a year after a surprise announcement.

But details of how it will be built and developers competing interests remain sparse.

The council chamber at city hall was at standing-room capacity only for a statutory public meeting Monday night on the citys plan to build a 21-acre park from Bathurst St. to Blue Jays Way  what has been given the working title of Rail Deck Park.

It has become a major promise of Mayor John Torys administration to see it built, though the path to funding and construction remain unclear. Early estimates suggested the park would cost at least $1.05 billion.

I am not going to make any pretense about being objective about this, Tory told the full house. I believe this is a bold idea and Im going to tell you with every ounce of determination that I have: It will be built.

Tory said he is confident the private sector will shoulder a big portion of the cost.

Amid questions about that cost and the citys commitment to build the park no matter what, staff for the first time confirmed the park will have to be built in phases and identified a nearly 9-acre priority phase from just east of Portland St. to Spadina Ave. Future phases, staff said, could continue over time.

Staff also clearly outlined for the first time that the majority of the air rights over the rail corridor  the space above the active railway lines that carry GO trains in and out of Union Station  belong to a mix of private groups, which includes a claim from a group of private developers who have proposed to deck over the space to build eight office and condominium towers.

The estimated cost to acquire those air rights through either negotiations or expropriation  which the city has the power to do  has yet to be made public. Those answers werent available from staff Monday night.

Councillor Joe Cressy, who represents Ward 20 (Trinity-Spadina), which contains the corridor, noted there are hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves that are dedicated to the creation of parks and that the city is currently under-collecting those fees from developers through provincial legislation.

But even with an increase in whats collected in parkland fees, it is unlikely to fully cover the cost to construct and maintain the massive park.

Cressy said political will is required.

You get the city you pay for, he said. If we as Torontonians want to live in a great livable city ... then lets, for goodness sake, pay for it and build it.

Those in the crowd agreed the park plan should move forward.

Over and over again wonderful plans are made out, money is spent on developing the plans, everything moves towards it and then it doesnt happen. Toronto is lily-livered half the time, said one woman, who had the final word.

Smarten up and be a proper city.

A further staff report on costs and a funding plan is expected in November.

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After hearing anguished, exasperated pleas from Toronto drug users and overdose prevention workers, public health board members voted Monday to step up efforts to save lives in the ongoing opioid crisis.

Ontarios health minister, however, has already rejected one key call  that the province declare the surge in opioid overdoses and deaths an emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

The health board voted unanimously to ask for the emergency designation after Dr. Eileen de Villa, the citys medical officer of health, said that, in B.C., such a designation improved access to overdose data and helped create (new) overdose prevention sites in that province.

An emergency designation in Ontario, she said, could trigger a smoother flow, per se, of dollars to do likewise here, but acknowledged the province would still have ultimate control over the timing and distribution of roughly $300 million it has so far pledged to help reduce overdose deaths.

At Queens Park hours earlier, Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins told reporters that declaring a state of emergency is unnecessary because it would not provide me with opportunities or powers that I don't already have. I feel confident in my current ability to work, in collaboration with partners, to address the public health crisis that is the opioid crisis.

Hoskins added he is confident that we've got the tools that we need  but we've got a lot of work to do, and its multi-faceted, suggesting more funding could be coming to reverse a spike in overdose deaths seen across Canada since fentanyl, a highly toxic painkiller, started hitting the streets.

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Councillor Joe Cressy, the head of Torontos drug strategy, told fellow health committee members that the province has to treat this more seriously than it has . . . this is an emergency thus they have to call it an emergency.

The word itself is not important, he said, but discussions with B.C. authorities suggest the designation could bring urgency to an response to the overdose crisis that he, along with the drug users and harm-reduction workers, say is already years behind, at the cost of Torontonians lives.

Other measures approved by the health board include having de Villa look at adding more safe-injection sites in Toronto  there is currently an illegal volunteer-run site in Moss Park, a city-run one on Victoria St. near Ryerson University, with two more set to open in community health centres in late October  and adding safe-inhalation so that people can smoke crack and other drugs with medical help nearby and without fear of arrest.

Safe inhalation happens at Moss Park but is currently not allowed under the Health Canada rules being followed for the other sites.

De Villa is going to report back with her best possible health advice on the issue of fully decriminalizing drugs  she has already said Canadas current crime-based approach has failed and a health-based approach should be considered. And, if city council agrees, she will be designated Torontos overdose co-ordinator with authority to direct and co-ordinate citys response across divisions and agencies.

Amy Wright, a harm reduction worker who lost a brother to suicide after he struggled with addiction, told the committee that when the phone rings she always expects to hear that another family member has died from overdose. She has called the public health threat a huge crisis.

I am praying for this city to do something, there needs to be a mass shift in how we view substance abuse, she said.

Olympia Trypis, a 22-year-old peer mentor in the youth shelter system, cried as she described the stigma of drug use. She fears that an overdose will end her life, or that shell be arrested or robbed of her drugs She believes that politicians follow the public, and arent going to lead change.

I am just begging you to be a hero because every day at the site I see heroes, she said, referring to volunteers who ensure people can use drugs safely and rescue those who start to overdose.

We need the public to push you guys to be leaders so you guys can decriminalize drugs that are killing people.

With files from Kristin Rushowy

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Max Tutiven killed Jayesh Prajapati while committing a gas-and-dash theft, but he did not intend to hurt anyone, a jury heard Tuesday, as Tutiven took the stand in his second-degree murder trial.

During his testimony, Tutiven admitted to driving the SUV that hit Prajapati and dragged him for 78 metres on the night of Sept. 15, 2012.

He admitted to stealing gas from the Shell station where Prajapati worked.

But, Tutiven testified, he never saw Prajapati approach his SUV, and when he heard something being dragged under his vehicle, he assumed it was a road pylon.

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Prajapati was working in the kiosk of a Shell station near Eglinton Ave. W. and Allen Rd. when he saw the driver of a silver SUV pulling away from the pump without paying for $112.85 worth of gas, the Crown has said during the weeklong trial.

Prajapati, a husband and father, ran out to try to stop the driver from getting away, but was hit by the SUV and dragged to his death.

Tutiven, 44, has pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder, which requires that the accused person intended to kill their victim.

On Tuesday, Tutiven laid out his version of the events leading to Prajapatis death, as Prajapatis wife listened with the help of an interpreter from her seat in the centre of the courtroom, and Tutivens mother looked on.

Ive been waiting for this moment five years, Tutiven said, composing his thoughts early in his testimony.

Tutiven pulled up to the Shell station intending to steal gas, as he had done every three to four days, at various gas stations, since he was 16 years old, he said.

After filling his SUVs tank and two jerry cans, he looked up to see Prajapati in the gas station kiosk serving customers, and decided it was safe to drive off without being caught.

But, when Tutiven tried to pull out, there was a black car parked at the pump in front of him, blocking his path, he told the court. Tutiven reversed his SUV and tried to drive around the black car, turning to look out his drivers side window so he could make sure his left bumper hadnt hit the other vehicle.

At no time did he see Prajapati, Tutiven said.

He thought he could hear someone yell, Stop, stop, but assumed it was the attendant calling through a window in the kiosk, he said.

He did not think it was possible that Prajapati could have made it from the kiosk to his SUV in the short amount of time since he had seen the attendant dealing with customers, he said.

As Tutiven pulled out of the gas station and onto Roselawn Ave. he heard a dragging sound under his car and assumed it was a pylon, though he had not seen a pylon at the gas station.

Tutiven, who lived in Montreal but made frequent visits to his hometown of Toronto, then drove straight back to the room he had rented for the weekend in North York.

Hours later he was woken up by a call from his father, who told him police and come by to look for him, but did not tell him why, Tutiven said.

Tutiven only learned someone had been killed, and that he was a suspect, while at a friends house in Kingston two days later, he testified.

He abandoned the SUV in Kingston and returned by bus to Montreal where he remained until his arrest in 2015, he said.

There (was) no point in me turning myself in, there is no benefit of me turning myself in . . . except that I spend more time in jail, Tutiven told the court, adding that he believed his arrest was inevitable.

Tutiven has about 40 criminal convictions to his name, for such crimes as assault, car theft and possession of stolen property, the court heard.

His main source of income at the time involved defrauding cellphone companies to resell used phones, he said. He would also occasionally work with friends to steal cars from dealerships or break into warehouses to rob them, he testified.

During cross-examination Tuesday, Crown attorney Joseph Callaghan argued Tutivens testimony could simply be a demonstration of his criminal ability to fool people.

You are quite successful at lying, deceiving, defrauding to get your way, Callaghan told Tutiven.

Youre trying to make this jury your next sucker, he added.

Tutiven disagreed, saying his crimes were not an indication that he is untruthful.

Does stealing a car make me dishonest? Does it make me a liar? Tutiven asked.

The Crown will continue cross-examining Tutiven on Wednesday.

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The Alzheimer Society of Torontos music project aimed to distribute 10,000 free iPods to people living with the disease in three years.

Five years later, it has handed out less than half.

Our biggest challenge is getting the message across that even if a person has really progressed in their Alzheimers disease, they can still benefit from music, said Cathy Barrick, chapter president.

Some nursing homes have told the Alzheimer Society that their staff is too busy to set up the iPods every day. Caregivers are concerned their patients will lose them.

It doesnt matter if they lose it, well give them another one, Barrick said.

Such is the belief in the music project.

Based on the Music and Memory program in New York, the project is grounded in the premise that music, at the very least, soothes Alzheimers patients. New research suggests sound vibrations could possibly slow down or even reverse symptoms.

Music has a real potent effect on peoples brains, establishing identities, triggering memories, pleasure and passion, and has a very calming effect when people with Alzheimers become agitated or aggressive, said Lee Bartel, professor emeritus at University of Torontos faculty of music.

Berlet Anderson has watched her 103-year-old mother, Adelaide Marshall, visibly relax when the headphones are placed over her ears and the music starts playing. Anderson signed Marshall up for the music project a year ago and received an iPod personalized with Marshalls favourite Christian music and oldies.

I find it very, very effective, Anderson said. The music keeps her calm. She loves it.

Marshall used to be a music teacher, so Anderson believes music grounds her, reminds her of what she once did. A few years into the disease, Marshall often points to the iPod, requesting Anderson turn it on.

Even when people youre caring for are in a palliative state, their brain is not so far gone that they cant hear sounds, Anderson said.

It makes them happy.

Volunteers preload the iPods with requested songs and genres before sending them to participants. The most requested song is The Hills are Alive, from The Sound of Music, Barrick said.

To date, the music project has loaded one million songs and had 9,600 participants. It also accepts donated and used iPods. It is supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and George C. Hunt Family Foundation.

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Twenty years is not long in the life of a city, but two decades after amalgamation, Toronto isnt the place it used to be. Even if then premier Mike Harriss intentions were good  highly doubtful  the results are anything but.

Its post-amalgamation politics dominated by suburban careerists, its bureaucracy demoralized, its residents cynical and hunkered down, Toronto has chosen to fight against the global shift to more progressive and humanistic forms of urbanism. The city, historically an agent of change  cultural, social, intellectual, economic  now tries to avoid it.

Though our mayor depends on the old city to get elected, amalgamation allows him to ignore downtown and the urbanism it embodies and instead wrap himself in the mantle of Fordism and its right-wing agenda of car dependency and suburban resentment. His main focus is congestion. His greatest hope is to eliminate double parking during rush hour.

So who better to manage Torontos long decline into civic obsolescence than the current mayor? With the last remaining jot of ambition now carefully squeezed from city hall, Toronto has reached a point where few seem bothered about the citys march toward self-induced irrelevance.

The metaphor for our time is a discredited subway to Scarborough. For those who keep track, its actually the citys second exercise in transit futility on such a grand scale. The first, the Sheppard line, which loses money with every passenger, opened in 2002 under Torontos first post-amalgamation mayor, Mel Lastman.

The obvious transit priority, of course, is the downtown relief line. It was first proposed more than a century ago but wont get built because it doesnt run through Etobicoke, Scarborough or North York. Though it would enhance transit across the whole city, it is seen as favouring downtown Toronto, which gets all the goodies while our postwar bedroom communities languish in low-density isolation.

When elected mayor of Toronto, Lastmans only promise was not to increase property taxes. After serving 10 terms as mayor of North York, he knew that would be enough to get elected. With the exception of David Miller, mayor from 2003 to 10, that strategy has served our chief magistrates well. But you get what you pay for; in Toronto, thats not much.

It doesnt help that the city is controlled by a provincial government unable to distinguish its crass political interests from those of the larger community. Theres no better example than the careful excision of reality from transit planning in Toronto. Municipal and provincial politicians see transit as a vote-getting scheme.

Cash cow one day, sacrificial lamb the next, the city lurches from crisis to crisis. Though the mayor has spoken bitterly of having to go to Queens Park like a boy in short pants asking for more, he has been conspicuously unwilling to look to Torontonians for those funds.

Mostly, though, politicians response to a proposal depends on where they come from. Last year, when the possibility of building a park over the railway tracks south of Front St. W. was raised, downtowners loved it, suburbanites didnt. Local Councillor Joe Cressy said it was, well worth the investment. Scarborough Councillor Jim Karygiannis wondered, what is it going to do for my constituents and the people in Scarborough? North Yorks Giorgio Mammoliti dismissed it as a glorified dog poop park . . . (where) the rich can walk their dogs.

Recent suggestions that the city find a way to display an important archeological find almost two centuries old prompted municipal bean counters to sputter and grow red in face.

No surprise, then, that Torontos relationship with mediocrity has been internalized by the public, politicians and pundits alike. The city that prides itself on civic parsimony has forgotten the difference between expenditure and investment, cost and value. Besides, Toronto is too poor to pay the price of excellence.

Amalgamation has achieved its unspoken purpose; the elimination of civic ambition. Dominated by city-deniers like the late Rob Ford and his dubious older brother, Doug, Toronto has grown so suspicious of its own urbanity that it cant build a six-storey condo, or install a bike lane or a traffic light without the sky falling in. Little wonder Toronto remains dependent on infrastructural investments made between the 1950s and 80s.

Ironically, while Toronto is busy suburbanizing, suburban communities from Markham and Mississauga to Burlington and Brampton are trying desperately to transform themselves into cities. They can see the future, even if Toronto cant.

Christopher Humes column appears weekly. He can be reached at jcwhume4@gmail.com

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The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) announced new legal action that called for an end to the practice of segregation in the Ontario prison system, to protect the human rights of prisoners with mental health disabilities, on Tuesday.

The OHRC has filed for an expedited application with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO), alleging that the Ontario government breached the Christina Jahn v. Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS) settlement -- an agreement made in September 2013.

In it, the provincial government agreed to prohibit segregation for people with mental health disabilities, and increase inmate access to mental health services.

The OHRC is requesting for the same reforms to be made now with a sense of urgency, said OHRC Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane.

This is a matter of life or death, said Mandhane, We feel like another death in these circumstances is entirely predictable and could happen next week, next month.

The government chose to enter the Jahn settlement, she said. Having made that choice, they need to be accountable for what they have chosen to agree to.

Since the settlement was reached, 11 people have died in segregation. In February, Cleve Geddes, an inmate at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, reportedly hung himself in a segregation cell. Geddes, 30, reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia, was waiting for a mental health assessment for about a week.

In Nov. 2016, Justin St. Amour, 30, also hung himself in a segregation cell at the same detention centre. St. Amour was arrested at a hospital where he was seeking help. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, police were called when he started acting out following a long waiting time. They arrested him and put him in a solitary confinement for a week, recognizing him as an inmate with suicidal tendencies.

A month later, in Dec. 2016, Soleiman Faqiri, also diagnosed with schizophrenia, died in a segregation cell after a violent encounter with a dozen correctional officers at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay.

Yusuf Faqiri, Soleimans brother, was present at the announcement to support OHRCs decision.

There has to be accountability for Soleimans needless death, said Faqiri, because we dont want another Soleiman.

Even the most well intentioned correctional officer will tell you they put them there because its the easiest place to watch them, said Ontario Senator Kim Pate, who was also at the announcement asking the government to act on the issue.

Segregation in this country has been in a state of being examined for more than 4 decades in my own lifetime, said Pate. Any attempts to reduce and monitor it have failed...we must end this practice and end it now.

Paul Champ, the lawyer who represented Jahn in the 2013 settlement, was also present to support the decision to apply for a tribunal into the issue. He is now representing both the Geddes and St. Amour families, both of whom are awaiting the results of inquests, which the province recently announced.

[The government is] not disputing the facts, he said, The question is what are they going to do to try and fix it... there hasnt been effective change.

In May 2017, Howard Sapers, the Independent Advisor on Corrections Reform to the Ontario government, released a report that found that segregation continues to be the default tool used to manage inmates with mental health disabilities. His recommendations to change this have not been implemented, said Mandhane.

The Sapers report is a clear breach of the Jahn settlement, said Mandhane. We wont be arguing about the facts [with the government], but what the [new] settlement looks like.

In a statement Minister Marie France Lalonde of the MCSCS also committed to continue working with the OHRC. The Minister said that the ministry had moved forward with some of the recommendations, including an inmate handout, screening tool and a report that provides advice on improving access to mental health services for female inmates.

However, we know that we have a lot more work to do, said Lalonde. We continue to take immediate and decisive action to ensure that we are both safeguarding human rights and ensuring the safety of those placed in our custody.

Mandhane questions the governments commitment to reform. Were not talking about policies, were not talking about numbers, she said. Were talking about people. This is an issue of life or death.

If the expedited application is accepted, a human tribunal hearing is expected in the next 45 days--a process which normally takes 6 months to a year. The OHRC hopes to continue conversations with the government in the meantime.

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Perhaps no Nobel laureate has ever soared so high only to fall so far.

First idealized, now demonized, Aung San Suu Kyi has defied expectations all her life. Mostly because people didnt know who they were dealing with.

Fifteen years ago I wrote one of those glowing articles about her determined opposition to Burmas military regime, interviewing her just days after she emerged from house arrest, still under the watchful eyes of the secret police.

All these years later, Im writing an epilogue about her role as an apologist for the regime that once imprisoned her, and now persecutes the minority Muslim Rohingya.

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In her latest role reversal, she is defending the indefensible. But it is not so inexplicable.

Dont fault Suu Kyi alone for her countrys sins. Blame Buddhist fundamentalism, which, like all forms of religious fundamentalism, has a way of turning heaven and earth upside down.

Consider Sri Lanka, another putative paradise whose Buddhist majority looked down on religious minorities (Tamil Hindus, as well as Muslims), then suppressed all opposition with widespread human rights abuses. Just as we glorified Suu Kyi, we risk idealizing Buddhism and Buddhist-majority countries, which are as capable of intolerance as any other polity that views politics through the prism of religion and fundamentalism  be it Christian, Jewish or Islamic.

Today the world insists on taking Suu Kyis betrayal personally, rather than viewing it politically and religiously. By that standard, its fair to say there were early clues that she had a tin ear, yet the public wouldnt hear of it at the time.

Looking back at the profile I wrote on her in 2002, there are the usual references to her rank in the pantheon of fabled independence leaders, from Gandhi to Mandela. But there was also a gentle warning about her all too human shortcomings as a political actor.

I noted Suu Kyi had been criticized for an unyielding posture in the past. Many ambassadors had previously faulted her for lacking the political savvy to be flexible with the military, given that she held so few bargaining chips.

One local diplomat told me, Her rigidity has been counterproductive  thats what got her locked up. My source noted that Suu Kyi was still clinging to 1990 election results that were stale-dated, because no government in the world has a 12-year mandate.

For our 2002 interview, inside the dilapidated headquarters of her embattled political party, Suu Kyi walked up to her second floor office with her hair pulled back in her trademark garland of colourful flowers before holding forth.

You could say we are battle-hardened, she proclaimed defiantly in her precise British accent, not betraying an ounce of self pity despite years of confinement.

Suu Kyi had a thick skin then, as she presumably does now. State propaganda organs had long attacked her as a whore and a witch, a maggot and an ogress, a stooge and a demon with fangs.

Despite the invective, Suu Kyi insisted she was ready to talk about a political solution. Yet I remember being struck by her formality, bordering on rigidity, as she sat with her arms crossed protectively across her chest, insisting on the need for a travel boycott of Burma despite the benefits of opening a closed country to foreign tourists.

She was an accidental politician, returning from abroad to visit her dying mother in 1988, then taking the microphone at political rallies and winning the 1990 election. The military nullified the results, confining her for 15 years until finally acquiescing to elections with a power-sharing arrangement that confined her to the role of state counsellor in 2015.

In her current position, Suu Kyi is as much a prisoner of her political situation as when she languished under military-imposed house arrest. Every politician is circumscribed by circumstances, hemmed in by the very people they try to lead without getting too far out in front of them. But a principled leader knows how far to bend and which human rights to defend.

Suu Kyi has never been adept at finding that balance personally, nor has the rest of her country, which has a long history of inter-ethnic strife. The same holds true for the rest of the world.

Thats no excuse for inaction in the face of possible genocide. Merely an explanation for Suu Kyis sudden fall from grace as she struggles to avoid falling from power.

Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca, Twitter: @reggcohn

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THUNDER BAYSometimes the sorrow seems endless, but the city of Thunder Bay came together on Monday at an unprecedented meeting to express their thoughts on racism, policing and fear in their community.

The body of Dylan Moonias, a 21-year-old First Nations man, was pulled from the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway in Thunder Bay on Saturday, according to Pearl Achneepineskum. His body has been flown to Toronto for a post-mortem.

The worst part is the unknown. Not knowing what happened, Achneepineskum said from her home in Ogoki Post, Marten Falls First Nation, about 500 km north of Thunder Bay on the Albany River.

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Achneepineskum is the sister of Chanie Wenjack, who was 12 years old when he ran away from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora in October 1966 only to be found frozen to death on the railway tracks as he tried to walk home, a journey of nearly 1,000 kilometres.

Wenjack is the inspiration behind musician Gord Downies multimedia project, Secret Path, which includes an album and graphic novel.

Moonias  the grandson of Pearls sister, Lizzie  had recently just returned from Agnes Wenjacks funeral in Geraldton, Ont. Agnes, who died Sept. 1, was the mother of Chanie, who inspired a generation of Canadians 50 years after his death to learn about Canadas devastating residential school history.

The discovery of Moonias body came just days before the Office of the Independent Police Review Director held a public meeting in Thunder Bay Monday night to discuss its ongoing investigation into allegations of systemic racism into the policies, practices and attitudes of the Thunder Bay Police Service as they relate to death and missing person investigations involving Indigenous people.

OIPRD director Gerry McNeilly told the crowd of nearly 200 people that the investigation they were conducting was unprecedented in scope and breadth. The OIPRD review, which began last November, was prompted by a complaint by the family of Stacey DeBungee, a Rainy River First Nation man whose body was discovered in the river in 2015.

Both DeBungees family and Rainy River Chief Jim Leonard felt his death was not properly investigated and the police were too quick to dismiss the case with no foul play suspected. Private investigators later discovered DeBungees bank card was used hours after his death.

In May, Grand Chief Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh was one of three chiefs from northern Ontario calling on the RCMP to take over the investigation of teen deaths. The chiefs said they lack confidence in the OPP and the Thunder Bay Police Force. (Toronto Star)

Questions about how the police handle missing persons and death investigations have been swirling since the deaths of seven First Nations students who died from 2000 to 2011 while living hundreds of kilometres from home so they could attend high school. An inquest into the students deaths wrapped up at the end of June 2016, and 145 recommendations were made on how to, among other things, make Thunder Bay safer for Indigenous students.

But this past May, Thunder Bay was jolted by the deaths of Tammy Keeash, 17, and Josiah Begg, 14, whose bodies were also found in the citys waters. Their deaths are currently being investigated by York Region police, at the behest of the Ontario Chief Coroners office as Indigenous leaders say they have lost trust in the Thunder Bay police.

McNeilly said his review team has met with 100 individuals, First Nations leaders and communities, members of police and police leadership. The Thunder Bay Police Service has co-operated fully with our review and I thank them, McNeilly said.

As part of our investigation we are conducting a detailed death review of 30 case files. These cases mostly involve Indigenous people but we are also looking at deaths of non-Indigenous people for comparative purposes, he said.

Another nine cases of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls are also being re-examined by the OIPRD.

At the meeting, McNeilly said he asked everyone . . . to talk about the problems in Thunder Bay so we can get some resolution so Thunder Bay can move forward.

Round tables were set up in the community hall and citizens were given time to discuss a series of questions they want answered by the OIPRD review.

One Indigenous man at the meeting, which the OIPRD asked the media not to record, said How can we solve the problem? It is not us.

Another man asked the room to give a round of applause for the Thunder Bay police because they are working hard to earn trust and work together with Indigenous people, not against them.

Sometimes you dont what it feels like to put on that uniform, its a very brave thing to do, he said.

Another Thunder Bay Indigenous resident said those living on the streets and in the shelters need to have a private meeting with the OIPRD. My heart has always been on the ground . . . the politicians need to stand back and let our people talk, she said.

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TD Bank estimates increasing Ontarios hourly minimum wage to $15 could cost the province up to 90,000 jobs.

Ontarios bold plan to raise the minimum wage by one-third over the next 18 months has fueled much debate about its potential impact on Canadas largest economy, the bank reports in its economic assessment released Tuesday.

Raising the minimum wage can potentially generate more benefits to society than costs in terms of any resulting job lost. However, the relatively rapid speed of the implementation and its timing within the economic cycle are two factors that will likely accentuate the negative hit to Ontario employment, TD warned.

Our baseline job forecast builds in a net reduction in jobs of around 80,000 to 90,000 positions by the end of the decade, said the bank, conceding the overall workforce would continue to rise after the $11.40 hourly rate jumps to $14 next year and $15 in 2019.

The estimated job impacts would still leave employment expanding over the next few years, but, at a tepid clip of around 0.5 per cent annually.

TD, which last month reported its quarterly profits skyrocketed by 17 per cent to $2.77 billion, recommends to extend the implementation period by at least two years, to 2021.

As well, it recommends differentiated minimum wages across Ontario in order to alleviate adverse side effects.

That would say a $15 rate in Toronto, where the cost of living is higher, but in Windsor, an $11-$12 level would be more appropriate.

Premier Kathleen Wynne dismissed the banks projections, which come after the provinces Financial Accountability Office estimated 50,000 jobs could be lost.

We have duelling economists on this issue, said Wynne.

I have been very clear that in a province as wealthy as Ontario, to have people who are working full time at maybe two jobs and still having to go to the food bank . . . is unacceptable, she said.

And thats why were raising the minimum wage.

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Premier Kathleen Wynne insists the province will not let Ontario cities go to pot once the federal government legalizes marijuana next July.

Wynne emerged from a meeting Tuesday with Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area mayors and regional chairs promising a clampdown on illegal storefront dispensaries and vowed to help municipalities cope with weed.

The federal governments legalization of cannabis, of course, has implications for the province as we move to administer the rules, the premier told reporters.

But the legalization of cannabis by the federal government also has implications for municipalities and that was the conversation today. We made it clear that we will work with municipalities.

Wynne admitted there are still many questions Ottawa must answer  how will marijuana will be taxed?  before Queens Park can finalize any plan to aid cities with the new costs.

One of the mayors said . . . will there be licensing fees that well have access to? Will there be the opportunity for municipalities to raise their own revenues? What will be the resources that will flow from the provincial level to the municipal level? she said.

And, quite frankly, those issues are not all worked out, but they raised them and, so, thats an important piece of this. The issues around zoning were raised as well, and, so, we need to work out exactly what those regimes will be.

It was the premiers first meeting with the mayors and chairs since the province announced earlier this month that recreational marijuana would be sold only by the LCBO at up to 150 stores devoted to this purpose or online.

Attorney General Yasir Naqvi said he would be convening an enforcement summit with municipal leaders later this fall to discuss the outlaw shops.

Weve been very clear, from the very beginning, that these pot shops are illegal today and they will remain illegal once legalization takes place, said Naqvi.

We will bring our ministers, municipal partners, our law enforcement partners, our police services so that we can determine, as one, as to what is the best way to make sure that these illegal stores are not in our communities, he said.

Toronto Mayor John Tory, who has expressed concern at the increased expenses municipalities will incur once marijuana is legal, said he was encouraged by the premiers comments.

I raised the issue of municipal costs around marijuana legalization with her directly. Not only will municipalities . . . get almost all of the calls on any aspect of these laws, complaints, enforcement . . . we will have to follow up on them, not the OPP or the Ontario government, said Tory.

This means we will not only have to have enforcement mechanisms, but also bylaw enforcement officers. I also pointed out . . . that any savings accruing because of fewer court cases will accrue to the province and we will be left with additional costs.

One of the key points I will be stressing as we work out these details is that we need this financial support at the beginning of legalization, whether the province has collected any money from the sale of marijuana or not.

Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey said she was also encouraged by what she heard from the province.

Theres a lot of moving pieces to this (federal) legislation, said Jeffrey.

At the end of the day, the rubber hits the road at municipalities. Obviously the federal government is moving forward on it. We want to be responsible and thorough.

The premier is interested in our feedback on how to make this work in the future.

Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua praised Wynnes measured approach, but cautioned the federal government will have to step up.

Its obviously a cultural shift in our country. Its going to require attention, but I think the premier has struck the right chord on this one, said Bevilacqua.

There should be some costs attached . . . , so they have to find ways to get that funding to the local municipalities, because, as always, those are costs we bear.

Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown said Wynnes marijuana plan appears to be half-baked.

We all know the reason they made this announcement, rushing the framework, was a distraction to the two Liberal political corruption trials, said Brown, referring to court proceedings in Toronto and Sudbury.

With files from David Rider

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WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump and his Republican colleagues appear to have failed again to repeal Obamacare.

Republicans last-minute push to transform the U.S. health system radically was effectively defeated Monday, when one of the senators who killed their previous bill, Maines Susan Collins, announced that she was opposed to this one, too.

Collins was the third declared Republican no vote, along with Sen. John McCain and Sen. Rand Paul. The party can only afford to lose two members, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, co-author of the proposal, conceded earlier Monday that the bill would die if Collins was not on board.

Its time for us to move on to tax reform, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy told the Baton Rouge Advocate.

Cassidy said he would keep trying to repeal Obamacare, but he also said he would not make any more changes to try to win over opponents, BuzzFeed reported.

His widely unpopular plan, known as Graham-Cassidy, would have left millions fewer people with insurance, imposed deep cuts on Democratic states in favour of some Republican states, made insurance pricier for people with pre-existing conditions, and, in the view of policy experts, created chaos around the country.

Analysts said it was the most radical Republican plan to date. But Republicans, trying to meet a Sept. 30 deadline to pass the bill with just 50 votes, not the 60 needed thereafter, tried to ram it through the Senate.

Collins said she was concerned about the devastating cuts the bill would make to the Medicaid program for low-income people, the weakening of protections for pre-existing conditions, and the likely premium increases for others. She also criticized the rushed process, which was McCains chief concern.

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The apparent collapse of Graham-Cassidy deepens a major embarrassment for Trump and his party. Republicans had promised for seven years to eradicate Barack Obamas signature policy. Trump himself ran on a repeal pledge, claiming it would be so easy.

The legislative disaster could hurt Republicans in the 2018 elections. But it could conceivably help, sparing them from the wrath of people who would have been harmed if the bill passed.

Activists, many with disabilities, had swamped Capitol Hill earlier Monday, chanting to disrupt the one committee hearing on the bill. People in wheelchairs affiliated with activist group ADAPT were dragged away as cameras rolled.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said he and other GOP Congress members are "frustrated" with the Senate's inability to make moves on their health care bill. (The Associated Press)

The bill was opposed by virtually every interest group, from the insurance industry to the seniors lobby to groups representing patients, doctors and nurses. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, whose baby boy has a heart defect, galvanized the opposition with a series of furious monologues.

The emergence of Graham-Cassidy prompted Republicans to abandon bipartisan negotiations to fix Obamacare.

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said his party wants to reignite the talks.

It is possible Republicans will try to revive the repeal drive at some point later in the year or early next.

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WASHINGTONAt least six of U.S. President Donald Trumps closest advisers occasionally used private email addresses to discuss White House matters, current and former officials said Monday.

The disclosures came a day after news surfaced that Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and adviser, used a private email account to send or receive about 100 work-related emails during the administrations first seven months. But Kushner was not alone.

Stephen Bannon, the former chief White House strategist, and Reince Priebus, the former chief of staff, also occasionally used private email addresses. Other advisers, including Gary Cohn and Stephen Miller, sent or received at least a few emails on personal accounts, officials said.

Ivanka Trump, the presidents elder daughter, who is married to Kushner, used a private account when she acted as an unpaid adviser in the first months of the administration, Newsweek reported Monday. Administration officials acknowledged that she also occasionally did so when she formally became a White House adviser. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with reporters.

Officials are supposed to use government emails for their official duties so their conversations are available to the public and those conducting oversight. But it is not illegal for White House officials to use private email accounts as long as they forward work-related messages to their work accounts so they can be preserved.

During the 2016 presidential race, Trump repeatedly harped on Hillary Clintons use of a private account as secretary of state, making it a centerpiece of his campaign and using it to paint her as untrustworthy.

We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office, Trump said last year. His campaign rallies often boiled over with chants of Lock her up!

The FBI closed its investigation into Clintons handling of classified information and recommended no charges. But even after becoming president, Trump has prodded the Justice Department to reinvestigate.

While the private email accounts spurred accusations of hypocrisy from Democrats, there are differences. Clinton stored classified information on a private server, and she exclusively used a private account for her government work, sending or receiving tens of thousands of emails. The content and frequency of the Trump advisers emails remain unknown, but Trump administration officials described the use of personal accounts as sporadic. The emails have not been made public.

All White House personnel have been instructed to use official email to conduct all government related work, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said Monday in response to questions about the emails. They are further instructed that if they receive work-related communication on personal accounts, they should be forwarded to official email accounts.

The acknowledgment of private email use came as the White House is responding to a wide-ranging Justice Department request for documents and emails as part of the special counsel investigation into Russian election meddling. The use of private emails has the potential to complicate that effort, but White House officials said they were confident in the process.

I am dealing with honorable professionals and getting what I need, said Ty Cobb, the White House lawyer leading the response to the investigation. I am doing all I can to ensure the special counsel receives the materials they request.

It is not clear why even sporadic use continued after a campaign in which email habits became a source of controversy. A former administration official noted, though, that in many cases, people received emails to their personal accounts. In some instances, officials used their private accounts to talk with reporters.

Most of Trumps aides used popular commercial email services like Gmail. Kushner created a domain, IJKFamily.com , in December to host his familys personal email. That domain was hosted by GoDaddy on a server in Arizona, records show.

Priebus and Bannon did not respond to messages seeking comment. A person close to Bannon insisted he almost never used his private email for work purposes. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a question for comment about the current officials.

James Norton, a former senior homeland security official during the George W. Bush administration, said private accounts pose security risks  a criticism often raised against Clinton.

These private email accounts become targets of phishing attacks or other types of ways of collecting information, he said. Its an issue not only for the person who owns that account, but the person who is receiving the emails. It is introducing risk into the system.

Richard Painter, a chief White House ethics lawyer under Bush who is now the vice chairman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group, said there is often a gray area over what is considered official business. But, he said, If it has anything to do with the presidents policy, including defending the presidents policy to the press, its very difficult to escape that being official.

I think Kushner was sloppy to do this, he said. I think Hillary was sloppy. I dont think any of it was criminal.

The special counsel, Robert Mueller, is leading the investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election and whether anyone around Trump was involved. Muellers team has the power to subpoena a company to turn over customer emails.

White House officials hope it does not come to that. They have been hurrying to provide Mueller with the documents he has asked for. Cobb has described it as full cooperation mode. He has reminded White House aides to search their private accounts for records to give to Mueller.

The White House views such cooperation as its best chance to escape the glare of a special counsel investigation that also touches on Trumps actions as president.

The private email accounts immediately triggered questions in Congress. Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy who was among those who most vociferously criticized Clintons email use, sent a letter to the White House and federal agencies asking about the Trump administrations personal email use.

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the senior Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asked the White House to make sure that none of Kushners emails are deleted.

Before requesting copies or calling for the public release of all official emails you sent or received on your personal email account, Cummings wrote, I first request that you preserve all official records and copies of records in your custody or control and that you provide the information requested below.

Your actions in response to the preservation request and the information you provide in response to this letter will help determine the next steps in this investigation, he added.

Cummings noted that Trump administration officials had previously said that senior White House officials did not use multiple email accounts. And he reminded the White House about the grilling Clinton received from congressional Republicans over her email practices.

Both political parties have fought for years over the use of private email accounts. Long before Clintons emails were a campaign issue, Democrats criticized members of the George W. Bush administration for the practice.

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IRBIL, IraqIraqs prime minister on Tuesday ordered the Kurdish region to hand over control of its airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban, as the Kurds claimed victory for the yes vote in an independence referendum rejected by Baghdad and Iraqs neighbours.

The Iraqi Kurdish leadership billed Mondays vote as an exercise in self-determination, but the Iraqi government is strongly opposed to any redrawing of its borders, and Turkey and Iran fear the move will embolden their own Kurdish populations.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued his ultimatum a day after the landmark vote, which he said was a historic and strategic mistake by the Kurdish leadership.

I will not give up on the unity of Iraq, that is my national and constitutional duty, he said, adding that any ban would still allow for humanitarian and other urgent flights.

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Masoud Barzani, the Kurdish regional president who spearheaded the referendum, called for dialogue with Baghdad. Negotiations are the right path to solve the problems, not threats or the language of force, he said in a televised address.

Regional authorities in Iraqs autonomous Kurdish north put the turnout at over 70 per cent, but many voters reported irregularities, including cases of individuals voting multiple times and without proper registration. Official results are expected Wednesday.

For decades, Kurdish politics have hinged on dreams of an independent Kurdish state. When colonial powers drew the map of the Middle East after World War I, the Kurds, who now number around 30 million, were divided among Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq.

After polls closed in Iraqs Kurdish region Monday night, the skies above Irbil filled with fireworks and families flocked to the centre of town to celebrate. Across the border thousands of Iranian Kurds held rallies in support.

The non-binding vote is unlikely to lead to formal independence, to which virtually the entire international community is opposed, but could spark unrest at a time when Iraqi and Kurdish forces  both U.S. allies  are still battling Daesh, also known as ISIL or ISIS.

Iraqi troops are carrying out joint military exercises with Turkey along the border. Fearing the vote could be used to redraw Iraqs borders, taking a sizable part of the countrys oil wealth with it, al-Abadi has called the referendum an act of sedition that escalated the ethnic and sectarian tension across the country.

In Iran, thousands of Kurds poured into the streets in the cities of Baneh, Saghez and Sanandaj on Monday night. Footage shared online by Iranian Kurds showed demonstrators waving lit mobile phones in the air and chanting their support into the night. Some footage also showed Iranian police officers assembling nearby or watching the demonstrators.

Iranian state television on Tuesday acknowledged the rallies, a rarity in the Islamic Republic. Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and its regular army have been running military exercises near the border with Iraqs Kurdish region in a sign of Tehrans displeasure at the Kurdish referendum.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated on Tuesday that his country is considering all options, ranging from military intervention to economic sanctions against Iraqs Kurdish region.

Erdogan said, however, that he hopes the Iraqi Kurdish leadership will abandon aims of creating a separate state and not force Turkey into enforcing sanctions.

I hope the northern Iraqi administration gathers itself together and abandons this adventure with a dark ending, Erdogan said, adding that the landlocked Iraqi Kurdish region would not be able to survive without Turkeys support in helping export its oil.

The moment we shut the valve its finished for them, Erdogan said, referring to a pipeline through Turkey. The Turkish leader said no country other than Israel supports the Iraqi Kurdish referendum on independence, which he described as invalid and fraudulent. He said attempts by Kurds to form an independent state are doomed to fail.

The United States and United Nations both opposed the referendum, describing it as a unilateral and potentially destabilizing move that could detract from the war Iraqi and Kurdish forces are waging against Daesh.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said the United States wouldnt alter its historic relationship with Iraqs Kurds, but the referendum would increase hardships for them. She said Daesh and other extremists are hoping to exploit instability and discord.

Statements from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret that the vote was held and said issues between Iraqs federal government and Kurdish region should be resolved through dialogue.

Kurdish electoral commission spokesman Sherwan Zerar put the turnout at about 3.3 million of the eligible 4.5 million residents.

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JERUSALEMA Palestinian attacker opened fire early on Tuesday at the entrance to a settlement outside Jerusalem, killing three Israeli security men and critically wounding a fourth, Israeli police and medical services said, in one of the deadliest attacks in a two-year spate of violence.

Israeli officials said the attacker was a 37-year-old Palestinian father of four, with a valid work permit in Israel and a troubled personal life who appeared to have acted alone.

The attack comes at a tense period amid the Jewish high holidays and is likely to complicate the mediation efforts of U.S. peace envoy Jason Greenblatt who just arrived in the region for meetings with Israeli and Palestinians leaders.

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Speaking at his weekly Cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was partially a result of systematic Palestinian incitement and said he expected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to condemn this attack and not try to justify it.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker approached the back gate entrance of the Har Adar settlement, hiding among dozens of Palestinian day labourers who were being checked by security forces.

The man aroused police suspicions and was asked to stop, Samri said. At that point, he pulled out a weapon and began opening fire at the forces from close range. The attacker was then shot dead by other forces at the scene.

The casualties were identified as Solomon Gavria, a 20-year-old policeman, and two private security guards  Yousef Othman and Or Arish, who were both 25 years old. The Magen David Adom medical service said that in addition to the three killed, a fourth Israeli man, aged 32, was evacuated to hospital in critical condition.

Har Adar is an upscale community west of Jerusalem, straddling the seam line between the West Bank and Israel proper and known for its good relations with its Arab neighbours  an unusual target in the wave of violence that Israel has been coping with over the past two years.

Shay Retter, the head of Har Adars security committee, said between 100 and 150 Palestinian labourers typically enter the community every day for work. Local residents said they knew the attacker from previous work he had carried out in the community and were shocked to hear what he had done. The military imposed a closure on the nearby Palestinian village of Beit Surik, the home of the attacker.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he saw no difference between Palestinian terrorism and radical Islamic terrorism targeting sites in Europe and elsewhere.

Before talking about any kind of negotiations, the world must demand of the Palestinian Authority to stop its incitement and encouragement of terror, he said, alluding to Greenblatts visit and his goal of securing concessions for Palestinians.

Minister of Intelligence Israel Katz was even blunter.

The attack is also a message to special U.S. envoy Greenblatt, he said. Israels security was and yet remains the supreme consideration in the governments policy, and is above any other consideration of improving and easing the lives of the Palestinians.

Netanyahu pledged that as a punitive measure, the attackers home would be demolished and working permits of his extended family would be revoked.

However, Israels internal Shin Bet security service downplayed ideology as a motive, saying the attacker was plagued with personal issues.

The attacker was identified as Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Jamal and the Shin Bet said its preliminary investigation indicated there was significant violence in his family. His wife had recently fled to Jordan to escape his abuse and left him with their four children, it said.

In a message to his estranged wife that he asked her to share on Facebook, Jamal praised her and called himself a bad husband.

I was very jealous and Ive done terrible things in the community, he wrote. I ask you to forgive me and take care of the kids.

Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 51 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and car-ramming attacks. Several of these attacks were carried out by individuals struggling with domestic and emotional issues whose acts were subsequently cloaked in nationalism.

During that same time, Israeli forces have killed over 255 Palestinians. Israel says most of them were attackers and others died in clashes with Israeli forces. Most of the attacks have been stabbings against security forces, primarily in the West Bank.

Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian religious and political leaders compounded on social media sites that glorify violence and encourage attacks. Palestinians say the attacks stem from anger and frustration at decades of Israeli rule in territories they claim for a state.

The frequency and intensity of attacks has lessened of late but such an incident, coming amid the Jewish high holiday, threatened to ignite them anew.

Gazas Islamic Hamas rulers praised the attack but stopped short of taking responsibility for it. In a statement, the group called the assault a heroic operation that was a natural response to Israeli aggression against Palestinians and proved that the Palestinian uprising was still alive.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said the cruel terror attack proves once again the daily front that our security forces face in the most important mission  protecting and defending the safety of the citizens of Israel.

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MOROVIS, PUERTO RICOThere was once a bridge here, connecting the neighbourhood of San Lorenzo with the city centre, connecting a community with the mundane necessities of American life: Supermarkets, gas stations, emergency services.

But Hurricane Maria was unkind to this place and that bridge. In the searing heat, families now trudge through murky, waist-deep water with grocery bags on their heads, large chunks of cement along the riverbed the only evidence a crossing ever existed.

The storms devastation here in the central mountains outside San Juan was among Puerto Ricos worst, and the bridge collapse was an added insult. Now thousands of residents are sequestered in their toppled town, away from local officials, federal help, food, fuel, water and medicine.

The only way out of the residential neighbourhood is to swim across the river or drive at least three hours around a mountain, a near impossibility because of the scarcity of gas. Residents tied a fallen cable wire across the river in an attempt to send food and water to across. As of Monday afternoon, it hadnt worked.

Elderly and ailing residents of San Lorenzo have no way of accessing medical treatment. On Saturday, three people helped a man on dialysis cross the river in a float fashioned out of a car tire. Once on the other side, his son placed him on the back of a horse and trotted to a hospital, said San Lorenzo resident Antonio Ojeda, who works in the mayors office.

I feel trapped, said Genesis Matta, a 25-year-old San Lorenzo resident.

Residents of the San Lorenzo neighborhood of Morovis can't access their houses because Hurricane Maria destroyed the bridge that connects them with the main access road.









In the five days since Maria battered the city of Morovis, 60 kilometres southwest of San Juan, residents and local officials said they had received no help from Puerto Rico officials and had no contact with federal agencies. Puerto Ricans across the island have echoed those frustrations as advocates off the island began to put pressure on the Trump administration to speed up help to U.S. citizens who have long felt disconnected from the mainland but perhaps have never felt so alone.

The mayor of Morovis, Carmen Maldonado, appeared out of breath and on the verge of tears Monday as she spoke about the calamities in her town. She was on her way to break into a high school cafeteria with police to access food for residents in the pantries there. The high school was being used as a shelter to house more than 70 people.

There is no gasoline, not even for the ambulances, she said, noting that the governor had promised to send supplies. Lies. Where is the food? Where is the water?

Thousands of homes in the town were completely destroyed. There was one supermarket open, and no functioning gas stations. It had been impossible for many residents to access water, so local officials opened up a fire hydrant.

They are entering crisis, Maldonado said.

At about 2 p.m. Monday, a caravan of vehicles pulled up to the river, carrying a group of law enforcement officials. Some had patches on their sleeves displaying four letters long-awaited in many parts of Puerto Rico: FEMA.

On Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency recovery efforts were tasked with visiting some of the hardest-hit towns on the island, scouting damage and assessing community needs. They made their way to the rivers edge.

Manolo Gonzalez, who owns one of the only restaurants in the village in San Lorenzo, near the river, asked FEMA officials for fuel for his generator, so he could power his icemaker. He hoped to set up his restaurant as a place for local residents to get ice  particularly his diabetic neighbours who are unable to keep their insulin cold.

Other members of the FEMA team helped replace the utility cable stretching across the river with a stronger wire. But that wire was among the only supplies they would be able to leave with the town: They were unable to cross the river. They brought no food or water and had only minimal medical supplies for emergencies.

A Bureau of Land Management official who was providing security for the FEMA team looked across the water.

Its like being on 9/11, watching the towers fall and not being able to do anything about it, said the official, who declined to give his name. Its a feeling of helplessness.

Another member of the team pointed to the families slowly pushing through the water on foot: If someone doesnt do something about this, eventually someone is going to get killed.

Did you just watch this group? said another. There were old people, there were kids.

When the FEMA team walked into the Morovis city hall, the mayor was in a frenzy. Maldonado asked the rescuers to go to the town shelter  the high school  to take count of the needs. There, they met in a classroom with the shelters organizers.

How many days can you last on your diesel? a FEMA official asked. Less than 24 hours, the shelter leader said. They were running low on water and would only have food for a week. One man, who had lost his legs months before the storm, was in need of medical treatment.

Wheres the closest hospital? FEMA representatives asked. All of the closest hospitals are closed, the shelter organizer responded.

The needs of the town are urgent, but the federal assessment is moving slowly, underscoring the logistical challenges many responders are facing across Puerto Rico. Roads are blocked, seaports and airports are closed or barely functioning, power is out and cellphone service limited.

At one point the team members waited outside a school for about an hour because they had lost contact with the mayor, and they struggled to transmit information to the command centre by satellite radio. Most of them did not speak Spanish, and none knew their way around the area  at one point they had difficulty locating an address because they couldnt find it on Google maps.

The team members said they would be reporting Morovis needs to the command centre, so that the emergency management team could co-ordinate how to get supplies there. But when asked how long it would take for water, food and gasoline to get to the town, the FEMA officials did not have an answer.

And for residents, particularly those in San Lorenzo, the clock is ticking. Six elderly residents who usually receive daily care from nurses were in dire need of medical attention. Others have been cut and injured by the machetes they used to chop up trees and clear streets.

Genesis Matta, a nurse who lives in San Lorenzo, said a cancer patient showed up at her home on Sunday, asking her to help with his catheter. But she had none of the necessary equipment to do so  he would have to go to the nearest hospital, two hours away.

My heart hurts because I wanted to help him, Matta said. If seven days went by, he could get an infection.

Throngs of people from across Puerto Rico and beyond have streamed to the river in San Lorenzo, hoping to reach their families on the other side.

Ana Zayas and Jaime Marquez flew into San Juans airport from Boston on Monday and drove straight to San Lorenzo. Their flight, which had been scheduled before the hurricane hit, had been delayed until the airport could handle it. They hadnt heard from their San Lorenzo relatives since before Maria stormed through, and when they saw the collapsed bridge, they were stunned.

Ken Chan, 28, had not heard from his 9-year-old son, or his sons mother, since the hurricane had passed. After driving in from his home in Arecibo, he stood at the end of the road overlooking the river and the homes scattered in the mountains across it.

At least I can see the house, and it looks intact, he said. That eases my mind.

He decided to try making the journey across the rushing water. Who doesnt want to see their son right now? he said.

But he didnt make it. After getting halfway, the waters became too intimidating, the rocks too slippery.

He turned around and waded back.

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BERN, SWITZERLANDNorth Korean government officials have been quietly trying to arrange talks with Republican-linked analysts in Washington, in an apparent attempt to make sense of President Donald Trump and his confusing messages to Kim Jong Uns regime.

The outreach began before the current eruption of threats between the two leaders, but will likely become only more urgent as Trump and Kim have descended into name-calling that, many analysts worry, sharply increases the chances of potentially catastrophic misunderstandings.

Their No. 1 concern is Trump. They cant figure him out, said one person with direct knowledge of North Koreas approach to Asia experts with Republican connections.

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There is no suggestion that the North Koreans are interested in negotiations about their nuclear program  they instead seem to want forums for insisting on being recognized as a nuclear state  and the Trump administration has made clear it is not interested in talking right now.

At a multilateral meeting here in Switzerland earlier this month, North Koreas representatives were adamant about being recognized as a nuclear weapons state and showed no willingness to even talk about denuclearization.

But to get a better understanding of American intentions, in the absence official diplomatic talks with the U.S. government, North Koreas mission to the United Nations invited Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst who is now the Heritage Foundations top expert on North Korea, to visit Pyongyang for meetings.

Trump has close ties to Heritage, a conservative think-tank which has influenced the president on everything from travel restrictions to defence spending, although not to Klingner personally.

Theyre on a new binge of reaching out to American scholars and ex-officials, said Klingner, who declined the North Korean invitation. While such meetings are useful, if the regime wants to send a clear message, it should reach out directly to the U.S. government.

North Korean intermediaries have also approached Douglas Paal, who served as an Asia expert on the national security councils of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and is now vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

They wanted Paal to arrange talks between North Korean officials and American experts with Republican ties in a neutral place such as Switzerland. He also declined the North Korean request.

U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. is "totally prepared" for a "devastating" military option against North Korea. Trump says it's not his preferred option, but if the U.S. has to take it, "we will." (The Associated Press)

The North Koreans are clearly eager to deliver a message. But I think theyre only interested in getting some travel, in getting out of the country for a bit, Paal said.

North Korea currently has about seven such invitations out to organizations that have hosted previous talks  a surprising number of requests for a country that is threatening to launch a nuclear strike on the United States.

Over the past two years in particular, Pyongyang has sent officials from its foreign ministry to hold meetings with Americans  usually former diplomats and think-tankers  in neutral places such as Geneva, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

They are referred to as Track 1.5 talks because they are official (Track 1) on the North Korean side but unofficial (Track 2) on the American side, although the U.S. government is kept informed of the talks.

But since Trumps election in November, the North Korean representatives have been predominantly interested in figuring out the unconventional presidents strategy, according to almost a dozen people involved in the discussions. All asked for anonymity to talk about the sensitive meetings.

Early in Trumps term, the North Koreans had been asking broad questions: Is Trump serious about closing American military bases in South Korea and Japan, as he said on the campaign trail? Might he really send American nuclear weapons back to the southern half of the Korean Peninsula?

But the questions have since become more specific. Why, for instance, are Trumps top officials, notably Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, directly contradicting the president so often?

The North Koreans are reaching out through various channels and through various counterparts, said Evans Revere, a former State Department official dealing with North Korea who is a frequent participant in such talks. There are a number of theories about why North Korea is doing this.

My own guess is that they are somewhat puzzled as to the direction in which the U.S. is going, so theyre trying to open up channels to take the pulse in Washington, Revere said. They havent seen the U.S. act like this before.

Revere attended a multilateral meeting with North Korean officials in the picturesque Swiss village of Glion earlier this month, together with Ralph Cossa, chairman of the Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and another frequent interlocutor with Pyongyangs representatives.

The meeting is an annual event organized by the Geneva Center for Security Policy, a government linked think-tank. But it took on extra significance this year due to the sudden rise in tensions between North Korea and the United States.

All the countries involved in the now-defunct six-party denuclearization talks  the U.S., China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas  were represented, as were Mongolia, the Swiss government and the European Union. The Swiss invited the U.S. government to send an official, but it did not.

The North Koreans at the meeting displayed an encyclopedic knowledge of Trumps tweets, to the extent that they were able to quote them back to the Americans present.

Pyongyangs delegation was headed by Choe Kang Il, deputy director of the Americas division in the foreign ministry, and he was accompanied by three officials in their late 20s who wowed the other participants with their intellectual analysis and their perfect, American-accented English. One even explained to the other delegates how the U.S. Congress works.

They were as self-confident as Ive ever seen them, said Cossa. Revere added: They may be puzzled about our intentions but they have a very clear set of intentions of their own.

The participants declined to divulge the contents of the discussions as they were off the record.

But others familiar with the talks said the North Koreans completely ruled out the freeze for freeze idea being promoted by China and Russia, in which Pyongyang would freeze its nuclear and missile activities if the United States stopped conducting military exercises in South Korea. The United States, Japan and South Korea also outright reject the idea.

Participants left the day-and-a-half-long meeting with little hope for any improvement any time soon.

Im very pessimistic, said Shin Beom-chul, a North Korea expert at the Souths Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, after participating in the meeting in Glion. They want to keep their nuclear weapons and they will only return to dialogue after the United States nullifies its hostile policy. They want the U.S. to stop all military exercises and lift all sanctions on them.

Ken Jimbo, who teaches at Keio University in Japan and was also at the meeting, said that North Korea may still be interested in dialogue, but it on terms that are unacceptable to the other side.

North Korea wants to be recognized as a nuclear weapons state, Jimbo said. But when is North Korea ready for talks? This is what I kept asking the North Koreans: How much is enough?

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The Liberal governments proposed overhaul of Canadas antique and out-of-order Access to Information Act is a modest step toward a more robust democracy, but it falls well short of the open-by-default approach Justin Trudeau promised on his way to power.

On the campaign trail, Trudeau made much of the democratic costs of opaque government. The Conservatives had grown secretive and closed-off from Canadians, he said. The Liberals promised something better, a sweeping agenda for change premised on a simple idea: transparent government is good government.

Bill C-58, which is now in its second reading in the House of Commons, no doubt offers something better. It is the first attempt to amend our access regime since the current law was passed in the pre-digital world of 1983. And it heeds a number of longstanding calls from transparency advocates.

The bills most significant measures would give much-needed teeth to the information commissioner. For instance, the legislation would allow the office to issue binding orders that would compel government departments and agencies to release information. Currently, the commissioner can only recommend the release of documents, and overturn a decision only by taking the government to court. This approach is backward at the best of times and has become increasingly impractical as departments have become less compliant.

The bill would also give the watchdog the power to force departments to disclose documents within certain timeframes. Delays have become all-too-common in recent years, undermining the ability of citizens to hold government to account. In 2015-16, only 64 per cent of the 75,400 requests received were completed within the mandated 30 days. The information commissioners new powers will hopefully mitigate this problem.

But the governments proposed legislation hardly provides the promised and necessary sweeping agenda for change. As the Centre for Law and Democracy noted in a recent review of the legislation, Bill C-58 is far more conspicuous for what it fails to do. It should be fixed before it is passed.

For instance, the bill would allow the government to dismiss information requests that it deems to be frivolous or vexatious. As written, departments may well be tempted to interpret this loophole broadly, thus undermining Trudeaus promise to be open by default.

Same goes for overbroad exemptions, untouched by the new bill, that allow departments to black out information. These rules are a common frustration of journalists who regularly receive what seem to be unnecessarily censored documents. New rules will force departments to give written justification for why information is being blacked out. But here again the promise of openness by default has gone unfulfilled.

Similarly, the bill does nothing to close one of the most abused loopholes in our access regime. In recent years, so-called cabinet confidence has too often been used to keep politically inconvenient information secret. Federal officials have invoked this exemption with alarming frequency. In 2013-14, it was used a record 3,100 times  a 49-per-cent uptick over the previous year.

Of course, some limits to access to information are necessary both for security reasons and to ensure the open and frank exchange among ministers. But cabinet confidence has become an overbroad shield against disclosure. Canadians should have access at least to the facts and background that informed their governments decisions.

Most important, the bill fails to extend the scope of the act to include the offices of the prime minister and his cabinet  one of the key recommendations advanced by a House of Commons committee last year.

The bill would instead require the prime minister, his aides and his ministers to proactively disclose certain information, such as personal expenses and travel documents. Thats a good step as far as it goes. But providing access to documents that ministers know in advance will be released is a far cry from the kind of openness promised.

Trudeau understood all this in opposition, but transparency is easy to fight for when its your rivals who will be exposed. The government has plenty of political reasons to stop halfway on access. But Trudeau is right that open government is good government. He should finish the job.

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Alarming standardized test results for high school students in applied courses are raising questions at Canadas largest school board about how some of its most at-risk youth are being taught.

Only 28 per cent of Grade 9 students taking applied math at the Toronto District School Board met the provincial standard in math skills in 2016-2017, according to Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) data released last week.

Thats down from 32 per cent the previous year and compares with an 80-per-cent success rate for those in the academic stream.

Evidence of a growing gap  the most pronounced among the 10 GTA boards  comes on the heels of several reports that call for an end to academic streaming and argue the practice is discriminatory, sends the wrong message, and limits choices down the road for kids barely in their teens.

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Ontario to launch review of how students are tested

Absolutely, we are concerned, said Manon Gardner, TDSB executive superintendent of teaching and learning. Obviously those are not the numbers we want for our students. We are looking deep into this in terms of what can we change.

One in four Grade 9 students in the Toronto board  a total of almost 4,000 kids  were enrolled in applied math last year, so the fact that almost three-quarters were below the provincial standard  of roughly a B  means a substantial number may be falling through the cracks.

Province-wide numbers for the nearly 35,000 Grade 9 kids in applied math are also dismal, with only 44 per cent meeting the Ontario standard versus 83 per cent of academic students.

At Peel District School Board, the second-largest board, 39 per cent of students in applied were successful versus 84 per cent in academic classes.

The gulf is worrisome, says Mary Reid, professor at the University of Torontos Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

No matter what people think of standardized testing, this is statistically significant and we cant ignore it, says Reid. These are alarming results.

Math isnt the only area of concern. All Grade 10 students in Ontario write a literacy test and must pass in order to graduate. But the success rate for students enrolled in applied English has declined over the past five years, with only 44 per cent passing in 2017  versus 92 per cent of those in the academic stream. Students who fail are enrolled in a literacy course and can retake the test.

At the TDSB, 39 per cent of applied students taking the literacy test for the first time passed, versus 87 per cent of academic students.

Reid says the disparity between test results for kids in university-bound academic courses and the more hands-on applied level amount to a real inequity and a failure of the system because education is supposed to be about closing the achievement gap.

The troubling findings this month came in the wake of an announcement by the province that it plans to re-examine its curriculum and assessment process.

Meanwhile, the trend in applied is becoming significant enough that the EQAO chose to highlight it when releasing the first wave of data last month, said chief executive Norah Marsh.

The gap creates a lot of questions as far as whats happening for those students, she said.

Tracking students through tests in Grades 3, 6 and 9 shows that putting them in separate streams can have negative consequences.

For example, kids who didnt meet the standard in Grade 6 were more likely to be successful in Grade 9 if they took the academic course, she said.

She added that students receiving special-education supports, who made up 41 per cent of Grade 9 applied math classes, are also more successful in academic courses if they receive appropriate accommodations.

Eighty-one per cent of special-ed students in Grade 10 academic English passed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, she said, versus 36 per cent of special-ed students in the applied course.

The latest EQAO results follow a series of reports raising concerns about the impact of streaming, including one from the research and advocacy group People for Education two years ago that cited a widening achievement gap and found kids in applied courses are less likely to graduate or go on to post-secondary.

Last month, the advocacy group Social Planning Toronto highlighted the lack of guidance and information families receive about streaming, which disproportionately impacts racialized students and those from low-income families. And an earlier report from York University found Black youth are twice as likely to be in applied courses as other racial groups.

Rising concerns have led to a growing number of TDSB high schools starting to de-stream by gradually eliminating applied level courses for Grade 9 and 10 students and instead placing most in the academic stream.

Schools like C.W. Jefferys Collegiate, the first to launch a de-streaming pilot in 2014, have seen achievement levels rise across the board when all students are supported and expected to succeed in academic courses.

Jefferys has removed all Grade 9 applied courses except math, which is next on the list. But EQAO results show progress is well underway, with 80 per cent of kids in applied math meeting the provincial standard last year, up sharply from 52 per cent in 2016 and 41 per cent the previous year.

This year Oakwood Collegiate Institute became the first high school to end all Grade 9 applied courses at once, a process generated by teachers and involving co-ordination with feeder schools to ensure students who would have been headed for applied get all the support they need, according to principal Steve Yee.

Gardner says in the past two years the TDSB has redirected about 5 per cent of students headed towards applied into academic courses instead, with up to 16 high schools in different phases of de-streaming this year.

Education experts like Mary Reid say eliminating streaming is the way to address the problem.

You teach to the academic curriculum, and you get rid of labels, says Reid, adding that research shows all students do better in mixed-ability groupings, but streaming does the most harm to those who are struggling.

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Bill Gates doesn't completely understand quantum computing, the Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) - Get Free Report co-founder and verified computer whiz told the WSJ Magazine Monday.

"I know a lot of physics and a lot of math. But the one place where they put up slides and it is hieroglyphics, it's quantum," Gates said.

Current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has trouble perfectly explaining the concept, too, he said. It's impossible to explain quantum in one sentence, even for the leader of a company that's experimented with the concept for 12 years.

Though it appears close to impossible to boil down quantum computing in one quick explanation, Microsoft's past and present leaders agreed on the concept's usefulness. Nadella said quantum will be the "next breakthrough that will allow us to keep up this exponential growth in computing power and to solve problems, whether it's about climate or food production or drug discovery."

Microsoft, which is one of the tech industry's biggest investors in cloud computing research, invested in new experiments in quantum, which it considers next-generation cloud. On Monday, the company announced a new quantum computing programming language to be released later this year along with a quantum simulator. The new tools are geared toward getting developers to "ask the big questions and get even bigger answers, from a billion parallel universes."

Microsoft stock traded down 1.7% late Monday to $73.15.

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Oil prices took a breather early Tuesday after hitting two-year highs at the opening of European trading on fears that Turkey could turn off pipelines out of the Kurdistan region and following bullish supply and demand predictions from traders and analysts.

Brent Crude futures for delivery in November traded at $58.84 a barrel, down $0.18 cents, after touching a high of $59.49 soon after the opening of European trading. The last time oil traded above $59 was in July 2015. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures also for November were at $52.13, down $0.19.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said he could close the pipeline running out of the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq in response to a non-binding independence referendum that was held on Monday. The pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan pumps about 500,000 to 600,000 barrels of oil per day and is the main transport route for the Kurdish regions oil exports.

"Let's see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. "We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it's done."

Turkey has been battling, both politically and militarily, against the formation of an independent Kurdistan for decades and fears that a Kurdish state carved out of Iraq would encourage an independence movement amongst the ethnic Kurds living within its borders. Iraq's government has also voiced strong opposition to both the referendum and the prospect of an independent Iraqi Kurdistan which, in theory, could spread from the Turkish border to the outskirts of Baghdad and includes the oil rich Kirkuk province.

Elsewhere, oil prices also received a lift from analysts and traders meeting at an oil conference in Singapore.

"We are nearing the end of 'lower for longer' oil, Trafigura's co-head of Group Market Risk Ben Luckock told the S&P Global Platts APPEC conference. Trafigura, the world's No.3 independent oil trader, said production from mature wells could dip by as much as 9 million barrels a day by 2019, while demand was likely to grow over the same period, driven notably by increased consumption in India.

Russia's Gazprom also painted a bullish picture of demand and supply at the APPEC conference. "We see the market over the next six months going well above $60" due to "surprisingly good demand," said Adi Imsirovic, head of oil trading at Gazprom Marketing and Trading.

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Equifax Inc. (EFX) - Get Free Report Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Smith is stepping aside almost 20 days after the credit-reporting company disclosed a cyberattack that compromised the personal information of more than 143 million Americans.

Board member Mark Feidler, a partner at MSouth Equity Partners LLC, a private equity investment firm, and former chief operating officer for BellSouth Corp., was named the non-executive chairman. Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., who most recently served as president of Asia Pacific for Equifax, has been appointed as interim CEO. Smith, 57, has agreed to serve as an unpaid adviser to Equifax to assist in the transition.

"The cybersecurity incident has affected millions of consumers, and I have been completely dedicated to making this right," Smith said in a statement. "At this critical juncture, I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move the company forward."

Equifax shares fell 1.6% in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange after being halted for the Smith announcement. Since the cyberattack was revealed on Sept. 7, shares of Equifax have dropped about 27%.

The board will undertake a search for a new permanent CEO and is said to be considering candidates from within and outside the company. Feidler also said that the board has formed a special committee to focus on the issues arising from the recent security breach "and to ensure that all appropriate actions are taken."

GOING BEFORE CONGRESS

Smith is scheduled to appear before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs on Oct. 4, an Equifax spokesperson said. He is expected to face questioning about how cyberhackers gained access to the personal information of millions of people in the U.S. and went undetected for months.

Smith will also be asked about the company's overall cybersecurity efforts as well as the company's transparency regarding consumers and shareholders, or lack thereof.

The Atlanta-based credit-reporting company disclosed on Sept. 7 that the names, addresses, birthdays and Social Security numbers of 143 million Americans were compromised in a cyberattack that Equifax discovered on July 29. Equifax said hackers accessed the information starting on May 13, but the Wall Street Journal reported that the first "interaction" with hackers happened on March 10. The company registered the domain name equifaxsecurity2017.com, the website Equifax directed customers toward to learn more about the breach, on Aug. 22, more than two weeks before the hack was publicly disclosed, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"Once Equifax discovered [the cyberattack], why did it take so long to become public?" asked Warren Zafrin, a management and technology consultant at UHY Advisors.

"Where was everything that would have set off the alarms?" Zafrin said. "It was a complete breakdown of their cyber program. Or there was complete fraud and miscommunication. It can't be both."

Equifax should have had an intrusion detection system or an incident response plan or, at the very least, a data leak prevention plan, Zafrin said.

Following the cyberattack, the company announced on Sept. 15 that its chief information officer, David Webb, and chief security officer, Susan Mauldin, were retiring, effective immediately. Mark Rohrwasser, who led Equifax's International IT operations, was named interim chief information officer; Russ Ayres, who served as vice president in the IT organization, was appointed interim chief security officer.

Congress will be keen to hear why Equifax waited to disclose the situation once the company discovered the intrusion, especially in light of the three executives who sold shares worth almost $1.8 million in the days after the company found the security breach. Equifax said the three people, including Chief Financial Officer John Gamble, had not been informed of the incident when they sold their shares.

"How do you explain the delay?" Zafrin asked. He said the delayed disclosure of the incident just "doesn't make sense" and demonstrates a level of incompetence. Zafrin also said that Equifax "absolutely" should have shut down any insider trading as soon as the breach was discovered.

"It just doesn't sound kosher," Zafrin said.

HISTORY OF SECURITY BREACHES

Cyberattacks, however, are far from a new problem for Equifax, which has a market capitalization of $12.65 billion.

In January 2017, Equifax admitted to a data security incident in which the "credit information of a small number" of customers at partner LifeLock were exposed to another user of the latter's online portal. Equifax said it provides LifeLock members with credit information through the LifeLock portal.

In May 2016, Equifax's W-2 Express website was attacked and resulted in the leak of more than 430,000 names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other personal information of employees of the grocery chain Kroger Co. (KR) - Get Free Report . The breach resulted in a class-action lawsuit, which alleged that Equifax "willfully ignored known weaknesses in its security system." Although the company sought to have the suit dismissed, the case was ultimately dropped without prejudice with the understanding that Equifax would fix the security issue.

Four years ago, the company told New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster that between April 2013 and January 2014 an "IP address operator was able to obtain the credit reports using sufficient personal information to meet Equifax's identity verification process."

As a result, the company said it reported the suspicious activity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and implemented additional monitoring and blocking measures to assess whether certain types of fraudulent activity were occurring on the affected individuals' credit files.

While Smith, who served as CEO since 2005, stepped down 19 days after the security breach was disclosed, an in-depth look at some of the company's more prominent employees shows that about a handful of people left before the April 2013 hack, such as Jay Leek, vice president of international security, and Hmong Vang, senior director of global security compliance, according to BoardEx, a relationship mapping service of TheStreet Inc. John Carter, the former chief data officer, departed in April 2012. And, one month before the hack in March 2013, Tony Spinelli, the former chief security officer and Mauldin's predecessor, left Equifax.

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TheStreet was able to determine that Carter was succeeded by Prasanna Dhore, who still works at Equifax. Carter declined to comment on why he left Equifax but said that his role" was not related to data security." Spinelli, who served as chief security officer between Sept. 2005 and March 2013, according to BoardEx, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

When TheStreet reached out to Equifax last week to determine who replaced for the other men in the security-related positions, the company said that "it is Equifax policy to not discuss personnel matters."

Still, even with these departures, Zafrin said that "it should not have made Equifax more vulnerable."

But does Equifax have a problem retaining top talent?

The great demand for cybersecurity experts at companies across the world could be one of the reasons these people moved jobs, Dr. Edward Amoroso, a distinguished research professor at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering, said in a recent interview.

Dr. Amoroso said that chief information security officer (CISO) is often viewed as an appendage to the executive team, a "hired gun" that may be more likely to leave.

"The solution is that the CEO needs to build a better, more trusting relationship with the CISO," said Dr. Amoroso.

"We envision the breach having a similar effect on security awareness as did the late-2013 Target breach, whereby Boards/C-level executives became more involved with their organizations' security strategy," said Oppenheimer analysts Shaul Eyal and Tanner Hoban in a Sept. 18 research note. "Similar to Target, consumers felt the pain of this breach...this time on a much larger scale."

Thirteen Equifax analysts, or 81.3% of the total, have a Buy rating on the stock while three analysts have a Hold rating; there are no analysts with a Sell rating, according to Bloomberg data.

-- This story has been updated to reflect that Equifax confirmed Richard Smith is scheduled to testify before Congress.

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Editors' pick: Originally published Sept. 26.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Jay Clayton on Tuesday clashed over their differing views on the health of the market for initial public offerings, with the Massachusetts senator charging that companies debuting today are performing better and are less likely to wipe shareholders out as they did during the dot-com bust of the early 2000s.

"The data show that investors are putting more money into IPOs now than ever before and that those IPO companies are doing better for investors because they are more stable before they come to market," Warren told Clayton at a Senate Banking Committee hearing.

In response, Clayton reiterated his argument, based on an analysis of IPO data, that retail investors today aren't getting the benefits of being able to invest in earlier stage companies because corporations are choosing to delay their public offerings due to costs until they are more mature and not growing as much, all of which means less profit for consumers.

"It is a concern to me that on that growth curve a substantial portion of that money is private money and those [private] investors have done very well and in many cases relatively much better [than the public retail investor]," Clayton responded.

Warren and Clayton's disagreement over the health of the IPO market is also at the center of a battle over whether it makes sense for the nation's securities regulator to ease restrictions on IPOs, as Clayton is moving to do.

At the center of Warren's argument are statistics about a lack of IPOs to date. She referred to statistics showing that there has been a significant decrease in the number of IPOs between 1996-1997 and today. However, Warren noted that many of those IPOs in the 1990s ultimately failed during the dot-com bust in the early 2000s.

"As you know there was a sharp increase in number of companies leading up to the 1996 and 1997 years and a lot of those companies failed over the next few years leaving Mr. and Ms. 401K losing a whole lot of money," Warren said.

She acknowledged that there has been a decline in the number of IPOs between 1997 and today, but insisted that the evidence suggested that this was also due to an increase in recent years of mergers and acquisitions.

In addition, Warren pointed to a Harvard Law article that cited statistics, compiled by Dealogic and Ernst & Young analysis, to show that in 1996 there were 624 IPOs with about $36 billion in capital raised, but that between 2012 and 2016 the average annual deal volume in IPOs was much higher than in that year even though the number of IPOs is a lot lower. For example in 2014, an outlier, 291 IPOs raised about $96 billion.

"People are investing more money in IPOs than they ever did at the height of the dot com boom," Warren said. "If your primary focus was on investors and not bankers and deal lawyers who make money on each of these IPOs, why do you care if there are fewer IPOs so long as IPOs overall are attracting more investor dollars."

However, Clayton said he continues to be troubled by the trend of less companies choosing the route of the public markets. "Fewer companies are choosing to go public in their growth phase or at all and, consequently and significantly there are fewer investment opportunities for Main Street investors," Clayton said.

He said that costs, ranging from compliance to consumption of management and employee bandwidth, are to blame. "The costs for public companies, particularly smaller and medium-sized companies, far outstrip those of comparable private companies," Clayton said. "I view Mr. and Ms. 401(k) as bearing a potentially significant cost as a result of the shrinking number of public companies."

To help encourage public offerings, Clayton said the agency is examining whether to issue more guidance to help drive IPOs without reducing investor protections. The SEC recently expanded an existing program that allows small companies to submit their IPO applications confidentially. The new program allows bigger companies seeking to IPO to provide their draft registration statements to the SEC on a non-public basis, as a way of encouraging more public offerings. The confidential submissions allows companies to pull their IPO plans privately without having to deal with the public embarrassment of such an action.

The SEC's division of Corporation Finance also issued guidance clarifying that companies can omit interim financial info from their draft registration statement, a move that will likely reduce costs associated with preparing financial info. "To be clear, this guidance saves costs, but investors continue to benefit from the full array of financial information required when a company publicly files its registration statement," Clayton said.

Nevertheless, Warren took issue with the SEC's move to ease regulatory restrictions on IPOs, arguing that they may make "life a whole lot" more profitable for bankers and corporate attorneys who want more IPOs but that "there is no evidence that it will be making more money for investors."

U.S. Tech Companies Could Lead $250 Billion of Tax Repatriation Under GOP Bill

Separately, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., indicated that he supported Clayton's efforts to ease burdens on companies considering IPOs. He argued that IPO documents were shorter and easier to understand years ago than they are today, a negative for retail investors and that many IPOs have gone overseas, hurting prospects for U.S. retail investors.

"Many small cap IPOs have declined significantly here and gone over seats," he said. "That means ultimately that small investors, no longer has access to these kind of small cap growth companies. They go increasingly to the private market to benefit the most affluent Americans."

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One day after it was stripped of licensing in London, Uber Technologies Inc. has decided to cease operations in Canada's Quebec province as the government implements increased regulations, Reuters reported.

The decision comes after Quebec officials announced new plans last week to expand the rules of a pilot program that had let Uber operate in the province since October of last year. Under the new set of regulation, drivers must undergo 35 hours of training and have their criminal background checks reviewed by Quebec police instead of third parties, as was the previous norm.

Uber will quit operating in Quebec on Oct. 14, but the company has left wiggle room to restart operations in Quebec if the government is willing to reconsider the new regulations. The government said it is unwilling to budge on negotiations.

The ride-hailing company employed 50 workers in offices there and has had more than 10,000 drivers in the province, which is Canada's second-most populous. Uber rival Lyft has not yet moved north of the U.S. border, but Lyft lobbyists have met with Canadian officials in Toronto about that possibility, government records show.

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Amid a growing number of corporate cyberattacks, almost every public company can learn from the trials and tribulations that the Equifax Inc. (EFX) - Get Free Report board of directors and management endured following a massive security breach that compromised the personal information of 143 million Americans.

A recent study by PwC found that the number of security incidents across all industries rose by 38% in 2015, marking the biggest increase in more than a decade. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice, LinkedIn, the Democratic National Committee, Yahoo and others were hacked.

With the understanding that cyberattacks are a risk that every company faces, C-suite executives and the board of directors need have a plan in place to deal with such an incident.

"[Cybersecurity] needs to be a regular topic of discussion, particularly for an industry with sensitive information," David Finke, who leads the global technology sector at the executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates, told TheStreet in a recent interview.

According to the 2017 BDO Cyber Governance Survey, about 79% of public company directors report that their board is more involved with cybersecurity than it was 12 months ago.

"The continuing year-over-year increases in board involvement and investments in cybersecurity is extremely positive, but the percentage of businesses with breach response plans in place - although much improved from two years ago - is still far below where it needs to be," Eric Chuang, managing director of cyber incident response at BDO USA, said in a statement.

As companies develop strategies surrounding its cybersecurity, TheStreet examines some of the biggest issues Equifax dealt with following its most recent cyberattack.

DELAYED DISCLOSURE

Equifax disclosed on Sept. 7 that the names, addresses, birthdays and Social Security numbers of 143 million U.S. customers were compromised in a cyberattack that the Atlanta-based credit-reporting company discovered on July 29. Equifax said hackers accessed the information starting on May 13, but the Wall Street Journal reported that the first "interaction" with hackers happened on March 10. The company registered the domain name equifaxsecurity2017.com, the website Equifax directed customers toward to learn more about the breach, on Aug. 22, more than two weeks before the hack was publicly disclosed, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"Once Equifax discovered [the cyberattack], why did it take so long to become public?" asked Warren Zafrin, a management and technology consultant at UHY Advisors.

Zafrin said that when the now-retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Smith goes before Congress on Oct. 4 that the company's transparency to consumers and shareholders will be the primary line of questioning. He said that the delayed disclosure of the incident just "doesn't make sense" and demonstrates a level of incompetence.

"It just doesn't sound kosher," Zafrin said.

CYBERSECURITY INVESTMENTS

In his statement disclosing the cyberattack, Smith, 57, acknowledged that while the company had made "significant" investments in data security, it still needs to do more.

"We recognize we must do more. And we will," Smith said in a statement.

The company also said it has engaged an independent cybersecurity firm to "conduct an assessment and provide recommendations on steps that can be taken to help prevent this type of incident from happening again." It didn't name the company.

TheStreet asked Equifax about what investments the company has made on data security, how much it has spent or what changes they are planning on making. Equifax didn't respond to our investment questions.

According to the BDO Cyber Governance Survey, about 78% of directors say they have increased company investments to defend against cyberattacks, up from 55% in 2014.

Even U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton told a Senate panel on Tuesday that the agency will "need more money in the area of cybersecurity and IT generally," after hackers breached its system in 2016.

RELATIONSHIP WITH CISO

Shortly after the cyberattack, the company announced that Susan Mauldin, Equifax's chief security officer when the data breach occurred, would be retiring, effective immediately. But since Mauldin left, "chaos has ensued," Edward Amoroso, a distinguished research professor at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering, said in a recent interview with TheStreet.

"When somebody get hacked like [Equifax], wouldn't it stand to reason that having someone with some real insight may be worth keeping?" asked Amoroso. Russ Ayres, who served as vice president in the IT organization, was appointed interim chief security officer.

Amoroso, who served as chief security officer for AT&T Inc. (T) - Get Free Report between 2005 and 2016, said that chief information security officer (CISO) is often viewed as an appendage to the executive team, a "hired gun" that may be more likely to leave.

"The solution is that the CEO needs to build a better, more trusting relationship with the CISO," said Amoroso.

Watch: Jim Cramer Talks Apple, Nucor, and Comcast

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Editors' pick: Originally published Sept. 26.
The Justice Department sued to challenge Parker Hannifin Corp.'s (PH) - Get Free Report $4.3 billion acquisition of Clarcor Inc. (CLC) on Tuesday, arguing that the already-closed deal is likely to "substantially lessen" competition in the aviation fuel filtration products arena.

The lawsuit, brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, was filed out of concern that the deal will mean higher prices, worse service or less innovation, the DOJ said.

The department has asked the court to order Parker-Hannifin sell part of its aviation fuel filtration business to "replace Clarcor's competitive significance in the marketplace."

"Parker-Hannifin bought Clarcor knowing that this transaction raised serious antitrust concerns under Section 7 of the Clayton Act in the development, manufacture and sale of aviation fuel filtration products," said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Donald Kempf of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division in a statement. "The Division is committed to vigorous and sound enforcement of the antitrust laws, and will do its job to protect American customers regardless of whether a merger has already been consummated."

Before the merger, the companies were the only two manufacturers of Energy Institute-qualified filtration systems in the United States, the complaint says. EI-qualified products are the only products that can be used to filter aviation fuel for use in U.S. commercial and military planes.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Andrew Finch of the DOJ's Antitrust Division said Parker-Hannifin's acquisition of its U.S. rival "has effectively created a monopoly in these critical safety products, depriving their customers of the benefits of competition."

A Parker-Hannifin spokesman said the company is aware of the DOJ action.

"Parker has cooperated fully with the DOJ throughout this process and has been working diligently to respond to their post-closing inquiry," the company said in a release. "Parker is now reviewing the complaint and looks forward to the ultimate resolution of this matter."

Cleveland-based Parker-Hannifin announced the deal in December 2016. The transaction was closed in February 2017, with Parker purchasing all outstanding Clarcor shares for $83 a share in cash.

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An Irish bride-to-be has thanked the tourist who captured the perfect photo of her and her fiance in the moment of a lifetime.

Catherine Jordan took to Twitter to express her gratitude towards the tourist who managed to snap the epic shot of her and her boyfriend as he got down on one knee in the Aran Islands to ask her to marry him.

"Forever grateful to the tourist who took this spectacular picture of my boyfriend proposing on Dun Aengus, Inishmore on the wildatlanticway." Catherine wrote.

Forever grateful to the tourist who took this spectacular picture of my boyfriend proposing on Dun Aengus, Inishmore on the @wildatlanticway pic.twitter.com/a8AME7HlJL  Catherine Jordan (@jorrrdy) September 25, 2017

Groom-to-be Donal O'Neill planned a a surprise trip to Inishmore after work on Friday, with the unsuspecting Catherine having no idea what he had planned.

"We both love being outdoors exploring," the bride-to-be told THEVOW.ie, "especially by the ocean and cliffs. So he brought me to Dun Aengus and surprised me with the question then."

The photo was snapped by a passer by as Donal dropped to one knee to pop the question, however due to the excitement, the couple failed to catch the man's name.

"It's a fabulous photo," said Catherine, "we had no idea he was taking it."

"We were having some lunch later that day and he approached us in the restaurant and said he got a photo so sent it to me. I think he was from America. We never even got his name, we were so wrapped up in the whirlwind of the day."

However the lucky bride says the photo will always be treasured.

Video of the Day

"[We're] very lucky to have the picture. Will we definitely be framing it!"
Badger Meter, Inc. manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions in the United States, Asia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East, and internationally. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, oil, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives. Its flow instrumentation products are used in water/wastewater, heating, ventilating and air conditioning, and corporate sustainability markets. In addition, the company offers ORION Migratable for automatic meter reading; ORION (SE) for traditional fixed network applications; and ORION Cellular for infrastructure-free fixed network meter reading solution, as well as BEACON advanced metering analytics, a secure cloud-hosted software suite that establishes alerts for specific conditions and allows consumer engagement tools that permit end water customers to view and manage their water usage activity. It also serves water utilities, industrial, and other industries. The company sells its products directly, as well as through resellers and representatives. Badger Meter, Inc. was incorporated in 1905 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Defense believes Purdue murder defendant is incompetent to stand trial

The defense attorney for accused Purdue murderer, Ji Min Sha, questioned whether Sha is mentally competent to stand trial,.
Tanzania has blocked preferential access for Kenyan textile goods manufactured outside the Export Processing Zone (EPZ), citing unfair competition for its own manufacturers.

This is informed by the fact that Kenya has allowed textile and apparel manufactures operating in the EPZ to off load their final textile products in the Kenyan market duty free, Tanzania stated in a communique from a joint meeting on September 2 in Dar es Salaam to iron out trade wrangles between the two countries.

This in effect may hinder similar products from Tanzania from being competitive when sold in the Kenyan market.

Kenya in May cleared firms operating in its EPZs to sell up to an expanded 40 per cent of their products in the local market as part of strategy to boost sales and help prop the struggling industry.

The EPZ firms were initially only allowed to sell 20 per cent of their products in the Kenyan market with the rest sold under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa)  a trade pact that allows US buyers to import goods from a number of sub-Saharan African countries without paying taxes.

Dumping products

The gesture has, however, sparked a trade spat between the two countries amid concern that the Kenyas expanded domestic market sales quota for EPZ firms could lead to dumping of products in the Tanzanian market.

Tanzania is not according preferential treatment to Kenya because it is now enjoying a stay of application for textiles and footwear. Moreover, 96 per cent of textile produced in Kenya is sold under AGOA market and thus the mechanism for monitoring such export is difficult, Tanzania stated in the communique.

According to the document, Kenya raised concern that textile and apparel goods manufactured outside its EPZs were being denied preferential access to the Tanzanian market despite provisions of Legal Notice No. 84 of 2017 by the East African Community (EAC).

Tanzania nonetheless argued that as per the Legal Notice, Kenya was granted a stay of application of the common external tariff (CET) rate on garments and leather footwear manufactured in the EPZ on the 20 per cent of the annual production allowed in the protocol to be sold within the domestic Kenyan market for one year, duty-free.

Charges

As a result the sale of these products in any of the EAC states is subject to duties, levies, and other charges provided in the CET when exported, Tanzania argued.

Kenya objected the assertions and requested Tanzania to grant access to her textile and apparel products as long as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) issued a certificate of origin and a list of firms operating both within and outside the EPZ.

Tanzania stood its ground and undertook to audit Kenyas dual tax regime to ascertain the impact on her textile sector.

Legal Notice No. EAC/84/2017

THE PROTOCOL ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY CUSTOMS UNION

LEGAL NOTICE

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon the Council of Ministers by Articles 12 (3) and 39(c) of the Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Community Customs Union, the Council of Ministers has granted the Republic of Kenya a stay of application of the CET rate on garments and leather footwear manufactured in EPZ on the 20% of the annual production allowed in the Protocol to be sold within the domestic Kenya market for one year.

The sale of the above finished products shall be subject to the following condition:

In the event that such goods are sold in Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania or Uganda, such goods shall attract duties, levies and other charges provided in the EAC Common External Tariff.

This Notice shall come into force on the 1st day of July 2017.

HON. DR. AL HAJI ALI KIRUNDA KIVEJINJA,

Chairperson Council of Ministers.

Joint Communique of the bilateral trade meeting between the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Kenya

6-8 September, 2017, Dar es Salaam

As agreed during the bilateral meeting between Tanzania and Kenya held in Namanga on 3rd August 2017, a bilateral technical meeting to address trade-related concerns between the two countries was convened on 06th-08th September 2017 in Dar es Salaam.

The meeting was co-chaired by Prof. Adolf Mkenda, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment of the United Republic of Tanzania, and Dr. Chris Kiptoo, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives of the Republic of Kenya.

During the meeting, which was held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere, the two sides noted the impetus to enhance and ease bilateral trade between the two countries that has been given by the two Heads of State, His Excellency Dr. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, President of the United Republic of Tanzania and His Excellency Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya.

The two sides underscored the significance of having regular bilateral meetings to discuss concerns and opportunities with a view of promoting trade in the two countries for the mutual benefit of the two countries and its people.

During the meeting, the two sides deliberated on inter-alia, concerns related to the retail sector, customs, freight forwarding, market access, administrative bottlenecks, and implementation of the relevant East African Community directives. In this regard, the two sides called for the effective and timely implementation of the agreements reached in the bilateral meeting with a view to ease the flow of goods and services. Overall, the meeting noted with satisfaction the smooth conduct and flow of trade between the two countries, and that the Presidential Directives regarding the free flow of LPG, wheat flour, milk and milk product have been implemented. Among other things, the two sides agreed to the following:

The Management of Uchumi and Nakumatt Supermarkets should work with their suppliers to come up with a roadmap on how to settle the outstanding payments, and policy measures should be instituted to ensure that the retail sectors do not face a recurrence of similar challenges;To implement the SCT system to speed up clearance of goods, and in particular perishable goods;

To speed up the development and adoption of regional cargo tracking system;

To encourage the Chiefs of Immigration Services in the two countries to convene a meeting to resolve immigration issues between the two countries;

To conduct verification exercise on lubricants, edible oils, cement and textiles produced outside EPZs in order to ascertain the origin of the product, and fair competition issues on textiles in particular; and,

To ratify and implement EAC SPS Protocol, which requires EAC Partner State to establish regulatory institutions and harmonize SPS control measures. KEBS and TFDA to cooperate on harmonization of SPS measures.

In addition, a sideline meeting for wheat farmers and millers from Tanzania and Kenya was held on the margins of the bilateral meeting, and was equally co-chaired by Prof. Mkenda and Dr. Kiptoo. The meeting brought together key wheat stakeholders from the two countries to jointly discuss measures to support wheat farming in both countries. The meeting agreed to prioritize wheat produced locally in order to support the farmers. Thus, while the Namanga agreement stands Millers have agreed to voluntarily mop up wheat grains produced locally (Tanzania and Kenya) before importing from outside the region.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, the co-chairs signed the minutes of the bilateral meeting and the sideline meeting for wheat stakeholders outlining the way forward.
Walmart isn't the only big box store seeking to lure electric vehicle drivers...

Earlier this week, we reported that Walmart is adding ultra-fast electric vehicle charging at 100+ stores across the United States. They aren't the only ones seeking to lure electric vehicle drivers in to shop, eat, drink and hang out while their vehicles get juiced.

On Monday, Target announced that it too is adding charging stations at 100 locations across 20 states, with multiple stations at each location. (I've previously noted that Target's existing charging infrastructure is notable for the sheer number of charging points they are providing.)

The move comes in partnership with companies such as Tesla, ChargePoint and Electrify America, and should make for a significant improvement in terms of access to charging. What will be interesting to watch is how much of the new charging infrastructure falls into the slower, Level 2 charging rangeversus fast or ultra-fast charging stations capable of 'refilling' a battery in minutes.

I'm sure there will be those who argue that Level 2 charging, which adds 20 or so miles of range per hour, is next to useless as batteries get bigger and charging gets faster. But I, personally, am not so sure. If we driverswho charge at home most of the timecan have the option of slower Level 2 charging at cheaper (or free) rates, there will be plenty of folks who top up while shopping or working, freeing up fast and ultra-fast charging capacity for those who need it. Such a patchwork of charging solutions will also have the added benefit of easing the load on the grid, not to mention benefitting retail, restaurant and recreation locations that would love to lure customers in for a longer stay in the age of e-commerce.
<<<< Also, anything besides Sydney Opera house that I need to see? >>>>>>

As a comparison - this is like me asking you is there anything besides the Statue of Liberty to see in New York.

Of course there is - fabulous scenic harbour, wildlife, islands, historical building, museums, oh a decent sized well known bridge, botanical gardens, restaurants,theatre etc etc etc. but it's about what you actually want to see or do.
Ok, now I am getting nervous about all of this talk of killer jellyfish and crocodiles being "in season" when we are there. I am reading not to go into the waters after dusk and we will need stinger suits during the day.

Is there a better place further south that we would not run into this problem? I definitely want to do a 1 or 2 night sail to the Whitsundays, it's a bucket list thing for me, but, maybe I should focus on a city south of Arlie Beach? Does it make a difference as far as the jsllies and crocs being present the further south we go?
Taking on board the advice here and fine tuning here on the homefront, we are now honing in on mid-March of 2017. We are nixing the idea of Adelaide and Kangaroo Island and adding Grampians NP. So the idea is to do a loop from Melbourne to do the Great Ocean Road, Grampians, and back to Melbourne. Then to do a flight to Tasmania for a 10 day loop and return to Melbourne.

One of the loops would be via campervan, as we've done this before in New Zealand and enjoyed it. My other half would be perfectly happy to do both loops (Australia south coast, Tasmania) via campervan, but I'm not so sure. Is there a better place to campervan of the two?

Figuring that flights from the USA, time changes and acclimation, and time we are comfortable being away (we are self-employed) I think we have 18 nights on the ground. Would a good division of time be:

10 days Tasmania

5 days GOR

3 days Grampians

I love wild beaches, my husband loves mountains. We both love interesting geology (rock formations). Is my division of time on target?

Thank you for your inputs. I realize my initial questions are very generic and "newbie" and I appreciate all the advice given. Our plans are evolving, but we are motivated to make this happen!
We are just thinking about a trip to Costa Rica this December. We will fly southwest airlines (points) so either San Jose or Liberia. What will the weather be like? We love the sun, swim, hike, bike, wine, dining, trying new things. Any ideas on where to stay? We almost always rent a condo or small home. I like to cook a few meals. Also, should we plan on renting a car?

Thanks in advance for any help! Getting excited!!
I need some advice. My husband and I will be in Hong Kong in December. We have wanted to visit Vietnam for a long time, and we hope to take a break from Hong Kong by spending 3-4 days in Vietnam. The question is where? Hanoi? Ho Chi Minh? Danang/Hue/Hoi an? Because my husband enjoys photography, Danang/Hue/Hoi an seem best, but I have read that rainy season is ending and could be a factor. Is the rainy season especially bad this year? We also like Hanoi but since we would like to combine this with Halong Bay, we don't think we have enough time this trip. Ho Chi Minh... is 3-4 days too much and too little if we include the Mekong Delta? Thanks for your advice.
Hey!

I will be traveling to Singapore on business early next month and I was hoping to do a week's trip to Vietnam from SG. This will be my first visit and I'm looking for any kind of suggestions/ideas on a 6 day itinerary. What I'd love to do on this trip would be a bit of hiking, a bit of history and 2 days to simply unwind. Should I be flying in to Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi? Which would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Dear Regulars on the Vietnam Forum of Trip Advisor

You, yes you. You know who you are. You who argued about tofu, beer and cats and who so patiently answer questions after questions about visa and itinerary.

Im flying to Da Nang in two weeks time on my first ever trip to Vietnam and I just want to blame/ thank you all for being my enablers.

Im a Canadian who has been living in Taipei, Taiwan for the past 15 years and as someone who do like to travel, Ive been to different parts of Asia. But for some reason, I have never considered visiting Vietnam. Early this year in April, Jetstar Asia had a sale. $100 USD round trip ticket from Taipei to Da Nang. Ummm, I said to myself. I wonder if I should visit Vietnam. And so I turn to TA and started reading  and kept on reading. An hour later, I stopped reading TA so I can google and find the nearest Vietnamese restaurant near my place. For some reason, reading JBR from Vietnam made me really hungry. Thank goodness there was a restaurant open 15 minutes away. Grilled pork, fresh vegetables, fried spring roll  Yummy, Cafe Sua Da  not so nice, not enough condensed milk. Oh well, back to reading TA.

I bought my tickets the next day. For my first trip, Ill be heading to Hoi An and staying there for a few days. Im going to eat, drink, bicycle around the area, visit the beach if the weathers nice, drink beer by the river, make an Ao Dai, get a massage or two, a manicure and pedicure and do absolutely nothing for a few lovely days. Yes, I know its rainy season in Hoi An and yes, it could flood. If it does, Ill just drink a few more cups of Cafe Sua da, eat a few more Bah Mi and make a few more outfits. Im easy that way. The best part is, I see this as the beginning of a beautiful relationship between me and Vietnam. After all, Taipei is only a hop, skip and jump away. And if Jetstar continue to offer its wonderful ridiculous sale on Vietnams air tickets, (The round trip tickets were on sale for 50 USD the month after I bought my tickets.) I can even drop by Hanoi or HCM for a long weekend visit. Woohoo. And I owe it all to you guys.

So thank you for opening up my eyes and my wallet. Keep writing and arguing. Its been fun reading.

Erin
Hi all,

I'm getting very confused with the ICOCA and Haruka pass.

I will be travelling from Kansai International airport to Osaka Shin Imamiya station and then 10 days later from Kyoto back to KIX. I have a JR West Hirshima pass for some of the days in between.

Which ICOCA & Haruka pass will be best for me? Can I buy a round trip one or will I need to buy two separate one way ones?

Please can you let me know whether the ICOCA and Haruka pass is worth buying for someone travelling from Kansai International airport to Shin Imamiya station? I'm not sure it even goes to this station and if not, which ticket should I buy?

Lastly, can anyone tell me where in the airport I can purchase this ICOCA card from?

Thank you so much for your help. I think i've done too much research now and am a bit too confused with so much information!

Many thanks in advance.
Hi all, thanks to everyone who has helped me out to date in planning my trip. I just have a few random question which I thought I would put into one post to help refine my itinerary. We are leaving next week (my Wife and I and our 2 daughters) and will be in Japan for 18 nights. Outline of trip as follows:

- Tokyo 5 nights (Shibuya) - including day trips to Nikko and likely Kamakura

- Tokyo Disneyland 4 nights - allowing for 3 full days at the two parks

- Hakone 2 nights

- Nagoya 1 night - Legoland

- Osaka 3 nights - including USJ and half day trip to Himeji

- Kyoto 3 nights - including Nara

Questions as follows (apologies if some are obvious):

1. Asakusa - have been here before but only on a weekend. Wanted to know if the market stalls which run down to Sensoji are open on a weekday as well

2. I have heard a lot about all different ice cream flavours in Japan, any suggestions for good places to go in Tokyo for a variety of flavours (recall seeing a picture once of a cone with ~9 flavours stacked up, just can't find it now)

3. In Tokyo we are staying at the Shibuya Excel Tokyu Hotel. Would be very keen to get suggestions for places nearby that are a good breakfast option (Western style, but basic options are fine). I have looked on TA and all recommended places seem a food 10-15 minutes away

4. Similar to above, any recommendations for a pizza restaurant nearby in Shibuya? Also, the kids love Karaage Chicken and Tonkatsu. Appreciate any suggestions of nearby places for any of these.

5. My kids love Nintendo (Mario, Yoshi, Princess Peach etc). Any suggestions of a good place to visit for this type of stuff? I searched for something like a Nintendoland, but keep getting the planned development at USJ and not much else.

6. Tokyo Tower - understand it is undergoing renovations. Does this make it not worthwhile going? We had been choosing between Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree, this may make the decision easy.

7. Nikko - how much time should we typically allow to do the main sights in town, like Toshogu, place go down to Lake Chuzenji and Kegon waterfall? Any other "must dos" noting it is only a day trip? I am curios about time as not sure whether I can drag the kids to Ikebukuro in time to get the 7:30am train, so may need to go via Asakusa and not arrive in Nikko until close to 11am

8. I am planning on getting us all Suica cards, however after reading everything I am still a little confused about whether I can use to card on non-JR line trains in Osaka and Kyoto. No doubt this is explained clearly somewhere and I am just missing it.

9. We are in Kyoto when the Jidai Matsuri festival is on. This is the day we are also leaving to head back to Haneda for our departing flight. I have had issues in the past (in other countries) where parades have caused me problems crossing street to get to stations and stuff like that. I this something I need to worry about with this festival?

Thanks in advance for any assistance. Can't wait for our trip!
On arrival, be prepared to have to leave your luggage with the hotel and not be able to get into your room right away. Most hotels will let you into the room early if it's ready, but check-in time is typically 3pm and later and at your hotel, check-in starts at 4pm.

So have a plan to be able to keep valuables with you, know where clothing items are that you might want to grab for your afternoon if you want something different than your travel clothes. I would not plan a run on this afternoon unless you are lucky and get checked in early, but exploring the park on foot would be a fine idea if weather cooperates.

You will be very near Times Square on your theater night so reconsider whether you also want to go there on arrival night.

Thursday: This day is somewhat light unless you plan to do serious 5th Ave shopping vs just stroll to see the iconic stores. Midtown things to add can include Grand Central, New York Public Library & Bryant Park, St. Patrick's Cathedral (right across the street from Rockefeller Center). Consider doing Top of the Rock. It has a timed ticket system so pre-booking a day or two before is best (if forecast is for clear visibility) otherwise you have to line up and the time slot you want may be no longer available. If you plan to go up to the top of Empire State Building instead, then don't do both on the same day. ESB can have long waits. They don't do the time slot reservations.

ESB could be good for arrival night for nighttime views.

Friday:

Do you already have tickets for 911 Museum at noon? What do you plan to do before the museum?

It seems like doing it at the start of the day would be better because then you have a big continuous chunk of time after. Are you planning a big breakfast then skip lunch?

For Brooklyn Bridge, most people want to walk from Brooklyn to Manhattan for the views. You mention being on the bridge at dusk but then dinner in DUMBO so I'm thinking you have that reversed. The Manhattan Skyline and sunset will be behind you as you walk, but you could still do that, then get views of Manhattan once you get to Brooklyn and can turn around to enjoy them.

Questions:

1. Others have answered this.

2. Dozens of them! What are your interests? Have you read through trip reports, other people's itineraries, lists of things to do, maybe even browsed a guide book? People identify the things that most appeal to their particular interests. There are just so many options.

3. Hundreds of really excellent options. Do some research to start fantasizing about what you want to eat, the type of ambiance you'd enjoy.

5. Yes. NYC is very safe, even for single women. Just use common sense and it's best to stick with populated paths when running in parks. Anything else you could want to add would probably also be safe.

Regarding DUMBO, It's a popular area to go and lots of people want to do it, but you are basically ignoring all of the interesting Manhattan neighborhoods and it sounds like you may not really have a plan of why you want to be in DUMBO for dinner. Why is DUMBO on the top of the list? It might be for good reason but sometimes I think people just add it onto their itinerary without thinking through why they are prioritizing it vs other neighborhoods. For instance, you are not seeing Greenwich Village.
Is your company in need of the most reliable and efficient best Best Jasmine Tea s in the market? Your good luck led you to the ideal situation, so congratulations! You are in the best possible place. By eliminating the need to read through dozens of Best Jasmine Tea reviews, we are saving you time and stress.

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- Abdouba Dida made some rather sensational remarks about why Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga should not lead Kenya

- Dida said President Uhuru needs to undergo three months of rehabilitation before he can be allowed to lead Kenya again

- He also said Raila Odinga is too old, and for his love of demonstrations, Dida will appoint Raila the chairman of human rights commission if he ever became president

Former 2017 presidential candidate, Abdouba Dida, hit out at President Uhuru Kenyatta and National Super Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga, citing reasons as to why they should not be elected to lead Kenya.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, September 25, Dida said that President Uhuru Kenyatta needs to undergo three months of rehabilitation before he can be allowed to lead Kenya again.

My intention is not to be disrespectful. This is not lacking respect or being tribal, but please, if anyone loves Uhuru that much, let them take him to a rehab, said Dida.

READ ALSO: Uhuru responds to Babu Owino after his insult

Abdouba Dida. Photo: Citizen TV.

READ ALSO: IEBC pleads with NASA to kill off planned protests, NASA responds

While Dida did not clarify on what type of rehab he meant, the opposition and a number of other Uhuru detractors noted with concern in the past that Uhuru enjoys his drink and has even addressed the public while under the influence on several occasions.

Dida then turned his guns on Raila Odinga, asking the opposition leader to relax a little. Dida assured Raila Odinga of a plum job should the teacher (Dida) ever win the presidency in Kenya.

READ ALSO: Willy Paul chased from a popular Nairobi church and we have the details

Dida said President Uhuru needs 3 months of rehab before he can be allowed to lead Kenya again. Photo: Nation.

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I will appoint Raila Odinga the Chairman of Human Rights Commission. He is an old man who has won a lot of respect. I want to tell him to hold his horses. I know he loves teargas but please, if he really needs one at this moment, he can teargas himself in his house to spare us trouble, said Dida.

He said this in reference to NASAs announcement that Raila Odinga will be leading mass protests on Tuesday, September 26, to call for the ousting of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission CEO Ezra Chiloba.

READ ALSO: The simple underlying reason I will vote Raila Odinga in repeat elections

Dida claimed Raila is too old to lead Kenya and that in a Dida presidency, Raila will be the chairman of the human rights commission. Photo: Raila Odinga/Facebook.

READ ALSO: Nominated senator Millicent Omanga in fitness battle to reverse tummy and disappearing hips(photos)

NASA claimed Chiloba was used to rig the August 8 election in favour of President Uhuru Kenyatta and so, do not want him to oversee the October 26 repeat presidential election.

Have something to add to this article? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
The Mayor of the nation's capital city says the police are working and it is not for him to assess their performance.

This,. as he called on the entire society to work together on getting rid of any perception that crime is an opportunity.
Militants launched 13 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ATO area in Donbas over the past day.

This is reported by the ATO press center.

In Donetsk direction, illegal armed formations used heavy machine guns outside Avdiivka (18km north of Donetsk) and Mayorske (45km north of Donetsk). ATO troops also came under grenade launcher fire outside Butovka coal mine (11.4km north-west of Donetsk).

In Mariupol direction, militants shelled Ukrainian positions near Vodiane (16km north-west of Donetsk) and Talakivka (20km north-west of Mariupol), using heavy machine guns. Russian-backed militants also launched 82mm mortars into Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol). In the evening, terrorists used 82mm mortars to fire at the residential district of Marinka (35 km south-west of Donetsk). No civilian casualties were reported.

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TIU Canada energy company has become the first foreign investor in Ukraine within the framework of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.

This is stated in the company's press release, available to Ukrinform.

"TIU Canada becomes the first Canadian investor in Ukraine to use the rules of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement which entered into force on August 1. TIU Canada, a subsidiary of Refraction Asset Management, launched construction of a solar power plant worth 10 million in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, this summer. The plant with a capacity of 10MW will supply power to local residents and enterprises," the statement said.

"We are proud to be the first investor within the framework of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement. However, most importantly, this will allow TIU Canada to provide Ukrainians with clean energy," said Valentina Belyakova, director of the TIU Canada office in Ukraine.

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Ukraine has managed to agree with Canada on assistance in launching the Police Academy, State Secretary of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry Oleksiy Takhtai has told an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We have agreed with the leadership of the Canadian Police College to provide us with methodological assistance in the formation of our Police Academy. This is very important, because the forms and methods of training currently used in Ukraine do not meet the requirements of the present," he said.

According to Takhtai, Canada will share its experience regarding "how and what to teach, what structure of the educational process and what traditions they have, and how the spirit of the recruits is hardened."

"This is a complex of practical actions, which should not only be written on paper, but actually launched, so that they worked and brought up new police officer," he said.

He added that the main purpose of the trip to Canada, during which the delegation of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry managed to visit Ottawa, Toronto and Regina, was to get acquainted with police education in Canada.

"We have seen vivid examples of what we want ourselves," Takhtai said.

At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine would take the example of the Canadian police education system, but would adapt it to Ukrainian realities.

"It is impossible to make a complete replica. We are studying the best world experiences and making our own model, which, however, will be similar to the Canadian one," he said.

On July 5, 2017, Head of the National Police of Ukraine Serhiy Kniazev signed an order to establish the Police Academy. The academy will first have 500 police officers, and in the future it is planned to receive 1,000-1,200 students.

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Education and Science Minister of Ukraine Liliya Hrynevych hopes for mutual understanding and civilized dialogue with Hungary in the issue of the educational rights of Ukrainians.

The minister said this at a briefing in Ivano-Frankivsk city, when asked about the harsh statements of Hungary after the adoption of the education law.

"Hungary should be interested in the fact that Ukrainian citizens of Hungarian descent will have more chances to integrate into Europe. It is illogical to block any efforts for this integration. In addition, they should be interested in the fact that these citizens will be able to realize their potential in Ukraine, not just to leave for Hungary immediately. Having graduated from these schools [with Hungarian language of study], children have two options: either stay in places of compact residence having only secondary education, or go to learn to live in Hungary. I hope that we will reach mutual understanding and civilized dialogue in the issue of the educational rights of Ukrainian citizens, regardless of their national origin," Hrynevych said.

The minister noted that Hungary's recent statements were "rather harsh" and suggested "this is due to the fact that provisions of the new education law are not fully understood.

Hrynevych intends to meet with the Hungarian education minister on October 19.

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A casino south of Vancouver favored by wealthy Asian gamblers is under scrutiny for potential money laundering as large amounts of cash flow through the Pacific Coast citys thriving real estate and gaming industries.

The British Columbia government released on Friday a previously confidential July 2016 report that had investigated the River Rock Casino Resort after it accepted CAD13.5 million (USD11 million) in CAD20 bills in just one month in July 2015, capturing the attention of B.C.s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch.

I received a series of briefings that caused me to believe that our province could do more to combat money laundering at B.C. casinos, B.C.s new Attorney General David Eby, whose New Democratic Party-led government took office in July, told reporters. I am making that report public today.

Great Canadian Gaming Corp., the owner of River Rock, said in a statement late Friday that it strictly adheres to all regulatory requirements.

The report, conducted by an independent investigator, examined cash transactions and play records over a two-year period starting September 2013 at the luxury resort overlooking the Fraser River, about 12 kilometers south of downtown Vancouver. High-limit rooms were staffed by employees whose first language was either Cantonese or Mandarin. At times, patrons would drop single cash buy-ins of more than CAD500,000 at the gaming tables without disclosing the source of funds, according to the report.

Reasonable grounds to suspect money laundering activity through the use of unsourced funds has been confirmed, the report said. While the patron may be bona fide, the unsourced cash being accepted by the casino may be associated with criminal activity.

Most of the cash flowing through the casino was from clients referred to among staff as high roller Asian VIPs, many of them non-residents or business people with interests in Vancouver and China, the report said. Cash believed to be connected to illicit activity would be delivered to patrons via late-night drop-offs at the casino or just outside the property.

The revelations come amid growing concerns that Vancouver  a city thats home to multi-million dollar mansions, glittering casinos and one of the nations worst opiod crises  has become a haven for hot money.

The number of suspicious transaction reports involving Vancouver real estate have spiked lately, Gerald Cossette, director of Canadas anti-money laundering watchdog, the Financial Transactions and Reporters Analysis Centre known as Fintrac, told reporters in Montreal this week.

The watchdog has been working with local realtors to identify red flags, he said. For instance, how do you justify a student who buys a CAD5 million mansion?, Cossette said. Last year, when Eby was still an opposition lawmaker, he identified CAD57.1 million worth of residences bought by students reporting no income in Vancouvers upper-crust district of Point Grey. Bloomberg
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EAU PCa17: How to Select Patients for Prostate Biopsy Vienna, Austria (UroToday.com) Dr. Chris Bangma from The Netherlands and Dr. Steven Joniau from Belgium provided case discussions with regards to how to select patients for prostate biopsy at this mornings EAU Update on Prostate Cancer in Vienna, Austria.



Drs. Bangma and Joniau started their presentation by noting that the countries with the highest incidence of prostate cancer (ie. Canada, US, UK, Australia) are in fact not the countries with the highest mortality rates from prostate cancer (ie. sub-Saharan Africa, South America, northern Europe, Russia). As we know, heavy utilization of PSA testing in the late 80s lead to a spike in the incidence rate of prostate cancer, and data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database has noted that widespread PSA screening decreased the prevalence of prostate cancer metastasis. Furthermore, between the years 1994-2012, we have seen an annual decline in prostate cancer deaths of 3.7% [1].



Case



This patient was a 45-year-old school teacher who was concerned after his 54-year-old neighbor was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Dr. Bangma notes that the patients general practitioner should engage in shared decision making for PSA screening with this patient, noting risks and benefits of screening, specifically the balance between mortality reduction and overdiagnosis. Dr. Bangma further remarks that between the 7 centers in the ERSPC screening trial, there were variations in prostate cancer detection rates and mortality between the centers. In general, to avoid one prostate cancer mortality at 13 years of follow-up, 12-36 excess cases need to be detected. As such, the optimal balance between screening intensity and risk of overdiagnosis remains unclear. Furthermore, the benefit of screening is (i) reduction of prostate cancer-specific mortality (21%), and (ii) reduction of metastasis (31%), while the disadvantage is (i) overdiagnosis of low-grade tumors (50%) and (ii) overtreatment of low-grade tumors [2]. Certainly, life expectancy is key to deciding who should receive PSA screening, however Dr. Joniau cautions that patients <65 years of age are generally too young to assess competing risks for prostate-cancer specific mortality. Reverting back to the case, this patient has a 49-year-old brother with prostate cancer and his father died of prostate cancer at the age of 69. There definitely is an increased risk of prostate cancer secondary to family history, but Dr. Joniau asks how much increased risk? The 2017 Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Consensus notes that family history of prostate cancer is a known risk factor for the disease, with higher risk based upon close blood relatives (father, brother) affected with prostate cancer, younger age at diagnosis, and increasing number of affected relatives. A more stringent definition of hereditary prostate cancer includes (i) three generations of prostate cancer, or (ii) three men in a nuclear family with prostate cancer, or (iii) two brothers diagnosed with prostate cancer 55 years of age. The patient and his physician decide to initiate the screening process; he has a prostate volume of 30cc, a T2a right sided nodule, and a PSA of 1.6 ng/mL. His risk of prostate cancer is 26% overall and 11% chance of clinically significant prostate cancer.





Speakers: Chris Bangma, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Steven Joniau, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium



Written by: Zachary Klaassen, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow, University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre @zklaassen_md. Update on Prostate Cancer  September 15-16, 2017, Vienna, Austria



References:



1. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2016. CA Cancer J Clin 2016;66(1):7-30.

2. Schroder FH, Hugosson J, Roobol MJ, et al. Screening and prostate cancer mortality: Results of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) at 13 Years of Follow-Up. Lancet 2014;384(9959):2027-2035.
The number of scams making use of the online mobile app WeChat and targeting Macau residents keep growing.

Yesterday in a joint press conference, the Judiciary Police (PJ) reported two more cases involving a man and women in the region.

Although using very different modus operandi, the unrelated cases were responsible for losses amounting to over MOP1.8 million.

In the first, a 30-year old Macau woman who works in a Casino VIP room reportedly met a man on WeChat near the end of 2015.

The resident was said to have kept in regular contact with the suspect until November 2016 when he told her that he needed to borrow money from her, saying that he was in the USA and could not exchange RMB there.

At that time he asked the woman to help him transfer a total of RMB70,000 into his accounts on WeChat and Alipay, assuring her that he would return the money as soon as he physically arrived in Macau.

It seems however that he had other ideas, and between November 2016 and July of this year he requested several other loans totaling HKD1.75 million from the woman.

After the final money loan, the victim told the PJ that she received a phone call from a woman who claimed that she was the girlfriend of the man, and that she had discovered their correspondence. Shortly after this revelation, she ended the conversation.

Following this, there was approximately two months of non-contact from the man, at which point she decided to finally present the complaint to the PJ on September 22.

The woman claims to have been scammed out of a total of HKD1.75 million.

In the second case, a 30-year old man said that he met a woman offering sex services around 9.30 p.m. on September 22 through the same mobile app.

They chatted and agreed to meet in a shop near Kiang Wu hospital.

A few minutes later (around 10 p.m.) he received a message from the alleged woman stating that in order to pay for the service he would have to buy a total of MOP1,600 in online gaming credits cards (MyCard).

He accepted and sent her the serial number and passcode of the cards in a photo.

While waiting to finally meet the woman, he received a phone call from a man saying that he needed to get another MOP5,326 in credits from the same cards as a deposit that would be returned after the service. The man again paid the amount requested and continued waiting.

At 1:10 a.m. another phone call arrived from the same man, this time asking for his Macau ID card information and another MOP7,989, which the man handed over.

After the last call he waited for about 2 hours until 3 a.m. when he finally noticed that he had lost contact with the person, realizing then that he had been scammed which led to him to present a complaint to the PJ.

Both cases are still under investigation by the police but as in many other similar cases, the chances of bringing these swindlers to justice are slim.

In an unrelated, though more common crime, also reported by the PJ, a local resident aged 28 is being charged over a theft that occurred at a Cotai casino gaming table.

According to the report, the man took the opportunity of the distraction of a mainland Chinese tourist to steal all of his gaming chips, worth a total of HKD800,000, from the table, and immediately tried to flee the scene.

All of his actions were spotted by casino security who chased and caught him still inside the gaming room, escorting him to the authorities shortly thereafter.

He was presented to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on the charge of theft.

Construction manager charged over deadly work accident

A construction site manager has been formally charged by the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) over an accident that occurred on June 18 on the site of the under-construction Grand Lisboa Palace. The incident claimed the life of one worker who fell from a working platform from a height of eight meters.

According to the Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson, the police force have concluded the investigation noting that they determined that the accident occurred due to an order of the site manager to remove the protection bar from the platform in order to facilitate the transport of materials.

Due to the directive, the MP charged the manager over article 267 of the Macau Penal Code related to Breach of Construction Rules and Disturbance of Services as well as article 273, which pertains to cases of serious consequences and death.

In an unrelated case, the PJ also reported a case of abuse of trust by a worker of a Condominium Management Company.

The worker, an Indonesian national (32) who has been working at the company since 2014, this August failed to deliver a large sum of money to the company related to the collection of condominium fees.

According to the complaint by the company formalized on September 21, the employee illegally appropriated a total of MOP240,000 that should have been delivered to the company accounts.

Questioned by the PJ, the non-resident worker confessed but claims that the sum is only MOP89,000.

She said she transferred the sum abroad, sending it to relatives back in Indonesia, but not giving any explanation as to why she committed such a crime.

She was presented to the MP on September 23.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday claimed that there had been no downstream impact on fish stocks as a result of the construction of the Don Sahong hydropower dam in Laos.



The construction of the 260-MW dam began in January 2016, raising concerns among environmentalists over possible impacts on fish migration.



The NGO International Rivers said the dam would block and threaten vital subsistence and commercial fisheries in the Lower Mekong Basin.



But during a speech on Monday Hun Sen rejected the concerns. Even the Laos Don Sahong dam, it will not kill the fish, he said.



I visited [the dam]. It does not have any impacts, he said. But we will reduce impacts to a minimum if there are any.

Hun Sen also claimed, without providing evidence, that there was no evidence there would be impacts on fisheries from the Lower Sesan II dam, which is being readied to go into operation in Cambodias Stung Treng province.



Do our countrys fish know how to climb trees? Do they know how to climb mountains? Hun Sen asked, mocking research that suggests the Lower Sesan II will affect 70 percent of fish in Cambodias Mekong Basin.



Construction of the dam has been justified on the basis of mitigation measures that developers claim will allow the movement of migratory fish up and downstream. However, these measures have not been adequately tested and scientists are highly critical about their ability to enable continued fish migration on the scale prior to development of the dam, International Rivers has reported.



Laos is building a series of dams on the Lower Mekong, much to the dismay of downstream communities and environmental groups.



Daovong Phonekeo, permanent secretary of Laos Ministry of Energy, told VOA that the proper environmental impact assessments had been carried out ahead of the dams approval.



But Tek Vannara, executive director of the NGO Forum, said the consequences of Laos and Cambodias dam-building would be that the Mekong will not be a river of well-being and prosperity anymore. It will become the river of dams and controversies.
The opposition has launched a campaign to demand the release of its president, Kem Sokha, who is being held on espionage charges.



Son Chhay, the Cambodia National Rescue Partys chief whip, told reporters on Monday that banners bearing Sokhas image and pleas for his release had been erected at party offices around the country.



The banners with Kem Sokhas photo calling for his immediate release come from our heart so I am not worried about any unexpected legal issues, he said.



As I have said, unless he [Sokha] pleads guilty, we still have an opportunity to demand his freedom as soon as possible.



Sokha was arrested on September 3 and later charged with treason-related offenses for allegedly conspiring with a foreign power to overthrow the government in a color revolution.



He is being held at the remote Tropaing Phlong prison in Tbong Khmum province.



Khieu Sopheak, interior ministry spokesman, claimed that putting up banners to call for Sokhas release was one of the color revolution tactics Kem Sokha learned from his teachers.



The governments claims stem from a speech Sokha gave years ago where he talked about being advised by unnamed persons in the United States and Canada to quit politics and form the Cambodian Center for Human Rights as a strategy for gaining grassroots support for democratic change.



Sopheak said that the government would not allow the CNRP to continue to display the banners. We do not need it, so we will not allow it to happen, he said.



Sokha was due in court on Tuesday, however, the prisons department suggested it may not allow him to appear in court in person over unspecified safety concerns.



CNRP lawmakers on Monday said they would attend the hearing at the Appeals Court.



Touch Tharith, court spokesman, could not be reached.



Sok Sam Oeun, a legal expert, said it was not right to claim that erecting banners was part of a supposed color revolution.



They just put up banners... The constitution permits non-violent demonstrations. It is legal, he said.
Iraqi Kurds voted in a controversial independence referendum Monday, condemned by their neighbors and criticized by many others. Kurdish news media said more than 70 percent of about 5 million eligible voters cast their ballots. Most but not all are expected to support an independent state for Kurds. Kurdish leaders say they are not planning to fight for a separate state but use the poll results to negotiate with the Iraqi government. VOA's Zlatica Hoke has more.
This month the U.S. pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid for African nations struggling with food insecurity and violence, as well as new programs to fight malaria. The policies announced during the U.N. General Assembly are among the Trump administration's most significant new Africa initiatives. But as Mariama Diallo reports, some of President Trump's remarks to an audience of African leaders raised eyebrows.
Fierce debate continues in Uganda over the ruling partys plans to remove the presidential age limit from the constitution. Parliament is expected to again take up the issue this week with the opposition pledging to continue its resistance. Ugandas constitution sets the presidential age limit at 75, meaning that longtime president Yoweri Museveni would be ineligible to run in the next elections in 2021. Halima Athumani reports for VOA in Kampala.
Sri Lankan Buddhist monks have stormed a safe house for Rohingya refugees and forced United Nations authorities to relocate the group, officials said Tuesday.

The 31 refugees were housed in a detention center outside Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, where they were placed after being found drifting in a boat off the coast earlier this year, fleeing violence in their native Myanmar.

One of the monks who broke into the U.N.-administered safe house was caught on video saying, "These are Rohingya terrorists who killed Buddhist monks in Myanmar."

Myanmar's Rahkine state, home to the Muslim Rohingya, has long been the center of religious tension in majority-Buddhist Myanmar.

Earlier Tuesday, the activist group Human Rights Watch accused the Myanmar military of committing "crimes against humanity" as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims flee the violence in Rakhine State.

The Burmese military is brutally expelling the Rohingya from northern Rakhine State, said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch. The massacres of villagers and mass arson driving people from their homes are all crimes against humanity.

The United Nations says more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh to escape persecution by the Myanmar government. According to the agency, 45,000 people have fled to Bangladesh in just the past two days.

The latest round of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state erupted August 25 when a Rohingya insurgent group launched deadly attacks on security posts. Myanmar responded with military "clearance operations" to root out the rebels.

HRW accused the Myanmar military of committing widespread and systematic attacks directed at the Rohingya Muslims. The group said its research indicates crimes committed by the Myanmar military include deportation and forced population transfers, murder and attempted murder, rape and other sexual assault.

Attaching a legal label to the ghastly crimes being committed by the Burmese military against Rohingya families may seem inconsequential, Ross said. But global recognition that crimes against humanity are taking place should stir the U.N. and concerned governments to action against the Burmese military to bring these crimes to an end.

The U.N. announced Tuesday it would increase its humanitarian efforts in Bangladesh, though it warned that the increasing number of refugees arriving in the country has the potential to bring about enormous hardship if the flow is not stabilized.

At the request of the Bangladesh authorities, UNHCR and our partners have scaled up protection and life-saving support to the new arrivals in Kutupalong and Nayapara camps, and extended this support to the informal settlements surrounding these camps, the agency said in a statement.

According to the U.N. statement, a cargo jet landed Tuesday in Bangladesh stocked with 100 metric tons of supplies, including emergency shelter kits, kitchen sets, jerry cans, sleeping mats, solar lamps, and other non-food items.
Inside the Woodridge Neighborhood Library in the U.S. capital, a wall is plastered with ominous warning signs: "Reading This Book Display Is Banned" and "No Books to See Here." Below the messages are shelves with books that have been banned, at one time or another, in parts of the United States. They include books in the popular Harry Potter series, banned for "witchcraft," and the classic futuristic novel Brave New World, which has been banned for sexual content.

Although no books have been removed from libraries or schools in Washington, the display is part of Banned Books Week, which runs through September 30. The annual event points out the perils of censorship and emphasizes the freedom to read.

Among the groups sponsoring Banned Books Week is the American Library Association (ALA), which releases an annual list of the 10 most challenged books  works that have been targeted for removal from a library or school curriculum.

"Some of the themes could be dealing with LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) issues, race and religion," said Julius Jefferson Jr. of the ALA's intellectual freedom committee. Most requests for books to be banned "you see coming from parents, because they feel they are not appropriate for their children," he added.

Such topics may include "families with two dads or two moms," said Linnea Hegarty, executive director of Washington's DC Public Library Foundation.

"Books about war are often banned, particularly if they talk about political issues," she added, and also books about mental illness, because "some parents don't want their children to be exposed to that."

Transgender issues, profanity, Cosby

The books on this year's ALA list were mostly written for children or young adults, such as Drama, by Raina Telgemeier, which includes transgender characters, and Mariko Tamaki's This One Summer, which some critics have said is offensive due to profane language and instances of drug use.

In a first this year, a book was listed not due to its content or style, but because the author is under fire. Comedian and children's story-teller Bill Cosby wrote a series of books called Little Bill. The series is being challenged because of sexual assault allegations against Cosby.

As part of Banned Books Week, hundreds of copies of six other books that may be challenged or banned have been hidden in places like museums, restaurants and coffee shops around Washington, for anyone to take home for free.

At the Duende District Bookstore in Washington, customer Lyric Prince discovered Fahrenheit 451, a science-fiction novel that depicts an American society where books are outlawed, and firemen burn any contraband literature. Some people object to the burning of a Bible in the story.

Prince is not surprised that books like this novel published more than 60 years ago are still banned today, because "a lot of places in this country don't exactly take kindly to progressive ideas."

Another customer, Katie Schwartz, found The Giver, criticized for its violence in a story about a world of conformity. Schwartz can't believe books are still banned in the U.S., especially since the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech.

"It's an American right to express yourself however you see fit," she said. "It's also an American right to avoid things by choice that you don't agree with, and books are very easily avoided if you don't agree with them."

The American Library Association, which keeps tabs on challenges and bans, is aware of about 250 challenges last year, but it says very few succeed, and books hardly ever wind up truly banned.
Brazil will reinstate a mining ban in a vast area of the Amazon rainforest, the government announced on Monday, in an about-face that is a victory for environmentalists who feared deforestation.

The Mines and Energy Ministry said in a statement that President Michel Temer's administration had decided to revoke an August decree abolishing the National Reserve of Copper and Associates (Renca), an area of roughly 17,800 square miles (46,100 square kilometers) or slightly larger than Denmark.

The decision will be published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday, officials said.

The reserve in the northern states of Amapa and Para was established in 1984 to protect what are thought to be significant deposits of gold, copper, iron ore and other minerals from the perceived threat of foreign miners at the time.

The reserve covers a section of the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, the preservation of which is seen as essential to soaking up carbon emissions responsible for global warming.

The government said it would revisit the issue in the future in a wider debate on the issue. "Brazil needs to grow and create jobs, attract mining investment and even tap the economic potential of the region," the ministry statement said.

The government had argued that lifting the ban would be a boon to the economy and would allow better oversight of the area estimated to have 1,000 people illegally mining there.

Mining and Energy Minister Fernando Coelho Filho and other officials have maintained that the reserve merely applied to mining and that other protections for conservation areas and indigenous land inside Renca would remain.

But environmentalists argued that merely building roads or infrastructure in the area would bring deforestation and threaten biodiversity, with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen tweeting against the decree.

"If carried out, the cancellation of the decree shows that, no matter how bad, there is no leader absolutely immune to public pressures," Marcio Astrini, coordinator of public policy for environmental group Greenpeace, said in a statement.

"It is a victory of society over those who want to destroy and sell our forest."

The government had steadily backtracked in the face of the criticism, legal action and efforts to overturn the decree in Congress. A judge also granted an injunction blocking the decree.
A coalition of businesses including Amazon, Google and General Motors has agreed to give $300 million to boost K-12 computer science programs across the U.S.

Internet Association CEO Michael Beckerman announced Tuesday that the private-sector contribution will come in over the next five years. Beckerman led a panel discussion at a downtown Detroit high-rise that featured President Donald Trump's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump.

Her visit to Detroit came a day after the president announced a plan to spend at least $200 million annually on competitive grants so schools can broaden access to computer science education.

"Knowing how to code is really foundational toward success in any industry, not just tech narrowly defined," Ivanka Trump said.

Just before Ivanka Trump arrived on stage, Beckerman announced the private-sector contribution.

Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Salesforce.org are giving $50 million apiece; Lockheed Martin is promising $25 million; Accenture is committing more than $10 million; and General Motors and Pluralsight have pledged $10 million toward the effort. Additionally, Detroit-based Quicken Loans announced that it will work to make sure that 15,000 Detroit Public Schools students receive computer science training.

Ivanka Trump said it is crucial that young people, especially girls and racial minorities, learn how to write computer code and study computer science.

"We have to do better. We are going to do better, and this is a giant leap forward in that direction," she said during the panel discussion, which also included Dan Gilbert, chairman of Quicken Loans; Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org; Rob Acker, CEO of Salesforce.org; and Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin.

Gilbert said teaching schoolchildren computer science "isn't one of these things where maybe this will work.

"This is the answer. This is flat-out the answer," said Gilbert, who also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA.
The United Nations will focus its attention this week on the Rohingya humanitarian crisis and what has been described as ethnic cleansing in Myanmars Rakhine state, although analysts say China is unlikely to support any actions that would put pressure on Yangon and its military.

One key reason Beijing is unlikely to back tougher steps, the experts note, is because the crisis is happening in a state where China has huge business interests.

The business interests not only account for billions of dollars in investment, but are part of the countrys ambitious global Belt and Road trade project.

Almost right in the middle of Rakhine states coastline on the Bay of Bengal, a consortium led by Chinas CITIC Group has proposed taking a 70 percent to 85 percent stake in a $7.3 billion deep sea port. The port at Kyauk Pyu is a key link in Chinas Belt and Road initiative, and what some Chinese analysts call blue economic passageways.

In addition to the sea port, China also plans to build an industrial park and a special economic zone there, where Chinese companies will be located.

The project is a crucial link in a larger passageway connecting Chinas southwestern provinces with the Indian Ocean, Africa and further to the Mediterranean Sea. The port is also where oil and gas pipelines begin and run through Myanmar to Chinas southern Yunnan province.

The importance of your investments, to secure your investments and ensure that this region [Rakhine state of Myanmar] is peaceful so that your important pipelines can pass through. I would say that this takes more precedence against the humanitarian issue, says Irene Chan, an associate research fellow with the China Programme at Singapores S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Chinese foreign policy is very much driven by domestic needs.

Chan adds that Beijing is trying to use neighboring countries like Myanmar to export its industrial overcapacity, and provide the necessary development impetus to its relatively backward western region.

The latest outbreak of violence began in late August when a group of Rohingya militants attacked dozens of police posts and an army base. The group says the attack was launched to protect their ethnic minority from persecution.

At least 400 people have been killed in the violence and subsequent clashes, while a military counteroffensive has pushed more than 400,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh.

Some of the worlds major countries including China, Russia and India have refused to specifically condemn the ongoing violence against the Rohingyas.

Beijing has offered small amounts of humanitarian aid to both Bangladesh and Myanmar, and Chinese officials have spoken about the need for a permanent solution to the crisis.

When it comes to the crisis and the ongoing violence, however, China has put its support squarely behind the Myanmar government and military, and what it says are efforts to protect its national security.

It [China] clearly is supporting the government of Myanmar in addressing the issue of how it responded to the attack by the so-called [Arakan] Rohingya Salvation Army. China is telling the Myanmar, telling the U.N. that it understands and supports Myanmars attempts to preserve its sovereignty, said Murray Hiebert, who serves as senior adviser and deputy director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Tuesday, the U.N. will hold a closed-door briefing on the crisis. On Thursday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres will address the Security Council about the situation. So far, a U.N. Human Rights Council fact-finding mission, established earlier this year, has been barred from visiting Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The United States has called for strong and swift action to end the violence, but already earlier this month there were reports that Myanmar was negotiating with Russia and China to protect Yangon from any Security Council actions.

China certainly would not accept resolution or something of this kind at the Security Council at this point, thats for sure, Hiebert said. I dont know if it could change its position depending on what the wording of the resolution would be, but China very much would stand behind the Myanmar governments opposition to the U.N. taking any political action, taking any direct action.

Hiebert, does not think, though, that China needs to placate Yangon to forward its economic agenda in Myanmar.

Kerry Brown, a professor of Chinese studies at Londons King College said, [China] will need to produce a balancing act, where it will not antagonize an important regional partner and ally, nor through this action irritate the international community.

He says Beijing is likely to assert to the Myanmar leadership the imperative that they maintain stability and do not create a crisis, but in such a way that it still will be regarded as non-interventionist and a relatively benign ally.

Analyst say the Western world is divided about whether it should put more pressure on Myanmars defacto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Some believe that international disapproval of her role on the Rohingya crisis would offer Myanmars military an opportunity to push her out of the picture and assume full control.
Even though President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation imposing strict new restrictions on visitors from North Korea and several other nations, the move is largely symbolic for the North because not many people from the country visit the United States.

The North Korean government, led by dictator Kim Jong Un, disallows most of its 24 million people to travel to foreign countries including the United States, except in special cases like jobs that bring in foreign currency or participation in sporting events. North Korea has tens of thousands of such workers abroad, but none are believed to be in the United States.

Reports say there is a dwindling number of North Koreans visiting the United States amid the standoff over the Norths nuclear and missile programs.

According a report last month by the Voice of America broadcaster, the United States issued 100 visas to North Koreans last year. VOA, citing an analysis of visa records, said 52 of them were business or tourist visas while the rest were diplomats. From March to June this year, the U.S. issued 18 visas to North Koreans, according to the report.

The figures were a sharp decrease from the period of 1997-2001, when more than 1,200 North Koreans acquired business or tourist visas each year, the VOA report said.

The broadcaster said theres no record of the whereabouts or activities in the United States of those on business or tourism visas. But there are some North Korean government officials based in the Norths diplomatic mission to the United Nations in New York.

In addition to North Korea, Trumps presidential proclamation, signed yesterday [Macau time], places indefinite restrictions on citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. The U.S. will also bar the entry of certain Venezuelan government officials and their immediate families. The changes will take effect Oct. 18.

But its impact on North Korea is expected to be minimal.

Its a symbolic measure. [] North Korea wont probably make any response, said analyst Hong Min at Seouls Korea Institute for National Unification.

The latest U.S. moves against North Korea, including the suspensions of immigrant and non-

immigrant visas of North Koreans, have come amid an escalating war of words between Trump and Kim. Last week, Kim called Trump a mentally deranged U.S. dotard in response to Trumps threats to totally destroy the North. Trump later said Kim is obviously a madman who doesnt mind starving or killing his people. AP
For many students facing college applications, the process can be maddening.

The questions and paperwork are like facing a high wall. Writing the perfect essay is like trying to climb a greased pole. Juggling the numerous dates and deadlines is like keeping many balls in the air at once, and if you drop one, you could kill your chances at admission.

Pick your metaphor: The yearlong process of applying to college can be miserable.

Five higher education groups are trying to make it more simple.

The five started a website - steps2college.org - that provides important dates in the college admissions process, helps with application forms and sources of financial aid, all in one place.

While U.S.-centric, it can help other students, says Laura Owen of American University in Washington, D.C., who directs the Center for Postsecondary Readiness and Success at Americans School of Education.

There is a lot of information provided in a single place, Owen said. The site offers ideas on how to avoid the kind of problems students often face when preparing for college.

For example, one report examines what is known as summer melt. That term describes students who are accepted at a college and pay the required deposit, but don't show up the first day of class.

The report says college administrators had long believed summer melt students decided to change schools. But researchers Lindsay Page and Ben Castleman found that many failed to attend classes anywhere that school year. It is likely that many students were unaware of all the paperwork required before starting classes.

The website also has information on how students can choose the best college for them.

On October 4, the site will offer a virtual college fair of 100 colleges and universities. The event will give students and parents a chance to pose question to staff and students from the 100 schools.

You can also look up former students at your school who went to a college you would like to attend. They are likely to honestly discuss their experiences, both good and bad.

Owen says she likes that the website provides a timeline, one that organizes all steps needed to successfully complete the application process.

American University helped to create the website. The other creators are the ACT Center for Equity in Learning, the American Council on Education, Success Better Make Room, and the National College Access Network.

Do you have a story to share about the college application process? Please share your suggestion in the Comments here, and visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Thanks!
Texas for now can require law enforcement to honor federal immigration requests to detain people in local jails for possible deportation under a new "sanctuary cities'' law supported by the Trump administration, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday.



The decision prompted one notable critic of the immigration crackdown, Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, to announce that her Austin jails would now honor all detainers from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The elected Democrat had become a polarizing figure after announcing on the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration that the county's jails would no longer comply with all such requests.



But the unanimous ruling of a three-judge panel in New Orleans wasn't seen as so clear-cut by others. Some lawyers said they believed the decision did not demand total compliance with federal agents, while other local officials struggled to interpret the ramifications.



Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hailed it as a clear victory allowing the state to "enforce the core'' of the law known at Senate Bill 4.



The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling negates some of U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia's Aug. 31 halt to much of the law one day before it was to go into effect. The decision lets Texas enforce the detainer provision, pending fuller oral arguments in November.



"We are pleased today's 5th Circuit ruling will allow Texas to strengthen public safety by implementing the key components of Senate Bill 4,'' Paxton said in a statement.



Major cities such as Houston, Dallas and Austin had sued the state, saying the measure was unconstitutional and warning that it would have a chilling effect in immigrant communities.



Nina Perales, an attorney for the Mexican American Defense and Legal Education Fund who is also representing the cities of San Antonio and El Paso, said the ruling appeared to leave wiggle room for interpretation.



"I don't read this decision as making all detainers mandatory,'' she said.



Hernandez said her policies had been updated to comply with the latest ruling and that she looked forward to "further clarification'' from the courts. Her spokeswoman, Kristen Dark, said the changes mean that Travis County jails will now honor all detainer requests.



Jose Garza, an attorney for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, acknowledged that the state now potentially had room to pursue penalties against chiefs or sheriffs who don't comply.



The Republican push to pass the law roiled the Texas Legislature throughout the spring. One GOP legislator notified federal immigration agents about protesters who held signs saying they were illegal, and told a Democratic colleague who pushed him during an argument, that he would shoot in self-defense.



U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has praised the Texas law and the Department of Justice filed arguments in support of it, as did several attorneys general from other states.



The law's opponents argue it violates the Fourth Amendment by requiring police to detain people suspected of illegal immigration without probable cause. They also say it illegally puts local police in the federal role of immigration enforcement officers, and is unconstitutionally vague as to exactly when a local law enforcement officer would be in violation of the law.



Supporters of the state law say immigration officials have already determined probable cause when they seek to have local officials detain someone. They also argue that federal and local officials have a long history of cooperation on immigration matters and that the law is clear in its prohibition against local policies restricting immigration enforcement.
House Democrats urged immediate action on the fate of 800,000 undocumented young people brought to the U.S. as children Monday, using an unusual procedural move that would force Republican leadership to bring a bill resolving their status up for a floor vote.

This is our number one priority, it must be done and we should not wait until the last minute. We need to resolve the angst and anxiety of those young people and their families, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland, told reporters.

Democrats lined the aisles of the House floor, waiting their turn to sign a so-called discharge petition to bring the DREAM Act up for a vote. But it was unclear if they could convince enough of their Republican colleagues to sign on to reach the 218 signatures needed to trigger that vote.

President Donald Trump called on Congress to find a permanent solution to recipients of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program earlier this month, after rescinding an Obama administration measure protecting them.

Lawmakers from both parties have publically stated their support for finding a permanent legislative solution for the so-called DREAMers and polling finds that Americans overwhelmingly support that action.

But some Republican members of Congress object to the specifics of the DREAM Act, citing concerns about chain migration or granting amnesty to immigrants who have broken the law.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has said he supports resolving the status of DACA recipients but added any legislative solution must also address the root causes of illegal immigration.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi met with Trump earlier this month, working out a provisional deal to pass DACA legislation in return for increased border-security funding. Pelosi said Trump told her he would sign the DREAM Act into law if Congress passed it.

But the specifics of that deal would face a tough road in the House of Representatives where members of both parties will be conscious of having to answer to their constituents on contentious immigration issues.

House Democrats, fearing the issue would lose urgency, said the petition is needed to avoid the deportation of DACA recipients, also called DREAMers, when the program is phased out early next year.

I urge all of my Republican colleagues who said they care about DREAMers, that they must solve this problem, they want to participate in a legislative fix  we have your opportunity, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat from New Mexico, said Monday.

The DACA issue could have a significant impact on Congress looming December budget negotiations if not resolved, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois and an outspoken supporter of so-called DREAMers, warned at a Capitol Hill rally Monday.

Either you have the majority for your Republican budget by December 9th with your votes or you negotiate with the Democrats to get those votes on the basis of justice for our immigrant community, Gutierrez said.

Senate solution introduced

Three Republican Senators announced the SUCCEED Act (Solution for Undocumented Children through Careers, Employment, Education, and Defending our Nation) in a Capitol Hill news conference Monday.

The legislative proposal is yet another option before the U.S. Senate and House that could resolve the status of DREAMers. If this bill passes, it would cover most current recipients of the DACA program, giving them conditional permanent residency for five years as long as they work, study or serve in the military.

The president was very outspoken when I walked him through the details of it, he said thats exactly the kind of solution that I think would work and would be a good option to be able to accomplish, Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma and one of the bills co-sponsors, told reporters.

Lankford said he had spoken with the president three weeks ago while the bill text was still being finalized.
Equifax CEO Richard Smith announced his sudden retirement Tuesday following a massive data breach at the credit reporting company earlier this year.

Smith and Equifax says they learned of the hack in late July but waited until September 7 to inform its customers about the incident, which may have further compromised the personal information of about 143 million Americans.

The federal government is investigating the companys response to the hack and Congress will hold a hearing on the matter next week.

Paulino do Rego Barros, Jr., an executive from the Asia Pacific division at Equifax, will serve as CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement.

Equifax, one the largest credit reporting companies in the United States, said hackers were able to obtain names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses of more than 40 percent of the U.S. population.

The company said credit card numbers were also compromised for 209,000 U.S. consumers, as were credit dispute accounts for 182,000 people.

Smith served as CEO from 2005 until this week. His departure follows the abrupt retirement of Equifax's chief security officer Susan Mauldin and chief information officer Dave Webb.
After years of detention at one of two remote Australia-run Pacific centers, a group of refugees are heading to the United States for permanent resettlement Tuesday.

At least 22 asylum-seekers who have been held at the Manus camp in northern Papua New Guinea will board a plane in the capital of Port Moresby and fly to Manila, then head to an undisclosed location in the U.S.

Beverly Thacker, the public affairs officer in the U.S. embassy in Port Morseby, says a second group of about 30 refugees will leave a second detention center on Nauru for resettlement in the U.S. in the coming days.

The refugees are the first of 1,250 asylum seekers that are being resettled in the United States under a deal struck between Canberra and Washington in the final weeks of President Barack Obama's administration. Obama's successor, Donald Trump, attacked the agreement during a contentious phone call with Turnbull shortly after taking office, and called it "a dumb deal" in an angry tweet posted in February, before eventually agreeing to honor it.

More than 1,200 asylum seekers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East are being held in Nauru and Papua New Guinea's northern island of Manus, as part of Canberra's policy of intercepting people attempting to sail to Australia and seek asylum. Many of them are barred from accepting citizenship in Australia, even if they are granted refugee status.

Human rights groups have denounced Australia over its treatment of the asylum seekers. Amnesty International issued a report last October alleging that many of the 400 men, women and children being held on Nauru have been subjected to physical and mental abuse and neglect, and have attempted various forms of self-harm, including attempted suicides, and were falling into deep despair over their long detention and uncertain fate.

Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled last year that the detention center on Manus was unconstitutional, as it violated the detainees constitutional right of personal liberty.

Australia is set to close the center next month.
The World Health Organization reports 844,000 people in northeast Nigeria have been reached with one dose of oral cholera vaccine in an effort to prevent the fatal disease from spreading. The latest figures show nearly 4,000 suspected cases, including 54 deaths in the region.

The week-long campaign that ended Monday was centered in a camp for internally displaced people in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, as well as in several local government areas nearby.

World Health Organization spokesman Tarek Jasarevic says hundreds of thousands of people above age one have received the oral vaccine and will be protected against cholera for up to six months. He notes the number of people at risk of getting cholera within an affected population decreases sharply as more people are vaccinated.

Cholera vaccines are used as a preventive tool in areas with few or no cases, but at high risk of the spread of the disease," said Jasarevic. "For example, there are neighboring areas that are more affected. Obviously, I think there is an issue of access. Security is a major constraint with the recent attacks on humanitarian staff.

The World Food Program suspended its operation in Borno state after aid workers were attacked in a camp for displaced people in Maiduguri at the end of August. The Boko Haram insurgency has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced more than two million since 2009.

Jasarevic says the oral cholera vaccine is only one of the tools available to combat this disease. He says it should be combined with prevention activities, such as informing communities about the need for good sanitation and hygiene and providing them with access to safe water.

He says the World Health Organization is establishing cholera treatment centers as another important element in containing this outbreak.
China is hosting the annual gathering of the global police force Interpol this week in Beijing.

President Xi Jinping greeted the delegates Tuesday before the opening day of the Interpol General Assembly, pledging to back Interpol's efforts to achieve "global security governance."

But human rights groups have questioned whether China is trying to use the France-based agency to arrest opponents of the ruling Communist Party, especially since last year's election of Chinese Vice Public Security Minister Meng Hongwei as Interpol's president.

Human Rights Watch says Beijing has misused Interpol's "red notice" arrest warrant system to arrest fugitive ex-officials and business people wanted for corruption, as well as political dissidents such as Dolkun Isa, a German-based activist ethnic Uighur activist.

The Uighurs are Turkish speaking Muslims from China's western region of Xinjiang and Beijing routinely accuses exiled Uighur activists of supporting terrorist activities in Xinjiang.

Uighur advocates have accused China of forcefully repressing Uighur cultural and religious beliefs.
Kenyas opposition rallied outside building of the countrys electoral board Tuesday to demand new officials organize the re-run of the presidential poll, scheduled for October 26. The opposition says it will boycott the poll if the personnel changes do not occur, while the ruling party rejects these threats.

The sounds of police firing tear gas and protesters in retreat filled the air outside Kenyas electoral commission offices Tuesday, as demonstrators attempted in several waves to get close to the building, before police dispersed them.



Opposition leader Raila Odinga has called for regular protests in order to pressure the electoral commission, or IEBC, officials to resign, including CEO Erza Chiloba. Chiloba has refused.



IEBC cannot begin the process of ensuring an honest election, as long as those responsible for the irregularities and illegalities are still lurking in its corridors ... that is why we are today beginning this peaceful campaign to force them out by public pressure so that the process of a fair elections can at last begin, Odinga said.



The Supreme Court recently gave its full explanation for why it nullified the results of the August elections. Although it did not hold individuals responsible, the court blamed the commission, who it says refused a court order to open computer servers and who announced official results before all tally forms had been received during the August 8 polls



Among those out in the street was 24-year-old Isaac Mbae, a student at the University of Nairobi, which is located across the street from the IEBCs headquarters. He is an opposition supporter, but stressed he is not happy with these calls for protests.



Okay, there is some tear gas everywhere and I cannot manage. And this is political stuff. And us students, we are not happy about it because it is bringing a misunderstanding everywhere and intolerance."



Prior to the demonstrations Tuesday, John Mbadi, chairman for Odingas Orange Democratic Movement party, announced President Uhuru Kenyatta had withdrawn the security detail for Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka.



We therefore give the state 24 hours to return our leaders security or face mass action right at their doorstep. This is not negotiable, Mbadi said.



Kenyas constitution dictates new polls must be held within 60 days of the ruling; the new date of October 26 falls just five days shy of that deadline. The ruling party has remained steadfast that this timeline be followed, and has rejected the idea of changing the commissioners.

Many people are just hoping the politicians can sort out their issues before triggering a constitutional crisis.
Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani on Tuesday claimed victory in the referendum vote for independence and called for a "dialogue" with Iraqi authorities, who have rejected the vote as unconstitutional.

"Instead of harassment, let's have dialogue for a better future,'' he said, adding, "Negotiations are the right path to solve the problems, not threats or the language of force."

On Monday, Iraqi Kurds voted on an independence referendum that drew objection from the government in Baghdad, as well as neighboring countries and the United States.

In response to the vote, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi threatened to ban all flights into and out of the Kurdish region if leaders there didn't concede control of airports to federal authorities.

Al-Abadi said the Kurdish region has until Friday to hand over the airports or the ban will be put into place.

The referendum vote is non-binding, but Barzani said he hopes the "yes" vote will lead to increased dialogue between the Kurds and Iraqi government.

"I call on Mr. Haider al-Abadi and the others [Iraqi political officials] not to close the door to dialogue, because it is dialogue that will solve problems," he said in a televised address. "We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad."

Watch: Independence vote celebrations

At the polls in the Kurdistan Regional capital, many voters donned traditional clothes and carried Kurdish flags, saying they believed this vote could be the beginning of the realization of their dream for independence.



"It is a true day for us," said Mohammad, carrying his toddler son and a flag at a polling station in Irbil. "We have been waiting for 100 years for this. It is beautiful."



Precincts reported high turnouts and a peaceful vote, but before the last ballot was cast, leaders in Baghdad had already sent troops toward disputed areas claimed by both Iraq and Irbil. Al-Abadi has vowed to take all "necessary measures" to preserve Iraqi unity.



Barzani has been consistently defiant, saying the independence vote was the will of the Kurdish people and "out of his hands."

"Independence will allow us not to repeat past tragedies," he said Sunday. "The partnership with Baghdad has failed and we will not return to it."

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the decision to hold the referendum in disputed areas "particularly destabilizing."

"The Secretary-General regrets that the opportunity for serious negotiations to resolve outstanding issues between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, based on the constitution and in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect, were not fully seized prior to this move," the spokesman said in a statement.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States is "deeply disappointed" with the decision to hold a unilateral referendum. She added that the U.S. relationship with the Iraqi Kurds will not change, but that the vote will "greatly complicate" Kurdish relationships with the Iraqi government and neighboring countries.



Barzani told VOA's Persian Service last week that following the referendum, the Kurdish government would begin discussions with Iraqi officials on such issues as border demarcation, division of natural resources and a timeline for declaring independence. Barzani estimated the transition time would be one to two years.



The Kurds and the Iraqi government have long-running disputes over oil revenues and who controls several key cities in the region.



Before the vote, Prime Minister Abadi called on other countries not to import Kurdish oil.

Neighboring Iran, which, like Syria and Turkey has a large Kurdish population, stopped all flights to Iraq's Kurdish region.



The Iranian and Turkish governments have expressed opposition to the independence referendum over fears it could boost similar separatist sentiment in their countries.



Syrian state media quoted Foreign Minister Walid Moallem rejecting the vote and reiterating that Syria recognizes a unified Iraq.



Turkey has battled a three-decade insurgency by Kurdish rebels in its southeast and the Turkish Foreign Ministry dismissed the vote as illegal and illegitimate. It said countries should not recognize the Kurdish action and warned Turkey "will take every measure that emanates from international law" if terrorists seeking to exploit the circumstances resulting from the referendum threaten Turkish national security.

WATCH: Iraqi Kurds Defiant as They Vote in Referendum

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would close a border crossing with Iraq and could move to block oil exports.



Other nations, such as the United States, have said they oppose the referendum on the grounds it takes focus away from the battle against the Islamic State group.
If you cannot read and write as well as other students, does that mean you will fail in school and life?

Talk with Laura Grey, who has dyslexia, a learning disability that can mix up letters and make reading, writing and spelling difficult.

She is proficient in five languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian and German.She is also learning Russian, Mandarin Chinese and Dutch.

I was an early reader so nobody thought that I was dyslexic for a long time, Grey said.They had just thought that I had terrible handwriting and was a bad speller. Not living up to my academic potential.

The National Center for Education Statistics says 13.8 percent of students learning English in the United States have a disability.The statistics include both physical and learning disabilities.

Disabilities can be mild or severe.People can have trouble reading, writing, spelling or understanding text.They may have a hard time processing sounds or calculating numbers.

Every dyslexic learner is different, said Priscillia Shen, assistant head of DAS Academy, which is part of the Dyslexia Association of Singapore.Students with mild dyslexia may do well in primary school, but face problems in higher education.Lessons need to fit the needs of individual students, she said.

Brenda Bernaldez, a specialist for the Office of English Language Programs in Mexico, has taught English to students of all ages, and suggests a multisensory approach to learning English could help students.This method includes using visual, auditory and kinesthetic tools, the last being activities in which students move, play or act.

Vocabulary words can be taught with pictures to show how words are formed, she explained.

Must love reading

Students with mild learning disabilities need to develop the love for reading, said Lia Kamhi-Stein, a professor at California State University in Los Angeles. She helps students struggling to read.They should read what they want, whether it is comics or books about animals.Reading with someone else can help students hear how words sound.

In addition, she said students should learn text structures, or how words are arranged or ordered. Students who understand structure can identify information faster because they know where to look.

Vocabulary should come from the readings, and the words need to be repeated.Learning one word at a time is not as useful, she said.

Lessons for learners with disabilities

Although Laura Grey speaks many languages, she struggles with writing and spelling, which usually affects students grades the most. But Grey tapped into speaking and listening, which affect grades less.

Another way to adapt is to use technology.

If you are, as a student, trapped in a situation where you cannot ask for anything, I would say try technology to help you deal with it, said Bernaldez.

For students struggling to read and write, Bernaldez suggested using voice recorders to take notes.She said there are apps like Evernote that let students record and organize voice notes.

Apps like Quizlet are useful because students can learn vocabulary by reading and hearing words and looking at pictures, said Lia Kamhi-Stein.

Laura Grey said she likes the app Duolingo. If youre willing to keep going and keep doing it, youre going to get there, she said.

Dyslexia in other languages

Learning disabilities are not limited to any one language.Difficulties learning one language will likely show up in another. For example, Grey said she is a terrible speller in any language.

Chinese language learners with dyslexia have similar difficulties to English language learners with dyslexia, Shen said.While some students learning English may write d instead of b, some students learning Chinese may reverse Chinese characters.

Chinese language learners with dyslexia may mix up stroke patterns, add or forget strokes.Some students may confuse words with the same sounds, but different meanings.

Shen said color-coding Chinese characters may help.

Many Chinese characters have semantic and phonetic parts.Semantic parts tell the reader what the word may mean, while phonetic parts tell the reader how to pronounce it.

Shen said writing semantic parts in one color and phonetic parts in another color may help.

Diagnosing disabilities

Wealthier people are more likely to have learning disabilities diagnosed than poorer people, Bernaldez said.

Learning disabilities are not well understood in Latin America, she said, and students often go without help.

I think sometimes its even a relief for the father and mother or the family to be like Oh, hes not slow, he actually has something we can deal with,'  Bernaldez said.

Laura Grey said she did not fear being judged by others when she was diagnosed.She had been frustrated before because her undergraduate grades were not good.Getting diagnosed gave her an official reason why she was having trouble.She now attends graduate school.

You have to do it every day. And if you do it every day, its definitely not so hard," she said. "But if you dont do it every day, its almost impossible.

Is learning difficult for you, especially learning English? Please share your suggestion in the Comments here, and visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, thanks!
My last article talked about problems in the construction industry, globally and in Macau, and identified some ways for governments to improve the situation. Now I want to address one crucial issue that was not considered last time, and which I believe must be understood if we want to improve construction industry productivity and quality.

I am convinced that there is a very important and fundamental misalignment of interests between the owners of newly developed buildings and the companies that design and build them. Building owners aim to minimize cost of ownership over the whole lifecycle  from initial design, through construction to ongoing operation and maintenance to the eventual demolition or sale of the structure. By contrast, architects and construction companies aim to minimize the costs and risks of completing the initial building construction and have no subsequent involvement in its ongoing operations.

Buildings have long lifespans so that, generally, in the overall cost equation, operating costs are often as important as initial construction costs. To give a simple example, consider the orientation of a building on its site and the envelope or skin of the building. These have a major impact on the amount of heat a building absorbs during the year, which in turn has a major impact on air-conditioning costs  a poorly designed and oriented building may need double the air-conditioning of a well designed and oriented building. This can all be readily predicted by proper thermal modeling, but if the architect and construction company do this modeling it increases their workload and can delay construction and thus reduce their profits.

All of my construction industry friends happily tell me that they will never consider using new, unproven technologies when constructing buildings. The downside risk of something not working or going wrong (leading to a cost blowout or construction delays) is just too high. Moreover, the building owner gets all the the upside benefit if the new innovation works and the architect/construction company get nothing from it.

In many industries such lifecycle costing and innovation issues dominate the selling process. Airlines always look at operating cost per passenger mile when choosing new commercial aircraft to buy. Similarly, taxi companies (and most private users) closely compare vehicle technology, mileage, insurance and maintenance costs before buying new cars. And when buying phones, computers and other equipment, technology and cost of ownership issues are often as important as the buying price. But in construction, technology and lifecycle issues are rarely considered  construction cost and the time needed to complete the building is nearly always the main (and often only) focus.

If I was building myself a new home, I would very happily pay a 10%-20% premium in the construction if it halved my utility and maintenance bills for the next 30 years. Also, in principle, there is little difficulty in estimating these potential costs and savings as long as materials and product suppliers have done the necessary research (which most have already done). A 5-10 year payback period for investments to improve the operating efficiency of a building with a 50-year operating life is a no brainer in my book.

There are several things that governments can do to encourage the construction industry to focus on lifecycle costing, e.g. mandate the adoption of green building standards for new buildings as they do in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Similarly, banks and insurance companies could be required to consider these issues when writing mortgage and insurance contracts. This is yet another area, where Macau has an opportunity to take the lead in the region, improve quality of life here and develop expertise that can be exported to diversify the local economy. Like always, what is holding us back?
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis took steps to reinforce a quickly growing defense partnership with India on Tuesday, declaring the relationship has never been stronger.

During meetings with senior Indian officials in New Delhi, Mattis stressed that the United States and India are natural strategic partners who share common values and interests.

This is, again, a historic opportunity for our two democracies, a time of strategic convergence, Mattis said alongside his Indian counterpart, Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The U.S. sees India as a counterweight to the rising influence of China, and hopes to persuade New Delhi to become more involved in bringing stability to Afghanistan.

We applaud Indias invaluable contributions to Afghanistan, and welcome further efforts to promote Afghanistans democracy, stability, and security, Mattis said.

Pakistan, Indias longtime rival, opposes New Delhis expanded involvement in Afghanistan, fearing a future war with its strategic rival, (India), on two fronts.

Sitharaman on Tuesday downplayed those concerns, pointing out that most of Indias support for Afghanistan has been non-military.

We have made it very clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground, Sitharaman said.

India has invested billions of dollars in Afghanistan, mostly in sectors such as health, education and infrastructure. India also recently agreed to expand its support for Afghan defense forces, which includes training of Afghan army personnel.



Terrorist havens

Mattis also found common ground with Sitharaman on what they say is Pakistans support for militant groups in Afghanistan. Sitharaman says she raised the issue directly with Mattis.

The very same forces which find safe haven in Pakistan have been the ones who have hit New York as much as Mumbai, Sitharaman said.

Although Mattis did not mention Pakistan directly, he added, There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens.

Mattis does not plan to visit Pakistan during his trip; but, U.S. officials deny that is meant as a slight to Islamabad.

The relationship we are building with India is not to the exclusion of other countries, Mattis told reporters.

Expanding defense ties

Many in Pakistan are skeptical about burgeoning U.S. defense ties with India.

In 2016, the U.S. declared India a Major Defense Partner, a unique label that gave it access to a wider range of U.S. military technologies.

The U.S.-India defense trade has expanded quickly. In 2008, such trade stood at roughly $1 billion. If current deals being negotiated were to go through, that could increase to around $19 billion.

I am confident that we are entering a new phase in our strategic defense partnership with the United States, said Sitharaman. She added that both sides have agreed to explore additional, specialized military exercises.

The U.S.- India partnership has taken on greater importance with Chinas growing economic clout and increasing assertiveness with its neighbors in the South China Sea.



In his remarks Tuesday, Mattis hinted at the South China Sea issue, saying India and the U.S. both support an open, just, and rules-based global order.

A peaceful and prosperous future in the Indo-Pacific region is based on a strong rules-based international order and a shared commitment to international law, peaceful resolution of disputes, and respect for territorial integrity, he said.

Mattis, who is making his first visit to India as Pentagon chief, also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and laid a wreath at a memorial to Indias World War I dead.
Fierce debate continues in Uganda over the ruling partys plans to remove the presidential age limit from the constitution. Parliament is expected to again take up the issue this week with the opposition pledging to continue its resistance.

Ugandas ruling party says it will push ahead with its plans to scrap the presidential age limit despite street protests and stiff resistance from opposition lawmakers last week.

Peter Ogwang is vice-chairperson of the ruling party caucus in parliament.

Its provided for in this law, in this constitution of the Republic of Uganda. What are we doing? We are using the law which were made by the delegates in the 1995, which [is] the law which we have been using to amend provisions of this constitution, so I am within the law, Ogwang said.

Ugandas constitution sets the presidential age limit at 75. That means longtime President Yoweri Museveni would not be eligible to run in the next elections in 2021.

Watch: Debate in Uganda

Critics of the age limit say it is discriminatory.

Proponents say the age limit was implemented to promote the peaceful, democratic transfer of power, something that Uganda has not experienced since independence in 1962.

The opposition is showing no signs of backing down.

VOA spoke to opposition leader and four-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye.

Its not about the principle of age, as to whether you know a 75-year-old cannot be president or not that is vital in this consideration, Besigye said. Its whether it can check the presidency of Mr. Museveni who ascended to power through force of arms and has stayed in power with the assistance of the military rather than the will, the free will of the people of Uganda.

The opposition and international human rights groups accuse the government of using security forces to squash dissent.

At least 28 university students were arrested during protests on Sept. 21, according to the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders.

The opposition says several lawmakers have also been prevented from leaving their homes or detained.

They tore my clothes. They lifted me high. They kicked me. They harangued..., said Erias Lukwago, the lord mayor of Kampala, who was arrested on Sept.18, accused of trying to organize a protest against lifting the age limit.

..They all grabbed me and dumped me in a waiting truck, because they had come with a van. I think its a custom-made van intended for that particular purpose, it looks like these trucks normally used to carry with hound dogs, Lukwago continued.

As parliament prepares to reopen Tuesday, the opposition has called on Ugandans to wear red as a form of silent protest.
Netflix chief executive officer and Bowdoin College graduate Reed Hastings says he's donating $5 million to the school to help traditionally under- represented students graduate.

The "Thrive" program offers academic assistance for low-income students and first-generation students at the Brunswick-area college. The Portland Press Herald reports Hastings will work with four educators to develop the program and will meet annually with students in Thrive.

Bowdoin President Clayton Rose says Hastings' gift will make it possible to work with students who often have difficulties in transitioning to college.
On Monday, 60 supporters of the Biafra separatist movement were imprisoned by court order in the southeastern Nigerian state of Abia. The order is part of a growing government crackdown against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group calling for southeastern Nigeria to break away and form an independent country.

In recent weeks, protests by IPOB activists have become increasingly tense. A rally in Abia earlier this month left a police officer dead and a police station nearly burned down.

The now jailed sixty people who took part in that rally were charged with conspiracy, terrorism, attempted murder, and membership in an unlawful society.

The governors of five southeastern states recently met and banned all IPOB activities, while the government has declared IPOB a terrorist organization, citing alleged offenses that included the formation of a Biafra secret service and using weapons against Nigerian security forces.

Emmanuel Kanu, the brother of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB, denied the charges.



"Weve never asked anyone to kill for us neither have we killed anyone. We are not Boko Haram. We are not ISIS. We are nonviolent freedom fighters. Thats who we are. From inception, Nnamdi Kanu made it clear to the whole world that we are nonviolent," Emmanuel Kanu said.



Nnamdi Kanus current whereabouts are unknown. The controversial leader was released in May after spending more than a year in detention facing charges of treason.

For years, he ran on online radio program, broadcasting from the United Kingdom. In his often-confrontational rhetoric, he has described Nigeria as a zoo that must be destroyed.

The government's only option, he recently suggested, is to give Biafra its freedom.

"Our promise is very simple. If they fail to give us Biafra, Somalia will look like a paradise compared to what will happen to that zoo," Kanu said.

Southeastern Nigeria is home to the Igbos, one of Nigeria's largest ethnic groups. Many Igbos say the predominantly Muslim Hausa-Fulani people of northern Nigeria dominate the federal government and marginalize the largely Christian Igbos.

An attempt to carve an independent Biafra out of the southeast in 1967 triggered a civil war that killed nearly one million people.

Igwe Christopher Ejiofor is a traditional Igbo king who fought on the Biafran side in that war. He said IPOB has legitimate grievances, but that its approach is wrong.

"Nnamdi Kanu expressed something that is not stamped and approved by the Igbo people as a whole. In political terms, no governors, no elders, no statesmen, no high profile Igbo politician have said that they are in support of Nnamdi Kanu or that they want Biafra to be declared," Ejiofor said.

Many Igbos say they do not want to repeat history. But many of them have also condemned the government's deployment of troops in the southeast this month. And as Nigerias October 1 Independence Day approaches, ethnic and political tensions remain high.
The Nigerian army says it has taken a high-level Boko Haram militant into custody.

Police in Ondo state arrested Idris Ibrahim Babawo on Sunday and handed him over to the army's 32nd brigade one day later, according to a statement from the army's director of public relations, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman.

The statement, which refers to Babawo as a "terrorist kingpin," says the suspect is 42, goes by the names Idoko and Nagada, and is on a list of wanted Boko Haram militants. It says he hails from Chinade village in the Katagum area of Bauchi state.

Ondo state is in southwestern Nigeria, far from the northeastern states where Boko Haram primarily operates.

"[Babawo] escaped from the North East due to the military onslaught on the terrorists, with a view to evade arrest and prosecution," said Usman's statement.

It did not explain how Babawo was captured.

Boko Haram is blamed for at least 20,000 deaths in northeastern Nigeria and bordering countries since launching an insurgency against the Nigerian government in 2009.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday abandoned their latest attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, after it became clear the bill would be defeated if brought up for a vote this week.

We don't have the votes, said Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, co-author of Graham-Cassidy, which would have transferred Obamacare funds to individual U.S. states to craft their own health care programs. Am I disappointed? Absolutely.

We haven't given up on changing the American health care system, insisted Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, after a weekly caucus meeting. We are not going to be able to do that this week, but it still lies ahead of us.

Watch: Republicans put off health care vote

Senate Democrats, who have fought tooth and nail against a series of Republican health care proposals since June, expressed relief and a desire for a bipartisan solution to fix Obamacare's shortcomings.

Mitch McConnell has dumped Trumpcare for now. Thank goodness, tweeted Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

Once this repeal effort is gone, we are willing  eager  to sit down and come up with bipartisan improvements (to Obamacare), and do it in the regular order, said Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. Let's move on and try to make our system better.

Republicans faced an end-of-month procedural deadline to pass a health care bill with a simple majority. Beginning Oct. 1, a three-fifths vote would have been required to advance Graham-Cassidy. Late Monday, Senator Susan Collins of Maine became the third Republican to announce opposition to the bill, putting even a simple majority out of reach given unified Democratic opposition.

The latest failure to end Obamacare drew criticism from President Donald Trump and boosted frustration within a party that has yet to deliver on an ironclad pledge repeatedly made to voters.

We were very disappointed by a couple of senators, Republican senators, Trump said at the White House Tuesday. We were very disappointed that they would take the attitude that they did.

We still need to do something, said Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming. Health care is completely unaffordable.

For House Republicans who passed an Obamacare repeal and replace bill earlier this year, Senate inaction has been a sore topic.

Obviously in the House we're a little frustrated because the House has done its job. We passed our health care bill in May, said Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. So yes, we're a little frustrated that the Senate has not acted on a seminal [Republican] promise, health care.

For now, McConnell said Senate Republicans are turning the page.

Where we go from here is tax reform, the majority leader said.

Democrats urged swift action on a bipartisan health care effort that was put on hold when Graham-Cassidy emerged.

The answer is staring us in the face, said Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. Let the committees  take up these bills, hear from the parents, hear from the hospitals, hear from the doctors, and come up with a bipartisan set of solutions that will make health care better, not worse.

Collins echoed the call.

I very much want us to resume the work that the HELP [Health, Education, Labor and Pensions] Committee was doing under the leadership of [Republican] Lamar Alexander and [Democrat] Patty Murray, the Maine Republican said. I believe that offers great promise for stabilizing the insurance markets and helping to lower premiums.

But many Republicans continue to insist that Obamacare can't be fixed and that replacing the 2010 law is the only solution.

With a process that gives more attention and time, we will repeal and replace Obamacare with a block grant called Graham-Cassidy," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. "We're coming back to this after taxes. We're going to have time to explain our concept. We'll have a better process.

We're going to get there, Graham stressed.

VOA's Katherine Gypson contributed to this report.
Margarita Aponte and her relatives cleared the road in front of her house with two oxen, then drove an hour from her devastated hometown in central Puerto Rico to the old telegraph building in the capital of San Juan.

There, thousands of Puerto Ricans gathered for a chance at a resource nearly as precious as power and water in the wake of Hurricane Maria  communication.

It's ringing, it's ringing, it's ringing! Aponte, a janitor, screamed as her phone connected to free Wi-Fi and her Facetime call went through to the mainland on Sunday.

Her eyes filled with tears as she talked with nephews, uncles, brothers and sisters in Florida and Massachusetts for the first time since Maria destroyed nearly every cellphone and fiber optic connection on this U.S. territory of 3.4 million people.

The low murmur at one of two free Wi-Fi hot spots is occasionally interrupted by the cheering of someone getting through the largely jammed network. Most spend hours frowning at their phones, unable to connect.

There's no communication. We're in God's hands, Yesenia Gomez, a kitchen worker, said as she left a message for her mother in the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Finally ... a signal

Dozens of other Puerto Ricans opted to pull over to the side of the road along various highways where cellphone signals were strongest.

Carlos Ocasio, a maintenance worker, picked his way through tree branches and broken glass bottles as he found a spot with a good signal. Soon, he was able to reach his brother in New Jersey.

My throat got a little choked up and I couldn't talk for a minute, he said. They're calling me from everywhere, asking when I'm going to arrive.

Others in Puerto Rico and abroad called a local radio station to provide names, numbers, exact addresses and pictures of their loved ones in hopes of reconnecting.

'Roller-coaster of emotion'

But for hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans living on the U.S. mainland, there has been only silence from the island.

Shirley Rodriguez, a resident of New York's Brooklyn borough, said she has more than 30 relatives in Puerto Rico but she is especially concerned about her 66-year-old mother, Mildred Rodriguez, who has diabetes and pulmonary hypertension and lives in Hormigueros on the island's west coast.

Rodriguez last spoke to her family before the storm and her relatives were planning on being together for it. Since then, calls to their cellphones have gone to voicemail.

I'm absolutely numb at this point. It's a roller-coaster of emotion, she said. Not knowing is extremely agonizing.

Her mother-in-law is in the San Juan area and somehow managed to connect with someone who works for the mayor of Hormigueros, who was able to tell Rodriguez that the area where her parents live escaped flooding. But she still doesn't know what the actual conditions are like.

Lack of communication

Some in Puerto Rico expressed anger over what they said was a lack of communication from cellphone providers about which towers were working so they could drive in that direction.

They're not giving us any information, said Ricardo Castellanos, a business consultant. We're in a state of emergency.

Castellanos visits the Wi-Fi hot spots twice a day to try to reach his two daughters in the central town of Gurabo and has been able to send a few pictures to friends on social media of the devastation the hurricane left behind.

As people continued to search for a connection in silence, some occasionally spoke up to offer unsolicited advice. I didn't move my phone around, and I got a signal, said one woman to a man complaining that he was in a dead zone.

Nearby, retiree Sylvia Calero tapped her phone with impeccably manicured bright orange fingernails as she tried to reach three brothers and three grandchildren in the hard-hit coastal town of Aguadilla in northwest Puerto Rico. She spent an hour walking up and down the upscale Condado district unable to find a signal before driving to the free Wi-Fi hot spot.

Zero communication, she said.

Waiting to leave

Leaning against a boarded-up window, illustrator Avalon Clare from Colorado worried about getting off the island. She and her partner were supposed to fly out of Puerto Rico on Saturday but the flight was canceled. It was rescheduled for Thursday, but Clare said she had no way to confirm whether that was still the case.

The only think I can do is text,'' she said. We're trying to leave because we can't work without internet ... We only have half a tank of gas. We're running out of cash. It's just getting harder.

Jenniffer Gonzalez, Puerto Rico's non-voting representative in Congress, urged people to remain calm, noting that the towers of one cellphone provider that had constant coverage after the hurricane collapsed Sunday.

Don't become desperate, she said, adding that if anyone was in danger, local officials would have been notified by now.

Towers are slowly being replaced

Only about 25 percent of towers were working in the San Juan metro area.

Cell service provider T-Mobile said it reached a deal with other providers to help reconnect their customers, saying callers should use the roaming data option to find a connection. Officials said customers would not be charged extra.

Claro was installing 40 generators to power up its towers, and expected 50 more generators to arrive from the Dominican Republic once a ferry from the neighboring island is operational.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello said a major underwater cable had been repaired, which would allow people to make long-distance calls and improve internet service. Two planes from Spain's telephone company also arrived over the weekend to help re-establish services.

Success!!!

Persistence paid off for many who waited up to three hours to find a signal, including Wanda Nieves, a government worker who stood at one of the free Wi-Fi hot spots.

She heard about it on the radio and drove 30 minutes to reach the site. Nieves spoke to family in Florida and Michigan and did not plan to return for more calls or messages.

We've already given signs of life, she said. Now we just wait for Puerto Rico to recover.
Russia's proposal for United Nations peacekeepers to be sent to Ukraine shows that the Kremlin is interested in negotiating a resolution to the three-year-old conflict, said the United States special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker.

I take the point of view that Russia would not have proposed anything if they weren't prepared to get into a negotiation about it, said Volker in an interview Monday with VOA's Ukrainian Service chief Myroslava Gongadze.

They haven't done anything for three years on this. They haven't proposed a peacekeeping force before. As recently as a couple weeks ago, they were saying that they would never want the U.N. there. So, the fact that they opened this conversation, to me, is an indication that they are willing to discuss it.

The Ukraine crisis began in March 2014 when Russian special forces took over Ukrainian military bases in Crimea. Subsequent Russian military support for Russia-leaning separatists in eastern Ukraine fueled an ongoing conflict with the Ukrainian military that has so far left more than 10,000 people dead.

Russia's proposal earlier this month at the U.N. called for peacekeepers along the line of conflict in eastern Ukraine, but not along the Russia-Ukraine border where weapons and fighters can easily cross.

Volker called it a very narrow concept that would have the effect of dividing the country even further.



That's not acceptable to anybody and does not restore the territory, he said. On the other hand, if we can establish a peacekeeping force and build that concept into one that is covering the entire contested area, that is containing heavy weapons and that is controlling the Ukraine-Russian border from the Ukrainian side, then there is a lot of promise in that.

That's where both governments are right now seeing whether it is possible to expand this concept into one that would be truly meaningful and helpful, he added.

Russia's growing costs

Russia's costs for maintaining the conflict in Ukraine have only gone up while benefits the Kremlin may have expected have not panned out, said Volker. Russia has lost influence in Ukraine while Western support for Kyiv has increased along with sanctions against Moscow.

So, for all of these reasons, the costs are increasing. Even the financial costs of just maintaining the Donbas, and they're not getting anything out of it. So, that at least opens the door to thinking maybe Russia would like to try something else, Volker said.



Ultimately, I think it really boils down to Russia's decision-making, he added. Do they want to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, get their forces out, and re-establish Ukraine's territorial integrity or, do they not want to do that? If they want to dig in and create another Abkhazia [breakaway region of Georgia supported by Russia], they can do it. But, that's a very costly proposition for Russia.

A 2015 peace deal Russia signed with Ukraine, Germany, and France in Minsk has failed to come to fruition as Kyiv and Moscow blame each other for not moving on the plan.



The problem with the Minsk agreement is that it was becoming a circular argument that was going nowhere, said Volker. The Russians are saying no, Ukraine has to do the political steps. Ukraine says, it can't do the political steps because it can't even access the territory. And, then how can we go to the Rada [Ukrainian parliament] and get a vote when nothing has happened on a ceasefire in three years. So, it's stuck that way and I think, in some respects, some of the actors found that to be conveniently stuck.

Volker said the U.S. role was to try to unstick the Minsk deal.

If we can get to a more strategic level of decision-making with Russia and, frankly, with our European partners and with Ukraine, then if we can create political will, Minsk is a perfectly fine vehicle for implementation, he said.

In August, the U.S. envoy met with Kremlin aide Vladislav Surkov in Minsk. Surkov is considered the architect of Russia's strategy on Ukraine and its military backing for separatists in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

Status quo: Bad for all

When we met in August, one of the things we agreed is that the status quo is not good for anybody, said Volker. It's not good for Russia, it's not good for Ukraine, it's not good for the people of the Donbas. So we should be exploring to see if there is something else that would be better.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists broke out in early 2014.

Volker said the U.S. is still considering supplying lethal, defensive weapons to Ukraine's military forces.



I don't have anything new to say on timing of this sort of thing [possibly selling lethal, defensive weapons to Ukraine], he said. But, I can say that its taken very seriously in the administration and there are people working very hard at it.

Volker said the U.S. would seek progress in eastern Ukraine separate from the issue of Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in March 2014.

If we are able to make progress in one area the Donbas lets do it. Lets make progress, lets see if we can get that territory back, he said. At the same that doesn't change at all our refusal to accept the annexation of Crimea and grant any legitimacy to Russia's actions.

Budapest memorandum

The U.S. envoy acknowledged more should have been done to back up the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which was signed when he was a mid-level diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest and should have prevented Russia taking Crimea.



The only country violating the Budapest Memorandum is Russia. So, France didn't invade Ukraine. U.K. didn't invade Ukraine. Only Russia invaded Ukraine, Volker said.

Ukraine agreed to give up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in return for guarantees of territorial integrity and sovereignty under the deal signed by Russia, the U.K., and U.S. But, when Russian forces began taking over Ukraine's Crimea military bases, none of those who signed the memorandum attempted to stop them.



We should have done more immediately, said Volker. Its important for Ukraine itself. Its important for the principle that it establishes about non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. And, so, unfortunately, when Russia invaded, we didnt do enough on that.

The U.S. envoy said all that can been done now is go forward to help restore Ukraine's territorial integrity. If we do that, we'll be taking a step towards the fulfillment of Budapest, he said.

Peacekeeping Forces

Volker, who President Donald Trump made special envoy in July, shot down suggestions that Russians could be among any peacekeepers deployed to Ukraine.



I think the U.N. standards themselves are that neighboring countries should not be involved in peacekeeping in neighboring states, he said. And, certainly in this case since Russia has been a party to the conflict it would clearly not make sense.

Despite much evidence to the contrary, the Kremlin maintains it is not involved in the military conflict in eastern Ukraine, known as the Donbas.

VOA's Myroslava Gongadze contributed to this report.
Saudi Arabia will allow women to drive for the first time, according to a royal decree.

State media said Tuesday the king's decree called for the issuance of driving licenses for men and women alike."

Prince Khaled bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington and the king's son, said letting women drive is a "huge step forward,'' one for which "society is ready.''



"This is the right time to do the right thing,'' he told reporters in the U.S.

WATCH: Activists: Driving Augurs Further Expansion of Saudi Women's Rights

Neither Islamic law nor Saudi traffic law explicitly prohibited women from driving in the past, but they were not issued licenses and were detained if they attempted to drive.

The state news agency SPA reported the order will go into effect by June 2018.

Amnesty International said the decree was a "testament to the bravery of women activists who have been campaigning for years [and] the government of Saudi Arabia has finally relented."

U.S. President Donald Trump commended Saudi Arabia for the decision and said the United States will support Saudi efforts to strengthen its society and economy.

"This is a positive step toward promoting the rights and opportunities of women in Saudi Arabia," said a statement from his press secretary.

As recently as late 2014, two Saudi women were detained for more than two months when one of them attempted to cross the Saudi border with a license from the neighboring United Arab Emirates.

Ali Shihabi, executive director of the Washington-based Arabia Foundation, told VOA that while Saudi women will have to wait until process are in place to issue the license and train the new drivers, women who already hold licenses from neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council member countries can drive in Saudi Arabia immediately.

In celebration of the announcement, several Saudi women posted images on social media showing them deleting ride-sharing apps from their mobile phones.



Shihabi said the new policy will have a "tremendous economic impact," including reducing the need for drivers or other complicated transportation methods for women.

"It has tremendous practical implications, obviously for women, for families, for the capacity for women to get more fully integrated into the labor force," he said. "But also even more importantly, its extremely symbolic because it shows that the government is determined to reform society and drive progress really, and this has been hanging over the country for decades."
Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone said Tuesday hes aware of no evidence whatsoever that Trump's campaign coordinated with Russians during the 2016 election.



Stone spoke to the House intelligence committee for more than three hours as part of the panel's probe into Russian interference in the election. Afterward, he told reporters that the majority of lawmakers questions focused on his communications with Guccifer 2.0, the unnamed hacker who has taken credit for breaking into Democratic National Committee email servers. He said questions also focused on communications he had through an intermediary with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Stone has long denied that he worked with Russian officials to influence the presidential election. In a lengthy and combative statement released Monday night ahead of the interview, Stone said there is one trick that is not in my bag and that is treason.

Stone denies advance knowledge of leak

Stone, a Republican strategist who has known Trump for many years and informally advised him during the 2016 campaign, has denied that he had advance knowledge of the leak of former Clinton Campaign chairman John Podesta's emails and says he never colluded with Assange, who released Podesta's emails on his website.



While some may label me a dirty trickster, the members of this committee could not point to any tactic that is outside the accepted norms of what political strategists and consultants do today. I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support, he wrote in the statement.



He also released a series of supporting documents Monday evening, including direct messages he exchanged with Guccifer that he calls innocuous.

Twitter exchanges are of interest



The direct messages on Twitter, exchanged over a monthlong period, show Stone first congratulating Guccifer for being reinstated on Twitter after he was kicked off, and asking that the account retweet a tweet about how the election could be rigged against Trump. Guccifer writes, I'm pleased to say that u r great man .... please tell me if I can help u anyhow.

Stone doesn't respond again until several weeks later, when Guccifer asks him about an article on a Democratic turnout model. Stone replies pretty standard.

On WikiLeaks, Stone said he was kept apprised of Assange's plans to release the Podesta emails by a journalist he said served as an intermediary.



He said after the interview that he wouldnt release the name of the journalist, and that was the one question he wouldn't answer in the interview. He said he didnt want to reveal the source of that information because it was off the record.

Stone may be presented subpoena

Speaking to reporters after Stone, California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, said there was one area where Stone refused to cooperate and the committee may have to subpoena him. He didn't say what area that was.



Stone has been heavily critical of Schiff ever since the Democrat suggested in March that Stone had a direct line to Russian hackers based on Stones August 2016 tweet it will soon be the Podestas time in the barrel. Several weeks later, Assange released Podestas hacked emails.



Stone said in the statement that tweet had nothing to do with the release of emails, but was out of frustration after Podestas counterpart on the Trump campaign, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, resigned.



Its unclear if Stone will be called to Capitol Hill again. He said hed had minimal contact with the Senate intelligence committee, which is also investigating the Russian meddling. He also said that he has had no contact with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is also conducting an investigation.

Former Trump staffer grew up in Moscow

The House panel will also interview former Trump staffer Boris Epshteyn this week, according to a source familiar with the interview. The person declined to be named because the panels meetings are private.

Epshteyn, who grew up in Moscow, worked a short time in the White House press office. He left in March and now works as a political analyst for right-leaning Sinclair Broadcasting.

The interviews come as the House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into the meddling and scrutinizing the spread of false news stories and propaganda on social media. The Senate intelligence committee will speak to officials from Twitter Thursday, also behind closed doors.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is also investigating the Russian meddling. In a letter Monday, the chairman and top Democrat on that panel asked the CIA to provide the committee with the same materials that have been provided to the Senate intelligence committee.

Russian interference falls squarely within the Judiciary Committees jurisdiction, wrote Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.
Prime Minister Theresa May and European Council president Donald Tusk met yesterday as Britain seeks to kick start deadlocked negotiations on leaving the European Union.

Tusk met May at her office at 10 Downing Street as negotiators for the two sides held a fourth round of Brexit talks in Brussels.

The meeting comes days after May proposed a two-year transition period to smooth Britains departure from the bloc.

May hopes her proposal  which would see Britain abide by EU rules and pay into its coffers for two years after Brexit in March 2019  will help persuade EU officials to move talks past terms of the divorce and onto future trade and security relationships.

The EU says more detail is needed. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier said this week he was keen and eager to understand how Mays speech will be turned into a negotiating strategy.

The EU says it wont discuss future relationships until it has guarantees on Britains outstanding financial commitments, the rights of EU and British citizens affected by Brexit and the status of the Irish border.

EU leaders are scheduled to assess at an Oct. 19-20 meeting whether Britain has made sufficient progress on the divorce arrangements for negotiations to move on.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tried to reassure eastern Europeans that they will remain welcome after Brexit. When Britain leaves the bloc it will end the automatic right of EU nationals to live and work in the U.K., and that has left many worried for their futures.

Johnson told Romanias Agerpres news agency that some 500,000 Romanians currently in Britain are hugely valued members of our society.

We would be crazy to let them go back to Romania, we want to ensure [] their rights are protected, said Johnson, who is on a visit to the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia. AP
A Pakistan-based group listed as a terrorist outfit by the United Nations and the United States has been openly collecting donations in the name of helping Rohingya Muslims.

People in Rawalpindi received leaflets inside some newspapers Monday requesting donations for the "oppressed Muslims of Burma," an older name for Myanmar.

The two-sided flyers in the local Urdu language contained an appeal from Jamaat ud Dawa and its charity arm, the Falah e Insaaniyat Foundation.

The piece of paper showed photos of men, women, and children in dire conditions and suggested aid amounts. One family could be helped for three months for approximately $500, according to the piece of paper that included phone numbers to contact. Similarly, an injured person could be treated for approximately $150.

A spokesman for the group, Abdul Rahman, said the group was running its charity drive for the Rohingya Muslims in "every district of Pakistan."

He also claimed that members of his group were helping the Rohingyas in multiple countries.

"Our brothers have reached Indonesia and have constructed temporary wood and fiber houses for them, arranged for their monthly groceries and set up a bread plant for them," he said.

Doubts about ads

In addition, Rahman said the FIF members were feeding 63,000 Rohingyas in refugee camps on the shores of River Naf, a river that marks the border between Bangladesh and western Myanmar.

While VOA has not been able to independently verify any of these statements, Ali Ahsan, a Bangladeshi journalist who has been to Cox's Bazar and has covered Rohingya issues, called these claims "fake news."

Ahsan called 63,000 "a huge number. If anyone was doing charity at that scale, I would have heard about it." The only Islamist charity involved in providing any significant aid in that area was the Islamic Movement of Bangladesh, he said.

Similarly, Nupa Alam, a correspondent of Bangladesh's Channel 24 television news and a native of Teknaf, in the Cox's Bazar district, said that he knew of no organization called Jamaat ud Dawa or Falah e Insaaniyat that was feeding Rohingyas in that area.

He said the 63,000 figure was "out of the question."

The eight feeding centers operating in the area, Alam said, were being run by the Bangladesh government and military.

Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst in Lahore, said it was highly unlikely that the current Bangladesh government, with its tense relations with Pakistan and critical stance on Islamists, would tolerate the charitable arm of the Pakistani militant group openly operating in its territory.

There was also no way of knowing where the money was really going, Rizvi said, adding that it was possible that they were collecting donations in the name of Rohingyas but spending the money elsewhere.

Crackdown pledged

A spokesman for the Pakistan government, Musadik Malik, said the Ministry of Interior was aware of the charity drive and had already instructed police to take action against anyone collecting money in the name of these organizations.

The United States has long complained that despite billions of dollars in aid aimed at curbing the influence of banned terrorist groups in the country, some well-known groups such as JuD still operate with impunity. But government spokesman Malik said the administration was serious about cracking down on these groups.

"They had 66 accounts in the country. All of them have been ceased," he said. "We have canceled licenses of weapons of anyone associated with JuD and taken over their headquarters in Muridke, Punjab, to turn it into a Center for Peace and Development."

The United Nations has listed JuD as part of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group that India and the U.S. blame for a devastating series of attacks on the Indian financial capital, Mumbai, in 2008. The coordinated attacks, which lasted several days and killed more than 160 people, brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

"LeT has financed terrorist activity and provided training, logistical and infrastructural support to further such activity through its front organization, Jamaat ud Dawa," according to the U.N.'s website.

Pakistan has placed the leader of JuD, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, under protective custody since the beginning of the year. However, he has been placed under similar custody before, only to be freed by the country's courts that said there was insufficient evidence to hold him.

The U.S. has placed a $10 million bounty for information leading to his arrest and prosecution.

Pakistan has faced increasing pressure from the international community to take action against all militant groups, including LeT and JuD.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump blasted the country for "housing the very terrorists that we are fighting."

Earlier this month, Pakistan's longtime ally and protector China joined Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa in expressing concern about Pakistan-based groups.

"We, in this regard, express concern on the security situation in the region and violence caused by the Taliban, [Islamic State] ... , al-Qaida and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP and Hizb ut-Tahrir," the leaders of the BRICS nations, a group of the five emerging economies, said after a summit in Xiamen, China.

Network in Pakistan

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif recently said that the country needed to "put its own house in order."

That, according to Rizvi, is easier said than done.

"The problem is that these groups have support in the society. They have a huge network," which was why he said many of the mainstream political parties hesitated in openly criticizing these groups.

"There is a huge ambiguity in the government's policy towards them," said journalist Zahid Hussain, who has authored several books on the rise of militant Islam in Pakistan.

Pakistan's government has placed JuD under observation, but Hussain thought that was more "on paper" than in action.

The group has recently started efforts to formally enter Pakistan's politics through the launch of a new party called the Milli Muslim League. Pakistan's English-language daily, the Dawn, called it "the new political face of JuD."

The party's candidate, who ran as an independent in a recent by-election in Lahore, had the pictures of Hafiz Saeed on banners for his election campaign.

Rizvi pointed out that the government was going to find it hard to crackdown on JuD while relations between India and Pakistan remained tense.

"If you take this action while India was breathing down your neck, people will say the government caved in to India," he said.

Relations between the two South Asian rivals are currently extremely tense. At the recent U.N. General Assembly in New York, Pakistan's prime minister accused India of state-sponsored terrorism and of gross violations of human rights in the disputed Kashmir region.

India's foreign minister responded by calling Pakistan "the world's greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity."
The top U.S. negotiator at talks to modernize the NAFTA trade pact on Monday dismissed questions about why his team had so far failed to produce specific proposals on key issues, saying "I don't see a problem."

Officials from the United States, Mexico and Canada are in Ottawa for the third of seven planned rounds of talks. The U.S. delegation has yet to unveil its precise position on several points, prompting concerns the process to update the 1994 pact could drag on beyond the scheduled end-December finish.

"We've been working very hard so I don't see a problem," John Melle told reporters when pressed on the matter. "We're moving across the board, so it's very ambitious."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier predicted some tough days ahead for negotiators and declined to say whether he thought the talks could meet the deadline.

"The negotiations are still under way and of course there will be more difficult discussions in some cases than others," he told a Toronto news conference.

He added: "The negotiations move forward at a certain pace and we respect that reality."

U.S. President Donald Trump, who frequently describes the treaty as a disaster, is threatening to walk away unless major changes are made.

Canada's chief negotiator on Sunday said he did not expect the U.S. side to present detailed proposals in Ottawa on major issues such as dispute settlement, the dairy sector and tougher rules for North American content on autos.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland later told reporters that the three sides had made "solid progress" on topics such as electronic border forms and harmonization of regulations.

Pressed on the chances of finishing by the end of the year, she repeated earlier statements that "we want a good deal, not any deal." Trade talks traditionally leave the toughest topics until the end, she added.

Canadian officials say it is still possible to meet the year-end deadline although they concede there are significant uncertainties about the timetable.

At his Toronto event, Trudeau repeated a promise to defend Canada's system of tariffs and import restrictions designed to defend its dairy sector. The U.S. industry dislikes the measures.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Freeland and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo, the three top officials driving the talks, will meet in Ottawa on Tuesday and Wednesday, the last two days of the third round.
U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration are defending the government's response to the catastrophic hurricane damage U.S. territories in the Caribbean have suffered.

Nearly a week after the latest intense tropical cyclone hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Trump told reporters Tuesday: "Both have been devastated  and I mean absolutely devastated  by Hurricane Maria, and we're doing everything in our power to help the hard-hit people of both places."

The president said his administration and the U.S. military had made "a massive effort" to help storm victims, and the people in the U.S. territories "know how hard we're working and what a good job we're doing."

He did not refer directly to complaints that have been raised about the slow pace of government action to help storm victims on the U.S. islands, compared with all-out efforts mounted earlier in the month when hurricanes wreaked havoc in Texas and Florida.

Trump said he would visit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands next Tuesday.

Around the clock

Thousands of federal government personnel are at work on the islands, according to Elaine Duke, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

"With our partners, we continue to conduct 24-hour operations, aggressively conducting search-and-rescue operations," she told reporters after meeting with Trump.

The federal government, Duke added, is bringing in "commodities, food and water to the islands, restoring power at hospitals, ports, airports and other critical facilities."

The White House said Trump made it clear to senior officials Tuesday "that there is no such thing as over-responding, and that he expects all elements of the federal government to plan for long-term support to the governors of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands."

As of Tuesday, officials said, only 11 of 69 hospitals in Puerto Rico had fuel for their emergency generators. The power grid throughout the island of 3.4 million people was damaged so badly by Hurricane Maria that officials have predicted it will take more than a few months to restore reliable electricity service.

"People are dying," according to San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who said two people who needed life support died Monday as a consequence of a lack of diesel fuel for hospital generators.

I fear that if in fact there is not enough urgency in the response, we will be talking about a very different set of stories in the days to come, said Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from the state of Florida.

Soldiers en route

Thousands of Army soldiers are to arrive in Puerto Rico over the next few days, according to federal officials. Sixteen vessels from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard have also been deployed, including the USNS Comfort hospital ship.

"The recovery process will be a very, very difficult one. We will get through this, and we will get through it together," Trump said at the White House during a news conference with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

The White House announced that it was increasing funds for Puerto Rico, which has been mired in economic crisis, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to support total reimbursement of necessary emergency work for 180 days.

"We're not running out of money. Is money getting low? Sure," said Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA has been in touch with DHS and Congress "to say, 'We may be in for a problem. Let's anticipate that [and] get the money flowing,'" Long said.

Together with Duke, he briefed reporters outside the White House after meeting with the president on hurricane relief and recovery efforts.

'People above debt'

Cruz acknowledged the serious financial problems Puerto Rico has long been facing, but said, "You don't put debt above people; you put people above debt."

Some opposition lawmakers in Congress have criticized the president for his numerous comments on Twitter in recent days about topics other than the disaster in Puerto Rico. They also expressed dismay about comments he has made suggesting that Puerto Rico's public debt problems contributed to the crisis.

Representative Joe Crowley of New York, a Democrat, said it was "absolutely ridiculous" for the president to mention debt "when people are suffering and dying."

Referring to Trump's business career before entering politics, Crowley added: "Here's a president who used bankruptcy throughout his entire career."

Puerto Rico remains without power, except for generators, and telephone service is spotty. Officials have struggled to provide food and water for those affected by the worst storm to hit the island of 3.4 million people in decades.

"It's going to take a long time to restore the power grid," Long said.

There are several reasons for that: The island's power infrastructure was already in bad shape before the storm; Puerto Rico's utility workers are storm victims themselves; and bringing in help from other power supplies is difficult. Repair crews cannot simply drive their trucks in from adjacent states, as they could following recent hurricanes that hit Texas and Florida.

The Army Corps of Engineers has been assigned to manage the emergency restoration of the island's electrical network, Long said.

Better preparedness

An onslaught by three major storms over the past few weeks  Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria  has focused attention on the need for better preparedness in U.S. Southern states and territories, federal officials have said.

"I think the last 35 days or so have been a gut check for Americans that we do not have a true culture of preparedness in this country," Brock told reporters.

Just having three days of supplies on hand is not sufficient, he said, by way of example. People need to also have adequate funds in reserve to get them through such large disasters.

Maria, which was the strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years, has been blamed for at least 27 deaths in the Caribbean. On Tuesday, it was downgraded to a tropical storm off the East Coast of the United States.
Chads appearance on a new U.S. government list of countries subject to travel restrictions has the central African country bewildered.

The Government of Chad expresses lack of understanding of the official reasons for it, Chad's communications minister and government spokesperson, Madeleine Alingue, said in a statement in French.

The administration of President Donald Trump issued new travel rules Sunday, building on and adding to a March executive order that banned travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries. The new rules added three countries: Venezuela, North Korea  and Chad.

The entry into the United States of nationals of Chad, as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas, is suspended, reads the presidential proclamation announcing the new rules.

Ngartebaye Eugene Le Yotha, a political analyst in Chads capital, NDjamena, says the new designation will have political consequences. The tension is noticeable. What do our representatives do in the U.S. if they can no longer welcome their fellow countrymen there? I think the coming days will reveal, through the position of the Chadian government, how the relations with the U.S. authorities will evolve.

Chads inclusion on the list of restricted countries has been met with surprise because it has been for years a key counterterrorism ally of the U.S. The mainly Muslim country is a partner in the Trans Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership. U.S.-led counterterrorism exercises have been conducted in Chad, and the U.S. has trained Chadian troops, considered among toughest militaries in central Africa.

Why Chad?

Trumps new rules proclamation acknowledges Chad as an important and valuable counterterrorism partner and says the U.S. looks forward to expanding that cooperation including in the areas of immigration and border management.

Chad is in the middle of a tough neighborhood, surrounded by Libya, Sudan, Nigeria and the Central African Republic.

Collaborators or not, Chad does not do enough to share public safety and terrorism-related information, the new rules say. In addition, they note that several terrorist groups are active in the country or its surrounding region, including elements of Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, and al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb.

This explanation just leaves Le Yotha with more questions. Does it mean U.S. authorities approached Chadian authorities for information about this situation and Chadian authorities did not comply? Does it mean suspicious luggage was found on flights from Chad? Do Chadian authorities keep an up to date database that would allow them to send in real time information to U.S. authorities in the fight against terrorism, and it turns out the Chadian authorities are unable to do so?

Spokesperson Alingue says her government has asked Trump reconsider his decision, which seriously undermines Chads image and the good relations between the two countries, notably in the fight against terrorism. More ominously, she added, The government would not, however, wish to use the reciprocity principle, the application of which would be detrimental to the interests of both countries.

The U.S. government issued 1,355 non-immigrant visas to Chadians in fiscal year 2016. Most of them were the B visas that are now banned. In August of this year, 201 non-immigrant visas were granted to Chadians.



This report originated in VOA's French to Africa Service.
President Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that Turkey could cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world, intensifying pressure on the Kurdish autonomous region over its independence referendum.

Erdogan spoke shortly after Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara could take punitive measures involving borders and air space against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over the referendum and would not recognize the outcome.

Voting began on Monday despite strong opposition from Iraq's central government and neighboring Turkey and Iran - both with significant Kurdish populations - as well as Western warnings the move could aggravate Middle East instability.

Erdogan, grappling with a long-standing Kurdish insurgency in Turkey's southeast, which borders on northern Iraq, said the "separatist" referendum was unacceptable and economic, trade and security counter-measures would be taken.

He stopped short of saying Turkey had decided to close off the oil flow. Hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day come through the pipeline in Turkey from northern Iraq, but he made clear the option was on the table.

"After this, let's see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it," he said in a speech. "We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it's done."

Yildirim said Ankara would decide on punitive measures against the KRG after talks with Iraq's central government.

"Our energy, interior and customs ministries are working on [measures]. We are evaluating steps regarding border gates and air space. We will take these steps quickly," Yildirim told Turkish broadcasters.

Iraqi soldiers arrived in Turkey on Monday night to join a drill on the Turkish side of the border near the Habur area in the southeast, Turkey's military said in a statement. Iraq's defense ministry said the two armies started "major maneuvers" at the border area.

Habur Gate

Local media said Turkey had blocked access to the KRG via the Habur border crossing with Iraq. Ankara's customs minister denied this, saying Habur remained open but with tight controls on traffic, according to the state-run Anadolu agency.

However, Erdogan later said traffic was only being allowed to cross from the Turkish side of the border into Iraq. Maruf Ari, a 50-year-old truck driver, was one of those who had crossed back into Turkey early on Monday morning. He said a closure of the gate would ruin his livelihood.

"If the border is closed it will harm all of us. I'm doing this job for 20 years. I'm not making a lot of money. Around 1,000 lira ($285) a month. But if the gate is closed, we will go hungry."

The United States and other Western powers also urged authorities in the KRG to cancel the vote, saying it would distract from the fight against Islamic State.

"We will continue to take determined steps and the Kurdistan Regional Government must take a step back. It is an absolute must," Erdogan said.

Shares of Turkish Airlines, which has direct flights to northern Iraq, tumbled 6.5 percent, underperforming a 1.78 percent decline in the BIST 100 index. Turkey's currency, the lira, also weakened.

Turkey took the Kurdish television channel Rudaw off its satellite service TurkSat, a Turkish broadcasting official told Reuters.

Turkey has long been northern Iraq's main link to the outside world, but sees the referendum as a grave matter for its own national security. Turkey has the region's largest Kurdish population and has been fighting a three-decade insurgency in its mainly Kurdish southeast.

Parliament vote

On Saturday, Turkey's parliament voted to extend by a year a mandate authorising the deployment of troops in Iraq and Syria.

Still, Turkey is unlikely to make rash moves when it comes to sanctions against the KRG, said Nihat Ali Ozcan, a professor of political science and international relations at TOBB University of Economics and Technology.

"Closing the border gate, cancelling international flights and, at the final step, cutting the pipeline can be discussed," he said. "Military pressure can be used directly or indirectly."

The Turkish army launched military exercises involving tanks and armored vehicles near the Habur border crossing a week ago and they are expected to continue until at least Sept. 26. Additional units joined the exercises as they entered their second stage.

Turkey's military said in its statement that the third phase of the drill would be held on Sept. 26, and that Iraqi soldiers who arrived on Monday night would join.

The military has also in recent days carried out daily airstrikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq, where the group's commanders are based.

The PKK launched its separatist insurgency in 1984, and more than 40,000 people have been killed since. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

In a travel warning, Turkey strongly recommended its citizens in the Iraqi Kurdish provinces of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniya leave as soon as possible if they are not obliged to stay.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stepped up pressure on Iraqi Kurds, labeling their leaders as treacherous and warning that all military and economic options are now "on the table.

The verbal attack comes as Turkish forces start unprecedented joint military exercises with their Iraqi counterparts around Iraq's Kurdish region. The military maneuvers Tuesday come one day after Iraqi Kurds voted on an independence referendum that drew objections from Iraq and Turkey, along with some other countries in the region, and the United States.

In a speech, Erdogan made clear the decision by Iraqi Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani to proceed with the referendum was a personal slight.

"Until the very last moment, we werent expecting Barzani to make such a mistake as holding the referendum," he said. "Apparently we were wrong."

Erdogan added that the decision to hold the vote, which was made without consultation, amounted to treachery. Turkey saw the vote as not only destabilizing to the region, but as fueling secessionist demands from its own restive Kurdish minority.

In past years, Barzani and Erdogan had carved out a close partnership, paving the way for a groundbreaking rapprochement helped by deepening economic cooperation that overcame decades of mistrust between Iraqi Kurds and Ankara.

As Iraqi and Turkish forces started their joint military exercises close to the Iraqi Kurdish region, pictures of soldiers holding flags from both nations were released to the media, a move widely seen as sending a powerful message to Iraqi Kurds.

"This is happening for the first time since the military intervention in 2003; even before that, in the [Iraqi leader] Saddam [Hussein] era, I don't recall any joint Turkish-Iraq military exercises," said former Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, Turkeys first consul general in Iraqi Kurdistan's regional capital, Irbil.

"And as it's going on right at the border  the Habur gates," he added. "... it should be watched closely.

Turkish forces have been holding military drills on the Iraqi-Kurdish border for over a week. Erdogan Monday made clear their presence should be seen as a threat.

Our military is not [at the border] for nothing. He said, We could arrive suddenly one night.

Economic punishment

The Turkish president has also sharpened his language on economic sanctions against the Iraqi Kurds. He warned they could face starvation and financial destitution if Ankara decided to close a pipeline delivering oil from Iraqi Kurdistan to world markets through the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

The sale of half-a-million barrels of oil per day is a financial lifeline for the cash-strapped Iraqi Kurdish regional government.

Analysts suggest for now, Ankara is not ready to turn rhetoric into action.

There is sizeable, significant domestic pressure on the [Turkish] government to react harshly and strongly. And this is a government that doesn't want to lose the support of the [Turkish] nationalists, noted Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar with the Carnegie Europe in Brussels.

"The rhetoric is also part of Ankaras deterrent strategy to prevent, now after the referendum, any concrete steps down that path to independence," he said.

We have seen the hardening of rhetoric. But yet we have the [Turkish] prime minister's statement, which underlines the fact that Turkey is not going to war, observed Selcen.

Turkey-Iraq thaw

The only concrete action taken by Ankara against the Iraqi Kurds to date is the closing of access to a Turkish satellite used by a Kurdish Rudaw television channel.



Shared hostility by Baghdad and Ankara to the Iraqi Kurdish independence vote appears to be providing the impetus for an easing of deep bilateral tensions.

The fact they can now do joint military training demonstrates the antagonistic relationship that prevailed between Ankara and Baghdad has been finally overcome in the face of what they jointly see as a threat to regional stability, argued Ulgen.

Last year, Erdogan dismissed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as not being his equal in a war of words between the leaders. Ankaras once-close link with the Iraqi Kurds was a major point of tension between the countries. Now the Iraqi and Turkish leaders have found common ground.

Wait-and-see game

According to Selcen, the current Turkish-Iraqi joint military exercises are seen as increasingly significant.

The exercises follow through the statement by Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi that Iraqi Kurdistan should relinquish border gates and the airport to the central authority in Iraq," he said. "For that matter we should look closer to that joint military exercise and how it will develop in the coming days.

"If Baghdad took control of Habur gate," he added, "it would remove a major headache for Ankara with much of its trade to the Middle East having to pass through Iraqi Kurdish-controlled territory."

Mutual economic dependency between the Iraqi Kurdish region and Turkey is seen as a factor in Ankaras calculations on whether to take on any military or trade measures.

Although rhetoric is getting tougher and harder," said Selcen, "the actions on the ground tell that we are moving more to the wait-and-see side rather than the 'go-to-war' school of thought. Common sense is prevailing at least for now. At the end of the day, these relations are beneficial to both sides.
Uber said Tuesday it will cease operations in Quebec next month if the province doesn't rescind new rules it introduced last week.



Quebec Uber boss Jean-Nicolas Guillemette said it will stop operating on October 14 if the government doesn't back down.



Transport Minister Laurent Lessard said Friday the province would allow Uber to continue to operate provided Uber drivers are required to undergo the same number of training hours as traditional taxi drivers, which is 35 hours, instead of the 20 hours required previously.



Guillemette said the province didn't consult with the company before introducing the new rules. He said that makes it impossible for the service to continue in Quebec. He said there are no training requirements in any other Canadian city and called it a "deal breaker."



"Trying to impose on us the same thing that is currently done in the old taxi industry, I don't think it will help us to move forward," he said



The announcement did not go over well with the mayor of Quebec's largest city.



"I don't care," Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre told BNN news channels. "Frankly we need to have some regulation and if they threaten to leave, I don't care."



Uber, founded in 2010 in San Francisco, has often faced opposition as it expanded. Taxi drivers complain that Uber drivers don't have to comply with the same licensing standards, giving the ride-hailing service an unfair advantage and placing the public at risk.



The company, which provides a smartphone application that connects passengers with drivers, argues it isn't a traditional transportation company.



The city of London said last week it would not renew Uber's license when it expires Sept. 30, citing a lack of corporate responsibility.



The city's transportation agency, Transport for London, said the factors it considered included Uber's "approach to reporting serious criminal offenses" and its use of software designed to evade the authorities

Gillies reported from Toronto.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will publicly brief the Security Council on Thursday on violence in Myanmar, which he has described as ethnic cleansing, after seven countries on the 15-member body requested the meeting.

Sweden, the United States, Britain, France, Egypt, Senegal, and Kazakhstan requested the meeting.

In preparation for Thursday's public meeting, the council will be briefed behind closed doors on Tuesday by U.N. political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman, diplomats said.

Some 436,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar since Aug. 25, when attacks by Rohingya militants triggered a military crackdown.

U.S. President Donald Trump wants the U.N. Security Council to take "strong and swift action" to end the violence, Vice President Mike Pence said last Wednesday.

The council has already met twice behind closed doors since the Rohingya crisis began and earlier this month issued an informal statement to the press condemning the situation and urging Myanmar authorities to end the violence.

Diplomats say the Security Council could consider adopting a formal statement if the situation does not improve, but China and Russia are unlikely to agree to stronger action that would require the adoption of a resolution they could veto.

A Security Council resolution would need nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, Britain and France.

Myanmar said earlier this month it was negotiating with veto powers China and Russia to ensure Myanmar would be protected from any Security Council action.
The United Nations began a new push on Tuesday to stabilize Libya by getting rival factions to revise the stalled peace plan and set the country on the path to elections.

The effort aims to end the turmoil that developed in Libya after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising ended Moammar Gadhafi's 42-year rule, giving space to Islamist militants and smuggling networks that have sent hundreds of thousands of migrants to Europe.

Political and military fractures have left the country mired in conflict and the OPEC member's economy in freefall. Rival parliaments and governments have vied for power.

Last week, U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame announced a one-year "action plan" for a transition towards presidential and parliamentary elections.

The plan got underway on Tuesday with negotiations between delegations from rival parliaments from eastern Libya and Tripoli, which are meant to draw up amendments to a previous U.N.-mediated plan signed in December 2015.

As the delegations convened in Tunis, Salame said he hoped the amendments could be agreed rapidly and that he sensed a "window of opportunity" for reconciliation.

"All Libyans are fed up. They are going from transition to transition with no horizon," he said. "We have sleeping institutions that need to be awoken, divided institutions that need to be united, and hijacked institutions that need to be rebuilt."

The 2015 deal has only had limited support from power-brokers and was never endorsed by factions aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar that control eastern Libya.

Haftar, who has been courted by Western states after making military gains, was in Rome on Tuesday where he met Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti and Italy's highest ranking military officer, Claudio Graziano.

Pinotti expressed hope that all parties would support Salame's "inclusive political strategy ... excluding any military solution", according to a defence ministry statement.

Italy and other Western states have tried to work with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, but it has been hamstrung by internal splits and has been unable to halt a slide in living standards or tame the power of armed groups.

"We're here to move the political process forward for the sake of the country's stability," said Moussa Faraj, head of the delegation from the High Council of State in Tripoli, according to a tweet from the United Nations from the Tunis meeting which got closed to the press after Salame's speech.

Under the new U.N. plan, once amendments have been agreed a national conference drawing on a much larger number of representatives from across Libya is meant to approve the members of a transitional government that would run the country until elections.

The eastern parliament, or House of Representatives (HOR), is expected to devise laws for national elections and for a referendum to approve a much-delayed constitution. The chamber has barely functioned over the past two years and has been boycotted by a large number of its members.

"Our task is difficult," said Abdusalam Nasia, head of the HOR delegation, according to the United Nations. "I call on all to leave personal interests behind and focus on common interests."
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States was totally prepared for a military option in dealing with North Korea, while his administration announced new sanctions in response to the country's nuclear and missile activity.

"We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option, but if we take that option it will be devastating, I will tell you that  devastating for North Korea. That's called the military option. If we have to take it, we will," he said.

During a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at the White House, Trump said North Korea must no longer be allowed to "threaten the entire world with unthinkable loss of life."

He thanked countries like Spain and China for taking steps to isolate the North Korean regime.

"All nations must act now to ensure the regime's complete denuclearization," Trump said in the White House Rose Garden.

Amid the escalating tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear program, the Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sanctions on eight North Korean banks and 26 bank executives.

"I have recently issued tough new sanctions against those who do business with this outlaw regime, and I applaud China's recent actions to restrict its trade with North Korea," Trump said.

The new restrictions came as the top U.S. general said that "in terms of a sense of urgency today," North Korea posed "the greatest threat" to the United States because of its rapidly developing ballistic missile and nuclear program.

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Joe Dunford, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, added that in terms of "overall military capability," he thought Russia still posed the greatest threat, but that in less than 10 years, China would pose the biggest overall military threat.

Despite an escalation in tension over North Korea, Dunford said Pyongyang had not changed its military posture on the Korean Peninsula.

"What we haven't seen is military activity that would be reflective of the charged political environment," he told lawmakers.

The general also sought to assure lawmakers that the United States was "adequately protected against the current threat" of a nuclear missile attack, but he warned that as that threat increases, the United States must ensure that its ballistic missile defense capability "keeps up" with it.

The $700 billion defense policy budget passed this month includes funding for about 20 additional ground-based interceptors to protect the U.S. homeland from intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Dunford said the United States should assume North Korea can already hit the U.S. with a nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile "and has a will to use that capability."

"Whether it is three months or six months or 18 months, it is soon, and we ought to conduct ourselves as though it is just a matter of time," he said.

Experts and officials have said Pyongyang has not yet mastered the ability of missile re-entry into the atmosphere or the stabilization of long-range missiles, but Dunford stressed that North Korea would no doubt develop solutions to those engineering problems over time.

Urging peace

Earlier Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis emphasized that the U.S. sought a peaceful resolution to escalating tensions with North Korea, despite the regime's claim that a tweet Monday by Trump was tantamount to a declaration of war.

In New Delhi for talks with Indian officials about strengthening U.S.-India ties, Mattis said that while the U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula was necessary to deter North Korea's threats, it also supported diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully.

"That is our goal, to solve this diplomatically, and I believe President Trump has been pretty clear on this issue," Mattis said, following a meeting with India's defense minister.

On Monday, Trump commented on Twitter that if North Korea carried out its threats, Kim Jong Un's regime "won't be around much longer."

Speaking to reporters near U.N. headquarters in New York, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said, "Given the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of the United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Ri's characterization of the tweet "absurd."

"We've not declared war on North Korea," she said.

Although North Korea has declared "war" many times in the past, now "we've entered a bona fide crisis," Van Jackson, senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, told VOA.

"Even if we're not in a war right now, we seem to be doing everything in our power to make one happen by actions and statements that make deterrence more likely to fail," said Jackson, a former director for Korea policy and a defense strategy adviser at the U.S. Defense Department.

Threat to bombers

Ri warned that his country might shoot down U.S. strategic bombers, even if they were not in North Korean airspace. According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency Tuesday, Lee Cheol-woo, the chief of the National Assembly's intelligence committee, said Pyongyang was spotted readjusting the position of its warplanes and boosting its defensive capabilities along its east coast.

A fighter jet from North Korea in 1969 shot down an unarmed U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane, outside North Korean territorial airspace in the Sea of Japan, killing 30 sailors and one marine on board.

Beijing's role

Some analysts see the path to talks still running through Beijing, which recently moved to cut banking ties between China and North Korea, shut off the supply of liquefied natural gas to the North Koreans and stop imports of their textiles.

"I think that the Chinese are sending a signal to the North that they are skating on thin ice," said T.J. Pempel, a political science professor at the University of California at Berkeley.

VOA's William Gallo contributed to this report from New Delhi.
The International School (TIS) held its annual University Fair yesterday, attracting some 57 universities, including top institutions in the US, Australia and the UK. This is an increase of 12 participating universities to the previous year.

Held for the seventh time, six local high schools also visited the fair, along with the 70 Grade 12 students from TIS who are set to graduate next year.

TIS Academic Counselor Jody Hubert said that her team has been working with students from Grade 9 to 11 to assist them in catering to their students plans for university.

Unlike universities in Hong Kong and Macau, universities across the globe are already accepting applications for the 2018 academic year.

Speaking to the Times, Hubert noted that they have arranged boot camps during the summer for these graduating students.

For most students, weve already got them to start their university applications. We had a boot camp before school starts, and have them undergo the [application] process quite early, she said.

When questioned which countries are among the top choices for the schools graduating students, she noted that Australia had seen a marked increase in interest from local applicants.

Its very interesting for us. This year Australia has the most number of applicants; weve never had that number before. Around 40 percent of graduating students are applying to Australia, said Hubert.

While the UK still remains popular in the minds of graduating students, with some 30 percent of TIS Grade 12 students applying to study there, the school has seen a significant drop of applicants for universities in the US.

Meanwhile, Canada has also seen a significant increase in interest this year, as the school has approximately 20 percent of the graduating class applying to universities in the country.

Most students are seriously considering studying in local universities but are eager to be accepted by top universities abroad.

Ryan Oshimoto, a Grade 12 student from TIS, shared that the fair is helpful for students who are undecided on which career path to pursue.

The student said that the fair opens up options for students like him, adding that meeting university representatives or councilors also assists them to plan for their course options.

Lots of people arae here to help you find your career choices, said the student.

I want to be an architect so here they explain whether I want to pursue science-based engineering or more design process-based. It opens up options, he added.

The graduating student who has been residing in the city since Grade 1 said that leaving Macau is his first priority, implying that local universities are not an option for him.

Oshimoto aims to get accepted at Cornell University, an Ivy League school [a group of highly prestigious colleges and universities in the eastern US], where he took a six-week summer architecture program this year.

Grade 11 student Kyna Loughlin shared that staying in Macau is also not an option for him as he looks toward studying abroad as a means to experience different cultures.

The student said that the fair gives students an idea of what they can expect of application processes when they reach their final year.

There are things I wouldnt know if [the] university fair didnt happen. Overall its useful and Im glad that other schools, not just TIS, can get to participate in it, said the student.

Macau is not an option. Ive been here for 12 years now. Macau is a small place; theres not much left to discover. I really want to go to country that is big and experience different cultures, he added.

Loughlin is also looking at joining summer programs abroad next year.

Local universities including the University of Saint Joseph and the University of Macau also participated in the fair, along with several Hong Kong universities including the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Baptist University of Hong Kong.
The United States has asked China not to implement its new cybersecurity law and is concerned it could damage global trade in services, a U.S. document published by the World Trade Organization showed on Tuesday.

China ushered in a tough new cybersecurity law in June, following years of fierce debate around the move that many foreign business groups fear will hit their ability to operate in the country.

The law requires local and overseas firms to submit to security checks and store user data within the country.

If China's new rules enter into full force in their current form, as expected by the end of 2018, they could impact cross-border services supplied through a commercial presence abroad, said the U.S. document, submitted for debate at the WTO Services Council.

"Chinas measures would disrupt, deter, and in many cases, prohibit cross-border transfers of information that are routine in the ordinary course of business," it said. "The United States has been communicating these concerns directly to high level officials and relevant authorities in China," the U.S. document said, adding it wanted to raise awareness among WTO members about the potential impact on trade.

"We request that China refrain from issuing or implementing final measures until such concerns are addressed."

The two-page U.S. document said the measures causing concern included the Cybersecurity Law adopted in November 2016 and taking effect June 2017 and various implementing measures connected with that law and the July 2015 National Security Law.

The law obliges companies to store all data within China and pass security reviews, fitting China's ethos of "cyber sovereignty" - the idea that states should be permitted to govern and monitor their own cyberspace, controlling incoming and outgoing data flows. "The impact of the measures would fall disproportionately on foreign service suppliers operating in China, as these suppliers must routinely transfer data back to headquarters and other affiliates," the U.S. document said. "Companies located outside of China supplying services on a cross-border basis would be severely affected, as they must depend on access to data from their customers in China."

China maintains a strict censorship regime, banning access to foreign news outlets, search engines and social media, including Google and Facebook.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis emphasized Tuesday the U.S. seeks a peaceful resolution to escalating tensions with North Korea, despite Pyongyang's claim that a tweet by President Donald Trump on Monday was tantamount to a declaration of war.

In New Delhi for talks with Indian officials about strengthening U.S.-India ties, Mattis said that while the U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula is necessary to deter North Korea's threats, it also supports diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully.

"And that is our goal, to solve this diplomatically, and I believe President Trump has been pretty clear on this issue," Mattis said, following a meeting with India's defense minister.



Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday also stressed that the U.S. will "continue to pursue our diplomatic efforts and hope thats the way well solve this".

On Monday, President Donald Trump commented on Twitter that North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns regime won't be around much longer if the North carried out its recent threats.



Speaking to reporters near United Nations headquarters in New York, North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said, given the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war."



The foreign minister added that the United Nations and the whole world should clearly remember that it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country."

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Ri's characterization of the tweet "absurd."

"We've not declared war on North Korea," she said.

Bona fide crisis



Although North Korea has declared war many times in the past, now weve entered a bona fide crisis, Van Jackson, senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, tells VOA.

Even if were not in a war right now, we seem to be doing everything in our power to make one happen by actions and statements that make deterrence more likely to fail, says Jackson, a former director for Korea policy and a defense strategy advisor at the U.S. Defense Department.



Ri warned that his country might shoot down U.S. strategic bombers, even if they are not in North Korean airspace. According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency Tuesday, Lee Cheol-woo, the chief of the National Assembly's intelligence committee, said that Pyongyang was spotted readjusting the position of its warplanes and boosting its defensive capabilities along its east coast.



A fighter jet from North Korea in 1969 shot down an unarmed U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane, outside North Korean territorial airspace in the Sea of Japan, killing 30 sailors and one marine on board.



Speaking at a security conference on Monday, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said the United States hopes to avoid war with North Korea but what we cant do is discount that possibility.



The Army Lt. General added that the U.S. has thought through several different ways the problem with North Korea could be resolved and some are uglier than others.

McMaster, told the conference hosted by the Institute for the Study of War, however, theres not a precision strike that solves the problem.



One peaceful solution, according to McMaster, would be for Pyongyang to give access to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. But any diplomatic negotiations, McMaster said, would have to happen under conditions that are different from previous talks. He said, however, he was not going to come up with a list of pre-conditions.





China's role



Some analysts see the path to talks still running through Beijing, which recently moved to cut banking ties between China and North Korea, as well as shutting off the supply of liquefied natural gas to the North Koreans and stopping imports of their textiles.



I think that the Chinese are sending a signal to the North that they are skating on thin ice, says T.J. Pempel, a political science professor at University of California, Berkeley.

The North Korean foreign minister threatened on Saturday that his country could conduct an atmospheric hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis responded Monday that if North Korea carried out its threat, "This would be a shocking display of irresponsibility toward global health, toward stability, toward non-proliferation."

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam escorted by F-16 fighter jets from a U.S. base in Japan on Saturday, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.

The Pentagon says the show of force, meant to display some of the military options available to President Trump, was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Koreas coast in the 21st century.



Pempel, at Berkeley, tells VOA he does not see the North Koreans, despite their amplified bellicose rhetoric, eager to go to war.



The North Koreans know, Pempel says, that a war will ultimately lead to the destruction of the regime.



Describing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as Rocket Man on a suicide mission, Trump used his maiden address to the U.N. General Assembly last Tuesday to warn Pyongyang that its current course could lead to "total destruction."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual signed statement, called Trump a "dotard" expressing "mentally deranged behavior.
A female Marine made history Monday as the first woman infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Marine Major Amy Punzel told VOA the female lieutenant prefers to keep her name private. She was one of 88 Marines who graduated Monday from the Marine Corps' grueling, 13-week infantry officer course in Quantico, Virginia.

The military opened all combat positions to women in 2016. Many female Marines have earned spots in combat posts since then, but only four women have attempted to become Marine infantry officers, according to a spokeswoman for the Corps, Sarah Burns.

"I am proud of this officer and those in her class," said the Marines' commandant, General Robert Neller. "Marines expect and rightfully deserve competent and capable leaders, and these IOC graduates met every training requirement as they prepare for the next challenge of leading infantry Marines, ultimately in combat."

The course trains new infantry and ground intelligence officers in leadership and infantry skills required to serve as infantry platoon commanders in the operating forces.

Historically, about 10 percent of students fail on the first day of the course, which includes an endurance test that lasts for more than 14 hours and is designed to test Marines both physically and mentally.

In 2012, the Marines opened the course to women on an experimental basis. More than 30 attempted the course at the time, but none of the women passed; most failed on the first day.

According to a Marine Corps press release, the new infantry officer has been assigned to 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, California.

Earlier this year, Private First Class Maria Daume became the first female Marine to join the infantry through the traditional entry-level training process, a process made available to women just half a year earlier.
The United States says it is not at war with Pyongyang.

"We've not declared war on North Korea," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Monday. "Frankly, the suggestion is absurd."

Hours earlier, near United Nations headquarters, the North Korean foreign minister made that precise suggestion, referring to President Donald Trump's comment on Twitter that Pyongyang's regime "won't be around much longer" if the North carry out its threats.

Speaking to reporters, Ri Yong Ho said, "given the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war."

The foreign minister added that the United Nations and "the whole world should clearly remember that it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country."

Although North Korea has declared "war" many times in the past, now "we've entered a bona fide crisis," Van Jackson, senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, tells VOA.

"Even if we're not in a war right now, we seem to be doing everything in our power to make one happen by actions and statements that make deterrence more likely to fail," says Jackson, a former director for Korea policy and a defense strategy advisor at the U.S. Defense Department.

Ri warned that his country might shoot down U.S. strategic bombers, even if they are not in North Korean airspace. According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency Tuesday, Lee Cheol-woo, the chief of the National Assembly's intelligence committee, said that Pyongyang was spotted readjusting the position of its warplanes and boosting its defensive capabilities along its east coast.

A fighter jet from North Korea in 1969 shot down an unarmed U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane, outside North Korean territorial airspace in the Sea of Japan, killing 30 sailors and one marine on board.

Avoiding a war

Speaking at a security conference on Monday, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said the United States hopes to avoid war with North Korea "but what we can't do is discount that possibility."

The Army Lt. General added that the U.S. has thought through several different ways the problem with North Korea could be resolved and "some are uglier than others."

McMaster, told the conference hosted by the Institute for the Study of War, however, "there's not a precision strike that solves the problem."

One peaceful solution, according to McMaster, would be for Pyongyang to give access to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. But any diplomatic negotiations, McMaster said, would "have to happen under conditions that are different from previous talks." He said, however, he was not going to come up with a list of pre-conditions.

Some analysts see the path to talks still running through Beijing, which recently moved to cut banking ties between China and North Korea, as well as shutting off the supply of liquefied natural gas to the North Koreans and stopping imports of their textiles.

"I think that the Chinese are sending a signal to the North that they are skating on thin ice," says T.J. Pempel, a political science professor at University of California, Berkeley.

Threats from North Korea

The North Korean foreign minister threatened on Saturday that his country could conduct an atmospheric hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis responded Monday that if North Korea carried out its threat, "This would be a shocking display of irresponsibility toward global health, toward stability, toward non-proliferation."

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam escorted by F-16 fighter jets from a U.S. base in Japan on Saturday, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.

The Pentagon says the show of force, meant to display some of the military options available to President Trump, was "the farthest north of the demilitarized zone any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea's coast in the 21st century."

Pempel, at Berkeley, tells VOA he does not see the North Koreans, despite their amplified bellicose rhetoric, eager to go to war.

The North Koreans know, Pempel says, that a war "will ultimately lead to the destruction of the regime."

Describing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "Rocket Man" on a suicide mission, Trump used his maiden address to the U.N. General Assembly last Tuesday to warn Pyongyang that its current course could lead to "total destruction."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual signed statement, called Trump a "dotard" expressing "mentally deranged behavior."
Earlier this year, the U.S.-based Pew Research Center polled people in more than 30 countries about their thoughts on various world leaders. German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped the poll with more respondents expressing confidence in her than any other leader.

With the U.S. turning more isolationist, Britain mired in Brexit wrangling, and France led by an untested young president whose popularity is already plummeting, many see Merkel, who on Sunday secured an historic fourth term  though her Christian Democratic Union party won fewer seats  as the Wests most reliable leader.

American and European newspapers have dubbed her the leader of the free world for much of 2017.

But questions remain about how proactive Merkel will be when it comes to foreign policy in her fourth term  and how she might approach the crowd of significant challenges facing Germany and Europe, including terror, war, financial crises, and political upheavals. The scientist-turned-politicians instinct is to search for consensus  but that is a difficult thing to do when faced with alpha male leaders, such as Donald Trump and Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who see diplomacy as a zero-sum game.

Earlier this year, following Trumps announcement that he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate-change pact, Merkel counseled fellow Europeans that they must take fate into their own hands. The times in which we could rely fully on others  they are somewhat over, she said.

In an interview on the eve of Sundays elections Merkel appeared to signal that she intends to push for more coherence in European Union foreign policy, telling the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, that the bloc has to agree quickly to a common stance toward an emerging China and a revisionist Russia.

The world has to see that member states wont deviate from a European consensus on these issues, she said, adding that it was important that individual state governments be prepared to defer in favor to what was the best for the EU as a whole.

So will Merkel start laying down a foreign policy legacy, take her fellow European leaders by the scruff of their necks and live up to the media designation leader of the free world?

Taking the lead

Already under her leadership Germany has become more assertive  a reflection of the countrys economic pre-eminence in Europe as well as it having come more to terms with its Second World War past. Merkel has deployed German troops overseas: in Afghanistan, Mali and Lithuania.

She was the leader who forged a European consensus on imposing sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea, and along with the French, she has been leading the Wests effort to negotiate a solution to the Russian-fomented conflict in east Ukraine.

In sub-Sahara Africa, her government has been pursuing a Marshall Plan for Africa, pumping aid and encouraging private investment in a bid to undercut jihadists and to give would-be migrants a reason to remain at home.

And there is some talk that post-election she will team up with French President Emmanuel Macron to relaunch a post-Brexit Europe more integrated and centralized than ever before.

But Merkels past suggests she will be far more cautious when it comes to matching action with words, predict some analysts. And she'll move slowly.

Synonymous with slow

The epitome of the patient pragmatist in politics, she is more reactive than proactive. In 2015 the verb to Merkel  meaning to dither  was voted the new word of the year in Germany. Merkel is more about incremental change that wont upset the multilateral rules-based global order.

Political scientist Matthew Qvortrup, a professor at Britains Coventry University and author of a biography of Merkel, noted recently that shes a manager, more comfortable keeping things ticking along. He doesnt think Merkel will endorse as daring an overhaul of the EU as proposed by the grandiloquent Macron.

The French president wants six-month-long democratic conventions in every country, during which EU citizens would debate common goals and a more integrated eurozone with its own finance minister, parliament and a standalone budget to head off future financial crises.

Earlier this year, Merkel gave qualified endorsement of Macrons reform ideas but analysts say perceptions in Paris and Berlin of eurozone integration widely differ. Qvortrup draws a distinction between Merkel and her predecessor Helmut Kohl, the chancellor who oversaw the unification of Germany and had a much grander vision for the EU than Merkel does.

Shes interested in the European Union as an intergovernmental project  a little bit like the Europe of nations, he said in a recent interview with Chatham House, a British policy research group.

Other analysts question why Merkel would agree to a massive reform of an economic structure which Germany has benefited from greatly.

It's the little things

Her partys manifesto for Sundays election was short on grand projects and big on small measures, although it committed to raising defense spending from 1.2 percent of GDP to the NATO target of two percent. But boosting the military isnt the same thing as using it  a recent poll showed a majority of Germans uncomfortable with the idea of using force even in the defense of NATO.

But German journalist Bernd Ulrich, political editor of the German weekly Die Zeit, argues Merkels leadership traits are of a different kind from her more brash counterparts. The fact that she doesnt have grand plans doesnt mean shes not leading, he argues.

It was a very American misunderstanding to call the German chancellor the new leader of the Western world. Merkel can only be the leader if leadership is something completely differentsomething based on networking, something female, and something cooperative, he wrote recently.

Her cooperative instincts though will be challenged in her fourth term. The EU faces unrest in the east, with populist governments in Poland and Hungary defying Brussels on immigration policy and civil liberties. Another problem will be getting some order on Brexit  and on that issue she may turn hardline on a British government keen to cherry-pick when it comes to future relations between Britain and the EU.

But her biggest challenge remains with the U.S., where Trumps America First ideas and suspicion of multilateralism are directly at odds with her determination to protect a rules-based order.
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An aerial view shows damage to the Guajataca Dam in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico. (Alvin Baez/Reuters)

Puerto Rico's faltering Guajataca Dam was completed when Calvin Coolidge was president. It is one of 38 dams in Puerto Rico, and according to an Army Corps of Engineers inventory, every single one of them has been rated as having a "high hazard potential."

Yet Guajataca hasn't been inspected since 2013, according to the National Inventory of Dams, significantly longer than is ordinarily required of dams with high hazard potential.

Now the 120-foot wall of the earthen Guajataca Dam  finished by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) in 1927  has fissures that triggered evacuation orders for thousands of people who were scrambling to deal with the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Water has been pouring out of one section of the large reservoir into small neighborhoods down in the valley.

[Thousands of people could die: Evacuations urged as Guajataca Dam is in imminent danger]

A high hazard rating reflects the damage that could happen from a dams failure, and it is not a commentary on the condition of a dam. Nonetheless, one safety expert said he was surprised by the long gap between inspections at the dam.

Since this is clearly a high hazard dam (one for which loss of life is likely if the dam were to fail), it would be typical for an inspection of some type to be done once every one or two years, John W. France, vice president for the dams and hydropower technical practice of the engineering firm AECOM, said in an email.

Those inspections are carried out by the Puerto Rican government; 80 percent of dams in the United States are inspected by state governments.



Local residents use a boat to pass next to flooded houses near the Guajataca Dam. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Although France said he was not familiar with Guajataca, he said the four-year gap in inspections violates common practice in most of the United States. He said that most state dam safety programs in the United States require a physical (visual) inspection of a high hazard dam on an annual basis.

Yet five of PREPA's 16 dams have not been inspected since 2013, and one has not been inspected since 2012, according to the National Inventory of Dams.

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials said in a recent report that the percentage of state inspections declined steadily from 1999 to 2015, when just 80 percent of the high hazard dams were inspected. In 2015, two of Puerto Rico's dams were rated "poor" and four "fair," according to the report. One was not rated at all and the rest were "satisfactory."

The 90-year-old Guajataca Dam created a lake 2 miles long and as much as a mile wide in the scenic northwest part of Puerto Rico. It has long been considered a recreational attraction, where people go camping, hiking and fishing alongside rain forests. Still owned by PREPA, the dam has supplied hydroelectric power, irrigation and water needs.

But little investment has gone into infrastructure in Puerto Rico, which is in bankruptcy to restructure its more than $72 billion in debt. The biggest single chunk of that debt belongs to PREPA, the bankrupt state-owned utility.

That could pose problems for the commonwealths dam infrastructure. Most of Puerto Ricos dams  26 of the 38  date to before 1960. Six were built a century ago.

The infrastructure in Puerto Rico is decades old, said Miguel Soto-Class, president of the Center for a New Economy, a San Juan think tank. That goes for water infrastructure, as well.

Soto-Class said that some of the islands reservoirs need dredging and therefore dont have enough water during droughts. That would also reduce the volume of water that could be held back in a heavy rain.

The long-deferred investments make it more difficult to revamp infrastructure a bit at a time, Soto-Class said. When the water and sewer authority recently updated pipes, older pipes blew up because they couldnt handle the additional pressure.

Another major dam owner is the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority. Its Carraizo, Carite and Rio Blanco dams for hydroelectric power and water supply havent been inspected since 2013, according to the National Inventory of Dams.

The Guajataca Dam is just one example of the fragile infrastructure that has collapsed  along with Puerto Ricos entire electrical transmission grid  raising the question of whether the island can and should be rebuilt to a higher standard than it has had.

But that cant be done by the dam owners. PREPA has about $9 billion in debt and the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority has about $4.6 billion in debt, far more than they can service without any major new project.

Weve been cutting corners for a long time in a lot of places, Soto-Class said.
A combination photo of a Boeing 737 MAX before the opening of the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport near Paris on June 16, 2017, and shareholders line up to view Bombardiers CS300 aircraft following their annual general meeting in Mirabel, Quebec on April 29, 2016. (Reuters Photographer/Reuters)

The U.S. government moved to impose tariffs on Canadian-made jetliners Tuesday when it ruled in favor of a complaint by U.S. aircraft maker Boeing that claimed rival Bombardier is receiving unfair government subsidies.

The Commerce Department suggested that the tariffs could be as high as 219 percent. The action threatens to further inflame trade tensions between the two North American neighbors. Earlier this year, Commerce moved to impose new duties on the import of Canadian soft lumber, and President Trump has signaled his interest in renegotiating the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which involves Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Bombardier has sold aircraft to U.S. airlines for decades. But Boeings complaint follows a multibillion-dollar deal struck between Bombardier and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines for 75 C series CS100s, a commercial jet that seats about 100 passengers.

Following the deal, Boeing formally asked Commerce to investigate what it called illegal Canadian government subsidies and unfair pricing practices that allegedly have given Bombardier an unfair advantage as it competes for business in the United States.

Without bailout money from Ottawa and the Quebec provincial government [Bombardier] would probably be bankrupt, said Loren Thompson, a defense consultant whose think tank receives funding from Boeing. What Boeing is really saying here is that Bombardier has an unfair advantage because Canadian taxpayers are covering part of its cost.

Bombardier is slated to begin delivering the planes next year, and any new duties imposed by the Commerce Department would apply to the present Delta-Bombardier deal, which was reached in 2016. The exact amount of any new tariffs is unlikely to be finalized until early next year. Even then, Canada could potentially pursue a case against the United States at the World Trade Organization.

A decision ultimately to impose tariffs could have ripple effects in Northern Ireland, where Bombardier has about 4,000 employees.

The Trump administration did not take an official position on the matter before Tuesday evenings trade decision. But British and Canadian leaders have publicly urged the Trump administration not to impose tariffs.

The Guardian reported this month that British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the issue privately with President Trump after coming under political pressure in Britain. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested this month that his government might retaliate directly against Boeing through decisions on military purchasing agreements. The Canadian military is considering whether to buy Boeings F-18 Super Hornets for the Canadian military, and Trudeau suggested in a Sept. 18 news conference that he would abandon the purchase as a result of Boeings complaint against Bombardier.

We wont do business with a company thats busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business, Trudeau said in the news conference.

Some have questioned why Boeing would wade into international geopolitics in the first place. Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace industry analyst with the Teal Group, described Boeings action as a self-inflicted wound that could damage the companys business relationships with the Canadian military and with Delta.

This is a dangerous moment for Boeing, Aboulafia said. They clearly saw this as an opportunity to walk in tandem with Donald Trump and appeal to his nationalist economic base.

In a statement, Bombardier called the proposed 219 percent tariff absurd and divorced from the reality of how multibillion-dollar aircraft programs are typically financed.

This result underscores what we have been saying for months: the U.S. trade laws were never intended to be used in this manner, and Boeing is seeking to use a skewed process to stifle competition, Bombardiers statement said.

Boeing hailed the decision.

Global trade works only if everyone plays by the rules that weve all endorsed to ensure fair competition, as adjudicated by independent national and international bodies, Boeing said in a statement. This dispute has nothing to do with limiting innovation or competition, which we welcome. Rather, it has everything to do with maintaining a level playing field and ensuring that aerospace companies abide by trade agreements.

The move follows another trade dispute between the United States and its northern neighbor. For years, the United States lumber industry had complained that because Canadian lumber is subsidized by the government, the imports make it difficult for U.S. companies to compete. Over the summer, the Trump administration called for tariffs on imports of softwood lumber. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said at the time that he was optimistic that the countries would be able to reach a negotiated solution, and the Commerce Department recently announced a delay in proceedings to work one out.

Still, the Trump administration has generally taken a one-on-one stance toward trade, threatening to remove the United States from multinational regional accords such as NAFTA. But that has received pushback, including from Thomas Donohue, the president and chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this week that, quitting NAFTA would be an economic, political and national-security disaster.

Christian Davenport contributed to this report.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said yesterday that Washington is hoping for concrete progress during President Donald Trumps planned trip to China amid rising trade and Korean peninsula tensions.

Ross met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the countrys top economic official, during a three-nation Asian tour. Trump is due to visit Beijing later this year and meet President Xi Jinping, who visited the United States in April.

We hope there will be some very good deliverables, Ross said at the start of a meeting at the Zhongnanhai compound where Chinese leaders live and work in central Beijing. That would be the best single outcome for both countries, Ross said.

Ross gave no details, but Trump has criticized Chinas large trade surpluses with the United States and threatened to raise tariffs on steel. He has ordered an investigation into whether Beijing improperly pressures companies to hand over technology in exchange for market access.

Chinese leaders have tried to head off punitive U.S. action by emphasizing the benefits of the worlds biggest trading relationship.

I think it is fair to say that our common interests far outweigh our differences, said Li, the premier. This important trade and economic relations has benefited enormously our two peoples as well as the whole world.

U.S. officials have been greeted warmly [in China], Ross said, adding that it augers very well for the forthcoming visit between President Trump and President Xi. We are looking forward to a very good session including a lot of American CEOs.

Beijing is Rosss first stop on a Sept. 24-29 trip to Asia that will also include visits to Hong Kong, Bangkok and Vientiane, Laos. Ross also met yesterday with Vice Premier Wang Yang to discuss issues including increased market access for U.S. firms, according to the official Weibo account of the U.S. Embassy in China.

Rosss visit comes as the U.S. has increased calls to reduce the trade deficit with the worlds biggest exporting nation. Earlier this month, he announced a probe into Chinas stainless steel flanges for alleged unfair subsidies, the latest move after the U.S. Trade Representative began an investigation into Chinas intellectual property practices.

China last week announced it would restrict some oil product exports to North Korea, as Trump seeks to further isolate Kim Jong Uns regime.

Ross was due to visit Hong Kong today. MDT/Agencies
It has been seven years since we got "A Visit From the Goon Squad," but the presence of Jennifer Egan's Pulitzer Prize-winning book still hangs in the air. Was it a novel? A collection of short stories?



****HANDOUT IMAGE Manhattan Beach, by Jennifer Egan, (credit: Scribner) ***NOT FOR RESALE (Scribner)

Who cares. It was a tour de force. Reaching back and forward in time, writing in the first, second and third person  with a PowerPoint presentation to boot  Egan demonstrated her skill across a whole catalogue of forms, tones and styles.

So how does an author follow up such a spectacular variety show?

Egan has wisely chosen not to compete with Goon Squad and its postmodern razzle-dazzle. Instead, her new book leaps into the past, offering us a story built on sturdy older forms polished to a high sheen.

"Manhattan Beach"  longlisted for a National Book Award even before it was released  is a historical novel set during World War II in New York. The country isn't entirely in agreement about entering another foreign war, but cue the big band, cheer the troops. This is a nation finally crawling out from under the Depression.

Our heroine is Anna Kerrigan, a dutiful daughter with a well-concealed wild streak. Her role, Egan writes, was to be impervious to the vices around her  or at least to appear that way. As soon as Anna is old enough, she takes a tedious job working alongside the marrieds, measuring machine parts at the Brooklyn Naval Yard. Shed much rather join the intrepid divers who repair ships in the harbor, but thats no job for a woman. Fortunately for Anna, the war has depleted the pool of qualified men, which gives her a chance to don a 200-pound diving dress and take the plunge.

She may be persistent, but itll take more than that to win respect from her skeptical lieutenant. I like you, Miss Kerrigan, he tells her patronizingly. Youre full of spirit. My advice is, go back to your shop  whatever is it you do here at the yard  and give that work everything you have.

[Review: Jennifer Egans A Visit From the Goon Squad]

All the harbor details  from the dangerous mechanics of underwater work to the irritating chauvinism of Navy officers  feel dutifully researched. The whole novel, in fact, boasts its tweedy historical accuracy. If theres a car, it must be a new Series 62 with cream-colored lambskin upholstery. But theres something predetermined about this story of a spunky young woman breaking through gender barriers in wartime.



Author Jennifer Egan (Pieter M van Hattem )

Far more engaging are the shadowy actions swirling around Anna. Her crafty father kept the family fed and clothed through the Depression by working for a racketeer named Dexter Styles. But he had abandoned them several years earlier, leaving his wife and Anna to care for Annas sister, who is profoundly disabled. Here, Manhattan Beach attains its most affecting moments, in scenes that capture the unexpected delight and crippling guilt of raising a handicapped child. Egan knows that hope is a necessary salve and a cruel taunt for such families. And, as elsewhere, she has carefully created the American economy just beginning to recover from the Depression. Its a GOP paradise in which people with preexisting conditions arent weakened by character-sapping crutches like affordable health insurance.

Manhattan Beach may not offer the brilliant variety of forms found in Goon Squad, but Egan is still blending a jazzy range of tones in these chapters, from Tennessee Williamss apartment-trapped despair to Herman Melvilles adventures at sea. And when Anna goes to a nightclub and recognizes Styles, her fathers old employer, the novel swings into a particularly rich noir romance. The coincidence felt miraculous, Anna thinks, but this handsome gangster in his beautifully cut suit might know what had happened to her errant father.

Will Anna pursue that secret even as shes swept up into a torrid affair with this well-dressed killer?

Egan has some fun mimicking the overheated pulp of her novels predecessors with their cliffhanger chapter endings. This is a world in which gangsters say, One more like that, and Ill toss you off the pier myself. You can tell it to the fishes. And Annas attraction to Dexter draws her into a tryst that sets the pages on fire. The hunger hed wakened in her banished every scruple, Egan writes. She climaxed like someone in a seizure, which sounds like she could use oxygen more than a cigarette.

The storys most entertaining aspect may be its portrayal of Dexter, with his carefully compartmentalized world, an array of ancillary rackets both legal and illegal. He moves between thugs and bankers, ordering hits just as confidently as he orders drinks. A loving father and an attentive husband, Dexter inspires fear in his minions but feels terror himself when he visits an elderly crime boss who makes his own cheese and speaks in a deadly code of pleasantries.

All these strong currents  from noir thriller to family drama to wartime adventure  eventually return to the private moment that opens Manhattan Beach. If that ending is surprisingly hopeful, its never false, and it dares to satisfy us in a way that stories of an earlier age used to.

Ron Charles is the editor of Book World and the host of TotallyHipVideoBookReview.com.


Cornell Chicken; see the recipe, below. (Jennifer Chase/For The Washington Post)

As long as she can remember, for the same two weeks every summer, 62-year-old Reenie Baker Sandsted has been in the same place: Bakers Chicken Coop at the New York State Fair.

It has always been a part my life, Sandsted says, taking a break from behind the counter one day in late August to sit at one of the picnic tables and visit with me.

[Make the recipe: Cornell Chicken]

By always, she means always.

Before she was even working at the stand, Sandsted and her five siblings were invested in the business. Our parents made us partner when we were born, Sandsted says. It helped put us through college.

The Chicken Coop is a state fair landmark, attracting governors, Cornell University presidents and even Bill and Hillary Clinton. Thats because of the chicken recipe and cooking method developed by Sandsteds father, the late Robert C. Baker, called Cornell Chicken.

[11 mistakes novice grillers make  and how to correct them]

Broiler halves are basted with a vinegar and egg sauce as theyre grilled over a charcoal fire. The chicken is turned frequently and sauced regularly, until it achieves a blackened, crispy skin and the juicy meat explodes with creamy, tart flavor.

Baker developed the recipe and technique for cooking it in the 1940s, while at Pennsylvania State University. He created it for the governor, who was visiting the school, Sandsted says.

Later, he moved to Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., where he joined the faculty as a professor of poultry and food sciences. In 1949, he set up Baker's Chicken Coop at the fair. The following year, the Cornell Cooperative Extension published his recipe and method, including highly detailed instructions for building a cinder-block pit (or "fireplace") and constructing metal turning racks. The resulting contribution to the annals of barbecue would be forever associated with Baker and the school.

Bakers goal was to help promote the poultry industry, which, at the time, lagged far behind beef and pork in sales. At first, Baker smoked the chickens in a hole in the ground, as at a pig roast. Before long, he decided it would be easier to cook aboveground, and he constructed metal racks to turn 25 half-chickens at a time.



Cornell chicken plate at Bakers' Chicken Coop at the New York State Fair. (Jim Shahin)

The emulsion of vinegar, oil and eggs helps the chicken to crisp without burning as rapidly as it does with a red barbecue sauce, which, unlike the Cornell sauce, contains sugar. Equally important is the method. No wood, says Travis Sandsted, 36, Reenies son. Charcoal. Wood gives it too much of a smoke flavor.

Travis, who oversees the cooking, started apprenticing with Baker, his grandfather, at the Chicken Coop when he was 19. He has been here ever since.

The pit is about 30 feet long, 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep. Travis dumps eight bags of Kingsford charcoal to start and adds five more bags every hour. The fire runs hot, about 1,000 degrees.

He puts unseasoned chicken halves skin side up in metal racks and turns them after a few minutes, when they begin to bronze. Using a long-handled barbecue mop, Travis then liberally sauces the birds. He flips them frequently to cook evenly, basting nearly every time to deepen the flavor. All the while, he tosses water on flare-ups. It takes about an hour for the chicken to finish.

[Heres how to cook seriously good barbecue on a simple charcoal grill]

Like his grandfather before him, Travis doesnt marinate. We just brush it on, he says.

In its heyday in the 1950s and 60s, the Chicken Coop sold an average of 2,000 chicken halves a day. The fair has grown a lot since then, and visitors are tempted by countless options, so these days the Coop serves about 1,000 chicken halves a day.

Although the fair, which runs the last week of August and the first week of September, is over, Cornell Chicken can be sampled throughout Upstate New York, where it has become part of the culinary landscape. Schools, volunteer fire departments and civic organizations commonly make Cornell Chicken for fundraisers.

Barbecue joints throughout the undulating region sell it, too. One measure of the depth of the dish's reach is, paradoxically, the citizenry's offhand near-obliviousness to its origin. "Younger generations of Finger Lake residents don't even recognize this as a regional specialty so much as the default way to cook chicken outdoors," wrote Sarah Laskow for the website Atlas Obscura.

Shes right. I ate at a number of barbecue places where the proprietor insisted that the recipe was handed down from family members.

It probably has been, Reenie Baker Sandsted told me. They probably grew up eating it at home and think it is something their dad or mom created.



Travis Sandsted and Reenie Baker Sandsted grilling chicken at Bakers Chicken Coop. (Jim Shahin)

To be sure, like any recipe, Cornell Chicken is modified slightly by its maker. One cook might add a touch more thyme, another more marjoram. But common to all is the vinegar, oil, egg emulsion.

Its easy to make at home. Travis, though, maintains that it wont turn out quite the same because the home cook doesnt have the wire-mesh rack for ease of turning the chicken, the same distance from the coals or the same level of heat. Hes right. Ive made it a few times. My version isnt quite as tangy and the skin isnt quite as crisp, but in the same way that my bucatini allAmatriciana is pretty close to, but isnt a dead ringer for, Mario Batalis version  even using his recipe  I think my Cornell Chicken does its maker proud.

[Think you cant get smoky flavors from a gas grill? Try this.]

Baker is also credited with inventing chicken bologna, chicken hot dogs and, notably, chicken nuggets. But Cornell Chicken may be his most appreciated legacy, at least in Upstate New York.

He died in 2006, but the Chicken Coop remains a family affair. The operation is reaching into its fourth generation. Traviss 6-year-old son, Mason, helps make the sauce. He already cracks eggs one-handed, Travis says proudly.

Sandsteds two sisters also work at the Chicken Coop. And her daughter, Sarah, returns each year from Haiti, where she works for an organization that makes shoes from rubber, to spend her two-week vacation at the business.

The smell of the chicken is like time travel, Sarah says. It reminds me of growing up in Upstate New York.

Shahin is an associate professor of journalism at Syracuse University. He will join today's Free Range chat at noon: live.washingtonpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jimshahin.
Dear Miss Manners: I patronize a nail salon where all the employees are Vietnamese and speak only a little English. They do nails very well, their prices and location are good, and Im not inclined to go anyplace else.

But I find it terribly awkward not to be able to chat easily with someone who is performing a personal service for me. Ive seen other patrons there who come with friends and chat with each other, or listen to headphones, or sit with their eyes closed, perhaps meditating.

I dont have a friend to go with, and the most obvious thing for me would be to take work-related reading and indicate that I must get some work done. But I cant hold reading material when my hands are occupied, and there is no place to set it.

I have started requesting the same manicurist each time, since I think she is especially good, and she seems very friendly and sweet. I always tip her well. But after I have made sure her two kids are fine and we agree about the weather, there is nothing more we can talk about that isnt too difficult.

I dont know why this makes me so uncomfortable, but it feels like Im being rude or I should try harder, and I actually get stressed about my appointments.

What I would most like to do is sit quietly and think my own thoughts. Is there a graceful way to do that?

And perhaps the manicurist would like to think her own thoughts.

Miss Manners is confused about whether you believe you should be entertaining her (and are rude not to), or that she should be entertaining you (and help more to carry the conversation).

In any case, chitchat, beyond the exchange of pleasantries, is not part of the deal. And while some patrons and some workers enjoy that, it should be voluntary on both sides. While there are sometimes confidences exchanged between them, both workers and their clients sometimes complain that they would prefer some quiet.

Since you are happy with the work, the price, the location, and crave quietness, Miss Manners fails to see your problem.

Dear Miss Manners: My son and his then-fiancee sent save-the-date cards to various friends and relatives. They have since called off the wedding, some eight weeks before it was to occur and before actual invitations were issued. What is the etiquette for informing the recipients of those cards not to make plane, hotel or other reservations?

It is time for another mailing. You can't just leave these people saving the date, much less making travel plans.

Had you sent invitations, there would be a similarly formal announcement that the marriage will not take place. But as the save-the-date card is informal, a similarly informal style may be used.

However, Miss Manners strongly recommends retaining that sentence about the marriage not taking place, rather than offering any explanation. You will be besieged with questions soon enough.

New Miss Manners columns are posted Monday through Saturday on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com.
Our readers share tales of their ramblings around the world.

Who: Geoffrey Weiss (the author) of Charlottesville; Claude Roessiger of Wolfeboro, N.H.; Marco Stango of Bellefonte, Pa.; and Lilian Hamburger of Basel, Switzerland.

Where, when, why: During two weeks in late July and early August, we sailed a 53-foot ketch, "Nanuq," from its home port in Rockport, Maine, along the state's "Down East" coast into the Bay of Fundy to St. John, Canada, and the St. John River. The captain  Claude  and crew had never visited this part of the country. The St. John River offered some interesting navigational challenges, such as the Reversing Falls, that beckoned the crew. We were also a multigenerational group: Claude and I are longtime college friends in our late 60s while Marco, Claude's son-in-law, and Lilian, a young Swiss woman hired to help with the boat's general housekeeping and crew responsibilities, are in their late 20s.



The crew  from left, Marco Stango, the author, Lilian Hamburger and Claude Roessiger  pose for a picture at Lunt's Dockside Deli in Long Island, Maine. (Geoffrey Weiss)

In Nova Scotia, tidal-bore rafting offers a uniquely muddy adventure

Highlights and high points: The much-anticipated destinations of the trip were the city of St. John and the St. John River. As we approached the city of St. John, we found a working harbor with container ships being loaded by mega-machinery and sleek, white cruise ships nestled against the city's waterfront. St. John is a medium-sized city built on a low hill and a spit of land whose thoroughfares descend to pleasant paved pedestrian strands near the waterfront. Modern office buildings, numerous church spires and brick warehouses reimagined as restaurants and shopping centers produce a handsome and inviting downtown skyline.

The mouth of the St. John River opens into the broad harbor and the Bay of Fundy, which produces a curious phenomenon called the Reversing Falls. The Bay of Fundy generates monstrous currents that reverse the outward flow of the river during high tide. To enter the upper reaches of the river, the crew was obliged to wait for the onset of "slack water," or a brief period of time when the river's outflow matches the tide's inflow. (This is when the water is at its calmest, and the threat of piloting the boat upriver its least.) The timing of slack water was posted online and in local marine guides, so at the allotted time we gunned the boat's engine, traversed the narrow channel between craggy cliffs and rocks, and beneath soaring highway bridges, to enter Grand Bay. We congratulated ourselves on an excellent piece of navigation. On the return trip, we were experienced hands as we followed the channel in the opposite direction. However, the time of slack water was before sunrise, so the crew accomplished this feat half asleep.

Cultural connection or disconnect: We enjoyed the kindness and hospitality of the Canadian people. The taxi drivers in the city of St. John were uniformly chatty, ready to discuss the weather, sports, U.S. politics and their deepest personal secrets with minimal inducement. On the St. John River and ashore, we met individuals who were eager and happy to assist us. A couple in a motor yacht moored near us on Douglas Harbor by Grand Bay invited us to their boat for conversation, beverages, grilled Digby scallops and dessert confections. Finally, while stocking up on provisions at the Royal Kennebecasis Yacht Club on Kennebecasis Bay, we were invited by members of a wedding party to join their reception. It was a happy, noisy and well-lubricated affair.

Biggest laugh or cry: The crew had a chuckle in Gagetown, New Brunswick, a pretty village on the higher reaches of the St. John River. One of the local restaurants, Gulliver's World Cafe, boasts the most expensive french fries  $12.99  in New Brunswick. One must call ahead to make reservations for this delicacy, as the fries are dipped multiple times in hot goose fat from France to produce their trademark crispness. Our crew passed on the opportunity to sample this choice fare in deference to our coronary arteries.

The biggest cry was the traverse from Grand Manan Island to St. John. Grand Manan is a large island with a dramatic coastline just off the easternmost edge of Maine. We arrived in North Head Harbor on the east side of the island to spend the night. Since the harbor was open to the sea, the wind and heavy swells produced a noisy night in the swaying boat. The next morning, as we headed for St. John, sea swells were 5-to-6-inches high. Geoffrey and Marco promptly turned green and dove for the lowest point in the cabin to sleep off the seasickness.

[Roots and relatives on a family vacation in Irelands County Kerry]

How unexpected: Each of us was struck by the unexpected beauty of the St. John River and its surroundings. Just above the city of St. John and the Reversing Falls, the river opens into the calm water of Grand Bay, the entryway to the numerous large lakes and bays beyond (Kennebecasis Bay, Belleisle Bay, Long Reach and Grand Lake, among others). The course of the St. John River is lined by verdant, rolling highlands, hardwood forests and low wetlands. Wildlife is everywhere along the waterway. The water is temperate, and the younger members of our crew swam comfortably. We would often moor the boat in a small cove, surrounded by forest, and allow ourselves to be serenaded by the birds and cicadas.

Favorite memento or memory: Our fondest memory  and biggest surprise  was the camaraderie and good fellowship of the crew. The living space on the boat is compact. The crew slept, ate, navigated, hauled lines and trimmed sails together for the entire trip and despite close quarters nary an ill word was exchanged. Marco displayed special courage, sailing with his father-in-law for two full weeks. We discovered previously unplumbed reservoirs of humor, laughing for 16 days straight, generated memories of a beautiful part of the world and became fast friends.
Gonzaga College High School students, clockwise from top center, Jack Boland, Daniel Podratsky, Jack Brown, Hameed Nelson and Joe Boland and Matthew Johnson, not pictured, conducted research over the summer that discovered their school's historical ties to slavery. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post)

A D.C. high schools historical ties to slavery must be acknowledged as its students and the country grapple with the legacy of racism, said the schools president.

The Rev. Stephen Planning of Gonzaga College High School wrote a statement posted on the school's website Tuesday imploring community members to recognize the school's "past sinfulness" and its modern-day implications. Over the summer, six Gonzaga students conducted research on the institution's ties to slavery, discovering that Washington Seminary  the earliest incarnation of Gonzaga  benefited from profits generated at Jesuit-run plantations. They also learned that two slaves, identified as Gabriel and Isaih, worked on campus grounds. The Washington Post reported on the discovery Tuesday.

Now left to grapple with this history, Planning encouraged community members not to deny the past, but to face it with sincere humility.

Our past sinfulness matters, both as individuals and institutions, Planning wrote. As much as we hate to admit it, our past sinfulness has an impact on who we are today.

The Jesuits have apologized for the order's ties to slavery, particularly in relation to Georgetown University. In 1838, 272 slaves were sold by Jesuit priests to pay off the school's debts. In April, the Rev. Tim Kesicki, president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, offered a public apology at a worship service that included the descendants of those slaves.

The Society of Jesus has been doing its best to confront this terrible part of our history and to be up front and honest about it, and to apologize for it, Planning said in an interview with The Post.

The students research has left the Gonzaga community questioning how to respond.

Washington Seminary was founded in 1821 to train seminarians, though it mostly educated lay students. The school was originally a part of Georgetown University and later received a congressional charter that enabled it to become a separate entity. It was subsequently renamed Gonzaga College High.

In his statement, Planning wrote that the students research, and the Jesuit apology, were never intended to bring an end to this difficult conversation. He encouraged the school to examine its past through all of its triumphs and failings.

We can hopefully begin some healing in not only the history of Georgetown and the Jesuits but also with race relations in our country, Planning told The Post. Such work is about telling the truth about our history and our past.
A man stands outside a destroyed home in this aerial photo from a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey surveying the aftermath from Hurricane Maria in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Sept. 21, 2017. (Jonathan Drake/Reuters)

Columnist

When last I spoke with Rabbi Michael Feshbach  who a few months ago traded the leadership of Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, Md., for a historic synagogue in the U.S. Virgin Islands  he had just survived Hurricane Irma.

Then came Hurricane Maria. That storm brought even more damaging wind and rain, but in its wake came something else.

Ive never felt more of a sense of love and support, Rabbi Feshbach said Monday over a scratchy cellphone line.

[From a Chevy Chase, Md., synagogue to one in the path of Hurricane Irma]

As word got out the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas had been more affected by Maria than by Irma, members of synagogues across the United States chimed in on Facebook with offers to help.

When we have been able to read those messages, they have been overwhelming expressions of love and concern, and overwhelming offers of material aid, Rabbi Feshbach said.

The Hebrew Congregation is the second-oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere and the oldest in continuous use under the American flag.

This is in some ways a unique congregation, Rabbi Feshbach said. In many ways it has a partnership with the entire Jewish community of the hemisphere.

The rabbi posted on Facebook a list of items the islanders are in need of, including such things as Neosporin, plastic garbage bags, dehumidifiers and generators. Friends and acquaintances have been posting how best to gather and ship them. There are three kids who want to help us as part of their bar or bat mitzvah projects, Rabbi Feshbach said.

One New York City man, Andrew Kavesh, is hoping the island's airport will be open by Friday so he can mark the high holidays there. He already has a ticket on American Airlines.

Im thinking about bringing some babka, which is a Jewish delicacy, some bagels and cream cheese, and depending on if I can refrigerate it, some things like whitefish and lox, Andrew told me on the phone. Theyve had it so rough down there. I thought this would be a nice way to break the fast.

It does seem as if the trials of Job are being visited on the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas. Certainly Maria did more damage in the synagogue, Rabbi Feshbach said. It was not a direct hit, but it was a tremendous amount of water. And the two right after each other were very challenging.

While the ark holding the synagogues historic Torah scrolls got wet, the plastic-wrapped scrolls inside were undamaged.

Not so the congregations prayer books. All of our high holiday prayer books were either soaked or completely ruined, Rabbi Feshbach said.

On the bright side: He had planned to replace them with a newer edition anyway.

A government-imposed curfew meant Rabbi Feshbach had to rejigger the timing of Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat services. Next up is Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Feshbach said he has appealed to the islands leadership for two things: I have asked for a curfew exemption until 10 p.m. this Friday night for Yom Kippur, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for Saturday, the day of Yom Kippur. Whether we will get it or not, I do not know.

It's been a time for improvisation. When the rabbi's wife, Julie Novick, ran out of propane half way through cooking some frozen chicken, she gathered wood to start a fire. Their daughter, Talia, has been deputized as the temple's cantor.

This is a real special place, Rabbi Feshbach said. It will be a special place again. And my hope and prayer is that should the need ever arise, we will be in a position to lend a helping hand to someone else.

Of the many hardships in the U.S. Virgin Islands right now, Rabbi Feshbach is feeling one in particular: He hasnt been able to follow his beloved Nationals.

Before hanging up, I told him Bryce Harper is expected back any day now.

Hallelujah, Rabbi Feshbach said.

Calling all cars

My recent mention of a short documentary about the District's call boxes prompted a memory from reader Sharon Korody.

She lives in Bethany Beach, Del., now but in 1969 she was a 24-year-old public health nurse working a new job in Southwest Washington.

One day we were given huge call box keys because the area was getting more dangerous, Sharon wrote. We were told we should always be aware of where the call boxes were. I looked at that key and knew this job was short lived.

Twitter: @johnkelly

For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.
More Maryland Democrats said they would consider voting for former attorney general Doug Gansler than any other gubernatorial candidate or potential candidate in a recent poll. But Gansler says he is not running. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

The race to challenge incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in Marylands 2018 election is wide open, according to a new poll, with nearly half of Democrats having no preferred candidate.

Former state attorney general Douglas F. Gansler  who said last week that he will not run in the primary  appears to have more name recognition among Democrats than any of the declared candidates, the poll by Goucher College finds.

Twenty-eight percent of Democrats said they would consider voting for Gansler, compared with 21 percent for Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, 17 percent for Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and 14 percent for former NAACP president Ben Jealous.

Others in the Democratic field garnered single digits.

Eight percent of respondents said they would consider casting a ballot for state Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (Montgomery); 6 percent said they would consider voting for Baltimore attorney James L. Shea; 5 percent for tech entrepreneur Alec Ross; and 2 percent for Krishanti Vignarajah, a onetime policy director for former first lady Michelle Obama.

Nine percent of respondents said they would consider voting for policy consultant Maya Rockeymoore, who has said she is weighing a run. She is the wife of Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), a longtime congressman from Baltimore whose name is known throughout the state.

The poll referred to the prospective candidate as Maya Rockeymoore Cummings.

Forty-four percent were undecided or had no preference when asked who they would support if the election was today.

Mileah Kromer, a Goucher College political science professor and the director of the survey, said the results show that the June 2018 Democratic primary is up for grabs.

Folks dont know a ton about these candidates, Kromer said. The negative is that theres a long way to go for any of them to win, but the positive is that its anyones race.

Whoever emerges with the Democratic nomination would presumably face Hogan.

The governor is broadly popular across party lines but has lost some ground this year in terms of how many Marylanders say they plan to vote for him in 2018.

A Goucher poll released Monday showed that 51 percent of Marylanders are at least leaning toward voting to reelect the governor, compared with 57 percent who said the same in a February survey.

Fifty-five percent of respondents in Gouchers survey of Democrats said they want a more progressive candidate to win the partys gubernatorial nomination, compared with 34 percent who said they want a more moderate candidate and 8 percent who said they prefer a more conservative Democratic nominee.

Twenty-six percent of respondents identified education as the most important issue, followed by the economy and jobs (21 percent), racial and social justice (16 percent), health care (15 percent), the environment (7 percent), taxes (6 percent) and transportation and infrastructure (5 percent).

The poll, conducted Sept. 14-18, questioned 324 Maryland Democrats and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.4 percentage points.


Rep. Elijah E. Cummings D-Md.) greets his staff in the hearing room of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as he returns to work after heart surgery earlier this month. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post)

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) faced 30 members of his staff in a cavernous committee room the other day and told them how, after a nearly three-month absence from Congress, he would never be the same.

He cant drink coffee anymore, or eat sticky buns. Staying up to watch the late news, thats out.

More importantly, Cummings said, a prolonged hospital stay and recovery from heart surgery revived his passion for the job he has held since 1996, especially the part of it that allows him to lead Democratic efforts to monitor the administration of President Trump.

Ive often said, dont ask the question, Why did it happen to me? but, Why did it happen for me?  Cummings told several dozen staffers, some in the room and some listening on speakerphone. I am thoroughly convinced, and you will never convince me otherwise, that what I have gone through was for a purpose.



Rep. Elijah E. Cummings D-Md.) speaks in his office on Capitol Hill. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post)

Before his surgery, Cummings, 66, tangled with Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) over former secretary of state Hillary Clinton's role in Benghazi, Libya, marched in the streets of his beloved Baltimore to help calm the riots that erupted after the funeral of Freddie Gray and challenged Martin Shkreli, the former hedge fund manager who raised the price of a critical drug, over inflated drug prices.

Not exactly the behavior of someone lacking in passion.

But at a time of multiple investigations into Trump associates links to Russia, escalating tensions with North Korea and a new effort to undo the Affordable Care Act, the 12-term congressman said he feels responsible as a leader of the opposition party for protecting the very essence of democracy.

Its bigger than me, its bigger than you, he said at the gathering. It was the first time he had addressed his entire staff since returning to Capitol Hill after surgery to repair a heart valve, followed by infection and complications, such as a pain and swelling of the joints known as gout. Every time you look at your little children, ask the question, What kind of future will they have? 



The name plate of Rep. Elijah E. Cummings D-Md.) sits on a table in the hearing room of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post)

As the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Cummings worked closely last spring with then-committee chair Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) to unearth key documents about former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned in February after revelations about potentially illegal contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States, and Flynn's misleading statements about the matter to senior Trump administration officials.

Now Chaffetz is retired from Congress, and the committee is chaired by Gowdy, who so far has shown limited appetite for taking on his own party in the White House. On Tuesday, Gowdy joined Cummings in seeking information about the use of personal email accounts by senior officials in the Trump administration.

Im going to wait and see, Cummings said of whether he can find ways to partner with Gowdy.

In the meantime, he praised a staff that keeps digging and digging and digging. . . . Why? Not to harm Trump. This is not about Trump. Not to harm Flynn. Its about trying to maintain a democracy, cmon now.

The son of sharecroppers turned factory workers, Cummings said he developed a personal rapport and connection with Trump when they met in the Oval Office in March. The president seemed receptive, the congressman said, when he explained that it was hurtful for African Americans to hear the leader of the free world liken their neighborhoods to slaughter grounds.

"I felt like I was talking to somebody who lived on my block. Yeah, it was good," said Cummings, who has lived in the same West Baltimore rowhouse for 35 years and describes his neighborhood as the "inner inner city."

Cummings said he also suggested to Trump that the administration should examine voter suppression allegations.

During his time at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, he said, he would walk the halls and talk to patients who couldn't afford their treatment or had nowhere to go when they were released. Back in his room, he would flip on CNN and hear about Republican-led efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

They dont seem to deal with the point that tens of millions of people will be thrown off of the rolls, he said. What are they supposed to do, die?

Despite this, Cummings told his staff not to be discouraged.

Holding his fists in front of him, he told the story of a 96-year-old African American woman, a Hillary Clinton voter, interviewed as she was leaving church a week after Trumps win.

The woman told reporters, Its scary, but I aint scared, Cummings recalled.

He repeated: It may be scary, but we cannot be scared.
Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), holds childhood photographs of adults who say they were sexually abused. (Matt Rourke/AP)

In the summer of 1969, 13-year-old Barbara Blaine was part of the Deaconettes, a group of junior-high girls who cleaned up after Mass at their parish in Toledo. They had been invited to dine with Father Chet Warren as a reward.

After the meal, Ms. Blaine recalled, she found herself alone with Warren, who told her she was special, holier than the other girls, and then molested her. He wanted her to go to confession right away and tell no one else because they wouldnt understand, and would not believe her anyway, she said.

The alleged abuse continued until Ms. Blaines senior year in high school and remained a secret until 1985, when a newspaper story on sexual predators in the Catholic Church led Ms. Blaine to tell her parents and seek out other survivors.

"I had this basic feeling of being dirty and bad that I carried around for years," she told The Washington Post in 2002. "I carry with me the sense that I'm a bad person  I think that's still there."

Ms. Blaine, who died Sept. 24 at 61, founded the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests in 1988. The group  known as SNAP  held its first meetings in a Chicago homeless shelter and hotel conference room. It now organizes advocacy efforts and survivors meetings in 60 cities around the world, working with more than 20,000 members.



Ms. Blaine, with SNAP director David Clohessy at left, at a news conference in Dallas in 2002. (L.M. Otero/AP)

The organization has been credited with successfully lobbying for more survivor-friendly laws, including ones that would extend the statute of limitations, and recently expanded its focus to include advocacy on behalf of sexual abuse victims at schools and in the Boy Scouts.

Few people have done more to protect kids and help victims than Barbara Blaine, Barbara Dorris, managing director of SNAP, said in a statement. Her relentless advocacy enabled millions to eventually accept a long unbelievable reality: that tens of thousands of priests raped and fondled hundreds of thousands of kids while bishops hid these heinous crimes.

Ms. Blaine, as president of an organization that for many years had no budget and no staff, scoured news stories and met with legal advocates to develop a national network of sex-abuse victims. The group held volunteer-run meetings in cities across the country, offering a forum for individuals who had frequently never discussed what had happened to them as children.

Along with groups such as Victims of Clergy Abuse Linkup, SNAP spent years trying to draw public attention to recurrent cases of abuse and lobbied church officials to change policies that protected alleged abusers. The group was a persistent, and persistently skeptical, presence at gatherings of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

SNAP's profile was elevated after the Boston Globe published its 2002 investigative series on clergy sex abuse and a "culture of silence" in the Catholic Church.

[Washington Post editor Martin Baron on the impact of Spotlight]

The series, which included the revelation that one Boston priest had molested more than 130 children while the church moved him from parish to parish, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in public service. (The reporting effort was chronicled in the Oscar-winning movie Spotlight in 2015.)

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Ms. Blaine, working a day job as an attorney for abused children in Chicagos Cook County, was soon inundated with phone calls from victims around the country. With SNAPs national director, David Clohessy, she opened the organizations first national office in Chicago in 2003 and began taking a salary to work for SNAP full time. (The organizations headquarters moved to St. Louis in 2016.)

Mark Serrano, a former altar boy who was sexually abused by a priest in New Jersey, told the Chicago Tribune in 2002 that Ms. Blaine was part of a group of "true warriors for justice."

They were out there  for no personal gain  when no one else was, he said. Without them, there would be even more suffering.

Barbara Ann Blaine was born in Toledo on July 6, 1956. Her father led the local parish council, and her mother was a member of the altar and rosary society.

Abuse by Warren, she said, caused her grades to suffer in high school and led her to distance herself from her family as well as from men. "Even after the abuse ended," she told the Toledo City Paper in 2004, "I didn't want anything to do with any kind of intimacy."

When Ms. Blaine first told another priest about Warren, she was told that Jesus loved her and would forgive her. Later, when she met with parish leaders in 1985, she was told that she had probably misinterpreted Warrens actions.

Warren continued preaching until 1992, shortly before Ms. Blaine appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss his abuses. According to the Associated Press, he was eventually banned from the ministry.

Because of the statute of limitations in Ohio, Ms. Blaine was too late to push for criminal charges, but she reportedly received $80,000 in an out-of-court settlement.

She studied theology and social work at Saint Louis University, a Jesuit school, and received a masters degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. She also received a masters in divinity from Catholic Theological Union and a law degree from DePaul University, both in Chicago.

According to a statement from her family, she died while on vacation in St. George, Utah, days after suffering a spontaneous coronary artery dissection  a torn blood vessel in the heart. Survivors include her husband of 15 years, Howard Rubin of Chicago; two stepsons, Brett and Joshua; seven siblings; and two grandsons.

Ms. Blaine resigned from SNAP on Feb. 3 to start the Accountability Project, an effort to stop clergy sex crimes around the world.

Her departure occurred shortly after the resignation of Clohessy and the filing of a Jan. 17 lawsuit against the organization, in which a former development director accused SNAP of taking kickbacks from victims attorneys and profiting from settlements. The bulk of the organizations donations, the suit claimed, came from donations from lawyers whose clients were referred by SNAP.

The organization denied that it was engaged in a kickback scheme and said Ms. Blaine and Clohessys departures were planned well before the suit was filed.

In interviews, Ms. Blaine said she never expected her organization to last more than a year. Healing from sexual abuse, she assumed, would simply be a matter of a few monthly meetings.

Now I understand its a lifelong process, she told the Tribune in 2012. I thought it was something you heal from like a broken leg. I never realized it would take so long.
IRAQ The Arab League is calling on Iraqis to renounce their differences and open comprehensive dialogue to avoid clashes following a controversial independence referendum held by the countrys Kurds. While the referendum is not binding and not expected to immediately lead to independence, it has shaken the region, eliciting condemnations from Iraqs neighbors as well as the United States and the United Nations.

CHINA It is no secret that the bulk of Ivanka Trumps merchandise comes from China. But just which Chinese companies manufacture and export her handbags, shoes and clothes is more secret than ever, an Associated Press investigation has found.

US-NORTH KOREA The U.S.s top military officer said yesterday that hes not seen any shifts in North Koreas military posture despite the reclusive nations threats to shoot down U.S. warplanes amid the charged political environment between Washington and Pyongyang.

Mongolias ruling Peoples Party yesterday chose a replacement for the prime minister dismissed earlier this month over allegations of corruption and incompetence, as the resource-rich Asian nation struggles with an economic crisis and political infighting.

VANUATU An erupting volcano has forced 6,000 people to flee their homes on an island in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu. The Manaro volcano on Ambae island has been active since 2005, but a recent increase in activity has raised fears of a major eruption.

ISRAEL A Palestinian gunman yesterday killed three Israeli security men and critically wounded a fourth outside a West Bank settlement before being shot dead, in one of the deadliest attacks of a two-year spate of violence. More on p15

POLANDs president and defense minister are visiting Polish and other NATO members troops as they perform major defense exercises in the countrys northwest. For the first time, the biannual drill is being joined by Polands new Territorial Defense Forces, which train civilian volunteers to support regular troops.

EUROPEAN UNION French president Macron has proposed a shared European military intervention force and defense budget as part of his vision for the future of the European Union.

VENEZUELAs top diplomat has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of acting like the worlds emperor, batting back Trumps biting rebukes of Venezuela on the global stage of the U.N. General Assembly.
M. Cherif Bassiouni in 2011, at a news conference for an independent commission he led in Bahrain. (Hasan Jamali/AP)

M. Cherif Bassiouni, an Egyptian American law professor who helped create the International Criminal Court in 1998 after having spent decades investigating human rights abuses from apartheid-era South Africa to the former Yugoslavia, died Sept. 25 at his home in Chicago. He was 79.

Daniel Swift, a lawyer who worked in Mr. Bassiounis legal practice, said the cause was complications from multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in plasma cells.

Mr. Bassiouni was often called "the father of international criminal law," although his more-than two dozen books and 256 scholarly articles touched on subjects including citizens' arrests, juvenile delinquency, international extradition and the Islamic criminal justice system.

He helped found the International Human Rights Law Institute at DePaul University in Chicago, where he had taught since 1964. In 1972, he founded the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, a training and research organization in Sicily.

"There is quite simply nobody like him in the international human rights law systems," said William Schabas, an international law professor at Middlesex University in London. "When I went to law school in the 1980s, virtually the only writings on the subject of international criminal justice were by him."



Mr. Bassiouni in 2011, presenting a report on abuses against anti-government protesters to Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. (Hasan Jamali/AP)

Much of his work concerned the creation of a world court for international crimes, a venue with jurisdiction over genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Such a court had been a pipe dream since the close of World War I and had existed in temporary form only when Nazi leaders were tried in Nuremberg after World War II.

Yet interest in a global court grew after the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, established in The Hague in 1993 to prosecute crimes committed during the Yugoslav Wars.

Mr. Bassiouni was appointed chairman of a United Nations commission charged with researching the crimes. He led a team that gathered evidence that would be used to indict military and political leaders such as Radovan Karadzic, a Bosnian Serb convicted of genocide and other charges in 2016.

The five-person commission received only limited funding from the United Nations  Mr. Bassiouni eventually secured more than $800,000 in grant money  but identified 151 mass graves and found that rape was used by Serbian forces to terrorize Muslim women in Bosnia. Its searing 84-page report was buttressed by more than 65,000 pages of source material and a 3,300-page appendix, transported to The Hague from Chicago inside a cargo container.

"I was not interested in going after the little soldier who commits the individual crime," Mr. Bassiouni told the Chicago Reader in 1999. "I was after building a case against the leaders who make the decisions. So I was going to establish that there was ethnic cleansing as a policy, that there was systematic rape as a policy, that there was destruction of cultural property as a policy, that the destruction of Sarajevo was a systematic process.

What I didnt realize, he continued, was that this was precisely what the British, and to some extent the French and the Russians, did not want.

Mr. Bassiounis work drew the scorn of some political leaders who were trying to negotiate a peace settlement in the region. He was nearly appointed the tribunals main prosecutor, the Times of London reported, but was barred from the position by diplomats who were afraid he would move too quickly to charge Serb and possibly Croatian leaders with war crimes, potentially disrupting the peace process.

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The tribunal, he later said, was underfunded and underambitious. But it and a similar tribunal, created in response to the Rwandan genocide, laid the groundwork for the International Criminal Court.

That body was formed out of a 1998 gathering in Rome, during which Mr. Bassiouni chaired a U.N. drafting committee by day and spent his evenings working on a book about crimes against humanity. A resulting treaty that created the court was endorsed by 120 nations and entered into force in 2002, without support from the United States. (Officials in the George W. Bush administration said they were concerned about politically motivated prosecutions and a lack of checks and balances within the ICC.)

Mr. Bassiouni was crucial to the passage of the treaty, said Leila Sadat, a professor of international criminal law at Washington University in St. Louis who participated in the gathering.

It took a network of thousands of people all over the world, but for the work of Cherif, it would not have happened, she said. He had an understanding of criminology, and of how nations cooperate with each other, and how international institutions work, that was unmatched by anybody.

Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni was born in Cairo on Dec. 9, 1937. His father was an Egyptian diplomat, and his grandfather  a president of the Egyptian senate  fought during Egypts 1919 revolt against British occupation.

Mr. Bassiouni played his own part in the wars and rebellions of the region. He was studying law in France when the Suez Crisis broke out in 1956 and returned home to fight against the combined Israeli-British-French attack on the Sinai Peninsula.

Mr. Bassiouni received decorations in Egypt for his service in the conflict, but he later found himself imprisoned for speaking out against what he described as disappearances and murders occurring under the regime of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. His military record and family connections, he said, helped save him from being executed for treason.

Mr. Bassiouni received a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Cairo in 1962. He graduated from Indiana Universitys law school in 1964 and received a masters degree and doctorate in law, respectively, from John Marshall Law School in Chicago and George Washington University.

He married Rosanna Cesari in 1962. According to Swift, she died while she and Mr. Bassiouni were in the process of separating. A marriage to Nina Delmissier ended with her death in 2006.

Mr. Bassiounis survivors include his wife, Elaine Klemen-Bassiouni; a stepdaughter, Lisa Capitanini; and two grandchildren.

A soft-spoken polyglot who was conversational in a half-dozen languages, Mr. Bassiouni was appointed to a score of U.N. commissions and was a frequent consultant to the U.S. government, including during the Iran hostage crisis that began in 1979.

Most recently, he chaired an independent inquiry in Bahrain that released a 2011 report documenting torture and other abuses against anti-government protesters in the country.

It was part of a string of efforts that, Mr. Bassiouni acknowledged, would not always be successful in triggering reform or bringing about justice.

I can place my little grain of sand and add to that very thin veneer of civilization, he told the Chronicle of Higher Education in 1992. Im a very firm believer in the incremental approach; things change because individuals move their little grain of sand.
A Virginia man has been charged in a homicide that occurred 16 years ago in Temple Hills, Md.

Antwan Green, 36, of Leesburg, is accused of fatally shooting Taj Noble, 24, during a fight over money, according to Prince Georges County police.

The shooting occurred shortly before midnight on Oct. 9, 2001, in the 3400 block of Brinkley Road, police said.

Information from a witness directed detectives to Green, police said.

Green, who is being held in Fairfax County on unrelated charges, will be extradited to Prince Georges, police said.
Millions of drivers in the United States have lost their licenses for failing to pay court debts, according to a new report, and advocates say the practice unfairly punishes the poor.

The report, released Tuesday by the Falls Church, Va.-based Legal Aid Justice Center, which represents low-income Virginians, says that 43 states and the District suspend driver's licenses because of unpaid fines and fees, trapping people in a "vicious court debt cycle."

The study indicates that the licenses of more than 4.2 million people were revoked in the five states it studied: Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Michigan. Those states were chosen because of existing litigation or because the numbers were readily available.

Texas led the way, with 1.8 million licenses suspended for failure to pay. North Carolina was second with 1.2 million, and Virginia was third with 977,000.



A sample drivers license provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. (Virginia DMV)

Among all states, just four require officials to determine whether defendants can afford to pay fines before suspending their licenses, according to the study, which says virtually all states that suspend licenses can do so indefinitely. In addition, 19 states require that licenses be suspended for unpaid fines.

Across the country, millions of people have lost their licenses simply because they are too poor to pay, effectively depriving them of reliable, lawful transportation necessary to get to and from work, take children to school, keep medical appointments, care for ill or disabled family members, or, paradoxically, to meet their financial obligations to the courts, the report says.

[Virginia suspends drivers licenses in unconstitutional scheme, class action says]

The Legal Aid Justice Center released the report about a year after filing a class-action suit that alleged that the licenses of more than 940,000 Virginians were suspended in an unconstitutional scheme. The suit explained the struggles faced by four plaintiffs, including Damian Stinnie, a Charlottesville man diagnosed with lymphoma who became homeless after failing to pay about $1,000 in traffic fines.

A federal judge dismissed the class action in March, saying the issue should be decided by a state court  a decision that is under appeal. The Stinnie case opened the door for similar cases across the country, including in Michigan, California and Texas.

We actually had people contacting us from other states to ask for our complaint and to look at the litigation, said Angela Ciolfi, a legal director at the Legal Aid Justice Center. It was clear to us it wasnt just a Virginia problem.

Adrian Fowler, a 32-year-old single mother of a 4-year-old daughter in Detroit, is the plaintiff in a federal Michigan class action filed in May that challenges that state's "unconstitutional wealth-based suspension scheme," the lawsuit said.

Fowler has lived without a license since 2012, when she tried to renew it and learned it was suspended for unpaid tickets she received while living in Georgia, according to the lawsuit brought by Equal Justice Under Law, a Washington-based nonprofit that fights wealth discrimination. The first ticket was a citation for obstruction of view for a small windshield crack, Fowler said.

Now, she estimates she owes $2,000 in two states. Fowler makes $8.90 per hour, Michigans minimum wage, working part time as a security guard and turned down a higher-paying job with her employer because of a lack of transportation. She also got a speeding ticket while driving her daughter to the hospital, according to the lawsuit.

Hopefully they will take accountability to stop this and work with people, Fowler said. A lot of these courts, they dont care if youre trying to go to school, buy a house, save college funds  they just want their money.

[Ferguson shows how a police force can turn into a plundering collection agency]

In a response to the suit, attorneys for Michigans secretary of state, the defendant in the case, said in a court filing that the issue shouldnt be decided by a federal court and that fines are rational.

Those who commit an offense and are in the system . . . consume the systems resources, the response said. Recouping some of those costs is long-standing, reasonable and permitted under the law.

The issue gained prominence in 2015, when a Justice Department investigation of the Ferguson, Mo., police department found law enforcement acting as a collection agency for state and local governments trying to raise revenue.

Advocates for the poor say those struggling under court debts, especially in areas without access to public transportation, have a difficult time getting back on their feet.

Suspended licenses can trap people who are poor in an impossible situation: they cannot afford to reinstate their licenses without steady employment, but they are unable to work without a license, the Michigan suit says.


Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie R) at a debate in McLean on Sept. 19. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

Virginia gubernatorial contender Ed Gillespie this week is holding town-hall-style events across the commonwealth, billed as a chance for undecided voters to meet the Republican nominee six weeks out from Election Day.

But Gillespies campaign is restricting access to these events by requiring prospective attendees to sign up through an online lottery, an unusual move that the campaign says is necessary because of limited seating and high interest.

Both Gillespie, a longtime GOP operative who ran for Senate in 2014, and his Democratic opponent, Ralph Northam, prefer smaller, controlled events to rallies.

There are space concerns, and we want to give everyone a fair shot, said Gillespie spokesman Dave Abrams.

[Want to get the latest on Virginia governors race? Join our Facebook group.]

He declined to say whether the campaign was screening people who signed up. Republican members of Congress, including Rep. Thomas Garrett (Va.), have drawn criticism for holding lotteries to decide which constituents may attend town hall events.

Photos from the first stop of Gillespies InformED Decisions tour, in Norfolk, show several empty seats and unused tables behind the stage. He fielded questions at the gathering about abortion, guns and how he would work with President Trump, among other topics.

Bob Holsworth, a veteran observer of Virginia politics, said the use of a lottery for Gillespies statewide swing strikes him as part of the broader trend of state campaigns preferring controlled environments and friendly audiences.

[Democratic challenger to Comstock holds town hall in Loudoun]

Crowds arent beating down the door to get to see Northam or Gillespie right now, Holsworth said. Its hard to believe that this is going to be run like a conventional lottery where names will simply be picked out of a hat. Its obviously a way of discouraging potential protesters.

Gillespie often faces protesters on the campaign trail who heckle him to take a position on the latest controversy involving Trump.

Abrams said the only person the campaign prevented from attending the first stop of the tour was Kevin Donohoe, the communications director for the state Democratic Party. Everyone else who signed up online was able to attend, and people were able to register at the door at Mondays stop in Danville. A photo of the event tweeted by the campaign showed several empty seats.

These events are expressly for Virginians who are making up their minds about this election, Abrams said. Were pretty sure the communication director at the Democratic Party of Virginia has made up his. If he wants to attend more campaign events, he should tell his candidate, Ralph Northam, to actually schedule some.

Northam, the lieutenant governor, hasnt held formal town halls but has taken questions from voters at roundtables, picnics and meet-and-greet events that do not use a lottery system but also are not broadly advertised by the campaign.

Unlike Gillespies campaign site, Northams does not list opportunities for undecided voters to meet the candidate, instead highlighting canvassing and volunteer opportunities under its events page.

During the gubernatorial primary cycle, Democrat Tom Perriello frequently held town hall events that drew Northam supporters who asked him sharp questions about his past opposition to gun control and abortion access.

Gillespie's swing runs through Sunday, with additional stops in Richmond, Roanoke, Harrisonburg and Leesburg. His campaign says they will be aired live on his Facebook page, barring technological snags.

Paul Schwartzman contributed to this report
President Trump looms large over the race for Virginia governor, according to a new survey that finds the president is a factor for a sizable slice of the electorate.

For nearly 40 percent of voters, Trump plays into the choice between Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. For 28 percent of voters, the president is a major factor.

The Trump effect is more pronounced among Northam voters, who are much more likely to disapprove of the president and to say their vote is meant to send a message to Trump and congressional Republicans.

Disapproval of Trump and Congress is clearly motivating Northams voters, said Rachel Bitecofer, assistant director of the Wason Center. Gillespie voters mostly support Trump, but theyd rather keep him out of the picture here.

[Want to get the latest on the Virginia governors race? Join our Facebook group]

Trump has a 35 percent overall approval rating in the commonwealth, but Northam and Gillespie supporters have sharply different assessments of him. Northam voters almost universally take a dim view of the president, with 96 percent disapproving of his job performance. Gillespie voters are split, with 75 percent approving of Trump and 16 percent disapproving.

A 51 percent majority of Northam voters say Trump plays into their choice for governor, while 72 percent of Gillespie voters say he does not. Among independents, 78 percent say the president is not a factor.

[Poll: Democrat Northam leads in Va. governor race; education tops voter concerns]

Nearly half of all voters, 49 percent, consider their vote a way to send a message to Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress. About one-third say they want their vote to convey a message of disapproval, while 19 percent say it should be seen as a sign of support.

Northam, the states lieutenant governor, is a pediatric neurologist who earned a reputation for working across the aisle as a two-term state senator. While touting his bipartisan credentials in this race, he has used uncharacteristically sharp rhetoric against Trump, calling the president a narcissistic maniac in a TV ad.

View Graphic The latest stories and details on the 2017 Virginia general election and race for governor.

Gillespie, an establishment figure who nearly unseated Sen. Mark R. Warner (D) in 2014, has walked a fine line with Trump, whom he supported only grudgingly after the real estate developer and reality TV personality locked up the GOP presidential nomination last year. Gillespie  a former lobbyist and Republican political operative who served as a counselor to President George W. Bush and as chairman of the National Republican Committee  has avoided appearing with Trump and commenting on his presidency.

But Gillespie also has taken steps to court Trump voters since nearly losing the June GOP primary to Corey Stewart, the presidents one-time Virginia campaign chairman who made the defense of Virginias Confederate monuments the cornerstone of his populist campaign. Gillespie has used images of a massive border wall and handcuffed undocumented immigrants in some ads. And he has hired a veteran of the Trump and Stewart campaigns, who warns that communists are behind the push to remove monuments, as his field director for Southwest Virginia.

[Gillespie hires Trump operative who believes country is on the verge of civil war]

The poll explores the monuments issue, which gained prominence in the governors race in August, when a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville dissolved into violence and mayhem and left three people dead. The rally had been called to protest the city councils plan to remove a statue of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee from a downtown park.

Northam and Gillespie have done some fancy footwork around the issue, which presents risks for them. Both agree that the governor does not have much power to remove monuments. Cities have jurisdiction over their own statues in most cases. The governor would have some say over state-owned statues, such as the one of Lee on Richmonds Monument Avenue, but the legislature would have to approve a removal. The governor eventually would have a say over Confederate monuments at Virginia Military Institute, through his appointments to the schools board of governors. Northam attended VMI.

Before the rally, Northam and Gillespie seemed content to say the issue was out of their hands, though Northam said he would prefer to see statues moved to museums and Gillespie said he would prefer to have them stay put.

Northam took a harder line after Charlottesville, pledging to be a vocal advocate for removal. More recently, as estimates for relocating the Monument Avenue statues hit $5 million to $10 million, Northam has spoken of the need to address other monuments to racism, such as inequities in education and health care. Gillespie, while calling for a conversation about the monuments in an essay released after the rally, has since said the monuments should remain in place but with added historical context.

[McAuliffe strike softer tone on monuments, raising GOP hopes that Northam will be out on limb]

The poll found that there could be a Robert E. Lee effect at work in the race, with 54 percent of voters opposed to removing monuments from public spaces. Sixty-two percent of Northam voters support removal, while 86 percent of Gillespie voters oppose it.

Nearly 75 percent of Gillespie voters say the monuments symbolize Southern pride, as do 26 percent of Northam voters. Among the Democrats supporters, 59 percent say the statues symbolize racism.

Its clear this is a more complicated issue for Northam than for Gillespie, said Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center. Gillespie appears to have a Donald Trump problem, but Northam may have a Robert E. Lee problem.

The poll also finds that 44 percent of voters say Virginia is moving in the right direction and that 51 percent approve of the job that Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is doing. McAuliffe is prohibited by the state Constitution from seeking back-to-back terms.

The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points, was released the day after another Wason Center survey found Northam leading Gillespie, 47 percent to 41 percent. Libertarian Cliff Hyra claimed 4 percent of the vote and 8 percent of voters were undecided.

Another poll released Tuesday, from Monmouth University, gives Northam a five-point lead over Gillespie, with the lieutenant governor gaining support in the normally red-leaning western half of the state.

In the Monmouth poll, 49 percent of voters back Northam, 44 percent support Gillespie, 2 percent support Hyra and 4 percent are undecided. Two months ago, Monmouth had the major party candidates tied at 44 percent, with Hyra at 3 percent and 9 percent undecided.

While maintaining a hefty 17-point lead in Northern Virginia and 9-point lead in the eastern part of the state, Northam has cut into Gillespies margins in the western half over the past two months, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. The 18-point advantage that Gillespie enjoyed there in July has dwindled to a 7-point lead.

The fact that Republicans once courted Northam to switch to their party probably doesnt hurt his credibility with that electorate, said Patrick Murray, director of Monmouth University Polling Institute.

The CNU and Monmouth surveys are the latest in a series of polls to find Northam with a slight lead or in dead heat with Gillespie ahead of the Nov. 7 contest.
Virginia statehouse candidate Danica Roem (D) has put her transgender identity front and center in a YouTube ad meant to chastise her opponent, Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William), for refusing to acknowledge her as a woman.

Roem, who would be the first openly transgender politician elected in Virginia, is shown in the ad taking hormone medication and putting on eye makeup. In a voice-over, she tells viewers that her gender identity shouldnt be newsworthy or political.

This is just who I am, Roem continues, before the video fades to the faces of smiling teens. There are millions of transgender people in the country, and we all deserve representation in government.

A statement released with the video says the ad is a response to a comment Marshall made earlier this month to a reporter from the Prince Williams Times, who quoted Marshall as saying: "Why do you call Danica a female? Did Danica's DNA change?"

When Delegate Marshall said that, his lack of understanding and empathy werent just disrespectful toward me, personally, Roem, 32, says in the statement. He once again attacked every person in our community, including the teenagers in this video, who hes singled out and stigmatized through his 26 years of discriminatory social policies designed to tear our community apart instead of unite us around our common needs.



Democratic candidate Danica Roem D), left, and Del. Robert G. Marshall R). (J. Lawler Duggan for The Washington Post; Steve Helber/AP)

[Marshall wont debate Roem. He says her supporters would call him a bigot.]

Marshall, 75, is a staunch conservative in Virginia's House of Delegates who this year unsuccessfully sought to pass a "bathroom bill" to regulate where transgender people can use restrooms inside government buildings. He said Tuesday that the Prince William Times quoted him accurately.

You can change appearances, but your DNA fixes your bodily structures for your entire life, Marshall said, citing research he said he conducted at the National Library of Medicine. Danica will never get cervical cancer. Danica cant get ovarian cancer because those body parts are not part of a male structure.

Marshall, who frequently uses male pronouns when referring to Roem, predicted that his opponents YouTube ad will backfire.

If Danica wants to make what he thinks is his change an issue, Im going to talk about Route 28, Marshall said, referring to the congested thoroughfare that is a top concern of voters in the Prince William County district. Hes making up stories all over the place, including about his sexual identity.

Roem until now has mostly played down her gender identity in the 13th District race, campaigning on traffic congestion and other problems that she says Marshall has done little to fix during his 25 years in office. So far, she has outraised Marshall 5 to 1, collecting $370,000, much of it from out of state.

Roem's campaign to oust the longtime incumbent comes as gender identity has moved to the center of American social and political discourse. Hit television shows such as "Transparent" have drawn attention to the transgender community and related issues. Politicians are sparring over restroom policies and whether transgender people should be able to serve openly in the U.S. military.

View Graphic The latest stories and details on the 2017 Virginia general election and race for governor.

It remains unclear how and whether such debates will influence voters in Prince William County, a suburban and exurban jurisdiction about 35 miles west of Washington that has shifted from staunchly Republican to more of a swing district in recent years.

Marshall has kept a low profile in the lead-up to the Nov. 7 election, refusing to debate Roem or to appear at forums with her, and declining requests from The Washington Post to join him as he campaigns.

Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, said the candidates spat over gender identity will probably appeal only to their bases in an election that will probably be decided by voters from the middle of the political spectrum.

The most appealing argument that one can make to swing voters is a very local, policy-driven argument, Farnsworth said. Transportation in Northern Virginia, the quality of schools. These are the sorts of issues that are going to persuade voters who havent reflexively made up their mind to vote for the Republican or the Democrat.
The mainlands State Council appointed on Friday Zhang Xiaoming as the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, replacing Wang Guangya.

The 54-year-old Zhang was formerly the director of the Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Departing from Hong Kong on Friday morning, the mainlands China Daily reported that he urged Hong Kong residents to believe in both Hong Kong and in China, reiterating the stance taken by President Xi Jingping during his visit on the 20th anniversary of the handover.

His comments came just two days before Carrie Lam, Hong Kongs chief executive, told reporters that Beijing was not seeking to tighten its political control over the HKSAR.

According to Hong Kongs EJ Insight, Lam said that Beijing has never wavered from upholding its One Country, Two Systems policy toward to semi-autonomous region.

Lam also said that the recent appointment of Zhang was not reflective of a crackdown from the Chinese capital, adding that she does not understand why the public has been so concerned about it.

Hong Kong has been a thorn in Beijings side in recent years, as mass protests led by vocal critics have taken to the streets. The situation escalated late last year after two lawmakers were barred from taking office when a legal interpretation from the mainland ruled their official oaths were invalid.

Zhang joined the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in the 1980s as a junior official. He was promoted to deputy director in 2004 and appointed director of the Liaison Office of Hong Kong in 2012.
The man accused of opening fire at a church near Nashville on Sunday, leaving one parishioner dead and six wounded, had previous encounters with local police, including one after a relative worried he was suicidal, according to police records released Monday.

Police were called twice this year for domestic disputes between Emanuel Kidega Samson and a woman described as his girlfriend, though no arrests were made in either case. The woman was not among the victims Sunday.

Samsons father also called police in June to report that Samson had sent a text message suggesting he was having suicidal thoughts.

Nashville police have charged Samson, 25, with one count of murder and said additional charges will follow. The FBI and the Justice Department have launched a hate-crime investigation into the shooting at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tenn.

Samson is black and moved to the United States from Sudan when he was a child. The church has a predominately white congregation.



Emanuel Kidega Samson. (Metro Nashville Police Department via AP)

On Monday night, several hundred people gathered in a field next to the boarded-up church for a candlelight vigil.

The racially diverse group of parishioners, neighbors and area residents sang religious hymns while faith leaders and Nashvilles mayor pleaded for harmony.

One of the speakers at the vigil was Dimas Salaberrios, an African-American preacher from Brooklyn who flew to Nashville to help console the community. Salaberrios noted he had also been in Charleston, S.C. two years ago after Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, killed nine people in a shooting rampage at a black church there.

The devil tried to start a race war there and I believe he is trying to start one here but he will not be victorious, Salaberrios said to a smattering of amens.

Nashvilles mayor, Megan Barry, also pleaded for the community to not pre-judge the motivations behind the shooting.

I want the people of Nashville to know we are a community that lifts up others and that is what we are here to do tonight, Barry said. And over the next few days and months we will know what happened to this particular person.

Several parishioners who were inside the church during the shooting said they are still trying to process what happened. Several said they are eagerly awaiting more news about the suspects motives but are already prepared to forgive him.

He is a young man and we are praying for him and for his family, said Brenda Andersen, 58. Only he can answer why he did this.

Desi Smith, who is black and an associate pastor at another nearby church, said she doubts the incident will inflame racial or ethnic tensions in Nashville, a city where the faith community has historically embraced refugees and immigrants.

But whenever there is a difference in races, there is always a chance for it to become racially motivated, Smith said. I was wondering why they opened a civil rights investigation -- I guess they are looking at something - but probably its just someone disgruntled.

At least thats what I pray, she added.

The gunfire erupted while worshipers were gathered in the sanctuary for Sunday morning services, praying at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, which Samson used to attend. Police said Samson told them he was armed with a handgun when he opened fire outside the church.

The worshipers who were shot and survived were between the ages of 64 and 83, according to police. All but one remained hospitalized in stable condition Monday, officials said.

Police said Monday that Samson had two semiautomatic pistols on him when he entered the church. Both were still loaded with multiple rounds after the shooting ended, and Samson was wearing a tactical vest with three more loaded magazines of ammunition, said Don Aaron, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

At a news briefing Monday, Aaron said authorities are continuing to investigate the motive, and he declined to answer a question about whether the shooting was random or targeted.

According to the Nashville police, Samson said he arrived at the church at about 10:55 a.m. Sunday. He sat in his car, police said, waiting for several minutes before church let out.

Samson then began to shoot when he saw Melanie Crow Smith, 39, of Smyrna, in the parking lot. Smith died at the scene. According to Nashville police accounts, Samson then charged into the church and began firing randomly, hitting six people inside, all without seeming to say a word.

Police have not said whether there was any relationship between Samson and Smith or whether anyone was targeted on Sunday.

Also injured was Robert Caleb Engle, whom police identified as a church usher. Engle confronted Samson and was pistol-whipped. As the two men struggled, police said, Samsons gun went off, hitting him in the chest, and he fell to the floor.

Engle, despite his head injuries, ran out to his car in the parking lot and retrieved a pistol, police said in a statement. He held Samson at gunpoint until police arrived.

Samson was treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center  the same facility that on Monday was still treating people shot at the church. After Samson was discharged, still wearing blue medical scrubs, he was taken to jail. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning.

No attorney of record was listed for Samson on Monday, according to the office of the criminal court clerk, which said attorneys are normally not appointed until a persons initial appearance.

A June 27 police report says that Samson sent a text to his father at 12:23 a.m. that read: Your phone is off, I have a gun to my head, have a nice [expletive] life. Vanasio Samson saw it about seven hours later and tried to call his son, the police report said, while officers were dispatched to an apartment in Murfreesboro that is Samsons last known address.

The officers who arrived at that location could not find Samson, and his car was not there. His phone was traced to an address in Nashville, the report states.

Sgt. Kyle Evans, a spokesman for the Murfreesboro police, said Monday that Nashville police contacted Samson at the address where his phone pinged, but he told officers he was not suicidal. Because of his demeanor, and the fact that he was at work, he was deemed not to be a threat to himself and the case was closed without any arrests.

In a January police report, an officer who responded to a reported domestic disturbance said a woman identified as Samsons girlfriend had gotten into an argument with him. The woman said Samson had punched a small television, breaking it and cutting his hand, dripping blood on the floor. Samson also broke a small figurine, the woman said, adding that she tried to leave the room but he demanded she speak with him. The woman also said Samson took her phone to look at whom she had been talking to, the report states, so she went to a neighbors to call the police.

Samson reiterated what the woman said, the report notes, and she opted not to seek a vandalism warrant.

Six weeks later, police were called to the same address for another domestic dispute. Samson told the officer that he and the woman no longer dated and he was trying to break off contact with her, but she keeps coming around, the report stated. In the report, Samson is quoted saying that the woman banged on his door, got loud when he spoke with her and then pushed the door open when he tried to close it.

Mr. Samson stated that he was in fear because she has struck him in the past, the report stated. Mr. Samson advised there was no assault or threats today.

Samsons ex-girlfriend told police that she came over because Samson told her to and because she has property in his apartment, the officer wrote. The officer got the womans things out of the apartment and the woman left and was told not to come back, the report concludes.

Devlin Barrett and Julie Tate contributed to this report.


A family crosses a river in Morovis, Puerto Rico. Residents of the San Lorenzo neighborhood have to wade across to the main part of the city because Hurricane Maria washed away a key bridge. (Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo/For The Washington Post)

There was once a bridge here, connecting the neighborhood of San Lorenzo with the city center, connecting a community with the necessities of American life: supermarkets, gas stations, emergency services.

But Hurricane Maria was unkind to this place and that bridge. In the searing heat, families now trudge through murky, waist-deep water with grocery bags on their heads, large chunks of cement along the riverbed the only evidence that a crossing ever existed.

The storms devastation here in the central mountains outside San Juan was among Puerto Ricos worst, and the bridge collapse was an added insult. Now thousands of residents are sequestered in their toppled town, away from local officials, federal help, food, fuel, water and medicine.

The only way out of the residential neighborhood is to swim across the river or drive at least three hours around a mountain, a near-impossibility because of the scarcity of gas. Residents tied a fallen cable wire across the river in an attempt to send food and water across. As of Monday afternoon, it hadnt worked.

Elderly and ailing residents of San Lorenzo have no way of accessing medical treatment. On Saturday, three people helped a man on dialysis cross the river in a float fashioned out of a car tire. Once on the other side, his son placed him on the back of a horse and trotted to a hospital, said San Lorenzo resident Antonio Ojeda, who works in the mayors office.

I feel trapped, said Genesis Matta, a 25-year-old resident.

[Hot, isolated and running out of supplies, parts of Puerto Rico near desperation]

Five days after Maria battered the city of Morovis, 37 miles southwest of San Juan, residents and local officials said they had received no help from Puerto Rican officials and had no contact with federal agencies. Puerto Ricans across the island have echoed those frustrations as advocates off the island have begun to put pressure on the Trump administration to speed up help to U.S. citizens who have long felt disconnected from the mainland  but perhaps have never felt so alone. President Trump on Tuesday praised his administrations response to the disaster and announced that he plans to visit Puerto Rico next week.

[Trump administration facing pressure to speed up recovery in Puerto Rico]

The mayor of Morovis, Carmen Maldonado, appeared out of breath and on the verge of tears Monday as she spoke about the calamities in her town. She was on her way to break into a high school cafeteria with police to get food for residents from the pantries there. The high school was being used as a shelter to house more than 70 people.

There is no gasoline, not even for the ambulances, Maldonado said, noting that the governor had promised to send supplies. Lies. Where is the food? Where is the water?

Thousands of homes in the town were completely destroyed. One supermarket was open, but there were no functioning gas stations. It had been impossible for many residents to access water, so local officials opened a fire hydrant.

They are entering crisis, Maldonado said.

At about 2 p.m. Monday, a caravan of vehicles pulled up to the river, carrying a group of law enforcement officials. Some had patches on their sleeves displaying four letters long awaited in many parts of Puerto Rico: FEMA.



Search-and-rescue team members from Montgomery County, Md., wait for instructions in Morovis, Puerto Rico. (Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo/For The Washington Post)

The team of Montgomery County search-and-rescue officials had flown in from Maryland the day before to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency with recovery efforts. On Monday, they were tasked with visiting some of the hardest-hit towns on the island, scouting damage and assessing community needs. They made their way to the rivers edge.

Manolo Gonzalez, who owns one of the only restaurants in San Lorenzo, near the river, asked FEMA officials for fuel for his generator, so he could power his icemaker. He hoped to set up his restaurant as a place for local residents to get ice  particularly his diabetic neighbors who were unable to keep their insulin cold.

View Graphic Marias deluge on Puerto Rico

Other members of the FEMA team helped replace the utility cable stretching across the river with a stronger wire. But that wire was among the only supplies they would be able to leave in the town: They were unable to cross the river. They brought no food or water and had only minimal medical supplies for emergencies.

A Bureau of Land Management official who was providing security for the FEMA team looked across the water.

Its like being on 9/11, watching the towers fall and not being able to do anything about it, said the official, who declined to give his name. Its a feeling of helplessness.

Another member of the team pointed to the families slowly pushing through the water on foot: If someone doesnt do something about this, eventually someone is going to get killed.

Did you just watch this group? said another. There were old people, there were kids.



Like thousands of other homes in Morovis, Wilfredo Cruzs house was destroyed by Hurricane Maria. (Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo/For The Washington Post)

When the FEMA team walked into the Morovis city hall, the mayor was in a frenzy. Maldonado asked the rescuers to go to the town shelter  the high school  to take stock of the needs. There, they met in a classroom with the shelters organizers.

How many days can you last on your diesel? a FEMA official asked. Less than 24 hours, the shelter leader said. They were running low on water and would have food for only a week. One man, who had lost his legs months before the storm, was in need of medical treatment.

Wheres the closest hospital? FEMA representatives asked.

All of the closest hospitals are closed, the shelter organizer responded.



FEMA first responders work in an area near the San Lorenzo neighborhood of Morovis. (Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo/For The Washington Post)

The needs of the town are urgent, but the federal assessment is moving slowly, underscoring the logistical challenges many responders are facing across Puerto Rico. Roads are blocked, seaports and airports are closed or barely functioning, power is out, and cellphone service is limited.

At one point the team members waited outside a school for about an hour because they had lost contact with the mayor, and they struggled to transmit information to the command center by satellite radio. Most of them did not speak Spanish, and none knew their way around the area  at one point they had difficulty locating an address because they couldnt find it on Google Maps.

[Island of Vieques remains in the dark, and silent, since Hurricane Maria hit]

The team members said they would be reporting Moroviss needs to the command center so that the emergency management team could coordinate how to get supplies there. But when asked how long it would take for water, food and gasoline to arrive in the town, the FEMA officials did not have an answer.

And for residents, particularly those in San Lorenzo, the clock is ticking. Six elderly people who usually receive daily care from nurses were in dire need of medical attention. Other residents had been cut and injured by the machetes they used to chop up trees and clear streets.

Genesis Matta, a nurse who lives in San Lorenzo, said a cancer patient showed up at her home Sunday, asking her to help with his catheter. But she had none of the necessary equipment to do so  he would have to go to the nearest hospital, two hours away.

My heart hurts because I wanted to help him, Matta said. If seven days went by, he could get an infection.

Meanwhile, throngs of people from across Puerto Rico and beyond have streamed to the river in San Lorenzo, hoping to reach their families on the other side.

Ana Zayas and Jaime Marquez flew into San Juans airport from Boston on Monday and drove straight to San Lorenzo. Their flight, which had been scheduled before the hurricane hit, had been delayed until the airport could handle it. They hadnt heard from their San Lorenzo relatives since before Maria stormed through, and when they saw the collapsed bridge, they were stunned.

Ken Chan, 28, had not heard from his 9-year-old son or his sons mother since the hurricane had passed. After driving from his home in Arecibo, he stood at the end of the road overlooking the river and the homes scattered in the mountains on the other side.

At least I can see the house, and it looks intact, he said. That eases my mind.

He decided to attempt the journey across the rushing water. Who doesnt want to see their son right now? he said.

But he didnt make it. After getting halfway across, the water became too intimidating, the rocks too slippery.

He turned around and waded back.


On Monday, people sit in an apartment damaged by Hurricane Maria. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Trump administration is under pressure to speed up recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where conditions in the wake of Hurricane Maria have become raw and primitive amid an intensifying fear that the worst of the crisis is yet to come.

Prominent Democrats, while not directly criticizing the Trump administration, offered pointed advice. Hillary Clinton on Twitter urged the Navy to send in the relief ship USNS Comfort  which instead is docked in Norfolk, sidelined because the Navy does not believe the compromised ports in the islands can handle the big ship right now.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the administration must act immediately to make available additional Department of Defense resources for search-and-rescue operations, law enforcement and transportation needs.

The administration said Monday that its response has been robust. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is coordinating the recovery effort, said 10,000 federal employees have been deployed to the Caribbean. The Coast Guard has sent in 13 ships known as cutters. Commercial barges are arriving with relief supplies. The National Guard is being housed on barges and on a cruise ship that arrived this weekend.

[Hot, isolated and running out of supplies, parts of Puerto Rico near desperation]

However, officials leading the response and recovery admit theyre facing serious logistical challenges, starting with damage to the ports and airports. Many of those facilities have been reopened just within the past day or two, but only for daytime operations, because of safety concerns. Radar and control tower capabilities are low, limiting the pace of incoming flights.

For people on the islands, help is arriving glacially. In interviews, some have questioned why theres so little sign, or no sign at all, of government agencies.



Maria Antonia Perez Rivera looks on from her battered residence Monday in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Carlos Giusti/Associated Press)

Cellphone service is coming back in some places, but it is spotty. The lack of information, and the inability to travel on interior roads blocked by debris and fallen trees, has meant ongoing fear for the well-being of loved ones in inaccessible places.

How are we supposed to receive help if no one knows we are here? said Lisandra Alicea, tearing up as she carried a grocery bag filled with juice, crackers, toilet paper and batteries, hoping to make it through the debris-clogged roads to visit her mother in the small mountain barrio of Hayales. She hadnt heard from her mother since communications failed as Maria blew in on Wednesday.

Please, you have to tell people that we are here, that we exist, she told a reporter. We are like the forgotten community.

[If anyone can hear us ... help. Puerto Ricos mayors describe widespread devastation from Hurricane Maria]

In the small town of Morovis, Soraida Sierra Matias looked over the remnants of her wooden home, ripped to pieces by the storm. She had heard nothing, nor received any help, from local or federal officials. What she really needs, she said, is some canned food, and perhaps a little gas stove so she can cook and camp out in what was once her home.

People are going crazy, her husband, Wilfredo Cruz, said.

Amid news reports of horrific conditions in the U.S. island territories, President Trump on Monday night reeled off a series of tweets that called attention to the infrastructure problems in Puerto Rico predating the arrival of Maria: Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble.. ...Its old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars.... ...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities  and doing well. #FEMA.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, in an interview with PBS on Monday, praised the help from the Trump administration and said the president has been very attentive to the situation, calling him personally several times. We have been working together. We have been getting results, Rossello said.

Federal officials say theres no way aid can reach the islands as quickly as it reached Texas or Florida after they were slammed with hurricanes in recent weeks.

"Puerto Rico is an island a thousand miles away from Miami, so help just can't physically arrive as fast it did to Florida after Hurricane Irma," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Peter Brown said. "We simply can't drive thousands of power trucks to Puerto Rico to help on power restoration."

[Island of Vieques remains isolated and silent since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico]

Adm. Paul Zukunft, the Coast Guard commandant, told reporters Monday on a flight to Puerto Rico that, because of the inability to reach the islands except by air or sea, the situation is much worse than Harvey, much worse than Irma.

He said he understands why people feel forgotten. They feel isolated, and theyre probably getting a sense of betrayal, of well, Where is the cavalry?  Zukunft said.

He acknowledged that conditions could become yet more trying for those who live on the islands.

"We're not even a week into this without power. It's hot. People don't have roofs over their heads," he said. "I think there is a sense of desperation, and I think with that comes a certain amount of depression."



A flooded street in San Juan is seen Monday, five days after Hurricane Maria arrived in Puerto Rico. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Federal officials say the reopening of ports is key to disaster recovery because ships can carry far more cargo than aircraft. Brown said air relief often has a more dramatic appearance, but ships are necessary for a humanitarian crisis of this scale.

An island like Puerto Rico or St. Thomas is fed and supplied by the sea. Ultimately the mass of response is going to come by sea, and getting the ports open is the single best thing the Coast Guard can do to get Puerto Rico back on its feet, said Brown, who as 7th District commander oversees operations in the islands.

The lack of electrical power is undermining much of the response and leading to cascading effects, including disabled water and sewer systems. The electric grid was catastrophically damaged, including 80 percent of the transmission lines that form the grids high-voltage backbone, Ken Buell, director of emergency response and recovery for the Department of Energy, told The Washington Post.

He said the generating stations, which are largely on the south side of the island, fared relatively well during the hurricane. But only the underground lines remain functioning on the transmission system, and the distribution system  carrying power to homes and businesses  is 100 percent dysfunctional, Buell said.

To repair the grid, he said, will cost billions of dollars.

William Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Monday as he traveled to the Caribbean islands that the U.S. territories are getting the same treatment as any other place in the United States after a disaster.

The response standard is the same for the islands as it is for anywhere else in the country, Long said. We will not spare any effort to support survivors of this storm.



Downed plantain trees in Dorado, Puerto Rico. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The military defended its deployment decisions to date. The Navy has three amphibious ships working on relief efforts in the islands: the USS Kearsarge, the USS Oak Hill and the USS Wasp. Thats a modest fleet given the scale of the crisis. Conspicuously absent is the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that can house more sailors, planes and helicopters.

The Lincoln had been deployed to the Florida Keys in response to Hurricane Irma, and it served as a powerful symbol of an active military response to the Category 4 storm that hit the lower Keys before traveling up the state of Florida.

But the Lincoln turned over responsibilities to smaller ships and returned to port in Norfolk last week  at roughly the same time that Maria intensified, becoming a major storm that threatened Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands.

Thomas LaCrosse, the Pentagons director of defense support to civil authorities, said U.S. officials discussed deploying the USNS Comfort to Puerto Rico over the weekend but decided that it should stay in Norfolk because it could not get close enough to any port to avoid using helicopter support to get patients to and from the ship. It made more sense, he said, to bring medical support into Puerto Rico by U.S. military aircraft, such as C-17 cargo jets.

Pressed on why the Comfort and Lincoln were not sent, LaCrosse said the Puerto Rican government did not request them.

We have great capability, but we cannot send it unless the state  or in this case territorial  government asks for it, he said.

In San Juan, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who had taken an aerial tour of the devastation, said the U.S. government has to ensure that the response to the hurricane is the same as it would be in any other territory or state in this nation. Puerto Rico has now been hit, he said, by three storms: Irma, Maria and the fiscal crisis that its had to confront. The U.S. territory is struggling with its debt-ridden finances.

Four lawmakers  Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez (D-N.Y.), who represents parts of Brooklyn but was born in Puerto Rico; Puerto Rico's non-voting representative Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R); Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-N.Y.); and Darren Soto (D-Fla.)  on Monday called on the Trump administration to establish a new federal entity to address the island's unique situation. The lawmakers also want the administration to provide relief from the pressing economic issues facing the island's government.

Senior congressional aides in both parties said Sunday that FEMA isn't expected to ask Congress for more money to replenish its federal Disaster Relief Fund until mid-October, signaling that agency officials believe they have the cash and equipment needed right now to respond to the island's devastation in addition to ongoing recovery efforts on the mainland.

Regardless, lawmakers without direct ties to the island, but who have states with growing Puerto Rican populations, were also clamoring for a faster response.

Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.), who represents a state with growing Puerto Rican voting blocs in cities like New London, New Haven and Hartford, said Monday that the economic crisis in Puerto Rico "has officially devolved into a humanitarian disaster."

"For decades, Washington has neglected our obligations to the island. We've denied Puerto Rico's residents  American citizens  vital human services and adequate health care funding, and there's no doubt in my mind that our negligence made the devastation in Puerto Rico even worse," Murphy said.

Monday night, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) issued one of the sharpest criticisms yet of the administrations disaster response in Puerto Rico, calling it wholly inadequate.

A territory of 3.5 million American citizens is almost completely without power, water, food, and telephone service, and we have a handful of helicopters involved in DODs response. Its a disgrace, Smith said.



Residents from La Perla carry a piece of metal through the streets after Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Monday. (Carlos Giusti/AP)

Samantha Schmidt in Morovis, Puerto Rico, Daniel Cassady in Hayales, Puerto Rico, and Aaron Davis and Ed OKeefe in Washington contributed to this report.
Columnist

Maybe the Senate janitors closet was already booked?

For Mondays hearing on the Cassidy-Graham bill to repeal Obamacare  the one and only hearing scheduled on the measure  Republicans trying to hurry it through Congress gave every sign that they did not want to be noticed.

Senate hearing rooms that could have fit hundreds were left idle Monday afternoon, and instead Republicans chose one that could fit just 30 members of the public, leaving hundreds waiting in the hall outside. Many reporters, too, were turned away  the better to avoid scrutiny.

Or so they thought. But the attempt at concealment backfired.

The moment Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) hammered the gavel, about 20 disabilities rights activists in the room  the bulk of the public gallery  broke into a chant: No cuts to Medicaid! Save our liberty!

Hatch hammered the gavel, ineffectually. After 10 minutes, he called a recess. Capitol Police cuffed the activists, several in wheelchairs, and carried or wheeled them from the room.

[Reasonable Republicans are betraying us, too]

Hatch returned after seven minutes and started scolding: If you cant be in order then get the heck out! . . . Shut that door and keep it shut!

Who he was yelling at wasnt clear, because after the mayhem the cops had allowed only five spectators to remain in the room  and three of them looked like lobbyists.

Thats right: Five members of the public allowed to witness the lone hearing for a plan that would cut more than a trillion dollars from health care, deny health insurance to millions and dump the whole health-care mess on ill-equipped states.

Im so sorry about this process, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the Cassidy in Cassidy-Graham, testified to the panel.

He should be. Its a sorry process.

Republicans complained about Democrats enacting sweeping health-care legislation without GOP votes; now theyre attempting to pass, with only GOP votes, legislation that would shift funds from blue states to red states.

They complained that they didnt have time to read Obamacare before it was passed; the Cassidy-Graham bill was still being rewritten Monday with a vote required by the end of the week  because Republicans are using the same budget process they blasted Democrats for using with Obamacare.

They complained (falsely) that Democrats didnt wait for the Congressional Budget Office to say how much the bill would cost; theyre now proceeding without such an analysis.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Judiciary Committee chairman, essentially acknowledged that whats in the bill doesnt matter. I could maybe give you 10 reasons why this bill shouldnt be considered, he said last week. But Republicans campaigned on this so often that you have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign. Thats pretty much as much of a reason as the substance of the bill.

Now this sorry process is heading to a sorry end.

Obamacare repeal failed in the Senate. Then skinny repeal failed. And now, last-ditch Cassidy-Graham is foundering. Trump acknowledged as much when he tweeted Sunday: Eventually well win, whether its now or later.

A sure sign of trouble  ever more extravagant vote-buying.

[The real reason health care in America is a mess]

Republicans howled about the goodies handed out to reluctant senators to win their votes for Obamacare  the Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase. Back in the spring, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the Graham in Cassidy-Graham, warned, if they start doing that crap, theyre going to lose me.

Now hes doing it. He added cash for states such as Alaska and Maine  some Polar Payola and a Caribou Cashout for a wavering Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and a Bangor Bribe as a Down East Inducement for a skeptical Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). But he risks losing them with the Cowboy Compensation he added to buy Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.)  making it easier for insurers to avoid covering maternity care, older people and people with preexisting conditions. He even offered a Creole Kickback to his co-author Cassidy, a provision boosting states such as Louisiana that were late to expand Medicaid.

On Monday afternoon, Republicans reaped the chaos they sowed. Even after the protesters were removed from the room, the chants of hundreds of protesters in the hall could still be heard in the committee room: Fight! Shame! As cops strapped demonstrators to chairs and pushed them to elevators, protesters (181 of whom were arrested) screamed: Kill the bill! Dont kill us!

In the hearing room, Democratic senators were only slightly milder: A disgrace! said Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.). Sen. Mark Warner (Va.) saw a travesty. And Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) proclaimed that nobody is going to buy a lemon just because its the last car on the lot.

Wyden was so tough on co-author Cassidy that Hatch interrupted to ask for respect for Cassidy. This is not easy for him, the chairman said.

Selling this turkey? You bet it isnt easy.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbank's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Samuel G. Freedman, a former religion columnist for the New York Times, is the author of books including Jew vs. Jew: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry.

The Days of Awe, Judaisms sacred time of penitence, happen to coincide with each autumns election season. In worship on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and in contemplation during the surrounding days, Jews are expected to engage in heshbon ha-nefesh  taking stock of ones soul. And atonement for sin is to be achieved through prayer, charitable giving and, most of all, the repentance called tshuva.

These concepts, of course, inform many other major religions. Islam asks its faithful to practice tawbah, meaning repentance or regret. Catholicism calls on its believers to regularly enter the confessional booth in the sacrament of reconciliation. In the secular world, South Africa's post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission operated under the twin precepts of forgiveness and repentance.

As I mark the High Holy Days for the 61st time in my life, I recall one act of tshuva as the most profound. Far from being explicitly Jewish, it involved a Christian politician and a particular church. And it is certainly the most relevant to this moment in U.S. history.

On a Sunday morning in 1979, an unexpected guest rolled his wheelchair up the aisle of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. During the citys 1956 bus boycott, the catalyst for the modern civil rights movement, this pulpit had belonged to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The man in the wheelchair had been Kings nemesis, the former governor and arch-segregationist George Wallace.

Other than an aide to help Wallace navigate the church sanctuary, a surprisingly small place for such a historical one, he brought no retainers and no reporters. Wallaces pilgrimage was not a media event but the imperative of a troubled soul.

Nobody in Dexter Avenue's pews that morning needed any reminder of Wallace's deeds. A racial moderate early in his political career, he had remade himself into a flaming bigot to win the statehouse. In his inauguration speech in 1963, he infamously declared, "Segregation now. Segregation tomorrow. Segregation forever." He made divisive political theater out of confronting Kennedy administration officials trying to desegregate the University of Alabama. Perhaps most notoriously of all, Wallace deployed the state troopers who brutally beat the nonviolent freedom marchers in Selma on "Bloody Sunday" of March 7, 1965.

Seven years later, running for president with the same demagogic style, Wallace fell victim to the turbulent times he helped to stir up. A would-be assassin shot him during a rally in Maryland, and Wallace was paralyzed and condemned to incessant pain.

Just as Judaic theology holds that self-affliction is the essential precursor to repentance  the reason Jews do not eat, drink, bathe or have sex on Yom Kippur  so Wallace was afflicted. And just as the social justice prophets of the Hebrew Bible declared that, more than punctilious performance of rituals, God wanted the Jewish people to act compassionately to the needy and oppressed, so Wallace was now doing something with his physical anguish.

The historian Stephan Lesher, in his biography of Wallace, quoted the governors words to the African American congregation: I have learned what suffering means. In a way that was impossible, I think I can understand something of the pain black people have come to endure. I know I contributed to that pain, and I can only ask your forgiveness.

Wallace indeed received it on that day, but his tshuva did not end there. In 1985, more than two years after he was elected governor for the fourth and final time, Wallace met privately with Coretta Scott King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson as they culminated a four-day reenactment of the second, successful march from Selma to Montgomery. Wallace appointed more than 160 African Americans to his administration, including as his press secretary. When the 30th anniversary of the Selma march took place in 1995, Wallace attended and sang "We Shall Overcome" with his former adversaries and victims.

Those gestures impressed many black Americans as acts of genuine contrition. Wallace won more than 90 percent of the black vote in his last race for governor. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who had been beaten unconscious on Bloody Sunday, wrote in a New York Times op-ed soon after Wallace's death in 1998: "I had to forgive him, because to do otherwise  to hate him  would only perpetuate the evil system we sought to destroy. George Wallace should be remembered for his capacity to change. And we are better as a nation because of our capacity to forgive and to acknowledge that our political leaders are human and largely a reflection of the social currents in the river of history."

Now, a generation later, there is no need to reiterate all the well-known and widely reported examples of our present political leaders stirring the cauldron of hatred for electoral advance. Nor is it necessary to call the names of those courtiers who have stood idly by amid the bigotry or made known their private misgivings only through self-serving leaks.

As Wallace recognized in his process of heshbon ha-nefesh, the past can never be changed or undone. A flawed human in search of a spark of morality can answer for it only with humbled, pained, hard-earned tshuva and with compassionate acts beyond the day of atonement. One of my personal prayers in these Days of Awe will be to live long enough to hear such repentance and witness such acts from the arsonists of our national conflagration.
Lennard Davis is distinguished professor of liberal arts and sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of Enabling Acts: The Hidden Story of How the Americans With Disabilities Act Gave the Largest U.S. Minority Its Rights. David Perry is a journalist and senior academic adviser to the history department at the University of Minnesota.

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 is perhaps the most wide-ranging civil rights act in the world. After decades of political struggle by disability rights activists and their allies, the ADA gave new rights to one-fifth of the population. It was a proud bipartisan accomplishment, passed by huge majorities in a Democratic-led Congress and signed by a Republican president.

But now, in this era of extreme partisanship, the future of the ADA is under threat. On a strict party-line vote, the House Judiciary Committee recently advanced legislation that would essentially make the ADA optional.

The bill, misleadingly called the ADA Education and Reform Act, is about neither education nor reform. Instead, it would make the ADA much harder to enforce, taking away the major motivation that businesses had for complying: fear of being sued.

If a business discriminates against people with disabilities under current law, a complainant could either bring a civil suit against the business or go directly to the Justice Department for action. This hard-nosed approach has made businesses think twice before refusing to comply with the ADA.

Opponents of the law have long argued that it is anti-business, but in fact protections for business have always been part of the equation. No one expects the "mom-and-pop" diner to have the same resources as big corporate chains such as Cracker Barrel, so business-friendly Republicans who helped craft the ADA provided several ways to avoid harming smaller enterprises. If complying with the law would cause "undue hardship" to the business, owners could opt out of the requirements of the law.

The proposed legislation offers a new system for disability rights: do nothing until someone notices, then stall for at least 120 days. If the bill becomes law of the land, business owners would have no incentive to preemptively build accessibility into their business model. They could just wait until someone needed access, shrug, deny access and address it months later. What about a person who needed an accessible hotel, restaurant or restroom immediately? What recourse would he or she have?

Those who support the proposed law often argue that the ADA mostly benefits a handful of lawyers who profit from frivolous lawsuits. Clint Eastwood once waved off a lawsuit against a resort he owns in California, describing the suit as based on people "lying to get money." Others have similarly argued that businesses should be given a timeout period to comply with the law after being told about violations.

But there is a major flaw to this logic: No one should arrive at a hotel, find out it is inaccessible and then have to wait months to be allowed inside. And when it comes to frivolous lawsuits, state bar associations are already well equipped to impose sanctions on unscrupulous lawyers through provisions included in the ADA.

The history of disability rights in this country is marked by many challenges yet to be resolved. But it is also marked by major victories such as the ADA. Activists, policy experts and politicians came together in a bipartisan manner to pass the law and redesign society. Before the ADA, much of the country was inaccessible to people with disabilities. But having added a host of accommodations, including curb cuts, ramps, closed captioning, accessible public transportation and American Sign Language interpreters, we have made unbelievable progress, and its thanks to leaders from across the political spectrum.

Such a feat could never happen today. The partisanship is just too intense. But that doesnt mean our fractured Congress should be allowed to disrupt almost three decades of making the United States better. We cant let a few bad lawyers and a few stingy business owners resurrect barriers weve worked so hard to tear down.
Voters cast their ballots at the town hall in the town of Dane, Wis., on Nov. 8, 2016. (Amber Arnold /Wisconsin State Journal via Associated Press)

Articles about gerrymandering, including the Sept. 23 front-page piece "Court case offers a peek at how lawmakers pick their voters," should include a reminder that the real cost of rampant partisan map-drawing goes far beyond mere politics and deeply into policymaking and the quality of governance.

Far more important than the Republican vs. Democrat head count after a gerrymandered election is the type of Republican or Democrat elected. As Wisconsin state Sen. Mark Miller (D) said about being safe enough to not have to worry as much about constituents who disagree with him, I dont think that makes me a better legislator. Indeed. Not having to understand, care about or take into account voters in the other party has increasingly contributed to the kind of compromise-phobic gridlock and partisan free-fire zone that is crippling our governance today.

The Supreme Court must step in to reverse the trend.

Thomas M. Sneeringer, Washington
THE GERMAN party Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is anti-immigration, anti-Europe-bailout and very anti-Angela Merkel, the chancellor who was just reelected to a fourth term. Founded only four years ago in protest of European bailouts for Greece and riding the backlash to refugees flooding Germany, the AfD reaped 12.6 percent of the vote Sunday and won a place for the first time in the Bundestag. The party was buoyed by social-media campaigns of the kind Russia has used elsewhere  faceless bots that multiply messages over and over. Once again, the Kremlin's quest to disrupt democracy, divide the West and erode the rules-based liberal international order may have found a toehold.

Germany's election watchers say that Russia probably eschewed the kind of blatant interference that it carried out last year in the U.S. election, but that it did its best to support the AfD. In the final hours of the campaign, online supporters of the AfD began warning their base of possible election fraud, and the online alarms were "driven by anonymous troll accounts and boosted by a Russian-language botnet," according to the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab. Earlier, trolls linked to Russia offered continuous support for the AfD and its anti-immigrant message. Russian state-owned media often provided the party's leaders a platform in the Russian-speaking community in Germany.

[Germanys election gives the country a reality check]

The AfDs success will force Ms. Merkel to negotiate with two smaller parties to form a governing coalition, effectively narrowing her political options. Ms. Merkels weakened position is partially due to her refugee stand, but it also reflects a fragmenting political environment in Europe, providing an opening for the AfD and other illiberal parties. President Vladimir Putin of Russia has wasted no time exploiting this. He made little secret of his impatience with Ms. Merkel as she steadfastly defended sanctions in response to Russias subversion of Ukraine and seizure of Crimea, among other things. Mr. Putin would like nothing better than to generate doubts, fog, cracks and uncertainty around the German pillar of Europe. He relishes infiltrating chaos and mischief into open societies. In this case, supporting the far-right AfD is extraordinarily cynical, given how many millions of Russians died to defeat the Nazi fascists seven decades ago.

A normal U.S. president would have something rather blunt to say about the victory of the AfD and the larger, ominous rise of illiberalism across the continent and the globe. A normal president of either party would speak out against hatemongering and racism, and salute those in Germany who have embraced democracy, rule of law and human rights. And such a president would be leading a discussion in the West about how to combat Russian interference in Western democracies. President Trump rarely raises his voice about these values but is strangely full of empathy for autocrats such as Mr. Putin.

Ms. Merkel's main rival, Martin Schulz of the faltering Social Democrats, called the AfD "the gravediggers of democracy." Maybe that is going too far, but it seems prudent to raise the alarm now that gravediggers are coming for democracy, before they begin to sink their shovels into the earth.
FOUR HOURS before President Trump's ban on travel from six majority-Muslim countries expired on Sunday, the White House issued a new proclamation  this time also barring entry into the United States by certain citizens of North Korea, Venezuela and Chad. Now in its third iteration, the travel ban has been steadily watered down from Mr. Trump's promised "Muslim ban." But the fact that some Christians are now also forbidden from entering the country does little to recommend the policy.

The second version of Mr. Trumps travel ban, revised after the courts blocked the first from going into effect, called for a temporary halt on travel while the Department of Homeland Security prepared a report on the adequacy of vetting procedures across the globe. This third order limits entry from countries that the department determined did not provide sufficient information to confirm that their citizens were not security threats.

Of the majority-Muslim nations included in the second order, travel from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia remains limited, while restrictions have been removed from Sudan. Travelers from Iraq are not barred from the United States but will face additional scrutiny. The ban is a patchwork of different standards for different countries: Travel from Syria and North Korea is entirely banned, while only certain Venezuelan government officials will be denied entry.

Mr. Trumps latest order may be the result of a more considered process than were the first two versions. But the end product is still lacking in sense. Travel to the United States from North Korea is practically nonexistent  so why ban it? Likewise, the order indicates that Venezuelan officials will be barred as a punitive measure given their failure to cooperate  but what does this have to do with national security, the bans ostensible purpose? And why include Chad, a U.S. ally crucial to military efforts against the Boko Haram terrorist organization? It may be the case that Chads government failed to provide the requested vetting documentation. But if Mr. Trumps main concern is counterterrorism, the blow to the U.S.-Chad partnership means that this designation will do more harm than good.

There's no evidence that limiting travel from any of these countries will have a significant effect on Americans' safety. Even the Department of Homeland Security concluded shortly after the first travel ban that a person's citizenship has little to do with the likelihood of their posing a threat. Research shows that the majority of recent terrorist attacks on U.S. soil have been carried out by Americans.

It says a great deal about Mr. Trumps leadership that we have little reason to presume the addition of Venezuela and North Korea to be anything more than a fig leaf to disguise a would-be Muslim ban. Meanwhile, the clock is still ticking toward the Oct. 24 expiration date of the presidents ban on refugee entry into the country. We must hope that any revised refugee policy will be more than prejudice in search of justification.
Columnist

Forgive me for starting with a cliche: Beware of what you wish for. I apply it today to the impeachment of President Trump, which is as fervently desired by liberals as it is currently unlikely. Still, with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III raiding homes and the FBI tapping phones, the unlikely is looking ever more likely. Sooner or later, Mueller is going to have to start dropping shoes.

Trump is a dust storm of lies and diversions with the bellows of a bully and the greasy ethics of a street-corner hustler. The chances of him passing Muellers muster are slim. Just for starters, the firing of James B. Comey as FBI director raises questions of obstruction of justice, and the appointments of Paul Manafort as campaign chairman and Michael Flynn as national security adviser emit the Kremlinesque scent of borscht. The possible crimes line up like boxcars being assembled for a freight train. Trump is a one-man docket.

Still, it's not clear that a president can be indicted, only impeached by the House and tried by the Senate. The framers set the bar appropriately high  a majority of the House, two-thirds of the Senate  so high, in fact, that it has never happened. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached, but acquitted by the Senate. Richard Nixon leaped before he was pushed. He resigned rather than await the inevitable.

For impeachment-crazed Trump critics  at least one bill has already been introduced  Nixon is not a precedent but a cautionary tale. He resigned only after the White House tapes revealed that he had obstructed justice. He incriminated himself. The evidence was so stark that several Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee who had opposed Nixon's impeachment reversed their positions. In the Senate, Nixon had no more than 18 supporters. The president gathered his things and summoned the helicopter.

[America has a racial demagogue for a president]

Nothing similar is likely to happen with Trump. He's probably not going to be found admitting on tape to some crime a la his "Access Hollywood" confession  and, like Nixon, retaining the evidence. Instead, any alleged crime is likely to be fuzzy, complicated  amenable to a tweetable defense. Trump's somewhat shrinking fan base is not likely to abandon him. They already know he's a liar and cheat  but he's their liar and cheat.

In a speech last week, Arthur Eisenberg, the legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, warned, "There should be no impeachment unless the case for impeachment were overwhelming." If that were not the case, he went on, "Trump's supporters would feel that they were deprived of their electoral victory."

Eisenbergs caution is well founded. Trump has already prepped his supporters to believe that an influx of illegal immigrants almost stole the election from him. He has labeled uncomfortable truths fake news or, in the Orwellian concoction of Kellyanne Conway, alternative facts. He would surely lie in his own defense. He almost certainly would tolerate, possibly even stoke, violence.

A recent article in the New Yorker was headlined "Is America Headed for a New Kind of Civil War?" The question sounds preposterous, but since Trump's election, the inconceivable has become conceivable. Trump's approval ratings are historically low, yes, but that's nationally  not regionally. In states such as West Virginia, Wyoming and Alabama and in the deep Midwest, they remain high. In the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, he remains over the 50 percent mark.

[If Trumps not a white supremacist, he does a good impression]

How would Trumps hardcore supporters react to the removal of their president for a high crime or misdemeanor that fell somewhat short of a triple ax murder? Not with equanimity, you can be assured. Does that matter? Maybe not. But the civil war cited in the New Yorker article was not of armies marching across fields, but of civil unrest  a lot of angry people causing a lot of mayhem.

The precedent may not be America from 1861 to 1865, but pre-war Europe. The recent skirmishes here between ultra-nationalists on the far right and the so-called antifa on the far left are reminiscent of the brawls between fascists and communists that weakened German democracy in the 1920s and 1930s. The extremes sucked the air out of the center. In Yeats's enduring words, things fell apart. The center could not hold.

After she lost the election, Hillary Clinton called for reconciliation. Al Gore did the same after the Supreme Court, in a partisan vote, handed the White House to George W. Bush. I cannot imagine Trump doing the same after being removed from office. He has been a miserable winner. He would be an even worse loser.

Read more from Richard Cohen's archive.
The Sept. 17 Washington Post Magazine article "The Fixer-Upper" glorified Douglas Development and characterized its founder as a hero for rapidly gentrifying the District. Yet it made no mention of the effect the company has had on rapidly displacing low-income communities, largely made up of African Americans and immigrants, in areas such as Shaw, Chinatown and Ivy City. Douglas Development has largely failed to create affordable housing or opportunities for small, local and minority-owned businesses.

Housing prices have skyrocketed and low-income housing is being obliterated because of developers such as Douglas. The District also has the highest homelessness rate among major U.S. cities. Douglas Development apparently has not considered the needs of low-income and minority residents in its development decisions, nor has it meaningfully consulted the communities in which it develops.

The article failed to mention these important facts and disrespected the history of many of D.C.s longtime residents, many of whom can no longer afford to live in the District.

Eva Seidelman, Washington
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana walked down a hallway flanked by three members of the U.S. Capitol Police, each ready to ward off protesters who might confront him about his health-care bill.

It was an unusual day for the little-known Republican senator, spent shuttling from interview to interview, then to the Senate Finance Committee, where he would pitch his approach to dismantling Obamacare to his colleagues, and finally to a CNN stage where he subjected himself to a nationally televised, 90-minute debate despite his bills collapse hours earlier.

Was he still hoping to bring the measure back from almost-certain defeat?

Hard to say.

The Cassidy-Graham proposal is unpopular with voters. It is opposed by the medical establishment to which Cassidy, a physician-turned-politician, once belonged. Experts estimated that it would kick tens of millions off their health-care plans. Even some members of Cassidys own party are skeptical.

At what point does a quixotic effort become masochistic? And what would make Cassidy, or anyone for that matter, want to remain its public face?

One clue emerged in an interview with The Washington Post on Monday: Cassidy is determined. Relentlessly, strangely determined.

Keep plugging, keep plugging and never quit, he said. Two years ago, people thought I was Don Quixote. A month ago, people thought things were dead. Two weeks ago, people smiled. And now folks say, Wow, they may still pull it off. If you keep your head down and keep plugging, good things happen, and thats my goal.

In the committee, Cassidy had hoped to revive a bill that had hovered near collapse for four days. He had revised the text to appeal to holdout senators. He would try to win approval from the heavyweights on the panel, where he is the most-junior member. He didnt have much to work with.

I was sent here to work, he said at one point. If this [the bill] is the only means by which I can do so, I shall.

At another moment: For three years, I went around to Democratic colleagues and met with you and asked, Can we please work together? For three years, I was basically told, Nice try. 

[Senate GOP effort to unwind the ACA collapses Monday]

As the hearing began, the bill was holding on to a slim chance of success. Cassidy would find out before the committee adjourned, five hours later, that this chance was all but gone.

The first-term senator cuts an unusual figure in the upper chamber. He stands out at over 6 feet tall, with strong features and a shock of gray hair. Described as friendly but without close friends, he ranges around the Capitol with his headphones in, avoiding small talk. Before the health-care debate, he was not known for a signature issue  nor for a calling card among his colleagues.

That all changed in May after Cassidys encounter with Jimmy Kimmel.

Cassidy had not even been part of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's official working group on health care early this year, despite his stated interest in the issue and his medical degree. He partnered with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on an Affordable Care Act replacement bill, but the legislation had aroused little interest.

He finally managed to join the debate after coming up with a standard for judging Republican legislation to replace the ACA. He would call it the Jimmy Kimmel test  an outgrowth of the late-night hosts plea to Congress to protect the ACA, which began after his son was born with a heart defect. Cassidy declared, after Kimmels advocacy made headlines, that he would not support a bill that failed to guarantee that patients like Kimmels baby would receive health coverage regardless of income.

Cassidy initially won praise from liberal advocates. But by mid-September, he had opted to become a lead sponsor of a new proposal offering dramatic cuts to Medicaid and leaving many coverage decisions to states.

Cassidy claimed that his position had not changed since May.

My patients had terrible diseases and multiple chronic conditions, and my lifes work was how to care for these fellow Americans, he said in a video posted on Twitter over the weekend, referring to his work with Louisianas uninsured patients. [Cassidy-Graham] accomplishes this by other means.

Kimmel  and many others  concluded otherwise.

This guy, Bill Cassidy, just lied right to my face, Kimmel said last week on his program, Jimmy Kimmel Live!

[@PKCapitol: The latest repeal effort was bad news from the start]

Cassidy claimed after Kimmel's riff that the comedian didn't understand his proposal. But the legislation is arguably more extreme than the bills Republicans considered in the summer. It goes further in its cuts to federal health-care spending, aims those cuts more directly at states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA and allows states to use waivers to opt out of the law's consumer protections.

Mistaking disagreement for misunderstanding is typical for the awkward, slightly nerdish Cassidy, 59, who invokes his background in medicine at just about every opportunity.

A liver specialist by training, Cassidy helped create a free clinic for Baton Rouges working poor and turned an abandoned Kmart into a makeshift medical facility after Hurricane Katrina.

Some in Louisiana Republican politics have speculated that it would be Cassidys wife, Laura, a retired breast-cancer surgeon, who ultimately made the run for office. The two met during their medical residencies in the 1980s. He calls her his closest adviser.

On health care, she has very much lived what Ive lived, Cassidy said.

She was in a publicly run system and noticed the resources always lagged behind those of a private hospital. . . . She understands the needs for coverage as do I, having patients who for whatever reason were uninsured and their breast cancer was delayed, both diagnosis and treatment, sometimes with terrible results, he said. So she shares my passion.

When Cassidy sat down to testify at Mondays 2 p.m. hearing, the math for his bill was already difficult. With 52 seats and the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Pence, Republicans could lose only two GOP votes to pass most legislation. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) had already come out against the bill. That left Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), whom Cassidy had tried to lure with extra funds for their states in a new version of the bill released Monday.

Dressed in a dark suit, sky-blue shirt and navy-blue-and-pink striped tie, Cassidy entered the hearing room as protesters in the hallway chanted, No cuts to Medicaid!

The next five hours passed slowly, as Cassidy entered the weeds of health-care policy to defend his bill, clause by clause. At one point, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) referred to him as Dr. Kennedy, mistaking Cassidy for Louisianas junior senator.

After one particularly heated exchange, Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) called for the panels Democrats to ease up on Cassidy.

Hes a doctor, and he understands this probably better than anybody in this room, Hatch said. Lets show some respect for Senator Cassidy. This is not easy for him.

Hours later, news broke that Collins was a firm no on the bill. Cassidy continued to implore Democrats to support the legislation, bringing out color-coded maps to make his points.

Hatch said he would suspend the hearing after another round of questions.

Lets face it, he said. Were not getting anywhere.

Paige Winfield Cunningham, Sean Sullivan and Natalie Jennings contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
It's been three months since a Georgia special election gave observers the chance to judge President Trump's impact on an unpredictable congressional campaign.

Tuesday night will bring an even more interesting chance.

In Alabama, former state attorney general Luther Strange faces former state Supreme Court judge Roy Moore in a runoff election for the Republican nomination to replace attorney general Jeff Sessions in the Senate.

Strange has Trump's endorsement, and he has occupied the seat since February. But Moore led his opponent in recent surveys, and he appeared to be the more popular candidate among Trump's core supporters. There could be a surprise outcome, as The Washington Post's Michael Scherer wrote, depending on how many voters turn out.

December's general election is easier to predict. Unless the Democrat in the race (that's Doug Jones) can mount a competitive campaign in blood-red Alabama, Tuesday night's winner will go into the general election with an advantage.

Alabama special election is the first skirmish in the fight for the soul of the GOP

But that doesnt make Tuesdays runoff any less important. This race lays bare what some have described as the civil war taking place within the GOP.

Strange is the more conventional Republican candidate, backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). If he wins, incumbent Republicans on Capitol Hill who are worried about challenges from the right will breathe a sigh of relief.

Moore, by contrast, is one of the most out-there characters on the current political scene, with backing from figures such as Sarah Palin, Fox News host Sean Hannity and former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon. If he wins, McConnells wing of the Republican Party, and perhaps even McConnell himself, are in for some trouble.

Here are five things to watch Tuesday night as the results roll in, beyond whether Moore pulls out another gun on stage.

1. Whats next for McConnell?

If Strange wins, McConnell declares victory. He reassures incumbent senators that the political climate is friendlier to them than they might have thought. And he gains a stronger position from which to consolidate his fragile power as Senate majority leader.

If Moore wins, McConnell finds himself in a tough spot. Incumbent senators will be anxious about the political climate they face. There could be retirements, sooner or later. And McConnell will look more fallible, a leader whose power is waning.

Readers interested in the Senate outlook for 2018 should also watch for reactions from members who might retire, such as Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), and members with primary challengers, such as Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.).

The way they handle the result, particularly if Moore wins, will say a lot.

Stephen K. Bannons remarkable admission: President Trump is easily duped

2. Whats next for Trump (and what will he say or tweet)?

Trump is clearly conflicted about his decision to endorse Strange. First, it cant be easy to see his candidate down in the polls. Second, Moore has the support of the pro-Trump crowd. And third, the presidents relationship with McConnell isnt great.

At a rally for the campaign Friday night in Huntsville, Ala., Trump revealed his mixed feelings. Ill be honest  I might have made a mistake, he said.

If Strange wins Tuesday night, his triumph vindicates Trump, who can forget Moore was ever an option. If Moore wins, Trump says he will back him wholeheartedly, and he might even try to take some of the credit.

3. Who controls the base  Bannon or Trump?

Bannon recently returned to Breitbart News, one of the loudest pro-Trump outlets on the Internet. He has had to thread a careful needle with this runoff, because he represents Trumps base but opposes the guy Trump endorsed.

Once the result is clear, its worth looking at how Breitbart responds. If Strange wins, that would be a big defeat for Trumps base and insurgent candidates whose brand is disrupting Washington. Would Breitbart downplay the importance of the primary in that case? Would it launch attacks against the establishment with renewed energy?

Its not hard to predict how the site will react to a win by Moore. The main headline as of Tuesday afternoon was a quote from Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) saying a Moore victory would be a seismic earthquake in Washington, D.C. Bannon is also expected to paint a Moore win as a boon to Trump, though the president endorsed Strange.

We did not come here to defy Donald Trump, Bannon said at a recent rally for Moore. We came here to praise and honor him.

Senate GOP abandons latest effort to unwind the Affordable Care Act

4. How does the runoff shape the general election?

It might sound as though Republicans are the only ones interested in the primarys outcome. But Democrats are also waiting for the result, to see how they should direct their resources ahead of the final vote.

If Strange wins, conventional wisdom says Democrat Doug Jones has less of a chance at Sessionss Senate seat. An establishment-leaning Republican in Alabama against a Democrat? You can guess how that would turn out: The state last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1992.

If Moore wins, on the other hand, Jones gets to run against a candidate whose controversial views might make him easier to beat, someone he could paint as too extreme to represent Alabama before the world. If hes seen to have a fighting chance, Jones could find himself receiving Democratic money from around the country.

5. How many people turn out to vote?

Finally, lets get the numbers question out of the way.

Turnout in Tuesdays election is expected to be low. Only 425,379 people participated in the first round of voting on the Republican side in mid-August, and the second round might only see a slight increase in that number.

On Stranges side, organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have made formal efforts to encourage people to turn out to support him. But even if the total number of voters is markedly higher than last month, it is not clear which candidate that will benefit.

The best way to think about it is this: The lower the turnout, the higher the uncertainty about who might win. Moore led Strange in recent polls, but if few people come out to vote, those leads might not mean anything.

The polls close Tuesday at 7 p.m. local time.

Amber Phillips contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
A former state judge who believes that Gods law can invalidate federal court decisions won Alabamas Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday night, sending a clear warning to President Trump and GOP leadership that conservative grass-roots anger will continue to roil the party into the 2018 midterm elections.

Roy Moore, who was twice suspended from his job as the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, defeated incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and was backed by Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Moore took nearly 55 percent of the vote, rolling over Strange, who pulled in about 45 percent, according to results from Alabamas Secretary of State.

Moore is now the front-runner to win the seat in the Dec. 12 general election. He will face Democratic candidate Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney in Alabama.

We have to return the knowledge of God and the Constitution of the United States to the United States Congress, Moore said in his victory speech. We have become a nation that has distanced ourselves from the very foundation.

In a tweet, Trump quickly threw his support behind Moore: "Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Dec!"

For conservative opponents of the current Republican leadership, the victory was a godsend  literally, for many  and a validation of the larger effort to replace the current leadership of the Republican Party with a more populist crowd.

Whos sovereign, the people or the money? former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon asked at Moores victory party in Montgomery. The people of Alabama just answered: the people.

For McConnell, whose allies committed vast resources to defeat Moore, the loss was the third blow in one day to a man once seen as an unflappable master of political chess.

Earlier Tuesday, McConnell was forced to call off a vote on the latest effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, his third failed attempt to muster 50 votes in the Senate.

Hours later, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a McConnell ally, announced that he would not seek reelection in 2018, creating another open seat that anti-establishment conservatives are likely to contest. Bannon and other insurgent activists were previously looking to target Republican Senate incumbents in Arizona, Nevada and Mississippi.

On Tuesday, McConnell congratulated a spirited campaign that focused on frustration over the lack of progress in Washington.

I share that frustration and believe that enacting the agenda the American people voted for last November requires us all to work together, McConnell said in a statement.

[Five things to watch in Alabamas special election]

The defeat of Strange, a 6-foot-9-inch former prosecutor and lobbyist, could also put pressure on Republican Party fundraisers, who are wary of spending money on races they are unlikely to win.

The Senate Leadership Fund, an independent committee allied with McConnell that spent nearly $9 million to elect Strange and attack his rivals, released a statement throwing its support to Moore moments before the race was called. Judge Roy Moore won this nomination fair and square, said the funds president, Steven Law.

But there is little hope of a meeting of the minds any time soon. Scott Reed, a political consultant for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said Moore's victory was likely to make it harder to pass Trump's agenda, including tax cuts, which will require some conservative compromise to get through the Senate.

"Once again, Bannon's strategy has no logical endgame," Reed said, arguing that the vote count will be harder with Moore in the Senate. "Good luck moving President Trump's growth agenda forward."

With his victory, Moore became the first Republican Senate candidate since the 2014 cycle to overcome a full-scale attack during the primary from allies of Republican leadership and the U.S. Chamber. He also won despite a last-minute push by Trump for Strange that included a barrage of late tweets and a rally Friday in Alabama.

The effect of Stranges loss on Trump is not yet clear, as both candidates in the race draped themselves in the presidents Make America Great Again slogan. Trump also seemed to distance himself from his own endorsement in the races final days. At the rally Friday to support Strange, Trump told the crowd, which included many Moore supporters, that he might have made a mistake. If Moore won the primary, Trump said to applause, Im going to be here campaigning like hell for him.

In the final weeks of the campaign, the Chamber spent about $1 million, and the Senate Leadership Fund spent nearly $5 million to support Strange and attack Moore. Republican voters in the state complained of daily direct-mail pieces attacking Moore, and one voter outside Birmingham said Tuesday that he disconnected his home phone to block the barrage of recorded calls.

The local business community, organized by the Chamber, also launched a get-out-the-vote effort among the employees of large companies, including the states significant federal contracting workforce. And Strange, the Business Council of Alabama argued, was the best person to bring more jobs to the state, which relies heavily on defense contracting.

Unable to match the ad campaign against him, Moore was defended by a loose grouping of anti-establishment conservative activists, including Bannon, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson and conservative talk radio broadcasters including Laura Ingraham.

But in significant ways, his campaign differed from any other Senate effort in recent memory. On the stump, Moore made his belief in the supremacy of a Christian God over the Constitution the central rallying point of his campaign. His support for stronger immigration laws, less federal spending and a stronger military were all secondary issues.

[Bannon headlines rally for Roy Moore in Alabama runoff]

In three books, Moore has described his legal opinion that the United States was founded as a Christian nation that ultimately answered to the laws of nature and natures God, a phrase contained in the Declaration of Independence.

As a judge, Moore refused to obey a federal court order to remove from his courthouse a monument to the Ten Commandments he had installed to underscore his belief. He was removed from his job as a result.

In a 2002 legal opinion, he described homosexual conduct as an inherent evil, and he has argued that the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage should not be considered the rule of law. He was suspended from Alabamas court a second time for defying the higher courts marriage decision, and he later decided to retire from the bench.

If elected to the Senate, Moore has promised to be a disruptive force who will directly challenge the leadership of McConnell. Moore plans to crusade against the Senate practice of requiring 60 votes to move most legislation on the Senate floor, which he does not consider constitutional. He has also said he will seek the impeachment of federal judges who defy his view of the Constitution. He has called for military deployment to secure the southern border before the construction of a border wall, and he said he would have opposed the Cassidy-Graham legislation, the most recent effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, because it was not conservative enough.

Democrats have not yet committed to pouring money into Joness campaign, but some Republicans, including Trump, have expressed concern that Moore could be vulnerable in the general election. The people of Alabama deserve a senator who will put aside partisan rancor, Jones said in a statement after Moores victory.

Alabama politics is historically a rough-and-tumble affair, and the campaign ended much as it began, with Strange playing defense and Moore reveling in his unique approach to public service. After casting his ballot Tuesday morning, Strange awkwardly told reporters he had not heard Trump say at the rally Friday that he may have made a mistake with his endorsement. The president supports me 100 percent, Strange said.

Moore, who owns several motorized vehicles, decided to ride a horse named Sundance from his property in Gallant, Ala., to the local firehouse to vote Tuesday, taking time to trot back and forth before a group of reporters.

The night before the election, Moore dressed in a cowboy hat and black leather vest at a rally in Fairhope. While giving his speech onstage, he pulled a small handgun from his pocket and pointed at the ceiling to demonstrate his support for the Second Amendment.

[Corker, Republican senator from Tennessee, announces his retirement]

Bannon also appeared at the Monday evening event, along with Robertson and British politician Nigel Farage. A vote for Judge Roy Moore is a vote for Donald J. Trump, Bannon said, disregarding Trumps endorsement of Strange. We did not come here to defy Donald Trump.

At polling places across the state Tuesday, voters said they struggled with the conflicting messages in the race. In downtown Montgomery, Mable Greenwood, 58, said she voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election but was now supporting Moore. The world, I dont think its going to be here too much longer, she said, explaining her attraction to Moores religious message. Everything that the Bible said is going to happen  it is happening.

In Mountain Brook, a Birmingham suburb, a steady stream of voters made their way to Brookwood Baptist Church to cast ballots. Myron Trowbridge, 76, said he was voting for Strange because he could not validate Moores willingness to flout judicial orders. I dont respect people who dont respect the law, he said, explaining his reasons for supporting Strange over Moore.

In his concession speech, Strange promised to continue to serve Trump and the state of Alabama for his remaining time in office. Were dealing with a political environment that Ive never had any experience with, he said. The political seas in this country right now are very hard to navigate, very hard to understand. Its been a very tough deal.

Daniel Teehan in Montgomery and Larry Bleiberg in Birmingham contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection next year, another blow to the Republican establishment on the same day the latest GOP effort to revamp the Affordable Care Act failed.

Corker and other Republican leaders in Congress have come under fire from President Trump and his supporters for not delivering in the early days of the administration.

Once considered an ally of Trumps national security team, Corker traded insults with the president during the August break amid chatter that staunch conservatives would mount a primary challenge to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman.

Corkers retirement will touch off what is likely to be a highly contested, ideologically driven primary. It also creates a vacuum among Senate Republicans for leaders on national security issues. For now, Corker isnt planning on getting involved in either contest.

After much thought, consideration and family discussion over the past year, Elizabeth and I have decided that I will leave the United States Senate when my term expires at the end of 2018, the Chattanooga Republican said in a statement.

Corker comes from Tennessees long tradition of establishment Republican figures who came to the Senate with ambitions that went beyond the states expansive borders. Two of the past five Senate GOP leaders have been from Tennessee, while Corker and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) are two of the most powerful committee chairmen.

Corker acknowledged that his clout led him to consider breaking his pledge, initially made during his 2006 race, to serve only two terms. As we have gained influence, that decision has become more difficult. But I have always been drawn to the citizen legislator model, he said in his statement.

In Tennessee, consensus politics makes a last stand

But the establishment wing of the Republican Party has been under assault since the tea party movement took hold seven years ago, and even more so in the Trump era, when mild-mannered dealmakers have fallen out of favor with conservative voters who increasingly prefer angry confrontations over ideological outcomes.

Corker faced that dynamic back home over the August congressional break, when he questioned Trump's stability after the president's response to the violence in Charlottesville. "He has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great," he told local reporters.

That prompted taunting tweets from Trump, who said that Corker was "constantly asking me" whether to seek reelection.

Corker wrestled with the decision of whether to run for months, he said, finally coming to peace with the idea of retiring in late August, while at an event in Clarksville. He set a final deadline of Tuesday at noon to make his decision, he said, whatever happened with the health-care vote.

I came as a citizen legislator, I did, and hopefully I provided some entertainment for you all by being a person whos not thinking about reelection, Corker said during an interview in his office. Thats the way I came, and I want to depart on that same basis.

Corker revealed his plans to retire just hours after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced that he would not hold a vote on the latest bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act because it was destined to fail amid defections from GOP moderates.

Corker's announcement also came just hours before polls closed in the Republican primary runoff in Alabama, in which appointed Sen. Luther Strange lost to Roy Moore, a former state Supreme Court justice. Moore's insurgent campaign emboldened the sort of anti-establishment figures who have made McConnell a target of enmity and who were searching for a primary challenge to Corker.

Corker almost retired in 2012, but he was coaxed into running again when it became clear that he would be the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee.

There is a growing fear among Senate Republicans that other incumbents will retire or face heated primary challenges next year.

Next years Tennessee Senate race will give hard-line conservatives their best chance yet to break through in a state where they have failed in recent primaries for Senate and governor  one of the last holdouts against the tea party wave that has swept other Southern states.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) might try to fill the conservative lane. Former representative Stephen Fincher (R), who retired last year with $2.4 million remaining in his campaign account, could try to run as a tea party hero  he was the first non-Democrat to win his western Tennessee seat since Davy Crockett  but with establishment help as someone who worked well with Alexander and Corker.

Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander takes shots at tea party in Tennessee primary

Some will look to Peyton Manning, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback who went to the University of Tennessee and retired in early 2016 from professional football. Manning is close to Corker, who brought him to a congressional GOP retreat this year.

Corkers departure will be felt perhaps most acutely in the area of foreign relations, where the Tennessean not only served as his partys top voice in the Senate but has for years been celebrated as one of the GOPs best bipartisan dealmakers.

He established his chops early in his Senate career when lawmakers ratified the New START treaty, a strategic arms-control pact that regulates the size of the U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles. Corker was one of the key GOP players who negotiated changes that made it possible to bring more conservative votes on board.

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Corker also tackled nuclear security, joining with ranking Democrat Benjamin L. Cardin (Md.) to design a bill that gave Congress an opportunity to weigh in on a multilateral deal to rein in Irans nuclear ambitions before it could go into effect.

More recently, Corker has been the chief go-between for the White House and Congress when it comes to whether the president will certify Irans compliance with the deal next month  a decision that could kick off a brutal battle on Capitol Hill over whether to reimpose nuclear sanctions against Tehran.

Corker has fallen into the role of liaison between the Trump administration and the Senate on other matters as well, including sanctions, nuclear threats and foreign wars. He speaks with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson constantly and has frequent contact with the president.

At times, that has meant Corker has been the one holding the Senate back from tackling issues popular with the rank and file. For months, for example, he staved off a burgeoning effort to increase sanctions against Russia  he later explained that he intended to give Tillerson a chance to make a deal with Moscow to improve the bleak war in Syria.

Read more at PowerPost
The Senate Judiciary Committee has reached an agreement to subpoena documents from former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort as part of its ongoing probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, according to the top Democrat on the panel.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) told reporters Tuesday the committee had decided to subpoena documents, but a spokesman for Feinstein would not detail what documents the committee is seeking. The senator added the panel will certainly use the subpoena power, if necessary, to get Manafort to testify as well.

Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) also refused to disclose details, noting while in principle a lot of things have been agreed to, certain matters still have to be worked out, and well wait until details are worked out till we make a final announcement.

Manafort has long been a focus of congressional investigators looking into possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

[Manafort offered to give Russian billionaire private briefings on 2016 campaign]



The Senate Judiciary Committee has reached an agreement to subpoena documents from President Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort as part of its probe of Russian meddling. (Matt Rourke/Associated Press)

Manafort was personally and professionally connected to several allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin. At one point, he even offered a Putin ally "private briefings" on the status of the 2016 campaign, people familiar with the discussions told The Washington Post.

For the Judiciary Committee, Manafort is also a subject of interest because of his unregistered lobbying activities on behalf of a Ukrainian political party with pro-Russian ties.

During the summer, Manafort spoke with Senate Intelligence Committee investigators as part of their probe into alleged collusion between Trump surrogates and Kremlin officials. The Judiciary Committee has never gotten an opportunity to interview Manafort.

Grassley and Feinstein subpoenaed Manafort once during the summer for documents and testimony  but they then dropped the subpoena to negotiate terms for an interview. The very next day, Manaforts Arlington, Va., home was raided by the FBI.

In recent weeks, several panel members have noted, Manafort has not been responsive to the committees requests.

[Ex-Trump adviser Stone denies Russian collusion to House Intelligence panel]

Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone, who was at the Capitol on Tuesday speaking with House Intelligence Committee members, later told reporters the predawn raid had shocked Manafort as outrageous.

Stone also said Manafort had informed him, through their attorneys, that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III planned to indict him, as first reported in the New York Times.

Neither Stone nor Manafort knows on what charge Manafort might be indicted, Stone said.

The special counsel will try to manufacture a crime and then say look Manafort, we wont prosecute this if you say you were colluding with the Russians, Stone said. Manafort is not going to lie and that would be a lie.

Stone added he hoped the president would fire Mueller.

There is little appetite for that in the Senate, where senators on the Judiciary panel spent Tuesday morning debating bipartisan-drafted bills restricting the president's ability to fire a special counsel. The proposals would make the president's decision to terminate a special counsel's employment subject to the review of a three-judge panel.

Each bill is motivated by similar concerns about the current special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and his investigation into the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the election, Grassley said at the start of a hearing into the matter. The president has said that he doesnt intend to fire Mueller, and I think that he made the right decision.

Grassley and Feinstein also announced Tuesday they had written to CIA Director Mike Pompeo, demanding access to materials that had been made available to the intelligence committee, and they argued were relevant to the Judiciary Committees Russia probe as well. Feinstein also serves as a senior member of the intelligence committee.

Read more at PowerPost
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) quickly realized that Mondays hearing on the Republican effort to revamp the health industry had devolved into a farcical, partisan shouting match. So he began his round of questioning by ignoring the subject at hand.

Isakson asked a Democratic colleague on the Senate Finance Committee if he had recently co-sponsored a bill, with a Republican, to battle rare childhood diseases. Yes, I did, Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) replied, and that senator is a good man.

Isakson said he mentioned his work with Casey to show that the Senate still had some ability to function. We do a lot of things together as Republicans and Democrats that we dont tell the public about, so I thought they ought to leave the hearing with one piece of good news, Isakson said.

That exchange summed up how some veteran senators felt about the process behind the consideration of the Cassidy-Graham bill that aimed to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with block grants to states: It was bad news, start to finish, with little chance of success  and little in the way of true legislative scrutiny.

Senators like to refer to their chamber as the worlds greatest deliberative body. But Mondays five-hour meeting, the only hearing to review the Republican drive to repeal the ACA held by either of two Senate committees with jurisdiction over health policy, didnt live up to the standard.

This latest repeal effort, led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), is at least the fourth legislative draft the Senate has considered in the past four months. Yet the Senate has barely followed anything resembling a normal process as it considers a bill that would overhaul an industry that represents one-sixth of the national economy.

At least partly as a result of that, the Cassidy-Graham legislation was left for dead before the Finance Committee hearing had even ended.

Everything is on the line for McConnell in Tuesdays Alabama Senate primary

Everybody knows thats going to fail, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), the committee chairman, told reporters Monday afternoon during a break. Hatch had done the math and knew more than two Republicans would oppose the measure, the bare minimum they could afford lose to pass it on a party-line vote.

You dont have one Democrat vote for it, Hatch said, so its going to fail.

A few minutes later, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) officially became the third Republican opposed to the legislation, sealing its fate if Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sticks to his plan to call up the legislation later this week.

The process of making legislative sausage on Capitol Hill has never been pretty, but the effort to repeal the ACA has stretched the limits of congressional norms  and given lawmakers hesitant to support the controversial GOP health-care proposal an excuse to back away.

Its hard to see how Republicans Obamacare repeal passes now To have a realistic chance at passing, the vote needs to occur before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.



The main reason for having Mondays hearing was an effort to placate the regular order demands of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has called for a normal process of hearings, committee markups and a full-throated debate on the Senate floor.

Instead, during the summer, McConnell negotiated several drafts inside his Capitol suite just off the Senate floor with a few key senators and his senior staff. McCain famously flashed a thumbs down in an overnight roll call in late July, providing the decisive vote against that version of the bill.

By early September, Graham and Cassidy resumed pushing their version of ACA repeal, knowing they had only until the end of the month to use special budget privileges to pass their bill on a simple majority. Many mistakenly believed that Grahams close friendship with McCain would sway him to reconsider. While McCain continued to demand regular order, some  particularly Graham  heard what they wanted to hear, that maybe he was reconsidering.

So Republican leaders threw together Mondays hearing, hoping McCain would see a single meeting as a sufficient nod to how things are supposed to work in the Senate. This was done to window-dress that it was regular order, said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), a member of the Finance Committee.

Health-care vote lays bare the divide between McCain and McConnell

On Friday, McCain preemptively ended the need for the hearing, announcing that he was a hard no against the Cassidy-Graham bill.

He called for a resumption of negotiations that began earlier this month in the health committee, where Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) led several hearings looking at ways to stabilize the private insurance markets.

That panels work was set aside when Cassidy and Graham seemed to pick up momentum on their bill to repeal the ACA.

We were making great progress, Collins, a member of Alexanders committee, told reporters Monday after announcing her opposition to the Cassidy-Graham bill.

Now, the question is whether Alexander and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), will resume those negotiations. Conservatives, already disappointed by the Republican inability to repeal a law they have vowed to impale, view the Alexander-Murray effort as akin to bailing out the insurance industry.

Through it all, McConnell has been silent about what comes next. He never responded to McCains announcement Friday, and Monday, when the Senate reconvened, he rose in the chamber to reiterate his longtime opposition to the law he derisively calls Obamacare.

McConnell then spoke of the legislation as if it were already defeated, thanking the committee staff who had been involved in the process through its many phases.

Id like to thank them all for their dedicated work, McConnell said.

He then moved on to a discussion about labor-law disputes.

Read more from Paul Kane's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.


At the Towns at 1333, the townhouses are priced from $899,990. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

New four-story townhouses are going up in Old Town Alexandria that complement the neighborhoods architecture and natural charm. Once completed, there will be 18 residences situated in a quaint neighborhood off Powhatan Street where older homes mix with several local businesses.

Comstock Homes, a builder that specializes in the Washington region, opened the Towns at 1333, reflective of the communitys address, this summer. The Northern Virginia development is surrounded by some of the areas most popular dining, shopping, arts and historical attractions.

Daingerfield Island, a waterfront park with walking and biking trails, is just a short walk away and ideal for picnics and airplane spotting.

[Fort Washington houses boast a convenient location and large, luxurious rooms]

All of the residences come with three bedrooms, three full bathrooms and one powder room off the main level. Theres also a convenient two-car garage in back of each unit. The garage also works as storage for those who choose to take full advantage of this pedestrian-friendly, walkable community.

A Sunday afternoon drive-by of the northeast Alexandria neighborhood showed a number of people walking dogs, riding bikes, pushing baby strollers and chatting with neighbors.

1 of 15 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Buying New | The Towns at 1333 View Photos The townhouses in Alexandria, Va., are priced from $899,990. Caption The townhouses in Alexandria, Va., are priced from $899,990. Benjamin C Tankersley Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.

Four levels: There will be four sets of buildings. Sunlight streams through the plethora of windows throughout the residences. There are also townhouses available for an October delivery for buyers looking to get in before the holiday rush begins.

Sales manager Frank Gstrein said that each residence will have its own wrought-iron- gated private entry around the front yard that will add to the curb appeal. Guests enter the residences through a foyer on the bottom floor that leads to one of the secondary bedrooms and a garage.

[Stylish accents are the star of these constellation-themed condos in the District]

A staircase leads to the main living quarters. This bright airy space has the kitchen between the dining room and a 19- by 12-foot family room. The townhouses will come with hardwood floors throughout, including the staircase, and a state-of-the-art kitchen with a large center island that doubles as a breakfast bar. Elegant but trendy light fixtures highlight the kitchen and dining area.

The model home has white granite countertops and white cabinetry that contrasts nicely with the dark hardwood flooring. A built-in shelving unit also comes on this level. The builder placed a powder room with a pedestal sink on the landing so that its out of the way of the main level rooms.



The state-of-the-art kitchen has a large center island that doubles as a breakfast bar. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

Loft retreat with terrace: The third level has two bedrooms. Each bedroom, including ones on the lower level, has its own private en suite bathroom. The owner's suite is spacious with a large walk-in closet. In the model home the owner's suite has a beamed ceiling with recessed lights. The master bath has a striking black-tile design surrounding the soaking tub and a shower that comes with a bench.

While many builders only feature nine-foot-high ceilings on the main level then drop to eight-feet ones upstairs, Gstrein said, Were carrying nine-foot ceilings all the way up so that you get that open feeling.

Another set of stairs leads up to a bonus room that can be used as a loft retreat, spare bedroom, study or game room. It comes with a vaulted ceiling and glass doors that open onto a terrace with views overlooking Alexandria. Its also an ideal place to watch the fireworks during the holiday.

The terrace is standard on all the residences. It is completely private with a buffer that separates the homeowners from their neighbors. The model showcases the outdoor room with rugs, a table and chairs on one side and a cozy couch and ottoman living-room like set up on the other side. Theres also plumbing for an outdoor kitchen.

So far, Gstrein said residents have come from all over, including a recent buyer who relocated from Germany.

Schools: Jefferson-Houston elementary and middle, T.C. Williams High.

Transit: The community is close to Braddock Road Metro on the Blue and Yellow lines. Interstate 495 is a few minutes away. There's also bike share station across the street.



The terrace, which is standard on all the residences, offers views overlooking Alexandria. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)
Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday morning at the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee were: white balls 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and the red Powerball was 10. The jackpot ticket was sold at Joes Service Center in Altadena, northeast of Los Angeles. The business will receive a maximum Powerball bonus of $1 million. The Multi-State Lottery Association said Monday nights scheduled drawing was delayed by nearly 10 hours until Tuesday because a participating lottery had issues processing sales. The jackpot was by far the largest lottery jackpot ever won, topping the previous record $1.586 billion prize won by three Powerball ticketholders in 2016.
Spectators listen to a television news broadcast of a statement by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on a public television screen in Pyongyang on Friday. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)

North Korean government officials have been quietly trying to arrange talks with Republican-linked analysts in Washington, in an apparent attempt to make sense of President Trump and his confusing messages to Kim Jong Un's regime.

The outreach began before the current eruption of threats between the two leaders but probably will become more urgent as Trump and Kim have descended into name-calling that, many analysts worry, sharply increases the chances of potentially catastrophic misunderstandings.

Their number-one concern is Trump. They cant figure him out, said one person with direct knowledge of North Koreas approach of experts on Asia with Republican connections.

There is no suggestion that the North Koreans are interested in negotiations about their nuclear program, and the Trump administration has made clear it is not interested in talking right now. Intermediaries instead seem to want forums for insisting on being recognized as a nuclear state.

At a multilateral meeting in Switzerland earlier this month, North Koreas representatives were adamant about being recognized as a nuclear-weapons state and showed no willingness to even talk about denuclearization.

But to get a better understanding of American intentions, in the absence of official diplomatic talks with the U.S. government, North Korea's mission to the United Nations invited Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst who is now the Heritage Foundation's top expert on North Korea, to visit Pyongyang for meetings.

Trump has close ties to Heritage, a conservative think tank that has influenced the president on everything from travel restrictions to defense spending, but no personal connection to Klingner.

Theyre on a new binge of reaching out to American scholars and ex-officials, said Klingner, who declined the North Korean invitation. While such meetings are useful, if the regime wants to send a clear message, it should reach out directly to the U.S. government.

North Korean intermediaries also have approached Douglas H. Paal, who served as an Asia expert on the National Security Council under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and is now vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

They wanted Paal to arrange talks between North Korean officials and American experts with Republican ties in a neutral location such as Switzerland. He also declined the North Korean request.

The North Koreans are clearly eager to deliver a message. But I think theyre only interested in getting some travel, in getting out of the country for a bit, Paal said.

[ North Korea threatens to shoot down U.S. warplanes ]

North Korea has about seven such invitations out to organizations that have hosted previous talks  a surprising number of requests for a country that is threatening to launch a nuclear strike on the United States.

Over the past two years in particular, Pyongyang has sent officials from its Foreign Ministry to hold meetings with Americans  usually former diplomats and think-tankers  in neutral places such as Geneva, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

They are referred to as "Track 1.5" talks because they are official (Track 1) on the North Korean side but unofficial (Track 2) on the American side, although the U.S. government is kept informed of the discussions.

But since Trumps election, the North Korean representatives have been predominantly interested in figuring out the unconventional presidents strategy, according to almost a dozen people involved in the discussions. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about the sensitive meetings.

Early in Trumps term, the North Koreans asked broad questions: Is the U.S. president serious about closing American military bases in South Korea and Japan, as he said on the campaign trail? Might he really send U.S. nuclear weapons back to the southern half of the Korean Peninsula?

[ Trump threatens to totally destroy North Korea and calls Kim Jong Un Rocket Man ]

But the questions since then have become more specific. Why, for instance, are Trumps top officials, notably Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, directly contradicting the president so often?

The North Koreans are reaching out through various channels and through various counterparts, said Evans Revere, a former State Department official who dealt with North Korea and is a frequent participant in such talks. There are several theories about why North Korea is doing this.

My own guess is that they are somewhat puzzled as to the direction in which the U.S. is going, so theyre trying to open up channels to take the pulse in Washington, Revere said. They havent seen the U.S. act like this before.

Revere attended a multilateral meeting with North Korean officials in the picturesque Swiss village of Glion earlier this month, together with Ralph A. Cossa, chairman of the Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and another frequent interlocutor with Pyongyang's representatives.

The meeting is an annual event organized by the Geneva Center for Security Policy, a government-linked think tank. But it took on extra significance this year due to the sudden rise in tensions between North Korea and the United States.

All countries involved in the now-defunct six-party denuclearization talks  the United States, China, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas  were represented, as were Mongolia, Switzerland and the European Union. The Swiss invited the U.S. government to send an official, but it did not.

The North Koreans at the meeting displayed an encyclopedic knowledge of Trumps tweets, to the extent that they were able to quote them back to the Americans present.

[ Kim Jong Un calls Trump a mentally deranged U.S. dotard ]

Pyongyangs delegation was headed by Choe Kang Il, deputy director of the Americas division in the Foreign Ministry. He was accompanied by three officials in their late 20s who wowed the other participants with their intellectual analysis and perfect American-accented English. One even explained to the other delegates how the U.S. Congress works.

They were as self-confident as Ive ever seen them, said Cossa. Revere added: They may be puzzled about our intentions, but they have a very clear set of intentions of their own.

The participants declined to divulge the contents of the discussions, as they were off the record.

But others familiar with the talks said the North Koreans completely ruled out the freeze-for-freeze idea being promoted by China and Russia, in which Pyongyang would freeze its nuclear and missile activities if the United States stopped conducting military exercises in South Korea. The United States, Japan and South Korea also outright reject the idea.

Participants left the day-and-a-half-long meeting with little hope for any improvement anytime soon.

"I'm very pessimistic," said Shin Beom-chul, a North Korea expert at the South's Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, after participating in the Glion meeting. "They want to keep their nuclear weapons, and they will only return to dialogue after the United States nullifies its 'hostile policy.' They want the U.S. to stop all military exercises and lift all sanctions on them."

Ken Jimbo, who teaches at Keio University in Japan and was also at the meeting, said North Korea may still be interested in dialogue but on terms that are unacceptable to the other side.

North Korea wants to be recognized as a nuclear-weapons state, Jimbo said. But when is North Korea ready for talks? This is what I kept asking the North Koreans: How much is enough?

Read more:

U.S. families got fake orders to leave South Korea

China watches in frustration as North Korea crisis enters dangerous spiral

What is North Korea trying to hit?

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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A blockbuster film about the romance between Russia's last czar and a ballerina has inflamed a simmering culture war between artists and conservative activists, testing the Kremlin's ability to promote conservative values without unleashing a reactionary pogrom.

Last week, masked Russian police burst into an apartment complex and arrested three men, including the leader of an extremist religious group called Christian State-Holy Rus, for calling on supporters to burn down movie theaters planning to show the film Matilda. Someone had already tried to set fire to the directors studios and to several cars near his attorneys offices.

Burn for Matilda,  a note near a burned-out automobile read.

Matilda, set for release next month, is the story of Nicholas IIs three-year romance with the ballet dancer Mathilde Kschessinska. It occurred before his marriage to the German princess Alexandra and his coronation as czar. Nicholas and his immediate family, who were murdered by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg in 1918, are saints, canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.

The film has been criticized by mainstream voices in the church, including Bishop Tikhon, who is the powerful head of Moscows Sretensky Monastery and rumored, though never confirmed, to be President Vladimir Putins personal confessor.

"From the point of view of history, it's just a desecration of history, a desecration of our culture," Tikhon said at a lecture in March.

A former film student who was baptized at age 24, Tikhon also said he had read the script for Matilda and called the trailer drivel. But he hotly denied that the church wanted the film banned.

"Honestly, we already ban things too often in the name of the church," Tikhon told an audience at the Russian Military Historical Society, a body of politicians and other thinkers presided over by the head of

the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. "One after another. And the church is being turned into some kind of committee of censors. Stop. It won't lead to anything good."

Since his reelection in 2012, Putin has championed conservative values in Russia, while religious conservatives have become more prominent in United Russia, the party founded by Putin. In an acid state-of-the-union speech in 2013  the same year that Russia banned gay propaganda and jailed members of the band Pussy Riot for a protest song in a church  Putin lashed out at the destruction caused by nontraditional values from the West.

Controversial legislation supported by religious conservatives, including a bill this year that decriminalized some forms of domestic violence, have made their way onto Putins desk and into law.

Controversial art and theater productions have been targeted by conservative activists, and shows with controversial subject matter, such as a Bolshoi ballet about Rudolf Nureyev that explored his homosexuality, have been canceled.

But the turn to violence by a group of far-right activists has produced a rare crackdown from the Russian government and a backlash against the conservative Russian parliament member most critical of the film, Natalia Poklonskaya, a former prosecutor from Crimea who had the film reviewed for blasphemy.



Demonstrators carry an icon depicting the canonized family of Nicholas II during a protest against the movie Matilda at the Church of the Resurrection in Moscow. (Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images)

Its like a mini-ISIS is starting, Stanislav Govorukhin, a film director and member of parliament who heads the Duma Cultural Committee, said at a hearing this month, referencing the Islamic State.

The opponents of Matilda are led by Alexander Kalinin, the founder of Christian State-Holy Rus, who claims to have found God during a near-death experience (and trip through hell) while on vacation near the Sea of Azov in 2010. He told the Meduza news agency this month that he founded Christian State-Holy Rus later in 2010 and that it had 350 members.

He also said he supports a theocracy along Iranian lines  Christian, of course, rather than Muslim.

After Kalinin was arrested, police said he was also under investigation for the attack near the lawyers offices. Poklonskaya, trying to withdraw herself from the controversy, said that she had personally demanded his arrest.

For director Alexei Uchitel, whose 2010 film "The Edge" was nominated for a foreign-language Academy Award, the backlash was more than he expected when he decided to make a movie based on the diaries of Kschessinska. That she and Nicholas, then a grand duke, had an affair is little doubted by historians.

Uchitel said he had feared for the lives of those closest to him after receiving death threats and after attempts to burn down his studio. The arrests are a good step and may persuade several theater chains that dropped the film over safety concerns to reconsider, he said.

Sure, I expected the film to provoke some discussion, Uchitel said in an interview. Noting the October release date, he added: But they havent even seen a single frame. They have no idea whats there.

Poklonskaya was a leading supporter of Crimeas annexation from Ukraine in 2014. Young, telegenic and patriotic, she was made a member of parliament in 2016.

"Here you are, Natalia Poklonskaya, the new sex symbol of Russia," a reporter for state television said to her during a segment just days after Putin signed Russia's annexation of Crimea. "Oh my God," she replied. "No, I want people to recognize me as a prosecutor."

In parliament, Poklonskaya has drifted away from her image as a law-and-order figure toward religious conservatism. In an interview with the news outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda, she complained that the actors portraying Nicholas (Lars Eidinger) and his psychiatrist are German.

Really, [Eidinger is] an actor who spits on our history, who treats us and our traditions with a lack of respect and says Russia is a cultureless country, that a lack of morality and culture rule here because you just need to support gays and the opposition, she told a reporter in a 30-minute video interview in which she occasionally referred to herself in the third person. And hes the person whos invited to play the main role of the film.

Referring to Nicholas as our sacred ruler, she also accused Eidinger of taking part in the occult.

Uchitel confronted Poklonskaya at the Kremlin at a holiday reception in June. The encounter wasnt filmed, but one picture was released last week, showing Poklonskaya in a black dress looking past the suited director.

Uchitel asked her to watch the film. Im not going to watch the film, she said, both have recalled. I have the reports.

Read more

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Russian artists rally as corruption probe targets theater director

I watched Moscow police arrest more than 800 protesters while standing next to men dressed as medieval knights

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech Tuesday to set out plans for reforming the European Union at the Sorbonne in Paris. (Pool)

After the German elections stoked uncertainty across the continent, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a long-awaited clarion call for a "refounded" European Union.

Elected in May on lofty promises of a reinvigorated E.U., Macron took to the stage on Tuesday to deliver the substance of his proposals. But following the German results, the urgent subtext of his address was clear: the 39-year-old president wasted no time in arguing that sovereign, united and democratic Europe was the key to fighting  and defeating  an ascendant far right across the continent.

We have allowed the idea to settle that Europe is an impotent bureaucracy, Macron said, speaking at the Sorbonne, one of Frances and Europes grandest universities. We have not proposed more. I will leave nothing to those who promise division and national withdrawal.

[Merkels stumble in the German election has big implications for Europe]

Macrons speech came after the reelection of his principal continental ally, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to a fourth term, albeit with certain caveats. In the eyes of many, Merkels victory was overshadowed by the astonishing ascent of a far-right populist fringe party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Shattering a postwar taboo, that anti-immigrant, anti-Islam faction will enter the German parliament, having won 12.6 percent of the vote.

But the far right has made even greater strides in France. Macron won election earlier this year only after facing Marine Le Pen and the far-right National Front, a sharply anti-immigrant faction that seeks the removal of France from the E.U., a construct the nation once helped design. In the final round of the French election, Le Pen won 34 percent of the vote, the partys largest-ever share since it was co-founded by Le Pens father, a convicted Holocaust denier, in 1972.

From the beginning, Europe has been a primary focus for Macron, who entered his victory rally in May not to the sound of his own national anthem but to that of the E.U.s anthem, Beethovens Ode to Joy. That sentiment continued Tuesday, when the bilingual Macron said that, by 2024, he hoped that each student spoke at least two European languages.

Since his election  widely seen as an affirmation of an embattled European project  Macron has traveled across the euro zone and met with 22 of the blocs 27 sitting heads of state. Tuesdays speech, over an hour long, bore the fruits of these exchanges, outlining in the greatest detail to date Macrons vision for key projects in five specific areas: security and defense, migration, big data, trade, and the economy.

Collective action on Europes common problems was the thrust of his prescriptions.

On security, notably, Macron urged the creation of a European terrorism prosecutor, who would serve as a central investigator in cases that often span national borders and have recently involved multiple intelligence services that do not always share information efficiently. He urged the same on the migration front, advocating an European office of asylum to harmonize the procedures.

To make a place for refugees is our common duty as Europeans, he said, but we must do so without leaving the burden to a few, whether they are the country of arrival or of welcome. In recent months, Macron has spearheaded an effort to use hot spots in Libya that would process asylum claims on the other side of the Mediterranean and probably curb the flow of arrivals into Europe.

[French opposition protests Macrons new labor laws]

But perhaps the centerpiece of Macrons vision for a more integrated, multispeed Europe is a separate euro zone budget and a joint finance minister, additions that, in his view, would cut through much of the blocs bureaucratic red tape by creating a common fiscal policy. On Tuesday, he advocated a project of fiscal and social convergence.

Many of these initiatives depend on a strong Franco-German axis, long considered a given before Sundays vote.

Before the German election, Merkel indicated that she would be open to some of these ideas and seemed willing to open German coffers to participate if Macron could demonstrate that he could successfully bring the French economy in line with E.U. safeguards. At great cost to his own popularity, the French president has forged ahead with a slew of deeply unpopular labor market reforms, in part to prove to his counterparts across the Rhine that he means business.

But the results in Berlin on Sunday cast significant doubt on Macron's ambitions. Many expect Merkel's slightly weakened position to limit her ability to lead on the European stage, given the uncertainty she now faces at home.

Foreign policy analysts expressed reservations over the grandiosity of Macrons proposals but said the German vote had not rendered them impossible.

The plan of Emmanuel Macron presupposed a very strong, confident Germany, said Dominique Moisi, a French foreign policy expert who advised the Macron campaign during the election. This is not exactly the case today, but nevertheless, one should not look at this as the triumph of populism in Europe.

The Franco-German couple will survive. Its not the dream we had, but its not the nightmare we had envisaged, either.

Read more

As Catalan independence vote nears, Europe supports keeping Spain intact

Macrons election was a victory for centrists. But its also revived Frances far left.

Frances National Front lost big in the last two elections. Now the far-right party is in chaos.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Supporters of the Pegida movement and German right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) hold banner against Chancellor Angela Merkel during a demonstration in Dresden on Sept. 18, 2017. (Filip Singer/EPA-EFE)

In the living room of his two-story stucco house, Klaus Kretschmer's eyes welled up as he spoke about a German border  and not the one crossed by refugees whose arrival since 2015 has driven him to far-right politics.

Kretschmer, 66, faltered in discussing an internal frontier, torn down almost three decades ago. He had been drafted to serve at the Berlin Wall, he said, declining to say more about what he had done there. Border troops used violence in keeping fellow citizens from liberating themselves.

Few eastern German towns are as remote from the capital as Oppach, a hamlet that hugs the border with the Czech Republic. But the wall that once split Berlin remains unspeakable for Kretschmer, who still lives under the shadow the socialist dictatorship cast over the eastern half of the country.

That shadow became a fault line in the Sunday election that propelled a far-right party into the national Parliament for the first time in almost six decades. The nationalist, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was the second-strongest party in the former communist east, where it captured 21.5 percent of the vote compared with 12.6 percent nationwide and 10.7 percent in the west. It displaced Die Linke, a far-left party with origins in the East German Communist Party, as the east's main alternative to the center-right block led by Angela Merkel, who claimed a fourth term as chancellor.

[Merkels stumble in the German election has big implications for Europe]

Oppach, whose population is graying if not white-haired and includes few people of migrant background, is a case study in the appeal of the AfD, which claimed 46 percent of the vote here. In particular the town reveals why memory of the socialist state, and its quick absorption into the federal republic, makes the east more fertile ground for right-wing populism than its western counterpart. It therefore offers one way of understanding why a country scarred by political extremism still would prove susceptible to far-right politics, as a party that promises Islam does not belong to Germany prepares to become the third-largest faction in Parliament.

Islam was imposed on us, said Kretschmer, echoing the partys stance and claiming that Arab migrants are treated better than ethnic Germans. The refugees can come here with 10 children, and they get everything for free.

Winding his Mercedes-Benz through roads cut into the hills of Saxony, the lone German state where the AfD emerged on top, he acknowledged that he is not worse off because of the influx of asylum seekers, mostly Syrians fleeing the civil war. "But I could be doing better," said Kretschmer, who used to vote for the pro-business Free Democrats because he "wanted German money to stay in Germany."

[Refugees in Germany cant vote. But their future is at stake in the upcoming election.]

The feeling of being shortchanged is familiar to him. It recalls his experience after the wall came down in 1989.

"Everything broke down," Kretschmer said. "The youth left, and many elderly people couldn't find work."

He lost his job in a factory producing electronic control systems and, after retraining, went to work as a construction manager. When his wife retires next year from her job as an accountant, he said, she wont even get the minimum pension.

People in the west do better, he said.

This is true but no longer by every measure, and it denies the scale of investment that has helped narrow a yawning gap between the two halves of the country, said Reiner Klingholz, director of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development.

The equivalent of $1.89 trillion of West German money went into rebuilding the east after reunification.

"Nowhere in Germany has life improved so much as in the east," Klingholz said. "But this is not how people feel. Instead they're frustrated because there's more uncertainty."

Uwe Wockartz, a janitor buying his lunch in Oppachs tiny commercial center on a recent weekday, said the promise of economic uplift made by Helmut Kohl, the conservative chancellor and architect of reunification, had gone unfulfilled. Todays leaders have failed similarly, he said.

Theyve forgotten their own people, said Wockartz, 60.

There are reasons to be dissatisfied, said Steffi Grosskreutz, a pharmaceutical technician. Many residents can find only short-term work contracts. Companies follow lower costs across the border to the Czech Republic or Poland, she said.

But Grosskreutz, 37, said she had no reason to think the AfD would fix these problems.

"The AfD makes many promises, but they don't have a real concept," she said as she loaded groceries into her car at Aldi, a discount supermarket chain. She voted for Die Linke and the Greens.

Also voting for Die Linke  as a "protest vote" but in support of the left  was Michael Klopper, a teacher. He said jealousy and insecurity  ingrained rather than eradicated by reunification  has inspired "hate for foreigners." Polling in 2015, when public opinion was still more favorable to Merkel's decision not to close the borders to asylum seekers, suggested that 46 percent of people in eastern Germany were afraid of the large number of refugees arriving in the country, compared with 36 percent in the west.

Amplifying fear in the east are limited horizons in small towns where most young people leave and the elderly rarely travel, said Hartmut Elsenhans, a political scientist at the University of Leipzig. He said Saxony is historically insular. Because of poor television signals, he said, people in Saxony were not connected to debates happening in West Germany.

But that did not stop Saxony from being the birthplace of famous Monday demonstrations demanding democratic rights two months before the Berlin Wall came down.

The chant with which East Germans took to the streets, Wir sind das Volk (We are the people), is today freighted with new meaning. It is the cry of Pegida, the anti-Islam movement founded in Dresden in 2014, whose members favor Mondays for their demonstrations.

Read more

Rewriting history or attending to the past? Monuments still confound Europe, too.

The pastors daughter: How a striking family history shaped Germanys chancellor

Merkel welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees. Now many are suing her government.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Regional powers and Iraq's central government threatened crippling economic sanctions and military action against Iraq's Kurdish region on Tuesday, a day after Kurds staged a landmark vote for independence that is emerging as another crisis in a region roiled by civil wars and the fight against the Islamic State.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Kurdish leaders had committed a strategic and historic mistake by holding the referendum and gave them until Friday to hand over control of airports and borders in northern Iraq to the federal government. If the order is ignored, international flights to the Kurdish region will be suspended, Abadi said.

Abadi also said that any oil revenue from the Kurdistan region  a critical economic lifeline for the semiautonomous enclave  must be returned to Baghdad, though he did not set a deadline for the demands.

We will not compromise on Iraqs unity or sovereignty, he said. We have taken measures to impose federal authority according to the Iraqi constitution.

The orders are the latest signal that Iraqs central government, along with Turkey and Iran, are holding firm to their pledge to block Kurdish separation from Iraq.

Kurdish leaders have said the nonbinding referendum vote would give them leverage in stalled talks with the Iraqi government over revenue-sharing and borders, despite warnings from the United States that the poll would destabilize the country and potentially the region.

Turkey's president on Tuesday ramped up his criticism of the referendum, calling it "treachery" against Turkey and threatening to impose a stifling blockade of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

The comments by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were the latest in a series of admonitions by Turkish officials and other regional leaders over the vote, which many Iraqi Kurds see as a critical step toward their long-deferred dream of self-determination.

Iranian state media quoted a military commander Tuesday as saying that new missile batteries have been installed in an area bordering the Kurdish region to firmly respond to any invasion. Iran closed its airspace to flights to Iraqi Kurdistan over the weekend.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran  which has strong influence over Iraq's politics and military  will not support a Kurdish secession. He said Kurdish independence would be akin to "creating a second Israel," state media reported, according to the Associated Press. Israel has been the only country to publicly support the referendum.

Meanwhile, thousands of Iranian Kurds demonstrated Monday night in towns and cities in western Iran, defying their governments opposition to the vote in a show of Kurdish solidarity.

The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, which is based in Iraq, posted video from the demonstrations on social media, showing crowds marching and chanting the Kurdish anthem.

Kurds in Iran have long complained of discrimination, and Iranian authorities worry that fallout from the referendum could stir further unrest.

[After Iraqi Kurds voted, their kin in Iran celebrated in the streets]

The results of the referendum have not been fully tallied, but officials expect an overwhelming yes on independence  the first step on a possible path toward a break with Baghdad.

Kurdish Regional Government President Masoud Barzani responded to the increasingly dire rhetoric out of Baghdad, Ankara and Tehran in a televised speech late Tuesday, saying that the referendum was not meant to immediately draw new borders but instead to begin discussions on how to become good neighbors.

The only way to solve our problems is through discussion and understanding, not through threats, said Barzani, adding that the international community should support the democratic exercise by the Kurds.

The vote was opposed by virtually all of the Kurds' allies and neighbors, including the United States and Iran. Turkey, which has fought for decades against Kurdish separatists at home, has reacted with growing anxiety as Kurdish groups have gained strength and influence across its borders in Syria and Iraq.

Erdogan's barbed comments Tuesday appeared to be part of a broader international effort to shape the vote's aftermath and push the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government toward an accommodation the region could accept.

Erdogan, speaking in the Turkish capital, Ankara, warned that Turkey could cut off oil exports from northern Iraq and stop trucks from moving across the border.

Iraq's Kurdish region also borders Syria and Iran, but Turkey is the main commercial lifeline to international markets.

But as Turkey continued to denounce the referendum, Western nations began to soften their tone.

In a statement, the State Department said that the United States "is deeply disappointed" the regional government held the vote but that the "historic relationship with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region will not change."

It did reiterate, however, the U.S. belief that the referendum "will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people" by compromising relations with Baghdad and neighboring countries. Washington also fears that the plebiscite could give extremists an opening to exploit.

Britain's ambassador to Iraq, Frank Baker, said in a Twitter post Tuesday that his country's long ties with the Kurdish government will continue, including in the battle against the Islamic State.

Kurdish media began publishing unofficial returns from polling stations Tuesday showing that with about 10 percent of votes counted, yes votes were coming in at an overwhelming 93 percent.

Kurdish election authorities said official results would be released by Thursday.

Fahim reported from Istanbul. Erin Cunningham in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Read more:

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Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez speaks during the 72nd General Assembly at the United Nations in New York on Sept. 22. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodiguez on Tuesday evening to discuss the still-mystifying health problems that have befallen U.S. diplomats stationed in Havana.

In a lengthy account of the meeting, Cubas Foreign Ministry said Havana has been conducting its own investigation into the incidents, on orders from the top level of the Cuban government, a reference to President Raul Castro. But it said Cuba so far had found no evidence pointing to the cause or origin of the health disorders that have affected at least 21 Americans connected to the embassy. Nevertheless, it said measures had been taken to protect diplomats still stationed in Havana and their families, without specifying what they are.

U.S.-Cuba relations, already tense since President Trump vowed to reverse the rapprochement undertaken by the Obama administration, have been weakened further by the case of the injured diplomats. Some have suffered hearing loss and traumatic brain injury. Investigators are looking into the possibility they were subjected to some sort of "sonic attack."

Cuba has vehemently denied being involved in any way, raising speculation a third country may be responsible. But two months after the State Department publicly acknowledged the incidents, they are no closer to solving what happened, much less who did it.

In a brief account of the meeting, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert characterized the conversation as a firm and frank discussion of U.S. concern for its employees.

The Secretary conveyed the gravity of the situation and underscored the Cuban authorities obligations to protect Embassy staff and their families under the Vienna Convention, Nauert said.

The end-of-the-workday visit by Rodriguez to Tillerson's office, requested by the Cubans primarily to discuss the incidents, appeared to be an effort to persuade Tillerson not to close the embassy in Havana, a step he said recently that he is considering.

The Cubans also signaled their concern they are being blamed for the diplomats injuries before investigations are complete and urged effective cooperation between Cuban and U.S. authorities looking into the case.

Rodriguez, they said, also stated that it would be regrettable that a matter of this nature is politicized and that hasty decisions not supported by conclusive evidence and investigation results are taken.

The meeting between Tillerson and Rodriguez represented the highest-level meeting of officials from the two countries during the Trump administration. However, it comes at the lowest point in U.S.-Cuba relations since the countries put aside half a century of enmity and normalized relations under the Obama administration in 2015. Trump has said he wants to reimpose restrictions that would limit U.S. business dealings in Cuba and make it harder for Americans to visit except on organized tours.

In a speech at the United Nations last week, Trump called the Cuban government corrupt and destabilizing and vowed not to ease the U.S. trade embargo against the island until democratic reforms are made. The Cubans called his remarks disrespectful, unacceptable and meddling.

Despite the ideological differences, the State Department has said Cuba has cooperated in facilitating the investigation into what harmed the envoys from the United States, and several Canadians as well.

The complaints of health issues began in the final months of the Obama administration and continued into the Trump administration. Many of those injured have left the country for treatment.

In May, the United States expelled two Cuban diplomats from Washington as a response. The State Department did not publicly reveal the expulsions, or the reason behind it, until August.

According to the Cuban account, Rodriguez told Tillerson the expulsions were unwarranted and said Cubas record in protecting diplomats is impeccable.

He reaffirmed that the Cuban government has never perpetrated nor will it ever perpetrate attacks of any kind against diplomats, the statement said. The Cuban government has never permitted nor will it ever permit the use of its territory by third parties for this purpose.

Rodriguez also told Tillerson he hopes the fact U.S. diplomats were injured while serving in Cuba does not damage already difficult relations. The Foreign Ministry said he expressed to Tillerson Cuba's desire to continue bilateral dialogue on issues "based on respect and sovereign equality, despite the profound differences that exist between the two countries."
Chuck Rosenberg, the acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, told staff members on Sept. 26 that he is planning to step down from his post. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Acting Drug Enforcement Administration head Chuck Rosenberg, a veteran attorney and law enforcement official who has found himself at odds with the Trump administration in recent months, told staff members Tuesday he is planning to step down from his post in less than a week.

Rosenberg, an Obama administration holdover, said he would resign as acting administrator on Oct. 1. In an email to his staff, Rosenberg said he was proud to have led the remarkable agency.

The neighborhoods in which we live are better for your commitment to the rule of law, dedication to the cause of justice, and perseverance in the face of adversity, he wrote. You will continue to do great things. I will continue to root for you, now from the sidelines.

His departure is not completely surprising; President Trump has always been expected to nominate someone of his own choosing to lead the nations premier agency on narcotics enforcement.

Rosenberg, who had been running the agency in an acting capacity since 2015, had earned a reputation as someone willing to put himself at odds with his bosses in the White House and the Justice Department.

[Acting DEA administrator says Trump condoned police misconduct in comments about how cops handle suspects]

A former U.S. attorney and senior counselor to then-FBI Director James B. Comey, Rosenberg garnered attention in July when he wrote an email to DEA personnel rejecting Trumps comments suggesting criminal suspects might be treated roughly when being put into police vehicles. We have an obligation to speak out when something is wrong, he wrote in the email.

It was not immediately clear who would replace Rosenberg, although people with knowledge of internal discussions said Col. Joseph R. Fuentes, the head of the New Jersey State Police, was thought to be a leading contender. A state police spokesman declined to comment. Other s have also been discussed, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

According to two officials familiar with the matter, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein had previously asked Rosenberg if he would be interested in serving as the presidentially appointed head of the DEA, and Rosenberg declined. Because Rosenberg was considered a career Justice Department employee, one of the officials said, Rosenstein then asked if he would be interested in another Justice Department job, and Rosenberg said he would not.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment, and a White House spokeswoman did not return a message seeking comment. Some at the DEA expressed surprise at how suddenly Rosenberg would be leaving his post.

Whoever Trump nominates will inherit primary responsibility for handling the DEAs response to the opioid crisis, along with thorny issues involving marijuana enforcement and research.

Rosenberg also has been at loggerheads with Justice Department leaders over marijuana research. The department, according to officials, has effectively blocked the DEA from taking action on more than two dozen requests to grow marijuana to use in research  to the dismay of Rosenberg and others.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a hard line against marijuana and is generally opposed to easing restrictions on the drug. Rosenberg and Sessions also have different views on the Central American gang MS-13. Sessions has called combatting the gang a major priority for federal law enforcement, while DEA officials have cautioned that other gangs  such as Mexican drug cartels  are far more dangerous when it comes to distributing and selling narcotics because of their financing and organization.

Fuentes is a career law enforcement officer who has led the New Jersey State Police since 2003. He harshly criticized the Obama administration for striking a deal with Cuba to restore diplomatic relations with that country without addressing the question of long-sought fugitives, including one who killed a New Jersey state trooper in 1973.

"We approach the next presidential administration with a renewed sense of optimism and moral superiority that justice will prevail,'' Fuentes said in a statement in January.
A federal appeals court on Sept. 26 overturned bribery and other convictions of Dean Skelos, a former Republican leader of the New York State Senate. (Seth Wenig/Associated Press)

A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned bribery and other convictions of former New York State Senate majority leader Dean Skelos, asserting that jurors were wrongly instructed in the case based on a recent Supreme Court decision that narrowed what constitutes public corruption.

In vacating the once-powerful Republican's convictions, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit pointed again to the Supreme Court's decision in the case of former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell (R).

The appeals court's ruling is another reminder of how the McDonnell case has made substantiating public corruption convictions far more difficult. Citing McDonnell, the 2nd Circuit earlier this year overturned a public corruption conviction against former New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver (D). And it is possible that the precedent established could have an effect on the public corruption trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.).

[The Bob McDonnell effect: The bar is getting higher to prosecute public corruption cases]

Skelos could be retried, the appeals court said, but based on the definition of public corruption established in the McDonnell case, his convictions could not stand. The appeals court also vacated the convictions of Skeloss son, Adam.

Joon H. Kim, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that prosecutors looked forward to retrying the case and pointed to a portion of the appeals courts decision that said the evidence may still be sufficient to win a conviction.

While we are disappointed in the decision and will weigh our appellate options, we look forward to a prompt retrial where we will have another opportunity to present the overwhelming evidence of Dean Skelos and Adam Skeloss guilt and again give the public the justice it deserves, Kim said in a statement. Cleaning up corruption is never easy, and that is certainly true for corruption in New York State government. But we are as committed as ever to doing everything we can to keep our government honest.

Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, Dean Skeloss defense attorney, said: Senator Skelos is grateful for the Courts careful consideration of the issues and looks forward to the next steps. We believe that as events unfold it is going to become clear that this is a case that never should have been brought.

Skelos, 69, and his son were convicted in 2015 of bribery, extortion and related counts for carrying out a variety of schemes that prosecutors said were "among the most serious public corruption crimes committed in New York State in recent memory." Dean Skelos, prosecutors said, targeted businesses that depended on state help either through legislation or contracts and forced them to pay his son hundreds of thousands of dollars for jobs where he did not actually have to work. The state lawmaker was sentenced to five years in prison. His son got 6 years.

The Supreme Court decided McDonnells case in 2016, after Skelos had been found guilty. The justices vacated the governors conviction, also because of an improper jury instruction.

To substantiate a conviction against McDonnell, prosecutors had to prove that he performed an official act for a wealthy benefactor who lavished his family with gifts and loans. And jurors, the court ruled, had been given too broad a definition of what such an act could be.

The ruling effectively narrowed the definition of what constitutes an official act in a public corruption case. The Supreme Court indicated that arranging a meeting, calling another public official or hosting an event would not by themselves qualify.

The jurors in Skeloss case had been told that his end of a corrupt bargain could include any acts taken under color of official authority and that they do not need to be specifically described in any law, rule, or job description, but may also include acts customarily performed by a public official with a particular position.
Women in Saudi Arabia will be permitted to drive in the kingdom for the first time, according to a royal decree issued in Riyadh on Tuesday that overturned one of the most widely criticized restrictions on human rights.

The change may be the most visible sign yet of a modernizing Saudi Arabia, with reforms implemented by the heir apparent to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Signed by his father, King Salman, and broadcast on state television, the decree said that the majority of senior scholars had deemed the change legitimate under Islamic law and ordered the government ministries concerned to make whatever legal adjustments are required to implement it by June 24.

For much of the rest of the world, the prohibition on women driving has long symbolized the many restrictions on individual freedoms in Saudi Arabia, particularly those applying to women.

The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Khaled bin Salman, who spoke at a news conference in Washington, hailed the development as a historic, big day in our kingdom. He said that female drivers would not need to travel with male guardians or seek permission to obtain drivers licenses, and that womens licenses from other countries in the region would be recognized.

The change aligns Saudi Arabia with other conservative monarchies in the Persian Gulf that have long allowed women to drive. It was unclear whether the lifting of requirements that male relatives accompany women or give permission for them to leave their homes, still implemented in much of the country, would apply to activities other than driving.



Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud speaks at a ceremony on Sept. 20, 2017. (Bandar Al-Jaloud/AFP/Getty Images)

The Saudi government, which has long endured negative publicity over its restrictive domestic policies, was eager to broadcast the change. In addition to the news conference at the embassy in Washington, the Foreign Ministry contacted reporters offering to arrange calls with selected Saudi women to comment on the policy.

The ambassador said the decision was not based on religion but on social and economic considerations, and was part of the modernization reforms being implemented by the crown prince.

[A young prince wants to reimagine Saudi Arabia  and make it fun]

There is no wrong time to do the right thing, the ebullient ambassador said. With more women entering the workplace, they need to drive themselves to work. He said the implementation delay was needed to ensure that the legal and logistical environment was prepared for the change. We have to make sure our streets are ready for a potential doubling in traffic, he said.

Prominent female Saudi activists had spent years publicly protesting the ban, posting videos of themselves driving on Saudi roads or toward the countrys borders. The videos garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and often landed the activists in jail.

Loujain al-Hathloul, who was detained for 73 days in 2014 after attempting to drive into Saudi Arabia from the United Arab Emirates, was rearrested this year and held for several days. Praise be to God, Hathloul tweeted after the announcement.

I am just happy that I no longer have to tell my 7-year-old to stop ogling at women driving in Europe because, yes, its normal and okay for women to drive, said Loulwa Bakr, a senior financial adviser in Jiddah.

One small pedal for Saudi women, one giant leap for womenkind, Bakr said in a telephone interview from Riyadh. She was one of several women independently contacted by The Washington Post.

Asma Siddiki, an educator at King Abdullah Economic City, said the issue was not the top priority for Saudi women but had become symbolic.

We enjoy some rights that other celebrated democracies do not enjoy and yet everything was brushed under the all-encompassing question of the right of women to drive, she said. I feel ecstatic that it is about to become a moot topic.

I am also quite relieved, she added, that I, not my husband, may be the person who will teach my children how to drive, being a better driver, in my opinion.

Samid Hadid, the deputy Middle East director for Amnesty International, tweeted: Huge congrats and credit to the brave women who fought for this. May this be the start of more freedoms for women in Saudi Arabia.

At the State Department, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, Were happy.

This news just came to us moments ago, Nauert said at the departments regular afternoon briefing. So I think were just happy today with the steps that they are taking, and I think that that is a very positive sign.

The Trump administration has developed close relations with Saudi Arabia, which was President Trump's first stop on his maiden overseas trip in May. He has repeatedly praised its ruler, King Salman  the father of both the ambassador and the crown prince  as a "wise" ruler and the United States' closest partner in the gulf region.

Ali al-Ahmed, director of the Institute of Gulf Affairs, a group often critical of the Saudi leadership, said the decision shows the stamp of the crown prince. Over the past year, the government has restricted the powers of the religious police and decreed that women and men working for the government receive equal pay.

Last weekend, women were allowed for the first time into King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh for a special pageant celebrating the 87th anniversary of Saudi Arabias founding. Women are largely barred from public events because of strict prohibitions against the mixing of the sexes.

The driving ban "was increasingly unpopular and difficult for the ruling family to justify," Ahmed said. "It was inevitable that it would be lifted someday. Now was the time, with the Saudi economy struggling with low oil prices and the monarchy facing some internal pressures."

Last year, the well-known Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud, a member of the royal family, declared that the kingdoms refusal to allow women to drive was draining billions of dollars from the sagging economy.

The governments reform plan, introduced last year by the crown prince, is designed to diversify the oil-dependent economy. It calls for increasing the role of Saudi women, including boosting their participation in the workforce from 22 percent to 30 percent by 2030.

Last month, a woman was appointed the chief executive of a major Saudi bank  a first in the countrys history. That came a few days after Saudi Arabias stock exchange appointed a woman as its chair.

Not everyone is likely to be pleased by the lifting of the driving ban. One cleric, Sheikh Saad al-

Hijri, the head of fatwas, or legal opinions, in Asir province, said in a recent lecture that women "don't deserve to drive because they only have a quarter of a brain."

Last Thursday, the BBC reported, Hijri was banned by the government from preaching, leading prayers and other religious activities.

Brian Murphy in Washington, Souad Mekhennet in London, Kareem Fahim in Istanbul and Sudarsan Raghavan in Cairo contributed to this report.

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 A Palestinian shot dead an Israeli policeman and two security guards at the entrance to the settlement where he worked near Jerusalem on Tuesday, an attack Israeli officials said could have "serious implications" for the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have Israeli work permits.

The attacker, who was killed at the scene, was crossing through a security checkpoint to Har Adar from his neighboring village of Beit Surik, about 500 yards away, when he opened fire just after 7 a.m., residents and security officials said. Another Israeli was seriously injured and transferred to a hospital, police said.

The militant group Hamas praised the attack but did not assert responsibility. Hamas called the shooting a new chapter in Jerusalems intifada, or uprising.

The 37-year-old Palestinian was well known in Har Adar  a wealthy community of luxury villas established in the 1980s  where he worked cleaning homes.

Most of the people who lived here knew him, said Yitzhak Rabihya, a resident of Har Adar. Its such a surprise here. We are a small community.

Around 100,000 Palestinians have permits to work in Israel and settlements in the West Bank; the majority of them are manual laborers. Permit holders are regularly screened by security services.

[With rhetoric and force, Israel sends message to Hezbollah and U.S.]

The incident came just three days before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, when security forces were already on high alert. Israel has faced a spate of attacks over the past two years in what has been dubbed the knife intifada, although it also has included shootings and car rammings.

The attack also coincided with a visit by U.S. Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, who is charged with reviving the long-stalled peace process. Israeli officials urged him to pressure Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to condemn the attack and refrain from paying a stipend to the dead attackers family, a practice that Israel says incentivizes violence.

At the entrance to Har Adar, the bodies of the victims could be seen being loaded into ambulances after the attack Tuesday morning, as Israeli special forces entered the Palestinian village and enforced a curfew.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the home of the attacker would be demolished and that work permits for his extended family would be revoked.

This murderous attack is the result of  inter alia  systematic incitement by the Palestinian Authority, he said.

The settlement, home to roughly 4,000 people, has a special arrangement that allows about 100 workers to enter each day without going through the main, clogged West Bank checkpoints, where Palestinians line up for hours.

The fact that the terrorist exploited the entry of Palestinian workers into Israel to carry out an attack will have serious implications for the ability to employ Palestinians and ease their conditions of passage, said Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz.

[A Palestinians daily commute through an Israeli checkpoint]

The attack is a message to Greenblatt that the security of Israel is paramount and above any other consideration of easing the lives of the Palestinians, Katz said.

Palestinians say such attacks are caused by frustration stemming from 50 years of occupation.

Neighbors and Israeli news media reports identified the assailant as Nimr Mahmoud al-Jamal, a father of four.

Jamal does not fit the typical profile of Palestinian attackers, who more often are young, single men. Jamals wife had recently left for Jordan, neighbors said, while Israeli police said there was a history of domestic abuse.

O God, Jamal posted on his Facebook page before the incident. The page was later closed down.

Im not afraid, he had posted earlier, next to a picture of the bare back of a man flexing his muscles. I testify that there is no God but God.

The Israeli army also shared a screenshot of a message that it said Jamal had sent to his wife  referred to as Umm Bahaa, or Mother of Bahaa  before the attack, asking her to post a note on his Facebook page. It was time-stamped at 6:51 a.m. When you wake up and see this please share on my page, it said.

I want to say that Umm Bahaa really was a good wife and tender mother and what you will see from me has nothing to do with my wife, said the message he requested to be posted.

Police identified the slain officer as Sgt. Solomon Gaviria, 20. He previously had been injured in a knife attack, Israeli news media reported.

One of the security guards killed was identified as Yossef Otman, an Arab Israeli from the town of Abu Ghosh. Israeli news reports identified the second security guard as Or Arish, a 25-year-old resident of Har Adar.

Fact of the matter is that the security guards were both Arab and Jews, said Issa Jaber, head of Abu Ghoshs local council. This shows that violence and killing has no father and mother. It can hurt every innocent human being.

Morris reported from Jerusalem. Sufian Taha in Jerusalem, Hazem Balousha in Gaza and Heba Habib in Stockholm contributed to this report.

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The 50 years war

Israel set to approve first new settlement in 20 years

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Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/09/2017 (1875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Go ahead and call it: 2017 is the Year of Margaret Atwood.

Coming on the heels of Hulus Emmy-winning adaptation of The Handmaids Tale is the adaptation of Alias Grace, a new six-part miniseries based on Atwoods 1996 Giller Prize-winning historical novel. It debuts Monday night on CBC and will arrive on Netflix in early November.

And just as The Handmaids Tale has proved scarily relevant in 2017, so, too, will Alias Grace.

Jan Thijs / CBC As Grace Marks, Sarah Gadon is exquisite, with a convincing Irish brogue and plenty of subtly brilliant moments in Alias Grace.

Set in Upper Canada, Alias Grace tells the story of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a young Irish immigrant and maid who, along with stable-hand James McDermott (Kerr Logan), is convicted of the 1843 double-murder of their employer Thomas Kinnear (Paul Gross) and his housekeeper-turned-lover Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin). Alias Grace is inspired by true events: there really was a Grace Marks, who served 30 years in Kingston Penitentiary before she was pardoned. (McDermott, meanwhile, was hanged.) She relocated to New York and then, history goes dark.

In the book and the TV adaptation, a fictional Dr. Simon Jordan (Edward Holcroft) is sent to try to parse Graces story and behaviour and write a report on behalf of a committee advocating for her pardon. And, like everyone else, he becomes obsessed with the inscrutable Grace.

Writer Sarah Polley (who first tried to obtain the rights to the novel when she was just 18) and director Mary Harron are two of the powerhouses behind this production. Its not as visually edgy as The Handmaids Tale, but it offers a harrowing look at what life was like for women in that era (spoiler: not great!).

Alias Grace is about the ways in which women are trapped and caged, in prisons literal and figurative. As a poor immigrant woman, Graces ability to move through the world is hemmed in by her class, status and gender. Her dear friend, the spirited and rebellious Mary Whitney (Rebecca Liddiard), finds herself trapped with an unwanted pregnancy by a man who refuses to marry her and finds out exactly what choice looks like in a world where access to reproductive care is non-existent. Power shifts and imbalances  between doctor and patient, employer and employee  are examined, as is the way a salivating press dehumanizes a celebrated murderess.

Strip away the petticoats and this story becomes downright modern.

At its core, Alias Grace is also about the fascination with the idea that a beautiful young woman could be capable of something so dark. The question at the heart of the case, real and fictionalized: is Grace Marks really a murderess, or was she an accessory?

Edward Holcroft as Dr. Simon Jordan in ALIAS GRACE, courtesy of CBC/Netflix (Photo Credit: Sabrina Lantos)

From Lizzie Borden to Karla Homolka, female killers (both accused and convicted) have long been a point of obsession  especially the pretty ones. Just as Dr. Jordan struggles to reconcile the mild-mannered quilting woman before him with the gruesome facts of the crime, many people have a hard time wrapping their mind around a woman who could kill because something seems fundamentally unnatural about it.

Women are seen as givers of life, which makes it shocking when they take it. (Gadon is exquisite as the endlessly complicated Grace. Sure, her Irish brogue is convincing and she has the blood-curdling pipes of a scream queen, but her genius is in the smallest performances, the hint of a smile or the blink-and-you-miss-it shift between a gaze and a glare.)

Quilts serve as a prominent metaphor in Alias Grace; in fact, youll notice in the credits that theres a whole quilt crew on this production. The quilts squares represent pieces of a whole story, but they also represent the idea that Grace is a puzzle to be solved.

At one point, she says she knows what Dr. Jordan wants: In your hand, you want to hold my beating female heart.

That she qualified heart with female feels intentional. After all, the series is set in an era when women dealing with trauma or mental illness were often reduced to raving hysterics that needed either to be pointed in the direction of the nearest fainting couch or institution. To figure out Grace is to figure out women.

Kerr Logan as James McDermott in ALIAS GRACE, courtesy of CBC/Netflix (Photo Credit: Sabrina Lantos)

Of course, the truth is also complicated, memory is fallible and this story doesnt come together like one of Graces quilts. Alias Grace forces the viewer to grapple with a difficult question: whose stories do we believe  and, perhaps more critically, why do we believe them?

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @JenZoratti

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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/09/2017 (1875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Issues no less weighty than discussing how to feed the world will be taking place in Winnipeg over the next few days during the 17th Agricultural Bioscience International Conference (ABIC).

Bioscience, agricultural and environmental technology experts  as well as investors  from around the world will be in Winnipeg, including some of the most influential thought leaders at the top of their industries.

We are at a very interesting time when it comes to food production, said Tracey Maconachie, the CEO of the Life Science Association of Manitoba, part of the organizing and host committee that brought the prestigious conference to Winnipeg. (Next year it will be held in Beijing, China.)

Supplied Rohit Shukla, the CEO and founder of the Los Angeles-based Larta Institute, an internationally-recognized technology accelerator.

The global population is going to peak in about 30 years when demand for food will peak, she said. All of the data suggests we cannot feed the world using traditional farming techniques and traditional food supplies. This conversation is significant.

Rohit Shukla, the CEO and founder of the Los Angeles-based Larta Institute, an internationally-recognized technology accelerator, was the first presenter at the conference on Monday afternoon.

He agrees that this is an important moment in history for agricultural technology.

I believe there is progress being made (in terms of feeding the world). I am an optimist, he said in an interview.

He said that right now enough food is being produced, but the question is, is it the right food?

That is why alternative protein (from insects, for instance) is becoming so important, he said. About 80 per cent of the world exists on vegetable-based protein. Yet the appetite for meat in places like China and India has increased dramatically, which leads essentially to two things: wasteful use of land and an incredible increase in the emission of methane gases, which are very dangerous.

He said among the companies that the Larta Institute has helped commercialize technology for is an Argentinian company that has developed grasses that will greatly reduce the amount of methane produced from the cattle that feed on it.

He said there is an obligation and an opportunity for agricultural technology companies to make new technologies available where it is needed around the world, even if the business case has not yet been determined.

Shukla spoke about how the business of innovation applies to agriculture and food, and perhaps successful commercialization of innovation requires new models for connecting people and resources across the value chain.

Maconachie pointed out that the movement towards more consumption of local, fresh foods is a luxury that mostly people in North America and Europe are able to indulge in.

But in places like Asia and elsewhere, they dont have the luxury of going to the supermarket and getting all their fresh fruit and vegetables. They have to grow them and, unless they have the best environment to grow those foods, they are not going to be able to feed themselves.

That is among the things that will be discussed here, she said. Its not just about how to feed North Americans, but how will we feed the people who need to grow their own foods and live in the developing world where food production is more challenging than it is in Manitoba.

In addition to Shukla, other speakers at the event at the RBC Convention Centre include Catherine Ann Bertini, who was named 2003 World Food Prize Laureate for her leadership transforming the United Nations World Food Program into the largest and most responsive humanitarian organization in the world; James Dale of Australias Queensland University of Technology, who was named one of Time Magazines Top 25 Innovators in 2014 for developing a vitamin A-enriched super banana; and Jean-Marc Gilson, CEO of the Roquette Group, the French company that is in the process of building the worlds largest pea processing plant near Portage la Prairie.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/09/2017 (1875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg digital health technology company is positioning itself to be a leader in the tricky business of sleep disorder diagnosis.

Cerebra Health Inc. has recently raised about $2.5 million, mostly from Manitoba investors through the provincial Small Business Venture Capital Tax Credit Program, allowing it to acquire proprietary technology already developed by respirologist and sleep physician, Dr. Magdy Younes.

Younes, a world-renowned Winnipeg research doctor (for years his inventions have generated the most royalties to the University of Manitobas technology transfer office) who has invented breakthrough diagnostic technologies for sleep disorders, has been working with the company for some time and will continue to support the progress of the technology as Cerebras chief scientific officer.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Earl Gardiner (right), CEO of Cerebra Health Inc., holding an in-home sleep disorder diagnostic device called Prodigy, poses with Dr. Magdy Younes, who has invented breakthrough diagnostic technologies for sleep disorders.

Earl Gardiner, the CEO of Cerebra, is also the CEO and founder of Winnipeg-based RANA Respiratory Care Group. RANA is a significant regional player in the sleep-care scene, running sleep labs in Winnipeg, Brandon, Regina and Calgary, and providing equipment.

We get orders from physicians to do home sleep studies but we are looking only for sleep apnea, he said.

RANA has funded Cerebra for the first year and half of its existence.

As RANA, we got the importance of the technology from the very first meeting we had with Dr. Younes, Gardiner said. We did it on the strong belief that this technology would revolutionize the sleep world.

Dawson Reimer, president of Cerebra, said the company will use the new funding to develop a newer version of the in-home sleep disorder diagnostic device, called Prodigy, that the company hopes to have Health Canada approval for by next summer.

Cerebra believes its small EEG scanner (electroencephalogram, that plots electrical activity in the brain) and its proprietary software that can analyze more data quicker and more efficiently than current procedures, will allow more people to have access to better diagnosis of sleep disorders.

This allows us to look way beyond sleep apnea, Gardiner said. It measures brain activity in the conventional way. But also, using digital analysis that Dr. Younes has developed, it can look at the impacts of people who suffer from insomnia and other things like restless leg syndrome.

As well, Cerebras technology addresses one of the conundrums of treating and diagnosing sleep disorders like apnea. Currently that process involves the patient  who already has trouble sleeping  to enter a sleep lab, be hooked up to intrusive equipment and then told to have a normal sleep in a foreign environment with a technician watching through a window.

Its such a problem that lots of people are entirely abandoning EEGs in general because the environment in which the EEG data is collected is so disruptive to those who are easily aroused from their sleep, Reimer said. They find they cant sleep and it becomes a wasted effort.

Cerebras technology makes it easy to conduct the diagnosis at home. Its EEG device will stream data wirelessly to the doctors office and Cerebras algorithms can crunch the EEG data much quicker than doctors are currently able to do manually.

Sleep disorders can cause all sorts of negative health outcomes. Sleep apnea, for instance, can cause heart attacks and other cardiovascular issues, and restorative sleep is considered one of the important elements of proper health  along with exercise and nutrition. But, to date, there has not been adequate means to measure the sleep states accurately.

Cerebra has grown from three to 20 employees in the last couple of years, and Reimer believes that there is tremendous demand from people suffering from sleep disorders.

We are developing our technology at a time when awareness of sleep issues is really ramping up, he said. We are in a nice environment to be doing this kind of work. Digital health technology in the sleep sector is a sweet spot right now.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/09/2017 (1878 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Despite his landslide NDP leadership victory last Saturday, it hasnt been a good week for Wab Kinew and his credibility as a man or a politician.

And it wasnt going to get any better when I tried to reach him at weeks end.

Hugh Wesley / POSTMEDIA News files Author John Lawrence Reynolds says when Wab Kinews book was put in his hands, it was an unpublishable manuscript.

I had heard a rumour  first from a local author and then from an Indigenous acquaintance  that Kinews Canadian No.1 bestselling 2015 book, his tell-all, mea culpa, apologetic memoir The Reason You Walk that details his journey from troubled to changed man, really hadnt been written by him.

That he had a ghost writer.

Ordinarily, that wouldnt be a surprise, let alone be newsworthy; business people, politicians and celebrities routinely engage professional wordsmiths to help write their books.

With or without credit to the professional.

The issue is Kinew has taken full credit  and all the award-ceremony bows  as the lone author of a book that wouldnt have won reviewers and readers praise unless it was written in an engaging style. And being bright, articulate and a former broadcast journalist, most people had little reason to question that Kinew could be a good, even gifted, author, whose manuscript probably only required what they all do; the here-and-there touch of publishing house editors.

So, in an effort to find the truth, I Googled Wab Kinew ghost writer.

And up came John Lawrence Reynolds and the words ghost writing.

John has been called Canadas best and busiest ghost writer (the National Post), his website read. Below that was a list of some of the co-authors and publishers who have drawn on Johns writing and major editing skills.

And there, at the bottom, next to Justin Trudeau (Common Ground, HarperCollins), was Kinew (The Reason You Walk, Penguin-Random House).

But how much ghost writing or major editing did Reynolds do?

On Tuesday, I emailed Penguin Canada, as its also known. I had some questions. Im still waiting for an answer. Then I left a request with Reynolds agent. No response. Finally, late Thursday afternoon, I called Kinews spokesman, Rorie McLeod Arnould, and asked for comment from Kinew.

Did Kinew write his own book?

At the outset, McLeod Arnoulds tone was disdainful, as if I wanted to know if his boss had remembered to brush his teeth that morning. Until I added that Kinews book was listed on a ghost writers website. Abruptly, Arnoulds attitude changed. He said he would get back to me.

While I was waiting, I got lucky.

Reynolds home number is listed on Canada 411. His wife called him to the phone, and after introducing myself, I asked Reynolds if he had ghost-written Kinews book.

I did, he said.

Ive got a knack for hearing the subjects voice and writing in that voice, he would go on to tell me.

Hed given me kind of the core of the structure, he added.

And when I wrote the book, I could hear his voice in my head.

Before that, though, he listened to Kinew on CBC radio.

Which is what you need to do to make it sound like the author.

Initially, Kinew had submitted what he had written to Penguin Canada publishing director Diane Turbide.

Reynolds described what was handed to Turbide differently than the core of a structure. He said it arrived as an unpublishable manuscript.

Turbide was up against it, he said, and wanted Reynolds help.

Can you do this in the right amount of time? Reynolds recalled Turbide asking.

As it turned out, Reynolds said it took him two or three months to shape it into a publishable book.

Part of the deal, though, Reynolds said, was his agreeing to deep-ghosting the book. Thats deep as in uncredited and ultimately reduced to a blur of names at the back of the book that Kinew lumped together as his many new friends in the publishing industry. Turbide among them.

I was just getting to asking Reynolds about his work on Trudeaus book  the prime minister also reduced Reynolds to a uncredited name in the acknowledgments  when Reynolds other phone rang at his home. It was Diane, he said.

I told Reynolds his publishing director friend was likely calling because, after I contacted Kinews spokesman, Kinew must have called her to discuss their awkward situation.

Reynolds promised to let me know and hung up.

When he called back, I asked Reynolds if I was right about why Turbide had been calling him.

Probably, he said.

And suddenly, after his discussion with the publisher, something had changed.

He was calling himself a doctor rather than a ghost writer. The manuscript exists, but it needs doctoring.

Emergency surgery, judging by the way Reynolds originally described it as unpublishable.

Later, perhaps having been alerted to the controversy swirling around Manitobas new Opposition leader  or more likely because I had asked Penguin Canada if it had fact-checked the criminal case elements of the book  Reynolds volunteered what sounded like a personal disclaimer.

I want to make something clear, he said. That whats in that book, in terms of facts, werent inserted or massaged by me. They were put in as provided.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Wab Kinew leader of the official opposition announces the NDP caucus and critic positions in the rotunda Manitoba Legislative Building Thursday.

I accepted the fact, Reynolds added, that he told the truth.

Not long after we hung up, Kinews spokesman called back.

By then, McLeod Arnould knew I had been speaking with the ghost writer because he wanted to know what Reynolds told me.

My question first.

No, McLeod Arnould said. He did not. He meant Reynolds didnt write the book.

McLeod Arnould said he had spoken to Kinew about it.

This guy, as he referred to Reynolds, had an editorial function.

I asked McLeod Arnould what it was.

I dont have specifics, chapter and verse. Exactly all he did He helped out.

As in the writing of every book, there were people who pitched in, McLeod Arnould added. And thats the role this individual played in the writing of Wabs book.

So Kinew wrote the book?

Absolutely, his spokesman answered. Yes.

But did he really?

Friday, Kinew provided a brief written statement that, while providing more detail of his own and humble in tone, avoided answering the two central questions directly.

Did he write the book? And did he have a ghost writer?

Kinew can rightly claim he wrote a version of the book  what he wanted to say  but he didnt write the book. Not according to the account offered by Reynolds, who, at very least, could have been credited as the co-author.

But we werent ever supposed to know that.

There is no shame in struggling while writing a book and needing editing assistance.

Ive been there.

But there is a problem when a writer takes more credit than he deserves.

Which brings us to the deep and disturbing irony in all of this.

Arguably, Kinews most important personal message in the memoir was his getting clean and coming clean. It was about being straight and sincere about who he was and who he has become. Yet he cant be completely honest about the book that was supposed to be about being honest and how hes changed.

Thats why there are ghosts that still haunt him.

Ghosts, and now, a ghost writer.

gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/09/2017 (1875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new documentary on Canadian children being lured by human traffickers will open the eyes of adults blind to whats become a growing problem, say experts in Winnipeg who work with sexually exploited girls and women.

Weve got to bring these things up or else whats done in the dark will stay in the dark, Shona Stewart said at the release of the documentary Human Trafficking: Canadas Secret Shame.

This will help bring some light to it, said the survivor of human trafficking, who is now the director of Dignity House, helping sexually exploited women.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Joy Smith, founder of the Joy Smith Foundation and former Member of Parliament (centre) along with Diane Redsky, Executive Director of Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre (left) and Shona Stewart Director of Dignity House (which helps sexually exploited women), in Winnipeg after the launch of a documentary on Human Trafficking; Canadas Secret Shame produced by the Joy Smith Foundation Monday.

The 90-minute documentary produced by the Joy Smith Foundation talks to the parent of a 12-year-old who was trafficked, survivors of trafficking, a reformed trafficker and the people trying to help the victims and survivors.

Once peoples eyes are opened and they see the inherent violence directed towards mainly children, they want to be part of the solution, Diane Redsky, executive director of Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, said at a press conference at RCMP headquarters. The video is a great way to get started.

Joy Smith, a former Kildonan-St. Paul MP, teacher and mother of six, started the foundation in 2011 after being inspired to help by her son, a police officer who worked in the Integrated Child Exploitation Unit. The foundations goal is to ensure every Canadian is safe from being lured to or exploited by the sex trade through educating the public and funding frontline organizations that rescue and rehabilitate survivors.

In Canada, our youth are being targeted every day and people are seeing it as prostitution, Smith said at the release of the documentary at RCMP headquarters in Winnipeg. With underage kids  excuse me  its not prostitution. Somebody has lured them there. In the last year, shes visited several schools across Canada and saw just how urgent the need is for public education.

At every single school, kids came up and said, After listening to what youre saying, I think Im being groomed, Smith said in an interview.

Then I knew it had to be out  what were doing. Its giving them knowledge  Heres how the perpetrators work, she said.

The biggest risk factor for becoming a victim of human trafficking is being a girl, said Redsky, who led the National Task Force on the Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada. It found the average age girls were recruited at was 13.

Human trafficking is not getting any better  in fact its getting worse, but you can help stop this from happening in the first place, Redsky said at Mondays press conference. It begins with educating yourself on the issues.

Smith and Redsky applauded the Winnipeg police and the RCMP in Manitoba for being leaders and helpers to community organizations dealing with the problem.

The work (police) do on this issue in our province is a rare gem that happens across the country, Redsky said.

The internet and its anonymity remain one of the biggest challenges for police trying to stop human trafficking and the exploitation of children, Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smyth said at the press conference.

Its happening right under our nose, Smyth said.

And its not just happening under the nose of police, Redsky said.

Most survivors of human trafficking in the national study said they were going to school, living at home or had involvement with a child-welfare or youth-serving organization when they were lured away and recruited. The documentary released Monday may alert more adults to whats happening under their own roofs, Redsky said.

If you have children or grandchildren, I would strongly encourage people to watch.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/09/2017 (1875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  A grassroots group of 60s Scoop survivors are asking Ottawa to compensate Indigenous Manitobans who were whisked away from their homes to places as far-flung as New Zealand.

Canada committed genocide against 60s Scoop survivors, by removing us from our nations, our Aboriginal rights and our families, Duane Morrisseau-Beck, co-director of the National Indigenous Survivors of Child Welfare Network, told reporters Tuesday

Roughly 20,000 children were taken from their families across Canada and placed in provincial foster homes or adopted abroad. It is unknown how many were taken from Manitoba.

Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press files National Indigenous Survivors of Child Welfare Network co-director Duane Morrisseau-Beck speaks during a news conference in Ottawa Tuesday.

The activist group is calling on the federal government to rise above overlapping lawsuits and start a process to compensate survivors. Ottawa says talks are ongoing for an apology and compensation.

The group is also likely the first to seek a means of repatriation for children Canada sent abroad.

That would include Brent Mitchell, whom child-welfare authorities apprehended at the age of one. They circled him through eight foster homes before sending him to New Zealand at age five, in 1963. Canada paid for his foster care, in an abusive home.

Mitchell was told his mother was an Indian from Canada, but it wasnt until 1997 that he was able to track down his mothers Metis roots in Sagkeeng First Nation.

When I was 15, I asked to come home and was told I had no family, Mitchell told reporters, holding back tears. Ive had three suicide attempts over my life. I was diagnosed with PTSD.

Hes since been able to connect with two of his six siblings, all of whom had been adopted. The three of them discovered a shared sense of humour, and made a bittersweet visit to Sagkeeng together.

We could envision ourselves running through the bushes and enjoying ourselves. So what, if we didnt have running water or a toilet? We wouldnt have worried about that, he said.

We wouldve been with our mother and grandmother, but weve missed all of that.

That pain resounds with Morrisseau-Beck, though he was raised within the province.

The Metis man was born in October 1968 at Sainte Rose du Lac, near Dauphin. Morrisseau-Beck spent his first few months in hospital before being put up for adoption and sent to The Pas.

After a few months in hospital, Catholic staff convinced Morrisseau-Becks mother to sign away her rights to both of her children because she had gotten pregnant as a teenager and the father didnt have a job. The same thing happened to his brother.

You dont even have to live far to feel isolated, he said. I was a complete emotional, mental mess.

In despair, Morrisseau-Beck turned to alcohol and unsafe sex, leading to addictions and HIV. At a particularly low point, the aspiring musician pawned off his guitar for drugs. But during a visit to a sweatlodge, an elder told him he had to find his family.

Morrisseau-Beck listed himself in Manitobas adoption registry, and he established contact with his birth mother.

He now holds a government job in Ottawa and testified last month at a United Nations body in Geneva.

His group is assisting University of Regina professor complete a research project on the 60s Scoop, which has also helped link families. This week is the groups third annual meeting.

Outside of the group, as many as 18 court battles are seeking compensation for 60s Scoop survivors, with two class-actions filed in Manitoba alone.

In February, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett announced the government wouldnt appeal an Ontario case that found liability on Ottawas part, and said an apology is in the works for survivors in each province.

Bennetts office said Tuesday that it has engaged the plaintiffs of the various lawsuits in a consultation process.

The 60s Scoop is a dark and painful chapter in Canadas history and resolving these cases is a vital step in our journey of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, read a statement. Negotiation, rather than litigation, is the governments preferred route to settle differences, and right historical wrongs.

But activists were confused last month when Ottawa filed a response in the Ontario case, saying any compensation would require individual assessment instead of a blanket cash payment. Bennetts office says its committed to the negotiating process, but has to continue filing responses to the Ontario case until plaintiffs withdraw the suit.

Ottawa seems to share activists vision for reparations and an apology that goes beyond a simple cash transfer, with Bennetts office mulling revitalizing and restoring language and culture through community programs.

Federal liability would surround breaking peoples ties with their culture by transferring them to provincial care. Abuse and living conditions would fall under provincial responsibility.

In June 2015, former premier Greg Selinger made Manitoba the first province to apologize for its role in the 60s Scoop.

Mitchell returns to rural New Zealand shortly, where he has a construction job and a home. He said its easier to move on with his life as he gets his roots back.

I just want to let other survivors know that theres hope to find your family, he said, thinking of his four missing siblings. Theres light on the horizon, and I will find them.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 25/09/2017 (1876 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Metis Federation has moved to extinguish the spotlight of Metis hunters.

Representatives at the organizations Annual General Assembly in Winnipeg voted Sunday to end the controversial method of hunting in which a high-powered light is used to lock onto an animal via its reflective eyes, causing it to freeze and become an easy target.

The practice of spotlighting in agro-Manitoba will now be against the Metis law. If you were to do that, you will receive punishment from the Metis government, MMF president David Chartrand said Monday.

JUSTIN SAMANSKI-LANGILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES President of the Manitoba Metis Federation David Chartrand said Monday, "The practice of spotlighting in agro-Manitoba will now be against the Metis law."

The resolution posted on the MMF website directs there will be a complete prohibition on undertaking dangerous night spot-lighting, which shall be defined as chasing animals in motorized vehicles, including, trucks, snowmobiles, ATVs, boats, etc. with artificial lighting.

Just what areas will make up agro-Manitoba have yet to be defined, but will be mapped out in consultation with the province, Chartrand said. The south will be off-limits, for sure, but areas of central Manitoba will be debated.

Night hunting, however, will continue to be allowed by the MMF in northern, remote and unpopulated areas of the province.

While legal for Indigenous people in Manitoba, spotlighting has been in the public eye due to safety concerns, with the province stepping up enforcement this year of illegal night hunting.

The MMF hopes to have its ban areas  and punishments for breaking its law  mapped out as soon as possible, Chartrand said.

I would like to sit down with (the government) and come to terms on how we define the map. Hunting season is around the corner, so we should be sending this out immediately, he said. We will negotiate with the province. Once that mapping is set it will be (put) in our law book and sent to every harvester.

Eligible Metis are issued harvester cards, used to identify themselves to conservation and law officials. In terms of potential discipline for breaking the prohibition on spotlighting, the MMF is looking at options ranging from fines up to having that card revoked, Chartrand said.

If we withdraw that persons right, that person will legally lose their constitutional ability to harvest any species of animal, he said. A fitting punishment, if they want to disrespect the laws of their people.

Chartrand stressed the MMF represents the only Indigenous people in Canada that have written laws with (hunting) seasons and limits. Conservation is the No. 1 principle of our policy.

This is the right approach to educating the next generation that we all have to work together If we do not start practising, and protecting, conservation, then what right do we have 20 years from now if there is no more species to hunt? he said.

The MMF represents roughly 120,000 members, and there are some 12,000 harvester cards issued.

However, I dont want that number to scare people, Chartrand said. A lot of people get them for social purposes, others for medicinal, plants. Some get it for firewood.

The number using the cards to actively hunt animals drops to several thousand, he said.

Sundays vote came after a series of nine consultations across Manitoba this summer.

There was no doubt the issue was accepted as most as a concern, Chartrand said, but the MMF needed to bring it to the assembly to create an official stance. More than 3,000 people attended the three-day event.

I was very proud of our people, over 97 per cent supported the end (of spotlighting) and for a new law to be established.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 25/09/2017 (1876 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A New Democratic Party MLA says Premier Brian Pallister was breaking provincial conflict-of-interest rules until he voluntarily listed his corporate holdings in Costa Rica on a public disclosure form, shortly after the last provincial election.

Andrew Swan bases his claim on a written opinion he recently received from Jeffrey Schnoor, Manitobas conflict-of-interest commissioner.

Swan had to pose questions hypothetically to the commissioner because provincial rules prevent an MLA from asking him questions about the affairs of another member of the house.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES NDP MLA Andrew Swan.

Last month, Schnoor, after receiving assurances from Swan that he was seeking the information for his own personal use, wrote that an MLA who owns five per cent or more of a company must publicly disclose the name of that corporation.

The jurisdiction in which it is incorporated does not affect that obligation, Schnoor wrote.

Days before the April 19, 2016, general election, Pallister said he had complied with public disclosure rules after a Costa Rican newspaper reported a public-records search showed Pallister owned several parcels of land in the Central American country through a holding company. He also was listed as owning two vehicles through a second company.

Pallister issued a statement at the time saying he owned four parcels of land there, including the one that contains his vacation home. He said he conducted no business activity in Costa Rica, nor did he own any revenue-generating property. The other parcels of land were described as pasture and grassland.

Pallister did not list the corporations with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly until May 2016  and then did so only as an additional voluntary disclosure on a separate page tacked onto the back of the form all MLAs are required to fill out.

At that time, he said his Costa Rican holdings were not subject to provincial MLA disclosure rules, as per advice received by the conflict-of-interest commissioner . He said he was including them simply in the interest of greater openness and transparency.

Its not clear whether Pallister was referring to advice from Schnoor, who became conflict-of-interest commissioner in January 2016, or his predecessor, Ron Perozzo. If he had asked for a written opinion, that would have been made public.

On Friday, Pallister urged an all-party review of political party and candidate disclosure rules in light of new information about NDP Leader Wab Kinews past.

The premier said its worth looking into whether candidates and parties should be required to disclose past criminal charges and convictions when a candidate seeks office.

The premier wants us to believe that hes all about openness and transparency but we have a premier who for years refused to disclose the existence of corporations that any reasonable review of the Act (would have shown) must be disclosed, Swan said.

The conflict-of-interest commissioner (in his opinion for Swan) did nothing more than state the law, which is in Manitoba if you own a corporation which has a value of more than $500 for all the shares that you own, its your obligation to report it, he continued.

The premier had an obligation to report the value of that corporation. He only made a voluntary disclosure after he was found out.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister.

Chisholm Pothier, a spokesman for Pallister, said whether the premier is required to disclose the Costa Rican corporations is now irrelevant.

The disclosure was made on the understanding it was voluntary at the time, Pothier said in an email Monday. If the conflict-of-interest commissioner now deems its a requirement, that gives (the situation) even more transparency and we agree. However, it doesnt affect the Premiers situation given he had already disclosed.

Schnoor said he was unable to comment on how his written opinion to Swan may apply to Pallister or any other MLA.

It wouldnt be right for me to do that, he said.

Schnoor said he meets with all MLAs at the beginning of each new session of the legislature. MLAs can call him for advice at any time, he added.

Swan said if Pallister did seek verbal advice from Schnoor or his predecessor, it should have been clear to him that he had to disclose his Costa Rica-based corporations.

I think either the premier was mistaken in the advice he received or the premier simply didnt give the commissioners the information they would need to give him the right advice, he said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/09/2017 (1875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The news that U.S. policy is not to defend Canada came as a shock to many. That was what Lt.-Gen. Pierre St-Amand, the Canadian deputy commander of NORAD, told the House of Commons defence committee that is studying Canadas readiness for an attack from North Korea.

The bottom line is that Canada is defenceless if anyone should lob a missile in this direction.

The chickens have come home to roost. The Brian Mulroney government declined to participate in U.S. president Ronald Reagans Star Wars initiative, and the Paul Martin government stayed out of president George W. Bushs ballistic missile defence system. Canadians rely instead on laws, rules, treaties and conventions  shaky stuff these days, and slow-responding.

Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press Files Lt.-Gen. Pierre St-Amand

What about NATO? Canada is a member. Article 5 of the treaty states that if an armed attack occurs against one of the member states, it should be considered an attack against all members, and other members must assist the attacked member, with armed forces if necessary. Lt.-Gen. St-Amand didnt mention this, perhaps because reaction and response would come too late.

North Korea is smaller in size than the Maritime provinces put together and has a population of 25.5 million; still only two thirds of Canadas 35.5 million. But it has nuclear bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles. And it has a military of 1,190,000 personnel. Canadas military numbers 68,000.

This reality underlines Canadas vulnerability.

Russia faces us across the top of the planet; it has a military of more than one million active troops. China, another country to make Canadians nervous, has 2.3 million troops. We have relied on the axiom that the U.S., with its 1.5 million military personnel, will defend us. This belief was dealt a severe blow by Lt.-Gen. St-Amand, in his shocking remarks before the defence committee.

This years increased movement of refugee claimants across Canadas border with the U.S. has brought forth cries from some quarters that the prime minister should stop them. Some would call these cries ludicrous.

How might that stopping be done?

The border with the U.S. is 8,891 kilometres long, and still 6,416 km even if the border with Alaska is ignored. And then there is Canadas coastline, at 202,000 km, by far the longest of any country.

Our entire military and policing capacity is far from being adequate to handle this border-security task, never mind the possibility of missiles overhead. Our small population size confirms this. And governments budgetary constraints, federal or provincial, supported by the vocal wishes of most voters, will keep things that way. The practical truth is that Canadas skies and borders cannot be self-defended without help from its friends, presumably the NATO members. But with the speed of events today that easily disregard the rule of law, help would have to be immediate or it would be no help at all. The Treaty of Versailles didnt stop Hitler.

The 1951 Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees (and its 1967 extending protocol) is the important international treaty detailing how refugees are to be defined, received, and treated. Canada is a signatory, as is the United States. An amusing recent press report tells how German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in light of U.S. President Donald Trumps several moves against refugees and other non-nationals in the U.S., phoned him to remind him of state obligations under this treaty.

Canada has the same international treaty obligations, to receive and to deal with refugee claimants, not to bar the door. As the human migratory tide grows, not only because of terrorism and conflicts but also because of environmental changes and disasters, and the entire planet is forced to deal with a human population that has quadrupled in only 100 years, Canadas barring the door, or even attempting to restrict the entrance, will become impossible.

This will be the pragmatic, political and moral challenge of our future  if, that is, North Korea and the U.S. leave us alone.

Tom Denton is a writer and speaker on immigration-related issues
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/09/2017 (1875 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Anti-Indigenous violence is a national emergency and Winnipeg is ground zero.

This was one observation of an event held in a packed room at the University of Manitoba last week to launch the interim report of the Brian Sinclair Working Group, titled Out of Sight. The group includes physicians, nurses, health and social science researchers, and lawyers whose expertise is in the field of Indigenous Peoples health. Out of Sight documents the role racism played in the death and inquest of Brian Sinclair, an Indigenous man who died nine years ago of a treatable bladder infection after being ignored in a Winnipeg hospital waiting room for 34 hours.

At the event, our group discussed significant points where indifference led to a failure to care for Sinclair and we identified how the inquest that followed failed to make Indigenous people safer in hospitals.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Brian Sinclair, a disabled Indigenous man, died after waiting 34 hours in the emergency room at the Health Science Centre in 2008.

To view the report, see one of the following websites: libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/indigenoushealth/ForBrian or ignoredtodeathmanitoba.ca. To watch a recording of the event, see: talbot.cc.umanitoba.ca/legacy/bann/med/racism_forum_2017_09_18/

Very rarely is racism acknowledged as a factor in Indigenous deaths and certainly this is the case for Sinclair. UCLA professor Sherene Razack, who spoke at the event, has reviewed many deaths of Indigenous people in custody and the inquests that followed. She found, in fact, that when the topic of racism is broached, people go into overdrive to explain how race was not a factor in the death: You cant talk about racism when it doesnt exist.

Instead, some Indigenous people are depicted as already on the brink of death and therefore difficult, if not impossible, to care for. We need to focus on those who fail to treat people, she argues, and the places that condone a refusal or lack of acknowledgement of needed care; we need to study how and why empathy is blocked.

For answers to these questions, Razack argued that turning to large systems and to concepts such as bias is unhelpful. We need to look to our colonial history and how that history shapes our actions and perspectives today. In Canada, its as if we see that those best able to manage land and resources are people who are not Indigenous. Indigenous people, on the other hand, are seen by some as not up to the challenge of modern life.

This difference reflects a hierarchy, and in all places where all lives do not count for the same, there are some who are treated as humans and others as sub-humans; this operates in all governments where all lives do not count equally. Right now, Brian Sinclair Working Group member Dr. Barry Lavallee emphatically stated, racism is going on in hospitals in the city. Many in attendance agreed.

The group made recommendations that focused on building anti-racist policy, improving education, and making institutions and staff accountable for racism in the health-care system. In the discussion that followed, several suggestions were made to enact changes in the health-care system that would encourage commitment and accountability to quickly change and improve Indigenous patient safety.

One suggestion was to gather evidence of racism in order to be able to identify and demonstrate when and where Indigenous people are being treated differently. Currently, there is no accountability for racism in the health-care system, so we need to establish a way to make this happen. For example, critical incident legislation can be changed to include experiences of racism that are independently investigated on and reported to the public. Moreover, we need to measure the health systems performance by including race as a variable to indicate racial inequities and gaps in care in order to prevent patient deaths.

In addition, health governing boards in the WRHA do not have adequate Indigenous representation, with the WRHA board of directors and some hospital boards with no self-identifying Indigenous members at all. This is despite the fact that the WRHA estimates that at least (and likely more than) 40 per cent of patients accessing health services across the system and across the region at any given time are Indigenous. Those boards should not be able to meet without Indigenous representation.

Significantly, after the event, the CBC and the Winnipeg Free Press both reported that Winnipeg Regional Health Authority interim CEO Real Cloutier acknowledged the need to address the issue of systemic racism.

We all know Mr. Sinclairs death was preventable, and we failed Mr. Sinclair as a health-care system, Cloutier said.

We need to understand that the perceptions we have, the assumptions we make about people all impact about how we deliver care to individuals, and we really have to come to terms that systemic racism has (an impact) on the way we deliver health-care services.

While this is obvious to the group, until now it seemed that the WRHA has found this basic truth to be too provocative to accept and address. If Cloutiers statement truly reflects the WHRAs current mindset, that is promising.

The WRHA has finally opened the door to accountability on the issue of anti-Indigenous racism and its impact on patient safety. Changes can and should be made immediately. We can all look forward to seeing the changes that this accountability will drive and examine the WRHAs record next year on the 10th anniversary of Brian Sinclairs death.

Mary Jane Logan McCallum is a professor of history at the University of Winnipeg and a member of the Brian Sinclair Working Group

Out_of_Sight_Final
With the strike by 2,800 Canadian autoworkers at GMs CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario entering its ninth day, the struggle by workers to win substantial wage and benefit improvements and to defend their jobs has reached a critical turning point. While workers have remained determined, over the weekend, the national leadership of Unifor and its Local 88 representatives met with GM officials and tabled an undisclosed olive branch proposal to the company to end the strike.

Any such proposal, worked out behind the backs of workers without the slightest discussions, let alone consideration of their demands, will be nothing but a sellout, along the lines of the concessions contracts negotiated by Unifor and its predecessor, the Canadian Auto Workers union, for decades.

The only demand Unifor has made is for GM to give the union a letter promising to make the Ingersoll plant the lead facility for the future production of the Equinox, meaning in the event of production cutbacks due to a slowing economy Mexican workers producing the same model at GM plants in Ramos Arizpe and San Luis Potosi would be the first to lose their jobs.

While claiming to address the economic and contract concerns of rank-and-file workers, the union has not revealed any details of its proposal. Local 88 officials, including Plant Chairman Mike Van Boekel, have made it clear they will not make wage and benefits demands that would make the factory uncompetitive, and have sought to dampen expectations essentially telling workers they should be happy they have jobs.

Workers at CAMI have seen Unifor negotiate a whole series of concessions contracts that have included a 10-year wage freeze, speed-up, mandatory overtime, pension and benefits cuts, suspension of cost-of-living increases and the institutionalization of a two-tier wages and benefits system. A significant and growing percentage of the workforce now fall into the second tier. Indeed, as management has steadily increased the number of temporary part-time employees in the plant, a veritable three-tier system is now in operation.

Of course, investments and so-called production guarantees are not worth the paper they are printed on as autoworkers sorely found out at the now defunct Ford St. Thomas facility and at the GM Oshawa Truck Plant. In Oshawa, Unifor officials told workers to ratify a new collective agreement because they had negotiated language to save the plant from closure.

But within a month, GM, citing a market conditions letter in the agreement that was not shared by the union with workers, announced the closure of the plant. In St. Thomas, the completion of a $150 million paint shop refurbishment in 2002 did not stop Ford from announcing several years later the shuttering of that plant.

Unifor officials have sought to subordinate the strike to their maneuvers with the Trudeau government and the Trump administration to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Last Friday, Unifor officials dragged about 100 CAMI workers to an Ottawa rally where they urged workers to place their confidence in the Canadian and US governments to defend their jobs.

Over the weekend, GM Canada President Steve Carlisle explained to Bloomberg News the rapacious mindset of the giant transnational. Asia has a whole range from high-cost regions to low-cost regions and Europe has a range of high-cost regions to low-cost regions, and that helps make them competitive from a global perspective. We have that same situation in NAFTA, so if we intervene in that in the wrong way, well deteriorate our competiveness.

Whilst transnational corporations relentlessly pursue a global strategy that seeks to pit one national group of workers against another in order to whipsaw jobs, wages and working conditions in a never-ending race to the bottom, Unifor, like the United Auto Workers south of the border, promotes economic nationalism, which drives a wedge between Canadian, US and Mexican workers and lines them up behind the trade wars and military conflicts of their own capitalist governments. Jerry Dias & Co. are hailing the ultra-right billionaire Trump in so far as his trade war policies are aimed against Mexico, while at the same time denouncing Trump over the Bombardier-Boeing conflict.

Unifor has developed an intimate alliance with Justin Trudeaus big business Liberals, based on contract concessions, support for a low Canadian dollar that only serves to jack up consumer prices and reduce workers real wages, and the continued imposition of social spending cuts and other measures to boost the insatiable profit drive of big business on the backs of the working class.

Expressing the frustration of the trade union bureaucracy, Local 88 President Dan Borthwick complained to Bloomberg, Our members could go back to $0 an hour and we still couldnt compete with Mexico. If they could get away with it, Unifor would reduce workers to unpaid slaves, but their endless program of wage-cutting has run up against the stiff resistance of younger and older workers alike.

What the unions reject out of hand is any struggle to unify autoworkers throughout North America in a common fight to defend the right of all workers to good-paying and secure jobs and a comfortable retirement.

There is a growing sense among rank-and-file workers that the unions program of economic nationalism and labour-management partnership has brought them to a dead end and that a new strategy is needed.

As one striking CAMI worker speaking to reporters from the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter aptly put it, We always get caught up with all this free-trade stuff and before you know it, you start trying to guard your own job and then you get scared and you dont even think about how that fits into the whole picture like someone else down the road maybe is getting screwed because you end up with this or that product and they dont. And maybe next year somebody in Mexico or the States gets your product and you feel screwed but they probably feel like they deserved it. And its just a bad way of thinking. And while were doing that, the company is laughing all the way to the bank.

There is widespread support for a common struggle, as a worker at Fiat Chrysler in Indiana told the WSWS, Its important we all support our Canadian brothers. Theyre trying to accomplish what we at FCA did not.

If CAMI workers are to prevail, however, the rank and file must take the conduct of the struggle out of the hands of Unifor. Rank-and-file committees, led by the most militant and self-sacrificing workers, should be elected to formulate demandsincluding the abolition of the two-tier pay system, an immediate 30 percent raise and the restoration of COLA and fully employer-paid pensions, and the rehiring of all laid-off workers.

In opposition to the claims by the auto bosses and Unifor executives who insist that such claims are unaffordableeven as GM showers billions on its top investors and executivesCAMI workers should fight for the full mobilisation of the working class in Canada and appeal directly to workers in the US and Mexico to oppose any further layoffs or plant closing threats. This must be combined with a new political strategy to break with the Liberals, Tories and NDP, and build a mass socialist party of the working class to reorganise the economy to meet human need, not profit. This includes transforming the giant auto monopolies into publicly owned enterprises, democratically controlled by working people.
Canadian immigration authorities have banned Chelsea Manning from entering the country, the whistleblower and former political prisoner announced on Twitter yesterday.

This comes just days after the cowardly decision by Harvard University to rescind its invitation to Manning to be a visiting fellow at the university in response to pressure by top current and former CIA officials.

Manning had attempted to enter Canada by car as part of a tour of North America, during which she planned to join protests against the fascistic former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopolous. However, she was stopped and detained by Canadian border guards overnight before being released back into the United States. Manning has announced her intention to challenge the decision in court.

According to a printed Canadian Immigration notice that Manning posted to her Twitter account, she has been barred from entering the country because she was convicted of an offence outside Canada that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years.

Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment under the World War I-era Espionage Act for passing on to WikiLeaks hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables detailing the machinations of US imperialism around the world, as well as a video of a US helicopter gunship gunning down Iraqi civilians and journalists. Her sentence was commuted by Obama on his last day of office only after she had been subjected to years of physical and psychological abuse and torture, which resulted in two suicide attempts.

The rationale given to justify Canadas refusal to allow Manning to enter the country amounts to a government declaration that, if a member of the Canadian armed forces or intelligence services were to leak information exposing the crimes of Canadian imperialism, they would be arrested and tried on charges of treason in a similar fashion.

The barring of Manning from entering Canada exposes the phony populist pretensions of the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau. During the 2015 parliamentary elections, Trudeau postured as an opponent of government spying on Canadians, declaring that his government would amend the Conservative governments hated Bill C-51 bill, which, in the name of fighting terrorism, grants sweeping powers to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The law was so draconian that even the Globe and Mail, the traditional mouthpiece of Canadas financial elite, felt compelled to denounce it as a police state measure.

The Liberals proposed reform, Bill C-59, however, contains only toothless protections, while upholding the core provisions of Bill C-51 and granting Canadas intelligence services new powers to wage offensive cyberwarfare. The Trudeau governments bolstering of the powers of the intelligence community under the guise of reforming it mirrors the passage of the USA Freedom Act under the Obama administration, which systematized and expanded government spying under the guise of regulating it.

According to Manning, everything indicates the ban on her entry into Canada is meant to be a lifetime ban.

In response to her exposure of this anti-democratic measure, one moreover clearly meant to curry favour with the Trump administration, Liberal government officials have issued terse, non-committal statements. Nevertheless, they have made it clear they have no intention of reversing the ban.

When a Canada border service officer has exercised appropriately within their jurisdiction the judgment that they are called upon to make, I dont interfere in that process in any kind of a light or cavalier manner, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told the CBC.

Trudeau refused to comment, but said that he was looking forward to seeing more information about the case.
Members of the Socialist Equality Group (SEG) in New Zealand spoke to workers, pensioners and students in Wellington following Saturdays inconclusive election result.

The incumbent National Party and the main opposition Labour Party are both unable to form a government and are competing with each other to reach a coalition agreement with the anti-Chinese and anti-immigrant New Zealand First Party. No deal may be announced until after October 7, when the remaining 15 percent of votes from late enrolments and overseas voters are counted.

The SEG is holding a public meeting on Sunday in Lower Hutt to discuss the election outcome and the urgent need for a socialist movement of the working class against war and austerity, in opposition to all the established parties.

Many people expressed deep concern about the social crisis in New Zealand, as well as US President Donald Trumps threats of nuclear war against North Korea.

Like many young people, Amy, who works at a motorcycle shop, had not voted for anyone. She said she had briefly considered voting for either Labour or the recently-formed Opportunities Party. Generally I agree with what Labour are trying to do, but theyre always very vague about it, she said. Theres no concrete plan in place as to how theyre going to end child poverty in New Zealand, theres just no way theyre going to do it.

Amy was concerned that Labour is courting NZ First and disagreed with immigrants being scapegoated for the housing crisis. The problem is the housing bubble, she said. You walk through the Hutt Valley and you see so many foreclosed houses and condemned houses, and theyre being built into these fancy upscale apartments that nobody who used to live there is going to be able to afford.

I lived in Wainuiomata [one of the poorest suburbs on the outskirts of Wellington] for six-and-a-half years and people are desperate over there. Why isnt anything being done for them?

Mental health statistics are in the bin. I have friends who attempted and committed suicide. Theres so little help. It took one of my friends a year and a half to find the right medication.

New Zealand has the highest teen suicide rate in the OECD, twice as high as the US.

Asked about the danger of war, Amy said: At the moment, theres a whole lot of words being thrown around, but words can very quickly turn into actions. Somethings going to happen. Trumps anger and bravado is only serving to piss off the people you really shouldnt piss off, so Im worried. She said New Zealand politicians were side-stepping the issue and avoiding questions as politicians do so well.

Irene, a biomedicine student at Victoria University of Wellington, said she voted for Labour because of its promises to address inequality and environmental degradation. I come from a small town, Riverton, in Southland, she said. I knew that regardless of the outcome, my familys financial status would be fine, but I was more thinking about the lower class and poverty, schooling, education, public healthhaving that a lot more accessible.

Ive seen kids being dropped off at school in the morning at 7:30 so they can get a free breakfast. Theres now families who have got two parents working full-time and theyre still in poverty. Obviously there wouldnt be huge changes from a change in government, but I think taking the focus away from the top 10 percent is really important.

Irene, who works part-time, spoke about the soaring cost of housing: When my brother was flatting for uni about four or five years ago I think his rent was about $110 and now Im looking at flats for at least $180. Why has buying a house become so hard? And theyre selling off state houses.

Secondary school student Molly, 17, said she wanted to vote against the government but was not old enough. One of my biggest issues with National right now is that they ignore the massive teen suicide rates, she said. Theyre ridiculously high for a developed country. And theyre doing almost nothing for the homeless.

Molly added, however, that all the other parties made a lot of promises, but who knows how much theyre actually going to do if they get in.

A Hutt Valley high school student, Connor, declared: I would never vote, I see no point in it. Everything they say just never happens. I completely ignored the election. All I see is signs being put up and no difference.

Connor was concerned about social inequality, especially in the impoverished far north of the country, where his father works. There is nothing going on there, no one my age is working. The drugs situation is ridiculous, you can get them anywhere, especially in the far north. Ive seen it myself.

Glenn, a pensioner in Lower Hutt, said she voted for Labour, hoping that recently-installed leader Jacinda Ardern would make a difference. She said that the National Party seems to have kept finances on an even keel, but their insight and sympathy into social issues is sadly lacking.

Glenn said the biggest issue was homelessness, which was worse than she had ever seen. I know people in Wellington who are searching for accommodation and cant find it. One is a part-time worker, two of them had head injuries through motor accidents so theyre disabled. There are very few properties and some are huge ripoffs for shoebox apartments. I think the election reflects a whole lot of people who are very uncomfortable about that. For the National Party to say there is no crisis, I disapprove of that.

Glenn said she had noticed during the election campaign that New Zealands alliance with the US was quietly covered over. The two leaders were asked about their attitudes to North Korea and their attitude to Donald Trump and they both shied away from making direct comments.

National Party leader Bill English has stated that his government would consider joining a US war and Labours Ardern has not ruled out doing so.

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As the Trump administration escalated its threats and military provocations, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho warned Monday that Trumps inflammatory speech to the UN last week and subsequent statements amounted to a declaration of war on his country.

The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country, Ri said. Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.

The warning comes just days after the US provocatively flew two B1-B strategic bombers accompanied by fighter jets close to North Koreas east coast in what the Pentagon described as its most northerly mission this century. A Pentagon spokesman declared that the mission was to send a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat.

While the US war planes apparently flew in international airspace, the threat to North Korea is just as acute. It has no way of knowing whether this mission will be the one to intrude and attack or unleash a deadly payload of missiles from a distance. In either case, the North Korean military would have only minutes to respond.

The latest US military fly-past is part of a deliberate escalation coming less than a week after two B1-B bombers, along with US and South Korean warplanes, dropped bombs at a South Korean training range close to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. The operation was the first live-fire exercise involving strategic bombers, which in the past have been restricted to a fly-over of South Korea.

Within hours of Ris comments, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told a news briefing: We have not declared war on North Korea. And frankly any suggestion of that is absurd. The absurdities, however, lie in her statement. These have been ignored by a compliant American and international media that vilifies the Pyongyang regime and portrays the small, economically backward country and its limited nuclear arsenal as a grave threat to the US and the world.

In the first place, US imperialism has waged one illegal war of aggression after another over the past 25 years without formally declaring wardestroying Iraq and Afghanistan followed by Libya and Syria. The North Korean regime can only conclude from the Trump administrations words and actions that it confronts the very real danger of an imminent attack by the worlds most powerful military.

In his speech to the UN, President Trump bluntly warned that the US would have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea if forced to defend itself. There is nothing defensive about Trumps threat as he made clear on Sunday, when he tweeted unequivocally that Ri and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wont be around much longer.

Trump and his cabal of generals in the White House have already drawn up detailed plans for the total destruction of North Korea. As Trump tweeted last month, the military options against North Korea are locked and loaded. The Trump administrations incessant drum beat of threats and military provocations has only one aim: to force the Pyongyang regime to unconditionally capitulate or to goad it into action that can be seized upon as the casus belli for a war of annihilation.

Washington has placed the world on the brink of a catastrophic war that would quickly claim the lives of millions. Such are the tensions in North East Asia that any incident, whether deliberate or accidental, could set off a conflict with incalculable consequences.

The dangerous logic behind Washingtons plans for total war was underscored by Trumps national security adviser H.R. McMaster in a speech yesterday hosted by the Institute for the Study of War. The Trump administration, he explained, had gamed four or five scenarios for dealing with Pyongyang, he declared. Some are uglier than others.

McMaster ruled out any negotiations unless North Korea accepted intrusive inspections of its nuclear and missile facilities and declared that it would give up its nuclear weapons. North Korea already has glaring examples of what has happened to countries that chose to capitulategiving up real or imagined weapons of mass destruction did not stop the US from invading Iraq and Libya and killing its leaders.

Far from seeking to avoid war, McMaster last week defended Trumps bellicose speech at the UN, declaring that it was completely appropriate. He also hit out at those who have warned that there is no military option in dealing with North Korea due to its ability to retaliate with conventional and nuclear weapons. There is a military option, he emphasised and warned that time was rapidly running out.

In his speech yesterday, the lieutenant general made clear that the US is not considering isolated, surgical strikes, but a massive and overwhelming attackconventional and/or nuclearthat would destroy North Koreas capacity to retaliate. Theres not a precision strike that solves the problem, he said. Theres not a military blockade that can solve the problem. What we hope to do is avoid war, but we cannot discount the possibility.

That US imperialism is preparing such a monstrous crime underscores the enormous economic, social and political crisis in Washington as it wields its military might in a desperate bid to establish its unchallenged global dominance. The threat of total destruction is aimed not only at North Korea, but at any country in the worldally or rivalthat does not submit to its economic and political diktats.

The drive to war cannot be halted by Pyongyangs bluster or its attempts to construct a rudimentary nuclear arsenal, which in the final analysis will do nothing to defend the North Korean people and plays directly into the hands of Washington. Its lurid threats only create deep rifts between workers in North Korea and those in South Korea, Japan, the United States and around the world who are deeply opposed to war.

The only means to prevent war is through the political fight for a movement of the international working class unified by a socialist perspective and animated by the determination to put an end to the outmoded capitalist system that is the fundamental cause of geo-political tensions and conflict.
The South Korean government of President Moon Jae-in continues to fall in line with the belligerent and militarist agenda of the United States, giving its tacit endorsement to Donald Trumps threat to totally destroy North Korea.

In the latest threatening maneuver, the US flew two B-1B bombers from Guam together with F-15C fighter jets from Okinawa on Saturday along North Koreas coast, supposedly in international airspace. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White stated that they flew the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas that US war planes have gone in the 21st century.

South Koreas presidential office announced that it had closely coordinated this latest act of aggression with Washington. Baek Hye-ryeon, spokeswoman for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) stated that this underscored the strong determination by our two countries to hold North Korea accountable for additional provocations.

Despite President Moons call for peace on the Korean Peninsula last Thursday at the UN, his administrations latest actions and comments again make clear that there is no anti-war constituency within the South Korean ruling class. In fact, Moon made no mention of Trumps speech while delivering his address. He invoked the candlelight rallies that were held earlier this year to protest then-President Park Geun-hye, claiming the people are at the center of all policies of my new administration.

Yet, the same day, Moon met with Trump to discuss, among other things, Seouls purchasing of state-of-the-art weaponry from the US as well as increased rotational deployments of US strategic assets. They agreed to continue discussing these matters when Trump visits South Korea in November. The two also agreed to continue applying maximum pressure to North Korea, a sentiment that was reiterated when the pair met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later that day.

Moon came to office claiming he would pursue dialogue with Pyongyang and played on widespread anti-war sentiment by posturing as an opponent of the USs Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.

However, since being elected, not only has THAAD been fully deployed, but Moon has backtracked on promises of talks with North Korea, stating earlier this month, In a situation like this, dialogue is impossible. He also intends to establish a decapitation unit that could be used to assassinate Kim Jong-un and other North Korean leaders, a program that originated under the right-wing Park Geun-hye. Moon has also expressed a desire to build nuclear-powered submarines, generating fears of an arms race.

Tensions within Moons government have emerged between hardliners who advocate increased militarism and those that favor an easing of tensions with North Korea, fearing the consequences of an all-out war in the region. The presidents special advisor on unification and foreign policy Moon Chung-in suggested during a forum held at the National Assembly on September 14, that the US and South Korea should consider scaling back joint war exercises in exchange for a freeze on North Koreas nuclear programa plan pushed by China and Russia.

Defense Minister Song Young-mu condemned Moons remarks as deplorable and accused him of running off at the mouth. The presidential office issued a stern warning to Song, who later apologized. But this is not the first time the defense minister has been at odds with the administration. He previously suggested that South Korea could reintroduce US tactical nuclear weapons, in opposition to President Moons position, which he also retracted. Songs remarks are in line with the right-wing opposition Liberty Korea Party and Bareun Party.

The ruling DPK on Saturday urged both Washington and Pyongyang to show more restraint. Under such circumstances, an exchange of excessive verbal threats would only heighten anxiety, said DPK spokesman Gang Hun-sik.

Rather than a call for peace, these remarks absolve the United States, which is the primary driver of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region. Since 1945 when the US artificially divided Korea, it has used South Korea as a launching ground for imperialist wars against the North, in Indochina, and today for again threatening war against North Korea and pressuring China and Russia. Countless could die if Trump carries out his threats to obliterate North Korea, an impoverished country of 25 million people.

In contrast, North Korea has attempted to reach various accords with the US, including two different agreements over its nuclear program that Washington abrogated. Today, Pyongyang is not simply looking for a new agreement, but a peace treaty with the United States that would formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War and normalize relations between the two countries. The US has routinely rejected this.

North Koreas supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, is unlikely to agree to give up his countrys nuclear and missile programs without receiving convincing assurances that he will not suffer the fate of Saddam Hussein of Iraq or Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya, said James Dobbins, a former US assistant secretary of state, and Jeffrey Hornung from the RAND Corporation in the New York Times in June.

Furthermore, North Korean officials have indicated that Pyongyang is willing to engage in talks with the United States if a peace treaty is on the table. A former senior government official in Chinas Liaoning Province on the border with North Korea told the publication Asia Today in July, I recently met a senior official of the North Korean Embassy. He talked about a precondition to the talks. It was South Koreas acceptance and support for [the] conclusion of [a] Pyongyang-Washington peace treaty.

Another anonymous source from South Korea, similarly told the paper, North Korean high-ranking officials in China insist that there is no reason to seek a nuclear program if a North Korea-U.S. peace treaty is signed. The ultimate goal of North Korea is normalization of the US-North Korea diplomacy through a peace treaty and guarantee of its system.

This is in line with what former US State Department special envoy on North Korea Robert Gallucci stated in the Asahi Shimbun in June. Gallucci, who held talks with North Korean officials last October, stated that Pyongyang appeared to want to improve relations with the US to reduce its dependence on China, but would not give up its nuclear program because it had no other means of guaranteeing its continued existence.
The worsening social crisis in Spain has been virtually ignored in the run-up to the October 1 vote on Catalan independence.

Official Spanish government figures for August show a major increase in unemployment, signaling a slowdown in economic growth and pointing toward a growth in social inequality.

Some 46,000 people joined the ranks of the unemployed in August, ending six months of slightly declining unemployment figures. The number of workers contributing payroll taxes to social security plummeted by 179,000.

The unemployment rate in Spain is 17.8 percent, the second highest in the European Union (EU) after Greece (22.5 percent). The number of young people under 25 without work is 38.6 percent (compared to Greeces 44.4 percent).

The Popular Party (PP) government attributes the increase in unemployment to seasonal factors, namely the end of the tourist season.

August is a transitional month in which certain summer-related activities end, while sectors that traditionally slow down in the summer, such as construction or industry, have not yet resumed their activity, claimed Tomas Burgos, the secretary of state of social security.

However, the rise in joblessness was the largest in the month of August since 2008, the peak of the global economic crash.

Further, the official unemployment figures are a poor reflection of the real situation facing workers as an ever-larger number, especially the long-term unemployed, are simply dropping out of the labour market and no longer actively seeking work.

One fourth of the unemployed have not had a job for at least four years.

One must add to this those people who have migrated abroad in search of work, who are also removed from the official statistics. From consulate register figures, nearly 2.5 million workers and youth are registered as living outside Spain. There are hundreds of thousands more who do not register.

At the same time, a massive redistribution of wealth and income upwards, towards some of Europes biggest banks and private fortunes, is intensifying as a direct outcome of the social counter-revolution pursued by both major parties of the Spanish bourgeoisie, PP and the Socialists (PSOE), since the financial crash of 2008.

A report based on a compilation of tax records shows that in just the four years, between 2011 and 2015, the number of richthose possessing at least 700,000 in assetsincreased by no less than 44 percent, some 58,000 people. Around 0.4 percent of the population now own half the wealth in Spain. They have benefitted from the bank bailout, which amounted to 57 billion, of which only four billion has been recovered.

The result of this protracted attack on wages, working conditions and social benefits is that half the households in Spain have incomes below the official poverty level (8,010 for single-person households and at 16,823 for those with two adults and two children) or are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The number of workers and youth with incomes less than 6,000 a year has increased by 1.4 million over the last five years to 5.4 million.

The repeated cutbacks and tightening of eligibility conditions between 2012 and 2015 for unemployment and social-welfare assistance has resulted in a drop of no less than 41 percent in total expenditure and a cut of 31 percent in the number of unemployed workers receiving them.

Ever more households have nearly no source of income apart from grandparents pensions. These families depend on their elderly relatives for meals, child care and other assistance.

Spains rising unemployment rate is intersecting with other ongoing ruling class policies that have deepened misery and inequality in Spain.

One of these policies is the use of temporary contracts to maintain a large pool of workers in a precarious state of existence as the disposable instruments of employers. For example, more than 92 percent of the contracts signed in August were temporary. For a broad swathe of the working class, especially young people, a permanent employment contract has become a rarity, almost akin to winning the lottery.

Spain has the third highest rate of temporary employment of all OECD countries, at 26.1 percent of the workforce, behind only Poland and Colombia. For those trapped in the world of temporary work, a contract provides no security, as contract terms have been narrowed down to a few months, a few weeks, or sometimes a few days. One consequence of the increased precariousness of work is the 8.4 percent rise in the number of workers who have died in occupational accidents in the first half of this year to 300 compared to 2016.

The effect on children has been devastating. UNICEF recently reported that Spain has the third highest level of child poverty in all of Europe, behind only Romania and Greece. About 40 percent of children were below the official poverty line in 2014, nine points higher than in 2008.

The source of this calamitous decline in the social position of the working class is the breakdown of the post-World War II economic and political order, which has resulted in the growth of nationalism and separatism. In Spain, the two-party system has collapsed, and demands for regional independence increased above all in Catalonia.

The critical issue in these developments is the independent mobilisation of the working class in opposition to the ruling elites in Spain, Catalonia and Europe.

The growth of separatism, expressed in the October 1 Catalan independence referendum, is a retrograde development that cuts across the critical struggle to unite the working class in opposition to the social counterrevolution being carried out by both Spain and Catalonia under the auspices of the EU.

The striving for Catalan independence is bound up with an attempt by bourgeois and upper middle class layers to exploit their already-privileged economic position in Spains most prosperous regions. One of their main complaints is that they do not want taxes collected there to subsidise Spains poorer regions.

The role of pseudo-left organisations such as CUP is to divert social discontent, especially among the youth, into nationalist channels, in the process splitting the Spanish working class against itself and in support of rival factions of the bourgeoisie.
The death of a senior Russian general advising Syrian government forces and claims by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia that it has been bombed by Russian warplanes have escalated tensions between Washington and Moscow, as the two sides wage rival offensives to seize control of the oil-rich Deir Ezzor province from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov charged Monday that the death of Lt. Gen. Valery Asapov in a mortar attack near the city of Deir Ezzor the day before was the price, the bloody price, for the two-faced American policy in Syria.

Deir Ezzor province is in eastern Syria, bordering Iraq, and is the center of the countrys oil and gas industry, which provided much of the power for the countrys cities before it was seized by Islamist militias as part of the US-backed war for regime-change against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Both because of its strategic energy resources and its geographical position, the province has become the focus of a scramble for control, with the US-backed SDF, a Kurdish-dominated militia supported by American Special Forces troops and air power, rushing from the north to counter the advances made by Syrian government forces.

Early this month, the Syrian army succeeded in breaking a two-year siege by ISIS against the government-held city of Deir Ezzor and its 200,000 residents. The Syrian government victory was answered by the US proxy forces of the SDF being diverted from the siege of Raqqa, the so-called ISIS capital to the north, and sent down the eastern side of the Euphrates River to contest control of the city and the provinces oil and gas fields.

US military spokesmen have issued repeated statements claiming that Washington is interested only in defeating ISIS and is not, as one put it, in the land-grabbing business. Facts on the ground, however, strongly indicate that this is precisely the business being pursued by the Pentagon.

The charge by the Russian Foreign Ministry official that Washington is engaged in a two-faced policy in Syria was preceded by the Russian Defense Ministrys release of aerial photographs showing large numbers of US Humvees used by American Special Forces troops occupying what had been ISIS strongholds north of the city of Deir Ezzor.

The ministry noted that there was no sign of any battle having been waged in the area, which was free of craters from shelling and bombing, and that the American forces had not even bothered to set up a defensive perimeter in the ISIS-held area. This shows that all the US servicemen who are currently there feel completely safe in the areas under the terrorists control, the ministry said. A ministry spokesman said that Russian surveillance of the area had turned up no sign of combat between the SDF and ISIS.

The clear implication is that Washington and its proxy militia struck a deal in which ISIS ceded the territory without a struggle and directed its forces against the Syrian Army instead. Given the intimate ties between the CIA and the Islamist forces that created ISIS, there are no doubt lines of communication between US forces and the purported target of their intervention in Iraq and Syria.

The SDF militia and its US Special Forces advisors, on the one hand, and the Russian and Iranian-backed Syrian army, on the other, are pressing forward around Deir Ezzor, advancing, according to an SDF spokesman, to within barely two miles of each other. The SDF claims that its forces have seized control of a major gas field named Conoco, while Syrian troops and tanks have crossed the Euphrates River and taken towns on its eastern bank.

The US proxy forces and the Syrian government troops are effectively in a race to establish control over the oil and gas fields that are crucial to the economic recovery of Syria after nearly six years of devastation wrought by the CIA-orchestrated war for regime-change.

Each side has accused the other of carrying out attacks on their positions. On Thursday, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said that, after Russian-backed Syrian government troops had twice come under fire from SDF positions, Moscow had warned Washington that continued shelling would provoke a Russian response against the US proxy forces and American Special Forces troops operating with them.

A representative of the US military command in Al Udeid (the US command center in Qatar) was told in no uncertain terms that any attempts to open fire from areas where Syrian Democratic Forces are located would be quickly shut down, Major-General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

For its part, the SDF claimed Monday that its forces in the Conoco gas field had been bombed by Russian aircraft, resulting in the wounding of six of its fighters. It marked the second time that the SDF has leveled such a charge in as many weeks, and the US proxy force declared in a statement: We will not stand by with our arms crossed and we will use our legitimate right to self-defense.

Russia has denied responsibility for attacking the SDF. A Pentagon spokesman confirmed Monday that shells had fallen near the militias position, but said he could not confirm that they were fired by Russia. For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group opposed to the Assad government, said that no Russian rounds had hit SDF positions.

The increasing dangers of an open military confrontation in eastern Syria between the US and Russia, the worlds two major nuclear powers, is driven by Washingtons determination to seize control of the area, both to deny resources to the government in Damascus and to further the carve-up of Syria. Washington is also seeking to secure Syrias eastern border in order to counter Iranian influence in the region and prevent the consolidation of a land route linking Iran through Iraq to Syria as well as Lebanon, where Iranian forces could link up with Hezbollah, the powerful Shia-based political movement and militia.

The threat of this scramble for eastern Syria erupting into a wider regional war is further fueled by the aggressively anti-Iranian stance of the Trump administration, which appears determined to blow up the 2015 nuclear accord reached between Tehran and the major powers and has embarked on an increasingly aggressive military and diplomatic posture toward Iran across the Middle East.
The parents of Otto Warmbier  the college student who was detained for 17 months in North Korea then died days after he returned home in a coma  called the country terrorists for capturing and torturing their son.

In their first interview since their sons June death, Fred and Cindy Warmbier said they felt the need to speak out in the wake of the countrys threats against President Donald Trump and the United States.

But now we see North Korea claiming to be a victim and that the world is picking on them and were here to tell you: North Korea is not a victim. Theyre terrorists, Fred said on Fox and Friends Tuesday morning. They kidnapped Otto. They tortured him. They intentionally injured him. They are not victims.

The parents described seeing Otto for the first time after he was captured. Although they knew he had suffered brain damage, Fred and Cindy were hopeful that the right medical care could help him. However, they quickly learned the terrifying extent of his injuries.

After a medical team boarded the plane that carried Otto back to the U.S., his family was allowed to see him. The University of Virginia student let out a howling, involuntary, inhuman sound that sent his mother and sister running from the aircraft.

Fred said his son was blind and deaf. Otto was jerking violently on a stretcher with a feeding tube out of his nose, and his mouth looked as through someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth.

They destroyed him, Cindy said.

It was hard for Ottos family to see their son after being neglected and abused.

Our image of Otto, as you know, was of someone just wonderful, beautiful inside and out. And to see how he came home was too much for us, Cindy explained. I almost passed out but I got it together, and I rode in the ambulance with him, cause I did not want him to be alone anymore. Hed been alone for way too long. And we stayed with him and loved him as best as we could.

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WATCH: Fred and Cindy Warmbier speak out for the first time since the death of their son Otto | @ainsleyearhardt pic.twitter.com/foKsrRPv6U  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) September 26, 2017

Fred stated that North Korea should be listed as a state sponsor of terror.

It was astounding to Cindy and I to discover that North Korea is not listed as a state sponsor of terror, he said. We owe it to the world to list North Korea as a state sponsor of terror.

Great interview on @foxandfriends with the parents of Otto Warmbier: 1994 - 2017. Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

Trump gave his approval of the interview on Twitter.

Great interview on @foxandfriends with the parents of Otto Warmbier: 1994  2017. Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea.
Wendy Williams is finding herself the subject of a hot topic after a report surfaced accusing her husband, Kevin Hunter, of leading a double life with a younger woman.

The story published on Monday, September 25, by The Daily Mail, alleges Hunter, 46, has been having an affair with a 32-year-old massage therapist named Sharina Hudson and he bought her a home just nine miles down the road from the mansion he shares with Williams in New Jersey.

According to the British outlet, Hunter, who heads a production company with Williams, has been cheating with Hudson for more than 10 years.

Williams addressed the gossip on Tuesday, September 26, during her Emmy-nominated syndicated talk show.

Look, Im a straight shooter. Pow, pow. All you got to do is Google him and you see the story. You can believe what you want  but I stand by my guy, the 53-year-old told viewers, as she flashed her gigantic wedding ring. Williams added that she and Hunter had commuted to work that morning.

After urging people to not believe the hype, she joked: By the way, Ill be following this story. So I guess Ill have to watch to find out what happens.

Williams and Hunter will celebrate two decades of marriage in November. They share 17-year-old son Kevin Jr.

Her rep told Us Weekly on Monday, One plus one does not equal three. This woman is a friend but there is not there there.

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Iana Kasian murder comic book

After moving from Ukraine to Los Angeles in 2014, 30-year-old model Iana Kasian 35-year-old graphic novelist Blake Leibel, who later became her boyfriend. Leibel's family come from money and he is the heir to his father's million-dollar property fortune in Toronto, Canada.

It's unclear how long Kasian and Leibel had been dating before they had a baby together  a daughter who is now 1.

In the days leading up to Kasian's brutal death at the hands of Leibel, according to police  there were signs her boyfriend was becoming increasingly unstable and violent.

A year before the murder, Leibel ws living a completely different life. He was happily married to a former model Amanda Braun who was the mother of his son and pregnant with another.

But suddenly one day, he randomly walked out on her when she was eight and a half months pregnant and cut off all ties with his friends.

"We all thought [he stopped talking to us] because he was embarrassed of what had happened with his wife," one friend said.

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(Amanda was) 8 and a half months pregnant and one day, hes gone, Brauns lawyer, Pedram Mansouri, said. He just completely changed, from what I understand.

Braun gave birth to their second son in August 2015, and within months, Kasian  his new girlfriend  became pregnant with his child as well. His ex-wife said she only found out about Kasian when she bumped into her ex on the street.

Blake  had a mid-life crisis, left his wife, immediately got another girl pregnant, abandoned all his friend, Mansouri said. Friends who were close to the graphic novelist said during that time he became obsessed with themes of violence and brutality.

He had even recently published a graphic novel titled "Syndrome" that was filled with cartoon images of decapitated and bloodied women.

The novel tells a story about a serial killer who is trying to find a cure for men who "do terrible things."

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The book's foreword reads: "If you loved hurting things, what would you do?"

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In May, Kasian gave birth to a daughter, and anyone who spoke to Leibel around that time said he seemed happy.

What should have been a happy time in Leibel's life was quickly shadowed by violence and scandal.

On May 20, 2016, he was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and spent 15 hours in jail before posting $100,000 bail. After learning of the arrest, Kasian moved out of their apartment and in with her mother.

On May 24, Leibel reached out to her and asked her to meet because he "couldn't live without her." She agreed and went back to their apartment.

When she didn't return, Kasian's mother went to the apartment and knocked on the door and yelled for them to come out. When no one opened up, she called the police. Law enforcement felt they did not have enough probable cause to break down the door.

It wasn't until the next morning that they finally did  and they found a gruesome murder scene.

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Police found Iana Kasian's mangled body lying dead next to her newborn daughter, who was alive.

According to the autopsy report, her scalp was cut off  along with portions of her face  her jaw was bitten, blood was drained from her body and she suffered blunt force trauma to the head. The crime mirrors similar details of the crimes committed in Leibel's book.

Her official cause of death was exsanguination, the act of draining a person's blood. The autopsy also revealed that she lived for at least eight hours after receiving the scalp injury.

I have never seen this before," Dr. James Ribe, of the Los Angeles County Coroners office. "And I doubt hardly any forensic pathologists in this country or abroad have even seen this, outside of, perhaps, wartime ... its extremely rare.

Leibel has been charged with murder, mayhem, aggravated mayhem and tortured. His lawyers are planning to argue that he is mentally unfit for trial.

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Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 10:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTangos Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).

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Dante Daniels

September 1st was supposed to be a time of new beginnings.

Eight-year-old Dante Daniels would be starting his second day of 3rd grade, and his 7-year-old sister would be embarking on day two of 2nd grade. But while on their walk to school with their mother, 27-year-old Elizabeth Salone, in South Sacramento, California, the two children were attacked by their mother's ex-boyfriend, 23-year-old Deandre Chaney Jr.

According to the criminal report, Deandre was "engaged in the crime of committing a lewd act" on Dante's little sister when the 8-year-old stepped in to protect her.

He was attacked with a hammer and a knife.

"Trying to save his sister from this child molester, and that's why he was beat the worst, said his grandmother, Monique Brown.

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Deandre also reportedly attacked the little sister with a hammer and a knife as well as Elizabeth. He also is said to have used lighter fluid during the crime.

Daily Mail

All three victims were transported to the hospital with severe injuries. Sadly, Dante was declared brain dead and died six days later.

Salone and her daughter survived the attack, but the mother will likely never see out of her left eye again and the little girl will "need a lot of help," explained the grandmother.

Even after his death, Dante continued to be a hero by donating his heart to a young boy who needed it.

"Dante gave his heart to a 4-year-old In Southern California, so a 4-year-old lives because of [him]," Brown said.

RELATED: Sad Details And Video Reveal The Moment A Pregnant Woman Lost Her Baby When Kicked In Stomach By Abusive Boyfriend Days Before Due Date

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family with their financial burdens after they recover from this tragedy.

"We are asking for any help possible due to the fact the kids need multiple surgeries along with medical bills and recovery," the donation page reads. "They will all need to go through counseling."



"The children will never be the same from this tragedy nor will their mother. They will be traumatized from such vicious crime. They will need to start over from the ground up. Anything helps pray, share, a small donation."

Story continues

In the 21 days that it's been active, the campaign has raised $18,308 of it $20,000 goal.

People have commented supporting messages of love and awe in the courageous acts Dante made in the final moments of his young life.

"The little boy showed great bravery in trying to protect his sister," one comment read. "Im very sorry and saddened by the loss of his life. May he Rest In Peace. Wishing his mother, sister and the rest of their family peace of heart and mind."

Deandre is facing murder and attempted murder charges along with charges of lewd acts with a child under 14.

RELATED: Disturbing New Details About Why A 'Gang Of Parents' Kidnapped And Brutally Tortured Their 19-Year-Old Babysitter

Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 10:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTangos Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).

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TWIN FALLS  It could be a tin can of somebodys baby teeth. Or precious jewels and small ivory statues. Or maybe just some cold hard cash.

These are just of a few of the things you might be entitled to, and the Idaho State Treasurers Offices Unclaimed Property Program makes sure its safe until you do claim it. There is more than $160 million in cash and an undisclosed number of other items  waiting to be found and claimed by people whose last known addresses were in Idaho.

Last year, the department received more than $17.8 million. Just $6.5 million was claimed. Thats because much of the time, people dont even know its there.

There are a lot of different reasons people may not think of why theyd have money out there, said Ingrid Bolen, unclaimed property program specialist.

The Times-News reached out to a couple of organizations in south-central Idaho that have unclaimed property to see if they knew about it.

Anytime someone says you have money, thats nice, right? said Kyla Sawyer, executive director of the Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce, after learning the organization had at least $150 to get back.

She immediately went online to file a claim. Sawyer compared the experience to finding a $20 bill in your pocket.

St. Lukes Health System has unclaimed property for its operations all over the state. The Magic Valley Regional Medical Center alone could be identified as the recipient of at least $680.

But the organization hasnt gone online to claim that property, said Natalie Cooksey, senior manager for revenue cycle cash management services at St. Lukes Health System. It is something it may look into, she said.

While its nice knowing you have unexpected income, what may be more intriguing is how it got to the Unclaimed Property Program to begin with. However, that cant always be determined without some digging. After its sent to the state, specific information about what the money was from might not be included.

Here are a few answers to some questions you might have about unclaimed property.

Where does unclaimed property come from?

Every Nov. 1, by law, business have to turn over property to the state if they cant find the owner of the property, Bolen said.

In most cases, property refers to money, she said. It could be from someones last paycheck before a move, a refund or a rebate he or she sent off for.

The business is supposed to do its due diligence in trying to find the recipient, usually by mail. But if the person doesnt respond within a certain timeframe, the money is turned over to whatever state the person was last known to be living in.

St. Lukes has tried to reach out to companies that sent it refunds in the past, Cooksey said.

We want to make sure it wasnt an oops on their end, she said.

But sometimes, the health system didnt get an answer before that money was remitted to the state.

Unclaimed property also includes things such as medical overpayments, insurance payouts and utility deposits that are refunded after a person leaves. The state has millions in unclaimed property just from those things.

Of the medical refunds St. Lukes issues for $100 or less, Cooksey estimated only about half are cashed out before they get remitted to the state. This usually happens several months after a check is sent.

Unclaimed property can also be other forms of money that was left alone for too long. Savings and checking accounts that have been dormant for five years may be closed and turned over to the state if the holder cant be contacted.

The same could happen with money spent on gift certificates or gift cards, if they havent been used in five years. And money orders also have a dormancy period.

The trouble, Bolen said, is that sometimes the buyer is different than the person who should receive the money like for gift card or money order recipients.

Sometimes, property goes unclaimed because a person doesnt know he or she is a beneficiary, Bolen said. And its not just cash  it could be stocks in a deceased relatives name, or even the contents of a safety deposit box.

Safety deposit box contents are the only tangible property the Unclaimed Property Program holds on to, Bolen said. So its best to make sure you keep up with paying your yearly fees, and leave a good forwarding address.

The department stores the contents of those boxes in a vault.

Its just amazing, some of the stuff, she said. And other stuff is just  weirdness.

The baby teeth, for example. That kind of thing has sentimental, but no distinct monetary, value.

Some people may have received those unclaimed property notices before the property went to the state. But oftentimes, they mistakenly get thrown out as junk mail, Bolen said.

How do I find out if Im on the list?

Every Tuesday, the Times-News runs 75 names of people, businesses and organizations in the Magic Valley who have unclaimed property. This list is updated weekly, but it isnt a complete one.

To find out whether the state is holding something that belongs to you, go online to Yourmoney.idaho.gov and search for your name. If youve seen your name on the newspaper list, type it in exactly as it was printed.

If there are multiple claims showing online, click as many as you think are you, Bolen said. Then you can fill out a form and submit it for processing. A claim agent may require more information from you later.

If anyone in your family has died in the past few decades, you should also check for his or her name on the list and notify the beneficiaries. You can claim the property online as a beneficiary.

Its also a good idea to keep checking the list each year  usually in January or February when the new reports are in, Bolen said.

How long will the state keep it?

The Unclaimed Property Program was established across the U.S. around the mid-1900s. The state used to hold on to this money for only 10 years.

We just didnt think it was right to take it, Bolen said.

In 2012, a law changed it so that anything thats been in the unclaimed property fund since that time will be held forever  until its claimed.

How long will it take before I get my money?

If you file a claim and your name, address and personal information is exactly as it was submitted to the state by the business, it will be processed automatically within a matter of days. If the information does not match, it could take up to 90 days for everything to be processed.

On Sept. 19, the department had a claim backlog of 52 days.

Once you file, you will immediately receive a claim number and can check back to see its status.

What if I lost money in another state?

If youve moved to Idaho and a business used your old address, you could have lost money being held in another states unclaimed property fund.

The website Missingmoney.com can conduct a nationwide search for people with your name who have unclaimed property across the U.S.

It really is just your money, Bolen said, And were trying to give it back.
If youre seeking a destination with both rich history and a splash of modern cool, then Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is for you. This city built on industry  steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie funded many of its must-see attractions  is experiencing a boom thats put it on the tasteful travelers map, thanks in part to its excellent new restaurants and sprawling green spaces. Oh, and dont forget its epic elevated views.

We scoured Instagram to find the most photo-worthy spots in Pittsburgh. Heres what to see when you visit.

Do you love to take photos in Pittsburgh? Tell us what we missed! Tag your favorite Instagram posts with #ListenToAmerica, and well add a few to this post.

MORE FROM LISTEN TO AMERICA

10 Food Truths You'll Understand If You're From Pittsburgh

5 Of The Best Places To Shop In Pittsburgh

The 15 Most Instagrammable Spots In Atlanta

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
15. Tesla Brand value: $4.01 billion

Change over previous year: unchanged

Best-selling model: Model S

(Mashable Tech)

When talking about brands, feelings and subjectivity almost always play a very important role. This happens especially in a sector such as the automobile, where some logos are seen as symbols of success, social status or glamor.

So it is very likely that if you were asked why you consider the most valuable car brands in the world, you would inevitably think of names like Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Porsche or Lamborghini. But your answer would be wrong, because according to experts in the field, none of them occupy the first places in the world ranking of car brands with a higher value. In fact, some of them are not even in the top 15 positions.

Every year the Interband company produces a world ranking on the most valuable brands of the planet. And as you can imagine, technology companies, like Apple, Google or Microsoft, occupy the top positions. That is why we have wanted to look only in the automotive sector where, as we have already mentioned, there are many interesting surprises.

To establish the ranking, this agency combines financial forecasts, with calculations about the strength and the role of the brand in the market. All of this together results in an amount that is comparable among all the companies in the world.

In some cases, the brand value is quite similar to the stock market value of the companies. In other cases the difference can be very large. That happens, for example, with Tesla, whose stock price is $61,000 million and its brand value is only $4.010 million.

Below you will see the list of most valuable car brands. Enjoy and be amazed!

All figures in U.S. dollars.

This story is translated from Spanish via Yahoo Finanzas

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
Chuck Rosenberg, acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, will resign at the end of the month.

Rosenberg, a holdover from President Barack Obamas administration, announced Tuesday that he would be stepping down from the DEA and leaving the Department of Justice, according to an email sent to DEA staff and obtained by The Washington Post and The New York Times. HuffPost also confirmed the contents of the email with sources who have an understanding of internal DEA matters. Anonymous law enforcement officials told the Times that Rosenberg had become convinced that President Trump had little respect for the law.

The neighborhoods in which we live are better for your commitment to the rule of law, dedication to the cause of justice, and perseverance in the face of adversity, Rosenberg wrote, according to the Post. You will continue to do great things. I will continue to root for you, now from the sidelines.

Its not immediately clear who will replace Rosenberg, who has been acting head of the DEA since 2015. According to a source with knowledge of internal discussions at the DEA who was not authorized to speak on the matter, Col. Joseph Fuentes, head of the New Jersey State Police, was believed to be a leading candidate to replace Rosenberg.

Trumps selection of a permanent successor would likely set up a contentious confirmation battle, which could serve as a proxy for a larger ongoing debate over the nations drug laws.

Acting Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Chuck Rosenberg speaks about fentanyl at DEA headquarters on June 6. (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images)

Rosenberg was considered an outstanding administrator by his colleagues, and was well respected by the DEA agent population. He was regarded as a cool-headed professional with a keen respect for the rule of law.

He had previously served as chief of staff to former FBI Director James Comey, whom President Donald Trump fired in May amid controversy over his handling of a probe into Russian election meddling efforts. Rosenberg has reportedly remained close to Comey.

Rosenberg made headlines in July, when he sent out an agencywide email rejecting President Donald Trumps call for law enforcement to be rough when they handle suspects. During an earlier speech, Trump had suggested that police are treating suspects too gently. The White House later claimed Trumps remarks were made in jest.

Story continues

Rosenberg also reportedly clashed with the Justice Department after the DEA announced plans in 2016 to begin issuing more marijuana cultivation permits for research purposes. As of this summer, the drug agency had not approved a single new application. Sources told the Post that the DOJ has been holding up the approval process. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has repeatedly spoken out against marijuana and efforts to loosen restrictions on the drug.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but the Obama administration urged federal prosecutors to refrain from targeting state-legal marijuana operations in the 29 states that have now legalized marijuana for medical purposes and the eight that have done so for adult recreational use. Sessions in February named a task force to review that policy and there is concern among those who favor the progressive drug laws that the attorney general may roll back the Obama-era guidance and resume strict enforcement of federal prohibition.

In some ways, Rosenberg has been more of a realist on drugs than his predecessors. He told reporters in 2015 that heroin is clearly more dangerous than marijuana, a statement that former DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart had refused to agree with just years before.

Marijuana advocates pressured Rosenberg to resign later that year, however, after he referred to the plants medical potential as a joke.

Drug policy reformers have said theyre concerned about who might replace Rosenberg, but that they arent upset to see him leave office.

This is a man who called medical marijuana a joke, said Tom Angell, chairman of drug reform group Marijuana Majority. Theres absolutely nothing funny about the people in my family or millions of others who benefit from medical cannabis. They dont deserve to be laughed at, and they dont belong in handcuffs.

Also on HuffPost

1969: Little Support For Legalizing Marijuana

1969: Americans Weigh In On The Effects Of Marijuana

1971: Half Of Parents Would Turn In Their Children

1971: Worse Than Middle-Aged Drunks

1974: 38% Think The Younger Generation Will 'Grow Out Of' Marijuana

1978: Narrow Majority Supports Firing Aides Who Smoke

1986: In Retrospect...

1986: Three-Quarters Of Americans Say It'd Be Easy To Buy Marijuana

1987: 'Stoned' or 'High'

1987: Nearly One-Third Of Americans Are Kind Of A Buzzkill

1992: Voters Don't Believe Clinton Didn't Inhale

1999: Half Of Americans Think Smoking Warrants Impeachment

2013: 'Weed' And 'Pot' Beat 'Ganja' And 'Reefer'

2013: A Majority Supports Legalization For The First Time

2015: Few Care About Candidates' Marijuana Usage

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Luanda (AFP) - Jose Eduardo dos Santos's 38-year reign over Angola finally came to an end Tuesday when his hand-picked successor Joao Lourenco was inaugurated as president at a ceremony in Luanda.

Lourenco read an oath in which he vowed "on my honour to devote myself" to the role of president, as he took power after the ruling MPLA party won last month's election.

Dos Santos, who was at the ceremony but is reportedly in poor health, surprised many by announcing his retirement earlier this year, saying he would not be a candidate in the election.

The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) has governed since Angola's hard-fought independence from Portugal in 1975, with Dos Santos taking power in 1979.

The party won 61 percent of the vote in August, a sharp drop in support from the previous election in 2012 as the country suffers an economic crisis triggered by the fall in oil prices.

Lourenco, 63, until recently defence minister, has vowed to attract more foreign investment and said he wants to be recognised as a leader who brought an "economic miracle" to the southern African country.

Though seldom seen in public, Dos Santos, 75, has been a looming presence in daily life for as long as most Angolans can remember, maintaining fierce control over the country throughout its devastating civil war and a short-lived oil boom.

Dos Santos's reign saw the end of the 1975-2002 war and a post-conflict investment boom as the country exploited its oil reserves.

But the slump in crude prices in 2014 hit the country hard.

Dos Santos was Africa's second-longest-serving leader -- one month shy of Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

Nguema was present at the ceremony, along with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila, South African President Jacob Zuma and other African leaders.

Dos Santos's regular visits to Spain for "private" reasons fuelled criticism that the state of his health was being hidden from ordinary Angolans.

Story continues

Earlier this year, his daughter Isabel -- who has become a billionaire and Africa's richest businesswoman under his rule -- was forced to deny rumours that he had died in Spain.

Amnesty International called for Lourenco to "guide the country out of the spiral of oppression" and castigated Dos Santos's "appalling human rights record".

Dos Santos is to remain MPLA party chief, and new laws limit the unfettered presidential power he enjoyed.
Luanda (AFP) - Jose Eduardo dos Santos's 38-year reign over Angola finally came to an end Tuesday when his hand-picked successor Joao Lourenco was inaugurated as president at a ceremony in Luanda.

Lourenco read an oath in which he vowed "on my honour to devote myself" to the role of president, as he took power after the ruling MPLA party won last month's election.

Dos Santos, who was at the ceremony but is reportedly in poor health, surprised many by announcing his retirement earlier this year, saying he would not be a candidate in the election.

The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) has governed since Angola's hard-fought independence from Portugal in 1975, with Dos Santos taking power in 1979.

The party won 61 percent of the vote in August, a sharp drop in support from the previous election in 2012 as the country suffers an economic crisis triggered by the fall in oil prices.

Party loyalist Lourenco, 63, until recently the defence minister, delivered a speech to several thousand people at the ceremony, vowing to tackle the country's abject poverty and jobs shortage.

"Employment, poverty alleviation, promotion of opportunities and business policies will be implemented," he said, adding he would govern for "all Angolans".

He also paid tribute to his predecessor saying he "accomplished his mission with unusual flair".

- Secretive ruler bows out -

Opposition parties boycotted the inauguration after denouncing "irregularities" in the election, saying the ballot was marred by unfair media coverage and suppression of opposition voters.

UNITA, the main opposition party, this month dropped its threat to refuse to attend parliament over its complaints, while the Consitutional Court dismissed its case alleging election flaws.

Though seldom seen in public, Dos Santos, 75, has been a looming presence in daily life for as long as most Angolans can remember, maintaining fierce control throughout its devastating civil war and a short-lived oil boom.

Story continues

Dos Santos's reign saw the end of the 1975-2002 war and a post-conflict investment boom as the country exploited its oil reserves.

But the slump in crude prices in 2014 hit the country hard.

Dos Santos was Africa's second-longest-serving leader -- one month shy of Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

Nguema was present at the ceremony, along with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila, South African President Jacob Zuma and other African leaders.

Dos Santos's regular visits to Spain for "private" reasons fuelled criticism that the state of his health was being hidden from ordinary Angolans.

- 'All the power' -

Earlier this year, his daughter Isabel -- who has become a billionaire and Africa's richest businesswoman under his rule -- was forced to deny rumours that he had died in Spain.

She heads the state oil company Sonangol and his son Jose Filomeno holds the reins at the nation's sovereign wealth fund.

Critics have often accused Dos Santos of ruthlessly suppressing dissent and enriching his family and the ruling elite.

Amnesty International called for Lourenco to "guide the country out of the spiral of oppression" and castigated Dos Santos's "appalling human rights record".

Dos Santos is to remain MPLA party chief, and new laws have been passed to limit the unfettered presidential power he enjoyed.

The day after the vote, Lourenco denied that he would be a puppet ruler.

"I will have all the power. This country will not have two presidents," he said.

EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement that the election and peaceful political transition was "a clear sign of the Angolan people's commitment to democracy".
(NEW YORK)  Former Rep. Anthony Weiner was sentenced Monday to 21 months in prison for sexting with a 15-year-old girl in a case that rocked Hillary Clintons campaign for the White House in the closing days of the race and may have cost her the presidency.

Weiner, 53, dropped his head into his hand and wept as the sentence was announced by Judge Denise Cote. He must surrender to prison officials by Nov. 6.

The sentencing completed the sordid downfall of the New York Democrat, whose penchant for exchanging lewd messages and photos with young women online destroyed his career in Congress in 2011, doomed his bid for mayor of New York in 2013, wrecked his marriage to Clintons closest aide, Huma Abedin, and became entangled in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Admitting I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse, Weiner pleaded guilty in May to transferring obscene material to a minor, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for illicit contact with a North Carolina teenager.

He sought to be spared from prison, tearfully telling Cote on Monday that he was a very sick man for a very long time. Weiner, weeping as he read from a written statement on a page he held in front of him, called his crime his rock bottom.

Prosecutors said he sent her porn and got her to take her clothes off and touch herself on Skype. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Kramer on Monday urged Cote to give Weiner a significant prison sentence to end his tragic cycle of sexting.

The FBI was investigating Weiners contact with the high school student when it came across emails on his laptop between Abedin and Clinton, prompting then-FBI Director James Comey to announce in late October 2016 that he was reopening the probe of Clintons use of a private computer server.

Two days before Election Day, the FBI announced there was nothing new in the emails. But Clinton has blamed Comeys handling of the episode more than any other factor for her loss to Donald Trump. In a recent NBC interview, she called the FBI directors intervention the determining factor in her defeat.

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Weiners lawyers had argued in court papers that he was undergoing treatment and was profoundly sorry for subjecting the girl to his deep sickness. They also portrayed her as an instigator, saying she wanted to generate material for a book and possibly influence the presidential election.

Prosecutors responded by arguing the victims motives were irrelevant to the punishment and said Weiners habit of getting caught sexting suggests a dangerous level of denial and lack of self-control.

Weiner, wearing his wedding ring, seemed pensive just before Monndays hearing began. His parents were in the courtroom but not his wife. He and Abedin are currently going through divorce proceedings.

Weiners behavior in all its lurid detail  including his online alias Carlos Danger and a selfie of his bulging underwear  turned him and his last name into an irresistible punchline for late-night comics and mortified his wife again and again. The couple, who have a 5-year-old, are getting divorced.

In her new memoir, What Happened, Clinton revealed that Weiners wife looked stricken and burst into tears upon learning her husband had triggered Comeys October surprise.

This man is going to be the death of me, Abedin was quoted as saying.
Anthony Weiner has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for sending texts that asked a teen he met online to strip and touch herself.

The disgraced ex-congressman was also sentenced Monday to three years of supervised release in Manhattan federal court, where his attorneys had pushed for probation for sexting with the 15-year-old North Carolina girl.

The crime I committed was my rock bottom," Weiner tearfully said as he read from a prepared statement. "But I am truly grateful that it began me on my recovery. I am profoundly sorry to the victim for my crime... The prosecutors are skeptical. I dont blame them.

Im an addict, he continued.

The teen, whose name has been withheld because she is a minor, told Inside Edition that she first came into contact with Weiner, 53, through Twitter in January 2016.

It was through direct message on Twitter, the girl said. I just sent him a nice message: Hello, Im a huge fan.

Weiner communicated with the girl on Twitter, Facebook and on messaging sites like Kik and Confide, sometimes using the screen name "T Dog."

Read: Teen Sexted by Anthony Weiner Reveals Shamed Lawmaker's 'Disgusting' Messages: 'Your Body Is Insane'

"I knew that it was going downhill very fast, the teen said. "He called me attractive.

Though the student informed him that she was in high school, Weiner continued to speak with her, going as far as to ask her to undress and touch herself.

He also sent her obscene material, including adult porn, and a message describing what he would do to her, if she were 18, court filings said.

Weiner will also spend the rest of his life as a registered sex offender and was fined $10,000, which he must start paying during his time in prison.

Mondays sentencing puts an end to Weiners online exploits that led to his downfall from the political spotlight.

Story continues

On May 27, 2011, Weiner posted a photo of him posing in nothing but underwear on Twitter.

He at first claimed his account was hacked, but later admitted that was not true.

Less than a month later, TMZ.com published nude and semi-nude pictures of Weiner, which resulted in his resignation from Congress on June 16, 2011.

Read: Sydney Leathers Weighs In on Weiner's Latest Scandal: 'He's Quite the Egomaniac'

In 2013, Weiner attempted a political comeback as he ran for mayor of New York City. But those hopes were dashed when a woman named Sydney Leathers came forward with their online escapades.

Then in August 2016, Weiner was accused of sending salacious texts as his then 4-month-old son slept beside him.

He pleaded guilty in May 2017 to transferring obscene material to a minor and could have faced up to 10 years in prison.

Weiners lawyers, seeking a reduced sentence, argued that their client suffered from an addiction, for which he finally was seeking treatment.

Judge Denise Cote reportedly acknowledged that Weiner had made progress in addressing his issues, saying on Monday: "I find it likely that if he continues to engage in this treatment, he can make an enormous contribution to society."

Weiner must surrender himself by 2 p.m. on Nov. 6 to begin his 21-month-long prison sentence.

His attorneys have requested he be sent to Schuylkill Federal Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania, or another low-security prison near New York, according to reports.

Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Hilary Clinton Weiners wife, did not appear in court. The pair is in the process of divorcing.

Watch: YouTube Star Austin Jones Faces Child Pornography Charges

Related Articles:
Birmingham, Alabama, was stop five on our Listen to America road trip. We set up shop in the beautiful Railroad Park to talk to locals about what brought them to Birmingham. Heres what they had to say:

I want to see it grow ... I want to leave an imprint here.

 Jeremy Burroughs, 25, account manager

Im an Ismaili Muslim and we have a big community here ... I like to learn from them.

 Noren Salehani, 27, physician assistant

I fell in love with the childrens hospital here. I was born in Birmingham. My dads medical career started in Birmingham... My dads my biggest role model. It was really nice for me to come to a place where he started his journey and now Ive started mine.

 Aleha Saleh, 26, pediatric oncology nurse

We moved to the Ukraine because it has very cheap living cost ... then we were accepted here in Birmingham on an acceleration program.

 Jozef Marko, 22, entrepreneur

Love the food, the culture, and the southern hospitality.

 Angela Burroughs, 25, manager

Im from China ... Then I got an exchange program in Barcelona. In Barcelona, I met my boyfriend on the boat to Ibiza ... I came with him [to Birmingham] to help out with his startup.

 Miao Deng, 22, digital marketing manager

My family is part of the Birmingham civil rights history in that my sister, Denise, was one of the four girls killed in the 1963 church bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church.

 Lisa McNair, 53, executive assistant

I returned to make a difference in the community where I was raised.

 Faith Abraham, 54, business owner

Its just kind of where everything happens.

 Jurrien Abraham, 14, artist/student

Were popping our bubble and dare you to do the same. Follow our bus tour across America to find out how much you really know about the state of the nation. Sign up for our email.
Australia wants a slice of the booming private space industry, and it's launching an agency to capitalise on it.

The Australian Government announced on Monday at the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide that it would commit to launching a space agency, following a review of the country's space capability and years of calls to establish one.

SEE ALSO: Surreal astronaut photos show the danger and beauty of Hurricane Maria

"The case for establishing an Australian space agency is compelling. And so, I am pleased today to announce that the Australian Government will be establishing a national space agency," South Australian senator Simon Birmingham said.

Today I'm pleased to announce on behalf of the Turnbull Government that Australia will have a space agency #IAC2017  pic.twitter.com/2pd9HoVi8f  Simon Birmingham (@Birmo) September 25, 2017

The announcement coincides with the 50th anniversary of the launch of Australia's first satellite, WRESAT, and arrives in an era where the future of space exploration rests on the private sector.

"The global space industry is growing rapidly and it's crucial that Australia is part of this growth," acting science minister Michaelia Cash said in a statement.

"A national space agency will ensure we have a strategic long-term plan that supports the development and application of space technologies and grows our domestic space industry."

The announcement has bipartisan support, with opposition party Labor also committing to the creation of a space agency.

Australia's space industry needs coordination

While Australia has been involved in space for decades, the formation of an agency will help coordinate the country's space capabilities.

Story continues

"There's a lot of isolated or semi-isolated chunks of capability in Australia. We can do instrumentation, we can do space missions now ... but it's all been somewhat disjointed," Russell Boyce, the chair for space engineering at UNSW Canberra, said.

"It's been a case of the community rolling up their sleeves and providing space capability to the nation, without any coordination or priority setting.

"Establishing an agency for Australia is about establishing priorities, making sure they're the right ones, so that we can as a nation develop capabilities to meet national needs and opportunities. That's got to be done with coordination, and that'll be a major part of its responsibility."

New Zealand already has a space agency

Australia is the largest OECD country without a space agency, but the announcement means the exciting possibility of collaborating with its neighbour (and rival), New Zealand.

New Zealand launched a space agency in 2016 to respond to the needs of U.S. private spaceflight company Rocket Lab, who have already conducted launch tests on the Mahia peninsula.

"Australia already has many functions of an agency already, and we do it quite well," Boyce said.

"New Zealand in that sense was playing catch-up, but in doing so they provided coordination and many things are starting to flourish in New Zealand. So, by Australia having its own agency, there's going to be trans-Tasman opportunities ... there are enormous opportunities for coordination and development in this part of the world."

Rocket Lab's Electron launch in May.

Image: rocket lab

But unlike New Zealand, Australia still has some way to go when it comes to actually launching rockets.

"There are a number of players in Australia proposing space launch capabilities, and putting quite some effort into developing it. There would be some credible ones, and some less credible ones," said Boyce.

"But the process of actually pulling it off, will require an all of Australia effort. Like a combination of government, industry and research sector pulling it together to make it happen, just like New Zealand."

The right rocket launch sites need to be found, taking into account environmental concerns (e.g. launching over the Great Barrier Reef would be a concern) and international flight paths.

"New Zealand has an advantage in that regard ... launching on the east coast of New Zealand over the South Pacific, there's very little in the way," Boyce said.

"At the same time, there are many opportunities globally to access reasonable cost space launch, and one of them is right next door in New Zealand."

Congratulations, Australiayou just launched the Australian Space Agency!



Let's advance space science and exploration! #IAC2017  Bill Nye (@BillNye) September 25, 2017

An agency will help Aussie space businesses stay local

For Australia's burgeoning Space 2.0 industry, the news finally signals the country's government taking its role in space seriously.

Gilmour Space Technologies, based in both Singapore and Pimpama, Queensland, is one of a number of companies around the world developing rockets, looking to compete for business in the thriving low-cost space launch market.

"It's fantastic news. We think it's going to be a great catalyst for the Australian space industry, and allow us to stand tall among our peers in the global space market," Adam Gilmour, CEO and founder of Gilmour Space Technologies, said via email.

Gilmour hopes to see a change in space regulations following this announcement, one that would make launching in Australia viable, and thus allow the company to continue operating in the country.

"Space is a global business, but as an Australian company, it would definitely benefit us to have the capability to conduct activities within, for, and from Australia," he added.

For the likes of Fleet, an Adelaide and Sydney-based company which aims to connect the Internet of Things by designing, building and operating an army of low-cost, small satellites, an agency will allow space businesses to "stay local."

"No longer will space startups like Fleet, or Gilmour, or [Denver/Sydney company] Saber Astronautics have to rely 100 percent on overseas and private parties for support  be it financial or assistance on things like to market strategies, technology development, or the establishment of international relationships," Flavia Tata Nardini, co-founder and CEO of Fleet Space Technologies, said in a statement via email.

"For me, the move shows that the Australian Federal Government is serious about space and innovation and the potential it brings, which is incredibly exciting and promising."
Australia is very much a participant in the space industry with about 11,500 people working in the field. However, it has never had its own space agency -- and that may put it at a disadvantage next to the US, Canada and other countries that have concerted space strategies. The government hopes to fix that. It just unveiled plans to create Australia's first national space agency. There aren't many details at this point (more are expected later in the week), but acting industry minister Hon. Michaelia Cash argues that it's necessary to keep pace with a space industry that's "growing rapidly."

You should see a charter for the space agency by the end of March 2018.

Like many nations, Australia probably won't have advanced launching pads and other facilities that you see in the likes of the US, Russia or China. If all goes well, though, this could foster space technology development and give future astronauts a flag to rally around. Australia-born astronauts like the since-retired Andy Thomas (above) became naturalized US citizens before going into orbit. Cash adds that the agency will be a "front door" for international space cooperation, so it could help Australia become a more visible presence in spaceflight than it is today.
By Nyimas Laula Karangasem, INDONESIA (Reuters) - Fears that a volcano could erupt imminently on the holiday island of Bali prompted several countries to issue travel warnings, while Indonesian authorities raced to evacuate tens of thousands of people living in the "danger zone". Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States and the U.K. issued advisories on Monday and at the weekend warning that increased volcanic activity at Mount Agung in eastern Bali could disrupt flights at one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. "Given the possible eruption of Mount Agung, Singaporeans should defer non-essential travel to the affected areas at this juncture," the foreign ministry said in an online statement. Bali's international airport was operating normally on Monday, as were tourist spots across the island. Indonesian authorities have imposed a 12-km (7.5 miles)exclusion zone around the crater. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said on Monday that around 62,000 people lived within the "danger zone" around the volcano and that they all needed to evacuate, though so far only 50,00 had moved to the temporary shelters provided in neighboring villages. "There are some who are staying behind because the volcano hasn't erupted yet or because of religious beliefs," said BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. "Our staff are combing the area and urging everyone to evacuate," he said, speaking at a news conference in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Nugroho said Mount Agung has entered a "critical phase", meaning magma has risen closer to the surface, as indicated by hundreds of shallow volcanic tremors that have rattled the area in recent days. Evacuees are being housed in makeshift shelters like town halls and school gyms. Host communities were providing food and water, while the central and local governments were providing tents, blankets and other relief. Officials have urged the public to remain calm amid false reports and videos circulating online of an eruption. Indonesia, which sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, has nearly 130 active volcanoes, more than any other country. Many Indonesians live near volcanoes because lava flows can make the surrounding soil and land fertile for farming. (Additional reporting by Jessica Damiana and Kanupriya Kapoor in JAKARTA; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Former Alabama Chief Justice and current U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a rally Sept. 25 in Fairhope, Ala. (Photo: Brynn Anderson/AP)

Roy Moore, the former chief justice of Alabama, is favored to win the Republican primary Tuesday for the Senate nomination to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He is challenging the incumbent, Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to the seat in February by then-Gov. Robert Bentley. Strange is backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and by President Trump.

Despite the presidents support for Strange, polling indicates Moore will win easily  the latest Real Clear Politics polling average shows him with an 11-point margin  and in a deep red state, the Republican nomination is essentially a lock on the race, with all due respect to Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee.

When Trump called in to an Alabama radio show Monday to promote Stranges bid, he repeatedly mistakenly referred to Moore as Ray. Once corrected, he said its not a good sign that he didnt know Moores name, and admitted, I dont know that much about Roy Moore.

Actually, the president has more in common with Moore than he probably does with Strange, a fairly conventional establishment Republican. Trump and Moore have employed fiery rhetoric and doubled down on controversial positions, animating opponents but solidifying core supporters.

As soon as he entered public service, Moore made a splash. In 1992, he was appointed a judge on the 16th Circuit Court, and quickly installed a wooden plaque engraved with the Ten Commandments in the courtroom. He also began court proceedings with prayer. In 1999, after being elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, he installed a 5,280-pound granite block carved with patriotic quotations and the Ten Commandments in the state Supreme Court building. After defying court orders to remove the monument, Moore was relieved of his position as chief justice.

Despite the controversy, Moore was elected chief justice again in 2012. In 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, Moore defiantly ordered judges to continue to enforce Alabamas ban, leading to one of several ethics complaints that culminated in his suspension for the remainder of his term as chief justice, effectively ending his tenure.

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Beyond not honoring same-sex marriages, Moore has also said homosexual conduct should be outlawed in a 2005 interview.

Just because its done behind closed doors, it can still be prohibited by state law, Moore elaborated, comparing same-sex relationships to bestiality.

Of course, his Senate campaign has seen no shortage of flare-ups. In February, Moore quoted the Bible to suggest the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks could have been predicted as a result of the U.S.s not being godly enough. He lamented the divisions between blacks and whites as well as reds and yellows, in an apparent slur. He told the Washington Post there is no such thing as evolution.

At an election-eve rally, Moore pulled a silver handgun from his pocket and brandished it on the podium, saying: I believe in the Second Amendment.
National Guardsmen arrive at Barrio Obrero in Santurce to distribute water and food among those affected by the passage of Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. Federal aid is racing to stem a growing humanitarian crisis in towns left without fresh water, fuel, electricity or phone service by the hurricane. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

Around 3.4 million people in the U.S. were thrown back in time to a world without electricity, cell phones, landline phones, or gasoline when Hurricane Maria hit on Sept. 20.

A look at Puerto Rico from space, before and after the hurricane, says it all.

Top: Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands before Hurricane Maria Bottom: After pic.twitter.com/JNdLeNYPG8  Emily Atkin (@emorwee) September 25, 2017

A week following a massive power outage usually sees everything running smoothly. But why hasnt that happened yet? To start with, the Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority (PREPA) was hit in the midst of a recovery from Hurricane Irma, which had raked the island just under two weeks prior.

But beyond that, the bigger reason the power is off is that PREPA has been running on fumes for a long time due to a severe lack of capital after the countrys decades-long financial struggles.

The storm, however, presents an opportunity  to be a catalyst for a major change for the island, if the Republican-led government can see it and act on it. One vision for this comes from David Kotok, CEO of Cumberland Advisors, a Florida-based advisory company with strong ties to Puerto Rico, who advocates for a modern-day Caribbean version of WWIIs Marshall Plan, a bold plan that could direct millions in aid to the ailing region.

The help: A modern-day Marshall Plan

The fact that Puerto Rico wasnt the only region devastated by a hurricane  or even the only U.S. region  broadens the scope of how to fix the problem, which led Kotok to a Marshall Plan scenario, something that others like Richard Branson have suggested after Irma ripped through the Virgin Islands.

The U.S. could help its two territory areas first. Thats the presidents America First theme  an aid package that would be American oriented, said Kotok. And a supplemental one to lessen the geopolitical risk to the U.S. by being a supportive neighbor to island nations in the Caribbean.

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Abi de la Paz de la Cruz, 3, holds a gas can as she waits in line with her family, to get fuel from a gas station, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico while the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of it efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The program would be collaborative with other sovereign nations like France and the Netherlands, but it would rely on support and money from Congress and the president. But assuming that for a second they all are on board with the plan, it could be a positive thing for Puerto Rico, its creditors on Wall Street, and the country writ large, and could even restore some goodwill toward the U.S. internationally.

Kotok advocates leveraging overseas money as a potential funding source. A one-time repatriation tax benefit could be used, with certain strings attached that ensure Puerto Rican investment happens, say a lower tax rate for cash that ends up invested there.

I dont advocate for one minute giving the government in Puerto Rico free money without strings attached, said Kotok. They have a terrible history, so you can have rules: Money must be spent with U.S. firms; it has to be under U.S. law. There are elements you could construct but you could do it quickly and begin the process of rehab rapidly.

Why the power is still off

Puerto Rico used to benefit from a special tax provision that made it very appealing for businesses. Without a voting member of Congress, the island had less taxation even though it had less representation. But in 1996, things changed.

Congress sunset the provision with 10 years of notice, said Kotok. But the Puerto Rican government did nothing but borrow money while the economics changed. Now its run out of money, its bankrupt, its under federal oversight, and its trying to restructure its capital plan. Its essentially exhausted its family silver, and along comes a hurricane with devastating results.

Maribel Valentin Espino sits in her hurricane-destroyed home in Montebello, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Five days after the Category 4 storm slammed into Puerto Rico, many of the more than 3.4 million U.S. citizens in the territory were still without adequate food, water and fuel. Flights off the island were infrequent, communications were spotty and roads were clogged with debris. Officials said electrical power may not be fully restored for more than a month. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The contrast with Houston and Florida is striking, due to the reserves those regions have that Puerto Rico does not. If Houston and Florida need to access the financial markets, they can borrow. Puerto Rico, however, cannot, which is why PREPA is bankrupt and has spent a good deal of time in court.

Those that had claims and those who were in debt were in a fight when the pot was small, but liability was large, said Kotok.

During this fight, no shoring up of the ancient power grid was possible, and after the hurricane, the money is even less there with more to fix. This makes federal help almost a necessity.

They have been decimated by a natural force having previously suffered under 20 years of terrible governance, he said. The old politicians are gone, the young politicians now have to deal with a hurricane with no capital  and they need help.

What a Marshall Plan would mean for U.S. bonds

The hurricane is bad for bondholders, as it is for almost everyone. Money now that would have previously paid obligations must go to making the island habitable.

An aid package to Puerto Rico would not pay Puerto Rican bondholders, but it would be advantageous to those holding the islands debt, who could shore up Wall Street support for some sort of a plan like Kotoks.

The bondholder that holds the bond in water authority, or electric utility would say, Gee, an operating electric utility with customers is a much better place than a utility that cant provide utility and doesnt have customers who can pay, said Kotok.

The national flags of Puerto Rico and the U.S. wave in front of a building belonging to UBS bank, whose retail customers portfolios are heavily invested in Puerto Rico bonds, in the Hato Rey Financial District in San Juan, in this February 27, 2014 file photo. U.S. authorities are probing UBS AG for criminal fraud after a former broker in Puerto Rico allegedly directed clients to improperly borrow money to buy mutual funds that later plunged, according to lawyers representing some of the investors. REUTERS/Ana Martinez/Files (PUERTO RICO  Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS)

In Kotoks view, a Congressional package which had enough credibility to meet the requirements of the basic seed capital to create a foundation for solid supporting infrastructure would be seen favorably by those who watch the territorys debt. A big part would be whether the federal government is involved and can provide any guarantees.

With default risk reduced by federal guarantees, Puerto Rico could access a market. The market could look at the purpose of the funds, and if it included reconstruction of the utilities, investment may return, said Kotok. Theyll have customers with electric bills, when they pay theyll have revenue, theyll be able to amortize the debt.

If nothing happens

The hurricane reconstruction could cost the island $15 billion to $50 billion, said Kotok. That entire sum isnt required to get things back on track, however; $5 billion to $8 billion might be enough to provide the boost to put things on the right track and attract private investment to get the rest done.

But a scenario without any sort of comprehensive federal help is starkly different. It looks bad for bondholders and even worse for Puerto Ricans.

That recovery could take years, according to Kotok, and would involve work by private capital drawn by speculators looking to make a bargain from impoverished and distressed people. Thats already happening, he said. Kotok said that he has already had two conversations with two multi-millionaires who are pooling money for Puerto Rican property grabs.

Damaged homes in the San Juan neighborhood of La Perla. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

Kotok points to how Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello and his mayors around the island are communicating  couriers on broken roads  as an illustration of Puerto Ricos regression. No gas, no generators, no electricity, no airports, no ports, no sewage, no telephones. All of this slows things down considerably and retards the healing process.

Several million people in dire straits suffer for many months, maybe years, Kotok said. Very slowly there is a return as speculators seize what they see as a real cheap opportunity because they are able to buy very stressed property and in essence take advantage of people who are distressed.

The unpalatability of this option does boost the potential for a bipartisan moment, far-fetched as that seems in todays political climate. But if Maria was a perfect storm, hitting an island head-on, so maybe the coincidence of massive stores of corporate money looking to be repatriated, a government that needs to get something done, 3.4 million American citizens living with broken infrastructure, and Wall Street debtholders on board.

Maybe it takes two Category 5 hurricanes to be a catalyst for political change that should have happened 10 years ago, said Kotok. But you know what, better late than never.

Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann. Confidential tip line: emann@oath.com.

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BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil will reinstate a mining ban in a vast area of the Amazon rainforest, the government announced on Monday, in an about-face that is a victory for environmentalists who feared deforestation. The Mines and Energy Ministry said in a statement that President Michel Temer's administration had decided to revoke an August decree abolishing the National Reserve of Copper and Associates (Renca), an area of roughly 17,800 square miles (46,100 square kilometers) or slightly larger than Denmark. The decision will be published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday, officials said. The reserve in the northern states of Amapa and Para was established in 1984 to protect what are thought to be significant deposits of gold, copper, iron ore and other minerals from the perceived threat of foreign miners at the time. The reserve covers a section of the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, the preservation of which is seen as essential to soaking up carbon emissions responsible for global warming. The government said it would revisit the issue in the future in a wider debate on the issue. "Brazil needs to grow and create jobs, attract mining investment and even tap the economic potential of the region)," the ministry statement said. The government had argued that lifting the ban would be a boon to the economy and would allow better oversight of the area estimated to have 1,000 people illegally mining there. Mining and Energy Minister Fernando Coelho Filho and other officials have maintained that the reserve merely applied to mining and that other protections for conservation areas and indigenous land inside Renca would remain. But environmentalists argued that merely building roads or infrastructure in the area would bring deforestation and threaten biodiversity, with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen tweeting against the decree. "If carried out, the cancellation of the decree shows that, no matter how bad, there is no leader absolutely immune to public pressures," Marcio Astrini, coordinator of public policy for environmental group Greenpeace, said in a statement. "It is a victory of society over those who want to destroy and sell our forest." The government had steadily backtracked in the face of the criticism, legal action and efforts to overturn the decree in Congress. A judge also granted an injunction blocking the decree. (The story has been refiled to revises headline to reflect that government has announced mining ban reinstatement) (Reporting by Ricardo Brito and Jake Spring; editing by Sandra Maler and Jonathan Oatis)
Sophia likes to talk to her specimens and kiss them. (Photo: Nicole Spencer)

When Sophia Spencer was 2 years old, a butterfly landed on her at the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory. After that, according to her mother, Nicole Spencer, Sophia was hooked on bugs.

In addition to loving to read about bugs and have her mom Google information about them to read to her, Sophia loves live specimens. If she keeps a bug, she always names it and will talk to them and kiss them, Spencer told HuffPost. When she has one, she always makes sure to learn what it eats and what the best habitat for it is.

Sophias love for bugs used to get her bullied by her peers, but after an outpouring of love and support from the scientific community online, she has a newfound confidence in her scientific pursuits  along with her first byline in a scientific journal.

Afraid that being called weird and strange would cause Sophie to give up her passion, Spencer wrote a letter to the Entomological Society of Canada last year. The letter explained that she had an 8-year-old daughter who loved to learn and explore the world of bugs and insects and asked if a professional entomologist would be willing to speak to her over the phone or write her a letter encouraging her in her pursuits.

Last August, the Entomological Society tweeted out the letter, writing, A young girl who loves insects is being bullied & needs our support and using the hashtag #BugsR4Girls.

A young girl who loves insects is being bullied & needs our support. DM your email & we'll connect you! #BugsR4Girls pic.twitter.com/kjtfSJSlre  Ent Soc of Canada (@CanEntomologist) August 25, 2016

In response, entomologists from all over the world reached out in support of Sophia and offering their time and resources.

I would like to send her a signed copy of my book. I love beetles so much I'm writing 3 books about them. #BugsR4Girls  M.G. Leonard (@MGLnrd) August 25, 2016

@emilyowenz entomologists at cfs fredericton would love to host her for visit or have a Google chat anytime!  Rob Johns (@robcjohns) August 25, 2016

.@CanEntomologist I've been that girl, became an entomologist & still proudly wear bugs on my shoulder #BugsR4Girls pic.twitter.com/dOmopyv8Q8  Julia Koricheva (@KorichevaLab) August 25, 2016

In addition, Sophia began working with the entomology Ph.D. candidate who wrote the original tweet, Morgan Jackson, on a paper about the applications of social media in improving representation in the sciences, which has since been published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America.

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I'm really proud of this piece, and am thrilled to share the publishing experience with Sophia, who I met & collected bugs with this summer pic.twitter.com/s7SiT7giIl  Morgan Jackson (@BioInFocus) September 6, 2017

According to Spencer, Sophias lessons from Jackson continue. This last week she caught a fly and it had babies. Morgan called her on Skype to walk her through the process of raising the larvae to maggots and flies, which she plans to release. We are now the proud owner of over a 100 maggots in a bug container. She feeds them composting food everyday and is fascinated by the rapid development that is happening, she told HuffPost.

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Sophia now knows that she wants to be an entomologist who studies grasshoppers when she grows up. (Photo: Nicole Spencer)

These days, Sophia is sure that she wants to be an entomologist and work with grasshoppers when she grows up. And while she used to take the bullying of her peers to heart, Spencer says shes now learned that shes not weird for loving bugs.

In a section of the paper entitled, Outcomes and Benefits for Sophia, in Her Own Words she writes, If somebody said bugs werent for girls, I would be really mad at them, but I wouldnt do anything, I would just not talk to them. I think anything can be for anybody, including bugs.

For her mom, the experience has been overwhelming but gratifying.

I had to watch as she became sad over bullying and sadder still when she thought she had to give it up to fit in. Then I got to see how her confidence came back and her passion only grew. Now again I am witnessing a little girl believe in herself more firmly and the excitement and love for entomology grow.

Also on HuffPost

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Archaeologists believe they have found the key to unlocking a mystery almost as old as the Great Pyramid itself: Who built the structure and how were they able to transport two-ton blocks of stone to the ancient wonder more than 4,500 years ago?

Over the years, researchers posited a number of competing theories as to how the pharaohs engineered the monumental structure, which remained the tallest on earth well into the middle ages.

Read More: Secret room discovered in Great Pyramid by archaeologists armed with lasers

Experts had long established that the stones from the pyramids chambers were transported from as far away as Luxor, more than 500 miles to the south of Giza, the location of the Great Pyramid, but had never agreed how they got there.

However, the diary of an overseer, uncovered in the seaport of Wadi al-Jafr, appears to answer the age-old question, showing the ancient Egyptians harnessed the power of the Nile to transport the giant blocks of stone.

GettyImages-51739588 (1)

(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

According to a new British documentary Egypts Great Pyramid: The New Evidence, which aired on the U.K.'s Channel 4 on Sunday, the Great Pyramid, also known as the Pyramid of Khufu, was built using an intricate system of waterways which allowed thousands of workers to pull the massive stones, floated on boats, into place with ropes.

Along with the papyrus diary of the overseer, known as Merer, the archaeologists uncovered a ceremonial boat and a system of waterworks. The ancient text described how Merers team dug huge canals to channel the water of the Nile to the pyramid.

Archaeologist Mark Lehner, who has devoted his career to uncovering who built the pyramids, explained how his team had uncovered a waterway hidden beneath the Giza plateau. It is believed that the stones which went into the pyramid were delivered to this area.

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The experts also made new discoveries about boat building in the bronze age civilization. By restoring the wooden planks from the ceremonial boat and then scanning them with a 3D laser, they archeologists could discern how they were first assembled.

A separate team of archaeologists is currently working to make an internal map of the Great Pyramid at Giza using laser technology. The group, from the ScanPyramids project, has announced the discovery of a series of voids in the pyramid which they believe may be hidden rooms.

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Chelsea Manning tried to cross at the official border office at Lacolle, Quebec, on Friday - AFP

Chelsea Manning, a former American soldier jailed for leaking troves of classified information, said on Monday that she was banned from entering Canada due to criminal convictions in the United States.

Manning had tried to cross at the official border office at Lacolle, Quebec, on Friday. On Monday, she posted a letter from Canadian immigration officials to her Twitter account that said she was not admitted because she was convicted of offences deemed equivalent to treason in Canada.

"So, I guess Canada has permanently banned me? Denied entry b/c of convictions similar to "treason" offence," she wrote.

so, i guess canada has permanently banned me ?  @CitImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to "treason" offense  pic.twitter.com/xp0JOEEOGd  Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 25, 2017

The document said that Manning had committed a crime outside the country that "would equate to an indictable offence, namely treason" in Canada and which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment.

Committing a crime elsewhere that would carry a maximum sentence of at least 10 years in Canada is grounds for a person to be denied entry, the document said.

Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, declined to comment "on any specific case" at a news conference, and said he looked "forward to seeing more details about this situation."

Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale suggested on Monday he would think hard before overruling a border officers decision.

No such request has been made to me with respect to that matter, Mr Goodale said, according to the National Post.

Profile | Chelsea Manning

And, when a Canada Border Services officer has exercised appropriately within their jurisdiction the judgment that they are called upon to make, I dont interfere in that process in any kind of a light or cavalier manner.

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Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for leaking more than 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks three years earlier, when she was known as Bradley.

She served seven years, and twice tried to take her own life last year alone, before then-president Barack Obama commuted her sentence just days before he left office in January.

Manning was released from Fort Leavenworth's all-male prison in May.

During her incarceration, Manning battled for - and won - the right to start hormone treatment. She now has cropped blonde hair and a decidedly feminine look.
Chelsea Manning was convicted of passing classified government material to WikiLeaks. Photo from Twitter

Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. intelligence analyst who was convicted for the biggest release of classified data in American history, revealed on Twitter that she has been barred from entering Canada.

Just earlier today, Manning tweeted out an image showing a notice from Citizenship, Refugees and Immigration Canada saying that she had been barred from entering due to prior convictions in the U.S. Manning was convicted for releasing nearly a million classified or unclassified but sensitive documents to Wikileaks, one of the largest leaks of classified information in the U.S. The leaks included the 2010 release of the infamous video, Collateral Murder, which showed a U.S. helicopter gunship crew gunning down two Reuters employees and a number of civilians in Baghdad, and the Afghan and Iraq War logs, which revealed troves of information hidden from the public about both wars.

The revelations eventually landed her in prison, charged with 22 offences, a number of which fell under the Espionage Act which carries heavy penalties. She pleaded guilty to 10 of the 22 charges, the most serious of which was aiding the enemy.

so, i guess canada has permanently banned me ?  @CitImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to treason offense pic.twitter.com/xp0JOEEOGd  Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 25, 2017

The notice of inadmissibility doesnt surprise Joel Sandaluk, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer. The thing with offences like treason or espionage is that those type of offences tend to be very, very broadly construed, he says. So its quite likely that a person convicted of an offence like that in many Western countries would also be convicted had these same acts occurred in Canada in relation to the Canadian government.

People trying to enter Canada who have been charged with serious crimes are always reviewed, says Sandaluk. As seen in Mannings notice, the government says it can reject entry to people convicted of an offence outside of Canada that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years.

Even a presidential pardon, which was floated at the time former President Barack Obama said he was commuting Mannings sentence, would not allow her into the country.

The way that Canadian law works is that because pardons in the United States are made under a different type of legislative framework than in Canada, American pardons arent to a Canadian pardon or record suspension. We dont respect theirs and they dont respect ours, said Sandaluk. So even had she been pardoned, she would still be inadmissible for Canada.

Manning does have an avenue for redress however, which she also announced on Twitter shortly after her initial post.

will be challenging denial of entry at a canadian admissability hearing in the future (no date yet) https://t.co/I2AVmXdEnb  Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 25, 2017

Meanwhile, the ministry of immigration has said that it cannot comment on the case due to privacy laws.

Our government is committed to ensuring that every case put forward to IRCC is evaluated based on its merits and in a fair manner. All applicants can expect impartial, professional treatment and clear, accountable decision-making, said a spokesperson to the CBC in an email statement.
Former US soldier and one of the most prominent whistleblowers of modern times posts letter to Twitter saying she is not authorized to enter Canada

Chelsea Manning in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on 17 September 2017. Photograph: Stephen Lovekin/Rex/Shutterstock

Chelsea Manning, the former US soldier who served seven years in military prison after instigating one of the biggest breaches of classified data in US history, has said she has been barred from entering Canada.

On Monday, Manning posted on Twitter a report from the Canadian government that identified her as a foreign national who has not been authorized to enter Canada due to prior convictions.

So, I guess Canada has permanently banned me? wrote Manning  one of the most prominent whistleblowers of modern times.
China's ambassador to the U.N. has appealed for a de-escalation between the U.S. and North Korea, warning that the nuclear crisis between their leaders was spiraling out of control.

Liu Jieyi, who has served as China's permanent representative to the U.N. since 2013, criticized both the U.S. and North Korea after the two nations dedicated their General Assembly speeches to broadcasting heated attacks on one another. Responding to the North Korean Foreign Minister's accusation that President Donald Trump declared war on Pyongyang via threats on social media, Liu asked that both countries abandon their increasingly militant positions, or else a war could break out.

Related: North Korea Accuses Trump of Declaring War Against Kim Jong-un, Threatens to Shoot Down U.S. Planes

We want things to calm down. Its getting too dangerous and its in nobodys interest, Liu told Reuters. We certainly hope that (the United States and North Korea) will see that there is no other way than negotiations to solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula ... The alternative is a disaster.

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KCNA/via REUTER

China, traditionally North Korea's greatest ally, is opposed to both North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons, which Pyongyang argues is necessary to protect its government from invasion, as well as U.S. hegemony in the Asia-Pacific. China has taken limited measures against its neighbor, including joining U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea in the U.N., but it has also called for a cessation of rhetorical hostilities on both sides and rejected the U.S.'s growing military presence in the region.

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Despite international sanctions, Kim has managed to intensify his country's pursuit of a nuclear-tipped warhead capable of reaching the U.S. This year alone, North Korea achieved an unprecedented rate of tests, including two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which put the U.S. in Kim's trajectory for the first time. Other missiles fired directly over Japan, a U.S. ally, and a massive hydrogen bomb test earlier this month, have kept North Korea and the current crisis at the forefront of Trump's foreign policy, even as he attempts to take on Iran, as well.

Social media-savvy Trump has also taken to Twitter to express his frustration with Kim. The two have engaged in a back-and-forth war of insults and threats, with Ri responding most recently Monday to Trump's warning that Ri and Kim "won't be around much longer" if they continue to defy sanctions and build nuclear and ballistic weapons.

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REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque, KCNA/Handout via REUTERS

Ri announced Monday that Pyongyang considered Trump's remarks a declaration of war and reserved the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers occasionally mobilized near North Korea's borders. The White House, however, denied it had declared war on North Korea or that it sought to overthrow Kim and his government.

We have not declared war on North Korea and, frankly, the suggestion of that is absurd, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders told journalists Monday, calling Ri's threats to attack U.S. planes inappropriate.

"We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Thats our focus, doing that through both the most maximum economic and diplomatic pressures as possible at this point," she added.

The Pentagon confirmed to Reuters, however, it would "provide options to the president to deal with North Korea" if the situation continued to escalate.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China's gasoline and diesel exports to North Korea and iron ore imports from the isolated nation fell in August as trade continued to slow after the United Nations' latest sanctions, customs data showed on Tuesday. The release comes after data on Saturday showed China's trade with North Korea jumped in August even after the U.N. sanctions, mainly driven by a rise in imports. The data also showed China imported 1.6 million tonnes of coal from North Korea, the first since February when Beijing banned purchases of the fuel from its northern neighbor. It was not immediately clear why the data showed shipments had resumed. A customs official said she would investigate the matter. Last month, the U.N. Security council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea targeting its exports of coal, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood. The sanctions took effect this month, but China enforced the new measures from Aug. 15. China's diesel exports to North Korea were 170 tonnes, compared with zero tonnes in August last year and gasoline shipments were 180 tonnes, down 96.3 percent from a year ago. (Reporting by Josephine Mason and Stella Qiu; Editing by Richard Pullin)
By Philip Wen BEIJING (Reuters) - China will support Interpol, raising the profile and leadership of the global police cooperation agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday at the opening of Interpol's general assembly in Beijing, state media reported. Last year, Interpol elected a senior Chinese public security official, Vice Public Security Minister Meng Hongwei, as its president, prompting rights groups to ask whether Beijing could try and use the position to go after dissidents abroad. Xi said China's stability was just as much its contribution to the world as its economic development, and that it firmly supported the international struggle against terrorism. "China highly commends Interpol's efforts to protect the world's security and stability, and will continue to support Interpol to play an even more important role in global security governance," the official Xinhua news agency cited Xi as saying. Beijing has tried for many years to enlist the help of foreign countries to arrest and deport back to China suspected wanted for crimes including corruption and terrorism Such requests have met resistance, particularly from Western countries where there have been concerns over whether evidence submitted by China met acceptable standards for Western courts. There were also worries that suspects might be mistreated and would not get a fair trial in China, and that allegations could be politically motivated. In cross-border law-enforcement cooperation, Xi said, the laws of each country must be respected equally without "double standards". China's Public Security Minister, Guo Shengkun, told the assembly that China hoped to use international police cooperation to strengthen its defence against the threat of militants returning from abroad to join groups like the East Turkistan Islamic Movement. Rights groups have criticised China for misusing Interpol's "red notice" system to target exiled Uighurs from Xinjiang, accusing them of terrorism, including Dolkun Isa, the general secretary of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress. Interpol Secretary-General Juergen Stock, a German national, said the organisation had "significantly increased" vetting of red notice requests from all 190 member countries and last year "99 per cent" complied with Interpol's internal regulations. Stock reiterated that red notices were not international arrest warrants but rather an "alert system" that enabled member countries to decide whether to take action "on the basis of their own legal assessment and situation". (Reporting by Philip Wen, Michael Martina and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Michael Perry)
Chinese coast guard vessels sailed near disputed islands claimed by Japan and China in the East China Sea on Monday, marking the second such incident in less than a week.

The four ships entered the waters surrounding the island chain, controlled by Japan and known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in China, at around 10:00 am (0100 GMT) and were moving in a southwest direction, according to the Japanese coast guard.

An online statement from China's State Oceanic Administration only said the four Chinese coast guard vessels were "patrolling in Chinese waters off the Diaoyu Islands."

Japan's coast guard said it was the second time since Thursday that four Chinese ships had entered its waters.

Japan has routinely complained that China is escalating regional tensions by regularly sending ships to the island chain despite repeated protests from Tokyo.

The two countries have been locked in a long-running dispute over the islands, which are believed to harbour vast natural resources below their seabed, with China claiming them as its own.

Beijing is also involved in maritime disputes in the South China Sea. It asserts sovereignty over most of the area despite rival partial claims by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

A UN-backed tribunal last July ruled that Beijing's claims were invalid. The US Navy regularly conducts "freedom of navigation" operations in the South China Sea to challenge China's claims, angering Beijing.
The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or graduate school search.

The chances of getting into a four-year college can be high or low, depending on a prospective student's standardized test scores, high school grades and letters of recommendation, among other factors. At some universities, though, just about every applicant can bet on being admitted.

At 18 schools, there was a 100 percent acceptance rate in fall 2016. These institutions had the highest acceptance rate among 1,256 ranked universities and colleges that submitted these data to U.S. News in an annual survey.

[Learn which colleges receive the most applications.]

In fall 2015, only nine schools had a 100 percent acceptance rate. California State University--Bakersfield, Florida's Pensacola State College and Montana State University--Billings are some of the schools that are new to the list.

Cameron University in Oklahoma, which had a 99.7 acceptance rate in fall 2015, reached 100 percent last fall.

Among all schools that reported the data, the average acceptance rate was 65 percent. Alice Lloyd College, a Regional College in Kentucky, had the lowest acceptance rate: 4 percent. Regional Colleges focus on undergraduate education, and grant fewer than half of their degrees in liberal arts fields.

[Find out which colleges have the lowest acceptance rates.]

Ten of the schools on the list for fall 2016 are labeled RNP, which means Rank Not Published. These schools rank in the bottom one-fourth of their ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.

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Below are the 18 schools with the highest acceptance rate in fall 2016. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.

Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find acceptance rate data, complete rankings and much more. Sign up for the U.S. News Extra Help: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.

U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2017 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The acceptance rate data above are correct as of Sept. 26, 2017.

Delece Smith-Barrow is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering college admissions; she previously wrote about graduate schools. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dsmithbarrow@usnews.com.
The pontiff has long faced backlash from conservatives in the church over some of his more progressive teachings. (Photo: ALBERTO PIZZOLI via Getty Images)

A group of conservative Roman Catholics has accused Pope Francis of spreading heresy by signaling his openness to letting some divorced and remarried Catholics receive Holy Communion.

In a 25-page letter published online Saturday, nearly 70 Catholic theologians and clergy assert that the pontiff has propagated heretical propositions on marriage, the moral law, and the reception of the sacraments.

The letter focused primarily on Franciss 260-page treatise Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), published last year. In the document, the pontiff called the church to be less strict and more compassionate toward imperfect Catholics, including those who have divorced and remarried, saying that no one can be condemned forever.

The pope has advocated the beliefs that obedience to Gods moral law can be impossible or undesirable, and that Catholics should sometimes accept adultery as compatible with being a follower of Christ, the group said in a release, equating remarriage after divorce to having an affair.

The letter was delivered to the pope at his Santa Marta residence on Aug. 11, according to the release. Francis has not issued a response.

Pope Francis may be determined not to answer this, but its not to say that bishops and cardinals arent able to absorb it, Joseph Shaw, a professor of philosophy at Oxford University and one of the letters organizers, told CNN. We have to press this problem on to people who can ultimately address them.

Francis has faced pushback before over his teachings on divorce. In February, German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, who stepped down from heading the Vaticans doctrine office in July, said he opposed any potential changes to the churchs ban on divorced and remarried Catholics taking Communion.

No power in heaven or on earth, neither an angel, nor the pope, nor a council, nor a law of the bishops, has the faculty to change it, he told Il Timone, an Italian Catholic publication, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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But its unlikely the letter  signed by some members of a traditionalist group that already broke from the Catholic Church under Pope John Paul II  will register a significant shift.

First of all, out of the 200 cardinals and over 5,000 bishops in the church, not one has signed on, Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and consultor of the Vaticans Secretariat for Communication, said in an email to HuffPost.

What weight should be give this letter? Not much, I would say.

The priest noted that the letter also flies in the face of the traditional authority of the pope.

There are many people in the church who have set themselves against Pope Francis, but the crashing irony here is that the traditionalists that signed this letter are going against the traditional authority of the pope, Martin said. Theyre also some of the same people who, under John Paul II and Benedict XVI, said that any disagreement with the pope was tantamount to dissent. So that letter is pretty rich in irony.

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By Robin Respaut and Dave Graham SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Hundreds of stranded tourists and Puerto Ricans seeking to leave filled the sweltering halls of San Juan International Airport on Monday anxious for a seat on one of the few flights operating after Hurricane Maria devastated power and communications across the island. Fearful of checking out of hotels in case they could not get on the few flights available, worried visitors waited in long lines at Puerto Rico's main airport, struggling to reach loved ones and airlines by phone. "Everything is hearsay at the moment because there is no communication," said 31-year-old Rene Kessler, a medical student from Baltimore, Maryland, preparing to spend the night in the terminal ahead of what he hoped would be a flight home. A microcosm of the storm-battered island, San Juan airport is a top priority in efforts by Puerto Rico's cash-strapped government to rebuild after Maria. Experts say the work will take months and likely cost tens of billions of dollars. The screens above American Airlines' desks were dark, while JetBlue's displays flowed with red rows of cancellations. Staff called out the names of passengers who won seats on the few departing planes. "Everyone is in the same boat, trying to get out," said Leyla Colon, standing in line with her 4-year-old daughter at the JetBlue terminal. Without internet or cell service, she was unable to buy tickets before reaching the airport. "At this point I'll buy a ticket on any flight to get out of here," Colon said. Carriers said downed infrastructure had caused operations to be scaled back sharply. In some cases, airlines used a nearby hospital to print flight manifests. And some customers were given handwritten boarding passes. Mike Henderson, a construction firm superintendent, was trying to return to his family in Detroit after his wife paid $2,000 dollars for a seat on a Delta flight. But airline staff were unable to tell him if he was on the passenger list, he said. "I'm drained," Henderson said with a sigh. Airlines on Sunday were restricted to one or two flights a day, and Transportation Security Administration workers manually inspected bags and patted down passengers. Outside the airport, rows of diesel generators roared in the heat. They have been life-savers but have had their side effects too. Miguel Gonzalez, 42, said he was at the airport to get his asthmatic mother a flight to Florida. He was hospitalized for two weeks due to fumes from neighbors' generators that were fired up after Hurricane Irma hit the island early in September. Maria dealt an even heavier blow to local infrastructure, putting immense pressure on medical services. Jessica Negron, a resident of Orlando, Florida, said she had been in the airport since Friday waiting for a Frontier flight. "They keep changing the story," she said. Nearby, eating canned peaches with a plastic knife, were Allyson and Marcus Singletary from Georgia. They said the storm and airport chaos had ruined their anniversary trip. "This is the vacation from hell," said Allyson, 31. "This is 'The Walking Dead' without zombies." (Additional reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)
Photo credit: Getty

From ELLE UK

If you didn't think it (President Donald Trump) could get any worse, think again, my friends.

Almost a year after tapes emerged of President Donald Trump bragging about using his fame to grope women without their consent, a newly released interview has revealed the politician admitted to feeling up his wife in public and boasting about having sex with 'some of the greats' in history.

Leaked recordings of Trump and radio host Howard Stern's conversation between 1993 and 2015 have now emerged and include several conversations in which the pair discuss women's appearances and sexual encounters, reports the Independent.

In one interview, which was anonymously leaked to the website Factbase this month, Stern asks Trump whether he has ever felt up his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, in public.

Photo credit: Getty

'Yeah,' Mr Trump replies. 'I'm very well behaved, actually, and almost always I'm very down the middle.'

At one point, Trump reveals he met his wife at a party full of supermodels and thought 'that's the one that's the most beautiful'.

Later he discusses her physique with the interviewer to say: 'Oh, she's in shape. You know - but she's naturally in shape. It's not a big work at all or anything, which is nicer, to be honest.

'You know, she's naturally in good shape. Absolutely. She's a very beautiful woman. Considered one of the great beauties of the world. So I don't know how I got her because, you know, beauty doesn't matter to me.'

Sure, Trump. Sure.

Photo credit: Getty

In another interview, the host asks Trump to confirm when he 'banged some of the greatest beauties on the planet'.

'True. Some of the greats in history,' Trump responds.

Responding to questions regarding whether he's had to take STI tests as a result of his sexual escapades, the President alludes to the use of condoms in his response to say: 'I own 25 percent of Goodyear Tire and Rubber.'

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Discussing his former wife, Czech Republic former model Ivana, the former reality star admits he thinks women's accents lose their appeal as the years go on.

Talking about his first wife's accent, Trump said, 'Yes, it was amazing, and then one time I woke up that [sic] it was terrible, I couldn't stand it,' Trump said according to a transcript obtained by Newsweek.

Photo credit: Getty

The Independent reports Stern initially refused to release the tapes during the presidential campaign, claiming it would have been a 'betrayal' to his interviewee.

In 2015, he said: 'I feel Donald Trump did the show in an effort to be entertaining and have fun with us, and I feel like it would be a betrayal to any of our guests if I sat there and played them now where people are attacking him.'

Meanwhile, the president claimed that people 'love' the interviews he did with Stern before his presidency last year.

However, it appears the star was aware his comments about women's attractiveness might land him in hot water as he refused to rate journalist Megyn Kelly's appearance on Stern's show in 2015.

Photo credit: Getty

'Well, you know, in the old days I would not have minded answering that question, but today I'll take a pass,' he said.

Elsewhere in the interviews, Trump suggests pilots could tackle terrorism on a flight by pressing a button and'sleeping gas comes out' so that 'the entire back of the plane goes to sleep'.

He also admits to being afraid of germs, refusing to touch his youngest child Baron Trump ('When he has a cold, I just, you know, I keep him away from me') and cleaning his hands multiple times a day.

Looks like you're not the only one who dislikes germs, Trump.

Listen to the interviews between Donald Trump and Howard Stern here.

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North Korea's foreign minister had called Donald Trump 'a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency' (file image): AP/Brynn Anderson

Donald Trump has appeared to threaten regime change against North Korea, tweeting to say if the country's foreign minister echoed the thoughts of its leader they "won't be around much longer."

North Korea's foreign minister, Ri Yong-ho, had earlier said targeting the United States mainland with its rockets was inevitable after "Mr Evil President" Donald Trump called Kim Jong-un "rocket man."

Afterwards, Mr Trump took to twitter to say: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

Mr Ri had called the US President "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency" who was trying to turn the UN into a "gangsters' nest."

The mudslinging came as US bombers and fighter escorts flew to the farthest point north of the border between North and South Korea by any such American aircraft had this century.

The Pentagon said the mission, in international airspace, showed how seriously Mr Trump takes the North's "reckless behaviour."

"This mission is a demonstration of US resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat," Defence Department spokeswoman Dana White said.

"North Korea's weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the US homeland and our allies," she added.

North Korea has said it intends to build a missile capable of striking all parts of the US with a nuclear bomb.

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Mr Trump has said he won't allow it, although the US so far has refrained from using military force to impede the North's progress.

Last week, the US President announced more economic sanctions against the impoverished and isolated country, targeting foreign companies which deal with the North.

In a speech at the United Nations last week, Mr Trump had issued the warning of potential obliteration and mocked the North's young autocrat as a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission."

His executive order expanded the Treasury Department's ability to target anyone conducting significant trade in goods, services or technology with North Korea, and to ban them from interacting with the US financial system.

Mr Trump also said China was imposing major banking sanctions, too, but there was no immediate confirmation from the North's most important trading partner.

If enforced, the Chinese action Mr Trump described could severely impede the isolated North's ability to raise money for its missile and nuclear development. China, responsible for about 90 per cent of North Korea's trade, serves as the country's conduit to the international banking system.
Donald Trump once joked he would have made Princess Diana take an HIV test before having sex with her.

The US president made the comment during a radio interview just three months after Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris, the Washington Post reported.

The audio from the November 1997 interview between the US president and DJ Howard Stern has been leaked by website Factbase.

In the clip, Mr Trump spoke about the possibility of having sex with the princess, saying he would have nailed her.

Donald Trump made the comments in an interview 20 years ago (Picture: Rex)

He also joked about making her have a HIV test.

In the interview, Mr Stern asks: Why do people think its egotistical of you to say you couldve gotten with Lady Di?

You couldve gotten her, right? You couldve nailed her.

Mr Trump replied: I think I could have.

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Mr Stern then imagined a conversation between Mr Trump and Diana, saying: Hey Lady Di, would you go to the doctor?

Mr Trump then joked: Go back over to my Lexington Avenue doctor. We wanna give you a little check-up.

The two men had previously joked that Mr Trump would make sure women had HIV tests before sleeping with them.

DJ Howard Stern interviewed Mr Trump about Diana (Picture: Rex)

In the same interview, Mr Trump spoke about Diana, commenting on her appearance.

He said: She had times, you know, it was interesting, she had times when she didnt look great, and sometimes you look better than anybody in the world. But she was supermodel.

In another interview with Mr Stern, in 2000, Mr Trump said he would have slept with Diana without even hesitation.

He said: Lady Di was truly a woman with great beauty. She was supermodel beautiful; she had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin, the whole thing.

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Princess Diana died in August 1997 (Picture: PA)

She was crazy, but you know these are minor details.

In 2015, broadcaster Selina Scott claimed Mr Trump was obsessed with the princess and bombarded her with flowers, picturing Diana as the ultimate trophy wife.

In his 1997 book, The Art of the Comeback, Mr Trump wrote: I only have one regret in the women department  that I never had the opportunity to court Lady Diana Spencer.

I met her on a number of occasions. I couldnt help but notice how she moved people. She lit up the room with her charm, her presence. She was a genuine princess  a dream lady.

(Main picture: PA)


Mr Trump said he may have backed the wrong candidate when he campaigned for Mr Strange: AP

Donald Trump has made a final push to avoid a humiliating defeat in the Alabama senate contest, where latest polls suggest the candidate he is backing is trailing by up to 11 points.

As voting centres opened across the state for voters to cast their choice for the Republican candidate for the US senate, Mr Trump posted two early morning tweets, urging people to get behind the man has endorsed, Luther Strange.

Luther Strange has been shooting up in the Alabama polls since my endorsement. Finish the job - vote today for Big Luther, he said.

ALABAMA, get out and vote for Luther Strange - he has proven to me that he will never let you down! #MAGA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

A few hours later, he added: Alabama get out and vote for Luther Strange - he has proven to me that he will never let you down! #MAGA.

Yet Mr Strange faces a very tough task. An aggregate of polls collated by Real Clear Politics suggest he is trailing his opponent, retired judge Roy Moore, by 11 points.

Mr Strange held an eve of election rally in Birmingham in the company of Vice President Mike Pence, who went out of his way to stress the candidates conservative bona fides.

Luther Strange is a real conservative. Hes a leader and a real friend to President Trump. I got to tell you, Big Luther has been making a big difference in Washington, said Mr Pence, according to the Associated Press.

Mr Srange said: Tomorrow, theres a lot on the line. For the Vice President and the President and of the United States to come here on my behalf means more than I can possibly say.

Mr Moore faces a fired-up insurgent challenge from a candidate who has sought to portray him as someone who will become a Washington insider rather than working for the people who elected him. He has received the support of Mr Trumps ousted strategic adviser Steve Bannon, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Chuck Norris, Nigel Farage and Rush Limbaugh, among others.

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At a rally for Mr Moore at a farm outside of Mobile in the south of Alabama, many people who voted for Mr Trump said they were disappointed he was supporting Mr Strange rather than the judge.

Debbie Giles, said she she did not think Mr Strange would stand up for the issues that were important to her - primarily the freedom of religion. I think Mr Trump was wrong this time, she said. He needs to pay attention to the people who elected him.

Mr Bannon has said his support for Mr Moore is the first of what he hopes will be a number of anti-establishment candidates he wants to back during the 2018 midterms in a challenge to Republican leaders such as Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. He said he believed electing Mr Moore, known for his installation of a huge granite statue bearing the 10 Commandments and his opposition to same-sex marriage, would help the President.

We did not come here to defy Donald Trump. We came here to praise and honour him, he said, borrowing the words of Shakespeare.

Judge Roy Moore is a good man. Hes a courageous man. Most importantly, hes a righteous man.

Mr Bannon claimed that a vote for Mr Moore was a vote for Mr Trump (Getty)

Mr Moore claimed Republicans in Washington cared little for the voters of Alabama.

They think youre fools - they have no interest in what you think, he declared. Tomorrow, you have a chance to show what you think of the elite who are running our country.

British right wing political Nigel Farage, who was introduced as Mr Brexit, had flown in at the invitation of Mr Bannon.

I have absolutely no hesitation in putting my support and my backing behind a man like judge Roy Moore, who has shown in his career that he will always put principle before his own career advancement, he said.

Mr Moore took to the stage wearing a cowboy hat and leather vest. He sought to hit back at claims from Mr Stranges campaign that he is somehow soft on gun rights. To do so, he pulled a handgun from his pocket.

I believe in the Second Amendment, said Mr Moore. For whatever reason, God has put me in this election at this time and all of the nation is watching.
Richard Smith, the CEO of Equifax (EFX), has retired as both chief executive and chairman of the board, the company announced Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the credit data company reported that the information of 143 million Americans had been exposed as part of a data breach and the company has remained under fire since.

Smiths departure also follows a September 15 announcement from the company that its chief security and chief technology officers would retire. This news was released late on a Friday evening.

Equifax announced Tuesday that current board member Mark Feidler will serve as executive chairman of the board. The company said it will look for candidates both inside and outside the company to replace Smith.

Shares of the company were down about 2% following the news and had been halted ahead of the release. Following the breach, shares of the company have plummeted and as of Tuesday morning the stock was down about 25% from where it traded before this disclosure.

The company has come under scrutiny since first revealing it had been breached as subsequent reporting showed the company had been aware of a vulnerability in its security systems since at least March 2017. Additionally, Equifax became aware of suspicious network traffic in late July, almost six weeks before the company publicly disclosed the incident.

Equifax shares were halted in pre-market trading on Tuesday.

In early August, three company executives sold stock in the company. The company has said the executives, which included its chief financial officer, had no knowledge of the breach before the sale.

The company has also caught the ire of lawmakers since disclosing the initial breach, with 36 U.S. senators sending a letter to regulators to investigate this sale of stock by executives following the companys knowledge of the breach.

Adding to the companys PR struggles since its initial disclosure have been mishaps related to how the company has sought to aid customers who had their information compromised.

Yahoo Finances Ethan Wolff-Mann noted that the company immediately offered customers a complimentary ID-theft monitoring program called TrustedID. However, many noted that the TrustedID terms of service required users to waive their right to sue or join a class action lawsuit to enroll in the product.

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Gizmodo also reported that the company had been sending customers to a fake phishing website with a URL similar to its official equifaxsecurity.com website set up following the breach.

This post will be updated.



Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @MylesUdland

Read more from Myles here:
By Joseph Ax

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday threw out the conviction of former New York state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that narrowed the conduct that can sustain federal corruption charges.

But the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said federal prosecutors can retry Skelos and his son, Adam Skelos, for bribery and fraud because the evidence presented at trial was "sufficient" to prove their case.

The ruling came two months after the court also vacated the bribery conviction of former New York state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, employing similar reasoning.

Acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan Joon Kim said in a statement that his office would pursue a "prompt retrial where we will have another opportunity to present the overwhelming evidence of Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos' guilt." Prosecutors previously said they would also retry Silver.

Alexandra Shapiro, a lawyer for Skelos, said in an email: "We believe that as events unfold it is going to become clear that this is a case that never should have been brought."

The back-to-back convictions of Silver and Skelos, the state's most powerful legislators, in November and December 2015 represented two of the most high-profile victories for former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who made public corruption a major focus during his tenure before he was fired by U.S. President Trump in March.

Skelos, 69, a Republican, was sentenced to five years in prison in May 2016, while his son Adam was sentenced to 6-1/2 years. Both were free on bail at the time of Tuesday's decision.

Together with Governor Andrew Cuomo, Skelos and Silver were members of the "three men in a room" in the state capital of Albany that hold enormous sway over major legislation.

The U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned the corruption conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, finding that routine acts such as setting up meetings or contacting other politicians did not qualify as "official acts" under federal bribery statutes.

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The 2nd Circuit said on Tuesday that the jury instructions at Skelos' trial, which occurred before the McDonnell decision, were therefore improper, through no fault of the judge or the prosecutors.

The elder Skelos was found guilty of using his position as Senate majority leader to pressure three companies seeking his political support into paying his son, including for a lucrative "no-show" job. In exchange, Skelos pushed through bills to benefit the companies, according to prosecutors.

The case is U.S. v. Skelos et al, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Nos. 16-1618 and 16-1697.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Susan Thomas)
A group of modern frogs whose comically rotund bodies and giant mouths earned them the nickname "Pac-Man" frogs is attracting attention  not for the size of their maws, but for the power of their bite. And their extinct relative, known as a "devil frog," may have packed even more of a mouthy wallop, researchers reported in a new study.

Recently, researchers conducted the first measurements of bite strength in frogs. Initially, the scientists calculated the bite force in small "Pac-Man" frogs, also known as South American horned frogs. Then, the researchers scaled up their findings to determine bite force in an extinct relative, a giant, armored amphibian known as Beelzebufo ampinga, or "devil frog," that lived about 65 million to 70 million years ago.

The scientists' findings showed that the extinct devil frog would have had a vise-like mouth grip even more powerful than that found in living horned frogs. Combined with its enormous size, Beelzebufo's bite strength could have allowed the animal to prey even on juvenile dinosaurs, the scientists reported in a new study. [Eye-Swallowing and Mouth Birth: Freaky Facts About Frogs]

Most frogs have relatively weak jaws and feed on small prey that they subdue primarily with their sticky tongues, the study authors wrote. But roly-poly South American horned frogs in the genus Ceratophrys have an exceptionally powerful bite that allows them to snatch and hold prey almost as big as the frogs themselves. The researchers questioned how strong that bite would have been in similarly big-headed frogs that lived millions of years ago.

The scientists began by looking at Cranwell's horned frogs, testing the bite force of eight frogs measuring between 1.6 and 3.8 inches (4.0 and 9.6 centimeters) in length, with heads that were 0.6 to 1.3 inches (1.5 to 3.2 cm) long and 0.9 to 1.8 inches (2.2 to 4.6 cm) wide. Researchers had the frogs clamp their mouths on a force transducer  a device for measuring bite force  made of two metal plates padded with leather strips to protect the frogs' jaws.

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A Cranwell's horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli) chomps down on a device that measures bite force. K. Lappin et al.

Once the researchers knew the frogs' bite force, they could scale that measurement up by adjusting parameters such as the frog's head and body size and estimating the accompanying changes in muscle size, the study said. Next to the small "Pac-Man" frogs, the extinct devil frog was gargantuan, with a body measuring about 16 inches (41 cm) long and a head reaching about 6 inches (15 cm) in width.

The study's calculations predicted that at that size, the devil frog's bite would have been as powerful as that of a wolf or of an adult female lion or tiger. That certainly would make Beelzebufo capable of taking down small crocodiles or dinosaurs that shared its habitat  especially if its hunting habits were similar to the aggressive and tenacious chomp of the "Pac-Man" frogs, the researchers explained.

"Horned frogs have quite an impressive bite, and they tend not to let go," the study's lead author, A. Kristopher Lappin, a professor of biological sciences at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, said in a statement.

Lappin noted that he spoke "from experience," though he did not provide details as to what exactly that experience was.

By comparison, the bite of the much larger  and possibly dinosaur-consuming  devil frog would have been "remarkable," Lappin said in the statement. "Definitely not something I would want to experience firsthand."

The findings were published online yesterday (Sept. 20) in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports.

Original article on Live Science.

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Sydney (AFP) - A first group of refugees left Australia's remote Pacific detention camps for the United States Tuesday to be resettled under a deal that angered President Donald Trump.

Twenty-four asylum-seekers held on Manus Island off mainland Papua New Guinea flew to Manila en route to an undisclosed American location, the US embassy in Port Moresby told AFP.

"They're the first group that have been approved, that have gone through the extreme vetting process and have met all the requirements for resettlement," said the embassy's public affairs officer Beverly Thacker.

About another 30 refugees held on Nauru in the Pacific will head to the US "in the coming days", she added.

Canberra sends asylum-seekers who try to enter the country by boat to processing facilities on Nauru and Manus Island, with those found to be refugees barred from resettling in Australia.

Conditions in the camps have been widely condemned by rights groups and medical professionals.

Thacker did not provide the nationality of the those being transferred and it is not clear how many of those still remaining will qualify for US resettlement.

"We expect that other refugees will be resettled in the coming months. They will all proceed with different time frames, depending on how fast they will get through the process," she said.

Nearly 800 men are held on Manus, and 371 men, women and children are detained on Nauru, according to Australian immigration data as of July 31.

The government has tried with little success to relocate the detainees to third countries like Cambodia, or settle them elsewhere in PNG.

When former president Barack Obama was in office, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made a pact with him to accept an unspecified number of the refugees.

Trump blasted it as a "dumb deal" after assuming the presidency, before begrudgingly agreeing to honour it.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said the refugees were departing with mixed emotions.

"It is with some optimism that they are leaving, but they are very concerned that they could get no answers from the US officials when other people -- their friends -- would be able to leave Nauru or Manus island," he told AFP.

"There are indications that there will be further uplifts of people to the US but it is very unclear when that will be."
Brussels (AFP) - The EU unveiled plans Tuesday to crack down on food makers selling poor quality versions of products including Coca-Cola, Nutella and fish fingers in different parts of the bloc, particularly in eastern Europe.

Eastern member countries have complained bitterly of "food apartheid" or being treated as "Europe's garbage can" by manufacturers who use the same label for everyday goods that are of far lower standards than in the west.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm and watchdog, will give member states one million euros to help improve tests for comparing products to detect differences in quality.

"These products are presented in exactly the same packaging but for instance the coffee contains less caffeine and more sugar, fish fingers contain less meat in one country than another," EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Vera Jourova told a news conference.

"So when I say I take this issue very seriously I mean it," she added.

The plans also include making sure EU states are fully aware of the way to enforce the bloc's food rules.

The steps unveiled on Tuesday came after European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a keynote speech earlier this month that "there can be no second class consumers" in the EU.

"Slovaks do not deserve less fish in their fish fingers. Hungarians less meat in their meals. Czechs less cacao in their chocolate. EU law outlaws such practices already," Juncker said.

Jourova held back from "naming and shaming" the products but said she was waiting for evidence of cheating.

Asked which EU country had the worst fish fingers, she added: "There was an alarmingly low percentage of meat in my country, the Czech Republic, but it can be the case also in some others."

In February Hungary's food safety authority said many food products sold with identical packaging were superior in neighbouring Austria.

Among a list of discrepancies, the agency said the version of Nutella, the children's favourite chocolate-and-hazelnut spread from Ferrero, appeared to be "less creamy" than the Austrian version.

The aroma of Coca-Cola was seemingly "less rich, less complex" in Hungary, the agency said, while the flavour of Nestle's Nesquik cocoa powder was "more harmonious and intense" in Austria.
A Florida woman who wanted a smoothie ended up getting an insult thrown in for free.

Cassandra Peoples went to the Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Gainesville on Wednesday and ordered her usual  a $5.49 Detox Island.

Peoples, 47, said the cashier made a point of asking her name, so she was shocked when she saw the receipt.

Instead of Cassandra, the employee had identified Peoples as black chick, according to local station WGFL.

When I saw black chick where the name was supposed to be, Im like, I know I told them Cassandra, Peoples told the station. Ive never experienced anything disrespectful like that before. I wouldnt want to say its racist, its just disrespectful.

(Photo: WGFL TV)

Peoples didnt notice the rude receipt until after she had left the store. She told The Independent Florida Alligator, the University of Florida student newspaper, that the employee who made the smoothie was rude when Peoples complained she was making the drink wrong.

Peoples reached out to Tropical Smoothie Cafes corporate headquarters in Atlanta to complain, but reached a voice mailbox.

Her friend posted a photo of the racially tinged receipt on a Gainesville-themed Facebook page, sparking outrage and hundreds of posts before it was removed, according to the Alligator.

Julie Bartz, the general manager of the Tropical Smoothie Cafe, later posted that the employee responsible had been fired.

HuffPost attempted to reach Bartz and the companys corporate headquarters, but neither immediately responded.

Company spokeswoman Andie Beiderman released this statement to the Alligator:

This type of conduct clearly does not reflect the values of our brand or our commitment to creating a welcoming environment at each and every location. We apologize to all of our loyal guests.

But Peoples said shes not looking for an apology.

I mean I want some answers, she told WGFL.

And she wants people to call her by her name: Cassandra. My birth name. Not a black chick.

You can see the complete WGFL video below:

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America does not do a good job of tracking incidents of hate and bias. We need your help to create a database of such incidents across the country, so we all know whats going on. Tell us your story.

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Pizza With A Side Of Racism

A Papa John's customer snapped a photo of her receipt, which contained an offensive racial slur in place of the customer's name.

'Best Butt' Discount

One woman was surprised to find that along with her veggie bowl, she received a discount for having the 'best butt' and being the 'best looking' person in the fast food joint.

Dry Cleaner Gaffe

A customer got quite a surprise when he picked up his freshly-laundered shirts. The anonymous consumer, dubbed 'Asshole, Alex' apparently had the cleaning bill comped.

Profanity-Laden Receipt

Two Burger King employees were fired after a customer noticed that his receipt read 'F*ck You' where it would normally say 'Thank You'.

Bruins Celebrate In Style

After the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup, they partied... hard. The team apparently rang up a $156,000 bar tab at a nightclub in the Foxwoods Casino, according to the Boston Globe.

Restaurant Settles Suit Over Racial Slurs

A California steak house settled a lawsuit with a customer that claimed his credit receipts contained several racial slurs where his name should have been.

Radio Shack Refund Gets Ugly

A Maryland woman got a little something extra along with her refund when she discovered that an associate deemed her an 'ugly itch' from 'ghettohood, USA'.

Chick-Fil-A In Hot Water

Chick-Fil-A garnered national attention after a customer snapped a photo of two receipts that had labeled Asian-American customers as 'Ching' and 'Chong'.

Walmart Customers Find Jesus

A couple claimed their Walmart receipt contained the face of the Son of God.

Now THAT'S An Account Balance

An ATM customer found this surprising receipt still in the machine. The receipt, which shows a whopping balance of nearly $100 million, supposedly belonged to hedge fund manager David Tepper.

Server Has Choice Words For Kids

A server at a Chichos Pizza restaurant labeled his customers as 'high as shit kids'. Fortunately, the customers had a sense of humor and posted the receipt to Reddit to much fanfare.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Guatemala City (AFP) - A fugitive former Guatemalan ambassador to the United States, Julio Ligorria, was arrested in Spain on Tuesday in connection with a probe into illegal campaign financing, officials said.

Ligorria is suspected of arranging $2 million in payments from Telgua, a Guatemalan telecoms company that is a subsidiary of America Movil, a group controlled by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, to fund the 2011 presidential campaign of former Guatemalan president Otto Perez.

Perez is currently in jail pending possible trial over alleged graft while in office. He was ousted in 2015 after the case against him was made by a UN-backed anti-corruption commission in Guatemala, triggering mass protests.

Guatemala's foreign ministry said Ligorria was arrested in Madrid and was at the "disposition" of a judge who could order his extradition.

Ligorria, who was ambassador to the US between 2013 and 2015, had fled Guatemala in July.

Spanish police said that, based on information provided by Guatemala, they discovered that Ligorria was living in the well-heeled Madrid suburb of Boadilla del Monte.

Officers arrested him at around noon in the upscale Madrid neighbourhood of Salamanca, they said in a statement.

The case against Ligorria is tied to one targeting Alejandro Sinibaldi, who was minister for communications, infrastructure and housing under Perez.

Sinibaldi, who is also a fugitive, is suspected of creating five companies in Nicaragua to launder more than $10 million in bribes received from companies seeking contracts awarded under his portfolio.

The ex-minister is also wanted on charges of alleged involvement in the purchase of a helicopter given to Perez as a gift, and allegedly taking part in a kickbacks scheme with Odebrecht, a Brazilian company accused of bribing officials across Latin America to win lucrative construction tenders.
Celia Hollingworth

A British woman who was mauled to death and partly eaten by a pack of stray dogs while on holiday in Greece has been named as Celia Hollingworth.

The 63-year-old retired academic was attacked by the pack of animals in northern Greece, close to the border with Turkey, as she walked back to her guesthouse, according to Athenian authorities.

She is understood to have phoned her family as she lay dying of her injuries.

Her family then contacted local authorities who began a search of the mountainous area.

Her body was discovered on Saturday, two days after she went missing.

A senior police officer involved in the investigation told The Times: It was a tragic sight. Her body was found shredded to pieces, some of it devoured.

Even experienced forensics crews were shocked when they faced the harrowing sight.

Ms Hollingworth was staying in the small town of Maroneia, and had hiked to a nearby archaeological site, Mesimvria.

The Mesimvria archaeological site (E-evros)

Neighbours at her home in Bradford in Avon, Wiltshire, said the kind and friendly woman was active in her community.

Andrew Otto, 54, said: Celia was always very friendly. Ive only lived here for a year but when we moved in she offered to store boxes for us.

She told she was going to Greece about five weeks ago. That was the last we heard from her.

She didnt give a lot away about herself but she was always active in the community and would often go round with petitions.

Human rights campaigner Ms Hollingworth was an active member of community groups in Bradford-on-Avon and Bath.

She was a long-standing member of the Bristol Greece Solidarity campaign, supporting those struggling with austerity following the European financial crisis.
Former President Barack Obama described the moment he became overwhelmed with emotion sending his eldest daughter off to college while speaking at an event for the Beau Biden Foundation on Monday.

The former first family was seen moving Malia, 19, into her Harvard dorm room on August 21 to begin her first year of college, following her 2016 gap year after graduating high school.

Malia Obama through the years:

SEE ALSO: Obama family moves Malia into Harvard dorm

But, as many parents can attest, no amount of time can prepare you for the emotional moment that is parting ways with your child as they take their first real step towards independence -- and Barack Obama proved to be no exception to this rule.

"For those of us who have daughters, it just happens fast," Obama recounted during the event. "I dropped off Malia at college, and I was saying to Joe and Jill (Biden) that it was a little bit like open-heart surgery."

"I was proud that I did not cry in front of her," the father of two admitted. "But on the way back, the Secret Service was off looking straight ahead, pretending they weren't hearing me as I sniffled and blew my nose. It was rough."

Obama continued, saying that the emotional moment served as a "reminder that, at the end of our lives, whatever else we've accomplished, the things that we'll remember are the joys that our children, and hopefully way later, our grandchildren, bring us."

The former first daughter has attracted a lot of attention since she arrived at the Ivy League school.

On August 27, just days after she moved into her new dorm room, the freshman made headlines after she snapped at a woman trying to take a photo of her outside a Harvard Square eatery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

RELATED: See the Obama children throughout the years:
The five living former United States presidents have expanded their charity efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria to benefit those in Puerto Rico. One America Appeal, an effort launched by the former presidents, was originally intended to aid victims of Hurricane Harvey. Now, the appeal will also aim to help Marias victims in places like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

In the Caribbean, donations will be distributed to Unidos Por Puerto Rico, launched by the office of First Lady Beatriz Rossello, together with private sector coalition, and the Fund for the Virgin Islands, which was established 25 years ago by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands for relief efforts, One America Appeal said on its website.

Donations of $25, $50, $100, $250, $300 or a custom amount can be made through the website. One America Appeal allows those who donate to help victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria or to choose a specific recovery effort to donate to.

As former presidents, we wanted to help our fellow Americans begin to recover, Barack Obama said in a video about the effort.

President Donald Trump tweeted his support for One America Appeal earlier in the month.

We will confront ANY challenge, no matter how strong the winds or high the water, the president wrote. Im proud to stand with Presidents for #OneAmericaAppeal.

Puerto Rico, left devastated by Hurricane Maria, is in dire need of aid. The storm could cost the island up to $72 billion, Forbes reported, citing AIR Worldwide.

Gov. Ricardo Rosello called the situation a humanitarian crisis. Many residents on the island have said aid has been far too slow in coming to the region. Rosello urged Congress to approve an aid package that would help Puerto Rico rebuild in the aftermath of the storm.

We need something tangible, a bill that actually answers to our need right now, said Rossello. Otherwise, there will be a massive exodus to the [mainland] United States.

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The Trump administration, however, has pushed back against allegations that aid hasnt been fast enough. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said on Twitter it had deployed more than 10,000 federal employees to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to help with recovery. Brock Long, FEMAs administrator, and Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert were both headed to Puerto Rico, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The federal response has been anything but slow, said Sanders. Theres been an unprecedented push through of billions of dollars in federal assistance.

One America Appeal

Photo: One America Appeal

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By David Beasley

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Georgia is scheduled on Tuesday to execute a man for the 1990 shotgun murder of his sister-in-law, as lawyers for the inmate argue the lethal injection should be halted because his conviction was tainted by a juror with racist views.

Keith Tharpe, 59, who is black, is due to be executed at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center in Jackson for murdering Jackie Freeman, the sister of his wife, Migrisus Tharpe.

The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles on Monday denied a request to stop the execution after lawyers for Tharpe said a white juror in the case possessed profoundly racist views and repeatedly used racial slurs during deliberations to describe Tharpe.

His lawyers also have filed a last-ditch motion with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt the execution due to what they argued was racial bias on the part of the juror.

After studying the Bible, I have wondered if black people even have souls, the juror told Tharpes lawyers in an affidavit a few years after the trial, according to Tharpes appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court filed on Saturday.

Two of the 12 members of the jury that convicted him in 1991 were black, according to court records. The jury voted unanimously to sentence Tharpe to death.

In the parole board petition requesting commutation of Tharpes sentence to life without parole, his lawyers said he was a crack cocaine addict with limited intellectual abilities, who now shows remorse for the killing.

Tharpe was convicted of killing Freeman when he encountered her with his wife as they drove to work. He blocked their car, took out a shotgun and repeatedly shot Freeman, court records showed.

Tharpe then drove with his wife to nearby Macon where he planned to force her to withdraw money from her bank. Inside the bank, she called police, the records showed.

If the execution is carried out, Tharpe would be the 19th person put to death in the United States this year and the second person in Georgia, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, which monitors U.S. capital punishment.

(Reporting by David Beasley; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Peter Cooney)
With incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkels win in Sundays federal elections  her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance took approximately 32 percent of the vote  Germany appears to have resisted the siren song of the far right and far left and opted to stick with a known quantity. Whatever opinion one holds on the specifics of Merkels policies, it is reassuring that in a time of upheaval and attempts at Russian subversion, Germans have bet on a leader who has been perhaps the most stalwart defender of Europes postwar  and post-communist  democratic project.

On the surface, the performance of the radical, right-wing Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) reads like the story of the weekend. The party took 13.2 percent of the vote and will be in the parliament  the first time since World War II that this has happened  as the third-strongest party. Additionally, the radical left-wing Die Linke delivered almost the same result as in 2013.

These developments should by no means be understated. But despite the general mood of political upheaval, neither of these political forces ever had any hope of challenging for the lead in this crucial ballot. Moreover, the establishment Free Democrats and Greens both made gains in this election  gains that might propel them both into a much-discussed Jamaica coalition with Merkel as chancellor.

In other countries in Europe this year the results were far more radical. Austria, the Netherlands, and France all had worryingly close calls in their flirtation with far-right parties. In December 2016, Austrias Freedom Party fell only seven percentage points short of winning the second-round elections for the presidency after driving the mainline center-left and center-right parties into fourth and fifth place, respectively, in the first round.

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders Party for Freedom appeared poised to win a majority of seats in the Dutch Second Chamber and finished second in the end. And in France, Marine Le Pen and her National Front placed a close second in the first round of the presidential elections, while the mainline center-left was destroyed and voters of the main center-right party were torn apart by corruption allegations and the influence of Russian meddling.

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Yet in Germany  this years jewel in the crown of European elections  yesterdays vote demonstrated that the countrys democracy is robust and resilient, and coping relatively well with regional and international challenges. Certainly, there was a significant protest vote out there  with large numbers of previous non-voters and other disaffected turning out for the AfD  but Merkels CDU/CSU actually took almost the very same percentage as eight years ago.

Lets focus for a moment on what did not happen in this election. In contrast to France, Russian interference never seemed to take off with the German electorate. This is remarkable in light of the fact that it was the infamous Lisa Case in Berlin in January 2016 that first brought the seriousness of Moscows disinformation machine to the worlds attention.

The case involved a young Russian-German girl who claimed to have been raped by a group of Arab migrants, but quickly retracted the story. Despite the facts of the case, the Russian media and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presented the story as an example of Merkels failure to protect her own people from a dangerous migrant population  a clever method of stoking tensions over a divisive issue in order to undermine the German government. Its no coincidence that Merkel was the leading European proponent of imposing sanctions on Russia in response to the illegal invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory.

After the Lisa Case, Merkel, her government, her intelligence agencies, and her party spent the next 18 months working to vaccinate the German electorate against further Russian interventions. Merkel spoke publicly about the fact that Moscow would attempt to influence the election. And Germanys intelligence services further explained the problem for the public, noting the 2015 hack of the Bundestags computer systems.

This demonstrated that disinformation campaigns are much less likely to have an impact when the public knows they might be coming. According to a new poll conducted by the International Republican Institute in August, nearly half the population said they believed that Russia was somehow interfering in the election. However, the same survey shows that 61 percent were confident that German democracy was strong enough to resist those efforts, and it should be considered more of a nuisance than a threat.

It also helped that Germanys media landscape is stable and trusted. According to the same poll, a majority of Germans believe that state-supported news broadcasters are generally fair and unbiased. Unlike their counterparts in other European countries, very few Germans go looking on the darker parts of the web for alternative sources of information.

This contrasts with previous International Republican Institute polls focused on identifying vulnerabilities to disinformation in Europe, which recorded worrying vulnerabilities in countries like Slovakia and Hungary. There, large blocks of the population receive the bulk of their news from alternative outlets or rely on friends and family  creating the kinds of echo chambers in which Russias fake news campaigns thrive.

So the question remains  why has Germany proven so resilient as a democracy?

For all its flaws and challenges, contemporary German democracy is in many ways a tremendous return on the investment the United States made with the Marshall Plan, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. Working with West German partners, the United States helped lay the groundwork for a country that had been devastated by Nazism to build a strong constitution, parliament, free media, independent judiciary, and multiparty system. After the collapse of communism in East Germany, the United States stood with Chancellor Helmut Kohl to implement the vision of a Europe whole and free, expanding democracy to former captive nations of the Soviet empire and ushering in a new era of European prosperity.

Of course, this project could not have succeeded without the commitment of the German people themselves, who spent seven decades rebuilding their country from the ground up. Party foundations like the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Hanns Seidel Foundation have been instrumental in that process, and today use their own experience to help transitioning democracies navigate the perils and opportunities of democratization. There was a day when the Greens were a revolutionary party  hardly the case today, as the partys affiliated Heinrich Boll Foundation works alongside all its counterparts in the establishment.

Germanys election shows that hard work and investment in democratic institutions  combined with strong, levelheaded political leadership  pays off, and is a key source of inoculation against hostile disinformation and foreign meddling. It may not sell many television commercials or generate much clickbait, but at least in this case Germanys election shows a democracy thats able to take a few hits, but is built to last.

Photo credit: SEAN GALLUP/Getty Images
By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - Weakened by the worst result for her party since 1949 and facing a more fractious political landscape at home, Germany's Angela Merkel could be forced to rein in plans to re-shape Europe together with France's Emmanuel Macron. Merkel's conservatives garnered more support than any other party in the German election on Sunday, projections showed, ensuring that she will return for a fourth term as chancellor. But her party appeared on track for its poorest performance since the first German election after World War Two and its only path to power may be through an unwieldy, untested three-way coalition with the ecologist Greens and liberal Free Democrats (FDP), fierce critics of Macron's ideas for Europe. Over the next four years, Merkel will also have to cope with a more confrontational opposition force in the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a eurosceptic, anti-immigration party that rode a wave of public anger after her decision to open Germany's borders to hundreds of thousands of migrants in 2015. The AfD was on track to win over 13 percent, above what polls had predicted. They will become the first far-right party to enter the German parliament since the 1950s. This will be a new world for Merkel, who has grown accustomed to cozy coalitions and toothless Bundestag opposition during her 12 years in power. "In my mind, reform of the euro zone is the single most important foreign policy issue that the new government has in front of it," said Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, who runs the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund. But he predicted a so-called "Jamaica" coalition between Merkel's conservatives, the FDP and the Greens - whose combined party colors of black, yellow and green are like those the Jamaican national flag - would struggle to deliver. Whereas the Greens said on Sunday night that a "stronger Europe" was a priority for the party, the FDP is averse to further steps to integrate policies at European level. "It would be the party of no, the party of yes and an incrementalist chancellor. Those are not ideal conditions for a Franco-German grand bargain," he said. TUESDAY SPEECH Macron ran for the French presidency on a pledge to "relaunch" Europe, in tandem with Germany, after years of economic and financial crisis and the new shock dealt by Britain's vote last year to leave the bloc. He is due to flesh out his ideas in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris on Tuesday. Macron has called for a finance minister and budget for the single currency bloc, ideas that Merkel has tentatively supported even though scepticism in her own party runs high. But with the FDP as a partner and the AfD pushing back loudly in parliament, the prospect of selling deeper European integration to her new coalition and the wider public looks far more challenging. In its election program, the FDP called for a phasing out of Europe's ESM bailout fund and changes to EU treaties that would allow countries to leave the euro zone. Its young leader Christian Lindner openly called for Greece to return to the drachma during the campaign. "On Europe, the FDP is not so far from the AfD on some issues. If all of their ideas were implemented we would be plunged back into a euro zone crisis," Franziska Brantner, a Greens lawmaker, told Reuters. The FDP would not be the only difficult ally in Merkel's coalition. The AfD's strong performance could push her Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) -- already a thorn in her side during the refugee crisis -- further to the right ahead of an election next year in its home state. Winning back voters who fled to the AfD could become one of the main priorities for Merkel's conservative bloc over the coming four years. That would mean tougher stances on migration and on Europe. NO URGENCY Even before the election, officials close to Merkel were playing down the urgency of a reform of the euro zone, describing efforts to secure Europe's borders and agree a fair distribution of refugees across the bloc as higher priorities. "A second refugee crisis would be more devastating to Europe than a second euro zone crisis," a senior German official told Reuters last month. These officials point to the strengthening of the European economy and suggest that Macron was elected despite rather than because of his grand plans for the euro zone. A Bertelsmann Foundation survey last year showed just 41 percent of French believe Europe needs more political and economic integration, 10 points below the EU average. The survey also showed that Germans and French are the most skeptical toward Macron's ideas for a European finance minister and dedicated euro zone budget. Only 31 percent of French and 39 percent of Germans thought a euro zone budget should be used to support economically weaker states, as Macron suggests. (Reporting by Noah Barkin; editing by Mark John)
Two days after Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term in power, Germany is still contemplating the results of a national election that has left the country with a dramatically altered political landscape.

Merkels CDU is headed for difficult coalition talks, the once-powerful center-left suffered big losses and the far-right has made unsettling gains after having been isolated on the political fringe for decades.

But among the most striking elements revealed in Sundays vote is a stark divide between the countrys east and west. Strong support in the east for the anti-immigrant, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, highlights the clear divisions in how different regions and social demographics see the challenges of the future.

The far-right rises in the east

The AfD managed to appeal to a spectrum of voters across social demographics, winning just under 13 percent of the vote on Sunday. But the partys greatest gains came in what was formerly communist East Germany  where in some regions over a third of voters backed the party.

The AfD averaged around 22 percent of the total vote in Germanys east, more than double the 11 percent it scored in the west. Among men, a major support base for the party, the gap was even wider: Around 26 percent of eastern male voters gave their support to the far-right.

migrant share vs far right vote share germany: pic.twitter.com/fL8zMUQjhd  Maximilian Kasy (@maxkasy) September 25, 2017

Much of the AfDs campaign relied on anti-immigrant rhetoric and attacks on Merkels decision to allow over a million asylum-seekers into Germany at the peak of Europes refugee crisis in 2015. But the areas that seemingly had the largest influx of immigrants were not where the AfD did best.

Just like the United Kingdoms Brexit referendum and Frances national election earlier this year, the AfD saw most support in areas where immigration is actually quite low.

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Often times its the most diverse areas that are least likely to vote for these parties, and you can see that in the United States. The coastal regions are far more diverse than many regions inside of our country, and yet theyre the most liberal, Sheri Berman, a professor of politics at Barnard College, told HuffPost.

Political scientists have put forward a number of different theories for why this discrepancy exists, Berman says. One prominent explanation is that the number of immigrants in a region isnt as important for pushing voters to the right as how fast demographics there change, and whether that region has a history of integrating new types of citizens.

From that perspective, the fact that east Germany has a less diverse population, fewer immigrants, fewer refugees than much of the west does is less relevant than that things have changed more there, Berman said.

Anti-immigration AfD party top candidates Alice Weidel and Alexander Gauland make a statement after their first parliamentary meeting in Berlin on Tuesday. (Photo: Fabrizio Bensch / Reuters)

The AfD capitalized on pre-existing divides

Although the rise of the AfD marked a rightward shift for Germany, voting divisions had existed since the countrys reunification in 1990. The east had long been a stronghold for The Left party, which opposed the status quo represented by Germanys two largest parties  the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democrats.

But there had been signs long before Sundays vote that eastern Germany had been shifting further to the right. Merkels campaign stops in the east were often harangued by AfD protesters, who chanted and tried to shout down the chancellors speeches. In state elections last year, the AfD made big gains in regions to the east, like Saxony-Anhalt.

Anti-immigrant, anti-Islam movement PEGIDA, which embraces openly hateful rhetoric, also has its largest base of support in the east, especially around Dresden, where the group was formed in 2014. Despite attempts from some AfD officials to downplay any direct links with PEGIDA, the two share many ideological similarities, and hundreds of party members rallied together with the radical group in the week before the election.

The AfD ultimately picked up hundreds of thousands of supporters from The Left party, which lost over 6 percent of its vote share in eastern Germany compared to the last election.

A new party of protest

Analysts see the shift as indicative that the AfD has taken over as the party of protest for disaffected Germans, many of whom reside in eastern regions that have lagged behind the rest of country economically.

The context of the east still remains somewhat different from the west. Its still more economically depressed. Theres been more out-migration, so a lot of communities there have been somewhat hollowed, Berman said.

Out of Germanys 30 largest companies, for instance, none were based in the east of the country as of 2015.

On Monday in the cities of Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg, more than a thousand people protested in the streets against the AfD. (Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Experts also explain the increased popularity of more radical parties in east Germany as a symptom of its history, which has produced different norms regarding nationalism and extremism than in western Germany.

West Germany over the last few decades has made almost an industry of what Germans call Vergangenheitsbewaltigung, which is sort of overcoming or dealing with the past, Berman said.

In the east, however, analysts say there was a less pronounced culture of atonement for Nazism. As a result, they contend that German far-right parties have had an easier time finding support in the east, where there is a less entrenched aversion to radical political movements.

The east was all about the memory of the time under communism, so they had a different emotional take on these extreme nationalist parties, said Mabel Berezin, a professor of sociology at Cornell University.

But while the AfD saw far greater support in eastern states, its appeal is hardly contained there. The partys more than 10 percent vote share in the west is an indication that its anti-immigrant, nationalist message also has supporters who are in more affluent parts of the country with stronger taboos against the far-right. The AfDs success instead speaks to a wider shift in what the country finds publicly acceptable.

What [the AfD] is saying is that its OK to think these things now and its OK to vote for these kinds of parties, Berezin says.

It really signifies a departure from the kinds of political and cultural and moral norms that had governed German political culture.

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Google is reportedly separating its price-comparison shopping service into a standalone unit after getting fined for a record-setting $2.8 billion by the EU after a legal battle over antitrust practices. The internet titan appealed the decision, but will comply with the EU court's order to allow competing shopping services access to the page-topping ad slots at the top of search results, sources told Bloomberg.

The EU's seven-year investigation found that users searching for products on Google Shopping were shown the company's own links over competitors' in the coveted ad slots at the top of the page, despite Google's being less relevant. The internet titan has until tomorrow, September 28th, to comply with the court's order to allow other companies to bid on those ad slots on an even playing field, without Google subsidizing its own bids with its ad money. Separating Google Shopping into a standalone unit will illustrate that.

Google is expected to announce its full plans for its Shopping entity tomorrow to make the deadline; If it fails to comply, the EU court could fine Google up to five percent of its daily revenue. But the company will continue appealing the court's decision.

Update: This post has been updated to clarify that Google is making its shopping service a standalone business unit, not spinning if off into a new company.
Comedian Hasan Minhaj took aim at President Donald Trump at GQ Indias Men of the Year Awards, proving once again that he can throw some serious shade while looking classy AF.

Minhaj was in Mumbai on Friday to accept the publications International Man of the Year award. On stage, he spoke about how his identity as an Indian American has uniquely prepared him to be a correspondent on the Daily Show in the age of Trump.

One of the things were struggling with right now with our president is, how do you negotiate with him? Democrats want to resist him, Republicans try to coax him, Minhaj said, in an acceptance speech uploaded to GQ Indias Facebook page.

Minhaj then talked about how hes had experience dealing with another class of individuals we Indians know all too well. People who are sometimes strict, self-important, and can get too big for their britches  the stereotypical Indian uncle.

Donald Trump is not a 71-year-old white man. He is an Indian uncle, Minhaj said.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj is a "Daily Show" correspondent and a stand-up comic. (Photo: FilmMagic via Getty Images)

He wears suits that dont fit, he cant speak English properly. He works with his idiotic sons, he hates women but loves his daughter, Minhaj joked. He makes up words when he gets angry. He is an Indian uncle.

Minhaj then offered some pointers on how to deal with men like that  nod, agree, and then go negotiate with the real power of the house, the Indian aunty.

The comedian said that in this case, that means General John Kelly, Trumps chief of staff, who was hired to bring order to the presidents chaotic White House.

Every single press conference, General Kelly is shaking his head the same way every Indian aunty shakes her head at every Indian uncle, Minhaj said.

Watch Hasan Minhajs acceptance speech above.

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Hundreds of people were stranded in Puerto Ricos largest airport on Monday as the U.S. territory continued to grapple with power outages, water shortages and other devastating effects in the aftermath of last weeks Hurricane Maria.

Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, which normally operates nearly 200 commercial flights a day, sustained significant damage, including to its air traffic control systems. The airport closed for several days in the immediate wake of the storm, largely due to flooding in the terminal and debris on the runway.

Some daytime commercial flights were allowed to resume over the weekend, but the vast majority of flights remained halted. According to FlightAware, 89 departures and 97 arrivals were canceled Monday alone, stranding travelers hoping to secure a spot on one of the few flights still scheduled to take off.

Travelers stand in line at Luis Muoz Marn International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Monday. (Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The situation for those travelers appeared increasingly dire. Theres still no electricity on the island, forcing the airport to use a backup generator to power essential services  but not air conditioning, creating extremely uncomfortable conditions inside the building as temperatures topped 90 degrees on Monday. ATMs were out of service, meaning travelers couldnt access cash to purchase food, The Washington Post reported. And according to CBS News David Begnaud, travelers werent given any food or water. (Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello later said hed ordered for snacks and water to be delivered to those waiting at the airport.) Some slept in the airport multiple nights so as not to miss an available spot on an outgoing flight.

"It's inhumane" what's happening at the airport in San Juan, a nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas told me - they need food, water and fans. pic.twitter.com/Fcm3QBiMVB  David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 25, 2017

Airport officials didnt immediately return a request for comment on when operations will resume or if there are plans to improve the conditions for travelers. But on Saturday, they urged travelers to avoid the airport unless their flight remained scheduled.

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Computer systems remained down on Monday, slowing down bookings and other routine processes. Airline personnel adopted stopgap measures to continue operations, such as giving travelers handwritten boarding passes.

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Airport employees working with battery-operated lanterns like for camping. Boarding passes are filled out by hand if you're lucky to get one  Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei) September 24, 2017

Many (most?) people aren't getting them. No computer system makes it difficult for airlines to vet passengers and confirm their tickets  Patricia Mazzei (@PatriciaMazzei) September 24, 2017

As Puerto Rico faces a long road ahead  repair work will take months and cost tens of billions of dollars, according to some estimates  its unclear when airlines will be able to resume normal operations.

Southwest has suspended all flights in and out of San Juan indefinitely, citing the airports poor conditions.

American Airlines, meanwhile, operated a relief flight carrying supplies to San Juan on Monday morning, and returned to Miami with over 300 passengers. A second relief flight is scheduled to depart Miami for San Juan on Tuesday morning.

Delta Airlines also operated a relief flight Saturday, bringing supplies, generators and personnel to the island. The company said it is planning additional flights on larger aircraft to accommodate more travels. The airline also said it plans to bring food and amenity kits for travelers and airline employees stuck at the airport, and is instituting fare caps from the island to the continental U.S.

JetBlue scheduled nine relief flights Monday and Tuesday, and instituted caps on fares to and from the island.

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Maria Lopez cries while walking from her house that was flooded after the passage of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Loiza, PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 22: Aerial photo of the floadings in the costal town of Loiza, in the north shore of Puerto RicoHurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

HAYALES DE COAMO, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 24: Karlian Mercado, 7, rests on the rubble that remains of her family's home after it was blown away by Hurricane Maria as it passed through the area on September 24, 2017 in Hayales de Coamo, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico experienced widespread damage after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Irma Torres poses for a picture at her damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Local residents react while they look at the water flowing over the road at the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A man looks at damages on his flooded house, close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A man sits in a wheelchair next to washing machines at a shelter after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

LOIZA, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: A resident wades through flood water days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in Loiza, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

People stay at the roof of a damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 23: A devastated house in Morovis Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: Residents line up for gasoline days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

A car submerged in flood waters is seen close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A resident lay on a cot inside a shelter after being evacuated from a home near the damaged Guajataca Dam after Hurricane Maria in Isabella, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Amid their struggles to recover fromiHurricaneiMaria, some Puerto Rico residents found it befuddling that President Donald Trump fired off a number of Twitter rants about professional athletes on Saturday -- yet made no mention of their dire situation. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images

People stop on a highway near a mobile phone antenna tower to check for mobile phone signal, after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in Dorado, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

A dead horse is seen next to a road after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

An aerial view shows the flooded neighbourhood of Juana Matos in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / Ricardo ARDUENGO (Photo credit should read RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images)

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By Francois Murphy neVIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog's chief urged major powers on Tuesday to clarify a part of their nuclear deal with Iran dealing with technology that could be used to develop an atom bomb, an area Russia said the agency should leave alone. The 2015 pact between six major powers and Iran restricts its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Compliance with those curbs is being verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano has defended the deal as a major step forward while declining to comment specifically on criticism of it by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called the accord - reached by predecessor Barack Obama - "an embarrassment to the United States". But while Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, has infuriated Tehran by saying the IAEA should widen its inspections to include military sites, diplomats say Russia has been trying to restrict the agency's role by arguing it has no authority to police a broadly worded section of the deal. That section bans "activities which could contribute to the development of a nuclear explosive device". It lists examples such as using computer models that simulate a nuclear bomb, or designing multi-point, explosive detonation systems. Unlike many other parts of the deal, the provision, known as Section T, makes no mention of the IAEA or specifics of how it will be verified. Russia says that means the IAEA has no authority over it. Western powers and the agency disagree. "Our tools are limited," Amano told Reuters when asked if his agency had the means to verify Section T. "In other sections, for example, Iran has committed to submit declarations, place their activities under safeguards or ensure access by us. But in Section T I don't see any (such commitment)." Amano said he hoped the parties to the agreement would discuss the issue in the Joint Commission, a forum created by the deal, adding that even a clearer definition of terms such as the technology referred to would be an improvement. "More clarification would be helpful ... Russia has a different view. They believe that it is not the mandate of the IAEA. Others have different views and discussions are ongoing." DIPLOMACY Trump has hinted that he may not recertify the agreement when it comes up for review by a mid-October deadline, in which case the U.S. Congress would have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the accord, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Amano repeated, however, that Iran was implementing its nuclear commitments under the deal. He said complementary access - often consisting of short-notice inspections carried out under the IAEA Additional Protocol, which Iran is implementing under the accord - was going smoothly. "Complementary access in Iran is being undertaken without problem and the number of accesses is quite high," he said. When asked if a successful Iran deal could help encourage a political solution in nuclear-armed North Korea, to which the IAEA has no access, Amano said the two situations were quite different. But he added: "I also do not say that there's no comparison, because in the JCPOA's case, diplomacy worked." (Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Yahoo Lifestyle is going to Paris Fashion Week on a shoestring budget, and were taking you along with us. Every day for a week, well give you tips on how to pack, where to stay, and how to enjoy the French capital without breaking the bank  or forgoing any of the fun. Follow us on Instagram for daily stories. Todays lesson: How to pack.



Perhaps youve only heard about Paris Fashion Week (PFW for short) through movies like The Devil Wears Prada, in which fictional-not-at-all-based-on-a-real-person editor of glossy fashion magazine Miranda Priestly embarks to the French city along with fashion underdog Andy Sachs to view the latest runways and designer collections.

If you didnt know any better, you might guess that everyone who goes to PFW is a multimillionaire adorning herself with $10,000 Saint Laurent crystal boots, put up at luxury hotels where Moet & Chandon spews from faucets.

Shockingly, what you see on Instagram doesnt fully paint the picture. Its true that editors, bloggers, and fashion fanatics travel to New York, London, Milan, and Paris for whats called fashion month, where a week is devoted to showcasing each citys design talent. The cost of those trips (by some estimates, $10,000 for a three-day project alone) used to be furnished by publishers with generous travel allowances. Today the pay-for-play influencer economy offsets the cost to the humble blogger.

Im due by now to introduce myself to you, dear reader. My name is Alexandra, and Im a writer at Yahoo Lifestyle. Ive been tasked with attending Paris Fashion Week on a shoestring budget  thats under $2,000  and seeing just how fabulous I can make it.

That means redeye flights in place of first class, the Paris Metro over black cars, and a stay at a modest apartment, not the Shangri-La. My trip might not garner the AWOK stamp of approval, but it will be real.

Luckily, Ive been to Paris before, so I have a sense of some money-sucking tourist traps to avoid. And as for packing, there really are a few tips that can make outfit planning bearable, without blowing the lid off this humble style writers budget. Below, my packing magnum opus.

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Consider your airlines baggage fees

When youre searching for an affordable airline ticket, dont be duped by budget carriers that advertise a low airfare but gouge you later on baggage fees. Travelers who pay for at least one checked bag paid more in total for the airfare and bag fees than they did when airfares included checked baggage, on average, according to the Government Accountability Office.

On most airlines, international flights grant you one free checked bag, usually between 40 and 50 pounds. United and Delta airlines offer your first checked bag free on international flights, and plenty of other carriers offer the same on domestic flights.

Make a list

Before every trip, this writer finds herself wandering Manhattan for new must-have outfits that are, truly, unessential. To avoid a pretrip shopping spree, make a list of clothing thats weather-appropriate, functional, and fashionable. (Were not saying you have to make a Venn diagram, but wed be impressed if you did.)

Think about outfit planning by occasion: What kind of excursions will you have? Will you go to any formal events? And remember, day-to-night transitional pieces are headache-reducing. Overcome the urge to pack 15-plus pairs of shoes. Marie Kondo your suitcase, people! (For more on what not to pack, read this.)

Also, consider where youre staying: If youve booked an AirBnB or some other home-booking service, your host may have laundry in their apartment. Save space in your luggage by washing your clothes on your trip. (Dirty laundry is fashion weeks dirty little secret, after all.)

Rethink items you already own

Do your best to avoid impulse purchases that will throw your budget into disarray, and keep in mind that comparing yourself to style bloggers  whose wardrobes seem like infinite collections of It-bags and designer frocks  is a losing game. (The truth is, most of those people borrow clothes from brands or receive them as gifts in exchange for posting advertisements. #Sponcon)

If you think your wardrobe lacks the pieces needed for Instagram-worthy shots, download a styling app like Cladwell  designed to save you money and change your shopping habits  to help you take stock of what you already own and think up new ways to style an outfit.

Forget travel-size items

When you calculate the cost per ounce of common travel-size items, it turns out things like shampoos can be three times as expensive as the standard-size versions.

So dont waste money on those alluring travel-size items at the drug store (not to mention the ultimate travel bags that specialty beauty stores try to sell you on). Instead, purchase refillable travel-size containers (you can find these, too, at a local drugstore or beauty supply store). That way, youre using what you already own at home and can reuse the bottles for later trips.

Weigh your luggage before you leave

If you have a scale handy, use it before you leave to measure the weight of your luggage. (The easiest way to do this is to first weigh yourself, then weigh yourself again, this time holding your luggage. Subtract the first weight from the second and youll know how much your luggage weighs.) This keeps you from having to pay any additional baggage fees and saves you the embarrassment of transferring items from your checked bag to a carry-on at the check-in window.

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Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

Alexandra Mondalek is a writer for Yahoo Style + Beauty. Follow her on Twitter @amondalek.




TWIN FALLS  Speed limits along Orchard Drive will now vary from 35 mph to 50 mph between Washington Street South and Blue Lakes Boulevard South.

The city has jurisdiction over sections of the road, but other sections are controlled by the Twin Falls Highway District. The highway district has decided to wait until its Oct. 4 meeting to determine what will be done with its sections.

City Engineer Jackie Fields asked the Council to postpone a decision on a proposed speed reduction until after the highway district had voted. But the City Council did not want to wait to introduce some stop-gap measures that could improve safety for students of South Hills Middle School.

Earlier this school year, a student riding a bicycle was struck by a car while crossing Orchard Drive from Harrison Street, city staff said.

On Monday, the Council voted unanimously to reduce the speed limit along Orchard Drive to 35 miles per hour for a small section of city-managed road east of Washington Street South; and between Harrison and Gregory streets.

Several members agreed with Councilman Greg Lanting that it would be best to err on the side of safety, even if it could mean potentially weakened relations with other jurisdictions.

I dont want to damage the relations with the highway district, Councilman Chris Talkington said. However, its damned difficult to argue with the safety of a child.

The Council had already approved a speed reduction on 3600 North last month.

Earlier in Mondays meeting, the Council also voted to allocate $206,315 of the citys anticipated half-million dollars in surplus funds. This included $90,000 to construct a parking lot on the south side of Pole Line Road East, adjacent to the new section of the Canyon Rim Trail (which is essentially complete).

The city will put in gravel this fall with the understanding that the parking lot will be paved in the spring. The parking lot will be accessible off Pole Line Road East by crossing a section of the trail, Deputy City Manager Mitch Humble said. In time, there will be a park there, too.

The rest of the money will go toward purchasing two fully equipped police patrol vehicles; additional body cameras; dispatch equipment and radio licenses; and a dispatch acoustic wall covering. The Council at least temporarily denied requests to contract someone to develop performance measures; and to extend the Rock Creek Trail a quarter mile east.

Also at the meeting, the Council:

Adopted a utility rate resolution increasing water rates by 2.5 percent, wastewater rates by 5 percent and sanitation rates by 2.14 percent.

Adopted the collective bargaining agreement with the Twin Falls Firefighters Local 1556.

Approved the amended 2016-2017 budget.
Mr Trump tweeted about a failed missile launch, but his intelligence community says it was a fraud: AFP/Getty / Saul Loeb

Donald Trump was tricked into an angry public outburst by a seven-month-old video of an Iranian missile launch, US officials have revealed.

The President responded to claims over the weekend on Iranian state television that the Persian country had tested a medium-range ballistic missile, saying that a purported video of that test proved the country was a danger to Middle Eastern ally Israel.

But, as it turns out, the videos were actually seven months old, US officials told Fox News. Iran has not launched a missile recently.

"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel," Mr Trump wrote in a tweet after the video was aired on television. "They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!"

The tweet, and the faked video, came just after the President said that the Iran nuclear agreement reached by his predecessor was an "embarrassment" to the United States, and insulted the Iranian regime in front of the entire world at the United Nations General Assembly.

"We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilising activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear programme," he said then.

The Iranian government has insisted that any missile programmes they have are only for defensive means, not to launch an offensive on another country like Israel.

Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea.Not much of an agreement we have!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

"We never threaten anyone, but we do not tolerate threats from anyone," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, also at the United Nations and a day after Mr Trump's speech.

Mr Trump hasn't announced publicly whether he plans on keeping the Iranian nuclear agreement, which must be renewed and certified by the US periodically to ensure that Iran is following the basic tenets of the accord.

A war with Iran in the Middle East could prove catastrophic for regional allies to the United States. Experts believe that the Iranian military has the largest arsenal of ballistic missiles in the region, which includes more than 1,000 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. The country has conducted more than 20 missile tests since 2015 alone.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey has reacted with unbridled fury to the independence referendum in Iraq's Kurdistan region, warning of consequences up to military action, but Ankara will be wary of provoking a total rupture with the Iraqi Kurdish leadership.

After Monday's non-binding poll, which is expected to deliver a resounding "yes", Ankara fears a declaration of independence by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) could encourage a similar move by the Kurdish population of northern Syria and ultimately the Kurdish minority in Turkey itself.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is incandescent with rage that Iraqi Kurd leader Massud Barzani -- a frequent and warmly-received visitor to Ankara in recent years -- pushed ahead with the referendum in defiance of his warnings.

Over the last 48 hours, Erdogan has let rip with a string of warnings for the Iraqi Kurds, even suggesting they risk "not finding food or clothes".

He indicated Turkey will shut the border and could halt its transit of oil from the KRG to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, an economic lifeline for the Iraqi Kurds.

Warning that "all options are on the table", Erdogan has reserved the right to take military action. The Turkish army has been holding exercises this week on the KRG border now joined by the Iraqi army.

"We can come unexpectedly in the night," Erdogan growled.

- 'Sanctions could backfire' -

Under Barzani's rule, Turkey developed close economic ties with the KRG, helping make Iraq the second-largest Turkish export market after Germany in 2016.

This gives Ankara huge economic levers and, in the most extreme case, could undermine any basis for the KRG to be an independent state.

"It is clear that Ankara is prepared to escalate its responses," Ziya Meral, resident fellow at the British Army's Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, told AFP.

He said the response could include sanctions, a tightening of the border and limiting or even ban on civilian flights. But he warned: "All of these have economic costs for Turkey and Turkish businesses, from energy to trade".

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Meral said Ankara would be wary of undermining Barzani especially as Turkey presses its fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has bases in northern Iraq.

Any Turkish military action against the KRG would be "militarily highly risky, demand a large deployment and carry fierce domestic and regional risks," he added.

Anthony Skinner of risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft said that independence would be "meaningless" for the Iraqi Kurds if Turkey denied access to the Mediterranean for its oil exports.

It "would be equivalent to restricting the coronary artery feeding Kurdistan's heart", he said.

But he warned that Ankara would be mindful that 1,300 Turkish businesses have a presence in Iraqi Kurdistan and cross border trade is a major job creator in Turkey's own Kurdish-dominated southeast, where employment opportunities are limited.

"Slapping heavy sanctions on the KRG could backfire," he said.

- 'Cool and calculated' -

In seeking to thwart any independence move, Ankara has vowed to work closely with the Baghdad government and Iran, which has its own Kurdish minority and bitterly opposes the drive by the Iraqi Kurds.

Widely seen as the world's largest stateless people, Kurds are spread between Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey, which has by far the largest population.

Erdogan has warned Barzani he risks isolation, noting that Israel is the only major player to have come out in favour of the referendum.

But while publicly mocking the KRG leader's solitude, Ankara will be ruffled by the position of Russia, which has not explicitly opposed the poll.

A week before the referendum Russian energy giant Rosneft announced deals to build gas pipelines in the KRG which could reduce its dependence on Turkey.

Turkey should be mindful of "miscalculating and pushing Arbil more closely towards Russia," said Skinner.

In this delicate calculus, Erdogan will also be mindful that votes of conservative Kurds in Turkey have greatly helped his own electoral success.

Conservative Turkish nationalists called for drastic intervention to thwart the KRG. "If we do not want war in Anatolia, we must take action," wrote Ibrahim Karagul, editor-in-chief of the pro-Erdogan newspaper Yeni Safak.

Other commentators urged a more pragmatic stance. "Turkey should be cool and calculated," wrote Taha Akyol, columnist of newspaper Hurriyet.
Rex Features

Ivanka Trump reportedly used a personal email account to contact a government official after her father, Donald Trump, had already become president.

The organization American Oversight has sued for various public records, seeking to illuminate the the role Ivanka Trump played and continues to play in the administration of her father, according to the the group.

Documents obtained by the organization show that Ms Trump used a personal email address to contact United States Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon to suggest collaborating on womens entrepreneurship.

A White House spokesperson noted that Ms Trump did not become a federal employee until March, after she had sent the email in question.

At the time she did so, she made clear that one of her reasons for doing so was to ensure that she would have access to government-issued communications devices and receive an official email account to protect government records, the spokesperson said. Prior to obtaining an official account, Ivanka's communication to Administrator McMahon's official account ensured the records were preserved and available under the Federal Records Act.

Ms Trump had had involved with high-level meetings within the administration before she was made a federal employee. In the emails to McMahon Ms Trump copied in her chief of staff, Julie Radford. In them, Ms Radford has a White House email account.

Communicating with government officials from personal accounts is something that Ms Trump's husband, Jared Kushner has also done. POLITICO reported this weekend that Mr Kushner, a White House adviser, also corresponded with White House officials via a private email account. That revelation prompted Rep Elijah Cummings to launch an investigation, with the Maryland Democrat writing Mr Kushner a letter asking the president's son-in-law to preserve all official records and copies of records in your custody or control.

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Mr Kushner corresponded with Trump administration officials about White House affairs using the personal account. Email recipients included former chief of staff Reince Priebus, former chief strategist Steve Bannon, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, and spokesman Josh Raffel.

The emails usually concerned media coverage and event planning, according to Politico, who first reported the story. A lawyer for Mr Kushner said the emails usually contained forwarded news articles or political commentary, and were most often initiated by the person on the other end.

Mr. Kushner uses his White House email address to conduct White House business, attorney Abbe Lowell told the Associated Press. Fewer than 100 emails from January through August were either sent to or returned by Mr. Kushner to colleagues in the White House from his personal email account.

During the presidential campaign Donald Trump frequently excoriated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for using a personal server during her time as secretary of state, saying she should be punished with prison time and leading chants of Lock Her Up!
It seems Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner isn't the only one in the family to use private email accounts for government business. A freedom of information act (FOIA) request by nonprofit watchdog group American Oversight has revealed that Ivanka Trump also used a personal email account to perform government functions.

Compelled by the FOIA request, the Small Business Administration released email correspondence (PDF) between it and Ivanka Trump via a private email address dating to February 28th. While this date was technically prior to her taking an official (and notoriously unpaid) position in the White House, she likely could have received a government email account, Newsweek argued -- especially since her chief of staff had one at the time.

While this was Ivanka's only offending email that's surfaced thus far, as compared to the "fewer than a hundred emails" Kushner's lawyer confirmed he'd sent from a private account while doing government business, it's still the same political sin Donald Trump endlessly criticized Hillary Clinton for on the campaign trail. American Oversight Executive Director Austin Evers noted the hypocrisy in a statement appending the FOIA report:

"Yet again we see that there's one rule for the Trump family and another for everyone else. It's simply breathtaking that both Ivanka and Jared Kushner would conduct government on a personal email account after running a campaign centered on that very issue. The fact that they would brazenly ignore rules governing email use raises even more questions about their judgement and fitness to hold positions in the White House," Evers stated.

Update: According to the New York Times, beyond Jared and Ivanka, four other close advisers to the president also used private email addresses to discuss White House business. They include former strategist Stephen Bannon, former chief of staff Reince Priebus, as well as current advisers Stephen Miller and Gary Cohn.

Comments to this article were available for the first 24 hours after publication only, and have since been closed.
Presidential adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner used a private email server to conduct White House business: Zach Gibson/Getty Images

Jared Kushner used a personal email address to conduct White House business, his lawyer has confirmed.

Mr Kushner, the Presidents son-in-law and close adviser, corresponded with Trump administration officials about White House affairs using the personal account. Email recipients included former chief of staff Reince Priebus, former chief strategist Steve Bannon, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, and spokesman Josh Raffel.

The emails usually concerned media coverage and event planning, according to Politico, who first reported the story.

A lawyer for Mr Kushner said the emails usually contained forwarded news articles or political commentary, and were most often initiated by the person on the other end.

Mr. Kushner uses his White House email address to conduct White House business, attorney Abbe Lowell said. Fewer than 100 emails from January through August were either sent to or returned by Mr. Kushner to colleagues in the White House from his personal email account.

Politico found no indication that Mr Kushner had shared any sensitive material on the account, or used it more than his official White House account for government business. Mr Kushner created the account in December, during the Trump team's transition to the White House.

The report is particularly interesting considering the Trump campaigns relentless criticism of Hillary Clinton for using a private email server during her time as Secretary of State.

Ms Clintons reliance on her personal account to conduct government business sparked an FBI investigation last year. Donald Trump suggested the former Secretary should face criminal charges for her actions, inspiring his memorable campaign rally cheer of: Lock her up!

The story is also relevant in light of investigations into possible Trump team collusion with Russia, and growing questions about Mr Kushners role.

Mr Kusher reportedly asked Russian officials about setting up a private back channel between the Trump administration and Moscow in December. He was also present at a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer, Russian American lobbyist, and several other members of the Trump campaign team. Mr Kushner left this meeting  and conversations with some 100 other foreign nationals  off of his initial security clearance form.

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In a statement issued this summer, Mr Kushner said he did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government. He added that he had no improper contacts and had not relied on Russian funds to finance his private-sector business activities.

I hope that through my answers to questions, written statements and documents I have now been able to demonstrate the entirety of my limited contacts with Russian representatives during the campaign and transition, he said.
PureWow

King Charles is taking on yet another important role that was previously held by his late father, Prince Philip. This week, the royal family released a brand-new portrait of the monarch, as he officially takes on the role of Park Ranger of Windsor Great Park. In the photograph, His Majesty is standing next to a giant oak tree in an open field while the sun shines brightly. King Charles looks like a whole new man in the pic and is dressed in a camel-colored suit and holding a cane in his hand. Vi
During the 1970s, each member of the Detroit Big Three imported small pickup trucks from Japan and badged them with their own brands. There was the Plymouth Arrow pickup (made by Mitsubishi), the Ford Courier (made by Mazda), and the Chevrolet LUV (made by Isuzu). Here's a rare example of the latter truck, found in a Northern California self-service wrecking yard.









LUV stood for Light Utility Vehicle, and quite a few of these Isuzu Faster-based trucks were sold during the 1970s.









The second-generation LUV debuted for the 1981 model year; the appearance of the Chevrolet S-10 pickup in 1982 resulted in the termination of the LUV at the end of that year. After that, Isuzu sold these trucks under their own name, as P'Ups.









The engine in this LUV is a 1.8-liter Isuzu I4, rated at 75 horsepower. This was the era when men were men and pickups had double-digit horsepower and no air conditioning.









I couldn't find any TV commercials for the second-generation LUV, so here's one for its Australian sibling, the Holden Rodeo.



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Lady Amelia Windsor is continuing her fashion month domination in Paris.

The 22-year-old -- dubbed "the most beautiful royal" by British magazine Tatler -- dazzled in a Dior see-through, polka dot-patterned dress with her undergarments visible underneath on Tuesday.

The blonde beauty accessorized her look with multiple rings adorning her fingers, a simple black clutch and a choker around her neck. A pair of black biker boots gave her feminine outfit the high-fashion edge it needed. She kept her long tresses in a tight low bun while keeping her makeup simple, with only a hint of gloss on her plump lips.

Lady Amelia's outfit is the latest in a string of skin-baring looks -- she was recently spotted at the Tommy Hilfiger show and a Miu Miu party during London Fashion Week in an outfit that put her toned tummy on display.

RELATED: Duchess Kate's tour style:



After making the rounds in London, Windsor traveled to Milan where she walked the runway for famous Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana.

The former Edinburgh University student donned a ruffled polka dot gown as she walked down the catwalk. The young royal, who is 36th in line to the British throne, was picked to star in the brand's fashion campaign last year. She also walked for D&B during Milan Fashion Week back in February.

For more photos of Lady Amelia Windsor, check out the slideshow above.
BOISE  The 187th semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be broadcast live on local television and online. Sessions will be 10 a.m. until noon and 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KTVB Channel 7.2 and on BYU-TV. Online viewing and listening is also available at lds.org and mormonchannel.org.
Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans (Photo: Darren Michaels/Fox)

Season 1 of Lethal Weapon ended with Riggs (Clayne Crawford) hot on the trail of the man who killed his wife. But seeing as how that man is Mexican drug kingpin Tito Flores (Danny Mora), does that mean this year will take place entirely south of the border? And what happens if and when Riggs finally does set things right?

In advance of tonights return, showrunner Matt Miller took a group of journalists around the set on the Warner Bros. lot and gave some insight into how the show is made and what we can look forward to in the second season.

So much of Season 1 was driven by this guy being broken because of the death of his wife and Murtaugh pulling him out of that, Miller said. But we told so much of that story in Season 1, a whole Season 2 of a guy sitting in his trailer and spinning the revolver and wanting to kill himself  we needed to see this guy evolve. But that said, we dont want a totally sane Riggs, which is no fun anyway!

Riggs will eventually get closure with the death of his wife, but it turns out thats not the only reason why he acts as he does. If you remember, in the Christmas episode last year where he first met Miranda  it was a flashback where he was sitting alone in a bar for Christmas and he met her and everything went well. But the idea of a guy whos sitting alone in a bar at Christmas is a symptom of some loneliness and some damage that came before Miranda, he insisted.

All of which is to say, Riggs wont be moving in next door to the Murtaugh family with a wife and 2.4 kids anytime soon. No matter what, Riggs is never going to be healed and never going to be normal, Miller said. We start to get into some stuff that happened in his childhood and some trauma through flashbacks  and even some stuff that happens in present day  that leads us to realize that hes never going to fix this stuff.

Expect an emotional roller coaster. We have a lot of episodes that are fun and light and were like, Riggs is back, hes better! Then the rug gets pulled out from under him and he gets darker. Then he goes even darker, then we pull him back out, and then it goes even darker. And thats the show, Miller said with a laugh.

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Wayans (Photo: Darren Michaels/Fox)

The push/pull of light and dark is the central dynamic of Lethal Weapon and, of course, that extends to the homes of Riggs and Murtaugh. Part of the conception of the reboot, Miller said, was to make it a little bit of wish fulfillment with [the Murtaugh] house. Whereas Riggs lives in squalor, getting drunk in his little place, its about juxtaposing the two lives of the guys. One guy lives in a trailer with nothing and gets drunk all day, and the other guy lives in this big, beautiful house with his wonderful family and the white picket fence.

But dont get too attached to that big beautiful house. In the fifth episode, the city confiscates Riggss trailer and, according to Miller, he ends up getting very drunk and stealing his truck from the city impound and driving it to the Murtaughs and crashing it into their backyard.

Not only that: Were doing an episode for Christmas where [the house] kind of gets destroyed a little, Miller revealed. Were going to blow it up  not blow it up completely, but So save your screenshots now: That white picket fence may soon be on fire.

Season 2 of Lethal Weapon premieres Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. on Fox.

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TWIN FALLS  After 18 months without top leadership, the Magic Valley YMCA has a new chief executive officer.

Randy Wastradowski, from El Paso, Texas, started on the job Monday. He was a branch manager for the YMCA of El Paso for eight years.

Wastradowski, who has 27 years of experience with the YMCA, previously spent time as CEO of two YMCAs in Indiana.

He said Tuesday he was looking for an opportunity to become a CEO again in the western United States, near his hometown of Centralia, Wash.

He came across the opportunity to lead the Magic Valley YMCA in Twin Falls.

I saw it as an opportunity to restart the YMCA in the community, he said, including to rebrand and reorganize the nonprofit. Thats really what I enjoy doing with YMCAs  just taking it to the next level and making it a real asset in the community.

Wastradowski got his first YMCA job in 1990 in Fort Wayne, Ind., After working as a swim instructor, lifeguard and pool manager, he worked his way up at different YMCAs in Oregon, Washington and Indiana.

Wastradowski is taking over leadership of a nonprofit thats recovering from financial problems that surfaced last year.

Board members discovered former CEO Gary Ettenger, who resigned in March 2016, misappropriated $693,000 in donations tied to specific projects.

A national parent group placed the local Y on probation. And the Idaho Attorney Generals Office wrapped up an investigation in September 2016, saying it has reason to believe the Y violated Idahos charitable trust laws.

In October 2016, the Y closed its Canyon Rim branch on Pole Line Road and sold the property. Employees and services for members were consolidated to the Elizabeth Boulevard branch.

And due to financial struggles, the Y backed out of its contract this spring to manage the city pool on Locust Street. The city was paying the nonprofit $120,000 each year to manage the pool and the contract was slated to continue until August 2018.

But the Y has celebrated some new program and facility changes: It reopened its pool in April at the Elizabeth Boulevard branch, and started a new preschool and after-school program earlier this month.

Wastradowski said Tuesday first thing he wants to address is staff development  training staff and getting employees more engaged with the members.

That includes learning stronger customer service skills, he said, and giving employees access to training to allow them to work more efficiently and have a greater impact.
SALT LAKE CITY  An Idaho man involved in a crash in northern Utah, who became a topic of national attention after the controversial arrest of a University Hospital nurse, has died, according to a Facebook post.

Bill Gray was driving a truck near Wellsville when a vehicle fleeing police hit his truck head on. The driver of the fleeing vehicle died in the crash.

Gray was taken to the hospitals burn unit with burns on 46 percent of his body and was given a 22 percent chance of survival, according to a news release from a family spokesperson.

Nurse Alex Wubbles refused to give Salt Lake City police officers a sample of Grays blood, citing hospital policy. Officer Jeff Payne arrested Wubbels, claiming she was interfering with a police investigation. She was later released and not charged. Paynes body camera footage of the confrontation went viral, getting national and international media attention.

Gray worked as a reserve police officer for the Rigby Police Department in Idaho.

A post on the departments Facebook page Monday night said Gray had died and said he was truly the best of mankind.

Everything about him was generous and kind, the post continued. It also called him a man of selfless service. He was a man of kindness and heart, a man of dedication to not only his family but those in his community.

Bill always had a funny story to bring about a laugh. He always did the good thing. This world would be better off with more Bill Grays, and this world is truly darker without his light.

The investigation into Wubbles arrest continues.
Paris (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron is to make a keynote speech on his vision for the European Union on Tuesday -- aimed more at German politicians across the border than the French public.

Macron came to power in May promising to strengthen the institutions of the eurozone and deepen the integration of the EU bloc as it prepares for Britain's departure.

He is desperate for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's endorsement of his reform agenda, which includes plans for a new finance minister position, budget and parliament for the 19-member eurozone.

"What has been missing from the European Union these last years is a vision for the medium term," an official in the presidency told reporters Monday in words that might nettle Merkel, who has been in power since 2005.

Macron's plans were dealt a blow this weekend by German elections which are likely to result in a new government that includes the Free Democratic Party (FDP), whose leader is an outspoken critic of Macron's European agenda.

Undeterred, Macron will use the speech at the Sorbonne university Tuesday to argue the case for institutional changes, initiatives to promote the EU publicly, and new ventures in the technology, defence and energy sectors.

Macron's aides have been keen to play up his role as a driver of change in the EU, which he has promised to "rebuild" in order to draw the sting out of eurosceptic parties on the continent.

Cooperation from Germany -- the other half of the so-called "Franco-German motor" at the heart of the bloc -- is essential, though Macron will also need to convince other European partners.

Over the next few months, analysts say they expect Merkel will try to form a coalition led by her conservative CDU/CSU with the pro-business FDP and the ecologist Greens.

French officials consider that now is the best time to intervene in the German debate, before a coalition contract is drawn up between the different parties setting out their roadmap for the four-year term.

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"A new phase for Europe is starting," a second official from the presidency said at a briefing Monday. "It's an opportunity we can't afford to miss."

- German exasperation? -

Macron has spoken twice with Merkel since Sunday, as well as other European leaders and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, as he fleshes out a speech likely to be closely watched across the continent.

Although many of his proposals have been outlined on the campaign trail as well as in an address in Athens earlier this month, he is expected to be more specific on Tuesday.

More details are anticipated on proposed "democratic conventions" -- citizens' meetings to discuss the future of the EU -- which Macron has proposed as a way of igniting interest in the union.

He will also make EU-wide proposals for taxing the US technology groups Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, accused of paying too little corporate tax on their businesses in Europe.

But the closest attention will be paid to the most sensitive parts of his plans from Berlin's perspective -- his desire for a common eurozone budget to which Germany would be one of the main contributors.

Merkel has given tentative backing for a small common budget, but the FDP is staunchly opposed to German taxpayers sending any more money abroad to support weaker members of the eurozone such as Greece or Italy.

Macron's past support for common eurozone bonds enabling the bloc to raise money collectively -- member states currently raise their own cash -- is also a highly sensitive issue in Germany.

"The debate launched by the French president is being followed with some exasperation in the chancellor's office," the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper wrote at the weekend.

"He talks about solutions before the question has even been properly discussed," the paper added, accusing him of "putting the cart before the horse".
Paris (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron pleaded Tuesday for a new era of European integration, calling on his EU partners -- particularly Germany -- to raise their ambitions and go further in linking their economies, governments and armies.

The 39-year-old leader spoke for more than an hour and half in front of students at the Sorbonne university in Paris in a passionate speech that contained a raft of proposals for the 28-member European Union.

"The Europe that we know is too weak, too slow, too inefficient," he said. "But Europe alone can give us the ability to act in the world faced with big contemporary challenges."

Macron's proposals for a post-Brexit shake-up included a finance minister, budget and parliament for the 19-member eurozone, as well as a European "rapid reaction force" to work with national armies.

Macron is desperate for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's endorsement of his reform agenda, but his plans were dealt a blow by Sunday's election in Germany that saw eurosceptic parties make gains.

Merkel must now try to form a government likely to include the Free Democratic Party (FDP), whose leader Christian Lindner is an outspoken critic of Macron's European agenda and who considers a eurozone budget to be a "red line".

- 'Only horizons' -

Macron appeared to respond to Lindner directly on Tuesday, saying: "I don't have red lines, I only have horizons."

But he also steered clear of defining how big any future eurozone budget might be, having previously said he wanted it to be the equivalent of "several points" of eurozone GDP which could amount to several hundred billion euros.

Among his propositions was a new type of tax on technology giants like Facebook and Apple -- based on how much value they create in a country rather than their profits -- and taxes on financial transactions across the bloc.

An EU-wide agency to handle asylum requests, a beefed up common border force and a European innovation agency were among other ideas for EU organisations that would require further pooling of national sovereignty.

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He even raised the prospect of major changes to the Common Agricultural Policy, the EU's giant farm subsidy programme, which has historically been defended by France and its powerful agricultural lobbies.

- Opposition inevitable -

Macron's vision for a new phase of European integration, a process which started in the post-war era and led to the creation of the EU, is likely to run into objections in some countries.

Nationalist governments in Poland or Hungary do not share his desire to send new powers to Brussels, while his plan for harmonised corporation tax will ring alarm bells in low-tax countries such as Ireland.

Addressing the issue of Britain's planned departure from the European Union -- the most vivid illustration of growing nationalist feeling in the bloc -- Macron appeared to leave the door open for London to rejoin or change its mind.

"In a few years, if they want, the United Kingdom could find its place... In this reformed and simplified EU that I'm proposing, I can't imagine that the United Kingdom could not find its place," he said.

Along with Brexit and the German elections, Macron's proposals are likely to top the agenda at a two-day summit of all 28 EU members in Estonia from Thursday.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker welcomed the speech, saying the bloc required "courage" to move ahead.

Macron's style is also likely to be widely discussed by his European partners and his pitch for the leadership role for the continent has grated with some policymakers in Germany since his election in May.

One person close to German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused him of acting like a "Sun King" with a "God-given right to rule" in recent comments to AFP on condition of anonymity.

But the former investment banker was undeterred Tuesday, saying European leaders needed to revitalise the project to take the sting out of rising right-wing nationalism on the continent.

"We don't have a choice," he said.

He made frequent references to the European wars of the 20th century just days after the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AFD) shocked Europe by winning 93 seats in parliament.

"Europe enabled us to turn our backs on the wars. We need to find this ambition again," he said.

French officials considered that now was the best time for Macron to lay out his vision for Europe as Merkel begins cobbling together a coalition which will agree a detailed roadmap for the four-year term ahead.

"It's an opportunity we can't afford to miss," a French presidency official told a briefing on Monday.
Tales of devastation continue to flow out of Puerto Rico, one of the islands tragically struck by Hurricane Maria. Millions are without cell service or power. Some are being discovered, days after the storm, in near-death conditions, according to San Juans mayor, Carmen Yulin Cruz.

Just yesterday, we have been canvassing one by one all of our elderly homes, finding our elderly  and Im not kidding  we [had] to transfer 11 of them in near-death conditions, no food, no water, no electricity and really the sanitary conditions were deplorable, the mayor told CNNs New Day on Tuesday.

Hospitals and care centers for the disabled are running out of diesel, Cruz added. Certain hospital patients, Reuters reported, have been evacuated to the U.S., but others await an uncertain fate as generators fail.

Another hospital wants to transfer two critical patients here because they dont have electricity, cardiovascular surgeon Gonzalez Cancel said. We cant take them. We have the same problem.

Cruz praised the Federal Emergency Management Agencys response to the crisis, saying the aid trickling in allows people to no longer feel alone. Maria has left behind her a trail of devastation and a humanitarian crisis, she added.

San Juan Mayor @CarmenYulinCruz describes "near-death conditions" for elderly, "humanitarian crisis" in Puerto Rico https://t.co/LekuNKWEKv  New Day (@NewDay) September 26, 2017

President Donald Trump directed a Twitter rant on Monday at Puerto Rico, saying the island is in deep trouble, especially in light of its broken infrastructure & massive debt. It still owes billions to Wall Street, he added.

Trump approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico on Sept. 17, but the islands governor, Ricardo Rossello, pleaded for more federal aid on Monday. Trump plans to visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday.

Story continues

We need something tangible, a bill that actually answers to our need right now, he said. Otherwise, there will be ... a massive exodus to the (mainland) United States.

Also on HuffPost

Maria Lopez cries while walking from her house that was flooded after the passage of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Loiza, PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 22: Aerial photo of the floadings in the costal town of Loiza, in the north shore of Puerto RicoHurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

HAYALES DE COAMO, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 24: Karlian Mercado, 7, rests on the rubble that remains of her family's home after it was blown away by Hurricane Maria as it passed through the area on September 24, 2017 in Hayales de Coamo, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico experienced widespread damage after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Irma Torres poses for a picture at her damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Local residents react while they look at the water flowing over the road at the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A man looks at damages on his flooded house, close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A man sits in a wheelchair next to washing machines at a shelter after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

LOIZA, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: A resident wades through flood water days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in Loiza, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

People stay at the roof of a damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 23: A devastated house in Morovis Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: Residents line up for gasoline days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

A car submerged in flood waters is seen close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A resident lay on a cot inside a shelter after being evacuated from a home near the damaged Guajataca Dam after Hurricane Maria in Isabella, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Amid their struggles to recover fromiHurricaneiMaria, some Puerto Rico residents found it befuddling that President Donald Trump fired off a number of Twitter rants about professional athletes on Saturday -- yet made no mention of their dire situation. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images

People stop on a highway near a mobile phone antenna tower to check for mobile phone signal, after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in Dorado, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

A dead horse is seen next to a road after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

An aerial view shows the flooded neighbourhood of Juana Matos in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / Ricardo ARDUENGO (Photo credit should read RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images)

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Because we simply don't have enough drama in the world right now, it seems that Tesla's Elon Musk and Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, have engaged in a Twitter tussle. It seems to have started when Musk shared a story from USA Today that covered Mercedes-Benz's $1 billion investment in electric cars. It's possible this story jumped out at Musk since the headline specifically highlighted Tesla as the company Mercedes is looking to beat. In addition to sharing the article, Musk stated that it wasn't a lot of money for such a big company, suggesting Mercedes should be spending $10 billion.





That's not a lot of money for a giant like Daimler/Mercedes. Wish they'd do more. Off by a zero.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 24, 2017





This caught the attention of Daimler, which responded with some info of its own. Specifically the company linked to a website that lists all of the company's investments into electric vehicles and the upcoming EQ brand. Along with that link, the company stated that the over $1 billion investment is in the Alabama factory where batteries and the first EQ electric crossover will be built. It is, in fact, spending over $10 billion on the rest of its EV development.




At its Ignite conference, Microsoft today put its stake in the ground and discussed its progress in building a quantum computer and giving developers tools to experiment with this new computing paradigm on their existing machines.

There's a lot to untangle here, and few people will claim that they understand the details of quantum computing. What Microsoft has done, though, is focus on a different aspect of how quantum computing can work -- and that may just allow it to get a jump on IBM, Google and other competitors that are also looking at this space. The main difference between what Microsoft is doing is that its system is based on advances in topology that the company previously discussed. Most of the theoretical work behind this comes from Fields Medal-recipient Michael Freedman, who joined Microsoft Research in 1997, and his team.

"What topology does is that it gives you this ability to have much better fidelity," Microsoft's corporate vice president for quantum research Todd Holmdahl told me. "If you look at our competitors, some of them have three nines of fidelity and we could be at a thousand or ten thousand times that. That means a logical qubit, we could potentially implement it with 10 physical qubits." What the team essentially did is use Freedman's theories to implement the error correction that's so central to quantum computing at the physical level. I'm not going to pretend I really understand what topological qubits are, but it's essentially harder to disturb than classical qubits (and in quantum computing, even at at the lowest currently achievable temperatures, you always need to account for some noise that can disturb the system's state).

With Station Q, Microsoft now runs its own quantum computing lab in Santa Barbara, and Holmdahl tells me the team tripled in size over the course of the last year. The idea here is clearly to build a commercial quantum computer. Whether Microsoft plans to sell the device itself or whether it will simply make it available through Azure remains to be seen. Holmdahl believes that while Microsoft hasn't figured out the business model yet, the most natural place for a quantum computer would be in the cloud. Every quantum computer, after all, also needs a classical computer to control it, and, in the data center, you could attach a quantum computer as an auxiliary processing unit to a regular machine.

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For now, though, that's still a far way into the future. What developers will soon be able to do, though, is run Microsoft's simulator on their own machines (those machines need to be rather powerful, though). The company decided to not just release this simulator, though. In addition, the company developed a new programming language for writing these quantum applications, too. As Microsoft's Krysta Svore told me, the idea here is to offer a comprehensive full-stack solution for controlling the quantum computer and writing applications for it. "We like to talk about co-development," she said. "We are developing those [the hardware and software stack] together so that you're really feeding back information between the software and the hardware as we learn, and this means that we can really develop a very optimized solution."

The programming language takes its key concepts for C#, F#, Python and other languages, but with the addition of new features for accessing the features of a quantum computer, too. The simulator will allow developers to figure out if their algorithms are actually feasible and can run on a quantum computer, and where there's surely a barrier of entry here, both Svore and Holmdahl argue that getting started with this shouldn't be all that different from learning how to program an FPGA, for example. "If you have a decent computer science background, I believe the delta is smaller than you think," Holmdahl said.

All of these software tools will be available by the end of the year. Don't expect them to be open source, though. Svore argues that the internals of the compiler aren't what you really need to write your quantum applications anyway, but you could say the same about .NET apps, and Microsoft did open source the .NET compiler platform.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will host the NL wild-card game. That much of the postseason picture was cleared up Sunday. Weve still got two divisions  the AL East and NL Central  that need clinching and two wild-card spots up for grabs.

Each day this week, well be running down the postseason storylines around MLB in our Magic Number Watch. Lets get started:

Chicago Cubs Ben Zobrist, center, celebrates his two-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers as he enters the dugout during the seventh inning of an baseball game Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Darren Hauck)

1. THE CUBS HAVE THE NL CENTRAL IN THEIR SIGHTS

The Chicago Cubs, leaders of the NL Central, have a magic number of two entering play Monday after a lively weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers. And theyre playing a team with a lot on the line too. Thats the rival St. Louis Cardinals, who are still alive in both the Central and the NL wild-card race, though the odds are getting smaller by the day that theyll play in October. The Cardinals are two-and-a-half back in the wild-card and six back in the division, so theyd basically need to sweep the Cubs to keep their division hopes alive.

The Cubs, meanwhile, can clinch as soon as Tuesday. The Brewers are the meat in the Cubs-Cardinals sandwich, holding onto second place and sitting five-and-a-half back. The Brewers are idle Monday, starting a series with the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. A Cubs win and a Brewers loss seals the NL Central or just two Cubs wins.

The Cards-Cubs series should be fun to watch, however, because Ben Zobrist has said he hopes the Cubs clinch in St. Louis (you know, as opposed to losing) and Tommy Pham of the Cardinals is upset about that.

Tommy Pham asked about Ben Zobrist's comments that Cubs "intend to clinch" in STL: pic.twitter.com/nkXWFpEj49  Chris Hrabe (@chrabe) September 25, 2017

2. RED SOX HOST JAYS, LOOKING TO LOCK UP THE EAST

The Boston Red Sox return to Fenway Park on Monday, ready to host the Toronto Blue Jays for three games and theyd sure like to get the AL East clinched before the weekend. Entering their game Monday, the Red Sox magic number is three since the Yankees played early and won. If not against the Blue Jays, the Red Sox would need to clinch while hosting the AL West-winning Houston Astros.

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3. TWINS, ANGELS BOTH NEED SOME WINS

The Minnesota Twins magic number to clinch the second AL wild-card is three entering play Monday. The Twins are idle, but start a series against the Indians in Cleveland on Tuesday. The Rays, Royals, Rangers and Angels are still mathematically alive for that spot, but only the Angels (four-and-a-half back) seem like they have a shot. And thats shrinking by the day. The Angels do start their week playing the last-place Chicago White Sox, so the schedule is at least on their side.

4. THE SECOND NL WILD-CARD COULD COME DOWN TO THE WIRE

The Colorado Rockies hold onto the second NL wild-card spot, but theyve got plenty of work to do to lock it up. The Rockies have a two-game lead over the Brewers and two-and-a-half over the Cardinals. But Colorados magic number is five, so its gonna take at least a few days.

The best news for the Rockies is that they get to try to seal the deal at home. Theyll host the Miami Marlins for three games starting Monday, then have an off day Thursday and finish the year against the Dodgers. Much like the Red Sox, the Rockies are probably hoping they can wrap things up before the final weekend.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

     

Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Firefighters battled a fast-moving wildfire that broke out adjacent to the Riverside (91) Freeway near the Anaheim-Corona border in California on Monday afternoon and prompted immediate evacuations as it blackened about 2,000 acres within only eight hours, reports said citing the Orange County Fire Authority.

Dubbed the Canyon Fire, the blaze broke out for unknown reasons around 1 p.m. local time (4 p.m. EDT) alongside the eastbound Riverside Freeway, just west of Green River Road in West Corona. Authorities said it eventually spread at a "moderate'' rate to Coal Canyon Road off the freeway, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi, NBC Los Angeles reported.

As of 9 p.m. local time (12 a.m. EDT), the Orange County Fire Authority said no casualties were reported and multiple structures were threatened in Corona, CNN reported.

As of 2 a.m. local time (5 a.m. EDT) on Tuesday, approximately 45 evacuees were said to have checked-in at an evacuation shelter, which was set up in the gymnasium at Corona High School. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for over 300 homes, which consisted about 1,000 residents in the Dominguez Ranch area of Corona, Concialdi said.

Evacuations were ordered on Dominguez Ranch Road, San Almada Road, San Ponte Road, San Viscaya Circle, San Sebastian Circle, San Ramon Drive, and a few more areas, according to the Corona Fire Department.

More than 300 firefighters from the Anaheim, Corona, and Los Angeles County fire departments were assisting to contain the fire and save people's homes. Five helicopters with night-vision capabilities and three planes, including a DC-10, also helped in the battling the blaze, Concialdi said.

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Crews were setting backfires, in order to keep the wildfire from crossing the freeway. Numerous lanes were closed, leading to even more heavy traffic on the often-congested 91 freeway, along with some other nearby roads on Monday, according to CNN.

Motorists traveling on the freeway took dramatic videos of the flames as they raced up hillsides along the freeway. Numerous photos and videos on social media showed the extent of the fire and how it spread across the area.

Jeff Peterson, a resident of Corona arrived at his residence about two hours after the blaze started in the afternoon. As he reached his home, he said the wind appeared to blow away from his house as he watched it with one of his neighbors. Then the wind changed its direction. "We just looked at each other and said, 'it's time to go get the valuables,'" Peterson said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Wildfires had burned earlier in the canyons around his house, but he had never seen one like this, he said. "I never thought that we'd see it," Peterson said. "It was unreal, watching this happen. The flames made so much noise, they sounded like jet engines."

RTS1DT93

Photo: Reuters/ Kyle Grillot

The cause of the fire is under investigation, ABC7 News reported.

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Karangasem (Indonesia) (AFP) - Nearly 50,000 people have evacuated their homes for fear of an imminent volcanic eruption on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, disaster officials said Monday.

Mount Agung, 75 kilometres (47 miles) from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August and threatening to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years.

The disaster mitigation agency said 48,540 people had fled and the number was expected to rise because more than 60,000 people lived in the danger zone.

"There are still people who don't want to be evacuated," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, an agency spokesman, told a press conference.

"The reason is firstly, the mountain hasn't erupted yet. Secondly, they are worried about their livestock."

Officials announced the highest possible alert level on Friday following the increasing volcanic activity, and told people to stay at least nine kilometres (5.6 miles) from the crater.

Trekking tours on the mountain have been banned but officials have otherwise been at pains to assure tourists the island is safe.

Dozens of anxious visitors, worried their vacation plans may be ruined, have taken to social media to ask for updates.

Others have adopted a more philosophical view, determined not to let the warning disrupt their holiday.

"Being in Bali of course there's a volcanic mountain here, earthquakes and other risks," Susan, who was visiting the town of Ubud from the United States, told AFP. "You just have to deal with it."

But German national Frederic Kramer, 33, said he was worried about a possible eruption and wanted to help by providing food to those affected.

Evacuees have packed into temporary shelters or moved in with relatives. Some 2,000 cows have been also moved from the flanks of the volcano.

Nengah Satiya left home with his wife three days ago but said he had been returning to the danger zone to tend to his pigs and chickens.

"There are many livestock in our village but nobody is taking care of them," he told AFP at an evacuation centre. "We take turns going back to feed them."

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- Sign from the gods -

The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said the mountain was still being rocked by hundreds of volcanic tremors.

"Sometimes the intensity increases, sometimes it decreases, it's hard to tell when the mountain will erupt," said senior volcanologist Gede Suantika.

Mount Agung is one of more than 120 active volcanoes extending the length of Indonesia, which straddles the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire".

It last erupted in 1963, killing more than 1,000 people and sending ashes as far as the capital Jakarta.

The mountain, the highest point in Bali, is an important spiritual site for Balinese, who are predominantly Hindu in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

Pura Besakih temple, one of the island's most prominent temples which is just a few kilometres from the mountain's slopes, has been closed to visitors since Saturday.

The temple narrowly avoided destruction when molten lava spilt down the mountain 54 years ago.

Religious leader Sumerti Jero, from nearby Karangasem, said he saw the mountain's rumblings as a sign it was angry with tourists flouting local customs.

"For example, they have been disobeying the ban for women who have their period to climb Mount Agung," he said, adding many tourists also urinate on the mountain.

Bali attracts millions of foreign tourists every year to its palm-fringed beaches and is a particular favourite with visitors from neighbouring Australia.

A major eruption would likely take a significant toll on its tourism-dependent economy.

The airport on Bali's capital Denpasar has prepared buses and trains to divert passengers to alternative hubs in neighbouring provinces if the mountain erupts.

But officials are stressing the island is generally safe.

"Bali is totally dependent on tourism. As long as the planes are still able to fly, I think tourism will be all right," said Ketut Ardana, chairman of the Bali office of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies.

Still, tour operators like Mangku, the owner of Bali Trekking Tour, are watching the situation with interest.

"Some of our customers have cancelled tours. We understand, because of the volcano," he told AFP.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday Israel was concerned over a rise in anti-Semitism, after a right-wing nationalist party won seats in Berlin's parliament.

"Israel is concerned over the rise of anti-Semitism in recent years among political elements from the right and left, as well as from Islamist elements," Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying in a phone call with the German leader.

While Netanyahu seemed to be referring to the results of the Sunday general German election, the Israeli leader stopped short of naming the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which won about 13 percent of the general vote -- the best showing for a nationalist force since World War II.

In his conversation with Merkel, Netanyahu "called on the new government that would be formed to act to strengthen the forces in Germany that accept the historic responsibility" of the Holocaust, his office said.

"Israel rejects any attempt to deny the Holocaust," Netanyahu said, noting that Germany also remained responsible for the historic event.

"There are two things -- Holocaust denial, and denial of the responsibility," he said.

Key members of AfD have challenged Germany's culture of atonement over World War II and the slaughter of six million Jews in the Holocaust.

More than 70 years after the Holocaust the killing of European Jews still runs deep in relations between Israel and Germany, one of its strongest EU supporters.
Ri Yong-ho says in response to Donald Trumps comments North Korea has every right to make counter-measures, including shooting down US bombers

North Korea has threatened to shoot down US bombers in international airspace, claiming that, with a weekend tweet, Donald Trump had declared war.

The North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong-ho said: The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country. He referred in particular to Trumps tweet on Sunday that warned that the regimes leaders wont be around much longer.

In his first address to the UN last Tuesday, Trump had also warned that if the US and its allies were attacked, he would totally destroy North Korea. Ri said the UN and the international community had hoped that the war of words between the two countries would not turn into real action.

However, last weekend Trump claimed that our leadership wont be around much longer, and hence at last he declared war on our country, Ri said, speaking to journalists through an interpreter outside the UN general assembly in New York. Given the fact that this came from someone who holds the seat of the US presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war.

Ri added: Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make counter-measures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country.

The question of who wont be around much longer will be answered then.

The US denied it had declared war but warned it had military options if North Korea does take further provocative actions.

Frankly, the suggestion of that is absurd, said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Our goal is still the same: we continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, she said. Thats our focus  doing that through both the most maximum economic and diplomatic pressures as possible at this point.

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Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the state department, said The United States has not declared war on North Korea. We continue to seek a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. No nation has the right to fire on other nations aircraft or ships in international airspace or waters.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said it had the right to fly sorties off the North Korean coast and would continue to do so. Col Robert Manning, a defence department spokesman said that the US had weighed military options in confronting the threat from North Korea.

If North Korea does not stop their provocative actions  we will make sure that we provide options to the president to deal with North Korea, Manning said.

Ris threat came after a week in which tensions between the US and North Korea escalated rapidly, with an exchange of insults between Trump and Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, and which culminated in Trumps Sunday tweet and a sortie by US B-1B heavy bombers escorted by fighter planes off the North Korean coast  the first time this century that US warplanes have flown north of the demilitarized zone that has separated North and South Korea since the 1950-53 war.

The US and North Korea have remained at war ever since, formally speaking. There was no peace treaty, and a UN armistice has remained in force since 1953.

Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

North Korea claims its national airspace as more than 50 miles off its coast, while the US recognizes only the international norm of 12 nautical miles. It is not clear how close Saturdays flight came to the North Korean coast.

Nor is it entirely clear whether Pyongyangs anti-aircraft missiles could shoot down a US bomber. Its KN-06 missiles have an estimated range of nearly 100 miles, but it is not known whether it has the means to target and hit an offshore target.

It is easier to prevent penetration than strike an aircraft that is offshore. The US military will be calibrating how and where it flies, said Adam Mount, a senior fellow at the Centre for American Progress. It will be tough to take shots, but we cant assume that they would fail.

Its difficult to respond to a nuclear test  but if a US aircraft is shot at, there is a straightforward response, and many will want to shoot back at the missile site, Mount added. So a conventional provocation is even more dangerous.

This is not the first time the Pyongyang regime has accused the US of declaring war, and it has previously shot down US aircraft, a navy surveillance plane in 1969, killing 31 servicemen, and an army helicopter in 1994, killing a pilot.

However, experts and officials say the risks of all out war are now substantially greater. North Korea, officially known as the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), has developed and tested a nuclear warhead, probably a hydrogen bomb, and long range missiles, while the leaders of both countries have made the confrontation between their two countries, a personal test of strength.

Vipin Narang, an expert on the Korean peninsula showdown at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said that the Pyongyang regime really hates the B-1B flights. Theyre clearly making the regime nervous about a surprise attack. This is how war by miscalculation starts.

Yesterdays flight went further north than any this century, though still in international airspace east of DPRK, Narang said. But Kim seems to be worried, and reasonably so, that such a flight is exactly how a surprise decapitation or counterforce strike could start. So what we intend as a show of strength could easily be mistaken as a prelude to a surprise attack, forcing Kim to go preemptively.

He said: It is unclear to me what the more aggressive shows of strength achieve  we can deter DPRK and reassure our allies in a multitude of other ways that are less risky and dont throw poison ivy all over Kims itchy finger trigger.

The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, warned that heated rhetoric could only increases the risk of confrontation.

Fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The only solution for this is a political solution.
JEROME  Dr. Joshua Kern originally thought hed stay in Seattle after he finished medical school at the University of Washington.

I really had no idea Id end up in a rural place, he said.

But Kern went to Boise for his family medicine residency. He felt it was the best opportunity to receive top-notch training.

He completed a rotation in Jerome under Dr. James Irwin, a longtime physician in the community. Kern discovered he loved the area and the type of practice. Now, he has been a physician in Jerome for more than nine years.

Its not always that easy, though, to attract physicians to the Magic Valley and the rest of Idaho.

A new report  Most Overworked Nurses and Physicians in America  released Aug. 29 by Medicare Health Plans concludes Idaho has the most overworked physicians in the United States. Its based on the number of providers compared with the population, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Kaiser Family Foundation.

The results: Idaho has the worst physician shortage, with an average of 1.7 doctors for every 1,000 residents. The Gem State didnt make Medicare Health Plans top 10 list for overworked nurses.

A shortage of providers means it could be harder for patients to get in to see a doctor  or their provider is just overwhelmed trying to stay on top of the workload, and dealing with long hours and on-call schedules.

Physicians who work in rural areas often face higher expectations, a lot more responsibility and need to practice a broader spectrum of medicine, Kern said, but noted thats appealing to him.

The report cites low reimbursements for Medicaid patients as another reason doctors may not practice in Idaho and other rural states.

To attract physicians to Idaho, the Rural Physician Incentive Program offers doctors up to $100,000 toward paying off student loans over a four-year period.

Kern said he didnt know about that program when he accepted the job in Jerome, but after getting financial assistance, it made it more appealing to stay.

For St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, recruitment of physicians is a challenge nationwide and we definitely have challenges here, physician services administrator Debbie Kytle said.

Theres a shortage of physicians in both primary care and many specialties, she said. But recruitment efforts have been successful, she added, partly due to being affiliated with the St. Lukes Health System.

St. Lukes Magic Valley has recruited nearly 200 providers in 28 different specialties  including physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants  since it took over the Twin Falls County-owned hospital in 2006. And so far this year, it has recruited about 30 new providers.

Weve had much more success than we used to, Kytle said, about recruiting now versus more than a decade ago. We used to be lucky to get one or two new doctors.

Theres still a physician shortage, though, she said, and part of the challenge is recruiting people to come to rural communities.

Nationwide, 25 percent of the population lives in rural areas, but thats where only 11 percent of physicians practice, Kern said.

In addition to being rural, Idaho ranks near the bottom of the pack for the number of available medical residency training slots, he said. Ultimately, theres a correlation between where a doctor completes a residency and where theyll stay.

The Family Medicine Residency of Idahos Magic Valley rural training track has helped bring doctors to the area for the past seven years for training.

St. Lukes Magic Valley is also addressing the physician shortage partly by developing innovative models of care, Kytle said, such as a team-based approach: pairing a physician up with other health professionals and counselors to care for patients.

Its also using telehealth services such as teleICU, connecting local physicians with intensive care specialists in the Treasure Valley.

And its working on a telehealth initiative to provide remote patient monitoring at their homes, as well as teleneurology and telepsychiatry  two of the most difficult specialties in the country to recruit providers, Kytle said.

Despite the challenges, small community medical centers in Idaho affiliated with St. Lukes have a health system to provide support, she said. It helped create a good environment to practice.

Health system administrators can worry about regulations, changes in medicine, staffing and running a business, Kytle said. The structure has really helped with developing a system so physicians can focus on caring for patients.
North Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Ja Song Nam sits with his team during at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 22, 2017: REUTERS/Stephanie Keith

North Korean officials are reportedly reaching out to Republican-linked experts in an effort to understand Donald Trumps behaviour.

A nuclear-powered standoff has led to intensifying threats and shows of force from both North Korea and the United States. As North Korea has tested increasingly sophisticated missiles, launching multiple projectiles over Japan, Mr Trump has warned the country it could face annihilation.

He threatened to totally destroy the country in a speech to the United Nations and followed up by proclaiming on Twitter that North Korea's ruling regime - lead by Kim Jong-un - wont be around much longer, a threat North Korea framed as an act of war.

Seeking to parse the presidents intentions, members of North Koreas government have tried to arrange contacts with Washington analysts who can illuminate the presidents mindset and explain why he publicly contradicts top administration officials, according to the Washington Post.

Among those whom North Korea contacted was former CIA analyst Bruce Klingner, who told the Post he declined an invitation to visit the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

Theyre on a new binge of reaching out to American scholars and ex-officials, Mr Klingner told the Post.

North Koreans who attended unofficial talks in Switzerland had heavily scrutinised the presidents tweets to the extent they could quote them according to the report. Mr Trump frequently makes surprise policy announcements or undercuts statements from his administration on Twitter. He also used the medium to introduce his his newly coined nickname of Rocket Man for Mr Kim.

While Mr Trump has expressed hope of finding a diplomatic solution to North Korean aggression, echoing the preference of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jingping, his administration has consistently dangled the use of military force as a possibility. His ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said recently that diplomatic options for constraining North Korea are dwindling, with successive rounds of UN sanctions failing to deter the regime's belligerence.
By Steve Holland and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Tuesday that any U.S. military option would be "devastating" for Pyongyang, but said the use of force was not Washington's first option to deal with the country's ballistic and nuclear weapons program. "We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option," Trump said at a White House news conference, referring to military force. "But if we take that option, it will be devastating, I can tell you that, devastating for North Korea. That's called the military option. If we have to take it, we will." Bellicose statements by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in recent weeks have created fears that a miscalculation could lead to action with untold ramifications, particularly since Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3. Despite the increased tension, the United States has not detected any change in North Korea's military posture reflecting an increased threat, the top U.S. military officer said on Tuesday. The assessment by Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, about Pyongyang's military stance was in contrast to a South Korean lawmaker who said Pyongyang had boosted defenses on its east coast. "While the political space is clearly very charged right now, we haven't seen a change in the posture of North Korean forces, and we watch that very closely," Dunford told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his reappointment to his post. In terms of a sense of urgency, "North Korea certainly poses the greatest threat today," Dunford testified. A U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity said satellite imagery had detected a small number of North Korean military aircraft moving to the North's east coast. However the official said the activity did not change their assessment of Pyongyang's military posture. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday accused Trump of declaring war on the North and threatened that Pyongyang would shoot down U.S. warplanes flying near the Korean Peninsula after American bombers flew close to it last Saturday. Ri was reacting to Trump's Twitter comments that Kim and Ri "won't be around much longer" if they acted on their threats toward the United States. North Korea has been working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, which Trump has said he will never allow. Dunford said Pyongyang will have a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile "soon," and it was only a matter of a "very short time". "We clearly have postured our forces to respond in the event of a provocation or a conflict," the general said, adding that the United States has taken "all proper measures to protect our allies" including South Korean and Japan. "It would be an incredibly provocative thing for them to conduct a nuclear test in the Pacific as they have suggested, and I think the North Korean people would have to realize how serious that would be, not only for the United States but for the international community," Dunford said. South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol-uoo, briefed by the country's spy agency, said North Korea was bolstering its defenses by moving aircraft to its east coast and taking other measures after the flight by U.S. bombers. Lee said the United States appeared to have disclosed the flight route intentionally because North Korea seemed to be unaware. U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, escorted by fighter jets, flew east of North Korea in a show of force after the heated exchange of rhetoric between Trump and Kim. The United States has imposed sanctions on 26 people as part of its non-proliferation designations for North Korea and nine banks, including some with ties to China, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office Of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions said on Tuesday. The U.S. sanctions target people in North Korea and some North Korean nationals in China, Russia, Libya and Dubai, according to a list posted on the agency's website. 'CAPABILITY TO DETER' U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit China from Thursday to Saturday for talks with senior officials that will include the crisis over North Korea and trade, the State Department said on Tuesday. Evans Revere, a former senior diplomat who met with a North Korean delegation in Switzerland this month, said that Pyongyang had been reaching out to "organizations and individuals" to encourage talks with former U.S. officials to get a sense of the Trump administration's thinking. "They've also been accepting invitations to attend dialogues hosted by others, including the Swiss and the Russians," he said. Revere said his best guess for why the North Koreans were doing this was because they were "puzzled by the unconventional way that President Trump has been handling the North Korea issue" and were eager to use "informal and unofficial meetings to gain a better understanding of what is motivating Trump and his administration". During a visit to India, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said diplomatic efforts continued. Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said war on the Korean Peninsula would have no winner. "We hope the U.S. and North Korean politicians have sufficient political judgment to realize that resorting to military force will never be a viable way to resolve the peninsula issue and their own concerns," Lu said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged Kim Jong Un to resume military talks and reunions of families split by the 1950-53 Korean War to ease tension. "Like I've said multiple times before, if North Korea stops its reckless choices, the table for talks and negotiations always remains open," Moon said. In Moscow, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was working behind the scenes to find a political solution and that it plans to hold talks with a representative of North Korea's foreign ministry who is due to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday, the RIA news agency cited the North's embassy to Russia as saying. The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce and not a peace treaty. (Additional reporting by Christine Kim in SEOUL, Christian Shepherd in BEIJING Michelle Nichols at the UNITED NATIONS, Dmitry Solovyov in MOSCOW, Malini Menon in NEW DELHI and Doina Chiacu, David Alexander, Susan Heavey, David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick in WASHINGTON; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Grant McCool and James Dalgleish)
(UNITED NATIONS)  North Koreas top diplomat said Monday that President Donald Trumps tweet that leader Kim Jong Un wont be around much longer was a declaration of war against his country by the United States.

Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that what he called Trumps declaration of war gives North Korea every right under the U.N. Charter to self-defense and to take countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers even when theyre not yet inside the airspace border of our country.

It was not the first time North Korea has spoken about a declaration of war between the two countries. In July 2016, Pyongyang said U.S. sanctions imposed on Kim were a declaration of war.

Ri referred Monday to Trumps tweet Saturday that said: Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer! Trump also used the derisive Rocket Man reference to Kim in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 19, but this time he added the word little.

A senior Trump administration official said Monday that the U.S. policy is not regime change. The official was not authorized to comment publicly on the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The foreign ministers brief statement to a throng of reporters outside his hotel before heading off in a motorcade, reportedly to return home, built on the escalating rhetoric between Kim and Trump.

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea, Trump had told world leaders. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

Kim responded with the first-ever direct statement from a North Korean leader against a U.S. president, lobbing a string of insults at Trump and calling him a mentally deranged U.S. dotard, a word to describe an old person who is weak-minded.

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Trump responded by tweeting that Kim is obviously a madman who doesnt mind starving or killing his people. Kim retorted that Trump would pay dearly for his threat to destroy North Korea and said his country will consider the highest level of hard-line countermeasures in history.

Asked about countermeasures, Ri then told reporters in New York that I think it could be the most powerful detonation of an H-bomb in the Pacific.

In his speech Saturday to the General Assembly, Ri said Trumps rocket man insult makes our rockets visit to the entire U.S. mainland inevitable all the more.

None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission, Ri had said. In case innocent lives of the U.S. are lost because of this suicide attack, Trump will be held totally responsible.

On Monday, Ri escalated the threat.

He opened his remarks to reporters in Korean by saying that over the last few days, the U.N. and the international community clearly have wished that the war of words between the DPRK and the United States will not turn into real action.

DPRK refers to the Norths official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

However, that weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldnt be around much longer, and  he declared the war on our country, Ri said.

Given the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of (the) United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war, the foreign minister said.

He said all U.N. members and the world should clearly remember that it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country.

Ri then said North Korea now has the right to retaliate against U.S. bombers.

He ended his brief remarks by saying: The question of who wont be around much longer will be answered then.
President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un arent on the best terms. After the North conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3, the United States and the United Nations passed sanctions against the reclusive nation, which has stoked an ever-escalating war of words between Trump and Kim.

On Monday, North Koreas Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said the U.S.s decision to fly bombers in international airspace to the east of North Korea, along with a series of tweets Trump posted over the weekend saying that North Korea wont be around much longer, amounted to a declaration of war.

Needless to say, the saber rattling, coupled with North Koreas stated objective of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, have plenty of people on edge.

And nowhere is that clearer than in the number of nuclear fallout shelters being purchased here in the U.S.

Were probably upwards of 1,000% from this time last year, Gary Lynch, general manager of Rising S Company said of the number of bunkers his company has sold in 2017.

A size for everyone (sort of)

Texas-based Rising S Company, whose tagline is Safe until the rising sun, a nod to the Christian belief that the Second Coming of Christ will precede the end of the world, offers bunkers in a variety of price ranges. The base model is an 8 x 12-foot mini bunker for $39,500 while the top-of-the-line The Aristocrat luxury bunker, which features a bowling alley, gym, gun range, green house, pool and garage, goes for $8,350,000.

More people are buying their own private bunkers to protect themselves from the threat of a nuclear war.

Sharon Packer, CEO of Utah-based Underground Shelters USA, says her company has seen sales of bunkers triple this year, with a significant increase taking place in the last six months. Packer, a nuclear engineer, says her companys shelters can survive being within 1/4 of a mile from the blast crater of a 1-megaton nuclear bomb.

Undergrounds best-selling shelter costs about $70,000 and gets you about 32 x 10 feet of space. Packer says youd be able to stay in one of her companys shelters for as long as you have access to clean water.

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Brian Duvaul, sales manager with American Safe Room, a bunker company based in Oregon, explained that sales generally slow down around fall and winter as the ground becomes difficult to dig, but that so far this fall, sales are looking up.

The reason?

Definitely North Korea, Duvaul said. Everyone is saying North Korea.

In the winter and going into the fall, we see fewer people wanting to dig a big hole. This fall we havent seen a slow down. In fact, we have an increase.

One of Rising S Companys bunkers comes with a gun storage room.

Japan is buying more

Of course, the fear of nuclear war is far more real closer to North Korea, particularly in Japan, which has seen two missiles from the communist country pass through its airspace and is the only nation to ever be attacked with nuclear weapons.

According to Lynch, Rising S Company has seen a surge of interest from Japanese purchasers.

Most of these shelters are being exported to Japan, Lynch said. We just took an order for 300 shelters going to Japan.

Packer noted a similar trend, saying that her company has had requests for shelters from Japan, and is currently in contract negotiations with purchasers in the country.

Hopefully, though, these shelters will end up being nothing more than expensive storage spaces for holiday decorations 11 months out of the year and never used for their intended purposes.

More from Dan:

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
An officer in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's elite military security force was found shot dead on Tuesday inside the sprawling presidential compound, an official said.

Major Harin Gonzaga, 37, was found by his wife with a gunshot wound to the heart inside his room in the Malacanang compound in Manila, said Brigadier General Lope Dagoy, head of the Presidential Security Group.

Dagoy said there were no initial signs of foul play or any indication of a struggle but police were still investigating.

The incident took place far from Duterte's residence inside the compound, Dagoy said, adding that even other members of the security force were unaware of the shooting until Gonzaga's wife found the body.

The wife, who is a sergeant in the security force, said the couple were not facing any problems apart from Gonzaga's heavy workload, Dagoy told reporters.

Gonzaga was in charge of the security force's operations and was not one of the president's personal guards, he added.

Duterte was elected in a landslide last year on a vow to eradicate illegal drugs in society by killing up to 100,000 traffickers and addicts.

Since he assumed office 15 months ago police have reported killing more than 3,800 people in anti-drug operations, with many more killed in mysterious circumstances.

Despite criticism from human rights groups, he still enjoys widespread support among Filipinos who see him as a charismatic anti-establishment politician and their best hope of reducing crime and corruption.
By Tom Allard MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) - With a grimace, Brigadier General Melquiades Ordiales of the Philippines 1st Marine Brigade recounted the painful gains made against Islamist militants in Marawi City. "It took us one week from this point to that point, to cross that street," he said, casting his eyes to the other side of a two-lane road in the heart of the southern Philippines city, lined by three-storey buildings shattered by air strikes and the remaining walls riddled with bullet holes. "It was really very, very tough." The grinding urban warfare that has destroyed much of the grandly named Sultan Omar Dianalan Boulevard shows just how much of a threat Islamic State is to the Philippines and potentially other countries in the Southeast Asian region. But when the fighting started, Philippine authorities were unfazed. After the Islamic State-backed militants took over large parts of picturesque, lakeside Marawi in May, the country's defense minister, Delfin Lorenzana, predicted the entire conflict would be over in one week. Now, after four months of intense aerial bombardment and house-by-house battles, Philippine commanders believe they are in the final stages of the operation to oust the rebels from the city. In the past two weeks, military officials say they have conquered three militant bastions, including a mosque, and restricted about 60 remaining guerrillas to about 10 devastated city blocks in the business district. Patrols have been increased on the lake to prevent the supply of armaments and recruits to the holed-up militants. HIGH-POWERED WEAPONS Military officers who have skirmished for years with Islamic insurgents in the southern Philippines say the battle in Marawi has been more intense and difficult than earlier encounters. The Islamic State militants are better armed, with high-powered weapons, night vision goggles, the latest sniper scopes and surveillance drones, said Captain Arnel Carandang, of the Philippines Army First Scout Ranger Battalion. He said he has served for almost a decade in the remote jungles and mountains of Mindanao, the southern Philippines region that has long been wracked by insurgencies. Now, Carandang says, the military is in unfamiliar urban terrain. The militants have exploited the battlefield to their advantage and held off Philippines forces despite a 10-to-1 numerical advantage for the government troops. Borrowing heavily from Islamic State tactics in the Iraqi city of Mosul, they have surrounded themselves with hostages and used snipers and a network of tunnels. Marawi's underground drainage system and "rat holes" - crevices in the walls of high floors allowing access to adjacent buildings - have enabled the rebels to evade bombs and remain undetected, soldiers at the battlefront said. "We believe there have been some foreign terrorists that have been directing their operations that's why they are, how do I define this, really good," said Carandang. "We have seen some cadavers of foreigners. Some are white, some are black and some tall people we guess are Asians (from outside the Philippines). We have been hearing in their transmissions some English speaking terrorists." SCAVENGE FOR FOOD Hostages - many of them Christians - have been deployed to build improvised explosive devices, scavenge for food and weapons in the heat of battle and fight for the Islamist rebels, according to those who escaped. "When we were first moved to the mosque, there were more than 200 of us," an escaped hostage, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, told Reuters last week. "We gradually became fewer. People would go on errands but they wouldn't come back. They either escaped or died. By the time I left, there were only about 100 of us." The account could not be verified, but military officials confirmed the man escaped from Marawi in early August. The hostage said the militants were excited by their successes in Marawi, speaking often of the advantages of urban warfare and talking about some of their next possible targets, including other cities in Mindanao and the Philippines capital Manila. "They said they could hide well in the cities. They can get civilians to become hostages and it's more difficult in the mountains with only the soldiers," he said. Many of the fighters are young recruits, who are fanatical and accomplished fighters, the soldiers said. "By the way they move and their tactics, you can see they've been trained," said Colonel Jose Maria Cuerpo, deputy commander of the 103rd Brigade fighting in Marawi. For a description of how Mindanao youngsters are recruited by militants, click on [nL3N1KB1Z5] PROPOSAL REBUFFED Much of this bloodshed could have been avoided, local political leaders told Reuters. Naguib Sinarimbo, a Muslim leader who has negotiated between the military and Islamic separatists for years, said he and other elders had urged the armed forces to allow militias and rival Islamist groups to take the lead in ousting the Islamic State militants. The groups were familiar with Marawi's terrain and, through family and clan links, could influence many of the fighters to lay down their weapons, they told the armed forces. The proposal was rebuffed, Sinarimbo said. Air power, the military assured them, was the path to a quick win. Zia Alonto Adiong, a provincial politician, said the military also had doubts about the loyalty of some of the "political personalities" offering to provide their militias to push out the fighters. The result was a city in ruins, hundreds of thousands of residents displaced and "emboldened" Islamists, Sinarimbo said. "They proceeded with the aerial bombing but they didn't take the city," Sinarimbo said. "The military lost authority." In addition, the devastation of the city will play into militants' hands, creating resentment and further radicalising many youngsters, he said. Marawi residents in evacuation centers or staying with relatives elsewhere are becoming increasingly frustrated, said Adiong, who is a spokesman for the local government's crisis management authority. Some residents were disappointed and angry that requests for a moratorium on bank loan repayments had not been met, he told Reuters. Philippines central bank governor Nestor Espenilla told Reuters legislation would be needed for a debt moratorium and was being studied. Mindanao has long been marred by the decades of Muslim hostility to rule from Manila. After years fighting insurgent groups and then long negotiations, the government signed an agreement in 2014 to give Muslim majority areas in Mindanao autonomy. But the deal has been long delayed. "This part of the Philippines is fertile ground to plant violent extremism," Adiong said. "There is a narrative of social injustice that is strong. Young people are fed up with the peace process and nothing concrete or sustainable has developed." "[The militants] use this as the basis to entice people, to get support of the local people." LAST STAND? In Marawi, some in the armed forces are hopeful that at least some militants will surrender and hand over between 45 to 50 civilian captives. Carandang, the Scout Rangers captain, however said indications were the rebels are preparing for a bloody final stand. "We are monitoring the enemy's transmissions and it's like during these final days they are being more fanatical," he said. "Transmissions indicate they are preparing for suicide bombings." An unused suicide vest was discovered this month in Marawis Grand Mosque, a former stronghold of the militants, government sources told Reuters. Suicide attacks are rare in the Philippines despite decades of Islamist insurgency. "That's the difference between here and Syria and Iraq," said Ordiales, the marine general. "It's almost the same war tactics and fighting tactics, the one thing that's not the same is the human bomb or the suicide bombing. "It hasn't happened, not yet." (Additional reporting by Martin Petty in Marawi City and Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
The parents of Otto Warmbier  the 22-year-old college student who spent more than a year imprisoned in North Korea and died days after returning home with a severe brain injury  say the world must recognize the rogue nation as a state sponsor of terror.

Fred and Cindy Warmbier spoke out Tuesday for the first time since Otto Warmbiers death during an interview with Fox & Friends, condemning Pyongyang officials over the brutal mistreatment of their son.

It was astounding to Cindy and I to discover that North Korea is not listed as a state sponsor of terror, Fred Warmbier said. We owe it to the world to list North Korea as a state sponsor of terror.

WATCH: Fred and Cindy Warmbier speak out for the first time since the death of their son Otto | @ainsleyearhardt pic.twitter.com/foKsrRPv6U  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) September 26, 2017

Roughly three months after Otto Warmbiers death, a verbal war continues to escalate between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. The two leaders have exchanged personal insults and threats of military action as the Kim regime continues to test missiles and advance nuclear capabilities.

Now we see North Korea claiming to be a victim and that the world is picking on them, Fred Warmbier said. And were here to tell you North Korea is not a victim. Theyre terrorists. They kidnapped Otto. They tortured him.

The Warmbiers also opened up about seeing their son for the first time after his release from North Korean custody, offering new  and, at times, disturbing  details about his condition.

Fred Warmbier described a howling, involuntary, inhuman sound as he and his family walked up the steps of the plane that transported their son back to the U.S. from North Korea.

Otto was on the stretcher ... and he was jerking violently, making these inhuman sounds, Warmbier said. Otto had a shaved head. He had a feeding tube coming out of his nose. He was staring blankly into space ... He was blind. He was deaf. ... It looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth.

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Warmbier said his son also had a high fever and a large scar on his right foot.

American student Otto Frederick Warmbier arrives at a court for his trial in Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, on March 16, 2016. (Photo: Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

They destroyed him, Cindy Warmbier added. No mother, no parent, should ever have gone through what we went through. And the fact that Otto was alone all that time, with no one to comfort him, is inexcusable.

Otto Warmbier, a former University of Virginia student, was touring North Korea with a group in January 2016 when he was accused of stealing a propaganda poster from a hotel. He made a tearful courtroom confession and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. North Korean officials claim Warmbier wasnt tortured, but U.S. intelligence reports say he was badly beaten in custody.

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Three Israelis were killed and another reportedly wounded when a Palestinian gunman opened fire at a check point near Har Adar, a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday morning, September 26.

The gunman, named as 37-year-old Nimer Jamal, was shot and killed at the scene. In a cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Jamals home would be demolished and Israeli work permits revoked for his extended family.

Those killed were identified as two security guards, and a member of the Israeli border police, Credit: Facebook/Israel Police via Storyful
The Pentagon has said it will provide options for Donald Trump to tackle North Korea if the isolated regime continues with its provocative actions.

The comment from the Pentagon on Monday came shortly after North Koreas foreign minister threatened to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even if they were outside the regimes airspace.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning told Reuters on Monday: If North Korea does not stop their provocative actions, you know, we will make sure that we provide options to the president to deal with North Korea.

There were no further details as to what options Trump would be given, but the administration has made it clear that military action is not off the table.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday said President Donald Trump had "clearly" declared war on Pyongyang, as tensions between the U.S. and the isolated nation continued to escalate.

Last weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership would [not] be around much longer and has at last...declared a war on our country, Ri told reporters Monday.

The U.N. charter stipulates individual member states' rights to self-defensesince the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, he added, saying they included "the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when theyre not yet inside the airspace border of our country."

The exchange of barbed comments and direct threats comes after North Korea fired missiles over Japan on several occasions. It also recently announced the successful test of a hydrogen bomb that could be fitted to a long-range missile.

In a time of escalating stress, Trump has made a number of outspoken comments about North Korea, stating that the U.S. would respond to threats from Pyongyang with fire and fury. He used his U.N. address to refer to leader Kim Jong-un as Rocket Man and stated that Kim was on a suicide mission.

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By Pawel Sobczak WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish President Andrzej Duda unveiled proposals on Monday for judiciary reform that is viewed by the European Union and critics of the government as a crucial gauge of Warsaw's adherence to rule-of-law standards. Duda, an ally of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, unexpectedly vetoed its overhaul of the judiciary in July after the proposals triggered nationwide protests and raised EU and U.S. concerns about a politicization of the courts. The eurosceptic PiS says reform of the judicial system is needed because the courts are slow, inefficient and steeped in a communist-era mentality, but critics of the plans say the new rules are part of a bigger drive toward authoritarianism. It is unclear to what extent Duda's alternative draft legislation will allay critics' concerns or meet government expectations, but both sides may need to compromise for the laws to be agreed. The PiS's powerful leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, held a meeting with Duda on Friday and emerged to declare himself "optimistic". "The road to an agreement is open and I don't think it will be a particularly difficult road," Kaczynski was quoted as saying by state-controlled broadcaster TVP. Under the vetoed reforms, all current Supreme Court judges would have been removed immediately unless they had the approval of the justice minister, who is also prosecutor general. Parliament, meanwhile, would have been granted the right to name most of the National Council of the Judiciary, which would nominate future candidates to preside over the Supreme Court. Any progress or otherwise is being watched closely in Brussels, where other EU members are considering potential punishment for the nationalist PiS cabinet over democratic standards. EU PRESSURE The EU is applying mounting pressure on the PiS and a meeting of EU ministers on Monday aims to measure the appetite for unprecedented action against Warsaw. Since coming to power, PiS has not only increased government influence over the courts but has also brought prosecutors and state media under direct government control and introduced some restrictions on public gathering. It denies retreating on democracy. It argues that it has a broad mandate to implement reforms and that its policies aim to improve a poorly functioning state, bolster Poland's standing in the global arena, preserve its conservative values and correct mistakes by previous governments that were too dependent on foreign influence. In proposing his own judiciary rules, Duda is likely to weigh their potential impact on his re-election prospects in 2020. Though he remains Poland's most popular politician, with approval ratings of more than 70 percent, Duda may need PiS support to win enough votes. Opposition politicians remained skeptical whether his proposals will address concerns. Ryszard Petru, head of the liberal Nowoczesna party, said on Saturday that he expects Duda's rules to amount to "another attempt at subordinating and threatening the courts", according to state news agency PAP. Jaroslaw Flis, a sociologist at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, said the rift between Duda and the government was "an internal power struggle" among Poland's conservatives. "Duda knows his legislative proposals need PiS support, but PiS also needs him. They cannot push anything through without the president," Flis said. (Additional reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Writing by Justyna Pawlak; Editing by David Goodman)
As a state, the most important battle we will wage is for the talent who can move our workplaces and economy forward. Investing in the talent we already have within our borders is paramount to these efforts. Keeping Idahos best and brightest in our state, and supporting them as they seek the education they need to succeed in a 21st century workforce, is the greatest gift we can give to future generations.

This calling has been at the core of the Idaho Governors Cup Scholarship program since its founding in 1974. Gov. Cecil D Andrus recognized the need for a program that carried the weight of the states highest office to shine the spotlight on Idahos kids and their potential.

In the decades since, hundreds have benefited from the investment and generosity of Idaho companies, community organizations and leaders who step up to sponsor this event year after year. In the past decade alone, 250-plus students from every corner of the state have received Governors Cup scholarships which provide $3,000 a year for up to four years for academic recipients and $3,000 a year for up to three years for students who attend career technical education programs in Idaho.

Its a tradition with an honorable mission. Under the leadership and commitment of Idaho Govs. Cecil Andrus, John Evans, Phil Batt, Dirk Kempthorne, Jim Risch, and now C.L. Butch Otter, hundreds of outstanding students have stayed in Idaho for their higher education, benefiting us all through their skill, drive and ambition.

The scholarship can be life-changing, as 2015 recipient and current College of Idaho senior Natash Dacic noted, I would not have been able to attend such a great college in Idaho and be the first to go to college in my family, build those meaningful connections, and develop the leadership and team working skills that I have built if it wasnt for scholarships like the Idaho Governors Cup.

Were extremely proud to share that this year the Governors Cup program broke fundraising records  bringing in $1.2 million through our event in Sun Valley Sept. 7-9. Due to the passion and commitment of our sponsors and attendees, 38 students were awarded academic and professional technical scholarships as part of the 2017 class. And the future is bright for 2018.

In honor of the great statesman who started this non-profit scholarship program, and to his commitment to education in Idaho, the Governors Cup is proud to have created a Cecil D. Andrus Excellence in Education Scholarship which will be awarded starting in 2018 to an Idaho senior who is planning to attend an Idaho education institution to pursue a career as an educator.

It is up to all of us to continue to make investments in education; and make investments in our next generation. Their  and Idahos  future depends on it. To learn more about the amazing students who are furthering their education through this scholarship program, visit www.idahogovernorscup.org/scholarship.

It is up to all of us to continue to make investments in education; and make investments in our next generation. Their  and Idahos  future depends on it. To learn more about the amazing students who are furthering their education through this scholarship program, visit www.idahogovernorscup.org/scholarship.
President Trump's Make America Great Again Committee emailed supporters last week for feedback on the first lady.

The email contained a three-part questionnaire asking participants about how favorably they viewed Melania Trump and solicited feedback on whether or not they felt she should assume a more public role in the White House.

RELATED: Donald and Melania Trump through the years



"The mainstream media has been publishing polls showing the American peoples strong support for first lady Melania Trump. Even the media cant deny her poise,class and patriotism. We want to be sure that an accurate portrayal of Melania Trumps support is given," the email read.

This is not the first time the president's campaign committee has created its own poll. Last year, the Trump team asked supporters to take a 30-item Mainstream Media Accountability Survey, featuring questions like, "If Donald Trump said or did half of the things Hillary Clinton has, the media would effectively end his candidacy."

However, Thursdays Approval Poll for Melania Trump was the first survey centered around the first lady to be distributed by the committee.

SEE ALSO: Trump says he's groped Melania Trump in public, thinks Ivanka Trump 'looks down' on him in archived interviews

The email was reportedly sent out the same day CNN released a poll in which Melania Trump was named the most popular person in the White House.

According to the outlet's data, 44 percent of respondents said they had a favorable opinion of the first lady whereas Donald Trump and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, both shared a 41 percent favorable rating among those polled.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.  After a weekend of watching athletes and musicians take to their knees in shows of peaceful protests across the country, its hard to deny the impact of certain public figures standing up for what they believe in.

Its a shame that sometimes artists are the role models, Ahmir Khalib Thompson, known to many as Questlove of The Roots, told HuffPost in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Sunday. Its a shame that oftentimes celebrities are the ones that have to be a voice of reason instead of politicians and the people we pay our money to enforce laws. And its a shame it still has to happen in 2017 ... But its very necessary.

Thompson was in Virginia to perform at A Concert For Charlottesville, a celebration of music and unity featuring The Dave Matthews Band, Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande and Stevie Wonder, among others. The artists performed for tens of thousands of members of the Charlottesville and University of Virginia communities just a month after an outbreak of race-related violence claimed the lives of three people in the city.

Several of the nights performers delivered messages of solidarity and encouraged fans to speak out against expressions of hatred. Both Pharrell and Timberlake knelt onstage, following in the footsteps of Wonder, who took to both knees during a concert in New York City the day before in support of Colin Kaepernicks protests against racial injustice in America.

Welp. Peaceful protesting is just about the most considerate thing one can do when those in power refuse to listen/believe/acknowledge pain. https://t.co/jo90DcN6LD  Questlove Gomez (@questlove) September 24, 2017

For Thompson, its important that entertainers be on the right side of history, but hes also cautious when it comes to assuming that celebrities are the kinds of public figures we should look to for answers in times of uncertainty.

I dont see why we as a country put weight on entertainers when we should be putting weight on people who make the decisions. I want people to put weight on the Koch brothers, he said.

I was kind of hoping that during the Obama era, especially the way that the campaign was so organic and so local in 2007 ... I was kind of hoping that, finally, the idea of celebrity is going to have diminished returns and community leaders and small groups of people will become their own movement, he added.

As a member of house band for The Tonight Show, Thompson has watched firsthand as celebrities like Jimmy Fallon have engaged in public discussions of politics.

Even though The Tonight Show isnt a political show, its my responsibility to stand up against intolerance and extremism as a human being, Fallon said in his monologue on Aug. 14. What happened over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, was just disgusting. [...] The fact that it took the president two days to clearly denounce racists and white supremacists is shameful.

Its important for everyone, especially white people in this country, to speak out against this, he concluded. Ignoring it is just as bad as supporting it.

In the end, Thompson certainly sees the value in speaking out, and praises late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, Samantha Bee and Stephen Colbert for doing so.

But again, he asked, why are entertainers the ones with the answers?

Thompson onstage during A Concert for Charlottesville at University of Virginia's Scott Stadium. (Photo: Gino DePinto Oath)

Related...

A Defiant Pharrell Takes Two Knees At Charlottesville Unity Concert

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Four-year-old Leo Griffin leaves an Aug. 13 Chicago protest that mourned the victims of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the day before.

People hold signs at a vigil on Aug. 13 in Chicago for the victims in the previous day's violent clashes in Charlottesville.

People gather in downtown Chicago on Aug. 13 to protest the alt-right movement and to mourn Heather Heyer, who was killed in Charlottesville when a car plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters.

Demonstrators hold signs outside the White House on Aug. 13 during a vigil in response to the death of a counterprotester in the Aug. 12 "Unite the Right" rally.

A woman writes "Silence is Compliance" with a chalk on the ground at Federal Plaza Square in Chicago during an Aug. 13 protest in response to the violence that erupted in Charlottesville.

People gather in downtown Chicago on Aug. 13 to protest the alt-right movement.

Ahead of President Donald Trump's visit, about 400 demonstrators on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower in New York attend a rally protesting the violence in Charlottesville.

A demonstrator holds a banner reading "Only 1 Side Love" during a protest at Federal Plaza Square in Chicago on Aug. 13.

People gather in front of the White House to hold a vigil on Aug. 13, one day after the violence in Charlottesville.

A demonstrator holds a banner reading "Hate Has No Home Here. Love Will Win" during an Aug. 13 protest at Federal Plaza Square in Chicago.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Just hours after a third Republican senator came out against the latest health care proposal, all but guaranteeing its defeat, GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy defended it during a televised debate with independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on CNN.

Graham and Cassidy, the namesakes of the latest Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, spent the night repeating their talking points about the law signed by President Obama in 2010. Its about Obamacare failing, Graham said. Its not working and its never going to work.

But the Graham-Cassidy bill was on thin ice as of Monday night. Protests marred a hearing on the bill before the Senate Finance Committee. A preliminary Congressional Budget Office analysis estimated that the deficit would be reduced by $133 million between 2017 and 2026, but noted that millions would lose insurance.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins decision to vote no on the bill, along with Sens. John McCain and Rand Paul, meant that the GOP majority in the upper chamber lacks the votes needed to pass the bill on a simple majority basis before a Sept. 30 deadline. But at Monday nights debate, Graham vowed to press on.

Were going to press on, he said. Its OK to vote, its OK to fall short if you do for an idea you believe in.

Every Senator on the CNN stage Monday night agreed that something needs to be done to fix the U.S. health care system, but Sanders and Klobuchar took the opportunity to both express their discontent with the existing legislative proposal and call for a bipartisan solution for health care.

The Minnesota Democrat noted that the widespread opposition to the proposal and excoriated the impact the bill would have on those with pre-existing conditions and women seeking services from Planned Parenthood.

Sanders largely used the platform given to him by CNN to call for a single-payer health plan that would provide Medicare for all. He also called for a bipartisan, short-term solution to existing health care issues.

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Klobuchar, who began the debate by speaking to her personal experience dealing with a sick baby as a new mother, echoed McCains calls for regular order and championed the bipartisan approach of leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray.

As the debate raged on, President Trump waded into the health care discussion sharing a six-minute video of McCain talking about repealing the Affordable Care Act.

A few of the many clips of John McCain talking about Repealing & Replacing O'Care. My oh my has he changed-complete turn from years of talk! pic.twitter.com/t9cXG2Io86  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

But with tears in his eyes, Graham defended his longtime friend, who is recovering from cancer, despite the fact that McCains lack of support may have killed the bill.

John McCain can do whatever the damn he wants to, Graham said. Hes earned that right.
By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - In 2008, in a fit of pique over Angela Merkel's cautious response to the global financial crisis, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, lashed out at his German counterpart. "While France is acting, Germany is just thinking about it," Sarkozy seethed. Nearly a decade later, after an election that has weakened Merkel and vaulted a new far-right party into the German parliament, European fears of a risk-averse, inward-looking Germany are back. "If you are sitting in other European capitals, you are watching nervously," said Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank in London. "Merkel's room to take conciliatory positions, to play a leadership role and to move Europe forward has narrowed." Back in 2008, the complexity of the fast-moving financial crisis and an aversion to big stimulus measures made Merkel cautious. This time, domestic politics is the driver. At a time when new French President Emmanuel Macron is pressing Merkel to work with him to reshape Europe and Brexit negotiations with Britain are nearing crunch time, the German chancellor faces months of difficult coalition negotiations that could lead to a dead-end. If she is able to cobble together a three-way coalition with the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) and environmentalist Greens -- her only option for now -- it would almost surely be a less stable construction than her current government. This new coalition would have to cope with a more confrontational opposition in the Bundestag, led by Merkel's bitter outgoing partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), and the disruptive Alternative for Germany (AfD), the first far-right party to sit in parliament in over half a century. The weakness of Merkel's conservative bloc -- its score of 32.9 percent was the lowest since 1949 -- and the strength of the AfD is a result of her decision in 2015 to allow hundreds of thousands of refugees into Germany. That has hurt her standing within her own party and spooked her Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), who bled support to the AfD in Sunday's vote. The CSU is likely to be an even more difficult partner for Merkel than the FDP and Greens. "Merkel presided over the entry into the Bundestag of an extreme right wing party and that is an indictment of sorts. It has weakened her, without a doubt," said Niblett. NOT GOING AWAY Europe's political establishment entered 2017 concerned that the populist tsunami that led to Brexit in Britain and Donald Trump's election win in United States would sweep over the continent. Instead, the Dutch backed liberal incumbent Mark Rutte over far-right firebrand Geert Wilders and the French chose the unabashedly pro-European centrist Macron over Marine Le Pen. In Germany on Sunday, the political center also held. Parties of the center-right and center-left won over 73 percent against roughly 22 percent for the far-right AfD and hard-left Linke. But the vote was also a reminder to Europe that the populists are not going away. And it exposed cracks in the "pillar of stability" that Germany and Merkel have come to represent in perhaps the most challenging decade for Europe since World War Two. "The German election was a double blow from a European perspective," said Pascal Lamy, the former head of the World Trade Organization (WTO). "On the one hand, Merkel who has come to exemplify stability, has emerged politically weakened. On the other, anti-European forces have gained." Some people in Berlin and other capitals are describing the result as the beginning of the end of the Merkel era. Although she pledged on Monday to serve a full four-year term, many expect her to hand over to a successor in two to three years. Carsten Brzeski, chief economist for Germany at ING, said on Monday that the election result could turn Merkel into a "lame duck" much faster than anyone anticipated. Officials in Paris and other capitals suggested the next big European reform may have to be done without her. Others expressed concern about the direction Germany could take in the post-Merkel era. BIG RISKS Those fears are probably overdone. Merkel is a survivor who is at her best when mediating between different camps, as she will have to do over the coming months if she wants to convince disparate parties like the CSU, Greens and FDP to work together. While agreeing a reform of the euro zone with Macron has become more challenging because of the FDP's hardline views, other priorities, such as European defense cooperation, may become easier with the Social Democrats (SPD) out of government, advisers to the French president note. Senior officials at the European Commission say months of German coalition talks could actually provide the space needed for Macron's ideas to gain traction. Still, the negotiations carry risks. After twelve years in power, Merkel has gained a reputation for smothering her coalition partners. The CSU and the SPD were the victims in Sunday's election. Four years ago it was the FDP, which was booted out of parliament for the first time in the post-war era after serving as her junior partner. This will lead all of her potential partners to push a hard bargain. "Failing to form a stable majority government would probably spell the end of (Merkel's) chancellorship. And, more broadly, it could usher in a new period of political chaos," former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer said in a Project Syndicate commentary on Tuesday. "No one should wish that on Germany  or on Europe." (Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Peter Maushagen and Robin Emmott in Brussels, Ingrid Melander and Marine Pennetier in Paris, Crispian Balmer in Rome; editing by Anna Willard)
WASHINGTON  In a feisty statement to be delivered to the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, Roger Stone, President Trumps longtime political adviser, denies any collusion with Russia during last years presidential election and accuses panel members of cowardice for insisting that he testify behind closed doors rather than in a public session.

While acknowledging that he is no stranger to the slash and burn aspect of American politics today and that some may label me a dirty trickster,  there is one trick that is not in my bag and that is treason, Stone says in a lengthy, 47-page statement, complete with accompanying exhibits and copies of his tweets, that he provided in advance to Yahoo News.

Multiple members of this Committee have made false allegations against me in public session in order to ensure that these bogus charges received maximum media coverage, Stone says about accusations that he had insider knowledge of WikiLeaks dumps of emails that U.S. intelligence officials say were hacked by Russian intelligence services. Now however, you deny me the opportunity to respond to these charges in the same open forum. This is cowardice.

Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to President Trump, will appear before the House Intelligence Committee Sept. 26, 2017. (Photo: Seth Wenig/AP)

What is it you fear? Why do you oppose transparency? What is it you dont want the public to know? Stone asks. I can assure each of you, I will not let myself be a punching bag for people with ill intentions or political motives.

Stones long-awaited appearance before the committee is shaping up to be a combative confrontation with Democratic committee members who have publicly accused him of being a key player in Russian efforts to meddle in last years presidential election.

In particular, Stone is expected to be closely questioned about multiple tweets during last years campaign suggesting that, at critical moments, he was tipped off to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges plan to release damaging emails about Hillary Clinton and her campaign chairman, John Podesta  material that U.S. intelligence officials say came from Russian state-sponsored hacks.

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Among those tweets was one on Aug. 21 in which Stone wrote, Trust me, it will soon the [sic] Podestas time in the barrel.

Then, just days before the WikiLeaks release of Podestas emails on Oct. 7, Stone tweeted on Oct. 2: Wednesday, @HillaryClinton is done. #Wikileaks. That was followed on Oct. 3 by another one: I have total confidence that @wikileaks and my hero Julian Assange will educate the American people soon. Then on Oct. 5, Stone tweeted: Libs thinking Assange will stand down are wishful thinking. Payload coming.

Stone says in his statement he first learned that WikiLeaks had emails about Hillary Clinton last summer, from Assanges own Twitter account. He then reached out to a journalist who I knew had interviewed Assange to independently confirm this report and the unnamed journalist  whom he alternatively characterizes in his statement as an an intermediary and go between  then assured him that damaging material about Clinton would be released in October.

But, despite once vowing to answer every question the committee asks him, Stone told Yahoo News last Friday that he will refuse to identify the intermediary to the committee  a stance that is likely to lead to charges that he is stonewalling the panels inquiry.

Im not gonna say, Stone said of the journalists identity. Asked on what grounds he will refuse to answer the panels questions, he replied: On the grounds that Im not there under a subpoena. And when something is off the record with a reporter, its off the record. He told me this off the record. Its a two-way street. I dont burn reporters with whom Ive made an agreement.

Stone arrives for a closed House Intelligence Committee meeting on Russian interference in the 2016 election, Sept. 26, 2017. (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

In his statement, Stone also insists that he had no direct communications with Assange himself. I have never said or written that I had any direct communication with Julian Assange and have always clarified in numerous interviews and speeches that my communication with WikiLeaks was through the aforementioned journalist, he said.

Yet in his Yahoo News interview last Friday, Stone acknowledged that he had in fact communicated directly with Assange, although after the election.

Weve had some exchanges  via email, Stone said during the interview. But again, theyre innocuous.  I wrote a piece for the Daily Caller that he liked and he complimented it. That kinda thing.

Stones statement takes a combative approach to the House Intelligence Committee. He disputes that the Russians were responsible for hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee and questions why the unanimous conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that they did should be accepted uncritically.

The mantra-like repetition of the claim by our vaunted 17 intelligence agencies that the Russians colluded with the Trump campaign to affect the 2016 election, does not make it so, Stone said. These are, after all, the same entities who insisted the North Koreans would not be able to launch a viable rocket for 3-5 years, that insisted Saddam Hussein was in possession of WMD, that there was no torture at Abu Ghraib prison, and that the government had no bulk data collection program, until Edward Snowden revealed otherwise.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Donald Trumps former campaign manager Paul Manafort is in an amazingly good mood and is still entirely loyal to the president, despite having been informed by special counsel Robert Mueller that he will be indicted, according to his former business partner Roger Stone.

Manafort does not want to go down in history as John Dean, Stone said last Friday, referring to the former White House lawyer who revealed Richard Nixons involvement in the Watergate coverup to federal prosecutors and Congress. And  and I dont think he will.

Stone, who was for years Manaforts partner in a prominent Washington lobbying firm, now defunct, and spoke to him last week, made the comments to Yahoo News during a combative interview in which he vowed to clear the air about his own conduct in the Russia affair during a closed-door appearance before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday morning.

In a prepared statement to be delivered to the committee, Stone adamantly denies any collusion with Russian entities during last years presidential election and accuses intelligence committee members of cowardice for insisting that he testify behind closed doors rather than in a public session.

While acknowledging that some may label me a dirty trickster, Stone says in the statement: There is one trick that is not in my bag and that is treason.

Stone is expected to be grilled about multiple tweets during last years presidential campaign suggesting that, at critical moments, he had inside knowledge of plans by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to release damaging emails about Hillary Clinton and her campaign chairman John Podesta. U.S. intelligence officials say the source of the emails was Russian intelligence services.

Among those tweets were one on Aug. 21 in which Stone wrote Trust me., it will soon the [sic] Podestas time in the barrel.

Then, just a few days before the WikiLeaks release of Podestas emails on Oct. 7, Stone tweeted:

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Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. #Wikileaks.

That was followed on Oct. 3 by this: I have total confidence that @WikiLeaks and my hero Julian Assange will educate the American people soon.

Then, on Oct. 5, Stone tweeted: Libs thinking Assange will stand down are wishful thinking. Payload coming.

Stone said he will tell the intelligence committee he knew all this because WikiLeaks itself had tweeted on July 21 it has the goods on Hillary.

Stone says he then reached out to an intermediary  a journalist, he claims  who has a relationship with Assange and who confirmed to him that the promised bombshell was coming.

I ask a friend who is a journalist who I know is  has interviewed Assange, has a relationship with him, Stone said. And he comes back and says, Yes. Its confirmed. They have this material. And theyll probably release it in October, which is what I said, Stone told Yahoo News.

But, despite once vowing to answer every question the committee asks him, Stone says he wont divulge the identity of the journalist who was his intermediary with Assange.

Here is his exchange with Yahoo News on that question:

Yahoo News: Whos the journalist?

Stone: Im not gonna say.

Yahoo News: Youre gonna get asked.

Stone: Good. I will decline to answer.

Yahoo News: On what grounds?

Stone: On the grounds that Im not there under a subpoena. And when something is off the record with a reporter, its off the record. He told me this off the record. Its a two-way street. I dont burn reporters with whom Ive made an agreement.

Stone said in the interview he reached out to his old friend Manafort last week after reports surfaced that the FBI had picked the lock of his house during a pre-dawn, unannounced search of his house as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation.

Manafort sounded very combative, Stone said, and told him he believes Muellers team is guilty of multiple violations of the law and due process in their efforts to investigate him. Manafort was outraged by the search  during which FBI agents went into his closet and took photographs of all his custom-made Italian suits, Stone said. Manafort viewed it as an intimidation tactic to get him to turn on Trump.

Paul Manafort at the Republican National Convention, July 18, 2016. (Photo: Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But, Stone added, the notion that they could go to Manafort, for example, and say all right, Manafort, weve got you on money laundering, tax evasion, whatever. But if youll just tell us that you were colluding with the Russians, and Trump knew everything, well let you walk. Thats not going to work. That might work with a drug dealer. I dont think itll work in this case.  He still maintains that hes broken no laws, that there is no Russian collusion. And I believe him.

Stone said he also asked Manafort if the reports were true that he has been told by Muellers prosecutors that he will be indicted.

He said, Yes. I said, Do you know when? He said, No. I said, Do you know for what? He said, No. Pretty straightforward.

_____

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Roger Stone has his planand his outfitall laid out for when he appears before congressional lawmakers on Tuesday.

As for his clothing: Blue will be the theme of the day, because it connotes authority, the political operative, dandy and Donald Trump confidant told Newsweek ahead of his scheduled testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in Washington regarding possible collusion between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign during the election.

As to his strategy: I will systematically go through the exact words of every committee member. I will take their exact words and I will shove them down their throats," he vowed. "I will prove that they have knowingly lied.

It's a classic setup from the spotlight-loving strategist whose political mantras include such gems as "Admit nothing, deny everything and launch counterattacks."

The testimony from Stone, who has been one the loudest voices in the president's cheering section but holds no formal position in the administration, will take place in a closed session.

Stone says hell likely speak to reporters afterward, because otherwise, there's no way to protect yourself.

They won't open this to the press, and they won't release the transcript, he continued, drawing a contrast with public hearings on investigations from Iran-Contra to Watergate. You have to wonder what are they trying to hide from the American people.

As he has for months, Stone is claiming he's got nothing to conceal from investigators who are searching for evidence that the Russians meddled in the 2016 American election.

They're standing there with nothing in their hands," he said. "After months and months of investigation, hundreds of thousands of tax dollars, they still have no evidence of Russian collusion. None at all. None that would hold up in a court of law.

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(Speaking of the cost of the case, Stone allowed on Monday that hes not exactly raking in the cash for his legal defense fund through a website he set up to claim hes being framed as a traitor by hostile liberal Democrats.)

Stone largely brushed off the wider investigation into Russian influence by Special Counsel Robert Mueller: I've never heard from him...[and] other than initially, I've never heard back from the Senate committee because there's no reason to. They don't have any evidence that I colluded with the Russians, because I didn't.

However, Preet Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney for New York who was dismissed by Trump, told CNN over the weekend that he expected Mueller to go so far as to even question whether the president obstructed justice in trying to tamp down Russia-related inquiries.

09252017_RogerStone2

Reuters



Stone singled out California Representative Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on House Intelligence, for a dose of his trademark scorn, dismissing him as Schiff-Head and saying hes never backed up his insinuations that Stone knew ahead of time that Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, would have his email hacked.

A spokesperson for Schiff didnt immediately respond to a Newsweek request for comment on the remarks from Stone, who described himself pre-hearing as "upbeat, combative, tired of bullshit."

Stone is one of a number of members of Trump's inner circle, past and present, who have been pulled into various federal inquiries about possible Russian influence on the 2016 campaign for president.

Among them: Trump's son, Donald Jr., and the former chairman of the Trump presidential campaign, Paul Manafort.

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Rogue One star Diego Luna visited Conan where he shared a firsthand account of the terrible destruction from the recent 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Mexico City. Luna, who is from Mexico City, said he had been there to work on a stage film when the earthquake struck. He said It was so scary and devastating and we ran out and there was a building that fell like half a block away from where we were. Despite the massive collapse and dust cloud, Luna said, The beautiful thing is you would imagine people would be running away from this cloud, you know? But here it was the opposite. Everyone running towards the cloud to trying to get there to save someone, to save a dog. to try to see if there was anything you could do to help those what were -- that were there. Luna shared photos of some of the things he witnessed while walking around the devastated city. He said the camaraderie of everyone helping however they could, was inspiring. He and fellow Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal set up a fundraising campaign at donate.omaze.com/Mexico. He said We need a lot of money and we hope you can donate and be part of this beautiful effort to give love to those who today lost everything.
Rogue One star Diego Luna visited Conan, where he shared a firsthand account of the terrible destruction from the recent 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Mexico City.

Luna, who is from Mexico City, said was there to work on a play when the earthquake struck. He said, It was so scary and devastating, and we ran out and there was a building that fell  like, half a block away from where we were.

Despite the massive collapse and dust cloud, Luna said, The beautiful thing is you would imagine people would be running away from this cloud, you know? But here it was the opposite. Everyone running towards the cloud to trying to get there to save someone, to save a dog. to try to see if there was anything you could do to help those what were  that were there.

Luna shared photos of some of the things he witnessed while walking around the devastated city. He said the camaraderie and everyone helping however they could was inspiring.

He and fellow Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal set up a fundraising campaign at donate.omaze.com/Mexico. He said, We need a lot of money, and we hope you can donate and be part of this beautiful effort to give love to those who today lost everything.

Conan airs weeknights at 11 p.m. on TBS.

Watch as Conan is confronted by a Palestinian activist:





Read more from Yahoo TV:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook,or Instagram.
Geneva (AFP) - Russian state agents have committed serious abuses, including torture, in Crimea, the UN said Monday, warning that the rights situation in the annexed peninsula had "significantly deteriorated" under Moscow's occupation.

In a fresh report, the UN human rights agency said it had documented "grave human rights violations, such as arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, ill-treatment and torture, and at least one extra-judicial execution."

Moscow annexed the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 soon after the overthrow of Ukraine's pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych following mass protests in Kiev.

Many Western countries have imposed sanctions on Russia to punish it for the annexation.

In Monday's report, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Moscow to respect its obligations as an occupying power, demanding that it investigate all cases of alleged torture, abductions and killings involving members of the Russian security forces and Crimean self-defence.

"There is an urgent need for accountability for human rights violations and abuses and for providing the victims with redress," UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.

Hundreds of prisoners have been illegally transferred from Crimea to Russian prisons, according to the report, which added that at least three detainees had died after not receiving adequate medical care in custody.

The report further condemned Moscow's decision to substitute Ukrainian laws with Russian ones, and also to force people to take Russian citizenship.

Civil servants have had to renounce Ukrainian citizenship or be sacked, while Crimea residents who do not legally qualify as Russians have in effect become foreigners in their home area, the rights office said.

Such people "cannot own agricultural land, vote and be elected, register a religious community, apply to hold a public meeting, hold positions in the public administration" or even register their car, the UN probe found.

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"Education in the Ukrainian language has almost disappeared from Crimea," it added.

The rights investigators were not permitted to enter Crimea, so their report is based on interviews conducted from mainland Ukraine.

Kiev also accuses Moscow of backing the pro-Russian insurgency in Ukraine's industrial east in a conflict that has claimed more than 10,000 lives since April 2014.
While fighting for a seat in the German parliament over the last few months, Sergej Tschernow, a candidate for the right-wing Alternative for Germany, or AfD, knew that he could only rely on a few media outlets to give his party the coverage it craves: the Russian ones.

They show our points of view in full, he told TIME on Election Day, Sunday Sept. 24, when the AfD became the first far-right movement to enter into the German legislature since the end of World War II, winning a remarkable 13% of the vote and going from zero to more than 90 seats in a chamber of 631 lawmakers.

The partys rise has been caused by a range of factors, not least the widespread frustrations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose political party, the Christian Democratic Union, had one of the worst showings in its history on Sunday. It won only 33% of the vote  most likely enough to secure Merkel a fourth term in office, but hardly the commanding lead the CDU anticipated.

With its nativist stance against immigration and its attacks against the European Union, the AfD has managed to siphon a lot of votes away from Merkel by harnessing the anti-establishment sentiment that has swept through Western democracies in recent years. But one uniquely German reason for the partys success has been the broad support it enjoys among the Russian emigrant community  bolstered by the noisy partisan reporting of Kremlin-backed broadcasters, whose reports on the elections reached millions of German voters through satellite dishes, on cable and online.

About 400 participants marched through Berlin's Mitte district as part of the seventh (and last) demonstration under the title

Who really votes for AfD

The AfD has estimated that about a third of its support comes from Russian-speaking voters, several million of whom have settled in Germany since the 1980s; they now make up as much as 5% of the population. On Sunday night, one of the leaders of the AfD, a vocally anti-immigrant and nationalist party, appeared to concede  somewhat paradoxically  that its core constituents are themselves immigrants.

Take a look at who really votes for the AfD, and where we have the strongest numbers, Jorg Meuthen, the AfD party whip, told Chancellor Merkel and other leading politicians during a post-election debate on German television. It is precisely among these migrants, among people with an immigrant background who lead integrated lives here and who cannot believe what is happening to this country.

While he did not specifically identify the Russian community, his party has devoted substantial resources to swaying this group of voters during the race this year. It translated its fliers and brochures into Russian, ran information stands and outreach programs in Russian-speaking neighborhoods, and catered its platform to the interests of this community. Among the AfDs core pledges on foreign policy is to lift German sanctions on Russia and seek warmer relations with President Vladimir Putin.

The AfD really looked after the Russian Germans like no other party, says Alexander Reiser, the founder of the Vision Union of Emigrants, a Berlin-based advocacy group that seeks to defend the interests of the Russian-German community. It is the only party that said to the Russians, You are part of the German nation, says Reiser, who does not himself support the AfD.

Kremlin media have meanwhile portrayed the party in a decidedly favorable light. They dont interpret. They dont criticize us. They dont ask provocative questions to get something out of us, Tschernow tells TIME outside of a polling station in his district on the outskirts of Hannover. From our point of view, they are objectively showing events, he added. So we love them.

While in some ways subtler than the hacks and leaks that Russia allegedly used to influence the U.S. elections last year, the role of Russian state media in Germany suggests that Moscow has a variety of tricks in its soft-power toolkit, and it tends to choose the one that best fits its target. Through social media, radio and television broadcasts, news outlets that are sponsored by the Russian government have consistently offered viewers an alternative view of German reality, often depicting life under Chancellor Angela Merkel as dangerous, depraved and undemocratic while airing uncritical or laudatory reports about the AfD.

At the same time, the Kremlin-backed media has sought to depict Germanys Russian-speaking population as part of what Putin has sometimes called the Russian world. The most famous example of this type of outreach took place early last year, with a scandal involving a girl named Lisa.

Protesters hold up a sign reading

The case of our Lisa

In January 2016, Russian state television began airing alarming reports about an ethnic Russian girl named Lisa, who had allegedly been kidnapped and gang raped by a group of Muslim refugees in Berlin. The reports were quickly debunked as inaccurate by German police and other officials, who found evidence that the girl had concocted the story.

But senior Russian diplomats continued to accuse the Berlin authorities of staging a cover-up. Referring to the alleged rape victim as our Lisa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow at the end of January 2016 that such cases must not be swept under the carpet. The Russian embassy in London chimed in a few days later, posting this remark in English on its official Twitter account: German government threw their country under feet of migrants like a rug, now try wipe their crimes under carpet.

Such statements of support from Moscow, as well as the coverage of the Lisa case on Russian state television, helped to galvanize the Russian community in Germany against Chancellor Merkel. Across the country, members of this community staged dozens of protests over what became known as the Lisa affair, including one massive demonstration outside Merkels offices in Berlin. It was then that we saw how Russian propaganda works on these groups, says Olaf Kuehl, an official in the Berlin legislature who handles outreach to the Russian community. Even if they have all the channels available, they choose to watch the Russian ones, such as RT, he says, referring to the Kremlin-funded network formerly known as Russia Today. Thats how the influence gets in.

During the next elections to the Berlin legislature, which were in Sept. 2016, the impact of that influence seemed clear to Kuehl and other observers. The AfD wound up with 14% of the vote, an unheard-of result for a far-right force in one of Germanys most liberal cities  and only a few points behind Merkels party. The main pockets of support for the right wing turned out to be in the largely Russian-speaking neighborhoods in the east of the capital, especially the district of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, where the AfD got around 23% of the vote.

It was around this time that the AfDs cooperation with the Russian community began in earnest, says Tschernow, who formally joined the movement in March 2016. A native of St. Petersburg who immigrated to Germany in 1994, Tschernow is one of at least eight native Russian speakers who ran on the AfD party ticket around the country. Like a lot of the Russian diaspora in Germany, he did not take an active interest in politics before the migration crisis of 2015. That summer and fall, Merkel allowed nearly a million refugees, mostly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, to apply for asylum in Germany. The backlash to this decision was fierce across the German political spectrum, and Merkels approval ratings went into sharp decline, reaching a five-year low of around 45% in Sept. 2016.

The crisis also gave the AfD a major boost in the polls, and immigrants from the former Soviet Union proved to be among the most receptive to its message against immigration from the Muslim world. The fear of Islamism runs deep among Russian Germans, says Reiser, the community leader in Berlin. And this fear was stirred up by the images shown on Russian television, which depicted [the migration crisis] as a catastrophe of Europe being flooded by migrants.

The AfD thus had no difficulty in attracting Russian-speakers not only to join the party but also to run for office. In the region of Lower Saxony, for instance, three out of the partys top 12 candidates for parliament were native Russian speakers, including Tschernow, who campaigned in a predominantly Russian-speaking neighborhood in the east of Hannover. Though he failed to win a seat in the parliament on Sunday, he says the number of Russian candidates on the AfD ticket marked a turn in his communitys political awakening. It showed that the party trusts us at the highest level to represent them.

Alexander Gauland, who was a co-lead candidate of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the German federal elections, is seen through glass following a news conference in Berlin on Sept. 25, 2017. At the conference, AfD member Frauke Petry announced she would quit the party in a surprise move.

The Kremlins blessing

No less important for the Russian wing of the party are the direct contacts that AfD leadership developed with powerful figures in Moscow. In the fall of 2015, Alexander Gauland, who led the AfD ticket in Sundays elections, met in St. Petersburg with members of Putins political party, United Russia. He also sat down during that visit with the pro-Kremlin billionaire Konstantin Malofeev, who has been known to advance Moscows foreign policy interests in Europe. The idea was to listen to Russian interests, Russian complaints about Western policy, to follow their thinking, Gauland told the Bloomberg news agency at the time.

Another leader of the AfD, Frauke Petry, traveled to Moscow in February of this year to meet with members of the Russian parliament, including Vyacheslav Volodin, the chambers speaker, who previously served as Putins deputy chief of staff. The meeting raised alarm in the German media over possible collusion between the Kremlin and the AfD, both of which have fervently denied such allegations.

We never interfere in the political life and the political processes of other countries, Putin said in May, when Merkel travelled to his residence in Sochi in part to complain about signs of Russian meddling in the German elections. During that meeting, Merkel raised the Lisa affair in particular, as well as other misleading coverage of German politics shown on Russian state TV. If such incidents were to continue, Merkel said, the German government would take decisive action in response.

Tschernow believes her intervention had an impact. Although Russian state media continued giving favorable coverage to the AfD after Merkel confronted Putin, Kremlin broadcasters stopped short of giving the party as much airtime as it wanted. They could have had some special reports, a series of reportage, for instance, he says. But there wasnt that kind of special support.

To get his message across to Russian voters, Tschernow still had to spend the weeks before the election driving around with a ladder in the back of his Audi station wagon, hanging AfD posters as high on the lampposts as he could. Among his favorites is a placard that shows a woman in traditional Muslim dress next to the caption, Islam does not belong in Germany.

That message, he admits, is not likely to improve social harmony in his district of Hannover, where Tschernow and his fellow Russians live among other migrant communities, among them Turkish people who settled in Germany in the 1970s and 80s, as well as newer arrivals from Syria, Iraq and northern Africa. But his aim in politics is not to build bridges among these groups. We dont talk to them, he says. Given the choice, we find it better to talk to people like us.

How that approach will work during debates within the German parliament remains to be seen. As the third-most popular party in the land, the AfD will now become a prominent voice in the opposition to Merkel. During a press conference in Berlin on Monday, another one of the partys leaders, Alice Weidel, said that its first order of business in parliament will be to launch an investigation against the Chancellor for violating the constitution during the migration crisis of 2015.

As that confrontation unfolds, the AfD can expect to maintain the sympathy of at least one powerful ally. The Russian media will always report what we say, and Russia Today will rebroadcast it in German, says Tschernow. So no one will be able to sweep our opinions under the rug. Thats how we see it.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia took to state television today to announce that he will overturn the ban that kept women from driving in his conservative kingdom. Although the move isn't immediate, the king said he hopes that the announcement will improve the country's international reputation. Saudi officials also reportedly hope that allowing women to drive will have a beneficial impact on the country's economy as more women will be able to enter the workplace.



A set of policies will need to be implemented by the ministries of internal affairs, finance, labor and social development before women are actually allowed on Saudi roads. It's not yet known how long it will take to craft regulations that will grant women access to driver training and licensing.



Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving has long been held as an example of the country's poor human rights record. Only recently, a Saudi cleric and government official called for the ban to remain in place, claiming that women "lacked the intellect" needed to drive. It was just one of the many absurd reasons given over the years to keep the ban in place.



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Geneva (AFP) - Saudi Arabia has in a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday threated economic retaliation against countries that vote for a UN resolution setting up an international probe into violations in Yemen.

The United Nations rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has repeatedly lobbied the Human Rights Council to create an independent investigation of alleged atrocities in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Huthi rebels since March 2015.

But the kingdom, accused of bombarding civilian targets like markets and hospitals, has so far succeeded in blocking an international probe.

The Human Rights Council, which concludes its ongoing session on Friday, is again split over a path forward.

Council members are weighing a Dutch/Canadian draft which calls for the international UN-backed probe -- known as a Commission of Inquiry -- and an Arab proposal supporting an extension of Yemen's domestic investigation.

"Adopting The Netherlands/Canadian draft resolution in the Human Rights Council may negatively affect the bilateral political economic relations with Saudi Arabia", a letter circulated by the kingdom and seen by AFP said.

It adds that Saudi Arabia "will not accept" the Dutch/Canadian draft and calls for more support to the Yemeni domestic probe, which the UN says lacks credibility.

The Geneva director for Human Rights Watch, who has also seen the document sent to multiple countries, described the threat as "disgraceful".

"It is outrageous that Saudi Arabia is seeking to use threats of economic and political sanctions to bully states into not supporting the kind of international investigation that could put an end to the abuses," Fisher told AFP.

"The (Arab) coalition forces have bombed hospitals, they have bombed market places, homes, funeral parlours and it is time for the international community to say enough is enough."

The Saudi mission to the UN in Geneva was not immediately available for comment.

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In previous rights council sessions, major Saudi trading partners like the US and Britain have tried to forge a compromise between the Arab bloc and the European push for a Commission of Inquiry.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who says the rebels are supported by Saudi's regional arch-rival Iran.

The war has killed more than 8,500 people and wounded nearly 49,000 others, according to the World Health Organization.

More than 17 million Yemenis are now facing dire food shortages, and a nationwide cholera epidemic has killed more than 2,100 people since April.
WASHINGTON  Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) announced Tuesday that he wont run for re-election and will step down when his term expires at the end of 2018.

After much thought, consideration and family discussion over the past year, Elizabeth and I have decided that I will leave the United States Senate when my term expires at the end of 2018, he said in a statement.

I also believe the most important public service I have to offer our country could well occur over the next 15 months, he added, and I want to be able to do that as thoughtfully and independently as I did the first 10 years and nine months of my Senate career.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) won't run in 2018. (Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Speculation has swirled for months as to whether Corker, a two-term senator who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would step down.

Corker has been one of President Donald Trumps most outspoken Republican critics in the Senate. He expressed displeasure with the presidents response to the white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month, saying Trump had not shown the stability or competence to lead the country.

At the time, Trump hit back at Corker in a tweet:

Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in '18. Tennessee not happy!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2017

https://twitter.com/politicoalex/status/912772402400104448Corker has also bucked the president on foreign policy.

According to the Tennessean, conservative activist Andy Ogles has already announced his intention to run. Former state Rep. Joe Carr and state Sen. Mark Green have also discussed running. Green was Trumps pick for Army secretary, but he withdrew from consideration amid intense criticism about his past comments about transgender and Muslim individuals.

Green could pick up support from the conservative base and appears to already be exploring backing from former Trump aide Steve Bannon, who is now chairman of Breitbart News.

Story continues

Potential Corker primary challenger Mark Green has been in Alabama for Moore over last few days. Met w/Bannon until 1 am last night  Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) September 26, 2017

Democrats are so far largely supporting Iraq War veteran James Mackler. Tennessee is a solidly red state, but some state and local Democrats told HuffPost that Mackler may be the strongest Democratic statewide candidate theyve had since Harold Ford Jr., who served in the House before losing to Corker in a close 2006 Senate race.

As a soldier, I know the strength of teamwork, cooperation and the benefits of diversity to accomplish a mission, Mackler told HuffPost in April, when he announced his candidacy. I know that true leadership really comes from a sense of duty, and without some change in this country, I really worry about the future of my family and those of every Tennessean. My wife and I want to raise our daughters in a nation that celebrates the best of America, not in a country thats as divided as we are now.

But with Corkers retirement, there is already speculation that higher-profile Democratic and Republican candidates may decide to run.

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When youre faced with cheese-aisle options like Seriously Sharp and Extra Sharp, how are you supposed to know which is the sharpest?

Cabot Cheese has a stronghold in the Northeast, where its 1,100 farms are located, so anyone who lives in that part of the country is familiar with the name. The brand makes at least 10 different types of cheddar cheese, not even including their flavored cheddars. With options like New York Extra Sharp, Vermont Sharp, and Seriously Sharp  some in both orange and white versions  it can be difficult to discern which level of sharpness youre getting.

We talked to the Nate Formalarie, communications manager at Cabot Creamery Co-operative, and he broke down just how sharp each of the brands cheeses are.

To verify his comments, we also conducted our own taste test to see how sharp the Seriously Sharp actually is, and if its that much sharper than the plain sharp.

In order of least sharp to sharpest, heres how Cabot ranks their cheeses:

(Photo: Cabot)

Aside from Mild (obviously), Medium is the least sharp of the Cabot cheddar cheeses. Its aged around 3 months and is definitely more creamy than it is sharp.

Our tasting notes: Cheddar, are you there? All creamy. Good, but missing the bite.

(Photo: Cabot)

Sharp is aged on average nine months. It is the most mild of the sharp cheddars that Cabot offers.

Our tasting notes: Very creamy. Almost no sharpness. This is an everymans cheese.

(Photo: Cabot)

The New York Extra Sharp cheese is aged for 12 months. As the name implies, its made with milk from New York dairies. Cabot works with 1,100 farms, and 600 of them are in New York. According to Formalarie, the common cheese consumer probably wont taste a big difference between New York extra sharp and Vermont extra sharp, but some of our tasters did.

Our tasting notes: Balanced. Good creamy-to-sharpness mix.

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(Photo: Cabot)

The Vermont Extra Sharp cheddar is aged for 12 months, just like the New York Extra Sharp. Its made from the milk of 500 New England dairy farms that work with Cabot.

Story continues

Tasting notes: YES. This tastes sharper than New York.

(Photo: Cabot)

Seriously Sharp used to be called Hunters Sharp, but when Cabot expanded to the Southeast it was renamed. It is aged a minimum of 14 months, and is the sharpest of this line of their cheddars.

Formalarie told us that the Hunters Sharp wasnt originally sold on their line of cheddars.

Cabot used to put the Hunters Sharp on the side of the road, and Hunters used to get it on their way into the woods, shared Fromalarie. The reason it wasnt originally sold was because it didnt fit the profile of an extra sharp and it was not quite a Vermont sharp. Actually, Fromalarie told us that from bar to bar you can get a different experience out of the Seriously Sharp. Sometimes its aged 18 months and crumbly, and other times its not as sharp.

Our tasting notes: Yes, this is the sharpest. Perfect.

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The death of a 31-year-old British man whose body was found next to one of his many pet snakes has been ruled an asphyxiation, according to the Mirror.

Dan Brandon was found dead at his parents' house in Church Crookham, England, on August 25 with his massive Burmese python nearby.

The non-venomous snake, which kills its prey by constricting it to death, had apparently escaped its cage.



Photo: Facebook

Although a spokesman for Basingstoke coroners office said on Sunday that "it has become known that the cause of death was asphyxiation," it remains unannounced whether Brandon's snake played a role in his tragic demise.

It is under investigation whether the snake was involved," A source told the Sun. "The death is in an investigation stage between natural causes and an inquest. Investigators are waiting for the full toxicology results and reports to come back from a post-mortem."

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As protests in St. Louis continue, the citys aldermen unanimously approved a resolution on Friday honoring the life of Anthony Lamar Smith, a black man killed by recently acquitted ex-cop Jason Stockley.

[Smiths] death has sparked a universal cry for justice and accountability throughout the City of St. Louis, the resolution reads, listing Smiths interests, accomplishments and his dream of one day becoming a clothing designer. It was signed by all 28 aldermen.

Alderman John Collins-Muhammad told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they introduced the resolution to help Smiths mother, Annie Smith, cope with her grief.

His mother had to wait six years for justice, which she still did not get, he said. So I invited her here today to let her know the city of St. Louis and the Board of Aldermen shares her pain, her frustration and her deep dissatisfaction with the turnout of everything that has happened.

Mayor Lyda Krewson also shared a statement on Twitter Friday pledging to support the strengthening of the citys civilian oversight board, which investigates complaints against St. Louis law enforcement.

She also called the Ferguson Commission report the citys path forward, agreeing with the reports call to actions that we must change the way we handle use of force investigations and prosecutions.

We must recognize that the Ferguson Commission Report, produced by 1000s of St. Louisans, is still our path forward @StlChange pic.twitter.com/9XQuxd8HGH  Mayor Lyda Krewson (@LydaKrewson) September 22, 2017

Local police expressed their outrage with the resolution and Krewsons call for police accountability. Jeff Roorda, business manager of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, told the Post-Dispatch that cops are furious about Smith being honored.

Youve got yourself a go-it-alone mayor who thinks she can fix law enforcement without talking to law enforcement and who thinks police are the problem in a case where a convicted felon who absconded from parole and was in possession of a firearm and heroin tried to kill a police officer, Roorda said.

Story continues

Smith was killed in December 2011 after Stockley pursued him in car chase. Before firing his weapon, Stockley threatened that he was going to kill this motherf****r, as heard in footage obtained by St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Stockley approached Smiths car and fired several shots into the vehicle.

Since Stockley was acquitted of first-degree murder charges on September 15, residents and activists have been in the streets protesting police brutality. Cops have clashed with protesters on a number of occasions, as demonstrators claim that police are using excessive force and being denied their right to free speech.

On Monday, about 400 protesters marched in a silent demonstration to police headquarters calling for the resignation of Acting Police Chief Lawrence OToole.

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Amadou Diallo

Four plain-clothed cops fired 41 bullets at 23-year-old Amadou Diallo outside of his New York apartment in 1999. They were all charged with second-degree murder and eventually acquitted.

Patrick Dorismond

Patrick Dorismond, 26, was killed by undercover cops while he was waiting for a taxi outside of a New York City bar in 2000. A scuffle ensued after the cops approached him and asked to buy drugs. Witnesses said police didn't reveal themselves until after one cop fired his gun. The officer who pulled the trigger was cleared of criminal charges.

Sean Bell

Sean Bell, 23, was shot and killed in Queens, New York just hours before his wedding in 2006 by four plainclothes officers and an undercover detective. Only three out of five of the detectives involved in his killing went to trial. They were all found not guilty of all charges.

Aiyana Stanley-Jones

Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 7, was asleep when she was shot and killed by Detroit police officer Joseph Weekley during a raid on the wrong home in 2010. Weekley was charged of involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment with a gun. The first trial ended in a mistrial in 2013. He was cleared of his involuntary manslaughter charge during a retrial in 2013 and cleared of the remaining charge in 2015.

Kenneth Chamberlain

Kenneth Chamberlain was fatally shot by White Plains, New York, police after he inadvertently triggered his medical alert necklace while he was home alone in 2011. Cops demanded the 68-year-old retired Marine open the door. He refused, telling them he didn't need help. Police broke down the door, Tasered him and shot him. A grand jury declined to indict the officer that killed him.

Ramarley Graham

Officer Richard Haste shot Ramarley Graham, 18, in the bathroom of his grandmother's New York City apartment in 2012. Haste entered the home despite not having a warrant. There are still many unanswered questions revolving around his death, especially since there were no witnesses. Haste was charged with manslaughter but the charge was later dropped.

Rekia Boyd

Rekia Boyd, 22, was killed when an off-duty Chicago detective, Dante Servin, fired five shots at a group in a dark alley in 2012. One of the bullets hit Boyd in the head and she died. Servin claimed his life was in danger and said one person in the group pointed a weapon at him. Servin did not tell the group he was a detective before he fired. Though his actions were "beyond reckless," according to the judge, Servin was found not guilty on all charges.

Eric Garner

Eric Garner, 43, said "I can't breathe" 11 times while NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo held him in a chokehold in July 2014 after accusing him of selling loose cigarettes. Garner's encounter with the police was caught on camera, yet a grand jury did not indict Pantaleo. The man who recorded the last moments of Garner's life, however, has been sentenced to four years in prison on unrelated charges.

Michael Brown

When former Ferguson cop Darren Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown six times, his dead body lay in the street for four hours on August 9, 2014. Brown's death resulted in civil unrest and eventually led to the revelation of corruption within the city's government. The Justice Department decided not to prosecute former Ferguson cop Darren Wilson.

Tamir Rice

Tamir Rice, 12, was playing with a toy gun at a park in Cleveland when he was killed in November 2014. Two officers responded to a call that a man had a pistol, though the 911 dispatcher didn't relay that the caller said the gun was "probably fake." Before the car came to a complete halt, Officer Timothy Loehmann jumped out of the car and shot the child in his torso. He later stated that it looked like Rice was reaching towards a gun in his waistband. Loehmann did not face charges.

John Crawford III

John Crawford III was shot and killed in a Beavercreek, Ohio Wal-Mart after police responded to a report that he was waving a gun and pointing it at other customers in 2014. Crawford, who was actually holding a BB gun which was sold at that store, was shot when police arrived. The cops involved weren't charged in the 22-year-old's death.

RIP Jerame C. Reid, 36, killed 2 years ago today in Bridgeton, NJ. pic.twitter.com/xi8vPZGzq0  Victims of Police (@RIPunarmed) December 30, 2016

Jason Harrison

In 2014, Jason Harrison, a 38-year-old man who was mentally ill, was shot five times in front of his mother by Dallas police only moments after they told him to drop a screwdriver he was holding. His mother had called the police initially to request their help in getting him to the hospital because he had stopped taking his meds. Harrison was dead seconds after answering the door. A Texas grand jury decided not to indict the officers involved.

Freddie Gray

None of the six officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray, 25, who sustained a severe spinal injury and fell into a coma while being transported in a police van on April 12, 2015 in Baltimore, were found guilty. He died a week after his arrest. After the first three officers -- including the driver and the highest-ranking officer -- were acquitted in their individual cases, charges against the remaining officers were dropped.

Keith Lamont Scott

In September 2016, cops in pursuit of another man stopped Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old with a mental illness, while he sat in his SUV waiting on his son. Police said they spotted Scott in his SUV with weed and a gun. The situation escalated and Scott was fatally shot by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Brentley Vinson. In November, the county district attorney announced that no charges would be filed against Vinson.

Korryn Gaines

Korryn Gaines, a mother of two, was killed in her home during a standoff with Baltimore County Police in August 2016. Cops, who were attempting to serve Gaines a warrant for failing to appear in court, said that the 23-year-old pointed a gun at the officer and threatened to kill them. When the cop fired at Gaines, he also struck her 5-year-old son. The child was taken to the hospital. A month later, the county's chief prosecutor announced that no criminal charges would be filed against the officer.

Alton Sterling

Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old father of five, was outside of a Baton Rouge convenience store where he frequently sold CDs when two cops approached him in July 2016. The officers, who were investigating reports of a man with a gun, were caught on camera slamming Sterling to the ground. Sterling was shot in the chest and back.



Following the shooting, one of the officers removed a gun from Sterlings pocket, but the storeowner said that Sterling wasnt holding a weapon during the altercation. The DOJ decided not to charge the two officers in May 2017. At the time, the state capital's police chief said it would be premature to fire the cop who pulled the trigger.



On March 27, the Louisiana attorney general declined to charge the two cops, citing that they acted in a "reasonable and justified manner."

Philando Castile

Philando Castile was in the car with his girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter when former Minneapolis cop Jeronimo Yanez pulled him over because his wide-set nose fit the description of of a robbery suspects. Castile told Yanez that he had a licensed gun in the car. After the officer told him not to reach for it, Castile said that he was getting his identification papers, as instructed. Yanez then shot Castile seven times while his seatbelt was on. His girlfriend livestreamed the final moments of Castiles life after the cop fired. In June, a jury found Yanez not guilty in the death of Castile.

Terence Crutcher

Terence Crutcher, 40, was fatally shot by Tulsa, Oklahoma Officer Betty Shelby in September after his vehicle stalled on the side of the road. Shelby and her partner approached Crutcher while responding to an unrelated call. Shelby fired at Crutcher (because he reached into his car, she later said) and the second officer Tasered him. Not only was Shelby acquitted of Crutcher's death, but she received $35,000 in back pay for the time she was suspended during the investigation.

Tyre King

Thirteen-year-old Tyre King was was gunned down by Columbus, Ohio police in September 2016. Cops were responding to reports of an armed robbery when they approached Tyre and two other teens. The three fled and the cops chased Tyre into an alley. According to police reports, Tyre appeared to pull a handgun from his waistband. A white officer shot him multiple times. Cops later determined that Tyre had a BB gun, not a real gun. A grand jury declined to indict the officer who shot him.

Sandra Bland

Sandra Bland, 28, had just moved to Texas to start a new job when a Waller County officer, Brian Encinia, stopped her for failing to signal when changing lanes in July 2015. Encinia forcibly arrested Bland after she refused to put out her cigarette. She was taken to jail and three days later, she was found dead in her jail cell. Investigators report that her autopsy findings were consistent with suicide. Though Waller County police received backlash after reports showed that guards were negligent, a grand jury declined to indict anyone in Bland's death.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Rome (AFP) - Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar met Italy's defence minister and security chiefs in Rome Tuesday, bolstering his stature as a key player in international efforts to stabilise his troubled country.

Forces under Haftar's command provide backing for a Tobruk-based adminstration that controls much of the east and south of the oil and gas-rich country.

Former colonial power Italy has hitherto been the strongest backer among Western allies for the UN-recognised Government of National Unity, which is based in Tripoli and sees Haftar as an arch foe.

But that did not prevent Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti from hosting the commander, a one-time ally and later armed opponent of Libya's late dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

"The stabilisation of Libya, the fight against international terrorism and the control of migration flows figured during the meeting," the defence ministry said.

Haftar also met with Italy's chief of defence staff, Claudio Graziano.

Ms Pinotti reiterated Italian support for UN initiatives in Libya and urged all parties, including both Haftar and those loyal to the Government of National Unity, to reach a military solution.

The unity government has struggled to establish its authority beyond the capital in a country scarred by conflict since the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of Kadhafi.

Amid the chaos, Libya has become a launchpad for hundreds of thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe and a base for militants aligned with the Islamic State (IS) group.

US drone strikes launched from Italy on Sunday killed 17 people at an alleged IS transit camp south of the city of Sirte, according to the US military.

The attacks, the first announced since US President Donald Trump took office in January, compounded hopes the IS threat in Libya had been neutralised when the group's forces were expelled from Sirte last year.

At surprise talks in Paris in July, Haftar and the unity government's head, Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, agreed to a ceasefire and elections in the first half of next year.

Story continues

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travelled to Benghazi last month to meet Haftar and the general was in Tunisia on Monday, meeting President Beji Caid Essebsi, who offered to act as a mediator between rival Libyan factions.

Italy has invested heavily in Sarraj's fledgling government and has said it could lead a post-stabilisation peace force in its former colony.

But it has grown frustrated by the weakness of the administration and has reportedly recently turned to dealing directly with militia groups in a successful effort to stem the flow of migrant arrivals.

Libya expert Mattia Toaldo said Haftar's presence in Rome, reflected the growing influence of Interior Minister Marco Minniti, the architect of the migration strategy, "and the intelligence services who always thought the relationship with Haftar was important".

With Italian naval forces engaged in training and support of the Libyan coastguard, dialogue with Haftar takes on added importance, Toaldo added.

"Remember the threats he (Haftar) made in August about Italian ships, they've all but disappeared now."
Authorities are searching for a motive behind Sunday mornings deadly shooting spree at a Tennessee church as new details about the suspected gunmans past surface.

Emanuel Kidega Samson, 25, who is charged with one count of murder, had expressed suicidal thoughts some months before police say he indiscriminately shot at people leaving a service at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, The Associated Press reported.

According to police records obtained by the AP, Samsons father reported him as threatening to harm himself in late June. Earlier this year, he was involved in two domestic disturbance calls to Murfreesboro police, roughly 30 miles southeast of Nashville. Those calls did not result in charges.

Emanuel Sampson, 25, has been charged with one count of murder in the Sunday morning attack. (Photo: Metro Police Nashville)

When Samson pulled up to the Antioch church late Sunday morning, police say, the former church member hadnt been there in years. He put on a ski mask before allegedly opening fire, killing one person in the parking lot and injuring seven others, one of whom he allegedly pistol-whipped.

In all, police said they recovered four guns at the scene that are believed to have belonged to Samson  two pistols found inside the church and one pistol and one rifle in his SUV.

Police identified the lone fatality as Melanie Smith, 39, of Smyrna, Tennessee. Smith was killed as she was walking to a car. According to local station WSMV, she was a single mother of two.

The six gunshot victims who sustained non-life-threatening injuries are all age 60 or older, police said.

One of those victims, Catherine Dickerson, recalled playing dead after she was shot in the leg in the churchs doorway.

I got up close to the wall so if somebody came in they would probably walk past me, and put my purse over my face so I couldnt be seen, she told The Tennessean. I just laid quietly and played like I was dead.

According to a Facebook page that appears to belong to Samson, the suspect published several peculiar messages and photos of himself in the hours before the attack.

Story continues

One such post read: Everything youve ever doubted or made to be believe as false, is real. & vice versa, B.

Another read: You are more than what they told us.

Police credited 22-year-old church usher Robert Engle with physically confronting the shooter, which led to the gunman shooting himself, likely by accident, Metropolitan Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said at a press conference Sunday.

Engle also sustained a head wound after Samson allegedly pistol-whipped him. Despite his injury, Engle was able to get to his car and retrieve a gun, for which he had a carry permit, and hold the suspect until police arrived.

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BREAKING: Samson will be charged with one count of murder tonight. Multiple additional charges will be placed later. pic.twitter.com/RBNv1qY3yk  Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) September 24, 2017

Mr. Engle saved countless lives here today, Aaron said Sunday. He is, at the end of the day, the hero in this, because we think this could have been much worse, in terms of death.

Engles grandmother, speaking to The Tennessean, expressed pride in her grandson, but no surprise about his heroism.

Thats like him. Hes just someone who cares about a lot of people. He has all their feelings at heart, Rheta Engle, 69, told the newspaper. It would make any parent, grandparent very, very proud of him.

In a statement, Robert Engle waved off any praise.

The real heroes are the police, first responders and medical staff and doctors who have helped me and everyone affected, he told WSMV. Ive been going to this church my whole life, since I was a small child. I would have never, ever thought something like this would have happened.

He asked that people pray not only for the victims, their family members and the church community, but also for the shooter [and] the shooters family and friends. They are hurting as well.

Samson, who is being held without bond, was charged Sunday night with one count of murder. Additional charges are expected to be filed against him at a later date, police said.

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By Umit Bektas and Ece Toksabay HABUR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan threatened on Monday to cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world, intensifying pressure on the Kurdish autonomous region over its independence referendum. Erdogan spoke shortly after Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara could take punitive measures involving borders and air space against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over the referendum and would not recognize the outcome. Voting began on Monday despite strong opposition from Iraq's central government and neighboring Turkey and Iran - both with significant Kurdish populations - as well as Western warnings the move could aggravate Middle East instability. Erdogan, grappling with a long-standing Kurdish insurgency in Turkey's southeast, which borders northern Iraq, said the "separatist" referendum was unacceptable and economic, trade and security counter-measures would be taken. He stopped short of saying Turkey had decided to close off the oil flow. Hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day come through the pipeline in Turkey from northern Iraq, but he made clear the option was on the table. "After this, let's see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it," he said in a speech. "We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it's done." Yildirim said Ankara would decide on punitive measures against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) after talks with Iraq's central government. "Our energy, interior and customs ministries are working on (measures). We are evaluating steps regarding border gates and air space. We will take these steps quickly," Yildirim told Turkish broadcasters. Iraqi soldiers arrived in Turkey on Monday night to join a drill on the Turkish side of the border near the Habur area in the southeast, Turkey's military said in a statement. Iraq's defense ministry said the two armies started "major maneuvers" at the border area. HABUR GATE Local media said Turkey had blocked access to the KRG via the Habur border crossing with Iraq. Ankara's customs minister denied this, saying Habur remained open but with tight controls on traffic, according to the state-run Anadolu agency. However, Erdogan later said traffic was only being allowed to cross from the Turkish side of the border into Iraq. Maruf Ari, a 50-year-old truck driver, was one of those who had crossed back into Turkey early on Monday morning. He said a closure of the gate would ruin his livelihood. "If the border is closed it will harm all of us. I'm doing this job for 20 years. I'm not making a lot of money. Around 1,000 lira ($285) a month. But if the gate is closed, we will go hungry." The United States and other Western powers also urged authorities in the KRG to cancel the vote, saying it would distract from the fight against Islamic State. Shares of Turkish Airlines, which has direct flights to northern Iraq, tumbled 6.5 percent, underperforming a 1.78 percent decline in the BIST 100 index. Turkey's currency, the lira, also weakened. Turkey took the Kurdish television channel Rudaw off its satellite service TurkSat, a Turkish broadcasting official told Reuters. Turkey has long been northern Iraq's main link to the outside world, but sees the referendum as a grave matter for its own national security. Turkey has the region's largest Kurdish population and has been fighting a three-decade insurgency in its mainly Kurdish southeast. PARLIAMENT VOTE On Saturday, Turkey's parliament voted to extend by a year a mandate authorizing the deployment of troops in Iraq and Syria. Still, Ankara is unlikely to make rash moves when it comes to sanctions against the KRG, said Nihat Ali Ozcan, a professor of political science and international relations at TOBB University of Economics and Technology. "Closing the border gate, cancelling international flights and, at the final step, cutting the pipeline can be discussed," he said. "Military pressure can be used directly or indirectly." The Turkish army launched military exercises involving tanks and armored vehicles near the Habur border crossing a week ago and they are expected to continue until at least Sept. 26. Additional units joined the exercises as they entered their second stage Turkey's military said in its statement that the third phase of the drill would be held on Sept. 26, and that Iraqi soldiers who arrived on Monday night would join. The military has also in recent days carried out daily air strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq, where the group's commanders are based. The PKK launched its separatist insurgency in 1984, and more than 40,000 people have been killed since. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union. Militants in northern Iraq launched a cross-border mortar attack into Turkey's Hakkari province, hitting a temporary residence used by refugees, the interior ministry said. One refugee was killed and several others were injured, it said. In the eastern Agri province, near the border with Iran, individuals thought to be Kurdish militants opened fire on a mini-bus carrying foreign nationals, the ministry said. Three people were killed and four wounded in that attack, it said. ($1 = 3.5153 liras) (Additional reporting by Tulay Karadeniz, Dirimcan Barutin and Gulsen Solaker in Ankara and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul; Writing by Daren Butler and David Dolan; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Larry King/Jeremy Gaunt)
It's been five days since President Donald Trump last tweeted about Hurricane Maria hitting Puerto Rico. And his new tone-deaf comments Monday aren't going over well.

One would think if it takes that long to further comment after a deadly Category 4 storm wracked a U.S. territory of 3.4 million people with hurricane-force winds and 40 inches of rain, the tweets would be a thoughtful response to an island in ruin. Wait, we're talking about Trump. Never mind.

SEE ALSO: Hurricane Maria seen swirling from space in new video

Trump seemed to blame Puerto Rico for the devastation in a series of three tweets sent out Monday night. He negs all over Puerto Rico, from its infrastructure to financial issues, as he describes the disaster.

Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

...It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well. #FEMA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

A majority of Puerto Rico's crops have been devastated, causing concerns of food shortages, and power still remains out in parts of the territory. It could remain that way for six months or longer.

Puerto Rican citizens have said they feel forgotten after Maria, giving Trump's tweets an extra layer of scum. Everyone from climate scientists to activists were taken aback by his tweetstorm.

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OMFG.

After inexcusable days of silence about the disaster in Puerto Rico, THIS is what Trump has to say: tsk, tsk, it's your own fault? 1/ https://t.co/9OLa5wa5hC  Peter Gleick (@PeterGleick) September 26, 2017

He is bound and determined to make "Heckuva Job, Brownie" look good. https://t.co/tErMNkg9LW  Debra Wexler (@DebraWexler_) September 26, 2017

Really not sure how to read this other than Trump taking this opportunity to blame Puerto Rico for its misfortune... pic.twitter.com/KgpIPaYIk1  McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) September 26, 2017

Is the President of the United States saying that the mammoth hurricane damage is Puerto Ricos fault? https://t.co/HHjdne94o9  Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) September 26, 2017

Trump's disgusting attempts to blame Puerto Rico makes me want to vomit... pic.twitter.com/MoV4RorykJ  Melanie321 (@Mellie4Justice) September 26, 2017

Our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico have suffered enough. They need more help now, anything but the President's hallmark bullying. https://t.co/5cbErHIZQy  Mindy Finn (@mindyfinn) September 26, 2017

Just so you know where were going: Trump is setting the stage to blame Americans in Puerto Rico for him not being capable of doing his job.  Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) September 26, 2017

Federal aid is flowing to Texas and Florida after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, but recovery work will require long-term efforts. In contrast, the White House has yet to send a disaster aid request to Congress for Puerto Rico, which gets the process for aid money started. (It sent the request for Texas six days after Harvey; it's expected to send one for Puerto Rico in early October, according to reports.) The government has indeed sent thousands of federal employees and multiple Coast Guard ships to the territory, but Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the humanitarian crisis requires more help, especially from the Pentagon in terms of law enforcement and transportation support, according to the Washington Post.

On the day of the storm, Trump sent out this message to Rossello, who's been generally positive about Trump's response.

Governor @RicardoRossello-

We are with you and the people of Puerto Rico. Stay safe! #PRStrong  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2017

FEMA Administrator Brock Long arrived on the island Monday. Maria smacked Puerto Rico on Sept. 20.
Turns out, President Donald Trump has a long history of blasting the U.S.'s most important allies in Asia. During a previously unreleased interview with Howard Stern in 1997 obtained by Newsweek this week, Trump unabashedly derided nearly everything about Japan, which is currently working with the Trump White House to deter North Korea's increasingly aggressive nuclear threats.

The remarks were included in a trove of 15 hours of previously unreleased interviews Trump gave The Howard Stern Show from 1993 to 2015 that were obtained by Newsweek and archived by Factba.se. During the 1997 interview, the radio host asked Trump about his views on Japan. You said the Japanese custom bowing to one another is nice, Stern said, to which Trump added, The only thing I like about the Japanese, and to be honest.

Bowing is part of Japans norms of greetings and etiquette. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the bower shows appreciation and respect to the person being bowed to, and is normally accompanied by greetings such as ohayo gozaimasu (good morning), or konnichi wa (hello, good afternoon.) Bows can be casual, very polite or used for business interactions.

In the same interview, Trump later added that he had a great relationship with the Japanese. When Stern added that Trump had to do business with [the Japanese], Trump said that they owe me lots of money and I take them back some.

North Korea's recent weapons tests have fueled mounting tension in the Asia-Pacific region, especially after one missile flew over Japan's Hokkaido island in August. Among its many threats, North Korea has vowed in recent months to sink Japan and turn the United States into ashes.

North Korea's nuclear program led Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to bond with Trump during a trip to the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, early this year, CNBC reported, while Japanese political leaders have sought to strengthen relationships with Trumps advisors in recent weeks.

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Trump has bashed Japan at other times. On April 25, 2014, Trump tweeted, We allow Japan to sell us millions of cars with zero import tax and we cant make a trade deal with them. Our country is in big trouble!

On April 22, 2015, Trump tweeted that the Trans-Pacific Alliance trade deal would only benefit Japan.

Trump jolted the international community in early 2016 when he said that allies could develop a nuclear program to defend themselves instead of relying on U.S. help. Japan is better if it protects itself against this maniac of North Korea, Trump said at the time.

Once he assumed office, Trumps rhetoric toward Japan slightly began to change. During his campaign, he said he loved Japan and that were going to have a great relationship with Japan, according to CNN Money. On December 6, 2016, he praised Japans SoftBank, Masa (SoftBank) of Japan has agreed to invest $50 billion in the U.S. toward businesses and 50,000 new jobs even though it was not clear how this pledge would have come to fruition.

Most recently, Trump wrote in a tweet on September 5, I will allow Japan & South Korea to buy substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the United States.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he planned to go to Puerto Rico and praised the federal effort so far for the U.S. territory after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria. "Puerto Rico needs a lot of money," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We've worked very, very hard in Puerto Rico. It's very tough because it's an island. ...We're doing a really good job. "We have shipped massive amounts of food and water and supplies to Puerto Rico and we are continuing to do it on an hourly basis." (This refiled version of the story spells out Puerto Rico). (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Frances Kerry)
By Umit Bektas and Daren Butler HABUR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Iraqi Kurds would go hungry if his country halts the flow of trucks and oil across the border with northern Iraq and warned that all military and economic measures were on the table against its neighbour. The comments, some of the harshest yet from Erdogan about Monday's referendum in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, came as Iraqi troops joined the Turkish army for military exercises near Turkey's border with northern Iraq. While initial results indicated overwhelming support for independence, Turkey - long northern Iraq's main link to the outside world - sees the referendum as a threat to its own security, fearing it will inflame separatism among its Kurdish population. "(They) will be left in the lurch when we start imposing our sanctions," Erdogan said in a speech broadcast live on television. "It will be over when we close the oil taps, all (their) revenues will vanish, and they will not be able to find food when our trucks stop going to northern Iraq." Turkey, which is home to the region's largest Kurdish population, is battling a three-decade Kurdish insurgency in its southeast, which borders northern Iraq. Erdogan said on Monday that traffic was only being allowed to cross from the Turkish side of the border into Iraq. Erdogan has repeatedly threatened economic sanctions, but has given few details. Hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day flow through a pipeline in Turkey from northern Iraq, connecting the region to global oil markets. Iraq, including the Kurdish region, was Turkey's third-largest export market in 2016, according to IMF data. Turkish exports to the country totalled $8.6 billion, behind Germany and the United Kingdom. MILITARY MEASURES Erdogan said all potential measures - including economic and military initiatives that involved land and air space - were on the table, adding that Iraqi Kurds would be incapable of forming a state. "They don't have an idea on how to be a state. They think that they are a state just by saying it. This can't and won't happen," he said. Iraqi soldiers joined Turkish troops for military exercises in southeast Turkey near the border with Iraq on Tuesday, a Reuters witness near the border said, as the two countries coordinate steps in response to the referendum. A small group of soldiers holding an Iraqi and a Turkish flag walked across the dusty plain where the exercises, launched last week, were being held 4 km (2.5 miles) from the Habur border gate. The flags were then held aloft from the top of an armoured personnel carrier. National and international media observed the exercises from the main highway leading to the border gate. The Turkish president also accused Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, of "treachery" over the vote. "Until the very last moment, we weren't expecting Barzani to make such a mistake as holding the referendum. Apparently we were wrong," Erdogan said. "This referendum decision, which has been taken without any consultation, is treachery." (Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay and Dirimcan Barut in Ankara and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Daren Butler and Giles Elgood)
After facing pressure from disgruntled users, Twitter has issued an explanation why it hasnt suspended Donald Trumps account despite the presidents apparent violation of user guidelines.

Trumps controversial tweet from Saturday, which contained a thinly veiled threat against North Korea, was deemed newsworthy and of public interest, said the social media platform on Monday. So, despite the threat of violence implied in the tweet, Trumps account would not be shut down.

Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

Some Twitter users had pointed out that Trumps North Korea tweet appeared to violate Twitters user guidelines, which stipulate that violent threats (direct or indirect) can be grounds for temporary or even permanent suspension.

North Koreas foreign minister said on Monday that the country considered Trumps tweet a declaration of war.

Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York. The question of who wont be around much longer will be answered then.

Twitter was pressed over the weekend on whether Trumps tweet was a violation of rules, but the company initially kept mum, telling BuzzFeed that it does not comment on individual accounts for privacy and security reasons.

Public pressure, however, appears to have persuaded Twitter to break its silence on the matter. In a series of tweets Monday, the company explained why it had not deleted Trumps tweet or suspended his account.

We hold all accounts to the same Rules, and consider a number of factors when assessing whether Tweets violate our Rules, the company said. Among the considerations is newsworthiness and whether a Tweet is of public interest.

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This has long been internal policy and well soon update our public-facing rules to reflect it, Twitter added. We need to do better on this, and will.

THREAD: Some of you have been asking why we haven't taken down the Tweet mentioned here: https://t.co/CecwG0qHmq 1/6  Twitter PublicPolicy (@Policy) September 25, 2017

In a followup tweet, Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey said the company was committed to increasing our transparency.

Were putting significant effort into increasing our transparency as a company, and commit to meaningful and fast progress. Will do better. https://t.co/g1Rvkaj2sl  jack (@jack) September 25, 2017

Many Twitter users, however, appeared unimpressed with Dorseys promises and the companys explanation.

Some noted that Trump would likely never be penalized by Twitter based on the companys current stand, since, as president, anything he says could be considered newsworthy.

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So, the tweet could be a threat from Trump, but because he's POTUS, it remains? Sounds inconsistent and biased.  Mike Rana  (@michaelranaii) September 25, 2017

@policy that is a truly rubbish explanation! Please explain why even when tweet threatens destruction of whole country its fine.  Debs Armstrong (@DebsArmstrong) September 25, 2017

@Twitter @Policy logic: Let people shout Fire! in a theatre, because it will bring media attention to the theatre.  Rio Reilly (@rioreilly) September 26, 2017

From your own AUP pic.twitter.com/yy5azDa8RX  Lady de Luce (@LadydeLuce) September 25, 2017

He's using their private platform & violating their terms of service. They have every right to penalize him. He isn't a dictator.  #TakeAKnee  (@williamlegate) September 25, 2017

So because he's president and therefore everything he says is theoretically newsworthy, there's nothing he can say that will get him banned?  Mark Fletcher  (@wingedpig) September 26, 2017

You need to do VASTLY better and quicker  Demand Diversity (@LoveStats) September 25, 2017

Do better? Do better than allowing international threats? Thats a relief.

Start with his tweet threatening 24 million people w/ annihilation  The Doctor (@Drstevenhobbs) September 25, 2017

If you did LITERALLY ANYTHING, it would be more than you're doing right now. #validcriticism  Mike Taber (@SingleFounder) September 25, 2017

If the world operated by your rules during the Cuban missile crisis we'd all be dead. Do better. Lock Trump out for making death threats.  Maestro (@janemaestro) September 25, 2017

Related...

South Korea Explores Possible Military Option After North Korea Missile

Trump Mentions 'Rocket Man' Kim Jong Un As White House Tries To Be Unified On North Korea

Trump Called Kim Jong Un Rocket Man And Twitter Just Cant

North Korea Escalates Rhetoric Against Trump

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Four Weddings and Eight Billion Funerals #TrumpsUNSpeechTheMovie @HuffPostComedy  Richard Jeter (@MilesToGo13) September 19, 2017

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The Nukes of Hazard #TrumpsUNSpeechTheMovie  craig onetweetwonder (@craigflynn1) September 19, 2017

Clear and Semi-Present Danger to the World

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Trilby Barnes (left) and Dr. Charlene Dukes (right) share their journeys as black women growing up in different states and overcoming similar obstacles to achieve success. (Photo: Trilby Barnes/Charlene Dukes)

Welcome to The Story We Share, a series of Q&As that profile two people with similar identities  but who live in very different places. As part of HuffPosts Listen To America tour, were exploring how peoples lived experiences overlap and diverge depending on their zip codes. What is the American experience? It depends where you look.

***

For black women in America, racial and gender challenges abound and success is often self-made. Trilby Barnes and Charlene Dukes are keenly familiar with this experience.

Barnes is a 62-year-old former entrepreneur and CEO from New Iberia, Louisiana. She led one of the countrys only minority-owned nursing staffing agencies for her company Medi-Lend, which quickly became a multimillion-dollar agency, marking an impressive level of success few black nursing professionals have earned.

Dukes is the current president of Prince Georges Community College in Largo, Maryland. At 63, Dukes, who was born in Pennsylvania and lived in Maryland for nearly two decades, is the first female president of the school, where she oversees a student body of more than 44,000, 93 percent of whom are students of color.

While their locations and occupations may differ, both women share plenty in common. Not only have Barnes and Dukes broken barriers in their respective fields, they did so while combatting racism, raising children, rising above hatred and overcoming setbacks they faced on account of their race and gender.

Below, Barnes and Dukes discuss growing up in two vastly different states and how their unwavering resilience has molded them into the trailblazing women they are today.

A childhood photo shows a young Trilby Barnes smiling and holding a purse. (Photo: Trilby Barnes/Charlene Dukes)

What was your childhood like growing up as a young black girl?

Trilby Barnes (Louisiana): I grew up in a town called New Iberia, Louisiana, and I grew up there with my parents in the town, but my mother came from the country part of New Iberia so I did a lot of growing up there as well. Even in town, I lived on a dirt road. It wasnt paved, but it was a really nice home compared to the fact that we were on a dirt road and one of the only better homes on that street at the time.

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My mother was 15 when she had me, and my grandmother, who was always the head of the family, she decided that with my mother being 15 and with my great aunt and great uncle not being able to have children, she decided that she would give me to them, so thats how I became the child of Irving and Hazel Barnes. My mother went on to have five more children, and so for that reason I have lovely siblings. We werent raised together but we came to know each other during our childhood.

Charlene Dukes (Maryland): I was born in a small town in southwest Pennsylvania called Johnstown. I am the second oldest of nine children. I grew up in a small but a very close community. All of my cousins had large families; my aunt had 13 children. My parents did not go to college. I am a first-generation college student, and grew up probably for the first 15 years of my life in a four-room house, and by four rooms I mean a living room, a kitchen and two bedrooms. I remind people that I didnt know what it was to really like to sleep in my own bed alone until I actually went to college.

Dukes is pictured here with her many siblings. (Photo: Charlene Dukes)

What are some of your earliest memories of experiencing racism?

Barnes (Louisiana): I knew that it was going on around me and I knew that there were differences between what jobs were available, where we shopped for groceries was different, definitely the expectations on who you were gonna be when you grew up were different. Everyone was geared toward doing technical schools, very few of my friends were thinking about college. But everybody wanted to go to trade school and if I wanted to identify where racial inequality was rooted in my age group, I think it was in the lack of empowerment as to what you could look at being.

Dukes (Maryland): I recall when I was around 15 we moved to a larger home in a predominantly white section of the town where I grew up. And I remember probably at that point really understanding what racism was and could be and how it would rear its ugly head. It was only two or three streets away from where I was raised, but coming home and seeing the n-word spray-painted across the side of our home several days in a row... My dad would go out there with paint and he would very calmly paint over that word.

I remember one day the neighbors came over and they brought paint cans and they started helping them paint over those words. What it said to us was that there are good people and that folks need to understand that we all bring our own set of values and a firm foundation and a good quality of life and a good community. But ... it really hit me that this thing called racism existed in ways that could be ugly and vicious. This was the late 60s.

You attended school in the 70s. What were your college years like?

Barnes (Louisiana): I guess what I realized now is that nobody thought I would be going to college. They didnt have any expectation outside of me going to technical school. I made good grades in high school but what I didnt realize is that I wasnt really prepared for the freedom of college.

[Nursings] my greatest aspiration and I can remember clearly this administrator saying to me, You know, you all dont do well in this field. You may want to consider social work. Instead of thinking of fighting her and proving her wrong, I was like, I need to get out of here, because I wanted to be a nurse and if they couldnt see me as a nurse then they couldnt help me to become one. I expected to hear, I see your desire to be a nurse. She could have told me anything except to tell me that I dont belong, or wont do well. There were other black students in nursing across the nation most likely being told that, which can account today for the disproportionate number of black nurses in nursing. And so I was like, Who am I gonna turn to?

When I told my dad that I wanted to be a social worker he said, You know that black women can be more than social workers. So I left and became an LPN [licensed practical nurse] and went to Charity Nursing School.

Dukes (Maryland): I went to a traditionally white institution in Pennsylvania, Indiana University. We werent the first but we were the largest group of black students who had been admitted and we had to get people to understand who we were and that we were people and not animals  that we had a right to be there, we were smart, intelligent, we could perform in the classroom. I can recall many a night, things would be thrown at us from cars, we were called names. It got to a point where young African American male students on campus set up a phone system so that no one had to walk around campus by himself or herself alone after dark.

It was such an experience for me that I actually left college after my first year. I left because of the racism on campus and also me trying to find myself. I moved to New Jersey and worked at Bell Telephone Company, then I moved to New York and worked at Chase. Then, four or five years later I re-enrolled in college so I could finish what I had started, so I actually graduated in 1980. I was very active in the Black Student Union and I was very active in going around the state to recruit students. As a student myself, I worked in an educational opportunity program and talked about what students might experience and how the school was beginning to put support systems in place for students of color.

How did racism and sexism play a role in the early years of your career?

Barnes (Louisiana): I had a physical accident that caused a fracture after my first year at Charity Nursing School in 1978. The school was like, You cant be in class with your leg in a cast. I only had about two weeks left in the class and I knew for a fact that there was a classmate of mine, a white girl, who had broken her arm or leg and she was in the class and it didnt cause a problem. I was excited that I was on my way to being a registered nurse. Then I had the accident and they wouldnt let me back in. But at that time, if you were white and popular, you were unstoppable.

So I went back in 84 and graduated in 86. I was always working as an LPN and I got a full-time job and ran a womens clinic while I was out of school. I learned a lot about life, during that time. I lost some of the naivety and found comfort in my self-worth.

Dukes (Maryland): I was a pretty good student. I graduated with a really high GPA and recall looking for jobs. As I traveled throughout Pennsylvania, it became clear to me that the more I traveled, the more rural Pennsylvania was, and when I showed up to be interviewed by superintendents and principals, they had no idea I was African American. And quite frankly, given the communities I was traveling in, I thought to myself, Even if they offered me a job theres no way I can be there. We probably just werent ready for each other. So I eventually looked for and found a position as a financial aid officer at a local university.

Ive always tried to be supportive of women in the environment today at PGCC. All of our senior team are women, we are all accomplished and bring a lot to the table.

As a black woman, do you ever feel pressure to have to work twice as hard to stay on track with your white peers?

Barnes (Louisiana): Definitely, I think thats what drove me to entrepreneurship. I saw the writing on the wall. The only shift black nurses had available were nights and day shifts were saved for white nurses. I worked hard, you work harder at nights and I think other nurses felt that way. There was a lot of discontent and you could not feel free to voice how you felt. So you had to be a strategic thinker and strategic with your speaking because you wanted to be understood but not to the point of losing your job.

I speak to some of my friends that are college professors now and they still reflect on the fact that people still think we dont know anything, or may still feel like they can give me a chapter to write and say that they co-authored it. Its that kind of upper-echelon B.S. I know the work Ive done.

Dukes (Maryland): Oh, absolutely. Ive felt that in my career. I think you have to work twice as hard and twice as smart. Being on time is being 15 minutes early. Ive seen that as both a person of color and as a woman. I think that is still absolutely true. We have opportunities to change that. There are more women working in higher education today than ever before, there are more women leading, but I think if we think back to the Lilly Ledbetter [Fair Pay] Act and the protests that have happened around womens rights, DACA, racism, this is the time for us to speak up and speak out and to recognize that we have a responsibility to do that. We dont have the luxury of sitting back and saying somebody else can do that.

Were you surprised by the results of the 2016 presidential election?

Barnes (Louisiana): Oh, yes, I expected Hillary to win. I think that were in trouble. I cant imagine that President Trump has me on his mind at any one time of the day. I cant imagine that one day Trump is thinking about the effects of violence in the African American community or the mother who has lost their child to violence.

I feel like as an American, Im more afraid than Ive ever been. My main thing as an African American woman, Im fearful for my daughter and for myself. I dont feel comfortable. But the thing about a strong black woman is that I still dont feel like stopping. Im still not tired now. But its sad that if I have to reflect on all that Ive went through, Im 62 and living here and now I have a fear for my safety. Its not just North Korea setting off a nuclear bomb, but suppose white supremacists decide to come out of the woods of Louisiana one night when Im in church. All of that has been reawakened, not that it ever goes to sleep. That stuff was real for Louisiana.

Dukes (Maryland): Like many people, I thought the result would be different, but I also think it sent a message that we have to be forever vigilant. Everyone says #staywoke and what I say is #staywoke, but if youre not doing anything you may as well be sleeping. I will tell you that my husband, neither one of us had an HBCU experience, but we had a conscious decision to send our son to an HBCU at Howard University, because I wanted him to really understand who he is as an African American male and how to be careful as he rode around the streets.

How have you been able to persevere past racial barriers to achieve success?

Barnes (Louisiana): I believe that when I didnt know what I was doing that my parents, my mom was asking God to lead me and guide me. When I was younger, I played in the church choir and when I turned to be on my own, I know they still prayed for me. I believe thats what brought me to my brink of success.

Dukes (Maryland): For us as a family, my husbands death was a milestone. I worked my way up the career path and it was something we were happy about and excited about and one night he fainted and the next morning he was gone. It would have been easy to roll up in a ball and never get up again. I was looking at my son, my stepson and I thought about how Ive been selected to run a large institution. You have to get up. Family and friends help. And thats what I try to do. Get up and keep going.

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Dukes is pictured here with her 27-year-old son Maurice. (Photo: Maurice Dukes)

What is your family life like and what do you do for self-care?

Barnes (Louisiana): I have one biological daughter, her father is deceased. She attended Howard University and is now living on her own and doing well. I will say that motherhood made me feel like ... I have to educate her, work harder, and having my pregnancy realigned me with the thought of making something for myself and something for her.

For fun, I like to dance, listen to live music, and I love to cook and I love to entertain. If I could, I would entertain all the time because I like having my friends around, now that I know who they are. Ive identified them and were good to go. Also, I love meeting all my daughters friends and being around young black minds. I just feel like a sponge.

Dukes (Maryland): I have one biological son and one stepson. Maurice is 27, he attended Howard University. My stepson, Lance, attended Hampton University. I have a pretty good sense of humor, I like to laugh. But Im also a person who likes to get to work early so I can prepare for the business of the day. I do belong to Delta Sigma Theta and I also belong to the Links, Inc. Theres a network of like-minded women at work and in my personal life where we can relax and engage and think about service to our communities.

I want to make sure to always do unto others as I would have them do unto me, and Im always concerned about how to put our best foot forward all the time. Our family motto till this day is, One for all and all for one. If somebody needs something or is in trouble, then thats how we operate.

What does black girl magic mean to you?

Barnes (Louisiana): To me, black girl magic is what I see in my daughter. I see and hear her saying and speaking things at 27 years old and having positions on life. I see that as being part of the magic of a black girl ... When youve been awarded the ability to grasp a look on life or way of life and youve done it and the people who have sent you on your way can look at you and be proud.

To me, black girl magic is me being 62 and Im going back to school. Im going to get my doctorate! I might be 70 and it doesnt matter. My focus is on reaching what I said I was set out to do. It was the best thought a little black girl can have, that at 18 you decided you wanted to have your doctorate in nursing and own a nursing company.

Dukes (Maryland): Black girl magic is about stepping up, being present, understanding who you are and understanding that young women are looking up to you every day. I think thats what its about and I look at the award shows on BET and I see myself clap for Issa Rae, Cicely Tyson, Angela Bassett and others. Were running companies, starting nonprofits, making a difference as women in STEM ... or playing roles in Hollywood. Im all about it, because its still encouraging me every day.

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

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By Daniel Wiessner

(Reuters) - A Trump administration lawyer on Tuesday urged a U.S. appeals court in Manhattan to rule that federal law does not ban discrimination against gay employees.

The U.S. Department of Justice is supporting a New York skydiving company, Altitude Express Inc, in a lawsuit brought by former instructor Donald Zarda, who accused the company of firing him after he told a customer he was gay and she complained. Zarda died in a BASE-jumping accident after filing the lawsuit, and his estate took over the case.

Judges on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals focused their questions on whether discrimination against gay workers is a form of unlawful sex bias under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That law bans discrimination based on workers' sex, race, religion and other traits.

Justice Department lawyer Hashim Mooppan told the court that Congress never intended for that law to protect gay workers against bias. And in recent years, he said, lawmakers have repeatedly declined to pass bills that would prohibit employment discrimination against gay workers.

During the Obama administration, the Justice Department had not weighed in on the case. But the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which appeared at Tuesday's hearing on behalf of Zarda's estate, has been arguing for five years that bias against gay workers violates the law. The EEOC is an independent federal agency that enforces Title VII.

So far, only one federal appeals court, in Chicago, has agreed with the commission.

Several 2nd Circuit judges questioned Mooppan about why the Justice Department got involved, and whether it first consulted with the EEOC. Mooppan said it would not be appropriate for him to discuss the department's internal procedures.

Lawyers for Zarda's estate and the EEOC told the court gay workers are protected by Title VII because sexual orientation is necessarily linked to a person's sex.

LGBT groups say the case is crucial because a victory for Zarda's estate would deepen a split among federal appeals courts and increase the chances that the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue.

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Earlier this month, the high court was asked to review a ruling that dismissed a similar case by a former hospital security guard in Georgia.

A three-judge 2nd Circuit panel in April had ruled against Zarda's estate, citing a prior ruling that said discrimination against gay workers is not a form of sex bias. The full court can overturn the prior decision.

The case is Zarda v. Altitude Express Inc, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 15-3775.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in New York; editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Jonathan Oatis)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Diplomatic efforts to tackle the crisis caused by North Korea's nuclear and missile buildup are continuing, U. S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday. Mattis, who is on a two-day official visit to the Indian capital to strengthen military ties said pressure on North Korea had increased following a United Nations resolution. "We continue to maintain the diplomatically led efforts in the United Nations," he told reporters. "You have seen unanimous U.N. security council resolutions passed that have increased the pressure...on the North and at the same time we maintain the capability to deter North Korea's most dangerous threats," he added. (Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani and Aditya Kalra; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
TORONTO  Ride-hailing service Uber will stop operating in the Canadian province of Quebec, CBC News reported on Tuesday, deciding to pull out rather than abide by tougher rules.

Uber also is battling a decision to strip the company of its London license, the latest regulatory attack on Uber as its new chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, seeks to rebuild the company's image. London's transportation agency judged the company unfit to run a taxi service because of its approach to reporting serious crimes and background checks. Uber will be allowed to operate in London until the license appeal process is exhausted, which could take several months.



Uber did not say when it would stop service in Quebec. It had been had been operating there under a one-year pilot project put in place last October, which the province renewed last week with stricter conditions, including the need for drivers to undergo 35 hours of training, in line with the requirement for traditional taxi drivers.

Uber has said the "new and challenging" Quebec regulations "significantly threaten" the company's ability to continue operating in the mostly French-speaking province, the report said.

The company's presence in Quebec has been loudly opposed by its taxi industry, which has on occasion blocked traffic in Montreal in protest.

Uber is due to hold a news conference in Montreal on Tuesday morning to discuss the impact the new regulations have had, a spokeswoman said.

In Canada, Uber currently operates in Toronto, the country's largest city, as well as in Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. It does not operate in Vancouver or Winnipeg, due to a lack of provincial regulation in British Colombia and Manitoba, respectively.

Uber rival Lyft, which currently only operates in the United States, has started exploring a move north of the border, with its lobbyists having met several times with municipal officials in Toronto, according to city records.



Reporting by Alastair Sharp



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Tunis (AFP) - UN envoy Ghassan Salame opened new talks between Libyan rivals in Tunisia on Tuesday, less than a week after he presented a plan to end the chaos in the conflict-wracked country.

The talks are scheduled to continue until the end of the week in Gammarth, on the outskirts of the capital Tunis, where negotiations had already been held in the recent past.

Salame said rival sides would be able to "give a very strong signal to the rest of Libyans that there is a possibility to work together" if they agreed on his plans.

"Today we will determine the points that the two sides agree to review," he told a news conference.

The UN diplomat expressed confidence that Libya would be ready to hold parliamentary and presidential elections "before or in July" next year.

Years of political turmoil since the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi have left Libya divided between rival governments and beset by violence as militia forces battle for power.

A UN-backed agreement was reached in 2015 as the basis for a political process in Libya, and a unity government was formed with Fayez al-Sarraj as prime minister.

The Government of National Accord (GNA) took office in Tripoli in March 2016, and since then it has extended its influence beyond the capital.

But it has struggled to impose its authority elsewhere, particularly in the far east where military strongman Khalifa Haftar controls much of the territory and supports a rival parliament.

Salame, who was appointed UN envoy in July, presented his roadmap to the United Nations on September 20, outlining his hopes to give Libyans a future.

Under his plan, a new constitution must be put before a referendum, paving the way for elections.

Speaking in New York, Salame said the Skhirat agreement reached in 2015 "remains the only possible framework", while noting "there is broad consensus to amend it".

The envoy also announced the organisation of a national conference in Libya aimed at reintegrating those marginalised by the conflict and its aftermath.
By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi faced calls on Tuesday to take measures ranging from an economic blockade to military action after Kurds voted in a referendum in support of independence. But he will need to proceed cautiously. Abadi has been trying to unite Iraq since he took office, focusing mainly on sectarian hostilities between Shi'ites and Sunnis, which had triggered a civil war, and Islamic State militants who seized a third of his country before their defeat. The Shi'ite-led Baghdad government and the Kurdish region in the north have struggled for years to resolve differences over oil and other sensitive issues. But Monday's vote, which is likely to lead to a breakaway state that has been the dream of generations of Kurds, has ratcheted up tensions, posing one of the biggest challenges to Abadi as he tries to keep Iraq together. The Iraqi government ruled out talks on possible secession for Kurdish-held parts of northern Iraq on Tuesday after projections by the Kurdish Rudaw TV channel showed support for a split could be over 90 percent. Neighboring Iran and Turkey also fiercely oppose independence in the north. They say it will cause regional chaos, and they also fear secession will encourage their own restive Kurdish populations to press for self-determination. Now Abadi's Shi'ite constituency, as well as Sunni Arabs opposed to Kurdish independence, will be pressing him to take firm action. Disputed areas such as the multi-ethnic oil city of Kirkuk could be a flashpoint for widespread instability. "Kurds have gone too far and government must show them a tougher face. Government forces must go to maintain peace in Kirkuk and all other areas Kurds try to control by force," said Mohammed Tamim, an Arab Sunni lawmaker from Kirkuk "Parliament has authorized Abadi to safeguard Iraqi unity and such a mandate allows him to send troops." GOVERNMENT TROOPS Mobilizing government troops may not be so easy. The army has spent years fighting Islamic State and the recent battle to drive the group out of Mosul has left many of Iraq's formations exhausted. Those troops that can fight are engaged in operations against Islamic State militants west of Kirkuk and near the Syrian border. Another option would be to turn to Iranian-backed paramilitary groups. Some, like Asaib ahl al-Haq, have already threatened to march on Kirkuk. Tehran supports Shi'ite Muslim groups that have been prominent in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. "Abadi, as the commander of armed forces, must switch the needle of the fighting compass toward Kirkuk," said Hashim al-Mouasawi, a spokesman for the Shi'ite Nujaba group, which has about 10,000 fighters and is loyal to Iran. "We are fully prepared to answer Abadi's orders to liberate Kirkuk and the oilfields from the separatist militias' control before it's too late. We will fight to safeguard the prestige of the state." While the use of these paramilitary groups against the Kurds would spare the army from having to fight against fellow Iraqis, there are risks for Abadi. Tensions are already high between Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite paramilitary forces, even though they cooperated in the fight against Islamic State. Now that Islamic State has largely been removed from strategic areas, the ethnic and sectarian battle for land and influence that has dogged Iraq could complicate efforts to create harmony among its many sects and communities. If the Shi'ite paramilitaries and Kurds clash, it will mean all-out war between two of the best fighting forces in Iraq, a U.S. ally and OPEC oil producer with an economy shattered by conflict. Vahal Ali, a spokesman for Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, said the Kurds would not take further steps toward independence without pursuing peaceful negotiations with the Baghdad government. But, he added, Kurds did not have endless patience. "If we are attacked we will defend ourselves," he said. "We are not breaking any laws. The Kurdish people were given a chance to vote and they did." CONTROL OF AIRPORTS For its part, the Iraqi government gave the KRG three days to hand over control of its airports in order to avoid an international air embargo, Abadi said, according to state TV. Baghdad asked foreign countries to stop flights to the international airports of Erbil and Sulaimaniya, in KRG territory, but only Iran complied. Lawmakers called on Abadi to apply economic pressure on the Kurds, who suffered under Saddam for decades and then began building a semi-autonomous zone in the north after his fall. One possibility is a blockade of Kurdish areas, something that Vahal Ali said would also harm the Baghdad government. "The Government must take tough measures to prevent the Kurdish leaders from going too far," said Shi'ite lawmaker Ammar Tuma. He called for "shutting down exits and entrances, controlling the border crossings, chasing the funds Kurdish leaders generated from illegal oil sales, and finally deploying Iraqi forces in areas they try to control by force." Kurdish oil sales without the consent of the government have angered Iraqi leaders. But placing an economic stranglehold on the Kurds may have only limited success for Baghdad if Turkey continues to trade with the north. Turkey has long been northern Iraq's main link to the outside world and the KRG exports hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day to world markets via Turkey. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Iraqi Kurds would go hungry if his country halts the flow of goods and oil across the border with northern Iraq. And while it sees the referendum as a grave matter for its own national security, Turkey has built good relations with Barzani's Kurdish administration. Iraq, including the Kurdish region, was Turkey's third-largest export market in 2016. Erdogan has repeatedly threatened economic sanctions against the Kurds in response to the referendum, but he has so far given few specifics. (Writing by Michael Georgy; editing by Giles Elgood)
Beijing (AFP) - US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will return to Beijing in November to focus on reducing the US trade deficit with China, the Commerce Department announced.

Ross met with several senior Chinese officials including Premier Li Keqiang and Vice Premier Wang Yang over the weekend to discuss some of the key frictions in the trade relationship, including protection of US intellectual property and sensitive technology, according to a readout of his meetings.

The Trump administration has made reducing bilateral trade deficits a central goal of trade policy, and opened talks to renegotiate free trade agreements with Canada and Mexico, and with Korea.

Ross will return to China with "a senior level trade mission ... to reduce the trade deficit through increased exports of high-value US goods and services to China and improved market access for US firms," the Commerce Department said late Monday.

As part of its combative trade policy, the Trump administration in recent months has opened an investigation into China's intellectual property rights protections, notably requiring forced transfer of technology before allowing a foreign company to invest, as well as the country's steel production, which could pose a national security threat to the US.

In his meetings in Beijing over the weekend, Ross emphasized the need for "concrete deliverables and meaningful action on key issues."

"Chinese officials committed to further market opening," the Commerce department said, but "continually stressed that dialogue is preferable to unilateral action, saying that they would have to respond in kind to any potential action by the United States."

The officials had "a friendly and honest exchange of views on a range of issues including the need to rebalance bilateral trade and investment relations, protect intellectual property, lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and guarantee fair and reciprocal treatment for US firms," the statement said.

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Talks between the two sides had gone "quite well," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing Tuesday.

"The economic and trade ties between China and the US are mutually beneficial," he said, noting that trade between the two would not have continued to grow if relations "were only beneficial to China and brought no benefit to the US."

Ross' visit was in preparation for President Donald Trump's planned trip to China in November.

The world's two top economies have also been at odds over how to handle North Korea's nuclear threat, with Beijing repeatedly calling for peace talks and the United States pressing for massive economic pressure on China's ally.

China has since agreed to a slew of United Nations sanctions against North Korea, including a new package of measures restricting some oil shipments following Pyongyang's sixth and most powerful nuclear test.
Chicago (AFP) - A Singaporean teenager who became notorious for profanity-laced attacks on the city's revered late leader Lee Kuan Yew was granted asylum by a US immigration court, his attorney announced Tuesday.

Amos Yee, 18, a filmmaker turned activist who served two jail terms in Singapore for his controversial videos, was detained by US authorities when he arrived at a Chicago airport in mid-December.

An immigration appeals court in Chicago last Thursday agreed with a lower court judge's earlier decision to grant asylum, finding that Yee had a "well-founded fear of future persecution" if returned to Singapore.

"The applicant was prosecuted for postings on social media that were highly critical of government officials," the Board of Immigration Appeals said in its ruling.

"We agree with the immigration judge that the cumulative harm in this case rose to the level of persecution."

Yee's attorney Sandra Grossman expected him to be released from a jail near Chicago on Tuesday. She was critical of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for keeping the teen imprisoned.

"We decry ICE's decision to detain Mr Yee, especially after his asylum case was granted and after DHS made no arguments, nor presented evidence, that Yee is a threat," Grossman said in a statement.

"After a much-awaited decision, Amos Yee will likely soon have the chance to breathe the air of freedom."

Yee, who won a filmmaking award at 13, posted an expletive-laden video in March 2015 attacking Lee amid an outpouring of grief over the founding prime minister's death that same week.

In the eight-minute video, Yee compared Lee to Jesus, saying "they are both power-hungry and malicious but deceive others into thinking they are compassionate and kind."

He was jailed for four weeks for hurting the religious feelings of Christians and for posting an obscene drawing of Lee and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

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He served 55 days, including penalties for violating bail conditions.

In September 2016, Yee was jailed for six weeks for insulting Muslims and Christians in a series of videos posted online.

The videos were watched hundreds of thousands of times before they were taken down from Yee's YouTube page.
The US has denied declaring war on North Korea.

The White House has dismissed North Koreas claim that a tweet by Donald Trump amounted to a declaration of war.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the US had not declared war on Pyongyang.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied the US has declared war (Picture: Rex)

The Trump administration also clarified that it was not seeking to overthrow North Koreas government after the president tweeted that its leader Kim Jong Un wont be around much longer.

Pyongyang interpreted that tweet as a declaration of war.

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In a speech last week to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Trump said that if the US was forced to defend itself against North Korea, we will have no choice but to totally destroy the country.

The US and North Korea agreed to an armistice after the 1950-1953 Korean War, not a peace treaty. Because of that, they are still technically at war.

North Koreas foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said the US has declared war on his country (Picture: PA)

The Trump administration also said it was not advocating regime change in North Korea.

North Koreas top diplomat, foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, said at the United Nations that it was a declaration of war against his country by the United States, and that the North had the right to shoot down US warplanes in international airspace.

Mr Ri told reporters that Mr Trumps statement gives North Korea every right under the UN Charter to take counter-measures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers even though theyre not yet inside the airspace border of our country.

Mr Trumps tweet on Saturday read: Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer!

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Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

Mr Ri said: The question of who wont be around much longer will be answered then.

North Korea has repeatedly said it needs a nuclear deterrent because the US intends to invade it.

Mr Ri told the UN General Assembly on Saturday that Pyongyangs recent ICBM-mountable H-bomb test was a key step to completing its nuclear force.

Donald Trumps tweets have angered North Korea (Picture: Rex)

He called it a war deterrent for putting an end to nuclear threat of the US and for preventing its military invasion.

He said: Our ultimate goal is to establish the balance of power with the US.

(Main picture: Rex)
She walked in for a bite, but she was the one getting bitten.

A Virginia woman is recovering after she says a venomous copperhead snake bit her on the foot after she entered a steakhouse earlier this month.

Rachel Myrick had just gone into the LongHorn Steakhouses entrance in Fredericksburg when says she felt the first of three bites on September 12.

Initially it felt like I was stung by a bee or a hornet or something, she recalled the unexpected attack to Richmond station WTVR. I reached down and grabbed my foot because of the amount of pain and under my fingers felt it wiggle.

Rachel Myrick is recovering after she was bitten by a copperhead snake inside of a Virginia restaurant. (Photo: WTVR)

As Myrick reacted, she said her boyfriend, Michael Clem, and her 13-year-old son stomped on the reptile, killing it on the spot.

Clem said he recognized the type of snake, which is native to Virginia, almost immediately.

Ive bred and raised reptiles for 15 years, he told The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. There was no question what it was.

Clem called for help and then waited with Myrick outside the restaurant until an ambulance arrived. Once at a hospital, she was given antivenin after the swelling spread up to her left thigh and hip.

She told WTVR today that she currently requires crutches to get around. Doctors told her it would take three months for her to recover.

In a statement, Longhorn SteakHouse said its staff is still looking into how it happened and they are taking steps to prevent it from repeating.

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Did you rush out to buy Verizon's Wear24 smartwatch? No? You're far from alone, apparently. Verizon has quietly discontinued the Android Wear 2.0 device a little over 4 months after its mid-May debut. The carrier isn't explaining the decision other than to confirm that it happened, but it's safe to say the Wear24 wasn't selling well -- you just don't drop a product that quickly if sales are at all decent. There's also no hint as to what people didn't enjoy about the watch, but... well, we have a few ideas.

To begin with, there was nothing particularly noteworthy to justify the $350 price. The design could be charitably described as... inoffensive. It wouldn't trigger revulsion, but no one was going to fawn over it, either. The feature set was strictly middle-of-the-road and didn't include support for mobile payments like the LG Watch Sport (which Verizon dropped, we'd add) or Samsung Gear S3. Many users panned the speaker, too, which made the Wear24's signature LTE calling feature near-useless without headphones. The wearable really served as Verizon's attempt to control smartwatch sales in its stores. It was an extra device for staff to sell to someone who was buying the Android phone du jour and looking to accessorize.

And then there's the nature of the industry. Like it or not, Apple dominates the smartwatch market -- outside of fashion brands like Fossil, most competitors aren't faring well. Verizon was always going to face an uphill battle selling to customers who weren't even buying smartwatches from brands like LG and Samsung, let alone a carrier's in-house model. Without name recognition or a huge audience for Android-powered watches, the Wear24 just wasn't going to attract much attention.
New footage of senior British Islamic State militant group (ISIS) operatives has emerged from the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, and provides fresh insight into life for foreign fighters inside the groups self-proclaimed caliphate in the Middle East.

The footage, obtained by Britains Daily Telegraph, shows Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John; Junaid Hussain, ISISs top cyber chief; Reyaad Khan, a key recruiter and religious figure for the jihadist group; and sniper Raymond Matimba.

Filmed in November 2014, after a series of executions of Western hostages, it shows the men sitting around in a cafe, laughing and joking as they charge their phones, weapons standing against the wall. The video was secretly filmed by an unidentified ISIS defector, who has now fled Raqqa, despite the threat of execution. It displays the men in an unstaged setting, one very different to the film-like propaganda productions in which its militants have regularly appeared.

Monsters unmasked. British Islamic State members incl Jihadi John who beheaded US & UK hostages.

Via @Telegraphpic.twitter.com/tSTuIHAqKD  Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) September 25, 2017

It is the first footage released of the men inside the caliphate, without their identity hidden by masks. It is also one of the first videos to show some of the most senior leaders of ISIS in their environment at the height of the groups power. The cafe was the one place that the men could hide their identities outside of their homes.

All of them wore black masks. Jihadi John was special and had a distinctive green one, the source told the Telegraph. It is the one you can see on his head in the video.

Emwazi became one of the most wanted ISIS fighters for his filmed beheadings of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as American aid worker Peter Kassig and British nationals Alan Henning and David Haines.

Emwazi was only violent in the media, but in normal life he was a calm person, the Telegraph's source said. He spoke quietly and little, but when he did he was respected. He never hurt people in public, he would avoid any contact with civilians on the street.

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Junaid was the IT guy, the controller, the leader. He was the most feared. When he entered the cafe the others would all stand up and look to him. He would tell everyone [what] to do, he said.

The videos that starred Emwazi were publicized around the world and pushed the U.S. into forming a coalition of air forces that would begin a campaign of airstrikes against the group.

Jihadi John ISIS 'Beatles' Execution Cell

SITE Intel Group/Handout via Reuters/Reuters

The west Londoner, 27, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in November, 2015. Hussain, 21, was a key cyber chief for the group and recruiter of foreign fighters. A U.S. airstrike killed him in August of the same year. A British airstrike killed Khan, who became the first British citizen to be killed by his own country, after then-British Prime Minister David Cameron sanctioned the strike on national security grounds. ISIS sniper Matimbas whereabouts remain unknown.

After ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the creation of the caliphate in July 2014, foreign fighters flocked to join a group that pledged to form a state for the worlds Muslims that would be governed by Sharia law, which conforms to an ultraconservative brand of Sunni Islam.

Many traveled to Raqqa as it became the de facto capital of the caliphate, drawn in by the promise of money, true Islam and a better life than in the Western world. But many became disenfranchized, leaving the area and attempting to return home. Many also stayed, but as the group continues to lose territory to ground troops in Iraq and Syria, backed by U.S.-led coalition airpower, many have had to flee for fear that they will be captured by enemy forces.

It has increased the workload for Western security services who fear that militants could return to their home countries and mount attacks, in addition to those supporters of ISIS at home who have carried out attacks after becoming inspired by the jihadist group.

After the deaths of three of the Britons shown in the video, ISIS-inspired attacks have targeted Britain on four occasions this year alone.

They included vehicle-ramming attacks on Westminster Bridge and London Bridge, the latter followed by a stabbing attack by a three-man cell; a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that left 22 people dead; and a partial bomb blast on a subway train in west London that left 30 people injured.

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Washington (AFP) - The White House batted back allegations Monday that Donald Trump is not focused on the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, which has been clobbered by a series of deadly hurricanes.

Hurricane Maria hit the US island territory before dawn Wednesday as a Category Four storm, leaving vast tracts of the island with power or telephone coverage.

"Returning from #PuertoRico now." Tweeted Florida senator Marco Rubio, with a stark warning. "Tremendous damage. Potential for serious crisis in areas outside of #SanJuan MUST get power crews in ASAP."

The five living former US presidents extended their "One America Appeal" -- set up in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida -- to help with the devastation in Puerto Rico.

The White House denied it had been slower to act in Puerto Rico than in storm-battered areas on the US mainland, although Trump himself spent part of the day sending multiple tweets fueling a feud with sportsmen refusing to stand for the national anthem.

"We've done unprecedented movement in terms of federal funding to provide for the people of Puerto Rico and others that have been impacted (by) these storms," said spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"We'll continue to do so and continue to do everything that we possibly can under the federal government to provide assistance."

Engineers say it could take months for power to be fully restored in Puerto Rico.

After Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, Trump traveled to the state twice in one week.

He also traveled to Florida after Irma, handing out sandwiches and stressing that restoring electricity was a priority.

Trump spoke to Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello and the governor of the US Virgin Islands by phone over the weekend, and vowed to visit both places -- although no date has yet been set.
While previous iterations of President Donald Trumps travel ban focused on Muslim-majority nations, the new travel restrictions announced Sunday included two non-Muslim-majority additions: North Korea and Venezuela.

Why is Venezuela on the travel ban? The travel restrictions on both countries are related to what the Trump administration describes as a lack of cooperation, but the the limits on the latter country are unique.

According to the Sunday proclamation, North Korea does not cooperate with the United States government in any respect and fails to satisfy all information-sharing requirements. Thats perhaps little surprise given the rising tensions between North Korea and Trump. That said, the travel ban on that country will likely have little effect: North Koreans very rarely leave their own borders.

For Venezuela, on the other hand, Trumps ban bars the entrance of certain government officials and their immediate families, but not the countrys citizens at large.

Notably, the new order argues that while its possible to obtain information on Venezuelan citizens through means outside its government, Venezuelan officials themselves have been uncooperative. Therefore, only the government has been banned.

Venezuelas government fails to share public-safety and terrorism-related information adequately, the proclamation read.

Relations between Venezuela and the U.S. have been deteriorating since the 1990s. Venezuela broke off diplomatic relations with the U.S. in 2008, and the U.S. declared the country a national security threat in 2015. President Trump earlier this year warned that a military option was on the table and slapped sanctions on the Latin American nation. With notable clarity, the U.S. has described current president Nicolas Maduro a dictator and his most recent election a sham.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Maduro Guerra, the son of President Maduro, threatened Trump in mid-August, saying that If the unlikely event of defiling the homeland came to pass, the rifles would arrive in New York Mr. Trump, we would arrive and take the White House.
SINGAPORE  This year looks to be the "tipping point" for electric cars, Arnoud Balhuizen, chief commercial officer at global miner BHP, said on Tuesday, with the impact for raw-materials producers to be felt first in the metals market, and only later in oil.

"In September 2016 we published a blog and we set the question  could 2017 be the year of the electric vehicle revolution?" said Balhuizen, a company veteran who runs BHP's commercial strategy, procurement and marketing from Singapore.

"The answer is yes ... 2017 is the revolution year we have been speaking about. And copper is the metal of the future."

Europe has begun a dramatic shift away from the internal combustion engine, although, globally, there are only roughly 1 million electric cars out of a global fleet of closer to 1.1 billion.

BHP forecasts that could rise to 140 million vehicles by 2035, a forecast it says is on 'the greener' end "The reality is a mid-sized electric vehicle still needs subsidies to compete ... so a lot will depend on batteries, on policy, on infrastructure," Balhuizen said.

Electric cars are expected to soon cost the same as traditional vehicles  as early as next year by some estimates. But governments are also getting on board, with China's subsidies leading the way and Britain becoming the latest country to announce its all-electric ambitions in July.

Balhuizen said he expected the electric vehicle boom would be felt  for producers  first in copper, where supply will struggle to match increased demand. The world's top mines are aging, and there have been no major discoveries in two decades.

The market, he said, may have underestimated the impact on the red metal: Fully electric vehicles require four times as much copper as cars that run on combustion engines.

BHP, Balhuizen said, is well-placed, with assets like Escondida and Spence in Chile, and Olympic Dam in Australia. BHP said last month it was spending $2.5 billion to extend the life of the Spence mine in northern Chile by more than 50 years.

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For oil, though, the impact of the electric car boom may take longer to be felt.

Balhuizen said in the nearer term, over the next 10 to 15 years, improvements in the internal combustion engine will be a more significant drag on demand.





CHILE-COPPER/ESCONDIDA



BELT, ROAD

China's efforts to build a new Silk Road are another major factor influencing commodities demand in the near term, and BHP estimates the impact on steel alone at 150 million tons of new demand, Balhuizen said, mostly to be used in structures and reinforced concrete. Spending could top $1.3 trillion.

China produced just over 800 million tons of steel in 2016.

There is little question Asia requires more spending on infrastructure  the Asian Development Bank estimates that Asia requires $26 trillion in infrastructure investment by 2030. Per year, that is more than double current spending, BHP said.

Belt and Road, as the giant initiative is known, is a "tremendous opportunity," he said, acknowledging that there was a risk that big slogans may struggle to translate to profit.

Along with the rest of the commodities universe, BHP has benefited from rising prices over recent months  copper, for example is close to three-year highs, boosting cashflows.

The return of growth has not turned BHP away from its push for efficiencies, Balhuizen said, including with instruments like blockchain, although the focus remains on easier wins like e-documentation.

But efficiencies will not mean further reducing the portfolio of commodities for now, he said, brushing off criticism from some investors over BHP's oil assets.

"The diversity of our portfolio does create value. We get better credit ratings, we get a lower cost of debt," he said, pointing to applications in potash of techniques honed in oil.

"It is very tangible, very clear."

Reporting by Clara Ferreira Marques and Gavin Maguire



Related Video:
In a post-Juicero world, the bar has been set high for any piece of smart kitchen hardware that only makes one type of food. Enter Yomee, which bills itself as the Keurig of fresh yogurt and is now raising funds on Kickstarter. Lecker Labs, the startup behind Yomee, hopes that its relatively low price (each unit will retail for $99) and cost-savings will let it succeed where Juicero failed.

It also helps that culturing yogurt is more complicated than squeezing a baggie of milk with your hands. A few missteps and you might end up with milk that never gels or an inedible lumpy goo. Yomee simplifies that process with a pod containing live cultures that users insert into the machine, which is about the size of a small coffee maker, before pouring in milk. After picking what kind of yogurt they want on Yomees app, they leave it alone for six hours. During that time, Yomee boils and stirs the milk and lets it set into yogurt before cooling it down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Loading a pod with live cultures into Yomee

To be sure, there are already many yogurt makers on the market, including several models that cost under $30 on Amazon.com. But Yomee requires less supervision, which may help make it more attractive to people who are busy, lazy or just really love yogurt (power users can even send calorie information directly from Yomees app to Apple Health or Google Fit).

While growing up in Delhi, Lecker Labs founder Ashok Jaiswal watched his mother make yogurt every day to eat plain or use in recipes. After moving overseas 15 years ago, however, he started buying all his yogurt from supermarkets. Then he had a daughter and became pickier about what kind of yogurt he fed her. So he tried to recreate his mothers recipe from memory.

I wanted to make yogurt like my moms yogurt, but it didnt turn out. I was like huh?, Jaiswal tells TechCrunch.

He called his mother for help and the two of them figured out that the cooler climate in Hong Kong, where he currently lives, meant he had to adjust her recipe. Looking for an easier option, Jaiswal went online to buy a yogurt maker, but most still required him to boil milk and calculate fermentation times.

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The final straw came when Jaiswal discovered that most of his friends had no idea yogurt could even be made at home. He sold his stake in EzeeCube, his last startup, and launched Lecker Labs, which was accepted by accelerator program Food-X, to create Yomee.

Jaiswal says Yomees value proposition is one of the things that sets it apart from Juicero. Pods cost $4 for a pack of five and each one cultures about 10 ounces of yogurt. In comparison, plain Greek yogurt sold in supermarkets ranges from about 12 cents to 30 cents an ounces, depending on brand. Pods are also open-source so other companies can market their own branded versions (Jaiswal says two major dairy companies are already onboard with the idea). Yomee will also sell pods for vegan yogurts made from soy, almond, coconut or rice milk.

Juicero had its own team and they had their own vision, says Jaiswal. What were focusing on is a product that is reasonably priced and pods that are reasonably priced. The machine will not only work with our pods, but also a third-party network of pods. So our yogurt is cheaper than supermarket yogurt and the value and convenience we provide is very high.

Lecker Labs is currently working with factories in Hong Kong and Taiwan to get the Yomee ready to ship right after the Lunar New Year, which takes place in the middle of February next year. After all Kickstarter units have shipped, Jaiswal says Lecker Labs goal is to launch Yomee on Amazon by the end of 2018 and get it into retail stores by 2019.
(Photo: Today)

All of morning TVs eyes were on Megyn Kelly Monday morning, as she debuted her own morning show on NBC. Keen viewers noticed that she seemed to be making a statement about the move  with her outfit.

For the inaugural episode of Megyn Kelly TODAY, Kelly and presumably a team of stylists decided she would wear black trousers and a pink pussybow blouse. (Coincidentally, guest Megan Mullally, who was on to promote the premiere of Will & Grace, wore a very similar top.) The outfit, while simple, is notable for a few reasons.

Kelly comes to NBC after a controversial stint on Fox where, in a rule straight out of 1919, women werent allowed to wear pants on Fox & Friends. On-air host Gretchen Carlson confirmed the rule, which has apparently been amended since the ousting of Roger Ailes. But in choosing not to wear a skirt on her first day at a competing network, Kelly is perhaps throwing subtle shade to her former employer.

Up top: A pink pussybow blouse. Theres a feminist history behind the style. As CEO of Hewlett-Packard Meg Whitman revealed in a PBS documentary, she first wore the style to feminize the suit-and-tie look that their male counterparts wore to the office: We used to dress in suits with a skirt and a jacket with button-down shirts and a little bow tie, because that was sort of our interpretation of the mans tie. She continued, It was our attempt to be feminine but fit into what was then a male world. The title isnt even a coincidence  since they were invented to be a feminized version of the male business dress code, they were literally named after female genitalia. Whether Kelly was aware of it or not, she was summoning a feminist history by wearing one as a woman on television.

Style watchers may also remember the night during the election when Melania Trump wore a $1,100 Gucci pussybow blouse. In the debate shortly after her husbands Access Hollywood grab em tapes were released, Trump wore a shirt that seemingly referenced her husbands controversial remarks. She paired them with matching trousers  a surprise choice as Hillary Clinton is well-known for her pantsuits. Social media was quick to point out that the ensemble could hardly be seen as a coincidence.

Story continues

While Kelly may or may not have been trying to send a message with her clothing, viewers still readily examined them.

Megyn Kelly is wearing a pussy bow shirt  Emily Cohn (@emily_cohn) September 25, 2017

Megyn Kellys debut outfit on the Today show is similar to one of Melania Trumps most infamous outfits  and it could be a subtle dig at  Ondernemer tweets (@Ondernemertweet) September 25, 2017

If she did it on purpose, it's pretty funny. And if she did it by accident, it's even funnier. "Pussy Bow"! https://t.co/qfMCuq7iti  Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) October 10, 2016

In Kellys opening, she addressed and immediately distanced herself from any expectations that shell be reporting on politics. Next well be dissecting the latest tweet from President Trump! Oh wait, we will not be doing that. The truth is I am done with politics for now, she said.

Kelly may have said shes leaving the past behind, but her pussybow speaks differently.

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The public report about the IDFs security perception and force building, issued Monday by the Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which did a commendable and unprecedented job, likely does the classified report injustice. It includes a lot of esoteric hints, which can only be understood by a small group of expert authorities on the IDF.

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But the public report is intended for the man on the street, who wants to get a simple answer to the following question: Is the IDF ready for war tomorrow morning? The clear answer can likely be found in the classified and detailed report, while parts made available to the public are vague and sophisticated. After reading it, the answer is: It depends which war we find ourselves in.

The report indicates that the five-year Gideon Plan , which is supposed to prepare the army for the next war, is first of all an admission by the IDF that until Operation Protective Edge the army had been building itself for the wrong war, and that it must prepare differently. Throughout the public report, therefore, the chief of staff is praised for admitting that there is a need for a change and for a strategy for the army, as well as for a plan matching the threats that the army predicts it will have to face.

The army didnt build itself properly for the Protective Edge threat, and definitely not for the timetable imposed on it (Photo: AFP)

The decisions made by the chief of staff so far, according to the report, are essentially right. It turns out, however, that the army is playing chess with itself. Its determining the security needs, the threats and how to prepare for them. The political echelon isnt involved. At best, it is a rubber stamp. But when a crucial day arrives, like in all the recent conflicts, the political echelon makes different strategic decisions to the ones the IDF has been building itself for.

In the Second Lebanon War, for example, the IDF wasnt well prepared for the prolonged conflict imposed by the political echelon. The army didnt build itself properly for the Protective Edge threat either, and definitely not for the timetable imposed on it. Can anyone promise that what Chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot is doing today will match the political echelons needs and demands in the next conflict?

The army began working on the Gideon plan before the great turmoil was unleashed in the region during the past decades: The Russians entered Syria with a military force and are planning to stay there for a long time. As a result, Syrian President Bashar Assad is winning the war and the Iranians are settling down in Syria. When Gideon was launched and the IDF talked about building maneuvering strike forces, it had the Lebanese arena in mind. The plan was built according to a scenario of one main arena and a marginal Palestinian arena.

Today, another significant front could be created in Syria, possibly forcing the IDF to act in full force in several arenas simultaneously. Does Gideon match this scenario? The report raises this question, and the answer can likely be found in its confidential part. Has the IDF reached a critical mass with primary weapons for a defeat? Probably not, the available part of the report implies.

There may be a situation in which the cabinet convenes and decides to adopt a certain strategy. For example, the main threat is Tehran and the nuclear program. It can then take the Gideon plan, use selected parts of it, and make a kite out of the rest.

The committee states that at the moment the cabinet isnt guided by the IDF, but the other way around. The reference scenario and the response are dictated by the army. The committee is also critical of the IDFs reference scenario, which it sees as unrealistic: The operative plans must be adjusted to the real situation and to a realistic examination of the abilities.

The committee members arent certain, despite the excellent Gideon Plan, that the IDF is prepared for a wide-scale war. The public report includes a sentence which conceals many pages behind it in the confidential report: The arming and force building pace is derived from the options and doesnt always solve the gaps in different areas that the committee discovered in its work There are a number of critical fields which require adjustments in the force building pace, even at the expense of other abilities This sentence points to a difficulty which makes it impossible to say for certain that the IDF is properly prepared for war tomorrow morning.
Israel must support the establishment of an independent Kurdistan , both for strategic and moral reasons. The State of Israels history with the Kurds in Iraq is filled with military, economic and diplomatic collaborations. From arms sales through military exercises to agriculture, Israel has been a significant source of support for this persecuted nation. While most of this activity has slipped under the radarfor understandable reasons in some periods of timeit hasnt stopped the Kurds from voicing their appreciation for Israel in public on several occasions.

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Turkey and Iran, the main opponents of Kurdish independence, are openly working against Israel in the international arena. There isnt a single United Nations vote in which they dont vote against us. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doesnt miss a single opportunity to lash out at Israel . We have diplomatic relations with Turkey, but nothing helps. Turkey is against us despite our foolishness in issuing a public apology and paying damages for the aggressiveness in the Marmara affair. We have no relations with Iraq, but the United StatesIraqs patron since Saddam Husseins fallis a temporary barrier.

The rest of the countries opposing the establishment of a Kurdish state, like Syria and Iran, are enemy states. Their enemy is our friend in any event.

Rally in support of an independent Kurdish Iraq. The advantages from friendly relations with Israel will turn into a magnet that will attract other countries (Photo: AFP)

An independent Kurdish state will be an important ally to Israel. What used to be concealed will come out in the open over time. Its a shot in the arm for other countries in the region. The advantages from friendly relations with Israel will turn into a magnet that will attract other countries. Thats enough for us to push for the establishment of a Kurdish state, including through AIPAC and other Zionist organizations, with all our might.

Which brings us to the moral aspect. An ancient nations desire to receive political independence after sitting on its land for a sufficient number of years, nationally and culturally separated, must serve as a reminder for those who believe in Zionism. Heres some hypocrisy: If youre so supportive of this move, someone on the Left asked me the other day, why dont you support Palestinian independence? The best answer is that theyre not interested.

Zionism invented the Palestinian people. Unlike the Kurds, the Palestinian national identity was based exclusively on denying Zionism. The unity is based on the desire to see no Jews in the 1967 or 1948 borders. The desire for nationality and unity has developedit exists todaybut not enough for them to give up on the dream to kick out the Jews. The unwillingness to compromise, which has been proved on every occasion, is the foundation.

Thats also the main difference between the Left and the Right, not just regarding the Kurds but also in terms of nationality. In the Western world, including Israel, theres deep contempt towards rightists who think. Its the silliest original sin of most public opinion leadersthe ease in which solid political perceptions are turned into dust. In Israel, this ease makes it possible to bind together everything that comes from the Right in order to cancel and reject it.

Photo: Reuters

Thats how populism (of which there is no shortage, unfortunately, on the Right) is mixed with a deep-rooted ideology. Anyone who opposes the problematic idea of two states in the 1967 borders is turned into a messianic person seeking a binational state. Its hard to find writers on the Left who delve deep into the ideas behind Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett, former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the rare moments in which he clarifies his comments.

It began somewhere in the ideological battle over influence and ideas: On one side stood the supporters of the utopian John Lennon approach of cancelling borders, religions and nationalities, because were all human beings; on the other side stood the supporters of nationality and separation between groups with a different identity. Over time, these insights were undermined by populism. The Right and the Left are equally responsible for that, but this tendency on the Left carries a political pricedefeat everywhere in the world.

Thats how solid security-strategic perceptions about the need for land and security control are mixed with religious messianism. Thats also how weighty statements about healthy nationality are mixed with slips of the tongue and Facebook nonsense with a nationalistic inclination. Thats how Kurds are mixed with Palestinians for hypocritical reasons, without seeing that the opponents of nationality are actually seeking Palestinian nationality.

The difference between the Kurdish nationality and the Palestinian nationality lies in the ability to survive as an independent state and in the price of this kind of independence. With the Palestinians, it means harming Israels security, which is why the interest is reduced independence, somewhere between an autonomy and Netanyahus state minus. With the Kurds, nationality means a contribution to regional stability. And thats, very briefly, the entire difference between interest and theory.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Tuesday that the legitimacy of its push for independence in the referendum in northern Iraq could not be "saved" even by the "waving of Israeli flags."

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Reiterated that his country is considering all options, ranging from military intervention to economic sanctions against Iraq's Kurdish region, Erdogan derided the Kurds for their embracing of Israel, who he said was the only country to support the KRG's ambitions.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: AFP)

Who will recognize your independence? Israel. The world is not about Israel. You should know that the waving of Israeli flags there will not save you, he said.

If the only support for the KRGs referendum is given by Israel and if the (outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party) PKK starts celebrating even before the polls close then there can be neither innocence nor legitimacy. Erdogan said.

Kurds wave Israeli flags (Photo: AFP)

The Turkish president added he hopes the Iraqi Kurdish leadership will abandon aims of creating a separate state and not force Turkey into enforcing sanctions.

"I hope the northern Iraqi administration gathers itself together and abandons this adventure with a dark ending," Erdogan said, adding that the landlocked Iraqi Kurdish region would not be able to survive without Turkey's support in helping export its oil.

"The moment we shut the valve it's finished for them," Erdogan said, referring to a pipeline through Turkey.

Erdogan has warned that all military and economic measures would be considered against the KRG for the referendum, which he described as betrayal to Turkey.

Photo: AFP

Top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Akbar Velayati, also stepped up the pressure as the Iraqi government ruled out talks on possible secession for Kurdish-held northern Iraq and Turkey threatened sanctions, denouncing the referendum for Kurdish independence as a "Zionist plot."

"The Iraqi people won't stand silent. Iran and Turkey and other regional countries won't stand silent and will stand against this abhorrent deviation," Velayati was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency. "The Muslim nations will not allow the creation of a second Israel."

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani (Photo: Reuters)

Velayati did not say what action Iran had in mind. However, the country's media have compared the Kurds' desire for a homeland with the 1948 creation of Israel. The Islamic republic regards the Jewish state as its greatest enemy along with the United States.

For the Iranian state the referendum of the Kurds' demand for state of their own was a "Zionist plot" aimed at bringing instability to the region.

Rally in support of an independent Kurdish Iraq (Photo: AFP)

"This view that a wandering scattered nation would only find peace if they find a homeland, was the core philosophy for creation of Israel," wrote the Kayhan, a hardline newspaper closely associated with Supreme Leader.

Initial referendum results indicated 72 percent of eligible voters had taken part and an overwhelming majority, possibly over 90 percent, had said "yes", Kurdish TV channel Rudaw said. Final results are expected by Wednesday.

Israel has backed Kurdish independence. It has maintained discreet military, intelligence and business ties with Kurds since the 1960s, viewing the minority as a buffer against shared adversaries.
Saudi education minister Monday fired Mohammed al-Hathri, a secretary and educational chief after authorities and the population were stunned by school text book image showing Star Wars character Yoda sitting right to King Faisal during signing of the UN Charter in 1945 when he was foreign minister.

Education Minister Ahmed al-Eissa told the New York Times that it is an accident and added that new copies were being printed.

Authorities have started collecting the text books intended for social studies on the United Nations.

The presence of the green Jedi master stole credit from the iconic and historical Saudi monarch who he is still popular in the kingdom today.

Saudi artist, Abdullah Al Shehri well known as Shaweesh who is author of the image indicated that he was proud of the photo of Yoda sitting next to the King Faisal. He said he holds esteem for both arguing that they wise, strong and calm.

Shaweesh also noted that did not mean to offend anyone but suggested that someone should have checked the book before it went to publish.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) will inaugurate next year its first nuclear power expected to produce 5,600 megawatt for domestic consumption.

The plant fitted with four reactors is being built by Korea Electric Power Corp assisted by some other Korean companies.

It will produce clean energy and the expected output will represent 27 cent of local demand the UAE.

No date has been indicated yet for the inauguration but countrys minister of energy noted that the project is 96 per cent completed.

The Gulf country is the first country in the region to endow itself of a nuclear plant and has set as target the diversification of its energy; 50 per cent of clean energy by 2050.

Countrys capital, Abu Dhabi will also host on October 30, the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century. It will be the first time a Gulf country is hosting the event.

The three-day conference is organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Around 150 countries are expected in the attendance.
In the new study, Monjes team examined mice that were genetically engineered to lack neuroligin-3. These mice have nearly normal brain function. However, when their brains were implanted with any of the forms of human high-grade glioma, the cancer cells could not proliferate. The growth stagnation persisted for several months.

Lack of neuroligin-3 doesnt kill the cancer cells; the cells that are there remain there, but they do not grow, Monje said. However, 4 months after implantation, tumors in some mice circumvented their dependency on neuroligin-3 and began to grow again, she added.

Effect specific to high-grade gliomas

The researchers also tried implanting the brains of mice lacking neuroligin-3 with human breast cancer cells. Lack of neuroligin-3 did not affect breast cancer growth, showing that the effect is specific to high-grade gliomas.

We will have to attack these tumors from many different angles to cure them.

The growth-stagnation effects, conserved across different classes of high-grade glioma, were unexpectedly strong. To find out why, the researchers conducted follow-up experiments that examined the cell signals involved in neuroligin-3s role in the division of glioma cells, which demonstrated that neuroligin-3 activates multiple cancer-promoting signaling pathways and also increases the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation, promotion of malignancy, function of potassium channels and synapse function. The researchers now believe that neuroligin-3 is more than just a gatekeeper of glioma cell division, though further research is needed to clarify its exact role, Monje said.

The team also explored whether blocking neuroligin-3 has therapeutic potential for treating gliomas. Using mice with normal neuroligin-3 brain signaling and human high-grade gliomas, the researchers tested whether two inhibitors of neuroligin-3 secretion could stop the cancers growth. One of the inhibitors has never been tested in humans, but the other has already reached phase-2 clinical trials as a potential chemotherapy for other forms of cancer outside the brain.

Both inhibitors significantly reduced glioma growth during a short-term trial, suggesting that the strategy of inhibiting neuroligin-3 secretion may help human patients.

Clear path forward for therapy

We have a really clear path forward for therapy; we are in the process of working with the company that owns the clinically characterized compound in an effort to bring it to a clinical trial for brain tumor patients, Monje said. Inhibition of neuroligin-3 will not represent a cure for high-grade gliomas, she cautioned, since it does not kill the cancer cells. Ultimately, she hopes to combine it with other treatment strategies against the tumors.

We will have to attack these tumors from many different angles to cure them, Monje said. But given how devastating the tumors are, the possibility of using neuroligin-3 inhibition to slow tumor progression is a hopeful development, she added. Any measurable extension of life and improvement of quality of life is a real win for these patients.

The teams work is an example of Stanford Medicines focus on precision health, the goal of which is to anticipate and prevent disease in the healthy and precisely diagnose and treat disease in the ill.

Other Stanford co-authors are undergraduate Lydia Tam; life science research associate Pamelyn Woo; and graduate students James Lennon, Surya Nagaraja and Shawn Gillespie. Monje is a member of Stanfords Child Health Research Institute, the Stanford Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, Bio-X, the Stanford Cancer Institute and the Stanford Neurosciences Institute.

Scientists from Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences also contributed to the study.

The research was funded by the V Foundation; the Liwei Wang Research Fund; the National Institutes of Health (grants R01NS092597, 1F31CA200273, P50CA168504 and R35CA210057); the Department of Defense; the McKenna Claire Foundation; Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation; The Cure Starts Now Foundation; the DIPG Collaborative; the Lyla Nsouli Foundation; Unravel Pediatric Cancer; the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine; the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation; the Matthew Larson Foundation; the Joey Fabus Childhood Cancer Foundation; the Wayland Villars DIPG Foundation; the Connor Johnson, Zoey Ganesh and Declan Gloster memorial funds; the N8 Foundation; the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research; the Stanford Child Health Research Institute; the Breast Cancer Research Foundation; the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; and the National Cancer Institute.

Stanfords Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences also supported the work.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday held talks with his Central African Republic counterpart Faustin-Archange Touadera and discussed ways to further intensify bilateral relations and help reconciliation in the war-torn Central African nation.

Faustin-Archange Touadera, who arrived at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday, said his brief visit will further strengthen relations between Central African Republic and France.

According to the French President Emmanuel Macron, France will support actions to consolidate peace in the CAR, strengthen justice and fight against corruption.

He also promised to continue the efforts intended to facilitate national reconciliation in the country; adding that the CAR needs a strong State.

Touadera expressed his gratitude for the support of France, which was the first country to dispatch an operation to restore order in the war-torn nation.

Paris sent in its troops to the CAR in late 2013 in an effort to prevent violence between Muslim and Christian militias. The mission was later followed by a 3,000 strong UN mission of MINUSCA.

Note that, the country is still heavily reliant on international support. Armed groups still control large areas of the country. CARs national armed forces remain under an arms embargo until next January.
About 26 heads of state and government on Tuesday attended the inauguration of newly elected Angola president Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco.

Goncalves Lourenco succeeds Jose Eduardo dos Santos, 75, who has decided to retire after close to four decades in charge of the former Portuguese colony. Critics of Eduardo dos Santos accuse him of stripping his country of much of its vast oil wealth to enrich himself and his family.

His ruling Popular Liberation Movement of Angola won last months elections securing the majority of the vote.

The final results indicated that the MPLA, which has ruled the country since its independence in 1975, garnered 61.07% of the vote and an absolute majority of 150 seats in the 220-seater legislature.

Lourenco who was recently the countrys defense minister before becoming the ruling partys flag-bearer served as governor in several provinces of Angola, and between 1992 and 1997 he was responsible for propaganda in the MPLAs Politburo.

Like Dos Santos, Lourenco a Soviet-trained will deal with a slew of challenges that include dwindling oil prices, rampant poverty and soaring unemployment in the oil-rich nation.

The country is expected to return to higher economic growth rates higher from this year. The outgoing government said he expects the economy to expand 2.1 percent in 2017 after an increase of just 0.1 percent or 0.6 percent in 2016.
Judges in France have opened a judicial investigation against BNP Paribas for complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity, AFP reports on Monday.

According to AFP, the move comes after three NGOs had filed a lawsuit against BNP Paribas for alleged complicity in the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi minority in Rwanda.

The groups Sherpa, the Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda and Ibuka France said that BNP Paribas transferred $1.3 million that was used to purchase weapons, in violation of a U.N. arms embargo. BNP authorised the fund transfer to the regime in June 1994, the groups said in a statement,

The judicial investigation opened on August 22 by the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris has instructed about 25 files related to the Rwandan genocide, AFP reports.

BNP Paribas has been accused of violating other embargoes in the past. Three years ago, the group pleaded guilty to evading U.S. trade embargoes in order to help clients in Sudan, Cuba and Iran, for which it agreed to pay a $9 billion penalty.

Kigali has repeatedly accused Paris of having a hand in the genocide and of being slow to prosecute some of the organisers living in France.

President Paul Kagame who was in New York, USA, to attend the United Nations summit, has met France president Emmanuel Macron last week.

Discussions between the two heads of state revolved around partnership for common interests in peace and security in Africa.
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World Bank and Georgia celebrate 25 years of partnership

Georgia and the World Bank are celebrating 25 years of partnership on September 15.To mark this occasion Georgias Finance Minister Dimitri Kumsishvili hosted the Vice President of the World Banks Europe and Central Asia region, Cyril Muller today.The meeting highlighted the most remarkable periods of the partnership and the positive impact the World Bank had had as a long-standing partner of Georgia. the World Bank has already been supporting Georgia for 25 years and has been investing in the country. We have been partners of Georgia to make it a strong country For the World Bank it is a big honour to cooperate with Georgia. One of the most important elements of Georgias success is that it is a strong reformer country and Georgia has proved this during over the course of these 25 years, said Muller.Muller stated that Georgia had been implementing the economic reforms and added it could become a high income country if strong economic growth continued. Furthermore, he announced new research that would reveal what hinders Georgia's economic growth.Now the World Bank is conducting research to find out what hampers Georgias economic growth. Based on this research we will reveal what is the economic growth model in Georgia. I want to remind first Deputy Prime Minister Dimitri Kumsishvili that management of public finances is very important and it should be in focus, Muller stated.Muller promised that the World Bank would remain Georgias supporter and partner in the future.On the other hand, Kumsishvili also expressed his hope that Georgia and the World Bank would jointly move towards the joint dream  the elimination of extreme poverty and the growth of welfare in Georgia.Georgia became a member of the World Bank on August 7, 1992. Since that time, the World Bank has provided concessional credits and loans to finance 69 projects, totalling over $2.7 billion across different sectors of Georgia's economy. The current portfolio consists of 12 active investment projects and development policy operations totalling $789 million.
U.S. help to restore fire-devastated territory

By Messenger Staff

Experts from the US Forest Service arrived in Georgia to support the country restore land affected by a large-scale fire in Borjomi Gorge in August this year.We are happy to welcome the US Forest Service team in Georgia. With USAID/Georgia funding this team will help the Georgian Ministry of Environment restore the land affected by the Borjomi fire, the US Embassy wrote.Forest Service experts will assess the damage and implement a rehabilitation plan to prevent soil erosion and land and mudslides, and to keep the soil in place for further re-growth of the forest, the Embassy added.US Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly stressed that the visit of the two experts could be seen as the continuation of the US support to Georgia which began in 2015 to help the country elaborate a forest fire management plan.The Ambassador stressed his country has already handed techniques worth 120,000 USD to Georgia.The Government of Georgia says that the Borjomi fire devastated 200 hectares of forest, near are area in the same gorge which was deliberately burnt by Russians, about 1,000 hectares, during the Russia-Georgia 2008 war.The opposition claims that recently burnt forest is more than 200 hectares and the government hides real scales of the fire.From Google maps the burnt territory is really more than 200 hectares.This year Georgia had to fight more than 60 small and big fires.Many, even state officials, did not exclude deliberate fires.Georgia urgently requires an affective forest management plan and what is the most important, an effective enforcement of such a plan.As a rule Georgia has good laws in many directions, however, their enforcement tend to be poor quite often.
The News in Brief

Political Party Donations



The ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia (GDDG) party received total of GEL 7.34 million in donations in a period from July 1 to September 13, 2017, according to the filings with the State Audit Office, which is in charge of political finance monitoring.



The Movement for Liberty  European Georgia party, which split from the United National Movement in January 2017, is the second largest recipient of donations with GEL 323,675.



The Alliance of Patriots raised GEL 15,600, followed by the NPC-Girchi with GEL 15,300; the National Democratic Party  GEL 12,204; the National Forum  GEL 9,215; the United National Movement  GEL 5,432; the Democratic Movement  United Georgia  GEL 900; the United Communist Party of Georgia  GEL 434; the Georgia for Peace  GEL 200 and the Republican Party  GEL 40.



The State Audit Office said it requested further information from the Revenue Service about incomes of 225 individuals and 14 legal entities who donated to the political parties.



We have summoned 14 natural persons with six having donated to the European Georgia and eight  to the Georgian Dream since we have questions about their incomes, Nino Lomjaria, acting head of the State Audit Office, told reporters.



Georgias political party funding rules, which were eased in 2013, allow corporate donations.



A legal entity has the right to donate maximum of GEL 120,000 annually to a political party. Donation from an individual citizen is capped at GEL 60,000 annually.

(Civil.ge)







Changes in the content of constitution possible if constitutional initiative is raised



Head of the Procedural Issues and Rules of Georgias Parliamentary Committee Giorgi Kakhiani says any changes in terms of content are ruled out in the constitutional changes bill, adding it cannot be implemented within the framework of the third hearing.



As Kakhiani has told IPN, theoretically, if a constitutional initiative is raised, new changes in terms of content will be possible to be made in the constitution.



Within the framework of the third hearing it is impossible to make any amendments in terms of content. Only editorial and stylistic amendments can be made No act will be adopted by violation of legislative requirements, Kakhiani has told IPN.



As he has added the governmental team has considered all remarks of the Venice Commission and no legal notes are expected in the upcoming conclusion.



I also believe there will be no need to implement any content changes, Kakhiani has declared.



As a reminder, Venice Commission Secretary Thomas Markert has declared that amendments are expected to be made in the constitutional reform bill.



As reported by Markert, the Georgian side has provided him with this information.



As far as its already known, only editorial changes can be implemented in third hearing, but as we were informed, the text may also experience amendments, Markert has declared.



As for the preliminary version of the Venice Commission conclusion, planned to be published on September 22, Thomas Markert says it is important the parliamentary majority to take the commissions viewpoints into account.



We will publish the project of our opinion on September 22. At the moment I cannot specify the content of the document. But I would like to say that it is important the parliamentary majority to take the commissions viewpoints into consideration, the Venice Commission Secretary has remarked.

(IPN)







Georgian consulate opens in Kazakhstan amid Georgia-Kazakhstan business forum



A Georgian consulate has been opened in Kazakhstan, accompanied by a Georgia-Kazakhstan business forum.



The event in the city of Karaganda was attended by the diplomatic corps accredited in Kazakhstan, local authorities, people from the public sector and more than 100 business people.



Welcome speeches were made by Georgias Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zurab Abashidze and Georgias Honorable Consul Zhanat Tusupbekov.



Representatives from Georgias Ministries of Economy and Energy briefed the attendees of the business forum about Georgias business regulations, an attractive investment climate and a liberal tax system, Georgias Foreign Ministry reported.



The audience also received information about Georgias cultural and historical sites, tourism development potential, democratic reforms and ethnographic issues.



Visitors could familiarize themselves with Georgian and Kazakhstan folklore and taste Georgian food and wine.

(Agenda.ge)




Georgia facilitates medical treatment to patients from breakaway regions

By Tina Tskhovrebadze

On September 16, speaking in Zugdidi, Samegrelo region, Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili stressed the importance of the recently completed project that envisioned construction of a university hospital in the village of Rukhi. The village is at the border with breakaway Abkhazia region and the hospital, which is equipped with modern technology, will offer medical treatment both to citizens of Georgia and de facto Abkhazia at affordable prices, prime minister pledges.In recent years, more and more residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia opt for receiving medical treatment in Georgia. This could be explained by keen interest of the Georgian government to create favourable conditions to patients coming from de facto regions and facilitate the procedures. However, residents of de facto regions have to face a number of challenges before coming to Georgia.Despite the obstacles, most residents of de facto regions get medical treatment outside. The Ministry of Health of Abkhazia assists its residents to receive treatment in Russian Medical Centers, however, significant number of de facto Abkhazias citizens prefer to visit hospitals in Georgian cities. In a number of interviews given to the Georgian media outlet Netgazeti some patients from Abkhazia say, this preference is caused by better care and attention from the side of Georgian doctors. Though, visiting Georgia for medical purposes is connected to some challenges. Netgazeti informs among other issues are disinformation, fear and widespread stereotypes. The rumors about Georgian doctors even include the story that Georgian doctors use special medicine that first has good effects on patients, but in the long term works as a poison. Those who ignore such kind of myths and decide to come to Georgia for treatment, have to go through a long way to receive permission including consent from family members. Those patients who have already been treated in Georgia mention that they had a privilege to receive some services and medicine free of charge.According to the official data from the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia 875 patients from Abkhazia received medical treatment in 2015 and the state budget expenditure amounted to 2 324 709.76 GEL. In 2016, Hospitals in different cities of Georgia hosted 1316 patients from Abkhazia and the state budget paid 3 197 399.14 GEL. In total, the Georgian state has spent more than GEL12 million from 2015 till June 19, 2017 for the health care of residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.Researches show that the long-term policies such as free health care programs for the residents of breakaway regions have positive outcomes on improving communication and relationships as well. Many hope that such type of initiatives will help to restore trust, communication and facilitate the process of integration.
State Audit Office reports monitoring results on donations to political parties

By Khatia Kardava

A month and a half prior to local elections, the State Audit Office of Georgia presents the monitoring results on donations political parties have received.Nino Lomdjaria, acting general auditor of State Audit Office, said on September 13 that Georgian parties received more than 7,7 million GEL in donations starting from July 1 to September 12.During this period, the Georgian Dream was donated 7, 343 000 GEL , European Georgia received 323, 675 GEL, Alliance of Georgian Patriots was donated 15, 600 GEL, the New Political Center (NPC) - 15,300 GEL, National Democratic Party - 12,204 GEL, National Forum - 9,215 GEL. Relatively less significant donations were made to the National Movement - 5,432 GEL. Democratic Movement - United Georgia received only 900 GEL, the United Communist Party of Georgia - 434 GEL, for Georgias Peace - 200 GEL, and the Republican Party of Georgia was donated 40 GEL.The Georgian Dream commented that the party has received donations in full compliance with the law. According to the ruling party, the donations are transparent and everyone is entitled to have this information, however, the question from their side refers to the funds other political parties have raised. Furthermore, the ruling party accuses the opposition of money-laundering.Sozar Subari, Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees, also believes that the questions should be addressed to other political parties on how the pre-election campaign have been implemented based on the donations they have declared. Tbilisi Mayor Candidate Kakhi Kaladze joined the statements of the team and advised the law enforcement agencies to get interested in the issue.Georgian Dream MP Archil Talakvadze is also suspicious if other political parties have revealed all the donations they have used to conduct the pre-election campaign. Talakvadze says that the highest amount of donation to the ruling party is determined by the fact that the Georgian Dream has a higher number of supporters."In 2016 parliamentary elections the Georgian Dream party was supported by 856,000 citizens, which means that our party has too many supporters, correspondingly, the amount of the donation we received is logical, stated Talakvadze.In return, the opposition poses questions to the ruling team regarding the pre-election donations. They indicate to the pressure on businesses.Media outlet Timer informs that in recent days, business representatives have been transferring the money ranging from 120, 000 GEL to 50,000 GEL to the ruling team.Irakli Nadiradze, member of the National Movement, told a TV company Rustavi 2 "People who donate money to the Georgian Dream are those who received millions of GEL from the state budget without tenders and later, through ordinary people they made fake donations, he said adding Its good that the Audit service is questioning this issue.According to Lomdjaria, the State Audit Office has questions regarding the revenues of 101 persons, out of which 14 have been called for interrogation by now. According to her, the agency has requested information about more than 100 persons, who have submitted donations, from the Revenue Office. As Lomdjaria explains, this way the agency will be able to check whether these persons really possessed the appropriate funds to donate.Parties are obliged to provide their revenues including a full report on donations to the Monitoring Service. The amount of the donation from a natural person should not exceed 60,000 GEL per year, while from a legal entity  120,000 GEL.Local elections will be held in Georgia on October 21.
MEPs highlight womens involvement in Georgias politics

By Messenger Staff

Co-chair of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee, a body which is tasked with scrutinizing the implementation of the Georgia-EU Association Agreement, states that MEPs in the European Parliament recognize Georgias progress to the EU.However, one of the key issues the European Parliament delegation pushed forward in Georgia was the necessity of womens more involvement in politics.One of the issues the MEPs raised at the meeting with Georgian lawmakers was the involvement of women in politics, Majority MP Tamar Khulordava announced.The meeting in Georgias Parliament also concerned ongoing constitutional reforms, which has triggered controversies in Georgia.One of the significant demonstrations of the progress is Georgia-EU visa liberalization. There is a serious progress in the energy field as well, co-chair of the Committee Sajjad Karim stated after his meeting with Georgias Parliament Speaker in Kutaisi on September 19.He stressed one of the key issues of the meeting was the ongoing constitutional reforms.We are closely observing the reforms, Karim said.It was the fifth meeting of the committee, and after concluding meetings on Tuesday, MEPs will voice their recommendations.In last years parliamentary elections, the ruling Georgian Dream party had 18 female nominees in its 150-member party list, while the United National Movement opposition had 48 women in its 200-member party list.Only the Free Democrats and the Republicans had 30% or more women in their party lists.As local NGOs say, the situation may be even worse this year, as leading political parties still refrain from involving more women in politics.Political parties should and must think about the issue, as both women and men are needed in key positions.If more skilled and professional women are involved in politics, Georgia will prove that it is truly becoming closer to Europe.
Where To Go When Your Local Emergency Room Goes Bankrupt?" During the past ten years 84 California hospitals have declared bankruptcy and closed their Emergency Rooms forever. Financially crippled by legislative and judicial mandates to treat illegal aliens have bankrupted hospitals! In 2010, in Los Angeles County alone, over 2 million illegal aliens recorded visits to county emergency rooms for both routine and emergency care. The cost is $1,000 dollars for every taxpayer. VIVA LA RAZA?
@alextdaugherty

Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico less than a week ago, but the Federal Emergency Management Administration has more relief funding available than it did after Hurricane Harvey.

After Harvey hit the Houston area, Congress passed a $15.25 billion hurricane relief bill when President Donald Trump struck a deal with Democrats. FEMA was only a few days away from running out of money.

Nearly half of the hurricane relief package that passed in early September, $7.4 billion, is going to FEMA, allowing it to stay afloat while it responds to the crisis in Puerto Rico and cleanup in Florida after Hurricane Irma. A FEMA spokesperson told the Miami Herald that the agency has just over $5 billion in uncommitted disaster relief money as of Monday morning.

That money wont last long. Congress will likely need to pass additional funding bills to manage long-term recovery efforts in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico before the end of the year.

Our focus is still continuing to be on the life-saving efforts and the immediate disaster response efforts which are still currently under way, said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

A Republican staffer with knowledge of the appropriations process said that federal funding for hurricane relief will be fine until mid-October and that Congress will likely vote on an additional funding bill in the next three weeks.

Congress has done its job, the staffer said.

But Congress only supplies the money. Its up to local and federal agencies to effectively manage it after a hurricane.

On Monday, Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello and Florida Sen. Bill Nelson called on the U.S. military to provide more search-and-rescue teams to Puerto Rico. Nelson said last week it will cost much more than $15 billion to manage relief efforts in Florida and Puerto Rico.

The White House said Monday that its doing everything possible to manage the short-term response in Puerto Rico. Homeland security adviser Tom Bossert and FEMA administrator Brock Long arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday to assess the situation and will inform the White House about what is needed most.

But short-term efforts like search-and-rescue missions or restoring Puerto Ricos power grid are different than long-term projects like hardening the power grid to ensure it can withstand a major hurricane. The FEMA money focuses on the short-term effort, but months from now Republicans and Democrats will inevitably debate the merits of long-term relief for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Texas has 38 votes in Congress and Florida has 29, and if they stick together the majority-Republican states can be an important voting bloc in a contentious negotiation.

In contrast, Puerto Rico has one non-voting delegate.

Read more here.
@alextdaugherty

The Trump administrations response to the hurricanes that ravaged Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands could become a Hurricane Katrina-like political disaster if he does not respond to the storms aftermath more decisively, congressional lawmakers from both parties warned Tuesday.

I'm concerned about human suffering and potential loss of life if aid doesn't reach the places it needs to reach quickly enough, said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who spent Monday in San Juan with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello. I hope that we don't see Katrina-like images.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., one of five Puerto Ricans in Congress, warned Trump that If you dont take this crisis seriously, this is going to be your Katrina.

President George W. Bushs response to Katrina, which devastated parts of Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005, was criticized as initially weak and insensitive.

Bush did a flyover in Air Force One to survey the damage rather than land, a move that he described in 2010 as a  huge mistake .

When Bush did visit the area, he praised the much-maligned performance of then-FEMA Secretary Michael Brown.

Brownie, youre doing a heckuva job, Bush said as water and provisions were in short supply for New Orleans survivors of the storm.

Tuesday, lawmakers delivered the dire message to the White House following a Monday night tweet by Trump in which he spoke about the devastation in Puerto Rico but also mentioned the islands debt crisis.

Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble, the president wrote.

Read more here.
@ByKristenMClark

In a special election on Tuesday, voters in southwest Miami-Dade County will determine the successors for two seats in the state Legislature that opened up after a Miami Republican senator was forced to resign last spring when he made racist and insulting remarks in front of fellow senators at a bar near the state Capitol.

The fight for the District 40 Senate seat  formerly held by Frank Artiles, who stepped down in April  has been highly competitive for what it could mean, particularly for Democrats: The chance to flip the seat and narrow Republicans current 24-15 advantage in the chamber.

The House District 116 seat is also on the ballot, because Floridas resign to run law required Miami Republican state Rep. Jose Felix Diaz to vacate that seat when he chose to run in the District 40 contest.

More details here.

Photo credit: Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami, left, and Democrat Annette Taddeo, right. [Miami Herald file photo.]
@NewsbySmiley

Saying that a police investigation into a Tuesday morning shooting in southwest Miami-Dade blocked voters from casting ballots in a special Florida Senate election, the Florida Democratic Party asked Gov. Rick Scott Tuesday to extend hours for three polling precincts.

He declined.

Scott was contacted by party chairman Stephen Bittel after a shooting sent two high schools into lockdown Tuesday morning and forced police to block roads in Richmond Heights. The shooting, in which a man and woman were wounded, caused problems for voters trying to access a nearby library and elementary and middle school where voting precincts were located, Bittel said.

Voters casting ballots at the precinct are deciding Tuesday in an election for Senate District 40 between Republican Jose Felix Diaz and Democrat Annette Taddeo. Bittel asked that the governor extend voting hours at the precincts -- set to close at 7 -- until 9 p.m.

"Voters were unable to access these polling places as a result of a shooting in the early morning which resulted in the police cordoning off three polling places. As a result, voters who intended to vote in the early morning were not able to do so," Bittel wrote. "Earlier today we asked the County whether it could take steps to assure that voters would have the ability to vote in this election as a result [of] this action, but were advised that only you could remedy this situation."

Scott's office, however, said the Department of State reported no issues and no reason to extend voting hours.

"The Florida Department of State has been in contact with local, independent elections officials in Miami-Dade who have reported no issues," said McKinley Lewis, deputy director of communications for the governor's office. "We will not be granting this request."

Christina White, Miami-Dade's Supervisor of Elections, said in an email that she wasn't aware of any problems caused by the shooting.

"This had no impact on voting. All precincts opened at 7 a.m. and those in the area served voters throughout the day," she wrote.


@PatriciaMazzei

SAN JUAN -- After Hurricane Maria took their roof, water and electricity  but spared their chickens  Ana De Jesus and Santiago Quinones packed a few basics and moved across the street into their windowless beachside kiosk.

The ocean breeze fluttered in through the pink walls. They powered a generator only in the late afternoon and overnight to keep cold the kiosks surviving treasure: a three-day supply of beer.

They had nothing else for sale. Pinones, a picturesque strip of sand east of San Juan known for its fried street food, appeared deserted, Route 187 covered by felled palm trees and so much sand it looked like a dirt road, even though it is paved.

The couple offered visitors Medalla, Corona, Heineken, Busch Light, Coors  Everything! Quinones said proudly. And when the visitors stayed awhile, De Jesus unexpectedly brought out a plate of munchies: cubed cheese and guava paste, ringed with Saltine crackers.

It was the most comforting of staple Caribbean snacks, the kind my Cuban grandfather used to assemble for me as a child after school, and the sight of it almost made me cry.

After Hurricane Maria, the people of Puerto Rico were generous.

More here.

Photo credit: Carl Juste, Miami Herald staff
LIBBY  The Engelmann spruce slated to become the second tree from the Kootenai National Forest to grace the lawn of the U.S. Capitol during the Christmas season survived a very busy fire season in the northwestern Montana forest.

On Wednesday, Nov. 8, a sawyer will carefully cut the 68- to-70-foot-tall tree, which will be placed on a specially constructed trailer for its 3,000-mile journey across the country. Someone yet to be selected from this neck of the woods will flip the switch in early December to officially light what many call The Peoples Tree.

But theres a lot of work and coordination that needs to occur before that can happen.

The Kootenai National Forests Capitol Christmas Tree project leader, Sandi Mason, said the thousands of ornaments from all parts of the state have to be carefully wrapped and boxed before the tree and the 60 to 70 companion trees are shipped East.

We have well exceeded our goal of 8,000 ornaments, Mason said. Early last week, we were at 10,000 and we know we still have some coming in. There are quite a few boxes coming from Great Falls.

Beyond that, theres a lot of planning to do with the 19 communities that will host celebrations when the tree pulls into their town.

All the communities like to get involved and do something special when the tree arrives, Mason said. In Montana, the tree is scheduled to make stops in Eureka, Libby, Troy, Trout Creek, Thompson Falls, Missoula, Helena, Great Falls, Harlem, Glasgow and Glendive.

The tree is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Nov. 27. The date for the actual lighting of the tree is determined by the Speaker of the House. The expectation is that the tree will be lit either Tuesday or Wednesday, Dec. 5 or 6.

Montanas senior senator, Jon Tester, will select someone from the area to flip the switch. That decision hasnt yet been made.

Eight young photographers from high schools in Libby, Eureka, Troy and Noxon will be selected to receive free airline tickets donated by Alaska Airlines to witness the event. The schools are hosting photography contests to pick the winners.

The Rocky Mountain School of Photography is holding its own statewide contest, looking for the photo that best depicts Montanas wealth of national forest lands. Mason said the winner of that contest also will receive a free airline ticket.

For tour information, event details, news and updates, and to track the tree cross-country, visit capitolchristmastree.org or fs.usda.gov/kootenai.

We are at the point that were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, Mason said. There is still a lot to do, but it seems to be coming together well.
Since being charged with two felonies for allegedly stealing cars from a Missoula dealership in January, 41-year-old Aragorn Berger has been re-arrested several times while out on bail or after being released by a judge.

Berger's growing case file lays out a consistent pattern:

In April  following an arrest for an alleged jail release violation in Missoula  he was arrested in North Dakota for stealing another car and getting into a police chase. He was convicted in North Dakota and brought back to Missoula for violating the terms of his release here set by Missoula County District Court Judge Leslie Halligan.

He posted bond again, and was released  only to be arrested again in July on another Missoula warrant after he absconded from supervision. In early September, Halligan released him from jail to attend a voluntary addiction treatment program.

On Sept. 14, he was arrested in Butte on new charges after leaving the treatment program.

Days after bonding himself out of jail in Butte, authorities homed in on Berger in West Yellowstone on Friday, and watched an apartment there. But Berger drove away  in a car with stolen license plates  leading officers from several agencies on a car chase off the road and through a field.

He drove his car back onto the road, where he eventually hit a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks patrol vehicle. Berger was arrested, and officers found he was carrying a plastic baggie with pills of various medications, according to court documents.

Gallatin County Justice Court set his bail at $75,000, in addition to the $150,000 from another Missoula warrant.

***

Bergers criminal case in Missoula started in late January, when he was arrested for allegedly stealing cars and other items  including the surveillance system  from a Missoula car dealership.

Within days, he posted a $10,000 bond on the felony theft and burglary charges, then was arrested in early March on a new warrant after accruing several driving offenses and being the suspect in other thefts in the Missoula area that happened after his release.

At the end of March, Halligan released Berger to pretrial supervision without having to post the new bond that she had imposed. Within a week, prosecutors again asked for him to be taken into custody, saying Berger had admitted to his supervising officer that he had been drinking  a violation of his release conditions  and had not provided a urine sample.

District Court Judge Robert Dusty Deschamps issued a new $100,000 warrant and Berger was eventually arrested in North Dakota following the chase in Argusville in a stolen car.

Berger again quickly posted bond on the $100,000 bail amount, only to see his release revoked again for claims of more release condition violations, and a new $50,000 warrant issued for his arrest by Halligan. In July, Berger was picked up on the warrant in Lincoln County.

Through his attorney, Berger made a request to be released so he could attend addiction treatment at the Montana Chemical Dependency Center in Butte. On Sept. 6, over the objection of prosecutors, Halligan released him so he could attend the treatment session.

But on Sept. 14, Berger was arrested and charged with felony theft as well as criminal trespass to a vehicle after a man found Berger loading backpacks and tools into the back of the mans vehicle, which was parked outside a hotel. Berger would not explain to the man how he got into his truck, but the topper on the vehicle had been pried open.

Earlier that day, Berger left the treatment center after failing to complete its program, and according to court documents filed in his case, may have stolen property from the treatment center as he left

The day after his arrest in Butte, Missoula Deputy County Attorney Karla Painter filed for, and Halligan signed, a new $150,000 warrant for Berger's arrest. On Sept. 17, after posting the $10,000 bond on his new charges, Berger was released. Painter said Monday she does not know why he did not remain in custody in Butte on the active Missoula warrant.

Painter said due to the seriousness of Bergers original charges and his repeated violations, she had opposed his release from jail to attend the Butte treatment program from the beginning.
The University of Montana, it shall prosper, said its first president, Oscar Craig, in 1908. We have prospered for 124 years. It will be true for decades to come.

All universities and most organizations go through turmoil in their histories. Cycles of prosperity are not a question of if, but when and why. Our responsibility is to change and innovate over time, all the while continuing to offer an excellent education for our students.

Some of you may recall the precipitous drop in UMs enrollment in the late 70s, in contrast with Montana State Universitys surge at that time. Cycles go up and down. Paul Polzin analyzed that uncertain time for UM in the Montana Business Quarterly in 1978.

As president of UM from 1986 to 1990, James Koch helped grow enrollment and confidence in the university statewide. Even though enrollment grew, funding did not catch up for a few years. Thus in 1989, UM endured the pain of retrenchment and program loss. Yet the recovery continued. Prosperity, relatively speaking, returned in the 90s.

Once again, it is a period in our history to address an enrollment downturn, to adjust and to serve students with our customary confident Montana spirit. My UM colleagues are doing so with energy and excellence.

The clouds on our horizon still have rain in them. We are setting priorities to reduce expenditures while holding fast to our core mission, academic quality and student needs.

UM has contracts with nearly 3,000 employees. While we occasionally differ among ourselves on the interpretations of various contracts, we strive to provide a reasonable notice to all employees whose situation might be changing.

Fact: We will continue this year to reduce the number of employees to serve the number of students enrolled. We must also absorb UMs share of the statewide budget shortfall. Nearly 90 percent of our expenditures are in the area of personnel  mainly salaries, wages and health insurance. Years of reducing operating expenses to avoid personnel reductions have pushed that percentage ever higher. Below 80 percent is a far better benchmark for us. If we overspend on personnel, we potentially underspend in areas such technology, operating budgets or deferred maintenance. Hence: prioritization.

Throughout my career, I have followed the principles of shared governance in university decisions. Last April, I appointed a broad-based prioritization committee (APASP) to review academic programs and administrative services. Dozens  perhaps hundreds  of faculty, staff and students are participating. Their findings will inform difficult campus choices.

I ask all members and friends of the UM family to work together in the daunting task ahead of us. We will teach and serve students in meeting their educational and career goals. We will do so resourcefully and within budget. We will not shy away from making a vigorous case to the people of Montana that strong funding for higher education is a smart investment for individuals, families, communities and the state as a whole.

The Montana Board of Regents and my colleagues intend to strengthen UM in the years ahead. We soon will welcome a fine new president of the university. It is an exciting time on campus. Thank you for this opportunity to serve my alma mater, the spectacular University of Montana, during this bellwether year of 2017.

We are Montana. We shall prosper.
The proposed priorities listed in the State Health Improvement Plan, which will drive health improvement processes in Montana from 2018 through 2022, largely mirror the priorities developed from the recent 2017 Butte-Silver Bow Community Health Needs Assessment and other health improvement work occurring in Butte-Silver Bow.

The proposed priorities in the state plan include cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention and control; cancer control, with a focus on tobacco use prevention and screening; behavioral health, with a focus on mental health and substance use disorder; unintended pregnancy; and adverse childhood experiences.

Priorities developed from the Butte-Silver Bow health needs assessment include substance abuse; mental health; nutrition; physical activity and weight; injury and violence; tobacco use; and cancer.

Findings from both the Butte-Silver Bow assessment and the State Health Improvement Plan will form the Butte-Silver Bow Health Departments strategies for the next few years. Our department would be remiss if we did not respond to health needs in our community, or tie into and work on needs found at the state level.

State officials presented the State Health Improvement Plans proposed priorities at the recent Montana Public Health Association conference in Missoula. In a meeting attended by several people from local health jurisdictions from throughout Montana, the state officials took input, and heard that the State Health Improvement Plan, in addition to its current proposed priorities, might also address dental needs and transportation issues over the coming years.

The state outlined its proposed priorities as follows:

 Cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention and control  this priority area will focus on risk factors such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, tobacco use, obesity, hypertension, and access to preventative healthcare.

 Cancer control, with a focus on tobacco use prevention and screening  focus will be on preventable cancers associated with tobacco use, poor nutrition and physical inactivity, as well as cancers that are treatable through early detection via cancer screening.

 Behavioral health, with a focus on mental health and substance use disorder  focus will be on prevention of and treatment for alcohol, and prescription and illicit drug use. The Montana Healthcare Foundation recently sponsored statewide meetings related to substance use disorder, and information gathered from that effort may be used in this focus area.

 Unintended pregnancy  focus will be on access to family planning services with an emphasis on disproportionately affected populations. The Butte-Silver Bow Health Departments Family Planning Clinic has already had impact related to a statistically relevant decrease in Butte-Silver Bows teen pregnancy rate; while unintended pregnancy did not loom large in the Butte-Silver Bow health needs assessment, watch for our clinics continued focus in this area.

 Adverse childhood experiences  focus will be on social factors affecting health, with an emphasis on populations in poverty. Butte-Silver Bows Community Action Team, which in the past has focused on suicide, has recently become an affiliate of Elevate Montana, which will prompt training of several local individuals in adverse childhood experiences and how these traumatic experiences can have a negative impact on individuals, families and communities. Look for community-wide presentations on this topic in 2018.

Priorities for the new State Health Improvement Plan were developed by input from 24 health-focused organizations throughout the state, including two that I belong to, the Montana Public Health Association and the Association of Montana Public Health Officials. Others involved include the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Montana Association of Counties, Montana State Universitys Office of Rural Health, the University of Montanas School of Public and Community Health Sciences, the Montana Hospital Association, the Montana Medical Association, the Montana Healthcare Foundation, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and various local and tribal jurisdictions from throughout the state.

The group looked at 54 health areas related to diseases and conditions, health behaviors, and social determinants of health. Health areas were rated based on data in the State Health Assessment in terms of the impact on Montanans, the ability to prevent or control using evidence-based strategies, and the feasibility of Montanas health system to address the chosen area, according to a state brochure distributed at the Montana Public Health Association conference. The coalition used these ratings, according to the brochure, to identify the State Health Improvement Plans proposed priorities.

Why the continued focus on tobacco use? Tobacco use remains the No. 1 cause of preventable death and disability, with about 50 percent of men and 33 percent of women being diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. According to the brochure, 5,600 Montanans are diagnosed with cancer annually, and 1,600 Montanans die each year due to tobacco use. Today, 19 percent of adults in Montana smoke. Startlingly, 23 percent of Montana youths are using e-cigarettes.

In the behavioral health realm, including issues related to mental health and substance use disorder, 84,000 Montana adults report frequent mental distress, and 60,000 need but are not receiving treatment for substance use disorder. In the cardiovascular disease and diabetes area, the state reports that 64,000 Montana adults are living with diabetes, and 47,000 are living with cardiovascular disease. The state information relays that 75 percent of Montana adults and 72 percent of youth are not getting enough physical activity.

The state also relayed that Montana sees 12,000 births annually, but half of them are unintended. The brochure also relayed that 60 percent of Montana adults report having one or more adverse childhood experiences.

I am very excited to begin working with my Health Department colleagues and collaborators in the community on developing new strategies tied into the states to improve health in Butte-Silver Bow and in Montana.
The federal government is harassing small Montana business owners.

This isn't a conspiracy culled from Twitter. It's not some right-wing radio rant.

It's what the federal government concluded as it looked at the actions of its employees in the Food Safety and Inspection Service, known as the FSIS, here in Montana.

And yet even after federal investigators turned up credible evidence of repeat harassment, some of which threatened the livelihood of several Montanans, leaders within the U.S. Department of Agriculture have refused to discipline the employees, and they appear to have kept jobs. In fact, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that the head of the Montana circuit, Dr. Jeffrey Legg, is continuing a long pattern of harassing small meat processors and producers.

In a two-part investigative series, The Montana Standard talked to small meat processing plants and butchers who need the federal certification to ship meats to restaurants and across state lines. Through his excellent reporting, the newspaper's report demonstrates a pattern of harassment and businesses being written up for rules that simply don't exist.

The FSIS has the power to shut down these producers; in other words, their entire livelihood hangs in the balance of one vindictive federal employee.

Remember agriculture is Montana's largest economic sector. We hear leaders on the local, state and federal level talk about how Montana should be exporting more and finding ways to add value to our wonderful agricultural sector. And yet when folks like Bart Riley of Riley's Meats in Butte have invested to become exactly the kind of business that leaders tout, he is nearly destroyed by a fickle inspection service which seems hellbent on trying to regulate Riley and others out of business.

We'd like to believe this is just the bad actions of one very petty federal employee, Dr. Legg, for whom these arbitrary rules have become nicknamed "Legg's regs."

But we fear it isn't just Legg.

Even though the federal government has admitted it has been systematically harassing Riley (and likely others who have experienced similar treatment) the USDA refuses to remove him or change its ways. This suggests that the USDA's approach to small Montana producers is both intentional and systematic. We're guessing that the federal government doesn't like messing around with smaller producers in faraway places like Montana, so it sends the message to its staff here to make it difficult for them.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has been to Montana once to gladhand farmers and ranchers. Maybe he should come back and look into the eyes of some of the processors whose businesses have been threatened. We bet his trip wouldn't be quite as pleasant.

The federal food inspectors would rather deal with only the largest meat packers and producers, so guys like Riley and, in fact, the entire state of Montana is seen as a nuisance.

Now, it's time for our Congressional delegation to become a nuisance to the USDA and its food inspection branch. Sen. Steve Daines, who sits on the agriculture committee, is uniquely placed to actually gets answers and make changes. We are calling for a Congressional investigation into the Food Safety Inspection Service. We'd like to know in public and on the record:

Why has the federal government tolerated harassment of small businesses?

What will it do to discipline those employees who engaged in the harassment and what will it do to change policies to ensure the fair treatment of processors, producers and packers of any size?

What can be done to establish greater transparency so that this agency becomes more accountable?

What can be done to help small in-state producers ship products beyond Montana's borders?

What assurances will the USDA give to make sure this never happens again?

If there ever was a time for our Congressional delegation, including Sen. Jon Tester and Rep. Greg Gianforte, to stand together and stand up for Montana business, this is it.

For all the lofty talk of selling our beef to China, we'd point out to Daines, who is a leading champion of that notion, that it's going to be pretty hard to sell our beef to China when we can't even get into Montana restaurants. Skip China, worry about what's happening here with America.

Maybe the most unbelievable part of this investigation is that no one in the federal government will talk or give answers. That's why a very public Congressional investigation is warranted.

We asked for documents, interviews and explanations. At every turn for nearly two years  yes, this story took nearly two years of meticulous research  federal officials refused to answer questions. Scores of documents came back heavily redacted or denied altogether. We received USDA reports and the actual admission of six cases of intentional harassment from producers, not from the government, which steadfastly rejected or ignored the requests.

That leads us to wonder: What else is being hidden?

We won't know until someone with oversight and power holds them accountable.

Sens. Daines and Tester, and Rep. Gianforte: It's time to do some grilling.

 The Billings Gazette
MUSCATINE  Lawyers for Mayor Diana Broderson are asking the Iowa Supreme Court to deny an appeal from the city of Muscatine, so that a final ruling on the mayor's removal can be made before the November election.

After being criticized for over-stepping her authority, Broderson was ousted by her fellow council members in May, then reinstated by a district court judge about a month later. Pending a final ruling on the constitutionality of her removal, the case now relies on a decision from the Iowa Supreme Court regarding an issue with the transcripts of five closed session meetings the city council, city administrator and city solicitor held to discuss pending litigation.

After reviewing transcripts of the meetings, a district court judge decided they could be used as evidence. Later, he issued a protective order, prohibiting them from being released to the public.

The city was required to send Broderson the transcripts immediately, but city officials instead filed an appeal in state Supreme Court, asking the court to reverse the district court ruling. The Iowa Supreme Court stayed district court proceedings until it decides whether to review the city's appeal.

While the district court judge argued the city of Muscatine waived its attorney-client privilege by discussing the closed sessions throughout the removal process, lawyers for the city said the meetings should still be protected.

Attorney Amy Reasner said the city administrator and city attorney never revealed the content of the meetings, so they should still be considered confidential under attorney-client privilege. She also argued the city would be prejudiced if the tapes are released to Broderson, because "once the confidential and privileged audio files are disclosed," it cannot be undone.

While both parties await a decision from the state Supreme Court, lawyers for Broderson filed a resistance to the appeal last week. Attorneys William Sueppel and Catherine Gerlach argued the tapes should be handed over and will "help prove the personal animus" the council held against the mayor.

Broderson's attorneys also said the city is attempting to protect the "very items" it brought up at the removal hearings and "made an issue in this matter." And, they argue the appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court is a ploy to further delay the lawsuit's outcome.

"Since the beginning of this process, the City has undertaken every possible action to inhibit the mayor's due process rights and now it seeks to delay the District Court's determination of her petition," the lawyers wrote in the resistance.

Lawyers for Broderson said the city is attempting to make the mayor's case "moot by kicking it past" the Nov. 7 election.

"Additionally, the city's [appeal] is a method to avoid having any findings of fact by a District Court judge made regarding any wrongdoing through the removal process by City Council members who may be up for re-election this fall."

On Nov. 7, the mayor, plus the at-large, 2nd Ward and 4th Ward council seats will be on the ballot.

Next, the Iowa Supreme Court will decide whether to accept the city's appeal, and if it does, would issue a ruling on the transcripts.

The mayor, attorneys for the city of Muscatine and Broderson, as well as City Administrator Gregg Mandsager could not be reached for comment Monday.
The annual event will begin at 10 a.m. with the Southeast Iowa Civil War Roundtable setting up camp. A free lunch will be offered at 11 a.m., with programs starting at 12:30 p.m. in the stage room on Highway 61, Wapello. The day will include a display of quilts and shooting demonstrations.
The Progressive Caucus of the Muscatine Democratic Party, in cooperation with Indivisible Muscatine and Progress Muscatine, will host the event at the Muscatine Environmental Learning Center, 3300 Cedar St., at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Hogg is traveling the state to help Democrats get ready to "take back the legislature in 2018," according to a news release. The topic of his speech is"A Democratic Blueprint for Iowa's Future."
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 []
A woman reported being shot twice by a BB gun by a masked man who attempted to rob her early Saturday morning, Napa Police said.

The incident was reported shortly before 2 a.m. The woman told police that the attempted robbery occurred as she was walking in the area of Main Street and Central Avenue.

An older model white Honda Civic parked near the intersection and a passenger wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and possibly a beanie, scarf or mask got out and displayed a gun, she told police.

The intended victim was shot twice with a BB gun, resulting in a minor visible injury, police said.

Police said the robbery was not successful, but there was no immediate explanation as to why.
Developers of a 51-unit town home project at the former location of the Napa Valley Register report they will break ground this fall,

Vesta Pacific Development and RBMC Advisors are also taking pre-construction reservations for the homes, which will start at about $700,000.

Register Square, a $42 million redevelopment project, is located at 1615 Second Street in downtown Napa. Banners announcing the project have gone up on the chainlink fencing that secures the cleared property.

We are proud to be developing this highly anticipated community in the heart of Napa, said Geoffrey McComic, president of Vesta Pacific Development. We are now accepting reservations and look forward to officially opening a sales office in the near future.

The branding for the project seems to reflect its newspaper history. A website for Register Square homes  www.registersquarenapa.com  includes an image of printing press type along with the four colors that are used to print newspapers, cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Text at the bottom of the logo reads: Life fit to print.

Prices for the first nine townhouse units  1,350 and 1,450 square feet  are currently estimated at $739,000 and $790,000.

Thats the going rate for such a home in the downtown area, said Vesta Pacific spokesman Barry McComic in a July interview. The value of real estate continues to go up, he said. Theres just not that much inventory on the market.

McComic said his target audience is young professionals  people who want to live and work in Napa and are doing well, and there are a lot of those, he said.

Were looking for permanent residents  residents who have a stake in downtown, he said.

Vesta Pacific of San Diego bought the former Register property in 2015 from the Registers parent company, Lee Enterprises, for an estimated $5 million.

A remnant of the Registers old digs, a vintage linotype machine, was removed from 1615 Second St. for safekeeping until a permanent spot can be found for it on the site, said McComic.

I would like to put it on the sidewalk in front of the commercial part of the building and put a sealed Plexiglas cube around it, with a bronze plaque explaining the history of the Register in Napa and this particular printer, he said.

Barry McComic said it should take about eight months to build the first nine town house units. Within 60 days of that start, construction should begin on the next 10 town houses, and so forth, he said.

Phase 1 of the development includes three triplexes, with each of the three-story Craftsman-inspired townhomes ranging from 1,312 to 1,458 square feet. Floor plans include two to three bedrooms and an open kitchen great room concept, said a news release.

The second phase is set to include two five-plexes, and phase 3 will be composed of 32 units featuring five different floor plans of lofts, two- and three- story units, along with a retail and commercial component on the ground level.

The project will feature contemporary arts and crafts inspired architecture with homes featuring the latest in energy-efficient technology, elegant European Shaker style cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, spacious decks with stackable doors systems, quartz countertops and an abundance of open space, said the release.

According to Barry McComic, Register Square will also include 6,200 square feet of street-level commercial space.

Located between Second and Third Streets in downtown Napa, Register Square is named after the Napa Valley Register that occupied the site for a half century. The 2014 Napa earthquake triggered the decision to sell the site and move to new offices on Soscol Avenue.

In July, the former Register block was cleared to make way for the new development. The project will also include town homes on the northwest corner of Third and Seminary streets.
BERKELEY -- The group Patriot Prayer is scheduled to hold a rally today at the University of California at Berkeley campus, according to a group organizer.

In a video posted to the group's Facebook page on Monday, organizer Joey Gibson said they will gather at Sproul Plaza at 2 p.m. today.

Gibson said the group will march to an undisclosed location where participants will give speeches.

The rally comes just days after the group Berkeley Patriot, a conservative student organization at UC Berkeley, canceled "Free Speech Week," a series of events on campus featuring several conservative speakers.

Despite the cancellation, some political actions and gathering have taken place this week.

On Sunday, conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos, who had planned to speak during "Free Speech Week" before it was canceled, appeared at Sproul Plaza around noon for about 30 minutes.

Some demonstrations took place during his appearance. Although 11 people were arrested, the demonstrations were mostly peaceful, according to university police.

On Monday, the group United Against Right Wing Violence held a protest on the campus in response to "Free Speech Week." The event resulted in the arrest of one person.

Gibson and the Patriot Prayer group had planned a large rally at San Francisco's Crissy Field last month but canceled it a day beforehand.

A subsequent news conference planned in Alamo Square was then also canceled, but the right-wing actions prompted large counter-protests throughout San Francisco.
Two Napa Valley bicycle shops, Bicycle Works in Napa and St. Helena Cyclery, were named to the 2017 National Bicycle Dealers Association list of Americas Best Bike Shops.

According to a NBDA news release, the designation recognizes retailers who offer great shopping experiences and expert staff and who are highly rated on dedication to their communities and support for bicycle advocacy locally and nationally. There are approximately 4,000 bike shops in the United States and only 165 of those were honored. Twenty of the shops are in California.

This is the fourth year Napas Bicycle Works has named to the list; it is the first time St. Helena Cyclery has made the list.

Bob Hillhouse, Bicycle Works owner, said, Over the past 38 years, we have established an outstanding reputation by offering an honest, knowledgeable, no pressure approach to a sport we all love and participate in. Bicycle Works is at 3335 Solano Ave.

Jake Scheideman has owned St. Helena Cyclery for 26 years and last year opened a new shop, Napa Valley Velo, in Napa. He said, This is the first time we have applied and therefore the first time we have been awarded. Over 500 stores apply for this honor and it involves quite a bit of information gathering and critique of our store, including a secret shopper, who comes into our store and critiques our service and store in a 40-point analysis. It includes appearance, selection, cleanliness, prices, and quality of staff and customer service.

He added, The bottom line is that many stores dont make the cut  even though it takes a lot of time and effort to apply.

Todd Grand, NBDA president, said, With the program now in its fifth year, retailers responded well to our new question format and we spurred the quantity and quality of applications that we had hoped. Retailers clearly spent more time and effort in the application process, taking full advantage of the introspection that it takes to look at your business through an unbiased lens and communicate what makes your business unique among all others.

Scheideman said, Im very proud of our staff, who continue to serve St. Helena with great attitude, friendly service, and professionalism, for 26 years now.

Rob Nelson, St. Helena Cyclery store manager, said the award is really an award for his team, which includes Justin Gresh and Julian Lord, who have a special mix of mechanical and sales ability. As a bike mechanic, youre responsible for knowing an amazingly wide breadth of stuff.

And, beyond that, Gresh and Lord have the ability to talk to people. They have the patience to break away from a mechanical issue and sell a cruiser bike to a customer who hasnt been on a bike in 10 years.

Nelson credits Scheideman with putting in standard processes and procedures that are fulfilled no matter who is working at the shop. Like any retail business, theres a certain amount of turnover, Nelson said. When we bring new people in, its important they fill the same shoes these guys fill and are able to do it in the same way. Jake has been a longtime advocate of the idea that theres a certain way we do things at St. Helena Cyclery, that may not be the way youve done it at other shops.

He added, This is more a team award than anything else. The people who work here are our biggest asset. These guys are committed to staying on top of whats new, being nice to people and following through on everything they do. Thats what makes this a good shop.

Lord has been at the shop for two years; Gresh has worked at St. Helena Cyclery for the past 18 months and in January, Nelson will mark his two-year anniversary.

St. Helena Cyclery is at 1156 Main St. in St. Helena.
A year-long initiative in Emory College of Arts and Sciences to recruit a cohort of faculty in the natural and social sciences has resulted in a cluster hire of five new faculty for 2017-2018 who are expected to have broad impact on the teaching and research missions of the College.

The cross-departmental effort sought to recruit faculty who not only had exceptional research and teaching portfolios, but also a proven track record of mentoring a diverse student body, including first-generation and underrepresented minority students.

These are first-class scientists and teachers, on the cutting edge of their fields, who will be tremendous resources for both undergraduate and graduate students, says Michael A. Elliott, dean of Emory College and Charles Howard Candler Professor of English. They advance our goals of providing a superlative educational experience for all of our students and increasing the impact of our research.

The five new faculty are:

Dorian Arnold, associate professor of computer science;

Gillian Hue, lecturer, neuroscience and behavioral biology (NBB);

John Lindo, assistant professor of anthropology;

Juan Villeta-Garcia, lecturer, mathematics and computer science; and

Nicole Vega, assistant professor of biology, who will join Emory in spring 2018.

As a bonus to the intensive recruitment effort, other candidates for positions outside of the cluster hire were identified, including Antonio Braithwaite, a senior lecturer in chemistry, and associate professor Jennifer Heemstra, also in chemistry.

A commitment to faculty diversity as part of excellence

For members of the cluster hire, joining the Emory College faculty means increased opportunity to expand their current research and student mentorship. The two new faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, for instance, are scholars in very different fields but are expected to foster more interdisciplinary research between mathematics and computer science, and beyond.

Arnold studies the theory, design and development of software systems and other tools that run high-performance computing systems. Villeta-Garcia focuses on algebraic topology, or the qualitative features of spatial objects.

Their work is steeped in other fields, such as physics. And their work also involves efforts to elevate their fields across campus and beyond Emory.

Villeta-Garcia wants to recreate a weekend mentorship program he helped run at the University of Illinois  designed specifically for women and students of color  at an Atlanta-area high school.

Arnold hopes to create a pipeline of students to study at Emory and go on to PhDs in the field. In addition to his scholarship, that means continuing activities such as his recent three-year appointment as a Distinguished Speaker for the Computer Research Association, and leadership in the Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, which will bring more than 1,000 students and professionals to Atlanta this fall.

Whenever we develop anything that interfaces with a human, which my work does, excluding any of the people we hope to serve limits the best outcome, Arnold says. If I am working to find the best outcomes, then selfishly, I should have diverse teams that comprise and involve people of color, people with disabilities, women and anyone else from underrepresented groups who can help me see beyond the horizons of my ever-limited perspective.

Ambitious recruitment effort engages multiple programs

Emory College engaged faculty and chairs in eight programs  anthropology, biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, NBB, math/computer science, physics and psychology  to develop the ambitious recruitment effort for the cluster hires, says Carla Freeman, senior associate dean of faculty for Emory College.

All of the new faculty are therefore tied to the existing programs and the goals for the future. For instance, Lindo focuses on biological anthropology, looking at ancient DNA to examine the evolution and migration of early humans. Specifically, his work explores how Incas and Mayans developed genetic advantages for digesting starches after creating some of the first cities that allowed for farming.

Being at Emory means continuing his research and teaching highly motivated undergraduates who want to understand science in a different way. Lindo also plans to create two undergraduate research positions for students with Hispanic and Native American backgrounds, who will be intellectually curious to work on the DNA of their own ancestry.

The opportunity for discovery, in my research and with my students, is a big part of why I wanted to come to Emory, Lindo says.

Freeman sees opportunities for Emory as well. One of questions posed to the top scientists who applied  asking about their mentorship track records and vision  will now be incorporated into the search process for all future faculty positions in the College of Arts and Sciences.

In addition to hiring these extraordinary scientists, one of the most important outcomes is how we have drawn attention to the high value Emory places on diversity and inclusion across all of our faculty and across the university culture at large Freeman says. The cluster hire is a launch pad for the work these scholars will do here and fosters the vibrant community we know Emory to be.
"Between the Ivory Tower and the Prison: Recent Public Scholarship on Mass Incarceration," a showcase of scholars producing work on crime and punishment in the United States, will be Thursday, Sept. 28, and Friday, Sept. 29, on campus.

Daniel LaChance, assistant professor of history, who is organizing the event series, describes the scholarship as creative, unconventional and aimed at broad audiences.

On Thursday, Sept. 28, speakers will be:

Keramet Reiter, assistant professor in criminology, law and society at the University of California at Irvine, discusses her new book, 23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement, at 10 a.m. in Emory's School of Medicine, Room 178P.

Paul Kaplan, associate professor of criminal justice in the School of Public Affairs at San Diego State University, speaks on "The Art/Crime Archive," an Internet-based forum for the study of art, culture and crime that he co-founded, at 2 p.m. also in Emory's School of Medicine, Room 178P.

Brett Story, writer and independent non-fiction filmmaker, will speak and answer questions about her documentary, The Prison in Twelve Landscapes, following a screening of the film at 5 p.m. in the Candler School of Theologys Rita Anne Rollins Building, Room 252.

On Friday, Sept. 29, all three scholars will participate in a panel discussion aimed at graduate students in the humanities and social sciences. The topic will be "Preparing for a Career as a Public Intellectual."

"Between the Ivory Tower and the Prison is sponsored by the Laney Graduate School's New Thinkers/New Leaders Fund, the Hightower Fund, the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference, and the Department of History.

For more information, contact LaChance or visit the Facebook event page.
- North Korea threatens to shoot down United States strategic bombers outside their airspace.





- Accuses the U.S. of declaring war on North Korea.





- Trump previously stated that North Korea won't be around much longer.

North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong-ho has accused the United States of America of declaring war on his country in the wake of President Trump's comments where he stated that "North Korea won't be around much longer"





Ri Yong-ho further threatened that North Korea may shoot down any US strategic bombers even when they are outside their airspace.





"The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country," Ri Yong-ho said in New York City on Monday.





"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country."





When asked about how China felt concerning the current trend in the war of words and threats between North Korea and the U.S., China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang called for both sides to remain calm and avoid further provocations.





All sides should "not further irritate each other and add oil to the flames of the tense situation on the peninsula at present", Lu told a daily news briefing.





"We hope all sides do not continue doing things to irritate each other and should instead exercise restraint."
SIU again earns Princeton Reviews green colleges honor

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondales commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility is once again earning national recognition.

For the second consecutive year and the sixth time in seven years, SIU has earned a spot in The Princeton Reviews Guide to 375 Green Colleges: 2017 Edition. The rankings were released last week.

We are very excited to be included in this review, Lori Stettler, interim vice chancellor of Student Affairs, said. Our campus prides itself in working toward being a leader for conservation of campus resources and environmental sustainability.

The publication, first published in 2010, scored institutions of higher learning on their sustainability-related policies, practices and programs in order to choose the green colleges. A combination of student opinions and data reported by the schools was utilized. While most ranked institutions are in the United States, schools in other nations were scored as well. Schools are not ranked within the list.

We are so pleased to have again received this recognition, Geory Kurtzhals, sustainability coordinator, said. There are many individuals across SIUs campus  students, faculty and staff  who have helped to make this happen. We do not take this for granted and know that as a university community, we need to continue to improve to maintain our spot on this list.

She said SIU is always looking for new and different ways to be more green and sustainable and thats proven by new initiatives just within the last year.

Just this spring, we started the Saluki Green Action team, an educational campaign that encourages more sustainable daily habits, and we also recently initiated a Sustainability Fellows program that matches the skill sets of passionate students with some of our campus sustainability priorities, Kurtzhals said. For example, as a Sustainability Fellow prior to her recent graduation, Julia Sanabria developed a strong outreach program, including our First Friday Green Tours. While many faculty have leveraged these tours for their classes, staff and community members are welcome as well. We have a wide array of ways to participate listed on our website, sustainability.siu.edu.

The green colleges guide includes a profile of SIU and the other recognized universities, citing various green facts and other demographics. Among the notations on SIUs profile is a fire safety rating of 93 out of 99 and a green rating of 84 out of 99. The report notes the beauty of the campus and wooded areas, that the university offers campus shuttle services and has a sustainability officer and committee and numerous other green initiatives. Also mentioned are the more than 40 university departments offering courses with a sustainability focus, along with the student-funded Green Fee. The Sustainability Council has awarded more than $2.1 million for dozens of sustainability-related projects.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-19 02:41:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TIRANA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament's Rapporteur on Albania, Knut Fleckenstein, said Monday that he was confident that the European Union would give the green light to opening negotiations with Albania on its EU accession in June next year.

"The parliamentary group that I represent, as well as that of the European People's Party, are supporters of your path to the European Union and the opening of accession negotiations," Fleckenstein told Albanian Speaker Gramoz Ruci.

Fleckenstein, who was visiting Albania, said the EU had two key conditions for Albania.

First, he said, was the elections, and second was the advancement of key reforms, mainly in the justice system. This is an area Albania had to work hard on, he said.

Albanian top officials told Fleckenstein they were determined to fulfill any obligation related to the country's path to the EU, but also promoting Albanian citizens' welfare and improving their living standards.

Albania received EU candidate status in June 2014 and is working to implement the necessary reforms to open EU accession negotiations.

In November 2016, Albania received a European Commission recommendation to open EU accession negotiations conditioned primarily upon the implementation of a judicial reform package passed earlier the same year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-21 23:19:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RIGA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Latvian lawmakers on Thursday voted down President Raimonds Vejonis' legislative initiative that would allow non-citizens' children to become Latvian citizens at birth.

The bill on ending the practice of registering non-citizens' newborn children as non-citizens was supported by 39 out of Latvia's 100 members of parliament, which was insufficient to continue the adoption of the draft legislation.

Several opposition parties and politicians representing Latvia's center-right government coalition had earlier praised the president's initiative. But its passage in the parliament was scuppered by one coalition partner, the right-wing National Alliance, which threatened to veto the bill under the existing tripartite coalition agreement.

Since neither the centrist Greens and Farmers Union nor the center-right Unity party wanted to let the coalition with the National Alliance disintegrate, they yielded to the pressure.

They voted against the president's proposal to stop registering non-citizens' children, born after June 1, 2018, as non-citizens and grant them Latvian citizenship unless their parents choose to register them as citizens of some other country.

The president argued that the new regulation would help consolidate the Latvian nation on the basis of common values.

The National Alliance objected saying that such a measure could only be taken along with a transition to Latvian as the only language of instruction in Latvia's public schools. Latvian citizenship is already easily available to non-citizens' children born in Latvia, the National Alliance said.

Under the current legislation, effective since 2013, non-citizens' children can be registered as Latvian citizens if at least one of the parents has expressly declared such a wish.

Since the mid-1990s -- when non-citizens made up 29 percent of Latvia's population -- their share has contracted to 11 percent, according to the Latvian citizenship and migration authority.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 00:14:21|Editor: yan

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WINDHOEK, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Namibia is expected to become the latest African nation to join the global debate on internet governance when it hosts its inaugural internet governance forum on Sept. 27 and 28, in the capital Windhoek.

The Namibia Internet Governance Forum (NamIGF), is a multi-stakeholder platform consisting of government, development organizations, the private sector and media organizations, which aims to stimulate and enhance discussion around public policy related to the internet.

Namibia's Minister of Information, Tjekero Tweya will deliver the keynote address on the first day and the Media Ombudsman, John Walters will have his keynote address on the second day.

NamIGF Working Group Member, Natasha Tibinyane, on Monday in a statement said that despite Namibia having joined the world-wide web decades ago, the country has been absent from the global discourse on internet governance.

"Hence the Information Ministry, initiated the NamIGF Working Group with the mandate to organize and host the country's first national forum this year," she added.

According to Tibinyane, this will subsequently result in the establishment of a Namibian National and Regional Initiative and if successful, the NamIGF will officially be recognized within the United Nations IGF structure.

Meanwhile, she said that the launch of the NamIGF will also coincide with the 2017 commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information which will take place on Sept. 28, hence the occasion will be used to highlight the important relationship between the right to to universal access to information and access to the internet.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 01:14:44|Editor: Song Lifang

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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (L) holds talks with Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem in Athens, Greece, on Sept. 25, 2017. Greek leaders and visiting Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem stressed on Monday during talks here the need to swiftly conclude the third review of the third Greek bailout so as to pave the way for a successful, clean exit from the program in the summer of 2018. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Greek leaders and visiting Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem stressed on Monday during talks here the need to swiftly conclude the third review of the third Greek bailout so as to pave the way for a successful, clean exit from the program in the summer of 2018.

"I believe it will be better for everyone, certainly for us, to conclude this review as soon as possible. I stress that from our part we will do our share," Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said when welcoming the Dutch official, according to a statement from his office.

Dijsselbloem, for his part, said: "I remain fully committed in efforts so that Greece will continue to be an integral part of the European family and of course the eurozone...My goal is the conclusion of the assessment, the end of the program and the economic recovery of Greece," Dijsselbloem said.

His term at the helm of the Eurogroup ends in January, but Dijsselbloem expressed numerous times on Monday that he was committed to supporting the goal from any future post.

When Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with Dijsselbloem shortly after, he echoed the comments made by Pavlopoulos on bringing about a positive ending to the third review.

"Our aim is to successfully close on time the third review so that we will be able to discuss about the next day for Greece and the economy...There is some good news about the progress of Greek economy, therefore today we are more optimistic about the future," he said.

"A lot of work has been done and the situation has improved significantly...I think we agree that it should be a clean exit and Greece should regain its financial independence. These are our common targets for which we must work together and we will do it," Dijsselbloem said, according to a press release from the Greek Premier's office.

The conclusion of the next review which is due to start in October could close before the end of this year, Dijsselbloem said, expressing optimism about the latest positive figures on the Greek economy and the improved economic climate.

Greek finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos, who also met with Dijsselbloem, said: "The goal is to leave the program without the need for another program. In that journey over the next ten months I am sure there will be hiccups and problems, but I think we will deal with them the same way we have been dealing with them the last two years: attempting to find solutions."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 01:49:56|Editor: yan

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MOGADISHU, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Somalia and the African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) forces on Monday kicked off a three-day conference to review threats posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and plan mitigating measures.

The conference, which also brought together representatives from the UN and the British forces discussed the increasing threats and dangers posed by IEDs in the Horn of Africa country.

"I expect actionable recommendations brought forward, so that guidance can be given to all sectors from the Force headquarters and the recommendations to the African Union's Peace Support Operations Division for action," Osman Noor Soubagleh, the AMISOM Force Commander, said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

The conference which is sponsored by the United Nations Mine Assistance Mission (UNMAS) is aimed at developing counter IED capability in Somalia.

Soubagleh noted that previous workshops held on IEDs, had led to increased awareness and knowledge, leading to a significant increase in discovered explosives and their safe disposal.

Participants at the symposium will share knowledge and information on IEDs to help understand the scope of the threat.

Discussions will focus on how to effectively control the widespread use of such explosives by terror organizations such as Al-Shabaab.

The Special Representative of the AU Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia Francisco Madeira urged international partners to continue support to AMISOM and the SNA to enable them to effectively mitigate the dangers posed by IEDs on civilians and security forces in Somalia.

"To reduce the threat of IEDs, a combination of education, training, good reporting, exchange of information, degrading the network of the terrorists and investment in equipment to defeat the IEDs is required," said Madeira.

"It is only then that AMISOM and Somali National Security Forces (SNSF) can undertake the necessary stabilization operations that Somalia needs, to develop a stable and secure state," he added.

The Director of Mission Support at the United Nations Support Office in Somalia Amadu Kamara said the convention would contribute to the development of effective IED mitigation strategies, as part of the wider comprehensive approach to security in south central Somalia.

Allan McDonald, the Director of UNMAS reiterated the importance of passing on the knowledge gained at the conference to the troops on the front line and most especially to the Somali security forces, in line with efforts to support Somali led operations, ahead of the planned drawdown of AU forces.

The Commander of the British Forces, Colonel John Wakelin noted that the fight against IEDs required a multi-pronged response, to deal effectively with the challenge.

"There is no silver bullet, there is no magic bullet, there is no one solution to solving this IED challenge. There is no one bit of funding, there is no one technique or tactic that is going to fix this. It is a blend," Wakelin said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 01:54:59|Editor: yan

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DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 25, (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs Augustine Mahiga has said Tanzania supported reforms by the United Nations aimed at making the global body more vibrant in addressing challenges facing the world today, a statement by ministry said on Monday.

Addressing the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly on Saturday in New York, Mahiga said the reforms undertaken by the UN will improve its work on humanitarian response, development and sustaining peace initiatives, said the statement.

Tanzania's top diplomat, speaking on behalf of President John Magufuli, said the world was facing challenges that called for immediate attention and resolution.

"By working together in a constructive spirit, world leaders can assure our children, the future they deserve," said Mahiga, who led the east African nation's delegation to the UN General Assembly.

He added: "This positive momentum also positions the United Nations and the African Union to work more closely together. Concrete steps can be taken on both sides to improve the quality of coordination and consultation."

"We hope in the process of implementing these latest reform proposals, the debates will be all inclusive and progress will be made on the basis of consensus," he said.

Mahiga said: "We have the tools and the mandates to address the global challenges of our day, from climate change to peace-building to human equality and development."
British BrexitSecretary David Davis (L) and European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier address statements prior to the fourth round of Negotiation on Brexit talks at the EU Commission in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BRUSSELS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday called for more "clarity" from Britain, as a fresh round of Brexit talks kicked off here.

The talks, the fourth of its kind, came on the heels of British Prime Minister Theresa May's high-profile speech in the Italian city of Florence spelling out Britain's plans to leave the EU.

In her speech on Friday, May proposed a two-year transition period after Britain leaves the EU in March 2019.

She also pledged that Britain would pay "fair share" into the EU budget, a hint that London would budge on the touchy issue of the "divorce bill."

Speaking to reporters ahead of the talks, Barnier once again hailed a "constructive spirit" in May's Florence speech, adding that the EU "is keen and eager to understand better how the British government will translate the prime minister's speech into negotiating positions."

"We do not need to remind ourselves that we are six months into the process, we are getting closer to the UK's withdrawal, and I think that this moment should be a moment of clarity," he stressed.

"A real progress on the three main issues -- citizens' rights, Ireland, financial settlement -- is essential to move to the discussion as on the transition as well as on the future," he said, standing along with his British counterpart David Davis.

Davis said May's Florence speech "set out clearly the leadership and flexibility needed to make a success of these negotiations."

Touching on the financial settlement or "divorce bill," Davis said: "As part of a smooth and orderly exit, we do not want our EU partners to worry that they will need to pay more or receive less over the remainder of the current budget plan as a result of our decision to leave."

When it comes to the rights of EU citizens living in Britain, Davis said: "We will incorporate the agreement fully into UK law and take steps to ensure consistent interpretation."

"We both want to avoid changes to the way citizens enjoy their rights and our proposals we'll deliver that," he said.

On the border between Britain's Northern Ireland and Ireland, Davis said the two teams made "good progress" in the last round, with a common desire to maintain the common travel area and protect Good Friday Agreement.

The long-awaited Brexit talks was launched on June 19, nearly one year after Britain voted to leave the bloc by a narrow margin on June 23, 2016.

May sent a notification letter to the EU in late March, triggering a two-year countdown to Britain's withdrawal of the bloc after more than 44 years of membership.
Iraqi Kurdish men show their ink-stained fingers after casting their vote in the referendum on independence at a polling station in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on September 25, 2017. (AFP PHOTO)

ERBIL, Iraq, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Kurds on Monday ended their vote in a referendum that will determine the independence of the Kurdish region and the disputed areas amid threats and rejection from Baghdad and neighboring countries.

About 5.2 million eligible voters were entitled to cast ballots in 12,000 polling boxes in 2,000 polling centers, which was kicked off at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and was supposed to close at 6 p.m. (1500 GMT), but extended another hour to allow people queuing outside the polling centers to vote.

Queues were formed since early morning at many polling stations, and the regional President Masoud Barzani was one of the first to vote. The voters were asked to answer one question in the referendum; either "Yes" to independent Kurdish state or "No" to remain as autonomous region part of the Iraqi state.

According to the regional electoral committee, the results of the referendum will be announced within two or three days.

Officials sort ballot papers after the close of the polling station during Kurds independence referendum in Erbil, Iraq September 25, 2017. (REUTERS PHOTO)

The voting was held under security threats and tensions in the disputed areas, particularly in Kirkuk, where the provincial government announced overnight curfew in the ethnically-mixed city of Kirkuk.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Kirkuk governor Najm al-Din Kareem called on the residents of Kirkuk to return to their homes after voting and avoid celebrations in the city.

"Those who have not voted in the referendum are not our enemy and we will not oppose them. People are free how they will vote in the referendum," the governor added.

The referendum was held despite intense international pressure on Barzani to halt the voting, amid fears that it would spark new conflicts with Baghdad and with neighboring Iran and Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Ankara would close its border with the Kurdish region in northern Iraq because of the independence referendum and threatened the Iraqi Kurds with blocking their key oil exports.

Iran reiterated its opposition to the Kurdish referendum in Iraq, underlining the need for maintaining Iraq's sovereignty at a time that Baghdad is making great successes in its fight against IS terrorist group.

Members of SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) security forces, affiliated to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, keep watch in the streets of the northern city of Kirkuk, where control is disputed between the Kurds and the federal government in Baghdad, during the vote on the Kurdish independence on September 25, 2017. (AFP PHOTO)

Earlier in the day, the Iraqi parliament issued a package measures against the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan over its controversial referendum on independence.

The parliament demanded Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, to redeploy the Iraqi security forces in the disputed areas outside the Kurdish region.

The parliament demanded the federal government to regain control of oil fields in the disputed areas to be under the control of the federal Oil Ministry.

Among other measures, the parliament also voted on blocking all the border crossing points in all directions, including between the region and the rest of Iraq, the channel said without giving further details about how to block the crossing points with Iran and Turkey.

The Iraqi government has repeatedly rejected the referendum and its results, describing it as "unconstitutional."

"Taking a decision unilaterally that would affect Iraq's unity and making separation from one side is contrary to the law and unconstitutional and we will not deal with it or with its results," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement.

On June 7, the Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani announced his intention to hold a referendum on the independence of the Kurdish region from Iraq on Sept. 25.

The independence of Kurdistan is opposed by many countries because they said it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and it could undermine fight against Islamic State militants.

In addition, neighboring countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria see that such a step would threaten their territorial integrity, as larger populations of Kurds live in those countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 04:30:47|Editor: yan

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NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices soared on Monday after major oil producers said in a meeting in Vienna, Austria, that the global market was well on its way towards rebalancing.

It was reported that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia and several other oil producers have cut production by about 1.8 million barrels per day since the start of 2017, helping lift oil prices by about 15 percent in the past three months.

Kuwait's oil minister, who chaired Friday's meeting among major oil producers, said output curbs were helping cut global crude inventories to their five-year average, OPEC's stated target.

Meanwhile, Russia's energy minister said no decision was expected before next January, although other ministers suggested such a decision could be taken before the end of this year, according to Reuters.

Moreover, the number of rigs operating in U.S. oil fields fell by four to a total of 744 rigs this week, according to data released by oilfield service firm Baker Hughes on Friday.

The West Texas Intermediate for November Delivery added 1.56 dollar to settle at 52.22 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for November delivery gained 2.16 dollar to close at 59.02 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 04:35:49|Editor: yan

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STOCKHOLM, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Police arrested a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) employee suspected of being under the influence of alcohol while working after the plane landed Monday, Swedish public television news broadcaster SVT reported on Monday.

Cabin crew on the flight, suspecting that a colleague had been drinking alcohol, alerted the authorities.

"I can confirm that one of our employees was taken into custody by police at Arlanda," Fredrik Henriksson, a spokesperson for SAS, told SVT News.

It was after the flight from Hong Kong landed in Stockholm Monday afternoon that the SAS employee tested positive for alcohol in a breathalyser test.

"This is a case for the police but also for us. We take it very seriously and have a zero tolerance policy for alcohol 24 hours before flight," Henriksson said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 05:16:01|Editor: ZD

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Photo provided by Turkish Military Force shows Turkish and Iraqi soldiers posing with their national flags at an airport in Sirnak province, Turkey, on Sept. 25, 2017. Iraqi soldiers have arrived in Turkey late Monday to join a military exercise on the Turkish-Iraqi border, Turkish Armed Forces said in a written statement. (Xinhua)

BAGHDAD, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Defense Ministry on Monday said Iraqi forces launched joint military exercises with Turkey forces near the Iraqi-Turkish border.

"The chief of staff of the army announced the start of large-scale joint military exercises near the Iraqi-Turkish border," a statement by the ministry said, without giving further details about the troops, weapons and the duration of the exercises.

The ministry's announcement came after closing the polling centers of the controversial referendum on independence of the Kurdish region and the disputed areas that are currently under de facto Kurdish control.

The referendum was held despite intense international pressure on the regional President Masoud Barzani to halt the voting, amid fears that it would spark new conflicts with Baghdad and with neighboring Iran and Turkey.

On June 7, Barzani announced his intention to hold a referendum on the independence of the Kurdish region from Iraq on Sept. 25.

The independence of Kurdistan is opposed by many countries because they said it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and it could undermine fight against Islamic State militants.

In addition, neighboring countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria see that such a step would threaten their territorial integrity, as larger populations of Kurds live in those countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 05:26:07|Editor: yan

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LONDON, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Britain's future in the European Union (EU) dominated the second day of the Labour Party's annual conference in Brighton Monday.

Some delegates had demanded a full debate and a vote on Brexit, aimed at keeping Britain in the European single market and the customs union.

The conference instead voted overwhelmingly to keep the party's existing Brexit policy outlined in its recent election manifesto. This accepted the EU referendum result and sets negotiating priorities on retaining the benefits of the single market and the customs union.

With accusations that Prime Minister Theresa May's governing Conservatives are bitterly divided on the Brexit issue, government Brexit minister Steve Baker seized on the outcome of Labour's own Brexit squabbles.

"Their 'Brexit ban' on a vote at conference shows just how divided they are. The Conservatives are the only party working to make a success of Brexit," said Baker.

Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer blamed Prime Minister May and her Conservative government for putting Britain's place in the world, as well as jobs, at stake.

Starmer accused May of robotically marching towards an extreme Brexit, focussed, he claimed, on her own survival not the national interest.

"Maybe the Conservatives can afford this disastrous approach to Brexit, but I know, that millions of working people cannot. Whether you're in the front seat with Theresa May, or in the backseat with Boris Johnson, there's nothing patriotic about joy-riding our country's economy off a cliff."

Labour, he said respects the result of last year's referendum which voted in favor of leaving the EU.

Starmer said May's keynote speech in Florence last week when she confirmed there would be a post-Brexit transitional period of two years, had delayed a "cliff edge" Brexit.

"Let's not be fooled by what the prime minister said in Florence. She still insists, in spite of all the warnings, that no deal is a viable option."

Glenis Wilmott, chair of Labour's NEC, who also serves as an MEP in the European Parliament, agreed with Starmer's message, saying "no deal is not better than a bad deal. Our country will become poorer; jobs will be lost; whole sectors of the economy will grind to a halt."

In the big keynote speech of the day, the shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said a Labour government would renationalize the main utility companies as well as railways, by taking them back into public ownership. They were privatized by the Conservative Party in the 1980s.

McDonnell's pledge was later attacked by Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry.

She said: "McDonnell's vision of massive state intervention was the wrong plan at the wrong time. It raises a warning flag over the British economy at a critical time for our country's future.

"Forced nationalization of large parts of British industry will send investors running for the hills, and puts misplaced nostalgia ahead of progressive vision. The CBI looks forward to urgent discussion with the Labour leadership to find better solutions to the shared challenges."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 06:41:31|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A Myanmar envoy on Monday denied ethnic cleansing in the country's Rakhine State, saying Rohingya rebels conscripted Muslim men and intimidated women and children to flee into neighboring Bangladesh to call attention to their cause.

"Let me be clear there is no ethnic cleansing; there is no genocide," said Hau Do Suan, the Myanmar ambassador to the United Nations, speaking at the end of the annual UN General Assembly general debate, exercising his right of reply "to the irresponsible remarks made about my country."

"It is deeply regrettable that unsubstantiated allegations have been repeated in this chamber likening the situation in Rakhine State to ethnic cleansing," he said. "Nothing is further from the truth."

"Terms such as atrocities, ethnic cleansing and genocide must not be used lightly," Suan said, speaking from his delegation's usual seat on the floor of the General Assembly, as required under reply rules. "The use of such terms should be considered only after very solid evidence."

Calling them "very serious charges that require rigorous review and require judicial determination," he said, "They should not be bandied about and used lightly."

Stephane Dujarric, chief UN spokesman, said earlier in the day that some 436,000 refugees from northern Rakhine, mostly women and children, have arrived in Bangladesh.

For weeks there have been reports the ethnic Muslim minority have been chased out of the overwhelmingly Buddhist nation of Myanmar to Bangladesh. Rohingyas have long complained of discrimination.

"I would like to urge these delegations and the international community as well to see the situation in northern Rakhine objectively and in an unbiased manner," the ambassador said. "The leaders of Myanmar ... will not espouse such policies. We will do everything to prevent ethnic cleansing and genocide. The issue of Rakhine state is extremely complex."

The rebel Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed responsibility for the deadly Aug. 25 attacks on several police posts in Rakhine, touching off the most recent wave of violence and surge of refugees.

"The government of Myanmar has declared ARSA a terrorist group," the ambassador said, adding that the "highest Islamic religious organization in Myanmar" also condemned the ARSA attacks.

"These vicious attacks have caused loss of life and property and displacement of people," he said "Those who have had to abandon their hearth and home are many, not just in the state of Rakhine."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 06:56:34|Editor: ZD

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Miroslav Lajcak (L), President of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly, gavels to close the General Debate of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 25, 2017. The VIP session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for 2017 concluded here on Monday, after all 196 representatives spoke at the marble podium in the past week. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

by William M. Reilly

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The 72nd UN General Assembly general debate -- the annual VIP session -- ended here on Monday, with concern over nuclear weaponry on the Korean Peninsula and the Rohingya refugees in Myanmar among the leading topics.

But they failed to foresee U.S. President Donald Trump's heated response to threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to attack the United States, the return threats and reaction.

Trump said that if Washington "is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

Many nations voiced offense that such a direct threat would be voiced from the podium in the house of diplomacy.

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney of Ireland was one of those who objected to such rhetoric, saying he "unreservedly condemns the recent series of missile and nuclear weapons testing by the DPRK."

"I will be followed today on the podium by the representative from the DPRK and I would urge him to de-escalate the provocative language and tensions of this week," he said. "This is a conflict that the world does not need and that we need to move away from."

While his plea was greeted by applause, the succeeding speaker, DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho appeared not to have heard it.

Ri said Trump's threat "rendered this sacred UN arena tainted."

He called the U.S. president "a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency, the person who is chastised even by American people as 'Commander in Grief,' 'Lying King,' 'President Evil.'"

Trump, in his speech on Tuesday, had another state in his cross-hairs for its nuclear ambitions.

"The Iran (nuclear) deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into," he said. "Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it."

It wasn't the last heard of the 2015 accord during the debate since several nations, including the Group of 77 plus China, want to see the Iran deal succeed.

Among those are the partners in the agreement with the United States.

The accord was reached between the "P5+1" and Iran. That is, the permanent five (P5) veto-wielding members of the Security Council of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.

On Myanmar, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore said on Saturday he had spoken with Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi, de facto leader of Myanmar, the week before last about the refugee crisis caused by Rohingyas fleeing Rakhine State for neighboring Bangladesh. Some speakers suggested it amounted to ethnic cleansing.

Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, had announced days before the UN debate that she would not be attending the UN meeting.

Balakrishnan called the home of the Rohingyas "a humanitarian disaster" and said foreign ministers of the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) were taking up the crisis, "a complex inter-communal issue with deep historical roots."

"ASEAN supports Myanmar seeking a long-term solution to restore stability," Balakrishnan said, adding that "Singapore will work with ASEAN and Myanmar to extend humanitarian assistance to all affected communities."

On Monday, Myanmar denied ethnic cleansing in Rakhine, saying Rohingya rebels conscripted Muslim men and intimidated women and children to flee into neighboring Bangladesh to call attention to their cause.

"Let me be clear there is no ethnic cleansing; there is no genocide, said Hau Do Suan, the Myanmar ambassador to the United Nations, speaking at the end of the annual UN General Assembly general debate, exercising his right of reply "to the irresponsible remarks made about my country."

Stephane Dujarric, chief UN spokesman, said earlier Monday that some 436,000 refugees, mostly women and children, from northern Rakhine have arrived in Bangladesh.

Nuclear weapons and refugees were far from the only concerns voiced among the 196 speakers during the week-long debate. Nearly every state expressed problems it was dealing with. It was the first time in 11 years all 193 member states plus the three observers -- Palestine, the Holy See and the European Union -- have spoken.

Most-mentioned challenges were migration, sectarianism, xenophobia, economic recovery, youth unemployment, gender equality, cybersecurity, transnational crimes such as illegal drugs and human trafficking, hotspots in Africa, Syria, Venezuela, the Middle East and climate change.

Almost every speaker taking the podium in the great hall of the assembly preceded their remarks by expressing condolences for the victims of the Mexico earthquake and the hurricanes that lashed Florida and Texas in the United States and several island states in the Caribbean.

"I come to you straight from the front line of the war on climate change, said an emotional Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, ignoring the general advice not to link single weather events with climate change. "I have left my bleeding nation to be with you ... because these are the moments for which the United Nations exists!"

"To deny climate change is to procrastinate while the earth sinks; it is to deny a truth we have just lived! It is to mock thousands of my compatriots ... without a roof over their heads ... in fear of sudden mudslides and what the next hurricane may bring," he said.

"We, as a country, and as a region, did not start this war against nature! We did not provoke it! The war has come to us!" he added.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. September 25, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United States has not declared war on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the White House said on Monday, in response to remarks of the DPRK's top diplomat.

"Last weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer. He declared a war on our country," Ri Yong-ho, the DPRK foreign minister, told reporters earlier in New York.

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country," Ri said, referring to Trump's tweet message on Saturday.

In response, the White House denied that the United States had declared war on Pyongyang.

"We have not declared war on North Korea and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told a regular briefing in Washington.

"Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," she said.

The DPRK foreign minister also said that the DPRK reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers even if they are not in its air space.

"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take countermeasures, including the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country," Ri said.

On Saturday, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighter escorts flew in international airspace over waters east of the DPRK, the Pentagon said.

"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown" off the DPRK's coast in the 21st century, said the Pentagon, adding that the move underscored "the seriousness with which we take DPRK's reckless behavior."

U.S. President Donald Trump also talked tough on the DPRK. In his first speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 19, Trump threatened that the United States "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the country unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches.

Two days later, Trump also signed a new order to ramp up sanctions on the DPRK.

In response, DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un vowed to retaliate, saying Trump "will face results beyond his expectation."

In a statement released on Friday, Kim said "I am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue," according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim also accused Trump of uttering "unprecedented rude nonsense that one has never heard from any of his predecessors," saying the threat to "totally destroy" a sovereign state has gone beyond the limit.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 07:16:39|Editor: Song Lifang

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HAVANA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Monday offered humanitarian and medical aid to Puerto Rico which was hit by the devastating Hurricane Maria last week and left in a precarious economic and social situation.

Cuba's deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra said Havana has offered to send to San Juan an emergency campaign hospital with 39 doctors to help the needed population with health services.

"Cuba also offers to send four brigades of electric workers to help our sister nation rebuild its electrical system," said the official in his Twitter account.

Cuba has already sent medical and relief brigades to Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda, which are also affected by recent hurricanes Maria and Irma.

This offer must be accepted by Washington as Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States and Cuban aid workers and doctors must be granted U.S. visas.

However, in the current state of Cuba-U.S. relations, it seems unlikely the White House will approve such offer as Washington has threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Havana over an alleged "sonic attack" in the island against U.S. diplomats.

U.S. President Donald Trump already rolled back in June the historic opening started by his predecessor Barack Obama, although the new regulations haven't been published by U.S. federal agencies or departments.

Cuba last offered humanitarian and medical aid to the U.S. in 2005, when former President Fidel Castro said the island could send doctors to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated that city, but then U.S. President George W. Bush rejected the offer.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 08:41:52|Editor: Song Lifang

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by Peerzada Arshad Hamid

NEW DELHI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have ordered an inquiry into police action on women students at a leading university protesting against an alleged sexual assault and eve teasing.

The women students were beaten at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varasani. Outrage over the incident grew after video of police beating went viral on social networking sites.

The state's Governor Ram Naik Monday said a four-member committee under chairmanship of Chief Secretary has been set up to probe the incidents and action will be taken on the basis of report submitted by committee.

Meanwhile, the state's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has sought report from Varanasi Commissioner about police lathi charge on students and injuries to journalists during the incident.

Reports said three administrative and police officers were removed in connection with the incident.

The womens' hostel at the university has been shut until Oct 2.

Protests inside the university began on Thursday after students alleged that the university authorities ignored their complaints of sexual harassment.

The protests took ugly turn on Saturday when police resorted to baton-charging to chase dozens of students who had gathered outside the campus.

The recorded footage showed two policemen beating a female student with sticks after baton charging the crowd. No women officers were present. Two journalists were also injured in the police action.

Authorities have deployed large contingents of police in and around the campus to maintain peace and prevent further protests.

The incident has evoked widespread condemnation and opposition parties have started cornering the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) over the issue.

Meanwhile, protests against the incident were organized Monday at different parts of the Varanasi town. Reports said over 100 people were detained by police.

Congress party vice-president Rahul Gandhi Monday demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the incident.

"The incident at BHU is BJP's version of "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" (save girl, educate girl). And, when they (girls) demand their rights, beat them up. This incident happened in the prime minister's constituency. Modi should apologize to the students of BHU and take immediate action," Gandhi told reporters in Gujarat, where he is on a three-day tour.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 08:51:54|Editor: ying

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File photo taken on Sept. 16, 2017 shows an Afghan female student attends in a class at a high school in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. While peace and security has been restored in major parts of the once troubled southern region of Afghanistan, there remains a disproportionately large number of girls who have been deprived of the opportunity to complete school in the southern Kandahar province. (Xinhua/Manan Arghand)

by Abdul Haleem, Manan Arghand

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- While peace and security has been restored in major parts of the once troubled southern region of Afghanistan, there remains a disproportionately large number of girls who have been deprived of the opportunity to complete school in the southern Kandahar province.

In Kandahar, the former stronghold of the hardliner Taliban group, parents rarely allow their daughters to complete their high school education and go to university for further education.

"It was my dream to become a doctor in the future but this has ended in a fiasco because of the opposition of my parents and the overly patriarchal environment arising from harmful old traditions and cultural barriers," a school-aged girl told Xinhua in recent talks.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the young girl said, "it is difficult and even risky for a girl here to talk openly about such topics."

In conservative Afghanistan, especially in rural areas where people deeply believe in tribal traditions, many parents are against girls' education and are reluctant to reveal the names of their families' female members.

Serving as the spiritual capital of the Taliban outfit until its collapse under the U.S.-led military invasion in late 2001, Kandahar had experienced bloody clashes and violent incidents until 2015.

Since then, however, the security situation has improved and presently the former restive province is safer than the neighboring Helmand, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces.

Nevertheless, little change has been seen in the progress of education for girls as the dark shadow of ongoing insurgency and cultural barriers continue to undermine education for girls in Kandahar where people largely believe in outdated traditions.

Both the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) groups that are active in parts of Afghanistan and are in opposition to the education of girls, have threatened and intimidated families not sending their daughters to school.

Hundreds of schools have reportedly remained closed, mostly in the southern and eastern region due to security problems arising from Taliban and IS threats.

Earlier this month, as many as 31 schools were shut down due to Taliban-led insurgency in the eastern Afghan provinces.

As an example of the educational quagmire for girls in Kandahar, the Provincial Education Director, Abdul Qader Paiwastoon, said that no girl has graduated from high school in Kandahar's 17 districts in the last 15 years.

"No girl has completed the 12th grade in any of Kandahar's districts over the past 15 years, although the security situation has improved," Paiwastoon told Xinhua.

Hinting at cultural barriers, Paiwastoon asserted that the cooperation of tribal elders and religious scholars is vital for creating an environment in which it is safe for girls to receive an education.

Conversely, the current situation in Kandahar's provincial capital Kandahar city is different, as girls besides completing school can also attend university to complete their higher education.

More than 70,000 girls, according to provincial officials, are currently studying in schools in Kandahar, but few of them will complete 12th grade and hence will not graduate from high school or be eligible to enroll at universities.

"We school girls are hopeful that our elders will one day encourage us to complete our schooling so that we can go to universities," the young girl told Xinhua, with a hint of optimism in her eyes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 09:21:57|Editor: Song Lifang

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about "the potentially destabilizing effects" of Monday's referendum in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

"The secretary-general respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and considers that all outstanding issues between the federal government and the Kurdistan regional government should be resolved through structured dialogue and constructive compromise," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The secretary-general expects that UN-mandated activities across Iraq, including in the Kurdistan region, will be allowed to continue unhindered.

He calls upon relevant authorities to continue with their support, said the statement.

The Iraqi Kurds on Monday ended their vote in a referendum to determine whether the Kurdish region and the disputed areas will become independent. According to the regional electoral committee, the results of the referendum will be announced within two or three days.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 09:42:01|Editor: Song Lifang

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by Edna Alcantara

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Nearly a week after a 7.1-magnitude quake toppled buildings in Mexico City and surrounding states, closing schools and businesses, many residents warily resumed their regular schedules on Monday.

"At some point you have to resume your activities. But the fear is always there, fear and uncertainty about what can happen," resident Ana Luisa Perez Cuevas told Xinhua.

While traffic picked up in the capital as some businesses and a handful of schools reopened, many streets remained closed, cordoned off due to rescue efforts or dangerously inclined buildings awaiting inspection.

Yellow caution tape was a common sight, warning passersby of the potential danger of loose bricks or broken concrete falling from damaged infrastructure.

Perez, 32, distributes fliers for a furniture store while her husband cares for their two children with the help of her father, who lost his job at a factory damaged by the quake.

"My husband stays with the children and I have to go to work; right now its our only income," said Perez.

Arturo Mendez, 39, works in the management department of a bank.

"Today, everything returns to normal. My wife took the kids to school, but like us, many parents were afraid to leave their children," said Mendez, highlighting the fear that aftershocks may knock down more buildings.

The city was like a ghost town for most of last week after Tuesday's quake, which has so far claimed more than 300 lives, more than half of them in Mexico City and the remainder in five surrounding states.

"I want to go back to school, but I'm also afraid the roof could cave in at my school," young Enrique told Xinhua.

Accompanied by his mother, he explained that classes in the city's eastern district of Iztapalapa were still suspended, as authorities from the Education Ministry continued to inspect school buildings for damage.

Only 103 of the capital's more than 8,200 schools opened on Monday, and attendance there was still spotty.

One Mexico City school collapsed in the quake, killing 19 primary school students as well as several adults, and officials do not want to risk a repeat of the tragedy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 10:22:13|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday projected China's growth at 6.7 percent this year and 6.4 percent for 2018, unchanged from its July estimates.

In an update of the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2017, its flagship annual economic publication, ADB said better-than-expected external demand, proactive fiscal policy and strong domestic consumption have combined to drive up China's growth.

"The Chinese economy remains resilient, solidifying its role as an engine of global growth," said Yasuyuki Sawada, ADB Chief Economist, in a statement released after the update.

Noting China's supply-side reform is moving forward, Sawada said eventual success hinges on a careful balancing of the role of the market and the state, particularly as the country continues its transition to a more market and services-driven economy.

China's economy expanded 6.9 percent for the first half of 2017, with consumption and services, together with new innovation-driven economic sectors, taking up larger roles in the economy.

For the rest of 2017, the ADB forecasts that consumption will remain the main growth driver of the economy as incomes rise and consumer confidence strengthens.

Net exports, which has contributed to China's growth so far, will not play the role in 2018 when imports are again expected to exceed exports. Investment, meanwhile, will continue its downward trend due to structural and cyclical factors, including an uncertain business outlook for export-oriented industries and remaining industrial excess capacity, according to the update.
Helen Bentley and student Huang Shudi

by H. L. Bentley

YINCHUAN, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- It is early evening in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The air is dry; the heat, just about bearable. The streets of Yinchuan, the regional capital, are a hive of activity.

Families of ethnic Hui are eating outside barbeque restaurants as businessmen in starched shirts walk briskly along the sidewalks beneath bright neon signs promoting seafood, meat and imported vegetables.

A few hundred kilometers south in Xiji County, it is another world: a Martian landscape of miles upon miles of scorched red earth with topsoil so thick and compact it may as well be baked clay. The dusty air swirls around a lake, the banks of which are strangely devoid of vegetation. This lake cannot be used to irrigate the parched fields, as it is salty water. It appeared overnight following a huge earthquake in the 1920s.

Most of Ningxia's 66,000 square kilometers is desert. Much of its arable land has been ruined by human activity. While the Yellow River cuts through the north of the region, the south has just 400 mm of rainfall a year.

Of the region's 2.8 million rural residents, 80 percent live in the south and of them, 380,000 are under the poverty line. For locals, life here is as tough as the land upon which they toil.

For many, education is the only way out, the only way they can take an active role in determining their own future. While training and vocational courses are available for adults, it is the children who bear the heaviest burdens. If they work hard at school, so they are told, they can provide for their families. Many children who have not even hit double figures are acutely aware of this.

Chencha Primary School is the most remote school in the county, about 400 km from Yinchuan. There are just 48 students across five grades at the school.

Children on the mountain road

There is no school bus, no fleet of parents dropping the kids off on the school-run. All the students walk to school.

Headmaster Zhang Qiang is as rugged and weather-worn as the hills surrounding the three squat classroom blocks. While his hands bear the scars of physical labor and his shoes show signs of wear, he speaks with the quiet, commanding tone of a school principal.

"I didn't understand much as a child, so I saw becoming a teacher a challenge. Not only would I learn, but I could pass on my knowledge," he said, a smile washing across his face.

According to the household registration system, 363 families live in Chencha village. In reality, however, only about 180 actually live here, the remainder having left to look for work. Of the families that stayed, 132 are below the poverty line. This means they earn less than 2,300 yuan (about 350 U.S. dollars) a year.

Since the start of the opening up and reform era in the 1980s, China has raised over 700 million people out of poverty, 70 percent of global poverty reduction in the period. At the end of last year, China still had more than 43 million impoverished people, who mostly live in rural or isolated areas not unlike Xiji.

Guo Yunyun is in the final year of primary school. He lives in a courtyard of four structures with his parents and younger siblings. The outer walls of the family compound are made from compacted earth and straw, the traditional building material used here.

The family's main living space is a large south-facing building, which is made from bricks, fronted in tiles, and has a squat, black belly stove in the center of its single large room. One of the older buildings serves as a kitchen, with a huge open-fire stove and walls thick with soot. Another houses the precious motorbike that Mr. Guo uses to get to construction jobs across Ningxia.

Students in Chencha primary school

Mrs. Guo is a stoic, tremendously proud mother. She cannot drive, and rarely goes to the village proper as the children and the family farmland keep her busy, and close to home. She doesn't think either she or her husband will ever leave the village, but that doesn't stop her dreaming of her children being admitted to the high school in the regional capital.

The downside is separation.

Liupanshan High School, in Yinchuan, is one of two high schools for poor rural residents. Every gifted student is encouraged to sit the school's entrance exam, which, should they pass, would mean they could complete the final three years of high school, and, more importantly, not pay.

The school has 6,000 students across three grades. Each receives a grant from the local education department, and a monthly stipend covers living costs and class material. Of last year's graduates, 106 students from Xiji were offered college places, among whom were graduates of Chencha Primary School.

"This is probably the first poverty relief high school in China," headmaster Jin Chunyu explains as he walks around an exhibition on the school's history.

"We have three missions - to deliver high quality education; to provide an accessible, learning environment for ethnic minorities and the very poor; and to do all this for free."

Liupanshan and the local school in Chencha are as different as night and day.

Liupanshan High school

There is an infectious enthusiasm at Liupanshan, which is absent from the rural primary school. Chencha students are taught by rote: The only objective is to pass the entrance exam. The children at Liupanshan are encouraged to play an active role in their education, to ask "why?" They are confident, both in themselves and their abilities.

"Poverty alleviation should enable people, help them develop skills, rather than just throwing money at the problem," Jin explained.

At the school in Chencha, only the headmaster has been there for more than two years. In Ningxia's poverty stricken area, the number of teachers that retire each year exceeds the number of new recruits.

To fill in vacancies, even just temporarily, teachers are moved around schools. As a result, it is the children who pay for this - their education lacks consistency.

There is a sizable gap between rural and urban education. Each year, Liupanshan accepts 2,000 new students. These are the most promising students from all rural areas in Ningxia. Yet, it begs the question: If the quality of education at Ningxia's lower grade rural schools was as high as in Yinchuan, how many students would be eligible to attend high school, and beyond?

Twenty years ago, the majority of people in Ningxia lived in rural areas. By the end of 2016, of the 6.7 million people who called Ningxia home 56.3 percent lived in urban areas.

This trend seems set to continue as most students at Liupanshan see their futures in the city, but not as migrant workers. This next wave of workers will be armed with qualifications and, more importantly, ideas.

These children are the future of Ningxia. They have experienced poverty first hand, and their knowledge could be a powerful tool in the final push to end poverty in China.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 11:22:26|Editor: Mengjie

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HAVANA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's southeastern province Fujian hosted a tourism promotion event here on Monday to present its natural and cultural attractions to Cuban tour operators and boost tourism cooperation with Cuba.

As part of the presentation, some of the top tourist destinations in the province were showcased. Fujian is home to four UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites.

"We want more Cubans to know about Fujian, its beautiful mountains and rivers, and its deep culture," Luo Qiuyun, deputy director of the general office of the Fujian Provincial Tourism Bureau, told Xinhua.

Fujian, recognized as the start of the ancient Maritime Silk Route, is one of the fastest developing territories in China.

It is known for Mount Wuyi, earthen buildings or Tulou, the historic international settlement of Kulangsu and tea.

"Fujian tea is well known and we have it here today for everyone to taste too," Luo said.

"Fujian and Cuba are emerging tourism markets and we attach great importance to tourism cooperation with Cuba. We want to introduce and promote in Cuba some of the unique tourism resources that Fujian has," he added.

Fuzhou, the provincial capital, is a transportation hub for destinations such as the city of Quanzhou and the city of Xiamen which recently hosted the BRICS Summit.

Tania San Pedro, from the communications department of Cuba's Ministry of Tourism (Mintur), said Cuba is very interested in strengthening exchanges with China in all areas, as the country represents a very important market in the world.

"We have a lot of interest in all the exchanges that can be carried out with China," she said.

Mintur has supported all the work done by Air China in Cuba since its arrival in December 2015, San Pedro said.

"Mintur has also been participating in tourism fairs in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, and we are very happy with this type of exchanges as it contributes to greater cultural and tourism cooperation between our countries," she added.

Cuban tour companies such as ECOTUR, Cubatur, Solways and others took part in the event.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 11:22:27|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- China hopes to work closely with other countries and international organizations for global security governance, and jointly build a community of universal security for humankind, said Chinese President Xi Jinping here on Tuesday.

Xi made the remarks while addressing the opening ceremony of the 86th Interpol General Assembly held in Beijing.

Participants from 158 countries and regions gathered in Beijing for the conference.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 11:32:29|Editor: Mengjie

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday condemned "in the strongest terms" Sunday's attack by unknown assailants against a convoy of the UN mission in Mali, which killed three peacekeepers of Bangladeshi origin and injured four others.

The members of the Security Council, in a press statement, expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, as well as to the Bangladeshi government and the UN mission in Mali, or Minusma.

They called on the government of Mali to swiftly investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.

They underlined that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law and involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against Minusma peacekeepers constitutes a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to UN Security Council resolutions.

They also reiterated their full support for Minusma and the French forces that support it, and recognized the determination and ownership of the governments of the Group of Five for the Sahel States (G5 Sahel) to address the impact of terrorism and transnational organized crimes, including through the conduct of cross-border joint military counter-terrorist operations.

The members of the Security Council expressed their concern about the security situation in Mali and the transnational dimension of the terrorist threat in the Sahel region.

They urged the Malian parties to fully implement the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali without further delay, noting that the full implementation of the agreement and the intensification of efforts to overcome asymmetric threats can contribute to improving the security situation across Mali.

The efforts of the G5 Sahel joint military force to counter the activities of terrorist groups and other organized criminal groups will contribute to creating a more secure environment in the Sahel region, they said.

The members of the Security Council also stressed the importance that Minusma has the necessary capacities, including combat convoy companies, to fulfil its mandate and promote the safety and security of the UN peacekeepers.

Minusma was established in April 2013 to stabilize the situation in Mali, which is plagued by a civil war between the north and the south, and the rise of Islamist militants.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 13:12:47|Editor: Song Lifang

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- A man was arrested Monday on charges of killing a Chinese woman near the southeastern U.S. city of Atlanta, capital of the state of Georgia, local police said.

The Chinese consulate general in Houston confirmed the arrest, but said no further information was immediately available.

Local police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Brian Marsh Semrinec. The victim, 28-year-old Chinese woman surnamed Li and alumna of the Georgia Institute of Technology, was found dead in her apartment near Atlanta on Sept. 18.

The incident has heightened the Chinese community's concerns about the safety of Chinese studying or living in the United States, especially after a high-profile case involving the disappearance of a Chinese female three months ago.

Zhang Yingying, a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was reported missing on June 9 after entering a car. The suspect, Brendt Christensen, was arrested on June 30. Zhang has not yet been found and is believed to be dead.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 13:12:48|Editor: Song Lifang

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MANILA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A shooting incident occurred in Presidential Palace Park on Tuesday morning and an investigation is underway, said spokesman of Philippine Presidential Security Group.

Local reports said an officer was shot and President Rodrigo Duterte was not at the palace at the time, but Michael Aquino, the spokesman, declined to give other details and would not say if anyone was injured or killed in the shooting.

At a press briefing at around noon on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the incident is still under investigation and a statement will be issued on the matter as soon as possible.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 13:17:49|Editor: Song Lifang

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HEFEI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Reservations for bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) soared as China's "Golden Week" holiday draws near.

Golden Week, or the National Day holiday, is one of only two week-long holidays in the country, the other being the Spring Festival marking the lunar new year.

People will have an extra day off this year, as Mid-Autumn Festival falls on October 4, bringing the total number of days off to eight.

Most Chinese use the holiday to travel, while the Spring Festival is mostly reserved for family reunions.

As Chinese tourists attach more importance to privacy and comfort, booking a B&B, and especially renting an entire villa, has become increasingly popular.

"Compared with traditional hotels, B&Bs offer specialized services and rooms. Not only can we stay with locals, but we can also cook with friends there," said Ms. Dai, who booked a villa with five friends for the upcoming holiday.

Dai and her friends plan to travel to Lugu Lake, a popular tourist destination in southwest China's Yunnan Province. A night at the villa costs about 1,300 yuan (about 197 U.S. dollars) in total for Ms Dai and her five friends.

Data from B&B booking platform Tujia.com showed reservations during this year's "Golden Week" surged fourfold from a year ago. Among them, villa orders rose even higher, about five times the number last year.

The average price of a B&B room per night is 557 yuan, with most tourists booking up to 24.7 days ahead of their holiday. The most expensive reservation on Tujia was for a villa in Shenzhen, which was 38,000 yuan for seven days. Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu are the top three destinations for B&B travelers.

Xu Yingyan, who runs a B&B in a town in Huangshan City in east China's Anhui Province, said all of her 58 rooms have been booked for the eight-day holiday. "Most tourists are on family vacation or are traveling with friends, and some even choose to stay for seven days."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 13:22:51|Editor: Yurou

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A court specializing in financial dispute cases was moved Tuesday to Beijing's financial street, where banks, security firms, and consultancies are clustered.

The Financial Street People's Court was moved from the Xicheng district court's compound to the current location to deal with the rise of financial disputes as individual and corporate economic activities grow, said the court's president Liu Jianxun.

The financial court handles about 10,000 cases per year. The amount of money involved in the cases, however, has surged over the last three years to reach 14.4 billion yuan (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016.

Liu said credit card fraud, mortgage or car loan disputes, and cases involving fund management, trust and Internet finance are all under the court's jurisdiction.

Financial Street is the economic hub of Beijing with 1,844 financial institutes owning assets worth 95.7 trillion yuan, or 40 percent of the assets owned by financial institutions nationwide. The central bank and financial markets regulators are all located in the area.

The court will have eight judges, 14 assistant judges and 10 support staff. More than half of them hold a master's degree or higher, Liu said.

Cai Huiyong, president of the Xicheng district court, said the move will help the court do better research and have more contact with financial institutions to cope with trends in financial disputes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 13:32:55|Editor: Yamei

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Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani attends a press conference after casting his vote during the referendum vote in Erbil, Iraq, on Sept. 25, 2017. The Iraqi Kurds on Monday cast their votes in a referendum that will determine the independence of the Kurdish region and the disputed areas that are currently under de facto Kurdish control. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Kurds cast their ballots on Monday in a controversial independence referendum amid heightened tension due to Baghdad's and international opposition. Regional powers and the international community have voiced support for Iraq's territorial integrity.

VOTE AMID THREATS

About 5.2 million eligible Iraqi Kurdish voters were entitled to cast ballots at 12,000 polling boxes in 2,000 polling centers.

Queues were formed since early morning at many polling stations, and the region's president Masoud Barzani was one of the first to vote.

The voters were asked to answer one question in the referendum: either "Yes" to an independent Kurdish state or "No" to remain as an autonomous region of Iraq.

"I urge the people of Kurdistan to go to the ballot boxes to express their views without any problems and to maintain security and order during this democratic experiment," Barzani said before the vote.

However, Barzani said the referendum "does not mean defining the borders. We want to open dialogue with the Baghdad government to reach common understanding and to solve our pending problems."

According to the regional electoral committee, the results of the referendum will be announced within two or three days.

The Iraqi government has repeatedly rejected the referendum and its results, describing it as "unconstitutional."

"Taking a decision unilaterally that would affect Iraq's unity and making separation from one side is contrary to the law and unconstitutional and we will not deal with it or with its results," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement.

SURROUNDING COUNTRIES VOICE SUPPORT FOR UNITY

The voice of the Iraqi government is echoed by such neighboring countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria. These regional powers said an independent Kurdistan would threaten the integrity of Iraq.

They say such a step would threaten their territorial integrity, as those countries have a larger Kurdish population.

Turkey has vowed to take measures against Iraqi Kurds' independence referendum, ranging from economic pressure to military actions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted at barring Iraqi Kurds from exporting gas via Turkey, saying:" We own the valve. The moment we shut the valve, that's the end of it."

Erdogan also mentioned the military exercises currently taking place on Turkey's border with the Iraqi Kurdish region. "Our military is not (at the border) for nothing. We can suddenly step in one night," Erdogan said on Monday.

The territorial integrity of the countries and the irreversibility of their borders in the region is of high importance for Iran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said following a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said that his country supports Iraq's unity and rejects any attempt to fragment that country, including the independence vote of Iraq's Kurdistan.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CONCERNED ABOUT STABILITY

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about "the potentially destabilizing effects" of Monday's referendum in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

"The secretary-general respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and considers that all outstanding issues between the federal government and the Kurdistan regional government should be resolved through structured dialogue and constructive compromise," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

During his phone call with Rouhani, Putin also said:" the Russian government supports the Baghdad central government and Iraq's territorial integrity."

Since the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government announced its plan to hold the referendum, most Western powers, including the United States and European Union, have voiced concerns that the poll could ignite a new round of conflict between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan, threaten regional stability and distract the fight against terrorism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 13:42:57|Editor: Song Lifang

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Indian army Tuesday claimed it has foiled an infiltration bid along Line of Control (LoC), dividing Kashmir by killing a militant.

The infiltration bid as per Indian army officials was foiled in Uri sector of frontier Baramulla district, about 90 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

According to Indian army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia, the militant was trying to infiltrate deep inside Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"An infiltration bid was foiled today in general area Zorawar sector of Uri during which a militant was killed," Kalia said. "A weapon has been recovered and operation is ongoing in the area."

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into India and Pakistan controlled parts.

Earlier four militants were killed in a two-day gunfight in the forest area at Kalghe village of Uri. While three militants were killed on Sunday, the fourth one was killed on Monday.

Indian army officials said the militants seem to have recently infiltrated in the area with the aim to carry out a major attack inside Indian-controlled Kashmir.

A separatist movement and guerilla war challenging New Delhi's rule is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Gunfights between militants and Indian troops take place intermittently across the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 13:52:58|Editor: Song Lifang

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SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its nuclear and missile provocations would demonstrate effect within six months, a researcher of South Korea's state-run institute said Tuesday.

"The Resolution 2375 is much stronger than the previous ones. It will demonstrate its effect later this year or early next year," Park Jong-chul, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute of National Unification (KINU), said at a function hosted by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

Previous sanctions, Park said, are mainly aimed to block the DPRK's development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), but the new resolution included the ban on trade in goods of the DPRK's private sector.

On Sept. 3, Pyongyang detonated its sixth nuclear device, which was seen as the most powerful ever conducted by the Asian country.

The UN Security Council unanimously approved the resolution 2375 to toughen sanctions on the DPRK over its test of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The resolution curtails the DPRK's energy import, bans all of its textile export and prohibits further authorization of work permits abroad for DPRK workers.

Doubts have been raised over whether further sanctions on the DPRK could have any effect to encourage Pyongyang to return to a dialogue table. According to the Bank of Korea (BOK)'s estimate, the DPRK economy grew 3.9 percent in 2016.

The South Korean government under President Moon Jae-in maintained a basic principle of the two-track approach to the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue: sanctions and pressure on the DPRK over its nuclear and missile provocations and seeking peaceful resolution to encourage Pyongyang to return to a dialogue table through the sanctions.

"The eventual goal of sanctions to achieve is dialogue," said the KINU researcher who believed that the government of South Korea was contemplating a peace road map on the Korean Peninsula through cooperation with the United States and China.

Moon has been widely forecast to inherit the Sunshine Policy, advocated by his liberal predecessors, of engagement with the DPRK through economic cooperation and the exchanges of sports, culture and personnel. It was sometimes called Moonshine Policy.

The South Korean leader repeatedly proposed to the DPRK participating in the South Korea-hosted Winter Olympics slated to be held in February next year at Pyeongchang in the country's west region, but Pyongyang has been mum about it.

The KINU researcher said South Korean people seemed not scared of the rising geopolitical risks on the peninsula as they place a full confidence in the current government's policy toward the DPRK.

Tensions ran high on the peninsula as the war of words was resumed between Pyongyang and Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in his debut speech to the United Nations last week that his country would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the DPRK if Pyongyang continues to threaten the United States and its allies.

In response to the Trump's UN speech, top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un issued a rare statement to warn Washington of "the highest-level hardline countermeasure in history."

"Trump's rhetoric bomb," the researcher said, re-escalated tensions on the peninsula after the U.S. president's threat of "fire and fury" on Pyongyang.

Over the weekend, U.S. strategic bombers from the Pacific island of Guam and F-15C fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan flew in international airspace over waters off the east coast of the DPRK.

Despite the geopolitical risks, a senior KOTRA official told reporters that the South Korean economy showed a better performance and maintained a healthy fundamental, saying the risks would have little impact on the economy.

According to the data provided by an official with the ninister of Trade, Industry and Energy, South Korea ranked 8th in the word in terms of trade volume, 9th in foreign exchange reserves and 11th in GDP. It also had a sovereign rating of AA, the third-highest tier in the measurement of global rating appraisers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 14:03:00|Editor: Song Lifang

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SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold a meeting with opposition party leaders on Wednesday to discuss security issues amid rising geopolitical tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the presidential Blue House said Tuesday.

The meeting will be held Wednesday evening in the presidential complex, with chiefs of the ruling Democratic Party, the centrist People's Party, the minor conservative Righteous Party and the minor liberal Justice Party in attendance.

Head of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party refused to join the meeting.

Jun Byung-hun, a senior presidential secretary for political affairs, told reporters that the main issues to be discussed would be about security and bi-partisan countermeasures amid grave security situations on the peninsula.

He urged the Liberty Korea Party chief to attend the Blue House meeting, saying ruling and opposition parties must not be divided in dealing with security issues.

The special meeting comes amid the rising tension on the peninsula, which is escalated by the resumed war of rhetoric between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in his debut speech to the United Nations last week that his country would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the DPRK if Pyongyang continues threat on the United States and its allies.

In response to the Trump's UN speech, top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un issued a rare statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, which warned Washington of "the highest-level hardline countermeasure in history."

U.S. strategic bombers from the Pacific island of Guam and F-15C fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan flew Saturday in international airspace over waters off the east coast of the DPRK, causing strong backlash from Pyongyang.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 14:08:02|Editor: Song Lifang

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ADELAIDE, Australia, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Australian scientists will be able to identify natural disasters faster, monitor illegal fisheries more closely, and predict flood patterns with greater ease, after the nation's peak scientific body secured access to one of the world's "most sophisticated" high-performance satellites.

Announced on Tuesday as part of the 68th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) being held in the South Australian city of Adelaide, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) announced its partnership with the NovaSAR satellite.

NovaSAR was developed by British company Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, and will give Australian scientists access to a smorgasbord of data previously unavailable.

The NovaSAR satellite, which uses an "advanced" form of radar technology known as S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar to take high-resolution photos of the Earth's surface, will be used by Australian scientists for multiple purposes.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Australia's Minister for Innovation and Science, Arthur Sinodinis described the CSIRO's investment as "timely," considering that the Australian government has just announced plans to form its own space agency.

"Australia is one of the largest users of Earth Observation from Space data world-wide, with satellite data underpinning more than 100 state and federal resource mapping and environmental monitoring programs across Australia," Sinodinos said.

"This agreement will allow CSIRO to strengthen Australia's delivery of excellence in science and innovation. It will help CSIRO lead our nation's development in the technical and analytical capability of modelling, monitoring and analyzing our natural resource management and approaches to infrastructure.

"This will also lead to better and more informed support for policy and decision-making and, ultimately, our economic development as a nation."

Meanwhile the CSIRO's Dr Dave Williams said the deal would improve the organization's space capabilities, paving the way for it to contribute to Australia's new space agency.

"The aim is to manage the NovaSAR satellite as a natural extension of the significant role CSIRO already plays in managing a range of national facilities," Williams said.

"Because we'll be able to direct the satellite's activity, it provides significant opportunities to support a wide range of existing research, further develop Australia's earth observation data analytic expertise, and create new opportunities in the field of remote sensing."

On Monday, the Australian government announced plans to form a new space agency.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 14:28:08|Editor: Yurou

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday extended congratulations to Mari Alkatiri on his election as Timor-Leste's prime minister.

In his congratulatory message, Li said China and Timor-Leste are friendly neighbors and have established a comprehensive cooperative partnership featuring good neighborly relations, mutual trust and mutual benefit.

Over the past few years, the two countries have continuously enhanced political mutual trust, carried out all-round pragmatic cooperation, and expanded people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Li said, saying bilateral relations are showing a good momentum with steady and fast development.

Li said he is willing to establish a sound working relationship and personal friendship with Alkatiri to jointly advance the China-Timor-Leste relations and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Alkatiri, born in 1949, served as Timor-Leste's prime minister from 2002 to 2006. He has been re-elected for the 2017-2021 tenure.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 14:38:10|Editor: Song Lifang

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JERUSALEM, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian gunman killed three Israeli men and wounded another outside a West Bank settlement on Tuesday morning before he was shot dead by Israeli forces, Israeli police said in a statement.

The shootout took place outside Har Adar, a jewish settlement northwest of Jerusalem.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the assailant arrived at the back gate of the fenced settlement, from which Palestinian laborers cross into Israel to do their daily work.

"When he arrived at the checking post, he pulled out a weapon and opened fire towards a security personnel at the site," said Samri.

Three Israelis, whose identities have not been disclosed, were killed and another man was seriously injured and taken to a hospital.

A paramilitary Border Police force in the area opened fire at the assailant and "neutralized" him, a spokesperson with the Border Police said.

The assailant, whose identity was not disclosed, later died of his wounds at the scene, Samri said.

Since September 2015, violent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis have claimed the lives of at least 293 Palestinians, 48 Jewish Israelis, two U.S. nationals, a British tourist and two African asylum seekers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 14:48:14|Editor: Yamei

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White House Senior Advisor and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner reads a statement after testifying at a closed-door hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on July 24, 2017. White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner on Monday denied having colluded with the Russian government despite four meetings with Russian nationals during the campaign and the transition period. (Xinhua file photo/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Using private email for government business is "very limited" practice inside the White House, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Monday.

"The White House counsel has instructed all White House staff to use their government email for official business and only use that email," she said during the press briefing.

Doubts about how widespread the practice is inside the White House arose after Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser, reportedly used a private email account when communicating with other administration officials over government matters.

Politico reported on Sunday that Kushner traded emails with senior White House officials, outside advisers and others about media coverage, event planning and other subjects.

From January to August, fewer than 100 emails were either sent or returned by Kushner to White House colleagues from his personal email account, the media quoted a statement from Kushner's lawyer Abbe Lowell as saying.

Most of the emails were related to news articles and political commentary, the statement said, adding that there was no indication that the senior adviser had shared any sensitive or classified materials through his private account.

Kushner, 36, is the husband of Trump's oldest daughter Ivanka Trump. He helped develop and run Trump's digital media strategy during the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. He was named as a senior White House adviser in January.

During the campaign, Trump repeatedly criticized his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton for using a personal email account when serving as secretary of state.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 14:53:17|Editor: Yurou

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ULAN BATOR, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The ruling People's Party of Mongolia Tuesday chose acting Deputy Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa as candidate for new prime minister after dismissing the former one over alleged incompetence and corruption.

After a party's conference starting at midnight, Ukhnaa stood out of three candidates with 188 votes or 63.9 percent from the 294 attendees. His name will be submitted to the State Great Khural, Mongolia's parliament, for discussion.

Earlier this month, lawmakers demanded that Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat resign for allegedly violating parliamentary procedures through the granting of contracts worth the equivalent of 328 million U.S. dollars to companies linked to three cabinet members.

On Monday, the party officially nominated three candidates including Enkhbold Nyamaa, Ehnkhtuvshin Ulziisaikhan and Khurelsukh Ukhnaa for the post of the 30th prime minister.

Among his previous posts, Ukhnaa has served as minister for emergency situation from 2004 to 2006 and party general secretary from 2008 to 2012.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 15:03:19|Editor: ying

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday released a set of new indicators to track the country's economic and social development.

The new indicators, compiled by China Economic Information Service (CEIS), an affiliate of Xinhua, will assess China's weather service, business climate, green development, targeted poverty relief works and local tourism development.

Specifically, they include an index on China's meteorological development, agarwood business climate and green commuting.

An index assessing targeted poverty reduction in the city of Tongren in southwest China's Guizhou Province and an index reflecting tourism development in the city of Datong in Shanxi Province were also launched.

The release of the new indices will further replenish the CEIS index product mix, which together provide a comprehensive picture of China's social and economic landscape.

On Tuesday, the CEIS also signed a cooperation agreement with a group of research institutes on developing an index on China's desertification controls.

The CEIS will also work with China Han Great Group and Shangtex Holding on a price index of traditional Chinese medicine and an index on fashion weeks worldwide.

The CEIS currently provides a number of indices and research reports that track commodity price trends, financial indicators and other industrial developments in both domestic and global markets.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 15:23:27|Editor: ying

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HONG KONG, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A man was arrested in a downtown area of Hong Kong after approaching a patrolling policeman and trying to snatch his gun, local media reported Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Queen's Road Central in the Sheung Wan area at about 9 p.m. on Monday. When the 39-year-old man was walking head on towards two police officers who were on patrol, he tried to grab one of the officer's service revolver.

The officer protected his weapon with one hand while trying to push the man away with another. The man was later pinned down and arrested by the officer and his partner.

The man did not remove the officer's gun from the holster, and no one was injured in the incident, according to the police.

A police source said that investigators had yet to determine the suspect's motivation. No documents suggesting he had mental problems were found on him.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 15:33:33|Editor: ying

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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Appeal Court of Cambodia on Tuesday rejected a bail request for opposition leader Kem Sokha, who was arrested earlier this month on the charges of "treason," a court spokesman said.

"Appeal Court's Judge Khun Leang Meng announced that the Phnom Penh Municipal Court's pre-trial detention verdict against Kem Sokha is correct, so he decided to uphold the verdict," Appeal Court spokesman Touch Tharith told Xinhua after a half-day bail hearing.

Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP)'s president Kem Sokha, being detained at the Trapaing Thlong Prison in eastern Tboung Khmum province, was not taken to the court for the hearing due to security and safety concerns.

Sam Sokong, lead lawyer for Kem Sokha, said a group of six lawyers for the opposition leader had boycotted the court proceedings, claiming that the hearing without his client's presence was a serious violation of the rights of the accused.

During the court proceedings, several opposition lawmakers and dozens of their activists rallied outside the courthouse to call for Kem Sokha's release, as hundreds of anti-riot police had been deployed around the courthouse, which was fortified by metal barricades.

Kem Sokha, 64, was arrested on Sept. 3 at his home in Phnom Penh for allegedly plotting the overthrow of the government with the United States support. He was accused of treason, the charge that could face between 15 and 30 years in prison.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 15:38:35|Editor: Yamei

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Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the opening ceremony of the 86th Interpol General Assembly in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- China hopes to work closely with countries and international organizations on global security, and jointly build universal security for humankind, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Tuesday.



Xi made the remarks in Beijing while addressing the opening ceremony of the 86th Interpol General Assembly.

He spoke highly of Interpol's important role in global law enforcement, security cooperation and combating crimes.

Since becoming a member state of Interpol in 1984, China has been committed to developing cooperation with Interpol and other member states, and contributed to maintaining world security and stability, Xi said.

In order to beef up global law enforcement and security cooperation, Xi proposed enhanced reform and innovation, sticking to the rule of law and mutual benefits.

"Countries should adopt a concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and jointly respond to security challenges," he said.

Xi asked to promote global security governance in a more fair, reasonable and effective way.

"Countries and intergovernmental organizations should shoulder the main responsibilities of security governance, while non-governmental organizations, multinationals and civil society are encouraged to jointly work for it," he said.

He called on countries to adhere to the UN Charter and Interpol regulations, seriously fulfill conventions against transnational crimes and corruption, and improve relevant international regulations.

"Countries, while maintaining their own security, should take into account other countries' security," Xi said. He asked major countries to offer more support for underdeveloped countries and regions in security and development.

"To provide people with a safe and sound living environment is our important target," Xi said, adding that China had made remarkable progress in combating crimes of various kind and building crime prevention and control system.

"More and more people believe China is one of the most secure countries in the world, which is an important contribution China has made to the world," he said. "China has actively participated in global law-enforcement cooperation and global security governance, resolutely supported international fight against terrorism, joined global cooperation in combating cyber crimes, worked with other countries in fugitive repatriation, fighting against telecome fraud and other crimes."

The Chinese president vowed stronger support for Interpol in the five years to come to raise its global influence and leadership.

Meng Hongwei, Interpol president and vice minister of public security in China, presided over the opening ceremony.

Participants from 158 countries and regions gathered in Beijing for the conference, which lasts from Tuesday to Friday.

Now headquartered in Lyon in France, Interpol is the world's second largest international organization, after the United Nations, with 190 members.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 15:48:38|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing first edition of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) is one of the means to revive Egypt's leading role in the Middle East cinema industry and to show the world the country's filmmaking capabilities, said Egyptian business tycoon and GFF co-founder Samih Sawiris in an interview with Xinhua.

Sawiris is the founder of the Red Sea town of El Gouna north of world famous Hurghada resort city, which hosts the GFF co-founded by him and his brother Naguib Sawiris.

"The cinema is among the oldest industries that entered Egypt, at the same time when Hollywood started its black-and-white cinema. So, my brother and I have always had the desire to revive such a heritage and return Egypt to its filmmaking leading role in the Middle East," Sawiris said.

Scheduled for Sept. 22-29, the newly-born gala screens about 69 films from around 40 countries, including 16 feature films, 18 short films and 12 long documentaries, in addition to 19 films outside the official competition and four in a special program.

"The GFF is a means to highlight to the world Egypt's filmmaking capabilities, remind the world of Egypt's cinema history and introduce to the world El Gouna resort town that hosts such a gala," the Egyptian billionaire told Xinhua, adding that "it's like hitting several birds with one stone."

The new festival gathers Egyptian, Arab and international stars and moviemakers including top Egyptian comedian Adel Imam, veteran Egyptian actress Yousra, Arab stars Hend Sabry and Hiam Abbass and Hollywood stars Forest Whitaker and Dylan McDermott, besides dozens of others.

Although mainly funded by private sector sponsors, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism also supported the event due to its assistance in refreshing the country's tourism sector that has been ailing over the past few years.

Some world superstars and filmmakers think twice about visiting Egypt due to what they hear about the country's security conditions after going through political stability followed by a wave of terrorist activities over the past few years.

"Such a festival shows the world that Egypt is safe, especially when the audience see international superstars and filmmakers enjoy safety and security at El Gouna, which helps removing such a misconception with the media," the GFF main sponsor said.

He described the circulation of such a reputation about Egypt's security conditions as "baseless," citing that Britain itself went through a dozen of terrorist attacks within one year.

A big challenge that has faced the GFF is that the two-decade-old resort town did not have theaters before three cinemas have been specially built for the festival.

"We will keep the cinemas after the GFF for they are a large investment in the fast-expanding El Gouna town where 25,000 people live besides visitors and tourists," Sawiris told Xinhua, expecting them to attract audience from both El Gouna and nearby Hurghada.

The business mogul said that El Gouna is a promising venue for future joint investments with Chinese firms, particularly in the tourism and hotel industries, noting he has recently been in a trip to China that included Beijing, Shanghai and Xuzhou to help in the planning for the establishment of some resort cities there.

"China is a great country with long history and it has come a long way in development. We would like to learn from their expertise and we are currently studying a number of projects with Chinese companies," Sawiris told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 15:58:41|Editor: Xiang Bo

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LONDON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming on Monday said that he is fully confident about the future of China-Britain relations, urging the two countries to turn confidence into actions and turn potential into success.

Liu made such remarks at a reception marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

He said that building a China-Britain "Golden Era" is not a slogan, but a brand new definition of the two countries' bilateral relationship and a symbol of determination to build consensus and deepen cooperation.

"We can deliver more 'golden fruits' in this 'Golden Era'," he said.

Liu said China's development provides new opportunities to advance the bilateral relations.

The ambassador took the Belt and Road Initiative as an example, saying the initiative offers a platform for countries to share China's development benefits and work together for win-win cooperation.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The ambassador also said the two nations' opportunities arise from coordination of their development strategies and lie in the extensive, friendly exchanges.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 16:18:49|Editor: ying

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TOKYO, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A senior vice minister in the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned Tuesday from the upper house of parliament for indiscretions related to a female acquaintance.

Hiroaki Nagasawa, who belonged to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) coalition Komeito Party ally, relinquished his position in the party as well, for allowing a female to stay in a housing complex for lawmakers, in violation of the party's rules.

Nagasawa, 59, is also expected to give up his role as a senior vice minister of the Reconstruction Agency forthwith, sources close to the party have confirmed.

According to party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi, Nagasawa admitted to the party's Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue that he had "clearly broken the rules and acted indiscreetly by giving his female acquaintance a key to the complex."

Revelations of Nagasawa's indiscretion came to light following a weekly magazine contacting the party to ask questions on the indiscretion.

The magazine's inquiry led to Inoue quizzing Nagasawa on the issue and the two-term upper house member resigning to account for the scandal.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 16:18:50|Editor: ying

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SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's foreign ministry on Tuesday urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to return to a dialogue table as tensions mounted on the Korean Peninsula amid the exchange of harsh rhetoric between the DPRK and the United States.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk told a press briefing that the DPRK should recognize a fact that the root cause of the escalated tensions on the peninsula was the DPRK itself conducting nuclear and missile provocations and issuing threatening rhetoric.

The spokesman said Pyongyang should rapidly return to a dialogue table for the denuclearized peninsula.

Tensions ran high on the peninsula after U.S. President Donald Trump said in his UN debut speech last week that his nation would "totally destroy" the DPRK if Pyongyang continues to threaten the United States and its allies.

In response to the Trump's speech, top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un issued a rare statement that warned Washington of "the highest-level hardline countermeasure in history."

The U.S. president tweeted that the DPRK would not be "around much longer," and DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said in New York overnight that it amounted to a declaration of war.

Noh said the DPRK top diplomat's comment on the war declaration was not right as the White House denied the declaration of war and vowed to make continued efforts for the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization in a peaceful manner.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 16:33:54|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- From the Italian capital of Rome to deep in the forests of Liberia's Monrovia, Chinese police have been conducting patrols overseas.

In May 2016, China sent police officers to Rome and Milan, both popular destinations for Chinese tourists, for joint patrols with their Italian counterparts as part of a law enforcement cooperation program between the two countries.

About one year later, Italian police officers started to patrol the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing. It was the first time that foreign police officers had carried out joint patrols in China with Chinese peers.

The joint patrols have laid a foundation for China and Italy to deepen cooperation in law enforcement and in combating cross-border crimes, setting a good example for law enforcement collaboration between China and other countries.

The move was just part of China's participation in international law enforcement cooperation in recent years.

In 2011, a crackdown on a chain of porn websites proved a successful operation by Chinese and U.S. police forces.

The primary operator of the websites Wang Yong was arrested in the United States by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, while Chinese police detained more than 10 people suspected of maintaining the websites in China.

In 2016, Chinese police worked with counterparts in Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe to combat telecom fraud, uprooting about 100 criminal dens and arresting nearly 5,000 suspects.

Joint anti-abduction campaigns between China and Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam and Myanmar, also saw remarkable results in 2016, with 253 abducted children and women rescued and 367 suspects detained.

In addition, China have launched operations such as "Sky Net" and "Fox Hunt" to hunt corruption suspects who have fled overseas.

From 2012 to March 2017, 2,873 fugitives were captured from more than 90 countries and regions, with 476 of them being former officials and about 40 were from the Interpol Red Notice list. About 8.99 billion yuan (about 136 million U.S. dollars) was recovered.

According to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the number of corrupt officials that fled overseas saw a drastic decrease in 2016 as the country's anti-corruption campaign continued to gain momentum.

A total of 19 fugitive suspects fled China in 2016, compared with 31 in 2015 and 101 in 2014.

Moreover, Chinese police have participated in various UN peacekeeping missions since 2000, making 2,609 trips abroad on peacekeeping missions.

As the second largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping and the largest contributor of troops among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, China is also working to establish a permanent peacekeeping police squad, and a standby peacekeeping force of 8,000 troops.

As of July, China's standby peacekeeping police force consisted of over 300 people that had passed UN assessment, ready to be sent abroad. The force has been listed by the UN as the world's first standby peacekeeping police force with a rapid deployment capability.

"China will continue to actively participate in UN peacekeeping missions in the future and play a bigger role in strengthening international law enforcement cooperation and safeguarding global harmony and security," a Ministry of Public Security offcial said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 17:09:08|Editor: Xiang Bo

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DAMASCUS, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian government is open to negotiations with Kurds over their demand for autonomy within Syria's borders, state news agency SANA cited foreign minister as saying on Tuesday.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said it will strike a conciliatory tone as military tensions worsen between the sides in eastern Syria, SANA reported.

Walid al-Moualem said the government could discuss the Kurdish demand once Islamic State is defeated, the report said.

"This topic is open to negotiation and discussion and when we are done eliminating Daesh (Islamic State), we can sit with our Kurdish sons and reach an understanding on a formula for the future," Moualem said.

The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia controls a swathe of northern Syria where the main Kurdish party, the PYD, and its allies have established autonomy since the start of the Syrian war in 2011.

Syrian Kurds say their aim is to preserve that autonomy as part of a decentralized Syria, and they do not aim to follow the path of Kurds in Iraq who held an independence referendum on Monday.

Moualem reiterated Syrian government's rejection of that referendum, saying Damascus supported Iraqi unity, but he noted that Syria's Kurds "want a form of autonomy within the borders of the Syrian Arab Republic."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 17:14:13|Editor: Xiang Bo

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NANJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Wang Ming has felt at ease since he visited the Jiangsu branch of the China Will Registration Center a month ago.

"I am happy. I have nothing to worry about now," Wang, 64, said after receiving his will certificate earlier this month.

According to his will, his entire fortune will go to his wife after he passes away. When she dies, their son will receive it.

Wang's wife has also made a reservation to register her will. She has scheduled the appointment for her 60th birthday.

East China's Jiangsu Province has one of the largest senior citizen population in the country. As of 2016, seniors aged 60 or older made up 22 percent of the province's population, or about 17.2 million people, and the figure is still growing.

"You never know which will come first, an accident or tomorrow," said 61 year-old He Li. She and her husband recently registered their wills at the center, leaving all of their belongings to their son, their only child.

"We had this idea a long time ago. We drew up wills at home and told our son about them. It is convenient that we can now register with a formal institution," He said.

The Jiangsu branch opened a year ago, and more than 2,000 wills have since been registered there, according to Pang Huaxing, head of the branch.

"We have seniors coming or calling for a consultation or reservation every day. We handle about seven to eight appointments per day," Pang said.

Registering a will at the center takes several hours. An applicant must complete an on-site consultation, drafting of the will, a mental evaluation and video recording. A will certificate is issued to the applicant about one month after application.

Most of the elderly go through the process to avoid disputes over the allocation of family assets.

"They want to make the allocation clear in advance to simplify ownership transfer procedures for their offspring. Some who have remarried want to leave a portion of their wealth to their natural child," Pang explained.

The oldest applicant at the Jiangsu branch was 93 years old, while the youngest was 60. Of all applicants, 35.4 percent were 60 to 70 years old, 36.4 percent were between 70 and 80 years old, and another 28.2 percent were 80 or older.

About 82 percent of the content in the wills is about property allocation, while 18 percent specifies the allocation of savings. Spouses, children and grandchildren are most often the direct beneficiaries.

China had more than 230.8 million people aged 60 or older at the end of 2016, accounting for 16.7 percent of the total population, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The country's elderly will account for about one quarter of the population by 2030.

The will registration center opened its first branch in Beijing in 2013. Since then, more than 70,000 wills have been registered at the center's branches nationwide, and services have expanded to Guangdong, Tianjin, Jiangsu, and Guangxi.

In Beijing, the earliest available appointment to register a will is next year.

In Guangdong, which introduced the service two years ago, 300 elderly people filed applications in the first month, a number that surprised even veteran lawyers and notary office staff.

In Dongguan City, Guangdong, demand for will registration is soaring as wealthy seniors strive to protect their rights in handling assets. A Dongguan branch was established last year to respond to demand, becoming the first prefecture-level city to offer the service.

"I am in a good mood at the moment, so I want to settle things in advance to avoid disputes in the future," said 83-year old Li Ke, who came for a consultation.

(All names of seniors have been changed as requested by interviewees)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 17:14:14|Editor: ying

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Israeli security officers work at the site of the shootout outside Har Adar, an upscale Jewish settlement northwest of Jerusalem, on Sept. 26, 2017. A Palestinian gunman killed three Israeli security officers and wounded another outside a West Bank settlement on Tuesday morning before he was shot dead, Israeli police said. (Xinhua/Guo Yu)

JERUSALEM, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian gunman killed three Israeli security officers and wounded another outside a West Bank settlement on Tuesday morning before he was shot dead, Israeli police said.

The shootout took place outside Har Adar, an upscale Jewish settlement northwest of Jerusalem, near the seam zone between Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri identified the assailant as a 37-year-old man from Beit Surik, a Palestinian village in the Jerusalem district that was rarely involved in a violent protest against Israel. The father of four children held an Israeli work permit, which allowed him to enter Israeli settlements.

At around 7:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT), he arrived with a group of Palestinian workers at the back gate of the fenced settlement, from which Palestinian laborers cross into Israel to do their daily work.

He raised the suspicion of border police officers who were guarding the settlement and they called him to stop, Samri said.

When the assailant realized that he was exposed, he pulled out a gun hidden under his shirt and opened fire towards the officers, killing three and wounding another, said Samri.

After the gag-order was lifted, it is revealed that the three killed were two security personnel from a private security company and a border policeman.

Another border police officer was wounded and taken to the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem with serious injuries, said a spokesperson of the hospital.

Other border police officers opened fire at the shooter, who died of his wounds at the scene.

The assailant planned to carry out a larger attack against civilians at the settlement. "The quick action by the security forces stopped him from entering into Har Adar," Police chief Roni Alsheikh told journalists near the site.

Commenting on the attack, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said the "brutal terror attack once again shows the daily frontline on which our security forces stand."

Israel "will continue to confront terror, and will reach all its perpetrators and supporters," the president said in a statement.

Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist organization that controls the Gaza Strip, hailed the attack.

"The attack is a new chapter in the al-Quds Intifada," the organization said in a statement, referring to a flare of violence that broke out in July after Israel installed new metal detectors at the gates of al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

Since September 2015, violent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis have claimed the lives of at least 293 Palestinians, 48 Jewish Israelis, two U.S. nationals, a British tourist and two African asylum seekers.

Israel accuses the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest. Palestinians say it is the result of 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than 5 million Palestinians.
Syrian government says it is open to negotiations with Kurds over their demand for autonomy within Syria's borders after Islamic State is defeated in the country. (Reuters Photo)

DAMASCUS, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian government is open to negotiations with Kurds over their demand for autonomy within Syria's borders, state news agency SANA cited foreign minister as saying on Tuesday.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said it will strike a conciliatory tone as military tensions worsen between the sides in eastern Syria, SANA reported.

Walid al-Moualem said the government could discuss the Kurdish demand once Islamic State is defeated, the report said.

"This topic is open to negotiation and discussion and when we are done eliminating Daesh (Islamic State), we can sit with our Kurdish sons and reach an understanding on a formula for the future," Moualem said.

The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia controls a swathe of northern Syria where the main Kurdish party, the PYD, and its allies have established autonomy since the start of the Syrian war in 2011.

Syrian Kurds say their aim is to preserve that autonomy as part of a decentralized Syria, and they do not aim to follow the path of Kurds in Iraq who held an independence referendum on Monday.

Moualem reiterated Syrian government's rejection of that referendum, saying Damascus supported Iraqi unity, but he noted that Syria's Kurds "want a form of autonomy within the borders of the Syrian Arab Republic."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 17:49:25|Editor: Xiang Bo

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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodia's Ministry of Health confirmed on Tuesday an outbreak of Trichinellosis in an area in central Kampong Thom province that has left eight people dead and 25 others hospitalized.

Trichinellosis is a disease that people can get by eating raw or undercooked meat from animals infected with the microscopic parasite Trichinella.

In its statement, the ministry said 33 villagers living in Prey Long (forest) area in Sandan district had fallen ill earlier this month, about three weeks after they ate contaminated wild meat that was undercooked, and eight of them had subsequently died in recent weeks.

"The samples of 3 patients' muscle tissue were tested by the Calmette Hospital's laboratory and the result confirmed that there were Trichinella larvae in their muscle tissue," the statement said.

It added that another test on the blood samples from other nine patients by a Vietnamese hospital's laboratory confirmed that "there were eggs of Trichinalla worms" in their blood.

According to the statement, the first symptoms of Trichinellosis include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, fever, and abdominal discomfort.

Abdominal pains can occur one to two days after infection, and further symptoms such as headaches, fevers, chills, cough, swelling of the face and eyes, aching joints and muscle pains, itchy skin, diarrhea, or constipation usually start two to eight weeks after eating contaminated meat.

If the infection is heavy, patients may experience difficulty in coordinating movements, and have heart and breathing problems, it said, adding that in severe cases, death can occur.

Cambodian Minister of Health Mam Bunheng called on the people, especially those in the affected area, to see doctors as soon as possible if they suspected that they had infected with Trichinellosis.

"I'd like to appeal to the people to stop eating raw or undercooked meat in order to prevent themselves from infecting Trichinellosis and other diseases," he said in a statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 17:49:26|Editor: Xiang Bo

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KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, has partnered with Malaysian data technology provider Fusionex to provide end-to-end cloud solutions in Southeast Asian countries.

Both parties announced the partnership Tuesday that under the partnership, Fusionex will deploy its big data solutions on Alibaba Cloud's infrastructure, and will also become the later's key go-to-market partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

The two companies will also join forces in driving innovation in Big Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Internet of Things and Articical Intelligence.

Alibaba Cloud's chief executive officer Simon Hu said that Malaysia is a starting point for the partnership, and the group hopes to expand it to the entire ASEAN region.

Fusionex's chief executive officer Ivan Teh, who also sees tremendous opportunity in ASEAN digital market said Malaysia will be the hub for the regional digital transformation.

"We have not set a timeline for the partnership, but we are looking forward to a long term relationship with Alibaba Cloud," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 17:49:27|Editor: Xiang Bo

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HERAT, Afghanistan, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Two Afghan policemen were killed and two others wounded after a roadside bomb planted by militants struck their vehicle in western Herat province on Tuesday, police said.

"A police unit was patrolling in Ghorian district on Tuesday morning but it was targeted by a roadside bombing. As a result two policemen were killed and two others injured," Abdul Ahad Walizada, provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua.

A police vehicle was also destroyed in the blast. He blamed Taliban militant group for the attack.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 17:54:29|Editor: Xiang Bo

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HONG KONG, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Tuesday that the HKSAR government will try to ensure the safety of bus operation at both operational and macro levels.

Last week's fatal bus crash in the Sham Shui Po area highlights the need to ensure bus operation safety, as well as the need to tackle the broader issue of a shrinking workforce in Hong Kong, Lam told media before Tuesday's Executive Council meeting.

"It is a question of how we can ensure the bus operation is safe in Hong Kong, which requires also not only regulation on the part of government, but also full support and co-operation of the bus companies. But on a boarder scale, it also concerns an issue of labour supply," Lam said.

The HKSAR government will tackle this problem "both at the more macro level of labour supply and also at the operational level with the various bus companies," she said, adding that "we need to find pragmatic solutions to some of the problems we are facing."

The recently-published Hong Kong population projections showed that the total labor force in Hong Kong may reach a plateau between 2019 and 2022 and then begin to decrease.

Lam noted that some trades in Hong Kong, such as elderly care and construction, are already facing a labor shortage.

Three people were killed and 27 others injured when a bus mounted a pavement at a junction in the Sham Shui Po district on Friday evening.

The accident occurred at around 6:30 p.m. local time. When a taxi in front braked, the double-decker bus hit the rear of the taxi, then swerved left and mounted the pavement, smashing through railings and hitting a building's canopy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 17:59:31|Editor: Xiang Bo

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ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people died and 11 others were injured after a truck ran into three minibuses on an expressway in central China on Tuesday.

The accident occurred on Tuesday morning on the Xinxiang section in Henan Province, on an expressway linking Beijing with Guangzhou, Henan expressway police said.

A truck ran over the barrier belt and crashed head-on into three minibuses on the other lane.

Twelve people died, and one passenger is critically injured while ten other sustained slight injuries. The injured people have been rushed to local hospitals.

Truck driver is in police custody.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 18:14:37|Editor: ying

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JERUSALEM, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to condemn a deadly shooting attack carried out by a Palestinian earlier in the day.

Speaking at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the attack was a result of the "systematic incitement by the Palestinian Authority and other elements."

"I expect Abu Mazen (Abbas) to condemn it and not attempt to justify it," he said.

The attack, outside the settlement of Har Adar in the Jerusalem area, claimed the lives of two security guards and a Border Police officer.

The attacker, identified as Nimer Mahmoud Ahmad Jamal from the nearby West Bank village of Beit Surik, also injured the security coordinator of the settlement before Border Police officers shot him dead.

Shortly after the attack, Israel's army imposed a closure on Beit Surik, saying exits would be permitted only in "humanitarian cases."

Netanyahu told his ministers that more measures will be taken, including revoking work permits of the extended family of the assailant and demolishing his home.

"While we are still investigating the event and its implications, we can say some things with certainty even now. One, the home of the terrorist will be demolished. Two, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has already cordoned off the village. Three, all work permits for members of the terrorist's extended family are hereby revoked," Netanyahu said.

The assailant, 37, held a work permit, thus making him one of the few Palestinians with such a document to commit an attack in recent years.

He opened fire with a gun hidden under his shirt, after raising suspicion of the Israeli guards at the gate of the settlement.

Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist organization that controls the Gaza Strip, hailed the attack.

"The attack is a new chapter in the al-Quds Intifada," Hamas said in a statement, referring to a flare of violence that broke out in July after Israel installed new metal detectors at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

The incident came a week after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Netanyahu and Abbas in New York, where he said there is a "good chance" of reaching a peace deal.

The incident was part of a wave of violence in Israel and the West Bank, which have claimed the lives of at least 293 Palestinians, 48 Jewish Israelis, two U.S. nationals, a British tourist and two African asylum seekers since September 2015.

Israel accuses the Palestinian National Authority of inciting the unrest, while the Palestinians say it is the result of 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than 5 million Palestinians.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 18:14:38|Editor: Zhou Xin

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WUHAN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Urban management authorities in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, have seized over 3,000 shared bikes after complaints about haphazard parking.

The bikes were seized after the enforcement of a shared bike management regulation and were moved to a parking lot. The bike sharing companies will face penalties, said Hu Hanjin, with the city's urban management commission.

The city of over 10 million inhabitants has almost 700,000 shared bikes and haphazard parking has caused traffic issues.

It has also increased the workload of urban management workers and cleaners, Hu said.

Jianghan District enacted a regulation on the management of shared bikes on Sept. 22, requiring bikes be parked in specified zones on 18 urban roads.

The regulation requires shared bike companies to allocate five staff members per 1,000 bikes to move bikes into the required parking areas.

Individual violators will be fined 20 yuan (3 U.S. dollars), according to the regulation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 18:44:49|Editor: ying

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by Ronald Njoroge

NAIROBI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Kenyans are rushing to beat the Nov. 30 deadline for the installation of solar water heating systems, bringing more opportunities for suppliers of such products, an energy company has said.

According to the Energy (solar water heating) Regulations of 2012, all industrial, commercial and large residential buildings in urban centers are required to install solar water heating systems.

The deadline that should have expired on May 25 was extended to Nov. 30 by the Energy Regulatory Commission to give Kenyans more time to implement the rule.

Property owners who fail to comply with the law risk fines of up to 10,000 U.S. dollars.

Karanja Njoroge, General Manager of Chloride Exide, a solar solutions and emerging renewable energy products firm, said the law has increased demand for solar products in the country.

"Since the beginning of the year, we have seen a surge in demand for solar systems in order to comply with the law," Njoroge said.

"We have therefore increased out personnel in order to assist Kenyans to conform to the regulations," he added.

The East African nation enacted the Solar Water Heating Regulations in 2012 and gave building owners a five-year grace period to implement the order.

The law requires all premises within the jurisdiction of local authorities with hot water capacity requirements of over 100 liters a day to install solar heating systems.

"There is a potential 30,000 to 40,000 households and 10,000 commercial institutions that are yet to comply with the law," Njoroge said.

He added that Kenya is ideally placed to tap into the solar energy given its geographic location.

"Give that its straddles the equator, it has abundant sunshine throughout the year," he noted.

Chloride Exide Lead Design Engineer Sammy Waite identified the biggest barrier to the solar uptake as the huge upfront costs for the purchasing equipment.

On average, households will need 1,200 dollars and institutions 10,000 dollars for the solar system. Waite noted that solar energy does provide consumers with significant savings in the long run though.

The engineer said that the cost of heating water accounts for approximately 60 percent of the electricity bills of average consumers.

He added that the cost of solar equipment has dropped by more than 25 percent in the past two years.

"So the previous barrier of high upfront costs for solar has been significantly reduced," he said.
File photo shows two attendants display a Chinese currency note and a Kenyan Shilling note during the opening ceremony of a new branch of the National Bank of Kenya which will host a clearing house for Chinese renminbi (RMB) in Nairobi, Kenya, July 22, 2015. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

NAIROBI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's umbrella body of the banking industry on Monday said that greater convertibility of the Chinese currency, yuan, will boost the East African nation's economic growth.

Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) CEO Habil Olaka told Xinhua in Nairobi that the renminbi has gained importance because of the significance of China in the global trade.

"Kenya's economy is now benefiting as more and more banks are now offering Chinese yuan," Olaka said during a workshop on new International Financial Reporting Standards 9 (IFRS 9) regulations.

Kenyan banks are set to begin implementing the IFRS 9 beginning in January.

Olaka noted that more and more banks are embracing the Chinese yuan as Sino-Kenya trade increases.

"The influence of the Chinese is being felt globally and therefore it would not be prudent to ignore the yuan," Olaka said.

In 2016, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) added the Chinese yuan into its basket of reserve currencies.

File photo shows Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa (L) and Chief Executive of Kenya's CFC Stanbic Bank Philip Odera attend the launching ceremony at the headquarter of CFC Stanbic Bank in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, July 13, 2016. Kenya's CFC Stanbic Bank on Wednesday became the first bank in the country to avail the Chinese currency, yuan, at its branches to facilitate trade between China and Kenya. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

"We are encouraging our members to adopt the use of yuan in order to ease trade with our biggest trading partner," Olaka said.

He said at least 10 out of Kenya's 42 banks have the Chinese yuan available over the counter.

According to KBA, banks facilitate trade and have therefore embraced the Chinese currency in order to bring convenience to their customers.

Olaka noted that before the availability of the yuan in Kenya, traders were required to convert the Kenyan shilling to U.S. dollars and then to yuan.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 19:15:02|Editor: ying

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MANILA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines and the United States will review its joint military activities when their military leaders meet in Hawaii Wednesday.

The two sides are expected to decide which joint war exercises will be conducted next year, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Tuesday.

At a joint Philippine and U.S. joint news conference, Lorenzana said Gen. Eduardo Ano, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff has flown to Hawaii for the annual Mutual Defense Board and the Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) to make an assessment of the activities shared by both militaries.

"They will discuss there what exercises will be pursued, what will be removed, what will be downgraded, what will be upgraded," Lorenzana said, stressing the need to assess the new security environment confronting the Pacific region.

The Philippines, a treaty ally of the U.S., work through existing bilateral security mechanisms, such as the MDB-SEB, to operationalize the joint military activities they plan to conduct.

Washington and Manila have long been conducting joint military activities to bolster the combat readiness of the AFP and to maintain the interoperability of the AFP and the U.S. military forces.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 19:20:04|Editor: Xiang Bo

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Yu Zhengsheng (R, front), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, meets with Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Truong Thi Ngoc Anh, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng Tuesday met with Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Truong Thi Ngoc Anh.

"China always attaches importance to its ties with Vietnam," said Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

He said leaders of both countries have met several times this year and reached important consensus on comprehensive cooperation.

"China is willing to make joint efforts with Vietnam to strengthen strategic communication, deepen pragmatic cooperation, properly handle differences and promote bilateral ties to a healthy and steady development," Yu said.

Yu said the CPPCC is ready to enhance exchanges with the VFF, share experience in participating in and deliberating state affairs, and play a positive role in advancing friendly cooperation between the two countries and people-to-people exchanges.

Truong Thi Ngoc Anh said the VFF was ready to work with the CPPCC to boost the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 19:25:09|Editor: Xiang Bo

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MACAO, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Macao's tourism industry will take various measures to cater for the needs of residents and visitors as well as to optimize the tourism environment and service quality, the special administrative region's tourism office said on Tuesday.

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said it has taken a series of measures for the arrival of National Day holiday, such as sending reminders to tourism industry operators and visitors by letter and mobile text message, sharing of information between government departments, scrupulous inspections, food guide publication, as well as sending manpower at tourist spots to provide visitor inquiry service and so forth.

Including eight days in total, the Oct. 1st Golden Week will also cover the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

MGTO said it will also post visitor arrival figures of every previous day on the Internet between Oct. 2 and 9. Besides, MGTO's website will regularly publish the declared room rates of local hotels and guest houses in all room categories.

During the long holiday, the tourism office will conduct more thorough inspections at different local tourist attractions, ports of entry and districts with police authorities to combat illegal accommodation. It will also share information with the Consumer Council, Public Security Police Force, Macao Customs Service, Marine and Water Bureau and Transport Bureau.

The National Day holiday in 2016 saw 770,000 tourist arrivals from Oct. 1 to 7. Among them, over 720,000 tourist arrivals were from the mainland, the Hong Kong SAR and China's Taiwan.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 19:30:11|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Su Wenhui, a civil servant in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, gained a 16 percent annual rate of return on her investment in a roof in 2015.

Su spent over 30,000 yuan (about 4,450 U.S. dollars) to have a photovoltaic (PV) power station built on her rooftop. And it has started to pay off.

"The station generates about 4,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year, twice as much as I consume. So I sold the other half," she said. "The investment has brought me 5,000 yuan, including government subsidies and power selling."

Su is among the beneficiaries from Yangzhong city's first batch of demonstration projects in PV application, which have encouraged plenty of residents to choose green energy.

A complete industrial chain has taken shape in this city of 300,000 people, and Yangzhong now has more than 2,000 households installing PV power stations.

New energy has become the city's second largest industry, with an industrial output value of 25.19 billion yuan last year. Green energy in the city is expected to make up one-third of total energy consumption by 2020, and 100 percent by 2030.

Yangzhong was listed as a model city in renewable energy application by China's energy administration last year. It epitomizes the country's efforts to build a green society.

China generated 4.17 trillion kWh of power over the first eight months of the year, about 74 percent of which is thermal electricity generated by coal-fired capacity, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The country has been promoting green resources such as wind and solar in recent years. Green development is one of the five development concepts outlined by the country in 2015, along with innovation, coordination, opening up and sharing.

China has itself dedicated to raising public environmental awareness, and encouraging economical, green and healthy lifestyles.

Renewable energy is an emerging industry in China, significant to ensuring energy security and optimizing energy structure.

By the end of July, the installed capacity of renewable energy topped 620 gigawatts (GW), accounting for 35 percent of China's total installed power generation capacity, according to Liang Zhipeng, vice director of the New Energy and Renewable Energy Department under the National Energy Administration.

In the first seven months of this year, the increased installed capacity of renewable energy amounted to 50 million kw, about 75 percent of China's total increased installed power generation capacity.

Currently, the installed capacity of hydropower, wind power and PV has reached 338 GW, 150 GW and 100 GW respectively, all ranking first in the world, Liang said.

China has become the world's largest green energy supplier, also taking the lead in PV development and making great contribution to the global energy transformation, said Li Junfeng, with the China Energy Research Society.

From 2010 to 2016, the global share of green energy increased to 32 percent from 12 percent, with China's share of renewable resources climbing from 1 percent to almost 5 percent, according to Yang Lei, senior advisor with the International Energy Agency.

China's investment in the green energy sector reached 87.8 billion U.S. dollars last year, ranking first in the world, and revenues of key listed new energy enterprises in the country steadily increased, with total profits reaching a five-year high, according to a report released by China Economic Information Service.

"More cities will choose renewable energy in the future, making China's green market a promising one," Liang Zhipeng said.
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Nechirvan Barzani (C) and his wife Nabila (L), cast their vote for the Kurdish independence referendum at a hotel in Arbil on September 25, 2017. (AFP Photo)

BAGHDAD, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The electoral commission supervising the independence referendum said Tuesday that initial results have shown that 93 percent of Iraqi Kurds support Kurdistan independence from Iraq, Alsumaria News reported.

Alsumaria news quoted the independent commission as saying that while vote counting was still running, initial results show that 93 percent of voters support independence, compared to 6.71 percent objecting.

Those are the results achieved after counting 282,000 ballots, according to the commission.

A representative of the commission said, however, that results can still change as the counting continues, with results slated for announcement on Thursday.

It said nearly 3.3 million voters took part in the polls, putting turnout at an estimated 72.16 percent.

On Monday, Kurds headed to polling stations to attend the polls rejected by the Iraqi central government, the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and regional powers Turkey and Iran.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 19:50:18|Editor: Xiang Bo

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SHANGHAI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Staff with U.S. company Amicus Therapeutics regularly travel to Shanghai to work out how to develop a new drug to treat Pompe disease, a rare muscle disorder.

John Crowley, chief executive of the company, led the recent trip to its Chinese partner WuXi Biologics, based in Shanghai.

Crowley said the new drug was expected to reduce the side effects of existing enzyme replacement therapy.

The disorder prevents the human body from making enough of an enzyme used by heart and muscle cells to convert a form of sugar called glycogen into energy. When glycogen builds up in these cells it can lead to swelling of the heart, disability and early death.

Crowley has led a personal struggle to save his daughter and son, who are afflicted with Pompe disease.

Crowley said his company chose WuXi Biologics as its contract manufacturer, even though some company board members questioned the decision, doubting such high-quality drugs could be made by a Chinese firm.

Currently, the drug is in stage two of clinical trials, and around 20 patients are being tested with the drug in the United States.

By the middle of next year, it is expected to enter stage three, and be applied to more patients for tests, Crowley said.

Chinese patients are expected to be included in the trials, he said.p Gao Ru, founder of a Chinese Pompe patient association, said the cooperation would benefit Chinese patients. She estimated there are about 35,000 Pompe patients in China.

Gao said she managed to contact about 100 of them, 80 percent of whom were adults, and 20 percent babies.

For an adult patient, the annual medical cost is around 3 million yuan (about 460,000 U.S. dollars).

"I hope the cost for the prescription can be reduced," she said.

Crowley helped founded Novazyme, a company working on Pompe disease treatment. The company was was acquired by Genzyme in 2011. Now Paris-based Sanofi SA owns the drugs. He later founded Amicus Therapeutics to develop therapy for rare disease including Pompe.

"If you compare ordinary drugs to a bicycle, bio-medicine is like a plane. It is very difficult to make," said Chen Zhisheng, CEO of WuXi Biologics.

"The new generation drugs to treat Pompe diseases needs to be very accurate in dealing with the disorder. Both our companies will be committed to the development of the drugs until they are put on the market and bring benefits to patients," Chen said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 19:50:19|Editor: ying

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HANOI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The second Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE) Meeting took place on Tuesday in Vietnam's central Hue city, kicking off the APEC Women and Economy Forum slated for Sept. 26-29.

At the meeting, over 100 representatives from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies, the APEC Secretariat and the APEC Business Advisory Council touched upon Vietnam's initiative named "Gender Inclusion Guidelines."

The guidelines consist of ways of embedding equality-centered and gender-responsive approaches in all policies, programs, projects, works and action plans of the APEC.

The meeting's delegates also reviewed and updated the PPWE's strategic plan for the 2015-2018 period, discussing initiatives and measures to empower women in the Asia-Pacific region, in various fields, including energy, healthcare, transport, tourism, agriculture, fishery and human resources development.

A sub-fund on APEC women and the economy is scheduled to become operational next year.

Established in 2011, PPWE works to address the five key pillars impacting women's economic empowerment, namely access to capital, access to market, skills and capacity building, women's leadership and agency, and innovation and technology.

In the 21 APEC economies, approximately 600 million women are in the labor force, according to the APEC Secretariat.
Photo taken on Aug. 10, 2017 shows a view of street in central Nairobi, Kenya. Heads of foreign election observer groups monitoring Kenya polls on Wednesday urged key stakeholders to maintain peace and harmony as presidential vote tallying gets underway. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

by Bedah Mengo

NAIROBI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Supporters of both ruling Jubilee Party and opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) vowed to stick to party lines as the two sides continue to bicker over fresh presidential elections set for Oct. 26.

NASA, led by its presidential candidate Raila Odinga, has insisted that there would be no election on Oct. 26 until electoral commission officials who bungled the Aug. 8 polls leave office.

Odinga said elections would only be held if reforms were undertaken at the electoral commission. He named at least five officials whom he accused of presiding over illegalities that led to the nullification of the August presidential election by the Supreme Court.

On the other hand, the Jubilee Party, led by President Uhuru Kenyatta, has insisted elections would be held as scheduled whether Odinga likes it or not.

By sticking to their hardline stances, both sides have irked a good number of voters as the political stalemate has affected businesses and livelihoods.

Odinga said NASA will stage protests to call for the sacking of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials who "stole" the opposition's win.

"We don't fear going to the fresh election, but we will only participate if the electoral commission is reconstituted," Odinga told a rally in Nairobi on Sunday. "Beginning Tuesday, we will hold protests outside the electoral commission offices to remove those who stole our victory."

On the other hand, Deputy President William Ruto said the polls would go on whether Odinga participates or not.

"He should allow Kenyans to elect their president without being coerced or intimidated," Ruto said. "I want to tell Odinga that he has no capacity to stop Kenyans from electing their choice."

In NASA's strongholds, a rising number of Odinga's supporters said they would not vote in the Oct. 26 polls.

"What is the reason of voting if my vote would not count at the end of the day?" Brian Omondi, who runs a welding workshop on the east of Nairobi and has employed four people, said on Sunday.

People queue to cast ballots at a polling station in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Aug. 8, 2017. About 19.6 million Kenyans are flocking to more than 40,000 polling stations across the nation to cast ballots for the election of the country's next president on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

Omondi said he closed his business On Aug. 8 to take part in the polls, queuing for close to five hours.

On social media, many NASA supporters have been categorical that they will not vote if changes are not effected at the electoral commission.

"I will be candid with the people of Kenya and NASA in general. If Chiloba, Chebukati and Kassait will oversee this election, I will not vote," said Abrahama Kimutai, a blogger.

Odinga's political bases are mainly in western, Coast, Nairobi and Nyanza regions. The opposition leader has claimed his wins have been stolen in three elections in 2007, 2013 and 2017, assertions that are deeply ingrained in his supporters.

However, Kenyatta's Jubilee supporters have vowed to vote in the Oct. 26 elections to give him victory.

"Kenyatta's birthday is on Oct. 26. Elections will be held on Oct. 26," said George Kairu, a university student and a Jubilee supporter. "Now I know what to give him as a present -- my vote."

Kairu said NASA's boycott would only make it easier for Kenyatta to win the new polls.

"These people do not want elections. They know they can't win. Now they are calling for mass action," said Susan Kihika, the Jubilee senator representing Nakuru County.

The Oct. 26 date, which would be Kenyatta's 56th birthday, has become a contentious issue between NASA and Jubilee leaders, with the former believing the electoral commission chose it to influence outcome of the polls.

"Electoral commission is so desperate to give Kenyatta a birthday gift that it wants to hold a fresh presidential election on his birthday. We proposed Oct. 24 or Nov. 1 and they ignored it," said lawyer Apollo Mboya, an Odinga supporter.

Photo taken on Aug. 10, 2017 shows security personnel in central Nairobi, Kenya. Heads of foreign election observer groups monitoring Kenya polls on Wednesday urged key stakeholders to maintain peace and harmony as presidential vote tallying gets underway. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

Some analysts fear a low turnout in the Oct. 26 repeat vote, if it went ahead with many NASA supporters staying away.

"Research shows up to 30 percent of voters never turn to vote in repeat polls but in the Kenyan situation the number may go up because of the current standoff," said Henry Wandera, an economics lecturer in Nairobi.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 20:00:22|Editor: ying

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BANGKOK, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Phuket beaches in southern Thailand might no longer have any life guards on duty due to budget constraints, a provincial official said on Tuesday.

The provincial council of Phuket, one of Thailand's world-renowned tourist resorts in the Andaman Sea, had decided to curtail funding to cover wages for nearly 100 life guards who may have been hired on beach duty throughout fiscal 2018, beginning next month, according to the official who only spoke on condition that he not be identified.

Such budget constraints prompted Phuket Life Guard Co. to give up the business and terminate the hiring of those life guards, said the official attached to the provincial council.

The provincial council had only provided 19.8 million baht (about 582,300 U.S. dollars) in annual funding for the life guard firm which had demanded an increase of 2.4 million baht (about 70,500 U.S. dollars), he said.

Without life guards, signs will be erected on the beaches around Phuket early next month saying "Warning: No Life Guard On Duty, Swim At Your Own Risk."

Besides, red flags will be displayed in the sea for swimmers to watch out for high tides and rainstorms as part of safety measures.

Since last October, the life guards had helped and rescued more than 300 swimmers on the Phuket beaches, mostly being foreign tourists, who might otherwise have drowned, the official said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 20:20:29|Editor: Xiang Bo

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ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists announced on Tuesday that they have completed sequencing the genome of the peony, making bespoke peonies a possibility.

Dong Yang, director of the BGI agriculture applications institute, told a press conference on Tuesday that BGI and Luoyang academy of agriculture and forestry science had recorded 65,898 peony genes, and put together a database on 1,000 varieties of peonies.

Mapping of the genome started in 2014 and the findings will lead to better protection of wild peonies, precision seeding and will help expand the uses of peonies in cosmetics and other commercial products, Dong said.

The imperial capital during 13 dynasties, Luoyang in central China's Henan province claims to have the country's best peonies. The flower was a favorite of royal families for its luxuriant blossoms, which came to symbolize prosperity and wealth.

The city hosts an annual festival to celebrate the blooms.
The Reichstag building, seat of the German lower house of Parliament Bundestag, is pictured in Berlin on Sept. 19, 2017, 5 days before Germans head to the polls. (AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ)

BERLIN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Free Democratic Party (FDP) wants to re-structure the seating arrangements of the new Federal Parliament (Bundestag) to prevent being positioned next to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, German media reported on Tuesday.

FDP aims to address the current so-called "council of elders" responsible for the Federal Parliament's seating to request that the party's faction receive a new position between the Christian Democratic Union (CSU)/ Christian Social Union (CSU) and Green party (Gruene) factions. A "Jamaica" coalition between these three parties is widely held to be the likeliest next coalition to govern Germany.

The board of the FDP described such a new arrangement as a welcome symbol for the party's prospective cooperation with the Greens after trading barbs during the election campaign. FDP leader Christian Lindner has also referred to his party's positioning in the "middle of the Federal Parliament" as a metaphor for what he considers to be its centrist credentials.

The question of where AfD delegates should take their seats after entering parliament for the first time has become a source of heated debate in Germany. Different sections of the Federal Parliament are often seen to reflect political values, with the Left party (Linke) faction traditionally occupying the far-left corner of the plenary room for example.

Several parties have announced their opposition to granting the AfD a seat in the middle of the room because they do not consider the right-wing populist party to be representative of the center ground of German politics. Questions also remain as to whether the AfD will form a unified parliamentary faction at all after its co-leader Frauke Petry surprisingly declared that she would not join any such group.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 20:45:37|Editor: Yamei

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Wang Qishan, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, meets with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Communist Party of China (CPC) discipline chief Wang Qishan met with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An Tuesday.



Wang, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, told the deputy prime minister what the CPC has done to lead the Chinese people to achieve progress in various areas over the past five years.

He said that the Chinese people have great confidence in adhering to the leadership of the CPC and to the socialist road with Chinese characteristics.

Men Sam An, also member of the Standing Committee of Cambodian People's Party, appreciated the achievements China has made in the socialist cause and in party building. She expects to cement cooperation with China in discipline inspection and supervision, and develop Cambodia-China friendship.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 20:45:38|Editor: ying

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SOFIA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister Krasimir Karakachanov here on Tuesday said NATO and the European Union (EU) should deepen their cooperation amid global threats and increasing unpredictability.

The strategic environment is characterized by growing unpredictability and extreme dynamics, and globalization remains a leading trend that continues to affect the external security context, Karakachanov said in an opening address to the international conference "Future Armed Forces 2040."

Active and successful interaction between NATO and the EU is crucial for their ability to successfully meet future challenges, said Karakachanov who is also defense minister.

In order to better address the new risks and threats, the two organizations need to achieve more practical cooperation, he said.

More active exchange of information and conducting joint analyses of the strategic environment are needed, as well as the implementation of multinational capacity-building projects within NATO and the EU, joint use of infrastructure and technical facilities, and cooperation in training, Karakachanov said.

More than 80 experts are participating in the two-day conference, organized by the Defense Advanced Research Institute of Bulgaria's G. S. Rakovski National Defense College.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 20:50:39|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) - "People" are one of the things about China that has most impressed Bill Walker, governor of the U.S. state of Alaska.

With a population of around 750,000, Alaska sees the market it needs most in China's 1.4 billion people.

"It's impressive to see the number of people that are here in China," said Walker in a recent interview with Xinhua during his visit to Beijing. "What we need for our project is customers."

Walker was referring to a planned mega-project that involves an 800-mile (about 1,300 km) gas pipeline from the North Slope to south Alaska, where the gas can be liquefied and loaded into tankers for delivery to the Asian market.

He is in Beijing from Sunday to Thursday on his first trip to China as governor to explore broader economic ties with the country.

Seafood has been the staple of Alaska's economic cooperation with China, its largest trading partner. About 27 percent of Alaska's exports, largely seafood, end up in China.

Now the northernmost U.S. state, and the largest by area, wants to add more to its relationship with the world's second largest economy.

Walker frequently spoke of "opportunities" in cooperation with China. From seafood and natural gas to tourism and winter sports, the governor sees mutual benefits in a wide range of areas of cooperation.

ENERGY MATCH

"We have a tremendous opportunity in Alaska to bring liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China on a very long-term basis," he told Xinhua.

If Alaska were a country rather than a state, it would be the eighth most energy-rich nation in the world, Walker said.

A largely unexplored area, Alaska's North Slope has about 35 trillion cubic feet (991 billion cubic meters) of proven natural gas reserves.

The state-run LNG project, which Walker said is "ready to go," is estimated to cost more than 40 billion U.S. dollars and would export up to 20 million tonnes of LNG per year to overseas markets after completion.

The project is planned to come into service in 2024, when China is expected to see a rise in energy consumption, according to Walker.

"We can provide over 100 years of supply at a stable price not necessarily tied to the price of another commodity, oil or something else," he said. "So it's really an opportunity for both China and Alaska."

Compared with other places, Alaska can deliver LNG at a competitive price, as shipping and supply advantages offset higher pipeline costs, according to information provided by the governor's office.

Walker also welcomes Chinese investment in the project, as well as in the development of other resources, noting "a lot of opportunities for Chinese companies in Alaska."

Apart from natural gas, Alaska is also rich in oil, coal, lead, zinc, graphite and rare-earth deposits.

TRADE WAR UNWANTED

The LNG project, if built, would "definitely help with the trade imbalance" between China and the United States, Walker said.

Although the United States has a trade deficit with China, Alaska saw a trade surplus of 700 million U.S. dollars with the country in 2016, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

China has on many occasions stressed that it does not intentionally pursue a trade surplus with the United States, saying the imbalance was purely formed by market forces.

Walker expressed his concern over rising protectionism in the United States, saying Alaska is heavily dependent on its trade ties with Asia for its natural resources including fish, timber, mining and natural gas.

"We've seen that in the past, and we are very sensitive to that," he said when asked to comment on the protectionism inclination.

The governor believes a trade war between the two countries would hurt both sides, stressing the "two-way opportunity" in the bilateral trade ties.

"We hope there is not [a trade war]. We'll do what we can so there is not a trade war," he said. "I think there is an opportunity for both the United States and China, and specifically Alaska, to benefit from our respective needs."

GOOD CLIMATE

One of the highlights of Walker's trip was a China-U.S. investment roundtable on Monday, sponsored by China Investment Corporation, the country's sovereign wealth fund, and the China General Chamber of Commerce-USA.

Walker said he was pleased to talk about business opportunities with representatives of Chinese financial and energy institutions.

It was very "impressive" to see "the outreach from the Chinese government and the business community to bring investment to China and also seek opportunities for China to invest in projects in the United States," he told Xinhua.

The climate is good for economic cooperation between Alaska and China, and more positive changes occurred "almost immediately" after Chinese President Xi Jinping's brief stop in the state this April, according to the governor.

Xi met Walker while the Chinese delegation's plane made a refueling stop in Anchorage on April 7 on his return to China after meeting with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in Florida.

Alaska has seen an increase in tourism from China since Xi's trip, Walker said.

Work is proceeding on getting Chinese athletes to train in Alaska for the 2022 Winter Olympics and making direct flights available between Beijing and Alaska, he noted.

"We would very much like to make sure that visitors from China can come directly to Alaska," he said. "We're very excited about that opportunity."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 21:00:44|Editor: ying

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DUBLIN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- There could be as many as eight referendums over the next 18 months in Ireland, including one on the Eighth Amendment to the Irish constitution, which is a de-facto prohibition on abortion in the country, public broadcaster RTE reported on Tuesday.

RTE said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar will brief ministers on the possibility of holding a number of referendums.

It said the Eighth Amendment may be held next May or June.

Such a timetable for a vote on abortion will involve setting up a referendum commission in early 2018, it added.

In June, Varadkar announced his government's intention to bring forward legislation to facilitate the holding of a referendum on abortion in 2018.

The Irish cabinet will also consider holding three other referendums on the same day as a possible presidential election in October 2018, according to RTE.

These could include polls on blasphemy, women's place in the home and allowing for directly elected mayors.

RTE said the option of four further referendums to coincide with local and European elections in 2019 is also under consideration.

These could include polls on divorce, giving voting rights in presidential elections to Irish citizens living abroad and reducing the voting age to 16.

Ireland is keen on holding referendums. Since 2001, Ireland has had 15 referendums on various issues.

In 2015, Ireland passed the same-sex marriage referendum with 1.2 million people voting in favor.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 21:20:47|Editor: ying

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BEIRUT, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A northern town in Lebanon on Tuesday ordered all Syrian refugees living there to leave after the murder of a Lebanese young woman by a Syrian worker.

Following the warning by the Municipal Council of Lebanon's northern town of Meziara, about 400 Syrian families of the more than 1,000 living in the mostly Christian town have left, according to Maroun Dina, head of the municipal council.

The rest of the families will be leaving in the coming few days, he added.

"The town is witnessing a state of discontent due to the rape killing of the 26-year-old Raya Chidiac by a Syrian refugee working in her family's house," Dina told Xinhua.

Chidiac was laid to rest on Monday amid calls from the town's citizens to expel all Syrians living there.

On Tuesday, the Municipal Council issued a statement requiring all citizens in Miziara "to abolish all the work agreements and annul all the sponsoring contracts they have with Syrian workers by 5:00 p.m." local time.

The Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) arrested the 26-year-old Syrian killer before he tried to escape the town.

The killer has confessed his crime, ISF said in a statement Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 21:20:48|Editor: ying

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NAIROBI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's opposition supporters staged street demonstrations on Tuesday to press for removal of electoral officials accused of bungling the Aug. 8 presidential elections.

Hundreds of opposition supporters staged protests in Nairobi and Kisumu to force the officials out of office before the repeat polls scheduled on Oct. 26.

The Nairobi demonstrations took place outside the electoral agency's offices, while in the lakeside city of Kisumu, protesters waved placards reading "Chiloba must go" while beeping motorbike horns.

The opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) has maintained that the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) CEO Ezra Chiloba and some senior staff rigged the election and can not be trusted to handle a re-run.

Anti-riot police were mobilized in Nairobi and instructed to disperse demonstrators should the protest turn violent. Some businesses in the two cities closed for fear of looting.

The protesters who were largely peaceful briefly staged a sit-in at IEBC officers before being dispersed by anti-riot police who tried to separate them from a counter-protest by supporters of the ruling Jubilee Party.

The protests were allowed after NASA official Norman Magaya had on Monday notified the police of their intention to hold peaceful protests in Nairobi.

"We kindly request you to organize for the necessary security arrangements to ensure the safety of all leaders and citizens who will participate in the demonstrations," Magaya said in his letter to the Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome.

"We, however, note that this notification does not in any way amount to seeking permission to demonstrate or picket from the police as your office has often misconstrued such notices in the past and purported to refuse to grant such permission," Magaya said.

He emphasized that the demonstrations will be peaceful and the party has mobilized its own marshals to control crowds.

NASA led by opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has demanded that several poll officials be hounded out of office and prosecuted ahead of the repeat presidential election.

Odinga has insisted that there will be no repeat elections on Oct. 26 if the officials remain in office.

"If they don't leave, we will go there and eject them," Odinga said during a rally in Nairobi on Sunday.

Should the opposition efforts be successful, the Oct. 26 elections will have to be called off to a later date.

However, the Jubilee government has maintained that the electoral body will conduct the re-run as is currently constituted.

The protests came as IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati called on the opposition to temporarily halt their demos on Tuesday to enable the commission to address the concerns raised by various stakeholders, saying that the commission has put in place various measures in place to enhance the credibility of the repeat presidential election.

Kenya's Supreme Court said that serious illegalities and irregularities found during the presidential election led to its decision to invalidate the presidential election.

Director of Public Prosecution Keriako Tobiko on Sunday instructed the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the police to probe the officials mentioned by NASA.

Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday reportedly withdrew the bodyguards of NASA leaders Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka, who were expected to lead their supporters in the demonstration.

Odinga's spokesman Dennis Onyango said the bodyguards were on Monday night asked to report to paramilitary police headquarters in Nairobi for further instructions.

"The withdrawal of my security and that of Odinga is illegal. The law requires presidential candidates to have an all-round security protection," said Musyoka Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 21:25:50|Editor: ying

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by Peter Mutai

NAIROBI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The discovery of oil and gas in remote parts of Kenya has provided an opportunity to reverse years of underdevelopment, an expert said on Tuesday.

Mwenda Makathimo, the Executive Director of Land Development and Governance Institute (LDGI), a Kenya-based think tank, said the sub sector is now capable of contributing to the country's development.

"If well done, oil and gas exploration initiatives have the capacity to benefit the investing corporations and local communities tremendously," Makathimo said while releasing a report on social investments in the extractive sector in Kenya.

Kenya's economy has previously been characterized by investments in agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and service industries while the extractive industry has been contributing less than 1 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

But over the last five years the sector has recorded major growth after oil was discovered in 2012 in Turkana.

"There is need to factor specifics on community development agreements into the legislative framework for oil exploration and production to have a long-term positive impact on local communities," Makathimo said.

He noted that the Petroleum Act of 1984 and the Petroleum Bill of 2015 fail to adequately give provisions to guide community development.

Makathimo said the extractive industry has a potential to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by mobilizing resources and creating employment and development.

The report that was done in July called for the harmonization of community development initiatives by stakeholders working in the areas to avoid duplication.

Since 2012, the country has seen discoveries of more oil wells and entry of additional oil explorers.

Currently, there are expectations from both national and county governments and communities who see the development as an investment opportunity.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 21:40:55|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- China has discouraged the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from escalating their war of words as a tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump infuriated Pyongyang.

Trump tweeted over the weekend that DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer", which was interpreted by Pyongyang as a declaration of war. The White House later clarified the U.S. has no intention of entering into armed conflict on the peninsula.

The escalating rhetoric came shortly after the row between the United States and the DPRK at the UN General Assembly. Trump said that the United States would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the country. DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho responded by calling Trump "mentally deranged."

"We have heard threats of war too often recently," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a regular news briefing.

China has repeatedly expressed the hope that both U.S. and DPRK statesmen have the wisdom to realize that resorting to the use of force is not an option for resolving the Peninsula issue, Lu added.

He went on to say that China hopes they understand that inflammatory rhetoric will only increase the risk of conflict and reduce the effectiveness of their own policy tools.

"There will be no winners should war break out on the Korean Peninsula and it will bring suffering to regional countries," Lu said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 21:45:57|Editor: ying

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LONDON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 1,000 cultivated species are already in danger as a new round of mass extinction of global wildlife is underway, leaving global food supplies vulnerable to diseases and pests, a report said Tuesday.

Three-quarters of the world's food currently comes from just 12 crops and five animal species, and this leaves supplies vulnerable to diseases and pests through large areas of monoculture, said the report published by Bioversity International, a global research group.

Of the estimated 7,000 edible plant species, just 30 are used to feed the world, said the report.

Tens of thousands of alternatives exist that can grow in difficult environments, have high nutrient content and have potential to increase their yields. However, almost 80 percent of land areas are used to grow only wheat, maize and rice, the report said.

Traditional crops and varieties represent just two percent of material stored in gene banks worldwide. Over-reliance on too few varieties and species is leaving the food system unnecessarily exposed to shocks and stresses, as well as neglecting a high-impact solution to major health, environmental and food security challenges, according to the review.

"Agrobiodiversity -- the edible plant and animal species that feed each and every one of us -- holds the key to future food security," Ann Tutwiler, director general of Bioversity International. "But we are failing to protect it, and tap into its potential to transform our food system for the better."

The destruction of wild areas, pollution and overhunting have started a mass extinction of species on the Earth, said the report.

The focus to date has been on wild animals -- half of which have been lost in the last 40 years -- but the new report revealed that the same pressures are endangering humanity's food supply.

"Until now, no single study has provided the evidence to showcase the extraordinary impact that investing in agrobiodiversity can have on improving food systems and advancing sustainable development at the same time," the director-general said.

The report, the research group's first scientific analysis, is intended to shed light on how agrobiodiversity can make humans' vulnerable food systems more resilient, sustainable and nutritious.

Agrobiodiversity is a "triple-win investment" for businesses and policymakers, the report said. As such, it set out how governments and companies can protect, enhance and use the huge variety of little-known food crops.

The guide provides evidence that investments in agrobiodiversity also play a critical role in tackling wider global targets such as reducing poverty and malnutrition, reversing environmental degradation, and combating climate change.

It highlighted examples including the gac, a fiery red fruit from Vietnam, and the orange-fleshed Asupina banana. Both have extremely high levels of beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, and could help the millions of people deficient in Vietnam.

Quinoa has become popular in some rich countries but only a few of the thousands of varieties native to South America are cultivated. The report showed how support has enabled farmers in Peru to grow a tough, nutritious variety.

Mainstream crops can also benefit from diversity. Earlier this year in Ethiopia, researchers found two varieties of durum wheat that produce excellent yields even in dry areas.

Fish diversity is also valuable, with a local Bangladeshi species now shown to be extremely nutritious, said the report.

As such, the guide lays the foundation for an agrobiodiversity index, a tool under development to help companies and countries to compare multiple strategies for investing in resilient and sustainable supply chains and product lines, through interventions in agrobiodiversity.

Leading agribusinesses such as Syngenta and Sainsbury's, as well as countries such as Italy, Peru and Ethiopia, have expressed interest in using the index, which is expected to launch in late 2018.

"The world is changing. Global warming, extreme weather and volatile prices are making it harder for farmers and growers to produce the foods our customers love," said Beth Hart, head of agriculture at Sainsbury's.

This is why the company is "committed to working with our suppliers, farmers, and growers in the UK and around the world to optimize the health benefits, address the impact and biodiversity of these products and secure a sustainable supply," Hart said. "We believe that participating in the development of the agrobiodiversity index will help us achieve this." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 21:56:01|Editor: ying

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TEHRAN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Army dispatched more air defense missile systems to the western borders of the country to counter any offense, Army's air defense headquarters announced on Tuesday.

The Army's air defense has increased preparedness for "decisive response" to any act of aggression in western areas, said Alireza Elhami, lieutenant commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.

The move by the Iranian army follows the new developments in the western borders of Iran after the Iraqi Kurdistan held the independence referendum on Monday.

Iran has announced its discontent with the independence vote and voiced its support for the integrity of Iraq.

On Sunday, Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) kicked off military drills along the country's western border areas.

The Army's Heidar-e-Karrar war game involved the armoured units, airborne division, drone squad, and the Ground Force's rapid reaction forces, Tasnim news agency reported.

On Sunday evening, Army's fighter jets flew across the country's western airspace as part of the military drills to show their strong presence, semi-official ISNA reported.

The jets flew over vast areas of the borderlands to provide logistic support for the Army Ground Force's rapid reaction units.

Military officials also carried out an evaluation of the Air Force's offensive power and the coordination among the Ground Force's airborne division and the Air Force at an operational zone near the city of Qasr-e Shirin in the western province of Kermanshah.

Besides, the IRGC started Muharram drills in the western provinces on Sunday.

The Muharram war game signals the message of peace and security to the friends, and reminds the enemies that the country's borders will be powerfully protected against hostile moves, IRGC commanders said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 22:06:05|Editor: ying

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LUSAKA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Farmers in Zambia on Tuesday urged the government not to succumb to demands by some quarters of society to ban maize exports.

The Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU), an umbrella body for both large and small-scale farmers, said calls to ban maize exports should not be entertained as the country did not have enough storage facilities.

Calvin Kaleyi, media and public relations manager of the farmers' body, said Zambia has excess maize beyond its storage capacity hence the need to allow for export.

"Government does not have adequate silos to store away maize from farmers; neither is it willing to buy maize off all farmers, given the FRA (Food Reserve Agency) capacity, both financially and capacity of storage," he said.

Stopping the maize from being exported would lead to prices crashing further, he added.

This, he said, would lead to loss of jobs and increased poverty among farmers as well as rampant smuggling of maize across borders.

Some stakeholders have called on the Zambian government to consider banning maize exports and only allow the export of finished maize products.

Zambia produced a bumper harvest of 2.8 million tonnes of maize during the 2016/2017 season and the Food Reserve Agency said it will only purchase 500,000 tonnes from the farmers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 22:11:06|Editor: Xiang Bo

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By Zhang Yongxing

SUVA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A renowned ancient Chinese poet Su Shi once said in his masterpiece on moon "although a thousand miles apart, we share the beauty of the same moon."

On Tuesday here in Suva, capital of Fiji, about 100 Fijians and Chinese gathered together under the same theme of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, enjoying amazing Chinese music and dances, delicious Chinese food and a wonderful exhibition of leaf etching (leaf curving) artworks.

The participants believed that the event helped promote the friendship between the two peoples.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, when Chinese celebrate family reunion and autumn harvest, is to fall on Oct. 4 this year.

In China, the Moon is never thought as a common planet as it embodies ancient Chinese tales and legends, and has profound cultural connotation. The Moon Festival has since become a symbol of reunion, gratitude, harmony, and implies the best wishes to everyone.

Tuesday's celebrations, organized by the China Culture Center in Fiji, have captivated the guests of both Fiji and China including Bernadette Rounds Ganilau, secretary of the Fiji-China Friendship Association, who has visited China for many times.

She told Xinhua that although China and Fiji are far away from each other, the two peoples' hearts and feelings are linked, so they have good reasons to celebrate the Moon Festival together.

"I love China and her beautiful and colorful culture, which is the amazing thing that Fijian people should know. Cultural exchange always helps people become friendly and better understand with each other. It helps get people closer and make them feel that they just come from the same family," she said.

"The Moon Festival brings the peoples of Fiji and China together. I want to thank the Chinese people in Fiji, they have contributed so much to our social and economic developments and they are continuing to do so. The Moon Festival gets us together, reminds us where we all come from and we all should go forward together," she added.

Like Ganilau, who regards China as her second hometown, a lot of Fijian guests told Xinhua that they love the Moon Festival by having an unforgettable day.

They said they fell in love with the wonderful performances by the artists from Chengdu, capital of China's Sichuan province, which were featured with singing, dancing, traditional Chinese musical instrument ensemble, puppet show, face-changing, and acrobatics.

In addition, for the Fijians, the 67 pieces of leaf-etching artworks on display is "amazing" as they have never seen such an artwork with a history of about 3,000 years.

They were shocked to the fact that the Chinese artists take leaves from trees or pick up the fallen leaves to create different artworks based on the natural shapes and the different veins of the leaves.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Zhang Ping gave his best wishes of the Moon Festival to Fijians and local Chinese when attending the celebrations.

"Fiji and China enjoy traditional friendship and the two peoples share the common pursuit of a better life. Gathering here together to celebrate the Chinese traditional festival is one of the best ways to strengthen the relationship between the two countries," he said.

Wang Gang, chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce in Fiji, told Xinhua that more and more Chinese companies have come to Fiji to seek business opportunities that will no doubt benefit the two countries.

"People thinks of their dear ones far away more than ever on festive occasions. This event is meaningful as it can help us send our thoughts to our families and friends far away, and gather together here with our Fijian friends to deepen our friendly relations," he said.

Deng Xianfu, director of China Cultural Center in Fiji, is very satisfied with the successful celebrations, saying that the cultural programs like this event have enriched Fijian people's life and promoted the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

The Fiji people also embrace the traditional Chinese festival as in downtown Suva, major shops like Prouds and Jacks have been promoting their products by wishing their customers "Happy Moon Festival "in both English and Chinese languages printed in their advertisements and leaflets.

Deng told Xinhua that banners from his center have appeared in one of Suva's main streets and Fiji's oldest hotel -- the Grand Pacific Hotel, saying "Happy Moon Festival."
File photo shows tourists look at a southern right whale during the Hermanus Whale Festival in Hermanus, South Africa. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

CAPE TOWN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- South African Police Minister Fikile Mbalula vowed Tuesday to ensure safety of visitors after a group of Dutch tourists were reportedly robbed at gun point.

Mbalula called the robbery, which occurred on Sunday night in Johannesburg, as "an attack on the tourism industry and the economy".

"Tourism is part of our economic drivers and provider of jobs for the youth. We must work hard in protecting this industry," the minister said.

The 36 tourists were traveling on a bus when it was allegedly stopped by a police-marked vehicle with one man dressed in police uniform and five others in civilian clothing.

The men allegedly demanded their possessions and one of the tourists was injured in the process and taken to hospital.

The tourists were traveling from OR Tambo International Airport, from where they were reportedly followed by the suspects.

There have been a series of "follow-home" robberies involving tourists who were attacked after departure from the airport.

"I condemn this robbery in the strongest terms and call for harsh punishment on those responsible," Mbalula said.

The robbery is being investigated by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in cooperation with the South African National Roads Agency and other departments that may assist the investigation to bring those responsible to book, according to the minister.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 23:01:34|Editor: yan

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ZAGREB, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Croatian consumers are frustrated by the food inequality row in Europe, but daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija reported Tuesday that food brand HiPP was relaunching one of its products in the country after a survey showed there were significant differences between seemingly identical products being sold in Croatia and Germany.

On Sept. 1, Croatian news agency HINA published an analysis of the quality of 26 products that could be found on both the Croatian and German markets. The result was that more than half of the products on the Croatian market were of poorer quality and significantly more expensive than those sold in Germany.

Supervised by the Croatian Food Agency, the study discovered that 23.8 percent of the products had a "significant difference" in terms of quality.

In the case of HiPP, the German version of its product was made with carrot, potato and rice, while the one sold in Croatia had no potato. Also, the product from the German market contained more vegetables (38 percent carrot and potato) and less rice (15 percent), as opposed to Croatian market where the same product contained 24 percent carrots and a higher share of rice (21 percent).

Biljana Borzan, Croatian representative in the European Parliament, was one of the first politicians who started talking about the different quality of the same products sold in Eastern and Western Europe.

She spent most of her budget that every member of the European Parliament has for promotion, on the product comparison test. A similar survey revealed the same thing was happening in other Eastern European countries. Finally, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Sept. 13 spoke out against the double standards in food quality in his address to parliament, saying there should be no "second class consumers" in the European Union's single market.

The HiPP decision to relaunch the product in Croatia has been a great success for Borzan.

"This is a huge victory for me and Croatian consumers. We managed to protect the most vulnerable -- young children -- from the second-class products that are less healthy. The HiPP example has shown that you can move mountains when you know you are right. I expect other manufacturers to follow this example," Borzan wrote on her Facebook page on Monday.

"Research has shown that it is a scam because consumers have been convinced that they deal with the same product as in Germany, since the product packaging and advertising are identical," Borzan wrote in an email to Xinhua last week.

A significant difference was also identified in Nutella, with they being used in the Croatian product, whereas the same product in Germany was made exclusively with skimmed milk. It was also 28 percent more expensive in Croatia.

Moreover, analysis showed that fruit yogurt in Croatia contains less fruit and more sugar. There was a significant difference identified in Ariel washing detergent too, with the German product being much more effective at lower temperatures and it was 25 percent cheaper in Germany.

The companies argued that they had been responding to local demand rather than deliberately misleading consumers, but Borzan doesn't buy that argument.

"Consumer preferences can be understood as an argument, but in some cases, it just isn't true. What research has shown that Croats prefer detergent that washes less well, or that babies in Croatia prefer to have a smaller omega 3 acid that is important for their growth?" Borzan said.

Director of the Croatian Food Agency, Andrea Gross-Boskovic, told Xinhua last week that the result of the survey was a bit surprising because of the quantity of difference.

"Earlier tests in some other eastern European countries exposed similar results, but we didn't expect to see such differences in so many products. There is a difference in more than half of the tested products, but I have to emphasize that most of it is because of the non-labeling declarations, while in 20 percent we revealed a significant difference," Gross-Boskovic said.

On Wednesday, Borzan and Gross-Boskovic will hold a discussion at the European Parliament about the survey and to discuss a solution to this disturbing problem. Their guest will be the European Commission's most senior official responsible for justice and consumer rights, Vera Jourova, who recently said there had been "manifest cheating" for years by multinationals.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 23:11:37|Editor: yan

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BERLIN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Greens (Gruene) on Tuesday began laying out their conditions for forming a likely "Jamaica" coalition to govern Germany together in the next Federal parliament (Bundestag).

Ahead of the start of official negotiation talks, CDU vice-chairman Volker Bouffier emphasized the need for the joint faction of the CDU and Christian Social Union (CSU) to take the leading role in a prospective federal government.

"Jamaica can only work when the CDU/CSU, the by far strongest faction, is the dominant element," Bouffier told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). The other parties involved would have to accept their subordinate position accordingly, he said.

In response, the Greens and FDP reiterated their openness to talks with the CDU/CSU whilst noting their programmatic differences.

Green party parliamentary speaker Sven-Christian Kindler welcomed prospective political discussions but told the newspaper Heilsbronner Stimme that the CDU/CSU and FDP would have to surrender their resistance to more ambitious climate policy, combating social inequality and a human rights-grounded refugee policy.

FDP vice-president Wolfgang Kubicki showcased a sober realism on the part of his party, pointing to the "large" discrepancies in outlook between the parties of a "Jamaica" coalition.

"Everyone will have to make compromises," Kubicki told the newspaper Nordwest-Zeitung. He singled out immigration policy and digitalization as areas were the parties involved still clashed. The FDP repeatedly called for a stricter migration regime tailored to the needs of Germany's labor market on the campaign trail.

Even within the joint conservative faction traditionally formed by the CDU and CSU, divisions have become apparent. CSU representatives said that they could not help but feel deeply affected by the election in which it suffered heavier losses than its CDU sister party.

"The CSU provided voters with guarantees and these included an upper limit on the number of refugees admitted to Germany," CSU secretary general Andreas Scheuer told the newspaper Passauer Neue Presse. His words constituted a thinly-veiled stab at CDU leader Angela Merkel who has consistently ruled out a fixed annual limit.

The CDU, CSU and Greens will all hold internal meetings on Tuesday to determine the make-up of their new parliamentary factions. CDU leader Merkel and CSU leader Horst Seehofer have both proposed renewing the term of Volker Kauder as their parties' joint parliamentary faction leader.

The CSU must also determine a successor to their current chairwoman Gerda Hasselfeldt, with Seehofer announcing his attention to propose the last government's transport minister Alexander Dobrindt for the post.

German business representatives have largely been welcoming to the prospect of a "Jamaica" coalition but highlighted the need for a new government to be formed swiftly.

Germany needed a government capable of acting as fast as possible "in light of the current situation of global politics and economic necessities," Ingo Kramer, president of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations, wrote in the Neue Passauer Presse. End
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 23:11:38|Editor: yan

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MOSCOW, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers have struck terrorist facilities with air-to-surface Kh-101 cruise missiles in the Syrian provinces of Deir al-Zour and Idlib, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

"Command centers and points of concentration of terrorists and material, as well as ammunition warehouses have been destroyed in a surprise attack," the ministry's spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The warplanes took off from Engels airfield in Russia's southeastern Saratov region and covered a distance of more than 7,000 km passing over the territories in Iran and Iraq with one in-flight refueling, according to the statement.

During the operation the bombers were accompanied by Russian air force Su-30 and Su-35 fighter planes from Hmeimim air base in Syria.

All targets were located outside settlements and at a safe distance from the areas where U.S. Special Forces and militants of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces operated, Konashenkov said.

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry denied a media report that Russian warplanes had struck U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led militia in the vicinity of a gas field in Syria's eastern Deir al-Zour province.

Earlier on Tuesday, the ministry denied another report that it had struck civilian settlements in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

The Kh-101 is the latest Russian strategic air-launched cruise missile, manufactured using modern technologies to reduce radar visibility.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 23:16:40|Editor: yan

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MADRID, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Spain's non-performing loan rate stood at 8.47 percent in July as opposed to the 8.43 percent of a month earlier, the Bank of Spain reported on Tuesday.

According to this data, banks, saving banks, cooperatives and credit finance entities had 106.34 billion euros (125.33 billion US dollars) of bad debt loans up to July, which was above the 106.196 billion euros they had until June. Spain's total credit portfolio stood at 1.25 trillion euros.

Spain's bad loan ratio had peaked in December 2013, when it had reached 13.61 percent with a total of 197.04 billion euros of bad debt as a result of the country's financial crisis, real estate sector debt and high unemployment.

Transfers of toxic assets to the Spanish "bad bank" (SAREB) helped to reduce the country's amount of bad debt in the Spanish banking system in 2012, but the country still struggles with the consequences of the financial and real estate sector crisis. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-26 23:21:43|Editor: yan

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TEHRAN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran announced Tuesday that it plans to construct an oil refinery in Syria's western city of Homs, Press TV reported.

The project would have an initial processing capacity of 40,000 barrels per day (bpd) that would increase to 140,000 bpd once fully developed, Mansour Bazmi, the acting chief of Iran's Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), said.

The refinery would be constructed by a consortium that would comprise companies from Iran, Syria and Venezuela, Bazmi was quoted as saying.

The Iranian companies would design different units of the project and provide its required parts and equipment, he said.

This would be the first time that Iranian companies would be involved in a refinery project from the beginning to the end, he added.

The main products of the refinery would be gasoline and gas oil, he said, adding that the required fund, one billion U.S. dollar investment, would be provided from international financial institutions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 00:01:56|Editor: yan

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NEW DELHI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Although India and the United States have deepened their bilateral cooperation and emerged as global partners in areas of strategic concerns, experts said that India on Tuesday sent out a strong geopolitical message by refusing to accede to the U.S. request to send military troops in Afghanistan.

Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis emphasized on India's role in fighting global terror and thus sought its boots in the war-ravaged Afghanistan. This comes close to U.S. President Donald Trump's policy announcement on Afghanistan wherein he ordered a modest increase in presence of American military forces in the region, not as part of "nation building" but "killing terrorists."

Thus, while the U.S. finds it hard to pull out of its 16-year-old war, India has taken a "welcome and significant step" in the opposite direction. It is understood that Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman categorically told her American counterpart that India will not commit to sending any soldiers in Afghanistan and would rather expand its developmental footprint in the region.

"The U.S. has time and again persuaded India in this regard. That India remains firm on its stand of zero political and military role in Afghanistan is a sign of its healthy relationship with the country and its larger South Asian policy. India is committed to stabilizing the nation and believes that army measures cannot do the same," said Gopal S. Swamy, a Delhi-based expert on Indo-U.S. relations.

"India started to provide training to Afghan police officers and army cadets to build its internal security. It undertook small but significant developmental projects across the country then in areas of irrigation, housing and education," said Prof Ajay Sharma, another Delhi-based expert.

"India was never interested in playing a military role and it reiterated its stand again by turning down U.S. request," said Kanika Sinha, a retired Delhi University professor.

Many believe that India is walking on thin ice by denying military role in Afghanistan especially because it was making billions of dollars in trade with the United States, making the latter expect India's assistance in the region in return.

Experts feel that by refusing such a role, India could jeopardise its economic and trade benefits and the larger U.S.-India friendship which has seen significant development over the last few years. Mattis' visit itself coincided with Indo-Afghan trade and investment show which is being supported by the USAID and Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

"India's firm stand has set an example for others to lead on with by promising inclusive development and helping hand to a country that has been torn apart by war and conflict," Sinha added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 00:06:58|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police solved 2,837 cases in cooperation with the Interpol in 2016, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

In 2,542 of those cases, foreign countries sought China's help through the Interpol for investigations.

In addition, a total of 612 red notices were submitted to Interpol.

The MPS said that law enforcement and security cooperation between China and Interpol has been deepened, and that China has called for intensified efforts on major issues including promoting the use of the Interpol database

Interpol liaison offices have been established in southwest China's Guizhou Province and central China's Hubei Province, and the MPS has provided training for staff to increase cooperation with Interpol on cross-border crime.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 00:06:59|Editor: yan

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ANKARA, Sept. 26(Xinhua) -- The Turkish government told a representative of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani that he is not wanted in Turkey after the referendum for independence, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

Turkish officials told Representative of Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party to Turkey Omer Merani not to come back to Turkey, according to Cavusoglu in a televised interview with local 24 TV.

The minister stated that Turkey will not close southern Habur border gate to Iraq, which is under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Turkey will take the necessary precautions instead of closing Habur border gate, Cavusoglu said, adding the closure of the gate would also harm his country.

But Ankara will address Baghdad as the interlocutor, not the regional government, because the crossing belongs to Iraqi administration, he noted.

Turkey will take necessary measures against the Iraqi Kurds "step by step," Cavusoglu said.

Elaborating on the joint military exercise conducted with Iraqi soldiers in the southern border of Turkey, the minister said the move shows Turkish support to preserve Iraq's territorial integrity.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 00:12:01|Editor: yan

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HARARE, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Ambassadors from member states of the European Union, together with the Ambassador of the EU, will visit the South East Lowveld from Wednesday to Friday, the EU Delegation to Zimbabwe said in a statement on Tuesday.

During the trip, the envoys will appreciate the progress and results achieved so far under the EU cooperation with Zimbabwe in the region, the statement said.

They will also seek to reinforce the understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the area, the statement added.

"During the visit, the delegation will meet with government, communities, traditional leaders, local authorities, farmers, conservancy operators and sugar producers to discuss their concerns, exchange views and strengthen the cooperation between the European Union and Zimbabwe for the benefits of the people in the South East Lowveld," the statement said.

EU Ambassador Philippe Van Damme said the EU was proud of having supported over the past years the people in the South East Lowveld with 14 million U.S. dollars in facing their daily challenges and working toward a more prosperous future with projects in agriculture, sustainable livelihood from wildlife, livestock and irrigation.

"In addition, the European Union supported the local sugar industry - one of the key economic drivers - with more than 37 million dollars to out-growers, improve infrastructure such as railway and irrigation schemes and increase production capacity.

"The European Union has a long standing and strong partnership with communities in the South East Lowveld, one of the most disadvantaged regions in Zimbabwe. Poverty, human wildlife conflict, land degradation, deforestation and drought are only some of the challenges facing the region," he said.

Van Damme added that the drought induced by the El Nino phenomenon in 2016 highlighted once more the vulnerability of the region, prompting large scale emergency assistance, among others, from the European Union.

"The European Union and its member states remain committed to continue their support. New programs for over 14 million dollars put the sustainable management of natural resources at the center of our cooperation," he said.

Van Damme said supporting communities, local administration and government in best leveraging and mobilizing the resources of the South East Lowveld including wildlife, tourism, livestock, sugar and agriculture in a balanced, economically, environmentally and socially sustainable way would be critical for the development of the local communities and for a better, more prosperous future.

Meanwhile, the EU has also launched a new call for proposals to support improved service delivery by public-private partnerships throughout the country.

It will provide 7.1 million dollars for a project that aims at promoting sustainable service delivery in the field of research, education and extension for improved contribution to wealth creation and agricultural growth.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 02:47:50|Editor: yan

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PRETORIA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from African central banks are holding a four-day meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, to discuss the impact of International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS9) on banks and regulators in the continent.

The workshop is organised by the Working Group on Cross-border Banking Supervision and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB).

Opening the workshop on Monday, Francois Groepe, deputy governor of SARB, encouraged Association of African Central Banks to tackle challenges affecting them.

Adhering to international financial standards will prevent the repeat of the disastrous global financial crisis of 2007-2008, Groepe said.

He said the crisis highlighted the systemic costs of a delayed recognition of credit losses on the part of banks and other lenders, and the application of the prevailing standards at the time was seen as having prevented banks from provisioning appropriately for credit losses likely to arise from emerging risks.

These delays resulted in the recognition of credit losses that were widely regarded as "too little, too late," and gave rise to questions of pro-cyclicality by spurring excessive lending during the boom and forcing a sharp reduction in the subsequent bust, he added.

Some financial experts believe that after that global financial crisis, banks are now better capitalized with higher buffers and are better able to absorb losses.

The SARB deputy governor said while many workshops have been held in the past two years, there have never been one focusing specifically on Africa.

"There are factors that are unique to Africa that need to be taken into account," Groepe said. "With this workshop, we want to fill this gap and provide a platform for African regulators to discuss the specific issues and concerns that may affect them in the implementation of IFRS 9."

The International Accounting Standards Board issued IFRS 9 on July 24, 2014, to replace the existing standard. IFRS 9 has a mandatory effective date of Jan. 1, 2018.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 03:02:53|Editor: yan

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MOSCOW, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Strategic Missile Forces successfully test-fired an RS-12M Topol intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The launch was conducted from the Kapustin Yar central range in the Astrakhan region in southern Russia, with the aim to "test advanced warheads installed on the ballistic missile," the ministry said.

"The warhead hit the designated target at the Sary-Shagan testing ranging in Kazakhstan with expected accuracy," it said in a statement.

Data on the missile test launch will be used to develop means of penetrating the enemy missile defenses, according to the ministry.

The RS-12M Topol is a single-warhead ICBM designed in the Soviet time, which entered service in 1985. It has a maximum range of 10,000 km and can carry a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 550 kilotons.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 03:17:57|Editor: yan

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HELSINKI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Cuban volleyball player was given unusually large compensation for being wrongfully detained in Finland.

The normal payment for detention as an innocent is 100 euros (117.9 U.S. dollars) per day or slightly more, but the Cuban got 500 euros per day, according to media reports. The total reached nearly 200,000 euros (235,933 U.S. dollars).

In July 2016, five Cuban volleyball players were detained in Tampere, central southern Finland on suspicion of having raped a Finnish woman at a hotel.

They were all convicted by a local court, but the court of appeals later found one of them, Luis Tomas Sosa Sierra, innocent. The court said there was no proof that he had participated in the rape.

Pekka Syrjanen, head of legal affairs at the State Treasury, told local media the compensation is not the highest so far. A woman wrongfully detained on suspicion of killing her husband got 800 euros per day some years ago.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 03:17:58|Editor: yan

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PRAGUE, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A light transport plane crashed Tuesday near the Diama plant in North Bohemian vicinity of Ceska Lipa in Czech Republic, leaving two people on board dead, regional emergency service said.

Regional emergency service spokesman Michael Georgiev said the ill-fated two sustained fatal injuries. Firefighters and emergency service staff did not find anyone else in the surrounding area.

Police spokeswoman Ivana Balakova said the twin-engined Cessna 421 light transport aircraft, on its way from Pribram, Czech Republic to Poland, went down and caught fire.

Balakova said the identities of the two victims are still unknown and the cause of the accident is under investigation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 03:22:59|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Treasury on Tuesday issued sanctions on eight banks and 26 individuals linked to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) financial networks in response to the country's ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction.

The individuals sanctioned are DPRK nationals operating in some foreign countries who act as representatives of DPRK banks, said a statement issued by the Treasury Department.

As a result of the action, any property or interests of the designated persons in the U.S. will be blocked.

"We are targeting North Korean (DPRK) banks and financial facilitators acting as representatives for North Korean (DPRK) banks across the globe," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea (DPRK) in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearized Korean peninsula. This action is also consistent with UN Security Council Resolutions," Mnuchin added.

The Treasury Department said Tuesday's sanctions are being taken to complement the UN Security Council resolution adopted on Sept. 11. The resolution imposed fresh sanctions on the DPRK over its nuclear test on Sept. 3, targeting oil imports and textile exports.

The sanctions came as DPRK and U.S. leaders were escalating their war of words. U.S. President Trump tweeted over the weekend that DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer," which was interpreted by Pyongyang as a declaration of war. The White House later clarified the United States has no intention of entering into armed conflict on the peninsula.

The row between the United States and the DPRK began earlier at the UN General Assembly. Trump said that the United States would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the DPRK unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches. DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho responded by calling Trump "mentally deranged."

The DPRK conducted another medium-range ballistic missile test on Sept. 15, just days after the council imposed fresh sanctions on the country over its nuclear test on Sept. 3.
Hezbollah fighters fire at a position of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria's Qalamoun region, on Aug. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

MOSCOW, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers have struck terrorist facilities with air-to-surface Kh-101 cruise missiles in the Syrian provinces of Deir al-Zour and Idlib, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

"Command centers and points of concentration of terrorists and material, as well as ammunition warehouses have been destroyed in a surprise attack," the ministry's spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

The warplanes took off from Engels airfield in Russia's southeastern Saratov region and covered a distance of more than 7,000 km passing over the territories in Iran and Iraq with one in-flight refueling, according to the statement.

During the operation the bombers were accompanied by Russian air force Su-30 and Su-35 fighter planes from Hmeimim air base in Syria.

All targets were located outside settlements and at a safe distance from the areas where U.S. Special Forces and militants of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces operated, Konashenkov said.

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry denied a media report that Russian warplanes had struck U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led militia in the vicinity of a gas field in Syria's eastern Deir al-Zour province.

Earlier on Tuesday, the ministry denied another report that it had struck civilian settlements in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

The Kh-101 is the latest Russian strategic air-launched cruise missile, manufactured using modern technologies to reduce radar visibility.
Finnish military unit practice tactical treatment of combat injuries during a co-operation between Finnish and Swedish troops at Tofta shooting field on the Swedish island Gotland on Sept. 19, 2017 during the ongoing military exercise Aurora 17. (AFP/TT NEWS AGENCY/Anders WIKLUND/Sweden OUT)

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A passenger train with 70 passengers on board derailed after colliding with a tank near Trosa, south of Stockholm, leaving four people injured, Swedish Television reported on Tuesday.

The collision occurred between Lastringe and Vagnharad, in an area where the military exercise Aurora 17 is in progress.

"Three people in the military vehicle are injured. There is also information that one person on the train has suffered minor injuries," local police said.

Those injured were sent to hospitals, and the rescue service, ambulance personnel and the police are working on site, according to Swedish Television.

The Aurora 17 military drill is currently taking place in the area, and local traffic was expected to be impacted as a result. Sweden's Armed Forces confirmed that the collision was with one of their Pansarterrangbil 360 tanks.

Local reports also said that the train is still upright and on track.

The three-week-long military exercise, dubbed Aurora 17 and scheduled to end this Friday, involves a simulated attack from a feigned foreign power. It is carried out all around Sweden, but the main exercise areas are in the Stockholm region in eastern Sweden, in Gothenburg on the west coast and on the Baltic island of Gotland, according to the Swedish Armed Forces' website.

The exercise, the largest in Sweden in over two decades, also involves military personnel from seven other countries, namely Denmark, Norway, Finland, France, Lithuania, Estonia and the United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 03:33:02|Editor: yan

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ABUJA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A commander of terror group Boko Haram has been arrested in Nigeria, an army spokesman said on Tuesday.

Sani Kukasheka Usman, the army spokesman, told reporters that the terrorist, named Idris Ibrahim Babawo, was arrested on Monday by the police in the southwestern state of Ondo and was immediately handed over to the army.

Babawo, according to the army, was believed to be on serial number 156 on the wanted Boko Haram terrorist list by the army.

A preliminary investigation by the army had shown that the suspect, aged 42, escaped from the northeast region due to the military onslaught, Usman said.

Nigeria has made a considerable gain on the Boko Haram front, with its security forces operating in the restive northeast region dislodging Boko Haram fighters from the Sambisa Forest, the group's largest training camp in the country, in December last year.

At least 1,400 suspected members of Boko Haram are currently held in a detention center in the country's northeast region.

Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of more than 20,000 people and displacing of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since their insurgency started in 2009.
An S-300 air defense missile system launches a missile during the Keys to the Sky competition at the International Army Games 2017 at the Ashuluk shooting range outside Astrakhan, Russia August 5, 2017. (REUTERS PHOTO)

MOSCOW, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Strategic Missile Forces successfully test-fired an RS-12M Topol intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The launch was conducted from the Kapustin Yar central range in the Astrakhan region in southern Russia, with the aim to "test advanced warheads installed on the ballistic missile," the ministry said.

"The warhead hit the designated target at the Sary-Shagan testing ranging in Kazakhstan with expected accuracy," it said in a statement.

Data on the missile test launch will be used to develop means of penetrating the enemy missile defenses, according to the ministry.

The RS-12M Topol is a single-warhead ICBM designed in the Soviet time, which entered service in 1985. It has a maximum range of 10,000 km and can carry a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 550 kilotons.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 03:48:09|Editor: yan

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CAIRO, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian government is keen on resolving any issues facing businessmen as it is working hard to attract investment, said Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail on Tuesday.

Ismail's remarks came during a meeting with a delegation from the Mercedes-Benz International as part of the government's efforts to seal business deals with giant world companies and boost foreign investment in the country.

The meeting was also attended by Mohab Mamish, head of both the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) and the General Authority of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone).

Mamish said that the SCA reached an agreement with the Mercedes-Benz International to establish a distribution center for the large automobiles manufacturer in the SCZone.

Over the past few years, Egypt has been suffering from an economic recession due to political instability and security issues that led to the decline of tourism, foreign currency reserves and foreign investment.

The country started last year a strict three-year economic reform program including the introduction of a full currency floating to tackle a shortage of foreign reserves, in addition to implementing austerity measures, fuel subsidy cuts and tax increases.

Egypt's reform program is supported by a 12-billion-U.S. dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund, a third of which has already been delivered to Egypt in two tranches in November 2016 and July 2017.

Egypt is also about to issue a final version of a long-awaited investment law that is expected to facilitate business startups and lure foreign investors.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 03:58:14|Editor: yan

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GENEVA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency on Tuesday urged European Union (EU) member states to promptly relocate all asylum-seekers eligible under the bloc's emergency relocation scheme and for it to continue beyond the two years originally planned.

Pascale Moreau, director of UNHCR's Europe bureau, said the scheme has proven to be of vital importance in easing the refugee pressure on Greece and Italy, and has improved the lives of many seeking protection. She expressed hope that the plan could continue beyond the Sept. 26 deadline.

Under current conditions, only asylum-seekers of nationalities with an average recognition rate of 75 percent or higher at the EU level are considered eligible for relocation.

The UNHCR has previously called for a review of this criteria and for the threshold to be lowered to allow for more people likely to be in need of international protection to be included.

Swift relocation, including fast registration and transfer of candidates, is particularly crucial for unaccompanied and separated children, who sometimes still are in poor living and security conditions in Greece and Italy, the UNHCR said.

In September 2015, EU member states agreed on a two-year plan of relocating 160,000 asylum-seekers in total, including 106,000 from Greece and Italy, to other European countries to ease the pressure on frontline states.

Up to Sept. 22, 2017, 47,905 places were formally pledged by EU states, with 20,066 asylum-seekers relocated from Greece and 9,078 from Italy, in which the UNHCR will continue its efforts.

The UNHCR reiterates its call for a robust asylum system that ensures access to territory and efficient asylum procedures, as well as for properly allocation responsibility among EU member states, even in exceptional circumstances.
File Photo: Photo provided by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 22, 2016, shows a test firing of the new, large-caliber multiple rocket launcher in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). (Xinhua/KCNA)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has not changed its military posture despite heated exchange of rhetoric with the United States, a top American general said on Tuesday.

"While the political space is clearly very charged right now, we haven't seen a change in the posture of North Korean (DPRK) forces and we watch that very closely," Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee.

"What we haven't seen is military activity that would be reflective of the charged political environment," Dunford added.

Asked about his assessment of DPRK's ballistic missile program, the general said the country will "soon" have the capability to strike U.S. mainland with an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"Whether it's three months or six months or 18 months, it is soon, and we ought to conduct ourselves as though it is just a matter of time, and a matter of very short time, before North Korea (DPRK) has that capability," Dunford told lawmakers.

On Tuesday, at a joint press conference with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, U.S. President Donald Trump called on nations to further isolate the DPRK in response to its nuclear and missile programs.

"North Korean (DPRK) nuclear weapons and missile development threaten the entire world with unthinkable loss of life. All nations must act now to ensure the regime's complete denuclearization," Trump said.

In recent weeks, the United States and the DPRK have been engaging in a war of words, which escalated after a tweet message by Trump infuriated Pyongyang.

Trump tweeted over the weekend that DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer," which was interpreted by Pyongyang as a declaration of war. The White House later clarified that Washington has no intention of entering into armed conflict on the peninsula.

The escalating rhetoric came shortly after the row between the United States and the DPRK at the UN General Assembly.

In his first speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 19, Trump threatened that the United States would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the DPRK unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches.

In response, DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un vowed to retaliate, saying the threat to "totally destroy" a sovereign state has gone beyond the limit.

China has discouraged the two countries from escalating their war of words and has repeatedly expressed the hope that both U.S. and DPRK statesmen have the wisdom to realize that resorting to the use of force is not an option for resolving the peninsula issue.

"We have heard threats of war too often recently," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a regular news briefing on Tuesday.

"There will be no winners should war break out on the Korean Peninsula and it will bring suffering to regional countries," Lu said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 04:58:41|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican senators on Tuesday decided not to vote on their latest Obamacare repeal bill after it was clear their latest effort would fail.

"We made the decision since we don't have the votes, we're going to postpone it," said Senator Bill Cassidy after the Republican lawmakers met at their weekly luncheon.

"We haven't given up on changing the American health care system," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. "We are not going to be able to do that this week, but it still lies ahead of us, and we haven't given up on that."

The last-gasp drive was aimed to kill off the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, dismantling its insurance subsidy program and Medicaid expansion and convert their funding into block grants to states.

Three Republican senators have announced their opposition to the repeal proposal, ensuring that Republican senate leaders would be short of the votes they needed.

Among them, Rand Paul said the repeal bill would have left too much of Obamacare in place. John McCain said he would be voting no in large part because of a process he said was rushed and excluded Democrats.

Republican Senator Susan Collins from the northeastern U.S. state of Maine announced her opposition to the repeal bill on Monday, citing its cuts to Medicaid and its lack of protection for people with pre-existing conditions.

In response, Democrats in the Senate urged their Republican colleagues to resume bipartisan negotiations to stabilize health insurance markets under the Obamacare.

Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate and must pass the bill with a simple majority before Sept. 30 deadline.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 04:58:42|Editor: yan

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MEXICO CITY, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from last week's destructive 7.1-magnitude earthquake in central Mexico has climbed to 333, the government said on Tuesday.

The head of the national civil protection agency, Luis Felipe Puente, said 194 lives were lost in Mexico City, while the remainder in the surrounding or nearby states.

The quake, whose epicenter was located close to Mexico City, knocked down at least 38 buildings in the capital and severely damaged about 500 others. Thousands of other buildings, including schools, require varying degrees of repair.

In many neighborhoods, red and yellow danger and caution tape was strung around buildings and sidewalks, warning pedestrians of loose bricks or deeply cracked facades, which could come falling down with another tremor.

The Sept. 19 quake was the second strong temblor to hit Mexico in less than two weeks. An 8.2-magnitude quake struck off the coast of south Mexico on Sept. 7, swaying buildings as far away as in Mexico City, and claiming 98 lives in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas.

By Tuesday morning, Mexico's National Seismological Service (SSN) registered 5,004 aftershocks from the first quake, some as strong as 6.0 on the Richter scale of seismic intensity.

As many as 110,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in the two southern states, leaving about 300,000 people homeless.

Carlos Valdes, head of the National Center for Disaster Prevention, said the high number of aftershocks was due to the quake's 8.2 magnitude.

"It is so large that ... the fractured (plate's) process of resettling gradually diminishes, causing these aftershocks," Valdes said in a televised interview.

September's second quake has registered 39 aftershocks, the SSN said.

In Mexico City, rescue efforts continued at five sites, where buildings collapsed and bodies, or survivors, were still believed to be trapped inside.

According to officials, as of Monday, some 40 people remained unaccounted for. Nearly 25,000 city residents left homeless are at city shelters.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 05:03:44|Editor: yan

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VALLETTA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Malta's local environmental organization BirdLife has demanded government action against hunting and stop hunting season, because 15 protected birds have been illegally shot in this autumn hunting season, BirdLife said Tuesday in a statement.

Bird hunting is a very popular practice in Malta. With approximately 15,000 hunters, it contains the highest density of hunters per capita in all of Europe. The autumn season was opened on Sept. 1 until Jan. 31, which according to BirdLife, is too long.

Birdlife has called on the Maltese government to adopt some measures to forbid illegally hunting since this autumn opened, but more and more protected birds have been shot, BirdLife said in the statement.

Malta's Environment Minister Jose Herrera on Monday called on the police to take strong actions against hunters who are breaking the law. But another two protected birds shot on Tuesday, the statement said.

"BirdLife Malta reiterates that there is no genuine political will from the government to control hunting whatsoever with illegalities happening in all corners of the island with every opportunity," BirdLife said.

"It is high time the government stopped pampering the hunting lobby and rather than showing concern about what hunters are causing to themselves when they shoot protected birds, it should be preoccupied about the fact that schoolchildren visiting nature reserves in the days to come will not be able to see these beautiful birds as they have been shot," the statement said.

Illegal hunting and under-reporting is not the only concern for this organization. The use of pre-recorded bird calls for hunting purposes is also illegal. BirdLife often hears these recordings during their camps, but due to low law enforcement, are unable to precisely locate the call and ensure that the trapper is fined.

Furthermore, hunting in the spring is banned throughout the entire EU with minor exceptions under the Bird Directive that was first established through the EU Commission in 1979. BirdLife hopes to fight this legislation and make spring hunting completely illegal in the future, it said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 05:08:46|Editor: yan

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GENEVA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Some 539 unaccompanied asylum seekers aged under 18 disappeared from the view of official Swiss agencies last year, up from 94 in 2015, or a six-fold increase, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) on Tuesday.

Official statistics showed that most of the disappearance cases, or more than 320, were minors of 16 to 17 years old, while some 134 cases were aged 6 to 15. Many of them often fled official reception centers and disappeared from the authorities' radar after saying they want to claim asylum.

Reports last year suggested that in some parts of Switzerland, up to 90 percent of migrants allocated to reception centers to await the processing of their asylum application fled the centers shortly after arriving.

The migration office says it cannot really explain the big increase, as it's proportional to the high number of asylum-seekers in Switzerland. So far this year, 310 minors have dropped off the SEM's radar, while some 5,000 unaccompanied minors are currently living in Switzerland.

Experts have warned of a high risk that many of these young people could end up victims of trafficking or as delinquents, as young migrants were not always reported missing as non-migrant children would be.

In 2016, a total of 9,416 refugees aged between 12 and 18 were picked up at the Swiss border, more than half being 17 or 18, and only one in seven was female. The Swiss Border Guard said around half of those kids applied for asylum and were handed over to SEM. The other half were passed to foreign authorities, mostly to Italy.

The Swiss cabinet said these youngsters were turned away from Switzerland either because they didn't fulfill entry conditions or because they wanted to travel through Switzerland to another country without applying for asylum.

According to the UN, each year millions of children cross international borders to flee wars and other conflict zones. Those unaccompanied by an adult or guardian are especially vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and sexual violence.

Requests for asylum in Switzerland plunged by more than a third to more than 9,000 in the first half of 2017, after authorities closed the Balkan land route used by thousands to flee conflicts in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 05:08:47|Editor: yan

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HELSINKI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Finnish energy giant Fortum is getting at least 46 percent ownership in the German energy company Uniper, Fortum announced on Tuesday in a statement.

Fortum said it signed a deal with E.ON to acquire about 46 percent share of Uniper stock.

In line with German law, Fortum is making a tender to all Uniper shareholders at 22 euros (26 U.S. dollars) per share. At this rate, the value of the 46 percent ownership would be 3.76 billion euros out of the whole Uniper stock of 8.05 billion euros, Finnish News Agency reported.

Fortum underlined that its aim is to acquire only the E.ON portion of the stock capital.

However, based on their offer to all shareholders, the ownership by Fortum may exceed 50 percent of Uniper. Fortum CEO Pekka Lundmark said in a press release on Tuesday Fortum is "convinced its offer would be of interest to all other shareholders of Uniper".

As the first reports about a possible Fortum interest in the E.ON ownership of Uniper circulated last week, Uniper CEO Klaus Schafer described the intentions of Fortum as "an unsolicited takeover offer" and said it is not in line with the strategies of Uniper.

Fortum CEO Lundmark told the media last week that Fortum had suggested to Uniper earlier in the summer that Fortum and Uniper could combine their businesses, but Uniper had rejected the offer.

Lundmark said Fortum is not planning to conquer Uniper. He said the plan is "an investment, not a takeover".

Uniper operates in Europe, Russia and several other market areas globally. It has 13,000 employees.

The state of Finland is the majority owner of Fortum. Mika Lintila, the Minister for Economic Development, said last week Finland has a positive attitude towards the purchase of Uniper shares by Fortum. Lintia said he was not aware of "any particular risks that would be associated with the purchase".
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 05:13:49|Editor: yan

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TEHRAN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran's army has dispatched more air defense missile systems to its western borders to counter any threats, the army's air defense headquarters announced on Tuesday.

The army's air defense has increased preparedness for "decisive response" to any act of aggression in western areas, said Alireza Elhami, lieutenant commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.

The move by the Iranian army came after the Iraqi Kurdistan region held the independence referendum on Monday.

Iran has announced its discontent with the independence vote, while voicing its support for the territorial integrity of Iraq.

On Sunday, the Iranian army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) kicked off military drills along the country's western border areas ahead of the Kurdish referendum.

The army's Heidar-e-Karrar war game involved the armoured units, airborne division, drone squad, and the Ground Force's rapid reaction forces, Tasnim news agency reported.

On Sunday evening, the army's fighter jets flew across the country's western airspace as part of the military drills to show their strong presence. The jets provided logistic support for the army's rapid reaction units.

Iranian military officials also carried out an evaluation of the air force's offensive capability and the coordination among the ground force's airborne division and the air force in an operational zone near the city of Qasr-e Shirin in the western province of Kermanshah.

Besides, the IRGC started the Muharram drills in the western provinces on Sunday.

The Muharram war game sent out a message of peace and security to the friends, and reminded the enemies that the country's borders will be powerfully protected against hostile moves, the IRGC said.

The voters in the Kurdish region and disputed areas cast ballots in the referendum on Monday on seeking independence of the region from Iraq.

Initial poll results showed at least 93 percent of Kurds approved independence from Iraq.

The referendum was held despite intense international pressure to suspend the vote, raising fears that it would spark a new conflict with Baghdad and powerful neighboring countries such as Iran and Turkey.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 05:18:50|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The number of Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar to Bangladesh since late August has reached 480,000, challenging efforts to care for them, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.

"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the number of Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar into Bangladesh since late August has now topped 480,000," he said. "This brings the total number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to more than 700,000 people."

The Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority, are denied citizenship under a 1982 Myanmar citizenship law. The Myanmar government recognizes them as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

A crackdown by Myanmar's army, launched in response to attacks by Rohingya militants on Aug. 25, has pushed vast numbers of refugees from the stateless Muslim minority across the border with Bangladesh. The violence has incubated a humanitarian crisis on both sides of the border.

"As part of its contribution to the response plan led by the Bangladeshi authorities, a cargo jet chartered by the UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) carrying 100 metric tons of urgently needed shelter supplies landed in Dhaka this (Tuesday) morning, Dujarric said. "Two more aid flights are scheduled to arrive."

"Despite the efforts being made on the ground, the massive influx seeking safety is outpacing the capacity to respond," the spokesman said. "Many of those recently arrived are deeply traumatized."

The latest refugees, mainly women and children, have been telling authorities they were chased from their homes by vigilantes after a deadly rebel raid Aug. 25 on security posts in northern Rakhine State. Their homes were then set ablaze.

"At the request of authorities in Bangladesh, UNHCR and its partners have scaled up protection and life-saving support to the new arrivals in Kutupalong and Nayapara camps," he said, adding that the refugees agency is also distributing emergency shelter kits, kitchen sets, jerry cans, sleep lamps, solar lamps and other supplies.

During his visit to Bangladesh over the weekend, High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi discussed the importance of working with Bangladeshi authorities.

He said that for now the immediate focus has to remain on fast, efficient and substantial increases of support to those who are so desperately in need.

The World Food Program has enrolled 460,000 people to receive 25 kilos of rice every two weeks for the next six months, Dujarric said. More than 200,000 people have received an emergency supply of high-energy biscuits.

He also said the WFP is especially concerned about the health of women and children arriving hungry and malnourished and is providing nearly 60,000 of them with food to date.

"The World Health Organization has helped set up a control room for the Bangladeshi Health Ministry operation in Cox's Bazar," he said. "The control room will monitor the health situation, provide early warning alerts and coordinate the work of health workers on the ground.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 06:04:05|Editor: yan

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RABAT, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Morocco will receive nearly 24 million U.S. dollars from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to finance small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the bank announced on Tuesday.

The loan is provided in two equal tranches to CaixaBank Succursale au Maroc (CBM), a branch of CaixaBank in Morocco, for on-lending to SMEs, the EBRD said in a statement.

Access to loans especially in local currency remains a challenge for Moroccan SMEs, which are one of the EBRD's priorities, the statement added.

In addition, the EBRD's funds also aim at improving CBM's balance-sheet maturity and enhancing its SMEs financing capacity.

SMEs are the backbone of the Moroccan economy and supporting them will increase employment in the country and contribute to its economic growth, said Alain Pilloux, the EBRD's vice president for banking.

Morocco is a founding member of the EBRD, which has invested about 1.41 billion U.S. dollars in 30 projects across the country since 2012.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 06:14:07|Editor: yan

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MEXICO CITY, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A week after Mexico City's deadliest quake in three decades, the local government on Tuesday unveiled a reconstruction plan to make buildings more quake proof.

"Today we begin the implementation of a plan for the repair, recovery and transformation of Mexico City into a more resilient city," Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera told reporters at a press conference here.

Mancera presented an initial package of emergency measures to respond to the immediate economic and social needs of quake victims, including some 25,000 residents left homeless and currently in shelters.

Those who lost their homes will be eligible to receive some 3,000 pesos (about 167 U.S. dollars) a month to help pay rent.

The government will also help subsidize repairs, with the amount depending on the severity of the damage.

"If the property is damaged but can be inhabited, expenses will be covered for (repairing) cracks, and broken glass and ceilings," said Mancera, adding house owners will be able to receive up to 8,000 pesos to cover the expenses (445 U.S. dollars).

The reconstruction plan foresees repairing nearly 12,000 properties that have been classified into three categories -- 10,000 green, 1,300 yellow and 500 red -- according to the extent of destruction.

Mexico City is divided into 16 delegations, or boroughs, each with its own borough chief, and they are to complete a census of the damage and present the results to the Federal Natural Disaster Fund (Fonden) to release funding.

The financial group BBVA Bancomer announced Tuesday it will donate 180 million pesos (around 10 million U.S. dollars) for the reconstruction of schools in Mexico damaged by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake on September 19.

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck central Mexico a little past 1 p.m. on Sept. 19, 32 years to the day after a deadly 8.1-magnitude quake killed thousands in Mexico City.

The death toll so far stands at 333, nearly two-thirds of the victims were killed in Mexico City, where at least 38 buildings collapsed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 06:19:09|Editor: Yang Yi

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Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffrain (1st R, Rear) speaks on the second Sino-French Cultural Forum in Lyon, France, on Sept. 26, 2017. The second Sino-French Cultural Forum was held on Tuesday in the southern French city of Lyon. (Xinhua/Han Bing)

LYON, France, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The second Sino-French cultural forum was held on Tuesday in the southern French city of Lyon.

The two-day event, under the theme of "The Cultural Silk Road, the Franco-Chinese Confluences", will have elites sharing their insights and experiences in various fields, including culture, art, and education.

Lyon was one of the final stops of the ancient Silk Road trade routes. Known for its gastronomy and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city was historically an important area for silk production and it was also the birthplace of cinema.

Chen Zhu, president of the Western Returned Scholars Association, said enhancing cultural exchanges was an effective way to dispel misunderstandings and prejudices and to promote mutual understanding and trust between the two countries.

Former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffrain also noted the importance of the culture for both countries, saying "the relationship between France and China is primarily a cultural relationship".

Raffrain praised the spirit of the "New Silk Road". The Belt and Road Initiative, put forward by China in 2013, showed a path of cooperation in a spirit of openness, which is especially important for today's world, he said.

The Belt and Road Initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming to build trade and infrastructure networks along the ancient Silk Road routes connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond.

The spirit of the Silk Road is embodied in solidarity and mutual trust, equality and mutual benefit, inclusiveness, a disposition to learn from each other and cooperation in finding win-win solutions.

The first Sino-French Cultural Forum was held in May 2016 in Beijing.

The forum, jointly put forward by Chen Zhu and Jean-Pierre Raffarin, is aimed at building a non-official and non-profit Sino-French communication platform. The forum will be held in China and France alternately.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 06:34:12|Editor: Lu Hui

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A Kurdish man casts his vote at a polling station during the referendum vote in Erbil, Iraq, on Sept. 25, 2017. The Iraqi Kurds on Monday cast their votes in a referendum that will determine the independence of the Kurdish region and the disputed areas that are currently under de facto Kurdish control. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

ISTANBUL, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- As Iraq's neighbors are cooperating with Baghdad to impose sanctions against the Iraqi Kurds over an independence referendum, Turkish analysts downplayed the possibility of a military intervention.

Latest figures showed that at least 93 percent of the Kurdish voters favored independence of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region from Iraq.

The regional balances don't allow medium-sized countries to take up arms against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Hasan Koni, a professor of public international law at Istanbul Kultur University, told Xinhua.

"It is not probable that Turkey, Iran and Iraq would militarily intervene against the Kurds," Koni added.

Turkey and Iran, two immediate neighbors which have borders with the Kurdistan region, are seen as medium-sized powers, while Iraq itself has been weakened by years of bloody civil war following the U.S. occupation in 2003.

Celalettine Yavuz, a former staff officer in the Turkish military, also believed that the chances are slim for Turkey and Iran to militarily intervene in the Kurdistan region.

Huseyin Bagci, a professor of international relations in Ankara-based Middle East Technical University, echoed Yavuz, saying "not only the United States and Israel, but the whole world would oppose such an intervention."

Most analysts thought that the U.S. would, despite its opposition to the referendum, block a possible military intervention.

The Iraqi central government is not considered to be in a position to militarily intervene either, as it gets support from the U.S. in its fight against the terror group Islamic State (IS).

"Should Baghdad take up arms against the Kurds, the United States may stop supporting Iraq against IS," Koni observed, noting the Kurds could also give weapons to the IS, which would upset Baghdad.

The Iraqi military, already weakened by years of battle against the militant group, is not strong enough to succeed in such a military operation, said Yavuz.

IRAQI GOVERNMENT, NEIGHBORS JOINED HANDS IN TAKING COUNTERMEASURES

As the Iraqi Kurds went to the polls on Monday, Ankara and Tehran took coordinated steps with Baghdad to exert pressure on the Kurds.

Turkey and Iran, both housing a large Kurdish population, strongly oppose the Iraqi Kurdish referendum on secession, arguing it would lead to further chaos and ethnic clashes in the turmoil-hit region.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed to do whatever is necessary to protect the territorial integrity of the country. He only underlined that the government would use force in case unrest erupts in the disputed areas as result of the referendum.

Baghdad demanded in an order to the Kurdish government on Sunday that the control of all airports and border gates be handed over to the central government. It also asked all foreign countries to deal with the central government on all issues including oil sale.

Iran closed on Sunday its air space to flights to and from the Iraqi Kurdish region upon Baghdad's request.

Turkey started military maneuvers along its border with the Kurdish region a week before the referendum, but it was no more than muscle flexing for show only, Bagci said.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Monday that Turkey has been working on political, economic and military measures against the Kurdish region.

But he added that the military maneuvers on the border do not mean that Ankara would get involved in a war.

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a more hardline stance, implying that Ankara could launch a military operation against the Kurdish government.

"We might unexpectedly land (with troops in northern Iraq) one night," Erdogan said.

However, analysts said Erdogan's remarks are seen by some as aimed more at domestic audiences to give the public an impression that the government is doing its best against the Kurdish move.

"Too much thunder, but no rain," commented Bagci.

KURDISH INDEPENDENCE BID NOT TO BE STRANGLED EASILY

Turkey can do nothing at this point to deter the Iraqi Kurds, Bagci argued, noting that it is Ankara, as the KRG's leading economic partner, which has paved the way for the KRG to feel confident enough to claim independence.

Even if Ankara is to intervene militarily in the Kurdish region, an invitation from Baghdad is needed, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

Analysts, however, are not so gloomy about the Kurds' options if they are imposed with economic sanctions.

"The U.S. and Israel would make sure that Kurds get their needs by air," Koni said, noting Washington has several military bases in northern Iraq.

KRG President Masoud Barzani must have estimated that his region would be facing such an embargo, added Koni.

"The Kurds may find a way of selling their oil via Jordan, Syria and Israel," Yavuz remarked. Israel is the only country which openly supports the emergence of a Kurdish state.

No sanctions would be able to push the Kurds to back down, Bagci noted.

The world's major powers like the United States and Russia only said they support the territorial integrity of Iraq, without raising voice against the Kurds.

Washington called for the referendum to be postponed on the grounds that it would damage the fight against the IS by creating a new conflict in the region.

With the U.S. help, the Iraqi Kurds have expanded the territory under their control over the years after they pushed away IS militants from some towns in northern Iraq. People living in those towns, including Kirkuk, voted in the referendum as well.

Turkish and Iranian presidents have spoken over the phone respectively with their Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about latest developments in the region, and Putin is scheduled to arrive in Ankara on Thursday for talks with Erdogan.

For his part, Erdogan will be in Tehran for talks on Oct. 4. Prior to his trip, Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar will visit the Iranian capital.

Turkey and Iran see the emergence of a Kurdish state in the region as an existential threat, given that both have a sizeable Kurdish population at home.

Turkey has been fighting a Kurdish separatist movement for over 30 years, while Iran is faced with a similar problem, though to a lesser degree.

In the war-torn Syria, another neighbor of Iraq, Kurdish militia forces have carved out three autonomous cantons along the Turkish border. The KRG region in northern Iraq and the cantons in northern Syria are de facto linked through the border.

The referendum result itself will not mean an automatic declaration of independence, as voters were simply asked to say whether they favor separation of the Kurdistan region from Iraq.

A "yes" vote will give the KRG, however, the green light to declare independence when circumstances are deemed suitable in the future.

Barzani recently said the talks over independence with Baghdad may take up to two years, adding the Kurds want to continue their relationship with Baghdad as good neighbors.

But the process "would lead in the longer run to the establishment of the Greater Kurdistan," observed Koni.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 06:44:15|Editor: An

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Chinese Ambassador to Venezuela Zhao Bentang (L) and Venezuelan Minister of Culture Alejandrina Reyes show a copy of the book "The Governance of China" by Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a book donation ceremony in Caracas, capital of Venezuela, Sept. 26, 2017. The Chinese Embassy to Venezuela on Tuesday donated Chinese President Xi Jinping's book "The Governance of China" and 384 other books by Chinese authors to Venezuela's National Library. (Xinhua/Boris Vergara)

CARACAS, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's embassy in Venezuela on Tuesday donated more than 385 books by renowned Chinese authors to Venezuela's National Library, in a bid to strengthen cultural cooperation between the two nations.

Among the 35 titles were the acclaimed book by Chinese President Xi Jinping, "The Governance of China," and "Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh," by Nobel prize-winning author Mo Yan.

The literary exchange aims to take bilateral relationship to a new level marked by greater interest in China's culture and civilization, especially among Venezuelan youth.

In making the donation, China's ambassador to Venezuela Zhao Bentang said cultural exchange was a "fundamental form of sharing" that has over the past decade helped increase "comprehensive cooperation" between the two countries.

The remainder of the titles delve into a range of issues, from politics to economics and culture, inviting readers to learn more about different facets of Chinese society, including its governing system and reforms process.

The donation reflects "sharing with the Venezuelan people our achievements in science, technology, in environmental protection, in what we think, what we experience and what we do, because our goal is to promote closeness and communication between our countries, with an eye towards shared peace and development," said Zhao.

Venezuela's Minister of Culture Alejandrina Reyes said the move marks "the beginning of a beautiful stage of joint collaboration."

More cultural events are planned. Venezuela's National Cinematheque Foundation plans to screen a series of Chinese films starting Oct. 1, to mark China's National Day.

In addition, an ongoing exhibit called "Relating China 2017" features 54 photographs by various artists that show daily life in Chinese cities and the countryside. The exhibit will be traveling to 24 libraries around the country.

A photography exhibit opening Sunday at the Bellas Artes Museum in Caracas will showcase more than a thousand images of the Silk Road, the historic trade route linking China with Europe, the Middle East and other regions.

The book donation and other cultural events are part of a program called "Red October," putting together by Venezuela's Culture Ministry to celebrate the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 06:49:17|Editor: yan

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TUNIS, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Phosphate production in Tunisia declined about 40 to 50 percent during 2010-2017, due to loss of many foreign markets, the Gafsa Phosphate Company (GPC) said on Tuesday.

The GPC has recorded a production of 3.1 million tons of phosphate since January 2017, down from 3.8 million tons in 2016, and 8 million tons in 2010, said Abderrazak Ratassi, the company's marketing production manager.

The main reason for this drop is the decline in the yield of Tunisian Chemical Group, a public enterprise responsible for phosphate mining and processing, whose operation is affected by sit-ins and social movements preventing the transport of phosphate products.

Phosphate exports is a key source of foreign revenues for Tunisia.

Tunisia is forced to turn to European countries, as it has lost markets like India and Brazil.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 06:59:19|Editor: Song Lifang

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MINSK, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday expressed regret that the UK is leaving the European Union and urged more investment from Britain.

The Belarusian leader made the remarks during a meeting here with Alan Duncan, British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

"We would have a reliable good partner and friend in the European Union who could tell the truth about Belarus," Lukashenko said.

Despite the UK's exit from the EU, Lukashenko encouraged the UK to invest more actively in Belarus, which will create the most favorable and convenient conditions for British investors to do business in Belarus.

In his turn, Duncan said the UK considers Belarus as a very important partner. "We had 25 years of good relations between the UK and Belarus, and the next 25 years will be even better," he said.

Duncan arrived in Minsk on Monday. The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-27 07:04:20|Editor: Song Lifang

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RABAT, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) on Tuesday strongly denounced the suspected arson attack at a mosque in central Sweden.

The ISESCO urged Swedish authorities to severely punish the perpetrators of this "despicable terrorist act," which the police pointed to as an arson attack.

The Islamic organ also called on Swedish authorities to ensure greater protection for mosques and Muslim citizens against the trend of Islamophobia.

It added that the demand is in compliance with the resolutions of the UN and its organs which request states and people embrace tolerance, reject contempt for religions, and ban desecration of religious sanctities.

Swedish police said they arrested a man suspected of involvement in the fire that partly destroyed a mosque in Orebro, 160 km west of the capital Stockholm.
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China Telecom (News - Alert) is building a cloud radio access network using optical technology from Huawei. The company says the fronthaul network will enable it to address the greater cell site density well see with 5G.





This Huawei (News - Alert)-powered network will be located in the Northeast Liaoning province. And it will leverage Huawei Blade optical transport network, which the company describes as a sub-solution to its X-Haul solution.

Huawei Blade OTN employs 10G optical components and Huaweis Turbo WDM to deliver 100 gigabit-level bandwidth. It supports up to 15 channels of common public radio interface access and has the ability to aggregate channels.

As a result, Huawei says it will reduce China Telecoms fiber requirements by more than 90 percent. It also automatically provisions services, eliminates wavelength planning, and remotely locates faults.

A fronthaul network includes the intermediate links between the centralized radio controllers and the radio heads at the edge of a cellular network.

Juniper Research (News - Alert) forecasts that there will be 1 million 5G connection in 2019. That will quickly ramp up to 1.4 billion by 2025, according to the research firm.

Verizon (News - Alert) executive Matt Ellis recently said his company is confident it will be able to roll out 5G commercially next year. Verizons early work related to 5G involves fixed wireless tests in 11 markets. Meanwhile, Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri recently commented that he believes there will be significant 5G trials next year and meaningful deployments of 5G the following year in China, the U.S., and elsewhere.

As for Huawei, it has been doing 5G work with a variety of service providers, including BT (News - Alert), China Mobile, M1, NTT DoCoMo, Optus, StarHub, and Telus. Huawei also has been staging 5G workshops for network operators in India. And last month Huawei introduced its X-Haul 5G bearer solution, which supports backhaul and fronthaul applications with IP, ITN, and microwave connectivity.

Edited by Mandi Nowitz
The embattled lawmaker representing the Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye, has said the 90-day deadline set for the Independent National Electoral Commission by Section 69 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for his recall has expired.

Melaye also alleged that it was only after several attempts at his life had failed that they resorted to this sham process of recall.

I celebrate the obituary of the Made in Taiwan recall exercise, while sympathising with the induced petitioners, who will obviously face charges of forgery and other criminal charges before a court of law very, very soon, the lawmaker said this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday.

He added, I have been inundated with calls by my constituents, friends, political allies and members of the general public ever since the expiration of the 90 days period as provided for by the Nigerian constitution for INEC to conclude the process of the recall by conducting the referendum.

It is therefore crystal clear that by the provisions of Section 69(b) of the 1999 Constitution, INEC must act on the petition purportedly presented to it on the 23rd of June, 2017, by conducting the referendum within 90 days of the receipt of the petition. In this case, INEC received the petition on the 23rd day of June, 2017.

The 90 days period, as provided for in the constitution for conducting the referendum elapsed on the 23rd day of September, 2017.

The time, as provided for in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, having elapsed by effluxion of time, I, Senator Dino Melaye, cannot and shall not under any circumstance, aid and abet INEC to further desecrate and infringe on the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which I have sworn to defend.

The senator stated that it was in that spirit that he deemed it necessary to address the press to highlight his points, one of which was that in view of the lapse of time, I shall no longer be in a haste to take any further step in this matter so as not to be seen to have aided any party, especially INEC, in the continued blatant breach of the provisions of the constitution which I have sworn to uphold.

Melaye recalled that, On the 23rd day of June, 2017, certain persons claiming to be my constituents purportedly submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission on the grounds that they have lost confidence in me. It would interest you to know that the major grounds for the alleged loss of confidence in me, was that I was constantly speaking against the Governor of Kogi State, (Yahaya Bello), for his high-handedness in the administration of the state.

Melaye further recalled that he instructed his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), to file an action in court challenging the entire process on several grounds, while the processes were served on INEC on June 28, 2017, whereas INEC eventually filed its defence to the said originating processes one whole month after the service of the originating processes on it.

The lawmaker said despite INECs failure to file defence to the court processes, they suddenly woke up after a court had granted an order directing them to maintain status quo pending the hearing of the originating summons. They rushed to court, filed several applications, inclusive of an application before a brother vacation judge in the Federal High Court, asking him to interfere with the discretionary powers of another brother judge, who had already ordered that status quo be maintained.

Melaye added, I was reliably informed by my lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, that it is an elementary principle of law that a court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot sit on appeal over a judgment or order of a brother judge. It was at this point that I personally felt that it is either the INECs lawyers are not well versed in law or that they are exhibiting unusual desperation in their avowed determination to unseat me from the National Assembly, under the close guidance of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and Senator Smart Adeyemi (his predecessor).

Melaye said while the FHC had since delivered its judgment and he had instructed Ozekhome to file an appeal against the judgment, there were still socio-political issues.
The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has given condition that will make it support restructuring of the country.

National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Biu, in a chat with Punch, said ACF will only back dialogue that would keep Nigerias unity intact.

He said, ACF respects the views of Nigerians on any structure of government that will strengthen our unity and peaceful coexistence for equitable development.

ACF reaffirms its commitment to one united, indivisible and indissoluble Nigeria with equal rights and opportunities for all.

We also support due process within our democratic institutions in effecting any structural change for the common good of all.
May 1 1967 at a meeting of Leaders of thought of Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, influenced the accompanying announcement: I to consider my obligation to Yoruba individuals specifically and to Nigerians by and large to put four objectives, two of them all out, and two contingent. (1) Only a tranquil arrangement must be found to capture the present intensifying stalemate and reestablish commonality. (2) The Eastern Region must be urged to remain some portion of the Federation (3) If the Eastern Region is permitted by demonstrations of oversight or commission to withdraw from or pick of Nigeria, at that point Western Region and Lagos should likewise remain out of the Federation. (4) The general population of Western Nigeria or Lagos would take an interest in the Ad hoc Constitutional Committee or any comparative body just on the premise of total balance with other Region of the Federations. It was the gravest articulation made by any pioneer in Nigeria at a crucial time.

The same Chief Awolowo made another controversial statement on July 6, 1974 at the University of Ife when he said the 1973 census is a barren exercise, an event which I covered for the Nigerian Tribune. We shall come to that later. The question is, why did the Western Region not follow the Eastern Region when it seceded on May 30 1967? The Daily Sketch which published in full Chief Awolowos speech on May 2 1967 sold in Enugu at two shillings per copy which is more equivalent of todays N600. The speech was a hot cake. Then, there was the argument that the fate of the Yoruba in Ilorin and Kabba provinces at that time was not properly addressed in that speech considering the political influence of Chief Sunday Olawoyin (1935-2000) and later leaders like Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo (76), my friend Chief Ayo Opadokun and Dr. Abubakar Saraki (1933-2012). It is a pity that Chief Awolowo did not publish his memoirs before he died in his hometown of Ikenne in Ogun state in the early hours of May 9, 1987. Maybe he would have shed more light on why he made those declarations. I personally believe till today that it was that speech that took the Federal Capital from Lagos, although events have proved later that taking the Federal Capital out of Lagos does not equate with taking commerce out of Lagos, thanks to Chief Bola Tinubu and his successors.

Chief Awolowos speech stunned the nation. It was a wake-up call on General Yakubu Gowon, the Head of State at that time to prepare for war and save Nigeria. If Chief Awolowo had taken the Western Region and Lagos out of Nigeria, it would have been suicidal. In his book, The Art of War, the Chinese General ChowHou Wee, said that the general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand. What is essential in war is victory.

If Chief Awolowo had taken the Western Region and Lagos out of the Federation at that time, definitely, the Western Region and Lagos would have been the battle ground. And where were the troops and how prepared was he for a major war? At the time he made those declarations, officers of the Western Region in the Nigerian Army were less than seven per cent. At that time, Lagos, Ibadan and Abeokuta garrisons were occupied by northern troops. Even the then Governor of Western Region, Major General Adeyinka Adebayo, was not prepared for war. Chief Awolowo admitted on May 1, 1967 that We have neither the military might, not the overwhelming advantage of numbers here in Western Nigeria and Lagos. But we have the justice of a noble and imperishable cause on our side, namely: the right of a people to unfettered self determination. If this is so, then God is on our side and God be with usthen we have nothing whatsoever in this world to fear.

Major General James Oluleye described it better in his book titled Architecturing a Destiny. He wrote on page 91 of the book: As a result of persistent pressure from my father-in-law, I sent my family to Ibadan and I remained in Kaduna. There were very few Yoruba soldiers in the North. Both ranks were not more than 150 in all. The former Head of State, Lt-Col Obasanjo and myself used to feast on Akara (fried bean cake) almost daily. We did a lot to persuade Yoruba officers and men not desert. By December 1966 he was posted to Lagos and I remained behind preaching to troops not to desert. Visiting people was dangerous. I spent my leisure time reading and my outing was limited to pleasure drives to Kaduna south without calling on anybody. It was difficult time.

After the murder of Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun, Lt Col. Adekunle Fajuyi and Col. Raph Sodeinde, only Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe (1924-1971) was the top Yoruba left and he ran into exile in the United Kingdom. The others including General Olusegun Obasanjo, General Alani Akinrinade, Col. Ayo Ariyo, Col. Oyinlade Iluyomade, Col. Yemi Alabi, Major Adenuga, Brigadier Oluwole Rotimi, Major General James Oluleye, Col. Victor Banjo (1930-1967) and others serving in the Nigeria Army were not posted to the Western Region. This became a major source of concern and Chief Awolowo had to address the Federal Government at that time that the military should review the occupation of the Northern troops in Western Region.

On November 30 1966, General Gowon addressed this issue in his broadcast to the nation when he said: My long-term aim is the preservation of one Nigerian Army and one country. For a start, however, and because of the general distrust and suspicion in the country, the bulk of the army in each Region must be drawn from the indigenous people of that Region. In furtherance of this aim, steps are being taken to recruit more Westerners into the Nigerian Army. I have already given instructions for recruitment to commence next week. Those who advocate the withdrawal of Northern soldiers from the Western Region admit that any immediate wholesale withdrawal of Northern soldiers from the Western Region is not practicable. Law and order and the entire national security arrangements in the Western Region will break down if the troops were withdrawn at once.

Even Major-General Adebayo on May 3 1967 said that I and senior Army Officers of Western Nigeria origin have spent the last 24 hours in consultation with the Head of the Federal Military Government. Let us face it there is no region now without its acute problems brought about by recent events; there is nowhere the people do not have their fears. Ours in Western Nigeria have been spelt out again and it has been my duty every time to bring them to the notice of the Head of the Federal Military Government and my other colleagues in the Supreme Military Council. On May 30, 1967, the Military Governor of Eastern Region, Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, pulled the region out of Nigeria and called it Biafra. A few hours later, General Gowon ordered his arrest, which eventually led to a civil war.

 Teniola, a former director at the presidency, lives in Lagos.
Senator representing Bayelsa East constituency in the National Assembly, Ben Murray-Bruce has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the education sector.

Failure to do so, according to him, would put Nigeria at risk of a backward slide into the ranks of the least educated countries in the world.

Murray-Bruce made this known in the latest video of his Common Sense Series posted on his Twitter page.

Murray-Bruce identified 10 countries described by the World Economic Forum as the most educated, namely Finland, New Zealand, Australia, United States of America, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland and Singapore, as also the most peaceful and stable nations in the world; while the most uneducated countries, listed by the same body as Burkina Faso, South Sudan, Chad, Niger, Guinea, Benin Republic, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Senegal, were not surprisingly ranked among some of the most unstable in the world.

He also argued that Nigeria, with a population that is growing much faster than her economy, ought to replace oil, which is the countrys main export and foreign exchange earner, with human capital.
According to feelers in the South-eastern part of Nigeria, separatist leader  Nnamdi Kanu considered sheathing his sword before he was routed by the Nigerian Army.

Founder of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko has revealed that the leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu had agreed that Nigeria must be restructured shortly before the Nigerian army invaded his home in Abia.

It was gathered that Uko, who was present at the meeting between the South-east governors and Kanu in Enugu state on August 30, 2017, said that Prof. Ben Nwabueze had successfully convinced Kanu to shift ground on secession.

Uko, who is also the Deputy Secretary of Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT) told Sun;

The August 30, 2017, meeting between Kanu and South East governor was historic, in the sense that Nwabueze made Kanu to adjust his position in a landmark development.

Because of Kanus respect for Nwabueze, he accepted in principle, Nwabuezes proposal for restructuring of Nigeria and stepped down the agitation for secession. But, the restructuring should be a return to the 1963 Constitution format.

Kanu, in reverence to Nwabueze, agreed in principle to the proposal, but insisted on discussing with and carrying along the entire leadership of IPOB, both at home and in Diaspora.

Uko further disclosed that it was agreed at the meeting that IPOB would not disrupt elections, including the November 18, 2017, Anambra governorship election.

The meeting also agreed to meet again within days, to finetune and conclude the agreements.But, most importantly, Kanu accepted Prof. Nwabuezes suggestions that IPOB demands are not absolute, which meant that the group would have to shift ground in subsequent meetings.

Kanu was cautious not to take solo decisions without carrying his group along and promised to bring the groups leaders to the next meeting.

It is, therefore, my considered opinion that those behind the military invasion and attacks, were averse to a peaceful resolution of the loss of confidence in Nigeria by millions of Eastern youths and have chosen to sustain the status quo through force.
Tragedy struck in Benin, the Edo State capital, yesterday, as three policemen providing security at the Ogba Zoo were shot dead by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.

In the process of the attack, the gunmen abducted the chief executive of the leisure park, Dr Andy Ehanire and took the rifles of the policemen after killing them. The three policemen were killed at about 6 pm., while their arms and ammunition were taken by the attackers.

It was gathered that the killing disrupted activities at the leisure park as parents and children took to their heels on hearing the sporadic gunshots from the invaders.

Edo State Police spokesman, DSP Moses Nkombe, who confirmed the killings and abduction said the attackers will soon be arrested as security has been beefed up, adding our men are on the trail of the suspects and we will get them no matter how far they try to run.

He went on to assure members of the public that the park remains safe for fun seekers.

The remains of the police officers have since been deposited at the Benin Central Hospital morgue.
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Going away. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In the best-selling What Happened, Hillary Clintons post-election postmortem, she writes that Huma Abedin, her inseparable aide of more than 20 years, was stricken when she found out that her husband was at the center of yet another sex scandal, this time in the heat of the presidential campaign. But this one was different from Anthony Weiners prior falls from grace. Unlike his earlier dalliances, which sunk his congressional career and later mayoral bid, the revelations this time may very well have ended someone elses political aspirations: those of Clinton herself.

Federal authorities, it turned out, were investigating allegations that Weiner was sexting with a 15-year-old. As part of that probe, his lawyers turned over a laptop to federal prosecutors, who then happened upon emails that Abedin had forwarded to her husband.

And then came the letter that rocked the Clinton campaign. In connection with an unrelated case, wrote FBI director James Comey in a letter to Congress, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation into Clintons emails. Two days later, on October 30, a Manhattan judge approved a search warrant allowing them to look through Weiners laptop for evidence that it may contain classified emails from Clintons time as secretary of State. And then two days before the election, Comey exonerated Clinton a second time.

But by then the damage had been done. This man is going to be the death of me, lamented Abedin when she learned of Weiners latest troubles, according to Clintons account. His sickness may have been the death of the Clinton campaign, too  to say nothing of his own marriage.

That sordid episode in American politics ended Monday, when a federal judge in Manhattan sentenced Weiner to 21 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and possibly a lifetime on a sex-offender registry for the crime of transferring obscene material to a minor. The courtroom was packed well before the hearing started, but a back-facing camera trained on the lawyers table gave those in an overflow courtroom a chance to see Weiners pained expressions as his attorney pleaded for leniency  he had asked for probation  and a federal prosecutor requested a term of imprisonment. His face twitched, he took gulps of water, at one point he seemed to wipe tears.

When U.S. District Judge Denise Cote gave him an opportunity to make a statement, Weiner sounded remorseful: I was a very sick man for a very long time, Weiner said, his voice breaking as he read from a written statement that made no excuses for the pain he caused. I stand before you because I victimized a young person who deserved better. He hoped that a sentence in the community rather than behind bars would be good for his son, Jordan, whom he called his salvation, as well as others who may be struggling and needing counsel for the same ills that destroyed him. Abedin herself had sent a letter to the judge ahead of the sentencing asking for mercy  not for Weiners sake, but their for son, whom she described as the light of our life. She was not at the sentencing.

Cote, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, seemed to struggle with the decision she was about to make. One the one hand, she acknowledged she was dealing with a defendant who is unwell: He has a disease that involved sexual compulsivity. Some call it a sex addiction, she said, as she credited the treatment hed been receiving, which she considered effective. For a moment, it seemed as though she was leaning toward probation  especially when she suggested that Weiner could make an enormous contribution to society and provide a true public service if he somehow became an advocate for people suffering from his same disease.

But on the other hand, she recognized Weiner committed a serious crime that deserves serious punishment. And that the strong compulsion that had already led to two very public downfalls had reared its head once again. Treatment and probation alone may not suffice to cure him this time around. Something more was needed.

In the end, punishment and the need for deterrence won out. There is a history here that simply cant be ignored, a federal prosecutor charged earlier in the hearing, noting that only a meaningful term of imprisonment would be appropriate. The federal government wanted between 21 and 27 months. Cote chose the low end of that recommendation.

When Cote imposed her sentence, Weiners head fell and he placed his left hand over his head. The courtroom cleared quickly, and several reporters ran outside to recover their electronic devices and report the news. The usual throng of television crews and cameras swarmed the outside of the federal courthouse on Worth Street, awaiting the defendants exit.

Weiner was ordered to report to federal prison on November 6  one year to the day Comey alerted Congress investigators had found no Clinton emails in Weiners laptop worth the FBIs time.
Roger Stone in the lobby of the Trump International Hotel on Monday night.

On Tuesday morning, Roger Stone will rise at his Airbnb and have what he describes as the mousy brown natural color of his hair obscured at the roots with bleach by his longtime colorist, a woman named Jackie, whom he calls a genius.

Hell dress himself in a double-breasted nailhead blue suit, a blue shirt, and what he predicted would be some kind of somber blue tie. Typically prone to top hats and other flashy ornaments, this will be a deliberately understated look. I elected not to go with one of my gangster suits, he explained.

After getting ready, hell travel to Capitol Hill, where hell participate in a demonstration with Blacks for Trump. And from there, hell walk over to his 9 a.m. appointment: testifying before the House Intelligence Committee about Russias potential influence on the 2016 presidential election (its all bullshit, he says).

The last time he testified before Congress was in 1973, when, at 19 years old, he was called before the Senate Watergate Committee. It was only a hundred years ago, he laughed. Now, close to half that exaggerated time later, he remains a looming figure on the periphery of the latest great political scandal/existential threat to a presidency.

No, I dont get nervous. Never, he told me in the lobby of the Trump International Hotel in Washington on the eve of his testimony, though at brief intervals his far-off look appeared to betray those words before he snapped back to his entertaining self. Hed wanted to address the committee publicly, of course, as he intends to explain in his prepared opening statement, which was distributed to the media on Monday evening. (WikiLeaks posted the statement hours later, describing it as leaked.) Stone will deride the decision to force his testimony behind closed doors as a display of cowardice. Hell also condemn members of the Intelligence Committee itself  particularly Congressman Adam Schiff, a vocal Democrat  and U.S. intelligence agencies, which hell brand politicized. Hell treat with skepticism their findings that Russia attempted to interfere with the election: Just because the intelligence community repeats this, mantra-like, he plans to say, does not make it so.

Federal investigators will question Stone about his connection to WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, who aided Donald Trump by publishing the emails hacked from the personal account of John Podesta, the chairman of the Hillary Clinton campaign. In August 2016, Stone, answering a question from the audience at an event, said, I actually have communicated with Assange. Asked about that Monday night, he said, What I said was Ive had communications with WikiLeaks, and then I clarified: through an intermediary, through a journalist. This person, he said, is called a source. You have sources. I have sources. No, Im not gonna tell you his name. The communication is off the record. It was on a background basis. Im not gonna burn this guy because some congressional dipshits think I should.

He was drinking a martini in the Trump hotels ornate lobby around 9 p.m. Vodka martini  but not Russian, he joked.

Roger Stone in his element at the Trump Hotel bar.

He prefers Titos, but mostly he prefers anything over gin. One time I was going out with this girl who I really wanted to make it work with and we got very drunk on gin-and-tonics, he explained. And we both got so sick that nothing happened. Nothing happened! So I cant even smell gin now without getting nauseous.

Hed eaten the olives from the glass while posing for selfies by the bar with college Republicans, far-right activists, and members of sympathetic media outlets who view his distinction as the Godfather of Ratfucking  ratfucking being the term coined by Donald Segretti, Richard Nixons campaign strategist, to describe political dirty tricks  not as an insult but as a badge of honor. Elsewhere, in the more liberal enclaves in this town, of course, Stone is regarded as evil incarnate due to any number of sins (he founded an antiHillary Clinton group in 2008 with the acronym CUNT, for starters), but here, hes the ultimate survivor. Im locked and loaded, he told me. Ive done nothing illegal. I havent broken any laws. I mean, look, they may attempt to lay perjury traps for me  but Im not gonna walk into them. Tomorrow is really easy: All I have to do is show up and tell the truth.

Stone, who owned a D.C. lobbying firm with Paul Manafort in the 1980s, has known Trump for decades (they were both close to Roy Cohn, Senator Joe McCarthys legal counsel), and in the years leading up to his presidential campaign, Stone was his central political adviser.

He maintains hes not worried about the outcome of the investigation for himself, but admits that it may be trickier for Manafort to get out unscathed. Mueller will cook up some phony indictment against Manafort. Money laundering, tax evasion, some bullshit. And then hell say, Manafort: Were gonna send you to jail but we wont prosecute you. All we need you to do is lie and say that you were colluding with the Russians and Trump knew everything. Hes not gonna do that. Hes just not gonna do that. He spoke to Manafort a couple days ago, he said, and he sounded surprisingly good.

After leaving the campaign in late summer 2015  he claimed he quit; Trump said he fired him  Stone remained a presence on social media and on antiestablishment TV, radio, and internet shows, like Infowars, hosted by Alex Jones, where hes a frequent guest and host. Together, he and Jones paraded around the Republican National Convention in shirts featuring Bill Clintons face with the caption, RAPIST.

Like most members of Trumps inner circle, Stone never truly left the presidents Rolodex. They speak now, from time to time, he told me, but Im not gonna characterize it beyond that. Its sporadic, but its not infrequent. He claimed they had spoken recently, but he wouldnt specify when. I mean, lets be candid: If I talk about this, the phone calls will end, and Im not interested in that.

He believes the new White House chief of staff, John Kelly, has attempted to put the president in a cocoon but, I dont have to worry about reaching the president, because fortunately the president reaches me. He added, I look at the president as if, like, he is the good king who is now being held captive by the bad guys.

Asked if anyone remains in the White House whom he likes, he mockingly stroked his chin for a moment. I like Kellyanne [Conway]. Theres one. Well, I liked [Sebastian] Gorka  hes gone. I liked Bannon, I just argued that he wasnt effective. He didnt fight him on anything. Look, Im not against Steve Bannon. I like Steve Bannon. But what about all the recent close-up shots of Bannon he keeps posting on social media with negative reviews of, among other things, his facial hair and skin? He does that, he said, Because he says stupid things!

Stone speculated that for all of the problems, which hes not certain the president will overcome, Hes probably relieved that the chaos that existed in the [Reince] Priebus era is over and that his day is probably a bit more relaxed and more orderly.

One of Stones polite lawyers approached to inform him that he had to get going to his next appointment  dinner with Tucker Carlson at the Prime Rib.

As for the events a few hours after that, he said, Id like to get this over with so I can get back to defeating Jeff Sessions in his insane quest to make marijuana illegal in the 29 states that have legalized it.
China always puts relationship with Pakistan as priority of its foreign policy: Chinese Ambassador

ISLAMABAD: China on Monday reiterated its call for the world to acknowledge Pakistans efforts and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.



Fighting against terrorism is a strategic decision of Pakistan. The great efforts and national sacrifices made by Pakistan for the cause of international counter-terrorism should be fully understood and acknowledged by the international community, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong told a reception on the occasion of 68th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China organised here at a local hotel. Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani was the chief guest on the occasion.



The ambassador said his country firmly supports Pakistan in implementing its counter-terrorism strategy based on its own national conditions. We will, as always, support Pakistans efforts in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, he said.



I have been working in Pakistan for more than four years. I have witnessed economic and social development of Pakistan  and the improvement of security situation in the country. We congratulate Pakistan on these remarkable achievements, he told the gathering comprising federal ministers, diplomats, high-ranking civilian and military officials and businessmen.



The ambassador said China always puts relationship with Pakistan as priority of its foreign policy and will unswervingly deepen the bilateral all-weather strategic partnership besides supporting Pakistans efforts in safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity.



On the state of bilateral relations, the ambassador said cooperation between the two countries has developed vigorously in the fields of trade and investment, culture, science and technology, education, defense and security. We witnessed more and more people-to-people contacts. We maintained close coordination in major international and regional affairs. China-Pakistan relations are full of opportunities and vitality, he said.



The ambassador said construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has entered into the stage of Early Harvest. The CPEC has been playing an important role for Pakistans economic and social development and has brought great benefits to the two nations, he added.



The ambassador said in 2015, President Xi Jinping paid a historic state visit to Pakistan and opened the golden age of grand development of bilateral relations. He said China-Pakistan ties are a model of state-to-state relations. No matter in past, at present or in future, China and Pakistan are always good neighbours, friends, partners and brothers, he maintained.



He said China has always adhered to the path of peaceful development by advancing the reforms process and opening up to the world while promoting mutual beneficial and win-win cooperation. The world is undergoing profound changes. Peace and development remain the theme of the times.



The ambassador said in the past five years, China has made great achievements under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. China has been the second largest economy and it enjoyed a 6.9% economic growth in the first half of this year, he said. In the past 10 years, China has contributed to over 30% of global annual growth, he said. We are full of confidence about the bright future of Chinas development. China is committed to offering its wisdom and solution to address the world problems.



The ambassador said that Beijing believes in global cooperation while preferring dialogue over confrontation and partnership over alliance. We call on building new type of international relations  featured by win-win cooperation. These claims have gained more and more recognition and support among the international community.



He said next month, the Communist Party of China will convene its 19th National Congress which will be of most importance in Chinas political life this year. Chinese people are striving for the Two Centenary Goals. We will build a moderately prosperous society by 2020. We are also taking confidence in building China into a modern socialist country by the middle of this century. We will definitely realise the dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Nawaz Sharif appeared before NAB

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif appeared before a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court on Tuesday in connection with the three corruption references.



The proceedings lasted for only a few minutes after which the former premier was allowed to leave. Sharif reportedly informed the NAB court that his wife was not well and he needed to attend to her, following which Sharif was granted permission to leave.



The NAB court then adjourned for 10 minutes before continuing with the normal case proceedings.



The court has summoned Sharif again on October 2 for formally indicting him in the three separate references.



The court also issued bailable arrest warrants for Sharif's children Hassan, Hussain, and Maryam, and for son-in-law Captain Safdar. The court directed them to submit surety bonds worth Rs 1 million each to secure bail.



NAB's legal team also requested the court to order the interior ministry to place Sharif's name on the exit control list.



A number of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including federal ministers, accompanied the former prime minister to his first appearance before the accountability court.



The court had summoned Sharif, who arrived Monday morning from London, after his failure to appear at an earlier hearing on Sept 19.



The court had also summoned Sharifs sons  Hussain and Hassan  but they are not appearing today as they are still in London tending to their mother, who is undergoing cancer treatment.



During the court appearance, some PMN-L followers started chanting slogans in Sharif's support inside the courtroom, annoying the judge Mohammad Bashir, who then asked the former premier to leave as his lawyers were there to represent him.



Sharif has now returned to Punjab House in the federal capital, where he is expected to chair a meeting of senior PML-N officials later in the day.

Extraordinary security arrangements



According to a report published by BBC Urdu, extraordinary security arrangements were made on the occasion and the general public was not allowed even within a kilometre radius area near the judicial complex.



Security was so tight that the NAB prosecutors following the case were also not allowed inside the courtroom.



The incumbent government probably didn't trust anyone with the security arrangements, as instead of Islamabad police chief the state minister for interior, Talal Chaudhry, was supervising the security.



In addition to the extensive on-ground arrangements, two helicopters also kept circling the area throughout the time Nawaz Sharif was there.



On Monday, the former prime minister was received by a number of party leaders, including National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and cabinet ministers, at the airport and was whisked to Punjab House amid tight security.



Kirmani said that the former PM held a number of informal meetings and consulted senior party leaders, as well as members of his legal team, to devise strategies to deal with the legal and political challenges facing the party.



The most significant development of Monday was Sharifs meeting with the former interior minister and estranged PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. The latter spent a considerable amount of time at Punjab House after holding a one-on-one meeting with the former prime minister.



Chaudhry Nisar has been openly criticising PML-Ns strategy in dealing with the issues related to the military and judiciary and was critical of the partys policy after the July 28 verdict of the apex court in the Panama Papers case.



Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also visited Punjab House on Monday evening and held consultations with his predecessor on issues related to governance.



Others who called on Sharif included PML-N chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, ministers Zahid Hamid, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Daniyal Aziz and Talal Chaudhry.



Speaking to reporters in London before leaving for Islamabad, the former prime minister had said that he had come to the UK only to inquire after the health of his wife and had no plans to stay for a long time.



The Sharif family had earlier opted to boycott court proceedings. However, the sources said they changed their mind and decided to appear before the courts on the advice of a number of senior party leaders, including Shahbaz Sharif, and their lawyers.



Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir had earlier summoned Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, sons Hussain and Hassan Nawaz and son-in-law retired Captain Mohammad Safdar on Sept 19 in connection with three corruption references filed by NAB under Supreme Court orders.



Though Sharif and his children have publicly expressed concerns over the SC judgement and had filed review petitions before the same bench, the petitions were all dismissed on Sept 15.



NAB had filed three references against the Sharif family in connection with the London properties, the establishment of 16 companies, including Flagship Investment Ltd in the UK and Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment in Jeddah.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
The Akufo-Addo government is in the process of awarding contracts for the repair of some 253 roads which are believed to be in deplorable condition.



Government had earlier complained that it inherited an GHc11.6 billion debt in the road sector from the Mahama administration, hence there was no money to fix faulty roads or construct new ones.



The debt overhang in the Ministry is huge; close to GH 11.6 billion in commitments, all contracts put together and that is big, Anthony Karbo, a deputy Minister of Roads told Citi News in August.



In the latest development however, the Ministry of Roads and Highways in a public notice, announced that it has started receiving bids for the patching of potholes as well as sectional repairs on the 253 trunk roads nationwide.



The Ministry of Roads and Highways, acting through the Ghana Highway Authority, invites sealed bids from eligible bidders i.e. MRH Classes A3-A4, to carry out routine maintenance works listed hereunder, the Ministry stated.





Under the project, the Central and Ashanti Regions have the highest number of beneficiary roads with 52 slots each, followed by the Eastern Region which has 42 roads earmarked to be fixed.



Brong Ahafo Region has the third highest list earmarked roads of 24, Western Region, 16, Northern Region, 15, Volta Region, 15, Greater Accra, 14.



Upper West and Upper East Regions have the lowest number of roads under the project which are 12 and 11 respectively.



Government conducts roll call of road construction companies



This comes on the back of moves by government to compile the list of road construction companies in the country.



The Ministry of Roads about two weeks ago, began compiling names of prospective companies who have the expertise to undertake works in respect of the following activities: Road line marketing, construction of pedestrian guard rails, construction of crush barriers, maintenance of green areas, pot-hole patching and vegetation control.



Osafo Maafo laments inflated cost of road projects



The NPP government had accused the former administration of awarding road contracts through restricted tendering.



Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo, also on Monday, September 25, 2017, bemoaned what he calls corrupt practices within the countrys road sector.



According to him, some road contractors intentionally inflate the cost of roads, adding that, such practices have had adverse effect on the countrys funding sources.



Speaking at an event to officially commence the upgrade of the Accra-Tema Motorway on Monday, Osafo- Maafo said the cost of road construction in Ghana must conform to international standards.



If you go to the score card of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, they describe the sources of our poor performance in the road sector. They talk about lack of adequate funds, technical know-how, but they also talk about corruption. Its something we should also pay attention to. We must have value for money in the road sector, he added.



Below is the full list of roads captured under the maintenance project:

Source: Citinews









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My buddy Bill Downes and I were in good spirits. It was 1960, and after enjoying a light movie at the theater, we were strolling along California Avenue, the main street of Avalon, a small suburb north of Pittsburgh. It was a steamy, red-sky summer evening. We were chattering away, when we suddenly heard a voice to our right, a hoarse command issued in our direction from across the street.

Hey, you! Come here.

We looked over and saw thatgulpMel Messmer was summoning us. He was sitting alone at the far end of that quintessential landmark in Avalon known as The Wall, the four-foot-high masonry of black stone in front of the elementary school that was the congregating place for generations of the towns teenage boys. We slowly crossed the street toward Mel Messmer, like a pair of woodchucks crossing a highway.

At 12, I didnt know much about Mel Messmer. I knew that he was in his late teens or early 20s. I knew that he lived just a few hundred yards from my home. And above all, I knew that Mel Messmer was absolutely no one to mess with. He was as tough as a turtle shell, and the few macho peers who had dared to confront him had the bruises to prove it.

He had unruly dark brown hair combed back and a V-shaped weight-lifters body; his shoulders seemed almost as wide as he was tall. He wore a T-shirt, blue jeans and grimy black leather boots with silver buckles.

As we approached, he sat leaning forward, elbows resting on his thighs. His flat gray eyes stared us down and cemented our feet to the sidewalk.

You see that down there, he said, gesturing with his thumb and glaring at the other end of The Wall, about 40 yards away. As usual, at least 10 high school boys were milling around The Wall, shooting the breeze. I want you to tell them punks that Mel Messmer wants all of them off The Wall and out of here in one minute.

He seemed to be speaking directly to me. I was petrified as the implications of my assignment sank in. I was barely five feet tall and weighed 110 pounds. Id be an eighth grader in September, and the thought of approaching a cluster of bigger, older boys and ordering them around seemed like suicide.

But Bill and I turned slowly and walked toward the boys at The Wall, like condemned prisoners trudging to execution. When I got to within 10 feet of the crowd at The Wall, I stopped.

E-e-excuse me, I said my voice cracking and my brain barely working. Ah, Mel Messmer said he wants all of you to, ah, leave this corner in the next minute.

The boysI was so nervous that their identities failed to register with mestared at me, as if they didnt believe what they were hearing. I shifted my weight uncomfortably from one sneaker to another. They looked up the block and saw Mel sitting at the other end of The Wall. Mel turned his head slowly, looked their way, and glared. The seconds crawled by.

Then, to my utter astonishment, all the boys wordlessly began to vacate The Wall. Some went into a soda fountain nearby and others scattered in all directions. I looked around and miraculously The Wall was now empty and the street was deserted.

Suddenly, a giddy feeling of power washed over me, and I lost my perspective completely: I was as mighty asas Moses parting the Red Sea in The Ten Commandments, a movie that had gripped me a few years earlier.

It wasnt until much later that I regained my senses and realized that, oh, yes, Mel Messmer had somethingeverything to do with the outcome. My ability to get a group of older, bigger boys to do my (or rather, his) bidding proved yet again that Mel remained Avalons dominant young male. Word of this incident gradually spread and invested Mel Messmer with an even more intimidating reputation, which may have been his motive from the start. In such small increments are the mighty fortifications of local legends gradually built.

This random encounter with Mel Messmer on a summer evening in 1960 was an early lesson that the object of power is power. And for me, the exercise of power, even if it was vicarious and only temporary, seemed as the good as the real thing. As John Lehman, the former Secretary of the Navy, observed, Power corrupts, but absolute power is really neat.

With California Avenue now as quiet as the deepest wilderness, Mel Messmer basked in the glory of being The Walls sole occupant, his status as Avalons alpha male confirmed. With my own peculiar sense of new-found authority, I walked a short distance with Bill Downes before we parted ways. I said a cheery good night to him and smiled all the way home.
A three-time felons alleged theft of a car in Kingsbury last March has landed him felony charges in both Vermont and New York, police said.

Eugene A. Bowling Jr., 36, of Ballston Spa, was charged this week with two felony counts of grand larceny for the March theft of a 2007 Chevrolet Aveo from a home on county Route 23 in Kingsbury. The owner had left her keys and purse in the vehicle, according to the Washington County Sheriffs Office.

Bowling allegedly drove the car east into Vermont, using credit cards from the purse as he went, eventually landing at a known drug house in Brattleboro, Vermont, according to sheriffs Capt. Tony LeClaire.

Police there were checking license plates of vehicles at the home, and determined the Aveo had been reported stolen, LeClaire said. Bowling was found in the home, had the keys in his pocket and was arrested.

He spent several weeks in Southern Vermont Correctional Facility in Springfield, Vermont, before he was released to the New York Department of Corrections in May to be charged with a parole violation for a 2012 burglary conviction in Saratoga County.

Bowling served an additional three months in state prison in that case and was arrested Monday by Washington County sheriffs officers, after his release from prison.

He was arraigned in Kingsbury Town Court and sent to Washington County Jail without bail, as he has at least three prior felony convictions, all three for burglary or attempted burglary in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties. He also was charged with attempted escape in 2003 for trying to flee Washington County Jail.

LeClaire said police have him on store surveillance videos in Fair Haven, Vermont and Castleton, Vermont, using the credit cards to make purchases as he drove east.

Sheriffs Investigator Michael McWhorter handled the case.
No one was in the home when the fire was reported. Washington County Fire Coordinator Glenn Bristol said the area of origin was found to be a porch at the back of the home, but the cause had not been determined. He said it was too early in the investigation to say whether i was suspicious.
I thought I had lost it and I was too afraid to ask for another copy because it was special to me  and to her.

Asking my now almost 76-year-old mother for another copy would diminish its value and seem like I didnt care  and I surely didnt want that, especially since I had asked her to make the copy for me.

Then I found it.

On a table near the dining room mirror used by my daughter as her makeup mirror (despite the vanity I bought her for her room), buried under a magazine, make-up sponges and a hair brush, was the nine-page handwritten empowering story my mother wrote in 1984 of her 1980 hiking trip to the Canadian Rockies.

To set the stage, I need to tell you that my mom is not an adventurer. She grew up in a tiny Vermont town called Tinmouth and literally attended a one-room schoolhouse.

She attended Catholic school in Rutland and went to Castleton State College, but went home every weekend.

She was a kindergarten teacher for three decades and the big outing of the year was taking my older sister and me to the ocean in New Hampshire each summer.

But at 39, perhaps to tap into a wilder side that never surfaced or chase a perhaps unexplainable dream, she embarked on the trip of a lifetime that would end up with her broke and needing charity to get back home  of course, with the promise to send full repayment to those who helped her as soon as she got home.

I was 13 when she set out for the Rockies with a hippie high school history teacher and a group of teens  having never really hiked and having never slept in a tent.

The trip involved a car ride to Montreal and three days on a train; not with a bed, but sleeping in seats.

She wrote of seeing an amazing sunset on the ride and of the trains soothing rocking motion.

She also wrote of loneliness the first night in her tent, which she quickly discovered leaked.

I spent several evenings sopping up water and wringing out towels, she wrote.

She wrote about the weight of the pack, feeling all the time that she might tip over. But the majestic scenery soon made her forget the weight.

She had many spiritual feelings on the trip, but viewing the perfectly smooth and almost too blue McArthur Lake from high above it was a high point.

There were hikes through snow that led to a July snowball fight  with my mom, the hippie and the youngsters  and a homemade snow slushy as a hiking reward.

After nine days, she got a shower and a dip in the Banff hot springs she described as heavenly.

But she also wrote of fear, crossing rushing rivers over log bridges and tenting under monster trees during a terrifying thunderstorm.

More praying, she wrote.

She detailed how some campsites had facilities and some had only an outhouse, including one with a live-in porcupine, prompting them to use the woods.

She detailed how her feet were taking a beating from covering seven to 10 miles a day, and she was thankful she brought moleskin to coat her blisters.

When the group was about to start rock and ice climbing, she decided shed had enough and decided to turn around and head back home  solo. Her fear of heights made it an easy decision.

I didnt feel like a quitter because I had already done more and seen more than I had ever dreamed possible, she wrote.

On the train ride home, she met the appropriately named Mr. and Mrs. Friend, who loaned her money for food and bus fare from Montreal to Rutland. She said shes sure they noticed she wasnt eating on the train ride home and wanted to help her.

When she got home, admittedly smelly and hungry, she took a few minutes to walk around our home and was teary-eyed walking inside.

It was truly my palace, she wrote.

I tell this story for a few reasons.

I have written about my father on several occasions, about trying to measure up to him and one about feeling like a complete failure when I cut off his pinky finger in a wood-splitter accident.

Seldom have I written about my mother, the true rock of the family. But this nine-page story, written for a refresher course required of teachers, was so revealing to me  about me.

My mom is a great storyteller.

She uses vivid description and makes you feel something with her writing, which is what I always try to do with my writing and try to teach my Castleton University students to do as well.

So all the time I have spent thinking about measuring up to my fathers physicality and his amazing abilities to fix or build anything, perhaps I should have been giving thanks to my mom for giving me her writing talent.

So thanks, Mom.

Im so glad I rediscovered this story and its now on my upstairs office desk for safe keeping  and inspiration.
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I feel 'betrayed', have 'no respect' for Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag, says Cristiano Ronaldo

T20 World Cup: Anil Kumble thinks separate teams in red-ball, white-ball cricket is the way forward

Sam Billings pulls out of playing in IPL 2023 in order to focus on longer format of the game
A Davenport man who admitted to possessing crystal ice methamphetamine in April 2016 has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

Joseph Allen Terry, 40, must serve five years of supervised release once he completes his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

He pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court, Davenport, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He faced up to life in prison on the charge.

According to his plea agreement:

Beginning around November 2015 and continuing until at least around April 6, 2016, Terry conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Scott and Muscatine counties.

During that time, Terry regularly distributed crystal methamphetamine to Gage A. Wenthe, 27.

On March 24, 2016, he provided 2.6 grams to someone, who then provided it to Wenthe.

Wenthe, in turn, provided the methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with the Scott County Sheriffs Office.

On April 6, 2016, deputies found 60.56 grams of methamphetamine, 37 hydrocodone pills and $1,175 in cash during a search of Terrys home, according to the plea agreement.

As part of his plea, Terry admitted that he obtained, purchased and/or distributed 310 grams, or more than half a pound, of methamphetamine.

Terry initially was charged in Scott County District Court with possession with intent to manufacture or deliver methamphetamine, conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony by planning or commission, two counts of failure to affix drug tax stamp and possession with intent to manufacture or deliver hydrocodone.

Those charges were dismissed once the federal criminal complaint was filed.

Wenthe was arrested on April 6, prior to the search at Terrys house. At the time, Wenthe was living in former Davenport 3rd Ward Alderman Bill Boom's home.

During a search of the home, deputies seized methamphetamine, marijuana, suspected marijuana wax, an unknown white powder, drug paraphernalia, a digital scale, packaging materials and two rifles.

Boom was representing the City Council at a broadband conference in Austin, Texas, at the time his home was searched.

Wenthe pleaded guilty in June 2016 in Scott County District Court to possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and possession with intent to deliver marijuana and was later given a deferred judgment and placed in the Mental Health Court program.

He violated the terms of the program and was ordered in January to serve the original sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Boom, 66, pleaded guilty April 18 in U.S. District Court, Davenport, to one count of false declaration before a grand jury, a felony. He resigned from the City Council the same day.

According to his plea agreement, Boom testified before a federal grand jury on July 19, 2016, in connection with the investigation.

He admitted in the plea agreement that he knowingly made a false statement in that he knew that Wenthe used methamphetamine prior to April 6, 2016. He also admitted in the plea agreement that he had given money to Terry.

He was sentenced late last month to two years of probation.
Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane said the officer, who was not in his vehicle at the time of the collision, was airlifted to University Hospitals, Iowa City. He declined to identify the officer and his agency, adding that those details likely would be released Tuesday morning.

Lane, who choked up during an interview with reporters near the scene of the accident, confirmed that the officer's immediate family was notified about the incident.

Get the full story here.

Snowstar to stay open in the summer?

The only place to snow ski in our immediate area, Snowstar, wants to become a year-round operation.

Crews at the winter-sports park in Andalusia aren't planning to make snow in July. They want to host events, such as weddings and receptions, and ultimately, add amenities, such as a zip line, a rope (obstacle) course, maybe a mountain biking trail. Our recently mild winters are kryptonite to ski resorts. Even though they make their own snow, temperatures must be able to sustain it.

Last season, Snowstar was open just 54 days. The ski/snowboard hills are permitted to operate from December to March, and Snowstar now is seeking a zoning change from Rock Island County that would extend their season.

Get the story here.

North Scott considers upgrades
The Rock Island County Health Department will hold five walk-in flu shot clinics on Tuesdays in October at its offices, 2112 25th Ave., Rock Island.

The department also will offer meningococcal conjugate vaccinations (MCV) during the flu walk-in clinics. The vaccination is required for Illinois students in grades 6 and 12.

The clinics will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. For more information, call the health department at 309-794-7080. No appointments are necessary.

Additional clinics have been scheduled at other county locations, including:

 Oct. 3 from 9-11 a.m. at Coal Valley Township offices, 900 1st St., Coal Valley

 Oct. 11 from 9-11 a.m. at South Rock Island Township offices, 1019 27th Ave., Rock Island

 Oct. 11 from 1-3:30 p.m., Blackhawk Township offices, 230 W. 4th St., Milan

 Oct. 13 from 2-5 p.m. at Andalusia Township Ambulance Barn, 220 6th Ave. W., Andalusia, Illinois

 Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to noon, Morningstar Senior Residence, 3601 6th Ave., Moline

 Oct. 27 from 8-10 a.m., Cordova Civic Center, 910 3rd Ave. S., Cordova, Illinois

There is no out-of-pocket expense to those with Medicare Part B or an Illinois Medicaid card. Most Blue Cross, UnitedHealth Care, Health Alliance, Aetna, Coventry/First Health, HFN, Health Link and Humana insurance plans are accepted. Attendees should bring insurance cards to the clinic.

For those not using insurance, the cost is $30, and Visa and MasterCard will be accepted.
Iowa's United Food and Commercial Workers union endorsed Democrat Nate Boulton for governor on Tuesday.

Nate has always had the backs of workers from being our lawyer at Local 1149 to leading the charge to defend collective bargaining as state senator," Roger Kail, the union's president, said in a statement. "We know as Governor, he will fight for every Iowan to earn a living wage, have the right to a union, and have a safe work environment. The UFCW is proud to be running with Nate."

The union represents more than 9,600 Iowans.

Boulton, who is a first-term state senator from Des Moines, is one of seven Democrats seeking the party's nomination to run for governor next year.

A labor lawyer, he first got statewide notice during the Senate debate earlier this year on the Republican proposal to curtail the union rights of most public-sector workers.

The campaign said it has received 28 endorsements from labor unions.

 Ed Tibbetts
Illinois state Rep. Mike Halpin has a history fighting for vulnerable populations, having served for a few years as the former Public Guardian of Rock Island County prior to his election to represent District 72.

Halpin, D-Rock Island, opposed the changes to the Community Care Program proposed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, and after the withdrawal of rules for the Community Reinvestment Program last month, he held a town hall meeting Monday at the Moline Activity Center to update seniors on potential changes to care.

"Over the past few years, the governor has proposed a change to what is called the Community Reinvestment Program in an effort to save money," Halpin said. "His argument is that changing the way we do the Community Care Program, it's going to save the state money. The problem that I see with it is that when you are saving money, you need to make sure it's through efficiencies and not from denying seniors the services they need."

The initial plan was to create a two-tiered system out of the Department of Aging's Community Care Plan, diverting those who did not meet Medicaid requirements into the Community Reinvestment Plan.

Halpin said Rauner has put the statewide plan on hold as they pursue whether it's possible to get any of those savings in certain areas as outlined in his plan.

Alternatives for the Older Adult CEO Kathy Weiman said that under the current program, a Community Care coordinator will do assessment to determine if the person is eligible for one of three core services.

Those core services include hiring a homemaker to help with daily tasks and activities, emergency home response and adult day service.

Weiman said Alternatives conducts 9,000 assessments per year but raised concerns about placing services to those in need.

Under the Community Reinvestment Program, Weiman said the proposal is to make community care Medicaid only, but that does not bar services from others who do not qualify.

Those above that financial threshold still would be offered a variety services through local providers.

"The one good thing about it is it opens up a variety of other options," Weiman said. "The difficult or challenging thing is they have capitated the amount for those services. No matter what your level of need, small level of need or large level of need, there's only this certain amount that would be approved under the CRP."

Halpin and Weiman said another worry they had with Rauner's plan was moving to a centralized model and removing the local connection point for nearby services.

"One of our worries is that they'll go to a centralized model, and someone from Chicago or someone from Springfield will try and manage your care without knowing what's going on in your community," Weiman said.

Halpin said the biggest takeaway from Monday's town hall was a comment made by a woman who voiced frustration about getting services for years.

"It also sounds good what you are saying, but in actuality, it's always pass the buck," the woman said. "No one wants to sit down with us and see, listen or hear."
A newly signed partnership between the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative and CDP North America will connect river resilience and development projects to investment opportunities.

The river initiative announced the five-year agreement two weeks ago in St. Louis during its annual conference meeting that aims to target and match investors with a minimum of 25 cities along the Mississippi River over that period.

"From a corridor perspective, the mayors have lots of different projects," initiative Executive Director Colin Wellenkamp said. "We asked the folks with all the money what are they looking for to cut through the tape and see if there is a greater appetite for where they want money to go. They all told us they are looking for projects that incorporate sustainability, which reduces risk and improves profit margin."

The river initiative is a organization comprised of 80 mayors up and down the Mississippi River that helps promote economic and environmental security throughout the river.

CDP, which was formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, warehouses the largest collection of corporate environmental data. Its supply chain members represent more than $2 billion in purchasing power.

Rather than rely solely on federal funding for disaster mitigation, which may or may not happen, the partnership allows cities to become more proactive in pursuing investment.

From a disaster mitigation and resilience perspective, river projects become a cheaper alternative to the devastation caused by natural disasters.

While Hurricane Katrina remains the most costly natural disaster at $110 billion in damage, more recent extreme weather events also have come with a hefty price tag.

St. Gabriel (Louisiana) Mayor Lionel Johnson, who was elected co-chair of the initiative along with Davenport Mayor Frank Klipsch, said his city, which is near Baton Rouge, has sustained more than $10 billion in damage from flooding.

"Everything we've been talking about leads to one thing: infrastructure," Johnson said.

Johnson said through the hard-learned lessons with other disasters, the initiative has established some basic strategies:

 Make the recovery inclusive of all in need.

 Ensure an operable proportion of recovery funds actually goes to FEMA.

 Ensure that the recovery funds go to recovery and resilience, not other projects.

 Establish disaster recovery block grants to help localities recover long term.

 Establish a disaster recovery spending strategy with input from mayors, county executives and governors.

The projects sought by the organization also aim to help promote clean water and sustainable economies.

"Twenty million people are drinking the water out of the Mississippi," Klipsch said. "Nutrient loading affects water quality. We're not telling them what to do, but we want to help the industry become more sustainable."

Economies along the river generate more than $500 billion, stressing the need protect the valued resource.

Within Davenport, the needs are much different from what other cities and towns may need downstream.

In terms of riverfront development, Klipsch said, the partnership would help with establishing public-private partnerships, especially with Davenport keen on working on its expansive palette.

"Nine miles of riverfront gives us opportunity for other areas not being used," Klipsch said. "For our Main Street area, this is ideal timing."

In Louisana, Johnson identified three types of projects he was interested in seeing.

One was riverfront development that caters to recreation and education, without effecting ecology. Others pertain to levee protection and restoration.

Wellenkamp said another project that has been eyed in between is the creation of a retention lake in Helena, Arkansas, to reduce erosion.

Since the partnership was announced, projects have been identified where it appears the partnership will have no problem matching investors with projects, both on an annual basis and over the agreement's lifespan.

"It's not going to be hard to meet those targets," Wellenkamp said. "We already have 10 cities reporting projects."
A good Tuesday to all. Cooler, more fall-like temps, are on the way for the Quad-City region. Here are the weather details from the National Weather Service.

1. A chance of showers, high in the low 80s

A cold front will bring a chance of scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms to the area this afternoon. Most spots will remain dry through the day, and strong storms are not expected.

The chance of showers after 1 p.m. is 30 percent. The high for the day will be around 81 degrees.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 53 degrees.

Wednesday will be mostly sunny with a high near 70 degrees and a low around 47 degrees.

2. No classes again today at Moline's Franklin school

Moline-Coal Valley School District administrators continue to determine where Franklin Elementary School can hold classes after a Sunday fire made the school building unusable.

There will be no school for Franklin Elementary students this week because of an electrical fire in a classroom at the school. No one was injured in the fire that caused significant smoke and water damage to classrooms and hallways at Franklin, but a classroom pet was killed. Read more.

3. Two non-related pursuits keep police busy Monday

 Four women face charges in several shots fired incidents that left one person injured and a bi-state police pursuit that injured four police officers. Read more.

 A Quad-City police officer suffered serious injuries Monday after his squad car was struck by a stolen garbage truck near Buffalo. Read more.

4. Ickes: Snowstar wants to go year-round, neighbors don't

The only place to snow ski in our immediate area, Snowstar, wants to become a year-round operation.

Crews at the winter-sports park in Andalusia aren't planning to make snow in July. They want to host events, such as weddings and receptions, and ultimately, add amenities, such as a zip line, a rope (obstacle) course, maybe a mountain biking trail. Our recently mild winters are kryptonite to ski resorts. Even though they make their own snow, temperatures must be able to sustain it.

Last season, Snowstar was open just 54 days. The ski/snowboard hills are permitted to operate from December to March, and Snowstar now is seeking a zoning change from Rock Island County that would extend their season.

"We want to take advantage of our lots, our space," said Dan McCanna, general manager.

But McCanna's words strike fear in the hearts of many Snowstar neighbors. Their concerns are predictable, which is not to say they are unfounded. Read more.

5. 19th Street/7th Avenue intersection closure in Moline

The intersection of 19th Street and 7th Avenue in Moline is closed through early December to accommodate the future flow of traffic and to improve access to downtown Moline when the new I-74 River Bridge is completed.

Road Closures:

 The intersection of 19th Street and 7th Avenue, closed.

 19th Street from 12th Avenue to 7th Avenue, closed.

Downtown Moline access

 Illinois-bound I-74 motorists can take the River Drive exit to access downtown Moline. The 7th Avenue exit will remain open; however, drivers will not be able to go west on 7th Avenue.

 Iowa-bound I-74 motorists can take the River Drive exit or the 7th Avenue exit to access downtown Moline, but will not be able to go west on 7th Avenue.

Additional road construction is taking place throughout downtown Moline, including lane closures on 5th Avenue and River Drive.

Motorists are encouraged to drive with caution and obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area.

The I-74 Mississippi River Bridge project is part of a regional strategy for improving access across the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities. Construction is anticipated to take place over 3  years.

6. Lane closure on 34th Street in Moline

The city of Moline reports that southbound traffic will be closed on 34th Street from 4th to 6th avenues beginning today.

Patching work begins and will continue through Oct. 17.

A detour is in place.
Republicans have unveiled their brave new strategy for fixing the U.S. health care system: Make someone else deal with it.

Of all the god-awful Obamacare-repeal-and-replace plans that Republicans have proposed, Cassidy-Graham might be the god-awfulest. It's definitely the most cowardly. Republicans spent nine months fighting over how to repeal Obamacare without shafting the poor and enraging voters, and they failed.

So instead they're passing the buck.

Here's how the bill, named for Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.), works.

It would eliminate the Obamacare individual market subsidies, which help low- and middle-income people buy insurance. It would also repeal Obamacare's Medicaid expansion money. After an enormous across-the-board cut to federal health spending, Congress would give each state a block grant.

Every state would then have to create its own entirely new health insurance program, from scratch, by 2020. Then, in 2027, the block-grant funding ends entirely.

All this means fewer people would be insured, since states will be forced to do less with less. We don't yet have an estimate for how many Americans would lose coverage, though; the Senate plans to vote on a bill this week, conveniently before the Congressional Budget Office has time to put together a full score.

An increase in uninsured rates isn't the only easily foreseeable problem with this proposal. Premium prices are likely to spike, too.

That's because Cassidy-Graham eliminates the Obamacare requirement that everyone have health insurance. It also doesn't replace this mandate with anything to incentivize healthy people to get coverage.

As a result, the relatively sick will buy insurance at higher rates than the relatively healthy, pushing up premiums and thereby driving more relatively healthy people out of insurance markets, further driving up premiums, and so on. The dreaded "death spiral" in other words.

To hold premiums down, states would probably be tempted to scale back benefit requirements and encourage the sale of cheap but nearly worthless insurance plans. These are sometimes called "mini-med" or "buffalo policies," so nicknamed because they pretty much pay off only if you get run over by a herd of buffalo.

Regrettably, Cassidy-Graham empowers states to shred these consumer safeguards: Unlike Obamacare, the proposal does not protect people with pre-existing conditions; has no mandatory coverage of cancer, prescription drugs, maternity care or other "essential health benefits"; and does not prohibit lifetime benefit caps.

"States would be given an enormous amount of money with no strings attached," says Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

"No strings attached" is a bit of an understatement. Cassidy-Graham doesn't even require states to devote a single dollar of their block grants to insuring poor people. In fact, states could just use the grants to substitute for existing programs, Levitt says, allowing state funds to be directed to other purposes.

To hear Republican senators tell it, of course, this isn't about forcing governors to make decisions that Congress is too gutless to make itself.

No. It's about federalism!

States, those laboratories of democracy, are better suited to craft insurance policies  which are, at their core, boring financial contracts  narrowly tailored to their own unique state needs.

Which is nonsense.

What, people in Tennessee don't get cancer? People in Hawaii don't give birth or have heart attacks? Adverse selection isn't a problem in Alaska?

What's more, under Obamacare, states already have the flexibility to experiment and innovate. Under current law, states can apply for waivers if they wish to adapt their regulations to local conditions.

But the Affordable Care Act says they can do so only if they adhere to basic consumer protections and a minimum level of quality. Cassidy-Graham includes vague language about how states should offer "adequate and affordable health insurance coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions," but there's zero enforcement mechanism to guarantee they do so.

It's no wonder that nearly every major stakeholder  from the American Medical Association to the March of Dimes  has come out against this lily-livered bill. Cassidy-Graham is an abdication not only of any responsibility to the poor and the sick but also of congressional leadership more generally.

When it comes down to it, Senate Republicans aren't trying to improve the health-care system. They're trying to duck responsibility when they make it worse.
Gogol Center theater actors summoned for questioning in embezzlement case

MOSCOW, September 26 (RAPSI)  All actors of the Gogol Center theater have been summoned to the Investigative Committee of Russia for questioning as part of embezzlement case, poet Igor Irtenyev wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

RAPSI has not got official confirmation of this information yet.

The theater director Kirill Serebrennikov was arrested in late August and then placed under house arrest. Investigators believe that he organized embezzlement of 68 million rubles ($1.1 million). The defendant denied wrongdoing.

According to investigators, Serebrennikov developed the Platforma project for promotion of art in 2011 and received allocated funds of 214 million rubles (about $3.6 million) from the Ministry of Culture in 2011-2014.

Investigators claim that Serebrennikov created Seventh Studio stage company to actualize the project and invited former head of the company Yury Itin, ex- general producer Alexey Malobrodsky, and former chief accountant Nina Maslyayeva, among others, into organization.

Allegedly, Itin, Malobrodsky, and Maslyayeva were falsifying data for the Platforma projects plans in 2011-2014 on request of the theater director. This data was provided to the Ministry of Culture as the rationale for financing from the state budget.

Earlier, Maslyayeva has testified against Serebrennikov. She said that Serebrennikov, Malobrodsky and Itin organized embezzlement of money allocated for a cultural event. Serebrennikov and Malobrodsky cashed the money with the assistance of Maslyayeva. The woman also said that she entered falsified data in financial reports.

On May 23, police raided the Gogol Center as a part of investigation into the case. Searches have been also conducted in Serebrennikovs place of residence.
CASPER, Wyo.  When budding wildlife photographer Joe Riis first told biologist Hall Sawyer about his plans to photograph the newly discovered longest pronghorn migration in the world, Sawyer was, well, unsure.

I wouldnt say skeptical, but I knew how challenging it would be to capture those movements and also to deal with the rugged terrain and remote areas that you have to get into, said Sawyer, the wildlife researcher who first documented the pronghorn passage. But it didnt take long to really see how driven he was to do what it takes to capture those images.

And capture he did. Riis spent two full years tracking the pronghorn as they moved from the Green River Basin to Grand Teton National Park and back again. He would wait for days for the right shot and spend weeks and even months in the field setting up motion-sensor cameras.

His pronghorn work merged into documenting the longest mule deer migration ever discovered, which then led to years tracking elk completing arduous journeys in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

Riis work has been featured in museums and galleries and the pages of National Geographic. And now it is compiled with informative essays in a hardcover book, Yellowstone Migrations.

The book was a dream come true, Riis said. Its a big reward for all those days spent driving around and hiking around wondering why Im spending my life photographing these animals that walk in a line.

After earning a wildlife biology degree from the University of Wyoming, Riis spent the last decade photographing the Wyoming migrations.

People say Man, Joe, you have the coolest job in the world. That must be awesome. But I dont think people realize the amount of time and work that goes into that, Sawyer said. Behind every image is a month of terrible weather and living out of a backpack or truck and wet and cold and away from home and away from your friends.

The Casper Star-Tribune caught up with Riis in between adventures in the woods to explain how he captured what would become the defining images of wildlife migration, and his views on the future of these epic journeys.

Tribune: Youve said one of the early photos in the book of a calf panting as it treks up a mountainside is one of your favorites. Why?

Riis: It is what elk migration is all about. Its about the calves. Its about the moms teaching their offspring the migration path. That elk calf is about 3 weeks old. Its learning the migration for the first time. It was born probably out on the Pitchfork by the Hoodoo Ranch outside of Meeteetse, and at that moment it just crossed the South Fork of the Shoshone River and it is crossing an 11,000-foot mountain before it drops into the Thorofare Valley, one of the most remote valleys in the Lower 48.

 I could have never imagined when I set up that camera trap, I was not envisioning calves, and then I checked that camera and couldnt believe it. There was a 3-week-old calf with its mouth wide open on the heels of its mom and then with several calves in the background with spots on their back and their coats still wet from the South Fork of the Shoshone.

If I spent the rest of my life photographing elk, I dont think I would get a picture like that.

It feels like migration, it feels like its pulsing, and really that pulsing movement of migration is the process that this book is centered around. Its centered around the need to eat and move and reproduce.

When I look at that photo I see the need to move and the beauty of the wild planet right here in the middle of the United States. Those elk connect so many different people. Theres so many people who care about those elk, from the people who love to hunt them to the people who love to travel to Wyoming to see all the predators that those elk feed.

Theyre also symbolic of the need for all of us people to work together because they travel from private lands to forest service lands to national park service lands and not one of those agencies or people can conserve the migration alone.

Its these elk that challenge us to work together.

Tribune: Do you ever worry about your presence on these migrations, that you might change the way they migrate?

Riis: Thats my number one worry about all of this work is influencing the migration. Im concerned with being one of the threats. And sometimes I am. Sometimes the deer or pronghorn see me and they stop and turn around.

Thats why I started using camera traps in the beginning. Way back when I first showed up in the Pinedale area looking for pronghorn with (writer) Emilene Ostilund, one of the first things I realized was those pronghorn can see and sense me way before I can see them, so I had to make the decision: Do I document the migration and try and figure out a way I can do it without them seeing me, or do I abandon the project and not document them? I tried to figure it out and lessen my influence, and for me that was the camera traps. Trying to hide the camera so they dont see it and it doesnt make any noise and they can walk by and trigger the camera by motion, which leads to me getting the photograph and people being able to see what migration looks like and allows the animal to continue moving without being influenced.

Tribune: From a photography standpoint, are all migrations created equal, or are some easier or harder than others to photograph?

Riis: All migrations are definitely not created equal. Some span a long distance like the Red Desert-to-Hoback deer migration. But a lot of it is through a human landscape and a patchwork of ranches and forest lands and BLM and even towns. Its much easier to be able to drive up and park and walk a couple miles to photograph that migration.

Whereas the Cody elk migration, maybe its only 70 miles long, but the remoteness and also vertical gain is tremendous. Its very difficult to be able to get into those places because of the river and creek crossings. The snow depth in the spring and also knowing the trails and how to navigate the backcountry like that. I had to lean on a lot of the outfitting community just to figure out how to navigate some of the mountains. Theyre inaccessible to someone like me who has never been to some of these places.

Tribune: Are these migrations different than others youve photographed in the world?

Riis: Most of the past 10 years as a full-time photographer, Ive spent most of that time in western Wyoming. This is the one theme that I have really focused on. Whereas any of the other assignments Ive done in South America or central Africa or central Asia, they are snapshots, a one-month-long trip or so. How do they compare? From what Ive found, they dont compare.

In the greater Yellowstone we have this functioning system of abundant wildlife like I have not found elsewhere.

Tribune: Do you think these long migrations are sustainable?

Riis: These migrations are sustainable if we start to design our developments and our landscapes with these migrations in mind. And that means thinking real hard if we need that housing development right there or if it can be somewhere else.

A good example of that is in Pinedale on the north edge of town there, the 300-acre (area) was slated to potentially be turned into a housing development. There were enough people who came together and thought about it and realized it was not worth it. There were other places to be developed that would have a lesser impact on wild animals.

That one little chunk of ground actually impacted all of the land to the north and the land to the south with regard to the deer. There were 5,000 mule deer that it was absolutely critical they move through there. They had nowhere else to go. It was a perfect example of a pinch point, a pinch point that could have been cut off, and people came together and ensured that it was kept together for the future.

People talk about helping the migrations. The migrations dont need help. The elk and pronghorn and deer are going to do their annual migrations if they can. Really, what it comes down to is: Are we going to allow them to do their migration? And I think we will, but it will take some serious collaboration... I think if we focus on our similarities, we will realize that a lot of us have the same wildlife values and we want to share the landscape with these animals and this wild planet.

Tribune: Walk us through the process you use to ultimately track these migrations.

Riis: The process involves a lot of sitting around and looking through binoculars. Walking around. Or even driving around in places like Pinedale and you see a group of animals that are off of the road or walking along the fence. More than likely those animals are on the move. That was the first challenge for me, was to see what migration looks like. Prior to my work most of the pictures that said they were migrations were a group of animals running away. This is a slow movement. These animals are not running away.

Say there are pronghorn bunched up along the fence, so maybe I go over and look the next day or next day. Then I look at the fence and note theres a bunch of pronghorn crossing under the fence at this spot, so I would set up a camera and leave it for three or four days and go back and check it. A lot of times animals are moving through at night, late in the day. Its really quite simple. If you see an animal there in the road, more than likely there are others that will cross through right there

A different example of this is a picture of a juvenile bald eagle on a pronghorn buck So I was driving just along the Green River and saw that there was a bald eagle down on the river and I put the binocs on it and realized it was actually on a buck pronghorn that looks submerged in the water. I stopped and walked down there and realized the buck got wedged between a downed tree and rock I put a camera on the log by the buck and had a trigger on it so I could trigger it from like a mile away I waited the afternoon and the eagle came back and I got like 1200 pictures of it and the eagle stood on the buck pronghorn for an hour. I filled an entire memory card and it was dark and the eagle flew away and I went back out there and put my waders on and got the camera.

Tribune: Is there anything else youd like people to know?

Riis: This project was a collaborative between a bunch of researchers, the ranching community, the hunting community, the conservation community. I interact with and work with all these different people, and in order to conserve these migrations, we are all going to need to work together.
Three major countries in the Asia Pacific region are expected to continue to make their naval presence felt in the South China Sea amid the Philippines softening sovereignty stance in the disputed waters.

Australia, Japan and India are all making moves in the region at a time when the Philippines is softening its stance, collaborating with China in oil and gas exploration and accepting the increasing presence of Chinese vessels within its exclusive economic zone.

Tokyo has just announced that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held an exclusive security meeting with Indias leader Narendra Modi to finalize a maritime security cooperation deal in response to the growing naval presence of China in the South China Sea.

With this development, the Indian external affairs ministry along with Japans counterpart met with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New York to discuss how to assert the freedom of navigation and respect for international law in the global maritime.

Earliser this year, Japan has sent a helicopter-carrying warship into the South China Sea after making a port call in Vietnam, and the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore has noted that Japan plans to continue to deploy low-key patrols in Southeast Asia waters. Institute analyst Le Hong Hiep says that India is also looking at Vietnam as its entry point for establishing presence in the South China Sea.

With Indias fast growing economy, this could help to enhance collaboration with Vietnam, particularly in the oil and gas sector. Indias Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGS) has previously collaborated with Vietnams PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corporation. Wooing the loyalty of Vietnam, India opened up a $500 million line of credit last year so that Vietnam could buy military hardware and patrol boats to be used for maritime security.

As Japan and India address Chinas growing naval dominance in the South China Sea, Australia has also sent its largest and newest ship to Jakarta and eventually to other Southeast Asia nations to showcase that it has the capacity to participate in maritime security in the region. The deployment of HMAS Adelaide to Southeast Asia came months after Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warned China over its bullish and coercive action in the South China Sea during a security summit in Singapore.

Australia has been looking to collaborate with Indonesia, known for its fierce defense of its 200-mile exclusive economic zone. In a move seen as defiant to China, Indonesia renamed a portion of the South China Sea the North Natuna Sea. Australia and Indonesia will also be holding a joint maritime exercise this November in Surabaya in Java.

While many Asian countries see the new China-ASEAN South China Sea code of conduct as key to promoting peace and stability in the region, other analysts believe the entry of new Asia-Pacific economic powers into the region will create new maritime challenges.
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Peoples Voice on September 26, 2017

While it is nobodyas suggestion that India was a tolerant land some three years back and suddenly has developed the intolerance but none can deny the fact that the goons threatening intellectuals and activists have certainly become more arrogant and encouraged by the absolute adisinteresta shown by those in power. In the past few years we have lost number of persons for the cause of human rights and secularism and probe have reached nowhere even though links with organisations associated with Hindutva groups have been reported in the media. Activists are being threatened; intimidated and street goons have taken it upon themselves to provide the justice. Where the person is a bit powerful, cases are filed against him in the court while goons are let loose to physically intimidate him.

Kancha Illaiah is a well-known Bahujan philosopher who has been actively critiquing the Brahmanical social order and its injustices meted out to the Dalits-OBCs and Adivasis. Should he not be allowed to do this under the garb that it ahurta the community sentiments. It is not the question of any outsider writing a critique but a person from the community historically denied right. The only difference this time was that his new book that has come out is about the Vaishya community which is basically a trading community. Normally the Brahmins are the target but this time the Vaishyas ( Banias) have taken it to themselves and have been protesting against Illaih for his writing against them. The main contention of the community is that they have been called asocial smugglersa by Kancha Illaih in his book. One of the Member of Parliament from Telugu Desam Party T G Venkatesh has reportedly threatened to kill him and asked for his hanging. Yesterday, his vehicle was attacked and a prompt action by his driver could save his life. So shocked was Prof Kancha Illaiah that he felt deeply isolated and decided to confine to his home for the next one week. It is sad that an intellectual at this stage is facing so much of threat of physical violence and no assurances from the authorities for his safety. Now the issue is being deliberately being politicized to create a Hindutva frenzy in the state so that corrupt politicians can reap the benefit of the emotional blackmailing of people. This is the new India where the brahmanical Hinduism will come through violent means. No criticism would be allowed or countered through a fair critique. It is not that Kancha Illaiah wrote it for the first time. His thought provoking books are there in open and should be welcomed. One can disagree with him and for that we have enormous avenues to not merely protest peacefully but also wrote counter argument to denounce but that is not happening.

With so much of media and publishing world in hand these power elite are still fearful of a few who critique them. We are informed that Gandhi was a Bania. None deny that. We are not here asking anyone to be unhappy where they are born. None come here with a fixed birth record except in the brahmanical system where your caste and occupation are fixed with your birth. That is what we call caste based varnashram dharma and it must be rejected. We cannot hide the fact that caste system and caste discrimination are the biggest obstacle in the development of this country. In fact the caste system remains our biggest hurdle in national unity and integration. The caste system creates prejudices in the minds of people and limits your mobility beyond your own castes. Once you confine yourself within your castes, everything outside it looks as suspect and dangerous. Can we have a united India with so many thousands of caste and each considering it superior to other? Critiquing Indiaas notorious caste system is nothing wrong but will ultimately help India get stronger and united. Even then if he has said anything academically or factually wrong then there are options before the people to go the court or even write rejoinder through engaging in a democratic debate. Huge number of upper caste dominate our media, academia, intelligentsia and they can write a counter critique of Kancha Illaiah but the abdominal street protests that we are witnessing in Andhra and Telangana are merely for the political purpose and need to be unconditionally condemned.

The videos of protest using innocent children to urinate in public on the photograph of Kancha Illaiah is nothing except the sick mindset of the people who are using children to reap the rich harvest of hatred during the election. It is deeply despicable and condemnable. Why children should be used in a debate which is academic debate. And even if they are used, is the best way to use their acreativitya. Is this not an imposition of male supremacy as we find no girls or women in the protest? Kancha Illaiah has not killed anyone, nor is he spreading hatred against particular communities or people, he has not threatened anyone but used the only way, to speak up through his writings against what he and many like him consider historic wrong. Isnat it his right to question and speak up against the social injustice that prevailed for centuries in our society?

Isnat it for Indians to ponder as why one community is in business or knowledge while other is purely for cleaning human excreta? Is this not a reservation which has existed in this filthy society where a few protested but those enjoyed kept quiet? When this hegemony is challenged then the question of merit is raised as if all those in the Dalal Street in Mumbai are the most meritorious people? Caste system is nothing but hidden apartheid and you cannot hide from the fact that it need to go and should be demolished as Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar as well as many others like him, had wanted.

What is more disturbing is that the failure of the two state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to provide him protection and action against those threatening him. The way political protests have been launched against him is clear indication of the local politicians who are being encouraged by their respective parties to intimidate a scholar through street goondaism. The two chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telanagana are the same who refused to speak up against institutional murder of Rohith Vemula. Even when the entire country stood up for Rohithas cause, the two upper caste governments actually were determined to treat him as a anon dalita, a deliberate ploy to divide people on caste lines and deviate from the real issue of the prevailing caste prejudices in their system. The Member of Parliament of Telugu Desham party has openly threatened to kill him but there is no action from the chief minister Chandra Babu Naidu. The goons are openly attacking him and monitoring his physical movement but the two chief ministers remain shamelessly silent on the issue.

Another appalling thing is the conspicuous silence of intellectuals and political parties as Kancha has himself said. This is a very disturbing fact. We know he has been a critique of brahmanical system in our political parties and intelligentsia including the left and this is not for the first time any intellectual spoke about the left and other political organisations. It was a critique of Dr Ambedakr, Phule, Periyar and many others who follow their path yet over the years. There are people who acknowledge their faults and happily engage in a fruitful discussion on the issue which is a welcome sign.

This is the period of a great crisis among us. Those who are targeting Mr Kancha Illaiah, know it well that there are wide differences among the non Hindutva groups of people. This is not merely the problems of the left forces but also of the Ambedkarites and Bahujan forces. It is not the time to get into digging history and then taking a stand. In my opinion every Ambedkarite or a true intellectual of any variety left or socialist or freethinker will always defend an individualas right to freedom of expression and engage in democratic debates. Moreover, it is not a street brawl that he has engaged in but a purely academic work which can and should only be countered through academic exercise or democratic protests. The pain is that we have not heard intellectuals, academic taking any stand on it particularly outside Andhra and Telangana except for some individual responses on social media. It is good that the Congress Party has issued a very strong statement in the media as their spokesperson Randeep Singh Surejewallah demanded action the threatening Member of Parliament and protection to Mr Kancha Illaiah. This is certainly a positive sign and we appreciate it.

India is fast becoming a mob republic where power elite has developed various ways to not only intimidate you but put you in deep distress to the strength of physical hurt or elimination. The mobs are being encouraged to take law in their hands and they have the fullest backing through the PR agents who can easily convert a wrong into right and the vice versa but then these should be the finest hours for all of us who are fighting against the subjugation and discrimination as it is the right time to see the truth, our stand and our attitude. We need to develop the culture of debate and discussion as that is the only way to save us as a society and as a nation. Once people start taking law in their hand and deciding to judge everyone in the street we will have none to blame but on to us. It is better to learn from the experiences of others. People in Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and elsewhere know well the importance of democracy where in the name of identities and national interests people have killed each other. India survived as a democracy and fared well because despite all our weaknesses, we promoted ideas through constructive debates. We agreed to disagree. If you donat like Mr Kancha Illaiah or any one like him, donat read him, switch off your TV or if you are reasonable enough then counter him ideologically and argumentatively through various mediums. Each one of have various options including social media and it should be used to strengthen the debates but donat fall prey to the political goons who are only using sentiments to spread hatred and promote their political interest. Prof Kancha Illaiah must be provided all the security that he needs as well as those threatening to kill him must be prosecuted.
Get up at least once every 30 minutes. Failure to do so may shorten your life, study finds
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" " The Hampton Roads region of coastal Virginia is prone to flooding during especially high tides. Roberto Westbrook/Blend Images/Getty Images

On Nov. 5, 2017, a king tide  the courtly name for the highest astronomical tide of the year  will put low-lying areas in coastal Virginia underwater. Now, scientists are asking people in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia to use a purpose-built app to track the tide, which is expected to peak 2 feet (0.6 meters) above normal sea level. The goal is to develop a model that will help map rising sea levels.

The rising sea level brought on by a king tide is morphing from an annual anomaly to the new normal. Scientists predict that by 2050, many parts of Hampton Roads and other coastal regions will be underwater year-round, as tides continue to rise the world over.

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Virginia's Hampton Roads is on the Eastern seaboard of the United States, where the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers converge at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. As the 33rd-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., it provides an ideal model to illustrate the impact rising sea levels will have on populated areas.

To capture the tide's affects, Dr. Derek Loftis, an assistant research scientist at William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, has teamed with Virginia-based media partners to launch an event called "Catch the King," asking citizens to use a SeaLevelRise app (available on iOS and Android) to measure the high tide's reach. The free app, developed by the nonprofit Wetlands Watch and software company Concursive, uses GPS coordinates to trace any type of flood event. Scientists then use the coordinates as data points on an online map for public viewing.

The Catch the King tracking event is "a low-stakes dress rehearsal that will help us better understand the risk of recurrent flooding in Hampton Roads," said Loftis in a press release, "while laying the groundwork for a volunteer data-collection network for use during more substantial flood events."

The app-driven data that is collected also will help scientists build predictive models that can forecast the damage and danger of storm surge event, as well as long-term climate change.

Now That's Interesting Tides are actually large-scale waves that roll around the planet as the ocean is manipulated by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun; a new or full moon usually brings on higher-than-normal tides.
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This well-established Blog is worth visiting on a regular basis for a wealth of information of interest to Armenian nationals and to the Armenian Diaspora world-wide. Although it has a particular role in promoting international recognition of the Genocide, the Blog encompasses much more and includes many articles of general appeal to all those concerned with Armenian affairs. Much of the content is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere and the long list of links provided gives easy access to a plethora of material on social, political, religious, educational and cultural matters, and many news items from around the world.




There's been an apparent uptick recently in the number of panhandlers working on the BART system, some of them women carrying babies and others men who seem to speak little English, pass out Kleenex packets and notes, and then beg for money to support their families. A post from last October on the Berkeley Parents Network shows a concerned mother wondering what to do after she saw two different women with babies begging, and how it was making her dread using BART. A similar post appeared on Reddit in June, noting the practice of "tissue begging" that has been prevalent in other cities, but not here until now. But now CBS 5/KPIX is reporting that the panhandlers all appear to be part of an organized group who may not be as destitute as they claim, judging by the cars they drive away in. And, interestingly, they're apparently Roma, from the lineage once referred to pejoratively as "gypsies," from Romania.

Two KPIX reporters rode BART for weeks and tried to question some of the panhandlers, the mothers who always appear with babies in tow and signs that say something along the lines of "No job, 4 kids, please help for food." The women were more reticent to speak, but one of the men, finding out that the reporter spoke Italian, was more talkative, and said he rode the trains from 9 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m., and lives in Hayward.

Most of the panhandlers appear to come from the same Romani community in Hayward, and KPIX's observations suggest that their claims of poverty may not be entirely true:



It turns out the Kleenex crew isnt as destitute as their 'help me' notes would make it seem. On several different nights we recognized half a dozen of them loading into a couple of Audis, a Mercedes and a Kia and counting their haul for the day. As for the mothers, day after day like clockwork we watched them stream out of the Fremont parking lot pushing their strollers. We followed them to a residential development about a mile away, where rents for two-bedroom units list at $2,600 a month.

NBC Bay Area reported on a similar spate of apparently Romani panhandlers showing up at places of worship in affluent East Bay communities like Danville and San Ramon back in 2011, so this is nothing new. But perhaps use of the captive audiences of BART riders is a new tactic.

Crackdowns and tensions in recent years around illegal camping, begging, and thievery in France amid a large influx of Roma immigration have apparently led to further immigration to the US, according to one expert who spoke to the station. (And in France, this calls to mind generations of racism against the group, which was also targeted by Nazis.)

BART, for its part, only considers panhandling illegal when it's "aggressive," and made clear during a recent outcry about the practice getting rampant that panhandling itself is protected by the First Amendment.

Santa Clara County District Attorney's investigator Greg Ovanessian tells KPIX he's had both good and bad reasons for encountering the local Romani population, and he just suggests that BART riders should be skeptical of these panhandlers, and careful about who they give money to, especially larger sums of money.

Everyone who moved here from New York should already know this.

Previously: BART Defends Panhandling As Free Speech, But Says 'Aggressive Panhandlers' Will Be Arrested
A few weeks back we learned of a developing situation in Fremont where 32 centuries-old skeletons were unearthed during excavations for a townhouse development there, some of whose units have already been sold and inhabited without the information about the gravesite being disclosed to the buyers. ABC 7 originally reported on the discovery, speaking to a couple of local Ohlone advisors who were hired by the developer, as stipulated under the law, to oversee the removal and reburial of the remains. And now ABC 7's Dan Noyes follows up on the story, finding that some homeowners who've already moved in only first learned about the remains from Noyes's investigative report, and the developer is now offering to return buyers' deposits if they want to terminate their contracts  presumably just for those whose units aren't yet move-in ready.

ABC 7 learned that the developer has known about the remains for at least two years, and in disclosures to buyers they only included a brief line about "artifacts" discovered, nothing about human remains. ABC 7 speaks to Golden Gate University Law Professor Marc Greenberg says the disclosure made to buyers, shortly after the news channels first report of the remains, is "better late than never," but he says the developer had an obligation to disclose this information immediately. He gives the example of someone wanting to put a pool in their backyard and needing to know whether or not they can dig there.

Curiously, the Native American representative for the project, Ramona Garibay, refused to speak on the record about the discovery of the remains, even though the developer kept referring Noyes to her.

Also, awkwardly, because reburial on the site is required under law, the 32 human remains are being stored in a concrete vault underground that is, as Noyes puts it, "under a foot of asphalt at the end of a street  just outside the living rooms of two homes."

Andy Galvan, and Ohlone Indian who's previously worked as a monitor/advisor for construction sites where native remains are discovered, earlier told Noyes, "These are our dead, this is not a 'Poltergeist' joke, this is not ghoulish, this is not creature features and it's not Halloween." Galvan further explains that the reason the developer wanted this so hush-hush is, first of all, any impact it may have on home sales, but also to avoid protesters or vandalism at the site by people upset that the remains were disturbed in the first place.

Now, given the delay and the fact that multiple families have moved into the homes, which were priced starting around $1.2 million, the developer could be facing lawsuits.

The Ohlone Indians occupied much of the East Bay before colonialists arrived from Spain and then the US. The oldest remains so far found on this site, at Van Daele Homes' Calabria development, were carbon-dated to over 600 years ago.

Native American monitor Shawn Harris, who worked at the Van Daele project as excavations were occurring, earlier told ABC 7 this could just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of this burial site. "Only bodies that they run across are the ones that they've run into by digging down a certain depth," Harris said. "So the whole area is probably covered with them."

Controversies go back decades over the unearthing of Native American remains as the Bay Area has become increasingly developed. Back in 1999, controversy erupted over a shellmound that was rediscovered during the redevelopment of the waterfront area in Emeryville, on the site of what is now the Bay Street shopping center and its adjacent structures. Thought to have previously been disturbed and destroyed by industrial development in the 1920s, the ancient Ohlone burial ground, which was also the site of several enormous mounds of discarded mussel, clam, and oyster shells, was covered over again by development and now we have Shellmound Street, the main drag through this section of Emeryville.




The delegation from Peoples Council of Champasak province was led by Chairman Meksa Vanh Phomphithat.At the meeting, chairwoman Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam appreciated the visit; and affirmed to tighten further the traditional friendship and solidarity relations between Vietnam and Laos in general and Ho Chi Minh City and Champasak province in particular.Besides that, the leader desired the two Peoples Councils to continue sharing experience, enhance the cooperation relations between the two localities.The Laotian leader expressed his pleasure in the Lao delegations visit in parallel to mark the 55th establishment anniversary of Vietnam- Laos diplomatic ties (1962- 2017) and the 40th anniversary of signing the treaty of friendship and cooperation (1977- 2017).This is the second visit to HCMC by the delegation from Champasak Peoples Council, added Mr. Meksa Vanh Phomphithat.

BY THUY VU- Translated by Huyen Huong
SIOUX CITY | Sioux City Council members weighed pros and cons Monday of replacing or eliminating a structurally deficient bridge in the city's former stockyards.

After examining how each would affect area traffic and future trail construction, the council voted 4-0 to delete the item so staff could bring it back in two weeks.

Engineering firm HGM Associates Inc. presented three options to the council to replace the structurally deficient Bluff Road Bridge, which spans the old Floyd Channel along Bluff Road to the west of its intersection with Cunningham Drive. The aging bridge is currently limited to trucks carrying no more than 12 tons.

Options included replacing the bridge with one similar to its current alignment, a diagonal bridge with a skewed alignment or demolishing the existing bridge. In the case of no replacement, a new roadway connecting Bluff Road to Cunningham Drive to the north would allow for through traffic in the area.

Public response to the project options have so far been minimal, but HGM representatives said that two businesses in the area had, when approached, said they preferred the first bridge option. Another had said it preferred the second.

Public Works Director Dave Carney told the council he preferred the third option since it would save bridge replacement costs and not require ongoing maintenance.

"The long-term maintenance of the bridge -- if we can eliminate that, I think that's the best option for the city," Carney said.

Mayor Bob Scott agreed. "Get rid of every bridge and stoplight you don't need because all they are is maintenance nightmares," he said.

The council also discussed what route a future trail link could take to connect the current trail along Cunningham Drive to the future Chautauqua Park Trail. Replacing the bridge with another bridge would allow for pedestrian traffic along the bridge, while the no-bridge option could follow along the planned new roadway. Both trail links would require an at-grade crossing across Union-Pacific Railroad tracks to the south to reach the Chautauqua trail.

Another option would be to build the trail along the old Floyd Canal, gradually descending the embankment and passing under the Union-Pacific railroad bridge to the south to connect with the trail.

The council directed Carney to look into the feasibility of upgrading a railroad crossing to allow for a trail to cross the tracks, which Scott said might be more cost-effective and wouldn't require trail builders to disturb the old Floyd Channel.

Sioux City plans to use federal funds of up to 80 percent of the eligible project costs or $1,000,000, whichever is less, for the project. The remainder will be funded through sales tax and general obligation bonds.

Gilchrist Learning Center

In other action, the council voted 4-0 to approve construction documents for the Sioux City Art Center's Gilchrist Learning Center project.

The 11,000-square-foot building at 220 Pierce St., adjacent to the Art Center, would allow the center to grow its educational programs. The center is named for the Gilchrist Foundation, which contributed $1 million to kick-start the project's fundraising.

With approval, a bid letting will start Oct. 7. It could open by October of next year.

Everett School renovation

The council also voted 3-0, with Councilman Dan Moore abstaining, on the first reading of various rezoning and vacations requested by Arch Icon Development of Woodbine, Iowa, needed to renovate the former Everett Elementary School building at 1314 W. Third St. into 20 apartment units.

Based on community feedback at the Planning and Zoning Commission's level, the council's approval would require that a future site plan for the project will go before the commission and council, as well.

Portions of Everett School date back 129 years. The developer plans to construct two single-bedroom units, nine two-bedroom units, six three-bedroom units and three four-bedroom units.
SIOUX CITY | Filmmaker and ecologist John Liu documented China's Loess Plateau, considered the cradle of Chinese civilization, from a degraded landscape to its recent restoration as a large scale ecosystem.

On Monday, Liu gave a presentation at Briar Cliff University before touring western Iowa's Loess Hills.

Other than the tier of counties that hug the Missouri River along Iowa's western border, China is the only other place with such a unique formation of wind-deposited silt known as loess.

Unlike China's Loess Plateau, Iowa's Loess Hills haven't been fundamentally altered by humans.

"Ever since the advent of settled agriculture, the fine, powdery soil of the Loess Plateau had eroded to the point where there could be no vegetation or biodiversity," Liu explained. "Because of the farming innovations created in response to America's Dust Bowl in the 1930s, the Loess Hills didn't experience the same level of degradation."

A former television producer and cameraman, Liu said he became obsessed with ecological issues after first visiting the Loess Plateau in 1995.

"Seeing the transformation of the Loess Plateau first-hand convinced me of the possibility that humans can restore ecosystems instead of destroying them," he explained.

The director of the Environmental Education Media Project and a Rothamstead International Fellow for the Communication of Science at Hertfordshire, England's Rothamstead Research, Liu said humans have had a harmful impact on environment. This has caused higher temperatures. more volatile weather and the loss of arable soil.

Liu said these problems come when people value the products and services derived from ecosystems instead of the ecosystems themselves. But he said positive strides can be made.

"As a society, we can't make ourselves accountable in the pursuit of every shiny new object," he said. "We need to be accountable to our ecosystems for our generation and for the generations that come after us."
SIOUX CITY | A fire that damaged a vacant Sioux City house earlier this month was intentionally set, fire investigators have determined.

Sioux City police have begun to investigate the fire at 417 Ross St. as a criminal act, Deputy Fire Marshal Ryan Collins said Tuesday in a news release.

Sioux City Fire Rescue responded to the fire at the two-story single-family home at 4:15 a.m. Sept. 19. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and fire on the main floor of the house. After the fire was extinguished, city building inspectors red-tagged the house as unfit for occupation.

No arrests have been made in the case, and anyone who has information about the fire can contact the police department at 279-6440.
Siouxland Beekeepers monthly meeting

Beekeepers from Sioux Falls to Sioux City meet to share and learn from each other about what's going on in our bee hives. Find out what needs to be done in preparation of the on coming winter months. Bring your questions and your answers. We gather at 7 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at Former Orange City Hospital, 400 N Central Ave, Orange City, Iowa. For more information contact Ron Rynders at 712-449-5010 or Dean Johnson at 712-539-3326.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Facing assured defeat, Republican leaders decided Tuesday not to even hold a vote on the GOP's latest attempt to repeal the Obama health care law, surrendering on their last-gasp effort to deliver on the party's banner campaign promise.

"The bill is dead as a door nail," said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., leaving a luncheon where GOP senators decided against holding a futile roll call.

The decision marked the latest stinging rejection on the issue for President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In July, the Republican-controlled Senate rejected three similar GOP measures, a failure that infuriated conservatives and prompted Trump to spend much of his summer tweeting insults at McConnell and other Republican senators for falling short.

McConnell and other Republicans characterized the decision as a short-term setback. They needed to vote on the measure this week because procedural protections against a bill-killing Democratic filibuster expire Sunday, but they could revisit the issue in the future.

"We haven't given up on changing the American health care system," McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters. "We aren't going to be able to do it this week."

But he made it clear that it was time for Republicans to turn away from trying to repeal President Barack Obama's health care. They've been promising to erase that law since its 2010 enactment but have never rallied behind a plan to replace it.

"Where we go from here is tax reform," he said, citing the next big GOP goal.

Rejection became all but inevitable on Monday after Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins announced she opposed the legislation. She joined Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Texas' Ted Cruz who'd already said they opposed the measure. Cruz aides said he was seeking changes that would let him vote yes.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, did not reveal a definitive position but said that while changes in Obama's law are needed, "substance matters." Her state has extremely high health care costs, in part because of its many remote communities.

Because of their narrow majority and unified Democratic opposition, Republicans could lose just two GOP votes and still push the legislation through the Senate.

The retreat left the GOP's next steps on health care unclear, especially with a president who in recent weeks has reached out to congressional Democratic leaders on high-agenda items like the budget and immigration.

Trump said in a meeting Tuesday with Republican and Democratic House members that he would work with Democrats on health care if the Republicans "didn't get repeal done," according to Rep. Richard Neal, R-Mass. Neal quoted Trump as saying, "You get a better deal if it's bipartisan."

It was unclear what compromise Trump could strike with Democrats between his stated desire to uproot the health care statute and Democrats defending what was perhaps Obama's proudest domestic achievement.

Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., have been working on a bipartisan bill that would buttress Obama's law by continuing federal subsidies to insurers for lowering costs for lower-earning consumers. Trump has threatened to block those payments.

Murray called the GOP bill "the worst one yet" while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., hailed the defeat of "this deadly bill."

In choosing whether to hold the roll call, McConnell faced some Republicans arguing that lawmakers can't be seen as abandoning a pledge that Trump and countless GOP have run on. Others challenged the value of shining a fresh spotlight on their inability to pass the bill.

"Putting it out on the floor and forcing a lot of people to make a vote that maybe they don't want to make isn't the best, in my view, long term pathway to success," No. 3 Senate Republican leader John Thune of South Dakota said before the vote.

The abandoned bill would transform much of "Obamacare's" spending into $1.2 trillion worth of grants through 2026 that states could spend on health programs with few constraints. It would also give states far more power  without federal approval  to loosen strings on insurers, letting them charge seriously ill people higher premiums and sell low-cost, low-coverage policies.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said "millions" of Americans would lose coverage under the bill and projected it would impose $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts through 2026.

GOP leaders revised the measure several times, adding money late Sunday for Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Kentucky and Texas in a clear pitch for Republican holdouts. They also gave states the ability  without federal permission  to permit insurers to charge people with serious illnesses higher premiums and to sell low-premium policies with big coverage gaps and high deductibles.

Before the vote, Trump lashed out at GOP lawmakers for deserting the measure, telling reporters, "We are disappointed in certain so-called Republicans."
If a U.S. president calls an adversary "Rocket Man ... on a mission to suicide," and warns his nation may be "totally destroyed," other ideas in his speech will tend to get lost.

Which is unfortunate. For buried in Donald Trump's address is a clarion call to reject transnationalism and to re-embrace a world of sovereign nation-states that cherish their independence and unique identities.

Western man has engaged in this great quarrel since Woodrow Wilson declared America would fight in the Great War, not for any selfish interests, but "to make the world safe for democracy."

Our imperialist allies, Britain, France, Russia, Japan, regarded this as self-righteous claptrap and proceeded to rip apart Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire and to feast on their colonies.

After World War II, Jean Monnet, father of the EU, wanted Europe's nations to yield up their sovereignty and form a federal union like the USA.

Europe's nations would slowly sink and dissolve in a single polity that would mark a giant leap forward toward world government -- Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Parliament of man, the Federation of the world."

Charles De Gaulle led the resistance, calling for "a Europe of nation-states from the Atlantic to the Urals."

For 50 years, the Gaullists were in constant retreat. The Germans especially, given their past, seemed desirous of losing their national identity and disappearing inside the new Europe.

Today, the Gaullist vision is ascendant.

"We do not expect diverse countries to share the same cultures, traditions, or even systems of government," said Trump at the U.N.

"Strong sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures, and different dreams not just coexist, but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect. ...

"In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch."

Translation: We Americans have created something unique in history. But we do not assert that we should serve as a model for mankind. Among the 190 nations, others have evolved in different ways from diverse cultures, histories, traditions. We may reject their values but we have no God-given right to impose ours upon them.

It is difficult to reconcile Trump's belief in self-determination with a National Endowment for Democracy whose reason for being is to interfere in the politics of other nations to make them more like us.

Trump's idea of patriotism has deep roots in America's past.

After the uprisings of 1848 against the royal houses of Europe failed, Lajos Kossuth came to seek support for the cause of Hungarian democracy. He was wildly welcomed and hailed by Secretary of State Daniel Webster.

But Henry Clay, more true to the principles of Washington's Farewell Address, admonished Kossuth:

"Far better is it for ourselves, for Hungary, and for the cause of liberty that, adhering to our wise, pacific system, and avoiding the distant wars of Europe, we should keep our lamp burning brightly on the western shore as a light to all nations, than to hazard its utter extinction amid the ruins of fallen or falling republics in Europe."

Trump's U.N. address echoed Clay: "In foreign affairs, we are renewing this founding principle of sovereignty. Our government's first duty is to its people ... to serve their needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights, and to defend their values."

Trump is saying with John Quincy Adams that our mission is not to go "abroad in search of monsters to destroy," but to "put America first." He is repudiating the New World Order of Bush I, the democracy crusades of the neocons of the Bush II era, and the globaloney of Obama.

Trump's rhetoric implies intent; and action is evident from Rex Tillerson's directive to his department to rewrite its mission statement -- and drop the bit about making the world democratic.

The current statement reads: "The Department's mission is to shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world."

Tillerson should stand his ground. For America has no divinely mandated mission to democratize mankind. And the hubristic idea that we do has been a cause of all the wars and disasters that have lately befallen the republic.

If we do not cure ourselves of this interventionist addiction, it will end our republic. When did we dethrone our God and divinize democracy?

And are 21st-century American values really universal values?

Should all nations embrace same-sex marriage, abortion on demand, and the separation of church and state if that means, as it has come to mean here, the paganization of public education and the public square?

If freedom of speech and the press here have produced a popular culture that is an open sewer and a politics of vilification and venom, why would we seek to impose this upon other peoples?

For the State Department to declare America's mission to be to make all nations look more like us might well be regarded as a uniquely American form of moral imperialism.
Again, Republicans in the Senate are attempting to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. This time, the results will be less predictable, since the main feature of the bill is the awarding of block grants to the states, who can then do what they want with the money. However, the proponents of the bill will predictably tell you that it will provide as good a coverage to as many people as the ACA does. This is hard to believe, given the amount of money involved.

It is estimated that under the proposal, federal funding for health care will be over $30 billion less than under the current system in 2020 and over $80 billion less by 2026. And while spending money is not equivalent to providing health care, it is hard to imagine how the same level of care can be provided with such a large cut in funding.

Our own Senator Charles Grassley has said, I could maybe give you ten reasons why this bill shouldn't be considered. He intends, in spite of this, to vote in favor of the bill. Meanwhile, our governor has also expressed support for the bill. This seems premature, since she has yet to unveil a plan to provide the same level of health care with half a billion dollars less, annually, in federal money by 2026.

As with the previous bill, the Cassidy-Graham bill is not a serious attempt to improve health care in America, and it should be rejected. - Dave Slaven, Sioux City
So Hillary Clinton wants to do away with the electoral college because she lost the election. She says we have progressed to a one person, one vote system. OK, I can do that with one stipulation. Lets have everything done the same way. Gay marriage, border wall, GLBT bathroom laws, abortion, etc. Yep, lets be fair and have a complete majority vote in this country.
There are 29 active national emergencies in place today in the United States. The latest is the one that President Donald Trump declared on Aug. 10: The opioid crisis is an emergency, and I am saying, officially, right now, it is an emergency. Its a national emergency. Were going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis. It is a serious problem the likes of which we have never had.

In spite of Trumps penchant for hyperbole, this declaration was a wise decision and came in response to draft recommendations of a presidential commission Trump appointed last spring. Unfortunately, its been six weeks since the emergency was declared, and the only step the administration has taken is to form a public-private partnership on the issue with some of the drug companies that have profited mightily from the addiction crisis.

At least 21,000 overdose deaths were attributed to opioids last year. An additional 30,000 overdose deaths are attributed to heroin and powerful synthetic opioids. Feuds among drug dealers are contributing to higher homicide rates in St. Louis and elsewhere. So yes, its a national emergency. And America needs to act like it.

In Trumps defense, hes had more immediate emergencies from hurricanes to deal with in the past six weeks, both of them drawing down funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If the opioid crisis were treated as a real national emergency, FEMA would have statutory authority for dealing with it  though its expertise in drug abuse is negligible. Congress had natural disasters in mind when it passed the 1988 Stafford Act to govern federal emergency response.

In fact, most of the other 28 national emergencies still on the books impose economic sanctions against individuals doing business with governments we dont like or terrorist organizations. The oldest dates from 1979 and blocks Iranian government property. A president can invoke the National Emergencies Act of 1974 and claim certain statutory powers to deal with the crisis of the moment.

In the case of the opioids emergency, the presidential commission, chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, urged Trump to force Congress to focus on funding.

The commission endorsed the gold standard of making medication-assisted treatment freely available. Experience has shown that by substituting less addictive drugs for opium-derived painkillers or heroin, addicts have a far better chance of recovery.

But such treatment is both expensive and controversial. Tens of billions of dollars would be required, as well as a recognition that addicts do better in treatment centers than prison.

The Senate had $45 billion for opioid treatment in its first Obamacare replacement bill. It has zero in the health care bill its considering now. Real national emergencies require real national leaders.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Indias Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis in New Delhi on September 26 (Photo: @nsitharaman)

When President Donald Trump announced his Afghan policy late last month and signaled an open-ended involvement without an identifiable end-game, he sought Indias help, calling it a key strategic ally.

He made it a point to take his characteristic swipe by also pointing out that India was making billions of dollars in trade with America.

In an analysis that I wrote for the IANS wire on the announcement on August 22, I concluded with this,  For India, the important takeaway from the speech is that the Trump administration will lean on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step up to the plate and show a greater willingness to get involved. It is not clear if Trump expects India to get involved militarily, a prospect New Delhi would shudder at given its own tensions with China and Pakistan.

With US Defense Secretary James Mattis making his first official visit to India the question of the extent of Indias involvement ought to have been an important one for both sides. I am not sure if Mattis specifically discussed with Indias Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman New Delhis military involvement in Afghanistan. However, Sitharaman did respond categorically to that question from the media during a news conference saying, We have made it clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground.

That is the sensible approach for New Delhi which has over the past 16 years of the endless war contributed some $3 billion in aid via many development projects. Keeping its ancient ties with Afghanistan in firm focus India has been doing its own version of nation-building there.

While Washington or Kabul have not specifically asked New Delhi to deploy Indian troops as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a NATO-led security mission to Afghanistan, there are expectations of some significant level of security cooperation between India and America in that country.

The extent and nature of Indias involvement in Afghanistan is a source of great anxiety for Pakistan. As recently as last week, Pakistans Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told the United Nations General Assembly that his country wants India to play no role at all in Afghanistan. Left to Islamabad, it would like New Delhi to pretend that there is no country called Afghanistan. (I exaggerate for effect.)

For India, it is a peculiar balancing act in Afghanistannot doing anything at all as suggested by Pakistan will not earn it any points with its immediate neighbor even while doing just development-focused work will not give it the strategic heft it wants in the region. With America making security-related overtures, India will have to decide its role for the next decade and beyond.
A comic book legend and a southeastern fan convention are joining forces to aid those struggling from Hurricane Irma.

MegaCon Tampa Bay is donating a portion of tickets sold to this weekends convention, beginning Sept. 29 through Oct. 1. For 2,000 tickets sold online, the convention will donate $5 per ticket to Feeding Florida, a network of Floridian food banks attempting to solve hunger and aid hurricane victims with food and emergency supplies.

The generous support of the MegaCon Tampa Bay community will allow Feeding Florida to provide necessary supplies to our families directly impacted by Hurricane Irma, said Feeding Florida Executive Director Robin Safley. Partnerships like this allow our statewide network of food banks to continue to support every community and provide many of the front-line services required during response and recovery efforts.

Stan Lee will also raise money at the convention. He will auction off a one-on-one meal and artwork from his personal collection on Friday, Sept. 29 during his panel.

Florida is in need of some cheering up and what better person to do that than the one and only Stan Lee! said FanExpo HQ President Andrew Moyes. We are excited to be bringing Stan to Tampa Bay for the first time and to work with him to support those communities impacted by Hurricane Irma.

MegaCon and Stan Lee estimate they will be able to donate $20,000 combined to Feeding Florida.

For more information, including ticket pricing, visit MegaConTampaBay.com.
Editor's Note: Key West will re-open to visitors on Sunday, Oct. 1 and they need your support.

Only a 3-hour drive from Miami surrounded by clear turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean on the left and the Gulf of Mexico on the right (or faster still by plane), Key West is just as much the gay destination as its ever been.

Key West is close enough for the convenience of a staycation, but far enough away to feel like a real vacation. Its the perfect weekend getaway for locals.

Once you arrive to the island and take a walk down Duval Street, youll see rainbow flags flying aplenty and gay couples soaking up the sunshine. To say nothing of when the sun goes down, the drag queens come out and you can get your fifth refill on that fruity cocktail to prepare for the nightlife that stretches into the early morning hours. There are the tried-and-true gay queer Key West favorites with a few new (or unfamiliar) spots worth adding to the itinerary for a quick getaway.

Refresh

Key West has a long list of restaurants with seafood inspired menus, as the seafood here is as fresh as you will find anywhere, but there are many other choices of cuisine to satiate just about any craving. For Key Wests best dining options (and favorites among the gay locals), make reservations at Santiagos Bodega (SantiagosBodeg.com), a Spanish-inspired Tapas bar with small plates sampling flavors from around the globe. Or a request a table for two at Michaels Restaurant (MichaelsKeyWest.com), one of the Keys top fine dining restaurants, for a more classic two- or three-course meal with a little island flavor. Wherever you go, be sure to save room for dessert - Key West is home base for Key lime pie.

Imbibe

With a nightlife that winds up at 4 a.m., the streets are alive all night. For Key West staples, visit the clothing-optional resort Island House or Aqua Bar & Nightclub (AquaKeyWest.com), which puts on a fabulous drag showcomplete with Midwest tourists, of coursebut fabulous nonetheless. For more of a low-key vibe, stop into Sidebar to grab a drink and chat with locals. Equator (EquatorResort.com), another clothing-optional resort, is worth dropping by for a drink and to enjoy the scenery (avoid buying a day pass here and at Island House by stopping in for a drink instead of a swim). For more local drag, 801 Bourbon Bar puts on a regular show in its upstairs cabaret bar. And for that backroom bar vibe, Saloon 1 is a shiny version of, well, what we know goes on in backroom bars.

Splash

Theres the safe tourist destinations of the Hemingway House, or even the Southernmost Point (be prepared to stand in line to snap an unobstructed selfie with the landmark), but being on warm crystal clear waters is hands down the best place to be in Key West. Sunset Watersports (SunsetWatersports.net) is the islands top tour company for wave runner tours. Spend an hour and a half on the water following a guide on a 28-mile route around the island.

For history fanatics or nature enthusiasts, a hike at Key Wests Fort Zachary Taylor is a mustthis state park is also a historic national landmark, built around a Civil War-era fort. Its the perfect spot to catch the sunset on the beach. For those who are a little more fitness-minded, connect with Nomadic Stand Up Paddleboard (NomadicsUp.com), a highly rated gay-owned tour company taking guests out onto the water for guided eco and sunset stand up paddle boarding while exploring the serene natural beauty of the Keys. If youre feeling especially in tune with nature, the guides even offer a paddle boarding tour in the buff. Just be sure you dont forget the sunscreen!

Reinvigorate

Check into La Concha Hotel & Spa (laconchakeywest.com), located right on Duval Street in the middle of downtown Key West. In the middle of all the action, restaurants, shopping and many LGBT nightlife options, here guests can stay at this modernized take on classic Key West with maximum comfort. The Caribbean chic interior will immediately feel like a shady respite from the Florida sun. The 160-room hotel, built in 1926, played host to both Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, the latter as he was finishing his famous work A Streetcar Named Desire.

Book a suite resembling intimate studio apartments with coastal shutters, modern furnishings and ceilings painted in a deeply relaxing shade of blue to be sure to get the full old Key West experience and disconnect from the day-to-day. Indulge at the hotels Wine-O for happy hour with wines by the glass or the bottle, small bites, craft brews and flights of rum that will get you warmed up for a night out, or primed for dinner. 430 Duval Street, the hotels lounge-like restaurant, serves up fresh seafood and Carribean-inspired dishes.

Make time for a massage, pedicure, facial or body treatment at the hotels sixth floor Top Spa. Here youll get your treatment in your own private suite with floor-to-ceiling windows divulging a panoramic view high above Key West from downtown to the water. Each treatment is followed with a glass of your choice (the Prosecco is highly recommended paired with a long steamy shower in the spacious rain showers complete with its own panoramic view). Dont hesitate to ask the hotels friendly and knowledgable concierge for itinerary ideas, or to help you book activities so you dont miss out on the best of what the Keys have to offer.
(WB) A transgender woman who is running for a seat in the Honduran congress hopes to make history in her countrys general election in November.

Rihanna Ferrera is a candidate for the center-left United Social Democratic and Innovation Party (PINU).

She is running to represent the department of Francisco Morazan in which the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa is located. Ferrera, who co-founded Asociacion Cozumel Trans, a Honduran trans advocacy group, would potentially be the first openly trans person elected to public office in the Central American country if she wins on Nov. 26.

I want to participate in politics, Ferrera told the Washington Blade on Sept. 21 during a telephone interview in Tegucigalpa.

A handful of other trans women have run for office in Honduras in recent years.

Kendra Stefani Jordany, who lives in the city of San Pedro Sula, in March became the first trans person to ever win a primary in the country when she was among the Central American Parliament candidates who advanced to the general election.

Claudia Spellman, the former director of a San Pedro Sula-based HIV/AIDS service organization who now lives near D.C. with her wife after receiving death threats, ran for the Honduran congress in 2012. Victoria Gomez, who was also a candidate in the same election cycle, has sought asylum in Spain after she was threatened and attacked in Tegucigalpa.

Both Spellman and Gomez were candidates for the leftist Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE) party.

I want to be a candidate, Ferrera told the Blade. It will also improve things for us trans women.

Violence and discrimination based on gender identity remains commonplace in Honduras.

The body of Sherlyn Montoya, a volunteer for Grupo de Mujeres Transexuales (Munecas Arcoiris), another Honduran trans advocacy group, was found in a Tegucigalpa neighborhood on April. A trans rights advocate in San Pedro Sula who spoke with the Blade at their office in February said they have been the target of two assassination attempts in 2016.

Ferrera noted the Honduran government does not legally recognize trans people based on their gender identity. She also acknowledged violence has prompted many trans Hondurans to flee the country.

It is very complex, Ferrera told the Blade, referring to the situation for trans Hondurans. It is very difficult.

Ferrera said she has received verbal violence because she is trans, but has not been attacked physically.

I take my candidacy very seriously, she said.

 Michael K. Lavers, Washington Blade courtesy of the National LGBTQ Media Association.
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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.




NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 21 September 2017. NASA

The Expedition 53 crew is getting ready for a trio of spacewalks next month while helping scientists understand what living in space does to the human body.

NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hei trained for a spacewalk emergency today wearing virtual reality gear. The spacewalkers practiced maneuvering specialized jet packs attached to their spacesuits in the unlikely event they become untethered from the station.

The duo will go on a pair of spacewalks on Oct. 5 and 10. NASA astronaut Joe Acaba will join Bresnik Oct. 18 for the third and final spacewalk. The three spacewalkers will replace and lubricate one of two end effectors on the tip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm. They will also replace a pair of cameras located on the stations truss structure.

More muscle and bone research continued today as cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy joined Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli for the Sarcolab-3 study. The research observes leg muscle and tendon changes caused by microgravity using an ultrasound scan and other sensors during an exercise session. Bresnik collected his breath sample to help document any bone marrow and blood cell changes his body may be experiencing in space.

On-Orbit Status Report

Sarcolab-3: After successfully completing three days of the ankle configuration exercises, today USOS and Russian subjects conducted the knee protocol for Sarcolab-3. The subjects ingressed the Muscle Atrophy Research & Exercise System (MARES) chair, installed the knee Electromyography (EMG) electrodes and began the knee exercise protocol, while an operator collected ultrasound images of the subjects right leg. The data collected for Sarcolab-3 will be compared to pre and post flight measurements to assess the impact of hypothesized microgravity induced muscle loss. Myotendinous and Neuromuscular Adaptation to Long-term Spaceflight (Sarcolab) investigates the adaptation and deterioration of the soleus (calf muscle) where it joins the Achilles tendon, which links it to the heel and carries loads from the entire body. Muscle fiber samples are taken from crewmembers before and after flight, and analyzed for changes in structural and chemical properties. MRI and ultrasound tests and electrode stimulation are conducted to help assess muscle and tendon changes caused by microgravity exposure.

Payload On-Orbit Still Shots for Utilization and Maintenance (POSSUM) Payload Photo: The crew took digital photos of all payload racks in the US Lab, JEM Pressurized Module (JPM), and Columbus module to document configuration changes.

Fine Motor Skills (FMS): A crewmember completed a FMS session which was executed on a touchscreen tablet, where the subject performs a series of interactive tasks. The investigation studies how fine motor skills are affected by long-term microgravity exposure, different phases of microgravity adaptation, and sensorimotor recovery after returning to Earth gravity. The goal of FMS is to answer how fine motor performance in microgravity trend/vary over the duration of a six-month and year-long space mission; how fine motor performance on orbit compare with that of a closely matched participant on Earth; and how performance trend/vary before and after gravitational transitions, including the periods of early flight adaptation, and very early/near immediate post-flight periods.

Tropical Cyclone Maria: The crew setup and configured camera settings, before capturing images of Hurricane Maria to support the Tropical Cyclone investigation. The Tropical Cyclone investigation is used to capture images of tropical cyclones and hurricanes that are rated at Category 3 or greater on the Saffir-Simpson scale. A pseudo-stereoscopic method is used to determine the altitudes of the cloud tops near the center (eye) of a cyclone by precisely tracking the apparent positions of cloud features with respect to the Earth and how those positions change over time as an observer (the ISS in this case) passes over the storm. The photographic images will be used to demonstrate that pseudo-spectroscopy can be used to measure the cloud altitudes to sufficient precision so that, when combined with other remote-sensing data, an accurate determination of the intensity of hurricane or cyclone can be made.

Marrow: Today a 51S crewmember completed breath and ambient air sample collections for the Marrow investigation, which looks at the effect of microgravity on bone marrow. It is believed that microgravity, like long-duration bed rest on Earth, has a negative effect on the bone marrow and the blood cells that are produced in the bone marrow.

Rodent Research 9 (RR-9): Today the crew completed an audit of the Rodent Research -9 hardware and supplies. The RR-9 investigation was successfully completed and returned on SpaceX-12 last week. The RR-9 experiment studies how microgravity affects the immune systems, muscles and bones of rodents during extended stays aboard the ISS. After approximately 30 days aboard the ISS, the mice will be returned to Earth where scientists on the ground will study how their time in space has affected various tissues, including brain, muscle, heart, joint, the eyes and the immune system.

Multi-Omics-Mouse Closeout The crew performed Multi-Omics closeout activities by removing the Mouse Habitat Units from the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF), cleaning and taking photos of the glove box, and reconfiguring the video cables between the Video Compression and Recording Unit 2 (VRU2) and the CBEF.

Manufacturing Device (MD) Operations: The crew removed and replaced the MD feedstock canister, extruder, and print tray. The Manufacturing Device  Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) enables the production of components on the ISS for both NASA and commercial objectives. Parts, entire experiments, and tools can be created on demand utilizing the AMF that is installed into an Express Rack locker location. The AMF is capable of producing parts out of a wide variety of thermopolymers including engineered plastics.

N3 Aft Port Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Fan Inlet Cleaning: The crew cleaned this location to remove Foreign Object Debris (FOD) from IMV fan inlets and silencers.

Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) Training: In preparation for the upcoming EVAs in October, two US crewmembers were scheduled to perform virtual reality (VR) training simulating emergency recovery using SAFER. In the event a crew member becomes untethered while conducting an EVA, SAFER can be used to safely maneuver for recovery. During the first session, there were some configuration issues, but once the configuration issues were resolved there were still some issues with executing the session. Both of todays sessions were deferred until the ground specialists can further review.

Advance Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) Upper Rack Cable Kinked: Today, the crew reported a reoccurrence of the ARED Upper Rack cable kinking. No cable damage was reported. The crew straightened the cable and took imagery for ground review. This is the second instance of this cable kinking this week. There are spare cables on-orbit.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities are on schedule unless otherwise noted.

Marrow Breath And Ambient Air Sample Collection  Subject

SARCOLAB-3 day 3 reminder

Fine Motor Skills Experiment Test  Subject

???-?2? Line 1 Recovery. Tagup with specialists as necessary

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check

Health Maintenance System (HMS) Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) or ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT)

MARES Knee Shaving Preparation

ISS Crew Orientation

Tropical Cyclone Operations Review

Multi-Omics-Mouse Closeout

Columbus Video Camera Assembly 2 (VCA2) Adjustment

Tropical Cyclone Untended Operations

EMG electrodes installation and Sarcolab knee protocol execution

MARES subject electrodes equipment assistance

Glove Box Closeout

Filling (separation) of ??? (???) for Elektron or ???-??

Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation

??? Maintenance

Mouse Habitat Unit (MHU) Interface Unit Removal

MARES knee setting adjustments

On-Orbit Hearing Assessment (O-OHA) with EarQ Software Setup and Test

Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) Wipe Post Multi-Omics-Mouse 1

MARES Knee configuration fit check

USB Camera Relocation

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Calibration Check Data Record

Combustion Integrated Rack Hardware Return

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Waste Water Bag (WWB) Changeout

Manufacturing Device Feedstock Canister, Extruder And Print Tray Exchange

Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) and Video Compression and Recording Unit 2 (VRU2) Cable Reconfiguration 2

Environmental Health System (EHS)  Formaldehyde Monitoring Kit (FMK) Stow Operation

Temperature and Humidity Control (THC) Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Flow Measurement Survey Part 1

ESA Weekly crew conference

DUBRAVA. Observation and Photography using [???] hardware.

In-flight Maintenance (IFM) Node 3 Aft Port Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Fan Cleaning

Rodent Research Inventory Audit

Photo/TV RED Camera firmware update

CHANGE OUT SM PRINTER COLOR CARTRIDGE

Functional check of FGB ???-10/3 ?16 and ?17 based on connector 3?.

Electrostatic Levitation Furnace(ELF) Sample Transfer On-bord Training

JEM Common Gas Support Equipment (CGSE) Gas Supply Stop

Virtual Reality Training (VRT) Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) [Aborted]

SARCOLAB MARES and Laptop Power OFF

Temperature and Humidity Control (THC) Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Flow Measurement Survey Part 2

EVA Worksite Interface Adapter Prep

Tropical Cyclone Hardware Closeout

EVA Systems book and cue card updates

HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection Setup

EPM Laptop relocation for files downlink preparation

Payload On-Orbit Still Shots for Utilization and Maintenance (POSSUM) Payload Photo

EPM Laptop relocation to MARES

CB/ISS CREW CONFERENCE

Flight Director/ISS CREW CONFERENCE

Completed Task List Activities

PMM Endcone Cleanup

AC Vac Extension Cord Assembly and Use

Transfer 52 Soyuz USOS Unpack

Ground Activities

All activities are on schedule unless otherwise noted.

Standard commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Friday, 09/22: Sarcolab, ELF Sample Refill, PEPS Audit, Advanced NanoStep, FIR Troubleshooting

Saturday, 09/23: Housekeeping, Crew Off-Duty

Sunday, 09/24: Crew Off-Duty

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component  Status

Elektron  On

Vozdukh  Manual

[???] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  Off

[???] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Standby

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Idle

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Full up

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Off
Vice President Pence NASA TV

Vice President Mike Pence offered his thanks Monday to employees working on NASAs human spaceflight programs during a tour of the agencys Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Vice President saw the progress being made on NASAs Space Launch System (SLS), the worlds most powerful deep space rocket, that will send astronauts on missions around the Moon and ultimately to Mars. He also visited Marshalls Payload Operations Integration Center, where the agency manages all research aboard the International Space Station.

Today, I met pioneers who are helping America travel into the unknown and expand our knowledge for the benefit of the nation, said Vice President Pence. Im inspired by the people at Marshall, and NASA as a whole, who are passionate and dedicated to space exploration. The massive hardware and innovative technologies we are building will propel us far beyond our home planet and allow America to lead in space again.

From Marshalls science command center, Vice President Pence called the NASA astronauts aboard the space station and spoke with Expedition 53 commander Randy Bresnik, and flight engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba. This is the first White House-level call to the International Space Station from Marshall. He also met with the ground controllers that provide around-the-clock support of the crews scientific activities on the orbiting laboratory, paving the way for future deep space exploration missions.

The work underway today at Marshall, supporting station science and with SLS, is integral to ensuring this nations incredible global leadership in human exploration, said acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot. Vice President Pence now has personally visited three NASA centers in the last four months, and I deeply appreciate the Vice Presidents strong commitment to our space exploration mission.

The Vice President toured the SLS engineering facility where the engine section of the rockets massive core stage is undergoing a major stress test. The rockets four RS-25 engines and the two solid rocket boosters that attach to the SLS engine section will produce more than 8 million pounds of thrust to launch the Orion spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit. More than 3,000 measurements using sensors installed on the test section will help ensure the core stage for all SLS missions can withstand the extreme forces of flight.

The work we are doing today is paving the way for a new generation of astronauts to travel farther into space than humans have ever ventured before, said Marshall Center Director Todd May, who hosted the visit. This next chapter in the story of our national space program is being written by the men and women of Marshall, who keep us on the leading edge of spaceflight and truly make this the Rocket City.

The Vice President concluded his visit with a tour of U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center for briefs from Army leaders on current missile defense projects and Army initiatives. Redstone Arsenal, where Marshall is located, is an Army installation with a workforce of around 41,000 active duty military, government civilians, and contractors. The arsenal is a federal center of excellence hosting components of more than 70 government organizations, including NASA, Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency, FBI, and Department of Justice.
These days coffee goes wherever it wants to go, darling, and that means hot new coffee bars are popping up in otherwise unexpected places. One such trend weve been eying carefully is the fusion of high end coffee and high art, in the form of delightful coffee bar installations at lauded museums worldwide. One such new cafe opens today at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, in the heart of the Miracle Mile.

Dubbed The Street, this project is a collaboration between Jason Hammel and Metric Coffee. Metric needs no introduction to our readersweve featured the Chicago coffee roasting brand previously on Sprudgeand Hammel is the noted chef behind Chicagos much-loved and oft-suggested brunch/lunch/dinner destination Lula Cafe. Hes bringing not one but two concepts to the Museum of Contemporary Art: a restaurant, Marisol, and adjacent coffee bar, The Street, both featuring Metric Coffee.

Sprudge co-founder Jordan Michelman spoke with Metrics Xavier Alexander to learn more about the project, which opens today. Were simply excited to serve our coffee at such a lauded institution, Alexander tells Sprudge, where our coffee can help immerse the visitor in an artful atmosphere.

And the space itself is stunningly gorgeous, designed by LA design firm Johnston Marklee.

This is exactly where coffee should be in 2017: at home amongst art and culture, collaborating with top chefs, and doing it all in effortless Chicago big city style.

Hey Xavierthanks for speaking with Sprudge. How long has this project been in development? When did you start working on it?

A little over a year ago, the first conversations with Chef Jason Hammel formulated. Our relationship with Hammel goes back a while though (his Logan Square staple, Lula Cafe, is a longtime/close wholesale partner). While initially the museum eyed larger brands, Hammels focus for a local, quality coffee and his rapport with Metric allowed for us to cement ourselves as Marisols mainstay roaster shortly after he was announced to be helming the Chicagos Museum of Contemporary Arts (MCA) food program. From there, we were able to help develop a home for our coffee at the MCA both in the form of a restaurant, Marisol, and a walk-up coffee bar, The Street.

What special design features are in the cafe?

The cafe strives for a minimalist aesthetic. Natural light drips into the space and white Carra marble drapes atop the counters establishing a classic euro-inspired canvas for artfully prepared food and drinks to strikingly juxtapose. The restaurant possesses a more specific vibe. A Chris Ofili mural wraps around the space. And the soundscape will consist of rotating records curated by contemporary artist!

What gear will you have?

Trying to mirror the minimalist aesthetic, we aspired for streamlined and elegant gear to boot. A two-group La Marzocco Linea Classic, Mahlkonig K30 Twin grinder, and a FETCO XTS 2132 will churn out classic drip and espresso options (sans flavored syrups).

I know tea service is a feature here as well, working with Spirit Teawhy work with them?

Spirit Tea is a neighbor and a friend. But most importantly Spirit Tea is company focused on sourcing principles, similar to those that we practice. Spirit spends twenty percent of their year at origin promoting regional experts and seeking artistic offerings from Taiwan, China, and Japan. Pairing Spirits progressive tea sourcing with our coffee and Hammels seasonality focused dishes seemed hand-in-hand.

Did you work with a designer on this space?

Due to the venues desire for privy, the project was fairly mum on all fronts with various specialists purely contributing their two cents to their respective fields. Therefore, our portion in the collaboration steered solely towards coffee: equipment, education, et cetera. We only recently were permitted to see the space designed by Los Angeles Architects Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee (of Johnston Marklee).

What challenges does working in a museum space like this present? What opportunities?

With any wholesale relationship, it all boils down to two things: 1) How do they serve our coffee? 2) How can we empower them to do so? Were excited about this relationship in particular because of Chef Hammel and the MCAs commitment to quality. This will allow us to have an on-going relationship and education process, so that these coffees can continually have quality preparation and attention.

As for opportunities, were simply excited to serve our coffee at such a lauded institution, where our coffee can help immerse the visitor in an artful atmosphere, whether he or she is visiting a current exhibition or catching a MCA Talk (some of which have featured Solange Knowles and Chance the Rapper).

Have you lined up any special coffees or signature drinks for these spaces?

The emphasis at Marisol and The Street will be on seasonal, fresh coffee options; therefore, the menu will be altering constantly to match. Currently a Honduras Santa Barbara, an Ethiopia Banko Guiti, and a Natural Process Brazil Mogiana are on docket; however, again, the offerings will rotate regularly. In addition, were excited about an innovative seasonal drink menu, e.g. Cascara Fizz, Whey Lemonade, and Smoked Date Horchata, which will really pop against the otherwise traditional menu. Down the road, single origin pour-overs will be introduced to the program.

Smoked date horchata, dang. Thank you Xavier.

Marisol and its adjacent coffee bar, The Street, are located at the Museum of Contemporary Art (205 East Pearson Street) in Chicagos Miracle Mile. The Street has hours Tuesday through Sunday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Mirasol serves from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm (both are closed on Mondays). Lunch and brunch hours at Marisol coming soon.

Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.
Medusa knocked a tick from her own track record for older mares when she zipped to the front for Tony Hall and blazed home in 1:49.4 in Mondays $20,000 Filly & Mare Not Listed Preferred/Preferred Handicap Pace at The Meadows.

Once Medusa pocketed Sassa Hanover and secured the lead, she was racing only the clock. The 6-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight-Mythical posted fractions of 26.3, :54.4, 1:22.1 and 1:49.4 en route to her 1-1/4-length victory over Sassa Hanover. Hurricane Calleigh rallied for show.

Randy Bendis trains Medusa, who now boasts career earnings of $612,656, and owns with Tom Pollack.

Elsewhere on the card, Smart Balance provided the days toteboard fireworks when she took a Non-Winners of 1 conditioned race for trainer/driver Cory Kreiser at 177-1. Nicole Foster and Kreiser own the three-year-old daughter of Yankee Cruiser-Ring Pop, who returned $451 for a $2 across-the-board wager.

Mike Wilder piloted three winners on the 13-race program.

Tuesdays card at The Meadows features a $71,700 Keystone Classic for three-year-old colt and gelding trotters. First post is 1:05 p.m.

(The Meadows)
John Backlund remembers watching His Majesty win the International Trot in 1995. He couldnt have imagined then that he would start a horse as an owner in the races $1 million revival 20 years later, or that he would return with the same horse the next two years in a row. Backlund, however, will do just that when he travels to New York with Swedens On Track Piraten to compete in the Yonkers International Trot for the third straight year. The decision to return was as easy this time as it was the first.

Were lucky, we have been in a lot of big races, but the experience at Yonkers has been absolutely No. 1, Backlund said. Even though the horse hasnt had any luck in the races, the experience from Yonkers has been absolutely No. 1 for us. When we got invited, we didnt hesitate for a second.

It was a new experience for everyone and we didnt hesitate the first year at all, he continued. Now we know what were going to and its been amazing every year. Hope the horse can get in good shape now. Hes getting older, so maybe we dont have the same hope to win as the year before, but you never know.

Although Backlund is facing the reality of On Track Piratens increasing age  he is nine years old and will reach the mandatory retirement age in France next year and Swedens limit of 12 two years later  he is savouring the ride with his star trotter. On Track Piraten is a multiple-grouped stakes winner in Europe and an earner of 14,888,710kr, or about (US) $1.85 million. Backlunds journey with the gelding began before he was even foaled.

Breeder Eva Eriksson told Backlund about a mare, Monrovia, she had in foal to Kool Du Caux. The French Classic victor and four-time Group 1 winner stood in France, out of Backlunds reach. Backlund seized the moment and bought the unborn horse on the spot.

It was Kool Du Caux. He was one of my absolute favourite horses and you couldnt get him in Sweden, so you had to get the mare to France to use Kool Du Caux, he explained. I knew it wasnt possible for me to send one to France, so to get a chance to get a foal from Kool Du Caux was the No. 1 reason why I wanted him. When she said she had a mare with Kool Du Caux, I didnt think, I just said, I want him.

When Monrovia foaled On Track Piraten in April 2008, Backlund was thrilled to see a big, dark horse. By the time he was a yearling, On Track Piraten already towered at 16 hands. Backlund sent On Track Piraten to Natalia Abdallas base in Estonia to be broken and On Track Piratens talent showed from the start.

In centimeters, he was 163 as a one-year-old, so he was already extremely big. He was not overbuilt, he just looked one year older, even as a yearling. She said when other ones wanted to run one kilometer, he runs two. From the start, he was exceptional, Backlund remembered.

Backlunds journey with On Track Piraten hasnt come alone. He sold shares of the horse to friends and family, many of whom had never owned a trotter before. All told, the ownership group Stall Morkermasse has 10 members. Nearly all of them will be present at Yonkers for the International October 14.

I think half of them had never been involved in a horse before. Theyve been extremely lucky, Backlund said. I asked some of my friends and they asked some of their other friends. It was pretty quick. Work colleagues, and my father in law is also one of the owners.

Backlund doesnt only share On Track Piraten with his co-owners, he also shares On Track Piraten with the horses many fans on social media. Backlund administrates a Facebook group dedicated to the horse on which he posts regular updates to the pages more than 700 members. The love and encouragement the fans show for On Track Piraten is something Backlund still cant fathom.

Hes from a small track and a small trainer, so hes like a horse for the people. Hes also not an expensive horse, so you get to show everyone that its possible to get a good horse, even if youre not buying the most expensive, he said. Its kind of unreal because to us. Maybe we can understand it after the career, but now its just like, its hard to understand how so many people are involved and like the horse so much.

Paired with trainer Hans Stromberg, On Track Piratens 37 victories include two Group 2 Svenskt Masterskap titles in 2013 and 2014, three Group 2 C.L. Mullers Memorial wins in 2013, 2014, and 2016, and the Group 3 Prix du Luxembourg in 2015. Although Strombergs outfit is small, his plentiful experience lent itself well to working with the precocious On Track Piraten.

I always thought he was a good trainer and it would be interesting to send some horses to him. We had some horses sent to him a couple years before Piraten came, Backlund said. Natalia, she really liked the horse and she was a bit worried that we would send him to some younger trainer that would push him too hard. She was really happy with the experienced trainer also.

This season, On Track Piraten is six for 17 with $172,862 earned. After last years International Trot, On Track Piraten returned to Sweden and posted nine straight wins, four of which came at the Group 2 level. On Track Piratens last victory came at his home track of Rattvik on June 24 when he beat Nuncio in the Midsommarloppet. Hes lost seven straight leading up to the International Trot.

The winter was amazing, but its not as hard competition in the winter, Backlund said. Hes as good now as he was during the winter, but the competition is harder. Every summer, weve been thinking he has some problems with (allergies) because he gets some respiratory problems during the summer every year. The autumn during the year has been his best. Hopefully hell be at his best in a couple of weeks.

In his third International Trot appearance, On Track Piraten will have his third driver. Erik Adielsson drove in 2015 while rjan Khilstrom took the lines last year. This year, Johnny Takter, who was in the sulky for all of On Track Piratens 10 victories since last years International Trot, will drive.

Backlund hopes for better luck at the draw this time around. In 2015, On Track Piraten drew Post 7 and finished seventh. Last year, he started from Post 8. Although On Track Piraten posted the races fastest final quarter of :27.3 and finished fourth beaten just two and a half lengths after racing 12 and three-quarter lengths behind winner, Resolve, early, Backlund and the rest of the team had high hopes entering the race as On Track Piraten was in peak form.

We all thought the best would be to not go from the start, but if we had to do it all over, of course, he should have gone from the start, Backlund said. He finished very fast and we thought early in the race, he couldnt win with a trip like that. We had seven the first year and eight last year, so if we can get one or two, then maybe we can have a chance.

More International Trot invitees will be featured as the race draws closer. The $1 million Yonkers International Trot will be raced Saturday, October 14 at Yonkers Raceway.

(SOANY)
Exodus Mandate to Celebrate 20th Anniversary October 26, 2017

Contact: Frontline Ministries, Inc., 803-714-1744, exodusmandate@gmail.com; www.exodusmandate.org



COLUMBIA, S.C., Sept. 26, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- Frontline Ministries, Inc., will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Exodus Mandate Project with a gala banquet October 26, 2017. The featured speaker will be noted author and award-winning journalist, Cal Thomas.



One of the most widely read and most highly regarded voices on the American political scene, Cal Thomas has a twice-weekly column in hundreds of newspapers. For 19 years he was a commentator on Fox News Channel, including his own show After Hours, and was a panelist for Fox News Watch.



Thomas, a graduate of American University, is a veteran of broadcast and print journalism. He has worked for NBC News in Washington, D.C., and hosted his own program on CNBC which was nominated for a Cable ACE Award in 1995. In 2011, he received the William F. Buckley, Jr., Award for Media Excellence from the Media Research Center. Thomas has written 10 books, the latest of which is What Works: Common Sense Solutions for a Stronger America published in 2014 on the 30th anniversary of his syndicated column. He has four children and eleven grandchildren and resides in the D.C. area. His wife of 51 years, Charlotte Ray Thomas, passed away in February this year.



The theme for the evening will be "Find us Faithful," in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the world-changing Reformation of 1517. By revisiting that era, today's evangelical Church, the rightful heir to that rich theology and history, can find strength and renewed hope.



The banquet at the Brookland Baptist Conference Center (1066 Sunset Blvd, West Columbia, SC 29169), will open the doors at 6:00 p.m.; dinner served at 6:30 p.m. A VIP reception will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Business attire is required. Tickets may be purchased for both events online at exodusmandate20.eventbrite.com. For sponsorship opportunities, please, contact the office at exodusmandate@gmail.com, 803-714-1744. A press conference will be held at same location at 5:00 p.m. A block of rooms has been secured at Hampton Inn-Airport for out-of-town guests with shuttle service to & from the banquet. Reservations can be made at hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/south-carolina/hampton-inn-columbia-i-26-airport-CAEWEHX/index.html.



The Exodus Mandate Project has become a leading advocate in America for K-12 Christian and home-based education as an alternative to state-run public schools. Exodus Mandate was launched by E. Ray Moore in 1997. Rev. Moore is a retired Army Reserve Chaplain and veteran of Gulf War I, where he received a Bronze Star for meritorious duty. He and his wife, Gail, began homeschooling in 1977, among the first to pioneer the modern home schooling movement. As a result of Exodus Mandate and the efforts of similar organizations, an estimated 2.5 million children will be home schooling this year  and millions more will be attending Christian and private schools.

Ray Moore states, "For over 20 years, I have traveled across the country promoting the mission of the Exodus Mandate, encouraging and assisting Christian families and churches to leave the state-sponsored public school system for the promised land of K-12 Christian schools or home schooling. My hope and prayer is that a fresh obedience by churches and families in the education of their children according to biblical commands will prove to be a key for the revival and reformation of our families, churches and culture. Neither the state nor government has any God-ordained role in the education and discipleship of children, which belongs to the family and the Church."



For more information, please, contact: Frontline Ministries, Inc., P.O. Box 12072, Columbia, SC 29211, (803) 714-1744, www.exodusmandate.org, exodusmandate@gmail.com.
It is the Unlimited Imperialists along the line of Alexander, Rome, Napoleon and Hitler who are now in charge of conducting American foreign policy

Historically this latest eruption of American militarism at the start of the 21st Century is akin to that of America opening the 20th Century by means of the U.S.-instigated Spanish-American War in 1898. Then the Republican administration of President William McKinley stole their colonial empire from Spain in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines; inflicted a near genocidal war against the Filipino people; while at the same time illegally annexing the Kingdom of Hawaii and subjecting the Native Hawaiian people (who call themselves the Kanaka Maoli) to genocidal conditions. Additionally, McKinleys military and colonial expansion into the Pacific was also designed to secure Americas economic exploitation of China pursuant to the euphemistic rubric of the open door policy. But over the next four decades Americas aggressive presence, policies, and practices in the so-called Pacific Ocean would ineluctably pave the way for Japans attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and thus Americas precipitation into the ongoing Second World War. Today a century later the serial imperial aggressions launched, waged, and menaced by the neoconservative Republican Bush Junior administration then the neoliberal Democratic Obama administration and now the reactionary Trump administration threaten to set off World War III.

By shamelessly exploiting the terrible tragedy of 11 September 2001, the Bush Junior administration set forth to steal a hydrocarbon empire from the Muslim States and Peoples of Color living in Central Asia and the Middle East and Africa under the bogus pretexts of

(1) fighting a war against international terrorism or Islamic fundamentalism; and/or (2) eliminating weapons of mass destruction; and/or (3) the promotion of democracy; and/or (4) self-styled humanitarian intervention and its avatar responsibility to protect (R2P).

Only this time the geopolitical stakes are infinitely greater than they were a century ago: control and domination of the worlds hydrocarbon resources and thus the very fundaments and energizers of the global economic system  oil and gas. The Bush Junior/ Obama administrations targeted the remaining hydrocarbon reserves of Africa, Latin America (e.g., the Pentagons reactivization of the U.S. Fourth Fleet in 2008), and Southeast Asia for further conquest and domination, together with the strategic choke-points at sea and on land required for their transportation (e.g., Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Djibouti). Today the U.S. Fourth Fleet threatens oil-rich Venezuela and Ecuador for sure along with Cuba.

Toward accomplishing that first objective, in 2007 the neoconservative Bush Junior administration announced the establishment of the U.S. Pentagons Africa Command (AFRICOM) in order to better control, dominate, steal, and exploit both the natural resources and the variegated peoples of the continent of Africa, the very cradle of our human species. In 2011 Libya and the Libyans proved to be the first victims to succumb to AFRICOM under the neoliberal Obama administration, thus demonstrating the truly bi-partisan and non-partisan nature of U.S. imperial foreign policy decision-making. Let us put aside as beyond the scope of this paper the American conquest, extermination, and ethnic cleansing of the Indians from off the face of the continent of North America. Since Americas instigation of the Spanish-American War in 1898, U.S. foreign policy decision-making has been alternatively conducted by reactionary imperialists, conservative imperialists, and liberal imperialists for the past 119 years and counting.

Trump is just another White Racist Iron Fist for Judeo-Christian U.S. Imperialism and Capitalism smashing all over the world. Trump forthrightly and proudly admitted that the United States is in the Middle East in order to steal their oil. At least he was honest about it. Unlike his predecessors who lied about the matter going back to President George Bush Sr. with his War for Persian Gulf oil against Iraq in 1991. Just recently, President Trump publicly threatened illegal U.S. military intervention against oil-rich Venezuela. Q.E.D.

This world-girdling burst of U.S. imperialism at the start of humankinds new millennium is what my teacher, mentor, and friend the late, great Professor Hans Morgenthau denominated unlimited imperialism in his seminal book Politics Among Nations 52-53 (4th ed. 1968):

The outstanding historic examples of unlimited imperialism are the expansionist policies of Alexander the Great, Rome, the Arabs in the seventh and eighth centuries, Napoleon I, and Hitler. They all have in common an urge toward expansion which knows no rational limits, feeds on its own successes and, if not stopped by a superior force, will go on to the confines of the political world. This urge will not be satisfied so long as there remains anywhere a possible object of dominationa politically organized group of men which by its very independence challenges the conquerors lust for power. It is, as we shall see, exactly the lack of moderation, the aspiration to conquer all that lends itself to conquest, characteristic of unlimited imperialism, which in the past has been the undoing of the imperialistic policies of this kind.

Since September 11, 2001, it is the Unlimited Imperialists along the lines of Alexander, Rome, Napoleon, and Hitler who have been in charge of conducting American foreign policy decision-making. The factual circumstances surrounding the outbreaks of both the First World War and the Second World War currently hover like twin Swords of Damocles over the heads of all humanity.

After September 11, 2001 the people of the world witnessed successive governments in the United States that have demonstrated little respect for fundamental considerations of international law, human rights, and the United States Constitution. Instead, the world has watched a comprehensive and malicious assault upon the integrity of the international and domestic legal orders by gangs of men and women who are thoroughly Machiavellian in their perception of international relations and in their conduct of both foreign affairs and American domestic policy. Even more seriously, in many instances specific components of the U.S. governments foreign policies constitute ongoing criminal activity under well-recognized principles of both international law and United States domestic law, and in particular the Nuremberg Charter (1945), the Nuremberg Judgment (1946), and the Nuremberg Principles (1950), as well as the Pentagons own U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 on The Law of Land Warfare, which applies to the President himself as Commander-in-Chief of United States Armed Forces under Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution.

US army in Syria (Source: Inside Syria Media Center)

Depending on the substantive issues involved, these international and domestic crimes typically include but are not limited to the Nuremberg offences of crimes against peacee.g., Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, and their longstanding threatened war of aggression against Iran. Their criminal responsibility also concerns crimes against humanity and war crimes as well as grave breaches of the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the 1907 Hague Regulations on land warfare: torture, enforced disappearances, assassinations, murders, kidnappings, extraordinary renditions, shock and awe, depleted uranium, white phosphorous, cluster bombs, drone strikes, etc. Furthermore, various officials of the United States government have committed numerous inchoate crimes incidental to these substantive offences that under the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles as well as U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956) are international crimes in their own right: planning, and preparation, solicitation, incitement, conspiracy, complicity, attempt, aiding and abetting, etc. Of course the terrible irony of todays situation is that seven decades ago at Nuremberg the U.S. government participated in the prosecution, punishment, and execution of Nazi government officials for committing some of the same types of heinous international crimes that these officials of the United States government currently inflict upon Peoples of Color all over the world. To be sure, I personally oppose the imposition of capital punishment upon any human being for any reason no matter how monstrous their crimes, whether they be Saddam Hussein, Bush Junior, Tony Blair, Barack Obama, or Donald Trump.

According to basic principles of international criminal law set forth in paragraph 501 of U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10, all high level civilian officials and military officers in the U.S. government who either knew or should have known that soldiers or civilians under their control (such as the C.I.A. or mercenary contractors), committed or were about to commit international crimes and failed to take the measures necessary to stop them, or to punish them, or both, are likewise personally responsible for the commission of international crimes. This category of officialdom who actually knew or should have known of the commission of these international crimes under their jurisdiction and failed to do anything about them include at the very top of Americas criminal chain-of-command the President, the Vice-President, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Director of National Intelligence, the C.I.A. Director, National Security Advisor and the Pentagons Joint Chiefs of Staff along with the appropriate Regional Commanders-in-Chiefs, especially for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and now U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

These U.S. government officials and their immediate subordinates are responsible for the commission of crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes as specified by the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles as well as by U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 of 1956. Today in international legal terms, the United States government itself should now be viewed as constituting an ongoing criminal conspiracy under international criminal law in violation of the Nuremberg Charter, the Nuremberg Judgment, and the Nuremberg Principles, because of its formulation and undertaking of serial wars of aggression, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes that are legally akin to those perpetrated by the former Nazi regime in Germany. As a consequence, American citizens possess the basic right under international law and the United States domestic law, including the U.S. Constitution, to engage in acts of civil resistance designed to prevent, impede, thwart, or terminate ongoing criminal activities perpetrated by U.S. government officials in their conduct of foreign affairs policies and military operations purported to relate to defense and counter-terrorism. They are the terrorists! They terrorize the entire world!

For that very reason, large numbers of American citizens have decided to act on their own cognizance by means of civil resistance in order to demand that U.S. government officials adhere to basic principles of international law, of U.S. domestic law, and of the U.S. Constitution in their conduct of foreign affairs and military operations. Mistakenly, however, such actions have been defined to constitute classic instances of civil disobedience as historically practiced in the United States. And the conventional status quo admonition by the U.S. power elite and its sycophantic news media for those who knowingly engage in civil disobedience has always been that they must meekly accept their punishment for having performed a prima facie breach of the positive laws as a demonstration of their good faith and moral commitment. Nothing could be further from the truth! Todays civil resisters are the sheriffs! The U.S. government officials are the outlaws!

Here I would like to suggest a different way of thinking about civil resistance activities that are specifically designed to thwart, prevent, or impede ongoing criminal activity by officials of the U.S. government under wellrecognized principles of international and U.S. domestic law. Such civil resistance activities represent the last constitutional avenue open to the American people to preserve their democratic form of government with its historical commitment to the rule of law and human rights. Civil resistance is the last hope Americans have to prevent the U.S. government from moving even farther down the paths of lawless violence in Africa, the Middle East, Southwest Asia, military interventionism into Latin America, and nuclear confrontation with Pakistan, North Korea, Russia, and China.

Such measures of civil resistance must not be confused with, and indeed must be carefully distinguished from, acts of civil disobedience as traditionally defined. In todays civil resistance cases, what we witness are American citizens attempting to prevent the ongoing commission of international and domestic crimes under well-recognized principles of international law and U.S. domestic law. This is a phenomenon essentially different from the classic civil disobedience cases of the 1950s and 1960s where incredibly courageous African Americans and their supporters were conscientiously violating domestic laws for the express purpose of changing them. By contrast, todays civil resisters are acting for the express purpose of upholding the rule of law, the U.S. Constitution, human rights, and international law. Applying the term civil disobedience to such civil resistors mistakenly presumes their guilt and thus perversely exonerates the U.S. government criminals.

Civil resistors disobeyed nothing, but to the contrary obeyed international law and the United States Constitution. By contrast, U.S. government officials grossly violated fundamental principles of international law as well as U.S. criminal law and thus committed international crimes and U.S. domestic crimes as well as impeachable violations of the United States Constitution. The civil resistors are the sheriffs enforcing international law, U.S. criminal law and the U.S. Constitution against the criminals working for the U.S. government!

Today the American people must reaffirm their commitment to the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles by holding their government officials fully accountable under international law and U.S. domestic law for the commission of such grievous international and domestic crimes. They must not permit any aspect of their foreign affairs and defense policies to be conducted by acknowledged war criminals according to the U.S. governments own official definition of that term as set forth in U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956), the U.S. War Crimes Act, the Geneva Conventions, and the Hague Regulations, inter alia. The American people must insist upon the impeachment, dismissal, resignation, indictment, conviction, and long-term incarceration of all U.S. government officials guilty of such heinous international and domestic crimes. If not so restrained by civil resistance, the U.S. government could very well precipitate a Third World War. That is precisely what American civil resisters are doing today!

The future of American foreign policy and the peace of the world lie in the hands of American citizensnot the bureaucrats, legislators, judges, lobbyists, think-tankers, professors, and self-styled experts who inhibit Washington, D.C., New York City, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Hyde Park/Chicago, Illinois. Civil resistance is the way to go! This is our Nuremberg Moment now! Thank you.
This Is what I remember about my grandfather, John Raymond Riggs I.

I remember the smell of his chewing tobacco.

I remember him coming to see us when we lived in Florida. He looked so out of place in his cowboy hat there. He didnt care though. He was a cowboy.

I remember him teaching me how to ride a horse. I never could put the saddle on to his specifications though.

I remember watching him care for the little kittens at the ranch. There were always a dozen feral cats out there, and he always had a soft heart for the smallest and weakest of them.

I remember the orphaned pet goats and sheep that were always around on the ranch too. He would find them out in the pasture and feed them from a bottle until they could make it on their own. Of course after all that care they all followed him around like a dog. There was a sheep named Wrinkle-Snoot. There was even a cow they named Sally that did the same.

I remember every time we came in from outside he would tell us to wash our hands. The only soap I ever remember was that original yellow Dial hand-soap.

I remember going to see him at his day-job one time. He worked for the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission on the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

I remember him telling me to get out and open the bump-gate whenever we drove a vehicle without a grill-guard on the ranch. I let the gate slip once and dinged the side of my cousins old truck. He was not even that mad about it.

I remember sleeping in the back of my grandparents house in town sometimes during the summer. Everyone would watch T.V. after dinner. And my mom and I would sometimes call my dad who was back in Saudi Arabia from an old telephone in the back bedroom.

I remember him saying the prayer before every meal. It was his house, and he was always the one who prayed before we ate. It always started: We thank the oh gracious heavenly father

I remember him passing the offering plate as a deacon at church, and I remember the Juicy Fruit gum he always kept in his shirt pocket.

I remember him taking us hunting. Ranch hunting, that is. We would ride around in the truck with the windows down listening to the radio, with the heater turned up.

I never remember getting in his truck that the radio wasnt turned on.

I remember working with him and my cousin on the ranch. We would get up early before the sun, nap in the heat of the day, and sit on the front porch after a late dinner. We would train horses, fix fences, dig post holes, paint gates, brand cattle, and take cattle off to auction. As dusk came, sometimes a flock of wild turkeys would roost in the tree by the far gate.

One time in particular that my grandfather woke us up, my cousin and I complained about the alarm clock. He said he would quit using it. The next morning he woke us up standing in his underwear. He had on a white t-shirt, playing a guitar and singing at the top of his lungs. Scared us to death. I wish I could remember what song it was. We were only kids and we thought that was so funny.

And I remember him holding my daughter at his 90th birthday party.

They say smell is the most nostalgic of the senses, and most of all, I remember the smell of my grandfathers chewing tobacco. I remember opening a pouch of it and smelling it as I sat in the front seat of his truck. I can still smell it today.

See, both my grandparents died a few weeks ago.

My grandfather had recently turned 93. And my grandmother was 88.

They were married for 71 years and they died just over two days apart.

Its alright though, they both had a good long life, and Ill see them soon.
The Las Vegas couple accused of defrauding about a dozen victims nationwide, including one in Cowlitz County, of about $430,000 are now in custody in Cowlitz County.

According to Chief Criminal Deputy Charlie Rosenzweig, the Sheriffs office sent four detectives to Las Vegas on Thursday, and the couple entered custody at the Cowlitz County Jail early Friday morning. Their bails are listed at $70,000 each.

Neeraj Kohli, 39, and his wife, Shweta Kohli, 36, were arrested by deputies with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service after a year-long investigation by the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office.

Detective Lorenzo Gladson began working the case in early 2016 when a Cowlitz County woman reported that a man called and told her that a virus would kill off all the data in her computer unless she sent him money to repair it.

Multiple alleged scams were involved in the Kohlis arrest, but the computer virus scam was the main one the couple are accused of engaging in, telling their victims to send money via MoneyGram. The scams were all done by telephone, the sheriffs office said.

Some victims were also tricked into sending money out of fear of arrest if they did not pay their taxes due to the IRS. Walmart (where the MoneyGrams were cashed) surveillance photos that confirmed both of the Kohlis physically picked up the money.

One of the victims of the Kohlis scam was from Cowlitz County, who lost $35,000. Three other alleged victims are from Washington state: a 36-year-old from Port Angeles, a 31-year-old from Everett and a 51-year-old from Port Orchard.
Local residents have a new place to quench their thirst now that J Squared Barrel House is open for business on Commerce Avenue.

The new downtown tap house and wine bar is featuring 16 rotating kegs of beer and about a dozen draft wines. The establishment is also serving small plates and elevated snack food.

For owner Janel Kolbo, the new local business fulfills an old dream of making Longview a beer and wine destination.

We need to be put on the map the way Vancouvers been put on the map, she said.

Kolbo previously worked at Kendalls Pioneer beverage distributing company, where she started in sales and marketing before later becoming a sales representative selling beer and wine throughout the region. She decided to use her expertise to open her own establishment, leasing a 900-square-foot space that can seat 49 customers.

While a number of other tap houses have recently opened in the area, Kolbo is looking to leverage her industry connections to give patrons a unique experience.

Kolbo, whos studying to become a certified specialist of wine, said she plans to host beer and wine tastings led by producers. Classes on beer and wine will vary depending on customers preferences, she said.

Shes also tapped local food producers, such as Johnsons Smokehouse in Olympia, for many of the ingredients on the menu.

Kolbo turned to local chef Jesse Tischmaker to run the kitchen. Tischmaker, an avid beer lover, has run several kitchens previously and has experience pairing food with beer and wine. Brats and caramelized onions are cooked in beer; Kolbo said Tischmaker is also well known for using beer in his homemade stone-ground mustard.

The bars decor has a local flavor, as well. Kolbo and her associates custom-built a 30-foot copper table by hand. J Squareds table tops, wood bar top and beams were crafted by Upper Left Creations in Kelso.

The result is a warm and inviting ambiance.

I wanted it to be cozy and romantic, Kolbo said. I really hope people in Longview embrace it.

Kolbo said her friends advised her that outfitting the business would cost her about $20,000 more than she had budgeted for the project.

They were right, she laughed.

In the end, Kolbo decided to sell her home and used the cash to fully realize her vision.

Its more expensive when you get hand-crafted stuff, but those details were important to me, she said.

J Squareds hours are 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. Kolbo said she also plans to stay open later and offer a late-night menu, desserts and coffee for guests following shows at the nearby Columbia Theater. Happy hour also runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

J Squared will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday with the Longview-Kelso Chamber of Commerce at 11:30 a.m. on Friday.
Cowlitz County Sheriffs deputies have arrested a man on allegations that he stole a Kalama fire district pickup, and the suspect is a seasonal firefighter for the agency.

Rian Tyler Struckman, 39, who listed his address as transient according to deputies, was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail Saturday on suspicion of burglary, trafficking of stolen property, theft of a motor vehicle and driving with a suspended license.

On Sept. 7, someone stole $100,000 worth of equipment belonging to Kalama Fire District 5 including a white 2016 Ford pickup and a laptop from the Kalama station while firefighters were tackling the Eagle Creek fire in the Columbia Gorge. Deputies found the white pickup that same day in a neighborhood in Gresham, Oregon.

Deputies began to investigate Struckman after a man contacted the sheriffs office to report he gave the suspect a ride to the Cowlitz 5 station, and Struckman gave him a laptop from the station, according to the Sheriffs Office.

The unnamed witness heard about the theft of the laptop and other items from Kalama firefighters and worried that it was stolen, according to deputies. The man returned the laptop to Kalama Fire, who confirmed that it was the stolen computer.

Deputies later arrested Struckman when a deputy recognized him at a traffic stop Saturday afternoon, according to Chief Criminal Deputy Charlie Rosenzweig. It was not immediately known where Struckman was arrested.
A Seaside, Ore., man is accused of assaulting and threatening to kill his girlfriend in a paranoid rage while under the influence of meth, according to Longview police.

Officers arrested Jason Eugene Hall after receiving a call at 2 a.m. from the TownHouse Motel on Washington Way. Police spokesman Chris Blanchard said it sounded like the woman making the call was in a struggle. A separate call from another woman at the motel told police she heard a man threatening to kill someone, according to Blanchard.

Officers arrived at the scene and arrested Hall.

The victim told police that Hall was using meth and had become paranoid that assassins were looking for him. Hall threatened the victim and told her he would murder her, Blanchard said. The woman escaped from the hotel room and fled to a vehicle in the parking lot to call 911. But Hall, who had followed her, broke the cars window and interrupted the call, Blanchard said.

Hall then allegedly dragged the victim in a chokehold from the parking lot back to their room and would not let her leave, Blanchard said.

Blanchard said the victim reported pain in her ribs and had scratch marks on the back of her left shoulder.

Hall was booked into the Cowlitz County jail at 2:54 a.m. on suspicion of fourth-degree domestic assault, felony harassment, interfering with reporting domestic violence, third-degree malicious mischief and unlawful imprisonment. His bail is listed at $10,000 as of Monday afternoon.
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For the first time, education leaders in Olympia are officially stating that school discipline must be "culturally responsive" and families and communities must be part of efforts to address student misbehavior.

In a series of proposed new policies to make school discipline fairer, the state's education department has spelled out several guiding values. Parents, students and teachers will have a chance to weigh in at four public hearings over the next two months.

The new language heartened Vanessa Hernandez, education equity director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, who often fields complaints from parents reporting that their perspectives are ignored when schools send disruptive students home.

"Parents want to be treated as at least equal partners in their children's education," said Hernandez, offering cautious optimism at the gist of the new rules. "They lay out the purpose of discipline as something to help students achieve personal and academic success. And also to keep students in the classroom as much as possible. That's a good thing and completely new," she said.

The proposed updates come in response to a new state law and mounting evidence that black students and those with disabilities are suspended and expelled at rates that far outstrip any other group -- even for similar infractions.

Among the new rules:

 No student can be suspended for being late or skipping classes.

 No child younger than fifth grade can be expelled (except for those who bring firearms to school).

 Any student who is suspended, even short-term, must receive schoolwork, a chance to make up assignments and academic help, if needed, while at home.

 During any long-term suspension or expulsion, schools must work with the student's family to create a tailored plan for returning that's culturally sensitive.

 Every district must track the race, economic and disability status of disciplined students, including those sent to in-school suspension rooms.

Many districts already have incorporated these policies, but not without some difficulties. In Highline last year dozens of teachers resigned, complaining of chaotic classrooms that resulted from principals' increasing reluctance to issue suspensions. Yet, the teachers said, administrators didn't adequately address classroom disruption in other ways.

Discipline is "a tough and complicated issue," acknowledged Rich Wood, a spokesman for the Washington Education Association. But the teachers union does endorse the thrust of these new policies, he said. In fact, they'd like to see "social justice being the primary goal."

In recent meetings across the state, students told union members that they wished teachers took the time to build strong relationships with them before resorting to suspension, Wood added.
StanChart receives BB remittance award 2016

MA Mannan, State Minister for Finance, handing over the Bangladesh Bank Remittance Award 2016 to Abrar A. Anwar, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Ltd recently. The award recognizes the bank as one of the highest remittance earning banks in 2016.

Business Desk :

Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh has become the only foreign commercial bank to recently receive the Bangladesh Bank Remittance Award 2016, for its role in facilitating inward flow of remittance in Bangladesh.

Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh Abrar A Anwar said, "It is a matter of pride for us that Standard Chartered remains the leader among the international banks in terms of facilitating remittance from non-resident Bangladeshis. We are honoured to be able to stand beside the industrious Bangladeshi Diaspora across the world, helping them invest and send their hard earned income to their families."

Standard Chartered actively promotes remittance through authorized channels in order to ensure transparency in remittance throughput and to support the foreign currency reserves of the country.


Erdogan warns of armed action over Kurdish referendum

Erdogan says irrespective of the result, Turkey sees referendum as \'null and void\'

Al Jazeera News :

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the Kurdish independence referendum, and will not rule out a potential military action to stop efforts to usurp his country's territory.

The warning came as people in the Iraqi autonomous region voted on Monday in an independence referendum, amid rising tensions and international opposition.

Balloting took place in the disputed areas between the northern city of Erbil and the capital Baghdad, as well as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, which is ethnically mixed.

"Our armed forces are on the borders with Iraq to do whatever it takes," Erdogan said, adding that Turkey could block key oil exports of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) over the vote.

"We will never allow anyone or anything to go from Turkey to Iraq. This week we will adopt so many other measures. We will close the borders. Nothing will go across the borders." "Entrance-exit will be closed" at the Habur border crossing, Turkey's sole land border crossing with Iraq, Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul.

He said there were currently crossings allowed to the Iraqi side only but travel would be closed in both directions this week.

"After this let's see through which channels they will send their oil through ... and who they will sell to. The valve is with us. It's finished the moment we close it," he said.

Iraqi Kurdish oil is exported through Turkey and its southern Ceyhan port, a key economic lifeline for the region.

Erdogan said "irrespective of the result, we see this [referendum] as null and void and say it is illegitimate."

He also said Turkey was ready to take "all the steps" needed "on political, economic, trade and security fronts" and appeared not to rule out military action.

Last week the Turkish armed forces began a military drill in the region around the border town of Silopi, including 100 military vehicles, which continued with reinforcements this weekend.

Erdogan warned the KRG of a cross-border operation by the Turkish army similar to that taken in northern Syria last year against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and Kurdish armed fighters.

Aside from Turkey, the Iraqi central government and Iran also strongly oppose the referendum.

There are fears it could increase the separatist aspirations of Kurds in the region.

Five million people across northern Iraq are eligible to vote in Monday's referendum.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Habur in Turkey near the Iraqi border, said that while Turkey is ratcheting pressure on the KRG, there is "very little action" so far on the ground.

He said it will take a few days before it would be clearer what kind of action Turkey makes, adding that there have been reports that Baghdad has asked Ankara to halt flights between Turkey and the Kurdish region.




Palestinian gunman kills three Israelis in West Bank

The attack happened as Palestinian workers waited to enter the settlement

Three Israelis have been shot dead by a Palestinian at the entrance to the Jewish settlement of Har Adara in the occupied West Bank, Israeli police say.

The gunman, a 37-year-old from a nearby village, was also shot and died later. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the attack on Palestinian incitement.

It came as Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt arrived in Jerusalem to try to revive Israel-Palestinian peace talks.

The White House has tried to lay the groundwork for a resumption of negotiations since Donald Trump took office in January, but there has been no sign of progress.

Peace talks between the two sides broke down amid acrimony in April 2014.

Police say the gunman, identified in Israeli media as Nimer Jamal, struck after he raised suspicions of security personnel at a rear gate at Har Adar.

He shot his victims - two security guards and a border policeman - at close-range and seriously wounded another person, before being shot by security forces.

The gunman was a father-of-four who had an Israeli permit to work in Jewish settlements along the boundary of the West Bank, Israel's internal security agency said.

He came from the village of Beit Surik, about a mile east of Har Adar.

The area is about 18km (11 miles) north-west of Jerusalem.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack, although Gaza-based Palestinian militant organisations Hamas and Islamic Jihad welcomed it.

The head of the Information Office of Fatah, the political faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Israel bore responsibility for the attack, because of its "continuous aggression" against the Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the attacker's home would be demolished and relatives' work permits revoked. He called on Mr Abbas to condemn the attack unequivocally.

About 36,000 Palestinians have permits to work in Jewish settlements, where security to guard against attacks is tight.

The issue of settlements is one of the most contentious between Israel and the Palestinians, who see them as an obstacle to peace.

More than 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

Tuesday's attack is the latest in a wave of stabbings, shootings and car-rammings of Israelis predominantly by Palestinians or Israeli Arabs since late 2015.

Since then, some 50 Israelis and five foreign nationals have been killed in such attacks in Israel and the Occupied Territories.

Around 300 Palestinians - most of them assailants, Israel says - have also been killed in that period, according to AFP news agency. Others have been killed in clashes with Israeli troops.

Israel says Palestinian incitement has fuelled the attacks. The Palestinian leadership has blamed frustration rooted in decades of Israeli occupation.
41 held in Dinajpur

BSS, Dinajpur :

Police, in special drives from Monday night to this morning, arrested 41 persons including five alleged drug traders and recovered 550 liters of locally made liquor, 300 bottles of Phensidyl and 900-gram ganja from 12 upazilas of the district.

Police said they were picked up from different areas of the district.

During the drives, Dinajpur Sadar police arrested nine persons including two drug traders with 550 liters of locally made liquor, Khansama Thana police arrested two, Bochaganj Thana police two, Hakimpur Thana police arrested four persons including two drug traders with 300 bottles Phensidyl, Birampur police arrested four, Ghoraghat police arrested three, Birganj Thana police arrested five persons including one drug trader with 900-gram ganja, Phulbari Thana police arrested two, Parbatipur Thana police two, Biral Thana police arrested three persons, Kaharole Thana police arrested three persons and Nawabganj.

Thana police arrested two accused. Several cases, including charges of subversive activities, are pending with different police stations against the arrested persons, the sources added. The arrested people were sent to jail.






ERL to start installation of second unit

The process to set up second unit of the Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL) at Chittagong the state owned lone oil refinery of the country which was started from July last is continuing.

The design of the new plant of ERL will be completed next month. Tecnip of France is working to complete the design. The officials hoped that design of the new plant of ERL will be completed within October this year. Besides, Bangladesh government started developing acquired land for the project.

Sayed Mohammed Mojammel Haque, Director (Planning) of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), after completing the new project, the power to produce fuels of ERL will be increased. The ERL will refine more 30 lakh MT fuel.

Meanwhile, the secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resource Ministry Nazim Uddin Chowdhury visited the site of the second unit of ERL recently. Sources said, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has signed agreement with Tecnip of France for design of the new plant.

The ERL which is the sister concern of BPC held a signing ceremony on April 19 last year at its factory office at Patenga in Chittagong. Bangladesh signed agreement named "Project Management Consultant" with Engineers India Limited (EIL) for supervision of the construction of second unit of ERL at Patenga.

Executive Director (Marketing) of EIL Upendra Moheshweri and Director (Operation) of BPC Moslem Uddin signed the agreement on behalf of India and Bangladesh.


500 MT relief for Rohingyas reached Ctg so far

A total of about 500 MT relief materials already reached Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport since September 9. From abroad and more reliefs are expected to reach by sea or air very shortly.

According to sources, Bangladesh Air Force, Bangladesh Army and Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport Authority and Civil Aviation and Chittagong District Administration are jointly coordinating the relief activities in Chittagong. According to Squadron Leader Reajul Kabir, Airport Manager of Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport, a total of 468.66 Mt relief materials already reached Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport since September 9.

He further said, a total of 16 planes from Malaysia, Morocco, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Iran loaded with relief material landed at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport so far.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Chittagong Md Habibur Rahman said, Chittagong District Administration is coordinating the relief activities at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport. This is a continuous process and relief is coming regularly.

"We have sent the relief material to Cox's Bazar. Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Air Force are also helping us in this regard." Meanwhile, Bangladesh Army has started distributing reliefs among the Rohingya people.

To bring discipline in aid operation for Rohingyas those took shelter recently fleeing the atrocities in Myanmar, Bangladesh Army from Saturday has joined the activities, setting up control room at Ukhiya Degree College, sources said.


Men's chess team bags 6th spot in Asian Indoor Games

Bangladesh Men\'s Chess team (right) playing against Uzbekistan Men\'s Chess team in the 5th Asian Indoor Chess Competition at Ashgabat in Turkmenistan on Tuesday.



Bangladesh men's team finished at 6th position in the Rapid team chess event of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Games 2017 was held at Ashgabat in Turkmenistan on Tuesday.

Bangladesh men's team earned six points out of five matches. They won two matches, drew two matches and lost one match.

In the 5th or last round games was held on Tuesday, Bangladesh split point with Uzbekistan by 1-1 points.

GM Enamul Hossain Razib drew with GM Vakhidov Jakhongir and GM Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib split point with FM Begmuratov Alisher of Uzbekistan.

After 5 rounds China, Vietnam and Turkmenistan with seven points each and Qatar with 6.5 points, qualified in semi-finals.

Turkmenistan and Qatar got Bronze medals after losing in semi-finals.

China and Vietnam will play final for gold and silver medal. Iran became 7th, Kazakhstan became 8th and India became 9th in Rapid event of men's section with 5.5 points each.

On the other hand, Bangladesh women's team became 12th with 4 points. In last round.

Bangladesh women's team split point Turkmenistan women team by 1-1 point.

In last round WFM Sharmin Sultana Shirin beat WGM Geldiyeva Mahri of Turkmenistan and WIM Shamima Akter Liza lost to WFM Hallaeva Bahar of Turkmenistan.

Vietnam and India secured bronze medals in Rapid chess of women's section and Indonesian and China will play final of women rapid chess for gold and silver medal.

Eighteen teams participated in men's section and 12 teams took part in women section.
Speakers at a prAss conference organised by Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation at the Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday in protest against corruption by British-American Tobacco Company.
Myanmar forces commit crimes against humanity, says HRW

Staff Reporter :

Myanmar security forces are committing crimes against humanity and against the Rohingya population in Burma, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday.

The military has committed forced deportation, murder, rape, and persecution against Rohingya Muslims in northern Rakhine State, resulting in countless deaths and mass displacement.

"The Burmese military is brutally expelling the Rohingya from northern Rakhine State," said James Ross, Legal and Policy Director of HRW. "The massacres of villagers and mass arson driving people from their homes are all crimes against humanity."

The United Nations Security Council and concerned countries should urgently impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the Burmese military to stop further crimes against humanity, HRW said.

The Security Council should demand that Myanmar allow aid agencies access to people in need, permit entry to a UN fact-finding mission to investigate abuses, and ensure the safe and voluntary return of those displaced.

The council should also discuss measures to bring those responsible for crimes against humanity to justice, including before the International Criminal Court.

Crimes against humanity are defined under international law as specified criminal acts "committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack."

Burmese military attacks on the Rohingya have been widespread and systematic. Statements by Burmese military and government officials have indicated an intent to attack this population, HRW said.

Crimes against humanity are crimes that fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and are crimes of universal jurisdiction, meaning they may be prosecuted before national courts in countries outside Burma, even though neither victim nor perpetrator is a national of that country.

Research by HRW in the area supported by analysis of satellite imagery has found crimes of deportation and forced population transfers, murder and attempted murder, rape and other sexual assault, and persecution.

"Persecution" is defined as "the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights contrary to international law by reason of the identity of the group or collectivity."

The abuses being committed also amount to ethnic cleansing, a term not defined under international law.

Since August 25, 2017, when the armed group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) reportedly attacked about 30 police outposts in northern Rakhine State, Burmese security forces have carried out mass arson, killing, rape, and looting, destroying hundreds of villages and forcing more than 400,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

HRW has, since 2012, found that the Burmese government has committed crimes against humanity and against the Rohingya population in Rakhine State.

"Attaching a legal label to the ghastly crimes being committed by the Burmese military against Rohingya families may seem inconsequential," Ross said.

"But global recognition that crimes against humanity are taking place should stir the UN and concerned governments to action against the Burmese military to bring these crimes to an end."
KSA to provide support to ensure return of Rohingyas

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abdullah MH Almutairi assured that the Saudi government will continue to provide support to ensure return of the Myanmar nationals who have fled to Bangladesh amid persecution in Rakhine state.

The Saudi envoy came up with the assurance during a meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam at the Ministry.

The Saudi Ambassador informed that a Saudi delegation is currently in Cox's Bazar and another delegation is coming by the end of this week to continue relief support.

They also exchanged views on various issues of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of common concern.

Besides, the Minister expressed deep gratitude to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz for extending humanitarian support to the distressed Myanmar nationals as well as for the leading role of the Kingdom for successfully holding summit level meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Rohingya Minority in New York on September 19 at the sideline of the 72nd UN General Assembly.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Ambassador also informed that the Saudi Government has taken a decision to fund $ 20 million for construction of mosques in Bangladesh, said Shahriar.

An evaluation team from Saudi Arabia is expected to visit Bangladesh shortly to discuss the issue in details with the concerned authorities in Bangladesh, he added.
Airspace violation is not a threat

Staff Reporter :

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday said, repeated airspace violation by the Myanmar's military drones and helicopters is not at all a threat for Bangladesh.

"Bangladesh will not step into any provocation or trap laid by others. We're showing tolerance towards them. We do believe that any problem can be solved through discussion. We're; however, ready to go to Myanmar for participating in talks if Prime Minister gives green signal. We like to discuss some important matters, including repatriation of Rohingyas and drug trafficking, with Myanmar government," the Home Minister said while talking to the reporters at his Secretariat office.

"Earlier, we had planned to visit Myanmar in October responding to the invitation of Myanmar national security advisor. But the decision has been changed after the persecution on Rohingya began. So, if the Prime Minister okays, there may be a meeting."

About fresh Rohingya influx, he said, "The global community has applauded us and our Prime Minister for the approach we showed towards the refugees. We're harbouring them on a humanitarian ground. We still believe that the Rohingyas are Myanmar's citizens and Myanmar government will take them back. Bangladesh, however, will provide shelter to the Rohingya as long as they seek asylum here."

On September 15, protesting repeated violation of airspace on Sept 10, 12 and 14 by Myanmar drones and helicopters, Bangladesh handed over a protest note to Charge d Affaires of the Myanmar Embassy in Dhaka Aung Myint.

Bangladesh had also expressed deep concern at the recurrence of such acts of provocation. Referring to the earlier instances of violation of airspace since Aug 25 and the govt demanded Myanmar must take measures to ensure that such "violation" does not occur again.

Against this backdrop, the members of Bangladesh Army, 10 Infantry Division at Ramu Cantonment have taken over the charge to distribute relief materials in the Rohingya refugee camps in the country's southeastern Cox's Bazar bordering district following huge mismanagement by the local civil administration. Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh Major General Abul Hossain on Monday said, the Myanmar authorities have proposed Bangladesh a flag meeting to settle the ongoing bordering issues of the two neighbouring countries, especially the Rohingya influx.

"We've got a proposal to hold a flag meeting with the Border Guard Police [BGP] of Myanmar in the coming November month.We're actively considering the offer and planning to take part in the flag meeting," he said.

More than 4,50,000 Rohingya people have entered Bangladesh since 25 August, when ethnic Muslim militants reportedly attacked 24 police posts and one army base. Apart from them, about 5, 00,000 Rohingyas are staying in Bangladesh since 1978.


Relief still inadequate

UNHCR calls for redoubling aid

A Rohingya boy leans against UNHCR tarpaulin on Tuesday, waiting to be distributed at Kutupalong refugee camp.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday called for redoubling of the international humanitarian response in Bangladesh amid concerns that conditions of Rohingya refugees could deteriorate further.

An estimated 436,000 Rohingyas have arrived in Bangladesh in the last four weeks fleeing an army crackdown in Myanmar's western Rakhine state that after reported attacks on security posts by armed insurgents.

"Rohingya refugees are still in need of food, shelter, clean water and medical care. Aid agencies are struggling to meet up their requirements due to inadequate relief supplies and healthcare services," said UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards.

Earlier, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has called for more aid from international donors to mitigate the plight of the Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR has flown its fourth humanitarian airlift as part of its response to the Rohingya refugees.

The UNHCR-chartered Boeing 777 cargo jet, loaded with 100 metric tonnes of aid, landed in Dhaka Airport on Tuesday morning.

As shelter needs are acute in Cox's Bazar refugee camps, this flight has been loaded with shelter materials only. Two more aid flights are being scheduled.

Despite every effort by those on the ground, the massive influx of people seeking safety has been outpacing capacities to respond, and the situation for these refugees has still not stabilized. Many of those who have arrived recently are deeply traumatized. Despite having found refuge in Bangladesh, they are still exposed to enormous hardship.

At the request of the Bangladesh authorities, UNHCR and our partners have scaled up protection and life-saving support to the new arrivals in Kutupalong and Nayapara camps, and extended this support to the informal settlements surrounding these camps. UNHCR is also distributing emergency shelter kits, kitchen sets, jerry cans, sleeping mats, solar lamps, and other non-food items, said Adrian Edwards.

"We continue to identify and support the most vulnerable refugees such as unaccompanied children, women, the elderly and disabled, who are in urgent need of shelter, food, water, and healthcare. In the last week, we along with partners distributed hygiene kits to some 1,900 women, while each day an average of 9,900 people received meals through community kitchens, 2,600 received other hot meals, and 4,700 received high energy biscuits. As the population in the Kutupalong and Nyapara camps have now doubled, so we are in needs for clean drinking water. In the last few weeks, we've installed additional seven deep tube-wells, 13 shallow tube-wells, and 116 latrine chambers in the two camps to help deal with this increase," he said.
Meet refugees personally in Cox`s Bazar camps

They also condemn ongoing persecution of Rohingya in Rakhine State

Staff Reporter :

Seven UN experts on Tuesday in a joint statement called on the Myanmar government to stop all violence against the minority Muslim Rohingya community and halt the ongoing persecution and serious human rights violations, which the High Commissioner for Human Rights has described as an apparent textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

"We call on Aung San Suu Kyi to meet the Rohingya personally in Rakhine State as well as in Cox's Bazar to talk to those who have fled, as well as those who have stayed, as she says the Myanmar Government is interested in doing, " the experts also said in the joint statement.

The call comes a month after reported attacks in Rakhine State against 30 police outposts and the regimental headquarters in Taungala village, and subsequent indiscriminate counter-terror operations, according to a UN press release issued in Geneva on Tuesday.

"There have been credible allegations of serious human rights violations and abuses committed against the Rohingya, including extrajudicial killings, excessive use of force, torture and ill-treatment, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced displacement, as well as the burning and destruction of over 200 Rohingya villages and tens of thousands of homes," the experts said.

"We understand that Aung San Suu Kyi in her diplomatic briefing on 19 September had encouraged the international community to learn from the Myanmar Government the possible reasons behind the current exodus from Myanmar to Bangladesh," the experts said, noting that about 430,000 people had reportedly crossed into Bangladesh in the past few weeks.

The experts said, no one chooses, especially not in the hundreds of thousands, to leave their homes and ancestral land, no matter how poor the conditions, to flee to a strange land to live under plastic sheets and in dire circumstances except in life-threatening situations.

"Despite violence allegedly perpetrated by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the whole Rohingya population should not have to pay the price," they added in the joint statement.

The experts further noted that even the government-appointed Rakhine Advisory Commission led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had concluded in its final report that "protracted statelessness and profound discrimination have made the [Rohingya] Muslim community vulnerable to human rights violations".

The statement said it also found that successive governments since independence, particularly after the military coup of 1962, had "adopted legal and administrative measures that progressively eroded the political and civil rights of the Muslim communities in Rakhine State".

"While it is commendable that the government appears intent on implementing the commission's recommendations, including those related to the Rohingya's citizenship rights, this will largely be an empty gesture now that the Myanmar military and security forces have driven out almost half of the Rohingya population in northern Rakhine and the government has indicated that they can return only if they have proof of their nationality. Moreover, due to the mass burning of Rohingya villages, there is no home left for many to return to," the experts said.

"We are equally alarmed by the government's apparent acquiescence in incitement of hatred and the condoning of intimidation and attacks against Rohingya families by other ethnic and religious groups. All violence aimed at the general population, including internally displaced people, must immediately cease," the experts stressed.

"Myanmar should provide uninterrupted humanitarian access to international organizations to assist tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of internally displaced people in Rakhine State. It should further ensure full and unfettered access of human rights monitors including the Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission for an independent and impartial assessment of the situation on the ground.

"The Myanmar Government should cooperate with all international aid organizations, rather than accusing them of supporting terrorism in their efforts to discharge their responsibilities to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to populations in need," they added.

"UN member states need to go beyond statements and start taking concrete action to stop the military and security forces from accomplishing their so-called 'unfinished business' of getting rid of the Rohingya minority from Rakhine State," the experts said.
UNSC meets tomorrow

Trump wants

News Desk :

The UN Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss the violence in Myanmar and hear a briefing from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the crisis, diplomats said.

Britain, France, the United States and four other countries requested for the meeting after more than 430,000 people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, fled an army campaign in Myanmar in recent weeks and crossed into Bangladesh, according to agencies.

Antonio Guterres will publicly brief the Security Council on Thursday on violence in Myanmar, which he has described as ethnic cleansing, after seven countries on the 15-member body requested the meeting.

In preparation for Thursday's public meeting, the council will be briefed behind closed doors on Tuesday by UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman, diplomats said.

The United Nations has described the military operation as "ethnic cleansing" and French President Emmanuel Macron last week went further, calling it "genocide.

Earlier on Wednesday US Vice President Mike Pence said US President Donald Trump wants the UN Security Council to take "strong and swift action" to end the violence,

Sweden, the United States, Britain, France, Egypt, Senegal, and Kazakhstan requested for the meeting.

The council has already met twice behind closed doors since the Rohingya crisis began and earlier this month issued an informal statement to the press condemning the situation and urging Myanmar authorities to end the violence.

Diplomats say that the Security Council could consider adopting a formal statement if the situation does not improve, but China and Russia are unlikely to agree to stronger action that would require the adoption of a resolution, even they could veto.

A Security Council resolution would need nine votes in favour and no vetoes by any of Russia, China, the United States, Britain and France.

Myanmar said earlier this month it was negotiating with two veto powers China and Russia to ensure that Myanmar would be protected from any Security Council action.

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has denounced the plight of the Rohingya, accused Myanmar of waging a "Buddhist terror" against the Muslim minority and also denounced the "genocide."

The 1.1-million strong Rohingya have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship even though many have longstanding roots in the country.

In early September, Guterres took the rare step of sending a letter to the council to express concern about the "humanitarian catastrophe" unfolding, raising fears that it could have "implications for peace and security" beyond Myanmar's borders.

Rights groups are pushing the council to threaten sanctions against Myanmar's government and urging countries to review military cooperation.

Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has disappointed human rights groups who had campaigned for her freedom during the Nobel Peace Prize winner's 15 years under house arrest by a military junta. Suu Kyi failed to quell outrage over the plight of the Rohingya when she delivered a nationwide address last week in which she appealed for patience.


Tk 54,000 charged even after death of baby girl in ICU

Md Joynal Abedin Khan :

Dhanmondi General and Kidney Hospital in Dhaka has reportedly extorted a family by keeping the body of their newborn daughter in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for four days, family sources alleged.

Even the doctors and nurses of the hospital did not allow any relative to visit the newborn with an ill motive to extort money, they claimed. They showed extra formalities for concealing the cheating under the name of the additional security of the hospital, they alleged. However, the hospital authorities have denied the allegations.

The family members raised a suspicion over the baby's condition centering the abnormality of the physician, nurses and guards. Even they did not permit to shift the baby to Dhaka Shishu Hospital till September 22, they added.

Following massive insisting of the father to visit the baby, the doctors on duty in the hospital confessed the baby had already died, according to them.

The baby's parents filed a complaint with Dhanmondi Model Police Station on September 25, said the OC of the police station.

Police did not take action as the victim family and hospital authorities resolved the problem through arbitration, the OC said. The family sources claimed that they were bound to withdraw the complaint

But the hospital authorities denied the allegations of the deceased's family members.

"We admitted the baby to that hospital around 11:40pm on September 19. We tried to shift the baby to Dhaka Shishu Hospital on September 22, but doctors on-duty there told us that the baby had already died," claimed the baby's aunt Hasina Begum.

The baby's father, Shahid Hossain said, "The baby girl was born through surgery at a clinic in Old Dhaka on September 19. The newborn suffered breathing problems, so we admitted her to the Dhanmondi General and Kidney Hospital the same night.

"The baby was kept under life support at the ICU from September 19 to September 22, and the hospital billed us Tk 54,000 for the service. I paid the hospital Tk35,000 after negotiations," Shahid said.

Meanwhile, Dhanmondi Kidney and General Hospital Director Shamim Mahbub said, "The baby was kept under life support, as her heart was not functioning properly. The newborn died because of her health complications.

"We do not keep body in the ICU just to make more money," he claimed.

Earlier in February 11 in 2016, Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital in Dhaka was accused of claiming to have formed a medical board to treat a baby a full day after it had died.

RAB took custody of the body of the one-and-a-half-year old Sumaiya Saba at the hospital in Dhanmondi

The Rapid Action Battalion's mobile court's Executive Magistrate Helal Uddin had fined the hospital Tk 11 lakh for the irregularities.


Secy`s driver relieved of duty

The driver of acting Rural Development and Cooperatives Division Secretary Mafruha Sultana, who was caught plying vehicle on the wrong side of road in two consecutive days, was relieved of his duty on Tuesday.

Jakir Hossain, public relations officer of LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry, told UNB that Babul Mollah was relieved of his duty for facing penalty for driving vehicle on the wrong side.

Besides, a show-cause notice was served on him to explain the plying of vehicle on the wrong side again even after being penalised, he said, adding that departmental action will be taken against him later.

Earlier, the vehicle of Mafruha Sultana was caught red-handed while driving on the wrong side of a road during a drive by police. The same vehicle again faced penalty while committing the same offence the following day in city's Bangla Motor area.
Myanmar army FB posts covering key period of offensive 'hidden'

Reuters :

Facebook posts from Myanmar's army detailing the opening phase of its crackdown last month on Rohingya Muslim insurgents - an operation now being probed by the United Nations - are no longer visible on its official page, Reuters found.

Posts for the period between Aug 1 and Aug 29 appear to have been "hidden" on the Facebook page of the office of the commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing, which has covered the military's actions, including those in western Myanmar, in detailed dispatches. The posts, which can still be found using specific date or keyword searches, included detailed accounts of the operation launched by the army following attacks on security forces on Aug 25. It is unclear why, or when exactly, the posts disappeared. They were not visible on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday from several locations across Asia.

"We don't hide anything, it might be some kind of error," said Ministry of Defence spokesman General Aung Ye Win. Zaw Htay, the spokesman for national leader Aung San Suu Kyi, referred questions to Aung Ye Win.
Collective leadership of Muslim countries needed for Myanmar`s war against Rohingyas

There seems to be no end to Rohingya killing. Yet another onslaught in Rakhine caused 50000 more Rohingyas to take refuge in Bangladesh within last couple of days. Total number of Rohingya refugees has already crossed 10 lacs. Our country has already been burdened with so many interim problems. This problem is getting beyond our control. Something must be done immediately. The UN Security Council is about to meet on Thursday to discuss the violence in Myanmar and hear a briefing from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the crisis. Muslim countries should avail this opportunity and ask UN to take immediate action.

Bangladesh alone cannot solve the problem of military war against Rohingya Muslims. Myanmar government's most inhuman acts must be forcefully placed before the international community and in particular to the Muslim countries.

Strong military cooperation of Muslim countries is needed to respond to the brutal army action in Myanmar. Myanmar thinks India and China are on its side and Bangladesh is too weak to respond effectively for a solution. Offer of bilateral talks by Myanmar with Bangladesh is a deceptive way for avoiding international pressure.

On the part of Bangladesh, government should not go for bilateral talks without specific proposal. Talks for talks sake is weakness.

Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia have taken firm stand against Myanmar and active internationally, unlike Bangladesh. Malaysia and Indonesia being members of ASEAN, have protested against Myanmar openly and immediately. Turkey is also quite helpful from the beginning. Turkish First Lady and Foreign Minister have already toured Bangladesh and saw the sufferings of Rohingyas before their own eyes. But countries like Turkey and Iran should take more bold steps. Arab countries also need to raise their voice over the Rohingya issue. Myanmar's army has done the crime of genocide against Muslims. Without military preparation in cooperation with the Muslim countries, the international community will not come forward actively in aid of the Rohingya Muslims despite all their sympathy. It has to be internationalised.

Myanmar treats Bangladesh non-seriously knowing that Bangladesh has constraints with India and China supporting cleansing of Muslims in Rakhine State. Bangladesh sought help from India and China but their support, if any at all, will not be more than lip service.

The crisis created by Myanmar is extinction of the Rohingya Muslims denying them citizenship. Myanmar declared war and military preparedness of one form or the another is unavoidable for the Rohingya Muslims and Bangladesh. A war has been thrust on Bangladesh whether we admit it or not.

For any effective diplomacy backing by military power is essential to face a war situation. Bangladesh must be helped, because Bangladesh is in a desperate situation. Assurance from savage Myanmar is a lie. The Rohingyas have to return to their Rakhine State back as full citizens of Myanmar.








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At around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Carbondale police officers were dispatched to a report of anarmed robbery that occurred at Walgreens East, at 206 South Wall Street.

The suspect was described as a black male approximately 30 years of age, approximately 58 tall, weighing approximately 160 pounds wearing black pants and a blue hoodie.

There were no reported injuries. SIU Police Department and the Illinois State Police assisted with the investigation.

Anyone with information on this incident is encourage to contact the Carbondale Police Department at (618) 451-3200 or Crime Stoppers at (618) 549-COPS (2677).

-- The Southern
SPRINGFIELD  A federally funded program is helping low-income patients in Springfield address non-medical issues with legal assistance.

The Southern Illinois University Medical-Legal Partnership involves the university's Center for Family Medicine, the School of Medicine, the School of Law and the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation. The partnership has helped patients in nearly 300 cases since it began in January 2016, the State Journal-Register reported.

The program provides free legal assistance to patients with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Assistance can deal with challenges such as divorce, landlord problems and qualifying for food stamps or Social Security disability benefits.

University officials said helping patients improve their economics, safety and emotional well-being has proven to lead to better physical and mental health.

University doctors are learning to ask more about these issues in patients' lives as part of the program, said Carolyn Pointer, a humanities instructor at the medical school. Pointer also works with medical students who learn the importance of paying attention to more than just patients' physical pains by helping screen patients for the program.

She said doctors often won't ask patients about non-medical issues unless they're in touch with legal experts who are ready to provide assistance to patients.

"They only screen for problems they have answers for," Pointer said. "In general, most of the doctors are very appreciative to have a resource for their patients."

The program is funded with $215,000 in federal grant funds for last year and this year. Plans are in the works to request more federal funding to continue in 2018 and beyond.
Alabama's Senate race is seriously scrambling Republican politics.

Two GOP candidates will meet on Sept. 26 for the right to oppose Democrat Doug Jones in December. One is the incumbent Luther Strange, who was appointed to the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he became attorney general. Strange enjoys the strong support of Senate leader Mitch McConnell, many pro-business groups and President Donald Trump.

However, Strange's opponent, former state judge Roy Moore, is campaigning as the One True Trumpian with the backing of religious conservatives and Breitbart, the alt-right news site headed by Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon. Moore and his allies have assaulted Strange, a former Washington lobbyist for the natural gas industry, as a "swamp monster" and Capitol insider.

Democrats would have trouble beating either opponent in a deep red state like Alabama, but that's not the point. Moore is leading in the polls, and Republican strategists fear that if he wins, he'll encourage other primary challenges from the right against sitting GOP senators next year and through 2020.

"Alabama is the big enchilada," Scott Reed, chief political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told The Washington Post.

To Reed and other charter members of the party's governing wing, an epidemic of right-wing primary challenges would lead to disaster, and history backs them up. In recent years, Republicans have nominated hardline purists in at least five states -- Colorado, Indiana, Nevada, Delaware and Missouri -- who then lost winnable Senate battles to moderate Democrats. A few more self-inflicted wounds like that and Democrats could retake the Senate.

Another possible outcome is almost as bad for the Republican leadership: more Roy Moores and fewer Luther Stranges in the Senate would seriously complicate their ability to assemble a working majority. That's already happened in the House where 40 or so dead-enders from the Freedom Caucus have long crippled the ability of their leaders to negotiate legislative compromises. They drove former Speaker John Boehner so crazy he quit in frustration.

So where does President Trump fit in this GOP civil war? Since he is wildly impulsive and consistently inconsistent, the answer is far from clear. As a candidate, he was happy to attack his rivals as "swamp monsters," and he's openly feuded with his congressional leaders, McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

One whole part of his political strategy is to maintain his "outsider" status and stir up his base with repeated attacks on the Washington elites. In fact, a study by The Post shows a strong overlap in Alabama between Trump and Moore voters.

"The better Trump did relative to his state percentage, the better Moore did in that county in the primary," reports The Post.

And outside of Alabama, Trump has viciously attacked Republican incumbents he considers disloyal and encouraged primary challengers in the Roy Moore mold to take them on next year.

A good example is Arizona, where Republican Sen. Jeff Flake published a book denouncing Trump as "all noise and no signal" and deriding the GOP for accepting his leadership. "We pretended the emperor wasn't naked," he wrote.

In return, Trump has openly cheered on Flake's potential challenger next year, Kelli Ward. In a recent tweet he said, "Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!"

So what is Trump up to? Why would he defend Strange in Alabama while undermining Flake in Arizona? Will he support primary challengers in other states?

The answer reveals a tension running through the heart of the Trump presidency. In one sense he's still part of the Hell No Caucus himself, the Swamp Drainer-in-Chief who revels in exciting his core supporters with anti-Washington rhetoric and eviscerating opponents like Jeff Flake.

But Trump is also devoted to winning, and to pass any meaningful legislation he has to work with the party structure he despises -- and even Democrats on occasion. The Outsider must on some level become an Insider. He needs "swamp monsters" like Mitch McConnell and Luther Strange more than they need him.
How well do you know your Orangeburg County? Today we give you a new opportunity to learn about interesting places, people and things as we of
Warner NH  When someone calls the Telephone Museum and asks you if they could donate an old telephone truck to your collection, you say YES without hesitation! That is just what happened at the New Hampshire Telephone Museum when brothers Gregg and Eric Haskin, President and VP-Network Operations of the Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom in Waitsfield VT, made the call.

The Haskin brothers are carrying on the tradition of their parents, Dana and Eleanor Haskin, who owned and operated Waitsfield Telecom since 1904.

The Independent Telephone Company industry was booming throughout much of the 1900s and it was during that time that the Telephone Association of New England was established. Many relationships were formed throughout New England and it is was through this connection that the Haskin family became friends with NHTMs founder, Alderic O. Dick Violette, who worked for Merrimack County Telephone Company, the Independent that served Contoocook NH and surrounding towns for over 100 years.

Both Dana and Eleanor Haskin have passed away and although the company still thrives under the leadership of the brothers, on the personal side the Haskins had collected lots of antique telephones and related artifacts that have now become the responsibility of their children. The brothers both felt  and knew their parents would agree  that the fully restored 1928 Model A Ford Bell System Telephone Truck should be on display at NHTM.

Weve often talked about how an old telephone truck would really round out our collection nicely, says NHTM Executive Director, Laura French, but they are not easy to come by these days, so when Gregg and Eric reached out to us we were thrilled!

The truck will make its official debut in the Warner Fall Foliage Festival parade on Sunday, October 8, 2017. After that it will be displayed in the Warner Firefighters Museums portion of the Telephone Museum building until a better display can be created.

# # #

About New Hampshire Telephone Museum

The New Hampshire Telephone Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 Corporation whose mission is to inspire curiosity by engaging a broad public audience in exhibitions and programs based on its remarkable and expanding collection. The Museum preserves the past and tells the stories of the telecommunications industry. The museum, which opened to the public in 2005 under the direction of Alderic O. Dick Violette, a 50-year veteran of the telephone industry, and his son, Paul Violette, a 40-year telephone industry veteran. It features the collection of four generations of one family who, collectively, have careers spanning nearly 100 years. Visit NHTelephoneMuseum.org for more information.

About Waitsfield & Champlain Valley Telecom

Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom is an independent, privately owned telephone company serving the Mad River and Central Champlain Valley regions of Vermont. Locally owned and operated, Waitsfield Telecom has been providing telephone service to the Mad River Valley since 1904. Visit WCVT.com for more information.
This week on The Escape, we follow Sarah to Icelandin the wintertime. Because, why not?

The Escape is The Work Edits travel column written by my good friend Sarah, who has the coveted unlimited vacation policy. Thanks for reading, and follow along on Sarahs blog, or @gurrity if youre just as obsessed with travel photography as she is.

Iceland might be overrun with tourists being super touristy these days, but it doesnt mean the experiences are underrated. In fact, Iceland is by far the most stunningly beautiful place Ive ever been  the views will actually leave you speechless. And to be completely honest, I prefer visiting Iceland in the winter.

The days are short, but when youre that far north, the sunrises and sunsets last about 3 hours each  and winter is the only time youll have a good chance of viewing the northern lights. So prepare for the cold, and pack some road trip snacks. Want to read beyond whats in my suitcase? Check out my Iceland recommendations & itinerary here.

A serious parka  the Mackage option above will keep you warm and make all of Instagram drool Im a big fan of that dropped fur trim. Looking for something more moderately priced? This burgundy option from Nordstrom will stand out in a sea of black hooded parkas, and this classic piece would do the trick.

Real wool sweaters  the periwinkle merino wool turtleneck above is the perfect base layer for exploring some of Icelands many waterfalls. Want something a bit softer? The basic cashmere option from J.Crew will keep you warm, even in an icy winter mist.

Windproof leggings  this pair from Athleta is fleece-lined and wind-proof (recommended by winter cyclists everywhere), so theyre a great investment whether youre booking flights to Iceland or not. Looking for another option? I swear by Under Armour Cold Gear tights, which keep me nice and warm on a long winter run.

Boots  in a place like Iceland, you want boots that are warm and provide traction. Youd be surprised how much youll be ambling over snowy hills or glacial moraines to get to that beloved hot spring so the Kodiaks above would be a perfect pair. If you plan on spending more time hiking, Id go for this pair from The North Face. And if youre less of the outdoorsy adventure type, this fur-trimmed option would complete any winter wonderland ensemble.

Bikini + Turkish Towel  If youre chasing the northern lights and not the many hot springs of Iceland, youre going to miss out. The northern lights are as fickle as the weather, but Icelands incredible hot springs would never disappoint (more on that here). Be sure to pack a bikini or two! This icy blue option would look great in the Blue Lagoon  and I never fly anywhere without a Turkish towel. Theyre light enough to dry overnight, and can double as a scarf when you need it!

Not into the pale swimsuit shades? Im mildly obsessed with the merlot & navy options coming from Acacia Swimwear. And if you need some extra support like I do, the Tulum top at Monday Swimwear will have your back  literally.

Northern lights essentials  hand warmers and an insulated bottle are a must. Whether you fill that Swell with hot toddies or hot tea, well thats up to you.

Snacks  Scandinavia isnt exactly known for its food, though you can definitely find some good meals there. But if you find yourself in Iceland in the winter, chances are youre not spending the majority of your time in Reykjavik. Instead, youll be on the open road, with few food options in sight. Scandis love their hot dogs (and cover them with fried onions), but plan ahead and bring snacks from the states  this stuff is pricey out there. We lived off of Think bars and Luna bars both times I visited.
By Azernews





By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan and Russia enjoy great potential for developing relations in the fields of pharmaceutics and industry, in which cooperation will be advantageous for both.

Russias trade representative in Azerbaijan Eldar Tlyabichev stressed that the cooperation in the field of pharmaceutics is on rise, but the sector offers opportunities for further growth.

"We have repeatedly noted the expansion of our trade turnover, the development of agrarian relations between our countries, but there are other sectors, one of which is pharmaceutics," he told Trend.

Currently, a joint plant Hayat Pharm for medicine production is being built in the Pirallahi Industrial Park, where two more pharmaceutical plants are being constructed.

The foundation of the Hayat Farm was laid in November 2016. The plant is a joint venture with a group of companies R-Pharm (Russian Federation), Vita-A LLC (Azerbaijan) and Azerbaijan Investment Company (AIC).

The total preliminary investment in the project exceeds $70 million. The plant's capacity will be 22.5 million packs, or 500 million tablets and capsules. The plant should be producing finished products by late 2019.

Tlyabichev further mentioned that the industrial sector, transport and ICT are among the promising areas.

Azerbaijan has large industrial capacities, therefore, there is much to work on, he said adding that there are also great prospects in the field of transport, and with the implementation of the NorthSouth Transport Corridor, these prospects will increase even more.

The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and roadroute for moving freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia.

The corridor is planned to transport 6 million tons of cargo per year at the initial stage and more than 10 million tons of cargo in the future.

Touching upon ICT, the trade representative stressed that today Russia has great achievements in the field of accessibility of Internet services and Azerbaijan can benefit from Russias experience.

Tlyabichev also positively assessed appointment of the trade representative of Azerbaijan to Russia, stressing that this step will expand cooperation between the two countries.

Ruslan Aliyev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ateshgah Insurance Group, was appointed the first trade representative of Azerbaijan to Russia.

Trade representatives main mission is to take measures to expand Azerbaijan`s economic and trade relations with Russia, protect economic interests of Azerbaijan, increase export of Azerbaijani goods and services, promote Azerbaijans business environment and investment opportunities.

Azerbaijan seeks to open its second Trade House in Russias Arkhangelsk region as well, meanwhile the first one was opened in the Belarusian capital Minsk, on May 26.

Besides, Azerbaijani business center will be built in the Astrakhan region soon. The Center will promote Azerbaijani products in the Russian market. The interested Russian companies will have opportunity of concluding long-term contracts with specific suppliers from Azerbaijan. Thus, the construction of the center will contribute to the effective development of trade and economic relations between business entities of both countries.

A national shopping center of Azerbaijan, Baku Plaza, is planned to opened in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Baku Plaza will provide a number of services. Ateliers, repairs and tailoring, dry cleaning, beauty salon and grocery stores will operate at the Center.

Azerbaijan is one of the main economic partners of Russia among the CIS countries. The trade turnover between two countries amounted to almost $2 billion in 2016. Interregional cooperation plays an important role in the development of Russian-Azerbaijani trade and economic relations and the increase in trade turnover.

At present, enterprises of 71 regions of the Russian Federation cooperate directly with Azerbaijan. Fifteen regions of Russia have relevant agreements with Azerbaijan on trade and economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation.

The trade turnover with Russia amounted to $951.32 million in January-June 2017, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.
By Azernews





By Rashid Shirinov

The Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish armed forces have started joint military exercises in Georgia.

A computer-assisted command and staff training 'Eternity 2017' is taking place at the NATO-Georgian Joint Training and Evaluation Centre in Krtsanisi province near Tbilisi.

The main purpose of the military exercises is to organize protection of energy and infrastructure projects. The military staff of the three countries will exchange advance experience during the one-week military exercises.

The exercises consider a scenario of operation for protection of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in a crisis situation. BTC pipeline carries oil from the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli field and condensate from Shah Deniz across Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The pipe links Sangachal terminal on the shores of the Caspian Sea to Ceyhan marine terminal on the Turkish Mediterranean coast

The exercises will last until September 29.

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey that enjoy the friendly and fruitful relations are actively working to strengthen their trilateral military and defense cooperation in a sustainable manner.

In recent years, the three countries relations reached the level of strategic partnership and play an important role in ensuring peace and stability, sustainable development, the welfare of the three nations.

During the trilateral meeting of the countries' defense ministers in May 2016, the parties reiterated the importance of enhancing the combat readiness of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkeys armed forces, trilateral development of military education and training, development of cooperation on cyber security, and further improvement of trilateral exercises on the protection of oil and gas pipelines.












By Trend





Italy supports Azerbaijans territorial integrity, said Augusto Massari, the newly appointed Italian envoy.

Massari made the remarks at a meeting with Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov in Baku Sept. 26, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Congratulating the ambassador on the beginning of diplomatic activity in the country, the minister wished him success in expanding military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy.

Expressing satisfaction with the beginning of his activity in Azerbaijan, the diplomat stressed that he would make every effort to develop the Azerbaijan-Italy relations, as well as military cooperation.

Stressing that Italy supports the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the norms and principles of international law, Massari stressed that Italy supports Azerbaijans territorial integrity.

During the meeting, the military-political situation in the region, the ways of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were discussed.

Moreover, the current state and prospects for the development of military cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries and within the NATO programs were also considered.

Hasanov and Massari also exchanged views on regional security issues at the meeting.
By Trend





Khoshgeldi Mergenov has been appointed as deputy industry minister of Turkmenistan by a presidential decree signed on September 25.

It was previously reported that the state program envisages the creation of a network of small companies by 2020 by the Ministry of Industry jointly with the Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Energy and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan.

This will cover the production of semiconductors, elements for processing of solar energy, photoelectric equipment, electronic means, types of automation, lighting devices, including LED-lamps, electricity meters and other types of electrical equipment for the population.
Turkeys EU Minister Omer Celik has described the decision to include the disputed Iraqi city of Kirkuk in the recent Kurdish independence referendum as "Barzani's call to turn Iraq into a new bloodbath".

"The referendum, contrary to what [KRG leader Masoud] Barzani claims, will not bring stability to the region nor be useful for Kurds future," Celik said during a live televised interview with Turkish channel A Haber in Ankara, Anadolu Agency reported.

Celik emphasized that it will be a blow, not just to Kurdish people, but to the other ethnic minorities willing to live together in Iraq.

The referendum, which was boycotted by Turkmens and Arabs, was held on September 25 in Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaymaniyah provinces, the contested province of Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmatu district in Saladin province and Khanaqin district in Diyala province.

Celik said the referendum was conducted "in an unhealthy way," and called it "a disaster".

"To include Kirkuk in the poll is another suggestion from Barzani to turn Iraq into another bloodbath," the EU minister said.

The final results of the controversial poll, in which roughly 72 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots, are expected within three days.

Earlier President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would take political, economic, commercial and security steps against the KRG.

Along with Baghdad, Turkey, the U.S., Iran and the UN have all spoken out against the poll, saying it will only distract from the ongoing fight against Daesh and further destabilize the region.
Finn McEwen meets his Everton heroes

Tuesday, 26 September, 2017



Nine-year-old Finn McEwen was an extra special guest at Goodison Park on Saturday to witness the 2-1 victory over Bournemouth, the family's first visit since the young Evertonian received the fantastic news that his leukemia is cured.

Blues fans are very familiar with the story of Finn from 2015, when aged just seven, he was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome  a rare bone marrow disease which causes a life-threatening drop in the number of healthy blood cells.

In a bid to find Finn a suitable donor, the Find Finn a Match' campaign was launched, encouraging people to get tested and see if they were a match. Finn and his family were invited to USM Finch Farm to meet the team and help raise awareness of the campaign to find a donor.

In June 2015, a match for Finn was found and he spent five weeks in hospital undergoing intense chemotherapy which was then followed by a successful bone marrow transplant.

He had a number of setbacks in the 12 months which followed, and it's been a long and difficult road to recovery, but in September this year Finn was given the all-clear by Manchester Children's Hospital, who informed him his leukemia is cured and he can return to living a normal and healthy life.



Finn and his younger brother Lucas were invited to Goodison Park on Saturday to celebrate his fantastic news and update the players on his journey over the last two years. Finn brought with him his special bag of Courage Beads to show the players ahead of kick-off. Reaching over five metres long, Finn's colourful collection of Courage Beads detail his lengthy battle over the past two years with a bead gained for every treatment or procedure he underwent.

Article continues below video content

After meeting all the players, Finn and Lucas took part in the traditional pre-match warm-up alongside other mascots and at 3pm, came out of the tunnel to the sound of Z-Cars with their favourite players; Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Speaking about his successful fight against leukaemia, Finn said: It's been hard, tough, rough  whatever you want to call it. But I'm feeling good, better than ever and now I'm here in my kit ready to be a mascot, hopefully I'll bring the team good luck.

Finn's mum Carole added: The Finn we've brought to Goodison today is completely different to the little boy who came two years ago. Today he is full of energy whereas last time was a week before his transplant and he was feeling very poorly. Seeing the difference in him is amazing; he's so happy and he's got his confidence back.

Dad, Neil added: It's been the toughest time of our lives but the Club have given him a lift through very difficult times and given him something to hold onto. Everton have been fantastic throughout Finn's battle and when we posted that Finn was in remession and had been cured, they were the first ones to get in touch to say how happy all the staff were.

It is believed that as a result of Finn's campaign upwards of 10 people have so far been contacted as matches for others in need, and several have even gone on to be that potentially lifesaving donor. You can sign up to become a donor and help other children like Finn by visiting www.dkms.org.uk

Video  Everton FC

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While domestic markets remain important to Mena reinsurers they are also looking further afield for diversification in order to stabilise earnings against the uncertainties and volatility of their local markets, a report said.



Insurance markets in the Mena region have continued to grow, with increased demand for products over the past decade driven by a period of high oil prices that has funded infrastructure development and increased commercial activity, and the introduction of compulsory covers, particularly for medical health care and liability risks, added the report titled Stormy Currents Emerging for Mena Reinsurers from A M Best, a global insurance rating and information source.



However, many Middle Eastern economies are now facing challenges as a result of the low oil price environment, with lower revenue increasing pressure on government finances. This has resulted in governments reconsidering their fiscal stances, with the adoption of a value-added tax regime in the process of being rolled out across the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and increasing restraint on government spending on infrastructure.



Mahesh Mistry, senior director of analytics, said: The profile of the regions reinsurers has not changed materially over the past few years, and they concentrate on prudent underwriting and risk selection in order to maintain profitability. However, given the pressure on rates experienced in core product lines, coupled with the higher frequency of property losses, Mena reinsurers have gradually reduced their exposure to Mena markets, and supplemented revenues by focussing more on Asian and African markets, where pricing is more attractive.



The report states that while reinsurance markets in the Mena region are competitive, for international reinsurers, they are also considered to be a source of expansion. This is owing to a range of factors, including continued market liberalisation, and the majority of markets being open with few restrictions on reinsurance operations.



Yvette Essen, director of research and report author, said: Many of the regions markets are perceived to be attractive as they have benign exposure to natural catastrophe events in comparison with other more mature insurance markets. Reinsurers are drawn to the prospect of establishing geographically diverse underwriting portfolios without encountering the significant earnings volatility driven by natural catastrophe exposure. Regional and international reinsurers are seeking less catastrophe-prone business to complement their existing portfolios.



The report notes all A M Best-rated reinsurers domiciled in the Mena region are generally well-capitalised. It states that while balance sheet strength is strong for rated Mena reinsurers, underwriting profitability remains the main concern, with many companies delivering marginal to weak performance.



Therefore, reinsurers in the region are dependent on investment income to generate earnings. While investment yields are low, pressure to improve underwriting margins is growing, and any failure to improve technical performance is likely to put greater pressure on ratings as this weakness gradually erodes balance sheet strength and the profile of the companies.  TradeArabia News Service
Investcorp, a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products, is well positioned to deliver on its ambitious strategy of growth following the strong set of results reported in its fiscal year 2017, co-CEO Mohammed Al-Shroogi said.



Al-Shroogi gave an update on Investcorps business and financial performance during a press conference today following the firms extraordinary general meeting (EGM).



We have recorded a transformative year for Investcorp in our fiscal year 2017. The firm doubled in size in terms of AUM and reported impressive results, both in terms of financial performance and in distributions to Investcorp and its clients. We have introduced a new business line  branded as Investcorp Credit Management (ICM), established a new real estate investment team in Europe, and launched our fourth technology fund.



"We have also made significant progress in our efforts to diversify our investor base geographically and by asset class and now have our first on-the-ground presence in Asia, Al-Shroogi said.



He emphasised that Investcorp is well on track with its strategy for the next phase of its growth, and is now well on the way to becoming a truly global institution with a global client-base spanning the Gulf, the US, Europe and Asia. He added: We believe this diversification will put Investcorp on a stronger footing, ultimately allowing us to better serve the needs of our clients anywhere in the world.



Last month, Investcorp announced its full year FY17 financial results, recording a 34 per cent YoY increase in profit to $120.3 million. Key performance highlights included assets under management doubling to $21.3 billion, and distributions to Investcorp and its clients more than doubling to $3.4 billion, the highest level in the firms history. -TradeArabia News Service
Arabtec Holding, a leading contractor for social and economic infrastructure, said its wholly-owned subsidiary, Target Engineering Construction Company has been awarded a Dh196 million ($53.3 million) contract by Emaar Properties for the main contract works of Phase I of its key Downtown Dubai project, Forte.



Situated in Dubai's new cultural centre, Forte is a two-tower residential development, set apart by its distinctive location and aesthetic architecture which adds to the ambiance of The Opera District.



The apartments overlook the iconic Dubai Opera, the 2,000-seat, multi-format, performing arts centre which is the centrepiece of The Opera District and host to opera, ballet, theatre, concerts, exhibitions and sport events.



Forte is located on Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai and forms part of The Opera District, offering an unprecedented life for its residents.



Target said the scope of work includes the construction of 5 basements for two residential towers.



Work will start on the project this month and is set to be completed within a year.



On the contract win, Arabtec Group CEO Hamish Tyrwhitt said: "We look forward to working on another project with Emaar Properties."



"We continue to win projects that are aligned with our key geographies and our key competencies whilst maintaining a robust risk management approach," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
ConsenSys Academy, a unit of Blockchain City Advisor of Dubai, has announced its first developer program class of more than 150 blockchain developers, including 25 participants from the United Arab Emirates.



The class represents the successful candidates out of 1,300 applicants from 95 countries.



The finalists will be flown to Dubai for a three-day hackathon followed by the graduation ceremony hosted in Dubai on October 22 in conjunction with the Smart Dubai Office (SDO). The graduation certificates will be issued on the Ethereum blockchain.



ConsenSys aims to address the global shortage of blockchain developers through the Academys pioneering program.



The Dubai Blockchain Strategy was announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, on October 2016 as a joint initiative by the Smart Dubai Office and the Dubai Future Foundation. The strategys objective is to make Dubai the first Blockchain-powered city by 2020.



Addressing the gathering will be Joseph Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum and founder and CEO of ConsenSys, Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, director general of Smart Dubai Office, and Wesam Lootah, CEO of Smart Dubai Government Establishment, and top ConsenSys personnel.



Dubai continues to lead the pack in technology innovation. Hosting the final stage of this first-of-its-kind developer program is another step towards bolstering the emirates position as a global technology leader and the first blockchain-powered government, said Dr Aisha.



We believe that sharing advanced Ethereum blockchain development know-how supports Smart Dubais mission to implement the Dubai Blockchain Strategy 2020. We are proud to be an integral part of cultivating the blockchain ecosystem, added Joseph Lubin. This is an important step of a very ambitious program that will reshape the economys future.  TradeArabia News Service
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, yesterday (Sept 25) attended the maiden concept flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT), a vehicle that will be used for the worlds first self-flying taxi service.



Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, yesterday (September 25) attended the maiden concept flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT), a vehicle that will be used for the worlds first self-flying taxi service.



The service is set to be introduced by Dubais Road and Transport Authority (RTA).



The two-seater AAT, capable of transporting people without human intervention or a pilot, has been supplied by Volocopter, a Germany-based specialist manufacturer of autonomous air vehicles. The test flight was held at a location near the Jumeirah Beach Park.



After the remarkable success of the first driverless metro in the region, we are glad to witness today the test flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi, said Sheikh Hamdan. This is another testament to our commitment to driving positive change. We are constantly exploring opportunities to serve the community and advance the prosperity and happiness of society.



He further said that adopting advanced innovative technologies and applications that help to enhance services for the community is key to topping global competitiveness rankings.



Encouraging innovation and adopting the latest technologies contribute not only to the countrys development but also build bridges into the future, he added.



He stressed the importance of the transportation sector, which he said is a vital driver of the development process and an indicator of the level of advancement of the nation. He hailed the remarkable progress achieved in this sector through a number of landmark projects that have maintained the highest international standards while remaining true to the principles of environmental sustainability.



Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA said: The Autonomous Air Taxi has a variety of unique features that include top security and safety standards, and multiple redundancies in all critical components such as propellers, motors, power source, electronics and flight controls. It is also fitted with optional emergency parachutes, nine independent battery systems, and a battery quick-charge and plug-in system, which takes two hours to reach full charge in the prototype version, a time that will be significantly reduced in the production version.



Powered by clean electricity and featuring low noise levels, the AAT is an environmentally-friendly vehicle. Its current prototype version has a maximum flight time of approximately 30 minutes at a cruise speed of 50 km/h, and a maximum airspeed of 100 km/h. All these features will evolve in the production vehicles. The AAT measures about two meters in height, and the diameter of the rotor rim, including propellers, is just over seven meters.



His Highness Sheikh Hamdan was briefed about the integration of the AAT with public transport systems such as the Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, public buses, marine transit modes and taxis. The briefing also covered the procedures for making the AAT service available to the public through a smart mobility app. The app will allow customers to book flights, receive booking reference details and track the route of the AAT.



Over the next five years, the RTA will collaborate with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority to ensure that the operational requirements for implementing AAT services are put in place. These requirements include developing laws and policies governing certification of the aircraft and AAT operations at an Emirate and Federal level, defining aerial routes and corridors, designing and locating take-off and landing points, setting standards for official operators of AAT services in Dubai, identifying the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, and specifying security and safety standards for the AAT.



Al Tayer revealed that the RTA has appointed US-based JDA Aviation Company, an autonomous air-vehicle safety specialist, to oversee preparations for AAT flights and manage safety. The trial operations and the process of developing legislation for this type of vehicles will stretch across five years, during which comprehensive operational, security and safety measures will be put in place, noted Al Tayer.



Sheikh Hamdan pressed the operation button to launch the first AAT and watched its flight in the sky. He also watched aerial shots transmitted by the airborne taxi on monitors, and reviewed the process that the RTA will follow to track the flight of the AAT.



Smart mobility



Commenting on the event, Al Tayer said, The trial run of the AAT reflects the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the worlds smartest city. It is also part of the RTA's efforts to introduce autonomous transportation services after conducting rigorous tests for these vehicles in Dubais climatic conditions. The move also reflects the Dubai Smart Autonomous Mobility Strategys target for autonomous transport to account for a quarter of total journeys in Dubai by 2030.  TradeArabia News Service
Virtual Forge, leading provider of security solutions for SAP systems, is expanding its international presence with a branch office in Dubai to cater to the customers in the Middle East region besides another office in Singapore.



In the UAE, Virtual Forge is working closely with local CAFM specialists Imsware. The two companies have joined together to support SAP customers directly under the brand Virtual Forge Middle East, while in the Asia-Pacific region, a Virtual Forge hub is being established in Singapore.



It will provide comprehensive support from local experts on the markets in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and China for its APAC.



Solutions from Virtual Forge have already been seeing success on the Arabian peninsula for some time. Virtual Forge has taken a first step closer to customers by entering into a close, local partnership with Imsware in Dubai, said a senior official.



In addition to having a local presence, carrying out operations in the Middle East will now be much easier, remarked Andreas Fritz, the director of Strategic Management.



Training, implementations and consulting projects will be significantly more flexible and less complex, he added.



Virtual Forge CEO Dr Markus Schumacher said the company has been active in both Arab and APAC regions for years from within Germany and has already won prestigious customers.



We intend to build on this success by attracting new customers and projects, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Bahrains Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) has implemented the Cloud First policy, enabling migrating systems to the Cloud following the best practices while adhering to iGAs security standards and procedures.



The announcement came from Mohamed Ali AlQaed, chief executive of iGA at the recent Amazon Web Services Summit hosted by Bahrain.



Bahrain was selected by Amazon to become the first leading regional center for data in the Middle East and Africa regions. With such announcement, the Kingdom is considered to have made another international accomplishment added to its rich record.



AlQaed said in his presentation that Bahrain is considered today as one of the leading countries in the Middle East that adopts the Cloud policy in the public sector. Such step will open a wide range of providing high salary jobs in the public and private sectors as well as all related sectors, he added.



He also highlighted that many government entities in the Kingdom are able to transfer their systems to the Cloud and that the authority has already begun this step which is a quantum leap in the field of adopting the latest technologies.



Moreover, AlQaed revealed that - up until now - four integrated government systems have been transferred  these include iGA, Ministry of Education, Bahrain Institute of Public Administration (BIPA) along with Ministry of Justice & Islamic Affairs which are the first entities to embrace this policy and are thanked for their active role as well as constructive collaboration in an initiative considered as a leap in achieving the eGovernment program on a national level.



Additionally, more than 20 government websites have been transferred utilizing more than 100 server from a total of 650 which the government announced its commitment to become transferred end of 2017  becoming one of the leading countries in this field.



He explained that the authority has focused on building efficiency in the public sector by a process that was accomplished through working within the pioneering eGovernment program, developing the eGovernment channels, supporting users experience, finding an advanced government data network as well as enhancing technical efficiency and reducing expenses.



Furthermore, he clarified that implementing the cloud will contribute in reducing IT expenditures by up to 30 per cent-90 per cent according to the nature of each system. It also contributes in facilitating the management of government services, speeds accomplishment of projects as well as increases productivity and enhances level of online security and quality of services.



AlQaed also confirmed that embracing the migration and adoption of Cloud First Policy is in line with the National Strategic Plan and Government Work Plan which allow ministries to deliver more services to citizens and customers with lower IT operation costs  enabling them to focus more on the business rather than the maintenance of expensive IT systems.



As part of iGAs adoption journey, iGA has previously conducted a workshop for ICT senior officials in government entities in order to introduce them to the policy and cloud strategy in all its details. It has also collaborated with all government entities in this field.  TradeArabia News Service


Saudi-based Abdul Latif Jameel Energy, a leading GCC-based solar PV (photovoltaic) developer, said one of its key units has secured funding for a major solar project that can power more than 120,000 homes in Jordan and also generate 435 million kWH of electricity per year.



The transaction was done with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO), through a $65 million loan for the development of the Al-Safawi solar plant located in the north of Jordan.



This is Abdul Latif Jameel Energys third project in Jordan following Mafraq I and II, bringing the total number of homes to be powered with clean energy past 120,000, said the statement.



On completion of the project, the Saudi firm will be supplying 435 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year in total across the country.



The new 51 MW plant will be located in Safawi, a region in the north of Jordan and an area with high solar potential. The development of the project includes the design, financing, construction and management of the operation and maintenance (O&M) services of the photovoltaic plant, spanning 170 hectares, said a statement from the company.



This will further help in to bring clean energy to the Middle East, it added.



On the deal, CEO Roberto De Diego Arozamena said: "Abdul Latif Jameel Energy has been leading the way on developing solar projects in the region, and our work in Jordan is part of that."



"Governments across the Middle East have set bold targets for renewable energy, just like in our home country of Saudi Arabia, who are forging ahead with projects like Sakaka PV project and Al Jandal Wind Farm. So we remain committed to being the leading solar PV development company in the Middle East and beyond, and contributing to the generation of clean and affordable energy," he noted.



With TSK as the EPC contractor, the project will incorporate single-axis tracking technology that will optimize its performance, with more than 200,000 crystalline photovoltaic panels that will generate enough electricity to supply more than 40,000 Jordanian homes, said the company in a statement.



The project is expected to generate 240 jobs during its construction.



The loan will be provided to Al-Safawi for Green Energy PSC, a Jordanian company 70 per cent owned by FRV and 30 per cent owned by Arabia Trading & Consulting Company Ltd (ATC), it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Irans Arvandan Shipbuilding Company plans to construct utility vessels for oil platforms for the first time, the company's managing director was quoted as saying in a media report.



The firm is in talks with Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) on the construction of the utility vessels, Hossein Qorbani was quoted in an Iran Daily report.



IOOC is working on most of Iran's oil platforms, Qorbani said, noting that since about two years ago, the company has sought to employ domestic utility vessels for oil platforms rather than hiring them from foreign companies.



Arvandan Shipbuilding has proposed to build some of the utility vessels needed by the IOOC, he added.
Samsung Electronics has announced that it has been ranked No.6 on Interbrands Best Global Brands 2017 list with a brand value of $56.2 billion  one position up and a 9 per cent increase from last year.



Samsung has ranked as one of the top 10 brands on the Interbrand rankings from 2012 to 2017, demonstrating continual growth in brand value.



Interbrand, in its evaluation, cited among various factors, Samsungs exemplary, fast recovery from last years Galaxy Note 7 crisis, the companys successful launches of flagship products, and its continued stellar financial performance.



In particular, Samsungs mobile business reconfirmed its market leadership through the successful launch of the Galaxy S8. Samsungs memory division also performed strongly, with its record profits contributing to the rise in brand value.



Samsungs digital appliances business introduced innovative and award-winning new products, developed from deep consumer insights, like the Family Hub refrigerator and AddWash washing machine. Samsungs visual display division also broke new ground in the TV market with the new QLED TV as well as The Frame, a new lifestyle TV for the home.

Our efforts to make meaningful progress to improve peoples lives contributed to the rise in brand value, said YH Lee, CMO of Samsung Electronics. Our ranking this year is a positive sign that demonstrates our efforts to regain trust have resonated with global consumers.



This years Interbrands Best Global Brands will be announced at the World Trade Center in New York City on September 27. TradeArabia News Service
Samsung Electronics Levant recently celebrated the launch of the new TVs 2017 line-up that includes QLED and The Frame TVs, in an event that gathered designers, architects, artists and media representatives.



The event was an artistic showcase, displaying Samsungs 2017 QLED and The Frame TVs. Samsung TVs rank the best in todays market since the announcement during the Consumer Electronics Show 2017. The TVs were praised for the innovation elements that are based on the consumers lifestyle embodying Less is More concept.



Fadi Abu Shamat, head of Corporate marketing and retail at Samsung Levant commented: Samsung is the global premium TV market leader, and the QLED and The Frame TVs line-up solidify the leading position by offering the consumers what they need to have the best viewing experience.



Design is a fundamental element of innovation. It is a concept that always aims to add new values to users. And to have a creative design, it must provide solutions that respond to the ever changing consumer needs, and this is Samsungs aim while designing its products. This is what we witness in QLED and The Frame TVs, which are stylish in design, taking into account the users personal space. These TVs will give more personalization options for the users, to elevate the decor of any room, he added.



QLED TV: Combining Design Elements with Smart Features



The latest QLED TVs were designed with the consumer in mind and focus on addressing three key consumer paint points through the solutions known as Q Picture, Q Smart and Q Style. The new QLED TV takes quantum dot technology to the next level with advancements in light efficiency, stability and a wider colour spectrum. With new metal quantum dots, the QLED TV addresses all the major aspects of picture quality, including viewing angle, colour volume, brightness and bold contrast. The QLED TV can express accurate colour and achieves a 100 per cent colour volume.



Samsungs Smart Hub has been expanded to offer an even more intuitive and unified experience, directly via the QLED TV. The enhanced Samsung One Remote Control now supports more devices and offers voice control capabilities across more Smart TV features. Paired with the latest Smart View App  available on Android or iOS mobile devices  users will enjoy their personalized Smart Hub.



This year, Samsung introduced new design elements that can fit into any home  regardless of the interior aesthetics or setup. The all-new Invisible Connection cable helps manage unsightly cords and clutter with a refined, single cord system. Consumers can now design their space with a single optical cable that brings all devices together, reclaiming the living room space once occupied by set-top boxes and external devices.



Samsung has also introduced the No Gap Wall-mount which brings the TV flush against the wall, closer than ever before, with an easy and fast installation process.



The Frame TV was curated with an artful approach meant to elevate any room or viewing environment. The Frame looks like a picture frame hanging on a wall when Art Mode is on. Instead of fading to black like a conventional TV, the Lifestyle TVs display transforms into a work of art, letting the users select custom-designed digital art pieces from The Frame.



Paired with the numerous options for art layouts and colours, as well as customizable accessory options including interchangeable bezels and an optional Studio Stand, it truly complements the users living space.  TradeArabia News Service
Muslim travellers are the biggest spenders when it comes to international travel, with studies showing a halal traveller spending about $10,410 on average per trip outside the Gulf.



Halal tourists are proven to travel with more family members, stay for a longer period and ultimately spend more than any other specialised tourism sectors. For these reasons tourism brands across the globe are adapting their services to meet the needs of these guests and tap into this booming travel sector.



Once seen as a highly specialised niche, Halal tourism has now become a significant sector in the global tourism market, with halal spend anticipated to hit $155 billion this year and rise further to a staggering $300 billion by 2026, according to the GMTI 2017 report.



By engaging with this dynamic market segment, tourism brands can benefit greatly. The untapped Halal travel market has significant potential for industry players with a wealth of business opportunities and revenue streams in the future.



In 2015, the worlds only dedicated Muslim majority travel show, the World Halal Tourism Summit was launched to address the importance of working within this significant sector, both in terms of new revenue streams for global tourism destinations but also educating participants on the specific cultural requirements of Muslim travellers.



This event hosted 202 exhibitors representing 26 countries and generated over $18.4 million worth of business on the show floor. In addition to this, a further $73.5 million worth of business was estimated to stem from leads made at the show.



CEO of Holiday Bosnia, Kamraan Siddique, said: We found the event to be an extremely useful platform to share ideas and best practice approaches towards the concepts of Halal tourism. It was also a great opportunity to network with a wide range of stakeholders from all over the world.



This years event takes place on November 25 and 26 at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre. Expanded from 2015, the shows confirmed exhibitors include Wonderful Indonesia, Dinar Standard, HalalBooking, South Africa Ministry of Tourism, Chiles National Tourism Service, Tripfez and Azerbeijan Tourism Authority, among many others, who are all participating to promote their destinations Halal tourism offerings to international trade buyers in this market sector. The event also offers free to attend seminars covering a vast spectrum of invaluable information imparted to visitors from industry experts.



Andy Buchanan, CEO of Cacti Media, the official organiser of International Travel Week 2017, said: Unlike any other industry event for Halal tourism, the World Halal Tourism Summit uniquely brings together the industrys most influential participants, ensuring that the valuable time of exhibitors and visitors is maximised in terms of business returns. The event not only shapes the future of Halal tourism, but also educates, demonstrates and delivers new business opportunities. This years event is supported by the industrys biggest Hosted Buyer programme, the only event in the world matching Halal buyers with Halal sellers in pre-booked business meetings.



Delegates interested in attending ITW Abu Dhabi, or to see the entire seminar programme agendas, please visit the events website. - TradeArabia News Service
Turkish Airlines has announced a commitment to order 40 787-9 Dreamliners from aircraft manufacturer Boeing.



The announcement was made during the recent visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to New York to join the United Nations General Assembly.



"Our agreement to purchase 787 Dreamliners is a significant step forward in enhancing our passengers flight experience as these aircraft are the latest and one of the most advanced in the world," said M. Ilker Ayc, chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines. "This order is set to play a key role in our growing business in the years to come, and we look forward to further continue our relationship with Boeing. During the talks to finalise the order, we are strictly evaluating the $1 billion worth business volume for the local Turkish supplier industry."



In addition to this order commitment, Boeing and the Turkish government also announced the Boeing Turkey National Aerospace Initiative, which is designed to support the growth of the Turkish aerospace industry, in conjunction with the targets set by Turkeys Vision 2023, and strengthen Boeings presence in the market.



Boeings relationship with Turkey spans more than 70 years and we have outstanding long-term partnerships, said Ray Conner, Boeing vice chairman. Working together with Turkey, we are now taking our collaboration to the next level, which will accelerate the growth of the Turkish aerospace industry while achieving Boeings long-term objective to expand its presence in the marketplace. Apart from this, we greatly value the new order commitment that we announce together with Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier of Turkey, and aim to move this successful cooperation much more forward in the forthcoming periods.



The initiative outlines a strategic framework that aligns Boeing investment and programs with Turkish Aviation Industrys key figures/ stakeholders in the areas of research, engineering and skills development. It also reflects Boeings confidence in the outlook for Turkey as a significant market and a leading global industry participant. - TradeArabia News Service
Dubai has retained its ranking as the fourth most popular travel destination in the world -and the top-ranked destination in the Middle East  according to the ninth annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index.



The emirate welcomed 14.87 million international overnight visitors in 2016, with an expected continued growth of 7.7 per cent for 2017.



Dubai continues to be the city with the highest international overnight visitor spend, amounting to $28.50 billion in 2016. Abu Dhabi, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.9 per cent between 2009 and 2016 in its growth of visitors, also retained its position as the fastest growing city in the Middle East and Africa, and is the fourth fastest growing city globally.

Bangkok remained this years most popular travel destination, with London (2nd) and Paris (3rd) retaining their positions as well. Singapore rounded off the top five.

The index provides more than a ranking of the 132 most visited cities around the world. It projects visitor volume and spend estimates for the 2016 calendar year, while delivering a deeper understanding of how people travel and spend around the world. As cross-border travel and spending continue to grow at a faster pace than the world GDP, the worlds cities continue to be engines of broader economic growth.



Khalid Elgibali, division president for Middle East and North Africa, Mastercard, said: Dubais top rankings in the ninth Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index reaffirms the strength of the emirate as a leading global travel, tourism and shopping destination. With its relentless focus on continuously innovating its business and leisure infrastructure and offerings, Dubai continues to reinforce its position on the world map as a highly attractive destination for visitors of all ages and nationalities. The citys retail sector coupled with its year-round calendar of festivals, events and a wide range of shopping experiences, also continues to be a huge draw for international visitors as supported by its ranking as the top global destination in terms of visitor expenditure.



Another interesting insight that has surfaced from the GDCI 2017 findings is that travel and tourism spending is higher than global GDP growth. This highlights the phenomenal growth of the sector in recent years as the world becomes more connected and people become increasingly inclined to travel and explore new and distant lands. At Mastercard, we remain committed to keeping a pulse on the impact of these trends, to continuously drive innovations in the sector that would further simplify the payments journey for consumers during their travels, he added.



Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: Travel and tourism are among Dubais key economic contributors and the citys strong rankings in the Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index 2017 confirm the effectiveness of partnerships between the government and private sector in driving growth.



Dubai continues to be a must-visit and must-return destination for both business and leisure travellers, and the opening of world-class attractions and venues such as IMG Worlds of Adventure, Dubai Parks and Resorts and Dubai Opera in 2016 enhanced the offering for all visitors, including families.



With new offerings in 2017 including La Perle, the citys first permanent theatrical show, and hotels such as Dukes Dubai and Address Boulevard taking the total number of rooms to over 105,000, Dubai has something fresh to offer visitors each time.



The retail sector, with festivals, promotions and events throughout the year, is also enhancing this appeal even further with visitors to Dubai presented with the opportunity to discover an extensive and ever-growing range of shopping activities for all budgets, he said. - TradeArabia News Service


Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
The downturn in Wyomings economy could prompt the city of Casper to hike its fees for planning, engineering and building services.

Many of those services are heavily subsidized or provided at no charge. But at its Tuesday night work session, Casper City Council will be discussing a potential hike in fees for services such as zoning research and plan reviews. Community Development Director Liz Becher and Public Services Director Andrew Beamer suggested the fee increase in a memo sent to City Manager Carter Napier earlier this month.

Citizens of Casper have been fortunate through the years to pay much less than the actual cost to provide services because of traditionally robust mineral extraction revenues, which have subsidized these services, the memo states. The citys challenge is that there are only two options available to balance the budget in lean times  decrease services or increase revenues.

The city is currently using roughly $4 million in reserves in its budget.

The citys economic challenges stem from low sales tax revenue and concerns over the certainty of state funding. City and county government leaders are worried that the money they receive from the Wyoming Legislature is in jeopardy, as the state continues to receive less revenue due to weak energy prices. As Wyoming is one of a few states that do not give cities or counties independent taxing authority, municipalities are largely reliant on appropriations from the Legislature to supplement the share of local sales and property taxes they collect.

However, one revenue source that cities do control is the fees that citizens pay for services, Becher and Beamer note.

The memo outlined a variety of services and their existing prices and suggested new fees based on the amount of time and hard costs involved for city staff. For example, the city currently does not charge for zoning research services. Under the proposed change, it could charge as much as $50 an hour.

For comparison, the memo states that zoning research services are $50 an hour in Sheridan, $10 in Cheyenne and free in Gillette.

In a separate memo submitted to Napier in August, Becher also suggested increasing building permit fees and charging the nearby towns of Evansville and Bar Nunn more for the building inspection services they receive from Casper.

Evansville and Bar Nunn charge residents appreciably higher building permit fees than they remit to the City of Casper, states the memo. This arrangement is fairly lucrative for those towns.

If these new fees end up taking effect, they wont be the first changes made in an effort to help balance the budget.

The city manager already enacted multiple budget cuts earlier this month: City employees wages were frozen, employees with more than 200 hours of disability time had excess hours reduced, employees were no longer permitted to convert extra disability time to vacation time or the salary equivalent at the end of each calendar year and street sweeping services were moved to the solid waste division.

The changes are expected to save Casper about $1 million annually.
A Casper woman was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of drunk driving after she ran into a Casper Police Department cruiser stopped at a flashing red light. Neither the officer nor the suspected drunk driver was seriously injured.

Ashley Suzanne Jones, 26, of Casper, was driving a Chevy Aveo westbound around midnight on Yellowstone Highway when she rear-ended a police car stopped at the intersection with First Street, according to court documents.

Jones was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and driving without insurance, after blowing a .221, nearly triple the legal limit, according to the documents.

The police cruiser was described by a sheriffs deputy as having a crumpled rear bumper with a muffler dragging on the ground. The officers airbag deployed, according to the deputy.

Because a Casper police officer was involved in the wreck, the case was handled by the Natrona County Sheriffs Department.

Documents indicate that Jones told a sheriffs deputy she had three shots of vodka with dinner, around two hours before the wreck.

Jones was unable to stand on one leg for more than seven seconds and nearly fell over when doing a field sobriety test in which she was required to walk a straight line and turn around, according to the documents.

The incident comes less than a month after a man was cited for drunk driving when he turned left in front of an oncoming Casper police cruiser. That case was investigated by the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Casper police Detective John Hatcher said he was surprised by the chronological closeness of the two incidents, which he described as a strange and rare thing.
Two Wyoming women pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges Monday in relation to a 10 defendant drug trafficking case that also includes a local doctor facing charges in federal court.

Roxanne A. Hagen and Martha L. Zitterkopf both took plea deals that would keep them out of prison, assuming they do not violate the terms of their probation.

Hagen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deliver Xanax. As part of her plea deal, the prosecution will recommend a suspended prison sentence of 18 months to two years with two years of supervised probation. If she successfully completes her probation, she will not have to serve prison time.

Zitterkopf pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deliver Xanax and one count of conspiracy to deliver oxycodone. The state will recommend suspended sentences of three to five years in prison on each charge, to be served at the same time. If Zitterkopf were to successfully complete three years of supervised probation, she would not see prison.

Zitterkopf, who appeared in court wearing a floral dress and an oxygen tank on her back, admitted to self medicating and trading pills that she said she had received from Dr. Shakeel Khan.

Hagen pleaded guilty moments before Zitterkopf in a barely perceptible voice.

Three of the 10 people charged in connection with a year-long investigation by state agents into the Casper doctor and his wife have now pleaded guilty. Dustin Big Medicine pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance last week.

Khan and his wife, Lyn Khan, are facing a total of 45 federal charges in their case.

Prosecutors allege that Shakeel Khan sold painkiller prescriptions in exchange for cash. Defendants in the case are alleged to have signed forms at Khans request indicating they would not describe the doctor as a drug dealer.
I cant blame them, really. Its human nature to want something for nothing.

I speak of two tenants who recently moved into a rental unit I own. I made the mistake of renting the unit for one flat rate that included free utilities.

Since the tenants didnt have to pay directly for their electricity usage, they cranked the air conditioner day and night. There was no incentive for them to turn it off when they were at work during the day or away for the weekend.

Whereas the electric bill for that unit averages about $50 per month this time of the year, their electric bill came in just under $200 per monthfor the simple reason that someone else (that would be me) was footing the bill.

I got to thinking about this concept recently. It is the reason our government is so bloated and our deficit and debt (we just exceeded $20 trillion in debt a few weeks ago) are so high.

This is because millions of Americans like the concept of spending other peoples money to benefit themselvesor, to be more precise, they vote for politicians who promise to give them things using other peoples money.

Of course, our politicians never use the word spendthey say investment. But the dough they spend has to come from somewhere. It comes from you and mefrom those who work and earnand is transferred to those who want stuff.

I prefer to call it what it really is: bribery. Our politicians use our own money to promise things to other people who sell their votes to the politicians who promise them the most.

In 1835, French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville warned of the concept in Democracy in America.

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the publics money, he wrote.

Of course, that ship left port years ago.

Obamacare offers a modern example of how such bribery works.

Obamacare essentially made insurers provide the goodies all of us wantcoverage of pre-existing conditions, for instancewithout worrying about the cost or who was going to cover it.

Now that Obamacare premiums have exploded, millions will vote for the guy who promises to increase subsidies, paid for by the rich, that will reduce those premiums.

Other people will be made to pay my bills is way easier for people to grasp than we need to dramatically reform and simplify our incredibly complex health-care system to unleash competition and efficiency among private insurers and health-care providers to dramatically reduce costs and make insurance affordable.

Thats a key reason many politicians want the government running everything. During election season, all they need to do to win is to promise more goodiesand proclaim that their opponents plan to cut them.

Such politicians never tell you that, to fund hundreds of new bribes, taxes will have to go up. Or that, to fund the dozens of unsustainable programs we already have, taxes will have to go up more. Economic growth will suffer and, ultimately, everyone will suffer.

But nobody seems to care about that. That is, too few people have the desire or the ability to understand that our government cannot continue spending recklessly foreverwe cannot keep borrowing and piling on debt without massive consequences.

To borrow from the late U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, sooner or later, our politicians will run out of other peoples money.

I learned my lesson. Never again will I include free electric in my rental contracts.
Caterpillar is moving into Tucsons tallest tower as the transition of employees from other locations continues at a brisk pace.

The company has signed a lease through April 2019 to occupy 26,093 square feet on the first and second floors at 1 S. Church Ave. The headquarters for the Surface Mining & Technology division is expected to be complete in March 2019 on Cushing Street, west of Interstate 10.

The temporary office space at 97 E. Congress St. is full, a human resources manager said.

We are excited to welcome Caterpillar to our building, said Zach Fenton, managing partner of 1SC Partners, the buildings owner. We think they are a great addition to the downtown Tucson community.

Jeff Casper, with CBRE, represented the landlord, and CBREs Buzz Isaacson represented Caterpillar, along with Traci Payette and Gary Fazzio of CBREs Chicago office.

Other recent commercial transactions include:
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Sept. 26 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
The University of Arizona Police Department released an annual campus safety report on Monday that showed the reported number of rapes and fondling increasing last year from 2015.

The 2017 Campus Safety, Security and Fire Safety Report compares 2016 criminal offenses on campus and other properties under the control of, or near, the university with the previous two years, 2014 and 2015. The Clery Act requires all American universities receiving federal funding to produce such reports.

Cases of sexual assault increased, with reports of rape rising from 18 in 2015 to 24 in 2016; the number of fondling cases rose from two in 2015 to six reported cases last year.

I hope that people are reporting more often, said Brian Seastone, UAPD police chief, in response to the rise in sexual-assault cases. Seastone said he wants victims to know they can get support and resources they need.

Oasis Sexual Assault and Trauma Services and the Womens Resource Center are available for support of victims of sexual assault. The UA also holds sexual-assault educational events such as Take Back the Night once a year.

Weve changed the way we respond (to these cases), Seastone said, stressing that victims now have more control over their cases.

We dont force them to do anything, said Sgt. Cindy Spasoff, public information officer for UAPD. We wont force them to prosecute, go to the hospital or name the attacker. We want to make sure the victims are making choices comfortable for them.

The Violence Against Women Act also requires an added layer of focus in the crime reports. Reported domestic-violence incidents rose from 19 to 21, and reported dating-violence incidents rose from four in 2015 to 10 last year. Cases of stalking fell from 13 to two reported incidents year over year.

The number of aggravated assaults fell from nine in 2015 to seven last year.

There were four reported hate crimes involving racial, ethnic and religious bias in 2016, up from one the previous year involving sexual orientation.

Seastone suspects the rise in hate crimes is a reflection of the racial tension across the country.

Burglary increased from 33 to 44 cases. Robbery cases fell from four to three. Vehicle thefts rose from 17 cases to 18.

There were no reported cases of weapons on campus in 2016, and only one in 2015, which led to an arrest.

Liquor-law arrests stayed consistent from 167 to 168. Disciplinary actions in response to liquor law violations rose sharply from 457 to 763.

Drug-law arrests fell from 125 to 119, and drug-law violations that resulted in disciplinary actions fell from 130 to 123.

The UAs diversion program seeks to give students who have committed a misdemeanor a second chance.

The goal is to educate, said Kendal Washington White, UA assistant vice president and dean of students. Some people want to punish and kick out (offending students), but we are an institute of higher education in and out of the classroom.

UAs Campus Health Service also works with students to reduce underage and high-risk drinking, White said.

This is the second year of the Good Samaritan policy, which encourages students to call for medical help for intoxicated peers without fear of criminal charges.

The UA LiveSafe app allows students and employees to report potential crimes via call or text. They can also send in photos, video and share information anonymously if they choose.

There were no reportable offenses for the UA Phoenix campus, and only one reported crime in 2016 at the UA South campus in Sierra Vista.
The prevalence of autism is one in 64 births in Arizona.

The statistic from the Centers for Disease Control is significant not only for new parents and their babies, but for the entire society: After all, children grow up.

There are so many long-term aspects to think about, like How we are going to ensure as a community that our children have safe places to live? and How are we going to ensure that businesses are open to hiring young adults with special needs? said Lynda Weigel-Firor, a member of the board of directors for the Autism Society of Southern Arizona and co-chair for the Jeans and Jewels Gala on Oct. 15. We have to plan our childrens lives long into adulthood and these are really big social issues that you cant tackle by yourself.

The issues hit home for Weigel-Firor, whose daughter, Amber, was diagnosed with autism at age 3.

Now a 16-year-old junior at Canyon del Oro High School, Amber has made amazing progress that Weigel-Firor credits to intervention such as speech, occupational and physical therapies along with applied behavioral analysis. Amber has also worked with outstanding teachers in the Amphi School District and built a support system through Girl Scouts, Special Olympics and Capernaum, a religious-based group for youth with special needs.

She is doing extremely well and we anticipate that she will be able to live on her own some day and be employed, but she will always need support and care on some level, said Weigel-Firor.

She said that the Autism Society has been an incredible wealth of resources and support throughout their journey.

Dedicated to improving the lives of all impacted by autism, the organization offers a variety of educational opportunities, including a website with reputable online information and other resources, a library with hundreds of books and videos, and numerous workshops and classes.

Associate Director Brie Seward said the Autism Society is making a concerted effort to develop streamlined programs and make information accessible to families.

Among the new offerings is the Learn the Signs. Act Early Campaign an early intervention program in partnership with the CDC that educates families about developmental milestones.

We want to get information in front of parents to educate them about early childhood markers from birth to age 5. It is a crucial stage of development for children. We want to educate parents on how best to work with their child so they can thrive and provide resources about where they can go with questions. We want to be the contact point if families have questions and need referral information, said Seward.

Seward said the nonprofit organization also tailors the groups speaker series to the needs of parents and families. The quarterly series targets parents, professionals and students and features physicians, researchers, professors, therapists and other experts addressing topics ranging from diagnosis and treatment of autism to college level academic readiness.

We are reaching out to all of our partners in the community so we can direct people about where to go for help when they call. I know firsthand that it makes all the difference in the world: It can change the trajectory of your childs life. When people call we want to be able to offer everything they need to change their path to a brighter future for their families, said Seward.

Weigel-Firor emphasized the society provides vital assistance in navigating the health-care system.

The nonprofit Autism Society also offers a variety of base programs for children on the autism spectrum including Sonoran Dolphin Swim Club, sensory friendly films and a partnership with the Hermitage Cat Shelter that provides pet therapy. Teens and tweens can enjoy science and math camps through a partnership with the University of Arizona, and social, recreational and fitness opportunities through a new partnership with Playformance.

Weigel-Firor said the society is also a great advocate as families plan for the transition to adulthood; she credits members of the board of directors with helping to prepare young adults for employment and promoting the benefits of employing those with special needs among local businesses.

Children with special needs are extremely loyal and they are very hard-working. The turnover rate for people with developmental disabilities is significantly lower than employees without disabilities: Those with special needs are very dependable and motivated, said Weigel-Firor.

The Autism Society also provides resources for adults who may not have been diagnosed when they were young. We have a significant increase in calls in the office from adults who want to know what support there is in the community for them and from aging parents looking for resources for their adult children with autism, she said.

She understands the isolation that many people feel when they have a child diagnosed with autism and said that knowledge and information can turn everything around.

My optimism comes with knowledge and connections. I dont want to sugarcoat it: It is heartbreaking to have a child with special needs  it is kind of like chronic grief  but you have to push forward and do the best for your child, she said.
Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse is coordinating several efforts in October to inform residents about issues of domestic violence, services available to those experiencing domestic violence and what the community can do to help.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In 2016 in Arizona, 100 people died from domestic violence-related incidents, including 16 in Pima County, Emerge! said in a news release.

Emerge! will hold two donation drives to collect supplies for survivors of domestic abuse.

With the help of Two Men and a Truck moving company, Emerge! will hold a Stuff the Truck event to collect supplies.

The first event is Oct. 13 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Canyon del Oro Baptist Church, 9200 N. Oracle Road in Oro Valley. The second event is Oct. 27 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Rincon Congregational Church, 122 N. Craycroft Road.

In many cases when victims arrive at a shelter they lack basic provisions such as hygiene items, pillows and undergarments. For a list of needed items by Emerge! go to www.emergecenter.org

The center is also asking residents to wear purple on Oct. 19, which is Wear Purple Day for awareness of domestic violence. People can wear purple and take a picture and share on social media with the #Emerge tag.
A Tucson environmental group sued two federal agencies Monday in an effort to protect the habitat of jaguars in Southern Arizona from the proposed Rosemont Mine.

The Center for Biological Diversity asked a federal judge to rule the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated federal law in their analysis of the environmental impacts of the proposed copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains.

The center alleges Fish and Wildlife violated the Endangered Species Act and the Administrative Procedure Act by issuing new regulations defining damage to habitat and by revising the critical habitat designation for the jaguar, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson.

The service did not take into account all relevant factors, nor did it provide a rational connection between the facts and the services 2016 opinion that the mine would not jeopardize jaguars, ocelots and other species, according to the lawsuit. As a result, the June decision by the Forest Service that the mine would comply with environmental laws, which was based in part on the Fish and Wildlife Service opinion, is unlawful, the environmental group says.

The mine would turn thousands of acres of the Coronado National Forest into a wasteland, Marc Fink, a senior attorney with the center, said in a news release Monday.

Even though the agencies found it would permanently damage endangered species and precious groundwater resources, theyre letting the mine proceed, Fink said.

Wildlife officials should be focused on jaguar recovery, not green-lighting a massive mine that will destroy the animals habitat and suck the Santa Ritas dry.

The center said the mine would destroy most of the territory where the jaguar known as El Jefe has been photographed, as well as a corridor that allows jaguars to move between Arizona and Mexico.

The center also alleged the mine would damage nearby watersheds by permanently filling 18 miles of streams and depleting groundwater.

A spokeswoman for Hudbay Minerals Inc., the company seeking to build the mine, declined to comment on ongoing litigation, as did a spokesman for Fish and Wildlife in Arizona.

In 2016, the Fish and Wildlife Service said the conservation measures agreed to by the mining company would ensure the mine would not jeopardize the continued existence of endangered species. In the case of jaguars, those measures include minimizing noise, limiting vehicle speeds, monitoring jaguar activity and reporting annually to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

In the lawsuit filed Monday, the center said those measures are not reasonably specific, binding, or certain to occur.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not yet announced publicly whether the proposed mine satisfies the Clean Water Act.
Vietnam is on the verge of joining several other Southeast Asian countries on the list of seafood-exporting markets booked with a yellow card by the EU, a warning against illegal and unregulated fishing activity.

Vietnamese seafood exporters have to come together and cooperate with the EU in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, industry insiders said at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday.

The EU-initiated IUU regulation became effective in 2010, a key instrument in ensuring that only fisheries certified as legal can access the EU market.

Under the IUU, a yellow card is effectively the strongest warning a country can receive without formal penalty.

Upon receiving it, that country is given six months to take the necessary corrective measures.

If significant progress is made, the yellow card will be lifted, replaced with a green card, representing legal export status.

If not, a red card will be given, meaning that particular country is banned from exporting its seafood to the European Union.

Monday's conference, held by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), took place after the EU concluded an evaluation of Vietnam's seafood exports in mid-May.

The EU has recommended that the Southeast Asian country properly follow the IUU regulation and correct any violation by September 30; otherwise, it is highlyly likely that it will be given a 'yellow card.'

Not many Vietnamese fishing boats are installed with a tracking device, so it is a challenge to ensure they will not violate the waters of other countries while hunting for fish in the oceans, according to VASEP.

Vietnam is likely to receive a yellow card if it fails to take corrective measures in time, experts warned at the meeting.

If businesses fail to follow the IUU regulation as set by the EU, its inevitable that Vietnam will come under strict supervision, or even be barred from exporting to the EU market, Nguyen Thi Thu Sac, head of the seafood department with VASEP, said.

A yellow card from the EU will create myriad problems for Vietnamese seafood exporters.

Huge disadvantages

Vietnams annual seafood exports are worth between US$1.9 billion and $2.2 billion, with the EU and U.S. markets each accounting for 16-17 percent.

During the six-month yellow card period, the country in question will have 100 percent of its shipments to the EU held for inspection before clearing customs.

The process will take up to four weeks and some 500 GBP ($675) per container, not to mention storage expenses charged by seaports, according to VASEP deputy general secretary Nguyen Hoai Nam.

However the biggest risk is that any yellow-carded country will continue to experience a higher rate of rejection by customs, Nam warned.

For instance, the Philippines now has 70 percent of its containers shipped to the EU returned, resulting in financial damage of up to 10,000 euro [$11,860] per container.

The yellow card will affect not only exports to the EU but also to the U.S., another of the countrys biggest seafood buyers, according to VASEP.

If Vietnam was to receive a yellow card, the country would have to accept reduced exports to the EU immediately, as European customers will not want to buy from a yellow-carded exporter.

The name of the yellow-carded country will also be publicized on the industrys websites and in magazines, damaging its reputation.

Other countries will tighten their inspections on seafood imports from any EU-warned country.

According to VASEP, the U.S. will apply a new supervision scheme for imports from yellow-carded countries beginning in January 2018.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Vu Van Tam has warned that the risk of being given a yellow card by the EU is real for Vietnamese seafood exporters.

In Southeast Asia we already see Thailand and the Philippines receiving the yellow card while Cambodia is carrying a red card, Tam said.

The government and industry must understand that we have to make real change to avoid such consequences for the countrys seafood sector and export revenue.

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A ban on the practice of giving primary school students Western names during English classes has long been established because it does no good for traditional education, a deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City education department has claimed.

The no English name rule and a ban on the use of audiovisual tools have both been stipulated in the departments guidelines for English teaching by native teachers in Ho Chi Minh City primary schools for the 2017-18 academic year.

As the guidelines have caused quite a debate among local and native English teachers, as well as parents, Nguyen Van Hieu, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City education department, officially addressed the issue at a press conference on Monday.

Hieu said the rule actually took effect around five years ago, adding that it was not the departments idea, but one stemming from complaints made by parents themselves.

Parents complained that their children had been given English names and that they were so proud of the new names that they would ask to be addressed by these names at home, Hieu elaborated.

In the education departments view, this is not good for [our] traditional education.

While it is acknowledged that English is essential for integration, Hieu asserted that we have to maintain traditions.

Our name is given to us by our parents so we have to take pride in it, not foreign names like Peter or Mary, he added.

Nguyen Van Hieu, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City education department, speaks during a press conference on September 25, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Several native English teachers have told Tuoi Tre News that they prefer to call local students by English names for the sake of convenience.

Vietnamese names are not easy to pronounce, and it is almost impossible to remember all the local names if one English-speaking teacher is in charge of two or more classes at a time.

However, Hieu said that even when native English teachers address their students with Western names, they are still required to use the official student lists to complete evaluation tasks.

They cannot just create their own student lists using English names to keep account of student scores, Hieu explained.

Its impossible to remember every student, even by their English names, if you have to teach different classes.

The department leader also told reporters that it is essential to release guidelines as more and more local primary schools are hiring native English teachers, so it must be regulated.

The guidelines,

applied in primary schools throughout the city, include a ban on using audiovisual aids while teaching.

They add that native English teachers should call their students by their Vietnamese names and under no circumstance address them by Western names.

It is also dictated that English-speaking teachers refrain from using audiovisual tools including cassette players, CD players, and smart boards to play music or videos for students during their lessons.

Instead, teachers are expected to create conditions for students to practice English through social interaction.

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The American Center in Ho Chi Minh City has organized an event for high school students to meet with several youth rhino ambassadors to increase public awareness of the importance of combating the ongoing trade in illegal wildlife products, including rhino horn.

The event, called Rhinos  Rights to Growing, No to Poaching, attracted some 100 students keen to ask questions and share their ideas on raising awareness about wildlife protection and combating the illegal rhino horn trade.

Eight of the 11 youth rhino ambassadors, who are also high school students, shared their stories of how they were inspired to become rhino ambassadors, following a field trip to South Africa.

I love art. Art helps me to explore my limits and learn about myself. I think art will help me to make the world a better place. When I found out that rhinos were endangered, I wanted to make a movie to call for rhino protection and stop their slaughter for their horns, said Phan Le Ha Long.

The sadness he felt when the last rhino in Vietnam was killed in 2010 inspired Nguyen Ha Chi to study rhinos as a way of redeeming the mistakes people made in Vietnam.

Two rhino youth ambassadors (right) share their stories at the event. Photo: Hong Van/Tuoi Tre News

Nguyen Viet Duc said: When I first learned about the global rhino horn trade and the crimes being committed by poachers and traffickers, I thought there was nothing I could do about it because there are people out there who have the money to hire anybody to do anything for them.

But after I did further research, I realized that there are many organizations and individuals in this world fighting for the survival of rhinos and I told myself that I should think positive and join them.

Action is better than silence. The last rhino in Vietnam was killed, but the world's remaining rhinos still deserve to live.

One day, I will have children. Maybe in the future, my children will ask me: Where were you when the last rhino in the world was killed?

Each day, more than 3 rhinos are killed for their ivory horns CHANGE, an organization responsible for multiple activities aimed at raising awareness about rhino protection in Vietnam, wants to debunk the myth about the medicinal value of rhino horns. Rhino horn has no medicinal value. It is composed of keratin, the same substance that human fingernails and hair are made up of. The myth that rhino horns can cure diseases drive poaching and the illegal trade in wildlife. One rhino horn can be sold for US$300,000 and each day, more than three rhinos are killed for this reason. U.S. Consul General Mary Tarnowka remarked: South Africa, home to 80 percent of the rhinos left on earth, reported 530 rhinos killed in the first six months of this year. Vietnam remains both a consumer destination and a transit point for rhino horns.

Environmental and wildlife protection is every easy to practice. It only needs you to have a loving heart and want to share that love with all living creatures on earth." Matthew Parvin - qualified Safari Guide in South Africa

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Tightening the relationship with Hungary is a priority in Vietnams foreign policies, Vietnamese State President Tran Dai Quang has said.

President Quang welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hanoi on Monday evening, within the framework of the latters official visit to Vietnam from September 24 to 26.

During their conversation, the Vietnamese head of state highlighted that Vietnams foreign policies focus on cementing its relationship with tradition friends, including Hungary.

The two nations established diplomatic ties 67 years ago, on February 3, 1950, he said.

Quang extended his gratitude toward Hungary for its support for Vietnams previous efforts to liberate and reunite the nation and its national development process at the present time.

Replying to his host, PM Orban asserted that Vietnam is one of Hungarys prioritized partners in the region, hopping for further cooperation between the two nations in various fields.

Hungary backs Vietnam in enhancing ties with the European Union, including the early signing and ratification of the European Union  Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, the Hungarian head of government continued.

Regarding the situation in the East Vietnam Sea, both leaders agreed that all disputes should be solved using peaceful measures in accordance with international law.

During his trip, PM Orban also visited his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vietnamese Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

According to Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bilateral trade turnover between Vietnam and Hungary topped US$145 million in the first six months of 2017, a 60 percent year-on-year rise.

As of 2016, Hungary had 15 FDI projects in Vietnam with a total capital of $50.66 million, ranking 55th among the 105 nations and territories having direct investment in the Southeast Asian country.

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Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban have discussed measures to cement the two countries cooperation, especially in trade and investment.

The two premiers joined talks in Hanoi on Monday morning, as part of PM Orbans official visit to Vietnam from September 24 to 26.

Phuc believed that the trip would create an impetus for the enhancement of the traditional and multi-faceted Vietnam-Hungary cooperation.

Vietnam values developing ties with traditional friends in Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary as a priority partner, he stressed.

The two leaders reached consensus on specific measures to strengthen ties across education and training, culture and tourism, labor, health care, natural resources and the environment, as well as national defense and security.

They agreed to further improve the efficiency of the Inter-Committee on Economic Cooperation, increase trade and investment by providing favorable conditions for the two countries businesses to coordinate in such fields as water resources, environmental protection, pharmaceuticals, animal husbandry, food processing, and renewable energy.

PM Phuc shakes hands with PM Orban in Hanoi on September 25, 2017. Photo Tuoi Tre

Hungary has considered Vietnam an important friend and partner by providing a total preferential loan of EUR535 million (US$634.5 million), of which EUR440 million ($521.8 million) was set within the framework of an agreement on financial cooperation signed in January 2017.

The European country is helping build an oncology hospital in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho via its preferential loans as well as offering 200 scholarships to Vietnamese students each year.

The Vietnamese premier thanked the Hungarian government for supporting Vietnams effort to run for a seat at the United Nations Security Council during the 2020-2021 tenure and welcomed Hungarys active role in the Asia-Europe Meeting and the Mekong-Danube cooperation mechanism.

Replying to his host, PM Orban said that his country supports Vietnam in enhancing ties with the European Union, including the early signing and ratification of the European Union  Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

He promised assistance for the Vietnamese community in Hungary, boosting their role as a bridge for bilateral friendship and collaboration between the two nations.

Following the talks, the heads of both governments witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements in finance, culture, education, agriculture, labor, information technology and communications.

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Police in Ho Chi Minh City have captured four members of a criminal gang who had carried out approximately 30 robberies across southern Vietnam in the past two months.

Luong Minh Hung, 25, leader of the group, Nguyen Ngoc My, 29, Nguyen Vo Bao Dat, 23, and Truong Quoc Bao, 17, have been arrested.

The four suspects were transferred to a police station in Tan Phu District for further investigation on Monday.

According to initial statements, the gang has committed over 20 robberies in Ho Chi Minh City and 10 others in other southern localities, namely Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Vung Tau.

They often operated in groups, whereby some members were in charge of snatching valuables while others blocked the victims if they tried to pursue them.

The criminals sometimes kicked victims off their motorbikes and stole their vehicles if they could.

In one incident on September 5, Hung, My, Dat, and a man named Mun, who were riding four separate motorbikes, spotted Nguyen Minh Tuan, 38, on a street in Tan Phu District at around 10:30 pm.

The motorbikes they used in the robberies. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Police

My approached and then grabbed Tuans handbag, which contained VND50 million (US$2,191) ,while the other three obstructed the victim as he tried to chase My.

At around 1:00 am on August 8, the same gang traveled from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau at high speed.

During the journey, they snatched a handbag from one woman and a cellphone from another man. Both victims were pushed off their motorcycles during the robberies.

According to officers, members of the gang have long criminal records. They are unemployed, often stay in hotels, participate in street racing, and use drugs.

The criminals even provoked officers while being chased down.

Following an investigation, police units carried out a raid on a karaoke bar in Binh Tan District on September 17, arresting Bao, Dat, Hung, and My.

Officers are currently collecting statements from other suspects to expand the case.

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Vietnams Mekong Delta region must adopt a sustainable development model, but it must first overcome three major obstacles, the Vietnamese Minister of Natural Resources and Environment told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday.

The ministers comments came ahead of a two-day conference beginning on Tuesday in southern Can Tho City to discuss the Mekong Deltas sustainable development and adaptation to climate change.

According to Minister Tran Hong Ha, the obstacles are the regions current development model, the impact of climate change, and the exploitation of water resources by countries upstream.

Regarding them as major and vital challenges, the minister stressed the importance of the Vietnamese governments ability to come up with a new, adaptive development model for the region.

A vast body of local and international research has become available in recent years based on the problems faced by the Mekong Delta, Ha noted, but no holistic conference of such scale as the upcoming one had been organized to put everything into perspective.

Held in Can Tho on Tuesday and Wednesday, the conference is expected to welcome over 500 experts from Vietnam and overseas.

On Tuesday, three different sessions would be chaired by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Minister of Planning and Investment.

The plenary session the next day will be chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Long-term policies and science-based solutions to regional problems are expected to take shape over the course of the conference, Ha said.

The Mekong Delta is composed of 12 provinces and the province-level municipality of Can Tho in southwestern Vietnam, where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea via a dense network of tributaries.

The region is suffering from alarming land subsidence and rising sea level, threatening to sink the entire region in the near future if preventive measures are not taken soon.

A salinity map of the Mekong Delta region in southern Vietnam. Graphic: Tuoi Tre News

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Australias funding mechanisms have not yet adapted to reflect how Australians are increasingly watching more content online, Netflix claims.

In its submission to the Australian and Childrens Screen Content Review, Netflix says Australian production incentive programs discriminate based on distribution channel. It is seeking a shake-up of government funding to better reflect where Australian audiences are going.

Producers are ineligible for certain incentives if they wish to make television series, or use a streaming service to distribute their content. There is a missed opportunity to better support producers who wish to target their content to audiences using streaming services, it said in its statement.

Netflix highlighted Tidelands and Pine Gap as titles it is currently producing or co-producing in Australia.

But these are just two of the many investments Netflix has made in Australian production since we launched in 2015. Netflix partners with Australian creators to bring both original and second-run Australian television series and movies to our members around the world. This includes second-run Australian titles Lion, Rake, Ms. Fishers Murder Mysteries, Barbecue, Outback Truckers, The Code, Laid, and The Moodys. Licensing second-run content provides a new window for Australians to access older Australian content otherwise not readily available to them.

Other local titles include White Rabbit Project, Tales by Light, Wanted, Pacific Heat, The Letdown, Cargo, Glitch.

When Netflix partners with an Australian network to co-produce a title, the Australian network is provided the first-run rights in Australia while Netflix distributes it as an original outside of Australia.

Netflixs investment in a co-production ensures global reach and larger production budgets. For example, after an investment from Netflix, Glitch was able to extend its production timeline. ABC said that working with Netflix delivered a better outcome for Australian audiences: As a result of Netflixs involvement, there is more money being invested in Glitch to fully realise the creative aspiration of the series. In cases where Netflix is working with a local network, the investment from Netflix up-front increases the value of the local networks investment.

Netflix has invested in a significant amount of kids content in Australia, both second-run licensed content and Netflix originals. Australia is one of the top locations for Netflixs original kids productions for both animated and live action programming. Netflixs Australian kids originals include series and co-productions Beat Bugs, Bottersnikes & Gumbles, Kazoops!, Mako Mermaids: An H20 Adventure, Legend of Monkey and the recently announced untitled Motown project .

Netflixs investment in Australian kids originals is testament that Australian kids content travels. Global streaming services allow Australian creators of kids programing to find audiences around the world. As Beat Bugs [producer] Josh Wakely said, Bringing Beat Bugs to life on Netflix and having a platform to reimagine this universally acclaimed music for families around the world is an exhilarating and rewarding experience. Australian kids content like Beat Bugs and Kazoops! entertains, educates, and showcases Australian creative talent and culture to families around the world.

John Luscombe, producer of The White Rabbit Project, said of producing for the Netflix model, Youre not trying to come up with a show thats going to clean up a 7:30pm on Wednesday night on a free-to-air network in Australia. If you can get a hold of the audiencetheyre going to renew you. Its an exciting opportunityThey placed an extraordinary amount of trust in this program They left us to our own devices creatively which was a fantastic way to work.
Help India!

By Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood

The New York Declaration on Refugees & Migrants was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly on 19 Sept 2016. From India it was attended by VK Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs. Through this Declaration the world, in one voice, expressed the joint political will of all the 193 member states of UN General Assembly, who made a historic commitment to more equitably share responsibility for the worlds refugees and migrants. They made a determination, inter alia, to protect the human rights of all refugees and migrants  regardless of status, to ensure education for all refugee and migrant children within a few months of their arrivaland to support the countries rescuing, receiving and hosting large numbers of refugees and migrants.

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That way a Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) was adopted pleading to help the refugees to thrive, not just survive, thus reducing the risk of protracted stays and lessen the refugees dependence on humanitarian aid.

This Framework reaffirms that the human conscience is made by God and thats why, irrespective of noises in some nation states driven by short term political axes to grind, the concern for human interests have broadly prevailed. Indias foreign minister Sushma Swaraj did pack off to Bangladesh a plane load of materials to address part of the basic necessities of Rohingya lives even though her party has taken a patently anti-Rohingya stand on the ab initio flimsy ground that all Rohingyas have potential to be terrorists.

On the other hand, implementing the CRRF spirit in its national laws, Djibouti passed a new national refugee law in January 2017 enabling its government to issue for the refugees official identification documentation, giving them better access to education and health services, right to work, access the justice system, quality education and the right to naturalization. In Ethiopia, the refugee children will now be issued birth certificates.

The geopolitical secret of the Rakhine state of Myanmar is by now open in the public realm. It is virtually Asias ocean frontier, the country is flanked by China and India with their respective long & short term interests deeply embedded in the Burmese topography and whereabouts.

In India, these days in TV debates, some persons ask as to why Muslim countries are not hosting the Rohingya Refugees. In this regard the following table is worth noticing:

It shows that many Muslim countries are discharging much more than their proportionate responsibility, to help out the Rohingyas.

Talking of the worlds best practices in treating the Refugees, its satisfying to know that Uganda is giving them even land to build home and to cultivate. The World Bank has granted US$2bn under IDA-18 for providing funds for developmental activities to the low income refugee hosting countries.

The European International Development Cooperation (DEVCO) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are giving increasing support to the refugee hosting countries so that they can further include refugees in national development plans.

The UNGA has given a call for bringing together the UNHCR, governments, NGOs and the private sector and, crucially, the refugees themselves, to help them become self-reliant and contribute to their host communities development.

In India, some Rohingya Refugees have petitioned the Supreme Court asking for equal treatment like other and larger refugee communities like from Tibet and Sri Lanka. They say that if any person is found to be indulging in any anti-national activities, in that case, the law should take its course to hand out harsh punishment; but, for one black sheep the entire group should not be herded back into the jaws of Burmese anti-Rohingya atrocities that are well known to the world threatening the Rohingya lives and freedom.

Indias National Commission of Human Rights has also put on notice the ministry of home affairs and may intervene in the ongoing Supreme Court case in defense of Rohingyas. The UN Human Rights Commission too has appealed to India to respect the international law of non-refoulement.

In any case, so far, the Government of Myanmar has not announced any special concession exclusively favoring India saying that would they accept back the Rohingyas (currently in India) as Myanmarese citizens. Yet, it goes without saying, while living here in India, all the Refugees are bound to fully obey and respect the Indian law and our cultural traditions.

(The writer is President, of zakatindia.org )
'Quandary' would be a word that best describes the follow-up of Germany's elections, this last weekend. When almost every news media in the world reported, as though surprised, merkel's declining support in the voting, one has to ask: Do these media outlets really live in this century?

First things, first. A simple equation could clearly show how a financial crisis, or big-time banking crime, (as seen by many), added to an already indebted European Union. It paved the way to what seems to be the biggest blow for Europe, since 1973.

Furthermore, a simple chart of UK's GDP may well serve as an example, which explains the frustration leading to a referendum in the UK.

For this chart shows an ongoing decline, ever since Britain joined Europe, and that is a pure, simple, fact. Add a refugee influx into the borders and the result was inevitable.

Brexit: Clean up your mess, Europe, and get on with it!

Now, with an unclear path still ahead for the new German coalition, senior ministers, in Whitehall, fear what everyone else felt it would happen, beforehand. As reported by The Times and The Sunday Times, on September, 26, the go-ahead for the next phase of Brexit negotiations, in October, will likely turn out as a no-go.

Delaying it for another two months, hopes may turn into Christmas wish gifts, before the next scheduled European summit, in December. According to the same newspaper, British and European Union negotiators were also unable to produce any result, yesterday, in their first meeting, since Theresa May addressed the world last Friday.

Pledge to pay tens of billions won't buy Britain's access to the single market

Stalling, and dragging it further down the line, does not hide the evidence of a divided Europe. The far-right AfD party was clearly the winner in the German elections. They achieved third place which allows them seats in Parliament. It is of the utmost importance to mention that one of its senior members is set to address Ukip's annual conference on Friday, as the two parties establish ties.

Connecting the dots, here - former Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, addressed an AfD rally in Berlin, earlier this month. In that sense, it becomes quite clear the pertinence for, at least, solving "past commitments" debts, and clear the way for further negotiations.

Brexit: In the meantime, new elections not to be ruled out in Germany

The plain truth is that Germany is Europe's flagship. Without unanimity among the block, it is only fair to ask, where does the UK stand in all this?

Well, UK may obviously stand still, waiting, as Germany tries to understand where it really lies. With the Green party demanding further EU integration, while the FDP believes Greece should leave the eurozone, altogether, it becomes clear that the path is stormy for Europe, let alone the UK.

A very realistic interpretation is that new elections are not to be ruled out, says Klaus Wohlrabe, an economist at Munich's Ifo economic institute, as German business confidence deteriorated unexpectedly before the election.

With no simple conclusion, slow stepping would already be a start, one might say. Unfortunately, no one seems able to take that first step.
Just when you thought the tensions between the United States and North Korea couldn't get any worse, as the US President Donald Trump seems to have a death wish and he's bringing the whole world down with him, and the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un seems to take great pleasure in terrifying the living daylights out of hundreds of millions of people, and the two countries are about three steps away from an all-out nuclear war when ex-POTUS Barack Obama left the White House like two hundred steps away from nuclear war, it's gone and gotten even worse.

There's only a couple of steps left now as we're even closer to a real life "Fallout" or "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." (It'll be less fun than those, too.)

The foreign minister for North Korea, Ri Yong-ho, has spoken out on behalf of Kim's nuke-toting regime in Pyongyang to say that they've taken Trump's comments about the North as "a Declaration Of War." So, America is pretty much at war with the volatile nation of North Korea, except it wasn't the unstable and ruthless dictator who started it; it was the democratically elected (kind of) President of the United States. It's all topsy turvy! It's all the wrong way around! What's happening to the world? Ri probably used to have to do his job at gunpoint, but Trump has likely gotten a lot of North Koreans onto Kim's side.

Now Kim is the one whose people are behind him and Trump is the harsh dictator who is rejected by his people. Is this a really long virtual reality episode of "The Twilight Zone?"

Announcement came after Trump promised to eradicate North Korea

Ri said that what they are viewing as Trump's "declaration of war" against North Korea is the tweet he sent out where he threatened that the country wouldn't "be around much longer" if Kim continued his current behaviour.

So, he basically promised to eradicate their country and they read that as Trump declaring war on North Korea. Fair enough. If someone said that about America, they'd invade the country, right? Hell, they invade countries that have done nothing wrong, so of course they would. The President of the United States can't just go around saying things like that.

It's extremely dangerous. Hopefully, after nine months of doing just that, Trump will finally learn his lesson as he leads his country into a nuclear war that was entirely his fault.

Washington denies 'declaration of war' claims

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has appeared for a press conference regarding the frightening "declaration of war" comments and the ensuing escalation of North Korea's military action against the US. Sanders denied the claims that President Trump had "declared war" against North Korea and shrugged Ri's comments off as "absurd." But North Korea aren't saying that Trump openly declared war. They're saying his threats to destroy their nation have been construed as a declaration of war, and that is what it sounds like.

Kim has been waiting for Trump to say something that he could use to justify a nuclear attack, with his finger hovering over the big red 'launch all nukes' button, saying, "Go ahead, Donald, make my day," and now he's made his day and they're going all-out for an impending war. In short, there's no way out of this through diplomatic negotiations and we're all doomed. North Korea threatened that it would now be well within their rights as a nation at war to shoot US planes down out of the sky, even if they weren't in North Korean airspace (though the US have contested this as their legal right), and following up on that, they've moved their own aircraft in anticipation of sending them out into an impromptu airborne battle with the US. So, yeah, this is really happening, all because The Donald from "The Apprentice" was elected President through ill-gotten means and couldn't keep his mouth shut.
Two hurricanes, Harvey and Irma, struck the United States in quick succession and devastated large areas of Texas and Florida. The third one, Maria, has ruined Puerto Rico and it is now faced with a major Humanitarian Crisis as revealed by Gov. Ricardo A. Rossello.

Hurricane Maria has knocked out power and there is a drastic shortage of water as well as fuel and the Governor feels that since Puerto Rico is a US territory, it should be treated on par with the hurricane-ravaged states of Texas and Florida.

The fallout of Maria

The New York Times reports that Gov.

Ricardo A. Rossello indicated that the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico will increase unless relief measures are taken. He said that Puerto Ricans are citizens of the United States and could be moved to the mainland to escape the post-Maria hardships on the island. In order to prevent a mass exodus, Congress must take necessary action.

President Donald Trump has blamed the natural disaster on the fragile economic situation of the island that can be attributed to factors like broken infrastructure and massive debt burden. Trump drew the comparison with Texas and Florida which also suffered hurricane damages and said they had coped well with the disasters.

Bringing relief to Puerto Rico

The Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA has funds earmarked for Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas, and Hurricane Irma, which hit Florida and damaged Puerto Rico and the United States' Virgin Islands.

The authorities visited Puerto Rico to get first-hand information on ground realities and assess the extent of damages.

They have said money is not a constraint. The problem is with logistics because there are obstacles to smooth delivery of necessities like water and food. The airfield at San Juan airport is damaged, some of the ports are operating partially and roads are littered with debris while the safety of bridges needs to be ensured.

The bottom line is that large portions of Puerto Rico do not have water and there is no electricity anywhere, adding to the miseries.

The island has wastewater and water treatment plants but there is no electricity, so generators would be required to operate the systems. Obviously, a major humanitarian crisis is very much in the cards.

The unnatural behavior of weather is gradually becoming more pronounced as also a matter of concern and islands in the Caribbean have to be prepared to face such vagaries of nature. The factors that are responsible for this phenomenon are not known but global warming and sea level rise could be two possible reasons.
The travel ban case that was before the Supreme Court took an unexpected turn earlier today when Oral Arguments from both sides were canceled. The court had slated October 10th to hear the arguments but today, the highest court said that it had canceled the earlier schedule.

Instead of the planned oral arguments, Fox News reported that the Supreme Court would hear from both sides if the issue of the travel ban was solved after President Trump announced a reviewed version on Sunday night. The court expects the briefs to be submitted by October 5th.

Request

The Supreme Court in a one-page unsigned document said the announcement was not a final ruling on the matter, but it had only removed the oral argument part of the case for the moment.

The court's announcement was in response to a letter filed by Solicitor General Noel J. Francisco who had suggested to the court, that since the March travel ban that had been issued by the government had expired, the court should request for supplementary briefs from both sides.

According to Irv Gornstein, Executive Director of the Supreme Court Institute at George Town Law, when a policy expired and another one took its place, a court may consider a challenge to the expired policy to be moot. He added that if the new proclamation announced did not cause any injury to the aggrieved parties, then it would not be necessary to continue with the case.

Alternatively, if the parties still felt affected by the new policy, then, the case can start afresh.

New restrictions

In the updated proclamation announced by Trump, citizens from eight countries were barred entry into the US---North Korea, Syria, Iran, Chad, Somalia, Yemen, Venezuela, and Libya. The new restrictions will take effect from October 18th, with Chad being the surprise country to appear in the government's travel ban list.

Rights groups

Immigration rights groups criticized the new restrictions and observed that the president had removed majority Muslim countries to support his argument that the ban was meant for national security. Naureen Shah of Amnesty International US pointed out that the addition of new countries to the ban did not change the fact that government-sanctioned discrimination was at play.

Shah added that the proclamation was baseless in vilifying entire populations, and would affect ordinary people negatively, especially those who relied on working, studying and traveling to the US.
Just as President Trump finished threatening both North Korea and Iran from the UN building in New York last week, both countries defiantly retaliated using words with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promising an appropriate response and with Iran test-firing a Ballistic Missile called the Khorramshahr, on Saturday. The Iranian government unveiled the missile on Friday during a military parade in Tehran.

Trolling Iran, threatening to end nuclear agreement

The missile is said to have the capacity to carrying multiple warheads. The test was confirmed by Tehran as their response to the U.S.

President, defending their right to protect themselves. The missile was tested during the same week that Trump said that he had come to a decision about whether he would stay or withdraw from the Iran Nuclear deal, which he initially promised to leave the nuclear deal during his campaign.

The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that Iran had violated the nuclear agreement made under the Obama administration, but even with that, he had already considered the nuclear deal was "the worst deal" ever made. Trump claimed that Iran had, in fact, violated the spirit of the deal, which has also been a driving point for his secretary of state Rex Tillerson.

At the United Nations, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani slammed Trump's hostile  and ad-libbed comments -- saying that it was in fact "ignorant, absurd and hateful rhetoric."

Tehran defiant, threaten their response to breaking agreement

One of the points that Republicans have made over time  and now using the administration  is that Iran had violated the spirit of the deal by funding terrorism in the region and ballistic missile testing.

Rouhani said on on Friday during the military parade that they would promote their "defensive and military power" however they wanted, and they would continue to help Syria, Yemen, and Palestine, whether the U.S. liked it or not.

And just as defiant, Iran has already said that if they ever felt that the agreement was under threat that they too would withdraw from the deal and go back to enriching uranium which the agreement is supposed to prevent.

The nuclear agreement  also referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  is currently being defended by other parties that signed onto it along with the US under the previous administration.

While Republicans and the Trump administration continue to say that Iran's missile testing is a violation of the JCPOA, some experts have suggested that the deal should also extend to control Iran's missile program. At the same time, it's also been suggested that the US was also not honoring the agreement either, especially under President Trump. Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the deal requires that the administration tell Congress what part of the agreement Iran had violated in order to end it but as of this writing, they have yet to receive anything.
Over the last week, Donald Trump has taken his feud with North Korea and Kim Jong-un to the next level. After Trump posted yet another provocative tweet, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho sent a message to the president.

Trump and North Korea

Rewinding back to earlier this year, Donald Trump didn't keep his thoughts about North Korea to himself. Despite appearing to compliment Kim Jong-un during the 2016 presidential election, there has been no love lost between the two since the start of the year. As Kim continues to launch test missiles in the region, the United Nations has cracked down on the rival country with some of the strictest sanctions every imposed.

Trump has supported even stronger sanctions against North Korea, while mocking their leader with a nickname of his own. In a tweet sent out last week, the former host of "The Apprentice" referred to Kim as "Rocket Man," while using the nickname a second time in front of dozens of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. As seen on his Twitter feed on September 23, Trump has once again gone after his newest enemy, as well as the nuclear deal with Iran.

North Korean Foreign Minister: None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission https://t.co/b0P4e5It31 pic.twitter.com/mVb6876VNJ  CNN International (@cnni) September 23, 2017

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Donald Trump took aim at the Iran nuclear deal, while also ripping into their relationship with North Korea.

"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!" Trump wrote. Trump's tweet came just a day after attacking Kim Jong-un directly, calling him a "madman," while claiming he "doesn't mind starving or killing his people."

Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea.Not much of an agreement we have!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

North Korea responds

While Donald Trump was in the middle of attacking Kim Jong-un on social media, the county's foreign minister addressed the United Nations and sent a threat to the president in the process.

"Due to his lacking of basic common knowledge and proper sentiment, he tried to insult the supreme dignity of my country by referring it to a rocket. " Ri Yong Ho said.

Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2017

Ri Yong Ho went on to warn that Donald Trump "committed an irreversible mistake" and that the country's plan to launch a rocket at the United States was now "inevitable." Ri's serious comments to the U.N.

come after Kim Jong-un released a critical statement directed at Trump, calling the U.S. president a "a mentally deranged dotard." As Trump and Kim continue to trade insults, many fear that the current war of words will turn into a real battle between both sides.
As many had predicted, Donald Trump's presidency has put the possibility of nuclear war on the minds of the international community. So far, President Trump has brought that reality to the world by instigating conflict using threats against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Prior to his incendiary speech at the UN General Assembly last week, President Trump only isolated himself from the majority of the U.S. and the rest of the world when he threatened nuclear war against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) -- the formal name of North Korea's government -- earlier this year.

Americans in line with Trump against North Korea

Now, his speech has forced the rest of the world to consider the chance that Americans have a more unified stance with the President against North Korea, even if that might not necessarily be the case. During the North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho's speech at the UN on Saturday, he referred to President Trump's unpopularity, even among the American people.

On September 15, a Gallup poll that surveyed 1,022 adults found that 58 percent agreed to military action against Kim Jong-un's regime if the Trump administration were unable to find peaceful means to solve the conflict. The poll, however, said that the results were divided among party lines.

Being that Trump ran as a Republican candidate, the Republican support for military action was in the 80s, Democrats were in the 30s and independents were in the 50s.

Increase in hostile action

But analysts have said that the chances of military action are slim. Recently, Guam was caught in between President Trump and Kim Jong-un: the North Korean regime threatened to attack the territory but then backed off.

Nonetheless, South Korea said that in order for the U.S. to take military action, they would have to get approval from Seoul first.

On a lighter note, American late-night talk show comics Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers both focused on the insults delivered against President Trump by North Korea. They pretended to take offense saying that a foreign country should leave it to America's comedians to insult the President.

Even though the South Korean leadership had said that they were considering a "decapitation plan" after the DPRK's recent nuclear test, President Moon Jae-in met with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month to discuss a policy that would financially support North Korea despite U.S. and UN sanctions. In a recent exchange between Trump and Kim Jong-un, North Korea's foreign minister threatened to conduct a nuclear test in the Pacific Ocean which many experts doubt would be possible.

But a recent article by the New York Times, "North Korea hits new level of brinksmanship in reacting to Trump," suggests that such a move could force regional nations into a nuclear war. In a show of force, U.S. military bombers and their escorts flew farther into the North of the Korean Peninsula on Saturday.
The newest addition to the 'Star Trek' franchise, 'Star Trek: Discovery' aired on CBS for the first (and only) time on Sunday, September 24. The network made sure to remind the viewers in every commercial break, that the next episode is already available and that the following episodes would be available weekly on CBS's streaming service, CBS All Access.

What is CBS All Access?

Cbs All Access is a streaming service that was launched almost exactly three years ago. It is similar to Hulu or Netflix, in that it is a monthly subscription, that gives you access to television on demand.

As this is exclusively CBS, the selection of original content is noticeably smaller, boasting only three different shows other than 'Star Trek: Discovery,' 'The Good Fight' (a spin-off of The Good Wife), 'Big Brother: Over the Top' (a spin-off of Big Brother), and 'After Trek,' a talk show following 'Discovery' in a similar vein to 'Talking Dead.' To add insult to injury, there isn't a single series being released on CBS All Access that isn't a spin-off or complementary to another series. Frankly, it is surprising that CBS insists that one should subscribe to its streaming service for almost no original content.

Do we have an alternative?

Conveniently for Canada, it will be the only country in which the show is regularly aired on television.

Canadian viewers will be able to watch on the Space Channel. For the rest of the world, the answer is a resounding "Not really, but..." since Netflix, something to which nearly 100 million of us have a subscription, will be receiving episodes a day later than CBS All Access. Unfortunately, this will only be in countries other than the United States and Canada.

This conveniently leaves America with the only option seemingly being to subscribe to CBS All Access for the duration of the series. Netflix's library does vary from country to country largely by copyright law. That being said, one could see how a subscriber would be less than satisfied when the service they use receives a show they want but doesn't allow them to watch it.

Sorry USA, but everyone else gets to watch 'Star Trek: Discovery' with Klingon subtitles on Netflix https://t.co/XX0jpLfd0X pic.twitter.com/XXKvJ4HQKY  Mashable (@mashable) September 26, 2017

What to expect

With remarkably little original content, we are likely to see a dramatic amount of piracy and VPN usage to avoid paying for the shockingly small library. There is a history of Netflix users, even with the impressive library, using various techniques to access the libraries of other countries. It would not be excessive to think that a fan base, especially one as large as that of 'Star Trek,' would attempt to do so over one series.
There's a new rail route to ship goods from Zhengzhou to Europe, building upon an earlier routeand encouragement from President Xi Jinping during a visit in 2014 to turn Henan province into a transportation and logistics hub that can serve the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Zhengzhou-Europe Block Train, which has had service to Hamburg, Germany, since 2013, now can transport goods to and from Munich, Germany. The Hamburg line generally serves Eastern Europe and Russia while the new line to Munich which launched service last month, serves Western Europe, officials said.

On May 10, 2014, Xi traveled to Zhengzhou's rail hub and spoke during his inspection tour of Henan province.

Xi called for the transformation of Henan, located ideally in Central China, into a national transport and logistics hub linking the north and south while connecting the east and west to take advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative.

An Chunlei, 35, a train driver who drove the first Zhengzhou-Europe Block Train, said he still felt excited to recall the moment he shook hands with Xi. "His hand was warm and powerful," he said.

"Xi's inspection encouraged many people, including me," said Yang Wenjun, vice-president of Zhengzhou International Hub Development and Construction Co Ltd. "My colleagues were proud of working for the Zhengzhou-Europe International Block Train. It serves both Zhengzhou as a modern comprehensive transportation hub and the Belt and Road Initiative."

Since its launch in 2013, the Zhengzhou-Europe Block Train had completed 784 one-way trips through July and delivered cargo with total value of $4.08 billion, according to Zhengzhou's bureau of commerce.

The service began with one trip per month to Hamburg and gradually built up to daily trips in August. Its shipments come from a radius of 1,500 kilometers.

The 10,214-km Zhengzhou-Hamburg line services companies in Europe and Russia. The new Munich line service businesses in France, Italy, Spain and Austria, Yang said.

"Munich in the south of Germany also has an industrial area, home to well-known enterprises such as BMW, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, which benefits the imports of those brand automobiles into the Chinese market aboard the train," Yang said.

Helmut Vollmers, managing director of EMONS Multi-transport Gmbh, explained, "The transit time is cut to nearly 12 days, compared with 35 days in the past by ship."

EMONS is a German company that has been working with Zhengzhou International since 2016.

He said goods such as auto parts and clothes coming to Henan province from other cities across China were sent to Hamburg, where his company dispatched them across Europe.

Besides nearly 1,300 types of goods being shipped to Europe from China, more and more global suppliers are providing shipments for the return trip.

"There are more than 50 foreign companies joined in, providing more cargo for the online and offline stores in China, and the new line's launching also formed an important supplement for the freight, " Yang said.

The Zhengzhou-Europe Block Train so far has made eight one-way trips to Europe and six return trips to Zhengzhou, packed full with merchandise.

Li Yuan, 34, a Shenzhen resident who lived in Germany for six years, said he preferred the imported cars along with more and more imported goods flooding into Henan.

Contact the writers at qixin@chinadaily.com.cn
A U650 unmanned amphibious aircraft undergoes tests in Central China at the end of 2016. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A Chinese company has produced the world's first unmanned, amphibious commercial aircraft, with plans to use it to deliver goods, transport supplies to islands and detect submarines, according to the manufacturer.

Liu Jiandong, founder and chairman of UVS Intelligence System, a privately owned drone-maker in Shanghai, said mass production of its U650 seaplane has begun and will enter commercial operation this year with a Chinese express delivery company and a client in Southeast Asia.

He declined to name the buyers, citing business confidentiality, but said both contracts had "considerable value".

"We are working with the domestic client to apply for approval from air traffic management authorities of our plan to open a freight route next year using the amphibious drone," he said.

The U650 was developed based on Spain's Colyaer Freedom S100 amphibious ultralight aircraft, whose intellectual property rights were wholly acquired by the Shanghai company, according to UVS.

The amphibious drone carried out its maiden flight from waters in Central China in December 2015, the company said.

The 5.85-meter-long unmanned seaplane, made of carbon fiber, is able to stay aloft 15 hours with a cruising speed of 180 kilometers per hour and a flight range of 2,000 km. It is capable of takeoffs and landings from short unpaved airstrips, grassland or water.

The drone can carry up to 250 kilograms of cargo and its wings can also carry four payloads, such as inflatable life rafts.

Liu said his company sees domestic and foreign couriers as the U650's primary users. It expects the model to be a commercial success because "it is the only civilian drone in the global market that is capable of ferrying cargo with a total weight of 200 kg or even heavier".

Express delivery enterprises along China's eastern and southern coastal regions will find the U650 useful, he said. Those areas are densely populated and have busy airline operations that lead to many restrictions when it comes to drone flights.

"Our aircraft can fly above, and land on, water. Its range is much longer than those of small types, so it doesn't need to make stops during a delivery mission. It will not risk the safety of people or airliners," Liu said.

Almost all of China's large couriers, such as China Post and SF Express, have begun to invest in research and development on delivery drones. Analysts have said drones will play an increasingly important role in the country's skyrocketing online shopping industry.

Globally, Amazon and DHL Express have deployed drones for delivery service on a small and experimental scale, and are continuing to design new models.

In addition to couriers, U650 will also be able to benefit Chinese troops and residents on islands and reefs in the South China Sea, Liu said.

"It can be used to transport supplies to those islands and reefs many times a day at a low cost while ships and manned planes are subject to weather and expenditure considerations," he said. "Meanwhile, the deployment of such drones will make it possible for those living there to have access to online shopping, which they are unable to do now because of the absence of delivery service."

The U650 is capable of carrying out reconnaissance and strikes for the military thanks to its ability to carry radar, sonar or missiles.

"For instance, the drone can remain afloat at sea to tow sonar to detect submarines and move rapidly to other areas to continue the search," Liu said.
NYU President Andrew Hamilton (L) awards Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong the New York University Medal of Honor, the university's highest honor,at a ceremony at the university on Monday. ZHANG RUINAN / CHINA DAILY

Vice-Premier Liu Yandong was awarded the New York University Medal of Honor on Monday.

The university's highest honor was bestowed by NYU President Andrew Hamilton at a ceremony at the university.

"I keenly feel that cultural and people-to-people exchange as a foundation of Sino-US relations deserves great attention and requires long-term investment," Liu said, adding that she has witnessed and participated in exchanges between China and the US for nearly 10 years.

Liu is visiting the States to kick start the first round of the China-US Social and Cultural Dialogue, to be held in Washington on Sept 28. Liu and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will co-chair the dialogue.

Liu said that cooperationin education between the two countries not only has mutual benefits but also helps shape the future.

In recent years, cooperation between NYU and the China side has been fruitful, Liu said.

Liu said she hopes NYU could work with more than 7,000 colleges and universities in the two countries to continuously improve the level of cooperation, making a greater contribution to deepen Sino-US cultural and people-to-people exchange, and enhance the friendship between people of the two countries, especially young people.

Liu believes Sino-US cultural and people-to-people exchanges can move to a higher level as long as the two sides continue to work together and look beyond.

As Liu said, China and the US will exchange in-depth views on people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. China is willing to work with the US to achieve positive results from the dialogue.

China and the US have agreed to establish four high-level dialogue mechanisms on diplomacy and security, the economy, social and cultural issues, and law enforcement and cyber security, according to the consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump during their meeting in April at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The first round of the diplomatic and security dialogue, as well as the economic dialogue took place in June and July separately.
Premier says Washington should ease restrictions on tech products

China urged the United States to provide a level playing field for Chinese enterprises investing there and to loosen restrictions on high-tech products being sold to China, Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday.

Li made the remarks during his meeting with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at the Zhongnanhai compound in Beijing.

The premier said relations between China and the US have been progressing well and communication at different levels also have progressed on track. He said President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have concluded several meetings successfully.

Li said that China, being the world's largest developing country, and the US, the world's largest developed country, are also the largest trade partners with each other.

"So I think it is fair to say that our common interests far outweigh our difference or divergence. Economic and trade relations between the two countries have always served as a ballast stone for the overall bilateral relationship," Li said, adding that cooperation runs as the main stream in bilateral ties.

He said he believes the secretary's current visit to China will be conducive to further deepening economic and trade relations between China and the US, as well as overall bilateral ties.

He said China is willing to expand trade volume on services and commodities with the US and is ready to properly handle disputes and conflicts between the two countries through dialogue based on mutual trust and cooperation.

China will further open to the global market while continuing to improve its business environment, Li said.

He added that China welcomes more US companies to develop their business in China.

At the same time, he said, China expects the US to provide equal treatment for Chinese companies investing in the US.

Ross said ties between the US and China are getting increasingly close, with huge prospects for further development. The US looks forward to seeing China further its opening-up, and is ready to expand trade and people-to-people exchanges with China, he said.

Trade volume between China and the US reached $524.3 billion in 2016, from $2.5 billion in 1979, when the two countries officially established diplomatic relations.

Zhang Jianping, a professor at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in the Ministry of Commerce, said he believes Ross' visit to China is part of the preparation work for Trump's November visit to China.

zhangyue@chinadaily.com.cn
File photo shows Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte supporters gather during a vigil backing the anti-drugs crackdown at the Luneta park in metro Manila, Philippines February 25, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

MANILA - China and the Philippines have fully affirmed the positive results achieved so far in their anti-drug cooperation, vowing to further strengthen their cooperation in this regard in the future.

The comments and pledge came as officials from the two countries met here recently on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crimes.

The Chinese officials were from China's National Narcotics Control Commission and Ministry of Public Security while Philippine officials were from Philippines' Dangerous Drugs Board and Bureau of Customs.

Noting that the anti-drug cooperation between China and the Philippines has gone through a long history and achieved fruitful results, the two sides said the current cooperation has entered an increasingly good period.

The two sides refuted distorted reports recently published by certain media, stressing that the fake news were neither in the interests of bilateral anti-drug cooperation, nor in the interests of the two peoples.

With regard to the May 25 bust of a drug trafficking ring and seizure of 604 kilograms of crystal meth, according to the meeting, the Chinese Customs officials discovered the attempt to smuggle the illegal drugs into the Philippines.

It was found out that the drugs have been delivered to the Philippines and the Chinese officials immediately informed their Philippine counterparts, alerting them about the drug shipment.

Philippine law enforcers seized the drugs around midnight and it took less than four hours for the cross-border operation to be implemented.

The Chinese side reiterated that like the current Philippine government, the Chinese government maintains "zero tolerance" policy on illicit drugs, calling on the two sides to further enhance and strengthen collaborative efforts to bust drug smugglers.

According to the meeting, real-time intelligence sharing, coordination, drug rehabilitation are just some of the practices that both countries are looking at in their anti-drug cooperation.

China will also be contributing technical expertise and equipment in the future.
Another war on the Korean Peninsula is unacceptable, Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on Monday in Washington, as a White House spokeswoman denied the United States had declared war on Pyongyang.

"There cannot be another war in the region; there cannot be another outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula," Kang told a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington.

"The consequences would be devastating not just for the Korean Peninsula but for Northeast Asia," she said at the event co-sponsored by the CSIS and the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

Just a few blocks away from the CSIS, the White House said Monday afternoon that the United States has not declared war on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in response to remarks of the DPRK's top diplomat that a weekend tweet by US President Donald Trump was a "declaration of war". "Last weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer. He declared a war on our country," Ri Yong-ho, the DPRK foreign minister, said earlier in New York.

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country," Ri said, referring to Trump's tweet message on Saturday.

The DPRK foreign minister also said that the DPRK reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down US bombers even if they are not in its air space.

"We have not declared war on North Korea and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told a regular briefing in Washington. "Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the Chinese side is really concerned about the current situation on the Korean Peninsula.

"We hope that all relevant parties should exercise restraint instead of continuing provocating each other and seek the way out for the peaceful settlement of the issue instead of finding the outlet to let off the steam," Lu told a news briefing on Monday.

Kang, the South Korean foreign minister, said the call for diplomacy is the clear wish of the public both in South Korea and the US, as recent polls indicate.

"Sanctions and pressure against North Korea are a diplomatic tool; they are not meant to collapse or bring down North Korea, but to bring it to the negotiation table for serious denuclearization talks," she said.

Kang added that sanctions and pressure are necessary but not enough. "They must be accompanied by strong deterrent capabilities."

But Kang added that "the whole international community and we cannot put at risk the safety and security of our citizens," who have worked for seven decades to build a "model democracy and market economy from the total destruction of war".

Kang said it is imperative for Seoul and Washington to manage the situation with "astuteness and steadfastness", to prevent escalation of tension or any accidental military crashes in the region, which can spiral out of control.

Madeleine K. Albright, Chair of the Albright Stonebridge Group and former US secretary of state, underlined the need to cool down the situation.

"The other part that I think is truly important is to kind of lower the temperature," she told the panel at the CSIS.

"Because I'm kind of concerned about accidents of some kind that might happen."

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com
'One of the most dynamic and most highlighted' parts of nation exchanges

Innovation cooperation between China and the US has provided great opportunities for both nations' people, Vice-Premier Liu Yandong said.

Liu's first stop on her visit to the US was the 2017 China-US Young Maker Summit & China-US Youth Innovation Center inauguration ceremony on Monday at New York University. The event was part of the China-US Social and People-to-People Dialogue.

Liu visited the work exhibited at the China-US Young Maker Competition from NYU and Chinese universities, accompanied by NYU President Andrew Hamilton.

"Innovation cooperation is one of the most dynamic and the most highlighted components of people-to-people exchanges between China and the US," Liu said.

"Both Chinese and American people are all very creative," Liu said. "The US has been the center of global technological innovation, and today's China has put innovation as the primary driving force, implementing the strategy of innovation-driven development.

"I hope the young people in both China and the US would be the main driver of innovation development and the vanguard of China-US cultural exchanges, injecting positive energy into the development of China-US relations," Liu said.

"We have American students launching startups in China, and we have Chinese startups in the US. What can be better than that? - that's what comes from collaboration," Hamilton said.

"China has a rich history of innovation," said Deborah Stokes, vice-president of Dell EMC. "And the US is a fairly very young country in terms of innovation, so the opportunity to combine the young aspects of innovation with more traditional and established ways of innovation through cooperation is a fabulous idea."

"I'm here to see the future innovation collaborations between China and the US," said Robert Chang, a physician at the Stanford School of Medicine. "Nowadays, we see lots of things happening in China really fast in terms of innovation, and many of them even come to Silicon Valley."

"I'm a graduate of Peking University; I think it's important to learn from and cooperate with American scholars when we study in the US," said Lei Ting, a Stanford student who exhibited his project on flexible and stretchable electronics.

Liu said her visit to the US was based on the consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump during their meeting in April at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The two sides agreed to establish high-level dialogue mechanisms, including the diplomatic and security dialogue, the comprehensive economic dialogue, the law enforcement and cybersecurity dialogue, and the social and people-to-people dialogue.

Liu and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will co-chair the dialogue on Thursday in Washington.

ruinanzhang@chinadailyusa.com
Vice-Premier Liu Yandong was awarded the New York University Medal of Honor on Monday.

The university's highest honor was bestowed by NYU President Andrew Hamilton at a ceremony at the university.

"I keenly feel that cultural and people-to-people exchange as a foundation of Sino-US relations deserves great attention and requires long-term investment," Liu said, adding that she has witnessed and participated in exchanges between China and the US for nearly 10 years, she said.

Liu is visiting the States to kickstart the first round of the China-US Social and Cultural Dialogue, to be held in Washington on Sept 28. Liu and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will co-chair the dialogue.

Liu said that cooperation in education between the two countries not only has mutual benefits but also helps shape the future.

In recent years, cooperation between NYU and the China side has been fruitful, Liu said.

Liu said she hopes NYU could work with more than 7,000 colleges and universities in the two countries to continuously improve the level of cooperation, making a greater contribution to deepen Sino-US cultural and people-to-people exchange, and enhance the friendship between people of the two countries, especially young people.
There are plenty of mountains in the US, but the ones in Washington stand in a league of their own. From volcanic peaks like Mount Baker to the tricky technical climbs of Forbidden Peak, Washingtons mountains are as diverse as they are numbered. Many of these mountains are not for beginners, and some of them should really only be attempted by experts with a lot of experience in hiking and rock climbing, but one thing is for certain: Every single one of the mountains on this list is staggeringly gorgeous, with a view from the top that is simply unbelievable.

We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.

1. Mount Olympus  Courtesy of Christopher Boswell - Fotolia.com

As the tallest of the Olympic Mountain Range and one of the most isolated in Washington, Mount Olympus is a stunningly beautiful snow-capped mountain located inside Olympic National Park. This peak is very technically challenging, and is on the Triple Crown list of peaks, meaning it has at least 5,000 feet of prominence, 5,000 feet of elevation gain on the hike itself, and is on the Apex list of the most difficult mountains to climb. From the top of Mount Olympus, climbers will be rewarded for the struggles of the climb with a beautiful, 360 view.



2. Mount Shuksan  Courtesy of Bill Perry - Fotolia.com

Mount Shuksan is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, and one of the most commonly photographed. It has been included on lists of the greatest mountains in America, is one of the tallest peaks in Washington, and has a staggering 14 different routes to the top. This is a long trip, so hikers should prepare to stay overnight while tackling Mount Shuksan. The routes are many and varied, but this means that potential mountaineers can choose the level of difficulty they prefer, from a Class 3 scramble to 50-degree snow and ice on the rarely traveled north face of the mountain.

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3. Mount Baker  Courtesy of Galyna Andrushko - Fotolia.com

On a clear day, which happens more rarely than one might think, residents of the city of Seattle can see Mount Baker from the downtown area. This active but glaciated volcano is the third tallest peak in Washington, with 10,778 feet of elevation at its summit, record amounts of snowfall each year, and over 24,000 acres of glaciers. This constant ice presence means that Baker is home to some nasty crevasses, which can prove to be dangerous, but in spite of this, Mount Baker is actually a very nice peak for beginners to climb.



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4. WA Mountains: Glacier Peak  Courtesy of Bill Perry - Fotolia.com



There are five volcanoes in Washington State and Glacier Peak is one of them. Glacier Peak is very seldom climbed because it is hidden from view, and also because years of storms and flooding have washed away any and all access roads, so conquering Glacier Peak requires a hike of at least 10 miles to even reach its base. With a bare minimum of 3 days and 8,000 feet elevation gain, climbing Glacier Peak is not necessarily the most technical or difficult climb on this list, but it is a very long and strenuous one simply because of the length and accessibility.

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5. Eldorado Peak  Courtesy of cascoly2 - Fotolia.com



Summiting Eldorado Peak, located in North Cascades National Park, is more than just cresting a hill. The summit of this jagged mountain is also one of the most famous knife edge ridges in Washington State, and the adrenaline rush from carving out a trail thats just wide enough for two feet along the peaked snowy edge of the summit is much of the reason that people enjoy climbing this mountain. This quality gives Eldorado Peak a beautiful shape from a distance, a shape that has an almost Himalayan feel to it. A round trip to the summit and back takes about 1-2 days and is about 8 miles long, with an elevation gain of 7,000 feet.

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6. Mountains Near Me: Sahale Mountain  Courtesy of vlukas - Fotolia.com



The view from the top of Sahale Mountain affords a look into the very heart of the North Cascade Mountains, at Eldorado Peak, Boston Peak, Sharkfin Tower, Johannesburg Mountain, and more. There is quite a short climbing season due to the nearly year-round snowfall, and the round trip distance to the summit is about 14 miles. Sahale Mountain is also easy to pair with Boston Peak, since the summit of that mountain is less than a mile away, and this will turn the hike from a half-day endeavor into a full or two-day trip.

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7. Dragontail Peak  Courtesy of Shakzu - Fotolia.com

Dragontail Peak was named for the sharp, thin ridges of rock that extend along the southwest ridge of the mountain. The number of routes to the top of Dragontail Peak is staggering and huge, with such a variety of routes that an amateur could scramble to the top and a seasoned mountaineer could still encounter routes and cliffs they would find challenging. The approaches come from either Colchuck Lake or Snow Lake, with stunning views both from the base at these lakes and from the top of the mountain as well.



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8. Sherman Peak  Courtesy of Sofi - Fotolia.com

Sherman Peak is technically a part of Mount Baker, located on the volcanos southern edge. From the peak of this mountain there are views of Mount Baker and the rim of its crater, Mount Shuksan, and the Black Buttes. Its an easy mountain to conquer and is accessible via a number of well-used routes, none of which require technical climbing ability. Sherman can be easily climbed in a single day, but it is recommended to split it into two so that the beauty of the surrounding nature can be fully appreciated. A trip to Sherman can also be combined with a journey to the summit of nearby Mount Baker as well.



9. Lost Peak  Courtesy of prophoto24 - Fotolia.com

Lost Peak lies near Lost River Gorge, a gorge so remote that few humans have ever set foot within it, and there are no trails through that thick wilderness. The mountain that rises above the gorge is more accessible, although it is not terribly popular and is never crowded. Lost Peak is quite easy to summit; it requires no climbing equipment besides a sturdy pair of shoes and a resolved mind (although the trip may take more than one day), and the true reward of this mountain is not the hike itself, its the views from the top. Once there, it is possible to see the gorge, and a beautiful skyline of mountains set against the blue of the sky.

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10. WA Mountains: Big Snow  Courtesy of Maks_ershov - Fotolia.com

Big Snow Mountain lies in the wilderness of the Alpine Lakes, and on the north side, this mountain maintains snow for most of the summer season in the deep slabs of glacially scarred rock on the north face. A trip to the summit of Big Snow can be achieved via some technical climbing above Hardscrabble Lake or via the Hardscrabble Trail, which is the easiest of the options but at 25 miles round trip, is quite long. Hikers can also use the Dingford Route, which is much shorter but involves a lot more technical knowledge and bushwhacking.



11. WA Mountains: Forbidden Peak  yossarian6/stock.adobe.com

Hidden away in the Cascade Valley, Forbidden Peak was previously referred to as Mount Forgotten and Isosceles Peak before the moniker of Forbidden Peak finally stuck. This mountain, with its picturesque triangular summit, contains a number of challenging routes for climbers, who must have a certain level of comfort with technical climbing before attempting this peak. With several different routes to the top, none of them are considered easy, as each involves not only hiking but also scrambling and rock climbing, but the views from Forbidden Peaks loft summit make all the trouble worthwhile in the end.

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13. WA Mountains: Davis Peak  Nilanjan/stock.adobe.com

Davis Peak has many summits, and which one is the highest has long been a topic of debate. The only way to really be sure that Davis Peak has been summitted is to make sure to hit all of them. The four main peaks each offer different sightseeing opportunities, and the approach to the summit follows a pretty straightforward ridge to the top. Davis Peak used to be a lookout site, so the view from the top offers some amazing views into the surrounding area, including towards Terrance and Opal Lakes. The Davis Peak Trail also offers the easiest ascent to nearby Goat Mountain; the two are easy to combine into one trip.



14. Washington Mountains: Abercrombie Mountain  Andriy Blokhin/stock.adobe.com

Abercrombie Mountain is quite a popular peak to climb, both because of its prominence (just over 5,100 feet), and the fact that it does not require any technical climbing to reach the top, making this mountain accessible for beginner peak baggers looking to add to their repertoire. From the summit of Abercrombie Mountain, visitors have the option to continue on to Hooknose Mountain or simply view the valley and the Selkirk Mountain Range behind it. Hikers on Abercrombie Mountain should take care to watch for grizzly bears and prepare accordingly.



15. Mountains Near Me: Warrior Peak  PatriciaDz/stock.adobe.com



On the eastern border of Olympic National Park is Warrior Peak, a tall, rocky mountain framed at its base by green, forested slopes. It is a double summited peak, with the southeast summit being about 15 feet higher than the northwest peak. Warrior Peak is quite remote, with several approaches to the top, and the shortest of these is 10 miles one way, which means that any excursion to this mountain should be done over at least two days. The three main approaches to Warrior Peak include the Upper Dungeness Trail, the Upper Big Quilcene Trail, and the Tubal Cain Trail.

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16. Washington Mountains: Tower Mountain  schankz/stock.adobe.com



Tower Mountain is not the most popular peak to climb in its region, due to its imposing appearance and in particular the intimidating tower of rock that stretches up at its peak. The exposed granite at the top affords views into the North Cascades and the Glacier Peak region. On one side, the summit can be reached by a relatively easy Class 3 climb, but on the other side the wall of rock is nearly vertical and requires a level of technical finesse. The shortest route to the summit is 10 miles, and the longest route is 23 miles long, although the shorter routes require more bushwhacking than the longer ones.



17. Baring Mountain  openrangestock/stock.adobe.com



At 6,125 feet elevation, Baring Mountain is not the highest peak in Washington, but it does merit distinction in that it is one of the steepest. A ridge along the northwest edge of this rugged mountain is the most used access route to the summit, although a much more difficult, but rarely used, route along the southern peak, is also established. The dramatic overhang of Barings peak is imposing as it looms over the land below, and the sheer cliffs at its head are visible for miles away. This seldom climbed mountain is often compared with the climbs at Yosemite, except that the rock has a reputation for being loose and rotten. Climbers should take great care when attempting to summit Baring Mountain.

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18. Bonanza Peak  helivideo/stock.adobe.com



Bonanza Peak makes for a wicked climb in the North Cascades of Washington. Its not the most technically difficult of any of the mountains on this list, but it does require a wide variety of skills, from glacier crossing to steep rock climbing, scrambling, and crevasse navigation. This obstacle course of a mountain beckons true mountaineers wishing to challenge their skills, and the resulting hike is one that should allow hikers to feel confident tackling almost any other mountain in the country. To reach Bonanza Peak, visitors can take the Lady of the Lake Ferry to Lucerne, where they will find the trailhead.



19. Mount Logan  encierro/stock.adobe.com



Mount Logan is home to three glaciers and most routes to the summit will require a trip across one or more of them. At the top of the mountain, visitors should expect a Class 4 climb to the summit rock. Its a remote peak and surrounded by a small cluster of other remote peaks  Buckner, Storm King, Goode, and Black  so that hikers sometimes attempt all of these mountains in the same loop. The hike to the top of Mount Logan usually takes about 3 to 4 days, and the quickest ascent, via the Douglas Glacier, is one of the most difficult, so most hikers use the Fremont Glacier as their standard approach.

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20. Washington Mountains: Luna Peak  celiafoto/stock.adobe.com



Although the view from atop any mountain tends to be beautiful, with sweeping panoramas of jagged landscapes far below, many consider the view from the summit of Luna Peak to be the best view in the state of Washington. Located within North Cascades National Park, Luna Peak is rugged and remote, a true reminder of the vast wilderness that lurks just beyond the reaches of human civilization. The summit offers views of lakes, forests, and mountains for miles, and the hike to the top reaches Class 2 or 3 at its most difficult.



21. Red Mountain  Rido/stock.adobe.com



With a prominence of 2,560 feet and a blanket of snow over it for most of the year, Red Peak is a fun peak to summit, either by hiking or in snowshoes. There are several peaks in Washington by this name, but Red Peak, located near Cle Elum, is the better known of them. The trail length to the summit is about 3 miles, making it one of the shorter hikes on this list, with an elevation gain of about 3,200 feet. There are campgrounds near Red Mountain but due to its short length, summiting this peak should only take part of one day.



22. Washington Mountains: Mount Fury  Igor Kovalchuk/stock.adobe.com



Mount Fury is an extremely remote mountain in the Northern Pickets, and the journey to the top of this mountain is long in both time and distance. With two peaks of equal elevation, summiting the second after the first will take a full extra day, but the views from each of these summits, of snow capped rocky peaks framed by blue skies, make everything completely worth it. Camping on Mount Fury is possible and easy in a few established sites, but campers should be aware of any number of small animals on the mountain that may be interested in their food.

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23. Mountains Near Me: Old Snowy  alexisftv/stock.adobe.com Old Snowy is a popular mountain within the Goat Rocks Range, with a summit that is quite close to the famous Pacific Crest Trail, which extends for over 2,500 miles across the West Coast of the US. The trail will lead through meadows and vast patches of wildflowers to the snowy summit, where hikers can expect to find stunning views of Mount Rainier, Adams, and Saint Helens, as well as the other peaks of the Goat Rocks. Advanced mountaineers can even find a route from the summit of Old Snowy over to the neighboring Ives Peak.



24. Unicorn Peak  Fangzhou/stock.adobe.com Unicorn Peak is named for the tall spire of rock that extends from its top, much like the horn of a certain mythical creature. Coming in at 6,971 feet elevation, Unicorn Peak is a mountain that requires some Class 5 climbing to summit, but this shouldnt deter beginners. Unicorn Peak is actually well known as an easy peak for amateur climbers to learn on, so long as they have an experienced climber there to lead and show them the way. There are several different routes to the summit, and from the top, climbers can expect a spectacular view of Mount Rainier.



25. Washington Mountains: Purcell Mountain  AlexanderDenisenko/stock.adobe.com The summit of Purcell Mountain used to be home to a watchtower, until it was torn down during the 1950s, but evidence of the tall structure still can be found at the top of this peak. Also easily spotted from the summit are patches of the mountain that have been heavily logged over the past decade or two, which give extra visibility to a landscape that is already breathtaking. Purcell is not difficult to summit, and it is a good hike for a beginner looking for an introduction to mountain hiking.



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A NANG - The Government is concerned about the poor coordination and infrastructure undermining the major potential of Viet Nams 11 central provinces for the countrys economic growth, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue told 500 business people and officials at the 2nd Central Coastal Economic Forum in a Nang yesterday.

Many efforts have been recorded by the regional co-ordination management board since the first forum was held in 2014. However, poor connection of strategic traffic roads, including the National Highway, Coastal Highway, Ho Chi Minh Trail and north-south railway, have prevented the region from fast growth, Hue said. Favourable connection of roads, airports, sea ports and economic and industrial zones will create more power for the region in the coming decades, he added.

He suggested the forum discuss how to build an effective mechanism for co-operation among the provinces to boost their advantages in marine economy and tourism, saying the region could contribute as much as 70 per cent to the countrys economic growth.

The head of the Viet Nam Institute of Economics, Tran inh Thien, said the development of the coastal central region has not reached its target since the regional co-ordination management board was established six years ago.

More than 40 industrial zones (IZs) and six economic zones (EZs) were built in the region, but income per capita in the region is not much higher than the countrys average income, Thien said. A lack of international-standard centres for sports, shopping, trade, night recreation and finance has hindered the region from becoming an attractive destination for international tourists.

Too many ports

Thien also pointed to the lack of coordination among provinces as a major hindrance to economic growth. Thua Thien-Hue Province had developed the Chan May-Lang Co deep-sea port in the region, he said, but neighbouring a Nang plans to build its own Lien Chieu Port as a key logistics centre just 20km away.

Each province plans to build its own deep sea port, international airports or industrial zones, while no connections are planned to share the advantages of infrastructure investment, he explained.

The coastal central region has six airports, 13 seaports, six coastal economic zones, a high-tech park and 14 national roads.

Thien suggested the region should be restructured, based on the advantage of each province. We can arrange several provinces with the same advantages (sea ports, airports and economic zones) in a sub-zone, he suggested.

The head of the central regions Development Consultancy Council, Tran Du Lich, said the region has tremendous potential for marine economy development  ship-building, fisheries, logistics, coastal economic zones, and island and sea tourism.

Dr. Huynh The Du from Fulbright University Viet Nam said many provinces offer free land rent to attract investors, but investors are never punished for failing to move forward with promised projects or for long delays. He also suggested the region needs only one deep-sea port.

A quick survey presented by economist Vo Tri Thanh at the forum showed that nearly 80 per cent of particpants agreed that poor connections and underdeveloped links among provinces in the region are major barriers to growth.

The central coastal region had an average growth of 8.4 per cent, earning revenues of US$5.8 billion last year.  VNS
HA NOI  Uber Viet Nam CEO, ang Viet Dung, on Saturday denied rumours that Uber would temporarily halt operations in Viet Nam until its tax dues were paid.

The rumour is not true, Dung said, adding that the company was operating normally in Viet Nam and even had further development plans.

The rumour began spreading on social networking sites on Saturday after a decision by the HCM City tax authority stated that Uber must pay some VN67 billion (US$2.9 million) in tax arrears. The rumour further said that Uber will halt operations in Viet Nam because the tax amount due was too large for the company to afford.

Dung said that Uber Viet Nam, and its mother company, Netherlands-based Uber B.V., would continue working with the tax authorities to figure out the most appropriate solution.

On Saturday, HCM City Tax Department said that it issued a decision to collect tax dues worth VN66.7 billion from Uber Viet Nam, after an inspection of the operations of the app, from its penetration into the Viet Nam market, until June 2017.

Nguyen Nam Binh, Deputy Director of the HCM City Tax Department, was quoted by Vnexpress online newspaper, saying that Uber B.V. did not completely agree with the decision.

Under the Ministry of Finances tax payment rules for Uber B.V. issued in September 2016, taxes will be imposed on the company following a direct method, according to which the payable amount is based on the revenue, multiplied by the taxation rate.

For Uber, the rates are 3 per cent for value added tax and 2 per cent for corporate income tax.

Individuals who have signed contracts with Uber to provide the taxi service should pay tax on their earned income. The rates for individual drivers are 3 per cent for VAT and 1.5 per cent for individual income tax.  VNS
The Vietnam Association of Financial Investors (VAFI) has proposed that the Prime Minister privatise State-owned hospitals to reform the healthcare system and improve the quality of healthcare services. Photo tuyengiao.vn

HA NOI  The Vietnam Association of Financial Investors (VAFI) has proposed that the Prime Minister privatise State-owned hospitals to reform the healthcare system and improve the quality of healthcare services.

According to VAFI, the Government needs to implement changes in three stages to improve the quality of the countrys public healthcare services.

The first stage is to transform all the State-owned hospitals from a public to business organisation, and operate in accordance with the Law of Enterprises, VAFI said in its proposal.

The State-owned hospitals have to publicise their financial reports, business operations and must be audited annually like listed companies, and each must be run by a management board and a supervisory board, the VAFI said.

To help them operate safely and efficiently, and avoid bankruptcy and dissolution, the Government must set a limit on the total loans provided to these hospitals, which will permit their borrowings to not exceed 50 per cent of their ownership equity, VAFI said.

The second stage is to equitise the largest hospitals, such as Bach Mai, Viet uc, Cho Ray hospitals, the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and those that volunteer to be equitised, VAFI said.

These hospitals should be listed on the stock market, so that their business operations are transparent and public; thus, they will be able to raise capital from the securities market.

In the third stage, these hospitals should acquire the smaller ones that are located in the surrounding provinces and districts, and become parent hospitals, VAFI added.

The plan is to turn the current hospitals into corporations in which the Government holds more than 65 per cent of their charter capital and set up their branches at the district level.

People who reside in the urban and countryside areas can visit the branches of these hospitals in their local areas, instead of struggling to go to the big cities for healthcare services, VAFI said.

According to the association, the Government has had a lot of policies to improve the quality of the healthcare service sector, such as disbursing a huge amount of State budget to the public hospitals to improve their operations, raising more capital from the private sector and the society, and building satellite hospitals to reduce the large number of patients visiting central hospitals.

These policies have improved the quality of public hospitals by equipping them with advanced machines, and enhancing the profession of doctors and nurses working in these hospitals.

However, both patients and hospitals have been facing difficulties in the recent years, which have not been resolved or improved, the VAFI said.

The hospitals have spent a lot to purchase machines and equipment, but the equality of the purchased products are not good enough, resulting in relative increase in fees and loss to the State budget.

Patients have to pay unofficial fees, besides the official ones to please the doctors and nurses, to get good quality healthcare services. Meanwhile, the employees in the hospitals have been underperforming, as they receive low salary, while the management of the hospitals are not efficient.

In addition to this, the overload of patients at the central hospitals in big cities, such as Ha Noi and HCM City, shows that there is a big gap in the quality and professionalism of district-level and city-level doctors and nurses, VAFI said.  VNS
Many Vietnamese exporters are seeking new markets for tra (catfish) as they face high tariffs in the United States, long one of the biggest consumers of Vietnamese tra fish. VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI  Many Vietnamese exporters are seeking new markets for tra (catfish) as they face high tariffs in the United States, long one of the biggest consumers of Vietnamese tra fish.

The US has imposed high anti-dumping tariffs on Vietnamese tra exporters since 2014. Earlier this year, it also imposed a new requirement that foreign exporters demonstrate their food safety control system is equivalent to American regulations, creating a new hurdle for Vietnamese companies. Although prices in the US market are high and stable, the difficulties are spurring Vietnamese tra companies to seek new customers in Mexico, Canada and China.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), there are about 14 tra fish enterprises exporting to the US market. However, due to the high anti-dumping tax, only three companies -- Vinh Hoan Corporation, Hung Vuong JSC and Bien ong Seafood Company Ltd -- are significant exporters to this market, while the remaining 11 export small quantities.

As the role of the US as an importer of tra declines, Vietnamese companies are working to increase demand for tra internationally. In the long run, the businesses say they need to develop branding and improve the image of tra fish in the world market.

About three years ago, Truong Giang Fisheries Joint Stock Company in the southern province of ong Thap tried to export some containers of catfish to the US, but the high anti-dumping tax made the effort unprofitable. The company has no intention to try to export tra fish to the US again. Instead it is seeking other markets.

Hang Van, Deputy Director of Truong Giang Company, said that in the past few years, when the US imposed a high anti-dumping duty, many businesses have moved their exports to other markets.

Notably, in South Asia, Pakistan and India are quite potential markets for Vietnamese catfish, Van said. Pakistan currently accounts for about 10 per cent of the companys exports.

According to Van, tra exporters could focus on promoting exports to Indian market, the worlds second-largest in terms of population. The Indian consumers have initially accepted tra fish products.

"However, the import tax of tra fish in India is still too high, up to 70  80 per cent, so that importers do not dare to import much, said Van. In the coming time, if the two governments enhance trade co-operation and reduce import taxes, Viet Nams tra consumption market will be very large.

Song Tien Seafood JSC and Ngoc Xuan Seafood JSC in the southern province of Tien Giang are also seeking ways to export their products to non-US markets, including the EU, China and Middle East.

Nguyen Thi Anh, the head of both businesses mentioned above, said her companies this year accessed a number of new markets, such as the Middle East, South America and China.

As for the EU market, it has been still the strategic market of businesses for many years, accounting for about 60  70 per cent of the total exports, said Anh. To keep the stable volume of customers in this market, the company has focused on investment, ensuring product quality from raw materials to processing.

Therefore, although the company does not export tra fish to the US, its export turnover is stable and growing, Anh added.

Insiders also said that Vinh Hoanone of the three leading Vietnamese companies exporting tra fish to the USare focusing on exploiting newly-emerged markets.

Nguyen Ngo Vi Tam, General Director of Vinh Hoan Corporation, said the company had recently developed new markets. It is especially focusing on value-added products.

Tam said the company had installed a production line of grilled tra fish products marinated in teriyaki, a Japanese cooking technique, for export to Japan. After years of development efforts, Japanese consumers have started accepting freshwater fish products.

If businesses focus on product quality control, this will be a potential market for Viet Nams tra industry in Asia, just after China, said Tam.

Honorary President of VASEP Nguyen Thi Hong Minh said there were still many opportunities to develop the tra fish industry and change the worldview of Vietnamese tra fish. First of all, he said, Viet Nam needs a national-level tra fish product.

Minh proposed to make a line of tra fish fillet products that would be based on a common standard system. Meanwhile, the processing enterprises and exporters would jointly develop markets and branding.

"The main product must be fillet because it accounts for 80 per cent of Viet Nams export of tra fish. In addition, relevant agencies must also support the development of this product line, which needs to have logos and a brand name as well, said Minh.  VNS
QUANG TRI - Quang Tri Province is facing serious forest usurpation and deforestation as people seek to expand the land area available for farming.

As of this year, the provincial Peoples Committee has assigned public forestry companies and local authorities to manage more than 330,000 ha of forest land.

To improve the forest stewardship and protection, the provincial authority has classified its forest into three categories: protection, special-use and production forests. Also, it has created favorable conditions for companies and people to develop sustainable forestry. Projects of greening barren land have been implemented to expand forest areas, especially FSC certificated ones.

However, rising wood prices fuels illegal deforestation. Many people in the mountainous areas cut down trees to sell the wood, creating serious conflicts with the forest management agencies.

Huong Hoa  akrong protection forest management board is responsible for 26,227ha forest land, covering 15 wards and towns in the two mountainous districts of Huong Hoa and akrong. Forests are interspersed with residential areas and farming land in these districts.

At present, natural forests and industrial forests in parts of Huong Hoa District are being encroached upon by local people. Over seven ha of forest in the districts Huong Phung and Tan Thanh Wards have been destroyed since the beginning of 2017.

Frequently, the deforestation occurs when people begin planting banana and rice in forested areas and then propose converting the forest into farming land to the authoritiesafter the outcome has become a fait accompli.

Nguyen Cong Tuan, director of Huong Hoa  akrong protection forest management board, said that the phenomenon is becoming more serious. Therefore, they collaborate with local authorities to promote forest protection, re-designate forest lands and demarcate forest boundaries.

Forestry companies victimized, too

The same problem occurs to Route 9 Forestry Company and Ben Hai Forestry Company. According to Hoang Ngoc Thanh, head of Ben Hai Forestry Companys administration board, the forest invasion is complicated. There are 70ha of invaded forestry land in several wards of Vinh Linh District as well as along the districts border with Quang Binh Province.

Though forest management has been tightened, deforestation has continued.

Trieu Phong District authorities investigated 13 agencies that showed signs of breaking the Land Law in 15 areas. In akrong district alone, there have been more than 100 cases of deforestation on a 63.16ha area since the beginning of the year. Most of the destroyed forests are natural ones belonging to public agencies such as the Huong Hoa  akrong protection forest management board.

Nguyen Hong Thai, director of Route 9 Forestry Company, said that the company managed 7,524ha of forestry land, including 1,800ha of protected forest. However, in recent years, many people have cut down trees along springs and streams to plant their own trees. Thai said the company discussed the issue with local people but most of them said they had nowhere else to farm.

Deputy head of Quang Tri Province Peoples Committee Ha Sy ong said that the main reason for the land crunch is the rising population, which has strained already sparse agricultural resources in the mountainous terrain.

The government issued a decree to improve forest protection in 2016. Therein, forest protection agencies will conduct investigations to prevent deforestation and illegal hunting. VNS
HA NOI  As many as 200 sets of porcelain products reflecting modern trends as well as traditional techniques by Hungarian artists are on display in downtown Ha Noi.

Titled Contemporary Hungarian Porcelain, the exhibition features products from the three most famous porcelain producing workshops in Hungary.

They bear both significant creative characteristics, blending traditional and modern techniques by contemporary artists, Simonffy Marta, chairperson of the Hungarian Association of Creative and Industrial Fine Artists, told Viet Nam News.

She said this is the first time the association has showcased products by contemporary artists.

We plan to visit Bat Trang Ceramic Village and exchange ideas and experiences with the village artists, and other traditional ceramic and porcelain villages in Viet Nam, she said.

We also hope to establish showrooms in Viet Nam to penetrate the Vietnamese market, she said.

Audiences visit the exhibition.

Hungarian porcelain is made of a mixture of quartz, Cornish stone and feldspar. Its material is absolutely solid without any hygroscopic capacities. Its translucent surface is white, shiny and shelled. The material was invented in China and imported to Europe by merchants.

The porcelain factory of Meissen, the most significant European factory, was founded by Hungarian Akos Eros in 1710. In the 18th century, the porcelain factories of Vienne and Venice worked beside that of Meissen.

A porcelain doll at the exhibition.

Three porcelain factories were established in the 19th century in Hungary: The one in Herend was founded by Vince Stingle in 1826. It was taken over by Mor Fischer in 1839, who started and made successful the manufacturing of art pieces.

The development of the porcelain manufactory of Hollohaza (1857) is associated with Ferenc Istvanyi. The Zsolnay porcelain manufactory of Pecs was founded by Miklos Zsolnay in 1853. It was headed by his son Ignacz, and later on, from 1865, by his younger brother Vilmos Zsolnay, who revived it and made it world famous for the eosin glaze created by chemist Vince Wartha.

I believe Vietnamese-Hungarian relations have entered a new phase following the ongoing visit of H.E Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, Hungarian Minister of State for Family, Youth Affairs and International Affairs Katalin Novak noted while addressing the exhibitions opening ceremony on September 25.

A decorative porcelain vase displayed at the exhibition.

Our mutual experiences make it possible to have a better, quicker and deeper understanding of each other, she added.

It is a challenge from every aspect to exhibit porcelain in Viet Nam where the savoir-faire of making porcelain goes back centuries, she said.

The exhibition will be on at the Museum of Vietnamese Fine Arts, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, until October 8, before moving to HCM City.  VNS
JAKARTA  The Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) held a roadshow in Jakarta to promote the countrys image and introduce Vietnamese tourism products to Indonesians to attract more visitors.

According to VNAT deputy head Ha Van Sieu, Viet Nam and Indonesia are two large economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but bilateral tourism co-operation is below potential.

Themed Graceful Vietnam, the roadshow on Monday provided Indonesias travel agencies with information about Viet Nams tourism, including attractive destinations such as Phong Nha Ke Bang Cave and Son oong Cave in central Quang Binh Province, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex -- a UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site -- in northern Ninh Binh Province, Sa Pa Town in Lao Cai Province and Ban Gioc waterfall in Cao Bang Province in the north.

The event also highlighted Viet Nams heritage recognised by UNESCO, including 10 tangible heritages and 10 intangible heritages, as well as the countrys diverse cuisine.

Magdalena Atmadja, marketing director of the Platinum Travel Agency, said her company often organises tours to Ha Noi and HCM City.

The company will begin tours to other destinations in Viet Nam such as Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha Ke Bang Cave and Ninh Binh Province, she added.

Meanwhile, Akhmad Dani, director of Indonesian tourism company Goodway, said the lack of guides who speak Indonesian and limited Halal food options for Muslims make it difficult to organise tours in Viet Nam.

The number of Indonesian tourists to Viet Nam is expected to increase significantly because of close cooperation between the two countries and attractive tourism products. In addition, the friendly nature of the Vietnamese, policies on ensuring security for tourists, visa exemptions for citizens of ASEAN and other key markets, and support to Indonesian travel agents and media agencies will attract more foreign tourists to Viet Nam, including Indonesian visitors.

The roadshow was attended by the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism, the Indonesian Tourism Association, several airlines and nearly 150 leading travel agents from the two countries.

After Indonesia, the Graceful Vietnam roadshow will be held in Malaysia and Thailand.  VNS
HCM CITY  There is great potential for co-operation between HCM City and Korean localities and businesses considering the demand for development in the city and Koreans strengths, a city leader has said.

Tat Thanh Cang, deputy secretary of the HCM Citys Party Committee, told Kim Hack Yong, chairman of the Republic of Korea (RoK)Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Group at a meeting on Sunday that the potential for co-operation is large, especially in electronics, auto parts, hi-tech agriculture, and supporting industries.

To promote its hi-tech industries, HCM City has been welcoming Korean investors, especially large manufacturing companies, he said.

It has been focusing on supporting industries in sectors such as electronics, IT and food processing, he said.

HCM City has taken efforts to become a cultural, health and educational hub, not only in Viet Nam but also [the region].

It has paid close attention to the rapid economic development achieved by the RoK, and hopes the experiences would be shared by its Korean partners, he said.

Kim said ties between Viet Nam and RoK have grown well in the last 25 years.

Viet Nam is one of the countries to which Korean companies give priority when seeking to invest abroad, he said.

Many Korean companies have received support from the Vietnamese Government and relayed this message to other enterprises back in Korea, he said.

Members of the RoKViet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Group hoped HCM City authorities would create favourable conditions for Korean companies when they come on fact-finding tours and to invest in the city.

They also hoped the city authorities would support Koreans living and studying in Viet Nam.

The group was set up in Korea in 1993 and in Viet Nam two years later.  VNS
TOKYO  Japanese doctor Nagato Natsume has been appointed as Honourary Consul of Viet Nam in Nagoya city of Aichi prefecture.

Dr Natsume, director of the Japanese Cleft Palate Foundation, will hold the position for the 2017-20 term.

At a ceremony on September 25, Charge daffaires of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan Nguyen Truong Son said the appointment of Dr Natsume indicated the Vietnamese Governments and peoples recognition of his tireless contributions to Viet Nam.

Over the past 25 years, the doctor has assisted in conducting more than 4,000 surgical operations on Vietnamese children with cleft palate and providing loans for poor households with disabled children.

Son expressed his belief that Dr Natsume will foster links between Aichi prefecture and Viet Nam, and contribute to protecting Vietnamese citizens in the region.

The diplomat also voided his hope that the consul will contribute more to Viet NamJapan relations, particularly in culture, education and investment.

Dr Natsume affirmed that he will continue his efforts to develop bilateral ties.

He also unveiled a plan to help Vietnamese people access quality health care service and pharmaceutical products, and promised to assist Vietnamese students and workers in Aichi.

In 2016, Dr Natsume was bestowed the second-class Labour Order by President Tran ai Quang for his contributions to Viet Nams health sector and Viet Nam-Japan relations.  VNS
A NANG  The central city of a Nang and Sakai City in Japans Osaka Prefecture will start an intership programme for civil servants from a Nang to work in the Japanese city, deputy chairman of the central citys Peoples Committee Ho Ky Minh told a meeting with Sakai City leadership last week.

Minh said the two cities had signed a co-operation deal in 2009 to develop the programme as a partnership agreement.

The two sides agreed to boost short-term exchanges for work and language tgraining.

Japan also plans to open a consulate office in a Nang City to boost tourism and exchanges between Japan and the central city.

a Nang is also enhancing co-operation with Yokohama, Nagasaki and Kansai.

The Japan-Viet Nam Culture Centre will be built in Ngu Hanh Son District, while a 134ha industrial park has been designed for small- and medium-sized businesses from Japan investing in a Nang.

Japanese language teaching has been taught at some junior secondary schools following the citys foreign language teaching programme for 2012-20.

a Nang has hosted an annual Japan-Viet Nam Exchange Festival in the city since 2013.  VNS
HA NOI  Indias shipbuilding enterprises said they would comply with the needs of the Vietnamese shipyard industry at the Maritime Industry Business Meeting in Hai Phong City on September 25.

The meeting, co-organised by the Indian Embassy in Viet Nam and the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industrys branch in Hai Phong City, was a part of the ongoing celebrations to commemorate the 45th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Viet Nam, the 10th anniversary of establishment of Strategic Partnership and 25th anniversary of India-ASEAN relations.

At the meeting, Indian shipbuilders, including Goa Shipyard Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited and Larsen & Toubro Limited confirmed that they belonged to Indias Ministry of National Defence, and were capable of producing equipment for military vessels, including fire control systems, communication equipment, and able of designing and building big ships, and were ready to co-operate with Vietnamese shipyard plants.

Speaking at the meeting, Indian Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said that this year marked an important milestone in the relationship between Viet Nam and India. He said that Viet Nam-India relations had deep roots and many similarities in culture.

At the same time, the relationship between the two countries as comprehensive strategic partners, in the light of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Viet Nam in 2016, was an important milestone for the co-operative potential between the two sides, he said.

The Ambassador hoped that the relationship between the two countries would grow stronger, especially in the maritime field. Thereby, it was becoming a bridge to help enterprises of both sides have the opportunity to co-operate, especially in the field of high-value ship manufacturing, he said.

During Modis visit to Viet Nam in 2016, the two governments signed an agreement worth US$100 million to build 12 naval patrol vessels for Viet Nams Ministry of Defence.

"Also during the visit, the Indian PM announced a $500 million credit package for the Vietnamese defence sector. We expect this package to be disbursed soon, said Harish.

Deputy Chairman of the Hai Phong City Peoples Committee Nguyen Van Thanh said that leaders of the city, with its long-tradition of the shipbuilding industry and home to many shipyard plants, would regularly receive requests and proposals to create opportunities for businesses of both India and Viet Nam, aimed at pushing joint development.

Thereby, it promoted investment co-operation and trade between the two countries, he said.

Two Indian Naval ships, INS SATPURA and INS KADMATT, were at the Chua Ve Port in Hai Phong City as part of a friendship visit from September 23 to 27. During the visit, the Indian Navy ships had exchange activities with the Viet Nam Peoples Navy towards further enhancing the co-operation between the two forces.

Viet Nam and India have long been co-operating with maritime partners. In the first week of October, another Indian naval vessel will visit Viet Nam and join the Vietnamese navy in training of search and rescue operations at sea. In addition, in 2018, Viet Nam and India would have the opportunity to co-operate with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Africa, the India Ambassador said.  VNS
HCM CITY  Exposure to high amounts of toxic coumarin, found in smuggled cigarettes coming into the country in recent years, raises the risk of several birth defects or even miscarriage, health experts warn.

Dr Nguyen Thi Tu Van, former lecturer of HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, told Viet Nam News: Many international studies have shown that if pregnant women, especially in the first three months of pregnancy, are exposed to toxic substances including coumarin via inhalation and ingestion when living in an environment with these substance, then their child in the womb is at risk of birth defects such as minor neurological dysfunction, cerebral retardation and hand, foot, and eye abnormalities."

Many countries in the world have banned using coumarin in food and cigarettes, she said, adding that the Viet Nam Ministry of Health also does not allow its use in food.

However, it is found in smuggled cigarettes in the country, Nguyen inh Truong, head of the Viet Nam Tobacco Economic Technical Institute, said at a workshop on the harm that smuggled cigarette pose for the health of pregnant women and foetus on September 22 held by the Centre for Assistances for Women and Reproductive Health Cares under Viet Nam Womens Union.

Truong expressed concern about the rapid increase of smuggled cigarettes.

During 2013 and 2016, between 17 to 18 billion cigarettes were smuggled into the country, Truong said.

Seized smuggled cigarettes seized will be destroyed. VNA/VNS.Photo

According to the Viet Nam Tobacco Association, the smuggled cigarettes account for more than 20 per cent of the countrys total market, leading to a loss of around VN10 trillion (US$440 million) to the State budget every year.

Ninety per cent of smuggled cigarettes were JET and HERO, Truong said, adding that he and his colleagues took samples of these brands for analysing.

The results showed that the coumarin content in these brands were high. The coumarin content in JET cigarettes was 76.3 ppm and 98.7ppm in HERO cigarettes, Truong said, and adding that coumarin existing in illegally imported cigarettes is used to make the cigarettes stronger and more flavorful. By doing so, the manufacturers aim to increase consumption of their products despite harms to local smokers, particularly pregnant women.

According to the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, tolerable daily intake is 0.1 miligramme per kilogramme of body weight.

According to him, the increase of smuggled cigarettes is due to their higher profit margins.

He suggested that the Government should take further drastic measures to prevent cigarettes smuggling to ensure health for people, especially pregnant women.

Van said that banning the consumption of smuggled cigarettes would be the best preventive method.

Pregnant women should go to health facilities for ultrasounds to detect birth defects, she advised.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, head of the Centre for Assistances for Women and Reproductive Health Cares, said that the Viet Nam Womens Union carried out many programmes to improve awareness of the risks of cigarettes as well as coumarin to the health of pregnant women and foetuses. VNS
BINH PHUOC  Thousands of hectares of cashew in the southern province of Binh Phuoc have been hit by pests, causing local farmers to worry about crop failure in next years harvest.

According to the locals, the genus Helopeltis, also known as mosquito bugs, have caused serious damage to the cashew plantations since the beginning of the year, drying out nad damaging the trees.

Hoang Van uc, a cashew farmer in ong Phu District, said the epidemic has been widespread for months due to unfavourable weather.

In order to prevent the disease spreading, he sprayed chemicals and added more fertilizer for trees, but he could not be sure that they will recover by next season, uc said.

Many households are desperate and have not taken any measures to prevent the disease.

ong Xoai Township, Phu Rieng, ong Phu and Bu Gia Map districts are the most severely affected, local farmers said.

In Phu Rieng alone, the insects have damaged over 10,000ha of trees, according to local reports.

The provincial Peoples Committee has directed local authorities to mobilise farmers to implement preventive measures. The province is reviewing the area of damage to support affected households, especially with ethnic minority households.  VNS
HCM CITY  Nearly 70 universities, research institutions, businesses and innovation supporting agencies are participating in a five-day National Advanced Training Programme on Successful Technology Licensing that began on Monday in HCM City.

In the ASEAN region, Viet Nam is one of the rising stars regarding innovation, said Olga Spasic, counselor with the SMEs and Entrepreneurship Support Division of the World Intellectual Property Organisations (WIPO) Department for Transition and Developed Countries.

In the latest Global Innovation Index report, Viet Nam is recognised to be one of the new Asian tigers on the rise, including Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, she said at the opening ceremony of the training programme.

Viet Nam has been active in improving innovation performance, showcasing best practices, paired with remarkable results, Spasic added.

Last year, for example, a Vietnamese government resolution assigned responsibilities to ministries, agencies, and local governments to undertake actions to improve the countrys performance, and the Ministry of Science and Technology was tasked with co-ordinating these efforts.

WIPO is supporting efforts of the Government to achieve its strategic objectives. It is with this vision that the WIPO Enabling Intellectual Property Environment project was developed, Spasic said.

The project aims to increase the capacity of countries for technology development, management and successful Intellectual Property (IP) commercialisation through establishment of a sustainable innovation system and creation of strong network of all stakeholders.

The project is currently being implemented in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Iran and Viet Nam. In Viet Nam, it will be implemented for five years, starting from 2018.

Primary beneficiaries include universities and R&D institutions, Government innovation supporting agencies, industries and other players in the innovation process.

A project governance and operating structure is in place to ensure mutual accountability of parties involved and sustain results beyond the projects timeframe.

The National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) has networked with 30 technology and innovation support centres at universities and research institutes, inh Huu Phi, head of NOIP, said.

Twenty centres have signed up to join the project.

This week, WIPO experts will interview and select official universities and research institutes to participate in the project, he said.

The training programme in HCM City is organised by WIPO in collaboration with NOIP under Viet Nams Ministry of Science and Technology. VNS
Deputy Prime Minister Vu uc am has emphasised the need to provide better health care services for the elderly by standardizing the care available in health facilities and the community. VNS/VNS Photo

HA NOI  Deputy Prime Minister Vu uc am has emphasised the need to provide better health care services for the elderly by standardizing the care available in health facilities and the community.

The country should develop models of family clinics and geriatric hospitals and strengthen nursing staff for the elderly, he said at a conference held in Ha Noi on Monday to discuss community-based healthcare for the elderly on the occasion of International Day of Elderly People (October 1).

am told participants that Viet Nam has implemented policies to care for and promote the respect of the elderly. As a result, the life expectancy of Vietnamese people has increased significantly.

Viet Nam has over 10 million old people, accounting for 11 per cent of the countrys population. Over 2 million of the elderly are over 80 years old.

The Deputy PM stressed the need to promote the role of the elderly in the society, noting that respect is an important component of quality care.

Raising awareness about the needs of the aging population should be included in national development and social welfare programme, he said.

He also suggested expanding nursing houses suitable to Vietnamese traditions and focusing on tackling chronic diseases among the elderly.

Participants attending the conference discussed strategies to increase the availability of health care services, manage chronic diseases and take care of the elderly in their communities.

Addressing the conference, Deputy Minister Pham Le Tuan said as many as 6.6 million of elderly Vietnamese people, or 65.7 per cent, live in rural areas and rely on farming.

As one of the countries with the fastest-growing ageing rate, Viet Nam records an average life expectancy of 73 years, but the good health span  the number of years the average person can expect to be relatively free of life-impacting ailments  is only 64 years.

Tuan proposed that the health sector should increase investment in projects to build a friendly environment for old people and promote the role of the elderly within their families and communities.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ha Noi Peoples Committee has approved a project to upgrade the capitals old railway station and surrounding areas into a Japanese-style modern urban depot surrounded by buildings of up to 70 stories. The project would be carried out in stages, to be completed by 2035.

However, the plan has generated opposition from architectural experts, who argue that it would disrupt the citys planning, affect historical monuments nearby, greatly increase population density and worsen traffic.

The plan calls for six zones of high-rise buildings of between 40 to 70 storeys for financial and media purposes, a railway station, and three areas of low-rise buildings with a park, international trade zone and a new lifestyle zone.

The project will cover a total area of 98ha in the districts of ong a, Hoan Kiem, Ba inh and Hai Ba Trung. Total investment capital is estimated at VN 23.8 trillion (US$1.01 trillion).

The project was prepared by the citys Department of Planning and Architecture in consultation with Japans Nikken Sekkei Civil Engineering Ltd (NSC).

Le Vinh, director of the municipal Department of Planning and Architecture, said the station is currently surrounded by low-rise houses with low-quality traffic and water drainage infrastructure, causing serious traffic congestion and environmental pollution.

In addition, the station area is surrounded by dense construction, resulting in a shortage of public spaces and parking lots. The project would rearrange the use of the land, create more urban open space and resettlement, and supplement social and technical infrastructure to serve residents, he said. Road space in the area would increase from 14,88 hectares to 24,72 hectares and underground parking lots would occupy 34.5 hectares of the projects area.

Opposition

However, many construction experts and architects have raised objections.

o Viet Chien, former director of the Ministry of Constructions Department of Urban Development, said the project would increase the population and put pressure on facilities. In addition, commercial centres would attract a large number of people, causing terrible traffic congestion, he explained.

PhD Pham Sy Liem, vice chairman of the Viet Nam Construction Association, agreed, saying the station was an important traffic hub linking many key routes of Le Duan, Tran Hung ao, Ly Thuong Kiet and Hai Ba Trung streets. The 70-storey buildings would worsen the situation.

Liem said Ha Noi made an effort to reduce the population in the inner city, not increase it. Ha Noi Railway Station has historic significance for the city and the city should consider building a railway station out of the centre and maintain the current station as a historic venue.

Nguyen Ngoc Tien, a researcher, said 80-year-old French-style architecture of the station was an Asian landmark that should be preserved. Moreover, the new railway area would cover a large area and affect dozens of historic monuments nearby, including the ancient Temple of Literature.

The committee is collecting opinions from ministries and sectors before proposing it to the Government.  VNS
QUANG NINH  The Peoples Committee of the coastal Quang Ninh Province on Monday urged the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to waive tolls on National Route 18 for nearby residents.

Hundreds of residents of the northern provinces ai Yen Ward gathered at the ai Yen build-transfer-operate (BOT) toll station on National Route 18 last Wednesday, requesting a waiver of tolls for those who live in adjacent areas and frequently pass the station, the Nguoi lao ong (The Labourer) online newspaper reported.

Its unreasonable that locals like us who pass the station three or four times a day are subject to tolls, a local resident told the newspaper. It is the second time in a fortnight that residents gathered to express their objection to toll collection at the station.

Upon the residents request, the Quang Ninh Peoples Committee on Monday proposed to MoTs Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam to waive tolls for drivers of vehicles with less than 12 seats that are permanent residents of Ha Long Citys ai Yen Ward and Quang Yen Towns Minh Thanh Ward.

The Ocean BOT JSC, manager of the ai Yen toll station, also proposed to reduce tolls for all vehicles passing the station.

Nguyen Xuan Cuong, deputy director of the directorate, agreed to present the proposals to MoT.

The ai Yen toll station is located on a stretch of National Route 18 that connects Ha Long and Uong Bi cities. The stretch was renovated under the BOT mechanism and reopened for public use in October 2014. All vehicles running to and from these two cities must pass the station.  VNS
HCM CITY  Customs officers arrested a 25-year-old woman on Monday for trafficking in methamphetamine hidden in a disguised gift parcel sent by air from the US to Viet Nam.

According to customs officers at HCM Citys Tan Son Nhat International Airport, 400 grams of meth were hidden in the suspects shampoo bottles, clothes, sweets and nutrition powder.

The citys Department of Public Securitys Drug-Related Crime Investigation Police Division is continuing its investigation.  VNS
HA NOI  A criminal involved in the trafficking of 490 heroin cakes in 2015 was sentenced to death on Tuesday morning.

Bui Van Bien, 30, resident of the capital citys outer Thach That District, was convicted of illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and arms trafficking during a legal trial in the capital city on Tuesday morning.

He was sentenced to death for the first offence and given four years imprisonment for the latter. The final sentence for his crime was the death penalty.

Bien was arrested in May under a wanted order after fleeing his residence and being on the run for a year since 2016. His heroin trafficking ring, which transported heroin from the northern province of Son La to Ha Noi to be sold in China, was uncovered by the police in 2015.

Eight other members of the ring were also sentenced to death in April, including death row inmate Nguyen Van Tinh, 28, who escaped the T16 detention centre in Ha Nois Thanh Oai District on September 10 and recaptured a week later.

Three others were sentenced to life imprisonment.

On July 23, 2015, 170 heroin cakes were discovered at the bottom of a gas tank when a truck transporting the tank was stopped by the Ha Noi Drug Crime Investigation Police near Cau ong Bridge in the capital citys outer Gia Lam District.

Hundreds more heroin cakes, two K59 pistols and dozens of bullets were discovered as the investigation expanded. Some 320 heroin cakes were also found hidden at the bottom of two other gas tanks.

The total number of heroin cakes seized was 490, or 119kg. Most members of the ring were arrested.

The ring was led by ang Minh Chau, 44, resident of Lang Son City. It was established in 2004 after Chau moved to the Guangxi autonomous region in China and lived with a local man.

Chau and her partners in crime conducted illegal trade of some 1,200 heroin cakes up till the time she was arrested. Some 862 cakes, or 304kg of heroin, were traded successfully.

Bien was involved in the trafficking of 670 of the 1,200 heroin cakes, or 231kg of heroin.  VNS
HCM CITY  The HCM City Police announced on Tuesday they have arrested four key persons of a gang that was involved in at least 30 robberies in HCM City and neighbouring provinces.

Early last month, police discovered that a gang of some 10 members rented rooms at hotels in Tan Phu and Binh Tan districts, drove motorbikes and used flick knives and tear gas spray to rob people on the streets.

After the robbery, they usually pushed the victims to the ground. On several occasions, they committed the robberies even if when were aware the police were following them.

Around the middle of last month, HCM City decided to assign a team to track down and investigate the gang of thieves.

Colonel Le Ngoc Phuong, head of the city polices Criminal Police, said four robbers were caught on September 17 at a karaoke bar in Binh Tan District while taking the drug ecstasy.

Upon searching their homes and motorbikes, police also found two knives, tear gas spray, six motorbikes, six mobile phones, five rings and two necklaces that were stolen.

Police are on the lookout for other members of the gang.  VNS
WASHINGTON  Republican senators struggled to gather more support for a last-ditch attempt to repeal Obamacare on Monday despite revising funding provisions of their bill to make it more attractive to a handful of undecided lawmakers.

The outcome remained in doubt with several senators in the party voicing concerns in recent days about the legislation to dismantle Democratic former President Barack Obamas signature healthcare law.

An economic assessment by Standard & Poors Global Ratings threw more cold water on the bill. If enacted, it would result in 580,000 lost jobs and $240 billion in lost economic activity by 2027, keeping GDP growth stuck in low gear of around 2 per cent at best.

In hopes of finding more backing, Republican senators leading the effort released a changed version of their bill that included a table showing some states where senators have been undecided, such as Alaska and Maine, would get more money.

For seven years, Republicans have hammered Obamacare, which extended health insurance to some 20 million Americans, as an unwarranted and costly government intrusion into healthcare, while also opposing taxes it imposed on the wealthy.

President Donald Trump made repealing Obamacare one of his top campaign promises in 2016. Democrats have fiercely defended it.

A Senate Finance Committee hearing on the healthcare legislation on Monday was disrupted by protesters chanting No cuts for Medicaid, save our liberty.

Capitol Hill police removed the protesters, many in wheelchairs, from the hearing room.

A total of three Republican defections would kill off the latest anti-Obamacare effort. Republican Senators John McCain, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have said in recent days they would voteno. Other senators such as Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have also voiced reservations.

A spokesman for Paul said on Monday the senator still opposes the latest version despite the tweaks. A Cruz aide said the Texas conservative is not currently a yes on this bill, but we continue to work towards lowering premiums.

Slim Margin

Trump said there was little room for Republican wavering on healthcare.

We have 52 senators, so you lose two, youre out, he told the Alabama-based "Rick and Bubba" radio program on Monday.

We dont have much a margin. We dont have any margin.

Democratic leaders roundly rejected the revised draft of the repeal legislation as a sleight of hand to gain support.

Once the protests on Capitol Hill had died down, Teresa Miller, acting secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, told the Senate hearing that states would not be able to sustain the deep cuts projected under the latest healthcare legislation.

Ive been thinking a lot over the past few days about what we would do in Pennsylvania if this bill passes and becomes law, she said. And honestly, I struggle to figure out how we would respond. We would have two years to completely revamp our healthcare system.

The last attempt to repeal Obamacare fell one vote short in July, in a humiliating setback for Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The new bill, originally introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, would take federal money spent on the Medicaid programme for the poor and disabled, as well as subsidies to help Americans buy private insurance, and divvy it up to the states in block grants. Advocates say that would give states more discretion to manage their own healthcare schemes.

Opponents fear undoing Obamacare will mean millions lose healthcare, including some with pre-existing medical conditions.

The two largest health insurer lobbying groups on Monday renewed their criticism of the bill, sending testimony to the

Senate that it would destabilise the individual health insurance market and hurt consumers.

US hospital stocks were down across the board on Monday morning, in broadly bearish trading marketwide. Shares of HCA Healthcare Inc and Tenet Healthcare Corp were hit particularly hard, falling 2.8 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, in afternoon trading.  AFP
Since its founding in 1982, the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair (HKWCF) has become the leading trade show in Asia and the second largest in the world after Baselworld. Its prime position is no surprise since Hong Kong is the largest importer of Swiss watches by a large margin. The size and scope of the fair makes it an enlightening microcosm of what is happening in the global, and not just Swiss, watch business.

The 2017 HKWCF took place in first week of September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, a large complex by the sea thats a favourite setting for films (it was destroyed in 2014s Transformers). Over 800 exhibitors and 20,000 buyers took part, a surprising jump from last years figures despite the slowdown in luxury watch demand globally, and perhaps proof that the market for low-cost parts and supplies is robust.

Despite the luxury watch industry facing its worst slowdown since the quartz crisis, the fair demonstrated that Chinese watchmakers are adopting an approach to the business thats a polar opposite of what their Swiss peers are doing.

After decades of expanding production volumes with a focus on low-end timepieces, Chinese watchmakers now find themselves stuck in an unglamorous segment of the market, unable to capture the increasingly affluent Chinese consumer who demands more than just basic, practical watches.

Moreover, unlike European luxury watch brands that are mostly privately owned by listed conglomerates, large Chinese watch brands are state-owned enterprises. Under the new reform initiatives by the government in Beijing, Chinese watchmakers are under increasing pressure to be more independent and competitive.

Consequently, big names such as Seagull and Shanghai Watch Co. are aggressively rolling out new flagship complications at a time when their Swiss counterparts are producing simpler and more affordable watches. Though Chinese watchmakers have some ways to go before catching up with their Swiss rivals in terms of brand image, aesthetics and quality, the gap is shrinking.

Staying true to its roots as a business-to-business trade fair, the exhibitors at the HKWCF consisted of mainly OEM watch manufacturers and component suppliers from Asia as well as the rest of the world, including Switzerland  illustrating the global nature of what is widely seen as a Swiss business.

Many of the same exhibitors, including movement makers Miyota and Ronda, as well as tool maker Bergeon, were also present at the China Watch & Clock Fair (CWCF) that took place in June across the border in Shenzhen.

But as with the CWCF, the organisers of the HKWCF have attempted to evolve from an industry trade show to a more inclusive exhibition that also caters to consumers. Consequently, large portions of the exhibition halls were dedicated to finishes watches ready for sale.

The highlight of the consumer-friendly section was the World Brand Piazza by Hong Kong watch retailer, Prince Jewellery & Watch. Featuring 13 brands, the lavishly decorated booth showcased some of the flashiest watches in the world, including the shamelessly named Billionaire watch.

Unveiled in 2015, the Billionaire is a creation of Jacob & Co., the New York based jeweller thats a favourite of athletes and musicians. Its one of the worlds most expensive watches, boasting a price tag of US$18 million.

Entirely clad in 260 carats of emerald-cut diamonds, the watch is a quintessential display of gem-setting skill. The diamonds had to be matched and cut for a consistent tapering from end to end, from the 3-carat diamonds on the first row down to the 0.5-carats diamonds at the clasp.

Another highlight was the Franck Muller Vanguard Gravity Skeleton that made its debut in 2016. Equipped with a movement unveiled in 2014, the Vanguard Gravity features a tourbillon with a cage spanning 21.2mm that contains an off-centere balance wheel. This years model takes it a step further with a skeletonised movement to reveal the mechanics beneath. To ensure a coherent design language, the movement bridges were redesigned in the same industrial chic style found on the tourbillon cage.

One of the less known brand on show was Juvenia, a Swiss name now sold mostly in China and Hong Kong. It showcased the unusual Protractor watch that displays time with an hour hand shaped like the eponymous mathematical instrument, while the minute hand takes the form of a ruler and the seconds hand resembles a compass needle, all of which are set against a dial covered in graph paper print.

The deceptively fresh design, however, has in fact been around since the 1940s, making this a vintage remake that looks unusually novel. The latest iteration of this quirky, mathematically-themed watch is the Juvenia Sextant III that was bumped up in size  from 35mm to 40mm  to better suit modern tastes. The watch, with a stainless steel case, is priced at US$4,668.

Besides Swiss names, the fair was also a stage for some of the newest creations by Chinese watch companies such as Seagull and Shanghai Watch Co.

Best known for supplying movements to micro brands making low-cost watches, Seagull had the new ST8160 inclined tourbillon movement on show. The tourbillon is inclined at a 20 angle, which improves accuracy by better compensating for the various positions that the wristwatch takes while on the wrist.

There were two derivative prototypes of the movement on display, one that was skeletonised and another with a clear sapphire crystal base plate. Details of these models have yet to be released, but they will be priced higher than the base model tourbillon that is currently priced at US$7,299.

To celebrate its 60th anniversary this year, Shanghai Watch Co. released its most technically advanced watch to date, the Transcend tourbillon, which features a double-axis, spherical tourbillon.

The balance is held by a web of elliptical bridges that form a pair of spherical cages, which make a full revolution every minute. The visual impact of the tourbillon is further amplified by a large sapphire hemisphere over it. With diamond indices on its dial, the watch has a 41mm rose gold case and retails for US$45,776.

Other creations from Shanghai Watch Co. featured what is usually known as metiers dart in Swiss watchmaking, including dials decorated with peacock feather marquetry and silk embroidery.

Despite being one of the largest markets for watches, there is a surprising dearth of high-end brands from Hong Kong. The only one is Memorigin, which specialises in tourbillon watches.

Memorigin launched the second generation of its Stellar tourbillon at HKWCF. The 43mm two-piece steel case features a domed sapphire aperture at three oclock that provides an unimpeded view of the tourbillon regulator.

Other functions include a three-dimensional rotating globe for the second time zone and a Chinese planetarium at 12 oclock. All the displays are visually linked by a square, 18k gold bridge. The boldly designed timepiece is powered by Memorigins in-house AT 1118 automatic tourbillon movement and is priced at US$6,369.
DENVER  The Denver Public Library will host the 37th annual Dr. E.H. Stumme Art & Photography Show from Nov. 13-16.

Local artists and photographers are welcome to submit work to the show.

Two-dimensional works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, drawing, digital and photography will be accepted.

Artists can range from professional to amateur or student. Artwork must be matted and framed, with the exception of student work.

Entry packets are available at the library, and there is no fee to enter. Ribbons will be awarded in each media category.

Artwork and photographs can be brought to the library beginning Oct. 30; deadline to submit work is Nov. 8.

A reception is set for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at the library. The public is welcome to attend and view the artwork, meet the artists and photographers and enjoy live music and refreshments. The show also will be open during regular library hours.

The art show is an annual tradition at the Denver Library. Its named for Dr. E.H. Stumme, longtime Denver physician, who was instrumental in establishing a library in the city in 1960.

For information or a copy of the show packet, call the library at 984-5140 or go to www.denver.lib.ia.us.
CEDAR FALLS -- A Cedar Falls man was arrested for stealing an iPad from a vehicle after the stolen iPad began sounding while police were at his home.

Shane Michael Ferrari, 23, of 2300 Washington St., was arrested Monday for two counts of burglary to a vehicle and one count of possession of marijuana. He was later released from jail.

According to police, residents on Washington Street reported break-ins to their vehicles on Sept. 16. One of the missing items was an Apple iPad, and the victim showed officers how the device could be tracked using an app on his phone.

The app indicated the iPad was in the area of Ferraris home. A resident at the house let police inside, and officers used the app to signal the missing iPad to set off an audible alarm, court records state.

Police heard the alarm coming from a backpack in the home, and they found the device inside. They also found wireless headphone, charging cords, cologne and a Dr. Dre CD that had been stolen from the parked cars, court records state.
CEDAR FALLS  The Board of Regents and the presidents of Iowas three public universities had little to say about a $12 million state funding request for needs-based financial aid programs during the boards meeting Monday.

The sentiments about the proposal, however, were summed up in one brief exchange.

I think the message were delivering is how important that $5 million (for University of Iowa) is to meet the goals that you have set for first-generation students. The $12 million were requesting for the three universities and the $5 million youre specifically requesting at UI is extremely, if I heard it right, extremely important with your plan for the next year, Regent Larry McKibben said.

Its vital. Its vital, University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld said in response.

Tuition task force makes clear need for state aid IOWA CITY  The tuition task force report delivered to the Iowa Board of Regents on Thursday

The board met in a special session Monday to approve its funding request before its submitted to the state by the Oct. 1 deadline. The board requested flat funding for the three universities but added the $12 million request to help reduce expected tuition rate increases.

University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook agreed on the importance of the $2 million request for state financial aid at UNI.

It is very important, Nook said. It would go a long ways in helping us continue to keep their (students) costs at a reasonable level.

How much the $2 million would help individual students is still being determined.

But Nook has made clear state aid has a direct impact on how much the university will need to increase tuition.

With about a $2 million increase in our state appropriation, we should be able to keep tuition, certainly, under 4 percent, probably in the 3.5 (percent range), Nook said. ... It does depend on, though, whether or not that $2 million shows up.

UPDATE: Nook presents five-year outlook for UNI budget CEDAR FALLS  University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook summed up the institutions bu

Nook cited the budget proposal he put together for the tuition task force. It predicts without more state aid, the university will need to increase tuition about 5 percent annually for the next four years.

University of Iowa and Iowa State University forecast increases of 7 percent annually in each of the next five years if state aid doesnt rise.

Nook said now that regents have approved a request  unanimously without discussion  he will talk with lawmakers to stress the importance of the funding.

Increasing enrollment bigger focus for UNI CEDAR FALLS  University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook took a different approach in p

Also Monday, the board looked at savings the universities have found since implementing the Transparent Inclusive Efficiency Review initiative in 2014.

University presidents said they had found efficiencies totaling more than $16 million each. Iowa States efficiencies totaled nearly $20 million. Each said their savings included more than what was recommended in the TIER study.
WATERLOO  The citys second-largest manufacturing employer will get property tax breaks for a major expansion project.

Waterloo City Council members voted unanimously Monday to approve five years of graduated tax abatements for Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.s $28 million addition and renovation of the pork processing plant on North Elk Run Road, which will create 245 new jobs.

The citys contribution is on top of $2 million in investment tax credits and $396,000 in sales and use tax refunds approved by the Iowa Economic Development Authority last week as incentives to land the project.

Steve Dust, executive director of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber, said the city should be proud to land the project, which faced competition from sites in Nebraska and Indiana.

These are people who have plants all over the country; this is not the only plant of its type in their system, Dust said. It is by far the largest job generation that theyve had in the state for quite some time  many years, even decades.

While supporting the tax breaks, Councilman Tom Lind questioned whether the city could approach Tyson about making a contribution to a city project like Apple Inc. did for its planned data center project in Waukee.

Apple kind of got the same deal on a much larger scale where theres state participation and city participation, and Apple was going to give a whole bunch of money to help the city build something, Lind said.

Apples planned $1.375 billion data center was getting $188 million in property tax rebates from the city of Waukee but had committed to donate about $100 million over time to city projects. That project, announced this summer, was expected to create just 50 jobs.

We gave less and got more jobs, noted Mayor Quentin Hart.

Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson said the city could ask Tyson about helping with city projects but emphasized the company does make a number of charitable contributions in the area.

Tyson is a very good corporate citizen, sponsoring a lot of activities in the city, Anderson said.

The project includes the construction of a new 56,400-square-foot warehouse building at Tysons current 539,000-square-foot plant and the renovation of another 18,250 square feet of existing space to add production lines.

The company, which now employs nearly 2,900 people in Waterloo, will add 225 production jobs all paying above $17.29 per hour, 10 maintenance jobs and 10 higher-paying management and support jobs.
UNI to induct students into teacher ed program

CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowa College of Education will host its biannual teacher education induction convocation at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

More than 300 students have satisfied requirements for admission into the UNI teacher education program and may participate in the formal ceremony, the official induction of students into that field of study.

Shelly Vroegh, 2017 Iowa Teacher of the Year, will deliver the convocation address. Victoria Robinson, associate vice president for educator preparation, will perform the official duties.

Parents and friends of the candidates are invited, along with UNI faculty and administrators. A reception will follow.

Juries and death penalty at UNI

CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowa will host its first Philosophy and World Religions Heart Lecture of the 2017-18 academic year at 7 p.m. today in McCollum Science Hall, Room 137.

Winnifred Sullivan, professor of religion and affiliate professor of law at Indiana University, will discuss Death  Qualifying the Jury, Constituting the People, which describes the jurys distinctive role in the administration of the death penalty in the U.S.

Sullivan is trained both as a lawyer and a scholar of religion.

This event is free and open to the public.

Head Start Center to get computer donation

WATERLOO  Tri-County Child and Family Development Council has received a grant from the Dupaco Community Credit Union Foundation that will put state-of-the-art tablets into three Head Start classrooms, serving 4- and 5-year-olds.

We are excited to support the education process at this stage of the childrens development, said Dupaco Foundation Board Member Bob Hoefer. This is a mission-critical endeavor of the foundation, investing in the future of the Cedar Valley and the state.

The computer area in the classrooms will be called the Dupaco High-Tech Learning Center. Dupaco officials will be on hand at 10:30 a.m. Friday for grant presentation at 205 Adams St.
OSAGE  The Mitchell County Regional Health Center launched its Rise Up capital campaign last week with a beam signing celebration.

Held in the main lobby of the Mitchell County Regional Health Center, hospital staff, administration, members of the hospital board, economic development, county officials and local citizens gathered to listen to a brief presentation regarding the project and the campaign.

In need of additional space to expand the clinic and rehabilitation services, the Mitchell County Regional Health Center embarked upon a $12.5 million renovation and expansion project. The outcome will modernize and enhance the overall experience for their patients, while also looking to attract additional physicians to the facility, officials said.

We still need help to be able to meet our goals, said Jon Koster, member of the Mitchell County Regional Health Center board of trustees.

The expansion project includes private registration areas, double the gym space and private exam rooms in the physical therapy department, an addition to a helicopter pad on the roof of the clinic, and two additional stories to the clinic which will house four provider pods.

Slated to be completed in spring 2019, the project has already raised nearly $400,000, with $135,224 in donations from the MCRHC employees, $128,000 from the MCRHC Board of Trustees and Foundation board, $23,600 from the MCRHC Auxiliary, and $100,000 from Home Trust & Savings Bank.
CHARLES CITY  Northeast Iowa women interested in exploring a future at the Iowa Legislature will have experienced female lawmakers to learn from when they attend Step Up! on Oct. 13 in Charles City.

The Step Up! seminar will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at NIACC Center, 200 Harwood Drive, Charles City. It is a project of 50-50 in 2020, in collaboration with the Carrie Chapman Catt Center at Iowa State University.

Taking part as panelists will be State Sen. Amanda Ragan of Mason City and State Rep. Jane Bloomingdale of Northwood, who will discuss how to manage a family and other career while serving in the legislature.

Others on the program will be former State Rep. Josh Byrnes of Osage, talking about the mechanics of running a campaign, and retired University of Northern Iowa marketing professor Steve Corbin speaking about preparation for a successful campaign.

Also, Morningside College Professor Valerie Hennings of Sioux City will share statistical evidence of best campaign practices. Former Floyd County Recorder Marilee Monroe will act as seminar host.

The Step Up! program, which especially targets locally elected women, is being offered this fall in various parts of the state. A $30 fee covers the cost of lunch and the seminar notebook. To register, go to www.50-50in2020.org.
Anthony Weiner's sexting compulsion cost him his seat in Congress, his shot at becoming New York mayor and his marriage, and may have even denied Hillary Clinton the presidency. On Monday, it cost him his freedom.

Key events in the saga of Anthony Weiner, the former New York congressman who pleaded guilty Friday to transmitting sexual material to a minor:

1998

Nov. 3: Weiner, a Democrat, is elected to Congress.

2005

Sept 13: Weiner comes in second in a bid for the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City.

2010

July 10: Weiner weds Huma Abedin, a close aide to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Former President Bill Clinton officiates.

2011

May 27: A lewd photograph of a man's underwear-clad crotch is sent from Weiner's Twitter account, and then is quickly taken down.

May 29: A spokesman says Weiner's accounts were hacked and calls the burgeoning social media scandal "a distraction."

June 6: Weiner tearfully admits to sending the lewd photo and then lying repeatedly to protect himself. He refuses to resign.

June 11: Weiner seeks a temporary leave of absence from the House while he seeks professional treatment. A spokeswoman says he will focus on "becoming a better husband and healthier person."

June 16: Weiner says he is resigning from Congress during a news conference in Brooklyn interrupted by hecklers. Weiner apologizes "for the personal mistakes I have made and the embarrassment I have caused."

2013

May 22: Weiner launches his re-entry into the world of politics with a run for New York City mayor, asking voters for a second chance.

July 22: With Weiner leading in the polls, a gossip website posts sexually explicit messages it says were exchanged between Weiner and a woman later identified as Indiana native Sydney Leathers. The woman claims Weiner used the alias "Carlos Danger" for their exchanges.

July 23: Weiner says he won't drop out of mayoral race, saying at a news conference: "This is entirely behind me."

Sept. 10: Weiner finishes fifth in Democratic mayoral primary.

2016

Aug. 28: The New York Post publishes photos the newspaper says Weiner sent the previous year to a "40-something" divorced woman. One bulging-underwear shot shows his and Abedin's toddler son cuddling next to him.

Aug. 29: Abedin says she is separating from Weiner.

Sept. 21: The DailyMail.com publishes an interview with a 15-year-old girl who says she had sexually explicit online text and video exchanges with Weiner. Weiner acknowledges communications but also claims he's been the subject of a hoax. FBI agents soon begin investigating Weiner's communications with the girl, seizing his computer.

Oct. 28: In a letter to Congress, then-FBI Director James Comey says his agency is investigating whether there is classified information in newly discovered emails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, now the Democratic presidential nominee. The emails, containing correspondence between Clinton and Abedin, were discovered on the Weiner computer seized in the sexting investigation.

Nov. 6: Two days before the presidential election, Comey tells Congress a review of the newly discovered emails hasn't changed the FBI's view that Clinton should not face charges over her handling of classified information.

2017

May 19: Weiner pleads guilty to criminal charges in connection with his online communications with the 15-year-old girl.

Sept. 25: A federal judge sentences Weiner to 21 months in prison, orders him to report to prison in November.
Miguel Olivera, now 75, survived combat and being impacted by Agent Orange in Cambodia as the US waged war against the Viet Cong decades ago.

Now, at home in Puerto Rico, he is facing another threat to his life -- a fridge without power.

He needs insulin to survive but his last vial is sitting, at risk of spoiling, in that refrigerator that can no longer keep it cool.

His town, Aguas Buenas, in the mountains above San Juan, was left tattered by Hurricane Maria.

The lush tropical foliage is gone -- as if a massive lawnmower came from the sky and shredded it all.

Olivera and his wife Diana Aponte, 73, sheltered from the storm inside their home -- it's built on concrete stilts sunk into the hillside, and Aponte feared it would slide into the ravine.

Water came through the shutters as the wind howled outside, and at one point the couple huddled on the living room floor, prepared to die together.

"The hurricane is worse" than combat, Olivera says.

A massive electricity power tower crashed next to the couple's house -- cutting the town off from help, as well as knocking out power for who knows how long.

Aponte is still shaken by what they went through when Maria crashed ashore and by the crisis they see no way out of. Yet she still insists on making a perfect cafe con leche for visitors.

"I can't describe the storm. I've never seen anything like it in my life," she says. "I thank God I'm still alive." All her fears now are for her husband, and that insulin in the fridge.

It's just one story among so, so many of families devastated and struggling in Puerto Rico.
The University of California at Berkeley paid nearly $600,000 this month so conservative Daily Wire editor Ben Shapiro, formerly of Breitbart, could talk.

Campus Republicans sponsored Shapiro, but expensive security measures included concrete barriers and sealing off buildings. And Shapiro, by current standards, is relatively tame. He had left Breitbart after calling it Trumps personal Pravda.

His talk attracted 700 people. Nine antifascists were arrested outside for spitting at police and carrying weapons.

Cal had canceled both a February talk by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos  another Breitbart editor until justifying pedophilia  after protests caused $100,000 worth of damage and an April speech by conservative Ann Coulter.

Yiannopoulos made a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance at Berkeley on Sunday amid angry shouts from small groups of competing protesters who came to celebrate and condemn him.

These people dont care about free speech, protest organizer Raphael Kadaris remarked. They are using free speech as a pretext to get a foothold, to normalize fascism on these college campuses and to recruit a new generation of fascist youth.

Cal Chancellor Carol Christ said she profoundly disagreed with Shapiro, but he was legitimately invited by a student group.

Public colleges espousing a civilized exchange of ideas are facing a growing challenge from the alt.right in the wake of President Donald Trumps election.

AlternativeRight.com founder, white supremacist and Charlottesville protest instigator Richard Spencer gave the Nazi salute at a post-election gathering after quoting Adolf Hitlers denunciation of Jews and leading chants of Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!

In April, Auburn (Ala.) University tried to cancel his campus speech, but a federal judge upheld his First Amendment rights.

The law under the First Amendment is clear: Hate speech is protected speech, said Erwin Chemerinsky, author of Free Speech on Campus and dean of Cals law school. Over 300 colleges and universities adopted hate speech codes in the early 1990s. Every one to be challenged in court was ruled unconstitutional.

He added, The law is clear that even in places that are open to speech, there can be time, place and manner restrictions, so long as there are adequate places for free speech.

Topics raising student and faculty ire included Israel, Islam, evolution, immigration, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and abortion.

Among the appearances protested have been Communist Angela Davis at Seattle University; former Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., and former Vice President Dick Cheney, American University; former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, Liberty University; Republican N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, Rutgers University; Obama Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Georgetown University; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Harvard University; and former New York Police Department commissioner Ray Kelly, Brown University.

The conservative Foundation for Individual Rights in Educations database lists more than 300 attempts to disinvite campus speakers since 2000  three-quarters involving liberal pressure.

The literary and human rights group PEN Americas report last fall, And Campus for All: Diversity, Inclusion and Freedom of Speech at U.S. Universities, warned, A rising generation may be turning against free speech, while calling for a wider, more searching dialogue that can help all sides to these debates better identify common ground.

When that exists.

Meanwhile, hurtful speech protections on many campuses include trigger warnings in a syllabus if content could be troubling, safe spaces to exclude unwelcome views, and cautions about microaggressions unintentionally directed at marginalized groups.

It doesnt help that students have contradictory free-speech beliefs, and the First Amendment seems a vague concept.

The Knight Foundation and Washingtons Newseum 2016 survey of 3,000 students found 78 percent favored an open-learning environment regarding all types of speech and viewpoints, even if offensive, while 69 percent wanted policies restricting slurs and intentionally offensive language.

A 2015 nationwide study of 800 undergraduates by McLaughlin Associates for Yale Universitys William F. Buckley program found only 68 percent could identify the U.S. Constitution amendment devoted to free speech, while 52 percent knew it protects hate speech.

The same survey determined 63 percent felt political correctness on campuses is a problem, but 51 percent supported speech codes and 63 percent backed trigger warnings.

We deplore the unjustifiable debasing of anyone because of race, religion, creed or sexual orientation. Yet the First Amendment doesnt exclude hate speech in the public arena. Instead, it must be confronted nonviolently. Colleges should do more to educate students about freedom of speech and appropriate responses, rather than creating safety bubbles that dont exist elsewhere.

The central principle of the First Amendment  and of academic freedom  is that all ideas and views can be expressed, Chemerinsky remarked. Sometimes they are ideas and views that we might consider noble, that advance equality. Sometimes they might be ideas that we abhor. But there is no way to empower a government or campus administration to restrict speech without allowing for the possibility that tomorrow, it will be our speech that is restricted.
Mississippi man accused of threatening guests with rifle at LaCenter motel
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says Puerto Ricos pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing was a $14.5 billion industry in 2016, making up more than 72 percent of the islands total exports. It is by far the U.S. leader among states and territories for pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing exports, with Indiana coming in second at less than half of Puertos Ricos total.

USA Today reported that Eli Lily, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Amgen all confirmed they had shut down manufacturing for now at the Puerto Rico plants because of the hurricane. And although backup power sources are available at some of the facilities, getting employees back to work amid their own post-hurricane personal struggles could be an issue.

Manufacturers and the FDA told USA Today they are working on contingency plans to help avoid drug shortages, although the longer-term outlook remains unclear. "They're beginning to look at how to best ensure theres continuity of operations," Healthcare Ready President Nicolette Louissaint told USA Today. The group is a nonprofit that focuses on hurricane season health care supply chain issues.
After hitting headlines and remaining in news for a long time finally Honeypreet Insan, appeared by filing bail application; it is mentioned that the applicant (Honeypreet) is a single woman, with clean antecedents, law abiding and is always ready and willing to join the investigation to make her situation clear. This lady, born as Priyanka Taneja is an Indian actress and the so called adopted daughter [the adoption is unconstitutional] of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Indian police have charged her and several others for inciting the 2017 Northern India riots in August after Singhs rape conviction and as of September 23, 2017, Honeypreet is wanted by Indian police. As search by Haryana Police continued to trace Honeypreet, who was last seen accompanying Ram Rahim in a chopper which took him to Rohtak on August 25 after being held guilty in rape case.

Since 2009, Honeypreet was living with Ram Rahim as his de-facto wife. Prior to 2009, only men were given top roles in the Dera management but after 2009, women, including Honeypreet started having a say. Vishwas Gupta married Honeypreet in 1999 on the direction of the Dera Chief and moved the court for divorce in 2011. She was in touch with Baba and somewhere he fell for her, she became his weakness and thats how the saga took a cruel turn. In a huge extravagant celebration, she was brought to Dera by Baba, breaking her ties with her own family. The lady also willingly walked out of marriage to remain with Baba and aspired her dreams and ambitions of being powerful and rich. She became his blue-eyed girl and partner in every crime too.

In 2002, a woman wrote to the respective Chief Ministers of the states of Punjab and Haryana, the Union Home Minister, CBI, NHRC and the Punjab and Haryana High Court, describing an incident involving Singh. The Punjab and Haryana High Court sought a report from the District and Sessions Judge of Sirsa, after which Judge MS Sular conducted an inquiry and submitted a report recommending a probe by a central agency. After the report from Sirsa, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the CBI to probe into the allegations levelled in the letter. The Chandigarh Branch of CBI registered a case of rape under the IPC Section 376, criminal intimidation under Section 506 and insult to the modesty of a woman under Section 509.

This letter was published in Ram Chander Chhatrapatis four-page Hindi eveninger, Poora Sach in 2002. A CBI probe was ordered into the incident on September 24, 2002. The investigations involved contacting 18 sadhvis who had left the Dera by 2002. In the same year, Singh had charges levied against him for the murder of Dera Sacha Sauda manager Ranjit Singh and journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who was writing articles at that time about Dera Sacha Sauda.

Dera has hundreds of rape and murder cases to its credit, but two women never felt guilty of supporting their man, the baba. For years there has been talk of men keeping women down, but is it the bitter truth that women remain their own worst enemies. Women are more into calculating someone elses blessings and sorrows rather than focusing on their own, this lady who blamed her husband of domestic violence and walked out of marriage to stay with a rapist, was pushing other sadhvis to him to get over his physical cravings. They never protested or voiced their say, in support of any woman. Rather they became part of pimping. They being woman were mean to other girls and vied to destroy them. They had an intense sinister character.

Honeypreet and Vipassana, these two women were not only lured by Baba, but they were the right and left of Dera Sacha Sauda. Both Insans were in race to become the next Dera Chief. While Vipassana Insan, the Chairperson of the Dera, has been the voice of the sect, Honeypreet Insan is understood to be the closest one to the self-styled spiritual leader. Vipassana takes care of the Sirsa headquarters and has been associated with the Dera since her college days. But its Honeypreet Insan, who has captured medias attention. She has been the shadow of rape convict Gurmeet. Her official page identifies her as a great daughter of an amazing father. But when truth surfaced, that was as nasty as their drama so far. She has acted opposite him in movies such as MSG 2 and MSG-The Warrior Lion Heart. This Baap Beti ki Jodi has set a benchmark through their chemistry. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is married to Harjeet Kaur. They have two daughters, Charanpreet and Amanpreet, both of whom are married, and a son Jasmeet. Babas wife and children are never seen with him much but these two girls acquired all his space and fate of other woman inmates in Dera.

Honeypreet has been on the run since August 25. Several teams of Haryana Police have travelled across the country, including the Indo-Nepal border to look for her. Since last week, Haryana Police has been conducting raids across Delhi and NCR in a bid to arrest Honeypreet, alias Priyanka Taneja, who tops the list of 43 persons wanted by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of deadly violence that followed Ram Rahims conviction in two rape cases. And here she comes out with bail application. But the question still remains, will she ever voice for justice against those innocent girls who are brutally assaulted or she will just save her skin and be with Baba for more perks and package? Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs ashram has been the haven of brutal rape of many innocent women, barbaric castration of many men and above all cold-blooded murder of several people. Such revelations are only the tip of the iceberg. It is also a pointer to the dubious nexus between politicians and pseudo Swamis. Commendable was the courage shown by the two women inside the court who braved to call a spade a spade despite the impending risk involved. Hats off to the judge who pronounced the monumental judgement without any fear or favour. It is quite bizarre that it took so long for the judiciary to convict a culprit who is a rapist and a murderer. And the irony is that he is still supported and praised by woman like Honeypreet.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
A Palestinian man with security clearance to work at a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank opened fire at a checkpoint on Tuesday, killing two Israeli security guards and a paramilitary policeman. The assailant, who was armed with a pistol and also seriously wounded a fourth Israeli, was shot dead, police said.

The incident was unusual in that the 37-year-old man had been issued an Israeli work permit  a process that entails security vetting  unlike most of the Palestinians involved in a wave of street attacks that began two years ago. A police spokeswoman said the gunman approached Har Adar among a group of Palestinians who work at the settlement and aroused the suspicion of guards at the entrance checkpoint.

Challenged to halt, the Palestinian opened his shirt, drew a pistol and fired at the security staff and troopers at close range, the spokeswoman said. Residents of the settlement told Israeli media the man worked as a cleaner. One of them, Moish Berdichev, said he had domestic problems  his wife had left him  and speculated he may have carried out the attack knowing he would not survive. He was a guy with a good head on his shoulders. Its a shame. Very sad, Berdichev told Army Radio.

The Shin Bet internal security service identified the man as Nimr Jamal and said he had severe personal and family issues, including domestic violence. The man lived in the nearby Palestinian village of Beit Suriq, the police said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in public remarks to his cabinet that the mans house would be demolished and any work permits issued to his relatives would be revoked.
Seeking to court the Patel community, a section of which is up in arms against Gujarats BJP government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday invoked Sardar Patels legacy as he took his campaign through Patidar dominated areas of Saurashtra region in the poll-bound state.

Hitting out at the BJP on the second day of his three- day tour, Gandhi accused the state government of perpetrating atrocities on the members of the Patel community during their quota stir.

On his arrival at Dhrol town enroute to Rajkot, Gandhi even wore the signature Patidar cap, with the slogan Jai Sardar-Jai Patidar emblazoned on it, given to him members of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), an organisation of politically influential Patel community led by Hardik Patel.

It was you (the Patel community) who gave the country Sardar Patel. But the BJP government committed atrocities on you. Bullets were also fired on Patels. This is not the style of Congress. We believe in moving ahead by keeping all the communities together, said Gandhi.

At Falla village in Jamnagar, people greeted him with the slogan Jai Sardar, Jai Patidar. Many in the crowd wore caps with the slogan.

Interestingly, Gandhis assault on the saffron party came on a day when the state government invited quota stir leaders and representatives of other communities to the state capital to try and reach a compromise formula to mollify them ahead of the Assembly polls due later this year.

A large number of PAAS members, along with others, gathered at Dhrol to listen to Gandhi.

Hardik Patel greeted the Congress vice president as he began his campaign from Monday.

A warm welcome to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, Patel tweeted in Hindi soon after Gandhi landed in temple town Dwarka.

After his speech at Dhrol, Gandhi stopped for a while at Latipur and Otala village, where he stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his governments policies and also took a jibe at the Gujarat model of development.

Vikas Gando Thayo Chhe (Vikas has gone crazy), replied the crowd when Gandhi asked them what has happened to Vikas in Gujarat.

It seems that vikas (development) has gone mad because some people lied too much about it. We all need to develop Gujarat in the real sense, said Gandhi.

You (PM) are busy in floating jumlas and making tall promises. That is your style of doing things. We in the Congress do not indulge in such things. As the PM, it is your job to give employment and solve problems of the country. If you cant, then Congress will do after that coming to power, Gandhi said.

The Congress vice president on Monday slammed Modi over issues like note ban, GST, farm policies and the Gujarat model of development.

He also expressed confidence about his party winning the Assembly elections, claiming that there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat.
Nowadays rumours have sparked about Shiv Sena pondering to call off alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); anyways the break up will not affect the latter. BJP has always tried to cater Shiv Senas demands but the latter has always concocted needless objection. In the last one to one-and-a-half years, it has become a habit of Sena to oppose developmental works, and stop the Chief Ministers works despite being a part of the alliance. All the MLAs of Sena those working under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are happy with governments functioning, they will not hesitate to join BJP than continue with Sena which is on the verge of getting distorted in state. If Sena ditches the alliance, a huge number of its MLA`s will join hands with BJP. On the other hand, Maharashtra government has already welcomed the recently resigned Congress leader Narayan Rane.

BJP is playing it brilliant, they approached NCP Supreme Pawar and also tried to offer ministerial berth to his daughter and Narayan Rane, the old timer of Sena may join BJP. So all grassroots level Maharashtra leaders are coming under the umbrella of BJP. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena is losing its own leaders and elected MLAs because of their impractical approach. The party has already begun its muscle flexing and is behaving as if it is in the opposition.

Sena needs to realise that, gone are the days when Vajpayee was happy being a junior partner to Balasaheb Thackeray in Maharashtra. Ever since Modi took over, the party wants 100 per cent control. But even after intensely fighting the Assembly polls against each other in 2014, Shiv Sena had to join the BJP government led by Devendra Fadnavis. After the 2014 Vidhan Sabha elections, Sena did not join the Fadnavis government immediately. Influenced by the Modi wave and the growing charts of the BJP, there were buzzes that some Shiv Sena MLAs were in touch with the BJP. Out of power and with no signs of immediate relief, Uddhav would have found it difficult to keep the flock of 63 MLAs together.

Congress has always been the number one enemy of Shiv Sena and Balasaheb Thackeray. Sena has grown by attacking Congress policies. For years altogether, right from the time Shiv Sena-BJP alliance began, the former always tried to be the elder brother. Their leader, then Balasaheb Thackeray, had an upper hand over Maharashtra politics, than its alliance partner BJP, though not better than what Congress and NCP managed to. Shiv Sena still lives in those days and is in a state of denial that BJP is very much stronger than them. They dont even accept that their party is in this position today because of the Modi wave and their alliance. Otherwise, it is not even a state party, but a municipal party, which has minimal reach beyond Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

If we closely notice, present Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackerays leadership has been dared by its own voters of the state, Uddhav do not have that grip that Balasaheb had. The Bharatiya Janata Partys giant strides in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls was another example to prove how Sena is losing its hold. After the death of Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray in 2012, Uddhav gained complete control of the party. However, he managed to gain success in the Assembly polls with 63 MLAs, as BJP had snapped ties at the last minute. Despite the Modi wave, Uddhav managed to get his MLAs elected, emphasising his leadership skills or sympathy votes of Balasaheb. Since they came to power, the approach of Uddhav changed drastically and gradually he is hedging towards political suicide. If not BJP then Uddhav has only one option, but that also he had earlier refused to join hands with MNS, so its up to both cousins to iron out their differences. As both the cousins have their egos and differences which will never settle because of women behind these two men. There are gossips that the Sena-MNS politics is decided most of the time in their kitchens.

Anyways, Uddhav Thackeray is now doing what every 2nd ranker student will do. Call the 1st ranker a bad person, cheater, make allegations and waffle nonsense. His statements have nothing to do with governance or any real issue for that matter. He is just getting personal against a rival, whom he couldnt take down politically. Such ill-advised statements however are nothing to be worried about, as no one listens to him except for his own supporters. He thinks he can replace Balasaheb, he forgets two things  Uddhav is not Balasaheb and Amit Shah is not Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The alliance won 1996 Maharashtra legislative assembly elections. Shiv Senas Manohar Joshi was elected the CM and BJPs Gopinath Munde as the Deputy CM. The NDA govt of 19961999 was the same as the UPA govt of 20042014, in the sense that, as Sonia Gandhi remote controlled the UPA government, Balasaheb remote controlled the NDA government. Further, when NDA lost in 1999, and then again in 2004 and 2009, BJP remained the younger brother in the alliance, with Shiv Sena dominating the opposition alliance. Important decisions of the alliance took place at Matoshree, where BJP leader Pramod Mahajan used to visit to discuss matters. Time has changed. Leaders have changed. Sena lives under the illusion that it could still be the elder brother. BJP showed Sena its real place, by not only winning the elections with twice as much seats, but also by not giving the position of Deputy CM to Sena, a position which remains vacant till date. 2017 Legislative Assembly Elections were also swept by BJP. The cherry on the top was UP, with BJP gaining 78 per cent seats. Shiv Sena couldnt simply digest BJPs victory. Sena is afraid to see that its chair of Maharashtra dominance has become rickety. It cannot make demands or order its alliance partner anymore. However, for a party which has long been used to this status, it is impossible to accept this fact that it no longer can demand that respect that it earlier used to.

For two years it has threatened BJP, that they will collapse the Maharashtra State govt by withdrawing support, but it hasnt had the guts to do so. And now after BMC elections, even the hollow threats have stopped, now that BJP supports its government in the civic body. If they were genuine, they could have simply moved out, took the support of NCP and Congress, and made BJP sit in the opposition. Also, they can manage with support of Congress in BMC. Shiv Sena insiders are sure that they will not continue in the government for a full 5 years, but this is not the right time to give up, they feel.

Uddhavs boycott is a clear signal of his unhappiness. Headlines of his party mouthpiece Saamana are even clearer. It attacks almost every BJP leader from Amit Shah to Modi almost every day. The Shiv Sena is clearly scratchy in an alliance with a now-expansionist BJP. Still, it will continue to be a part of the government for some more time. Sena has been out of power for 15 long years. That power is also a source of income for political parties, is an open secret. For a small regional party like Sena, its necessary to recharge itself before locking horns with a mighty BJP for upcoming time.

But, despite the differences, both need each other for the time being. The Sena does not want to leave the government right now  it will calculate when a parting suits it best. The BJP needs the Sena even more  though the Fadnavis government will not fall immediately if the Sena withdraws, the BJP will have to depend on Sharad Pawars Nationalist Congress Party, which would demolish the BJPs claim of being against corruption. Maharashtra is not a state the BJP wants to let go of, especially as there are massive infrastructure projects in the offing in Mumbai. The Sena knows that the BJP needs it more than it needs the BJP and consequently loses no opportunity to push it around.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Taylor Lord, front, a student at South Aiken High, talks about his experience taking rigorous coursework in the school's Advanced Placement academy. Behind him are other AP students, from left, Antonio Carbajal of South Aiken High and Sarah Crews and Jacob Strawney of North Augusta High.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low 46F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low 46F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
September 26, 2017

The Iraqi Kurds independence vote on Sept. 25 has forced Congress to rethink its longtime support of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The KRG has enjoyed bipartisan US support and a great deal of autonomy ever since the first Gulf War in 1991. Its decision to go ahead with a referendum that threatens to unravel the regional unity against the Islamic State (IS), however, has ruffled feathers on Capitol Hill.

Obviously it was not something we felt like was in our national interest, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told Al-Monitor. We felt like it would weaken [Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi] as he runs for re-election in [2018], and we didnt think the timing of it was good.

Weve been very, very clear [with KRG President Massoud Barzani and others] that this is not something we support, Corker added.

Although the results of the nonbinding referendum are not yet available, the yes vote is expected to easily prevail amid estimates of a 72% voter turnout. Corker indicated that congressional action  including possibly blocking a pending $296 million arms sale to arm two peshmerga brigades  would be contingent on Erbils next moves.

Its too early [to talk about specific repercussions]. Well see what steps they take after the fact, Corker told reporters on Capitol Hill on Sept. 25. Hopefully they wont make an abrupt move toward true independence.

Heightened tensions with Baghdad arent the only US concern. KRG neighbor and NATO member Turkey has been particularly vehement, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatening economic and even military repercussions.

Senate Foreign Relations member Chris Coons, D-Del., voiced his concerns over the referendums impact on regional stability.

While I respect the right to self-determination of people around the world, Im very concerned how this may well destabilize the region and pose real challenges to Iraqs future, Coons told Al-Monitor.

The KRG has also drawn condemnation from both the Iraqi central government and the international community for including disputed territories, such as the oil-rich Kirkuk province, in the vote.

The Kurds did a great job of protecting those [disputed areas] from [IS], but the facts on the ground are that they now have control of those [disputed areas], said Corker. So weve got a number of issues there that hopefully will be worked out in an appropriate way.

The House started signaling its own displeasure with the referendum over the summer when it passed an annual defense authorization bill in July. The bill contained report language stipulating that continued US military and nonmilitary funding is contingent upon KRG participation in the government of a unified Iraq.

The Donald Trump administration meanwhile has requested $365 million for peshmerga salaries and equipment for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. The administration has also raised concerns about the referendum, however, with White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders denouncing the vote in disputed areas as particularly provocative and destabilizing.

Meanwhile, the Senates pending foreign aid spending bill raises its own questions about the future of US aid by axing previous language directing the State Department to provide the KRG with military and security assistance. Committee aides insist the updated language wont have a practical on-the-ground impact for the Kurds, but the bills report language directs the State Department to provide economic and refugee assistance funds to the KRG even as it conspicuously leaves out language directing funds to go to military assistance.

Despite the negative legislative implications for Kurdish independence, some House members have doubled down on their support for Iraqs Kurdish population and praised the referendum.

I firmly believe in the Kurdish right to self-determination, Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. With so many urgent issues at hand, including [IS] final defeat, the return of displaced people, a recovering economy and political complications in the KRG, I urge Kurdish leaders to use the mandate created by this referendum to address these important issues.

And Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., who sits on the House committee that drafted the defense bill, pointed to Baghdads past failure to facilitate military aid directly to Kurdish peshmerga forces as they fought IS. Franks has previously sponsored legislation to bypass Baghdad and directly arm the peshmerga as well as Iraqi Christian militias fighting alongside the Kurds.

While the [Barack] Obama administration dithered and fought efforts to arm and support the Kurds, the [Donald] Trump administration has the opportunity to stand with a noble people in their time of need, Franks said in a statement. A free and independent Kurdistan can represent hope for peace in the Middle East.
September 18, 2017

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  The Interior Ministry's security services in Gaza arrested a man accused of luring women and girls into collaboration with Israel after meeting them online and having romantic relationships with them, according to a Sept. 12 Facebook post by Gaza's all-female police unit.

The post stated that the man, in his 30s, confessed that he had been commissioned by an Israeli officer to lure women from Gaza into working with Israel by threatening to publish their pictures or recordings of romantic conversations.

Director of the unit in Gaza, Narimeen Adwan, told Al-Monitor, This collaborator takes advantage of naive girls who chat with guys on social networking sites, and he tries to convince them that he is their long awaited bridegroom in order to exploit them and send all the information they provide to the enemy. Girls thus fall prey to the extortion of the [Israeli Security Agency].

The announcement was part of the Sahwa campaign in partnership with the Culture and Free Thought Association, which is funded by the European Union, to raise awareness of the dangers of online extortion and other cybercrimes.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Adwan said that the campaign offers a series of free awareness and educational events held in various venues such as schools, universities, mosques and nongovernmental organizations to teach girls the dangers of extortion and what to do in case of electronic blackmail. She added that the campaign targets not only young women but also parents and young men.

Adwan said in an Aug. 15 press release published by the Ministry of Interior and National Security that 9,065 women and girls across Gaza have thus far attended these educational sessions.

Adwan told Al-Monitor that the campaign has several objectives, the most important of which is promoting a hotline for girls who fall prey to extortion and cybercrime. It also encourages them to trust the female police unit, which will ensure their blackmailer is investigated and prosecuted. After attending an awareness lecture put on by the female police unit and the Culture and Free Thought Association, Fatma al-Nunu, a 17-year-old student at the Ahmad Shawqi Secondary School for Girls in central Gaza, told Al-Monitor, I heard things I hadn't heard before. Lecturers were talking about how girls can fall prey to online extortion and how we should protect ourselves from it. I learned how I should not trust strangers who talk to me on social networking websites and that I should not send my personal photos to anyone online so that they do not hack our accounts.

Nunu added, I had thought that if a girl is blackmailed online, silence would be the best solution to avoid scandal, but I am now convinced that talking to the police and breaking the silence will help prevent other girls from falling into the trap.

Tahrir Ahmad, campaign coordinator for the Culture and Free Thought Association, told Al-Monitor that the association plays a central role in the campaign. It has distributed about 10,000 pamphlets containing information on avoiding extortion in various public places. So far, it has held about 50 workshops.

We also held training sessions for journalists to urge them to write about online extortion for local media outlets and social networking sites. We produced a short film in June called A Call with a Stranger to raise girls' awareness about blackmail, Ahmad added.

Response has been strong, she said, and 22 complaints have been submitted to the women's unit since the campaign began on June 15. It's set to run until mid-October.

Adwan said that the police are dealing with cybercrime and extortion in a professional, legal and confidential manner so as not to harm the victims' reputations. The officers involved  most of them women  are not allowed to reveal the identities of the victims to any community member or reporter.

In this vein, Zuhair Malakha, who holds a master's degree in psychology from the Islamic University of Gaza, said that the poor conditions in the Gaza Strip caused by the Israeli siege on Gaza ongoing since 2007 have contributed significantly to the rise of online extortion and other cybercrimes.

There are social and economic conditions that increase the chances of a girl falling victim to extortion, namely poverty, the unemployment rate that has reached 41.2% in Gaza or the need for marriage, money or love, Malakha told Al-Monitor.

Parliamentarian Jameela al-Shanti told Al-Monitor, There are no laws that address these crimes and impose special penalties for them. This leads the extortionists to receive misdemeanor punishments such as imprisonment for several months rather than the more severe sentences that would accompany a felony. Shanti said that such sanctions are not sufficient to fight electronic extortion and that legislation is needed to protect women. She also pointed to the ongoing political division as a hindrance to efforts to pass such legislation.

The internal Palestinian division, which has been ongoing since June 2007, has prevented Palestine's various factions from meeting in the Palestinian parliament, making it impossible to enact new laws.
September 26, 2017

The independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan is a hot issue in the Iranian press, with ongoing coverage of the vote and its aftermath. Along with the Iranian government, most media outlets are reacting negatively to the plebiscite, worried that such demands will spill into the Kurdish part of Iran.

Hard-line Kayhan daily, whose editor-in-chief, Hossein Shariatmadari, is appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, opined that Western powers and Israel were behind the referendum plot to destabilize the Middle East. The Zionists and the leaders of the Israeli regime, who voiced their concern over the elimination of takfiris and Daesh [Islamic State (IS)] from the regional equations during recent weeks and months, have been deeply excited about a referendum being conducted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Shariatmadari wrote in a news report in Kayhan on Sept. 26.



The report continued, [Kurdistan Region President Massoud] Barzani, as he himself says, seeks to establish an independent state in Iraq based on Kurdish ethnicity by holding a referendum. If Barzani's policy in the entire region of West Asia becomes a [common] course of action, it will have dangerous [consequences].



Noting the United States' and the Wests opposition to the referendum, Kayhan added, It should not be ignored that Washington and Western governments opposition [to the vote] is limited to the timing of the referendum, and they have no problem with the referendum itself.

Furthermore, Ali Akbar Velayati, a former foreign minister who now serves as foreign policy adviser to Khamenei, described Barzani as a fixer working for Zionists bent on causing the disintegration of Muslim states. Barzani, unfortunately, has long been connected with the Zionists.  Barzani's connection to the Israelis is the beginning of his political fallout, said Velayati on Sept. 26. He added, The people of Iran and the region do not stand silent against this move and this deviation. Barzani will have to retreat; otherwise, he will be confronted.

Heshmatollah Falhat-Pishe, a Kurdish member of the Iranian parliament, argued that the referendum would lead to a serious conflict between peshmerga forces and Iraqi security forces, including the Popular Mobilization Units, amid the possibility of new action by IS forces who are still in Iraq  including the Kurdish parts of the country.

Falhat-Pishe wrote in the state-run Iran daily on Sept. 26, Despite the wrong position and actions of the [Iraqi] Kurdish authorities, regional countries such as Iran, Turkey and Iraq should use their political wisdom to control the situation after the referendum. The region now needs serious and continued talks with Kurdish parties as well as between the influential powers of the region and even the world.

Referring to the continued presence of IS forces in some parts of Iraq and the preceding talks between Iraqi Kurdish officials with their Iranian counterparts, parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani said on Sept. 26, When various groups from the [Iraqi] Kurdish region came to Iran, we explicitly told them that this [referendum] would create new tensions in Iraq, because the terrorism [issue] is still unresolved while you are creating a new crisis. We said that your issues should be addressed through political talks and no crisis should be created due to these issues.

He emphasized, We do not support the breakup of Iraq and other countries in the region by any means.

Meanwhile, an op-ed in the Reformist Shargh daily written by history professor Nemat Ahmadi opined that the Kurdistan referendum is not a new plan launched by Barzani but in fact has roots dating back to 1916 when Britain and France reached the Sykes-Picot Agreement, a secret deal that formed the borders of much of the modern Middle East but didnt pay any attention to language, culture and religion.

Whether we want it or not, the referendum has been held. A country in the midst of the mountains, surrounded by [other] countries, with no free land, air and naval borders will be established, argued Ahmadi in the Sept. 26 op-ed.

Mentioning a weather map on Iraqi Kurdish TV that counted the Kurdish parts of Iran as belonging to the Kurdistan Region, the historian remarked, It is enough to see the weather map from Iraqi Kurdistans TV; that is the beginning of a dispute! We have to think about the day after the referendum. You can no longer study the Kurdish issue after the referendum like before.
September 26, 2017

In a Sept. 20 Al-Monitor article, Mazal Mualem argued that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus address to the UN General Assembly the day before had restored the Iranian nuclear threat to the top of the agenda. This begs one question: Whose agenda?

The agenda of the major world powers is currently dominated by North Korea and its bizarre leader, Kim Jung-un, who enjoys flaunting his countrys nuclear and ballistic capabilities and the coupling of the two. Echoes of Netanyahus aggressive speech against Iran were drowned out by the blustery exchange of insults between the North Korean dictator and the hotheaded president of the United States, Donald Trump.

One can safely assume that fear of an Iranian nuclear bomb has not influenced the agenda of the Israel Police investigators and the state prosecutors engaged in various probes of suspected corruption involving the prime minister and his top associates. Most important, the marked absence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from Netanyahus address did not wipe it off the agenda of the Western and Arab worlds nor off the State of Israels agenda, and justly so. The United States and its allies in the Middle East are still paying the price for the last time the Israelis, with Netanyahu in the lead, left their imprint on the international agenda.

In September 2002, Netanyahu warned members of the US Congress against an Iraqi nuclear threat. There is no question whatsoever that Saddam [Hussein] is seeking, is working, is advancing towards the development of nuclear weapons, said Netanyahu, then a private citizen testifying as an expert after his first stint as prime minister. It is not serious to assume that this man, who 20 years ago was very close to producing an atomic bomb, spent the last 20 years sitting on his hands.

The former and future prime minister also told the House Government Reform Committee, with characteristic self-confidence, Every indication we have is that he is pursuing with abandon, with every ounce of effort, the establishment of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons  anyone who says otherwise is simply not objective. Netanyahu knew that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein could produce weapons-grade material in centrifuges the size of washing machines, which he could conceal throughout the country.

Netanyahus conclusion was unambiguous: The United States must destroy the same regime because a nuclear-armed Saddam will place the security of the entire world at risk.  And make no mistake about it  if and once Saddam has nuclear weapons, the terrorists will have nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu was not alone. Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad, a top Defense Ministry official and former head of the research division of Military Intelligence, told reporters in spring 2003, We know he [Saddam Hussein] is continuing to try and obtain nuclear weapons.  He probably also has biological weapons.  I assume that if and when the Americans enter Iraq, they will find things that will shake the world.

Indeed, the world did shake. It is still doing so. People quaked in fear of the al-Qaeda terrorists who rampaged across Iraq, thousands of American mothers trembled for years, fearing for their sons and daughters fighting in Iraq and crying over their deaths. In a farewell interview with ABC Television in December 2008, President George W. Bush said there was nothing he regretted more than the intelligence failure on Iraq. A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein, Bush said. To this day, Israeli public diplomacy has a hard time refuting the claim that Israel was the one that dragged the United States into the unnecessary war in Iraq.

Can Netanyahu pat himself on the back for his success in recruiting his American colleague [Trump] for the struggle against the nuclear agreement, as Mualem wrote? If so, would an American decision to withdraw from the agreement serve Israels interests?

The answer to the first question lies with an unpredictable and impulsive leader. Two-thirds of respondents in an ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted Sept. 18-21 believe Trump is doing more to divide American society than to unite it. This means that a significant number of Trump voters do not think he is serving the nation properly. Also according to the poll, 62% of Americans do not trust Trump to deal responsibly with North Korea.

Nonetheless, it is safe to assume that to stop Kim Jung-un without risking nuclear war, the United States must reach some sort of agreement with key nations. Chief among those nations are China and Russia. China has already decided to limit the export of fuel and gas products to North Korea and imports of textiles from it in response to a nuclear test Pyongyang conducted Sept. 3. In parallel, China will certainly object to reopening the nuclear agreement with Iran. The other signatories to the nuclear deal  France, Great Britain, Russia and Germany  would not be pleased with an American pullout either. Renewed US economic sanctions on Iran would actually open the Iranian market to European and other competitors.

What if Trumps urges indeed get the better of him and his advisers, and he withdraws the United States from the agreement? Who will guarantee that Iran will not make good on its threat to close off its nuclear facilities to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and to do whatever it wants at those sites? True, that would ensure Irans place at the top of the international agenda and provide Netanyahu with flattering headlines about his speeches. The latter also depends, of course, on developments on the agenda of the Israeli Police and state prosecutors.
September 26, 2017

The Palestinians were sure all was lost. All the promises of an American diplomatic initiative on the part of President Donald Trump for a viable solution to the conflict that no one before him had managed to resolve seemed to have gone down the drain. It appeared the dream of a Palestinian state would not come true in the period of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas term. But something happened on Abbas way to New York to address the UN General Assembly on Sept. 20. Trumps Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt indicated to him that the president would meet with him during the General Assembly session and might bring a positive message.

Trumps message and also a private meeting with him shortly before Abbas UN address may have changed something in the speech, which was prepared ahead of time. Nonetheless, Abbas still sounded grim. On the other hand, Palestinian sources now express cautious optimism.

As mentioned, the two leaders met just hours before Abbas speech. Trump asked the Palestinian leader to be patient a while longer because Greenblatt and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner were putting the final touches on the diplomatic initiative that has been discussed since Trump took office in January. Trump urged Abbas not to make hasty, unilateral moves that would hamper diplomatic progress, such as applying for membership in UN committees, until the American plan could be unveiled.

It was a good talk, perhaps the best President Abbas has had with Trump, a top Palestinian source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. According to the source, although the conversation on the sidelines of the General Assembly was short, lasting less than 30 minutes, Abbas was persuaded to give the American channel a chance.

The Americans explained that Trumps envoys believed setting a deadline for publication of the plan could torpedo the blueprint, which is being drawn up in great secrecy but calculated with great precision as a complex puzzle in a bid to overcome all the obstacles, the source said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a similar message from Trump. At the Sept. 24 session of the foreign affairs and defense Cabinet, Netanyahu briefed ministers on his meeting with Trump in New York last week. According to ministers present at the meeting, as quoted by Haaretz, the president conveyed his seriousness about this. The Americans are preparing a plan.  Trump is very determined and wants to reach the ultimate deal."

Unlike the positive Palestinian assessment that Trump appears more serious than they had thought, Netanyahus comments at the Cabinet meeting conveyed a sense of concern. The Palestinian source believes that when Netanyahu understood that Trump meant business, he convened his ministers to prepare for what he foresees as a diplomatic offensive that must be foiled. Netanyahus laconic, matter-of-fact report appeared designed to inform his top ministers to get ready for a diplomatic initiative that Israels right-wing government is unlikely to be able to accept and that Netanyahu will likely be unable to oppose.

Netanyahu surely knows much more than hes letting on to his ministers, the Palestinian official told Al-Monitor. He added that most of the details in the plan under preparation are still being concealed from both sides, but the principles are already known and clear to both Abbas and Netanyahu. Thats why [Netanyahu is] worried, said the official.

For months, the Palestinians have been trying to extract from Trumps two envoys a promise that an American blueprint for a resolution of the conflict, or as the president likes to call it, the ultimate deal, would be based on the principle they hold sacred of two states for two people. Thus far, the Americans have refused to issue such a declaration, and the Palestinians are still smarting from Trumps comment at a February news conference with Netanyahu that Im looking at two states and one state, and I like the one both parties like.  I can live with either one.

So far there has not been a public declaration [about two states], the source said. But we know the American plan will result in Palestinian independence, in a state within the 1967 borders, and that means the Americans understand the importance of this hallowed principle.

This is probably what set Abbas mind at rest and what set Netanyahus teeth on edge, according to the assessment of the top official. He believes Netanyahu fully understands that an independent Palestinian state invariably means Israeli withdrawal from the areas of the West Bank it captured in 1967. Right now, the Palestinians and Israelis have no idea what exact territories are involved in the plan. Although the Palestinians were not told so in so many words, the Palestinian official believes that once unveiled, the American plan will not include detailed moves, either, to prevent it from falling through at the outset.

They intend to go for confidence-building measures, said the source, adding that this is the first principle reiterated by the Americans at every meeting with the Palestinian brass. The father of the confidence-building approach is Greenblatt, who, according to the Palestinians, is convinced that a positive climate must be fostered between the sides before they can discuss the cost and compromises involved in reaching an agreement. Greenblatt feels the first step must be economic confidence-building measures, to be followed by the crucial diplomatic stage that could take several years.

Netanyahu and his right-wing government tried in the past to promote an economic peace with the Palestinian Authority, which would obviously absolve it of commitments to painful territorial compromises. It may even have been Netanyahu who convinced the Americans of the importance of economic peace, but the Palestinians believe the Americans only view it as a first stage to be followed by additional and more-binding moves.

Despite the Palestinians cautious optimism, reinforced by the Abbas-Trump conversation in New York, they do not give the ultimate deal much of a chance. Abbas and others in the Palestinian leadership have extensive experience with what they dub the Netanyahu methods designed to bury any and every initiative. They expect that Netanyahu will not come out immediately against whatever US plan is tabled, but will adopt devious methods to thwart it by foot-dragging and blaming the Palestinians as he always has in the past with every attempt to advance a diplomatic arrangement.
September 26, 2017

"I hope that if a majority votes for independence, Israel will be the first state to recognize the independence of Kurdistan." That is what former Minister Gideon Saar from Likud tweeted as millions of Kurds in northern Iraq voted on a referendum on whether to declare independence on Sept. 25. Saar may have been the first Israeli politician to wish the Kurds success in their struggle for independence, but he was hardly the only one. On the other hand, Turkey, Iraq and Iran all reject the establishment of an independent Kurdish state, as does the United States, which is concerned that such a step at this point in time could lead to war in the region. Israel is the only state that has expressed support for Kurdish aspirations.

Israel's approach developed not only because it is in its strategic interests, but also because the Kurds have a moral right to statehood. It is also impossible to dismiss the long historic bond between Israel and the Kurds and the many years of cooperation between them.

Right after Saar tweeted, Communications Minister Ayoob Kara tweeted his support for the Kurdish demand for independence: "The Kurdish referendum will expedite a comprehensive arrangement in the Middle East, and correct the historic Sykes-Picot Agreement, which failed to consider the needs of many minorities, including 40 million Kurds." In the photo accompanying his tweet, Kara tagged himself with a senior Kurdish official with whom he had met. The Twitter-fest was far from over.

Many more Israeli politicians used the medium to shower warmth and support on the Kurds. Knesset member and Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid was up next. He chose to send his best wishes for the success of the referendum in English: "The Jewish people know what it is to struggle for a homeland," Lapid tweeted. "The Kurds have a moral right to a state of their own." Lapid emphasized the common destiny of the Jewish people and the Kurds of northern Iraq, adding a deep-rooted emotional component to his support. That, however, wasn't enough for the Yesh Atid chairman. Later in the day, Lapid linked to what he called an "excellent article" in The New York Times, written by Ron Prosor, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations.

Prosor explains the strategic importance of creating an independent Kurdistan and claims that it would be a wise move for the United States to support Kurdish independence because the Kurdish state would contribute to the war against the Islamic State (IS), especially since the Kurds are already important allies in this struggle. Prosor believes that US support for the referendum and an independent Kurdistan would be a victory for democratic values, self-determination and minority rights. He even recalled the brutal regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who attacked the Kurds with chemical weapons 30 years ago, citing it as evidence of a moral obligation to support the Kurds in their quest for independence.

Israeli support for the Kurds of northern Iraq also streamed forth from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a Sept. 12 statement released by Netanyahu, he declared that Israel "support[s] the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to achieve their own state." In fact, Netanyahu expressed his support for an independent Kurdish state in 2014.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of HaBayit HaYehudi was especially supportive of Kurdish independence in a speech this month at the Herzliya Conference. She explained, "It is in the interest of Israel and the United States that a Kurdish state be established." In a speech to the Herzliya Conference in 2015, Shaked had referenced the Kurds' commitment to democracy, the long ties between the Jewish people and the Kurds and their common interests, which she said were more apparent than ever. They were both fighting against radical forces, particularly IS, which the Kurds of Iraq and Syria have been relentlessly fighting. In that speech, Shaked argued that the situation represented a rare chance to reshape the character and future of the Middle East. In other words, it should not be missed.

Most Israeli politicians who have expressed public support for the Kurds' struggle for a state of their own align themselves with the right. These same people  who are so excited about the Kurdish fight for independence and speak, like Shaked, about the rights of Kurds and the moral legitimacy of their cause  are incapable of showing the same understanding toward the Palestinians even though that issue is far more important to Israel's security than the Kurdish struggle. This exposes a double standard and their complete inability to consider the legitimate Palestinian desire for self-determination.

Obviously, this is not an attempt to claim that the two cases are similar. It is difficult to remove Palestinian terror against Israeli citizens from the equation. Nevertheless, both cases involve peoples fighting for national, territorial and political independence. Ignoring what is happening right under Israel's nose while commenting on the Kurdish referendum is a form of psychological repression.

The Israeli media expressed its encouragement and support for the Kurds through its extensive coverage of the referendum. Such encouragement is, in fact, the legacy of a large sector of the Israeli public, as illustrated by interviews with security officials who had been sent by various Israeli governments to northern Iraq in the 1960s to provide the Kurds with support and training.

This period of cooperation, which lasted a decade, was particularly fruitful and close, according to Brig. Gen. (Res.) Tzuri Sagi in an interview with Army Radio. Sagi, 83, said that he was sent to train the Kurdish army in 1966 and spent many long years in Kurdistan, together with representatives of Mossad, Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps and Israeli combat officers. Of note, they entered the region through Iran, which then had warm diplomatic relations with Israel. Sagi spoke fondly about the Kurdish people and said that he eagerly awaited the Kurdish declaration of independence "despite the wrath and fury of the entire world."

Similar messages were conveyed by former Mossad officer Eliezer Tzafir in a Sept. 25 interview with Maariv. Tzafir has fond memories of the warm relationship between Israel and the Kurds whom he calls a "noble people." He called for the Kurds to be granted a state of their own.

One might expect all this from politicians on the right, but it is too bad that the Israeli media embraced the romance of the Kurdish referendum while ignoring the Palestinian cause. After all, the Palestinian issue should immediately come up in any discussion of this kind.
September 25, 2017

Jordanians are bracing themselves for tougher days ahead as the government seeks ways to raise additional revenues to support its treasury in 2018, in accordance with an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In an interview with the official news agency, Petra, on Sept. 13, King Abdullah II said that Jordanians are facing hardships due to economic challenges and that the reality everyone has to understand is that no one is going to help us if we do not help ourselves first. We have to rely on ourselves, first and foremost.

Local observers took this statement to mean two things: that the king supports the governments policy under a controversial economic reform program with the IMF, and that the kingdom could no longer rely on grants coming from oil-rich Gulf countries.

A five-year, $5 billion Gulf Cooperation Council grant that was awarded to Jordan in the wake of the Arab Spring in 2011 expired last year, and there are no signs that it will be renewed. Qatar had failed to pay its share of $1.25 billion.

Under the 36-month agreement approved by the IMF in August 2016, Jordan would receive about $723 million in loans over three years to support the countrys economic and financial reform program. Under the program, the Jordanian government is expected to adopt fiscal measures to lower public debt, currently standing at 26.2 billion Jordanian dinars (around $37 billion), constituting 94.1% of gross domestic product (GDP), and broaden structural reforms to trigger economic growth. Despite a previous agreement with the IMF that expired in August 2015, state budgets continued to suffer from deficits  $1.2 billion, or 2.8% of GDP, for 2017. Experts now agree that the declared target for the local treasury to achieve a surplus by 2019 may not be realistic.

In seeking to fulfill its commitment to the IMF, the government imposed new taxes and tariffs to raise an additional 450 million dinars in the 2017 budget. Now it faces the daunting task of finding ways to raise 520 million dinars next year and 570 million dinars in 2019.

One source of additional revenue could come from limiting income tax exemptions; as it is, the overwhelming majority of Jordanians do not pay income taxes. While it is unclear exactly what changes will be proposed to the income tax law, public reaction has been furious. Politicians and commentators have warned that changes would wipe out the middle class and hurt the poor. But the king, in his recent interview, said, The difficult conditions and challenges our economy has encountered over the past years have taken a heavy toll on the middle class, and increased unemployment and poverty. Accordingly, I directed the government to ensure that its measures would not affect middle- and low-income families, but to protect and support them throughout the implementation of financial reforms in order to overcome the challenges that face us.

To boost revenues  aside from those coming from the above-mentioned new tariffs and taxes, which experts say have contributed to sluggish economic growth  the government's only option seems to be to collect more income taxes. At the end of a two-day visit to Jordan on Sept. 21, the head of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department, Jihad Azour, told local journalists that the IMF had asked the government to expand the category of those eligible to pay income tax, but did not specify which categories.

He was quoted on the same day by the official news agency as confirming that the fund had asked the government to reform the tax system, control tax evasion and redistribute tax burdens, adding that the current system was too generous in allocating exemptions.

Business columnist and editor of the Maqar.com news site Salameh al-Darawi told Al-Monitor that under the current law, almost 84% of public and private sector employees do not pay income tax because their monthly salaries do not exceed 500 dinars. According to the World Bank, Jordans GDP per capita is about $4,000.

But Azour also said that economic growth rates remain below expectations, at 2.3% by the end of the year, while the unemployment rate stood at an unacceptable 18%. The IMFs unusual transparency was commended by local commentators, while the government was criticized for failing to open up to the public.

Chief editor of the influential Al-Ghad daily Jumana Ghneimat wrote Sept. 21 that the governments discretion and secrecy are both uncalled for and unjustified. She added, Tension is building between our government, whose belief is unwavering in the funds experts, and the people  who cannot handle, and oppose, further taxes.

Ghneimat wrote, While Jordanians view the fund as the devil taking away their hard-earned salaries, the truth is not entirely so. We need to admit that our governments have played no small part in our economic and financial downfall. In fact, consecutive governments have drained our funds dry and led our resources to waste.

Her acrimony echoed the publics growing impatience with both the government and the IMFs bitter medicine. Jordanians have been asked to tighten their belts for over a decade now, with conditions getting worse rather than better. Regional turmoil has made the task of economic reforms more difficult, especially after the kingdom was forced to receive about 1.3 million fleeing Syrians, adding a whopping 20% to Jordans population, which now stands at 9.5 million. But Jordanians complain of rampant public sector corruption, bloated bureaucracy and mismanagement of public corporations.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Jawad al-Anani believes the government should heed the kings message of self-reliance and cut ties with the IMF altogether. He told Al-Monitor, Our dependence on Gulf aid has come to an end and we only have US and European aid now, which does not cover our public expenditure. He said five years of working with the IMF under the previous government and one year under the current one to reduce debt as a ratio of GDP from 95% to 77% have proved to be a failure.

We should forget about the IMF and choose growth over reforms by increasing annual growth from 2.5% to 5%, he said. Only then would public debt be reduced and that can only be done by boosting exports, reviewing imports policies and encouraging investments because people cannot endure more taxes."

But economist Fahed al-Fanek said the storm over the income tax law is not the issue. It is whether we continue with the IMF or not, he told Al-Monitor.

Our choices are limited and people believe that the IMF agreement seeks to reduce public debt when in fact what the reform program foresees is that debt will be allowed to rise at a rate lower than the rate of GDP growth. That way, debt will decline as a ratio of GDP even though it will have risen in absolute figures, Fanek said.

In his view, the real problem the government should worry about is foreign debt. Foreign currency debt, which is now around 10 billion Jordanian dinars, is almost equal to the reserves of the Central Bank in foreign exchange, he said. Local debt in dinars is simply an internal affair. Jordan would be lending to itself.

But the government must make up its mind soon and before parliament convenes in November, when it should be presenting its budget law for 2018. Fear of a public backlash has kept the government silent on the issue until now. But as Ghneimat said in her article, the government must come out in the open before finalizing negotiations with the IMF in October, and before the budget law is presented to parliament. People have the right to be informed  to know what is coming before it hits us.
September 26, 2017

Iraqi security forces have moved toward the key Islamic State-held town of Qaim on the Syrian border, meeting with scant resistance. The operation is ongoing, and they will likely clear the remaining IS-held areas in Anbar province, Iraqs largest, in the near future.

Moving northward from Rutba, the Iraqi army, police and Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) successfully retook part of a key highway and the small phosphate-rich mining town of Akashat on Sept. 16.

A few days later, Iraqi security forces and groups of local tribal fighters being trained by international coalition troops at the nearby Ain al-Asad base  where British, US and Danish military are stationed  began pushing westward toward the towns of Anah, Rawa and Qaim along the Euphrates River on Sept. 19.

Al-Monitor spoke to the officer in charge of Mohammedi, a gateway town to the Badiya and Jazeera area of operations of western Anbar, on Sept. 18.

Lt. Col. Abd Hussein noted that the town, which has fewer sleeper cell attacks than nearby Hit, is less dangerous and easier to manage than some in the region due to its tribal homogeneity, since almost all of the inhabitants from the town are from the Albu Mahal tribe.

Many of the members of the tribe who fled IS-held Qaim came to Mohammedi and are being housed with distant relatives. One tribe member, a former bulldozer driver who is close friends with many of the local dignitaries in the town, expressed concern to Al-Monitor about what will happen after his native town along the Syrian border is retaken.

If Iran gets a direct route through Iraq to Lebanon and Syria that goes through Qaim, this will be a very big problem, he said.

Hussein said that the worst area he and fellow security forces had to deal with in the border town of Qaim in 2006 was the Obeidi area, which was heavily populated by members of the Albu Mahal tribe.

The complexity of navigating tribal affiliations is well-known to anyone who has worked in Iraqs western regions or Syrias eastern ones. Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and IS have long used grievances between tribes to garner support and allegiance in exchange for help, including between Qaims two largest tribes: Karabila and Albu Mahal.

Hussein, originally from Baghdads Shiite-dominant Sadr City, was stationed in Qaim in 2006 to fight IS progenitor, AQI.

In the northern axis of the operation toward the border, no non-local PMUs are involved in the fighting.

Various units in the southern operation that recently took Akashat, however, reportedly include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Al-Monitor was told by a Counterterrorism Services officer on condition of anonymity.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq, which has been heavily supported by Iran since its creation in 2006, has been criticized for acting as a proxy force for Iran and for alleged extrajudicial killings both before and throughout the ongoing fight against IS. Between 2006 and 2011, the group claimed responsibility for over 6,000 attacks on US forces.

The group has been fighting opposition groups in Syria alongside the Bashar al-Assad regime since 2011 and worked alongside Kataib Hezbollah to form Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a front organization used to channel [Asaib Ahl al-Haq] and [Kataib Hezbollah] fighters into Syria, according to the Mapping Militants Project.

Iraqi security and terrorism analyst Hisham al-Hashimi told Al-Monitor in an interview in Baghdad that he did not expect the battle on the Iraqi side of the border to be difficult.

He added that many of those who collaborated in some capacity with IS would likely be reintegrated into the community, and that the only IS members who will not be pardoned are the fighters, commanders and members of IS media.

In reality, in Ninevah [the province in which Mosul is located], the Iraqi government didnt hold those involved in IS administration and logistics responsible for IS crimes, he said. Only if they pledged allegiance and used weapons, or were media workers who filmed battles and produced propaganda are they being held responsible.

A former fisherman originally from Anah, who spent over a year in the town after IS took control of it, told Al-Monitor that many in the town had effectively welcomed the arrival of IS. He fled after he was taken across the border and tortured for several months in a prison in the Syrian city of Abu Kamal on accusations of selling cigarettes.

The man fled after being granted leave from IS offices to visit his wifes family in Hit, which was also occupied by IS at the time. He then paid a smuggler to get him to Baghdad.

Iraqi security forces and local forces retook Anah on Sept. 21.

Hashimi added that there are at least 8,000 fighters in Wilayat al-Furat, the IS administrative district spanning both sides of the Iraqi-Syrian border, and there are fighters and equipment similar to what they had in Mosul. However, the reports of IS fighters fleeing to Iraq across the Deir ez-Zor desert after being evacuated from western Syria as part of an agreement with the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah, which fights alongside the Syrian regime, were inaccurate.

He noted that, in any case, defeated fighters, such as those from Qalamoun, cannot spearhead new fights, according to IS practices. They are automatically moved to logistics and administrative positions.

The Iraqi security forces push toward Qaim has come at the same time as US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Russian-backed Syrian regime and allied militias, most of which are funded by Iran, seem to be competing to gain territory across the border in IS-held areas of Syrias easternmost, oil-rich Deir ez-Zor region.

Baghdad-based former air force pilot and strategy analyst Ahmed Sharifi told Al-Monitor that the fight to restore the border between Syria and Iraq was a major strategic aim of the fight to retake the cities in western Anbar province.

This is not only to ensure that supply lines from IS-held territory in Syria are severed, he stressed, but also because IS followed a strategy of breaking the borders of nation states and establishing its own wilayat."

Restoring this key border, after it effectively had not existed for the past three years, is a way to achieve both symbolic and practical objectives, he said.

The ignoring of the same border by Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups operating on both sides of it may, however, nullify at least some of these hard-won objectives.
September 25, 2017

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey  Mosul, once Iraqs second most populous city, is divided by the Tigris River, but its parks, bridges and walking paths along the river help east blend with west. Mosul was able to survive all the battles and upheavals of Iraq  until it was occupied by the Islamic State (IS).

IS captured the city in June 2014 and remained there for three years. It was finally ousted in July by the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces, with the air support of an international coalition. True, IS was totally eliminated there, but nothing remained of historic Mosul except rubble. As much as 80% of the city was leveled by aerial bombings. The people of Mosul are now crying for their dead relatives and friends while officials try to accommodate the living.

What is needed most is money. Iraqs Planning Ministry has estimated $100 billion is needed to reconstruct areas liberated from IS. Some business circles, however, say much more is needed, noting $50 million is required just to repair the airport. This massive business opportunity generated worldwide interest. First to take action was Kurdish businesswomen Muazzez Baktas, who has been active in the construction sector of Iraq's Kurdish region for many years. Baktas set up the first company for Mosul's reconstruction.

The reconstruction work is enormous," she told Al-Monitor. "Mosul has to be rebuilt from zero. We are active in construction with our headquarters in London and offices in Mosul and Erbil. There is an enticing jackpot that attracted major companies. It is particularly inviting for Turkey. I cant estimate how big this jackpot is, but 80% of the city is leveled  you can guess.

Turkish businesses that have been active throughout Iraq are now focusing on Mosul.

A Turkish coalition of businessmen's and industrialists' associations known as DOGUNSIFED, which has 13,000 members, is calling on the Turkish government to help.

Turkish firms have proven themselves in Iraq. Turkeys exports to Iraq are about $20 billion. Turkish contractors have completed many infrastructure projects in the country, and they now want a share in reconstructing Mosul. Our government can make quick decisions to work with Iraq's central government," Aziz Ozkilic, the president of DOGUNSIFED, told Al-Monitor.

As Turkey is one of Iraq's closest neighbors, "we want to get our share of the cake," Ozkilic said. But Turkish firms also deserve priority because they "have excelled with their quality of work and use of technology."

Nevaf Kilic is chairman of the Turkey-Iraq Industrialists and Businessmen Association, which was set up to promote commercial, socio-economic and cultural relations between the two countries. Turkish companies are most active in Turkmenistan, but Iraq is next in line, he said, noting that Mosul is only about 75 miles from the Turkish border.

Mosul today is rubble," Kilic said. "We heard that the central Iraqi government has allotted $100 billion for this [rebuilding] project. Our contractors have been completing projects totaling about $5 billion annually. We are talking about rebuilding a city of 3 million people with its official buildings, schools and houses from zero. It is an alluring prospect, especially for our contractors and businessmen from southeast Turkey.

Kilic said Turkish businesses expect to be favored in tenders. It will be much better if those tenders are awarded to Turkish companies outright. We want the Turkish government to help our contractors to get the Mosul tenders. We are working hard to get those contracts. Iraq is an important country for us with our cultural, religious, language and geographical commonalities. It is normal that we should have advantages over others, he said.

Such statements sound logical of course, but they seem to ignore the determining factor, which is Turkeys shaky relations with Iraq and the Kurdish region.

In the 1990s, when the Kurdish region split from the central Iraqi government, Turkish businesses couldn't benefit from the economic opportunities because of their country's rigid stand against the Kurds. But Mosul is an Arab-dominated city, and though Turkey wasn't permitted to participate in the liberation of Mosul, it wants to have a significant role in its reconstruction. Turkey will not act sentimentally this time, so there is hope that there will be no new problems between Ankara and Baghdad.
September 26, 2017

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned happy from his talks with US President Donald Trump in New York last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting, even though they resolved little regarding issues that have strained ties between the two countries in Syria and Iraq.

This, however, hasn't prevented Erdogans supporters  and, no doubt, many government officials, including Erdogans own advisers  from seeing the United States as the hidden hand behind the independence referendum held Sept. 25 by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil, Iraq. Results of the vote are expected Sept. 27. Turnout was high and most observers believe the referendum will pass handily. Meanwhile, Iraq has demanded control of KRG airports, threatening otherwise to impose a flight ban.

Turkey's frustration increased with Erbils refusal to heed Turkey's dire warnings ahead of the referendum, including Ankara's barely veiled threat that if the vote were held, it might be a reason to go to war.

Washingtons condemnation of the referendum, on the other hand, means little to Erdogan backers, who see it as a mere diplomatic ploy. These quarters believe KRG President Massoud Barzani wouldn't have had the courage to go up against so much international opposition to his referendum if he hadn't received secret US assurances.

Many nationalists in Turkey who oppose Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are also convinced that the United States publicly opposed the referendum to divert attention from its "true" intention. They believe the referendum is actually part of Washingtons supposed long-standing desire to establish a second Israel in the region. Israels support for the KRG referendum has fed into this perception.

Nationalists are particularly angry that the KRG has included the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk  which they believe is traditionally Turkmen  in the referendum, and are calling on the Turkish army to move in and wrest it from the Kurds.

Hurriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi, an avid Erdogan supporter with close AKP ties, said the referendum can only be understood if looked at from the perspective of Washington, London and Tel Aviv.

Arguing in his column that Barzanis referendum decision is part of the United States regional vision, Selvi said areas controlled in Syria by the US-backed Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), and its military wing, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), are next in line in the independence chain.

Ankara says the PYD and YPG are Kurdish terrorist groups, and opposes any suggestion of regional autonomy for them in Syria. Turkey is concerned that gains by the Kurds in Syria and Iraq will encourage its own restive Kurds.

Turkeys problem, however, is that it has failed to prevent not just Washington but also Moscow from supporting the PYD and the YPG. Moscow, to Turkeys annoyance, believes that these groups should also have a say in a settlement of Syria's civil war.

Ankara relies heavily on its ties with Moscow at the moment to counterbalance its deteriorating ties with the West, and is therefore reluctant to criticize Russia over this issue. Erdogan is due to host President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 28 in Ankara, and developments in Iraq and Syria are expected to be high on the agenda.

Despite these friendly overtures with Moscow, Selvi said Ankara believes there is a secret deal among the United States, Russia and the Kurds to partition Syria. Selvi says this would make it hard for Turkey to intervene militarily against the Kurds. Nevertheless, there is a lot of official saber-rattling from Ankara, as nationalist quarters clamor for the Turkish military to move into Iraq and Syria, with scant consideration for potential consequences. Turkeys ongoing military maneuvers along the border with northern Iraq and reinforcements on its border with Syria have encouraged them in this respect.

There is a lot of official saber rattling from Ankara, as nationalist quarters clamor for the Turkish military to move into Iraq and Syria.

There are voices, however, that caution against any intervention. Ertugrul Ozkok, a prominent liberal columnist for Hurriyet, believes an intervention would backfire on Turkey, leaving it looking like an Ottoman invader chasing after pan-Turkish dreams.

Turkeys image in the world and in the Arab world is at its nadir.  We could all of a sudden find that the world is on Barzanis side and opposed to Turkey, Ozkok wrote in his column before the referendum.

Lets not forget that our Syria policy has also hit its lowest point and been defeated on all fronts. We have lost our power of deterrence, he continued.

Ozkok also pointed to Turkeys inconsistent position today, after having dealt with the KRG over Baghdads head for so many years, and having hosted Barzani in Turkey on countless occasions. During Barzani's last visit, in February, Turkey raised the KRG flag next to the Turkish flag at the airports in Ankara and Istanbul.

Ardan Zenturk, a well-known television presenter and columnist for the pro-government Star daily, lambasted Ozkok as a pacifist "out to save the day." Zenturk said in his Sept. 25 column that the Turkish army had to move into a swath of territory between the Kurds in Syria and Iraq to disrupt the lines of communication between the two regions.

Imperialism is determined to force our borders. We have to respond to this in a determined way, Zenturk wrote, using agitating jargon close to nationalist hearts.

But Ozkok's not alone in counseling reason. Levent Gultekin, an outspoken Erdogan critic who writes for the opposition internet news portal Diken (Thorn), believes that threatening and insulting Barzani is not a rational approach for Turkey.

If the Kurds want a state, its their business, not ours," Gultekin writes in his column. Instead of using its energies on the Kurds outside the country  Turkey should try to strengthen its social cohesion by providing its Kurds, and indeed all of its citizens, with the means to live like humans."

Such views, however, are few and far between in todays Turkey, where the government is successfully drumming up angry nationalist support against the KRG.

Ufuk Ulutas, the foreign policy research director at the government-sponsored Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research in Ankara, said that while it was a positive thing at the time for Erdogan to cultivate close ties with Barzani, these ties will change.

Barzani, who only managed to remain standing during his most difficult moments because of Turkeys support, is prepared to lose his closest ally for the sake of a [Kurdish nationalist] project, Ulutas wrote.

Unable to rely on Washington or Moscow, Turkey is hoping to cooperate with Baghdad and Tehran to prevent Kurdish political aspirations from maturing. There is a flurry of high-level contacts between the three countries today, leading many to believe they will act together against the Syrian and Iraqi Kurds.

This, however, is an open question that overlooks the serious differences Ankara has with Baghdad and Tehran on regional issues, as well as Turkeys efforts with the Gulf states to prevent Irans growing influence in the Middle East. Cooperating with Baghdad and Tehran against the Kurds could require Turkey to concede other regional plans.

Retired Ambassador Unal Cevikoz said the KRG referendum does not mean Iraq will be divided tomorrow, or that an independent Kurdistan will emerge overnight.

If, however, the statements against the referendum turn to actions, and the post-referendum period is not managed rationally, this will be the most important factor that will threaten the future of Iraq, Cevikoz wrote in an article for Hurriyet.

Speaking more broadly, if Turkey cant find reasonable ways to deal with this new development involving the Kurds rather than issuing warnings and blaming others, it could easily end up with a new set of foreign-policy debacles in its lap.
September 26, 2017

A Turkish court has freed veteran journalist Kadri Gursel, who spent almost a year in prison accused of terrorism links but five others remain behind bars in the latest hearing of a trial that human rights observers describe as a threat to journalism in the country.

Gursel, a Cumhuriyet columnist who also writes for Al-Monitor, said he was held for 330 days merely because he was a writer for the Turkish newspaper, one of the last domestic outlets critical of the government.

Theres not much to celebrate or be happy about, because there are Cumhuriyet employees who are still being held unjustly, facing baseless accusations, he told friends and family.

Gursels trial will continue with 17 journalists and employees of Cumhuriyet, one of Turkeys oldest dailies, on charges they aided and abetted Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric said to be the mastermind behind the bungled coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016, and other illegal groups. They face up to 43 years in prison if convicted.

Cumhuriyet was established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Turkish republics founder, in 1924, and is steeped in the secular principles of the modern republic. Its staff, including renowned investigative journalist Ahmet Sik, has spent years exposing the Gulen networks infiltration of the police, armed forces and judiciary, as well as its erstwhile links with the ruling party.

Mondays hearing, the third session since July, before a packed courtroom underscored the challenges the prosecution faces in proving the paper was part of a broad conspiracy and fueled claims that the case is motivated by political, not legal, concerns.

In testimony for the prosecution, witnesses accused Cumhuriyet of being part of a CIA plot that aimed to make its editorial tone more progressive and pro-Gulen, pointing to a photo of Gulen featured prominently on the papers front page, courtroom observers said.

In one dramatic exchange, Akin Atalay, a lawyer and Cumhuriyets imprisoned chairman, seemed to catch the witness at the heart of the prosecutions case lying under oath about secretly petitioning Erdogan to intervene at the paper.

Other problematic evidence has included doctored front pages to make Cumhuriyet appear to support the coup attempt. The charges against Atalay are based in part on his payment to a contractor six years ago to redo the floors in his home; the contractors son later dined at a restaurant suspected of belonging to a Gulen follower. In the cases most surreal twist, a prosecutor behind the indictment is now himself in jail awaiting trial for alleged Gulenist links.

At the latest hearing, Judge Abdurrahman Orkun Dag acknowledged, There are problems in the indictment.

Outside the courthouses, tensions boiled over. Cumhuriyet supporters appeared to push and slap a pro-government TV reporter after he called the defendants traitors in a video posted on social media. Later, a pro-government newspaper tweeted that all the defendants would remain in custody while the judges are deliberating, prompting Dag to say he would file a complaint against the reporter.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression have called on Turkey to drop the case, calling it a threat to journalism and journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists describes Turkey as the worlds biggest jailer of journalists, with some 150 journalists behind bars.

The pressures on Cumhuriyet go far beyond this case.

Newsstands are wary of selling the daily, which also effectively faces an advertising embargo with companies unwilling to purchase ads for fear of retribution, longtime Cumhuriyet columnist Orhan Erinc said in July. Erinc, 81, is himself accused of belonging to an armed terrorist organization.

While most of the defendants have been freed, Sik, Atalay, editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu, accountant Emre Iper and Ahmet Kemal Aydogdu, a schoolteacher with no obvious connection to Cumhuriyet, will remain in prison at least until the next hearing on Oct. 31.

Sik, who has worked as a journalist for nearly three decades, was jailed for a year in 2011 after penning a book that explored the Gulen movements influence in the police force.

That case is still being heard by another court, even though almost all of the judges and prosecutors involved in the initial trial are in prison or fugitives for their alleged roles in the Gulen network. Meanwhile, at least five new court cases have been brought against Sik since he was rearrested in December, his wife, Yonca Verdioglu, told Al-Monitor at the start of the trial.

The case against Ahmet perfectly shows the absurdity in Turkey  that there is no rule of law, she said. Ahmet will continue to face these attacks, but I could never ask him to quit journalism. He was arrested for asking the right questions, for shining a light on the truth.
Two months after launching The House in Birmingham, Alabama native Matt Patterson is bringing the service to the Rocket City.

The House - a dining app that shows events, happy hours and other specials from local restaurants and bars - will launch in Huntsville on Oct. 10.

"It's a neighboring city that's on the rise to grow," Patterson said. "We want to be well positioned for the growth they're having, and we wanted to plant our flag there."

Since launching in Birmingham, The House has gained more than 5,000 downloads in the area. Patterson told AL.com that number is still growing steadily.

Patterson said he hopes to grow the House to several cities in the Southeast in the next 18 months, including Nashville and Atlanta.

"We envision being a nationwide company," Patterson said.

The House will also host an Avondale Pub Crawl on Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. with specials available exclusively to House app users. Partners include Melt, Fancy's on Fifth, Rowe's Service Station, Avondale Common House and Avondale Brewing.

Patterson, a Vestavia Hills High School and University of Alabama graduate, cofounded The House with Matt Harb. Patterson worked for BBVA Compass before starting his own company, a moving company called Bellhops. He's still an equity owner in that company, but he's no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of it. He now lives in Chattanooga, where Bellhops and The House were both launched.
Federal-Mogul will lay off approximately 200 workers from the 300-member workforce at its Jacksonville distribution center, according to the Anniston Star.

The move will happen over the next 18 months.

Outgoing employees will be offered outplacement services to help them find employment, the company said.

The company, based in Michigan, announced it is realigning its distribution network and the Jacksonville center will become a parts return hub, the paper reported.
Two Birmingham banks have executives who have landed on prestigious lists by American Banker magazine that honor top female bankers nationwide.

Rosilyn Houston is the Chief Talent and Culture Executive at Birmingham-headquartered BBVA Compass. She landed at No. 10 on American Banker's list of Women to Watch.

The list highlighted the changes she made for the bank's worker-friendly initiatives, which have included higher pay coverage for short-term disability, increased parental leave and an overnight breast milk delivery service for moms traveling on business.

"Houston's hope is that the group's existence will help the $88 billion-asset bank strengthen its pipeline of high-quality female leaders who could move into executive roles when opportunities arise," American Banker wrote. She also believes strongly that when women feel supported in their careers, they are more inspired and engaged, leading to an improved bottom line."

Houston has won several other honors in the last few years, including being named to AL.com's "Women who Shape the State," making the list of the "Most Powerful Women in Business" by Black Enterprise, as well as making the Women to Watch list in 2016.

American Banker named Mary Mack, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Community Banking for Wells Fargo, the top woman to watch.

Barb Godin, Regions Financial

American Banker also released its list of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking, and Birmingham's Regions Financial Corp.'s Chief Credit Officer Barb Godin made No. 24.

Godin is one of only two women in Regions' 15-member operating committee. Originally from Canada, she joined Regions in 2003.

Godin has been named to the list several times in her tenure at Regions, including in 2016. The top honor in 2017 went to Cathy Bessant, Chief Operations and Technology officer for Bank of America.

"Women in senior management roles often get passed over for jobs because their bosses assume they are happy where they are, Godin said," the magazine wrote. "So she encourages her colleagues to use their voices, and make it clear where they want to go."
Lee Roop | lroop@al.com

Birmingham's Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) announced last month it planned to buy a Canadian competitor in a $252 million deal in Canadian dollars - but a competitor has since made a higher offer. Polaris Materials Corp., (PLS.TO) a developer and operator of construction aggregate quarries in Canada, announced it got an unsolicited offer from a "major U.S. construction materials company listed on a U.S. stock exchange."

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Erin Edgemon | eedgemon@al.com

Birmingham and Jefferson County have officially launched a campaign to lure Amazon's second corporate headquarters. Mayor William Bell said the city's bid for the headquarters is due in less than 30 days.

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Ben Flanagan | bflanagan@al.com

Each component of Mercedes-Benz's announcement last week of a $1 billion expansion at its Tuscaloosa County plant carries big implications for the auto giant and for Alabama.

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William Thornton | wthornton@al.com

It's been a whirlwind year for Bibb County. On Friday Mercedes-Benz broke ground on two huge projects in Woodstock - a new Global Logistics Center and an after-sales North American hub in Bibb County.

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Courtesy Spire

The gas utility known as Alagasco for 150-some years officially rebranded as Spire Monday following the 2014 purchase by a St. Louis company.

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Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Huntsville will make an "exciting announcement" on Tuesday at the Rocket City Plant. Details of the announcement were not immediately available. The announcement is believed to deal with the Toyota Huntsville plant, and not the announced $1.6 billion Toyota-Mazda plant that at least 11 states are jockeying for.

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Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com

Target will raise its minimum hourly wage to $11 with a commitment to increase that an additional $4 an hour by 2020, the retail giant announced today.

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Planners for the upcoming 10th annual Southern Automotive Conference in Birmingham Oct. 4 through 6 have announced an expanded slate of speakers. More than 1,000 people are expected for the conference of automakers, suppliers and exhibitors at the BJCC Exhibition Hall.

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Paul Gattis | pgattis@al.com

Construction crews are at full force at City Centre at Big Spring - the AC Marriott-anchored mixed-use development at Williams Avenue and Monroe Street.

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TCIDA

Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority Executive Director Dara Longgrear has announced his retirement, effective Nov. 1.

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William Thornton | wthornton@al.com

Two of the nation's largest media organizations are announcing a merger. Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. said in a statement Monday that it and Raycom Media Inc. have agreed to merge into a new privately owned media group.

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Contributed by Serving Hope

Cynthia Shea Hart has spent years working in the food industry, including running her namesake restaurant Cyn Shea's Cafe and Catering in downtown Huntsville. By most standards she should have been looking at retirement. Recently she was at a crossroads, Hart said, with her career and family life. Her grandchildren, who had lived out of state, had moved back to Huntsville, and her husband retired. She knew she wanted to stay home and spend time with her grandchildren, yet she found herself asking what God wanted.

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William Thornton | wthornton@al.com

68 Ventures, in partnership with several local investors, paid $8.250 million for 174 acres on Nine Mile Road in Pensacola, Fla., across from the Navy Federal Credit Union complex, according to Nathan Cox, CEO of 68 Ventures, a real estate development company.

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City of Jacksonville

Federal-Mogul will lay off approximately 200 workers from the 300-member workforce at its Jacksonville distribution center, according to the Anniston Star. The move will happen over the next 18 months.

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International Paper has announced plans for a $300 million conversion of its No. 15 paper machine at the Riverdale Mill in Selma.

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Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com

A worker has died in an accident at Nucor Steel in Decatur, Decatur Police Department Spokeswoman Emily Long said.

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Captured Moments Photography

Birmingham's Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED has made a big investment in its Florida operations with a $5 million facility that includes a distribution Center, Warehouse, Fleet Maintenance center and administrative offices.

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Kathryn Tuggle

REV Birmingham is now accepting applications for its Shark Tank-style pitch contest the Big Pitch. The contest, now in its year, will ask 10 startup contests to compete before a live audience and panel of judges to pitch business ideas in hopes of taking home a $40,00 prize package.
Birmingham's Alabama Theatre is a finalist for a national preservation grant that the historic theater hopes to use to install a replica of a vintage sign that has been missing since the 1950s.

At an event at the Alabama this evening, REV Birmingham announced that the nearly 90-year-old theater is one of 25 finalists to receive grant money from the Partners in Preservation: Main Street campaign.

The theater would use the grant money to help pay for a 60-foot, vertical "Alabama" sign above the double doors that lead to the stage entrance of the theater on 18th Street North. The replica sign will match the iconic Alabama sign at the main entrance to the theater on Third Avenue North.

The theater hopes to unveil the new sign at a New Year's Eve celebration on Dec. 31, Brant Beene, executive director of Birmingham Landmarks Inc., the nonprofit that owns the Alabama Theatre, told AL.com. The Alabama Theatre opened on Dec. 26, 1927, and will celebrate its 90th birthday this year.

From 1927 until 1957, the Alabama Theatre had twin vertical signs on Third Avenue North and on 18th Street, according to Beene.

By 1957, both signs were in need of repair, and the one on Third Avenue North was partially dismantled and the one on 18th Street was taken down to be refurbished. The Third Avenue North sign was fully restored by 1960, but the other sign disappeared and was probably scrapped, according to Beene.

"I'm told that it rusted away before we could raise enough money and get it back up," he said.

Once installed, the new, replica sign will further illuminate the corner of 18th Street and Third Avenue North in the downtown Theater District, Beene said. That corner of the Theater District is home not only to the Alabama Theatre but also the 103-year-old Lyric Theatre, which was restored and reopened in January 2016.

This is an archival photograph of what the twin signs outside the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham, Ala., looked like from 1927 to 1957. (Photo courtesy of Birmingham Landmarks Inc.)

"The Alabama sign on Third Avenue is such an icon," Beene said. "You see it on television, on shows and in car commercials, and everybody statewide knows about that vertical Alabama sign.

"When the Lyric Theatre (restoration) came along and we illuminated that (Lyric) sign, it really expanded the boundary of what people know as the Theater District.

"Putting that (Alabama) sign back on 18th Street is just a natural extension, not just for the Alabama but for the whole Theater District," Beene added. "It is another symbol of how the Theater District has helped light the way for more growth in the downtown area."

Donors have already begun pledging money for the historic sign restoration project, with donations from Alabama Power, Regions and the Alabama Theatre Junior Board, according to a REV Birmingham media release.

The Partners in Preservation: Main Streets competition would complement those fundraising efforts, Beene said.

Created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and by American Express, Partners in Preservation is a community-based partnership which raises awareness of the importance of preserving historic places and their roles in sustaining local communities, David Fleming, CEO of REV Birmingham, said. Partners in Preservation: Main Streets will award a combined $2 million in grants from American Express to Main Street districts across America in need of preservation support, Fleming said.

The public will decide which sites receive funding by voting online for their favorite preservation project. Voting is hosted by National Geographic Travel, and the Alabama Theatre has a local portal at www.BigAlabamaSign.com, where voters may submit five votes per email address per day, starting today and continuing through Oct. 31.

"Without having to shell out once cent or one dollar, everybody that has a computer can make a contribution to this project and to this theater," Beene said.

As part of the campaign, the Alabama Theatre will host a social media contest during Open House Weekend on Oct. 6-8, during which the public is invited to visit the downtown Theater District and post a picture on social media of them with the Alabama sign in the background.

Everyone using the hashtags #AlabamaOn18th and #VoteYourMainStreet on a publicly shared photo that includes the Alabama sign and marquee displaying the weekend's message will be entered into a drawing for multiple Alabama Theatre ticket packages.

One winner will receive two tickets to a 2018 concert of their choosing at the Alabama Theatre, and three winners will receive two tickets each to a 2017 holiday movie of their choosing.
Creeks hold millions of years of secrets beneath their cool, clear waters, most of which we'll never know. But a visit to Shark Tooth Creek in Aliceville will yield evidence of life from 40 million years ago  and it's evidence you get to take home in the form of the teeth of ancient sharks and other fossils. Kelly Kazek | kkazek@al.com

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(Source: Shark Tooth Creek website)

Numerous creeks in Alabama contain sharks teeth, but Shark Tooth Creek has something they dont: Guided fossil hunts and a guarantee each visitor will leave with a sharks tooth, and most leave with 20 or 30, according to the website.

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(Source: Shark Tooth Creek website)

Thats because the teeth and fossils continue to be unearthed by the running water  in this case in unusually large numbers. How did they get to a farm in rural Pickens County? The area is actually part of an ancient seashore.

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(Source: Shark Tooth Creek website)

Shark Tooth Creek, located on Alabama Highway 14, is privately owned by Ken and Betty Owens. The family has been offering hunts in the creek for 50 years but visits must be scheduled in advance. For details, visit the website by clicking here, call 205-373-2605, or email sharktooth@wildblue.net. Above, a young fossil hunter looks over his haul after searching Shark Tooth Creek.

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(Source: Shark Tooth Creek website)

The family also offers camping, fishing, canoeing and swimming, above. The site has a pavilion, restrooms, showers, cooking facilities and picnic tables.

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(Source: Shark Tooth Creek website)

Shark Tooth Creek is a popular destination for archaeologists, school children and seasoned fossil hunters, the website said.

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(Source: Shark Tooth Creek website)

On their hunts, visitors sift sand and pebbles from the creek bottom. They are likely to find such artifacts as small teeth of tiger and sand sharks, or even those of a prehistoric shark called Galeocerdo alabamensis. It was so named because most of the fossils of the species were found in this state, according to an article by Ben Raines.

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(Source: Shark Tooth Creek website)

Teeth from 16 different species of sharks can be found in Shark Tooth Creek.
A child died Monday afternoon after being left in a vehicle on the Miles College campus.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office on Tuesday identified the boy as Dra Kadyn Hudson. He lived in the Bessemer area.

Fairfield Police Chief Nick Dyer said the 3-year-old boy was left in the car while the grandmother was at work at the college.

He was discovered unresponsive at 4:09 p.m. and rushed to Children's of Alabama, where he was pronounced dead at 5:25 p.m. He said the boy is believed to have been in the car since his grandmother arrived for work in the morning just after 8 a.m.

Both the boy's grandmother and his father are employed at the college. The grandmother works in software support, and the father is an assistant football coach. Efforts to reach the boy's father for comment weren't immediately successful.

"Miles College is praying for the family during this difficult time,'' said Miles spokeswoman Alicia Johnson Williams. "Our hearts, prayers and support are extended to our team member and the entire family."

Dyer said they will present the case to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office in the morning to determine whether charges will be filed. "It's a tragedy and my thoughts and prayers are with the family,'' the chief said.

Monday's temperate was about 87 degrees, and experts say the inside air temperature of the car could have been in excess of 130 degrees. Objects or a person inside the car in direct sunlight could have been hotter, said Jan Null, a meteorologist at San Jose State University who specializes in hot car deaths.

So far this year, 39 children have died across the United States, including four in Alabama. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, between 1998 and 2016, 739 children died nationwide due to vehicular heatstroke. In 376 of those deaths, or 54 percent, an investigation concluded that the child was simply forgotten by its caregiver. In only 120 of those incidents, or 17 percent, was there sufficient evidence to show the act was deliberate.

In 2016, there were a total of 39 juvenile vehicular hyperthermia deaths nationwide, including two in Alabama.

Earlier this year, Christian Evan Sanders died from hyperthermia - an elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation that occurs when a body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said Christian was last known to be alive at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 7. He was found unresponsive at 4:37 p.m. and pronounced dead at Children's of Alabama at 5:06 p.m.

The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office in July said a three-month probe into the April 7 incident yielded no sign of criminal wrongdoing. "All evidence indicates that this was a tragic accident,'' District Attorney Pro Tem Danny Carr said in a prepared statement.

In the second Alabama case, Memory Ryan Vieyra is charged with murder and aggravated child abuse in the March 29 death of 14-month-old Giuliana Susan Grace Ramirez.

The incident happened at 2713 Leonard Chapel Road in Carbon Hill. The criminal complaint for murder against Vieyra states that she engaged in conduct which manifested extreme indifference to human life and created a grave risk of death to the little girl. Vieyra did so by "violently shaking Giuliana and/or leaving (her) in a vehicle that reached extreme internal temperatures for an extended period of time."
A lawmaker who has led prison reform efforts in Alabama estimates it will take an extra $30 million a year to improve mental health treatment in prisons to fix what a federal judge found is an unconstitutionally poor system of care.

Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, presided over a meeting of the Joint Legislative Prison Committee today. The committee got an update on the federal court case.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled in June that mental health care in Alabama prisons is "horrendously inadequate," so poor that it violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

Thompson ordered the state and the lawyers representing inmates into mediation to find a remedy.

Two weeks ago, Thompson ordered the state and plaintiffs to submit a joint proposal on immediate and long-term relief for understaffing of mental health and correctional staff by Oct. 9.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed in 2014, include the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program.

Thompson conducted a trial in late 2016 and early 2017 and found that the prison system failed to identify many mentally ill prisoners and failed to adequately treat those who were diagnosed. The judge found that prisoners were punished and placed in segregation for symptoms of their mental illnesses. He found suicidal prisoners were not adequately treated and monitored. The prison system failed to provide hospital-level care for prisoners who needed it, Thompson wrote. Understaffing of mental health professionals and of correctional officers were overarching problems, Thompson found, as was chronic overcrowding.

SPLC attorney Maria Morris told the Joint Legislative Prison Committee today that mental health counselors in Alabama prisons have caseloads of 100 to 150 people, about twice the number they should have. Morris said the number of inmates needing mental health care could possibly double.

Morris said it would take an estimated $20 million to hire the additional mental health staff needed. Morris said that was a rough estimate and probably on the low side.

Ward agreed that her estimate was probably low.

"I think probably, realistically, you're looking at close to $30 million more in the Corrections budget to deal with the mental health staffing," Ward said.

Morris estimated it could cost $100 million a year or more to fix the shortage of corrections officers. Morris said that was a rough estimate. She said as of June, the number of corrections officers employed by the Department of Corrections was just 41 percent of an "authorized" staff number.

Ward said he was uncertain about the cost of fixing the shortage of corrections officers.

Prison Commissioner Jeff Dunn told the committee that the DOC is working to find a remedy for mental health care that is "both responsive to the court and respectful of taxpayers."

"We're going to do that with every ounce that we can muster and we're going to provide what we believe is a constitutionally acceptable solution to the issues that we're challenged with and then we're going to seek the partnership of the Legislature to move forward on that," Dunn said.

Dunn said the prison population continues to decline. The Legislature passed sentencing guidelines that took effect in 2013 and criminal justice reforms in 2015. Dunn said the population is down about 4,000 inmates over the last three and a half years. At one time, prisons were filled to almost twice their designed capacity.

As of June, state prisons housed 21,888 inmates in facilities designed for 13,318, an occupancy rate of 165 percent.

But Dunn said the prevalence of violence, contraband and drugs in prisons remains at critically high levels.

Ward said the cost of correcting the prison problem will be the single biggest challenge facing the Legislature when it returns in January.

"But we can't say we didn't see this coming," Ward said. "We've been talking about this for years, that there's going to be a problem and there's going to be a train wreck. And it's in front of us now."
State Rep. Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, pleaded guilty to devising a scheme to commit mail fraud, U.S. Attorney Louis Franklin in Montgomery announced today.

Hammon used campaign money to pay his personal expenses, Franklin said.

Hammon becomes the fourth state lawmaker to be convicted of corruption charges since 2014.

Hammon has represented the 4

th

district in the Alabama House since 2002. He served as majority leader in the House from the time Republicans took control of the chamber in 2010

in February.

Hammon faces a maximum sentence of 20 years. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson will sentence Hammon in the coming months.

A felony conviction automatically removes Hammon from office.

Hammon had announced in July that he would not run for reelection.

"Self-dealing by elected officials erodes society's confidence in its governmental institutions," Franklin said in the news release. "Self-dealing is precisely what occurred here. Those who donated to Representative Hammon's campaign expected that the campaign would use those resources lawfully and to foster an informative public debate. Instead, Representative Hammon placed those funds into his own personal piggy bank.

"I am proud of my office's efforts to root out this corruption and I am most grateful for the tireless work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, which investigated this case. I hope that this prosecution will, in some small way, restore Alabamians' trust in their state legislature."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross is prosecuting the case.

Franklin said Hammon set up a campaign committee in 2013 to raise money for a reelection campaign. Contributors mailed donations to Hammon's campaign office. Hammon would endorse the checks and deposit them into his campaign bank account. Then he would write a check drawn on the campaign account to himself. Hammon would deposit that check into his personal account and use the money to pay personal expenses. State law prohibits the use of campaign funds for personal uses.

The scheme was carried out between September 2013 and November 2014, the plea agreement says.

Efforts to reach Hammon's attorney, Stephen Shaw, were not immediately successful.

Hammon is probably best known as the sponsor of a bill the Legislature passed in 2011 to crack down on illegal immigration. The bill, HB 56, was called by some the harshest immigration law in the nation.

The law made it a state crime for an unauthorized immigrant to be in Alabama and to seek work in Alabama. It required public schools to check the immigration status of students.

Hammon said the intent was to "attack every aspect of an illegal alien's life." He and other supporters said the purpose was, in part, to help make sure that Alabama jobs went to citizens, not to people in the county illegally.

The U.S. Department of Justice and others sued. In 2013, the state agreed to a settlement blocking seven sections of the law that were found to be preempted by federal law.

Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, who is now House majority leader, released a statement.

"We must not tolerate elected officials who abuse their offices for personal gain, but the guilty pleas that have been entered by Oliver Robinson and Micky Hammon in recent weeks indicate that laws on our books are working, and violations of the public's trust will be punished when they occur," Ledbetter said.

Robinson, D-Birmingham, pleaded guilty earlier this month to federal charges of conspiracy, bribery, fraud and tax evasion.

Last year, a Lee County jury convicted House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, of 12 felony ethics charges.

In 2014, former state Rep. Greg Wren, R-Montgomery, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of using his office for personal gain and resigned from office.

Updated at 1:47 p.m. to add statement from Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter and more information.

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The Birmingham City Council, on Tuesday, made it a criminal offense for any entity operating in the city to discriminate against a person based on his or her race, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity or disability.

The city-wide non-discrimination ordinance covers housing, public accommodations and employment. The ordinance will be enforced through Birmingham Municipal Court.

The city council passed the ordinance unanimously following a public hearing. Councilors Kim Rafferty and William Parker weren't in attendance for the vote.

"Birmingham has a responsibility to protect all of its citizens the best way we can, and that it exactly what we are attempting to do today by passing this ordinance," City Council President Johnathan Austin told AL.com. "Fortunately, the council saw the wisdom in it, approved it unanimously, and it is just one step towards making the city of Birmingham a more inclusive and open community for all citizens. That is something we have to continue to work on. That is something we have to continue to fight for."

He said he expects that the state Legislature will challenge the ordinance.

"Whenever we try to do something to protect the citizens, in any form, it has always been attacked by the state Legislature, Austin said. "I anticipate that the state Legislature may try to pass some legislation that says we can't do this, but we will let them deal with that."

To enter a discrimination complaint against any entity, the alleged victim will have to go before a magistrate and seek a warrant or summons against the employer or other entity, Julie Barnard, Birmingham assistant city attorney, said during Tuesday's city council meeting.

Under Alabama law, the only remedy for violating a city ordinance is a criminal process, she said. Municipalities don't have the authority to create civil fines or civil remedies.

The Human Rights Campaign hailed the city council's passage of the ordinance, the first of its kind in the state of Alabama.

"Today, the city of Birmingham made history in Alabama by taking a crucial step toward ensuring LGBTQ residents are protected from discrimination," Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign said in a statement. "In doing so, Birmingham joins Jackson and Magnolia, Mississippi in setting an example for cities across the South to follow. Now, it is time for all southern cities to guarantee the right of LGBTQ people to live their lives free from discrimination."

Barnard said offenders won't be ticketed. Any business entity in Birmingham accused of discrimination would face a trial in municipal court.

"The municipal court is a court of criminal jurisdiction," Barnard said. "That means any charge in municipal court has to be proven to a standard of beyond a reasonable doubt. That's an issue for the council to consider. "

Civil courts, on the other hand, have a lower standard of proof: a preponderance of the evidence, she said.

Barnard said at a federal level, most discrimination violations would be civil matters.

Eva Kendrick, HRC Alabama state director, said it is fairly common for cities who pass non-discrimination ordinances to make it a criminal offense.

"These crucial nondiscrimination protections may be enforced through the issuance of fines only," she said. "The ordinance creates a local Human Rights Commission that receives, investigates, and attempts to conciliate complaints with the hopes of arriving at mutually agreed upon resolutions before reaching the stage of potential fines in municipal court.

Of the hundreds of municipalities across the nation that have enacted non-discrimination protections, many take a similar approach. In any event, the message that cities are sending is that discrimination against anyone is wrong, plain and simple," Kendrick said.

According to the ordinance, any person or entity found guilty of discrimination will face a fine of up to $500. First offenders will be subject to a fine of $100. The second violation will be subject to a $250 fine.

Barnard said there won't be any redress for people who has been discriminated against. They won't be able to get their jobs back. They won't be awarded back pay, she said.

Those measures would have to be sought in a civil setting, Barnard said.

The ordinance also calls for the creation of a Birmingham Human Rights Commission. The 11-member body will include one appointee from each of the city council districts; a representative from a human rights non-profit organization; and a representative from a business or other employer with its principal location in the city.

Additional, non-voting members of the commission will include the chief of police or designee; the fire chief or designee; the city's ADA compliance director of designee; and a member of council staff.

Barnard said the commission will be charged with conducting investigations and making recommendations to the mayor and council on potential legislative actions.

Several local residents as well as HRC, Equality Alabama and Central Alabama Pride spoke in favor of the ordinance.

Michael Hansen, a Birmingham resident and former Senate candidate, said the city's passage of the ordinance will "send a signal to the rest of the country that Birmingham is a serious place, that we are progressive and that we are open to everyone."

"What this ordinance really does is protect everyone but especially those most vulnerable. There are real cases of discrimination that happen in this city every day that affect everyone."

The Rev. Lindsey Becker, a local youth minister, said being open and vulnerable about who you are makes her a better employee, tenant, Christian, minister and as a servant for the community. She said this ordinance "is taking a stance and saying who you are is welcome. I think you will see that people in this community will become greater versions of themselves because they will be able to feel comfortable and empowered in who they are."

Birmingham resident Takia Hudson was the only person to speak out against the ordiance based on his religious beliefs.
The event dubbed Revolt against the traitors is scheduled to take place on September 30.

Swedish anti-racist politicians, watchdog groups and Jewish organisations have expressed anger as self-professed National Socialists prepare for a rally slated to take place on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in the countrys second-largest city.





The Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM), which anti-racist organisations describe as neo-Nazis, is holding a demonstration on September 30 in Gothenburg, which is located on Swedens western coast.

They have dubbed the event Revolt against the traitors.

The event will be a rally against the politicians in the Swedish parliament as well as the European Parliament who have flung our nations borders wide open to an unprecedented invasion, the NRM said in a statement, referring to the countrys acceptance of refugees and migrants fleeing war and economic devastation in recent years.

The statement added, Todays politicians and journalists are nothing short of robbers and traitors!

At the time of publication, the NRM had not replied to Al Jazeeras repeated requests for additional comment.

Linda Snecker, a spokesperson for Swedens Left Party, described the NRM as a threat against our democracy and open society.

Speaking to Al Jazeera by telephone, she said, Its a threat against all of us who are anti-racists, who are feminists, [and those] who celebrate LGBTQ society. The neo-Nazis are a threat against all of those values that we believe and fight for.

Police have changed the NRMs planned route, prompting the group to hold a flash demonstration in Gothenburg on September 17, with some 60 demonstrators marching through the city centre.

READ MORE: Inside the alt-right  Genocidal behind closed doors

In a video posted on the NRMs YouTube channel, the demonstrators waved flags and chanted against immigration. When angry passers-by confronted them, an NRM protester threw a woman to the pavement.

Although the NRM has been active for two decades, Snecker said the group is attempting to capitalise on the rise of the far-right Sweden Democrats Party, which has 49 seats in the national legislature, and the wave of far-right populism that has hit parts of Europe and the US in recent years.

Their agenda is violence, to scare people, to show you cant protest against them and that they have a violent capacity, she said. Thats really scary.

Uncomfortable associations for Jews

The demonstration was set to pass near a synagogue in the city centre, which has prompted faith leaders to express concern for the citys Jewish community. However, a court ruled on Monday that the route would have to be changed.

Aron Verstandig, chairman of The Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, and Allan Stutzinky, chairman of the Jewish Community in Gothenburg, decried the polices decision to grant the NRM a permit in an opinion article published by the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper earlier this month.

Aside from out of fear for our own security, it evokes uncomfortable associations for us Jews. During the Holocaust, it wasnt unusual for the German Nazis to conduct their horrendous atrocities on the most important days of the Jewish calendar, they wrote.

Henrik Dahlberg, a media spokesperson for the City of Gothenburg, said it does not have the legal authority to prevent the march from taking place.

READ MORE: How a raised fist against Swedish Nazism went viral

Demonstrations such as this one have a very strong protection in the Swedish constitution, he told Al Jazeera by email. Therefore, the march in and of itself cannot be stopped.

In 2016, the anti-racist magazine Expo documented 3,064 instances of neo-Nazi activities in Sweden. The bulk of the activities involved spreading propaganda, such as distributing flyers and posting stickers.

In a December 2016 study that examined the profiles of 159 NRM members, Expo found that more than a quarter of them had previously been charged with violent crimes, while 56 percent had been convicted of a crime.

Explaining that the group had grown in recent years, Expo added that a third of active NRM members in 2015 had not previously had any documented connections to neo-Nazi organisations.

Outrage

Last week, Swedens Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called for action to combat the rise in far-right activity in the country. When we now see an escalation of these extremist forces, and we are moving towards a normalization of racist parties too, then we must do something, he said.

Daniel Wiklander, Expos acting managing editor, described the NRMs upcoming demonstration as an outrage.

Wiklander explains that the NRM draws on the ideological traditions of the German National Socialists, American white supremacist groups that were prevalent in the 1980s and other European fascist organisations that were active in the lead-up to and during World War II.

At this point, its the only national socialist organisation, but they exist within a larger white nationalist and far-right alignment, he said.

For a long time, they were a fringe movement because they were very hostile to [far-right] competition and mostly stuck to their own. In the last 10 years, theyve [benefited from] different [white supremacist] groups coming together.

The NRM was founded as the Swedish Resistance Movement in 1997 by Klas Lund, who has previously spent time in prison for bank robbery and manslaughter for the 1986 killing of an anti-racist organiser who intervened to stop the harassment of migrants.

READ MORE: Meet the refugee who fought neo-Nazis in Sweden

More recently, the NRM has established a branch in neighbouring Finland, where its members have attacked anti-racist demonstrations and LGBTQ pride events.

The group advocates Swedens exit from the European Union, the mass deportation of all refugees and migrants and what it describes as Nordic self-sufficiency based on National Socialist ideology, among other far-right policies.

In July 2017, a court in Gothenburg sentenced three men with ties to the NRM over bomb attacks that targeted refugee shelters and left one person severely injured. The men were sentenced to eight years and six months, five years and a year and a half, respectively.

Following the election of right-wing President Donald Trump in the US last November, the NRM staged its largest demonstration to date. More than 500 NRM supporters went onto the streets of Stockholm, the countrys capital and largest city.

In February 2016, the NRM praised a mob of more than 100 black-clad Swedes who attacked refugees and migrants in central Stockholm.

Explaining that the NRM has been reaching out to people who are leaning toward authoritarian, far right politics, Expos Wiklander said the group has increasingly been viewed as the muscle on the far right.

He concluded: They are attracting more people to their demonstrations Theyve become more visible, and they are carrying out more activities.

Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_

Editors note: The article has been updated to reflect the courts decision to change the route of the NRMs march on September 30.








Among the victims of GCC crisis are hundreds of Qatari-owned racing camels, shipped back from UAE via Omans seaport.

Al-Ruwais, Qatar  After more than 20 hours at sea, some 200 tall and gangly passengers are anxiously getting off a ship at Qatars northern tip.

Led ashore in the middle of the night, they kick and pull their ropes.

They are racing camels that got caught up in a diplomatic crisis after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a blockade on Qatar three months ago.

Caretakers with sticks impatiently usher them onto trucks to take them to stables near the Shahaniya race track, where the racing season has just begun. Soon they will be running for thousands of dollars of prize money with robots on their backs.

In total, 600 camels owned by Qataris and kept in the UAE have been brought back at the expense of the Qatari government.

They were banned from competing in the UAE after the four Arab countries cut ties with Qatar in a dispute over foreign policy.

Neutral territory

The quartet expelled Qatari citizens and barred them from visiting, accusing Doha of supporting terrorist groups.

With borders closed and Saudi territory off limits to Qataris, transporting the camels from the UAE by land was not an option.

So they were brought to Oman, which has stayed neutral in the crisis, and then put on ships.

Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar alternate as hosts of the Arab Gulf regions camel-racing tournaments, and the four-legged participants are normally transported by trucks between the countries.

This season, the sea will also be the only route open for Qataris bringing their camels to compete in Kuwait.

OPINION: GCC crisis  Why is Kuwaiti mediation not working?

The Qatari racing committee says no retaliatory measures will be taken against the UAE, with competitions in Qatar open to Emiratis should they wish to join.

Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi, Qatars minister of state for foreign affairs, alluded to the fate of Qatari camels in his speech at an Arab League summit in Cairo earlier this month, lashing out at the boycotting quartet.

Even the animals were not spared, you sent them out savagely, Muraikhi said, referring to thousands of livestock caught up in the crisis as Saudi Arabia closed its border with Qatar in June.

Sweltering summer heat

Camel owner Mohammed Abu Salem al-Marri told Al Jazeera that his animals had to walk in the sweltering summer heat for six days from deep inside the Saudi desert to reach the Qatar border.

When his camels, together with thousands of other ones, arrived at the collection point, Marri said, they were dehydrated and exhausted and still had to wait for three days for the opening of the border.

When that finally happened, crowds of camels pushed through, some tripping on each other and getting crushed.

It was hot, and there were a lot of camels. They were all trying to cross at once, Marri said. We lost a baby camel. Others lost more. I saw many dead camels.

Hundreds of camels are reported to have perished in the border stampede and as a result of the hardships arising from their rushed return.

The reason many Qataris kept their camels in Saudi Arabia is that in the vast deserts there, they could roam around freely. In Qatar, which is tiny in comparison, they have to be kept fenced in. The government has banned herding to protect trees and plants.

Marri now keeps his camels, some 70 of them, in pens in the rocky desert near the border.

He hopes that the Qatari government will change regulations and establish a zone where herding of camels will be allowed.

Just like humans, camels need to move, he said. They cant live fenced in.
Storm-battered Puerto Rico, with a population of 3.4 million, is still without electricity five days after Hurricane Maria struck with ferocious winds and torrential rains, the most powerful hurricane to hit the US territory for nearly a century.

There have been growing concerns for some 70,000 people who live in the river valley below the Guajataca Dam in the islands northwest, where cracks were seen, on Friday, in the 88-year-old earthen structure.

The National Weather Service warned of further flash floods in the west of the island on Monday as thunderstorms moved in.
Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh  According to the UN, 436,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since the latest round of violence against them began in neighbouring Myanmars Rakhine state a month ago.

Flimsy tents made of tattered tarpaulin and plastic sheets now cover much of the Bangladeshi port city of Coxs Bazar.

Those erected by aid agencies are overflowing, forcing others to create their own makeshift shelters with whatever they can find.

But heavy rains, high humidity and stifling heat have made conditions worse. The stench of human faeces grows stronger every day. Refugees must wade through ankle-deep mud, often barefoot and with minimal clothing after fleeing their homes with few belongings.

International aid agencies and local charities and local volunteers are working tirelessly to provide what they can, but the numbers in need are overwhelming and the challenges daunting in camps without clean water or sanitation, and where the outbreak of disease seems imminent.
It would seem that German voters reserved the big bang for the ballot box, as if to counteract what many observers had decried as a boring election. In a major shake-up, a record number of seven parties secured seats in the Bundestag following Sundays election, including the extreme right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD).

As expected, Angela Merkel managed to secure a fourth term as German chancellor. But the result is a far cry from her triumph four years ago. Merkels CDU/CSU lost 8.5 points, bringing its share of the vote down to 33 percent, its worst showing since 1949. Yet the party is still standing tall as the countrys second major political party, the Social Democrats (SPD), also had a disastrous showing with just 20.5 percent  their worst result ever.





Merkel prevailed, but she did not win. Her grand coalition with the SPD ended up turning both large German parties into losers. Together, the two major parties have just above 53 percent of the vote, the lowest combined share ever. This is also a result of diminishing party allegiance among German voters, who are now more inclined to change the political party they support or vote for smaller parties.

The winners from this are the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the AfD. The FDP re-entered parliament after securing 10.7 percent of the vote. The pro-business partys reemergence is a stunning success for its youthful leader, Christian Lindner, who made the campaign all about himself.

The FDPs return to parliament was not shocking, as it is a well-known actor in German politics, and they have been part of most coalition governments over the past 60 years. To the contrary, the AfD, which entered the parliament with 12.6 percent, is the first party to the right of the CDU/CSU to secure seats in the Bundestag since the late 1950s. In former East Germany, the party secured more than 20 percent of the vote, making it the second strongest. And in Saxony, it managed to come out as the strongest political party.

READ MORE: Who are Germanys far-right AfD?

The AfD mobilised more than 1.2 million non-voters and gained 1 million votes from Merkels CDU/CSU. It also took almost 500,000 votes each from SPD and the Left Party. Many of these voters chose to vote for the AfD because they feel alienated by cultural changes that have taken place in Germany over the past years, including the arrival of mostly Muslim refugees and what some see as the increasing role of Islam in public life.

While it is important to call out the AfD on its extremist statements, it is wrong to let the partys deliberate provocations and mono-dimensional focus on the supposed dangers of immigration and Islam shape the overall political discussion in Germany. by

According to polls, more than 60 percent of AfD supporters cast a protest vote, rather than expressing commitment to the AfDs party programme. Also, more than 50 percent of AfD voters say they are critical of the party for not doing enough to distance itself from the far right.

In a sense, the success of the AfD makes Germany a normal European country. All of Germanys neighbours have recently seen the rise of right-wing populism at the ballot box. But for most Germans the entry of the AfD to the Bundestag with its let us take our country back rhetoric is anything but normal. Its lead candidate Alexander Gauland promised to hunt the government. The AfD will certainly use parliament as a staging ground for its serial provocations that often further racist and anti-Islam stereotypes or attack the cult of guilt Germany supposedly should finally do away with.

Given the extreme divisions within the AfD and the intensive backstabbing among its leadership, the party may well self-destruct over the coming four years. That party leader Frauke Petry already announced that she would not join the AfD parliamentary group and rather be an independent MP. Petrys decision is an early sign of the turmoil ahead. But established parties cannot bank on the AfD to self-destruct. They need to smarten up in terms of dealing with this new force and stop stereotyping the AfD and its voters as neo-Nazis, as this is counterproductive.

While it is important to call out the AfD on its extremist statements, it is wrong to let the partys deliberate provocations and mono-dimensional focus on the supposed dangers of immigration and Islam shape the overall political discussion in Germany. Rather, other parties and the media should turn the discussion back to the topics that will actually determine Germanys future: economic innovation, public investment, the digital revolution, education and the social system.

Germany needs a vibrant debate on all of these issues and on political alternatives within its democratic spectrum. The SPDs decision to play an opposition role in the new Bundestag will make the differences between Germanys two major parties more visible again.

READ MORE: How do German elections work?

The Chancellor faces a rocky road ahead in her fourth term after what German newspaper BILD called a nightmare win. Merkel has not revealed what her vision for her fourth and final term is. She campaigned for a Germany in which we enjoy a good life. She has warned that Germany needs to change in order to secure a prosperous future and not end up as a technological museum. But she has not spelled out exactly what these changes are and how they would translate into a new coalition government.

At the moment the so-called Jamaica coalition, an unruly four-party alliance involving the CDU, the Bavarian CSU, the FDP and the Greens is the only governing option with a stable majority for the chancellor after the SPD ruled out serving in a Merkel government.





In the next four years, Angela Merkel will be pulled in all directions by her partners while having to deal with talk about who her successor will be within her own party. She will find governing much harder than during the years with the Social Democrats.

Over the years, Merkel has turned the CDU into a second Social Democratic party. Additionally, because of her refugee policy and her statement that Islam is a part of Germany, Merkel herself became a symbol for the cultural change that many AfD supporters are angry about. There will be intense debates within Merkels party on whether, how far and how the CDU should move towards the right to regain AfD voters.

While Merkel will remain a key figure on the international stage, do not expect much leadership from Germany in the coming months. Germany will be more introspective dealing with the emergence of the AfD in parliament and the identity politics challenges that come with that. Negotiations over a new government will be protracted.

If a Jamaica coalition comes into being, it will generally be pro-European. However, there will be fierce debates on Eurozone reform where the leader of the FDP has strongly positioned himself against French President Macrons proposals of an expansive Eurozone budget. Macron is supposed to unveil the blueprint for his ambitious Eurozone plan this Tuesday. Given the FDPs opposition and Merkels at best lukewarm stance, the outlook for Macrons plans becoming a reality looks much bleaker after yesterdays election. For all those still harbouring illusions about Merkel and Germany as the supposed leader of the free world, it is now time to bury those for good.

Thorsten Benner is director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Former defence minister takes over from Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the oil-rich nation for 38 years.

Joao Lourenco has been sworn in as president of Angola, becoming the first new leader in the oil-rich southern African nation in almost four decades.

Lourenco, 63, took over on Tuesday from Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the former Portuguese colony for 38 years.

The Portuguese news agency Lusa said thousands of people were on hand for the inauguration, which ended with a military parade and a 21-gun salute.

Equatorial Guineas Teodoro Obiang Nguema was present at the ceremony, along with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila, South African President Jacob Zuma and other African leaders.

The Peoples Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) has governed since Angolas hard-fought independence from Portugal in 1975, with Dos Santos taking power in 1979.

The party won 61 percent of the vote in August, a sharp drop in support from the previous election in 2012 as the country remains in the grip of an economic crisis prompted by the fall in oil prices.

Employment, poverty alleviation, promotion of opportunities and business policies will be implemented, Lourenco said, adding he would govern for all Angolans.

Opposition parties boycotted the inauguration after denouncing irregularities in the election, saying the ballot was marred by unfair media coverage and suppression of opposition voters.

The election commission dismissed the opposition complaints.

This month UNITA, the main opposition party, dropped its threat to refuse to attend parliament over its complaints, while the Constitutional Court dismissed its case alleging election flaws.

Lourenco will be Angolas first head of state to be constitutionally limited to serving two five-year terms.








CAGEs Rabbani says guilty verdict confirms person can foul of terrorism laws for protecting client confidentiality.

A British Muslim activist who was found guilty of willfully obstructing police by a UK court after he refused to hand over his mobile phone and laptop computers pin number, says he is going to appeal against the decision.

Muhammad Rabbani, 36, was arrested at Londons Heathrow airport last November and was charged six months later with obstructing police.

I will be appealing this decision, Rabbani, who is the international director of CAGE, said in a statement on Tuesday.

This judgement confirms that a person can fall foul of terrorism laws for protecting client confidentiality. The principle of presumption of innocence, the principle of client confidentiality and the principle of personal privacy are all too important to surrender even with the threat of conviction.

OPINION: I am willing to go to prison for privacy of us all

CAGE, which was founded in 2003, is a nongovernmental organisation that advocates for individuals affected by British anti-terrorism legislation both within the country and abroad.

Rabbani said he refused to hand over the gadget to police because they contained sensitive information from an alleged torture victim of US security agencies.

He was ordered to pay court costs of $707 and was granted a conditional discharge of 12 months.

This is a mockery of the concept of due process  the exercise of a principled, rational, truthful, justifiable concern that legitimate confidential obligations should be respected is transformed instead into a strict liability criminal offence, Gareth Peirce, Rabbanis lawyer, said.

Discriminatory enforcement

Rabbani was held under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which gives police a broad range of powers to search individuals at ports of entry without grounds for suspicion.

It has been frequently criticised by human rights groups for its allegedly discriminatory implementation and impact on civil liberties.

Under the powers UK police have, anything a person has on them can be confiscated, including communications and data storage devices.

The British civil liberties group Liberty has described the law as breathtakingly broad and intrusive and said ethnic minorities were disproportionately targeted with Asians 42 times more likely to be stopped than white people.

Weve long argued that Schedule 7 is ripe for misuse and discrimination, Liberty said on its website.

We believe it contravenes the basic rights to liberty and respect for private life, as protected by the European Convention on Human Rights, and is therefore unlawful.

Last year, Tanzil Chowdhury of the University of Manchesters School of Law had told Al Jazeera the legislation was being used to vilify communities.

Schedule 7  has been used disproportionately against Muslim, Asian and Black communities, he said.

In recent Home Office statistics, drops in the use of Schedule 7 power were noted among all ethnic groups except for Asians which saw a two percent increase in the year ending September 2015.

This has the effect of vilifying an entire community who have to continually answer the charge of its imagined criminality.

Alleged abuse of power

In an op-ed for Al Jazeera in May last year, Rabbani said: What is clear from my experience is that authorities are trying to get a sense of an individuals beliefs.

Not only is this a violation of the fundamental right to freedom of thought and belief, but there is no link between an individuals political and religious views and terrorism. Yet this information is recorded and connections are drawn.

There is no transparency at all about how the information gathered under Schedule 7 will be used. We dont know if it will be used to profile certain communities, or to design and develop policies, or to assist the state in criminal trials, or as secret evidence. We also do not know whether this information is shared with other agencies.

Alleged abuse of the power of Schedule 7 first came to international attention in 2013, when David Miranda, the partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald, was detained under schedule 7, also at Heathrow.

Miranda was held because authorities believed he was carrying filed relating to Edward Snowden, the US National Security Agency whistle-blower.

A British judge later ruled that authorities had acted lawfully.
Turkeys president has warned of an ethnic and sectarian war in response to the referendum in the Iraqi Kurdish region, while the Iraqi prime minister has ruled out talks with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over the outcome of the controversial vote.

In a televised speech from Ankara on Tuesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to impose sanctions against the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, saying it will be left in a lurch and its people would go hungry.

If [Iraqi Kurd leader Masoud] Barzani and the Kurdish Regional Government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war, Erdogan said.





The comments came as Iraqi troops joined the Turkish army for joint military exercises near Turkeys border with northern Iraq.

Turkey has long been northern Iraqs main link to the outside world, but sees the referendum as a threat to its own national security, fearing it will inflame separatism among its own Kurdish population.

It will be over when we close the oil taps, all [their] revenues will vanish, and they will not be able to find food when our trucks stop going to northern Iraq, Erdogan said.

Iraqs Kurds on Monday voted in a key referendum despite fierce opposition from Baghdad, as well as neighbouring Turkey and Iran.

Turnout was reportedly at 72 percent, with 3.3 million of the 4.58 million registered voters taking part, Shirwan Zirar, the election commission spokesperson, said late on Monday.

Results were expected within 24 hours, with an overwhelming yes vote not in doubt.

Erdogan described the vote as a treason to our country since it had come at a time of good relations between Turkey and its neighbour, the KRG.

He urged Barzani to give up on an adventure which can only have a dark end.

Iraqs reaction

In a separate televised statement on later on Tuesday, Haider al-Abadi, Iraqs prime minister, appealed for unity in the country as the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continues.

We will never abandon the unity of Iraq. We will never abandon the unity of our territory.

In Erbil, KRG President Masoud Barzani urged the Iraqi premier not to close the door to dialogue because it is a dialogue that will solve problems.

We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad, he said.

The referendum is not to delimit the border (between Kurdistan and Iraq), nor to impose it de facto, Barzani added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Turkish and Iraqi troops began joint military exercises in Habur, near Turkeys southeastern border with Iraq, a Turkish military statement said.

Tuesdays drills will conclude Turkeys military exercises in its southeastern region, which began on September 18, a week before Mondays vote.

Al Jazeeras Hoda Abdelhamid, reporting from Erbil, said that while harsh rhetoric has been used, there is also a reality on the ground, and so far, there are more verbal threats than concrete steps being taken.

But she also said that if more pressure is exerted on Barzani and the KRG, it would only unite the Kurds, not only in the Iraqi Kurdish region, but also in neighbouring countries.

In Iran, home to millions of ethnic Kurds, Ali Akbar Velayati, chief foreign policy adviser to Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, said the vote would trigger political chaos, while the countrys Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRG) announced it was sending new missile equipment to the border.

The honourable people of Kurdistan will not bear this disgrace, Velayati was quoted by the semi-official ISNA news agency as saying.

As with Turkey, Iran strongly opposes independence for the Iraqi Kurds, fearing it will provoke separatists among its own Kurdish population.

State television made a rare admission on Tuesday that Kurds in Irans northwestern border region had held peaceful demonstrations in support of the referendum.

People in the cities of Sanandaj, Baneh and Saghez of Kurdistan province held peaceful gatherings congratulating their Iraqi fellow Kurdish-speaking people, broadcaster IRIB reported.

Iran is also worried about ties between the Kurds and Israel, the only government in the region that has supported Kurdish efforts towards statehood.

READ MORE: A look at Iraqs Kirkuk before the referendum

Unfortunately, Barzani has been connected to the Zionists since long ago and hasnt learned a lesson from Palestine, said Velayati.

Iran has also blamed its traditional enemies  the Americans and British  despite their firm opposition to the referendum.

Meanwhile, Alireza Elahi, deputy head of the IRG aerial headquarters, said it had sent new missile equipment to the western region to boost the aerial defence and preparedness against any violation.

At least one Iranian legislator, however, called for a more conciliatory stance now that the vote has gone ahead.

The referendum does not mean independence for Iraqi Kurdistan. There is a process which, if implemented, will take two to three years. So, we should not be so sensitive and should only make clear to Kurdish people that this is not in their interest, Ali Motahari was reported by ISNA as saying.
Security unit confirmed one unidentified officer was shot dead in the Malacanang Park shooting incident.

A member of Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes guard unit was shot dead, but the president was far away at the time of the incident and the head of his security team ruled out a political motive.

Tuesday mornings shooting in Malacanang Park, the Manila base of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), is being treated as an isolated incident, PSG commander Lope Dagoy said.

The body of the 37-year-old PSG guard was discovered by his wife in his quarters at 8:50am (00:50 GMT). He died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

We are ruling out foul play, Dagoy told reporters.

READ MORE: Duterte lauds bloody drug raids in Bulacan state

Dutertes whereabouts had not been known for several hours prior to Dagoys remarks. The mercurial president was not seen in public on Monday and prior to that had been in his southern home city of Davao, for several days.

Asked during a regular briefing about Dutertes whereabouts at the time of the shooting, his spokesman Ernesto Abella said: We dont have any information regarding that.

Duterte is notoriously unpredictable and often causes confusion with sudden changes to his crowded public schedules, which typically start in the afternoon and can run as much as four hours late, often because of his long, unscripted speeches.

He usually spends his weekends in Davao City, sometimes starting as early as Thursday and not returning to Manila until Monday or later.

READ MORE: Thousands of Filipinos slam Dutertes drug war

He was due to attend several public events in Manila on Tuesday evening.

Malacanang Park is close to Dutertes Bahay ng Pagbabago residence, separated from his Malacanang palace by the Pasig river.

Dagoy said police were now investigating the shooting and the PSG did not want to speculate about the circumstances.

He condoled with the guards family on behalf of the unit.
Rights group says Myanmars army has committed serious violations including rape during its crackdown on the Rohingya.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has decried Myanmars military crackdown on Rohingya in Rakhine State, accusing security forces of committing crimes against humanity.

The international rights group said on Tuesday that Myanmars security forces have committed serious violations that include rape and other sexual violence, murder, forced deportation and persecution of the Rohingya.





The Burmese [Myanmar] military is brutally expelling the Rohingya from northern Rakhine State, James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters news agency.

The massacres of villagers and mass arson driving people from their homes are all crimes against humanity, he said.

In the past, HRW has also accused Buddhist monks in the area, as well as Myanmar security forces of crimes against humanity.

Attaching a legal label to the ghastly crimes  may seem inconsequential, Ross said.

But global recognition that crimes against humanity are taking place should stir the UN and concerned governments to action.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay rejected HRWs accusations, saying no other Myanmar government was as committed to the promotion of rights as much as the current one.

Accusations without any strong evidence are dangerous. It makes it difficult for the government to handle things, he told Reuters news agencies.

READ MORE: Who are the Rohingya?

Last week, HRW called for the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo and sanctions on the Burmese military to end its ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya.

Nearly 440,000 refugees have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmars army launched a military campaign in response to an attack by Rohingya fighters on dozens of police posts and an army base on August 25.

Myanmars de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as Myanmars military, have faced widespread international condemnation over its treatment of the Rohingya.

The UN has called the Rohingya exodus from Myanmar to Bangladesh the most urgent refugee emergency in the world.

The mainly Muslim minority, who live primarily in Rakhine State, is not recognised as an ethnic group in Myanmar, despite having lived there for generations.

They have been denied citizenship and are stateless.

Many in Buddhist-majority Myanmar consider the Rohingya Bengali, rejecting the term Rohingya as a recent invention.
Some state scholars continue to stoke discrimination against minorities despite reform efforts, according to HRW report.

A leading rights group says some state religious scholars and institutions in Saudi Arabia incite hatred and discrimination against religious minorities, including the countrys Shia Muslim minority.

A report by the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) titled, They are not our brothers: Hate Speech by Saudi Officials, released on Tuesday, says Saudi Arabia has permitted government-appointed religious scholars to refer to religious minorities in derogatory terms or demonise them in official documents and religious rulings that influence government decision-making.

Saudi Arabia has relentlessly promoted a reform narrative in recent years, yet it allows government-affiliated Muslim leaders and textbooks to openly demonise religious minorities such as Shia, Sarah Leah Whitson, a Middle East director at HRW, said.

HRW cautions that this hate speech prolongs the systematic discrimination against the Shia minority and is employed by violent groups who attack them.

READ MORE: IUMS urges Saudi Arabia to free Muslim scholars

HRW recently documented derogatory references to other religious affiliations, including Judaism, Christianity, and Sufi Islam in the countrys religious education curriculum.

Often referred to Shia as rafidha or rawafidh (rejectionists), the government religious scholars, all of whom are Sunni, also condemned mixing and intermarriage.

They are not our brothers

The report highlights one incident where a member of Saudi Arabias Council of Senior Religious Scholars, the countrys highest religious body, replied in a public meeting to a question about Shia Muslims by saying that they are not our brothers  rather they are brothers of Satan .

Some religious scholars use language that suggests Shia are part of a conspiracy against the state and disloyal by nature. The government tolerates other religious scholars with enormous social media followings, the report found.

READ MORE: Saudi Arabia detains more preachers

The religion curriculum in Saudi Arabia for the 2016-17 school year does not mention Shia by name, but that it uses veiled language to stigmatise Shia religious practices.

For example, Saudi religious education textbooks criticise visiting graves and shrines to venerate important people, which are common practices among Shia. The books describe these practices as a form of polytheism.

The textbooks also include similar language towards non-Muslim practices, the report said. Experts critiquing this curriculum have suggested that religious textbooks should instead draw from multiple lines in the Quran that emphasise coexistence, compassion and tolerance.

The Saudi government has responded to such criticisms in the past by establishing a $2.4bn programme in 2007 responsible for curriculum reform, including the training abroad of tens of thousands of Saudi teachers in order to open young Saudi minds.

READ MORE: Qatar accuses Saudi Arabia of politicising Hajj

Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, has said that one of the initiatives of the Saudi-based Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology is to publish new textbooks in Saudi Arabia and in mosques around the world to replace current books that advocate extreme Wahhabism viewpoints around the justification for violence.

Despite Saudi Arabias poor record on religious freedom, the US has shielded Saudi Arabia from possible sanctions under US law, HRWs Whitson said.

The US government should apply its own laws to hold its Saudi ally accountable.








An investigation by Human Rights Watch has found that US-led coalition strikes on two ISIL-held towns in Syria in March killed 84 civilians, including dozens of children.

An investigation by Human Rights Watch has found that US-led coalition strikes on two ISIL-held towns in Syria in March killed 84 civilians, including dozens of children.

The aid group also found that no precautions were taken to minimise the number of civilian deaths.

Al Jazeeras Imtiaz Tyab reports from Beirut.
PM Abadi says Baghdad will not discuss results of Kurdish independence referendum, calling it unconstitutional.

The Iraqi government will not hold talks with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) about the results of Mondays unconstitutional referendum on independence in northern Iraq, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said.

We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional, Abadi said in a speech broadcast on state TV on Monday night.

Most of the problems of the [Kurdish] region are internal ones, not with Baghdad, and will be increased with the calls for separation, Abadi said, adding: The economic and financial problems the region is suffering from are the result of corruption and mis-administration, the prime minister said.

READ MORE: Iraqi Kurds count referendum votes

Masoud Barzani, the leader of the KRG, said the referendum is not binding and was meant to be a legitimate mandate to negotiate with Baghdad and neighbouring countries over the secession of the Kurdish-controlled region from Iraq.

Erbil-based Rudaw TV, citing the Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission, said 78 percent of the more than five million eligible voters turned out to vote.

In Kirkuk, authorities declared a curfew an hour and a half before polls closed as jubilant Kurds started to celebrate.

The vote was expected to deliver a comfortable yes, and final results should be announced in 72 hours.

Unilaterally declared

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret that the Kurds have gone ahead with the referendum.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres noted the referendum was unilaterally declared, included disputed areas and was opposed by Iraqi authorities and the global community.

The spokesman said Guterres regretted that opportunities for negotiations were not seized and viewed the decision to hold the vote as potentially destabilising.

The vote held Monday was billed by the Kurdish leadership as an exercise in self-determination. To Baghdad, the vote threatens a redrawing of Iraqs borders, while leaders in Turkey and Iran fear the move would embolden their own Kurdish populations.

READ MORE: Iraqi Kurdistan  Playing the independence game

Turkeys military confirmed that Turkey and Iraq will conduct joint military drills in Turkey along an area bordering Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

A military statement on Monday announced a new phase in the military exercises that were launched last week in a clear warning to Iraqi Kurds, saying units from Iraqs armed forces would arrive in Turkey later in the evening to join Turkish troops.

The joint drills are set to kick off on Tuesday, the military said, without providing details.

The Turkish military also published photographs of Iraqi troops, including one showing them holding the flags of Turkey and Iraq and posing in front of an Iraqi Air Force plane.
Iraqs army has paired with Turkish forces to conduct joint military drills on the two nations shared border, military officials said.

Iraqi soldiers arrived in Turkey late on Monday in the face of exercises due to be carried out on Tuesday in Habur, near Turkeys southeastern border with Iraq, a Turkish military statement said.





The joint drills come after Iraqi Kurds held a referendum on independence in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on Monday, in defiance of the Turkish and Iraqi government.

Tuesdays drills will conclude Turkeys military exercises in its southeastern region, which began on September 18, a week before Mondays vote.

The ballot on independence, organised by Iraqs Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), is expected to return a majority yes vote when results are announced, which is expected to be within 72 hours.

READ MORE: Iraqi Kurds vote in controversial referendum

Masoud Barzani, president of the KRG, said he would seek talks with Baghdad on how to implement the outcome of the poll.

If we have a constructive dialogue, then we can give it even more time, in order to secure better relations between the Kurds and Baghdad, he said on September 24.

Iraq, however, opposes the non-binding vote on the grounds that it contravenes the countrys constitution.

Haider al-Abadi, Iraqs prime minister, told reporters on Monday the government would not hold talks with the KRG following the referendum.

We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional, he said.

READ MORE: Iraq refuses talks with Kurds about referendum results

Turkey, which is home to an estimated 14 million Kurds, has also opposed the vote.

Ankara is concerned the referendum could encourage Turkeys own Kurdish minority population to seek autonomy.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkeys president, said in a speech on Monday that Ankara will close the Habur border crossing with northern Iraq following the plebiscite, and threatened to block Kurdish authorities from exporting oil to Turkey.

After this, lets see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it, he said. We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then its done.

Hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day flow through pipelines in northern Iraqs Kurdish-controlled territory into Turkey.
Palestinian gunman reportedly opened fire on Israelis in settlement of Har Adar near Jerusalem, killing three.

Three Israelis have been shot and killed, and a fourth wounded, in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israeli army radio reported.

The station interviewed a resident of Har Adar, an illegal settlement near Jerusalem, who said the gunman had arrived with a group of Palestinian labourers and opened fire on paramilitary Israeli police guards.

Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, reporting from Jerusalem, said the gunman was shot dead after the attack.

He was identified as a 37-year-old father of four from the nearby village of Beit Surik. The man, who reportedly carried a work permit for the settlement, approached the checkpoint at the entrance to Har Adar, when he opened fire on the guards, Fawcett said.

Har Adar is an upscale settlement west of Jerusalem, on the border between the West Bank and Israel.

Nabil Shaath, a senior PLO official and adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas, told Al Jazeera that the Palestinian leadership condemns the attack.

We Palestinians support peaceful resistance against the Israeli occupation. The peaceful struggle of our people in Jerusalem against violent Israeli terrorism, by praying in the cobbled streets of Old Jerusalem, is a clear example of our peaceful [intentions].

Our political strategy is peaceful and is about achieving a lasting peace, while the Israeli policies are making it almost impossible to reach that goal under the current conditions.

Israeli colonial settlements and occupation are the cause of all incitement.

Hazem Kassem, a spokesperson of Hamas in Gaza, said the attack proved that Palestinian resistance has not been broken.

The latest incident proves that our people are committed to resistance against Israels occupation, no matter how cruel the measures Israel employs against our people, especially in Jerusalem, Kassem told Al Jazeera.

It also shows that our peoples resistance has not been broken by Israel, despite continued Israeli oppression and occupation, he added.

Our freedom and independence will only be achieved by resistance, not by standing at the doors of international organisations begging for it.

Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and car-ramming attacks.

During that same time, Israeli forces have killed over 255 Palestinians; Israel says most of them were attackers, others died in clashes with Israeli forces.

Most of the attacks have been stabbings against Israeli soldiers, primarily in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in public remarks to his cabinet that the gunmans home would be demolished and any work permits issued to his relatives would be revoked.
Groups say hundreds of civilians killed in air strikes by UAE and forces loyal to a UAE-allied renegade general.

Human rights groups in Libya have accused the United Arab Emirates of committing war crimes in the country, including killing hundreds of civilians.

The rights groups said on Tuesday that the UAE committed these crimes through direct air strikes on Libya and by the renegade general Khalifa Haftar.

The findings of alleged crimes were presented on Tuesday at a conference for human rights on the sidelines of a Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

At the forum, Libyan witnesses spoke of extrajudicial killings, forced hunger and displacement that they or their family members experienced under Haftar in Derna and Ganfouda, provinces in eastern Libya.

Abdulghani Aljatlaw, head of a group of families of survivors, also spoke about alleged UAE air raids in the Libyan capital Tripoli in August 2014.

Giumma El-Omami, president of Human Rights Solidarity, said that a UN commission set up by the Security Council found evidence of human loss that resulted from UAE and Egyptian air strikes on Libya.

Money laundering claim

Meanwhile, the independent body for investigating the UN has asked the Swiss police to arrest the coordinator of an Emirati association that was involved in alleged bribery and money laundering within Switzerland.

The independent body, along with Swiss human rights activists, accused two organisations, the Arabic Federation for Human Rights and Trends for Research and Consultancy, of working for the benefit of the UAE, offering bribes within Swiss border, and within UN buildings.

Allegations of abuses against Haftar comes as he met Italys defence minister and security chiefs in Rome on Tuesday, bolstering his stature as a key player in international efforts to stabilise his troubled country.





Forces under Haftars command provide backing for a Tobruk-based administration that controls much of the east and south of the oil and gas-rich country.

Former colonial power Italy has hitherto been the strongest backer among Western allies for the UN-recognised Government of National Accord, which is based in Tripoli and sees Haftar as an arch foe.

But that did not prevent Roberta Pinotti, Italys defence minister, from hosting the commander, a one-time ally and later armed opponent of Libyas late ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

The stabilisation of Libya, the fight against international terrorism and the control of migration flows figured during the meeting, the defence ministry said.

Haftar also met Italys chief of defence staff, Claudio Graziano.
French leader calls Europe too weak, too slow, too inefficient in speech unveiling proposals for post-Brexit shake-up.

French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined his vision for a profound transformation of the European Union, unveiling a series of proposals to deepen the bloc politically and harmonise rules across the continent.

Macron used the speech at Sorbonne University in Paris on Tuesday to argue the case for institutional changes, initiatives to promote the EU, and new ventures in the technology, defence and energy sectors.

The Europe that we know is too weak, too slow, too inefficient, he said on Tuesday as he began the closely watched address.

But Europe alone can give us the ability to act in the world faced with big contemporary challenges.

WATCH: What does Frances new president-elect have to offer? (24:29)

Macrons proposals for a post-Brexit shake-up include a Europe-wide rapid reaction force to work with national armies, and plans to give the 19-member eurozone a finance minister, budget and parliament.

He also called for a new tax on technology giants such as Facebook and Apple  accused of paying too little corporate tax on their businesses in Europe  and an EU-wide asylum agency to deal with the refugee crisis.

He even raised the prospect of major changes to the Common Agricultural Policy, the EUs giant farm subsidy programme, which has historically been defended by France and its powerful agricultural lobbies.

Shock election results

Macron had been seeking German Chancellor Angela Merkels endorsement of his reform agenda.

However, his plans were dealt a blow by shock election results that saw the anti-immigration, eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerge as the countrys third-largest party.

Merkel must now try to form a government that is likely to include the Free Democratic Party (FDP), whose leader is an outspoken critic of Macrons European agenda and has said a eurozone budget would be a red line.

Macron appeared to respond to Christian Lindner, the FDP chief, directly on Tuesday, saying: I dont have red lines, I only have horizons.

Cooperation from Germany  the other half of the so-called Franco-German motor at the heart of the bloc  is essential, though Macron will also need to convince other European partners.





Along with Brexit and the German elections, Macrons proposals are likely to top the agenda at a two-day summit of all 28 EU members in Estonia starting on Thursday.

Following Tuesdays speech, Juncker, head of the European Commission, the EUs executive arm, praised Macron, saying the bloc required courage to move ahead.

A very European speech by my friend Emmanuel Macron. Europe needs courage. Thank you for your support for the work of the EU institutions, Juncker said on Twitter.

What we need now is a roadmap to advance the Union at 27. We have to openly discuss all ideas and decide before May 2019.

Britain will leave the EU in March 2019, and European Parliament elections are due the following May or June.

Juncker has also called for a summit in the Romanian town of Sibiu the day after Brexit to draw up a plan for the way forward.
Sharif is likely to be indicted on October 2 in connection to three corruption cases against him.

Islamabad, Pakistan  Overthrown Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has appeared before an anti-corruption court in the capital Islamabad, putting to rest the possibility of political unrest if he boycotted proceedings.

Sharif appeared before the court briefly on Tuesday morning, amid tight security and a number of supporters chanting slogans outside the court complex.

Speaking to the press following his appearance in court, a defiant Sharif said he would continue to face the anti-corruption trial, but that he considered the process biased against him.

Is this justice? Is this what we call the rule of law? Is this a fair trial? he said, providing a list of grievances against the Supreme Court verdict against him, highest of which is his perceived denial of a right to a full appeal.

READ MORE: Pakistans democracy reels from Nawaz Sharifs removal

This is the first case in the countrys 70-year history where the whole force of the law has been put behind the petitioner, and the defence has been denied all of its constitutional and human rights, he said.

They [the Supreme Court] were determined to dismiss me, that is why they took up the issue of the [undeclared asset].

Sharif was dismissed from office on the grounds that a salary he says he never received still constituted an asset, and he was legally required to declare it.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court said it would indict Sharif in three corruption cases on October 2. Sharif has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

The overthrown prime minister had failed to appear for an earlier hearing on September 19. He had travelled to London last month, saying he had to attend to his ailing wife Kulsoom, who is undergoing cancer treatment in the United Kingdom.

Sharif was dismissed from office by the Supreme Court in July for an omission in a parliamentary wealth declaration. The court had also ordered the national anti-corruption watchdog to open several cases against him, three of his children and several aides.

On September 15, the Supreme Court dismissed Sharifs petitions seeking a review of that judgment and a halt to any anti-corruption proceedings.

Following that verdict, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Nawazs daughter, had suggested her father may not return to the country to face the corruption charges, which are linked to four posh London apartments, two steel mills in Saudi Arabia and several holding companies in the UK.

READ MORE: Whats next for Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif?

He should not [appear before the NAB court]. Must not. Should not be a part of political & personal victimisation in the garb of accountability. Its a FARCE, Maryam, who is also facing corruption charges, tweeted last week.

Sharif landed in the Pakistani capital on Monday, and held a series of meetings with political aides through the day, including with his successor as prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

Abbasi, a staunch party loyalist, was elected on August 1, after an easy victory in parliament, which Sharifs PML-N party still controls.

The investigation into the Sharif familys wealth stems from revelations made in the 2016 leak of 11.5 million documents from the Panama-based law firm of Mossack Fonseca.

Several documents included in the leak showed three of Sharifs children  Hussain, Hasan and Maryam  owned at least three off-shore companies registered in the British Virgin Islands.

The documents showed that these companies had engaged in deals worth $25m.





Crucially, one of the documents also revealed that the companies had been involved in a $13.2m mortgage involving the London properties as collateral, the first time the Sharif familys ownership of the apartments was proven on paper.

Sharifs political opponents allege that his family gained this wealth during his previous two terms as prime minister in the 1990s.

The corruption investigation has since expanded to include two steel mills based in Saudi Arabia as well as 16 holding companies operated by his sons.

It has also grown to include three of Sharifs children: Maryam Nawaz, his political heir apparent, as well as sons Hussain and Hasan.

On Tuesday, the NAB court issued bailable arrest warrants for Maryam, her husband Muhammad Safdar, and Hasan and Hussain, for failing to appear for any hearings in the cases so far.

Earlier, the court said it would be indicting Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, a close Sharif aide, this week in a case related to the Sharifs alleged corruption.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras Web Correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.
Hundreds of asylum seekers not part of resettlement deal ask Australian government what happens to those left behind.

The first group of refugees to be resettled in the United States under a controversial deal with the Australian government have left a remote Pacific Island prison camp and are en route to the US, according to officials.

Twenty-four asylum seekers held on Manus Island off mainland Papua New Guinea (PNG) flew to Manila on their way to an undisclosed US location, the US embassy in PNGs Port Moresby told AFP news agency on Tuesday.





Theyre the first group that have been approved, that have gone through the extreme vetting process and have met all the requirements for resettlement, Beverly Thacker, the embassys public affairs officer, said.

About another 30 refugees held on Nauru in the Pacific will head to the US in the coming days, she added.

Under Australias strict and controversial refugee policy, anyone intercepted trying to reach the country by boat is sent to prison camps on Manus Island or the Pacific island of Nauru for processing.

The Australian government maintains that the refugees will never be eligible to be resettled in Australia.

The offshore prison camps have attracted widespread criticism from the United Nations and rights groups because of their harsh conditions and allegations of systemic abuse.

Last year, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull agreed to a deal with then-US President Barack Obama to resettled up to 1,250 refugees from Nauru and Manus Island.

There was not, however, any obligation for the US to take a specific number of refugees.

READ MORE: Trump-Turnbulls dubious deal

Trump blasted the pact as a dumb deal after assuming the presidency, before begrudgingly agreeing to honour it.

Thacker did not provide the nationalities of the those being transferred and it is not clear how many of those still remaining will qualify for US resettlement.

We expect that other refugees will be resettled in the coming months. They will all proceed with different time frames, depending on how fast they will get through the process, she said.

What happens to those left behind?

Nearly 800 men are held on Manus, and 371 men, women and children are detained on Nauru, according to Australian immigration data as of July 31.

Behrouz Boochani, a journalist and Iranian refugee who has been held on Manus Island since 2013, told Al Jazeera that while its great to finally see that some refugees will be resettled, there are still 800 of us left here in this prison camp.

He said that those who remain on Manus and Nauru want the Australian government to answer our simple questions, which include How many people will go to America, when will they go and what is your plan for those left behind?.

I cant describe the happiness on the faces of those men who left, but also there was sadness, he said.

They know the people who were in this prison with them are still here.

OMG! it's happy news that around 50 refugees from #Manus &#nauru will move to USA onthis month! but I'll be happy when rest of us get there! pic.twitter.com/0xrS6lWXpo  OMAR JACK (@Omarmohamedjack) September 20, 2017

Kon Karapanagiotidis, the chief executive of the Melbourne-based Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, said the news of the departures is so bittersweet.

Of course, people are happy for the men who have left, Karapanagiotidis told Al Jazeera. But this is not a solution.

He said that there is still a long way to go for a resolution and that the biggest concerns are: What the future looks like for the men who remain on Manus and what will happen to those who are found to be refugees and those who are not?

He added: How can they keep them in a country [PNG] where these men cant be protected.

Additional reporting by Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath @elledubg








As war of words heats up, US president says second option would be devastating for North Korea.

Donald Trump has declared that the US is totally prepared to take a military option against North Korea, saying it will be devastating to Pyongyang.

The US president was reacting to reports of a North Korean threat to shoot down American bombers, after what the country called a declaration of war.

We are totally prepared for the second option. Not a prefered option. But if we take that option it will be devastating, I can tell you that, devastating for North Korea, Trump said on Tuesday from the White House.

Thats called a military option. If we have to take it, we will.

READ MORE: All the latest updates on the North Korea tensions

Earlier, the US dismissed North Koreas accusation that Trump has declared war as absurd.

The heated exchange came as South Koreas National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Pyongyang had moved to bolster its coastal defences by relocating its warplanes along the east coast.

Regional leaders on Tuesday warned that war on the Korean Peninsula would result in catastrophic consequences.

Trump also said that the North Korea problem could have been dealt with in the past, blaming past administrations for not taking action.





North Korea should have been handled 25 years ago, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, five years ago, and it could have been handled more easily, he said.

You have various administations, which left me a mess. But Ill fix the mess. So we will see what happens with North Korea.

On Monday, Ri Yong-ho, North Koreas foreign minister, said recent comments by Trump means a war declaration.

Last weekend, Trump claimed our leadership would not be around much longer, Ri said. He declared a war on our country.

READ MORE: Mass rally in Pyongyang after war of words at UN

Alarm over Pyongyangs nuclear and ballistic missile programmes dominated this years gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, amid fears the heated rhetoric could accidentally trigger a war.

Those fears were sharpened after US bombers flew off the coast of North Korea on Saturday  going the furthest north of the demilitarised zone that any US aircraft has flown this century.

Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take counter-measures including the right to shoot down US strategic bombers even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country, Ri said.

The question of who wont be around much longer will be answered then.

A Pentagon spokesman stressed on Monday that the bombers flew in international airspace and had every right to do so.

As the rhetoric heated up, South Korea appealed for an easing of tensions, with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha saying that further provocations can be expected from Pyongyang but must not be allowed to get out of control.





It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation  in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control, Kang said in Washington.

South Korea has reacted with unease to Trumps threat to totally destroy North Korea as its densely-populated capital Seoul is located just 56 kilometres from the demilitarised zone dividing the Korean Peninsula.

In his UN address last week, Trump delivered the blunt threat, deriding leader Kim Jong-un as Rocket Man and declaring he was on a suicide mission.

Kim hit back with a personal attack on Trump, branding him mentally deranged and a dotard and warning he would pay dearly for his threat.

There have been repeated appeals for calm from the United Nations, Russia and China.

OPINION: North Korea just had its sixth nuclear test. Now what?

On Tuesday, China said that war on the Korean Peninsula will have no winner.

Lu Kang, the spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Beijing hopes that US and North Korean politicians can realise that resorting to military means would never be a viable way out.

Russias foreign ministry also said on Tuesday that a military conflict on the Korean Peninsula would lead to catastrophic consequences.

It added that it would work behind-the-scenes to find a political solution to the rising tensions with North Korea, and that the US approach is a dead in.
Central government insists Sundays referendum is illegal and is determined to stop it from going ahead.

Barcelona, Spain  The Spanish government has sent thousands of police officers to Catalonia in the run-up to Sundays planned referendum.

Spains central government insists the vote is illegal, and is determined to stop it from going ahead.

But Catalan officials say if the yes camp wins, they will declare independence within days.

With five days to go until the October 1 vote, the clash between Catalonias pro-separatist government and Madrid is increasingly being played out in the arena of logistics and international opinion.

OPINION: Catalonias declaration of independence

During a joint news conference on Tuesday with Mariano Rajoy, Spains prime minister, in Washington, DC, US President Donald Trump said it would be foolish for Catalonia not to stay in Spain.

Youre talking about staying with a truly great, beautiful and very historic country, he said as Rajoy stood at his side.

Rajoy urged Catalan officials to return to common sense even as Madrid stepped up its effort to stop the vote from going ahead.

The chief prosecutor in Catalonia ordered police to seal off buildings that will house polling stations before the day of the referendum and deploy officers on the day of the vote to prevent ballots from being cast.

The move comes a day after he ordered regional police to identify those in charge of polling stations on Sunday, when the referendum is to be held.

The order has been conveyed and it will be executed will all normality, a spokesman for Catalonias regional police force, the Mossos dEsquadra, told AFP.
Discussions on extended powers for Syrian Kurds to begin once Assad government defeats ISIL, foreign minister says.

Syria is considering granting its minority Kurdish population further autonomy for the first time, a government official has said.

Walid Muallem, Syrias foreign minister, said his country is open to the idea of greater powers for the countrys Kurds, who accounted for 15 percent of the countrys population prior to the Syrian civil war.

Once the military campaign of President Bashar al-Assads government against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group operating in Syria is over, discussions can begin, he said.

[Syrian Kurds] want a form of autonomy within the framework of the borders of the state, Muaellem said on Tuesday, according to SANA, the Syrian state news agency.

This is negotiable and can be the subject of dialogue.

READ MORE: Syrians vote in Kurdish-held northern region

Kurdish-led authorities held an election on Friday in northern Syria, marking the beginning of a three-stage process to set up new systems of governance in order to strengthen the Kurds regional autonomy in the country.

Voters elected leaders for about 3,700 communes spread across three regions of the north where Kurdish groups have established autonomous rule since 2011, when Syrias civil war began.

Faisal Mekdad, Syrias deputy foreign minister, had previously labelled the elections a joke.

Syria will never ever allow any part of its territory to be separated, he said on August 6.

Fridays poll will be followed in November by votes for local councils positions and culminate in January with the election of an assembly that will act as a parliament for a federal system of government in northern Syria.

Kurdish referendum

Kurds in neighbouring Iraq held a referendum on independence on Monday, following a push for full autonomy by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the countrys northeastern region.

The ballot is expected to return a majority yes vote when results are announced, which is anticipated to be within 72 hours.

Muallem repeated the Syrian governments previously stated opposition to the KRG referendum, labelling it a separatist referendum and fully unacceptable in our [the Syrian governments] eyes.

We support the unity of Iraq, he said.
Up to 70 percent of people on South Pacific islands moved to emergency shelters as Monaro becomes increasingly active.

More than 7,000 people have been moved to emergency shelters in Vanuatu as a volcano in the south Pacific Ocean archipelago threatens to erupt, government officials say.

Vanuatu, a cluster of more than 80 islands and 260,000 people, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday following signs the volcano  known as Monaro  is becoming increasingly active.

Following weeks of rumbling the volcano, at the centre of the northern island of Ambae, had reached moderate eruption state, the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department said.

The department warned of flying rocks and volcanic gas, which could affect villages up to 6.5km away, after raising the volcano alert level from three to four.

Schools on the island  which is more than 1,750km east of northern Australia  have been closed and up to 70 percent of its population will be evacuated, according to Vanuatus National Disaster Management Office.

The last time Monaro erupted was in 2005.

Supplies strained

Shedrack Welegtabit, the organisations director, said on Monday that 15 emergency sites have been set up but the large-scale evacuation has strained supplies.

We are in the dry season and with the ash contaminating some supplies our biggest concern right now is getting water to those who have been evacuated, he said.

An eruption could threaten the islands long-term food sources, the international charity Save the Children has said, Vanuatu being one of the worlds poorest countries.

People on Ambae rely on a subsistence lifestyle and so the big fear is not just the issue of displacement but the condition of crops and vegetation that people will go home to, Georgia Tacey, Save the Childrens Vanuatu country director, said.

It is the second volcano to have caused an alert in the Asia-Pacific region at present.

More than 57,000 people have fled a volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali amid fears of an imminent eruption.
Inspire Party President Ben Lima began a Student Government public forum Monday by criticizing Impact Party for not attending the event.

It is upsetting that the other party didnt accept the invitation  that they couldnt send one representative of their party to take an hour out of their day to speak to you and answer your questions, Lima told the audience of about 30 students.

The forum was held by Inspire one day before the start of Fall elections, which will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. The Student Body will elect 50 new representatives based on residential locations.

The event was held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Pugh Hall. Along with Inspire, independent candidates Trevison Clark, whos running for Murphree Area, and Adrian OSullivan, whos running for Yulee Area, participated.

Impact President Ben Auyang sent out an email to the forum participants Sunday night  four days after they were invited and one day before the event  apologizing for his delay in responding and saying Impact could not attend because they had to rework their schedule after Hurricane Irma.

We have a previous time commitment and will be unable to attend the forum at the date and time proposed, Auyang wrote in the email. Had the request come at a more prompt time, we would have been able to attend.

In a previous interview, Kylie Werk, one of Impacts campaign managers, told the Alligator the party had scheduled three general body meetings for the nights of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

In his opening statement, Clark said SG officials need to be held accountable. He said senators must tell the Student Body what theyre doing and explain how and why theyre spending the students money.

I dont want to say anything about people who cant defend themselves, Clark said, referring to Impact, before adding that current senators are not addressing some concerns on campus.

Clark said issues like the lack of bike racks and vehicle parking, and structural damage around campus like damaged ceiling tiles in the second floor of Turlington Hall, are not being fixed under the current status quo.

After opening statements, a student from District A asked the independent candidates why they chose to run independently if they are clearly against the party in control, referring to Impact with 96 senators.

OSullivan said he thinks he can more successfully reach across the aisle and compromise with other senators as an independent than in a party. Clark said being an independent would let him fully represent his constituents without having to balance their wishes with those of other students.

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When a PaCE student, someone who takes the first part of their credits online, asked the candidates if they were in favor of online voting, they all said yes.

Online voting should be the standard, Lima said. We are going to do what we can to improve democracy.

OSullivan said he was shocked online voting hasnt been instituted yet.

It needs to happen, OSullivan said. If you're not on campus you should still have the opportunity to see what's happening and be as involved as you want to be.

Amanda Wolfrom, a UF political science junior, asked the candidates how they plan to increase inclusivity for transfer students on campus.

The 19-year-old transferred to UF this semester and chose to live in the Springs Residential Complex to be more involved on campus, but her experience hasnt gone well. Wolfrom said ever since transfer Preview, which was very short and not informational, shes had trouble engaging with student organizations.

She said her situation worsened after UF was forced to reschedule the Student Involvement Fair because of Hurricane Irma.

OSullivan said SG could work with the transfer office to send out emails to a listserv of transfer students and help with their transition.

I dont have too much to say on that right now, only because that is the first time Ive heard that kind of issue, OSullivan said.

Lima and Clark said SG should better communicate about whats going on to students. Lima said SG can partner with student organizations to better publicize events and encourage students to use GatorConnect.

Wolfrom said she thought the candidates answers were very good.

I caught them off guard, but thats cool, she said.

When a student asked candidates if they would advocate to change any SG laws to make the process of getting funding easier, Clark said hes not against organization getting funding, but he wouldnt change the laws because they were put in there for a reason.

OSullivan said he wouldnt change the process to get funding either but would be open to suggesting new ideas like making new organizations raise money by themselves first before applying for SG money.

Lima said Inspire is dedicated to helping student organizations thrive and would try to make the process easier through in-person workshops and a new SG website.

In his closing statement, Lima said Inspire wanted to improve students lives but needed them to vote in order to do that.

"If you don't vote, there isn't a lot of representation," Lima said.
Carlota Bonnet didnt expect herself to agree with President Donald Trump.

Bonnet, a former Santa Fe College engineering student and Venezuelan, was against the initial travel ban, which limited people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. A new version of the ban, announced yesterday, includes limits on Venezuelan government officials, according to CNN.

The 21-year-old said she was happy Venezuelan officials would no longer be able to take their money and escape to the U.S., leaving behind their struggling country. Bonnets parents left the country in 2015 due to the ongoing crisis.

Donald Trump has a lot of negative things, Bonnet said. He has done some awful things, but he is one of the only ones that has done something for Venezuela in this moment.

She hopes the travel ban for the other Muslim-majority countries is taken away. Bonnet said its unfair to judge an entire country of people, but shes glad to see Venezuela's government officials face consequences for their actions.

The government in Venezuela is a mess, she said. Its awful, and I really hope we successfully take them out someday.

Efrain Mogollon, a 20-year-old former Santa Fe College political science and economics major, said he hopes the new restriction on Venezuelan officials and economic sanctions will help his country.

Mogollon is from San Cristobal, a city where strikes broke out in 2014. At the time, Mogollon was finishing high school. He knew to get an education, hed have to leave his family and the country  all schools were closed.

If we have a good country, one day we can go back, he said. And its going to be a beautiful place to be.

Iranian students at UF have been dealing with different forms of the travel ban since it was first announced in late January.

Guita Banan, a 30-year-old UF physics doctoral student, said its like she is trapped in America.

Banans visa recently expired. As long as she does not leave the country, she is legally allowed to be here. If she leaves, though, she has to reapply for another visa, which could take months.

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Getting a U.S. visa for Iranians has never been easy, she said. People think that things got bad after the order was signed, but in fact things were bad before the order. It got terrible after the order was signed.

She said its cruel to ban family members from seeing their children just because theyre from Iran. Her parents want to visit their children in the U.S., but are unsure if they can come.

To ban these people from coming here to visit their children, thats horrible, she said.

The current travel ban allows people to enter the U.S. if they have a bona fide relationship with someone in the country, according to the BBC. Though this may let some people in, Banan said its an unclear system and decided on a case-by-case basis.

Because of the restrictions, Banans boyfriend of 7 years cannot visit her. Her boyfriend, Nima, is from Iran but is currently in Austria. In the past two years shes only been able to see him three times, and she doesnt know when shell be able to see him next, because he doesnt fall under the bona fide relationship category.

Because of the restrictions on him entering the US, she doesnt see herself staying in the country after her graduation. As of now, shes still holding out that her parents can come visit.

Were just waiting to see what happens with the new order, she said.
Peaches, pears, pancake mix and hygiene products were among the 36,000 pounds of food and supplies donations to arrive in Gainesville on Saturday for local Hurricane Irma victims.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, sent two 36,000-pound shipments on trucks to be delivered to different food pantries in the area Sept. 17 and Saturday, including the Ronald McDonald House, located at 1600 SW 14th St.; Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, located at 630 NW Second St.; Peaceful Paths, located at 2100 NW 53rd Ave. and the Fountain of Life Church in Williston.

As members of the church, said Melissa Palmer, the director of public affairs for LDS. One of our big goals is to make sure we serve in the community and try to alleviate any pain or suffering if we can.

The church in Salt Lake City had the semitrailers loaded and ready to go before the hurricane even hit. The supplies delivered will go to victims in the area from Ocala to Jacksonville.

Douglas Carter, a LDS church leader, said the church hopes to improve the lives of others with its donations.

Natural disasters like Hurricane Irma create human suffering and need, and an opportunity to reach out to our fellow man in a manner consistent with the teachings of our scriptures, Carter said.

While the first donation from Sept. 17 has already been distributed, food and supplies from Saturdays delivery will be distributed this week. On Wednesday, student volunteers between the ages of 12 and 18 will load four trailers with 5,000 pounds of food and supplies, each to be delivered to local food pantries.

It has been a cool couple of weeks despite the tragedy. Palmer said. Its a cool way to unite the church and community, its nice to be able to help out.
Student Government elections are here again, and the drama has come with it. So far, this election cycle has been defined by the emergence of a new minority party to go up against Impact Party  and memes. Dont forget the memes.

This semester weve watched as Inspire Party formed to make this the most contested election since Fall 2015. However, we cant help but wonder if this is just the endless pattern of SG repeating itself. Some of us here at the Alligator were around when Access Party, the last substantial minority party, rose to power in Fall 2015. We were new to UF and thought another party would bring some much-needed debate to the Student Senate floor and maybe even cooperation between students with different opinions. Instead we saw one meeting run to 2 a.m. because of endless back-and-forth and refusals to compromise.

A one-party system is not only horrible for democracy, but leads to distrust from the Student Body. (Yes, were talking about the memes again.) But the last two-party system we had only lead to mudslinging, bickering and a failure to create change.

That being said, we at the Alligator endorse the Inspire Party candidates in these elections. We hope the batch of new students will steer the party away from the bickering that led to Access Partys downfall. Inspires insistence on making SG more transparent and accountable is definitely needed, and it actually wants to fight to implement online voting, a debate which should have been settled semesters ago.

As for the independent candidates, Trevison Clark for Murphree Area and Adrian OSullivan for Yulee Area, we will not be endorsing them. We feel like they have good ideas, but they are too similar to Inspires. Its tough being the realist, but we dont believe change in SG will happen with individuals. Independent senators have been trying  and failing  for years. However, both independents did participate in a public forum Monday night, and we commend them for that. If you live in either of the two areas, please go find OSullivan or Clark and at least hear them out.

Were not trying to villainize every Impact senator. We have seen good things come out of this party, and we believe the majority of those in Impact have their heart in the right place. They have chosen platform points that can be achieved in the short term so students will see results instead of listening to the same ideological arguments over and over.

But we need to address both small changes and structural problems. Impact is more of the same. How has it changed as a party since its inception? By only addressing small issues on campus like Chick-fil-A breakfast or which library should be 24/7, none of SGs faults are changed. There has been no direct effort from Impact to address online voting. There was virtual silence when the Student Body president, who is seen as the head of the party, was very publically arrested. They may have emerged from the ashes of two different parties, but theyve morphed into a bland coalition with no desire for structural change.

What really sealed the deal with this endorsement was Impacts refusal to participate in a public forum with Inspire Party and the two independent candidates Monday night. Yes, it was short notice, and yes, Hurricane Irma messed up everyones schedules. But we dont believe that is a legitimate excuse for refusing to debate. The party had a duty to the Student Body to answer publicly to recent controversies, explain its platform and tell us why we should continue voting for its senators. Maybe Impact would have made valid points. Maybe it would have had better answers than Inspire. But now we wont know.

You can probably tell that we at the Alligator are tired. We are tired of listening to the same petty arguments semester after semester. We are tired of the majority party failing to come up with a plan to implement online voting instead of listing all the ways it cant be done.

We hope SG can do better. And it starts with you, the Student Body, going to the voting polls today and Wednesday. As weve pointed out before, our voter turnout is even lower than that of Afghanistan. Frankly, all of the debate and new political parties in the world wont make a difference if the students dont care. If youre deciding whether to vote this week, just remember SG makes major decisions for UF and controls $20 million.

Were not going to say Inspire will magically fix everything in Senate. But even through our cynicism, we can hope that two parties can work together to change SG for the better.

To the candidates, we hope you dont prove us wrong.

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The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Hassan Ali Khayre, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia. The Secretary-General commended Somalia for the progress made in advancing state-building. The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister also discussed efforts related to security sector reform and revenue generation. The Secretary-General reaffirmed the United Nations full support in the []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
Representatives from 10 governments and government related agencies mostly from the ASEAN region have completed a 5-day training program on savings mobilisations, Hajj operations and funds management in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The workshop (13-17 August, 2017) was held under the auspices of TaHa Alam Sdn Bhd (TaHa), a joint venture company owned by Tabung Haji []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
Many Halloween outfits that were once thought to be safe to wear are now offending large groups and opening up an avenue for criticism of the wearer. In the past few years, societys views on costumes have shifted in a more sensitive and culturally aware direction. There are more and more people who are quick to call out cultural appropriation in Halloween costumes than ever before.

But are the costumes themselves really an example of cultural appropriation?

Costumes arent meant to be hurtful, theyre just about having fun, Says Erik Mandel CEO of the Halloween costume website, Costume SuperCenter, Yes, some Halloween outfits push the boundaries of social appropriateness but crossing a line is up to the person wearing the costume, not the costume itself.

As many an essay has started, we can look at this argument by first looking at the definition of the word costume. Websters defines a costume as an outfit worn to create the appearance characteristic of a particular period, person, place, or thing. In Cultural Appropriation and the Arts, author James Young describes it as the adoption or use of the elements of one culture by members of another culture. Websters definition sounds a whole lot like the definition of cultural appropriation.

So really, if were to look at the issue of costumes from a solely definition-based perspective, the only people who should be allowed to dress in costumes that reflect certain cultures are the people of those cultures, and in that case, the dress would not be, by definition, a costume. It would merely be clothing.

There certainly are distasteful examples of costumes. The oft quoted blackface is, for example, a poor choice for costume and is obviously offensive. But the reason it is offensive is because it implies that a person of a certain culture is attempting to appear as though they are an offensively stereotypical black person, when he or she is not. Its not funny, and its hurtful to a large group of people. However, is parading around in blackface the same as dressing in garb of another culture or time period?

Short answer: no.

It is widely accepted that blackface is not ok, but what about the case of Sean King, a second-grader from Colorado Springs who came to school for a presentation doing a Martin Luther King impersonation, wearing a black suit, tie, mustache and black face paint.

They thought it was inappropriate and it will be disrespectful to black people and I say its not, young Sean said to KRDO. I like black people. Its just a costume and I dont want to insult anybody.

This young man emulated a civil rights leader he admired, and wanted to portray Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as accurately as possible. To Sean that included wearing face makeup so his skin would match that of the great man he idolized. His intention wasnt to offend but rather to educate.

Had Sean better understood the history of blackface and the discrimination it represents, perhaps he would have chosen to forgo the makeup for his costume. Ignorance: yes. Cultural appropriation and racism: no.

This brings up another issue for some people; can white children or adults dress as a person or character of another race that they admire or does it automatically become racist? Is it cultural appropriation or racist to have a white person (without blackface) dress up as Marvels Luke Cage or Finn from Star Wars? What about a Barack Obama Halloween mask? The answer is no. Its not racist. The race of the character whether fictional or real isnt what the costume is about. Kids dont wear a Finn costume because hes black. Kids wear a Finn costume because hes awesome! Halloween costumes allow individuals to dress as someone else for the night, freeing them of any preconceived notions and judgment.

Celebrities are often criticized for their choice of Halloween costume. It seems like an annual tradition to accuse celebs of being offensive. In 2016, celebrity Hillary Duff and then-boyfriend Jason Walsh were lambasted on the internet for attending the Casamigos Halloween Party dressed as a Native American chief and a sexy Pilgrim. The costume choice was met with backlash on social media, as Duff and Walsh are white, not Native American. This is the point where the costume world and ideas around cultural appropriation clash.

Now, were Walsh and Duff adopting or using elements of another culture? Yes. Were they also attempting to create an appearance of a particular person or thing? Also yes. So where do we draw the line?

The thing that most arguments revolving around cultural appropriation and costumes lack is context. As with most things, context is a highly important part of creating an argument. Taking things out of context is how celebrities and athletes and politicians get placed into situations that were unintended. So often, selective quote-grabbing will take a sentence that, in context, is harmless, and will turn it into a malicious and hateful statement.

The second thing is intent. When intent is sent to the wayside, people who meant no harm to others can be seen as monsters. Those who are not racist and are not hateful can come off as such when intent is ignored. Now, can you do something racist without intending to be? Certainly. But in the same sense, you can be mean to a friend or family member without intending to be. Surely, everyone has offended a loved one without meaning to. Should we really meet unintended offensive behavior that way? One could argue that putting complex issues like racism and cultural appropriation on such a black-and-white, yes-no scale is unfair. These issues are leveled and complex, so shouldnt our interpretation of them be leveled and complex as well?

In the sense of costumes, context and intent are just as important. For example, if someone were to dress the way Jason Walsh did, and walk onto a Native American reservation and start whooping and hollering and calling themselves Chief, then wed have a problem. It could (and should) be interpreted that what they were doing is racist and cultural appropriation. They are, without a doubt, trying to appropriate someone elses culture as their own. Theyre being intentionally offensive, and the context of their location is very relevant.

But were Hillary Duff and Jason Walsh attempting the same? Did either of them intend to offend anyone? Did either of them attempt to be something theyre not? Whether we like it or not, there is a huge difference between pretending and being. We pretend as children, and its always seen as harmless, but when we pretend as adults, it becomes more than it was once.

There is often criticism when a white person wears the historical outfit of a Native American or a Japanese geisha. It is claimed by some who call these disguises cultural appropriation, that when you dress up as an Indian, youre dressing up as a stereotype of an entire continent of people.

But what about when its the other way around? What about when a Native American kid dresses up as a pilgrim, is that ok? Should an Asian child not wear a Viking costume because it implies that those of Norse descent are all blood thirsty rapists and pillagers? Of course not, because these costumes do not imply that all Scandinavians act this way any more than an Indian costume says that all Native Americans are stereotyped by these outfits. These are just costumes, not statements.

Cultural appropriation is a complex issue, and it should be treated as such. Costumes though, are not complex. Theyre supposed to be simple and fun, so why are we always so inclined to treat them as complex?

America is a melting pot of cultures and traditions. This rich mixing of people and ideas is what makes America such a great and unique place. What is great about Halloween costumes is they take elements of those cultures and brings them into the fold of the mainstream. This gives us a chance to have a discussion about what is appropriate and what is not.

Yes, we should be guarded about the costumes we choose so as not to be insensitive or offensive, and we should learn about the history of the outfits we wear on Halloween. That said we should feel free to wear the Halloween costume we choose to wear as long as we wear it appropriately and behave with respect.

Maybe its an inability to laugh at ourselves. Maybe its a feeling of insecurity. No matter what is causing us to believe that costumes are something more than they once were, it has gotten out of hand. We need to reexamine the context and intent. The costumes themselves are just clothing. Those who wear them are the ones who decide whether or not theyre racist. We should use this Halloween as an opportunity to discuss what is appropriate and what crosses the line.
I suppose a part of me died a week ago when Nancy Pelosis speech was interrupted by activist Dreamers.

Oh wait! Wrong Narrative!

Instead, I had an epiphany. This protest, I realized, with a Good Little Girl leading a well-rehearsed chant exactly as she was presumably taught by her government-paid professor at her government university, was Fake Protest.

What it was not was the genuine cry of the wretched of the Earth. How do I know that? First, because Good Little Girls do not do revolution. Second, because the Good Little Girl was advocating in a cause supported by the ruling class as Good Little Girls do. Third, because the Great and the Good did not immediately dump on the protesters as evil pond scum.

This latest epiphany comes after an earlier epiphany I had about the Left right after the 2016 election. The left is always advocating for people outside of the system. Why? Because that is the warrant for Revolution, baby.

In 1850 in Britain, about the time the left was invented, the people outside the system were the working class, straggling out of the starving countryside to lifesaving jobs in the factories. But the workers were outside the system, so they marched in the streets to get the attention of the ruling class. It was the genius of Marx to realize that rich kids like him could make their lives meaningful by protesting on behalf of these workers-outside-the-system, or even better, leading them in bloody revolution. So this was Genuine Protest.

But the bourgeoisie, after suppressing the Chartist movement in Britain, gave the workers the vote and started enacting the workers political agenda. Why? Because the bourgeoisie is not that interested in power. So no need for revolution, no need, really, for Protest, not any more.

This was proved in the 1950s during the civil-rights revolution. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood, from Gandhi and the Indian National Movement, that he didnt need to riot in the streets to get the attention of the bourgeoisie. Non-violent protest was sufficient. Also, the ruling class of the time was all in favor of Dr. Kings movement. But blacks were outside the system in the Jim Crow South, so Selmas Bloody Sunday was a good way to get the attention of the nation. Call it Semi-Fake Protest.

Now we have Good Little Girls advocating for a new group outside the system. But there is a problem. Everyone from blacks to gays is already inside the system fully franchised and efficiently represented by the Democratic Party, Democratic elected officials, the mainstream media, government education, and Hollywood jesters acting like kings. So who can genuine activists represent? Of course, illegal immigrants! They dont have a vote, and they are forced to work in the shadows, at least they do when they live in nonsanctuary cities without a proper sprinkling of Were Glad Youre Our Neighbor yard signs. They are the truly wretched of the earth, outside the system! Yay!

But these Dreamers are not really outside the system; their cause is the cause of the ruling class, which is working night and day, using fair means or foul, to advance their agenda. This is Fake Protest, ginned up by regime supporters, with the tacit approval of the ruling class.

Do you want to know what Genuine Protest today would look like? It would be a protest condemned by all right-thinking people, condemned in a resolution by a unanimous vote of Congress and signed by the President. Because those people would be the genuine wretched of the earth, born of sorrows and rejected of men.

To point up the total fake-arama of left-wing politics today, I give you the lefties ABC book for little lefty kiddies: A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara. Yes,

F is for Feminist

But actually, feminists are mostly well-born women. No people outside the system here.

J is for Justice

Yeah. No Justice, No Peace. Thats why I say there is no such thing as justice, only injustice. And you wont believe what T is for.

Its a funny thing, but there is no entry in A is for Activist for

M is for Mao; millions of dead

S is for Stalin; he died in his bed.

And I think that is really a shame.

This Fake Protest thing is really not that hard. When liberal parents are buying cute little board books to teach ABCs to future activists, and when tenured government-paid professors are teaching Activism 101, and when Good Little Girls are reprising the hey, hey, ho ho, (fill in the blank) has got to go chants of the Sixties, then you are staring right into the face of Fake Protest.

Genuine Protest? Thats when all the right people are getting their knickers in a twist about some low-rent losers that just want a little respect.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.
Saturday night before last, a 21-year-old known as Scout Schultz was shot dead at Georgia Tech. The shooter was a campus cop. Scout, a Tech undergrad, advanced on cops with a knife. He was taunting them to shoot as he advanced. He ignored warnings to stop. A cop fired once. The bullet struck Scouts heart. He was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital 30 minutes later. It was discovered that the pocket knifes blade was closed.

By all accounts, Scout was mentally ill. He was smart as a whip, per reports, and quite active in the GT Progressive Student Alliance. Thats code for left-wing. More to the point, Scout was an activist for campus LGBTQIA causes. Wonder what that is? Ready for this? Here goes: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, and Allies.

Scout claimed to be intersex, which is said to be a result of genital abnormalities. Atlanta news reports are suggesting Scouts mental illness grew out of stresses associated with his supposed abnormality. This without documentation or sourcing about Scouts condition other than the say-so of his mother and his own assertion.

Scouts mother, Lynne Schultz, did claim that her son suffered on-again, off-again depression. He had a history of such dating back to his boyhood, she said. Scout, per Schultz, had used a belt to try to hang himself a couple of years before. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution report (see link below): Diagnosed with depression at a young age, Scouts mental health often wavered.

From ajc.com:

Scout Schultz, according to the mother, chose to identify as nonbinary, neither male nor female, and was classified as intersex, meaning a person has biological or physiological characteristics that arent necessarily fully male or female. Thats different from transgender, where people feel they know what their gender is and that its not the gender they were assigned.

In lockstep with political correctness, ajc.com borrowed from the Associated Press guidelines when dealing with someone whos intersex, referring to the person as they.

LGBTQIA activists -- with a helping hand from the Atlanta Journal Constitution -- were quick to assign a reason for Scouts mental illness, one thats relevant to their cause and serves their political agenda. Of course, as the left and its allied grievance groups do, Georgia Tech was blamed, in part, for Scouts death. Why?

Scout committed suicide, and students have received inadequate help from campus mental health services, the [GT Progressive Student Alliance] demands letter reads.

Isnt it Georgia Techs primary mission to educate? Per the demands letter, cops whose lives are at risk need training to deescalate confrontations. Thats a lot to ask from cops with a would-be assailant making for them, weapon in hand, at night cops who often have to make split-second life or death decisions. Scouts knife blade may have been shut, but cops didnt know that in the moment. Tasers and pepper-spray may not stop an adrenalin-pumped attacker. The mentally ill can kill, too.

Its quite possible that Scout was troubled for reasons that didnt originate with his supposed intersexuality. That, in other words, his sexual tumult might have been an outgrowth of other troubles. But that doesnt suit the progressive narrative. A tragedy must never go to waste.

The ajc.com doesnt explore what the many causes could be for a young boys depression. Was the cause(s) pedestrian, as in biochemical imbalances? Social environment (unrelated to sexuality), at home, school, or elsewhere? Or some combination? Might Scout, then a mere boy, not have been tormented in the least by sexuality?

For the ajc.com, Scout appears to be the victim of a lifetime of sexual identity stresses. Then, again, the newspaper may be unsure. A so-called expert seems so.

One more slice from the ajc.com report:

A recent national study found that 40 percent of transgender and non-gender-conforming people attempt suicide. But Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, cautioned against jumping to conclusions. An intersex person might or might not have greater mental health issues, because growing up intersex or transgender can carry a stigma and be highly stressful, he said. However, Graham stressed, Whats important for folks to recognize is there may have been some health issues involved, but mental health issues are not necessarily related to our gender identity.

If Scout was confused by they sexuality, an assumed expert, Jeff Graham, sheds no light.

Note the articles claim of a recent national study has no attribution. But the suicide attempt rates may well be high among intersexuals. At least, theyre reported as high among transgenders. Deeply troubled people may be more prone to try suicide, in any event -- or at least contemplate it. Deeply troubled, as in minds so disturbed and emotions so jumbled that a man fancies himself a woman trapped in a mans body -- or visa versa.

What Scouts death should be about isnt efforts to score points for leftist politics and promote LGBTQIA causes  or whatever the cool marginalia du jour. It shouldnt be about marching with fluttering rainbow banners  tromping down streets and sidewalks in fist-pumping righteousness. It shouldnt be about blame-games to extract concessions from an organization and gain leverage. (Georgia Tech president, G.P. Bud Peterson has just created a fund for student mental health and wellness initiatives.) Nor should it be about faddish Associated Press guidelines referring to a man or woman as they.

It wasnt, as Rolling Stone headlined, Georgia Tech Shooting Shows Schism Between LGBTQ Community and Police.

What happened to Scout was really about Scout, a young man with an apparent long history of mental woes, who though having reached his majority, had no business alone on Georgia Techs campus on a Saturday night. Who attempted suicide previously, and who evidently nursed a death wish to fruition who, in the process, threatened cops lives. A young man who needed ongoing, routine mental health treatment and monitoring -- which werent the responsibilities of an engineering school.

Yet, this troubled young mans death becomes a prop to push political and social causes to demand concessions and entitlements to impose upon society an agenda at odds with time-honored norms  norms consistent with nature -- the imposition of which damages the health and well-being of society.

His name was Scout. And his death wasnt about a cause.
Every three months, there's a deadline for a U.S. recertification of the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). As that deadline approaches, discussions in the Beltway heat up as to what is the right approach toward a government which complies with the letter of the deal but not the sprit," despite signing off on the contract with six world powers in 2015, which limits its bomb-making capabilities for at least 10 years.

If nothing has been learned from the behavior of mullahs in Tehran over the past 40 years, one thing is obvious; they succumb only when their back is against the wall. Case in point is the eight-year-old Iran-Iraq war, which left hundreds of thousands dead, and billions of dollars in losses just on Irans side. It ended when Supreme Leader Khomeini was convinced that the regime was only steps away from a crashing defeat and subsequent collapse.

Many Iran watchers in the West regrettably fail to notice the nature and structure of mullahs hierarchy, which is built on the foundation of Velayat-e faghih (Guardianship of Jurisprudence), and the absolute rule of the Supreme Leader - Ruhollah Khomeini in the 1970s and 1980s, and now Ali Khamenei. These two pillars of power simply mean ruling with an absolute iron fist at home and exporting its brand of Islamic ideology (terrorism and fundamentalism) abroad. There are no moderates or hardliners in Iran.

There are talks in the media even among the staunch supporters of the Obama administration on one hand and the White Houses inner circles on the other as how to continue putting a tight leash on Iran beyond 2026 or 2031 when the JCPOA expires.

Politico reported on Sept. 15:

One-time aides to Barack Obama are holding meetings, contacting lawmakers and working the media in an urgent bid to prevent the dismantling of one of the former presidents signature foreign policy achievements.

The Iranian regimes unprecedented rage toward U.S. has not gone unnoticed. President Donald Trump reciprocated Khamenei's tough takes on Iran which has tested a new bomb calleding Father of all Bombs copycatting the U.S.s Mother of all Bombs, which was tested last spring in Afghanistan - by calling for rigorous inspections of Irans nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency. He said: Washington will walk away from a nuclear deal it agreed to with Iran and five other nations if it deems that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is not tough enough in monitoring it.

The U.S. president made it crystal clear in his speech before the current session of UN General Assembly that he distinguishes between Iranian people and their desire for a peaceful free Iran, and ruling mullahs in Tehran who are busy making intermediate- and long-range ballistic missiles.

He called Iranian regime a "murderous regime," which "masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy." He called the Iran nuclear deal made by the Obama administration, "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into" and while not vowing to immediately cancel it, he added, "don't think you've heard the last of it."

A chief concern for the U.S. administration, despite Irans signing off on the nuclear deal is that it has a destabilizing role in the region. Obama was wishfully hoping that the mullahs would behave after the deal was struck, but it was just an illusion since he failed to realize that there is no good mullah in Tehran.

Iran undermines the U.S.s goal of kicking ISIS out of the Middle East and at the same time reassuring its jittery allies in the Arab world that they will not be harassed by their unpredictable neighbor Iran.

The top American admiral in the Middle East,Vice Adm. Kevin M. Donegan, said that in Yemen, Iran is sustaining the Houthi rebels with an increasingly potent arsenal of anti-ship and ballistic missiles, deadly sea mines and even explosive boats that have attacked allied ships in the Red Sea or Saudi territory across Yemens northern border. The United States, the Yemeni government, and their allies in the region have retaliated with strikes of their own and recaptured some Houthi-held coastal areas to help blunt threats to international shipping, but the peril persists.

Stakes are as high as they can ever be in the Middle East and a minor miscalculation by big players such as the U.S. can leave devastating effects. We are at crossroads once again in a region that is strategic in many respects. With the departure of ISIS (when it finally happens) there should not be a big vacuum left behind for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to fill in Syria and a repeat of what happened when the U.S. forces packed up and left Iraq in 2010. According to the Syrian opposition, by the end of 2016, IRGC and its Quds Force had over 90,000 trained militias fighting in the country, not taking into account tens of thousands of Hezbollah fighters already established in Syria with an expanded operation from Lebanese border all the way to Damascus. It has significantly grown in numbers over the past few years in Syria and no one doubts that they are there to serve the mullahs Supreme Leader Khamenei, while no opportunity is missed by Hassan Nasrollah, the groups leader, to renew his allegiance to Tehran. He said last year: We are open about the fact that Hezbollahs budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and drinks, its weapons and rockets, come from the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to sources, Iran has quadrupled Hezbollahs annual allowance for 2017.

IRGC spares no one from the tooth-and-nail fight in Syria. Thousands of Shiite Muslims from Afghanistan and Pakistan are being recruited by Iran to fight with President Bashar al-Assads forces in Syria, lured by promises of housing, a monthly salary of up to $600 and the possibility of employment in Iran when they return, say counterterrorism officials and analysts, according to a Washington Post report on Sept. 16.

The U.S. and the West in general should learn from their flaws when it comes to dealing with the Iranian regime. Since the early days of the 1979 revolution, Tehrans rulers are dreaming for a Khilafat or Shiite Crescent, which expands from Iran to the Mediterranean Sea via Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The bloody eight-year war with Iraq, according to Khomeinis failed doctrine, was the first step in realizing his dream of an Islamic State, Shiite-style. Khomeini used to say that Iran would conquer the Shiite holy shrine of Imam Hossein (the third Imam of Shia Islam) in Karbala and then would march to Quds (Jerusalem). Despite Khomeinis failure to deliver, his heirs never gave up the idea and with the emergence of ISIS and a strong foothold in Iraq, courtesy of Obama administration with its hasty exit from Iraq which left the vacuum for Iran to fill, now IRGC is establishing itself in Syria.

Once again, as in 2010 and Iraq, the window is closing in Syria, and soon, if the U.S. and its allies do not act swiftly in stopping and expelling the IRGC and its proxies from expanding in the lands ISIS is leaving behind, the Iraq scenario might repeat itself. The difference this time however, is that it would have a far greater impact on the geopolitics of the region.

Reza Shafiee (@shafiee_shafiee) is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
The Trump administration is considering imposing sanctions on Venezuela by blocking their oil from U.S. ports. Likewise, UN ambassador Nikki Haley criticized the regime of Nicolas Maduro, and confirmed that oil sanctions are not off the table. This is tactical escalation: last month President Trump advocated for a more finely-targeted approach by limiting Venezuelas access to American financial institutions, now oil is in the crosshairs. This is regrettable: sanctions on Venezuelan oil will likely do more harm than good, and will punish the wrong people.

To be clear: Venezuela is a horrible place to live, and the government is solely to blame. Their corruption, incompetence, and ideological fervor has transformed South Americas richest economy into a poverty-stricken backwater. Against all the odds, the socialist government has managed to create starvation in a land of rich soils and year-round growing seasons- -people are literally breaking into zoos to eating zebras to survive. Likewise, they have impoverished a nation that sits on the worlds largest oil reserves: not even Saudi Arabias brutal despots are this foolish.

Nevertheless, imposing sanctions on Venezuelan oil is a bad idea. The main reason for this is that sanctions are generally ineffective if imposed on fungible goods, meaning that said goods are completely interchangeable on international markets. Oil is a fungible good. Therefore, apart from the initial logistical disruption, boycotting Venezuelan oil will likely have little impact on their exports -- Venezuela will simply sell more to Europe, China, and South America, while we buy more from Saudi Arabia. Remember, Europeans do not condemn Venezuelas socialist dictatorship, and China is actively courting South Americans as allies and trading partners. Without Europe and China on-board, an oil embargo will have little chance at succeeding.

For the sake of argument, assume the sanctions are effective, and Venezuelas economy is completely ruined by Americas import ban. Would it matter? Venezuelas ruling class is insulated from the general population, and cares little about their wellbeing. The fact is that most autocrats would rather let millions starve to death than relinquish their power -- we have seen this before in North Korea, Cuba, and the USSR. Venezuela is no different: brutal street battles have been fought, people are starving, and still the government continues trying to manifest its socialist utopia. Sanctioning Venezuelan oil will not impact the government aristocracy, it will simply impoverish ordinary people.

Many historical examples prove this point. Recall how our sanctions on Syria caused starvation, and contributed to the rise of ISIS, but had literally zero impact on the welfare of Bashar al-Assad, or the rest of the ruling elite. Sanctions made Syria poorer, not its ruling class. The same was true in Cuba and Iran. Worth reading is this report from the Foundation for Economic Education: it looks at the impact of sanctions in the Balkans, and finds that sanctions do not work, they just further concentrate power in the hands of the ruling class.

There are also broader political ramifications worth considering. Economics and politics are intertwined: attacking an authoritarian regime economically plays into said regimes political narrative, and can strengthen said regime. Simply put: sanctions will empower President Maduro. Consider the case in the former USSR. Every time America engaged in economic warfare against the USSR, no matter how much damage it did, it gave credence to the Soviet government's narrative: the U.S. is an evil empire trying to destroy the USSR and harm its people. America played right into their hands. And of course, the same thing happened in North Korea and Cuba -- the political strength of their regimes was intimately tied to their economic hardship. The same will be true in Venezuela: sanctions will unite Venezuelans against a foreign enemy, and this will do more harm than good.

Finally, sanctions can be counterproductive because they limit the organic spread of Western values. Western values terrify dictatorships. Why? Because freedom is natural. Desirable. It spreads all by itself. This is why authoritarian regimes expend great time and energy to scrub the internet of Western influences -- they do not want their people "getting any ideas". These values do not just spread through popular culture, they spread through commercial connections. When we do business with foreigners, we give them a glimpse of what it is like in America. They experience a little bit of freedom, and wealth. The spread of free markets, and the riches they generate, is what ultimately opened up China, and it is what continues to reduce the power of the Communist Party. By imposing sanctions, America will end up helping Maduro, doing his dirty work for him. The best way to liberalize Venezuela is to increase economic ties with them.

Sanctions have a mixed record, to put it lightly. Sometimes they are effective, but often they are entirely counterproductive, and end up strengthening the foreign regime. The Trump administration must be careful not to make things worse -- especially since Venezuela will collapse on its own. Instead, he should focus on growing the economy and avoiding foreign excursions, as he promised.
Perfume Politics in France

Pecunia non olet (money doesn't smell) was the reply of the 7th century Roman Emperor Vespasian when he was criticized for imposing a new tax on the use of public urinals in Rome. The death on September 21, 2017, of Liliane Bettancourt, at 94 , was a reminder that in early to mid 20th century France, perfume, whether devised by Francois Coty, Coco Chanel, or L'Oreal, smelled of money used for vile purposes. All the perfumes of Arabia cannot sweeten the memories of the mischievousness of those perfumiers. Their beauty creams, fragrances, and hair dyes cannot overcome the smell of their collaboration with Nazis. Mme. Bettancourt was the richest woman in the world, worth about $40 billion, as the heiress of the large L'Oreal cosmetics empire of which she owned about a third. She had inherited her fortune on the death of her father in 1957. Bettancourt was involved in a number of personal, legal problems and scandals, including illegal donations to the 2007 presidential campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy. But she is important for her relationships with antisemitic and pro-Nazi individuals, and as a reminder of some dark years of the French past. Ironically, as if in rejection of the family past history, her only child, Francoise, married a grandson of a rabbi killed in Auschwitz and converted to Judaism.

The significance of Liliane Bettancourt is not a matter of the personal scandals or private life, but her kinship with father and her husband, both of whom were associated with far right extreme political organizations and held bigoted and racist especially antisemitic views. Her father was Eugene Schueller who in 1907 invented the nontoxic hair dye he called Aureale or Oreale which was the beginning of his fortune. Schueller was a pro-Nazi supporter of and founder of extreme organizations. In addition, he had acquired property taken from Jews; one of those properties became L'0real headquarters in Germany. Schueller admired Henry Ford's executive managerial activities, but he also admired and adopted Ford's pro-fascist and antisemitic standpoint. Schueller, with another antisemite and pro-fascist Eugene Deloncle, in October 1940 founded the (MSR), with help from German Ambassador in Paris, Otto Abetz, and rgw approval of Reinhardt Heydrich. Official meetings of MSR took place at L'Oreal headquarters in Rue Royale, Paris. Deloncle in 1935 had already founded the La Cagoule, the fascist Secret Committee of Revolutionary Action, that Schueller helped fund. The program of MSR is nauseating and revealing: "to build a new Europe in cooperation with National Socialist Germany and all other nations freed from liberal capitalism, Judaism, bolshevism, and French masons." MRS also wanted to "ensure the Jews that stay in France are subject to harsh laws, preventing them from infesting our race." Within the MSR was a smaller, private group called The French Community, established with the aid of SS officer Theo Dannecker, representative of Adolf Eichmann, the aim of which was "to free France completely from the ferments of corruption that are the Jews and the Free Masons," and which organized the looting of Jewish property. In February 1941 the MSR merged with Marcel Deat's Rassemblement national populaire, RNP. Schuler called for revolution for "cleansing and remedy," and together with Delonce, in June 1941 after Germany attacked the Soviet Union, set up the Legion of French Volunteers, LVF, to fight with Germans on the Eastern front. Members swore an oath of allegiance to Hitler. A post World War II investigation was opened on Schueller, but he was found not guilty of economic collaboration though his book, La Revolution de l'Economie, was essentially a fascist book. It is not coincidental that Francois Mitterand, the rising postwar politician, was a friend of Francois Dalle who succeeded Schueller as head of L'Oreal, that in 1945 Mitterand was appointed director of the L'Oreal magazine, Votre Beaute, owned by Schueller, and that a niece of Deloncle, Schueller's political partner, married the older brother of Mitterand. Schieller's daughter Liliane in 1950 married Andre Bettancourt, a Catholic lawyer who was a bitter antisemite that knew Mitterand while they were law students in Paris in the 1930s. He had joined La Cagoule and had written a large number of antisemitic articles for La Terre Francaise, which he edited. He disseminated Nazi propaganda, is known to have written 60 articles, in some of which he referred to Jews as "hypocritical Pharisees whose race has been forever sallied by the blood of the righeous, and whose race is tainted with Jesus' blood for all eternity." Bettancourt claimed to have joined the Resistance at the end of the war, a claim that is disputable, and remained friendly with Mitterand. What is more certain is that in July 1944 he travelled to Geneva where he was given, apparently by Alan Dulles and the OSS, a large sum of money, about 2.5 million francs, for French POWs, a sum he passed on to Mitterand. In post war France, Bettancourt was a journalist and served in a number of governmental positions, including intelligence, and almost became prime minister in 1986 when Mitterand was president of France. The political record of the perfume fraternity is not a savory one. Rene Coty, originally Corsican and a pioneer in a variety of fragrances, allegedly the first French billionaire, had a sensitive nose for perfume but a less desirable one for political organizations. He founded or aided a number of pro-Nazi organizations: Faisceau, the French Fascist party, and for a time the Croix-de-Feu; the Solidarite Francaise in 1933, a fascist and paramilitary group. He bought Le Figaro and transformed it into a exteme right wing paper. Coty was bitterly antisemitic, blaming Jewish bankers "for bloody and rapacious policies that ruined the world, for establishing communism, and for the world-wide economic depression." The ambitious Coco Chanel, noted for her fashion style and understated elegance, not only slept with the enemy but seemed to have worked for German military intelligence. Living in the luxurious Hotel Ritz, Chanel conducted an affair with a German officer Baron Hans von Dincklage, an Abwehr military intelligence officer who used her as an agent and a facilitator, curiously codenamed Westminster, the name of Chanel's former lover, the Duke of Westminster. It is not too strong to say that L'Oreal for a time in postwar France was a hiding place for former collaborators or Nazi supporters attempting to hide their wartime past. One of them Jacques Correze, once a member of La Cagoule, became an L'Oreal executive in New York. Liliane Bettancourt of course was not involved in the political activities in her kinsmen. However, her death at the time of the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement raises an interesting problem. Her husband Andre Bettancourt in postwar France said "I have repeatedly expressed my regrets concerning 'the errors of my youth' in public and will always beg the Jewish community to forgive me for them." France is still striving to overcome the sad days of Vichy and to create a friendly and healthy society. For the Jewish community, in view of contemporary antisemitism, the painful memories remain.
Civil order  the freedom to go about one's business free of worry about personal safety  is slipping away in Chicago. The city's murder rate is world-famous but had been confined to a few neighborhoods. Now criminals are so unburdened by fear of the constabulary that even in the posh parts of town, crime is metastasizing.

Now comes a story that is horrifying in its exposure of how thin the blue line has gotten in the Windy City. From CWB Chicago:

So, a guy died yesterday. He pretty much washed ashore at Montrose Beach. The Tribune says he was "found floating." He repeatedly seized on the beach. Convulsing. Breathing, it seemed. Or not. It's awkward, trying to tell if someone's breathing or just trying their damnedest to. The blood frothing from his mouth came from his lungs, mixed with nibbles of his own tongue.



Montrose Beach.

The man was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died. But:

The stupid thing  and by stupid thing we mean "Chicago thing"  is that no police officer ever showed up at the beach. In fact, no police officer actually took on the man's case until nearly an hour after he died. Oh, don't [get] us wrong. Dispatchers tried to assign the drowning call around 2 p.m. But every 19th District cop was tied up, assigned to other duties  like watching the mayor's house. This may strike you as odd, but while that man was dying on the sand, there were seven cops doing essentially nothing in the same police district. Two were assigned to sit in front of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's house at 4228 N. Hermitage. Another two were committed to sitting in the back of the mayor's house. Another two were assigned to a roving car that circles the mayor's home. And the seventh was the sergeant in charge of the mayor's castle guard.

Police are in short supply in Chicago because pensions eat up the money budgeted for police protection.

So a dying man is hauled away without the presence of a single police officer to ask questions of the witnesses and begin an investigation on the spot to figure out how the man came to be floating in Lake Michigan. He just died and was hauled away. Meanwhile, the Praetorian Guard does its duty protecting the Maximum Leader.

It's a story that would be commonplace in many third-world hellholes. Now it is coming to our shores.
I'm a bit out of steam from my rants and phone blitzes during the last two attempts to repeal Obamacare. I am not a Lindsey Graham fan, but I must say I think his Graham-Cassidy bill is reasonable.

For those of you who don't know, this bill merely takes the money for Obamacare subsidies and block-grants it over to the states. Each state will be encouraged to design its own health care system. If they want Bernie-care in their state, they can go for it. But if they want more choices on the market, they can do that, too. Obviously, this will encourage competition and bring the prices down.

Just so you know, it's a lie that people with pre-existing conditions will be on their own if a state opts out of that requirement. For a state to do this, it would have to show that it has an alternative plan  for example, a funding pool  for those with pre-existing conditions.

So call your senators if you still have the energy, even though Susan Collins just announced that she's a "no vote," which I think makes the bill DOA.

The media are pinning it on her, but of course, we have the great Senator John McCain, whose claimed reason is "he wants more bi-partisanship." This is a reason? Did we have bipartisanship when they passed Obamacare? The way to get bipartisanship is to pass the Graham-Cassidy bill, and then you will get Democrat ideas on alternatives to Obamacare. And not a minute before. Beside, McCain was elected to do what's best for his state and best for his country  not to placate and play footsie with Democrats! By the way, this bill is supported by the governor of Arizona and gives Arizona additional money, likely as an incentive to get McCain to vote for it!

Then there's the problem of Rand Paul. Exactly what is his problem, anyway? I have never liked him. While he's not as bad as his father, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, apparently. His claimed reason is that it's not perfect. Yes, that's the reason! It's not a full repeal! But in many ways it is, because any state that doesn't want it doesn't have to have it so it would still be voter-driven at the state level. He is a purist making the perfect the enemy of the good.

You'd have to be an idiot to count on Susan Collins, so why blame her? She's the only Republican in the Senate who didn't even vote to repeal Obamacare. Rand Paul, on the other hand, by opposing this bill, is ensuring that the big hand of government Obamacare will remain the law of the land. And in fact, I think he is edging us closer to Bernie-care by doing so. What a traitor! You have to deal with the facts as they are, not as you wish them to be!

Then, of course, there's Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, who clearly wants to keep Obamacare in place. And for all you Ted Cruz supporters, at the last check, Cruz is also not supporting this bill...or at least not yet, claiming that the bill is moving in the right direction but doesn't provide enough waivers to those who want to escape Obamacare.

I think Mark Levin was right when he said these senators are just looking for any excuse not to vote for it.

But then I find out that Mark Levin is supporting Roy Moore, who is running against Luther Strange in Alabama. I don't know much about either of them, except that Roy Moore, who is, according to Mark Levin, more conservative, will not vote for the Graham-Cassidy bill if he's elected. That's enough to rule him out for me.

Reportedly, Luther Strange was said to support the bill. Not even elected yet, he's already backpedaling, saying he "likes the concept of the Graham-Cassidy bill, but he hasn't seen how it would affect Alabama, so he can't say for sure that he'd sign onto it." Yes, this is the problem. The purist versus the backpedaler.

I don't know about you, but I am so fed up. From my point of view, it's not just a problem in Alabama. The whole Republican voting problem on the Obamacare repeal is Moore-Strange!
It was recently announced that new countries were added to President Trump's list of travel-restricted nations. Contrary to the anti-Trump narrative, this list is far from a Muslim ban. It was wise to add Chad to the list, already including Iran, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and Libya, with Venezuela and North Korea included as well. Now the ban should be expanded, our the interest of our national security.

The president, in fulfilling a pillar of his campaign promise of extreme vetting of refugees and immigration from war zones, is doing the right thing. Having said that, Sudan should have been left on the list, with the addition of Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kenya, and the Chechen region of Russia as well. These are all war-torn or terrorist-supporting countries whose citizens should not become U.S. citizens.

Just as the decision to remove Sudan from the list of countries was announced, we learned the identity of the shooter in Tennessee, who left one person dead and many injured. This shooter was indeed from Sudan and may not even be a U.S. citizen. The media seemed to have less coverage of the shooting once the suspect was determined not to be an American. This comes on the heels of a deadly shooting at a New York hospital this summer perpetrated by a Nigerian immigrant and a number of cases of Somalians wanting to fight with terror groups overseas.

Parts of Africa are clearly war zones with a culture of brutality and violence like much of the Islamic world. As Professor Amy Wax of the University Of Pennsylvania opined in a now famous column "not all cultures are equal." We must ask ourselves regarding war-torn cultures: is this something we want to import to America?

Finally, despite claiming to fight terror, Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of supporting terrorism since before 9/11. Many of the infamous hijackers were Saudis, and there is now evidence that lower-level members of the Saudi government may have helped in the attacks. Despite this, America continues to see the Saudis as allies. Is Sept 11 not justification enough to ban Saudi immigration and student visas?

With the election of this president, America sent a clear message: no more open borders, with a major overhaul of our immigration system. Contrary to leftist talking points, it's not a right to immigrate to this country, but a privilege. Those regions known for violence and terror should no longer send their people to America. Our immigration policy should be pro-American, not pro-Third World.

President Trump is correct in expanding the travel ban. Now it should be expanded even more.
U.S. officials have determined that the launch of a new medium-range ICBM by Iran on Friday was a fake.

Experts say the video released by Iran depicting the launch was from a failed test last January.

Fox News:

The video released by the Iranians was more than seven months old  dating back to a failed launch in late January, which resulted in the missile exploding shortly after liftoff, according to two U.S. officials. President Trump had originally responded to the reported launch in a late-Saturday tweet, saying, "Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!" This was after Trump, speaking before world leaders at the United Nations, called the Iran nuclear deal an "embarrassment" to the United States. "We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program," he said. Trump later told reporters he had made up his mind about the deal, but wouldn't say whether he would pull the United States out of the nuclear accord with Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, speaking at the U.N. one day after Trump, maintained his country's missile program was "solely defensive" in nature. "We never threaten anyone, but we do not tolerate threats from anyone," he said. Rouhani returned to Tehran two days later to preside over the missile parade featuring the new medium-range design and said his country would build as many missiles as necessary to defend itself. Afterward, the footage was aired, with Iranian media claiming a successful test launch  though it apparently showed the failed January launch.

Officials say that the new missile is based  like most Iranian missiles are  on a North Korean design.

Iran's new medium-range missile is based on a North Korean design  Pyongyang's BM-25 Musudan ballistic missile, which has a maximum range of nearly 2,500 miles, putting U.S. forces in the Middle East and Israel within reach if its problems are fixed. "The very first missiles we saw in Iran were simply copies of North Korean missiles," said Jeffrey Lewis, a missile proliferation expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. "Over the years, we've seen photographs of North Korean and Iranian officials in each other's countries, and we've seen all kinds of common hardware."

For the Iranian government, it's not important that their attempt to hoodwink the U.S. and Western intelligence was a failure. The purpose of the fake missile launch was to deceive their own people.

The government derives much of its legitimacy from claiming to be the Islamic bulwark against U.S. imperialism. To demonstrate that, the Iranians must provoke the U.S. to respond to Iranian threats. It may be that the recent attention paid to North Korea's missile and nuke programs by the U.S. was making it harder for Iran to get the required response from the U.S. to their provocations. Predictably, the U.S.'s and the West's response to the Friday launch gave the Iranians exactly what they wanted.

The tone of Donald Trump's rhetoric against Iran, and that of his administration, would lead us to believe that sometime soon, the U.S. will pull out of the nuclear deal. There is ample cause for this, considering how the government of Iran has chosen to interpret several key elements in the deal that are totally at odds with the way that President Obama characterized what was in the agreement.

Beyond that, it is a question of good faith by the Iranians who claim they have put their nuclear program on hold while going forward with great speed to develop missiles that can threaten the world in complete defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The U.S. will be blamed for pulling out of the deal, but the fault clearly lies with the Iranian government who received a $100-billion gift from Barack Obama when he agreed to lift sanctions without giving up anything much at all.
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Lavinia Woodwards mitigating factors: shes not black, male and poor

Lavinia Woodward, 24, has been in court for assaulting her boyfriend  she stabbed him in the leg with a bread knife after throwing a laptop, a glass and a jam jar at him. Should she go to prison? No! rules judge Ian Pringle, who reasons that because Woodward is bright and wants to be surgeon, a stint in choky might damage her career. You and anyone sane might baulk at being treated by a surgeon with a history of stabbing people with kitchen equipment  taking work home with her?  who suffers from an emotionally-unstable personality disorder, a severe eating disorder, and alcohol and drug addiction.

Might it be that the victim, one Thomas Fairclough, a Cambridge graduate Woodward had met on the dating app Tinder, took one for the team?

But Woodward remains at large. Judge Pringle thinks shes possessed of an extraordinary talent. Dwayne from the council estate can go to prison for his crimes, on account of being normal or even blow par; but Lavinia was really terribly good at school so when she gets into drugs and knife crime, its all a dreadful waste of potential that society cannot bear. So for pleading guilty to unlawful wounding she receives a sentence of 10 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months. Well, so goes the tabloid narrative.

Pringle is sympathetic to Lavinia, telling the court: It seems to me that if this was a one-off, a complete one-off, to prevent this extraordinarily able young lady from following her long-held desire to enter the profession she wishes to would be a sentence which would be too severe. What you did will never, I know, leave you but it was pretty awful, and normally it would attract a custodial sentence, whether it is immediate or suspended.

Judge Pringle seems to believe that because sentencing aims to protect society and help to rehabilitate the offender, jailing a bright student would be counterproductive.

Pringle has more to say to the young woman at Oxford Crown Court:

There are many mitigating features in your case. Principally, at the age of 24 you have no previous convictions of any nature whatsoever. Secondly, I find that you were genuinely remorseful following this event and, indeed, it was against your bail conditions, you contacted your partner to fully confess your guilt and your deep sorrow for what happened. Thirdly, whilst you are a clearly highly-intelligent individual, you had an immaturity about you which was not commensurate for someone of your age. Fourthly, as the reports from the experts make clear, you suffer from an emotionally-unstable personality disorder, a severe eating disorder and alcohol drug dependence. Finally, and most significantly, you have demonstrated over the last nine months that you are determined to rid yourself of your alcohol and drug addiction and have undergone extensive treatment including counselling to address the many issues that you face. In particular, you have demonstrated to me since I adjourned this matter in May a strong and unwavering determination to do so despite the enormous pressure under which you were put and which has been referred to me by your counsel.

So the highly intelligent young woman  someone you might suppose can understand the weight of her crime better than most  doesnt go to jail. Which appears to be a lesson for us all: dont be poor, black and male. But its not that simple.

Lavinia Woodward should not be envied. She appears to be struggling and have suffered. And the media exposure must be challenging, especially to someone who appears unhappy in her own skin. Itll be interesting to see what occurs when someone less bright and less blonde than Lavinia Woodward charged with similar crimes stands before the judge  and if the tabloids report their trials at all, let alone deem the cases worthy of front-page news. We might not like the story of the toff who escaped prison for being too clever, but that might be something to do with our own prejudices.

Thats another lesson for us all: if you want to be on the tabloids front pages and ride high on the news cycle: do be blonde, female and young.

Anorak

Posted: 26th, September 2017 | In: Key Posts, News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Police use story of climbers stuck on Scafell Pike to attack cannabis users

Four walkers from Manchester got stuck on Englands highest mountain last weekend because they were too goofed to walk back down, says the Guardian. Stoned on the Scafell Pikes 3,210-foot peak, the men summoned help. Cumbria Police went on Twitter to lament:

Persons stuck on mountain, after taking cannabis. Having to deploy Mtain Rescue, Air support and Ambulance to rescue them..  Cumbria Police (@Cumbriapolice) September 23, 2017

Persons rescued after becoming incapable of walking due to cannabis use. MRT volunteers putting themselves at risk to prevent harm.  Cumbria Police (@Cumbriapolice) September 23, 2017

But thats not quite true. Only one of the men had smoked weed, but all had been drinking. Richard Warren, of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, never mentioned police involvement when he told the North West Evening Mail: As a group, they were emotionally feeling very concerned. Half of them had waterproofs. They were totally unprepared for what they had got themselves into. When one of them got unwell because of the substance they had taken, it added further worry. The paper notes: It is understood the men had been drinking and one of them had taken cannabis.

But writing on Facebook, a police spokesperson doesnt mention the booze:

Persons phoning Cumbria Police because they are stuck on a mountain, after taking cannabis. Now having to deploy Mtain Rescue, Air support and Ambulance to rescue them. Words fail us..

A helicopter was not deployed. But one was placed on standby. Esquire reports:

Police worked with the Wasdale mountain rescue team to help bring the men down to safety at 9.45pm, with police adding in a second post on their Facebook page: Persons rescued by MRT, after becoming incapable of walking off mountain due to cannabis use. MRT volunteers putting themselves at risk to prevent harm.

Were police called?

Someone using the Twitter name Samuel Coleridge says he was one of the rescued men. He tells ITV:

At the time of making the call we were panicking, cold, wet and hungry and knew if it went dark it was going to be hard getting down. I cant remember exactly how the emergency call went, but I did tell them it was only one of the four of us who had collapsed and was out cold and that we had been drinking and that he had smoked some cannabis. My biggest concern now is that our names could be leaked, as were all working individuals and I wouldnt want to risk that. Also most of our families have put two and two together which has caused plenty of headaches There wasnt a huge costly rescue operation launched as reported by the police. They made out a helicopter, police officers and ambulances were used, but there were none. The only truth was mountain rescue were alerted and we met them near Boot not on the mountain. Of course we are sorry for taking up the time of the mountain rescue team. We carried him down as far as we could and only called as a last resort. We fully appreciated their help and support, because we mentioned cannabis on the emergency call the whole situation was blown way out of proportion.

But if you pick the facts to present it as a police operation mopping up after doped dopes so much the better

Anorak

Posted: 26th, September 2017 | In: News, Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Brussels, September 26 - Italy, France, Germany and Spain have signed a joint document renewing calls for the European Union to introduce a system to raise more tax from Internet giants such as Google, Facebook and Amazon. The document has been released three days before the summit at Tallinn, where the heads of State and government will discuss a 'web tax'. The digital economy has "profoundly" changed the way to do business and "the way in which it must be taxed" the document said. As a result "a profound revision of the current taxation system" is needed to ensure it is "efficient, fair and transparent". Rome, Berlin and Madrid have backed and French proposal to tax the Internet companies revenues instead of their profits. Estonia, which holds the EU duty presidency, is proposing taxing internet companies in the EU states where they make their profits, not at their tax residence.


(ANSAmed) - MADRID, SEPTEMBER 26 - Maritime Rescue forces in Spain at sunrise Tuesday rescued about 60 migrants - including 20 minors - who were trying to reach the country's coast aboard two boats.



The migrants were rescued at four and eight miles southwest of Barbate, in the province of Cadiz in Spain's Andalusia region.



Fifty-four of the migrants, who were of Maghrebi origin, were traveling on an inflatable dinghy intercepted last night by rescue boats in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar.



They were transferred to the port of Barbate, where they were assisted by Red Cross volunteers, emergency service sources said.



Some were suffering from hypothermia and were taken to hospital.



During the night, Maritime Rescue crews also spotted a wooden boat with six people aboard, including two minors and a woman, all from the Maghreb. They were taken at sunrise Tuesday to the port of Barbate.(ANSAmed).


Attack in West Bank, three Israelis killed Attacker killed. Hamas says 'new chapter in intifada'

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, SEPTEMBER 26 - Three Israelis were killed in an attack Tuesday in Har Hadar, in the West Bank, according to Israeli police.



They said the attacker reached the gates of a village together with a group of Palestinian laborers and opened close-range fire on guards there.



Police said the Palestinian attacker, a 37-year-old resident of Beit Sourik with a regular Israeli work permit, was killed.



In Gaza, Hamas praised the attack.



"It's a new chapter in the Intifada of Al-Quds (Jerusalem)," said Hamas spokesman Hazzam Qassam, cited by media.



"It means every attempt to 'Judaize' the city doesn't change the fact that Jerusalem is Arab-Muslim: its citizens and young people will not spare any effort to redeem it with their spirit and blood," he said.(ANSAmed).




(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, SEPTEMBER 26 - The first phase of the UN Action Plan for Libya began Tuesday in Tunis with a planned meeting between the two dialogue committees of the House of Representatives in Tobruk (HOR) and the High Council of State in Tripoli, according to a statement from the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).



It said the two factions would propose to UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame a series of modifications to the Libyan Political Agreement.



The accord was signed in Skhirat, Morocco, in December 2015. Salame presented the UN Action Plan for Libya on September 20 at the high-level meeting on Libya held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.



UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also took part in the high-level meeting.



The UN Action Plan for Libya provides an inclusive, representative, Libyan-led road map under UN supervision.



It includes a limited series of amendments to the Libyan Political Agreement, which will be followed by a national conference bringing together the various factions.



That will be followed by the House of Representatives and the Constitutional Drafting Assembly working together to create a legislative basis for holding a constitutional referendum as well as parliamentary and presidential elections within a year.(ANSAmed).


As the Process [as those who favour independence refer to the current events in Catalonia] reaches a "head-on collision", those who favour the Third Way, disguised under an apparent moderation, are becoming more vociferous. Backed by all the classic arguments "virtue is the middle path--, they decry the widespread intolerance, while lamenting the fact they are being attacked on all sides due to their minority position. They can be found in Catalonia, among Spanish delegates and courtiers, afraid of losing privileges. In Madrid, in that clone of the PP that becomes "the left" when it darent distance itself from an intolerant nationalism. And in an EU which is currently fighting on too many fronts. Can Catalonia and Spain come to an understanding in this conflict? And, if they are unable to do so, isnt calling for dialogue simply a convenient way not to get involved?

If Catalans have put aside the penchant for compromise that is in their very DNA, it is because the only dialogue that the Spanish state allows requires them to accept the most humiliating form of submission

Let's start with Catalonia. Hasnt its penchant for compromise always been scorned? Whether it was down to being "two-faced", or believing in "a bird in the hand" ... It was this penchant for compromise that had to accept a Statute which had been cut to ribbons. But since June 2010, when a punitive court overturned the will of two parliaments and two million votes, Catalonias only option has been to compromise, agreeing to its nonexistence as a nation: relinquishing its ability to decide what it wants to be. When pactists ask you to abide by the law, they are forgetting the fact that they want you to respect a legal framework that shows absolutely no respect for you. When they ask for dialogue, they forget that they are asking for talks with a Spain that does not recognise them as an interlocutor but rather an appendage; that they are as likely to make a pact with them as one would make a pact with ones hand. Listen up, pactists: if Catalans have put aside the penchant for compromise that is in their very DNA, if theyve "all gone mad" and "have been brainwashed", it is because the only dialogue that the Spanish state allows requires them to accept the most humiliating form of submission.

On to Spain, now. Does the PP have the option to hold a dialogue? Is it open, for instance, to reaching a Basque-style financial agreement with Catalonia? Is it able to suggest that there is more than one nation within the Spanish state? Any Spanish prime minister who dares to say as much wouldnt last long, much less Rajoy. If he continues to preside over a government with a party which is riddled with corruption and a society which is more unequal than ever its because the majority of voters see in him the most reliable means to make Spain Spanish, and to dilute what is left of plurinationality. It is not Rajoy that prevents dialogue, it is an atavistic fear of diversity which plays a key role in general elections every time Catalonia takes a step forward. There can be no compromise or dialogue because the two projects that are colliding for historical reasons which are much more powerful than their leaders are incompatible. Turning the Spanish state into a nation is viscerally at odds with making the Catalan nation into a state.

I also like to compromise, I also want dialogue. A pact would undoubtedly be the best solution. But nobody can make a pact with someone who wont let them be who they truly are. The only viable form of compromise is the one that proposes waiting indefinitely for Spain to change enough so that someone who respects us can be in charge. Those who see this as viable at this time, have either lost their minds or their dignity.
The aircraft, dubbed Flight Lab, took off from the Tarbes aerodrome in southern France at local time 11:00, and after a series of successful tests it landed at Airbus facilities in Toulouse Blagnac. The overall flight time was 3hrs/38mins.



The BLADE project  which stands for Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe  is tasked with assessing the feasibility of introducing the technology for commercial aviation. It aims to improve aviations ecological footprint, bringing with it a 50% reduction of wing friction and up to five percent lower CO2 emission. Airbus A340 Flight Lab is the first test aircraft in the world to combine a transonic laminar wing profile with a true internal primary structure



On the outside the aircraft is fitted with two representative transonic laminar outer-wings, while inside the cabin a highly complex specialist flight-test-instrumentation (FTI) station has been installed. The extensive modifications to the A340-300 test-bed aircraft took place during the course of a 16-month working party in Tarbes, with the support of numerous industrial partners across Europe. Todays first-flight marks the kick-off of the Blade flight-test campaign to explore the wings characteristics in flight.



We began by opening the flight envelope to check that the aircraft was handling correctly, explains Airbus Flight-Test Engineer, Philippe Seve, who was on board the flight. We achieved our objective to fly at the design Mach number, at a reasonable altitude and check everything was fine. We also checked that the FTI was working as expected, to identify further fine-tuning for the next flights.



In the run-up to the start of this flight-testing phase, a small team of 10 specially trained pilots, test engineers and flight test engineers had prepared for this milestone for several months, spending time in a simulator and familiarising themselves with the FTI systems to be installed on the Airbus flight-test aircraft. Moreover, on equipment installation side, a working party of 70 people performed the FTI installation inside the aircraft, while teams from Bremen, Germany and Broughton, UK worked externally on the outer wings, with a team from Stade Germany, installing a pod containing infrared cameras on the fin



On the wings, there are hundreds of points to measure the waviness of the surface to help Airbus engineers ascertain its influence on the laminarity  which is the first time that Airbus has used such a testing method on an aircraft. Other firsts are the use of infrared cameras inside the pod to measure wing temperature and the acoustic generator which measures the influence of acoustics on laminarity. In addition, there is also an innovative reflectometry system, which measures overall deformation in real-time during flight.



A key goal of Blade is to be able to measure the tolerances and imperfections which can be present and still sustain laminarity. To this end, Airbus will simulate every type of imperfection in a controlled manner, so that at the end of the campaign the tolerances for building a laminar wing will be fully known. The flight Lab will perform around 150 flight hours in the coming months.


The maiden concept flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT), the UAV that will eventually become worlds first self-flying taxi service set to be introduced by Dubais Roads and Transport Authority in 2022, took to the skies yesterday after the launch button was pressed by Dubais Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.

There had been a lot of speculation that the concept  using the German built Volocopter  was more pie in the sky than a real project, but yesterdays maiden flight proved beyond all doubt that the intentions are real and that the technology works.

The test flight from Jumeirah Beach Park was considered a success. After the remarkable success of the first driverless metro in the region, we are glad to witness today the test flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi, said Sheikh Hamdan. This is another testament to our commitment to driving positive change. We are constantly exploring opportunities to serve the community and advance the prosperity and happiness of society.

Dubai announced its plans to trial the Volocopter back in June. The emirate has plans to have , autonomous vehicles handle a quarter of all passenger journeys in the city by 2030. With low noise levels and utilising clean electricity, the Volocopter will have a maximum flight time of 30 minutes between charges. It will cruise at around 50 km/h although it has a maximum speed of double that.

"The Autonomous Air Taxi has a variety of unique features that include top security and safety standards, and multiple redundancies in all critical components such as propellers, motors, power source, electronics and flight controls," said HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of Dubai's Road and Transport Authority. "It is also fitted with optional emergency parachutes, nine independent battery systems, and a battery quick-charge and plug-in system, which takes two hours to reach full charge in the prototype version, a time that will be significantly reduced in the production version."

It is expected to be capable of carrying two passengers although weights and landing sites have yet to be determined. The first date for flying live passengers is also not yet revealed.



Sheikh Hamdan presses the button to launch the Volocopter watched by Dubai's director general of civil Aviation Mohammed Ahli (Picture Gov't of Dubai)
The new scheduled flights will be added to meet the growing demand for travel on the route, particularly during the winter season.

The new Emirates flight EK155 will commence from 8th December, departing Dubai at 1500, arriving in Stockholm Arlanda Airport at 1845. The return flight EK156 will depart ARN at 2110 arriving at Dubai International Airport at 0630 the following day.
With two flights a week, the flights include a stopover in Sarajevo, a popular destination on the flydubai network. Podgorica joins the airlines network in Central and Eastern Europe, which includes Belgrade, Bratislava, Bucharest, Prague, Skopje, Sarajevo and Sofia. flydubai will become the only UAE-based carrier to offer direct air links to Podgorica.

Ghaith Al Ghaith Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said: With the launch of our flights to Podgorica, we continue to offer passengers more ways to explore and discover Montenegro. The popularity of our summer flights to Tivat has shown a continuous demand for more access to this part of the world and we are delighted to be offering flights to Montenegro on a regular basis.
Nesma Airlines training department will not only gain full access to Flycos Advanced Learning Management System (A-LMS), but will have the flexibility of creating their own bespoke courseware library with fully customised exams and assessments to enhance its overall training performance.

An advanced Learning Management System and a wide-ranging courseware both for pilots and cabin including the cabin type rating courses were some of the many reasons why we have decided to select Flyco for our online training requirements. We believe that Flyco system is ideal for our company as it satisfies both Initial and Recurrent Online Training and Type Rating Training providing detailed usage statistics allowing our training department to closely monitor crew performance. In addition, we believe that our pilot and cabin crew will benefit from some of the user functions such as the FlyPad and the Offline training options offered, said Ashraf Lamloum, the present CEO of Nesma Airlines, Egypt.

We are quite pleased with our expansion in the Middle East market as we are receiving very positive feedback from our newly joined clients, particularly about our Administrator Panel. At the moment, we can confidently state that we have a very strong support team working closely with our customers training departments and dealing with user enquiries directly and efficiently. We are looking forward to growing our presence in the Egyptian market and around the Globe this year with continuing our extraordinary customer support and expansion of our system functions and our courseware, added Deniz Cop, current Director of Marketing & Business Development of Flyco Group.
"The addition of our very first 747-8 freighter is a significant moment for our Cargo division, and a welcome addition to our 20-strong cargo fleet of wide-body aircraft," said Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker. "As the world's third-largest cargo operator, Qatar Airways continues to invest in fleet expansion, with a second 747-8F due to be delivered in November."

At a press conference Al Baker hinted that a third of the Jumbo freighters could be ordered soon saying that the first two would already be at full capacity,

Qatar has had a strong relationship with Boeing.The carrier became a launch customer for the 777X in 2013, and was the first to operate the 787 in the Middle East. It also has 20 737 MAX airplanes on order.




Earlier this year, airport operator TAV Airports sailed through a selection process to sign an agreement with the Civil Aviation Authority of Saudi Arabia (GACA) regarding the expansion and operation of the three airports.

TAV and its partner, Al Rajhi Group, will be operating Yanbu, Qassim (widely known in the air-travel industry as Gassim) and Hail airports for 30 years.

The move represents a significant milestone for the Turkish airport operator as it increased the number of airports it operates worldwide to 17  having started its first operation 17 years ago at Istanbul Ataturk Airport.

The three Saudi airports will see an investment of some $400 million for the development of new terminals and service units.

TAV Airports chief executive, Sani Sener, said that following the signing of the concession agreement for the three airports on June 8 2017, the next step would be the start of construction of the new terminal buildings. The construction period is expected to be two or two-and-a-half years.

Providing service to approximately 3.6 million passengers in 2016, Yanbu, Qassim and Hail airports will be able to raise this to approximately 11.5 million passengers per year with the new investment.

TAV expects to take over the operation of these three airports within this current year. TAVs success in the Madinah Airport project, which was the first airport privatisation in Saudi Arabia, opened new doors in this country, said Sener.

There are some high-growth global markets that capture the attention on a regular basis  China, India and Indonesia have all seen rapid growth in the last five years. However, Saudi Arabia has quietly grown as fast as any of these markets. According to data from air travel intelligence company OAG, since 2012, capacity from the country has increased by 63% to nearly 650 million outbound seats per year, with a solid 9% growth expected in 2017.

Such growth may explain why overseas airport operators are increasingly interested in Saudi airports as potential acquisitions.

Sener said Hail Airport is mostly domestic passengers, whereas Qassim is mostly international. There are no transit passengers in both airports. Qassim holds numerous important events throughout the year and has various international hotel chains. As a result, both business and leisure passengers are using the airport.

A closer analysis by OAG reveals that Qassim, the larger of the two airports, will operate 1.2 million scheduled outbound seats this year spread across 23 city pairs, of which 15 are to international destinations with connectivity to the major hub markets in the region, such as Istanbul, Dubai and Doha, firmly established.

Indeed, international capacity at Qassim is now one-third larger than domestic capacity and has seen a near five-fold increase over the last five years as carriers such as Flydubai, Al Masria Universal Airlines and Turkish Airlines have launched scheduled services, said John Grant, senior analyst at OAG.

Grant said low-cost airline capacity now accounted for more than 26% of all capacity at the airport, with Flydubai the largest low-cost operator, followed closely by Flynas.

Located in the centre of the Arabian Peninsula, Qassim is one of the 13 administrative regions of Saudi Arabia. Its airport is the gateway to the region, where the majority of the countrys agricultural production takes place and the area is a significant tourism destination.

By contrast, with slightly fewer than 750,000 scheduled seats in 2017, and with only seven airlines serving the market, as opposed to the 14 operating from Qassim, Hail is clearly the smaller of the two airports.

Grant said international connectivity is currently limited to Dubai, Abu-Dhabi and Cairo, with 32% of all capacity at the airport provided by low-cost airlines. However, for both assets, the key question is more around the future opportunity and mix of traffic rather than the impressive growth of the last few years.

Grant feels that with the domestic market already well served, the expansion of international services will be a key part of the future outlook. Analysis of OAGs traffic data suggest that there are a range of unserved markets from both airports, although many are long-haul in nature, such as Manila and Jakarta.

Closer regional markets do, perhaps, offer opportunity: Neither airport has any scheduled service to the Indian sub-continent and Lahore, Islamabad, Delhi and Karachi are among those unserved markets where, perhaps, low frequency low-cost airline services could be operated in the coming years subject to the necessary bilateral approvals being in place.

For Qassim and Hail, the recent increases in capacity have been significant, perhaps to a point where further potential increases in capacity in the short-term may be less than seen in recent years. Certainly Flydubai, Turkish Airlines and Nile Air have all made slight reductions to their 2017 scheduled capacity compared to 2016, perhaps suggesting that demand is not growing quite as quickly as supply has in recent years, Grant suggested.

The emerging economy of the Middle East will see the strongest international passenger growth, with operators recognising the value of connectivity to drive global trade and development.

Around 80% of the worlds population lives within an eight-hour flight of the Gulf, meaning that by routing through the Middle East, carriers can aggregate traffic and offer a one-stop service between many city pairs that would not otherwise offer such direct itineraries.

Longer term, and over the course of a 30-year concession, the outlook for growth from the secondary airports in Saudi Arabia is certainly positive. If much of that growth is built around international services that typically generate higher revenues per passenger, then TAV and its partner will be delighted with their investment, said Grant.

Sener emphasised that the operational strategy has always been customer-centric. He said one of the most important parts of a development project was the operational readiness and transfer (ORAT) process.

The aim is to start the operations effectively and in a timely manner at the end of the construction. Weve followed this process with our experienced ORAT team in Madinah Airport and will do the same for Yanbu, Qassim and Hail airports, together with our local partner, Al Rajhi Group.

TAV has been operating Madinah Airport in Saudi Arabia since 2012. The company also has operations at Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam airports.

In the upcoming periods, we will continue to evaluate new opportunities all around the world, particularly in developing countries, Sener said.


Earlier Rs 5,000 monthly minimum balance limit has been reduced to Rs 3,000 which sounds affordable.

Mumbai: The State Bank of India customers should have a reason to rejoice as a news report claims country's largest public sector lender has tweaked its minimum balance requirement rules for savings bank account holders.

A report in the Business Standard says the ban has reduced charges for non-maintenance of minimum balance by 20 to 50 per cent for different customer types. The decision follows after bank customers widely protested against the move terming the condition as harsh.

The bank has indicated it has included some exemptions and a few relaxations in the newly inducted rules. For the savings bank account holders in metro cities, the earlier minimum balance limit was set by SBI at Rs 5,000. It has now been reduced to Rs 3,000 which sounds affordable.

The minimum balance required for an account in urban and semi-urban bank was Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 respectively. The same for a bank in rural area was Rs 1,000, according to SBI's earlier statement.

SBI said in a statement: "The pensioners and beneficiaries of social benefits from the government and accounts of minors (upto 18 years) will be exempted from minimum balance requirement. The financial inclusion including Jan Dhan accounts have never been subject to any charges."

The bank further stated the revised MAB rates will be applicable form October 2017.
The opposition to SLBs Padmavati comes as one in a series of bullying tactics from outside entities.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is currently going full throttle with the publicity and upcoming release of Padmavati. From the word go, the movie had been mired in controversy, especially when it came to the depiction of Alauddin Khilji coveting the legendary queen, known for her beauty.

The Rajput Karni Sena took exception to the shoot in January, assaulting Bhansali, and setting fire to the sets of the movie in Jaipur. Now, with the poster reveal of the movie, the fringe outfit is active again, resorting to burning posters and running a riot. This time, though, a sting operation by a news portal also showed how the outfit had been running an extortion racket, offering to create a ruckus on the sets of historical movies, for hefty amounts, running into crores of rupees.

Despite the arm-twisting tactics, Bhansali has time and again refused to screen his movies for interest groups, something that filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri lauds. It should be at the discretion of the filmmaker as to whether he wants to screen a film for someone or not, and not be the result of pressure from outside groups, he muses, and adds that a lot of the onus is on the government, which fails to protect filmmakers in this scenario. But then a lot of it is also on the filmmakers themselves. If you are making a film that is on a controversial subject, then you have to be prepared for the backlash that you are going to face.

Poster for Daddy which had to be screened for the Gawli family and Arun Gawli.

But its not just Padmavati that has had to go through scrutiny. Arjun Rampals Daddy, which shows him portray the role of gangster Arun Gawli, reportedly needed a green signal from the Gawli family itself. Arjun himself admitted that Gawli gave him some pointers about character behaviours in the movie. There were minor tweaks and we used them in the movie. I think his suggestions actually helped the film, he said.

Word was that when Haseena Parkar, the biopic of Dawoods sister with Shraddha Kapoor essaying the lead role was being shot, the Parkar family had visited the sets of the movie too.

Film historian S.M.M. Ausaja believes Bollywood is rife with these examples, where the filmmaker has had to seek permissions from extra judicial forces. This is nothing new. Earlier, during Shiv Senas regime in Mumbai, Sarkar had reportedly been screened for Bal and Uddhav Thackeray. Mani Ratnams movie Bombay, based on the city itself was also supposedly shown to Thackeray, and he yielded to many cuts suggested by him.

He adds with a sigh, In more recent times, Shah Rukh Khan had to meet with MNS chief Raj Thackeray to ensure the smooth release of Raees. The fact that these actors need to take these measures shows how little support they have from the police and government.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Vivek cites his own example, I personally would never have gone and said sorry to anyone like Karan Johar did to the MNS for instance, to ensure the smooth release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. When I made Buddha in a Traffic Jam, it went against the usual storyline of romanticising Naxalites. Since I showed them as criminals, terrorists picking up arms, my film was delayed for five years, I was beaten up, and my car was broken. But I stood by my film. That is what the film fraternity needs to be prepared to do. Otherwise, we are opening ourselves up for more such treatment.

However, Hansal Mehta, who has Aligarh, based on the life of Ramchandra Siras, to his credit, has a rather pragmatic take on the issue. He firmly says, When you are doing a story on any person or entity that is based on a historical character, you are concising years of history into just a couple of hours. So, an element of dramatisation is bound to come into that depiction. The families or people who have close ties to the person depicted in the film may not understand these nuances. So, in such a situation, it really is the discretion of the director whether he wants to get their approval or not.
Padmavati and our film 102 Not Out are different in every possible way.

Although Umesh Shuklas 102 Not Out, a dramedy on the conflict between the oldest man in India and his 75-year-old son, has lost its release date to Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati on December 1, there is no acrimony in the directors attitude.

Were all a part of the same family, says the director, emotionally, We dont need to fight over release dates. I dont mind making way for Padmavati. I was in the loop about the postponement of Padmavati by two weeks and its imminent clash with our film  with the Padmavati producers Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, who are our friends, and my producers T-Series. We could have still released on December 1. Padmavati and our film 102 Not Out are different in every possible way. We could have easily seen the same release date without coming in one anothers way.





So, what stopped Umesh and his producers from adhering to the original December 1 release plan? We arent ready yet because of the excessive rains this monsoon. Since 102 Not Out has Mumbai as the backdrop, our shooting has been delayed due to the heavy rains  in fact, I still have eight days of shooting left. I will complete the shooting in October and then we will decide a new release date, says Umesh, promising that the new release date wont be very far from December 1.

Umesh feels it is better not to rush the release. No one is running away to anywhere. It doesnt matter when you release a film as long as it is a work worth watching, and audiences will see it. Thats my firm belief.
The Varanasi Commissioner said the treatment of the complaint was revealed after the preliminary investigation.

Heavy police force deployed outside the Banaras Hindu University as Samajwadi Party workers protest over the police laticharge on the female students of the university, in Varanasi. (Photo: PTI)

Varanasi: Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn on Tuesday said that the preliminary investigation has revealed that the administration of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) did not respond sensitively to complaint of a student.

Gokarn, in his report to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, said the university did not handle the situation on the campus on time. Had the administration addressed the complaint in a sensitive manner and handled the situation on time, the violence would have been avoided.

The commissioner also said that the student was molested and the protests erupted because the students were not satisfied with the way the university administration did not deal with the complaint in a sensitive manner.

Prima facie investigation has also suggested that students were lathicharged when the students tried to forcibly enter the Vice-Chancellors lodge on the campus.

A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathicharge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.

However, Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi has denied the allegations of lathicharge on students.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also taken suo motu cognizance of media reports about alleged inaction by BHU authorities into a complaint of eve-teasing.

Suo motu cognizance taken in subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP Police, NHRC said.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus of the Banaras Hindu University.

"A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incidents," UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said in Lucknow on Tuesday.

He was speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Sharma, however, did not elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or sitting judge.

The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence.

As opposition parties targeted the BJP over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on Monday spoke to the chief minister and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.

Sharma said the government wanted that there should be communication with the students by the local administration, vice chancellor and other university officials.

Sharma accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.

"If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses," he said.

On lathicharge on girl students sitting on dharna against the alleged eve-teasting on the campus, he said, "We are identifying those 'outsiders' who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathicharge."

He said the government has asked the local administration to strengthen the security on the campus.

"It has been decided to install CCTV on the campus," he added.
Showing her willingness to join investigation, Honeypreet said she is a single woman with clean antecedents and is law abiding.

Panchkula Police on Tuesday conducted raid at A-9 Greater Kailash, Delhi with arrest warrant for Honeypreet but she was not found in the house. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will hear the anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insaan, adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda's Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim on Tuesday.

In her application to the court, Honeypreet has alleged that she is facing life threats from the drug syndicate of Punjab and Haryana.

According to ANI, in her bail application Honeypreet mentioned that she is a single woman with clean antecedents and is law abiding. She has also said that she is willing to join investigation.

Panchkula Police on Tuesday conducted raid at A-9 Greater Kailash, Delhi with arrest warrant for Honeypreet but she was not found in the house.

The property is in the name of Dera Sacha Sauda.

Honeypreet has been on the run following the conviction of Dera chief by a special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25 in two rape cases.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Honeypreet, against whom a lookout notice was issued by the Haryana Police, had been earlier booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula.

The police added her name in FIR number 345 as an accused in connection with the violence that took place in Panchkula on August 25.
The Army has killed five militants during a cordon-and-search operation in Uri sector launched on Sunday.

Srinagar: The Army on Tuesday said that it repulsed Pakistan Border Action Team (BATs) attack at one of its forward posts in Keran sector of the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Kupwara sector.

Our alert jawans in a swift action repulsed the attack and forced the heavily armed BAT group to retreat and fled back to PoK even though it was provided firing cover from across the LoC. No casualties are reported, said a defence spokesman.

He also said that the exchange of fire between the two sides, however, was underway when reports last came in.

In a separate incident, the Army troops shot dead a top commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahedin, Abdul Qayoom Najar, in a fire fight in the LoCs Uri sector earlier during the day. The officials said that Najar who figured in the list of most wanted terrorists was killed as Army foiled an infiltration bid along the LoC in Uri sector of Baramulla district.

An infiltration bid was foiled in general area of Zorawar (Uri). One terrorist was killed and one weapon was found on him, the defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.

The Army has killed five militants during a cordon-and-search operation in Uri sector launched on Sunday.

The Army officials while giving the details of the Keran infiltration bid said that seven to eight armed men sneaked into the Indian side of the de facto border at around 1 pm and then targeted an Indian post with automatic weapons.

They were the members of Pakistans Border Action Team (BAT) but were forced to retreat, they said.

The officials also said that the Pakistani troops fired at Indian posts in their attempt to facilitate the intrusion.

The Pakistani troops fired mortars and also used light weapons to provide firing cover to the infiltrators, they alleged.

The officials said that Pakistans Border Action teams usually comprise members of the neighbouring countrys Special Forces and militants. On June 22, the Indian troops had repulsed a similar attack by the members of Pakistans BAT who had allegedly intruded 600 metres deep inside the Indian territory after breaching the LoC in Poonch district.

One of the intruders was killed in the swift Indian action but a second intruder had managed to escape and return to PoK under cover fire from Pakistani troops, the officials had said.

However, soon after the incident, two Army soldiers were killed in heavy exchange of fire between the facing troops in the area.

Earlier on May 26, the Army had claimed killing two members of Pakistans BAT in Uri sector of the LoC. A day later, six militants were gunned down by the Indian troops in the same sector.

On May 1, two Indian soldiers were beheaded by the Pakistan Armys BAT in a different sector of the LoC. The incident had led to parts of the 740-km long LoC witnessing escalation in tensions.

The subsequent skirmishes between the facing armies had left several civilians dead and many injured and forced the border dwellers to desert their shell-hit hamlets, mainly in Rajouri district, and relocate to safer locations.

The de facto border and also the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir have once again turned hot and active hostilities are taking place on almost daily basis.

Meanwhile, the Army, the CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday launched a search operation in Hiranagar area of the IB in Kathua district following reports about the infiltration of militants from across. The security forces also used helicopters for surveillance of the area, reports said.

The reports said that some villagers of the area had noticed the presence of four suspects when they were working in the fields. They immediately informed police about the suspicious movement which with the Army and the CRPF launched the operation.
The discussions will also include ways and means to enhance Indias role in Afghanistan.

New Delhi: US defence secretary James Mattis arrived in New Delhi on Monday on a two-day visit focussed on defence agreements and sale of military equipment to India.

On Tuesday, Mr Mattis will call on PM Narendra Modi and interact with defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman as the US looks to take the relationship with India to the next level. He will also meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Mr Mattis will lead discussions on two specific proposals, to produce F-16 and F-18A fighter planes under Mr Modis Make in India campaign, along with efforts to identify new projects under the ambitious Defence Technology and Trade Initiatives (DTTI).

The discussions will also include ways and means to enhance Indias role in Afghanistan.
In a statement, Rajnath stressed that in democracy all issues could be resolved through a dialogue within framework of legal provisions.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, 'that in a democracy, dialogue is the only way out to resolve any problem and solutions can be found through restraint and mutual dialogue within the legal ambit'. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi/Darjeeling: The indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has been suspended on Wednesday morning.

The decision to withdraw the shutdown which had paralysed the hills for the past 104 days was taken on Tuesday by GJM chief Bimal Gurung on Tuesday evening in response to appeal by Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

The indefinite shutdown by for a separate state of Gorkhaland had begun on June 15.

Our party supremo Bimal Gurung has decided to suspend the indefinite shutdown in the hills from 6 am tomorrow morning for an indefinite period. The decision was taken after Union home minister Rajnath Singhs appeal to withdraw the strike, GJM vice-president Kalyan Dewan told a news agency.

The home minister had appealed to GJM to withdraw the ongoing strike in Darjeeling for a separate Gorkhaland state.

Singh has also directed Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to convene a meeting of senior officials to examine all outstanding issues.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the home minister stressed that in democracy all issues could be resolved through a dialogue within the framework of legal provisions.

In a statement, the home minister said that in a democracy, dialogue is the only way out to resolve any problem and solutions can be found through restraint and mutual dialogue within the legal ambit.

Although, the strike was officially on in the Hills but for the past one week most of the shops and markets were open defying the diktats by GJM leadership.

Reacting to the GJMs decision, West Bengal tourism minister and Trinamool Congress leader Gautam Deb said the central government has provided a face saver to GJM supremo Bimal Gurung.

More than 80 per cent of the shops and markets in the Hills have already opened up defying Gurung, he said.

My question is what took the central government so long and that too when the situation in the Hills has already normalised, he said.
The Army has killed five militants during a cordon-and-search operation in Uri sector launched on Sunday.

The officials also said that the Pakistani troops fired at Indian posts in their attempt to facilitate the intrusion. (Photo: PTI)

Srinagar: The Army on Tuesday said that it repulsed Pakistan Border Action Team (BATs) attack at one of its forward posts in Keran sector of the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Kupwara sector.

Our alert jawans in a swift action repulsed the attack and forced the heavily-armed BAT group to retreat and fled back to PoK even though it was provided firing cover from across the LoC. No casualties are reported, said a defence spokesman here. He also said that however the exchange of fire between the two sides was under way when reports last came in.

In a separate incident, the Army troops shot dead a top Hizb-ul-Mujahedin commander, Abdul Qayoom Najar, in a fire-fight in the LoCs Uri sector earlier during the day. The officials said that Najar, who figured in the list of most wanted terrorists, was killed as Army foiled an infiltration bid along the LoC in Uri sector of Baramulla district.

An infiltration bid was foiled in general area of Zorawar (Uri). One terrorist was killed and one weapon was found on him, the defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said. The Army has killed five militants during a cordon-and-search operation in Uri sector launched on Sunday.

The Army officials while giving the details of the Keran infiltration bid said that seven to eight armed men sneaked into the Indian side of the de facto border at around 1 pm and then targeted an Indian post with automatic weapons. They were the members of Pakistans Border Action Team (BAT) but were forced to retreat, they said.

The officials also said that the Pakistani troops fired at Indian posts in their attempt to facilitate the intrusion.

The Pakistani troops fired mortars and also used light weapons to provide firing cover to the infiltrators, they alleged.

The officials said that Pakistans Border Action Teams usually comprise members of the neighbouring countrys special forces and militants.

On June 22, the Indian troops had repulsed a similar attack by the members of Pakistans BAT who had allegedly intruded 600 metres deep inside the Indian territory after breaching the LoC in Poonch district. One of the intruders was killed in the swift Indian action but a second intruder had managed to escape and return to PoK under cover fire from Pakistani troops, the officials had said.

However, soon after the incident, two Army soldiers were killed in heavy exchange of fire between the facing troops in the area.

Earlier on May 26, the Army had claimed killing two members of Pakistans BAT in Uri sector of the LoC. A day later, six militants were gunned down by the Indian troops in the same sector.

On May 1, two Indian soldiers were beheaded by the Pakistan Armys BAT in a different sector of the LoC. The incident had led to parts of the 740-km long LoC witnessing escalation in tensions. The subsequent skirmishes between the facing armies had left several civilians dead and many injured and forced the border dwellers to desert their shell-hit hamlets, mainly in Rajouri district, and relocate to safer locations.

The de facto border and also the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir have once again turned hot and active hostilities are taking place on almost daily basis.

Meanwhile, the Army, the CRPF and J&K police on Tuesday launched a search operation in Hiranagar area of the IB in Kathua district following reports about the infiltration of militants from across. The security forces also used helicopters for surveillance of the area, reports said.

The reports said that some villagers of the area had noticed the presence of four suspects when they were working in the fields. They immediately informed police about the suspicious movement which with the Army and the CRPF launched the operation.
Murderer was surprised that scribe took a new route back home that day.

Bengaluru: If the man behind journalist Gauri Lankeshs murder had not been on the lookout and had not seen her taking a different route home, the hired assassin would have missed her completely and Gauri Lankesh would probably have still been alive today.

Instead, Deccan Chronicle has learnt that the lookout, who was working in tandem with the bike-borne shooter, spotted Lankesh heading home early and to his shock, taking a completely new route back. It meant, she would have arrived earlier than they had envisaged, giving her enough time to get in the house, and to safety.

SIT investigators probing the case have also told Deccan Chronicle that the man who actually pulled the trigger and killed journalist-cum-activist Gauri Lankesh, was not the man who plotted her murder.

Even as the now 100-member-strong Special Investigation Team (SIT) is spreading its vast web of human, technology and monetary resources to identify Lankeshs killers, two things have reportedly become clear; that it was an assassin for hire and secondly, there was more than one person working on the plan to kill Lankesh outside her house on September 5.

An assassin was hired to do the job. On September 5, the assassin was in touch with someone on the phone, who was tracking Ms Gauris movements, he said.

According to sources, Gauris assassin was allegedly alerted on the phone by someone regarding the route she had taken that fateful evening and the time that she was likely to reach house.

The Gauri murder case is being compared with the other three murder cases; of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, CPI leader Govind Pansare in Maharashtra and Kann-ada litterateur M.M. Kalb-urgi in Dharwad because of several striking similarities such as, the commonality of targets (all of them were liberals), the use of bike-borne assailants and perpetrators had used 7.65mm bullets to finish their targets and the location.

Dabholkar and Pansare were murdered, very close to their homes, when they were out on a morning walk. Kalburgi was shot at point blank range inside his house and Gauri, was similarly, killed just outside her home. The difference between the various killings is that while the first three murders took place in the morning, Gauri was killed at 8pm at night.

There is a fourth similarity. In the earlier three cases, the targets were static. In Gauris case, the target was on the move. In Gauris case they had conducted a recce of the house to make sure of the location of the target,  the source said.

Squashing speculation that the number plate would lead to the killer, the source also said: The number plate on the motorbike of the assassin may be fake, and may not throw up a strong lead.

On why the government had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for credible information leading to the arrest of the accused in Gauri murder case, another officer said: Money plays a significant role in solving complex criminal cases. The investigating team has to spend a lot of money to follow leads, Very often leads go dry and the amount spent on the chase has to be written off. Credible Intelligence and information is bought at phenomenal price. The bigger the case and hotter the pursuit, bigger is the price for credible information.
Mattis meets PM, Nirmala to strengthen defence, regional ties.

New Delhi: US defence secretary James Mattis, on an official visit to give further fillip to Indo-US military ties, held talks with defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, vowing to jointly stamp out militant sanctuaries and seeking Indias greater involvement in helping to stabilise Afghanistan.

A statement released by Mr Mattis after the meeting said, There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens As global leaders, India and the US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge.

Mr Mattis, the first Cabinet-ranking official of the Trump administration to visit India, also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed enhanced cooperation, regionally and globally, in pursuing shared priorities for peace, stability and combating terrorism.

A PMO statement issued later said that PM Modi recalled his wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions with President Donald Trump during his visit to the US in June this year, while Mr Mattis briefed the PM on the progress in advancing the bilateral agenda and implementing the decisions taken during that visit.

Earlier in the day, Mr Mattis and Ms Sitharaman held talks in South Block on enhancing the defence relations between the two countries.

While the US defence secretary appreciated Indias role in promoting democracy, stability and security in conflict-ridden Afghanistan, Ms Sitharaman ruled out the possibility of sending Indian troops to Afghanistan, reported news agency PTI.

India will continue its development and medical assistance to Afghanistan but will not send troops, Ms Sitharaman said. There shall not be any boots on the ground from India, Ms Sitharaman said in response to questions at a joint press conference with Mr Mattis.

Terrorism and the ways to combat it were also discussed even as concern was expressed on the growing menace of cross-border terrorism on which a growing convergence in the approaches of both the countries was recorded.

A statement by Ms Sitharaman, without naming Pakistan, said: We both recognise the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism.

The two leaders also agreed to explore more joint military exercises even as the armies of the two countries are already engaged in Yudh Abhyas 2017 in Washington to hone tactical skills in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations.

Mr Mattis underscored the US willingness to share further cutting-edge platforms which would enhance Indias defence preparedness to meet current and emerging threats, adding that the need to refocus and re-energise the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) as a mechanism to promote technology sharing as well as codevelopment and co-production efforts was also discussed.
Najar, also known as Jan Sahib and Ishfaq, was a resident of Mumkak in Sopore, and had joined the militancy in 1999.

Srinagar: Abdul Qayoom Najar, a top commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu & Kashmirs Uri sector near the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday.

The police, in a statement, termed it a very significant achievement. It also said that Najar, 41, was returning to the Valley from PoK to lead the Hizb, which suffered huge losses in the hands of security forces in recent weeks.

Najar, also known as Jan Sahib and Ishfaq, was a resident of Mumkak in Sopore, and had joined the militancy in 1999. He had gone to PoK in 2015 and was returning to take command of the Hizb, the police said. It added that he was sent to the Valley by PoK-based United Jihad Council (UJC) chief Syed Salahuddin to revive the Hizb, whose commander of north Kashmir, Pervaiz Wani, and that of South Kashmir, Yasin Yatoo, were killed recently.

His return was also necessitated because of the Hizb being wiped out from north Kashmir, the police added.

Officials said that Najar, who figured in the list of most wanted terrorists, was killed as the Army and other security forces foiled an infiltration bid along the LoC in Uri. The police added that Najar was involved in the killings of dozens of civilians, police and other security personnel.
Showing her willingness to join investigation, Honeypreet said she is a single woman with clean antecedents and is law abiding.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the transit anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda's Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

We are examining the order and will see how to take this further, Honeypreets lawyer, Pradeep Arya said.

The High Court passed the order on grounds that she has evaded arrest and hence was not entitled to any discretionary relief.

The Court said that she was just wasting time by her actions and it was merely a camouflage that she applied for bail in the Delhi High Court.

She has filed an application before the Delhi High Court, whereas she should have done that in Punjab and Haryana High, the prosecution lawyer said.

The Delhi High Court stated the jurisdiction of Delhi does not lie here, and she does not deserve the bail since she is evading arrest, he added.

As far as surrender is concerned, it is left to her, the Prosecution lawyer said.

The court had asked the counsel for Honeypreet to show any document that a property in Delhi belonged to her or anyone connected to her.

"The easiest way out is that you surrender," Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal had said, while asking why the 36-year-old woman was seeking transit anticipatory bail for three weeks.

In her application to the court, Honeypreet has alleged that she is facing life threats from the drug syndicate of Punjab and Haryana.

According to ANI, in her bail application, Honeypreet mentioned that she is a single woman with clean antecedents and is law abiding. She has also said that she is willing to join investigation.

Panchkula Police on Tuesday conducted raid at A-9 Greater Kailash, Delhi with arrest warrant for Honeypreet but she was not found in the house.

The property is in the name of Dera Sacha Sauda.

Honeypreet has been on the run following the conviction of Dera chief by a special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25 in two rape cases.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Honeypreet, against whom a lookout notice was issued by the Haryana Police, had been earlier booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula.

The police added her name in FIR number 345 as an accused in connection with the violence that took place in Panchkula on August 25.

(With agency inputs)
Modi appreciated the close engagement between India and the US on regional and global issues of mutual concern.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis in a meeting in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Enhanced cooperation between India and the US, regionally and globally, in pursuing shared priorities for peace, stability and combating terrorism were discussed when visiting Secretary of Defence James Mattis met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Modi appreciated the close engagement between India and the US on regional and global issues of mutual concern, according to a PMO statement.

The prime minister recalled his "wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions" with President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States in June this year, the statement said.

During that meeting between Modi and Trump, both sides had reaffirmed their resolve to further develop their strong strategic partnership.

Mattis briefed the prime minister on the progress in advancing the bilateral agenda and implementing the decisions taken during that visit, the statement said.

Earlier, Mattis held wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Hitting out at the BJP, Gandhi accused the state of perpetrating atrocities on the members of the Patel community during their quota stir.

Jamnagar: Seeking to court the Patel community, a section of which is up in arms against Gujarat's BJP government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday invoked Sardar Patel's legacy as he took his campaign through Patidar dominated areas of Saurashtra region in the poll-bound state.

Hitting out at the BJP on the second day of his three-day tour, Gandhi accused the state government of perpetrating atrocities on the members of the Patel community during their quota stir.

On his arrival at Dhrol town enroute to Rajkot, Gandhi even wore the signature 'Patidar cap', with the slogan "Jai Sardar-Jai Patidar" emblazoned on it, given to him members of the 'Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), an organisation of politically influential Patel community led by Hardik Patel.

"It was you (the Patel community) who gave the country Sardar Patel. But the BJP government committed atrocities on you. Bullets were also fired on Patels. This is not the style of Congress. We believe in moving ahead by keeping all the communities together," said Gandhi.

At Falla village in Jamnagar, people greeted him with the slogan 'Jai Sardar, Jai Patidar'. Many in the crowd wore caps with the slogan.

Interestingly, Gandhi's assault on the saffron party came on a day when the state government invited quota stir leaders and representatives of other communities to the state capital to try and reach a compromise formula to mollify them ahead of the Assembly polls due later this year.

A large number of PAAS members, along with others, gathered at Dhrol to listen to Gandhi.

Gandhi paid brief visits to several villages and towns having concentration of Patels.

The Congress vice president was greeted by Hardik Patel as he began his campaign yesterday.

"A warm welcome to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat," Patel tweeted in Hindi soon after Gandhi landed in temple town Dwarka.

Hardik had recently said the community should give a chance to the main opposition party if it promises to recognize Patels as OBC give quotas for them in government jobs and educational institutions if voted to power.

After his speech at Dhrol, Gandhi stopped for a while at Latipur and Otala village, where he stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his government's policies and also took a jibe at the Gujarat model of development.

"Vikas Gando Thayo Chhe (Vikas has gone crazy)," replied the crowd when Gandhi asked them what has happened to 'Vikas' in Gujarat.

"It seems that vikas (development) has gone mad because some people lied too much about it. We all need to develop Gujarat in the real sense," said Gandhi.

At Latipur village, Gandhi accused Modi of indulging in "jumla" (gimmick) politics instead of doing concrete work.

"You (PM) are busy in floating 'jumlas' and making tall promises. That is your style of doing things. We in the Congress do not indulge in such things. As the PM, it is your job to give employment and solve problems of the country. If you can't, then Congress will do after that coming to power," Gandhi said.

The Congress vice president yesterday slammed Modi over issues like note ban, GST, farm policies and the 'Gujarat model' of development.

He also expressed confidence about his party winning the Assembly elections, claiming that there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat.
Sources said that a sizeable number of Congress legislators have been trying to desert the party and join Nitish Kumars JD(U).

Patna: Crisis in the Bihar Congress is likely to deepen further after the high command removed Bihar state president Ashok Chaudhary from his post on Tuesday.

The Congress has been facing internal conflict ever since Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar dumped the Grand Secular Alliance in Bihar and formed a government with the BJP.

Congress insiders say that removal of the Congress president may cause a massive dent to partys image in Bihar.

A faction in the state unit of the Congress believes that the party which was in the moribund state managed to win 27 seats due to Ashok Chaudharys effort.

He worked hard during his tenure as the Congress state president and the result is in front of everybody to see, a Congress party leader told this newspaper after Mr Chaudhary was sacked from the state president post on Tuesday.

Action against Ashok Chaudhary comes amid reports that a faction of Congress legislators in Bihar are not happy with the partys decision to continue its alliance with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is facing a string of corruption charges.

Sources said that a sizeable number of Congress legislators have been trying to desert the party and join Nitish Kumars JD(U).

They also hinted that as many as 14 legislators have given their consent to float a group in order to break the party.

Earlier this month, several legislators, who met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, had aired their views on the issue and urged him to snap ties with Lalu Yadavs RJD.

Fear of rebellion intensified last week after the ruling JD(U) openly invited Congress legislators to joined their party. JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Singh had claimed that the Congress MLAs were worried about their political future after Grand Secular Alliance collapsed in Bihar.

The JD(U) is ready to welcome Congress legislators if they leave their party, JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Singh said.

Sources claim that the Congress high command was aware of Mr Chaudharys growing closeness with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar which he had developed during his tenure as education minister.
Gandhi said that a good leader is one who listens to the people he represents and makes their desires his goals.

New Delhi: Taking a leaf out of Prime Minister Narendra Modis handbook, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday tried to evoke Gujarati pride during his visit to the state. On his second day in Gujarat, the Congress scion said that Gujarats government will be by Gujaratis if the Congress is voted to power in the coming Assembly polls.

As the race for Gujarat heats up, Mr Gandhi has taken it upon himself to lead the charge against the formidable duo of Prime Minister Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. At a public meeting in Palanpur, he said that only one man was shining in Gujarat, while all others have been rendered insignificant, adding that if the Congress was voted to power, his partys government would function from Gujarat and not on orders from Delhi.

Claiming that youth leaders were being suppressed in the state, he said, Here you toil hard and sweat it out... but it is only one man who takes the credit in Gujarat.

What is your strength?... Strength of Gujarati small businessman who run the economy of Belgium... small artisans of Gujarat... you run Belgium... but your voice is not heard here, he claimed.

Taking up the issue of demonetisation, Mr Gandhi said, They have no space in heart for the weak and poor sections of the society but they open all the doors for the rich people of the society.

Mr Gandhi said that a good leader is one who listens to the people he represents and makes their desires his goals. But in Gujarat, the common mans voice is not being heard. It is being suppressed, he said.

The Congress vice-president, who has been eyeing the support of the Patidar community, also campaigned in Patidar-dominated areas of the poll-bound state. The party is hoping to get the support of this decisive vote bank during the polls.

On Monday, the first day of his three-day visit to the state, Mr Gandhi was greeted by Hardik Patel, leader of the Patel quota agitation through a tweet. Mr Patel had earlier hinted that he may consider supporting the Congress in the Assembly polls to achieve the goal of reservation for the Patel community under OBC quota.

Meanwhile, as Mr Gandhi made an all-out attempt to woo the Patidar voters, the BJP government in the state called a meeting of all Patel groups agitating for reservation in government jobs and colleges.

Mr Gandhi began his three-day roadshow on Monday by offering prayers at Dwarkadhish temple in Dwarka and then addressed party workers and villagers in Bhatia village in Jamnagar district.

He visited several villages in the politically important Saurashtra region, where he interacted with locals on issues like corruption, unemployment, education and development.
The BJP MP was attacked by minister of state for home affairs Hansraj Ahir, who virtually called him anti-national.

New Delhi: BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Tuesday courted controversy by seeking asylum for Rohingya refugees on humanitarian grounds, evoking a snub from the government which dubbed his views as anti-national and contradicting the official stand.

In his column in a Hindi daily, Mr Gandhi, 37, an MP from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, suggested providing shelter to Rohingya refugees while treating them humanely and questioned the governments plan to deport them.

The Centre has said it will deport all 40,000 Rohingyas, who are illegal immigrants, as India is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention.

Mr Gandhi, however, sought asylum for the refugees and said that India had subscribed to the Additional Protocol to the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppre-ssion of Terrorism whose Article 17 said that the country will not deport anyone who may be persecuted due to their faith.

The BJP MP was attacked by minister of state for home affairs Hansraj Ahir, who virtually called him anti-national.

Jo desh ke hith mein sochenga woh is tarah ke bayan nahi dega (Anyone who has national interest in mind, wont make such statements), Mr Ahir said.

The minister made it clear that what the government has decided is in national interest and added that no one should go against the governments decision on Rohingyas. Mr Gandhi defended himself and said his piece focused on defining Indias asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how we would accept refugees.

As for the Rohingyas, Ive called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns (sic), he tweeted.

BJP leader Shaina NC also pounced on Mr Gandhi. The government is doing its job. The Modi government is very competent to handle this situation. If someone is raising the humanitarian angle, he should study the issue better.

The BJP in its national executive meeting on Monday had supported the governments stand on the Rohingya issue.

While sharing its plan to deport the Rohingyas, the government told the Supreme Court recently that it will confidentially show evidence to judges that some Rohingya militants work closely with Pakistan-based terrorist groups.

The Centre has maintained that most of the Rohingyas in India are not part of the exodus that began from the Rakhine region on western Myanmar in August.

The governments plan to send back Rohingyas has been challenged in court by two Rohingya petitioners who said that their community is peace-loving and that most of them have no link to any terror activity.

This not the first time that BJPs young MP from Sultanpur seems to have upset his partymen. Mr Gandhis earlier remarks on various issues ranging from issuing whips to farmers crisis had not gone down well in BJP.
The impact might not occur immediately but the long-run impact on medical innovation would be substantial.

Foreign medical graduates make up nearly a quarter of the physician workforce in the U.S (Photo: AFP)

Washington: Recently proposed changes to U.S. immigration policy may slow the progress of medical research, some doctors argue.

Nationwide, roughly 18 percent of medical professors in the U.S. are graduates of foreign medical schools, according to an analysis published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Foreign medical graduates also lead 19 percent of clinical trials, produce 18 percent of published biomedical research, and lead 13 percent of research grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Without the contributions of physicians trained abroad, research in the U.S. would suffer, said senior study author Dr. Anupam Jena of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

I would expect fewer clinical trials to be conducted, fewer research papers to be written, and the overall pace of medical innovation to decline, Jena said by email. The impact might not occur immediately but the long-run impact on medical innovation would be substantial.

Foreign medical graduates make up nearly a quarter of the physician workforce in the U.S. and disproportionately practice in underserved areas as well as in specialties with practitioner shortages, Jena and colleagues write.

Some states and hospitals rely heavily on physicians in the H-1B visa program, which President Donald J. Trump recently proposed revamping, the study authors note.

Trump has also issued an executive order barring entry for people from several predominantly Muslim nations.

To assess the potential impact of barring foreign medical graduates from working in the U.S., researchers examined data from Doximity, a database of U.S. physicians.

In 2015, among 778,781 physicians practicing in the U.S., 164,111, or 21 percent, were foreign medical graduates, the analysis found. Foreign medical graduates led 1,526 of 12,155 NIH grants, the study also found.

One potential drawback of having large numbers of foreign medical graduates working in the U.S. is that they may take jobs from some U.S. graduates, the authors acknowledge. But they also bring a culturally and ethnically diverse workforce to both clinical practice and medical research, which can benefit patients from a broad range of backgrounds.

One limitation of the analysis is the potential for Doximity to have inaccurate information about where some physicians trained, the authors note. Researchers also lacked data on how the proportion of foreign medical graduates practicing in the U.S. has changed over time, which may impact their contribution to research.

This study provides further validation that international medical graduates are integral to U.S. health care across a continuum of roles, from clinicians to teachers to researchers, said Dr. William Pinsky, president and chief executive of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

For patients, this study reinforces the importance of international medical graduates, not only as their physicians who deliver quality care, but also as the creators of new therapeutic options, Pinsky, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email.

Without foreign medical graduates, the quality of care and research may suffer, said Dr. Ahmad Masri, a cardiology fellow at the University of Pittsburgh who wasnt involved in the study.

Thats because currently, programs that recruit new physicians for clinical and research jobs select the cream of the crop from around the world, Masri said by email.

Diversity is the key to success, and science has no boundaries, Masri said. You remain the best by attracting the brightest minds.
The police lodged an FIR on January 1, 2015 against unknown persons under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

New Delhi: The city police on Tuesday again came under fire from a Delhi court for not complying with its order to de-seal a five-star hotel suite where Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in 2014.

Metropolitan magistrate D. Singh said the hotel room should have been opened by Tuesday and directed the joint commissioner of police to appear before it and explain why the order hasnt been complied with.

The court made this observation after the police filed a report stating that the results from the forensic laboratories were still awaited and that some more time be given to it. Do you want to initiate proceedings against yourself? I have already passed an order. You think of legal consequences. It can't go on like this, the court said. It also directed the police to file a list containing the names of members of its special investigating team probing the case.

While the South Delhi hotel has been appealing to the court to direct the police to de-seal the room, sealed for investigation after Ms Pushkar was found dead on January 17, 2014, the court too directed the police to do so on many occasions.

Hours after Ms Pushkar was found dead, the suite was sealed for probe. The police lodged an FIR on January 1, 2015 against unknown persons under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

On September 12, the court directed the police to de-seal the suite and file a compliance report by Tuesday. The court then noted the hotel was suffering a huge financial loss, but allowed the police to take all articles from the room required for probe.

On that day, a DCP urged the room be de-sealed after the forensic report was submitted, wh-ich the court had rejected. On September 4, the court again took the police to task for its lethargic attitude in its probe and su-mmoned the DCP to explain why more time should be granted to it.
Kejriwal told the minister to submit a proposal for providing the benefit of subsidy to each and every tenant residing in Delhi, the statement said.

New Delhi: With many tenants complaining that house owners were not passing on the electricity subsidy benefits to them, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday asked power minister Satyendar Jain to resolve the tenants grievances over the governments power subsidy scheme.

In a letter to Mr Jain, the chief minister asked him to prepare a roadmap for providing benefit of subsidy to each and every tenant, residing in the capital.

The move comes after Mr Kejriwal received complaints during public hearings that in several cases, the landlords do not pass on the subsidy benefit to the tenants and that they are not getting the same. Under the power subsidy scheme, the Delhi government provides 50 per cent subsidy on electricity tariffs up to 400 units on domestic electricity connections for all residents of Delhi.

The chief minister, in his letter, has said, Rationalising the electricity consumption rates has been done so as to slash the burden of earlier enhanced rates on each consumer, the government said in a statement.

He also asked the power minister to take appropriate steps so that no domestic electricity consumer be deprived of the relief being provided by the government on electricity tariffs.

Mr Kejriwal told the minister to submit a proposal for providing the benefit of subsidy to each and every tenant residing in Delhi, the statement said.

This will help in solving the problems of the tenants in the city who are not receiving the benefit of the much-lauded governments scheme, Mr Kejriwal said.

The Aam Aadmi Party government had first introduced a 50 per cent subsidy for domestic consumers consuming up to 400 units per month in December 2013, and had restored it once again from February 2015 onwards when the AAP had come back to the power. The residents of the city have since February 14, 2015 been getting this relief on their electricity bills.
Mamata Banerjees party suspended Mukul Roy for six years on grounds of his indiscipline.

Kolkata: Resting all speculation senior Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Roy finally quit the party on Monday morning adding credence to the possibility that he may join the BJP. He said he would resign as a Rajya Sabha MP after the Durga Puja. Stung by his announcement chief minister Mamata Banerjees party within few hours suspended for six years on the grounds of his indiscipline.

Mr Roys move came close on the heels of him being censured by the party's secretary general Partha Chatterjee who cautioned him that he was under the watch following reports of his frequent meetings with the senior central BJP leaders in New Delhi. He was also cornered in the party after the Trinamul removed the vice-presidents post he had held over his close rapport with the BJP.

Once known to be the most trusted lieutenant of the TMC supremo, Mr Roys distance with Ms Banerjee however widened after he was suspected to have revealed secrets during his questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation in Saradha chit fund scam in January of 2015. Mr Roy was then removed from the Trinamuls general secretary's post. He was also thrown out of two parliamentary panels later.

He was recently grilled by the Central Bureau of Investigation in Narada sting operation case. At a press meet in Nizam Palace at around 10.30 am Mr Roy informed his decision with a heavy heart.

Today is Mahapanchami. The people of Bengal and India are celebrating Durga Puja. They do not like any political issues this time. Thats why I do not want make any big announcement now, he said.

Mr Roy added, I was the first signatory of the Trinamul during its birth on December 17 in 1997. With a heavy heart and pain I announce I have taken a decision going by my principle. I do not hold any post in the party at present. I am a member of the Trinamul Congress working committee and a Rajya Sabha MP elected by the party. I will send an email to my party tendering my resignation from the membership of the working committee.

He continued, Next, as soon as Durga Puja ends, I will resign from the Rajya Sabha MPs post which still has a tenure of eight months. However, I will not reveal why I quit the party now and why I would resign from the Rajya Sabha MPs post because the people will not like it due to the festive season. But I will explain it all on the day I would resign as an MP. I will resign from the partys general membership few days later.

He also kept the suspense about the future of his political career alive offering no comments. On Sunday evening Mr Roy visited a Durga Puja patronised by suspended Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh in north Kolkata. Asked about Mr Chatterjees recent warning against him, Mr Roy said, Let the kid say according to his whims. At around 1 pm Mr Chatterjee declared of Mr Roys suspension for six years.

He reasoned that Mr Roy breached the partys discipline. Mr Roy was trying to weaken the party for a long time. The partys disciplinery committee discussed about his activities and recommended punishment to the Trinamul Congress chief. Why doesnt Mr Roy want to leave if he wishes to? Why does he give the excuse of Durga Puja? Who is stopping him? He buckled under the central agencys pressure, Mr Chatterjee said.

Retaliating to Mr Mukul Roys attack on him he bantered, The kids are satisfied with less. Although none knew him, he was made the partys MP and later railway minister by our party supremo. But what can satisfy the old men? state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury welcomed Mr Mukul Roys decision and kept the door ajar for Mr Roy to join the party.

He said, Mamata Banerjee has not reached the peak of success on her own within a day. There were many others including Mr Roy who worked tirelessly for the party. But Ms Banerjee is such a person who can't tolerate the rise of anyone else in the Trinamul Congress. In all these years Mr Roy remained silent despite all humiliation put on him by his party. Finally Mr Mukul Roy couldnt bear it anymore. I would welcome Mr Roy if he joins our party.
The Pakistan link had come up during the EDs probe into the case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Naik.

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday registered a case against Iqbal Kaskar (52), brother of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, and two of his associates for allegedly laundering extortion money abroad, part of which was suspectedly rerouted to India as donation to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naiks Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Kaskar and his associates are currently in the custody of Thane police. He was arrested on September 18. Kaskar has allegedly revealed to the Intelligence Bureau (IB) sleuths that money from Pakistan  stated to be from Dawood  made its way as donations to Naiks IRF in Mumbai.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday registered a case against Iqbal Kaskar, brother of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, and two of his associates for allegedly laundering extortion money abroad, part of which was suspectly rerouted to India as donation to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naiks Islamic Research Foundation (IRF). Kaskar and his associates are currently in the custody of Thane police.

Alleged revelation by Kaskar during interrogation by Intelligence Bureau (IB) include money from Pakistan  stated to be from Dawood  making its way as donations to Naiks IRF.

Link between the money sent out of India and donations to IRF will also be probed by us. We have information of several benami properties of Kaskar. Dawoods link with this is being looked into hence we have mentioned others in our case, said a senior ED officer, requesting anonymity.

The Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was registered against Kaskar, Asrarali Sayyad and Mumtaz Shaikh, who were arrested by the Thane crime branch in two separate cases of extortion on September 18. Sources in the ED said that the case comes amidst information of Kaskar owning several benami properties in Mumbai and Thane region, which were extorted from property developers.

These properties were later sold and the money made out of such transactions along with the cash extortions was allegedly diverted to the D-gang in Pakistan and Kaskars family in Dubai.

The Pakistan link had come up during the EDs probe into the case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Naik. The officials now said that the recent developments would help in shedding more light on that probe.

During the EDs investigation against Naik and his foundation, the agency had found that they had received donations from Pakistan. The chunk of money was however routed to Naik and IRF via Dubai.

Thane polices case talks of extortion and sale of flats, cash of `30 lakh and jewellery from the victims. Our probe will focus on what was done with that money and if it was laundered, added the senior ED officer.

While two victims of extortion have come forward as complainants, the police has said there are in all at least 20 persons targeted by Kaskar and his henchmen in the name of Dawood.

The quantum of extortion is hence stated to rise exponentially as the racket was operating since at least 2010 as per Thane polices investigation.
Apple thinks that integrating Siri with Google will provide a seamless user experience.

In what comes as a breath of fresh air for Apple iPhone and iPad users, AI-based virtual assistant Siri will now use Google to search for queries on the web. Until now, Microsofts Bing was the search engine that Siri used by default. The change has been applied with immediate effect on all iOS devices.

Google was already used by Apples Safari browser as the default search engine on Macs, iPads and iPhones. Now, Siris spotlight function will also use Google as the default search engine for returning web-based results. In a statement to The Telegraph, an Apple spokesperson said that they made the switch to Google to allow these services to have a consistent web search experience with the default in Safari.

However, Siri still uses Bing as the default image search engine. In a statement to The Telegraph, Microsoft said that "We value our relationship with Apple and look forward to continuing to partner with them in many ways, including on Bing Image Search in Siri, to provide the best experience possible for our customers. As we move forward, given our work to advance the field of AI, we're confident that Bing will be at the forefront of providing a more intelligent search experience for our customers and partners."

(source)
Editorial said, 'There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the country's national policy?'

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in UNGA said, 'India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?' (Photo: AP)

Beijing: Terming as "arrogant" External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's scathing attack on Islamabad at the UN for being the pre-eminent terror factory, a state-run Chinese daily on Monday in a grudging admission said, "there is indeed terrorism in Pakistan".

"India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?", Swaraj said in her speech at the UN General Assembly.

"We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world. But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own people apart from terrorism? We produced scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists", she said referring to terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad.

Her speech riled all-weather friend of China.

The official media of China termed it as "bigotry".

"There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the country's national policy? What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money or honour," said an editorial in the state-run daily Global Times.

"With the smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China," said the editorial titled 'India's bigotry no match for its ambition'.

It takes for granted that it should be feared by neighbours and wooed by the US and Europe. If smart enough, India should befriend China and respect Pakistan, preventing disputes from spilling over, it said.

"She was also deemed by Indian media as having taken a veiled dig at China for blocking international efforts to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar," the report said apparently referring to Beijing's blocking of India's efforts to declare Azhar as a terrorist by the UN.

The editorial also made references to the 73-day standoff between India and China at Doklam in the Sikkim section which ended on August 28.

"India also seems to assess China's strategic hostility with its own logic: China's sound relations with Pakistan are to counter India. China's road construction in Doklam is to threaten the security of its Siliguri Corridor and China's Belt and Road initiative operates programmes with Pakistan and other South Asian countries to encircle India. In any case, India's interests always reside at the epicentre of this logic," it said.
Pressure by anti-graft body forces ousted Pak PM to come back from London.

Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz arrived in Islamabad from London on Monday to face corruption cases against him.

The aircraft carrying him landed here at around 7.30 am and a confident Mr Sharif came out, waved to his supporters and left, TV news reports showed.

Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz information secretary senator Mushahidullah Khan, Prime Ministers Adviser on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Railway Minister Saad Rafique, Anushay Rehman, Khurram Dastagir, Talal Chaudhry and Islamabad Mayor Ansar Aziz received Nawaz Sharif at the airport.

Nawaz Sharif later reached Punjab House amid strict security arrangements. He held a meeting with the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leaders to consult over his appearance before the NAB court today (Tuesday) in connection with the corruption references filed against him. The meeting was also attended by Mr Sharifs legal experts. During the meeting, Mr Sharif decided to take PML-Ns allies into confidence and is expected to hold meetings with them soon.

The accountability court in Islamabad, which is hearing the corruption cases against the Sharif family, last week summoned Mr Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law capt (retd) Safdar to appear before it on September 26.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Mr Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Earlier, Sharif skipped a court hearing last week to defy the cases.

His family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated.

PML-N leader Asif Kirmani told reporters on Monday that Mr Sharif will appear before Accountability Court in Islamabad on Tuesday (today). He said PML-N had always held the courts in high esteem.

Mr Kirmani denied rumors about any rifts in the party and maintained that consultations within the party continue but rumours were only wishful dreams of the opponents.

Ms Maryam said that Sharif was returning to face cases for the sake of his people.

Knowing what he faces is not accountability, the man decides to return. It is not about this person anymore. It is the battle of 200 million (Pakistanis), she said in a tweet.

The ousted PM went to the United Kingdom a month ago to visit his wife Kulsoom Nawaz, who is under-treatment for cancer.

His daughter Maryam and her husband Mr Safdar are also expected to return soon while his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz may stay in London.

Mr Sharifs wife has undergone three successful surgeries for her cancer.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and finance minister Khawaja Asif have also returned to the country.
Court issues bailable warrants against Sharifs children, son-in-law.

Deposed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrives at an anti-corruption court in Islamabad on Tuesday. Sharif made his first appearance before the court. (Photo: AP)

Islamabad: A Pakistani anti-corruption court on Tuesday decided to indict Nawaz Sharif on October 2 after the embattled ousted Prime Minister for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges against him in the Panama Papers scandal.

The accountability court also issued bailable arrest warrants for Sharifs children Hassan, Hussain, and Maryam, and for son-in-law Captain Safdar. The court directed them to submit surety bonds worth Rs 1 million each to secure bail.

Mr Sharif, 67, stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

Mr Sharif appeared before the accountability court located in the judicial complex here, a day after he returned from London where he was with his ailing wife.

During the brief hearing, Mr Sharif informed Judge Muhammad Bashir that his wife was unwell and he needed to attend her. He was then allowed to leave the court.

The court then adjourned for 10 minutes before continuing with the normal case proceedings.

Later, addressing a press conference, Mr Sharif said that he appeared before the accountability court and declared that I am clean.

I believe that God and the people of Pakistan are with me, and I hope that, somewhere, justice is alive, he said.

The whole country is being punished  the people and the generations to come. They have made a mockery of a progressive Pakistan on the track of democracy.

I appeal that this country be allowed to progress in line with the Constitution. If the Constitution gives the people the right to govern, let them realise that right, he said.

Mr Sharifs court appearance on Tuesday was just a formality to ensure that he was ready to face the trial. He stayed at the court for about 10 minutes.

He was accompanied by his lawyer Khawaja Harris who would represent him as a counsel in the corruption cases.

The court had last week summoned Mr Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Safdar to appear before it on September 26.

The Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on September 19.

When the hearing started again, the judge asked about Maryam, Hussain and Hasan, and Sharifs son-in-law Safdar who were also ordered to appear on Tuesday.

Mr Sharifs lawyer Harris said that they were in London to take care of their ailing mother but the court rejected the argument and ordered them to appear before it on October 2.
The petition claims that the son of joint director IB (Punjab) was dealing with the said terrorist groups.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, is an anti-Indian militant group with historical ties to Pakistans top spy agencies. (Representational Image)

Islamabad: A Pakistani intelligence officer has accused his own spy agency of "protecting" terrorists and filed a petition in a court here requesting for a thorough probe in the matter, a media report said on Tuesday.

Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Shahzad, a serving assistant sub- inspector of Intelligence Bureau (IB), has accused his senior officers of not taking action against terrorism suspects.

In a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), he requested the court to refer the matter to the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for a thorough probe, Dawn reported.

The IHC Registrars Office fixed the petition before Justice Aamer Farooq who referred the case on Monday to Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, with a note that the matter may be transferred to Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui since an identical matter is pending in his court, the paper quoted a court official as saying.

In the petition filed through his counsel Masroor Shah, Shahzad claims that he reported against terrorist groups from various countries but no action was taken.

"However, to the petitioners utter dismay, no action was ever been taken by IB in this respect despite concrete evidence provided to it in the form of the intelligence reports," the petition says.

"Upon thorough intelligence gathering process, it transpired that certain high officials of the IB themselves are directly involved with the terrorist organisations having linkages with hostile enemy intelligence agencies," it reads.

It goes on to say that the matter was even reported to the IB director general, who also did not take any steps.

It claims some IB officials travelled to Israel and had direct links with Afghan intelligence which, it was found later, had links with another terrorist group from Kazakhstan.

"These terrorists used to disguise themselves as citrus dealers in Kot-Momin and Bhalwal, Sargodha. The business was a mere camouflage," the petition says.

The petition claims that the son of joint director IB (Punjab) was dealing with the said terrorist groups.

It also names certain IB officials who are allegedly on the payroll of foreign intelligence agencies which include a joint director general, directors and deputy directors.

Shahzad said he "has been running from pillar to post including approaching the prime minister of Pakistan to raise this issue of national security."
More than 200 Rohingya are being treated in Sadar Hospital, which has been inundated with patients.

Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, wait to receive handouts near Balukhali refugee camp, Bangladesh. (Photo: AP)

Dhaka: Bangladesh said it is planning to build separate shelters for 6,000 Rohingya Muslim children who entered the country without parents to escape violence in neighboring Myanmar.

Junior minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed said Tuesday the social welfare ministry has asked local authorities for 200 acres (80 hectares) of land to build facilities for the children, and about 1,580 children have already been registered.

The UN children's agency UNICEF has identified about 1,800 children who fled Myanmar without parents after violence broke out on Aug. 25, but Ahmed said the total number of such children is about 6,000.

Children make up about 60 percent of the more than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims who have poured into Bangladesh over the last four weeks to flee persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

With no money even to bury his eight-year-old daughter, Ali Hossain broke down as he recounted her final moments, the latest Rohingya refugee to die in Bangladesh as fears mount over outbreaks of disease.

The little girl was among some 436,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine, making the dangerous journey across the border to neighbouring Bangladesh.

But her bid for safety ended when she fell victim to an intestinal infection, likely triggered by poor sanitation as well as food and water shortages in the overcrowded makeshift camps that are home to the Rohingya.

She died on Monday, hours after she was admitted to a state-run hospital in the border town of Cox's Bazar.

More than 200 Rohingya are being treated in Sadar Hospital, which has been inundated with patients, with a shortage of beds forcing doctors to house the sick on sheets spread out on the floor.

Nurses said at least 20 refugees, mostly children, have died in that hospital alone since the influx began, after attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts on August 25 sparked a sweeping crackdown.

But official figures from the Bangladesh authorities say that just 10 Rohingya have died throughout the camps around Cox's Bazar.

Police have set up checkpoints around the camps -- to stop refugees going to other parts of the country -- and are only allowing ambulances to ferry patients in and out of the area.

"We don't stop any sick and injured refugees from going to the hospitals," a policeman at one checkpoint told AFP.

"And there have been a lot of Rohingya who have gone to hospitals in the past few days," he said.

Relief agencies have warned that diarrhoea, cholera and pneumonia could spread quickly among the refugees who are living in squalid conditions, putting further pressure on overstretched hospitals.

"This extra influx has piled up a huge burden on our resources. But we are trying very hard to manage these cases to our best level," Sadar Hospital spokesman Abdur Rahman told AFP.

"We have limited resources, limited medicine, limited manpower, limited food," he said.

"If we cannot control these (cases), there will be a high chance of epidemics of diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery."
'Afghanistan has maintained a principal position of seeking to resolve differences with Pakistan through dialogue', Rabbani said.

United Nations: After India, Afghanistan has cornered Pakistan for promoting terrorism. Afghan foreign minister said that extremism in Kabul is bi-product of Islamabad giving safe havens to terror outfits such as Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Addressing the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said, The scourge of terrorism and violent extremism affecting his country is the product of a long-standing policy by a neighbouring State to keep Afghanistan unstable.

Afghanistan has faced menace of terrorism for several decades now, with its roots located in terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens outside my country, Rabbani said.

United States President Donald Trump had in August announced new South Asia and Afghanistan Policy, wherein he declared that more troops would be deployed in Afghanistan to fight Taliban.

Despite being on the receiving end, provocative actions, including continuous violation across the border line, Afghanistan has maintained a principal position of seeking to resolve differences with Pakistan through dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful means, Rabbani said.

This is particularly true in case of relations with Pakistan, which unfortunately, have so far failed to respond positively at its own cost, particularly in relations to its global reputation and standing, he added.

Rabbani welcomed Trumps new Afghan policy and said that the US' strategy for Afghanistan has generated new hope among its citizens.

We welcome the fact that the new strategy recognizes the critical need to address the lingering problem of terrorist safe-havens and sanctuaries in our region; and for more determined efforts to end political, logistical and financial support enjoyed by terrorist groups, he said.

Before concluding his speech, Rabbani said, I also wish to highlight that the exaggerated claims of Taliban control over some percentage of territory is being used as part of psychological warfare, our security forces have the upper hand against terrorists and extremists group through out the country.

Last week, Indian External Affairs Minister Susham Swaraj called Pakistan a pre-eminent export factory for terror. Swaraj, while speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday, asked the neighbours politicians to introspect as to why India is recognised globally as an IT superpower.

Indirectly referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as a hypocrite, Swaraj, responded to the accusations levelled by him and said that all those listening to his speech had only one reaction, Look who is talking.
Rania Salouji is a 40-year-old Christian woman. She is married to Grigor and they have two kids, 17 and 14. At the beginning of the war she thought about fleeing but chose to stay. She was anxious for months when her husband was held captive and she is still traumatised by the death of a boy killed by a rocket near the catechism centre. Each day she entrusts her children to Our Lady, reciting the Rosary. We must live normally, as much as possible.

Aleppo (AsiaNews)  Despite difficulties and the possibility of emigrating, Rania Salouji, a 40-year-old Christian in Aleppo and her family (pictured) stayed. Neither the violence of war and fear for an increasingly uncertain future, nor the two-month and half captivity of her husband by an extremist group specialised in abductions for ransom, or what she calls her "most difficult time", the death of a child at a catechism school killed by a rocket, were able to get them to leave.

Rania is married to Grigor and they have two children: Michael, 17, and Hovik, 14. They have stayed in their city to overcome fear and contribute to the reconstruction of a future of peace and hope in Syrias largest northern city, once the countrys business capital, as to that of Syria, its history and its people.

When war broke out in March 2011, they were afraid "even to set foot outside". But over time, in the face of a conflict that has caused more than 450,000 deaths and millions of displaced people, the family decided "to live normally, as much as possible."

"I used to recite the rosary as I took the children to school to give us courage," Rania told AsiaNews. However, I was always anxious for the fate of my children." When she left them with the teachers, she prayed to the Virgin Mary to "entrust them to her: They are your children," she would say, "take care of them."

Rania and Grigor, and their children could have left, but "we decided against it. We felt we had a mission here, in our city and in our country." For this reason, "we stayed in Aleppo, entrusting ourselves totally to God. Of course, it is not hard to believe, to trust the Lord when all is well, but faith gets stronger when faced with difficulties."

She is responsible for a group of catechists at the Salesian Centre in Aleppo, which has recently resumed its activities after a long interruption due to the war.

"When we reopened, I felt a strong emotion, mixed with fear, she said. There was concern for the health and safety of children, especially when they came to the centre by car or when they went home after the activities." The Salesian Centre has up to 900 children.

"It was nice seeing them play together. Their life is full of stress, difficulties and in their homes, they certainly have no chance of playing freely," Rania explained.

After years as a main battleground, the city was liberated last December. Faced with the citys tragedy, and its residents, including the children, battered by war and violence, the Church in Aleppo has launched a number of projects in the past few months, many of which successfully continue today.

They include cleaning the city and helping young couples, providing food parcels and money for electrical supplies, not to mention summer camps for hundreds of children, financial help for healthcare expenses and medicines, visits, exams, and treatment. All these steps are for the needy and those many people in Aleppo who cannot afford them.

People could face the tragedy of war thanks to the power enclosed "in prayer, especially in the Rosary, Rania said. Even when my husband lost his job or when Aleppo lost its water supply and food was scarce, we never lost what really matters: faith in Divine Providence."

The worst time came with the death of a kid who was attending catechism class, who was killed when a rocket landed a short distance from a group of young people who had just finished their lesson. "Sometimes when I look at the ground in front of the centre, I still see the kid playing without a care in the world.

Another difficult time came when her husband was held captive for two and a half months by a gang of extremists. "He went out to buy something but never came back, she said. To find out what happened, she tried every channel, going to Damascus even.

"I do not know what it means to sit and wait. When my husband was abducted, I felt I had to move, act, work, do something. I did not want to show my children fear and anxiety about his fate. I felt I had to be strong for them.

Patience and trust in the Lord's grace enabled her to hug again her husband, safe and sound, albeit tried by the experience. (DS)
by Kamran Chaudhry

Police removed a slogan under a billboard praising the Islamic Caliphate. Pakistani authorities have always denied the presence of the Islamic State group in the country. But for years, the terrorist programme has been taught in school. Religious parties make gains in by-election.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  Police in Islamabad removed a flag praising the Islamic state found on a billboard.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Christian and Muslim activists complained about the government's weak response to Islamic terrorism.

They note that Pakistani authorities have so far always denied the presence of sympathisers and supporters of the Caliphate, turning a blind eye to what is obvious to everyone, namely that Islamic terrorism exists in Pakistan and is widespread, starting in schools.

The Khilafat is coming was written under the flag that was removed. The slogan is throwback to a pan-Islamic campaign launched among Indian Muslims during the First World War in favour of the Ottoman Empire.

Police have filed a case against person or persons unknown under a law that bans the display of signs, symbols, flags, or banners of outlawed organisations.

Activists, however, have criticised the government for the ineffectiveness of the National Action Plan it launched in the aftermath of the Taliban massacre at the Peshawar military school in December 2014.

The purpose of the plan was to curb extremism in society. Unfortunately, as human rights advocates have pointed out, Pakistani society has been extremist for years. A video on Youtube of female students from the Jamia Hafsa madrassa (school), near Islamabads Lal Masjid (mosque) is evidence of that.

The video, shot a month before the Peshawar massacre, shows schoolgirls pledging their allegiance to the Islamic State and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Samson Salamat, a Christian who heads the Rwadari Tehreek Movement, points the finger at the inaction of security agencies. "The government and state institutions are either sleeping or making fools of nation. RIP, Rest in Peace, National Action Plan."

"Even before Daesh made its appearance in the country, its programme had already entered into modern educational institutions, he added. Daesh is the Arabic acronym of Islamic State.

In recent years, leaflets and plans of militant organisations have been discovered throughout the country, and yet the government continues to deny Daeshs presence. The authorities only admit to the presence of al-Qaeda-connected Taliban.

Jibran Nasir, a Muslim activist and blogger, tweeted that "Nisar (former interior minister) refused to register case against [Maulana] Abdul Aziz, head of the (Jamia Hafsa) madrassa.

Romana Bashir, a Christian and the executive director of the Peace and Development Foundation (PDF), believes that the removal of the IS flag is a good thing.

The state must discourage such elements and stop them from gaining more space, she said. However, we are not shocked. Daesh uses religious references and is full of sympathisers in the country. Everybody knows. Instead of being properly educated, people are being exploited emotionally. Banned parties are taking part in the elections."

The reference is to a by-election on 17 September to replace former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, won by his wife Kulsoom.

The candidate for Tehreek Labbaik Pakistani, who supported Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed murderer of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, came in third place. The Milli Muslim League, created by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group banned by the United Nations, came in fourth.

"Religious parties are getting politically empowered, Bashir said. The results of the recent elections are a litmus test."
There is no awareness about the risks of nuclear power. The security of citizens must be the priority. The Dimona plant has had 1,500 faults, but no one knows what or where. The prime minister's statements about Iran are accepted as factual even though they contain no facts. Civil society groups must become involved.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews)  In Israel, the taboo of nuclear power is a danger to the country and the health of its citizens, this according to Sharon Dolev, head of Israels disarmament movement.

Along with others, the anti-nuclear activist had filed a petition before the Israeli Supreme Court calling for greater transparency in Israels nuclear programme, but the application was rejected on 12 September.

The complainants said that the oversight function of the Israeli Atomic Energy (IAEC) Commission was never legally regulated since its foundation in 1952, but is based on a secret administrative order issued by then Prime Minister David Ben Gurion.

While saying the issue is a worthy issue for public debate, and taking the historic step of holding hearings on the issue, the court said the Knesset and not the judicial branch should decide the issue.

For its part, the government maintains that the activities of the Commission are already subject to oversight.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Dolev said that the ambiguity and secrecy that surround nuclear power in the country has made it impossible to monitor such facilities, and this endangers people's health.

An obvious example is the Dimona nuclear power plant, which has been active since the early 1960s.

"The IAEC said that there are 1,500 faults in the reactor she said, but the media tend not to ask questions about problems, what they are, where they are, why they are revealed only now.

The old reactor is without supervision and citizens that don't know the dangers of nuclear facilities. Without oversight, there can be accidents not reported, radiation leaks, problems with the storage of the radioactive waste, and so on.

Just last week, the government reached an agreement with 168 former Dimona employees who suffer from cancer to pay them NIS 78 million ( million).

The agreement follows years of legal wrangling. In 2013 a committee was set up, headed by the deputy head of the Supreme Court at the time, Eliezer Rivlin, to rule on whether the cancer was caused by the work done at the research facility.

The committee gave its verdict at the end of 2015. Although it concluded that there was no direct link, it nevertheless recommended that the state compensate the workers, to avoid having to discuss details of the top-secret Dimona plant in court.

When we don't talk about it, there is no pressure on the IAEC to care about the safety of the people first, Dolev said.

It also harms democracy when not just citizens, but also the media and the parliament get used to not talking or thinking about important issues  in the name of security, forgetting that security is first the security of the citizens.

The same goes with respect with Iran. "When we talk about Iran, most people in Israel, because of the discourse of the Prime Minister and the media [. . .] believe that Iran has nuclear weapons, or that Iran will have them, and when Iran will have them theyll use them against Israel.

This is a kind of idea that can come only out of ignorance. Its talking without asking question. Because Iran doesnt have nuclear weapons, because Iran signed a deal. Even if its not a perfect deal, its working, and IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) doesnt think that theyre in breach.

However, things are changing. "I am very happy to see that more and more people are willing" to talk about it. Thats a new thing for us. It took time. Last week, [. . .] For the first time they wanted to hear the other side. And for us this is a huge step forward.

Israel, along with India, Pakistan and North Korea, is one of four states with nuclear weapons that have not ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In 1988, a former technician at the Negev Nuclear Research Centre in Dimona, Mordechai Vanunu, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for high treason and espionage after he disclosed details about the plant and Israels nuclear arsenal. He is currently under house arrest after giving an interview to Channel 2 in 2015.
The attack occurred near the back entrance of the Har Adar colony. The identity of the attacker and the three victims still unknown. The man was "neutralized" by the security forces. The survivor was transported to a hospital in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - This morning, an armed man of Palestinian origin shot three Israeli citizens in a group of people at the entrance to a Jewish colony in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank. It is reported by sources from the Israeli police, who add that the assailant was also hit during a clash with the agents and died shortly afterwards. His identity has not yet been revealed.

In a statement, the Israeli police report that "a terrorist" has "reached the back door" of Har Adar's colony, along with a group of Palestinian workers who were entering the settlement and opened fire "on armed guards ". In addition to the victims, the toll - still provisional - speaks of at least one other seriously injured person. The victims all have gunshot wounds.

"The assailant - concludes - has been neutralized by security forces."

The only person who survived the attack was urgently transferred to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem; the little information that has so far filtered through says the victim is in critical condition.

Sources from the Jerusalem Post report that the authorities did not want to reveal the identity of Israeli victims.

Starting in October 2015, a series of provocations by ultra-Orthodox Jews who went to pray on the Temple Mount after Yom Kippur and Sukkot sparked violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

A year into the knife intifada has resulted in the death of 238 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, a Sudanese, and an Eritrean.

Israel accuses Palestinian leadership of fomenting these attacks. Conversely, the Palestinians point their finger at the leaders of the Jewish state, whose settlement policy has fueled decades of frustration and feelings of rivalry among the population. (DS)
For more than a week the app had dropped in and out with periods of total disruption. Photo sharing and voice messaging have become impossible. The app provides end-to-end encryption. As the 19th Chinese Communist Party Congress approaches, the government has tightened censorship.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies)  The messaging service WhatsApp has been disrupted in China as local authorities adopted the latest restrictive measure ahead of the 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) slated for next month.

Problems with the service began last week as it dropped in and out. At times, it has been completely blocked and only accessible via virtual private networks that circumvent China's internet firewall.

Audio and video messaging were available today, but video and audio were blocked.

WhatsApp is Facebook's only product allowed in mainland China. Facebook's main social media service and its Instagram image sharing app are not available on the mainland.

The disruption follows restrictions on WhatsApp video chats and photographs in July, which were later lifted.

Cyber security experts said WhatsApp most likely came under the attention of China's censors because it has a strong reputation for security.

The app provides end-to-end encryption that ensures only the sender and recipient can view the content of messages.

It also prevents Facebook from knowing what is said in any text, voice and video conversation being communicated on WhatsApp.

The apps troubles follow a crackdown ahead of the Communist Party congress set to start on 18 October. The latter takes place every five years.

Xi Jinping is expected to be given a second five-year term as the partys general secretary.

It is not unusual for Beijing to step up surveillance around major events, but it unclear whether this time restrictions will be lifted after the congress or remain.

Messaging services like Facebook, Twitter and many foreign media have been blocked in China for years.

Yesterday, China's cyber watchdog handed down maximum penalties to some of the country's top technology firms including Tencent, Baidu and Weibo for failing to properly censor online content.

In particular, the penalties were imposed for failing to remove fake news and pornography, as well as content that authorities said "incites ethic tension" and "threatens social order".
Hi, i just want to inquire if its OK to travel to Australia one week later than the course commencement date specified in the Letter of Offer? My course commencement date for research program is specified as Oct. 15, 2017, while i plan to enter Australia on Oct. 17, 2017. Would that be OK with the Immigration at the port of entry?



Any student here with this experience?
VIDEO: Continentals Automated Valet Parking

Automotive supplier Continental has developed a fully automated valet parking function and recently demonstrated the system at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany.

A driver can leave a car at a transfer point in front of a parking garage and activate Valet Parking. The vehicle then drives into the parking garage, finds an available space and parks itself. Later, when the driver uses a phone app to summon the car, it returns to the transfer point automatically.

With Valet Parking, we are presenting a driverless function, which relieves drivers from a tedious procedure, said Alfred Eckert, head of advanced technology in Continentals Chassis and Safety Division. The Valet Parking function provides drivers with a real plus in terms of convenience and time. It is also a concrete step towards modern mobility based on fully automated driving.

And it takes human error out of the parking process  a major source of fender-bender claims.

To view a video demonstration of Continental's Valet Parking, click on the image or link below the headline.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Credit: Maclay HeriotPortugal. the Man has shared a new video of the band performing a stripped-down version of their hit single, "Feel It Still." The clip, which was filmed on a rooftop in London, is streaming now via NME.com.

"Feel It Still" is the lead single from Portugal. the Man's new album, Woodstock. The track currently sits at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and has held that position for the past 13 weeks.

Speaking with NME, bassist Zach Carothers says that "Feel It Still" was "generally inspired by a couple specific sea changes that mean a lot to us."

"1966 -- Civil rights movements, war protest and LSD testing," he explains. "1986 -- first finding out about New York hip-hop. [Beastie Boys'] License To Ill. 'Fight For Your Right to Party.' Essentially a rebel just for kicks."

Portugal. the Man is currently on tour in Europe. They'll return to the U.S. next week for a tour beginning October 2 in Bloomington, Illinois.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Muskogee Politico Jamison Faught has noticed that Gov. Fallin expressed a desire for "consolidation and other efficiencies" in her call for a special session but has taken that off the table in a more recent statement.

OCPA's Trent England says cost avoidance should be the first priority for the legislature, just as it is for Oklahomans trying to balance their own budgets, and he has some specific suggestions.

OCPA's Curtis Shelton has some Oklahoma state spending facts and a link to his appearance on the Trent England Show.

My comments for an article in the Guardian about the budget crisis (which the Grauniad didn't publish) describes some of things the legislature could do to address duplication in services and to eliminate earmarks that prevent the money we're already paying in taxes from reaching our spending priorities.

MORE:

State Auditor Gary Jones and trial lawyer Gary Richardson, both candidates in next year's governor's race, are having a mini-debate over taxes and spending in response to a Facebook post by Jones.

State Rep. Jason Murphey, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, tells with astonishment how, during regular session, $6.9 billion in appropriations was pushed through, with no chance for anyone to read the bill.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced her opposition to the Republican ACA repeal bill, which will likely result in the bill's failure, The New York Times reports.

Here are four things to know today:

1. Ms. Collin's opposition translates to Republicans not having sufficient enough votes to pass the bill. She described the repeal legislation as "deeply flawed" and was concerned about Medicaid cuts and rolling back protections for patients with pre-existing conditions.

2. NYT reports Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has a tough choice on his plate  either accept the bill is dead or proceed with a vote that "appears certain to fail." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the bill's sponsors, said leaders will "press on" and move to a vote during a call with CNN on the night of Sept. 25.

3. Republicans revised the bill within the last couple days, according to a document Politico obtained Sept. 24., as a way to appeal to party members. The updated bill contained a provision that would give more federal funding to Alaska, Arizona and Kentucky, three states with GOP swing votes.

4. On Sept. 25, CBO released a report that found the bill would decrease the federal deficit by at least $133 billion between 2017 and 2026. The CBO did not provide estimates on the number of people who would lose insurance due to time constraints. However, the report said millions of Americans who currently have health insurance covering high-cost medical events may lose this coverage, with this figure varying based on how states opt to implement the bill.
Hospitals, insurers and employers looking to thrive in the competitive healthcare landscape are eyeing surgery centers and urgent care centers as a means to provide quality care at a reduced cost, according to Fox Business.

Here are five things to know:

1. Many hospital operators are investing in ASCs as hospital demand drops. American Hospital Association data shows Tenet Healthcare's hospital admission has either remained stagnant or dropped between 1 percent and 3 percent for the majority of quarters since late 2015.

2. RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Frank Morgan, a hospital analyst, told Fox Business ASC investments prove to be an essential strategy to appeal to patients, who are looking for lower cost options.

3. UC Berkeley researchers found employees and retirees with California Public Employees' Retirement System insurance paid between $2,500 and $5,000 less when having cataract surgery and knee arthroscopies at ASCs as opposed to hospitals.

4. Hospital Corporation of America Chairman and Chief Executive Milton Johnson said the company plans to open 120 freestanding urgent care centers by the end of 2017. This figure is a 40 percent increase in new facilities since 2015.

5. Over the past five years, HCA's market share in Nashville increased from 32 percent to 35 percent. HCA added three ASCs, four freestanding emergency rooms and 10 urgent care centers during that time.
Nashville, Tenn.-based Surgery Partners acquired surgical facilities owner and operator National Surgical Healthcare from Irving Place Capital.

Here are five things to know:

1. Surgery Partners purchased National Surgical Healthcare for around $760 million. Bain Capital Private Equity provided part of the funding for the transaction in exchange for preferred security in the company.

2. Bain Capital Private Equity plans to acquire H.I.G. Capital's existing equity stake in Surgery Partners in conjunction with the transaction.

3. Together, Surgery Partners and National Surgical Health have a portfolio of 125 surgical facilities and 58 physician practices along with complementary ancillary services. They will operate facilities in 32 states with a network of more than 5,000 physicians.

"This transaction strengthens our market position and will provide new opportunities to introduce ancillary services to our expanded network of surgical facilities," said Surgery Partners CEO Mike Doyle. "NSH and Surgery Partners share a commitment to high quality, cost effective healthcare services. We are optimistic that this combination will promote physician recruitment and new service line expansion while generating solid growth, and we expect this transaction to be accretive in 2018."

4. The combined company will have a strong presence in the musculoskeletal field, including orthopedics, pain and spine.

5. Both parties expect the transaction to close this year after receiving the required regulatory approvals. Jeffries LLC was the exclusive financial adviser for the transaction and Ropes & Gray LLP is serving as legal counsel. PwC is acting accounting advisor to Surgery Partners and Bain Capital Private Equity. Kirkland & Ellis is acting as counsel to Bain Capital Private Equity and J.P. Morgan Securities is the acting financial advisor to National Surgical Health, with Weil, Gotshal & Manges as the legal advisor.
A surgical assistant at Mansfield Center-based Connecticut Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Center and a former colleague entered the center after hours and stole morphine for personal use, which eventually led to the surgical assistant's death last year, according to NBC Connecticut. Now, the former colleague has been charged with second-degree manslaughter for her role in the surgical assistant's death.

Here are five things to know:

1. The two women decided to steal a vile of morphine from the ASC after drinking together on Sept. 8, 2016. The victim had a history of narcotic use, and the former employee Jessica Hill, 46, had a previous arrest for larceny and burglary at the center, according to the Hartford Courant.

2. The pair then went to the victim's home and injected the morphine; according to Ms. Hill, they injected themselves and each other. Ms. Hill spent the night at the victim's home and left the next morning. The victim was found and pronounced dead later that day.

3. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner rule the death a homicide and found the cause of death was acute intoxication, resulting from mixing alcohol and narcotics.

4. After police searched Ms. Hill's cell phone records, they found Ms. Hill and the victim corresponded about "happy pills." The records did not find any details about specific substances or their intention to obtain some, according to the warrant.

5. Ms. Hill's will appear before the Superior Court in Danielson, Conn., on Oct. 11.
Medscape compiled a list of the most influential physicians within the last century based on their contributions to the medical field.

Here are a few of the physicians Medscape profiled:

1. Jonas Salk, MD. Born and raised in New York City, Dr. Salk created the first polio vaccine. The vaccine slashed polio incidence rates from 45,000 cases annually in the early 1950s to 910 cases in 1962. He was involved in AIDS research at the end of his life.

2. Benjamin Spock, MD. In his book, Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, Dr. Spock challenged the conventional approach to child-rearing. Published in 1946, the book defied common routines and the idea that parents should give their children minimal attention. Rather, Dr. Spock encouraged parents to draw on their parental instincts and common sense when raising children.

3. Aaron Beck, MD. The founder of cognitive therapy, many historians view Dr. Beck as one of the most influential psychotherapists to date. His work on conditions including suicide, anxiety disorders, alcoholism and many others led to how providers treat clinical depression.

4. Carl Jung, MD. Obtaining his medical degree from University of Zurich in 1902, Dr. Jung is the founder of analytical psychology. He conducted extensive research into the subconscious mind and his work continues to influence research in psychology and psychiatry.

For Medscape's full list of influential physicians, click here.
CMS was slated to decide Friday whether Mercy Hospital Springfield (Mo.) would keep its Medicare and Medicaid funding, but the agency is delaying the decision, a CMS spokeswoman told the News-Leader.

CMS placed the hospital on "immediate jeopardy" status Aug. 25 after a survey by the Missouri Department of Health revealed Mercy Hospital Springfield was not in compliance with federal standards, including some related to patient care. This move put the hospital's Medicare and Medicaid funding at risk.

With its federal reimbursement in question, the hospital fired 12 employees earlier this month for failing to act with "dignity and compassion" in "highly tense situations," a hospital spokeswoman told Becker's Hospital Review. The hospital appointed an interim leadership and said it is instituting new training to help caregivers de-escalate situations and uphold a safe environment.

A CMS spokeswoman told the News-Leader the agency is still in the process of determining whether Mercy Hospital Springfield corrected the issues identified by regulators, and the agency will likely issue a decision regarding the hospital's Medicare and Medicaid funding this week.

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The Washington Attorney General's office filed a lawsuit Thursday against Capital Medical Center in Olympia, Wash., alleging the 110-bed hospital's charity care practices violate state law.

The lawsuit alleges the for-profit hospital demanded payment from low-income patients without first telling them about the availability of charity care or determining if they qualified for charity care.

"Capital's unlawful collections practices prevented thousands of Washington's neediest patients from receiving charity care," Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. "I am committed to ensuring that all Washingtonians, regardless of income, have access to affordable care."

Between 2012 and 2015, Capital Medical Center consistently provided less charity care than the regional average. For instance, in 2014, only 0.37 percent of the hospital's adjusted revenue went to charity care, while the regional average was about 6 percent.

According to the complaint, the hospital's focus on aggressive collection came from its former CEO Jim Geist, who led Capital Medical Center for 7 years. He allegedly referred to collection and registration staff members as the emergency department's "money makers," and said the hospital needed to "get something out of" every patient, including the uninsured.

The lawsuit seeks to ensure the hospital ceases its aggressive collection practices, properly screens patients for charity care and provides patients with notice of the hospital's charity care policies before requesting payment. The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties and restitution for low-income patients harmed by the hospital's collection practices.

"We are very disappointed to hear of the Office of Attorney General's recent filing against Capital Medical Center," Jeff Atwood, Capital Medical Center's senior vice president of marketing and communications, told The Olympian. "Even though Capital previously addressed the issues included in this lawsuit and is providing financial assistance [and] charity care to more individuals than state law requires, the attorney general filed this lawsuit. We remain committed to serving all of the people within our community."

Capital Medical Center is the second hospital the Washington Attorney General's office has sued in recent weeks. On Sept. 5, the office filed a lawsuit against St. Joseph's Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., alleging the hospital illegally withheld charity care from tens of thousands of patients since 2012.

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5 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements

Former Las Vegas hospital CEO's second theft trial barred by double jeopardy

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A Las Vegas police officer shot and killed a man who was in custody at Las Vegas-based University Medical Center early Monday morning after the man pointed a Taser that was left in the room at the officer, according to The New York Times.

The man in custody at the hospital was arrested Sunday night in the west side of Las Vegas on a felony warrant after he allegedly threatened suicide and said he had a gun and was "going to blast it out" with police when they arrived on the scene. He was transported to the hospital because he was intoxicated and could not pass the booking process at the Clark County Detention Center. An officer accompanied the man to the hospital.

The man obtained the Taser from a bag left in the room by a corrections officer. The suspect took the Taser from the bag when the corrections officer and officer on duty briefly left the room.

At 4:15 a.m. local time, a hospital security guard and a nurse entered the room and the suspect pointed the Taser gun at the guard. The security guard left to get help and found the police officer in charge. When the man pointed the Taser at the police officer as he reentered the room to help, the officer fired one round, hitting and killing the man, according to the report.

The suspect's identity, the warrant that led to his arrest and the officer's identity have not been released.

UMC told KVVU, "This morning's incident happened in a contained and locked down unit of our emergency department. Thankfully, no one else was injured and our ED team immediately went back to the bedside to care for our other emergent patients. UMC's professionalism, training and commitment to care was very evident especially during this unfortunate circumstance."

A hospital spokesperson declined to confirm whether the shooting victim was admitted as a patient in the hospital at the time of the incident.
Southbridge, Mass.-based Harrington HealthCare System implemented strict security guidelines Monday at its emergency departments in Webster, Mass., and Southbridge after a nurse at one of its hospitals was stabbed 11 times by a patient June 14.

To improve safety, the system installed metal detectors at each ED entrance and will subject everyone and all bags to search upon arrival, limit patients to two visitors and require security department oversight to ensure these guidelines are met.

In addition, Harrington HealthCare hired additional security staff and installed more security cameras. Hospital employees will also undergo training in defense tactics.

"Our priority continues to be creating the safest environment possible for anyone who visits our hospital or any of our medical office buildings," Harold Lemieux, vice president and CIO of Harrington HealthCare System, said.
In response to Pakistans showcase of a picture in the UN, Indias representative reportedly said that Pakistan misled the UN assembly by narrating a fake incident with a photo of a Palestinian girl that was taken on July 22, 2014, by an American photographer. She reportedly said that Pakistan yet again tried to divert the focus from global terrorism by casually holding the picture of an injured girl from Palestine and faking it like it was an Indian who was injured in Kashmir. She also allegedly showed a photo of an Indian journalist who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan.
Michael Herbert, owner of the Herbert Group; Brian Shane, corporate banking manager at Danske Bank; Jason Carlisle, finance director at The Herbert Group and Geoff Sharpe, head of corporate at Danske Bank

KFC tycoon Michael Herbert is taking on 27 new restaurants across the UK and Ireland, creating 100 jobs here. The new acquisition will see the Herbert Group operate 145 KFC outlets and it is expected that it will take over a further 20 of the fast food units in quarter one of 2018 in England.

Of the 100 new jobs created here, 80 will support the roll-out of a new home delivery service in NI, which is currently being trialled at Boucher Road, Ballyhackamore and Yorkgate branches, while a further 20 posts will be based at the groups head office in Belfast.

This brings the Herbert Groups total employee number to 5,000.

The acquisition comes after the group, which is the largest KFC franchise in Central Europe, agreed a major refinancing deal with Danske Bank, which provided it with 27m of new funding.

Jason Carlisle, group finance director at the Herbert Group, said: Our latest acquisitions are aligned to the growth plans for the Group, and the store portfolios acquired are a great strategic move for our expanding operations in UK and Ireland.

We are delighted to be working with Danske Bank and the experience they bring in handling significant corporate financial transactions.

The expertise, efficiency and commitment the Danske Bank team demonstrated during the refinance was exceptional, and we look forward to working with the bank as our financial partner.

Mr Carlisle said that over the past year the group had recruited for a number of positions across its finance, operations and development departments to support the growth plans and further acquisitions.

Brian Shane, corporate banking manager at Danske Bank, said: Danske Bank has a long-term relationship with the Herbert Group via the provision of our market-leading cash management and liquidity solutions, and foreign exchange risk management. The firm is well positioned for future growth and with a strong management team in place, the business continues to go from strength to strength.

Geoff Sharpe, head of corporate at Danske Bank, added: This transaction further demonstrates Danske Banks ability to support large corporate transactions, delivering customer centric solutions and providing value adding services.

We are delighted the Herbert Group are working with Danske Bank as their financial partner and look forward to supporting the management team in the years ahead.

Michael Herbert, owner of the Herbert Group, is also behind a number of property developments in NI.

He is a director at property developer Kirk Bryson and Co Ltd, which is due to embark on a series of construction projects including a vacant site in the Upper Newtownards Road area of east Belfast, which will become a 53-home development called Rose Park. A further development is Kirk Brysons Parklands complex based in Knocknagoney. It is expected to feature 104 apartments.

A 10-home development at a former Lidl store site on the outskirts of north Belfast, on the Antrim Road is in the pipeline too for the firm.

Mr Herbert is also known in the property sector for his Belfast-based Lesley buildings, a collection of residential, commercial and office schemes that are named after his wife.
Bombardier's thousands of Northern Ireland workers are "holding their breath" as they await an initial decision on whether a massive legal challenge over the sale of the firm's C Series jets to the US by rival Boeing will be successful.

Today, it's expected a preliminary judgement will be delivered by the Department of Commerce in the US, at around 5pm, UK time.

Boeing claims that Bombardier's C Series aircraft, part of which is made in Belfast, are being 'subsidised', in part, due to a $1bn bailout by the regional Quebec government in Canada.

And the trade dispute with major implications for jobs in Northern Ireland is unjustified and unwarranted, the British Government said.

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire said: "The UK Government believes clearly that the support that we have given through repayable launch investment to the C Series project is legitimate, is lawful, is within World Trade Organisation rules and therefore that the actions that have been brought around this case are unwarranted."

If successful, it could scupper a multi-billion deal with Delta for up to 125 aircraft, effectively price out and cut off its largest market, the US, and lead to hundreds of job losses.

Bombardier employs around 4,500 staff here, with up to 1,000 working on the C Series planes

A ruling against Bombardier could see Delta having to pay will be required to pay duties on every plane it receives.

A final decision in the US isn't likely to come until next year, around May or June. But Bombardier would also have the chance to appeal the decision further up the food chain still, and bring an appeal to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Moving an emergency motion on Bombardier at Labour Party conference, Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said: We call upon the British and Canadian governments to meet with Boeing to resolve this crisis.

Workers in Belfast are holding their breath.

The Prime Minister and the government need to make it clear to Trump they will not stand back and watch our members jobs and our communities threatened like this.

Mrs May needs to stand up for our members in the aerospace industry and for decent jobs and for manufacturing in the UK."

George Burnside, a senior steward at Bombardier Belfast, said fear of what the ruling may hold was stalking the work floor but the final ruling on punitive charges could be made in the US in February.

"If the C Series is ground to a halt, potentially you have up to 800 jobs there plus you have the supply chains in the wider community as well, so it is a very worrying time.

"But the union is in there fighting hard along with the British Government and along with our local politicians so we are hopeful we can get a resolution."

He said the atmosphere in Bombardier was quiet and muted.

"You can feel the fear in the factory because they don't really know what the actual outcome could be."

Jimmy Kelly, Unite the Union's Irish regional secretary, said Boeing had suffered no detriment and that there was no merit in this case.

"We are emphasising that the British Government needs to be stronger in saying to Boeing that they are reviewing, revisiting, re-looking at contracts that are very sizeable, second only to Japan, and that the British Government should be using that leverage with Boeing."
A Northern Ireland construction firm is investing a further 15m in a new hotel and another major mixed-use retail development after completing a new unmanned petrol station at Belfast International Airport, it can be revealed.

Moorefield Contracts is also building a new 5m Premier Inn hotel, close to the airport, and developing a major 10m hotel, retail and leisure development in Dungannon.

In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, Canice Mallaghan of Moorefield Contracts said the firm has a number of projects under way.

And he said the firm is also at the early stages of building a mixed-use development, including retail, for Dungannon, which is worth around 10m.

We committed our capital to the projects and bought into what the vision was at the airport, he said.

We have been doing work for a number of years now, mostly residential.

These are our first commercial developments.

The hotel is an 81-bedroom hotel, which is a 5m investment.

We are looking at 30 jobs during construction and 30 part-time towards completion.

Its a really exciting development for us. The developments are driven on the continued growth of passenger numbers  it is a customer-led development.

Mr Mallaghan said that the hotel will take around nine months to build and is due to go out to public consultation this week.

We hope to have the planning in place very early next year and could deliver the completed project by the end of next year, he added.

And, while at an early stage, Moorefield is also behind a 10m mixed-use plan for Dungannon.

We have a really exciting project in Dungannon, mixed use with a hotel, retail and leisure development down the line, and a lot of other projects in the pipeline.

Speaking about the forecourt and hotel development close to Belfast International Airport, Mr Mallaghan revealed: We met with Graham Keddie, managing director of Belfast International Airport, and bought into his vision for the airport, and how it was going to grow the number of routes and airlines.

The firm has just opened its first new eight-pump Emo Express fuel forecourt in Ireland, which is based beside Park and Fly on Airport Road.

Its set to include the first Insomnia coffee outlet and the first Marks & Spencer store at a petrol forecourt.

Mr Keddie said: The forecourt is a first for Emo, a first for the developers and a first for the airport. Im delighted with the outlet which adds considerably to the overall offer at the airport.

Richard Irvine, business development manager for Emo, said the development at Belfast International Airport is particularly exciting, not only because it is our first Emo Express site in Northern Ireland, but also because of the calibre of the food court operators.

He added: The site complements our existing dealer network of Emo-branded filling stations across Ireland.
A new Marks and Spencer foodhall is set to open at a filling station forecourt close to Belfast International Airport.

Belfast International Airport is set to become the home of a new store, opening on October 19, and creating 23 jobs.

It comes after the Belfast Telegraph revealed yesterday that M&S would open the store as part of the new development.

Michael Gillen of M&S, said: "The new store launch has been widely anticipated in the local community in Antrim, and were looking forward to bringing the best of M&S food and drink to Belfast International Airport and the surrounding area.

"We will be working hard over the next few months to make sure we offer fantastic service, putting our customers at the heart of everything we do and making this store a part of the local community in Antrim. We cant wait to welcome our first customers through our doors on October 19."

And plans revealed for an 81-bedroom Premier Inn hotel at the airport are now going out for public consultation.

The proposal, now in its pre-application consultation phase, has been set out to meet the growing demand for additional beds at Belfast International Airport.

Around 30 jobs are expected to be created in the construction phase with a further 30 added once the hotel is operational.
Fast and Furious Live will make a pit stop in Belfast next year as part of its 2018 global tour.

The world premiere will take place in London in January before kicking off the tour which will land at Belfast's SSE Arena from Friday 4 - Sunday 6 May 2018.

The huge event will recreate the most nail biting moment from the hit Fast & Furious franchise as well as showcase the cars featured in the movies.

Creative director and executive producer, Rowland French, said: Its been years in the making, and we are beyond excited to finally show fellow fans what we have been creating in order to bring Fast & Furious Live to the global stage.

"With this mix of extraordinary stunts, special effects, cutting-edge 3D-projection mapping  as well as drivers pushing their own limits  every performance will create an unforgettable experience for the live audience."

The two-hour show will feature some of the world's best stunt drivers, including Chris Burns and Jonathon Irwin who both hail from Northern Ireland.

Thousands of the worlds best stunt performers and drivers applied for the chance to join the production.

The group were whittled down to a select few and started a four month training camp in preparation for the world tour.

They will be joined by some of the worlds leading parkour athletes.

Tickets for Fast and Furious Live at the SSE Arena, Belfast are on sale from Friday, September 29 at 9am.

Iconic cars of Fast & Furious

1970 Dodge Charger R/T

The 1970 Dodge Charger R/T was introduced to us back in 2001 in The Fast and the Furious. Dom tells Brian that hes never driven the car that was built by his late father, but he takes the wheel in the films final moments as he and Brian, driving his Twin Turbo Supra, chase down Johnny Tran and Lance.

Honda Civic EJ

Before joining the right side of the law, in The Fast and The Furious, Doms team took to hijacking trucks with a trio of tricked-out Honda Civics.

Brian, at this point undercover but blinded by his friendship, believes it could be any crew but Dominics, chasing dead end after dead end. He finally realises the answer is staring him in the face, but still cant bring himself to arrest Dom. Fast forward to the closing action sequence of the film and, despite reservations, the team attempt to take on one last truck, this time with tragic consequences. The truck driver fights back, Vince is gravely injured, and Brians real identity is revealed.

Navistar MXT

First seen in Moscow, Hobbs uses this military behemoth to chase down Owen Shaw as he escapes through London destroying everything in his path in his custom Flip Car.

Off-road Dodge Challenger

Letty drives this bright green Dodge Challenger SRT in the daring airplane drop sequence over the Caucasus Mountains in Furious 7.

Buick Grand National GNX

A 3.8 Litre turbo V6 engine. Only 547 of these cars were ever made.

Although initially intended as just a distraction to the unassuming tanker driver, in Fast & Furious, Dom uses the Grand National to save Lettys life before sliding under a flaming tanker in a daring escape.

Dodge Charger SRT-8

After the team borrow four police Chargers to help with their raid on the corrupt police station in Fast 5, two of them underwent extensive modifications.

Steel exoskeletons and chassis reinforcements were added, plus nitrous and a tin of black matte black paint, transforming these cars into something capable of pulling a safe filled with $100 million through the streets of Rio.

Ice Charger

Doms beloved Charger gets an extreme makeover for Fast & Furious 8.

In this incarnation, the famous black muscle car is now an armoured, jet-powered, four-wheel-drive monster capable of taking on an entire military base of Russian separatists.

Flip car

Probably one of the craziest cars from all of the Fast & Furious films, a post-apocalytpic Formula 1 racer, capable of steering sideways and flipping oncoming vehicles. In Fast and Furious 6, a pair of these cause havoc on the streets of London, sending police cars, the teams BMW M5s, and pretty much anything else that gets in their way flying through the air.

W Motors Lykan HyperSport

This beast of a car provides one of the most memorable moments in the Fast franchise.

Housing Ramseys hard drive, Dom and Brian are faced with a race against time to remove it before security arrives. Eventually theyre left with no choice but to take the car with them from the top of a skyscraper.

Oshkosh Truck

What do you use to chase down and heist cars from a moving train? The answer is this custom-built, extreme truck. Seen in Fast 5, the team are able to drag the car cargo aboard at high speed using this one of a kind off-roader.

Nissan GT-R R35

Always a fan of imports, Brians car of choice in the climatic finale to Furious 7 is the Nissan GT-R R35, allowing him to keep Ramsey safe for a short time, from the deadly drone hunting them.

In Fast & Furious Live this striking blue rocket will be driven by one of the stars of the show, and is once again pursued by a helicopter gunship.

Nissan Silvia

The Mona Lisa of the drift world  This S15 only appears for a short time in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but leaves a lasting impression as Sean is introduced to Tokyos underground racing scene.

Unfortunately for Mona, Seans drifting skills werent quite up to scratch in his first race against the Drift King. With the car trashed, it remained out of action until its engine was salvaged and put into Seans Mustang for his final showdown with his nemesis.

Toyota Supra

This 10 second car looked more like a 10 minute car when it first appeared in The Fast and The Furious on the back of a low-loader, but thanks to overnight parts from Japan it underwent a radical transformation.

The orange beauty embarrassed a Ferrari before keeping up with Doms Charger in the final moments of the film. After Dom totals his Charger, Brian hands over the keys to the Supra, aiding his escape across the border.

Mitsubishi Eclipse

The car that introduced us to Brian in The Fast and The Furious - Brian loads up this car with modifications and takes on Dom in the opening race of the first film.

Unfortunately, the addition of giant tanks of nitrous proves catastrophic and the car fails before the finish line. Brian then uses it to keep Dom out of handcuffs, swerving through pursuing cops and escaping together. Sadly shortly afterwards Johnny Tran and Lance destroy the car in a hail of machine gun fire.

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

Perhaps Brians most beloved car from the Fast and Furious films. He picks this up in Texas after being forced to abandon his red Dodge Stealth at a motel in the prelude to 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Although a heap when he is first handed the keys, Brian transforms the car into a one-of-a-kind beast, that defeats all in the opening race sequence of the second film.

Honda S2000

Sukis Honda S2000 may look pretty in pink, but its one mean machine under the hood, and she knows how to drive it. Although coming second to Brian, Suki proves shes a better racer than any of the others.

Nissan 350Z

DKs black and silver Veilside 350Z is one of a trio of drifting Zs in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but easily the most memorable.

After defeating Sean upon his arrival in Tokyo, the Z played a pivotal role in the dramatic chase sequence with Han and Sean.

Mitsubishi Evo IV

Han gifts this red Evo to Sean after he totals his S15 at the beginning of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and Sean uses it to learn the art of drifting.

With the driving style mastered, Sean manages to escape in the Evo from a seething DK after the villain discovers Hans side deals. With the car severely damaged, Sean is forced to complete the build of his fathers Mustang for the final race with DK.

Ripsaw

The Ripsaw is an experimental light tank that has the ability to be controlled remotely.

Luckily for us it also comes with a drivers cockpit for those who want a more hands on approach. Tej is desperate to drive it during The Fate of the Furious, and is finally given the keys by Little Nobody for the dramatic final chase sequence.

Dodge Charger PPV

The team needed invisible cars to pull of their daring Rio heist, and they got them sort of.

They borrow four police Chargers allowing them to hide in plain sight and support Dom and Brian in the raid. On their way back to base, Roman, Han, Dom, and Brian take part in a million dollar quarter mile race, with Brian prevailing or was it a baby gift?

Subaru WRX STI

Like Lettys Challenger, Brians Subaru from Furious 7, was born out of Mr. Nobodys warehouse.

The blue and silver rally-bred machine dropped from a plane and then chased down Mose Jakandes bus. Unfortunately, the car ended up being showered in bullets. Thankfully Brian was able to leap clear before the car was completely destroyed.

Lamborghini Murcielago

Roman Pearce doesnt really do subtle. A purple and chrome Eclipse in Miami, now a bright orange Italian V12 in The Fate of the Furious.

Although four-wheel drive, the Lamborghini probably wasnt the best tool for a high speed race across frozen ice, not that this stops Roman choosing it.

Polaris RMX 800 Assault

The RMX 800 is the first snowmobile to be featured in the Fast franchise, and unlike Romans Lamborghini, is the perfect tool for sub-zero warfare.

Toyota Supra Hardtop

Another car from the opening of 2 Fast 2 Furious, Slap Jacks golden Supra may have been the early pacesetter in that race but crashed out after losing control trying to jump the bridge.

Luckily the car only sustained minor damage and was back later on to aid Brian and Romans escape in the scramble.
Stereophonics have added dates in Belfast and Dublin in their 2018 European tour.

The Welsh rockers will perform at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Thursday, March 15 2018 before heading to Dublin's 3Arena on Friday, March 16 2018.

Tickets go on sale from Friday, September 29 at 9am.

The band have also announced dates across Europe next year, including shows in Belgium, France, Spain and Germany.

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These will be added to their previously announced UK dates.

The 2018 tour comes as Stereophonics get set to release their tenth studio album Scream Above The Sounds on October 27.

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Initial singles from the record include Caught By The Wind and All In One Night.

Stereophonics last performed in Belfast in 2016 when they headlines a Belsonic gig at the Titanic slipways.
Jack (Bill Tarmey) goes down on one knee as he asks Vera (Liz Dawn) to tie the knot again during the filming of a Coronation Street Video Special in Las Vegas. (Dave Kendall/PA Wire)

Jack (left) and Vera Duckworth (Bill Tarmey and Liz Dawn) meet up with Street veteran Ray Langton (actor Neville Buswell) in the gambling capital of the World, Las Vegas. (Dave Kendall/PA Wire)

Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn, who played Vera Duckworth in the soap, who has died, her family has said. (Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn, who played Vera Duckworth in the soap, who has died, her family has said. (Ian West/PA Wire)

Stars from Coronation Street have paid tribute to actress Liz Dawn, best known for portraying Vera Duckworth in the ITV soap, who has died at the age of 77.

Her family confirmed she passed away "peacefully" on Monday night "with her loving family around her".

In a statement they said: "We are devastated and heartbroken at the passing of our much-loved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and great grandmother, the incredible Liz Dawn.

"Liz died peacefully last night at home with her loving family around her.

"She has been the love, light and inspiration in our lives and we are bereft at her passing.

Expand Close Liz Dawn with the late Bill Tarmey as Vera and Jack Duckworth in Coronation Street (Granada TV/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Liz Dawn with the late Bill Tarmey as Vera and Jack Duckworth in Coronation Street (Granada TV/PA)

Following news of her death, Coronation Street bosses said: "It is with the greatest sadness that we have learned our beloved Liz Dawn has passed away last night. Her family at Coronation Street are heartbroken.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathy at this very sad time to Lizs devoted husband Don, her loving children Graham, Dawn, Ann and Julie, their families and her six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

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"We have been blessed to have Liz in our lives, as she was such a kind, considerate and caring friend and colleague. As Coronation Streets Vera Duckworth for 34 years, Liz brought so much joy and happiness to so many. She was a wonderful actress who will forever be a true Coronation Street legend."

Liz played the formidable Vera Duckworth from 1974 until 2008.

Fans of the soap enjoyed her on screen role alongside actor Bill Tarmey, who played Vera's husband Jack Duckworth.

Past and present stars of the soap have been paying tribute to the actress.

Antony Cotton  the soaps Sean Tully  wrote on Twitter: Im devastated. Liz was a wonderful actress, a fascinating storyteller, a hilarious comedian and most importantly a brilliant friend.

For many people of my generation, Jack and Vera WERE Coronation Street.

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Actor Kevin Kennedy, who played Corrie character Curly Watts for around 20 years, said he can only smile when he thinks of the actress.

He told ITVs This Morning: Its very sad. We are a big family. I was thinking about what to say about Liz. My thoughts go out to Don and her family. When I think about Liz, I always have a smile on my face. What an amazing legacy. Thats what weve got to be thinking about today  her wonderfulness and a very funny actress.

She took all the youngsters (on the show) under her wing. She was a lot cleverer than people thought she was, in regards to acting. She was brilliant. She was very humble in that respect. I used to live very close to her and she was always inviting us round to the house. We used to have a laugh. She was the one you could go to for advice.

Expand Close Stars of Coronation Street (from the left) Bill Tarmey, Liz Dawn, Daryl Edwards, Sean Wilson, Helen Worth, Lyndsay King and Thomas Ormson. (Dave Kendall/PA Wire) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Stars of Coronation Street (from the left) Bill Tarmey, Liz Dawn, Daryl Edwards, Sean Wilson, Helen Worth, Lyndsay King and Thomas Ormson. (Dave Kendall/PA Wire)

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Meanwhile, the cast of Emmerdale - ITV's other popular soap - have also been paying their respects.

Former Corrie star Chris Bisson, who now appears in the Yorkshire-based drama, wrote: Very sad to hear the news that Liz Dawn has passed away. A wonderful person, amazing actress and total LEGEND! Keep smiling down on us Liz.

Dales actor Danny Miller wrote: Devastated to hear about the passing of Liz Dawn. A beautiful soul. Inside and out. Rest in peace.

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The spacecraft which brought astronaut Tim Peake and his team to the International Space Station in 2015 will go on display at the Ulster Museum in 2019.

The Belfast venue will be the final stop on the UK wide tour for the Soyuz TMA-19M vessel.

The eight-stop tour - curated by the Science Museum Group and global technology firm Samsung - will kick off next month Bradford, England before visiting cities including Edinburgh, Cardiff and Manchester.

The spacecraft will complete its voyage when it lands in Belfast from February to May 2019.

Flight Engineer Peake was one of three astronauts on board the Russian-built Soyuz TMA-19M which flew the team to the International Space Station on December 15 2015 and returned them to Earth on June 18 2016.

Also on display at the Ulster Museum will be the Space Descent VR, which is a virtual reality adventure using Samsung Gear VR technology allowing visitors to experience the astronauts' space adventure.

Mr Peake said: It is wonderful to be at the start of another incredible journey for this spacecraft, which took me on a life-changing journey and delivered me safely back to Earth.

"Im particularly happy that people up and down the UK now have the opportunity to discover more about my Principia mission and space travel, and that the Science Museum Group  with the support of Samsung  are doing so much to inspire the public and schools in this tour."

Kathryn Thomson, Chief Executive of National Museums NI said the tour and VR adventure will attract thousands of visitors from across the island of Ireland.

The Ulster Museum has grown an international reputation for the quality and diversity of its exhibitions and we are particularly pleased to have been chosen," she added.

"We are particularly delighted that Samsungs amazing Space Descent VR will be at the Ulster Museum because this adds a dimension to the exhibition which brings visitors close to the space flight experience as lived by the astronauts on the journey home from the International Space Station.

Ms Thomson continued: The exhibition will offer a wonderful opportunity to showcase National Museums extensive natural science collections to visitors."

This is the first time that a Science Museum Group object has ever undertaken such a comprehensive tour of the UK.

Soyuz TMA-19M tour venues and dates:
Cancer Focus Northern Ireland is asking local women to get in the pink this October to raise awareness of breast cancer and to help fund research.

Get the girls together for a pink night in, a movie night, a pamper party, or even a coffee morning to raise funds for vital breast cancer research being conductedat Queen's University, Belfast (QUB).

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Northern Ireland - every year 1,300 are diagnosed and 300 lose their lives.

Rosie Forsythe, community fundraising manager for Cancer Focus NI, says: "We've been funding research at QUB for a number of years."

The In Pink campaign is run in partnership with Medicare Pharmacy Group.

You can get a Pink Party pack with lots more fundraising ideas at cancerfocusni.org/pink, or tel: 028 9066 3281/ email fundraising@cancerfocusni.org.

'I have faulty gene but had preventive surgery'

Joanne Clarke (40) from Newry has BRCA2 mutation and has had a double mastectomy. She is married to Adrian (44) and they have two daughters, Anna (13) and Ellen (10). Joanne is adamant that more research into the condition is needed and urges people to help Cancer Focus NI raise cash for this important cause. She says:

I found out I had BRCA2 almost by accident. My mother Anne was adopted so she had no idea what her family medical history was. She had three unrelated breast cancer diagnoses at the ages of 51, 55 and 64. The third time, unfortunately, it had spread to her liver. She was terminally ill and had a lot of treatment ahead of her. I'd been attending a breast clinic and was sent to the genetics department for further investigation but, because I couldn't provide any family history and because my mum was over 50 when she first had cancer, they wouldn't test me for BRCA.

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Whatsapp Looking ahead: Joanne with Adrian and daughters Ellen and Anna

In 2013, I was referred back to genetics. I was tested and found out I had BRCA2. I strongly feel that it shouldn't have been so difficult for me to get tested, and the criteria needs to change. If I hadn't found out I had the gene, my children wouldn't be eligible for testing either, which doesn't bear thinking about. A year later, in October 2015, I had my fallopian tubes removed - I didn't want my ovaries removed as I didn't want to go into early menopause - and a double mastectomy in December 2015.

It wasn't a difficult decision to make - not after seeing how my mum fought the disease for so long. If she had known she had the faulty gene she would probably still be here.

I made the decision for my husband and also my two girls as well - I wouldn't want them to watch me going through that.

And of course I want to be around to help them grow up. They are still young and may have a similar decision to make.

There's a 50/50 chance I have passed the gene on to them, but I'm hopeful that by the time they are older they will have much better options available to them.

That is where the research comes in. It's my children's generation who will benefit from new discoveries.

It is the only way to stop this devastating gene from being passed down through generations, so I appeal to everyone to help Cancer Focus NI raise funds for research this October."

'Make sure you go for screenings when you're called... it could save your life'

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Whatsapp Regular checks: Evelyn Warings cancer was found during routine mammogram

Evelyn Waring (54), from south Belfast, was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. A volunteer with Cancer Focus NI, she is backing the charity's October campaign for breast cancer research. She says:

When I was about 49 I decided to go for a voluntary mammogram as it seemed a sensible thing to do. I was called for a follow-up ultrasound but was given the all-clear.

About 18 months later, I got the regular call for a mammogram that every woman over the age of 50 receives. I wasn't going to go because I thought everything was fine.

When I rang to cancel the appointment, a staff member from the health service screening service said 'No, you need to come'. He persuaded me that it was important to go, and I'm so thankful I did. That one phone conversation possibly saved my life.

I had a mammogram, ultrasound scan and biopsy. When I was called to see the doctor, I was asked if I wanted my sister to come in with me but I said no. I was shown into a room with comfortable seats and thought, 'This isn't going to be good'.

The doctor said 'I'm very sorry to have to tell you that you have breast cancer'. My eyes welled up but I didn't cry. I was very shocked. The first thing I said was 'Can I have my sister in please?'.

The doctor was just lovely, so empathetic but, though she explained everything to me, it all went over my head, it was a blur.

The breast care nurse had everything written down, which really helped on my rollercoaster ride.

I was told I'd have to have an operation, which was the last thing I expected. I thought this sort of thing just wouldn't happen to me, but more tests showed I had two tumours on the left breast.

When I had the operation in September 2014, my surgeon discovered the tumour was 9cm and said I'd need a mastectomy. I was numb.

I had six sessions of chemotherapy over five months. One time, while I was waiting, the Clash song 'should I stay or should I go' was in my head. I smiled at that, but stayed.

Later I had breast reconstruction, which was major surgery. After I'd recovered, I had six weeks of radiotherapy. I'm still taking Tamoxifen [a cancer drug] and I have yearly mammogram checks.

I feel lucky that I was called for screening - my story could have been so very different. One message to everyone is make sure you go for screenings when you're called. It's so important, it could save your life. That's not a throw away cliche, it's a fact for me.

I've used Cancer Focus NI's wellbeing, art therapy and bra-fitting services. It's an excellent charity and I can't thank them enough for helping me.

Research is a huge part of tackling cancer and I'd urge everyone to support their October campaign for breast cancer research - it really will make a difference."

'I'm fighting two cancers but I have self-belief...and great support too'

Denise Patrick (61), from Belfast, is undergoing treatment for breast cancer and multiple myeloma. Both cancers were diagnosed within a month, leaving her reeling. The retired London-born professional, who worked for 26 years as a head teacher in several challenging inner-city schools, recently celebrated 40 years of marriage to Paul. They have two children and six grandchildren. She says:

While most people wait three weeks for their breast cancer to be treated, I had to wait a traumatic seven months.

Fighting two cancers meant doctors had to choose which one to tackle first before they moved on to the next. It was a terrifying ordeal as I agonised over whether their decision would be the right one.

But the myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer which was diagnosed first in August last year, was already affecting many areas of my body. The lobular breast cancer, though serious, was localised, so it took a back seat.

My journey has been riddled with medical complications including a pulmonary embolism and a rare blood virus which caused temporary paralysis.

But as we raced against time to make sure my breast cancer didn't spread, I received uplifting news that the chemo for the myeloma along with a hormone suppressant drug had probably helped shrink the breast tumour.

In May 2017, I had a wide section lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy in July and was given the encouraging news my back-seat driver was no longer a passenger in my life.

I've been in remission from myeloma since last January and recently was taken off a breast cancer suppressant drug, which was causing me pain. I'm feeling so much better now and remnants of my old energetic self are beginning to return.

I'm due to go for stem cell transplant in the next few months and even though this is daunting, I feel ready to take on the challenge.

I've always been a very active person, so when I took early retirement six years ago I couldn't understand why my body ached more than normal. I knew something wasn't right.

I went to A&E with what turned out to be a hiatus hernia. The doctor advised me to get a CT scan, as he had further concerns.

Within 48 hours my life had changed. I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma with osteolytic lesions, areas of severe bone loss, in various parts of my body. It was confirmed following a bone marrow biopsy. The shock left me reeling as I tried to make sense of the numbing news.

My family was devastated and reacted badly to the news. There'd been no mention of the disease in our family up until now, but then I discovered there had been leukaemia on my father's side and breast cancer on my mother's. That older generation had tucked it under the carpet. I'm glad that sort of sweeping denial will stop with me.

No one wants one cancer, let alone two, but I've decided to take a positive and undefeated approach. I've gone through a roller coaster of emotions. Yet I've found many strategies to help me cope and I've dug deep inside myself to discover a well of resourceful self-belief that has kept me pushing forward.

I've had invaluable counselling support from Cancer Focus NI and joined the charity's Writing for Life sessions - the best thing I've ever done.

Someone recently told me my cancer 'doesn't pity me' because I look so well. I openly talk about my cancer not to elicit pity but to enable others to feel comfortable around the subject.

While the past year has been traumatic, it has also been humbling as so many people have held me in their prayers across all religions.

I make a point of urging people to be aware and support the Cancer Focus NI campaign to raise funds for breast cancer research.

I know only too well that every new development and discovery gives sufferers more time in remission and as treatments improve so does our hope."
Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Smith has called for Northern Ireland to effectively be left inside the European Union after Brexit.

Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Smith has called for Northern Ireland to effectively be left inside the European Union after Brexit.

Mr Smith made the comments at a Labour Party conference fringe event organised by Sinn Fein, The Times reports.

At the event he called for Northern Ireland to left "within the EU and as part of Britain" - saying that such an approach would serve as a solution to post-Brexit issues.

The issue of Brexit has proven a difficult one at the Labour annual party conference in Brighton, with a vote to back Labour's official policy on Brexit only passing after its ruling body released a motion to counter accusations it hadn't allowed attendees to voice their views.

Its official Brexit policy makes no mention of special status, but states that the party will not support any future introduction of a hard border between Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Special status for Northern Ireland has been something that has been pushed for by both Sinn Fein and the SDLP.

In June Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney set out his post-Brexit vision in which Northern Ireland remained a part of the Customs Union.
The attendance of Sinn Feins Fermanagh and Omagh District Council chairman Stephen McCann at a commemoration for IRA volunteers has been branded disgusting by one of the survivors of the Enniskillen bomb.

Victims campaigner Stephen Gault was 18-years-old when the 1987 Remembrance Day attack happened, and saw his father, Samuel, killed in front of him.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Gault questioned why Sinn Fein councillor McCann was able to attend the Tyrone Volunteers Commemoration held in Strabane on Sunday in memory of IRA members, but had not been able to condemn the attack that killed his father.

At the minute nothing surprises me with what Sinn Fein do, he said.

You have Gerry Adams talking about respect, honesty, integrity over the weekend, and then you have the likes of Stephen McCann who has refused to condemn the IRA bombing on Remembrance Sunday.

Words cant describe what I am feeling but it is totally disgusting. Where was the respect for the victims of the IRA, he said.

He was at a commemoration for terrorists, glorifying the actions of terrorists.

Mr McCann (below) was heavily criticised for an interview he gave in July to the Impartial Reporter in which he said the Enniskillen bombing was a dreadful day, but declined when asked to condemn the attack.

In the same interview, he also praised IRA member Seamus McElwaine who was shot dead by the SAS in 1986. Subsequently, a motion was put forward in Fermanagh and Omagh District Council by Ulster Unionist councillor Howard Thornton calling for Mr McCann to retract his comments, or for Sinn Feins leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle ONeill, to replace him in his position at the head of the council.

As the largest party in the chamber, Sinn Fein was able to defeat the motion that was supported by the UUP and DUP.

Speaking about the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Enniskillen bomb that is due to take place later this year, Mr Gault said it was unlikely Sinn Fein would be represented at the commemoration.

Responding, a spokesperson for Sinn Fein said Mr McCann had attended Sundays event to remember the republican patriot dead in a respectful and dignified manner and to stand in solidarity with the families who have been bereaved.

Republicans have the same right as any other section of the community to remember our loved ones. It is a right that is recognised in the Good Friday Agreement, she said.

Our pain is no less and no more than anyone elses.
The US department of commerce ruled against Bombardier

Theresa May has hit out at Boeing over the escalating US trade dispute with Belfast-linked rival Bombardier, warning its behaviour was "no way to operate".

The Prime Minister said she was "bitterly disappointed" by the aerospace giant's behaviour and its actions "undermined" the long-term partnership it had built up with the UK.

Boeing complained to the US authorities about state subsides paid to Canadian manufacturer Bombardier by the UK and Canada.

Its petition resulted in a ruling by the US Department of Commerce that could potentially have a devastating impact on Bombardier's 4,200 workforce in Northern Ireland and thousands more in the 800-plus UK and Irish companies involved in its supply chain.

The department has proposed a 220% tariff on the imported sale of Bombardier's new C-Series jets into the US - an aircraft whose wings are made in Belfast.

Mrs May said: "I'm bitterly disappointed by this news."

"I will be doing everything I can, as the government has been, and working with both Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill - I spoke to them both today about this decision - to ensure that we can try to make sure the future of Bombardier in Northern Ireland is guaranteed and protected."

"We have had a long-term partnership with Boeing, worked with Boeing over the years, and I think this is no way to operate in terms of such a long-term partnership.

"I would say that that long-term partnership is being undermined by this behaviour by Boeing."

The US International Trade Commission will decide in February whether to uphold or reject the proposed tariff.

Boeing currently has defence contracts with the UK worth around 8 billion.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon earlier warned Boeing it faces losing out on future UK defence contracts.

"This is not the behaviour we expect of Boeing and could indeed jeopardise our future relationship with Boeing," Sir Michael said on a visit to Belfast.

"Boeing stand to gain a lot of British defence spending. We have contracts in place with Boeing for new maritime patrol aircraft and for Apache attack helicopters and they will also be bidding for other defence work and this kind of behaviour clearly could jeopardise our future relationship with Boeing."

The Ministry of Defence said while future deals could be jeopardised, it stressed existing contracts with Boeing would be honoured.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which the Tories rely on to swing key Commons votes for the Government, has repeatedly pressed the Prime Minister over the Boeing/Bombardier issue.

Mrs May has directly lobbied US President Donald Trump over the dispute and has spoken to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Boeing said it understood the Government's concerns about jobs in Belfast but claimed Bombardier was not playing by accepted international trading rules.

It also stressed that it employed more than 18,000 people either directly or through its supply chain in the UK and had chosen to build its first European factory in Sheffield.

"Boeing is committed to the UK and values the partnership, which stretches back almost 80 years," said a company statement.

It added: "Boeing welcomes competition and Bombardier can sell its aircraft anywhere in the world. But sales must be made according to globally-accepted trade rules."

Bombardier, which described the proposed tariff as "absurd", rejected its rival's claims.

Bombardier's director of communications in Belfast Haley Dunne told the Press Association that Boeing was trying to undermine the right of governments to invest in industry.

"This is an attack on innovation and competitiveness," she said.

"This is questioning the way that the Canadian government and the UK government have chosen to fund and develop their aerospace and innovations sectors."

The grounds for Boeing's complaint focused on a 135 million investment by Northern Ireland's powersharing administration and the UK Government to establish the C-Series manufacturing site in Belfast.

It also cited the one billion US dollars Bombardier received from the Canadian provincial government in Quebec in 2015 when its fortunes appeared to be ailing.

The future of the C-Series jets appeared secure after Bombardier signed a 5.6 billion US dollar (4.16 billion) deal in 2016 to provide the aircraft.

The manufacturer, which has been a major employer in Northern Ireland for 30 years, is due to begin delivering a blockbuster order for up to 125 new jets to Atlanta-based Delta Airlines in 2018.

Announcing the regulator's preliminary finding on Tuesday, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said the subsidisation of goods by foreign governments was something that Mr Trump's administration "takes very seriously".
Judith Thompson, Commissioner for Victims and Survivors, speaks to Secretary of State James Brokenshire in Templepatrick yesterday

Secretary of State James Brokenshire has pledged to publish plans to deal with the legacy of the Troubles - even if a deal isn't reached at Stormont.

Mr Brokenshire said while he would prefer that progress on the draft proposals was accompanied by an agreement to restore the Executive, he was obliged to act in the best interests of victims.

A group of victims held face-to-face talks with the Secretary of State in Co Antrim yesterday.

They asked him to immediately begin the long-awaited public consultation on draft legislation.

Three years ago, the Stormont House Agreement set out a plan for dealing with the past, including the setting up of an Historical Investigations Unit to examine unsolved murders.

A truth recovery body and an oral history archive were among the initiatives agreed by politicians in 2014, but political wrangling has halted further progress.

The following year, the Fresh Start Agreement failed to break the deadlock on issues such as the Government's national security veto on sensitive files.

London is to provide 150m to fund the new bodies.

After the meeting in Templepatrick, Mr Brokenshire said he had heard the victims' message "loud and clear".

He said: "Clearly I feel under an obligation to move forward to see that victims and survivors are able to get that sense of progress that they have been asking for, for such a long time.

"It is a very long time since Stormont House itself was concluded. It has taken too long, we can't wait much longer and I am intent to see that we do make progress.

"The focus is very firmly on seeing the re-establishment of an Executive, but if that proves intractable, if that does not prove possible, then obviously I think the victims have waited for a very long time and we do need to move this forward."

The Secretary of State said a consultation was a way of building momentum towards implementing the Stormont House proposals.

Victims' Commissioner Judith Thompson and members of the Victims and Survivors Forum - a body representing people affected by the Troubles - said the public consultation must begin as soon as possible.

While victims welcomed parts of what Mr Brokenshire said, some were disappointed that he didn't give a firm date for starting the consultation.

Robert McClenaghan's grandfather Philip Garry was killed in the McGurk's Bar bombing carried out by the UVF, which the authorities initially blamed on the IRA.

"My father has now reached the ripe old age of 87, so it's important for us that we try to get some acknowledgement and some truth before he passes on," he said.

Hazel Deeney's husband Trevor was murdered by the INLA in 1998 and buried on the day the Good Friday Agreement was signed.

She said Mr Brokenshire was compassionate and understanding, but was hampered by the lack of a Stormont Executive.

"I do believe he could have went further and I do think the Executive getting up and running plays a crucial part in how victims' (needs) moving forward are going to be met," she said.

Ms Thompson said victims were weary, frustrated and disillusioned at the lack of progress on the Stormont House mechanisms.

She added: "It undermines people's trust and respect for the way that governments and the law are dealing with them."

She stressed the need for a "victim-centred approach" that was balanced, fair and inclusive.

She said: "It is almost two years to the month since the Fresh Start Agreement abandoned victims and survivors, and it is with real sadness that we find ourselves once again in a political stalemate.

"In advocating for a legislative consultation, the commission and the forum are very conscious that there will be challenges."
A police crackdown on paramilitaries has produced nearly 100 arrests.

A total of 66 were charged or reported to prosecutors, chief constable George Hamilton said.

A Paramilitary Crime Taskforce is being established to target the organised criminals.

The chief constable said: "The fear and misery caused in our communities by paramilitaries is unacceptable and should not be tolerated."

Extra funding has been made available following the 2015 Fresh Start Agreement at Stormont.

Mr Hamilton added: "Tackling this problem has always been a priority for the PSNI and the funding made available through Fresh Start now allows us to build a dedicated team of experts to deal with all forms of criminality linked to paramilitarism, including paramilitary style assaults, extortion, intimidation, drug dealing and money laundering."

He said the anti-paramilitaries team had developed incrementally during 2016/2017 and with the support of the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), investigations so far had resulted in just under 100 arrests and 200 searches, with 66 people being charged or reported to the Public Prosecution Service.

Around 450,000 of criminal assets have been seized or restrained including more than 157,000 in cash, drugs with an estimated street value of around 230,000 and other goods including a Range Rover and a number of mobile food stalls.

A number of guns, including a machine gun, as well as ammunition and pipe bombs, have also been seized.

The chief constable added: "We are now preparing to step up the pressure as we make our final preparations towards co-locating with our colleagues in the NCA and HMRC to form a new multi-disciplinary team - known as the Paramilitary Crime Taskforce - which will allow for a dedicated investigative partnership that will apply a long-term and consistent focus on paramilitary groups.

"This will be complemented by our Policing with the Community Project which will see officers working with communities to end paramilitary crime."
An international trade dispute with major implications for jobs in Northern Ireland is unjustified and unwarranted, the British Government said.

A preliminary finding is due later from the US authorities after aerospace giant Boeing claimed its multinational rivals Bombardier received unfair state subsidies from the UK and Canada, allowing them to sell airliners at below cost prices in the US.

Bombardier will discover on Tuesday whether it may face financial penalties in a major blow to its manufacturing operation in Belfast, but it will be February before a final ruling on imposing tariffs is made by official agencies across the Atlantic.

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire said: "The UK Government believes clearly that the support that we have given through repayable launch investment to the C-Series project is legitimate, is lawful, is within World Trade Organisation rules and therefore that the actions that have been brought around this case are unwarranted."

Bombardier employs more than 4,000 people at a plant in East Belfast. It is one of Northern Ireland's largest employers and supports hundreds of other jobs through its suppliers.

Its immediate future was secured after it signed a 5.6 billion US dollar deal last year to provide up to 125 of its new C-Series aircraft to Atlanta-based Delta Airlines.

The wings are made in Belfast, employing at least 800 people directly, and Prime Minister Theresa May has lobbied President Donald Trump over the importance of preserving the posts.

The alleged unfair subsidy arose after Northern Ireland's power sharing government and the UK Government pledged to invest almost 135 million in the establishment of the C-Series manufacturing site in Belfast.

The programme also received one billion US dollars from the provincial government in Quebec in 2015 when its fortunes appeared to be ailing.

Boeing's complaint said it was seeking a "level playing field" for global competitors, but Bombardier accused its rival of hypocrisy.

Any US Department of Commerce decision to impose tariffs would increase the cost of importing the plane to the US.

George Burnside, a senior steward at Bombardier Belfast, said fear of what the ruling may hold was stalking the work floor but the final ruling on punitive charges could be made in the US in February.

"If the C-Series is ground to a halt, potentially you have up to 800 jobs there plus you have the supply chains in the wider community as well, so it is a very worrying time.

"But the union is in there fighting hard along with the British Government and along with our local politicians so we are hopeful we can get a resolution."

He said the atmosphere in Bombardier was quiet and muted.

"You can feel the fear in the factory because they don't really know what the actual outcome could be."

Jimmy Kelly, Unite the Union's Irish regional secretary, said Boeing had suffered no detriment and that there was no merit in this case.

"We are emphasising that the British Government needs to be stronger in saying to Boeing that they are reviewing, revisiting, re-looking at contracts that are very sizeable, second only to Japan, and that the British Government should be using that leverage with Boeing."

In response, Mr Brokenshire called for a "negotiated" outcome.

Mrs May's intervention came after she was pressed to raise the issue by DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose 10 MPs are propping up her minority administration in the House of Commons and are expected to play a crucial role during upcoming Brexit business in Parliament.

The C-Series is a single-aisle, mid-range aircraft which will provide competition for the Boeing 737.

Deliveries are due to begin next year.

The innovative carbon-fibre composite technology, developed in Belfast to produce the wings, enables material and aircraft weight savings, contributing significantly to the C-Series airliner's economic and environmental credentials, Bombardier said.

Delta is taking the smaller CS100 model of the plane.

In February last year, Bombardier announced 1,080 job losses at its Northern Ireland plants following delays to the C-Series.
The Prison Service was staying silent last night over how a dangerous convicted killer was able to escape custody while being treated at a Northern Ireland hospital.

Magilligan inmate Victor Kennedy (40) made a bid for freedom from the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine just after 10.30pm on Sunday.

The murderer was at the hospital for treatment to an arm injury.

Following an emergency alert, police said he was recaptured after 2am and thanked the public for their assistance.

Police referred questions about the incident to the prison service.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice would only say an investigation will take place.

In March 2009, Kennedy, who was aged 31 at the time, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life for the killing of a school teacher. He was ordered to serve a minimum 14 years.

Michael McGinnis, a former Royal Navy sailor who once taught English children in Korea, was found lying at the bottom of concrete steps at Blackburn Path in Limavady in 2007 suffering multiple injuries.

The court heard that Kennedy, from Portrush, attacked him to steal his phone in order to sell it for money to buy alcohol.

Trial judge Mr Justice Weir said at the time that Kennedy posed a "high risk of harm" to the public.

East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell said the prison service needed to be "more explicit" in explaining how the escape was allowed to happen.

"Priority should be to capturing the individual and then provide an explanation as to the background of the incident," the DUP MP said.

"The most important thing is that this doesn't happen again and there have been a number of incidents recently of prisoners escaping custody while out of the confines of the jail.

"There is an overriding concern for public safety. I trust they will be conducting a thorough review of how this happened. It should go without saying, when a prisoner convicted of murder is taken out of prison he should be under particularly tight security."

The Department of Justice said it would not comment on individual prisoners.

There are currently six people on the prison service's wanted list after escaping custody, including one man convicted of a brutal murder in 1999. Paul James Johnston has been on the run since April. The 35-year-old, along with his brother, was convicted of the murder of west Belfast man Sean May (58).
Arlene Foster has said the DUP and Sinn Fein are working hard to close the gaps between the two parties as talks to restore power-sharing continue at Stormont.

Mrs Foster stressed that decisions had to be made next month about whether the Executive could be restored, as agreement about a budget for Northern Ireland had to be in place by the end of October.

Speaking on RTE last night, the DUP leader welcomed comments last weekend by Gerry Adams about the negotiations.

The Sinn Fein president dismissed as "a lie", speculation his party wasn't interested in restoring devolution and insisted he was "up for doing a deal with the DUP".

Mrs Foster said the challenge now was to convert the change of tone into actions that would allow an executive to be formed.

She added that people in Northern Ireland wanted to see a devolved government established.

Earlier, the Secretary of State said talks between the DUP and Sinn Fein had "intensified and deepened".

James Brokenshire welcomed the improved mood at discussions between the two parties, who have a fortnight to reach agreement to form an executive.

If they fail to do so, he will move to pass a budget for Northern Ireland in the House of Commons.

Mr Brokenshire hailed the "positive statements" by the DUP and Sinn Fein in recent days and urged them to translate words into actions. An Irish Language Act remains the stumbling block to a deal, with Sinn Fein insisting on standalone legislation.

"I firmly believe a deal is doable with the right intent and focus," Mr Brokenshire said.

"We've obviously seen some more positive statements, but it is now about converting that into a deal, converting that into the formation of an executive.

"I would strongly encourage the parties to continue that intensive process and to bring that about, to make that happen and to see the restoration of devolved government that everyone wants to have and wants to see back in place."

But TUV leader Jim Allister yesterday branded mandatory coalition as "a busted flush".

He said: "If voluntary coalition is not doable, then legislative devolution - as I have previously articulated - is about the only remaining option to keep Stormont open. Though, perhaps, a Westminster Grand Committee could do as good a job?

"Traditional Unionism does not baulk at a one parliament, one people approach - indeed, at one level it is the natural outworking of being a unionist."

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said neither he nor Theresa May were contemplating failure in efforts to restore devolution.

Mr Varadkar was in London yesterday for talks with the Prime Minister in Downing Street.

He said the two of them were in a "shared space" on trying to get power-sharing up and running.

He added that he could see no advantage in holding another Assembly election in a bid to end the stalemate.

Mr Varadkar maintained it was too early to say if Britain had made enough progress in the Brexit negotiations to allow it to progress to the next phase.

A decision on that will be taken by the 27 EU leaders when they meet next month.

The Taoiseach said it would be shaped by the views of chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier. He urged the British Government to be "more specific" about the future relationship between the UK and the Republic after Brexit.

But he welcomed Mrs May's pledge that she didn't want any physical border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Gerry Adams urged Mr Varadkar to oppose Brexit talks moving on to the next phase, saying the UK Government had "failed to provide solutions to the key issues affecting the island of Ireland".

He added: "The Taoiseach has a duty to stand up for Irish national interests.

"It would be extremely reckless to allow the negotiations to proceed in absence of these issues being addressed in a substantive and comprehensive way."

Downing Street said the Government is working on a "practical solution" to deal with the Irish border.

A No 10 spokesman said: "The Prime Minister made clear how the UK will be the strongest friend and partner to the EU after we leave the EU and how maintaining the reciprocal arrangements for the Common Travel Area and the citizenship rights guaranteed by the Belfast Agreement were at the heart of our approach."
The parents of a "model son" who died after an altercation in Londonderry at the weekend are in a "state of total grief and disbelief", the family's priest has said.

Police were yesterday granted an additional 36 hours to question an 18-year-old man in connection with the death of Jordan McConomy.

Mr McConomy died as a result of injuries he sustained in the altercation in the early hours of Sunday in William Street.

His distraught parents are struggling to come to terms with their grief as they await the arrival of Jordan's older brother Paul, who is travelling back to Derry from Australia.

A post mortem was due to be carried out on Mr McConomy's remains yesterday ahead of his body being returned to his family in Rossnagalliagh.

His funeral is expected to take place at St Joseph's Church in Galliagh later this week, although arrangements have not yet been finalised.

Fr Kevin Mulhern from St Joesph's has been comforting the grieving family, who he said are in a state of total disbelief.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Fr Mulhern said: "Jordan's mother, father and sister Sarah are just numb with grief, they are in a state of disbelief, of wanting to wake up and it all be a bad dream instead of the reality.

"I didn't know Jordan myself but his parents have told me how good a son and brother he was - in fact they described him as a model son to me.

"There are no words we can say at times like this - all we can do is sit there, be with them in their grief and this is just one of those times.

"So many people have been affected by his death.

"He brought joy to everyone who knew him."

After the assault, Mr McConomy was taken by ambulance to Altnagelvin Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. Stunned neighbours in the Rossnagalliagh area where Mr McConomy lived were yesterday still coming to terms with the shock of the teenager's death.

Josephine Doherty said: "This is just the most heartbreaking thing. I feel so, so sorry for Jordan's mother and father.

"Jordan was the same age as one of my own sons and I suppose you can't help but think - there for the grace of God go I.

"The young ones like to go out at the weekend and we were no different, but you don't expect your son not to come back home again.

"I have done nothing but cry since I heard the news, it has had a terrible effect on everybody around here. It is awful, no one knows what to do or what to say, but really there is nothing anyone can say."

Police have already been contacted by a large number of potential witnesses who were in William Street at around 2am on Sunday.

Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Boyce of the PSNI Serious Crime Branch renewed an appeal for everyone who was in the vicinity to get in touch.

He said: "Police are aware that many people were socialising in William Street earlier this morning and we would like to hear from members of the public who witnessed an altercation in William Street between approximately 1.45am and 2.15am to get in touch with detectives at Strand Road on telephone number 101, quoting reference number 228 of 24/9/17."

He added: "Police would particularly like to hear from motorists who were either parked on or travelling along William Street during these times and who had a dash cam fitted to their vehicle."
A 23-year-old man has been found guilty of assaulting a teenage female staff member in a nightclub, in what he claimed was "horseplay which went too far"

A 23-year-old man has been found guilty of assaulting a teenage female staff member in a nightclub, in what he claimed was "horseplay which went too far".

Following a contested hearing at Dungannon Magistrates' Court, the judge accepted that, whilst there was intimate contact with the victim, it was unintentional, however the rationale for challenging the charge remained questionable.

Tiernan Hughes, of Crumlin Road, Belfast, was charged with assaulting the young victim on November 8, 2015. He was in the VIP area of a Cookstown nightclub, drinking with a group of friends in an atmosphere which was described as "boisterous and energetic".

During the course of the evening, the victim was clearing tables when Hughes grabbed her from behind by the hips and lifted her high in the air. The girl's head struck a railing, and she repeatedly asked him to put her down. However, Hughes then placed his right hand between her legs and turned her toward him, with his face in her chest area. The victim was being thrown up and down by Hughes whilst his friends cheered him on, the court heard.

The teenager was terrified as she suffers from epilepsy and, after breaking free, reported the matter to her manager.

Giving evidence from behind a screen, the victim, who was 17 at the time, was tearful and struggled to recount the incident.

Her manager immediately called in the nightclub owner who alerted police and ordered the victim to be taken to another part of the premises, the court heard.

On arrival, a female police officer found the victim to be very shaken and, as well as sustaining a head injury, she had vomited. She also reported bruising and bleeding from where she had been grabbed. She was taken to Craigavon Area Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, Hughes was detained by a member of door staff who confirmed he was fully compliant and described the incident as "just a bit of craic".

He told police: "We (him and his friends) were engaging in horseplay all evening. I took advantage of a staff member but it was just horseplay that got out of hand. I was acting like a drunken idiot."

He agreed his actions were wrong and such behaviour was unacceptable. Despite this, Hughes went on to deny the charge when it came to court.

Ruling immediately, Judge Meehan ordered a conviction and said: "This was assault and a good deal more than unlawful touching. I do agree it was not sexualised, but it was intimate. I really don't know why the defendant chose to contest this. Not only is the impact on the victim to this day still evident, there is a failure to recognise what assault is."

Hughes was told to return to court on October 25 for sentencing.
A Belfast coroner has given a health trust one week to produce a report into the death of a mother-of-three who fell from a fourth floor landing in a hospital.

At Laganside Court, Coroner Joe McCrisken demanded a copy of the Southern Health Trust's Serious Adverse Incident report, written in the wake of the death of Anita Rooney (50) last year.

The document contains an undisclosed "number of recommendations" after the death of Ms Rooney on May 18, 2016, at Craigavon Area Hospital.

A recruitment consultant in Dungannon, Mrs Rooney was survived by her husband Michael and children, Thomas, Natalie and Chloe.

Mr McCrisken said he needed to see the report before determining whether to hold an inquest. The coroner asked the counsel for the trust, Margaret Bryan, if the report could be produced imminently and she assured him it would.

He said: "I am going to need it within seven days as I have to take the decision as to whether there will be an inquest into this lady's death."

He said that although the report "starts off as an internal learning tool", ultimately it provides useful and "good quality" information for an inquest.

A formal inquest date has not yet been set.
A Co Antrim family whose "kind-hearted and bubbly" 22-year-old daughter died of an aggressive brain tumour have called for a reform of cancer care, after their daughter waited 16 days for a brain biopsy.

Phebe Calderwood from Broughshane, who worked as a carer for adults with learning disabilities at Ballymena's George Sloane Centre, passed away surrounded by her family in hospital on Sunday afternoon.

Nine years earlier, aged just 13, the young woman had overcome a clival chordoma brain tumour with the aid of proton beam therapy.

Phebe then enjoyed several years of good health, and had recently bought a house with her fiance Daniel Murray (25), before her symptoms resurfaced.

Her mum Lynn Wilson (48) told the Belfast Telegraph that Phebe was a "fighter" who could "see the good in everybody".

"She was first diagnosed with clival chordoma at 13-and-a-half after she took a squint in her eye and we took her to the opticians," Lynn recalled.

"She ended up having a CT scan and an MRI scan, and for a while they thought it was a cyst, but then after another MRI it turned out to be a brain tumour.

"That tumour was fast-growing; it grew by 30% in just three months, and Phebe underwent four surgeries at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

"Then she went to Switzerland for proton beam therapy and for many years her health was good."

However, during a trip to Blackpool this May, Phebe began suffering from dizzy spells which culminated in her undergoing two MRIs at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

"No-one got in touch with any results, so we assumed that no news was good news," Lynn said.

"Then she had a second dizzy spell the week before her birthday, and on August 2 we got her an ambulance to Antrim Area Hospital, where she spent 16 days as we were told that there were no beds at the Royal.

"She was transferred to the Royal on August 17 and had a brain biopsy the next day, then a week later she had a biopsy of her spine.

"When we got the results back, they told us there was nothing they could do for us.

"The tumour had got into her brain stem. We have been left wondering if she could have had a fighting chance at survival if she had had the biopsies done sooner."

In the days before her death, Phebe's parents and fiance Daniel say they "lived" in hospital, and received "second-to-none" care when they were transferred to the Macmillan Unit at Antrim Area Hospital.

"She knew that we were there," Lynn said.

"It has been horrendous for the whole family. Phebe was my first child and my only girl, and her brother Saul (8) is devastated, as are her seven half-brothers and sisters.

"She passed away at 1.25pm on Sunday. It wasn't nice listening to her breathing. She was fighting it hard, she didn't want to go, but she had nothing left.

"At the moment I'm just numb. At least Phebe's not suffering any more. We don't want any other family to go through what we have gone through.

"There needs to be reform of cancer care in Northern Ireland to make sure that patients don't have to wait too long."

Daniel, who got engaged to Phebe three years ago, described his late fiancee as "smart, funny and beautiful".

"She was very caring, just amazing," he said. "She loved her job working with adults with learning disabilities and conditions like Alzheimer's. She was big-hearted."

Lynn added that her daughter "never saw the bad in anyone".

"She was more mature than others her age because of what she had been through," she said. "She always saw the light."

The Belfast and Northern Health and Social Care Trusts were not available for comment at the time of going to press.

Phebe's funeral will take place at 1pm tomorrow at St Patrick's Church, Broughshane.
Public confidence in the PSNI has jumped in the past year, a new survey reveals.

The Policing Board's 'Perceptions of Police' report, has revealed almost three quarters (74%) of people think the PSNI is doing a good job in the survey conducted in April 2017.

The figure compares to a figure of 68% in April 2016. The increase, the report said, was "statistically significant".

Protestant support was slightly higher with 76% thinking officers do a good job with 73% of Catholics agreeing.

Elsewhere 93% of those taking the survey said they felt safe in their community, a small increase on the 91% in April 2016.

In terms of how the PSNI treats people, 78% of people said they were satisfied the force treated people fairly. 85% of Protestants agreed with the statement compared with 73% of Catholics. And 90% said they had confidence in the PSNI to provide an "ordinary day-to-day" service.

However, only half of respondents said they were satisfied with the level of police patrols in their area.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd described the figures as "encouraging".

"This demonstrates that we are continuing to deliver a service that the community have confidence in despite the challenges we face," he said.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland is a smaller organisation which means we have to understand and prioritise the demands from the public and continually strive to be more effective and efficient.

"This isnt easy but this report shows that police officers and staff working hard on the ground with their local communities are making a real impact on people's lives.
The Enniskillen Spitfire which was bought through the Belfast Telegraph appeal

Flight Lieutenant Chris Nash beside one of the Shorts Tucano T Mark 1 aircraft

Pilots have paid an aerial tribute to their former base in Co Antrim as they celebrated 72 (Reserve) Squadron's 100th anniversary.

Two Shorts Tucano T Mark 1 planes - one painted in a specially designed Spitfire livery to commemorate the Battle of Britain - took to the skies over Aldergrove to mark the occasion.

The Tucano has the registration RN-S 'Enniskillen' in recognition of the original plane which bore the name during the Second World War and to honour the squadron's more recent operational history in Northern Ireland.

Enniskillen was one of 17 Spitfires bought with funds raised by the Belfast Telegraph Spitfire Appeal in 1940-41. A detachment of 72 Squadron helicopters were based at RAF Aldergrove from 1969. In 1983, the Westland Wessex helicopters took part in the rescue of the crew of HMS Vigilant and of 108 passengers and 20 crew from the stranded Larne-Stranraer car ferry, the Antrim Princess.

In 1981, 72 Squadron moved to RAF Aldergrove on a permanent basis and remained there until 2002.

It is now based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire.
Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017 Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017 Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017 Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017 Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017 Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017 Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017 Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017 Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Roisin Bryne who is holding nine-week-old niece Maela-Rose. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017 Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Grainne Byrne with Roisin Bryne who is holding Grainne's nine-week-old daughter Maela-Rose. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Nipsa - Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance - demonstration against 70m health cuts at Parliament Buildings, Stormont in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Press Eye Belfast - Northern Ireland 26h September 2017

Medical professionals have angrily accused Stormont's health boss Richard Pengelly of being "irresponsible" and putting patients at risk by ordering budget cuts of 70 million.

They also described as a "sham" public consultations aimed at deciding where the cuts should be made.

Around 200 representatives from medical bodies and trade unions staged a protest at Parliament Buildings on Tuesday against the health cuts.

In August, Northern Ireland's five health trusts unveiled plans to make 70 million of cuts to plug budget shortfalls.

The proposals, which were opened to public consultation, included a cut in agency or locum staff and a reduction of non-urgent elective surgery.

The Belfast Trust also proposed the closure of about 100 bed places while the Northern Trust suggested closing two wards in Whiteabbey Hospital.

Members of the NI Committee of the Irish congress of Trade Unions (NIC-ICTU), representing 11 health unions, marched through the grounds of Stormont to deliver a letter of protest to Permanent Secretary Richard Pengelly at the Department of Health in Castle Buildings.

The letter, signed by the chairwoman of the NIC-ICTU Health Policy Committee Anne Speed, expressed "profound concerns about the actions taken by (Mr Pengelly) and (his) department, which will, as publicly stated by clinicians, put patients and clients at risk and are causing widespread public concern".

The group said they are unaware of any attempts by the department to secure the funding shortfall either through negotiation with the Department of Finance, other departments or representations to the Secretary of State.

The letter continued: "You are taking these decisions at a time when additional funding has been announced for the Health Service in England.

"You are also aware that a further 1 billion has been agreed for the NI allocation as a result of the 'confidence and supply' agreement between the UK Government and the DUP."

The group claimed that the consultation by Trusts "is no more than a sham" as Trust Boards have been instructed to meet in mid-October to make final cuts decisions "despite the fact that the public consultation closes on October 5.

They have demanded that Mr Pengelly and the Department of Health stops the current process and engages with the Trade Union Movement, health unions, staff, service users and stake holders "to find a way through the current crisis which does not adversely impact on patients, clients and front line staff".
The woman who heads up a debt management service in the Northern Ireland town where Universal Credit will be first implemented tomorrow has expressed serious concerns about the impact the new social security system will have on the area.

Myra McKeown is the manager at Step Change within Limavady Community Development Initiative (LCDI) and says the introduction of Universal Credit is already steering more and more people into greater debt.

Universal Credit is the overarching form of social security that has replaced the six strands of payment that made up the previous benefits system. It will replace Jobseeker's Allowance, which was support based on income; Employment and Support Allowance, which was also related to income; Income Support; Child Tax Credits; Working Tax Credits and Housing Benefit.

The system was first announced by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith in 2010 with the stated aim of bringing "fairness and simplicity" to the British Social Security system.

However, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Myra McKeown said: "Already the introduction of this system is pushing people towards more debt. The switch also from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the assessment process involved is also causing hardship and anxiety.

"People are being left without money and so are resorting to taking out doorstep loans. We estimate that the average household is losing around 60 per month. That's 720 per year, which is a lot to those on benefits," she said.

The North West town perenially ranks second only to Londonderry in terms of Northern Ireland's worst unemployment rates.

Step Change estimates the current level of debt being dealt with at the Limavady-based centre is around 4.5m.

Ms McKeown also expressed concerns that applications can only be made digitally, leaving some people potentially unable to do so.

"People are also used to getting money either weekly or fortnightly, but the new system is monthly and they are not ready to handle it, as they haven't had to budget like this before," she said.

One young man from the area said he is very worried by the new system. Dylan Young (20) has a learning difficulty and told the BBC: "I would love a job but I have no qualifications. I tried, but there is no hope for me. I'm worried about the changes and that if I lose my money I won't be able to live."
Police are investigating after a student was taken to hospital after being punched by a bouncer in Belfast.

It happened outside The Hatfield on the Ormeau Road on Monday night.

Footage of the incident shows the student being knocked to the ground.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service was called just after midnight to a report of an alleged assault.

A spokesman said: "One A&E crew attended the incident. Following assessment and treatment at the scene by paramedics, one patient was transported to the Royal Victoria Hospital."

A PSNI spokesman said: Shortly after 11.40pm last night (Monday September 25) police received a report of an assault outside licensed premises on the Ormeau Road in Belfast.

"A teenage male was taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment. Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact police on the non-emergency number 101 quoting reference 1665 of 25/9/17."

A spokesman for the Hatfield said: "We are aware of an incident which took place on the Ormeau Road last night between a member of public and an employee of an independent security firm.

"This individual was not present in our premises at any time. We are unable to comment any further at this stage."
Oliver Hurley is on trial at the Old Bailey

A former officer in the Irish police caused fatal brain injuries to a drunk man in an attack born out of "frustration and irritation", a court heard.

Oliver Hurley, 64, is said to have shoved Manolito Chando, 56, so hard he lifted him off his feet during a confrontation at a Salvation Army hostel close to London's Westminster Abbey.

The court heard the alleged victim was drunk and unsteady on his feet when the former garda violently pushed him out of a lift at around 8pm on March 24 last year.

That evening Mr Chando, who had a history of alcohol abuse, had been behaving in an "irritating way" towards other residents in the home for "adult males with varying support needs", jurors were told.

"The prosecution case is that the assault that followed, when the defendant shoved Mr Chando out of the lift, was born as much of frustration, irritation, on the defendant's part as anything else," said prosecutor James Brown.

"He described Mr Chando, in a police van later that evening, as 'a pest'."

The alleged victim was taken to hospital with a small bleed on the brain, having regained consciousness eight minutes after the alleged attack.

But he was put into an induced coma after his condition deteriorated and doctors took the decision to give no further treatment on April 9.

A coroner found Mr Chando had died from a "traumatic brain injury" and Hurley, of Wandsworth Bridge Road, in Fulham, southwest London, is standing trial at the Old Bailey, where he denies manslaughter.

The prosecutor told jurors: "This trial concerns the death of a man called Manolito Chando. The defendant is charged with his manslaughter, that is to say his unlawful killing.

"Mr Chando died on April 9 last year. The Crown's case is that his death was as a result of injuries he sustained when he was violently pushed to the ground by the defendant a number of days earlier on March 24 the same year.

"The issue for you to determine is whether the defendant was acting in lawful self defence when he pushed Mr Chando to the ground.

"There may also be an issue raised by Mr Hurley as to whether or not the injury inflicted on Mr Chando was in fact the cause of his death."

Jurors were shown CCTV footage of the alleged attack in which Mr Chando appears to be unsteady on his feet as he steps back out of the lift into the foyer of the hostel.

"The defendant violently pushed him backwards with sufficient force to lift him off his feet," Mr Brown said.

The trial continues.
More Court of Appeal judges need to be appointed in Ireland, the new Chief Justice has said.

Mr Justice Frank Clarke said the Court of Appeal's workload was an "acute problem" and that a priority for the justice system was to secure extra judges.

Discussing his priorities for the upcoming legal year in a speech at the Four Courts in Dublin on Tuesday, Mr Justice Clarke said he had been in talks with Sean Ryan, president of the Irish Court of Appeal, to find some short-term solutions to the problem.

He stressed however that the long-term solution required more judges.

Mr Justice Clarke warned that it was "abundantly clear" the workload of the individual judges of the Court of Appeal was "beyond what can reasonably be expected".

He added: "The criminal side of the work of the Court of Appeal is up to date. However, this achievement requires the allocation, typically, of four judges.

"The six remaining judges have to deal with an increased civil appeal burden ... it is not difficult to see why there is a problem," he said.

"I would like to emphasise here my complete commitment to supporting that case for extra judges for the Court of Appeal and also the commitment of my colleagues and I to assist in any exceptional, interim, short-term measures which may be required.

"Leaving aside altogether issues concerning the method of judicial appointment, there is an urgent need to address at least some aspects of the shortfall in numbers in the appellate courts as a matter of particular urgency," Mr Justice Clarke added.

He also indicated that more investment and better use of resources was needed in the justice system.

"In the overall context of resources I hope to continue to explore means whereby the case for resources for the courts, which are, after all, the third arm of government established by the constitution, can be put more directly to the final decision makers.

"We cannot expect to write our own cheque but we can seek the most effective way to have our case heard," he added.

The Chief Justice also warned of the consequences of Brexit for the Irish legal system in the context of Europe wide judicial bodies, consulted by the European Commission and legislators.

He said because of the difference between the legal systems used in continental Europe and those in the UK and Ireland, it was important to ensure the common law position was understood.

He said Ireland had in the past been able to rely on the "well-resourced" UK to take the lead in these situations.

After Brexit, he said, Ireland would become the biggest common law jurisdiction and there would be a much greater burden on the country to ensure measures proposed at a European level would fit well into the Irish legal system.
Boeing claims Bombardierm which employs thousands of people in Northern Ireland, received unfair state subsidies from the UK and Canada ( Brian Lawless/PA)

A preliminary US finding on a trade dispute which could threaten thousands of Northern Irish jobs is due later.

Aerospace giant Boeing claims its Canadian rivals Bombardier received unfair state subsidies from the UK and Canada, allowing them to sell airliners at below cost prices to the US.

Bombardier employs around 5,000 people at a plant in East Belfast and signed a 5.6 billion US dollar deal last year to provide up to 125 of its new C-Series aircraft to Atlanta-based Delta Airlines. The wings are made in Belfast and Prime Minister Theresa May has lobbied President Donald Trump over the importance of preserving the manufacturing posts.

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The US Department of Commerce could introduce a preliminary tariff on the C-Series, which would increase the cost of importing the plane to the US, when it publishes its initial findings later.

A recent Bombardier statement said: It is pure hypocrisy for Boeing to say that the C-Series launch pricing is a violation of global trade law when Boeing does the same for its new aircraft.

The Northern Ireland powersharing Executive and UK Government pledged to invest almost 135 million in the establishment of the C-Series manufacturing site in Belfast.

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The programme received one billion US dollars from the provincial government in Quebec in 2015 when its fortunes appeared to be ailing.

Mrs Mays intervention came after she was pressed to raise the issue by DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose 10 MPs are propping up her minority administration in the House of Commons and are expected to play a crucial role during upcoming Brexit business in Parliament.

The C-Series is a single aisle, mid-range aircraft which will provide competition for the Boeing 737.

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Deliveries are due to begin next year.

The innovative carbon-fibre composite technology, developed in Belfast to produce the wings, enables material and aircraft weight savings, contributing significantly to the C-Series airliners economic and environmental credentials, Bombardier said.

Delta is taking the smaller CS100 model of the plane.

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Bombardier is a Montreal-based multinational which had been under financial pressure and invested large sums in its new jet programme. It is crucial to many jobs in Belfast.

In February last year the firm announced 1,080 job losses at its Northern Ireland plants following delays to the C-Series.

Bombardier is one of Northern Irelands largest employers and supports hundreds of other jobs through its suppliers.
Consultant surgeon Nasser Kurdy was stabbed in the neck outside a mosque in Hale, Cheshire ( Pat Hurst/PA)

A 28-year-old man has been remanded in custody after appearing at court charged with stabbing a Muslim surgeon outside a mosque.

Ian Anthony Rook, of no fixed abode, appeared at Manchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with a section 18 assault  wounding or causing grievous bodily harm  and possession of an offensive weapon, a large knife.

Consultant Nasser Kurdy, 58, was attacked from behind as he walked to Altrincham Islamic Centre in Hale, Cheshire, just before 6pm on Sunday.

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Rook, wearing a grey jumper, spoke to confirm his name and date of birth at the brief hearing.

District Judge Khalid Qureshi sent the case to Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester where Rook will next appear on October 23.

Mr Kurdy suffered a three centimetre (1.1in) wound to the back of his neck and was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital for treatment, where he works as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon.

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He was later discharged.

On Monday the father-of-three, from a Syrian Jordanian family, was preparing to go back to work to treat his patients.

He has worked as a doctor for four decades, after coming to Britain to study medicine in 1977 and working in Perth, Dundee and Northampton before settling in Manchester in 1991.

Earlier this year he treated casualties in the Manchester Arena bombing.

Mr Kurdy was heading to the Islamic Centre in Grove Lane for mid-afternoon prayers and a committee meeting, as he is a lay imam, sometimes giving sermons, and vice chairman of Altrincham and Hale Muslim Association.

He told reporters he felt no anger towards his attacker.

Greater Manchester Police said a second man arrested following the attack had been released with no further action.
A promising Oxford University medical student who stabbed her boyfriend during a drunken assault with a bread knife has avoided prison - meaning she could return to her studies.

Lavinia Woodward (24) received a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for stabbing her then partner with the knife.

Woodward, a student at the university's Christ Church college, was to be sentenced earlier this year after admitting unlawful wounding, but the judge gave her four months to prove herself and stay out of trouble.

Oxford Crown Court heard Woodward was later admitted to a clinic for treatment for addictions to Class A drugs and alcohol, and an eating disorder.

The stabbing happened on December 30 last year when Woodward's partner, a Cambridge University student, visited her in Oxford. He realised she had been drinking and when Woodward discovered he had contacted her mother she became "extremely angry" and began throwing objects, before stabbing him in the leg.

At a previous hearing, Woodward, of Christ Church, St Aldate's, Oxford, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding.

James Sturman QC, defending, criticised media coverage of Miss Woodward's case, adding: "After the last occasion it was said she was too clever to go to prison. I have no idea where this came from," he said.

"She is not being treated leniently because she is intelligent - she is a very vulnerable, damaged young woman who will do all she can to put it right."

Mr Sturman said Woodward remained in a "dilemma" as to her career, but she could return to Oxford, take an academic research job or begin a PhD elsewhere. "The university remains supportive," he said.
The UK has abandoned the idea of having its Brexit cake and eating it, European Council president Donald Tusk has said.

Mr Tusk made the comments after Downing Street talks with Prime Minister Theresa May on Britains EU withdrawal.

Praising Mrs Mays speech in Florence last week in which the PM sought to map out the route to Brexit, Mr Tusk said Britain was now being more realistic in its approach.

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He told reporters: I feel cautiously optimistic about the constructive and more realistic tone in the Prime Ministers speech in Florence and of our discussion today.

This shows that the philosophy of having a cake and eating it, is finally at an end  at least I hope so. Thats good news.

The reference was a clear swipe at Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who claimed Britain could have its cake and eat it over Brexit.

Mr Tusk said that not enough progress had yet been made in the Brexit divorce talks to move on to trade negotiations.

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Describing Brexit as an exercise in damage control, he said: I feel now we will discuss our future relations with the UK once there is so-called sufficient progress.

The two sides are working and we will work hard at it.

But if you ask me, and if today member states ask me, I would say there is no sufficient progress yet. But we will work.

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After the talks a Downing Street spokesman said Mrs May and Mr Tusk had welcomed the good progress that has been made on citizens rights in the negotiations.

The spokesman said: At the end of the meeting, the PM said her Florence speech had been intended to create momentum in the ongoing talks. She said it was important for EU negotiators to now respond in the same spirit.

While posing for photographs with Mr Tusk at the beginning of the Downing Street meeting, Mrs May said the two leaders agreed that things have moved on in the Brexit process.

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The PM stressed the need for a good economic and security partnership between the UK and EU after withdrawal.

The Talks came after the fourth round of negotiations on the UKs withdrawal from the EU began in Brussels on Monday.

Brexit Secretary David Davis has insisted there are no excuses for blocking progress to trade talks.
A truck driver caught speeding in Western Australia may have lost their licence, but at least theyve still got their integrity.

The unidentified person was stopped by Dalwallinu police travelling at 97kmh (60mph)  37kmh over the speed limit.

And when asked why they were driving so fast the driver gave a truly honest response. Unluckily for them, it didnt much help their cause.

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I needed to shit, the person said, according to the police. Kids have given me gastro.

Despite all that honesty the person still lost their licence and was fined $1200 (705)  making that, once they got home, a very expensive poo.

It wasnt the only honest excuse Dalwallinu police were given that day, with someone else just 25 minutes before blaming their speed on talking.

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Maybe honesty is not the best policy after all.
ABC/Brett OronzioEric Church had such a great time at the 2016 BMI Maui Songwriters Festival, hes headed back again.

Last years event was one of the most unique performances Ive ever had in one of the most beautiful places Ive ever been, he says. I cant wait to go back!

This year, Jon Pardi, Maren Morris, Randy Houser and newcomer Ashley McBryde are just some of the Nashville songwriters wholl head to Hawaii to join the Chief.

The third annual festival takes place November 29-December 2, with tickets going on sale October 6 at MauiSongwritersFestival.com.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Canadian author and journalist Naomi Klein was the international guest speaker at this years Labour Party conference, and she didnt hold back in her description of US president Donald Trump.

Klein, who has previously interviewed Jeremy Corbyn, addressed delegates in Brighton on Tuesday afternoon.

And when it came to describing President Trump, she used a very local example.

You heard that correctly  Klein likened President Trump to a congealed lump of fat and sanitary products found in sewers, and more specifically the recent fatberg found under London.

She said: You know that horrible thing currently clogging up Londons sewers  I believe you call it the fatberg  well, Trump is the political equivalent of that.

She continued: He is a merger of all that is noxious in the culture, in the economy and in the body politic, all kind of glommed together in a self-adhesive mass.
A fight broke out in Uganda's parliament as politicians discussed legislation that could extend the president's decades-long hold on power.

The altercation came when opposition politicians accused a colleague on the government side of carrying a gun.

A brawl then broke out in which opponents pushed and punched each other.

A motion was being introduced to remove a constitutional provision that prevents anyone over the age of 75 from running for president.

The move is seen as an effort by President Yoweri Museveni, who at 73 is ineligible to run for re-election in 2021, to extend his rule.

The bill has raised tensions in the East African country that has never seen a peaceful change of power since independence from Britain in 1962.

Mr Museveni has held power since 1986.

AP
UN ambassador Hau Do Suan of Burma exercises his right of reply in the United Nations General Assembly, at UN headquarters (AP)

Burma's UN ambassador has insisted there is no "ethnic cleansing" or genocide taking place against Muslims and objected "in the strongest terms" to countries that used those words to describe the situation in Rakhine State.

Hau Do Suan used his "right of reply" at the end of the six-day gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly to respond to what he called "irresponsible remarks" and "unsubstantiated allegations" repeated by countries in their speeches to the 193-member world body.

He did not identify any of the nations, though many spoke out about the plight of more than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled from Burma to Bangladesh since August 25, when Rohingya insurgent attacks on security forces prompted a military crackdown and reprisals by majority Buddhists.

Among those who accused Burma, also known as Myanmar, of trying to rid itself of Rohingya were Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, and a number of Islamic countries, including the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Suan denied those claims, adding: "There is no ethnic cleansing. There is no genocide."

He said: "The leaders of Myanmar, who have long been striving for freedom and human rights, will not espouse such policies.

"We will do everything to prevent ethnic cleansing and genocide."

He called the issue of Rakhine State "extremely complex" and urged UN member states and the international community "to see the situation in northern Rakhine objectively and in an unbiased manner".

Pointing to the initial attack by the insurgent Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, known as ARSA, he said: "It is the responsibility of every government to fight against terrorism and protect innocent civilians".

The ambassador said there are several reasons for the exodus and "prominent among them is the fear factor".

Following the August 25 attacks and the security operation, he said: "most of the women and children were forced to flee" while men were conscripted into ARSA to fight Burma's security forces.

"The scorched earth policy employed by the terrorists is another factor.

"The terrorists planted IEDs everywhere, blew up bridges, and committed arsons."

Amnesty International has said it uncovered evidence of an "orchestrated campaign of systematic burnings" by Burmese security forces targeting dozens of Rohingya villages.

The human rights group released video, satellite photos, witness accounts and other data that found over 80 sites were torched and said as recently as Friday that fresh fires continued in Rakhine and that satellite and video images showed smoke rising from Muslim villages.

The Rohingya have faced persecution and discrimination in Buddhist-majority Burma for decades and are denied citizenship, even though they have lived there for generations.

The government says there is no such ethnicity as Rohingya and argues they are Bengalis who illegally migrated to Burma from Bangladesh.

US vice president Mike Pence has lamented the "terrible savagery" of Burma's security forces and warned that the violence against the Rohingya will "sows seeds of hatred".

He called for an end to violence and a long-term solution and urged the UN Security Council last week to take "strong and swift action" and "to give hope and help to the Rohingya people in their hour of need."

AP
Cambodia's appeals court has rejected a request for the release on bail of opposition leader Kem Sokha.

Mr Kem Sokha has been charged with treason in a case that is seen as a partisan political move by the government ahead of next year's general election.

Lawyers for Mr Kem Sokha, head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, boycotted Tuesday's hearing when their demand that their client be allowed to attend was denied.

Lawyer Sam Sokong cited the judge saying Mr Kem Sokha was not brought to appear because of security concerns.

This was a reference to the prospect of a protest by the opposition leader's supporters.

Mr Kem Sokha was charged with treason for allegedly conspiring with the United States to topple the government.

He could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

AP
An Iraqi Kurdish man takes a picture for his wife as she shows her voting paper during the referendum on independence from Iraq (AP)

Iraq's prime minister has given the country's Kurdish region until Friday to hand over airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban.

Haider al-Abadi's ultimatum on Tuesday came the day after Iraq's Kurds held a referendum on independence that has been roundly denounced by Baghdad and Iraq's neighbours.

Mr Al-Abadi says the ban would exclude humanitarian and other "urgent" flights.

The Kurds have their own regional government, parliament, armed forces and airports in Iraq's three northern provinces, where they have enjoyed constitutional autonomy for more than a decade.

They control disputed territories outside those provinces that are also claimed by Baghdad.

The referendum is not binding and will not immediately lead to independence, but it has increased tensions in the region.

Turkey has threatened to intervene militarily and is holding joint military drills with Iraq on the border.

The Arab League called on Iraqis to renounce their differences and open comprehensive dialogue to avoid clashes following the referendum.

Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, chief of the Cairo-based pan-Arab organisation, said in a statement: "It is still possible to contain the repercussions of this step if all concerned parties exercise wisdom and responsibility and conduct themselves inside the parameters of the Iraqi state."

The interests of Iraq, he added, "will be best served in the framework of a unified, federal and democratic Iraq".

While the referendum is not binding and not expected to immediately lead to independence, it has shaken the region, eliciting condemnations from Iraq's neighbours as well as the United States and the United Nations.

AP
A city mayor has been arrested as part of an investigation into the infiltration of the 'ndrangheta organised crime clan of southern Italy in the north's business and political establishment.

Prosecutors on Tuesday accused Edoardo Mazza, mayor of Seregno near the northern city of Milan, of being in cahoots with a mafia-linked builder who allegedly got him votes in exchange for the rights to build a supermarket.

The arrest of Mr Mazza, elected in 2015 on the ticket of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was announced as part of a multi-pronged investigation into the 'ndrangheta's infiltration in Lombardy, the economic engine of Italy.

In all, police issued 27 arrest warrants on Tuesday, many accused in the 'ndrangheta's cocaine trafficking operations and hailing from the mob's Calabrian hub in San Luca.

AP
Nigeria has limited the reach of Boko Haram extremists even though the group can still launch attacks, the country's information minister has said.

Boko Haram used to administer a number of local governments and collect taxes but now has none under its control, the minister, Lai Mohammed, added.

The extremists used to be active in 10 states but are now confined to a much smaller space, he said.

"They've been completely degraded," he said on Tuesday.

"They don't have the capacity to launch the kind of attacks they did before, but like with all asymmetrical wars, you cannot stop the suicide bombs or the attacks on soft targets.

"But clearly the government is winning.

"It's a war that can be won."

President Muhammadu Buhari's recovery from a health problem is on track despite a stopover in London on his way back to Nigeria after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he said.

Mr Buhari's London stop had raised concerns because the 74-year-old president has twice this year spent several weeks in London for treatment of an undisclosed illness.

The president has sought treatment in Britain rather than in Nigeria because of the type of treatment available in London, Mr Mohammed said.

"We don't have the facilities or the expertise that's needed for his illness," the minister said, declining to provide specifics.

"I think Mr President should be left to decide whether he wants to disclose his ailment or not," Mr Mohammed said.

"I don't think he should be under any obligation to do so."

AP
File photo of the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen (AP)

Saudi Arabia has warned of trade and diplomatic consequences over a proposed resolution at the UN's main human rights body concerning war-torn Yemen.

The revelation comes in a Saudi letter obtained by The Associated Press.

The letter says sending international, independent investigators to the war zone could "negatively affect" ties.

Two competing resolutions, one by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states and another by Canada and the Netherlands, have been proposed on how to best document the human rights violations in Yemen.

The resolutions are shaping up as the main diplomatic showdown at the Human Rights Council session that ends on Friday.

Saudi Arabia has sent a letter to at least two foreign countries warning Arab states "will not accept" the Dutch-Canadian resolution, which seeks an "international, independent investigation".

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has repeatedly called for such an investigation.

Saudi Arabia favours an existing domestic investigation that critics say has failed to hold rights violators to account in a war pitting the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government against Shiite and affiliated rebel groups.

The fighting has killed more than 10,000 civilians over the last two and a half years in the Arab world's poorest country.

While both sides say they are working to reach a single, compromise text at the 47-member rights council in Geneva, the letter suggests the kingdom is exerting diplomatic and economic pressure to thwart the rival plan.

"Adopting the Netherlands/Canadian draft resolution in the Human Rights Council may negatively affect the bilateral political and economic relations with Saudi Arabia," the 1-1/2-page letter said, while also emphasising the "importance of adopting a unified stance to face the conflict in Yemen".

Saudi Arabia has succeeded in derailing past attempts by the Dutch at the council to ensure greater accountability for rights violations in Yemen.

The Dutch-Canadian effort seeks to get access for human rights teams to rebel-held parts of Yemen that domestic investigators cannot visit.

The Saudi-led coalition, which has received military hardware and support from the United States, Britain and France, has come under increasing fire from advocacy groups over its blistering air strikes that have killed civilians in an impoverished country now on the brink of famine and facing the world's largest cholera outbreak.

"The world has sat largely silent while Yemeni civilians endure horrors," said John Fisher, Geneva director for Human Rights Watch, citing abuses by both the pro-government side and by forces loyal to Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and their allies: the Iran-backed Shiite rebels known as Houthis.

Since March 2015, Mr Fisher said, the Saudi-led coalition has bombed "homes, markets, schools, and hospitals. Opposing Houthi-Saleh forces have shelled cities and laid land mines that will harm civilians for years to come.

"Both sides have carried out arbitrary detentions, torture, and forced disappearances."

Human Rights Watch supports the Dutch-Canadian proposal.

AP
The White House has dismissed North Korea's claim that a tweet by Donald Trump amounted to a declaration of war. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the US had not "declared war" on Pyongyang.

The Trump administration also clarified yesterday that it was not seeking to overthrow North Korea's government after President Trump tweeted that its leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer".

Pyongyang interpreted that tweet as a declaration of war.

In a speech last week to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said if the US was forced to defend itself against North Korea, "we will have no choice but to totally destroy" the country. The US and North Korea agreed to an armistice after the 1950-1953 Korean War, not a peace treaty. Because of that, they are still technically at war.

The Trump administration also said it was not advocating regime change in North Korea.

North Korea's top diplomat, foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, responded to that at the United Nations, telling reporters it was a declaration of war against his country by the United States, and that the North had the right to shoot down US warplanes in international airspace.

A senior administration official said yesterday that the US policy was not regime change.

Mr Ri told reporters that Mr Trump's statement gives North Korea "every right" under the UN Charter to take counter-measures, "including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers even though they're not yet inside the airspace border of our country".

Mr Trump's tweet on Saturday said: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

Mr Ri said: "The question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then."

Meanwhile, Venezuela's top diplomat has said Mr Trump acted like "the world's emperor" at the UN General Assembly.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza's speech at the assembly came a day after Mr Trump signed a travel ban affecting some Venezuelan officials, and nearly a week after he denounced turmoil-racked Venezuela's "corrupt regime" in his own address to the UN. "As if he were the world's emperor, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, used this podium built for peace to announce wars, total destruction of member states and coercive measures, threatening and judging as if he had absolute, dictatorial powers over the sovereign member states of our organisation," Mr Arreaza said.

Invoking former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's famous quip that the podium "smells like sulphur" after then-US President George W Bush addressed the assembly in 2006, Mr Arreaza said: "It's still valid."

Venezuela's foreign ministry denounced the travel restrictions as a form of "political and psychological terrorism".

Mr Arreaza said at a news conference that it's "an unfounded strategy to soften the public opinion and to try to make a case against Venezuela".

He said his country is "looking for dialogue" with the Trump administration.

"For the moment, it has not been possible, but the will is there," Mr Arreaza said. "But, I insist, if they attack us in whatever area, we will respond strongly in defence of our homeland, of our people."
President Donald Trump urged nations to come together to act against the North Korean threat

The US is "totally prepared" to use a military option to deal with the threat from North Korea, President Donald Trump has said.

"It will be devastating," he warned.

A military option is not the preferred one, but Mr Trump added: "If we have to take it, we will."

The president was responding to comments from North Korea's foreign minister, who on Monday said that Mr Trump's recent threatening statements toward the North were a declaration of war and it would have the right to shoot down US war planes.

Mr Trump accused the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of behaving "very badly".

He blamed previous US presidents for failing to deal with the North Korean threat, declaring: "I will fix this mess."

At a White House news conference, Mr Trump also called on all nations "to join forces to isolate the North Korean menace".

He said they must act now to achieve the denuclearisation of North Korea.

The Trump administration has announced new sanctions which punish eight North Korean banks and 26 bank workers living abroad.

The sanctions rely on an executive order Mr Trump signed last week to target North Korea's access to the international banking system.

They come as the United Nations has also recently passed its toughest sanctions package targeting North Korea.

The eight banks are all in North Korea. The Treasury Department said the 26 individuals are North Korean nationals employed by those banks who work in Russia, China, Libya and the United Arab Emirates.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the US is targeting those "across the globe" who facilitate financial transactions for North Korea. He said it is part of the effort to isolate North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.

AP
Secretary of State James Brokenshire is right when he says that the victims' groups have waited a very long time for a resolution of their trauma and that he must move things forward.

In that, he is echoing the words of this newspaper which has been urging politicians to find a way of dealing with the toxic legacy of the past.

It seemed they had finally decided to move three years ago when a plan for the establishment of an Historic Investigations Unit to investigate unsolved murders, a truth recovery body and an oral history archive was proposed. Sadly, like so many other initiatives aimed at helping those bereaved or injured, the plan has simply been gathering dust at Stormont as devolution went into meltdown and politicians began haranguing each other over who was responsible for the collapse of the institutions.

While Mr Brokenshire would prefer any new initiative to involve local politicians - after all they are closest to the suffering of the bereaved and injured - he is prepared to move without them.

He is proposing to begin a consultation process at an early - if undisclosed - date, even if the parties cannot agree to return to the work they were elected to do. This is a welcome development, but it must also bear something of a health warning.

The government has shown some reluctance over disclosing secrets of the past - using the national security veto to prevent sensitive documents being released.

That may give an almost literal get out of jail free card to paramilitaries who could use it as an excuse for not disclosing their own sordid activities.

And with the parties showing no great haste to deal with the legacy of the past, they may well be content to sit on the sidelines until this thorny issue is dealt with from Westminster and then join in the chorus of complaints if the proposed plan of action does not meet with public approval.

Yet it would be churlish to dismiss Mr Brokenshire's attempt to breathe new life into a running sore that has festered for decades and has seen many campaigners and relatives go to their graves without any resolution of their demands for some kind of justice. History will not be kind to this time in Northern Ireland. To date we have failed the people who suffered most grievously during the Troubles and whose trauma in the years since has been compounded by the indifference of society towards them.
What a difference a year makes! Just 12 months ago, Labour were assembling for their annual conference in what appeared to be a chronic state of gloom, despondency and pessimism.

Now, this week they are gathering for their 2017 conference in a mood so jubilant and hopeful they could be heading for the sunlit uplands of Government, a prospect which last year seemed an impossible goal.

And they could be right.

What is more, they should be offering heartfelt thanks to Theresa May for the buoyancy they are now experiencing. The Prime Minister's ill-judged and (for the Tories) disastrous general election call, merely served to uplift Labour's spirits. Labour went into that election fearful Jeremy Corbyn's hard-left leadership would deter prospective Labour supporters in huge numbers and that the outcome would find them vanquished and flat on their backs.

But to everyone's astonishment, the reverse was the case. Jeremy conducted an impressive campaign and was a hit with the hitherto untapped power of the youth vote.

Jeremy became the hero of the hour and ensconced himself even more firmly in the leadership, while Theresa had to accept her gamble had badly misfired and that the Tories had lost their overall Commons majority.

Corbyn has proclaimed Labour is now the mainstream political party and he will no doubt be acclaimed at their conference.

But he should beware.

There are plenty of orthodox non-left wing Labour MPs and activists who deplore the threats of the Momentum faction to get rid of those members who do not toe the party line.

So there remains plenty of scope for backbench problems to confront Corbyn.

It may seem now that he is holding the key to the front door of Number 10 - but it would be wise for him to stop bragging about it.

n Theresa May was not so naive as to believe her much-heralded Florence speech on Brexit would be applauded from all quarters. But she can scarcely have expected the intensity of the virulent criticism of it, some of it from people you would have expected to back her.

She seemed to have pleased hardly anybody, except perhaps Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Her address has been described as containing "banalities" and "blather", while (unsurprisingly) Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, accused her of putting two fingers up to the millions who backed Brexit last year.

But what set alarm bells ringing was the fact those few who did approve of the contents of her speech were those very Brussels grandees who seem to be doing their utmost to make things impossibly awkward and horrendously expensive for Britain to leave the EU.

What it all means to the Brexiteers is that the UK has to endure two more years of domineering from the Eurocrats.

But Theresa May must be alert about the problems in her own party. Boris Johnson and Chancellor Philip Hammond appear to be at daggers drawn, and a worrying number of backbenchers would like to see her replaced. She cannot afford to ignore any of that.

How ironic it is that all those years ago, when the UK was pleading to join what was then the Common Market, French President de Gaulle imperiously put his foot down and proclaimed, "Non, non, non" loud and clear. Now we are facing massive difficulties of escaping from it.

Why can't it be more simple? After all, 52% of the British electorate have spoken.

Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour Party, evidently wants half of all political journalists at Westminster to be women.

Why on earth do busybody politicians feel it necessary to poke their noses into matters which are not their business at all?

In my experience, all the editors I know pick their editorial staff on the basis that the person appointed is regarded as the best one for the job.

Questions of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or whatever, do not enter an editor's mind at all - they do what they are supposed to do: Not discriminate.

The former Tory MP Sir Teddy Taylor, who has just died aged 80, was as fierce a temperance man as he was a Eurosceptic. He was introduced to the alleged evils of drink when he was still in short pants and maintained that position throughout his life.

On one occasion, a well-meaning constituent sent him a case of the finest vintage wine. His immediate reaction was to pour it all down the plughole - which he did.

There goes a man of principle. But what a waste.
Pictured from left is Valerie Kelly from BT Business in Northern Ireland, John Crosby from Account NI Shared Services, Geraldine McNulty from BT Business in Northern Ireland and Hazlette Benson from Account NI Shared Services

At the heart of every large organisation is the need for efficient and seamless services to effectively support the delivery of its organisational objectives.

Account NI is one of the shared services within the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) which does just that. The service is delivered in partnership with BT.

Account NI is the finance shared service for local Departments and utilises e-business channels to deliver streamlined services. Account NI promotes best practice, commonality and consistency and is a strategic enabler in the delivery of Departmental services. It handles all finance transactions for the NICS, a sum which reaches a staggering 12.6bn a year. This includes income and funding from Treasury and all the outgoings by Departments to suppliers, employees and a wide range of grants and other payments. The 800,000 payments it makes every year clearly play an important role in the local economy.

Geraldine McNulty, Business Director at BT Business in Northern Ireland says: BT has been Account NIs strategic partner since day one. It is impressive that Account NI has consistently been able to pay over 90% of suppliers within 10 days - one of their key targets." Geraldine added The fact that Account NI hasnt missed a single daily payment run in all that time is telling of the results that this partnership has produced.

The success of Account NI should also be considered against the challenges the new organisation faced at first. Account NI broke new ground in the public sector in Northern Ireland, when it was established as a shared service overcoming a number of structural and organisational hurdles to bring together the financial records of a number of government departments and agencies.

Technology, innovation and collaboration are at the heart of the relationship. A recent example was in response to the major rationalisation of government Departments from twelve to nine. John Crosby, Director, Finance and HR Shared Services at Account NI said: Restructuring was a good example of collaborative working and was one of the biggest challenges we have faced. The reconfiguration was delivered seamlessly, on time and with minimal disruption to the Departments.

Geraldine adds: "It helps that BT has a strong onsite presence". Hazlette Benson, Head of Strategy, Governance and Transformation at Account NI agrees: It is important that BT understands the business needs and pressures we face. This ultimately helps us to work together to identify innovative solutions.

This has been particularly important given that Account NI has increasingly had to do more with less. The shift to electronic solutions has been a key feature and Account NI work closely with BT, refreshing existing and embracing new technologies.

Account NI will soon be celebrating 10 years of successful operation and is proud of its achievements. John Crosby is adamant that Account NI has not lost its passion for transformation, We work closely with BT, who bring a wide range of expertise from across their internal network and beyond, to help us respond to the ever changing climate. Account NI and BT are currently working together to deliver an e-invoicing solution. This will deliver significant benefit to suppliers wishing to submit invoices electronically.

Account NI has been acknowledged as a leading example of shared services, when it was awarded runner up in the Excellence in Transformation category at the recent Shared Services & Outsourcing Network awards. The achievement was all the more notable beating stiff competition from multi-nationals such as Coca Cola and Shell. John Crosby advised: the achievement is a measure of our continued commitment to our customer base, a passion that both Account NI and BT share.

For further news and insights, join our BT Business & Public Sector Network in Northern Ireland LinkedIn group.
His name is Fethullah Gulen, and for many years, he was a rarity. During the 80s and 90s, there were fewif anyMuslim Clerics who would have spoken well of the progressive values of the Western world. Gulen was one of them, and remains a staunch advocate for interfaith dialogue and tolerance.

He has personally met with the leaders of other faiths, including Pope John Paul II. He has established hundreds of schools across the world that teach math, science, and ethics. He has advocated for a more moderate path for Islam, one which embraces education, cooperation, and social activism. Gulen was, notably, one of the first Muslims to publicly denounce the 9/11 terrorist attacks, rebuking the violence and firmly cementing a global following.

An Islamic scholar, preacher, and social advocate, he has maintained these views for over 40 years.

Today, in a world where many believe that the wall between the Islamic and Western worlds is unassailable, we need people like Gulen more than ever.

Fortunately for us, Turkish journalist and writer Faruk Mercan has brought together a collection of interviews with Gulen in his book, No Return From Democracy. Within are Gulens thoughts on everything from democracy to human rights to terrorism.

Lets take a look at what he has to say.

Islam and Democracy

Can Islam and democracy be reconciled?

This is the question at the heart of one of contemporary societys most enduring ideological conflicts. As an Islamic scholar, Gulen hints at an answer.

The argument that is presented is based on the idea that the religion of Islam is based on the rule of God, he says, while democracy is based on the view of humans, which opposes it.

He goes on to say that The principles and form of government that form the basis of democracy are compatible with Islamic values. Consultation, justice, freedom of religion, protection of the rights of individuals and minorities, the peoples say in the election of those who would govern them[are] principles espoused by both Islam and democracy.

Gulen surmises that the problem is that many Muslims assume that democracy takes power away from God and gives it to human beings. But this isnt truedemocracy is simply governance entrusted to humans by God.

There is no fundamental divide between the Islamic world and that of democracy, and Gulen believes that once this is understood, there will truly be no return from democracy once it is embraced.

Fundamental Human Rights

Gulen stresses that Islam, contrary to what is claimed by extremists, is not a despotic or repressive religion when it comes to human rights.

He goes on to reference the Medina Charter, which was signed during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and established a multi-religious Islamic state in Media in 622 CE.

This document affirms life, property, religion, mind, and progeny, establishing essential rights and freedoms for Muslims and non-Muslims. Gulen considers the Medina Charter to be one of the first declarations of human rights in history.

Within Islam, it is not the words of the Quran which deprives certain groups of their human rightsthat is the work of extremists who misunderstand the peaceful nature of Islam, and have given themselves over to political ambitions.

In the end, Gulen makes one overarching point on this matter: discrimination goes against the value God places upon the human being.

Interfaith Dialogue

Establishing productive dialogue between the Islamic and Western worlds has been on Gulen mind for decades. His take?

Let us talk, not quarrel.

Gulen sharply notes that savage people realize their aims through fighting, through conflict. Cultivated and intellectual souls believe that they will attain their aims through thought and discussion. I am of the view that we left the period of savagery far behind.

He also points out that the inability to peacefully accept one another robs everyone of paradise, costing lives and livelihoods. So why not try the alternative?

He does, however, acknowledge the difficulties of the peaceful path, admitting that there will always be those who seek to isolate their society through violence. Gulen says that we can only grit our teeth and avoid returning blow for blow. If we wish for peace, we must live by peace.

This, he says, is process that takes timea climate of conflict cannot be done away with all at once.

For now, Gulen recommends that we strive toward a system of universal valuesthings like understanding and compassion and rationality. This is one of his goals in establishing the huge network of schools that he has laid out over the years.

Unity comes through peacethere is no other way.

The Terror of Jihad

Terrorism is a word inextricably linked to the Islamic faith. But according to Gulen, it shouldnt be. In true Islam, he says, terror does not exist. No person can kill another human being. No one can touch an innocent person, even in time of war.

Remember that Gulen is an Islamic scholar and cleric. He knows the Quran. He knows the Prophet. And knowing all of this, he declares that some religious leaders and immature Muslims have no other weapon to hand than their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.

But there is one Islamic truth that these terrorists do not realize: Gods approval cannot be won by killing people.

The problem, Gulen says, is that Islam is no longer being followed as a faith, but a culturea way of life. It has been restructured to suit the whims of individuals and governments. True Islamic faith has become exceedingly rare.

With the value Islam places on human life, terrorism can never be condoned. On this, Gulen is clear.

No Return From Democracy

Bound up in democracy are essential human rights and freedoms, appropriate separation of powers, and a commitment to peace through dialogue. This is the shining gem that has so fascinated Gulen throughout his life, even in times when he was the only voice of his kind.

Gulen demonstrates the compatibility between Islamic and Western values by living at the intersection of both. A devout Muslim who is dedicated to his faith, he also embraces the progressive values that have slowly made the world a better place.

And in that example, we find hope for reconciliation between these two seemingly-disparate cultures.

Wesley Baines is a graduate student at Regent University's School of Divinity, and a freelance writer working in the fields of spirituality, self-help, and religion. He is also a former editor at Beliefnet.com. You can catch more of his work at www.wesleybaines.com.
This photo released by Myanmar's government shows authorities examining two mass graves containing the bodies of 17 Hindus in Maungdaw township in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state, Sept. 25, 2017.

Myanmar authorities have found 45 bodies of Hindus thought to have been killed by Muslim militants in the countrys ravaged northern Rakhine state in the wake of a late August attack on police outposts.

Seventeen corpses were unearthed in two pits on Monday in Yebaw Kya village in the states Maungdaw township, according to Ni Maul, a Hindu social worker and community leader who was visiting the site.

They were buried near another mass grave site where 28 bodies were found in two pits on Sunday, about 1,200 meters (39 feet) west of Yebaw Kya village in Maungdaw, he said.

We went there today, [and] we found two pits 1,000 feet away from the site found yesterday, he said. One pit has 14 bodies, the next one has three. All the deceased were men, and no women this time.

A government statement issued on Sunday, based on Ni Mals testimony, said that about 300 members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a militant Muslim group that has carried out deadly attacks on police outposts and border guard stations in northern Rakhine, amassed about 100 people from several Hindu villages in Kha Maung Seik village tract on Aug. 25, and killed most of them.

Among the bodies found were 20 women, 19 men, and six children, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported, citing Ni Mal as the source. Some were beheaded or had their throats slit.

The statement said the mass grave sites were first pointed out by a Hindu man from Yebaw Kya village who fled to neighboring Bangladesh during security operations by Myanmar forces to find those who carried out the most recent ARSA attack on Aug. 25. He relayed the information to fellow Hindu social leader Ni Maul from nearby Lay Mile village, who was in Rakhines capital Sittwe after fleeing violence in the northern part of the state.

About 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) to the west of Yebaw Kya village, the militants killed several men and women, and converted eight women to Islam and took them to Bangladesh, the villager said, according to the governments statement.

The United Nations estimates that some 500 Hindus fled to Bangladesh after the Aug. 25 attacks, and some 30,000 Hindus and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in Maungdaw sought refuge in other areas of Rakhine state, The Irrawaddy said.

According to 2014 census results, Hindus make up only 0.5 percent of the population of Myanmar, where 88 percent of the people identify as Buddhist and 4.3 percent as Muslim.

Committee members visit area

Win Myat Aye, minister for social welfare, relief, and resettlement minister; Rakhine State chief minister Nyi Pu; and Col. Phone Tint, minister for state security and border affairs, visited the mass graves on Monday.

Win Myat Aye heads a 15-member committee appointed earlier this month by President Htin Kyaw to oversee implementation of the recommendations by the Rakhine Advisory Commission to probe causes of unrest in the ethnically and religiously divided state. The committee is also responsible for enacting counter-terrorism measures in the state.

Headed by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, the commission issued a set of recommendations for the state in august, including a review of the countrys citizenship law  under which the Rohingya are currently ineligible for Myanmar citizenship  and an end to restrictions on the Rohingya to prevent further violence in the region.

More than 400 died and at least 430,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled northern Rakhine in the last four weeks to escape the military offensive following the Aug. 25 attacks, according to the U.N., which has called the crackdown ethnic cleansing.

Rights groups, nongovernmental organizations, and those who have fled have accused the Myanmar military of indiscriminate killings of civilians, torching Rohingya villages and raping women during the most recent crackdown.

Other Rohingya among a previous group of about 90,000 who fled northern Rakhine after another crackdown in response to ARSAs deadly attacks on border guard posts in October 2016 have made the same accusations.

The Myanmar government has denied most of the allegations in both cases and recently claimed that there have been no conflicts or security operations in the region since Sept. 5. It has blamed Muslim militants for setting fire to Rohingya villages.

Tensions between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine have been simmering for years since communal violence erupted between the two groups in 2012, leaving more than 200 people dead and tens of thousands displaced.

Rakhines 1.1 million stateless Rohingya, who are viewed as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, are subject to persecution and denied citizenship and access to basic services, with about 120,000 confined to internally displaced persons camps in the state.

This article was produced by Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews.
An officer of the elite presidential unit in charge of Philippine leader Rodrigo Dutertes security died of a self-inflicted wound Tuesday in an apparent suicide inside the tightly secured compound, triggering a security clampdown.

Duterte was believed to be far away when the incident took place, and police have ruled out foul play into the death of Maj. Harim Gonzaga, 37, at the presidential Malacanang palace compound.

Gonzaga was found lifeless due to a gunshot wound in his chest area while he was inside his quarters shortly before work hours Tuesday, the Presidential Security Group said in a statement.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella declined to say if Duterte was in the palace compound when the shooting occurred.

Its being investigated and the nature of the situation needs to be clarified, he told reporters We dont know the exact nature of this incident.

While a security clampdown has been ordered, group commander Lope Dagoy told reporters foul play or terrorism were being ruled out as the cause of Gonzagas death. Dagoy said police were investigating the shooting.

Over the weekend, as was his usual practice, Duterte was in his hometown of Davao city in the south.

The 72-year-old leader is known to be a late riser and it was not clear whether he was in his Bahay ng Pagbabago (House of Change) residence separated by a waterway from the main presidential palace compound.

I assume the president was there when the incident happened, but he was far away from the source of the gunshot, Dagoy said.

Gonzagas widow, who also works as part of the presidential security escort, has told investigators they did not have any recent major fights. She said the deceased officer had complained of work-related pressures, Dagoy said without elaborating.

Since Duterte took office in June 2016, more than 8,000 suspected drug dealers and addicts have been killed by police and unknown vigilantes.

The longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, Duterte has said he dislikes staying in the presidential palace and often returns to his hometown on weekends.
Thick black smoke engulfs the main battle area in the southern Philippine city of Marawi after an airstrike that killed at least 12 Islamic State-inspired militants, Sept. 26, 2017.

A significant drawdown of U.S. troops in troubled areas of the southern Philippines early this decade may have helped the Islamic State (IS) infiltrate local Muslim extremist groups, the nations defense chief said Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana made the assessment as he pushed for a stronger partnership with the United States, noting that at the height of joint efforts to combat terrorism from 2002 to 2010, hundreds of American soldiers were on the ground on a rotating basis in the countrys south as part of Washingtons global terrorism fight.

The Americans later pulled back to just dozens of advisers after assisting Filipino troops fight local Abu Sayyaf militants, the IS forerunner in the south, who were involved in kidnappings of foreigners for ransom.

Because of that drawdown, maybe we were blindsided and that this is the time the other threat groups came in that are already ISIS-inspired people, Lorenzana told reporters, referring to another acronym of the Islamic State.

He said about 100 American forces remain at the military base in Zamboanga city, 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) south of Manila. Prior to the drawdown, about 600 U.S. troops were deployed at any given time in the southern Mindanao region.

We were unfortunate because we could not see what would happen, he said, apparently referring to the siege of Marawi, which has been reduced to rubble after extremists took control of the city on May 23.

The push for a stronger military ties with Washington came as Lorenzana announced the two allies had just completed the exercise Tempest Wind, intended to boost the ability of security forces to rapidly plan, coordinate and conduct counter-terrorism operations.

The exercise included a hijacking scenario in which commandos negotiated with hijackers for almost 72 hours before storming a commercial jet. Lorenzana said the scenario was designed to improve coordination and synchronization.

The activity also served as a perfect opportunity to assess the need for the new security environment in the Pacific region, especially now that terrorism has come into our lands, now more than ever, all countries must come together to unite against terrorism and violent extremism, Lorenzana said.

The global war on terror cannot succeed if we cannot explore avenues for cooperation and mutual exchanges.

Sung Kim, the U.S. ambassador to Manila, said more than 12,000 American and Filipino civilian personnel and members of the military took part in the exercise, which he said presented an unprecedented opportunity for comprehensive training.

The drill comes as the Philippine military, assisted by U.S. and Australian intelligence, said it was moving to end the Marawi siege that erupted after security forces attempted to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf commander and the acknowledged IS chief in the region.

Col. Romeo Brawner, local military commander in Marawi, said the rebel fighters controlled area was getting smaller by the day.

On Monday, military officials said 12 militants were killed and 13 soldiers were wounded in Marawi. No other details were immediately available.

Officials said 707 militants, 151 government forces and 47 civilians have been killed in four months of gun battles that included aerial bombardment and house-by-house combat.
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by John D. Barry, CEO of Jesus Economy

When I traveled to Northeast India, to one of the last unreached people groups in the world, I was making a good salary and a nice home. But this last year, my wife and I sold nearly all of our stuff and followed Jesus into the unknown of leading the non-profit Jesus Economy full-time without a salary. We sold our stuff, including our house, to make it work. The reason: We cant live in a world where there are people without a voice and where there are people who have not heard the name of Jesus. We cannot live in a world where there are solutions to poverty and bringing the gospel to the unreached, and not take action.

In Northeast India, I saw the Holy Spirit workand I saw the liberty of Jesus completely transform lives. Those who had formerly never heard Jesus name were so grateful that they now knew Jesus. But there are still 101 Million there who have not heard Jesus name. How can I live in a world like this and not do something about it? I also had other reasons for making such a drastic life change.

How could I not serve a God who has given me my very voice? God helped me learn to speak95% of what I said as a child could not be understood but I now speak perfectly. How could I not be willing to give up everything to follow this God?

Creating a more equitable and just world is part of my calling, as is bringing the gospel to those who have not heard Jesus name. Its how Im called to use my voice.

But I think were all called to this mission. It will look different for each of us, but whats certain is that Jesus will drastically change your life. Here are three biblical lessons that I regularly come back to during this journey.

1. THE BIBLE ENVISIONS A MORE JUST WORLD

The Bibles grand vision for the world is seen at the end of Revelation. Its a world where there are no more tears, where there is no more pain, where Gods people stand equal and in loving relationship before God. The Bibles trajectory is clearevil will be destroyed and good will be restored. Justice and equity in their full form will exist when Jesus returns.

The followers of Jesus will sit down at a table and celebrate. They will celebrate justice and equality for all. They will celebrate what Jesus has done (see Revelation 19; 21).

In the meantime, were called to be ambassadors of this messageto be people who help make way for the kingdom of God here and now. Global equality can come to our world. Justice can come to our world. We can create equal opportunities for all. Each person can have a place at this table. And when we make these opportunities for the impoverished, we bring a piece of the kingdom of God here.

2. THE BIBLE CALLS US TO USE THE OPPORTUNITIES GOD HAS PROVIDED

One of the things we often forgotten about the story of the Good Samaritan is that it involves one man responding to an opportunity to do good. A Samaritan sees a man who is beaten and poor on the side of the roadand he takes care of him. He steps in when all others have ignored the hurting man on the side of the road. The Samaritan sees an opportunity to do good and acts upon it (Luke 10:2537).

Today, we likewise have an opportunity to do good. We often forget that there are opportunities right in front of us, each and everyday, to change the lives of the hurting. There are opportunities to help our neighbors who are far away and to engage in relationship with those who are near.

Doing good betters our entire world. Creating opportunities for the impoverished, outcast, and marginalized to be empowered is good for us all. Whats good for you can be good for me; whats good for them can be good for us. Because were all connected in some way or anotherin some sort of loose affiliation. Were all human after all.

3. THE BIBLE CALLS US TO SEE HOW WERE ALL INTERCONNECTED

In the book of Romans, Paul the Apostle notes that he intends to travel to Spain (Romans 15:24). This is because he plans to bring the gospel to the far western point of the known world of the time. Meanwhile, Thomas the Apostleaccording to Syrian church traditionwas bringing the gospel to India. Thats the far East of the known world of the time. There is a global trajectory here. This is a direct reflection of Jesus command to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

While on this path, the early church leaders recognized just how interconnected their efforts were. We see this when Paul raises funds for the impoverished in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26). We also see it in the numerous mentions of other churches in Pauls letters. And we see this interconnectedness in the story of the book of Acts, which involves multiple missions out from the Jerusalem church and the church at Antioch to bring the gospel to other cities and regions.

Our world is more interconnected today than ever before. And we can leverage these connections for the sake of the gospel. The work of the early church is far from complete. So my question becomes: What are we going to do about it? And what do you see when you look at the world?

When I look at our world, I can see how we can create a new, global and spiritual economy for those that need it most. I can see how the thirsty can have clean water. I can see how marginalized women can have gainful employment that lifts their entire families out of poverty. I can see businesses in the developing world creating opportunities for us here in the U.S. I can see the freedom and liberty of Jesus being accessible to all. I can see us rallying together around the common good of equality for everyone. I can see grace reaching every person.

How is Jesus asking you to drastically change your life?

See John's original piece: 3 Ways Jesus Wants to Drastically Change Your Life. This long-form article is part of the weekly series, Living for Jesus.

John D. Barry is the CEO of Jesus Economy, an innovative non-profit creating jobs and churches in the developing world. At JesusEconomy.org, people can shop fair trade and give directly to a cause theyre passionate about, such as bringing the gospel to unreached people groups. John is also the general editor of Faithlife Study Bible and the author or editor of 30 books.
For Immediate Release, September 26, 2017 Contact: Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, (801) 300-2414

Darcey Rakestraw, Food & Water Watch, (202) 683-2467

Ben Schreiber, Friends of the Earth, (202) 280-8743

Mark Antoniewicz, Hip Hop Caucus (202) 870-8476

Ruth Breech, Rainforest Action Network, (415) 238-1766

Jeremy Nichols, WildEarth Guardians, (303) 437-7663 118 Groups Urge Trump to Ban Fracking on Public Lands WASHINGTON Social justice, public health, faith, tribal, wildlife and climate groups representing millions of Americans are calling on the Trump administration to ban fracking on Americas public lands. In a letter to President Trump, 118 groups said the administrations plan to rescind Obama-era fracking rules would be a disaster for public lands, public health and wildlife, and worsen global warming. The letter urges the Trump administration to adopt a rule that protects public land, water, public health, endangered species and the climate by banning fracking altogether. Fracking destroys public lands and wildlife habitat with networks of fracking wells, compressor stations, pipelines and roads. Injecting toxic wastewater into the ground pollutes rivers and groundwater, causes earthquakes that damage infrastructure and property, and pollutes the air with dangerous toxins linked to human illness and death. Oil and gas production on public land contributes significantly to U.S. greenhouse gas pollution. According to a Center for Biological Diversity analysis of federal data, the Trump administration will offer more than 1.5 million acres of public lands in 14 states for leasing to the fracking industry in 2017. Those lands contain more than 3,800 acres of critical habitat for endangered species and 42,000 acres within one mile of dams that could be threatened by fracking-induced earthquakes. The parcels also contain more than 100 million barrels of crude oil and 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas which, if developed, would cause carbon-dioxide pollution equivalent to driving a passenger car about 297 billion miles, or nearly 12 million trips around the Earth. The time to end fossil fuel expansion is now, starting with Americas public lands, said Taylor McKinnon with the Center for Biological Diversity. Recent climate disasters in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico and South Asia demand action. Sacrificing public lands, endangered species and human lives for corporate profit is dangerous public policy. With the proposed repeal of this already too weak rule, the Trump administration is once again prioritizing fossil fuel industry profits and flying in the face of climate science, said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. This move to deregulate fracking on public lands takes us 100 percent in the wrong direction, when what we really need to do is ban fracking now. The human cost of the climate crisis is undeniable, and the solution to this emergency is clear: an immediate stop to the expansion of fossil fuel development, said Ruth Breech, senior campaigner on climate and energy with Rainforest Action Network. Additional fracking on public lands moves us further towards climate disaster. Expanding fracking on public lands is dangerous and harmful to the land and its people. Public lands are to be managed for the public good, destroying these lands for short term profit will leave them degraded for future generations. The American people want to end leasing on public lands and keep fossil fuels in the ground, said Ben Schreiber, senior political strategist with Friends of the Earth. Perhaps thats why Secretary Zinke seems to be rushing to give as much of our public lands to his friends in Big Oil as possible while hes in charge of the Interior Department. The Department of Interior's backtracking on the fracking rule is truly backwards. Right now our fellow American citizens across the Gulf Coast and Caribbean are fighting for their lives, as some of the world's strongest storms on record devastate their communities, said Mustafa Santiago Ali, senior vice president of climate, environmental justice and community revitalization with Hip Hop Caucus. The urgent need to address climate change has never been more apparent. This is yet another action by the Trump administration that demonstrates that they value profits over people. President Trump's push to open up American public lands for fracking is nothing short of death sentence for clean air, pure water, our climate, and sacred landscapes, said Jeremy Nichols, WildEarth Guardians climate and energy program director. We cant afford to let the oil and gas industry and their Trump administration cronies turn our public lands into their industrial wasteland. Signatories to the letter include: 350 Bay Area, 350 Colorado, 350 Silicon Valley, 350.org, 500 Women Scientists, Allegheny Defense Project, Athens County (OH) Fracking Action Network, Basin and Range Watch, Black Warrior Riverkeeper, Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, Californians Against Fracking & Dangerous Drilling, Canyon Country Rising Tide, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Environmental Health, Chaco Alliance, Citizens Against Ruining the Environment, Citizens Coalition for a Safe Community, Climate Hawks Vote, Climate Law & Policy Project, Courage Campaign, Culver City Citizen Activists, Daily Kos, Dallas Sierra Club, Earth Action, Inc., Earth Care, Eco-Justice Ministries, Ecoflight, Environment Georgia, Environmental Justice Center at Chestnut Hill United Church, Environmental Protection Information Center, First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Francisco, Food & Water Watch, Foundation for Global Sustainability, Friends of Alhambra Creek, Friends of Bell Smith Springs, Friends of Eel River, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, Friends of Pogonip, Friends of the Earth, Fund for Wild Nature, Grassroots Coalition, Greater Hells Canyon Council, Green Party of Monterey County, Green Retirement, Inc., Heartwood, Hip Hop Caucus, Idaho Sporting Congress, Inc., Illinois People's Action, Indigenous Environmental Network, Kentucky Conservation Committee, Kentucky Environmental Foundation, Kentucky Heartwood, Kentucky Resources Council, Klamath Forest Alliance KS Wild, Living Rivers & Colorado Riverkeeper, Local Clean Energy Alliance, Los Padres ForestWatch, Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, Native Plant Conservation Campaign, Navajo Research Associates, New Energy Economy, Northcoast Environmental Center, Oil Change International, Partnership for Policy Integrity, People Demanding Action, Persisters, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Arizona Chapter, PNM Shareholders for a Responsible Future, Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, Power Shift Network, Progressive Democrats of America, Protect Monterey County, Public Lands Project, Rainforest Action Network, Rio Arriba Concerned Citizens, Rootskeeper, Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment, Santa Barbara Standing Rock Coalition, Sequoia ForestKeeper, Shawnee Forest Sentinels, Sierra Club, SLO Clean Water, SoCal 350 Climate Action, Social Justice Commission - Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, Song to Gaia, South Florida Audubon Society, South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership, Southern Illinoisans Against Fracturing Our Environment, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Southwest Environmental Center, Spottswoode Winery, Sunflower Alliance, Surfrider Foundation, Sustainable Arizona, Tennessee Heartwood, The Land Connection Foundation, The Lands Council, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Umpqua Watersheds, Inc., United Native Americans, Uranium Watch, Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk, U.S. Province, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, VINE Sanctuary, Virginia Organizing, Vitaletherapeutics, Inc., Waterkeeper Alliance, West LA Democratic Club, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Western Environmental Law Center, Western Watersheds Project, Wild Horse Education, Wild Nature Institute, Wild Virginia, WildEarth Guardians
For Immediate Release, September 25, 2017 Contact: Meg Townsend, (971) 717-6409, mtownsend@biologicaldiversity.org In Records, EPA Won't Come Clean on Who Pruitt Meets With or Why PORTLAND, Ore. After months of stonewalling, the Environmental Protection Agency has released a partial schedule for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. As reported in The Washington Post, Pruitt met several times with corporate executives shortly before approving rules favorable to those industries. But the EPA has yet to fully disclose important details of Pruitts schedule. The public records released by the agency, which covers the period of April 3 through Sept. 8, 2017, include only dates, times and names of certain individuals and groups that Pruitt met with. However, the records are incomplete and fraught with unexplained gaps, such as the subject matter of his meetings and missing days. The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act in May seeking a full release of Pruitts schedule, email and phone logs. The public has every right to know whos pulling the strings as Pruitt continues his quest to dismantle key environmental safeguards, said Meg Townsend, the Centers open government staff attorney. Pruitt is supposed to be protecting our air and water, not corporate profits. Missing details about who hes meeting with and what theyre talking about raise troubling questions about who hes really working for. Earlier this year the EPA released 10 days of Pruitts schedule and calendar to the Center in response to a public records request. The format of those records contains much more information than the agencys most recent public release. The records that the Center received covered the final two weeks of February, and this recent public release begins on April 3. The 10 days of Pruitts schedule and calendar that the Center obtained also contain extensive redactions, which the Center is challenging in our May lawsuit. Its disturbing to see public records come to us that black out information about who Pruitt met with and why, Townsend said. Well get to the bottom of it in court, but this isnt how an open and transparent government  one that works for people instead of polluters  is supposed to operate.
For Immediate Release, September 25, 2017 Contacts: Amaroq Weiss, Center for Biological Diversity, (707) 779-9613, aweiss@biologicaldiversity.org

Nick Cady, Cascadia Wildlands, (314) 482-3746, nick@cascwild.org Lawsuit Challenges Washington Wolf-killing Protocol Injunction Sought Against Further Killings After State Nearly Wipes Out Three Packs for One Livestock Owner OLYMPIA, Wash. Two conservation groups filed a lawsuit today seeking to stop the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and its director, James Unsworth, from killing any more state-endangered wolves. Todays suit, filed on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity and Cascadia Wildlands, asserts that the agencys killing of wolves from the Smackout and Sherman packs in northeastern Washington relied upon a faulty protocol and failed to undergo required environmental analysis. The suit was filed in Superior Court of Washington for Thurston County. We cant sit by and watch Washington wildlife officials kill more wolves from the states small and recovering wolf population, said Amaroq Weiss, the Centers West Coast wolf advocate. Washingtonians overwhelmingly want wolves recovered, not killed. The Department of Fish and Wildlife needs to listen to public opinion and consider the dire environmental costs of killing more wolves. In June of this year, Fish and Wildlife officials adopted a revised wolf-livestock interaction protocol for determining when to kill wolves in response to livestock conflicts. The protocol provided for the state to kill wolves more quickly than in prior years. As the lawsuit notes, the protocol was adopted without any public input or environmental review, in violation of the states Environmental Policy and Administrative Procedure Acts. Reasonable minds can differ on when we should and should not be killing wolves, and whether the killing of the wolves in these two packs was justified,  said Nick Cady, legal director for Cascadia Wildlands. But there is no question that we should be fully analyzing the efficacy of these actions, welcoming public and scientific input, and be able to hold the state accountable. This is a state agency spending taxpayer dollars. The department has since relied on the protocol to order killing of wolves from two packs, with two wolves from the Smackout pack and one wolf from the Sherman pack killed to date. At the time of the Sherman pack kill order, only two wolves could be confirmed as comprising the pack, one of which the department has now killed. The department has temporarily paused killing wolves from both packs, but will resume if there are more livestock losses. Overall, since 2012, the state has killed 18 state-endangered wolves, nearly 16 percent of the states current confirmed population of 115 wolves. Fifteen of the wolves killed since 2012 were killed on behalf of the same livestock owner; those kills have now led to the near eradication of three entire wolf packs, including the Profanity Peak pack last year, and the Wedge pack in 2012. The rancher in question has been a vocal opponent of wolf recovery and has historically refused to implement meaningful nonlethal measures designed to protect his livestock from wolves. Washingtons wolves were driven to extinction in the early 1900s by a government-sponsored eradication program on behalf of the livestock industry. The animals began to return from neighboring Idaho and British Columbia in the early 2000s, and their population has grown to 20 confirmed packs as of the end of 2016. But wolf recovery in Washington is still a work in progress. Wolves remain absent from large areas of the state and although the population has been growing, it remains small and vulnerable. Given the continued endangered status of wolves, the state and livestock operators should stick to nonlethal methods as the sole means for reducing loss of livestock to wolves. We appreciate that many livestock owners already are using nonlethal methods, said Weiss, since the science shows such methods are more effective anyway. Plaintiffs are represented in the case by attorneys from the law firm Lane Powell.
Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2017 (FIFAfrica2017) is set for 27-29 September 2017. The event convenes various stakeholders from the internet governance and online rights arenas in Africa and beyond to deliberate on gaps, concerns, and opportunities for advancing privacy, access to information, free expression, non-discrimination, and the free flow of information online.

This years event, organised by the Collaboration for International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), brings together up to 250 participants from more than 35 countries. This is the first time that FIFAfrica is hosted outside of Uganda where it has been held since its inception in 2014.

Speakers

Recognised as one of the top tech-preneurs in Africa, Rebecca Enonchong, founder of the global enterprise application solutions provider AppsTech, will give a keynote address and also share insights as a panellist on big data in Africa.

More than 40 speakers representing a diversity of organisations have been lined up for FIFAfrica17, including from the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, Nigerian social enterprise Paradigm Initiative, Zambian tech accelerator BongoHive, Jamii Media, a Tanzanian company that runs one of the most popular online discussion boards in in East and Central Africa, media rights organisation International Media Support, the University of the Witswatersrand and University of Oxford. Others include global internet advocacy groups Access Now, Small Media, the Internet Society, the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) and Global Partners Digital. Google and Facebook will also be present as will various development foundations and organisations.

Launch of State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2017 Report

Documenting the factors that impact upon internet freedom is a key component of CIPESAs work. Over 20 reports on select countries have been produced since 2014, giving in-depth insight and accounts of the state of internet freedom. Additionally, three reports which give thematic insights have been produced.

In 2017, the report looks at the grey area that telecommunication service providers navigate when trying to remain profitable and meet their clients demands while adhering to legal obligations to the state  often at the cost of users freedom of expression and the right to privacy and to access information.

About FIFAfrica17

Thematic discussions FIFAfrica17 are built around themes drawn from the 13 principles of the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms.

Pre-events at the forum include a digital tools localisation sprint hosted by the Localisation Lab which aims to advance the adoption of internet freedom tools in Africa through translation of technologies and creation of key resources to support the education, training, and adaptation of digital security and circumvention tools.

A workshop on strategic digital rights litigation hosted by the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University aims to build capacity in the use of litigation as an effective tool in removing restrictions on the free flow of information online in countries with repressive internet regimes. The workshop will encourage internet activists to collaborate across disciplinary silos to more effectively push back against legal frameworks that are not conducive to a free and open internet.

The APC, CIPESA and Small Media will also host a workshop on Human rights review mechanisms, which will take participants through African and UN Periodic Reviews processes.

The forum will be held at Sunnyside Park Hotel, Princess of Wales Terrace and Carse O'Gowrie Rd, Parktown, Johannesburg.

For more, go to www.internetfreedom.africa.
It's surprising how things coincide, isn't it? I was struck a few days ago by a powerful and poignant commercial for eNCA for its TV news.

It was another in the stations series of house ads, which are built around the premise that their news is reliable and not fake, and gives you the information you need to be able to make proper assessments of the world around you.

The tagline is Know more. Judge less, and the simple ad features a car guard getting ignored  as many of them are  by the wealthy suburban woman climbing out of her SUV with a child.

We hear the man thinking to himself. He wonders if this woman, who has just looked through him, is aware that he does not do this job through choice; that he is a well-educated man and that he has children of his own.

It gave me pause for thought on how I, like many fortunate people in this country, tend not to see the poverty and poor people around us. And especially the car guards who are, at least, trying to earn an honest living rather than turning to crime.

But what made the TV ad all that more biting was when I was putting together our page earlier this week, on the appalling incident in Pretoria when a drunken lout urinated on a sleeping car guard, who was probably also homeless.

What kind of a human being does that to another? I suppose the sort of human being who lives in a country where we have been brutalised, in various ways, for centuries and where life is cheap and respect for the dignity of another is almost non-existent.

Screengrab from the ad.

Well done to eNCA for reminding us people are people, and not the sub-humans which the pissing idiot clearly believes some are. An Orchid to eNCA.

Some years ago, on a trip with Ford to Jordan, I engaged in lively discussions with some of the car makers marketers. I learned a lot, especially from their predictions about where the international car business was headed.

Some of the most vigorous debates were around the subject of social media and its use as a marketing tool.

In common with many other marketers I have met, they either rolled their eyes or looked at me patronisingly as if I had blundered into the 21st century by accident when I began asking questions  or pointing out the digital emperor sometimes doesnt have a lot of clothes on.

The question that makes all digital evangelists uneasy  and why they so easily dismiss those who ask it as ignorant  is why?

Cost, reach, and millennials were all words slung at me.

However, I was ignored when I tried to emphasise the biggest danger in using social media to sell your brand: You cannot control it.

That was something the local Ford people would have seen this week when they took a whole bunch of journalists, lifestyle writers and influencers to the Eastern Cape for a driving tour to launch the revamped Ford Kuga.

Those on the jollie patrollie had no problem singing for their supper and gushing about how wonderful the car was, how beautiful the Eastern Cape was and how amazing the food was.

Few of them talked about the motoring elephant in the room: the previous Kugas reputation for spontaneously combusting.

Perhaps they accept the new models are so different to the older ones that the fire danger no longer exists.

Could well be: the new car is excellent and has a completely different power plant to the one that kept catching fire.

However, social media cannot be controlled and even on Fords own Facebook and Twitter timelines, the comments were mostly about the fires.

And no matter how your gushing guests try to convince cyberspace the new car is great, one or two posts  like the one showing firemen and an enormous conflagration, captioned Reporting live from the launch of the New Kuga, can bring your marketing efforts to naught.

This marketing is already backfiring, as did the companys handling of the fire crisis in the first place although I must place on record that that PR disaster was the fault of Ford international and not the local people and even though American Jeff Nemeth, the head of Ford SA, was transferred after the fiasco.

Reputation can be destroyed in days. Ask KPMG. And, in the case of Ford, I fear that the Kuga  excellent car that it is  will gather cobwebs on dealer floors.

But for using social media and inviting all of cyberspace to have a dip at you when people were slowly starting to move on, is not clever marketing. Nor is leaving the cars name the same.

So a sizzling Onion for you, Ford.

Whats your view on advertising? Drop me a line at az.oc.nezitic@snadnerb.
Tavern owners across the Eastern Cape are being urged to boycott the renewal of their liquor licences following a whopping increase from R250 to R2,500 a year. The boycott appeal was made by the Eastern Cape Liquor Forum (ECLF) at the Babs Madlakane Hall in Uitenhage yesterday.

A liquor licence allows a tavern owner to legally sell alcohol to patrons. The forum, which has 20 affiliated associations in the province, is made up of more than 5,000 tavern owners. The boycott will be held from 1 October to 15 December, the period when businesses are meant to renew their licences through the Eastern Cape Liquor Board.

ECLF president Winston Hector said the boycott would intensify until the government, which oversees the liquor board, met the forum's requirement of reducing the fee.

"We appeal to all our members to withhold payments for the renewal of licence fees until further notice," Hector said. "These renewals [fees] are illegally instituted without consultation with tavern owners or their representatives."

Another proposal was to boycott South African Breweries.

"The exorbitant fees amount to abuse, oppression and discrimination. Consultation is a constitutional obligation and any law or amendment without consultation and fairness is illegal," he said.

ECLF spokesman Mkhuseli Mbelu said a 10% increase was understandable, but increasing the amount by R2,250 was ridiculous. "Bottle store owners where we buy our liquor do not even pay that amount," he said.

Eastern Cape Liquor Board spokesman Mgwebi Msiya said they were not aware of the pending boycott. "We are busy with licence renewals and we expect everyone to comply with this process." He said the reason for the increase was explained to the tavern owners. "However, they raised their concerns and wrote to the office of the premier."

Source: Herald
Chivas Venture entails a global search for the next generation of business trailblazers that want to change the world for the better, with $1m up for grabs. The 2018 edition is now open for entries.

Chivas Venture is a vehicle for South Africans to create positive change in their communities on a global scale. As a brand with generosity, entrepreneurship and integrity at its heart, Chivas remains committed to empowering entrepreneurs who use their businesses as a force for good, says Chivas Regal South Africas marketing manager Shelley Reeves.

One talented entrepreneur will be selected from each of the participating 29 countries and five continents to take part in an accelerator programme before competing on a global stage. This will be followed by three weeks of online voting where the allocation of the first $200,000 will be put into the hands of the public. The Chivas Venture 2018 will then climax in a series of high-stakes pitches at the Chivas Venture final, where the remainder of the $1m will be distributed.

The overall winner will walk away with the lions share of $1m to finance their winning business idea, receive global exposure, as well as support from business mentors.

2017 final

The 2017 Chivas Venture Final in Los Angeles saw five enterprising grand finalists pitch to a panel of judges that included Oscar-winning actress and philanthropist Halle Berry, in front of a live audience of business leaders, influencers and Hollywood stars including Javier Bardem, Josh Gad and Don Cheadle. South Africas I-Drop Water, which aims to change the way water is consumed and sold in Africa through vending units that purify and dispense water in-store, presented its business at the final and walked away with $50,000.

The Chivas Venture aims to honour the brands founding brothers James and John Chivas who shared their success through generous contributions with local communities as their business grew.

Through our annual $1m fund, we have been able to accelerate the growth of some of the worlds most socially valuable businesses  which are now demonstrating real impact across the globe, concludes Richard Black, global marketing director for Chivas Regal.

To enter the Chivas Venture 2018, established and aspiring South African entrepreneurs can apply at www.Theventure.com. Applications close on 29 October.
South African Revenue Service (Sars) commissioner Tom Moyane seems to be embarking on a fishing expedition after an initial Grant Thornton preliminary forensic report on the tax authority's modernisation and technology programme from 2007 to 2014, is understood to have been a damp squib.

Tom Moyane, South African Revenue Services commissioner. Photo: Sars

Sars has now approached the Treasury for a deviation to expand the scope of the investigation to "phase 2", which would extend the probe to 2005. Moyane has been sitting on the initial report for almost a year.

The tax authority had budgeted R20m for the investigation - dubbed Project Lion - but is understood to be looking to spend an additional R50m on the second phase. Business Day understands that the deviation application has been turned down by the Treasury, but Sars would not confirm or deny this.

The investigation into the modernisation programme has been interpreted widely as a fishing expedition against former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, who, as Sars commissioner from 1999 to 2009, oversaw the modernisation of the tax-collection system.

Moyane approved a memo authorising Sars to begin the process to appoint a service provider for Project Lion in August 2015.

Grant Thornton emerged as the successful bidder.

The final sign-off for the Grant Thornton investigation was provided by suspended Sars second-in-charge Jonas Makwakwa in July 2016, two months after the Financial Intelligence Centre handed over a report to Moyane in which it detailed "suspicious and unusual" transactions in Makwakwa's bank account.

Grant Thornton confirmed in a statement that it had handed over its report in December 2016 while the tax authority said it would "take action at the appropriate time".

Sars was left reeling two weeks ago when audit firm KPMG withdrew its report on the tax authority's "rogue unit", exonerating Gordhan in the process. However, Sars insists that it stands by the report and has threatened legal action against the audit firm.

Business Day understands that Grant Thornton pocketed slightly more than R12m for work done on Project Lion.

Spokesman Sandile Memela said: "Sars has considered the preliminary investigation report contents, but will take action at the appropriate time.

"Sars considers the contents of the Grant Thornton report and the fees paid to be a confidential matter between the organisation and a business partner and, as a result, cannot divulge or discuss the details."

In a statement issued through StratComms, the audit firm wrote: "Grant Thornton issued its final report to Sars during December 2016."
Marthinus Stander, CEO of Country Bird Holdings (CBH), who has confirmed his company will not be renewing its bid for Sovereign Foods, has been asked to retract comments about supplying chickens to companies that do not have their own parent stock.

jlastras via via Wikimedia Commons

In a story published on September 18, entitled "Avian flu at Sovereign a game changer, says CBH", Stander said: "Only Rainbow, Astral, Quantum and Country Bird have their own source and when there are problems, we stop supplying to third parties." Stander has been asked to retract that statement and has done so.

CBH's decision not to renew its offer for Sovereign, which was suspended in 2016, came days after Sovereign announced it had detected avian influenza at a layer house on a farm that forms part of its broader Uitenhage operations. A few weeks earlier Capitalworks, a private equity firm, had announced a R12 a share offer for Sovereign.

Stander expressed concern that Sovereign would struggle to restrain the effect of avian flu. He believes bird flu will do more damage to Sovereign because it does not have its own parent stock and relies on other poultry producers.

Source: Business Day
The Pretoria High Court on Friday, 22 September 2017, dismissed an urgent application by SA Revenue Service (SARS) official Vlok Symington to halt disciplinary proceedings against him.

Symington made headlines when news broke that he was held "hostage" in a SARS boardroom after he refused to hand over documents meant for the Hawks sent to him accidentally, along with questions he was asked to answer by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The drama relates to charges of fraud brought against former finance minister Pravin Gordhan in relation to the early retirement of former deputy SARS commissioner Ivan Pillay.

In 2009 Symington drafted a memo saying Pillay's matter was above board, which the Hawks and SARS allegedly withheld from the NPA.

Symington has asserted that he made several protected disclosures following the debacle, and the interdict he seeks will protect him from "occupational detriment" as defined in law.

He submitted that charges of misconduct he faces relating to the incident that played out in the SARS boardroom on 18 October last year were spurred by the disclosures he made to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) and the NPA.

Judge Hans Fabricius did not agree, saying Symington and Commissioner Tom Moyane's bodyguard, Thabo Titi, who allegedly held him against his will in the boardroom, could have resolved this issue with "a beer and a handshake".

"The applicant (applicant) does not need urgent relief now. Mr Titi was prepared to accept an apology, whilst Applicant demanded his dismissal," the judgment read. "Respondent's (SARS) comment that applicant is inclined to melodrama is borne out by his assertion that he was 'subjected to unlawful kidnapping'."

Fabricius said the disciplinary inquiry will have to determine whether or not the charges raised against the applicant have any merit and whether they are serious.

On the various issues of state capture allegations, Judge Fabricius said he did not feel these allegations, which still have to be tested, were immediately relevant to the urgent application.

SARS issued a statement on Friday morning welcoming the judgment and confirming it would proceed with disciplinary proceedings against Symington.

"SARS is of the view that the judgment vindicates the organization's long held view that the investigation and disciplinary action against Mr Symington was lawful and fair," the statement read.

Source: The Times
DA leader Mmusi Maimane is to ask the UK Serious Fraud Office to investigate the allegedly corrupt dealings of global consultancy firm McKinsey in terms of the country's Bribery Act.

McKinsey's headquarters are based in London.

The request is based on revelations about McKinsey's role in facilitating corruption at Eskom in collaboration with the Gupta-associated Trillian.

The DA also laid criminal charges of fraud, racketeering and collusion under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act against McKinsey this week.

Its action against McKinsey is similar to the action it took against public relations firm Bell Pottinger, which the DA reported to the UK public relations industry body because of its work for the Guptas and its racially divisive campaign against "white monopoly capital".

The PR firm was expelled from the body, has been ditched by a number of clients and is under administration.

"The DA will not back down in our pursuit of full accountability in these matters," Maimane said at a media briefing on Friday.

"As was evident in the Bell Pottinger case, those in the private sector who are caught in dodgy dealings with the powerful and the corrupt will be brought to book and face full accountability."

With regard to accounting firm KPMG - which has also conceded to having acted improperly in its works for Gupta-owned companies - Maimane said he would write to Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago asking him to confirm whether senior management or other employees at the firm reported any suspicious transactions to the Financial Intelligence Centre as they were obliged to do.

He also wants KPMG to offer a public explanation of the details surrounding its report into the so-called "rogue unit" at the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

It must clarify how the report came about, why the firm failed its own internal quality controls and whether anyone at SARS interfered in the process.

Maimane also wants KPMG to open its books and make public all its dealings with those involved in state capture, including all Gupta-aligned companies and any government entities; to ensure that all individuals implicated in any "underhand" work done for Gupta-aligned interests are removed from the firm; and to make public any bonuses or severance packages paid to senior executives who left because of the scandal.

Source: BDpro
The South African National Parks (SANParks), in partnership with the Organisation for Tropical Studies (OTS) and Nsasani Trust launched a science leadership facility at Skukuza on Thursday, 21 September 2017.

L - R: Danie Pienaar, Karen Vickers, Glenn Phillips, Drs Luthando Dziba and Laurence Kruger.

The resource centre is aimed at delivering science training and leadership programs and enhancing exchange between local and international science students, scientists and researchers; as well as experiential learning opportunities involving local communities bordering the National Parks, in particular the Kruger National Park (KNP).

In addition to the lecture theatre, the science centre facility includes a library and laboratory. The facility, built on what was previously the My Acre of Africa site (a fundraising company which operated in the Park and has since closed), also includes plans for a kitchen/dining hall, as well as student and staff accommodation. The facilitys green roof, which keeps the centre cool in summer, will be used for botanical experiments.

Funding for the building of the facility came through the US National Science Foundation, Infrastructure Development Programme and Ruggle Trust as well as SANParks.

We are grateful to OTS and Nsasani Trust for the partnership in the creation of this outstanding facility and believe it will provide opportunities for scientists and students to collaborate in producing the important research findings for the management of protected areas and conservation of biodiversity in general," said Dr Luthando Dziba, Managing Executive  Conservation Services, SANParks.

Since 2004, OTS has been running field based experiential training courses in higher education, in and around the Park, in partnership with SANParks Scientific Services. In 2013, SANParks signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nsasani Trust, whose focus of which is providing human capital development programs for the South African biodiversity sector. Together, the three entities i.e. OTS, Nsasani Trust and SANParks Scientific Services collaborated to establish the Skukuza Science Leadership Initiative at the new science leadership campus.

Dr Laurence Kruger who is OTS Director: SA Programmes, said on behalf of OTS and Nsasani Trust that This leadership in science approach will ensure not only the training of local students, but also foster mutually beneficial partnerships between local students or scientists and the neighbouring communities, to ensure a transfer of skills and a sustainability ethos. Further, the facility is also aimed at demonstrating the potential for minimizing environmental impact by showcasing the ways in which design and materials can reduce the environmental footprint in all aspects of daily living."
Bathabile Mpofu, co-founder and MD of Nkazimulo Applied Sciences, believes that true innovation comes from the access of existing knowledge. Mpofu hopes to instil a love of science in rural schoolchildren by giving them access to their own mini-lab with her innovation, ChemStart.

Bathabile Mpofu

We chatted to 36-year-old Mpofu, who was also selected to take part in this year's Red Bull Amaphiko Academy, about her start-up.

Tell us a bit about yourself...

I was born at Nongoma and grew up at Ulundi. I went to a boarding school for six years which taught me to be independent. I have been married for 12 years and have three children - two boys and a girl. I graduated with BSc Honours in Chemistry from UKZN. I am a registered scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions, Reg. I worked at a university as a laboratory technician for five years before working in an organisation that provides resources: financial, business and technical assistance to entrepreneurs in science. In that organisation I worked as a research scientist, where I helped entrepreneurs develop their products. I obtained a post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration, which I passed with distinction at UCT in 2013 while I was pregnant. In 2016, I completed my MBA at UCT.

Tell us about your start-up and the inspiration behind it?

I did not pass well enough to get into medical school and was advised to study first year BSc and reapply into medical school. For the first time in my life I had to do lab experiments every day and this was hard. Because I had to catch up with everything, I did not do very well, and wasn't accepted into medical school. Since the lab resources became available to me late in my studies, dealing with them at varsity was difficult.

After my studies, I worked at the university and could see many learners battling the same way. This is the evidence I observed to a well-known fact that our schools lack the resources required to inspire learners to pursue, understand, and enjoy science subjects. The initial response in addressing the problem was applying the mobile lab when I visited schools, performing experiments to help them, but I realised that the impact was minimal as I went to schools once and performed the experiments myself. ChemStart was developed to allow learners hands-on experience over a long period so they may get understanding of science and confidence they need to handle lab materials.

Where do you plan on taking it from here?

I want to reach all kids in SA, then export to other African countries and beyond.

How important do you feel it is to be introduced to entrepreneurship and innovation at educational level?

It must be introduced at school level as much as possible, I believe every child should view entrepreneurship as another career option which they can pursue.

How necessary are initiatives like the Red Bull Amaphiko Academy to the development of entrepreneurship in South Africa?

I think they help clarify what entrepreneurship is and what a young entrepreneur should expect if they pursue doing this... these initiatives, though, must be strongly coupled with helping entrepreneurs access markets so that the training/mentorship journey is travelled in full circle. Theres no point in helping me with business skills if I never have the opportunities to use them.

What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs who are just starting out themselves?

When starting out one may be tempted to try a lot of things and explore all opportunities available, but they must decide on what they want to focus on, perfect that and use the winning formula on other ventures to follow.
Soul Traveller Tours, a group travel tour operator, is pioneering group travel in Africa and changing the face of domestic tourism in South Africa. The new venture is the result of a collaboration with Thebe Tourism Group which is committed to rejuvenating domestic travel.

The birth of a travel movement

With more than 70% of domestic travel in South Africa accounted to visiting friends and relatives, there is an opportunity to grow leisure travel for having a holiday. Given the right opportunity to travel, Soul Traveller believes reasons such as cost and the intimidation of travel can be resolved through immersive tourism connecting local travellers with the beauty and intricacy of South Africas landscapes, culture, history and people. Through these experiences, travellers will become ambassadors for the country and an unprecedented travel movement will be born.

Through Soul Traveller Tours we have created a platform for people to feel good about their country and heritage. We want people to connect and experience the unexplored soul of our cultures and continent. The immersive experiences that we have curated will provide a platform for all South Africans and international visitors to connect, create and affirm strong bonds of community and kinship. We seek to create a unique travel movement designed to ignite deep connectivity with our history, and fellow countrymen resulting in unexpected friendships, says Penny Ndlela, CEO of Soul Traveller.

The time is right for new domestic travel options

Thebe Tourism Group realises the need to grow the domestic tourism market. We believe by growing this market we have an opportunity to build deeper sustainability by increasing both the number of participants (tourists) and the number of beneficiaries (product owners). This, in turn, will bolster revenue and create wider geographically spread economic opportunities. Through a strategic investment approach, focusing on untapped markets like domestic group travel, we hope to achieve this growth and sector transformation, adds Jerry Mabena, CEO of Thebe Tourism Group.

Thebe Tourism Group believes the time is right for new domestic travel options and believes Soul Traveller Tours could lead a revolution in the domestic travel space.

Unlocking hidden gems

Soul Traveller Tours is a sensory-led venture and its packages (routes) are inspired by the colours of the South African national flag. Each route is curated by a specialist who will unlock the hidden gems, the soul of each route, leaving each traveller filled with awe, pride and the urge to share their experience with others.

And that is how we celebrated our last night in Durban and the last night of our tour. We released our Soul Travel Buddies in a special ceremony with a pledge to one another. That's what making connections is all about, and one of the reasons why we love group travel. See you again soon Durbs! #SoulTravellerSA #GroupTravelSA #Durban #dbntourism A post shared by Soul Traveller tours (@soultravellertours) on Sep 17, 2017 at 4:20pm PDT

The first of these trips was offered through the Red Route during Tourism Month (September 2017). The red route is about experiencing urban culture with a neighbourhood food crawl as we immerse ourselves in the history of the country through the culinary influences that have shaped our South African palette, says Ndlela.
Following the opening of Roho ya Selous in the Selous Game Reserve in August, Asilia has opened their new flagship property, Jabali Ridge, in Ruaha National Park in Southern Tanzania.

Image Supplied

Jabali Ridge, perched on a kopje looking down over a forest of baobabs, blends seamlessly into the rocks which cocoon it. Eight rooms can be either twins or doubles (with king size beds) and the walls are made entirely from louvred shutters to allow guests to feel as though they are living in the open air with uninterrupted views. Jutting from the rooms are vast baobab trunk like elements, a homage to the landscape beyond.

Recycled railway sleepers were used to make the beds which are covered in hand dyed linens inspired by the muted tones of the surrounding rocks. Designed by Caline Williams-Wynn of Cape Town-based interior design firm Artichoke and Johannesburg based Nick Plewman Architects, the bold design and outstanding location are true to Asilias ethos of pioneering safaris in areas which offer exceptional experiences whilst making a lasting positive impact.

Undercrowded safaris, wilderness explorations

Ruaha is Tanzanias largest national park but has just a handful of safari camps meaning that game drives from Jabali are uncrowded and other safari vehicles are a rare sighting. It is about the size of New Jersey and part of the larger, unfenced Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem which covers 50,000 square kilometres. This eco-system is home to strongholds of many of Africas endangered species, considerable populations of lion and elephant roam here as well as less common species such as roan and sable.

The neighbouring Selous Game Reserve is the perfect complement to Ruahas flora and fauna. The Selouss lifeblood is the Rufiji River which meanders through the wilderness and opens up into vast, shallow lagoons which provide water to the reserves inhabitants. Here the wilderness is best explored by boat.

Raw, wild and untamed

Roho ya Selous is an eight tented camp surrounded by water. Asilias aim was to build a camp that not only provided guests with comfortable accommodation but also reflected the very essence of what Selous is all about  raw, wild and untamed Africa. As with all building projects Asilia undertakes, as much as possible has been sourced and made locally.

Making a meaningful impact

In tandem with these tourism developments, Asilia will engage in various conservation initiatives in the Selous and Ruaha during the coming years. Already a long-term partner of the of the Ruaha Carnivore Project which does exceptional work in reducing human-wildlife conflict, Asilia is launching various community and conservation initiatives in 2017.

Our new camps in the Selous and Ruaha will not only allow us to offer our guests a great experience in these magnificent wilderness areas but also create a presence for us from which we will be able to make a meaningful impact on the conservation of these important ecosystems and the livelihoods and opportunities of the people surrounding it, says Jeroen Harderwijk, co-founder and Managing Director of Asilia.
A Marriott International hotel brand known for its love of beer, Four Points by Sheraton's Best Brews Around the World celebrates the brand's signature initiative, a dedicated program in which each of the brand's 225+ hotels around the world showcases a local craft beer which has been chosen based on taste, popularity, quality and proximity to the property. The brand embarked on the Nairobi leg of its global trip discovering the world's best beers, which kicked off at the new Four Points Hurlingham and culminated with an exclusive preview of the soon to open Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport.

Image Source: Marriott International

A best brew is available on tap at each Four Points, offering travellers an authentic taste of local beer culture wherever their travels may take them. This years global trail kicked off in Manhattan, followed by Cancun Mexico, Okanagan Valley Canada, Melbourne Australia, stopping off in Nairobi and culminating in Barcelona, Spain.

Craft beer with serious flavour

As the only city on the African continent to be joining this trail, Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi is excited to showcase our love for beer and travel to the international community. In Nairobi, we like to push boundaries with our passion for local artisans. In this spirit, we have collaborated with the Big Five Breweries to create our own signature craft beer that carries serious flavour.

An exciting day of adventure commenced with a tasting of the signature Four Pills brew along with a cook-off beer inspired lunch at the Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Hurlingham property.

This was followed by a private tour of the Big Five Breweries micro-brewery. Naturally, no trail in Nairobi would be complete without taking in the views of our National Park and scenic green savannah. Guests were treated to a surprise helicopter ride crossing the city and out to the Ngong Hills.

The trial culminated with an exclusive preview at the Four Points by Sheraton, Nairobi Airport hotel where our influencers were put to the test with their beer knowledge in a blind-tasting conducted by Master Brewer Aleem Ladak. Acclaimed graffiti artist Bankslave was also on hand to share a live-art piece around the days activities.

A taste of Nairobi

Vivek Mathur, general manager, Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport said, Four Points has a love for locally crafted beers, which is why we partnered with The Big Five Breweries to sample a taste of what Nairobi has to offer. We know the perfect pint has universal appeal, which is why we are the only city in Africa participating in the launch of Best Brews Around the World."
CrashCarBurn, Sweet Resistance, The Parlotones, Prime Circle, Dirty Moonshine, The Narrow, and the Newtown Knife Gang will perform at The Rocktober Rumble at Carnival City on 28 October 2017.

Rock is one of the most loved has music genres around the world. Weve combined legendary rock acts with some of the cutting edge new kids on the block for an unforgettable experience, says Nic Rush, a well-known musician who has played with Prime Circle and Watershed.

The Parlotones is one of South Africas most prolific rock bands and has won several awards, achieved multi-platinum album-selling status, and packed out venues for live concerts.

After notching up six studio albums, several chart-topping singles, a string of awards, and countless sold-out gigs, Prime Circle has earned the status of South African rock royalty. The band has demonstrated true staying power with a dynamic signature sound that continues to evolve.

CrashCarBurn carved a niche in the music industry with powerful rock anthems rock over the last decade. The band was started in 2006 after brothers, Garth and Brendan Barnes, put their incredibly successful punk rock band Tweak to bed and quickly united loyal fans with a new fan base.

Alternative rock band The Sweet Resistance burst onto the local music scene with the launch of its debut album, Where there is Hope, at two sold out Cape Town shows in 2016. Since the launch, several local radio stations have included the bands debut single, Feel, in their playlists.

Dirty Moonshine delivers loud and raw rock n roll with dirty soul, sexy vocals, cutting leads, sweet slides, and reverberating bass. Rumbling and thundering from the Gauteng Highveld, Dirty Moonshine has taken its unique brand of rock n roll across the country.

Newtown Knife Gang secured a record deal with Electromode alongside top SA artists such as Jack Parow and Die Heuwels Fantasties. The band's singles Read Between the Lines and Listen have enjoyed high rotation on more than 25 national stations. The band established itself in a notoriously tough to crack live scene, playing coveted slots at major festivals and top venues across the country.

With all three previous full-length albums nominated for South African Music Awards and producing classic hits like Lonely lonely Sunday morning, The Narrow is one of South Africa's most exciting live acts.

End October on a high note with some of the very best rock bands that South Africa has to offer. From legendary bands like The Parlotones and Prime Circle to some of the biggest names in rock music right now, Rocktober Rumble has it all. Do not miss this rocking show. Who knows when we will be able to pin down these artists for a collaborative show like this again? says Michelle Smith, marketing manager at Carnival City.

Tickets for Rocktober Rumble are on sale at Computicket, ticket prices range from R310 to R360 per person.
KPMG International is scrambling to salvage the tattered remains of its local operation to the extent that its chairman has stepped out of the hallowed corporate eyrie to visit South Africa.

John Veihmeyer, chairman of KPMG International. Photo: YouTube

As part of the strategy, John Veihmeyer, chairman of KPMG International and the newly appointed CEO of KPMG South Africa, Nhlamu Dlomu, met with former finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, and Mcebisi Jonas, his former deputy, last week in an attempt to mend fences. However, the latter pair said they would reserve their rights to pursue the matter.

Gordhan was implicated in the infamous Sars report as being complicit in setting up a rogue investigation unit to spy on tax payers during his role as commissioner at the tax office. The report was intended as an internal document, but found its way in the public domain. This accusation dogged Gordhan's tenure as finance minister, and contributed to his dismissal from office.

The report also caused serious reputational and professional damage to other Sars office bearers, including deputy commissioner, Ivan Pillay: his adviser Yolisa Pikie; group executive, Johann van Loggerenberg; spokesperson, Adrian Lackay; and group executive, Peter Richer. All of whom were ousted as a result.

We shared our strong feelings and disapproval of the manner in which KPMG SA has been involved in the validation of state capture and corruption in respect of both the Sars and companies of the Gupta family," said Gordhan and Jonas in a joint statement.

"We insisted on full and proper disclosure of the role of various parties in the state capture project and the manner in which KPMG staff seem to have colluded in these processes - including, the complete disregard shown by the management of KPMG, Gordhan and Jonas said in a joint statement.

"KPMG has a moral duty to account for their conduct to the South African public and they have to be frank, unequivocal and transparent in their disclosures if they wish to restore their own reputation."

Investigation

It seems that the audit firm's statement issued on 15 September, in which it announced the purge of KPMG South Africa's executive body, including CEO, Trevor Hoole and chairman of the board, Ahmed Jaffer, was not enough to appease public outrage. KPMG International has now announced it would be commissioning an independent investigation.

The investigation will be led by a senior South African legal figure, who is completely independent of both KPMG South Africa and KPMG International. We are in active discussions to identify a credible, senior, independent legal figure to lead the investigation. The leader of the investigation, along with the scope, terms of reference and proposed timeline will be announced very shortly. Our preference is for the investigation to be completed as quickly as possible, said John Veihmeyer, chairman of KPMG International.

He went on to say that the probe would determine whether there is any evidence to suggest KPMG South Africa partners or staff were complicit in illegal activities by the Gupta family and their businesses, and whether there were any failings or collusion in the work performed and conduct of KPMG South Africa in relation to the Sars report.

Bleeding clients

But things are still looking bleak. KPMG South Africa continues to bleed clients. Sygnia Asset Management was the first to jump ship, followed by Sasfin, Hulisani and Deneb. Other JSE-listed companies, namely Absa, African Oxygen, Bidcorp, DRDGold, Esor, Gaia Infrastructure Capital, Interwaste Holdings, Investec, Lonmin, Randgold & Exploration, Sibanye Stillwater, Vunani and Wesizwe Platinum have all said they are reviewing their relationship with the audit firm.

In addition, Business Leadership South Africa has terminated KPMGs membership and The Board of the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa has temporarily suspended any co-branded partnerships.

Sars joins the fray

In a bizarre twist, KPMGs erstwhile client, Sars, is now gunning for the audit firm, after the retraction the rogue unit report saying that the auditors had no right to withdraw its report as it was no longer the audit firms property. It has also threatened to report KPMG to the minister of finance with the aim to blacklist KPMG for its unethical, immoral, unlawful and illegal behaviour, among other thing.

Whatever the outcome of this sorry saga, it strengthens the case for mandatory audit firm rotation, lobbied by the Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors and recently passed by National Treasury. But in broader terms, it also calls into question the efficacy of corporate governance in South Africa, or whether its merely lip service to pretty up annual reports and meet JSE requirements.
ABCNews.com(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump will make his first visit to Puerto Rico next Tuesday as the island struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria.



The strongest storm to make landfall in Puerto Rico in nearly 90 years, Maria killed at least 16 people and left most of the island's 3.4 million people without power.



Officials said half the island's population remains without water and communications systems are still down a week after Maria moved through.

"What's out there is total devastation. Total annihilation," San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told ABC News.

Congress is working with the administration to ensure necessary resources get to our fellow citizens in #PuertoRico.  Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) September 25, 2017

Since Maria pummeled the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, FEMA and its federal partners have provided more than 4 million meals, 6 million liters of water, 70,000 tarps and 15,000 rolls of roof sheeting.



An additional 7 million meals and 4 million liters of water are en route to the islands by barge.



Already besieged by hurricanes ravaging the continental United States, FEMA may only now be facing the agency's most challenging recovery effort of the year.



Search and rescue efforts continue



At least 557 people and two pets in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have been "saved or assisted" by FEMA search and rescue task forces, according to an agency spokesperson.



FEMA teams are continuing to operate search and rescue missions after combing through more than 2,600 structures.



With at least 5,600 personnel deployed to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Department of Defense announced it has conducted at least eight medical evacuations.



Officials say the island needs power

Gov. Ricardo Rossello told ABC News Monday that crews have been able to return power to only about 5 percent of the island's 3.4 million people. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, tweeted the same day, Returning from #PuertoRico now. Tremendous damage. Potential for serious crisis in areas outside of #SanJuan MUST get power crews in ASAP.

Returning from #PuertoRico now. Tremendous damage. Potential for serious crisis in areas outside of #SanJuan MUST get power crews in ASAP  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) September 25, 2017

According to a FEMA press release sent to reporters Monday evening, the federal government has sent at least 281 generators to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in an attempt to restore power to critical facilities until the permanent infrastructure can be repaired.



Getting resources to Puerto Rico is a challenge for recovery efforts



A FEMA spokesperson referred ABC News' request for information on power crews and other efforts to restore power to the island to the Department of Energy. A spokesperson at the Department of Energy did not immediately respond to ABC News.



The U.S. National Guard has deployed more than 2,500 personnel to the Caribbean to help move resources, rebuild infrastructure and provide security.



A FEMA spokesperson told ABC News that the agency is making progress and Trump told reporters that the challenges facing hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico are different from those in Texas and Florida.

"But the difference is, this is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. And it's a big ocean; it's a very big ocean," said the president. Trump added that he thinks FEMA is doing "a very good job."

Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

He reiterated the government's commitment to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in a press conference later Tuesday. The recovery process will be a very, very difficult one," Tump said. "We will get through this and we will get through it together. We will be stronger. We will be bigger. We will be better.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.


A file photo.

HYDERABAD (PTI): Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a defence PSU on Monday said it signed contract with Research Centre Imarat (RCI) for supply of Medium Range Surface-to- Air Missiles (MRSAM) to Indian Army.



According to a statement issued by BDL, the contract was signed for production, deliveries and product support of MRSAM system for the Indian Army, it said



Directors and senior officials from BDL and senior scientists from Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) were present on the occasion, it added.






WASHINGTON (PTI): India and the US have a "historic" opportunity to set a refreshed partnership built on shared values of democracy, freedom of expression and human dignity, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said as he embarked on his visit to New Delhi.



Mattis, the first Cabinet Minister of the Trump Administration to visit India from tomorrow, said that for America India was clearly a pillar of regional stability and security.



"We have a historic opportunity to set a refreshed partnership between our nations, and it's a partnership built on respect, trust and the shared values of democracy, freedom of expression and human dignity. And our vision aims to support an open, just and rules-based global order," Mattis told reporters travelling with him to India.



He said he will discuss the joint efforts to advance common goals through a broader strategic exchange of views during his visit from September 26-27.



"Basically putting meat on the structure, not only in terms of US-India partnership, but how the United States and India can work together to build partnerships across the region," he said.



"India, from our perspective, is clearly a pillar of regional stability and security. We share a common vision for a peaceful and prosperous vision in the Indo-Pacific region, one that's based on that strong, rules-based international order, and the peaceful resolution of disputes and territorial integrity," he said.



Mattis said the two countries shared vision of partnership was neither based on narrow interests nor to the exclusion of any other nation.



"In particular, I want to applaud India's invaluable contributions, significant contributions, to promote Afghanistan's democracy, stability and security in the fight against terrorism. Plus, we have a host of other issues to work with more vigour as well, as we look toward the future," he said.



During his India visit, Mattis will lay a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate and inspect tri-service guard of honour at the South Block lawns. He will also hold talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.



"I will meet with Minister Sitharaman for the first time," he said.



Noting that the US-India defence cooperation has steadily expanded in recent years, underpinned by their common objectives and goals in the region, Mattis said this relation will benefit both economies while reducing any legacy and trust issues.



He said the Department of Defence's designation of India as a major defence partner reflected the progress made in strengthening the two countries' security cooperation.



Mattis said the goal of his trip was to promote pragmatic progress between the two countries' defence partnership, delivering defence interoperability aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump's direction as security is on of the key strategic pillars.



"We will continue this discussion in the future with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Modi, a discussion that will continue to broaden and deepen in the months ahead, when Secretary Tillerson and I meet together with our counterparts. Steady engagement will be our watchwords for the path ahead," he said.



"We will be working on this trip and in the future to bring our bureaucracies up to speed by underlining our commonalities in our approaches and our objectives," he said.




A file photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): India and the US on Tuesday discussed ways to deepen their defence ties along with key issues such as Afghanistan, where New Delhi has ruled out any troop contribution, and terrorism emanating from Pakistan.



Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US counterpart James Mattis held comprehensive talks covering the entire gamut of the bilateral defence partnership.



"The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth.



There is growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue," Sitharaman said at a joint press conference.



She said both sides recognise the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism.



On his part, Mattis said there can be "no tolerance to terrorism safe havens".



He also welcomed India's contribution in war-torn Afghanistan.



India, one of the largest contributors in Afghanistan where it in involved in several development projects, however, has ruled out troops contribution amidst the US emphasis for a greater participation by the country in the conflict-ridden Islamic nation.



"We have made it clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground (Afghan)," Sitharaman said while responding to a query on whether India will contribute troops in Afghanistan.



Sitharaman also said that Mattis has assured her that he will raise with Pakistan the issue of terrorism emanating from there.




A file photo.

ISLAMABAD (PTI): Pakistan and Russia are holding a two-week long military exercise focussing on counter- terrorism operations to enhance defence ties between the two countries, ahead of Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's visit to Moscow next month.



The joint exercise DRUZBA 2017 between special forces of Pakistan and Russia Armies started in Minralney Vody, Russia.



The opening ceremony was attended by senior military officials of special forces of both countries, the Pakistan army said in a statement.



The joint exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations, hostage and rescue, cordon and search operation.



The joint exercise will enhance and further strengthen military ties between the two countries and share Pakistan Army's experience in war against terrorism, it said.



Bajwa will visit Russia in the first week of October as part of regular high level exchanges between the two countries in the past few years.



His visit will set the stage for "translating political goodwill into a substantial partnership in particular, in the field of defence," the Foreign Office (FO) has said



Pakistan's ties with Russia have moved past the bitter Cold War hostilities in recent years and the chill in the relations between Pakistan and the US, especially after President Donald Trump warned Islamabad for providing safe havens to terrorists, has further pushed the country towards Russia and China.



Last year, Russia held its first-ever military exercises with Pakistan and also started selling weapons to Islamabad.




First Scorpene submarine 'Kalvari' returns to the Mazagaon Dock in afloat condition in Mumbai. A File Photo: PTI.

MUMBAI (PTI): The first Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari is expected to be commissioned by November-December, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra said on Tuesday.



The Scorpene-class submarine was handed over to the Indian Navy four days back by the Mazgaon Dock Limited, one of the key ship building units of the Indian Navy.



"The Kalvari submarine has already been in the sea for sometime. Some 110 days of sea trials have been completed and more pre-commissioning sea trials are going on. We are expecting it to be commissioned by November-December this year," Vice Admiral Luthra said.



The submarines, designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS, are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited here as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy.



"The Indian Navy is keen on increasing indigenous components in ship building activity. We have also increased the indigenous components in submarines as well. The components' share needs to be increased in weapons and sensors," Vice Admiral Luthra said.



He was speaking here at the commissioning of Indian Navy's ship Tarasa at the Naval dockyard here.



The Western Naval Command today commissioned INS Tarasa, which is a 400 tonne ship.



It was a much needed addition in the Navy's fleet, Luthra said.


A preliminary US finding on a trade dispute which could threaten thousands of Northern Irish jobs is due later.

Aerospace giant Boeing claims its Canadian rivals Bombardier received unfair state subsidies from the UK and Canada, allowing them to sell airliners at below cost prices to the US.

Bombardier employs around 5,000 people at a plant in East Belfast and signed a $5.6bn deal last year to provide up to 125 of its new C-Series aircraft to Atlanta-based Delta Airlines.

The wings are made in Belfast and British Prime Minister Theresa May has lobbied President Donald Trump over the importance of preserving the manufacturing posts.

The US Department of Commerce could introduce a preliminary tariff on the C-Series, which would increase the cost of importing the plane to the US, when it publishes its initial findings later.

A recent Bombardier statement said: "It is pure hypocrisy for Boeing to say that the C-Series launch pricing is a 'violation of global trade law' when Boeing does the same for its new aircraft."

The Northern Ireland powersharing Executive and UK Government pledged to invest almost 135m in the establishment of the C-Series manufacturing site in Belfast.

The programme received US$1bn from the provincial government in Quebec in 2015 when its fortunes appeared to be ailing.

Mrs May's intervention came after she was pressed to raise the issue by DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose 10 MPs are propping up her minority administration in the UK's House of Commons and are expected to play a crucial role during upcoming Brexit business in Parliament.

The C-Series is a single aisle, mid-range aircraft which will provide competition for the Boeing 737.

Deliveries are due to begin next year.

The innovative carbon-fibre composite technology, developed in Belfast to produce the wings, enables material and aircraft weight savings, contributing significantly to the C-Series airliner's economic and environmental credentials, Bombardier said.

Delta is taking the smaller CS100 model of the plane.

Bombardier is a Montreal-based multinational which had been under financial pressure and invested large sums in its new jet programme. It is crucial to many jobs in Belfast.

In February last year the firm announced 1,080 job losses at its Northern Ireland plants following delays to the C-Series.

Bombardier is one of Northern Ireland's largest employers and supports hundreds of other jobs through its suppliers.
An Irish recruitment firm claims that Ireland's income tax rate is stopping companies from moving here after Brexit.

Executive search firm Ardlinn, part of the Cpl Resources Group, said Ireland's high rate of income tax is the biggest impediment to international businesses and top-level talent from relocating here.

The Irish recruitment company, which is working with clients in the UK and around the world, said single earners in Ireland face among the highest marginal tax rates in the EU and "a very high marginal tax rate is reached at a relatively low salary".

They also said that, while marginal tax rates for couples at the average wage are below the EU21-OECD average, they sharply increase with income.

Ardlinn Chief Executive, Aine Brolly, is calling on the Government to use Brexit as an opportunity to cut taxes in the upcoming Budget.

She said: "As the Brexit fall out continues businesses we are working with are still conducting research on how Dublin compares with Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Paris.

"A reduction in the top rate of tax would position the city very positively in boardrooms in the UK and internationally.

"The language, career opportunities, education and the standard of living is attractive but our tax rates are a real stumbling block."

Irelands top marginal tax rate of 55% is considerably higher than other EU countries with Germanys rate 10% lower.
Ryanair could be legally forced to recognise trade unions.

The low-cost airline has refused to engage with unions up until now, but the recent roster problems, which grounded thousands of flights, have led to many workers turning to union representatives.

Pilots are this week meeting across Europe to devise a co-ordinated response to the situation.

Liz Blackshaw of the International Transport Workers Federation says it could mean changes for Ryanair.

She said: "There are many ways of a company being forced to recognise unions.

"I mean it's going to be their call as to whether this is something they will be forced to do through the courts or whether it's something they will be forced to do through their own employees saying to them 'this is something we want', and ensuring that all the workers in the Ryanair service have acces to independent representation."

This follows a period of controversy after Ryanair was forced to cancel 2,000 flights in September and October due to pilot shortages.

The staff scheduling issue has triggered thousands of flight cancellations around the world.

The budget airline now faces a compensation bill of up to 20m for the "mess" which left passengers stranded.

Mr O'Leary has taken full responsibilty. He said: "This is our mess-up. When we make a mess in Ryanair, we come out with our hands up.

"Clearly there's a large reputational impact, for which again I apologise. We will try to do better in future."

Mr O'Leary insisted the airline is "not short of pilots". However, it is reported that Ryanair is losing staff to rival airline Norwegian Air who are recruiting pilots to operate from its new Dublin base.
A 55-year-old man told a post office worker to fill the bag with money or I will kill you during an alleged robbery in Dublin, a court has heard.

Michael Kelly, with an address at Sandy Lane Lodge, Rush, Dublin, was remanded on bail yesterday/today (tue) to allow time for the Director of Public Prosecutions to complete a book of evidence for his trial.

After hearing an outline of the evidence, Judge Michael Walsh refused jurisdiction for the case to be heard at Dublin District Court meaning the case will go to the circuit court which has tougher sentencing powers.

A court sergeant told the judge it was alleged Mr Kelly entered Rush post office and joined a queue and spoke to people behind the counter. It was alleged he made an excuse and left but returned and handed note to a person behind the counter.

It was alleged the note to the woman said, Fill the bag with money or I will kill you.

It also made a reference to calling gardai, Judge Walsh was told.

The court heard the An Post worker refused and pressed the panic alarm at which the man left. There was no violence used, Judge Walsh heard.

However, he held the case was too serious to remain in the district court.

Mr Kelly has not yet indicated how he will plead and has been granted legal aid. He faces a robbery charge in connection with the alleged incident.

He was ordered to appear again in November when it is expected he will be served with a book of evidence and returned for trial.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, Simon Coveney, has said he expects Ibrahim Halawa to return to Ireland within a matter of days.

Its unclear exactly when the 21 year old from Dublin will be released from a Cairo prison after he was cleared of all charges against him last week.
Judges have told the Government they are struggling to get by on six-figure salaries.

The Association of Judges says it is concerned at a delay in pay restoration for its members.
Two pedestrians are seriously injured after they were struck by a car on the Kilshane Road in Finglas, Co Dublin.

Gardai said the men who were in their mid 50s and 60s, were struck while out walking at around 6.30am today.
Stereophonics have announced a tour of Ireland and the UK for next year.

The ban will play a string of arenas, including the 3Arena in Dublin and the SSE Arena in Belfast, in February and March 2018.
Bangladesh will build separate shelters for 6,000 Rohingya Muslim children who entered the country without parents in order to escape violence in neighbouring Burma.

Children make up about 60% of the Rohingya who have poured into Bangladesh over the last month to flee persecution.

According to junior minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed, the social welfare ministry has asked local authorities for 200 acres of land to build facilities for the children without parents.

So far about 1,580 children have been registered.

Unicef has identified about 1,800 children who fled Burma without parents after violence broke out on August 25, but Mr Ahmed believes that the total number is about 6,000.

Zillar Rahman, a senior official at the ministry, told reporters in Dhaka that the government wants to protect those children by keeping them away from adults. He said: "Ages between 13 and 18 are vulnerable.

"If they live with the adults there is a possibility of getting harmed or involved in criminal activities."

If the land is available, children will be divided into two groups, those below age seven and those between eight and 18.

The plans come as the UN refugee agency has called for a redoubling of the international humanitarian response in Bangladesh.

Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for UN high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi, feels that "despite having found refuge in Bangladesh, they are still exposed to enormous hardship."
Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone says there is "not one shred of evidence" that he was involved with Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Mr Stone is defending himself in a lengthy statement released ahead of a closed-door appearance before the House intelligence committee on Tuesday.

He has also released a series of supporting documents, including direct messages he exchanged with Guccifer 2.0, the unnamed hacker who has taken credit for breaking into Democratic National Committee email servers.

"While some may label me a dirty trickster, the members of this committee could not point to any tactic that is outside the accepted norms of what political strategists and consultants do today. I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support," Mr Stone said in the prepared statement.

"There is one 'trick' that is not in my bag and that is treason."

Mr Stone, a Republican strategist who has known Mr Trump for many years and informally advised him during the 2016 campaign, also denies he had advance knowledge of the leak of former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails and says he never colluded with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

He has long denied that he worked with Russian officials to influence the presidential election.

"I recognise that those who believe that there was collusion between the Trump camp and the Russian state, now say Stone, 'MUST HAVE' been involved, but that is not based on one shred of evidence," Mr Stone writes.

"This is nothing more than conjecture, supposition, projection, allegation, and coincidence, none of it proven by evidence or fact."

Mr Stone's interview comes as the House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into the Russian meddling and possible links to Mr Trump's campaign. Mr Stone has been part of the investigation partly because he has said he communicated during the presidential campaign with Guccifer 2.0.

Mr Stone is, for the first time, releasing those communications, which he says are "innocuous."

The direct messages on Twitter, exchanged over a month-long period, show Mr Stone first congratulating Guccifer for being reinstated on Twitter after he was kicked off, and asking that the account retweet a tweet about how the election could be rigged against Trump. Guccifer writes, "I'm pleased to say that u r great man .... please tell me if I can help u anyhow."

Mr Stone does not respond again until several weeks later, when Guccifer asks him about an article on a Democratic turnout model. Mr Stone replies "pretty standard".

On WikiLeaks, Mr Stone said he was kept apprised of Assange's plans to release the Podesta emails by a journalist he said served as an "intermediary". He did not name the journalist.

Mr Stone has been outspoken in his own defence and asked for his House appearance to be public. But he said the House panel insisted on holding the session behind closed doors.

AP
Spains government has ordered Catalonias regional police force to identify officials at local schools and other civic buildings expected to be used as polling stations in a controversial independence referendum.

Spanish authorities say the October 1 ballot on whether the Catalan region should secede from Spain is illegal.
The co-chairwoman of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party said today she plans to leave it just two days after it made a strong showing in the country's elections.

Frauke Petry's announcement came as other politicians from the anti-migrant party gathered for their first meeting after their breakthrough.

Alternative for Germany, or AfD, won 12.6% of the vote in Sunday's election to win seats in the national parliament for the first time.

Ms Petry, its co-chairwoman since 2015, announced on Monday that she would not join its parliamentary group and other leaders urged her to leave the party altogether.

"It is clear that this step will follow," Ms Petry said on Tuesday in the eastern city of Dresden, in remarks reported by the dpa news agency.

Ms Petry's husband, Marcus Pretzell, the party leader in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and a regional politician there, said he is also leaving AfD.

AfD won 94 of the 709 seats in the new German parliament, including Ms Petry's.

It was not immediately clear whether any others would follow Ms Petry, who moved AfD's focus from opposing eurozone bailouts to migration after she took over in 2015 but has been increasingly sidelined in recent months.

Ms Petry has said she was aiming to make the AfD ready for government in 2021, and urged her party earlier this year to exclude members who expressed extremist views.

She said on Monday that "an anarchic party" can be successful in opposition but cannot eye a place in government, before storming out of a press conference and leaving other party leaders momentarily speechless.

Fellow AfD members appeared relatively unconcerned by Ms Petry's departure as they gathered in Berlin.

Asked whether other politicians will follow Ms Petry, co-leader Alexander Gauland said: "I hope not, but I can't look into people's heads."

Sunday's election left Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc weakened but still easily the biggest group in parliament.

Mrs Merkel now faces a complicated task in forming a coalition, most likely with the pro-business Free Democrats and the traditionally left-leaning Greens.

Her partners in the outgoing government, the centre-left Social Democrats, say they will go into opposition after they lost substantial support in the vote.

Mrs Merkel also faces calls from her own allies for a more robust conservative image.

AP
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Motoring association and mutual organisation Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) has launched the RACQ Bank brand, opening 13 branches across the state.Unveiled yesterday (25 September), the bank will provide personal banking products including mortgages to RACQs 1.6 million members.Were committed to giving members honest, easy and great value banking products and services, without any hidden fees or excessive charges, said RACQ group CEO Ian Gillespie.Were also one of Queenslands last remaining mutual banks, and we are working for our members not for shareholders. Any profits the bank makes will be reinvested back into the RACQ ecosystem for the benefit of our members here in Queensland.In the first step of the banks expansion strategy, home loans will be offered through direct channels, RACQ Bank CEO Steve Targett told Australian Broker.Targett was the former CEO of QT Mutual Bank, eventually becoming CEO of RACQ Bank after it acquired QT Mutual in November 2016.QT Mutual was a lot smaller. We had about 67,000 members. RACQ has got 1.6 million so the first step of our strategy is to penetrate that member base with personal banking products  the main one of which is mortgages, he said. Then well look at the next step of our strategy in terms of penetrating our member base and cross-selling products.The bank will consider working with brokers at a later stage once these initial phases are completed, he added.Its on our critical path of things to look at but not in the next six months. At some stage, its something that weve got to look at and will probably be one of the next things once we feel weve got our basic capabilities right.The banks main products  residential mortgages, car loans and personal loans  will be distributed across Queensland through RACQ Banks 13 branches and RACQs 34 stores.We need to look at providing some sort of banking capability out of some of RACQs stores particularly in areas where we dont have branches. There are quite a few RACQ members up the seaboard between the Sunshine Coast and Townsville. Weve got some stores there but we dont have any bank branches. These are things that we need to look at.Building a team of mobile lenders was also on the agenda so that banking products could be offered to customers in remote locations, Targett said.RACQ Banks loans will be funded directly through its equity such as transaction accounts and term deposits. The bank can also access wholesale funds through negotiable certificates of deposit or medium-term notes and can draw additional capital through RACQ itself.
A joint statement by five leading non-major banks has called for policy reform around brokers and aggregators which are owned by the major lenders.In their submission to the Productivity Commissions Inquiry into Competition in the Australian Financial System, AMP Bank, Bank of Queensland , Bendigo and Adelaide Bank , ME, and Suncorp highlighted these bank-owned aggregators as a fundamental area which must be addressed if we are to realise a truly competitive sector.They proposed that any aggregators and brokers owned by the major banks publicly report on the proportion of loans directed to their owners.While we do not suggest that major banks should be restricted from owning broker networks, we do believe that where this occurs, it should be managed in an open and transparent way to ensure customers are able to make fully informed decisions.They pointed to findings in the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) Review of Mortgage Broker Remuneration which said that major bank ownership of broker platforms influenced the proportion of loans the owner received from their brokers.This is a regulatory concern because mortgage brokers are obligated to ensure consumers get the most suitable loan product, the banks wrote.With smaller physical branch networks and a dependency on unbiased distribution channels, regional banks support strong regulation in this area, including effective ownership disclosure obligations.In a separate submission to the Productivity Commission, National Australia Bank ( NAB ) said that vertical integration (VI) of banks and aggregators provided benefits to both consumers and brokers.The three NAB-owned aggregators  PLAN Australia , Choice Aggregation Services and FAST  represent around 30% of brokers in the market and offer access to approximately 40 lenders and their products, the bank wrote.NABs continued investment in aggregator systems and processes supports brokers to run their businesses.This VI model offers significant benefits to consumers, provided the appropriate remuneration, compliance and governance structures are in place. NAB, and each owned aggregators, has rigorous processes to manage conflicts, including perceived conflicts, to protect the interests of customers and brokers.By offering support through technology, professional and business development, and assistance with licensing and compliance, NAB helps brokers deliver good consumer outcomes, the bank wrote.
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The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia ( MFAA ) has announced the appointment of a new head of education to strengthen its professional development capabilities and bring in important education changes industry-wide.Stephen Hunt will step into the role after 14 years as head of training, education and licensing for Bridges & Associates (part of the financial services giant IOOF Group).Stephen is well placed with relevant finance industry and education experience to lead our professional development strategies and engage with our members and other key industry stakeholders. His knowledge of how the financial planning industry has dealt with regulatory changes will really complement the MFAAs education plans, MFAA CEO Mike Felton said.In addition to being tasked to develop an education-based competency framework in consultation with the industry, Hunt will also set the direction of the MFAAs professional development program including the National Roadshow 2018, state and regional PD events, and the associations online education and webinars.The MFAA will continue to lead the industry in professional standards and bring education to the fore to ensure we maintain professionalism and credibility as an industry, Felton said.The appointment was timely, especially with the recent raft of regulatory changes as well as recent focus on self-regulation and governance through professional development, education and training, he added.Hunt said he was looking forward to the challenge that his new role would bring.Im genuinely excited about joining the team of dedicated professionals at the MFAA. Like the financial planning profession, the mortgage and finance industry faces the concurrent challenges of regulatory change, digital disruption, mixed consumer confidence and disparate economic conditions between different states and regions. I look forward to helping our MFAA members sustain and grow their businesses.
Eagles can tie franchise record, but first they have to fix one issue
A 24-year-old man is facing a slew of felony charges for illegal straw purchase of 21 guns at gun stores, almost exclusively in Bucks County. Leonard Truesdale was arraigned on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, on 21 counts each of making false statements on firearm purchase forms, criminal conspiracy to make false statements on firearm purchase forms and selling or transferring...
Two stalwarts of the South West, Exeter Chiefs and Bradfords Building Supplies, have joined forces for the 2017-18 rugby season.

Following a successful match sponsorship last season, Bradfords are now shirt sponsors for the current Premiership Champions.

The deal unites two of the South Wests longest standing institutions - the Chiefs can trace their roots back to 1871 and Bradfords have been around since 1770.

As well as featuring on the shirts, the Bradfords logo can be seen on match days on Sandy Parks giant TV screens, signs around the ground and next to local favourite Henry Slade.

Adam Charman, Bradfords Group Marketing Director said: Partnering with the Chiefs, a team at the absolute top of their game, makes us very proud and we are pleased to become part of a great success story. We both have a rich and deep South-West heritage and we also share the same core values: trust, longevity, family-friendliness and hard-work.

Chris Bentley, Sales Manager for The Exeter Chiefs, said: We are very excited to be working with Bradfords. We share the same passion for our roots and values and are looking forward to achieving great things together on the national stage.
How international students in South Jersey celebrate the holidays

South Jersey's international students share how they cope when they can't make it home for the holidays by finding new ways to celebrate the season.
Air Conditioner manufacturer is betting on new product lines, starting inhouse production of some of the components, increase in exports and investments into digital technologies to help it reach the goal of $1 billion revenue by 2020.

The company, which is expecting to reach a turnover of Rs 5,000 crore during the current fiscal, is expecting contribution of adjacent products such as air purifier and air cooler, in overall revenue to grow from current three per cent to 10 per cent in three years. It is also looking at manufacturing some of the components it buys from other companies, on its own, in order to increase the margin, said B Thiagarajan, joint managing director, .
Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal on Monday urged the airline's staff to be physically fit, saying it would make the organisation healthy.

Bansal took charge of the disinvestment-bound airline last month.

"Today, the company needs us more than ever before to give our best to it in body, mind and spirit. The purpose of workouts is to tighten the slack, toughen the body and polish the spirit. Let us give our best to keep ourselves fit and make the company, in turn, healthy," Bansal said in a message addressed to Air India employees.

Ever since, Bansal took over he has been initiating steps to improve the carrier's on-time performance and the airline crew has been told that there will be zero tolerance for delays on first flights of the day.

Measures are also being taken to cut costs, enhance passenger yields as well as improve customer satisfaction.

"In the airline industry, alertness and response-level of the personnel, especially those on the frontline, are tested round the clock.

"The frontline employees, who interact with customers on a regular basis, require to be not only physically fit and healthy but also have a presentable appearance and a pleasing demeanour," Bansal wrote.

Earlier this year, cracking the whip on its overweight cabin crew, Air India had temporarily removed 57 crew members from flying duty.
Reliance Group Chairman on Tuesday termed falling wireless telephony rates as creative destruction and not a disruptive factor, as it is being made out to be. Speaking at the group's annual general meetings, Jai Anmol Ambani, executive director of Reliance Capital, said its health insurance arm, which has got first-level approval from the insurance regulator  the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai)  is set to be operational from early next year.
Ayurveda major Dabur has joined American e-commerce giant Amazon.com to sell its products in the overseas markets. To begin with it would be placing 30 products on Amazon.com for the largest consumer goods market in the world  the US  and its neighbours Canada and Mexico.
At a time when several firms are facing insolvency, some have been able to restructure their debt. In the second of a 4-part series, Business Standard looks at the realty major
As major e-commerce platforms -- Flipkart, Amazon India, Jabong, Myntra and Paytm Mall -- concluded their festive season sales, segments like mobiles, electronics, and large appliances, followed by fashion, witnessed huge traction.

According to CashKaro, the overall e-commerce industry GMV (gross merchandise volume) rose by over 1,000 per cent during the sale period.

In online retailing, GMV indicates total sales in terms of dollar value for merchandise sold through a particular marketplace over a certain time frame.

"Mobiles and electronics saw an increase of over 2,000 per cent, while a 950 per cent surge in sales of TVs and large appliance was recorded within this five-day period," CashKaro said in a statement.

"Fashion as a category grew 800 per cent, while Home and Kitchen saw a 500 per cent increase," it added.

Data shared by e-commerce giant Flipkart revealed that while the company did sales equivalent to 70 per cent of the entire online e-commerce market in India during their five-day-long "Big Billion Days" sales from September 20-24, its sales shot up by 100 per cent as compared to last year.



"Flipkart created history in the smartphones segment within the first 20 hours of the category opening for sale. 1.3 million smartphones were sold, higher than the total number of smartphones sold across India in a single day, both through online and offline," the company said.

Flipkart has a 70 per cent market share in the country's online smartphones market.

In addition, Flipkart Fashion, along with the online retail platforms it owns -- Jabong and Myntra -- holds 80 per cent of the entire online market for fashion.

Amazon India in its "Great Indian Festival" from September 21-24, witnessed over 2.5 times growth in the smartphones segment led by Samsung, Redmi and OnePlus.

"Large appliances grew 4X (four times) in the first two days of the Great Indian Sale vs last Diwali led by LG (5X) Bosch (6X) and Whirlpool (6X)," Amazon India said in a statement.

"Washing machines and refrigerators grew 4X and ACs (air conditioners) grew 3X respectively. Televisions grew 2X backed by sales in TCL, Sanyo, BPL, Sony, LG, Panasonic, and Samsung," the company said.

Amazon India's Smart TV sales doubled over last year Diwali, the statement added.



"We are humbled that the latest version of the Great Indian sale was our biggest shopping event ever, with remarkable growth across categories led by smartphones and large appliances growing multiple times versus last year. We are especially excited about growing e-commerce in India with more than 85 per cent of new customers from small towns," said Manish Tiwary, Vice President - Category Management, Amazon India.

Paytm Mall, owned by Paytm Ecommerce, which launched its first ever festive season sale -- "Mera Cashback Sale" -- from September 20 to 23, said it witnessed 12 times growth in smartphone sales, eight times in laptops and cameras, 10 times in home appliances, 10 times in apparel, footwear, and fashion accessories, and seven times in fast moving consumer goods.

"Apple iPhones, Samsung smartphones, MacBooks, Lenovo Laptops and HD LED TVs from major brands like Sony have registered highest traction. Small cities and towns have bought branded apparel," said the company.

"We have also witnessed a large number of consumers buying Patanjali ghee, dry fruits, festival-related gift items and daily need products during the sale period... Customers from over 839 cities and towns ordered products from sellers across 270 cities during our recently concluded 'Mera Cashback Sale'," it added.



E-commerce player Snapdeal is still on with its sales ending on September 25. Online marketplace ShopClues' "Maha Bharat Diwali Sale" will run until September 28, while LimeRoad's "The Festive Love Affair" will end on September 26.
The income tax (I-T) department raid on drug maker on charges of paying off doctors to prescribe its medicines has put the spotlight on government norms on ethical marketing practices and tax regulations.
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The Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Steel is likely to buy iron ore from merchant miners in Odisha to cater to the requirement of its 10 million-tonne-per-annum (mtpa) steel plant and a pellet unit proposed in the state. The company has pegged its annual iron ore requirement for the two facilities at 30 million tonnes.


When it comes to popular cars, Indian consumers are sticking to pretty much the same models this year as they did last year. The top 10 car models in terms of volumes so far this fiscal are the same ones as they were in the same period last financial year; perhaps indicating that these top car brand in the domestic market continue to get stronger and gain market share.
Reliance Infrastructure's defence arm and Engineering will be announcing a rights issue to increase the shareholding of the parent firm, said Chairman Anil Ambani, while speaking to the company's shareholders at the annual general meet held in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Banking Group on Tuesday told about 1,000 staff in its insurance division that they will be moving to Diligenta, a subsidiary of India's Tata Consultancy Services, according to the Unite union.

Unite said that the staff at Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical in Edinburgh and Bristol will be transferred to the new company. No time frame for the move was given.

"The bank's 'sale' of its committed Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical staff represents contempt for long-serving and skilled employees," Rob MacGregor, a Unite national officer, said in a statement.

"The message from Banking Group is loud and clear and appears to be 'so long, thanks for your efforts, you work for them now'."
Several officials are in the dock after the violence at the Benaras Hindu University (BHU) on Saturday night as Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked for a report from the Varanasi Police Commissioner regarding the incident.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, the "adopted daughter" of the now-jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

"The plea is without merit. Honeypreet has been evading arrest in Haryana," ruled Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal on the plea moved earlier in the day by Honeypreet, who apprehended a threat to her life in Haryana.

"Keeping in the view the facts and circumstances of the case that the applicant (Honeypreet) till now has evaded arrest, discretionary relief should not be granted," the court said.

"It appears that the application is not bona fide and has been filed with a view to gain time."

The court said that the prayer of Honeypreet's counsel Pradeep Kumar Arya that protection is granted to her so that she may approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court is without merit as Honeypreet had the liberty to avail the remedy before the competent court.

Arya had told the bench that she is willing to join investigation but wants protection from arrest, requesting his client be granted three weeks transit anticipatory bail so that she can move the high court for anticipatory bail as soon as situation calms down there.

She cannot join investigation as the atmosphere is not good in Haryana and even intelligence report revealed that there is a threat to her life. He also noted that a Deputy Inspector General of Police in Haryana has also expressed that there is threat to Honeypreet's life.

Appearing for Delhi Police, advocate Rahul Mehra said that the city police will take care of her protection if she surrenders. However, he raised the issue if she was a Delhi resident, saying she had not submitted her actual address in her bail plea.

The counsel representing Haryana Police opposed the plea, saying her anticipatory bail plea is only maintainable in a state court as she is a permanent resident of Sirsa.

At this, Arya argued that she stayed in Greater Kailash whenever she visits Delhi and currently she is unsafe in Haryana.

The court asked counsel whether she can surrender herself here or before Haryana Police and then reserved its order.

Early in the morning, Arya mentioned her bail plea before a bench headed by the high court's Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal for early hearing. The matter was then transferred to single judge bench of Justice Sehgal.

The Haryana Police on Tuesday morning conducted raids in the capital in a bid to arrest Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, another close aide of the Dera chief.

A court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, had on Monday issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet, Aditya and Pawan Insan after all three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court convicted him on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s and the Dera chief's closest aide since 2009, is on the run since August 25, hours after Ram Rahim was convicted. Police is on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana as well as Nepal.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His conviction led to violence in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several places in Punjab.
Similar to marquee airports such as Schiphol (Amsterdam), Brisbane and Hamad (Doha), travellers could soon enter Indian airports without flashing their identity cards and clear the check-in process through fingerprints and iris scan.

The civil aviation ministry has begun the process of linking the databases of airlines and airports with passenger IDs such as and passport numbers for this. In the coming months, a mobile phone is all that will be required to board domestic flights in India.

Passengers will be able to use biometrics to prove identity before entering terminals and will not have to show ID cards. A flight ticket or eticket will not be needed either as the airline database will show the details of the flight they are booked on, R N Choubey, Aviation secretary told Times of India.

In a small way, the process has already been tried  at a few gates of the GMR-owned Hyderabad airport. The Bengaluru airport, which is owned by the Fairfax and GVK group, is also using biometric information-enabled checking points for swift check-ins.

Wipro has been told to study whether such an integrated, e-enabled platform can be developed so that all airports can use the database to enable the biometric entry facility across Indian airports, Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra told Business Standard.

At entry, a special kiosk scans the passenger's hand to match his or her ID. The boarding pass embedded with the number or a copy on a phone can be shown to authenticate the passenger with a show of his or her hand. At the frisking stage and boarding gate too, the passenger is identified by hand and provided with a paper stub with the flight details, that is produced at the aircraft door.

However, passengers without number can still choose to be identified by the existing paper procedures.

Points to note: * The linked airport databases will show if the passenger has been through checkin and security check gates before being allowed access to the boarding gate closer to flight departure time. * International flyers will still need passports to travel. * This will cut down the time a passenger spends in airport queues

Linking Aadhaar numbers to air ticket bookings is certainly an option but the ministry will not make it mandatory for booking air tickets; we cannot do it. We can ask airport operators and airlines to inform passengers about its benefits, but it cannot be enforced now, according to Supreme Court guidelines, said a ministry official. Airline companies have asked the ministry to make Aadhaar compulsory for booking tickets.
Former senator of the United States Larry Pressler has said India is getting "more weight" as compared to Pakistan under the Trump administration, although the two countries were treated equally by the US in the past.
Hitting on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi urged the government to consider granting the refugee status to Rohingyas from Myanmar, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir on Tuesday said that a leader who thinks in the favour of the nation would not give such a statement.

"Any leader who thinks in the favour of the nation will never make any statement like this. The Prime Minister of Myanmar, who is a Nobel Laureate, did not accept the Rohingyas then how can us," Ahir told ANI.

He added that the Rohingyas have tried to interrupt in the functioning of Myanmar Government.

"If any outsider enters India like this and looking at their past how they troubled Myanmar Government, spread terror and worked against the government, we cannot trust them," Ahir asserted.

Contradicting his own party's stand, Gandhi wanted the government to consider granting refugee status to Rohingyas from Myanmar.

He expressed his opinion on the issue in an article and called for a refugee policy, which differentiates between people fleeing a country following persecution as opposed to those fleeing poverty.

The Supreme Court is hearing multiple petitions both in favour of and against deporting Rohingya Muslims, who have been fleeing Myanmar following its army's crackdown in the Rakhine state.

Nearly 40,000 Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in India in the last five years, with most of them settling in Jammu, New Delhi, Punjab, and Rajasthan.

However, the latest exodus of the Muslim minority Rohingyas began on August 25, when the Myanmar army launched fresh offensive in Rakhine, following an attack by Rohingya rebels on multiple government posts.
India hit out at Pakistan on Monday saying it has callously exploited the picture of an injured Palestinian girl to spread falsehoods about India and divert attention from Islamabad's role as the hub of world terrorism.

Paulomi Tripathi, a First Secretary in India's UN Mission, held up the photograph of the body of Lt. Umar Faiyaz, a young soldier from the Indian state of Kashmir who was tortured and killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists, surrounded by mourners, and a picture of Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi displaying the picture of the Palestinian girl claiming she was Kashmiri.

Tripathi told the Assembly the photograph of Faiyaz "is a true picture" and it "reflects the real pain inflicted by the nefarious designs of Pakistan on India," contrasting it with the fake picture used by Lodhi on Saturday while reacting to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

The picture of the injured girl that Lodhi displayed was that of Rawya Abu Jom'a taken in July 2014 and published by The New York Times in March 2015 under the caption, "Conflict, Courage and Healing in Gaza," Tripathi pointed out.

Caught using a fake picture, a Pakistani diplomat made the bizarre statement that "backing up debates with pictures has backfired" on India while responding to Tripathi.

Tipu Usman, a Counsellor at the Pakistani Mission, told the Assembly, "India is seeking to hide behind a picture."

Asked at his daily briefing if the President of the General Assembly (PGA), Miroslav Lajcak could do anything about fake pictures being used at the Assembly as was done by Lodhi, his spokesperson Brian Varma said, "I don't think the PGA has a role, but I will look into it."

Tripathi help up both pictures and directed attention to the photograph of the Indian soldier and said, "This is a real picture and not a fake picture of Lt. Umar Faiyaz. A young officer from the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, Umar Fiayz was kidnapped at a wedding reception. He was brutally tortured and killed by Pakistan-supported terrorists in May 2017."

"This is a true picture," she said. "It portrays a harsh reality. A picture of terror emanating from across our borders that the people of India, especially in the Jammu and Kashmir have to struggle with everyday."

"This was the reality that the Permanent Representative of Pakistan sought to obfuscate," Tripathi said.

Lodhi "yet again sought to divert attention from Pakistan's role as the hub of global terrorism," Tripathi said. "She did so by callously holding up a picture of an injured girl" from Gaza.

"The Permanent Representative of Pakistan misled the Assembly by displaying this picture to spread falsehood about India," Tripathi added. "A fake picture to push a completely false narrative."

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Haryana Police on Tuesday conducted raids in the capital to arrest fugitive Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, close aides of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Police sources said the raids were being conducted in Delhi and nearby areas of the Capital Region (NCR).

One raid was conducted at a house in Greater Kailash-II in South Delhi.

The move came a day after Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja, moved the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory transit bail.

A court in Panchkula, near Chandigarh, had on Monday issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan. All three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after his conviction by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999.

The Haryana Police had sounded an international alert against all three.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s, is on the run since August 25, hours after Ram Rahim was convicted.

She has been the closest aide of Ram Rahim since 2009. The police is on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted in Nepal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several other places in Punjab.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US counterpart James Mattis on Tuesday held comprehensive talks on deepening bilateral military ties, including supply of advanced defence technologies to India.

Asserting that the defence partnership is one of the "key strategic pillars" of cooperation between India and the US, the two leaders agreed to explore additional and specialised exercises between the militaries of the two countries.

The armies of the two countries are currently participating in the joint military drill Yudh Abyas 2017 and their navies recently concluded in the Bay of Bengal, the 2017 edition of Malabar, a trilateral exercise between India, the US and Japan.

While no specific defence trade deal was announced during Mattis' India visit, sources said there were talks on two specific proposals of F-16 and F-18A under Modi's Make in India campaign, along with efforts to identify new projects under the ambitious Defence Technology and Trade Initiatives (DTTI).

The Trump administration wants to sell F-18 and F-16 fighter planes to India, built by American companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin respectively. Both companies have offered to assemble these planes in India.

India is also keen on buying drones and Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (UAVs) from the US.

"We also discussed ways to further deepen the robust defence trade, technology collaboration between our defence industries. We look forward in assuring some of our most advanced defence technologies through the Defence Technology and Trade Initiatives (DTTI)," Mattis said during a joint- press briefing after his talks with Sitharaman.

The two sides deliberated on how to move forward on India's Major Defence Partner designation.

Sitharaman said the move will "provide further energy and momentum to our collaboration on defence technology and manufacturing".

Mattis noted that designation to India as the Major Defence Partner recognises India as a pillar of regional stability and security.

"The US is now a leading supplier of state-of-the-art defence equipment to India. I appreciated Secretary Mattis' willingness to share further cutting-edge platforms which would enhance India's defence preparedness to meet current and emerging threats," Sitharaman said.

In the wake of rising assertiveness of China in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the hydro-carbon rich South China Sea, Mattis emphasised on enhancing maritime cooperation between the two nations.

"We appreciate India's stabilising leadership in the Indian Ocean and seek to work together to build a resilient and regional architecture," the defence secretary said.

On her part, Sitharaman said she also discussed with Mattis the issues relating to maritime security in the Indian Ocean and the broader Asia-Pacific Region as well as regional connectivity issues.

"India supports the freedom of navigation, over-flight and unimpeded lawful commerce. We also believe that disputes should be resolved through peaceful means and in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law," she said, without making any reference of China.
India and the US today discussed ways to deepen their defence ties along with key issues such as Afghanistan, where New Delhi has ruled out any troop contribution, and terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US counterpart James Mattis held comprehensive talks covering the entire gamut of the bilateral defence partnership.

"The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth. There is growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue," Sitharaman said at a joint press conference.

She said both sides recognise the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism.

On his part, Mattis said there can be "no tolerance to terrorism safe havens".

He also welcomed India's contribution in war-torn Afghanistan.

India, one of the largest contributors in Afghanistan where it in involved in several development projects, however, has ruled out troops contribution amidst the US emphasis for a greater participation by the country in the conflict-ridden Islamic nation.

"We have made it clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground (Afghan)," Sitharaman said while responding to a query on whether India will contribute troops in Afghanistan.

Sitharaman also said that Mattis has assured her that he will raise with Pakistan the issue of terrorism emanating from there.
The prices of Basmati paddy and rice are likely to remain firm this year due to estimates of lower output, following erratic monsoon rain in major growing regions. Data compiled by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed the countrys cumulative rainfall this season was 5 per cent lower than the long-period average (LPA), with the northwest region recording 11 per cent less rainfall until September 20.
The $ 5.6-billion from the country will be seriously affected due to certain impediments following the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) regime, if the issues are not addressed immediately, said Council for (CLE). The Council welcomed the new tax regime and said that this would be beneficial for the country in the long term, though there are issues to be solved in the short term.

The industry is facing a financial burden and significant outflow of capital on account of levy of higher GST rates on major segments of the manufacturing chain and requirement of upfront payment of GST, refunds for which can be claimed later. The industry would require an additional working capital of Rs 3,200 crore under the new regime this year.
In what she termed substantive, constructive and forward-looking talks in New Delhi on Tuesday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US counterpart, Defense Secretary James Mattis, pressed all the right buttons in affirming a growing common ground between Washington and New Delhi.
Acharya Balkrishna, the head of Baba Ramdevs Patanjali Ayruveda, has made it to the Hurun India Rich List this year, while Damani, the founder of D-Mart stores, was the biggest gainer.
Earlier, you had GARV, GARV-II, IPDS, DDUGJY, UDAY and UJALA. And now, SAUBHAGYA has joined the long list of schemes promising power for all. Right since the government under Narendra Modi took charge at the Centre in May 2014, energy access has been the clarion call.

In the first Union Budget that the Modi government presented in 2014, rural and urban electrification had seen a major thrust, along with a name change and allocation boost. Strict targets were part of these two schemes  Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY).
ABCNews.com(WASHINGTON) -- Three Americans with significant Russian business connections contributed almost $2 million to political funds controlled by Donald Trump, ABC News has learned.



The timing of contributions coming from US citizens with ties to Russia, is now being questioned by investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller, according to a Republican campaign aide interviewed by Muellers team.



Unless the contributions were directed by a foreigner, they would be legal, but could still be of interest to investigators examining allegations of Russian influence in the 2016 campaign, said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.



Obviously, if there were those that had associations with the Kremlin that were contributing, that would be of keen concern, Schiff told ABC News.



A review of Trump campaign records conducted by the Center for Responsive Politics for ABC News found large contributions coming from two emigres born in the former Soviet Union who now hold U.S. citizenship, and from a third American who heads the subsidiary of a large Russian private equity firm.



Those donations began flowing to the Republican National Committee, the group says, just as Trump was on the verge of securing the Republican nomination and culminated in two large gifts  totaling $1.25 million  from these individuals to the Trump inaugural fund following his victory.



Government officials familiar with the House and Senate investigations into Russian election interference told ABC News that near the conclusion of the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting involving Trumps son Don Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner, then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and Russian emissaries interested in curtailing U.S. sanctions, Manafort made a cryptic and cursory notation on his phone. It said, Active sponsors of RNC, a phrase that some investigators have viewed as a reference to campaign donations, the sources said.



Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni disputed any notion that he was referencing contributions, telling ABC News any assertion that they talked money was not true.



This sounds like more Washington whispers, Maloni said. Anonymous sources with self-serving motives peddling rumors and speculation.



Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which specializes in analyzing and tracking political contributions, said she would expect the special counsel to look closely at one of the most time-honored ways to exert influence in an election -- donations.



I think it will be a dereliction of duty for the investigators and special counsel Mueller not to look into that flow of money, Krumholz said.



Leonard Blavatnik, a Ukrainian-born billionaire who holds American and British citizenship, has contributed $383,000 to the Republican National Committee since late April 2016 and added another $1 million to Trumps inauguration fund. Those figures include more than $12,000 that was later directed into President Trumps legal defense fund, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. He did not give directly to the Trump campaign.



Blavatnik made his fortune in heavy industry and oil and gas after the fall of the Soviet Union, expanding his Russian holdings under Putin through a lucrative oil deal while also purchasing familiar Western brands such as the Warner Music Group, which he bought in 2011 for $3.3 billion.



He has donated tens of millions of dollars to educational and charitable causes and prefers to be known as an American philanthropist. He also has a long history of political giving to PACs supporting candidates of both parties. He gave $1.5 million for Sen. Marco Rubio during the early 2016 primary campaign, as well as $1 million for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and $800,000 for South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. In 2011, he gave for both President Barack Obama and his GOP challenger, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.



When asked if Blavatnik had been contacted by federal investigators about his contributions during and after the 2016 campaign, a spokesperson told ABC News the billionaire would not comment. In an earlier statement made to British media, Blavatnik noted that neither his contributions, nor those of his company Access Industries, were made directly to Trump.



"Access Industries made a donation to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, a joint Congressional committee that has been responsible for organizing the inauguration ceremonies of every U.S. president since 1901 and which helps to organize public and private events during the week leading up to the Inauguration, the statement said. "The types of events that the Presidential Inaugural Committee plans and supports include public concerts, fireworks, lunches, dinners, the inauguration ceremony, and the inaugural parade.



Krumholz, however, said the donations to the inauguration are hard to view as having a solely charitable motive. Blavatnik, she said, is a political heavy hitter, and longstanding political donor. He runs Access Industries and I think the name probably says it all, she said.



Additional contributions from Russian-connected donors came from Russian-born oil executive Simon Kukes and New York businessman Andrew Intrater, who oversees the U.S. arm of the Russian conglomerate Renova Group. Neither Kukes nor Intrater had an appreciable record of political contributions until last year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.



After Trump secured the nomination, Kukes gave $280,000 to an assortment of Trump-controlled funds over the next several months. Intrater contributed $35,000 to the Trump Victory committee, plus $250,000 to Trumps inauguration fund.



Neither Kukes nor Intrater returned messages left at their homes and offices.



All three men -- Blavatnik, Kukes, and Intrater -- have been publicly identified as associated with Viktor Vekselberg, considered one of the richest men in Russia. Vekselberg is reported to hold frequent meetings with President Vladimir Putin as part of a business group known as the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Emails to Vekselbergs Moscow-based company, Renova, were not returned. Vekselbergs firm, the Renova Group, has also donated between $50,000 and $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation.



Experts who follow the activities of Russias cadre of billionaires, commonly known as the oligarchs, told ABC News they believe donations from these three men, all of whom have worked closely with Vekselberg, warrant intense scrutiny.



Louise Shelley, director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at George Mason University, said she does not believe large contributions from Blavatnik or from donors associated with Vekselberg would occur without the implicit approval of the Kremlin.



If you have investments in Russia then you cannot be sure that they are secure if you go against the Kremlin's will, Shelley said. You can't be an enormously rich person in Russia, or even hold large holdings in Russia without being in Putin's clutches.



Both Blavatnik and Vekselberg had crossed paths with officials in Trumps inner circle prior to the real estate moguls run for president.



After Trump supporter and now Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross took a controlling interest in the Bank of Cyprus, for instance, a company controlled by Vekselberg became the biggest single Bank of Cyprus shareholder. During Rosss confirmation hearings in February, a group of six Democratic senators raised questions about the nominees ties to Vekselberg. They noted that Vekselberg had served on the board of the Russian oil company, Rosneft, which was placed under sanctions in 2014 after Russias armed incursion into Crimea.



Vekselberg also oversaw fundraising for the Moscow Jewish Museum, including hosting a 2014 gala in Russia attended by Trumps daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner. Blavatnik also attended the event.



In addition, both men have business ties to another Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, whose name has already surfaced in connection with the Mueller investigation -- Deripaska was a client of Manaforts prior to joining Trumps campaign, as first revealed in Manaforts foreign registration filings. Deripaska is the majority owner of RUSAL, the world's second largest aluminum company. Vekselberg and Blavatnik hold a significant interest in RUSAL, and Blavatnik served on the companys board until shortly after Trump was elected.



Ilya Zaslavskiy, an Oxford-trained scholar and frequent critic of the oligarchs, told ABC News there is good reason for concerns about the role Vekselberg and Blavatnik may have played in the 2016 elections, given what he says was a continuous relationship of these oligarchs with Kremlin and security services.



Special counsel Mueller should absolutely look into this because these people have a track record of very close relationships with the Kremlin, Zasklavskiy said. There is now overwhelming evidence that Putin has run a multilayered, sophisticated campaign against American institutes.



Schiff said he has not reached any firm conclusions, but his committee will be looking closely at every facet of the Russian influence effort, including political donations from billionaires with lasting ties inside Russia.



The oligarchs are really part and parcel of service to the Kremlin, Schiff said. They can be called upon at basically Putins will to do what he needs done. It gives them some distance from the Kremlin, it gives them some plausible deniability.



Shelley said the country may never know if the contributions were made independently or covertly directed by the Kremlin. But she believes that in the 2016 presidential contest, anyone with deep business investments in Russia would not be contributing to Hillary, [and] Russians would not be aligning themselves with Hillary, because they knew that Putin really disliked her.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Noted economist and former chairman of the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) Ashok Gulati has reportedly declined to become part of yet another government panel constituted by the NITI Aayog on reforming the countrys agriculture sector by 2020 on the grounds that unless recommendations made by earlier such committees are implemented, another such exercise is useless and futile.
The Central Selection Board of Constable (CSBC) Bihar has announced Admit Cards (ACs) for the constable exam to be conducted on 15 and 22 October, 2017 (Sundays). Candidates can check the notification regarding the same here csbc.bih.nic.in. The sources said, the ACs were going to be made available on September, 23 2017 (Saturday). Since there are many candidates visiting the site, the E- portal may not be responsive now. Candidates can wait for a while and then try to download the card. In case a candidate is unable to download the online, he or she can get the same at the office as notified in the official notification from 10 October till 12 October.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is inviting applications for the post of Assistant Engineer to be hired by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under Ministry of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. Candidates willing to take up the post can apply for the same till October 12, 2017 (Thursday). The number of vacancy is three reserved for UR (1), OBC (1), SC (1) and ST (0). The qualified candidate would be paid as per Level-8 Pay Matrix and (Rs. 9300-34800 plus 4800 Grade Pay pre-revised Scale). The post carries probation of two years. The location is CGWB, CHQ, Faridabad (Haryana). In connection with performing his duties, the engineer may be required to serve in any part of India.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is inviting applications for the post of Lady Medical Officer (LMO) (Family Welfare) to be hired by Family Welfare Organization for Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services under Ministry of Defense. Candidates willing to take up the post can apply for the same till October 12, 2017 (Thursday). The number of vacancy is six reserved for UR (3), OBC (2), SC (1) and ST (0). The qualified candidate would be paid Rs. 8,000-13,500 (Revised level 10- Rs. 56,100-1, 77,500/- plus NPA (25% of pay in pay matrix) Total Emoluments Rs. 70,125 Approx.). The post carries probation of two years. The location is New Delhi.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is inviting applications for the post of Junior Scientific Officer (Ballistics) to be hired by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for Directorate of Forensic Science Services under Ministry of Home Affairs. Candidates willing to take up the post can apply for the same till October 12, 2017 (Thursday). The number of vacancy is one reserved for UR (0), OBC (1), SC (0) and ST (0). The qualified candidate would be paid as per pre-revised Pay Scale Rs. 9, 300-34,800/- (PB-2) plus Rs. 4,600/- (Grade Pay), as per 7th CPC- Level 7 in the Pay Matrix. (Total emoluments excluding T.A. and HRA at the time of initial appointment will be Rs.46696/- plus D.A. p.m. approximately, including DA @4 per cent). The post carries probation of two years. The location is New Delhi with Laboratories at Kolkata, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Guwahati and Pune. In connection with performing his duties the officer may be required to serve in any part of India.
Press Statement of Defence Minister after Delegation Level talks with US Defence Secretary James Mattis

His Excellency Mr. James Mattis, Secretary of Defence of the United States, Representatives of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is indeed a privilege to receive Secretary Mattis in Delhi. I extend a warm welcome to him on his first visit to India as Secretary of Defence.

He is a special visitor for me personally as he is the first Ministerial counterpart I have met since taking over my responsibility as Defence Minister of India.

We have just concluded very substantive, constructive and forward-looking talks. I thank Secretary Mattis for generously sharing his deep knowledge and wisdom of defence matters. I am confident that his knowledge and experience will contribute to further deepening defence and security cooperation between India and the United States.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

India and the United States share a strong and vibrant strategic partnership. As the world's largest democracies, we also share fundamental values and interests.

Defence cooperation between India and the US has grown significantly in recent years and emerged as a key pillar of our strategic partnership.

Our military-to-military engagement continues to grow. We recently concluded the trilateral Malabar Naval Exercise in the Bay of Bengal along with Japan. This edition of Malabar demonstrated the progress made in operational synergies between our Navies. As we speak, our Armies are conducting their Exercise Yudh Abhyas. In our talks today, we agreed to explore additional, specialized exercises.

Cooperation in defence equipment has grown steadily over the past years. The US is now a leading supplier of state-of-the-art defence equipment to India. I appreciated Secretary Mattis' willingness to share further cutting-edge platforms which would enhance India's defence preparedness to meet current and emerging threats.

Secretary Mattis and I agreed that we need to expand on the progress already made by encouraging co-production and co-development efforts.

I reiterated India's deep interest in enhancing defence manufacturing in India under Prime Minister's Make in India initiative. I thank Secretary Mattis for his supportive position in this regard and look forward to working closely with him to realize joint projects.

In this context, we agreed that the full implementation of the understanding reached following the announcement by the US last year recognizing India as a Major Defence Partner will provide further energy and momentum to our collaboration on defence technology and manufacturing.

We also discussed how to refocus and re-energize the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) as a mechanism to promote technology sharing as well as co? development and co-production efforts.

We also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth. There is growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue. We both recognize the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism.

As you are aware, India welcomed President Trump's new US Strategy for Afghanistan announced last month. Today, I had useful discussions with Secretary Mattis on how we could strengthen our cooperation bilaterally as well as with the Government of Afghanistan in pursuit of our common objective of a peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.

We also discussed the issues relating to maritime security in the Indian Ocean and the broader Asia-Pacific Region as well as regional connectivity issues. India supports the freedom of navigation, over-flight and unimpeded lawful commerce. We also believe that disputes should be resolved through peaceful means and in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law. I am happy to note that Secretary Mattis reaffirmed the US position in support of these principles. I also welcome his reiteration of the US commitment to work with India in ensuring maritime security in the lndo Pacific and as first responder to HADR situations.

From our discussions today, l am confident that we are entering a new phase in our strategic defence partnership with the United States. I once again thank Secretary Mattis for visiting India. I also thank him for inviting me to visit the United States to carry forward our discussions.

MJPS/NM/DK/RP
Union Home Minister launches Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour (PENCIL) Portal SOPs for enforcement agencies on child labour also released Shri Rajnath Singh addresses National Conference on Child Labour

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched the Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour (PENCIL) Portal at the National Conference on Child Labour organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India here today. The PENCIL is an electronic platform that aims at involving Centre, State, District, Governments, civil society and the general public in achieving the target of child labour free society. Shri Rajnath Singh also launched the Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the enforcement of legal framework against child labour. The SOP is aimed at creating a ready reckoner for trainers, practitioners and monitoring agencies to ensure complete prohibition of child labour and protection of adolescents from hazardous labour ultimately leading to Child Labour Free India.

After launching the portal, Shri Rajnath Singh said that any decent society cannot allow the child labour. Child labour is a curse, he said. He said that India needs to take a resolve to eradicate the child labour from the country. He expressed faith that with conviction and resolve, we can eradicate this menace. Shri Rajnath Singh said if India could attain freedom in five years after taking resolve of Do or Die of Mahatma Gandhi during the Quit India Movement, then there is no reason why India cannot attain a child labour free society in coming five years if the whole country gets united and takes resolve to do so. He said that childhood is the best period of an individuals life gifted by God. But he expressed sadness at the fact that one in every 10 children is involved in child labour and is not able to lead a normal life during his childhood.

Shri Rajnath Singh said that ratification of treaties by India in this regard shows our resolve to eradicate child labour in a time-bound manner. He said that only portal will not be able to suffice our efforts, but social awareness is needed in this regard. He quoted the example of special drives undertaken under Operation Smile, where 70,000-75,000 children could be saved. He emphasised that for the success of PENCIL Portal also, one months special drive in the country, even at block levels, is required, so that everybody becomes aware of it and acts in the direction of elimination of child labour. He said that child labour not only has social implications but economic implications also. Appreciating the Ministry of Labour and Employments efforts in releasing SOPs for enforcement agencies, he said that this will help in the better implementation of the schemes, as many schemes are good at the formation stage, but are not being implemented in an effective manner on the ground due to lack of guidance.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment (I/C), Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar said that children are the countrys assets and its future. He said that due to short-term economic and social constraints, the income from child labour may appeal to be good, but in the long run, it is not so. He said that keeping in mind the overall development of children, the employment of children under the age of 14 years is not allowed under the law for any occupation and for the children between 14-18 years, the employment is not allowed in occupations that are harmful to their physical and mental health. He said that main hurdle in the implementation of laws is lack of awareness and guidance and the SOPs released today will be useful to the enforcement agencies.

He further said that child labour is a social problem and positive attitude is very important in this regard. He expressed hope that all sections of India will rise above law to realise the dream of child-labour free society. The Labour Minister stated that India ratified the two Core Conventions of International Labour Organization (ILO), Convention 138 regarding admission of age to employment and Convention 182 regarding worst forms of Child Labour in June 2017 which shows our commitment to a child labour free nation.

Shri Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Laureate and Child Right Activist was the Guest of Honour on the occasion. Expressing happiness over the release of PENCIL portal, he said that today is a historic day for India. India is telling the world that it will give PENCIL in the hands of children and not tools to work, he added. He emphasised that the top leadership should be involved in these campaigns. He said that PENCIL and SOPs are important not only for India but also for the world in showing a new direction to them. He said this proves that fact that technology can be converted into instruments of social upliftment and power. Shri Satyarthi said that currently, he is on Bharat Yatra to spread awareness and sensitise on issues related to child sexual abuse and child trafficking. He also emphasised on the institutional mechanism and exclusive courts for handling cases related to child sexual abuse.

Earlier while delivering the welcome address, Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Smt. M. Sathiyavathy said that Government has taken various initiatives and developed a legal framework to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of eliminating child labour by the year 2025. She said that child labour has come down in India as per 2011 census as compared to 2001 census. She further stated that broad consultation was done with all the stakeholders before finalizing the amendments in central rules which was notified on 2nd June 2017. For the first time we have provided for prevention, rescue and rehabilitation of children in the central rules and institutional set up at the district level in the form up district task force. She said that SOPs will provide step by step guidelines and will be a ready reckoner for trainers, practitioners and monitoring agencies.

In a video message during the conference, Mr Guy Ryder, DG, ILO, congratulated India for its foresight and expressed the hope that India will play a critical role in supporting ILOs efforts around the globe.

On the occasion, a short film on child labour and an animated detailed presentation on PENCIL portal were also shown.

The PENCIL Portal (pencil.gov.in) has various components, namely Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence. The Districts will nominate District Nodal Officers (DNOs) who will receive the complaints and within 48 hours of receiving, they will check the genuineness of the complaint and take the rescue measures in coordination with police, if the complaint is found to be genuine. Till date, 7 states/UTs have appointed the DNOs.

The State Labour Ministers from Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Rajasthan participated in the conference. The conference was also attended by Labour Secretaries of the State, Secretaries of Central Ministries, District Nodal Officers as well as the Project Directors for National Child Labour Project (NCLP).
Valedictory Session of Assistant Secretaries: IAS Officers of 2015 batch make presentations to PM

As part of their Valedictory Session as Assistant Secretaries, IAS officers of the 2015 batch today made presentations before the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.

8 selected presentations on various themes of governance were made by the officers, on themes such as rapid response for accident victims, tracking individual carbon footprints, financial inclusion, improving rural incomes, data driven rural prosperity, heritage tourism, railway safety, and central armed police forces.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that it was indeed significant that the junior-most and senior-most officers are spending such a lot of time communicating with each other. The Prime Minister said that the young officers must imbibe all the positives from these interactions. The Prime Minister asked young officers to focus on subjects such as GST implementation and boosting digital transactions, especially via the BHIM App.

He urged all officers to speed up the adoption of Government e- Marketplace (GeM) in their respective departments. He said this would eliminate middlemen, and result in savings for the government.

Giving examples of ODF targets and rural electrification, the Prime Minister urged the officers to work towards 100 per cent achievement of targets. He urged the officers to work towards creating the India of the dreams of freedom fighters, by 2022. He said that officers who have risen from humble backgrounds, should meet young students, and motivate them. Communication leads to compassion, the Prime Minister added.

He said that the key aim of officers today is the welfare of the nation and its citizens. He urged the officers work with team spirit, and make teams wherever they go.

Speaking on the occasion, the Cabinet Secretary Shri P. K. Sinha said all the 175 Officers were designated and posted as Assistant Secretaries in 42 Ministries (58 Departments) of the Central Government for three months from July 03, 2017 to September 29, 2017 after their Phase-II training at the Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. During their three-month central deputation they were provided a holistic overview of the functioning of the Central Government through individual projects, group projects, concurrent review of projects suggested by earlier batches with a view to providing exposure of office functioning of Government of India to the young IAS officers at a very early stage in their career, he said.

The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Ministers Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Home Secretary, Shri Rajiv Gauba, who is holding the additional charge of Secretary, DoPT and the Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr. P. K. Mishra were also present.
Vice-President inaugurates a Crusade for Toilets" in Karnataka

The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, today inaugurated the Swachhta Hi Seva" and Shouchalayakkagi Samara" (A Crusade For Toilets) Programme in Karnataka. He was presiding as the Chief Guest over a public event at Hubli.

The Vice President later visited Konnur Village, in Naragund Taluk, Gadag District, where he initiatied the activity of Tippe Samskarane (Waste Processing). He also inaugurated a Shudda Kudiyuva Neerina Ghataka" (Purified Drinking Water Plant), visited the Janata Colony in the village, and addressed a Shouchalayakkagi Samara" public gathering at the local high school.

Speaking on the occasion, the Vice President emphasized the need for Swachhata to become a jan aandolan. He complimented the taluka, district and State for the good progress made by them. He urged all present to participate in Swachhata activities and said that Swachh Bharat Mission is a national program, a people's program, and not one of any particular political party. He gave several examples of ordinary people making extraordinary contributions, including Ms Lavanya, a young girl from Karnataka who persuaded her unwilling family to build a toilet and then went on to inspire her entire village. The Vice President appreciated the fact that many young women are now demanding toilets before they get married into another family.

On the occasion, the Vice President also honoured 13 Village Panchayat Presidents and the Naragund Taluka Panchayat President, the achievers of Shouchalayakkagi Samara". He also declared the rural areas of Naragund Taluk as an ODF block.

Shri Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, the Governor of Karnataka, began his address by thanking the Vice President for starting the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign from Karnataka.

He also emphasized the importance of caring for one another, as enshrined in the slogan of the government, Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. He said that to care for others, we need to start by taking the initiative ourselves in the direction of a Swachh Bharat.

Shri Ramesh Jigajinagi, the Minister of State, Drinking Water and Sanitation, congratulated the State government on the occasion and re-emphasized the importance of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign. He reiterated the fact that the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in his recent visit to Uttar Pradesh, had appreciated the naming of a toilet as Izzat Ghar".

Shri H. K. Patil, Karnataka Minister for Rural development and Panchayati Raj, gave a snapshot of the progress being made by the State under the Swachh Bharat Mission and said that both, the State and the nation, were moving at a good pace towards becoming clean and free from open defecation.

In his welcome address at the gathering, Shri Parameswaran Iyer, the Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, shared a nationwide progress update on Swachh Bharat Mission and appreciated the good progress being made by the Government of Karnataka in meeting the goals of the Mission.

Shri P. C. Gaddigoudar, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, and Shri B. R. Yavagal, MLA, Naragund, were also present on the occasion.

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Nearly 50,000 people have evacuated their homes amid fears of an imminent volcanic eruption on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, disaster officials said today.

Mount Agung, about 75 kilometres from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been rumbling since August, threatening to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years.

Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said today 48,540 people had fled, although the number was expected to rise because more than 60,000 people lived in the danger zone.

"There are still people who don't want to be evacuated," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency, said at a press conference.

"The reason is firstly, the mountain hasn't erupted yet. Secondly, they are worried about their livestock."



Officials announced the highest possible alert level on Friday following the increasing volcanic activity, and told people to stay at least nine kilometres away from the crater.

Evacuees have packed into temporary shelters or moved in with relatives.

Some 2,000 cows have been also evacuated from the flanks of the volcano.

Nengah Satiya, who left home with his wife three days ago, said he had been returning to the danger zone to tend to his pigs and chickens.

"There are many livestock in our village but nobody is taking them," Nengah Satiya told AFP. "We take turns going back to feed them."



The airport in Bali's capital Denpasar, through which millions of foreign tourists pass every year, has not been affected.

More than 1,000 people died when Mount Agung last erupted in 1963.

(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.)
South Korea urged the United States to help dial down tensions with the North, after Pyongyang accused President Donald Trump of declaring war.

"It is very likely that North Korea will conduct further provocations," South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said in a speech in Washington yestertday.

"It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation... in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control.
Dara Khosrowshahi will have to do more than post a humble tweet if he is to rescue Uber in London. The CEO of the ride-sharing company will need new reserves of humility, allied with positive action, if his firm is to be given a third chance to make it work in the UK capital.
In what could be a major blow to the gig economy, Transport for London (TfL) has refused to renew Ubers licence to operate in the UK capital  its largest European market  on the grounds that its approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility on issues which have potential public safety and security implications.
Myanmar's UN ambassador insisted Monday that there is no "ethnic cleansing" or genocide taking place against Muslims and objected "in the strongest terms" to countries that used those words to describe the situation in Rakhine State.

Hau Do Suan used his "right of reply" at the end of the six-day gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly to respond to what he called "irresponsible remarks" and "unsubstantiated allegations" repeated by countries in their speeches to the 193-member world body.

He didn't identify any of the nations, though many spoke out about the plight of more than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 25, when Rohingya insurgent attacks on security forces prompted a military crackdown and reprisals by majority Buddhists.

Among those who accused Myanmar of trying to rid itself of Rohingya were Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, and a number of Islamic countries, including the United Arab Emirates.

Suan denied those claims.

"There is no ethnic cleansing. There is no genocide," he said. "The leaders of Myanmar, who have long been striving for freedom and human rights, will not espouse such policies. We will do everything to prevent ethnic cleansing and genocide."



He called the issue of Rakhine State "extremely complex" and urged UN member states and the community "to see the situation in northern Rakhine objectively and in an unbiased manner."



Pointing to the initial attack by the insurgent Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, known as ARSA, he said: "It is the responsibility of every government to fight against terrorism and protect innocent civilians."



The ambassador said there are several reasons for the exodus and "prominent among them is the fear factor." Following the August 25 attacks and the security operation, he said, "most of the women and children were forced to flee" while men were conscripted into ARSA to fight Myanmar's security forces.

"The scorched earth policy employed by the terrorists is another factor," Suan said. "The terrorists planted IEDs everywhere, blew up bridges, and committed arsons."



Amnesty has said it turned up evidence of an "orchestrated campaign of systematic burnings" by Myanmar security forces targeting dozens of Rohingya villages. The human rights group released video, satellite photos, witness accounts and other data that found over 80 sites were torched and said as recently as Friday that fresh fires continued in Rakhine and that satellite and video images showed smoke rising from Muslim villages.

(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.)
Nestle may buy or sell businesses with combined sales of almost $10 billion as Chief Executive Officer Mark Schneider embarks on the biggest overhaul of the worlds largest food company in at least a decade.
has been boosting defences on its east coast, South Koreas Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday, after the North said US President Donald Trump had declared war and that it would shoot down US bombers flying near the Korean peninsula.
An accountability court on Tuesday decided to indict Nawaz Sharif on October 2 after the ousted prime minister for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges filed against him in the Panama Papers scandal.

The court also issued fresh arrest warrants against his children and son-in-law.

Sharif, 67, appeared in the court located in the judicial complex here, a day after he returned from London where he was with his ailing wife.

During the brief hearing, Sharif informed accountability court, Judge Muhammad Bashir, that his wife was unwell and he needed to attend her. He was then allowed to leave the court.

The court then adjourned for 10 minutes before continuing with the normal case proceedings.

The appearance was just a formality to ensure that the accused was ready to face the trial. Sharif stayed at the court for about 10 minutes.

He was accompanied by his lawyer Khawaja Harris who would represent him as a counsel in the corruption cases.

The court had last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law capt (retd) Safdar to appear before it on September 26. It is pertinent to mention that the Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on September 19.

When the hearing started again, the judge asked about Maryam, Hussain and Hasan, and Sharif's son-in-law Safdar who were also ordered to appear today.

Sharif's lawyer Harris contended that they were in London to take care of their ailing mother but the court rejected the argument and ordered them to appear before it on October 2.

The court also issued fresh bailable arrest warrants against Maryam, Hussain, Hasan and Safdar.

Harris asked the court that Sharif needed to take care of his wife in London so he would be allowed to skip personal appearance in the court.

The court refused by saying that he should first appear on the day of indictment and the issue of skipping personal appearance will be deiced later on.

Sharifs legal aide Barrister Zafarullah Khan told media that the court should have given more time for indictment.

"The court cannot indict until all accused appear in the court. It should give us more time to prepare out case," he said.

He said that Sharif would appear in the court if all went well during the period before next hearing and health of his wife remains stable.

Independent law expert Shehzad Akbar said that court was not bound to delay indictment of an accused if his accomplices are not present or refuse to appear before the court.

"The accountability courts have vast powers. They can indict the accused who has presented himself in the court, while it can convict others for non-compliance and failing to appear," he said.

Hundreds of Sharif's supporters, including Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, lawyers, lawmakers and several ministers were present in the court premises. Heavy security arrangements were made around the judicial complex.

Earlier, Sharif left the Punjab House in Islamabad at about 8.30 am to appear before the court. It took him about 15 minutes to reach the court.

More than 35 vehicles were part of Sharif's convoy which safely reached Punjab House after his appearance in the court.

Sharif is expected to hold some important meetings with aides and to address media in the evening, according to PML-N sources.

Sharif was in London from August 31 to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

He decided to return to Pakistan after consultations with senior party leaders including his younger brother and Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in London.

Sharif stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons -- Hassan and Hussain, daughter - Maryam, son-in-law - Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Sharif's family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated. Rest of his family is still in London.
Title: Hit Refresh; Author: Satya Nadella; Publisher: Harper Collins; Pages: 272; Price: Rs 599

When you hit "Refresh" in a web browser by clicking the little arrow -- or press the "F5" function key -- it quickly updates the web page, without wiping out anything but opening the page afresh.

For India-born Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, hitting refresh in life is something any person or organisation looking to make a sustained impact over a long period of time must learn to do and implement.

Some people and organisations have one major "hit refresh" moment and hit refresh often.

In "Hit Refresh" -- while taking the readers through his personal journey from Hyderabad to the company's ongoing transformation at Redmond, Washington State, in the US -- Nadella is confident that the knowledge he inherited in India is helping him write new codes of life for Microsoft's global audience: Be it Cloud, Microsoft 365, Windows 10 and the emerging disruptive technologies.

"Looking back, I have been influenced by both my father's enthusiasm for intellectual engagement and my mother's dream of a balanced life for me," he writes.

After attending schools in Srikakulam and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, Mussoorie, Delhi and Hyderabad -- and later flunking an IIT entrance exam -- Nadella landed in the US.

There was no master plan but a call from Microsoft, for him, "was time to hit refresh again".

Today, Microsoft is at the leading edge of Cloud-based technologies as it infuses capital into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for an inclusive, democratic "Intelligent Cloud" architecture.

For Nadella, the future belongs to AI-based computing and Microsoft is building the world's most powerful AI supercomputer and making the infrastructure available to everyone.

On Monday, during his keynote address at the ongoing "Microsoft Ignite" event in Orlando, Florida, Nadella said Microsoft has been working to invent a universal, the programmable quantum computer and to identify revolutionary applications that will run on it.

In the book, Nadella sheds light on the ongoing activities and future plans to build new computational methods for programming the quantum computer.

"Through quantum computing, we can unlock solutions to problems in areas such as AI, clean energy, global warming, materials design and much more," Nadella told the packed house at "Microsoft Ignite".

At "Station Q", writes Nadella, Microsoft researchers and collaborators are working days and nights to overcome challenges in the path towards universal quantum computing.

"At Microsoft, we're on the cusp of empowering a quantum revolution with our unique, topological approach," he told the gathering at the Orlando event, hoping that "quantum computing will make AI even more intelligent".

Bill Gates, who has known Nadella for more than 20 years, writes in the Foreword: "Satya has charted a course for making the most of the opportunities created by technology while also facing up to the hard questions."

"Ideas excite me," Nadella explains. "Empathy grounds and centres me."

In his latest blog on the book, Nadella wrote: "Books are so often written by leaders looking back on their tenures, not while they're in the fog of war. What if we could share the journey together, the meditations of a sitting CEO in the midst of a massive transformation?"

"Hit Refresh" is about individual change, about the transformation happening inside Microsoft and the technology that will soon impact all of our lives: AI, Mixed Reality and quantum computing.

The book is "about how people, organisations and societies can and must transform and 'hit refresh' in their persistent quest for new energy, new ideas and continued relevance and renewal".

"We should be optimistic about what's to come. The world is getting better, and progress is coming faster than ever. This book is a thoughtful guide to an exciting, challenging future," Gates writes.

Don't just buy the book to know who Nadella is. Instead, buy it to hit the refresh button in your life from "a principled, deliberative leader searching for improvement -- for himself, for a storied company, and for society".
Three Israelis shot dead by a Palestinian gunman at the entrance to a Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Tuesday, authorities said.

The gunman was also shot and died later but has not yet been identified, the BBC quoted a police spokesman as saying.

The gunman had "arrived at the rear gate of Har Adar along with Palestinian labourers entering the settlement" before opening fire on Israeli police guards, the police said.

Four people were seriously injured.

The victims had sustained gunshot and stabbing wounds, the Israeli ambulance service said.
Ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc said on Tuesday that it will stop operating in the Canadian province of Quebec next month, pulling out to avoid following tough new regulations announced last week.

Uber is pulling out of Canada's second-most populous province as it battles a decision to strip the company of its license to operate in London, the latest in a series of regulatory attacks on Uber as new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi seeks to rebuild the company's image.

Uber's Quebec general manager, Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, said the company would cease operations in the province on Oct. 14.

Uber employs more than 50 office workers in the province, where more than 10,000 drivers have worked for the company, he said.

The company left room to reverse its decision, calling on the government to reconsider strict regulations announced on Friday that tightened up rules that had let Uber operate since October under the terms of a pilot project.

"We're asking the government to renew the pilot project and let's sit down and find a solution to this," he said.

Representatives of Quebec's transport ministry were not immediately available to comment.

The new rules require drivers to undergo 35 hours of training, in line with requirement for traditional taxi drivers.

Taxi operators have opposed Uber's presence in Quebec, sometimes blocking traffic during protests in the province's largest city, Montreal.

The move means Uber will cease operations in Quebec cities including Montreal, the country's second-largest city, and Quebec City. It does not affect operations in other Canadian cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.

Uber does not operate in Vancouver or Winnipeg, due to a lack of provincial regulation in the provinces of British Colombia and Manitoba, respectively.

Uber rival Lyft, which currently only operates in the United States, has started exploring a move north of the border. Its lobbyists have met several times with municipal officials in Toronto, according to city records.

(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.)
Earlier this month CIA Director Mike Pompeo suggested the North Koreans have a long history of being proliferators and sharing their knowledge, their technology, their capacities around the world.
Even by Asias low standards when it comes to having women on corporate boards, the progress of the regions billionaires is lagging: Most of the richest men in China, Japan and South Korea run companies with few, if any, female board members.
Avenue Supermarts, which owns and operates D-Mart retail chain, have joined the league of companies with market capitalization(m-cap) of more than Rs 75,000 crore after more than 15% rally in shares on Tuesday.
A year after Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian pressed for lifting ban on export of pulses, the government ended the 10-year-old ban on September 18. This comes in conjunction with the import restriction on tur dal (pigeon pea) to 0.2 million tonnes, and on urad dal (split black gram) and moong dal (split green gram) together to 0.3 million tonnes for 2017-18.
Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday said that the arrest of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader Akhil Gogoi shows the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) dictatorial attitude.

"The arrest of Akhil Gogoi is nothing but exposes the government dictatorial attitude. Besides, in a democracy everybody has the right to criticize the government. Gogoi is very critical of the government and he was critical during my time also. But we didn't put behind the Security Act (NSA) as we didn't consider him anti-national," the former chief minister told ANI.

He added that the current government wants to get everybody out who criticizes it.

"Anybody who criticizes the government is termed anti- which is dangerous for a democratic country like India. This illegal order by the government has already been condemned and we want the government to change this attitude," Gogoi asserted.

Earlier on Monday, Akhil Gogoi was booked under the stringent Security Act (NSA).

He was booked under the Act in connection with several cases lodged against him in Assam.

The cases include the Kaziranga eviction in 2016, for which Gogoi was arrested on charge of inciting illegal settlers which resulted in the death of two persons in police firing.

The KMSS leader was booked under Sections 120 B, 121, 124 (A), 109, 153, 153 (A) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for delivering a provocative speech during a public rally at Moran, where he allegedly instigated people to take up AK-47 rifles in their movement against the government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Andhra Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested three men from Prakasam district for allegedly molesting a girl, and filming the incident.

The accused V Sai and B Pavan of Kanigiri, and K Karthik of Agraharam in Kanigiri mandal were friends of the victim.

They filmed the condemnable incident and then circulated the video.

The offence took place in August while the complaint was registered yesterday by the girl's father in Prakasam district's Kanigiri Police station.

Following the complaint police nabbed the three accused.

Subba Rao, Chief Inspector of Kanigiri Police informed that the Police have initiated some awareness programs in colleges.

"As police officials, we are doing our bit to control such things. If such cases get re-reported we will counsel them and not reveal their identity," Chief Inspector of Kanigiri Police Subba Rao said.

Rao remarked that movies and films are majorly influencing the youth, and advised parents and teachers to keep a check on their children.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Banaras Hindu University's (BHU) Vice Chancellor G C Tripathy on Tuesday said that he had not been summoned by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) to explain the violence that had taken place on his campus in the week gone by.

"This is false news doing rounds in media. I haven't been summoned by the HRD Ministry," Tripathy said.

Earlier reports were doing the rounds in the media that Tripathy was being summoned by the HRD Ministry and that the BHU vice chancellor has already left for Delhi.

Earlier in the day, Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn submitted a preliminary report to Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar over the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) clash and blamed the university administration for not handling the matter in a sensitive manner.

Gokarn, in his report, said that the BHU neither dealt with the victim's complaint in a sensitive manner nor handled the situation on time.

Yesterday, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) office in Varanasi confirmed that an FIR was registered against 1000 Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students in Lanka police station for arson and other charges.

On September 24, Congress leaders P.L. Punia, Raj Babbar and Ajay Rai were detained by the police, ahead of their participation in the students' protest march at BHU.

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday lathi-charged the BHU students, who were protesting since three days against alleged molestation of a University girl.

It was reported that the protesting students tried to enter the residence of the vice chancellor and when the deployed security forces tried to stop them, students became violent; it is then when the security forces used lathi-charged to disperse them.

The students alleged that the police thrashed them and dragged them by hair, but DM Varanasi, who was present on the spot, denied all such claims.

The ongoing protests outside the BHU campus triggered when a first-year female student of BHU alleged that she was molested by three bike-borne men outside the campus on Thursday.

The victim in the matter had claimed that she went to the university administration for complaining about the incident but the administration in lieu of taking any action against the molesters, shamed the victim for her awkward hostel timings.

Angered over the laid back attitude of the administration and lack of action from the side, the students staged protests outside the campus on Friday and blocked entry to the campus through the main gate.

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Hong Kong-based Chilli International holding (HK) limited launched world's first Fidget Spinner Mobile, product K188 and AGPS phones, product F05 in the Indian market, offering A-GPS in India.

Priced between Rs. 1200 to Rs. 1300 at the retail level, the two products under the brand Chilli Mobiles will be available online on Amazon, Flipkart, Shopclues and Paytm by the company's authorized resellers in India and via offline networks in all leading stores across India by the end of September, 2017.

"We are happy to extend our market share by launching in India. We see India as one the fastest growing market for cell phones with second largest population in the world. Since our first preview online, we have overseen a high demand among customer for these new models. Our focus for the quarter in on strengthening our brand in the Indian soil and with K188 and F05, we aim to deliver the industry's most value for price products," said Michael Feng, India Sales Head of Chilli International holding (HK) limited.

The Spinner Mobile, K188 is a gadget that can also be used as a Fidget Spinner as well as a Bluetooth device for your smart phone. It is a combination of a Fidget spinner, Feature phone and a Bluetooth headset. The phone also offers multimedia options, like images, video and music support along with internet accessibility as per the users network carrier.

The product is available in six attractive color options rose gold, gold, silver, black, blue and red across online and offline stores in India.

Another product by Chilli Mobile F05 model is priced at Rs. 1500 to Rs. 1700 at the retail level, the feature phone is India's first A-GPS enabled feature phone. The fed within the smart device is an amazing feature that helps you easily identify the location of your family members once you have fed it in the device.

The tool offered is mainly focused towards offering safety of kids/ close ones. It also offers BT dialer facility and supports Whatsapp. This model has a 7.9 mm super slim body, offers comfortable usage as it fits perfectly in your hand. The gadget also supports dual SIM with dual standby.

With headquarters in Hong Kong, Chilli International holdings, also has a strong supply chain across countries and has a capacity to produce and supply 1 million pieces, a month. The brand has a wide distribution network spread across 25 countries and also operates via its private brand stores.

Aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India vision, the company plans on heavy investments in industrial park and technologies to develop an eco-friendly manufacturing unit within the country.

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said that door for talks and negotiations are always open if North Korea stops making reckless choices.

"As I have stressed numerous times, the door to dialogue and negotiations is always open if North Korea stops making reckless choices," Yonhap news agency quoted Moon as saying in a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of an inter-Korean declaration.

Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had pledged in a joint statement in October 2007 to seek a peace treaty while boosting inter-Korean cooperation and exchanges.

North Korea has since conducted several nuclear tests, with its sixth and latest taking place earlier this month.

President Moon also termed the security conditions currently surrounding the Korean Peninsula as more serious than ever and vowed to stepped up efforts to rid North Korea of its nuclear ambition.

"We will never allow North Korean nukes. We will make North Korea realize that it has no future should it try to face the rest of the with nukes," he said.

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FFAB Creations Private Limited, a well renowned name in premium fashion fabrics in India opened its exclusive store in Ahmedabad, located near C.G. road. The store was inaugurated by Kaajal Oza Vaidya, a renowned author, screenwriter, radio personality and journalist from Ahmedabad.

Following the success of its flagship store at New Delhi that opened last year, this new store will offer a complete range of woven, embroidered, printed and thousands of other varieties of fabrics, premium hand-woven sarees, dupattas, stoles and scarves, unstitched sets and many more textile products.

Spread across 1800 sq. ft, the new store is very spacious offering over 5000 designs and 100000 meters of fabrics on display in line with the latest fashion trends in the apparel industry and thus making it a paradise for fashion and textile designers, Boutiques, Hi-fashion Garment Manufacturers and Exporters, and consumers with an eye for fashion.

The store will offer customization of designs as per customer's requirements along with an extensive support through swatches, images and design updates to its B2B trade clients. The company's design library, developed over last 15 years through extensive research, will also be on offer to its clients across various categories.

The store will offer a complete range of silk fabrics, silk blends, handwoven fabrics and products, fabrics made from man-made fibres, natural dyes and printed fabrics, fine linens and cottons, handloom silk brocades, sarees, scarves, stoles and dupattas and a host of other fancy fabrics making it a one of its kind store to offer such a huge range of fashion fabrics.

"We are delighted to launch our first store in Ahmedabad. It has been our endeavour to enhance customer experience at our stores through premium design, best in class services and an overall shopping ambience. We strongly focus on design and innovation through our state of the art in-house design studio. Launching our own stores has been a key factor in bringing us closer to our customers. The launch of this store is a significant achievement for us and underlines the importance of this city for us," said Pravin Mittal, Director- FFAB Creattions Pvt. Ltd.

Realising the importance of developing innovative and premium fabrics rich in colour, weave and our culture for this fast growing and changing fashion industry, FFAB works extensively with the handloom weavers in different handloom clusters across India for revival of their art and providing its partner weavers a sustained platform for consistent growth.

"FFAB has exclusive tie-ups with the best weavers in the power-loom and mill sector which manufactures fabrics as per the quality standards provided by FFAB in line with the global quality parameters. We have added large number of customers across the globe from various segments like exporters, garment manufacturers, brands, fashion designers, premium fabric retailers and whole sellers, boutiques and more. Our natural and man-made fibres like silk, flax, cotton, viscose, Cupro, modal, etc. are mainly suited for fashion and home," said Sandeep Mittal, Director- FFAB Creattions Pvt. Ltd.

FFAB has a strong domestic presence across 50 cities in the country with five branch offices at Noida, New Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. In India, from brands like ITC, Bombay Dyeing, Trent, to India's top notch fashion designers and many more to premium stores like Good Earth and Nalli Silk, buying houses and exporters, the company serves it all. Internationally, FFAB has a good presence in the Middle-East, France and UK and is looking to aggressively expand its presence across Europe and the US.

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Honeypreet Insan, the adopted daughter of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, on Tuesday moved the Delhi High Court for an anticipatory bail. In her application, she alleged that she is facing a threat to her life from the drug syndicates in Punjab and Haryana.

In Honeypreet's bail application, it is mentioned that the applicant (Honeypreet) is a single woman, with clean antecedents, law abiding and is always ready and willing to join the investigation, to make her situation clear.

The application has set aside the claim of Haryana Police that Honeypreet was involved in instigating people for violence during Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction in the rape case.

According to the application, on August 25, throughout the hearing of Ram Rahim in the Panchkula Court, the applicant was sleeping in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court premises and till reaching Rohtak's Sunaria Jail, Honeypreet was with the Haryana Police and this fact is already in the videos.

The application read that there is nothing that can be said to be done wrong by the applicant. It's quite clear by the circumstances that the Haryana Police's motive is to cause harm, harassment and injure the reputation of the applicant by arresting her and further humiliating her.

Honeypreet Insan has been on the run following the conviction of Ram Rahim Singh in two rape cases.

Earlier, Honeypreet's lawyer Pradeep Arya claimed that she had visited his office to sign the anticipatory bail application.

Arya told ANI that Honeypreet was in constant contact with him and that he would move the Delhi High Court seeking bail for his client.

"It took time for her to decide I guess. As soon she contacted us we took necessary steps. Honeypreet came today in the afternoon at my office in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar to sign the bail papers," he said.

When questioned about Honeypreet's whereabouts, Arya said that he had no clue about it.

He said that Honeypreet is very upset with the conviction of Dera Chief and the 'irresponsible' presentation of her relation with Ram Rahim.

"We are requesting for urgent hearing. Primarily she has been charged for treason. The charges farmed against her are incorrect," Arya said.

As per Honeypreet's lawyer, case has been filed against her under section 151, 152, 153, 120B, 121A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The Haryana Police on September 18 released a 'wanted list' of 43 people over the violence that lashed after conviction of the Dera chief in two rape cases. The list had Honeypreet Insan on the top.

Haryana witnessed uproar by the Dera Sacha Sauda followers after Ram Rahim was convicted in the rape cases by the special CBI court on August 25, leaving about 41 people dead and injuring more than 250 people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Honeypreet Insan, the adopted daughter of jailed Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, is likely to move the Delhi High Court for an anticipatory bail.

Honeypreet Insan has been on the run following the conviction of Ram Rahim Singh in two rape cases.

Earlier, Honeypreet's lawyer Pradeep Arya claimed that she visited his office today to sign the anticipatory bail application.

Arya told ANI that Honeypreet was in constant contact with him and that he would move the Delhi High Court tomorrow seeking bail for his client.

"It took time for her to decide I guess. As soon she contacted us we took necessary steps. Honeypreet came today in the afternoon at my office in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar to sign the bail papers," he said.

When questioned about Honeypreet's whereabouts, Arya said that he has no clue about it.

He said that Honeypreet is very upset with the conviction of Dera Chief and the 'irresponsible' presentation of her relation with Ram Rahim.

"We are requesting for urgent hearing. Primarily she has been charged for treason. The charges farmed against her are incorrect," Arya said.

As per Honeypreet's lawyer case has been filed against her under section 151, 152, 153, 120B, 121A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The Haryana Police on September 18 released a 'wanted list' of 43 people, over violence lashed after conviction of the Dera chief in two rape cases. The list had Honeypreet Insan, on the top.

Haryana witnessed uproar by Dera Sacha Sauda followers after Ram Rahim was convicted in the rape cases by the special CBI court on August 25, leaving about 41 people dead and injuring more than 250 people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Panchkula Police after conducting a raid at Dera property in South Delhi confirmed that Honeypreet Insan, the elusive foster daughter of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was not found at the location.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Romil Baaniya said, "Raids were conducted today morning at A-9 Greater Kailash with an arrest warrant against Honeypreet. Later it was confirmed that she was not sighted here in the recent past nor she is staying here currently."

The suspicion of sighting Priyanka Taneja alias in Delhi developed when her lawyer claimed that she visited his office in the capital yesterday to sign the anticipatory bail application.

Commenting on the above, Baaniya said, "We can't verify the authenticity of the CCTV footage being shown."

Honeypreet has been absconding since a lookout notice was issued against her on September 1.

She tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with Panchkula violence that lashed after Dera Sacha Sauda chief was convicted by special CBI court on August 25 in two rape cases.

On August 28, Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the same.
Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Nirmal Singh echoed similar sentiments as Chief of Army staff Bipin Rawat and said that if Pakistan becomes a challenge to security of its people then reserves the right to conduct surgical strikes again.

"If need arises, and if anyone becomes a challenge, if Pakistan becomes a challenge to the sovereignty and security of the people of our nation, then we reserve our right to strike," the Deputy CM told media.

Meanwhile, Minister of State (MoS) for Prime Minister's office Jitendra Singh refused to opine on the topic and said that experts will take the needed action in the regard.

"I can ensure that the way decisive actions are being taken now, it was never seen before. That is why the situation is changing here," he added.

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat yesterday asserted that surgical strike conducted by India along the Line of Control (LoC) will be repeated if adversary does not mend its ways.

"Surgical strike was conducted to send a message and if adversaries do not understand, it will be repeated," General Rawat said.

India carried out surgical strike on September 29 2016, eleven days after Pakistan carried out Uri attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Apart from this, Pakistan has been continuously violating ceasefire along the LoC.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday ruled out any possibility of the country sending its troops to Afghanistan.

Addressing a joint press conference with visiting United States Defense Secretary Lt. Gen. (Retired) James Mattis after delegation level talks here, Sitharamanin response to a question, said, "There shall not be any boots on the ground from India," with regard to Afghanistan.

She, however, reiterated that India will continue providing development and medical assistance to Kabul.

In making this point, Sitharaman cleared the air on previous speculative reports that India was thinking of deploying troops in Afghanistan after U.S. President Donald Trump called for greater Indian involvement in that war torn country.

During the delegation-level discussions, both sides also resolved to eradicate terrorist safe heavens across the globe.

"There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe heavens. As global leaders, India and the US resolve to work together to etadicate this scourge," Secretary Mattis said in his statement.

Both sides also placed emphasis on the need for expanding bilateral maritime cooperation.

Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in New Delhi last night on a maiden three-day visit. He is first Cabinet member of the Trump Administration to visit New Delhi after the January 20 inauguration in Washington.

India currently provides USD three billion in aid to Afghanistan and also provides training to its military and other assistance.

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A few days after Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi showed a picture of Palestinian victim and tried to pass it off as 'evidence' of atrocities on Kashmiris, India on Monday lambasted at Islamabad, saying that the image was presented to "push a completely false narrative."

Following is the statement in exercise of India's Right of Reply at 72nd Session of United Nations General Assembly, by Indian diplomat Paulomi Tripathi.

"I take the floor to respond to the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Pakistan in the exercise of right of reply, in the evening of Saturday, September 23," starts Tripathi.

She further stated that the permanent representative of Pakistan, Maleeha Lodhi in her statement, sought to divert attention from Pakistan's role as the hub of global terrorism.

"She did so by callously holding up a picture of an injured girl," Tripathi said

The Indian diplomat told the assembly that the photograph was of Rawya abu Jom'a, a girl from Palestine.

"The picture was taken on 22 July 2014 by an American photographer Heidi Levine. This photograph was published by New York Times on 24 March 2015 under the caption 'Conflict, Courage and Healing in Gaza'," said Tripathi.

She further said that the Permanent Representative of Pakistan misled this Assembly by displaying this picture to spread falsehoods about India, adding that, "A fake picture (was presented) to push a completely false narrative."

Tripathi also asserted that in view of this "cynical and misleading" attempt by Pakistan, India is constrained to show this Assembly, a photograph that reflects the real picture of pain inflicted by the nefarious designs of Pakistan on India.

Presenting a picture Tripathi said, "This is a real and not a fake picture of Lt. Umar Faiyaz. A young officer from the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. Umar Faiyaz was kidnapped at a wedding celebration. He was brutally tortured and killed by Pakistan supported terrorists in May 2017."

She further stated that this is a true picture and portrays a harsh and tragic reality.

"A picture of terrorism emanating from across our borders that the people of India, especially in the state of Jammu and Kashmir have to struggle with, every day. This is the reality which the Permanent Representative of Pakistan sought to obfuscate," Tripathi told the assembly.

The Indian diplomat further said that the true face of Pakistan is not hidden from anyone.

Earlier, Maleeha Lodhi resorted to waving dramatic pictures of a girl with pellet injuries on her face and added, "this was the face of Indian democracy", while suggesting that Kashmiris had been injured by pellet guns.

However, upon closer inspection of the picture, Maleeha Lodhi's claim seemed to have boomeranged on her.

The picture used by Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN was reported by a number of media outlets as that of Rawia Abu Joma'a, a 17-year-old girl injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza city in 2014.

Rawia's picture was taken by award winning photographer Heidi Levine.

Earlier, Swaraj had said India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism.

"India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan's nefarious export of terrorism. There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India's development. We have marched ahead consistently without pause, in education, health and across the range of human welfare. We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world," Swaraj said while addressing the 72nd UNGA session in New York.

She also questioned as to what has Pakistan offered to the and to its own people apart from terrorism.

In a stinging response to Pakistan at the UNGA, she said that India is completely engaged in fighting poverty, whereas Islamabad seems engaged in fighting New Delhi.

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The Indian Army on Tuesday foiled yet another infiltration bid by Pakistan near Zorawar area of Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, killing one armed terrorist.

One weapon has been recovered from his possession.

Intense combing operation is underway in the area.

Yesterday, Indian Army gunned down four terrorists and recovered war like stores in an anti-terrorism operation near the Line of Control (LoC) in Baramulla's Uri.

According to a senior army personnel the terrorists were planning to carry out a September 18, 2016 Uri-like attack. The September 2016 attack was carried out by the terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed, in which at least 23 army jawans were killed and several others were injured.

Harpreet Singh, Deputy Commander, Uri Brigade, said, "Army foiled a major terrorist attempt in Baramulla district. The terrorists gunned down in the operation were here to carry out a major attack at an army camp."

The Army officer added that the terrorists were planning to attack the Kalkai camp in Baramulla district of the valley.

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The security forces on Tuesday apprehended one over ground worker of Hizbul Mujahideen in Wari pora village of Jammu and Kashmir.

The joint troops of Handwara Police, 21 RR and 92 bn Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) apprehended an overground worker of HM group during the naka duty.

The terrorist is identified as Mustaq Ahmad Nazar, a resident of Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir.

The security forces recovered a pistol, a magazine, eight live rounds and two Chinese grenades.

He was later handed over to Jammu and Kashmir Police.

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Senior journalist Sajeev Gopalan who was allegedly manhandled by Kerala Police, alleged that the cops thrashed him for publishing a news article against them.

Gopalan, a journalist representing the Kalakaumudi newspaper, was assaulted by the police on September 24 near Varkala in Kerala.

The journalist, who is admitted in the hospital, told ANI, "When I was standing in front of my house, two policemen came on a motorcycle. First they asked me if I was drunk and started behaving rudely. When I questioned, they started bashing me. In between, I heard him saying that 'you were the one who gave news against me.' Then, I realized that he was taking revenge from me for a story that I had published exposing their wrongdoings."

He further said that the two policemen also called a sub-inspector who also started beating him.

"My wife and daughter who were frightened begged them to leave me, but they didn't. As more neighbours came in, they left but took my relative into custody," he added.

Deepa, the journalist's wife, alleged that one policeman tried to strip his lungi while the other was filming this on a mobile phone.

"I came out of the house after hearing my husband crying for help. I was shocked to see the incident. I begged them not to attack my husband, but they did not listen.They attacked him in front of our daughter," she told ANI.

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Defence Secretary Jim Mattis made it clear that the United States intends to resolve North Korea nuclear crisis diplomatically amid the ongoing war of words between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.

"U.S.maintain the capability to deter North Korea's most dangerous threats but also to back up our diplomats in a manner that keeps this as long as possible in the diplomatic realm That is our goal, to solve this diplomatically, and I believe that President Trump has been very clear on this issue," U.S. defence Secretary Mattis said.

"U.S. also appreciate India's efforts - along with those of the international community - to increase pressure against North Korea over its dangerous and destabilizing behavior," Mattis added.

The tensions between the U.S. and North Korea escalated after Pyongyang tested most powerful hydrogen bomb and 22 missiles till September 15th including intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it claims could reach "anywhere in the ."

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho accused U.S. President Donald Trump of declaring war on his country by tweeting over the weekend that North Korea "won't be around much longer."

"Last weekend Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer and declared a war on our country,Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make all self-defensive counter measures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers at any time even when they are not yet inside the aerospace border of our country," Ri said.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders denied North Korea's assertion saying,"Frankly, the suggestion of that is absurd."

Sanders said it is "never appropriate" to shoot down another nation's aircraft in international waters and the administration plans to continue to protect the area, CNN reported.

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The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court hearing corruption cases against the family members of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday issued bailable arrest warrants for his three children and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar.

The court issued the warrants against a surety of Rs 1 million each for Maryam, Hassan, Hussain and Capt Safdar and asked them to appear on October 2, The Express Tribune reported.

The former premier's two sons were summoned before the court today for hearing of references filed by the NAB but they were unable to appear as they are still in London tending to their mother, who is undergoing cancer treatment.

Earlier, Sharif appeared before the court in connection with the three corruption-related references and was allowed to leave after a few minutes.

He was accompanied by several Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including federal ministers.

Sharif has now left for Punjab House in Islamabad, where he is expected to chair a meeting of senior PML-N officials later in the day.

Sharif returned back to Pakistan on Monday after he had gone to London about a month ago on account of his wife's Kulsoom Nawaz's treatment.

On July 28, a five-judge larger bench of the Supreme Court, while disqualifying Sharif under Article 62(1) (f) of the Constitution had asked the NAB to file four references in the Rawalpindi accountability court within six weeks on the basis of the material collected and referred to by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) as well as that already available with the Federal Investigation Agency and the NAB.

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Hollywood actor George Clooney, a lifelong Democrat, has a theory about why Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election to Donald Trump.

According to The Independent, the 56-year-old filmmaker shared that Hillary lost the election because she is not good at communicating things.

In an interview, he said, "Here's what I mean. She was more qualified than even her husband was when he was elected president, but she's not as good at communicating things. That's simply true. When she got up and gave a speech, it didn't soar."

The 'Money Monster' star also revealed that Hillary, for years, has been the presumptive nominee, and quite honestly, she was incredibly qualified for the job.

He added, "But being qualified for the job does not necessarily mean you're the right person to be president."

Though he continued to support her, and believed she'd have done a great job as president.

Clooney noted, "It was frustrating because I never saw her elevate her game."

However, he also acknowledged that being a woman "made it a much harder uphill battle".

"I think that she wasn't particularly good at articulating the things that she wanted to do, and unfortunately we live at a time right now where articulating what you want to do is more potent in the electorate than the other way around," explained Clooney.

On the professional front, his next directorial venture 'Suburbicon,' which stars Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac in pivotal roles, is scheduled to UK cinemas on November 24.

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The Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has given four weeks to the Tamil Nadu Government to act against erring police officials responsible for the forced piercing of cheeks of about 20 children last year.

Taking cognizance of the incident on Tuesday, the NHRC asked the Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) for North Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to register a case under Sections 326/341/34/120B of the Indian penal Code (IPC) and 23 of Juvenile Justice Act against those who forced about 20 children to pierce their cheeks with two meter steel rods as part of a ritual for speedy recovery of then ailing chief minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalilthaa.

The NHRC also asked the officer to provide an action taken report (ATR) within four weeks against the erring police officials, who were, admittedly, present at the site and did nothing to stop the criminal act.

Further, the NHRC issued a notice to the Principal Secretary (Home), Government of Tamil Nadu, to submit a report, within four weeks, on the steps taken to stop such rituals.

The commission's directions came after the Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, confirmed that such an incident had happened on October 3, 2016.

As part of a ceremony, the children were made to walk from Murgan Temple, R.K. Nagar, to Seniamman Temple, Manikondu, Tondiarpet by AIADMK supporters.

The NHRC, acting on a complaint into the allegations, had called for a report from the concerned authorities on November 7, 2016.

It observed that from the material available on record, including the photographs, it was apparent that the children were very small and innocent and their cheeks were forcibly pierced.

A photograph reveals that the children were made to wear a cap with a photograph of Ms. Jayalalithaa and with slogan written on it - "long live Amma". One girl is seen caught by some persons for the purpose of piercing her cheeks.

THe NHRC said that the incident makes it a clear case of violation of human rights of children.

The Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, in his report, confirming the incident, had said that the children participated in the event with the approval of their parents and were not forced to do so.

However, he had accepted that the incident was a gross violation of Child Rights and that the police personnel, who attended the Bandobast duty on October 3, 2016 in connection with the event, had been severely warned.

He assured that if any such incident is reported in future, action will be taken under the relevant provisions of the law against the guilty.

The NHRC observed that it failed to understand how the consent of the parents, or that of the children for the ritual, can justify the criminal act of piercing children's cheeks with two meter steel rods.

Admittedly, the police officials, present at the site of the incident did nothing to stop it. Therefore, a simple warning to the erring police personnel is abysmal considering the gravity of the incident.

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The Pashtuns living in Afghanistan have removed Pakistan's flag and structures from the Durand line, which demarcates Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan of northern and western Pakistan from the northeastern and southern provinces of Afghanistan.

In Khost, the local people, including Pashtuns living near Jaji Maidan province, have removed Pakistani flag and structures from the 2,430-kilometre (1,510 mi) international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Earlier, the spokesman for the Ministry of Afghanistan Foreign Affairs, Shekib Mustaghni, had said that any decision on the Durand Line will need to be made by the people living on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan de facto border.

Mustaghni noted that Pakistani military violated the de facto border with countless incursions into Nangarhar, Kunar, Khost, Paktia, Zabul and Kandahar provinces.

He also said that incursions by the Pakistani army across the Durand Line were unacceptable and the security forces and the Afghan government were ready to defend the country's sovereignty if action across the line continued.

According to him, Afghanistan had lodged a complaint about the cross Durand Line incursions with the United Nations Security Council.

The Durand Line cuts through the Pashtun tribal areas and further south through the Balochistan region, politically dividing ethnic Pashtuns, as well as the Baloch and other ethnic groups living both sides of the border. Although the Durand Line is recognised internationally as the western border of Pakistan, it remains largely unrecognised in Afghanistan.

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United States Defence Secretary James Mattis called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and discussed ways to combat terrorism.

They also discussed the cooperation between India and U.S., regionally and globally, in pursuing shared priorities for peace.

While Prime Minister Modi recalled his wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions with President Trump during his visit to the U.S. in June this year, Secretary Mattis briefed Prime Minister on the progress in advancing the bilateral agenda and implementing the decisions taken during that visit.

Both sides have reaffirmed their resolve to further develop their strong strategic partnership.

Prime Minister Modi appreciated the close engagement between the two countries on regional and global issues of mutual concern.

Mattis is the first high-ranking official of the Trump administration to visit India.

Earlier, Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during a joint press statement with Mattis said, "We both recognize the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism.
Continuing his campaign in the election-bound Gujarat, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi took a jibe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government, saying that it is "remote-controlled" from Delhi.

"These days the Gujarat government is remote-controlled from Delhi. Time has come that the government of Gujarat runs from Gujarat and on the basis of the voices of people," he said.

He also targeted the government for working for the top officials, rather than working for the common men.

He said, "The small traders, fishermen etc have made Gujarat what it is. They only work for the top 4-5 udyogpati. He doesn't fulfil the promises made to the poor farmers etc. The real Gujarat Model belongs to them."

The Congress Vice-President also reiterated that the Congress government will bring about the required changes in the state.

Rahul kick-started his three-day campaign in Saurashtra on Monday.

After the road show, Rahul proceeded for Jamnagar town where he made a night halt. On Tuesday, he will cover towns such as Dhrol and Tankara by road before reaching Rajkot.

He will interact with traders and industrialists after reaching Rajkot in the afternoon.

After covering Saurashtra, Rahul will campaign in north, central and south Gujarat at later dates as part of the party's poll campaign ahead of the assembly elections slated to be held later this year.

The much-awaited assembly elections in Gujarat will be held towards the end of 2017 or January, 2018. The dates will be announced officially by the Election Commission few months prior to it.

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Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday appealed to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) to call off prolonged shut down in Darjeeling.

Singh in a statement said that the Centre is taking all possible steps to resolve the row in Darjeeling through dialogue.

"I appeal to the GJM and its leader Bimal Gurung to withdraw the ongoing bandh and to help create a conducive atmosphere for allowing normalcy to return to the area, particularly in view of the festival season."

Singh further confirmed that he has asked Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba to convene an official-level meeting within a fortnight to discuss all related issues.

"Eleven precious lives have been lost so far, seven have been injured and the everyone in the Darjeeling hills have suffered a lot since the strike. I have been pained immensely by what has happened in Darjeeling hills," he said.

Darjeeling is witnessing a shutdown since June 12

At least 11 protesters have lost their lives and many others have been injured during clashes with the police at the peak of the turmoil.

Earlier on 20 September, the West Bengal Government appointed GJM leader Binay Tamang as the chairman of a new board of administrators to run the Darjeeling hills.

The board comprises of nine members, including West Bengal Chief Secretary Malay Kr. De, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. Tamang's acolyte, Anit Thapa has been made the vice chairman of the board.

Also, L B Rai, Trinamool Congress councilor of Mirik municipality, Gorkha Liberation Front (GNLF), Man Ghising and Sanchabir Subba (GJM) are also part of the new board.

This board will govern the area that falls under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

Following the unrest in Darjeeling hills, all 45 elected members of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), including its Chief Executive Bimal Gurung, had resigned from the administrative body.

GJM Leader and former Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief Bimal Gurung had separated from this board in June. Since then, the demand for Gorkhaland in the valley began to rise again and swiftly.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for holding a meeting with GJM leaders against whom a lookout notice has been issued.

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In an endeavour to combat the menace of child labour, trafficking and sexual abuse Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday launched portal namely 'PENCIL' (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) here on Tuesday.

Singh along with Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi launched 'PENCIL'.

Singh at the event also assured that the Centre will soon pass the anti-trafficking bill.

"No developed society in the world can exist along with Child Labour, and it's sad that we have not been able to eliminate it in the last 70 years of independence. Child labour and trafficking are grave crimes against humanity and the Government of India is committed to eliminate all forms of trafficking. Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi is responsible for taking the issue of child labour to a global platform and I will ensure that the anti-trafficking bill you are fighting for will be passed soon," said Singh.

The Labour Ministers from ten states were also present at this event.

Speaking about the growing issues of child sexual abuse, trafficking and labour, Satyarthi, said, "There should be exclusive courts for issues related to children, it is a demand we are making through the Bharat Yatra as well. POCSO is a good law, but the implementation and subsequent conviction are very poor. We must have a holistic outlook towards the protection of children, which is why, I request the Home Minister, to ensure that the Trafficking Bill that is yet to be passed is passed at the earliest."

According to 2015 Crime Records Bureau report, the number of cases filed for child trafficking was 3490, and the number of victims of the cases amounted to 3905. The total number of human trafficking cases amounted to 6877 and the victims for these cases totalled to 9127.

"Kailash Satyarthi is on a Bharat Yatra to raise awareness about child sexual abuse and trafficking. I request him to create awareness on the PENCIL portal as well, through the Yatra, across the country. Kailash Satyarthi is also key to reassuring the entire world that India has the capability to fight against child labour and for this menace to be combated. I am encouraged because of the state participation in this program because there is power in a vision like this. With resolve if India could get its freedom in 5 years, then in less than that, 1 crore Child Labourers can gain that freedom with this vision," added Singh.

PENCIL is launched to foster the creation of a child labour free India, which will seamlessly integrate implementing and monitoring mechanisms for both, enforcement of the legislative provisions and effective implementation of the Child Labour Project (NCLP).

India is home to the largest number of child labourers in the world. This platform is going to pave the way for effective enforcement of the new child labour law and also ensure accountability of enforcement agencies. Today's consultation was a landmark occasion where the Home Ministry and the Labour Ministry have come together to ensure effective collaboration and convergence of efforts and mark a policy shift for India.

The Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar thanked Satyarthi for taking the time off his Bharat Yatra to attend the launch as it showed true commitment to the issue of eradicating child labour from India.

He emphasised that child labour is a growing menace in the country and that the labour ministry will look to tackle this issue with strong solutions in the near future.

The Bharat Yatra is the launch of the three-year campaign against child rape and child sexual abuse which is aimed at increasing awareness and reporting of the cases, strengthening intuitional response including medical health and compensation, ensuring protection for victims and witnesses during trials and increasing convictions of child sexual abuse in a time-bound manner.

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The U.S. Republican leaders have confirmed that the Senate would not vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal Obamacare, this week.

The party failed to win adequate support from its own senators.

Many Republicans hadn't even taken a public position on Graham-Cassidy, a bill that would drastically cut Medicaid and lead to millions of people not having health insurance compared to the status quo, reported CNN, quoting the Congressional Budget Office.

Two other Republican senators, John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky, had earlier rejected the bill.

Earlier on Tuesday alluding to McCain, Paul and Collins, Trump said that he was "disappointed" in several senators, who did not support the bill.

The move is a heavy blow for President Donald Trump, who vowed during the 2016 election campaign to scrap Obamacare.

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South Korea and China have increased their close communication to peacefully resolve the North Korea's nuclear and missile issue.

"South Korea and China have beefed up cooperation in resolving the North's nuclear problem," the Yonhap News Agency quoted South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun as saying at an event hosted by the Chinese Embassy to mark the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

He also expressed hoped that the two sides would continue their close communication and cooperation to peacefully and fundamentally resolve North Korea's nuclear and missile issues and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula at a time when security situations remain grave in the region due to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile provocations.

However, Hyun also acknowledged that there are still challenges standing between the two neighbors.

"What is important is that the two countries work together to resolve this through close communication," he said.

Recently, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho had said the United States President Donald Trump has declared war and Pyongyang reserves the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down the U.S. strategic bombers.

After hearing Ri's speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump appeared to threaten regime change over the weekend, tweeting to say if the country's foreign minister echoed the thoughts of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un they "won't be around much longer."

However, the U.S. on Monday denied North Korea's claims that President Trump's tweet amounted to declaration of war.

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Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Tuesday alleged that Saubhagya Yojna which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday is not a new project.

Singh while talking to media here said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweaked the name of an old scheme which is functional since the Congress' regime.

"The name of the yojna has been changed from Rajiv Gandhi to Deen Dayal Updhayaya. They (BJP government) only change the names of Yojnas; these Yojnas have been continuing since Congress party's tenure," Singh told media here in Raipur.

Clarifying that he doesn't have an issue with Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, Singh claimed that it is the Prime Minister who does not seems to be influenced by the Pandit's thinking.

"Only by taking his name, the real sense of his words are not being accomplished by BJP, by Raman Singh or Modi ji," Singh said.

Singh also alleged that the current Democratic Alliance (NDA)-led government would have lost the last elections in 2014 if it weren't for the unfair means they had used.

Prime Minister Modi launched the Saubhagya Yojna yesterday to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.

Prime Minister also formally inaugurated ONGC's new corporate office that was renamed Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Urja Bhawan, from Rajiv Gandhi Urja Bhawan.

The main agenda of this Yojna is to provide substitution to kerosene, improve educational services, improve health services, improve mode of communications, improve in public safety and increase job opportunity.

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Saudi Arabia is all set to end the law, which made the Gulf nation the only country in the to forbid female drivers, allowing women to drive.

In a post on Twitter, the official account of the kingdom's Foreign Ministry wrote, "Saudi Arabia allows women to drive."

"Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a historic royal decree granting driving licenses for women in the kingdom," the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel reported.

The change was also announced on state television and in a simultaneous media event in Washington.

Following this, the news was celebrated widely on Twitter.

Campaigners had earlier, for many years, argued that women should be allowed to drive, saying that "it makes virtual prisoners out of women, who do not have a male family member or chauffeur to drive them around."

The movement gained prominence with the rise in power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old son of the king, who laid out a far-reaching plan to reform the kingdom's economy and society.

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The Hyderabad Police busted another sheikh marriage racket on Tuesday and arrested three Oman nationals and a Qazi.

Talking to the media here, Deputy Commissioner of Police South V Satyanarayana said, "Arrested a 'Qazi' last night and three Oman nationals and also seized documents and permission letters that were issued by their Government officials."

Meanwhile, the police will be deporting two persons citing lack of evidence.

"Deporting two persons as there is lack of evidence to book them under criminal charges," the DCP said.

Satyanarayan further apprised that they have rescued 15 to 20 minor girls and few aging between 20- 25 .

"We will continue the operation with four dedicated teams to get rid of this menace," he added.

Earlier this week, the police busted a major 'sheikh' marriage racket wherein men from Arab nations were marrying minor girls in Hyderabad and later pushed them into human trafficking.

Twenty people, including five Omani nationals, three Qatar nationals and 13 Indians were taken into custody. The arrested Indians include three Kazis, brokers, and lodge owners.

The police made the arrests in an investigation of the incident where a 16-year old girl who was married to an Omani sheikh in May.

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A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by the Government of Tripura to investigate last week's murder of journalist Shantanu Bhowmick in Tripura.

The decision has come after the delegation of the management committee of Agartala Press Club requested Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar for a fast-track court for the trial. The delegation also demanded compensation for Bhowmick's family.

"Council of ministers have decided to form an SIT for the investigation into the murder of journalist Shantanu Bhowmick", the Information and Culture Minister of Tripura, Bhanu Lal Saha, told ANI.

"Government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for his family" he added.

Shantanu was apprehended and hacked to death while he was covering the clashes between two political parties -- the TUGMP and the IPFT in Mandwai of West Tripura on September 20.

On Saturday, the police arrested a man suspected of his involvement in the murder of Shantanu. He is an alleged supporter of Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).

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United States President Donald Trump has said he would travel to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico next Tuesday.

Trump, while speaking in the Roosevelt Room, said it was the earliest date he could reach the devastated island, "due to first responders' ongoing relief and recovery efforts."

He added the U.S. territory was "literally destroyed."

"I know many Puerto Ricans, and they're great people and we have to help them. It really was devastated. Some people say, I read it this morning, it's literally destroyed. The infrastructure was in a bad shape as you know in Puerto Rico before the storm, and now in many cases, it has no infrastructure, so it's, you're really starting from almost scratch," the CNN quoted him, as saying.

He said he may also stop in the U.S. Virgin Islands during the Tuesday trip.

Trump, speaking later on Tuesday, during a news conference alongside Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, said a "massive effort" was underway in Puerto Rico to help the flattened U.S. territory recover.

"We have been really treated very, very nicely by the governor and everyone else," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump vowed that federal assistance was on its way to Puerto Rico, a day after he commented for the first time in days about the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria since it made landfall on the U.S. territory.

"Thank you to Carmen Yulin Cruz, the Mayor of San Juan, for your kind words on FEMA etc. We are working hard. Much food and water there/on way," he wrote on Twitter.

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At least eight terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group's offshoot, ISIS Khorsan have been killed in an airstrike by the United States forces in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The provincial police commandment in a statement said the airstrike was carried out in Nazian district of Nangarhar, the Khaama Press reported.

The air strikes were carried out by the US forces on Monday night in which several weapons, ammunition, and explosives belonging to the terror group were also destroyed, the statement further said.

ISIS-K has not commented on the incident so far.

Earlier this month, at least eleven ISIS-K insurgents were killed in a similar airstrike in the province.

An anti-ISIS as well as anti-Taliban operations are underway to eliminate the presence of ISIS affiliates in Nangarhar province and the U.S. forces are providing airstrikes support to the Afghan forces during the operations.

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Bhel rose 0.55% to Rs 128.05 at 9:18 IST on BSE after the company said that its shareholders have approved the proposals to issue bonus shares and make a dividend payout.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 September 2017.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 38.41 points, or 0.12% to 31,665.04.

On the BSE, 45,000 shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volumes of 11.14 lakh shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 129 and a low of Rs 127.75 so far during the day.

State-run power equipment maker Bhel has received shareholders' approval for the proposal to issue 1 new equity bonus share for every 2 existing shares.

The proposal to issue bonus share was listed on the agenda for annual general meeting held on 22 September, 2017, which was passed by the requisite majority, Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel) said in a BSE filing.

The shareholder have also approved the proposal to give a final dividend of 39%. With this, the total dividend for the year 2016-2017 will stand at 79%.

Bharat Heavy Electricals' net profit rose 3.9% to Rs 80.82 crore on 2.4% decline in net sales to Rs 5380.60 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q1 June 2016.

The Government of India holds 63.06% stake in Bhel (as per the shareholding pattern as on 30 June 2017).

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State-run Bhel said that its shareholders have approved the proposals to issue bonus shares and make a dividend payout. The PSU major had proposed to issue one bonus share for every two existing shares held in the company. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 September 2017.

Tata Motors will be watched after media reports suggested that its foreign unit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is eyeing potential acquisitions of international automakers. JLR has reportedly been holding internal discussion on acquiring other brands in order to diversify its range of vehicles. It will consider purchases of luxury marques that fit with its current portfolio. The luxury vehicle unit is also said to be exploring acquisitions of technology companies to bolster the roll out of electric vehicles and autonomous driving systems.

Chennai Petroleum will be watched. The board of directors of Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) gave an in-principle approval for the proposal of its subsidiary Chennai Petroleum Corporation (CPCL) to set up a refinery in Tamil Nadu at an estimated cost of Rs 27460 crore. With this approval, the pre-project activities for proposed refinery with a capacity of 9 MMPTA (with an accuracy of +30%) would be commenced soon, and the final approval of the project would be obtained after preparation of detailed feasibility report, CPCL said in a regulatory filing with stock exchanges.

IDBI Bank said it sold 53.19 lakh shares, or 1% stake, in Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) on Friday, 22 September 2017. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 September 2017.

IFCI said its board approved sale of 0.86% stake in NSE to investors. At present, IFCI holds 1.51 crore equity shares, comprising of 3.05% of the total equity shares in NSE. Out of 3.05% equity stake, IFCI has offered to offload 34,31,880 equity shares comprising of 0.69% of the total equity shares of NSE through IPO of NSE. Out of the remaining 2.36% of the total equity stake in NSE comprising of 1.16 crore equity shares, the board at its meeting held on 25 September 2017 has approved the sale of 42,43,370 equity shares comprising of 0.86% of the total equity shares of NSE to one or more interested buyers in part or full. The sale would be subject to obtaining prior consent / no-objection of NSE and any other approval, required as per law. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 September 2017.

Just Dial announced closure of its share buyback from 25 September 2017. The buyback opened on 9 August 2017. The company bought back 22.41 lakh equity shares at an average price of Rs 374.18 each. The company deployed Rs 83.85 crore, which represents approximately 99.93% of the maximum buy-back size. Post buyback, the number of equity shares reduced to 6.73 crore. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 September 2017.

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Fiji, Niger and Tuvalu deposited instrument of ratification of the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in the 5th meeting of International Steering Committee (ISC) of the ISA.

Shri Anand Kumar, Secretary, MNRE and the Chair of ISC thanked the prospective ISA member countries for their continued support. He stated that the ISA is a reflection of our common desire to significantly augment solar power generation in our countries, and make joint efforts towards technology development and mobilization of the required investment to promote energy security and universal energy access. He urged the prospective member countries of the ISA to expedite the ratification process.

The Co-Chair, Mrs SolRoyale detailed the actions taken by her Government for supporting solar energy projects in ISA countries. She stated that concerted actions undertaken in the context of the Alliance should focus on realizing the objectives enshrined in the Paris Declaration, which included: bringing our efforts together to reduce the cost of finance for solar energy and mobilize up to US$ 1000 billion investments by 2030, and: developing new, cost efficient and reliable solar technologies and applications. On her suggestion the Committee agreed to include a programme on solar supported e-mobility.

Shri Upendra Tripathy, interim Director General of the ISA informed about the progress in implementation of various activities under ISA. He specifically mentioned about the progress under the three programmes launched under the ISA Affordable finance at scale, Scaling solar applications for agricultural use, and Scaling Solar Mini Grids.

He further informed about the ISA Secretariat's initiative Common Risk Mitigating Mechanism (CRMM) . The objective of the mechanism is de-risking and reducing the financial cost of solar projects in the ISA member countries. The instrument will help diversify and pool risks on mutual public resources and unlock significant investments. He informed that an international expert group has been working on the blue print of the mechanism and it will be rolled out by December 2018.

International Steering Committee was establishment under the mandate of the Paris Declaration of ISA to provide the guidance and direction to establish the ISA. India has offered a contribution of Rs 175 crore for creating ISA corpus fund and for meeting the cost of ISA secretariat for initial five years.

The ISA is an Indian initiative jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 at Paris, on the sidelines of COP-21. It aims at addressing obstacles to deployment at scale of solar energy through better harmonization and aggregation of demand from solar rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.

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India is at the cusp of a next generation of wireless technology 5G. 5G has been conceived as a foundation for expanding the potential of the Networked Society. A digital transformation brought about through the power of connectivity is taking place in almost every industry. The landscape is expanding to include massive scale of smart things to be interconnected. Therefore, the manner in which future networks will cope with massively varied demands and a business landscape will be significantly different from today.

The economic benefits from the 5G technology are also quite immense.

As per the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Committee on Digital Economic Policy, it has been stated that 5G technologies rollout will help in,

a) Increasing GDP

b) Creating Employment

c) Digitizing the economy.

For India, 5G provides an opportunity for industry to reach out to global markets, and consumers to gain with the economies of scale. Worldwide countries have launched similar Forums and thus, India has joined the race in 5G technologies. We are open for collaboration with them.

Government has constituted High Level 5G India 2020 Forum with three Secretaries of key Ministries/Departments Telecom, Meity and DST, and also comprising of renowned experts like Dr. A. Paulraj, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University, USA, Mr Gururaj Deshpande - Chairman of Sycamore Networks, Sandstone, USA, Indian industry led by CEOs of ICT industry, Telecom Standard Development Organisation of India (TSDSI), Professors from IIT Madras, IIT Mumbai, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IISc Bengaluru, IT industry and stakeholders from industry associations.

The Term of Reference of the High Level Forum for 5G India 2020 shall be: -

a) Vision Mission and Goals for the 5G India 2020, and

b) Evaluate, approve roadmaps & action plans for 5G India 2020.

The primary goals of the forum are to achieve:

early deployment of 5G in India

a globally competitive product development and manufacturing ecosystem targeting 50% of India market and 10% of global market over next 5 to 7 years.

The forum will complement the eco-system by focused actions in the following areas:

Research Ecosystem - for IPR development, standards development and proof of concepts through research projects, PPP projects, testbeds and pilot roll-outs.

Regulatory Framework - including spectrum assignments and a start-up friendly regulatory environment to enable leap-frog and embracing of innovative technologies.

Inclusive Business environment - with special focus on investment incentives favourable to start-ups and innovators and enablement of Venture capitalists.

Forum will constitute a number of Steering Committees in different domains.

A vibrant eco-system of research built around 5G that encompasses Industry, Government and Academia will further strengthen the MAKE (& DESIGN) in INDIA initiatives to enable:

Design and manufacture of 5G technologies, products and solutions in India;

5G start-ups that enable this design and manufacturing capabilities;

Generation of IPR backing the above designs;

India based companies should have some essential IPR in the 5G standard;

Manufacture of 5G chipsets, this may require massive investments;

Appropriate testbeds and technology platforms to enable and help Indian technical ecosystem to have an edge in 5G;

Accelerated deployment of next generation ubiquitous ultra-high broadband infrastructure with 100% coverage of 10 Gbps across urban India and 1 Gbps across Rural India.

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, or Saubhagya, at New Delhi. The aim of this scheme is to provide power to all homes.

On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, the Prime Minister also dedicated a new ONGC building - the Deendayal Urja Bhawan.

The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation, the Booster Compressor Facility in Bassein Gas Field.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister gave examples of the success of Jan Dhan Yojana, insurance schemes, Mudra Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, and Udan, to highlight how the Union Government is implementing schemes which benefit the poorest of the poor.

In this context he mentioned the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, which would provide power connections to all the estimated four crore households which currently did not have a power connection. The outlay for this scheme would be over Rs. 16000 crore. These connections would be provided free of cost, the Prime Minister said.

Speaking to the accompaniment of a presentation, the Prime Minister recounted how he had set a target of electrifying over 18000 unelectrified villages within 1000 days.

He said less than 3000 villages are now left to be electrified.

He explained how coal shortages have become a thing of the past, and capacity addition in power generation has exceeded targets.

The Prime Minister also spoke of an increase in renewable power installed capacity, towards the target of 175 GW by 2022. He mentioned how the power tariff in the case of renewable energy has been reduced significantly. A considerable increase has also been made in transmission lines.

The Prime Minister mentioned how the UDAY scheme has brought down losses of power distribution companies, describing it as an example of cooperative, competitive federalism.

Explaining the impact of economies of scale in the UJALA scheme, the Prime Minister said that the cost of LED bulbs has come down significantly.

The Prime Minister said that New India will require an energy framework that works on the principle of equity, efficiency and sustainability. He said the change in work culture in the Union Government is strengthening the energy sector. This in turn, will positively impact the work culture of the entire country, he added.

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Leveraging private capital and technical expertise through public-private partnerships (PPPs) can help countries in Asia and the Pacific meet their infrastructure needs, which currently stand at about $1.7 trillion per year, according to a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report.

The special theme chapter in the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2017 Update analyzes PPPs as a vital source of private sector support in the region's efforts to fill the $500 billion per year infrastructure finance gap.

PPPs, if done right, have the potential to fill the region's huge infrastructure needs, leveraging the capabilities and resources of the private sector towards the common goal of sustainable development for all, said Yasuyuki Sawada, ADB Chief Economist.

Asia's development needs are significant, with over 400 million Asians currently living without electricity, 300 million without safe drinking water, and over 1.5 billion without basic sanitation. Resources of governments and international financial institutions like ADB are not enough to meet these needssomething the private sector through PPPs can help address.

The report notes that PPPs, when properly implemented, can improve both infrastructure as well as public service delivery, making them effective tools in inclusive economic development. The PPP model has been gaining ground in Asia, with project delivery through the scheme in the region growing fourfold in the last 25 years.

PPP transactions in the region are currently concentrated in East and South Asia, suggesting untapped opportunities in other subregions. Energy and transport have been the traditional focus for PPP projects, while health and education represent new frontiers in PPP delivery.

To effectively implement PPP schemes in development projects in Asia and the Pacific, the report notes that governance, legislation, institutional structures, and PPP know-how have to be improved. Along with broad efforts to improve the investment climate and deepen financial markets, governments in the region can increase the chances for successfully implementing PPPs through optimal allocation of risks to stakeholders, implementing the right regulatory policies, choosing the right projects to qualify for PPP, and finding suitable private partners.

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Around three dozen Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members and councillors protesting against high petrol and diesel prices were detained by police outside Shastri Bhavan here on Tuesday afternoon.

The AAP had earlier announced that it will lay siege to the Petroleum Ministry, housed in Shastri Bhavan, as part of their week-long protest against high petrol and diesel prices across the country.

The protesters, comprising chiefly of AAP local body councillors, were detained by police and sent to the Parliament Street Police Station, a police officer told IANS.

The protesters resisted being removed and many, including women volunteers, were forcefully taken away by the police.

The protesters raised slogans like "Modi your dictatorship won't work, won't work".

Earlier on September 20, a group of protesting AAP MLAs who wanted to meet the Petroleum Minister were detained by police near Shastri Bhavan.

AAP MLA Jarnail Singh who sat on protest outside Shastri Bhavan on Tuesday told IANS: "This is the second time that they're refusing to even meet us. The common man doesn't even need an appointment to meet the Delhi Chief Minister. We won't allow this dictatorship."

Singh said they would continue their protests till the prices are brought down.

--IANS

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At least eight Taliban militants were killed after Afghan Air Force struck a militant hideout in the country's eastern province of Nangarhar, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

The targeted hideout, southeast of Jalalabad city, was destroyed following the raid, the ministry said on Twitter.

Taliban militants have been using the den for planning and conducting terrorist attacks against security forces in the mountainous region.

The Afghan Army together with police and national intelligence agency have launched more than 6,000 military and cordon operations over the past six months, killing scores of militants and destroying nearly 500 militant strongholds and bunkers, the military said on Sunday.

--IANS

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A day after RJD chief Lalu Prasad skipped the CBI probe, his son Tejashwi too did not appear before the agency on Tuesday.

The two RJD leaders were summoned over alleged irregularities in issuing contracts for two IRCTC hotels in 2006 to a private company.

Tejashwi's lawyer in a letter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought 15 days time to join the investigation.

"Tejashwi's advocate handed over a letter to us seeking two weeks more time to present before the investigators in the IRCTC case," a CBI official said. "Tejashwi mentioned some personal and political engagements as reason for not appearing before the investigators."

This was the second time Tejashwi did not appear before the CBI.

Tejashwi followed father Lalu Prasad who on Monday had sent his advocate with a letter to the CBI seeking two weeks time to appear before the agency.

Both father and son were on September 22 summoned by the CBI to appear on September 25 and 26 respectively to assist the agency in the investigation.

Earlier, the CBI summoned the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and his son, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, on September 7 to report at its headquarters in Lodhi Road area of south Delhi for questioning on September 11 and 12.

The CBI had on July 5 filed a corruption case against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav for alleged irregularities when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009.

The contracts for two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels at Ranchi and Puri were handed over to Sujata Hotels company owned by Vijay and Vinay Kochhar in lieu of an alleged bribe in the form of a plot of prime land in Bihar, the CBI said.

According to the CBI, Lalu Prasad allegedly granted illegal favours to Sujata Hotels.

The CBI, which registered the case under charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and Prevention of Corruption Act, claimed that the kickbacks were paid through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of RJD MP Prem Chand Gupta.

During the CBI's preliminary inquiry, the agency purportedly found that the said land was sold by the Kochhars to Delight Marketing, and payment was arranged through Ahluwalia Contractors and its promoter Bikramjeet Singh Ahluwalia.

The Enforcement Directorate, which is also probing the financial irregularities in the case, has questioned Ahluwalia and also summoned Sujata Hotels owners for questioning.

The ED had, on July 27, registered a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following the CBI FIR and was probing allegations against Lalu Prasad and others for alleged transaction of money through shell companies.

--IANS

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One militant was killed on Monday as the Army foiled an infiltration bid on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, defence sources said.

The militant was killed in the Tangdhar sector.

"A search operation is going on in the area," the sources added.

--IANS

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An anti-corruption court in Pakistan issued arrest warrants on Tuesday against the three children and son-in-law of the former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after they failed to appear for a hearing.

The court also announced that it would indict next week Nawaz Sharif for corruption, reports Efe news.

"Judge Mohammed Bashir issued arrest warrants with possibility of bail against his children Hasan, Husain and Maryam and her (Maryam's) husband Mohamed Safdar Awan because they did not appear before the court and ordered them to do so on October 2," the court's spokesperson Mohamed Irfan said.

The bail amount was fixed at 1 million rupees ($9,490) for each.

Khawaja Haris, the lawyer of the Sharifs, argued that Sharif's children could not appear before the court as they were in London with their mother Kulsoom, who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

The former Prime Minister, after missing the first hearing on September 19 because he was in London, attended Tuesday's hearing to request permission to miss the next hearing due to his wife's illness.

The judge said the court would indict him on corruption charges on October 2, for which his presence would be necessary. After that it would decide if he was required to continue to appear for the hearings.

The Sharifs had been summoned before the court on September 15 after the National Accountability Bureau, an anti-corruption body, opened three cases against them following an order by the Supreme Court on July 28.

The three cases are related to ownership of property at an exclusive zone in London, the creation of the firms Azizia Steel and Hill Metal and the Flagship investment firm as well as another 15 companies.

On July 28, Sharif was disqualified from serving as Prime Minister for not declaring income from his son's company, following investigations into the so-called Panama Papers.

--IANS

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A trekking expedition by a 25-member National Cadet Corps (NCC) team ended in a tragedy as one of them drowned, even as his colleagues were busy clicking selfies on the edge of a pond at Kanakapura near here, police said on Tuesday.

"The tragic incident occurred on Sunday when the cadets were visiting Ramagondlu 'betta' (hill) in the neighbouring Ramanagara district for trekking," Ramanagara Deputy Superintendent of Police M.K. Thammaiah told IANS over phone.

G. Vishwas, 17, entered the pond but drowned since he didn't know swimming, while his friends were busy taking a selfie at one end, unaware of the tragedy.

The cadets, all pre-university course students of National College in the city's south suburb, had started off for trekking on Saturday and camped at the foothill for overnight stay.

"The cadets learnt only later during roll call that Vishwas was missing," the officer said.

They rushed to the pond and found his body at a depth of 10 feet

The pond near a temple is located off the Kanakapura road on the state highway in the old Mysuru region and about 40 km from Bengaluru.

Kaggalipura Police Station registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code after Vishwas' father Govindappa filed a complaint, alleging negligence by the college management.

Parents and relatives of the victim staged a protest at the college in the city on Monday, seeking compensation for the tragic death of Vishwas.

--IANS

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Actress Brie Larson says she "didn't feel pretty enough" to pursue leading roles.

The 27-year-old always thought that she would end up playing supporting roles, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"I just didn't feel confident in myself, I didn't feel pretty enough. I thought I'd be a supporting character my whole life and I was struggling with the idea of being the star," Larson told The Edit magazine.

In the beginning of her career, Larson had small roles as a teenager in the 2004 movies "13 Going On 30" and "Sleepover". She then had supporting roles in "Greenberg", "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" and "21 Jump Street".

Larson, who won an Oscar for her role in "Room", said she has experienced sexism in Hollywood.

"I've been on sets where I didn't feel safe, I've felt objectified. But as I'm getting older I'm realising that I can value myself, I'm allowed to," she said.

--IANS

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A Chinese daily has slammed India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj for her strong criticism of Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, saying it is "politically imbecilic and unsophisticated" to think that Islamabad exports terrorism.

The editorial in state-run Global Times defending Pakistan against its failure to flush out terrorists is not surprising as China has always lavished praise on its "all-weather ally" for being at the "forefront" of tackling terrorism.

The newspaper, run by the Communist Party, said Sushma Swaraj's speech at the UN reflected India's arrogance and "bigotry" towards Pakistan.

Sushma in her address last week at the UN General Assembly tore into Pakistan for sheltering terrorists.

"Why is it that today India is a recognized IT superpower in the world and Pakistan is recognized only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?" she had said.

The newspaper asked what makes Sushma Swaraj believe that Pakistan exports terrorism and India is an IT superpower?

"There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the country's national policy? What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money or honour? Is India really an IT superpower that produces engineers and doctors when it is hell-bent on believing Pakistan is evil?"

"It is politically imbecilic and unsophisticated for Indian elites to conclude that Pakistan exports terrorism. They should have seen the efforts and sacrifice that Pakistan has made to rid the world of terrorism and refrain from mixing disputes over terrorism with their own historical disputes," the editorial said.

China has steadfastly shielded Pakistan from criticism from India, the US or any other country, and told them not to single out Islamabad on terror.

In fact, China has repeatedly blocked India's resolution at the UN to declare Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist.

The newspaper also mentioned that the Minister in her speech took a "dig at China for blocking international efforts to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar".

"By trumpeting India's justice and grandeur while rebuking its neighbour's foolishness and ugliness, the minister (Swaraj) seems to have moved herself and the whole country."

"But it is a grave disaster when Indians are confident in their rightness and their neighbours' wrongs while super-proud of India's capabilities in cultivating engineers and doctors. A country that despises others can hardly seek agreement over conflicts.

"India's bigotry toward Pakistan doesn't match its much-vaunted ambition to be a world power. By inflaming nationalism in the Indian public, Indians become more determined to make India first than even US President Donald Trump's 'America First'.

"With the smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China.

"It takes for granted that it should be feared by neighbors and wooed by the US and Europe. If smart enough, India should befriend China and respect Pakistan, preventing disputes from spilling over," it said.

--IANS

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The World Gold Council on Tuesday said it has appointed President and Chief Executive of Franco-Nevada Corporation David Harquail as its new Chairman.

The company said Harquail has succeeded Randall Oliphant, who served as the Chairman for the past four years.

"Looking ahead, David brings a wealth of knowledge and industry experience, which will greatly benefit our work in unlocking investment markets which have not previously viewed gold as a mainstream asset. I am very much looking forward to working closely with him as our new Chair," Aram Shishmanian, World Gold Council Chief Executive, said in a statement.

David Harquail has led Franco-Nevada -- leading gold-focused royalty and streaming company -- since 2007. He previously held senior executive roles at Newmont Mining Corporation, the statement added.

--IANS

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Chinese-funded enterprises doing business in Pakistan should avoid flaunting economic and technical superiority and instead value the common interests of both countries, Chinese experts have said.

Wu Menglin, an associate researcher, and Liang Haiming, chairman and chief economist with China Silk Road iValley Research Institute, said in a state-run Global Times article that the Chinese-funded enterprises need to watch while investing in Pakistan.

The article came amid persistent Pakistani media reports that Chinese investments in Pakistan related to the Belt and Road initiative "do not simply reflect the Sino-Pakistan friendship or represent pure assistance to Pakistan but are instead driven by China's interests".

The experts said that Chinese-funded enterprises should hire more local workers and gradually export technology to Pakistan.

The companies were also told to take the initiative to learn and master the local system and culture, positively interact with the local community and never ignore issues related to labour welfare, security and environmental protection.

In addition, Chinese enterprises were advised to cooperate with local private companies.

"Only then can these investments gradually be approved and accepted by the local people, allowing Chinese-funded enterprises to develop more smoothly and quickly."

Wu and Liang also advised Chinese-funded enterprises to "avoid flaunting economic and technical superiority in any context or situation".

"Chinese companies should avoid superior behaviour and instead communicate with the people of Pakistan in an equal, friendly and cooperative manner.

"Doing so will give China a better image and help build harmonious coexistence for Chinese-funded enterprises investing in Pakistan," the article said.

--IANS

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said Iraqi Kurds could go hungry as a result of the punitive measures it is considering after a referendum on independence for Iraq's Kurdistan region.

Erdogan accused the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of "treachery" for pressing ahead with the vote despite international opposition. "All military and economic options are now on the table," the Turkish President was quoted as saying by Hurriyet Daily News.

Erdogan called on the KRG leadership "to come to its senses".

"All possibilities, from economic sanctions to military options, are on the table... I hope that the northern Iraqi leadership will come to its senses before any of these are necessary, abandoning this adventure which will only end in darkness," he said.

He had previously threatened to cut a vital Kurdish oil export pipeline and stop lorries crossing Turkey's border.

Turkey fears that the emergence of an independent Kurdish state on its border will stoke separatist feeling in its own Kurdish minority.

On Monday, large numbers of people took part in the vote on independence for Iraq's Kurdistan region amid growing opposition both at home and abroad. The polls were rejected by the Iraqi central government, the UN, the EU, the US and regional powers Turkey and Iran.

Votes were still being counted, with a big victory for "yes" expected, BBC reported.

Kurdish leaders said that would not automatically trigger a declaration of independence, but rather give them a mandate to start negotiations on secession with the central government in Baghdad and with neighbouring countries.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ruled out any such talks. "We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional," he said in a speech on Monday night.

The US State Department said it was "deeply disappointed" that the vote went ahead. "We believe this step will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the "potentially destabilising effects" of the vote.

Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.

--IANS

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The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Tuesday announced the withdrawal of its indefinite shutdown in the northern West Bengal hills, and that the situation would return to normalcy from 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

The announcement came hours after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh appealed to them to call off the over three month-long strike and invited them for talks to find an amicable solution to the issue.

GJM Assistant General Secretary Jyoti Rai said: "After Rajnath Singh's appeal, we had a discussion with senior leaders, including GJM chief Bimal Gurung, and decided to withdraw the shutdown from 6 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday)."

The GJM had called the shutdown demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland.

--IANS

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Stating that the number of Indians defecating in the open has come down from 60 crore in 2014 to 30 crore in 2017, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the government is committed to achieving "Clean India" by October 2, 2019.

"Mahatma Gandhi accorded highest priority to sanitation and cleanliness and had said 'sanitation is more important than political freedom'. Every Indian should become part of this movement so that Clean India is achieved by October 2, 2019 -- the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi," Naidu said.

"Over 5 crore toilets have been constructed in rural and urban areas. There is some distance to cover, and we are all committed to achieving a clean and open defecation-free (ODF) India by October 2019," the Vice President said during his visit to the state.

Naidu was speaking at the inauguration of "Swacchta Hi Seva", a sanitation campaign, and the state government's "Shouchalayakkagi Samara" (crusade for toilets) programme in Konnur village in Gadag district of Karnataka, located about 400 km to the north of the state capital.

During his visit to Konnur, the Vice President had declared Naragund Taluk of Gadag district open defecation free.

The number of Indians defecating in the open in rural and urban areas was estimated to have come down to 30 crore, from about 60 crore in 2014, he said.

Over 2,45,000 villages, 1,300 cities, 200 districts and five states had already been declared open defecation free, the Vice President said.

Commending the state government's initiatives towards sanitation, Naidu said Karnataka had shown "remarkable" progress in declaring nearly 12,000 villages and seven districts open defecation free.

Quoting a United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) study, Naidu said good sanitation could save up to Rs 50,000 per family per year.

"A World Bank report has said that lack of sanitation costs over 6 per cent of our country's Gross Domestic Product," he said.

"Over 100,000 children in India die each year due to diarrhoea, which is caused by contaminated water and food, and many children face physical and cognitive stunting," Naidu said.

"Women and girls face a serious threat to their safety when they resort to open defecation. These are all serious issues and can no longer be ignored," he added.

"The dream of the Father of the Nation could be realised through Swachh Bharat Abhiyan if everyone from celebrities to common man selflessly participates in it, rather than treating it as a government-driven campaign," Naidu stated.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or the Clean India Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014 to eliminate open defecation in the country.

State Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Jigajinagi, Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj H.K. Patil and other state officials were present at the public gathering.

--IANS

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Honeypreet Insan, the "adopted daughter" of the now jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, on Tuesday moved an anticipatory bail plea in the Delhi High Court apprehending threat to her life in Haryana.

Her advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya told Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal that she is willing to join investigation but wants protection from arrest.

He requested the court to grant her three weeks transit anticipatory bail so that she can move the Punjab and Haryana High Court for anticipatory bail as soon as situation calms down there.

She cannot join investigation as the atmosphere is not good in Haryana and even intelligence report revealed that there is a threat to her life. He also noted that a Deputy Inspector General of Police in Haryana has also expressed that there is threat to Honeypreet's life.

Appearing for Delhi Police, advocate Rahul Mehra said that the city police will take care of her protection, if she surrenders. However, he raised the issue if she was a Delhi resident, saying she had not submitted her actual address in her bail plea.

The counsel representing Haryana Police opposed the plea, saying her anticipatory bail plea is only maintainable in a state court as she is a permanent resident of Sirsa.

At this, Arya argued that she stayed in Greater Kailash whenever she visits Delhi and currently she is unsafe in Haryana.

The court asked counsel whether she can surrender herself here or before Haryana Police and reserved its order.

Early in the morning, Arya mentioned her bail plea before a bench headed by the high court's Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal for early hearing.

The matter was then transferred to single judge bench of Justice Sehgal.

The Haryana Police on Tuesday morning conducted raids in the national capital in a bid to arrest Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, another close aide of the Dera chief.

A court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, had on Monday issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet, Aditya and Pawan Insan after all three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court convicted him on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s and the Dera chief's closest aide since 2009, is on the run since August 25, hours after Ram Rahim was convicted. Police is on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana as well as Nepal.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His conviction led to violence in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several places in Punjab.

--IANS

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After blocking videos, voice chats and images on WhatsApp, China has now blocked texting on Facebook-owned popular mobile messaging service -- sending out a stern message to CEO Mark Zuckerberg who has been trying his best to re-enter the country.

According to a CNN report late on Monday, the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), a global observation network for detecting censorship, surveillance and traffic manipulation, suggested that Chinese internet service providers started blocking access to WhatsApp.

Public reports on Twitter indicated that WhatsApp became inaccessible for some people on September 19. Over the last few months, there were a number of WhatsApp disruptions in China.

"The blocking of WhatsApp text messages suggests that China's censors may have developed specialised software to interfere with such messages, which rely on an encryption technology that is used by few services other than WhatsApp," The New York Times reported.

The move came ahead of a key Communist Party Congress on October 18 at which President Xi Jinping will begin his second five-year term as head of the ruling party.

However, WhatsApp was yet to make an official announcement on the development.

China has already blocked access to a number of internet companies, including Facebook (since 2009), Instagram, Twitter and Google.

Some people still access these services through virtual private networks (VPN), or with tools that disguise internet traffic to circumvent censorship. But the Chinese government has launched a crack down on VPNs this year.

According to Timothy Heath, senior international defence research analyst at the RAND Corporation, the Chinese government does not like that WhatsApp uses strong encryption.

"The government wants to monitor internet communications, and therefore it's trying to steer its people to use technology that can be accessed and monitored by the government," Heath told CNN.

Facebook was banned in China in 2009, followed by its photo-sharing app Instagram in 2014.

Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg has made a big point of meeting with Chinese politicians, studying Communist Party propaganda, Mandarin and even speaking it in public.

In a bid to explore the high-potential Chinese online market, Facebook recently authorised the release of a new app here that does not carry its name.

China's internet censorship has left big players like Facebook, Apple and Google out of the huge Chinese market with an audience of more than 700 million internet users.

Last month, in a crackdown on internet services by the government, Apple had removed all major VPN apps from the App Store in China.

--IANS

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India's tea exports to Sri Lanka increased by 150 per cent to 2.5 million kg in January-July 2017 compared to one million kg exported during the like period last year, according to provisional data of Tea Board of India.

Indian tea exports to Egypt and China also witnessed a significant growth.

Tea exports to Egypt during these seven months were up by 98.23 per cent to 4.48 million kg from 2.26 million kg in the corresponding period last year and India's exports to China were 4.19 million kg -- up by 71.02 per cent -- during the period.

An earlier IANS story had wrongly attributed the Egyptian exports to Sri Lanka.

India exported 12.52 million kg tea to Iran and 10.01 million kg to the United Arab Emirates during the period under review.

The country's tea exports rose by 4.58 per cent to 121.13 million kg during the seven-month period compared to 115.83 million kg in the corresponding period last year, Tea Board of India said.

In value terms, the total tea exports increased to Rs 2,363.22 crore during January-July period compared with Rs 2,260.07 crore in the like period last year.

--IANS

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India and the US on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to combat the global scourge of when visiting US Defense Secretary James Mattis called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

Stating that Modi recalled his "wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions" with President Donald Trump in June this year, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement: "They also discussed enhanced cooperation, regionally and globally, in pursuing shared priorities for peace, stability and combating ."

The statement comes following External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's statement in the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly last week wherein she described Pakistan as a factory for exporting terror.

Earlier on Tuesday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her talks with Mattis, made it clear to the US that India would not deploy troops in war-torn Afghanistan even as New Delhi and Washington pledged to eradicate and to hold to account those who use it as an instrument of state policy, an apparent reference to Pakistan.

"Both sides had reaffirmed their resolve to further develop their strong strategic partnership," the PMO statement said.

"Secretary Mattis briefed Prime Minister on the progress in advancing the bilateral agenda and implementing the decisions taken during that visit," it said referring to Modi's June Washington visit.

"Prime Minister appreciated the close engagement between the two countries on regional and global issues of mutual concern," it added.

Mattis arrived here on Monday in what is the first high-level visit by a senior US official to India since the Trump administration took over in January this year.

--IANS

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India on Tuesday ruled out deploying troops in troubled Afghanistan even as it asserted along with the US that there will be no tolerance for safe havens for terror.

"There shall not be boots from India on the ground in Afghanistan," Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at a joint media conference with visiting US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis after talks with him.

The minister was replying to a question about India's contribution in Afghanistan and whether it would deploy its troops there.

Mattis is the first high ranking official of the Trump administration to visit India and the US has been wanting Indian military presence in Afghanistan.

Sitharaman said India's contribution to Afghanistan has been there for a very long time in development activities like building dams, schools, hospitals, roads and any institution which the war-torn country may require.

"We are also at the moment training their officials in good governance... India's contribution has been there and we shall expand if necessary," she said.

Mattis said the two countries recognized threat to global peace from terror and both agreed that there should be "no tolerance to safe havens for terrorists".

"As global leaders, India and the US pledged to eradicate this scourge."

Mattis said both India and the US have suffered losses due to and "one aspect of this is universally shared by all responsible nations that there shall be no safe havens for terror".

The US Defence Secretary did not name Pakistan but Sitharaman minced no words in saying that terror attacks in Mumbai or in New York originated from Pakistan.

"The very same forces which did find safe haven in Pakistan were the forces that hit New York as well as Mumbai," she said.

--IANS

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An Indian American doctor couple has pledged $200 million to a Florida university to advance healthcare in the state and internationally to underserved communities in India and Africa.

Zambia-born India-educated cardiologist Dr. Kiran C. Patel and his wife, pediatrician Dr. Pallavi Patel announced the single largest donation made by an Indian American individual or family in the US at a press event here Monday.

The largest philanthropic gift in the history of Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in the US will significantly expand its programmes in osteopathic medicine and healthcare sciences.

The commitment from the Patel Family Foundation includes a $50 million gift and an additional $150 million real estate and facility investment in a future 325,000 square-foot medical education complex in Tampa Bay, about 400 km from here in Clearwater.

With the Patels' gift, NSU has renamed two of its colleges as Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine and Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Healthcare Scieces.

"I feel that it is more important than ever to advance the current state of health care," said Kiran Patel.

"It is rare for someone to have the opportunity to impact the world in this way, and, as an immigrant to the United States, I am particularly honored to be able to make a difference in people's lives around the world," he said.

"This partnership will benefit thousands of patients, students and doctors," added Dr. Pallavi Patel.

"Over the next 20 years, NSU will train thousands of new doctors and other health care professionals who will directly touch millions of lives, making a real difference."

Patel's gift will provide support for equipment and the hiring of additional faculty and staff in the Tampa Bay area, as well as an endowment to sustain the operation of the college's new location besides an endowed scholarship fund for students.

The Patels' goal is to be involved in the training and education of generations of physicians and other healthcare providers who will serve in areas with the greatest need across the country and worldwide.

As a result of the Patel Family Foundation's commitment, beginning in fall of 2019, NSU has applied for a class of 150 osteopathic medicine students to be taught on Florida's west coast at the new NSU Tampa Bay Regional Campus in Clearwater.

Meanwhile 230 new osteopathic medicine students will continue to begin their studies each year at NSU's Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus.

"This partnership will benefit thousands of patients, students and doctors," added Dr. Pallavi Patel. "Over the next 20 years, NSU will train thousands of new doctors and other health care professionals who will directly touch millions of lives, making a real difference."

"This is indeed a landmark day and the historic day for NSU and the Patel family," said NSU President Dr. George Hanbury, announcing the gift.

"This gift and financial commitment from our innovative and visionary donor-couple will allow NSU to help fill the growing need for physicians and health care professionals, particularly in underserved, multicultural and international communities," said NSU Chancellor of the Health Professions Division and Interim Chief Operating Officer, Fred Lippman.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

--IANS

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Iraq on Tuesday gave the leaders of Iraqi Kurdistan 72 hours to hand over control of airports in the autonomous region or face a ban on international flights.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued the ultimatum following a Cabinet meeting, Efe reported.

The Cabinet also decided to assert control over all border checkpoints in Iraqi Kurdistan and to close all unofficial crossings.

"The federal government will exercise its federal power according to the constitution," al-Abadi.

"We will not negotiate with Kurdistan on the basis of the results of the unilateral and unconstitutional referendum."

Iraq's constitution recognises Kurdistan as an autonomous part of a federal state.

On Monday, Iraqi Kurds held a non-binding referendum on independence, defying the wishes of the governments of Iraq, Turkey and Iran.

Al-Abadi criticised the Kurdish leaders for going ahead with the vote despite widespread international opposition, not only from neighboring countries, but from the US and several European nations as well.

"This referendum will put all Iraqis in danger as well as endanger the interests of countries in the region," the Prime Minister said.

--IANS

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Actor Jared Leto received a warm welcome when he visited the Ipanema beach here.

Leto, who is in Brazil to promote his new movie "Blade Runner 2049" and to perform with his band 30 Seconds to Mars, took some time off on Monday to take a casual stroll around the city, reports aceshowbiz.com.

However, just a few moments after he stepped onto the beach, fans gathered around him. Seemingly unfazed, Leto happily chatted with some locals as his security team was trying hard to hold back the excited crowd. At one point, a woman stepped in front of him to take a closer look.

In some photographs, Leto can be seen wearing a pink shirt, a leather jacket and a matching beanie.

--IANS

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Nutritious meals would be served daily to 12 lakh pregnant women and lactating mothers at child care centres across the state from October 2, said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday night.

"Besides nutritional supplements, counselling and other maternity benefits will be provided at the centres (anganwadis) under the Mathrupoorna lifecycle health scheme," said the Chief Minister at a state conclave, organised by the 'India Today' media group here.

In view of the state's commitment to health for all, the government will unveil a free comprehensive 'Arogya Bhagya' scheme from November 1 to benefit 1.4 crore households across the state.

"Karnataka will be the first state in the country to provide universal health coverage as part of our commitment to social welfare," asserted Siddaramaiah.

Asserting that the state would soon be hunger-free, the Chief Minister said his government would serve more urban poor and migrant labour affordable food daily from October 2 under its 'Indira Canteens' across Bengaluru and in other cities and towns across the state subsequently.

"Breakfast for Rs 5 per plate, meals for lunch and dinner for Rs 10 per plate will be served in all the 198 civic wards across the city, extending it from 100 wards since August 16," affirmed Siddaramaiah.

The affordable food for the urban poor is complementary to the state's subsidised food (Anna Bhagya) scheme since the last four years, under which 4 crore economically poor are given 7kg rice or wheat free per month.

"We are also giving milk for five days a week to around one crore students in state-run and aided schools under the 'Ksheera Bhagya' scheme and eggs twice a week to 60 lakh infants at care centres (anganwadis)," he recalled.

Noting that empowerment was not possible without creating opportunities through investments in education and healthcare, the Chief Minister said the state had been providing free textbooks, uniforms and shoes to about 60 lakh students across the state.

"We are also giving bicycles to all students of class 8 in government and aided schools. We will soon gift laptops to 1.5 lakh deserving students in degree colleges across the state to access information online from the world over," added Siddaramaiah.

State Industries Minister R.V. Deshpande, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji and Manipal Global Education Chairman Mohandas Pai participated in the day-long conclave.

--IANS

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DMK President M. Karunanidhi is doing well, his son and party leader M.K. Stalin said here on Tuesday.

Stalin spoke to the media after calling on Karunanidhi amid rumours that the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's health had deteriorated.

Several DMK leaders including General Secretary K. Anbazhagan and former Minister Arcot N. Veerasamy visited Karunanidhi at his residence at Gopalapuram.

--IANS

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Jammu and Kashmir's longest surviving militant commander, Qayoom Nazar, was killed on Tuesday by security forces when he was trying to sneak into India from Pakistan.

Syed Imtiyaz Hussain, the Senior Superintendent of Police in Baramulla, confirmed to IANS Nazir's killing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector.

Giving details about the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant commander's death, Hussain said Nazar was baptized into militancy in 1999 when he killed Abdul Majid Dar, the then estranged operational commander of the group.

"He belonged to Batapora in Sopore town. He himself was estranged with HM for sometime. That was the reason he was called to HM's base camp in Pakistan to meet Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin.

"After sorting out issues with him, Sallahuddin had sent him back to take over the command of the outfit in Kashmir.

"It was during his bid to infiltrate back into the Valley (on Tuesday) that he was killed."

BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav was the first to tweet that Nazar had been killed.

--IANS

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Lathicharge on students, especially female students, is totally unacceptable and strong action would be taken against those involved in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) incident, Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha said here on Tuesday.

"Lathicharge on any student, especially girl students, is not permissible. Strong action will be taken against those involved in this incident," Sinha said on the sidelines of an event here.

The Minister is an alumnus of IIT (BHU) and a Lok Sabha Member from the adjoining Ghazipur constituency.

"Government is keeping an eye on the situation and appropriate action has been taken. The officials who were responsible have been removed," Sinha added.

On September 23 night, a protest by female students outside the Vice Chancellor's office against molestation of a student on the campus turned violent.

The protesting students got into a heated argument with security personnel when they tried to stop them. As the news spread, male students from other hostels came out to support the women students and in some time the agitation turned violent.

Over 1,500 police personnel in the area carried out a baton charge on the students and even fired some rounds in the air. In response, students threw stones and burnt a police motorcycle.

On Tuesday, Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn submitted a report in connection with the September 23 lathicharge on protesting students and blamed the BHU administration for the violence.

Gokarn has in the report, sent to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, said that the BHU did not deal with the victim's complaint in a sensitive manner and did not handle the situation on time.

--IANS

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Liberalisation led to the rise of Standalone Family Firms (SFFs) in India and they were the primary drivers of accelerating the growth of the services sector in the country, reveals a study.

Conducted by the Thomas Schmidheiny Centre for Family Enterprise at the Indian School of Business (ISB), the study chronicles the evolution of family businesses in India since the initiation of liberalisation in the country.

The study was authored by Nupur Pavan Bang and Professor Kavil Ramachandran of the Thomas Schmidheiny Centre for Family Enterprise at ISB and Professor Sougata Ray of IIM Calcutta.

It traces the progress of Indian family businesses over a 26 year period from 1990 to 2015. The authors studied 4,809 firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India.

The study finds that not only did the family firms withstand the new rush of competitive forces in the economy, but also adapted to the changing business environment. Based on their shareholding and management control, the companies were classified into two categories: Family Businesses (FBs) and Non-Family Businesses (NFBs).

Family businesses were further classified into Family business group affiliated firms (FBGFs) and Standalone family firms (SFFs).

Close to 73 per cent of the listed standalone family firms were incorporated in the period 1981 to 1995. In comparison, only 49 per cent of the business group affiliated family firms were incorporated in the same period.

As the pace of reforms picked up with liberalisation, more and more standalone family firms started to leverage the changing business landscape. While the family business group firms did take advantage of the reforms in the early stages, it was the standalone family firms that emerged as the single largest ownership category in terms of number of firms.

The growth in the number of standalone family firms was driven primarily by the new firms in the services sector. Wholesale trade, financial services and Information Technology were the most favoured industries for the listed standalone family firms. This was reminiscent of the rising contribution of the services sector to the GDP.

According to the study, the financial year 1990, services sector accounted for about 45 per cent of India's GDP while its contribution was close to 60 per cent in 2015. Traditionally, family businesses were strong in manufacturing but they showed an equal penchant for the services sector, when the opportunities arose.

But, standalone family firms were the fastest growing category in the services. It was because of their entrepreneurial acumen that India's services sector has grown so well in recent years, the study found.

While manufacturing and services contributed almost equally to the total assets for family firms, in the case of non-family businesses, the services sector accounted for more than 90 percent of their total assets.

Amongst the non-family firms, the state-owned enterprises dominate the services sector with large assets in the banking sector, whereas, the sector accounted for just 18 percent of the total assets of multinational companies.

Family businesses grew faster and contributed more to the GDP and exchequer: The study shows that the representation of family businesses grew at a much faster rate than the non-family businesses.

In fact, evidence suggests that removal of restrictions and controls in the liberalised era actually unleashed their entrepreneurial spirit.

In 1990, family firms represented 15.7 per cent of the GDP in terms of their total income, whereas by 2015, they represented 25.5 per cent of the GDP. In comparison, non-family firms formed 20.5 per cent of the GDP in 1990 and 26.6 per cent in 2015.

--IANS

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Actor R. Madhavan, last seen on screen in Tamil crime thriller "Vikram Vedha", has landed a pivotal role in Naga Chaitanya-starrer upcoming Telugu action-thriller "Savyasachi", a source from the film's unit has said.

"Madhavan has been offered a very prominent role. He really liked the script and has already given his principal nod. Very soon, he will officially sign on the dotted line," the source told IANS.

This will be Madhavan's first Telugu appearance in a full-length role. He has played a cameo in 2010 Telugu film "Om Shanti".

Asked if Madhavan plays the antagonist, the source remained tight-lipped and added: "It's definitely the kind of role he hasn't played so far. It's too early to talk about the type of character he will be essaying."

To be directed by Chandoo Mondeti, the film will roll from October 16.

The principal shooting will start after Naga Chaitanya's marriage, which is scheduled to take place on October 6.

"Savyasachi" marks the second time collaboration of Mondeti and Naga Chaitanya after last year's "Premam".

--IANS

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"The Silence" -- a Marathi film featuring "Sairat" fame director Nagraj Manjule and Raghubir Yadav -- has been slated for a release on October 6 in Maharashtra.

Directed by Gajendra Ahire, the drama film also features Anjali Patil, Kadambari Kadam, Mugdha Chaphekar and Vedashree Mahajan. The film will release with English subtitles and has also been made in Hindi.

The film tackles the crucial, taboo topic of sexual assault and its aftermath, tracing the recurring question of responsibility or silence.

"The movie challenges the notion that the victim is at fault. It's not her fault that she goes out in darkness to answer nature's call and gets assaulted. It's not her fault she has to use the crowded public transport and it's certainly not her fault when her father or uncle takes advantage of her," Gajendra Ahire said in a statement.

Produced by SMR Films, "The Silence" is based on a true story and revolves around a little girl Chinni who grows up in a rural area. Circumstances force Chinni's father to send her uncle to a nearby town and life takes a drastic and unexpected turn.

On being part of the project, Manjule said: "Gajendraji had narrated the script to me and I found it extremely powerful. Moreover, it also gave me an opportunity to work with some fantastic actors like Anjali Patil and Raghubir Yadav."

After Maharashtra, the makers will later release the film pan-India.

"The Silence" has won honours at several international film festivals including the Best Child Actor award (for Vedashree) at the 16th New York Indian Film Festival, The German Star Of India (for Gajendra) at Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart 2015, Best Screenplay and Best Debut Actress Award (for Anjali) at the Karrm Filmfare Marathi Awards 2016 and Best Child Actress (Vedashree) and Best Debut Actress Award (for Anjali Patil) at the Maharashtra State Awards 2016.

--IANS

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BJP MP Varun Gandhi -- Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's first cousin -- has batted for asylum to Rohingya Muslims who have fled persecution in Myanmar, sparking ire from a junior minister over national security concerns.

The MP from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh wrote an article in Hindi daily Navbharat Times, asking the BJP government to keep in mind "the rich Indian tradition" of helping refugees before deporting Rohingyas to Myanmar.

"Four crore people have sought refuge in India since independence," Gandhi wrote in the newspaper and shared a link on Twitter.

"India should formulate a national refugee policy to help distinguish between those fleeing persecution and those fleeing poverty," said Gandhi.

In his article, the BJP MP noted the "discrimination" Afghan and Myanmar immigrants face in Delhi in finding jobs and houses.

The views are in stark contradiction to the government's stand that Rohingyas pose a threat to national security because some of them were allegedly found to have links with Islamist militant organisations like Islamic State and Al Qaeda.

Gandhi's views drew an angry reaction from Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir, who said any person concerned about the security of the country would not have written such an article.

"Anybody who has the national interest in mind will not make such a statement. It's not about my opinion or acceptance. What the government had decided is in national interest. No one should go against the government's decision on Rohingyas," Ahir told reporters here.

Ahir said the government won't let the Rohingyas settle in India because "they are a security threat".

"Rohingyas created trouble for Myanmar and worked against the government. If Myanmar has rejected them, why should we accept them?" Ahir asked.

Following the reaction from the Minister, Gandhi took to Twitter to defend his views, saying he only called for empathy for the refugees.

"As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns," Gandhi tweeted.

"My recent piece focused primarily on defining India's asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how we would accept refugees."

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday invited French companies to take advantage of the improving business climate and growing investment opportunities in India.

Modi, who met Pierre Gattaz, President of MEDEF (Mouvement des Entreprises de France), the largest employer federation of France, recalled his visit to France in April 2015 during which he interacted with a number of French business leaders.

A PMO release said Modi appreciated "the invaluable contribution" of business leaders from both countries in strengthening the bilateral ties between India and France over the years.

Gattaz briefed Modi about growing trade and investment relations between India and France.

"The Prime Minister noted that France is one of India's top 10 sources of Foreign Direct Investment, and invited French companies to take advantage of the improving business climate and growing investment opportunities in India," the release said.

--IANS

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Experts and MPs on Tuesday called for early enactment of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, a decision pending with the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha.

Emphasising on road safety standards in the country, Dausa MP Harish Chandra Meena said the bill should be passed at the earliest by the Upper House, a statement said. The bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha.

The bill aims to address road safety issues by introducing provisions for stricter penalties for traffic offences, modern and IT-enabled enforcement and protection of good samaritans who rescue road accident victims.

Merely passing the bill would not solve the purpose as there should be awareness about the laws as well, Meena said at a Media Interface on Road Safety organised by CUTS International, a consumer organization.

"People should realise the importance of their life and follow all the traffic rules," the statement quoted Meena as saying.

He said the government as well as public stakeholders should fulfil their duties towards road safety.

Rajya Sabha member D. Raja raised concerns of the states, transport unions and other stake holders in respect of the Motor Vehicles Bill and said it had to be inclusive in nature.

CUTS International Director George Cheriyan said India had only 2 per cent population of the world but it accounted for 10 per cent of road accidents.

He said the vehicle population was increasing at 6 per cent per year but road connectivity was rising at only 0.5 per cent per year.

Nalin Sinha, Consultant at Global Road Safety Incubator, said the main cause of road accidents in the country was speeding followed by over-loading.

Road accident victim Varsha Pradhan, who survived a severe car crash in which she lost her friend, shared her traumatic experience and urged everyone to wear seat belts.

--IANS

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Superstar Mahesh Babu, whose Telugu-Tamil spy thriller "Spyder" is releasing on Wednesday, says he has never liked the idea of remaking a film.

"I am not into remakes. I never liked that idea and my dream was always that a Telugu film should be made in Telugu and then everybody should talk about it," Babu said in an interview to CNN-News18.

"Mr S.S. Rajamouli achieved my dream, so I know that you can dream. That's how I am and now with 'Spyder', I am coming closer to my dream," he added.

On being asked about the issue of nepotism, Mahesh, son of veteran Telugu actor Krishna, said: "It will only help for the first film, like for your launch it might help. But then after that you are on your own.

"Only talent can succeed. Like for me, I would say there was a huge pressure on me. My first film ('Raja Kumarudu') definitely was a big hit. (It was) because of my father's fans supporting it that I got this opening, but my second, third, fourth film just fell flat on its face and I had to prove myself with the films. So, it all gets down to your talent."

Mahesh says he is ready to star in a Bollywood film, but it "depends on the project and the director when somebody approaches with an exciting idea."

Talking about "Spyder", which has been directed by A.R. Murugadoss, Mahesh said: "I wouldn't say it's a typical James Bond kind of spy thriller. But, it's got its elements. It is a typical A.R. Murugadoss film, where the audience would be sitting on the edge of their seat."

--IANS

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India on Tuesday ruled out deploying its troops in Afghanistan but will expand its development activities to help stabilize the war-torn country.

"There shall not be any (Indian) boots on the ground in Afghanistan," Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters after talks with visiting US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis here.

She said there was a growing convergence between India and the US over the issue of in the region and condemnation of those who use terror as an instrument of state policy.

--IANS

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The launch of a scheme for total electrification by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evoked some caustic comments on Twitter with some stating that the government had pushed its own target further by a year.

The tweets were about the Saubhagya scheme aimed at providing power to all un-electrified households by March 31, 2019.

"To celebrate the anniversary of 'Electricity for all by May 2017', the Indian government launches 'Electricity for all by March 2019' scheme," said a sarcasm-laden tweet.

"Electricity for all was promised by May 2017: guess timelines change as elections approach!" said another.

The two tweets were accompanied by a news report of October 8, 2016 captioned "Piyush Goyal assures electricity for all by 2017".

The report had quoted the then Power Minister Piyush Goyal as stating that India would have 100 per cent electrification by May 2017.

"I am confident that 100 per cent electrification in rural, Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) districts and dense forests would be achieved by May 1, 2017, a year ahead of the schedule Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set," Goyal had told reporters on the margins of a two-day conference of Power Ministers at Vadodra.

There were also comments about the government's intention to provide electricity to all by 2019 but housing for all only by 2022.

Another tweet stated that the deadline announced on Monday had put paid to speculation about early Lok Sabha polls.

"Deadline for #Saubhagya is 31st March 2019, just in time for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Does that put an end to speculation of early elections," it said.

There were also tweets, including by several union ministers, welcoming the launch of the Saubhagya scheme.

Modi had on Monday launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana or Saubhagya aimed at providing power to all homes by March 2019.

The scheme provides incentive to states. Those who complete electrification of all households by December 1, 2018 would have 50 per cent of their loan converted into grant.

--IANS

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Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Tuesday issued a royal decree allowing women to drive in the kingdom.

The decision has overturned a longstanding policy that has become a global symbol of the repression of women in the ultraconservative kingdom, the New York Times reported.

However, the change will not be implemented immediately as the kingdom has no infrastructure for women to learn to drive or obtain drivers licenses.

"The police will need to be trained to interact with women in a way they rarely do in a society where men and women who are not related rarely interact," the report noted.

Over the years, Saudi clerics have come up with several explainations for banning the women drivers, with one claiming that driving harmed women's ovaries.

During a prolonged campaign by several rights groups who campaigned for the ban to be revoked, many women were arrested and jailed for taking the wheel.

The latest decree highlights how Saudi tries to reform its reputation that was damaged for not allowing the women to drive in public.

It is believed that beyond the effects it could have on Saudi Arabia's image abroad, letting women drive could help the Saudi economy.

"Low oil prices have limited the government jobs that many Saudis have long relied on, and the kingdom is trying to push more citizens into gainful employment, including women.

"But some working Saudi women say that hiring private drivers to get them to and from work eats up much of their pay, diminishing the incentive to work," the report stated.

Many Saudi women rely on ride-sharing apps like Uber and Careem to take relish some freedom of movement.

--IANS

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A statue immortalizes techniques of sesame chip making at the Xiaogan Museum of Sesame Chips & Rice Wine in Xiaogan city, Hubei province, Sept 23, 2017. [Photo by Bi Nan/chinadaily.com.cn]

When talking of Xiaogan city in Hubei province, most people will recall its most famous snacks, sesame chips and rice wine. Reporters participating in a large-scale cultural event on intangible cultural heritage paid a visit to the Xiaogan Museum of Sesame Chips & Rice Wine on Saturday, an establishment showcasing the history and evolution of the renowned foodstuffs.

Sesame chip, a kind of candy made of sesame, is one of the most famous snacks in Hubei province, enjoying much fame as early as the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The making of sesame chips has four steps: sesame selecting, sugaring off, sugar pulling and candy slicing.

Rice wine is also called dessert wine, and is a specialty of the Han people. According to historical records, rice wine was developed in Xiaogan and originated from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The making of rice wine also goes through four steps: steaming sticky rice, laying out the rice, fermentation and enclosing the wine into jars. The wine was listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage item in 2015.

The city of Xiaogan got its name from a story of filial piety. Xiaogan in Chinese means "filial piety" and "pity"; as legend goes, a man named Dong Yong sold himself to pay for his father's burial and a god took pity on him for this filial deed.
Mocking the Narendra Modi government's "Make in India" programme, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said it was "shameful" that Sardar Patel's iconic statue in the state was being made in China.

"Sardar Patel's statue is also being made in China. It is written 'Made in China' behind it. This is shameful," Gandhi said at a rally here.

Modi had last week visited the site of Statue of Unity on Sunday to review the construction.

According to reports, the company contracted by the Gujarat government to built the 182-metre statue has subleased its bronze cladding to a firm in China. Modi, who had launched the project, had sought farm tools from all parts of the country for the statue of unity.

Gandhi termed Gujarat model as "model of lies" and said there was an undercurrent in favour of the Congress ahead of the assembly polls later this year.

Attacking the BJP-led Central government, he said: "They lied so much. They promised to give jobs to 2 crore youth (in the country), deposit Rs 15 lakh in every bank account, give right price to farmers.

"I am happy that in Gujarat there is an undercurrent..People are angry and they have understood that Narendra Modi has cheated the people of Gujarat. They are not openly saying this, they are whispering it in my ears, because they are a bit scared," he added.

Gandhi said "a storm" will emerge before the elections and Congress will come to power.

In his speeches, he also hit out at the Modi government over the police firing at Patidars during their agitation for quotas and said it was not the Congress way.

"We function with love and brotherhood," he said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Tuesday expressed outrage over deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif being accorded "official protocol" at the Islamabad airport upon his return from abroad.

Sharif returned to Pakistan from London on Monday and then appeared before an accountability court on Tuesday for the hearing of National Accountability Bureau references against him.

Khan, in a tweet, regretted that a "disgraced" and disqualified PM, who faces charges of tax evasion, forgery and money laundering, was being accorded special consideration as per "official protocol" at the international airport and described it as shameful.

The PTI chief further tweeted that the move sent a wrong message to the society, that the powerful can break laws with impunity. "Clearly this is mafia rule, not democracy," he added.

Khan also called for the resignation of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief for visiting Sharif in London.

Sharif returned to Pakistan on Monday after spending more than three weeks in London and went straight into several consultation sessions with party leaders about his future plans.

He left for London on August 30 days after his wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, was diagnosed with lymph node cancer. Since then, she had undergone three surgeries in the British capital, with Sharif and their sons beside her.

A five-member Supreme Court bench had disqualified Sharif from the PM's office on July 28 for failing to declare a salary, which he had not withdrawn as an executive of Dubai-based company, as an asset when filing his nomination papers in 2013.

--IANS

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Some popular brands of facial creams that are advertised as containing "activated carbon" for better results can be harmful to the skin and even cause death, scientists say.

Application of such face creams may bring quick results and prolonged use could be disastrous, warns a study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) at Howrah in West Bengal,

The study, published in the "Applied Nanoscience" journal, was partly funded by the central government's Department of Science and Technology.

The researchers say they found the active micro-carbon used in these face creams to contain nanosized particles called "reduced graphene oxide (rGO)".

Under exposure to visible light, rGOs get activated by oxygen in the air to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) harmful to skin, says the report. "The common effects of ROS are cancer, cell proliferation and aging."

"Such face creams are potential cancer-creating agents," Sabyasachi Sarkar, chemistry professor at the Institute and lead author of the report, told this correspondent in an email. "The irony is our film stars and players advertise them without knowing that they are promoting death."

Activated carbon powder (also called activated charcoal) has long been in use in the purification of water, as an air filter and in adsorbing pesticides and other harmful substances. However, its use in facial cream formulations -- supposedly to combat dark-spots, acne, oily skin and for getting a fairer skin -- is a recent development, says the report.

"The common side-effect of any face cream is itching, allergy, dry skin, pimples or photosensitivity," the authors say. "However, the use of micro-carbon in facial creams poses extra problem as it contains a fair proportion of rGO."

Using state-of-the-art microscopic and spectroscopic techniques the researchers investigated the presence of micro-carbon in three popular brands and noticed the presence of spherical nano-carbon in some samples and graphene-like sheets in other samples.

For studying the toxic effect of rGO, the scientists incubated human skin cells with rGO dilutions for12 hours under a 200-watt light source and found that the isolated rGO has a "cytotoxic" effect on these cells.

The results indicate that the active micro-carbon used in facial cream contains enough graphene material like rGO, which has high cytotoxic effect, says the report.

"The rGO present in micro-carbon remains dormant but gets aggravated under normal light and through oxygen in the air, converts to a toxic super-oxide anion. The superoxide anion is the first member of the ROS which will have a cascading damaging effect on living cells and would mutate the normal facial cells readily," the report says.

The study concludes that manufacturers of such facial creams "should ensure that the micro-carbon that they use should not contain nanocarbon-like rGO".

(K.S. Jayaraman is a senior journalist who writes on scientific issues. He can be contacted at killugudi@hotmail.com)

--IANS

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Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani on Tuesday said the telecom sector is under stress and banks are not extending any credit.

"The Reserve Bank of India in April asked all banks to be cautious on telecom. Banks are now not extending any credit," Ambani told the Reliance Communications (RCOM) annual general meeting here.

"The sector has transformed India as per late Dhirubhai Ambani's vision... The sector has brought mobility to a billion people, with only one winner - the customer," he added.

He, however, said there was a sharp erosion in the competitive landscape now and that some overseas operators have left the country.

"Over the last year, operator after the operator has seen value erosion and large losses. I call this creative destruction of a sector, normally passed off as a disruptive factor," Ambani added.

He said the telecom sector needed a minimum of Rs 100,000 crore a year to expand and maintain the quality of service.

"Telecom sector is moving towards a monopoly, oligopoly: Is that what the customers want? As far as RCOM is concerned, we have a transformation programme in place and running."
India middle-order batsman Manish Pandey on Tuesday said that unlike India, things are not clicking for the down and out Australia team and that is the reason for their failure in the tour.

Australia lost the first three One Day International (ODI) matches of the five-match series. In Chennai, India outplayed Australia by 26 runs via D/L method. In Kolkata, the visitors were beaten by 50 runs and in the third ODI at Indore, India defeated them by five wickets.

"I think they are doing really well, but some of the things are not clicking for them. Their top-order is getting runs, but their middle-order is not among runs," Pandey told reporters ahead of the fourth ODI against Australia on Thursday here.

"But in our team, we are clicking in all the departments and we want to focus on that only because everything is falling in our place" he added.

Pandey also said that he would like to cement his place in the playing XI and he is working hard to do that.

The 28-year-old was not among the runs in the first two ODIs but remained unbeaten on 36 in 32 balls in Indore.

"Definitely, there is pressure and I would like to play more games and win matches for India. I am here to stay longest and for that I am doing the hard work to try and find a place for me in the playing XI," he said.

--IANS

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Continuing its crackdown on aged Arab nationals marrying minor girls, Hyderabad police on Tuesday arrested three more Omani citizens and two qazis.

As part of the investigations into the racket busted last week, police conducted searches at various places and made the arrests.

Ali Abdullah Rafi, one of the chief qazis of Hyderabad who was absconding, was arrested in the old city and based on the information provided by him three Omani nationals who were in the city to marry minor girls were taken into custody. An assistant qazi was also arrested.

Deputy Commissioner of Police V. Satyanarayana told reporters that the police have also initiated proceedings to deport two Qatari nationals.

One of them was identified as 75-year-old Baloshi Abdullah Mubarak Abdullah, a blind man who has a pacemaker and is undergoing dialysis thrice a week. The police official claimed that he married 10 times and was in the city for the 11th marriage.

However, since no evidence was found against him and since he is a chronic patient, authorities contacted the Oman embassy for his deportation. Another Omani national Qamees Mohammed will also be deported.

Last week, the police claimed to have busted a huge racket with the arrest of 20 people including five Omani and three Qatari nationals.

The police official said steroids and medicines to boost sexual potency were recovered from one of those arrested.

Three qazis were arrested last week including chief qazi of Mumbai Farid Ahmed Khan, who is the kingpin of the racket. He had allegedly performed 40 marriages of minor girls with old Arab sheikhs by preparing forged documents.

The DCP said the racket of contract marriages and international trafficking of minor girls was not confined to Hyderabad but spread to Mumbai, parts of Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal.

Police have taken custody of Farid, another qazi and two Qatari brokers and will grill them to gather more information about the racket.

"We are trying to reach to the roots of this racket. There will be zero tolerance for this kind of activities," he said and exuded confidence of rooting out the menace in two months.

Stating that 99 per cent of the people from the Gulf countries who visit Hyderabad come for tourism, medical treatment, business and education, he said there were a few who in collusion with brokers based in India and abroad and with a few qazis were resorting to illegal activity.

The DCP said a list of such people will be prepared and submitted to the countries concerned for suitable action against them.

Satyanarayana said they had so far identified 35 victims including 22 minors. Some of them were married for 15 to 30 days under what is called contract marriage. Some victims were taken to Arab countries on domestic servant visas.

The official said in most of the cases 50-70 year olds married 15-17 year old girls.

--IANS

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The UN office in Bangladesh on Tuesday said 480,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority have crossed into the country from Myanmar over the last month.

The Inter-Sectoral Coordination Group said in its report that the number had grown by 50,000 over the last two days, Efe news reported.

It said the increase was due to the addition of 35,000 people who had not been included in the previous report's count, as well as new arrivals in recent hours.

Despite the decrease in arrivals recorded between September 21-24, it was once again observed that many hundreds of people crossed into the country between September 25-26, the report added.

The Rohingya refugees began fleeing Myanmar from August 25 when Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) rebels attacked police checkposts and killed 12 security personnel, triggering a military crackdown.

Myanmar has said its military operations in Rakhine state were in response to the August attack and that the military was battling terrorists.

Nonprofits have denounced human rights violations and the international community has increased pressure on the Myanmar government over the military operation.

--IANS

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Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn on Tuesday submitted a report in connection with Saturday's lathicharge on protesting students in BHU and blamed the university administration for the violence.

Gokarn has in the report, sent to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, said that Banaras Hindu University (BHU) did not deal with the victim's complaint in a sensitive manner and did not handle the situation on time, said a senior administrative official.

The report also said that if the matter had been settled on time then there would not have been such a big controversy.

According to the report, the biggest fault in this case is that of the administration and such a controversy would not have taken place had they handled the matter appropriately.

Meanwhile, BHU Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi has denied that the students were lathicharged in the campus.

He said that action was taken against those who hurled petrol bombs and pelted stones, and attempted to burn the university's property.

Tripathi said that action was not taken against any student, adding there is no evidence to back it.

"When I was going to the Triveni hostel to meet the students at around 8.30 p.m. on September 23, some unruly elements stopped me and began pelting stones," he said.

Tripathi said that he met with the victim and her friends twice. The students told the Vice-Chancellor that the protests were being organised by some unwanted elements who appeared to be outsiders.

They kept the victim in captivity and forced her to sit at the protest venue, he said, adding the police used force only to ensure that such elements are moved out of the campus.

In the meantime, the BHU administration has decided to conduct a judicial inquiry into the incident.

The investigation would be conducted by a team headed by V.K. Dixit, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court.

Tension prevailed at the BHU campus here on Sunday after an agitation by woman students, protesting molestation of a student, turned violent late on Saturday when police used force to disperse the protesters.

Additional police force was deployed at the campus as a precautionary measure after police carried out a baton-charge and fired in the air on Saturday night and the students threw stones in retaliation.

Officials linked to the BHU administration said that 65 more sensitive areas on the campus have been identified where CCTV cameras would be installed. In the first phase, the CCTV cameras would be installed at the entrance of the campus and outside the women's hostel. Women are also being included in security.

Arrangements would be made for preventing the entry of vehicles on the routes surrounding the women's hostel. The street lights would be fixed and new street lights installed on the campus.

A well organised security plan is being formulated in which the senior students would be included for suggestions. It has been decided to include the representatives of female students in it.

--IANS

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Tips to spot fake news. Facebooks full-page ads across English, Gujarati and other languages recently suggest it is finally waking up to its responsibility to stop the spread of fake news. It is the echo chamber within which two billion people read, write and exchange their thoughts, news, pictures or videos every month. It has a huge role to play in how people vote, what they eat, buy and so on. People trust it and Facebook makes money from that trust. Along with Google, Facebook is the largest recipient of digital advertising in the world. Therefore, the responsibility.
In his last interview as prime minister of India in January 2014, had said: I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media, or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament.
Around half the population of Nepal's capital has left the city of four million to return home for the upcoming Vijaya Dashami festival.

With the 10-day countdown to Vijaya Dashami, also known here as 'Dashain', starting today, nearly two million people have left for their homes in different districts of the Himalayan nation to celebrate the occasion.

In Kathmandu Metropolitan City, where around four million people reside, 50 per cent of the population are migrants from different districts, who came to the capital for jobs, education, and medical treatment.

As Dashain period has already begun, migrants from outside and Nepalese going home from overseas destinations are exiting the Kathmandu valley via Thankot, Sanga, Dakshinkali and Balaju.

This year the main day of Dashain, or Dashami falls on September 30.

On that day, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will apply red vermillion powder mixed with curd and rice on the foreheads of government staff as well as general public at Rastrapati Bhawan to mark the occasion, as per tradition.

People also sacrifice animals at the temple of Goddess Durga on Dashain and worship seeking her blessings.

In Nepal, Vijaya Dashami is observed to commemorate the victory of Durga over the demon Mahisashur.

The festival ends on Kojagrat Purnima, the full moon day in the month of Ashwin as per the Hindu calendar, which falls on October 5 this year.

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The judge of the special SIT court hearing the 2002 Naroda Gam massacre case today said he will visit the site of the incident on October 5 to understand the area's topography and verify the claims of witnesses.

The court of special SIT judge P B Desai today decided on the date after the special investigation team's officer, Himanshu Shukla, who was asked to remain present in the court today, said he will be free after October 3.

Shukla, who is currently the superintendent of police of Gujarat's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), was the investigating officer in the case.

Judge Desai said that the lawyers of SIT, accused and victims will accompany him but no accused will be allowed there when he visits the site on October 5.

He asked the police to submit parts of the punchnama, which carries description of the areas in Naroda Gam where the incident took place, so that he could decide based on the same as to which parts of the area he will need to visit.

The SIT had yesterday suggested the court to visit the site of the incident to get a better idea about it and verify witnesses' claims. An application was filed jointly by the lawyers representing the SIT, accused and witnesses.

The court had last week concluded recording of testimonies of 187 witnesses, including BJP chief Amit Shah who appeared as a witness for BJP leader Maya Kodnani, an accused in the case.

The SIT has filed a charge sheet against 82 people, including Kodnani, in the case.

The SIT today requested the judge to visit the site of the incident to understand the topography of the area.

The judge had then asked the lawyers to specify the places he will need to visit.

The lawyers suggested that the judge may visit areas including Muslim Mohalla, the gram panchayat office, a lane near the Bank of India, Mayur Hotel and Nandu Miya's shop near the mosque which have figured in the descriptions given by the witnesses.

Naroda Gam massacre is one of the nine major 2002 communal riots cases which were investigated by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT.

Eleven persons belonging to the minority community were killed in Naroda Gam in 2002 riots during a bandh call made to protest the Godhra train burning incident of February 27, 2002.

Kodnani, who was then a state minister in the Narendra Modi government, has already been convicted and sentenced to 28 years in jail in the Naroda Patiya case in which 97 people were massacred.

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The Hyderabad Police today arrested three more Oman nationals along with two locals including a chief Qazi in connection with the alleged trafficking of minor girls from the city under the guise of 'contract marriages' with elderly men from Gulf countries.

Omani national Al Sheyadi Sulaiman, 70 years, who claimed before police that he came to the city for medical treatment, was found to have actually come here for his marriage and was looking for minor girls, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Zone) V Satyanarayana told reporters here.

A broker from Oman identified as Al Shayadi Mohammed Khalfan had brought Sulaiman here to perform his marriage and investigation is underway to find out other victims who were trapped by him and trafficked to Oman and other Gulf countries, the DCP said.

The third Omani national Al Awdi Yasir, who married a city woman, had brought one visually challenged 75-year-old Oman national Abdullah Mubarak, who had already married ten times before for another marriage, the senior police official said.

Along with the three Omani nationals, police also arrested chief Qazi Ali Abudullah Rifai, who allegedly provided girls to foreign nationals by maintaining a network of brokers including women to search girls from poor families of the city, Satyanarayana said.

He added, they also arrested one local person Nayab Ibrahim, who assisted Rifai in performing the marriages of Arab nationals.

All the three Omani nationals were in touch with Rifai, he said.

Police have also initiated measures to deport two other Oman nationals -- Abdullah Mubarak and Al Shayadi Sulaiman Khamis Mohammed, son of 70-year old Al Sheyadi Sulaiman, for want of evidence, the official said.

Mubarak, who works as an Imam in Oman, is visually challenged and a chronic kidney patient undergoing dialysis thrice a week, said the official.

He had come to Hyderabad under the guise of treatment, the DCP said, adding investigation revealed he was already married ten times before to young girls from the city, but most of them either have shifted their residences while others have requested that their names should not be revealed.

"As victims are not preferring complaints against him and due to lack of sufficient evidence to book him in a criminal case police have decided to deport him along with Khamis Mohammed, who had come to the city for performing his father Sulaiman's marriage," Satyanarayana said.

Police teams are continuing searches of middlemen who are facilitating marriages of minor girls and luring them with false promises of bright future in foreign countries, he said.

On September 20, police had busted the 'contract marriage' (short-term marriage) racket, and arrested 20 persons including five Oman and three Qatar nationals, who attempted to marry the girls.

Police foiled attempts by eight Sheikhs from Oman and Qatar to marry local girls and rescued two minor girls.

They also arrested three qazis (people who conduct the marriage), including Farid Ahmed Khan, a Chief Qazi of Mumbai, four lodge owners and five brokers/agents who mediated to get such marriages solemnised.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahendar Reddy had then said that they have identified 35 brokers including 25 women and unearthed the network spread from Hyderabad to Oman and other Gulf countries.

The Hyderabad Police had in the past also busted several contract marriage rackets in the Old City area wherein such marriages were performed aided by fabricated documents.

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Around 400 kg of sea cucumber meant to be smuggled to Sri Lanka was seized today from a coconut grove in Tirappanvalasai, about 35 km from here, and one persons arrested in this connection, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of forest officials reached the spot and seized the sea cucumber valued at Rs 5 lakh, stocked by a gang for smuggling it to the island nation, they said.

The officials managed to nab one of the gang members while the rest escaped.

A case has been registered.

Sea cucumbers, classified as endangered species and their harvest banned under the Wildlife Protection Act, are in demand in South-East asian countries.

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A female suicide bomber killed five people when she blew herself up in a mosque in northeast Nigeria, in the latest attack blamed on Boko Haram jihadists, local militiamen told AFP.

The bomber stormed the mosque in the town of Dikwa, 90 kilometres (60 miles) from Maiduguri, at around 5:00 am yesterday (0400 GMT) and detonated her explosives.

"A female bomber attacked the mosque during morning prayers, killing five worshippers," said Ibrahim Liman, leader of a local militia fighting alongside the Nigerian army against the jihadists.

Three other worshippers were injured in the attack, he said, calling it "the handiwork of Boko Haram who have become notorious for such attacks".

Another militiaman Umar Ari confirmed Liman's account.

Soldiers in the town later intercepted another female bomber who blew herself up when asked to stop for a search, said Ari.

No one was harmed in the second blast.

The local market was shut to avert further attack as soldiers and militiamen combed the town in search of two other suspected female bombers, Liman said.

of the attack was slow to emerge due to poor communication as a result of destruction of telecom masts by Boko Haram insurgents in the region.

Boko Haram's armed rebellion in northeast Nigeria has killed 20,000 people and displaced 2.6 million in the past eight years.

The Sunni jihadist group has increasingly used suicide bombers, mostly women and young girls, to attack military checkpoints and soft targets including mosques, schools, motor parks and displaced camps.

In February 2016, at least 58 people were killed and 78 injured when two female bombers struck at a camp in Dikwa housing people displaced by the Boko Haram violence.

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Haryana School Education Board has made Aadhaar card mandatory for appearing in the state's eligibility test for teachers to be held in December.

Haryana School Education Board Chairman Jagbir Singh said that now applications for Haryana Teachers Eligibility Test (HTET) would not be accepted without Aadhaar card.

"The application forms of such candidates whose original documents do not match with Aadhaar cards would be treated as incomplete and would be cancelled. The candidates themselves would be responsible for this," he said in a statement.

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After many years, the country has got a stable government at the Centre which is a must for the all-round progress of the nation, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said as he exhorted the IAS officers to play a key role in India's development agenda.

Addressing the officers at Mussoorie's prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration yesterday, he also said that India can take advantange of its demographic dividend, largest English speaking population and information technology in pursuit of its development goals.

"After so many years, we have a stable government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said Naidu, who had been invited by the academy at the inaugural session of the 11th round of a three-week mandatory mid-career training programme for senior IAS officers.

The Chief Minister told the officers that they have a key role to play in building a developed India and if they keep learning, then they can do wonders.

He said that he still considers himself as a student.

"Those who can learn continuously can do wonders...I learn from society, common man and administrators like you," Naidu added.

Highlighting how the use of technology can help in the country's overall development, he presented the case study of Andhra Pradesh which has implemented various reforms with the use of technology in the state.

"Through fibre grid, we want to reach the last mile by connecting every home in the state. Andhra Pradesh is leading with a steady growth rate.

"In the first quarter, it has achieved 11.72 per cent growth rate while the country's average is 5.6 per cent. We have selected ten sectors as growth engines contributing the maximum growth of the state," he said.

Underscoring the importance of environment, the Chief Minister said that the state was aiming to achieve 50 per cent green cover by 2029.

"We are developing a smart water grid by conserving water and linking rivers," Naidu said.

Andhra Pradesh has achieved 100 per cent electrification and 24/7 power supply to every household.

Now, we are going for smart power grid with the help of technology, he added.

"I had the fortune of building a brownfield city, Cyberabad. Now, I am building a greenfield city, Amaravati. My state, Andhra Pradesh is a new state, only three years old. It is like a small child. I will nurture it carefully," the Chief Minister said.

Presenting his strategy for building the state so that it becomes the best in the country by 2029, he said that the state was implementing latest technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, drones, sensors and geo- tagging to improve governance.

He also told about the concept of uberisation on how to utilise assets more efficiently.

During his presentation, he showcased CM Core dashboard built to facilitate real-time governance where the state can monitor welfare schemes and other government services in real time.

To promote good governance, we are using CM Connect, Praishkara Vedika, Kaizala and People First applications to address public grievances.

We want to ultimately achieve 80 per cent plus public satisfaction levels, he said.

"One out of four IT professionals in the world is an Indian and out of every four Indian IT professionals, one is from Andhra Pradesh," he said.

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After making his foray into international cinema with British film "Victoria and Abdul", actor Ali Fazal has been signed on by American talent agency, William Morris Endeavour (WME).

A few months back, Ali was in the to have bagged the opportunity to be represented by Julian Belfrage Associates in the UK, which represents some of the biggest names, including his "Victoria and Abdul" co-star Judi Dench, Daniel Day Lewis and Jude Law.

Speaking about it, Ali said that he is elated to have a team in America and is looking forward to a great association with them.

"I'm excited after the UK to have my own team now in the US. They represent some of the biggest names in the business and I'm looking forward to a great association.

"We have already begun the work and have already advanced conversations on the upcoming work," he said.

Touted to be the biggest talent agency in the US, WME also represents the likes of Hollywood bigwigs - Ryan Reynolds, Queen Latifah, Octavia Spencer, John Legend, Emma Stone, Damien Chazelle and Tim Burton.

In Bollywood, Ali will next be seen reprising his role in "Fukrey Returns".

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Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju on Tuesday contradicted the claim of two his cabinet colleagues that no one was allowed to see late chief minister J Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation last year.

"All the ministers met her," he told reporters when asked if he had met Jayalalithaa during her 75 days of hospitalisation from September 22 last year.

Raju, however, refused to elaborate and said the death of 'Amma (Jayalalithaa)' was a huge loss. The cooperation minister said he was not prepared to say anything more on the issue.

"You must only ask the minister who had expressed that opinion," he said when pressed further on the claim by Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan that AIADMK leaders had "lied" about the health condition of Jayalalithaa and none of them had seen her in hospital.

Srinivasan's comments have triggered a renewed demand by the DMK and other opposition parties for a thorough probe into the death of Jayalalithaa.

Addressing a public meeting in Madurai, Srinivasan had on September 23 apologised to the people, saying they had lied about Jayalalithaa's health.

He said no one was allowed to meet Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation and all those came were told by her close aide V K Sasikala's relatives that she was "all right".

Srinivasan had said that afraid of Sasikala, party leaders lied so that people believed that Jayalalithaa was improving.

He had said that their claim of 'Amma' eating idli and tea was based on information given to them by Sasikala.

Endorsing his views, Commercial Taxes Minister K C Veeramani yesterday said the ministers were not able to see the late chief minister even one day.

At a public meeting in Vellore District, Veeramani, without naming Sasikala or her family, said, "Out of fear of this family... we would tell what we were told (by Sasikala's kin)..that Amma had two idlis, she spoke and that she is fine."



On the differing views of his colleagues, Revenue Minister R B Udhaya Kumar today said it was their individual opinion based on their experience.

Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals here on September 22, 2016, passed away on December 5.

The state government yesterday named retired judge of Madras High Court An Arumughaswamy as head of the inquiry commission to probe the death of Jayalalithaa.

A judicial probe was one of the pre-conditions of O Panneerselvam, the present deputy chief minister, for the merger of factions led by him and Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

After Palaniswami announced on August 17 that an inquiry commission would be constituted, the two factions merged on August 21.
BJP president Amit Shah today embarked on a three-day visit to Gujarat to chalk out a strategy for the Assembly polls due later this year.

During the visit, Shah will hold meetings with the office-bearers of different cells of the party, departments and leaders involved in the election management, a party release said.

"Today, Shah guided the leaders who are part of state BJP's campaign and publicity department as well as those who handle social media operations," the release said.

During the next two days, Shah would hold crucial meetings with the state BJP's core team, senior party leaders, cooperative leaders as well as with those part of the manifesto committee, it added.

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BJP president Amit Shah today met RSS leaders at the Sangh office here, a development the Sangh family fountainhead termed as a "courtesy call".

RSS general secretary Suresh alias Bhaiyyaji Joshi told reporters that Shah made a courtesy call and briefed the Sangh leaders on the deliberations at the BJP's national executive meet in Delhi yesterday.

Asked if the issue of the strained ties with ally Shiv Sena was discussed at today's meeting, Joshi said, "It is an issue to be discussed by the BJP and I am not a BJP leader."



Joshi gave a similar reply when asked about Maharashtra's former chief minister Narayan Rane's meeting with Shah yesterday and the possibility of his joining the BJP, saying "the BJP has to take a call on such matters."



A BJP functionary said that Shah, who did not have any scheduled party functions here today, left Mumbai soon after the meeting.

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After the Andhra Pradesh government officials, it will now be the turn of farmers to learn from Singapore how to "develop" their plots.

The AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) will herd about 100 farmers from Amaravati, who parted with their lands for the capital city development, to Singapore in three batches to enable them "to study how to develop the plots (residential and commercial) they got back (in lieu of the farm land)".

Bureaucrats of the state government and several lower-level officials of the CRDA had visited Singapore and other countries in the last three years "to study" the development process but the capital development actually hasn't taken off yet.

Hundreds of farmers gave up their farm land for the capital development under the Land Pooling Scheme.

The state government, in return, gave certain square yards of commercial and residential plots in proportion to each acre of land.

"We are providing an opportunity to interested farmers to visit Singapore and see the developments there. The main aim of this tour is to enable the farmers learn from Singapore how to develop their plots," the CRDA said in a release.

The visit, the CRDA feels, will create an awareness among farmers on urban infrastructure planning and development undertaken by the Singapore government.

The farmers will have to bear the to and fro flight charges, visa fee and insurance, the CRDA said.

Each batch of farmers will be taken on a three-night/four-day trip with the first trip from October 22, the second from November 5 and the last from November 19.

The CRDA would provide for the farmers' stay in Singapore and also local transportation, the release said.

Farmers interested in undertaking the visit should submit their applications by October 5, the CRDA said, adding that the visitors would be chosen through a draw of lots if the number of applicants is high.

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A 17-year-old NCC cadet drowned in a temple tank in Karnataka's Ramanagar district while his friends were engrossed in clicking a group selfie that captured him struggling to stay afloat.

G Vishwas was part of a group of 25 NCC cadets that went trekking on Sunday to Ravagondlu Betta, about 40 km from here.

As the others were taking selfies at the steps of the Gundanjaneya temple tank, Vishwas slipped and fell into the water. His companions did not immediately notice him struggling in the water even though it was captured in their selfie.

By the time they realised he was missing, the teen was nowhere to be seen. The cadets ran for help but found no one who could.

An hour later, the college boy's body was fished out of the 300-year-old tank.

"Yes, there are pictures of his drowning. The drowning happened when the pictures were taken," said Ramanagar SP Ramesh Bhanot.

Vishwas's father Govindaraju, an autorickshaw driver, has lodged a police complaint accusing the college management of being negligent and causing his son's death, said the police.

"We have registered a case of unnatural death. Investigations are on. We have to see whether there is any negligence on the part of those leading the team," Bhanot said.

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Bangladesh has eased restrictions on aid groups working in refugee camps and sought USD 250 million from the World Bank to fund emergency relief, officials said Tuesday, after an influx of more than 435,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar has overwhelmed its border area.

The government NGO Affairs Bureau cleared 30 local and international groups to meet "emergency needs" in camps and said more would follow, Shahdat Hossain, a bureau director, told AFP.

Bangladesh has strictly limited access to Rohingya camps in recent years. It has never given reasons, but the country is sensitive about security and there are fears a Muslim influx could tempt extremist groups.

However, a new deluge of refugees since August 25 has put pressure on the existing camps, which were already home to 300,000 Rohingya Muslims who had fled earlier unrest in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar.

The camps are currently facing dire shortages of food and medicine, while the World Health Organisation warned Monday of a growing risk of cholera.

The aid groups still only have permission to work for two months in the camps around the border town of Cox's Bazar, Hossain said, and must focus on providing healthcare, sanitation facilities and shelters for the Rohingya.

The new groups include local and international charities. Authorities previously only let four international groups -- including Doctors With Border (MSF) and Action Against Hunger (ACF) -- provide food and healthcare.

Muslim Aid, a British-based charity given permission to operate in Cox's Bazar last week but whose access was later revoked, remains barred. It operates in other parts of Bangladesh.

Authorities briefly ordered MSF, ACF and Muslim Aid to stop providing aid to the Rohingya in 2012.

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Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat today urged the youth of Assam to become engineers and doctors to serve the villages in their state, and cautioned them against taking up arms.

He was interacting with 20 Assamese school students, all boys ageing 14 to 16, who met him at his office in South Block as part of a National Integration Tour.

"Do you wonder why the part of India you live in is not as developed as other parts? Why schools in your cities are not like those in Delhi? What is the message you are going to take back when you return home?" Rawat asked.

The Army chief, during his interaction also asked the class 8-10 students, all hailing from Chirang district, "how many of them aspired to join the armed forces?"



"So, do hard work, become doctors, engineers and then go back and serve your villages. But do not think of taking up arms. ('Hathiyar nahin uthana hai'). And, if anyone carries weapons, in six months you will be finished," he said, making a reference to the history of insurgency in the state.

The students, accompanied by two teachers and an army official from the Sikh Light Infantry (SIKHLI), are currently visiting Delhi.

"We left Assam on September 24. All the students boarded a flight for the first time in their life. About half of them have just been out to Guwahati. All 20 students stepped out of Assam for the first time as part of this tour," the army official accompanying them, said.

"They met President Ram Nath Kovind and visited Qutub Minar. During our Delhi stay, they will also go see Red Fort and take a ride in Delhi Metro. Later, we will go to Rajasthan and then return to Assam," he said.

One of the teachers accompanying them said the students speak Assamese, Bengali and Bodo languages, and a few of them speak English also.

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The Congress today demanded a thorough inquiry into the lathi-charge on women students of Banaras Hindu University by an all-party parliamentary panel.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not meeting the protesting women students of BHU, who were beaten up by the police.

He said the women students were like the prime minister's daughters and that Modi failed in his duties towards them.

"There should be a credible probe by a team of MPs from all parties who should visit BHU and give a report to the central government as the university comes under its purview," he told reporters.

"Our prime minister was in Varanasi when the students were staging a dharna and he should have come ... at least walked up to them as they were like his daughters. Perhaps he does not know how to fulfil the duties of a father," he said.

Babbar alleged that there was a "definite pattern" in the violence at BHU.

He said the BHU lathicharge was not an ordinary incident and such cases were witnessed in Hyderabad and JNU as well.

The Congress leader said the women students were beaten up on Daughters' Day on September 14.

A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the police action in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.

The violence erupted after some students, protesting the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice- chancellor at his residence.

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The students of Banaras Hindu University today staged an agitation in the national capital and termed the protest on the night of September 23 as an outburst after years of their sufferings going unheard.

The students accused the police of abruptly indulging in baton charge without making any announcements.

An undergraduate student of BHU, Mineshi Mishra, who claims to have been beaten up by the police alleged that gender sensitisation was non-existent on the campus.

Carrying bruises on her body, Mishra said that only outsiders felt bizarre to hear BHU vice chancellor's stereotyped statements, but insiders (students) were used to it.

"He had earlier made statements like - daughters are those who sacrifice their studies for that of their brothers," Mishra alleged, adding that the VC had looked down upon women studying late nights.

"He had also starkly said he knew how and what BA students study and they did not need libraries," the undergraduate student said.

Snubbing VC Girish Chandra Tripathi's theory of involvement of "outsiders" which caused the protest to escalate, she said, "The entire campus was on section 144 and lathicharge was done in the entire campus and none of the outsiders can get in."



Another student of the varsity who witnessed the police attack said the police personnel took action abruptly without any announcements.

A former student of BHU Prof Anand Pradhan, who took part in the solidarity protest, said it was an unprecedented attack on women students in the campus.

"Since 1996, BHU students elections have not taken place. Only with the existence of such bodies, students' issues would be taken up," Pradhan said.

Responding to the VC's statements on providing safety and freedom to students, JNUSU President Geeta Kumari said it was tricky to consider freedom and safety together.

"Ensuring safety without freedom of mobility of women is equal to putting them in jail," Kumari said.

The BHU students, who will be visiting Delhi University and JNU campuses to spread the word, demanded termination of the VC from his post, abolition of curfew timing, formation of gender sensitisation committee, equality in food for girls and boys, and installation of CCTV cameras, among others.

Scores of students and activists cutting across political affiliations took part in the protest that was followed by a candle light march.

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The Bombay High Court today permitted Shiv Sena member Sunil Shitap, an accused in the Ghatkopar building collapse, to withdraw his bail plea from the court and approach the trial court again.

Seventeen people were killed when the building collapsed in July.

Shitap had moved the high court earlier this month after a trial court rejected his plea.

His bail was rejected on August 25 after the inquiry report of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) pinned much of the blame for the incident on him.

Justice Revati Mohite-Dere allowed Shitap to withdraw his bail from the high court and approach the trial court again after the prosecution today informed the bench that a charge sheet in the case had been filed on September 22.

Thus, considering this change in circumstance, Shitap must approach the trial court again for bail, the high court bench said.

The BMC's inquiry report had revealed that Shitap had carried out unauthorised renovation work at the Siddhi Sai building that subsequently led to the collapse.

In his bail plea, however, Shitap claimed that he had been implicated in the case by his political rivals.

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The CBI today filed a charge sheet against former Noida Authority engineer Yadav Singh for amassing disproportionate assets (DA) worth Rs 23 crore.

The charge sheet was filed against Singh and his family members in a special court in Ghaziabad, CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.

His wife Kusumlata, daughters Garima Bhushan and Karuna Singh, son Sunny Singh, daughter-in-law Shreshtha Singh, and chartered accountant Mohan Lal Rathi have also been booked in the case.

Three companies and a trust are also named in the case.

The CBI spokesperson said these assets were allegedly acquired between 2004 and 2015.

The assets acquired by him during this period were allegedly 512 per cent over and above his known source of income, he said.

The agency said it had registered the case on July 30, 2015.

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The CBI has told a parliamentary panel that it was denied permission from the then Central government to approach the Supreme Court against a 2005 Delhi High Court order in the Bofors guns case, sources here said.

The six-member Public Accounts Committee's sub-committee on defence is looking into non-compliance of certain aspects of a 1986 CAG report on the Bofors Howitzer gun deal.

The panel had last month asked the premier investigating agency why it did not approach the apex court after the Delhi court dismissed proceedings in the case in 2005.

On analysing the Delhi High Court's order of 2005, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was of the view that a special leave petition (SLP) should be filed in the apex court, it told the panel, the sources added.

"CBI vide its letter dated June 22, 2017, conveyed its views that CBI, as investigative agency was of the view that SLP should be preferred against the order of Delhi High Court dated May 31, 2005..," the agency told the panel recently.

It had, however, been denied permission by the government's Department of Personnel and Training, it said.

"A proposal was forwarded to the Director (Vig), DoPT, on September 8, 2005. The DoPT vide its order dated November 25, 2005, denied permission for filing an SLP in the matter. Accordingly, no SLP was preferred," it said.

Meanwhile advocate Ajay Agarwal has moved the Supreme Court seeking a reopening of the case.

The CBI had on January 22, 1990, registered an FIR for alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and sections of Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then President of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Europe-based industrialists, the Hinduja brothers.

The CBI had alleged that certain public servants and private individuals in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy for the supply of Howitzer artillery guns and a sum of Rs 64 crore was paid in kickbacks for the deal.

The Delhi High Court had in February 2005 quashed the charges against the three Hinduja brothers under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Several members of the parliamentary panel looking into the CAG report on the Bofors deal had asked the CBI to move the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's 2005 order.

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BJP's central leaders Ram Madhav, Ram Lal and others would tour Telangana next month to boost party's strength in the state, BJP's state president K Laxman said here today.

BJP president Amit Shah would tour the state after the conclusion of legislative assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, Laxman told reporters.

Shah had initially planned to visit Telangana in September.

Ram Lal, party's organisation secretary, would come to Telangana on October 1, 2 and 3, followed by Ram Madhav on October 14 and 15, Laxman said.

Saudan Singh, another senior functionary, would visit the state on October 23, he said.

Laxman, who briefed on BJP's national executive meet held in Delhi, said the Telangana state executive meeting would be held in the third week of October to firm up its plan to campaign against the TRS government in the state.

Laxman said the MIM, which has been contesting in elections at different places in the country, should contest all the assembly seats in Telangana.

"Asaduddin (Owaisi, MIM president) is claiming. I am claiming, let MIM contest all over Telangana, without confining itself to old city (of Hyderabad)... It would be known what is MIM and what is its support among people," he said.

"They (MIM) go to Maharashtra, Delhi... Why only old city? Let Telangana people know. They say it is an all India party. Let them contest all the seats for Assembly and Parliament," Laxman said.

MIM has eight MLAs in Telangana Assembly, besides one Lok Sabha seat (Hyderabad) in the state.

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Chief Executive of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah will be on a three-day visit to India, starting tomorrow, the Ministry of External Affairs said today.

He will inaugurate the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show, it said.

During his visit, Abdullah will call on President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also meet the official.

"Abdullah would also inaugurate the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show along with Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) and the Minister of Civil Aviation (Ashok Gajapathi Raju) on September 27, 2017," the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

The show will feature Afghan entities from economy, agriculture, health, education, gender and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India, along with the CEOs of major Indian and US companies.

Popular consumer goods from Afghanistan like carpets, gemstones, marble, saffron, dried fruits and nuts will also be on display.

Abudllah's visit follows the recently concluded second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council which was co- chaired by Swaraj and her Afghan counterpart.

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Chinese authorities appear to have severely disrupted the WhatsApp messaging app in the latest step to tighten censorship as they prepare for a major Communist Party congress next month.

Users in China have reported widespread disruptions in recent days to the Facebook-owned service, which previously malfunctioned in the country over the summer.

Experts said the problems began on Sunday, but text messaging, voice calls and video calls appeared to be working again today, though voice messages and photos were not going through.

WhatsApp provides message encryption technology that likely does not please Chinese authorities, which closely monitor and restrict cyberspace through their "Great Firewall".

Many Chinese activists favour WhatsApp over local messaging apps because of its end-to-end encryption function.

China has tightened online policing this year, enacting new rules that require tech companies to store user data inside the country as well as imposing restrictions on what is permissible content.

Chinese cyberspace regulators said yesterday they slapped "maximum" fines on major Chinese tech firms Baidu and Tencent for allowing the publication of pornographic, violent and other sorts of banned material on their social media platforms. The amount of the fines was not disclosed.

Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and a slew of foreign media have been blocked for years.

The WhatsApp troubles emerged ahead of the Communist Party congress on October 18, when President Xi Jinping is expected to be given a second five-year term as the party's general secretary.

"It smells like Party congress pre-emptive blocking," said Jason Ng, who researches China's internet at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto.

China usually steps up surveillance around major events, Ng said.

While the WeChat messaging app owned by China's Tencent company is more widely used in the country, many WhatsApp users complained about the disruptions.

"As we get closer to the Party congress, I think authorities will use more extreme censorship measures. The public knows that WeChat isn't safe," prominent Beijing-based activist Hu Jia told AFP.

"Me and other dissidents use WhatsApp to communicate 70 per cent of the time. For the few days WhatsApp was completely inaccessible, we didn't talk at all," Hu said.

Earlier this month, WeChat informed its users in a new privacy policy that it would "retain, preserve or disclose" users' data to "comply with applicable laws or regulations" -- confirming long-held public assumptions about the company's practices.

Other users in China noted that the WhatsApp disruptions would make it difficult to work with clients abroad.

"Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Viber were blocked before. Now even WhatsApp is blocked? Without good messaging tools, it will reduce the efficiency of the foreign trade industry," wrote one person on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media website.

"I can live without the others (applications), but blocking WhatsApp is driving me crazy," said another.

WhatsApp declined to comment.

The Open Observatory of Network Interference, a global censorship detection group, said China started blocking WhatsApp on Sunday.

To operate in China, some foreign tech companies have complied with local regulations. But others such as Google have chosen to pull out completely from mainland China.

In July, Apple removed software allowing internet users to skirt China's "Great Firewall" from its app store in the country, drawing criticism that it was bowing to Beijing's ever-growing web censorship.

Such software, called virtual private networks (VPN), allow people in China to access any website, even those that are blocked.

Beijing mandated in January that all developers must obtain government licences to offer VPNs and there has been concern that it might ban them outright.

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Pakistan's patience and confidence in cooperating with China will "ebb" if Chinese enterprises act in a short-sighted manner and flaunt their economic and technical superiority, a state-run daily warned today.

Pakistan media reports have alleged that Chinese investments do not reflect the Sino-Pakistan friendship or represent pure assistance to Pakistan, but are instead driven by China's interests.

China is investing heavily in Pakistan, including the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

"If Chinese-funded enterprises in Pakistan act in a short-sighted manner and show little interest in the local benefits, Pakistan's patience and confidence in cooperating with China will ebb," according to an article in the state-run Global Times.

"Chinese-funded companies must shoulder responsibility and show more tolerance when seeking profits. To respect customs in other cities and value the common interests are good ways of doing business abroad," it said.

Noting that Pakistan has enjoyed a firm relationship with China for more than 60 years, the report said "however, in terms of bilateral cooperation related to the Belt and Road (B&R) initiative, many Pakistani media reports have alleged that these investments do not simply reflect the Sino-Pakistan friendship or represent pure assistance to Pakistan, but are instead driven by China's interests".

The requirements for Chinese-funded enterprises included they should hire more local workers and gradually export technology to Pakistan, it said.

In addition to participating in government projects, Chinese enterprises can also strive harder to cooperate with local private companies and they should avoid flaunting economic and technical superiority in any context or situation, it added.

"Pakistan lags behind China in science and technology, economics and other areas, but Chinese companies should avoid superior behaviour and instead communicate with the people of Pakistan in an equal, friendly and cooperative manner," the report said.

Doing so will give China a better image and build harmonious coexistence for Chinese-funded enterprises investing in Pakistan, it said.

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China is hosting an Interpol meeting amid concerns Beijing is using the police network to pursue political foes overseas.

President Xi Jinping said in a speech to the Interpol General Assembly today that China wants to work with other countries and organizations to achieve "global security governance."



However, Human Rights Watch said Interpol needs to address what it called China's misuse of the organization's "red notice" system to seek the arrest and extradition of wanted people.

The election of Chinese Vice Public Security Minister Meng Hongwei as Interpol's president last year has alarmed rights advocates who cite abuses and opacity within China's legal system.

Chinese politics expert Willy Lam said China has been using its economic heft to influence groups such as Interpol.

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China has delayed enforcing sweeping new controls on food imports following complaints by the United States, Europe and other trading partners that they would disrupt billions of dollars in trade.

Rules requiring each food shipment to have an inspection certificate from a foreign government were due to take effect Sunday. But Beijing has decided to grant a "transitional period of 2 years" following comments by other governments, according to a document submitted to the World Trade Organization on Monday and seen by The Associated Press.

It gave no details, but the delay might help to avert concerns that shipments of meat, fruit, dairy and other products might be disrupted, hurting thousands of farmers and food processors who look to China as a key growth market.

The dispute added to trade tensions with the United States and Europe, which complain low-priced exports of Chinese steel and aluminum are hurting foreign competitors and threatening jobs.

The food rules prompted unusually broad opposition. Governments said little in public, but a coalition including the United States, European Union, Japan, Australia and Argentina lobbied Beijing to scale back the requirement. They urged China to follow global practice and apply it only to high-risk food.

Some officials suggested Beijing was trying to restrict imports in violation of its market-opening promises. Foreign suppliers complain Beijing already uses safety rules in ways that hamper access for beef and other goods.

"According to the complaints and application received, we hereby decide to provide a transitional period of 2 years," said the document submitted to the WTO by the Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China.

AQSIQ, the main Chinese product quality agency, did not respond to questions by fax and email about what would happen during the transitional period.

The inspection rules follow an avalanche of scandals over Chinese suppliers caught selling tainted milk and other shoddy or counterfeit food. Western officials said they appeared to be meant to shift responsibility away from AQSIQ, which Chinese consumers often blame for safety failures.

This month, Beijing banned imports of soft cheese such as brie and camembert that it said contained the wrong types of bacteria. European officials complained the ban was unfair because the regulators permitted sales of similar cheeses produced in China using the same bacteria.

The dispute added to complaints that Beijing is reducing market access for goods ranging from medical technology to farm-related biotech.

Beijing made concessions including allowing governments to certify food as fit for human consumption instead of confirming it met Chinese quality standards. Still, the latest draft submitted to the WTO said the rules would apply to items including dried fruit, cocoa and spices that foreign officials said don't require such intensive inspection.

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Warning there would be "no winner" in the event of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula, China on Tuesday urged North Korea and the United States to stop their escalating war of words and sit down for talks on cooling the recent spike in tensions.

The comments from foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang reinforce China's position that all sides should avoid provoking each other following biting new United Nations economic sanctions on North Korea and a new exchange of threats between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"A war on the Korean Peninsula will have no winner, which will also be a tragedy for regional countries," Lu told reporters at a daily briefing. "Given our consistent opposition to the war and chaos on the peninsula, we totally disapprove of an escalation of the war of words between the US and North Korea."



Lu's remarks came after North Korea's top diplomat on yesterday characterised Trump's tweet that Kim "won't be around much longer" as a declaration of war against his country by the US.

However, Lu noted that the Trump administration denied that it had declared war on North Korea and said the US remained committed to eliminating nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula through peaceful means.

China accounts for about 90 per cent of North Korea's foreign trade and is under constant pressure from the US and others to tighten the screws on its neighbor and former close Communist ally.

Beijing has responded by voting in favor of increasingly harsh UN resolutions over North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs and announced Saturday that it will limit energy supplies to North Korea and stop buying its textiles as dictated by the latest sanctions.

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The National Green Tribunal has directed the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation to clean up and remove all waste from the stormwater drains in the Vasundhara township within a week.

A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim expressed dissatisfaction over the work of the municipal corporation after it perused photographs showing that drains still remained blocked.

"Counsel for the applicant has produced certain photographs to show that the drain is still blocked and demolishing of illegal structures has not been completed.

"On behalf of Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam it is stated that statement so made is incorrect. Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam has taken required steps to comply with the direction of this tribunal and has made drains free from obstruction.

"However, on perusal of the photographs filed in the tribunal, it is obvious that the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam may have done some work. But it is not as expected and drains still appear to be blocked due to MSW or the debris etc. The officer present in the tribunal undertakes that he will ensure that the obstruction in the drain is removed within three days and he will report compliance," the bench said.

The tribunal also directed the municipal body to take requisite steps to prevent pollution and provide necessary medical assistance to the residents in the area.

The bench said it would consider the court commissioner's report and the compliance report filed by the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam on October 6, the next date of hearing.

The green panel had earlier appointed advocate Kush Sharma as the court commissioner to inspect the drains.

It had directed him to prepare a sketch of the inspected area for depicting the findings, with the assistance of an engineer from the pollution control board.

The tribunal had directed the civic authorities to clean the rain water drains in sector 16 of Vasundhara colony and free them from all waste coming from the sewers in the nearby Prahlad Garhi village.

The plea filed by Vasundhara residents K P Singh and others had alleged that the rainwater drain has been converted into an open sewer in Ghaziabad.

He had sought its maintenance and a direction to clean all the drains in the area as it caused hardship and adversely affected the environment and the health of the local residents.

It had alleged that the drains remain choked throughout the year and hazardous sewer waste overflows on the streets, releasing "highly poisonous" gases which make the lives of the residents miserable.

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Homegrown FMCG major Dabur is testing a subscription-based model for its ayurvedic medicines in the country, a senior company official said today.

"Subscription-based model is the future for healthcare. It is in pilot stage right now. It is a good experiment which we are doing," Dabur India Executive Director (Consumer Care Business) Krishan Kumar Chutani told reporters here.

Chutani also hinted that the company will open clinics with Ayurveda doctors to advise patients. He, however, refused to share details.

In a subscription-based model, consumers receives products from a company at a regular interval.

When asked if the company plans to set up its own clinics: "You are asking me is future, I will not be able to reveal but somewhere in that direction. Telemedicine and eventually getting into the entire ecosystem of ayurvedic doctors is what we want to own".

The company recently started a new service called Ask Dabur where a panel of doctors answer consumers' questions.

He did not elaborate that in which city the company doing the pilot project.

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States like Bihar are the worst victims of climate change as it frequently faces floods and drought affecting development, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said here today.

Bihar faced major floods in the year 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2017 causing loss of life and property, damage to crops, roads and other infrastructure, Modi said.

For this year's flood, 514 people died and the state government paid Rs 1788 crore as ex-gratia to 30 lakh affected families, he said at a symposium on climate change.

"This is the magnitude of the damage caused by floods in one year alone.... The frequency of natural disasters has been rising due to climate change," Modi said.

A very huge amount of money is spent to deal with disaster related incidents, he said adding that the state government has made a provision of Rs 68,000 crore in 2016-17 for its 10 departments to deal with natural disasters.

The deputy chief minister said it would be difficult to combat the issue of climate change until and unless every individual of the country moderate his/her life-style.

"Affluent sections of the society will have to take initiative to reduce carbon footprint. There is a need for creating awareness among the people as how to moderate one's life-style," the senior BJP leader said.

He also advised people to avoid packaged food items, plastic bottles and bags and grow the habit of switching off lights, fans and water taps when not in use.

In the symposium, state Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav highlighted the necessity of a detailed study on the impact of climate change in Bihar.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today warned the Iraqi Kurdish leader against pushing for independence after holding a non-binding referendum, saying such a move risked sparking an "ethnic war" in the region.

"If (Massud) Barzani and the Kurdish Regional Government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war," Erdogan said in a televised speech.

Iraq's Kurds on Monday voted in a historic independence referendum despite fierce opposition from Baghdad and neighbouring countries Iran and Turkey.

Turnout was 72 per cent, with 3.3 million of the 4.58 million registered voters taking part, election commission spokesman Shirwan Zirar said late Monday.

Results were expected within 24 hours, with an overwhelming 'yes' vote not in doubt.

Erdogan described the vote as a "treason to our country" since it had come at a time of good relations between Ankara and its neighbour the KRG.

He urged Barzani to "give up on an adventure which can only have a dark end.

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The Bombay High Court today granted bail to retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Accepting Upadhyay's plea on the ground of parity -- since the other prime accused in the case have been granted bail by the high court and the apex court -- a bench of Justices Ranjit More and Sadhna Jadhav granted him bail against a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.

While the National Investigating Agency's (NIA) counsel Sandesh Patil opposed the bail plea, the HC said that its hands were tied in view of the apex court's directions on parity.

The court also asked if Upadhyay's role in the blasts was larger than that of prime accused Shrikant Purohit.

Upadhyay's counsel, however, denied the same and said, "The apex court had recently granted bail to Purohit and that the trial court in Mumbai had also let out two other accused persons in the case, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi. Thus, Upadhyay too must be granted bail."



The NIA, in its chargesheet, had cited transcripts of phone conversations between Upadhyay and Purohit as prime evidence against the former.

The Supreme Court had last month granted bail to Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Seven people were killed in a bomb blast on September 29, 2008 at Malegaon, a communally-sensitive textile town in Nashik district of north Maharashtra.

A special MCOCA court had earlier ruled that the ATS had wrongly applied this law against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Purohit and nine others.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will visit Singapore this week and hold talks with the country's top leadership to hard sell his state as an investment destination.

He will call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and meet other senior ministers on September 29, the Indian High Commission said in a statement here.

Fadnavis will also meet Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam, it said.

The Indian mission will host an Investment Roundtable for the chief minister with leading Singapore-based companies and financial institutions on September 28.

The next day, Fadnavis will co-chair a Business Roundtable with Singapore Trade and Industry Minister S Iswaran and visit Minister of Trade and Industry.

He will also visit Singapore Changi Airport's new Terminal 4.

The double-storey terminal will feature start-to-end self-service systems, allowing travellers to check in, deposit their baggage and even go through immigration via automated systems.

Fadnavis will address a public lecture 'Infrastructure- led Growth: Maharashtra India's Engine of Development', to be organised by Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) with the Indian High Commission and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on September 28.

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An FIR has been registered against the BJP district president of Moradabad, Hariom Sharma, in connection with an attack on a block development officer (BDO), police said here today.

Ajay Kumar Saxena, the BDO of Moondha Pandey in eastern Moradabad, alleged that Sharma had asked him over phone to get some illegal work done. On refusing to oblige, Saxena said, Kumar first verbally abused him and then turned up at his office with 15 other men and beat him up.

Saxena claimed he suffered multiple injuries to his head.

Moondha Pandey police station SO Ramvir Singh Yadav said that a case has been registered under sections 332, 333 and 504, among others, of the IPC against Sharma.

The BJP leader, however, denied the allegations, and said that he did not even visit the BDO office.

Chief Development Officer C Indumati called the incident "unfortunate and intolerable". "This is an unfortunate incident. A BDO coming under physical attack by a district president of the ruling party is intolerable. Hence, we have lodged an FIR. We hope that the guilty are put behind bars."



SO Yadav said an investigation has been initiated and the accused would soon be booked. The SSP of Moradabad was not immediately available for comment.

All the accused are at large, police said.

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Five Indian museums have made to the top 25 Asia list of Travellers' Choice by TripAdvisor, displaying artifacts and collections that date back to centuries.

Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata (West Bengal) has been ranked nine in the Asia list of Travellers' Choice by TripAdvisor.

City Palace of Jaipur (Rajasthan) was at 15th position, while Bagore Ki Haveli, Udaipur (Rajasthan) was at 18th, Yodhasthal, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) was ranked 20th and Hall Of Fame, Leh (Jammu and Kashmir) secured 21st position.

"Museums, with their artefacts and collections that date back centuries help tell stories, which provide the opportunity for us to look back at history and culture.

"Sometimes, museums also help us reflect and understand recent events too," TripAdvisor India Country Manager Nikhil Ganju said.

The award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the reviews and ratings for museums worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.

War Remnants Museum in Vietnam was ranked number one in the Asia top 25 list followed by the Museum of Qin Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses in China, Tuosleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Forbidden City - The City Palace - China and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan.

The New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art named number one in the Travellers' Choice awards for Museums in the World, securing the position for the third year in a row.

The National WWII Museum in the US secured the second place in the top 25 list followed by Musee d'Orsay in France, Art Institute of Chicago in the US and the State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace in Russia.

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A man arrested near the White House is a former Memphis police officer who had an arsenal of weapons in his car and believed the CIA had implanted a chip in his head, according to court documents.

Timothy J Bates, 37, of Collierville, Tenn. appeared in a District of Columbia court today on charges of illegally carrying a rifle or shotgun.

According to court documents, Bates was approached by uniformed members of the Secret Service Sunday at the corner of 17th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue as he appeared to be publicly urinating. He told the officers that he was trying to reach Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis or NSA Director Adm.

Mike Rogers "for advice on missing paychecks and how to get the dog chip out of my head."



Bates gave officers permission to search his illegally parked car and they discovered nine firearms including a Bushmaster assault rifle and a loaded AK-47.

According to testimony by the arresting officers detailed in the court documents, Bates told the Secret Service officers that he had been offered $28.7 million by the Department of Homeland Security and the state of Tennessee to participate in the CIA's "MK Ultra" programme and that he had a chip planted in his head that was causing him "severe headaches, shaking and convulsions."



Bates told the officers that he had driven from Tennessee to seek advice from Mattis and Rogers on how to remove the chip and recover the promised payment.

The court documents state that Bates is a former police officer who was "medically retired" in 2013 and that he was "involuntarily committed for mental health reasons" in February 2017.

It was not immediately clear if Bates had his own defense attorney.

The charge of illegally carrying a rifle is a felony offense with a statutory maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to USD 5,000. The court documents state that Bates had been placed under observation for mental illness.

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Notorious hate preacher Abu Walaa, described as the Islamic State group's de facto leader in Germany, went on trial Tuesday accused of radicalising young men and running a jihadist network linked to the Berlin Christmas market attacker.

Nicknamed "the faceless preacher" for showing his back to the camera in propaganda videos, the 33-year-old Iraqi was arrested last November on suspicion of being the "central figure" in an IS recruitment ring.

Walaa -- named by the authorities as Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah Abdullah -- appeared before a court in the northern German city of Celle alongside four co-defendants accused of supporting IS.

The five created a "pan-regional Salafist-jihadist network" in which Walaa "took on the leading role as the representative of the so-called Islamic State in Germany," prosecutors said in their indictment.

"The goal of the network was to send people to IS in Syria or Iraq."



The closely-watched terror trial, expected to run until early 2018, opened under heavy security with armed police on patrol outside the courthouse.

"For a long time little has been known about the backroom men, those who seduce and incite to jihad," Der Spiegel weekly wrote.

"The proceedings against Abu Walaa promise to give deep insights into these mechanisms, which makes this one of the most interesting Islamist trials in recent years."



If found guilty, the accused face up to 10 years in prison, according to DPA agency.

A shadowy figure who long evaded capture, Walaa has been linked to some of Germany's most high profile jihadist attacks since arriving in the country in 2001.

After setting up his base in Hildesheim, a northern town seen as a hotbed of Islamic radicalism, he made a name for himself delivering extremist sermons at the notorious DIK mosque, which has since been shut down.

Walaa, who has two wives and several children, also gave seminars across the country calling for jihad. He notably spoke at a Berlin mosque frequented by Anis Amri, who drove a truck through a crowded Christmas market last December, killing 12 people.

German intelligence services took pictures of Amri in Hildesheim some 10 months earlier, prompting speculation he had ties to the network. Amri was shot dead by police in Italy days after his rampage.

Walaa's four accomplices -- a Turkish national, a German, a German-Serbian and a Cameroonian, aged between 27 and 51 -- are likewise accused of indoctrinating young men with jihadist ideology.

German media reported that among their "students" was at least one of the three teenage boys who last year set off a home-made bomb at an Indian wedding, badly wounding a Sikh priest.

Much of the prosecution's case rests on evidence collected by an unidentified informant who infiltrated the network for months.

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GJM tonight said the indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling hills will be suspended from tomorrow morning in response to appeal bu Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The indefinite shutdown by the Gorkha Janmukti Morch (GJM) for a separate state of Gorkhaland entered the 104th day today. The strike had begun on June 15.

"Our party supremo Bimal Gurung has decided to suspend the indefinite shutdown in the hills from 6 am tomorrow morning for an indefinite period.

"The decision was taken after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's appeal to withdraw the strike," GJM vice-president Kalyan Dewan told PTI.

Singh appealed to the GJM to withdraw the ongoing strike in Darjeeling hills for a separate Gorkhaland state and asked the union home secretary to convene an official-level meeting to discuss all related issues.

In a statement, the home minister said that in a democracy dialogue is the only way out to resolve any problem and solutions can be found through restraint and mutual dialogue within the legal ambit.

Although the strike was officially on in the hills but for the last one week most of the shops and markets had reopened defying the diktats by GJM leadership.

Reacting to GJM's decision, state Tourism Minister and TMC leader Gautam Deb said the central government has provided a face saver to GJM supremo Bimal Gurung. More than 80 per cent of the shops and markets in the hills have already opened up defying Gurung, he said.

"My question is what took the central government so long and that too when the situation in the hills has already normalised," he said.

Yesterday in view of normalcy returning to Darjeeling hills, the state administration had decided to lift the restrictions on use on internet services, which was imposed on June 18.

Gurung, against whom cases have been lodged under the UAP Act and a lookout notice has been issued, is absconding since last month.

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The Gujarat High Court Advocates' Association today said it will file "appropriate legal proceedings" before the Supreme Court against the transfer of Justice Jayant Patel of Karnataka High Court.

Patel was the acting chief justice of Gujarat High Court before being shifted to the Karnataka High Court in February 2016.

The association today passed a resolution, expressing "strongest" disapproval of the SC collegium's decision, and said the lawyers here will abstain from work tomorrow.

"The association expresses its strongest possible objection and disapproval against the decision of the collegium of the Supreme Court to transfer Justice Patel," it said in a release.

"The decision has shaken the belief of the Bar in the independence of the judiciary and has the potential of adversely affecting the morals of the legal fraternity," it said.

Justice Patel was transferred "on the eve of his likely appointment as acting chief justice or chief justice of the Karnataka High Court," the association said.

"(The association) has decided to file appropriate legal proceedings before the Supreme Court...and also raise the larger issues viz., seeking full disclosure of the reason of the collegiums of the Supreme Court and/or High Court with regard to the recommendations of the appointments, non-appointments, non-performance of HC judges and/or elevation or non-elevation of the judges," it said.

Justice Patel had resigned yesterday.

The judge was reportedly unhappy that he was not made the chief justice of any court despite his seniority. The resignation comes days after Patel was transferred to the Allahabad High Court.

Patel was in the limelight after he ordered a CBI probe into the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state.

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Eyeing the support of the influential Patel community, Congress vice-president on Tuesday hit the campaign trail in the Patidar-dominated areas of poll-bound Gujarat.

Some members of the Students Union of India (NSUI), the party's student wing, greeted him as he left Jamnagar for Rajkot this morning.

The Congress leader urged the NSUI members to work hard to bring the party to power in Gujarat.

Taking a dig at BJP governments in the state and at the Centre, Gandhi said if the Congress was voted to power, his party's government would function from Gujarat and not on orders from Delhi.

On his way, at Falla village in Jamnagar, locals welcomed him by raising the slogan 'Jai Patidar, Jai Sardar'. People were also seen wearing caps with the same slogan.

Gandhi, who is on the second day of his three-day tour of Gujarat, is slated to visit several villages and towns, such as Dhrol and Tankara that have a sizable Patel population.

The Congress is hoping to get the support of this decisive vote bank during the polls due later this year.

Yesterday, on the first day of his visit to the state, Gandhi was greeted by Hardik Patel, leader of the Patel quota agitation.

"A warm welcome to Congress vice-president in Gujarat," Patel tweeted in Hindi yesterday when Gandhi landed at Dwarka.

Patel had earlier hinted that he may consider supporting the Congress in the Assembly polls to achieve the goal of reservation to the Patel community under OBC quota.

Gandhi had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over issues like note ban, GST, farm policies and 'Gujarat model' of development, during his campaign from Dwarka to Jamnagar yesterday.

He also expressed confidence about winning the upcoming Assembly elections, claiming that there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat and the people regretted having voted for the BJP.
Quota agitation leader Hardik Patel has filed an application in an Ahmedabad court seeking discharge in a sedition case on the ground that there was no evidence against him for framing of charges.

He has been accused of inciting violence with the intention to dislodge the government after a rally addressed by him turned violent in October 2015.

The application is likely to come up for hearing on September 28, Hardik's lawyer Rafik Lokhandwala.

In his plea filed yesterday in the court of sessions judge S H Oza, Hardik said there was no evidence against him for of framing charges and claimed the prosecution case against him did not hold ground.

His plea seeking quashing of the FIR in the same case is pending before the Supreme Court. It has challenged a high court order dismissing his petition.

Hardik was granted bail by the high court in June last year.

On January 18, the city crime branch had filed a charge sheet of around 2,700 pages against Hardik and three others in court.

They have charged with sedition and criminal conspiracy. If convicted, the maximum punishment for the charges is life imprisonment.

In the charge sheet, the police had termed the quota agitation, spearheaded by Hardik, as a "pre-planned conspiracy" that was hatched to put pressure on the state government to accept their "unconstitutional demand of quota".

The police alleged that due to such activities of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leaders, 457 FIRs relating to arson, assault and rioting were filed across Gujarat between July 7 and December 3 last year.

According to the charge sheet, property worth around Rs 40 crore was damaged in the violence.

It alleged that 203 policemen as well as officers were injured in the violence while constable Dilip Rathva died in Surat.

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Delhi High Court today questioned Honeypreet Insan, facing charges of sedition and inciting violence after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim in twin rape cases, for filing an anticipatory bail before it even though she was a permanent resident of Haryana.

The court asked the counsel for Honeypreet, who claims to be the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief, to show any document that a property in Delhi belonged to her or anyone connected to her.

"The easiest way out is that you surrender," Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said, while asking why the 36-year-old woman was seeking transit anticipatory bail for three weeks.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons wanted by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Ram Rahim was convicted by the special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, following which violence and arson had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa districts of Haryana which had claimed 41 lives and left several others injured.

The court asked Honeypreet's counsel to satisfy it as to how its territorial jurisdiction can be invoked and said it would take care of her rights only after that.

"First you come on jurisdiction. Why has the plea been moved here... You surrender in Delhi and we will take care," the judge said.

Transit anticipatory bail application is meant to seek protection against arrest during her transit from Delhi to Haryana for joining probe in the sedition case.

The court, which reserved its order on the bail plea, is likely to pronounce it later today.

Honeypreet's advocate sought the relief saying she was a lady, who was not running away and was ready to join the probe if protected by this court.

"It is to humiliate me. I am not required for custodial interrogation. If I am given protection from here, I will move to Panchkula court or the Punjab and Haryana High Court for anticipatory bail. I am not even named in the FIR. What kind of sedition charges can be there against me," advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya, who represented Honeypreet, said.

He said Honeypreet was apprehending arrest in Delhi and the police had raided her house here this morning.

The plea was vehemently opposed by the counsel for Delhi and Haryana Police who said it was "a ploy to do 'forum shopping'" and, by giving a wrong address of a Delhi property, she was "hoodwinking" the court.

Delhi Police standing counsel Rahul Mehra said Honeypreet was considered to be the closest person to the Dera chief and there should have been some restraint and calls made to ensure peace and prevent the incidents of the large-scale violence that had occured.

Regarding the claim of Honeypreet's counsel that she was facing threat to her life as the atmosphere in Haryana was not good, Mehra said if she was a law-abiding citizen, she should surrender and Delhi Police, which is considered the best in India, will ensure that no harm is caused to her.

Additional Advocate General of Haryana Anil Grover said jurisdiction of Delhi was made out only if a person resided here permanently.

While Honeypreet's passport showed her address to be of Sirsa in Haryana, the place where a person is roaming around cannot decide jurisdiction for filing the bail plea, he said.

"Forum shopping is the exact name for such petitions. Where was she all this while and where is she now is anybody's guess. She is not coming clean before this court," Grover said.

During the hearing, the court also said when Honeypreet can move an application for anticipatory bail before the Delhi High Court, she can do so even before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

"She has not appeared here and she will also not appear before the Punjab and Haryana High Court in anticipatory bail hearing. Atmosphere may not be good for her in Haryana but it is fine for you as a lawyer," the judge told her counsel.

Honeypreet has been on the run since the conviction of Ram Rahim in two rape cases. She is facing a case of sedition for allegedly inciting violence in Haryana after the Dera chief's conviction.

The CBI court on August 28 had sentenced Ram Rahim to 20 years in prison for raping two of his disciples in 2002.

Honeypreet had accompanied the Dera head when he had come to the special CBI court on August 25. She had also travelled along with him in the special chopper which ferried them to Rohtak from Panchkula after the conviction.

The controversial sect head is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district of Haryana.

Several teams of Haryana Police have in the recent weeks travelled across the country, including the Indo-Nepal border, to trace Honeypreet.

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The Bombay High Court today refused to stay the framing of charges against Tarun Tejpal in a case of alleged rape, and issued a notice to the Goa government seeking its response to the senior journalist's plea.

The district court in Mapusa had on September 7 refused to drop the charges against Tejpal, who has been accused of sexually assaulting a former colleague at an event in Goa in 2013.

Tejpal, the founder editor of Tehelka magazine, had moved the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court against the district court's order.

Justice Prithviraj Chavan, while hearing his prayer today, declined to stay the framing of charges by the trial court. Tejpal had sought a stay on framing of charges against him till the time the HC has decided his plea on dropping the charges.

Tejpal has contended there was a lack of evidence against him in the case.

The high court, however, said if the district court frames charges against Tejpal, the recording of evidence, which marks the beginning of the trial, should be deferred.

The court posted the matter for further hearing to November 1.

Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine, is facing charges under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 376 (rape) and 354-B (criminal assault with intent to disrobe a woman).

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India has organised a seminar here to make Egyptians aware about its diverse culture and boost tourism between the two nations, which according to the Indian envoy here was below potential.

The Indian Embassy here in association with India Tourism Office in Dubai organised the seminar entitled 'Incredible India Road Show'.

India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya that India and Egypt were two of the very large population countries, but the level of tourism between them was below potential.

"The reason that we are here today is to make sure that we reach that potential," the Ambassador said.

Bhattacharyya also mentioned that both countries have enormous wealth of tourist resources.

"We are ancient civilisations and the historical sites are unimaginable to most of the other world," the ambassador said.

"We have tourism sites which range from historical, cultural, ancient monuments, to religious sites and the landscapes," the Ambassador said.

He said that India offered new experiences like wellness tourism and wedding tourism.

I R V Rao, assistant director of India Tourism Dubai, said that the Indian tourism campaign in Egypt is important as it would make people know more about India and its diverse culture.

"In 2016 there was a 4 per cent increase in the number of Egyptian tourists to India as compared to 2015. We expect at least 12 to 15 per cent increase in the number of Egyptians tourists to India by 2018 ," Rao told PTI.

"We have 21,000 Egyptians are travelling to India but Indians travelling to Egypt are six time more 1,20,000. So we world like to invite travel agencies to make different offers and convince tourists to consider travelling to India as it offers so much," he added.

The event was attended by Indian and Egyptian tour operators, officials of Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Egyptian Tourism agencies.

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India appears keen to do more in Afghanistan than its already promised USD 3 billion for development aid, a top US general told lawmakers today, asserting that New Delhi can provide additional training and equipment to build capacity of the Afghan security forces.

US President Donald Trump while announcing his new Afghan and South Asia policy last month had advocated for a greater role for India in Afghanistan.

Trump called on India to help the US more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.

"With regard to India, the President called on India to invest more in development projects in Afghanistan. India appears eager to do more beyond the roughly USD 3 billion in development assistance it has provided since 2001," said General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"From the military dimension, I believe India has the capacity to provide additional training and equipment to build capacity of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces," Dunford said in written response to questions from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee for confirmation hearing for his reappointment.

Dunford said the new strategy includes building broad consensus for a stable Afghanistan, de-escalating tensions between regional states and emphasising regional integration and cooperation.

"It is critical that Pakistan and other neighbouring countries support the legitimate Afghan Government, the United States and NATO missions, and take positive steps to fight terrorism and achieve stability in the region," he said.

The strategy places especial emphasis on influencing Pakistan to change its policies which are detrimental to the US, NATO, Afghanistan's and even Pakistan's own interests, he said.

Dunford said while China has invested significantly in western Afghanistan, particularly in mining infrastructure to support their One Belt One Road initiative, its security investments have so far been minimal.

He said under the new strategy, the US looks to increase the Chinese investment in areas that support the legitimate Afghan government.

"With regard to Russia, our interests diverge on many issues, yet we share common interests such as countering transnational terrorism and stabilising Afghanistan. Under the new strategy, our efforts will look to advance our mutual interests in ways that do not cede diplomatic space or allow Russia to adversely affect our efforts to stabilise Afghanistan," Dunford said.

"With regard to Iran, the new strategy seeks to counterbalance Iranian influence in Afghanistan while continuing engagement in regional forums and encouraging Iran to support the Afghan Government and overall stability in Afghanistan," he said.

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Telecom minister Manoj Sinha on Tuesday said the Department of Telecom will organise the every year which would emerge as a global event in coming years.

"We want to organise every year. We expect that it will emerge as a global event in years to come," Sinha said.

The country is hosting the for the first time which would provide a platform for mobile, internet and technology companies.

Industry leaders Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Bharti Mittal of Airtel and Kumar Mangalam Birla along with Sinha, Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Oil and Skills Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will attend the three-day event starting tomorrow.

Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan and IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Bharti Airtel MD and CEO Gopal Vittal, Vodafone India MD and CEO Sunil Sood and Idea Cellular MD ande CEO Himanshu Kapania will also attend the event.

"We are proud to say that our country is now hosting its own first ever mobile, internet and technology, the India Mobile Congress. We are hopeful that this will be a huge platform for mobile and internet technology sector in the sub-continent," Sinha said.

About 150 foreign delegates and eight embassies including the US, the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Israel are participating in the event.

"This a joint industry event with mobile handset body Indian Cellular Associations and IT industry body Nasscom. Many of mobile phone companies including Vivo, Oppo, Nokia, Lava, LG, Huawei will showcase their latest products. The event is open for public. They only need to register on IMC website," COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said.

Entry to the conferences will, however, be open for paid and invited delegates only, he said.
India today ruled out any troop contribution in Afghanistan and said it will continue to provide development assistance to the war-torn country.

This was stated by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after her talks with her US counterpart James Mattis during which they discussed key bilateral, regional and international issues, including terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Amid the rising tensions due to the recent missile tests by North Korea and growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, the two sides also deliberated upon ways to deepen maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Referring to their discussion on Afghanistan, Sitharaman said they had a useful interaction on how the two countries could strengthen cooperation bilaterally as well as with the Afghan government in pursuit of the common objective of a peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.

She said India has built dams, hospitals and it will continue providing development assistance to the war-torn country.

"We give them facilities in our hospitals both for those who are wounded on field and for civilians. Those assistances for medical help will continue...We shall expand if necessary. However, of course, we have made it clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground," she said.

Sitharaman made the remarks while replying to a question during a joint press briefing with Mattis on whether India will contribute troops in Afghanistan.

India's position assumes significance given that under the new Trump policy, the US wants greater participation by India to contribute more in the war-torn nation.

On his part, Mattis said, "we applaud India's invaluable contribution to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote its democracy, stability and security."



Referring to India's concerns over cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, Sitharaman said the issue was discussed "in depth".

"The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth. There is a growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue," she said.

The Defence Minister said she has also urged Mattis to take up the issue of terrorism whenever he visits Pakistan.

She said both sides recognise the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism.

On his part, Mattis said there can be "no tolerance to terrorism safe havens".

"Our two countries recognise the stress the global terrorism poses to people throughout the world. There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens. As global leaders, India and the US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge," Mattis said.

Contending that defence partnership is one of the "key strategic pillars" between India and US, the two sides also focused on sharing cutting-edge technologies and platforms and exploring additional specialised military drills between the two countries.

"In this context, we agreed that the full implementation of the understanding reached following the announcement by the US last year recognising India as a Major Defence Partner will provide further energy and momentum to our collaboration on defence technology and manufacturing," Sitharaman said.

Mattis said India and the US are two "strategic partners" and their defence cooperation has steadily expanded in recent years underpinned by a strategic convergence between the two countries based on common objectives and goals in the region.

"This cooperation will benefit both economies by reducing trust issues between our two democracies," he said but did not elaborate on the nature of the issues.

The armies of the two countries are currently participating in the joint military drill Yudh Abyas 2017 and the navies recently concluded the 2017 edition of Malabar, a trilateral exercise between India, the US and Japan.

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India's identity system rivals the growth of other platform innovations like Windows, Android or Facebook, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said.

Nadella, in his book 'Hit Refresh', which was released during the ongoing Microsoft Ignite 2017 conference, has praised India's leap forward in the digital and technological arena.

" now has scaled to over one billion people, rivaling the growth of other platform innovations such as Windows, Android or Facebook, the 50-year-old wrote in his book that hit the book stores today.

He praised the creation of the new digital ecosystem IndiaStack.

IndiaStack is a set of APIs (application programming interface) that allows governments, businesses, startups and developers to utilise an unique digital Infrastructure to solve Indias hard problems towards presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery.

"China strategically used the global supply chain and their own domestic market to amplify their comparative advantage and bootstrap their economic growth, the India-born CEO noted.

"The combination of industrial policy, public sector investment, and entrepreneurial energy is what many other countries will also look to replicate from Chinas success. I see the beginnings of this in India with the creation of the new digital ecosystem known as IndiaStack, Nadella said.

"India is leapfrogging from once being an infrastructure-poor country to now leading in digital . IndiaStack ushers in a presence-less, cashless, paperless economy for all its citizens, said the Indian American CEO from Microsoft.

In his book, Nadella wrote that on a trip to Bengaluru he engaged in a conversation with Nandan Nilekani about IndiaStack and its future road map.

"Nandan is the legendary founder of Infosys, who went on to create a new startup working with the Indian Government- Aadhaar-the identity system that is at the center of IndiaStack," he said.

Nadella has also mentioned about Enlightiks, a startup that was acquired by Practo, a leading e-health company in India.

"I met the founder of Enlightiks onthe same trip to Bengaluru. They are using the latest cloud and AI from Microsoft to create a state-of-the-art health care diagnostics service that can, for example, detect an Atrial fibrillation event before it happens because of the rich data going from the personal device of the patient directly to the cloud, he said.

"In turn, this cloud service can be made available to hospitals in Smaller towns or rural areas in India. Enlightiks also has plans to take advantage of IndiaStack to authenticate the user, accept payment, create portal medical records, and much more. This Indian innovation is now looking to expand in the US,Africa and everywhere else, he wrote.

According to Nadella, this dynamic is not unique to China or India.

"I saw this across Chile, Indonesia, and Poland, and also in France, Germany, and Japan. Reflecting on my earlier visit to Egypt, its clear they are investing in human capital," he said.
An Indian-American doctor couple has donated a whopping USD 200 million to create a regional campus for a private university to potentially transform healthcare in the US that will also train doctors from India.

Kiran Patel, born to Indian parents in Zambia and his paediatrician wife Pallavi Patel's gift to the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) located near Miami will allow it to open a new campus in Tampa.

Kiran is a former cardiologist who currently runs the Tampa-based managed health care company Freedom Health.

The donation from the Patel Family Foundation includes a USD 50 million gift and an additional USD 150 million real estate and facility investment in a 325,000 square-foot medical education complex that will be part of NSU's new campus.

Their transformational commitment will advance health care in Florida and internationally, with a particular focus on multicultural and underserved communities. The goal is to put patients first and integrate medical and health care expertise, the university said in a statement.

The campus will house a new site for NSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as its existing programmes in the Tampa area. The school is the largest provider of medical graduates in the state of Florida, it said.

"The university will produce 250 doctors annually in the short run and the roughly 400 physicians in few years," Kiran said.

He said medical doctors from India will be brought to the US for a year-long residency in the country. "It will be like training the trainers," he said.

"This partnership will benefit thousands of patients, students and doctors," Pallavi said.

"Over the next 20 years, NSU will train thousands of new doctors and other health care professionals who will directly touch millions of lives, making a real difference," she added.

"This gift and additional investment will enrich NSU's ability to educate highly-qualified physicians and healthcare professionals who understand how the medical disciplines can and must work together," said NSU President George Hanbury.

"This USD 200-million-commitment will make NSU the premiere leader in healthcare education on both the east and west coasts of Florida," said Hanbury.

The gift is one of the seven-largest to any Florida university in history and largest to the university. The gift is Nova's largest ever and one of the largest to a higher education institution in years.

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Colin Gonsalves, a senior Indian advocate was today selected for a prestigious rights award in Sweden for his innovative use of public interest litigation in securing fundamental human rights for India's most marginalised and vulnerable citizens.

Gonsalves, a New Delhi-based Supreme Court lawyer, will share the award and the prize money worth over USD 300,000 (SEK 3 million) with two other laureates -- Khadija Ismayilova from Azerbaijan and Robert Bilott from the US, according to a statement by the 2017 Right Livelihood Awards Honour Inspiring Changemakers and Champions of Justice.

Gonsalves, a 65-year-old founder of the Human Rights Law Network, has been honoured by the jury "for his tireless and innovative use of public interest litigation over three decades to secure fundamental human rights for India's most marginalised and vulnerable citizens", the statement said.

"I am both humbled and privileged by the award. It comes at a time when India is going through a dark period and human rights activists are under siege. The platform the Foundation provides will help us strengthen democratic resistance at this critical stage," Gonsalves was quoted as saying by the statement.

The Right Livelihood Award is widely known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize', it said.

The announcement was made at the International Press Centre at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs by Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, and Maina Kiai, Jury member and former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.

The three laureates were chosen from 102 nominations from 51 countries.

"This year's laureates protect the rights and lives of citizens across three continents. With their courageous work for human rights, public health and good governance, they tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges at their very core," Uexkull said.

"At a time of alarming setbacks for democracy, their successes show us the way forward towards a just, peaceful and sustainable world for all," Uexkull added.

Established in 1980, the Right Livelihood Award honours and supports courageous people and organisations offering visionary and exemplary solutions to the root causes of global problems. There are 170 laureates from 69 countries, the statement added.

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A court here today turned down industrialist Mahimananda Mishra's fresh bail application in the 2013 Cuttack bomb blast case.

SDJM court judge Bijay Kumar Das rejected the application of Mishra, charged by Cuttack police under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of IPC.

He is in judicial custody for over now nine months now.

Mishra was arrested in a murder case by the Paradeep police last December and was also taken into custody by the Cuttack police for his alleged involvement in the 2013 Madhupatna Chhak bomb blast in which two persons, including an advocate, were injured.

Although, Mishra had been granted bail by the Orissa High Court in the Paradeep murder case, he is unable to get the relief in the bomb blast case as it was rejected by the high court.

However, after the recent submission of police charge sheet against him in the bomb blast case, he made a fresh bid to get bail.

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An inquiry has been ordered into the violence in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) past week, the vice chancellor and the Uttar Pradesh government said on Tuesday.

Several students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathi-charge by police inside the university during a protest following a woman students complaint that she was harassed.

While BHU Vice Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi said he had ordered an inquiry headed by a retired high court judge, state government spokesperson and minister Srikant Sharma maintained it was a magisterial probe. It was not clear whether there was one inquiry or two. I have ordered an inquiry into the incident. Retired Allahabad High Court judge B S Dixit will head the panel, Tripathi told PTI in the capital. However, Sharma said, The BHU authorities have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incidents.

Earlier, speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow, he had said a judicial inquiry had been ordered. By mistake, I had said earlier that it will be a judicial inquiry. It is in fact a magisterial inquiry, Sharma clarified later.

He also said the government had on its part ordered a separate probe by the Varanasi commissioner and the ADG (additional director general) police. Tripathi, who was in the capital today for the university's executive council meeting, said the violence was fanned by rumour mongering and outsiders.

He claimed the councils meeting was scheduled long back and the violence did not figure on its agenda.

He also brushed aside allegations of gender bias in the central university, suggesting the perception may have to do with the fact that authorities were more concerned about the security of women than men.

Tripathi said he had been keeping Union Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar updated on the issue from the very beginning.

We have the footage in which outsiders can be clearly seen at the protest. Rumour mongering escalated the protests. Rumours were spread that girls have been asked to vacate the hostels and those who were not involved in the protests also joined it, he said. The trigger was a woman student of the Arts faculty alleging harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.

The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the vice chancellor at his residence. As opposition parties targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Adityanath and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.

Sharma said the chief minister had taken the matter very seriously.

He accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.

If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses, he said.

Referring to the lathi-charge on women students sitting on dharna, he said, We are identifying those outsiders who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathi-charge.

Sharma said the government had asked the local administration to strengthen security on the campus.

It has been decided to install CCTV on the campus, he added.
Iran has sentenced a 74-year-old man to death for hosting "mixed and half-naked parties", the head of Tehran's judiciary said today.

Chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said the man led "a corruption gang" which held parties with drugs and alcohol, and where women were "sexually harassed".

"The head of this corruption gang has been sentenced to execution and the case has been sent for appeal to the supreme court," he said, according to the judiciary-linked Mizan agency.

Dolatabadi mentioned another case in which six people had been arrested for downloading "obscene" Hollywood films and dubbing them into Persian.

"The gang's website was the largest download centre for Hollywood films and series, and in the past three years they have published 18,000 dubbed films and series, many of which were obscene and pornographic," said Dolatabadi.

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Former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav today sought 15 days from the CBI to appear for questioning in a case related to alleged corruption in giving the contract for running two IRCTC hotels to a private firm in 2006, sources said.

Tejashwi, who was summoned to appear today, sent his counsel who submitted the request seeking time to appear before the investigation team, sources in the agency said.

The contracts were given in 2006 when his father Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Union railway minister.

The case pertains to allegations that Lalu Yadav, as railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two hotels run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, in Ranchi and Puri to Sujata Hotel, a company owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochhar, in return for a prime plot of three acres in Patna through a benami company.

The FIR alleged that the RJD leader, as the railway minister, abused his official position for extending undue favours to the Kochhar and acquired a "high value premium land" through a benami firm Delight Marketing Company.

As a quid pro quo, he "dishonestly and fraudulently" managed award of leasing of the two hotels.

After the tender was awarded to Sujata Hotel, the ownership of Delight Marketing also changed hands from Sarla Gupta to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav between 2010 and 2014.

By this time, Lalu Prasad had resigned as railway minister.

The CBI has registered the case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, a former Bihar chief minister, son Tejashwi, who was deputy CM until a few months ago, and Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, a former union minister.

Others named as accused in the FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owner of Chanakya Hotel, Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects, and then IRCTC managing director P K Goel.

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A militant was killed today as Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of north Kashmir's Baramulla district.

"An infiltration bid has been eliminated in general area Zorawar of Uri sector. One terrorist has been killed," an Army official said.

He said a weapon has been recovered from the site of the encounter. The operation is on and further details are awaited, the official added.

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A Jammu and Kashmir government official was today arrested for allegedly taking Rs 10,000 in bribe from a contractor in Rajouri district, a state vigilance organisation spokesman said.

The official, who is in-charge village level workers, fell in the state vigilance organisation (SVO) trap after a written complaint was lodged by a contractor, alleging that he was being forced to pay a bribe for clearance of his bill amounting to Rs 2.5 lakh.

The bill was to be made to Mirza in connection with the construction of a water tank at village Bhattian in Plangarh block, the spokesman said.

He said the complainant named the official and a junior engineer, saying he had already paid Rs 10,000 to the accused who were demanding a total bribe of Rs 60,000 as their commission for processing of bills for payment.

"A case was registered under Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused public servants and further investigation is on," the spokesman said.

He said while the official was arrested, the junior engineer is being questioned and if proven guilty, he would also be arrested.

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An affluent Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh has adopted monkhood after renouncing property worth an estimated Rs 100 crore and leaving their toddler daughter in the care of her grandparents, as they set out on the journey for salvation.

While Sumit Rathore (35), a businessman, was ordained in the Shwetambar (white-clad) order of Jainism at a ceremony in Surat on September 23, his wife Anamika (34) embraced monkhood yesterday after submitting an affidavit, as asked by the authorities, stating their three-year-old daughter Ibhya would remain with her maternal grandparents.

Sumit and Anamika, who hail from Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh, were granted "deeksha" by Sadhumargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj.

However, the couple's journey to monkhood was not without hiccups, especially over the future of Ibhya.

A Neemuch-based activist had sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to stop the initiation ceremony in the interest of the minor daughter of the couple.

A day before Sumit became monk, the Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) had sought a report from the civil and police administration about the steps taken by the couple to secure the future of Ibhya, who will now have no relation with her parents as monks are not allowed to keep family ties and have to sever all forms of worldly attachments.

The GSCPCR forwarded the matter to the Surat Police, who then approached the couple and their relatives to check on the steps taken by them to secure their daughter's future, Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said today.

"The matter was referred to us after someone filed a petition with the child rights panel about the guardianship of the couple's daughter. The couple submitted an affidavit that they have taken ample steps to secure her future," he said.

As per the affidavit, Ibhya will be looked after by Anamika's parents.

The police commissioner said a relative is also learnt to have expressed readiness to adopt the child. Sharma said police will submit its report to the commission (GSCPCR) soon.

Sumit had worked in London before managing his family business in Neemuch, while his engineer wife Anamika was earlier employed with a mining major.

His cousin Sandip Rathore had claimed that before deciding to adopt a life of asceticism Sumit owned property worth Rs 100 crore.

Sandip had expressed reservations over the couple's move to become monks.

However, Anamika's father Ashok Chandaliya, a former Neemuch district president of the BJP, had last week said that he would take care of his granddaughter. "I am not against my daughter Anamika becoming a nun," he had said.

Rajendra Singh, Sumit's father, who runs a factory manufacturing gunny bags for packaging cement, had also echoed a similar view.

Sumit and Anamika were married for four years.

Sumit had announced his decision to take the vow of monkhood at a function attended by Acharya Ramlal at Surat last month.

"However, the pontiff asked him to seek Anamika's permission. She not only gave her consent but also expressed desire to become a nun. Their families asked them to rethink, but the couple stood their ground," Sandip said.

As per the Shwetambar tradition, the monks initiated into the order shave their heads and dress in white robes for their entire life.

The monks also start wearing a mouth covering so they do not swallow any living creature even by accident while talking.

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JBM Group today said it has signed a concession agreement with the Haryana government to build and operate a 5 MW power plant that will treat 500 tonne of municipal waste per day, marking its foray into the waste to energy sector.

The project will be developed by JBM Environment Management at an investment of Rs 176 crore and will entail door to door collection of waste, its transportation, construction and operation of the power plant, the firm said.

"Land has already been allotted by the state government. The project will help dispose of 500 tonnes of solid waste per day generated from Sonepat cluster, which comprises of Sonepat, Panipat, Samalkha and Gannaur," the company said.

JBM Group has roped in EKOLOG, which has more than 30 years of experience in operating integrated waste management systems in Europe and Asia for this project, it said.

"Our focus has been to ensure sustainable and green environment for the society and country at large, therefore, all new businesses have been around the same whether you look at electric buses, solar energy and now waste to energy," company's Executive Director Nishant Arya said.

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Actors Josh Hutcherson and Kaya Scodelario have joined the cast of action-romance "Die in a Gunfight".

An update on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", the movie also stars Olivia Munn and Helen Hunt, reported Variety.

The Mark Gordon Company is producing the film, with photography set to begin next month in Boston. Collin Schiffli will direct the film.

"We are delighted to assemble a top tier cast and creative team to bring this vibrant and passionate film to life. Showcasing exhilarating action and timeless emotional themes, 'Die in a Gunfight' will surely resonate with audiences around the world," said Gordon.

Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, who teamed on Marvel's upcoming "Ant-Man and the Wasp," wrote the screenplay.

Scodelario and Hutcherson will play the star-crossed lovers who share an eagerness to break from the confines of their lives that fuels their passion for each other and leads to an all-out struggle for their love against a backdrop of corporate espionage, revenge, and a long-standing feud between their families.

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European Commission chief Jean- Claude Juncker today welcomed French President Emmanuel's vision for a reformed post-Brexit EU, saying the bloc required "courage" to move ahead.

"A very European speech by my friend Emmanuel Macron. Europe needs courage. Thank you for your support for the work of the EU institutions," Juncker, the head of the EU's executive arm, said on Twitter.

"What we need now is a roadmap to advance the Union at 27. We have to openly discuss all ideas and decide before May 2019," said Juncker, a former prime minister of Luxembourg.

Britain will leave the EU in March 2019, and European Parliament elections are due the following May or June. Juncker has also called for a summit in the Romanian town of Sibiu the day after Brexit to draw up a roadmap for the way forward.

Macron's speech at the Sorbonne university in Paris outlining a "profound transformation" of the bloc echoed many of the proposals that Juncker made in his annual State of the European Union speech this month.

Juncker's cabinet chief, Martin Selmayr, said EU leaders would discuss Macron and Juncker's plans for strengthening the eurozone at a summit in Brussels in December.

"Rarely Europe saw such convergence of views (between) a French President (and) a Commission President. Some nuances, yes. But also strong commonalities," Selmayr tweeted.

One of those "nuances" was Macron's call for the European Commission to be slimmed down from its current 28 members to 15.

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Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today and discussed several issues, including decongestion of traffic in Delhi and fund-sharing pattern for the Metro Phase-IV project.

Earlier this year, the AAP government had agreed to the 50-50 per cent equity sharing model as stated by the Centre to fund the Metro projects.

The chief minister met the housing and urban affairs (HUA) minister at around 4 pm.

"Kejriwal said that the proposal regarding Phase-IV of Delhi Metro will soon be sent to the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs as per the financing policy norms for further consideration and approval," the ministry said in a statement.

It stated that the two leaders discussed various issues including decongestion of traffic in Delhi, the Delhi government's concurrence for the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), better maintenance of sewers and sanitation.

The chief minister said that his government would work with the Centre for betterment of the national capital. The chief minister said he would have the issues raised by the Union minister considered on priority, the statement also said.

Puri later asked HUA secretary Durga Shanker Mishra to coordinate with the Delhi government for taking necessary action for decongestion of traffic in the national capital as per the recommendations made in the report of a high-powered committee on decongesting traffic in Delhi.

The report was furnished to the Delhi government in June last year.

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Archaeologists have discovered a city in Iraq that is thought to have been founded by Alexander the Great and was lost for more than 2,000 years.

Researchers at the British Museum in London used drones to find the remains of Qalatga Darband, a fortified settlement in northern Iraq with a thriving wine trade, that went unrecorded in history.

According to John MacGinnis, an archaeologist at the Iraq Emergency Heritage Management Training Programme, it was established for the first time that there was a city dating back to the first and second centuries BC.

"It is early days, but we think it would have been a bustling city on a road from Iraq to Iran. You can imagine people supplying wine to soldiers passing through," said MacGinnis.

The archaeologists stumbled across the lost city while poring over declassified spy satellite photographs taken by the US government for military purposes in the 1960s but made public only in 1996.

The city was built on the likely route that Alexander took in 331 BC as he was pursuing Darius III of Persia, whom he had defeated in battle at Gaugamela, 'The Times' reported.

Statues of Greco-Roman deities and terracotta roof tiles show a strong Greek influence, indicating that its early residents were Alexander's subjects and those of his successor, researchers said.

They confirmed the location of the buried city by flying a drone equipped with a camera.

When images were processed to exaggerate contrasts in colour, the team found outlines of a large rectangular building hidden beneath fields of wheat and barley.

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French President Emmanuel Macron set out his vision today for a "profound transformation" of the European Union, unveiling a series of proposals to deepen the bloc politically and harmonise rules across the continent.

"The Europe that we know is too weak, too slow, too inefficient," he said as he began the closely-watched address at the prestigious Sorbonne university in Paris.

"But Europe alone can give us the ability to act in the world faced with big contemporary challenges."



Macron's proposals for a post-Brexit shake-up include plans to give the 19-member eurozone a finance minister, budget and parliament, as well as creating a Europe-wide "rapid reaction force" to work with national armies.

He also called for a new tax on technology giants like Facebook and Apple -- accused of paying too little corporate tax on their businesses in Europe -- and an EU-wide asylum agency to deal with the migrant crisis.

He even raised the prospect of major changes to the Common Agricultural Policy, the EU's giant farm subsidy programme, which has historically been defended by France and its powerful agricultural lobbies.

Macron is desperate for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's endorsement of his reform agenda, but his plans were dealt a blow by shock election results that saw the anti-immigration, eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerge as the country's third-largest party.

Merkel must now try form a government that is likely to include the Free Democratic Party (FDP), whose leader is an outspoken critic of Macron's European agenda and has said a eurozone budget would be a "red line".

Macron appeared to respond to FDP chief Christian Lindner directly today, saying: "I don't have red lines, I only have horizons."



Macron used the Sorbonne speech to argue the case for institutional changes, initiatives to promote the EU, and new ventures in the technology, defence and energy sectors.

Along with Brexit and the German elections, Macron's proposals are likely to top the agenda at a two-day summit of all 28 EU members in Estonia from Thursday.

Cooperation from Germany -- the other half of the so- called "Franco-German motor" at the heart of the bloc -- is essential, though Macron will also need to convince other European partners.

Over the next few months, analysts say they expect Merkel will try to form a coalition led by her conservative CDU/CSU with the pro-business FDP and the ecologist Greens.

French officials considered that now was the best time to intervene in the German debate, before a coalition contract is drawn up between the different parties setting out their roadmap for the four-year term.

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The Maharashtra government is planning road linkages between temples, beaches and forts under the coastal tourism circuit project.

Union Road Transport Ministry is developing the Rs 10,000 crore Mumbai-Goa coastal road project with a view to develop the tourism circuit along the 720-km long coast in Maharashtra.

Minister of State for Tourism Madan Yerawar said the government also intends to use the 1,600 hectares of land bank with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to raise funds for providing facilities at MTDC guest houses in the state.

"Tourism is the only industry that not only generates revenue but also provides gainful employment," the minister told reporters on the eve of World Tourism day.

Commenting on the coastal tourism circuit, he said the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is ready.

"Under the project, the state government will develop 60 road linkages to temples, beaches and forts along the main Mumbai-Goa coastal road," the minister said.

Considering the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) regulations that prevent construction activity on the beaches owned by Rural Development, Urban Development, Tourism and Revenue departments, the government is planning to implement beach shacks policy that is in vogue in neighbouring Goa, Yerawar said.

"The government intends to implement the Beach Shacks policy on the MTDC plot at Versova beach. The government will put up signages along major road networks informing travellers about nearby tourist attractions," he said.

Referring to the 1,600 hectares of land bank lying with the MTDC, Yerawar said the land parcel will be used to raise funds for maintenance of the MTDC guest houses and for providing better hospitality services.

"The government will sign up agreements with Airbnb (online brokerage lodging and rental portal), private online fleet taxis like Ola and Uber which will provide employment and services to tourists and people alike," he said, adding that the online travel and ticketing portal Make My Trip is developing tiger reserve circuit in the Vidharbha region of the state.

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The Maharashtra government today signed an MoU with South Korea for increased co-operation in infrastructure projects like development of smart cities, roads, airports and metros on the first day of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' visit to that country.

"This MoU is to help with implementation strategy, legal systems, policies, technologies and information in infrastructure development," a release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

Fadnavis today embarked on a three-day tour to South Korea and Singapore.

"Had a very good meeting with Kim Hyunmee, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) in Seoul. Informed Minister Hyunmee about Maharashtra's growth story, especially how it got 50 per cent of the total FDI in India and how we lead in infrastructure projects," the release quoted Fadnavis as saying.

He said the Maharashtra government wanted to invite South Korean companies to be a part of the state's development journey by investing here.

Fadnavis said Hyunmee and her team displayed immense interest in the state's 'Samruddhi' corridor project, which envisages building a 700-km super express highway connecting Mumbai to Nagpur.

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The Bombay High Court today granted bail to retired Army Major Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, on the ground of parity.

Since the other prime accused in the case have been granted bail by the high court and the apex court, a bench of justices Ranjit More and Sadhna Jadhav granted Upadhyay bail against a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties each of the same amount.

While the National Investigating Agency's (NIA) counsel Sandesh Patil opposed the bail plea, the bench said that its hands were tied in view of the apex court's directions on the grounds of parity.

The court also asked if Upadhyay's role in the blast was larger than that of prime accused Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit, who was granted bail by the apex court in August.

Upadhyay's counsel denied it and told the court of Purohit having been granted bail.

He also told the court that on September 19, a trial court had granted bail to two other accused persons in the case - Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi - on grounds of parity.

"Upadhyay played a role in hatching the conspiracy for the blasts. He attended several meetings of the Abhinav Bharat group and we have video recordings to prove his presence in some of such meetings," Patil said.

"However, while the high court recorded our opposition to the bail plea, it took cognisance of the fact that several other accused persons were already out on bail," he said.

Last November, the trial court had denied bail to Upadhyay following which he had filed an appeal in the high court challenging the order.

Upadhyay was booked by the NIA for his role in hatching the conspiracy for the blasts along with Purohit.

In its charge sheet, the NIA claimed that Upadhyay was a member of the right wing group Abhinav Bharat and that he had attended the conspiracy meetings in which the blast was planned.

Upadhyay, in his plea, however, argued that the recordings of these meetings merely showed discussions on Abhinav Bharat and nothing on the blast.

In April, another bench led by Justice More had granted bail to prime accused in the case, sadhvi Pragya Thakur, after the NIA claimed before the court that it had no objection to Thakur being let out on bail.

The bench, however, also said at the time that prima facie, there existed "more than sufficient material on record against" Purohit and thus, rejected his bail plea.

It had said at the time that on going through the transcripts of the various conspiracy meetings and Purohit's phone calls both before and after the blasts, it was clear that he was dissatisfied with the Constitution and instead, envisaged a Hindu Rashtra.

He thus, founded Abhinav Bharat, collected money for the group, and propagated "guerrilla war against the jihadi activities of Muslims".

The apex court, however, accepted Purohit's plea challenging the above order, and granted him bail.

Six persons were killed and 100 others injured in the blast that took place in Malegaon on September 29, 2008.

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A man suspected of killing his wife and cousin in north Delhi's Timarpur allegedly committed suicide in his native village in Kanpur in the early hours today, police said.

The body of Mohit (25) was found hanging from the ceiling of a temporary structure when a team of Delhi Police reached his village to arrest him in connection with the twin murders, they added.

According to Jatin Narwal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), a strip of sulphas tablets was found from the spot and there was a mark on his wrist which indicated that he had tried to slit his wrist. However, no suicide note was found.

Yesterday, the bodies of Mohit's wife Premlata (28) and his cousin Sonia (24) were found with their throats slit at the latter's house.

Mohit was Sonia's father Raj Kumar Sharma's nephew.

It was suspected that Mohit was involved in the killings as he was missing.

The two women were first attacked with a screwdriver and then their throats were slit with a kitchen knife, the police had said.

Mohit had fled from Delhi and reached his native village in Kanpur late last night. A team of Delhi Police also left for his village to look for him.

This morning, when the police team reached the fields in his village, they found his body hanging from the ceiling of a structure there.

Mohit's family claimed that they were unaware that he was in the village.

Police also seized a liquor bottle and some glasses from the spot. They also found Mohit's blood-stained clothes and his wife's cell phone from the place where he allegedly hanged himself, the police said.

During investigation, the police found that Mohit and Premlata were having trouble in their marriage.

Premlata's father told the police that Mohit would pick up fights with his daughter over trivial issues. Her father also told the police that Mohit accused Premlata of talking to other men on phone.

It is suspected that during one such fight, Mohit killed his wife in a fit of rage. However, it is still not clear why he killed his cousin.

"He might have killed Sonia since she was a witness or it is possible that she was killed while trying to intervene between the couple," said another officer, privy to the probe.

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A Mathura-based lawyer, claiming to represent the Saraswat Brahmin community, has petitioned the president and the prime minister seeking a ban on the burning of Ravana effigies on Dussehra.

According to Omveer Saraswat, Ravana, the king of Lanka in the epic Ramayana, was a Saraswat Brahmin, and the burning of his effigies (Ravana Dahan) was an "insult" to community members and many others who worshipped him.

Saraswat wrote a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earlier this month.

He said in the letter that many other communities worshipped Ravana, and referred to a huge Ravana idol in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh and a temple in Bisrakh in Greater Noida near the national capital. Many people offer prayers to Ravana before beginning any auspicious work, he added.

He said the Constitution granted freedom to all citizens to practice their religion. "We (Saraswat Brahmins) are also citizens of this country, and burning of (Ravana's) effigies hurts our religious sentiments," he wrote.

Saraswat said the practice should be stopped as many Hindu religious texts such as the Srimad Bhagwat Puran also accepted Ravana's wisdom and farsightedness.

He also referred to various accidents such as stampedes and fires during Dussehra celebrations, leading to many deaths in the recent years, to press for a ban on the burning of effigies.

Dussehra is celebrated across the country, particularly the northern region, to mark the defeat of Ravana by Lord Ram in the epic Ramayana. This year Dussehra will be celebrated on September 30.

"We have been awaiting a response to our letter. If our demand is not met, we are considering taking legal recourse," Saraswat told PTI.

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Enhanced cooperation between India and the US, regionally and globally, in pursuing shared priorities for peace, stability and combating terrorism were discussed when visiting Secretary of Defence James Mattis met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here today.

During the meeting, Modi appreciated the close engagement between India and the US on regional and global issues of mutual concern, according to a PMO statement.

The prime minister recalled his "wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions" with President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States in June this year, the statement said.

During that meeting between Modi and Trump, both sides had reaffirmed their resolve to further develop their strong strategic partnership.

Mattis briefed the prime minister on the progress in advancing the bilateral agenda and implementing the decisions taken during that visit, the statement said.

Earlier, Mattis held wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

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The High Commissioner of Mauritius to India J Goburdhun today met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and invited him to his country on the occasion of NRI conclave there on November two next.

"The Mauritius High Commissioner invited CM to attend the NRI day in the country on November 2, 2017 as chief guest," an official statement said here.

The Bihar CM honoured Goburdhun at his official residence.

Bihar has a special connection with Mauritius for a long time. More than 60 per cent of the population of Mauritius is of Indian origin. Of them, many people are from Bihar with Bhojpuri as their mother tongue.

Sharing historical bond, Mauritius and Bihar jointly organize 'Bhojpuri festival' every year to keep the language alive.

The Mauritius High Commissioner while attending a function at the AIIMS Patna yesterday had expressed his desire to have a regular exchange of programmes of medical establishments of Mauritius with AIIMS Patna.

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Maharashtra Minister Ranjit Patil today refuted before the Bombay High Court the allegations that he misused his official powers to protect an unauthorised eatery in the city.

Patil today filed an affidavit in response to a public interest litigation by activist Pravin Wategaonkar who had alleged that the minister had stayed the demolition of illegal portions of a food court in suburban Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) even though the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act did not have any provision for it.

Patil, who is minister of state for home and urban development, said the director of the company 'Spice and Grains Overseas Ltd', which runs the eatery in question, had misrepresented the facts in the matter and procured an endorsement of stay on demolition of the illegal construction.

He claimed that his "stay remark was never communicated or implemented at any point of time".

"One of the directors of Spice and Grains Overseas had come to my office on August 9 or 10, 2016. The director of the company presented an application for stay in an appeal filed by the company and also sought stay on a notice dated May 26, 2016," the affidavit said.

The affidavit added that the director had stated that the company had submitted an application seeking requisite permission for temporary construction in a place of sit-out.

The director said the MMRDA, without considering the said application straight away, issued a notice directing the company to demolish the construction, Patil said in the affidavit.

"The director who appeared before me further urged that he was apprehending demolition of the temporary construction work even before his application seeking permission for such temporary sit-out was decided," it said.

The minister added that after hearing the plea, he "genuinely believed that it was necessary to decide the company's application seeking permission for temporary sit out before issuing notice for demolition. Hence I put an endorsement calling for report from the department and stayed the demolition notice."



The affidavit added it was later found out by the Secretary of Urban Development Department that no appeal was filed by the company and hence no stay can be granted.

"Later when the matter was placed before me, I agreed that the secretary need not act upon the endorsement of stay," Patil said, adding, after that a meeting was to be held but could not due to unavoidable circumstances.

"The stay remark was never communicated or implemented at any point of time. The proceeding was pending before MMRDA for appropriate action and my remark of stay had no bearing on the same," the affidavit said.

The minister alleged that the petitioner is trying to malign his reputation and assassinate his character by making false and frivolous allegations.

A division bench headed by Justice B R Gavai will hear the matter on October 3.

According to the petition, MMRDA had leased the space in BKC to the company for a food court.

The development authority, however, found that the company had carried out unauthorised construction in the area and in May last year, it issued a demolition notice to the company.

Though the company agreed to carry out the demolition work on its own at the time, in August 2016, it approached Patil requesting that the demolition order be stayed and Patil granted the stay immediately, the plea claimed.

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Union minister Hansraj Ahir today criticised BJP MP Varun Gandhi for his views that Rohingya Muslims should be given asylum in India after security vetting, saying those who have national interest in mind should not make such statements.

"Jo desh ke hith mein sochenga woh is tarah ke bayan nahi dega (Anyone who have national interest in mind, won't make such statements)," Ahir told reporters here.

In an article written in a Hindi daily, Varun said India must give asylum to Rohingyas but before that analysis of genuine security concerns should be done.

After Ahir's comments, Varun said his recent piece focused primarily on defining India's asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how "we would accept refugees".

"As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns (sic)," he tweeted.

The BJP, in its national executive yesterday, adopted a resolution supporting the government's stand on the Rohingya issue, saying it fulfilled its responsibilities by providing humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees while ensuring that internal security was not compromised for its 125 crore citizens.

Terming the Rohingya refugees as "illegal" immigrants, the government recently told the Supreme Court that some of them were part of a "sinister" design of Pakistan's ISI and terror groups such as the ISIS, whose presence in the country will pose a "serious" national security threat.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh last week had said Rohingyas were not refugees who have applied for asylum in India but illegal immigrants who "will be deported".

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Over 1.1 lakh street lights in north Delhi are to be replaced with "world-class LED fixtures" as part of a project that begins on September 29, the NDMC mayor said today.

The conversion plan will start simultaneously from wards 57 and 63 in Rohini, and ward 36 in Narela.

"It is a Diwali gift to Delhiites from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation," Mayor Preety Agarwal said.

As part of the project, the existing conventional street lighting system, semi-half mast lights and lights in parks, would be upgraded to a "world-class LED street lighting system," the NDMC said.

Agarwal said there are 2.05 lakh street lights in total under the jurisdiction of the civic body.

A contract has been awarded to a consortium of firms for converting 1.15 lakh fixtures situated in two of the bigger zones, namely Rohini and Narela.

She said, for the remaining 90 lakh lighting fixtures spread across remaining four zones -- City, Civil Lines, Sadar Paharganj and Karol Bagh -- tenders have been received and scrutinised.

These are at final stages of being awarded, the NDMC said in a statement.

Deputy Mayor Vijay Bhagat said the manufacturer has specially designed the product to meet the NDMC's specifications that includes minimum seven years life span for issuing light.

The NDMC said the project once completed would also help save energy and cut maintenance expenditure for the civic body.

There are 108 wards under the jurisdiction of the NDMC and includes some of the most populous areas like Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, and other parts of Old Delhi.

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If you are imprisoned, you are marginalised than the marginalised, Delhi High Court Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal today said while inaugurating a legal assistance desk at the Dwarka district court complex here.

The Acting Chief Justice has launched a series of initiatives at the district court complex which would be of assistance to litigants, advocates and staff here.

Justice Mittal inaugurated a water treatment plant and a solar power plant in the court complex which aims to encourage optimum use of water and to save energy.

"Trees and plants will be able to nurture the environment. We strive to ensure a positive footprint instead of leaving a carbon footprint," she said.

Justice Mittal, who is also the Executive Chairperson of of Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA), launched help desks to assist litigants who approach courts for disposal of traffic challans.

"If you are imprisoned for sometime for something, you become marginalised than the marginalised. Society forgets you. If you are poor, the situation is even more grim.

"It is extremely important for the convicts or the jail inmates to be connected with their lawyers, " she said while launching the legal assistance desk to aid the inmates or the convicts who are produced before the court from custody.

High court judge, Justice Najmi Waziri praised the efforts of the district court to open a creche in the complex.

"Creche is a small room but a huge space for a working mother. The comfort of a mother knowing that her child is safe at her work place is a great step towards women empowerment, he said.

Besides him, high court judge, Justice I S Mehta and other judges of the Dwarka district court also were present during the function.

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More than 70,000 missing children have been rescued in different parts of the country under the home ministry's special initiative, Union minister Rajnath Singh said today.

Addressing a seminar on child and adolescent labour here, the home minister also said the country would try to get rid of child labour by 2022.

"The Home Ministry has launched 'Operation Smile' to locate missing children. More than 70,000 missing children have been rescued till date," he said.

The 'Operation Smile' was first launched by the home ministry in January 2015 to rescue and rehabilitate the missing children. Since then the programme has been continuing with the active help of the state governments.

Singh said childhood is the best gift of God, but those who get trapped in child labour are deprived of that beautiful gift.

"We are committed for a child labour free India. In the next 5 years we will try to get rid of child labour. Let us together pledge for building a child labour free India by 2022," he said at the seminar where a web portal named PENCIL, which connects all stakeholders working to check child labour, was launched.

The 'PENCIL' will help in effective implementation of National Child Labour Project (NCLP).

PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) is an electronic platform for no child labour developed by the labour ministry.

The portal came into being after it was felt that there was a need to create a robust implementing and monitoring mechanism for both enforcement of the legislative provisions and effective implementation of the NCLP especially in the backdrop that the subject of labour is in the concurrent list and enforcement to a large extent depends on respective state governments.

The labour ministry said that it was felt that an online portal which connects the Centre to the state governments, districts and to all project societies, would provide a mechanism for implementation. In this backdrop, the online portal PENCIL was conceptualised.

PENCIL portal has five components -- child tracking system, complaint corner, state government, national child labour project and convergence.

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Security forces today apprehended a suspected overground worker of militants and recovered arms and explosives from his possession in Handwara area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said.

A joint team of the police and Army arrested Mushtaq Ahmad Najar -- a resident of Sopore -- from Waripora village of Handwara, 85 kms from here, a police official said.

He said two hand grenades, one pistol, one pistol magazine and eight rounds were recovered from Najar, who has been booked under relevant sections of the penal code.

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A Pakistani anti-corruption court today decided to indict Nawaz Sharif on October 2 after the embattled ousted prime minister for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges against him in the Panama Papers scandal.

The Accountability Court also issued bailable arrest warrants for Sharif's children Hassan, Hussain, and Maryam, and for son-in-law Captain Safdar. The court directed them to submit surety bonds worth Rs 1 million each to secure bail.

Sharif, 67, stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

Sharif appeared before the accountability court located in the judicial complex here, a day after he returned from London where he was with his ailing wife.

During the brief hearing, Sharif informed the Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir that his wife was unwell and he needed to attend her. He was then allowed to leave the court.

The court then adjourned for 10 minutes before continuing with the normal case proceedings.

Later, addressing a press conference, Sharif said he appeared before the accountability courts and declared that "I am clean."



"I believe that God and the people of Pakistan are with me, and I hope that, somewhere, justice is alive," he said.

"The whole country is being punished the people and the generations to come. They have made a mockery of a progressive Pakistan on the track of democracy.

"I appeal that this country be allowed to progress in line with the Constitution. If the Constitution gives the people the right to govern, let them realise that right," he said.

Sharif's court appearance today was just a formality to ensure that he was ready to face the trial. He stayed at the court for about 10 minutes.

He was accompanied by his lawyer Khawaja Harris who would represent him as a counsel in the corruption cases.

The court had last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law capt (retd) Safdar to appear before it on September 26. The Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on September 19.

When the hearing started again, the judge asked about Maryam, Hussain and Hasan, and Sharif's son-in-law Safdar who were also ordered to appear today.

Sharif's lawyer Harris said that they were in London to take care of their ailing mother but the court rejected the argument and ordered them to appear before it on October 2.

The National Accountability Bureau's legal team also requested the court to order the interior ministry to place Sharif's name on the exit control list.

Harris told the court that Sharif needed to take care of his wife in London and that he would be allowed to skip personal appearance.

The court refused by saying that he should first appear on the day of indictment and the issue of skipping personal appearance will be decided later on.

Sharif's legal aide Barrister Zafarullah Khan told the media that the court should have given more time for indictment.

"The court cannot indict until all accused appear in the court. It should give us more time to prepare out case," he said.

He said that Sharif would appear in the court if all went well during the period before next hearing and health of his wife remains stable. Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz is in London where she is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

Hundreds of Sharifs supporters, including Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, lawyers, lawmakers and several ministers were present in the court premises. Heavy security arrangement were made around the judicial complex.

More than 35 vehicles were part of Sharifs convoy which safely reached Punjab House after his appearance in the court.

Sharif was in London from August 31 to be with his ailing wife. He decided to return to Pakistan after consultations with senior party leaders including his younger brother and Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in London.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons -- Hassan and Hussain, daughter -- Maryam, son-in-law -- Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Sharif's family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated.

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Pakistan will not import tomatoes from India though its price has shot up to Rs 300 per kg in parts of the country, Minister for Food Security Sikandar Hayat Bosan has said, amidst a chill in bilateral ties.

Pakistan is currently facing a shortage of tomatoes in the domestic market. While imports from India fill the gap each year, the move to bar containers from entering the country from across the border have created a huge demand- supply gap, the Express Tribune reported.

Local vendors are currently waiting for Sindh's produce to reach the market, the report said.

Bosan told reporters here yesterday that the tomato and onion crisis in Pakistan will be over within a few days after their crops ripen in Balochistan. He made it clear that the government will not import vegetables from India.

The price of tomato has soared to Rs 300 per kg in parts of Lahore and elsewhere in Punjab province, Dawn newspaper reported.

This is in stark contrast to the price of Rs 100-120 per kg in the recent past. The government had also fixed the price for tomatoes between Rs 132-140 per kg, media reports said.

Meanwhile, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has hailed Bosan's announcement of not importing tomatoes from India, saying that the move would help local farmers and save foreign exchange for Pakistan.

It was a right decision, said, the LCCI President Abdul Basit, who said that the country has the resources to feed the population.

"Therefore, local growers should be facilitated to the maximum and their issues should be resolved on a priority basis," Basit said in a statement.

"The government needs to increase the cropped area to avoid any crisis-like situation.

"We cannot afford to stay where we are today in terms of cropped area and per hectare yield because we are already running short of per capita food availability.

The LCCI said that though almost 43 per cent of Pakistan's labour force is dependent upon agriculture, the yield gap in the four major crops of Pakistan is three times compared to the best producers in the world such as China and Egypt.

"Low yield has contributed to poverty in rural areas besides forcing the country to import agriculture produce to feed its population," he said.

The Indo-Pak ties took a nosedive after the January 2016 Pathankot terror attack and the Uri incident in September in the same year. India blamed terrorists based in Pakistan for these terror attacks.

India has told Islamabad that only when Pakistan- sponsored cross-border terrorism ends New Delhi would be ready for talks it.

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A Pakistani intelligence officer has accused his own spy agency of "protecting" terrorists and filed a petition in a court here requesting for a thorough probe into the matter, a media report said today.

Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Shahzad, a serving assistant sub-inspector of Intelligence Bureau (IB), has accused his senior officers of not taking action against terrorism suspects.

In a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), he requested the court to refer the matter to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for a thorough probe, Dawn reported.

The IHC Registrar's Office fixed the petition before Justice Aamer Farooq who referred the case yesterday to Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, with a note that the matter may be transferred to Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui since an identical matter is pending in his court, the paper quoted a court official as saying.

In the petition filed through his counsel Masroor Shah, Shahzad claims that he reported against terrorist groups from various countries but no action was taken.

"However, to the petitioner's utter dismay, no action was ever been taken by IB in this respect despite concrete evidence provided to it in the form of the intelligence reports," the petition says.

"Upon thorough intelligence gathering process, it transpired that certain high officials of the IB themselves are directly involved with the terrorist organisations having linkages with hostile enemy intelligence agencies," it reads.

It goes on to say that the matter was even reported to the IB director general, who also did not take any steps.

It claims some IB officials travelled to Israel and had direct links with Afghan intelligence which, it was found later, had links with another terrorist group from Kazakhstan.

"These terrorists used to disguise themselves as citrus dealers in Kot-Momin and Bhalwal, Sargodha. The business was a mere camouflage," the petition says.

The petition claims that the son of joint director IB (Punjab) was dealing with the said terrorist groups.

It also names certain IB officials who are allegedly on the payroll of foreign intelligence agencies which include a joint director general, directors and deputy directors.

Shahzad said he "has been running from pillar to post including approaching the prime minister of Pakistan to raise this issue of national security.
The Army today thwarted an attack by a Pakistani Border Action Team (BAT) and killed an infiltrating top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist in two separate incidents on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.

Seven to eight members of the BAT, which generally comprises terrorists and Pakistani soldiers, came close to an Indian Army post in Keran sector with the aid of shelling and firing by the Pakistani troops from their posts, Army sources said.

The attackers were forced to retreat to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir without causing any damage on the Indian side, the sources said.

"A BAT action was attempted by seven to eight armed intruders (from PoK side)today at 1.00 pm in the area of Keran Sector (Kupwara). The armed intruders came near own posts," a source said.

He said the BAT intruders were supported by nearby Pakistani posts with mortar shelling and small arms firing.

"The BAT action was aimed at causing damage to our post but it was effectively thwarted and the armed intruders were forced to retreat," the source said.

"Fire assault towards enemy positions was underway," the source added.

Earlier, an army official here saidthe Pakistani troops targeted Indian posts by firing lightweapons in Keran sector.

There have been BAT attacks on Indian posts along the LoC earlier.

In June, a BAT attack was carried out 600 metres inside the Indian territory in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir in which two jawans were killed along with one of the attackers.

In a separate incident, top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was killed in a gunbattle with the Army near the LoC in Uri sector while he was trying to sneak into Kashmir to take charge of the outfit, a senior police officer said.

It was a major success for the security forces as Najar was wanted for his alleged involvement in more than 50 killings, including that of policemen in Hygam area of Sopore, in the past 17 years, the official said.

"Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC this morning," Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain told PTI.

"He (Najar) was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen in the wake of elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces," Hussain said.

"Najar started his career as a terrorist with the killing of Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar in 2003," he said.

The officer said Najar was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers in 2015 after he fell out with the Hizb leadership.

"He was now tasked with reviving the outfit in Kashmir in the wake of elimination of top militants," he said.

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Palava City and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra are the top two liveable emerging cities in the country, says a study by property consultant JLL India.

In its report 'Livability Quotient A Paradigm Shift in India's Emerging Cities', JLL has evaluated 10 emerging cities, including few large townships by private developers, for their city administration practices, sustainability, and overall livability.

Mohali in Punjab and Mahindra World City township in Chennai are at third and fourth positions, respectively.

Pimpri Chinchwad (Pune) is at the fifth position followed by Rajarhat (Kolkata), Technopark (Trivandrum), Magarpatta City (Pune), Greater Noida and Manesar.

These 10 cities are ranked on 10 parameters -- planning, connectivity, utilities and daily needs, leisure and recreation, smart governance, safety and security, access to jobs, environment and sustainability, real estate performance, and future expansion/outlook.

Leading realty firm Lodha group is developing an integrated township 'Palava City' spread over 4,500 acres. About 30,000 families are already living in this township.

"On the back of major evolutionary leaps in the integrated townships model, it now makes logical sense to include privately-managed cities while comparing cities," said Ramesh Nair - CEO and Country Head, JLL India.

"The reason is clear in the era of smart cities in the daily administration of which private players will be increasingly involved, it is important to look at private developers as future city administrators," he added.

Some of the country's larger integrated townships now qualify as standalone satellite cities, Nair said.

He said the government has launched Smart Cities mission to decongest tier 1 cities and improve their livability quotients.

However, Nair said the model of creating cities around the peripheries of tier 1 cities has already established a proven track record, even before the launch of this mission.

"The satellite cities of India are best suited to benefit from the excitement we witness currently around the smart cities theme," the report said.

These emerging cities have been developed with a mandate similar to many goals that a smart city should entail such as the decongestion of adjacent megacities and better connectivity with the workplace among others.

"We strongly believe that these emerging satellite cities will, in part or in full, offer innovative solutions to challenges posed by urbanisation. In the process, these cities will attract an influx of aspirational residents and corporations, resulting in the creation of the next generation megacities that are much different from what we see today in India," the report said.
A Palestinian gunman opened fire at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Har Adar, killing three Israelis and injuring another before being shot dead.

The break in the recent lull in violence comes on a day when US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, arrived in Jerusalem to try to revive the deadlocked Israel-Palestinian peace talks.

Greenblatt's visit comes just days after US President met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York and reiterated Washington's commitment to work towards a comprehensive peace agreement.

The Palestinian gunman, identified in Israeli media as Nimer Jamal, a 37-year-old from a nearby village, was shot by Israeli security and died later.

Netanyahu blamed the attack on Palestinian incitement and demanded that Abbas condemn the attack unequivocally.

"This is a difficult morning with three Israelis murdered by a miscreant. On behalf of the government and the entire people of Israel, my condolences go out to the families of the deceased, and I also wish a speedy recovery to the settlement's military security coordinator who was also injured. The attack and its ramifications are still under investigation," the Israeli Prime Minister said.

"What we can say now, however, is that the terrorist's home will be demolished, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) has already encircled his village and the work permits of his extended family will be revoked," he said in line with Israel's policy to deter Palestinians from carrying out such attacks.

"This murderous attack is a result of methodical incitement by the Palestinian Authority and other entities, and I expect Mahmoud Abbas to denounce the attacking rather than attempt to justify it. Security forces will continue working against the incitement and terrorism as they do every day, and we will conclude the inquiry into the specifics of this attack," Netanyahu asserted.

The White House has tried to lay the groundwork for a resumption of negotiations since Donald Trump took office in January, but there has been no sign of progress.

Peace talks between the two sides broke down in April 2014 and all attempts to revive it since then have been futile with a wave of stabbing, shooting and car ramming attacks further fueling tensions between the two sides.

Israeli Police said that the Palestinian gunman struck after he raised suspicions of security personnel at a rear gate at Har Adar settlement.

He shot his victims, two security guards and a border policeman, at close range, and seriously injured another person, before being shot by Israeli security forces.

Jamal had an Israeli permit to work in Jewish settlements along the boundary of the West Bank. He came from the near by village of Beit Surik, about a mile east of Har Adar.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack, although Gaza based Palestinian militant organisations Hamas and Islamic Jihad welcomed the attack.

"The Jerusalem attack is a new chapter in the Al-Quds intifada. It underlines the fact any attempts to Judaize (the city) have failed on the ground. Jerusalem is Arab-Muslim. Its residents and youth will spare no effort to redeem it with their spirit and blood," Ynetnews quoted Hamas as saying after the attack.

Some 50 Israelis, five foreign nationals and around 300 Palestinians are said to have been killed in stabbing, shooting and car ramming attacks since late 2015.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today invited French companies to take advantage of the "improving business climate" and growing investment opportunities in India.

He extended the invitation while receiving Pierre Gattaz, president of MEDEF (Movement of the Enterprises of France), the largest employer federation of France, according to a PMO statement.

The prime minister noted that France is one of India's top 10 sources of Foreign Direct Investment, it said.

He invited French companies to "take advantage of the improving business climate and growing investment opportunities in India," the statement said.

Modi fondly recalled his visit to France in April 2015 during which he had interacted with a number of French business leaders, the statement said.

He appreciated the invaluable contribution of business leaders from both countries in strengthening the bilateral ties between India and France over the years, it added.

Gattaz briefed the prime minister about growing trade and investment relations between India and France.

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Former president Pranab Mukherjee today arrived at his ancestral house in Mirati in Birbhum district to celebrate Durga Puja.

Mukherjee reached his ancestral home in the evening.

Stringent security measures were taken by the district police and administration in view of the former president's visit, police said.

Birbhum District Magistrate P Mohangandhi and Superintendent of Police N Sudheer Kumar welcomed Mukherjee, a police officer said.

Mukherjee reached Mirati to attend 'Maha Sasthi' puja after taking rest at his elder sister Annapurna Banerjee's house at Kirnahar.

He exchanged greetings with the villagers, relatives and acquaintances at his Mirati house.

"This is not just a family affair. The villagers and our neighbours participate equally during the four days of Durga Puja," Abhijit Mukherjee, the former president's son and Jangipur MP, said.

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The musical adaptation of the blockbuster 1990 romantic comedy "Pretty Woman" is going to Broadway.

The creative team will include musician Bryan Adams and Garry Marshall, the director of the film, as well as a cast led by Samantha Barks, one of the stars of the film version of "Les Miserables," and Tony winner Steve Kazee, reported Deadline.

The musical will play a tryout run at Chicago's Oriental Theater early next year. It plans to open at the Broadway next year in autumn.

"Pretty Woman" will have a score by Adams and frequent collaborator Jim Vallance.

Banks will make her Broadway debut with the musical and Kazee will be returning to Broadway for the first time since "Once," the 2012 musical that won him a Tony for lead actor in a musical. No other casting has yet been set.

The hit movie "Pretty Woman" starred Julia Roberts opposite Richard Gere. The storyline follows the unexpected romance that develops between a prostitute and the businessman who hires her.

The design team will include David Rockwell (sets), Gregg Barnes (costumes), Kenneth Posner and Philip S Rosenberg (lights) and John Shivers (sound).

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Shoots of peace are sprouting in the terrorism-hit state of Jammu and Kashmir and the government is now working towards ensuring that the people in the state can be uplifted with dignity, state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said.

In an interview to PTI last night, the 58-year-old chief minister welcomed recent attempts by the Centre and the ruling party to reach out to Kashmiris, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day speech where he asked the countrymen to embrace Kashmiris.

This was followed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhs statement that the Centre is willing to hold talks with all stakeholders, then BJP leader Ram Madhav saying talks can be held with anyone. In his "Mann ki Baat" speech on Sunday, Modi also praised a poor Kashmiri youth, Bilal Dar, for his attempt to clean up a lake, which became front page in Kashmir and heavily discussed on social media.

"These are welcome signs" in Kashmir Valley where people are eagerly waiting for peace to return, the chief minister said.

"The shoots of peace have started sprouting. They have to be watered and fertilized, and I am sure that the fruits of peace will follow," she said in the interview at her home, with a large portrait of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in the background. Mehbooba succeeded him as the chief minister a few months after his death in January 2016.

Mehbooba, whose PDP is in an alliance with the BJP in the state, blamed the electronic media for making even minor incidents of violence into national events, portraying Kashmir as a region in perpetual flames. She said the high-pitched debates that follow end up vilifying Kashmiris. This in turn alienates Kashmiris against the rest of the country, and the country against Kashmir, which has a direct impact on tourism, the mainstay of the economy.

Mehbooba, who is also the tourism minister, gets a report on tourist arrivals every evening, and the figures are grim



arrivals have now fallen to 4,000-5,000 daily from a peak of 10,000-12,000. Most hotels and houseboats are empty, taxi companies have virtually no business and shops are shut.

She said it is wrong to project the entire 70 lakh population of the Valley as pro-militants when intelligence figures show that there are only about 200-300 home grown militants.

"You talk about the 200 militants but dont talk about the thousands of Kashmiris in the Indian Army, she said. But she did not deny that there is a sense of alienation among Kashmiri youth, and even children as young as eight, because of severe security crackdowns that follow stone pelting incidents.

However, the recent statements from highest level are an opportunity to build peace and give Kashmiris back their dignity, Mehbooba said. "All that is required now is to hold their (people of Kashmir) fingers with dignity intact," she said.

Mehbooba, who is the first woman chief minister of the restive border state, said her government is in favour of holding talks with everyone as has been enshrined in the Agenda of Alliance between the PDP and the BJP.

She indicated that she is in favour of the peace talks strategy employed by the Vajpayee government in the early 2000s when Kashmiri separatist leaders were allowed to talk to Pakistan as part of peace building efforts, while New Delhi and Islamabad were also simultaneously engaged.

"There is a need to take the bull by its horns and finding a way out for bringing in a 'permanent' peace in the state," she said, adding that she is in regular contact with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, whom she described as "very supportive".

She noted that Ram Madhav, the BJP general secretary, also has a clear understanding of Kashmir and has been extremely supportive of the alliance government. "I am sure together, we will be able to steer the state to new heights."



Mehbooba said Modis singling out 18-year-old Bilal Dar in "Mann Ki Baat" had sent a wave of pride among the young residents of the Valley.

"These steps have a tremendous impact on the psyche of the younger generation and their hope for recognition at national level is rekindled. They are not seen or labelled as mere stone pelters," she said.

Seventeen months into office, Mehbooba also feels that talks between India and Pakistan should begin at the earliest but she holds Islamabad responsible for the present tension.

"The Prime Minister made a wonderful gesture by stopping at Islamabad and meeting the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But what happened after that? It was followed by attack at Pathankot and increased terror activities in the state," she said.

"However, there is a need to bring Pakistan to the negotiating table once again. After all, the relations between India and Pakistan have a direct bearing on Jammu and Kashmir.

"Smooth relations between the two countries have always seen better life for people in the state," she said.

The chief minister blamed the Congress-led UPA for not carrying forwarding the "gains" from the peace process of the Vajpayee-era.

"I mean they were there for 10 years but could not make any headway. It was an opportunity that was never cashed in by them," she said.

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Rajasthan government today issued guidelines for schools in order to ensure the safety and security of students.

The guidelines direct every school to form a three-member vigilance committee to keep an eye on activities going on in school. The committee members would then present suggestions to the institution head.

The schools have also been instructed to get police verification of bus and auto drivers, staff members and contractual staff done.

Various other measures, including maintaining contact numbers of parents of every student and not allowing tobacco shops to be set up near school premises, have been included in the guidelines.

The directives further state that the school administration should keep an eye on the students, especially girls, when they go to attend nature's call.

"These guidelines have been issued with an aim to ensure effective control on crime against children," said Rajasthan School Education Minister, Vasudev Devnani.

The guidelines have been issued almost a fortnight after the killing of a seven-year-old student of Ryan International School in Gurgaon. Pradhuman, a Class 2 student, was found dead in a school toilet with his throat slit on September 8.

In Rajasthan's Sikar, police had arrested a school manager and a teacher, on September 18, for raping a schoolgirl several times over three to four months at a school in Ajeetgarh and forcing her to undergo an abortion.

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Two influential Democratic lawmakers, including an Indian-American, today introduced a legislation in the US House of Representative to support India's permanent membership to the UN Security Council.

Introduced by Congressman Ami Bera, Vice Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and longest serving Indian-American in Congress, and Congressman Frank Pallone, founder of Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, the resolution would put the House officially on record in support of India's bid.

Currently it has seven original cosponsors.

"As the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy, the United States and India share common values and a growing partnership on many fronts, especially defence cooperation," said Bera.

"India plays a critical role as a strategic partner for the United States and is a pillar of stability in South Asia. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council reflect the world as it was 60 years ago, and it's time we recognise India's role increasing global prosperity," he said.

Bera said securing a permanent spot for India on the UN Security Council would strengthen democracy around the world.

"At a time when international relations are being redefined, we should acknowledge and empower those nations that share our enduring core values," Pallone said.

Pallone said it was in the interests of the US and the world to have a UN Security Council whose members combine military strength with respect for democracy and pluralism, and an appreciation of the dangers posed by rouge states and terrorist groups.

"India belongs on the UN Security Council and it is imperative that Congress makes this clear to the Trump administration and the world," Pallone said.

The UN Security Council still reflects the world as it was in 1945 when the United Nations was created, a Congressional statement said.

Despite the fact that the UN has grown from 51 member nations at its inception to nearly 200, the Security Council has not grown to reflect these changes. There are currently five permanent members of the council, including the US, the UK, Russia, China and France.

The bill was introduced on the last day of the UN General Assembly session in New York.

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An Afghan official says that at least two police officers were killed in a roadside bomb blast in western Herat province today.

Jelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Herat, says that three other officers were wounded in the attack.

He says the police were on a routine patrol in Ghoryan district when the bomb exploded.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

In another report, district police chief Rahmatullah Khan says that one policeman and six Taliban were killed in a gunbattle overnight in northern Takhar province, in Khoja Ghor district.

The Taliban claimed that their fighters had seized several checkpoints in the district, but Khan said security forces were able to push back the insurgents and regain control of the security checkpoints.

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April 18, 2017

TEHRAN  Irans presidential elections are perhaps among the most unpredictable worldwide. Except for the 2001 landslide re-election of Reformist President Mohammad Khatami, predicting the winner of the past five presidential polls has truly been a challenge. The May 19 vote is shaping up to be the most unpredictable yet.

In a new development this election cycle, the Principlist movement formed the Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces, popularly known by its Persian acronym, JAMNA, and adopted a candidate selection mechanism akin to the primaries held by Western political parties. The coalition, which includes top conservative figures, hopes to forge agreement on a consensus candidate to run against incumbent President Hassan Rouhani.

In balloting on April 6, JAMNA selected five men as prospective presidential nominees. A unity candidate will later be selected from among the five. All other potential Principlist contenders withdrew their candidacies after the primary.

Among those who stepped aside were Ezzatollah Zarghami, former head of Irans state broadcaster. He came in eighth place in the JAMNA primary but had announced his intention to run for the presidency March 15. Also stepping aside were former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohsen Rezaei, who came in 10th place, and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, who had from the beginning rejected the very idea of JAMNA. Jalili announced his withdrawal through a statement shortly after the April 15 deadline for candidate registration had passed, and chose not to declare his support for any Principlist candidate.

The five JAMNA finalists include Ebrahim Raisi, who as leader of the Asran-e Quds Razavi charity is the custodian of the holy shrine of the eighth Shiite imam. The conservative cleric, who is viewed as Rouhanis main competitor, issued a statement April 9 announcing that he would be entering the fray independent of political groupings. Although this prompted skepticism about his adherence to JAMNA principles, the coalition issued a statement April 10 to the effect that Raisis comments were in full accordance with its founding statute. Raisi subsequently registered as a candidate at the Interior Ministry on April 14.

JAMNA finalist Alireza Zakani, a former lawmaker, also registered as a presidential candidate April 14. Of note, he had sought to run in the 2013 elections, but was disqualified by the Guardian Council, the body tasked with vetting candidates. The former parliamentarian tried his luck again in the February 2016 parliamentary elections, but came in 38th in the Tehran district, which had 30 seats to fill. Hamid Reza Haji Babaei, who served as education minister under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is also a JAMNA finalist and registered to run April 15.

Long-time Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who unsuccessfully ran for the presidency in 2005 and 2013, made JAMNA's list of five and registered as a candidate April 16. Former parliamentarian Mehrdad Bazrpash rounded out the five JAMNA finalists. Only 36 years old, Bazrpash had quickly climbed the ranks under Ahmadinejad, and although criticized for being unqualified, was appointed CEO of two of Irans largest automakers, Pars Khodro and SAIPA, in March 2007 and January 2008, respectively.

Bazrpash's presence on the list of JAMNA finalists surprised many political observers, especially given his lack of experience. Even more surprising were the events surrounding his registration to run. Arriving at the Interior Ministry minutes after the deadline had passed, Bazrpash was met by closed doors. After insisting and persisting, he managed to get inside. Once there, Bazrpash announced that he would not be running for the presidency.

Ahmadinejad, a Principlist, and his former deputy Hamid Baghaei, both of whom registered for the presidential race as independents on April 12, further added to the drama. The former president and JAMNA had earlier announced their independence of one another, but they are nonetheless vying for the same voters.

It is not clear which conservative candidates will ultimately be approved by the Guardian Council, with the Interior Ministry not due to announce the final list until April 26 or 27. What is clear, however, is that there is a good chance that Ahmadinejad and Baghaei will be barred from running given the lawsuits filed against them alleging administrative violations while in office.

On April 16, judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said, The file against Ahmadinejad is still pending, and no final verdict has been issued for him yet. The case against Hamid Baghaei has not been closed either, and his innocence or guilt has not been definitively established. Although the Guardian Council acts independently of the judiciary, Mohseni-Ejeis comments  which included the caveat that an ongoing legal case does not preclude ones candidacy  could influence the councils decision.

Even without the Guardian Council's finalized list of approved candidates, the electoral scene already looks set to be intriguing. The Reformists have tried to paint Raisi as their major opponent and the consensus candidate of the Principlists, although the conservatives have not yet anointed him. Of interest, conservative media  in particular the key dailies Kayhan, Vatan Emrooz and Javan  gave little coverage to the news of Raisi having registered to run.

On April 9, JAMNA member Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, who served as culture and Islamic guidance minister under Ahmadinejad, told the conservative Tasnim news agency, All [of JAMNAs final five] candidates have announced their willingness to drop out in favor of JAMNAs consensus candidate. One of the paragraphs of [the founding statute of] this coalition is that when a final [consensus] candidate is chosen, the rest must withdraw.

Whether this will actually happen remains to be seen, especially considering that Principlists have in the past refused to do so. For instance, in the 2013 presidential race, the conservatives failed to agree on a consensus candidate. Only former parliament Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel stood aside, with Ghalibaf, Rezaei and Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign adviser to the supreme leader, continuing with their campaigns.

Given the serious conflicts within the Principlist movement and the lack of consensus over even Raisi, it appears unlikely that the camps leading candidates, especially Ghalibaf, will drop out in favor of a fellow Principlist, most likely Raisi.
A long-term strategic security relationship with India is "critical" to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean, a top US general told lawmakers today while calling for strengthening of defence ties between the two countries.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford said the US and India should continue to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest like maritime security.

"We should also continue to strengthen our defence relationship by pursuing opportunities to co-develop and co- produce defence technology under the US-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative," he said in a written response to questions submitted to him ahead of his confirmation hearing.

"A long term strategic security relationship with India is critical to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean," Dunford said during his re-confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Noting that the US India military relationship is strong and getting stronger, Dunford said the two countries cooperate through complex naval exercises such as Malabar in the Bay of Bengal as well as robust engagement through defence trade and technology cooperation.

He said the US had a range of military options to support diplomatic efforts to influence Chinese behaviour.

Militarily, the Joint Force will engage with the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) within congressionally mandated limits, build alliance capacity through close cooperation, and maintain international law through appropriate operations, he said.

China has shown willingness to use economic leverage as a way to advance the Chinese Communist Party's regional political objectives, Dunford said.

As China's military modernisation continues, the US and its allies and partners will continue to be challenged to balance China's influence, he said.

Dunford said the long-term, sustained presence was critical to demonstrating that the US is committed to the region.

The US will continue to develop a security network through multilateral partnerships and build interoperability and partner capacity to help allies and partners stand up to Chinese coercive behaviour, he said.

Unilaterally, the US will continue to develop capabilities to counter China's improving military capabilities, he added.

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A 35-year-old RTI activist was allegedly abducted and killed by some unidentified persons here in Madhya Pradesh, police said today.

Mukesh Dubey was abducted late last night from his Vikram Nagar Colony residence and his body was found in the forest of Matkora village under Sumawali Police Station area this morning, Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) RKS Rathore said.

"The injury marks on his body suggested that he was beaten to death," he said.

Dubey, a resident of Sumawali located around 18 kms from the district headquarters, had a house in Vikram Nagar Colony in Morena too, Rathore said.

"During the preliminary investigation, his neighbours in Vikram Nagar said he was taken away by some people, who had come to his house in a jeep late last night," the police officer said.

He said Dubey had filed some RTI applications seeking information about Sumawali Panchayat.

"We recovered the documents from Dubey's residence. On the basis of these papers, we are trying to get a clue about the persons involved in his killing," he said.

Rathore added that Dubey was also facing some criminal cases.

According to the SDOP, police have registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC, including section 302 (murder), against the unidentified persons.

Mukesh's elder brother, Rajiv, said his sibling had complained about threat to his life to senior police officials, including the Superintendent of Police (SP) and the state Director General of Police (DGP).

"Last year, Mukesh had complained to the then SP, Vineet Khanna, about the threat to his life. Mukesh had also furnished the recording of his phone conversation with the then Sumawali police station in-charge, who was threatening him on behalf of some people that were troubled due to his RTI applications," Rajiv said.

However, these complaints were not taken seriously, he alleged.

Meanwhile in Bhopal, Ajay Dubey, convener of (NGO) 'Suchna Ka Adhikar Andolan' demanded a CBI inquiry into the killing.

"I have written a letter to the state Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and demanded a CBI inquiry into the killing of Mukesh Dubey," he said.

"The RTI activists in the state should be given protection under the Whistle Blowers Protection Act. Mukesh had filed several applications to expose the corruption prevailing in Panchayati Raj organisations. The criminal cases against him were registered at the behest of those, who faced trouble due to his RTI applications," he added.

According to him, the CIC has forwarded his letter to the state chief secretary.

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The Russian military today test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile and also launched drills involving missile units in Siberia.

The Defense Ministry said a Topol ICBM was launched from the Kapustin Yar launch facility in southwestern Russia, and its practice warhead successfully hit a designated target at the Sary-Shagan firing range in Kazakhstan. The ex-Soviet neighbours have close economic and military ties.

The ministry said the missile test was part of efforts to develop new technologies for piercing missile defenses, but gave no specifics.

Russia long has voiced concern about NATO's US-led missile defense plans, which it described as a threat to its security, and pledged to deploy weapons capable of penetrating it.

In a separate development, the military also launched large-scale maneuvers in Siberia involving the Yars missile launchers along with support vehicles. It said 4,000 troops will be involved.

The Yars, the most advanced nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles in the Russian military arsenal, is mounted on a heavy truck, making it more difficult for an enemy to spot and destroy it. The ministry said the exercise will involve the missiles' deployment and feature action to protect them from enemy scouts and precision strikes.

The drills come a week after Russia and Belarus wrapped up their massive weeklong war games that caused jitters in some NATO countries, including Poland and the Baltics.

The Russian military has intensified its combat training amid tensions with NATO over Ukraine.

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The first Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari is expected to be commissioned by November-December, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra said on Tuesday.

The Scorpene-class submarine was handed over to the Indian Navy four days back by the Mazgaon Dock Limited, one of the key ship building units of the Indian Navy.

"The Kalvari submarine has already been in the sea for some time. Some 110 days of sea trials have been completed and more pre-commissioning sea trials are going on. We are expecting it to be commissioned by November-December this year," Vice Admiral Luthra said.

The submarines, designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS, are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited here as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy.

"The Indian Navy is keen on increasing indigenous components in shipbuilding activity. We have also increased the indigenous components in submarines as well. The components' share needs to be increased in weapons and sensors," Vice Admiral Luthra said.

He was speaking here at the commissioning of Indian Navy's ship Tarasa at the Naval dockyard here.

The Western Naval Command today commissioned INS Tarasa, which is a 400-tonne ship.

It was a much-needed addition to the Navy's fleet, Luthra said.
"Newton" had come under the scanner for allegedly being a rip-off of "Secret Ballot" but the director of the 2001 Iranian film, Babak Payami, has wished Amit Masurkar upon its selection as India's official entry to the Oscars.

Amid reports that the film has striking similarities with "Secret Ballot", director-producer Anurag Kashyap came forward in support of the team.

He shared a screenshot of an Indian journalist's interview with Payami on Facebook, with permission, where the Payami said he was happy for the selection of "Newton" at the Oscars and had no issues if the two films shared thematic similarities.

Calling the Iranian director "a true artiste", Kashyap wrote alongside the post that he hopes Payami's answer "puts enough shame in our controversy mongers"



"Secret Ballot" filmmaker now has the film and will see it soon, he added.

Earlier, Kashyap had sent the link of "Newton" to the producer of the Iranian movie, Marco Muller.

Muller, who saw the film, told Kashyap that "Newton" was "definitely no rip off from our 'Secret Ballot (even if the general concept is the same)."



Kashyap shared Muller's response on social media. Muller, in his response, said, "...there is not even a hint of plagiarisation."



"Newton" revolves around a government employee's struggle to conduct the election in a conflict-hit area of Chhattisgarh, while "Secret Ballot" focuses on a woman ballot officer, who visits a desolate place in Iran to convince people to cast their vote.
Security has been tightened in Tripura to maintain peace during the five-day long Durga Puja.

"Adequate security forces, including CRPF, state police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR), have been deployed all over the state to keep the five-day long Durga Puja peaceful," SP (Police Control), Har Kumar Debbarma said.

He said that many watch towers were built mainly in the urban areas to keep a close vigil on the crowd besides setting up of several police assistance booths in towns including the state capital.

Debbarma said that patrolling by paramilitary forces was started in different parts of the state.

"This year 2,206 pujas are being held in the entire state compared to 2,500 pujas last year," he said.

Debbarma said that 747 pujas were being held in urban areas and the rest in the rural areas. Altogether 332 pujas would be held at the Agartala Municipal Corporation area, he added.

Meanwhile, the Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) would operate a helicopter service for the puja viewers and tourists in Agartala during day time from today.

"|For a twenty minute ride one adult will have to pay Rs 1400 and a minor Rs 1200 and there would be only six sorties a day," TRTC Managing Director Keshab Kar told reporters.

He said that the service would be available for five days from today and an eight seater double engine chopper of Pawan Hans would operate.

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Pakistan's ousted premier Nawaz Sharif today for the first time appeared before an accountability court here to face the corruption charges filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau in the Panama Papers scandal.

Sharif, who returned to Pakistan yesterday, reached the court located in the judicial complex this morning.

During the brief hearing, 67-year-old Sharif informed Judge Muhammad Bashir that his wife was unwell and he needed to attend her, following which he was allowed to leave.

The appearance was just a formality to ensure that the accused was ready to face the trial. Sharif stayed at the court for about 10 minutes.

He was accompanied by his lawyer Khawaja Harris who would represent him as a counsel in the corruption cases.

The next hearing has not been set as yet.

The court, which is hearing the corruption cases against the Sharif family, last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law capt (retd) Safdar to appear before it on September 26. It is pertinent to mention that the Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on September 19.

Hundreds of Sharifs supporters, including Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, lawyers, lawmakers and several ministers were present in the court premises. Heavy security arrangement were made around the judicial complex.

Earlier, Sharif left the Punjab House in Islamabad at about 8.30 am to appear before the court. It took him about 15 minutes to reach the court.

More than 35 vehicles were part of Sharifs convoy which safely reached Punjab House after his appearance in the court.

Sharif is expected to hold some important meetings with aides and to address media in the evening, according PML-N sources.

Sharif was in London from August 31 to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

He decided to return to Pakistan after consultations with senior party leaders including his younger brother and Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in London.

Sharif stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons -- Hassan and Hussain, daughter -- Maryam, son-in-law -- Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Sharif's family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated. Rest of his family is still in London.

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Security forces today seized heroin valued at Rs 9.50 crore in the International market near Mohanmari village of Bihar's Kisanganj district.

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and narcotics unit of Bihar police also arrested two persons for allegedly possessing the 1.90 kg heroin near Mohanmari village, SSB officials said.

The two arrested persons are from West Bengal.

The heroin being smuggled from Bangladesh was to be delivered to someone in Kisanganj, the officials added.

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The city police today again came under fire from a Delhi court for not complying with its order to de-seal a five-star hotel suite where Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in 2014.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh said the hotel room should have been opened by today and directed the Joint Commissioner of the Delhi Police to appear before the court and explain why the order has not been complied with.

The court made the observations after the police filed a report stating that the results from the forensic laboratories were still awaited and some more time be given to it.

"Do you (police) want to initiate proceedings against yourself? I have already passed an order. You think of legal consequences. It can't go on like this," the judge said.

The court also directed the police to file a list containing the names of members of its special investigating team probing the case.

While the South Delhi hotel has been urging the court to direct the police to de-seal the room which was sealed for investigation soon after Pushkar was found dead on January 17, 2014, the court has also been directing the police to do so on a few occasions.

Hours after Pushkar was found dead, the suite was sealed that night itself for investigation. An FIR was registered by Delhi police on January 1, 2015 against unknown persons under IPC section 302 (murder).

The police was on September 12 directed to de-seal the suite and file a compliance report by today. In this order, the court had noted that a huge financial loss has already been caused to the hotel. It had then allowed the police to take all articles from the room required for its probe.

On that day, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) had pleaded that the room should be de-sealed only after the forensic report, which was dismissed by the court.

The court had on September 4 too taken the police to task for its "lethargic attitude" in its probe into the case and had summoned the DCP to explain why more time should be granted for de-sealing the suite.

Similarly on August 19, the court had pulled up the agency for delaying the de-sealing of the room and referred to a court order passed on July 21 asking it to de-seal the occupied premises within four weeks from then.

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Diligenta, a subsidiary of software services giant Tata Consultancy Services, today said it has secured a 15-year deal with Scottish Widows, the life and pensions business of Lloyds Banking Group (LBG).

While TCS did not disclose any financial details, LBG said about 1,000 staffers will move to Diligenta as part of the deal.

"Under the terms of this agreement, Diligenta will support Scottish Widows to provide end-to-end policy administration services for its 4 million heritage customers," TCS said in a statement.

When contacted, LBG in an emailed statement said: "To provide a seamless handover of service, LBG will transfer some of its operational processes and IT applications, along with...1,000 employees servicing heritage life, pensions and investment customers, who are expected join Diligenta at existing LBG sites under a TUPE arrangement".

The statement added that LBG is "fully engaged" with its recognised unions.

LBG said Diligenta already manages more than 11 million life and pension policies in the UK on its end-to-end policy administration platform.

In a separate statement, Unite -- a union representing staff across Lloyds Banking Group -- said the decision "to outsource around 1,000 staff to Diligenta" was a "betrayal".

Unite said LBG had informed the staff today that it is outsourcing its closed book operations from its insurance division to TCS Diligenta.

"The Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical workforce will simply be sold by the bank and their employment transferred to the third party outsourcing subsidiary," it said, adding that this will impact staff in Edinburgh and Bristol.

"The wholescale transfer of 1,000 Lloyds Banking Group staff to Diligenta is nothing short of a betrayal of these workers," Rob MacGregor, Unite national officer, was quoted as saying.

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Asserting that every piece of should help "embellish the capability of human beings", underscored the need for to provide new levels of inclusiveness.

"As we talk about technology, what we in particular as technologists and decision-makers will have to keep in mind are the timeless values that drive what we do. How are we going to use to empower people?", Microsoft's India-born chief said in his key note address at the Ignite conference in Orlando, Florida yesterday.

"Every piece of technology should help embellish the capability of human beings. We definitely want more productivity and efficiency, but we do not want to degrade humanity," he said.

"We want technology to provide new levels of inclusiveness. In fact, I'm most excited about accessibility," he said.

Satya's key note address was being simultaneously translated using AI (Artificial Intelligence) into 12 languages.

"How can we bring more people into as full participants in our society, in our economy, using technology? How can we make sure that there's no bias built into technology?" he said.

"Technology also needs to build the trust. Trust in how we secure data, how we ensure privacy, and the control and transparency that we build all around.

"These timeless values and this opportunity of digital transformation is what grounds us at Microsoft in our mission -- our mission to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more," he said.

This is something that Microsoft takes very seriously -- each word in this mission, he said.

"The ability to really make sure that we're not only thinking about the person, but the institutions people build," he added.

"We think about it at the global scale, but most importantly, for us, it's not about our technology, it is about what you can do with technology to create your own technology, to have real impact in moving our society and economy forward. That's what is central to our mission," Nadella said.

"In fact, technology trends and paradigms will come and go, but what will center us is this sense of purpose and mission?" he noted.

In his key note address, Nadella said that this is a time where the profound impact of technology in everything that people do is so much deeper, so much broader, whether one is talking about precision agriculture, or precision medicine, the future of connected products, smart cities or smarter factories.

"There isn't a single industry that isn't being transformed.

We collectively have the opportunity to lead in this transformation," he said.

Nadella said "while Microsoft's our mission remains constant, technology paradigms come and go".

"Where before we held a worldview of a mobile-first, cloud-first world, that worldview is evolving to the new technology paradigm of the intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge," he said.

Three characteristics define this shift: the move to multi-device, multi-sensory interactions; artificial intelligence driving predictive insights across devices; and a new fabric of serverless, or distributed, computing power, he added.

In this new era, Microsoft is building systems of intelligence, virtuous cycles and new feedback loops that help create data and refine how one reasons over this data to gain insights from information.

Aiming to empower people within an organisation, he said Microsoft is taking it a step further, to ensure they are also transforming the processes and functions surrounding them.

Bing for Business combines data from the enterprise with public web results to produce a seamless experience that's intelligent, personal and contextual, he said.
Terrorist outfits such as al- Qaida and ISIS have failed to succeed in India because of the strength of unity shown by every section of the society, including Muslims, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today.

According to a statement, the minority affairs minister also stressed that secularism is India's commitment and culture.

He lauded India's role in world-wide efforts against terrorism.

The minister made the remarks during his meeting with a delegation led by the grand mufti of the Syrian Republic, Ahmad Badr Eddine Hassoun, at Antyodaya Bhawan here.

Terming terrorism as the "biggest" threat to the world, Hassoun said India's unity and culture of tolerance are an example and a source of inspiration for the entire world, the statement said.

"Terrorist organisations like al-Qaida and ISIS have failed to succeed in India in their nefarious designs only because of strength of unity shown by every section of the society, including Muslims," the statement quoted the minister as saying.

"India's culture and tradition is filled with peace, brotherhood and human values," he added.

Naqvi further said that those "evil" elements who were misusing Islam as their "safety cover" were the "enemy" of both the religion and entire humanity.

Lauding India's role, Naqvi said it has been playing a major role in world-wide efforts against terrorism.

"India has adopted zero tolerance policy against terrorism," he said.

Noting that entire world has realised that terrorism is a threat not limited to any particular country, Naqvi said all the countries should give priority to defeating elements spreading it.

On the Centre's priorities, Naqvi said it has been working with "development with dignity" commitment.

Hassoun said India's cultural harmony, brotherhood, unity and culture of tolerance RE an "example and a source of inspiration for the entire world", the statement said.

"Terrorism is the biggest threat to the entire world. India has always played a major role in global efforts against terrorism," he added.

The grand mufti of Syria also said that Islam has given a strong message against terrorism and all other form of violence.

Hassoun also praised the ongoing development works carried out by the Modi government, the statement said.

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Thailand's junta chief said today he knows where fugitive ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra has fled to, but will not reveal her location until after a court delivers its verdict in her negligence trial this week.

The comments were the first admission from the military regime that it had located the runaway premier, who hasn't been seen or heard from since she slipped out of the kingdom one month ago.

Yingluck, whose government was toppled in a 2014 coup, pulled her vanishing act shortly before a Supreme Court verdict scheduled for August 25.

She faces up to a decade in jail and a lifetime ban from office for allegedly failing to stop graft in a rice policy -- a case her supporters say is a junta-driven effort to push her out of politics.

After she failed to show up in court, stunning the huge crowds of supporters who had gathered outside, judges decided to delay the ruling until September 27.

"Now I know of her whereabouts but I will not disclose it until after September 27," junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha told reporters.

"She has not yet applied for political asylum, and I don't know whether she will be able to get it," he added.

Junta and party sources have previously told AFP that Yingluck is believed to have joined her brother Thaksin -- another former premier ousted in a coup -- in Dubai.

Thaksin has kept a home in the city since he fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction.

The junta has denied any prior knowledge of Yingluck's plan to escape. But many in the kingdom find that difficult to believe given the regime's tight security net and constant surveillance of the former premier.

Analysts say Yingluck most likely brokered a deal with the military leaders, who would have been eager to see off a popular politician poised to become a martyr for the kingdom's withering democracy.

The junta is desperate to avoid unrest and may also have feared that a harsh jail sentence would have unleashed protests from Yingluck's fervent supporters.

Authorities are now investigating three police officers who allegedly assisted the former premier with her getaway.

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Forest officials have arrested four persons here and recovered a tiger hide from them.

"On a tip-off, we arrested Ganesh, Mihilal, Ashok and Sonu who were trying a sell tiger hide on the Adivasi Museum Marg in the town yesterday," Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) S S Udday told PTI.

The skin appeared to be of an over three years old animal, he said.

Officials were looking for another person, a local man who is the main accused, he said.

All four arrested men belong to a tribal community and are aged between 35 and 40 years.

They have been booked under the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, the DFO added.

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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was to meet his Cuban counterpart today amid a fierce dispute over alleged attacks on the health of American diplomats in Havana.

At least 21 Americans and five Canadian families have been hurt since last year in what Tillerson has described as "health attacks" and which US officials think may have come from an "acoustic device."



But last week, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla told the UN General Assembly that his country had found no evidence to link the symptoms to any outside assault.

Tomorrow, the top diplomats were to meet behind closed doors at the State Department to try to resolve the worst crisis in US-Cuba relations since ties were restored in 2015.

"The most recent medically-confirmed incident occurred in August," a US official told AFP ahead of the meeting.

"We cannot rule out additional new cases as medical professionals continue to evaluate members of the embassy community. We do not have definitive answers on the source or cause of the incidents."



Tillerson said last week that the United States is considering whether to close its embassy in Cuba following the alleged attacks, which US authorities say began last year and continued to at least last month.

According to a union representing US overseas staff, the victims have suffered a variety of symptoms and injuries, including in some cases brain trauma and hearing loss.

Washington has not accused Cuba of being behind the attacks, but has repeatedly warned that Havana is responsible for the safety of foreign envoys on its soil, and in May two Cuban diplomats were expelled from the US.

"Cuba has never perpetrated nor will it ever perpetrate actions of this sort. Cuba has never allowed nor will it ever allow its territory to be used by third parties with that purpose," Parrilla said.

Relations between the United States and Cuba were restored by then president Barack Obama and his counterpart Raul Castro in 2015, half a century after the Cold War rivals cut ties and began a long diplomatic standoff.

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Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju today contradicted the claims of two of his cabinet colleagues that no one was allowed to see AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation last year.

"All the ministers met her," he told reporters when asked if he had met Jayalalithaa during her 75 days of hospitalisation from September 22 last year.

Raju, however, refused to elaborate, and only said that the death of Amma, as Jayalalithaa was called by her party leaders and workers, was a huge loss. The minister for cooperation said he was not prepared to say anything more on the issue.

"You must only ask the minister who had expressed that opinion," he said, when pressed further on the claim by Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan that AIADMK leaders had "lied" on the health condition of Jayalalithaa and none of them had seen her in hospital.

Latching onto the issue, the camp of rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran said the Commission of Inquiry constituted yesterday by the state government to go into Jayalalithaa's death should question the state ministers over their contradictory views.

Srinivasan's comments had triggered a renewed demand by the DMK and other opposition parties for a thorough probe into the death of Jayalalithaa.

Addressing a public meeting in Madurai, Srinivasan had on September 23 apologised to the people, saying they had lied about Jayalalithaa's health.

He said no one was allowed to meet Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation and all those came were told by her close aide V K Sasikala's relatives that she was "all right".

Srinivasan had said that, afraid of Sasikala, party leaders lied so that people believed that Jayalalithaa was improving.

He had said that their claim of 'Amma' eating idli and tea was based on information given to them by Sasikala.

Endorsing his views, Commercial Taxes Minister K C Veeramani yesterday said the ministers were not able to see the late chief minister even one day.

At a public meeting in Vellore District, Veeramani, without naming Sasikala or her family, said, "Out of fear of this family... we would tell what we were told (by Sasikala's kin)... that Amma had two idlis, she spoke and that she is fine."



On the differing views of his colleagues, Revenue Minister R B Udhaya Kumar today said it was their individual opinion based on their experience.

MLA Thanga Tamilselvan,



a loyalist of sidelined leader Dhinakaran, said retired judge A Arumughaswamy should also inquire against the ministers in the wake of their contradictory claims and arrive at a conclusion.

Dubbing the assertions of ministers as "surprising" and "suspicious", he wondered why there was "confusion" among them nearly a year after Jayalalithaa's death.

"For sure all these ministers might have to quit office for their contradictory positions," he told reporters here.

He claimed that the reason behind such contradictory views of the ministers was to "break" the "huge influence" of party deputy general secretary T T V Dhinakaran among the party cadres and people.

It was a "wrong calculation," he said, adding it will adversely affect them.

Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals here on September 22, 2016, passed away on December 5.

The state government yesterday named retired judge of Madras High Court A Arumughaswamy as head of the inquiry commission to probe the death of Jayalalithaa.

A judicial probe was one of the pre-conditions of O Panneerselvam, the present deputy chief minister, for the merger of factions led by him and Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

After Palaniswami announced on August 17 that an inquiry commission would be constituted, the two factions merged on August 21.

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Top terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was on Tuesday killed in a gunbattle with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector as he was trying to sneak into the valley to take charge of the outfit, a senior police officer said.

It was a major success for the security forces as Najar was wanted for his alleged involvement in more than 50 killings, including that of policemen in Hygam area of Sopore, in the past 17 years.

Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain said, "Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC this morning."

"He was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of in the wake of elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces," he told PTI.

"Najar started his career as a terrorist with the killing of Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar in 2003," he said.

The officer said Najar was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers in 2015 after he fell out with the Hizb leadership.

"He was now tasked with reviving the outfit in Kashmir in the wake of elimination of top militants," he said.
Top stories from the southern region at 1700 hrs today.

MDS1 KA-JUDGE



Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge Justice Jayant Patel has resigned but has not cited any reasons.

MDS2 KL-SHARJAH-PRISONERS



Thiruvananthapuram: Indian nationals and others serving prison terms in Sharjah for non-serious crimes would be released, visiting sovereign ruler of the emirate Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Quasimi says here.

MDS4 TN-PROFESSOR STABBED



Madurai: A 45-year-old woman professor is allegedly stabbed by a guest lecturer on the campus of Madurai Kamaraj University here, say police.

BOM7 TL-CONTRACT MARRIAGES-ARREST



Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Police arrest three more Oman nationals along with two locals including a chief Qazi in connection with the alleged trafficking of minor girls from the city under the guise of 'contract marriages' with elderly men from Gulf countries.

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Three men arrested in Wales in connection with the London Underground train bombing were released from custody today and face no further action, police said.

They are a 25-year-old arrested in Newport on September 19, a 30-year-old detained in the city the following day, and a 20-year-old arrested in the capital Cardiff yesterday.

Searches are continuing at a Cardiff address in connection with the attack at Parsons Green station in west London on September 15, which left 30 people injured.

Ahmed Hassan, 18, was charged on Friday with attempted murder and the malicious use of explosives likely to endanger life.

He is due to appear at Britain's central criminal court in London on October 13.

No one else remains in custody.

The improvised device was placed on a packed train during morning rush hour. Despite apparently malfunctioning, it caused panic among commuters and some were hurt in a stampede as people fled the scene.

The Tube bombing was the fifth terror attack in Britain in sixth months - four of them in London and one in Manchester - with the bloodshed claiming 35 lives.

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US President Donald Trump said today that an American student who was held captive in North Korea had been "tortured beyond belief."



Otto Warmbier, 22, died in June a few days after he was sent home in a mysterious coma following more than a year in prison in North Korea.

He had been convicted of offenses against the state for trying to steal a propaganda poster from a Pyongyang hotel and sentenced to 15 years' hard labour.

No US official had previously publicly accused North Korea of torture in the case.

Trump's comment today on Twitter followed the airing of a Fox interview with Warmbier's parents.

"Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea," Trump posted.

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The Pune Police today arrested two persons for allegedly kidnapping a seven-year-old boy on Saturday and demanding a ransom of Rs 60 lakh.

However, the duo released the child last evening after they developed "cold feet" on learning that the police are picking up their trail.

The accused duo are identified as Roshan Shinde (20) and Akshay Jaamdare (21).

The boy, identified as Om Kharat, the son of a businessman based in Pimpri-Chinchwad township, was kidnapped from the parking area of their house on Saturday evening.

According to police, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 60 lakh from the parents of the boy.

However, after they came to know that police are on hot on their trail, they panicked and released the boy in the same area last evening and informed his father, a top police officer said.

"One of the accused, Jaamdare, used to work as a delivery boy in the firm run by the boy's father Sandip Kharat whereas Shinde used to own a driving school. However, due to losses in the business, he shut down the business," city Police Commissioner Rashmi Shukla said.

She said Jaamdare and Shinde hatched a plan to kidnap Om to earn fast money.

"They recceed the house of Kharat and purchased a used phone. They stole a sim card to execute the job," the police commissioner said.

The top cop said the duo took Om to Beed district and again brought him back to Pune.

"While they were constantly travelling with the boy, they made ransom calls to the family and demanded Rs 60 lakh. They also threatened of dire consequences if the police are informed," she said.

Shukla said the police proceeded cautiously considering the sensitive nature of the case.

"As many 400 police personnel, including senior rank officers, were put on the job to trace the boy and that made the kidnappers develop the cold feet," she said.

The duo were arrested from a hotel in Nigdi on a tip-off.

Police claimed that kidnappers even tendered an apology to Om's father after releasing him.

"Both have been arrested under the relevant sections of the IPC and will be produced in the court on Wednesday," said senior police inspector Vijay Palsule of Nigdi police station.

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A tigress and a male cub died in different forest areas of Madhya Pradesh in the last 24 hours, officials said today.

A two-year-old tigress was yesterday found dead in a well in the area of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Umaria district.

"The tigress might have fallen into the well while running away from an attack by wild animals and drowned," BTR's ranger Vijay Shankar Shrivastava said.

The forest department was probing the feline's death from various angles, he said.

The well is located in Milli village, which was included in the BTR's core area some years back.

Besides, a mutilated carcass of a male cub was yesterday found in the Karmajhiri range of Pench National Park in Seoni district.

The park's field director, Shubhranjan Sen, said it seemed as if a powerful male tiger active in the area had attacked the cub.

"The pug marks of a tiger were spotted at the site. The marks of dragging the cub were also seen. The postmortem report indicated that the cub's skull bones were broken," he said.

There was no sign of poaching at the site, he said.

A tigress was recently spotted with its three cubs in the area. The dead cub might be one of them, Pench National Park's deputy director K K Gurwani said.

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Prime Minister Theresa May and European Council president Donald Tusk met Tuesday as Britain seeks to kick start deadlocked negotiations on leaving the European Union.

Tusk met May at her office at 10 Downing Street as negotiators for the two sides held a fourth round of Brexit talks in Brussels.

The meeting comes days after May proposed a two-year transition period to smooth Britain's departure from the bloc.

May hopes her proposal which would see Britain abide by EU rules and pay into its coffers for two years after Brexit in March 2019 will help persuade EU officials to move talks past terms of the divorce and onto future trade and security relationships.

The EU says more detail is needed. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Monday he was "keen and eager" to understand how May's speech will be turned into a negotiating strategy.

The EU says it won't discuss future relationships until it has guarantees on Britain's outstanding financial commitments, the rights of EU and British citizens affected by Brexit and the status of the Irish border.

EU leaders are scheduled to assess at an October 19-20 meeting whether Britain has made "sufficient progress" on the divorce arrangements for negotiations to move on.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tried to reassure eastern Europeans that they will remain welcome after Brexit. When Britain leaves the bloc it will end the automatic right of EU nationals to live and work in the UK, and that has left many worried for their futures.

Johnson told Romania's Agerpres agency that some 500,000 Romanians currently in Britain are "hugely valued members of our society."



"We would be crazy to let them go back to Romania, we want to ensure ... their rights are protected," said Johnson, who is on a visit to the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia.

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A Zimbabwean-origin terrorist who fled from Manchester to Syria has emerged as a key member of an Islamic State (ISIS) terror cell referred to as the 'Beatles' because of their British accents.

Raymond Matimba is believed to have left Britain in 2014 to link up with ISIS terrorists in the Middle East.

According to 'The Daily Telegraph', he went on to join the group of high-profile British terrorists that included MohammedEmwazi, who was dubbed Jihadi John and seen on beheading videos.

The newspaper also reports that Matimba had links to suicide bomber Salman Abedi, who is linked to the terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester earlier this year which claimed 23 lives.

The 28-year-old adopted the name Abu Qaqa al-Britani al- Afro as he became a leading sniper for ISIS in Raqqa, the terrorist groups de facto capital.

The newspaper report believes he may still be alive, unlike Emwazi who was killed in 2015 in a US-led drone attack.

It published a video apparently showing Matimba, Emwazi and two other British terror suspects Reyaad Khan and Junaid Hussain in a coffee shop in Raqqa in 2014.

The men are lounging on sofas, their weapons leaning against the wall, while they charge their phones.

The clip, which was filmed in secret by an infiltrator, is said to be the first to show all four together as part of a cell dubbed the 'Beatles' by the ISIS after the four-member British pop group.

The unnamed source of the video claimed that it was Matimba who had urged the terror cell to organise an attack on his home city of Manchester, and had spoken to Abedi in the months before the attack on Manchester Arena in May.

"He said [to the group] that he hated his city, that he wanted it to be bombed," the source was quoted as saying.

Matimba was reported to have been killed earlier this year, however his mother, Monica, told the newspaper that she had not received any official confirmation.

She said she last heard from her son in 2015 via WhatsApp.

The other three members of the so-called Beatles group are believed to have all been killed in airstrikes over the years but Matimbas fate continues to remain uncertain.

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Some 480,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since violence broke out in Myanmar on August 25, the United Nations said today, increasing its estimate by 45,000 in two days.

A report by UN agencies and international charities said the change was due "in large part" to an estimated 35,000 Rohingya moving into two refugee camps who had not been accounted for before. It also said numbers crossing the border had started to rise again.

The UN gave a figure of 435,000 Rohingya arrivals on Saturday.

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The UN Security Council will meet Thursday to discuss the violence in Myanmar and hear a briefing from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the crisis, diplomats say.

Britain, France, the United States and four other countries requested the meeting after more than 430,000 people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, fled an army campaign in Myanmar in recent weeks and crossed into Bangladesh.

The United Nations has described the military operation as "ethnic cleansing" and French President Emmanuel Macron last week went further, calling it "genocide."



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has denounced the plight of the Rohingya, accused Myanmar of waging a "Buddhist terror" against the Muslim minority and also denounced the "genocide."



The military operation was sparked by attacks carried out by Rohingya militants on police posts on August 25.

The meeting was also requested by Egypt, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Sweden, which are non-permanent council members.

Council members will also get an update on the situation in Myanmar today, ahead of the formal briefing by the UN chief, which will be held in an open session.

The Security Council earlier this month called for "immediate steps" to end the violence, following a closed-door meeting.

The 1.1-million strong Rohingya have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship even though many have longstanding roots in the country.

In early September, Guterres took the rare step of sending a letter to the council to express concern about the "humanitarian catastrophe" unfolding, raising fears that it could have "implications for peace and security" beyond Myanmar's borders.

Rights groups are pushing the council to threaten sanctions against Myanmar's government and urging countries to review military cooperation.

Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has disappointed human rights groups who had campaigned for her freedom during the Nobel Peace Prize winner's 15 years under house arrest by a military junta.

Suu Kyi failed to quell outrage over the plight of the Rohingya when she delivered a nationwide address last week in which she appealed for patience.

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The goals of US' military relationship with Pakistan are to improve the capacity of Islamabad to fight terrorist organisations and to enhance the security along its border with Afghanistan, a top American general told lawmakers today.

"Our mil-to-mil relations with Pakistan are characterised by maintaining lines of communication between our respective leaders, and conducting specific engagements and providing specific support where it serves US interests," he said in a written response to a question which were submitted to him before his confirmation hearing.

"The goals of our mil-to-mil relationship with Pakistan are to improve their capacity to fight terrorist organisations and to enhance security along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, in order to help achieve stability in in this region," General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in his re-confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Dunford said US President Donald Trump's new Afghan strategy applies multi-faceted pressure on the Taliban to incentivise them to participate in a peace process that brings about political resolution of the conflict.

"I recommend continuing our relations along those broad lines, continually assessing our results and adjusting specific initiatives accordingly," he said.

The strategy has the objectives of enabling the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) to be able to conduct increased offencive operations and secure more of the population from Taliban influence and control, he said.

"The strategic objectives also envision more effective Afghan counter-corruption actions, reduction in Pakistani safe havens, and successful Afghan elections in 2018 and 2019. Indicators of progress longer-term include a decline in violence in Afghanistan, and the Taliban participation in peace talks," Dunford said.

He said the new Afghan strategy removes restrictions on military authorities and force levels in order to reinforce US' relationship with Afghan forces in support of a peace process.

"Specifically, we're shifting from a timeline to a condition-based approach, and we are adjusting our authorities to increase the effectives of our train, advise, and assist efforts with the Afghan forces," he said.

"Key military aspects of our new strategy that differ from previous efforts are the initiatives to enhance Afghan enablers such as the capabilities of the Afghan Air Force and Afghan Special Services Forces and broadening our train, advise and assist efforts," he added.

Dunford also warned Pakistan of continuing with its policy of providing safe heavens to terrorists.

"It's unacceptable that Pakistan provides sanctuary, and we ought to bring the full weight of the US government and our coalition partners on Pakistan to ensure that they do not provide the sanctuary that they have provided historically to groups like Haqqani and the Taliban," he said.

During his reconfirmation hearing, Dunford was responding to a question on Pakistan asked by Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"Do you believe it's possible for the United States to achieve its national security objectives in Afghanistan, as long as Pakistan provides support and sanctuary to groups such as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network?" McCain asked.

"I do not believe that we can attain our objectives in Afghanistan, Chairman, unless we materially change the behaviour of Pakistan," Dunford said.

"And have you got thoughts on how you do that?" McCain asked.

"While it will require a broad approach to do it, I think it's unacceptable that Pakistan provides sanctuary," Dunford responded.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US today imposed sanctions on eight North Korean banks and 26 bank executives, ratcheting up pressure on the country amid increasingly bellicose exchanges with Pyongyang over its nuclear programme.

"This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearized Korean peninsula," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

All property and interest of the designated companies and individuals in the US are blocked by the sanctions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has said that America is "totally prepared" for a "military option" on North Korea but warned that would be "devastating", in a further escalation of tensions between the two nations.

The strong reaction from the US president came a day after North Korea said that it was ready to defend itself by shooting down US bombers.

North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, who was in New York early this week, had accused Trump of declaring war against his country.

"We are totally prepared for the second (military) option. Not a preferred option, but if we take that option, it will be devastating -- I can tell you that -- devastating for North Korea. That's called the military option. If we have to take it, we will," Trump told reporters yesterday in a joint news conference with the visiting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Responding to a question, Trump said that the North Korean leader (Kim Jong Un) is "acting very badly". He's saying things that should "never, ever" be said, alleged the US President.

"We are replying to those things, but it's a reply. It's not an original statement, it's a reply. But the things that he's said over the last year -- and if you look back to things that he's said to past administrations -- North Korea is a situation that should have been handled 25 years ago, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, and five years ago, and it could have been handled much more easily," he said.

Various administrations left a mess for him (Trump) and he will fix the mess. "So we'll see what happens with North Korea," Trump said.

He said that North Korean nuclear weapons and missile development threaten the entire world with unthinkable loss of life. As such all nations must act now to ensure the regime's complete denuclearisation.

"It is time for all responsible nations to join forces, to isolate the North Korean menace," Trump said as he appreciated the United Nations Security Council voting twice, unanimously, 15 to nothing, to adopt hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea.

"I have recently issued tough new sanctions against those who do business with this outlaw regime. And I applaud China's latest action to restrict its trade with North Korea," he said and applauded China for breaking off all banking relationships with North Korea. This is something that people would have thought unthinkable even two months ago, he said.

"I want to thank President Xi," he said.

Responding to a question, Rajoy said no one wishes for there to be a war anywhere in the world.

"But it's true that the recent events in North Korea, with the implications in the neighbouring countries -- very important countries, means that we will have to be forceful, and those of us who defend the values of democracy, freedom and human rights have to let North Korea know that it isn't going anywhere in that direction," Rajoy said.

"For the time being, sanctions have been adopted. Spain will support any political decision which will contribute to putting an end to this situation, which has nothing to do with the principles and values most of Western and global democracies defend," he said.

(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.)
BJP MP Varun Gandhi has backed giving asylum to Rohingya Muslims in India after security vetting, evoking a sharp reaction from Union minister Hansraj Ahir, who said those who have national interest in mind should not make such statements.

Ahir's criticism came after Varun expressed his views in an article in a Hindi daily.

Following the MoS Home Affair's remarks, Varun tweeted today that his article focused primarily on defining India's asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how "we would accept refugees".

"As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns (sic)," he tweeted.

Ahir, while criticising Varun's stand, told reporters here that, "Jo desh ke hith mein sochenga woh is tarah ke bayan nahi dega (Anyone who has national interest in mind, won't make such statements)."



Varun's remarks were at variance with the government's stand on the issue.

Terming the Rohingya refugees as "illegal" immigrants, the government had recently told the Supreme Court that some of them were part of a "sinister" design of Pakistan's ISI and terror groups such as the ISIS, whose presence in the country will pose a "serious" national security threat.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also last week said Rohingyas were not refugees who have applied for asylum in India but illegal immigrants who "will be deported".

The BJP, in its national executive yesterday, adopted a resolution supporting the government's stand on the Rohingya issue, saying it fulfilled its responsibilities by providing humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees while ensuring that internal security was not compromised for its 125 crore citizens.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Weak economic and political conditions in Africa, currency volatility in Latin America and a weak recovery in CIS countries are likely to affect medium term growth of Indian pharmaceutical exporters, a report said.

"Weak economic and political conditions in Africa and currency volatility in Latin America (LATAM) are likely to weigh on the consumption of pharmaceutical formulations and pressure medium term growth prospects for India's exporters," rating agency India Ratings and Research said in a report here.

In FY17, India's exports of pharmaceutical formulations or finished products to the semi-regulated markets grew at the weakest pace of 0.7 per cent in the last seven years, after exhibiting robust growth till FY14.

The under-performance in FY17 was attributed to a 7 per cent y-o-y and 5.1 per cent y-o-y decline in exports to Africa and Latin America, respectively, while exports to Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries recovered slightly by 2.9 per cent y-o-y.

Exports to the African markets declined due to ongoing economic and political instability which weakened local currencies, according to the report.

Exports to Middle East rebounded at 33.4 per cent y-o-y in FY17 on the back of improving economic conditions, political stability in non-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Middle Eastern countries and increasing mandatory insurance in GCC countries.

The agency expects weak macros to protract export slump in Africa and LATAM, a weak recovery in CIS countries and moderate growth in exports to Asia and the Middle East for the near to medium term.

Most Indian exporters are rationalising presence among semi-regulated markets, avoiding markets where risks outweigh opportunities. Exports to Venezuela have been restricted after the sharp devaluation of Venezuelan bolivar by 32.2 per cent since March 2014.

Exporters maintained a cautious approach towards Russia, following a sharp depreciation in the Russian rouble in FY15, with a weak recovery in exports despite currency gains in FY17.

Despite the export underperformance in FY17, the long-term underlying fundamentals of the semi-regulated markets remain intact.

In the underdeveloped Africa, LATAM and Asia economies, the latent demand for the treatment of chronic diseases will boost generics uptake due to limited budgets and high out-of-pocket expenditure.

Increasing drive for universal healthcare insurance in developing Asian markets and GCC countries is also likely to boost generics uptake and benefit generics players over the medium to long term.

Indian exporters are exploring new therapeutic opportunities in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East to deepen presence, build scale and maintain growth momentum, Ind-Ra said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved changes in the appointment process of primary school teachers making written examination compulsory for aspirants.

The Cabinet in a meeting presided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved an amendment in the UP Basic Shiksha Adhyapak Sewa Niyamawali (rules), state government spokesperson and minister for power Shrikant Sharma told reporters here.

A written examination of 60 marks has been made compulsory while 40 marks will be for educational qualifications, the minister said.

Only those candidates who have cleared TET (Teacher's Eligibility Test) exam will be eligible for the written exam, he said.

On Shiksha Mitras, the minister said they will get an opportunity as per court directives and will a get weight of 2.5 marks for each year of service up to a maximum of 25 marks.

Minister for Basic Education Anupama Jaiswal said 1.37 lakh primary teachers will be appointed through this new process.

Among other key decisions, the cabinet eased norms related to the felling of trees other than mango, neem, sal and mahua on private land with some riders, the minister said. The government has, however, urged farmers to plant ten trees for each tree cut by them, he added.

The cabinet decided to amend the rules pertaining to the Right to Education check the arbitrary functioning of private schools. This has been done to ensure strict compliance of the provision providing free education to 25 per cent poor children, the minister said.

To a question on when children of administrative officers and leaders will start taking admissions in government schools, the other spokesman of the government Siddharth Nath Singh said that efforts were on in this direction.

Facilities and quality of education in government schools are being improved, Singh, who also is a state minister, said.
A 17-year-old youth was found murdered at his house in Kherwadi in suburban Bandra today morning, police said.

Ajay Jaiswal, the victim, was alone at home for the past few days as his parents had gone to their native place in Uttar Pradesh, said senior police inspector Rajendra Patil.

When they returned at around 7.30 am today, they found Ajay dead.

There were injury marks around his neck, the officer said, adding that a case of murder has been registered and further probe is on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reliance Industries' telecom upstart Jio is footing at least 40 percent of the cost of its basic 4G phone, two sources familiar with the matter said, as it bets on recovering the investment by luring in millions of new customers.

The JioPhone, rolling out this week for a refundable deposit of 1,500 rupees ($23.05), will cost at least 2,500 rupees ($39) to assemble, the sources told Reuters.

That means Jio will likely carry more than $150 million in costs for every 10 million JioPhones it sells.

And the company aims to build a subscriber base of between 250 million and 300 million users in the next two years, said one of the sources.

Reliance Industries did not respond to a request for comment.

Some Reliance investors may flinch at the cost of subsidies, but the scale of the outlay is a clear signal of the level of Jio's ambition, as it targets an audience of some 500 million who still cannot afford smartphones in India.

Jio's advanced voice over LTE (VoLTE) network only works with 4G enabled devices, inaccessible to many even at subsidised rates. The significantly cheaper JioPhone, however, will open the Internet to a less affluent segment of Indians for the very first time.

"The 3,000-rupee smartphone was not cutting it," the second source said. "Reliance is making a bold attempt with this phone and data will be the key driver for them."

Analysts estimate a majority of Indian feature phone users have an average revenue per user (ARPU) of rupees 50 or lower. JioPhone's 153 rupees monthly plan for so-called pre-paid users aims to drive up this ARPU, the first source said.

Jio, backed by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, has amassed more than 128 million subscribers since its launch last year, by offering free voice and cut-price data for months.

Over half a dozen wireless carriers compete for market share in major Indian cities, but Reliance, the first source said, sees the telecom market being winnowed down into a three-player market with just Jio and current leader Bharti Airtel and the Vodafone-Idea combine likely left standing.

The JioPhone is currently being manufactured in China, based on a unit reviewed by Reuters, but Reliance is likely to tap the likes of Foxconn and Flextronics, which have facilities in India - to assemble it in the country, a Reliance executive told Reuters previously.

The phone's chipset, being supplied by Qualcomm and China's Spreadtrum, is likely to be its most expensive component while batteries are likely to cost $3-$4, the first source said.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A massive surge in diesel fuel demand this year has been the main driver for higher crude oil consumption in 2017 along with buying to fill up strategic petroleum reserves, an executive from oil major Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday.

Diesel demand for 2017 is making up about 50 percent of the year-on-year demand growth in oil products after only making up 27 percent of the increase in last year's consumption, said Mike Muller, Shell's vice president of crude trading and supply, at an industry conference in Singapore. In 2016, gasoline and other oil products pushed demand higher, he said.

The recent hurricane that shut down refiners along the Gulf Coast of the United States also contributed to higher demand for diesel and other middle distillates, he said. Hurricane Harvey dumped record amounts of rain on the Texas and Louisiana coasts and caused about 4.4 million barrels per day of refining capacity to close, or about 24 percent of the U.S. total.

To make up that shortfall in oil product output buyers have turned to European refiners while European buyers have raised imports from processors in Asia.

"The market of the world had to resupply. And how do you resupply diesel that was normally being exported from North America, 1 million barrels per day of exports, you suck away at Europe and then Europe has to in turn replenish from Asia," Muller said.

The longer-than-usual voyages of ships moving fuel from Asia to Europe "means you have one month plus worth of production going on ships just to meet demand," he said.

"That rebalancing has given the semblance of demand which may ease away once the hurricane imbalances have been rectified."

Muller also pointed to market participants who are taking advantage of lower oil prices to fill strategic storage as an impetus for higher crude demand.

"Stock builds are also counted as demand, so when you have people building strategic petroleum reserves it is oil going away," he said.

(Reporting by Mark Tay; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

(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.)
International research agency Hurun on Tuesday released its Hurun India Rich List 2017 report. With a staggering 58 per cent jump in his net worth, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Rs 2,57,900 crore wealth is 50 per cent more than the GDP of Yemen. Storming into Top 10 for the first time, Patanjali's Acharya Balkrishna has become the 8th richest person in the country after 173 per cent rise in his wealth to Rs 70,000 crore.

Balkrishna owns close to 94 per cent of Patanjali Ayurved. The 44-year-old CEO of Patanjali has pushed the company's revenues at a rapid pace. Balkrishna has not only encashed upon Baba Ramdev's huge base of followers but also attracted Indian consumers by hitting the 'swadeshi' idea. Balkrishna heads around 34 companies and three trusts associated with Patanjali brand.

Patanjali has secured a second place in Indian FMCG market share in under 5 years, the report said.

"It is rare to find a country with such a dominant richest person (Mukesh Ambani) whose wealth is thrice more than that of the no.2 in the list. We have never seen such a wide margin between the richest and the second richest in big countries that include USA, China, UK, Russia and so on," said Rupert Hoogewerf, Chairman and Chief Researcher, Hurun Report Global.

"The total number of rich list entrants increased 6 times since we launched the list six years ago; a good indication that Indian entrepreneurs are coming of age with global ambitions," Hoogewerf added.

Hurun India Rich List 2017 had 302 new faces. The sixth edition of the Hurun India Rich List 2017 saw 617 individuals with a cutoff of Rs 1,000 crores, compared to 339 last year. The cut off for the Top 100 has more than doubled to Rs 8,400 crore since 2013, it said.

Sun Pharma's Dilip Shanghvi retained the second place despite shares of his flagship company going down by 36 per cent. With wealth increase of 320 per cent, Radhakishan Damani, the new retail king, of Dmart is the biggest gainer in Hurun India Rich List 2017.

The report credited better than expected corporate results in 2017 for offsetting the impact of demonetisation. Pharma and FMCG sector with their stellar performance doubled the number of entrants to 79 and 63 respectively. Pharmaceuticals dominate with 13% of the list, followed by FMCG and Chemical & Petrochemicals with 10% and 6% respectively.

Eklavya Juneja of Mankind Pharma is the youngest person in the list. Juneja owns 12% of Mankind Pharma which was founded by father Rajeev Juneja. Hurun India Rich List has eight self-made women this year, compared to two in last year.

"The market capitalization of all listed companies is now equivalent to 84 per cent of India's nominal GDP which is the highest in emerging markets. This year, we have expanded the list to highlight the success stories of some of the emerging entrepreneurs" said Anas Rahman Junaid, Hurun Report India, Managing Director and Chief Researcher.

With 182 individuals, Mumbai is the capital for India's super-rich, followed by New Delhi (117) and Bengaluru (51). Ahmedabad broke into top 5 with 26 new entrants. With 22 and 11 India Rich Listers, Chennai and Kanpur respectively breaks into top 10 cities of residence for Hurun India Rich Listers. Number of dollar billionaires in India also increased to 136 from 126 last year, the report said.

The combined wealth of India's richest is a staggering $640 billion, equating to 1/4th of India's GDP last year and similar to the GDPs of Switzerland ($660bn), and combined GDP of South Africa ($317bn) & Israel ($340bn).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday formed a five-member Economic Advisory Council to assist and advice him on economy related matters, especially to address the recent slowdown in Indian economy. The Prime Minister picked up Niti Aayog member Bibek Debroy to head the council.

Apart from Debroy, the five-member EAC will have NITI Aayog's principal advisor Ratan Watal as its member and economists Surjit Bhalla, Rathin Roy and Ashima Goyal as part-time members.

The decision to set up the EAC has come in the backdrop of slow GDP growth in last few quarters. India's economic growth hit three-year low to 5.7 per cent in the April-June period from 6.1 per cent in the preceding quarter. The recent slowdown in GDP growth has been attributed by some to the government's two economic decisions - Demonetisation and GST.

The Economic Advisory Council will be addressing the issues of macroeconomic importance and present its views to the Prime Minister. It is interesting to see that after three years into the power, Prime Minister Modi has assembled an independent body to assist him on economic matters. But, what has led him to form the Council this long in his tenure?

Here's what led to the Economic Advisory Council's formation


Unveiled at an event last month in London, Nokia's first flagship has launched in India. The Nokia 8 features a dual camera at the rear and a bothie mode where the front and the rear cameras can be used simultaneously. Priced at Rs 36,999, the Nokia 8 will be available in offline as well as online channel starting October 14. For online, the Nokia 8 will be exclusively on Amazon India. The Nokia 8 will compete against OnePlus 5 and soon to be launched Xiaomi Mi Mix 2.

The Nokia 8 has got a polished aluminium unibody design which undergoes a rigorous 40-stage process of machining, anodizing and polishing. It has been crafted from series 6000 aluminium and the IP54 certification makes it splash resistant. It features a 5.3inch display with 2560x1440 pixel resolution with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

The new Nokia smartphones run Android operating system and the Nokia 8 runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat out-of-the-box and will receive Android 8.0 (Oreo) update sometime later this year or early next year. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835v processor. The one launched in India will come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage, and supports expandable memory of up to 256GB. HMD Global, the official licensee for Nokia smartphones has opted for stock Android OS. This means consumers get to experience pure Android users interface, which is free from bloatware.

There has been Nokia devices with ZEISS optics in the past and the Nokia 8 continues the legacy. It features a 13 MP dual image-fusion rear camera with a colour and monochrome sensor and a wide angle 13MP phase detection front camera. Both the rear and front cameras are equipped with ZEISS optics. It comes with a Dual-Sight mode allowing users to use both front and back cameras simultaneously for split-screen photos and video. It also supports built-in streaming straight to Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

It is also the first smartphone to feature Nokia OZO Audio, combining three microphones with exclusive Nokia acoustic algorithms to capture audio with immersive 360 degree spatial surround sound. OZO spatial 360 degree audio brings a fully immersive audio experience to 4K video.

It also packs in a 3090 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and a Type C connector.

HMD Global has exclusive rights to develop and market Nokia branded feature phones, smartphones and tablets till 2024 against royalty payments to Nokia, while the manufacturing will be carried out by Foxconn. In June this year, HMD Global has announce three mid-range Android phones, which were simultaneously launched across 120 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, West Asia, Africa and Europe.
HMD Global has finally pulled the curtains off the Nokia 8 the current flagship of the company. The device was launched last month and has finally hit Indian shores today. Currently, this is the only device Nokia branding that comes with flagship-like specifications.

The device will be Amazon exclusive in the online space and can be purchased at a price of Rs 36,999. The company had accidentally leaked the price before the launch event. According to the company, every device that will sell in India will be made in India.



Nokia 8 features and specifications

One of the biggest USPs of the device is its camera. The optics of the device are sourced from Carl Zeiss which has been Nokia's strategic partner since a long time. The dual-lens set-up will come with a 13MP plus 13MP dual rear camera with RGB and monochrome sensor and a 12MP front facing camera.

One of the biggest selling points of the device is its feature called 'Dual-sight' or 'bothie'. The company aims at creating a new trend with this new feature. Using this feature the device simultaneously displays both the front and rear camera's footage in a split-screen which can be used in both photos and videos. The feature can also be used for live streaming.

The device comes with Qualcomm's flagship chipset Snapdragon 835 which even features on Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8, S8+. The chipset is also tweaked to support Nokia's bothie feature.

Another first from Nokia is the new OZO sound producer which provides 360 degree audio. The feature uses three three microphones with exclusive Nokia acoustic algorithms to capture audio with immersive 360 degree spatial surround sound. OZO spatial 360 degree audio brings a fully immersive audio experience to 4K video.

The device features a 5.3inch IPS LCD screen with 2K resolution. The screen can go up to 700nits of brightness for better outdoor visibility and is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for added protection. The device powered by a moderately sized 3090mAh battery which is compatible with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0.
| BY Ricki Green |

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne is thrilled to be welcoming Nicole Sykes as creative director to its creative department.

Originally hailing from New Zealand, Sykes spent seven years working in London and Dublin before returning to Auckland where she has spent the past five years working for Saatchi & Saatchi and DDB.

With over 17 years experience, Sykes has worked on a range of clients including NeonTV, SKY television, ASB, Toyota and Coca-Cola. Recently, Sykess work has picked up at Cannes, D&AD, Axis, Spikes Asia, The Webbys and The Mashies. Her career has seen her accumulate over 100 awards of every colour from almost every show.

Says Stephen de Wolf, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne: Evan [Roberts] and I couldnt be more excited about the arrival of Nicole. Shes the perfect fit for us here and undeniably a brilliant thinker. From her Fargo Woollens gruesome knitwear collection, to her superb CleverKash campaign for ASB teaching kids the value of money in todays cashless world, weve been huge fans of her work.

Says Sykes: I feel both excited and privileged to be joining such an outstanding team of clever humans. I have admired Clemenger BBDO Melbournes work from afar for many years and am absolutely thrilled to now be joining them. I look forward to adding to the legacy of exceptional work James McGrath, Stephen de Wolf, Evan Roberts and the broader Clemenger BBDO team have created over the years.




| BY Ricki Green |

Interbrand has named Apple, Google, and Microsoft the three most valuable brands in its 2017 Best Global Brands ranking, with technology as the dominant sector.

Now in its 18th year, this years report centres on Growth in a Changing World, and examines

People, Technology and Brands.

This year, the list features three new entrants: Ferrari at #88, and Netflix and Salesforce.com, who make their first appearance on the list at #78 and #84.

Says Nathan Birch, CEO, Interbrand Australia: Brands are the synergy between people, technology, and business. In this changing world, businesses need brands more than ever, they bring business strategies to life and are the primary means for differentiation and growth.

People buy the brands they feel good about, the ones they connect with. Technology helps accelerate growth and customer proximity, but only through brands can it deliver meaningful engagement.

This years Best Global Brands list features brands who have achieved significant growth in brand value off the back of clear strategy and exceptional customer experiences.

For five consecutive years, Apple and Google hold the top positions. Apples brand value grew by 3 percent to USD $184,154m, as Googles brand value by 6 percent to USD $141,703m.

Microsoft jumps into #3, as one of sixteen brands with double-digit percent growth. Following Coca-Cola at #4, sits Amazon, Samsung, Toyota, and Facebook, which breaks into the Top 10 for the first-time at #8. Mercedes-Benz, and IBM round out the Top 10.

More than half of the Best Global Brands came from four sectors: Automotive (16), Technology (15), Financial Services (12), and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (9). Retail is the top growing sector in percentage terms (19%).

The five Top Growing Brands include Facebook (48 percent growth) who leads for the second year running, Amazon (29 percent), Adobe (19 percent), Adidas (17 percent), and Starbucks (16 percent).

Says Birch: For the second year in a row Amazon have achieved double digit growth. Brands in Australia have to understand that the tsunami that is Amazon is going to wash over the shore of Australia very soon  and with much the same effect on many sectors.

When we look at disruptors in many sectors, Amazons name comes up again and again  in retail, banking, telco, media, SMBs and of course logistics.

Theyre taking advantage of opportunities around the globe in areas like retail, with private label fashion and a fulfilment capability second to none, disrupting traditional technology and media players with Fire Stick and Echo Look and Echo Show, Amazon Business for business tools and purchases, and even Amazon Cash, that lets you shop without a credit or bank card.

If youre a brand in Australia not thinking about your brands reaction to Amazon, and brand growth, then now is the time to start.
| BY Ricki Green |

Carat Melbourne has today announced the appointment of Richard Lehocz (right) to the newly created role of head of client leadership and operations, reporting into Melbourne managing director, Joseph Pardillo (left), as part of the agencys executive leadership team.

Lehocz joins Carat after four years with REA Group in the role of national sales director, tasked with driving the national sales strategy of what is now one of the countrys most successful digital media businesses. Prior to REA, Lehocz spent ten years with Fairfax Media, playing an integral role in the publishers digital transformation.

Joseph Pardillo, MD of Carat Melbourne, praised Lehoczs unique perspective as a perfect fit for the agency.

Says Pardillo: Richards spent the bulk of his career on the cutting edge of digital, data, and analytics  his experience and fresh thinking will be invaluable in supporting Carats continued evolution. Were committed to connecting our clients with the right talent to help them capitalise on the opportunities presented by the digital economy, and we believe weve found that in Richard.

He has a proven track record of consistently delivering innovation and market-leading client service; were excited to be attracting his calibre of talent to the team.

Lehocz is the agencys second senior hire from a digital publisher in as many months, with Carats national CMO, Andrea Rule, joining from Yahoo7 earlier in the year.

Says Lehocz: Its an exciting time to be in media. Rapid transformative change is presenting all sides of our industry with new challenges, and after fifteen years publisher-side, Im looking forward to approaching them from a new angle. Carat is clearly committed to evolving their offering ahead of the market, and with such an exciting line up of clients, I cant wait to get started.
| BY Ricki Green |

The 2017 BADC Awards, sponsored by Light + Shade Media, were held on Saturday night in Brisbane. With over 560 people in attendance, the Awards night was the largest it has been in recent years, and was hosted by the hilarious Nick Cody, having come straight from the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.

Y&R Brisbane scored a total of four Gold, five Silver, one Bronze and another seven finalists, and BCM had the largest number of overall medals and finalists with four Silver, 14 Bronze and six finalists.

Engine Group was next in the medal count, with a total of 14 medals and finalists  a number of those being awarded for their Beenleigh BeEnlightened Campaign. This also saw photographer Alex Buckingham the highest awarded craftsperson with a total of 13 awards including two gold and two silver for his work on this campaign.

Clemenger Brisbane followed close behind with 13 medals and finalists, including two gold, two silver and three bronze for client BCF for its BCFing Fun Campaign. Khemistry also made its mark this year with three Gold, three Silver, two bronze and four finalists, including gold and silver for its Anglicare Arts and Minds campaign. BCF was also awarded Client of the Year.

Says chairperson of judges for 2017 Carmela Soares, national creative director, Isobar We realised that this client had made an impression in many categories for different reasons, and with different pieces of work. But overall, for backing and producing beautiful, insightful and brave work.

Says Soares regarding the Best of Show Award: There was a lot of great work across the board, so choosing one best in show was bit of a tough call. But in the end one idea stood out for being so simple and smart, and so powerful in its ability to change behavior,  Safely Backpacks for the Australian Road Safety Foundation.

Lindsay Donaldson (right), recently retired from Publicis after 33 years, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the 2017 BADC Charity Challenge set a new record for both the highest dollar total ever, with $181,179.30 raised or donated. The Charity Challenge also saw the best participation ever, with 30 companies represented, 11 of which were participating for the very first time.

Says Garry Smith, BACD president: The number of entries, the quality of the work, and the attendance at the 2017 Awards Night just go to show how strong the Queensland advertising and design community is. Its a real honour to be a part of it.
| BY Lynchy |

Gaurav Mishra has joined EL Films from J. Walter Thompson Singapore.

He previously worked at JWTs production arm Chameleon since the end of 2014 when he first joined as an intern.

His ambition and energy helped him progress quickly, later being hired as a junior producer and then promoted to content producer in May last year.

During his time at JWT, his entrepreneurial spirit helped launch JWT25, a content unit focusing on delivering quality content within 25 days  to meet the demands of the digital age.

Mishra (pictured) is excited about making films for brands that connect with people through compelling and authentic messages. He is a big fan of narrative filmmaking and believes brands can benefit from telling stories. He is eager to be a part of a fast growing SME.

He has worked closely with brands such as Lux, Shell, Nikon, Changi Airport, HSBC, Kimberly-Clarke and Treasury Wine Estates.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 8:10AM

Bing is no longer the default search service used by Siri on iOS and Spotlight in macOS. Apple has moved to Google search as the go-to service.

"Switching to Google as the web search provider for Siri, Search within iOS and Spotlight on Mac will allow these services to have a consistent web search experience with the default in Safari, Apple told TechCrunch in a statement.

This means that if Siri does not have the answer to a user's query, then the system with just pull up Google results.

Investment firm Bernstein estimates Google currently pays Apple around $3bn for this deal, based on the fact Google paid around $1bn for the same deal in 2014 according to The Telegraph.

Source: TechCrunch
"It's such a transient workforce and there's so many suppliers out there that are knocking on the canteen doors to try and sell their products - and they are very tempting and they could bring in a lot of profit but they're not always healthy choices."
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It also urged the bill to better delineate treatment of minors under control orders, as the current bill does not differentiate between adult members of an OMCG or those under 18, as well as calling for an explicit time limit on control orders, as such orders could remain in place 'indefinitely' under the bill.
But he said police told him to go because he was bleeding from the nose. He said although doctors tried to get him to go back to hospital later to check the injuries he didn't because of the cost.
THIS WEEK IN CAPE BRETON: Raising the peace flag, reviewing future plans for Centre 200 and more

SYDNEY  During a time of conflict around the world and with racial tensions on the rise in many parts, its clear there are those who want to find a bright, positive light wherever they can. Over the next several days, the YMCA of Cape Breton will ...
News on the Green

Verdes Announces New Location

The Verdes Foundation is moving its ABQ dispensary location from its current Coronado address to 7301 San Antonio NE near the end of October. A spokesperson for Verdes said the new location will have larger space to better accommodate patients and introduce new interactive educational opportunities. The new dispensary is expected to have more space for private nursing consultation.

Study Says Cannabis Use Not Caused by Legalization

A study released by the journal of Addiction last week concluded that the growing rate of cannabis use is not the result of legalization. Researchers at the Public Health Institute's Alcohol Research Group analyzed data from National Alcohol Surveys and compared them to the legalization time line. They found that rather than law enforcement policy changes, the leading cause for the spike in cannabis use is caused by what they call period effectsor societal changes that affect all cultural or generational groups.

TV Show Looking for Next Cannabis Millionaire

Amazon Prime's The Marijuana Show, a reality show boasting over $18 million offered by accredited investors in just two seasons, will be looking for new cannabis entrepreneurs to feature on their show at the Cannabis World Conference and Business Exposition in Los Angeles. The show is described as Shark Tank for Pot.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Not content with just dominating online sales, Amazon is expanding its brick-and-mortar efforts and may even open its own car dealerships.



Speaking to Automotive News, head of Amazon research at the L2 research firm, Cooper Smith, said creating a car dealership network could allow Amazon to dramatically expand its presence in the automotive industry.

The idea is provocative, and it could make sense. Theyre blurring the lines between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar storefronts, Smith said.

Although Amazon has failed to comment on the possibility of it opening a dealership distribution network, it wouldnt be out of character for the e-commerce giant. After all, it recently acquired grocery store chain Whole Foods and sells both Seat and Fiat vehicles in France and Italy thanks to exclusive partnerships with the automakers.

Furthermore, Amazon launched a comprehensive advice hub for car buyers in the U.S. last year.

Inga Maurer, a partner at consultancy McKinsey, says a dealership network would allow Amazon to have access to service and maintenance centers. Consequently, the company could then become a partner for ride-hailing and car-sharing fleets looking to maintain their vehicles in large facilities.

PHOTO GALLERY
Ford chief executive Jim Hackett is expected to detail his plans for the carmakers during a briefing with analysts and investors on October 3.



Automotive News reports that a key focus of Hackett will be ensuring that the company can make money from products other than pickups, SUVs and crossovers and that it will be able to reverse recent quarterly earnings declines.

One of the key reasons why Fords board of directors decided to replace Mark Fields with Jim Hacketts was Hacketts proven ability to quickly adapt to change and react to fluctuating consumer demands.

Analysts assert that both the EcoSport crossover and Ranger pickup should have been sold in the United States years ago as customer demand began to shift towards these vehicles. Both the EcoSport and Ranger are on the way but the brand is years behind the competition.

Beyond bringing new in-demand vehicles to the market, Ford could kill of a number of other local models. First and foremost could be the Fiesta subcompact, the Taurus sedan and both the C-Max hybrid and plug-in hybrids.

According to manager of product analysis at AutoPacific, Dave Sullivan, This is an industry that has historically only thought as far forward as the next quarter and how things affect earnings.

I think there has to be more of a blend of looking forward to the next quarter and year, but also having an understanding of what the future of the auto industry is going to look like and building the foundation for that now.

PHOTO GALLERY
Alanna Kelly

A pickup truck has caught fire on Highway 97, near the Glenrosa exit in West Kelowna.

Reader photos show flames shooting from the hood of what appears to be a full-size pickup pulled over on the shoulder of the southbound lanes.

Thick black smoke is rising from the vehicle.

The fire is beside a grassy hillside and not far from the Gorman's lumber mill, just up the hill. But, so far, it appears the fire is contained to just the truck.

Castanet has a reporter arriving at the scene and will update with more details.
Photo: Colin Dacre Michelle Jack, Joseph Sanchez

Indigenous artists put the finishing touches on a new downtown mural Monday.

The mural was painted on the side of the Mikes Pawn Shop building as a part of the inaugural Penticton Arts Rising Festival that took place over the weekend.

Designing artist Michelle Jack says the mother figure in the middle of the sky represents mother universe, the whole design is to have healing energy for all things.

Jack said this is the first Syilx mural in Penticton since the late 60s.

Its meant to be really graphic image, instead of being overly realistic, so that it reads almost like a giant silk-screen.

Jack was assisted by Joseph Sanchez, a renowned member of the Native Group of Seven.
Photo: Osoyoos RCMP Arthur Harnum, who went missing Thursday.

UPDATE SEPT. 28

Harnum has been found safe and sound, according to the South Okanagan RCMP

ORIGINAL SEPT. 25

Police are searching for a missing 64-year-old Osoyoos man.

Arthur Harnum, 64, has not been heard from since Sept. 21.

He is five-foot-ten, 220 pounds with brown eyes and is balding.

Harnum apparently left his former home Thursday in his 1997 Ford Explorer, license plate 331 MLL and has yet to be in contact with anyone.

It is unknown where he was planning to travel to. Osoyoos RCMP is asking for the public's help in locating him.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Arthur Harnum are asked to call the Osoyoos RCMP at 250-495-7236.
Photo: Irena Horzelenberg The possible bomb found in the shrubs, at a Naramata home.

It's not everyday you trim your bushes and find what appears to be a bomb, but thats just what happened for a Naramata couple on Monday.

At about 3:30 p.m Irena Horzelenberg was trimming her shrubs when she opened them up to take a look at the roots, finding what looked like an old mortar round, according to husband Nick Horzelenberg.

"When she opened it up, she found this mortar round," he said. "Its about five feet away from my front door."

"She immediately called me and we determined that, yes in fact it was a mortar round and my neighbour, who is a former military member also confirmed it."

The RCMP bomb squad is on its way to Naramata to deal with the device and are expected to arrive around 11 p.m.

The device has to be treated as if it's active, until determined otherwise, according to Horzelenberg. A Penticton RCMP member will remain on scene until the object is removed.

"It has no wires anywhere near it, it may have been there for some time we dont know," Horzelenberg said. "It looks to me as if its possibly a World War II vintage."

Castanet will update as more information becomes available.
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The coming holiday season means that many families are looking for fun and safe ways to spend holiday break. Whether that means packing up and heading for warmer weather or loading up the car to trek over-the-river-and-through-the-woods to Grandmother's house, BBB has important information to help make your trip safe, scam-proof and hassle-free.

Add a layer of insurance

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Prior to heading out on the highway or the airport, it is always a good idea to protect your trip with travel insurance. This simple measure ensures that your travel is protected, safe and secure.

Thinking of heading down south during the chilly Midwestern winter months? Trusted companies like BBB Accredited Public Insurance Agency offer things like temporary car insurance if you're traveling to Mexico. Which means, if you and your family are considering renting a car during your stay, you know you're protected. Plus, the companies' agents are fluent in both English and Spanish.

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Pack accordingly

To avoid unexpected fees, check your airline's baggage specifications. Airlines like BBB Accredited Southwest Airlines clearly state online their weight restrictions for baggage, plus what's OK to transport in your luggage and what's not. They also offer mobile apps that you can download to make your travel even easier.

Understand travel regulations

Be sure to check with your airline or local authorities to learn about regulations for plane and car travel during the holiday season. Some airlines ask you not to wrap presents, allowing for faster security checks. Some state governments have restrictions on items you can and can't transport across state lines.

Get your car tuned up

Planning a trip by car? Schedule a winter-weather checkup with a BBB Accredited vehicle professional. Visit bbb.org/ask/chicago to find auto mechanics in your neighborhood that have positive customer reviews and are clear of any scam reports. Once you find a provider you like, remember to give them a positive review on their Business Review page! We all know how hard it is to find businesses you can trust, especially when it comes to tending to big investments like your car. That's why BBB Accreditation, reviews and ratings are invaluable for your peace of mind.

Don't forget to pack a travel kit

No matter if you're traveling by air or by road, having a travel kit handy is essential.
Jim Sparks Jr. owner of Park Pet Shop, holds a young blue heeler at in his shop in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood on Sept., 26, 2017. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

A Chicago ordinance banning the sale of pets from large commercial breeders does, in fact, have teeth, a federal appeals court ruled.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago last week affirmed the citys right to enforce the so-called puppy mill ordinance and upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by two Chicago pet stores and a Missouri breeding farm.

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The ordinance, which into effect in March 2015, limited pet stores mostly to selling dogs, cats and rabbits obtained from government pounds, humane societies and rescue shelters, cutting out large-scale commercial breeders.

The city acted to address concerns that Chicago pet stores were sourcing their animals from puppy mills, which have developed a notorious reputation for everything from poor living conditions to inbreeding.

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Aimed at curbing abusive breeding practices and the costs associated with abandoned mill-bred pets, the ordinance was supported by animal welfare advocates. But it didnt sit well with Jim Sparks, longtime owner of Park Pet Shop in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood on the Far South Side, who sued the city in 2015.

We are sympathetic with the ordinance, and we are in compliance with the ordinance, Sparks, 45, said Tuesday. However, that doesnt mean we agree with it.

Joining with Chicago pet store Pocket Puppies Boutique and Cedar Woods Farm, a Missouri dog breeder, Park Pet Shop argued in the lawsuit that the city exceeded its home rule powers and blocked interstate commerce. A Chicago federal judge ruled in favor of the city in November 2015, a decision upheld upon appeal.

The citys policy goals are to reduce financial support for mill breeders, curb the emotional and financial burdens on consumers who unwittingly buy mill-bred pets, and reduce the cost of sheltering and euthanizing unwanted problem pets, the appeals courts ruling said. These are unquestionably legitimate governmental interests, and its rational to think the puppy-mill ordinance will serve them.

Founded in 1958, family-owned Park Pet purchased its puppies from breeders around the country and hired a sourcing service to ensure the highest standards of care, Sparks said.

In their original complaint, the pet stores argued they would be unable to obtain purebred puppies, pushing customers to go through unlicensed and irresponsible breeders. Further, they argued that animal control centers and rescue organizations didnt provide an economically viable source for sustaining their businesses.

Sparks said his store has been without puppies at certain times and has seen sales decline between 20 and 40 percent over the last two years.

Were making a go of it, but theyve made it more difficult not only on the business as it stands but for (customers), Sparks said. It forces the underground marketplace to flourish.

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Sparks may not carry on his legal fight, but he would still like to make his case to the city for amending the rules to allow for more choices as to how he sources his pets for sale.

Last month, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the Illinois Safe Pets bill into law, which prevents puppy mills from doing business with pet stores, but doesnt eliminate fully vetted and reputable breeders.

While Sparks said he respects the citys home rule authority, he is hoping it will consider adopting the state ordinance going forward.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RobertChannick
FILE - In this file photo dated Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, a loading station for Mercedes electric cars at the IAA Car Show in Frankfurt, Germany. Germany's Daimler AG announced Thursday Sept. 21, 2017, says its Mercedes-Benz luxury car division will invest US dlrs 1 billion to set up electric vehicle production at its Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant, also building a new battery plant, adding 600 new jobs in the region. ( Michael Probst/AP )

Daimler AG plans to spend $1 billion to start production of Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles at its Alabama factory, setting the world's largest luxury-car maker up to battle with battery-car specialist Tesla on its home turf.

The German automaker will build its fifth battery plant globally and create more than 600 jobs in the region, the company said September 21 in a statement. The Alabama factory will assemble electric sport utility vehicles, taking on Tesla's Model X and making Stuttgart-based Daimler the first European company to assemble plug-in autos in the U.S.

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"We're celebrating our 20th anniversary at our production facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and we're taking this as an opportunity to expand the operation and further fuel growth," production chief Markus Schaefer said in a Bloomberg TV interview. "We're very confident for future growth in the U.S. in the long-term. "

While the investment could ease tensions over President Donald Trump's claims that too many German cars were being sold to Americans, the real target is certainly the intensifying rivalry with Tesla. The Palo Alto, California-based carmaker's flagship Model S sedan outsold the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series last year in the U.S., putting pressure on the brands to defend their image as automotive innovators.

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U.S. plug-in vehicle sales are projected to grow fourfold from last year to 643,000 in 2021, about 4 percent of the U.S. auto market, according to estimates by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The segment is expected to account more than one-third of sales in 2030.

The shift is proving costly. Daimler laid out a plan last week to slash $4.8 billion from spending by 2025 to compensate for weaker margins from electric cars as global automakers accelerate efforts to roll out cleaner vehicles amid tightening emissions rules across the globe.

In addition to the new EQ line of battery-powered cars, the manufacturer will add electrified versions across its model range. Daimler's Smart city-car brand will gradually stop offering models with combustion engines as of 2020.

Mercedes, which topped BMW as the top luxury auto brand in the U.S. last year, started assembling vehicles in Alabama 20 years ago. The factory has since emerged as one of the brand's main manufacturing hubs worldwide, with some 70 percent of assembled vehicles slated for export to global markets. About 3,700 employees produce the GLE, GLE Coupe and GLS SUVs at the site, which added the the C-Class sedan for the North American market in 2014.

Jamie Butters contributed.
"Any time someone tells you there's only one bottle of something left, they're lying," advises Alex Bachman, proprietor of Sole Agent, a broker of rare and vintage spirits.

A former bartender who rose to prominence at Matthias Merges' Billy Sunday, Yusho and A10 (plus a sommelier stint at Charlie Trotter's), Bachman has effectively stepped away from the bartending life to be, in layman's terms, the Indiana Jones of booze.

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Through Sole Agent, Bachman tracks down rare and vintage spirits, supplying some of the country's best bar programs with booze from a bygone era at a premium price. Current wholesale clients include Chicago's Lost Lake, Milk Room, Longman & Eagle and, of course, his old stomping grounds, Billy Sunday. Bachman also works with nationally renowned Canon (Seattle), Smuggler's Cove (San Francisco) and Library of Distilled Spirits (New York City).

When he founded Sole Agent, Bachman himself was on the ground in countries like Italy and Japan, tracking down stores of dusty bottles in shuttered bars, boarded-up restaurants and forgotten warehouses. The bottles  Italian amari, to start, then branching out to rarer and rarer hooch, like back-vintage genepi, American bourbon, even gin and rhum  speak to a very specific moment in time, bottled history.

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"These products can come off as exclusive, or fancy," says Bachman, a 2015 Chicago Tribune Dining Award winner for mixology, "but as a history major in college, this stuff just fascinated me."

What's the appeal of these bottles, besides the bragging rights of collecting and tasting something rare and expensive? It's a sip of archaeology, anthropology, botany and, yes, history.

Amari, the Italian bitter after-dinner drinks that are Bachman's gateway obsession, exist throughout the Italian boot, but each region specializes in a different blend of herbs and bittering agents, creating truly unique liqueurs that tell a story. "How did saffron play into fernet production? How did Chinese rhubarb find its way into northern Italy?"

Like wine, says Bachman, amaro is terroir-driven, that is, a product that speaks to a time and place. The vintages tell a story of businesses exchanging hands and the tide of public taste  moving from natural to artificial ingredients and colorings, to adapting to cocktail trends and the like.

While an amaro can age and transform over time, some other spirits (whiskey, gin, rhum, or rum, depending on the producer and style) don't age. These spirits are bottled lightning. For instance, a bottle of Old Fitzgerald produced in 1956 and bottled in 1962 by the Stitzel-Weller Distillery while still under the supervision of the influential Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle is an example "of how these bottles were produced back then," says Bachman. "These spirits mark the passage of time."

Alex Bachman's stash of vintage spirits includes such bottles as Bonal aperitif, Amaro Montenegro, Demerara rum, Caol Ila Scotch, and Gordon's Gin. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

A cursory glance at the Sole Agent website shows a gallery of booze worthy of museum space. There's pre-Prohibition Dougherty's Private Stock 13-year-old rye whiskey (distilled in 1917), 1970s-era Pimm's Cup No. 1, 1940s Sauza Tequila Blanco, and a flagon of Rhum Clement from 1895 (more on that in a minute).

These days, Bachman spends less time spelunking for booze, as he's developed a team of on-the-ground experts and sources who know what he's looking for. Working with wholesale accounts the last two years, Bachman is beginning to make moves into the retail space, to make these bottles more available to an interested public.

"The concept of a retail space has been on my mind since the beginning," says Bachman. "We couldn't sell to private individuals because we lacked a physical space, and licensing is different than with wholesale clients."

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"There aren't enough bars and restaurants in the country that will invest in back vintage collections or vast, expansive inventories. There are only so many Canons and Milk Rooms  the real future of vintage spirits is reaching people who are thirsty for these products," he says, citing the existence of popular online whiskey forums, spirits exchanges and private sales.

To that end, Bachman and his investors plan to build out a space in either Logan Square or Ukrainian Village by the beginning of 2018. The storefront will be the physical manifestation of a robust e-commerce strategy, but will offer a curated, one-on-one experience inspired by Bachman's travels to Maison du Whiskey in Paris, or charmingly cramped specialty liquor stores he encountered throughout Tokyo.

"Operationally, I want the Sole Agent storefront to be tech-savvy and reflective of current and upcoming inventory, but experientially, I want to be like those out-of-the-way Japanese shops you find tucked behind alleys or in train stations," says Bachman. "We'll have special tastings and a boutique experience, where we can relate the histories of these special bottles."

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While the products will still fetch a premium price, Bachman will also stock Sole Agent shelves with bottles at more approachable levels. "People want vintage Chartreuse, which is beautiful and rare, but can be cost-prohibitive," he says. "I'd like to show them vintage genepis (a category of herbal aperitif liqueurs, which Chartreuse falls under) that are as interesting, but because they're not as well-known, can be more affordable." Yellow or green Chartreuse may cost $200, but for the same amount, you could walk out of Sole Agent with three unique bottles. Overall, prices will range from $45 to $75 on the lower end, to the thousands for the rarest bottles.

"We're not going head-to-head with Binny's," jokes Bachman. "What we did at Billy Sunday (with stocking vintage bottles of amaro) proved that there's a market of interested people for these products. We just want to get them in more people's hands."

Bachman is also looking forward to bottling some of his finds under a proprietary Sole Agent label. That 1895 flagon of Rhum Clement mentioned earlier? Bachman had it verified and tasted by experts (including Paul McGee of Milk Room and Lost Lake) to confirm its provenance before bottling it into an extremely limited run of 14 half-bottles (375 milliliters each).

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Eventually, Bachman hopes to bottle similar discoveries, democratizing the rare spirit market on his own terms. "Nothing against auctions," he says, "but I don't want to deal with hammer cost, commission, storage costs. I just want to sell spirits directly to people who are interested in them.

"Sole Agent won't be your average liquor store."

jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @joeybear85

[ 90-year-old Italian Village has the best wine cellar no one's talking about  ]

[ Alex Bachman of Billy Sunday wins Dining Award  ]

[ Acclaimed bartender Paul McGee to tend bar at Milk Room for the 1st time since it opened  ]






Sister Donna Liette, a local nun with the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, stepped into the national limelight Monday morning during the debut of Megyn Kelly's new "Today" show in New York City.

The reason?

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The 77-year-old embodies Kelly's mantra of "settling for more"  or as Kelly puts it: If you want change, you must seek it. Liette has been making that change in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood by helping young men and families touched by violence for the past eight years. According to the segment on Kelly's show, Liette helped create a group where mothers who lost children to violence and mothers of those who have committed acts of violence can come together and heal as one.

In the segment, Liette is driving around the neighborhood saying hello to residents; catching up with men who consider her "their grandmother," and helping women who are moving forward in their own grief.

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"Most of the mothers have lost children though violence or incarceration," Liette said.

Liette recalls many of the mothers carried a lot of shame and guilt about their children, but now the women meet once a month to support one another. As one mom said, "I have to visit my son in the cemetery and you get to visit your son in prison  now I realize you lost your son too."

Liette says she hears about homicides, at least five to seven a week, and recently she saw one young man from the neighborhood shot and seriously wounded in an alley near her office.

"It's a horrible thing to see," she told Kelly in an interview. "A lot of our boys don't expect to get old. I cry a lot on the way home."

But Liette said she is inspired by the people who call the South Side home  the mothers who want to make their home better, and not just leave it.

"There's still a lot of good here," she said. "There's a lot of people working together. We can't lose hope. This isn't real comfortable, but it's sure worth it. I feel privileged to be here."

Liette received thousands of dollars of aid from Kelly, Ace Hardware and Coldwell Banker while surrounded by members of her mom's group. The money will go toward renovating a building to use as an emergency shelter for families, Liette said. The Catholic nun teared up after being told she's a heroine for her efforts on Chicago's South Side.

"It's more than just me. That was nice, but it takes a whole bunch of us to do that," Liette said in a phone interview just before boarding a plane back to Chicago.

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With one building completed, Liette hopes to renovate another building. She said she's looking at other possibilities on the South Side.

"We want to restore not only persons' lives, we want to restore the community. It's not about me. One little sister can't do all this," she said. "It's a whole bunch of us working together. We have to invest in our women, because that's where communities are going to be built, that's where families are going to be rebuilt. These women have so many obstacles in their life, from generational poverty to racism to lack of opportunities for jobs. So many people think, 'Oh, the government takes care of them.' Oh, please, come and work with me for one day and see how many obstacles they have to raising their children and getting them a good education and the dreams that we all have. We're trying to connect Chicago."

The Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation will be holding an open house/fundraiser Oct. 1. A pig roast party will be held from 11:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Precious Blood Center at 5114 S. Elizabeth St. Tickets are $50 and donations are welcome.

drockett@chicagotribune.com

@DarcelTribune

[ RELATED: Mothers of incarcerated share pain and hope  ]

[ Bringing up baby while doing time  ]

[ Column: Neighborhood natives launch coffee shop where Starbucks won't  Back of the Yards  ]







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
If music could leave visual marks, everyone watching Metz at Thalia Hall on Monday would have departed with black-and-blue bruises in addition to their ringing eardrums. The Canadian trio's hourlong set came across as a study in visceral physicality and a demonstration of the volatile relationship between motion, force and resistance.

Pairing mechanical poise with hardcore ferocity, Metz remains one of the most intense live bands on the planet. More than five years after ascending from the underground and signing with hip imprint Sub Pop Records, the group continues to stick close to its roots even as it expands its range. Fittingly, Metz made its new "Strange Peace" album with Chicago-based engineer Steve Albini, a key noise-rock figure whose contributions helped define the city's indie scene in the late '80s/early '90s.

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On the surface, Metz's abrasiveness echoed the confrontational approaches of many punk acts. Squealing feedback, sheet-metal tones and punishing volleys functioned as cautionary signposts and protests against convention. Alex Edkins screamed more than he sang, the guitarist/vocalist's blue-in-the-face deliveries conveying various degrees of dissent, desperation and disgust.

Yet rather than fall back on obvious sloganeering, Metz provoked by way of terse, noir-like declarations and controlled chaos that leaned on the superhuman percussion abilities of Hayden Menzies  who, along with bassist Chris Slorach, manufactured rhythms that swung even as they menaced. Not that dancing was on the docket. Feelings of anxiety and uncertainty arose amid sonic backdrops seemingly gleaned from automotive factories, tool-and-die shops and industrial outposts.

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The twisted architecture of "Spit You Out" emerged as a model of opposition, its dense tension heightened by multiple instrumental dropouts. "Acetate" begged for deliverance all the while the equivalent of FM static and rumbling distortion denied any chance at relief. Enhanced with a prolonged midsection whose layered din took on symphonic dimensions, "Eraser" simmered before exploding. "Common Trash" merged the grinding sound of power tools with the unrelenting clang of an assembly plant. "Shut it off inside," Edkins yelped, to no avail.

Metz's dynamic extended to the members' animated reactions. Framed by dry-ice fog and dim lighting, they became silhouettes that often ceded to the violence inherent in the songs. Slorach pointed the neck of his instrument at unforeseen foes; Menzies hammered drums as if warding off evil spirits. Stripped to the barest emotions during the closing "Wet Blanket," Edkins repeatedly shook his head before falling to the ground, the band's purge complete.

Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.

[ RELATED: Scorpions, Megadeth celebrate high-octane histories at Allstate Arena  ]

[ Mark Lanegan loves the dark, and you will, too  ]

[ Queens of the Stone Age shimmy at Riot Fest  ]







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Comedian Jordan Klepper hosts the premiere of Comedy Central's "The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper" on Sept. 25, 2017, in New York City. (Brad Barket / Getty Images for Comedy Central)

Stephen Colbert, in the very first edition of "The Colbert Report," staked out new territory: He coined the term "truthiness," signifying a reality derived from what one person feels to be true, the objective facts, whatever those are, be damned. It has pretty much defined the subsequent decade plus of extreme political polarization in the United States.

Now Jordan Klepper, whose new Comedy Central show "The Opposition" is patterned, at least a little bit, on its Colbert predecessor, has planted his own flag in the fertile fields of contemporary linguistics.

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On his first show Monday, the former Chicago improv comic laid claim to "mental nationalism," which the program defined via its own Golden Rule: "May you only hear from others what you've already been telling yourself."

That's not bad as a credo for where we are now. And "mental nationalism" is a fine phrase, with its ring of xenophobia. But the concept doesn't have the freshness that "truthiness" did. People shouting into their own particular echo chambers isn't a new idea so much as a reposting of a prevalent one. (I think everybody can agree with me on that.)

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And therein lies the great obstacle for "The Opposition," a barricade so high it is almost like a border wall: This thing that Klepper and company are trying to do, inhabit a character espousing mostly arch conservative beliefs to demonstrate the folly of that fella's ways, has been done before. And it has been done nearly to perfection, in "The Colbert Report."

Certainly, you understand the impulse for Comedy Central to go this route. When Colbert decamped to take over CBS's "The Late Show" and Jon Stewart abandoned "The Daily Show" not long after, the network's replacements didn't click with audiences right away.

In the "Daily Show" main chair, South African comic Trevor Noah took a long while to catch on, although now he certainly has. The older and more laconic American comic and writer Larry Wilmore, in the "Colbert" timeslot after "Daily," had good moments but the program never seemed to reach cruising speed.

Wilmore didn't get the same patience Noah has been shown, and he was out, along with, apparently, the concept of letting a guy be himself.

For its next swing, Comedy Central is returning to what worked before: a middle-of-the-road-looking white guy who's been a correspondent on "The Daily Show" donning a kind of costume to send up conservatism.

Where Colbert's sights were set on then-Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, Klepper's target is primarily Alex Jones, of "Info Wars" infamy, the barrell-chested guy spewing tin-foil hat conspiracy theories while hawking questionable products with the gusto of a patent-medicine barker.

When the introductory "Opposition" was in forward gear, it demonstrated some nimble joke writing. He doesn't want to be the kind of host who panders to an audience, Klepper said: "You're too smart for that." About an opinion uttered by MSNBC host Christ Hayes, he said, "Nice try, kid who found a suit."

Certainly there is potential here. Jones is ridiculous, and a fully committed parody of him could go to interesting places. Klepper touched on his rare combination of paranoia and illogic by opening in front of a sort of homemade bulletin board packed with disjointed notions, by saying things like, "This is the first minute of the first episode of 'The Opposition,' and you're already behind."

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But there was more name-checking of alt-right phrases than there was engaging with, and exposing, the ideas. And Alex Jones is not Bill O'Reilly: A good part of the inaugural episode was spent explaining itself to viewers. Who is this Alex Jones we are sending up? Here's a clip of him saying that the Clintons go to Haiti to "practice demon possession."

And here are some lesser "Opposition" targets/models from the alt-right fringe too: Dana Loesch, Tomi Lahren, Milo Yiannopoulos. They don't sound like middle-school civics teachers either. But if they need to be explained, are they ideal satire targets?

Brief introductions of the show's corps of correspondents  out-of-the-mainstream bloggers and radio hosts and the like  were like that moment in a novel where the author throws way too many characters at you in one chapter and you can only hope that their identities will start to become clear later on.

Subtract, too, a balky third-segment interview with author Kurt Andersen, and there wasn't much time left to see what this show actually intends to be.

What seemed clear, though, is that it isn't yet that full-on Jones parody we might have expected. Klepper has been clever in his "Daily Show" time, but his persona is cooler, more raised eyebrow than torn-off shirt. He invited Jones to spend time with him to "expose the deep state" and attend "a ropes-course weekend."

There is a long way to go for this program. It'll surely get a chance to find a voice that works for Klepper and for the conceit. It'll probably become bolder in its forays into inhabiting fringe ideas.

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But in its initial half-hour, it felt like people with first-rate skills delivering secondhand news. That, at least, is what I'm telling myself. Write in and let me know that you agree.

sajohnson@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @StevenKJohnson

[ RELATED: Chicago talent in front of and behind the camera on 'The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'  ]

[ Lena Waithe's historic Emmy brightens spotlight for 'The Chi'  ]

[ 'Daily Show' coming to Chicago this fall  ]







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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)
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The Heart of Recovery is a meditation and sharing support group with the purpose of bringing together the practice of meditation, the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings, and the Twelve Steps of Recovery with the goal of integrating the basic sanity of the Dharma and the basic goodness of meditation with our commitment to abstinence. We welcome all those who wish to share in these common interests.

There are no requirements to attend our meetings.

Suggested donation: $5
Chicago performers Chris Redd, left, and Luke Null, center, have been added to the cast of "Saturday Night Live," and former Chicagoan Gary Richardson joins the writing staff. (iO Theater)

"Saturday Night Live" announced Tuesday its new additions to the cast ahead of its season premiere this Saturday, including a pair of performers and one writer who are all from Chicago.

Chris Redd (who co-stars on the Netflix sitcom "Disjointed") and Luke Null, an improviser who has performed in several shows at iO Theater with the musical comedy troupe The Deltones, both join "SNL" as featured players.

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There is a sweet irony to Redd landing the job; one year ago, a single blog reported a rumor that he had been hired on "SNL" when that wasn't the case, putting Redd in an awkward spot: "I didn't want my career messed up because some blogger pushed send too quick," Redd told me. "And the dude wouldn't take down the post, so it ended up spreading and spreading."

This time out, news of his hiring is legit.

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An alum of iO Theater, The Annoyance and Second City, Redd is a Chicago native who originally wanted to be a rapper. It was only after seeing a commercial for Second City's 50th anniversary in 2009 that he thought, "Well, maybe I'm funny," he told me. "So I went and signed up for a class and that was eight years ago and now we're here." He also co-starred in the Andy Samberg music industry mockumentary "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping."

Null has a musical background as well and musical comedy is his sweet spot, including a folk song posted on YouTube that at first appears to be a commentary on the 2016 presidential election; the chorus reveals otherwise as he sings: "Clay Aiken shouda won Season 2 of 'American Idol'."

Null, who is originally from Ohio, has been in Chicago for three years and also performed at The Annoyance in "The Dead Boy Scout Musical" last year.

On the writing side, Gary Richardson has joined the staff. He is an alum of iO (performing with the first-rate all African-American improv team 3Peat) and The Annoyance.

For the past couple of years Richardson has been based in New York, where he was named one of Brooklyn magazine's 50 funniest people in 2016. When asked by the magazine about his career goals, he replied: "I'd love to get to a place where I'm working with the funniest people in the world and I'm funnier than all of them."

Also added as a writer is Steven Castillo, who took classes at iO and appeared in several independent shows there before moving to LA.

nmetz@chicagotribune.com

@Nina_Metz

[ RELATED: Vanessa Bayer leaving 'SNL'  ]

[ 'SNL' review: Melissa McCarthy takes her Sean Spicer act on the road, literally  ]

[ 'Saturday Night Live' adds Alex Moffat of Chicago  ]







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
After graduating from Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), Janeth is now attending the University of Illinois at Chicago, pursuing her master's degree in social work. (LAURA RODRIGUEZ/HOY)

One who does not risk anything, does not win anything," said Veronica Ortega, a mother of two undocumented youth, recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a measure that protects them from deportation and allows them to work legally in the United States.

"Despite so much frustration, I am staying positive and I continue to fight for my children," added the mother, who, along with her husband, brought her two children to the U.S. from Hidalgo, Mexico, about 15 years ago.

Since 2012, Ortegas children, Janeth and Omar Vazquez, have had work permits and Social Security numbers, thanks to DACA.

"It was a relief to know that my children would not have to work like their dad and I have to, in factories where they pay minimum wage and treat you badly," Ortega said from her home in a suburb of Chicago. "But with or without DACA, we made it very clear that they would go to college."



And they did.



After graduating from Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), Janeth is now attending the University of Illinois at Chicago, pursuing her master's degree in social work. Omar, a student at NEIU, hopes to graduate as a music teacher next spring.



Despite the Trump administrations recent announcement that DACA protections will be phased out beginning in March of 2018, Janeth, one of the nearly 800,000 recipients, says she's not willing to give up what they've accomplished.



"I'm willing to keep fighting, not just for DACA, my brother and I, but for my parents and the rest of my family, so we can all stay here together," Janeth said.

For Janeth, the removal of the program is an opportunity to pressure the government to legalize all undocumented people: not just the 'Dreamers,' but their parents as well.

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Those under DACA will be allowed to use their work permits until they expire, President Trump said, giving Congress 6 months to find a solution for these undocumented youth, before they begin to lose protections.

Those who have received work permits under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) will continue to be able to use them until they expire, according to the Trump administration.

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If a recipient's permit expires between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, that person can apply for renewal with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before October 5, 2017, explained immigration attorney Daniel Thomann.

Congress has until March 5, 2018 to decide the future of the almost 800,000 DACA recipients, who will also lose protection from deportation as the program is phased out.

In 2010, Janeth and other undocumented youth brought illegally to the U.S. as children came out of the shadows in support the Dream Act, a bill that would have given them legal status.



"We didnt get what we wanted, but at least we got DACA," said the young woman, "and we are not going to let it be taken away after we have created a life here, contributed economically and socially to this country.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 6 Janeth Vazquez muestra su permiso de trabajo y su carta de aprobacion en el programa de Accion Diferida. (LAURA RODRIGUEZ/HOY)



For Janeth, a fighting spirit is, more than anything, "being positive and taking risks," she said.



"We are already here. We lived here without DACA. There have always been deportations and the only thing we can do is continue the fight, Janeth said. As my mother said, one who does not risk, does not win. We have to think about our parents. We will always need comprehensive immigration reform, I will not get tired of saying that."




Reporting from WASHINGTON  Republicans' latest bid to roll back the Affordable Care Act appeared to collapse Monday as a third GOP senator came out against the measure and the Congressional Budget Office predicted major coverage losses should it become law.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who voted against the last Republican repeal bill, joined Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and issued a stern rebuke of her party's attempt to rush through a sweeping repeal proposal this week with just one public hearing and little independent analysis.

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"Part of the problem that we have had has been the lack of hearings, debates and careful consideration and vetting of the healthcare replacement bills," Collins said, renewing calls for Republicans and Democrats to work together on legislation to stabilize health insurance markets and protect consumers from rising costs.

With only 52 Republicans in the Senate and Democrats united in opposition, GOP leaders could afford to lose only two votes.

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Collins' announcement followed the release of a preliminary CBO analysis of a bill sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). The office predicted "the number of people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events would be reduced by millions."

It capped a frenetic day in Washington in which protesters flocked to Capitol Hill and Republican leaders seemed to retreat from their scramble to pass a repeal bill over the objections of nearly every major organization representing patients, physicians, hospitals and others in the healthcare system.

Monday afternoon, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) said GOP leaders would probably not be able to hold a vote this week as planned.

Even before Collins' announcement Monday, President Trump sounded increasingly downbeat about the bill's chances.

"We're going to lose two or three votes, and that's the end of that," Trump said Monday on Alabama radio's "Rick and Bubba Show," criticizing Republican senators for withholding their support after years of promising to repeal and replace the law. "They pander and they grandstand."

Senate Republicans were rushing to vote before a Sept. 30 deadline, after which they can no longer use a special rule that allows them to advance repeal legislation with only 50 votes instead of the 60 normally required to pass controversial bills in the Senate.

Plans for this week's vote remained uncertain Monday evening amid silence from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Senate Republican leaders and White House officials had been working furiously to round up votes in recent days.

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Trump called Collins on Monday, she told reporters. The president made a similar appeal to Paul over the weekend, Paul said.

Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price also made an effort to woo Collins, the independent Senate veteran.

At the same time, Graham and Cassidy made a series of last-minute changes to their proposal, promising to send more money to Maine, Arizona and Alaska in a clear effort to win over Collins, McCain and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who has voiced reservations about the repeal push and voted against the last repeal bill over the summer.

In a bid to win over Paul and other conservatives, Graham and Cassidy also appeared to further weaken consumer protections, giving states more authority to waive requirements under the current law, such as the prohibition on insurers charging sick people more for coverage.

In addition to Paul, Sen. Ted Cruz, speaking in his home state of Texas over the weekend, said that "right now they don't have my vote." He too remained unmoved Monday, but aides said he was trying to get to yes. Cruz said he did not think Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) was supporting the bill, either, though Lee's office said Monday that the senator was reviewing the latest version.

By Monday evening, other Republican senators began to voice similar reservations about the rush to pass the Graham-Cassidy proposal as well.

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"I have no idea what's in the bill," said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) "I think we need to move on from healthcare and do tax reform."

Cassidy and Graham have insisted Americans would not lose vital insurance protections under their bill, including the guarantee that they could get insurance even if they are sick.

"This plan protects those with preexisting conditions and gives states resources and flexibility to lower premiums and increase the number of Americans insured," Cassidy said Monday after releasing his latest proposal.

But the claims were undercut by the nonpartisan CBO, which predicted that most states would struggle with major cuts in funding and that some would roll back insurance protections for sick Americans.

"Some of the choices made by states could reduce enrollees' access to care," warned the budget office, which also noted that premiums would probably increase for some Americans, particularly those who need services like mental health treatment or expensive drugs.

The GOP proposal would not only roll back government programs created by the current law to guarantee Americans' health coverage, but it also would completely restructure the 52-year-old system of federal support for state Medicaid programs that currently cover about 70 million people.

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It would also dramatically cut future Medicaid funding that supports coverage for poor children, mothers, seniors and the disabled.

At the same time, the bill would give states broad new authority to remake their healthcare systems and waive many protections in the current law, including the requirement that health plans cover a basic set of benefits.

That prompted rising alarm among consumer advocates and others, who stepped up warnings Monday that the bill would be devastating to sick Americans.

"This bill is an even harsher version of the previous failed proposals that were overwhelmingly rejected by Americans," said Betsy Imholz, special projects director for Consumers Union. "It is not only a repeal of the Affordable Care Act  threatening key consumer protections and coverage requirements that ensure those with preexisting conditions have access to meaningful care  but also a historic undercutting of the Medicaid program."

On Monday, 36 current and former state insurance commissioners, including several Republicans, sent a strongly worded letter to congressional leaders urging them to reject the latest proposal.

"The Cassidy-Graham bill would increase the number of people without health coverage and severely disrupt states' individual insurance markets, with sharp premium increases and insurer exits likely to occur in the short term and over time," the commissioners wrote.

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And in yet another blow, analysts at S&P Global Ratings predicted Monday that the Graham-Cassidy proposal would result in the loss of nearly 600,000 jobs over the next decade.

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

@LisaMascaro

ALSO

Bannon's ouster could boost the powerful Koch network, which has surprising sway in Trump's White House

McCain's surprise vote doomed GOP healthcare bill, but did it open the door for Senate bipartisanship?

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Is this small-town congressman from New Mexico tough enough to win Democrats the House majority?

More coverage of Congress

More coverage of politics and the White House

UPDATES:

5:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional reaction and analysis.

3:35 p.m.: This article was updated after Collins said she would oppose the measure.

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3:10 p.m.: This article was updated after the CBO report was released.

10:55 a.m.: This article was updated with Trump's comments.

This article was originally published at 8:10 a.m.
Joe and Shane Mowery play with their 18-month-old daughter, Josslyn, at home in Orland Park before leaving for work on Sept. 7, 2017. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune). (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

When his first daughter was born in 2009, Brent Wright, like many parents, did not have paid paternity leave.

Unlike many parents, he and his spouse faced some unique challenges. Because both are men, neither parent had access to a paid maternity leave policy. Because they adopted, their time away from the office began with travel to a nearby city to meet the birth mother.

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To make time for bonding at home with their new daughter, they cobbled together vacation and sick days while Wright, 51, negotiated a leave of absence to stay home with newborn Olivia. Scrambling to finagle time with their daughter complicated their entry into parenthood.

"That was very stressful," Wright said.

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Wright is not alone. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees eligible workers up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave. But when it comes to paid paternity leave, just 14 percent of civilian workers had access to paid family leave in 2016, according to Pew Research Center.

In contrast, nearly every member of the European Union provides at least 14 weeks of paid maternity leave, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, and 84 countries offer some paid leave to fathers.

Limited leave policies disproportionately impact gay dads and adoptive parents, argues Paid Leave for the United States, an organization pushing for expanded paid leave. A June report examined policies at 44 of the country's largest employers and found the majority gave little or no paid parental leave to dads and adoptive parents. This makes the first weeks of parenthood for gay dads difficult  scrambling to find time to settle in a new son or daughter, securing and paying for child care.

The Wrights experienced what it was like to welcome a new member of the family with and without paid leave. Sandis Wright, second from left, with daughters Olivia and Noelle, and husband Brent Wright. (Wright family photo)

"The transition of parenthood can look really, really different for these families," said Abbie Goldberg, a psychology professor at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., whose research includes adoption dynamics and transitions to parenthood for same-sex couples. "The policies that we're seeing that are still in place continue to be gendered, and that's really problematic."

Beyond access to paid leave, gay dads face challenges straight couples don't, said Kenneth Matos, who researches work-life issues and is vice president at consulting firm Life Meets Work. Often, dads adopt, which can include travel and an unpredictable timeline. Surrogacy and adoption can also be expensive, leaving couples with less ability to sacrifice one spouse's salary by staying home. And dads with families who do not support them after they come out don't have a relative to call on for child care help.

Without paid leave, Joe and Shane Mowery rationed a year's worth of vacation days to take off two weeks together when their daughter, Josslyn, was born through a surrogate in March 2016. But the Orland Park, Ill., couple's respective careers  a metro president for Devry and a real estate attorney  didn't jell well with stepping completely away.

Shane, left, and Joe Mowery leave their 18-month-old daughter, Josslyn, with nanny Greta Bauza at their Orland Park home before heading to work recently. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

"We were both in a situation where there wasn't backup," said Joe Mowery, 39. "I was basically sitting at my computer all day long with her at my lap."

Limited paternity leave especially burdens gay dads adopting older children, who have an acute need for acclimation and bonding.

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"There's trust issues, or someone's been hopping around from foster home to foster home," said Eric Rosswood, an author and speaker on LGBT parenting issues. "They may be thinking, 'I'm not going to be here for very long until I go onto the next home.'"

The unpredictable nature of adoption can also complicate conversations with employers.

Adam Tarosky, 35, and Tyler Jeffrey, 33, became parents after a yearlong process with potential adoptions that fell through for various reasons.

"(Each time) we had to start thinking about and start saying to co-workers and saying to families, 'We're not sure where this is going to go,'" Jeffrey said. "You're thinking, 'Am I going to have to drop everything?'"

When they got the call about a baby almost due, it was March 4 of last year. Their son, Owen, was born March 10.

"We joke that we were pregnant for six days," Jeffrey said.

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The Washington, D.C., couple traveled to Tulsa, Okla., where they stayed for weeks while the adoption was finalized. Tarosky, a federal attorney, used saved-up sick and vacation days. Jeffrey, a real estate agent, negotiated time off while co-workers helped with clients.

"But you always want more time, especially with a new little one at home," Tarosky said.

Beyond work leave, adoption made finding a nanny or a slot in day care tricky.

"It's not like they can count on a nine-month lead time. They kind of wanted to know, 'When should we expect this child?'" Tarosky recalled. "And, of course, we couldn't tell them."

Even the process of securing paternity leave can be delicate for gay dads. Instead of announcing a pregnancy, they might tell employers that they plan to become parents, but they're not sure exactly when. In the case of adoption, advance notice is not always an option. With a surrogate, they may need time to travel. Professional conversations quickly become personal, and not all employers support gay employees.

All these complexities are why Rosswood, 37, penned the new book "The Ultimate Guide for Gay Dads: Everything You Need to Know About LGBTQ Parenting But Are (Mostly) Afraid to Ask."

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During his own experience adopting 4-year-old son Connor, born in Iowa while they lived in California, he and his husband encountered challenges not typically covered in basic parenting manuals  securing birth certificates, preparing travel documents, what to tell airport security guards wondering why two men are traveling with a newborn who doesn't look like them.

Eric Rosswood, left, with his husband, Mat, and their son, Connor. (Eric Rosswood)

Despite these unique obstacles, Rosswood said, many gay dads arrive at parenthood incredibly prepared. They often have waited years to become fathers, saving money for adoption and securing career stability. So although dads encounter challenges not faced by most straight couples, many said the ability to parent at all has been an unexpected gift.

Wright and his husband were together for 15 years before starting a family. They waited, in part, to secure financial stability and flexibility, but also because neither grew up with models for gay parenthood.

"It wasn't until we were together that long that we started to see that shift in society," he said.

Paid time off was key when their second daughter, Noelle, was born in 2012. When they said yes to a proposed adoption, "Twenty-four hours later we were notified she had gone into labor."

By then, working in a new job as the chief program officer at the Family Equality Council, Wright was able to combine the nongendered leave policy  employees can take at least four paid weeks of parental leave within 12 months of a birth, adoption or foster care placement  with accrued vacation and sick time to take three paid months.

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This allowed him to stay with toddler Olivia and ready their Andover, Mass., home while his husband traveled to Pennsylvania for the birth and to await adoption paperwork. A week later, all met in a Philadelphia hotel to welcome the newest member of their family  without the stress of juggling vacation days or fielding work demands.

"It was like a huge, huge pressure off my shoulders," Wright said. "The bonding piece of it is so important, and you really don't want to shortchange it."

abowen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @byalisonbowen

[ Paternity leave is key to building a family  ]

[ I was judged for taking paternity leave, but I still think all dads should  ]

[ Maternity leave and work: How much should parents disconnect?  ]






The conduct of detectives who convinced a learning disabled 16-year-old boy to confess to a rape and murder in the "Making a Murderer" case "made my skin crawl," a federal appeals court judge in Chicago said Tuesday.

But if 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Diane Wood's harsh criticism of police encouraged the family of Brendan Dassey  whose problematic conviction for a 2005 murder was highlighted in the hit Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer"  other judges on the seven judge panel considering the case gave encouragement to Wisconsin prosecutors who want to keep Dassey locked up.

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Dassey's mother, Barbara Dassey, and other relatives traveled from Manitowoc County to Chicago to hear oral arguments in the latest attempts to spring Dassey from a life sentence behind bars. He was convicted alongside his uncle Steven Avery after giving a video confession that his lawyers say was coerced by cops who took advantage of his severely limited intelligence and high suggestibility. Brendan also was let down by his original attorney, who later admitted he had been on the side of victim Teresa Halbach.

After the Netflix documentary gave the younger Dassey's appeal fresh impetus, a lower federal court last year ruled that he should be retried within 90 days or freed. A three-judge panel of 7th Circuit judges in June upheld that ruling 2-1, but Wisconsin asked for the case to be reconsidered by all seven judges.

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Pointed questions for Wisconsin prosecutor Luke Berg from the two judges who in June ordered Dassey be retried or freed, Ilana Rovner and Ann Claire Williams, suggested they are unlikely to change their minds.

And a series of sharp and at times sarcastic comments by Wood, including the comment that "the detectives made my skin crawl with this lulling behavior that was so dishonest, so dishonest, with such a vulnerable person," strongly hinted that she is likely also to side with Dassey.

But Judge Diane Sykes  mentioned by President Donald Trump as a possible U.S. Supreme Court justice  saved her fire for Dassey's attorney Laura Nirinder, accusing her of wanting the court to "create new law" by finding that detectives' promise to the simple-minded Dassey that "the truth will set you free" constituted a promise he would be released, given Dassey's IQ of just 81 and his literal-mindedness.

Along with Judge David Hamilton, who voted against freeing Dassey in June, and Judge Michael Kanne, who also saved his toughest questions for Nirinder, that would make three judges on each side.

While predicting how judges will rule based on oral arguments can be a mug's game, it could be that the deciding vote will be Judge Frank Easterbrook's. Often the fiercest inquisitor on the bench, Easterbrook was the only judge not to speak during Tuesday's hearing.

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews
A man shot to death in the Austin neighborhood Thursday has been identified as an Urbana man who previously lived in Chicago, according to authorities and court records.

Perry Stroger, 48, who police initially said was 58, was pronounced dead at 12:39 p.m. Thursday after being shot in the 5800 block of West Cortland Street, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Stroger lived in the 2400 block of Prairie Green Drive in Urbana, according to the office. Court records show he previously had lived in the Austin neighborhood.

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The man who was shot went up to a 32-year-old man and a fight ensued, police said Thursday. The younger man shot Stroger in the head, according to police.

The younger man was taken into custody for questioning, but was later released without charges, police said Monday.
An Austin neighborhood man shot in the alley behind his home early Saturday died days later, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

Darius Edwards, 28, was pronounced dead at 11:01 a.m. Saturday at Mount Sinai Hospital after being shot in the torso, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

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Edwards was shot about 12:05 a.m. Saturday while walking through an alley in the 5400 block of West Van Buren Street, according to police. Edwards lived in the same block, according to the medical examiner's office.

A maroon SUV drove up toward him and someone inside fired shots, according to Officer Thomas Sweeney, a police spokesman. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach area, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital.

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No one was in custody as Area North detectives investigated.

Althouth police released information on Edwards' shooting within hours of it happening, information on his having died was not released until Tuesday.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool and Chief Education Officer Janice Jackson answer questions on Sept. 7, 2017, at Maggiano's Banquets in Chicago. Claypool and Jackson sent a letter to district principals saying CPS will not cut an extra $35 million from schools that enrolled fewer students than expected following the term's first two weeks of classes. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Public Schools officials said the system will not cut an extra $35 million from schools that enrolled fewer students than expected following the term's first two weeks of classes.

CPS will also continue to spend more on buildings that beat district enrollment estimates. That means about $20 million extra is headed to a group of schools, the district said Monday.

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The "one-time" reprieve from some enrollment-based cuts still means schools that lost more students than CPS expected will lose some federal and state aid dollars. The district said those combined cuts would approach $2 million.

Schools have already seen tens of millions of dollars removed from their budgets this year due to a predicted population decline of about 8,000 students.

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"We hope that this one-time hold harmless effort provides your schools with much needed certainty for this school year and gives you time to plan for next year," CPS CEO Forrest Claypool and chief education officer Janice Jackson wrote in a letter to principals Monday.

Officials' proclamation to principals comes after the district used a combination of expensive debt and the promise of more money from state government to stave off some immediate financial pressure. The district must still finalize its annual budget plan.

Principals received slightly more money for each student this year, though a substantial portion of the increase was meant to pay for higher salaries etched into recent labor contracts.

Despite the increase in per-pupil funding, a projected enrollment decline of about 8,000 for the 2017-18 school year put district-operated schools in line to receive roughly $43 million less than they did last year.

The district's official head count will be finalized on the 20th day of classes.

jjperez@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @PerezJr
Residents react where one person was fatally shot and another was wounded Sept. 26, 2017, in the 7000 block of South Chappel Avenue in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Updated Sept. 29, 2017 10:45 a.m.  Two people were killed and four others were injured in city shootings on Tuesday into early Wednesday, Chicago police said.

In the most recent killing, a 44-year-old man was shot in the head on the Far South Side around 8:15 p.m. in the 12300 block of South Emerald Avenue in the West Pullman neighborhood. Witnesses told police that someone approached him on foot and fired shots. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

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The man was identified as Tony Goodrich, who lived on the same block where he was killed, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead at 8:32 p.m.

No one was in custody, police said.

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Around 12:45 p.m. on the South Side, a man was killed and another was seriously wounded in a South Shore shooting, according to police.

The attack occurred in the 7000 block of South Chappel Avenue, police said. Officers responding to a call of shots fired found both men shot in the head.



One of the men, Terry Barry, 21, was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He lived in the 7000 block of South Paxton Avenue.

The other man, 24, was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, police said.

In other shootings:

Around 1:25 a.m. Wednesday on the South Side, an 18-year-old man was shot in both sides, his shoulder and his elbow in the Washington Park neighborhood. The man was the passenger in a car in the 5700 block of South Prairie Avenue when someone fired shots at him from a gray truck, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. No one else was injured.

On the Far South Side just before 9:05 p.m. Tuesday, a 15-year-old boy was shot in the back while walking in the Rosemoor neighborhood, police said. He was walking in the first block of East 101st Street when someone in a silver sedan fired shots at him, police said. He was taken to Comer Children's Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

About 8:15 p.m. on the South Side, a 20-year-old man was shot in the abdomen in the 7100 block of South Aberdeen Street in the Englewood neighborhood. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition. He was at his residence when someone fired shots at him, police said.

No other details were released. Check back for updates.
The South Side street in West Englewood teemed with people late into the night Monday as family and friends gathered to remember Angelo "Lolo" Hogan, a 17-year-old boy who killed himself at a daycare center on the block.



They dressed in special gold and black shirts and released 18 ballons to commemorate his birthday. Hours later, they would be hit with tragedy once again, just a block from where Hogan died.



Officers responding to a call of shots fired found Hogan's cousin, Christopher Hardrick, shot to death in the 6600 block of South Oakley Avenue around 2:35 a.m. Tuesday. His body was slumped against a gate. Remnants of the vigil could be seen up the street: a balloon tied to an iron fence, plastic cups on the ground.



The officers placed a white sheet over his body. Relatives said he had been shot five times in the face and abdomen. He was 28 and worked as a custodian in Chicago libraries and police stations, they said.



"It's every damn day," Hogan's uncle said as he stood by the crime tape.

(Elyssa Cherney / Chicago Tribune)

Another relative said he couldn't watch detectives photograph the body because it reminded him of Hogan's death last month. He left the scene, saying he had to take care of his mother.



Family members said they couldn't understand why someone would target Hardrick. "He's got to be one of the most passive, sweetest guys you can be," said his aunt, Tammie Hardrick, 52.



Tammie Hardrick and her husband said they tried to warn their nephew about hanging out with a group of friends who could be a bad influence.



"I don't think he deserved this," said the uncle, Anthony Hardrick, 54. "If he was gang-banging out here, you would expect this.



"But he wasn't gang-banging. We tried to talk to him. He thought his friends were his friends, but they weren't."
Warning: Graphic language. The Cook County medical examiners office released 911 calls in the Sept. 2, 2015, death of off-duty Chicago police Sgt. Donald Markham at his home in the Norwood Park community. The calls were made by his wife, Dina Markham. (Cook County medical examiner)

Authorities on Monday released 911 calls made in the September 2015 death of an off-duty Chicago police sergeant, an investigation that's been reopened by federal and local authorities as a possible homicide.

The shooting death of Donald Markham was initially classified as a suicide, but after questions were raised about his death, the FBI, Cook County state's attorney's office and Chicago's inspector general's office launched investigations into the shooting, including how Chicago police handled the crime scene.

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A mortally wounded Markham was found by his wife, Dina Markham, also a Chicago police officer, in the family's home in the Northwest Side's Norwood Park community. Dina Markham died of an accidental drowning in a bathtub at the same home in May, authorities have said.

In the 911 recordings released by the Cook County medical examiner's office, a distraught Dina Markham told an emergency dispatcher that her husband was unresponsive and bleeding from his head, and that she needed an ambulance to come to the home.

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"Please hurry!" she said in her first 911 call made at 3:06 a.m. "He's a PO (police officer).  There's blood all over the bed."

Dina Markham called 911 two more times, still asking for an ambulance.

"Why can't you send one?...I need one now," she pleaded.

The medical examiner's office has said Donald Markham, 51, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and ruled his death a suicide. Dina Markham, a 22-year Chicago police veteran, told investigators at the time that she and her husband had been drinking and arguing before he shot himself in the bedroom of their Northwest Side home.

Then over the past Memorial Day weekend, Dina Markham, 47, was found dead in a bathtub at the family home.

The medical examiner's office ruled she died of an accidental drowning after consuming a dangerous mix of alcohol and the powerful anti-anxiety drug alprazolam, commonly sold under the brand name Xanax.

The Tribune has reported that at the time of Dina Markham's death, the FBI and Cook County prosecutors in the special prosecutions division  which handles cases of police misconduct  were investigating whether Donald Markham's death may have been a homicide and if the crime scene had been tampered with.






Former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in downtown Chicago on Sept. 26, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds' misdemeanor tax trial digressed into allegations of large-scale international bribery on Tuesday as the former lawmaker accused a prominent Chicago developer of paying kickbacks to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe in the hopes of starting a lucrative diamond mine operation.

Reynolds, 65, is representing himself at the trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on four misdemeanor counts of failing to file an income tax return. Prosecutors alleged he hid more than $400,000 from the Internal Revenue Service that he collected for consulting work he did in Africa on behalf of two wealthy Chicago businessmen, including clout-heavy real estate developer Elzie Higginbottom.

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Higginbottom testified Tuesday he partnered with Reynolds in 2009 on a venture seeking business in Zimbabwe and agreed to pay him $10,000 a month for his consulting services. Under questioning by prosecutors, Higginbottom said he pulled the plug on the operation in 2012 after Reynolds managed to make only one deal  a contract to sell latex gloves to Zimbabwe hospitals that ultimately lost more than $100,000.

But in a lengthy cross-examination, Reynolds, a twice-convicted felon, accused Higginbottom of using the company they formed, Sub-Sahara LLC, to funnel bribes to members of Mugabe's regime in order to start a diamond mine operation in that country. Higginbottom, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, flatly denied the allegations.

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"Didn't you have a deal with Robert Mugabe for a diamond concession in Zimbabwe?" Reynolds asked during one testy exchange.

"No, I did not," Higginbottom replied.

Later, after prosecutors and Reynolds huddled in a lengthy sidebar with U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, Reynolds returned to the podium and asked about an alleged deal between Higginbottom and Mugabe to split the proceeds of the mine 50-50. Higginbottom again denied the accusation.

Reynolds also asked a series of questions about a check for $100,000 that Higginbottom reportedly sent to a close associate of Mugabe from the Sub-Sahara account. When Higginbottom said he didn't recall sending the money, Reynolds turned toward the judge and gestured with his hands as though he couldn't believe the answer.

"You're running a company, obviously very well, and you don't know whether you sent $100,000 to someone in Africa?" Reynolds asked incredulously.

Higginbottom did acknowledge meeting in 2012 with a delegation of Zimbabwean officials  including the country's minister of mining  in the Washington offices of U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago. Reynolds, who was also at the meeting, claimed in his questioning that Higginbottom was angry with him at the time because he thought Reynolds had screwed up the mining deal.

"That's not what happened," Higginbottom testified.

"In fact, that's exactly what happened, isn't it?" Reynolds shouted.

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The judge immediately sustained objections from prosecutors over the improper form of the question.

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The investigation into Reynolds' dealings in Zimbabwe coincided with a criminal probe into two longtime Chicagoans who were charged in 2013 with lobbying on behalf of top Zimbabwe government officials in an attempt to lift U.S. economic sanctions against the southern African nation. Both C. Gregory Turner and Prince Asiel Ben Israel were convicted.

Reynolds has pleaded not guilty to the four-count indictment, claiming the money he was paid was for travel and other expenses, not income, and therefore did not need to be reported to the IRS.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Reynolds, who studied law at Oxford University, has mostly fared well while acting as his own lawyer, although Gettleman has given him broad leeway when questioning witnesses. Occasionally, the judge has had to tell Reynolds to stop trying to make arguments or to move to a different topic, and Reynolds has at times appeared frustrated when prosecutors objected to his line of questioning.

Prosecutors are expected to rest their case Wednesday, and Reynolds is considering testifying on his own behalf. If he does, his standby counsel could step up and ask questions on Reynolds' behalf to avoid the awkwardness of Reynolds trying to question himself.

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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jmetr22b






Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks about free speech at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington on Sept. 26, 2017. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP)

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will continue the court fight with Mayor Rahm Emanuel over whether the federal government can require sanctuary cities nationwide to cooperate with immigration agents in exchange for receiving public safety grant money.

President Donald Trump's Justice Department announced Tuesday it will ask the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the Emanuel administration's win earlier this month. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber ruled the city had shown it could suffer "irreparable harm" in its relationship with the immigrant community if it were to comply with the Justice Department's new rules.

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"Once such trust is lost, it cannot be repaired through an award of money damages, making it the type of harm that is especially hard to rectify," Leinenweber wrote.

Sessions wants a stay of the ruling, which prohibited the federal government from tying Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants for cities nationwide to Sessions' proposed immigration policies.

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The Justice Department wants to require cities applying for the annual grants for public safety technology to give notice when immigrants in the country illegally are about to be released from custody and allow immigration agents access to local jails.

The new regulations, announced by Sessions in July, also would require local authorities to give 48 hours' notice "where practicable" before releasing from custody people whom federal immigration agents suspect of being in the country illegally.

"Defendant respectfully believes both that the notice and access conditions are lawful and, separately, that a nationwide injunction is improper here," the Justice Department wrote in its memorandum in support of staying the injunction.

In a statement Tuesday, Emanuel said his administration would "fight the Trump Justice Department's unlawful attack on Chicago's values any time, any place, because we are on the right side morally and the right side legally."

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne
Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he will create a process to replace Sharon Fairley as the head of COPA. Sept. 26, 2016. (John Byrne / Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday declined to say how much input community members will have in finding a new head of the just-launched police oversight agency that's a key piece of his effort to increase public trust in the Chicago Police Department.

Talking to reporters for the first time since sources acknowledged Monday that Sharon Fairley had told the mayor she was planning to step down to run for attorney general, Emanuel offered few specifics about the search for a successor.

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"We're going to have a process to  I'm going to be naming a process, working with a lot of different people, working, and I've had a number of discussions with individuals about how to create a process that has input to have a set of names that reflect, I think, the independence and authority that we've built over the past 22 months," Emanuel said.

The mayor praised Fairley and said she has left the agency ready to carry on without her. Fairley took over the widely distrusted Independent Police Review Authority following the crisis sparked by the fatal shooting of black teen Laquan McDonald by a white police officer, turning the agency into the new Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

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"The good news is, because she dedicated herself over the last 18 to 22 months, we're in a stronger position, and stronger that it's not dependent on one individual," Emanuel said. "But she is a real leader."

Civilian Office of Police Accountability chief administrator Sharon Fairley is shown at the COPA office on Chicago Avenue on Sept. 7, 2017. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

The mayor has a difficult challenge in replacing Fairley, in part because she has engendered little pushback from community activists.

In addition, nearly 18 months ago, Emanuel's handpicked Police Accountability Task Force recommended that the city create a community oversight board to monitor law enforcement and pick COPA's leader, with the goal of shielding the agency from politics.

Emanuel has said he would create the board, but deferred to community groups' requests to help design it, his aides have said. The groups have been working on recommendations, but those have yet to emerge.

Emanuel said after a jobs announcement Tuesday that he would "be naming shortly an interim person" to head the police oversight agency.

Fairley, who has declined interview requests, would be joining a Democratic attorney general primary field that includes state Sen. Kwame Raoul of Chicago and state Rep. Scott Drury of Highwood. Attorney Erika Harold has the support of top Republicans, including Gov. Bruce Rauner.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon speaks at a rally for U.S. Senate hopeful Roy Moore, on Sept. 25, 2017, in Fairhope, Ala. (Brynn Anderson / AP)

Sen. Luther Strange and challenger Roy Moore made their final push Monday to sway voters ahead of Alabama's Republican runoff for U.S. Senate, a race that's pitted President Donald Trump against his former strategist, Steve Bannon.

Trump called an Alabama radio show Monday to urge support for Strange in Tuesday's runoff for the GOP nomination, and Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Strange in Birmingham while Bannon spoke at a Moore rally at the coast.

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Taking the stage to prolonged applause, Bannon said Alabama can show the world "that this populist, nationalist, conservative movement is on the rise."

"A vote for Roy Moore is a vote for Donald J. Trump," Bannon said. Bannon lashed out at negative ads funded by allies of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Bannon said Republican "elites" had put millions of dollars into the Alabama race "to destroy a man."

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"Now is that going to work?" Bannon asked. "No!" the crowd roared. Bannon added that those same GOP leaders "think you're a bunch of morons" and "rubes."

Wearing a white cowboy hat and a black leather vest, Moore repeated the conservative Christian themes that he has used his entire public career, quoting Bible passages and Colonial leaders at length.

"All of Washington is watching to see what Alabama does tomorrow," Moore said.

Strange, Alabama's former attorney general, was appointed to the seat previously held by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in February. Moore is the state's Alabama's chief justice, but was twice removed from that office because of stands for the public display of the Ten Commandments and against gay marriage.

Propelled by his support from evangelical voters, Moore led Strange by about 25,000 votes in the crowded August primary and runoff polls have shown him leading, or in a dead heat with, Strange. Strange looked to help from the White House to try to avoid another second-place finish Tuesday

Trump, who held a rally Friday in Huntsville for Strange, continued his efforts Monday, calling a popular Alabama radio show to campaign. Trump predicted that Moore, whom he mistakenly called "Ray," would have a "hard time" in the December election against Democrat Doug Jones.

"Luther Strange is going to be a great senator. He already has, and he has already helped me," Trump said on the "Rick & Bubba" radio show.

On Monday evening, Pence spoke to several hundred Strange supporters in at airplane hangar in Birmingham, praising Strange's record of helping the Trump administration.

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"Luther Strange is a real conservative. He's a leader and a real friend to President Trump. I got to tell you, Big Luther has been making a big difference in Washington," Pence said before exiting the stage to the tune of "Sweet Home Alabama."

"Tomorrow, there's a lot on the line," Strange said, speaking in front of a large American flag to introduce Pence. "For the vice president and the president and of the United States to come here on my behalf means more than I can possibly say."

Walking into the humid hangar to hear Pence, 57-year-old Randy Beasley of Springville said he had been undecided in the race but was swayed to vote for Strange because of his backing from the National Rifle Association. Beasley said he also had concerns that the twice-ousted chief justice "might have more of a negative image for the state."

Although Trump has endorsed Luther Strange, many in the crowd at the Moore rally wore Trump T-shirts or "Make America Great Again" hats.

Chu Green, 71, of Mobile said she arrived five hours early to snag a front row spot just feet from the speaker's microphone. She held up a sign reading: "Mr. President and Mr. V.P. I love you but you are wrong! America needs Judge Moore."

"It's how I feel in my heart," Green said. "I think (Trump) knows he made a mistake. He had an obligation to Strange."
WASHINGTON  Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone says there is "not one shred of evidence" that he was involved with Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Stone is defending himself in a lengthy statement released ahead of a closed-door appearance before the House intelligence committee Tuesday. He has also released a series of supporting documents, including direct messages he exchanged with Guccifer 2.0, the unnamed hacker who has taken credit for breaking into Democratic National Committee email servers.

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"While some may label me a dirty trickster, the members of this committee could not point to any tactic that is outside the accepted norms of what political strategists and consultants do today. I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support," Stone said in the prepared statement. "There is one 'trick' that is not in my bag and that is treason."

Stone, a Republican strategist who has known Trump for many years and informally advised him during the 2016 campaign, also denies he had advance knowledge of the leak of former Clinton Campaign chairman John Podesta's emails and says he never colluded with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He has long denied that he worked with Russian officials to influence the presidential election.

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"I recognize that those who believe that there was collusion between the Trump camp and the Russian state, now say Stone, 'MUST HAVE' been involved, but that is not based on one shred of evidence," Stone writes. This is nothing more than conjecture, supposition, projection, allegation, and coincidence, none of it proven by evidence or fact."

Stone's interview comes as the House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into the Russian meddling and possible links to Trump's campaign. Stone has been part of the investigation partly because he has said he communicated during the presidential campaign with Guccifer 2.0.

Stone is, for the first time, releasing those communications, which he says are "innocuous." The direct messages on Twitter, exchanged over a monthlong period, show Stone first congratulating Guccifer for being reinstated on Twitter after he was kicked off, and asking that the account retweet a tweet about how the election could be rigged against Trump. Guccifer writes, "I'm pleased to say that u r great man .... please tell me if I can help u anyhow."

Stone doesn't respond again until several weeks later, when Guccifer asks him about an article on a Democratic turnout model. Stone replies "pretty standard."

On WikiLeaks, Stone said he was kept apprised of Assange's plans to release the Podesta emails by a journalist he said served as an "intermediary." He did not name the journalist.

Stone has been outspoken in his own defense and asked for his House appearance to be public. But he said the House panel insisted on holding the session behind closed doors.

His statement is heavy on criticism for California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, who suggested in March that Stone had a direct line to Russian hackers based on his comments predicting the release of former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails. "Shame on you, Mr. Schiff," he writes.

As his statement was released, Stone held court with about five dozen supporters at the Trump Hotel Monday night, taking photos with the group and offering the Nixon "V'' victory sign at one point.

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The House panel will also interview former Trump staffer Boris Epshteyn this week, according to a source familiar with the interview. The person declined to be named because the panel's meetings are private.

Epshteyn, who grew up in Moscow, worked a short time in the White House press office. He left in March and now works as a political analyst for right-leaning Sinclair Broadcasting.

The interviews come as the House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into the meddling and scrutinizing the spread of false news stories and propaganda on social media. The Senate intelligence committee will speak to officials from Twitter Thursday, also behind closed doors.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is also investigating the Russian meddling. In a letter Monday, the chairman and top Democrat on that panel asked the CIA to provide the committee with the same materials that have been provided to the Senate intelligence committee.

Russian interference falls "squarely within the Judiciary Committee's jurisdiction," wrote Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in the Rose Garden of the White House on Sept. 26, 2017. (Alex Brandon / AP)

WASHINGTON  When President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday that Iran had "just test-fired" a missile, he seemed to know something the rest of the government did not. Turns out, he did not.

There was no Iranian ballistic missile launch, three U.S. officials said Tuesday.

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Iran's Revolutionary Guard had used a military parade on Friday to display its Khoramshahr medium-range ballistic missile, which is capable of reaching Israel and much of the Middle East. That same day, video of the test firing of a Khoramshahr aired on Iranian state TV. The time or location of the test was not mentioned in the report, and it appears that the video footage was from a failed Iranian missile test earlier this year.

It's unclear where Trump got his information, but it apparently did not come from U.S. intelligence agencies, which keep a continuous lookout for missile launches around the globe. As president, Trump could easily have checked with the CIA or other intelligence agencies to verify whether Iran had actually test-fired a missile.

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In his tweet he renewed his criticism of the nuclear agreement reached with Iran during the Obama administration.

"Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel," he wrote. "They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!"

The nuclear agreement is designed to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb but does not prohibit it from developing missiles.

Among the three officials who said there was no Iranian missile launch last week, one said officials who work on Iran issues were caught off guard by Trump's tweet. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an intelligence issue.

Trump has suggested he might seek to renegotiate the nuclear deal or abandon it. He told the U.N. General Assembly last week that the accord was "nothing short of an embarrassment" and the "worst one-sided deal perhaps in American history."

Officials have said Trump might use the Oct. 15 deadline for certifying to Congress whether Iran is in compliance with the nuclear deal to either declare Iran in violation or determine that the agreement is no longer in the national security interest of the U.S.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that Iran is adhering to its obligations under the nuclear agreement, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He stressed that his concern is about Iran's behavior in other areas, such as its development of ballistic missiles and its support for extremist groups.

Dunford declined to say publicly what advice he has given Trump on whether to recertify Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal.
On Monday, the Supreme Court put off  at least for now  a hearing on Trump's previous travel ban, asking instead for briefs on whether the latest restrictions mean there is nothing left for the justices to decide.

Opponents of the ban, meanwhile, vowed to fight on  asserting that the new measure inflicted some of the same harms of the first, and that it was driven by the same discriminatory intent.

"For us, this was a Muslim ban, and it remains a Muslim ban," said Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the San Francisco chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The newest ban is in some ways even more expansive than the last  remaining in effect indefinitely, and imposing restrictions on eight, rather than six, countries. But unlike the last ban, the restrictions vary from place to place, and countries that increase their cooperation and information-sharing with the United States might be able to find their way off the list.

For Syria and North Korea, the president's proclamation blocks immigrants wanting to relocate to the United States and non-immigrants wishing to visit in some capacity. For Iran, the proclamation blocks both immigrants and non-immigrants, though it exempts students and those participating in a cultural exchange.

The proclamation blocks people from Chad, Libya and Yemen from coming to the United States as immigrants or on business or tourist visas, and it blocks people from Somalia from coming as immigrants. The proclamation names Venezuela, but it only blocks certain government officials.

A Washington Post review of State Department data found that more than 65,000 visas were issued in fiscal 2016 that would now likely fall under the ban. The ban, though, contains a robust list of people who might qualify for a case-by-case exception, including for those with significant U.S. contacts or those wanting to visit close family members.

The ban, too, exempts those already admitted to the United States on the effective date of the proclamation  which, for those not affected by the previous travel ban, is Oct. 18.

The Supreme Court had been set to hear arguments on Trump's previous travel ban, inked in March, but on Monday it removed that hearing from the calendar and asked for briefs on whether the case was now moot.

One significant piece of the previous executive order  the 120-day ban on all refugees entering the United States  remains in effect until Oct. 24. The latest ban leaves unclear what will happen after that. U.S. officials have been discussing possibly lowering the refugee cap for fiscal 2018 to below 50,000. The fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Many legal observers think the new directive will make moot the court's examination of the second executive order. While the court's three most conservative justices  Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch  would have allowed Trump's order to go into effect as written, the rest of the court has looked for a middle ground.

"It's hard to see how the court will have much appetite to decide" the merits of the dispute with a new order in place, Kannon Shanmugam, a Washington, D.C., lawyer who argues frequently before the court, said last week.

In their initial briefs, lawyers for challengers of the executive order  immigrant groups and the state of Hawaii  as well as the Justice Department argued that the case was not moot. Those arguments came before the latest order was issued, but with an awareness that the ban could expire before the court heard the case. After the new proclamation was released, Solicitor General Noel Francisco suggested to the justices that they order new briefings from the parties about how it affected the case.

Opponents of the ban were largely mum on what the legal path forward would be.

"It does continue to injure our current plaintiffs," said Justin Cox, a staff attorney at the National Immigration Law Center.

To establish the new ban, U.S. officials conducted a worldwide review of the information countries were able to provide on their travelers wanting to come to the United States.

Initially, 16 countries were deemed inadequate, and 31 were at risk of becoming inadequate, authorities said. U.S. officials then negotiated with foreign counterparts, ultimately producing a list of eight countries that were either unable or unwilling to provide the information the United States wanted.

Sudan was dropped from the ban list, and its removal is noteworthy in part because it is one of just three countries designated by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. The other two, Iran and Syria, remain on the travel ban list.

Chad, North Korea and Venezuela were added. Those in Chad, in particular, seemed surprised.

"The reaction has been astonishment and then indignation," said Nour Ibedou, director of the Chadian Human Rights Association. "We do not understand how our country achieved this lack of trust from the United States."

Administration officials can now point to Venezuela and North Korea as being non-Muslim majority countries on the banned list - perhaps undercutting the argument of opponents that the measure is meant to fulfill Trump's campaign promise of a Muslim ban. But ban opponents note that the restrictions on Venezuela affect only government officials, and few people from North Korea travel to the United States.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said the new ban was an "unfounded strategy" against the South American country.

"We're looking for dialogue, we're looking for channels," he said. "We have to stop the madness and irrationality."

If the Supreme Court case over the ban is declared moot, there could be disagreement on what happens next. The government wants the high court to vacate the two appellate court decisions that said Trump's executive order could not be enforced and the precedent that would come with them. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit said the order violated federal law, while the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said Trump's ban was unconstitutional.

There is precedent for the Supreme Court to vacate those rulings. In a 1950 ruling in a case called United States v. Munsingwear, the court held that where intervening mootness prevents review of a lower court's decision, that decision should be vacated. But challengers of the ban assert in their briefs that should not be the result in this case here.

The new ban could also face new legal challenges. But legal analysts said those suing would probably face immense hurdles.

"My prediction is that given the importance of these powers, it's very likely that the court will hold that the new measure contains the type of rigorous analysis and measured policy choices necessary to pass constitutional muster," said Leon Fresco, who worked in the office of immigration litigation in President Barack Obama's Justice Department. "And, I do not see the Supreme Court holding any part of this new directive unconstitutional."
The son of an Egyptian ambassador and the grandson of the first president of the Egyptian Senate who helped draft that country's first constitution, M. Cherif Bassiouni had unyielding principles and a pedigree and personality that opened doors.

But it was seven months under house arrest in Cairo for protesting human rights abuses that sealed his commitment to fighting for accountability and rule of law around the world. He eventually became a chief architect of the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

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Bassiouni, 79, died of complications from cancer in his Streeterville home Monday, according to Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago.

"Cherif was a dreamer, but a practical dreamer," said Doug Cassel, who co-founded DePaul University's International Human Rights Law Institute with Bassiouni in 1990. "He believed sooner or later the time would come when the world would see the wisdom of what he was advocating and he was right. He was advocating the use of international criminal law and international criminal courts to deter and punish the worst abuses against human rights."

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During his tenure, he investigated war crimes in Bosnia, worked behind the scenes for Middle East peace, monitored human rights in Afghanistan and helped craft Iraq's new constitution after setting up the tribunal that tried the country's former dictator, Saddam Hussein.

But despite his international renown, including 22 United Nations appointments, Bassiouni remained accessible, especially to college students who would knock on his office door to introduce themselves.

"It would be difficult for a student of international criminal law anywhere in the world not to have been assigned one of his works on the path to graduation," Rehab said.

Born in Cairo in 1937, Bassiouni immigrated to the United States in 1962. He earned a law degree from Indiana University in 1964 and began teaching at DePaul University.

After pursuing more legal education in Egypt, France, Switzerland, John Marshall Law School and George Washington University, he co-founded the institute at DePaul.

In 1992, he was appointed chairman of the United Nations' Commission of Experts to Investigate Violations of Humanitarian Law in the former Yugoslavia, a post that laid the groundwork for the trial of Slobodan Milosevic.

More than a decade later, Bassiouni was appointed the U.N. independent expert for the human rights situation in Afghanistan.

Cassel said Bassiouni lobbied for an international criminal court to protect human rights through the decades that included the Cold War, a time when diplomats, government leaders and legal experts thought the concept was too idealistic.

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"The world caught up with Cherif in the early 1990s with the war in Yugoslavia and the genocide in Rwanda," Cassel said.

Bassiouni believed the best scholars are those in touch with the real world and the best peacekeepers stay on top of the latest scholarship, Cassel said. He also believed a country's culture had to change before people could be expected to abide by the rule of law.

In fact, Bassiouni put his life on the line in war-torn countries more than once to fulfill his mission. In a Cessna plane flying low over Sarajevo, he sat on a flak jacket to avoid getting shot by snipers below. He arrived minutes after a suicide bomb tore through a police station in Fallujah, Iraq. He was nearly shot to death in his bed inside a Bosnian hotel.

"In every society where there is war, you have this strange juxtaposition of madness and serenity, of war and peace," Bassiouni told the Tribune in 2006. "It doesn't mean you can't create a civil society."

Bassiouni's unyielding style earned him critics. After the war in the former Yugoslavia, British diplomats resented his efforts to prioritize criminal prosecutions, for fear that punishing those who committed war crimes would interfere with peace negotiations.

In the end, "his efforts contributed greatly to the fact that the leading perpetrators of war crimes were ultimately brought to justice and peace was achieved," Cassel said.

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In 1994, the U.S. government terminated his post as a U.N. monitor in Afghanistan after Bassiouni accused American military forces and civilian contractors of abusing and torturing prisoners in U.S.-run detention centers there.

Bassiouni also stood up against discrimination against Muslims on American soil.

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Rehab was a 21-year-old software engineering student at DePaul when he knocked on Bassiouni's office door 20 years ago to introduce himself. He credits Bassiouni for charting his new career course and inspiring him to start Chicago's chapter of CAIR, a leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy group.

"He inspired me to enter this field with his example of fighting for justice and human rights, which civil rights is only a part of," Rehab said.

Rehab said one of the few times he got angry with Bassiouni was during the Egyptian revolution of 2011, when Rehab and his peers were convinced that the uprising would oust President Hosni Mubarak and usher in a less corrupt regime. Bassiouni did not share their optimism and, in the end, his prediction was correct.

"He supported the fight for freedom, but he predicted where it would go under the current conditions of military rule," Rehab said. "What we could see on the streets was energy, positive aspirations of the people. We thought, 'You live in an old world of defeatism.' In our private conversations, we said the old fox got it right again."

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Bassiouni is survived by his wife, Elaine Klemen-Bassiouni; a stepdaughter, Lisa Capitanini; and two grandchildren.

mbrachear@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @TribSeeker
The ocial Security Administration's main campus is seen in Woodlawn, Md., in January 2013. More than 1 million Americans are waiting for a hearing to see whether they qualify for disability benefits from Social Security. Their average wait will be nearly two years, longer than some of them will live. (Patrick Semansky / AP)

ABC News recently reported that the backlog of Americans waiting to see if they qualify for disability assistance from Social Security has swollen to 1 million people and that thousands have died while waiting for the agency to deal with their cases. What they didn't report is that thousands have also lived while waiting for the agency to deal with our cases. And that can be just as bad.

I was born in 1968 in York, Penn. My birth parents were semitruck drivers, so we bounced around the country quite a bit while I was growing up. As a child, I was placed in foster care, and by 21, after working for a time in a warehouse, I, too went into truck driving.

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Driving, loading and unloading trucks is not an easy business on the body. But as a young person, feeling invincible, I didn't think much of it. I got married in 1997 and realized that being gone all the time wasn't a great thing. So I left truck driving and went to trade school to become a locksmith. I love working with my hands, tinkering with things and figuring out how they work, so the job was a natural fit. But by lifting and moving heavy safes without proper equipment, I damaged my back even more than I already had driving trucks.

And I paid for it. In April 2013, I woke up with a nasty pain in my back that I couldn't shake. I kept thinking it would get better if I just ignored it, and I liked working  I always have  so I put it aside and pressed on without telling anyone in my lock shop what was going on.

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But the pain just got worse. I finally saw a doctor, who told me I had degenerating discs in my back, neuropathy in both legs and sciatica. I had cut back my hours, and at that time a co-worker suggested I apply for Social Security Disability Insurance. I thought about it  after all, I don't believe much in taking handouts. But I felt as if I had paid into it, so I should be able to benefit from it. I applied.

The agency ruled that, because I was still gainfully employed, though at very reduced hours, I didn't qualify for SSDI. So, I kept working, and things kept getting worse. By August 2015, my boss tearfully called me into his office and said: "Eric, I'm sorry  I have got to let you go. You need help, and you can't keep up anymore." He was right. I did need help.

Now without any job, I applied anew for SSDI. The agency hadn't been slow about denying my claim the first time around, so I figured it would be relatively quick to approve it now that I met all the conditions. I was wrong.

Time stretched on without my working. My wife had just started her own hair-styling business  her dream. But as bills came due and weeks went with no word from Social Security, our savings began to run out. The agency fought me at every turn: When I requested updates, it would tell me that my case was moving along, and nothing more. Every few months it sent another pack of papers to fill out: what were my current conditions, was I working, and so forth. I would dutifully fill out the packets and send them back in, and I would hear nothing. All the while, our money dwindled away.

My wife and I began selling our things. We had to sell our car, and I sold my motorcycle, which I had built from the ground up. It wasn't anything special, nothing fancy; but it was something I put a lot of time and sweat into. I sold it to cover living expenses for about four months. We sold our furniture, and my wife took her clothes to a secondhand consignment shop in Las Vegas to sell them too. I had 23 remote-controlled cars that I had accumulated over many years, one of my hobbies. I had to sell the entire collection. Kitchen appliances and everything else we could think of to put up for sale went too.

On Feb. 12, 2016, my wife and I officially became homeless. We decided to leave Nevada for Arizona, where we would move in with my wife's parents. When we left our home, we rented a 17-foot U-Haul truck, and we didn't fill even half of it. That was all we had left in our world. We also left behind my wife's brand-new business. But the worst part was leaving our grown daughter, the most important thing in our lives. We waved goodbye to her and went to Arizona.

Meanwhile, my medical expenses piled up, costing about $500 a month: about $200 to see a pain management doctor and roughly $300 more for my medications. The Safeway pharmacy here in Chino Valley is amazing  it gave me every possible discount on my medications, but it was still a lot to spend, especially with nothing coming in. There were times when I could not fill my prescriptions because I simply didn't have the money.

Finally, in August 2016, Social Security let me know I qualified for assistance. It will still be a little while before I qualify for Medicaid, but the relief of receiving the disability assistance I'm entitled to was enormous.

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So now we're rebuilding. We're living on our own again, in a loft apartment over a garage. My wife is cutting hair again, and she still dreams about going into business for herself one day. I dream of opening up a key shop of my own, with every possible key blank known to mankind  after all, I still love my trade, and I still want to work. But dreams are mostly what we have. If the agency had approved my case in a timely manner, we would never have left Nevada, our lives, our house and our daughter, and we never would have lost everything we had built over our 21 years of marriage.

The Washington Post

Eric Harwood is a medically retired locksmith.
Darkness falls on downtown San Juan which remains without power. Puerto Rico officials say it will likely be four to six months before power is fully restored across the U.S. territory of 3.5 million people. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump addressed his administration's response to the disaster in Puerto Rico by establishing his bona fides on the subject.

"I grew up in New York, so I know many people from Puerto Rico," Trump said. "I know many Puerto Ricans. And these are great people."

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Trump grew up in Queens, which actually has the smallest population of Puerto Rican natives relative to its overall population of any of New York City's five boroughs. (His primary residence when he's not serving as president is in Manhattan, which comes in fourth.) More broadly speaking, though, Trump does hail from one of the regions of the continental United States that has the highest density of Puerto Rican natives. His adopted home state of Florida does too.

That's one reason the administration's slow response to the destruction from Hurricane Maria has been surprising. The most important is that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory that's home to 3 million American citizens.

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A survey reported by The New York Times found that nearly half of Americans didn't realize that Puerto Ricans were citizens. When asked whether they supported an aid package to Puerto Rico, those who knew that residents of the island are Americans were almost twice as likely to say they did.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., traveled to the island last week with New York's Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She told a Bloomberg reporter that "it's a different Puerto Rico" and that she didn't recognize what she saw. About 3.7 percent of her constituents were born in Puerto Rico, the 11th largest percentage in the country. The most dense Puerto Rican population in New York is in the 15th Congressional District in the Bronx, represented by Democrat Jose E. Serrano. The densest population in the country is in Florida's 9th District, near Orlando. It's represented by Democrat Darren Soto.

Many of the places with the densest population of Puerto Rican natives in the continental United States are places that aren't heavily Democratic. Pennsylvania's 15th and 16th districts, for example, are represented by Reps. Charlie Dent and Lloyd Smucker, both Republicans.

There are 64 congressional districts in which at least 1 percent of the population was born in Puerto Rico. Of those, 45 lean Democratic in the Cook Partisan Voting Index (which looks at how the district voted in preceding presidential elections). Eighteen lean Republican, including Florida's 15th District, which has the highest density of Puerto Rican residents of any Republican-leaning district. Florida's 2nd District is the most Republican place with a population that's at least 1 percent Puerto Rican; it's represented by Republican Rep. Neal Dunn.

If there is any question about approving an aid package for Puerto Rico, it's these representatives one would assume would lead the charge  operating under Trump's "I know many Puerto Ricans and these are great people" standard.

Under the "we should quickly come to the assistance of American citizens in need" standard, the universe of representatives one might expect to champion a bill expands to more than 430 people.

The Washington Post

Philip Bump is a Washington Post correspondent.
On the campaign trail, Gov. Bruce Rauner assured voters he had "no social agenda." So why is he now considering expanding taxpayer-funded abortion access in Illinois?

It was never any secret that Gov. Rauner and his wife, Diana, are longtime supporters of the abortions-rights lobby.

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However, Gov. Rauner won the Republican primary and subsequent general election by convincing anti-abortion voters and principled Republicans that he was genuine in the statement he repeated over and over during his campaign: He is focused on fixing Illinois' myriad economic issues and has "no social agenda."

Anti-abortion advocates are among the most dedicated voters, and many of them base their ballot box decisions solely on whether a candidate is anti-abortion. So it was trust in this campaign promise that led anti-abortion advocates in Illinois to vote for Rauner, in spite of his abortion-rights stance.

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I am one of the many Republicans in Illinois who are against abortion who took Gov. Rauner at his word. I supported him during his 2014 campaign, helping organize a fundraiser with supporters and campaigning on his behalf.

In voting for Rauner, we in the "pro-life" community had no expectations he would be a champion for anti-abortion causes or legislation. The expectation was that social issues would go largely untouched as the governor zeroed in on Illinois' economic problems. That's why many of his base supporters are outraged that he might be entertaining the idea of signing the bill that would lift restrictions on coverage of abortions by Medicaid and state employee insurance.

The legislation is being sold as a bill that would uphold abortion in Illinois if the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. However, this sales pitch is misleading, as the proposed bill is much more than a provision to keep abortion legal in Illinois. It also expands abortion access and saddles taxpayers with the bill.

Illinoisans already pay for abortions under Medicaid in instances of rape or when a mother's life is in jeopardy. The bill would force Illinois taxpayers to pay for abortions for state employees and Medicaid recipients through all nine months of pregnancy  for any reason.

Beyond supporting Rauner during his 2014 campaign, I also briefly worked in his administration this summer. I learned firsthand during that time how strident the Rauners are in their support of abortion, so I'm not going to attempt here to prove to them how morally wrong it is. I won't try to convince them that abortion is murder; that claiming to fight for women's rights is contrary to allowing millions of them to be exterminated in utero; that science proves life begins at conception; that pre-born children are more than just "clumps of cells." (Perhaps on this last item, the Rauners can refer to a recent social media post by the Ounce of Prevention Fund, where Diana Rauner is president. A Sept. 18 Ounce of Prevention Fund Facebook post said: "Parenting begins before your baby is even born: Did you know babies' taste buds begin developing at 8 weeks? Research suggests that what you eat during your pregnancy impacts what your child eats as they grow up  so time to start developing their taste for veggies now!")

Since moral arguments will not resonate, I'll stick to the political and economic ones.

In April, the governor's office stated he did not support HB 40 due to "the sharp divisions of opinion of taxpayer funding of abortion." Rauner's initial assessment of the situation is correct, and he should stick to it. Taxpayers on both sides of the abortion debate are deeply divided over whether taxpayers should pay for abortions, especially abortions that are entirely elective and are not related to rape, incest and/or the life of the mother.

The governor should stick to the theme that was his battle cry during the 2014 campaign: Protect taxpayers. Forcing taxpayers to pay for elective abortions is not consistent with the promises Rauner made when he ran for office.

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And he should stick to a statement made during a 2013 interview: "I also am an advocate for finding common ground to make abortion rare." Vetoing the abortion bill would be an excellent way for Gov. Rauner to follow through on this statement. According to Illinois Right to Life, the bill "could increase Illinois abortions as many as 12,000 more per year, based on data from the last time Medicaid funded abortions." Furthermore, "The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) admitted that 18-33 percent of those on Medicaid state they will not have an abortion unless it is free."

If Rauner wants voters  especially those who comprise his conservative base  to believe anything he says on the campaign trail in 2018, he should veto the abortion bill on his desk. If Gov. Rauner truly believes in doing what's best for taxpayers, he must veto the legislation.

Brittany Clingen Carl, of Oak Brook, is a writer for Smart Girl Politics and the editor and publisher of Reclaiming Feminism, a website featuring feminist editorials and content from the perspective of conservative women.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle speaks about the board's delayed vote to repeal the soda tax during a recess of Wednesday's Cook County board meeting. (Lou Foglia / Chicago Tribune)

We reached Carol Bollacker on Tuesday afternoon at her place of business: Boz Hot Dogs on Ridge Road in Lansing, about 2 miles from the Indiana border. She and her husband also own a Boz Hot Dogs in Dyer, Ind.

Which location pays less in taxes? No need to strike up the "Jeopardy" trivia music. You know the answer.

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Bollacker spoke against Cook County's soda tax at a recent County Board meeting with a warning for commissioners: "Don't make this your Michael Bilandic moment." The former Chicago mayor famously lost his 1979 bid for re-election after a paralyzing blizzard heightened frustration with the incumbent mayor. Sometimes, one misstep is all it takes to sweep someone out of office.

Will the Oct. 10 vote to repeal the soda tax be a "Bilandic moment" for County Board members who vote to keep it in place? Will they be ousted? Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the seats of all 17 commissioners are up for election in 2018.

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For border towns such as Lansing, the tax is yet another incentive for residents to shop elsewhere. The penny-per-ounce tax that took effect Aug. 2 is crushing small businesses, especially grocers. Bollacker is trying to stay afloat selling $5 hot dogs and sandwiches while constantly adjusting to Cook County's heavy-handed regulatory environment. Higher property taxes. Higher minimum wage. Higher workers' compensation costs. And now a new beverage tax.

"So many people can choose Indiana anyway," she said. "They've done it for years with gas. It's so much cheaper. Now they're finding new theaters, new grocery stores. All that sales tax goes right out the window."

As pressure to repeal the tax mounts, both sides of the debate have been actively courting swing-vote board members. In politics, controversy pays. Several board members have raised more campaign cash in a week than they did the entire previous quarter.

Here's one example of the cash dash: Preckwinkle, the architect of the soda tax who is lobbying hard to keep it in place, donated $1,500 on Sept. 11 to Commissioner Stanley Moore. Moore voted for the tax last November but is getting pushback from his district, which lines the Indiana border. He received a $1,000 campaign donation that same day from the head of Preckwinkle's county hospital system, M. Hill Hammock.

A week later, Moore received three donations of $5,600, the maximum allowed per election cycle, from Fred Eychaner and Michael and Cari Sacks. Eychaner has donated more than $57,000 to Preckwinkle since 2010. Michael Sacks, also a Preckwinkle supporter, has served on her economic advisory council.

Two other Preckwinkle supporters, Robert Wislow and Robert Clark, each donated $5,000 to Moore that same day. Both also have companies with multimillion-dollar construction contracts with Cook County.

A similar pattern unfolded for new County Board member Dennis Deer, who represents the West Side and has signaled he is undecided on the tax. He received donations on the same day from Eychaner, Wislow, Clark and the Sackses.

Same for Edward Moody, who represents the southwest suburbs, and Deborah Sims, who represents parts of the South Side and suburbs. Both accepted donations from the five Preckwinkle supporters at about the same time.

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Of course, soda companies and business interests are writing checks, too, to try to repeal the tax. Even state House Speaker Michael Madigan is reportedly pushing for a repeal; he is concerned the backlash among consumers could hurt his Democratic House members when they run in next year's election cycle.

The question is, will Cook County Board members being courted with campaign cash represent their constituents? Voters have spoken loudly and clearly: They want the tax repealed. That's the only directive commissioners should be following.

Will they listen? Or will they invite a Michael Bilandic moment?

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico are in dire need of our help, and our military is uniquely capable of providing more emergency aid. The crux of the issue is not the lack of materiel per se, but the lack of a logistics infrastructure to provide basic life-sustaining support.

Our military should dock multiple ships in every port providing fresh water, power, food and shelter. Our air mobility is second to none; we have several hundred C-17, C-5 and C-130 cargo aircraft that we must employ in a Berlin airlift-style airbridge from the U.S. to Puerto Rico's airfields.

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Additionally, our military has scores of deployable field hospitals, industrial-scale generators, water purifiers, field kitchens, etc. Let's put the Department of Defense's billion-dollar budget to humanitarian use.

It's time for President Donald Trump to take a knee, put aside his toddler-in-chief persona, enticing nuclear war, and direct the military to do even more to aid our citizens in Puerto Rico.

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 Dave Lannen, Traverse City, Mich.
Dozens of local residents who gathered at a recent Community Consolidated School District 59 board meeting remain sharply divided over whether the district's dual language program has led to a decline in state test scores in recent years. (Karen Ann Cullotta/Pioneer Press )

As the state prepares to release the latest PARCC exam scores, dozens of local residents and some board members at Community Consolidated School District 59 remained sharply divided on whether the district's dual language program is causing state test scores to decline.

The Arlington Heights-based school district offers students the chance to be taught in both Spanish and English, as well as Polish and English, as part of its dual language program.

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During a district board meeting Monday, a contingent of residents, along with longtime school board member Mardell Schumacher, argued the program is at least partially to blame for the district's falling test scores in recent years, while other residents and board members defended the program for making students proficient in two languages.

District 59 officials have not yet disclosed the results of the district's 2016-17 PARCC test scores, which will be released as part of the state's School Report Card data on Oct. 31.

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During the meeting, Arlington Heights resident Mary Vicars said a recent public records request for the district's preliminary PARCC results indicates a majority of the district's students are not meeting or exceeding state standards in reading and math.

"PARCC is not the only measurement, but it is an important measurement of students' reading, writing and problem solving," Vicars said. "Our students are failing compared to other districts in the area ... even those with challenging demographics are not doing this poorly."

Vicars and others, including Schumacher, pointed to how the district's dual language program in Spanish follows an 80/20 model, in which 80 percent of the content is taught in Spanish and 20 percent is taught in English.

The Polish classes follow a 50/50 model, meaning the content is split equally between the two languages.

"If the 50/50 plan is good for the Polish students, then the 50/50 plan should be good for the Spanish students. ... No more excuses," said Schumacher, a retired teacher who has been a board member since 1988.

Schumacher said her research on the topic has found that "immersion" is the most effective way of learning a new language.

"The English language learners need our help," Schumacher said. "Our Spanish speakers are getting a bad deal."

But during the meeting, several parents, including those whose children are native English speakers, pleaded with school board members to preserve the Spanish and English dual language program.

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Arlington Heights resident Debbie Manka, a mother of three children, said she was "very proud" that her neighborhood is home to Juliette Low Elementary School, which offers the 80/20 dual language program in Spanish.

"My oldest is now at Rolling Meadows High School, where she takes AP classes," said Manka, adding how state test scores should not be the sole indicator of a successful school.

District 59 students in the dual language program are in a self-contained classroom with a dual language teacher from kindergarten through fifth grade. All language and support services are embedded into classroom instruction, officials said.

Before the start of the program, officials said, the district's previous model placed students in a self-contained bilingual classroom with a bilingual teacher until the students finished ELL services  typically not until the fourth or fifth grade.

Students were then added back to a general education classroom after exiting ELL, resulting in disparities because of increased class sizes for general education and decreased class sizes for bilingual classes at the upper grade levels, district officials said.

The 80/20 model, which also enrolls students whose first language is English, is considered a "best practice" among some educational theorists, district officials said.

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Some studies have shown that for young children, who have not yet mastered their own language, a complete move to a new and unfamiliar language too early can have a negative effect on English fluency, officials said.

During the meeting, board member Sunil Bhave said the district's dual language program offers students the opportunity to develop "academic rigor in two languages."

"Our goal is not just to get English into their brains, but obtaining proficiency in both languages," Bhave said. "We also don't want students to lose the languages they speak at home with their parents and grandparents."

kcullotta@tribpub.com

Twitter @kcullotta
An 11-year-old boy drowned over the weekend in a stretch of the Fox River near downtown Aurora. (Steve Lord/The Beacon-News )

At 11 years old, Connor Lasley already had a lot of ideas, said his father Damen Lasley.

Connor wanted to travel the world and help people. He liked computer games, especially Minecraft, a digital world where he and his dad would build things together. He liked spending time outdoors, hiking and visiting parks.

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Most of all, Damen Lasley said, he will miss his son's laughter. His son drowned in the Fox River in Aurora Saturday.

"Teach your kids how to swim," Lasley said.

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Washington Middle School staff got the email Sunday: Connor, a sixth-grader, had passed away during "a swimming accident" in the Fox River near downtown Aurora. The school's crisis team was to convene early Monday morning to prepare students and staff who may need support.

"Obviously it's always a sad, tough situation when we lose one of our SD 129 family," West Aurora School District spokesman Tony Martinez said Monday. "... It's a parent's worst nightmare, to lose a child."

The whole school is in shock, and administrators are trying to be supportive while respecting the privacy of the family, Martinez said.

The email to staff asked them to keep the Lasley family in their thoughts, and noted that Connor had a sibling at Greenman Elementary.

Connor had one younger brother, one older brother and an older sister, his father said. None of them know how to swim, but now, Lasley said he's going to make sure they learn.

Connor, who had never shown an interest in swimming, knew the river was off limits, Lasley said. He was supposed to be playing at a friend's house on Saturday, but they apparently decided to go down and play at the river instead, Lasley said.

"I guess he got too far out," Lasley said. "I don't know if he stepped off into a deeper area or if the current just took him..."

Three kids had been playing in the river when one of them  Connor  ventured into deeper water and his friends noticed him struggling, according to the Aurora Fire Department. Unable to swim or get to him another way, they lost sight of him as they made their way to shore and called 911, according to a news release from Fire Marshal Javan Cross.

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The other two children were 11 and 12, and no one else was apparently present, Cross said.

The land at North River Street Park is in the Fox Valley Parks District's jurisdiction, but the water is not, said Fox Valley Park District spokesman Jeff Long.

About 2:29 p.m. Saturday, Aurora firefighters were dispatched on a water rescue near 430 N. River St., where a child was reportedly in the Fox River, according to the fire department.

The rescue operation involved 20 firefighters and divers, who found Connor about 50 feet from shore after searching for 49 minutes, fire officials said.

Firefighters and emergency room staff could not revive him.

Lasley said he was already at the emergency room when they brought his son in. He'd gone because of an arm injury, and said he was in the process of getting released when a police officer took him off to the side and told him.

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The middle and elementary schools have been providing extra support to help students and staff deal with the unexpected loss, including professionals such as counselors and social workers, Martinez said.

A copy of an email Principal Brett Burton sent to parents of Washington students, provided by Martinez, informed them of Connor's death, and stated student services staff would be available Monday and as needed throughout the week.

"We encourage you to be especially sensitive and prepared to offer support to your child during this time," read Burton's letter. "If you have any concerns regarding your child's reaction to this loss, please contact a member of our administrative staff."

Born in August 2006 in Geneva, Connor is survived by his three siblings and both parents, Damon and Sabrina Lasley, according to his obituary published through Daleiden Mortuary. Visitation is scheduled for 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Daleiden, 220 N. Lake St., Aurora.

Long said park district police assisted on the call. Aurora Police Department spokesman Dan Ferrelli stated the drowning was a fire department investigation.

In the news release, fire officials noted that while the water levels have receded, the river still poses risks such as drop-offs, currents and debris that can challenge even skilled swimmers.

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"The river is not a playground," Cross said.

Cross said the riverbed drops off near the area where Connor drowned, and the change in depth was likely a factor.

"The key thing in this is not having a personal flotation device and being unsupervised," Cross said. "Had those two things been in place, this tragedy probably could have been averted."

Cross said the fire department also encourages swimming lessons, which he considers "a life skill."

Long said none of the district's parks have designated swimming areas because of the liability issues, and they recommend people who want to swim do so at other places such as water parks.

"We own and maintain 11 miles of Fox River shoreline, so short of putting signs up every 100 yards... I don't know the details, but it's unfortunate," Long said. "It sounds like the kids just went into the water on a hot day."

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hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
This Aid Program Performance Report summarises the performance of Australias aid program in Papua New Guinea from July 2016 to June 2017 against the Papua New Guinea Aid Investment Plan 2015-16 to 2017-18.

Australias relationship with Papua New Guinea is maturing, reflecting this transition, by our closest neighbour, to an integrated Asia Pacific developing economy.

This brings opportunities for economic growth, but also economic, social and political challenges driven by issues such as population growth, urbanisation, and ageing infrastructure.

CANBERRA - Papua New Guinea, positioned as the gateway between Asia and the Pacific, has immense economic potential driven by its significant natural resource endowment.

A Performance Assessment Framework (PAF) for Australias development assistance to Papua New Guinea sets indicators of progress across the three outcome areas: promoting effective governance, enabling economic growth and enhancing human development.

In 2016-17, Australias performance against the enabling economic growth outcome area was on track, with the completion of critical infrastructure and improved access to markets. The promoting effective governance and enhancing human development outcome areas made steady progress but did not meet some expectations due to challenges that included the slow roll out of new programs and monitoring of outcomes.

Significant achievements were made in each of the three outcome areas as well as in the crosscutting objectives of gender, Bougainville, and climate change and disaster resilience. In partnership with Papua New Guinea, Australia is helping to create a motivated and capable Papua New Guinea public service.

In total, Australias development assistance contributed to the training of 14,990 public servants  including police, teachers and health workers  who were engaged in positions where they could practice new knowledge and skills.

Through the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct (the Precinct) alone, Australia supported training and capacity-building activities to 894 public servants. Since its inception in 2015, the Precinct has helped train over 1,950 public servants in Papua New Guinea.

Australia provided better access to markets and essential services by completing the reconstruction of six major bridges along the Kokoda and Northern Highways in Oro Province. These bridges have transformed the regions growth prospects by reducing travel times, enabling safer crossings and reconnecting businesses and 97,000 people.

Across Papua New Guinea, the PAF indicates that Australia contributed to 324,459 women and men having better access to markets in 2016-17.

Papua New Guineas business-enabling environment improved in 2016-17. Its ease of doing business rank in the World Banks Doing Business 2017 report improved from 145 out of 189 countries in 2016 to 119 out of 190 countries in 2017, placing it in the middle of similar economies in the Pacific.

Papua New Guinea reduced the time required to start a business by streamlining business registration and it was among nine economies to implement reforms to strengthen access to credit.

Australia supported the business-enabling environment through multilateral partners including the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Through supporting Papua New Guineas coordinated response to tuberculosis, patient outcomes for multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) improved significantly in the focus areas of Western Province and National Capital District. The proportion of patients completing TB treatment in Daru, Western Province, increased from 67% in 2013 to more than 99% in 2016.

Australia continued to work with the Papua New Guinea Government and other development partners, including the World Bank, to bring additional resources and expertise to the response. The Papua New Guinea Government has agreed to a loan of USD15 million to address MDRTB in the three most affected provinces. This was brokered by Australia, which will match this funding.

Through Australia Awards scholarships, Australia assisted Papua New Guinea to address its critical shortage of qualified health workers. The scholarships assisted 122 midwives, 146 Community Health Workers and 126 nurses to graduate from Papua New Guinea institutions in 2016-17.

Australia provided training to 1,500 midwives, nurses and community health workers between 2012 and 2017exceeding the target of 1,400. We refurbished eight health training institutions, significantly contributing to Papua New Guineas efforts to help ensure health workforce numbers do not fall below current levels.

Australia contributed to womens economic empowerment by training more than 33,000 women in financial literacy or business development skills and increasing their access to financial services, through programs including the Microfinance Expansion Project.

A Safe Public Transport initiative provided 62,000 safe trips for women and girls in Port Moresby to schools, services and jobs.

Australia assisted Papua New Guinea to address gender-based violence by supporting more than 2,000 women and girls to access crisis support services and reaching 239,000 men and women in community awareness and outreach activities that challenged social gender norms and violence.

Recognising the importance of youth to Bougainvilles peace, stability and economic development, Australia continued to implement the $4.5 million Bougainville Youth Initiative. This support was implemented through our delivery partners: the Adventist Development and Relief Agency; Caritas; Credit Union Foundation Australia; Plan International; and World Vision Australia.

Nearly 9,000 youth have benefited from financial and entrepreneurship training, agricultural opportunities and leadership training including a mock parliament and youth congress. We provided on-the-job training through career-readiness programs, which, for some, led to permanent jobs.

Australias collaboration with UNDP helped build the capacity of Papua New Guineas Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA). The CCDA was formally established in 2016.

It is responsible for administering the Climate Change (Management) Act 2015, implementing climate change-related policy, strategies and plans, managing climate change information, and coordinating Papua New Guineas climate change action.

Establishment of the CCDA was an important step for Papua New Guinea to gain access to international climate finance, particularly through the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

CONTEXT

Australia has an enduring partnership with Papua New Guinea. With less than four kilometres separating the two countries, Papua New Guinea will always be of critical strategic importance to Australia.

Our relationship is broad and growing, characterised by strong trade and investment ties, growing cooperation on security matters and expanding people-to-people links.

Our mutual interests lie in supporting Papua New Guinea, as an emerging economy, to take full advantage of its economic and human potential.

Australia implements an integrated set of foreign, trade, security and development policies to support Papua New Guineas development, in line with Australias national interest.

Development assistance alone cannot meet Papua New Guineas development financing needs. Australias development program is being reshaped to better support and align with Papua New Guinea and Australias contemporary economic and strategic relationship.

The focus areas of this transition include helping to improve governance systems, training and supporting future leaders; trialling innovative solutions; building and supporting institutional partnerships; assisting Papua New Guinea to attract and leverage better quality international financing; and increasing cooperation in areas that will help to grow the economy.

With growing links to Asia and a positive mid-to-long term economic outlook, Papua New Guineas strategic and economic interests  and its partnerships in the region  are growing. Papua New Guinea is demonstrating increasing leadership in the region including through hosting the APEC leaders summit in 2018.

A strong relationship with a stable and prosperous Papua New Guinea is now, more than ever, squarely in Australias interest. Our development cooperation must keep pace with this changing context.

As a resource dependent economy, Papua New Guinea is however facing a challenging economic outlook over the short to midterm. Economic growth (Gross Domestic Product) fell from an average of seven per cent for the five years to 2016, to a projected two per cent for 2017. It faces significant fiscal challenges with declining international commodity prices and increasing public debt levels.

Official debt levels have tripled since 2011, and Papua New Guineas official debt-to-GDP ratio is currently 32.6%. While Papua New Guineas mid to long-term economic outlook is positive, taking account of its natural resource wealth and 4 growing links to Asia, it continues to face significant development challenges.

Over three million people  40% of its population - remain poor.

Papua New Guineas challenges include: fragile institutions; a weak public service, ageing infrastructure; poor health and education services; a rapidly growing population; and vulnerability to natural disasters.

Gender inequality is a major social, political and economic issue in Papua New Guinea, where violence against women is unacceptably high, womens access to economic development opportunities is much less than mens and women are often excluded from leadership roles.

Approximately 80% of the population of 7.5 million live in rural and remote coastal communities.

These communities dependence on subsistence farming, fishing and small-scale cash crops exacerbates their vulnerability to climate-related threats such as cyclones, droughts, floods and landslides, as well as to non-climate related disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.

Papua New Guineas economic and social infrastructure is also highly exposed to these hazards.

Climate change is exacerbating the intensity of some natural hazards that affect Papua New Guinea, including drought and other extreme weather related events.

Australia is the largest donor to Papua New Guinea. Our development assistance is valued at nearly 70% of Papua New Guineas total Official Development Assistance (ODA), which equates to around eight percent of Papua New Guineas national budget.

Australian aid to Papua New Guinea in 2016-17 (forecast) was $547.1 million, with $478.7 million delivered bilaterally. The Asian Development Bank (nine per cent of total ODA) and World Bank (four per cent) are the next largest donors.

Our development assistance is guided by the Aid Investment Plan Papua New Guinea 2015-16 to 2017-18, which outlines the three strategic priorities of promoting effective governance, enabling economic growth and enhancing human development.

To achieve this we invest in health, education, governance, law and justice, and social and economic infrastructure. Gender equality and climate change cut across all sectors. Our investments align with Papua New Guineas existing frameworks and strategies including Papua New Guinea Vision 2050.

Our joint priorities are discussed and agreed with Papua New Guinea, most recently in the Papua New Guinea-Australia Aid Partnership Arrangement 2016.

EXPENDITURE



Table 1 - ODA Expenditure in 2016-17

PROGRESS TOWARDS AID INVESTMENT PLAN OBJECTIVES

This Aid Program Performance Report describes the performance of Australias aid program against the strategic objectives set out in the Aid Investment Plan Papua New Guinea 2015-16 to 2017-18.

These objectives align with the priority outcomes agreed by the two countries in the Aid Partnership. This report draws on a range of internal and external reporting, including Aid Quality Checks and partner performance reports.



Table 2 - Rating of Program Progress

Green. Progress is as expected at this stage of implementation and it is likely that the objective will be achieved. Standard program management practices are sufficient.

Amber. Progress is somewhat less than expected at this stage of implementation and restorative action will be necessary if the objective is to be achieved. Close performance monitoring is recommended.

Red. Progress is significantly less than expected at this stage of implementation and the objective is not likely to be met given available resources and priorities. Recasting the objective may be required.
After police broke up a fight outside the Maple Terrace apartments on Aurora's East Side, one of the men involved realized his car was missing. On a mission to get it back, a group found 18-year-old Clarence King.

When King didn't tell them where the maroon Pontiac was, they beat him up, stuffed him in the trunk of a white Lincoln, drove from Aurora to Chicago's West Garfield Park, beat him some more and left him for dead, according to court records.

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The next morning, as Aurora police took a missing persons report from King's mother, authorities in Chicago were responding to the 4500 block of West End Avenue, where Chicago police said King was found lying on the ground, unresponsive, in a residential backyard.

Search warrant affidavits reveal previously unreported details about King's 2016 death, which police said appears gang-related.

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"The King murder case is an open investigation and we have not ruled out additional charges," Aurora police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said . "Further elaboration on specifics of the case could put the integrity of investigation in jeopardy."

Anthony Bills, 39, of the 700 block of Fifth Avenue, was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of mob action in connection with the death of King, who lived on the first block of North Sumner Street. Bills, who has pleaded not guilty, remains in Kane County jail with bail set at $5 million and is next due in court Wednesday. His attorney could not be reached.

On July 15, 2016  the night King disappeared  a large fight police said was likely gang related erupted outside the Maple Terrace apartments on the 900 block of Second Avenue, an Aurora Housing Authority property.

Clarence King's brother heard he was there to fight and went to take him home, but two people who saw him chased him away, he told police.

By the time Aurora police officers got to Maple Terrace about 8:30 p.m. that night, people were running and driving away, fleeing the area, according to reports.

Officers detained some at Ohio Street and North Avenue. A sergeant noticed Bills standing nearby and asked if he'd seen anything, but Billsdidn't cooperate, according to the affidavit.

Then Bills' stepson said his car had been stolen. Bills approached the sergeant, who said Bills would need to cooperate for a stolen vehicle report. Instead, Bills said they'd take care of it themselves, according to the affidavit.

The stepson called police anyway, minutes after 9 p.m., to report his Pontiac stolen from Bills' address. An officer got there within 20 minutes, but a woman said the stepson had left and they no longer needed help. At 9:58 p.m., Illinois Tollway records show the Lincoln passing a Chicago-bound toll plaza about 20 miles east.

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Exactly 90 minutes before it passed the plaza, video puts the Lincoln at the Maple Terrace fight, according to the affidavit.

Bills' stepson had been trying to get his car back with help from others involved in the fight, a man told police. They found King, who said he didn't know where it was, and brought him to Bills' Aurora home, where they beat him, the man said, according to the affidavit. Bills allegedly gave directions to put King inside the Lincoln's trunk, the affidavit states.

When the Lincoln pulled up on West End Avenue in Chicago, its occupants got out and confronted King in the trunk, putting a sock in his mouth to quiet him and beating him again, leaving him on the ground, police stated in the affidavit.

Early on July 16, an officer met with King's mother about her missing son. They decided to hold off on a report until later in the morning.

When King hadn't shown up by 9:17 a.m., two officers went back to the home to take the report.

About 9:30 a.m., a "John Doe" was recovered in Cook County and pronounced dead.

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In the days that followed, Aurora detectives chased after tips, going back and forth between hesitant sources before beginning to unravel what happened, tracing King to the person found dead in Chicago. On July 20, a detective contacted the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, which determined the body was King's and ruled his death a homicide.

According to the affidavit, King's mom heard he'd been in the trunk of a white Lincoln Continental. And, rumor had it, people living across from East Aurora High School had been "acting funny."

On Fifth Avenue across from the school, police noted, lived Anthony Bills, his stepson, and Bills' wife  who had a white Lincoln.

Aurora police reports documented Bills at the West End address in Chicago at least 11 times between 2008 and 2011, police stated.

Detectives ultimately tracked the Lincoln and Bills to Tennessee, where he'd gone after King's killing, police said. Police got warrants to seize the car and search property including cell phone records and a burn pit at Bills' address, where a neighbor reported noticing unusual amounts of debris.

In late July, Bills was charged with mob action in connection with the fight. He was already in jail on those charges when murder and kidnapping charges were filed in March.

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Twitter @hannahmleone
U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Plano) has concerns about a potential cap on refugees let into the United States next tear. (Linda Girardi/The Beacon-News )

U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Plano) said he is "disappointed" about reports that the cap will be lowered on the number of refugees admitted to the United States next year.

A U.S. official said Tuesday that President Donald Trump this week is expected to announce a cap of 45,000 refugees to be admitted in fiscal year 2018, which begins Sunday.

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It is not clear if the administration intends to reach that cap. Even that number would be the lowest number of refugees admitted to the U.S. since 2006, when 41,223 were allowed in.

Other officials said last week the administration was considering options to admit between 40,000 and 50,000. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal administration deliberations.

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"I am disappointed at preliminary reports showing a reduction in the numbers of vulnerable refugees our country will be able to resettle next year," Hultgren said in a statement. "I believe we can balance both compassion and security and remain the world's shining city on a hill. We should help both those who want to stay in their homelands and the most vulnerable who have fled based on a grounded fear of facing persecution or death if they return. Let's trust our longstanding and rigorous vetting system, with its strong record of success, to open the door to those most in need."

Hultgren's 14th District includes parts of the Aurora and Naperville areas.

Associated Press contributed to this report.
Refuse to be a Victim is a four-hour personal safety class sponsored by the NRA. Joliet Junior College is currently offering it at a steep discount, thanks to an NRA grant. ( National Rifle Association )

One of Ed Martin's favorite personal safety tips is a simple thing anyone driving alone can do if their vehicle breaks down.

"The first thing you should do is jump in the passenger seat," Martin said, "and then start calling 911."

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Martin, a postal worker by day and instructor for Refuse to be a Victim classes by evening and weekend, said, "If anyone would come up to the car with nefarious purposes and see you, it's clear that the driver went to get help and will be back any minute now. It's a discouragement."

Thinking like a criminal in order to avoid becoming a victim is just one of many personal safety topics included in RTBAV community courses now offered at Joliet Junior College and other Chicago area locations.

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Sponsored by the National Rifle Association, RTBAV is a four-hour program that is open to the public. At JJC, it is presented in one class on Saturdays or in two weeknight evening sessions. The community college has offered the class in the past, but a grant from the NRA is enabling the school to bring it this semester at a steep discount, said JJC program coordinator Brenda Large.

The reduced rate is $15, down from $44. Seniors (50-plus), students and survivors of violence pay $5 for the class.

"It's really all encompassing," Large said, "but it's not self-defense and it's not a firearms class. It is more of an overall personal safety class."

Different strategies for staying safe at home, in your car, in a parking lot or out in public, as well as online and over the phone, are discussed, she said.

"Avoiding phone and cyber crimes is one area I think is so important. There are so many different scams now," Large said.

NRA spokesman Jason Brown said the program was developed in 1993 in response to requests from women nationwide for crime prevention seminars. In 1997, RTBAV became co-educational; however, women-only and private seminars can still be scheduled by request, he said.

Brown said RTBAV seminars offer "unbiased information" about carjacking prevention strategies; physical self-defense training options; the use of devices such as pepper spray, mace, stun guns and firearms; and the benefits and drawbacks of home protection systems such as alarms and security lighting.

The program does not encourage firearm ownership, Brown added, "but it does support an individual's constitutional right to choose whether to own a firearm."

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Large said she knows people who do not embrace the NRA's work on gun rights' advocacy can be "sensitive" about any discussion of firearms.

But Martin, who teaches the class at JJC's main campus, as well as at its satellites in Morris and Romeoville, said, "Out of three classes, I included (the firearms handout) once because the audience was asking questions about firearms."

Modules, such as workplace safety and children's safety, enable the class to be geared toward a specific demographic. Mostly, Martin said, "the median age has been about 65."

"We talk about double-cylinder deadbolts on your doors, internet safety," he said. "It's a big aggregate of good common sense  what can you do to make yourself a harder target."

Personal safety, travel security, home security and understanding the psychology of criminals are discussed, he said.

"Crimes of opportunity," he said, are those committed without planning or forethought, when criminals seize the opportunity. Keeping your head buried in your phone is one example of providing a criminal an opportunity, he said.

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"But there are many more, less obvious situations that make us vulnerable as well," he added.

"The class is really cheap. If you just get one good tip that saves you from a situation, it's well worth it," he said.

Dave Lyon has taught RTBAV classes at various sites in the south suburbs, most recently at an Oak Forest gun range and at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Oak Forest.

"We help students develop a personal protection strategy," said Lyon, who is also a certified firearms instructor for both civilians and law enforcement.

Lyon said a section of the program covers defense devices such as whistles, clubs, pepper spray and firearms.

"It talks about how to select the appropriate firearm if that's what you're interested in doing, about following local laws, liability and things like that," Lyon said. "It does not cover how to use sites. It doesn't talk about how to pull the trigger or anything like that."

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Lyon added that firearms material "can be pulled out of the course if we feel it's not appropriate for that setting."

The church program, he said, did not include the firearms discussion.

JJC's Large said the course includes a book and covers physical security, home security, including alarms and keys, and how to set up a safe room in your home.

"We're hoping this grant will make this program more accessible to more people," she said.

Though students can register through the NRA, if, for example, they want a record of having taken the course for continuing education purposes, doing so does not make one a member of the organization, both Martin and Brown said.

"For standard courses, some instructors do ask for some student information to submit in their course report," Brown said. "However, no participant who takes any Refuse To Be A Victim course must join the NRA, nor are they automatically enrolled as members."

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Course instructors can use the NRA's RTBAV site to offer registration to the public, Brown said. "This requires registrants provide their information."

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Instructors can also hold private seminars where no registration is necessary, he added, but those will receive no marketing or advertising assistance from the NRA.

All instructors are supposed to send the NRA a course report that includes demographics such as gender, age, and comments that can be used to help modify or update the course, Brown said.

JJC's Refuse to Be a Victim course will be offered 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday on the school's main campus; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 14 at its Romeoville location; 6:30-8:30 p.m Oct. 17 and 24 at its Morris site.

For more information and to register, call 815-280-1555 or go to dynamicforms.ngwebsolutions.com/ShowForm.aspx?RequestedDynamicFormTemplate=68aa06ba-5955-4a0c-81f0-albd12b34680.

For more information about the program: rtbav-nra.org.

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Construction continues on three large, glass-covered domes as part of an expansion of the Amazon.com campus in downtown Seattle. Communities locally, including Orland Park and Tinley Park, want to be considered as possible sites for the companys second headquarters. (Elaine Thompson/AP )

Orland Park and Tinley Park think they are prime locations for Amazon's second headquarters.

Those suburbs are among towns large and small around the country hoping to have a shot at landing what the online retailing behemoth calls HQ2.

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Chicago and Gary, Ind., are among cities locally that are vying for the corporate plum, which could ultimately bring 50,000 well-paid workers to whatever city gets the nod from Seattle-based Amazon.

Since the company announced earlier this month it was seeking proposals for a site for its second headquarters, cities ranging from New York to Cincinnati to Austin, Texas, have expressed interest.

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Orland Park said its response to Amazon's request for proposals, includes sites along the Interstate-80 Corridor, and notes the community's proximity to the company's Joliet fulfillment center and the proximity of public transportation.

Tinley Park forwarded information about the village to the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, and suggested the state-owned former Tinley Park Mental Health Center site northwest of 183rd Street and Harlem, Patrick Hoban, the village's economic development manager, said. He noted the 280-acre property is next door to the 80th Avenue Metra stop.

In its request for proposals, Amazon prefers metropolitan areas with more than 1 million people and wants quick access to highways and public transportation, proximity to good universities and to be able to tap a pool of well-educated workers. Amazon also wants a stable and business friendly environment.

The Will County Center for Economic Development is among regional economic development organizations that have been working with Chicago, Cook County and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in responding to Amazon's request for information.

The company has set a deadline of Oct. 19 for proposals and will make an announcement sometime next year about which city it has selected.

It said the the initial phase would include 500,000 to 1 million square feet of space, and that could be expanded to 8 million square feet over a period of several years. The initial investment in construction could be $300 million to $600 million, but Amazon said its overall investment, including future expansions, could top $5 billion.

Its current headquarters in Seattle encompasses 8.1 million square feet spread among 33 buildings.

A spokesman for Cook County said there is a "large collaboration" that includes input from collar counties, and that Cook County is working with Chicago and the state to "refine the list of options" as far as potential sites. He declined to say what those sites are.

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Should the Chicago metro area emerge as the winner in the headquarters derby, such a project would have "a profound regional impact" regardless of what community it is located in, Doug Pryor, vice president for economic development for the Will County CED, said.

The regional push is an effort to "try to move Illinois to the front of the picture" among what is certain to be crowded field of contenders, he said.

"The competition will be fierce," Pryor said.

Orland Park said it has supplied information about the village's demographics, large retailers and restaurants, as well as tax information and employment statistics.

In its request for proposals, Amazon said it is seeking a site of about 100 acres and would agree to retrofit existing space to suit its needs but will give priority to "shovel-ready" greenfield sites. The company said it could hire up to 50,000 employees for the new headquarters over 10 to 15 years.

mnolan@tribpub.com

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An insurance technology provider that entered into a tax increment financing agreement with University Park in the 1990s alleges in a lawsuit that the village misappropriated millions of dollars it was supposed to segregate and hold for the company.

Applied Systems, Inc., which bills itself as the leading global provider of cloud-based software for the insurance industry, on Friday filed a federal lawsuit claiming the village is in default of nearly $8 million owed it pursuant to a TIF redevelopment agreement.

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Applied has not been reimbursed for any tax increment after the 2014 real estate year  a total of $1,408,738  and also holds four promissory notes from the village that total nearly $6.5 million, according to the suit.

As a result, Applied issued a notice of default to the village on Aug. 11, 2017 for the outstanding reimbursement requests and promissory notes, to which the suit states the village has never disputed nor otherwise responded.

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In 1994, the village sought to finance the redevelopment of an approximately 990-acre parcel of blighted land bounded by Governors Highway, Stuenkel Road and Steger Road under the Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act, according to the suit.

Applied entered into an agreement with University Park to redevelop a portion of that parcel, believing it a cost-effective means of expanding its business while simultaneously stimulating commercial development and creating jobs in the village, the suit states. Applied is located at 200 Applied Parkway, near Cicero Avenue and Stuenkel Road.

According to the redevelopment agreement, the village was supposed to establish a special tax allocation fund and a segregated sub-account of the fund from which it would pay Applied the property taxes it received from the parcel the company was redeveloping, the suit claims.

The village never established the fund sub-account, however, and instead intermingled TIF money it owed Applied with other village funds, the company asserts in its lawsuit.

"Applied has substantial concerns that, because the village has blatantly violated its obligations to Applied to segregate Applied's funds in a Fund Sub-Account and because it has spent or misappropriated the funds, some or all of these amounts will not be collectible," the suit asserts.

Mayor Vivian Covington declined comment on the suit, directing all inquiries to interim village manager John Pate. Pate, who also serves as University Park's police chief, declined comment on the suit, stating that he could not discuss pending litigation.

Twitter @ZakKoeske
The four leaders recently met, but didn't appear to accomplish much of anything.

It was Sen. Bill Brady's first leaders' meeting since his chamber officially confirmed him as the Senate Republican Leader, and he was the one who called for the sit-down. Brady ran for governor three times, winning the 2010 primary. Numerous associates say he wants to make the most of this new role and be as relevant as he possibly can.

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Brady helped restart the Senate's stalled "grand bargain" talks in early May by outlining a "five for five" plan that raised $5 billion in new revenues alongside $5 billion in cuts. That proposal was widely believed to have been drafted by Gov. Bruce Rauner's office and foreshadowed his subsequent election as leader.

A startling 18 of Brady's 22 Republican members are up for reelection next year, so Brady needs to maintain a close relationship with the wealthy governor to hold off primary opponents and fund general election races.

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There's also a very real and growing worry that Rauner will be a significant drag on down-ballot Republican candidates next year, adding to the problems the party may very well also have with a national backlash against Republican President Donald Trump. The fact that no Republicans have yet emerged to run for three statewide offices (secretary of state, comptroller and treasurer) should tell you something.

So, Brady reportedly wants to do whatever he can to help the governor help himself and, by extension, help his caucus. And a plan for state construction projects would most definitely be a big help.

Brady has an idea in mind. But one person who was briefed last week said it wasn't so much a plan as "A magical mystery tour looking for someone to love it."

Several sources say it's a "public-private partnership" (PPP) proposal, meaning the state would seek out investors to help hold down government costs and dampen the need for a big tax hike to pay for it. Rauner said last week that he opposed raising the gas tax to fund a capital bill.

The House Speaker didn't warm to Rauner's last PPP idea for a toll lane on Interstate 55. The House Democrats complained that Rauner's office should've just handed the proposal over to the tollway board, which already has the legal authority to do such things and is, they pointed out, required to get first crack at projects involving tolls anyway. There was also the usual suspicion about which investors would benefit from such a deal.

Beyond the Democrats not wanting to give the Republican governor a "win" by allowing him to announce sweet projects during a crucial election year, there are still some important remaining questions.

Also, despite the recent agreement on school funding reform, there still isn't much trust at the top.

So, some Democrats wonder whether Brady and Rauner are floating this idea in order to ultimately blame Democrats for not going along with them after the GOP moves the goal posts a dozen times. Or, perhaps, is it designed to somehow lure the Democrats into countering with a gas tax hike, which they can then be blamed for?

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Leader Brady is generally a sincere guy and he definitely wants to accomplish big things in his new job, so take that for what you will.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Rauner has in the past demanded reductions to the prevailing wage as part of any capital plan deal. If this plan has any significant poison pills, the Democrats will likely just take their chances with the 2018 election.

And even if it is "labor friendly," the Democrats will undoubtedly want some sort of ironclad assurances that money will actually be spent in their own districts, including and (probably) especially in Chicago. There's also a very real concern that Rauner's administration, badly hobbled by firings and resignations, will bungle the administration of a capital plan.

The Amazon "HQ2" search with its promise of up to 50,000 high-paying jobs also has to be considered here.

Our state's bickering political families have to put on their best possible face when the prospective client comes over for dinner. Any public rekindling of this horribly partisan feud could cost the state big.

And, hey, capital money may be needed to entice the company into building its second headquarters in or near the city.

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I'm not holding my breath at all, but it would be nice if they can put this together. We need the jobs.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
Ted Slowik and Barbara Blaine are shown at a West Suburban Call To Action discussion of the film "Spotlight" in January 2016 in Wheaton. (Call To Action)

I learned quite a bit from Barbara Blaine.

Blaine founded the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests that first met in 1988 at a Holiday Inn in Orland Park. She died Sunday at age 61.

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I thought she helped give voice to thousands of adults who summoned the courage to confront the sexual abuse they endured as children.

From Blaine I learned what it means to be a survivor instead of a victim. She also helped show me that truth will prevail despite the best efforts to conceal it.

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We weren't friends, just professional acquaintances. I first got to know her in 2002, when she was president of SNAP. At the time, I was a reporter investigating past incidents of sexual abuse of children by clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet, which includes Will County.

As depicted in the Oscar-winning movie, "Spotlight," this was a time when a Boston Globe investigation revealed the widespread scope of the issue. It was difficult enough to comprehend that children were sexually abused by trusted clerics.

It was overwhelming to realize church hierarchy tried to maintain secrecy by reassigning abusers and attempting to discredit accusers who stepped forward.

Blaine was a reliable source as the story unfolded. SNAP could be counted upon to provide quotes and reaction as developments occurred. Blaine and SNAP offered analysis from the perspective of those who were sexually abused.

There were other groups that offered different perspectives. One group was dedicated to increasing the role of laity in the church. Another organization's mission was to promote conservative orthodoxy, and it considered homosexual activity by priests to be the biggest threat to the church.

Many tried to leverage the crisis to advance a cause. There were those whose agenda was to advocate for ordination of women as priests. Some urged church leaders to allow priests to marry. SNAP seemed to me to be most focused on protecting the safety of children moving forward.

I was often skeptical of SNAP's claims about the extent of abuse. I recall Blaine speaking in a calm, measured manner about the numbers of children abused and the likelihood that many offenders remained priests with access to children.

As more and more survivors came forward, I began to realize SNAP's estimates were conservative, not exaggerated. As new allegations surfaced involving active clerics, I believed the continuing risk to children was real.

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I understood why many incidents went unreported for so long. I recall listening to first-hand accounts from about 50 survivors. Many were unprepared to deal with the past until their own children reached the age at which their parents were abused.

I sensed an overwhelming desire by survivors to ensure their children  and all children  would be protected. Their essential mission was to prevent what happened to them from ever happening again.

It sounds obvious. But the Roman Catholic Church is an entrenched, institutional bureaucracy. Change simply does not occur overnight. Acknowledging the truth would be to admit fault and assume greater liability. Self-preservation is a mighty force that resists reform.

Blaine took on powerful forces and prevailed.

To me, she seemed focused on serving the needs of survivors. I thought she was a patient listener, one who understood emotional pain and recognized when mental health counseling might help someone. I also thought she possessed great skills as an activist and organizer.

By 2006, I had moved on from the stories of sexual abuse by clergy. I took on different roles, as an editor and later, in public relations. Blaine and I reconnected last year when I returned to journalism full-time.

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We were both invited by West Suburban Call To Action to talk to a group in Wheaton one Sunday about "Spotlight." We both arrived early to the event, but didn't get a chance to talk much. Blaine, I recall, sought a private room to take a scheduled call with someone setting up a SNAP chapter in Africa.

We engaged in a rewarding hour-long panel discussion and took questions from the audience. She invited me that day to appear as a speaker at the 2016 SNAP Conference in Chicago that June. I followed remarks by Marty Baron, the Washington Post editor and former Boston Globe editor portrayed by Liev Schreiber in "Spotlight."

Blaine delivered a presentation immediately before Baron, and I remember she talked about love and healing. Survivors experience a range of responses, I learned, from anger and resentment to anxiety and depression.

Unlike a reporter who covers their story and then moves on, survivors never get to walk away from their troubled pasts. They cope with their experiences every day for the rest of their lives. A few lucky ones find peace.

I reconnected with Blaine two years after I had a near-fatal heart attack. I had gained a deeper appreciation for what it means to be a survivor instead of a victim.

Victims, in my opinion, use unhealthy coping mechanisms. Withdrawal, alcohol and substance abuse, difficulty maintaining close relationships  these are common conditions among people who have sustained trauma.

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It's rational to justify self-destructive behavior. Many feel permanently damaged and believe they can never be whole again. Their lives lose meaning and purpose. I think that's how victims react.

Survivors, on the other hand, come to understand that adversity is ever present in life. Their character is defined not by traumatic events that happened to them, but in how they respond to challenges.

I thought Blaine carried herself with dignity and determination. She devoted a great deal of energy to helping others. She led by example.

I think what made her most extraordinary was that she helped provide healing on a daily basis to survivors with experiences similar to hers. It must have taken great strength to process so many stories involving pain and trauma, then offer comfort and guidance.

I consider myself lucky to have known such a selfless person and hope her legacy continues to inspire the many people she helped and served.

tslowik@tronc.com

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Twitter @tedslowik
With all the urgent problems Tinley Park has, the new village board thinks approval of raising chickens will make the village more appealing to live in? More likely to cause more "for sale" signs as people flee the village for continued lack of successful vision.

Red light camera programs demonstrate much of what is wrong with politics in Illinois. Like Toni Preckwinkle's regressive tax on beverages, these programs are not about public safety or health, they are just one more way to extract money from citizens to support overspending politicians. They do not represent the will of constituents, as most people are overwhelmingly opposed to the beverage tax and red light cameras. In the case of red light cameras, much of the support comes from those who receive the largest donations from red light companies that benefit from the implementation of these programs, as indicated in the Sunday Tribune article concerning this subject. This is a clear conflict of interest between supporting constituents and special interest groups. Unfortunately, too many politicians are compromised by the campaign contributions and the argument of an easy route to generating more revenue to the detriment of citizens. Both the camera and the beverage tax programs demonstrate that we have become governments by, for and of special interests.

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Jack, Oak Brook

At this writing it seems as if the latest GOP attempt to take away health care from 30 million Americans has failed. Presidet Donald Trump will undoubtedly vent incoherently on Twitter if he can be diverted from his crusade against the First Amendment. Meanwhile, Robert Mueller continues with his investigation into the Trump organization and gets closer to Trump himself.

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William, Oak Lawn

Cook County Democrats always raising our taxes because they cannot budget money. But they always try to tell us how to spend our money. Thus the fake soda tax.

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Speak Out allows readers to comment on the issues of the day. Email Speak Out at speakout@southtownstar.com or call 312-222-2427. Please limit comments to 30 seconds or about 120 words and give your first name and your hometown.
They have suffered beatings, deaths, and endemic mental illness in detention on Manus, and the alternatives being suggested by the Australian government  settlement in PNG or return to the country from which they are seeking asylum  are no better for them.

The Australian government is shutting down the detention centre on Manus while many of the refugees who have been detained there over the past four years are demanding, as they have from the beginning, that they be afforded the human right of being permitted to settle in Australia  a country where they are likely to be safe from war, poverty, and persecution.

SYDNEY - As Behrouz Boochani reports from Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, a number of the over 900 refugee men who have been detained there by Australia will soon fly to the United States where, under the fraught deal struck between the US and Australian governments in 2016, they will be allowed to settle.

That the men are even in PNG is due to another deal, struck in 2013 between the Australian and Papua New Guinean prime ministers, known as the regional resettlement agreement.

What is the impact of this ostensible regional partnership on relations between Australia and PNG? The agreement, such as it was, is now arguably in tatters. The suffering of the refugees in detention, the abuse of their human rights, has been monumental.

Manusians and Papua New Guineans more broadly have had this suffering in their faces, often finding themselves blamed for it, such as when refugees have been attacked by locals outside of detention on the island.

Plans to resettle the refugees in the US have been the subject of international scandal, stopping and starting several times before the current assurance that some 50 will be flown there soon.

Many of the jobs promised by Australia for the remittance-dependent Manus Island have not materialised, and Manusians (like former parliamentarian Ronny Knight) have repeatedly expressed concern about the volatility of a situation where so many men are held in poor conditions with no realistic exit point in sight.

Australia has shown no intention of intervening to improve the situation for the refugees, nor for PNG. In this, we have probably brought relations between the prosperous island nation and its former dependent territory to its lowest ebb in decades.

Many Papua New Guineans feel that Australia has ducked its responsibility to resettle refugees and treated PNG like a dumping ground.

Knight has suggested PNG could declare the refugees illegal residents and deport them to Australia, while the PNG Attorney-General has warned that his country is not going to allow a situation where Australia has withdrawn.

From the Pacific Islands Forum this month prime minister Peter O'Neill said he is appealing to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the absence of help from Australia.

One senior development consultant, an Australian with decades of experience in the region, told me they've never seen such significant anti-Australia sentiment in PNG public discourse.

This makes sense. A former colony of Australia, PNG grapples with social problems on a scale unknown to our prosperous country. Many of its citizens are working hard to overcome political corruption, poverty, and conflict.

Why should Papua New Guineans have to also absorb the costs of resettling refugees who sought asylum in Australia, simply because their wealthy neighbour and former colonial master says they must? This must feel especially biting in the face of failed promises of economic investment from Australia.

Many Australians would agree: it's not a good idea to piss off your neighbours. I wonder what will be the consequences of the last four years for the deeply intertwined investment, trade and aid relationships between us close neighbours in the Pacific.

Ann Deslandes is a freelance writer and researcher. Twitter: @Ann_dLandes.
The volunteer-run pantry at Carpentersville Middle School opened its doors last summer. During that time, it has serviced more than 450 families, feeding 2,300 people including 1,155 kids. (Erin Sauder/Courier-News )

Over the past year, Craig Raddatz has enjoyed helping to launch District 300's first in-school pantry.

But if it goes out of business one day due to lack of patronage, the Lake in the Hills resident is just fine with that.

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"We're not just offering food to our families," Raddatz said. "We're partnering with organizations that provide families legal services, resume writing, job searches, dental screenings for children. The food is temporary. If we can help these families with additional services and if that can help them they won't have a need for me."

The volunteer-run pantry at Carpentersville Middle School opened its doors last summer. During that time, it has serviced more than 450 families, feeding 2,300 people including 1,155 kids.

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"It's exciting that we're touching a lot of families that haven't been touched," Raddatz said.

To celebrate the milestone and raise money for the pantry's second year, a fundraiser is planned for Thursday at East Dundee's River Street Tavern.

About $42,000 was needed during the inaugural year to purchase food from the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

"That's in addition to food donations," Raddatz said.

His goal is to raise $50,000 for the pantry's second year to cover expected growth.

For several years, volunteers from The Chapel, a non-denominational church with locations in Lake Zurich, Barrington, Grayslake, Libertyville, Mundelein and Palatine, had been serving the district's needy families through the Mobile Food Pantry ministry.

Raddatz, a team leader for the program, said in his discussions with officials from the Northern Illinois Food Bank, a partner to The Chapel, he learned about the national trend of food pantries opening in school districts.

An analysis by Northern Illinois Food Bank found that District 300 was a perfect candidate for a more permanent site. While the school district is also served by the FISH (Friend, I Shall Help) Food Pantry in Carpentersville, that facility also finds it difficult to keep up with the demand.

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With the help of the Northern Illinois Food Bank, The Chapel secured grant funding to build the pantry in the back of Carpentersville Middle School, 100 Cleveland Ave.

"District 300 has been exceptional in working with us," said Leslie LaMarca, community outreach and fundraising director for the D300 Food Pantry. "If it weren't for them or Craig's efforts we couldn't do this."

She is excited to continue helping to serve the area's families that are in need.

"One of our main goals is we want them to feel comfortable when they come here," she said. "This pantry is theirs."

Besides helping make the pantry available one night a week, volunteers have also assisted with emergency food drops, home deliveries, and off-hours shopper accommodation.

Those who use the pantry are able to find personal care products, canned items, frozen foods, school supplies, diapers, cleaning supplies, fresh fruit and vegetables when available, bread and milk.

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To make a donation or sign up to volunteer, go to www.d300foodpantry.org.

Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Jeff Morello plays the harmonica while dignitaries gathered before the unveiling of a new memorial marker for Gen. Lynch at the Bluff City Cemetery. (Janelle Walker/Courier-News )

The historical marker next to Gen. William Lynch's grave at Bluff City Cemetery didn't tell the story of who the man was, Jim Zingales said.

Zingales didn't know much about Lynch before a year ago, either, he said. Zingales didn't know that a decorated Union general hailed from Elgin until he was asked to portray Lynch for the 29th annual Elgin Area Historical Society cemetery walk.

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It was fitting, he said Saturday, to dedicate the new memorial marker the day before the 30th annual walk.

About 50 residents, members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civl War, local history buffs and others gathered in a blazing September sun to learn about the Elgin patriot.

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"As a Union soldier, he really was a hero of the city of Elgin," Mayor David Kaptain said.

John Bigwood of the Illinois Department Commander of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, as well as other members of the organization and Civil War re-enactors, helped to honor Gen. William Lynch Saturday, (Janelle Walker/Courier-News )

Lynch moved to Elgin with his family  a father who was a merchant  from Rochester, N.Y., in 1845, Kaptain said. Lynch married a Gifford and there is a theory that the two families may have been in contact as both were from the same region of New York state.

Once in Elgin, then just a village of a few thousand people, they would have known everyone, Kaptain noted.

Lynch was part of the first class to attend Elgin Academy and went on to college at Notre Dame, but came back as the Civil War broke out.

Elgin Historian Jerry Turnquist was able to research Lynch's history, finding references to his newspaper obituary and in a book of Elgin history.

The week of Christmas 1861, Lynch was recruited with the 58th Regiment which was mustered into service. He was 23 years old.

Lynch was known to have fought in battles at Fort Donelson, Tenn.; Shiloh; Mississippi and Louisiana. He spent seven months in a Virginia prison before being released in a prisoner exchange.

What isn't as known, Kaptain said, was what Lynch's relationship was to Gen. U.S. Grant. Grant, later as President of the United States, came to Elgin and visited Lynch at his home.

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Three shots from a cannon were part of the ceremony Saturday, recognizing Gen. William Lynch and the dedication of a new memorial at the Elgin Civil War Veterans grave site at Bluff City Cemetery. (Janelle Walker/Courier-News )

What he does know, Kaptain said, that before his death at 38 years old, Lynch served on the Elgin City Council and on the school board.

"He gave back to the community," Kaptain said.

Lynch's rise in the Union army likely had much to do with his ability to read and write, said John Bigwood of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Illinois Department Commander.

"He entered as a private, the absolute bottom," of the ranks, Bigwood said.

At one point, after his injuries led Lynch to retire from the Army, a brigadier general tried to reduce Lynch back to a colonel, Bigwood said. Someone spoke to President Grant and Lynch kept his rank, he said.

Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Elgin Public House Chef and Manager Eric Klekamp is overseeing a locally sourced, farm-to-table dinner Sunday afternoon to be held along Elgin's Riverside Drive Promenade. (Mike Danahey/Courier-News )

Riverside Drive Promenade becomes a pop-up restaurant at 3 p.m. Sunday when the Downtown Neighborhood Association hosts a farm-to-table dinner to benefit the Shared Harvest  Elgin Food Cooperative's effort to open its own grocery store.

"Shared Harvest's mission to open a community owned market downtown is a great opportunity for Elgin, and we are delighted to support them by hosting this event," DNA Executive Director Jennifer Fukala said. "This also is a great opportunity to showcase the promenade as a place to hold events."

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According to Elgin Public House manager and chef Eric Klekamp, the four-course meal came from discussions with Public House owner Greg Shannon and Elgin City Council member and Shared Harvest advocate Carol Rauschenberger.

"She's a friend of the restaurant, and she suggested having a farm-to-table dinner," Klekamp said.

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Rauschenberger recalled talking one night in June at Elgin Public House about a farm-to-table dinner she heard about that Batavia holds. Klekamp overheard her and expressed interest in the opportunity to create a dinner using mostly local ingredients.

Rauschenberger said Shared Harvest backers had tried on prior occasions to find caterers willing to put together a farm-to-table, locally sourced affair.

"It's not that easy," Rauschenberger said.

She also went to the farm-to-table, outdoor event in Batavia, which drew more than 220 patrons, where each course was prepared by a different restaurant.

"These dinners are a way to make people aware of local farms and to showcase that type of food," Rauschenberger said.

For Sunday's dinner in Elgin, Shared Harvest put Klekamp in touch with local farmers so that he could put together a menu featuring items available this time of year. Klekamp said he also had to consider dishes where a good deal of the preparation could be done ahead of time.

This will be the first time he will be making a dinner of this type for this many people, Klekamp said. A challenge came from not having the food truck and its mobile kitchen that was going to be available for the day, he said.

"It was being donated by Legit Dogs, but their truck engine blew. So we had to rearrange a lot of how we are doing things," Klekamp said.

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The menu includes chilled and grilled vegetable crudite salad with dill dip followed by a farmer's salad with pomme frites and sous vide egg.

The salad is the trickiest dish to make, Klekamp said. It involves cooking the eggs in a way that will provide "a runny, good mess" he said, as egg tops fried potatoes served on a bed of greens.

The main course will be pork from a 150-pound, slow smoked pig and butternut squash risotto with frizzled leeks. Klekamp said he is borrowing a friend's smoker to roast the pig.

On Monday, Klekamp was working on a test run of the dessert he will be making, an apple pie puff with caramel sauce.

Almost all the ingredients being used have been donated and are locally sourced, Klekamp said. Those providers include All Grass Farms in Dundee Township; City Roots Farm of Elgin; Red Flower Organics of Maple Park; Klein's Farm of Elgin; UP Farms of West Chicago; Noffke's Family Farm in Michigan and Krog's Farm of Elgin.

If weather is inclement, the dinner will be moved into the event space at Imago Creative in downtown Elgin. The Elgin Chamber of Commerce, Fox Valley Visitor and Convention Bureau, Soulful Sparrow, Dream Kitchen and Arabica Cafe are other event sponsors.

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As of Monday, 38 tickets remained for the Sunday dinner, Fukala said, with the event capped at 100. The $75 price per ticket includes a processing fee from Eventbrite, Rauschenberger said, and there is a special where those who buy two tickets also get a share of Shared Harvest. The price also includes one soft drink, beer or glass of wine, with the beer coming from area brewers Crystal Lake Brewing and Wild Onion Brewery.

Any money made will be donated to to Shared Harvest, which would like to open its version of a cooperative grocery store in space being made available to remodel next to the Ziegler's Ace Hardware in downtown Elgin. Rauschenberger said those behind the effort have more than 935 co-op members and want to reach 1,000 before updating a business plan and coming to the City Council to see what type of financial assistance might be available.

For information and tickets, go to www.sharedharvest.com, www.elginpublichouse.com and www.downtownelgin.com/.

mdanahey@tribpub.com
Fanny's Thai Roll Ice Cream is prepared on a surface cooled to well below zero. (Mike Danahey/Courier-News )

As the region experienced an unprecedented September warm spell Tuesday, quite a few Elgin area residents headed out for ice cream and other frozen treats to beat the heat.

Their numbers included Jacqueline Martinez and her friends who hit one of Elgin's newest spots.

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"It's all our first time here. We usually go to Dairy Queen," Martinez said as she waited for a worker at Fanny's Thai Roll Ice Cream to prepare her dish.

For the uninitiated, Thai roll ice cream is what you get when Frozen meets Hibachi. Instead of a very hot metallic surface on which a chef stir fries vegetables and sears proteins, a round metallic surface is cooled to well below zero on which servers pour a the liquid that will become the dessert.

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The servers use putty knife-like tools as the liquid freezes and hardens. Eventually the servers flatten out this version of ice cream, cut it into strips, roll the strips, put the strips into a paper cup and garnish with fruit, cookies or other sweets.

Brenna Hurley (top) and Farrah McKee prepare orders at Fanny's Thai Roll Ice Cream in Elgin Tuesday afternoon. (Mike Danahey/Courier-News )

Fanny's employees Farrah McKee and Brenna Hurley said it took a few hours to learn the technique, which takes about 3 minutes to do.

"It doesn't involve your shoulders. You need good wrist movement," McKee said.

The women said the shop opened about six weeks ago and has been busy during the recent heat wave. The shop is next to the El Faro Mexican restaurant off Route 31/State Street in Elgin in a strip where parking is limited.

According to Kevin Birk, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Romeoville, the daytime high at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport reached 92 degrees Tuesday, besting a record set in 1992. Tuesday also was the seventh consecutive day the region has seen daytime highs reach 90 or above, shattering a record set in 1895, when it hit 90 or above from Sept. 19-22.

Birk said the latest temperature above 90 ever recorded in Chicago was 94 on Oct. 6, 1963. However, the weather is supposed to return to more seasonal temperatures Wednesday and through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Chad Van Acker said his family's Van's Custard business in East Dundee did well during the recent heat wave, which was set to end Tuesday after seven consecutive days where the temperature was 90 or above. (Mike Danahey/Courier-News )

At Van's Custard in East Dundee, customer Stacey Libra said she had mixed emotions about the summery weather finally giving way to fall.

"We had an early cold snap in September, so this was nice," Libra said. "So we're here making the most of the last of the hot days."

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Libra was at Van's with Applied Ecological Services coworker Cole Clayton enjoying an afternoon snack. With the recent hot weather, Clayton said, "When it gets back into the 60s, some people are going to act as if they're in the arctic."

Van's operator Chad Van Acker said that the hot streak has been good for business but somewhat of a double-edged sword. While the 80s are optimal for custard sales, once temperatures climb above 90 sales can dip a little, particularly if there is high humidity.

"A good deal of our business comes from people using the nearby bike trail," Van Acker said. "I bike to work from Elgin (around 10 a.m.), and it's been humid."

Business also has been up at the Dairy Queen off Villa Street on Elgin's east side, clerk Darian Cortez said.

"We were really busy Sunday, and we're definitely busier than last September when things started dying down by now," Cortez said. "We've been selling a lot of Blizzards."

mdanahey@tribpub.com
Not all equal: This is about peace. Too bad we can't all make a chain and all come together, but it doesn't work that way. There will always be prejudice. You are not going to be able to wipe that out. They say we are all created equal. Well, God creates us equal, but some have more than others. Some are born with a golden spoon. Some are born with a silver spoon. Some are born with nothing. I was at Aldi's once, and there was this old woman, I am going back three years. I looked in her cart, and she hardly had anything, but she did have six cans of cat food. I said, "Honey, how many cats do you have?" She said "two." I said, "You have to eat too." She said, "I can't. The government won't help me." I said, "Take this," and I gave her $20. That is our wonderful government. That is how well they take care of our old people.

Mocking justice system: In recent Chicago news, a man arrested for a shooting had been charged in 2015 with armed robbery and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in 2016. Remember when people joke about someone laughing all the way to the bank? Today, I am sure criminals laugh all the way to jail. What a mockery the justice system is to victims.

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Trump's giving: It is heartwarming to see President Trump give money. He could give more, but it's good. I don't remember any other president giving from his own funds. It's one good thing Donald Trump did. These poor people. I don't have anything, but if I did, I would gladly give it to them. I did make a donation of $2 because that's all I had. I did get my check today, and I am going to donate something more.

Trump has complex: I don't know if a lot of people are aware of it or think about it, but the reason Donald Trump acts the way he does is because of Barack Obama. It is the hatred and disdain he feels toward Barack Obama. Ever since Barack Obama roasted him like the pig he is and everyone else who roasted him, he is getting even, at a vengeance. But he is doing it at the expense of the American people. It is too bad he has turned Americans against Americans in this process. He has a really bad complex about Barack Obama.

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Stop stealing: I would like to bring up about these people who are stealing cellphones left and right. I know they think you can get money for them. Huh, I tell you that is ridiculous. People shouldn't do that at all. Maybe if they went and got a job, they wouldn't steal people's cellphones. What is going on around here? Is that all they got to do, steal from other people?

Come together: It is so wonderful to see how our country is coming together for the people of Texas. This country is strong. No matter how many countries try to tear us apart, we are strong in spirit. There's times I have to turn the TV off, like when the baby clung to a dead woman. Then I got angry and had to turn it off when people started looting. People lost everything, and people had the nerve to loot. But this country is strong, and people rally around each other.

Attack on symbols: Why stop with the current anti-racism kick by removing every symbol of the old Confederacy? Go further back to the procurers of the natives from Africa, the Spanish and their slave ships. Protest everything representing Spanish in America today.

What's up, Aurora?: I am just curious: What is it with Aurora lately? They can't keep their businesses here and they can't keep the secondhand resale shops here. Two of them, on Farnsworth, have gone out. The people who live over there are very poor and really, really appreciate the store and their sales where they could get items for $1 or $1.50. The people of Aurora, including the mayor, couldn't wait for these people to leave. But they were good people. They offered good items to people. They kept their stores clean. But again, Aurora never lets anything good stay. They think it is broken and have to get rid of it. I hope someday we get someone in there who really loves Aurora.

Who helps U.S.?: The United States seems to help other countries when there's a disaster. Can you list the countries helping Texas with the flooding and everything else going on there? I want to know what countries are helping us.

Enough about Chicago cop: I would like to comment on the Chicago police superintendent who got a kidney transplant. Is this the first time someone has had a kidney transplant? I am not quite sure why they are making such a big deal about this superintendent getting a kidney transplant. It happens every day. They seem to spend so much time on him getting a transplant. My wife got a kidney transplant, and she wasn't on TV advertising she got one. I am not sure why they are making a big deal of it. Enough is enough.

Illinois' priorities: Illinois doesn't allow elephants in the circus. Is that all our hotshot politicians have to worry about, elephants in a circus? Come on, Illinois, let's wake up.

EPD's punishment not just: I think the 10-day suspension of Elgin police Sgt. Mark Whaley is an insult to all Elgin residents as well as Mothers against Drunk Drivers. Chief Swoboda's decision is no better than the Sycamore Chief Theriault's decision. Whaley, while driving a city vehicle with open liquor and refusing a breath test, deserves exactly what I would have received. Any future DUI arrest by the Elgin Police Department will be totally hypocritical.

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Aurora post office problems?: My home mail, bills, ads and magazines arrive daily like clockwork. Recently, I ordered a jacket costing $350 through Chicago. I waited and waited. Finally, I called the company. They tracked it. They said it was sent weeks ago by FedEx. They delivered it to the Aurora post office for home delivery. It never arrived. The monthly payments arrived, regularly. Has anyone else had this experience with the Aurora post office?

Robert E. Lee's legacy: Now the nut cases in America are destroying the statutes of Confederate soldiers and leaders like Robert E. Lee. I wonder how many of these people realize that it was Robert E. Lee who decided the war had killed way too many men and decided to surrender to General Grant. Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, wanted to continue fighting and use guerrilla tactics. Are these people going to destroy Arlington National Cemetery because of the Confederate soldiers buried there? One more thing, the Civil War ended 150 years ago, get over it.

No sympathy: I really wish all the newspapers would quit running immigration articles. You guys always show such a slanted view of illegal immigration. You don't even call it illegal immigration when you do your stories. It is always about some poor illegal immigrant who is in jail and shouldn't be, according to their family. They may have stolen someone's ID or got a DUI, but they should still not be deported. Give me a break. They broke the law coming here illegally. They all need to be deported and brought back legally. How about the ones who have been here 20 years? They had ample opportunity to make themselves legal and learn English. The sympathy for them is over. The only people who have sympathy for them is their relatives and apparently every liberal newspaper in the country.

Change statues: Why totally destroy these statues featuring Southern Gens. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson? How about having a talented metal sculpture rework the faces into Yankee Gens. Grant and Sherman? The uniforms look the same, and the belt buckles can be changed from CSA to USA.

Editor's note

Speak Out is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you see something you disagree with or think is incorrect, call us at 312-222-2460 or email couriernews@tribpub.com. Please include "speak out" in the subject line.
A motorcyclist was killed Monday night in Elmhurst after a collision with another vehicle at the intersection of North and Berteau avenues.

Emergency personnel were sent to the scene at 9:10 p.m. and saw the motorcyclist had massive head injuries, according to DuPage County authorities. The rider, identified as Ivanny Mendez-Perez, 28, of Berwyn, was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:47 p.m.

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The DuPage County Coroner's Office along with the Elmhurst Police Department and the DuPage County Accident Reconstruction Team are investigating.

Elmhurst Police deputy chief Michael McLean said Tuesday morning the investigation is continuing.

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"No charges have been issued currently," McLean said. "Any charges will come after the investigation is complete."

Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press
Mannheim Middle School art teacher Terri Hafertepe (center-top) and students add details to a design that will go on one of the city of Northlakes snow plows. (Pioneer Press)

Some artists can labor for years without seeing their work before the public.

The students at Mannheim Middle School, on the other hand, expect to see their contributions on display  perhaps as soon as the year's first real snowfall. And the art will be on wheels.

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In the parking lot behind the school, the students began painting their designs for two snows blades to be attached to two snow plow trucks for the city of Northlake.

Mayor Jeffrey Sherwin approached Mannheim School District 83 about the project earlier this year after reading an article in a newspaper about a similar program in another community, said Terri Hafertepe, an art teacher at the school and organizer of the project.

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Supplied with the blades, tarps and paints, Mannheim students drew the designs. Students throughout District 83 then voted via a Google survey for the top two designs, Hafertepe said.

"This was like over 900 votes," she said. "We had every student vote, so we felt like everyone was part of it."

In the past few weeks, students from the district's elementary schools have been joining Mannheim students in the painting of the designs.

Students from throughout the district are participating in the painting.

Also playing key roles were Sanda Umana, a fellow art teacher at Mannheim, and Maureen Hergott, an art teacher at Westdale.

Umana worked with her students, exploring potential designs, talking about the project, and then lining up the painters, she said.

"She's the organizer. I'm the cheerleader," Umana said of Hafertepe, though she appeared to be playing both roles, too, as she moved around the work space, directing the students.

Hergott was excited to see some of her former students, now at Mannheim, working alongside her current students at Westdale.

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Tim Daley, Mannheim Middle School principal, was also part of the group. He was appreciative of Sherwin's interest in the project and the forum it provides.

"We need for kids to see their work actually put to use," he said. "The whole career readiness piece that is out there is important; they can see it being used and see that there's value to their work."

"Hopefully, when we get a snowfall," he said, "they can [see] one of these blades coming down the street."
The New York State Senate will hold hearings in the coming months to discuss record flooding that affected communities along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

The first hearing is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 at Mexico High School, 3338 Main St., in Mexico, Oswego County. A second hearing will be held at a Wayne County site in November. The details of that meeting will be announced in the near future.

State Sens. Tom O'Mara and Patty Ritchie will lead the hearing. O'Mara, R-Big Flats, is chairman of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. Ritchie, R-Oswegatchie, chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The hearing will focus on how flooding impacted communities along the lake and river. Lake levels reached new highs after record rainfall in the spring.

But some elected officials and residents have blamed Plan 2014 for the flooding. Plan 2014 is a water management plan adopted by the International Joint Commission, a panel of U.S. and Canadian officials that oversee shared waterways.

The state senators have invited representatives from the International Joint Commission, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, New York Sea Grant and other agencies to testify at the hearing.

State Sen. Pam Helming, whose district includes parts of Cayuga, Monroe and Wayne counties, noted the impact flooding had on her constituents. Sodus Point in Wayne County experienced significant flooding after lake levels increased. Flooding was also observed in Fair Haven, a Cayuga County village.

The state established a $45 million flood relief to assist businesses and homeowners affected by the flooding. Helming, R-Canandaigua, was the Senate sponsor of the bill.

"As communities start to rebuild and prepare for the long-term, we owe it to our residents and business owners to examine this year's flooding from every angle and do all we can to prevent this from happening again," she said.

Helming said she will partner with O'Mara to host the second hearing in Wayne County later this fall.
Some homeowners on First Street object to the 5-foot wrought iron fence their neighbor is putting up along the front and side of his 120-year-old home. (Kimberly Fornek / Pioneer Press )

Some Hinsdale residents upset their neighbor is installing a 5-foot wrought iron fence along the front and side of his property allege he used his position as the chairman of the Historical Preservation Commission to get the regulations changed.

"This is really a misuse of power," said Bob Schultz, a former village trustee.

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Schultz said the amendment allowing wrought iron fences up to 5 feet passed without public input and without John Bohnen, the commission chairman, disclosing to the Village Board that he himself wanted that tall a fence at his First Street home.

Bohnen called the allegation nonsense.

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The commission has been studying updating the village fence regulations and listing the topic on its agendas since at least 2014. Bohnen did not get a permit to put up his fence until Aug. 11 of this year.

Bohnen said years ago when the ordinance was written limiting fences in front yards to a maximum height of 3 feet, wrought iron fences should have been exempted.

"Wrought iron fences were intended to be excluded because by their very nature they do not obstruct vision in any way," Bohnen told the Village Board in May 2016.

Residents who have installed wrought iron fences that conformed to the 3-foot height limit end up with fences that do not match the scale or the aesthetics of the homes, Bohnen said.

"These stunted fences detract from the overall appearance of many of the properties, particularly larger properties in historic (residential) districts," Bohnen said.

Schultz wanted the Village Board to issue a stop work order to Bohnen. As of Friday, only the support posts had been installed. The support posts are well over 6 feet tall, but will be trimmed once the fence is installed.

Village President Thomas Cauley, Jr., told Schultz the village could not stop work that was being done in compliance with village ordinances.

Bohnen knew his neighbors would not like the fence, because they had objected to it once before, said Schultz and John Kayser, who lives across the street from Bohnen.

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In 2003, Bohnen planned to erect a wrought iron fence around his property. At that time, the height of the fence necessitated a public hearing by the Zoning Board of Appeals. Notices of the proposal were mailed to property owners who lived within a specified distance of his home.

"We started getting so much backsplash and it was such a convoluted process, we just withdrew it," Bohnen said.

Last year, the Village Board voted 4-1 to amend fence regulations to allow wrought iron fences up to 5 feet in front yards if the frontage of the lot is at least 125 feet wide and the size of the lot is at least 30,000 square feet.

The height limit for front yard fences for lots smaller than that is 4 feet for cast aluminum or wrought iron fences. For either size lot, an additional 1 foot of fence height is allowed to adjust to a slope.

Schultz and Kayser believe Bohnen should have disclosed to the Village Board that he asked for a variation for a wrought iron fence years ago and the neighbors objected.

"We are really opposed to the fence," Kayser said. "In the past, we had input and now we don't."

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Schultz's father-in-law, Warren Furey, who lives next door to Bohnen, said he objects to tall wrought iron fences in front yards when they do not fit in with the neighborhood.

"Where the Bohnen fence is going makes it seem more a Bohnen wall and it doesn't blend with our historic First Street historic district," Furey said.

The Fureys and Bohnens live on one of the few brick streets in the village and an area designated a historic district.

Bohnen said he has traveled extensively and wrought iron fences are very common around turn-of-the-century homes.

Bohnen, who grew up in Hinsdale, said they also used to be more prevalent in Hinsdale.

Restoring his home, which was built between 1896 and 1898, has been his and his wife's life's work, said Bohnen, who owns the Hinsdale real estate agency County Line Properties. He believes the wrought iron fence will enhance his home's appearance.

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Cauley said the village followed the proper process for amending its regulations. The board discussed the proposed amendment at its May 3 and the May 17, 2016 meetings before approving it May 17, 2016.

At those meetings, then-Village Trustee Bob Saigh was the only Village Board member to object.

Saigh said in May 2016 the only push to change the fence ordinance, that he was aware of, came from the Historic Preservation Commission.

"The regulations are established, they're clear, effective and apparently are widely accepted, because there is certainly no groundswell from residents, property owners or the public that they be changed," Saigh said.

Cauley said in an email Tuesday the village staff confirmed that the proper steps were followed.

kfornek@pioneerlocal.com

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A watchdog of the Libertyville-Vernon Hills Community High School District School Board said during a Lake County Circuit Court hearing Tuesday that officials connected to election-related perjury charges should recuse themselves from board activities until the cases are resolved.

Tim Anderson of Libertyville spoke at a routine status hearing for Denise Zwit, secretary to District 128 Superintendent Prentiss Lea, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of perjury.

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Assistant State's Attorney Fred Day has said that Zwit allegedly falsely signed that she was the circulator of several candidate petition signature pages for school board President Patrick Groody.

Facing the same charges is school board member Ellen Mauer, who allegedly affirmed in writing that she personally collected signatures on her candidate petitions for the April 4 District 128 school board election. Prosecutors allege she did not collect the signatures herself.

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Anderson told the court Mauer should recuse herself from the board until her case is resolved, and repeated charges he has made at school board meetings that the "board president" (Patrick Groody) is an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the case because he was placed on the ballot due to petitions involved in the case against Zwit.

Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes thanked Anderson for his comments and moved on to pretrial scheduling issues for Zwit's case.

Anderson said after the hearing that Mauer and Groody, "continue to benefit from what could be a criminal act."

District 128 issued a written statement in response to a request for a response to Anderson's comments to the court.

"Dr. Groody and Dr. Mauer are elected School Board members and will continue to carry out their duties, and Ms. Zwit is a (District) 128 employee and she will continue to carry out her assigned duties," the statement said.

Anderson was one of two members of the public who said at an August board meeting that Mauer and Groody should abstain from voting on a new contract for the superintendent.

At that meeting, Anderson engaged in a number of heated exchanges with Groody, who has said that he has been unable to comment on the indictments, not because he doesn't want to but because they are ongoing legal matters.

Zwit and Mauer are both free on $25,000 signature bonds.

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Although their cases are separate and they are not co-defendants, Zwit and Mauer were both indicted by a Lake County grand jury on the perjury charges during the same week in June.

Both Mauer and Zwit have declined to comment on their cases.

Mauer has been a board member for 12 years and also serves as the board's secretary. She is also a principal at Spaulding School in Gurnee. Zwit, who currently works as Lea's secretary, has been a district employee for more than three decades.

Perjury is a class 3 felony that carries a potential sentence of two to five years in prison upon conviction, but also can carry a probationary sentence.

jrnewton@tribpub.com

Twitter @jimnewton5
A family of three was hospitalized Saturday after being attacked by an adult and eight teens at Six Flags Great America after members of the larger group apparently cut in line and were using foul language when the family exchanged words with them, according to Gurnee police.

Gurnee police Officer Daniel Ruth, the incident's lead investigator, said the family members  a 51-year-old man, 50-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy  all were transported to an area hospital by a Gurnee Fire Department ambulance with injuries that were not life-threatening.

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Police arrested Gregory Battle, 18, of Waukegan, who was being held on $20,000 bail on charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, mob action and aggravated battery in a public place, Ruth said.

The eight juveniles, ranging in age from 15 to 17, were named in juvenile petitions for mob action, a class 4 felony, and taken to the Depke Juvenile Complex Center in Vernon Hills.

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Gregory Battle, 18, of Waukegan. (Gurnee Police Department )

Seven of the suspects were from Waukegan and one was from Beach Park. Another juvenile additionally was charged with obstruction of justice for giving a false name, Ruth said.

Police are asking for any more witnesses to contact the department.

"We urge anyone with video information to come forward," Ruth said Tuesday. Ruth added that while the park has cameras throughout, the video they've seen has been inconclusive.

"We believe there were more witnesses that did not come forward, and any video would be useful to the investigation," Ruth said. "We urge anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward and make a statement."

The incident was called in to police at 8:50 p.m. during the amusement park's Fright Fest in the Southwest Territory area, home of the rides Raging Bull, Viper and Giant Drop.

The initial call was for a fight in progress involving approximately 10 people, Ruth said. Another 911 call reported that 10 people were surrounding and fighting one person.

According to Ruth, when police arrived, they detained nine suspects who fit the description provided by park security personnel. The suspects were not in costume.

Security and police both made contact with the suspects just south of Grand Avenue in the park's entryway that is landscaped with hills and trees, Six Flags Avenue, and detained them, Ruth said. He added that witnesses told police there was an exchange of words over one of the victim's thoughts on the group's inappropriate behavior, which included foul language and a line issue for a ride.

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"They were talking initially before a battery occurred to the child," Ruth said. He added that the father went to his son's aid and started to pull the offender off the boy when the father was knocked to the ground, and the group surrounded him and hit him with "punches and kicks."

At that point, the wife tried to help her husband and son, and she also was attacked. It did not appear that anyone immediately came to their aid, "but numerous people reached out to Six Flags employees as well as calling 911," to get them help, Ruth said.

Tess Claussen, communications manager at Great America, said in a statement, "The safety of our guests and team members is our top priority and we have zero tolerance for reckless behavior. The perpetrators were taken into custody by local authorities."

Claussen added, "This was an isolated incident and Gurnee police along with our own security personnel responded promptly."

Gurnee Deputy Chief Brian Smith said the department not only has regular patrols through the park, but the park also hires "a significant number" of Gurnee officers to assist Great America's private security personnel.

"And there is a standard increase during each and every day during Fright Fest every year," he said, adding the attack was not a common occurrence.

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"We don't typically see incidents like this," Smith said. "This would be very unusual for Six Flags."

Information concerning the family was not being released at their request as they try to recover from the incident, Smith said.

fabderholden@tribpub.com

Twitter @abderholden
Edwin Matute of Waukegan was convicted of three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a minor under the age of 13. (Lake County Sheriff's Office)

A 27-year-old man was sentenced to a 27 years in prison Tuesday after being convicted in August of the repeated sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl in her Waukegan residence.

Edwin Matute, of Waukegan, who had faced a maximum sentence of 120 years in prison, declined to make a statement on his own behalf before Judge James Booras handed down the sentence. Matute was convicted of three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a minor under the age of 13.

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"I can't imagine that someone who was going through this experience at (the age of) 11 will not have consequences for the rest of their lives," Booras said of the victim prior to pronouncing the sentence.

Matute must serve the sentence at a minimum of 85 percent, and will be given credit toward the sentence for the roughly three years he has spent in Lake County jail since his arrest.

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Assistant State's Attorney Jason Grindel had asked Booras to sentence Matute to 36 years in prison, and defense attorney Gabriel Conroe had asked the judge to sentence his client to 18 years, the minimum sentence he could have received.

Matute must serve a period of supervision ranging from three years to life after completing his sentence, with the length to be determined by the Illinois Department of Corrections, Booras said. He also must register as a sexual predator for life.

Key evidence for the state in the trial included a videotaped confession by Matute given to Waukegan police investigators in which he said he had sex with the girl, whom he said he believed to be 11 or 12 years old, but that it was not forced.

Matute said in the videotaped interview that he thought he had sex with her three times, and had always used protection.

The state claimed there were five incidents of sexual contact. The girl, who is now 14 and was 11 at the time of the assaults in 2014, testified at the trial she believed they had sex "four or five times," but defense attorneys noted that she initially denied the incidents had occurred, and then said she had been with Matute twice before eventually telling an interviewer that the number of times was four or five.

Matute knew both the victim and her mother, and had stayed briefly at their Waukegan residence after arriving in the U.S from Honduras, prosecutors said. His conviction stemmed from incidents that prosecutors said occurred between April 1 and July 20 of 2014.

In addition to the victim and her mother, witnesses included DNA experts who stated that evidence showed that DNA collected as evidence in the case matched Matute to a reasonable degree of certainty.

A criminal investigation began when the mother contacted police after she said she found evidence of sexual activity after she came home the evening of July 20, 2014.

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jrnewton@tribpub.com

Twitter @jimnewton5
A modest crowd gathered outside the Morton Grove Public Library in Morton Grove Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017 as the village unveiled the refurbished WWI homage Doughboy statue. ( Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press )

A modest crowd gathered in front of the Morton Grove Public Library to witness the rededication of one the village's iconic statues following its restoration.

The Morton Grove Historical Society, in collaboration with other partners, completed renovation of the "Doughboy" statue, which is a WWI monument. Speakers included elected officials.

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"Doughboy is an icon," said Morton Grove Village President Dan DiMaria. "It sums up what a community should be doing for the people who paid the ultimate sacrifice."

The statue, which is named for a term used to describe WWI soldiers, has been at its original Lincoln Avenue location since the day it was installed, and predates the library which was built near the site in 1952.

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The statue was dedicated with a ceremony on July 31, 1921 and has been the center of Memorial Day and Veterans Day (and formerly Armistice Day) ceremonies.

It was created by architect and sculptor Hugh A. Price and installed by contractors Hanamann, Landeck and Co. of Niles Center in Skokie. The names of all 43 men from Morton Grove who served in WWI are listed with it.

The Doughboy monument is registered with the World War 1 Centennial Commission, officials explained.

Official said inspection of the statue indicated repairs were needed for granite, stone, bronze and concrete restoration. Restoration costs were just under $13,000, according to officials.

Other political leaders spoke at the ceremony Sunday, as air temperatures topped 90 degrees.

"I think today we're here to honor those who served our nation and I think this is a monument to record our history and remember those who fought," said U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Illinois.

Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, D-13th District, said the statue pays tribute to all military service personnel.

"I view it (Doughboy) as a sentry who is watching over to protect us," said Suffredin, who said his grandfather served in World War I. "What we need to remind people is that military service to this country is a good thing, it's not a bad thing."

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The term "Doughboy," has other meanings said Mark Matz, who has served as president of the Morton Grove Historical Society for two years.

"One (story) goes back to the Mexican-American War of 1848 when soldiers in blue uniforms marched through dusty terrain," he said. "Their tunics were covered with light dust that looked like flour or adobe bricks (akin to dough).

He said the term stuck until "G.I." (usually for "government issued") replaced it starting with World War II.

Morton Grove civic and park district leader Paul Minx recalled the earlier days of the Doughboy statue in the village.

"I love the Doughboy, I remember this when I was a little kid," said Minx, who is chairman of Morton Grove Days

Immediately after the ceremony, the Morton Grove Historical Society showcased its exhibit entitled "Illinois and Morton Grove in The Great War  What Happened Before the Doughboy Arrived" at a reception at the John and Mary Helen Slater Education Center along Harrer Park.

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The exhibit opened at the museum after Labor Day and runs through Thanksgiving week.

Matz said local fundraising efforts for the restoration began more than one year ago after getting the bids to do the work.

The Morton Grove Days Commission, the Ladies Auxiliary of American Legion Post 134 and the Morton Grove Post 134: Sons of the American Legion were major funds contributors along with the Morton Grove Foundation, Morton Grove Fire personnel and the American Legion Post 134 and individual donors, Matz said.

Nancy Lanning of Morton Grove saluted the Doughboy shortly after a wreath was placed at the end of Sunday's rededication.

"It's an honor, they gave their lives," Lanning said. "We might not be here today."

Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer.
A former investment banker from Naperville accused of using privileged information to make nearly $40,000 was charged Tuesday with securities fraud, more commonly known as insider trading, federal authorities said.

Bilal Basrai, 43, former managing director of an investment banking firm in Chicago, used "material, non-public information to earn approximately $37,157 in illegal profits from the purchase and sale of stock in three companies," charges filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago said.

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Basrai has "cooperated with the government's investigation, and intends to plead guilty," a federal news release said.

Basrai allegedly learned of "nonpublic information about a secondary stock offering, an in-licensing agreement and the release date of a research report, and used it to make profitable trades of three companies' stock," according to the release. The time period was from January to July 2014.

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An SEC complaint also filed Tuesday said Basrai and another man, both of whom worked at LBMZ Securities, "breached the duties of trust and confidentiality" owed to those who paid to have research done that they then used to their advantage, an SEC news release said.

Basrai settled the SEC complaint by agreeing to pay $39,668 in insider trading profit, prejudgment interest of $4,617.89 and a penalty of $39,668.37, the release said. He "also agreed to be barred from trading penny stocks and from working in the securities industry," the release said.

LBMZ Securities paid a $240,000 penalty and agreed to a censure, but did not admit or deny the SEC's findings, the release said.

The charges against Basrai were filed by the Securities and Commodities Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Securities fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. An arraignment date for Basrai is pending.

wbird@tribpub.com
Elzbieta Plackowska hides her face as she listens to opening statements with Assistant Public Defender Kristen Nevdal, right, at the DuPage County courthouse in Wheaton on Sept. 12. (Bev Horne / Daily Herald)

With the prosecution wrapping up its case Tuesday, closing arguments in the murder trial of a Naperville woman accused of stabbing her young son and a child she'd been baby-sitting will begin Wednesday afternoon.

A final rebuttal witness testified Tuesday in the DuPage County case against Elzbieta Plackowska, 45, charged with the Oct. 30, 2012, murders of her 7-year-old son, Justin, 7, and Olivia Dworakowski, 5, inside the girl's Naperville home on Quin Court.

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The last witness was Grazyna Mioduszewska, wife of the owner of Ziggy's Cleaning Service of Naperville, for which Plackowska worked prior to the killings. Mioduszewska testified Plackowska, just before the children's deaths, appeared to be acting normally and was affectionate toward Justin and the family's dog.

Plackowska allegedly stabbed each child more than 100 times.

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Prosecutors have sought to prove Plackowska knew what she was doing when she stabbed the children to death, as well as two pet dogs. Plackowska's defense lawyers have contended she suffered a mental break and could not be held accountable for her actions.

The bench trial opened Sept. 12 with testimony from Marta Dworakowski, Olivia's mother. She told Judge Robert A. Miller she had met Plackowska several months earlier via an advertisement in a Polish-language newspaper.

Dworakowski, a single mother who works as a nurse at a dialysis lab, said she needed someone to watch her daughter. She and her ex-husband met Plackowska and her family, and Olivia came to love Plackowska and called her "Auntie Magda."

By late October 2012, Dworakowski said she had become unhappy with Plackowska and planned to look for another baby sitter.

Dworakowski testified thaton the night of the slayings, she was alarmed when she arrived home from work around 10 p.m. and did not see Plackowska's car parked in front of the condominium. Dworakowski said could not get inside because a door that normally was left unsecured had been locked.

She said she drove to Plackowska's home, repeatedly trying to call her and, finally, banged on her door. Police went to the Dworakowski home, where they found the bodies of the children and the dogs.

Assistant public defender George Ford earlier this month argued Plackowska suffered a psychotic break the night of the children's deaths, sparked by the death of her father earlier that month. "She was killing what had been pursuing her for weeks  the devil," Ford said.

Assistant State's Attorney Mike Pawl, conversely, contended Plackowska's actions were those of a "bitter, angry, narcissistic, self-centered" woman.

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Pawl said Plackowska had quarreled with her husband and resented having to clean houses to make ends meet for the family. Her actions the night of the killings undermined her insanity defense, Pawl said.

wbird@tribpub.com
Holly Hogue is the Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club member of the month for October. (Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club)

Each month the Naperville Sun publishes a question-and-answer profile of a member of the Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club. The October member of the month is Holly Hogue.

Tell us about yourself.

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I grew up in northwest Indiana and graduated from Indiana University. I moved to Chicago after college and worked as a financial analyst for three years. I decided to return to school and pursue a degree in teaching. I taught second grade in the south suburbs for a number of years.

I met my husband, Bob, while I was living in Chicago. We got married in 1993. Once we had our two children, we moved to Lisle to take advantage of the educational opportunities the suburbs provided. We are fortunate we live in the boundary area of Naperville North High School, home of the Huskies. My husband is originally from Naperville and a big Huskies fan so we made sure children attended Naperville North as he did. It's been a nice legacy for his family. I have worked part time in the Naperville school districts and now call myself retired.

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How did you hear about Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club?

I've known about (the club) for a long time but since we live in Lisle, I didn't realize that I could be a member. A friend told me the surrounding communities are welcome and so I joined a year ago.

I was surprised at the diversity of the activity options. They are all listed on the (the club's) website. I decided to try canasta, which I had never played. I was taught in an afternoon and was up to speed with the rest of the members in no time. That led to the bunco group and the charity groups, Vera's Blankets and Helping Hands. I'm also an avid walker and hiker. (The club) has a walking group that explores the local forest preserves in all kinds of weather so I joined that last year as well. I became chairwoman this past September. Everyone is very open and friendly; there is truly something for everyone.

What do you like to do in your free time?

My husband and I like to walk and bike the area forest preserves. We also enjoy kayaking, especially when we go down the DuPage River through downtown Naperville. In the winter, we ski. When the kids were young, we took them up to Wisconsin to learn. Now we head to Colorado and ski our favorite slopes at Copper Mountain and Keystone.

We love the outdoors and I feel so fortunate we live in a community surrounded by bike trails that are easily accessible. This fall we will be heading to France to visit our daughter, who is studying abroad. We will be walking, biking and driving throughout southern France.

The Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club is hosting a Welcome Coffee from 11 a.m. to noon Monday, Oct. 2, at a new location  the second floor of Naperville Bank and Trust, 555 Fort Hill Drive. For more information, go to www.napervillenewcomersandneighborsclub.com or call Sue at 630-904-5629.
A teacher chats with students at Kendall Elementary School in Naperville in 2016. College and universities are trying to figure out how to attract more students into the education profession to reduce the nationwide teacher shortage. (Mike Mantucca/Naperville Sun )

Colleges and universities are trying to figure out how to entice more people into the teaching careers to fill vacancies, a dilemma that down the road could pose ramifications throughout educational leadership.

The U.S. Department of Education data on the 2017-18 school year shows nearly every state experienced difficulty hiring qualified teachers in such fields as special education, mathematics, science and world languages.

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It's a problem expressed recently by Indian Prairie's human resources coordinator Carey Beth Harry, who told the school board District 204 struggled filling teaching positions in special education, bilingual education, mathematics, science, world languages and business.

Part of the reason for the shortage is the number of students enrolling in teacher education programs nationwide dropped 35 percent between 2009 and 2014, according to the Learning Policy Institute. That, the institute says, translates to nearly 240,000 fewer teachers entering the classroom in 2014 compared to 2009.

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The long-term effects of the teacher shortages could send repercussions up the educational ladder if colleges and universities don't start pumping more teachers into the pipeline, warns Jan Fitzsimmons, executive director of the Urban Education Laboratory at North Central College.

Because principals, administrators and teacher educators often start their careers as teachers, as the pool of teachers shrinks, so does the pool for administration positions, she said.

With so many career options these days, attracting more teacher candidates to the education system has been a challenge, even for Naperville-area colleges and universities.

The decision to pursue a teaching career often comes down to economics, said Richard Campbell, acting dean of Benedictine University's College of Education and Health Services.

Teacher pay has not increased at the same rate as other professions. Salaries are still low for the teaching profession.  Richard Campbell, acting dean of Benedictine University's College of Education and Health Services

Students coming out of a four-year college want to know whether they'll be able to pay off their student loans with their teacher salaries, and Campbell said careers in fields of STEM  science, technology, engineering and mathematics  are far more attractive.

"Teacher pay has not increased at the same rate as other professions," and as a result, Campbell said, "salaries are still low for the teaching profession."

Based on the most recent Illinois Report Card information, the average salary for teachers is $66,425 in Indian Prairie School District 204 and $78,253 in Naperville District 203, while the state average is $66,450. In both District 203 and 204, 68 percent of teachers have a master's degree compared to 61 percent of teachers statewide.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2016 shows the mean salary for those in architectural or engineering occupations in the Chicago metropolitan area is $81,600. That includes drafters with an associate's degree, who earn a median income in the Chicago area of $52,170, to bachelor-degreed petroleum engineers, who earn median annual income is $138,590, according BLS figures.

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Parents, who might have to co-sign for student loan debt, see the downside economically of a career where a master's degree  even more debt  is needed in order to pay off the loans.

"A lot of time it's parents and families that sway young people away from teaching," Fitzsimmons said.

Above the costs of tuition and room and board, she said, education majors have expenses not covered by scholarships or financial aid.

Fees for assessment tests as well as transportation costs for classroom observations and student teaching can rack up, she said. Students also need to dress professionally when the go into the classroom and often need to purchase appropriate clothing.

"There are a lot of extra costs, which can be burdensome," she said.

Working a job to pay for college can be at a disadvantage for education majors, she said, because the expectation is they'll have no other duties while student teaching.

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"A whole semester without working might not be possible," she said. "We need to think about ways to help them through these hurdles."

School climate plays a significant factor, and sometimes it's as simple as resources, experts say.

Whether it's constantly changing expectations in the classroom or the feeling they don't have a voice in the school district, Campbell said, "teachers overall do not believe they have the respect in their profession."

MeShelda Jackson, department chair in the School of Education at Benedictine University, said classroom sizes of 25 to 30 students for first- and second-grade teachers are a challenge because they must develop lessons to accommodate every student in the classroom.

Teachers can get frustrated because they can't provide the needed one-to-one contact young pupils needs, she said.

Another problem facing many school districts is attracting minority teachers. "Everybody wants to diversity their workforce," Fitzsimmons said.

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Fewer overall students entering the teaching profession means fewer students of color becoming teachers.

Jackson said programs like the NAACP's Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, or ACT-SO, are steering many African-American students into fields outside of education.

Founded in 1978, ACT-SO was created to recognize and reward black students who exemplify scholastic and artistic excellence.

Jackson said students experience opportunities open to them beyond the teaching profession.

"Even parents don't see teaching is the best thing for their children," she said.

The best place for a school district to search for education graduates, minority or otherwise, is in the district's own backyard, Campbell said.

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In general, students who attend college in a location that's like where they were raised are more likely to get a job in a similar location, he said.

Despite attempts by Benedictine University to increase its minority enrollment by encouraging students in Chicago to tour the campus, more often the students will pick a college in Chicago, Campbell said. The same applies to students from rural areas.

Unless are incentives offered to overcome that familiar tie, Campbell said he doubts a student from out of the area would want to move into the western suburbs.

That idea of proximity is one reason school districts like Indian Prairie District 204, Elgin U46 and Oswego District 308 are trying the home-grown approach.

As such, high schools are identifying students who might make quality teachers and encouraging them to get involved with organizations such as the Future Educators of America or Future Teachers clubs.

Fitzsimmons said strong teachers provide a service to the community by setting groundwork for tomorrow's leaders.

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She suggests school districts support teacher growth by providing opportunities for new teachers to be mentored by experienced teachers and giving all teachers more time to plan and collaborate as well ways to further their education.

"Teaching is a noble profession," she said. "You want to be treated like any other profession. You want to be supported and valued."

subaker@tribpub.com

Twitter @SBakerSun1
Glenbrook North employee Steven Schulhof was arrested Aug. 26 on gun charges in the school parking lot. (Northbrook Police Department photo)

The Glenbrook High Schools District 225 Board of Education decided Monday to further postpone a decision about the employment of a Glenbrook North High School hallway monitor accused of improperly carrying a loaded gun in a school parking lot.

During an executive session held at the beginning of the board's regular meeting Monday, the board decided to postpone the discussion about Steven Schulhof, 60, "simply to allow him to have legal representation," Superintendent Michael Riggle said.

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The board decided to postpone discussion during its Sept. 11 meeting as well.

Schulhof was arrested around midnight on Aug. 26 after backing his car into a pole on a Glenbrook North campus parking lot, authorities said. While emptying out his car, he removed a loaded gun, police said. Officers later learned he did not have a permit for the gun, authorities said.

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Police said Schulhof showed officers a badge clipped to his waist to avoid the weapons charge, but police determined he was not a member of any law enforcement agency.

Schulhof told officers he was in the parking lot to train his German shepherd, police said.

Schulhof, of the 2600 block of Golden Rod Lane, Glenview, was charged with failure to obtain a concealed-carry permit, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and impersonating a police officer. He was released on $50,000 bond.

He has been on paid administrative leave since the time of his arrest, Riggle said.

Since 1995, Schulhof has been a licensed private detective, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. He also has a valid firearm owner's identification card.

Pioneer Press reporter Irv Leavitt contributed.

akukulka@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @Akukulka11
Ann Marie Buerkle is one of four nominees scheduled to testify Wednesday at a Senate committee hearing in Washington.

Buerkle, an Auburn native and former congresswoman, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to chair the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will hold a hearing at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday to interview four nominees, including Buerkle, for various posts in the federal government.

Buerkle has served on the Consumer Product Safety Commission since 2013. She was nominated by then-President Barack Obama to fill a vacant seat on the panel, which establishes safety rules for products in the consumer marketplace.

After Trump was sworn in as president in January, Buerkle became acting chair of the commission.

In July, Trump announced that Buerkle was his choice to lead the commission. The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.

"After having worked here for four years, I know the issues and I've developed a relationship with the stakeholders," Buerkle told The Citizen in July. "I think part of that was what led to the nomination and I've had tremendous support from my colleagues here on both sides of the aisle, which I'm also very grateful for that."

Buerkle touted her achievements as acting chair despite being in the minority on the five-member commission. Elliot Kaye, Buerkle's predecessor, opted to remain on the commission after relinquishing the chairmanship. That meant three of the commission's seats were held by Democrats, even though Republicans now control the White House.

That arrangement won't last long. The term of one Democratic commissioner, Marietta Robinson, expires in October. Trump has already nominated Dana Baiocco, a Boston attorney, to fill the seat for a seven-year term beginning Oct. 27.

Baiocco's nomination, like Buerkle's, must be confirmed by the Senate.
Ray Vlcek demonstrated plein (open) air painting Sept. 17 at Shermerfest. He'll be back at Village Green Park Oct. 8 with about 30 other plein air painters, competing to paint the best piece in 150 minutes. (Irv Leavitt / Pioneer Press )

Most art festivals are relatively static activities, but there's one coming up in Northbrook that's entirely different.

The North Shore will see what's being called its first multi-day "plein air" festival in Northbrook the weekend of Oct. 6-8. A plein air  open air, in French  event typically involves painters working outside while competing with each other for prize money as spectators look on. The resultant work is put up for sale.

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"When they see you paint, it's kind of like they get invested," said Northbrook artist Brian Sindler. "It's a little different than someone getting a painting off the wall."

Sindler has won several contests on the national plein air circuit, which has somehow almost entirely missed Illinois, he said. He'll lead a team of judges in two Northbrook challenges, sponsored by the Northbrook Arts Commission.

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The Northbrook fest had originally been penciled in for 2018, said Bruce Bondy, a commissioner and plein-air fan, who works as an architectural artist. But the commission couldn't make a deal with a new contractor to stage the annual Art in the Park festival this summer, Commission Chairman Chris Laughlin said, so the Paint the Town plein air fest was moved up.

Earlier this summer, Laughlin announced his upcoming resignation and a desire to devote more time to his Northbrook music school. Village President Sandy Frum then asked Trustee Jason Han to look into whether the commission should continue, considering it had no chairman.

Laughlin said the panel should stay, and he expects that it'll be needed to bring back Art in the Park in 2018 and, with any success this year, the plein air event.

"We did not have a traditional art fair this year in Northbrook, and we thought it would be a great alternative, to actually get to see the work being painted in real time, instead of in somebody's studio," Bondy said.

"Plein air painting has really taken off" over the last 15 years, he added. "There are about 200 plein air festivals around the country."

The Northbrook version includes the two components typical of other contests. On Friday, Oct. 6, and Saturday, Oct. 7, competing artists will spread out around town to paint in what's called the "main event."

Sindler expects the more nature-oriented artists to choose places like Somme Woods or Techny Prairie Park and Fields. Others, he said, are likely to go to downtown Northbrook where they will paint scenes familiar to prospective buyers. Painters are welcome to include up to three paintings from the two days.

At 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, the "quick paint" contest will begin. Artists in Village Green Park and elsewhere in downtown Northbrook will have about two and a half hours to create one painting each, and frame it.

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"You can have five people looking in the same direction, and what they create will be different as night and day," Sindler said. "One guy paints like everything is 40 yards away, and another looks at one tree."

He said most plein air artists use oil paint, and the rest use materials including pastels, watercolors, and opaque watercolors known as gouache.

The prize money for the main event ranges from $1,000 for best of show to $100 for fifth place. For the quick paint contest, first place brings $300, second is $200 and third is $100.

It's a fraction of what artists on the plein air circuit have come to expect from the top three festivals in Door County, Wis., Laguna Beach, Calif., and Easton, Md., Sindler said. He said the artists are trying to help out a new festival, but he also noted that prize money isn't the only source of funds. The paintings will be hung in the Village Green Center building at 1810 Walters Ave. where they'll be available for sale.

A number of award-winning plein air artists have registered for the event including Christina Body, Shar Coulson, D.K. Palecek, Errol Jacobson, James Hajicek and Wendie Thompson, organizers said.

Steve Puttrich of Arlington Heights will do a plein air demonstration at the Village Green at 2 p.m. Sunday. Puttrich was the judge at one of the few plein air events in Illinois, a contest at Schaumburg's Prairie Center for the Arts last spring.

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The Kenilworth Historical Society and North Shore Art League hosted a six-hour plein air event in mid-September.

Northbrook's version will feature live music from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 8 at Village Green Park, with Laughlin on the classical guitar, a flamenco duo called Montage and the Judy Night Quartet. Paintings will be displayed and for sale from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m.

ileavitt@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @IrvLeavitt
At their meeting Monday night, members of the Park Ridge-Niles District 64 Board of Education unanimously approved a balanced budget for the 2018 fiscal year.

The task of getting to a balanced budget was made considerably easier after the district received roughly $400,000 in overdue payments from the state, according to school officials.

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The board approved an operating budget with revenues totaling $75,948,853 and expenditures worth $74,086,505 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2018. The fiscal 2018 budget also includes about $4.8 million in capital expenses, which are costs largely associated with construction projects that occurred this summer and were paid for via revenue generated from debt certificates.

The district's chief school business official, Luann Kolstad, notified the board at the Sept. 18 meeting that the district would begin receiving payments from the state on about $1.1 million owed to District 64 in general state aid. The payments come after passage of Senate Bill 1947, a new law that alters the way the state distributes state money to school districts. At the board's Monday night meeting, Kolstad said the district was still owed about $800,000 in state aid.

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At their prior meeting on Sept. 18, Kolstad said she had reduced a previously projected budget deficit of roughly $1.1 million to about $62,000. She said news that the state would begin paying the district the money it was owed and would continue to make payments twice per month meant that the deficit was no longer an issue.

"This is not new money. This is money we did not budget for this year because we did not think the state would be paying. This is money due to us," Kolstad told the board on Sept. 18.

"This is manna from heaven," said board President Anthony Borrelli during the Sept. 18 meeting. "You went from a $1.17 million deficit to a $900,000 surplus. That is an enormous swing that will benefit the district, programming and everything else we have to do."

The budget approved Monday night represents a 3.28 percent increase in the district's operating revenues and a 4.47 percent increase in expenditures over the last fiscal year's unaudited actuals, according to district documents.

Had the state made payments due to the district last year, the increase in revenues would total about 2.2 percent, according to a memo from Kolstad addressed to the district officials. She wrote that the increase in the consumer price index from .7 percent to 2.1 percent  CPI dictates the amount school districts in Illinois can levy in property taxes  and increases in tax revenue from new construction over the last year "is helping the district to maintain fund balances on an even keel."

The increase in expenditures is represented largely in the district's operations and maintenance budget, according to district documents. Kolstad wrote that the district is hopeful to be able to complete more smaller in-house construction projects this fiscal year, including new outdoor energy efficient lighting at Washington Elementary and Emerson Middle schools.

Salaries at the district increased about .5 percent this year over last, according to Kolstad. She said savings came from the retirement of 26 employees who were replaced by new hires with significantly lower salaries. The total savings  about $754,000  offsets the cost of termination benefits, she said. Kolstad told the board she expects an additional 10 employees to retire at the end of this school year.

Kolstad said she also expects the district to significantly exceed its promise to voters not to request an additional referendum through the current fiscal year. Based on current financial projections and assumptions, the district assumes no need for a referendum through the 2020-21 fiscal year.

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"If we can continue to live within our means, we should never have to go for that referendum," Kolstad said.

The approved budget includes a projected fund balance of nearly $47 million, which equates to about 63 percent of the district's annual budget. The goal, according to school officials, is to have at least 33 percent or about four months worth of operating expenses on hand at the end of each fiscal year.

Included in this year's budget expenditure is a $500,000 line item for contingency costs. Board member Larry Ryles asked what those funds are typically used for and if they'd ever be used to cover a budget deficit.

Kolstad said the district didn't use any of its budgeted contingency funds last year and that that money is typically utilized to cover unforeseen expenses over the course of a fiscal year. Ryles said he would never want the district to use the contingency fund to cover projected expenses "if we are actually doing a zero-based budgeting program." Zero-based budgeting is a process that starts with a zero base, and expenses must be analyzed and justified based on needs.

Sotos said the district avoids using contingency funds to pay for previously projected expenditures.

"We truly balance the budget. We don't look for ways to pray we are going to get the money for it to be balanced," he said.

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"No," Kolstad said in response to Sotos' comment. "I think I'd be out of a job by now (if we did)."

Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
A Park Ridge businesswoman says she is looking to unseat a three-term state representative in next year's election.

Republican Marilyn Smolenski announced this month her plans to run for the 55th State Representative seat, a position currently held by Democrat Marty Moylan of Des Plaines.

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Smolenski, who has lived in Park Ridge for nearly three years, is the owner of Nickel and Lace, a line of concealed-carry bodywear holsters for women, and a member of the Republican Women of Park Ridge. This is her first time running for elected office, she said.

"I do sit on the board of the Republican Women of Park Ridge, and in some our meetings, we discussed how Marty Moylan was going to be running unopposed," Smolenski said. "I felt people in our district really deserved to have representation."

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"I'm a political outsider," she added. "People are really fed up with the political establishment in Illinois. They feel their quality of life isn't getting any better."

Smolenski points to taxes as her first priority if elected, saying she will advocate for a 1-percent cap on residential property taxes in Illinois and a repeal of the recent income-tax increase. She is calling for "serious fiscal reform" at the state level, but said she will turn to constituents to determine how such reform can begin and what can be done.

"I'm asking for their views and how they want to be represented and how they feel about all of these measures," Smolenski said.

Smolenski is also critical of Moylan's backing of Senate Bill 1, a school funding bill. She called the bill "a suburban bailout of the profligate, corrupt Chicago Public Schools."

Moylan, who confirmed last week that he is running for a fourth, two-year term, said he supported the bill because it creates "equalized spending" to schools across the state. He pointed out that he voted against the income tax hike that took effect this summer.

The candidates do share common ground on one issue. Both expressed unfavorable views of Cook County's tax on sugary beverages.

The 55th State Representative District includes large parts of Park Ridge and Des Plaines, in addition to portions of Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village and Chicago's Northwest Side.

jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com

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Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
The trial of a former Porter County Sheriff's Department deputy charged with felony possession of child pornography will be moved to a surrounding county to ensure a fair trial, a judge ruled Monday.

Defense attorney John Vouga argued before Porter Superior Court Judge William Alexa that his client, Roger Bowles, could not get a fair trial in Porter County because of his 16-year career with the sheriff's department and because of the focus in probable cause documents and the media on allegations that were not related to the actual charges against him.

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Bowles, 56, of Hebron, was charged Aug. 5 with the felony pornography charge and a misdemeanor count of furnishing alcohol to a minor. The charges stem from his alleged consensual sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl he met while the two worked at the Porter County Fair. Bowles allegedly had nude photographs of the girl on his phone. Indiana law does not prohibit the sexual activity because the teen was 16 or older, according to documents in the case.

He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

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The comments on online news accounts of the story as well as social media, Vouga said, contained some of the most vitriolic language he's seen in his career.

"It's some of the most threatening language I've seen in my three decades in law," he said, adding, "it's like a tinderbox striking a match with dry wood and it's already starting to burn."

Alexa, accepting a stack of printouts of online news stories as exhibits in the case, said the newspapers were doing their jobs in their reporting.

David Thomas, the senior special prosecutor selected for the case, disagreed with the argument that much of the probable cause document was unrelated to the charges at hand, but did agree a fair trial in Porter County would be difficult.

Thomas, a senior prosecutor for three years, said he uses Google Alerts when taking on work in a new county, and he had not seen the alerts like he has in the Bowles case.

"I think the papers have reported it honestly but not so much the social media," Alexa said. "It could be a dangerous thing for a fair trial to keep it here."

Alexa gave Thomas and Vouga 10 days to select from Lake, Jasper, LaPorte or Starke county for the trial, and set an Oct. 30 status hearing in the case. Alexa, who is retiring Oct. 3, also vacated the trial and other court dates in the case.

Bowles retired from the sheriff's department May 31. He had been on paid leave since an investigation into the allegations began by Indiana State Police in February at the request of the sheriff's department. He worked as a jailer before being hired as a sheriff's officer.

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Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
After months of public outcry, state and federal officials have agreed to investigate an alternative option for off-site disposal of contaminated sediment dredged from the Indiana Harbor and Shipping Canal.

The decision comes after East Chicago residents and local environmentalists publicly objected to the U.S. Army Corps receiving a permit that would allow the disposal of toxic material from the canal containing PCBs into an open-air confined disposal facility (CDF) at 3500 Indianapolis Blvd.

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This is a small victory for East Chicago residents who publicly pushed back against the permit, including a protest in front of U.S. Rep. Peter Visclosky's Merrillville office.

"We really want to see the permit withdrawn or denied, but we are cautiously optimistic," said the Rev. Cheryl Rivera, an organizer in the Community Strategy Group, an environmental advocacy group that led the opposition to the permit.

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The Army Corps has not been allowed to remove the most toxic locations in the canal because they don't have the authorization to store it at the facility in East Chicago, officials said.

These "hotspots" have been sitting in the canal for decades. The permit the Army Corps is seeking would allow them to dredge and store this toxic material for the first time.

After hearing public comments, the Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Environmental Management opted to stall on granting the Army Corps the permit, and determined that investigating an alternative option for off-site disposal of the toxic hotspots was warranted.

"EPA is committed to addressing contamination in the Indiana Harbor Canal and protecting the health and safety of East Chicago residents," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt in a release. "After visiting East Chicago earlier this year, ensuring close coordination with the state of Indiana has been one of my top priorities. Together, we are exploring new ways to address concerns raised by the community."

The Indiana Harbor and Shipping Canal looking west from Indianapolis Boulevard, East Chicago, July 16, 2017. (Joe Puchek / Post-Tribune)

The CDF is less than a mile away from the new Carrie Gosch Elementary School and East Chicago Central High School, both at Indianapolis Boulevard and Columbus Drive. When standing on the site, Central High School's gymnasium is visible over the trees.

Despite owning the property where the CDF is located, the East Chicago Waterway Management District formally expressed disapproval to the Corps storing the dredged material from the canal in East Chicago.

The Waterway District wrote a letter in March addressed to IDEM and EPA outlining their concerns with the Army Corps storing more toxic material at the site in East Chicago.

"IDEM heard the concerns of the community and took action," IDEM Commissioner Bruce Pigott said in a release. "We are very thankful to our partners who came together to make this option available to the residents of East Chicago."

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If the off-site disposal option is determined to be feasible, all dredging and construction activities are expected to be complete by the end of 2018. The Army Corps will continue dredging the canal, but will not remove the sediment with higher contamination levels.

"I think we're seeing it as a shift in policy that benefits the community and certainly we believe it has the potential to improve public health outcomes and reduce the hazards and risks to a very vulnerable environmental justice community," Rivera said.

jaanderson@tribpub.com

Twitter @JavonteA
The Hobart School Board has ratified a two-year agreement with the Hobart Teachers Association that provides a 2 percent raise for extra duty assignments.

"The process was very, very collaborative," said Superintendent Peggy Buffington last week.

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She said there was little change in the new contract, which expires June 30, 2019. "It's important to note we have a great relationship with teachers. We appreciate them. It's a good agreement."

David Smith, a uni-serve director for the Indiana State Teachers Association, said it was one of the best negotiating sessions the two sides have experienced in recent years. Janice Hamady, of the HTA, represented the teachers, along with Smith.

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"This year, we were all immediately out of the gate pulling for the same stuff," he said.

Recent state legislation has linked teacher raises to their performance evaluations, limiting movement in salary negotiations.

Smith said the change gives the district more latitude in negotiating with new teachers entering the district. "If you aren't competitive financially, teachers will go where the money is," he said.

Once the report card grades are known, Smith said raises would be retroactive to the beginning of the school year.

Buffington said all of the district's 176 teachers were eligible for pay boosts of $1,200 to their base pay, dependent on a finalized report card grade expected to be released by the State Board of Education in November. To be eligible for a raise, teachers must be rated effective or highly effective.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Ralliers gather in front of the Valparaiso City Hall for a march and gathering for immigrant and civil rights on Feb. 18, 2017. (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune )

To cheers, applause and a standing ovation, the Valparaiso City Council voted unanimously Monday to support a resolution that condemns hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis, as well as last month's violence in Charlottesville, Va.

The resolution also notes that the council "celebrates the diversity of our City, State and Nation," and condemns those who seek to spread hate and division. It came in response to an Aug. 12 rally in Charlottesville by torch-bearing white supremacists, during which a woman was killed when a car rammed into a crowd of counter-demonstrators.

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More than 100 people crowded into the council chambers for the vote, which was complete in a matter of minutes.

That came as a surprise to Councilman Robert Cotton, D-2nd, who proposed the resolution as a way to put to rest the stigma of Valparaiso's past, which Cotton said after the meeting was "a worn-out narrative of who we are," which included marches by the Klan in the 1920s.

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Cotton moved to Valparaiso as a child with his family, the first African-American family to move to the city, and is the first African-American on the city council.

Valparaiso resident Emilie Hunt holds a sign up during a rally for immigrant and civil rights in front of the Valparaiso City Hall on Feb. 18, 2017. (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune )

"I think this is something that will pronounce who we are unambiguously," he said, adding he didn't anticipate the vote going so smoothly. "That is a surprise, an obvious surprise, but I'm encouraged that's a story more visible than I ever intended."

Before the vote, Cotton said he was troubled by an enduring sentiment from what happened in Valparaiso's past that doesn't exist anymore, a sentiment recently expressed in Charlottesville.

"Our council is passing a resolution in solidarity with a city run over by the same element that's given us our stigma," he said.

The resolution repudiates the hatred promoted by the white supremacist demonstrators in Charlottesville and supports free speech but notes, "we must at all cost avoid ignoring or appearing to tacitly condone the espousing of hate speech or violence, threatened or committed, by any groups seeking to commit acts of domestic terrorism."

What the resolution doesn't do, said Councilwoman Deb Porter, D-At large, is stop people from spreading hate, but it could help someone stand up straighter in the face of such language.

"If we have something in our community that says we can't have hate, then that's a good thing," she said.

Some members of the council previously questioned whether the resolution was within their scope of responsibility, but those concerns did not resurface Monday.

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"Obviously, there's been some debate about how much the city council should be taking up issues of national significance," said Heath Carter, chair of the city's Human Rights Commission, after the meeting.

Still, the resolution dovetails into the work being done by the commission, he said, which is working with the city to hire a community engagement director. That person would attract leadership to the city from underrepresented groups, including women, minorities and young people; build relationships to ensure a more diverse pool of potential city employees; and cultivate safe and vibrant neighborhoods.

"The resolution is very much in keeping with the values the city is trying to articulate and that are very widely shared, and that is that we are welcome to everyone," Carter said.

Ted Ludwig, of Valparaiso, was one of the people who came to the meeting to hear the vote on the resolution.

"I think it's a pretty optimistic sign that the whole council is behind a resolution like this," he said. "I'm very glad it passed 7-0. It's a good start to our future."

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
After a terrorist bomb plot was foiled in Australia, U.S. Rep. John Katko wants to know which international airports with flights to the United States are struggling to meet security standards.

Katko, R-Camillus, has asked federal officials to provide a ranking of the 10 worst last point of departure airports that aren't meeting International Civil Aviation Organization security guidelines. The request was made at the conclusion of a House Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security hearing Tuesday.

During the hour-long meeting, Katko quizzed three experts on the aviation security standards and whether the guidelines should be raised to address new vulnerabilities.

Jennifer Grover, director of homeland security and justice for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, acknowledged that the international standards are comprehensive and provide a baseline for airports. She explained that Transportation Security Administration inspectors assess each airport's implementation of the regulations.

She also noted that aviation security isn't just the airports' responsibility.

"Even if there's vulnerabilities at an airport, that doesn't necessarily mean the flight departing that airport is not secure because the air carriers can fill in as a backstop," Grover said.

That comment concerned Katko, who acknowledged that airlines have an incentive to maintain strict security guidelines. He cited recent plots that have been foiled or carried out at airports, especially in the Middle East. One incident was the MetroJet bombing in 2015.

ISIS, a Middle Eastern terrorist group, carried out the attack that brought down the MetroJet airliner. Authorities said employees at the Egyptian airport the plane originated from smuggled a bomb onto the aircraft.

With the existing security threats and potential for another devastating attack, Katko asked Grover if the international aviation security standards should be bolstered.

"Given that there are airports that are currently not meeting the ICAO standards regularly that are in place now, I'm not sure that raising them across the board would necessarily help lift up those airports," she said.

Grover added that TSA is working with the last point of departure airports to "enhance efforts to meet current ICAO standards."

But Katko disagreed with Grover's position.

"I don't think we should be in a situation of just simply saying they can't meet the ICAO standards as they are now so there's no sense of raising them," he said. "That's not what we should do."

Katko said that security vulnerabilities are becoming more difficult to detect. One reason for Tuesday's hearing was the recent terrorist plot that was foiled in Australia. ISIS operatives attempted to smuggle an improvised explosive device onto a plane departing from Sydney.

The Australian plot highlights the need for increased security measures, Katko said in his opening remarks.

"We must always strive to lead because raising the aviation security standard around the globe will ultimately keep America safe," he said.
Puebloan opening cafe in the same coffee shop that first employed her
Nearly 80 years ago, Sylvia K. became the first known woman to achieve sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous. Despite it being the 1930s, with even fewer treatment options and support services than there are today, she succeeded.

Her name will live on to inspire other women fighting the same fight through a new venture called Sylvia House. Set to open next summer in Greenville, South Carolina, the recovery residence and treatment program for women is being opened by Mandy Learo, formerly of Skaneateles and Auburn.

"My intention with Sylvia House is it will be a destination, and we'll be able to pull in from the whole East Coast," Learo said in a phone interview with The Citizen. "Especially in recovery, it's important to change your people, places and things  get away from toxic friends and your dope man, and just try to get a fresh start somewhere."

Learo knows firsthand what addiction does to a person. She dropped out of Skaneateles High School to go to Tully Hill, a clinical dependency treatment center. She went there three times, she said. She visited a treatment center in South Florida three times, finding that most centers rely on a "bare bones model." They provide a place to live, regular drug tests and a ride to AA or support meetings, Learo said based on her experiences.

She left Auburn in August 2016 for South Carolina. Determined to help others get clean, she will provide 10 women with a place to live at Sylvia House, as well as food dictated by a special nutrition program, onsite group therapy, case management services and activities like yoga and meditation.

"Addiction is an illness that really attacks the mind, body and spirit," Learo said. "What happens to a lot of addicts is this rinse-and-repeat rehab cycle. Life is terribly horrible."

More services than just drug tests and support groups need to be a part of person's journey to recovery, Learo said. That's apparent, she continued, from the 40- to 50-percent relapse rate. And what might work for one person may not work for another. So some may hold a sober job during the day and come home for therapy or programming at night. Some may not be able to handle a job, and may need more help getting back into daily self-care habits such as brushing teeth, doing the laundry and making the bed.

Stays are as little as 90 days and as long as nine months. Residents will have to pay for themselves. Learo said she did not want to make Sylvia House a nonprofit. She wants the house to be self-supporting, without relying on grants and fundraising. That being said, she hopes for some community support as the program takes off, hoping to raise $50,000 on the fundraising site Indiegogo.

While this is the first step, Learo said she does hope Sylvia House can expand to every small city nationwide.

"I know addicts are hard to love," she said. "It's not something that everybody can get behind, but the thing is, everybody knows somebody. There's a difference between the human being and the disease of addiction that makes people act in ways that are reprehensible and really hurtful, but people can get better. We don't talk enough about recovery, and recovery is possible, and it's accessible. We can get sober. We can get well. We can become mothers and employees, and we can have long and happy lives in sobriety."
A previously undetected toxin called homo-anatoxin was discovered in Owasco Lake after harmful algal bloom water samples were taken from the Indian Cove and Buck Point areas, Cayuga County Public Health Director Kathleen Cuddy said in a press release Sunday. But state and local health officials do not believe the toxin poses a concern to the drinking water at this time.

Like the algal toxin microcystin, homo-anatoxin is harmful to animals and humans if ingested at high concentrations, the health department stated in the press release. Characteristics of the toxin, however, appear to make it less of a threat than microcystin.

Brad Hutton, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Health, said the state's laboratory in Albany does have the capability for testing for anatoxins, but microcystin continues to be one of the worst and most concerning the state is monitoring for public health reasons. One thing about anatoxins, Hutton said, is their lifespan is quite short. Within a few hours they dissipate by half, compared to microcystin which takes days.

Lloyd Wilson, director of DOH's Center for Environmental Health, added that in the blooms off of Indian Cove and Buck Point, concentrations of microcystin were extremely high at 591 micrograms per liter. Concentrations of anatoxin were about 18 micrograms per liter.

"The anatoxin sampling by DEC is part of their effort, and it's a good effort to understand algal toxins and algal blooms throughout the state," Wilson said. "You can see from that work the predominant, by far, the predominant toxins found in New York state is microcystin."

According to a health advisory study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, anatoxins have been the cause of multiple animal deaths including dogs and waterfowl. They are neurotoxins, and at high levels can cause respiratory paralysis. Cuddy said the county health department is still urging those recreating in Owasco Lake to stay out of blooms.

Seth Jensen, director of the city of Auburn's municipal utilities, said the powder activated carbon treatment system installed to treat microcystin also absorbs other cyanotoxins including anatoxins.

"We haven't run them (other toxins) through a panel of tests like we did specifically for microcystin because that's the predominant toxin we're treating, but we're certainly confident that things like saxitoxins (another cyanotoxin) and these anatoxins will be absorbed by the powder activated carbon."

The city, he added, is part of a study with the engineering firm GHD to see how well the carbon treatment system is working. Daily samples of the untreated and drinking water are sent to a lab in Ohio for the same analysis done at the state's Wadsworth Center. As part of that demonstration study, Jensen said he hopes testing can be done for anatoxins and others, too.

"It's a dynamic situation all the time within our lake," Cuddy said. "We're trying to think what's the most prudent way to move forward to preserve public health and our consensus at this point in time is to continue to test for microcystin, because that is without question the most resilient of the toxins that have been identified in the lake."
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!)
By Thibaut Minot and Alexander Chipman Koty

When establishing a foreign-invested enterprise (FIE) in China, investors face a number of strategic considerations that can have long-term effects on their businesses  including determining the right amount of registered capital to commit to the company.

Registered capital is the initial cash investment dedicated by the shareholder(s) to an FIE, investment that is registered with Chinas Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC) and, once injected, instrumental to begin operations. This is not to be confused with the total investment prescribed to the company, also stipulated in the articles of association, which not only encompasses registered capital but also the possible foreign loan amount that can be lent to the FIE.

Calculating the optimal amount of registered capital allows a new FIE to run smoothly and avoid costly and time-consuming headaches. An under commitment of registered capital can leave a business short of crucial funds, while an over commitment can lead to unused capital that could otherwise be devoted to better purposes.

In most cases, registered capital funds the FIE until it begins generating enough income to cover its expenses, which can often be a matter of years. Chinas strict foreign exchange controls mean injecting additional capital to fund operational expenses can be challenging during the early stages of a business.

Additionally, if investors decide they need additional registered capital, they must undergo the long process of altering their business license and other government documents at a time when they are in need of extra funds.

Company loans are an attractive way to inject extra funds into an FIE without undergoing the process of changing registered capital. Shareholders or related parties can provide the FIE with a loan to be returned according to the terms in the loan agreement, which can be amended with the approval of relevant authorities. However, company loans are capped at a certain percentage of the total investment, depending on its size.

Corporate Establishment Services from Dezan Shira & Associates

Formally, China eliminated statutory registered capital requirements in March 2014 with the updated Company Law. According to the law, foreign investors can choose how much capital to inject upon setting up a WFOE, as well as the period of contribution, and the AIC will approve the amount and timeframe on a case-by-case basis.

In practice, however, the AIC will scrutinize registered capital to ensure that the amount can adequately support the early stages of an investment, and tend to stick closely to internal registered capital benchmarks per the relevant industry and region. Investors will therefore likely be required to submit a feasibility study of their proposed registered capital.

Further, certain industries are subject to statutory minimum registered capital requirements. For instance, limited liability accounting firms need a minimum registered capital of RMB 300,000 (US$45,510), while insurance companies require RMB 200 million (US$30.34 million).

Committing the correct amount of registered capital is therefore integral for foreign investors to be approved by local authorities and to have enough capital  but not too much  during the early stages of their China operations.

The below calculators are tools foreign investors can use to explore the option of utilizing company loans based on the statutory ratios between registered capital and total investment. Please note that Dezan Shira & Associates designed these calculators to provide only an indicative assessment of the loan to total investment ratio.

Investors should consult a professional financial advisor before making any decisions regarding registered capital and total investment.



About Us China Briefing is published by Asia Briefing, a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. We produce material for foreign investors throughout Asia, including ASEAN, India, Indonesia, Russia, the Silk Road, and Vietnam. For editorial matters please contact us here, and for a complimentary subscription to our products, please click here. Dezan Shira & Associates is a full service practice in China, providing business intelligence, due diligence, legal, tax, IT, HR, payroll, and advisory services throughout the China and Asian region. For assistance with China business issues or investments into China, please contact us at china@dezshira.com or visit us at www.dezshira.com

Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2017

This Dezan Shira & Associates 2017 China guide provides a comprehensive background and details of all aspects of setting up and operating an American business in China, including due diligence and compliance issues, IP protection, corporate establishment options, calculating tax liabilities, as well as discussing on-going operational issues such as managing bookkeeping, accounts, banking, HR, Payroll, annual license renewals, audit, FCPA compliance and consolidation with US standards and Head Office reporting.

Chinas Investment Landscape: Identifying New Opportunities

Chinas foreign investment landscape has experienced pivotal changes this year. In this issue of China Briefing magazine, we examine how foreign investors can capitalize on Chinas latest FDI reforms. First, we outline new industry liberalizations in both Chinas FTZs and the country at large. We then consider when an FTZ makes sense as an investment location, and what businesses should consider when entering one. Finally, we give an overview of Chinas latest pro-business reforms that streamline a wide range of administrative and regulatory measures.

Dezan Shira & Associates
Confucius had great influence on the thinking of America's founding fathers, Professor Patrick Mendis, associate-in-research of the Fairbank Center of Chinese Studies at Harvard University, told the 8th World Confucian Conference held at the Shangri-la Hotel in Qufu, east China's Shandong Province.

Prof. Mendis delivers his keynote speech on the Confucian inspiration to the American founding fathers and their new republic. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Over 300 scholars from more than 30 countries attended the three-day event. High-ranking officials from the central, provincial and local governments participated at the opening ceremony in the National Confucius Research Institute of China.

Prof. Mendis is a visiting researcher there, as well as a senior fellow of the Pangoal Institution in Beijing.

Author of more than 100 books, articles, and government reports, he published his most recent book "Peaceful War: How the Chinese Dream and the American Destiny Create a Pacific New World Order", also in Chinese.

"The confluence of Confucian heritage and Chinese culture had a remarkable influence on American founding fathers," he said in a keynote speech to the opening ceremony, drawing on research for two of his most noted books -- "Trade for Peace" and "Commercial Providence" -- on American history and political governance.

"Benjamin Franklin was America's Confucius. He and other founding leaders of the United States such as Thomas Paine and Charles Thompson wrote about Chinese culture, its civilized people, and Confucian ideas, the Harvard scholar added.

After undergoing the American Revolution and the victorious 1812 War with their mother country of England, the founding generation of the United States looked to China for inspiration, Professor Mendis explained.

With the Louisiana Purchase from France, President Thomas Jefferson searched for a short-cut to China through the Columbia river-navigation to Seattle for "the purpose of commerce."

Professor Mendis also pointed to the public honoring of Confucius along with Moses and Solon as lawgivers on the US Supreme Court building in Washington, DC.

This is significant to the United States as a global nation, he added. While the Western philosophical traditions signify law and order, Confucian morality and human virtues are critically important for republican governance. The professor illustrated these points by the writings of Franklin, Paine, and Thompson.

Even today, a revival of Confucian ideals and Chinese culture is underway among many Americans, as there are more than 100 Confucius Institutes in universities and colleges in almost every state in the United States, he added.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Monday that shared interests far outweigh differences in economic and trade relations between China and the United States.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 25, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

"As each other's largest trading partner, the main trend of China-U.S. economic and trade ties is cooperation," Li said while meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.

China will work with the United States in the spirit of mutual respect and win-win cooperation to expand cargo and service trade and resolve frictions and differences through dialogue and consultation, Li said.

The premier said China's market will be more and more open and its business environment will get better and better. "We welcome more U.S. enterprises to invest in China," he said.

"China hopes the United States gives fair treatment to Chinese investment and relaxes restrictions on exports of high-tech products to China so that bilateral economic and trade ties grow in dynamic equilibrium," the premier said.

A sound and stable China-U.S. relationship serves the interests of the two countries and meets the aspirations of the international community, Li said.

Ross said U.S.-China relations are getting closer and enjoy a bright future, adding that the United States welcomes China's steady and rapid opening-up and will improve communication with China for greater trade and investment partnership as well as people-to-people exchanges.
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Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli met with Alexei Miller, CEO of Russian natural gas company Gazprom, on Monday, agreeing to broaden cooperation in the energy sector.

Promoted by leaders of the two countries, Sino-Russian energy cooperation has achieved remarkable results, Zhang said.

The two sides should implement the China-Russia east-route gas pipeline project and strengthen cooperation in upstream oil-gas projects, oil-gas standards as well as gas-fired electricity generation, he said.

He stressed that bilateral energy cooperation must adhere to market rules and the principle of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

Miller said that Russia-China gas cooperation has developed in an all-round model and has reached an unprecedented height.

He said Russia is ready to advance the construction of east-route gas pipeline project with China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping Monday said all Chinese should make persistent efforts to realize the country's two centenary goals and fulfill the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when visiting an exhibition here displaying China's outstanding achievements over the past five years.

Other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, also visited the exhibition.

The exhibition at the Beijing Exhibition Center has 10 themed exhibition zones and one experiencing zone. Multimedia and models are used for vivid display effect.

The Chinese Dream concept was put forward by Xi five years ago when he attended a 2012 exhibition themed "The Road Toward Renewal," at which he said achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream for the nation in modern times.

Commending the "historic progress and changes" that have taken place in China over the past five years, Xi said efforts must be made to inspire public confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Party members and all Chinese should stay motivated, forge ahead and make persistent efforts to realize the country's two centenary goals, fulfill the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, and prepare for the upcoming 19th National Congress of the CPC, he said.
In May of 1965 Don and Jeanne Neff moved to Flagstaff and lived for a while at the Fort Valley Experimental Station. While there Don was to conduct a study for the Forest Service about the foraging habits of deer. As a part of the project he imprinted newborn fawns to himself so the task could be accomplished in a planned and orderly way. During the survey Don became the constant escort of a wandering band of adolescent deer.

Jeanne and Don and their two boys arrived at the Fort Valley facility in a Chevy Coupe they had nicknamed "Jezebel" that, among other imperfections, didn't have a backseat. Once there, they were assigned living quarters in the old Gus Pearson Ranger Cabin, which is still intact at the site today.

The boys spent their summer helping Mrs, Bierwagon, the wife of the facility caretaker, with her documentation of the local butterfly population. Jeanne remembers well young John and Jim being energized by the tantalizing flutter of multi-colored wings. In the fall, both youngsters attended the now-gone Weitzel grade school.

The Nef's later moved to Tindle Boulevard in the Greenlaw section of Flagstaff when Don was hired as a biologist by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. In 1974 he started a10-year study of the reasons for the declining antelope herds on Anderson Mesa that is considered some of the best research ever conducted there.

The remarkable Fort Valley Experimental Station is open to the public on one day a year during the Flagstaff Festival of Science and that date this year is Saturday, September 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The office and its cottage will be open to the public and visitors can look inside the schoolhouse once used for employee education, but not venture inside because of the current condition of the old building.

There will be guided tours of the grounds and folks available to answer questions about this interesting place. Also on hand will be Susan Olberding, the author of "Fort Valley: Then and Now" and the longtime volunteer historian and archivist for the station, which is associated with the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Center.

And who was Gus Pearson? He played a major role in the founding of the Station and, in early 1900, he moved into a rustic cabin located there and commenced his research on what influenced the success or failure of ponderosa pine regeneration.

His rather "quaint" living quarters were slowly improved and remain on the site, which eventually consisted of 15 structures housing 30 Rorest Service employees. And you can explore this historical site on Saturday and also meet my friends Don and Jeanne Neff, who have agreed to be there a little after 11 a.m. to talk about the time they lived in the Gus Pearson Ranger Cabin.

I realize how exceptional all the activities of the Flagstaff Science Festival are, but having the opportunity to reminisce with Jeanne and Don is special because they are so special -- as is the experimental station itself. We hope to have a good number of visitors Saturday.
The 72nd session of the U.N. General Assembly faces many international challenges to which China is contributing much in seeking solutions. [Xinhua/Li Rui]

The 72nd session of the U.N. General Assembly comes at a critical juncture for world politics. Certainly, the North Korea imbroglio overshadows other themes this year.

The speech of U.S. President Donald Trump, and the threat to "totally destroy" North Korea, generates new concerns whether this constitutes a mere deterrence message or reflects his real thinking on the matter.

For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron advocated a milder approach firmly rejecting any military solution. These disagreements - only days after the U.N. Security Council agreed on a new round of sanctions against Pyongyang -demonstrate how difficult it is to efficiently deal with the issue, as well as showing how multilateralism might be challenged at any time.

This said, some new skepticism in the White House on the nuclear agreement with Iran does not, of course, write off the progress that has been made in the last two years; however, it does influence the relatively harmonious process and implementation of the deal.

Even here, Macron disagrees with Trump. In an interview with CNN he warned against scrapping the agreement. China is on the same page. On the whole, it sees the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as an important outcome of multilateralism and a model of peacefully resolving hot international issues through political and diplomatic means.

China's support for multilateralism can hardly be questioned. With their speeches at the U.N. General Assembly in 2015 and 2016, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang set the tone by adamantly presenting their country's position.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi is reiterating it this year. U.N. statistics show China plays a critical role in financing peacekeeping operations. It is second in 2017 with a percentage of 10.25 percent, below the American share of 28.47 percent, and above countries such as Japan (9.68 percent), Germany (6.39 percent), France (6.28 percent) and the U.K. (5.77 percent).

In terms of personnel, China currently has 155 attached to various police forces, 33 to the group of military experts and 2,515 troops.

The country's involvement is multidimensional covering different regions. For instance, it participates in MINURSO, the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, with 12 representatives, and in MINUSMA, the Multidimensional Integration Stabilization Mission in Mali, with 398 personnel.

Furthermore, China is taking part in UNAMID, the African Union/U.N. Hybrid operation in Darfur, with 235 individuals, in UNFICYP, the U.N. Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus with six representatives, and in UNIFIL, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, with 417 personnel.

Another issue in relation to the U.N. coming up every year at this time related to the need for reform of the world body. No one disagrees that, despite the importance of its peacekeeping missions, the U.N. often fails to provide solutions to world challenges.

Here, China and the U.S. agree on the necessity of structural changes, but disagree on their nature. The former lays emphasis on a better representation of developing countries, while the latter ignores this request and deals with problems such as mismanagement and bureaucracy.

This year, Trump attempted to push for a reform agenda based entirely on his own country's interests. Naturally, he got no support from Beijing and Moscow.

Last but not least, the significance of the U.N. for China has an even broader dimension. As a country endeavoring to eliminate poverty, it closely cooperates with the U.N. Development Program. Although it has made great progress in reducing poverty and reaching the benchmarks set by the Sustainable Development Goals, lifting more than 500 million of its citizens out of extreme poverty over the last three decades, more work needs to be done.

The U.N. program measures poverty using eight indicators, namely access to piped water, to sanitary toilets, to indoor kitchens, to living services, to financial services, to roads, to mobile internet coverage, and to nighttime light density. In this regard, problems are mostly located in south-western China. The attention of the Beijing administration is directed there accordingly.

To sum up, there are many reasons why the U.N. should remain central to the development of modern politics and economics. No doubt, the international community has high expectations, seeing it as the most representative and authoritative inter-governmental international organization.

Expectations, however, are no longer sufficient. They need to be turned into coordinated actions with an open-minded approach of the main stakeholders.

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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Ambassador of Pakistan Masood Khalid addresses the International Photography Culture Exhibition, held in Datong, Shanxi Province in China on Sept. 23 2017. [Photo/Courtesy of Pakistan Embassy to China]

Pakistan Ambassador Masood Khalid highlights the historic linkages between Pakistan and China during the "Power of the Image" International Photography Culture Exhibition of 2017.

An international photography culture exhibition called "Power of the Image" was held in Datong, Shanxi Province, in China on Sept. 23, 2017. The event was organized by the Government of Datong, China Public Relations Association and China Art Photography Society.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Masood Khalid highlighted the special place of Datong in the context of Silk Route and cross cultural linkage between Pakistan and China.

He mentioned that in the fifth century, Ambassador Gu Weilong from the Northern Wei Dynasty had travelled from Datong to Hunza in Pakistan, triggering a fusion of cross-cultural exchanges. Citing the example of harmonious friendship between Pakistan and China, the ambassador said that this friendship stands as a perfect example for the world, where people belonging to different culture, language and religion not only established brotherly relations but also made it an "All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership".

He said that both sides are working to enhance interaction between the business and student community.

Ambassador Masood Khalid welcomed the proposal to promote tourism and cultural interaction between Pakistan and China, so as to highlight rich cultural heritage of Pakistan specially the links which exist between the two countries from the time of Gandhara civilization.

The Party Secretary Zhang Jifu of Datong spoke highly of China-Pakistan friendship and said that both sides have embarked on a new journey of friendship and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. He expressed keen interest in strengthening ties between Datong and Pakistan in cultural field.

Consul General of Pakistan in Hong Kong Abdul Qadir Memon participated in the photographic exhibition displaying his photographs on the landscape and culture of Pakistan. The photographs received wide appreciation and interest from the audience in the cultural diversity of Pakistan. Memon was given the "Beautiful Lens Award" for his quality contribution.
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Chinese naval fleet commander greets Bruneian naval officials in Brunei on September 25, 2017. [Photo/CNR]

A Chinese naval fleet arrived at the Muara port of Brunei on Monday for a three-day friendly visit to the country, conveying a message of friendship and cooperation.

The Chinese naval fleet docked at Brunei's largest port, receiving a warm welcome by the Bruneian navy, government officials and Chinese Embassy officials, as well as Chinese living in the sultanate.

Speaking upon the fleet's arrival, Shen Hao, commander of the Chinese naval fleet, said at the welcoming ceremony that the friendly exchanges between the two countries date back to more than 1,500 years ago, and the traditional friendship between the two peoples has been continuing to grow.

"Through our fleet's visit to Brunei, we hope that both sides could continue to work hand in hand, heart to heart, to further promote bilateral relations between China and Brunei," he said.

During its stay here, the Chinese navy will hold several joint activities with the Bruneian navy, including mutual visits, exchanges and sport matches.
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Danish Crown Prince Frederik listens to the management's introduction during his visit to the Tsinghua Lifelong Learning Lab in Beijing on Sept. 24, 2017. [Photo by Zhang Liying/China.org.cn]

Danish Crown Prince Frederik attended the opening ceremony of a China-Denmark High Level Seminar on a theme of "Educating the Leaders of Tomorrow  Play, Creativity and Social Values" at Tsinghua University in Beijing on Sept. 24. This was the second day of his state visit to China.

There is much for China and Denmark to learn from each other, and Denmark hopes to deepen the cooperation with China in science and education, the crown prince said during his meeting with Qiu Yong, president of Tsinghua University on the sidelines of the seminar.

In a speech at the opening ceremony, Zhu Zhiwen, China's vice minister of education, said there had been many achievements in educational cooperation between China and Denmark. Hence, it is of great significance to hold the seminar, enabling the two countries to share experiences in education and explore ways to educate the leaders of tomorrow.

After the seminar, the crown prince visited Tsinghua Lifelong Learning Lab. He listened to the laboratory management's introduction of its research project and watched a small group of Chinese children aged six to eight solving specific tasks through different learning methods.

The laboratory, jointly established by Tsinghua University and the Danish LEGO Foundation, is dedicated to promoting research into children's creativity and lifelong learning abilities.

The crown prince's visit is scheduled to last four days, concluding in South China's Guangzhou City on Sept. 26.
PHOENIX -- Efforts to eliminate the "Jefferson Davis Highway" in Arizona stalled Monday amid questions of exactly where it is, who has the authority to change the name -- and whether it even exists at all.

Members of the state Board on Geographic and Historic Names said they could not consider two separate proposals to rename the road, one for slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and the other for former Gov. Rose Mofford. That's because the number currently on the highway named for the president of the Confederacy is not the same as it was when the road was designated.

Applicants were told to come back with a revised proposal with the proper sites.

But the board also refused to consider a separate request to strip the name "Jefferson Davis" from any place it shows up on state maps. In fact, the board's staff was able to find a reference to the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway on some official Arizona Department of Transportation maps, albeit from 1992.

The Rev. Reginald Walton said that should make the board's job simple.

"That means that wherever we find that name, be it whether you know it now or whether you do need to do some more research after the fact, you can take the step to remove the name now," he told the board. "And it will be applicable to wherever it is found."

But board members were not interested in such a blanket move, at least not on Monday.

"I can sympathize with your frustration," said but member Chuck Couglin. But he said he and his colleagues won't act until they get answers to some legal questions.

One of those is whether there actually is an official Jefferson Davis Highway despite a marker near Apache Junction designating the road as such.

ADOT, for its part, questions whether there actually is such a designation despite a 1961 vote by the Arizona Highway Commission, legal predecessor of the State Transportation Board, to designate a U.S. 80 through Arizona as part of a planned coast-to-coast Jefferson Davis National Highway, and despite those 1992 maps.

And even if that can be resolved, Dennis Preisler said the names board he chairs has no power to actually remove the monument along U.S. 60 east of near Apache Junction, a monument which proclaims the road as the Jefferson Davis Highway. That appears to be a problem for ADOT, in whose right of way the monument was placed in 1962, which in turns makes it an issue for Gov. Doug Ducey who appoints the agency's director.

The governor, however, has shown no interest in directing that any of them be altered or removed.

"It's important that people know our history," Ducey said last month. "I don't think we should try to hide our history."

And ADOT spokesman Tim Tait said there are no plans to remove the monument, even if it is on state right of way, as it does not appear to be a traffic hazard and no state funds are expended in its upkeep.

Monday's lack of action frustrated Rep. Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, who has been working for years to strip Arizona of Confederate monuments and designations.

"To simply push it off is what we've seen from the governor's office to this board to every single member that we've had conversations with," he said. "Let's just make a decision."

Preisler, however, said the board simply won't be rushed into anything until all of the questions are answered. That pushes any decision back at least a month, the earliest the board can meet again.

The issue dates back a century to when the United Daughters of the Confederacy sought to designate a series of roads in the South in honor of Davis. It would match the Lincoln Highway which runs from the Northeast to San Francisco.

In 1932 the Arizona Good Roads Commission approved markers at the spots where the road entered the state in New Mexico and exited at California. One was placed in 1943 along U.S. 70 at Duncan.

Then in 1961 the Highway Commission approved the request by UDC to designate all U.S. 80 through Arizona as the Jefferson Davis National Highway. That covered the road from east of Douglas through Tombstone, Benson, Tucson, Florence, Mesa, Phoenix and then out to Yuma through Gila Bend.

At about the same time, the monument at Duncan was moved to its current location east of Apache Junction on what at that time was part of U.S. 80.

But here's the thing: U.S. 80 was "decommissioned" in 1989.

All that remains is a stretch from Benson to the New Mexico line which was redesignated as State Route 80. Much of the rest of it became part of U.S. 60, including where the monument sits.

What that means, Priesler said, is the petitions to rename the road after King or Mofford are out of order, as they refer to U.S. 80 which no longer exists. He told proponents of both proposals to recraft them, this time referring to U.S. 60 which is the designation of the road in front of the monument.

Marissa Scionti, however, said none of that should affect the petition she submitted to have the commission simply search out the Jefferson Davis name wherever it shows up on official maps and vote to strip it.

"The name Jefferson Davis represents racist ideas," she told commissioners. "That's what he's known for: being president of the Confederacy and working to preserve slavery."

And if nothing else, Scionti said, Davis is "simply not in Arizona history."

That, however, still leaves the question of whether there really is a Jefferson Davis Highway in Arizona.

Tait acknowledged that older ADOT maps do show stretches of the road with that designation, even after U.S. 80 was decommissioned in 1989. But he said they do not show up on current maps.

And board staffer Ryan Ehrfurth said he can find no mention of the Jefferson Davis name anywhere in Arizona on the national Geographic Names Information System.

The fight over the naming of the road and the monument that marks it is just one of the issues about the future of monuments to the Confederacy.

A memorial in the park across from the Capitol, placed there in 1961, remains as the Capitol Mall Commission questions whether it has the authority to remove it.

There are signs and markers at Picacho Peak, where a Civil War battle was fought, including at least one praising the Confederate soldiers who fought there. That is within the purview of the Parks Board.

As recently as 2010 one was erected in the new state Veterans Cemetery in Sierra Vista. The Department of Veterans Services will say only that it was erected and maintained by private interests.

ADOT, the Parks Department and the Department of Veterans' Services all are within the Ducey administration.

Bolding said the governor's stance that the monuments are part of history does not address the fact that, the battle of Picacho Peak aside, there is no Civil War link to Arizona and all of these monuments were erected decades after the conflict. Bolding said the one across from the Capitol was placed there "right in the middle of the civil rights movement ... as a way to use that symbol to let African-Americans to know they should not have equal rights, to sort of bring back all of what the Confederacy stood for during its time."
CAAC | Sep. 26, 2017

From September 11 to 13, CAAC Administrator Feng Zhenglin led a delegation to visit Brazil, where he held bilateral aviation talks with his Brazilian counterpart, paid a survey visit to Embraer, and conducted in-depth exchanges of opinions with Mr. Botelho, Director General, National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil on strengthening China-Brazilian civil aviation relations. The two sides elaborated on their respective civil aviation development, reached consensus on expanding bilateral air traffic rights arrangement and deepening cooperation in regional air route operation, and signed a MoU.

Brazil, a major developing country and an important emerging market, was the first developing country to establish strategic partnership with China and the first Latin American country to establish overall strategic partnership with China. As BRIC partners, China and Brazil will deepen cooperation in civil aviation in the future. Added to the MoU signed during this trip were the fifth air traffic rights, code-sharing with airlines from third country and full liberation of route schedule, providing flexibility to the commercial cooperation between the airlines from the two countries. Currently, Air China operates two weekly flights on the Beijing-Madrid-Sao Paulo route.

During the trip, Mauricio Quintella Lessa, Transport Minister of Brazil met with the Chinese delegation.
In the keynote speech he delivered at the opening of the 86th General Assembly of International Criminal Police Organization held in Beijing on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping praised Interpol for the role it plays in maintaining world security and stability.

The meeting offered an opportunity for China to strengthen its cooperation with the international law enforcement organization, and Xi vowed to continuously extend Chinas support to the organization so it can play a bigger role in international law enforcement and global security governance.

Since its founding more than 90 years ago, Interpol's role in deepening international law enforcement cooperation and effectively tackling crime worldwide has become increasingly important as organized criminal activities have expanded across borders and nontraditional security threats have become more complex.

As evidence of this, Chinese police handled 2,542 investigative requests from foreign police forces that were transmitted via Interpol last year, up 140 percent from the year before.

In recognition of China's past support for the organization, Chinese Vice-Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei was elected president of the organization at Interpols 85th General Assembly held in Bali, Indonesia, in November.

Given the global challenge of combating corruption, terrorism, cyber crimes, people trafficking, drug trafficking and money laundering, Xi's pledge of practical support will be of great value to enhance the effectiveness of international law enforcement efforts.

And considering the increasingly interconnected, cross-border and diversified nature of global security issues in the world today, people will understand why Xi stressed in his speech China's willingness to work with other countries and their law enforcement bodies to build a community of shared security.

It is China's belief that greater cooperation and strengthened efforts are also needed to ensure countries have the capability to fulfill that shared responsibility to fight transnational criminal activities and nontraditional security threats.

As Xi said, the diversity of such crimes and threats is becoming ever more prominent and no country is immune to them. Such a perception explains why China has made unremitting efforts to seek security cooperation with other countries and international organizations such as Interpol.

All countries should realize they share a common cause in fighting crime and promoting security, and they should strive to work together for the good of all.
Furniture was pushed away from the green and blue walls, painted with hills, clouds and the sun for a preschool classroom. The next day, the walls would be painted beige, signifying the beginning of the next chapter for the Murdoch Center.

Deborah Harris, the president of the Southside Community Association, which manages the city-owned center, said the association is working to upgrade the building and gather volunteers to enhance the offerings and events the historic center provides.

Having a community center is an important piece for people in the Southside, where many people feel disenfranchised due to dramatic changes in the neighborhood, Harris said.

The mission of the Southside Community Association is to advocate for issues for the residents of the Southside, Harris said. We want to help improve the quality of life, and empower residents to speak for themselves.

GATHERING PLACE FOR ALL

The center has provided a place for residents to gather and discuss issues facing their community, like development, growth of the university and race relations in a neighborhood that has historically been home to Native American, African American and Hispanic people.

We definitely want to start a community conversation series, Harris said. Weve been working with the NAU Ethnic Studies department. It will be centered around social justice and race, and we hope to have that in place by spring.

After one person was killed at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the center hosted a discussion called How did we get here, where do we go? to discuss race and religion.

Even though it was all the way in Virginia, a lot of people felt that really deeply, Harris said. We had the program and had some great conversation. Everyones not going to agree on everything, but people are coming together to communicate.

In addition to hosting serious gatherings focused on race and inequality, Harris said the center is also a fun environment that hosts many free community events throughout the year, including a blues music lesson for children, the annual Juneteenth celebration and other events open to the entire city.

The building is also available for rental, Harris said.

When you look around the rest of the city, there arent many places for rental that people can afford, she said.

The board of the association is all volunteer, and the association is funded through grants, donations and an allocation from the United Way of Northern Arizona, Harris said. One of the fundraisers, Miss Cleos Tea Party, is held at the end of April and is named after Cleo Murdoch, the principal of the Dunbar School, the segregated school for African American children that used to operate on the site.

Now that she is retired and is spending more time at the center, she said she would like to work on grant writing and secure enough to have a paid executive director for the association who would also manage the center.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

The Flagstaff Cooperative Preschool used to rent out the center, but moved locations this school year. The move allowed Harris and other board members to rearrange some things in the center to increase its offerings to Southside residents.

In a room that used to store tables and chairs, desktop computers sit in a row.

Harris said she hopes they can find a volunteer willing to teach some basic computer classes, like how to set up an email account, social media pages and using the internet for research.

Everyone assumes everyone has computers, but thats not true, Harris said, adding that there is a digital divide for ethnic minorities and lower income people.

MISSING HISTORY

The building used to have a plaque that detailed some of the history of the center and the Dunbar School. However, at a recent city council meeting, City Manager Josh Copley said the plaque has gone missing. Copley said city staff have searched city owned properties to no avail, and asked for the publics help if anyone knew the whereabouts of the plaque.

Harris said the plaque has been missing for as long as she has been on the board, and said the center has been turned upside down and inside out but no one has had any luck locating the plaque.
NAIROBI  Kenya's umbrella body of the banking industry on Monday said that greater convertibility of the Chinese currency, yuan, will boost the East African nation's economic growth.

Kenya Bankers Association CEO Habil Olaka told Xinhua in Nairobi that the renminbi has gained importance because of the significance of China in the global trade.

"Kenya's economy is now benefiting as more and more banks are now offering Chinese yuan," Olaka said during a workshop on new International Financial Reporting Standards 9 regulations.

Kenyan banks are set to begin implementing the IFRS 9 beginning in January.

Olaka noted that more and more banks are embracing the Chinese yuan as Sino-Kenya trade increases.

"The influence of the Chinese is being felt globally and therefore it would not be prudent to ignore the yuan," Olaka said.

In 2016, the International Monetary Fund added the Chinese yuan into its basket of reserve currencies.

"We are encouraging our members to adopt the use of yuan in order to ease trade with our biggest trading partner," Olaka said.

He said at least 10 out of Kenya's 42 banks have the Chinese yuan available over the counter.

According to KBA, banks facilitate trade and have therefore embraced the Chinese currency in order to bring convenience to their customers.

Olaka noted that before the availability of the yuan in Kenya, traders were required to convert the Kenyan shilling to US dollars and then to yuan.

"This increased the cost of trading between Kenya and China and so banks with Chinese yuan counters have helped to promote Sino-Kenya trade," he said.
Global energy interconnection, a vision to form a massive worldwide electricity grid powered by renewable sources, will help speed up the energy transition towards a green and de-carbonized world, experts said on Tuesday.

"The GEI initiative will become the new engine of economic growth ... It will boost the development of clean energy and optimize the allocation of global energy," said Liu Zhenya, chairman of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization.

The next actionable steps are to "build a global partnership, set up an international fund, and assemble a research team of scholars and experts from around the world," said Wei Jianguo, vice-president of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

They spoke at the 2017 Global Energy Interconnection Forum. This year's conference, themed "Building Global Energy Interconnection for Green and Low-carbon Development," attracted nearly 500 officials, business leaders and research fellows from home and abroad.

During the forum, GEIDCO signed agreements with Egypt's Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Latin American Energy Organization and Regional Energy Integration Commission (CIER), a non-governmental international organization of the Latin American energy sector.

GEI is a globally interconnected smart grid with ultra-high voltage grids as its backbone across national boundaries. It serves as an infrastructure platform to develop, transmit and consume clean energy on a massive scale worldwide.

The initiative was proposed by China in 2015 to help meet global power demand with clean and green alternatives, as resource scarcity, environmental pollution and climate change gradually posed a great threat to humanity's survival.

Designing and building new overhead transmission lines are facing growing difficulties in some countries, as there are concerns that the right-of-way occupies valuable land, and might cause potential health hazards, said Corrado Clini, former minister of environment of Italy.

"But theoretical calculation and actual practice prove that UHV lines pose no threat to the environment and human health," he said, adding that system already in place is the showcase to demonstrate that health and environmental protection are compatible with global energy interconnection.

Mohamed Shaker Elmarkabi, the minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of Egypt, said the country will further cooperate with GEIDCO to deploy new energy technologies and promote the application of a smart grid in Egypt as well as neighboring markets.
Chinese 100 yuan banknotes are seen in a counting machine while a clerk counts them at a branch of a commercial bank in Beijing, March 30, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Leading economists and financial experts spoke out on Monday against S&P Global Ratings' downgrading of China's sovereign credit rating, saying that the moves lacked credibility and neglected the reality of the nation's financing structure and the overall quality of the country's banking industry.

"S&P Global Ratings' decision focused only on China's leverage level but overlooked the possibilities of risk control in a different financing structure," said Pan Guangwei, executive vice-president of the China Banking Association.

China's leverage level had been on the rise for some time, said Pan, but it was too simplistic to directly compare it with other countries.

"China has an indirect financing-oriented financial system and banking loans play a leading role in social funding," said Pan.

"China is a country with a high savings rate, which currently stands at 46 percent, and the large amount of savings is transformed through banks into corporate loans, which is likely to drive up the leverage ratio."

Pan added that China's debt corresponds to a large number of high-quality assets and stable cash flow. For example, State-owned enterprises and local governments have a number of profitable and realizable assets including highways.

Lian Ping, chief economist with the Bank of Communications, agreed with Pan that S&P Global Ratings should not only pay attention to debts, but also assets. A rating body with low debt and few good assets could be risky, and a rating body with high debt and a number of good assets may be safe.

"Besides, S&P Global Ratings should have a forward-looking perspective when making a decision," said Lian.

"China has a very clear goal to largely develop direct financing," he added.

Pan also said the rating agency overlooked the fact that the overall quality of Chinese banking industry is improving. The scale of Chinese banking assets and liabilities has grown steadily and the quality of credit assets is stable.

By the end of the second quarter of 2017, the total amount of renminbi and foreign currency assets in the Chinese banking industry was 243.2 trillion yuan ($36.7 trillion), up 11.5 percent year-on-year. Liabilities totaled 224.9 trillion yuan, an increase of 11.5 percent year-on-year, according to the China Banking Regulatory Commission.

The CBRC data showed that Chinese banks' non-performing loan ratio in the second quarter this year was 1.74 percent, remaining the same for the past three quarters in a row.

Chen Min, board secretary of China Development Bank, said S&P Global Ratings downgrading of CDB ignored reality.

"China Development Bank has offered real economy funds totaling 16.6 trillion yuan for the past five years," said Chen. "Our non-performing loan ratio was lower than 1 percent for consecutive 49 quarters, showing that we have a world-leading risk control capability."

Standard & Poor's on Thursday cut China's long-term sovereign rating by one notch to A+ from AA-, citing its increasing debt risks, followed by further downgrading its ratings on several Chinese banks and financial institutions such as China Development Bank, Export-Import Bank of China and Agriculture Development Bank of China.

China's Ministry of Finance said in a statement on Friday that the decision was "perplexing" as it came while China's economy had been on a firm growth track following its achievement of higher-than-expected growth rates in the first half of this year and solid progress in economic restructuring and debt reduction.
For the first time, China will include "carrying capacity"an environmental standard measuring land and resource useas a major part of how it assesses the success of regional development, a move that underscores the country's resolution to balance economic growth and environmental quality, said an expert.

The government announced recently that it would roll out a new pollution alert system for regions ranging from the cleanest "green non-alert zones" to the most severe "red zones", where the environment and natural resources are severely strained.

"Carrying capacity" refers to the level of land or resource use, both by humans and animals, that can be sustained over the long term by the natural regenerative power of the environment.

"The new mechanism calls on long-term precautionary approach, which will accelerate China's pace of shifting towards sound and sustainable development," said Li Yan, a professor with the School of Environment & Natural Resources at Renmin University of China.

"The addition of carrying capacity to the list of assessment standards will urge local authorities to take a strategic and long-term perspective to formulate their development plans. GDP is not the only indicator of a region's well-being," she told China Daily.

The previous supervision system on environmental activities was necessary and effective, but the government could not ignore the fact that it also brought about some challenges, such as the high economic and social costs of development, she said.

To help implement the policy, China is planning to set up a database by the end of 2018 to analyze regional environmental and resource capacity conditions, said an official of the National Development and Reform Commission involved in the issue.

"By 2020, a general survey of regional capacity conditions on environment and resource will be completed," according to the official, who was quoted by the website of People's Daily.

The new system will divide environmental capacity conditions into three levels: overloading, near overloading and not overloading, according to a document released by the State Council, China's cabinet.

Meanwhile, based on actual resources or environmental losses, regions facing capacity overloading will receive a red or orange alert, while regions close to capacity overloading will receive a yellow or blue alert.

Regions whose environmental capacities are without excessive pollution and resource loss will be labeled green, non-alert zones.

When asked whether such a policy would hit business around the country, Li Yan said: "Environmental costs will definitely increase in the future. But for enterprises, the rising costs will be borne through improving technologies and enhancing efficiency.

"This external factor will drive companies to explore greener and smarter solutions, continue to lower product costs and optimize their site selection. In the long run, more sectors including environmental technologies and green finance will benefit from the policy."

For example, Zhang Hua, chairman of Sichuan-based Fuhua Tongda Agro-chemical Technology Co Ltd, said: "Our company has invested 651 million yuan ($98.35 million) to meet the environmental requirements. Its self-owned technologies helped reduce costs by more than 300 million yuan and increase the sales value to more than 500 million yuan."

Xinhua contributed to this story.
BEIJING  China's latest guideline on encouraging entrepreneurial spirit and creating a favorable environment for entrepreneurship is expected to give a boost to the country's innovation-driven development.

The guideline, the first of its kind that focused on entrepreneurial spirit, was released on Monday by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council in a move to spur market vitality.

The government looks to the entrepreneurial spirit, which includes hard work, pursuing excellence, craftsmanship and innovation, serving society, to stimulate mass innovation and create a positive climate for enterprises, said the guideline.

The guideline stressed that the government will protect the legal rights and interests of entrepreneurs, ensure fair competition and strengthen protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) to encourage innovation.

It will also work on rules to protect the IPR of innovative achievements such as new business models and cultural creativity.

A negative list management program will be rolled out nationwide to ensure fair access to industries and businesses that are not off-limits for market entities, according to the guideline.

The guideline stated that the government will fight against monopolies, unfair competition practices and regional protectionism, and remove regulations that undermine fair competition.

"The guideline signals the central government's recognition of entrepreneurs in China, restores confidence of enterprises and gives a long-lasting boost to mass innovation and entrepreneurship," said Lu Guanqiu, founder and chairman of Wanxiang Group.

Haier chairman Zhang Ruimin echoed that, noting that "the guideline provides all-round support for entrepreneurs to focus on quality and sustain innovation-driven development without extra worries."

Over the past five years, China has made big strides encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship.

Through a simpler approval process, lower corporate fees and technology-based services, the government is transforming its functions to let the market play a larger role in the economy.

Latest data showed that in the first eight months of this year, 16,000 new companies were registered every day on average, compared with only 6,900 more than three years ago, when business registration reforms were initiated.

According to a report released by the World Bank, China's ranking in terms of the ease of doing business has moved up eight spots every year from 2013 to 2016, while the country's ranking for the ease of starting businesses climbed 31 places during the period.

"The entrepreneurial spirit is always the driving force to promote China's supply-side structural reform," said renowned Chinese economist Li Yining.

Boosting entrepreneurial spirit is necessary for deepening supply-side structural reform and accelerating the shift from old growth drivers to new ones as well as achieving innovation of science and technology, management and systems, said Li.

Indeed, China is moving toward an economy focused on consumer spending, innovation and services, reducing reliance on investment and exports of low value-added goods, and boosted by strengthened innovation and research.

In the future, China will introduce a number of reform measures to create a better environment for innovation and development, according to a decision at a State Council executive meeting last month.

"We must give full play to the role of innovation in spurring entrepreneurship and employment, and speed up the transformation of innovation into real productivity," said Premier Li Keqiang, who chaired the meeting.
BEIJING  Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli met with Alexei Miller, CEO of Russian natural gas company Gazprom, on Monday, agreeing to broaden cooperation in the energy sector.

Promoted by leaders of the two countries, Sino-Russian energy cooperation has achieved remarkable results, Zhang said.

The two sides should implement the China-Russia east-route gas pipeline project and strengthen cooperation in upstream oil-gas projects, oil-gas standards as well as gas-fired electricity generation, he said.

He stressed that bilateral energy cooperation must adhere to market rules and the principle of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

Miller said that Russia-China gas cooperation has developed in an all-round model and has reached an unprecedented height.

He said Russia is ready to advance the construction of east-route gas pipeline project with China.
PHNOM PENH  Some 635,000 Chinese tourists had visited Cambodia in the first seven months of 2017, up 42.7 percent compared with the same period last year, according to Tourism Ministry statistics on Monday.

Chinese holidaymakers accounted for 20.4 percent of the foreign tourists visiting Cambodia during the January-July period this year, the statistics said, adding that China topped the chart among the top 10 arrivals to the kingdom, followed by Vietnam and Laos.

The statistics showed that a total of 3.1 million international tourists traveled to Cambodia in the first seven months of this year, up 12.8 percent compared with the same period last year.

Kong Sopheareak, director of the Tourism Ministry's statistics and planning department, said niceties between Cambodia and China, Cambodia's attractive tourism sites and direct flights between the two countries were the major factors attracting more and more Chinese tourists and business people to Cambodia.

"It is expected that Chinese tourists to Cambodia will hit 1 million in 2017," he said.

The Southeast Asian nation is famous for the Angkor world heritage site in northwestern Siem Reap province.

Last year, the country launched a "China Ready" strategy with the aim of attracting 2 million Chinese tourists annually to Cambodia by 2020.

The strategy listed steps to be taken by tourism authorities to facilitate visits by Chinese tourists, such as providing Chinese signage and documents for visa processing, encouraging local use of the Chinese currency and the Chinese language, and ensuring that food and accommodation facilities are suited to Chinese tastes.

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting the Cambodian economy. The country received 5 million foreign tourists including 830,000 Chinese in 2016, earning gross revenue of $3.4 billion, according to the Tourism Ministry.
DHAKA  A Bangladesh-China Joint Venture company will construct a leading private university's academic building in Dhaka.

An agreement was signed here Monday between the BRAC University and the commercial alliance of China's Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) and Bangladesh's Associated Builders Corporation Ltd (ABC).

The treasurer of BRAC University, and the vice president of BUCG International and authorized representative of BUCG-ABC JV signed the agreement of $87 million for the steel and concrete structure building on behalf of their respective sides.

Tony Tao, BUCG business manager, told Xinhua that the 13-story academic building will be constructed and completed in two and a half years.

BRAC University, established in 2001, has about 8,000 students.

The new building is planned to host a campus bookstore and auxiliary services and is intended to be an icon for the campus.
A technician inspects the surface of a stainless steel component at a factory of Shanxi-based Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group) Co, which is staking its future on research and development efforts. [Photo provided to China Daily]

BEIJING  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday projected China's growth to be 6.7 percent for this year and 6.4 percent for 2018, both unchanged from its July estimates.

In an update of the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2017, its flagship annual economic publication, ADB said better-than-expected external demand, proactive fiscal policy and strong domestic consumption have combined to drive up China's growth.

"The Chinese economy remains resilient, solidifying its role as an engine of global growth," said Yasuyuki Sawada, ADB Chief Economist, in a statement released after the update.

Noting China's supply-side reform is moving forward, Sawada said eventual success hinges on a careful balancing of the role of the market and the state, particularly as the country continues its transition to a more market- and services-driven economy.

China's economy expanded 6.9 percent for the first half of 2017, with consumption and services, together with new innovation-driven economic sectors, playing larger roles in the economy.

For the rest of 2017, the ADB predicted that consumption will remain the main growth driver of the economy as incomes rise and consumer confidence strengthens.

Net exports, which have contributed to China's growth so far, would not continue to contribute in 2018, when imports are again expected to exceed exports. Investment, meanwhile, will continue its downward trend due to structural and cyclical factors, including an uncertain business outlook for export-oriented industries and remaining industrial excess capacity, according to the update.

The ADB also expects China's ongoing monetary and financial policies to remain unchanged, adding government commitment to exchange rate liberalization may result in further widening of the trading band for the renminbi.

On the risk side, the report noted that further regulatory tightening may cause liquidity shortages and put pressure on weaker financial institutions.

Other downside risks include impacts of global trade protectionism and renewed large capital outflows triggered by US interest rate increases and resulting dollar strength.

The optimism on China's economy followed S&P Global Ratings' downgrade of China's sovereign credit rating last week.

S&P said last Thursday that it had lowered China's long-term sovereign credit rating to A+ from AA-, because a "prolonged period of strong credit growth has increased its economic and financial risks."

In a refutation, China's Ministry of Finance (MOF) described the decision as "perplexing" and wrong. The MOF said the decision ignored China's distinctive financing structure, the wealth-creating effect of government spending and its support for growth, as well as the country's sound economic fundamentals and development potential.
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A woman walks past a Louis Vuitton advertisement in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province. [Photo by Chen Hao/For China Daily]

Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday raised China's growth forecast in 2017 and 2018, supported by strong service sector, fiscal expansion and export recovery.

The bank now expects China's economy to expand by 6.7 percent in 2017, up from a previous projection of 6.5 percent in April.

Growth in 2018 is expected to reach 6.4 percent compared to 6.2 percent in previous forecast.

Juergen Conrad, head of the economics unit at the ADB China Resident Mission, said some promising signs appeared in the second quarter, such as recovery of export, that were not anticipated in April.

He said he expected the good signs to continue to support growth in coming months.

In the meantime, much efforts are needed to promote structural reforms, because credit fueled growth may pose risks to the economy in the long run, said Conrad.

He said the government is doing a good job trying to contain risks in the financial sector, and has been trying to see a smooth transition amid the rebalancing process.

He said the efforts have been recognized by rating companies that recently downgraded China's rating, and there should not be too much reading into worries.

China's economy grew at a faster than expected 6.9 percent pace in the first half.
HAVANA  China's southeastern province Fujian hosted a tourism promotion event here on Monday to present its natural and cultural attractions to Cuban tour operators and boost tourism cooperation with Cuba.

As part of the presentation, some of the top tourist destinations in the province were showcased. Fujian is home to four UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites.

"We want more Cubans to know about Fujian, its beautiful mountains and rivers, and its deep culture," Luo Qiuyun, deputy director of the general office of the Fujian Provincial Tourism Bureau, told Xinhua.

Fujian, recognized as the start of the ancient Maritime Silk Route, is one of the fastest developing territories in China.

It is known for Mount Wuyi, earthen buildings or Tulou, the historic international settlement of Kulangsu and tea.

"Fujian tea is well known and we have it here today for everyone to taste too," Luo said.

"Fujian and Cuba are emerging tourism markets and we attach great importance to tourism cooperation with Cuba. We want to introduce and promote in Cuba some of the unique tourism resources that Fujian has," he added.

Fuzhou, the provincial capital, is a transportation hub for destinations such as the city of Quanzhou and the city of Xiamen which recently hosted the BRICS Summit.

Tania San Pedro, from the communications department of Cuba's Ministry of Tourism (Mintur), said Cuba is very interested in strengthening exchanges with China in all areas, as the country represents a very important market in the world.

"We have a lot of interest in all the exchanges that can be carried out with China," she said.

Mintur has supported all the work done by Air China in Cuba since its arrival in December 2015, San Pedro said.

"Mintur has also been participating in tourism fairs in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, and we are very happy with this type of exchanges as it contributes to greater cultural and tourism cooperation between our countries," she added.

Cuban tour companies such as ECOTUR, Cubatur, Solways and others took part in the event.
[Photo/VCG]

Beijing's secondary home market is cooling down as the number of people who signed contracts to buy used homes declined.

In the third quarter of this year, the figure has fallen to the lowest it's been in the past 10 quarters, and average price of the used home also has decreased for the first time from 2015, according a report published by a real estate agency 5i5j.

Up to Sept 23, people who live in Beijing signed 20,600 contracts to buy the used home in the third quarter, the figure dropping 43.7 percent compared to the last quarter and 73.7 percent compared to the same period last year, the report said.

According to 5i5j, in the past three years, a record high of used home transaction volume were 78,500 units set in the third quarter of 2016.

After that, the number of transaction volume fell quarter-on-quarter. During the past four quarters, the figure dropped 25.6 percent, 12.7 percent, 28.2 percent and 43.7 percent, respectively.

Up to the third quarter of this year, the transaction volume declined over 70 percent.

Compared to the significant drop of sale transaction, the price of the used home drop was relatively mild in the Beijing.

After two-round of property tightening measures announced in Sept 30 of last year and March 17 of this year, Beijing's used home price rose until it stabilized in the second quarter of this year. Even in the first quarter of this year, the city's used home price surged to a record high.

However, in the third quarter of this year, Beijing's used home price fell 5 percent compared to last quarter.

The biggest decline of used home price is in Beijing's Xicheng district because old homes struggles to maintain high value, and the homes with good education resources are under control in the existent property tightening measures.

According to another real estate agency Lianjia, 61.4 percent homes in Xicheng district are used home, and these homes were built more than 20 years ago.

As the city's home market remains sluggish, the transaction period is lengthened. In August, the transaction period reached 64.4 days that reached peak-days from 2012. Compared to the market, the transaction period lengthened to 25 days, data from Lianjia.

Caixin news website citing an industry insider said the slow approval of transfer of home ownership and slow speed of home owners to sale their properties is behind the transaction time-lapse.

Hu Jinghui, vice-president of 5i5j, said, as the used home price declined to the lowest in the past two quarters, and some consumers with rigid demands are planning to purchase homes, the transaction volume will perk up slightly. However, because the tightening measures will not ease, the improvement in the home market will be limited.

A property broker in Beijing said to Caixin that after the weakest selling period in July, the volume of people inquiring about ask homes, looking at home and transactions are increasing, but the final transaction price is still in low point. The man said, the normal price of a two-bedroom used home in Dongdaqiao subway station is 75,000 yuan ($11,339) per square meter, but the final price is 68,000 yuan per square meter.

Moreover, according to the man, the volume of people looking at properties increased three times, compared to July in Xicheng district. Some people wanting to buy homes with good education resources are back in the district.

Data from Lianjia showed that used home price in Beijing fell four consecutive months from April of this year. In August, the used home price dropped 0.58 percent month-on-month, and compared to the peak in April, the price fell 9.7 percentage points.

The retreat price showed property owners are considering to give a reasonable home price to the market, Lianjia said.

This round of housing market recovery is a slow process; Judging from the current situation, new measures to ease the tightening house market are impossible to publish in the near future, said Guo Yi, marketing director of real estate consultancy Yahao.
Asian Development Bank on Tuesday released an upbeat forecast on China's growth forecast in 2017 and 2018, based on strong service sector, fiscal expansion and export recovery.

The bank expected China's economy to expand by 6.7 percent in 2017, up from a previous projection of 6.5 percent in April and unchanged from its July forecast.

Growth in 2018 is expected to reach 6.4 percent compared to 6.2 percent in previous forecast.

Juergen Conrad, head of the economics unit at the ADB China Resident Mission, said some promising signs appeared in the second quarter, such as recovery of export, that were not anticipated in April.

He said he expected the good signs to continue to support growth in coming months.

In the meantime, much effort is needed to promote structural reforms, because credit fueled growth may pose risks to the economy in the long run, according to Conrad.

He said the government is doing a good job trying to contain risks in the financial sector, and has been trying to see a smooth transition amid the rebalancing process.

He said the efforts have been recognized by rating companies that recently downgraded China's rating, and there should not be too much reading into worries.

China's economy grew at a faster than expected 6.9 percent pace in the first half.
Zhou Shuchun, editor-in-chief of China Daily, speaking at the launch ceremony.[Photo by Du Lianyi/China Daily]

The second China-Russia New Media Forum kicked off on Monday in Rostov-on-Don, the biggest city in southern Russia.

200 businessmen, experts and scholars from China and Russia participating in the event. They discussed such topics as the role of the internet in the modern world, the influence of high technology on media, media education, youth entrepreneurship and innovation.

Media in China and Russia share the mission of telling the stories of their countries and enhancing international competitiveness and public influence by making the best use of the internet and new media, said Zhou Shuchun, editor-in-chief of China Daily, at the opening ceremony.

He added that more young people should be encouraged to tap their creativity and from generation to generation pass on the friendship between China and Russia.

Volin Alexei Konstantinovich, deputy minister of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, said that it is necessary for Russia and China to deepen collaboration in online media since the two countries face similar challenges.

Meanwhile, he said that he hopes to strengthen education for young people to make contributions to facilitating Russia-China relations.

Lu Lan, deputy director-general of the Bureau of Mobile Internet Management of Cyberspace Administration of China, said in the speech that deepening exchanges and cooperation between online media from China and Russia is important to promote bilateral relations to a higher level.

Lu said that online media in China and Russia should improve their cooperative mechanism, and facilitate cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Meskhi Besarion Chohoevich, rector of Don State Technical University, said he planned to set up a college with China to further expand cooperation in the education field.

During the China-Russia  Youth Collaboration, held in Rostov-on-Don from Sept 16-23, 14 students from China and Russia shot a short film about the Don River. The film was shown for the first time at Monday's ceremony and won applause from both Chinese and Russian attendees.

The second China-Russia New Media Forum is co-organized by China Daily Website and Don State Technical University. It is supported by the Cyberspace Administration of China, State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China, and Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation.
The Second China-Russia New Media Forum opened in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Monday, with collegiate participants from both countries calling for further bilateral cooperation.

"Chinese and Russian media share a common vision in increasing abilities and capabilities in international public opinions in the internet era," Zhou Shuchun, editor-in-chief of China Daily, said at the opening ceremony of the forum, which is themed on New Media-Youth Collaboration.

"During the internet era, China and Russia face a similar international public opinion environment," Zhou noted, saying that China Daily has also engaged actively in pragmatic cooperation with Russian media.

Alexei Volin, Russia's deputy minister of communications and mass media, said the use of new media as well as educating the younger generation are two important topics that Chinese and Russian media enterprises can work on together.

President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly announced in May 2015 that 2016 to 2017 was the China-Russia Media Exchange Year, and that they hoped the media operations of the two countries would make new contributions to the healthy and stable development of a China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

Enhancing cooperation between Chinese and Russian internet media has great importance in the development of bilateral relations, said Lu Lan, deputy director-general of the Bureau of Mobile Internet Management in the Cyberspace Administration of China.

Lu said that in the future China-Russian media cooperation can focus on deepening their joint work on the internet and jointly promote Sino-Russian cultural exchanges. On pragmatic educational cooperation, Besarion Meskhi, rector of Don State Technical University, said plans are to build a joint university with Chinese partners.

The three-day forum kicked off on Sunday. It is organized by China Daily's website, chinadaily.com.cn, and Don State Technical University and is supported by China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television and the Russian Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications.

Young participants from China and Russia are engaged in the Media Innovation Camp in Rostov-on-Don. The innovation camp is the first one to select both Chinese and Russian youth to participate.

Pan Mengqi in Beijing contributed to this story.
ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia  Chinese and Russian media leaders and government officials met in Russia's southern city of Rostov-on-Don on Monday to explore cooperation opportunities in the field of internet-based media.

Chinese and Russian media outlets face the common tasks of telling their countries' stories to the world audience and getting a bigger say in the international arena through practical cooperation in the internet era, said Zhou Shuchun, editor-in-chief of China Daily, a national English-language newspaper.

"To that end, we should involve more young people from both countries in cooperative programs and encourage their creativity so that they can pass on China-Russia friendship," Zhou said.

Russian Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media Alexei Volin said it is necessary to strengthen cooperation in internet-based media with a focus on the education of young journalists.

About 150 people from governmental bodies, media outlets and academic institutions attended the meeting.
Bill Liu (center), founder of flexible display developer and manufacturer Royole Corp, checks product quality along with his employees at the company's headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Royole Corp will unveil a state-of-the-art 10 billion yuan ($1.51 billion) factory by the end of the year.

The flexible display developer and manufacturer has constructed a massive 100,000-square-meter production line at Longgang district in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

When it is up and running, the plant will produce 50 million flexible display screens, worth 20 billion yuan, per year.

Founded in 2012 by Stanford University graduate Bill Liu, Royole attracted global attention in 2014 when it rolled out the world's thinnest full-color AMOLED flexible display screen which can be bent or rolled. At about 0.01 mm, the display is as thin as an onion skin.

AMOLED, or active-matrix organic light-emitting diode, is the technology Apple Inc used for its latest iPhone X's all-screen design.

Earlier this year, Royole developed a pliable smartphone prototype, which can be wrapped around a user's wrist, although the company is not only targeting the mobile market.

The company's vision is to establish a platform to build flexible electronic products across various sectors, including smartphones, home appliance, healthcare, robotics, transportation and even education.

"The company has signed production contracts with companies in these areas," Liu said. "Besides screens and phones, we have also developed flexible sensors and VR (virtual reality) devices production."

Geng Yi, deputy secretary-general of China OLED Industry Alliance, stressed that smartphone production is going through a transitional period from rigid to flexible screens.

She pointed out that new models with curved-edge displays were starting to appear on the market.

"AMOLED is mostly applied to smartphone and wearable devices," Geng said. "But in future it will expand to automobile and television sectors."

Lightweight, thin, bendable and portable, it is perfect for intelligent terminal devices, she added.

But excessive costs have proved a major obstacle, with Geng citing the example of iPhone X's unprecedented high price.

"One reason is that the yield is very low," Geng said. "But mass production can help solve the problem."

Data released by IHS Markit showed that factories with the ability to manufacture AMOLEDs last year used only 28 percent of their capacity to produce flexible displays.

By 2020, that ratio will increase to 80 percent, the research company stated.

Samsung Display is now the dominant manufacturer of AMOLED smartphone panels, but Chinese factories are catching up.

The first sixth-generation flexible AMOLED display screen production line, built by domestic maker BOE Technology, is expected to deliver its first shipment in October.
Lei Jun (right), chief executive officer of tech company Xiaomi, presents a full-screen smartphone with its French designer, Philippe Starck, at a new product launch event in Beijing on Sept 11. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

There is no denying that the full-screen design is now the biggest and most obvious trend in smartphones, and that it is also expected to become the major driver of smartphone growth this year, said industry experts.

James Yan, research director at Counterpoint Technology Market Research, said the full-screen design is distinctly futuristic and will be able to take the lead in the market.

"Smartphone users will always want bigger screens to have better views, and the full-screen trend will just cater to users' increasing need. And the sophisticated supply chain, both domestically and globally, encourages manufacturers to produce bezel-free smartphones."

To offer better user experiences, leading vendors are lining up to release bezel-free designs in an attempt to get at the forefront of the fierce competition.

Last Friday, Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd officially launched its first quad-camera full-screen smartphone Huawei Maimang 6 in Beijing. The brand, a joint effort by both Huawei and the country's third-largest mobile carrier China Telecommunications Corp, is particularly targeting younger consumers.

The new device features a 5.9-inch full screen, reaching an almost 83 percent screen-to-body ratio on the front. Priced at 2,399 yuan ($369), the product will be on sale on Sept 28.

He Gang, head of the smartphone division of Huawei, said the launch marked Huawei's first attempt to officially enter the full-screen handset era, which is deemed as a revolution in smartphone development.

"A good-quality full-screen smartphone should enhance the user experience. And I believe we will usher in a new trend in the market."

Vivo Mobile Communication Technology Co, the third-largest smartphone brand in China in the second quarter of this year, last Thursday announced its latest two full-screen display smartphones, the Vivo X20 and Vivo X20 Plus, right after it released the first full-screen smartphone the Vivo V7 Plus in India in early September. Priced from 2,998 yuan, the two new gadgets will go on sale in China on Sept 30.

Ealier this month, Apple Inc unveiled a new batch of smartphones to mark its 10th anniversary, the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. And the most eyecatching one will be the iPhone X, which is expected to compete with leading vendors Huawei and Samsung Electronics Co.

The bezel-less, OLED-equipped iPhone X is listed from 8,388 yuan in China, and was hailed by Apple CEO Tim Cook as "the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone".

Meanwhile, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus still stick to LCD.

According to statistics from global consultancy Canalys, smartphone vendors shipped 22 million full-screen smartphones worldwide in the second quarter in 2017, up from 700,000 in the first quarter of this year.

"While growth in China's smartphone market slowed in the first half of this year, the new trend of full-screen smartphones will drive consumers' replacement need and boost the whole market in the second half of this year and the first half of 2018," Yan added.

Jia Mo, an analyst at Canalys agreed, adding that the normal full-screen display smartphones will grow rapidly in the market.

"Full-screen designs once were deemed as the symbol of high-end smartphones. But in fact, the bezel-free design does not require such high-tech as artificial intelligence."

"OLED-equipped full screen designs, meanwhile, will be employed in high-end smartphones in the short term, due to the limited production capacity mostly from Samsung."
When Shenzhen-based robot maker Zige got its cute creation Mento to perform on the catwalk at this year's London Fashion Show, it attracted tremendous curiosity and interest from London's fashionistas.

Yet, behind the fun initiative is an emerging trend of China-United Kingdom cooperation in the fast-growing sector of artificial intelligence. And, although such ties are still in their early days, analysts expect to see tremendous growth based upon the complimentary nature of the two countries' AI industries.

"China and the UK are natural partners to advance the AI sector," said Dai Jian, chairman of mechanisms and robotics at King's College London. "The UK leads on creativity and cutting-edge niche-sector technology in the AI field, and China's AI sector enjoys huge market access, available financing, and great commercializing capability."

Dai was speaking at the first China-Britain AI Summit in London on Friday, which brought together around 100 Chinese and British representatives from tech companies, consultancies and regulators.

Organized by the London-based consultancy China-Britain Business Fusion, delegates considered topics including bilateral investment and technology collaboration and witnessed live demonstration of robotics technology.

Research is a key part of bilateral AI cooperation. Shenzhen-based drive-system maker Best Motion (formerly Nowforever Technology) established a 1.2 million pound ($1.62 million) research and development center at the University of Nottingham in 2014 to develop high-quality servo drive systems. The finished product is already being prototyped, and will be mass-produced and launched soon.

"The servo drive system is a crucial component for AI robotics technology, but Chinese AI companies have relied on imported servo drive systems. The collaboration between Best Motion and the University of Nottingham has created a high-quality cost-efficient product," said Zhang He, who heads the R&D center in Nottingham.

Chinese AI companies also see the UK as an important market. Zige, which plans to formally launch Mento in China in November, also plans to launch it in the UK in 2018. Mento was developed to teach language and general knowledge to children aged 4-12.

Jerry Huang, CEO of Zige, said his team is looking for UK universities and education consultancies to become partners in helping his team improve Mento's performance and localize the product for the UK.

"Although China's domestic market is already huge, we eyed global growth from day one. Being able to succeed in the UK's mature market motivates us to set the bar high, and creates a strong base for our further international expansion," Huang said.

Earlier this year, China's State Council unveiled a national AI development guideline that aims to grow its core AI industries to a value of more than 150 billion yuan ($22.15 billion) by 2020 and 400 billion by 2025.
People Are Worried About DHS Plans To Gather Social Media Info

WASHINGTON  Federal officials are planning to collect social media information on all immigrants, including permanent residents and naturalized citizens, a move that has alarmed lawyers and privacy groups worried about how the information will be used. The Department of Homeland Security published the new rule in the Federal Register last week, saying it wants to include "social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results" as part of people's immigration file. The new requirement takes effect Oct. 18. DHS and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Adam Schwartz, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for privacy and free expression, said the plan was disturbing. "We see this as part of a larger process of high tech surveillance of immigrants and more and more people being subjected to social media screening," Schwartz told BuzzFeed News. "There's a growing trend at the Department of Homeland Security to be snooping on the social media of immigrants and foreigners and we think it's an invasion of privacy and deters freedom of speech." This would also affect all US citizens who communicate with immigrants, Schwartz said, who could self censor out of fear that information they exchange with someone overseas could be misconstrued and used against them.

Faiza Patel, co-director of the Brennan Centers liberty and national security program, said this is yet another fad, started by the Obama administration, fueled by the belief that social media is going to help the US stop an attack in the country.

"It's very difficult to successfully use social media to determine what people are going or not going to do," Patel told BuzzFeed News. "When you look at all the different ways in which we use communication tools, and social media is pretty different, very truncated. People use emojis, they use short form, sometimes its difficult to know what something means." In February the Office of Inspector General published a report that found DHS pilot programs for using social media to screen applicants for immigration benefits lacked criteria to determine if its effective. Another concern, Patel said, is that the information would be used for idealogical vetting by the US government who will be looking at people's political and personal views of people abroad and in the US. "The question is do we really want the government monitoring political views?" Patel said. "Social media may not be able to predict violence but it can certainly tell you a lot about a person's political and religious views."

Tashfeen Malik and Syed Farook, who killed 14 people and injured 21 in what U.S. officials have called a terrorist attack on December 2, 2015, are pictured passing through Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in this July 27, 2014 photo.

Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institutes Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, said the expansion seems to originate from concerns about Tashfeen Malik, one of the San Bernardino shooters in late 2015. This is another example of the government changing security protocols based on a previous incident that will impose an enormous cost and that is of dubious value for the future, Nowrasteh said. Social media has been used in immigration courts for years but theres little evidence that its helped with visa vetting. The Trump administration has had an interest in how immigration authorities use social media despite their being no evidence to show it was reliable, according to USCIS presidential transition records. Yesterday at our briefing with the President-Elects Landing Team, one of the things they mentioned theyd be interested in seeing was guidance that we use regarding social media use and when/how we can use social media, wrote a senior adviser in December. In documents provided to the transition team, the agency said no immigration benefits had been denied solely or primarily because of information uncovered through social media vetting. In cases of benefit denial, the denial was based on information found outside of social media, the document said. Three refugee pilot programs to screen social media found that although they were able to find refugees accounts the information did not produce clear links to national security concerns even for applicants who were found to pose a national security threat.

A portion of briefing documents given to Trumps transition team on USCIS use of social media to vet refugees.
An anti-fraud platform of China Unicom at a cybersecurity expo held in Shanghai. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd, the country's second-largest mobile carrier by subscribers, set up a big data company on Monday, as it accelerates partnerships with new strategic investors.

Wang Xiaochu, chairman of China Unicom, said its $11.7 billion ownership reform plan will be completed as soon as possible, with all the investments expected to be in place by the end of this year.

"We are going through the last regulatory process, which will be completed in around one month," Wang said.

The State-owned company said in August that its Shanghai-listed unit plans to raise funds from more than a dozen major investors with 35.19 percent of shares, including Tencent Holdings Ltd, Baidu Inc, and Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. The move is part of China's broad push to revitalize State-owned companies with private money.

China Unicom set up a new unit, literally translated as China Unicom Big Data Co Ltd, on Monday, in order to tap into the booming local market.

Jiang Zhengxin, deputy general manager of China Unicom, said the new unit is positioned as the major platform for the group to cooperate with strategic investors in the big data business.

"It will get deeply involved in the mixed ownership reform by seeking deeper cooperation with our investors, such as sharing resources and exploring markets," Jiang said.

The company has been in the big data industry for five years, accumulating experience in data, platform, products and service. It now has around 100 employees working in areas related to the big data business.

Xiang Ligang, a telecom expert and CEO of telecom industry website cctime.com, said that access to China Unicom's basic telecom infrastructure resources, such as servers and bandwidth, can greatly assist Tencent and Alibaba's cloud computing and other businesses.

"China Unicom can also benefit considerably from internet players' marketing and product research and development capabilities," Xiang said.

Last October, Tencent and China Unicom jointly launched low-cost data traffic packs, which attracted 20 million users within six months.

China Unicom on Monday also signed up to a partnership with UnionPay, a major payment service provider in China. The two sides will cooperate in data resources, technological capabilities and products.

China Unicom is in stiff competition for market share with China Mobile Ltd and China Telecommunications Corp.
A woman buys an iPhone 8 Plus at an Apple showroom in Shanghai on Friday. The Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus have gone for sale in China starting Friday. [Photo/Agencies]

The magic of the iPhone brand seems to be fading in China as consumers in the world's largest smartphone market greeted Apple Inc's latest handsets with less than the usual level of enthusiasm.

The relatively weak response came as the country's homegrown brands, such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Xiaomi Corp, are pushing up-market, experts said.

On Monday, in Beijing's Sanlitun Soho, the capital's popular shopping area, Apple's flagship store experienced a slimmer turnout with only one short line of people queuing outside the store to get a try for iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus, which went on sale on Friday.

Inside the store, there were crowds of customers surrounding the desk, but many were there to test the models rather than expressing a commitment to buy. And the store still had plenty of space for more consumers.

The response was in stark contrast to previous years, when hundreds of people hustled and bustled in the stores and queues of people circled around outside.

A security guard at the Apple store said: "The lines are far shorter than those of previous years. I had always been extremely busy when new flagship gadgets were released, but I am apparently not so occupied this year."

Also, not many scalpers were seen outside the store and they are not enthusiastic this year as they didn't rush to solicit businesses.

"We didn't sell much today, even with 100 or 200 yuan ($15-30) off," said a scalper outside an Apple store.

Jia Mo, an analyst at global consultancy Canalys, said consumers have less enthusiasm toward the new iPhone 8 this year. One of the reasons is that local rivals including Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi can give users a better experience by offering high-end features with a lower price," he added.

"Another reason is that consumers are waiting for iPhone X, the tenth-anniversary edition iPhone. When they already have a high-price device, they prefer to wait for the best one, rather than buying one that is brand new but not the latest," he added.

Xiang Ligang, CEO of telecom industry website Cctime, said the iPhone is still one of the most preferable high-end devices in China, though far less popular than before, amid mounting competition from local players.

Charlie Zhang, who bought an iPhone 8 on Monday, said he opted out of domestic smartphones, because they are running on Android systems that are easy to crash.

Li Jiayue contributed to the story.

Contact the writers at chengyu@chinadaily.com.cn
HANGZHOU  A tech company in East China's Zhejiang province has developed the software which can free parents from checking math assignments.

The app, "Love Homework," was developed by Hangzhou Dana. By simply taking a photo, it can check arithmetic problems in one second, with over 95 percent accuracy.

The free app has gained widespread high praise from parents and teachers alike since its launch in early September, with more than 400,000 downloads in three weeks.

"I have never seen an app receiving such a warm, enthusiastic reception in my 20 years of career," said Luo Huan, co-founder of Dana.

The idea of the app came from Mao Lihui, who works at Dana. Father of a primary school student, Mao spent a lot of time and energy checking his kid's assignments every day.

"There are about 60 math questions a page, sometimes 100. I hate checking homework after a long day at work," Mao said.

"Some parents said they spent at least an hour checking these questions," said Chen Mingquan, another co-founder.

The Dana team analyzed the handwriting of Chinese children and trained the computers to recognize the figures even when the handwriting was careless, with overlapping corrections or on thin paper.

A mother surnamed Xu downloaded the app on the recommendation of other parents. "It saved me a lot of time and the accuracy was better than my own. Plus, my kid and I don't quarrel about the questions when we come up with different answers," she said. "I hope they come up with more, similar homework-checking apps."

Feng Dingying, a math teacher, said artificial intelligence can replace humans in repetitive work. "It allows educators and parents to put more effort in motivating the students," said Feng.
TORONTO  The Alibaba Group's Gateway'17 Canada conference opened Monday in Canada's largest city of Toronto, which was attended by more than 3,600 people.

Jack Ma, executive chairman and founder of the Alibaba Group, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made key speeches at the conference held at the Toronto Exhibition Place.

The event with a trade show attracted a variety of organizations and businesses including leading brands and small- and medium-sized enterprises, covering such sectors as manufacturing, retail, professional services, agribusiness, and travel and tourism.

The one-day conference featured presentations and breakout sessions aimed at educating enterprises about what and how to sell to China, especially through e-commerce platforms.

For example, people can learn about how Alibaba's online travel marketplace and payment solutions can help Canadian businesses serve the rapidly expanding outbound Chinese travel and tourism market.

Data showed 68 percent of the conference participants were from small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

"The interest in Gateway'17 Canada has been incredible and signals that companies of all sizes are keen to go global. China is such a big opportunity for Canadian businesses who have the high-quality brands, products and travel experiences that are in demand by today's China's booming middle class," said Michael Evans, president of the Alibaba Group.

"We are excited to meet with these businesses to explore the various ways they can enter and grow in the China market," he added.

Husayn Remtulla, Alibaba customer and chief executive officer of Viva Naturals, said: "As a small Canadian company with no physical presence in China, we're delighted by the success we've experienced there, which has surpassed our expectations."

"Chinese consumers are looking for quality health products, and the best way to reach them is through e-commerce. We're excited about the prospects for future growth in this market," he said.

Greg Grice, executive vice president of Business Financial Services at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and platinum sponsor of Gateway'17 Canada, said: "Our clients are looking for new ways to grow, and global trade is one of the fastest and most effective ways for Canadian businesses to achieve that growth. We're proud to work with Alibaba - supporting Gateway'17 reflects how important global trade, and the opportunity in China, are to our clients and to Canada."

"We're helping our clients take advantage of the booming demand for high quality Canadian goods by using RBC's expertise, network and scale to navigate global markets with confidence," he added.
WeChat composite images: A photo of Earth taken by the crew of NASA's Apollo 17 spacecraft in 1972(left) will be replaced for three days by a photo taken by China's Fengyun 4A satellite. Both Earth images were combined with a human figure for the instant messaging app's logon page. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Weather forecasting, disaster relief will be improved with technology

China's most advanced weather satellite officially began operating 36,000 kilometers above the earth on Monday, greatly improving the country's capabilities in weather forecasting, environmental monitoring and disaster prevention and relief. It is also expected to help China's response to climate change.

The 5.4-metric-ton Fengyun 4A, developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, lifted off on Dec 11 atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province.

During its shakedown period, the satellite performed well and generated good-quality images and data, according to a news release from the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, which oversees the satellite project.

It said the Fengyun 4A can be used to detect and monitor typhoons, sandstorms, rainstorms and smog.

Engineers from the China Meteorological Administration took control of the satellite on Monday. It is expected to be in service for more than six years.

The Fengyun 4A is the country's latest geosynchronous meteorological satellite series and will gradually replace the Fengyun 2 generation. It will monitor the atmosphere, clouds and the space environment above China and the entire Western Pacific and Indian oceans, according to the administration.

Dong Yaohai, chief designer of the satellite at the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, said it has four instrument groupsan advanced geosynchronous radiation imager, a geostationary interferometric infrared sounder, a lightning mapping imager and a space environment package.

He said the Fengyun 4A can calculate the density of PM10 and PM2.5particulate matter that is harmful to human healthand is so sensitive that it can detect a temperature change of 0.1 C on the ground.

Zhao Jian, a key official overseeing the project, said China plans to launch the Fengyun 4B in 2018 and Fengyun 4C in 2020.

China launched its first weather satellite, Fengyun 1A, in 1988. Currently, the country maintains eight weather satellitesthe Fengyun 4A (the newest), plus four Fengyun 2 series and three Fengyun 3 series satellites, according to the administration.

WeChat, the most popular instant messaging application in China, replaced its composite logon picturewhich uses an image of Earth taken in 1972 by the crew of NASA's Apollo 17 spacecrafton Monday. It will use an image recently taken by the Fengyun 4A satellite until Thursday.

Zheng Jinran contributed to this story.
Karyl Condit, granddaughter of J. Bruce and Isabelle Eyestone, an American couple who went to China in early 1900s and founded a middle school in Fujian province, visited Guling with her husband and daughter last week. Hu Meidong/China Daily

Honored guests visit county where their ancestors once lived

When Mark Becker climbed a mountain in Fuzhou in the eastern province of Fujian with his aunt and wife last week, he praised efforts of President Xi Jinping that helped his family fulfill their dream of visiting the place where their ancestors lived and sometimes fought.

In the early 1900s, Becker's great-grandfather, Harry Caldwell, arrived in Guling (previously known in the West as Kuliang), a mountainous county in Fuzhou. He spent about 40 years doing missionary work there and improving the county's educational facilities before returning to the United States during World War II.

"My grandfather's first language was really Chinese. He only spoke English until he was 3 or 4 because all his friends were Chinese children," said Becker, one of 19 people from seven families the Fuzhou government invited to visit their ancestors' old home.

Missionaries first arrived in Guling in 1886. Later, the county attracted diplomats and merchants who wanted to avoid the summer heat in Fuzhou, one of five Chinese treaty ports opened in the wake of the First Opium War (1839-42).

Becker also expressed gratitude for the efforts Xi made 25 years ago to help a widow visit Guling. "I don't think we'd be here if he hadn't done that. We've all dreamed of coming here for years. We all grew up with the same stories. So for him to help us come was a wonderful thing to do," he said.

In 1992, when Xi was Party secretary of Fuzhou, he read a story in People's Daily about Elizabeth Johnson Gardner, who wanted to honor her late husband's wish to revisit his childhood home by traveling to Guling herself.

In February 2012, when Xi, who was then vice-president, visited the US, he told the story of how he helped to fulfill her Guling dream.

Milton Gardner (1901-86), a professor of physics at the University of California, lived in Guling for the first nine years of his life, until 1911. He repeatedly muttered "Kuliang, Kuliang" in the final hours of his life, according to his family.

Xi said that after reading the touching but sad story, he immediately had government officials contact Gardner and invite her to visit Guling. Four months later, Gardner completed her trip to the county.

"Mrs. Gardner was so excited that she had finally fulfilled her husband's last wish. She said she would cherish this bond of friendship between her husband and the people of China, because after seeing for herself the beauty of Guling and the warmth of the Chinese people, she understood why her husband had been so deeply attached to the country," Xi said later.
Premier Li Keqiang meets with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in Beijing on Monday. Li urged a loosening of restrictions on technology exported by the US to China, as well as a level playing field regarding Chinese investment. Wu Zhiyi / China Daily

Premier says Washington should ease restrictions on tech products

China urged the United States to provide a level playing field for Chinese enterprises investing there and to loosen restrictions on high-tech products being sold to China, Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday.

Li made the remarks during his meeting with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at the Zhongnanhai compound in Beijing.

The premier said relations between China and the US have been progressing well and communication at different levels also have progressed on track. He said President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have concluded several meetings successfully.

Li said that China, being the world's largest developing country, and the US, the world's largest developed country, are also the largest trade partners with each other.

"So I think it is fair to say that our common interests far outweigh our difference or divergence. Economic and trade relations between the two countries have always served as a ballast stone for the overall bilateral relationship," Li said, adding that cooperation runs as the main stream in bilateral ties.

He said he believes the secretary's current visit to China will be conducive to further deepening economic and trade relations between China and the US, as well as overall bilateral ties.

He said China is willing to expand trade volume on services and commodities with the US and is ready to properly handle disputes and conflicts between the two countries through dialogue based on mutual trust and cooperation.

China will further open to the global market while continuing to improve its business environment, Li said.

He added that China welcomes more US companies to develop their business in China.

At the same time, he said, China expects the US to provide equal treatment for Chinese companies investing in the US.

Ross said ties between the US and China are getting increasingly close, with huge prospects for further development. The US looks forward to seeing China further its opening-up, and is ready to expand trade and people-to-people exchanges with China, he said.

Trade volume between China and the US reached $524.3 billion in 2016, from $2.5 billion in 1979, when the two countries officially established diplomatic relations.

Zhang Jianping, a professor at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in the Ministry of Commerce, said he believes Ross' visit to China is part of the preparation work for Trump's November visit to China.

zhangyue@chinadaily.com.cn
Four emergency medical workers at a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, paid 1,000 yuan ($151) in compensation for the cost of a patient's clothes they had cut off while saving his life.

The incident triggered hot discussion online, with many netizens expressing anger at the patient's family and some even offering to pay on behalf of the medical team. Some thought the hospital should not have cut off the man's clothes.

At 4:25 pm on Sept 11, a 34-year-old internet cafe worker, Li Ping, fainted and was sent to the emergency center at Wuhan University's Zhongnan Hospital, Beijing News reported.

"An acute pulmonary embolism left Li in a coma. When he was sent to the hospital, he was in cardiac arrest and couldn't breathe," Xia Jian, deputy director of the emergency center, was quoted as saying by Xiandai Jinbao newspaper. "Li was at extreme risk, and a rescue team was established immediately."

Surveillance video from the operating room showed at least eight medics treating Li, including four doing chest compressions.

At about 5:30 pm, two staff members used scissors to cut off Li's clothes, and then laid the pieces aside. At around 6 pm, the rescue team attached an artificial heart-lung apparatus on the man, the video showed.

"Every minute is precious during a rescue. We cut off his clothes so as not to lose time," Xia said.

He said Li's condition improved and he was transferred to intensive care that night. Seven days later, he was out of danger and transferred to a regular hospital ward.

Beijing News reported that Li's father claimed the hospital owed 1,500 yuan in compensation for his son's losses during the treatment. He said his son's clothes - including 500 yuan in cash, and his ID and bank cards that were in his pocket - had been lost.

The hospital rejected the claim, insisting that the rescue team had done nothing wrong.

On Sept 19, Li's family returned to the hospital, this time with the police, and asked for 1,000 yuan. Beijing News reported that the four medical workers from the hospital paid the money.

On Friday, Wang Xing, the hospital's president, praised the emergency team and reimbursed the 1,000 yuan the four medics had paid out, Chutian Metropolis Daily reported.

"Successfully saving the man from a pulmonary embolism was hard-won. We will cut clothes without hesitation in the future," he was quoted as saying.

He added that the hospital will continue to improve its services and several bags will be installed in the emergency room to keep patients' clothes and belongings.

Li Huijuan, a lawyer specializing in medical disputes, said: "It is reasonable for medical staff to cut off the patient's clothes because saving a life is their top priority."

"There are no rules or regulations about details like the proper disposal of a patients' belongings, but it is common sense that the hospital should keep the clothes instead of throwing them away. If they mistakenly throw out the clothes in an emergency, it is understandable," he said.

Zhang Yi contributed to this story.
Fugitive turns himself in after being named in international 'red notice'

A fugitive suspected of contract fraud returned to China on Monday and turned himself in, according to the country's top watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Xu Xuewei, who was No 91 in the list of China's top 100 overseas fugitives, is the 46th to return.

Xu was the controller of a science and technology company and a chemical fiber company based in Jiangyin, Jiangsu province. He fled to the United States in November 2012, the CCDI said.

Xu is the latest fugitive so far whose return is partly due to the red notice system of the International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as Interpol.

Chiefs of police and security experts from around the world will gather at Interpol's 86th General Assembly in Beijing from Tuesday to Friday.

Key topics during the annual event include ensuring that real-time data is in the hands of front-line officers and that cooperation is achieved across various agencies to combat terrorism and cybercrime and to catch international fugitives.

Interpol enables police in 190 member countries to work together to fight international crime. Each of the member countries maintains a national central bureau staffed by local law enforcement officials who carry out investigations and make arrests.

As an Interpol member country, China has stepped up efforts to help the organization collect information on foreign terrorist fighters. Last year, it placed 2 million pieces of information on stolen and lost Chinese identification documents into Interpol's database. The data are updated monthly, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Interpol, the world's largest international police organization, uses a notice system to issue international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information.

It issues red notices - the most serious of its eight types of notices - when a subject is wanted by national jurisdictions for prosecution or to serve a sentence based on an arrest warrant or court decision.

Interpol will assist national police forces in identifying and locating such fugitives with a view toward their arrest and extradition, or similar lawful action. The notice is not itself an international arrest warrant.

In 2016, China submitted 612 red notice requests to Interpol. Of those, 230 were published, the ministry said. The Chinese police handled 2,542 investigative requests from foreign police forces that were transmitted via Interpol in 2016, an increase of 140 percent over 2015.

At the organization's annual general assembly in 2016, Meng Hongwei, deputy director of the ministry, was elected as the president of the organization, which is headquartered in Lyon, France.

cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn
Job creation is priority as entrepreneurship and innovation seen as best options to provide key groups with opportunities

New industries and businesses will be governed in a prudent way to help expand employment as China places job creation at the top of its agenda amid downward pressure on growth.

That was one of the decisions made at a State Council executive meeting, which was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday. The meeting sought to encourage mass entrepreneurship and innovation to create employment opportunities and help key groups find jobs, said a statement issued after the meeting.

Supportive policies were reiterated at the meeting while key groups, such as college graduates, migrant workers and workers transferred from overcapacity cuts, will be given favorable policies to find work, the statement said.

Professional and market-oriented innovation spaces and demonstration zones should be promoted to provide support to high-level talent to start their businesses and upgrade traditional industries, the statement said, adding that more jobs should be created when new economic drivers are cultivated to offer more positions.

Employment is one of the most vital economic indicators for the premier and the central government. A special meeting was convened by the State Council in May last year to ensure these key groups find new jobs.

Facing downward pressure on economic growth in recent years, China has placed employment as a top priority and taken more proactive policies, which will help the country create more than 13 million jobs in urban areas each year, the statement said.

There is a huge demand for jobs but employment is also facing many structural problems, which calls for more intensified efforts to combat unemployment, it said.

Mass entrepreneurship and innovation should be encouraged to create jobs, while the country will roll out more measures to support migrant workers in starting their own businesses in their hometowns, the statement said.

Economic growth and employment can complement each other, because a stabilizing economy can support employment while full employment, in return, can boost economic restructuring and industrial upgrading, the premier told the meeting.

New businesses are emerging and the government should take a prudent path to manage these new economic drivers that can also contribute to an increasing number of employment opportunities, the premier said.
HONG KONG - A man was arrested in a downtown area of Hong Kong after approaching a patrolling policeman and trying to snatch his gun, local media reported Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Queen's Road Central in the Sheung Wan area at about 9 p.m. on Monday. When the 39-year-old man was walking head on towards two police officers who were on patrol, he tried to grab one of the officer's service revolver.

The officer protected his weapon with one hand while trying to push the man away with another. The man was later pinned down and arrested by the officer and his partner.

The man did not remove the officer's gun from the holster, and no one was injured in the incident, according to the police.
China's highest court vowed on Tuesday to increase judicial cooperation with countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The initiative, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to create a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia, Europe and Africa.

As economic cooperation is extended to countries and regions along the Belt and Road, judicial cooperation also needs to improve, according to the Supreme People's Court.

"Court officers, including judges, are demanding more communication and training on legal issues and disputes arising from the initiative, which will aid resolution of cases," Zhou Qiang, president of the SPC, said during the Silk Road International Forum on Judicial Cooperation in Dunhuang, Gansu province.

He called on countries and regions involved in the initiative to increase efforts in handling civil and commercial disputes involving foreigners, and to join hands to fight terrorism and cross-border crime.

He also shared details of Chinas judicial reform over the past five years, adding that judicial cooperation on how to effectively tackle financial disputes is necessary due to the rapid progress of the initiative.

"In addition, a comprehensive judicial system needs to be created by making bilateral or multilateral treaties," he said. "The more judicial cooperation among the countries and regions, the more improvements to the initiative."

More than 300 people from 16 countries, including Turkey and Kazakhstan, attended the one-day forum. They held discussions on several legal issues, such as judicial reform and rule of law, judicial culture and awareness, and a mechanism on how to solve cross-border disputes.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Pyongyang not to go further in a dangerous direction, and said there should be no new nuclear state in either of the Koreas or elsewhere.

"There is still hope for peace, we must not give up," Wang said during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. The remarks came as rhetoric and even personal name-calling has flared up in recent days between Washington and Pyongyang.

"We urge the DPRK not to go further on along a dangerous direction," Wang said. "We call upon the US to honor its 'Four Nos' commitment, and we call upon all parties to play a constructive role in easing tensions," Wang said.
Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade networks in Asia, Europe and Africa

ROME - The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China in 2013 will provide unprecedented opportunities to boost cultural exchanges between Italy and China, officials and experts from the two countries have said during a conference in Rome.

The event on Saturday - hosted by the Western Returned Scholars Association within the 15th edition of "China in the 21st Century" Forum - addressed the history of the Sino-Italian relationship, and the best ways to bring it forward in the light of a new "Silk Road spirit".

Dating back thousands of years, cultural contacts between China and Italy provided "a relevant heritage" on which contemporary ties were allowed to flourish, according to officials.

"When the ancient Rome was in full bloom, more than two thousand years ago, the Chinese civilization was also at its peak," said Chen Zhu, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China.

Today, the Belt and Road Initiative - comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road - aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It would be developed in the same spirit of cooperation.

Once Europe and Asia have come closer through the Belt and Road Initiative, intermediate countries along the path should also benefit in terms of development, visibility and stability, former Italian ambassador to China Alberto Bradanini said.

"I wish Italy and China together will encourage cultural exchange projects in those intermediate countries, which are little known today, and yet have plenty of historic sites and monuments in need of investment," Bradanini said.

Chen said about 20,000 Chinese students have gone to Italy, and more than 5,500 Italian peers have studied in China, since the Marco Polo Program was launched in 2005, and the Turandot Project for art education in 2009.

"In 2016 alone, more than 4,800 young Chinese came to Italy for studying," he said.

Alessandra Lavagnino, professor of Chinese language and culture at the University in Milan and co-director of its Confucius Institute, praised the crucial value China gives to culture.

"I am in admiration of the great respect Chinese society pays to knowledge and study, which are meant not only as tools for improving individual conditions, but society as a whole," she said.

Cultural exchanges were by no means secondary elements in the perspective of the initiative, the scholar underlined.

"Culture is what gives us the wider scope of a common project, and allow us to find common strategies in which our own (respective) peoples could do their best," she said on the sidelines of the conference.

"I think for example to a strengthened Sino-Italian cooperation in the visual arts and in literature and poetry ..." Lavagnino said. "All of the big issues related to the human being in our contemporary society need to be addressed, and our views exchanged, and I do believe Chinese and Italians still have a lot to say to each other."

Xinhua

(China Daily 09/26/2017 page11)
Taiwan actor Mark Chao reprises his role of the titular detective in the new movie. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A king of martial arts and fantasy movies, Hong Kong director Tsui Hark released the first trailer of his latest Detective Dee movie in Beijing on Sept 21.

In the clip, a giant flower-like monster is seen swinging its red tentacles, signifying the new movie will continue on the visual style of Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010) and Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013). The third in the series, Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings will open at Chinese mainland cinemas in July 2018.

Taiwan actor Mark Chao reprises his role of Di Renjie, the titular detective serving the 7th- century Chinese empresses Wu Zetian. Mainland actors Feng Shaofeng and Lin Gengxin return to play their characters, too. But the female protagonist will star mainland actress Ma Sichun, who wasn't cast in the previous two movies.

The movie is jointly produced by the Beijing-based studio Huayi Brothers and Taiwan filmmaker's Chen Kuo-fu's movie firm CKF Pictures.

Wang Zhonglei, vice-chairman and CEO of Huayi Brothers, said the investors decided to develop the detective story into a full-fledged franchise in 2009.

It is among the most successful movie franchises in China.
The Tang Xianzu Drama Festival and International Drama Exchange Month opens in Fuzhou, East China's Jiangxi province, Sept 24, 2017. [Photo/IC]

An international drama festival opened in the eastern Chinese city of Fuzhou, Jiangxi province, on Sunday, to pay tribute to acclaimed Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu (1550-1616) and to celebrate 45 years of ambassador-level diplomatic relations between China and the United Kingdom.

In a month-long event running through the end of October, the Tang Xianzu Drama Festival and International Drama Exchange Month will bring to stage a total of 23 dramas from countries including China, UK and Spain, together with more than 110 traditional operas performed by folk troupes from the city.
LI MIN/CHINA DAILY

From the staggering population migration to the multi-lane traffic jams, China's rapid urbanization has captured global attention. But much of what threatens the sustainability of China's urbanization is not above ground but under it.

In particular, the over-extraction of groundwater, the degradation of water bodies and wetlands, and urban flooding are forcing Chinese cities to address a complex puzzle: The surface development in cities leaves little opportunity for natural systems to mitigate rainwater runoff and replenish groundwater. The result is a vicious circle of investment in rainwater infrastructure and new land development that exacerbates the runoff problem.

China's sponge city initiative aims to arrest this cycle through permeable surfaces and "green infrastructure". But the initiative faces three challenges: already polluted groundwater, a focus on spot-level solutions, and the constrained fiscal capacity of local governments. The sponge city initiative, a joint effort of three ministrieshousing and rural-urban development, finance, and water resourceshas ambitious goals: by 2020, 80 percent of urban areas should absorb and reuse at least 70 percent of rainwater.

First mentioned by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and officially launched in 2015 in 16 cities, the initiative approaches urban water sustainability from two angles: it reduces the intensity of rainwater runoff and distributes absorption more evenly; and the resulting groundwater replenishment increases the supply of reusable water feeding into existing systems (channeled runoff is often treated then discharged, removing it from usage circulation).

A series of concurrent legislative directives accompanies China's initiative, addressing a range of issues, including wastewater infrastructure and urban waterway pollution remediation.

The pilot case of Lingang, a new town project on the coast near Pudong, Shanghai, illustrates typical sponge city measures: rooftops covered with plants, scenic pools and wetlands for rainwater storage, and permeable pavement that stores runoff water and allows evaporation for temperature moderation. Runoff water is also stored in a large underground reservoir and purified through natural vegetation. With ambitions to be China's largest sponge city project, the Lingang local government has invested $119 million in retrofits and innovations that are a model for the majority of Chinese cities lacking modern water infrastructure.

Other cities have made notable efforts as well. Sponge city projects in Xiamen and Wuhan have performed effectively in heavy rainstorms. Such cases reflect the progress of the sponge city initiative.

But despite these gains, China faces three challenges. First, groundwater pollution is reaching alarming levels, with more than half of China's shallow and deep groundwater deemed non-potable.

Rainwaterresponsible for more than 50 percent of the pollution flowing into natural bodies of waterhas also become an increasingly visible public concern in China.

The second challenge is related to the first. Enabling the sponge city initiative to reach its full potential involves a whole-of-system approach to managing pollution. Many projects are spot-level solutions at particular sites. Given the broad geographic spread of watersheds, sponge city initiatives will need to be significantly scaled up and an optimum infrastructure coverage share determined.

The recent Water Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan has already been used to shut down 50,000 polluting companies, but concerns persist about weak and selective enforcement by local authorities focused on "easier aspects of the legislation". Thus, the problem is not only technical but institutional: China must plug regulatory loopholes and enforce compliance locally.

Finally, funding is a persistent constraint. To date, more than $12 billion has been spent on sponge city projects. Systems required for such projects can be expensive. The central government funds 15 percent to 20 percent of the costs, with the remainder split between local governments and the private sector.

Unfortunately, the initiative coincides with a burgeoning local government debt crisis. Chinese cities may soon find borrowing costs even higher and avenues for deleveraging narrower. As such, sponge city initiatives will compete for the scarcer resources against infrastructure seen as more important amid population growth.

The private sector is another source of gap funding, and public-private partnerships may be a solution. In early 2017, French-based utility company Suez Environment was awarded a $4.7 million contract to help an eco-district in Chongqing improve its wastewater system through integration of digital monitoring technologies.

However, investment in sponge city initiatives is still difficult, with only tepid interest from domestic investors. The government should explore supply-side vehicles for incentivizing investment, including tax credits, deductions, and time-or performance-based exemptions.

China has the opportunity to showcase how prudent planning and regulatory discipline can transform urban flood management and improve water quality. The government has acknowledged this growing challenge and now provides resources and guidance, while enterprising localities compete to fund innovative proposals with ambitious targets.

To complement sponge city investment, the central government should now take additional measures to improve groundwater quality, adopt a whole-of-system approach for pollution control and incentivize private investment.

Asit K. Biswas is a distinguished visiting professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore and Kris Hartley is a research affiliate at the Center for New Structural Economics at Peking University and a nonresident fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
An investor checks stock information on his mobile phone in front of an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Beijing, Feb 16, 2016.[Photo/Agencies]

In the run up to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China starting on Oct 18, people are wondering what it portends for the economy. The key questions are: What will be the focus of the report that Xi Jinping, CPC Central Committee general secretary, will present to the Party Congress? And what will its actual impact be on the economic policy and thus the economy?

In line with historical practice, the report is likely to be influenced by the documents of the Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November 2013, the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) and recent policy meetings such as the fifth National Financial Work Conference in July.

Thus, the report will likely confirm key long-term objectives, notably a "moderately prosperous society" and a doubling of GDP between 2010 and 2020. In terms of economic policy and reforms, the focus is likely to be on combating corruption, reforming State-owned enterprises and reducing overcapacity, deleveraging, "new urbanization", innovation, moving up the value chain and "Made in China 2025", the Belt and Road Initiative, globalization and the environment.

But what will be the actual impact on economic policy and reform? Some observers say that after the Party Congress, significant changes may be made in balancing growth with reform and deleveraging.

Taking into account the Chinese leadership's priorities and difficulties to push through certain reforms, areas that are likely to see good progress are innovation, "Made in China 2025", moving up the value chain, the Belt and Road Initiative, and reducing pollution and environmental degradation.

More difficult reforms are those related to SOEs, deleveraging, and changes in the inter-governmental fiscal system.

The GDP growth target for 2018 will probably be somewhat lower than this year's, and the leadership may accept growth falling somewhat below 6.5 percent next year. The authorities are also likely to continue focusing on reining in financial risks and reducing leverage in parts of the financial system, notably by tighter regulation and supervision in line with the outcomes of the fifth National Financial Work Conference. But, in accordance with recent trends and policy statements, overall credit growth will be reduced only modestly, which could lead to further increases in leverage, and thus in financial risk.

Reining in credit growth more forcefully, so that leverage peaks in a few years, would probably result in GDP growth of 5 to 5.5 percent. That may meet China's key socioeconomic objectives, while reducing misallocation of capital and financial risks and putting growth on a more sustainable footing. But it seems unlikely that the leadership will agree to that.

Reform of SOEs, on the other hand, may gather some pace, notably through changes in shareholding structures, and mergers and acquisitions, as well as measures to improve operational efficiency.

Moreover, intensified measures to reduce pollution will also accelerate cuts to capacity and production in heavy industry, where many problem enterprises are State-owned. Indeed, in large part due to the heightened awareness among the public, environmental protection has become a priority for the government even at the cost of some economic benefits.

However, progress toward higher efficiency and profitability of SOEs will remain constrained by a lack of consensus on how fast to close non-viable companies and objectives.

There will be further progress on "new urbanization", which would enable migrant workers to live like normal urban residents.

For that, the migrant workers would require urban hukou (household registrations) and access to public services. Reforms in the intergovernmental fiscal system are needed to enable local governments to provide those public services to migrants. While some progress on this front is taking place, much more needs to be done.

In summary, after the 19th Party Congress, economic policy will likely continue focusing on stability rather than accelerated change and reform.

The author is head of Asia Economics, Oxford Economics.
Chinese actor Lu Yi plays a leading role as an anti-graft official in the TV drama In the Name of the People, built around a fictional corruption case. [Photo/China Daily]

President Xi Jinping's campaign against corruption has made big achievements and his Belt and Road Initiative is already bearing fruit. In fact, they may be counted among China's historic policies.

China has punished far more dishonest officials, and far more strongly, than India. But that is reflective of the different political systems in the two countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the same view as President Xi: that improvement in administration is essential for boosting economic performance as well as public welfare.

In India, there has been a substantial increase in penal actions against corrupt officials since Modi took office in 2014. However, besides such moves, Modi is also harnessing technology to make the governance system less corrupt. An example is railway tickets and the issuing of passports.

Now that such items are dispensed online, corruption has been reduced. The more processes go online and become transparent, the greater will be the degree of honesty in the implementation of policies.

China has become a global internet power, with giants such as Baidu and Alibaba, and is, therefore, in a much better position to use digital systems to promote speed with honesty in decision-making, and on a much larger scale, than India, where internet coverage and bandwidth is still below desirable standards.

Modi has initiated several changes in the administration by, for example, beginning to recruit experts from the private sector to serve the administration. He would also like to see "minimum government and maximum governance" in India, and is working to achieve this in the same way as Xi is striving to bring the Chinese governance system to 21st century standards of performance.

In China, thanks to the strong action taken by Xi against even the highest-level officials found guilty of corruption, some officials no longer exhibit arrogance. They understand that their duty is to serve the people, and not be served by the people. Increased accountability among even high-level officials has been a welcome side effect of China's anti-corruption campaign.

The use of technology and the deepening accountability will ensure a better future for not only China, but also India, if the latter succeeds in its endeavor. Certainly the road ahead will be hard and long. But it is necessary for China and India to act if they are to fulfill the historical task of being great nations.

Over the past three years, more has been done to bring corrupt officials in China to justice than in past three decades. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the drive against corruption does not result in compromising Party and government officials' normal wellbeing. Being human, officials cannot be infallible. So as long as the overwhelming majority of the decisions they make are good for the country and the people, and their mistakes are not very serious, they should get the benefit of doubt.

Officials need to be made secure that genuine mistakes made by them, or the problems created by circumstances beyond their control, will not be used by higher authorities to punish them. Honest officials need to be supported and protected not only in the good decisions they make but even in some of the bad ones, provided they are not very too damaging.

But if officials make too many bad decisions or are slow in acting on urgent matters, they should be assigned to execute other, less important, tasks. It is equally important to reward efficient officials. In this way China's anti-corruption campaign can become more productive and convincing.

The author is a professor of geopolitics at Manipal University, India.
Christian Democratic Union CDU party leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacts after winning the German general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

On Sunday, Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian counterpart the Christian Social Union won a small majority in the German election, meaning she will be chancellor for a fourth term and remain in office until 2021.

Coincidentally, 2021 is a milestone for the Communist Party of China, as that year it will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding, and this is when China is to have built itself into a moderately prosperous society, with its GDP and per-capita income being double 2010 levels.

The year and that goal can also serve as a timely reference for Merkel to think about what her political legacy will be. Merkel has already outlasted other Western leaders. She has worked with four French presidents since she first became chancellor in 2005.

And they have been turbulent years, with some even saying that the West experienced a "lost decade" because of the financial and debt crises that originated in the United States and the prolonged economic woes that stemmed from them. In recent years, the rise of right wing parties, terrorism and immigration have also been grave challenges for Western leaders.

Simply put, the West has suffered from both economic and political upheavals during the past decade.

Fortunately, Europe has basically survived its lost decade and now seems to be emerging from it. Its economy is on a growth track, and this year, the elections in the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom and Germany have managed to avoid any rise to power of the far right, although the political landscape has changed rapidly.

For example, the far-right party National Front in France and the nationalist party AfD in Germany both showed they have strong support.

But Merkel, a physicist-turned-politician, has showcased her prudence and political skills in dealing with the multiple crises her country and Europe have had to deal with over the years.

For her forthcoming four-year term, Merkel will hope she has less reason to display her crisis-management abilities and instead she and her team will be able to show that Germany can work with France to be the anchors and leaders of European integration and expand the country's role on the global stage.

Apart from their domestic agenda, Merkel and her team will have to engage in the ongoing debate on the future of Europe. Among the many questions that need answering, an important one is about the role of the European Union institutions, which need to become a driving force of European integration, instead of being manipulated by pressure groups in devising policies.

Merkel will also have to deal with Germany's relations with the United States, Turkey and Russia and her approach can help the European Union to re-engage with these powers. The world is filled with many geopolitical challenges, and global security is threatened by terrorism and escalating tensions in various parts of the world. Europe must play its due role in contributing to peace and stability.

Another pressing task Merkel faces is how she will further realize the historic opportunity to help connect Europe with Asia by deepening cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. China in Asia and Germany in Europe, are two of the world's leading economic engines.

If Germany looks eastward and China westward, Merkel will be able to turn her next four years into a legacy of peace and common prosperity for the two continents.

The author is deputy chief of China Daily European Bureau. fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
Christian Democratic Union CDU party leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacts after winning the German general election (Bundestagswahl) in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

With the world facing a lot of challenges and uncertainties, the re-election of Angela Merkel on Sunday will instill confidence and certainty in not just the European economy, but also global growth.

As the head of government for 12 consecutive years, Merkel has been a leading figure in guiding Germany, and Europe, through a turbulent period when one crisis has been followed by another, and while doing so, she has managed to ensure her country has been able to sustain its role as a locomotive of the global economy.

Although she has challenges to deal with at home, as shown by the rise in support for the AfD, her fourth term in office means a reassuring continuity in Germany's international policies, including its stance toward China.

Having visited China 10 times during her previous tenures, Merkel is well known for her cordial and close working relationships with Chinese leaders. So her re-election is being viewed as a boon for bilateral relations, as it is expected that she will seek to work with the Chinese leadership to inject new vitality into ties that are already in good shape.

The two sides have set a valuable example for ties between countries with different political and cultural backgrounds. Their strategic partnership was lifted to a comprehensive strategic one during President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Germany in 2014, and China became Germany's largest trading partner last year, while the latter has long been China's largest importer in Europe.

The world's second-and fourth-largest economies are also highly complementary and there is much potential still to be tapped. China's economic restructuring and booming market present many opportunities to German enterprises, while Germany's advanced facilities and managerial experience can help with China's ongoing industrial upgrading.

And as an astute and experienced political leader, it is expected that Merkel will oppose trade protectionism raising its ugly head in Germany and the rest of Europe, as well as the blocking of investments from China.

On the international front, China and Germany's resolve to expand their common interests will not only contribute in a favorable way to China-Europe relations, but also to global efforts to build a more just and balanced world, as both countries are staunch supporters of fairer globalization and international cooperation to address global challenges such as climate change.

As such, there is every reason for China and Germany to remain committed to ever deepening bilateral cooperation during Merkel's fourth term.
Sometimes we take a decision that completely changes our lives. When I decided to come to China to learn Chinese 4 years ago at the age of 21, I did not realize that I was taking such a big step.

Although I had learned Chinese for 2 years in Kazakhstan, I was afraid to use it in China as I thought nobody would understand me. What made this decision to study in another country tougher was that I had never been outside Kazakhstan before.

Initially, I missed my family a lot and found the thought of doing everything independently, without the guidance of my parents daunting. But I soldiered on and learned how to be independent, responsible and persevere.

I was living in a dormitory for foreigners and every year I had different roommates from different countries, and it helped me a lot to learn and understand different cultures and languages. We cooked Kazakh or their traditional foods or sometimes cooked Chinese dishes, but I must admit that we sought baidu's help for Chinese recipes and preparations. My special food is kung pao chicken and Peking duck. I tried tofu for the first time in China and I miss it now. I lived in Beijing for three years. Every time my friends came to visit me, I took them to such historical places as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Sanlitun, Olympic Stadium, etc. I like that Chinese people are so friendly and always ready to help you. I learned a lot about real China by walking on the streets. I felt like I was at home, not in a different country.

The one thing I will never forget is my friends. They helped me with my Chinese and with my work. We came from different cultures, traditions, and interests, but became good friends. Before going to China, I had heard that Chinese people were very loyal, and my friends proved it true. When I came back home, I cried for two months as I was missing my friends so much. I still stay in touch with all my friends in China.

When people heard that I was planning to go to China for studies, they told me that "It is really hard for a girl to live alone in another country without family or friends". "It is harder than you think, so think carefully. Some people went abroad and ruined their lives". But I really enjoyed my life in China. Of course I was away from my family, however, I learned about important things. Independence, perseverance, and adaptation in different countries without family-these are the things that I am sure will influence the rest of my life. I am thankful that I experienced such a life-changing adventure. China has changed my life forever. When I came back to Kazakhstan two and half months ago, I found it hard to adapt again. I'm always thinking about China and my life there. I miss my friends and Chinese street food. I am very thankful that the Chinese government gave me an opportunity to study and live there for four years. Yes, I was a foreigner in China and maybe Chinese people did not understand me or thought I was crazy, but after four years I consider myself to be a bridge between Kazakhstan and China. Love you forever, China.
Janaina Camara da Silveira [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Beijing is such a capsule of time travel capsule. It's a city that presents the future and the past involving every person in profound changes at the blink of an eye. It does not matter what those changes are, it is always a welcome place.

I remember when I first arrived in Beijing from Brazil in June 2007. After settling into work and at the new apartment, the first task was to visit Tian'anmen Square. The goal was to finally see in person Chairman Mao's portrait, an image so powerful in my mind since I was a teenager as it was the iconic symbol of China, presented every time there was news about the country.

It was a time when smartphones were not a reality. I walked to a magazine stall near my compound and asked for a Beijing map. A decade ago, believe it or not, this was the easiest way to get to know a new place. It cost one yuan - paid with a paper note! I got my map and embarked on the subway at Jianguomen Station to get off at Tian'anmen East Station.

That was a time when Beijing had just three metro lines, far less than the 19 operating nowadays, and the ticket - a thin white and blue paper - cost 2 yuan, no matter the distance you would take.

Once at the square, I felt for the first time the powerful message of a city that transforms its landscapes fiercely. The Forbidden City is a testimonial of human efforts to build an identity, the architecture as a statement of a time. In the square, there are plenty of landmarks testifying to Chinese eras and achievements. Mao's portrait is definitely an emblematic image, but the Great Hall of People, the National Museum and the Monument to the People's Heroes, among others, all tell a story of its time. But it was not just about the past. The present was so strong, as in the belief in a brighter future.

2007 was the year to get things ready for the coming Olympic Games, scheduled to start on Aug,8, 2008. All the new buildings, urban equipment and strong economic growth were celebrated, linking the novelties to the tradition: 08-08-08 was an auspicious date since the sound of the character for number 8 is similar to the one for prosperity.

The novelties were popping up every month, showing me that life in Beijing was not only about changes, but about how fast those changes would occur. In a short period, the city saw its first rapid train line linking the capital to Tianjin and soon to Shanghai, among other cities, and the number of subway lines improved to five (with line 5 and 8), not to mention the National Stadium, with the nickname, The Bird's Nest, taking a main role as a new architectural wonder.

Beijing is still so vibrant. The buildings rise shaping new skylines every year. The economy has decelerated its pace, but this does not mean fewer opportunities. Life is smooth and wealth grows.

The capital is transforming itself but not losing its soul. On early mornings, the baozi and the jianbing are still making people queue for their breakfasts. At sunset, older people are dancing in the corners of the city. It's even possible to say that old habits that were almost disappearing are being restored. Bicycles are everywhere, making people reconnect to the streets via pedaling, transforming relations with the city and its citizens to be even more personal. It's a counterbalance for a life much more dependent on smartphones - the easiest way to pay for daily needs, from food to electricity.

Beijing is more and more interconnected, evolving and rebuilding its links with the past and the future in the present.

Janaina Camara da Silveira is a communication consultant at Radar China and a development researcher as a Master in Economics candidate at Unisinos University, Brazil.
Muhammad Ijaz poses for a photo in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In the field of medicine, the importance of drugs and medicine cannot be neglected. A doctor can prescribe medicine but cannot treat a patient without the medicine. I have always enjoyed being a pharmacist. When I graduated from University of Lahore, the top ranked university in Pakistan, I was wondering about my future as it was tough for a pharmacist to find a suitable job. I had joined a public sector job in a hospital pharmacy as clinical pharmacist. One day my elder brother called me and asked me to prepare my documents for application, and later I applied for master's degree in Shandong University. I never imagined that I would get Chinese government scholarship from one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

The day I arrived at the university, my life changed forever. I had the privilege to work under the supervision of Professor Wang Fengshan dean of College of Medicine. He polished my skills in the basic research and guided me step by step to excel in research. It was an amazing experience and honor to be the first foreign master's degree student in the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. My first day at the class was unforgettable. I arrived in the classroom along with my teacher and my classmates stood up to welcome me as they welcome the professors. I was quite astonished and happy to see the honor from my fellows. Before my admission, all the presentations, classes and seminars were conducted in Chinese language, but soon after my arrival, Wang made it necessary for all the students to speak and present their work in English. It was a good idea for Chinese students and an excellent opportunity to learn English but it was not as good for me to learn Chinese language. However later during the lab work and daily communication I started to learn Chinese and now I am glad to be able to speak Chinese in daily communication with the Chinese people.

Under the supervision of Wang, I started working on my research in 2015; my research topic was "Grb2 involvement in cancer". I conducted the experiments and sometimes it was late night when I finished my experiments. In the beginning it was tough to achieve good results. It took me more than two years and more than 3 attempts to achieve the desired results.

I had a dream to participate in some volunteer activities to help the needy. After arriving in China, I had the chance to join the International Education Charity organization to give free English lessons for the remote areas Chinese students. I was awarded from the Shandong provincial bureau for the activity. Later I had the privilege to participate in the One Belt One Road Initiative open discussion to discuss about how the economic corridor CPEC can become health corridor. I mentioned the feasibilities and opportunities the CPEC can bring for the two nations to make the Pakistan-China friendship bond stronger.

I have been working on cancer pharmacology and I will continue to work in this field to find the cure for cancer. I would like to thank CSC (China Scholarship Council) and Shandong University for giving me the opportunity to get master's degree. I Love Shandong University.

Muhammad Ijaz is a China Scholarship Council recipient at School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Shandong University.


A 17-meter-tall flower basket placed in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square is open to the public on Sept 25, 2017, ahead of the National Day holiday, which begins on Oct 1. [Photo/VCG]

To be frank, I was hesitant to write an article about China's National Holiday. I attribute my apprehension to the fact that I have written several articles emphasizing the amazing achievements that China has been able to attain since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

However, my conscience and fondness of China and its citizens would not let me skip this event without extending my sincerest congratulation to my beloved China on its National Day along with wishing the Chinese people a very Happy National Holiday with their families and friends.

Since my arrival to China in 2003, I have noticed the exceptional progress that has been made in every aspect of life of the Chinese people. Without any doubt, the world is still awed by the miraculous changes that have taken place in China during the past two decades.

On the national front, most Chinese people are fortunate enough to enjoy reasonably comfortable lifestyles. Nowadays, they can afford taking journeys to explore the wonderful world of ours.

Families are able to send their children in journeys of enlightenment to advance their education abroad.

The majority of the Chinese new generation was granted the opportunity to master foreign languages.

Opportunities for recent graduates are abundant for those who are determined to become successful in the fields of their choices.

The standard of living for most Chinese experienced an unexpected yet welcomed rise beyond the normal improvement. The number of Chinese billionaires and millionaires increased dramatically.

No one can deny the evolution of the educational system in China. Educational institutions are taking advantage of the open-to-the-world policy that was adopted by the Chinese governments since 1949, to invite experts in every domain to learn the latest advances in all fields and to share knowledge and experiences with them.

The infrastructure is vividly alive to improve the public services and utilities in all over China. One can notice the clean streets, the imaginative new structures of buildings and the effective and efficient public transportation system.

On the international front, China has become an exemplary model for other nations to emulate its rise to prominence and active role on the world stage.

Its peaceful mission of helping underdeveloped country to combat poverty and despondency earned China the world respect and admiration.

Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China admirably and diplomatically was able to establish collaborative agreements with nations in every continent from Europe to Africa to South America. China was generous enough to pledge huge funds to get rid of poverty in the near future.

The Chinese government opened its doors to invite and host conferences for the sole objective of uniting the world efforts to sustain development enough to leave sufficient resources for the next generations.

With the diminishing power of the US, the worried nations of the world are looking for a peaceful nation to lead them to harmonious coexistence and peaceful prosperity and development.

Most countries are aspiring that China will rise to the challenge and handle that tremendous responsibility.

Along its path to glory, few shadows of conflicts with China's neighbors, appeared on the horizon. The Chinese government handled them with patience and diplomacy insisting that constructive dialogue is the only peaceful means to resolve conflicts.

Through the latest escalating conflict between the US and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, China became the voice of reason in an attempt to calm both countries enough to deter them from taking drastic measures by engaging in a futile war that might lead to the demise of the human race.

Contrary to other powerful nations, China is always promoting peace and mutually beneficial collaborations with other countries that are based on respecting the sovereignty, and the right to select the ideology that will benefit its citizens, of one another.

At last, I wish to express my gratitude toward China and its generous citizens for welcoming me to be an integrated part of their glorious society.

On the National Day of the People Republic of China, from the bottom of my heart, I hope that China will continue in its successful route to prosperity and world leadership.

Finally, I invite all my expats who chose China to be their home away from home to take part in the celebration and the share the joys of the precious event with their Chinese hosts. Please, take a minute of your time to wish your Chinese friend a Happy National Holiday.

Sava Hassan is a Canadian Egyptian educator.


Visitors at a startup programme of the 2017 Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair in Chengdu. [Photos provided to China Daily]

On Monday, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council jointly released the first guideline to promote the innovation of entrepreneurs and start-ups, which are a driving force for development.

Studies show that the main motivation and impetus of entrepreneurs in starting their own businesses is to pursue their own ideas and gain financial returns. They are strongly motivated to pursue innovation and reform, and are willing to takes risks to realize their goals.

That doesn't mean they are unwilling to cooperate with others or difficult to work with, or their endeavors to be hindered, rather it means they seek to shake off of unnecessary constraints that may prevent them from achieving their goals.

To support them in their pursuit of innovation, a healthy environment conducive to their endeavors should be created. This requires the law and the authorities to strengthen protection of entrepreneurs' property rights and wealth security. The document clearly sets out the establishment of a legal environment that can protect entrepreneurs' rights, a market environment that promotes fair competition, as well as a social atmosphere that respects and inspires entrepreneurship.

The document also calls for the establishment of a compensation and remedy mechanism for losses suffered because of the adjusting of government policies and plans. Such a mechanism would also be conducive to reducing unnecessary administrative intervention in the market and research endeavors, and would be in line with "allowing the market to play a decisive role in distribution of resources".

The document pays great attention to protecting entrepreneurs' legal rights, such as guaranteeing the right of entrepreneurs to voluntarily join or withdraw from industry and trade associations. Entrepreneurs in turn should shoulder their social responsibilities, but not the unreasonable burdens imposed by some industry organizations.

In terms of the construction of a supportive environment, the document proposes that the government should take more responsibility, which is in accordance with the construction of service-oriented government.

Entrepreneurs are important participants in economic activities, but they should not become a special or even privileged group. They should be the navigators for China's economic development, the main force for the development of China's green economy, and help advance sustainable development and the national development strategy.

To cultivate entrepreneurship, we should be tolerant of mistakes and establish an assistance mechanism. Anyone starting a new business with limited resources faces many uncertainties and risks. Mistakes and failures during the process of development are unavoidable, and so should be tolerated by the authorities.

If the innovations don't violate laws and regulations, don't involve illicit transfers of benefits and don't undermine social interests, the authorities can be tolerant of the failures and mistakes of new innovations and their development process. This will not only encourage and promote innovation and reform, but also transform mistakes and failures into the valuable lessons for the future.

President Xi Jinping once said that deepening reform in an all-round way should boost market vitality, and market vitality stems from people, especially entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. After the launch of reform and opening-up, China has made great achievements in the construction of a modern corporate system and produced innovative products and technology. The newly released document delivers a clear signal to the public that the government wants to carrying forward entrepreneurship, which is of great significance to encouraging innovation throughout every aspect of society.

The author is the dean of Business School, Nankai University




Pearl Lam. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Art has always had an important place in my heart. After I graduated, all I knew was that I didn't know what to do. I did not want to be controlled by my job and I didn't want to join the family business, which spanned from manufacturing to retail to hotels.

I had a strong passion for art, so I thought the best thing to do is to start a business, a gallery, which is totally independent from my family. When I first started the business the only way I could survive was to host pop-up events in Shanghai, so that's how I began. What saved me is that when I was in China, I had the opportunity to meet with artists. My eyes were opened to Chinese culture and the Chinese contemporary art world. At that time, I knew basically nothing about Chinese contemporary art. When I first went to China, I couldn't even speak Mandarin. That all changed when I met the artists and when I learned Chinese. Through a lot of speaking to people and researching, I started to understand more about Chinese culture. And when I knew about Chinese culture, I felt that I must do something to engage with and support this culture.

When I started the business, there wasn't much of an art market here. In the 90s, when I did the first pop-up show in Hong Kong, a lot of people didn't understand what I was doing. I was condemned of being frivolous and not being serious about anything. It was a difficult period.

However, the emerging China art scene was very interesting. This was the period when China started to grow. The artists were not creating art for the market or for commercial reasons, but for themselves. They truly believed in what they were doing and that was fascinating to see. It was only after the year 2000 that more foreigners starting going to China, including collectors who started buying Chinese art. The Chinese art market began to grow on an international scale in 2011 - all of the sudden, everyone wanted to have a piece of China's culture and this could be seen in the Chinese art world.

Chinese art began to appear in auctions in Europe, with high valuations, and the world turned its attention to Chinese art. Much of the interest was driven by art being exported from Chinese mainland to Hong Kong, US and Europe, as well as appearing in museums around the world. From 2001, there also started to be more interest from local Chinese mainland collectors.

When the Chinese art market began, the most fascinating thing was working with these artists who were creating works because they loved it, and not for commercial reasons. They weren't making it for the market, because there was no market.

This is in contrast to the increasing focus on art as an "asset class" in recent years. A lot of banks are looking at putting money into art and advising their clients to put a section of their capital into art. However this can be problematic  in the art world, we are very against treating art as a commodity.

First, this can destroy an artist's career. If the art world is purely commercial, then works going to auction have less chance to be collected by international museums or have shows in international museums. Second, if you go in thinking you can buy an artwork and flip it to the market for a profit, you will never get there and it will hurt the artist. Looking at art in a fulfilling way, it should be held for years, shared with family and used to build a legacy.

This also speaks to the importance of public art and non-profit art initiatives. It is essential to have public art, as a way to bring art to the local community and facilitate people's experiences with art. This is an opportunity to educate and promote the market about our contemporary culture as China increasingly holds an important place in the global art community.

The author is the Founder and Owner of Pearl Lam Galleries.






White House says US has not declared war on DPRK

Xinhua | Updated: 2017-09-26 06:59

NEW YORK - The United States has not declared war on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the White House said on Monday, in response to remarks of the DPRK's top diplomat.



"Last weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer. He declared a war on our country," Ri Yong-ho, the DPRK foreign minister, told reporters earlier in New York.



"The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country," Ri said, referring to Trump's tweet message on Saturday.



In response, the White House denied that the United States had declared war on Pyongyang.



"We have not declared war on North Korea and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told a regular briefing in Washington.



"Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," she said.

The DPRK foreign minister also said that the DPRK reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers even if they are not in its air space.



"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take countermeasures, including the right to shoot down US strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country," Ri said.



On Saturday, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighter escorts flew in international airspace over waters east of the DPRK, the Pentagon said.



"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any US fighter or bomber aircraft have flown" off the DPRK's coast in the 21st century, said the Pentagon, adding that the move underscored "the seriousness with which we take DPRK's reckless behavior."



U.S. President Donald Trump also talked tough on the DPRK. In his first speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 19, Trump threatened that the United States "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the country unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches.



Two days later, Trump also signed a new order to ramp up sanctions on the DPRK.



In response, DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un vowed to retaliate, saying Trump "will face results beyond his expectation."



In a statement released on Friday, Kim said "I am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue," according to the official Korean Central News Agency.



Kim also accused Trump of uttering "unprecedented rude nonsense that one has never heard from any of his predecessors," saying the threat to "totally destroy" a sovereign state has gone beyond the limit.
By Zhang Yunbi in Beijing and Cecily Liu in London | China Daily | Updated: 2017-09-26 08:04

China remains committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, firmly maintains the international nuclear nonproliferation mechanism and resolutely champions peace and stability in Northeast Asia, President Xi Jinping has said.

Xi made the remarks in a phone conversation with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday when they exchanged views on the situation on the peninsula.

The peninsula issue should be resolved through peaceful means, including dialogue and consultation, and this requires the joint efforts of the international community, Xi said.

Xi noted that both China and Britain are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and they have duties and obligations to deal with relevant issues with the perspective of maintaining regional and world peace.

Xi said it is hoped Britain stays committed to promoting peace and talks and playing a constructive role in easing the tension and resuming dialogues.

May said Britain is committed to maintaining international and regional peace and stability and is committed to the peaceful settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

The United Kingdom attaches importance to China's great influence in resolving the peninsula issue, it appreciates the efforts made by China and it is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China, she added.

Kerry Brown, a professor of Chinese studies at King's College London and director of its Lau China Institute, said it's in the UK's interest to calm the situation, and China showing leadership in achieving this is important.

Speaking on China-UK ties, Xi noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ambassador-level diplomatic relations.

The two sides should maintain high-level exchanges, promote dialogue mechanisms in various fields, and maintain the strong momentum of bilateral trade as well as cultural exchanges and cooperation, Xi noted.

Both countries should deepen the synergy of their development strategies in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and strengthen coordination in championing world peace and development, Xi said.

The prosperity, stability and openness of both Britain and the European Union serve the interests of all parties, and China is ready to promote the development of both China-UK and China-EU ties, Xi said.

May said Britain is ready to work with China to have closer high-level exchanges, make good use of their strategic dialogue, deepen cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, security and culture, and promote the development of EU-China relations.

Contact the writers at zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn
File photo shows a section of the BP Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP) oil platform is seen in the North Sea, around 100 miles east of Aberdeen in Scotland, Britain, February 24, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

LONDON - Up to 20 billion barrels of oil remain beneath the North Sea off the Scottish coast, Britain's energy minister Richard Harrington said Monday.

He was speaking as Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond was in Scotland's oil capital of Aberdeen to announce funding to pay for a survey to find potential new deposits of under-explored areas of the UK Continental Shelf.

Hammond visited the Oil and Gas Technology Center in Aberdeen, which is part-funded by the British government. He said the center's work with industry on new subsea technologies could help unlock 400 million additional barrels of oil and gas from the North Sea and more than 4 billion US dollars of additional value to the industry.

Chancellor Hammond said: "The oil and gas industry remains vital for the Scottish economy and the UK as a whole. The million funding I am announcing will help exploration to find potential new deposits, and boost prospects for jobs in Aberdeen and the surrounding area."

In Aberdeen, Hammond met oil and gas industry representatives to discuss how funding could help employment and the economy in the region.

The British government is backing plans to establish Aberdeen as a global leader in decommissioning, creating skilled jobs and exporting what is advanced knowledge to other countries.

Hammond also visited Dundee University life sciences complex, which has become a world leader in areas including drug discovery. It has received more than 27 million US dollars in British government funding and is now ranked highly on global ratings for its scientific excellence and impact of its research.

Energy Minister Richard Harrington said: "North Sea oil will continue to fuel growth and jobs across Scotland and the rest of the UK, with an estimated 10-20 billion barrels still remaining.

"The sector continues to have the full support of the UK government, confidence is returning, and today's announcement recognizes there are great opportunities for further exploration."
Lyu Xinhua delivers a speech at the conference on investment and trade between China and Congo (Brazzaville), Sept 25, 2017. [Photo by Pan Zhongming/China Daily]

Brazzaville, Congo - The Chinese Council for the Promotion of the South-South Cooperation has launched a new wave to explore the French-speaking western African markets in Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire and Congo (Brazzaville) by leading a 30-odd member delegation of entrepreneurs to visit the countries.

Addressing the conference on investment and trade between China and Congo (Brazzaville) on Monday, Annick Patricia Mongo, director general of the Agency for the Promotion of Investment in Congo, said that she hoped Congo could be the country of priority for Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in central Africa.

That hope is based on several reasons, she said. First, Congo has set up the Sino-Congolese Bank for Africa (BSCA), a joint venture between the Congolese government and the Agriculture Bank of China; Congo is a portal country to the Western African market, with a deep-water port on the west coast along the Atlantic Ocean; the political situation in Congo is quite stable; the government of Congo approved to promote investment in the country in 2015 and the Agency for the Promotion of Investment in Congo will provide detailed information on investment and opportunities to enter the country.

"We hope the Congolese enterprises and Chinese enterprises will form a sound cooperation partnership," she said.

In his speech at the conference, Lyu Xinhua, president of the council, said that the Chinese Council for the Promotion of the South-South Cooperation is willing to provide a platform for the Congolese and Chinese enterprises to exchange information and form partnership.

"We are glad that the council today meets with the Chinese entrepreneurs to discuss with Congolese counterparts on investment and business partnership," he said, "Congo is the third leg but the most important destination of the visit."

He said the reasons to choose Congo for the visit are that Congo boasts a sound investment environment, the infrastructure construction shows a growing momentum and the Chinese enterprises are willing to be involved in the industrialization process of the country.

China is the top trade partner and the largest engineering project contractor of Congo. The Special Economic Zone under construction in Pointe Noire is the flagship project of Chinese-Congolese cooperation, Lyu said.

The delegation consists of entrepreneurs in the sectors of finance, machine-building, energy, agriculture, textile, security, culture and education.

Zhou Fuming, director general of Suzhou Mike Textile, who has set up a textile and dyeing company in Ethiopia, said that he learned more about Western Africa, the population, the resource and demand so that he would be able to bring Chinese resources to Africa and the Africans' to China.

He said the visit was quite fruitful thanks to the enthusiasm for cooperation in the western African countries he has visited.

"In Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire, I have reached consensus with the entrepreneurs who have the intent to cooperate with me in textile production and products," he said.

Lyu also eased local worries about the pollution that comes along with industrialization.

"Some media claim that the Chinese investment would cause pollution in the host country," he said. "It was true during the first 30 years of China's opening-up while China was attracting foreign investment, pollution was an issue," he said.

"However, in recent years, the Chinese government no longer tolerates the existence of polluting enterprises," he said. "And we will not allow the overseas projects invested in by Chinese investors to cause pollution."

Besides, the Congolese government can adopt the most strict standards on pollution for the Chinese companies and the Chinese investors will consciously follow the rules and regulations set by the Congolese government, he said.

Sun Xinwei, deputy general manager of China State Construction Engineering Corp Central and Western African Region, advised that Chinese companies engaging in any large infrastructure projects in Congo should be aware of expenses for the period after the project is completed and before the official operation, as the Congolese government is suffering from an economic downturn due to oil price drop from 2014, which results in delayed payment.
Hainan University and Arizona State University Joint International Tourism College, which is affiliated with Hainan University, opened its first-ever session in Haikou, capital of China's southern Hainan province, on Monday.

HAITC is an international and innovative joint college established by Hainan University and American top-ranking public research institution, Arizona State University, the first of its kind in China.

Li Jianbao, president of Hainan Universitysaid that HAITC is the first domestic Sino-foreign cooperative tourist institution formally approved by the Ministry of Education in May 2017.

A total of 268 students majoring in hotel management, human geography and urban/rural planning and administrative management attended the opening ceremony.

With the professional courses taught in English, students will get double degrees, one from Hainan University and another from Arizona State University, if they successfully graduate from the college.

That means that the students can enjoy American top university teaching resources without going abroad, said Wang Lin, head of the new college.

About one-third of the college's teachers are from Arizona State University and one-third from global recruitment, with others from Hainan University, according to Wang.

The students also will have access to the quality teaching, research resources and electronic library resources with ASU, she added.

"Through this partnership, we leverage our two institutions' expertise, resources and passion for community development and public service," Jonathan GS Koppell, dean of ASU College of Public Service and Community Solutions, said.

The college is aiming to cultivate management personnel with a global vision and international competitiveness of tourism.

Tuition is about 60,000 yuan for each semester, which is much less than that in ASU's US headquarters, while excellent students have the same access to various scholarships.

"This new college is an incredibly exciting and innovative initiative," Koppell said when addressing the opening ceremony on Monday.

"Even the teaching building of HAITC is the same as in Arizona State University in order to enhance students sense of belonging," he said.

The college, with a transitional campus at Hainan University, will relocate to its permanent campus, which is under construction in Mission Hill in Haikou. It is expected to be completed in 2019.
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced at a press conference on Monday that he will dissolve the House of Representatives when it convenes Thursday to pave way for a general election next month.

The prime minister cited the need to seek a fresh mandate to overcome "a national crisis" caused by "the biggest challenge facing Japan, which is the population aging and low birthrate," as well as security challenges.

He said that he would seek mandate from the people for shifting the usage of part of the revenue generated by a consumption tax hike that has been delayed until 2019 from paying debt to welfare policies.

He also said that he would seek public support for a tougher stance over the Korea Peninsula issue.

Abe's decision to call for a snap election, however, has drawn staunch criticism from opposition parties, which argued that there is no reason to dissolve the lower house of parliament before its current term expires in December 2018.

"The tax hike won't happen until two years later. What has it to do with dissolving the lower house now?" said Seiji Maehara, leader of the largest opposition Democratic Party.

He added that the reason Abe cited for dissolving the lower house is not convincing, and that the prime minister is just trying to avoid further grilling on favoritism scandals.

Abe has been under fire for his connection with nationalist private school operator Moritomo Gakuen, which purchased a piece of state-owned land in Osaka for only a fraction of the market price.

He has also been accused of using his influence to make the government choose Kake Educational Institution, run by a close friend of Abe's, to open a new department in a government- designated special economic zone.
Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming at the Reception Marking the 68th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China: Embracing a More Promising Future

The Langham Hotel, London, 25 September 2017

Secretary Barclay,

My Lords and MPs,

Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

A very warm welcome to the Chinese National Day Reception!

This is the eighth national day reception I have hosted in London. I am delighted to have you all with us this evening to celebrate the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

It's also interesting to note that, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, today is the sixth day of the eighth month. In the Chinese culture, six and eight are lucky numbers. They are believed to promise good fortune and bright prospects.

With this wonderful and pleasant coincidence, our gathering here with so many friends, old and new, made our national day celebration even more enjoyable and memorable.

For China, 68 years have been a journey from being weak and poor to gaining independence and becoming prosperous. It has seen China's historic leap forward, in which the nation has got up on its feet, set out to achieve prosperity and grown from strength to strength.

The most rapid and spectacular progress was achieved in the past four decades since China began its reform and opening-up. China has become the second largest economy, with significantly bigger role and influence in the world.

More recently, the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China five years ago set out the "two centenary goals" and mapped out the blueprint for achieving the "Chinese Dream" of national renewal. The past five years have been a witness to how the Chinese nation was making vigorous efforts and moving ever closer to these grand goals.

For China, these five years have been extraordinary.

These have been five years of continuous success in China's domestic reform and development.

These have been five years of significant gains and happiness for the Chinese people.

These have been five years of exceptional contribution of China to world peace and prosperity.

In these five years, we have solved many difficult problems that we had long hoped to solve. We have achieved many great things that we had long hoped to achieve.

I would like to summarize these five years with five "big's", five "new's" and five "achievements".

First, big shift in growth model, new growth engine for the world and achievement in building a "prosperous China".

Over the past five years, China has been focusing on innovative, balanced, green, open and inclusive development. We have been trying to understand, adapt to and lead the economic "new normal".

A key point is to press ahead with the supply side reform. And there has been much success.

China has maintained growth at a medium-to-high speed. Growth in the first six months of this year continued to lead the world at 6.9%.

China's economy has enjoyed a strong, self-sustaining momentum thanks to improved efficiency and better structure.

China has been contributing over 30% of global growth. This has made China undoubtedly a key engine for world growth.

Second, big improvement in livelihood, new journey towards a moderately prosperous society and achievement in building a "happy China".

Over the past five years, China has continued to give top priority to responding to the people's needs for a better life.

On poverty reduction, we have put in huge efforts and brought 66 million people out of poverty. Our target is to eradicate abject poverty by 2020.

On jobs, we have created 64 million urban new jobs. This is almost equivalent to Britain's total population.

On infrastructure, we have added nearly 1.2 million kilometres to rural road network. That is long enough to go round the equator about 30 times.

On conservation, we have devoted a considerable part of our efforts to improve and conserve the eco-environment and to encourage low carbon and sustainable development.

Third, big strategy to advance rule of law, new chapter in strengthening Party discipline and achievement in building a "rule-based China".

Over the past five years, China has been advancing the rule of law in every aspect. We have optimized the legal system and improved social justice and fairness. The exercise of the power of government is completely under the rule of law.

In total, we have made or revised 48 laws, 42 administrative regulations, 2,926 provincial ordinances and 3,162 ministerial rules.

The general provisions of civil law have been promulgated and the process of compiling a civil code started.

More importantly, a series of tough measures have been taken to strengthen Party discipline and crack down on corruption. Efforts in this regard have consolidated the political groundwork for the advancement of various causes across the board.

Fourth, big agenda in opening-up, new possibilities of the Belt and Road and achievement in building an "open China".

Over the past five years, China has been embracing the world.

From the Yanxi lakeside gathering of APEC leaders in Beijing to the G20 summit by the West Lake in Hangzhou, from the establishment of trade zones to better access for foreign investors, China has demonstrated a level of opening never seen before.

China is now the world's second largest investor.

China is the largest trading partner of more than 120 countries and regions.

China has established eleven free trade pilot zones throughout the country.

In May this year, China hosted the successful Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. This high-level gathering produced a five-category list of deliverables which includes 76 agreements and 270 outcomes.

The Belt and Road Forum is a manifestation of China's readiness to share its development opportunities with countries along the Belt and Road routes and beyond. It sends a welcoming call for everyone to get aboard the express train of China's fast growth.

Fifth, big blueprint of peaceful development, new diplomatic concepts and achievement in building a "peaceful China".

Over the past five years, China has played an active role in maintaining world peace and promoting global development. We have contributed the China wisdom, China solutions and China strength.

We have proposed the concept of building a community of shared future for mankind. This includes China's vision for global governance, development, security and globalization, as well as our approach to justice and interests.

We have announced the one-billion-dollar China-UN Peace and Development Fund.

We have established the South-South Cooperation Fund on Climate Change and another South-South Cooperation Fund to assist developing countries in implementing their post-2015 development agenda.

On peacekeeping, China has created a full-unit police force and an 8,000-strong emergency standby team.

Early this month, China successfully hosted the ninth BRICS Summit. The meeting gave new impetus to advancing peace and development, deepening BRICS cooperation, improving global governance and driving world economic growth.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Ambassadorial diplomatic ties between China and Britain. It is also a year for consolidating the China-UK "Golden Era".

For China and Britain, the past 45 years have been extraordinary.

Britain was the first major western country to recognize the New China.

China and Britain worked together creatively and resolved the question of Hong Kong.

We jointly set up a series of bilateral dialogue mechanisms, including

the annual Prime Ministers' Meeting,

the Economic and Financial Dialogue,

the High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism,

and the Strategic Dialogue.

We upgraded our ties to a global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century and heralded the China-UK "Golden Era".

These are some of the latest milestones of our bilateral relations. They are fine examples of China's relations with major western countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are living in an interesting time. Both the international and regional situations are undergoing profound and complex changes. Brexit is bringing uncertainties and instabilities.

However, we must not lose sight of the general direction of China-UK relationship.

Our shared commitment to China-UK "Golden Era" remains unchanged.

The win-win nature of China-UK bilateral cooperation remains unchanged.

And the strategic and global significance of China-UK collaboration on international issues remains unchanged.

China-UK relationship has been growing steadily.

China-UK relationship has huge, untapped potential.

Like many of you present here today, I am fully confident about the future of China-UK relations. The key is to turn confidence into actions and turn potential into success. To this end, I think there are five opportunities we need to grasp.

The first opportunity is China-UK "Golden Era".

President Xi Jinping's successful state visit to Britain in 2015 heralded the "Golden Era" in our bilateral ties. At the G20 Summits in Hangzhou and Hamburg, President Xi and Prime Minister May emphasized the importance of the China-UK "Golden Era".

Today, President Xi and Prime Minister May held telephone talks, in which the leaders once again reaffirmed our shared commitment to building the "Golden Era".

Building a China-UK "Golden Era" is not a slogan. It is a brand new definition of our bilateral relationship. It is a symbol of our determination to build consensus and deepen cooperation.

We must seize this opportunity.

We must engage each other in productive dialogues.

We can deliver more "golden fruits" in this "Golden Era".

The second opportunity comes from China's development.

China is striving for national progress and renewal. The dynamics between China and the rest of the world is undergoing profound changes.

Already, we have seen China's development creating opportunities for countries around the world. One of the examples is the Belt and Road Initiative. This Initiative offers a platform for countries to share China's development benefits and work together for win-win results. More than 100 countries and international organizations are participating in this Initiative and working actively together. Britain is one of them. Enthusiasm from different sectors can be felt across this country.

China's development will provide more opportunities. In the coming five years, China will import 8,000 billion dollars of goods, attract 600 billion dollars of foreign investment and make 750 billion dollars of outbound investment. Chinese nationals will make more than 700 million trips overseas. All these will create huge opportunities for closer China-UK cooperation across the board.

The third opportunity will arise from dovetailing development strategies of our two countries.

China and Britain have much to offer to each other in our respective development strategies. Right now, China is working hard to dovetail the Belt and Road Initiative, the 13th Five Year Plan and the Made in China 2025 with the UK's Industrial Strategy, Northern Powerhouse and the UK Industry 2050. We are working with Britain to expand our cooperation into infrastructure building such as new energy, high speed rail, airport, etc.

Britain is strong in high-tech, financial services and creative industries. China has capital, human resources, a huge market and leading infrastructure building capabilities. Our two countries can put our respective strengths together, engage in closer cooperation and achieve common development.

The fourth opportunity lies in the extensive, friendly exchanges between China and Britain.

Recent years have seen increasing cultural and people-to-people exchanges between our two countries.

Together, we hosted the China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange.

We co-hosted events to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the passing of Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare.

In the field of education, about 170 thousand Chinese students are right now studying in the UK. More than 130 thousand British students have been registered at the 29 Confucius Institute and 145 Confucius Classrooms across the UK. This has made Britain a leader in Europe in both student exchange and Chinese language teaching.

Tourism is another highlight. In 2016, Chinese and British nationals made 1.5 million visits to each other's country. That is 50% more than five years ago.

Greatly facilitating such level of mutual visits is the increase of passenger flights between China and Britain to 100 flights per week.

Such level of close cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties is certainly contributing to stronger public support on both sides for China-UK relations.

Last but not least is the opportunity for cooperation between China and Britain on international issues.

China and Britain are countries of global influence. Both China and Britain are permanent members of the UN Security Council and important members of G20. We have maintained sound cooperation within the framework of the UN and G20.

China and Britain have shared commitment to economic globalization, trade liberalization and investment facilitation. Our interests converge and our communication and cooperation have been effective in facilitating free trade, improving global economic governance and reforming the international financial system.

We have made joint statements on Syria and Afghanistan. And we have been engaged in global cooperation on health issues, climate change, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping and regional security.

The telephone talks between President Xi and Prime Minister May is the latest example of China and the UK joining hands in responding to global and regional challenges. The two leaders agreed that China and the UK, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, have the obligation and responsibility to handle hot spot issues such as the DPRK nuclear programme in a way that upholds regional and international peace.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we celebrate China's 68th National Day, another major event is drawing near. That is the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. It is to be held in Beijing on 18 October. This will be a highly important meeting.

The timing is important. China is right now in the run-up to the realization of a moderately prosperous society. It is also a crucial time for the development of socialism with Chinese features.

The agenda is important. This meeting will review China's overall progress in the past five years and draw lessons and experience. On this basis, it will make action plans and design fundamental policies that are forward-looking and in keeping with the times.

On the whole, this will be a meeting that will help make sure the giant ship of China will continue to ride the waves and go full steam ahead.

As an old Chinese saying goes, "A partnership forged with the right approach defies geographical distance; It is thicker than glue and stronger than metal and stone."

It is my firm belief that we should take China-UK relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and we must seize the five opportunities I mentioned just now.

If we do so, we can build an enduring China-UK "Golden Era" with more remarkable achievements, with a more promising future and with more "golden fruits" for our people and the people of the world.

Now, may I invite you to join me in a toast:

To the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China,

To the "Golden Era" of China-UK relations,

And to the peace and prosperity of the world.

Cheers!
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I have been waiting most of my adult life for Paul Schrader to direct a great film.

In 1972, at the age of 26, Schrader penned a small, academic tome about the films of Robert Bresson, Carl Theodor Dreyer, and Yasujiro Ozu called Transcendental Style in Film. Two years later, he shared a screenplay credit with Robert Towne on Sydney Pollacks The Yakuza. His next writing credit was for the film that laid one of the cornerstones of Martin Scorseses considerable legacy: Taxi Driver. It seemed then only a matter of time before Schrader emerged from the shadows of his peers in the Movie Brat generation, destined to be as successful filming his own scripts as he was in writing them for others.

Perhaps more than a few Christians were heartened as much by Schraders path to success as by the early films to which he contributed. Part of Schraders legend was his strict Calvinist upbringingit is said that his parents did not allow him to watch movies until he was 18. A graduate of Calvin College, his success provided hope that artists and scholars could escape the Christian bubble and be taken seriously in their own right rather than only as part of the chorus in the newly developing Christian art subculture.

Schraders early filmsHardcore, American Gigolo, and Cat Peoplewere not bad, but they had a seedy, overwrought style and tone that unquestionably translated better to the screen for Scorsese than they did for his scribe. By the time the pair teamed up on a disastrous adaptation of the controversial Last Temptation of Christ, Scorseses reputation was strong enough to withstand that films commercial failure. But while Schrader continued to write and direct, his films (excepting perhaps Affliction) were increasingly met with shrugs rather than cheers. He was fired from Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist and replaced with the director of Die Hard 2 and Cutthroat Island. The Canyons, a bad noir film, is pretty much what you would expect from a Bret Easton Ellis script starring Lindsay Lohan, getting most of its play sandwiched in between Real Sex 17 and Red Shoe Diaries on whatever cable channel needs late-night filler programming.

After that, I pretty much gave up on Schrader.

So when I say First Reformed is the Schrader film I had stopped waiting for, stopped even hoping for, its not just pull-quote baiting. For anyone who longs for stylistically informed, spiritually serious films for and about religious people, First Reformed is a forgotten wish finally come true.

First Reformed is not, however, an easy film to digest, especially if viewers are unfamiliar with the works of the directors who influenced Schraders adoption of what he calls the transcendental style. Ethan Hawke plays Reverend Ernst Toller, a burnt-out, ailing (possibly dying) head of a small New York church that is more tourist attraction than active house of worship. Tollers wife left him after their son was killed during his military service, and he has been living with despair for so long its no longer clear, even to him, whether hes in a dark night of the soul or has passed through to the sickness unto death.

By day Toller maintains an all-will-be-well serenity, while at night he pours out his anguished thoughts in a journal he promises himself he will burn before its contents are ever revealed. A pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks him to counsel her husband, an environmental activist who sees no point in bringing an innocent life into a world already doomed to a fiery climate-change-induced death. In counseling, Toller can force the orthodox messages of faith and hope past his clenched teethbut hes nowhere near as convincing as when he shares his own inner demons with the man to assure him that he can relate to his struggles.

Article continues below

In the meantime, the megachurch down the road is footing the bill for First Reformeds rededication ceremony. The celebration is corporately sponsored by one of the megachurchs biggest donors, who is also one of the states biggest industrial polluters. Beneath a veneer of servile appreciation, Toller seethes with resentment toward the men to whom he is beholdenand toward himself for allowing himself to be beholden to them.

As it moves towards its climax, First Reformed captures so many of the qualities that make the films of Schraders artistic idols beloved by people of faith. It illustrates how theological debates matter substantively to how we live on a daily level. It acknowledges pain, doubt, and the ever-present shadow of despair. The film may level critiques at institutional religion, but personal faith is presented as something more than just a cultural or political tribal allegiance. In Tollers passionate self-flagellation, we perhaps even catch a glimpse of a seed of truth in The Last Temptation that could never fully sprout: Our greatest human temptation is not carnal pleasures, but the promise of an end to spiritual suffering.

One nagging question remains, however: Can any work this derivative be considered a major artistic achievement? We live in an age where innovation and originality win the lions share of critical praise, even though a list of our most popular and financially successful films is increasingly populated with remakes and sequels. Sure, cataloging the films copious references and antecedents will make critics feel smartbut does that just make First Reformed fan service for those who share Schraders obvious affinity for Bresson, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Ingmar Bergman?

The line between skillful homage and hackish knock-off is an admittedly fuzzy one, but Schraders film is on the right side of it. First Reformed is not a remake of Diary of a Country Priest, even if it shares with Bressons film the central conceit of a physically sick and spiritually tormented minister of the gospel wrestling with his own conscience. Reverend Toller is not Roman Catholic, and his conflicts with the pastor of the megachurch give the film a contemporary, American flavor. A montage of environmental devastation evokes The Devil, Probably, but Schraders protagonist is middle-aged, not a college student, and his despair comes across as more informed by his personal suffering than by impotent rationalism. A scene with two characters lying together is lifted straight out of Tarkovskys Sacrifice, but the relationship between the two characters is very different here. Consequently, while the effect of their entanglement is visually similar, the potential meanings inferred from that effect are markedly different.

Those examples are meant to illustrate that Schrader is not simply imitating or even channeling the other directors. He is, however, adopting their film vocabulary in order to tell his own story. Paul Thomas Anderson borrows from Max Ophuls. Tom Tykwer acknowledges the influence of Krzysztof Kieslowski and Ernst Lubitsch. J. J. Abrams cites Akira Kurosawa, John Ford, and Terrence Malick as his muses. Steven Spielbergs work bears the imprint of Stanley Kubrick. Great directors are inspired by, learn from, and copy other great directors. Its what they do. Paul Schrader has always been a great writer. By imitating other great films, he has ironically, perhaps even paradoxically, finally made a film of his own that is worthy of being celebrated as their equal.

Kenneth R. Morefield (@kenmorefield) is a professor of English at Campbell University. He is the editor of Faith and Spirituality in Masters of World Cinema, Volumes I, II, & III, and the founder of 1More Film Blog.
Illinois Pro-Lifers Call for Governor Rauner to Keep his Promise and Veto HB40

Contact: Regina D'Amico, 312-422-9300, info@IllinoisRightToLife.org



CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Yesterday, House Bill 40 was sent to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner's desk to be either signed or vetoed. Through Illinois taxpayer funding, this bill will provide free abortions for those on Medicaid and State employees for any reason.



Last April, Governor Rauner publicly promised that he would veto HB40 should it reach his desk. Recent polling has shown that a majority of Illinoisans, pro-choice and pro-life, do not support taxpayer funding of abortion. According to his spokesperson, he realizes there are sharp divisions of opinion over this issue in our state and does not support the bill. However, according to recent reports, the Governor is now wavering on his promise.

"If Governor Bruce Rauner signs HB40, he will be publicly repudiated by pro-lifers throughout the entire state of Illinois," said Rosemary Hackett, President of Illinois Right to Life.



"He promised to veto this horrendous legislation, which would force all Illinois taxpayers to pay for free abortions for those on Medicaid and state employees, which can be done through all nine months of pregnancy and for any reason - even when the unborn child can feel pain and survive outside the womb. Illinois Right to Life, alongside Illinois citizens who do not want their tax dollars going toward the, poisoning, dismemberment, and killing of unborn children in abortion, urge Governor Rauner to hold true to his promise and veto HB 40."

For approximately 36 years, it has been the policy of Illinois that its citizens should not be required to pay for other people's abortions. Under current law, Medicaid covers abortions for those in the cases of rape, incest, and when the health or life of the mother is deemed to be at risk. House Bill 40 dramatically expands the Medicaid coverage for abortions, providing free abortions for any reason.



While the number of abortions across the country is steadily declining, abortions in Illinois rose last year by 3.5% to nearly 40,000 abortions a year. Based on data from the last time Medicaid covered abortion on-demand, HB 40 will increase the number of abortions by potentially thousands every year.



It has been argued that HB40 is about keeping abortion legal in Illinois. Bill proponents say that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion would become illegal in Illinois. However, The Chicago Tribune reported in 2017, 2006, and 1991, that their editorial board, the ACLU, a local Judge, and the Illinois Legislative Research Unit for the General Assembly all agree: abortion would remain legal in Illinois should Roe v. Wade be overturned in the U.S. Supreme Court.



HB40 is extreme legislation with the sole purpose to expand abortion in Illinois at taxpayers' expense. We thank Governor Rauner for his promise to veto this bill, and we are expecting him to keep it.



Illinois law regarding abortions under Medicaid:

abguide.uchicago.edu/page/paying-abortion



Number of abortions in IL:

www.dph.illinois.gov/sites/default/files/publications/opps-abortion-statsrept-2015-121516.pdf



Chicago Tribune articles:

articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-12-12/news/9104210678_1_illinois-abortion-law-ban-abortions-freedom-of-choice-act



articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-06-12/news/0606120164_1_nancy-keenan-anti-choice-president-abortion-rights-groups/2



www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-abortion-funding-medicaid-edit-20170426-story.html


Houston police are looking for a man they say shot at a marked patrol car Sunday.

Police said a male destroyed several items inside a business at 2700 South Loop West at 9:30 p.m. Before leaving, police said, the suspect said he would return with a gun.
Photos of an abandoned Texas dog with her new family can melt hearts.

On August 4, a one-year-old dog was videotaped being abandoned by her owner, George Spears, on the side of the road in Dallas. On Sept. 11, Spears was charged with animal cruelty for leaving the dog, named Claira-Belle by SPCA officials.

HER STORY: Texas man caught abandoning dog, charged with animal cruelty

On Sept. 9, two University of Dallas seniors, Reagan Henderson and her boyfriend Zachary San Roman adopted the adorable pooch from the SPCA of Texas' Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center and changed her name from Claira-Belle to KD.

Now Playing: Gorge Spears turned himself in to authorities after he was recorded abandoning a dog in Dallas County, Texas on Sept. 11, 2017. Spears now faces animal cruelty charges. Video: Houston Chronicle

"There are other options and you do not have to dump your animal on the side of the road - it's heartbreaking," said Victoria Albrecht, the communications manager for the SPCA of Texas. "Through KD's story, we are able to highlight that there are other options out there and you don't have to abandon your dog."

Albrecht encourages pet owners to research their options before abandoning their animals, including re-homing and surrendering to shelters. Visit the SPCA's website for more options of surrender.

"I have no idea what her life was like before, but you can tell that she is very thankful to have us in her life. It's very special to have her," Henderson told Chron.com. "She's very happy and just loves to be pet and cuddled and getting attention. She loves the pet store and her new bark boxes."

WANT TO ADOPT? Check out this week's adorable new pet of the week in Houston

After KD's video of her abandonment went viral with over 10,000 shares on Facebook, there were many people who were interested in following her story after recovery.

"We created an Instagram account for her and it's going crazy now. She has 1,200 followers and all of her photos look like she's smiling," Henderson said of her dog's popularity. "It looks like she always is posing for pictures."

Among Henderson's highlights of her day is seeing KD's thankful reaction to her family coming home - and the cuddles that come quickly after.
It's budget season for cities across the Houston area, and that means it's time to plan your household budget around new property tax rates.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has proposed an increase to the city's property tax rate for the first time in 20 years, Chron.com reported Monday.
Registration is now available for Houston Zoo's Camp Zoofari school break camps. Reserve your spot quickly as camp sells out fast! This year, we will be offering school break camps for campers ages 4-14 during the holidays in November, December and January.

Each camp will be an individual, single-day experience, around a theme of the week. Each day will have different opportunities and experiences. You can send a camper for just one day or the entire week!

The different camp themes and dates are: Bountiful Feast, Nov. 20-22 and 24; Expedition Zoo, Dec. 26-29; and Zoolympics!, Jan. 2-5. There will be different experiences for age groups 4-6, 7-9 and 10-14.

Every camp day will include a touchable animal experience, visit to several sections of the Zoo and either a giraffe feeding or carousel ride. Campers attending all four days will visit most of the Zoo over the course of the week.

Costs are $75 per day. Before and after care is available. Both begin 1 hour and 15 minutes before and/or after camp. Cost is $10/day for before care, $15/day for after care when adding them at the time of registration. Day of camp purchases are allowed for both before and after care. The cost for each is $20.

Due to the high demand for camp spaces, all sales are considered final. Patrons who provide a written notice of cancellation to education@houstonzoo.org on or before October 15th will receive a 50% refund of their camp registration fees. No refunds will be issued after this date, including participants who miss all or partial programs due to illness. Before/after-care fees and shirt purchases are not refundable.

Registration is now available for Houston Zoo's Camp Zoofari school break camps. Reserve your spot quickly as camp sells out fast! This year, we will be offering school break camps for campers ages 4-14 during the holidays in November, December and January.

Each camp will be an individual, single-day experience, around a theme of the week. Each day will have different opportunities and experiences. You can send a camper for just one day or the entire week!

The different camp themes and dates are: Bountiful Feast, Nov. 20-22 and 24; Expedition Zoo, Dec. 26-29; and Zoolympics!, Jan. 2-5. There will be different experiences for age groups 4-6, 7-9 and 10-14.

Every camp day will include a touchable animal experience, visit to several sections of the Zoo and either a giraffe feeding or carousel ride. Campers attending all four days will visit most of the Zoo over the course of the week.

Costs are $75 per day. Before and after care is available. Both begin 1 hour and 15 minutes before and/or after camp. Cost is $10/day for before care, $15/day for after care when adding them at the time of registration. Day of camp purchases are allowed for both before and after care. The cost for each is $20.

Due to the high demand for camp spaces, all sales are considered final. Patrons who provide a written notice of cancellation to education@houstonzoo.org on or before October 15th will receive a 50% refund of their camp registration fees.

Hurricane Harvey has severely affected thousands of people in the greater Houston area. This unprecedented storm has not only flooded homes, but also disrupted businesses. While area restaurants and hotels have been impacted in various degrees, so have their employees.

However, this natural disaster has brought out the best in our community.

This same spirit of kindness and care fills the hospitality industry. That is why, Visit Houston, a division of Houston First, Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston (HLAGH) and Greater Houston Restaurant Association (GHRA) have joined together to create an emergency employee relief fund. The Houston Hospitality Employee Relief Fund will be used to assist hospitality and tourism related employees impacted by Hurricane Harvey and who perform services of any nature within the industry including hotels, restaurants, theaters, arenas, stadiums, attractions, or any organization that directly sells or promotes Houston as a destination.

"Houston has hospitality in its DNA, and our industry employees are what make Houston the welcoming city that visitors and locals alike have grown to love," said Mike Waterman, president of Visit Houston. "As the leaders of the hospitality industry we are compelled to do what's in our hearts and collectively help those, particularly the hourly workers in our industry who have been hurt by Hurricane Harvey. We want to do what we can to make life a little easier for the people who have spent their careers making life better for our guests visiting Houston.

This relief fund is intended to provide supplemental support to employees for any financial losses they may have incurred as a result of Harvey.

To make an individual or organizational contribution, go to visithouston.com/relieffund.
Hurricane Harvey has severely affected thousands of people in the greater Houston area. This unprecedented storm has not only flooded homes, but also disrupted businesses. While area restaurants and hotels have been impacted in various degrees, so have their employees.

However, this natural disaster has brought out the best in our community. The strength, resilience and genuine kindness displayed by friends, family, coworkers, neighbors and complete strangers truly encapsulate the spirit of this special city.

This same spirit of kindness and care fills the hospitality industry. That is why, Visit Houston, a division of Houston First, Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston (HLAGH) and Greater Houston Restaurant Association (GHRA) have joined together to create an emergency employee relief fund. The Houston Hospitality Employee Relief Fund will be used to assist hospitality and tourism related employees impacted by Hurricane Harvey and who perform services of any nature within the industry including hotels, restaurants, theaters, arenas, stadiums, attractions, or any organization that directly sells or promotes Houston as a destination.

"Houston has hospitality in its DNA, and our industry employees are what make Houston the welcoming city that visitors and locals alike have grown to love," said Mike Waterman, president of Visit Houston. "As the leaders of the hospitality industry we are compelled to do what's in our hearts and collectively help those, particularly the hourly workers in our industry who have been hurt by Hurricane Harvey. We want to do what we can to make life a little easier for the people who have spent their careers making life better for our guests visiting Houston.

"The GHRA is pleased to partner with Visit Houston and the HLAGH to raise funds that will be distributed directly to hospitality industry workers in the Houston area. The flooding has impacted so many of our businesses and employees, so it is imperative that we do everything possible to help them get through this difficult time," said Jonathan Horowitz, president of GHRA. "The response to the devastation from the hospitality industry has been nothing short of amazing. We are very proud to be a part of this fantastic community, and we look forward to supporting those who work so hard each day to exemplify the meaning of the word 'hospitality.'"

"Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston is honored to partner with both Visit Houston and the GHRA to assist the thousands of employees who strive daily to lift up our city, and make Houston a welcoming and hospitable destination," said Stephanie Haynes, president of HLAGH. "While the majority of hotels are fully operational, we know there are industry employees who have been impacted, both personally and professionally, and we are proud to offer them support through these difficult times."

This relief fund is intended to provide supplemental support to employees for any financial losses they may have incurred as a result of Harvey.

To make an individual or organizational contribution, go to visithouston.com/relieffund. Those interested in contributing to relief fund by check or money order can mail to: The Greater Houston Community Foundation, Co: Houston Hospitality Employee Relief Fund, 5120 Woodway Drive, Suite 6000, Houston, TX 77056.
Brent crude prices were propelled to a two-year high yesterday, triggered by concerns about a Kurdish referendum vote to seek independence from Iraq. Although the vote is nonbinding, a yes vote would pave the way for negotiations to secede from Iraq.

Neighboring countries such as Iran and Turkey are against the referendum, fearing that it will stoke separatist sentiment among the Kurdish population in its own countries. The vote prompted Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan to threaten to cut off the key supply route for Kurdish crude out of northern Iraq.

The Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline runs from northern Iraq to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey, and is the main route by which light sour Kirkuk crude leaves the Kurdish region.

We can see from our ClipperData that over 500,000 bpd of Kirkuk crude has been loaded in Ceyhan so far this year, after being delivered via the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. The crude then heads to destinations predominantly in the Mediterranean:

This is in contrast to flows out of the south of the country, which predominantly head elsewhere. Iraq's Minister Councilor for Energy Affairs, Dheyaa Jaafar Hajam al-Musawi, said yesterday at the APPEC conference in Singapore that 56 percent of Iraqi exports head to Asia, and that this number will grow to 80 percent by 2020.

The minister's numbers jibe with what we see in our ClipperData, with nearly 59 percent of Iraqi crude loadings from Basrah heading to Asia so far this year through August.

While Asia remains a key focus for Iraq, flows to the U.S. continue to surpass year-ago levels. Imports so far this year are averaging 580,000 bpd, one-third higher than last year (which in itself was nearly double the volume in 2015).

Last month, however, we saw deliveries dip below year-ago levels for the first time since November 2014. But this was more related to hurricane activity limiting imports, as opposed to a supply-side issue from Iraq. Hence, as some semblance of normalcy returns to the U.S. Gulf Coast, imports of Iraqi crude have rebounded above year-ago levels once more:
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In coming decades, oil producers using advanced drilling rigs and fracking tools could extract up to 70 billion barrels of crude from the sprawling Permian Basin, researchers say.

John Roberts, a researcher for IHS Markit, began work on that estimate in 1987, when he started collecting geological data in West Texas for a small company in the midst of a crushing oil bust. Over the past two and a half years, Roberts has led a sprint to build a gigantic database cataloging more than 440,000 wells drilled since the oil industry began plowing the Permian Basin in the 1920s.

"We looked at the whole thing, grass to granite," said Roberts, executive director of global subsurface content operations at IHS Markit.

What IHS found was that those 75,000 square miles in Texas and New Mexico could hold more crude in so-called recoverable resources  the amount that can be extracted with modern technology  than Kuwait and Argentina combined. And that's if U.S. shale drillers can only extract 4 to 6 percent of the crude stuck in 52 different rock formations  a typical figure for such plays.

Related: Wolfcamp shale holds 20 billion barrels of oil, USGS says

In 1973, the year OPEC's oil embargo prompted gas lines in the United States, oil companies in the Permian Basin pumped more crude than they would in any of the next 44 years, yielding a record 763.5 million barrels that year.

But almost a decade ago, drillers figured out how to extract crude from shale that had fed conventional oil-bearing formations for millennia. Since 2010, companies drilled about 20,000 sideways wells into the Permian, reversing the region's decadeslong decline.

Last year, the oil industry almost beat its production record in the Permian, extracting 740 million barrels of oil, and they're set to break the record this year or next. The oil gushing from the region's horizontal wells surpassed output from older vertical wells for the first time in 2015.

"We kind of freaked out," Roberts said. "In our lifetimes, we'll never see those two lines cross again."

Over the past century, the Permian has yielded 39 billion barrels of oil, according to IHS. That it could pump another 70 billion barrels will keep companies busy for decades.

That's not to say oil companies will ever reach all that crude. Drilling some of these fields, Roberts said, isn't financially feasible until crude prices reach $70 a barrel.

Last week, Wood Mackenzie, an energy research firm, said unless oil prices rise high enough to spur technological innovations to overcome the Permian's geological constraints, then the region's production could peak as early as 2021, around 3.5 million barrels a day.

Roberts agreed. One piece of evidence that many in today's cluster of oil wells aren't currently profitable: oil companies have left almost 2,300 wells dormant, waiting for crude prices to rise before they bring the drilled but unfinished wells into production.

"They're waiting on rosier times," Roberts said.
Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle

The Houston Housing Authority has started issuing refunds to 130 tenants in public housing units who paid rent in September for units deemed unlivable after Hurricane Harvey.

Reimbursement checks were given to public housing officials last Friday for tenants in the Irvington Village and Forest Green apartment complexes, spokeswoman Sunita Dharani said Tuesday.
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Two of Project Row House's buildings sustained damage. Art League Houston lost part of its roof. The Pearl Fincher Museum of Art in Spring flooded. A number of Houston artists lost homes, studios and warehouses full of work.

While small arts organizations and artists across the Houston region are still tallying their Hurricane Harvey losses, one thing is clear: Some of them are in a mess of hurt.

Houston's major performing arts groups are in crisis mode post-Harvey, rushing to salvage seasons that have been derailed by remediations at the heart of the Theater District. But the region's cultural economy also depends on dozens of smaller groups and hundreds of artists who are especially fragile and vulnerable now, with fund raising dollars stretched thin everywhere.

So Tuesday brought some good news for them: Houston Endowment has given $125,000 in seed money to the Harvey Arts Recovery Fund, an online platform for donations and resources aimed at small groups and individuals. Already, virtually every art gallery opening of the past few weeks has acknowledged the fund; some have donated a portion of proceeds from artwork sales.

The fund serves a 10-county region, offering help with navigating FEMA processes and Texas' disaster unemployment assistance program, serving as a clearing house for national grant applications and awarding cash gifts for recovery. (Artists and organizations in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Liberty, Waller, Chambers, Austin and San Jacinto Counties are eligible.)

"It all coalesced around people raising their hands and saying they wanted to help," said Shannon Buggs, a steering committee member and chief commons director of CultureWorks Greater Houston, an arts management sharing company.

More than a half-dozen non-profit support groups, including the Houston Arts Alliance and Fresh Arts, are collaborating on the effort; with an assist from large "local action" and "national advisory" groups.

"For arts groups, the recovery process is at least two years long," Buggs said.

The Harvey Arts Recovery Fund is still organizing and trying to identify needs, but deadlines are nearing for some federal and state assistance programs. The fund is housed at the Houston Arts Alliance#mce_temp_url#.
Sept. 30 will mark the last day for Molina's Cantina on Washington Avenue. The popular Tex-Mex restaurant announced Tuesday it will not renew the lease at 4720 Washington where it has dished up enchiladas with chile gravy and Jose's Dip for more than 10 years.

While the Molina family who runs the venerable Tex-Mex brand operates two other restaurants (3801 Bellaire and 7901 Westheimer), it plans to find a new location on the west side of the city, along the Katy and Fulshear corridor.
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Erica Rose, Houston's claim to "The Bachelor" fame, is engaged.

"It couldn't be a better New Year and fresh start," she said in reference to Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, which began last Wednesday. "Being a single mom has been great, but challenging. And they say you can have it all, but not at once, so this just finally feels good."

One year ago, Erica and ex-fiance Galen Gentry welcomed a daughter, Holland Gentry. The ABC reality show's season nine star also moved back to the Bayou City in November 2016.

It's been an eventful 12 months.

On Sunday, during Holland's first birthday party at the Houston Zoo, high school friend Charles Sanders proposed to Erica  and her daughter, too.

"He was like, 'let's go outside and look at the animals,' and that's when he popped the question," she shared. "Then he announced to everybody that he'd asked me to marry him. I said 'yes' on one condition, that he ask Holland, too."

Sanders presented Holland with a little plastic baby ring. Erica's mother, Cindi Rose, gave him the idea; as a child, Erica often played with a similar piece of pretend jewelry.

"On our first date, Charles said that Holland could come, too," Erica recalled. "He doesn't have kids or anything, but he has a big family and he's an uncle. He's learned how to change diapers and really do pretty much everything."

The couple fell in love during a recent trip to Aspen, though they've known each other for nearly two decades.

"I have this drawer full of pictures, and found one from my junior prom, and Charles was in it," Erica said. "He was the date of my friend. Who would've known that was 17 years ago?"

Sanders admits to keeping up tabs on his now-fiancee via Facebook. Then the FEMA flood adjuster and Extra Mile Consulting and Civil Process managing partner bumped into his former crush at her mother's Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation Kentucky Derby last spring.

He asked both of Erica's parents, including well-known plastic surgeon Dr. Franklin Rose, for permission.

The newly betrothed couple hope to marry before the calendar year's end.

"He doesn't want to wait to plan the wedding, and neither do I!" said the bride-to-be. She plans to take the bar exam in February 2018, then practice family law. "I don't want a traditional wedding in a hotel, I want to do something fun and different.

"I'm the kind of person who does what I want, and it just feels right."
Just days after Hurricane Harvey finally loosened its grip on the Houston area and the skies cleared, the Spring Branch Education Foundation geared up for a major fundraising effort to help the school district, students, parents and staff get back on their feet.

The fund, which launched August 28 on pledgecents.com, has raised more than $300,000 so far, said a spokesperson for the foundation, and will be accepting donations till October 26.

"Distribution of the Fund will be made in the form of $300 Target and Walmart gift cards," read a statement from SB Education Foundation on Sept. 21.

"We feel gift cards are the most equitable way to assist families,"said Cece Thompson, executive director for the nonprofit. "Only the families know their most pressing needs, whether it's food, clothing or supplies. Additionally, we will work with Community In Schools - Houston staff to help identify other specific needs. SBEF will award a grant of $25,000 to CIS to cover vouchers to help families with rent, utility assistance and other basic needs."

The education foundation was created in 1993 with the mission to enhance the quality of students' education by supporting mentoring, arts education and academic enrichment, said a spokesperson for the nonprofit.

CIS is another local nonprofit committed to reducing the drop-out rate and provides vulnerable students support and mentoring to stay in school.

School district officials estimate that 600 students, out of the 35,000 enrolled at Spring Branch ISD, and 200 staff and families have been displaced by the storm, said the foundation.

"The hurt and pain in our community is great and will continue for months to come," said Spring Branch ISD Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Scott Muri in a video recording posted to the fundraising site.

"The community's out-pouring of care and support for families in the Spring Branch/Memorial community leaves me speechless," said Thompson. "As far as we know, this is the only fund dedicated to this area. Every penny will go to student and staff families in Spring Branch ISD schools."

Additionally, the foundation presented their annual gift to Spring Branch Independent School District of just over $1 million Monday night. This is the third consecutive year the education group has gifted over $1 million to the district.

Those funds are committed to educational programs, and separate from Harvey-related fundraising.

"This relief helps our students to thrive in school and our staff to provide quality instruction despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey," said Thompson. "The SBEF Harvey Relief Fund is dedicated to helping fill gaps not met by other local and federal efforts. We are indebted to community donors for making this possible."
Houston TranStar's website, www.houstontranstar.org, was a trusted, reliable information resource for travel conditions as Hurricane Harvey bore down, dumped some 50 inches of rain, and finally moved on, leaving the region largely underwater.

From Friday, Aug. 25, through Tuesday, Sept. 5, a total of 411 high-water freeway locations registered on the Real Time Traffic Map. But even with power outages in many neighborhoods rendering Internet connection impossible, TranStar's website usage records were shattered as 3.07 million unique visitors accessed the site.
By mid-September, the Spring Branch Education Foundation Harvey Relief Fund had exceeded $300,000, according to Spring Branch Education Foundation Executive Director Cece Thompson.

"The community's out-pouring of care and support for families in the Spring Branch/Memorial community leaves me speechless," Thompson said. "As far as we know, this is the only fund dedicated to this area. Every penny will go to student and staff families in Spring Branch ISD schools."

There are no administrative costs associated with the fund, she said.

SBISD officials estimate 600 student and 200 staff families are displaced by Harvey. The district uses the Student Residency Questionnaire (SRQ) to make this assessment for students. Generally completed at the time of enrollment, the SRQ can be updated throughout the school year as living situations change.

More Information About Spring Branch Education Foundation Spring Branch Education Foundation is committed to supporting SBISD students and educators. It partners with the district and community to fund programs that enhance education and ?...students for the future. In 2016, Caruthers Institute ranked SBEF 42nd in the nation among 188 K-12 education foundations and in the top 10 of its division of foundations with $1 million to $1,999,999 in revenues. Since 1993, the Foundation has donated more than $11 million to the district. SBEF is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax deductible. See More Collapse

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, living situations may reflect substandard conditions (no electricity, for example); or living in a shelter, with friends or relatives, in a hotel/motel, transitional housing or unsheltered sites such as a car or tent.

Overseen by SBEF, with guidance from a district and partner steering committee, distribution of the Fund will be made in the form of $300 Target and Walmart gift cards.

"We feel gift cards are the most equitable way to assist families," Thompson said. "Only the families know their most pressing needs, whether it's food, clothing or supplies. Additionally, we will work with Community In Schools-Houston staff to help identify other specific needs. SBEF will award a $25,000 grant to CIS to cover vouchers to help families with rent, utility assistance and needs.

"SBEF's mission is to support students and educators to enhance education and prepare our students for a successful future. This relief helps our students to thrive in school and our staff to provide quality instruction despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey. The SBEF Harvey Relief Fund is dedicated to helping fill gaps not met by other local and federal efforts. We are indebted to community donors for making this possible."

Community members who wish to donate to the SBEF Harvey Relief Fund may visit www.pledgecents.com/cause/yldlny/hurricane-harvey-supporting-sbisd-famili.
Sept. 8

An Officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby regarding a found electric scooter that was found in the 3700 block of Arnold. The scooter is stored at the West University Place Police Department for safekeeping.

At 11:53 p.m., an officer observed a vehicle traveling northbound in the 6000 block of Buffalo Speedway at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was bearing an Ohio registration and displayed a Texas registration sticker on the windshield. After further investigation, it was discovered that the Ohio plate is issued to another vehicle. The driver admitted to intentionally placing the plate on the vehicle and was subsequently arrested for displaying a wrong, fictitious, and altered registration.

Sept. 9

An officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in regards to an Identity Theft report.

Sept. 10

An officer was dispatched to a residence located in the 3800 block of Swarthmore in regards to suspicious activity.

Sept. 11

An officer conducted a traffic stop in the 5000 block of Auden. While speaking to the driver, the officer detected an odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. When asked about the odor, a passenger of the vehicle admitted to possessing a small amount of marijuana and then handed it over to the officer. It was later determined the subject found in possession of marijuana was eligible for the Harris County Misdemeanor Marijuana Diversion Program and elected to participate in it. The subject was provided with the information related to the program's contact and educational requirements then released from the scene without incident.

Sept. 12

At 10:09 a.m., an Officer was dispatched to the 2700 block of Tangley in regards to an accident, Failure to Stop and Give Information (F.S.G.I), that just occurred.

Sept. 13

An officer was dispatched to Harris County Sherriff's Office IPC to pick up a prisoner in custody with two outstanding West University Place warrants. The prisoner was transferred to the West University Jail Facility and booked without incident.

Sept. 14

An officer was dispatched to 4200 block of Albans in regards to a theft that had already occurred.

Officers were dispatched to the area of Rutgers and Westchester in regards to a suspicious vehicle. The vehicle was located in the 6500 block of Rutgers and an officer observed the vehicle fail to stop at a designated point, a stop sign. The officer conducted a traffic stop and during the course of the contact, the officer was able to detect an odor of marijuana emanating from within the vehicle. A vehicle search was conducted and drug paraphernalia was found. The passenger was given the opportunity to participate in a Harris County drug program, which the passenger agreed to participate in. The passenger was provided the necessary information and was released from the scene.

An officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in regards to a theft that had already occurred.

At 6:07 pm, an Officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in reference to an Identity Theft call, which had already occurred.
Now Playing: The suspect pictured in this video is wanted in an Aug. 7, 2017 fraud case in Fort Bend County. Two suspects are accused of using a victim's debit card number to purchase money orders and make an ATM withdrawal, stealing more than $17,000. Video: Houston Chronicle

Two suspects wanted in a Fort Bend fraud case got away with more than $17,000 by making purchases of money orders as well as ATM withdrawals using a counterfeit debit card.

On Aug. 7, 2017, the male suspect and female suspect used the victim's debit card number to purchase approximately $16,600 in money orders from post offices in Brookshire, Sealy, Columbus, Eagle Lake and Sheridan, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office said in a release.
Katy ISD trustee George Scott used a seemingly innocuous item on the school board's May 18 agenda to press for what he says is more accountability from the Katy Area Economic Development Council.

The school board approved an agreement for KISD to lease office space to the organization for $4,500 per month. Scott joined the other trustees in backing the plan.

But then he questioned the worth of the Katy Area Economic Development Council to the school district.

On Friday, Katy ISD officials confirmed the district pays $15,000 for its annual "Board of Governors" level membership in the economic development council, which was founded in 2003 to "recruit, retain and expand new high quality, high impact companies," to the Katy area. The council asserts it has "assisted" in the creation of more than 16,200 jobs and more than $ 2.5 billion in capital investment in the Katy area.

"There has never to my knowledge been a qualitative analysis of what is the real cost-benefit of this organization to this district and to the taxpayers of the Katy ISD," Scott said.

He questioned whether the economic development council - a private, non-governmental agency - is bringing businesses to areas that won't provide benefit to Katy ISD taxpayers. In particular, he cited their work for a Rooms to Go furniture store in a section of Waller County outside the school district's boundaries.

"Is this an organization that believes it is land poor in Katy ISD but land rich in Waller County? We have a fiduciary interest to our taxpayers to look ahead," Scott said.

In a statement to the Houston Chronicle, the economic development council said it is proud of the work it does for the communities it serves.

"We have a strong track record of attracting superior businesses to the area. We are more than willing to work with and share information with Katy ISD," they said.

As for Scott's questions about the group's work in the Rooms to Go project, the Katy Area Economic Development Council said they would first have to contact the company in question to determine if such "proprietary information" can be released.

"As soon as we get a response from Rooms to Go, we will immediately let Mr. Scott know," the council said.

Scott's pointed questioning of the economic development council drew a strong rebuke from fellow Katy ISD trustee Rebecca Fox.

"The Katy Area Economic Development Council was founded to give relief to the taxpayers," she said. "They've been there with us, arm in arm, should to shoulder, making our area better."

Scott said Katy was bound to develop like other fast-growing suburbs in the Houston area.

"Whether or not the Katy EDC can take credit for the growth of suburbia is questionable at best," he said.

If there is evidence proving its role in the economic growth of the Katy area, Scott said the organization should be able to reach into its files and present it to them.

Fox said she'd also be interested in the numbers from a cost-benefit analysis of the Katy Area Economic Development Council.

"But if I were (Katy EDC president and CEO) Lance LaCour, I'd tell us all to take a flying leap. He doesn't have to give that (information) to us," Fox said. "He's busy creating jobs (and) finding companies who want to come to the Katy area."

Scott shot back saying the trustees were elected to represent the taxpayers within the Katy ISD.

"If you tell this board to 'take a flying leap' then you're telling Katy ISD taxpayers to enjoy the flying leap," he said.

"This is an organization that has taken advantage of the relationship with Katy ISD to get benefits it doesn't deserve and should never have had," said Scott.

Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt told the trustees he believes a cost-benefit analysis of the Katy Area Economic Development Council could be in the future.

"It is something I believe the Katy EDC is certainly looking at providing us," Hindt said.
District 22 U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, will host a Harvey Disaster Recovery Workshop in Katy on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Monty Ballard YMCA, 22807 Westheimer Parkway.

The workshop will run from 1-5 p.m. and will include representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
A man living in Houston after entering the country illegally was sentenced on Monday to 50 years in federal prison for his part in a scheme to smuggle more than 43 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine into the U.S.

Testimony during trial before U.S. District Judge Alia Moses in Del Rio showed that Adrian Pineda-Orozco, 33, orchestrated a statewide methamphetamine importation and distribution scheme, with prior deliveries to Houston and Dallas, according to an announcement by the Department of Justice.
Fort Bend County Libraries invites the public to join in the "Gulf Coast Reads" reading program, a community-wide reading project encouraging communities to read and discuss a particular book together in October. The 2017 selection for "Gulf Coast Reads" is "News of the World," written by Paulette Jiles.

Set in post-Civil War Texas, "News of the World" is a historical-fiction novel about a 70-year-old veteran of two wars, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd, and a 10-year-old girl named Johanna who was rescued four years after being kidnapped by Kiowa warriors. Kidd makes his living by traveling through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world.

In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver Johanna to her relatives in San Antonio. After living with the Kiowa since the age of 6, Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and rejects any attempt to "civilize" her. The 400-mile journey south leads them through dangerous territory and unforgiving terrain. Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forming a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land.

The reunion between Johanna and her relatives in San Antonio is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember and who consider her an unwanted burden. He is faced with a terrible choice: abandon Johanna to her fate, or become  in the eyes of the law  a kidnapper himself.

Book discussions on "News of the World" will take place at different locations throughout the library system on various dates and times throughout the month of October. A re-enactment of Kidd's reading authentic news of the 1870s to townspeople will take place at George Memorial Library in Richmond on Oct. 26, beginning at 7 p.m.

The "Gulf Coast Reads" program is a collaborative reading initiative coordinated by Fort Bend County Libraries, the Harris County Public Library System, the Brazoria County Library System, the Montgomery County Memorial Library System, Houston Public Library, and other library and educational institutions, museums, and bookstores. This "one book, one community" reading event is designed to encourage reading and discussion of the same book at the same time, provoking dialogue among co-workers, friends, families, and classrooms.

For more information, call the library system's Public Information Office at 281-633-4734.
The Oyster Creek Rotary Club will hold its 18th annual Veterans Appreciation Luncheon 11:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10, at the City Centre at Quail Valley, 2880 La Quinta Drive in Missouri City.

Oyster Creek Rotary Club president Judge Harrison Gregg Jr. describes the event as "a demonstration of our appreciation to veterans with individual introductions of each attending veteran in a dignified yet informal atmosphere led by Rotarian and Army veteran James Thurmond who will serve as emcee."

Veterans are invited to attend as a guest of the club. Contact Thurmond to RSVP at jhthurmond@comcast.net or 281-261-7915.

U.S. Army Sgt. Timothy Stroud will keynote the event with words of patriotism, service and honor. He is a former combat medic in the U.S. Army. He served his country on active duty in 2003-04 with C CO, 2/8th INF, 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood. His deployments were to Kosovo, Kuwait and Iraq, through Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was quickly promoted to a non-commissioned officer. During these years, Stroud said he learned volumes about team building, leadership and camaraderie which have continued to help him since leaving the service.

He has worked in collaboration with over 400 Veteran service organizations to better understand the early signs of Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and how to successfully get veterans and family members connected with resources to address PTS. This led him to become one of the first peer-to-peer support facilitators in Texas, and he helped start support groups in Central Texas.

He lives in Houston and continues to champion several causes for veterans and their families. He was recognized as one of the top All-Time Blood Donors by the Robertson Blood Center on Fort Hood where he has donated more than 5 gallons. He continues to work with veterans and their families through Easter Seals of Greater Houston to help veterans with mental health services. One of the avenues is through providing trained service dogs for deserving veterans.

Stroud has two daughters, aptly nicknamed The Hurricane and The Tornado, who keep him grounded. He received the Humanitarian Award from the Latino Learning Center. He will share his military and civilian experiences as they relate to Veterans Day. He will also share some of the resources available to veterans and their families in the greater Houston area.
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The John Cooper School will host the 13th Annual Signatures Author Series featuring Paula Hawkins, on Friday, Dec. 8, at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Hawkins is the author of the No. 1 New York Times bestselling suspense thriller "The Girl on the Train," which was made into a major motion picture. Hawkins released a subsequent thriller, "Into the Water," in May of this year that People Magazine said is "a captivating contemporary whodunit  suspense churns and the plot keeps you guessing."

As is tradition at the much-anticipated annual luncheon, the event also will feature a diverse array of visiting authors who are selected through an application process.
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Harris County is unlikely to repair Hurricane Harvey flood damage to the six-year-old, $13 million jury Assembly Building that sits beneath a park in downtown Houston's courthouse square near Buffalo Bayou, County Judge Ed Emmett said Tuesday.

While no official action has been taken, the county will likely find a replacement facility that is not underground, Emmett said after Tuesday's county commissioners meeting.

"We'll build another one somewhere, and I doubt if we'll put it underground next time," Emmett said. "That's not my decision yet, but we don't have basements in Houston for a reason."

READ ALSO: One-third of homes damaged by Harvey in this Houston area

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He characterized it as a "complete replacement of the Jury Assembly Building."

"I don't think there will be a re-do of that building," he said.

More than 100,000 people report every year for jury duty for trials in criminal cases, civil cases, divorces, child custody and juvenile cases.

READ ALSO: Texas Roadhouse to donate profits to Red Cross

The building was built to hold several auditoriums where prospective jurors waited to be shuffled off to different courthouses in panels of 60.

The building, which is located at 1201 Congress, is surrounded by the criminal courthouse, the civil courthouse and other court buildings. It was designed to allow jurors to easily reach their destination courtrooms through a tunnel system to all the courthouses. A tunnel also connected the building to a parking garage.

It was also designed to put green space in the center of the courthouse square, only blocks from Buffalo Bayou.

READ ALSO: New maps show just how contaminated Houston surface water was

When it was built in 2011, the architect said they reviewed 2001's Tropical Storm Allison, which flooded the tunnels. They built the new jury center's above-ground portion well above the historic high-water mark.

The above-ground part of the building is a glass structure the size of a bus covering an atrium staircase leading down to the auditoriums. The almost completely glass structure meant natural light poured into the subterranean facility.

To protect from rising floodwaters, the lower level and related tunnels were equipped with flood doors the size of cars.

The floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey went well over the underground building, apparently crashing out windows along the ground and flooding the building from the roof. It is still unclear if the massive submarine doors worked. If they did, they created a giant watertight bowl next to the bayou.

Since the facility is offline, and the former jury assembly building has been converted into the Harris County Law Library, officials are now working to find places to have prospective jurors gather.

Judge Bob Schaffer, the administrative judge overseeing the courts said selection of small jury panels are expected to resume on October 16. They are tentatively scheduled to begin meeting in the cafeteria or other large rooms in the Harris County Administration Building at 1001 Preston.

"We're moving forward," Schaffer said Tuesday.

Emmett noted that the Harris County Criminal Courthouse, the 20-story building that sits on Buffalo Building and was also crippled in the floods of Hurricane Harvey will not be open for at least 9 months. Those courts have moved to the civil courthouse at 201 Caroline where judges are doubling up for morning and afternoon dockets.
The Sierra Leone journalist was forced to flee his West Africa country after publishing articles criticizing the widespread practice of female genital mutilation and in support of gay rights. In January, he crossed the border and asked officials in Brownsville for asylum.

But though he passed the initial interview needed to obtain the protection, he has been unnecessarily held in detention ever since, according to a lawsuit filed in the District of Columbia Tuesday against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.

The practice of detaining asylum seekers who don't present a danger violates not only their right to due process but international and U.S. law on refugees, according to the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid suit on behalf of five detained immigrants.

The United Nations convention on refugees, to which the U.S. is a signatory, holds that countries should not impose penalties on refugees who ask for asylum, nor return them to danger if they have suffered a certain type of persecution.

The attorneys argue that the long-term detention in "prison-like" conditions is part of a "de facto U.S. policy" to deter people with legitimate asylum claims from applying and pressure those who have done so to retract their petitions and return home.

"Although we're bound by our own laws to provide safe haven for people who face peril in their own countries, U.S. officials are trying to discourage them by making their lives so difficult here," Jennifer Harbury, the lead attorney for the lawsuit, said in a statement. "They're trying to force these asylum seekers and others like them to simply give up."

A spokeswoman for ICE said that as a matter of policy the agency doesn't comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit is the latest in a string of allegations that federal officials are wrongly imprisoning asylum seekers and discouraging them from seeking protection, in some cases even turning them back at the border.

Both the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and Human Rights First, a national non-profit, have documented dozens of instances in which Customs and Border Protection officers didn't refer migrants for asylum interviews or pressured them into withdrawing their requests.

In April, for instance, agents apprehended a Mexican family near Del Rio, according to the researchers. They told agents that they had been extorted, beaten, kidnapped and shot by members of a cartel that also had targeted other relatives.

Nonetheless, they were convicted of the federal crime of illegal entry and swiftly deported without seeing an immigration judge to ask for asylum. It was only when they tried again to cross the border a few weeks later that they were able to pursue their claim.

In July, Al Otro Lado, a legal services provider in California, sued the federal government claiming that border agents were using threats, intimidation and even physical force to force asylum seekers to abandon the process.

Tuesday's lawsuit further describes how some of the migrants were prevented from seeking help and sent back to danger.

Aracely Rodriguez fled Guatemala in 2016 with her 8-year-old daughter, but was badly injured in a car accident in Mexico that left her child dead.

When she presented herself at the international bridge at Hidalgo last December, federal agents refused to process her and told her to leave, according to the lawsuit. At the Mexican side of the bridge, she was kidnapped.

It was only in February 2017, after she was accompanied by human rights monitors and attorneys, that Rodriguez was processed for asylum. And though she passed her credible fear interview in March, the lawyers argue that she is unnecessarily being detained at the Port Isabel Detention Center even as she is in weak medical condition.

In some cases the attorneys argue the prolonged detention of the asylum seekers harmed their legal cases.

Sadat Ibrahim fled Ghana after being attacked for being gay and his house was burned down. He presented himself to border officials in San Diego in 2016 and passed his credible fear interview the following month.

Since then, he has been detained in Atlanta, where his imprisonment meant he could not receive key evidence sent by his family as detainees are not allowed to have CDs. His asylum case was denied, though he is asking to reopen it based on legal errors that occurred.

He has now been detained for more than 20 months, a practice the lawsuit said is based on wanting to deter other asylum seekers.

"Defendants, pursuant to their general policy and practice of deterring immigration, are subjecting the Plaintiffs to arbitrary and prolonged detention in harsh and prison-like conditions, without any adequate justification," the lawsuit said.

Sometimes the policy of deterrence works.

In May, following nearly four months in detention, a Mexican journalist seeking asylum after reporting on police brutality withdrew his claim and returned home.

Martin Mendez Pineda, 26, arrived at the El Paso port of entry in February where he requested asylum, saying he was receiving death threats from armed men in Guerrero, one of the country's most dangerous states. This year is on pace to become the deadliest for reporters in Mexico, and six have been murdered so far.

Mendez said he moved to a different city, but the threats continued even after he moved across the country. Nevertheless, after his second request to be released on an ankle monitor was denied in May, Mendez abandoned his asylum case and went back to Mexico.

His time in the privately-run West Texas Detention Facility was the "worst days of my life," he wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post this year: "It was designed for about 60 people but houses more than 100, who are exposed to all kinds of diseases and don't have access to adequate medical attention ... honestly it is hell."
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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday he would not have proposed a property tax hike if lawmakers in Austin dipped into the state's reserve funds to pay for damage from Hurricane Harvey.

Turner is currently asking for a temporary rate increase that would amount to an extra $48 annually for the owner of a $225,000 home, according to city estimates. The roughly $50 million raised from an increase would then be used for debris cleanup, and building and equipment repairs, among other things.

But at a public meeting to discuss the proposal Monday night, Turner and others said the increase would not be necessary if state lawmakers immediately tapped into Texas' $10 billion rainy day fund - a claim rebuked by a top lawmaker in attendance.

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Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican from Houston, has previously called the tax hike proposal "beyond tone deaf," and has questioned the accuracy of the city's estimates on rate hikes for homeowners. He said Monday that the city can afford to fund short-term expenses without raising property taxes.

"I don't think we should be kicking Houstonians when they're down," Bettencourt said.

The city has already exhausted its own $20 million reserve fund, and is now facing a $26 million bill for debris cleanup alone.

"We can't wait two years to get (the requested funding) into the budget," said Councilman Jack Christie. "We need it in 30 days."

"That's all we're asking," he said. "It's a rainy day fund. And Senator (Bettencourt), it's pouring."

The remarks are among the strongest from area officials regarding the decision not to tap Texas' reserve funds in the wake of Harvey, which will likely be one of the costliest natural disasters in American history.

Gov. Greg Abbott previously indicated the state would use reserve funds for areas hit by Harvey, though details are still unclear of when, or how much, allocations could be unleashed.

Abbott decided not to call a special session this month to vote on a Harvey relief package, but the state, through the Legislative Budget Board, could redirect money from state agencies, then replenish the rainy day fund when the Legislature next convenes in January 2019.

State, local and federal lawmakers from the area are also pursuing funding for upgrades at the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, and are mulling a long-sought "coastal spine" to protect the area from large storm surges.

But city council members said that such projects, while vital to mitigate future natural disasters, need to be considered along with short-term funding streams to keep Houston afloat in the wake of Harvey.

"We're going to be a Third World city," said Councilman Dwight Boykins. "Because we won't be able to afford basic city services."

"We need the money, Paul," said Boykins, who like Turner and others pressed Bettencourt over the course of an hour to dip into the state's reserve funds.

Bettencourt said area lawmakers "need to do whatever we can" to secure money for reservoir upgrades and the coastal spine. But he would not commit to allocating money from the rainy day fund.

"Everyone has to look at their own resources to start with," Bettencourt said. "The reality is that we're going to look at this holistically."

The next two public hearings on the tax proposal will be held at City Hall at 6 p.m. Oct. 2, and 9 a.m. Oct. 11.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the decision not to call a special session of the Texas Legislature. It is the governor, not lawmakers, who has the authority to call a special legislative session.
A professor at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) has been indicted by a Nacogdoches County grand jury on multiple counts of child pornography.

Michael Dean Stroup, 54, was indicted on 14 counts of possession of child porn, according to court documents provided by Nacogdoches County to chron.com. Stroup is still listed as a faculty member on SFA's Nelson Rusche College of Business website as of Tuesday morning.
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An Abilene woman accused of stabbing her newborn baby to death won't face the death penalty.

News station KRBC reports Amber Craker, 20, is facing life in prison without parole after police said she killed her baby daughter. Craker is charged with capital murder, injury to a child and fabricating physical evidence involving a human corpse.

TRAGIC: Kingwood woman confirmed as Harvey death from flesh-eating bacteria

Craker's fiance, Damian Cate, 23, faces the same charges as Craker. His trial date has not been set yet.

Craker is accused of stabbing her baby "over the neck and chest" in January 2016, reports the Abilene Reporter-News. Cate is accused of holding the baby during the stabbing. The couple's daughter was found dead in a dumpster, according to the Abilene Police Department.

Craker was evaluated at a psychiatric facility following her arrest but she has since been transferred back to the Taylor County Jail on $300,000 bonds, according to KRBC. Cate bonded out of jail in May on a $100,000 bond.
WASHINGTON - Houston Congressman Gene Green criticized EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt Tuesday for his agency's delayed response to a toxic spill from a Superfund site in Pasadena during flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

In a letter to Pruitt, Green, a Democrat, asked he make public the EPA's actions at the U.S. Oil Recovery site and explain when it was first made aware of the spill.

"The apparent slow response and lack of transparency from your agency is already causing harm, by fostering fear and distrust," he wrote.

The Associated Press reported last week that the firm managing the Superfund site, along with the Harris County Pollution Control Service Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, all warned EPA about the spill beginning August 29. But the agency did not publicly acknowledge the reports for weeks, telling the Associated Press while it had not yet found any evidence of toxic waste escaping into the adjacent bayou an investigation was ongoing.

"Despite the risks posed by this site, your staff did not immediately investigate the spills," Green wrote.

The EPA did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

PRP Group, the company formed to clean up the U.S. Oil Recovery site, said it does not know how much material leaked from the tanks, soaking into the soil or flowing into the bayou. As part of the post-storm cleanup, workers have vacuumed up 63 truckloads of potentially contaminated storm water, totaling about 315,000 gallons.

Adding to the confusion, the EPA said last week it has recovered 517 containers of "unidentified, potentially hazardous material" from waste sites around Texas but would not say from which ones or the toxins it had found.

The Pasadena site is one of a number of SuperFund sites in the Houston area that flooded during Hurricane Harvey, including a former paper mill at the San Jacinto River Waste Pits.

In an interview with the Chronicle last week, Pruitt said his agency was monitoring the Superfund sites and would not allow budget cuts at his agency to slow cleanup.

"I told Congress that whether it's in the Superfund area or in any of these areas, if we need the resources, I will ask for it," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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AUSTIN  Local law enforcement agencies across Texas will have to honor federal immigration holds for people who are in the country illegally but will not be penalized for failing to help enforce federal law, an appeals court ruled Monday in allowing parts of Texas' so-called "sanctuary city" law to take effect temporarily.

In a mixed ruling that allowed both sides to claim partial victory, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals let stand a lower court ruling that had temporarily halted portions of the law that required local agencies to provide enforcement help to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The unanimous decision allows the controversy over the law  known as Senate Bill 4  to continue for weeks or longer in Texas, where protests against the provisions have been ongoing for months.

The court set a hearing for Nov. 6 to hear arguments from Houston, San Antonio and other cities, counties and Hispanic advocacy groups that claim the law is unconstitutional because if violates the Fourth Amendment right requiring probable cause for a person to be held behind bars.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who had asked the appeals court Friday to allow the full law to take effect, insisted Monday's ruling was a victory.

"We are pleased today's 5th Circuit ruling will allow Texas to strengthen public safety by implementing the key components of Senate Bill 4," Paxton said in a statement after the 3-0 decision was filed Monday.

"Enforcing immigration law helps prevent dangerous criminals from being released into Texas communities. I am confident Senate Bill 4 will be found constitutional and ultimately upheld," he said.

Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Los Angeles-based Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a leading voice for Latino civil rights, said Texas' request for a fast ruling by the appeals court  before it hears arguments  reflects the "mean-spiritedness of Texas state officials."

"While that is a disappointment, the court only lifted two portions of the injunction," Saenz said. "Because the court panel limited the scope of local police cooperation with enforcement that must be permitted, one portion of the stay would be of limited effect."

'Likely to succeed'

In its decision, however, the court noted that the state is "likely to succeed" on some of its arguments that the new law is constitutional.

Earlier this year, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 4 to require local law enforcement to cooperate with the federal government in enforcing the nation's immigration laws. But a U.S. District Court in San Antonio granted an injunction on on Aug. 30, just two days before it was scheduled to take effect.

In that order, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia blocked the state from enforcing or implementing five key parts of the law, ruling they are likely unconstitutional. The state had asked the New Orleans-based appeals court to overrule the district court until the case is argued in court in November.

The state on Friday had asked the appeals court to allow it to begin enforcing the provisions of the new law, called Senate Bill 4 after the title of the legislation that was signed into law in June.

The Texas Civil Rights Project, an Austin-based group that represents two of the groups that filed the suit, said the Monday decision could cause unnecessary turmoil because it does not leave all parts of the lower-court order in effect.

"We are disappointed and disagree with the panel's decision to allow additional provisions of SB4 to go into effect and stand against Texas immigrants and families," said Efren Olivares, racial and economic program director with the civil rights group.

TCRP represents the Texas Project Organizing Education Fund and MOVE San Antonio, and has joined with attorneys representing El Paso officials.

The cities of Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, El Paso and El Cenizo, along with Bexar, Travis and Maverick counties and several Hispanic organizations, filed the court challenge to the new law.

Partisan divide

Among those who are suing to overturn the new law is Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, whose refusal to honor the detainers touched off a high-profile fight with Gov. Greg Abbott that sparked the drive by conservative Republicans to enact SB4 over the objections of Democrats and Hispanic leaders.

State Rep. Rafael Anchia, chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, which has opposed SB 4, said the court did not approve a provision allowing the state to punish cities and counties for limiting their officers on immigration questioning and enforcement assistance.

"We trust our local police  and not state politicians  to keep us safe," said Anchia, a Dallas Democrat. "The court's decision (Monday) recognizes those concerns and stops the most dangerous provisions contained in SB4 from taking effect. The fight is not over, however. We will continue to resist any law that aims to divide our great state and makes our constituents less safe."

Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, an Austin Democrat who is policy chair of the caucus, said he is disappointed in the decision.

"No part of SB 4 should be allowed to take effect before its legality has been affirmed by the courts or the law has been struck down as the trial court deemed likely," he said. "SB 4 is unlike any legislation currently on the books in Texas or elsewhere in the nation, and experts have serious reservations regarding its infringement upon the freedom of speech and the right to due process under the law."
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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After 11 nursing home residents died in the sweltering heat of hurricane-induced power outages, Floridas nursing home industry is now on a collision course with Gov. Rick Scott.

Days after Hurricane Irma ravaged the state, Scott used his emergency powers to put in place new rules that require nursing homes and assisted living facilities to have generators capable of providing backup power for four days. The Republican governor, who normally brags about eliminating regulations on businesses, gave nursing homes 60 days to comply.

Nursing home officials say they cant.

They say its not just the multimillion dollar price-tag that will come with acquiring large generators for hundreds, maybe thousands, of homes. During a daylong summit by the industry Friday, engineers and contractors and others who operate nursing homes said it will be practically impossible to purchase, install and get permits to put generators and supplies of fuel in place by the November deadline.

Compliance with the rule is impossible and time is running out, said Steve Bahmer, president and CEO of LeadingAge Florida, an association that represents both nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

So far, the Scott administration isnt backing down.

Justin Senior, the states top health care regulator, said the state will aggressively enforce the mandate, which calls for fines for those homes that fail to comply.

Senior showed up at the nursing home industry summit to explain the logic behind the rule. He said that Irmas unpredictable path showed that is no longer acceptable for nursing homes to merely say they plan to evacuate patients when a storm is looming.

Evacuation plans generally fell through, said Senior, the secretary for the Agency for Health Care Administration. There was no place to run; there was no place to hide.

Police in Hollywood are currently investigating why the 11 patients died after Irma knocked out air-conditioning at a nursing home there, even though just across the street was a fully functioning and cooled hospital. The latest death reported is that of 94-year-old Alice Thomas, who died Thursday, and police said they are treating that as part of their criminal investigation of the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills and its employees.

Eight patients died on Sept. 13, three days after Irma knocked out the homes air conditioning. Three have died this week. Overall, 145 patients were taken from the home. The dead have ranged from 78 to 99 years old. No one has been charged.

The state has suspended the homes license. The home has filed a lawsuit trying to overturn the states actions.

Senior, who called the deaths painful and haunting, said he was aware of some of the industrys complaints, but he had a strong warning.

We think very strongly of the cost of not complying with this rule is greater than the cost of compliance, Senior said.

Senior did tell the nursing homes that the generators do not have to be large enough to cool their entire building. Instead, he said, they need to be large enough to keep patients safe in a cooled environment.

The tough stance that the Scott administration is taking with the nursing home industry runs counter to the governors usual attitude toward regulation, especially in the health care field. Scott, a multimillionaire who never ran for office before getting elected in 2010, once ran the nations largest chain of hospitals before he was forced out of his job as the head of Columbia/HCA.

The industry could challenge Scotts decision to put the emergency rule in place since it is not currently a requirement under state law. Kristen Knapp, a spokeswoman for one nursing home trade group, the Florida Health Care Association, said the group was exploring all of its options.

Bahmer called a possible legal challenge absolutely the last consideration.

(Associated Press writer Terry Spencer contributed to this report from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Florida family will soon be searching for a new place to gather after their home of nearly five decades was lost to a sinkhole.

Elena Hale said cracks began appearing in the wall of her grandparents Apopka home Monday night, and the wall was separating from the ceiling when they woke early Tuesday morning. A hole in the yard grew larger as the morning went on, and the bottom of the house was starting to sag by 11 a.m.

By that point, my grandparents had the fire department there, so they helped them move a lot of the furniture toward the front of the house so that we could get it out, Hale said. And then it was just a matter of time, to be honest. The sinkhole was growing rapidly.

The back section of the house eventually collapsed into the sinkhole. Ellen and Garry Miller have moved to a hotel while they figure out what to do next, but rebuilding the condemned house doesnt seem to be an option.

My grandparents dont want to live on the property any longer, because they just dont feel comfortable being there, Hale said. It was pretty hard on both of them.

Hale said shes glad that rescue workers from Orange County Fire Rescue were able to help her grandparents save a lot of their belongings, especially personal items. But she said shell miss having the home, where her grandparents have lived since 1969, as a gathering place for her family, with her aunt living right next door and her mother living just a few minutes away.

Im 20, and Ive spent every Christmas Eve at that house since I was born, Hale said. Its a point of family contact. Its definitely going to be hard to get used to not having the house in the family.

Hale said her grandparents will probably buy another home in the area. Theyre responsible for filling in the sinkhole, but Hale said their insurance company seems to be looking at Hurricane Irmas passing earlier this month as a potential cause for the sinkhole. The hole measured about 20 feet (6 meters) across and 10 feet (4.6 meters) deep on Tuesday, but Hale said its actually still growing.

Were really concerned about the houses next door, because you never really know whats going on underneath, Hale said.

Hale has set up a page for her grandparents on a crowdfunding site to help cover some of the expenses of finding a new home in the near future.

Its still very hard on them to realize that what was there home for so many years is now underneath the ground and unsalvageable, Hale said.

Apopka is in central Florida, about 18 miles (29 kilometers) northwest of Orlando. A second sinkhole opened up down the street from the Millers home Thursday, but it wasnt an immediate threat to any homes.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Insurance rates arent expected to go up in an Ogden, Utah, neighborhood where a wildfire destroyed three homes and caused the evacuations of hundreds.

But authorities are warning the residents to be on high alert for landslides because the land is now unstable, the Standard-Examiner reported.

The fire sparked Sept. 5 by a downed power line destroyed three homes and four other structures and damaged two other homes and nine other buildings before it was brought under full control five days later.

Part of the zone it affected is a residential area in the unincorporated Uintah Highlands area above Uintah.

As to the wider community, there probably wont be any increases. It wasnt like a hurricane, with massive, widespread destruction, said Steve Gooch, spokesman for the Utah Insurance Department, an insurance regulatory body.

But Gooch said those living in the area affected by the fire need to be mindful of an increased possibility of landslides in the months ahead.

The destruction of vegetation can potentially make the land underneath more unstable, particularly with snowfall, snowmelt, rain and other moisture.

Homeowner insurance typically extends to most areas, even those not so close to fire hydrants or as accessible as more urbanized subdivisions. Thats good news for those who had homes and other property damaged or destroyed in the blaze.

But broadly speaking, there can be added costs or conditions in insuring homes in such zones stemming from the particular risks when fires strike, according to area agents.

Anytime you live outside the city limits, further from responding (fire) stations, youre going to see higher rates to start with, said Lisa Marie, an agent with Ogden-based Platinum Insurance Group, speaking in general terms.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AKRON, Ohio -- After two weeks of openly combative council meetings, Akron City Council will begin working with a conflict management professional.

Council President Marilyn Keith announced at Monday night's meeting that council members had met with Bill Lyons, director of the Center for Conflict Management at the University of Akron.

"He is willing to take on helping us with conflict management and giving us skills to move forward in our discussions of items that might not always be easy to discuss," she said.

In the past two weeks, council members have openly sparred, first over a resolution to rename the city's Columbus Day holiday Indigenous Peoples' Day, then over whether to censure and publicly reprimand councilman Bob Hoch for telling Councilwoman Veronica Sims to sit down and Councilwoman Linda Omobien to shut up.

A handful of community members also attended Monday's meeting to weigh in on council's recent behavior.

Local Pastor Lynette Meeker spoke out against the lack of repercussions Hoch faced for his "reprehensible words" to Sims and Omobien.

"These words were wrong and divisive, divisive at a time when unity of purpose is needed to solve the monumental problems that exist on council and throughout our city," she said. "This is a call for all of us - women especially - to open our eyes to the injustices all around us."

Retired United Methodist Minister John Beaty, who also spoke last week saying we are all racists, said he had been shocked by Hoch's comments but that Hoch's comments match the attitudes of his constituents. Hoch represents Ward 6, which Beaty pointed out, joined Ward 8 in voting Republican in the presidential race last November.

Pastor Roderick Pound of the Second Baptist Church in Akron said he had reached out to Hoch and, like last week, accepted Hoch's apology.

"All a man can do is apologize and it's not my prerogative to critique or analyze your sincerity," Pound said. "That's your responsibility."

Rev. David Loar, representing the Akron Chapter of the NAACP, said he had planned to urge council to seek conflict management counseling at one of the local universities but was relieved to hear council had already taken that step.

"I'm here now to say 'Amen,'" Loar told council. "Everybody's well-intentioned; the question is not anybody's intentions. But we all need training and skills. And I think the outreach you have announced is what's needed."

Earlier on Monday, nine council members had met with Lyons, who spent about 30 minutes talking with the group, Keith said.

Going forward, Lyons will interview lawmakers one-on-one to get a better sense of their individual issues, and then work together with council to develop a plan to help the legislative body work together.

According to At-Large Councilman Jeff Fuscso, the initial meeting was a productive discussion and a positive first step.

Keith said she also will bring in an experienced parliamentarian to help council navigate the complexities associated with following both council's established rules and Robert's Rules of Order, widely used to determine parliamentary procedure in the United States.

Keith said she also plans to take a separate course in Robert's Rules, so she can get better at governing.

"All these people were elected because they are leaders," she said. "We just need to fine tune our game and we'll all get better."

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AKRON, Ohio - The Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition will host the 6th Annual Lockheed Martin Towpath Freedom 5K and veterans' ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Lock 3 Park.

The race, which takes place on Veteran's Day, aims to honor veterans and commemorate the completion of the Towpath Trail. The event will kick off with a veterans' ceremony hosted by the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition and the Boy Scouts of America at 8:30 a.m.

The race will begin following the ceremony, at 9 a.m. The course begins on Main Street in Akron, continues on to the Towpath Trail and concludes at Lock 3 Park.

Pre-registration is $30 and closes on Nov. 9 at 11:59 p.m. Race-day registration, which opens at 7:30 a.m., is $35. The first 50 veterans who register for the race will receive free registration. Participants who pre-register for the event will receive a Tech T-shirt. Participants will be timed with computer chips that offer same-day results. Food and beverages will be available following the race.

The top three men and women finishers in each age bracket and the top three veteran finishers will receive awards.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Ohio & Erie Canalway and the Towpath Trail.

To register, visit www.ohioeriecanal.org/freedom5k. Alternatively, checks can be mailed to the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, 47 W. Exchange St. Akron, Ohio 44308.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio-- In 2015, Cuyahoga County's infant mortality rate was almost double the national rate. Black babies in our region die at a rate three times that of their white peers.

The infant mortality rate among black mothers in some Cleveland neighborhoods is the same as in developing countries where women lack access to regular prenatal care.

In three years of reporting on this problem, I've heard almost every expert come to the same conclusion: If we don't address infant mortality in the black community, we will never solve our city's, county's or state's infant mortality crisis.

So why do black babies born in Northeast Ohio -- and particularly in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County -- have a much higher chance of dying before they reach a first birthday than do white babies?

And what can we do about it?

The Cleveland Heights/University Heights Public Library and the Greater Cleveland chapter of the League of Women Voters will examine these questions and host a discussion on the topic Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in a free public forum at the Cleveland Heights Main Library branch, 2345 Lee Road. The discussion is co-sponsored by Case Western Reserve University Siegal Lifelong Learning Program and First Interstate Ltd.

Who's speaking

Panelists will include Christin Farmer, executive director of the non-profit Birthing Beautiful Communities; Dr. Arthur James, interim executive director of Ohio State University's Kirwan Institute, and co-chair of the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality; Angela Newman White, supervisor of the Maternal and Child Health Program at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health; and Kendra Harris, a mother of four boys who lives in Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood.

I will moderate the discussion and field your questions.

What's driving black infant deaths?

The leading causes of infant death in Ohio are prematurity and preterm births, sleep-related deaths and birth defects.

For more than 20 years, preterm birth, or delivery prior to 37 weeks gestation, has been the biggest contributor to infant deaths in the county. And black women are far more likely (in one recent study four times more likely) to have a baby born early, between 16 and 22 weeks' gestation.

In 2015, more than half of the 155 babies who died before reaching their first birthday were born premature, and most of those infants were born so early they had almost no chance of surviving.

But the reason for this higher rate of preterm birth among black women remains unclear. It cannot be fully explained by inadequate prenatal or medical care, genetics, by income, or by education.

A growing body of evidence has suggested that chronic stress related to discrimination may play a key role in influencing birth outcomes for black women. This stress may affect black women regardless of their economic status and even if they do everything right during their pregnancy: taking prenatal vitamins, making doctor's appointments, eating right.

Living in segregated neighborhoods, parenting alone, feeling unsafe at home or in one's neighborhood may lead to chronic stress, the kind that over time takes a toll on the body, leading to inflammation and immune system and other changes that can affect the health of a woman and her children.

What can be done?

Ohio has given more than $41 million over the past five years to state and local programs aimed at reducing the high infant mortality rate, including smoking cessation efforts, public awareness campaigns about infant safe-sleep practices, nurse and other home visiting programs, and efforts to increase the number of women who receive hormone therapy to help prevent women from going into labor too early.

In Northeast Ohio, the city-county infant mortality initiative, First Year Cleveland, has taken aim directly at racism as a cause of infant deaths in its recently released strategic plan.

Grassroots efforts to address the problem in the communities most affected, such as Birthing Beautiful Communities on the city's East Side, are easing the stress of pregnancy and delivery. Others are training fathers, church congregations and staff at hospitals to be ambassadors who can teach how to prevent sleep-related infant deaths.

We'll discuss what's being done here, and elsewhere, and what steps you can take to help make a difference on Wednesday evening. We'd love to hear your stories and answer your questions, so please join us. If you can't make it and would like to talk about the issue, you can leave a note in the comments here, comment on Facebook at facebook.com/brie.zeltner, call me at 216-538-6140 or drop me a note at bzeltner@plaind.com.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Political organizers working for the Service Employees International Union District 1199 made plenty of noise heading into Cleveland's Sept. 12 primary election.

But did they make a difference?

The SEIU District 1199's detractors within the Cleveland political community -- of which there are many -- simply observe that the top candidates favored by the SEIU failed to win. The most prominent example is City Councilman Jeff Johnson's third-place finish in his attempt to oust Mayor Frank Jackson, even though the SEIU provided Johnson with heavy backing.

"If they had a little bit of clout, wouldn't they have been able to pull Jeff Johnson into the run-off? And they didn't," said Brent Larkin, a retired Plain Dealer opinion director who still writes columns for cleveland.com.

On the other hand, the SEIU and its supporters say the union influenced the narrative of the election and through its organizing efforts, established a beachhead it can use to influence policy in Cleveland for years to come.

Johnson said even though he didn't win, the SEIU's support helped him be relevant in the race. He also pointed to several East Side council races where candidates friendly to the SEIU agenda could end up picking up seats after the next round of voting.

"I don't think they're going anywhere, and I think they're going to have some wins in November," Johnson said. "I think they're going to come out stronger than they are today when it comes to having people who stand for their issues."

SEIU rebuked in effort to oust council president

The SEIU District 1199, which represents nearly 29,000 generally low-wage workers in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, jumped head-long into Cleveland's municipal elections after accusing City Council President Kevin Kelley and state lawmakers of working to block the union's efforts to send a $15 Cleveland-only minimum wage to city voters for approval.

In June 2016, the SEIU famously put Kelley's face on a mobile billboard that called for his firing in all-capital letters. They also endorsed Johnson's candidacy for mayor, helping supply campaign volunteers and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV ads and campaign mailers supporting him and attacking Jackson. They recruited candidates in some city council wards, including Kelley's, and backed challengers in others.

But Johnson only pulled 15 percent of the vote, compared to Jackson's 38 percent and Councilman Zack Reed's 22 percent. And Kelley got an overwhelming 71 percent of the vote in his ward, despite an active effort from the SEIU to support Michele Burk, who got only 15 percent.

"They worked the heck out of Kevin Kelley's ward, and they couldn't touch him," said Dave Wondolowski, the influential executive secretary of the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, which backed Kelley and Mayor Jackson. "To be honest, I don't think they have a lot of impact at all."

In some other wards, the SEIU didn't fare much better. In Ward 2, where Reed vacated his council seat to run for mayor, Carol Ford, a local SEIU leader, placed fifth in a nine-candidate field. In Ward 7, the union backed activist Mansfield Frazier got only 10 percent of the vote.

Kelley said he doesn't view the SEIU as a major political factor in future Cleveland elections.

"They have a tremendous amount of money, and how they spend that money is between them and their members," Kelley said. "But at a certain point, I would think their membership is going to look and ask, 'What interest does a health-care worker from West Virginia or Kentucky have in a city council race in Cleveland, Ohio?'"

SEIU supporters argue influence goes beyond election results

But the SEIU's supporters, and some other major Cleveland labor leaders, offer a differing interpretation of events.

Anthony Caldwell, public affairs director for SEIU District 1199, took credit for Jackson's announcement this year that he will boost pay for city workers to at least $15 an hour. He also said leading up to the election, the union successfully pushed for Public Square to be opened to bus traffic, and nearly killed the deal for a taxpayer-supported renovation of Quicken Loans Arena.

"We can't be responsible for the performance of candidates directly, but what I can say is we completely changed the conversation in the city of Cleveland," Caldwell said. "The issues that came up in this campaign maybe wouldn't have been raised if it wasn't us, in the media and in the community, raising awareness around poverty, income inequality and corporate giveaways...Many of those things were kind of quiet issues. And I would say that Frank Jackson was quick to respond to many of those issues because of the political pressure we created."

Johnson said SEIU's support helped him, but he was unable to raise enough money to raise his profile beyond his ward, which doomed his candidacy.

"I think they absolutely were the reason I was a contender," Johnson said. "I just couldn't get over the hump of low turnout in my base. And I don't put that on them."

But beyond the mayor's race, Johnson said the SEIU could help shape the future of City Council -- he said he expects as many as five SEIU-friendly candidates will win seats, depending on the outcome of the election.

The SEIU backed two East Side candidates with established political brands -- Joe Jones, a former city councilman who finished eight points ahead of incumbent Ward 1 Councilman Terrell Pruitt in the primary, and Anthony Hairston, a Cuyahoga County councilman who led a field of 10 candidates vying for Johnson's old seat. Whether or not the candidates needed the help from SEIU to win, both sought the SEIU's endorsement, and should be sympathetic to their agenda if they are elected, Johnson said.

In a few other City Council races, the SEIU's support could help challengers oust incumbent council members, Johnson said. He said races in wards 4, 5 and 14 all could be competitive, with SEIU-friendly candidates potentially taking seats on the council.

"I think they [SEIU] are players, and I think they're going to remain players in the local government," Johnson said.

David Quolke, the longtime president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, said effective union organizing isn't always about winning elections. Through its "Fight for 15" minimum-wage campaign, the SEIU showed it can effectively engage its members, though Quolke said he thinks it was a strategic mistake to try to make Cleveland ground zero for its effort.

"I think it was the right issue, but it should have been tackled in a strategic way on a state level rather than on a local level," he said. "But when it comes to activating members, you can't downplay that, because at the end of the day, they did a great job at that."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A special prosecutor has obtained statements from Brooklyn Heights Mayor Mike Procuk and three village councilmen in the ongoing criminal investigation into a scuffle involving two councilmen at a closed-door meeting in December.

Special prosecutor Patrick DiChiro, who is also Seven Hills law director, ordered police in an Aug. 30 letter to collect the statements because Thomas Lahiff's "insincere" July apology to Matthew Walsh and refusal to admit that he assaulted Walsh did not fulfill a diversion agreement that allowed Lahiff to avoid criminal charges.

"I appreciate Council's attempt to work with me to resolve this amicably, but Mr. Lahiff has left me with no other option but to pursue a criminal investigation and possible prosecution," DiChiro wrote. "This matter has dragged on too long and there was plenty of time to take advantage of the opportunity that was provided to Mr. Lahiff."

The letter was sent to village police Chief Dan Algeri, who told cleveland.com Monday that a detective interviewed the witnesses in recent weeks and handed over the statements to DiChiro, who will decide whether to bring charges.

DiChiro did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The widening of the investigation comes as Lahiff, first elected to council in 2005, is challenging longterm mayor Procuk in the November general election in this village of fewer than 2,000 residents.

Lahiff is the first person to run against Procuk since 2006. In a phone interview Monday, he accused Walsh of blowing the incident out of proportion and Procuk of pushing the investigation for political reasons.

"This was nowhere near assault," he said. "This is politics at its lowest."

In turn, Walsh pointed cleveland.com to his initial statement to DiChiro, where he said that he did not want to press charges. Had Lahiff authored an honest apology, Walsh said, the entire incident would be in everyone's past.

"I just want what's done to be done right," he said. "And the fact is that I was assaulted."

Procuk said in an email that the only action he took was calling village Law Director Jerry Dowling the day after the meeting to report the incident. Procuk did not initially give a statement to police, and Dowling later appointed DiChiro to avoid any conflicts of interest.

"The residents of Brooklyn Heights and I have all the confidence in our police and legal departments as they do their jobs," Procuk said. "I had nothing to do with what happened, other than I was in the caucus room and witnessed the incident."

The incident in question happened at a December 2016 meeting, during executive session to discuss employee wages and salaries.

Lahiff admitted that he screamed "f--- you" to Walsh and pushed Walsh in the left arm during an argument over employee wages.

"I've never denied that I was wrong in pushing his arm," Lahiff said. "I didn't intend to harm him."

But Walsh maintains that Lahiff shoved him, and said fellow councilman John Black had to intervene and put Lahiff in a bear-hug to stop him from going after Walsh again.

Lahiff also said Black only put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. There was no bear hug, Lahiff said.

"That was fabricated," Lahiff said.

The other councilmen present and the village treasurer, Tim Clymer, declined to give statements when first approached by Algeri, according to a report DiChiro presented to council in March.

DiChiro said in that report that he was confident that he could "charge, try and convict" Lahiff on misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges, but gave council the option to avoid a full criminal investigation and instead agree to punish Lahiff internally.

Council and DiChiro agreed to make Lahiff to go to anger management courses and issue an apology to Walsh.

Lahiff completed the anger management courses, and turned this written apology over to DiChiro in July.

"There was an incident that happened in a closed door Council meeting in December 2016," Lahiff wrote. "While I disagree with the findings, I apologize to Councilman Matt Walsh and all of Council."

Walsh was "insulted and not happy to say the least" by the apology, DiChiro wrote in the August letter to Algeri.

"Any further apology to by him would be meaningless in light of his original letter," DiChiro wrote.

Lahiff provided cleveland.com with a chain of emails between him and DiChiro in which he offered to replace the line that he disagreed with the findings with "I never intended any harm."

The email was dated Aug. 10, a month after the incident and three days after cleveland.com reported on the investigation.

DiChiro responded, "I think that sounds better."

To comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Cleveland-area abortion clinic told the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday that it should have the right to legally challenge a state budget bill that imposed new restrictions on abortion clinics.

An attorney for Preterm argued that it has standing to file a legal challenge to a 2013 budget bill because it included controversial, last-minute provisions that injured the clinic. The clinic claims the bill's abortion restrictions violate an Ohio Constitution provision that bars state legislation from containing more than one subject.

"We are challenging the procedure, the process by which these provisions were added to the bill," attorney Jessie Hill told the court. "We are saying that if they wish to pass these provisions, they have to do so through a fair and constitutional legislative process, and it's the role of this court to ensure that when the legislature passes a bill, it does so in compliance with the Constitution."

Provisions in that budget bill set new rules for transfer agreements that abortion clinics must have with hospitals. It also blocked public hospitals from entering into those transfer agreements. The budget bill channeled government funds for pregnancy-related services to groups that don't provide abortions and required doctors to attempt to find fetal heartbeats in patients about to have abortions.

A lower court ruled that Preterm lacked standing to sue, but the Eighth District Ohio Court of Appeals decided that Preterm could sue because it could demonstrate it suffered injury from some of the bill's provisions. The state of Ohio appealed that decision to Ohio's Supreme Court, arguing that Preterm hadn't shown it was injured.

"Preterm asks this court to fundamentally redefine standing in single subject cases," Assistant Ohio Attorney General Ryan Richardson told the court. "It seeks a rule that would allow Preterm, or any other plaintiff in a single subject case to challenge any provision in a bill without first showing injury from that provision."

Richardson told the court that Preterm wasn't affected by the budget provision it challenged, but Hill argued that it was. She said the bill affected Preterm's negotiations with its transfer agreement hospitals, as well as the procedures its doctors must follow.

"It is the role of this court to make sure they pass laws in accord with the Constitution," Hill said.

A court spokesman said a decision is expected within six months.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The ECOT online charter school has cleared its first hurdle to becoming a dropout recovery school and having its grades instantly improved.

The Ohio Department of Education gave the the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) initial approval for the switch Monday, accepting the school and sponsor's claim that the majority of its students are in need of a special program for at-risk students.

The department does not audit that claim and leaves it to schools and their oversight organizations known as "sponsors" to make that determination.

The state will audit the school's enrollment late this year to be sure that the majority of students in school are between 16 and 21, as required by state law.

Unless the school fails to meet that requirement, it now qualifies for easier grades on state report cards. The state has different expectations for schools that serve troubled students who have fallen behind and need extra attention to graduate.

The change would instantly bump some of ECOT's state grades from an F to a C.

The better grades would prevent repeated Fs from sinking the rating of the school's sponsor, the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West, and avoid both the ESC and school from losing the right to run or sponsor schools next year.

That could still pose a challenge for the school. Because the school includes kindergarten through twelfth grades, having a high percentage of students in that narrower age range becomes more difficult.

Last year, a third of ECOT's students last year were younger than high school age. The 16 to 21 age range will also exclude most high school sophomores and juniors.

The school, however, has said multiple times that large numbers of its students have been held back a year in traditional schools, which could make the target reachable.

The school said in its initial application that 8,000 of its 15,000 students would be both at-risk and within those ages. That amounts to 53 percent of its students - enough to meet state requireements, but one of the lowest percentages of all dropout recovery schools in Ohio.
Pot-bellied pig owners lobbied the Billings City Council  some of them emotionally  during Mondays business meeting to reconsider the councils Sept. 11 decision to ban potbellied, micro and mini pigs from living within city limits.

Elizabeth Rogers said she received two notices from animal control officers  one Friday, the next Saturday  to remove her pig, Hamlet, within seven days or face fines and possible citations.

In addition, her landlord has given her 30 days to vacate her rental property because shes in violation of a city ordinance if she doesnt remove the pig, whom she says she relies on for emotional support.

He has lived his entire seven years as a domesticated pet, she told the council. Hes such a part of our family, and he does a lot for my well-being.

Catherine Stecher was moved to tears pleading with council members to reconsider its ban.

I need help. I want to keep my pig, and I dont want to uproot my children from the school they have been going to since kindergarten, she said. I would move for this pig, if thats what it comes to.

State Rep. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, praised residents for once again bringing the issue forward.

These are normal people, he told the council. We dont see a lot of normal people get involved in politics. Criminalizing something this trivial is kind of sad.

The council took no action to rescind its earlier action. In response to a question from Councilman Chris Friedel, City Attorney Brent Brooks said the council cannot grandfather something  such as existing pet pigs  thats not allowed under city ordinance.

He told the council it also cannot suspend enforcement of the ordinance. Animal Control Supervisor Tom Stinchfield has said he is enforcing the ban on a complaint basis.

At meetings end, the council did unanimously approve an initiative from Councilman Ryan Sullivan to direct staff to study a special permit process for pigs currently living in city limits. There was no indication when that information will be presented to the council.

Thats the way that communities like Denver allow the pet swine in city limits, said Sullivan, who used to live there.

Im trying to allow people who have self-reported not to have to ship out of here, he said.

Honoring the city administrator

At the start of the meeting, the council presented retiring City Administrator Tina Volek with a plant and a gift certificate  and also offered her profuse praise for her 13 years running Montanas largest community.

It has indeed been a privilege and pleasure to work to try to bring change and improvement, Volek said. I think we have a wonderful community in which to live, and I look forward to seeing the city grow and progress.

Volek gave credit for her success to city staff and to her husband Steve, my stalwart and my backup.

Many council members expressed appreciation for Volek's steady hand over her 13 years as city administrator. She retires at the conclusion of her contract, which runs out Sept. 30.

I appreciate your sensibility, the way you have handled yourself and the way you can control your emotion when council people get out of line, Councilman Larry Brewster said.

Of all the executives I have worked with, you are right up there at the top in terms of being effective and getting the job done, said Councilman Al Swanson.

Ive never worked with someone with a higher level of commitment to their job, said Councilman Shaun Brown.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Top colleges, including Ohio State University, reap a hefty profit from non-refundable fees from declined applicants, according to a new study.

At OSU, the 40,240 applicants for fall 2015 each paid a $60 fee, according to LendEDU.com, which helps students with loans, loan refinancing and and personal finance. The university admitted 19,872 students, thus reaping $1.22 million from declined applications, the website said.

The school ranked 45th out of 500 colleges that make the most revenue off declined applications, according to public data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, a source for U.S. college information from the National Center of Education Statistics.

LendEDU said application fees may be valid because colleges must hire staff to review applications. Fees also prevent students from applying to dozens of schools.

High school counselors recommend students submit about eight applications - two to three "reach" schools, two to three "target" schools and two to three "safety" schools.

With the average cost of submitting an application at $50, the process can be costly. Students should check college websites for fee costs before applying.

Some colleges were listed by LendEDU, including Denison University and Kenyon College, although their fee has now been waived. Others have increased the fee since 2015. Ohio University's is now $70.

LendEDU lists the 500 colleges that make the most revenue off declined applications (UCLA was #1, making $5.36 million); 500 colleges that make the most revenue off total applications (UCLA was again #1, making $6.48 million) and 500 colleges with the highest admitted-to-enrolled ratios (Robert Morris University was #1, admitting 726 students and enrolling 630 of them).

Case Western Reserve University, Oberlin College, Baldwin Wallace University, John Carroll University and Notre Dame College are among Ohio schools that either do not charge a fee or waive the fee if the application is submitted online, as nearly all are today.

Following is the ranking of other Ohio schools that made the most money off declined applications, according to the LendEDU study.
NEW CARLISLE, Ohio -- A woman was sentenced to prison Monday after she was convicted on charges for concealing an unloaded handgun in her bra inside a jail, reports say.

A deputy in the Miami County jail discovered the gun on Cassondra Workman, 25, in May as she was being booked following her arrest on an outstanding warrant from Clark County, the New Carlisle News reports.

According to the Dayton Daily News, Workman initially hid the .22-caliber handgun in her clothing. She then managed to hid the gun in the shower before concealing it in the waistband of her jail uniform.

The Daily News says Workman was placed in an indoor recreation area in the jail. While waiting for deputies to arrive, she changed back into her clothing and put the gun in her bra.

A deputy then patted Workman down and found the handgun.

Workman was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments section.
The Scottsdale Mint offers a new silver bullion coin it minted in the name of Barbados. The 1-ounce .999 fine silver $1 coin depicts the head of a trident (which appears on the Barbados national flag), on the reverse, along with the face value.

Another country has joined the parade of silver bullion issuers in 2017.

The private Scottsdale Mint offers a new silver bullion coin minted in the name of Barbados, following issues it minted for Cayman Islands, the Republic of Chad and others.

U.S. Mint welcomes a fourth metal to the American Eagle bullion program. Also in this weeks print issue of Coin World, we teach our readers about what a weak-fatty gold coin is and why you dont want one in your collection.

The 1-ounce .999 fine silver dollar from Barbados depicts the national symbol, the trident (which appears on the Barbados national flag), on the reverse, along with the face value.

The trident, a symbol of strength and power, is drawn from the weapon of the mythical Roman god of freshwater and the sea, Neptune, and often pictured in the hands of Britannia. However, the trident appearing as the national pride of Barbados, and on the Barbados national flag, differs from Neptunes weapon in that the Barbadian trident is only the trident head, with no shaft, and is characterized as a broken trident, symbolizing Barbados historical break and eventual independence from the United Kingdom in 1966.

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The obverse displays the year of issue, 2017, and the Barbados coat of arms, the national symbol featuring a raised fist of a Barbadian grasping two stalks of sugar cane above a shield. Upon the shield are a pair of the national flowers, known as the pride of Barbados, and a single bearded fig tree. The shield is supported by a dolphin fish and a pelican. They stand for the fishing industry and Pelican Island, respectively.

Both obverse and reverse rims feature wavy radial lines that the Scottsdale Mint says make the coins harder to duplicate and provide a measure of security.

The coin has a limited mintage of 30,000 coins.

Individual coins are offered in protective plastic capsules. Multiples of five typically are presented in a sealed sheet. Multiples of 240 are packaged in a larger box.

As of Sept. 26, distributors offered the coin for about $6 to $7 above the precious metal, or spot, price, depending on payment method, and as low as $5 above spot, depending on quantity purchased.
The CCAC recommended this design for the 2019 American Memorial Park quarter dollar for the Northern Mariana Islands, though members asked that U.S. Mint designers make some modifications to the designs.

We continue a new series of personal articles written by Dennis Tucker, publisher of Whitman Publishing and a member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, providing insight to the CCACs deliberations as its members review designs for U.S. coins and medals. In introduction, Dennis explains: My intent is to educate the hobby community; there are a lot of collectors who just dont get it when it comes to how coin programs come about, how coin designs are made, etc. I think a behind-the-scenes look will be very helpful for the hobby.

My late-morning flight from Atlanta to the September 19, 2017, Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee meeting in Washington was quick and easy  no delays, no bad weather or turbulence. Its an hour-and-a-half trip from The Big Peach to our nations capital. Convenient travel is one of the advantages of living in Atlanta, home to the busiest airport in the United States. Im well aware that other CCAC members sometimes have to fly in at the crack of dawn, or take trains that might or might not be delayed.

At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport I received in change two bright, freshly minted 2017 America the Beautiful quarters  one Ellis Island, and one Frederick Douglass. Their designs illustrate the amount of fine detail that can fit on the small canvas of a quarter dollar. Theres a difference between busyness in a composition and detail in its execution.

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The second portfolio of designs we reviewed in our meeting was for American Memorial Park on Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands.

This park honors the American and Marianas people who gave their lives during the Marianas Campaign of World War II. There are 5,204 names inscribed on a memorial that was dedicated during the 50th anniversary of the Invasion of Saipan.

U.S. Mint welcomes a fourth metal to the American Eagle bullion program. Also in this weeks print issue of Coin World, we teach our readers about what a weak-fatty gold coin is and why you dont want one in your collection.

We were joined by Paul Scolari, acting superintendent of the park, who was calling in from Guam (where it was 1:00 in the morning). Mr. Scolari described American Memorial Park: Its an urban setting of about 130 acres, a commemorative park and a memorial landscape that was established coincident with the creation of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. People use it as a living park, for recreation, Scolari said, and its an important part of the community in that sense. But its main focal point is the Memorial Court of Honor and Flag Circle, and its intent is to honor the war dead.

As I reviewed the design portfolio, I kept in mind the definition of a memorial: a monument or structure established to remind people of a person or event; especially to remember someone who has died; from the Latin word for memory. Although the physical beauty of American Memorial Park is an appealing attraction, I remember the words of Superintendent Jim Richardson in our March 2017 CCAC meeting: World War II is the critical reason for the parks being.

To me, the hands-down winning design in this portfolio is MP-01. It shows a boy on the shoulder of a serviceman, saluting the Court of Honor and Flag Circle. The boy is specifically Chamorro  one of the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands. (The soldier could be Chamorro, or he could be continental American.) To me, its important to show the Chamorro culture and ethnicity  not only for the significance of local participation in the Marianas Campaign, but for the sake of young Asian Americans, so they can see themselves on a circulating U.S. coin. (There are about 20 million Asian Americans living in the United States and its territories.) The brand promise of the United States Mint is Connecting America Through Coins, and this design offers a unique opportunity to do just that without weakening its connection to the memorial park.

Another strong aspect of MP-01 is the boys salute. This physical act is a universal symbol of respect. A salute is immediately recognizable whether youre a civilian or military. It transcends language. To me, this quietly but eloquently tells the story and the purpose of American Memorial Park.

I was pleased that Acting Superintendent Scolari agreed with my analysis of the coin design, and he indicated that MP-01 was also the preferred design of the National Park Service.

Other CCAC members spoke to the appeal of other designs. Acting Chairman Donald Scarinci found MP-06 and 06A to be the most aesthetically pleasing. Former chair Mary Lannin referred to the delicacy of the flowers on MP-03, calling it a beautiful design that should strike well. She also was attracted to MP-06 and 06A, especially with the curvature of the wavy typography on 06. Ronald Harrigal, the Mints acting quality manager, who was present at the meeting, confirmed that the wavy effect is technically achievable, with the Mints artists able to craft the lettering to give the illusion of it being on a flag, even though theyre constrained by the small surface area of a quarter dollar.

Member Tom Uram (who was recently elected to the Board of Governors of the American Numismatic Association) called attention to the designs that feature the words THE COURT OF HONOR AND FLAG CIRCLE, including MP-07 and 08.

Member Heidi Wastweet, a sculptural artist based in California, called MP-01 a lovely drawing and noted its appeal, but she opined that it wouldnt work well on a quarter-sized coin. The design would be too shallow, she said, and the layering would be a challenge for whomever is assigned its sculpt. MP-03 she felt would read well as a quarter dollar, with emotion conveyed in its combination of simplicity and detail. She found MP-06 and 06A to be too crowded, without enough negative space; and in MP-07 she found the perspective of the flags interesting (as did I and several other committee members). MP-08 she described as attractive, with symmetry, though perhaps unimaginative.

Member Erik Jansen, a scientist and businessman from Washington State and a lifelong coin collector, called the designs all utilitarian. He also gave a reminder to the artists who submit potential coin designs: Grayscale is different from coin engraving. He offered MP-06 as an example, noting that the toning in the drawing would not translate into sculpted metal.

Member Mike Moran, a natural-resources industrialist by trade and also an award-winning numismatic author, said he was troubled by MP-03, noting that it doesnt capture the memorial parks Court of Honor. I agree this is a detraction for the design, even though I find the artists work beautiful and I think it would make an attractive coin or medal. To me the flowers are too generic of a memorial symbol; they could represent any grieving commemoration, public or private, and dont speak specifically to American Memorial Park. MP-06 and 06A, Moran said, wouldnt coin well, and he said 07 and 08 are okay  not very creative, but how many ways can you show a circle of flags?

Member Dr. Herman Viola, a curator emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution, called this coin a tough design, but gave his support to MP-08.

Member Jeanne Stevens-Sollman, a Pennsylvania-based sculptor and president of the American Medallic Sculpture Association, commented on the difficulty of this portfolio. The flags in MP-07 and 08, scaled down to coin size, would be too small, she said. MP-06 was her preference; she praised its quality, but also wondered aloud if it would strike well.

Member Robert Hoge, retired curator of North American Coins and Currency for the American Numismatic Society, and former curator of the American Numismatic Association, acknowledged the difficulty of the subject. MP-01, he said, is an attractive design but with details too small for a quarter dollar  a critique he also leveled at MP-07 and 08. He brought attention to MP-04: It does show the park, though in a very stylized manner. His favorite among the designs was MP-03, and he noted the significance of the date, June 15th, 1944, observing that the coins year of issue, 2019, makes it a 75-year commemorative of the arrival of American troops on Saipan.

Ron Harrigal discussed some of the technical challenges of depicting long, straight lines, such as flag poles, on coins, especially in Proof format. He said the Mints artists and technicians would have to make multiple versions of the tooling to get it right. We also discussed with Ron and with April Stafford, director of the Mints Office of Design Management, the feasibility of changing the peripheral legend of NOR. MARIANA ISL. to N. MARIANA ISLANDS. They assured us that the possibilities had already been discussed with the National Park Service, and the wording and lettering had been experimented with, and the current legend was what worked.

Our Vote for American Memorial Park, and Our Recommendation to the Treasury

The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee was established by Congress to advise the secretary of the Treasury on theme and design proposals relating to circulating coinage, bullion coinage, Congressional Gold Medals, and national and other medals.

The CCAC doesnt decide what goes on coins. We give our studied, reasoned advice to the Treasury secretary, and he makes the final decisions.

Part of our process in coming to a recommendation for any given coin is to take a vote after we discuss and analyze each design proposal. In our voting for the American Memorial Park coin, each design candidate could earn up to 30 points. (10 members were present, and each could assign 1, 2, or 3 points to each design.) This is how our voting went:

? MP-01 earned 14 points and was our favored design.

? MP-03 and MP-06/06A each earned 10 points.

? MP-08 earned 8 points.

? MP-07 earned 7 points.

? MP-04 earned 6 points.

? MP-05/05A earned 3 points.

? MP-02 earned 0 points.

With several committee members noting that MP-01 would benefit from slight modifications to fit a small coin diameter, we further advised the Mints artist to enlarge the figures, push the flags more to the background, and/or otherwise provide variations of the design for our review and approval. We will then make our final endorsement to the secretary of the Treasury.

Next: the War in the Pacific National Historical Park (Guam) quarter.


Space News space history and artifacts articles Messages space history discussion forums Sightings worldwide astronaut appearances Resources selected space history documents





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British astronaut's spacecraft launches on UK-wide museum tour





British astronaut Tim Peake's Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft is going on tour of the UK through mid-2019. (Science Museum, London) September 26, 2017  You now have a chance to land the Russian spacecraft that flew the UK's first professional astronaut to and from the International Space Station, both virtually and, possibly, physically.



The Science Museum Group in London, which acquired British astronaut Tim Peake's Soyuz TMA-19M capsule in 2016, announced Tuesday (Sept. 26) that the spacecraft is embarking on a tour of the United Kingdom over the next two years. Sponsored by Samsung, the traveling exhibition features a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) experience that invites visitors to sit in Peake's seat for his December 2015 return from space.



"I am particularly happy that people up and down the UK now [will] have the opportunity to discover more about my Principia mission and space travel," said Peake, "and that the Science Museum Group, with the support of Samsung, are doing so much to inspire the public and schools in this tour."



"The National Tour of Tim Peake's Spacecraft" debuts on Wednesday at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, England. The tour will visit a total of eight venues across the UK through May 2019  including the winner of a competition to display the capsule.





British astronaut Tim Peake with his Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, England, on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Tim Peake via Twitter) "We are launching a public competition to find our final venue, who will have the opportunity to host The National Tour of Tim Peake's Spacecraft and Space Descent VR for up to three months in autumn 2018," the Science Museum Group said in a statement. "We are looking for applications from all types of venues all around the country."



"I'd also urge anyone who wishes to see the capsule land near them to contact their local venues to apply to be the sixth destination," said Peake.



Have space capsule, will travel



The Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft, which launched Peake, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos and NASA astronaut Tim Kopra for a 185-day stay aboard the space station, first touched down in the UK on display at the Science Museum in London in January. The capsule was acquired from RSC Energia, the Russian contractor responsible for building the Soyuz and a partner with the museum on a prior Cosmonauts exhibit in 2015.





"The National Tour of Tim Peake's Spacecraft" includes the Soyuz TMA-19M descent capsule, its main parachute, and the 360-degree "Space Descent VR" experience. (Science Museum, London) "It is incredible to see the capsule that you flew to space in come back and see it on display at the Science Museum. It brings back so many powerful memories," said Peake in a museum video. "Obviously, you have a huge attachment to something that kept you alive and seen you through such rigors of going to space and back."



The Soyuz will be on display in Bradford through Nov. 19. From there, it will travel to: Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham (England)  Nov. 22, 2017 to Jan. 15, 2018



National Railway Museum in York (England)  Jan. 17, 2018 to March 8, 2018



Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (England)  March 10, 2018 to May 13, 2018



National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh  Mid-May to mid-August 2018



Venue TBA (competition slot)  Mid-August to mid-November 2018 (to be confirmed)



National Museum Wales in Cardiff  Mid-November 2018 to January 2019



National Museums Northern Ireland: Ulster Museum in Belfast  Mid-February 2019 to mid-May 2019 "Wonderful to see Soyuz TMA-19M on tour of UK," wrote Peake on Twitter on Tuesday.



The tour, which coincides with the joint UK-Russia Year of Science and Education, is expected to reach hundreds of thousands of visitors across the eight venues. The Science Museum Group's Learning and Outreach team will also be working with selected schools in the UK to offer students opportunities to learn about space as part of the exhibition.



The Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft, complete with its 80 foot (25 m) main parachute, will be free to visitors at all venues. "Space Descent VR with Tim Peake" will be accessible to visitors age 13 and older for 5/6.





Click to enlarge and view video in a new, pop-up window. (MSI) "Most of us have dreamed of going into space and it is our mission to bring that possibility to life," Russell Taylor, chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland, said in a statement. "This national tour not only lets people see the Soyuz capsule up close, but the 'Space Descent VR' gives them the most realistic experience there is."



Space available



Venues interested in competing to host Peake's spacecraft for the sixth stop on its UK tour have until Dec. 1 to apply to the Science Museum Group.



Eligible locations need to have at least 270 square feet (25 square meters) of indoor space where the capsule can be displayed free of charge to the public. The venue must be able to meet a set of environmental conditions for the safe display of the Soyuz with its main parachute.



Appropriate sites must also have the ability to take school bookings.



Shortlisted locations, which will be announced in January, will be reviewed by a judging panel and the winner will be announced when the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft goes on display at its fourth tour stop, the Museum of Science and Industry, in March 2018.





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A few  but just a few  details about the proposed One Big Sky Center development emerged Monday during a special meeting of the Billings City Council.

Bob Dunn, president of Hammes Companies of Madison, Wisconsin, and a principal of Landmark, which is researching the economics of the project before moving forward with the development, told the council the project evaluation to date includes 150,000 square feet of office space, 300 housing units, 90,000 square feet of retail space, a convention center, a 200-room hotel and an 1,100-stall parking garage.

We arent the developer, he told the council. We are a developer thats part of a plan to transform your city.

He said that if such an anchor project is constructed downtown, other developers will come in and build, transforming the community over time.

He said it is Landmarks strong opinion that a convention center that can compete regionally  such as those in Bismarck, Fargo and Rapid City do already  is needed. A smaller facility, he said, would be a fight to the bottom.

He said the council should have the companys due diligence complete and available for council consideration by mid-November. The council had already set at Dec. 11 deadline for completion of the projects development agreement, which will spell out how much public financing city officials are willing to commit to the project.

Dunn said its premature after just a few weeks of research to say how much the public funding ask will be. Developers hope to tap tax increment financing to help pay for the public components of the development, such as the convention center and parking garage.

We move quickly, and we are confident that when we come forward with that (ask), we wont miss, Dunn told the council.

When MontDevCo LLC, the original project developer, first put the development concept forward, that ask was in the $35 million range for a proposed $165 million downtown development.

Dunn hinted that the original project vision may prove too modest.

Our belief is that the vision should be bigger, he said. However, We need to begin to understand what your vision is for your city. We can share what were finding and our experience from other markets like this  but its your city and its for you to decide which vision youre in support of.

Its also too soon, he said, to discuss how much rent One Big Sky Center office space might fetch.

We will aggressively court businesses we believe are good candidates to become part of the tenant roster, he said. Rent is one of the top three questions they will ask, and we cant answer that today.

Some businesses will be happy to locate in new space, he said, for a number of reasons, including how locating in a shiny new office helps them to recruit young, talented workers.

Companies struggle mightily to recruit, he said. Part of our job is to figure out that value tradeoff.

Dunn called the councils choice of whether to invest TIF dollars an investment decision no different for you than for me. He said the council will do well to help companies in their recruitment efforts.

You will be judged based on your vision, he said, and what youve done to the core of your city for this next generation.

Dunn said he spent much of Monday meeting with local economic developers, and plans more meetings Tuesday with the Billings Chamber of Commerce and its NextGen group of young business professionals.

Residents who spoke to the council after Dunns presentation, including a broker and a financial adviser, said they saw value in the development.

Chandler Griffin, a commercial broker with Mountain West, said he knows theres demand for commercial space in Billings because companies hes worked with have decided to locate elsewhere, for a variety of reasons. Companies he mentioned included Trader Joes, Planet Fitness and Burlington Coat Factory.

There is demand for the space, he said. Its a question of how you build it and how you structure the lease rates.

Lee Humphrey, a financial adviser with Edward Jones, told the council, If we dont have modern office space, its hard to attract these high-paying jobs.

The work that Landmark completes as part of its due diligence will show us what kind of interest these companies have in Billings. He also advised the council to consider levying a bond issue to help pay for the project rather than tapping TIF funds.

Over 20 years, its just about a wash, he said.

Dunn said Landmark officials will return in October for another update before the council.
U.S. Highway 212 has reopened as far as Vista Point after last week's snowstorm closed the high-elevation scenic route south of Red Lodge.

Plowing crews from the Montana Department of Transportation and Yellowstone National Park are continuing to clear snow from the road, but the Beartooth Highway is unlikely to reopen in full until Wednesday at the earliest, officials said.

It's "very doubtful today, very doubtful probably even tomorrow" that the road will open, MDT road reporter Larry Newell said Tuesday morning.

State plow crews responsible for clearing the road up to the Montana state line are encountering snow drifts up to 4 1/2 feet deep, he added.

Yellowstone Park crews are similarly working through snow that's 2 to 3 feet deep on the Wyoming side of the road, said Everett Munson, the park's North District road supervisor.

Within the park, all roads are open except the segment of the Grand Loop Road between Upper Terrace Loop Drive and Norris Junction, which is closed for construction through Oct. 6.
A Casper woman was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of drunk driving after she ran into a Casper Police Department cruiser stopped at a flashing red light. Neither the officer nor the suspected drunk driver was seriously injured.

Ashley Suzanne Jones, 26, of Casper, was driving a Chevy Aveo westbound around midnight on Yellowstone Highway when she rear-ended a police car stopped at the intersection with First Street, according to court documents.

Jones was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and driving without insurance, after blowing a .221, nearly triple the legal limit, according to the documents.

The police cruiser was described by a sheriff's deputy as having a "crumpled" rear bumper with a muffler "dragging on the ground." The officer's airbag deployed, according to the deputy.

Because a Casper police officer was involved in the wreck, the case was handled by the Natrona County Sheriff's Department.

Documents indicate that Jones told a sheriff's deputy she had three shots of vodka with dinner, around two hours before the wreck.

Jones was unable to stand on one leg for more than seven seconds and nearly fell over when doing a field sobriety test in which she was required to walk a straight line and turn around, according to the documents.

The incident comes less than a month after a man was cited for drunk driving when he turned left in front of an oncoming Casper police cruiser. That case was investigated by the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Casper police Detective John Hatcher said he was surprised by the chronological closeness of the two incidents, which he described as a "strange and rare thing."
Despite the state's major funding shortfalls, Gov. Matt Mead said he expects Wyoming lawmakers to pass a workforce training package worth tens of millions of dollars when they meet this winter.

Mead said that while investing in workforce training, which is a key part of his economic diversity initiative, may be a tough sell, it is essential to helping the states economy recover and grow.

There is a lot of things that look counterintuitive that will get us where we need, Mead told a meeting of the Wyoming Community Development Agency Board on Monday in Casper.

Mead said in an interview that the while the legislation is still a work in progress he expects it to call for a substantial sum.

It wouldnt be one million or two million, he said. It would be tens of millions.

Mead said it remained unclear how that money would be distributed or where it would come from but that several lawmakers were working on drafting a bill. He declined to name the legislators.

Can it pass?

Senate President Eli Bebout, R-Riverton, said that he had participated in discussions with Mead and House Speaker Steve Harshman, R-Casper, and was supportive of approving spending for workforce training.

Itll have to weigh against our other revenue demands, Bebout acknowledged. But we have to take a 30,000-foot view and look from the future and diversification and providing jobs is a huge one.

Bebout has favored cuts to state spending in order to balance a shortfall in the main budget that now stands at about $100 million and an additional deficit of over $700 million in the education fund.

Economic diversity committee releases first report, but real challenge is yet to come A committee working to diversify Wyomings economy last week released its first report, detailing what many already knew: the Cowboy State faces a steep road in any effort to move away from economic dependence on the energy industry.

But the governors ENDOW economic diversification initiative, launched last year, has found strong support among Bebout and other lawmakers who are generally loath to agree to new spending amid the budget shortfalls.

The Legislature approved $2.5 million to kickstart the ENDOW program last session.

The preliminary report released by the ENDOW Council in August identified a lack of skilled labor as one of the main barriers to economic diversification in Wyoming. The council is creating a 20-year plan that will be released next year.

Bebout said that earmarking additional funds specifically for workforce training may be easier for lawmakers to swallow than other spending measures because unlike state agency funding, for example, the request would be a one-time expenditure.

He likened a workforce training bill to a capital building expenditure.

Its not an ongoing revenue stream so if we have some capital gains we realize and people want to do some new construction ... this might be a better way to spend some one-time money, he said.

Harshman did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
The presidents of Wyoming's seven community colleges and the University of Wyoming released a letter in support of DACA, calling on the state's congressional delegation to support the DREAM Act.

"The young adults enrolled in our colleges who are in jeopardy of being deported are Wyoming's youth," the presidents wrote. "Their hopes and dreams include futures in Wyoming. We know them and we know their stories."

The letter -- sent to the Star-Tribune late last week -- cites not only the young people's ties to Wyoming but also what they can add to a state with an aging population and a labor force that's been depleted recently as workers leave to escape a struggling economy.

Wyoming's two senators and one U.S. representative have all said they support ending DACA, which allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States before the age of 16 to pursue higher education, obtain lawful employment and enlist in the military.

President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced earlier this month that the federal government would eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals -- which was instituted under President Barack Obama -- in six months. Days later, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi said they reached a deal with Trump to put the DACA protections into law, though that is yet to happen.

In seven bullet points, the educators explain their support for DACA and the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children.

"The growing minority population (in Wyoming) helped offset the labor force who moved out of the state," they wrote. "(Economist Wenlin) Lieu reported that 'nearly two-thirds of the state's population growth from 2010 to 2016 was attributed to addition in the minority population.'"

On top of a declining labor force, Wyoming has an aging population, a trend that's "picked up speed" and is one of the fastest in the nation, Lieu said.

"Supporting our students and their needs was the incentive for signing the letter," said Casper College spokesman Chris Lorenzen.

There are 800,000 DACA recipients nationwide. More than 620 are in Wyoming. But how many are enrolled at UW or one of the community colleges isn't clear. The University of Wyoming and Casper College officials have said they aren't sure how many they have on their campuses. But both schools have sent out notes to their student bodies, advising them on resources available to students who may be affected by a rollback of the measure.

UW followed that up with another note sent to the campus last Monday, describing repercussions of the Trump administration's announcement. For instance, the Department of Homeland Security will no longer accept first-time applications.

The email told concerned students to contact the University Counseling Center or Adam Severson, a Colorado attorney who teaches at UW's College of Law.

Chad Baldwin, a spokesman for UW, said that though exact numbers are unclear, he's heard that "a significant number of students are receiving some kind of assistance."

Baldwin said he doesn't believe UW President Laurie Nichols has spoken officially with any of the three members of Wyoming's congressional delegation. But he called the letter, which was published in part in the Star-Tribune, an indirect communication to them.

The letter is the first firm stance taken on the issue by UW. After the Trump administration's initial announcement, school officials said they were monitoring the situation. Baldwin said that letter wasn't intended to take a position but was used to inform the campus population.

The UW chapter of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan decried the proposed rollback and called it the "end of achieving the American Dream."

Past activism

It's not the first time the leaders of Wyoming's institutions of higher learning have released an op-ed opposing government action. Earlier this year, the same group -- minus, at first, the signature of Casper College President Darren Divine -- penned a letter opposing a Wyoming bill that would have allowed people to carry guns on college campuses.

Divine told the Star-Tribune in February that he was in support of the op-ed when it was written. But when he told the college's board that he intended to sign on, they told him they would not take a position on the bill.

Eventually, the board was asked to take a stand at a board meeting by biology instructor Will Robinson. They held an impromptu vote to oppose it, which passed 4-2. The bill died in the Senate two days later.
CORNWALL, Ontario  The five Canadian Union of Public Employee councils (CUPE) that represent approximately 600 City of Cornwall employees protested outside the Cornwall City Council Meeting that took place on Monday, Sept. 25.

The union employees have all been operating without contracts for about a year or more and earlier this year it was reported in local media that City Council had passed a zero percent increase to their wages in a closed meeting.

National CUPE Representative for Cornwall Keith Sandford said that the protest was about being heard by Council.

Its about getting to the table and not doing negotiations in the papers, he said.

CUPE members were not consulted by Council before they decided to freeze their wages for the year.

Alison Denis, another National Representative for CUPE stated that usually the City negotiated contracts based on two-to-three-year mandates, but this year, according to CUPE, Geoff Clarke, General Manager for Corporate Services, only has a one-year mandate to negotiate.

Since, City contracts with CUPE have already been expired for a year, CUPE feels the lifetime of a one-year mandate would be short lived.

We feel the City wants us to roll over with the old contracts which is no real negotiation, said Denis.

Clarke said he would not comment on an ongoing negotiation.

City of Cornwall Mayor Leslie OShaughnessy met with the protesters outside of City Hall prior to the Monday night council meeting. The Mayor told Seaway News that CUPE members should not hold ill will against City Administration.

I expect them to bring forward their proposals, he said. Administration should not be held accountable for decisions of Council.

The CUPE councils present at the protest were Council 3251, which represents inside workers, 234, which represents outside workers, 1792, for Glen-Stor-Dun Lodge employees, 3251-51 for library workers, and 5734 which represents paramedics.

CUPE has proposed that the City engage with them in negotiations for the month of November, and have said that they will continue to protest council meetings until they are invited to the table and get a fair deal.
SOUTH STORMONT, Ontario  South Stormont residents Alan and Audrey Bain have an art show on display at the Marianne van Silfhout Gallery at the St. Lawrence College Brockville campus.

The husband and wife team have been making art together since 1961 and will be displaying their work from then until now at this show titled Together Over the Years: A Retrospective.

The show started running on Sept. 22 and will continue until Oct. 27 with an open house from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the gallery on Sept. 30.

Alan, studied geology at McGill University and worked as an exploration geologist and eventually a public school educator. Alan was a principal at Nationview, Morrisburg, Newington and Martintown.

Audrey, was an artist all of her life with her early work being in oil painting before moving to acrylic. She attended the Nova Scotia Academy of Art and graduated from St. Lawrence College with a Diploma in Fine Arts. She also served as Gallery Director at the Cornwall Regional Art Gallery for 10 years.

We would go and take photographs together of landscapes and then critique them, said Alan. Then I decided Id start painting them too. I wanted to do something different than Audrey, so I worked in watercolour.

In his life as a geologist, Alan worked a lot in Boreal forests and painted them extensively as an artist. This also was a part of his decision to paint with watercolours.

The explorers who mapped out those areas used watercolours and that was a part of my interest in them, he said.

It was not until 1975 that Alan and Audrey started painting together and while they have done other art shows, this is their first big retrospective.

It is pretty exciting, this is the first time weve tried anything on this scale, said Alan. We had no idea how much work it would be.

Both Alan and Audrey are elected members of the Society of Canadian Artists.
SUMMERSTOWN, Ontario  On September 25, 2017 at approximately 6:00 pm members of the Stormont Dundas & Glengarry Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a report of a plane crash near Airport Road, South Glengarry Township.

This incident prompted a massive search involving various law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border. The Joint Rescue Coordinator Center (JRCC) at 8-Wing CFB Trenton, three marine units from the RCMP, OPP and the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service as well as a helicopter from the New York State Police searched the area.

The lone occupant of the Seaplane Buccaneer was located at approximately 10:00 pm in a wooded area southwest of the Cornwall Regional Airport. The 70 year old pilot was transported to hospital with serious injuries.

Officers and emergency medical services personnel were exposed to aviation fuel and fumes and were subsequently sent to hospital where they were treated and later released.

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) and Ministry of Environment (MOE) were notified and will be involved in the fuel clean up.
Trumps declaration of war

CPA statement

Last week, US president Donald Trump addressed the United Nations and made a declaration of war against a number of UN member-states. In a dictatorial diatribe that paid lip service in passing to the UNs peace-keeping mission, the leader of the biggest nuclear weapons power presented a picture of the world where each country stands alone in pursuit of their own interests to the exclusion of all others.

Trump addresses the United Nations.

The declared subjects of the declaration of war  grouped together as rogue regimes  are North Korea, Iran and Venezuela. Beating the drums of war, Trump announced to the 193 UN-member states that the US will be spending $700 billion on our military ... our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been.

We live in a time of extraordinary opportunity, he stated. But each day also brings news of growing dangers that threaten everything we cherish and value. Terrorists and extremists have gathered strength and spread to every region of the planet. Rogue regimes represented in this body (UN) not only support terrorists, but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity.

In reference to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea), Trump threatened to spark a nuclear conflagration: The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

Aside from this outrageous threat to annihilate an entire country, such an act would inevitably escalate a chain reaction leading to world-wide catastrophe: the destruction of life on earth.

There is no such thing as limited nuclear war.

Israel, the military arm of the US in the Middle East and itself a global pariah for its abuse of human rights, is playing a wider role beyond the Middle East in the strategy to escalate US hegemony. Thus in praise, following Trumps diatribe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had never heard a bolder or more courageous speech at the UN.

Throughout his speech Trump peddled successive versions of the Big Lie:

In America we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone ...

In America the people govern, the people rule and the people are sovereign.

In foreign affairs, we are renewing the principle of sovereignty.

And: The United States of America has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world and the greatest defender of sovereignty.

Alluding to developments since the conclusion of WW2, the lie then became an insult to the intelligence of the international community: It is an eternal credit to the American character that even after we and our allies emerged victorious from the bloodiest war in history, we did not seek territorial expansion ...

On terrorism, without giving details, Trump stated ominously, I have also totally changed the rules of our engagement in our fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups. The US has launched airstrikes, two land invasions, and drone strikes around the world since the September 11, 2001 attack in New York City, after which  under cover of the war on terror  former George W Bush proclaimed endless war.

The most blatant hypocrisy from Trump was the constant reference to the sovereignty of nations. Even without recounting the US history of successive violations of the sovereignty and independence of nations around the world, the speech over and over again threatened the destruction of these two fundamental tenants of the UN, targeting North Korea, Iran, Syria, China, Russia, Venezuela and Cuba, the latter two demonised in the language of the cold war as socialist dictatorship.

Further, he continued, From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever ... socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure.

Australia has a central role in the strategy being played out in the power shift of global spheres of interest. US spy bases in Australia direct attacks to their targets in conflicts, with preparations for war in the region increasingly evident in the growing US military presence in Australias north, targeted not only at North Korea but also China.

The vision of self-interest and ultra-nationalism expounded in the Trump speech is the belligerence of an imperialist power looking to reconfigure power toward the New World Order pronounced by the US towards the end of last century. Globalisation, the term used to define this phase of imperialism, was to be the means by which this new order was to be delivered.

To achieve this new form of world slavery, the ruling class in the US and its sycophantic allies, such as Australia, will use all means available to them: military power, economic control and domination, political and ideological manipulation and terrorism.

Nonetheless, there are sharp contradictions and antagonisms between the main capitalist groupings. Each wants to dominate and strives to protect its interests while trying to expand their spheres of interest and take more of the markets.

The New World Order is about imposing the world-wide domination of capital by a system going deeper into crisis at every turn.

The CPA  in concert with the overwhelming response of the international community  calls for negotiations on an equal basis to resolve differences between nations and condemns any moves to increase tensions that could lead to conflict.

See Statement by the Tudeh (Communist) Party of Iran.
Editorial

Australias tragic energy fiasco

Last week foreign Minister Julie Bishop restated Australias commitment to the crucial Paris Climate Change agreement aimed at limiting the 2050 global temperature rise to 2 degrees. The Australian Energy Market Operator says this necessitates cutting coal-fired energy production by 15.5 gigawatts by 2036. However, the government wants energy corporation AGL to keep running the coal-fired Liddell power station until 2027, five years beyond its closure date, or to sell it to someone who will.

AGL wants to replace the station with a new plant using wind and solar power, batteries and back-up gas, but the government may force the company to split its retailing and power generating divisions, thereby damaging its profit levels, if it doesnt co-operate.

The governments stated energy policy is to meet its climate commitment but with energy cheap and reliable. However, its unstated policy is to protect the coal industry at all costs, and coal can no longer compete with renewable energy for reliability and economy.

Australias coal-fired power stations will close within 20 years. The former Collinsville and Northern stations are being replaced with solar plants that can plug into existing on-site national grid connections, and many energy firms want to do the same when their existing coal-fired stations close down.

Their prime motive is profit, not the environment. State government gold-plating infrastructure arrangements have enabled them to repeatedly jack up energy rates. The price of AGLs Liddell plant was offset by a handsome $768 million state government discount on the price of coal.

Because nature provides renewable energy free of charge and the cost of renewable energy generation facilities has fallen, private energy providers can now boost their profits by building renewable energy plants after the existing power stations close.

But privatisation has left the national electricity grid dangerously unreliable. Private operators are unwilling to maintain the ageing generators. The Liddell plant now operates at only 1,000 megawatts on average (50 percent of its nominal capacity), and occasionally ceases production altogether. Repairs would cost between $500 million and $1 billion.

Last summer the French firm Energie decided to seek profit elsewhere and closed its giant Hazelwood power station in Victoria. The sudden reduction in energy output resulted in white knuckle peak periods in which gas and coal-fired generators tripped out and eastern Australia teetered on the edge of widespread blackouts.

But renewable energy proved totally reliable. NSW coalition energy minister Don Harwin commented: Clean energy performed as forecast, thermal generation did not.

Australias energy policy is being determined by a federal coalition faction led by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and backed by the Minerals Council of Australia and the Murdoch media empire.

Abbott claims the Paris commitment was only inspirational, and if private firms wont build new coal-fired power stations the government should do so. The government says it will release a new energy policy based on the recommendations of Chief Scientist Alan Finkel, but with a larger role for coal.

Finkel recommended accepting a clean energy target, with gas classified as clean, despite its carbon emissions, and with renewables having a 42 percent share of energy production by 2030, and coal 53 percent.

That wouldnt meet Australias Paris commitment, but under the governments plan, coals share would be even bigger, close to the anticipated business as usual level of 57 percent, with a feeble 35 percent from renewables.

And meanwhile, a climate change crisis is looming. Global temperatures and sea levels are rising. Massive storms have recently wrecked communities in the US, the Caribbean and Bangladesh.

Australia has experienced the warmest September on record. The bushfires that plague us in summer now appear in early spring.

Time is critical. To deal with climate change, the government should be taking control of energy production, replacing coal-fired power stations with renewable energy plants and back up facilities, facilitating the introduction of electric vehicles, protecting our cities against rising sea levels, and taking steps to prevent the spread of tropical diseases and conserve our water resources and agricultural land.

But instead, its guarding the fossil industries and slowing down the transition from coal to new clean technology, thereby denying the people of Australia protection from the terrible impacts of climate change.

For the sake of this and future generations, at the earliest opportunity we must replace it with a new government dedicated to winning the climate change struggle at all costs.
As Co-Chairs of the Montana Legislative Sportsmens Caucus, itself a member of the 48-state National Assembly of Sportsmens Caucuses network, we were proud to join like-minded sportsmen-legislators from across the nation in celebrating the 45th National Hunting and Fishing Day this past Saturday. We recognized the time-honored traditions of hunting and angling, as well as the historical and current contributions of the original conservationists  hunters and anglers  in supporting sound, science-based fish and wildlife conservation.

Through purchasing licenses, tags and waterfowl stamps, and by paying excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing tackle, motorboat fuel, and other hunting and fishing equipment, sportsmen and women drive conservation funding in the United States.

Collectively, these funding sources constitute the American System of Conservation Funding, a unique user pays-public benefits system, which this year is celebrating its 80th anniversary. Via passage of the Pittman-Robertson Act, the Dingell-Johnson Act, and the Wallop-Breaux Amendment, this excise tax revenue is apportioned back to state fish and wildlife agencies, including Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Last year alone, Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson combined contributed $29 million, while hunting and fishing licenses brought an additional, approximate $43 million to fund conservation efforts in the state.

All Montanans benefit from these funds through improved access to public lands, public shooting facilities, improved water quality, habitat restoration, fish and wildlife research (game and non-game), private and public habitat management, hunter education, angler access area construction, and numerous other Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks projects funded through this System.

The Montana Legislative Sportsmens Caucus recognizes the contributions of sportsmen and women to conservation; without them, Montanas fish and wildlife would not be nearly as abundant, nor would our economy be as vibrant. Whether chasing elk in the Missouri Breaks, casting flies for brown and rainbow trout on the Big Hole River, or glassing for mule deer in the high country, Montanans have ample opportunities to pursue their outdoor pastimes thanks to hunters and anglers.

We celebrate the many and varied benefits that hunting and angling provide for the Treasure State, and hope that our fellow Montanans were able note this special occasion and the vast opportunities to hunt and fish in Montana. The outdoor traditions of hunting and angling should not be taken for granted and opportunities to hunt and fish should continue to be abundantly available for future generations.

More information is available at the Congressional Sportsmens Foundation website at sportsmenslink.org/policies/state/NHFD, or at http://fwp.mt.gov/.
Statement  Tudeh Party of Iran

Donald Trumps serious threat to global peace

The Tudeh Party of Iran believes that global peace hinges on the efforts of all peace-loving and progressive forces across the world to work for the resolution of all conflicts and disputes through negotiation and within the framework of the UN Charter.

The first speech of US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday September 19, 2017, exhibited to the worlds public the deeply reactionary, interventionist, and warmongering nature of the US administration, and the grave risks that thus threaten world peace.

Donald Trumps speech on the first day of the UN General Assembly  after the opening address of Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General  unprecedentedly consisted not only of a threat to totally destroy another member state, but also threats and hostile positions towards countries that support other ideological systems and, as such, exposed the inherent disbelief of Trump and his administration in the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, representing a clear threat against the sovereignty of countries across the globe.

In his speech, Trump directly attacked the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and threatened to totally destroy that nation and in fact targeted and threatened all countries in the world that do not accept the political, military, and economic dominance of the US. The threatening words of Trump against Cuba and Venezuela reflect the reactionary position and ideological aggression of the leaders of US Imperialism on the rights of nations, as well as the serious threat they pose to humanity.

Using abusive and threatening language in his speech at the UN, the US President referred to Iran as a rogue state and called on the international community to confront the destabilising activities of the murderous regime of Iran.

Of course, Trump tried to portray himself as a friend and well-wisher of the Iranian people and stated that the Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. He practically called upon other countries to join the crusade of regime change in Iran. What revealed the true nature of Trumps remarks and the reality of his commitment to peace and fight against terrorism, was his support for the warmongering and oppressive regimes of Israel and Saudi Arabia and other reactionary Arab states that are among the main supporters of Daesh and terrorism in the region.

These regimes have been condemned on many occasions by the UN for committing war crimes  these are the countries that are friends of the US. Trumps remarks about the dangerous situation in the Middle East were a repeat of the same accusations that he had made during his visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting and talks with the reactionary leaders of the Arab nations gathered for a summit in Riyadh. It is important to note that the core people in the Trump administration, and his backers in the Republican Party, have been negotiating and exchanging ideas in recent months with Iranian pro-monarchist groups and other reactionary forces that support and call for a US military attack on Iran under the pretext of regime change there.

In his speech, Donald Trump also clearly voiced the opposition of his administration with the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) stating: Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and elsewhere in talking about the nuclear deal between Iran and 5+1 world powers  which he called a bad deal  he stated that We can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return [...] We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilising activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program.

In fact, the US administration knows well that withdrawing from the JCPOA when the EU, China, Russia, and the UN have also co-signed it, will not be simple for the Trump government. Therefore, the diplomatic efforts of the US administration and the trips of Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, to the European capitals in recent weeks for consultations and canvassing support for the US position, have been noteworthy.

Once again, the Tudeh Party of Iran stresses that it is strongly opposed to any foreign intervention in Irans domestic matters. Rejecting the anti-people theocratic regime of Iran and establishing the rule of the people and democracy, and realising democratic rights and freedoms and social justice in Iran, is possible solely through the struggle of the Iranian people and the progressive and freedom-loving forces of the nation.

The interventionist remarks of Donald Trump not only fail to help the struggle of the Iranian people for a popular regime, but also serve as a weapon in the hands of the ruling reaction and the dictatorial regime in Iran to suppress the struggle of the people and the progressive, freedom-loving, and reformist forces in Iran.

The Tudeh Party of Iran expresses its deepest concerns about the current political developments that could put our country in a threatened situation, endanger its stability and national sovereignty, and exacerbate the woeful economic situation and livelihood of the nation and the working people. We call upon all peace-loving forces of the world, the World Peace Council, and all sovereign states to clearly express their opposition to the disastrous approach of the US administration headed by Donald Trump with regards to Iran and other countries of the world.

We believe that all disagreements and disputes between the countries and states around the world can be resolved peacefully and through mutual respect for national sovereignty and independence. We call upon all the patriotic and peace-loving forces in Iran to fight united, hand-in-hand against war and foreign intervention, and steadfastly oppose the plots of the adventurist and warmongering circles within the theocratic regime in Iran.
Change the Rules

WA Campaign launch in Perth

On September 21, at Unions WA in Perth, national secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Sally McManus, launched the Change the Rules national campaign to reassert the need for fairer laws to protect the wages, conditions and rights of workers.

Sally McManus and Meredith Hammat: rule changers.

Meredith Hammat, Secretary of Unions WA, opened the event and introduced two speakers who demonstrated how broken the laws are. Laws which are supposed to protect the working lives of people in Australia are instead being used by employers to undermine our wages, conditions and rights.

The first speaker was National Tertiary Education Union acting president Jo-Ann Whalley from Murdoch University. Murdoch has just suffered the termination of an enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) covering 3,500 workers.

By the time they applied for the termination of the agreement, which is an unprecedented move, they had only agreed to one of our clauses, whereas we had agreed to more than 10 of theirs, she said.

Whalley came from a union family where her father was an underground coal mining worker. She does not want to see the EBA being subsumed by the award with a 17 percent cut in wages as a legacy her generation of unionists wants to be remembered by.

Whalley reminded the meeting, Unions are about working together and unity. All around Australia, and even the world, workers and their unions have come out in support of the NTEU members at Murdoch.

Considering the progressive left-wing ethos upon which Murdoch University was founded more than 40 years ago it seems ironic Murdoch University was chosen as the site to kick off this approach to screwing the workers out of their wages and conditions.

The next speaker was Sita, a union delegate and member of the United Voice negotiation committee at Crown Casino in Perth. She had a part in the hard-fought campaign in 2016 to ensure that workers at Crown did not lose their weekend penalty rates through the (Un) Fair Work Commissions decision to cut weekend penalty rates in the hospitality sector.

Speaking from the floor was also a union delegate from the Griffin Coal mine where an EBA termination resulted in workers wages being cut by over 30 percent when they were put back on award wages and conditions. He said it would be a difficult fight in the future.

Against this backdrop Sally McManus launched her appeal to unions. Are we going to be the generation who fix these laws? she asked.

McManus said WA was chosen as the place to launch the campaign because in Western Australia there are some of the most aggressive employers in the country. This was not news to the many trade unionists who are on the front line with them on a weekly basis.

She went on to list the ways we can see the rules are broken. When 40 percent of workers are in insecure forms of work and the minimum wage is $37,000. When there are millionaires who pay no tax  not even the Medicare Levy when every other worker in this country pays their taxes and levies.

She went on to say the rules are broken because of 30 years of neoliberalism and since 2008, more wealth has accumulated to the top two percent. The experiment in trickle-down economics has not worked. Wages and productivity have effectively been decoupled, leading to a flatlining of wages while corporate profits continued to grow.

While the International Monetary Fund and the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia call on workers to demand higher wage increases to stimulate demand and production the Turnbull government is stifling the ability of workers to do so by the aggressive attack against unions using laws which punish organised labour.

The message resonated; if you hurt unions you hurt working people.

Sally McManus concluded by asking all there to vote on the resolution presented at the meeting to commit to the Change the Rules campaign through action such as making sure union members complete the Change the Rules Survey, to recruit workers in the workplaces and become involved in the campaign in their local community. The resolution was passed unanimously and with acclamation.

The Communist Party of Australia supports the Change the Rules Campaign and asks members to actively become involved in the campaign through their workplaces and communities.
Taking Issue  Rob Gowland

Terrorism and futile US wars

If you were naive enough to believe that the War on Terror was actually intended to put a stop to global terrorism  or even just to reduce its prevalence  then you would have to admit that you had been grossly misled.

Consider: according to the Global Terrorism Index, there has been a fivefold increase in global terrorism fatalities since 9/11. And that figure only goes up to 2014; there have been more terrorist outrages since then.

The US likes to use 9/11 as the kick-off point for terrorism as a global phenomenon because ignoring terrorism before that date allows the US to pose as victim instead of originator. But, although US governments always portray 9/11 as an attack, you dont have to be an expert in international affairs to see that it was actually a response, to US policies that were furthering poverty, inequality, geopolitical conflict, environmental degradation and globalisation everywhere.

That it was a response that US intelligence both anticipated and was smart enough to use for their own advantage is also evident, enabling the US not only to use the threat of terrorism as an excuse enabling it to launch additional military adventures around the globe but also to use 9/11 to justify far-reaching attacks on democratic rights at home. Measures designed to increase Americans paranoia  already at levels far above those of other nations  were easily pushed through after 9/11, accompanied by attacks on civil liberties not seen since the worst days of McCarthyism.

Even Amnesty International, which too often became a tool of the CIA and the US State Department in American capitals propaganda and subversion war against the Soviet Union, has more recently been obliged to examine the workings of bourgeois democracy, especially in the US itself. Amnesty in the US now argues that US policies are curtailing human rights, undermining the rule of international law and shielding governments from scrutiny ... The overwhelming impact of all this is genuine fear  among the affluent as well as the poor.

And Human Rights Watch, another organisation with questionable progressive credentials, in a 2004 report titled, Above the Law: Executive Power after September 11 in the United States, stated, The Bush administrations anti-terrorism practices represent a stunning assault on basic principles of justice, government accountability, and the role of the courts. And for once, one would have to agree that Human Rights Watch has got it right!

Dahr Jamail in Truthout, a genuinely progressive US on-line journal, summed up the effects of US policies post 9/11 as ongoing US military violence abroad, increased domestic surveillance and repression at home, and a world more violent and less safe for all.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks, and more than 6,000 were injured, truly horrific figures. However, successive US governments have used these casualties to excuse on-going US aggression, assassinations and casual violence that has killed far, far more equally innocent people. The authors of a report titled Body Count: Casualty Figures After 10 Years of the War on Terror, told Truthout that the numbers of dead in Iraq and other countries the US had waged war on since the events of September 11 had reached genocidal dimensions and could also be in excess of 2 million, whereas a figure below 1 million is extremely unlikely.

Lets take a moment to let that sink in: thanks no doubt to the substantial improvements in the destructive power of conventional weapons, the myriad local wars the US has instigated or enlarged since 9/11, have killed at least a million people, possibly more than two million. And many of those killed were unquestionably non-combatants, the victims of a military that sees the killing of civilians as a legitimate tactic to achieve your ends. And achieving your ends, by any means possible, is of course what its all about.

Dahr Jamail notes: In Afghanistan alone, well over 31,000 civilians have died violent deaths from the war, and uncounted numbers have suffered  and continue to suffer  from wounds and health impacts and being unable to get treatment or assistance.

Afghanistan, already a war-ravaged country, has been made even more difficult to live in by the US occupation, which the US has just amped up again by sending nearly 4,000 more troops. Issues like lack of sanitation, extreme poverty, lack of basic healthcare, pollution and malnutrition have all grown worse, not better, with the US presence there.

Meanwhile, the US occupation of Iraq has seen the numbers of civilians killed by the US military and the other violence that has wracked the country reach what Jamail calls apocalyptic totals. He also makes the pertinent observation that The US occupation played a huge role in the radicalisation of Iraqi youth and drove many of them into ISIS (also known as Daesh), which continues to plague portions of war-torn Iraq today. (And not just Iraq, of course, with Daesh fighters active in Libya, Syria and other countries where the US seeks control of oil.)

As Jamail adds, The US occupation and destruction of the Iraqi state also played a key role in destabilising Syria, which is now another failed state, with hundreds of thousands dead and millions of refugees multiplying as the bloodbath continues.

Ironically, although US oil giant ExxonMobil took over one of Iraqs largest oil fields thanks to the US occupation, they have failed to consolidate their position. In fact, Denise Natali, an expert on the Middle East with the National Defence University in Washington, told The New York Times in 2013 that The Chinese are the biggest beneficiary of this post-Saddam oil boom in Iraq.

And Jamail supports that view, saying China, without deploying one soldier or firing one shot, has slowly yet methodically been moving into the mix, and angling for more control of Iraqs oil, in addition to being its largest oil consumer. Perhaps China is successful because it chooses to pay for Iraqi oil where the US prefers to simply steal it.

US power in the world has been steadily declining for several decades. Certainly, its days of being the worlds sole superpower are long gone. Nevertheless, US imperialism is loath to give up its dream of world domination. It still maintains roughly 300,000 active military personnel in over 150 countries and nearly 800 bases globally. And yet it finds itself unable to browbeat even a small country like the DPRK without having to call on the help of the international community via the UN.

In the old days, an imperial power sent a gunboat and troublesome little countries quickly fell into line. But US President Trump sent an entire task-force to cow North Korea and instead of surrendering they threatened to bomb his naval base on Guam. Hence the switch to plan B, referral to the despised United Nations.

Trumps predecessor, President Obama, had ridden into the White House on a wave of anti-war and anti-US Empire sentiment aroused by the policies of the administration that had preceded his: that of the notorious George W Bush. Bush was an advocate of continuous war and Obama was vaulted into office by promising hope and change.

Obamas reduction in US military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq was largely illusory, however. As Jamail observes: Obama simply followed Bush administration policy by making a slow withdrawal from Iraq while maintaining a US presence there in the form of advisers, surveillance, air strikes, artillery, drones and later, troops. All of this continues under the Trump administration, but with more troops on the ground.

In fact, Obama greatly increased the number of drone strikes in countries around the world, especially in Pakistan, where the US regularly used drones to assassinate people it considered to be its enemies.

Since WW2, all US presidents, despite their individual differences, have represented US imperialism. Their pursuit of its goals has greatly exacerbated the flaws and inequalities in the US economy. Dahr Jamail notes that estimates from six years ago pegged the price tag of the so-called War on Terror at 3 to 4.4 trillion dollars when direct and indirect costs are calculated, and that figure continues to rise on a daily basis. Such a whopping expenditure might make lots of money for people in the arms business, but it leaves the US government at the bottom of a huge pit from which it cannot extricate itself. And, if you think thats bad, a 2016 study increased the total to nearly 5 trillion dollars!

Clearly, as Dahr Jamail says, There is no merit in preserving the US empire. The primary question we are left with, then, is how many more people will die as this empire fights a losing battle to maintain its dominance?
Worker solidarity  Part 2

Building the movement

Warren Smith is the assistant national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Australia (CPA). Vinnie Molina is the WA president of the CFMEU Construction Division and national president of the CPA. Last week in the first part of this two-part interview they spoke to Ana Pha from the Guardian about the unfair Fair Work Act and how it is used against workers and trade unions.

This week, in Part II, they continue their discussion on the anti-union legislation, the need for its repeal and for broad unity between trade unions and the community in the struggle ahead.

Warren Smith: Vinnie explained the massive fines and the MUA has been hit with fines and damages too. Every union that fights is confronted with legal issues arising from industrial laws which are designed to prevent workers fighting. This is where we need to build an opposition movement, with the working class at its core, that brings together the broadest trade union unity around questions of what a new act should look like.

If the less than 20 percent of unionised workers in this country are struggling to get a fair go, what chance have you got if you are not in a union. The Act and the pitifully poor National Employment Standards are all youve got. Eighty percent of workers in this country have nothing.

Workers are fighting back and that number is growing as conditions are forcing people into struggle. Trade unions more and more need to break the shackles of purely economic demands and struggles and embrace broader community issues that ultimately impact on each and every worker. We need to transform the view in the trade union movement to embrace the community. Embracing community and social struggles is the way to turn the tide on falling union density.

Broadest unity

Anna Pha: Warren, could you elaborate on some of the work the MUA is doing with the community and the consequences of that?

WS: The MUA and the Seamens Union of Australia and Waterside Workers Federation before it, have long held the position that, if an issue in the community affects the members, then it is an issue for the union.

That means an issue such as public housing is an issue for the union. The union for example has taken solidarity action with the people of Millers Point in Sydney who are being thrown on the street by the conservative government of New South Wales.

The MUA has been there in alliance with the residents, standing in front of their houses to prevent them being evicted. As a consequence, when maritime workers are in struggle, without question you will see the people from Millers Point standing on picket lines in support.

A comment was made the other day on a picket line by one of the leaders of the Millers Point housing movement that you were good enough to stand here with us when we were getting thrown out of our houses, we are standing here while you are getting thrown out of your jobs.

And that is the sort of solidarity that we need across the community. The unions actions are not limited to housing but all social justice questions; peace, health, education struggles. Unions cant be separate from the broader community, they must be part of community struggles and stand up for the disadvantaged in society and not just our own narrow economic interests.

AP: Vinnie, I believe the situation has changed in the construction industry in regard to community action under the new ABCC legislation?

Vinnie Molina: Yes, that is correct. The community cannot be involved in the same way any more. Community pickets are illegal outside construction sites.

There is essentially no right to strike in this country and it is going to get worse under the 2016 Building Code.

The Building Code prohibits non-working job delegates and shop stewards, it restricts the number of apprentices, the number of hours workers can work, no limits to casuals or labour hire; the number of women in the workplace, it bans union flags and stickers or anything that mentions unions.

Companies with a non-compliant enterprise agreement had until September 1 to vary or terminate their agreements. Government contracts will only be awarded with companies whose agreements are compliant with the New Building Code 2016.

ABCC

WS: The ABCC is not just a CFMEU question. All construction unions come under the hammer  the AMWU, the AWU, CEPU, the ETU, and so on  anyone involved in that area is affected. It also affects the maritime industry. Strictly speaking a seafarer on a ship carrying building products like cement can come under these extreme, anti-democratic laws.

By the same token building materials in a container could affect a wharfie. This has yet to occur but there is the scope for expansion of these repugnant laws to all trade unionists.

Thats no doubt a conservative dream, extending these neo-fascist laws, these totally anti-democratic laws to all of the working class.

Its an existential battle ultimately for the future of the rights of the working class movement to be able to organise in the way they have done in this country historically.

VM: Warren mentioned something very important about union density, which is at historically low levels  11.5 percent in WA for example. We need to start rebuilding solidarity among workers and among the community. We need to get rid of the secondary boycott provisions [of the Competition and Consumer Act  formerly the Trades Practices Act  ED].

[The maximum penalty under the Secondary Boycott provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act, which applies to trade union pickets that block the entry of another company, is currently $750,000. The government has legislation before Parliament to increase the maximum penalty to whichever is the highest of: $10 million; three times the total value of the benefit obtained from the secondary boycott; or 10 percent of the annual turnover of the corporation for the 12 months leading up to the secondary boycott occurring  Ed.]

That really restricts the ability of workers to help each other in solidarity to achieve their industrial goals. We need to work together with the community to build strong unions.

Centralised system

AP: What about the question of enterprise bargaining  the outlawing of bargaining across industries?

WS: Ultimately the movement must have a strategic plan to move back to industry forms of bargaining. That may not be the award because things will change and we are in a new historical period, where our historic awards have been stripped and had the guts ripped out of them, notwithstanding the minimal incremental increases to awards over the last two decades. Awards are symbolic of the industry approach but the system has been dismantled compared to its former nature.

We need to fight and struggle for industry-wide outcomes, to not be segregated into little enterprise silos designed to curtail the broader class power of the trade union movement organising across industries.

VM: A centralised system is a necessity; we need to go back to a centralised system. Unions need to start a campaign to return to and strengthen the award system or another centralised system. With the recent examples of Aurizon Rail in Queensland and the Collie miners, the employer was able to use Fair Work to terminate agreements and drop workers pay-packets by more than 40 percent. The termination of their enterprise agreements took workers back to the award.

Enterprise bargaining was good for a while, particularly for strong industrial unions. They managed to achieve massive increases in wages for workers they represented. At the same time, the government was stripping back the awards to minimum conditions and allowable matters.

Now we are in a process where people are being sent back to the award, and back to the award that hasnt moved or is almost irrelevant for workers today. This is another example of a broken system, or as Sally McManus says: the rules are broken.

Regression

WS: Thats why I think awards might not be the solution because they are ossified documents that have gone on a journey with enterprise employment in a secondary fashion. All the economic outcomes and efforts for the workers have been transferred into enterprise agreements  which has been the primary form of collective bargaining.

Awards sit as an underpinning document subject to constant four-yearly reviews which then become a vehicle for attack and reduction in conditions. Weve seen that with penalty rates. Were also seeing that awards dont cater for the advent of new technology.

Unions are required to fight during award modernisation (the complete oxymoron) for recognition of automated forms of machinery because they didnt exist back then. The trend however with awards is to strip them not develop them.

We made a submission to recognise various forms of automated waterfront machinery and the bosses came back and said, good, we will have a 38-hour week, well get rid of public holidays and will reduce penalty rates.

That was their submission.

Future fight

AP: The Howard government gutted awards removing a number of non-allowable matters and just leaving a few allowable matters. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash wants to do a little bit more gutting for the employers.

WS: Its absolutely on. Its part of the whole ruling class agenda to move away from awards or broader industry collective arrangements. Its aim is to have individual arrangements replace the collective.

We need to change our focus. We do a lot of creative organising in the union movement. The movement is growing and the ACTU and many unions are embracing and adopting different forms of community and strategic organising.

Thats a good thing. It also is a reflection of our weakness because we havent got the power or capacity to hurt bosses industrially with the industrial power that workers have traditionally had through withdrawing their labour. So we run corporate leverage campaigns, make their name mud campaigns which are completely legitimate and positive campaigns which arise because of the objective conditions

But ultimately if we do not address the fundamentals and tackle the right to strike the movement will find great difficulties.

Corporate community campaigning backed up with the right to strike would open up huge opportunities for the working class.

We need to fight for the right to fight!
Ethnic cleansing in Myanmar

To a certain extent, Aung San Suu Kyi is a false prophet. Glorified by the West for many years, she was made a democracy icon because she opposed the same forces in her country, Myanmar, at the time that the US-led Western coalition isolated Rangoon for its alliance with China.

Suu Kyi played her role as expected, winning the approval of the right and the admiration of the left. And for that, she won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

The Lady of Myanmars journey from being a political pariah in her own country, where she was placed under house arrest for 15 years, finally ended in triumph when she became the de facto leader following a multi-party election in 2015.

Since then, she has toured many countries, dined with queens and presidents, given memorable speeches, received awards, while knowingly rebranding the very brutal military that she had opposed throughout the years.

But the great humanitarian seems to have run out of integrity as her government, military, and police began conducting a widespread ethnic cleansing operation that targeted one of the most oppressed people on Earth, the Rohingya.

These people have been subjected to a brutal and systematic genocide, conducted through a joint effort by the Myanmar military, police, and majority Buddhist nationalists.

The so-called cleansing operations have killed hundreds of Rohingya in recent months, driving over 400,000 crying, frightened, and hungry people to flee for their lives in any way possible. Hundreds more have perished at sea, or been hunted down and killed in jungles.

Stories of murder and mayhem remind one of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people during the Nakba of 1948. It should come as no surprise that Israel is one of the biggest suppliers of weapons to the Myanmar military.

Despite an extended arms embargo on Burma by many countries, Israels Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman insists that his country has no intentions of halting its weapons shipments to the despicable regime in Rangoon, which is using these weapons against its own minorities, not only Muslims in the west but also Christians in the north.

One of the Israeli shipments was announced in August 2016 by the Israeli company TAR Ideal Concepts. The company proudly featured that its Corner Shot rifles are already in operational use by the Myanmar military.

Israels history is rife with examples of backing brutal juntas and authoritarian regimes, but why are those who have positioned themselves as the guardians of democracy still silent about the Rohingya bloodbath?

Over a quarter of the Rohingya population has already been driven out of their homes since October last year. The rest could follow in the near future, thus making the collective crime almost irreversible.

Suu Kyi did not even have the moral courage to say a few words of sympathy to the victims. Instead, she could only express an uncommitted statement: We have to take care of everybody who is in our country.

Meanwhile, her spokesperson and other mouthpieces launched a campaign of vilification against the Rohingya, accusing them of burning their own villages, fabricating their own rape stories, while referring to Rohingya who dare to resist as jihadists, hoping to link the ongoing genocide with the campaign aimed at vilifying Muslims everywhere.

But well-documented reports give us more than a glimpse of the harrowing reality experienced by the Rohingya.

A recent UN report details the account of one woman, whose husband had been killed by soldiers in what the UN described as widespread as well as systematic attacks that meet the criterion of crimes against humanity.

Five of them took off my clothes and raped me, said the bereaved woman. My eight-month-old son was crying of hunger when they were in my house because he wanted to breastfeed, so to silence him they killed him with a knife.

Fleeing refugees that made it to Bangladesh following a nightmarish journey spoke of the murder of children, the rape of women, and the burning of villages. Some of these accounts have been verified through satellite images provided by Human Rights Watch, showing wiped out villages throughout the state.

Certainly, the horrible fate of the Rohingya is not entirely new. But what makes it particularly pressing is that the West is now fully on the side of the very government that is carrying out these atrocious acts. And there is a reason for that: oil.

Massive deposits of oil that have remained untapped due to decades of Western boycotts of the junta government are now available to the highest bidder.

It is a big oil bonanza, and all are invited. Shell, ENI, Total, Chevron and many others are investing large sums to exploit the countrys natural resources, while the Chinese  who dominated Myanmars economy for many years  are being slowly pushed out.

Indeed, the rivalry over Burmas unexploited wealth is at its highest in decades. It is this wealth  and the need to undermine Chinas superpower status in Asia  that has brought the West back, installed Suu Kyi as a leader in a country that has never fundamentally changed, but only rebranded itself to pave the road for the return of big oil.

However, the Rohingya are paying the price. Do not let Myanmars official propaganda mislead you. The Rohingya are not foreigners, intruders, or immigrants.

Their kingdom of Arakan dates back to the eighth century. In the centuries that followed, the inhabitants of that kingdom learned about Islam from Arab traders and, with time, it became a Muslim-majority region. Arakan is Burmas modern-day Rakhine state, where most of the countrys estimated 1.2 million Rohingya still live.

The false notion that the Rohingya are outsiders started in 1784 when the Burmese king conquered Arakan and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. Many of those who were forced out of their homes to Bengal eventually returned.

Attacks on Rohingya, and constant attempts at driving them out of Rakhine, have been renewed over several periods of history, for example: following the Japanese defeat of British forces stationed in Burma in 1942; in 1948; following the takeover of Burma by the Army in 1962; as a result of so-called Operation Dragon King in 1977, where the military junta forcefully drove over 200,000 Rohingya out of their homes to Bangladesh; and so on.

In 1982, the military government passed the Citizenship Law that stripped most Rohingya of their citizenship, declaring them illegal in their own country.

The war on the Rohingya began again in 2012. Every single episode, since then, has followed a typical narrative: communal clashes between Buddhist nationals and Rohingya, often leading to tens of thousands of the latter group being chased out to the Bay of Bengal, to the jungles and, those who survive, to refugee camps.

Amid international silence, only a few respected figures like Pope Francis spoke out in support of the Rohingya in a deeply moving prayer last February.

The Rohingya are good people, the Pope said. They are peaceful people, and they are our brothers and sisters. His call for justice was never heeded.

Arab and Muslim countries remained largely silent, despite public outcry to do something to end the genocide.

When US, European, and Japanese corporations lined up to exploit the treasures of Burma, all they needed was the nod of approval from the US government.

Former US president Barack Obamas administration hailed Myanmars opening even before the 2015 elections brought Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy to power.

Since then, the country has become another US success story, oblivious, of course, to the fact that a genocide has been under way in that country for years.

The violence in Myanmar is likely to escalate and reach other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, simply because the two main ethnic and religious groups in these countries are dominated by and almost evenly split between Buddhists and Muslims.

The triumphant return of the West to exploit the countrys wealth and the US-Chinese rivalry is likely to complicate the situation even further, if ASEAN does not end its appalling silence and move with a determined strategy to pressure Burma to end its genocide of the Rohingya.

People around the world must take a stand. Religious communities should speak out. Human rights groups should do more to document the crimes of the Myanmar government and hold to account those who supply them with weapons.

Respected South African Bishop Desmond Tutu strongly admonished Suu Kyi for turning a blind eye to the ongoing genocide.

It is the least we expect from the man who stood up to apartheid in his own country, and penned the famous words: If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.

Morning Star
Caracas Proclamation

In the name of sovereign rights

We, the representatives of political, social, religious and trade union organisations and the personalities and intellectuals from 60 countries of the world have gathered in Caracas from September 16 to September 19, 2017, in the framework of the World Conference Todos Somos Venezuela: Dialogue for Peace, Sovereignty and Bolivarian Democracy. We firmly support the people and government of Venezuela in the face of the attacks by US imperialism, which every day aggravate its destabilising actions against the Bolivarian Homeland.

These actions have reached their most dramatic expression in the fascist violence unleashed between the months of April and July of this year, which left 115 citizens dead, thousands injured, generalised damages and psychological aggression against the entire Venezuelan people.

Today, the political aggression of US imperialism is carried out personally by US President Donald Trump, who not only threatens to use his military forces against Venezuela but also leads a rarely seen diplomatic siege from the Organisation of American States (OAS) with the participation of some governments of the region in order to undermine the strength of Bolivarian democracy. At the same time, he formalises, through an Executive Order, the implementation of the financial blockade that had already been applied to choke the Venezuelan economy.

The imperialist aggression against the Bolivarian Revolution is a flagrant violation of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace endorsed by the presidents of all the countries of the region during the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held in Havana in January 2014, which defends the sovereign right of each country to determine its own destiny without foreign interference.

The administration of President Donald Trump, along with prominent spokesmen of the Venezuelan anti-nationalist opposition, deploys a plan aimed at destabilising the State institutions through a set of manoeuvres that were unveiled and defeated thanks to a political decision of great significance based on the philosophical thinking of Commander Hugo Chavez, historical leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, as it was the election, establishment and setting up of the National Constituent Assembly.

Through the Constituent Assembly, the Venezuelan people inaugurates a new historical moment ratifying and deepening the foundations of the social, democratic State of law and justice enshrined in the Bolivarian Constitution of 1999. At the same time, peace was reached in a clear demonstration of the failure of the extreme right-wing forces that carried out the horror of the generalised violence.

We, the representatives of political, social, religious and trade union organisations and the personalities and intellectuals attending this World Conference Todos Somos Venezuela: Dialogue for Peace, Sovereignty and Bolivarian Democracy are firmly convinced of the importance of the political dialogue promoted by President Nicolas Maduro, with its most recent meeting held in the Dominican Republic by representatives of the Bolivarian government and those of the so-called Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (Opposition Coalitions Parties), an alliance that brings together all sectors of the Venezuelan opposition. Hence, we strongly support the dialogue proposal promoted by the Bolivarian government.

Quite the contrary to the statements made by extreme right-wing sectors in different parts of the world with the support of the large transnational corporations of disinformation, we emphasise that the electoral and democratic agenda continues. In Venezuela, in a few weeks, there will be regional elections, and the municipal and presidential elections will be held in 2018, as well as the referendum that will confirm or not the new constitutional text drafted by the National Constituent Assembly. In what other country of the world can a democratic practice of such dimension be found?

Hence, we condemn the despicable lies, fake news and distortions about Venezuelan reality as the main strategy to discredit the Bolivarian Revolution and the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro.

We also support the efforts of the government and the people of Venezuela to overcome the serious problems arising from the economic warfare conducted from the highest levels of the US government.

Our commitment to peace, sovereignty and the Bolivarian democracy is closely linked to the development of a broad and permanent conference of solidarity in each country, promoted by every political, social, religious and trade union organisation of democratic nature that participates in this Conference.

The defence of the Bolivarian Revolution is an unavoidable duty of the peoples of Latin America, the Caribbean and the world. This is based on the understanding that in Venezuela, the right to sovereignty, independence, self-determination and integration of our peoples is defended.

Using the words of Jose Marti, with the defence of the independence of Venezuela we will prevent the United States from falling, with an even greater force, upon our American lands.

Caracas, September 19th, 2017
Culture & Life

Can Ana Belen Montes be freed?

The campaign to gain freedom for 60-year-old prisoner Ana Belen Montes is in need of a boost. Montes, whose family origins are Puerto Rican, is serving a 25-year prison sentence for the crime of relaying US government information to Cubas government. Despite strenuous solidarity efforts, mainly by activists associated with movements in solidarity with Cuba and Puerto Rico, prospects for her early release are highly uncertain.

Arrested in September 2001, Montes confessed to relaying US government information to a Cuban handler. US authorities are holding her at Carswell Federal Medical Centre, a high-security womens prison in Fort Worth, Texas. Prisoners there have psychiatric needs or are facing execution, although apparently Montes has no psychiatric illness.

She worked for 16 years as an analyst for the Pentagons Defence Intelligence Agency where she specialised on Cuba. She received no pay from Cubas government for her espionage work.

The campaign on her behalf centres on humanitarian considerations. It gathered steam after December 17, 2014 when the last three of the Cuban Five political prisoners returned to Cuba and many Cuban Five supporters turned their attention to Montes. She has gained support through publicity on harsh prison conditions.

Indeed, prison regulations prohibit her from receiving emails, packages, and telephone calls; once a week she is allowed to call her mother. Only a handful of people have been able to visit her. Confined to her cell, she is isolated from the general prison population.

In late 2016, Ana Belen Montes learned she had breast cancer. Surgery took place, but little information about her condition and treatment has been available. The British medical journal Lancet recently concluded that Compassionate release programs in the USA are poorly managed and that potentially eligible inmates [are] not being considered for release.

Any reforms put in place wont benefit Montes, though, because even now humanitarian release doesnt take place until prisoners are at the end of their illnesses.

Lawyers have explored executive clemency as a tool for remedying excessively long sentences. But Montes sentence is consistent with US norms.

One report speaks of six spies serving shorter sentences than hers, another one reports on five spies serving between 23 and 34 years, and yet another tells of eight convicted spies sentenced to 24 years or more. It turns out that prisoners serving 12 years or less spied for countries friendly to the United States, while all but three of those serving longer sentences worked for Soviet Bloc nations, or in one case, China.

Its apparent, therefore, that any appeal to precedent or to official guidelines on humanitarian release wont secure early release for Ana Belen Montes. The possibility does remain of a presidential pardon or commutation of her sentence. In fact, the Constitution gives the president almost unlimited discretion in issuing pardons.

Whats required for that to occur, and for alleviating Montes oppressive prison conditions, is a highly visible, united, and powerful upsurge of popular pressure. Thats not on the horizon.

Organisations, political parties, and unions confronting the existing political order are by and large divided and not given to collaboration. And left politics in the United States are at low ebb; funds and people are in short supply.

But theres more. Potential allies are staying away. The problem seems to be that left political movements or individual activists are focused on this or that single issue. Different struggles have to compete for adherents.

Thats a clue. Whatever might bring activists and organisations together in common struggle promises much for the campaign to free Montes. Anti-imperialism is probably the lead candidate for that role. Imprisoned, Montes demonstrated her anti-imperialist bone fides. As she told her sentencing judge: I obeyed my conscience rather than the law ... I felt morally obligated to help the island defend itself from our efforts to impose our values and our political system on it. And more: All the world is one country.

So, anti-imperialism may be the glue bringing people and diverse struggles together.

Joined in that way, theyd be ripe for assisting other anti-imperialists already doing the heavy lifting. Anti-imperialist messaging might possibly be a means of bolster propaganda on Montes behalf.

This may be the right time, inasmuch as anti-imperialists and anti-capitalists are on an upswing now. Once, when their influence was large, they rescued prisoners.

In 1931, racists in Alabama charged nine black teenagers with rape, and sentenced them to die. Over the course of years, political forces beyond that states borders orchestrated court proceedings.

People abroad demonstrated for their freedom. Amidst worldwide ferment, the Scottsboro Boys were saved.

Peoples World
If the latest GOP Senate health-care repeal bill became law, Montana would lose an estimated $1.52 billion (yes, billion) over six years, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. That would be a 25 percent reduction in federal health care funding for our state.

Consider that right now, the state of Montana is trying to cut its budget and may require a 10-percent cut in all spending. That potential cut in the Montana Department of Health and Human Services would force layoffs, unpaid furloughs and eliminating services to many needy, disabled, very young and very old Montanans. The cut for Montana in the Graham-Cassidy health bill would be more than double the cuts our state is contemplating this fall.

Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, propose to end the Medicaid expansion and the private insurance subsidies created under the Affordable Care Act. Their bill would put some of those funds into block grants that states could use on health care as their state leaders decide.

But there would be less in the block grants in total, and states that expanded Medicaid or had a larger proportion of people getting premium credits or subsidies under the ACA would get substantially less federal assistance.

If we think the cuts under consideration now are bad, the cutbacks in Montana health services under Graham-Cassidy would be much, much worse.

The ACA benefits Montana in several ways:

It allows thousands of middle-income Montanans who dont have employer group insurance to get affordable private insurance in the Marketplace. Because our state has a large percentage of self-employed folks and workers at very small businesses, the individual market help has been especially important.

After Montana expanded Medicaid in January 2016 to all very low income people, regardless of age or disability status, about 70,000 people who previously were uninsured or on 100 percent state-funded mental health programs, enrolled in Medicaid with the federal government paying 100 percent of costs last year and 95 percent this year.

Montana hospitals, which are required to treat all emergency patients regardless of their ability to pay, saw substantial decreases in charity and unpaid care.

Medicaid expansion also provided a way to pay for alcohol and other drug addiction treatment that is desperately needed to reverse the trends of increasing child neglect, drug-related crimes and incarceration.

Before the ACA, one in five Montanans under age 65 was uninsured. The ACA reduced that uninsured rate from 20 percent to about 7 percent. Montana went from being worse than the national average to better than the national average, which now is about 9 percent uninsured.

Montanas neighbor states of Wyoming and North Dakota also stand to lose money if the Graham-Cassidy bill becomes law, according to the Kaiser analysis. In fact, 35 states would be losers while the federal government reduced its health spending by $107.1 billion over six years.

As of Monday, a new version of Graham-Cassidy was said to be coming out to offer more money to the states of Alaska and Maine in an attempt to buy the support of Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, both of whom voted earlier this year against previous repeal bills.

No need for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to entice Montanas Republican senator with a special handout: Daines is already on record supporting the bill that cuts Montana funding by 25 percent. Last week, Daines told a Gazette reporter that the Graham-Cassidy bill would be good for Montana. Daines has consistently voted for ACA repeal bills as a U.S. representative and senator.

Our country urgently needs Congressional action to stabilize private individual insurance markets; it doesnt need the slash-and-block-grant scheme that Graham and McConnell are peddling.

After squandering most of a year on partisan legislation that is so bad not all Republicans could support it, its time for the majority party to work with the minority. As Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, has said: Hold public hearings, work together, pass legislation that helps Americans.
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Synnex CEO: Westcon Americas Gives Synnex A $10 Billion Total Addressable Market Boost

Michael Novinson

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The Westcon Americas acquisition will dramatically boost Synnex's addressable market as it gains a foothold in Latin American and fills in line card gaps around security and communications.

Synnex CEO Kevin Murai said the $830 million purchase of Westcon Americas, which closed Sept. 1, will enable the Fremont, Calif.-based business process services company to fill vendor and capability gaps in segments that are growing faster than the overall technology industry. The purchase would add around $10 billion more to Synnex's total addressable market (TAM), according to Murai.

"We were growing our business in security and communications with a limited line card," Murai (pictured) told Wall Street analysts on Monday. "Today, we have a significantly better offering to take to the market, and that just opens up billions of incremental TAM for us."

[Related: Synnex Completes Westcon Americas Purchase; Partners Look For Consistent Staffing, Service Levels]

Buying Westcon-Comstor's $2.18 billion North American and Latin American businesses brought leading data center network vendors like Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, F5 Networks and FireEye onto Synnex's line card for the first time. Synnex had been the only North American broad line distributor not carrying Cisco, while 32 percent  or nearly $700 million  of Westcon America's revenue came from Cisco.

The acquisition also opens up the Latin American market to Synnex for the first time, too. Westcon-Comstor's business in Latin America today are only focused on specialty products, Murai said, meaning that the company doesn't participate in the larger, broad line market serviced by Synnex in North America.

"That mints a longer-term opportunity for us as we leverage the relationships that we have here in North America to take to the customers at Westcon-Comstor that, frankly, would like to buy that product from them if it were available," Murai said.

In just a few months, operational integration of the two companies will start showing results. "We fully expect that we are going to gain significant traction on those synergies at some point in 2018," Murai said.

Murai said he considers Westcon-Comstor to be the strongest specialty distributor in the market as it relates to communications and security. Thus far, Murai has been pleased by the strength of the Tarrytown, N.Y.-based distributor's workforce as well as the strong relationships it enjoys with vendors that Synnex has never worked with before.

Synnex plans to preserve both the Westcon-Comstor brand as well as its specialized capabilities to ensure that channel partners can continue leveraging the strength and value that both operations bring to the table, Murai said.

In the current quarter, which ends Nov. 30, Westcon-Comstor is expected to contribute $550 million of revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share of approximately $0.17 per share, according to Marshall Witt, Synnex's CFO. Acquisition and integration costs are expected to run between $20 million and $25 million over the next year, Witt said, with the majority of those expenses starting to occur in December.

Although Synnex is focused on reducing operational overlap in the Westcon-Comstor acquisition, Murai said the distributor would continue to make investments where needed. "We have a strong history of investing in growth in our business," Murai said. "It has served our shareholders very, very well."

Synnex saw revenue in the quarter ended Aug. 31 climb to $4.28 billion, up 16.5 percent from $3.67 billion last year. That crushed Seeking Alpha's estimate of $4 billion.

Net income soared to $75.2 million, or $1.87 per share, up 28 percent from $58.7 million, or $1.47 per share, last year. On a non-GAAP basis, net income jumped to $86.8 million, or $2.16 per share, up 26 percent from $68.9 million, or $1.73 per share, last year. That smashed Seeking Alpha's projection of $1.97 per share.

Synnex's stock price climbed steadily after hours, advancing $10.45 (8.97%) to $126.95 on Monday evening.

In the most recent quarter, Synnex's technology solutions sales climbed to $3.78 billion, up 15.8 percent from $3.27 billion last year. Operating income for the division jumped to $100 million, up 25.9 percent from $79.4 million last year.

Revenue for the Concentrix customer care business jumped to $496 million, up 21.9 percent from $406.7 million last year. Operating income improved to $22.2 million, up 19.8 percent from $18.6 million the year prior.

For the coming quarter, Synnex said it expects non-GAAP earnings of $106.1 million to $110 million  or $2.63 to $2.73 per share  on revenue of $4.75 billion to $4.95 billion. Analysts had been expecting earnings of $2.49 per share on sales of just $4.36 billion.
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Accenture Snags Deloitte Visionary To Be Next Chief Marketing And Communications Officer

Michael Novinson

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Accenture said Monday that it has hired a new marketing executive from rival Deloitte.

Amy Fuller will be joining the Dublin, Ireland-based systems integration giant, No. 2 on the 2017 CRN Solution Provider 500, later this week. Fuller comes to Accenture after nearly five years as senior managing director of global brand for London-based Deloitte, No. 18 on the 2017 Solution Provider 500.

Earlier in her career, Fuller spent seven years at MasterCard, where she spearheaded global deployment of the iconic "Priceless"consumer brand marketing campaign. Fuller will take over as Accenture's chief marketing and communications officer on Jan. 1, replacing Roxanne Taylor, who will retire from the company on Aug. 31, 2018.

[RELATED: Deloitte Hit By Data Breach, Customer Information Reportedly Exposed]

"Amy is known for her creative excellence and innovation, as well as her leadership in building multidisciplinary marketing and communications teams across specialties and geographies," Pierre Nanterme, Accenture's chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "She is an experienced global marketer with a track record of achieving results across a range of consumer and B2B companies."

Accenture's stock was up $0.19 (0.14%) to $138.35 in after-hours trading Monday, with the hire being announced after the market closed. Fuller will also serve as a member of Accenture's Global Management Committee.

Outgoing Accenture CMO Roxanne Taylor joined the company in 1995, and has served in her current role for the past decade. Nanterme said Taylor's vision and leadership played a role in everything from Accenture's 2001 IPO, to establishing the company a global, market-leading brand, to more recently defining the consultancy's digital-first strategy.

"During her tenure as CMO, Rox has built a strong and innovative team that has significantly increased Accenture's reputation and brand value, helping us attract clients and recruit talent around the world," Nanterme said in a statement.

Accenture announced in June that digital, cloud and security now account for half of its $35 billion in annual revenue. The company said its work in these emerging technologies started with prototyping and programs focused on strategy and consulting.

From there, Accenture evolved to executing large projects around emerging technology that go beyond strategy and consulting to encompass the company's technology and operations practices.

Going forward, Fuller will be responsible for marketing a company that wants to build up more capabilities around artificial intelligence, blockchain, immersive reality and quantum computing. And by 2020, Accenture expects to be deriving the vast majority of its revenue from emerging technologies, the company said in June.

Monday was a rough day for Deloitte, with a Guardian report indicating that hackers had gained access to emails to and from the company's staff, as well as customer information on some of the company's top federal and private sector clients. Hackers could have also accessed other information such as usernames, passwords, IP addresses and architectural design diagrams, according to the report.

Deloitte discovered the attack in March, according to the report, with hackers having been in the company's systems going all the way back to October or November 2016. Deloitte was not using two-factor authentication on the email server, which the report said was hosted on the Azure cloud service.

Deloitte confirmed the hack to the Guardian, but said only a few clients were impacted by the attack. It said it had engaged in a "comprehensive security protocol" investigation, and notified clients at risk.
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Rancher Labs Goes All-In On Kubernetes With Upcoming 2.0 Release

Joseph Tsidulko

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Rancher Labs, a prominent container-tech player, released the technical preview Tuesday of a coming major release that entirely commits to Kubernetes as the container orchestration platform of the future.

Rancher 2.0 enables management of clusters orchestrated by different Kubernetes distributions across on-premises and cloud environments, but scraps native support for other orchestrators. Previous versions of Rancher, an open source management technology, only supported Rancher's Kubernetes distribution.

"Kubernetes has clearly won the orchestration battle. It's clearly the orchestrator of choice for most users, so it really made sense for us to build a product on Kubernetes," Sheng Liang, Rancher's founder and CEO, told CRN.

[Related: Rancher Labs Launches Partner Program Around Open Source Container Management]

The startup headquartered in Cupertino, Calif. "grew up in the Docker ecosystem," Liang said, and developed open source capabilities needed to run Docker containers in production.

Rancher was agnostic to all technologies below it in the container stack as a battle played out among rival orchestration platforms, especially Docker Swarm, Kubernetes and Mesos.

But that battle has mostly been settled, Liang said. The orchestration technology gifted to the world by Google is becoming core infrastructure.

Fully embracing Kubernetes as an underlying standard, Rancher 2.0 is the first release to manage clusters across distros and environments. It can import and work with Google's GKS container service, Microsoft Azure Container Service, Canonical's Kubernetes, and the new Google-Pivotal-VMware collaboration, PKS.

"For Rancher going forward, all engineering resources will go to Kubernetes," Liang told CRN.

In Rancher 2.0, Docker Swarm support will be provided by reselling Docker Enterprise Edition Basic.
BRIDGEPORT  The West Indian American Association of Greater Bridgeport is celebrating 20 years of giving at its annual scholarship banquet on Saturday.

The non-profit organization will host its banquet at Grassy Hill Country Club in Orange from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. The banquet will celebrate this years scholarship recipients.
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SHELTON-In her younger days Paula Roog Stephenson spent a lot of time practicing with the Connecticut Royal Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps at Sutter-Terlizzi Post 16 of the American Legion.

I was in the color guard and so was my sister, she said. In the winter we practiced with the Winter Guard.

Her late father, John, and uncle,Walter were veterans and members of the post.

Now Stephenson, a 1970 Shelton High and UCONN ROTC graduate has a permanent place on a wall at the Sutter-Terlizzi Post 16 and another in City Hall. Its a framed proclamation from Mayor Mark Lauretti and the Board of Aldermen. It honors her for 32 years of military service and recent election as one of five national vice commanders of the American Legion, which number 2 million members.

Stephenson, who now lives in Utah with her husband retired Lt. Col. Charles Stephenson, represents the Legions Western Region which encompasses 13 states plus Mexico and the Philippines.

Being elected to such a high position in the American Legion is a great honor to her, her family, this city and Sheltons education system, said John Anglace, the Board of Aldermen president who served in the U.S. Army from 1953-55. She earned her way to it. What she has done with her life is a marvelous accomplishment. Were very proud of her.

Anglace made the presentation to Walter Roog and other members of Stephensons family during a recent Board of Aldermen meeting. Dave Gallagher, commander of the Sutter-Terlizzi post was among those present.

When I heard about this I was surprised beyond belief, Stephenson said of the Shelton honor.

Stephenson said she always visits Sheltons delegation during the Legions National Conventions. Its like a homecoming.

Shes very nice...very easy to get along with, said Richard Rosenbaum, a Sutter-Terlizzi Post officer.

Stephenson joined the Army in 1971 after a short stint at Southern Connecticut University. After enlisting she spent three years and eight months as a clerk-typist at Fort Knox. She then attended UCONN under the GI Bill and enrolled in their ROTC program.

In 1977 Stephenson graduated as a Second Lieutenant as part of the first group of women nationwide receiving the ROTC commission. She then began a military career as a hospital administrator serving first at Letterman Army Medical Center on the Presidio at San Francisco during the Vietnam War.

I was always on the homefront, Stephenson said of her service as a hospital administrator. That was my mission.

Still some of that homefront service during the divisive Vietnam War proved harrowing, particularly the orders not to wear uniforms off base.

I remember being in uniform on a bus in San Francisco in 1979, she recalled. I was going to get my hair done and I was being called a baby killer. The bus driver pulled over and suggested: I recommend you get off if you value your health. So I got off.

Her last active assignment was at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There she saw a 19-year-old soldier recovering from the loss of three limbs after being wounded in Iraq.

He has the best attitude of anyone I ever saw, she said. I went back to the office and cried.

She believes thats a testament to the degree of medical support he received.

Stephenson said she joined the American Legion about halfway through her military service at the insistence of her father. She rose through the ranks and in 2014-15, served as Utahs first female state commander,

Nowadays Stephenson serves under National Commander Denise Rohan, the first woman to be elected to the post.

She has made purple her color, Stephenson said. Thats because purple is the color you get when you mix the colors of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard together. We are all one military family.

And Rohan is stressing the importance of the American Legion as a family unit, Stephenson said.

Next month Stephenson will represent Rohan in Washington, D.C. for the 20th anniversary of the Women in Military Service memorial. She will also represent Rohan at West Points 2018 graduation ceremony.
NORWALK  Leo J. Motyka Jr., of Norwalk, visited the Demilitarized Zone while serving in the Army during the Korean War. He remembers seeing American soldiers on one side of the white line that marked the divide between North and South Korea and seeing the North Korean soldiers on the other.

I was only 19 years old, but it was a reality check that things could escalate in a hurry, Motyka said. I was there 60 years ago and I cant believe its still going on.

While there have been military encounters at the border repeatedly over the decades, some leading to casualties, its the conduct of the two heads of state that has many concerned.

Saturday, President Donald Trump sent out a tweet that many worried could bring the nations closer to war.

If he, referring to the foreign minister of North Korea, echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer! Trump wrote. He had already promised to totally destroy North Korea if the country threatened the U.S. during his first address to the United Nations. Rocket Man is how Trump has referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Twitter.

In response, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters, Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.

Ris assertion that war had been declared caused consternation in Connecticut and across the country.

Its not a very good situation, I can tell you that right now. And it could get escalated in a heartbeat, Motyka said. If somebody makes the wrong calculation and starts firing weapons, whether its us or them, the other side is going to retaliate. And theres plenty of firepower there on both sides.

Norwalk is home to nearly 300 people of Korean descent and 400 Korean War veterans, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Some experts believe North Korea has missiles that could reach the East Coast. Near North Korea, over 136,000 Americans live in South Korea according to the Korea Times, and roughly 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.

The Rev. Jae Kim, pastor of the Connecticut Korean Mission Church in Norwalk, said his congregation was concerned.

A members father and brother live in Korea, and sometimes she gets anxiety attacks, said Kim. We do pray for peace in Korea.

Kims friend, David Kim of Norwalk, had just returned from a trip to South Korea last month, and said he noticed a difference between the response there and here. Most Koreans who live in America worry about the war. But most Koreans who live in Seoul do not, he said.

David Kims nephew lives in Seoul, and Kim said, Even if he were worried, what could he do? Theres nowhere to go because thats a small country.

Mark Albertson, a military historian at Norwalk Community College, thought Ris recent comment was overblown.

According to your Constitution, the president cannot declare war, Congress does, he said. So what youre hearing from the minister of Korea is rhetoric. Theyre ratcheting up the language is what theyve done. Its: Can you top this? 

Many saw todays situation as inevitable.

This is something that has been festering since July 27, 1953, Albertson said of the day most consider the end of the conflict. Because that wasnt a peace treaty signed. That was a ceasefire.

David Kim outlined the motivations he sees as leading the escalating tensions.

What North Korean people want is two things. One, to be recognized as a nuclear power. Second, recognition of Kims regime as legitimate, he said. Americans dont want North Korea to have nuclear weapons, but I think North Korea will never forfeit their nuclear weapons.

Keep in mind what Kim Jong Un sees, Albertson said. He believed the mindset of North Korean leadership has been shaped by the fate of Ukraine, which held a large portion of the Soviet Unions nuclear arsenal when it declared independence from the union. It was the worlds third or fourth nuclear power.

The U.S., Britain and Russia entered an agreement with Ukraine to protect the countrys borders and sovereignty if Ukraine destroyed its weapons. Ukraine did so, and is no longer a nuclear power. But far from protecting Ukraines borders, Russia is now engaged in a military intervention in the country.

Kim Jong Un see that and thinks, if Ukraine was allowed to keep its nuclear weapons, do you honestly think it would be a battlefield right now? Albertson said. And dont think the Iranians didnt take a look at this as well.

According to David Kim, the big question is not what North Korea will do  he does not think the country has the power to attack the U.S. Instead, he finds it harder to predict what Trump will do. I dont know what to think because I dont know what Trump is thinking.

Since the war has never officially ended, Albertson thought a peace treaty was a theoretical way to reverse growing tensions. And even if North Korea declines, we look like a hero because we offered a peace treaty, he said.

Lee Seymour, a Korean War veteran and member of the Norwalk Veterans Memorial Committee, said, I think they all need to sit down and have a good talk, and quit the fooling around.
The perception is now worse than reality, not that the reality of specialty drug-maker Alexions departure from New Haven to Boston is anything but catastrophic.

Three strikes and youre out.

After General Electric announced its departure in 2016 after about 40 years in-state and Aetna did the same in 2017 after 160 plus years, the departure of the specialty drug-maker seals the Nutmeg States reputation as the most business unfriendly state in the nation.

No one nationally will believe anything else about Connecticut without a sea change in the states policies. Unfortunately, perception is often more difficult to change than reality.

The cruel irony is that Connecticut did almost everything right in Alexions case (unlike in GEs and Aetnas).

The home-grown company founded in New Haven in 1992 is one of the countrys 200 most valuable public companies.

In 2016, Alexion completed and occupied a new state-of-the-art headquarters funded by a $6 million state grant combined with a forgivable $20 million state loan and tax breaks, in return for which Alexion committed to hire and maintain an employment base of at least 650.

Like it or not, in this day and age, almost all states must offer incentives to attract and retain business.

However, in competing in this state-v-state contest, a state must do two other much more important things.

First, create a generally friendly business environment, and, second, make an accurate assessment of its own comparative advantage. The Malloy Administration has failed miserably at both.

Much has been written about Connecticuts unfriendly business environment. At risk of mind-numbing repetition, here are just the key points. The corporate income tax is the 6th highest in the nation. More damaging is Malloys untrustworthiness.

After his 2010 election, Malloy pushed through a 20 percent surcharge that elevated the basic 7.5 percent corporate rate to 9 percent. He committed to sunset the surcharge in 2013 and, then, delayed the sunset until 2015. He reneged twice. The surcharge remains.

Secondly, Malloy has insisted upon leading the progressive vanguard, for example, by pushing for the state to be first to adopt paid sick leave. Suffice it to say that the business sector sees reneged promises and progressive advances as uninviting, especially when they overlay serious negative factors, such as Connecticuts very high energy costs and its clogged transportation infrastructure.

Most fatal of all has been Malloys indulgence and/or cowardly capitulation to state employee unions, whose benefits are both so over-generous and so woefully underfunded that no corporation can ignore the inevitability of future tax hikes to finance the madness.

In terms of comparative advantage, Malloy has been foolishly overambitious from the beginning.

He has overplayed the hand of a small state sandwiched between two dynamic metropolises, New York City and Boston. Both are world class research centers with multiple internationally renowned universities and multiple teaching hospitals and cutting edge medical research complexes.

So Malloy attempts to transform Connecticut into a bio-medical research powerhouse? Really? He never considered the competition he faced immediately to the north and south?

Malloy jumped with two feet into the bio-med pool with his splashy and expensive $300 million Jackson Labs deal which brought a whopping 300 jobs to the state. In the years leading up to the deal, he didnt notice that Connecticuts leading bio-med company, drug maker Pfizer, was closing its labs in New London and moving to Boston?

The state does host world-class enterprise, including a large concentration of hedge funds and private equity firms. These are classic owner-operated enterprises.

Their wealthy founder-owners earn huge amounts personally and pay fabulous amounts of individual income taxes to the state. Ominously, several have left the state already, as Democrats have hiked individual income tax rates.

The reality of Connecticuts unfriendly business environment and its misdirected business development strategy is exceeded only by the nations perception of the state after the third in this trifecta of high profile corporate departures.

It is doubtful now that businesses will even give Connecticut a look, no matter what incentives are on offer - wait, never mind, the state doesnt have the resources to offer incentives, does it?

Only dramatic policies changes can remedy the situation. Two are obvious. First, the contract just struck with state employees will have to be re-opened and scaled back.

Second, the states welfare programs, which account for most of state spending and are among the most generous in the nation, will have to be cut back as well, as hardhearted as that may sound.

Third, the states comparative advantage must be re-thought in realistic terms. The state is looking for a new leader with the courage to carry out the first two obvious policy changes and the vision to conceive and implement the third far less-obvious strategy change.

Red Jahncke is president of The Townsend Group, a business consulting firm in Connecticut.
WASHINGTON  The latest bill in a seven-year Republican crusade to repeal the Affordable Care Act ended in the Senate on Monday without a vote, when it became clear there was not enough support within the party for passage.

The legislation died when Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Maine Republican who helped kill an earlier repeal bill in July, said she would vote against this one, too, because it would raise costs and leave millions of people without insurance. With two other GOP senators having already announced their opposition, it was enough to doom the long shot legislation by Senate Republicans who could afford to lose only two members of its caucus in a sharply divided chamber.

The defeat reflects a deep division between the GOPs moderate and conservative wings, and the difficulty Republicans have had in governing despite their unified control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. Another attempt to fulfill a campaign promise among Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act is unlikely during President Trumps first year in office.

Widespread and often intense public opposition to the bill came from doctors, hospitals, insurers and patient groups representing people with chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Protesters, many in wheelchairs or carrying white canes, came out in force Monday, disrupting the Senates sole hearing on repeal since Republicans began their effort in January to unwind the law they call Obamacare.

The legislation, co-sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., would have eliminated federal marketplace subsidies for people to buy insurance under the current law and replace them with block grants to the states. States would have had just two years to set up their own health care systems.

In addition, the Graham-Cassidy bill sought to transform Medicaid, expanded under the Affordable Care Act, by capping spending levels below the expected growth rate of medical costs for the poor.

A preliminary report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said late Monday the bill could cut Medicaid by $1 trillion over the next decade and would cause millions of people to lose comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, one of the Senates most conservative Republicans, had already stated his opposition because, he said, the bill did not go far enough to repeal the current law. And Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he too was opposed because Republicans were trying to force the legislation through the Senate without bipartisan support or adequate hearings and debate.

Democrats were unified against the bill, meaning for the bill to pass, Republicans needed 50 votes from members of their own party, which would allow a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. Collins announcement sealed its fate.

The Maine senator called Graham-Cassidy as deeply flawed as the previous iterations and scoffed at the last-minute sweeteners Republican leaders added, singling out her state and Alaska for billions in additional federal aid to lure her and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, another moderate who had helped kill a far less severe version of repeal in July.

If senators can adjust a funding formula over a weekend to help a single state, they could just as easily adjust that formula in the future to hurt that state, Collins said in a statement. This is simply not the way that we should be approaching an important and complex issue that must be handled thoughtfully and fairly for all Americans.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Finance Committee holding Mondays hearing, signaled the bills demise just before Collins announced her intention. Before the hearing had concluded, he told reporters that he doubted the legislation would be brought to a full Senate vote by Saturday, when time expires on the simple-majority procedure.

Lets face it, were not getting anywhere, Hatch said.

GOP leaders have not said what they plan to do next. Their hope was to pass a new budget bill that would allow them to use a renewed special simple-majority rule on their next big effort, an overhaul of the tax code. Holding a narrow 52-48 edge in the Senate, Republicans either have to use that process to enact partisan legislation, or work with Democrats, a strategy Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other GOP leaders have long spurned.

Complicating matters, Graham has threatened to vote against legislation that would allow a simple majority vote on taxes unless Republicans first repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Stan Collender, a former top congressional budget aide now at Qorvis Communications, a Washington public relations firm, said Republicans could combine tax reform and health care in a single budget resolution but would risk killing both.

Two more Republican defections on that budget resolution would kill tax reform, Collender said. That would leave Republicans completely empty-handed on their biggest campaign promises.

Theresa Miller, acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services, testified at Mondays hearing that the problems with the Affordable Care Act that Republicans criticize  mainly high premiums  could easily be fixed.

People who who buy health insurance on the individual market without the benefit of federal aid face the highest premiums, she said, but make up less than 7 percent of the market and have nothing to do with Medicaid, the chief target of all the GOP repeal bills. Premiums could be reduced several ways in a narrower bill, she said.

California and three other states that embraced the Affordable Care Act by taking advantage of federal funds to expand their Medicaid programs stood to lose billions with Graham-Cassidy. Graham defended the cuts to California, New York, Massachusetts and Maryland, saying they were getting too big a share of federal health spending.

All 50 states also stood to lose billions when the proposed law would expire after a decade unless Congress renewed it. Cindy Mann, a health care lawyer and consultant, testified Monday that the Graham-Cassidy bill would throw the health care system into chaos.

Independent analysts estimated that the bill could cause more than 30 million people to lose their health coverage. They also predicted that people with chronic or pre-existing conditions such as cancer or cardiac conditions could face skyrocketing premiums that would put health insurance out of reach.

Carolyn Lochhead is the San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead
Dear Annie: I have been married for seven years. My husband has had not one but several affairs. And he didn't just have affairs; he had two kids born six weeks apart from two different women. I love my husband and am helping him raise these children, who are now 2 years old. I keep telling myself the kids are innocent and it's not their fault they're the products of affairs, and I want to help them. I still feel he's messing around. Even if he's not, the fear will always be in my mind. I don't know whether it's just my not wanting to be alone or I do actually love him this much. I am really confused and can't help but wonder whether this man loves me as I love him. Is he using me because I'm older and settled? -- Lost and Confused

Dear Lost and Confused: There's so much to unpack from your letter, and there's hardly space here to begin. I don't know whether your husband is using you or whether he'll cheat again. But I know you're unhappy in this relationship, and something needs to change. That might mean leaving him and building a healthy sense of independence; it might mean staying together and learning to put the infidelity behind you. Either way, you will find the necessary tools in therapy.

Doctor preferences

Dear Annie: You recently published a letter from ''Tortured in New York,'' a woman who is ''uncomfortable'' with opposite-sex nurses. You supported her desire to have only female nurses and said the hospital should have honored her request immediately when she protested a male nurse's caring for her.

What would you say, then, if a man requested that only male nurses examine him and help him in a clinical setting? Would you agree with him that his request should be honored immediately?

Honestly, I am a man who would always prefer that only male medical professionals see me naked, but I don't expect that because it would be sexist for me to demand such. But when I have a colonoscopy every five years, for example, I'd prefer a male nurse dress me afterward. So far, it's always been a female nurse. I'm embarrassed when I come completely conscious and see her. -- A Shy Man in Texas

Dear Shy Man: To clarify, I did not tell ''Tortured in New York'' that she had a right to a female nurse or that the hospital should have honored her request immediately. I only told her she could make such a request and the staff members would most likely do what they could to accommodate her. Since the letter ran, I've received feedback from medical professionals affirming that position. Though there's no guarantee you'll get a male nurse if you request one, it doesn't hurt to ask. Just be sure to do so well in advance, preferably when making your appointment.
Cuba: Santa Lucia Hotels start reopening after Hurricane Irma

Submitted by: Juana

Travel and Tourism

Camaguey

Destinations

09 / 25 / 2017



Frenchman Philippe Hiller monitored through Facebook the process of recovery of Club Villaggio Bravo Caracol hotel, at Santa Lucia beach in the province of Camaguey, after the passage of Hurricane Irma over this Cuban north coast territory.

As repeating customer of that facility, where he had spent his vacation since last July, he was happy to be present in the reopening last Friday along with more than 60 tourists from five nationalities.

It was a good surprise to see that everything is as before, and I only miss some trees, because otherwise, it does not seem like a cyclone has passed, Hiller told ACN.

According to Santiago Perez, hotel manager, they took all measures to minimize damages arising from Irma, thats why they were the first hotel facility in restart providing service after the passage of the hurricane.

The Club Amigo Mayanabo and the Roc Santa Lucia are expected to reopen today, while the Brisas Santa Lucia, where it lays around 35 percent of the tourist housing capacity, will be ready later this week, said Julio del Toro, executive of Cubanacan hotel chain in Camaguey province.

Along with the work of recovery after the passage of Irma, the workers of this pole are already in preparation for the high season, which this year will begin early, in the first days of November, with the arrival of the first customers from the Canadian tour operator Nolitour.
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 ...
The body of Misty Coffelt  found severely beaten and her belongings strewn on the concrete beside her  was discovered by a Dacotah Foundation employee during his usual work routine the morning of April 14, 2016.

Details emerged Monday on how the 40-year-olds body was discovered and the subsequent investigation into her death at the start of the four-day trial of Morris Brickle-Hicks, 34, who is accused of murdering Coffelt behind a farm goods store in Bismarck.

The prosecutor in the case told a 12-person jury during her opening statement about how the Dacotah Foundation employee found Coffelt's body.

The Dacotah Foundation is a local charity with an office located near Runnings, where Coffelt was found. The employee started up a work van and was filling out his morning paperwork when he saw two feet lying in the adjacent parking lot, not moving.

The employee called 911 and then went over and saw Coffelt, who had been fatally assaulted. Her ID was on the ground next to her.

"It appeared that her nose was broken. It appeared that both of her eyes were swollen shut. She was dead," said Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Julie Lawyer.

The 911 call was made by Tom Dillman, a mental health technician and peer support specialist for the Dacotah Foundation. The recorded 911 call was played for jurors, in which Dillmann told the dispatcher that Coffelt's face was "smashed in," and that there was a lot of blood.

Brickle-Hicks' attorney James Loraas asked the jurors to question whether Coffelt's death was intentional. In an interview with police, Brickle-Hicks apparently told them he had been jumped by three men and called a racial slur.

"We do not contest the fact that Morris Brickle-Hicks did in fact have a physical confrontation with the deceased, Misty Coffelt, on April 14, 2016, in the area of Runnings in Bismarck," Loraas said. "That fact is not an issue in this case. The issue in this case is whether or not Morris Brickle-Hicks had the intention or a culpable mind."

Loraas asked jurors to withhold any judgement until they hear evidence from both sides in the case.

Brickle-Hicks' trial has been postponed twice pending new evidence. He's been held in jail since April 2016 on a $1 million bail. An officer escorted Brickle-Hicks, who was wearing a dark-colored suit, into the courtroom on Monday.

Coffelt had been living with her boyfriend out of a car behind the Ground Round in Bismarck, according to an investigator assigned to the case.

Two Bismarck Police detectives and a Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent testified about items found at the scene of the crime, including Coffelt's ID, a bra, make-up and a backpack.

Investigators followed up with Runnings and nearby businesses to see if there was any surveillance video of the murder, but there was not.

Just hours before Coffelt's body was discovered, Brickle-Hicks went to a local emergency room, complaining of back pain and spattered with blood. In a follow up interview with police, he allegedly confessed to murdering Coffelt.

The state and defense plan to bring forth additional witnesses, including more than 70 people on the state's witness list.

Brickle-Hicks' trial is expected to last through Thursday.
The event will be held at the Gateway to Science building, 1810 Schafer St. in Bismarck. This free event will include outdoor-guided moon viewing, weather permitting. Families are encouraged to dress for the weather and bring binoculars or telescopes. A limited number of binoculars and telescopes will be available for viewing.
North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott said Monday hes requesting an independent investigation into what he calls attempts to politicize and discredit his office.

Hagerott said hed like the State Board of Higher Education or a special assistant attorney general to investigate attempts to "manipulate" his office to influence the June 2016 primary election.

Hagerott said he received pressure after interim University of North Dakota president and former Gov. Ed Schafer endorsed Doug Burgum for governor over Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.

Despite my attempts to maintain the office of chancellor as an apolitical part of higher education, actions by certain persons this past week, and since 10th of June 2016, have attempted to cast doubt on the integrity of this office, Hagerott wrote in a request to Board Chairman Don Morton on Monday.

Hagerott said in an interview with The Bismarck Tribune that his failure to politicize the office of the chancellor prompted claims by certain persons of sexual harassment that he views as retribution.

A June 2016 staff survey that was made public last week said there were no concerns raised about sexual harassment, wrote compliance officer Karol Riedman, who was requested to interview most university system employees.

The employees surveyed said Hagerotts management style was militaristic, autocratic and controlling and said Hagerott treated women with less respect than men, according to the report.

The staff survey was prompted by Hagerott becoming excessively upset on June 10, 2016, over an open records request from the Grand Forks Herald that related to Schafers endorsement of Burgum.

Hagerott said the staff survey becoming public last week is an example of attempts to cast doubt on his office and his integrity.

I need an investigation to clear this office and get the facts on the table, he said.

The investigation needs to be independent, conducted by the board or an attorney who is designated as a special assistant attorney general, Hagerott said.

For obvious reasons, it cant be the attorney generals staff, he said.

Chief Deputy Attorney General Troy Seibel said in a letter to Hagerott on Monday that his office appoints special assistant attorneys general to provide legal advice to state agencies, boards and commissions and represent them in litigation. Special assistant attorneys general are not appointed for the purposes of conducting investigations, Seibel wrote.

Morton said Monday he had received the request for an investigation but needs more information before the board would discuss it.

Its unlikely the request for an investigation will be discussed at the board meeting scheduled for Thursday, Morton said, because the agenda has already been set and not all members will be attending in person.

The report about Hagerott was made public about a week after he fired Vice Chancellor Lisa Feldner, which Hagerott has said was a dismissal without cause.

Forum News Service reported that Feldner was fired after receiving a letter from Hagerott alleging she made derogatory references about other staff members. Feldner wrote a memo denying the allegations.
Wendy Williams dishes plenty of dirt on her daytime talk show and now the tables may be turning.

Has her husband been caught living a double life with another woman who he moved into a $765,000 secluded home nine miles from the New Jersey mansion he shares with Wendy? DailyMailTV has this exclusive based on a year-long investigation.

The woman at the heart of the Kevin Hart exploitation scandal says she 'did not know he was married' in her first one-on-one interview since this bombshell exploded.

In a DailyMailTV exclusive, 27-year-old Montia Sabbag is revealing intimate details of the 'three nights' she says she spent in a hotel with Kevin. Watch part one in this two-part exclusive concluding tomorrow from DailyMailTV's Brooke Thomas.

Marital woes: Kevin Hart and his wife, Eniko Hart, have found themselves in the middle of an exploitation scandal.

Montia Sabbag tells DailyMailTV she 'did not' know Kevin Hart was married when she says she spent three nights with him in a hotel.

In a disturbing trend, female teachers are making headlines for seducing their students. Is this really happening more often or are these cases just being reported more frequently? Dr. Phil weighs in.
Wendy Williams faced allegations about her marriage head-on today in front of her live studio audience in New York.

She was responding to DailyMailTVs bombshell report that questioned if her husband has another woman in his life, who he moved into a $765,000 secluded home nine miles from the New Jersey mansion he shares with Wendy.

Wendy opened her show today and spoke out about the story, but didnt do much to deny it.

Shes answering the question on everyones mind. What did she know about the shocking sex tape used in an exploitation attempt that forced comedian Kevin Hart to apologize to his pregnant wife?

DailyMailTV brings you part two of the interview with 27-year-old Montia Sabbag, who said she did not know he was married when she met him at a hotel.

Its a heros reception with a rock star wedding crasher. The Navy Seal who shot Osama bin Laden shares his storybook wedding photos exclusively with DailyMailTV.

Rob ONeill was a member of the famed Seal Team Six and says before going up against bin Laden We all said goodbye to our families, we probably wouldn't see our kids again  The last call I made was to my dad.

He recounts that day in his book, The Operator: Firing the Shots That Killed Osama Bin Laden, and now helps Navy Seals transition into second careers through his foundation Your Grateful Nation.

The hero Navy Seal who shot Osama bin Laden shares his wedding photos exclusively with DailyMailTV

DailyMailTV airs on 202 stations across the country.
Can you name a living British philosopher? Alas, I think most Britons would be able to name more British hairdressers, or British bakers, than British philosophers.

The poet W.H. Auden put it crisply when he wrote:

To the man in the street, who, Im sorry to say,

Is a keen observer of life,

The word Intellectual suggests straight away

A man whos untrue to his wife.

Perhaps as a result of this suspicion, our homegrown philosophers tend to remain firmly behind closed doors, working on books destined to be appreciated only by that select band of other philosophers with whom they havent fallen out.

But in France, any philosopher with a bit of zip can look forward to a flourishing media career, regularly being invited on television and radio to deliver topical opinions on all sorts of things, high and low, from the role of women in society to the hidden meaning behind the shape of the Toblerone bar.

In France, they have Bernard Henri-Levy and Michel Houellebecq.

In Britain, we have Ann Widdecombe and Piers Morgan.

Last week, Vincent Cespedes came up with the idea that Tintin is a girl. After appearing on TV and radio to argue his point, he waited a week before declaring that he was only joking, and that Tintin is in fact a boy

Given the choice, I suppose I would opt for the French system, but our countrys anti-intellectualism does have its compensations. One of them is that we dont have to endure the chatter of aspirant public intellectuals voicing dafter and dafter opinions in the hope of getting themselves on telly.

Take the case of Vincent Cespedes, for instance. Last week, the 44-year-old philosopher came up with the idea that Tintin is a girl. After appearing on TV and radio to argue his point, he waited a week before declaring that he was only joking, and that Tintin is in fact a boy.

I had just finished a book by Raymond Ruyer which shows that Homer is a woman, he told the Huffington Post in his original statement. I had some sort of software in my head when I got back into Tintin and it immediately seemed obvious to me.

Voila! Cespedes became famous all over France.

His evidence for Tintins femininity was, it must be said, a trifle patchy. He pointed to a Tintin story in which Tintin dressed in a skirt, though most people would identify it as a kilt. At this point, I wondered who he would alight on next. Would he take his magnifying glass to a photograph of The Royal Family at Balmoral and decide that Prince Philip was also a woman?

Or would he point to the movie Braveheart, and argue that Mel Gibson was a woman? After all, it is a well-known fact that Mel is short for Melanie.

In his original thesis, he argued that Tintins creator, Herge, played a joke on his readers by portraying him as a boy, but carelessly left enough clues for the truth to emerge.

In support of this thesis, he pointed to the 1941 staging of Tintin In The Indies in Brussels, in which the role of Tintin was played not by a man but by an actress, Jeanne Rubens.

Yet the same could be said of Bart Simpson, who is voiced by a woman, Nancy Cartwright. Does this mean that Bart is secretly Bartella?

CRAIG BROWN jokes Piers Morgan may be the closest thing Britain has to a philosopher

Cespedes also argued that, having studied the Tintin oeuvre: You never see his penis. Well, it would be very odd if you did. And there are any number of fictional heroes  Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Harry Potter  who never put their private parts on display.

Does this mean they are all female, or, at the very least, in the process of transitioning? From now on, would they prefer to be identified as Cherie Holmes, Jemima Bond and Harriet Potter?

Despite all these obvious holes in his thesis, Monsieur Cespedes was catapulted to the forefront of French philosophy, and made headlines all over the world.

And, a week later, Mr Cespedes has announced that he never actually believed that Tintin was a girl, and that his original announcement was a philosophical experiment in fake news.

So now the man who became famous for saying that Tintin was a girl has just become even more famous for saying that Tintin is a boy, which is what everyone imagined in the first place. So we are back at square one.

Which all goes to prove the point that Cicero first made 2000 years ago: there is nothing so absurd that some philosopher has not already said it. Unless, of course, you include what that same philosopher will say next.
This cant happen. This wont happen.

We have heard the same two sentences again and again over the past few years  and again and again, they have been proved wrong.

But even in the age of Brexit and President Trump, Germanys election results on Sunday were an extraordinary rebuke to the governing elites complacent assumptions.

The Far Right Alternative for Germany party won 96 seats at the country's general election yesterday as Angela Merkel paid the price for unrestrained migration

While she won a fourth term as Chancellor, Mrs Merkel's party returned their worst result since the Forties on Sunday night

Angela Merkel, the most enduring and powerful leader in the Western world, secured a fourth term as Chancellor.

But having presided over the Christian Democrats worst electoral performance since the Forties, the Iron Chancellor is now looking positively rusty.

The real sensation, though, was the rise of the Far Right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD), which won 13 per cent of the vote and a staggering 94 seats in the Bundestag.

In the formerly Communist east the AfD was second to the Christian Democrats. In some depressed areas, it won more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Just over 70 years after the Third Reich, the prospect of an openly nationalist, xenophobic, Far Right party taking so many seats in Germanys parliament fills many people, quite rightly, with unbridled horror.

Mrs Merkels foreign minister, for example, has talked of his shock at the prospect of seeing real Nazis in the German Reichstag for the first time since World War II.

And in case you think thats an exaggeration, listen to the AfDs joint leader Alexander Gauland, who wants Germany to stop apologising for the Nazis, demands the right to be proud of the achievements of the German soldiers in two world wars and openly says he would never live next door to a black neighbour.

Yet there is no getting away from the fact that more than five million Germans, many of them perfectly reasonable, educated, decent people, voted for them, just as almost 11 million Frenchmen and women voted for the Front Nationales Marine Le Pen in May.

The most pressing question for the Continental elite, therefore, is why? The truth is that this has been coming for a long time.

Almost exactly a year ago, after the AfD won a record 25 seats in the Berlin state assembly, I suggested in the Mail that by throwing open her countrys borders to a million mainly Middle Eastern migrants, Mrs Merkel might have signed her own political death warrant.

There is no doubt she acted with the best of intentions. She believed showing unprecedented generosity would banish the demons of Germanys past. Instead, with horrendous irony, she reawakened them.

But the real issue goes much deeper. The rise of the Far Right across Europe predates the Syrian refugee crisis.

While few doubt that Mrs Merkel's decision to let in millions of undocumented migrants was borne out of compassion, the emotions it has stirred up are anything but

In truth the seeds of the current crisis were planted long before the current migrant crisis, but it has helped exacerbate them

Indeed, Ms Le Pens father Jean-Marie made his electoral breakthrough in the mid-Eighties and reached the final round of the French presidential elections as early as 2002, long before the current crisis.

Across Europe, public discontent with mainstream politics, fuelled in large part by a sense that people are being ignored about mass immigration, has simmered for years.

We in Britain know this as well as anyone. Back in 2002, the Home Secretary of the day, Labours David Blunkett, warned that many people in traditional working-class Northern constituencies felt swamped by the arrival of large numbers of asylum seekers, who inevitably put intense pressure on jobs and services.

At the time, the liberal Left was quick to howl him down; some even accused him of outright prejudice. For many metropolitan liberals  not least diversity-crazed commissars of the BBC  the only answer to such warnings is to shoot the messenger, or at least dismiss him as a racist.

Such was the fate, for example, of the thoughtful former editor of the liberal Prospect magazine, David Goodhart, who had the temerity to write a series of articles asking whether mass immigration might weaken the bonds that hold our society together.

His reward was to find himself persona non grata, treated in some quarters almost as a latter-day Joseph Goebbels. But you cannot silence public discontent forever.

And the plain fact is that for decades, millions of people, not just here in Britain, but in almost every country in Europe, have been profoundly worried about mass immigration.

Why? Not because, as their liberal critics claim, they are all card-carrying racists.

Because, in an age when economic and cultural globalisation is sweeping away so much of what they take for granted, they are deeply worried about the character of their neighbourhoods, the competition for jobs, the pressure on schools and hospitals and the survival of their national identity.

In an age when so many of us feel buffeted by remote, unaccountable forces, the one thing people crave is a degree of control over their own lives, their towns and their streets.

In part, this explains why so many people voted to leave the EU a year ago: as the slogan had it, they wanted to take back control.

To ignore their concerns, or dismiss them as primitive prejudice, could hardly be more self-defeating. For the result, just look at Germany.

When I saw the first exit polls on Sunday, I was reminded of something I read in Douglas Murrays polemic The Strange Death Of Europe, which I wrote about in the Mail this year.

The story comes from autumn 2015. In the small city of Kassel, in the heart of Germany, some 800 migrants were due to arrive under Mrs Merkels refugee scheme, so the authorities held a public meeting.

While the current situation is far from the same that caused Hitler's rise to power, the sight of the far right and left taking seats at the German parliament should cause alarm

But when residents began to voice their concerns, the district president, Walter Lubcke  a member of Mrs Merkels Christian Democrats  spoke up. Admitting immigrants, he said, was the German way. Anybody who did not agree was free to leave Germany.

As I wrote then, this sort of talk was not just outrageously arrogant, but almost disgracefully counterproductive. For what politicians like Mr Lubcke have done, effectively, is to push millions away from the mainstream and into the hands of the extremist Right.

Now we are seeing the results. Across Europe, mainstream political parties are in retreat.

The French Socialist Party, formerly one of the greatest vote-winning machines in Europe, has virtually collapsed, while the two major German parties, the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, are in headlong retreat.

Both the Far Right and the Far Left, meanwhile, are on the march. Indeed, almost unnoticed amid the success of the AfD on Sunday was the fact that the extreme Left party Die Linke, the heir to the old East German Communist Party, won almost 10 per cent of the vote and 69 seats.

Of course, Germany in 2017 is a long way from being Weimar Germany during the rise of Hitler. Even so, the spectacle of the Nazi-influenced Far Right and the Communist-inspired Far Left commanding almost 25 per cent of the German vote ought to fill any sane observer with unbridled horror.

But the blame does not lie with Mrs Merkel alone.

It lies with a generation of politicians across the Continent who ignored the lessons of history and arrogantly dismissed their voters anxieties.

They were warned, but thought they knew better. Will they learn? It seems unlikely. I cant imagine Mrs Merkel changing her tune, let alone a superannuated bureaucrat like the EUs Jean-Claude Juncker.

The really chilling prospect is that this is not merely a reaction to Mrs Merkels utopian experiment, but the start of a far deeper nationalist surge.

After all, neighbouring countries such as Poland and Hungary have already seen the rise of nationalist strongmen such as the latters Viktor Orban, who has whipped up anti-immigrant sentiment to build an increasingly authoritarian state.

It is all very well for us to tell ourselves it could never happen in a nice, rich, sensible country like Germany. But it has happened before.

The prospect that it could happen again is, quite frankly, too terrifying to contemplate.
Said she never intended to hurt anyone and that social media was 'ugly'

Percem has said her transformation was for a movie shot in Turkey

Social media users were furious and reported her post to moderators

The SFX artist used dark foundation and added the hashtag #slave

Percem Akin, from Istanbul, shared the photo of herself on Instagram

A special effects makeup artist slammed for sharing an image of herself in blackface on Instagram using the hashtags #slave and #sadmakeup has hit back at accusations of racism.

Percem Akin, from Istanbul, Turkey, posted a picture of herself on Instagram wearing dark foundation and face paint, and a traditional African headscarf.

She added the caption: 'Color and pain [sic]. My lovely black beauty transformation make up.'

The makeup artist included dozens of hashtags - including #slave - many of which she has since removed following a flood of complaints from shocked followers.

Percem has now told Femail the transformation was for a movie shot in Turkey, and that she had hashtagged its title '#slayer', but that it had been changed to #slave.

Percem Akin, from Istanbul, Turkey, posted what she called a 'lovely black beauty transformation' using dark foundation and face paint

The SFX artist created the look for a Halloween makeup tutorial on YouTube but has since deleted the video

She hash-tagged the words 'slave' and 'sad makeup' but removed them from the post after it caused controversy

When one critic shared Percem's photograph on Twitter it went viral, with one shocked user posting: 'I don't even have words for this.'

Another wrote on Twitter: 'How do people still think this is OK?? For f***'s sake.'

Percem is an SFX artist and had originally posted a YouTube video demonstrating her tutorial. She then shared stills from the video on her Instagram feed, which has more than 3,300 followers.

Percem has 20,000 views on her YouTube account and says she was the NYX Face Awards winner for Turkey in 2017.

Her YouTube page is filled with makeup tutorials, including guides to horror makeup for Halloween, but it was the so-called 'slave' post that grabbed the internet's attention - including that of the Twitter user who shared it and called on their followers to report Percem's post to moderators.

Percem's post caused huge controversy on social media, with Twitter users rushing to report it on Instagram

They posted: 'Can y'all go report this b**** on IG for doing black face & trying to recreate a ''slave'' look? Thanks.'

One follower replied: 'She's talented... but why do this?? Maybe she is uneducated... I don't f***ing know. Awful.'

Percem's day job is an SFX artist, and she often creates Halloween looks on her YouTube page

'Y'all can't get a black model to create looks?? Wtf is wrong with people thinking they can paint themselves into another race??' another said.

'When will these people learn that we're not f***ing costume?' said a third critic.

But Percem hit back at suggestions her post was racist.

She told Femail: 'This is just a movie character, and the movie [was] directed by some poor students in my country, Turkey.

'We are not living in America or Africa, in my country finding any black model is so difficult, and they [directors] created a character.

She said she had used the hashtag #slayer, the title of the movie, not #slave, but that it had been changed.

'People choose to believe this ugly game,' she said.

Percem added that she was 'sorry' if she had hurt anyone with her post, adding 'I never mean... this as racist work.

'People prefer to see only racism on my work instead of pure beauty.'
A black and white cat is becoming the envy of Instagram travelers after joining his family on a journey to visit each of America's National Parks.

Vladimir the cat, along with his owners Cees Cornelis and Madison Elizabeth, first set out on their 10-month journey back in 2016 in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service.

Along the way, the family have been diligent in documenting their feline friend's adventures - and gained thousands of followers along the way.

On the road: Cees Cornelis and Madison Elizabeth have traveled to every one of the American National Parks, accompanied by their cat Vladimir

All around the world: The cat, pictured in the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, has become the star of the couple's Instagram

Surveying his kingdom: Vladimir is pictured overlooking Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah

But the intrepid kitty hasn't been the only diminutive companion on the trip, as Cees and Madison welcomed a son, Theodore, earlier this year during National Park week.

According to the family's website, Our Vie, the couple describes Vladimir 'a special soul.'

'He has redefined what it means to be an adventure cat. He loves to be outside with his humans; he has been everywhere with them from glaciers to sand dunes,' they add.

An icey trek: Vladimir has even taken his paws to Alaska's Root Glacier trail

Cees and Madison embarked on the journey back in 2016, in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service

On the road again: The family crisscrossed the country in their trusty red RV

Looking out: On their website, the couple describe their feline friend as 'a special soul'

Rowing along: The kitty, pictured on a kayak in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, can also be 'kind of a stinker when things don't go his way'

'He enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, and has even rappelled off some pretty high rocks! But, like all cats, he has a certain way that he wants things to be done. He can be kind of a stinker when things don't go his way.'

Vladimir is a constant focus in the family's Instragram posts, where he is seen trotting over glaciers, looking over the edge of kayaks into picturesque lakes and surveying the parks from lofty mountain peaks.

He appears to be the epitome of the curious cat and doesn't have any qualms about mounting his owners' shoulders to get closer to the action.

At the moment, the images have helped the family gain more than 52,000 followers on the social media site.

Up and over: Vladimir appears to be as curious as you'd expect, and is happy to be toted along by his owners

One after another: The family has hit every one of the 59 national parks over their trip

Quite a view: They initially intended to return to 'normal life' after the trip, but have ultimately remained on the road

Forest cat: Vladimir is seen wandering among the moss in Glacier Bay National Park

So far, the images follow the family as they explore the likes of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in California, Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska and Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.

The goal was to visit all 59 parks in 'one massive loop,' and while they completed that task - including a few island parks in the likes of Hawaii, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands - they don't seem ready to be finished with their travels.

So far on the journey, the family have been able to hit the parks using only their RV.

Upon completing their lengthy excursion, the family write that they initially intended to return to 'normal life,' but 'ended up loving road life way too much to ever look back!'
Miss Universe Australia 2017 Olivia Rogers has made a call for more honesty and sincerity on social media after opening up about her personal struggles with depression.

The 25-year-old model boldly pointed out too many people pretend to have 'perfect lives' online and masquerade reality by only ever posting their 'highlight reels'.

She also claims to be 'real' with her over 50,000 Instagram followers by sharing both good and bad times on her feed.

Model and Miss Universe Australia 2017 Olivia Rogers (pictured) opened up about the falsehood of social media

The 25-year-old beauty says she tries to be 'real' with her followers and posts when she has a good and bad day

'There are so many beautiful amazing people on there ... and young girls put them on a pedestal and say: 'I wanna be like them.' But everyone has their own struggles and insecurities, and being open about that helps,' Olivia told Herald Sun.

'We need to stop pretending our lives are perfect on social media,' Rogers said. 'If I'm having a bad day, I'll post about it. If I'm having a good day I'll post about it. You need to be real.

Olivia's blunt assessment of social media follows her recent admission over suffering from anxiety and depression during her teenage years.

The Australian beauty pageant winner says she felt 'so alone' and claims many models battle the same demons.

'We need to stop pretending our lives are perfect on social media,' Rogers said. 'If I'm having a bad day, I'll post about it. If I'm having a good day I'll post about it. You need to be real

Olivia's blunt assessment of social media follows her recent admission over suffering from anxiety and depression during her teenage years

'You feel so alone': Miss Universe Australia Olivia Rogers opens up on her battle with anxiety and depression

'I was super skinny and very unhealthy. Im not sure what came first, anxiety around food, or lack of food causing more anxiety,' she said.

She encourages models to not only post their best moments on social media, saying it's good to show when things 'aren't perfect'.

The model recalled an agency would persistently tell her how great her slim frame looked when she tipped the scales at 49 kilograms at her lightest.

Now the Adelaide-born beauty - who is mentally and physically healthier - said the 'moral' of her story was to always 'be yourself'.

'I was super skinny and very unhealthy. Im not sure what came first, anxiety around food, or lack of food causing more anxiety,' she said

The model also recalled an agency would persistently tell her how great her slim frame looked when she tipped the scales at 49 kilograms at her lightest

Pressure: The model recalled an agency would persistently tell her how great her slim frame looked when she tipped the scales at 49 kilograms at her lightest

She's set to ride more than 800kms from Mount Gambier to Gawler in South Australia to raise money for Beyond Blue, The Daily Telegraph reported.

'I want to raise as much money as I can and get a conversation going,' she said.

Olivia will be joined by former Australian Idol Natalie Gauci who will also take part in the fitness fundraiser on September 29.

For confidential help in Australia, call Lifeline at 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
He revealed what goes on behind the scenes at the Dally M Awards

For wives and girlfriends of AFL and NRL stars, the Brownlow Medal and Dally M Awards are the biggest red carpet events of the year.

And while it looks glamorous from the outside, there is a lot of hard work, big decisions, styling and laborious beauty treatments going on behind the scenes.

So to offer a glimpse into the behind the scenes world of the WAGs, celebrity stylist Lana Wilkinson has opened up about the process and shared some fun, preparation snaps on her social media pages.

This year for the Brownlow Medal, Lana styled Jessie Murphy, Jordan Ablett, Ruby Keddie and Belinda Sloane - each of them big names on the esteemed red carpet on Monday night.

For wives and girlfriends of sporting stars, the Brownlow Medal and Dally M Awards are one of the biggest red carpet events of the year (Belinda Sloane pictured being dolled up by Lana Wilkinson)

So to offer a glimpse into the behind the scenes world of the WAGs, celebrity stylist Lana Wilkinson has opened up about the process and shared some fun, preparation snaps on her social media pages (pictured is Jessie Murphy getting glammed)

This year, for the Brownlow Medal, Lana styled Jessie Murphy, Jordan Ablett, Ruby Keddie (pictured) and Belinda Sloane - each of them big names on the esteemed red carpet on Monday night

As a result, Lana was responsible for arranging their entire look - from their gown (chosen from three designers Oglia-Loro Couture, J'Aton and Cappellazzo Couture) and accessories to their hair and make up.

Speaking to Whimn, Lana said her goal on the night was to 'dress each of their personalities to showcase the best of them' - but admitted it is a 'daunting' task for them 'with the cameras and everyone looking at you'.

'The Brownlow lets you be a bit more risque than the Logies. Because they're not 'celebrities', there's not that expectation they should look a certain way,' Lana said, adding that 'there is an opportunity to elevate someone's personal brand'.

Lana was responsible for arranging their entire look - from their gown (chosen from three designers Oglia-Loro Couture, J'Aton and Cappellazzo Couture) and accessories to their hair and make up

Lana said her goal on the night was to 'dress each of their personalities to showcase the best of them' - but admitted it is a 'daunting' task for them 'with the cameras and everyone'

Pictured is the woman behind the style, Lana Wilkinson

The stylist said the complete look is the result of a series of 'calculated' decisions between herself, the client and the designer.

'The girls don't walk out the door without me seeing them first. It's a well-oiled machine. I've got two assistants with me, and I'm right in there. I'm only as good as the people around me,' she said.

Lana also said the women need to fit in their dresses perfectly, know the ideal angles and be prepared with Hollywood tape, baby wipes and soda water in case of unexpected emergencies.

For Channel Seven red carpet host Belinda Sloane, she said she'd decided to 'up the ante'

Speaking of Jessie Murphy's stunning Oglia-Loro Couture gown, Lana said she had 'taken Jessie's baby bump as an extra accessory but stayed very fashion forward'

Taking to her Instagram on Monday evening, Lana said the Brownlow Medal was the 'biggest day' of her event calendar.

Speaking of Jessie Murphy's stunning Oglia-Loro Couture gown, Lana said she had 'taken Jessie's baby bump as an extra accessory but stayed very fashion forward'.

For Ruby Keddie, she opted for an 'insane, white really strong bold cling line dress' from Cappellazzo Couture and for Channel Seven red carpet host Belinda Sloane, she said she'd decided to 'up the ante'.

'She's in a bold colour and quite a strong power shoulder so it's going to be quite a moment,' Lana said of the Cappellazzo Couture number.

For Jordan Ablett, Lana said her form-fitting J'Aton Couture dress was designed to 'inject a lot of her personality' and complement her 'generosity' and 'softness'

For Ruby Keddie, she opted for an 'insane, white really strong bold cling line dress from Cappellazzo Couture

'She's in a bold colour and quite a strong power shoulder so it's going to be quite a moment,' Lana said of the Cappellazzo Couture number

For Jordan Ablett, Lana said her form-fitting J'Aton Couture dress was designed to 'inject a lot of her personality' and complement her 'generosity' and 'softness'.

The Dally M red carpet is much the same, with celebrity stylist Donny Galella previously speaking to FEMAIL about the night and his dos and don'ts on the big night.

Mr Galella, who has more than 10 years experience in the industry, styled 20 women for the NRL's Dally M Awards in 2016.

But while the event was the 'night of nights' for players and their partners, it was a good six weeks in the making for Mr Galella.

Red carpet glamour: Celebrity stylist Donny Galella previously revealed what goes on behind the scenes of the red carpet. He dressed Tegan Martin (pictured) for the 2016 Dally M Awards

Fashion muse: Mr Galella (pictured) is the man behind the style and previously shared his tips with Daily Mail Australia

He revealed a red carpet outfit can take more than a month of planning, and he conducts 'style surveys' with his clients to determine what they like and don't like and what body parts they are most happy with.

While the most common question on the red carpet is 'who are you wearing', Mr Galella said designer labels are not always the right choice.

'I've seen countless women pour themselves into an uncomfortable, ill-fitting dress, that looks horrendous on them, only because they want to say 'I am wearing such and such',' he said.

'When I try on dresses with clients, I sometimes hide the label.

'Ignore brands and designers, look for a dress that you put on and instantly feel absolutely fantastic, the perfect dress should flatter your body and highlight your best assets.'

Final fitting: Mr Galella said this red two-piece was not Kelly's first choice, but she pulled it off and looked 'a million bucks'

If the dress fits: He encouraged women to ignore brands and designers and instead choose a dress that made them feel 'absolutely fantastic'

Less is more: If your dress is busy with embellishment take it easy on the bling, Mr Galella said

'If you are busty and wearing a low cut neckline, make sure you use Hollywood tape to prevent any nip slips,' Mr Galella said.

'If you are doing no bra, wear some nipple covers.

'If you can't wear a bra but need lift and support use boob lifting tape, Kim Kardashian is a master at this.'

Another tip is to keep some baby wipes on hand should you accidentally get a mark on your dress.

Tricks of the trade: Carry baby wipes in case you get a mark on your dress

Perfect accessories: A good clutch is a red carpet must, Mr Galella's go to brand is Australian label Olga Berg

Jewel in the crown: Statement earrings are on trend, but choose jewellery carefully to match your outfit

'Right from the outset I get my clients input to make sure they will be happy,' he said.

'Yes sometimes we have conflicting ideas, I always listen to them but always try illustrate my point of view so they can see where I am coming from.'

He does this by taking photos of different outfit choices which can be laid side-by-side to give a clear view of how it looks.

'Photos don't lie,' he said.
Chat to a group of friends about their last memorable dream and chances are there are some common themes that crop up.

And if those themes involve tigers, crumbing teeth and a failure to revise for an important exam, the odds are that the unlucky dreamer is feeling rather stressed.

According to New Zealand dream experts Margaret Bowater and Dr Rosie Gibson, what you dream about can be a key indicator for your state of mind.

According to ream experts Margaret Bowater and Dr Rose Gibson, what you dream about can be a key indicator for your state of mind, with failure to revise of an exam (stock image pictured) a common indicator of stress

Ms Bowater, who is the president of the Dream Network Aotearoa New Zealand, shared some of the themes to look out for with Stuff - and while the sensation of falling while asleep was a common occurrence in stressed dreamers, other symbols might surprise you.

FAILING TO REVISE FOR A TEST

'I used to be a teacher, so my typical stress dream was about the whole classroom getting out of control. I would be feeling powerless or helpless to manage a situation,' Ms Bowater told the publication.

But she isn't alone, with the expert revealing that if you find yourself being totally unprepared for an exam in a dream, you are most likely feeling under pressure in real life.

The expert said children in particular are susceptible to seeing a 'token stress creature' in their dreams which can be embodied as a tiger or wolf

Common dreams and what they mean Speaking previously, UK dream expert Ian Wallace explained the meanings behind some other common dreams. Being exposed in public: You're taking too much on and no setting boundaries so you can look after your own needs Being immersed in water: Water symbolises your emotions, being kept from water means your emotions are being repressed Dreaming about your house: Your house symbolises your identity and if you're dreaming about old houses, you're missing your old self Advertisement

TIGERS

Dr Rosie Gibson, who is a research officer at Massey University's Sleep/Wake Research Centre, said that children in particular are susceptible to seeing a 'token stress creature' in their dreams - which can be embodied as a tiger or wolf.

'My own repetitive stress dream as a child would be of a wolf jumping down my next door neighbour's stairs and I'd wake up with that rush of stress and anxiety,' she told the publication.

TEETH FALLING OUT

Perhaps one of the most common anxiety dreams is said to be the unpleasant sensation of your teeth crumbling in your mouth during a nightmare.

According to Ms Bowater, this dream represents 'words that have fallen out of your mouth that you wish you hadn't said.'

She added that it could also indicate that you have been unable to find the right words to express yourself.

Perhaps one of the most common anxiety dreams is said to be the unpleasant sensation of your teeth crumbling in your mouth during a nightmare

DRIVING

According to Dr Gibson, being unable to drive a car in the right direction is a dream which can mean that you feel out of control.

Those enduring this unpleasant night-time ordeal are more likely to be adults, the expert said.

Other dreams involving vehicles that indicate stress include a car rolling backwards, or possibly towards a cliff edge.

FEELING TRAPPED

Ms Bowater said that this kind of dream is a 'conceptual' one - whereby the dreamer feels trapped or lost in real life.

'A dream is trying to show, or repeat, something back to you,' she said.

'It's usually using concrete imagery for something that is not necessarily a concrete thing to say.'

According to Dr Gibson, being unable to drive a car in the right direction is a dream which can mean that you feel out of control

WHAT ABOUT A DREAM OF DYING?

Whilst anyone who has had a nightmare about passing away might naturally attest that it was a sobering experience, UK dream expert Ian Wallace has previously explained that it has nothing to do with death in waking life.

Writing on his website, Mr Wallace - who has analysed more than 200,000 dreams and is author of the book The Top 100 Dreams - said 'dying symbolises a fundamental change in how you view a situation in your day-to-day life, so that you can healthily transform it'.

'Although dying may symbolise the end of a particular process in your waking life, its main purpose it to draw your attention to the fact that a while new area of growing opportunity is emerging for you,' he wrote.
They have been dubbed a transgender 'power couple' and now Captain Hannah Winterbourne and Jake Graf are cementing their relationship after announcing their engagement.

The pair revealed on ITV's Lorraine today that Jake had popped the question earlier this month while on a holiday in New York and plan to get married next summer.

Hannah who joined the Army as a man, came out as transgender and started transitioning four years ago after a tour to Afghanistan.

Hannah, 30, first made headlines after she became Britain's highest-ranking transgender soldier.

She began dating transgender filmmaker Jake, who starred alongside Eddie Redmayne in Hollywood film The Danish Girl, a few years ago.

They both hope to continue inspiring other trans people on their path to love and have vowed to have a family together and over come any complications they may face.

'Surrogacy is probably the way for us. But I think we wouldn't be happy without kids. Its not going to be that easy for us but we will find a way,' Jake, who began his transition a decade ago, said.

Hannah Winterbourne and Jake Graf announced they had got engaged earlier this month while on holiday in New York

Hannah, seen left before her transition, she joined the army as a man. Jake, seen right before his transition

Jake explained how it took him two hours of rowing round in a boat on the lake in Central Park before he plucked up the courage to ask Hannah to marry him

Hannah and Jake revealed their happy news on Lorraine and spoke about their plans for a family in the future

Jake, who had asked Hannah's father for permission to ask for her hand in marriage, said he got down on one knee in a rowing boat as Hannah cried.

'It was one of the most nerve-wracking things.

'I've never felt nervous in front of her before, it took me a good two hours of rowing around before I plucked up the courage to get down on one knee.'

Hannah said she was overwhelmed with emotion adding she would remember the romantic moment forever.

Hannah first appeared on Lorraine back in 2015 where she opened up about her transition and Jake has followed in his fiance's footsteps visiting the show this summer to talk about making films to shine a light on transgender issues.

The pair have worked tirelessly together campaigning for the LGBTQ community.

Although they acknowledge they've been labelled a 'power couple', Hannah admits she doesn't want to seem 'arrogant' about the prestigious title.

They shared their happy news with ITV's Lorraine Kelly, who was pleased for the couple and was invited to the wedding

Hannah and Jake have campaigned tirelessly for the LGBTQ community and hope to have children in the future

Captain Hannah Winterbourne at the British LGBT Awards and Jake appearing on Lorraine earlier this year

Hannah appearing on Lorraine in 2015 as part of the Wonder Women Table. As a man she toured Germany and Afghanistan and now serves in the army on welfare and education issues

'We're really proud to be out there and help other people, it's always seem weird to think about it, it almost sounds arrogant, but we're just us really,' she said.

Jake added: 'Trans people look to us and say we have given them hope when finding love. And my biggest concern when I was starting my transition, and I think it was Hannah's as well, was never finding love because I think trans people are made to feel ugly and not worthy of love.

'So if we're inspiring a new generation of trans people to find someone for them that is a huge honour and something that I am very proud of.'

Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV at 8.30am
Carol Vorderman has spoken out after viewers commented on her 'puffy' appearance on The One Show on Friday night.

The former Countdown presenter tweeted today that the segment was filmed just two weeks after her mother's funeral in July, at a time when she was 'on medication', 'heartbroken' and surviving on 'no sleep'.

Tweeting from San Diego, Carol, 56, added that she was now 'fighting fit and full of energy' before thanking her 'amazing' fans for their messages of support.

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Carol Vorderman's appearance on The One Show on Friday evening sparked concern over her appearance, with many viewers asking on social media: 'what has she done to her beautiful face?'

Carol today spoke out about the furore, explaining the segment was filmed in July, just two weeks after her mother's funeral, at a time when she was 'on medication' and 'heartbroken'

'Fighting fit': The former Countdown presenter also shared pictures of herself taken in August and September to show supporters that she is now feeling 'full of life'

Brainbox Carol, a qualified pilot, appeared on The One Show to showcase her flying skills.

However, some viewers were left shocked by the glamorous presenter's appearance in the pre-recorded segment - and took to social media to comment on just how different they felt the blonde maths genius looked.

Dozens took to social media to utter the same question: 'What has she done to her face?' Among them was @melania9021, who wrote on Twitter: 'Carol Vorderman, what on earth have you done to your beautiful face?'

@SusieJ7567 added to the deluge of comments, saying: '@BBCTheOneShow what the hell is going on with Carol Vorderman's face?'

The 56-year-old blonde presenter, who appeared in the pre-recorded footage, looked 'different' said viewers, with many taking to social media to speculate why

A spokesperson for Carol later told MaiOnline that the One Show segment was filmed two months ago back in July, just a fortnight after her mother's funeral.

The presenter was taking medication, which she has now come off, and is feeling stronger after spending the summer sorting out her mother's belongings.

Carol has now offered her own take on the furore, admitting that she did 'look a mess' but that it was 'months ago'.

Speaking out: The presenter sent a series of tweets about her appearance today

She tweeted: 'On medication at the time, no sleep, heartbroken. Face puff, eyes red and generally looking a mess? Yes. But that was months ago...'

She sent a follow up tweet: 'Now fighting fit and full of energy... and in the great scheme of life ... so what to it all!,' accompanying the message with photos of the presenter taken over the last two months.

Carol continued: 'Happy Tuesday everyone... wishing you blue skies and belly laughs. Time to go to bed here.'

Carol pictured ten years ago in 2007; the maths brainbox has since qualified to be a pilot and was appearing on The One Show to show off her aeronautical prowess

Changing looks: Carol as she appeared during her Countdown heyday, which propelled her to stardom in the 80s alongside her co-host Richard Whiteley

Carol  a previous winner of the Rear of the Year award  has been smitten with flying since taking lessons and earning her licence in 2014.

The presenter has long-held an ambition to fly solo around the globe.

Earlier this year she spoke of plans to capture her journey through Europe, Asia, across the Pacific Ocean, the US and back to the UK on camera and turn it into a documentary called 'Carol's Incredible Solo Flight Around The World'.

However, the mathematician put her plans on hold after her mother Joan became ill - and subsequently passed away - earlier this year.
The world of criminal law is a gritty place where crimes are relived and teams of lawyers battle it out for justice.

But two Orthodox Jewish women are shocking the hallowed halls - dressed head to toe in matching pink outfits as self-proclaimed 'Barbie lawyers'.

Criminal defense attorneys Sara Shulevitz, 40, and Mindy Meyer, 26, of Meyer Kessner and Shulevitz Law Group are known in Miami and New York law circles for their outlandish style and upbeat attitude.

And while their methods are not to everyone's taste they say their results speak for themselves.

Sara said: 'At first glance we might appear a little ditzy but we are fighters, we are tough lawyers and we get the job done.'

Defense attorneys, Sara Shulevitz (left), and Mindy Meyer (right), shopping in Miami, defend some gritty cases dressed head to toe in matching pink outfits as self-proclaimed 'Barbie lawyers'

Mindy added: 'I always loved Barbie, the glitz and the glamour and the sparkles and the jazz - so we decided to bring that to the courtroom.'

The duo have represented defendants accused of murders, rapes and even alleged members of Colombian cartels.

Mindy, who grew up in Brooklyn, said: 'We won't take on any client that is unethical or asks us to do things that are illegal. Other than that, everybody is entitled to a defense subject to the constitution.'

Orthodox Jewish women practicing criminal law is considered a rarity and Sara and Mindy bond over their shared conservative heritage.

While their methods are not to everyone's taste they say their results speak for themselves

The duo have represented defendants accused of murders, rapes and even alleged members of Colombian cartels

Commenting on the comparison between them and Elle Woods, they said: 'I was already practicing when Legally Blonde came out and I think that they copied me with the pink resume'

Sara is the daughter of a rabbi and grew up on the Upper East Side of New York.

She said: 'Both of us come from ultra-Orthodox Jewish homes and it was expected that an Orthodox Jewish woman gets married at 18 and they have children, seven, eight, nine, ten children - however many God will give.

'I was in an arranged marriage at 18 and that didn't work out. So then I went to law school.

'I was already practicing when Legally Blonde came out and I think that they copied me with the pink resume.

'I used to have pink, scented business cards and I used to throw them into the cells. My clients love it.'

Sara, left, is the daughter of a rabbi and grew up on the Upper East Side of New York

The colleagues explained that when they won a case, one of the male attorneys said, 'who did you sleep with in the jury to get that result?', which they said was 'very painful' after they worked so hard

But her fight to the top of the law profession has been difficult.

'I started out as a young attorney in my twenties and people just think a lot of times that you are idiot. You have to work hard to prove yourself.

'When I switched sides to be a defense lawyer, one of the hardest things was being taken seriously.

'In a case I tried alone where my client was facing 15 years, I got an acquittal, the jury acquitted my client in five minutes.

'I was so proud and the next day, one of the male attorneys said, 'who did you sleep with in the jury to get that result?'

'It was very painful because you work so hard and no-one would say that to a man attorney.'

Mindy, who grew up in Brooklyn and is married with a young daughter, never envisioned a traditional Orthodox future for herself.

She said: 'I always had a fascination with criminals and politics and I always knew I was not going to be in the kitchen all day.'

She added: 'I feel I have known Sara my whole life. At this point we can't survive without each other. We refer to each other as sisters-in-law.'

Mindy, who grew up in Brooklyn and is married with a young daughter, never envisioned a traditional Orthodox future for herself

Defense attorneys Mindy Meyer (left) and Sara Shulevitz (right) working with private investigator Simon Hamer in their office in Miami

The duo say that being positive, upbeat person, and not automatically attacking the prosecutor, can sometimes be a good approach and bring good outcomes for clients

As well as a love of everything pink, they share a passion for high-fashion, with a particular love for J.Crew, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and Christian Louboutin.

They say their look represents 'new feminism' and that they don't need to 'look and act like men'.

But their decision to bring the glamour into the courtroom can be met with mixed emotion.

Mindy, who grew up in Brooklyn, said: 'We won't take on any client that is unethical or asks us to do things that are illegal'
On Sunday, German voters cast their ballots for members of the national parliament, the Bundestag, and Angela Merkel appears poised to serve a fourth term as chancellor. But with a much-diminished number of supporters, fierce populist opposition, and warring coalition allies, her tenure could prove tenuous.

Populism has surged in the nation, carrying into parliament representatives from both the so-called far-Right and far-Left. And Merkel faces the prospect of trying to form a new coalition capable of uniting fiscal conservatives and the Green Party.

How does the German election system work?

Every four years, Germans cast two votes in the national election: the first for a specific party candidate, the second for a political party. Candidates who win individual races are guaranteed a seat. However, in the second round Bundestag seats are awarded by proportional representation to every party that won at least five percent of the national vote.

In the event that a given party wins more than its share of seats in the first round of voting, the number of seats in the Bundestag is enlarged to assure each party maintains its proportion of the overall vote (based on the second round results). This year, the Bundestag will have 709 seats, the largest version of the body ever.

What were the results of the 2017 German election?

Merkels center-right Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian affiliate, the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) won the vast majority of voting constituencies in the first round, earning a plurality of the vote in 231 out of 299 districts. However, it suffered a massive decline of eight percent support over the 2013 election. The rival Social Democratic Party (SPD), led by Martin Schulz, had the worst turnout in its postwar history. The populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) exceeded pollsters expectations, entering parliament for the first time in its four-year history. The left-wing party Die Linke (The Left) also has a radical platform designed to demolish the status quo. And the most free-market oriented, classical liberal party, the Free Democratic Party, rebounded from the worst election in its history four years ago and returned to the Bundestag under the leadership of 38-year-old Christian Lindner.

The results were:

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) won9 percent of the vote;

Social Democratic Party (SPD) came in second with 20.5 percent;

Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 12.6 percent;

Free Democratic Party (FDP) earned 10.7 percent of the vote;

Die Linke (The Left) came in fourth with 9.2 percent; and

Green Party garnered 8.9 percent.

The crestfallen chancellor told supporters on Sunday, We dont need to beat around the bush. We wanted a better result, that is clear.

Who will make up the next coalition government?

After the election, SPD leader Martin Schulz said he was withdrawing from the grand alliance with Merkel, formed four years ago. Merkel has ruled out any coalition with AfD, and Die Linke would be an unlikely partner. That leaves what Merkel has called the Jamaica coalition: the CDU/CSU, FDP, and the Green Party (named because their parties colors  black, yellow, and green  are the same as those of the Jamaican flag). If no coalition is formed, Merkel could rule with a minority government, or call new national elections.

Policy: Where do they stand?

Taxes: The CDU wants to cut taxes by 15 billion euros, the FDP by twice that amount. FDP has sought control of the finance ministry currently held by Wolfgang Schauble, whose hawkish posture on the deficit has checked initiatives to lower taxes. The Greens, meanwhile, seek to impose a new tax on wealth (not income) similar to the assets tax in France.

European Union: Merkel, whom Germans nicknamed Mutti (mother), wields more power than any other politician in the EU. She has been an outspoken proponent of more Europe, concentrating all newly accumulated powers in Brussels. EU leaders already look forward to that trend continuing during her fourth chancellorship. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the next four years would allow Merkel to further the European integration project. (A vocal faction of the FDP is notably more skeptical about the EU.)

Eurozone and eurobonds: Merkel had announced her support for the creation of eurobonds and an international budget to transfer wealth from the 19-nation eurozones more prosperous to its least prosperous members. That idea looks dead. FDP has said that any permanent fiscal equalization scheme or transfer union is unthinkable and a red line for us, meaning it would trigger FDPs exit from the coalition. Undeterred, French President Emmanuel Macron, the chief proponent of eurobonds, plans to unveil a more detailed plan on Tuesday.

Defense: The CDU would increase military spending to two percent of GDP, as required by the terms of NATO membership. FDP would prefer to increase that to three percent and favors the creation of a European army. The Greens would cut defense spending and turn more military authority over to the United Nations.

Immigration: Merkels fall from grace and the rise of AfD began at the same moment: Merkels August 2015 invitation for any Middle Eastern migrant who could reach Europe to settle in Germany. The nation received a record 745,155 applications for asylum in 2016, more than three-times as many as in 2014, according to Eurostat. After her poll numbers began falling, a chastened Merkel moderated her rhetoric, saying, A situation like the summer of 2015 must not be repeated (and calling for a ban on Muslim women wearing the burqa wherever possible). The Greens favor an even more lenient policy for migrants, while the FDP would impose a points system akin to the Canadian system or the RAISE Act recently introduced in the U.S. Senate. Merkel will likely continue to pressure other EU nations to take in Muslim refugees.

The transatlantic alliance with the U.S.: With Merkel at the helm as chancellor, little change is expected in relations with the U.S. Merkel and President Trump share a famously chilly relationship over numerous issues, especially the $65 billion trade deficit. James J. Carafano, a Heritage Foundation scholar, said frankly of the election, I dont think its going to impact German-U.S. relations all that much.

What about the Alternative for Germany (AfD)?

The AfD, with a base of power in northeastern Germany, outperformed election-eve polling data to surge into third place. The party began just four years ago to scrutinize the EU, but it gained popularity by promising a hardline on immigration. The AfD would ban the Muslim burqa or veil, the construction of minarets, and the Islamic call to prayer. The party would limit annual immigration to 200,000 people for the nation of 86 million people. It would leave the euro, end bailouts of other EU nations, limit the role of NATO, cut taxes for low- and middle-income earners within a balanced budget framework, and reinstate the military draft. Some of its members have joked about shooting migrants or criticized a memorial to the Holocaust.

AfD leader Alexander Gauland promised uncompromising opposition in the Bundestag, telling government leaders, Were going to hunt them. Were going to hunt Frau Merkel.

Yet within hours of the election, fresh turmoil roiled the AfD. The newly elected Frauke Petry, one of its top spokespeople, said she would not join the Bundestag as an AfD member but would serve as an independent.

Whats next?

Merkel will seek to form a coalition by late December. Despite Schulzs statements, on Monday Merkel appealed to SPD to continue their alliance.

The Jamaican alliance more closely resembles a Balkans nightmare. Both coalition partners  the FDP and Greens  are polar opposites. They are unlikely to compromise on their core principles and have a history of mutual ill-will.

Lindner learned the lesson of former FDP leader Guido Westerwelle, who tamped down pressure for tax cuts in 2009 after being named foreign minister. Four years later, FDP suffered a devastating loss, the worst in its history, falling below the threshold needed for a seat in the Bundestag. Lindner told voters this year, If we cant make a difference then it is our responsibility to go into the opposition.

Meanwhile, the Green Party despises the right-leaning party. Greens co-chair Cem Ozdemir has called the FDP an anti-party, opposed to everything progressives believe in. I dont see how we should come together with the FDP. A Green official in the Bundestag, who wished to remain anonymous, used more evocative language, telling Politico, When it comes to the climate and the economy, the FDP is the devil.

The Jamaican alliance could easily prove brittle and fractious. To avoid that, Merkel will co-opt the policies of her two coalition members whenever politically viable, as she seeks political moderation. As Deutsche Welle put it, during her grand alliance with SPD the centrist Merkel led the social-democratization of the CDU  She neutralizes the opposition. Its just that sometimes the CDU isnt sure any more what about her is still conservative.

(Photo credit: Vibrant Pictures. Shutterstock. Editorial use only. This photo has been cropped.)
The eyes of the world are currently on Canada, where Prince Harry made his first official appearance with girlfriend Meghan Markle last night.

And Prince William gave a diplomatic laugh in response to a comment about a royal engagement being on the cards for his brother and the Suits actress.

During the visit to Milton Keynes, the royal, 35, also revealed that Prince George is already 'fed up' with going to school - despite his first day being less than three weeks ago.

The Duke of Cambridge was visiting the Buckinghamshire town as part of celebrations marking its 50th anniversary.

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Prince William gave a diplomatic laugh in response to a comment about the prospect of brother Harry marrying girlfriend Meghan Markle today during a visit to Milton Keynes

The Duke of Cambridge visited the Buckinghamshire town today to mark its 50th anniversary

William visited William Cowley Parchment Makers during his tour of the town, during which the prospect of Harry marrying Meghan was raised.

Paul Wright, the store's general manager, told him: 'If Prince Harry marries Meghan then his certificate will be in our vellum.'

William simply burst out laughing in response to the comment, with Mr Wright later explaining: 'He just laughed - a nice laugh.'

Under the Royal Marriages Act 1772, all descendants of George II must obtain the sovereign's agreement before they wed, otherwise the marriage is invalid.

The Instrument of Consent is an elaborate document made from vellum, usually calf skin, proclaiming the monarch's approval of a marriage and bearing a large red wax Great Seal of the Realm.

Meanwhile, William also said that George, four, is already fed up with going to St Thomas's School in Battersea.

Today's royal engagement comes a day after Prince Harry made his first official public appearance with girlfriend Meghan Markle

William's admission was made to a fellow parent after he had earlier dropped off the four-year-old future king.

Mother-of-two Louise Smith, 31, said: 'He told me he'd just dropped Prince George off at school and he didn't want to go. Sounds a bit like mine, really.'

William had stopped to say hello to the mother and her daughters Sophia, aged three, and one-year-old Holly during his visit.

The Duke of Cambridge visited the Milton Keynes Rose in Campbell Park during his trip, a public installation featuring pillars celebrating events and groups that are important to residents.

William once again showed he was a natural with children as he spoke to youngsters in the town.

The royal, 35, attended a festival showcasing the town's achievements over the past 50 years

William looked to be in very high spirits as he met with local residents during his visit

The Duke also revealed during the visit that Prince George is already 'fed up' with school

He is visiting Milton Keynes as residents celebrate the Act of Parliament which 50 years ago paved the way for the town's creation.

In 1967, the then housing minister Anthony Greenwood granted permission to transform 8,850 hectares of farmland and undeveloped villages into a town of 250,000 people.

It was part of the third and final phase of the government's plans to relocate populations following the Second World War.

Five decades later, MK  as it is known to locals  has become home to more than 10,000 businesses and is used as a model for cities around the world.

The Duke is meeting Milton Keynes' founders, community leaders, faith groups and representatives from the public sector.

William made a short speech during which he described Milton Keynes as a 'vibrant, diverse, creative and community-focused centre'

He unveiled a new pillar as part of the Milton Keynes Rose celebrating the town's founders

The royal met with community leaders, faith groups and representatives from the public sector

William later climbed on board mechanical elephant Harminder which is used in parades

The prince inspected the giant elephant as he attended a festival celebrating the town

William was seen enjoying a game of table football during his visit to Milton Keynes

The prince looked extremely animated as he played the game with young people involved with the MK Dons football team mental health programme

William is also attending a festival demonstrating the themes of the year-long celebration  MK50  from business and innovation to community, culture, history and the environment.

During a ceremony commemorating the town's anniversary, William made a short speech before unveiling a new pillar celebrating the town's founders.

His appearance comes after Harry attended the Invictus Games in Toronto with girlfriend Meghan on Monday.

The pair looked every inch the loved-up couple as they watched a tennis match between players from Australia and New Zealand.

William seemed perfectly at home as he took a closer look at the mechanical elephant

The prince is known for his love of elephants, calling for more to be done to stop poaching

William was later shown a driverless vehicle as he joined in celebrations in the town

William has made a number of public appearance since the announcement of the Duchess of Cambridge's third pregnancy

The father-of-two was seen examining the Milton Keynes Rose installation, before looking at the work of local artists

William looked animated as he spoke to a local resident during his visit to Milton Keynes today

The Duke of Cambridge carried on with his royal duties as normal, following the excitement over Harry and Meghan's first official appearance together
He is best known for setting pulses racing as the brooding Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades franchise.

But actor Jamie Dornan, 35, looks decidedly less like a leading man in these recently-unearthed images from a French Connection photo shoot.

The Northern Irish A-lister is seen pouting and posing alongside other fledgling models for a 2004 catalogue, released when he was in his early 20s.

Early career: Actor Jamie Dornan, 35, posed for a French Connection catalogue released in 2004, when he was in his early 20s. The images were shared by a fan on Twitter last weekend

Leading man: The star now commands the screen in TV dramas and Hollywood film franchises

The images, which show Dornan dressed in long-sleeved tops and baggy cargo pants, have come to light after an eagle-eyed fan shared them on Twitter this weekend.

And Dornan, who also starred in BBC Two drama The Fall, is not the only famous face to have started their career in modelling.

Practising his pout: A brooding Dornan poses with a female model in the 2004 catalogue

Racy: He stars with actress Dakota Johnson in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, pictured

This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby was just 18 when she starred in a TV advert for a range of lingerie, grabbing her breasts as she discussed the garment.

And Tom Hardy was crowned the winner of a modelling competition on The Big Breakfast in 1998, when he was a fresh-faced 21-year-old.

Here, FEMAIL rounds up some of the other stars who have tried their hand at modelling - including some shoots they would likely rather forget....

Holly Willoughby

Hold on tight! Holly Willoughby starred in a 1998 advert for lingerie giant Pretty Polly at the age of 18. The TV spot shows the future this morning star calling herself a 'sex Goddess'

Fresh-faced: Holly, 36, now entertains her fans as the host of This Morning, pictured today

Tom Hardy

Perfect pose: Tom Hardy won a modelling competition on The Big Breakfast in 1998

Hollywood hard man: Now an A-lister, Hardy, 40, poses on the red carpet at a 2016 premier

Sienna Miller

Blonde bombshell: Sienna Miller for Abercrombie & Fitch, left, and at a premier in January

Eddie Redmayne

Camera ready: A 2009 knitting magazine featured a young Eddie Redmayne

Oscar winner: The British actor, pictured in February, is now one of Hollywood's biggest stars

Sadie Frost

Many talents: Sadie Frost, pictured aged 20 in 1986, was a model before becoming an actress
Huma Abedin was pictured this morning for the first time since her husband Anthony Weiner was handed a 21-month prison sentence for sexting an underage girl.

The longtime Hillary Clinton aide, 41, returned to her New York City home after dropping her five-year-old son off to school, cutting a bold figure in embroidered jeans and a white blouse.

Weiner, 53, was spotted during the school run but stayed inside a car while his wife, who filed for divorce in May on the same day he pleaded guilty to sexting with a minor, walked nearby on the sidewalk.

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Stepping out: Huma Abedin was pictured this morning for the first time since her husband Anthony Weiner was handed a 21-month prison sentence for sexting an underage girl

Shades: Abedin looked somber during this morning's outing and kept her head down while shielding her eyes behind sunglasses

Waiting: Weiner was seen sitting in his silver Ford (right), which was parked at the back of the school property (left); Abedin is pictured in the distance walking past the vehicle

Hippie chick: The mother-of-one wore a pair of embroidered Alice and Olivia flared jeans for the trip, pairing the vibrant pants with a more elegant pussy bow blouse

Abedin, who was not present at Weiner's sentencing yesterday, looked somber during this morning's outing and bowed her head, while shielding her eyes behind sunglasses.

The political staffer paired the multicolored jeans with hoop earrings and a touch of red lipstick, letting her hair flow freely on her shoulders.

Her eye-catching jeans, which were once worn by Amal Clooney, come from Alice and Olivia's 2016 pre-fall collection are as such, are no longer available, but it is estimated that an equivalent model this season would have cost between $800 to $900.

Making a statement: Abedin's bold outfit provided a stark contrast against her solemn mood

Accessories: The political staffer paired the multicolored jeans with hoop earrings and a touch of red lipstick, letting her hair flow freely on her shoulders

Gone: The eye-catching jeans, which were once worn by Amal Clooney, come from Alice and Olivia's 2016 pre-fall collection are as such, are no longer available

Price tag: However, it is estimated that an equivalent denim model by the same brand this season would have cost between $800 to $900

Belongings: Abedin kept her phone clutched in her right hand as she walked in New York City

Timing: The staffer's outing came hours after her estranged husband found out he will have to surrender to a prison facility in November

Colorful: Abedin's embroidered jeans featured a pattern that escalated all the way up her legs

Retro: With their bell bottoms, Abedin's pants had a certain sixties, although the floral embellishments were also reminiscent of the nineties

Weather: Abedin opted for a sleeveless top, an adequate pick amid the warm autumnal temperatures in New York City

Meanwhile: Weiner was pictured today leaving his apartment in New York City, wearing the same hat, shorts and shoes as the previous day

On his way: The former congressman crossed the street as he headed towards the subway

While Abedin didn't appear in court for her husband's sentencing yesterday, she did write a letter as part of the case, asking for mercy as she begged for the judge's sentencing not to have a 'negative impact' on their son.

In the missive, she told authorities she was 'devastated' by the actions of her husband of seven years, and pointed out she was writing this letter for the benefit of their son, whom she called 'the light of our life'.

'As would any parent, if there has to be any negative impact on [redacted], I would like to be as small as possible,' Abedin wrote.

Weiner has agreed to register as a sex offender, and as such the disgraced congressman will be prevented from going within a certain distance of schools.

Sentence: Weiner, who is seen leaving New York federal court on Monday, agreed to register as a sex offender, and as such will be prevented from going within a certain distance of schools

Aftermath: The disgraced congressman was seen later on Monday with his brother Jason, a chef, on his way to catch the Subway just hours after receiving his sentence

Details: Weiner still wore his wedding ring even though he and Abedin are currently in divorce proceedings and appeared in court earlier this month as part of the case

Duo: Weiner and Abedin took their son Jordan together to his first day of school earlier this month, but the father turned back halfway through the walk

Earlier this month, when he and Abedin took their son Jordan to his first day of school, the father turned back halfway through the walk, leaving Jordan and his mother to complete the rest of the trip together.

Weiner must surrender himself on November 6 to a prison facility, which has yet to be determined.

His history of sexting with the underage girl, whom he asked to strip naked and to touch herself on Skype, was first revealed by DailyMail.com a year ago and resulted in a federal investigation.

During his sentencing hearing, the former politician said he had betrayed his son's 'amazing mother', Abedin, and referred to the boy as his 'salvation'.

'I focus on how I live my new, smaller, healthier life one day at a time,' he said. 'I was a very sick man for a very long time. I have a disease but no excuse.'
Lady Amelia Windsor continued her whirlwind fashion month with another dazzling appearance at the Dior show in Paris.

The 22-year-old blonde looked stunning in a sheer white floor-length dress decorated with polka dots, with a tiny Dior crop top and boxer-style briefs visible underneath.

It's the latest in a string of daring outfits for the socialite and budding model, who previously popped up at the Tommy Hilfiger show and a Miu Miu party during London Fashion Week with her midriff on display.

Lady Amelia Windsor attended the Dior show at Paris Fashion Week decked out top to toe in clothes from the line

The student scraped her hair back into a low ponytail to let her stunning outfit do the talking

She carried one of Maria Grazia Chiuri's most coveted bags, a small black J'adior clutch

The rising star joined a fleet of A-listers at Maria Grazia's Chiuri's show on Tuesday, with the likes of Naomi Watts, Alexa Chung, and Harry Styles' rumoured girlfriend, the Victoria's Secret model Camille Rowe, all in attendance.

Lady Amelia scraped her hair back into a ponytail to let her outfit do the talking.

She gave her romantic dress a little edge with a pair of flat black biker boots, and carried one of the label's most coveted bags - a black J'Adior clutch.

Hoop earrings, a slim black choker, and a liberal number of rings completed the young royal's look.

She added edge to her romantic white Dior dress with a pair of flat black biker boots

Previously Lady Amelia looked every inch the cool girl as she joined celebrities on the front row of the Tommy Hilfiger show at London Fashion Week.

The society beauty, who is 36th in line to the British throne, channeled her inner disco goddess at the show in a cropped metallic silver jacket and striped metallic trousers.

Giving the ensemble a bit of edge, the 22-year-old paired the trousers with a cropped black top with what appeared to be 'Gigi Hadid' written in red along the bottom.

Effortlessly cool: Lady Amelia Windsor flashed her toned abs in a cropped top ensemble

Fashion darlings: Model Lottie Moss, left, and Lady Amelia Windsor at the Tommy Hilfiger show

Laid back: The society beauty kept her long blonde locks loose for the fashion show

The former Edinburgh University student was among the famous faces who turned out for the highly anticipated show at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, north London.

She was spotted posing for photographs with model Lottie Moss before the rock concert-themed show kicked off on Tuesday night.

Having already walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana - and been hailed as the 'most beautiful' member of the royal family - Lady Amelia has become a firm fixture in fashion circles.

She took up a prime seat in the front row at the Emporio Armani show in London, and went on to attend the Love Magazine x Miu Miu party at Mayfair nightclub Loulou's.

Picture perfect: The young royal posed for the cameras on her way into the show on Tuesday
She's the only one of her siblings to have an official royal title.

But Princess Alexandra of Hanover and and her older sister Charlotte Casiraghi looked inseparable as they arrived at the Saint Laurent show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday night.

The 18-year-old showed off her edgy side as she opted for a rock chic look, teaming a leather biker jacket with a pair of skinny jeans.

She layered a polka dot shirt underneath, adding a pair of black pumps and matching clutch bag to finish.

Princess Alexandra of Hanover opted for a rock chic look as she arrived at the Saint Laurent show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday

Wearing her brunette tresses down over her shoulders, Alexandra went for a minimal make-up look for the fashion show.

Meanwhile her sister Charlotte, 31, also chose an all black-ensemble for the fashion show.

She slipped into a black leather skirt, co-ordinating with Alexandra's jacket, which she teamed with a sheer blouse on top.

Charlotte finished her stylish ensemble with a chic coat and suede boots, along with a quilted black.

The 18-year-old attended the glamorous event with her elder sister Charlotte Casiraghi

Alexandra teamed a leather biker jacket with a polka dot blouse and skinny jeans, finishing off the ensemble with a pair of black pumps

Her sister Charlotte, 31, also chose an all black-ensemble for the glamorous fashion show

She accentuated her eyes with a smoky eyeshadow, while opting for a rose colour on her lips.

Alexandra, who celebrated her 18th birthday in July, is the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and Prince Ernst August and is

Charlotte is Princess Caroline's second child from a previous marriage to Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi.

Caroline has two other children from her marriage to Stefano, Andrea and Pierre.
A self-employed financial advisor has revealed how her libido has gone 'through the roof' after taking a sleep supplement.

Jen McMahon, 28, from Glasgow, suffered from sleep deprivation which placed an enormous strain on her marriage.

At her lowest, Mrs McMahon, who worked 12-hour days, barely had the energy to have sex with her banker husband, 42 - who does not wish to be named. Her business also suffered.

But after scouring the internet in search of a desperate cure, she found her remedy - in the form of a 23 supplement, called Neuro Rest, used by Olympic athletes.

Within days of taking the tablets, her passion returned. Now she and her husband make love at least four times a week and her struggling career is on the up.

Jen McMahon, 28, from Glasgow, suffered from sleep deprivation which placed a huge burden on her love life and put enormous strain on her marriage

Mrs McMahon told MailOnline: 'Sex life should not go to s*** at 28 years old and two years into marriage. But thats what happens when youre working round the clock.

THE LIBIDO-BOOSTING INGREDIENTS After scouring the internet, Mrs McMahon came across Utmost Me's Neuro Rest - a product which her friend had already used to help her sleep. Within a week, she noticed the benefits, in terms of getting more sleep. This then boosted her libido. Ingredients in the supplements, which contain magnesium, may have been responsible - not just the improved sleep. The compound can boost levels of testosterone - which fuels sex drive. The pills are also abundant in L-Taurine, which has the same effect on women, research suggests. Scientists have also pointed to watermelon, extracted into the supplement, as being an aphrodisiac. The exotic fruit is high in citruline, which boosts blood flow to the genitals. This is deemed vital for arousal. The supplement also contains Griffonia seeds, cherry and grape extracts, biotin, chamomile and L-Taurine (found in quinoa). Laura Bartlett, 29, who retired from hockey after competing at the Beijing and London Olympic games, winning bronze in 2012, is also a fan of the supplement. Advertisement

'It was having an impact on my marriage as well. Before the pills, we were shouting at each other a lot. I was irritable and we were sleeping in separate rooms. We were thinking the worst about breaking up.

'It had an impact on me and my health and the way I looked. I looked terrible, I wasn't getting enough sleep.

'Since taking the pills, I've become a lot fitter. I feel more refreshed in the mornings and my business has started to pick up.

'Our marriage has become significantly better, we've got time to spend with each other in the bedroom.

'I didn't realise that it was going to be a side effect of the pills, but it really does increase your libido. We've started to make more time for each other in the bedroom and it's like falling in love with each other again.'

Revamped her wardrobe

She added: 'Before the pills, we were having sex once every three weeks. Now it's at least four times a week. It makes everything fresh, shiny and new.

'It's re-ignited my sex life and I've started to look at websites like Ann Summers again. My wardrobe's changed as a result. Now my style is subtle but provocative. I wear make-up more often just so I look better and feel better mainly.'

At her lowest, Mrs McMahon, who worked 12-hour days, would barely have the energy to have sex with her banker husband, 42, all week. Her business also suffered

Mrs McMahon revealed she has also started to wear tighter, more revealing outfits to work and sometimes dons sexy hold-ups.

When did she become sleep deprived?

She started to become deprived of sleep in January, after she returned to the UK from a short stint working in Australia.

Before the pills, we were having sex once every three weeks. Now it's at least four times a week. It makes everything fresh, shiny and new Jen McMahon, 28

At the time she was making the leap from working for a corporate firm, to becoming self-employed as a financial advisor.

The uncertainty of not knowing if she would have an income affected her work-life balance for the next two months.

Mrs McMahon added: 'I really struggled to cope with not having a wage and was constantly thinking about money.

'I was becoming irritable, all I was talking about was money. I was up quite a lot, thinking about my wages and things like that.

Within days of taking the tablets, her passion returned. Now she and her husband make love at least four times a week and her struggling career is on the up

Mrs McMahon said: 'Sex life should not go to s*** at 28 years old and two years into marriage. But thats what happens when youre working round the clock'

'I wasn't a drinker before and I tried to have wine to get me to sleep to relax and it just wasn't working.'

Often she would spend all night awake, tossing and turning as she desperately tried to settle her mind and fall asleep. She also began drinking unhealthy amounts.

In March, she became fed up with not eating or sleeping properly and being irritable. She decided that she needed to do something about it.

For the first two days of taking the tablets, Mrs McMahon struggled to get out of bed. But after a week, her body adapted and she was able to sleep through the night.

Since taking the pills, she has also lost a stone by using her new-found energy to cook her own dinners and not rely on takeaways.

Mrs McMahon added: 'It's had such a calming effect on me, helping me to mentally focus on the positives in my life.'

Starting a family

The strain placed on her marriage during her times of sleep deprivation meant the couple were forced to forget about having children.

But now, six months on from starting her supplements, she and her banker husband are beginning to look at starting a family.

Mrs McMahon said: 'We put off having kids for a long time, but we have been discussing the prospect of children a lot lately.

'My friends are having kids, and now things have steadied in terms of work and life, we'll start thinking in the next few months.'
Opioid prescriptions that are given to ER patients are less likely to result in potentially-fatal drug addictions, a new study has found.

The study by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) found that prescriptions for opioids that last longer than seven days are distributed in ER settings 91 percent less frequently than they are outside of these departments.

The researchers concluded that prescriptions from ERs are usually for lower doses of painkillers and that ER doctors are more likely to follow the CDC's recommended guidelines for prescribing.

The analysis highlights evidence that emergency room doctors are prescribing highly addictive painkillers more responsibly than medical professionals outside ER department settings, thus limiting the beginnings of deadly, lifelong addictions.

The news comes at a time when public health officials are struggling to control the growing opioid crisis and urging doctors to exhaust every option possible before prescribing the drugs.

A new report from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has found that ER doctors are more likely to prescribe opioids safely and in line with guidelines set forth by the CDC (file photo)

The number of prescriptions written for opioids has quadrupled in the last 20 years, alarming public health officials who have not been able to come up with lasting solutions for the crisis.

The epidemic killed half a million Americans from 2000 to 2014, at which point the opioid overdose death rate for people of all ages hit an all time high.

Opioid-related deaths have also now shaved two months off the US life expectancy rate. And CDC figures revealed this month that the rate of people killed by them in 2016 shot up more than 20 percent.

President Trump has now said that the crisis is a 'national emergency'.

NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS While some people with chronic pain diseases that cannot be treated benefit from opioids, if people who are not supposed to take them get their hands on the prescription drugs, the results can be fatal. And the side effects of opioids can do serious bodily harm. The CDC lists the following as negative side effects of opioid usage: sweating and itching

depression

confusion

dizziness and sleepiness

nausea and vomiting

dry mouth

constipation

physical dependence (meaning that without the medications one will experience symptoms of withdrawal)

tolerance (meaning that in order to feel the affects of the drug you have to continuously take higher doses) The CDC has also said that prescription opioids could make patients more sensitive to pain. Advertisement

For the study researchers analyzed data from five million opioid prescriptions written between 2009 and 2015.

They found that patients who were given opioid prescriptions in the ER were less likely to use the drugs long-term.

Prescriptions written in the ER were more likely to align with the CDC's guidelines. In fact, the amount of prescriptions written for high doses of opioids in ER settings decreased from 2009 to 2011.

Study lead author Dr Molly Moore Jeffery said that the study is proof that America's problem over-prescribing opioids is not the fault of ER doctors.

She explained that this perception exists because people associate ER doctors with patients who have problems with severe pain.

She said: 'Our paper lays to rest the notion that emergency physicians are handing out opioids like candy.'

Dr Jeffery added: 'Close adherence to prescribing guidelines may help explain why the progression to long-term opioid use is so much lower in the ER.

'Most opioid prescriptions written in the emergency department are for shorter duration, written for lower daily doses and less likely to be for long-acting formulations.'

The study's researchers are calling for more work to be done to figure out how to make doctors outside of ER settings mimic the habits of those in emergency departments.

'Further research should explore how we can replicate the success of opioid prescribing in emergency departments in other medical settings,' Dr Jeffery said.

Even though ER departments were better at prescribing opioids safely than other healthcare settings, the study still found that about one-fifth of people discharged from ERs were given a prescription to fill opioids.
They found themselves embroiled in a horrific bloodbath as they fought in the trenches during World War I.

Now new photographs have emerged that reveal the horrific facial injuries sustained during battle by brave soldiers  and their astonishing transformations following plastic surgery.

The incredible black and white images have been released in a new book charting the early development of facial reconstruction.

It highlights the work of young surgeon Harold Gillies, who repaired the faces of those who were injured and shipped back home between 1914 and 1918.

Mr Gillies spent years restoring the dignity of men who had been prepared to sacrifice their lives.

His incredible skill saw him use a rib to reconstruct a jaw. He also spent six years and 19 operations restoring a cheek, upper lip and nose of another soldier.

Impressive before and after images of Private Harold Page, of the Norfolk Regiment, who lost an eye in the Battle of the Somme

Private Harold Page, of the Norfolk Regiment, was one of many British men thrown into the gruesome Battle of the Somme in northern France.

He would end up one of the 57,470 British casualties of the brutal five-month campaign which saw thousands killed by German machine gun and artillery fire.

He arrived at Aldershot just five days after the regiment's attack on the Somme. Although he had to have his eye removed, Mr Gillies managed to achieve an impressive repair of the right side of his face.

Private William Thomas from the 1st Cheshire Regiment was admitted to The Queen's Hospital, Sidcup, East London, with the centre of his face completely missing in November 1918.

Six years later and after 19 operations  which included a cheek, upper lip and nose reconstruction  his transformation was nothing short of remarkable.

Other images show Arthur Mears, who was treated at Sidcup after losing his lower jaw in September 1917 and had a reconstruction using his rib.

Private William Thomas of the 1st Cheshire Regiment on the first day of his admission (left) and his final appearance (right)

Private Arthur Mears is captured during treatment (left) and afterwards (right) following the repair of his jaw using his rib

Horrific injuries

World War I was one of the bloodiest wars in all of human history and more Britons died in the 1914-18 conflict than any other.

In January 1916, Mr Gillies established a dedicated ward for patients with facial injuries at the Cambridge Military Hospital in Aldershot, Hampshire.

After the Battle of the Somme, a new specialist hospital for facial reconstruction was set up at Sidcup.

Captain J.G.H Budd shown in May 1919 who had reconstructive surgery on his nose

Lieutenant T.H. Elderton, of the 3rd Batallion, Bedford Regiment, pictured before the war

Lieutenant Elderton on admission to Sidcup on February 10 1918 (left) and after being worked on by Harold Gillies (right)

The interior of the Plastic Theatre at the Queen's Hospital with Mr Gillies seated on the right

THE GREAT WAR  THE FIRST TRULY GLOBAL CONFLICT The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28, 1914 set off a chain of events that led to the deaths of over 18 million and 23 million wounded worldwide. After the Archduke's death, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Soon Europe, and much of the world, spiralled into war as one country after another, enmeshed in a web of alliances, took sides. They sided with either the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and their allies) or the Allies (France, Britain, Russia and others, including, eventually, the US). The conflict lasted exactly four years, three months and 14 days. Advertisement

The Queen's Hospital opened in August 1917 and treated more than 5,000 patients up until the mid 1920s.

World War 1 saw over 700,000 British and Commonwealth forces killed and more than 1.6 million wounded.

Of these, around 240,000 suffered total or partial leg or arm amputations as a result.

'During the Great War, facial injury became a major focus of medical attention for the first time,' said Andrew Bamji in the book's introduction.

'Of all the horrific injuries suffered by soldiers during the conflict, facial wounds were the most obvious and had the capacity to cause the most reaction among those who viewed the wounded.

'This book is about the men who suffered from facial wounds, and the surgeons who repaired them.

'This work places emphasis on one man, Harold Gillies, whose drive and innovative approach were fundamental to these developments.'

Pictured in July 1919, Joseph Pickard, of the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers, who was helped by the surgeon

These images show the outcome of his reconstruction surgery  which was certainly remarkable for the time

Lieutenant William Spreckley is pictured here with his injuries before he had treatment

The Lieutenant is shown here from each angle after he had help from Mr Gillies

Lives were changed forever

Mr Bamji said the book captures a side to the human toll of the conflict that is often overlooked.

'Studies of World War I often focus on the events and the fatalities of the war, or on cultural memory of the conflict,' he added.

'Historians, writers, artists and poet speak of heroic sacrifice.

'However, few of them give thought to those whose lives were not ended by the conflict, but were changed forever.

'This book talks of those who were left to grow old, and whom age did weary, and is dedicated to their memory.'

Faces from the Front: Harold Gillies, The Queen's Hospital, Sidcup and the Origins of Modern Plastic Surgery by Andrew Bamji and published by Helion & Company is now available to buy on Amazon for 29.95.
Payouts: Gleeson's chairman Dermot Gleeson

PAYOUT GLEE Bosses at MJ Gleeson have scooped more than 3million in dividend payments after Help to Buy spurred record sales of the constructors new homes.

Two-thirds of the 1,013 new homes it sold in the 12 months to the end of June  up 12 per cent on the previous year and over the 1,000 mark for the first time  were through the Government scheme.

TAX RATE US corporation tax could be cut from 35 per cent to 20 per cent under plans from Republican lawmakers. It would make it the same as the UK rate but still above the 15 per cent called for by President Trump.

NAVAL BOOST Defence firm Ultra Electronics has signed a 37million contract with BAE Systems to produce an electric propulsion system for a UK naval defence programme.

WELL DONE Oil and gas engineer Plexus Holdings has won a deal to supply well equipment to a North Sea gas production site controlled by British Gas-owner Centrica.

DISEASE TRIAL Brain health company Ixico has agreed a 1.2million contract with a US biopharmaceutical firm to use its imaging services in the trial of a therapy for Huntingtons disease sufferers.

GREEN DAY Shares in Ceres Power soared 7.55 per cent after successful trials for green fuel cells that the energy firm claims will cut carbon emissions by up to two tons a year.

BURGER BOSS Upmarket burger chain Byron Burger has named managing director Simon Cope as its new chief executive.

TALL TASK Womenswear retailer Long Tall Sally has appointed Lara Bonney, MD of data firm Abacus Alliance, as chief marketing officer.

FLOAT PLOT Investment group adviser Alpha Financial Markets Consulting is gearing up for a 150million float on the AIM market.

WONDER WHEEL Tyre giant Michelin is designing airless, 3D-printed wheels for driverless cars.

GROWTH PLANS Mini-hotel operator Yotel has turbo-charged its expansion plans across Europe, North America and Asia after netting a 185million investment from Starwood Capital Group.

STAKE SALE Private equity firm Cinven will sell a 10 per cetn stake in insurance firm Just Group, consisting of around 93m shares and potentially netting it nearly 140million.
Fuel prices could be set to rise after oil rose above $58 a barrel

Oil soared to its highest level for more than two years on global commodity markets last night.

Brent crude rose above $58 a barrel for the first time since July 2015, but the surge spells bad news for motorists facing higher fuel prices at the pumps and families turning up the heating as winter approaches.

With petrol and diesel hovering around 120p a litre, motoring groups have accused petrol stations of operating 'rocket and feather' pricing  where fuel prices shoot up as soon as the oil price increases but fall slowly when it goes down.

The oil price has been pushed up by rising demand around the world and a threat to crude exports from Iraqi Kurdistan where voters are going to the polls in a landmark referendum on independence.

Iraq does not recognise the referendum and has called on foreign countries to stop buying Kurdish oil.

'If this boycott call proves successful, a good 500,000 fewer barrels of crude oil per day would reach the market,' Commerzbank said in a note.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he could cut off a pipeline carrying oil from the Kurdish region of northern Iraq a move that gave the price further upward momentum.
Following the election results in Germany this past Sunday, Chancellor Angela Merkel has been re-elected to serve for a fourth term.

In his article Germany Revolts, Samuel Gregg describes Chancellor Merkels party as being woefully out of touch with the German people, and as a result many are abandoning the CDU/CSU coalition for the AFD. Perhaps the most important lesson to glean from the election, Gregg says, is that Germany is increasingly reflecting frustrations felt elsewhere in Europe. The European political class and their media enablers stigmatize anyone who questions their preferred positions, driving voters to new parties, to groups willing to say what is otherwise regarded as unsayable.

As Merkels party continues to downplay injustices resulting from her decision to open the door to almost one million Muslim migrants in 2015, the AFD will continue to be the repository of anger and resentment of many, varied Germans.

Read Greggs whole piece here.

(Featured Photo: By  (Aleph) (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons)
No tears were shed by investors in Boohoo yesterday, with broker Panmure Gordon issuing an enthusiastic 'buy' note on the Manchester-based fashion website days before its first-half results.

The fast-fashion company, which listed in March 2014, trades at a whopping 116 times earnings, according to Thomson Reuters, compared to its rivals' average of 16 times earnings.

In English, this means investors are so confident in Boohoo's potential they are willing to pay far more for shares than they will currently earn from them just to be in with a chance of netting sky-high future profits.

And it's no wonder. Boohoo has jumped 91 per cent this year alone after buying youth brands Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal and raising 50million to fund a mega warehouse which will house stock worth 2billion.

Boohoo has jumped 91% this year alone after buying youth brands Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal

Despite acknowledging Boohoo's 'eye-watering' valuation, Panmure analyst Peter Smedley said the firm is more than capable of meeting expectations  provided it encounters no hiccups as it continues to grow.

Raising his price target to 290p, Smedley said Boohoo is even underplaying its own prospects with full-year revenue growth guidance of 50 per cent  a fact he thinks will be evidenced in Wednesday's interim results.

'We think Boohoo's justified lofty valuation highlights in particular its strength in seizing the online young fashion market opportunity,' he added.

'Our checks of online traffic measurement tools and social media platforms indicate that customer engagement levels with all three Boohoo brands have significantly increased in the past three months or so, well beyond our expectations.'

STOCK WATCH - AVOCET MINING Troubled Avocet Mining warned investors it could run out of money. The firm has been negotiating a restructuring of its balance sheet with creditors in a bid to keep its struggling Burkina Faso mine open after a series of disruptions. But yesterday it warned that it is unclear whether a restructure can be agreed before all its money has been exhausted. Nevertheless, optimistic investors led shares to rise 1.1 per cent, or 0.25p, to 23.12p.

Shares yesterday rose 2.5 per cent, or 6.25p, to 257.5p.

Global private healthcare provider Mediclinic International saw 258million wiped off its value after analysts at Jefferies lowered their price target to 550p from 650p over a number of concerns.

The broker said Mediclinic will continue to be hit by regulatory pressures in Abu Dhabi as well as growing competition in Dubai.

A treatment surcharge in Abu Dhabi left Mediclinic in ill health last November, and it remains down 30.6 per cent over the year as concerns continue to linger despite shares partially recovering when the tax was removed in April.

Jefferies also said Mediclinic is likely to suffer a knock-on effect from a downgrade in sentiment towards peer Spire Healthcare.

Spire has tanked this month since revealing profits slumped almost 75 per cent in the first half of the year as it was forced to settle claims from patients subjected to unnecessary operations by disgraced surgeon Ian Paterson, jailed for 20 years in August for wounding patients with intent.

Mediclinic fell 5.1 per cent, or 35p, to 645.5p. Spire was down 1.1m per cent or 2.7p to 228p.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.1 per cent, or 9.35 points, to 7301.29 as investors cut their exposure to risky assets like financials and mining firms following the potentially shaky outcome of Germany's general election.

Pharmaceutical firm Indivior edged up after announcing it had reached a partial solution to the patent infringement court case which demolished its shares earlier this month.

More than 1billion was wiped off Indivior's value after a ruling cleared the way for rivals to push copycat versions of its opioid addiction treatment Suboxone Film, which accounts for 80 per cent of its revenue.

Yesterday it revealed it had fended off copycat drugmaker Mylan with a settlement agreement for an undisclosed sum.

But with Indivior filing patent lawsuits against five other firms, the battle is far from over. Shares rose 1.2 per cent, or 3.9p, to 329p.
Aldi's profits tumbled by nearly a fifth as the supermarket price war took its toll.

The German discount grocer said that investment into cutting prices and expanding its reach had affected its bottom line, despite sales jumping to record highs.

Sales in the UK and Ireland rose 13.5 per cent to 8.7billion in 2016, with the company enticing more than 1m customers into its stores during the year.

Profits hit: Aldi said that investment into cutting prices and expanding its reach had affected its bottom line, despite sales jumping to record highs

Revenues were partly boosted by a strong Christmas period, with December sales climbing 15 per cent in 2016. Operating profit, however, was down 17 per cent to 211.3million due to an ongoing investment drive.

Matthew Barnes, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: Since 1990, when we arrived in the UK, our approach has been based on the long game, not short-term profit.

DEBENHAMS BEAUTY DEAL Debenhams is launching at-home and in-store beauty treatments. The department store has taken a stake in beauty services provider Blow. Under the deal, Debenhams will launch Blow beauty bars in its Oxford Street, Birmingham Bull Ring and Manchester stores. Blow co-founder Dharmash Mistry said every retailer on the planet had tried to secure a deal, but he had partnered with Debenhams because of its dominance in the beauty industry and ability to drive demand for at-home treatments, where customers can book out-of-hours appointments.

The company would do everything and anything to keep its prices lower than its rivals, he pledged.

Last year Aldi committed 450m to opening stores and improving its UK and Ireland distribution centres. It plans to open a further 70 shops next year, more than one store every week, creating 4,000 jobs.

The supermarket plans to have more than 1,000 stores across the UK by 2022.

Barnes said: Our growth is accelerating thanks to the hundreds of thousands of new customers switching their shop to Aldi.

Like most supermarkets, Aldi, which employs 29,000 in the UK, has been trying to bolster its presence.

The grocer is the fifth largest supermarket behind Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons.

It has also wooed workers from rivals by paying more than the living wage at 8.53 an hour nationally and 9.75 an hour in London, compared to Tesco which is increasing its hourly staff wage from 7.62 to 8.42.
A cyber attack on one of the worlds biggest accountants was last night feared to have exposed some of Britains blue chip companies to hackers.

Deloitte, which audits companies including Tesco, Direct Line, Sky, Costa Coffee-owner Whitbread and telecoms business Talk Talk, as well as transport firms such as Heathrow Airport and First Group, confirmed that hackers gained access to emails from across its global business.

The London-based accountancy firm refused to say if any British businesses were affected but the hacker is understood to have had access to all areas of the Deloitte systems.

This included emails containing passwords, business diagrams, health information and in some case sensitive documents.

Other clients left exposed include some of the worlds biggest banks, such as Morgan Stanley, and government agencies.

It is claimed the online system, provided by Microsoft, required only a single password to access.

The hack is enormously damaging for Deloitte and poses security questions over the safety of airports and infrastructure companies.

Deloitte discovered the intrusion in March but the hackers reportedly could have had access since October 2016.

The company said it had assembled a team of experts to examine the breach and contacted the authorities as soon as it became aware of it.

But a spokesman declined to say why it had not made its knowledge of the hack public.

He added: No disruption has occurred to client businesses, to Deloittes ability to continue to serve clients or to consumers.

Deloitte remains deeply committed to ensuring that its cyber-security defences are best-in-class, to investing heavily in protecting confidential information and to continually reviewing and enhancing cyber security.

It raises fresh questions about the ability of businesses to protect themselves from the onslaught of cyber attacks being levelled at them every week.

Clients list: Deloitte audits companies including Tesco, Direct Line, Sky, Costa Coffee-owner Whitbread and telecoms business Talk Talk

Ian Levy, technical director at the UKs National Cyber Security Centre, warned that a serious attack on a national scale was likely to happen some time in the next few years.

Yesterday cyber-security expert Greg Sim, chief executive of Glasswall, said the attack showed there were no businesses outside the cross-hairs of a cyber-criminal.

He added: There have been multiple warnings in the form of high-profile attacks on the NHS, Maersk and Equifax that should open the eyes of board members to the almost inevitable scenario in which they are targeted.

US credit agency Equifax revealed recently that hackers had gained access to the personal data of 143m Americans and 400,000 Britons.

Earlier this year, advertising agency WPP and consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser saw their systems breached by the Petya virus.

This temporarily crippled Reckitts manufacturing and distribution systems, wiping out about 15,000 computers in less than an hour.

Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, recently revealed his company was affected for up to ten days and had to fork out 15million in costs. He said: There were parts of the company that were severely hit.
If you're fortunate enough to have a pension pot of 100,000 you're now able to access but don't know what best to do with it, help is on hand.

With savings rates abysmal, we've asked some top investment professionals for their recommendations.

Scroll down to read what they have to say.

Tough times: 'Generating an income in retirement has never been harder', Says Tom Becket, chief investment officer at Psigma Investment Management

ONLY TAKE OUT THE TAX-FREE CASH...

...says Jeremy Greenwood, senior relationship manager at Seven Investment Management.

'Since tax-free money isn't easy to come by, my first step would be to take 25 per cent of the pension pot as a tax-free lump-sum.

'But before you blow it on lottery tickets, remember you're more likely to die before you hit that jackpot.

Get help sorting your pension Pension freedom has delivered a lot more choice for people retiring today, but also some tough choices. Should you buy an old-fashioned annuity, keep your pension invested in drawdown, or take lump sums of cash? How do you balance investing to deliver the income you need with making sure your pot doesn't run out? Good financial advice is essential when trying to work these things out, but finding it can be tricky. This is Money has teamed up with Timber to offer readers easy access to carefully selected financial advisers who you can trust, with fair and affordable charges. > Find out if Timber could help you

'So instead, I would transfer 20,000 into a stocks and shares Isa using up my annual allowance and put the money into a fund such as Ruffer Total Return, which has good long-term performance.

'I'd put 3,000 into NS&I Investment Guaranteed Growth Bonds and 2,000 into premium bonds for added peace of mind.

'For the remainder of the pot, I would choose lower risk funds with a track record for delivering income. I would opt for a fund that invests across the globe so I was not overly reliant on the fortunes of the UK stock market.

'I like Murray International, which has a 100-year track record, and Veritas Global Equity Income, which yields a decent 3.4 per cent.'

LEAVE THE POT ALONE TO GROW...

...says Gary Millward, a financial consultant at Alan Steel Asset Management.

'A 100,000 pension pot isn't much to live off unfortunately  even if you generate a yield of 4 per cent through your investments, that is only 4,000 a year.

'So I might try to grow the pot a bit more if I had the time to do so.

'I would choose funds that spread their money in different regions around the world, such as Rathbone Global Opportunities and Troy Trojan Income.

'These both have quite a cautious approach and tend to focus on safer, "quality" companies.

'To add some diversity into the mix, I also like River & Mercantile World Recovery, which focuses on out-of-favour companies that are set to recover in the future, and Invesco Perpetual Global Income, which backs businesses that grow their dividends year-on-year.'

TAKE CARE INVESTING IN HOUSES Landlords have had their income squeezed by a raft of tax hikes in recent years. But can you still make a decent return from investing in buy-to-let properties in retirement? Experts say it could all depend on where in the country you choose to buy. Stagnating house prices and political uncertainty has put an end to easy wins for armchair landlords. But research suggests there are still good returns to be made in the North of England, where the rental market is strong but house prices remain relatively low. Research by BM Solutions, Lloyds Banks buy-to-let lender, found the highest rental yield was in the North of England at 7 per cent, followed by 6.4 per cent in the North-West. The lowest was in London at 4.4 per cent and 4.9 per cent in both the South East and South West. Rental yield is the income youll get each year from rent as a percentage of the property purchase price. So if you bought a property for 150,000, a yield of 7 per cent would be equal to 10,500. A study by Property Partner, a crowdfunding investing website, found the top ten towns for buy-to-let yields are all in the North of England, with Stoke-on-Trent topping the list, followed by Leeds, Gateshead and Newcastle.

TURN TO ASIA FOR AN INCOME BOOST...

...says Tom Becket, chief investment officer at Psigma Investment Management.

'Generating an income in retirement has never been harder, but that doesn't mean you should just give up and buy a crate of Tattinger and a Ferrari with your money.

'The key is not to put all of your eggs in one basket.

'I'd invest in Asia-focused funds, such as Prusik Asian Equity Income, where there is good growth potential for companies as well as decent dividends.

'I also like funds that focus on out-of-favour companies which could be on the brink of a turn-around, such as Artemis Global Income.

'I'd also have some money invested in gold, which can act as an insurance policy if there is economic uncertainty, as the precious metal tends to hold its value.

'And, finally, I would keep some money in cash partly as a buffer, but also to put to work quickly if an opportunity arises.'

'A professional financial planner can help to assess what you need in retirement impartially and devise a strategy to deliver it'

SPREAD CASH IN A DOZEN FUNDS...

...says Jason Hollands, managing director at advisers Tilney Bestinvest.

'Spreading your money across a number of funds is key to reducing the risk you take and to protecting your pension pot  I would suggest at least 12.

'I would put half of the money into equity funds which invest in companies shares. These have the potential to grow your money further to replenish what you withdraw, and can also generate an income through the dividends companies pay out.

'My favoured income-generating UK funds include Evenlode Income, Unicorn UK Income and Threadneedle UK Equity Income.

'I would then put some money in a U.S.-focused fund such as Avvia Investors U.S. Equity Income and some in Europe through the Standard Life European Equity Income fund.

'I would put around 20 per cent of the pot into fixed income funds, which invest in corporate and government bonds, a further 15 per cent into property and the final portion into an Absolute Return fund which would aim to protect my money if the stock market took a tumble.'

BEWARE LOW RETURNS ON CASH FUNDS Readdies: Experts say it's common to keep around 5 to 10% of your pot in cash Keeping a slice of your pension pot in cash in retirement can be a good idea if you intend to make regular withdrawals. But the rates on offer are usually awful  some draw-down providers pay nothing at all. However, if you shop around you can find up to 0.35 per cent. Experts say its common for savers to keep around 5 per cent to 10 per cent of their pot in cash. This enables you to access your cash if you intend to draw an income in the next year or two. It also means you have some funds that are not at risk through investing. Research by financial website Boring Money found Fidelity offers 0.35 per cent and Aviva pays 0.25 per cent. By comparison, Charles Stanley Direct offers 0 per cent , as does AJ Bell Youinvest on balances below 50,000. Holly Mackay, founder of Boring Money, says investors should not choose their pension fund based on cash rates as the returns on their long-term investments are more important. Cash rates are typically low on draw-down products because the money is supposed to be invested, she says. It is not a factor I would suggest people focus on when choosing a provider.

SEEK PERSONAL TIPS FROM A PRO...

...says Ian Browne, pension expert at Old Mutual Wealth.

'I would spend some of the money getting financial advice. A professional financial planner can help to assess what you need in retirement impartially and devise a strategy to deliver it.

'Investing in retirement requires an entirely different attitude and approach than when you're investing to try to grow your pension pot.

'When you invest for the long-term, you can afford to take some risk because you have time to ride out any ups and downs in the stock market. But when you're in retirement you need to focus on preserving your cash and minimising these ups and downs.

'For those investors who prefer the DIY approach, a multi-asset fund could be a good option. These are a type of one-stop shop where the fund manager has the freedom to pick which assets he thinks will perform best, such as bond, company shares, property and gold.

'Among the top performing multi-asset options are Premier Multi-Asset Global Growth and F&C Multi-Manager Investment Trust.'
When Mark Zuckerberg comes to Philadelphia, he orders like a Philadelphian and opts for a cheesesteak.

But unlike most locals he rode up to The Original Pat's King of Steaks in a limousine.

The Facebook CEO on Sunday posted a picture of himself ordering a cheesesteak at one of the city's most well-known eateries. The limousine was out of the frame.

The caption reads: 'Traveled all the way to Philadelphia for the best cheesesteak in the land.'

'Traveled all the way to Philadelphia for the best cheesesteak in the land': Zuckerberg ordered the city's namesake sandwich on Sunday during his road trip across America

He is currently on a road trip to every state across the country in an attempt to learn more about the average American Facebook user.

Employees of Pat's say the tech billionaire even knows how to order the sandwich like a local, saying 'Whiz wit' to let cooks know that he wanted his steaks topped with Cheez Whiz and onions.

An employee told DailyMail.com it is not clear if he left a tip, but it would have been atypical to leave one since it is a cash-only establishment and there is no tip jar: 'It's not that kind of place where you tip since there aren't servers.'

According to Philly.com, he paid $66 cash for six steaks. Zuckerberg and his entourage ate outside and he shook hands with the staff.

Pat's night manager Michael Boninfante tells KYW-TV that it was 'really cool to find out that a guy larger than life, at the end of the day, is just a normal guy.'

Though Zuckerberg has claimed he is not running for office, Pat's is a common Philly photo op spot for politicians.

For example: President Barack Obama was pictured ordering a cheesesteak at the modest, cash-only restaurant while he was running for president in 2008. Former Secretary of State John Kerry and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker have also taken photos at Pat's.

President Trump stopped by Geno's, another famous cheesesteak hot-spot. Philadelphia, a key swing state, went to Obama in 2008 and Trump in 2016.

In 2008, President Barack Obama was pictured ordering a cheesesteak while on the campaign trail in Philadelphia

Zuckerberg's post led to a spirited debate through Facebook comments, with some saying Pat's was a 'tourist trap' and that other eateries such as Geno's were more authentic

Zuckerberg's posted the photo for his 97 million Facebook followers. The comment section turned into a spirited debate about where was the best cheesesteak spot in Philly.

While many praised the Facebook CEO for choosing Pat's, many said there were more 'authentic' cheesesteaks in the city. Many people recommended Geno's, Sonny's or Jim's.

One person commented: 'Worst possible choice.. You fell right into their tourist trap.'
A serial killer nurse who murdered six of his patients by injecting them with heart-stopping drugs has died.

Orville Lynn Majors, 56, who was serving 360 years for his crimes at the former Vermillion County Hospital, was found unresponsive at Indiana State Prison.

Majors was taken to a nearby hospital where he died on Sunday due to heart problems.

Orville Lynn Majors, 56, who was serving 360 years for his crimes at the former Vermillion County Hospital, was found unresponsive at Indiana State Prison. He is pictured on October 6, 1999, being escorted into court for the final day of defense testimony

Indiana Department of Correction said Majors was having breathing difficulties before passing out.

Prison officials say preliminary autopsy results show Majors had heart problems and died of natural causes.

Majors was sentenced in 1999 for six murders at the Vermillion County Hospital, but a probe found 150 suspicious deaths that had occurred during his time there.

The death rate at the hospital increased from 26 per year to 100 after Majors started working there in 1993.

Majors is thought to have targeted patients who were especially demanding or added to his work load.

At his sentencing, Judge Ernest Yelton called the nurse a 'paragon of evil'.
A Queensland family has been left heartbroken after their beloved pet dog was mauled to death by two pit bulls.

Melanie Rouvray and her daughter Ruby found their pet shih tzu Cookie attacked and killed by the neighbouring dogs on Friday after they broke through a paling in the fence.

Ms Rouvray, who was too devastated to speak to Daily Mail Australia directly, is now deeply afraid to leave the house in case the pit bulls come back for her second dog, a Great Dane X named T-Bone.

Melanie Rouvray and her daughter Ruby found their pet shih tzu Cookie (pictured) attacked and killed by the neighbouring dogs on Friday after they broke through a paling in the fence

'The family went out for the day and when they returned home the neighbour's two pit bulls had busted through the fence. Cleared straight through it,' Melanie's friend Christine Wright told Daily Mail Australia (pictured is deceased dog Cookie)

'The family went out for the day and when they returned home the neighbour's two pit bulls had busted through the fence. Cleared straight through it,' Melanie's friend Christine Wright told Daily Mail Australia.

'T-Bone was still outside and the pit bulls were running back and forth between the broken paling. I told Melanie to call the council and police.'

The pit bulls were eventually chased back into their yard and the fence was mended but the council told the Rouvray family that the dogs would now be allowed to stay put.

'How can the yard be classed as secure when they could easily break through it again? What's to stop them?' Ms Wright said.

The pit bulls were eventually chased back into their yard and the fence was mended but the council told the Rouvray family (Melanie and Ruby pictured) that the dogs would now be allowed to stay put

The pit bulls owners admitted that the act was completely out of character for their pets - but according to the Rouvray family did not apologise for the death of Ruby's dog Cookie.

'Melanie has three other children that could be playing in that yard at any time. What if it had been a child? That's the most terrifying thought of all.'

The family have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Cookie's cremation.

A council representative said that on-call staff are available to attend such issues, with an officer visiting the offending dogs property on Saturday to ensure they were securely contained.

The council said they would continue their investigations on Thursday but the Rouvray family would have liked a decision to be made about the pit bulls much sooner than that.
As 50,000 residents flee a rumbling volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali and planes take on extra fuel in case it blows, tourists are arriving in droves.

Local authorities say up to 60,000 foreign tourists arrive in Bali every day and there has been no drop in numbers despite the threat of eruption.

The holiday island has been declared a natural disaster zone, but 50 planes from Australia out of a total of 400 still go through Ngurah Rai International Airport daily.

Some Virgin Australia flights bound for Bali are stopping in Darwin to take on extra fuel in case Mount Agung erupts and planes have to turn around.

Scroll down for video

As 50,000 residents flee a rumbling volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali and planes take on extra fuel in case it blows, tourists (pictured) are arriving in droves

Local authorities say up to 60,000 foreign tourists arrive in Bali every day and there has been no drop in numbers due to the imminent eruption (pictured are displaced residents)

The airline says the precautionary measure could mean delays for some passengers, but its Bali services are currently operating on schedule.

Airport communications chief Arie Ahsannurrohim said there has been no tourism slump, and plans are in place for if the volcano blows, ABC News reported.

While tourist numbers remain steady, 50,000 out of 64,000 residents living nearby have fled Mount Agung, the island's largest volcano.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will arrive in Bali on Tuesday for a firsthand view of the scale of the evacuation and exclusion zone.

The holiday island has been declared a natural disaster zone, but 50 planes from Australia out of a total of 400 still go through Ngurah Rai International Airport daily (pictured is Mount Agung)

Some Virgin Australia flights bound for Bali are stopping in Darwin to take on extra fuel in case Mount Agung erupts and planes have to turn around (pictured are residents who have fled)

More than three hundred earthquake tremors have ripped through the area around the volcano, with fears it is about to blow.

Officials have ordered villagers living within a 12km (eight mile) zone around the mountain to leave.

Scores of Australian families are currently on the idyllic holiday island for their school holidays, but authorities insist the destination is still safe.

The numbers from disaster officials on Sunday are more than double previous estimates and are continuing to rise, they say.

It includes people who left voluntarily as well as those told to evacuate from the exclusion zone as increasing tremors rattle the region.

Airport communications chief Arie Ahsannurrohim said there has been no tourism slump, and plans are in place for if the volcano blows (pictured is a tourist spot in Bali)

While tourist numbers remain steady, 50,000 out of 64,000 residents (pictured) living nearby have fled Mount Agung, the island's largest volcano

Indonesian President Joko Widodo will arrive in Bali on Tuesday for a firsthand view of the scale of the evacuation and exclusion zone (pictured)

Authorities raised the volcano's alert status to the highest level on Friday following a 'tremendous increase' in seismic activity. Its last eruption in 1963 killed 1,100 people.

Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, a senior Cabinet minister, said Sunday that the districts surrounding the volcano 'must be prepared for the worst.'

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has praised the welcoming response of local communities on Bali to the flood of evacuees.

The agency has sent food and logistical supplies to the area, while also calling for public donations.

More than three hundred earthquake tremors have ripped through the area around the volcano (pictured), with fears it is about to blow

Officials have ordered villagers living within a 12km (eight mile) zone around the mountain to leave (pictured are abandoned restaurants)

Scores of Australian families are currently on the idyllic holiday island for their school holidays, but authorities insist the destination is still safe (pictured are evacuated residents)

Thousands are living in temporary shelters, sport centers, village halls and with relatives or friends. Some return to the danger zone during the day to tend to livestock.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 14 tons of aid has been sent, including tents, blankets, mattresses and portable communications equipment.

Truck driver Wayan Suparta said he and his family left their village 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the mountain several days ago, bringing just clothes and blankets to a temporary camp in Rendang.

The 35-year-old said he sold the family's cow because they don't know when they'll be able to return.

Thousands are living in temporary shelters, sport centers, village halls and with relatives or friends. Some return to the danger zone during the day to tend to livestock (pictured)

A teacher counts her students during an evacuation near Mount Agung, a volcano on the highest alert level

Officials have said there is no current danger to people in other parts of Bali, a popular tourist island famous for its surfing, beaches and elegant Hindu culture.

Hoaxes have proliferated online, with videos of previous eruptions in Indonesia circulated as current events at Mount Agung.

Officials urged the public to remain calm amid false reports and videos circulating online of an eruption.

'The latest analysis indicates that Mount Agung's seismic energy is increasing and has the potential to erupt,' the National Vulcanology Center said in a statement.

People wait inside an evacuation centre in Klungkung regency, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali

Villagers evacuate their cattle from dangerous zone of Mount Agung in Karangasem, Bali

Villagers rests at a temporary evacuation centre, for people living near Mount Agung, Bali

People wait inside an evacuation centre in Klungkung regency, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali

'However, no one can predict exactly when there will be an eruption,' it added.

Flights at Bali's international airport were operating normally on Sunday as were tourist spots across the rest of the island.

Meanwhile, Australian flights to Bali continued as scheduled on Sunday.

Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Qantas flights to Denpasar International Airport remained unaffected but the airlines said they were monitoring warnings.

Virgin Australia warned of possible flight delays and said some Bali bound flights would be making fuel stops in Darwin as a precautionary measure.

Children play at an evacuation centre in Klungkung regency, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on September 25, 2017

Villagers evacuate their cattle from dangerous zone of Mount Agung in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia

'This ensures that if an eruption occurs while the aircraft is en route, we will be able to get guests back to their originating port safely and quickly,' the airline said in a statement.

All Jetstar flights were operating as scheduled and passengers would be notified individually if changes occurred, the company said in a statement on Sunday.

'Our pilots and meteorologists will continue to monitor the latest information from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre,' the statement said.

Qantas flights were also operating as scheduled, a spokeswoman told AAP on Sunday.

Nearly 50,000 people have evacuated their homes for fear of an imminent volcanic eruption on the Indonesian resort island of Bali

Villagers feeds their cattle after being evacuated from dangerous zone of Mount Agung in Karangasem, Bali

The government's Smart Traveller website urges visitors to monitor local media reports and follow instructions of local authorities.

Australians are also advised to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia and to contact their tour operators to confirm travel plans.

In 1963, the 3,031-meter (9,944-foot) Agung hurled ash as high as 20 kilometres (12 miles), according to volcanologists, and remained active for about a year.

Lava traveled 7.5 kilometres (4.7 miles) and ash reached Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) away.

The mountain, 72 kilometres (45 miles) to the northeast of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.

The country of thousands of islands is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
A British kayaker hacked to death in the Amazon and thrown into a river made a video just days before her death saying she was 'looking forward to going solo'.

Former headteacher Emma Kelty, 43, was 42 days into a 4,000-mile solo kayaking trip from the source of the Amazon to the sea, when she signaled her emergency alarm and disappeared.

Police believe she was murdered by seven pirates who shot her twice, stabbed her and then threw her into the murky river to be devoured by piranhas.

Scroll down for video

British kayaker Emma Kelty, 43, who was hacked to death in the Amazon and thrown into a river made a video just days before her death saying she was 'looking forward to going solo'

A gang caught by police have allegedly confessed to killing Emma as they wanted to steal her belongings.

In the tragic footage released today, Ms Kelty was heard speaking optimistically about the next leg of her adventure where she would be leaving her group behind.

Speaking directly to her GoPro camera, the adventurer said: 'It's been a settled couple of days.

'My journey travelling with the group is near to an end and in about three or four days I'll start my journey, on my own travelling solo.'

Ms Kelty was 42 days into a 4,000-mile solo kayaking trip from the source of the Amazon to the sea, when she signaled her emergency alarm and disappeared

The former headteacher then went on to say: 'I have to say I'm really looking forward to it. I've been with a group now for a good six weeks and I'm ready to be solo.

'As you know, I'm a solo girl and so therefore being a part of a group on such an adventure has been great but it's time for me to have my solo time.'

Another thirty seconds of footage shows Ms Kelty paddling through the calm waters, located near Santa Maria De Nieva, in Peru.

The search for the body of British adventurer Ms Kelty in the Amazon River has been scaled back amid fears her remains have been eaten by piranhas

Speaking on Sunday, detective Jose Barradas said: 'Emma was bleeding from wounds inflicted by the suspects.

'They apparently cut her near the shoulder and neck so she would bleed out and attract carnivorous fish like piranha and candiru that would be attracted by the smell of blood and devour the flesh from her body when they threw her into the water.

'It was a ruthless and calculating move to get rid of the evidence.

She was allegedly murdered by seven pirates who shot her twice, stabbed her and then threw her into the murky and muddy river. Pictured: Four of the suspects arrested after her death

Police are still searching for the body of the former headteacher from Finchley, North London, but the navy also suspended their operations on the Solimoes River last Wednesday

'We found that the kayak's covering was sliced open in several places by the suspects who we believe were looking for hidden items in the body of the boat.

'The suspects also admitted they cut up the kayak with a knife belonging to the victim in an effort to sink it but it is a vessel made from material that does not sink.

'We found some nutritious superfood packages in Emma's kayak. This food was seen in videos recorded on the sportswoman's memory card found in her camera.'

Pictured: The canoe used by the suspects and the kayak belonging to Emma Kelty, which police presented at a press conference

Police are still searching for the body of the former headteacher from Finchley, North London, but the navy also suspended their operations on the Solimoes River last Wednesday.

Deputy chief of Amazonas civil police Ivo Martins said: 'Since Friday 15 September, three fire brigade divers have been carrying out depth dives in and around the area where the body was apparently thrown by the criminals.

'The recovery mission faced tremendous difficulties as there is zero visibility beneath the surface. The diving search effort was ended on Friday afternoon and the navy river patrol boat returned to Manaus to resume its normal operations. We have not found the victim's body.

Her belongings, including this drone, were displayed by police at a press conference on Saturday

Detective Jose Barradas said it appeared Kelty's murderers had stabbed her with the intention of making her bleed in the river, thereby attracting carnivorous fish

'Police from the cities of Coari, Codajas and Anori will now continue with the hunt for Emma's remains along the river's shores and its surface.'

On Saturday, the kayak belonging to the Briton and the canoe used by the suspects were put on display as Amazon cops said they plan to examine it for traces of blood.

Investigators reported they have already recovered a number of items belonging to the victim including the drone, mobile phones, camera, GPS and sim card.

Seven suspects were involved in the crime. Four are in custody, one was shot dead in a rival gang attack and two are still at large.

Cops believe the two fugitives, named as Erimar Ferreira da Silva, known as 'Chico', and Nilson Ferreira da Silva, known as 'Ze Preto', have escaped to neighbouring states.
Iran's much-touted test launch of a new medium-range ballistic missile last Friday which prompted an angry response from President Donald Trump was a fake, it was reported on Monday.

The Iranian government on Friday released video footage of the supposed launch just hours after it displayed what it claimed to be a new type of missile at a military procession in the capital Tehran.

But the footage of the launch was more than seven months old, two US officials told Fox News on Monday.

On January 29, Iran carried out a test launch of a medium-range ballistic missile that exploded after 630 miles.

Iran's much-touted test launch of a new medium-range ballistic missile last Friday which prompted an angry response from President Donald Trump was a fake, US officials say

The Iranian government on Friday released video footage of the supposed launch just hours after it displayed what it claimed to be a new type of missile at a military procession in the capital Tehran (above). But the footage of the launch was more than seven months old

The missile that Iran tested in January is a new model of the Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile

The test was carried out from a site near Semnan, east of Tehran. The US believes that the last time this type of missile was test launched was in July 2016.

The White House said it was aware that Iran had tested a missile.

Days after the missile test, the White House announced that it was putting Iran 'on notice.'

The Iranian government's announcement prompted Trump to tweet late Saturday: 'Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!'

Trump was referring indirectly to the nuclear accord which was agreed to by Iran as well as the United States, the other four permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Germany, and the European Union.

The president has hinted for months that he is eager to pull the US out of the deal, which was negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

In a speech before world leaders at the United Nations last week, Trump referred to the nuclear agreement as 'an embarrassment' to the US.

President Donald Trump reacted angrily on Twitter to Iran's announcement that it had launched a new ballistic missile

Trump also alluded to the Iran nuclear deal, signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama

'We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program,' he said.

Trump said publicly that he has already made a decision about whether he would withdraw from the nuclear accord, though he refused to reveal what he decided.

Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, took to the podium at the UN General Assembly one day after Trump.

Rouhani said that his country's missile program was 'solely defensive' in nature.

'We never threaten anyone, but we do not tolerate threats from anyone,' he said.

In footage of the military parade in Tehran, Rouhani is seen observing as the Iranian armed forces show off their wares.

Previous Iranian missile launches have triggered US sanctions and accusations that they violate the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.

The US president has threatened to declare Iran to be in breach of the 2015 deal unless it is expanded to punish Iran for pursuing a ballistic missile program and for sponsoring foreign militant groups.

Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani (seen last week at the UN General Assembly) said that his country's missile program was 'solely defensive' in nature

On October 15, Trump is due to tell the US Congress whether he is ready to recertify Iran's compliance with the 2015 deal. If he refuses to do so, it could open the door to renewed US sanctions and the collapse of the deal.

The missile that Iran tested is a new model of the Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile.

It is based on North Korea's BM-25 Musudan ballistic missile, which has a maximum range of nearly 2,500 miles.

If Iran successfully tests the missile, it could threaten American troops as well as pro-American governments in the Middle East.

Initially, after the test, Iran claimed that the range of the missile is 1,250 miles. But the real range is twice that.

'I am not sure why the Iranians are lying about the range,' one US official told Fox News.

'I think they don't want to piss the Europeans off.'
Today, populism is a global plague. However, a thought-leader who played a pivotal role in weakening populism in Europe has shared the antidote in a speech to the European Liberty Forum in Budapest.

Zoltan Kesz, a founder of the Free Market Foundation in Hungary, who was elected to parliament in 2015, gave one of the keynote addresses of the two-day forum, organized by the Atlas Network, last Thursday. In addition to leading a think tank dedicated to liberty, Kesz was elected as an independent member of parliament in 2015, breaking the two-thirds supermajority held by Viktor Orbans Fidesz. His speech is published for the first time today in Religion & Liberty Transatlantic.

Kesz greeted attendees by saying:

Dear friends, welcome to Budapest, the beautiful European capital of populism! How did Hungary, which was the most advanced Eastern Bloc country in terms of freedom and acceptance of Western values, and served as a beacon of Western spirit during the 1980s and 90s, become a black hole sucking up individual freedom, civil rights, and freedom of the press?

How can a nation that erected statues of George Washington, Winston Churchill, and Ronald Reagan be anything other than a tributary of freedom? Kesz cites reasons as diverse as Hungarys historic occupation by the Soviet Union, complacency at home at in the West, and economics. A populist leader could easily leverage such widespread discontent, he writes, because populists invariably exploit cultural flashpoints to accumulate political power. Because their ideological compass is set by popularity rather than conviction, they have a remarkable ability to cling to power  and to transform the system to assure their grip never weakens:

Populists are especially dangerous enemies, because they are strategizing in the terms of democratic competition. That is the main principle of populism: gaining power once and never, ever letting it go, reshaping democracy and deconstructing the rule of law step-by-step as if it was made of LEGO bricks.

As he details, populism is on the rise on every populated continent in the world, posing a challenge to classical liberalism. A report released earlier this year by the European Policy Information Center found, Authoritarian-Populism has overtaken Liberalism and has now established itself as the third ideological force in European politics, behind Conservatism/Christian Democracy and Social Democracy. (The report uses liberalism in the European sense of classical liberalism, typified by limited government, free markets, and respect for individual rights.)

Kesz draws on his own experience as a public intellectual, and then a politician, in Viktor Orbans Hungary to outline how others can win victories against popular forms of illiberalism. A partial list of observations on How to defeat populism:

Putting populists into a quarantine does not work. Political powers deemed undesirable by the establishment just become more attractive to voters. Populists must be fought with reason and engaged in open debates. They cannot be ignored.

We must stay honest, even about controversial, sensitive topics which are the domain of populists.

According to populists, all problems are caused by external powers (e.g.: George Soros, Jews, Chinese, etc.). They must always fight against something. But people do not want to live in fear forever. This can be used to beat them.

If we cannot appear on national media, we have to be present online and go to even the smallest rural villages personally. On the few channels we have access to, we must communicate better than the populists do.

Kesz offers an authoritative firsthand account of how populism grips a country, transforms its institutions, and how those who cherish ordered liberty can  and must  respond.

You can read his fully essay here.

(Photo credit: Public domain.)
Trade unions opposed to employment reforms by the government of President Emmanuel Macron, pictured, started blocking fuel depots and major roads first thing yesterday morning

Britons travelling in France have been warned to expect petrol shortages as militant truck drivers took part in anti-government protests.

Trade unions opposed to employment reforms by President Emmanuel Macron's government started blocking fuel depots and major roads first thing yesterday morning.

By midday there was chaos across the country, with vast traffic jams and pumps running dry, especially close to the Channel ports in northern France.

'Dozens of petrol stations have run dry because of panic buying, rather than because of the blockades' said a spokesman for the CGT (General Confederation of Labour), France's largest union.

'Those travelling through France from Britain should certainly expect shortages. Our action will continue.'

Mr Macron's ministers had insisted there would be no shortages, and that police would be used to keep forecourts operating normally.

Economy minister Benjamin Griveaux said: 'You don't defend your cause by blockading the country's economy and by preventing people from working.'

Mr Griveaux also insisted that the country has sufficient petrol and diesel stocks to last out the blockage.

By midday there was chaos across the country, with vast traffic jams and pumps running dry, especially close to the Channel ports in northern France (stock photo)

But many northern stations were soon reporting that they had run out of fuel, while there were also problems in major southern cities such as Marseille in the south.

French lorry drivers fear the country's new Labour Code will lead to job losses and end their early retirement schemes.

More generally, Mr Macron wants to liberalise France's employment rules by ending the strong influence the unions currently have on negotiating pay and conditions.

There have already been sometimes violent protests across the country this month, and many more are planned over the autumn and winter.

Mr Macron's reforms are due to be passed by the National Assembly within days after Mr Macron signed five labour decrees last Friday.

The unions are particularly angry at the speed with which Mr Macron wants to change the system, saying they have not been given enough time to negotiate properly.
A pair of teenagers who plummeted 20 metres over a New South Wales cliff have miraculously escaped serious injuries.

Police say the 17-year-old driver and his 16-year-old female passenger were lucky to walk away with minor cuts and bruises after their 4WD rolled off the cliff and fell onto rocks in Forster.

The 17-year-old went to drive away from a lookout car park in the Mid North Coast town about 9.30pm on Monday when he crashed through the barrier instead.

The 4WD (pictured) plummeted 20 metres over a cliff on the NSW mid-north coast

The 17-year-old driver crashed through a barrier (pictured) when he went to leave the lookout

The car plunged down the 20 metre cliff face and landed on rocks, with a large boulder stopping it from falling into the ocean.

The 16-year-old female passenger and the driver suffered minor cuts, bruises, and possible concussion.

Police say the pair had been talking while relaxing at the popular spot before going over the edge.

Onlookers in a second vehicle also parked at the lookout called police, and officers from Manning/Great Lakes Local Area Command attended the scene.

Police say the driver and his 16-year-old female passenger were lucky to escape without serious injury

The car plunged down the 20 metre cliff face and landed on rocks (pictured)

NSW Ambulance paramedics climbed down to the teenagers, who had escaped the wreckage unassisted.

They were checked by paramedics before being taken to Manning Base Hospital as a precaution.

Police were told they have suffered minor cuts, bruises and possible concussion.

A large boulder stopped the 4WD from going further toward the ocean (pictured)

The two teenagers were checked by paramedics before they were taken to Manning Base Hospital

Police were told they have suffered minor cuts, bruises and possible concussion

The driver has undergone mandatory testing.

Officers from Fire & Rescue NSW assisted at the scene and the car is yet to be retrieved.

Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A woman has choked and punched a Hungry Jack worker because her burger wasn't to her liking.

The 23-year-old woman became unhappy with a female fast-food employee after she was served the burger while going through a drive-thru in 2014.

April Uluilelata-Tiumaafifi complained about the tasteless burger to the attendant but became aggressive after she was told to be more polite, the Daily Telegraph reports.

A 23-year-old woman punches a Hunger Jack worker as she was unhappy with her burger (stock image)

She then made her way into the restaurant's kitchen and proceeded to assault the junior burger chef, putting her hands around her throat and punching her.

Uluilelata-Tiumaafifi's later told police that she had wanted to hurt the employee.

She pleaded guilty to assault in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

Uluilelata-Tiumaafifi's lawyer told the court his client used to be a homeless drug addict but had turned her life around.

Magistrate Angela Bolger gave her a 12- month community corrections order and told her to complete 100 hours of unpaid community work.
He was acclaimed as Britains number one art dealer by the time he was 40, with his London gallery reportedly raking in 350 million a year in sales.

Now Harry Blain, friends of Brit Art icons such as shark-pickler Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, finds his lustrous image in danger of being tarnished following an undignified and bitter dispute with two former business partners who have initiated legal proceedings against him.

Accusing the twice-married Blain, now 50, of dishonesty, financiers Chris Boas and James Graham-Maw are demanding repayment of 500,000, after each investing 250,000 in 2012 in one of Blains ventures, Sedition.

The company allows customers to buy online images from the likes of Emin and Hirst for anything from 5 to 1,500.

Harry Blain is pictured with artist Tracey Emin at a ball in March 2011

Blain, pictured left, is friends of numerous Brit Art icons - including Mat Collishaw, pictured right

Stephen Webster, Mat Collishaw, Harry Blain and Assia Webster (left to right) at a private viewing in April this year

Boas and Graham-Maw say only 725,000 worth of subscription shares in Sedition were issued  rather than 1 million, as they had been assured would be the case  and that, as a result, their money should have been returned to them.

They claim Blain used the money for purposes unknown, causing Sedition to breach agreements, and also allege he transferred shares to another company, Markway Ltd, in an act of deliberate deception.

Blain, who lives with his second wife, Norwegian model Bodil Bjerkvik, in an 8 million house in Notting Hill, has responded arguing that any agreements with Boas and Graham-Maw were informal, arising from the fact that the three of them were friends.

He says the full 1million of shares were issued  but not until June 2014, because of an oversight.

Lets hope that Boas and Graham-Maw  both also residents of Notting Hill  now consider themselves to be fully in the picture.

Trevor Eve's latest is truly a family affair

Acting dynasty: Trevor, Alice, wife Sharon and Jack

Silver fox Trevor Eve, star of the BBCs crime drama Waking The Dead, was a proud father twice over at the Raindance film festival in London.

He and his wife, Gold Blend TV ad star Sharon Maughan, were attending the premiere of Bees Make Honey, which is written and directed by their eldest son Jack, 31, and co-stars their daughter, Star Trek actress Alice, 35.

The film is about a widow hosting a gathering for her high-society friends in an attempt to help solve her husbands murder.

Trevor, 66, clearly couldnt resist stepping into the limelight as he also has a turn in the film.

The former Shoestring stars youngest son George, 22, was the music co-ordinator.

Thats what you call keeping it in the family.

Why Rees-Mogg won't strip off

Excitement about Jacob Rees-Moggs leadership hopes has perhaps gone too far.

Dashing fellow backbench Tory MP Johnny Mercer, who once posed naked in the shower for a Dove television advertisement, has encouraged the Moggster to strip off.

Rees-Mogg, who is said to sleep in double-breasted pyjamas, solemnly declares: I will not be taking his advice to follow in his footsteps by advertising soap products.
Assistant Chief Constable Naveed Malik, pictured, 'undermined the integrity of the process' by demanding the officer was told what questions to expect during an interview after applying to become a chief inspector

One of Britain's highest ranking Asian police officers could be sacked for trying to influence a colleague's bid for promotion.

Assistant Chief Constable Naveed Malik 'undermined the integrity of the process' by demanding the officer was told what questions to expect during an interview after applying to become a chief inspector.

The intervention backfired when it was rejected by the unnamed inspector, who wanted to be accepted on merit, and reported his former mentor to bosses at Cambridgeshire Police.

Malik's actions were compared to 'boobgate' and could have damaged the reputation of police nationally, a disciplinary hearing was told yesterday.

The reference was to the case involving Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Rebekah Sutcliffe, who was found guilty of gross misconduct after flashing her chest at a female colleague during a drunken row about their breasts.

Malik, who is the National Police Chiefs Council's lead for the recruitment of black and ethnic minority (BME) officers, has not explained why he tried to meddle in the junior officer's application.

He has previously said he 'sees it as a personal responsibility to use his position for the benefit of BME officers and recruits'  although the officer involved in the disciplinary case was white, it emerged last night.

It is not known if they were male or female, however. They have been given anonymity because they had acted as a 'whistleblower'.

The hearing in Wyboston, Bedfordshire, was told that Malik issued orders for the officer he had 'informally mentored' to be told what questions would come up at his interview to become a chief inspector.

A personal assistant, referred to only as Staff Member B, was told to use her mobile phone to tell Inspector A what topics to expect on February 22.

Staff Member B was 'quite uncomfortable with the order or directive' to note down the questions on a piece of 'scrappy paper' and relay them to Inspector A in a call that lasted less than two minutes.

John Beggs QC, representing the force, said: 'Inspector A told Staff Member B to go back and tell ACC Malik that 'I didn't want to listen and he wanted to be promoted on merit'.'

Married father-of-two Malik, whose own father became the first Asian police constable in Britain in 1967, later said in a police interview: 'I cannot think what my rationale was.

Malik, pictured, who is the National Police Chiefs Council's lead for the recruitment of black and ethnic minority (BME) officers, has not explained why he tried to meddle in the junior officer's application

'I think that was the massive error of judgment, that's just a real stupid thing to have done, a grave error of judgement and I cannot explain it.'

Malik, 47, who is third in command at his force, initially admitted simple misconduct but accepted 'gross misconduct' had occurred following an investigation by Suffolk Police.

Mr Beggs said the experienced officer, who had a previously unblemished record, claimed he hadn't intended to 'usurp the [promotion] process'.

It was 'self-evident', however, that the intervention amounted to 'gross misconduct - this should never have happened, it completely undermined the integrity of the promotion process'.

Despite the severity of the case, the QC added: 'The appropriate authority does not consider that the admitted gross misconduct requires dismissal to uphold public confidence in and the reputation of the police service.'

Malik's lawyer, Chris Daw QC, said sacking his client for a 'single error of judgement' would be 'disproportionate' after an 'unblemished and outstanding police career'.

He added: 'The public interest and the interest of policing would be far better served by Mr Malik continuing as a police officer than by his dismissal.

'The disciplinary process itself has acted as the most formal warning.'

Malik, who is studying for a Masters in Criminology, has 27 years' police service. He began his career in Warwickshire and later served with West Mercia Police.

The panel's findings at the end of the two-day hearing will be passed to Cambridgeshire's Deputy Chief Constable Alan Baldwin, who will decide what punishment Malik deserves.

Rebekah Sutcliffe was suspended following her drunken rant at a junior officer but retained her 109,000-a-year salary.

She was seconded to Oldham Council to oversee how police and public bodies work together.
The pledge by John McDonnell to take rail, water, energy and possibly even the Royal Mail back into public ownership at potentially below-market prices and to take full control of PFI contracts would be a huge blow to free markets in Britain.

But it would also be potentially disastrous for the savings of millions of ordinary Britons held through pension funds and ISAs.

Even if below-market prices were paid, the move could add hundreds of billions of pounds to the national debt, squeeze future investment and punish future generations.

John McDonnell has pledged to spend untold billions bringing the railways, water and energy services back into public ownership

Buying up the major power providers could cost as much as 185billion by itself, according to an investment banking report in 2015

Though the value for money of PFI has been questioned over the years by the National Audit Office among others, the consequences of suspending the 59.4billion of deals and bringing them in-house would be nothing short of ruinous.

It would add to the national debt nightmare but could also lead to bankruptcies among leading service providers.

This would hit the banks which have provided the finance and could lead to a credit shortage which would starve business of funds to invest in future growth.

Plan would cost billions Energy: Nationalising main power providers could cost 185billion, according to a report by investment banking group Jefferies in 2015. Water: Regulator Ofwat puts the industrys regulatory capital value  covering the operations it oversees  at 69billion. Royal Mail: Shares currently listed at 330p each  valuing Royal Mail at 3.3billion. Rail: The state owns Network Rail, which controls tracks and stations. It could take over passenger services, which are run as franchises, at no cost  but would need to buy engines and carriages, which cost operators 1.4billion in 2015-16, a Commons Library paper shows. PFI: There were 716 PFI projects in March 2016, with a total value of 59.4billion. Private firms behind those are due around 220billion in the coming decades. Advertisement

Nationalisation of utilities and PFI deals would expose a Corbyn-led government to legal challenge from investors seeking to recoup their original investment and more.

In effect McDonnell, by declining to pay full compensation, would be aping the doctrines of far-Left countries such as Venezuela that have trampled over property rights and delivered an economic tragedy.

The last time Labour sought to grab back a privatised firm from the stock market was in 2002 when then transport secretary Stephen Byers seized control of FTSE 100 company Railtrack, falsely claiming the rail system operator was on the verge of bankruptcy.

After court challenges by shareholders such as pension funds and individual small investors, both successor firm Network Rail and the Government were forced to pay millions in compensation.

Costs to taxpayers of buying up utilities and PFI contracts would be huge. The bill for the water companies could be 65billion; the National Grid may cost upwards of 40billion; and the Royal Mail 6billion.

If the whole power system were taken back into Government hands, some estimates put the cost at 185billion.

The impact on Britain as a place to invest would be catastrophic and the likelihood of a Labour government being able to raise funds to modernise power generation and keep the lights on would be shattered.

Meanwhile taking back ownership of Royal Mail, potentially for below market value, could hurt both the public purse and investors who bought into the company

McDonnell has touched a raw nerve with his focus on consumer discontent with Britains water, power, rail industries and costly PFI deals.

But these problems can and are being fixed by more intrusive regulation and cleaned-up management.

Compulsory purchase at below-market prices would deal a terrible blow to inward investment in the UK and the London stock market. That would impact on the pensions prospects of millions. The cost of filling the gap would rebound on the public finances leaving far less money for public services.

Far from helping consumers wholesale, nationalisation would impoverish them. It would put to waste the sacrifices the public have made over the past decade in an effort to restore enterprise, prosperity and jobs.
The South of England and the Scottish Highlands have been earmarked as high risk areas for Lyme disease.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said some areas appear to have higher prevalence of infected ticks which cause the disease.

Areas known to have a particularly high population of ticks include, Exmoor, the New Forest and other rural areas of Hampshire, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, parts of Surrey and West Sussex, Thetford Forest in Norfolk, the Lake District, the North York Moors and the Scottish Highlands.

The UK's healthcare advisory body has warned there are high concentrations of ticks infected with Lyme disease in the South of England and the Scottish Highlands (file)

But, the health body said prevalence data is incomplete as it called for a large study into the condition in the UK.

Better information on incidence, presenting clinical features, management and outcome of Lyme disease both in hospitals and GP services will mean that services can be tailored to suit those infected, Nice said.

It's estimated there are 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales each year.

But Nice said this could be an underestimation because there is no requirement for GPs or hospital clinicians to report the number of cases.

A new draft guideline from Nice states: 'Infected ticks are found throughout the UK and Ireland, and although some areas appear to have a higher prevalence of infected ticks, prevalence data are incomplete.

'Particularly high-risk areas are the South of England and Scottish Highlands but infection can occur in many areas.'

It has also set out a series of recommendations on how the condition can be assessed and treated.

These include: diagnosing people who present with a distinctive rash - often described as looking like a bulls eye on a dart board - without needing to refer them for further tests.

Medics have also been urged not to rule out Lyme disease if a person who has symptoms of the disease is unsure whether they have been bitten by a tick.

Matt Dawson, former England rugby captain, needed multiple heart operations and months of treatment after being bitten by a tick in a London park

Antibiotics should be used to treat the condition but if symptoms persist after treatment, a GP should consider a referral to a specialist, the guideline adds.

'Lyme disease may be difficult to diagnose as people can have common and unspecific symptoms, like a headache or fever, and they may not notice or remember a tick bite,' said Professor Saul Faust.

'Our draft guidance will give GPs and hospital doctors clear advice on how to diagnose if they think Lyme disease is a possibility,' said the professor of paediatric immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Southampton who also chairs the guideline committee.

It emerged in August that former England rugby captain Matt Dawson underwent heart surgery after being bitten by a tick in a London park.

The 44-year-old developed feverish symptoms after visiting the park early last year and was later diagnosed with Lyme disease, he told the BBC.

Dawson is now free of the disease, having undergone multiple heart operations and endured 18 months of treatment.

The bacterial infection, caused by infected ticks, can lead to conditions such as meningitis or heart failure if left untreated.

Ticks can be found in woodland and heath areas.

The tiny spider-like creatures, which can carry the bacteria responsible for the disease, are found throughout the UK and in other parts of Europe and North America.

Cases of Lyme disease have been reported throughout the UK, according to NHS Choices.

Not everyone who gets bitten by a tick will be infected with Lyme disease as only a small proportion carry the bacteria which causes the condition.
Police won't rule out action against the Sydney brothel where accused drug-smuggler Cassie Sainsbury allegedly worked as a prostitute

Police won't rule out action against the Sydney brothel where accused drug-smuggler Cassie Sainsbury allegedly worked as a prostitute.

The 22-year-old claimed her arrest at a Colombian airport and Club 220 in Penrith were 'linked' during an extraordinary interview aired on Sunday night.

'Right now with the brothel there isn't a lot I can discuss, because everything that happened before and here are all linked in my case,' Sainsbury told 60 Minutes.

The allegation of a connection between Club 220 and the 5.9kg of cocaine allegedly found in her suitcase could be of interest to the Australian Federal Police.

But the AFP refused to say if the western Sydney brothel would come under scrutiny following Sainsbury's claim.

'The AFP does not confirm or deny who it may or may not be investigating,' a spokesperson said in a statement.

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The 22-year-old claimed her arrest at a Colombian airport and Club 220 in Penrith were 'linked' during an extraordinary interview aired on Sunday night

The allegation of a connection between Club 220 and the 5.9kg of cocaine allegedly found in her suitcase could be of interest to the Australian Federal Police

Sainsbury said she was unable to elaborate on her latest claim with any detail because her defence case is ongoing.

She denied her family were the party behind her alleged involvement in the international drug-smuggling syndicate.

'Not know-know, but sort of know, if that makes sense,' Sainsbury said when asked if she knew the person or persons that linked her past with her Colombian arrest.

Although multiple sources have claimed Sainsbury was employed as a sex worker at the club, the accused drug mule insists she was as a brothel receptionist.

The AFP refused to say if the western Sydney brothel would come under scrutiny following Sainsbury's claim

'Right now with the brothel there isn't a lot I can discuss, because everything that happened before and here are all linked in my case,' Sainsbury said

She also told the program thought she was working as a legitimate courier and was to be paid $10,000 to deliver documents before her arrest.

The 22-year-old claimed her mobile phone contains evidence that could potentially clear her name, but she can't remember the code to unlock it.

But body language expert Michael Kelly said Sainsbury's constant movements throughout the interview suggested dishonesty.

'When you're touching your neck, scratching your head, it's like you're trying to hide the truth,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Although multiple sources have claimed Sainsbury was employed as a sex worker at the club, the accused drug mule insists she was as a brothel receptionist
Princess Diana could have been in the run for First Lady - if Donald Trump had got his way.

The president revealed he would have slept with the British princess 'without hesitation' if he'd had the chance, when he appeared on controversial DJ Howard Stern's radio show in 2000 - just three years after Diana was killed in a car crash.

Trump told the shock jock that he thought Princess Diana was 'crazy' but said they were 'minor details' as she was 'really beautiful, supermodel beautiful.'

Donald Trump revealed he would have slept with Princess Diana 'without hesitation' if he'd had the chance

Trump was a regular guest on Howard Stern's (pictured) show during the 1990s and early 2000s, where the pair would have misogynistic and lewd conversations about sex and the attractiveness and worth of women

'She had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin, the whole thing,' he said during the May 200 call-in. 'She's magnificent.

'She was crazy but these are minor details,' he added.

Trump called into the show to discuss his top ten hottest women list with Stern in the recording, released by Factbase.

Princess Diana was third on his list, after ex-wife Ivana in second and now-First Lady Melania in first. The show saw him also make outlandish comments about Angelina Jolie, who he said had lips that were too big, as well as Mariah Carey and Cindy Crawford, who he also said he would sleep with.

The Stern interview wasn't the first time Trump had revealed he'd had a thing for Harry and William's mother.

Trump also revealed that Princess Diana was third on his top ten hottest women list, after ex-wife Ivana in second and now-First Lady Melania (pictured with him last year) in first

Trump was so infatuated, he sent Diana a bouquet of flowers six months after her divorce from Prince Charles (pictured with her in the 1990s)

In his book, The Art Of The Comeback, published in November 1997, three months after her death: 'I couldn't help but notice how she moved people. She lit up the room. Her charm. Her presence. She was a genuine princess  a dream lady.'

The pair met on a number of occasions, including at a charity dinner for some of New York's most powerful at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan in 1995, where fate had placed Donald Trump on the princess's table - although his second wife Marla was also present.

He didn't make a move at the dinner, but six months later - soon after Diana announced her divorce from Prince Charles in July 1996 - she was surprised to receive a huge basket of flowers from Trump for her 35th birthday.

Trump attached a message expressing his sympathy over her divorce, his regard for her and even, it is said, suggesting they get together.

However, it's clear the princess didn't feel the same way.

British broadcaster Selina Scott claimed he actually gave Diana 'the creeps'.

Trump and Diana met at a number of charity events over the years, including an event at the Hilton Hotel, New York in 1995, where he was sat on her table (Diana at the dinner with Dr Henry Kissinger (left)

Donald Trump and his then wife Marla were placed on the same table as Diana at the Hilton Hotel for the glittering $1,000-a-plate charity dinner

She says the billionaire businessman pursued the Princess of Wales to the point of 'stalking' in the mistaken belief he 'had a shot' with her.

Writing in the Sunday Times, she said: 'He bombarded Diana at Kensington Palace with massive bouquets, each worth hundreds of pounds.

'Trump clearly saw Diana as the ultimate trophy wife. As the roses and orchids piled up at her apartment she became increasingly concerned about what she should do. It had begun to feel as if Trump was stalking her.

'When she died in the tragic accident in Paris in 1997 Trump told friends his biggest regret was that they hadn't dated. He said that he always thought he had a chance of romance and would have had a 'shot' with her.'
A strange moment during Melania Trump and Prince Harry's first meeting while at the Invictus Games has left social media in a bit of a frenzy.

While posing for a picture at the event in Toronto, Canada, Twitter conspiracy theorists noticed something off about Prince Harry's hand - it was in the sign of devil horns.

As Trump stood arms to her sides, Harry's hand was partially tucked into his jacket. But while his middle and ring finger were tucked inside his coat along with his thumb, his other fingers held outside.

While posing for a picture at the event in Toronto, Canada, Twitter conspiracy theorist noticed something off about Prince Harry's hand - it was in the sign of devil horns

And the photos quickly went viral with many speculating the secret message his royal highness was trying to say while taking the photo with the US First Lady.

Chris Kaufman said: 'Maybe people should start questioning why Prince Harry flashed a Satanic hand symbol during his meeting w/ Melania Trump. Strange!'

The sarcastic confusion was a common sentiment, with Karen Dalton Beninato adding: 'Prince Harry meeting FLOTUS and making devil hand sign. Is that a Hi Donald, or I'm Here So I Won't Get Fined?'

As Trump stood arms to her sides, Harry's hand was partially tucked into his jacket. But while his middle and ring finger were tucked inside his coat along with his thumb, his other fingers held outside

Chris Kaufman said: 'Maybe people should start questioning why Prince Harry flashed a Satanic hand symbol during his meeting w/ Melania Trump. Strange!'

The sarcastic confusion was a common sentiment, with Karen Dalton Beninato adding: 'Prince Harry meeting FLOTUS and making devil hand sign. Is that a Hi Donald, or I'm Here So I Won't Get Fined?'

'Sure is a strange hand gesture being made by Prince Harry,' said another user.

Author Kevin Flynn added: 'Is it just me, or does it look like Prince Harry is flashing some secret rescue hand signal here?'

Others were a lot more direct with their theories, suggesting the signal was a sign of demonic connections.

Chad Darnell said: 'When Prince Harry is trying to tell you something by flashing the sign of the devil...'

'Sure is a strange hand gesture being made by Prince Harry,' said another user

Author Kevin Flynn added: 'Is it just me, or does it look like Prince Harry is flashing some secret rescue hand signal here?'

Chad Darnell said: 'When Prince Harry is trying to tell you something by flashing the sign of the devil...'

'Prince Harry flashing Illuminati hand signs,' added another

The sentiment was shared by another user, who said: 'Gotta love Prince Harry trolling Melania Trump. The use of a hand gesture to ward off evil. America loves you Prince Harry! @KensingtonRoyal'

'Prince Harry flashing Illuminati hand signs,' added another.

The sentiment was shared by another user, who said: 'Gotta love Prince Harry trolling Melania Trump. The use of a hand gesture to ward off evil. America loves you Prince Harry! @KensingtonRoyal.'

And while all the speculation is funny, it does seem that there may be a history to Prince Harry making the hand sign.

And while all the speculation is funny, it does seem that there may be a history to Prince Harry making the hand sign

As far back as 2010, his royal highness could be seen doing the hand gesture while speaking to RAF recruits

And in July, he did a variation of the gesture while at the StreetGames 'Fit and Fed' summer holiday activity session in Central Park, East Ham

As far back as 2010, his royal highness could be seen doing the hand gesture while speaking to RAF recruits.

And in July, he did a variation of the gesture while at the StreetGames 'Fit and Fed' summer holiday activity session in Central Park, East Ham, London.
 Wheres the Coverage? U.S. Establishes a New Base in Israel | Main | Journalist Harassed by PA in 2014 Now in Facebook Jail 

September 26, 2017

The Washington Post Pushes Despair Excuse for Palestinian Terrorism, Again



A Washington Post report on a Sept. 26, 2017 Palestinian terror attack pushed the narrative that despair? and frustration? over the lack of a Palestinian state was a motivating factor in anti-Jewish violence ("Palestinian shoots dead 3 Israelis at settlement near Jerusalem").

The dispatch, by Post reporter Ruth Eglash and Jerusalem bureau chief Loveday Morris, provided details about the attack in which a 37-year-old Palestinian named Nimr Mahmoud al-Jamal murdered an Israeli policeman and two security guards at the entrance to Har Adar in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). Al-Jamal, who worked in Har Adar, opened fire shortly after 7 a.m., murdering the three men and wounding another Israeli.

In an otherwise informative article, The Post uncritically repeated the claim that Palestinians say such attacks are caused by frustration stemming from 50 years of occupation.? However, as CAMERA has frequently noted, Arab anti-Jewish violenceincluding terrorist attackspredates Israels acquisition of disputed territories in the 1967 Six Day War (for example, see "Anti-Jewish Violence in Pre-State Palestine," Aug 23, 2009).

According to CAMERA's BBC Watch, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) encourages the media to push the narrative that despair? and frustration? over the lack of a Palestinian state are the motivating factor behind terror attacks. (see Reviewing BBC compliance with PLO media guidance,? Dec. 8, 2015). The Post, and others, frequently seem to follow these PLO-approved talking points.

Some Palestinian leaders, however, have refuted the idea that frustration over a military occupation? is the motivating factor behind anti-Jewish violence. For example, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, declared in a speech at a rally on Jan. 19, 2016, at the very height of the so-called stabbing intifada?:

This intifada [violent uprising] is not the result of despair. This intifada is a jihad, a holy waronly a holy war will drive the occupier out of Palestine.?

Indeed, if despair? over the lack of state is to blame, than Palestinians should be attacking their leadership, which has rejected U.S. and Israeli offers for a state in exchange for peace with the Jewish nation in 2000 at Camp David, 2001 at Taba and 2008 after the Annapolis Conference, among other occasions.

Both Fatah, the movement that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), and Hamas, the U.S.-designated terror group that controls the Gaza Strip, praised the September 26th attack. Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a non-profit organization that monitors Arab media in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and eastern Jerusalem, noted that Fatah called the attack an operation? and al-Jamal a Shahid? (martyr) on its official Facebook page. As PMW pointed out:

Fatahs referring to the terrorist murderer as a Shahid is the highest praise that Fatah could give[it] means that he died for Allah. Fatah is telling Palestinians that murdering Israelis is something that their god, Allah, desires, and for which the Martyr will be rewarded in Heaven.?

In other words, it's not "despair," but a twisted idea of the divine, that helps motivate anti-Jewish violence.

Indeed, PA President Mahmoud Abbaswho is frequently called a moderate? by the press and policymakershas praised such acts. His advisor on religious affairs, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, stated on official PA TV there is no status Allah has exalted more than Shahada (Martyrdom),? in a 2013 sermon translated by PMW.

As with other Palestinian terrorists who have murdered Jews, the family of al-Jamal will receive payments from the PAa practice enshrined in law as CAMERA noted in a recent Op-Ed in The Hill. Unsurprisingly, this also went unmentioned by the Palestinian leadershipand The Post that often uncritically quotes them.

Posted by SD at September 26, 2017 01:11 PM

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Celia Hollingworth (pictured) made a frantic final phonecall to her family moments after she had been fatally wounded in a savage attack by a pack of stray dogs in Greece

This is the retired Oxford University professor who made a frantic final phonecall to her family moments after she had been mauled in a savage attack by a pack of wolves in Greece.

Celia Hollingworth, who had been staying at a guest house in the nearby town of Maroneia, phoned her family in Britain on Thursday to say she was injured although her remains were not found until 10.45am on Saturday.

Her phone lost signal shortly after and her family called police to raise alarm about the attack.

Coroner Nikolaos Kifinidis told The Times he believed she had been attacked by wolves, which roam in the area, as opposed to stray dogs.

Mr Kifinidis said that much of the 62-year-old's body had disappeared and it is believed her body was identified using her passport, mobile phone and other belongings.

Ms Hollingworth, from Bradford-upon-Avon, Wiltshire, had apparently been attacked after returning from a visit to the Mesimvria archaeological site near Petrota Beach, in Rodopi, by foot.

After she alerted her mother and brother about the dog attack, they called local authorities in Greece to try to get help finding the woman, according to ERT Television.

Ms Hollingworth's family then called the British Embassy in Greece, who liaised with police to launch a search.

Ms Hollingworth had been missing since Thursday after returning from a visit to the Mesimvria archaeological site by foot

Wolves and stray dogs are going to be rounded up in a desperate bid to try to identify the animals responsible for Ms Hollingworth's death.

When the search began, Ms Hollingworth had last been seen by swimmers on Thursday afternoon.

It was taken via ambulance to the General Hospital of Komotini, where an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

Neighbours at Ms Hollingworth's home in Bradford in Avon, Wiltshire, said the 'kind and friendly' woman was active in her community.

Andrew Otto, 54, said: 'Celia was always very friendly. I've only lived here for a year but when we moved in she offered to store boxes for us.

Authorities (pictured during the search) found the 62-year-old tourist dead on Saturday, with marks suggesting she had been savaged by animals in the northern region of Rodopi

'She told she was going to Greece about five weeks ago. That was the last we heard from her.

'She didn't give a lot away about herself but she was always active in the community and would often go round with petitions.'

Alan Clifford, 74, added: 'She was a quiet person, and always doing things for other people.

'There is a lot of people who you can say they were kind or friendly, but Celia had the works to prove it.'

Human rights campaigner Ms Hollingworth was an active member of community groups in Bradford-on-Avon and Bath.

The Foreign Office said: 'We are in contact with Greek Police about a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.' Pictured: Petrota Beach, near where a body was found

A member of the West Wilts Amnesty Group, Celia was also the University and College Union representative at Bristol University.

She was a long-standing member of the Bristol Greece Solidarity campaign, supporting those struggling with austerity following the European financial crisis.

Celia was a member of Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance and took part in a protest against BNP leader Nick Griffin when he was due to speak at Bath university.

Just a month ago, she was one several campaigners who handed in a petition to Wiltshire Council against the erection of a mobile phone mast in the town.

The Foreign Office is providing assistance to her family, who are believed to be travelling to Greece.

There are more than a million stray dogs in Greece after many were abandoned by their owners following the financial crisis.
Melissa Humphreys (pictured outside Chelmsford Crown Court) blew her parents' hard-earned cash on a shopping spree

A daughter has admitted stealing 179,000 from her parents after they sold their home and took a trip of a lifetime.

Melissa Humphreys, 33, abused her parents' trust after they left their finances in her hands and she blew their hard-earned cash on a shopping spree.

While travelling around Europe in a motor home, her parents discovered they could not withdraw cash from their accounts and an investigation was launched.

Their trip was cut short in 2010 as they discovered that their daughter had emptied their bank accounts, maxed out credit cards and even taken more credit cards out in their name.

Humphreys appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday where she admitted 12 counts of fraud using MBNA credit cards, and one count of obtaining property by deception, using the same type of card, in 2006.

Judge Emma Peters said: 'Given the breach of trust here and the extended period of dishonesty, and the terrible fact that her victims were her parents, is clearly an aggravating factor in my view.'

As Humphreys siphoned off money for months undetected, Christopher Baxton, prosecuting, explained the total figure could reach 200,000.

Humphreys denied a further three charges of obtaining property by deception, for which Mr Baxton said there will be no trial.

Steven Levy, defending, called for an eight-week adjournment for a psychiatric report to be written.

He said: 'Clearly this matter was not one that was easy to assimilate because of the age of some of the offences and the defendant's parents went away some time ago.

'That has had a big impact on her, and her mental health.'

In summing up, Judge Peters, said: 'You've pleaded guilty to most of these offences and stolen tens of thousands of pounds from your parents, just short of 200,000.

'I don't want you to be under any doubt at all that the most immediate sentence will be one of custody.'

She added: 'Bail is no indication of the sentence you might receive.'

Humphreys must stay at her home and surrender her passport to Colchester police station until November when she is next due at Chelmsford Crown Court for sentencing.
Australians relieved at not paying $2 ATM fees have been let down after revelations that more than half of the automated machines won't be included.

About 55 percent of ATMs in the country are believed to be classed as privately owned, meaning operators are free to set their own withdrawal fees.

It comes as Westpac, NAB, Commonwealth and ANZ all agreed to scrap the controversial payment for non-customers on Monday.

Australians relieved at not paying $2 ATM fees have been let down after revelations that more than half of the automated machines won't be scrapping fees (stock image)

It comes as Westpac, NAB, Commonwealth and ANZ (pictured) all agreed to remove the controversial payment for non-customers on Monday

Among the ATMs excluded from scrapping fees are those owned by Cuscal, such as RediATM, whose members will set prices independently, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

CBA's Bankwest ATM's will also continue charging fees, with the Bank of Bendigo and the largest operator Cardtronics in talks before making a decision on the matter.

The number of privately owned ATMs has been growing in Australia, according to a 2016 study published in the Reserve Bank of Australia's Bulletin.

It stated that their numbers had grown from 47 per cent in 2010 to 55 per cent by 2015 and reflected 'stronger growth in independently owned ATMS than financial institution ATMs'.

Among the ATMs believed to be excluded from scrapping fees are those owned by Cuscal, such as RediATM (stock image pictured), whose members may set prices independently, according to The Sydney Morning Herald

The Bank of Bendigo (stock image pictured) and the largest operator of private ATMs Cardtronics, are in talks before making a decision on the matter

Senator Richard di Natale told Fairfax that the Greens party was still calling for a broad-ban on 'excessive' withdrawal fees.

'The reality is that as long as half of the ATM's in this country are owned privately, we're going to have a major problem with extortionately high withdrawal fees,' he said.

The move to scrap the ATM payment is expected to cost the 'big four' banks a collective $780 million a year, with it aimed at improving customer satisfaction.

'This will make it more convenient for millions of Australians to conveniently obtain cash, with no additional fees,' Westpac spokesman George Frazis said.

Senator Richard di Natale (pictured) told Fairfax that 'as long as half of the ATM's in this country are owned privately, we're going to have a major problem' with fees

The move to scrap the ATM payments is expected to cost the 'big four' banks a collective $780 million a year, with it aimed at improving customer satisfaction

While consumer group Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said the bank's decision could mark the beginning of the end for the $2 ATM withdrawal fee.

'Accessing your money from a bank account is an essential service that should be free for everyone, rather than an inconvenience with a penalty attached,' he said.

A study published in the Reserve Bank of Australia's bulletin showed that almost three-quarters of transactions take place at ATMs owned by financial institutions.

'Even though financial institution ATMs make up less than half the national fleet, 75 per cent of all ATM withdrawals and 90 per cent of balance enquiries were conducted at ATMs owned by financial institutions in 2014/15,' it said.
Ministers last night announced an investigation into the takeover of a leading British microchip maker by a firm backed by Beijing.

The Business Department has called for more information from tech firm Imagination Technologies after it was swooped on by private equity fund Canyon Bridge Capital Partners.

Officials have been under pressure to probe the 550million deal, which could be the first of many, amid concerns it would allow cutting-edge UK chip technology to be used in Chinese military and space programmes.

Ministers have been asked to look into the purchase of British computer chip firm Imagination Technologies by Canyon Bridge Capital Partners after a similar deal was blocked in the US

Earlier this month, the US government blocked a similar deal by Canyon when it tried to take over an American tech firm.

Business Secretary Greg Clark  who has the power under the 2002 Enterprise Act to refuse takeovers that damage national security  has taken the first steps to investigate the deal. The intervention came as the boss of Canyon told the Mail it has other leading British firms in its sights.

Partner Ray Bingham said his business was looking at companies in London, Oxford and Cambridge that work in the field of cutting-edge technology.

He rejected claims the American private equity firm poses a security risk to the UK or the US as without foundation. He said: We have landed our first group of investors, who all happen to be Chinese, and they are prestigious international ambassadors.

China has an enormous amount of foreign currency reserves and so they are putting it to work. But they are limited partners... I do not see why people are uncomfortable.

There are fears that Canyon Bridge Capital Partners, which has links to Bejing's space programme, could use the technology to build rockets or military hardware

Ministers have so far stayed silent on the subject, despite Theresa May promising to crack down on foreign predators.

Washington vetoed Canyon Bridges bid for US semiconductor firm Lattice because Canyon is backed by China Venture Capital Fund, which was set up by the Chinese government and has links with Beijings space programme including military projects.

Critics fear that if Imagination falls under its influence it could lead to back doors being secretly placed in the firms technology, allowing access to Chinese spies.

Former MI6 deputy head Nigel Inkster suggested that the bid raised questions about how the UK scrutinises takeovers. The Henry Jackson Society think-tank warned the deal posed very serious concerns.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: We have statutory powers to review mergers where it is appropriate to do so. We have sought further information from the parties involved.
Police are following up reports of a 'threatening' social media post on an account linked to Daniel Ibrahim, the son of nightclub figure John Ibrahim.

An image of the Daily Telegraph newspaper was temporarily posted on Sunday to one of the Instagram accounts said to be used by Ibrahim who goes by the name Daniel Taylor.

In the image, Detective Chief Inspector Darren Beeche is pictured alongside an article about the anti-bikie squad Strike Force Raptor's history and its future in the fight against organised crime.

Police are following up reports of a 'threatening' social media post on an account linked to Daniel Ibrahim, the son of nightclub figure John Ibrahim

Text overlayed on the image read 'Without a gun and a badge what do you got? Sucker in a uniform waitin (sic) to get shot'. The line appears to be a lyric from U.S. rap band, N.W.A's song, 'F*** Tha Police'.

The NSW Police Force told AAP they were looking into the social media posts.

'NSW Police Force is aware of a number of posts threatening officers on social media,' a spokeswoman said.

An image of the Daily Telegraph newspaper was temporarily posted on Sunday to one of the Instagram accounts said to be used by Ibrahim who goes by the name Daniel Taylor (pictured)

Daniel Ibrahim, also known as Daniel Taylor, the son of Kings Cross nightclub owner John Ibrahim, leaves The Sydney Police Centre after posting bail in Sydney, Friday, August 11

The 26-year-old Taylor, was arrested in August for allegedly handing over $2.25 million to buy illegal tobacco as part of an alleged international crime syndicate.

Taylor was one of 18 people arrested in Sydney and Dubai, including his uncles Michael and Fadi Ibrahim, after police thwarted alleged plans to import $810 million worth of drugs into Australia.

Taylor had spent multiple nights behind bars following his arrest until he raised $630,000 and was released on bail on strict conditions.

Taylor's lawyer was contacted for comment.

John Ibrahim (left) is seen with brother Michael (second from right), son Daniel (right), and friend Margaret Staltaro
Churchwarden Steven Clark used money from the church bought 76 bottles of wine for a lunch at his house and 800 at the local butchers

A trusted churchwarden bankrolled lavish spending on bottles of wine and private London members clubs with more than 35,000 he siphoned from the churchs restoration fund.

Steven Clarks purchases, using the money intended to transform St Michael and All Angels Church, Northumberland, included 76 bottles of wine for a lunch at his house and 800 at the local butchers.

The 48-year-old had set himself up as a pillar of the community after moving to the hamlet of Alnham and became warden at the 12th century church, applying for Lottery funding for its restoration, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The married father-of-one was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to fraud by abuse of position.

He applied for funding to transform the church into a centre for learning and information within the community in June 2015, Andrew Finlay, prosecuting, told the court.

Clark then opened a second bank account for the church to which he had sole access.

Almost 27,000 of the grant money was put towards the restoration, but Clark used 36,590 for his own lifestyle expenses.

Police investigated spending which also included more than 1,000 on train tickets between the North East and London, and hundreds of pounds at private members clubs in London.

Clark had also submitted fraudulent receipts and invoices to secure the funding in the first place.

Pictured: St Michael and All Angels Church, Northumberland. Sentencing him to two years in prison, suspended for two years, Mr Recorder Ray Singh said Clarks reputation was in tatters because of his own selfishness and greed.

His deceit was uncovered when Alnham District Council treasurer, Andrew Young, spotted spending on wine and horse feed which was clearly unrelated to the church.

Mr Young said the close-knit rural community had been left feeling betrayed by Clarks actions.

Clark was able to immediately pay back the 35,590 he had taken, Robert Woodcock QC, defending, told the court, because he had set about finding ways to satisfy the sums of money he had defrauded.

Appearing for sentence at Newcastle Crown Court, Clark was ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work and pay back the 35,690 he had taken

Sentencing him to two years in prison, suspended for two years, Mr Recorder Ray Singh said Clarks reputation was in tatters because of his own selfishness and greed.

He said: There can be no bigger breach of trust one can imagine than these particular circumstances.

He added: I have heard about your horses, private members clubs, expensive shopping trips and train journeys.

Clark was ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work and pay back the 35,690 he had taken.

He was also ordered to pay 1,500 in costs and a victim surcharge, with the amount to be determined.
Canyon Bridge looks and sounds like any other global investor. But behind the name with echoes of the Wild West is something far more sinister.

An investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, looking into Canyon Bridges attempt to buy a key American chipmaker called Lattice, found that the would-be buyer is not quite what it seems.

The investment money behind Canyon Bridge is supplied by Beijing-controlled Yitai Capital, a vehicle of the Chinese government.

Theresa May vowed to take a tougher line with Beijing after becoming Prime Minister, in a departure from George Osborne's open-arms approach

The US Committee robustly recommended to the White House that the bid for Lattice be blocked because, among other things, Lattice supplies chips used by US space agency Nasa.

The fear was that a takeover by a firm under the ultimate control of Beijing could lead to vital military technology leaking to Chinas communist government. US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin duly acted and stopped the deal.

Theresa May may soon need to seek a similar ruling about the dangers of allowing innovative British digital chipmaker Imagination Technologies to slip into Chinese hands.

When she arrived in Downing Street last year, Mrs May made clear that it would not be business as usual when signing deals with China. She was determined to draw a line in the sand after former Chancellor George Osborne had gone kow-towing to Beijing in search of investment capital for Britains big infrastructure projects.

True to her word, the Prime Minister announced an immediate review of the proposed Chinese investment in the nations new nuclear facility at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

This followed warnings from the security services that allowing China an inside view of groundbreaking new technologies being incorporated in the generator could be a military and economic risk.

Imagination Technologies' chips are used in iPhones and iPads, among other devices

After a six-week review, Mrs May succumbed to Whitehalls view that Chinese investment would show Britain was still open for business post-Brexit. Beijing was invited to go ahead.

Now, Mrs Mays pledge faces a renewed test. The concern is that if Canyon Bridge takes over Imagination, China might seek to build a back door into the chips patented and made by the British firm. This could allow devices ranging from mobile phones to complex military systems to be hacked into by the Communist state.

Another fear is that if China gets its hands on some of our most vital technologies, and incorporates them into their own mass market micro-processors, Britain could be sold back chips that include hidden components which send key data back to China.

This might not seem like a serious concern when the current West-friendly President Xi Jinping remains in charge. But there can be no guarantees about whether his successors will be similarly disposed.

In addition, Imagination is seeking to do a deal with Canyon which aims to avoid a dramatic American intervention in the takeover. The British firm is proposing to strip out its advanced microprocessor operation  which has defence capabilities and is US-based  and sell it to American firm Tallwood Venture Capital, thus avoiding scrutiny by Washington.

The UK arm of Imagination, whose products include components for the Apple iPhone, iPad and other devices, would go to the Chinese.

As A result of a contract dispute with Apple  one of Imaginations biggest shareholders  the board of Imagination is anxious to sell, and doesnt appear to have much regard to where the buyer comes from, as long as executives and shareholders can collect the 550million on offer.

Concerns about Chinese interference may be low while Xi Jinping runs the country, but there is no guarantee his successors will be so friendly toward the West

So what can the Prime Minister do? The Competition Act gives Mrs May powers to look at deals on national security grounds, although this has principally been aimed at protecting BAE and Rolls-Royce from foreign marauders.

A consultation is currently being carried out on the issue by the Department of Business, but the snails pace has left Britains hi-tech companies under global siege.

In addition to the deal for Imagination, there is currently a French offer for leading engineering and nuclear software developer Aveva.

That is in addition to American bids for two of our cutting-edge financial technology firms, Worldpay and Paysafe.

A leaching away of technology expertise is particularly serious for the UK, since most of the research that has produced our leadership in smart chips and software comes from our great universities, with Cambridge leading the way.

World-beating technologies, supported by British taxpayers through the universities, are in great danger of being lost because of a failure by the UK Government to act.

Allowing China to gain control over Imagination  on top of its already intrusive presence in our nuclear energy network would represent a significant technology transfer to a potentially hostile state.

What is even more terrifying is that China could use this foothold to close the technology gap with the West, and make some of our most sensitive military and nuclear secrets vulnerable to hacking and spying.

American has shown it will not stand for this creeping attempt to open doors to Western secrets. Nor should we.
A student accused of rape has been banned from attending classes for a year while he awaits trail.

Liam Allen, 21, was immediately banned from the university campus after an allegation of rape was made against him in October last year.

He has been told the decision made by the University of Sussex will stay in place until he has been tried at Lewes Crown Court.

The second year computer science student has not been allowed to attend classes since the allegation was made and he was charged by police last month.

Student Liam Allen was charged with rape last month and has been banned from attending lessons at the University of Sussex

Brighton Magistrates' Court was told he has to have Skype mentoring lessons and that the ban has had a serious impact on his studies.

Police bail conditions imposed the same ban as restrictions on attendance prescribed by the university.

His solicitor Cathy Walker told the court: 'This has taken a year to be in court and there have been no breaches.

'He finds himself facing a serious allegation.

'Allen, as a result of being under investigation, has been suspended from attending the campus through his whole second year.

'He couldn't attend lectures, had to have Skype mentoring sessions and is now about to start third year to start his dissertation.

'This year is critical and he should be able to attend the campus.'

The computer science student has been banned from going to classes at the university in Falmer, Brighton (pictured)

Chairman of the magistrates, Gary Gates, said: 'This is an extremely serious charge we cannot deal with in this court.

'It is going to Lewes Crown Court for the plea and trial preparation hearing.'

The University of Sussex, based in Falmer, Brighton, has more than 15,000 students.

A University of Sussex spokesman said: 'When we are made aware of any police investigation involving one of our students, we always co-operate fully with any bail conditions and consider whether we would need to take any precautionary action of our own.

'In some cases, the police may impose bail conditions which prohibit a student's attendance at university or them entering the grounds of the university.

'In all such cases, the health, safety and wellbeing of our students remains our highest priority.'

Allen will appear at court next month.
Donald Trump once revealed that he feared his daughter Ivanka 'looks down on me' and even said he'd groped First Lady Melania in public, during his multiple- and often shocking - conversations with Howard Stern.

The president was a regular guest on Stern's show during the 1990s and early 2000s, where the pair would often have misogynistic and lewd conversations about women and sex.

In a recently re-released recording of the shock jock's November 11, 1999, show, Trump had called into the show to discuss an upcoming prizefight at the Taj Mahal casino, but it wasn't long before Stern steered the chat to his favorite subjects, women and sex.

President Trump said he once 'felt up' Melania during one of his many call-ins with shock jock Howard Stern (Trump and Melania pictured together last year)

The radio DJ proposed a few sexual scenarios, such as whether Trump's wife Melania 'wore panties' during an evening out, before he asked the billionaire whether he had ever ' felt her up in public?'

'Yeah,' the President of the United States replied, before pausing and adding, 'mentally.

'He has I know it,' Stern said.

'I'm very well behaved, actually, and almost always I'm very down the middle,' Trump responded.

Trump has been interviewed by Stern more than any other journalist.

In another call-in, Trump admitted he felt daughter Ivanka was turning into a blue blood and worried she 'looks down on me'

Ivanka Trump's ex James 'Bingo' Gubelmann (pictured with her in 2004) was issued a citation for cocaine last year

In another call, Stern said Melania must be 'great in the sack' to which Trump responded saying he'd 'got her for the right price', referring to Melania on a New York City billboard ad.

Around 15 hours of recordings of their on air discussions, dating from 1993 to 2015, have now been re-released by Factbase. Stern had previously refused to release the tapes in 2016 during Trump's election campaign.

In another chat with the host in September 2004, Trump and Stern were discussing how Ivanka was dating 'blue blood' Bingo Gubelmann, from Bedminster, New Jersey.

'My daughters becoming a blue blood, shes becoming very white shoe. Thats true.

'I think my daughter looks down on me. She said, 'Oh my God'.

Ivanka, 34, began dating Gubelmann when she was in college back in 2001, but the couple split in 2005 and shortly after she began dating her now husband, Jared Kushner.

Gubelmann, 37, was later issued a citation in New York City in 2016 after he was busted for cocaine.

Trump also discussed his compulsive hand washing with Stern.

'You realize that's a psychological problem,' Stern told him, to which Trump conceded it was possible but said he didn't want to go to a psychiatrist.

'I like it. I like cleanliness. Cleanliness is a nice thing. Not only hands, body, everything,' he told him.

President was a regular guest on Stern's show in the 1990s where the host would endlessly steer the conversation to his two favorite subjects; women and sex

Of course, having avoided talking about sex or bodily functions for at least a couple of minutes, Stern quickly routed the discussion back to sex, asking the real estate mogul if he made the models he dated take HIV tests.

Trump replied: 'I own 25 percent of Goodyear Tire and Rubber.'

'You wear a rubber?' said Stern. 'There you go, there's something interesting you don't hear every day on TV.'

Trump has conceded that his revelations on the Howard Stern Show often landed him in trouble, once saying in a 1993 recording, 'I like Howard, but I have to be crazy to be here.'

And in October last year, Melania Trump told CNN she had warned her husband not to go on Stern's show.

'He was pushed on, and many times I give him an advice, and I didn't agree to do all the tapes on Howard Stern, with Billy Bush,' she said. 'Because I know those people. They hook him on, theythey try to get from him somesome inappropriate and dirty language.'

But Trump kept coming back for more.

Meanwhile, the president has brushed off criticism about his conversations with the foul-mouthed radio host, saying he'd never had to censure himself before becoming a politician.

'I never anticipated running for office or being a politician, so I could have fun with Howard on the radio and everyone would love it. People do love it,' Trump said. 'I could say whatever I wanted when I was an entrepreneur, a business guy.'
Brussels warned yesterday that it will block Theresa Mays call for a Brexit transition deal unless the UK caves in during negotiations.

In a fiery opening to the latest round of talks, the EU threatened to thwart the arrangement unless Britain first agrees to pay a huge divorce bill and accept Brussels rules during this time.

The Prime Minister announced plans for Britain to maintain its relationship with the EU for an implementation period lasting several years after Brexit during a keynote speech last week aimed at breaking the deadlock in talks.

Her intervention was tentatively welcomed by Brussels, but the EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier yesterday told the UK it must settle its debt first before any transition deal will be discussed.

Theresa May announced plans for Britain to maintain its relationship with the EU for an implementation period lasting several years after Brexit

Warning that Brussels could still veto a deal after the financial settlement is agreed, Mr Barnier said: The EU has to decide on whether to have a transitional period and whether it is in its interest.

We are not going to mix up discussions on debts and discussion on the past commitments. We are not going to mix up those subjects, which are part of an orderly withdrawal, on a discussion of our future relationship.

He said during any transition the UK would have to continue with things such as the budget, supervision, judicial supervision and controls of EU rules and regulations.

Mrs Mays desire for an implementation period has provoked rows between Cabinet ministers and prompted concern from Brexiteers that it will effectively mean EU free movement into the UK continues until at least 2021.

European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis arrive to brief the media

The deep divide between the EU and Britain over how to agree the divorce bill, seen as the biggest threat to negotiations success, was revealed as the fourth round of Brexit talks got under way in Brussels yesterday.

Brexit Secretary David Davis rejected Mr Barniers arguments and said the UK would only discuss paying money in the context of a future deal with the EU.

In a direct warning to Brussels amid fears the EU is stalling talks, Mr Davis also warned Mr Barnier there were no excuses for standing in the way of progress.

The UK will honour commitments we have made during the period of our membership, he said.

But its obvious that reaching a conclusion on this issue can only be done in the context of and in accordance with our new deep and special partnership with the EU.

Mr Barnier (right) hinted that a breakthrough could be reached this week. He is pictured with Brexit Secretary David Davis

Reiterating Mrs Mays position during her speech in Florence last Friday, Mr Davis said EU countries should not worry that they will need to pay more or receive less over the remainder of the current budget.

He also praised the PMs proposals and said the UK is absolutely committed to work through the detail.

Brussels has demanded that the UK pay a divorce settlement of up to 90billion.

Mrs May confirmed last week that she is willing to continue the UKs payments into the EUs budget for two years after Brexit - estimated to come to about 17.5 billion.

Mr Barnier hinted that a breakthrough could be reached this week, saying the resumed talks could unlock a moment of clarity over the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, the Northern Ireland border and the divorce bill.

EU leaders will first have to decide whether the UK has made sufficient progress on these issues before agreeing to launch talks on a trade deal.

The Prime Minister is expected to be asked for more detail about Brexit by the blocs other 27 leaders at a dinner in the Estonian capital Tallinn on Thursday
 AFP Fails to Correct IDF Fatalities in Jenin | Main | The Washington Post Pushes Despair Excuse for Palestinian Terrorism, Again 

September 26, 2017

Wheres the Coverage? U.S. Establishes a New Base in Israel



The United States has established a new base in Israel. And many major U.S. news outlets have failed to report the event.

On Sept. 18, 2017, the U.S. announced that it was creating a permanent U.S. Army base to be co-located at the Israel Defense Forces Air Defense School near Beersheba. The base will have dozens of American soldiers and will be operating under an American flag.

A dispatch by Defense News reporter Barbara Opall-Rome (U.S. breaks ground for new permanent base in Israel,? September 18) noted that the location will house U.S. operational systems to identify and intercept a spectrum of aerial threats, along with barracks, recreational and other facilities required to support several dozen American air defenders.?

The IDFs air commander, Israeli Air Force Brig. Gen. Zvika Haimovich, stated that the U.S. presence would be permanent and was part of an American task force that will be stationed here.?

The purpose of their presence is not for training or for exercises, but rather as part of a joint Israeli and American effort to sustain and enhance our defensive capabilities,? Haimovich said.

U.S. Maj. General John Gronski took part in the September 18 ceremonies to announce the base. In his remarks, Gronskiwho is the deputy commanding General of the Army National Guard in U.S. Army Europepointed out that the base signifies the strong bond that exists between the U.S. and Israel.?

Plans to open the base have been in the works for two years. Its not the first U.S. military presence in the area; an independent facility has been operating in the same area of Israels Negev desert for almost a decade. That facility, however, is not a joint U.S.-Israeli one. Rather, it is U.S. only but with Israeli search and track radars to provide an early warning in the event of a missile attack from Iran.

By contrast, the new facility, referred to as Site 883 Life Support Area, represents the first ever stationing of a U.S. Army unit on Israeli soil,? Gronski noted. The U.S. General stated:

The U.S. and Israel have long planned together, exercised together, trained together. And now, with the opening of this site, these crucial interactions will occur every day. Well have Israeli airmen, US soldiers living and working side by side.?

However, many major U.S. news outlets failed to cover this significant event. The Washington Post, for example, only carried an AP dispatch (Israel and U.S. open first American military base in Israel,? September 18). USA Today and The Baltimore Sun didn't report it at all.

The Posts failure to provide original coverage of a development that might have huge ramifications for the United States, Israel and the rest of the Middle East, stands in stark contrast to other items that they choose to prioritize. As CAMERA has highlighted, in recent months the paper has run dispatches on Palestinian pigeon ownership (An old pastime thrives in a Palestinian enclave,? August 13) and a school trip for Gazan Arab school children (Children from Gaza visit Jerusalem for the first time,? August 20).

Posted by SD at September 26, 2017 11:04 AM

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Fadi Ibrahim remains behind bars eight days after he was granted $2.2 million bail while brother John  the 'King of the Cross' reportedly worth more than $50 million  has been overseas.

The second youngest Ibrahim brother was granted bail on money laundering charges on September 18 but he is still stuck in a maximum security prison cell.

The 43-year-old's bail required one or more 'acceptable person' to provide $2.2 million surety but it seems that condition has not been met.

If that surety is provided Ibrahim will live under effective house arrest in the $6 million clifftop home he shares with wife Shayda at Dover Heights, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, for what could be up to two years.

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John Ibrahim's younger brother Fadi, pictured with wife Shayda, was granted $2.2m bail at Central Local Court on August 18 over money laundering charges but is still behind bars

Fadi Ibrahim is being held in NSW's largest prison, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (pictured) at Silverwater, while waiting for someone to lodge his $2.2m bail

Once an acceptable person lodges $2.2m on behalf of Fadi Ibrahim he will have to live under effective house arrest in his clifftop home (pictured) at Dover Heights for up to two years

A 'two-out' cell at NSW's largest prison, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater, where Fadi Ibrahim will be held until someone can lodge his $2.2m bail

The six-bedroom, five-bathroom property bought for just over $4 million in 2013 has an estimated current value of at least $6 million and is just four blocks away from John's $8 million home in George Street.

It was reported late last week that John - who is said to control a property portfolio worth $52 million - was overseas.

Meanwhile, Fadi will stay in New South Wales's largest prison, housed among about 1200 inmates including accused murderers, rapists and bikies awaiting trial.

The day after Fadi was granted bail he was taken from the Sydney Police Centre in the inner-city to the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (MRRC) at Silverwater.

That day his lawyer Abbas Soukie told Australian Associated Press he was more focused on getting his client out of custody than his precise whereabouts.

'I would like to get him out now, but realistically I dont think it will be tomorrow,' Mr Soukie said. 'I think its more likely it will be Thursday.'

John Ibrahim's brother Fadi has been charged with providing $800,000 towards the illegal importation of tobacoo and with receiving $1.6m from the proceeds of that alleged operation

Until he makes bail Fadi Ibrahim will be held in NSW's largest prison, the maximum security Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (pictured) at Silverwater, west of Sydney

Actor Firass Dirani (left) who played John Ibrahim (right) in Underbelly: The Golden Mile; John Ibrahim has not been charged with any offence related to his brothers' alleged crimes

There will be no flash clothes for Fadi Ibrahim while in the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre; all inmates are issued with a pair of these Dunlop joggers with Velcro fasteners

A week later Fadi is still in custody at the MRRC.

Fadi was arrested in Dubai on August 8 with his 39-year-old brother Michael and four other men in one of Australia's biggest organised crime stings.

Unlike Michael, he has not been charged over an alleged international plot to import narcotics worth $810 million.

Michael, accused of conspiring to import and attempting to import a commercial quantity of ecstasy, did not apply for bail and also remains behind bars.

Also in jail is the oldest Ibrahim brother, 51-year-old Sam, who has been on remand for more than three years awaiting sentence for his role in a gun-running racket.

Fadi is accused of two money laundering offences: one of providing $800,000 towards illegally importing tobacco and one of receiving $1.6 million from the proceeds of that operation.

Fadi Ibrahim's older brother, nightclub identity John, pictured at his Dover Heights home in Sydney's eastern suburbs carrying a copy of his recent memoir Last King of the Cross

Accused money launderer Fadi Ibrahim pictured with his then fiancee and now wife Shayda Bastani attending Doncaster Day at Royal Randwick racecourse in Sydney in April 2010

Youngest Ibrahim brother Michael (left) pictured with second oldest brother, Kings Cross identity John (middle), second youngest brother Fadi (right) and mother Wahiba

The home of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim at Dover Heights in Sydney's eastern suburbs which was searched by Australian Federal Police on the same day brother Fadi was arrested

An artist's sketch of accused money launderer Fadi Ibrahim when he appeared via video link from the Sydney Police Centre at Central Local Court during a bail hearing on August 18

Fadi was granted bail on September 18 with a list of conditions including that one or more 'acceptable person' deposit $2.2 million.

His mother Wahiba had offered $1.5 million secured by her palatial home at Merrylands, in Sydney's west. Wife Shayda provided an affidavit.

Fadi's own financial assets have been frozen.

Magistrate Les Mabbutt said Fadi, who was extradited from Dubai two weekends ago, would 'effectively' be living under house arrest once the $2.2 million surety was lodged.

He cannot leave the property other than to make court appearances or to attend legal conferences or medical appointments, both of which would require 48 hours' notice to police.

In the event of a medical emergency, Mr Mabbutt said he would expect Fadi to leave his home in an ambulance.

Fadi Ibrahim being taken to Royal North Shore Hospital after he was shot five times sitting with his fiancee Shayda Bastani in a Lamborghini outside the couple's Castle Cove home in 2009

Fadi Ibrahim will be allowed a mobile phone once he makes bail but for now has to make do with sharing a landline like these inmates at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre

Fadi Ibrahim will have little choice in what he eats, drinks or wears while being held in NSW's largest prison, the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater (pictured)

Fadi Ibrahim, brother of Kings Cross identity John, captured on CCTV footage as part of an Australian Federal Police investigation into a ring allegedly trafficking tobacco and drugs

Fadi was shot five times while he sat in his Lamborghini outside his former home at Castle Cove, on Sydney's north shore, in 2009 and still requires pain management for those injuries.

Mr Mabbutt did not impose conditions that Fadi report to police as police would know where he was at all times and would likely have him under surveillance.

He is allowed to have one mobile phone, the number of which must be given to police.

Australian Federal Police already have possession of his passport and he must not apply for further travel documents. He cannot contact prosecution witnesses or his co-accused.

Central Local Court heard Fadi had borrowed $800,000 against the home and used that money to invest in a scheme police allege returned $1.6 million.

Mr Mabbutt said due to delays in the court system it could be 18 months to two years before Fadi faced any trial.
Taxi firm Uber is likely to remain on London roads for more than a year despite being banned by Transport for London bigwigs.

An appeal against TfL's ruling - which denied the controversial company a licence extension last week - is likely to continue beyond 12 months, allowing Uber's 40,000 drivers to stay in work.

The popular app, used by 3.5 million Londoners, failed to gain its licence on four grounds - including failures to report sexual assaults on passengers by drivers.

Taxi firm Uber is likely to remain on London roads for more than a year despite being banned by Transport for London bigwigs

They also faced criticism for failing to obtain thorough criminal record checks for their drivers.

TfL forced 13,000 drivers, many of whom work for Uber, into compulsory, enhanced criminal checks this month as a 'precautionary measure'.

The initial background checks were carried out by a third party but TfL deemed them inadequate following a review.

They have now given drivers 28 days to repeat the process with their own contractor, the GB group.

However some slammed the criticism of Uber on this basis, claiming the responsibility for vetting drivers instead lies with TfL rather than Uber, or equivalent, minicab operators.

This added fuel to the suggestions that attacks on Uber had been trumped up following pressure on London mayor Sadiq Khan by lobbyists.

The mayor has denied being involved in the decision to not renew Uber's licence.

However, his register of interests show he remains a member of the GMB - the union that represents many taxi drivers.

Head of cities for Uber in the UK, Fred Jones, said the company were not entirely clear what TfL's 'concerns might be.'

An appeal against TfL's ruling - which denied the controversial company a licence extension last week - is likely to continue beyond 12 months, allowing Uber's 40,000 drivers to stay in work

The Times reported on Sunday that Uber had undergone ten inspections in the past four years - and had been been given a clean bill of health by TfL each time.

Andrew Boff, a Conservative member of the London Assembly, told The Times: 'Operators don't do background checks. This is a TfL responsibility. It is TfL that issues the licences so clearly they've not been doing their job. Some of these accusations just appear made up; they lack details.'

Following the ruling, Uber now has 21 days to put forward an appeal, which will be heard by Westminster magistrates' court.

The company can keep operating in London until the appeal is concluded.

Taxi licensing consultant Patrick Nolan said the process 'could last 12 months or more' and agreed that TfL could be vulnerable over criminal records checks.

'This is a role that the licensing authority is responsible for, not the company with which or for whom the driver works,' he said.
The cabin of an Allegiant Air jet filled with smoke shortly after it landed at a California airport on Monday.

As the plane was taxiing in Fresno, it came to an abrupt stop. Smoke started to fill the cabin from the front of the aircraft, said passenger Estevan Moreno, 34, a Fresno police officer.

Photos and videos showed coughing passengers covering their faces and mouths with shirts as the smoke thickened.

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The cabin of an Allegiant Air jet filled with smoke shortly after it landed at a California airport on Monday. Photos and videos showed coughing passengers (pictured) covering their faces and mouths with shirts as the smoke thickened

'We used our shirts to mask our faces from the smoke,' Moreno said. 'I was coughing pretty good from it.'

But none of the 150 passengers or six crew members were injured when the plane from Las Vegas landed at Fresno International Airport, Allegiant Air said.

At one point, the flight crew said they would pass out wet napkins to help passengers cover their mouths, Moreno said, but that didn't happen.

After firefighters boarded the aircraft, crew members asked passengers to collect their carry-on items and exit the plane down a set of rear stairs as firefighters boarded the plane.

Moreno said the airline sent him a $50 voucher for another flight.

Allegiant Air blamed the situation on a mechanical problem. A spokesperson from the airline released a statement to the DailyMail.com on Tuesday.

Allegiant Air blamed the situation on a mechanical problem and said having passengers (pictured) exit the plane before it reached a gate was done out of an abundance of caution

'Allegiant flight 514 with service from McCarran International Airport (LAS) to Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT) landed normally in Fresno at 11.57am local time.

'While taxiing to the gate, a mechanical issue arose that caused a visible haze to appear toward the front of the aircraft.

'Out of an abundance of caution, the crew decided to stop short of the gate and passengers deplaned with any carry-on items via the rear stairs,' the statement read.

Authorities said the passengers were then escorted to the terminal.

Federal Aviation Administration officials called the incident an emergency.
North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un engineered the assassination of his half-brother to be so gruesome that it would horrify the rest of the world and intimidate his adversaries, it was claimed in a new report on Monday.

On February 13, Kim Jong-nam was killed by two women who smeared him with what turned out to be VX nerve agent in Kuala Lampur International Airport in Malaysia.

He was 45 years old.

South Korean intelligence analysts now say that the assassination was meticulously orchestrated by the North Korean government over a period of a five years and was part of [Kims] master plan, according to GQ Magazine.

From the moment Jong-nam left Macau, the North Koreans tailed him, Nam Sung-wook, a Korea University professor investigating the assassination, told GQ.

North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un (left) engineered the assassination of his half-brother, Kim Jong-nam (right), to be so gruesome that it would horrify the rest of the world and intimidate his adversaries, it was claimed in a new report on Monday

On February 13, Kim Jong-nam was killed by two women who smeared him with what turned out to be VX nerve agent in Kuala Lampur International Airport in Malaysia. He was 45 years old

They had a group on his airplane. As soon as he arrived at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, another group followed him. They kept that surveillance up while he slept. Even as Jong Nam entered the terminal, he was shadowed.

Initially, it was thought that the assassination was a display of sloppiness by the North Koreans.

Analysts noted that the two women who smeared the poison on Kim Jong-nam were clearly visible on surveillance footage.

They also neglected to cover their faces in the moments leading up to the assassination and afterward.

On October 2, Malaysia will begin the trial of the two women accused of the dramatic killing - Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam (left), and Siti Aisyah, 25, of Indonesia

Initially, it was thought that the assassination was a display of sloppiness by the North Koreans. Analysts noted that the two women who smeared the poison on Kim Jong-nam were clearly visible on surveillance footage

Nam, a former member of South Koreas spy service, says that contrary to those sentiments, Pyongyang wanted the assassination to be viewed in public.

Pyongyang wanted to send a worldwide message by murdering Kim Jong Nam in this gruesome, public way, Nam said.

Pyongyang wanted to horrify the rest of the world by releasing a chemical weapon at an airport.

Jong-un wants to reign a long time and negotiate as a superpower.

The only way to do that is to keep the world in fear of his weapons. He has a grand design, and this is part of it.

On October 2, Malaysia will begin the trial of the two women accused of the dramatic killing.

Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam, appeared at the Shah Alam High Court on the outskirts of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on July 27.

Both women were handcuffed and wearing bullet-proof vests over Malay traditional costume, consisting of a floor-length skirt and a blouse.

But a former intelligence official with South Korea's spy agency said that Kim wanted the murder to be public so as to strike fear into the hearts of his adversaries. Kuala Lampur International Airport is seen above after the attack

Both cases would be tried jointly, with pleas taken at the first hearing, he added.

If convicted, the women could face the death penalty.

Doan smiled during the hearing, but Siti Aisyah was in tears afterwards, with her lawyers seen trying to calm her.

Kim Jong-nam was the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. His half-brother, Kim Jong-un, became North Korean leader when their father died in 2011.

US and South Korean officials say the North Korean regime was behind the murder of Kim, who lived in exile in Macau and had criticized his familys dynastic rule of North Korea.

North Korea has refused to accept the dead man was Kim Jong-uns half brother, suggesting instead he died of a heart attack.

Aisyah and Huong have told diplomats from their countries that they believed they were participating in a reality television show prank when they assaulted Kim Jong-nam.
Critics have accused Wiltshire Police of denigrating Sir Edwards reputation by launching a witch-hunt against him

Edward Heath's former staff have been asked whether the late Prime Minister ever smuggled boys in and out of Downing Street, according to reports.

An inquiry into child sex abuse committed by the Tory leader is understood to have examined whether he may have brought kids into Number 10.

Former colleagues of Heath's have expressed their concerns whether it is 1.5 million well spent on the inquiry.

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster, Heath's principal private secretary, told The Times: 'If there is one place where slipping in and out is not easy, it is No 10 Downing Street.'

Lord Armstrong claimed Wiltshire Police were on a 'fishing expedition' aimed at denigrating Sir Edward.

The forced are now prepping to released a redacted summary of its two-year investigation into the former PM.

Edward Heath's former staff have been asked whether the late Prime Minister ever smuggled boys in and out of Downing Street, according to reports

Police are expected to say they have collected enough evidence to question Heath had he been alive, according to reports.

The case has been controversial as it relates top Scotland Yard's Operation Midland, which has already had several high-profile people wrongly accused by an alleged fantasist. A man known only as Nick T has accused the former PM.

The Crown Prosecution Service are now weighing up whether to charge Nick T for perverting the course of justice after the claim which triggered the national inquiry into Heath was dismissed as groundless.

The IPCC slapped down a former officer's allegations that a brothel owner's criminal trial was dropped after she threatened to go public with allegations that Heath was a paedophile in the mid-1990s.

That prompted a high-ranking Wiltshire police officer to stand outside Heath's home to urge victims not to 'suffer in silence'.

Mike Veale, Wiltshire Polices chief constable, is thought to have privately admitted it was a mistake to appeal for victims outside his home. Critics have accused Wiltshire Police of denigrating Sir Edwards reputation by launching a witch-hunt against him.

Mr Veale has also been criticised for being in personal email contact with a campaigner who was jailed for harassing people he falsely accused of paedophilia.

Lincoln Seligman, Sir Edwards godson, said it was time Mr Veale made a public apology for the appeal.

It was dropped in 1994 due to lack of evidence. Other claims say Heath abused boys on his yacht, yet they were slapped down by his navigator.
A propane heater is believed to have exploded inside a trailer in Mississippi on Monday afternoon, killing three people and injuring two others.

Authorities in Jasper County received a report of a fire that engulfed a trailer on a local highway.

Emergency crews who rushed to the scene discovered the bodies of three people who died from their injuries.

Two others who were hurt were rushed to a hospital, according to WDAM-TV.

'We found three deceased victims in the trailer,' Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson said.

A propane heater is believed to have exploded inside a trailer in Mississippi on Monday afternoon, killing three people and injuring two others. The trailer is seen in this file photo

'We had heard that a man had been working on a propane heater that was in the house, but we're still looking into it.'

The two injured victims  a 20-year-old woman and a young girl  were airlifted to a hospital in Jackson.

A young boy, 10, who was playing in the yard when the explosion took place was not harmed, according to authorities.

Autopsies are scheduled to take place at the Mississippi Crime Lab in Jackson.

The identities of the victims have yet to be released publicly as authorities notify next of kin.
Flu epidemic has seen multiple deaths and 137,500 reported cases this year

She fought the illness alongside her seven-year-old daughter, Estella

Jennifer Thew died after a week-long battle against the influenza virus

A mother-of-two who became the latest victim of the flu epidemic that's sweeping across Australia died despite being vaccinated, it has emerged.

Jennifer Thew, Gungahlin in the ACT, fought a week-long battle against the virus alongside her seven-year-old daughter, Estella.

Ms Thew, who moved to Australia from Germany, died from acute respiratory distress syndrome amid the worst flu season the ACT's seen in five years.

This is despite the fact that Ms Thew, who was working as a medical receptionist from Canberra, had been vaccinated against flu, according to the Daily Telegraph.

A mother-of-two who became the latest victim of the flu epidemic that's sweeping across Australia died despite being vaccinated

Australia's disastrous influenza season claimed another victim over the weekendmother-of-two, Jennifer Thew (pictured)

Ms Thew was reportedly known throughout the community to have always put the needs of her children first, even in the week leading up to her heartbreaking death.

'She always went above and beyond for those around her,' someone close to the loving mother told the Telegraph.

Her daughter's dance school has established a Go Fund Me account in support of the family and offered Estella free tuition for the final term.

The horror season has swept the nation with more than 137,500 influenza cases confirmed up to the start of September.

In a statement on Tuesday, the heartbroken family said: 'Jen was a beautiful, gentle soul and, above all, the most devoted mother.

'We are absolutely heartbroken that she has been taken from us in such cruel circumstances.'

The Canberra medical receptionist from Gungahlin passed away following a week-long battle with the virus, which she fought alongside her seven-year-old daughter, Estella (pictured)

The amount is more than double the 53,159 cases of the same time last year and more than the total amount, 83,092, for the entire season of 2016.

New South Wales has the most reported cases nationwide by the September 1, with 70,000 people affected.

More than 35,000 cases had been confirmed in Queensland, and at least 13,000 cases have been reported in Victoria, leading to a national shortage in the anti-viral drug, Tamiflu.

An eight-year-old girl passed away in the Melbourne suburb of Upper Ferntree Gully earlier in the month.

An eight-year-old girl passed away in the Melbourne suburb of Upper Ferntree Gully at the Angliss Hospital (pictured) earlier in the month

Her death followed the passing of a 30-year-old Victorian bottle shop worker, who died on what was to be his first Father's Day as a parent.

Ben Ihlow tragically died on September 3 after a week-long battle with the flu, leaving behind his wife, Samantha and 10-month-old son, Andrew.

The father-to-be was suffering from a 'bit of a bug' in the week beforehand, then was taken to hospital on Friday before tragically dying on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a 33-year-old is in a critical condition at Alfred Hospital, Victoria, and is yet to hold her baby boy, who was born August 28.

Ben Ihlow (pictured) tragically died on September 3 after a week-long battle with the flu, leaving behind his wife, Samantha and 10-month-old son, Andrew

The father-to-be was suffering from a 'bit of a bug' in the week beforehand, then was taken to hospital on Friday before tragically dying on Sunday

Sarah and Rob Hawthorn's son was delivered six weeks early to give Mrs Hawthorn a fighting chance at survival.

The Cobram mother, north of Victoria, caught the flu in her later stages of pregnancy, which has lead to other serious medical conditions.

The Australian Medical Association says cases of influenza could be expected for at least the next two months.

Australians exceeding 80-years-old, along with children between ages five to nine, have been the worst affected.

33-year-old Sarah Hawthorn (pictured) is in a critical condition at Alfred Hospital, Victoria, and is yet to hold her baby boy, who was born August 28
A record hot spring is bringing snakes out into the open, with three people taken to hospital in just one night after being bitten.

All three people were bitten in southeast Queensland on Monday night amid warnings from snake experts the warm weather is bringing the reptiles out of hiding.

A woman was taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a stable condition after being bitten on the leg by what is believed to be a brown snake at Bald Knob in the hinterland.

A record hot spring has brought snakes out into the open, with three people taken to hospital in just one night after being bitten (pictured is a stock image)

Two men aged in their 50s were also taken to hospital following bites to their feet at Fig Tree Pocket in Brisbane and the Gold Coast's Tamborine Mountain.

The news comes less than a week after a deadly brown snake was caught hiding inside a Queensland couple's bed.

Just days before that another serpent was found lurking in a Gold Coast family's toilet.

Mark 'Snake Hunter' Pelley said warm weather and a lack of threats is resulting in more snake sightings in urban areas.

All three people were bitten in southeast Queensland on Monday night amid warnings from snake experts (pictured) the warm weather is bringing the reptiles out of hiding

A woman was taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a stable condition after being bitten on the leg by what is believed to be a brown snake at Bald Knob in the hinterland (pictured is a stock image)

'They come out of brumation - what we call reptile hibernation - and they start looking for food, water and mates,' he said.

Mr Pelley warns people who see snakes in their homes to leave them alone, and prevent children and animals from going near them.

As it is illegal to kill a snake in Australia unless threatened, Mr Pelley recommends calling a snake catcher who can safely remove the serpent and relocated it.

He also suggests watching from a safe distance, trying to to alarm the snake so it can be easily located when the snake catcher arrives.
A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack (pictured) pleaded guilty to two charges of sending child pornography using a carriage service

The horrific child sex 'fantasy' messages A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack sent to another man have been revealed in court documents.

In agreed facts tendered to a Sydney court on Tuesday, the 43-year-old said he was a 'total pedo' and loved young boys 'so much'.

He confessed he would 'perve non-stop... at the beach, shopping centre and movie theatres' and would 'love' to 'play' with a boy.

The former tabloid reporter appeared to describe himself as a 'proud Ped' and believed he would 'always' have the attraction.

The one-time Channel Nine journalist today pleaded guilty to two charges of transmitting, publishing or promoting child porn messages via a carriage service.

One of the charges concerned Skype conversations McCormack had with the unknown man between April 2015 and February 2017. The messages were intercepted by the police Child Exploitation Internet Unit and can now be published.

The journalist went by the username 'oz4skinboi' on Skype, the court facts said.

In his first online conversation, McCormack claimed he was '28, gay single love young bs too'.

The other man replied: 'Yummmm'.

The senior Nine Network journalist (pictured), 43, appeared calm in the front row of a Sydney courtroom as his solicitor Sam Macedone entered guilty pleas on his behalf

A transcript of one of McCormack's conversations with the unknown man, as contained in the court documents (digital mock-up)

Another of the conversations between the man and McCormack, as detailed in court documents on Tuesday

The 43-year-old (pictured) was the face for the Nine Network's investigation into paedophile Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes

In a possible reference to ages, McCormack said: '7-12'.

His newfound chat partner replied: 'U wanna f*kk one cool, 3-12 for me'.

'F**k yes. U', said McCormack.

The other man replied 'hell yes'.

According to the court documents, McCormack continued to say he 'love(s) small smooth hairless' (people). He then spoke about performing a sex act on the other man.

In a August 2016 conversation, the other man confessed he 'touch(ed) quite a few boy bums today'.

McCormack said that was 'so hot' and that he was 'horny' at the time.

In the same conversation, the journalist said 'they're amazing in speedos. small speedos, so small, I love them so much'.

McCormack said 'f*** man I love y b sooooo much' and asked 'wen can we have a hot vid session', the court papers said.

A third conversation between the pair, as contained in the court papers

A fourth message sent by McCormack, as contained in court papers

McCormack is pictured leaving the Downing Centre Local Court with his solicitor Sam Macedone after pleading guilty

In another graphic conversation about children, he also appeared to tell the unknown man he would always be attracted to them.

'U think I'll always be a p?' the man asked McCormack.

The journalist replied: 'Yep. U... I'll always have the attractionthey are beautiful.'

In a January 1 conversation, the man asked McCormack if 'u eva think u'll play with one? Or just fantasy'.

McCormack replied: 'I'd love to'.

The court papers said McCormack also said 'I wana get pedo with u', 'I'm a total b loving pedo' and described himself as a 'proud Ped, proud b lover'.

In the same month, McCormack also sent the man 10 pictures. Captions alluded to bodily fluids, Speedos and underwear.

The court documents said authorities were not able to view the pictures.

'Accordingly, there is no evidence that the images sent by the accused were of children in pornographic poses or activities,' the agreed facts said.

Outside court, his lawyer, Sam Macedone, described McCormack's Skype conversations as 'fantasy talk'.

He said there were 'never' images of child exploitation exchanged.

McCormack's second charge related a 30 second video conversation of McCormack masturbating.

'Oh I perve non stop man, the beach, shopping centres, movies. Yeah I love it,' he said during the video, the court papers said.

Earlier on Tuesday, McCormack appeared calm and composed in the front row of a Downing Centre courtroom as his solicitor Sam Macedone entered the pleas.

He smiled and said hello to journalists after he was bailed to a new address.

Arriving: McCormack (centre) is swarmed by reporters as he appears at the Downing Centre

TRANSCRIPT OF 18 AUGUST 2016 CONVERSATION Unidentified man: 'I was a bit naughty today' McCormack: 'How were u naughty... Im excited' Man: 'Touching quite a few boys bums today' McCormack: '(And horny).... 0mfg.' Man: 'When they come behind my desk I just put my arm around them' McCormack: 'F***....So hot' Advertisement

McCormack's charges are punishable by a maximum jail sentence of 15 years.

His guilty plea came after a weeks-long delay where lawyers negotiated over a statement of agreed facts.

Outside court, Mr Macedone said McCormack 'always admitted to what he's done however the facts previously weren't exactly correct'.

'I just wanted to make it quite clear that were was never any images that were traded between Ben and anyone else of any child exploitation material,' he said.

'It was nothing more than fantasy talk, but no transporting of images.

'That's what I wanted, that's what we've got, so we're now pleading guilty and we'll move on from there.'

McCormack (pictured) has been committed to the District Court for sentencing on October 6

McCormack was suspended by Nine after NSW police raided ACA's Sydney office and his home

McCormack resigned from the Nine Network several weeks ago, a network spokeswoman confirmed.

His case is likely to be covered by his former program tonight, with an A Current Affair reporter watching the proceedings.

McCormack famously once tracked down Hey Dad! paedophile Robert Hughes for the same show.

McCormack was initially suspended from his duties earlier this year after he was pulled over by police in Moore Park, in Sydney's inner east, on April 6. He was arrested and then charged.

It's understood the 43-year-old (pictured) resigned from the Nine Network several weeks ago

'I just wanted to make it quite clear that were was never any images that were traded between Ben and anyone else of any child exploitation material,' Mr Macedone said outside the court

Days after the charges were laid, McCormack was hospitalised and received treatment from a mental health facility (pictured)

Police released several minutes of footage of the moment he was arrested.

Investigators raided A Current Affair's Willoughby offices as well as the journalist's then-home in Alexandria, seizing computers and other electronic equipment.

Screenshots of his Grindr profile and details of his involvement in a bizarre film with a father-son incest plot also surfaced.

Days after the charges were laid, McCormack was hospitalised and received treatment from a mental health facility, the name of which was suppressed.

Mr Macedone said McCormack was 'fine' on Tuesday, but the journalist declined to answer questions as he was escorted through the media pack to a waiting car.

The journalist was committed to the District Court for sentencing proceedings on October 6.

Mr Macedone said McCormack was 'fine' on Tuesday, but the journalist declined to answer questions as he was escorted to a waiting car

He looked drastically different this week compared to his days as a leading TV reporter
An erupting volcano has forced 6,000 people to flee their homes on an island in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu.

The Monaro volcano on Ambae island has been active since 2005, but sudden activity on Saturday raised fears of a major eruption.

The director of Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office Shadrack Welegtabit said on Tuesday that Vanuatu would declare an emergency on the island after the volcano's activity measure was raised to Level Four for the first time over the weekend.

The Monaro volcano on Ambae island has been active since 2005 (pictured during that year), but a recent increase in activity has raised fears of a major eruption

'There's ash, fire, stones and lava being thrown out from the mouth of the volcano,' M Mr Welegtabit said. 'There's a lot of activity going on' (photo taken last week)

'There's ash, fire, stones and lava being thrown out from the mouth of the volcano,' M Mr Welegtabit said. 'There's a lot of activity going on.'

He said that it's difficult to say whether there will be a major eruption and that those who have been evacuated will just have to sit and wait for further instruction.

'With the seismic machine we can measure what's happening but we can't really predict what the volcano will do next,' he said.

About 10,000 people live on the island and those in the north and south are most vulnerable, Mr Welegtabit reiterated.

'With the seismic machine, we can measure what's happening but we can't really predict what the volcano will do next,' he said (pictured Mount Monaro in 2005)

He also said those villagers had been moved into schools and community halls in the island's eastern and western regions

He also said those villagers had been moved into schools and community halls in the island's eastern and western regions.

Authorities planned to send a ship to the island filled with water, food and other supplies to help those people who had been displaced. That ship is due to arrive on Wednesday.

Vanuatu's Meteorology and Geohazards Department said that villagers within 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) of the volcano face the biggest risk from airborne rocks and volcanic gas.

The department warned that acid rain could damage crops across a broader area.

Vanuatu's Meteorology and Geohazards Department said that villagers within 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) of the volcano face the biggest risk from airborne rocks and volcanic gas

About 10,000 people live on the island, Welegtabit said, and those in the north and south are most vulnerable. He said those villagers have been moved into schools and community halls in the island's eastern and western regions (pictured from the year 2000)

Vanuatu is located about one-quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii.

It's made up of 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited, and is home to around 280,000 people.

The nation is considered one of the world's most prone to natural disasters, with a half-dozen active volcanoes as well as regular cyclones and earthquakes.

It sits on the Pacific's 'Ring of Fire,' the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Mayor Mario King of Moss Point recently received a scholarship to attend the True South Basic Economic Development Course at the University of Southern Mississippi thanks to the Chuck Ueltschey scholarship program.

The True South course provides a solid foundation for the fundamentals and practice of economic development. The scholarships are offered for municipal and county elected officials.

The scholarships are in memory of Ueltschey, who died in 2015 shortly after retiring from 44 years of service at Mississippi Power. King said he learned a great deal over the four-day conference.

"First, I was excited to receive a scholarship to attend this workshop at no expense to the taxpayers," King said. "I learned about economic development, where it started, where it came from, as well as how you can tie it into you economic revenue stream."

The work sessions, according to King provided him with a better understanding of taking advantage of asset in your community and what makes them special.

"When you think of Moss Point, you think of deep water, but you don't immediately think about the opportunity it could provide," King said. "I learned a lot about how much of an asset deep water is and the opportunity it provides such as unloading barges and bringing goods into the city."

The paper mill that once existed within the city is the talk of those who currently reside in the city and those that moved away.

One of the distinct things people discuss is the smell the paper mill gave off. King said the workshop also taught him how it could be better utilized and prompted him to meet with George Freeland of the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation.

"It was my pleasure to work with them for those four days," King said. "It was very interactive, we played little games, it was just very intriguing and I am glad I was able to attend. I would recommend this conference to anyone looking to get into government or economic development to attend this conference. I learned so much that I plan to bring to Moss Point."
Some secrecy provisions concealing the identities of the two women attacked by Roman Heinze at Salt Creek last year have been lifted by the Supreme Court in Adelaide.

Justice Trish Kelly has revoked a suppression order concealing the names of German backpacker Lena Rabente and her Brazilian travel companion, who were attacked at a remote beach south of Adelaide, according to The Advertiser.

However, an additional statutory provision remains in place protecting the identity of the Brazilian woman who was sexually assaulted by Heinze, 61.

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Provisions concealing the identities of two women attacked by Roman Heinze at Salt Creek last year have been lifted by the Supreme Court in Adelaide (pictured is German backpacker Lena Rabente)

The victims of Salt Creek kidnapper Roman Heinze (pictured) asked for suppression orders on their identities to be lifted

Heinze was jailed in May after being found guilty of six charges including indecent assault, aggravated kidnapping and endangering life over the attacks in February 2016 (pictured is the camping ground where the women were attacked)

The two women applied to the Supreme Court on Tuesday to have the suppression order lifted.

It's believed they want to be identified to be able to participate in paid television interviews, but no details were provided to the courts.

Both women were reportedly approached by producers for Channel Seven's Sunday Night and Channel Nine's 60 Minutes during the trial, The Advertiser reported.

Their application was opposed by counsel for Heinze who said his client currently had an appeal before the court and releasing the identity of the two women could prejudice his arguments and possibly the administration of justice, should there be a retrial.

Heinze was jailed in May after being found guilty of six charges including indecent assault, aggravated kidnapping and endangering life over the attacks on the SA Coorong in February 2016.

His trial was told he met his victims through the Gumtree website, where the Brazilian and Ms Rabente had advertised for a ride to Melbourne.

He drove the women to isolated sand dunes and after setting up camp launched his violent assaults.

Heinze answered an ad the women posted on Gumtree requesting a lift from Adelaide to Melbourne last year (pictured: camp site at Salt Creek)

The 61-year-old took the women to a remote beach in Salt Creek where he tied up and sexually assaulted one and hit the other over a head with a hammer (pictured: part of the crime scene)

That included tying up and sexually assaulting the Brazilian woman and using a hammer to hit Ms Rabente on the head several times before trying to repeatedly run her over with his 4WD.

Ms Rabente said during Heinze's trial she intervened when she saw him assaulting the Brazilian.

'He came from behind and I got a pretty hard smash on the back of my head,' she said, according to The Advertiser.

'It was like on a boat, it felt like I was drunk when I got a hard smash.

'I thought 'that's it, that's the end' and I saw myself already buried in the sand ... I was thinking of my parents, that they would never see me again.'

The women managed to escape the frightening ordeal, and Heinze (pictured) was found in his car further down the beach

In sentencing, Justice Trish Kelly said the man had shown no remorse for his actions and gave him 22 years behind bars

Between that incident and the Salt Creek attack, Heinze contacted 13 other backpackers on Gumtree, and had also accumulated depraved pornography on his computer and phone.

During sentencing, Justice Kelly said Heinze had not shown the slightest remorse or contrition for any of his crimes and there were no reasonable prospects of rehabilitation.

'In fact, the totality of the evidence convinces me, that if undetected, your offending would have continued and quite probably escalated,' she said.
Men are paying more than 26 per cent more for car insurance than women despite an EU ban on premiums being determined by gender.

Researchers discovered that men in Britain are paying around 170 more than females, because insurers are relying on statistics that males are more likely to be involved in an accident.

This was the case even if the motorist was a safe driver and shows that the EU ban in 2012 has not affected pricing in the UK.

Men are paying more than 26 per cent more for car insurance than women despite an EU ban on premiums being determined by gender

Researchers discovered that men in Britain are paying around 170 more than females, because insurers are relying on statistics that males are are more likely to be involved in an accident

The study was published today by the price comparison website Comparethemarket.com.

Between June and August this year men were quoted an average price of 821 compared to the 649 for women - a 26.5 per cent difference.

This was an increase from a gap of 19 per cent when the study was carried out in January 2013.

John Miles, head of motor insurance, told The Times: 'This data shows how little difference the EU gender directive has had on insurance premiums, with providers still giving big discounts to women.

'This is likely (to be) due to a number of factors, such as statistically higher accident rates for men and more men than woman driving business and commercial vehicles, which are higher risk. The directive removed the ability of providers to give default discounts to women.

'However, the statistics and risk models used by insurers mean that the result is largely the same.'

During 2016 car insurance prices rose 14 per cent, or 95, meaning cover is the most expensive it has been for more than four-and-a-half years

During 2016 car insurance prices rose 14 per cent, or 95, meaning cover is the most expensive it has been for more than four-and-a-half years.

The extent of the rise in insurance costs were revealed in January by Confused.com's price index, which said the average premium is now the highest it has been since the middle of 2012.

In the final three months of last year, premiums rose by four per cent on average - the equivalent of 30 extra for motorists.

Much of this rise was fuelled by the increase in IPT to 10 per cent in October, meaning a third consecutive quarterly rise in car insurance prices.
Roy D. Coons, 45, lived two doors down from Yhoana Arteaga and her family in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department who apprehended him on Monday

The neighbor of a 12-year-old girl who was killed inside her Tennessee home last month, was arrested by Nashville police and charged with premeditated murder and other charges.

Roy D. Coons, 45, lived two doors down from Yhoana Arteaga and her family in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department who apprehended him on Monday.

Police - joined by mayor Megan Barry - said that they took the man, with multiple counts prior, into custody on Monday.

Coons was identified early on in the investigation as a possible suspect.

MNPD Chief Steve Anderson said that DNA and other 'scientific analysis' of evidence both by the department and the TN Bureau of Investigation led to the man.

He was charged with first-degree felony murder, attempted rape of a child, and especially aggravated burglary.

Yhoana, 12, was found brutally beaten and strangled to death in her mobile home after sending a text to her mother that someone was knocking on the door

'The death of anyone is especially tragic and especially when it's a homicide,' Anderson said in the press conference, according to the Tennessean.

'And then when it's a young person, 12 years old, not yet reached the prime of their life, it's especially tragic.

'It's certainly a relief to this police department that this man is in custody, and I know it's a relief to all of Nashville.'

Arteaga was found brutally murdered inside her mobile home in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, on August 10, after sending her mother a text message saying that someone was knocking on the front door.

Yhoana's mother entered the family's mobile home on Old Dickerson Pike in Nashville (pictured) and came upon her daughter's partially undressed body

When the girl's mother returned home from work with her two other children at 6.45pm that evening, just over an hour after receiving the message, she found Yhoana's lifeless body laying partially undressed in her room.

In an interview with WSMV, Dr. Li, who conducted the autopsy on Yhoana, said she died as a result of strangulation and ruled the manner of death a homicide, characterizing it as a senseless and brutal murder.

Li's final autopsy report also documented contusions to the victims head.

Coons was charged with first-degree two counts of first-degree felony murder, attempted rape of a child, and especially aggravated burglary

The medical examiner said it took him several hours to examine Arteaga's body because the injuries she had sustained were so severe.

In an interview with WSMV , Dr. Li, who conducted the autopsy on Yhoana, said she died as a result of strangulation and ruled the manner of death a homicide, characterizing it as a senseless and brutal murder

The child was beaten and strangled, as evidenced by abrasions and ligature marks on her neck, according to Dr Li. She also suffered hemorrhaging and had bruises and scrapes.

According to officials, Coons has been convicted for more than 30 offenses, both felonies and misdemeanors since 1992.

His most recent was a felony marijuana possession and unlawful gun possession by a convicted felon in 2016.

Detectives alluded that Yhoana 'knew of' her killer.

There were no signs of forced entry.

'Our heart breaks any time we lose a young person,' Barry said.

'And the horrific murder of this beautiful child, Yhoana Arteaga, really just rocked the Madison community.'

The mayor thanked the police officers who worked the crime, crediting their work with 'bringing her killer to justice.'
A well-known Russian snake expert filmed himself dying on a live stream broadcast after he let his pet black mamba bite his hand apparently brokenhearted over the breakup of his marriage.

In deeply disturbing footage, video blogger Arslan Valeev, 31, from St Petersburg, pleaded with viewers to call his ex-wife as he visibly deteriorated on camera and his limbs became numb.

The actual snake bite and moment of death were not shown, but the blogger - a former zoo employee - allowed viewers to see the bite on his hand.

Live death: Russian YouTuber Arslan Valeev, 31, from St Petersburg, allegedly let his pet black mamba bite him on purpose, before he live streamed his final moments

At the end of the footage, he got up from his chair and staggered off camera, possibly towards a bathroom. He died soon afterwards.

He and wife Ekaterina 'Katya' Pyatyzhkina were famous in Russia for running several YouTube channels about snakes and their pet bobcats, with hundreds of thousands of followers.

Friends said that on 4 August he had accused her of cheating on him.

Valeev beat her and she suffered concussion, it was reported.

He later repented and on 21 September publicly apologised to her for his behaviour, saying that their sexual relationship had ended in July.

Bite: The moment of the bite itself was not shown, but Valeev showed his bitten finger to the camera during the broadcast

Online fame: Valeev was a snake expert and former zoo employee who ran a YouTube channel with his ex-wife about exotic animals

Ex: Valeev and his former wife Ekaterina 'Katya' Pyatyzhkina, who ran the channels with him, broke up after he beat her up following accusations that she cheated on him

Happier times: Valeev and Ms Pyatyzhkina on their wedding day at an unknown date

She obtained a divorce from him after the domestic violence and was in a new relationship.

In the shocking live stream, he said: 'Hi... So, guys... (sighs). It's time to do what I must do. Live stream [unintelligible].'

The vlogger got up and went off camera, but a muffled sound of 'ouch' can be heard as the deadly snake bit him.

He returned telling viewers: 'If I die, then I die.'

Then he said: 'I just will stay with you for some time. Just in case - on my mobile there is a message for Katya....'

His breathing quickens, and his eyes started rolling.

'Pass on to Katya that I loved her very much,' he said, showing his bitten finger with blood on it.

'Beautiful, isn't it? Oh, damn, how it... Bye to everyone... I can't believe it is happening to me...'

Happier times: The couple owned several reptiles as well as bobcats, who they ran another YouTube channel for

Ms Pyatyzhkina filed for divorce and had since moved on to a new relationsh

Mystery: A friend has claimed that Valeev was bitten by accident, but others say he killed himself after being unable to get over the divorce

He then read out his former wife's mobile number.

'This is Katya's number, if someone manages to call her, if she has time to come to me and see me, I would be happy.

'In fact I'm already dying. Farewell. I would be glad to see Katya. Damn, I'm shaking.'

At least one viewer called an ambulance, which later arrived and rushed him to hospital, but medics were unable to save him.

On the broadcast, he showed his almost paralysed hands but stood up and moved away, evidently to his bathroom as the video ended.

It was also claimed that he had stumbled into the street seeking help.

A day earlier he had announced a special broadcast with one of his 'most beloved snakes', called Mamba, giving no clue about his intentions.

A friend later posted online, claiming he had not intended to take his own life, but that it had been a mistake.

'Turning on the camera, as normal, he went to get a snake out of the terrarium to move it into a plastic container used for broadcasts. In the process of doing this the snake bit him.

Heartbreaking: Valeev made several pleas on camera for viewers to contact his ex-wife, pictured with some of their pet snakes, before he would pass

Heartbreak: The couple broke up earlier this year after Ekaterina obtained a divorce on the grounds of domestic violence

Valeev reportedly beat his ex partner so badly that was left with a concussion

'Being an expert in keeping poisonous snakes with 20 years experience, Arslan was aware of what would happen.

'He left a message to his wife Ekaterina, and asked viewers who turned out to be eyewitnesses to get in touch with Katya, because his limbs began to get numb quickly, depriving him of the opportunity to call help himself.

'Then he went out into the street, waiting for the arrival of help.'

In a previous video, Mr Valeev had spoken about his heartbreak

'I cannot describe in words the extent of my disappointment with myself,' he said.

'I cannot describe the shock that I experience every day when I wake up in this new world without someone I have lost and deserved to lose, who I was with a couple of seconds ago in a dream.

'If it makes you feel better, it hurts and I'm lonely.

'I know what to do, I've heard a lot of advice, but the feeling of emptiness and a broken life can only pass with time.

'Miracles do not happen, we do not live in a fairy tale.'

Mr Valeev's ex-wife has not commented on the video.
The argument over the Oxford student dubbed 'too clever for prison' grew today as critics claimed she would have been sentenced differently if she was a man or came from a council estate.

Lavinia Woodward - a medical student who hoped to become a surgeon - admitted stabbing her Tinder lover Thomas Fairclough in the leg during a clash at Christ Church college.

But after a judge took the unusual step of delaying sentencing so she could deal with a drug problem, she walked free from court on a suspended sentence yesterday.

Campaigners today said she was treated sympathetically by the justice system because of her background, while others claimed the case showed the difference between the sentencing of men and women.

Lavinia Woodward smiles as she leaves court yesterday. The case has caused controversy with critics saying she appears to have been treated leniently because she is a wealthy woman

Woodward (pictured here on a night out) wept as the judge handed her a suspended sentence

Commenting on her suspended sentence, John Azah, chief executive of the Kingston Race and Inequalities Council told the Daily Telegraph: 'If she wasn't Oxford-educated, if she came from a deprived area, I don't think she would have got the same sentence and been allowed to walk free.'

Mark Brooks, chairman of the ManKind Initiative, which support male victims of domestic abuse, said the sentence 'sends a worrying message'.

He added: 'The judge seems to think that domestic abuse, when it is committed by a woman against a man, is not as serious as it rightly is when it is the other way round.'

Woodward, 24, left Mr Fairclough, 25, needing stitches in his leg after stabbing him with a breadknife in a row over her drink problem.

Woodward also cut Mr Fairclough's fingers and hurled a laptop, a glass and a jam jar at him during the clash, prompting him to call the police as he struggled to disarm her.

Milan-based Woodward admitted unlawful wounding at Oxford Crown Court after the incident last December, but found herself at the centre of controversy when her sentencing judge hinted she would avoid jail because of her 'extraordinary' intelligence.

The Sun reported last night that, as she got into drugs in the months before the attack, she developed an interest in S&M and told a friend: 'I'm into some very kinky stuff.'

A friend told the paper: 'Lavinia went to the notorious Piers Gaveston party once and spent the whole night in the orgy tent.'

Woodward (pictured left and right) looked relieved as she left Oxford Crown Court this afternoon with a suspended sentence

Although the violent offence would normally attract a jail term, Judge Ian Pringle QC controversially said he did not want to damage her 'long-held desire' of becoming a surgeon.

When the Judge Pringle told her she was free to go yesterday, Woodward mouthed the words 'thank you' and hurried from dock in tears.

How the same judge has jailed others for lesser offences - Oxford University law student Abdulrahman Abdelsalam, 20, was jailed for nine months for causing actual bodily harm after he broke a woman's nose at a nightclub in March 2014. He repeatedly punched his victim in the face when a row erupted and she poured a drink over his head. Oxford Crown Court heard Abdelsalam was a star student and his barrister appealed for a suspended sentence in light of his previous good character. Jailing him, the judge said: 'I would be failing in my duty if I were to not pass a sentence of imprisonment.' - Ian Cox, 46, was given a two-year jail sentence for causing actual bodily harm after he knocked out his ex-partner in a drunken rage in front of their children. Cox, who had a history of domestic violence, began punching and choking his victim during a row at her home in February, 2012. Passing sentence at Swindon Crown Court, the judge said: 'Cases of domestic violence are in many ways the worst type of violence in court. For they are perpetrated behind closed doors on people who for various reasons, either through fear or through love, will not complain.' - Christopher Eadie was sentenced to 21 months in prison at Oxford Crown Court for punching a friend and threatening him with a kitchen knife while drunk at a party in October 2013. The 23-year-old admitted causing actual bodily harm and affray and wrote a letter of apology to the court. The judge said he was 'impressed' by the letter but had no choice but to jail him. Advertisement

The Dean of Christ Church College last night moved to reassure students who are unhappy with the college's alleged inaction over complaints of bullying made against Woodward.

The Very Revd Professor Martyn Percy said: 'We are concerned for the welfare of all our students, and it is clearly a matter of regret and sadness when any young person blights a promising career by committing a crime.'

He added: 'Ms Woodward is not currently studying at Oxford having voluntarily suspended her medical studies.

'The question of her future will now be decided by the university, which has procedures in place when a student is the subject of a criminal conviction.'

The judge suspended the term after James Sturman QC, defending, had urged the judge to give Woodward a conditional discharge due to her 'unique vulnerability, remorse and good character'.

He said: 'She can't even go to a nightclub in London, she's so recognisable.'

Woodward's barrister said in an earlier hearing that her dreams of becoming a surgeon were 'almost impossible' as her conviction would have to be disclosed.

If she qualified as a doctor and applied for registration, the General Medical Council could consider her application.

However the body would have to pass Woodward as 'fit to practice', which it is unlikely to do, according to many health experts, regardless of her avoiding a custodial sentence.

The court heard Woodward would not be returning to Oxford this year due to her notoriety.

Woodward (circled) posed naked with her fellow students to raise money for the university's LGBTQ society

The 24-year-old (shown left in an explicit picture sitting on the lap of a naked man) is seen arriving at court this morning

Her lawyer, James Sturman QC, said she was considering whether to do a PhD abroad or to look for a research role at another university.

Mr Sturman said: 'She has a dilemma; the university remain supportive, they are here today. If she had gone back to Oxford, everyone would have known all about it.'

Describing the crime, Judge Pringle said: 'Having met a few months before, in October 2016 you began a relationship with a student from Cambridge University.

'Sadly, you were still suffering from the effects of a very damaging previous relationship with another who had introduced you to Class A drugs.

'On December 30, 2016, your partner paid you a visit in your accommodation in Christ Church college. It rapidly became clear to him you had been drinking. He tried to discourage your drinking without success.'

The case caused outcry, with critics saying she would have been treated differently were she not a wealthy Oxford student

Woodward (looking glum as she arrives for her hearing) was previously freed and her sentencing delayed

The judge continued: 'As the evening progressed, you became increasingly volatile. At one stage your partner contacted your mother over Skype in order to seek her assistance over what to do about you.

'When you discovered this you became extremely angry, starting to throw objects around. It is clear from the transcript of the 999 call that your partner summoned the help of the police before you picked up a bread knife which was in the room and struck a blow with it to his lower leg.

'In the course of the incident two of his fingers also received cuts. Your partner managed to partly restrain you, albeit you then started to turn the knife on yourself and he had to further disarm you to prevent further self-harm.

'When the emergency services arrived it was abundantly clear that you were intoxicated, deeply distraught and mentally disturbed. You were taken to the police station in a very distressed state.

'Fortunately the wounds your partner received were relatively minor. The two one-centimetre cuts to the fingers were treated at the scene and the cut to the leg was closed with three stitches.

The court heard she attempted suicide in police custody on the night of her arrest and was fired from a job she took at a shop in London 48 hours after being hired when she was recognised by a customer.

Suspending her sentence, Judge Ian Pringle QC told her today: 'There are many mitigating features in your case. Principally, at the age of 24 you have no previous convictions of any nature whatsoever.

'Secondly, I find that you were genuinely remorseful following this event and, indeed, it was against your bail conditions, you contacted your partner to fully confess your guilt and your deep sorrow for what happened.'

Judge Pringle added: 'Thirdly, whilst you are a clearly highly-intelligent individual, you had an immaturity about you which was not commensurate for someone of your age.

'Fourthly, as the reports from the experts make clear, you suffer from an emotionally-unstable personality disorder, a severe eating disorder and alcohol drug dependence.

The court heard Lavinia had been recovering at her mother's villa in Italy since the last hearing

Miss Woodward (pictured) has spent much of her time at her mother's Italian villa near Lake Como since her first court appearance

'Finally, and most significantly, you have demonstrated over the last nine months that you are determined to rid yourself of your alcohol and drug addiction and have undergone extensive treatment including counselling to address the many issues that you face.

'In particular, you have demonstrated to me since I adjourned this matter in May a strong and unwavering determination to do so despite the enormous pressure under which you were put and which has been referred to me by your counsel.

'She's on cocaine': Boyfriend's 999 call The boyfriend stabbed with a bread knife by Oxford student Lavinia Woodward made a panicked 999 call in which he told the operator: 'She's definitely on cocaine at least'. Lavinia Woodward - a medical student who hoped to become a surgeon - admitted stabbing her Tinder lover Thomas Fairclough in the leg during a clash at Christ Church college. Audio of Mr Fairclough's desperate call to police reveals the moment he was stabbed by the student, who he had met on dating app Tinder. During the recording, in which Woodward can be heard shouting incoherently in the background, Mr Fairclough says: 'I think my girlfriend has taken a lot of drugs and is throwing a lot of stuff around the house.' When the operator asks if she is on drugs, he replies 'yes, she's definitely on cocaine at least', causing Woodward to shout 'I'm not!' Mr Fairclough is then heard shouring: 'My hand! I've been stabbed by my girlfriend. Please come down here.' Advertisement

It emerged after her initial court hearing that she had already been warned by her college just two weeks before the September assault, following the discovery she had been taking drugs.

The 24-year-old posted on social media earlier this year that she had entered The Priory addiction treatment centre in Woking, Surrey, and is understood to be tackling her use of cocaine.

Woodward, who has an older brother was educated at The British School of Milan, formerly known as The Sir James Henderson School, where fees can top 16,000 a year and which is close to her mother's 1 million villa in the Italian village of Sirtori.

College dean the Very Rev Professor Martyn Percy, said afterwards: 'We are concerned for the welfare of all our students and it is clearly a matter of regret and sadness when any young person blights a promising career by committing a crime.

'Ms Woodward is not currently studying at Oxford, having voluntarily suspended her medical studies.

'The question of her future will now be decided by the university, which has procedures in place when a student is the subject of a criminal conviction.'

She was studying at Christ Church (pictured), one of Oxford's most prestigious colleges

The court's controversial decision caused outrage on Twitter, with many claiming it was an example of 'white privilege'.

One user wrote: 'Lavinia Woodward gets 0 jail time as it 'might hurt her career'? Maybe there's a good reason why drug addicted psychos shouldn't be surgeons.'

Another added: 'If Lavinia Woodward wasn't a privileged white girl she would be in prison by now. you can ignore the facts but it's true.'

Another user added: 'Can we all just agree that if Lavinia Woodward was a man she'd be in jail for domestic violence with no prospect of being a doctor ever?'
A prostitute who used kinky sex to distract a client on a cocaine bender so two men could rob him could be deported to New Zealand after serving a jail sentence.

Milan Chante Walker is due to be sentenced at Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty on Tuesday to the manslaughter, burglary and robbery of Gregory John Hudson.

The 57-year-old's naked body was discovered tied up in his friend's townhouse at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast on October 23, 2014.

Sex worker Milan Chante Walker (pictured) used kinky sex to distract a client on a cocaine bender so two men could rob him could be deported to New Zealand after a jail sentence

Gregory John Hudson's, 57, (pictured) naked body was discovered tied up in his friend's townhouse at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast on October 23, 2014

He had lethal levels of cocaine in his system and a heart problem, a pathologist who conducted the autopsy told the court.

Accomplices Lee Benjamin Feld and Benjamin Samy Ghobrial pleaded guilty to the burglary and robbery in company offences and are also expected to be sentenced on Wednesday.

Ghobrial also pleaded guilty to attempted stealing and two counts of stealing after he dressed in women's clothing and used Mr Hudson's bank card to withdraw $2000.

Crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy told the court Mr Hudson arranged for Walker, whom he had met at a brothel a few days earlier, to come to his friend's house for sex.

He would pay her with cocaine, on which he had been bingeing after arriving at his friend's house a few days before his death.

Mr McCarthy said text messages showed she, Feld and Ghobrial hatched a plan for her to distract Hudson while they broke into the townhouse.

Lee Feld (pictured) and accomplice Benjamin Samy Ghobrial pleaded guilty to the burglary and robbery in company offences and are also expected to be sentenced on Wednesday

After serving time Ms Walker (pictured) may be deported to New Zealand, despite spending most of her life in Australia, where all her family except her father live, the court heard

'We're coming in five mins. F*** him hard, play music. Very important,' Ghobrial texted to Walker.

Ghobrial and Feld had not intended to cross paths with Mr Hudson and did not carry any weapons on them during the robbery, the court heard.

Mr McCarthy said 'any triggering mechanism' like psychological or physical stress, including the fetish sexual activity engaged in with Walker, could have caused the cardiac arrhythmia that led to his death.

'Milan Walker accepts that she is criminally liable and responsible for the killing of Hudson in those circumstances,' he said.

During sentence submissions on Tuesday afternoon, Walker's defence lawyer said she should be sentenced to a maximum five years in jail which should be suspended after serving two years.

After serving time she may be deported to New Zealand, despite spending most of her life in Australia, where all her family except her father live, the court heard.

Justice Glenn Martin is expected to deliver sentence on Wednesday.
A Muslim surgeon who helped treat victims of the Manchester Arena bombing says he has forgiven a man who stabbed him in the neck outside a mosque.

Dr Nasser Kurdy was attacked by a man who made 'anti-Muslim comments' outside the Altrincham Islamic Centre in Greater Manchester at around 6pm on Sunday.

Ian Rook, 28, has been charged in connection with the incident. He appeared in court, where he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and that he understood the charges.

Dr Kurdy, a 58-year-old consultant orthopaedic surgeon, suffered a 3cm cut to the back of his neck in the assault but said he feels no anger towards the attacker.

Prosecutor James Gore told Manchester Magistrates Court: 'It was an unprovoked attack with a knife. The victim received injuries and had to have four stitches. I'd like to ask for the matter to be sent to Crown Court.'

Dr Nasser Kurdy was attacked by a man who made 'anti-Muslim comments' outside the Altrincham Islamic Centre in Greater Manchester at around 6pm on Sunday

He said: 'He is not representative of what this country stands for. I have absolutely no anger or hate or anything negative towards him. I have declared it, I have totally forgiven him.

'He could be a marginalised person within his own community.'

Speaking about the horrific incident, he said: 'It's shocking something like this can happen within our community.

'I was just going to the centre on Sunday evening on my own for mid-afternoon prayers. I was a couple of minutes late and only just entered the grounds when it happened.

'It happened from behind me. I was told later it was a knife in my neck. It was painful. As a surgeon, I could tell immediately none of the vital structures were affected. I just put pressure on my neck. I probably only bled a little bit.

'Looking back I was pragmatic about it because of my profession and my age.'

He has been discharged from hospital, according to his colleague Dr Khalid Anis, a spokesman for the Altrincham & Hale Muslim Association, who said he was 'very lucky'.

A video posted on Facebook following reports of the stabbing purportedly shows the victim immediately after the attack.

He can be seen sitting on a bench clutching at his neck and appears to be in some pain as people attend to him.

Dr Kurdy, 58, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, suffered a 3cm cut to the back of his neck in the assault but said he feels no anger towards the attacker

The footage shows them asking him about his attacker. At first he appears unable to answer and another person is overheard saying he was 'hit' by something in a man's hand: 'I don't think it was that sharp.'

On Monday the father-of-three, from a Syrian Jordanian family, was preparing to go back to work to treat his patients as the police investigation continued.

He said: 'God was merciful to me yesterday. It could be a nerve, an artery, a vein, the gullet. The neck is the contact between the body and your head, but fortunately it was just the muscle.

'As I entered the grounds of the premises, I felt that pain and the blow to my neck.

'I turned around and saw this gentleman in a threatening pose. I did feel threatened, I did feel vulnerable.'

He rushed inside and, fearing the attacker may follow, grabbed a chair and dashed outside, but his attacker had fled.

'Police later made two arrests and said they were treating the incident as a hate crime.

Mr Kurdy has worked as a doctor for four decades, after coming to Britain to study medicine in 1977 and working in Perth, Dundee and Northampton before settling in Manchester in 1991.

Dr Kurdy's colleague Dr Khalid Anis, a spokesman for the Altrincham & Hale Muslim Association, said he was 'very lucky'

He was going to the Islamic Centre for mid-afternoon prayers and a committee meeting, as he is a lay imam, sometimes giving sermons, and vice chairman of Altrincham and Hale Muslim Association.

Mr Kurdy said, ahead of giving a police statement, that he could not say what his attacker said to him, but was in 'no doubt' he was attacked because he was entering the Islamic Centre.

But Mr Kurdy said he felt hate crimes against Muslims were escalating on the back of terror incidents including the Arena bombing and the Parsons Green tube attack.

Mr Kurdy said he felt hate crimes against Muslims were escalating on the back of terror incidents including the Arena bombing and the Parsons Green tube attack

'The climate is very threatening, very worrying. Something could have happened, horrible, yesterday. The atmosphere that is around has allowed for that.

'There needs to be acknowledgement that hate crimes against Muslims are on the increase and they are becoming more physical.

'It's not just someone saying something verbally, or somebody pulling a headscarf or what have you, it is now taking that extra step and I think that extra step is what has started worrying and frightening people.

'There are very senseless acts of insanity taking place, which can only fuel anger and hate.

'We can't hide away from what happened in Manchester, what happened around the country and the recent Tube incident. That will fuel hatred and anger.

'People need to know there are Muslims like myself. I've worked hard, I'm a surgeon, I treat people. I have a wonderful community. My colleagues at work respect me and value my contribution.

'I don't think I can see anybody more integrated than I am. I get invited to sit on services in the synagogue, service on Remembrance Sunday, I'm always in the church at All Saints.

'I'm sure people don't get to see that, all they get to see is those crackpots.'

Mr Kurdy said Muslims at the Islamic Centre were now frightened and security will be reviewed.

The centre has suffered a brick through its windows, graffiti and a rubbish bin set alight in the past.

Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said: 'This is a very nasty and unprovoked attack against a much-loved local man.'

Dr Anis, who was with his friend moments after the attack, said: 'It could have been very, very serious.

'He said he noticed someone cross the road and then somebody just attacked him from behind.

'There were definitely abusive comments made - obviously he was in shock at the time, he had just been stabbed so the detail of those comments I don't know but there were definitely abusive comments made by the attackers at the door of the mosque.

'We understand it was a knife - he is very lucky. It's obviously out of the blue, it's shocked the whole community.

'It's not just a criminal act against the Muslim community or one individual, it's the people living in Altrincham, I think we all feel that.

'The fact they attacked an orthopaedic consultant who devoted his life to helping others is really quite poignant.'

Officers arrived at the Altrincham Islamic Centre after Dr Kurdy was stabbed in the neck on Sunday

Police confirmed they are treating the incident as a hate crime and have since charged a man

Councillor Western tweeted: 'Shocked and saddened to hear of stabbing of Dr Nasser Kurdy outside Altrincham mosque. Thoughts with him and his family.'

Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Miqdaad Versi, added: 'Muslim orthopaedic surgeon stabbed in neck outside Altrincham Mosque. Reports that perpetrator (now arrested) made anti-Muslim comments.'

A spokesman for the Altrincham Islamic Centre told the Manchester Evening News: 'Nothing like this has ever happened before and it does not reflect the community.

'In my experience community relations are very good and it is a very safe area; it is shocking for all of us.

'I would like to invite anybody to come to talk to us and if they harbour any ill will then to come and find out more about us.

'My message to the congregation is to not be deterred from coming here.

'One thing that our scripture tells us is to repel evil with kindness.'

They told the paper: 'He is a lovely guy, very gentle, loved by the community Muslim and non-Muslim alike.

'He needs stitches and will be kept in hospital overnight, he is incredibly lucky.

'This incident has really shaken us.'

Greater Manchester Police said in a statement: 'Officers have arrested two people after a hate crime in Hale.

'At around 5.50pm on Sunday 24 September 2017 police were called to reports that a man had been stabbed outside the Islamic Cultural Centre, Grove Lane.

'Emergency services attended and a man in his 60s has been taken to hospital with a stab wound to the back of his neck.

'Two men aged 54 and 32 were arrested nearby in connection with the incident and remain in custody for questioning.

'Officers are treating this as a hate crime and are appealing for people with information to come forward.'

Dr Kurdy treated victims of the Manchester bomb attack earlier this year. Pictured are doctors and emergency treating the injured after the terrorist incident

Police have charged a man in connection with the incident

The imam was stabbed outside Altrincham Islamic Centre (pictured) on Sunday and police have now launched an investigation

Greater Manchester Police rushed to the scene (pictured) after Dr Kurdy was stabbed in the neck

GMP's Detective Inspector Ben Cottam, said: 'As with any investigation, our primary concern is for the victim and, thanks to the quick response from our colleagues in the ambulance service, he is currently receiving treatment for his injuries.

'He was attacked in broad daylight as he made his way to the mosque and while we are yet to gather all the evidence, we can be sure that there is no place for hate crime on our streets and we will do all that we can to take action against those who jeopardise the safety of others.

'We have two people in custody who were arrested a short time after the call came in but need people who witnessed the attack or those who have information to contact us.

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1646 of 24/09/17 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
The $3,000 course was an optional part of International Studies degree

The student was also shocked at the attention he received from Korean women

He said he was allowed home to nurse a hangover as other students could rest

The 21-year-old said teachers were more 'supportive' in North Korea

Jack Carneiro, from Adelaide, spent three weeks studying in the rogue nation

An Australian student who witnessed a missile launch parade while taking a world-first language learning course in North Korea says teachers are 'more caring' in the secretive state than the West.

Jack Carneiro, 21, had some bizarre experiences during his three-week trip but claims North Korea's education system is superior to Australia's.

The student from Adelaide, in South Australia, praised 'emotionally supportive' teachers who gave him time off to cope with a hangover.

While receiving warm welcomes from teaching staff and students, Mr Carneiro was shocked by the amount of attention he got from the ladies despite being 'geeky'.

Australian student Jack Carneiro, who took a world-first language learning trip to North Korea, has claimed education in the secretive state is more supportive than the West (pictured with a military guide outside the War Atrocities Museum in Pyongyang)

Mr Carneiro paid $3,000 to study under DPRK professors and claims he witnessed a parade of scientists celebrating a successful missile launch (pictured outside the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, Pyongyang)

Mr Carneiro standing in his tailored North Korean suit outside of the Peoples Study Hall where Koreans can go to learn all different types of skills free of charge

The $3,000 course  an optional part of Mr Carneiro's International Studies degree  granted the student rare access to an education system often criticised for its communist ideology.

Mr Carneiro said: 'The teachers were more caring than in Australia. They were emotionally supportive and more dedicated to their jobs.'

'One morning I had a hangover and the teacher let me head out and recover.

'Other students who were tired were told to go home and have a rest - that would never happen back home.'

Political slogans at the entrance to Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung University, where Jack studied

The entrance to Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung University where Jack studied a world-first language learning course

Jack said he took pictures of monuments before realising that was illegal (pictured: a mural in a subway)

Photos taken by the 21-year-old while on his trip have given a glimpse into the rogue nation as tensions in the region hit an all-time high.

During his stay, Mr Carneiro watched a parade of scientists celebrate a successful missile launch, saw a public propaganda mural of North Korean soldiers executing Americans and visited the preserved bodies of the state's former leaders.

Mr Carneiro said he believes the attitudes of his teachers 'goes hand in hand with their political ideology', claiming North Korea as a 'collective society'.

'They're all playing for the same team,' he said.

A propaganda poster in North Korea, where Mr Carneiro managed to take illegal photos

A monument to the people, labourers, serviceman and everyone who participated in the revolution and defence of North Korea

The entrance to Pyongyang City, known as the Monument to reunification, depicts one lady from the South and another from the North holding up a unified Korea

'Korean people are blessed with intuition, they know if you're bad. But if you show you're open to them, they open up.'

Mr Carneiro, who is doing his degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing, was one of 12 students who took part in the language course at Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung University.

'The local students gave me a very warm welcoming. I speak a little Korean, so they told me their stories,' he said.

Mr Carneiro said he believes 'there are human rights abuse in both the North and the South'

Mr Carneiro captured a photo of the view of the Demilitarised Zone from Panmunjom in North Korea

Mr Carneiro outside the Flower Exhibition outside of Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, with a large portrait of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il

'They wanted to hear about life in the West and to hear my stories.'

North Korea is one of the world's most insular nations and visits by foreigners are tightly regulated.

Mr Carneiro was surprised by the amount of attention he recieved from the women while in Pyongyang.

The 21-year-old encouraged other Westerners to follow in his footsteps and see the rogue nation for themselves

North Korea is one of the world's most insular nations and visits by foreigners are tightly regulated

'By Western standards I might be considered geeky but my friend who is fluent in Korean said women were talking about me wherever we went and I was approached a few times,' he said.

'I figured it was because I dressed in their style of clothing or spoke some of their language in a diplomatic gesture.

Or maybe it is because I have more striking features for them.'

Taking photos while in the rogue nation is punishable but Mr Carneiro managed to snap a few

During his time in the communist nation, Mr Carneiro visited highly controlled sites, such as Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, home to Kim Il-sung's and Kim Jong-il's embalmed bodies.

A grocery store was also another highly controlled site during the visit.

He photographed the sites before realising it was forbidden  a crime against the state he believes could have been punishable by imprisonment.

'They were very touchy about taking photographs. Some of the products have political slogans which they're sensitive about,' he said.

'The word of the leaders is like the word of god.

Mr Carneiro was one of 12 students who took part in the language course at Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung University

Mr Carneiro said: 'The teachers were more caring than in Australia. They were emotionally supportive and more dedicated to their jobs.'

'There was also some public propaganda like murals showing American soldiers being beaten or killed by North Korean soldiers.

Mr Carneiro was caught photographing the inside of a grocery store and was quickly given a warning by security.

'If I had done the same thing in the palace of the sun I think I would have been tackled to the ground and arrested,' he said.

The Australian student said the palace was like 'walking into a funeral'.

'There was a strong sense of mourning inside and the bodies were in perfect condition.'

Tensions were running high in North Korea during Mr Carneiro's stay due to a stand-off over missile launches.

Tensions were running high in North Korea during Mr Carneiro's stay due to a stand-off over missile launches

But despite relations between the USA and North Korea spiraling further out of control since his return, the 21-year-old encouraged other Westerners to follow in his footsteps and see the rogue nation for themselves.

'I was catching a bus one day after a missile launch and I saw this big group of scientists jumping up and down and letting off fireworks,' he said.

'When we got back to the hotel people were gathering around a TV and cheering to a speech from Kim.'

While Mr Carneiro said he believes 'there are human rights abuse in both the North and the South', he said both sides must be 'understood to achieve unification'.

'Just don't be too casual. Be wary of voicing your political opinions too casually.'
Keith Tharpe, 59, was sentenced to death back in 1991 over the brutal murder of his sister-in-law Jacquelin Freeman

A Georgia man who killed his sister-in-law 27 years ago is set to be executed Tuesday after having a hearty last meal.

Keith Leroy Tharpe, known to friends and family as Bo, is scheduled to die at 7pm at the state prison in Jackson for the 1990 slaying of Jacquelyn Freeman.

Last week, Tharpe requested to eat three spicy chicken breasts, a roast beef sandwich with sauce, a fish sandwich, tater logs, onion rings, an apple pie and a vanilla milkshake prior to his execution.

His scheduled death comes 27 years after he killed Freeman in Jones County on the morning of September 25, 1990.

Tharpe's wife had left him a month earlier due to their violent marriage. He had told her over the phone that if she wanted to 'play dirty', he would show her how.

He stopped his wife and Freeman, who was married to Tharpe's wife's brother, when they were driving to work.

Tharpe pulled Freeman from the car, threw her in a ditch and shot her three times.

His execution by lethal injection is scheduled to take place at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison (above) in Jackson later today

He then kidnapped his wife and was accused of sexually assaulting her by the side of the road.

CALORIES IN THARPE'S LAST MEAL: Three spicy chicken breasts: 1,260 calories Roast beef sandwich: 341 calories Fish sandwich: 325 calories Tater logs (10 pieces): 275 calories Onion rings (100g): 411 calories Apple pie (1 slice): 296 calories Vanilla milkshake (11 ounce): 350 calories Total estimated calories: 3,258 Daily recommended intake: 2,500 Advertisement

Tharpe was never convicted of any rape charges.

His wife managed to call police when he drove her to a bank to force her to withdraw money.

There have been 69 men and one woman executed in Georgia since the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

If executed, Tharpe will be the 48th inmate put to death by lethal injection. There are currently 56 men on death row in Georgia.

Tharpe's lawyers have asked the courts to stop the execution, saying his death sentence is tainted by a juror's racial bias.

Lawyers for the state have argued there's no evidence race affected jury deliberations.

The 59-year-old Tharpe would be the second inmate executed in Georgia this year. The state executed nine inmates last year.
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More than 1,500 residents have been evacuated as dangerous wildfires took hold in southern California, threatening to raze everything in their path.

The fast-moving blaze has overcome 2,000 acres of the Santa Ana Mountains near Corona, exacerbated by winds and temperatures in excess of 86f.

At least 300 firefighters have been working through the night to douse flames and make sure residents reach the safety of four high schools used as evacuation points.

They used helicopters and planes to drop water and bulldozers to shovel earth in a bid to stop the fire advancing.

One resident who was evacuated, Cora Angeles, told the LA Times: 'We don't know what's going to happen. At least we know we're going to be alive because we got out of there in time.' There have been no reports of injuries.

Terrifying blaze: Almost 2,000 have been evacuated as wildfire spreads through California, destroying everything in its path

The fast-moving blaze has overcome 2,000 acres of the Santa Ana Mountains near Corona, exacerbated by winds and temperatures above 86f

At least 300 firefighters have been working through the night to douse flames and make sure residents reach the safety of four high schools used as evacuation points

Firefighters used helicopters and planes to drop water and bulldozers to shovel earth in a bid to stop the fire advancing

One resident who was evacuated, Cora Angeles, told the LA Times : 'We don't know what's going to happen. At least we know we're going to be alive because we got out of there in time.'

Residents being evacuated stand and watch the blaze and take pictures on their phones as they are evacuated

The fire can be seen taking over swathes of hillside behind homes which are threatened by its terrifying advance

A helicopter is flown over the blaze to gauge how far it is advancing while preparing to make a water drop

Firefighter battle the Canyon Fire burns on September 25, 2017 in Corona, California. The fire charred about 2,000 acres by Monday night

A resident prepares to evacuate as flames from the Canyon Fire burns in the hills surrounding a neighborhood

Spectators and residents watch as the Canyon Fire burns hillsides in Corona, California. More than 1,500 have been evacuated

The Canyon Fire burns hillsides above houses in Corona, California, creating a yellow haze over the hills and trees

A fire helicopter drops water over the burnt vegetation as firefighters on the ground continue to evacuate residents

Deadly blaze: Flames from the Canyon Fire threaten a neighborhood on Monday in Corona, California

Brave: A firefighter is enveloped in smoke as the Canyon Fire burns in the hills surrounding a neighborhood

Flames and embers swirl around a firefighter battling the Canyon Fire from the garden of a home threatened by the blaze

The Canyon Fire burns hillsides above houses in Corona as street lights illuminate the roads where residents are evacuated

Cyclists in the hills stop on at a viewpoint to admire the awesome natural display put on by the flames and smoke

The fire tore through the hills, decimating everything in its path as trees were overcome by the intense heat

The fire charred about 1,500 acres by Monday evening, triggering mandatory evacuations for more than a thousand residents
Indiana has the largest, single private school voucher program in the country. And the six-year-old program has gotten a lot of national attention lately with the Trump administrations embrace of the policy idea.

But in spite of that high profile, many Hoosier families are not aware that the state even has a voucher program , according to a new survey by EdChoice, a pro-school choice advocacy and research group.

That finding echoes a larger national poll from earlier this year and raises some interesting policy implications.

What EdChoice Found:

Thirty-four percent of the public and private school parents surveyed in Indiana said they have not considered applying for state aid to send their children to private school because they hadnt heard of either of the two programs the state offers.

That number jumped even higher to 51 percent among low-income parents with children in district schools, some of them the very families that these programs initially set out to target.

Indianas voucher program gives low- and middle- income families public money to spend at a private school, including religous schools. The other program gives large tax-credits to individuals who donate money for scholarships to low- and middle-income students to attend private school.

Explainer: What Are School Vouchers and How Do They Work?

A little over 3,500 parents responded to the online survey. EdChoice says that its sample is not representative. That said, what the EdChoice poll found is somewhat similar to the findings from a May survey by AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research .

That nationally representative poll found that 66 percent of the country had heard little or nothing about school vouchers.

Although the numbers are pretty different34 percent compared to 66 percentin both cases, pollsters were surprised by how many people were unfamiliar with vouchers at a time when the policy is arguably getting the most intense national exposure its ever had.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then Republican candidate Donald Trump pledged to spend an unprecedented $20 billion on a federal school choice initiative. After taking office he selected Betsy DeVos, best known as a billionaire who had long been an influential philanthropic backer of school choice, to lead the U.S. Department of Education. However, Trumps school choice proposals appear to have hit a dead end in Congress.

This was the first year that EdChoice asked Indiana families whether they knew about the states voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs, so we dont know if this number has been changing over time.

What does this mean for school choice advocates?

I put that question to Betsy Wiley, the president and CEO of the Institute for Quality Education , an advocacy group in Indiana that promotes expanding private school choice in the state.

It definitely provides challenges, Wiley said. When families dont know about them and arent talking about the benefits of them, its that much more difficult to make your case to lawmakers.

Wiley went on to say that she thinks the tax-credit scholarship program has had more success with promoting itself than the voucher program. She chalked that up to two possible reasons.

First, tax-credit scholarships are administered by nonprofit groups called scholarship granting organizations, and those groups have been very active in engaging parents in advocating for the program and promoting it to policymakers and beyond. The voucher program, on the other hand, is administered by the state department of education.

Secondly, the voucher program is bigger and therefore a larger target, said Wiley.

Certainly, there is a lot of negative media attention and pushback from the teachers union, she said.

The EdChoice survey also asked those families who are using vouchers and tax-credit scholarships how they learned about the programs. The three top answers? Friends. Family. And church.

Related stories:

Graph from Why Indiana Parents Choose: A Cross-Sector Survey of Parents Views in a Robust School Choice Environment 
Dr Edward Gonzales-Gomez, pictured leaving a hearing in Manchester yesterday, allegedly manhandled the 49-year-old man's penis

A GP touched a bus driver's penis and gave him an unwarranted prostate examination during a routine physical examination, a tribunal has heard.

Dr Edward Gonzales-Gomez, 46, of Hackney, East London, allegedly manhandled the 49-year-old man's penis and checked out his prostate area.

The family doctor is said to have been asked to provide a medical report about the driver for Transport for London and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

During the examinations, GP Gonzales-Gomez allegedly examined the Portuguese patient's prostate for ten minutes - yet failed to say why he was carrying out the procedures.

He also failed to record details of the meeting or offer him a chaperone, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing in Manchester was told.

Gonzales-Gomez, who has almost 17 years' experience practising medicine in Britain, said he could not recall the consultation but a rectal examination would have been 'necessary.'

The alleged encounter occurred in June 2015 when the Portuguese man who spoke little English attended the Monteiro Clinic in Clapham, South London, to get a medical assessment for his 'Group Two' licence which would enable him to drive lorries or buses.

The man, known as Patient A, told the hearing: 'I remember Dr Gonzalez-Gomez asking me some basic questions like if I was diabetic.

Gonzales-Gomez, who has almost 17 years' experience practising medicine in Britain, said he could not recall the consultation but a rectal examination would have been 'necessary'

'He also took my blood pressure and weighed me and then I remember Dr Gonzalez-Gomez asking whether I have ever had a prostate exam before.

'I said "yes" and he asked how long ago. I told Dr Gonzalez-Gomez that my GP had said that I should have a blood test next time and not the physical prostate exam.

'But Dr Gonzalez-Gomez said that blood tests were not enough to check for prostate cancer and that it is still best to do an exam.

'My niece is a doctor in Brazil and she has also said this to me in the past so I agreed with Dr Gonzalez-Gomez and said I would have the exam.

'After examining my penis and stomach, Dr Gonzalez-Gomez then asked me to bend my knees upwards, in the same kind of position that a woman would have a pelvic exam.

'The first time that I had a prostate exam I did feel uncomfortable and vulnerable because I didn't know what to expect but this time I felt fine about having it done.

'However, at no point did Dr Gonzalez Gomez explain to me what he was going to do. Dr Gonzalez-Gomez didn't say anything to me during the exam.

'I felt that Dr Gonzalez-Gomez had been very calm up until this point and he then became agitated, in a rush and uncomfortable. He then replied "just a little bit more".'

Location: The alleged encounter occurred in June 2015 when the Portuguese man attended the Monteiro Clinic in Clapham, South London, to get a medical assessment

But Gonzales-Gomez, who denies sexually motivated misconduct, said: 'I don't remember the specific consultation. I saw 34 patients that day and two had prostate examinations.

'But Patient A came to get the two forms completed by a doctor and although I have no recollection of what he told me at all during the consultation, I would have been reliant on what he told me about his history.

'Usually I would use slides to show where the prostate is, explain that it's uncomfortable but only lasts a few seconds. I would usually offer a chaperone and would always use the screen. I would not be handling the penis.

'I don't remember whether I did or not offer a chaperone. There was no chaperone in the room and I didn't record anything about a chaperone. I don't remember the patient saying he was in pain and asking how long it would take.

'I don't regularly do rectal examinations when people are there for taxi driver forms to be filled out - it would be very rare. I have no recollection of what Patient A said or why I did one. Patient A may say I handled his penis but I have no recollection of it.

'There was no issue when I examined the prostate - there was no reason this should have taken more than seconds - it would be at the most 10 seconds unless I was not sure about something.

'My actions towards this patient was not sexually motivated, it was a perfectly normal consultation there was no pain or discomfort.

'It was a busy afternoon, I had to complete two forms that are quite long. I always allow the patient to have some privacy.'

The hearing continues.
Jeremy Corbyn has refused to rule out unilaterally scrapping Britain's nuclear weapons and said he might not militarily defend Nato allies if he was Prime Minister.

The Labour leader said he wants to see the arms ditched 'as quickly as possible' and he is 'totally on the case' to abolish them.

And he heavily hinted that he would be unwilling to send tanks and troops in to help our Nato allies in a war, might just give diplomatic or economic 'solidarity' instead.

Mr Corbyn made the case for Britain to dramatically draw down its military might amid fears the world is on the brink of war as tensions between North Korea and the US flare.

Jeremy Corbyn, pictured at the Labour Party conference yesterday, said he wants a nuclear free world and raised serous questions over his willingness to come to the military support of Britain's Nato allies if he is PM

His comments risk reopening deep splits in his party over its stance on Britain's Trident deterrent, which Labour officially backs despite Mr Corbyn's personal opposition.

And they will alarm Britain's Nato allies, particularly in Eastern Europe where Russia is showing renewed signs of aggression and has recently carried out its biggest military manouvres since Soviet times.

Mr Corbyn has spent his entire political career campaigning against nuclear weapons and his views are far more pacifist than most of his MPs and union backers.

In an interview with CNN aired during his party's conference, Mr Corbyn said the growing risk of a devastating nuclear war between the US and North Korea is a case for ditching the weapons altogether.

He said: 'I think the tragedy in all this is that Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have been using sirens to talk to each other.

'And the language is getting worse and worse and the threats are getting worse and worse. I think it's wholly wrong that North Korea develops nuclear weapons.

'I would hope the UN would ask for cessation of the verbal hostilities and ask the general secretary to speak directly to Trump, directly to Kim Jong Un and try and wind down the rhetoric.

'Because if anybody, anybody fires off any weapon of mass destruction, a nuclear weapon, against anybody, it won't stop at national borders.'

The Labour leader said he wants to live in a 'nuclear free world' and wants swift 'multilateral disarmament'.

'But it has got to be now, it has got to be urgent and it's got to be, I think, through the UN', he added.

Pressed on his own nuclear policy, Mr Corbyn said Labour's manifesto commitment was to 'work for a nuclear-free world'.

He continued: 'We haven't written the manifesto for the next election yet. But that was what was in the manifesto in which we just gained nearly 13 million votes. But we're very clear - very, very clear - that nuclear weapons really must be negotiated away as quickly as possible.

There are growing fears the world could be plunged into war as the tensions between the US and North Korea are ratcheted up

'Look at the danger now with very small-scale nuclear weapons in North Korea. And obviously incredibly powerful nuclear weapons held by the United States.

'We have to wind down the rhetoric quickly. And now and as a member of the Security Council, Britain obviously has a contribution and a part to play in that.'

The Labour leader, who has spent his long career in Parliament voting against foreign intervention, also cast serious doubts over his willingness to militarily help Britain's closest allies.

He suggested the Nato alliance - the foundation of world security and peace after the Second World War - should not mean militarily support.

He said: 'The Nato charter asks for acts of solidarity and support. It is not necessarily military; it can be diplomatic. It can be economic. It can be a lot of things.'

Mr Corbyn called for dialogue to 'de-intensify the stress' on the borders between Nato and Russia.
Dennis the Menace is returning to our screens but with fewer visual references to Britain.

Dennis and his faithful dog Gnasher will appear in a new CBBC series called Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed.

The 52-part series of 11-minute episodes, which will air later this year, will see the 10-year-old Dennis given a 21st Century makeover.

Animators have been told to keep familiar British sights, such as red telephone boxes and pillar boxes, to a minimum to increase the chances of the series being bought by foreign broadcasters.

It's also hoped stripping back on Britishness will appeal to more children from overseas.

Dennis is returning to our screens later this year but with fewer visual references to Britain

Dennis and his faithful dog will appear in a CBBC series called Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed

The 'national neutrality' approach was revealed by Denis-Jose Francois, head of 3D at Jellyfish Animation, the company commissioned by Beano Studios to create the upcoming series.

He told the trade magazine Broadcast: 'You safeguard yourself against international sales by avoiding things that are idiosyncratic to one particular country.

'That's quite a hurdle for us, because obviously Beanotown is meant to be somewhere in England and there are characteristic things from the comic we've had to scale back on, like British post boxes and telephone boxes.

'You have to try to neutralise it as much as you can while retaining its original British feel.'

Dennis will no longer appear with his weapon of choice, the catapult, and pea shooter

Dennis will also appear without his trademark catapult and he is joined by two female friends 'JJ' and 'Rubi', who uses a wheelchair.

Dennis's nemesis Walter - who tries to stop the gang having fun - is no longer a 'softy' but a sneaky teacher's pet.

Alison Gardner, 65, daughter of Dennis' creator David Law, said it would be 'odd' for the new series to be shown without familiar British objects, but said her father would be 'tickled pink' that more children would be introduced to his characters.

A drawing from the 1990s of Dennis the Menace with Gnasher - the new series will take a 'national neutrality' direction

Michael Elson, executive producer of the series at Beano Studios, said: 'We have taken great care to preserve the fundamental essence of Dennis in the new series in lots of different ways.

'The audience will recognise the battle against soggy school dinners and boring school rules.'

Previous series, the last of which aired in 2013 on the BBC, showed Dennis only in 2D.

The 52-part series will see 10-year-old Dennis 'aged up a bit' visually in his latest makeover.
Labour's Owen Smith (file image) claimed Northern Ireland should stay in the EU and people could become Irish to resolve difficulties over Brexit

Labour's Owen Smith claimed Northern Ireland should stay in the EU and people could become Irish to resolve difficulties over Brexit, it emerged today.

The shadow Northern Ireland Secretary made the extraordinary intervention on the fringes of the Labour conference last night.

It will infuriate unionists determined to keep Northern Ireland part of Britain.

Resolving how the Irish border will work after Brexit is one of the biggest challenges facing negotiators in London and Brussels.

The Ireland-Northern Ireland border is Britain's only land link with the EU and while both sides say it should remain open there is an impasse over how to manage immigration and customs.

Mr Smith warned that Northern Ireland's 'unique circumstances' would have to be reflected in a 'unique and imaginative' solution to the problem of avoiding border checks.

He told the meeting: 'What I am increasingly convinced of myself is we will need . . . to be much more imaginative and much more concrete in what we offer.

'Does it mean Northern Ireland needs to remain within the EU and as part of Britain, and with people being able to identify within Northern Ireland as Irish?

'I think that is the space we need to be in. I do not see another solution that allows for a different outcome.'

Theresa May hosted the Irish premier in No 10 yesterday and insisted again that a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic after Brexit would be 'unacceptable'.

The PM and Leo Varadkar discussed the prospects for a deal at No10 - with the Taoiseach saying he believed progress was 'possible'.

Mr Varadkar is the first EU leader to visit Mrs May since her crucial speech in Florence last week, where she made a series of concessions in a bid to kickstart talks with the EU.

The PM and Leo Varadkar discussed the prospects for a Brexit deal at No10 yesterday - with the Taoiseach saying he believed progress was 'possible'

After the meeting, a Downing Street spokesman said the leaders had stressed the importance of maintaining the fluid border and sticking to the Good Friday Agreement.

'On the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, the Prime Minister reaffirmed how we will not accept any physical infrastructure at the border and how we are working on delivering a practical solution that allows for the most seamless possible movement of goods between the UK and EU,' the spokesman said.

'The Prime Minister thanked the Taoiseach for his welcome of her Florence speech and they discussed the period of implementation which would enable people and businesses  both in the UK and in the EU  to adjust to the new arrangements in a smooth and orderly way.'

Speaking as he left No10, Mr Varadkar said 'at this stage' he could not say sufficient progress had been made on the border issue to clear the first stage of talks with the EU.

But he did say it was 'possible' a solution could be found by an October deadline - when EU leaders will asses whether they believe the threshold has been met on the Northern Ireland border, divorce settlement and citizen's rights.
A seven-month-old girl who drowned last week was the subject of two child protection notifications about her 'addict' mother.

The baby girl drowned in the care of her mother in Launceston, Tasmania, on September 19 - just a week after she was visited by a child health nurse.

Police investigating her death raided Child Safety Service offices on Tuesday, the same day as the little girl's funeral, armed with a search warrant.

Concerns were first raised about the baby's welfare on September 7 and again on September 12, according to Tasmanian Human Services Minister Jacquie Petrusma.

Police raided Child Safety Service offices in Launceston while investigating the drowning of a seven-month-old girl

'An assessment was actively being undertaken,' she said.

'I am advised the parent and baby were last visited by a child health nurse on September 11, 2017.'

Tasmanian Greens Leader Cassy O'Connor slammed CSS' resourcing, prioritisation of at-risk children, and investigations

'My understanding is that the notifications were made of a concern about the mother's addiction,' she told the ABC.

Tasmanian Police said detectives were investigating the death and would prepare a report for the coroner.

'It is standard procedure in such an investigation that records are sought from a number of relevant agencies,' it said.

'This procedure is undertaken with the full cooperation of the agencies.'

No charges have yet been laid.
Nigel Farage addressed crowds in Alabama on Monday in support of Roy Moore, a gay marriage opponent

Nigel Farage hit out at 'violent left-wing protesters' as he backed a controversial US political candidate who once said 'homosexual conduct' should be illegal.

The ex-UKIP leader joined ousted White House strategist Steve Bannon to address crowds in Alabama on Monday in support of Roy Moore, a gay marriage opponent.

The Brexit campaigner railed against the 'liberal media' during his pledge of support for Mr Moore, who is running for a Republican nomination for the US Senate.

The judge's track record includes comments in a debate on Thursday that American values had been undermined by 'abortion, sodomy [and] sexual perversion'.

And in a speech claiming only God could unify public divisions, he used the historic slurs of 'reds and yellows', the former an outdated term for Native Americans and the latter a derogatory 19th-century term for Asian immigrants.

Mr Moore also said during an interview in 2005 that 'homosexual conduct' should be illegal.

Ousted White House strategist Steve Bannon, left, is also backing the controversial judge, who in a 2005 interview called on 'homosexual conduct' to be outlawed

Mr Farage, a long-term ally of the US president, has broken with Mr Trump in backing Mr Moore

Mr Farage told the crowds: 'I have absolutely no hesitation in putting my support and my backing behind a man like judge Roy Moore, who has shown in his career that he will always put principle before his own career advancement.'

The British politician also criticised 'nasty protesters' who he accused of wanting to 're-write history' by destroying statues of historical figures.

US president Donald Trump received criticism from across the political spectrum after he blamed 'many sides' for violence at a far-right-led rally in Charlottesville.

Protesters, some wearing Nazi swastikas, protested against the planned removal of a statue of Confederate leader Robert E. Lee.

Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a car ploughed into anti-fascist counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Mr Trump took two days to criticise hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan by name for the August 12 violence.

Mr Farage said: 'There are others on the left who are turning increasingly away from democratic process and towards violent, unpleasant, nasty protest.

'We see some on the left who now even want to re-write history, tear down statues and pretend we are different people to who we are.'

Mr Farage told the crowds: 'I have absolutely no hesitation in putting my support and my backing behind a man like judge Roy Moore'

Mr Farage, a long-term ally of the US president, has broken with Mr Trump in backing Mr Moore.

The pair have enjoyed a close relationship, with Mr Farage becoming the first British politician to meet the President after he was elected.

Mr Trump also threw his weight behind the ex-UKIP leader by backing him to become British ambassador to the US as he would be 'great' at the job.

Despite opting for a different candidate Mr Farage had warm words for Mr Trump during his speech in Alabama.

He hit out at the Republican establishment for acting as an 'enemy within' by trying to thwart the President's agenda.

'Our problem, is that so many people who are part of the conservative movement on both sides of the pond are in fact career politicians dominated by what is in their own interests,' he said.

'They know the closer they stand to the big banks, international corporations and their friends in the media the better their career will be.

'We have a problem with Brexit in that many in the Conservative party, despite being elected on a ticket of delivering Brexit, now seek to delay it, water it down and pretend it never happened.

'You in America have the same problem with members of congress elected on the Republican ticket doing their damnedest to stop the President getting his agenda through. It is an enemy within.'

The President has campaigned for the incumbent Luther Strange, pictured, as has vice president Mike Pence. The pair are pictured at a rally in Alabama on September 25

Mr Moore, a former judge, was twice removed as Alabama's chief justice by an ethics panel.

On the first instance, he defied an order to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from a judicial building.

The second time, he allegedly urged colleagues to not grant marriage licences to homosexual couples.

The President has campaigned for the incumbent Luther Strange, as has vice president Mike Pence.
Jimmy Kimmel has celebrated the likely end of the Obamacare repeal bill on his late night talk show as his wife told Twitter trolls to 'beat it.'

Kimmel has been vocal in his opposition to the Graham-Cassidy bill and efforts to repeal Obamacare since his son, Billy, underwent open-heart surgery due to a congenital defect just hours after he was born on April 21.

Thanking Senator Susan Collins from Maine for her opposition, Kimmel said: 'This bill is almost certainly dead or at the very least it's on life support... which isn't covered.'

Jimmy Kimmel has celebrated the likely end of the Obamacare repeal bill on his late night talk show as his wife told nasty Twitter trolls to 'beat it'

Kimmel has been vocal in his opposition to the Graham-Cassidy bill and efforts to repeal Obamacare since his son, Billy, underwent open-heart surgery due to a congenital heart defect just hours after he was born on April 21

He added: 'On Friday, common sense and decency prevailed when Senator John McCain of Arizona rode in and pulled a Red Wedding on this thing.

'This is one of the rare moments where we actually needed Congress to do nothing, which is what they're really good at by the way.'

'The truth is, John McCain probably saved the Republican Party by doing this,' said Kimmel.

'Because if you think Graham-Cassidy is unpopular now, wait until people have to live with it. Or not live with it.'

Responding to criticism that he has 'politicized' his son's health issues and has been working with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to oppose any repeal, Kimmel joked: 'I think I need to come clean. Here's what happened: My wife and I were worried about health care.

'We didn't like what the Republicans were doing, so we decided to have a baby with congenital heart defects.

This came as Kimmel's wife Molly McNearney, who is the co-head writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, hit out at vicious trolls on Twitter

She said on social media: 'My baby has a hole in his heart. My dad lives in Puerto Rico. If you think a nasty tweet will shake me, you are mistaken. Beat it, trolls'

Pictured, Kimmel's son Billy pictured in hospital soon after he was born with a congenital heart defect

Responding to criticism that he has 'politicized' his son's health issues, Kimmel joked: 'I think I need to come clean. Here's what happened: My wife and I were worried about health care'

'And then once we had that going for us, I went on TV, I spoke out and we may have stopped Cassidy-Graham. I still can't believe we pulled it off, but we did. It's amazing, isn't it?'

'The best news is now I can go back to talking about the Kardashians,' said Kimmel. 'You guys, Kylies pregnant!'

This came as Kimmel's wife Molly McNearney, who is the co-head writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, hit out at trolls on Twitter.

She said on social media: 'My baby has a hole in his heart. My dad lives in Puerto Rico. If you think a nasty tweet will shake me, you are mistaken. Beat it, trolls.'

Senator Susan Collins rebuffed intense lobbying from fellow Republicans and the promise of money for her state in deciding on Monday to oppose her party's last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare.

The most moderate of Republican senators joined John McCain and Rand Paul in rejecting the bill to end Obamacare.

Senator Susan Collins rebuffed intense lobbying from fellow Republicans and the promise of money for her state in deciding on Monday to oppose her party's last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare

Kimmel added: 'On Friday, common sense and decency prevailed when Senator John McCain of Arizona rode in and pulled a Red Wedding on this thing'

It was a major blow for President Donald Trump who has made undoing Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law a top priority since the 2016 campaign and who pressured Collins in a call on Monday.

The bill's sweeping cut in funding to Medicaid was her top reason for opposing the bill, said Collins, from Maine where 20 per cent of the population depend on the program.

'To take a program that has been law for more than 50 years, and make those kinds of fundamental structural changes ... and to do so without having in depth hearings to evaluate the impact on our most vulnerable citizens was unacceptable,' Collins said outside the Senate chambers.

She also opposed the bill for weakening protections for people with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma, cancer and diabetes.

Collins' decision came even after the sponsors of the bill, Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, offered a boost in federal health care funds of 43 percent for Maine and benefits for states with other undecided senators.

Republicans have vowed to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, since it was passed in 2010. Pictured, Sen. Lindsey Graham (centre) leaves after testifying before the Senate Finance Committee

Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate and are up against a tight September 30 deadline to pass a bill with a simple majority, instead of the 60-vote threshold needed for most measures. Pictured, Senate Finance Committee member Sen. Bill Cassidy (left) listens to fellow pannelists and witnesses during a hearing

Republicans have vowed to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, since it was passed in 2010.

While it extended health insurance to some 20 million Americans, they believe it is an unwarranted and costly government intrusion into healthcare, while also opposing taxes it imposed on the wealthy.

Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate and are up against a tight September 30 deadline to pass a bill with a simple majority, instead of the 60-vote threshold needed for most measures.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wanted to hold a vote this week, but it is not clear he will do so now that three senators have said they will cast 'no' votes.

Graham dismissed notions that the bill was the last chance for Republicans to get rid of Obamacare and pledged to keep working on the legislation.
Ian McLaughlin has been jailed for seven years for stabbing Craig Guy during supposed 'banter' after a party

A fantasist who falsely claimed to be a war veteran who had cancer has been jailed for seven years for stabbing his friend to death in so-called 'army banter'.

Ian McLaughlin claimed he was a a decorated paratrooper who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan but was taken prisoner. He said he left the army after sustaining an injury in battle.

In fact, he joined the forces as a driver and lasted only 13 months before leaving due to his poor performance. He spent his whole time at his base in Wiltshire.

His jailing came after he claimed to friends at Catterick Garrison who were also former soldiers that he only had six months to live and organised a get-together.

During the bash, father-of-one Craig Guy was said to have 'dared' McLaughlin to use the 12cm-bladed kitchen knife on him.

Others at the gathering said the victim was still standing and laughing after being stabbed, and told McLaughlin: 'Thank you mate, I've got real respect for you.'

He then collapsed and emergency services were called while the men there tried to revive Craig, with McLaughlin attempting resuscitation when police arrived.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lumley, QC, told Teesside Crown Court : 'An exchange that was described by all the witnesses as being 'banter' between the two then took place, in the course of which Craig Guy 'dared' the defendant to stab him, handing him the knife and saying 'go on then'.

'One witness in the room has it 'Craig held his chest putting his hands up to the wound, then I saw some blood. Craig was still stood up and laughing, and said "good crack". It was weird'.

'Another gave a similar description, saying 'It was strange. Craig seemed quite joyous about it and even shook Ian's hand. It appeared to be a laugh and a joke'.'

The incident happened at The Beacon, a centre for Army veterans at the Catterick Garrison

McLaughlin, of Catterick, claimed had intended only to 'tap or prick' his friend's chest.

In a heartbreaking statement, the victim's father John said: 'I don't think we will ever be able to come to terms with his loss, and I know we will never be able to understand why he was taken in such tragic circumstances by a man he called a friend.'

He also told how Craig's five-year-old son asks at bedtime: 'Where is my daddy. Why is he with the angels?'

The court case heard that serial liar McLaughlin had previously told his wife that he had Parkinson's Disease when she discovered he had had an affair, and after later leaving her and their daughter, claimed to have cancer.

Mr Guy's father said they could not understand how someone his son called a friend could have taken his life

Prosecutor Mr Lumley said: 'He was, and remains, an habitual liar.'

Richard Wright, QC, defending, told the court: 'What occurred was a terribly misjudged episode of wholly inappropriate horseplay, no doubt clouded by a significant amount of drink the defendant had taken.

'Nobody foresaw - those watching or the defendant - that there was going to be any significant risk to the deceased.

'It happened so quickly, and in such exceptional circumstances that everybody was taken aback by the terrible consequences.'

McLaughlin admitted manslaughter and was jailed for seven years and four months.

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC, told McLaughlin: 'By your act, you have deprived loving parents of their son, a son of his father and a sister of her brother.

'You have devastated their lives, and those of Craig's extended family and many friends. No sentence I can pass will even begin to compensate them for their loss.

'They may never recover from their loss. Only you know how you will come to terms with what you have done, but I suspect you will spend more of your time thinking of yourself rather than others.

'You have repeatedly claimed that you have killed your best friend and any punishment I impose will be transient in comparison to their loss. It is permanent.

'You may not have intended to have killed him or caused him grievous bodily harm, but certain it is that before and after that dreadful act, you behaved in an utterly self-indulgent manner.'
An Austrian woman has been convicted of spreading Nazi propaganda after she shared a picture of a 'Nazipan' swastika cake on WhatsApp.

The doctored image shows a cake with a swastika sponge pattern, made with 'real German Panzer chocolate' that 'can contain traces of racism'.

The unnamed 41-year-old from Linz was found guilty of 're-engagement in National Socialist activities' under Austria's strict anti-Nazi laws, and given a 12-month suspended sentence.

The third rise: The 41-year-old shared this doctored image of a 'Nazipantorte' where the sponge has a swastika and comes with a warning that it 'could contain traces of racism'

The image the woman shared shows a fake cake-box, advertising a 'Nazipantorte' with white icing and a black pattern, and a texts reads: 'With real Nazipan and German Panzer chocolate.'

The famous Dr Oetker logo was changed to show the name of Dr Ogen instead, with the German word 'drogen' meaning 'drugs' in English.

According to the prosecutor, it was not the first time that the woman sent some bizarre Nazi images to her friends. She previously sent a picture of a baby with a Hitler moustache and haircut in 2015 and 2016.

Bad egg: A German pensioner was fined in May for posting this picture of 'Nazi eggs'

On social media she also posted comments such as 'Heil 88' (with '88' standing for 'HH' or Heil Hitler) as well as an image of a Nazi flag.

The court deemed her guilty on 're-engagement in National Socialist activities', which is a crime under Austria's strict anti-Nazi laws.

Linz district court spokeswoman Margit Kreuzer said: 'She was found guilty of almost all charges.'

It was not the first time picturing Nazi imagery on food items has led to a remarkable court case in Austria or Germany, both countries having drafted strict anti-Nazi laws after World War II to prevent a potential resurgence of National-Socialism.

In May, a German grandmother was convicted by a judge for posting a picture of Easter eggs painted with swastikas and SS symbols.

The pensioner, who was only identified as 70-year-old Margit H., was sentenced to a fine of 750 EUR (660 ) by a court in Dresden, a city in the Eastern German state of Saxony.

She posted a picture of a basket full of Easter eggs, containing ten eggs painted in red or black, and sent it to her friends over social media.

They sported all kinds of Nazi or neo-Nazi symbols like a swastika and the rune symbol of the Nazi paramilitary SS.
Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone says there is 'not one shred of evidence' that he was involved with Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Stone is defending himself in a lengthy and combative statement released ahead of a closed-door appearance before the House intelligence committee Tuesday. He has also released a series of supporting documents, including direct messages he exchanged with Guccifer 2.0, the unnamed hacker who has taken credit for breaking into Democratic National Committee email servers.

'While some may label me a dirty trickster, the members of this committee could not point to any tactic that is outside the accepted norms of what political strategists and consultants do today. I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support,' Stone said in the prepared statement. 'There is one "trick" that is not in my bag and that is treason.'

Political consultant Roger Stone, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, arrives to appear before a closed House Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 26, 2017

Stone, a Republican strategist who has known Trump for many years and informally advised him during the 2016 campaign, also denies he had advance knowledge of the leak of former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails and says he never colluded with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He has long denied that he worked with Russian officials to influence the presidential election.

'I recognize that those who believe that there was collusion between the Trump camp and the Russian state, now say Stone, 'MUST HAVE' been involved, but that is not based on one shred of evidence,' Stone writes. 'This is nothing more than conjecture, supposition, projection, allegation, and coincidence, none of it proven by evidence or fact.'

Stone's interview comes as the House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into the Russian meddling and possible links to Trump's campaign. Stone has been part of the investigation partly because he has said he communicated during the presidential campaign with Guccifer 2.0.

Stone is, for the first time, releasing those communications, which he says are 'innocuous.'

The direct messages on Twitter, exchanged over a monthlong period, show Stone first congratulating Guccifer for being reinstated on Twitter after he was kicked off, and asking that the account retweet a tweet about how the election could be rigged against Trump.

Guccifer writes, 'I'm pleased to say that u r great man .... please tell me if I can help u anyhow.'

Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Washington. Stone says there is "not one shred of evidence" that he was involved with Russian interference in the 2016 election

Stone said he was kept apprised of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's plans to release emails by a journalist he said served as an 'intermediary'

Special counsel Robert Mueller departs after a closed-door meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee about Russian meddling in the election and possible connection to the Trump campaign

Stone tweeted in August 2016 that Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta would soon face 'time in the barrel.' WikiLeaks released the hacked emails in October

In this March 30, 2017, file photo, Roger Stone talks to reporters outside a courtroom in New York. The House intelligence panel will interview two of President Donald Trump's associates behind closed doors this week as congressional committees step up their investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election

Stone doesn't respond again until several weeks later, when Guccifer asks him about an article on a Democratic turnout model. Stone replies 'pretty standard.'

On WikiLeaks, Stone said he was kept apprised of Assange's plans to release emails by a journalist he said served as an 'intermediary.' He did not name the journalist.

His statement is heavy on criticism for California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, who suggested in March that Stone had a direct line to Russian hackers based on Stone's tweet 'it will soon be the Podesta's time in the barrel.' Several weeks later, Assange released Podesta's hacked emails.

Stone says that tweet had nothing to do with the release of emails, but was out of frustration after Podesta's counterpart on the Trump campaign, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, resigned.

'Shame on you, Mr. Schiff,' he writes.

Stone has been outspoken in his own defense and asked for his House appearance to be public. But he said the House panel insisted on holding the session behind closed doors.

As his statement was released, Stone held court with about five dozen supporters at the Trump Hotel Monday night, taking photos with the group and offering the Nixon 'V'' victory sign at one point. He also repeated his criticism of the panel's top Democrat, saying the committee is 'full of Schiff.'

The House panel will also interview former Trump staffer Boris Epshteyn this week, according to a source familiar with the interview. The person declined to be named because the panel's meetings are private.

Epshteyn, who grew up in Moscow, worked a short time in the White House press office. He left in March and now works as a political analyst for right-leaning Sinclair Broadcasting.

The interviews come as the House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into the meddling and scrutinizing the spread of false news stories and propaganda on social media. The Senate intelligence committee will speak to officials from Twitter Thursday, also behind closed doors.
Instead of submitting a series of waiver requests it had been preparing, Floridas department of education last week turned in an accountability plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act that fails to include provisions required under the law that deal with testing, English-language learners, and achievement gaps.

The state is gambling that U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will allow for Florida to bypass mandates to identify schools with significant achievement gaps between student subgroups; include ELL students proficiency scores in the states accountability system; and provide some students the state assessment in their native language. (Florida doesnt want to do any of the above).

Advocates for the states large Hispanic, black and ELL population call the plan submitted to the U.S. Department of Education illegal and an afront to the spirit of the law, which aims to close the nations achievement gap and assure poor and minority students equal access to a quality education. They have in recent weeks mobilized for the federal government to reject the plan and sent the states congressional delegation a petition signed by more than 90 state civil rights and ELL organizations.

The Florida education departments communication team, which has been tight-lipped to the media about its ESSA planning process and thinking, said in an e-mail to Education Week that the state is confident the plan will pass scrutiny with DeVos. A spokeswoman for the state agency didnt comment specifically on why the department decided not to follow through on draft waiver requests allowing the state to avoid those requirements.

DeVos has now approved at least two states plans with no waivers attached that dont comply with the law, according to many policy analysts. Connecticuts plan was approved even though it incorporates English-language proficiency into the academic growth component of its plan rather than as a seperate component as required by ESSA. And Tennessees plan was approved although it folds several minority groups into one category despite the laws bar on the use of so-called super-subgroups.

Similarly, DeVos said in an interview with Education Week that, regarding ESSA, states should not ... err on the side of caution, but to really push and go up to the line, test how far it takes to go over it. "

Originally, Florida planned to ask DeVos for several waivers from large swaths of the law. Obtaining a waiver from the law is a cumbersome and contentious process that can lead to years of state vs. federal battles, as several did under the No Child Left Behind Act, ESSAs predecessor. Some states submitted still-to-be-approved waivers to the Education Department along with their ESSA plans, none of them as extensive as Floridas.

But in the waning days of its planning process, Florida apparently took the language from its waiver requests and pasted it into the plan itself.

In its plan , the state says that assessments in students native language would impede students ability to demonstrate their knowledge and that accountability systems focused on minority subgroups takes attention away from students most in need of assistance.

Local and national civil rights advocates fear Floridas plan could set a disturbing precedent for other states. Thats why theyve made known to members of Congres and DeVos that they believe the plan should be turned down.



If I were Betsy DeVos and wanted to keep my job, I would not so offend those who fund my agency and therefore determine my longevity by passing a plan that flies in the face of what they said must be done, said Rosa Castro Feinberg, a spokeswoman for Floridas League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) chapter. These are not iffy things Florida is trying to do. This is black and white and stark requirements of the law.

Nearly one out of every 10 students in Florida classifies as an ELL student, one of the largest such populations in the country. The state is bracing for a wave of more immigrants from Puerto Rico after the recent hurricane that devastated the island.

Statewide, ELL students proficiency rates on math and English/language arts exams has hovered in the single digits. Advocates have for decades complained about the states low standards for ELL teachers , the rapid racial resegregation of schools , and a system that allows students to languish in isolated, underresourced ELL classrooms for years at a time.

Democratic congressional leaders said in a letter last week that DeVos has failed to adequately address several shortcomings in state plans.

Dont miss another State EdWatch post. Sign up here to get news alerts in your email inbox. And make sure to follow @StateEdWatch on Twitter for the latest news from state K-12 policy and politics.
A teenager suffered a pus-oozing wound after she was bitten by a spider while relaxing in her bedroom.

Courtney Thompson, 19, was rushed to hospital by her mother after she was attacked by the spider at her family home in Crawley, Sussex.

She was sent home after her leg was dressed, but the tiny bite quickly developed into a a deep gash.

Courtney Thompson, 19, was rushed to hospital by her mother after she was attacked by the spider at her family home in Crawley, Sussex

Stomach-churning footage shows pus oozing from the deep, infected wound as the teen's dressing is taken off.

Ms Thompson, who suffers from arachnophobia, said: 'I couldn't believe it. I was in shock really, and I think I still am.

'I never knew that we had spiders in the UK that could leave a bite that bad and potentially poison me.

'The hole was making me feel a bit sick but when I went back to have the first dressing taken off it made me really squirm.

'The wound is about two centimeters deep and the size of a 50 pence piece.

I create all these gory looks while practicing my SFX make up and they don't bother me but this was different.

'At least I have some more inspiration for my SFX now.

Ms Thompson said she felt 'sick' when she A&E staff cleaned the wound. Pictured, pus swells up underneath her dressing

'It really made me feel sick. It doesn't hurt, but it was painful when they were clearing all the rubbish out of it.

'I've got a high pain threshold and I even had double hip surgery when I was younger and I think this is worse than that.

'I don't know where the spider came from.

'All I can think is that there was a spider in my room a week or so before the mark appeared.

'I called my mum and asked her to move it as I'm petrified of them but it had disappeared before she got to it.

'I haven't been abroad so it was definitely a spider in the UK that has done this.'

Ms Thompson said she is hopeful that her wound (pictured) will just leave a small scar

Ms Thompson has been back to the hospital three times to have the bite cleaned and all the puss removed from it. She is also on antibiotics to help fight the infection.

Her family have been searching the house to make sure that the spider isn't still lurking in there.

Ms Thompson said: 'I had a red lump on the bottom of my leg and I thought it was nothing.

'After a couple of weeks, it started to sink in a bit and as I am a type one diabetic I knew I needed to go and get it looked at.

Courtney Thompson is studying SFX make-up and joked that her gory wound might help inspire her to create

'I was sent straight to A&E from the doctors and I was told by three nurses and a doctor that I had been bit by a spider and it was infected.

'My first dressing was a plaster that pulled all of the poison and pus out of the wound.

'When they pulled that dressing of it was disgusting.

'They then had to try and pull all the pus out of it, which was very uncomfortable.

'They gave me another dressing and then I went back four days later and had the wound cleaned and redressed again.

'Hopefully if I look after it and get it checked regularly it will heal and just leave a small scar.

'I'm even more petrified of spiders now. I hope if it was the one I saw in my bedroom it has moved on.'
Probe: British Airways has sacked air stewardess Joanne Wickenden for making racist comments about Nigerian passengers in a Snapchat video.

British Airways today sacked a stewardess who posted a racist Snapchat rant attacking Nigerian passengers after she was called in for a two-hour meeting with bosses.

Joanne Wickenden sparked outrage after recording the racist clip in her BA uniform before flying from London Heathrow to Abuja on Friday night.

In a statement today the airline said 'she no longer works for British Airways', adding: 'We expect the utmost professionalism from our staff when they are representing British Airways.'

The 23-year-old, who wants to be an actress, told friends 'I am not a racist' and claimed the sickening video was just a joke.

She told MailOnline: 'I have been framed by another BA employee. They were encouraging me, egging me on to say things. They were recording me and sent it around to our friends.'

She added: 'I don't want to fly anymore.'

A friend said that the other colleague wanted her to impersonate what goes on on the flight.

A source told MailOnline that the video - which was captioned 'I can't cope with this flight' - was circulated among 'horrified' BA cabin crew who are 'very concerned'.

Axed: Ms Wickenden, 23, sparked outrage after recording the racist clip in her BA uniform before flying from London Heathrow to Abuja on Friday night.

Ms Wickenden said: 'I have been framed by another BA employee. They were encouraging me, egging me on to say things. They were recording me and sent it around to our friends.'

The 5ft 11in air hostess, who made the racist film, says she has been single for two years as she boasted about her job on Plenty of Fish.

Another shocked staff member said BA should apologise to its Nigerian passengers.

In the expletive-filled footage, Ms Wickenden said: 'All Nigerians are going to be asking for f****** upgrades' - after claiming the men would need more leg room in an apparent joke about the size of their privates.

During the one-minute clip she also revealed how she was going to deal with passengers on the six-hour flight.

She said: 'Alright, so all of yous are there getting ready for your Friday night, getting in the pre-drinks, you know, as you do.

'And I'm here, getting ready to go to work, put on a yellow life jacket, point out the exits, hand out chicken or beef, what sort of Friday night is this for me?

'The upside is I'm going to Nigeria and there's gonna be bare B**, I'm joking, I'm joking.

All the Nigerians are gonna be there like 'gimme Coca Cola, gimme me beef, why you have no beef left? I want beef.'

Sacked: A source told MailOnline that the video - which was captioned 'I can't cope with this flight' - was circulated among 'horrified' BA cabin crew who are 'very concerned'.

Selfies: Joanne Wickenden posted a series of sultry selfies to the dating website Plenty of Fish and said she 'misses male company'

After shocked crew reported the video to British Airways the airline has launched investigation

'And I'm just gonna be there like, 'Sorry sir, we ran out of beef'.

'All the Nigerians are gonna be there asking for f****** upgrades because they haven't got enough leg room because their B**s are in their way. Big d**** like this swinging from side to side.'

An airline source told MailOnline: 'My friend was horrified. BA has a culture of dealing with things like this internally, she passed it to me because she was concerned that nothing was done.'
Ken Livingstone insisted it was not anti-Semitic for Labour activists to compare supporters of Israel to the Nazis today as the party faced a furious backlash.

The former London mayor, a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, waded into the row by saying that people were just going 'over the top' because they were angry about the treatment of Palestinians.

The comments came as a watchdog warned that Labour must 'do more' to show it is not 'racist', after incendiary details of a party conference fringe event surfaced.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission demanded 'swift action' from the leadership to expel those who make unacceptable remarks.

Jeremy Corbyn, pictured taking a photograph on the Labour conference stage today, is struggling to contain a row over anti-Semitism in the party

Mr Corbyn was interviewed by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg at Labour conference in Brighton today. The journalist has needed a bodyguard after suffering vile trolling from left-wing activists

Ken Livingstone - who is currently suspended from Labour for comments linking Hitler to Zionism - said it was 'wrong' of the activists to compare the state of Israel to the Nazis, but denied it amounted to anti-Semitism

The intervention came as the Labour Party conference floor descended into open warfare as delegates clashed over a motion that would toughen the stance on anti-Semitism.

At a fringe meeting last night activists applauded a speaker who likened supporters of Israel to Nazis.

MIKO PELED: THE ISRAELI AMERICAN INVOLVED IN THE ANTI-SEMITISM ROW The activist embroiled in the Labour anti-Semitism row has described the Israeli regime as 'apartheid' and defended the terror group Hamas. Miko Peled helped spark a political storm when he said people should be free to discuss and criticise 'the Holocaust: yes or no' at a Labour fringe meeting. The Israeli-American activist is the son of the General Matti Peled - a military man who fought for Israel before becoming a peace activist. On his blog, Mr Peled compares the Israel Palestine conflict to Apartheid and says he is 'dedicated to tearing down the separation wall and transforming the Israeli apartheid system into a democratic state with equal rights'. And he has defended the terror group Hamas, who have carried out a number of suicide attacks in Israel. In another blog entry he wrote: 'Hamas was democratically elected to govern. 'It maintains some semblance of a government in the Gaza strip, something they would not be able to do without Iranian money because Israel imposed a siege on the strip, locking its 1.7 million people in an open air prison. 'Hamas is also committed to resistance to the brutal Israeli occupation of Palestine, resistance that is obvious particularly in Gaza. He has said he opposes having a state which is 'exclusively Jewish'. A black belt in karate, he has travelled the world teaching children in refugee camps how to practice the martial art. On his blog he said: 'The State of Israel is an entity that cannot be sustained. 'Half of the population is governed by a radical Zionist regime that sees the struggle for control over the land as a zero sum game, and the other half of the population is governed by the security forces of this Zionist regime.' Advertisement

Another even suggested Labour should be free to debate whether the Holocaust had happened.

Mr Corbyn denied Labour was the 'nasty party' today as he gave a round of broadcast interviews.

'This is the biggest Labour conference we have had for many, many years. Nobody should be abused, whoever they are,' he told Channel 4 News.

'We have just passed a motion on racism and antisemitism, which is comprehensive and inclusive and is supported by all wings of the party and unanimously agreed by our national executive.

'Anyone using antisemitic language, anyone using any form of racist language, is completely at odds with the beliefs of this party.'

Interviewed on TalkRadio, Mr Livingstone - who is currently suspended from Labour for comments linking Hitler to Zionism - said it was 'wrong' of the activists to compare the state of Israel to the Nazis.

He said Israel had not planned to 'exterminate the Palestinians'.

But he added: 'That doesn't mean they are anti-Semitic, it means they are angry about the abuse of the Palestinians.

'It is not anti-Semitism.'

Mr Livingstone accused critics inside and outside the party of 'distorting the scale' of the problems.

'Some people have made offensive comments, it doesn't mean they're inherently anti-Semitic and hate Jews. They just go over the top when they criticise (Israel),' he said.

But equalities watchdog chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath said: 'Anti-semitism is racism and the Labour Party needs to do more to establish that it is not a racist party.

'A zero tolerance approach to anti-Semitism should mean just that. When senior party figures are saying there is a problem then the leadership should take swift action. It is not acceptable to simply say they oppose these views.

'These comments by party members show more needs to be done to root out anti-Semitic views that clearly exist in the party.

'Any suggestion of kicking people out of any political party on the grounds of race or religion should be condemned.'

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson tried to distance the party from the views of the activists at last night's fringe event.

'It is nothing to do with the official Labour party conference. And if there was Holocaust denial there, these people have no right to be in the Labour party, and if they are they should be expelled,' he told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

Mr Corbyn is also facing a row about intimidation of Laura Kuenssberg. The BBC's political editor has been given a bodyguard following threats from Left-wingers at the conference.

In an apparent sign of tensions with the corporation, the leader has not agreed to the traditional conference interview with its flagship Radio 4 Today programme - although he was interviewed by Ms Kuenssberg herself this afternoon.

SHADOW CABINET ROW OVER PLEDGE SEIZE PFI CONTRACTS Jonathan Ashworth, pictured at the Labour Party conference in Brighton, today played down Labour pledge to seize control of PFI contracts if they enter government Labour has backtracked on John McDonnell's pledge to seize back PFI contracts which could cost tens of billions of pounds. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the party will only take 'some' of the controversial public-finance initiative deals back into state hands. Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, Mr Ashworth said only a 'minority' of contracts are causing problems and will be seized under a Labour Government. He added: 'It could take some time. This is not a thing that happens overnight.' The health spokesman scrambled to downplay the policy less than 24 hours after Mr McDonnell made it to the party conference. Mr Ashworth had to deny Mr McDonnell had 'jumped the gun' by announcing it.' Advertisement

Asked about the threats made to the journalist, Mr Corbyn said: 'I don't wish anyone to have to be accompanied by a bodyguard anywhere in our society and certainly not in our conference. I don't want anyone to be abused by anyone.'

A Labour shadow minister yesterday claimed using an ex-soldier for protection was a 'ploy' to demonise hardliners.

Chris Williamson, who is a close ally of Mr Corbyn, refused to say whether party members who abused Miss Kuenssberg should be expelled.

And he questioned whether anyone in Labour was involved, saying: 'People join the Labour Party because they are caring individuals. They are not the sort of people that indulge in intimidation and violence.'

The Labour Party conference descended into open warfare this morning as delegates clashed over whether they should toughen up rules against anti-Semitism.

Mike Katz, a senior member of the Jewish Labour Movement, returned to the conference stage a year after he was heckled to urge delegates to back a change put forward by the party high command to toughen up the rules.

He said it is 'outrageous' there are is nothing in the party rule-book explicitly ruling out the racist abuse.

He said: 'If we want to support another party we are out. But if we want to resort to hate speech, well its not so bad...that's just wrong.'

He said the reform will finally put an end to a'cop out clause' which allows repugnant views to be voiced as long as they are 'sincerely held'.

Mr Katz said: 'Come on conference, is it really OK to say women are inferior or the Holocaust didn't happen?

'We want to see anyone saying that kicked out on their ear.'

Mike Katz, a member of the Jewish Labour movement, returned to the conference stage a year after he was heckled on stage after pleading for tougher action on anti-Semitism to urge his colleagues to back the rule change

In an interview on ITV's GMB this morning, Labour deputy leader Tom Watson tried to distance the party from the views of the activists at last night's fringe event

Mr Katz, who stood for Labour in Hendon in north London, said he had many 'tough conversations' with Jewish voters on the doorstep who had deserted Labour amid concerns at anti-Semitism in the party.

CORBYN SNUBS BBCS TODAY PROGRAMME INTERVIEW AMID SPAT Relations between Jeremy Corbyn and the BBC have reached a new low after he refused to do an interview on the Radio 4 Today programme. Leaders traditionally submit to an extended interview on the flagship show during party conference. But Mr Corbyn did not appear this morning amid a bitter spat over abuse of BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg by left-wing activists. The journalist has been forced to bring a bodyguard to conference in Brighton to ensure her safety after months of vile trolling and threats over her coverage of Labour and Mr Corbyn. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell was reported to have been irritated by his treatment on the Today programme yesterday. However, In an apparent attempt to end the row, Mr Corbyn has given a pre-recorded interview to Ms Kuenssberg this afternoon. Advertisement

And he urged Labour to stop accusing Jewish members of trying to 'weaponise anti-Semitism' and to take action instead.

He said: 'So repairing the once-strong relationship between our party and the Jewish community, where we share so many shared values, is a political imperative as well as a moral one.

'This rule change is about so much more than just anti-Semitism. It'll give us the power to put a stop to the misogyny, the homophobia, the racism that can creep into our party.

'Speaking up against bullying and bigotry - that is our tradition, those are our values, and I want to be able to show the country that those values endure and they're important today as they ever were.

But Leah Levane, from Hastings and Ryle CLP, received a standing ovation when she railed against proposals to change the rule.'

In a fiery speech, she warned it would mean that 'we can treat as anti-Semitism and make that accusation every time we criticise the despicable behaviour of the state of Israel towards the Palestinian people'.

'The Jewish Labour Movement has every right to organise in this Labour Party. The right they do not have is to speak for me, the other Jewish members of Hastings and Rye and many other Jewish Labour members in this place.

'They do not speak for me and part of what we were proposing was to make sure not only on the issue of anti-Semitism... on any issue, that you take a sounding on a wide range of views.'

She stormed off stage to standing ovation and cheers from the activists who were packed into the conference hall.

Leah Leane railed against attempts to toughen up rules against anti-Semitism in the Labour Party before storming of stage to applause by the party's new activists

Mr Corbyn (pictured writing his keynote conference speech for tomorrow) was urged to act after activists applauded panellists at a fringe meeting who likened supporters of Israel to Nazis

Lord Dubs, who escaped the Nazis on a Kindertransport from Prague in the summer of 1939 when he was just six years old, said Mr Corbyn's initial slowness to act against anti-Semitism allowed it to 'fester' in the party.

Lhe Labour peer warned 'you've got to nip these things in the bud immediately', noting 'the Holocaust began with words'.

Lord Dubs said Labour is not anti-Semitic and blamed 'discordant' voices, who made comments allegedly targeting Jews at a fringe event on Monday and on the conference floor on Tuesday, for the controversy.

But speaking to reporters after a Jewish Labour Movement fringe event on refugees, whose rights he has championed, the peer said: 'I think initially the party moved less quickly than it should have done to deal with anti-Semitism, it just moved slowly and I think it's sort of festered a little bit and I think it's been dealt with.'

Andrew Percy, a former Tory minister who has also been the target of anti-Semitic abuse, last night described Labour as the 'new nasty party'.

ACTRESS QUITS LABOUR OVER CULTURE OF ABUSE Award-winning actress Frances Barber has quit Labour over 'misogyny, anti-Semitism and thuggery'. Barber, who has starred in hit series such as Silk, revealed on Twitter that she was cancelling her membership in protest. She said abandoning the party, which she supported at the general election, made her 'deeply sad' but she felt she had not choice. 'Long time coming. Cancelled my LP membership tonight. I can't belong to a party full of misogyny, anti semitism & thuggery. Deeply sad,' she wrote. Advertisement

He said Labour appeared to be in the grip of a 'frightening' cult. 'What we are seeing is really dangerous,' he added. 'The idea that the political editor of the BBC would need a bodyguard to attend the conference of the official opposition should appal all decent people in politics.

'The kind of anti-Semitic abuse we are seeing is also something that has not been part of our political system until the past couple of years.

'There is a cult of personality around Jeremy Corbyn that will not allow any questioning of him or his views.

'It is deeply sinister, nasty and quite frightening. These people are genuinely extreme.' Sheryll Murray, a Tory MP who had swastikas daubed on her general election posters, said: 'From what we've seen today at the Labour conference, it feels like things are getting worse rather than better.

'I worry it's putting good people off from working in politics. It's hardly the kinder, gentler politics that Jeremy Corbyn promised.'

Yesterday's events horrified moderate Labour MPs. Former deputy leader Harriet Harman urged Mr Corbyn to condemn the abuse of Miss Kuenssberg. In a message on Twitter she said: 'Is this from the Left? If it is, it's even worse as the Left is supposed to be for equality and women's rights and online trolls is about silencing women.'

Fellow Labour MP Jess Phillips said: 'Let's clean up our act please. Women's safety is the reason we champion the Uber action for example. Let's walk the walk.'

Senior Labour MPs last night urged Mr Corbyn to take action against rising anti-Semitism in the party.

John Cryer, who is chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, said some social media postings from supporters were 'redolent of the 1930s' and 'made your hair stand on end'. Labour denies building a personality cult around Mr Corbyn.

But criticism of the party leader is so frowned on that senior figures yesterday refused to accept he had even lost the general election.

Senior Labour MPs last night urged Mr Corbyn to take action against rising anti-Semitism in the party

Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite trade union, yesterday rounded on 'traitors' in the party, telling cheering activists at the Brighton conference: 'Let me say this to those merchants of doom, the whingers and the whiners who say we should have done better, we didn't win. I say we did win.'

Cat Smith, a member of the Shadow Cabinet and close ally of Mr Corbyn, said: 'We didn't win the general election, but we didn't lose the general election either.'

Mr Corbyn has previously faced criticism for failing to deal with anti-Semitism  including failure to expel former London mayor and ex-Labour MP Ken Livingstone for claiming that Adolf Hitler supported Zionism.

A Labour spokesman last night said Mr Corbyn was now tightening up the rules on those who make anti-Semitic comments.

He said the party 'condemns anti-Semitism in the strongest possible terms' and 'will not tolerate Holocaust denial'.

Corbynistas' applause for vile anti-Semitic rants amid calls to expel Jewish group

By Daniel Martin, Policy Editor for the Daily Mail

Pro-Corbyn activists applauded speakers who delivered vile anti-Semitic rants at the Labour conference yesterday.

Delegates at a fringe event demanded the expulsion of the Jewish Labour Movement from the party for supporting the state of Israel.

One compared 'Zionists' to the Nazis and claimed it was part of free speech to be able to ask the question: 'Holocaust: yes or no.'

Pro-Corbyn activists applauded speakers who delivered vile anti-Semitic rants at the Labour conference yesterday

The event, which took place outside the main Labour conference venue but was listed in its official handbook, was titled: 'Free speech on Israel: why we oppose the witch hunt.'

Several attendees said claims of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party were part of a plot by the pro-Israel lobby and the Labour right to stop Jeremy Corbyn from becoming prime minister. And some spoke up in favour of former London mayor Ken Livingstone who remains suspended from the party for claiming that Hitler supported Zionism.

The statements exposed that anti-Semitism is still a big problem in Mr Corbyn's party more than a year after he pledged to get to grips with the issue. It came as:

 A leaflet was circulated at the conference from 'Labour Party Marxists' discussing the 'commonality between Zionists and Nazis' and quoting Reinhard Heydrich, the architect of the Final Solution, saying 'National Socialists had no intention of attacking Jewish people'.

'Legal loan shark' backs lending talk Labour was last night accused by its own MPs of letting a 'legal loan shark' to sponsor a lending event at the party's conference. The talk was hosted by Amigo Loans, which charges interest rates of about 50 per cent  about twice that of a typical credit card. Applicants must provide a guarantor, such as a family member, meaning the firm can offer loans to people with terrible credit records who are saddled with debt. Consumer champion Martin Lewis has said the adverts describing its loans as affordable have left him feeling 'slightly sick'. Labour MP Stella Creasy, who called for a crackdown on lending to the vulnerable, said she refused an invitation to the event. She said: 'I can't believe this firm has the gall to run a meeting at the Labour conference on credit scoring and responsible lending.' Fellow Labour MP Wes Streeting said delegates should be under no illusions over the 'exploitative business practices'. But Tory MP Charlie Elphicke said the move 'smacks of rank hypocrisy' by Labour. Amigo said the session was to help consumers with low credit scores. Advertisement

 The chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, John Cryer, said he had seen tweets from party members which made his hair stand on end and were 'redolent of the 1930s'.

 Another Labour MP, Wes Streeting, criticised Mr Corbyn, saying there were 'too many people in our party, including at the top of the party, who have adopted an ostrich strategy' on anti-Semitism.

 Fellow MP John Mann said 200 Labour members had forwarded him links to a US white supremacist site to back up Mr Livingstone's claims about Zionism;

 The Holocaust Educational Trust suggested that in the two years since Mr Corbyn was elected there was a 'fertile ground' for people to express such views.

 Analysis released last night by the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism found the problem is worse in Labour than any other party. The group looked at 4million social media posts of 2,000 parliamentary candidates and found that 61 per cent of anti-Semitic posts were written by Labour candidates  eight times higher than any other party.

The controversial meeting on 'free speech on Israel' was chaired by Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, who said there was a 'vicious campaign that's been directed at the Palestinian cause, misusing anti-Semitic allegations'. Although described as a free speech event audience members were told not to record it or tweet.

Miko Peled, an Israeli-American who sat on the panel, said 'they'  an apparent reference to Israel or the pro-Israel lobby  did not want Mr Corbyn to enter Number 10. 'This is about free speech, the freedom to criticise and to discuss every issue, whether it's the Holocaust: yes or no, Palestine, the liberation, the whole spectrum. There should be no limits on the discussion.'

He added: 'It's about the limits of tolerance: we don't invite the Nazis and give them an hour to explain why they are right; we do not invite apartheid South Africa racists to explain why apartheid was good for the blacks, and in the same way we do not invite Zionists  it's a very similar kind of thing.'

Michael Kalmanovitz, from the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, was applauded for calling from the audience for the expulsion from Labour of the Jewish Labour Movement and the Labour Friends of Israel.

A Labour spokesman said: 'Labour condemns anti-Semitism in the strongest terms. We will not tolerate anti-Semitism or Holocaust denial.'
Time and fatherhood doesn't appear to have changed big bad Barry Hall, with footage emerging of the former AFL champion striking two opponents in a local footy match.

The Sydney Swans premiership winner lashed out at two opposition players during a grand final on the Gold Coast.

The 40-year-old can be seen punching one man to the ground, before hitting another who confronts the full forward over his conduct.

The punch was reminiscent of his controversial hit on West Coast's Brent Staker in 2008 that saw him suspended for seven games.

Hall has said that the birth of his first child, a boy named Miller, earlier this year has changed him.

Time and fatherhood doesn't appear to have changed big bad Barry Hall, with footage emerging of the former AFL champion striking two opponents in a local footy match

The punch was reminiscent of his controversial hit on West Coast's Brent Staker in 2008 that saw him suspended for seven games

Hall has said that the birth of his first child, a boy named Miller, earlier this year has changed him

Hall was playing for Labrador in a local Queensland grand final match against Palm-Beach Currumbin on the weekend.

The former Saint, Swan and Bulldog was tackled in a jarring hit that knocked the ball free by an opponent, before retaliating to the clean hit with a vicious left hook.

Another opposition player then approaches Hall over the punch, before copping similar treatment and falling violently to the ground.

Players from both teams then rush in, with the 2005 premiership winner continuing to smirk and taunt Palm Beach-Currumbin players.

He then cups his hands to his ears and walks towards another player, before being pushed away from the fracas.

Hall was initially handed a two-game ban for the incident by the Queensland AFL, but had that reduced to one game after pleading guilty to striking.

His career was littered with suspensions ranging from striking to rough conduct, but his most infamous moment was the blind shot on Staker that left him unconscious.

Hall was jostling with Staker and, after not receiving a free kick, lashed out and struck the defender

The Swans and Eagles held the most bitter rivalry in the sport through the mid-to-late 00s, playing against each other in back to back grand finals in 2005 and 2006.

Hall was jostling with Staker and, after not receiving a free kick, lashed out and struck the defender.

'If I could take it back I certainly would. I apologised on the phone to you but if I could take it back I certainly would, a thousand times over,' Hall said of the incident earlier this year.

He also says the birth of his first son to entertainer Lauren Brant has changed him and that he now judges his violent past from the perspective as a parent.

'One thing that has overcome me is how protective I am of my little boy ... It takes me to how Brent's parents would have felt,' Hall said.
Russia has warned a war on the Korean peninsula would have 'catastrophic consequences' as China and South Korea have urged Trump and Kim to end their feud.

The Kremlin's foreign ministry said it is working 'behind the scenes' on finding a political solution to the North Korea crisis, according to government official Mikhail Ulyanov who also said the US approach to North Korea was a dead end and the tool of sanctions against the North had almost been exhausted.

The Asian nations urged the United States to help dial down tensions with the North after Pyongyang accused President Donald Trump of declaring war yesterday.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said war on the Korean peninsula would have no winner.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said war on the Korean peninsula would have no winner

United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, right, talks with South Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha before a Security Council meeting last week

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho speaks outside the UN Plaza Hotel in New York yesterday

His South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha accepted Kim Jong-un would inevitably ramp up the aggressive rhetoric and said: 'It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control.'

Yesterday, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho made the shock claim that Trump had declared war on North Korea, a statement branded 'absurd' by the White House.

After the White House took the unusual step of denying it had opened the door to conflict with the nuclear-armed Asian nation, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Washington's goal was 'to solve this diplomatically'.

'We maintain the capability to deter North Korea's most dangerous threats but also to back up our diplomats in a manner that keeps this as long as possible in the diplomatic realm,' he said in New Delhi after talks with his Indian counterpart.

Speaking today, Lu said: 'We hope the US and North Korean politicians have sufficient political judgment to realise that resorting to military force will never be a viable way to resolve the peninsula issue and their own concerns.

'We also hope that both sides can realise that being bent on assertiveness and provoking each other will only increase the risk of conflict and reduce room for policy manoeuvres. War on the peninsula will have no winner.'

While repeatedly calling for dialogue to resolve the issue, China has also signed up for increasingly tough UN sanctions against North Korea.

China's fuel exports to North Korea fell in August, along with iron ore imports from the isolated nation, as trade slowed after the latest UN sanctions, but coal shipments resumed after a five-month hiatus, customs data showed on Tuesday.

In Moscow, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was working behind the scenes to find a political solution and that using sanctions against North Korea was almost exhausted.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, speaking during a visit to India, said he appreciated global efforts to increase pressure on North Korea for its dangerous behaviour.

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, centre, speaking through an interpreter, left, talks outside the UN Plaza Hotel in New York today

US President Donald Trump listens to members of the media on the South Lawn after returning to the White House in Washington DC

Kim Jong-un's Foreign Minister has said President Donald Trump has declared war on North Korea. The dictator is pictured here delivering a speech last week addressing the US leader

Yesterday in New York, Ri Yong-ho insisted all options are on the table for Pyongyang and that his nation now reserves the right to shoot down US planes even if they are not in Korea's air space.

The official, talking to reporters in New York, said: 'The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country.

'Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.'

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho gets into a car before heading to the US last week

Ri added: 'Trump claimed our leadership would not be around much longer. He declared a war on our country.'

The remarks from the rogue state's Foreign Minister is in reaction to comments made by the President of the US in which he questioned how long the North Korean leadership would be in power.

'Trump claimed our leadership would not be around much longer,' Ri said, threatening to shoot down American aircraft from international airspace.

'The question of who will be around much longer will be answered then,' he added.

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho arrives to address the 72nd session of the United Nations General assembly at the UN headquarters in New York on September 23

Ri, who made the comments before leaving New York where he had attended last week's UN General Assembly, made the statement then returned from his car to the press microphones to add: 'In light of the declaration of war by Trump, all options will be on the operations table of the supreme leadership of the DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea).'

His words echoed warnings from the Trump administration that all options were on the table in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile development and its threats to have a weapon capable of reaching the continental United States.

And this afternoon the Pentagon gave reassurance to Donald Trump to say he will be provided with options to deal with Pyongyang if North Korea does not stop with its 'provocative actions'.

On Saturday, Ri told the UN General Assembly that targeting the US mainland with its rockets was inevitable after 'Mr Evil President' Trump called Pyongyang's leader a 'rocket man' on a suicide mission.

Trump tweeted: 'Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN.

'If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer.'

North Korea has pursued its missile and nuclear programs in defiance of international condemnation and sanctions.

US stocks fell sharply in late morning trading on Monday as news of the statements filtered through and a selloff in technology stocks accelerated.

The five tech giants - Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Alphabet - were down between 3.7 percent and 1.05 percent, weighing on the three major indexes.

Amid bitter wrangling between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, US bombers and jet fighters flew off the North Korean coast on Saturday in a show of force.

In response, the dictator released a propaganda video depicting North Korean missiles blowing up US aircraft carrier and a plane in response to Donald Trump's perceived aggression.

The clip was released on Sunday by the state-run DPRK Today and shows the USS Carl Vinson going up in flames after a Pukguksong missile is launched.

Korea's video brands the American President a 'mad man' and states any attack on the country would see US forces 'head to the grave'.

In an unprecedented direct statement on Friday, Kim described Trump as a 'mentally deranged US dotard' whom he would tame with fire.

Kim said North Korea would consider the 'highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history' against the United States and that Trump's comments had confirmed his nuclear programme was 'the correct path'.

Trump threatened in his maiden UN address last Tuesday to 'totally destroy' the country of 26 million people if North Korea threatened the United States or its allies.

Asked how concerned China was the war of words between Trump and North Korea could get out of control, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang described the situation as highly complex and sensitive.

It was vitally important everyone strictly, fully and correctly implemented all North Korea related UN resolutions, Lu said, resolutions which call for both tighter sanctions and efforts to resume dialogue.

All sides should 'not further irritate each other and add oil to the flames of the tense situation on the peninsula at present', Lu told a daily news briefing.

'We hope all sides do not continue doing things to irritate each other and should instead exercise restraint.'

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) pose prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Theresa May to the G20 Summit on September 4, 2016 in Hangzhou, China

Speaking to British Prime Minister Theresa May by telephone, Chinese President Xi Jinping repeated Beijing's position that the North Korean issue should be resolved peacefully via talks, state media said.

China hopes Britain can play a constructive role in easing the situation and pushing for a resumption in talks, Xi said.

May, like some other U.S. allies, has pushed for China to do more on North Korea.

US President Donald J Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May walk the colonade of the White House in Washington, DC, US, earlier this year

Downing Street said the two leaders agreed there was a particular responsibility for China and Britain, as permanent Security Council members, to help find a diplomatic solution.

North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb test on September 3 Pyongyang said on Friday it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.

While China has been angered by North Korea's repeated nuclear and missile tests, it has also called for the United States and its allies to help lessen tension by dialling back their military drills.

US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on Saturday in a show of force the Pentagon said indicated the range of military options available to Trump.

In response to a question about the exercises, Chinese spokesman Lu said: 'A continued rise in tensions on the peninsula, I believe, is not in the interests of any side.'

Wang Jingdong, president of the world's largest lender Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), told reporters during a briefing the bank will 'strictly implement UN Security Council decisions related to North Korea and carefully fulfil relevant international responsibility'.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday said his decision to call a snap election would not distract his government from responding to North Korean threats.
This is the heart-stopping moment a teenage girl survives falling from a 33rd-storey balcony in China when she lands on a gigantic air cushion.

Footage emerged of the harrowing incident which occurred on Sunday night in Guangzhou.

Firefighters, soldiers and one of the girl's friends tried to talk her down from the Huihuang Building as she threatened to kill herself over what she described as love troubles.

After an hour trying to lure her to safety, the teenager jumped, plunging 358 feet to the ground, but thankfully a team of rescue workers below had set up an enormous air cushion which caught her, saving her life.

Scroll down for video

The girl lands on the air cushion which had been positioned below her in Guangzhou, China

The girl miraculously survived the 109m fall with just a fracture to her pelvis and is expected to make a full recovery

The girl is seen just falling off the side of the gigantic air cushion after the contraption broke her fall

The girl broke her pelvis and injured her back in the dramatic fall, but her injuries are not life-threatening.

When the firefighters arrived, they saw the girl standing on an eight-square-metre platform on the 33rd floor.

Another girl was trying to calm her down, but to no avail.

Due to the difficult position the girl was in, firefighters could not send a ladder up to rescue her, so at 8.36pm, another crew was dispatched with an air cushion.

The girls friend and firefighters tried to talk her down for more than an hour, but she became more emotional.

When the girls friend tried to talk her down, the girl shouted he doesnt love me and at 10:15pm, the girl suddenly jumped.

Thankfully, officials on the roof were able to guide their colleagues below using powerful torches to instruct them where to position the air cushion.

The girl was so high up, they could not see her from the ground.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
Kathy Griffin has been granted a restraining order against her neighbour who shouted obscenities at her after allegedly throwing trash into her yard and blaring Johnny Cash tunes towards her home.

KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger must stay 100 yards away from the comedian and her boyfriend Randy Bick at all times.

Griffin filed for the order in Los Angeles County Court on Thursday after Mezger embarked on a profanity-laden rant against her which was caught by her security cameras.

The CEO was caught saying Griffin was 'bald d**e' and a 'c**t' after her boyfriend phoned the Los Angeles Police Department to report his grandchildren for being too loud.

Mezger referred to Griffin as the 'f*****g bald d**e' whom President Donald Trump 'kind of put the heat on' amid her controversial photo shoot with Tyler Shields, who pictured Griffin holding up a bloody, beheaded mask of Trump.

Kathy Griffin (left) has filed for a restraining order against KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger (right)

KB Home issued an apology on behalf of their chief executive. KB Home has put CEO Jeffrey Mezger on notice following his vulgar rant against comedian Kathy Griffin. Mezger was since put on notice under the company

Griffin, 56, made the decision to shave her head back in July in support of her sister, Joyce, who was battling cancer. Joyce passed away peacefully in hospital last Thursday.

In the court documents Griffin accuses Mezger of throwing garbage in her yard and blaring Johnny Cash tunes towards her house, reports TMZ.

Since the recording became public Mezger has had 25 percent of his bonuses cut by KB Home, one of the largest homebuilding companies in the nation.

During the fiery confrontation, Mezger shouted out: 'Let's declare war, a*****e, 'cause we got a lot to go for. Let's bring it on, you b***h.'

Mezger has been the frontman of the publicly traded company since 2006 and has worked there since 1993, according to his official biography.

Mezger and his wife, Sandra, live in a gated community next to Griffin and Bick.

A KB Home spokesperson said in a statement: 'Mr. Mezger regrets losing his temper over a supposed noise complaint involving his three young grandchildren in his swimming pool around 8 p.m. on Saturday, while they were being supervised by their mother and grandmother.'

'He apologizes for the language he used, as it does not reflect who he is or what he believes.'

Randy Bick and Kathy Griffin attend the 'I'll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers' Broadway opening night at The Booth Theater on April 24, 2013 in New York City

Mezer was recorded on audio obtained by the HuffPost hollering out that Griffin was 'bald d**e' and a 'c**t' after her boyfriend, Randy Bick, phoned the Los Angeles Police Department to report his grandchildren were being too loud

Mezger and his wife live next to Griffin's $5million home (pictured) in a Los Angeles gated community. During the confrontation, Mezger said: 'Let's declare war, a*****e, 'cause we got a lot to go for. Let's bring it on, you b***h

Griffin and Bick moved to their new home a year ago. Logs obtained from the homeowners association show that they filed noise complaints immediately.

Mezger is believed to have told the association that he and his wife don't host parties often and that their new neighbors 'need to adapt.'

The couple has called Los Angeles police five times with complaints and have previous recorded instances of the CEO yelling insults at them.

A spokesperson for the LAPD told HuffPost the incident was a civil matter and would 'take a while' to find any record of the call.

Bick added that he called LAPD late Saturday after hours of excessive noise, some of which did involve children.

While he was speaking with police, Mezger's rant could be heard on video.

Mezger said: 'Hey Randy, go f**k yourself. Seriously? You call on my grandkids at 9 o'clock? You're not even the f*****g owner.

Griffin asked 'What's going on?'

The CEO added: 'Let's declare war, a*****e, 'cause we got a lot to go for. Let's bring it on, you b***h.'

Griffin, seemingly confused, said: 'Randy, what's happening?' [cross talk] 'Randy, what's happening?'

At this point irate, Mezger concludes: 'If you're asking Randy what's happening, he called the cops on my 5-year-old granddaughter, you f****g c**t. B*****t  9 o'clock at night  oh, this party's loud, this party's really happening.

'F**k you. I've done enough trying to be a nice partner  f**k you, neighbor. War's happening. Don't wait until we're gonna bring some things on you. Now f**k you.'

KB Home said in a regulatory filing Thursday that while Mezger has been 'a great leader,' his behavior was unacceptable and that he would be fired for any similar incidents in the future, despite his pay cut.

There has been backlash against the executive since the vulgar, two-minute outburst was first aired by HuffPost.

TV host and financial adviser Suze Orman wrote on Twitter this week, 'Disgraceful talk from the CEO of KB HOMES. You really want to buy a home from this man? Beyond Disgusting!'

KB Home and Mezger did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He was paid $9 million last year in salary and stock awards, but he hasn't received a bonus since 2014. In that year, Mezger received a bonus of $125,000.
These pictures show the fire-ravaged luxury wooden hot that caught alight with a young woman and her boyfriend trapped inside.

Lydia Wadsworth, 20, suffered burns to her right arm and 'severe' damage to her throat and lungs after the 125-a-night 'glamping pod' caught alight.

The business development manager, from Wigan, had been 'glamping' with her boyfriend Rob McDonnell, 24, at the Lady Heyes Caravan and Camping Site in Frodsham, Cheshire, when they became trapped.

The pair were rescued by members of the public before fire crews arrived at the scene on Saturday to put out the fire.

A spokesman for the camp site told MailOnline the fire started because clothes had been left close to a log burner while the couple were sleeping, although this has been disputed by the family.

A spokesperson for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said: 'It was a well-developed and very smoky fire.' They also said the fire was caused by clothes being left too close to a log burner.

These pictures show the fire-ravaged luxury wooden hot that caught alight on Saturday

The pair were rescued by members of the public before fire crews arrived at the scene to put out the fire

Hundreds of messages of support have poured in for Miss Wadsworth as she recovers in hospital

Lydia Wadsworth, 20, had been staying with her boyfriend Rob McDonnell, 24 (pictured together) when their 'glamping pod' caught fire

The couple had been away on a romantic weekend when the 'glamping pod' caught alight on Saturday evening at around 11.35pm, when clothes close to the burner set alight.

It is thought the fire then spread to curtains covering the patio doors.

After being pulled from the burning pod, the couple were taken to a specialist unit at Whiston Hospital, Prescot, Merseyside, where they are currently being treated in intensive care.

Miss Wadsworth remains in a critical condition while Mr McDonnell was also taken to hospital with smoke inhalation and he is still sedated in hospital.

Speaking outside her house today Mr McDonnell's mother Louise, 48, said: 'He is in a bad way and is still sedated in hospital.

She said the couple, who had been dating a few months, were lucky to be alive.

'They were trapped. The only fire escape was by the front door which was right by the wood burner. They couldn't get out because of the flames', she said.

The 20-year-old became stuck in the 'glamping pod' (pictured) which costs 100 a night

A message on Miss Wadsworth's behalf was posted by her family on her Facebook page.

It read: 'Just to let you all know Lydia is currently be nursed in Critical Care at Whiston Hospital following being trapped in a fire in a Glamping Pod.

'She can't speak as she has a ventilation pipe which blocks her voice box, however she has written to ask if we'd write a message to her friends and family thanking them for their kind wishes at such a difficult time.

'She has 7% burns to her right arm and severe damage to her respiratory system but is making positive progress which is what we are trying to focus on.

'The nursing team here are outstanding and we cannot praise them enough for their efforts since she's been admitted.

'Thanks again for all your well wishes, both ourselves and Lydia really appreciate them. Love Lydia and family xXx'

Miss Wadsworth and her boyfriend Mr McDonnell, 24, had to be rescued from their 'glamping pod' at the camp site (pictured)

Hundreds of messages of support have poured in for the 'beautiful girl' as she recovers in hospital.

Leila Gibbons wrote: 'I couldn't be prouder of how strong you have been so far, with you every single step of the way all of you. PS you looked as beautiful as ever today, I love you forever my bestie.'

Rosie Mae added: 'OMG Lydia I'm so shocked an saddened to here this. Thinking of you and praying you make a speedy recovery. All my love xxxxxx'

Lauren Brierley wrote: 'Lydia, you sure know how to give us all a fright. So worried about you, but so, so glad to hear you're making progress. Love you so, so much. You show 'em how it's done, girl.

'What a strong, unbelievable brave lady you are. God speed, doll. God speed xxxxxxxxxx'

Miss Wadsworth is in critical care after being trapped inside a glamping pod which caught fire

Fire crews were at the scene for one hour and 50 minutes after the pair were rescued from the 'glamping pod' at the Lady Heyes Caravan and Camping site

A spokesperson for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service wrote: 'Fire crews were called to a fire in a camping pod at the Lady Heyes Caravan and Camping Site on Kingsley Road, Kingsley.

'Firefighters, two wearing breathing apparatus, used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire.

'Two people who were inside the pod were rescued by members of the public prior to the arrival of the fire crews.

'One male, suffering from smoke inhalation, and one female, suffering from burns, were taken to hospital by paramedics.

'Crews were at the scene for one hour and 50 minutes.'

They added that the fire was caused by clothes being left too close to a log burner and it then spread to furniture inside the 'pod'.

'It was a well-developed and very smoky fire', he added. 'When crews arrived both people were out of the pod.'

According to the Lady Heyes Caravan and Camping website the pods are 'furnished to the highest standards' and 'designed for a peaceful getaway'.

They include furniture, flat screen TVS, private picnic and BBQ areas and hot tubs.

A spokesman for Lady Heyes Touring Caravan Park told MailOnline the fire had been caused by a jacket being left on a log burner overnight. This was later denied by relatives.
Anthony Weiner's former sexting partner Sydney Leathers is delighted after the disgraced congressman was handed a prison sentence.

The camera model, whose steamy online exchanges with the 51-year-old sunk his 2013 mayoral bid when they were leaked, said the news was like a 'birthday gift'.

Weiner gasped and broke down on Monday as he was sentenced to 21 months in prison for sending sexually explicit material to a minor at New York federal court.

The camera model, left, whose steamy online exchanges with the 51-year-old, right, sunk his 2013 mayoral bid when they were leaked, said the news was like a 'birthday gift'

Leathers told the NY Post: 'I'm just happy he didn't get off with only probation. He deserves some prison time for sure.

'My birthday was Saturday and I'm pretty sure this is my gift.'

Leathers previously slammed her former friend's behaviour towards the child, calling it 'predatory'.

This was first revealed by Dailymail.com in September last year and was a separate scandal to the one in 2013.

Obviously there is no line for him, Leathers told the DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview last September.

Listen, I never think Im the moral authority in any situation, but this is really not normal or okay.

Weiner must surrender to a designated prison facility, which has not yet been determined, on November 6. He will also have to register as a sex offender.

The disgraced politician was wearing his wedding band after he was seen heading to court from the apartment he shares with wife Huma Abedin, who is divorcing him.

His brother, mother and father sat behind him in court but Abedin was not present.

Weiner's sexting relationship with the underage girl, where he asked her to strip naked and touch herself for him on Skype, immediately prompted a federal investigation.

The case led the FBI to reopen its probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server after investigators found messages between Clinton and Weiner's wife on the former congressman's laptop.

Leathers said: 'I'm just happy he didn't get off with only probation. He deserves some prison time for sure'

Weiner must surrender to a designated prison facility, which has not yet been determined, on November 6. He will also have to register as a sex offender

Horror revealed: Weiner sent his victim obscene images and messages about what he would do to her if she was 18 in messages revealed by DailyMail.com

Weiner appeared gaunt and shaken, smiling occasionally as he spoke with his attorneys ahead of the hearing, before reading from a prepared sheet of remarks.

With his hand and voice shaking, Weiner said that he had hit his 'rock bottom' but was grateful for it as it had led to his recovery.

'I focus on how I live my new, smaller, healthier life one day at a time. I was a very sick man for a very long time. I have a disease but no excuse.'

He also said that he was 'profoundly sorry' to the victim.

He described his five-year-old son Jordan as his 'salvation' and said that he has betrayed Jordan's 'amazing mother', Huma Abedin.

Weiner said that he understood the prosecutors' skepticism to whether he had changed. 'I blamed others,' he said. 'I convinced myself that I wasn't the problem.'

He added: 'I'm an addict', referencing how he had seen the qualities in his late brother, Seth, who passed away in 2000 but was unable to recognize them in himself.

The disgraced congressman said that he was going to therapy twice a week and attending meetings every day.

He shook and clutched a tissue as he said he had saved his remarks about his son until the end, knowing how emotional he would become. He said that he was finally teaching his son Jordan the right lessons. 'I am living in amends to him,' he said.

Weiner continued: 'I victimized a young person who deserved better' but added that he 'know[s] my recovery is real'.

He acknowledged that through his actions he had 'forfeited the right to the benefit of the doubt'.

Weiner shook and clutched a tissue as he said he had saved his remarks about his son until the end, knowing how emotional he would become. He said that he was finally teaching his son Jordan the right lessons. 'I am living in amends to him,' he said

Weiner looked visibly shaken as he left the New York courtroom to head home to his apartment that he shares with his estranged wife

Weiner was pictured returning home with his attorneys after he was sentenced. The failed politician looked somber as he waited for the elevator. He bowed his head as a young woman looked on

Judge Cote said that she had read letters of support for Weiner written by his father and grandmother, along with two letters from the public, including one from a 'concerned New Yorker'. Judge Cote described the letters as 'extraordinarily brave'.

WHAT A SOBBING ANTHONY WEINER TOLD THE COURT 'I am profoundly sorry. The crime I committed was my rock bottom. I live a different and better life today. 'I focus on how I live my new, smaller, healthier life one day at a time. 'I was a very sick man for a very long time but I'm also responsible for the damage I have done. 'I blamed others. I convinced myself that I wasn't the problem. 'I have a disease but no excuse. 'I was the adult ... if I had done the right thing, I would not be standing before you today. 'I'm an addict. I victimized a young person who deserved better. I am not asking that I be trusted. 'I ask you for the opportunity on probation to keep my sworn oath.' Advertisement

Amanda Kramer, of the U.S. Attorney's Office, made the case for the prosecution as to why Weiner should serve jail time and his request for probation be rejected. Kramer said that Weiner had 'asked a real 15-year-old to show him her naked body and perform sexually', calling his crime a 'serious felony'.

She said that although the victim initially contacted Weiner, 'her conduct doesn't undermine his crime'. Judge Cote responded that she didn't believe that Weiner was attempting to shift blame on to the victim.

Kramer continued: 'What is required to pierce his denial and break the tragic cycle is a meaningful term of imprisonment.'

Weiner's defense attorney, Arlo Devlin-Brown, said that the former congressman was 'filled with regret' for himself, his victim and his family members.

He said that after Weiner's first indiscretions in 2011 forced him to give up his congressional seat, that he failed to realize there was a problem in his life. He went on to run for mayor of New York City.

'New York is a forgiving place,' Devlin-Brown said. However when it emerged in 2013 that Weiner had continued to have sexual contact with women online, his attempt at resurrecting his political career was over. 'There are second acts  no third acts,' Devlin-Brown added.

Devlin-Brown said that his client had a sickness and was highly compulsive in his sexual behavior. 'Ending up here today was perhaps foreseeable,' the attorney said  'to everyone but Anthony Weiner.'

When Judge Cote declared his sentence, Weiner bowed his head and put his face in his hands, as he heard the devastating news. After the judge left the bench, he sat in his seat for several minutes, continuing to cry

Weiner told the court: 'I'm an addict. I victimized a young person who deserved better. I am not asking that I be trusted. I ask you for the opportunity on probation to keep my sworn oath'

The lawyer said that around the time he was in contact with the 15-year-old, he was also having contact with 19 other women online. Devlin-Brown emphasized that Weiner did not have an abnormal sexual interest in teenagers  and Judge Cote agreed with that finding.

The attorney asked the judge that Weiner be granted probation to continue with the treatment he was taking so seriously.'His sickness was a driver and he's in recovery,''Devlin-Brown said.

In the end, Judge Cotes disagreed with probation. In sentencing Weiner, Judge Cote said: 'This is a serious crime that deserves serious punishment.'

She also said that the victim's motives were 'irrelevant'.

'She is a minor, she is a victim,' she said. 'She is entitled to the law's full protection.'

Cote acknowledged how committed Weiner was to recovery and said that his support of others with sexual problems could become a 'true public service'.

'He has made great strides but it will remain a struggle for years to come,' she said.

When Judge Cote declared her sentence, Weiner bowed his head and put his face in his hands, as he heard the devastating news. After the judge left the bench, he sat in his seat for several minutes, continuing to cry.

His lawyer asked if Schuylkill in Pennsylvania could be considered because they don't want him to be in maximum security, even if it is New York.

The judge asked if his defense attorneys wanted to recommend he stay in New York.

After a short discussion with Weiner, they said no.

The disgraced former congressman was seen leaving the garage of the apartment he shares with his wife Huma Abedin, who is divorcing him and was not present in court

His lawyer asked if Schuylkill in Pennsylvania (pictured) could be considered because they don't want him to be in maximum security, even if it is New York

Weiner's friend, Tom Duane, a former New York State Senator, gave him a hug in the hallway following the court hearing.

After Weiner's sentence is served, he must undergo internet monitoring and must have no contact with his victim. He must also enroll in a sex-offender treatment program.

The government had urged the judge to put Weiner's claims of a therapeutic awakening in a context of a man who made similar claims after embarrassing, widely publicized interactions with adult women in the past.

'This is not merely a 'sexting' case,' prosecutors wrote. 'The defendant did far more than exchange typed words on a lifeless cellphone screen with a faceless stranger.

'With full knowledge that he was communicating with a real 15-year-old girl, the defendant asked her to engage in sexually explicit conduct via Skype and Snapchat, where her body was on display, and where she was asked to sexually perform for him.

'That offense  transmitting obscenity to a minor to induce her to engage in sexually explicit conduct by video chat and photo  is far from mere 'sexting'.

'Weiner's criminal conduct was very serious, and the sentence imposed should reflect that seriousness.'

The document reveals that Weiner 'has acknowledged an interest in legal, adult, teen-themed pornography'.

It said that his submission to the court that 'he deserves a lighter sentence because the Minor Victim's age meant nothing to him rings hollow'.

Weiner described his five-year-old son Jordan as his 'salvation' and said that he has betrayed Jordan's 'amazing mother', Huma Abedin. Pictured: The family in August

Huma's plea: Hillary Clinton's top aide asked for the judge's sentencing not to have 'negative impact' on their son when he sentences her pervert husband

Weiner said in a submission that he's undergoing treatment and is profoundly sorry for subjecting the North Carolina high school student to what his lawyers called his 'deep sickness.'

Prosecutors attacked some of Weiner's arguments for seeking leniency and noted his full awareness that what he was doing was a crime, citing his co-sponsorship in January 2007 of a bill to require sex offenders to register their email and instant message addresses with the National Sex Offender Registry.

'While the government does not contend that Weiner engaged in inappropriate sexual exchanges with other minors or that he is a pedophile, his professed ambivalence toward the minor victim's age is belied by the defendant's own statements to the court-appointed evaluator during his evaluation,' they said.

Prosecutors said Weiner, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2005 and 2013, acknowledged to the evaluator an interest in legal, adult, teen-themed pornography.

The government said Weiner's 'widely-reported prior scandals' were not criminal in nature and did not involve minors but should be considered at sentencing because they reveal a familiar pattern.

'He initially denied his conduct; he suffered personal and professional consequences; he publicly apologized and claimed reform.

'Yet, he has, on multiple occasions, continued to engage in the very conduct he swore off, progressing from that which is self-destructive to that which is also destructive to a teenage girl,' prosecutors said.

They added: 'Weiner's demonstrated history of professed, yet failed, reform make it difficult to rely on his present claim of self-awareness and transformation.'

Defense lawyers had portrayed the girl as an aggressor, saying she wanted to generate material for a book and possibly influence the presidential election.

Tip of the iceberg: Weiner admits in court documents to sending sexts to hundreds of women since 2009 - with this one being revealed. He also spoke of his love for his son, who appeared in his sext (pictured)

Grooming: Weiner was revealed to have Skyped twice with the teenager and asked her to strip naked and touch herself. She revealed the messages to DailyMail.com

WEINER'S EXCUSES: I SEXTED BECAUSE I WAS DEDICATED TO MY CONSTITUENTS Anthony Weiner's lawyers submitted more than 200 pages of documents in their bid to keep him out of prison. They called his sexting an 'illness' and said it grew out of his dedication to his constituents as a congressman. 'By 2009, Anthony's national prominence had reached new heights... At the same time, smartphones and the proliferation of social media platforms had begun to transform users' connectivity and frequency of access to online communications. 'Anthony - who prided himself on being accessible to his constituents - moved quickly to capitalize on these new technologies, developing a strong presence on Facebook and Twitter, and responding to and engaging with members of the public who reached out to him. 'Anthony began to exchange texts and other messages with constituents and admirers alike. Some of the admirers were female, validating him not just as a politician, but as a man. It seemed harmless to Anthony...' Advertisement

Prosecutors responded that Weiner should be sentenced for what he did, and the motives of the victim should not influence his punishment.

As part of a plea bargain, Weiner has agreed not to appeal any sentence between 21 and 27 months. Prosecutors said the sentence should fall within that span, and they noted that Probation Department authorities had recommended a 27-month prison term.

But last week his lawyers submitted a huge file calling for him to be spared jail.

It included claims that he has finally acknowledged the 'illness' which made him a serial sexter, and a plea from his wife, Huma Abedin, not to have their son hurt by his sentence.

He finally came clean about the extent and scale of his sexting habit - but came close to blaming his victim for the sexting scandal.

Weiner's attorneys said he continually sexted with women between 2009 and 2016 and did not take therapy seriously at the time, despite the destruction to his political career and his public claims that he was in treatment.

The scale of his sexting means that the images which have emerged - one of him in bed in a state of arousal with his son beside him - hardly qualify as even the tip of the iceberg.

It says his 'self-destructive compulsion' was driven by mental illness, including a 'mixed personality disorder' that was recently diagnosed by a therapist.

Weiner's memo also describes the 15-year-old girl as a manipulative fame-seeker  writing that she baited Weiner into exchanging sexual messages with her because she wanted to influence the U.S. presidential election.

The 15-year-old girl told DailyMail.com about her online affair with Weiner and described how he asked her to dress up in school girl outfits and participate in 'rape fantasies.'

The former congressman told her in messages that she made him 'hard' and said he wanted to 'bust that tight p***y so hard and so often that you would leak and limp for a week.'

The sexting scandal has been toxic not just for Weiner but for Abedin, who is now divorcing him and seeking custody of their son, Joshua, five.

The judge hearing their contested divorce case told the couple: 'I certainly would encourage you to try to work out a plan together with your attorneys' assistance.

'It certainly would be better for your son if you could do that. It would save you a lot of stress. Hopefully the financials can be worked out amicably as well.'

The couple's divorce is consented as Abedin is seeking full custody of their child. A judge told them that he 'encourages' them to 'try to work out a plan together' for the sake of their son

Weiner's messages set off a bombshell chain of events which led to Hillary Clinton - Abedin's boss - having her emails re-investigated by the FBI and the move announced just days before the election.

In the 68-page memo, Weiner's legal team admits that in early 2016 the former congressman was exchanging thousands of messages a month with 'dozens' of women he met online

Both of their lawyers asked for privacy in the matter, but their attempts to keep their separation under wraps has not been successful.

Abedin stood by Weiner through recurrent sex scandals that destroyed his career.

In the 68-page memo, Weiner's legal team admits that in early 2016 the former congressman was exchanging thousands of messages a month with 'dozens' of women he met online, including at least 1,500 messages with one middle-aged woman over the course of just two months.

It also set off a bombshell chain of events which led to Hillary Clinton - Abedin's boss - having her emails re-investigated by the FBI and the move announced just days before the election.

Abedin was said to be devastated after hearing the news of the re-opened investigation.

'When we heard this, Huma looked stricken,' wrote Clinton in her new book What Happened. 'Anthony had already caused so much heartache. And now this.'

Abedin told Clinton: 'This man is going to be the death of me,' before bursting into tears.

Clinton says the announcement of the new investigation, made by then FBI director James Comey, was one of the reasons she lost to Donald Trump.

The failed presidential candidate said her long-time aide's anguish 'broke my heart' and made her determined to stand by Abedin despite the damage to her campaign.

But despite a mounting list of who she blames for her loss, Clinton has never named Weiner as one of the reasons.

He had been a part of the Clinton camp until his first sexting disgrace. She suggested he date Abedin and her husband Bill married the couple - although no photograph of him performing the ceremony has ever been made public.
Jason Marshall has been jailed to life and ordered to serve at least 39 years behind bars for the murder of Peter Fasoli

A sadistic killer who was caught on camera torturing a vulnerable gay man in his own home has been jailed at the Old Bailey for at least 39 years.

Jason Marshall, 29, listened to Classic FM as he handcuffed, tied and gagged Peter Fasoli and wrapped clingfilm around the helpless 58-year-old's face.

He had posed as an MI5 officer and policeman after meeting his victim on a gay dating app.

The sickening events were replayed to the jury after footage was unwittingly filmed on a computer camera.

The killer nearly escaped justice after setting fire to Mr Fasoli's bungalow in Northolt, west London, while his victim lay unconscious on the floor on 7 January 2013.

Marshall flew to Rome four days later, where he strangled Vincenzo Iale, 67, to death with an electrical cord and tried to suffocate Umberto Gismondi, then aged 54, with a pillow within weeks.

By then UK investigators had concluded that Mr Fasoli died in an accidental fire - despite the fact that the victim unwittingly filmed his own horrific murder with his laptop.

Footage shows Marshall wearing a gun and police lanyard as he posed as a security services officer after meeting his victim on a gay dating app

Mr Fasoli's nephew Christopher Murgatroyd discovered the 'terrible truth' when he examined his uncle's fire-damaged hard drive nearly two years after his death.

Marshall, who was serving 16 years in an Italian jail for murder and attempted murder, was then extradited to stand trial for Mr Fasoli's murder at the Old Bailey.

He was convicted of murder and arson after a jury watched harrowing footage of him mumbling a Latin blessing over Mr Fasoli's body after asphyxiating him while scores by Wagner, Strauss and Mendelssohn blared on the radio.

Jailing him for life today, Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC told him: 'You realised he was weak, naive and gullible: in short, no match for you,' he said.

'I'm sure that you were motivated by a desire to cause Mr Fasoli pain without his consent, which would be a significantly greater source of pleasure or gratification to you than is ordinarily the case for those who enjoy inflicting violence.

'You tortured him for so long because you enjoyed it so much. It wasn't necessary to go to the lengths you did if your only purpose was to kill him.

'The dominant elements of your motivation in killing Mr Fasoli were robbery and sadism.'

Mr Fasoli begged for his life when Marshall threatened him with a knife before killing him

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC had demanded to know why investigators missed key evidence on the victim's laptop, financial records and social media accounts.

Following Marshall's conviction last month, he said: 'An examination of Mr Fasoli's financial arrangements one would think may show activity after his death, and examination of his social media would appear to show he had a visitor coming that evening.

'Financial and social media records, on the face of it, would seem to be an obvious starting point and I would just like some help about that next time.'.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission say they aren't reviewing the case because it was the London Fire Brigade who concluded that Mr Fasoli died in an accidental fire caused by a faulty light in his cluttered bungalow.

The one-bedroom bungalow in London where Mr Fasoli died in January 2013

Fire investigators thought an LED light had fallen from a ceiling fitting onto Mr Fasoli's bed, which was highly flammable.

They found that the bulb was switched off at its wall switch and said it could not have been responsible for the fire unless it was switched on at the time.

The investigation team concluded that Mr Fasoli might have switched the light off after the fire started.

Marshall, previously of Forest Gate, east London, denied but was convicted of murder and arson.
Mawlamyine Cement Limited (MCL) factory (Photo  MNA)

Officials from a Mon State cement factory say that they have not received a notice of censure from the Mon State government, despite a resolution earlier this month to clampdown on the factorys energy generation.

The Mon State Hluttaw approved a motion on September 6 to take action against Mawlamyine Cement Limited (MCL) for generating energy allegedly without permission from the relevant ministries, thereby violating the terms of its licensing agreement. During the hearing, Mon State Chief Minister U Aye Zan told the hluttaw that he would inform the factory of the resolution and remind the officials to abide by the relevant laws.

But according to factory officials, no such notification has been forthcoming.

Neither the hluttaw nor the [state] government has informed us so far, said U Zaw Lwin Oo, MCLs executive officer. He added that he believes that MCLs factory is operating with all necessary permissions and licenses.

The company holds a temporary license from the Mon State Directorate of Industrial Supervision and Inspection for a 20-megawatt generator that expires in January 2018, according to U Zaw Lwin Oo.

The MCL cement factory, a US$400 million joint venture between Thailands Siam Cement and Pacific Link Cement, started commercial production on April 1 this year.



In August, the Union Ministry of Electricity and Energy told the Mon State Hluttaw that the cement factory had not obtained permission for generating power off the grid by burning coal and biomass.

During the September 6 parliamentary session, U Aye Zan defended MCLs operations, saying they were in line with the law because the plant was only generating electricity for its own facilities. Despite the Chief Ministers objections, the chamber voted in favor of censuring the factory, with 17 voting for and seven against.

Local residents have vocally opposed the Kyaikmaraw township factory and have slammed the government for moving ahead with the project without taking into consideration the concerns about pollution and public health. Over 2,000 demonstrators assembled in Mawlamyine in July to protest what they said was a lack of action on the part of the regional government.

According to MCLs project report, the factory requires 49 megawatts of power which 40 megawatts are generated from coal and biomass, supplemented by 9 megawatts from a Waste Heat Generator.
A Current Affair did not shy away from reporting on child pornography charges against its disgraced former reporter Ben McCormack.

The tabloid news show opened its bulletin on Tuesday night with a report on the 43-year-old pleading guilty to two charges of online 'fantasy talk'.

'We promised you right from the beginning we would report on this case without fear or favour, and we will continue to just that,' host Leila McKinnon said.

Scroll down for video

A Current Affair opened its bulletin on Tuesday night with a bulletin on its former reporter Ben McCormack pleading guilty to child pornography charges

After her opening, the report got straight into his guilty plea in Sydney Downing Centre Court, and the details of his crimes.

The report laid out the sordid texts he exchanged with another man, complete with voiceovers reading both his and the other man's words.

'In his job as an ACA reporter he hunted down paedophiles, but in his online persona with the username oz4skinboi he had a different perspective on sexual predators,' the presenter said.

McCormack famously once tracked down Hey Dad! paedophile Robert Hughes for the same show.

A Channel Nine reporter even shoved a microphone in McCormack's face as he got into a waiting car outside court, like he had many times before.

The report laid out the sordid texts he exchanged with another man, complete with voiceovers reading both his and the other man's words

A Channel Nine reporter even shoved a microphone in McCormack's face as he got into a waiting car outside court, like he had many times before

'What do you have to say to the ACA viewers who watched you all these years? Do you think you've betrayed the viewers?' he said.

McCormack was suspended after being arrested on April 6 and resigned a few weeks ago, ACA confirmed in its report.

A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack (pictured) pleaded guilty to two charges of sending child pornography using a carriage service

The charges of sending child pornography using a carriage service carry a maximum jail sentence of 15 years behind bars.

In agreed facts tendered to a Sydney court on Tuesday, the 43-year-old said he was a 'total pedo' and loved young boys 'so much'.

He confessed he would 'perve non-stop... at the beach, shopping centre and movie theatres' and would 'love' to 'play' with a boy.

The former tabloid reporter appeared to describe himself as a 'proud Ped' and believed he would 'always' have the attraction.

One of the charges concerned Skype conversations McCormack had with the unknown man between April 2015 and February 2017. The messages were intercepted by the police Child Exploitation Internet Unit and can now be published.

The journalist went by the username 'oz4skinboi' on Skype, the court facts said.

In his first online conversation, McCormack claimed he was '28, gay single love young bs too'.

The other man replied: 'Yummmm'.

The senior Nine Network journalist (pictured), 43, appeared calm in the front row of a Sydney courtroom as his solicitor Sam Macedone entered guilty pleas on his behalf

A transcript of one of McCormack's conversations with the unknown man, as contained in the court documents (digital mock-up)

Another of the conversations between the man and McCormack, as detailed in court documents on Tuesday

The 43-year-old (pictured) was the face for the Nine Network's investigation into paedophile Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes

In a possible reference to ages, McCormack said: '7-12'.

His newfound chat partner replied: 'U wanna f*kk one cool, 3-12 for me'.

'F**k yes. U', said McCormack.

The other man replied 'hell yes'.

According to the court documents, McCormack continued to say he 'love(s) small smooth hairless' (people). He then spoke about performing a sex act on the other man.

In a August 2016 conversation, the other man confessed he 'touch(ed) quite a few boy bums today'.

McCormack said that was 'so hot' and that he was 'horny' at the time.

In the same conversation, the journalist said 'they're amazing in speedos. small speedos, so small, I love them so much'.

McCormack said 'f*** man I love y b sooooo much' and asked 'wen can we have a hot vid session', the court papers said.

A third conversation between the pair, as contained in the court papers

A fourth message sent by McCormack, as contained in court papers

McCormack is pictured leaving the Downing Centre Local Court with his solicitor Sam Macedone after pleading guilty

In another graphic conversation about children, he also appeared to tell the unknown man he would always be attracted to them.

'U think I'll always be a p?' the man asked McCormack.

The journalist replied: 'Yep. U... I'll always have the attractionthey are beautiful.'

In a January 1 conversation, the man asked McCormack if 'u eva think u'll play with one? Or just fantasy'.

McCormack replied: 'I'd love to'.

The court papers said McCormack also said 'I wana get pedo with u', 'I'm a total b loving pedo' and described himself as a 'proud Ped, proud b lover'.

In the same month, McCormack also sent the man 10 pictures. Captions alluded to bodily fluids, Speedos and underwear.

The court documents said authorities were not able to view the pictures.

'Accordingly, there is no evidence that the images sent by the accused were of children in pornographic poses or activities,' the agreed facts said.

Arriving: McCormack (centre) is swarmed by reporters as he appears at the Downing Centre

TRANSCRIPT OF 18 AUGUST 2016 CONVERSATION Unidentified man: 'I was a bit naughty today' McCormack: 'How were u naughty... Im excited' Man: 'Touching quite a few boys bums today' McCormack: '(And horny).... 0mfg.' Man: 'When they come behind my desk I just put my arm around them' McCormack: 'F***....So hot' Advertisement

Outside court, his lawyer, Sam Macedone, described McCormack's Skype conversations as 'fantasy talk'.

He said there were 'never' images of child exploitation exchanged.

McCormack's second charge related a 30 second video conversation of McCormack masturbating.

'Oh I perve non stop man, the beach, shopping centres, movies. Yeah I love it,' he said during the video, the court papers said.

Earlier on Tuesday, McCormack appeared calm and composed in the front row of a Downing Centre courtroom as his solicitor Sam Macedone entered the pleas.

McCormack (pictured) has been committed to the District Court for sentencing on October 6

McCormack was suspended by Nine after NSW police raided ACA's Sydney office and his home

It's understood the 43-year-old (pictured) resigned from the Nine Network several weeks ago

He smiled and said hello to journalists after he was bailed to a new address.

His guilty plea came after a weeks-long delay where lawyers negotiated over a statement of agreed facts.

Outside court, Mr Macedone said McCormack 'always admitted to what he's done however the facts previously weren't exactly correct'.

'I just wanted to make it quite clear that were was never any images that were traded between Ben and anyone else of any child exploitation material,' he said.

'It was nothing more than fantasy talk, but no transporting of images.

'That's what I wanted, that's what we've got, so we're now pleading guilty and we'll move on from there.'

'I just wanted to make it quite clear that were was never any images that were traded between Ben and anyone else of any child exploitation material,' Mr Macedone said outside the court

Days after the charges were laid, McCormack was hospitalised and received treatment from a mental health facility (pictured)

McCormack was pulled over by police in Moore Park, in Sydney's inner east, on April 6. He was arrested and then charged.

Police released several minutes of footage of the moment he was arrested.

Investigators raided A Current Affair's Willoughby offices as well as the journalist's then-home in Alexandria, seizing computers and other electronic equipment.

Screenshots of his Grindr profile and details of his involvement in a bizarre film with a father-son incest plot also surfaced.

Days after the charges were laid, McCormack was hospitalised and received treatment from a mental health facility, the name of which was suppressed.

Mr Macedone said McCormack was 'fine' on Tuesday, but the journalist declined to answer questions as he was escorted through the media pack to a waiting car.

The journalist was committed to the District Court for sentencing proceedings on October 6.

Mr Macedone said McCormack was 'fine' on Tuesday, but the journalist declined to answer questions as he was escorted to a waiting car

He looked drastically different this week compared to his days as a leading TV reporter
This is the moment a white wallaby was spotted hopping along a rural road in the dead of night - more than 10,000 miles away from its native home.

Julian Eley, 53, spotted the unusual marsupial while driving down a lane near the Essex/Suffolk border.

Driving in his Mercedes, he suddenly saw the white creature sitting by the side of the road.

Despite it being pitch black, the wallaby - native to Australia and New Guinea, could be seen as clear as day hopping along the tarmac.

It is believed to have escaped from a nearby wildlife park, but experts claim it 'is not impossible' it could be living in the wild.

Mr Eley said: 'I was just so shocked, it was really surprising.

'My wife wouldn't believe me, I took her down the road a couple of times but I couldn't see it anymore.

'Now I've got it on video, she believes me.'

Buggs, of Sudbury, Suffolk, managed to capture his astounding find in Foxearth on a dash cam.

Julian Eley spotted a rare white wallaby (pictured) usually found in Australia and New Guinea while he was driving at night near the Essex/Suffolk border

Wallabys or macropods are relatives of the Kangaroo and usually only found on the other side of the world from England.

He added: 'I just took the missus to work at 8pm and then went to walk the dog. It's a nice drive down there with all the country roads.

'I knew there was something in the area and I saw something on my drive around there before.

'So I set my iPhone up on the off chance that I might see them and I just pressed record.

'There's more than one there, there's three that I know of. A couple of cyclists have said they saw two in a row.

He was astounded to see the animal hopping along, 10,000 miles from its native home

Local animal experts believe the wallaby escaped from a nearby wildlife park, but said it 'is not impossible' that the creature could have been living in the wild

'On the video, I took, you can see that there's another one jumping into the bushes.

'It was just a bit of fun but after a while the white wallaby wouldn't move out the way so I couldn't get past it and had to wait!'

Local wildlife experts say if the creature was in fact living in the wild, it would not have a good chance of survival.

A spokesman from the Suffolk Wildlife Trust said: 'What a lovely unusual sighting! Our mammal experts say that it is unlikely that this is a wild wallaby but instead an escapee.

'It isn't impossible that it is from the wild but it is not something that we have heard of in the area before.

'And it's also unlikely that they would survive long in the wild particularly because they were seen so near to the road and motorists.'
Some 20,000 South Koreans would die every day in the event of a US-North Korean war, according to alleged calculations made by the Pentagon.

The claim was made by a retired Air Force general who said the figure was estimated based on a conventional war scenario and did not include potential use of nuclear weapons.

Earlier today, South Korea and China urged the United States to help dial down tensions with the North after Pyongyang accused President Donald Trump of declaring war.

Tensions: A war between Trumps' US and Kim Jong-Un's North Korea would see 20,000 people die every day in South Korea alone

Yesterday, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho made the shock claim that Trump had declared war on North Korea, a statement branded 'absurd' by the White House.

When playing out hypothetical war scenarios in case armed conflict were to break out, the Pentagon 'estimated the potential number of dead in South Korea at 20,000 each day', retired general Rob Givens told the LA Times.

Givens, who spent four years stationed in Korea, added that the figures did not take into account potential use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang.

'There is only one way that this war ends. With North Koreas defeat  but at what cost?,' Givens said.

This morning, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry pleaded with both the US and Pyongyang to 'realise that resorting to military force will never be a viable way to resolve the peninsula issue and their own concerns, adding that 'War on the peninsula will have no winner.'

Pro or against: Former North Korean defectors and protestors hold placards during an anti-North Korea rally outside South Korean government complex in Seoul

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, centre, speaking through an interpreter, left, talks outside the UN Plaza Hotel in New York on Monday

While repeatedly calling for dialogue to resolve the issue, China has also signed up for increasingly tough UN sanctions against North Korea.

China's fuel exports to North Korea fell in August, along with iron ore imports from the isolated nation, as trade slowed after the latest UN sanctions, but coal shipments resumed after a five-month hiatus, customs data showed on Tuesday.

In Moscow, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was working behind the scenes to find a political solution and that using sanctions against North Korea was almost exhausted.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, speaking during a visit to India, said he appreciated global efforts to increase pressure on North Korea for its dangerous behaviour.

Yesterday in New York, Ri Yong-ho insisted all options are on the table for Pyongyang and that his nation now reserves the right to shoot down US planes even if they are not in Korea's air space.

The official, talking to reporters in New York, said: 'The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country.

'Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.'

US President Donald Trump listens to members of the media on the South Lawn after returning to the White House in Washington DC

Ri added: 'Trump claimed our leadership would not be around much longer. He declared a war on our country.'

The remarks from the rogue state's Foreign Minister is in reaction to comments made by the President of the US in which he questioned how long the North Korean leadership would be in power.

'Trump claimed our leadership would not be around much longer,' Ri said, threatening to shoot down American aircraft from international airspace.

'The question of who will be around much longer will be answered then,' he added.

Ri, who made the comments before leaving New York where he had attended last week's UN General Assembly, made the statement then returned from his car to the press microphones to add: 'In light of the declaration of war by Trump, all options will be on the operations table of the supreme leadership of the DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea).'

Kim Jong-un's Foreign Minister has said President Donald Trump has declared war on North Korea. The dictator is pictured here delivering a speech last week addressing the US leader

His words echoed warnings from the Trump administration that all options were on the table in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile development and its threats to have a weapon capable of reaching the continental United States.

On Monday afternoon, the Pentagon gave reassurance to Trump to say he will be provided with options to deal with Pyongyang if North Korea does not stop with its 'provocative actions'.

On Saturday, Ri told the UN General Assembly that targeting the US mainland with its rockets was inevitable after 'Mr Evil President' Trump called Pyongyang's leader a 'rocket man' on a suicide mission.

Trump tweeted: 'Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN.

'If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer.'

North Korea has pursued its missile and nuclear programs in defiance of international condemnation and sanctions.

North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb test on September 3 Pyongyang said on Friday it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.

While China has been angered by North Korea's repeated nuclear and missile tests, it has also called for the United States and its allies to help lessen tension by dialling back their military drills.
Labour MP Emma Dent Coad (pictured with Jeremy Corbyn in June) last night went on a rant about the Royal Family

A Labour MP has refused to apologise after sparking fury by mocking Prince Harry's Army career and accusing Prince Philip of cheating on the Queen.

Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad abused the senior Royals at a fringe meeting at Labour's party conference in Brighton.

She wrongly claimed Prince Harry was not qualified to fly Apache helicopters - despite him deployed as a gunner to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The astonishing outburst has prompted a furious reaction including from MPs within her own party who scrambled to disown the remarks.

But challenged over her rant this morning, the Labour MP remained defiant.

She said: 'I've spoken five times about the Grenfell fire, yet this is all they're interested in, which really proves the point I was making about the press in charge of the narrative.'

The newly-elected politician was roundly condemned after unleashing a rant about the Royal family at a fringe event in Brighton on Monday night.

She said: 'Harry can't actually fly a helicopter so they had to make him co-pilot.

'So he just sits there going 'vroom vroom'.'

The prince served in the Army for a decade, rising to the rank of Captain. He served on two tours of Afghanistan.

He was a qualified pilot of Apache helicopters and served as the gunner - meaning he was able to operate the helicopter's weapons as well as flying the craft himself.

Ms Dent Coad said that Harry and William are 'not very bright', adding: 'Just let them drift away, be playboys or whatever.'

Prince Harry served in the Army for a decade, rising to the rank of Captain. He served on two tours of Afghanistan. He is pictured at the controls of his Apache in Camp Bastion in 2013

Prince Harry (pictured in Canada last night) was a qualified pilot of Apache helicopters and served as the gunner - meaning he was able to operate the helicopter's weapons as well as flying the craft himself

And in a further assault on the Royal Family the MP accused Prince Philip - who is retiring from public duties after decades of support for the Queen - of being unfaithful.

Ms Dent Coad said:'The Queen might want to step back when her (cough, cough) soulmate is gone.'

She added in an aside: 'He's been quite unfaithful for quite a few years.'

Ms Dent Coad was elected as Kensington MP in June and rose to prominence while responding to the devastating Grenfell tower blaze in the constituency.
Police have arrested 18-year-old Isael Ibrain Lima (pictured) who allegedly stole his uncle's cruiser, sheriff's deputy uniform and firearm before conducting a traffic stop - all to impress his girlfriend

Police have arrested an 18-year-old man who stole his uncle's cruiser, sheriff's deputy uniform and firearm before conducting a traffic stop - all to impress his girlfriend, according to deputies.

Isael Ibrain Lima, from Florida, was charged by Marion County Sheriff's Office with several offenses including Impersonating a Law Enforcement Officer.

On Sunday, September 24th, Deputy Yoandy Miranda, after returning from a weekend trip, noticed that someone had been in his locked bedroom and patrol car but nothing appeared to have been stolen.

A day before, Belleview Police Department officers responded to a disturbance call at a local convenience store.

Sergeant Bobby Levay was met by an individual, later identified as defendant Isael Lima, who identified himself as Deputy Miranda.

Lima said he had witnessed a physical disturbance between two individuals location and had asked for police assistance.

Sergeant Levay was not personally familiar with Deputy Miranda and therefore did not realize Lima was impersonating his uncle at that time.

The next day, Deputy Miranda contacted Sergeant Levay to let him know about the possible burglary at his home.

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Sergeant Levay realized that the 'Deputy Miranda' he had met the previous day was, in fact, not the real Deputy Miranda, but was Deputy Miranda's nephew Isael Lima who lives with Deputy Miranda.

Using footage from the Levay's body camera, Miranda identified the person in the video as Lima.

When detectives spoke with Lima, he admitted to breaking into Deputy Miranda's room while he was away for the weekend and taking his uniform and issued equipment.

Lima told detectives that he had initially put on the uniform and drove to his girlfriend's home because he wanted to 'impress' her.

Lima also admitted to impersonating an officer at the convenience store in Belleview, Florida, with BPD officers.

He further admitted that he had stolen Deputy Miranda's patrol vehicle, dressed in Miranda's MCSO uniform, and conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle.

Lima told detectives that he had picked up a friend who rode with him in the patrol car. Lima said that his friend recorded video of this traffic stop.

Lima admitted that he had stolen Deputy Miranda's patrol vehicle, dressed in Miranda's MCSO uniform, and conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle

Isael Lima has been arrested and charged with Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Grand Theft of a Firearm, Openly Carrying Prohibited Weapon, Theft of Law Enforcement Equipment from an Emergency Vehicle, Burglary of a Conveyance, Armed Burglary of a Dwelling, Impersonating a Law Enforcement Official, and Giving a False Name to a Law Enforcement Officer.

He is currently in the Marion County Jail with his bond set at $33,000.

Chief Deputy Robert Douglas said: 'I don't think this man realized the danger he put himself in by trying to impersonate a deputy sheriff.

'Our deputies undergo extensive, ongoing training to be able to do their job safely.

'Ensuring public safety and trust are our priorities and this is why we take this type of crime so seriously'.
A drunk driving student knocked out power to a high school and two college campuses by crashing into an electrical pole.

The 20-year-old man struck a kerb outside Georgia Piedmont Technical College at around 8am on Monday before ploughing into the pole, which snapped in half.

The driver, from Clarkston High School, was trapped in the car by the electrical wires and had to be removed by rescue workers.

College student Remi Oroyo said it was a 'miracle' rescue workers were able to break the glass of the flipped car and pull out the driver

The roadway was shut down for hours as crews worked to clear the scene and get the driver out safely.

Clarkston was closed for about two hours as engineers worked to restore power, reported WSB-TV.

Witnesses described the driver 'dodging traffic' before the crash, although he was not being chased by police.

College student Remi Oroyo said it was a 'miracle' rescue workers were able to break the glass and pull out the driver.

The male driver, who escaped with scratches, has not been named and no charges against him have been released.
This is the heart-breaking moment a cancer-stricken boy in China cried for his mother in his hospital bed after undergoing painful treatment.

But what the two-year-old didn't know was that he had been abandoned by his mother, who no longer wanted to care for him because of his serious illness.

The bedridden boy, named Hu Haoyang, was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer, over a year ago.

Two-year-old Hu Haoyang, from China, was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer

Nicknamed Yangyang, the toddler has undergone rounds of chemotherapy in the past year

His grandmother (left) and father (right) take care of Yangyang in the hospital every day

HEPATOBLASTOMA: THE FACTS Hepatoblastoma is known to primarily affect children before the age of three. The rare disease is diagnosed in fewer than one in a million children. It's deemed to be a particularly aggressive form of cancer, spreading to other areas of the body very quickly. The cause of the disease is unknown, but there are a few disorders that are known to increase the risk. If caught early, surgery can be used to remove the cancerous cells - but it becomes untreatable when it metastasises. Outlook depends on the extent of the disease, size and location of the tumour and how old the child is. Source: Stanford Children's Health Advertisement

Yangyang's family come from Yicheng, Hubei Province in central China.

The boy was first diagnosed with hepatoblastoma in May, 2016, when his father found him having fever repeatedly.

He received three sections of chemotherapy and had two-thirds of his liver removed at a hospital in Shanghai.

Doctors then successfully cut the tumour for Yangyang.

However, the two-year-old suffered a recurrence of the cancer.

Doctors suggested his family arrange a liver transplant for the child.

He was transferred to a children's hospital in Beijing in a bid for better treatment.

Yangyang's father, Hu Xiaofei, struggled to afford the surgery fees.

The child's medical bills have accumulated to one million yuan (112,215), an astronomical number for Hu Xiaofei, a migrant worker.

In order to cover the bills, the family had borrowed roughly 700,000 yuan (78,550) from family, friends and even loan sharks.

Hu told a reporter from Yi Photos that his wife had left the family last November when Yangyang was preparing for his first surgery.

Yangyang's mother allegedly ran away with 22,470 last year after knowing her son's illness

A recurrent hepatoblastoma was found in Yangyang's body during a checkup earlier this year

Yangyang's mother also brought with her 200,000 yuan (22,470) that the family had raised to pay for Yangyang's medical treatment.

She returned the money as the family threatened to report her to the police.

But she left after a week and never came back.

Pictures emerged online showing the young Yangyang crying in the ward and looking for his mother.

Hu did not want to tell his son the truth, so he lied to him by saying: 'Mother is out for work now.'

Yangyang has taken over 20 rounds of chemotherapy and nine operations up to date

Yangyang is now being taken care by his father and grandparents.

The two-year-old has already undergone over 20 rounds of chemotherapy and nine surgical operations.

Hu said his son was very optimistic in facing the cancer that he would give him a smile before going in the operation room.

Yangyang's story has caught the attention of the Chinese public. A donation page was set up to help the family on September 13.

The donation has reached 91 per cent to date, with an aim of 700,000 yuan (78,592) till December 13.
Denmark's immigration minister has posted a drawing of the Prophet Muhammad on Facebook, one of the satirical cartoons that caused outrage among Muslims around the world a decade ago.

Inger Stjberg, 44, posted a screenshot of her iPad to reveal that she uses one of the satirical cartoons, showing the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban, as the background on her handheld device.

Stjberg wrote that having the cartoon on her iPad reminds her that Denmark is a country with freedom of speech, which includes the right to criticise religions.

Controversial: Inger Stjberg, Danish Minister for Immigration, posted a screenshot of her iPad to reveal that she uses one of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons as the background on it

She made the statement in response to a decision by a Danish museum not to include the drawing in a new exhibition about blasphemy since the Reformation.

'It is the museum's own choice and they have their full right to do it, but I think it's a shame,' Stjberg, minister for immigration and integration, wrote in her Facebook post.

The cartoons by Swedish artist Lars Vilks caused global outrage in 2007

'Honestly, I think we should be proud of the Mohammad cartoons,' Stjberg said.

Stjberg is not adverse to controversy, and last year introduced the so called 'jewellery law' which outlined that refugees and migrants would have to hand over cash and jewellery in order to pay for acommodation in Denmark.

The drawings of the Prophet Muhammad by Swedish artist Lars Vilks were published Danish and Swedish newspapers in 2006.

Several months later, the cartoons caused global outrage, as Islam does not allow any depictions of the Prophet.

Three Danish embassies were attacked and at least 50 people were killed in rioting in 2007 in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Some eleven years later, Lars Vilks lives under constant threat.
A group of Sikh motorcyclists are demanding to be granted an exception from helmet laws because the untying and re-tying of their turbans is taking up too much time.

The Sikhs from Woolgolga in regional New South Wales say attending functions and wedding receptions is becoming an ordeal because they can't fit their helmets over their traditional garb.

'To tie it properly it takes at least 10 to 15 minutes. That's why we need an exemption from wearing the helmet,' Ajit Nurpuri told the ABC.

The Sikh Motorcycle Club of Australia told Daily Mail Australia they feel they have been discriminated against with the helmet laws.

'In Australia due to strict law about helmets, we are forced to wear helmets which we feel is discriminatory as we have to remove our turbans to wear helmets,' a representative for the club said.

A group of Sikh motorcyclists are demanding to be granted an exception from helmet laws because the untying and re-tying of their turbans is taking up too much time

The group of men, who are blueberry farmers by trade, say they rarely are travelling on highways and are requesting the exception for low speed riding.

'Whenever we go to attend any functions and marriage functions, or we go to the temple we have to then tie on our turban,' Mr Nurpuri said.

They say travelling under '50 or 60 kilometres an hour' is a safe enough speed to ride without the safety headgear and would save them considerable time in relation to their turbans.

The Sikhs from Woolgolga say attending functions is becoming an ordeal because they can't fit their helmets over their traditional garb

Manveer Singh, a younger member of the group who rides a Harley Davidson, says the rules should only apply to local roads and not to highways.

He says if they were granted an exception he would be able to wear his formal 'crown' turban which takes more time to apply, rather than the small turban he wears to fit under his helmet.

The group have approached Coffs Harbour councillor John Arkan, who is the state's first Sikh representative, to help them in their efforts.

Mr Arkan said while he appreciated their situation, it was not something he would consider.

'I would wear a helmet. I've only got this head and I don't particularly want to damage it,' he said.

The Sikh Motorcycle Club of Australia told Daily Mail Australia they feel they have been discriminated against with the helmet laws

The Sikh Motorcycle Club of Australia told Daily Mail Australia 'almost all Turban-wearing Sikhs' face similar problems with constantly removing their religious garb.

'We have had lots of local Sikhs contacting us to raise our voice against this discriminatory law. Traditionally and historically all Sikhs wear turbans but the helmet law in Australia takes our freedom of religion away from us,' the representative said.

'Similar laws were changed in parts of Canada and UK and we do seek the exception here in Australia as well although we haven't challenged the law yet.'
Donald Tusk today said there had not 'yet' been enough progress in the Brexit negotiations to trigger trade talks.

The EU Council President praised Theresa May's Florence speech and welcomed a new British approach which he said meant the end of the 'having cake and eating it' philosophy.

Mr Tusk's new intervention, on the steps of Downing Street after a meeting with Theresa May, will raise expectations trade talks will not start on time next month.

He travelled to London this morning after a briefing from the EU's negotiator Michel Barnier about the state of the talks.

British and European officials are today locked in the fourth round of negotiations and Mrs May hopes to have broken a stalemate with her intervention last week.

The Premier spelt out her hopes for a two year transition deal and signalled Britain would pay up to 40billion to settle the divorce.

Speaking to reporters outside Downing Street (pictured) Donald Tusk today said there had not 'yet' been enough progress in the Brexit negotiations to trigger trade talk

British and European officials are today locked in the fourth round of negotiations and Mrs May hopes to have broken a stalemate with her intervention last week

Addressing waiting reporters as he left No 10 today, Mr Tusk said he was unmoved in his opinion that Brexit was first and foremost a 'damage control' exercise.

But he praised Mrs May for shifting the Government position with her Florence speech and said: 'I feel cautiously optimistic about the constructive and more realistic tone of the Prime Minister's speech in Florence and in our discussions today.

'This shows the philosophy of having our cake and eating it is finally at an end - at least I hope so.

'No one will ever tell me Brexit is a good thing. As I have always said in fact it is only about damage control.'

IDS CALLS FOR NO DEAL BREXIT PLAN Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has called on the Government to draw up plans for a no deal Brexit. The veteran Eurosceptic wrote for the Conservative Home website that Britain must be ready to call the EU's bluff in the talks. Mr Duncan Smith complained the reasons for a long transition period were not clear. He said: 'We are, I believe, poised at a critical moment. 'As we wait for a somewhat weakened Angela Merkel to re-enter the negotiations, we must either decide we want decisiveness and clarity and set the agenda, or bend the knee and hope for the best.' Advertisement

He added: 'If you ask me I would say there is not sufficient progress yet but we will work on it.'

A No 10 spokesman said Mrs May outlined the thinking behind her speech to the council president.

He said: 'The PM and President Tusk welcomed the good progress that had been made on citizens' rights in the talks so far, and restated their commitment to finding a positive solution to the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

'The PM also stressed the importance of agreeing a period of implementation once Britain leaves the EU in March 2019.

'She said this would build a bridge to that new relationship that ensures the process is smooth and orderly and creates as much certainty as possible for everyone.

'At the end of the meeting, the PM said her Florence speech had been intended to create momentum in the ongoing talks.

'She said it was important for EU negotiators to now respond in the same spirit.'

Donald Tusk visited Downing Street today (pictured) to praise Theresa May's 'excellent' Florence speech and revealed he was now more optimistic about the Brexit talks

The EU Council President travelled to London this morning after a briefing from the EU's negotiator Michel Barnier about the state of the talks

Speaking earlier as he arrived in Downing Street for the talks, Mr Tusk described the speech as 'excellent'.

He told the PM: 'After your excellent speech in Florence I am much more optimistic.

'Of course, still we have to do something maybe more substantive.'

In response, Mrs May said the two leaders agreed that 'things have moved on' in the process.

The PM stressed the need for a 'good economic and security partnership' between the UK and EU after withdrawal.

She said: 'I set out in my speech last week in Florence the hope for working together to that deep and special partnership I think we want to create with the European Union once we leave the European Union.

'And the commitment we have to looking for a really good economic partnership.

'I think that by being creative in the ways that we approach these issues we can find solutions that work both for the remaining 27 but also for the UK and maintain that co-operation and partnership between the UK and the EU.'

In her Florence speech, the Premier (pictured inside No 10 with Mr Tusk today) spelt out her hopes for a two year transition deal and signalled Britain would pay up to 40billion to settle the divorce

Mr Tusk was briefed on the latest talks by Michel Barnier (pictured right today) before travelling to London

In a fiery opening to the latest round of talks, the EU threatened to thwart the arrangement unless Britain first agrees to pay a huge 'divorce' bill and accept Brussels' rules during this time.

Warning that Brussels could still veto a deal after the financial settlement is agreed, Mr Barnier used the opening of the latest talks to warn: 'The EU has to decide on whether to have a transitional period and whether it is in its interest.

'We are not going to mix up discussions on debts and discussion on the past commitments. We are not going to mix up those subjects, which are part of an orderly withdrawal, on a discussion of our future relationship.'

He said during any transition the UK 'would have to continue with things such as the budget, supervision, judicial supervision and controls of EU rules and regulations'.

Mrs May's desire for an 'implementation' period has provoked rows between Cabinet ministers and prompted concern from Brexiteers that it will effectively mean EU free movement into the UK continues until at least 2021.

The deep divide between the EU and Britain over how to agree the 'divorce' bill, seen as the biggest threat to negotiations' success, was revealed as the fourth round of Brexit talks got under way in Brussels yesterday.

Brexit Secretary David Davis rejected Mr Barnier's arguments and said the UK would only discuss paying money in the context of a future deal with the EU.

In a direct warning to Brussels amid fears the EU is stalling talks, Mr Davis also warned Mr Barnier there were 'no excuses for standing in the way of progress'.

'The UK will honour commitments we have made during the period of our membership,' he said.

'But it's obvious that reaching a conclusion on this issue can only be done in the context of and in accordance with our new deep and special partnership with the EU.'

European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis arrive to brief the media

Mr Barnier (right) hinted that a breakthrough could be reached this week. He is pictured with Brexit Secretary David Davis

Reiterating Mrs May's position during her speech in Florence last Friday, Mr Davis said EU countries should not 'worry that they will need to pay more or receive less over the remainder of the current budget'.

He also praised the PM's proposals and said the UK 'is absolutely committed to work through the detail'.

Brussels has demanded that the UK pay a 'divorce' settlement of up to 90billion.

Mrs May confirmed last week that she is willing to continue the UK's payments into the EU's budget for two years after Brexit - estimated to come to about 17.5 billion.

Mr Barnier hinted that a breakthrough could be reached this week, saying the resumed talks could unlock 'a moment of clarity' over the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, the Northern Ireland border and the 'divorce' bill.

EU leaders will first have to decide whether the UK has made 'sufficient progress' on these issues before agreeing to launch talks on a trade deal.

The Prime Minister is expected to be asked for more detail about Brexit by the bloc's other 27 leaders at a dinner in the Estonian capital Tallinn on Thursday
A Sydney father who allegedly left his three-year-old toddler inside the car while he went to the pub has said he is 'extremely sorry'.

The man, who has not been named, was allegedly across the road at the Hume Hotel in Yagoona, in Sydney's south-west, on Saturday.

Barber Issa Khadem rescued the young boy from the Holden Astra after hearing distressed cries shortly after 3.30pm.

The 42-year-old father told 9 News the incident was an 'error of judgement' and apologised to his family.

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A Sydney father who allegedly left his three-year-old toddler inside the car while he went to the pub has said he is 'extremely sorry'

The three-year-old boy outside a shop after police smashed a car window to rescue him

'I can't wait to give them a cuddle,' he said.

Temperatures climbed above 35C in the area on Saturday as the young boy was trapped in the car.

The boy's father has been charged with leaving a child in a car causing distress, neglecting a child in his care and resisting arrest, police report.

Mr Khadem was unsure if he could legally smash a window and called the local Bankstown police, who did the job of breaking glass on the driver's side to free the boy and treat him for dehydration.

'He was crying, he had wet himself in the car, poor thing,' he told Nine News on Sunday.

The man said he 'can't wait to them [his kids] a cuddle', after allegedly leaving his toddler in a hot car

Local area police smashed this driver's side window to free the boy left inside on a hot day

'This is what happens in Yagoona when a bloke goes to the pub and leaves his kid in the car.'

Nine News showed footage of the father knocked out on the pavement of the pub, after another patron had allegedly punched him.

The TV report said police learned the father was supposed to have been caring for another son, aged two, when the boy's mother arrived on the scene.

A father, 42, has been charged with leaving his three-year-old son inside this Holden Astra

The man charged with locking one son in a hot car and leaving another at home was at this pub

Issa Khadem was inside his barber shop at Yagoona when he heard a boy's distressed cries

The man was granted strict bail in Bankstown Court on Tuesday, including not to be left alone with the children and not to enter a licensed or gaming venue.

The court heard the man had had alcohol and gambling problems in the past.

He will reappear at court next month.
Hindu Rohingyas who have fled the violence in Myanmar are reportedly being kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam by Muslims of the same ethnicity in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Some 480,000 Rohingya, mostly Muslim but also Hindu, have taken shelter in Bangladeshi refugee camps in the past month, leaving aid groups scrambling for provisions to help them.

Several women are reporting that Muslim Rohingya are murdering Hindu men and taking the women as wives, forcing them to convert to Islam - or be killed.

Kidnapped: Rica Dhar, 28, left, and Puja Mullick, right, say Muslim Rohingya killed their male family members and forced them to remove their Hindu marital bangles and begin praying to Allah, saying 'You will have to turn Muslim and marry us'

The Rohingya are a stateless ethnic group that has been living mainly in Myanmar's Rakhine state for centuries. A majority of them are Muslim, but there is a small minority who are Hindu.

Since violence broke out in Rakhine a month ago, some 480,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Puja Mullick is a Hindu Rohingya who left Myanmar with her husband and family in hope of a refugee in Bangladesh.

However, along the way, she says her husband and entire family were shot in front of her and but she was left alive to live as a captive.

She says her family were not killed by the Myanmar army but by Rohingya men clad in black with their faces hidden, 'abusing in the name of religion.

'They took us to the forest and said I would have to read namaz [Muslim prayer] or they would release me...

'My sindoor [red cosmetic powder worn by Hindu women in their parting or a a bindi] was removed and my religious marital bangles broken.

Crisis: Rohingya refugees scuffle as they wait to receive aid in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Fleeing: Since violence broke out in Myanmar's Rakhine State a month ago, some 480,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, the United Nations said Tuesday.

'I was told I would be allowed to live only if I changed my religion. I was made to wear burqa and stay with them to learn their traditions for almost three weeks.

'I was made to read Muslim prayer and I had to pray to Allah. My family started searching for me and came to know that I was living in a Muslim camp.'

Speaking to Mail Today at the Hindu Rohingya camp in Kotupalong area of Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh, she says her red sari is the only item of clothing she owns, and that her three-year-old son has no clothes at all.

Rica Dhar, 28, narrates a similar tragic tale as she feeds her young son.

'On Friday (August 25) they entered all the Hindu residences and attacked. First the mobile phones were taken away and then men were tied and beaten brutally. My husband worked as a goldsmith.

Many hundred thousand are now staying in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

'They took away all my jewellery and began beating me. All Hindus were identified and taken to a nearby hill. They were then killed in a row. Only eight women were allowed to stay among them mostly young and beautiful.

'They were told ''You will have to turn Muslim and marry us''. We had no option but to surrender and go with them.

'We were taken to the forest and left without food to weaken us mentally also. Then we were brought to a camp in Bangladesh.

Ms Dhar says she was only saved when some of her Hindu relatives found out about her predicament and brought her to a Hindu camp.

Ms Dhar and Ms Mullick say there were six more women who shared their fate, who were still living in the Muslim majority camp with their captors.

'We are victims of Burma army and now we are being tortured here also. Eight women who were here from Myanmar....they were forcibly taken to another camp and were asked to convert to Islam,' Vijay Ram Pal, a Hindu Rohingya said.

'Thankfully, a person here in the camp came to save them,' he said.

When asked, government officials were clueless about what was going on. 'We do not have any such information,' said Md. Ali Hossain, deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar.

'If it has occurred, we will take necessary action.'

When Bangladesh's information minister Hasanul Haq Inu was informed about the situation by MailToday, he promised action.

'The news is very bad and astounding... we have taken all measures to put Rohingya Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Buddhist families in separate camps,' he said.

'We will be investigating this and we will be very tough.'
More than 41,000 homes are without power after reports of a fire at a substation in Western Sydney.

Twitter users began posting frenzied questions about a 'massive flash of light' in the direction of Darling Harbour and were trying to figure out if 'the power blew.'

One user wrote: 'No power in Inner West Sydney. Exploded substation? Reports of explosion.'

Campsie, Ashfield and Lakemba are allegedly all affected (pictured)

Twitter users began posting frenzied questions about a 'massive flash of light' in the direction of Darling Harbour and were trying to figure out if 'the power blew'

Campsie, Ashfield, Belmore, Canterbury, Kingsgrove, Croydon, Dulwich Hill and Lakemba are all affected according to Ausgrid

Journalist Laura Banks confirmed that an electricity substation was indeed on fire at Earlwood, causing mass blackouts between Marrickville and Strathfield.

The power, which went out at about 10.35pm, is not going to be restored until 1am, Ms Banks confirmed.

Campsie, Ashfield, Belmore, Canterbury, Kingsgrove, Croydon, Dulwich Hill and Lakemba are all affected according to Ausgrid.

'Has the entire Inner West of Sydney turned off or is it just a blackout,' one very confused social media user asked.

'I will survive the (second) great Inner West blackout of 2017. Unless my candles set fire to my house,' another joked.
The White House says President Donald Trump's remarks about his attorney general at a Monday evening were not nearly as disdainful as previously reported.

Trump is said to have complained about Jeff Sessions' recusal from the Department of Justice's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and said his AG needs to 'get moving' during a dinner with conservatives.

'You could feel it dripping with venom,' an attendee of the meal told the Wall Street Journal's Rebecca Ballhaus afterward.

A White House official who at the dinner said a guest, not the president, brought Sessions up, and Trump's remarks were 'neither notable nor venomous'.

President Donald Trump lashed out at Jeff Sessions again on Monday evening, reviving a months-old clash with his attorney general. He's seen Monday in the Oval Office

The president has been wrestling with his decision to promote Sessions since the early days of his administration.

He has said he was blindsided by his AG's recusal from the Russia investigation and that he would have nominated someone else for the position had he known it was coming. The recusal helped pave the way for the special counsel investigation that's dogging the Republican administration.

Trump spent a week in July humiliating Sessions in interviews and on Twitter, saying he was 'VERY weak' on Hillary Clinton's emails and leakers and 'beleaguered.' He said the law enforcement official should be 'tougher' on government leakers and only 'time will tell' if Sessions will last in his current position.

The president is said to have demanded his AG's resignation earlier this year, in February, only to keep him on the counsel of the vice president and top-ranking aides.

Eventually Trump turned his attention to other issues, and the tension appeared to dissipate.

At a rally Friday evening in Session's home state, Trump said the former U.S. senator's replacement, Luther Strange, would 'be taking over for a man that you all love.'

'You love Jeff Sessions. He's doing a good job. He is doing a good job,' the president told a crowd of Strange supporters in Huntsville, Alabama.

Trump complained about Sessions' recusal from the Department of Justice's probe into Russian meddling. He likewise said that Sessions needs to 'get moving' during a dinner with conservatives

Sessions held his Senate seat for a decade before he resigned to serve as Trump's attorney general. Strange is competing against Republican Roy Moore in a run-off today in a bid to keep it.

Trump lauded Sessions at the Friday night rally - but also directed rally goers chanting 'lock her up' to put pressure on their former senator to prosecute Clinton.

'You gotta to speak to Jeff Sessions about that,' he told chanters.

He hit Sessions more directly on Monday night, WSJ's source indicated.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders acknowledged in a July interview that followed Trump's Twitter tirade against Sessions that the president remains frustrated with Sessions.

'That frustration certainly hasn't gone away and I don't think it will,' she said.

Trump told the New York Times in an interview later that day: 'Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else.'

Asked about Sessions again just after the interview came out, Trump told reporters during a news conference, 'Im very disappointed with the attorney general, but we will see what happens.'

'You could feel it dripping with venom,' an attendee of the meal told the Wall Street Journal's Rebecca Ballhaus afterward

Trump said, 'I want the attorney general to be much tougher on the leaks from intelligence agencies, which are leaking like rarely have they ever leaked before at a very important level.

'These are intelligence agencies. We cannot have that happen. You know many of my views in addition to that, but I think thats one of the very important things that they have to get on with.'

Of Sessions' job security, Trump said, 'Time will tell. Time will tell.'

Since then the special counsel appointed by the DOJ has been inching closer and closer to the Oval Office with his investigation into alleged collusion between associates of Trump and the Kremlin.

Robert Mueller, the special counsel, has demanded White House documents and interviews with chief aides to Trump.

In addition to Russian meddling and potential collusion, he has his sights now on Trump. He's said to be reviewing charges that Trump obstructed justice when he fired FBI director James Comey.
A statue of an African American civil rights activist and educator, Octavius Valentine Catto, was unveiled Tuesday at the southwest corner of Philadelphia City Hall on John F. Kennedy Blvd.

Octavius was born free on February 22, 1839, in Charleston, South Carolina, and moved to Philadelphia as a child.

In 1858, he graduated as valedictorian from what would become Cheyney University, the nation's oldest historically black college, in Pennsylvania and became an English and math teacher at his alma mater.

The statue applauding Octavius' accomplishments is the first tribute of its kind for an African American in a public space in Philadelphia and the first public sculpture at City Hall since a statue of city father John Wanamaker was installed in 1923.

A picture of the statue of Octavius Valentine Catto taken September, 23, 2017. He was an African American civil rights activist and educator who fought for a better education for black students and pushed for equal voting rights

During his lifetime he fought for a better education for black students, led efforts to desegregate the city's street cars and pushed for equal voting rights.

Monuments dedicated to African Americans Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. George Washington Carver  Newton County, MO George Washington Carver was a prominent African-American scientist and inventor. Carver is best known for the many uses he devised for the peanut. M edgar Evers  Jackson, MS Medgar Evers was a civil rights activist who organized voter-registration efforts, demonstrations and boycotts of companies that practiced discrimination. W.E.B. Dubois  Nashville, Tennessee W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the most important African-American activists during the first half of the 20th century. He co-founded the NAACP and supported Pan-Africanism. Harriet Tubman  Harlem, NY Harriet Tubman escaped slavery to become a leading abolitionist. She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom along the route of the Underground Railroad. Source: Bio.com & Newsone Advertisement

His contributions to American democracy rival some of the country's most celebrated patriots, yet his story has remained largely unknown.

'We know more about Rocky, who's not even a real person, than we know about Octavius, which says a lot,' Mayor Jim Kenney said.

He first learned of Octavius' story as a young city councilman.

The honor comes amid a national conversation about Confederate memorials and a month after the violence in Charlottesville.

Last month, racial violence erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, which left a woman dead and several others injured, after protestors and counter-protestors clashed over the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

The racial debate continues in Philadelphia with the statue of Octavius standing several hundred yards from a sculpture of former Mayor Frank Rizzo, whose complicated legacy has led some to argue that his likeness should be removed from city property.

The former mayor served from 1972 to 1980 and critics argue that he reigned over a corrupt police department and used his power to alienate minorities.

Octavius worked to make sure that African Americans had a chance at getting their voices heard, which made him a leader in getting Pennsylvania to ratify the 15th Amendment, which gave black men the right to vote.

A photo of Octavius who advocated for Pennsylvania to ratify the 15th Amendment. He was shot and killed in 1871 while on his way to vote

Unfortunately, his advocacy would bring about his untimely death.

On October 10, 1871, the first Election Day African Americans were allowed to vote, Octavius was shot to death on his doorstep - on his way to cast his ballot by Irish American ward bosses.

He was 32 years old.

The unveiling of the statue comes amid a national conversation about Confederate memorials and a month after the violence in Charlottesville where protestors and counter-protestors clashed over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee

Mayor Kenney, who has Irish American roots, has championed the memorial since his days on City Council.

'Of course, we all know about Benjamin Franklin and all the things that he did, because we're taught about him,' he said.

'There were scores of these people throughout history, and it's important to understand that there were people other than the Founding Fathers who contributed greatly to this country.'

In 1858, he graduated as valedictorian from what would become Cheyney University, the nation's oldest historically black college, in Pennsylvania and became an English and math teacher
A Florida woman revealed her horrific third-degree chemical burns on her scalp after getting her hair professionally dyed in 2014.

Morgan Reynolds recently spoke out about the dangers of hair salons after she went in for a $170 dye job that led to thousands of dollars in medical bills.

'I had no idea that I could walk into a salon and walk out permanently disfigured,' Reynolds, who now has a 2-inch bald spot at the top of her head, told News 6.

Reynolds said she had colored her own hair in the past but when she decided to go from brown to platinum blonde she knew she had to get it professionally done.

Morgan Reynolds (pictured) was left with horrific third-degree chemical burns after getting her hair professionally dyed at a Florida salon in 2014

Reynolds recently spoke out about the dangers of hair salons after she went in for a $170 dye job that led to thousands of dollars in medical bills. Reynolds now has a 2-inch bare spot (pictured) with very thin skin at the top of her head

'I was really excited,' said Reynolds. 'I'd never had my hair bleached before, so I was excited to be able to dye it pink.'

Before heading to just any salon, Reynolds said she researched and based her decision off of good reviews.

Her final decision came down to the Honeycomb Hair and Make-up Studio in Winter Park, a salon that her friend even recommended.

Reynolds accused the stylist at the salon of ignoring her complaints that her scalp was burning while she was putting in the bleach.

According to Reynolds, the stylist told her everything was fine and even tried to say it could be 'an allergic reaction'.

'She had already done half my hair and was moving on to this half, and it started burning,' said Reynolds.

Reynolds said she researched local hair salons before making the decision to go to the Honeycomb Hair and Make-up Studio

While getting her hair bleached, Reynolds acccused the stylist at the salon of ignoring her complaints that her scalp was burning. The stylist allegedly told her it was just an 'allergic reaction' but Reynolds soon found out that she had third-degree chemical burns (pictured)

'And I let her know. I asked if it was normal. And she said, "Yes that could happen," and just let me know if it gets really bad,' Reynolds told the station.

Reynolds said the stylist didn't know what was going on nor did she know how to 'neutralize' the burn.

After going to the hospital, doctors told Reynolds that she had third-degree chemical burns.

About two weeks alter, pieces of her scalp and clumps of her hair started falling out.

'For about the next 10 months, I was left with about 5 inches of my scalp exposed,' she said.

Reynolds has undergone multiple surgeries at a burn clinic and she may have to undergo at least two more in the future.

Reynolds has undergone multiple surgeries at a burn clinic and she may have to undergo at least two more in the future. Last month, the salon owner, Samantha Schulze, released a statement denying that Reynolds was burned at her business (pictured)

And when Reynolds tried to file a civil lawsuit, it was dropped after her attorneys told her the salon owner's insurance didn't cover her claim and they didn't legally have to either, according to News 6.

The salon did not have liability insurance, making it tough for attorneys to take on a a salon injury case.

Last month, the salon owner, Samantha Schulze, released a statement regarding the incident.

Schulze claimed whatever caused the burns to Reynolds' scalp came from 'something she got into after she left my salon'.

She said Reynolds posted a smiling photo to social media shortly after the alleged incident.

'Morgan Reynolds came into the salon on October 29, 2014, for highlights and color. While Morgan Reynolds was in the chair, she kept asking the stylist to keep the peroxide and bleach agent (highlights) on her hair for longer than the product allows,' the statement, which was obtained by WFTV, read.

'Of course, the stylist would not do it... Please understand I do not take it lightly that a client of my salon complains of being burnt by a treatment, but I truly believe that Morgan Reynolds' scalp was burnt by something she got into after she left my salon,' the owner wrote.
An academic has suggested opponents of gay marriage are less intelligent.

Dr Francisco Perales, a senior research fellow with the University of Queensland's Institute for Social Science Research, argues those opposed to redefining marriage struggled with processing complex ideas.

Citing comprehensive demographic data, he said those planning to vote 'No' in the same-sex marriage postal vote were unlikely to be persuaded by the facts.

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University of Queensland senior research fellow Dr Francisco Perales says gay marriage opponents aren't motivated by facts

'This may shed some light on why those who stand against equal rights may not be persuaded by evidence-based arguments in the ongoing same-sex marriage debate,' he said in an opinion piece for the ABC on Tuesday.

'This applies, for instance, to the scientifically unsupported claim that children are worse off in same-sex households.'

The Brisbane-based academic, who specialises in 'gender and sexual identity', said opponents of changing the Marriage Act lacked the cognitive ability to process complex ideas, discern facts from speculation and critically engage with new or diverse viewpoints.

'Specifically, there is a strong and statistically significant association between higher cognitive ability and a greater likelihood to support equal rights between same- and different-sex couples,' Dr Perales said.

The Brisbane academic said gay marriage supporters had higher cognitive abilities (Sydney protesters pictured)

He added older people and those from non-English speaking backgrounds were more likely to oppose gay marriage.

'Some population groups  older people and those from non-English-speaking backgrounds, for example  may be more opposed to equal rights and also perform worse in cognitive ability tests,' he said.

'For the former group, this may be due to cognitive decline, and for the latter it may be due to English not being their first language.'

He argued the 'No' case were relying on arguments unrelated to same-sex marriage, such as religious freedom or gender theory in schools, to persuade socially conservative voters.

'These results may thus shed some light over why some on the 'No' side may be failing to offer or accept evidence-based arguments, or why they keep relying on philosophically, historically or empirically flawed ones,' Dr Perales said.

Maverick independent MP Bob Katter, from far north Queensland, is against gay marriage

With former Liberal prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott, along with socially conservative politicians like Bob Katter, leading the 'No' case, Dr Perales didn't suggest all opponents of gay marriage were less intellectual.

'The findings do not mean that all who intend to vote 'no' in the marriage ballot have a low level of cognitive ability,' he said.

'Nor do they mean that all those who intend to vote 'yes' have a high level.'

However, he concluded opponents of gay marriage were more likely to be less intelligent, citing data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia annual surveys of 17,000 people.

'People who stand against equal rights for same-sex couples are less likely to have cognitive resources that are important to participating in meaningful debate,' he said.

His intervention into the gay marriage conversation comes as voters return ballots from the Australian Bureau of Statistics as part of the $122 million voluntary postal vote on redefining the Marriage Act.

Opinion polls, including Newspoll, show the 'Yes' having majority public support.
Police have been shamed for bad driving and parking by a Facebook 'vigilante' group.

The 'Unmarked police cars of East Anglia' page was set up to shame police for what it said was their poor parking and bad driving. It has more than 2,000 followers and receives up to 125 videos a week of officers acting like they are 'above the law'.

The site includes photos of police officers allegedly speeding in unmarked lorries to catch drivers on their mobile phones, falling asleep while parked on double-yellow lines and swerving dangerously across motorway lanes without their twos on.

The group claim that police have tried to get Facebook to take the page down twice for 'victimisation'.

However, a spokesman for Cambridgeshire Constabulary has dismissed claims that the force were behind the complaints to the social media site.

One of the videos appears to show a police car swerving in and out of lanes on a dual carriageway

The site includes photos of police officers allegedly speeding in unmarked lorries to catch drivers on their mobile phones, falling asleep while parked on double-yellow lines (pictured) and swerving dangerously across motorway lanes without their twos on

Private messages sent to the site's administrator, said: 'Your page has been brought to our attention regarding the contents. We believe it's unfair... the contents could lead or be misinterpreted as victimisation of the police.'

The man, who asked only to be named by as Mike, said: 'To be fair I was a little bit intimidated because I was getting told to shut page down and thought is it something illegal so I backed down 100 per cent and the page came down in three days.'

The page was initially taken down in 2015, but similar messages were sent after a new Facebook page was set up entitled 'Unmarked cars in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire'.

Mike said he took that page down two days later after receiving more messages claiming he was 'victimising' police from Facebook's administration team.

He said: 'Their amicable solution was the page comes down end of story - so the page came down and I was like it's a kind of big boy little boy sort of thing because I'm making a point and that's not right - I've got freedom of speech as much as anyone else.

'So I made the three counties one and they said no, and I said fine, I'll take legal advice and made a regional one.'

The messages stopped after he then created the current Facebook page, 'Unmarked police cars in East Anglia' encompassing police forces in Cambs, Beds, Herts, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk on May 7, 2015.

Pictured is a police officer appearing to use his mobile phone while driving

The page's administrator, who works full-time and is from Cambridgeshire, says he and a team of three people running the site as volunteers.

He believed he had caught police officers commenting on the page after he sent out deliberately false sightings of unmarked vehicles' registration numbers.

'We've got police officers on the page, I know we have because... we've got a list of unmarked police cars I posted to see if I could get a rise out of people,' he added.

'They were made-up cars that they never head and there was a comment on there saying, 'I didn't know there was a Beetle in the force'.'

The man, who also posts videos taken from his own dashcam on his vehicle, does not use footage that has been taken illegally and conducts checks on submitted videos of unmarked police vehicles against his database of around 80 self-confirmed registration numbers.

'As far we can make out we are the only page that does it,' he said.

'The funniest one if you like was actually taken by myself in Norfolk, a BMW X5 that parked at the entrance way to a bus stop in a fully marked X5.

'The passenger jumped out and went to get a Chinese at which point the bus came up behind him and the police car didn't move - that's really unprofessional.

'And I've just been sent pictures of a police officer in a fully marked up police car writing up his notes crawling along in traffic.'

The 'Unmarked police cars of East Anglia' page was set up to shame police for what it said was their poor parking and bad driving

He added: 'We were tempted to change the name to "Policing of the Police".

'Someone needs to do something to air their views and air what's going on.

'We live in a society where Big Brother is watching everybody so why shouldn't the police be watched.

'The page and what we are doing, it's not the victimisation of the police force in any way shape or form, it's just highlighting certain aspects which may get overseen or not reported.

'It takes years to build up your reputation and five minutes to lose it.'

A spokesman from Cambridgeshire Constabulary said: 'We have a complaints mechanism in place which we would encourage any member of the public to use should they need to.

'We welcome public scrutiny and all complaints made through official channels will be investigated.

'Details of the complaints procedure can be found here https://www.contactcambspolice.uk/Ask/CCC/Complaints.aspx?section=4answer.'
The mother of six-year-old Kylie Maybury has revealed that she wanted to kill her daughter's murderer after spending her life hunting him, only to discover he lived a few streets away.

Kylie was found dead in a gutter of Melbourne suburb Preston East, a day after she walked to the shops to buy her mother some sugar in 1984.

For 30 years, Kylie's mother Julie Maybury got to know men across Australia, with the hope she would find who kidnapped, raped and murdered her daughter on Melbourne Cup Day.

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Julie Maybury (pictured) spent her life hunting for the man who raped and killed her six-year-old daughter only to discover he was living a few streets away

Kylie Maybury (pictured) was found dead and dumped in a gutter in Melbourne in 1984

Police knocked on Ms Maybury's door telling her they received a tip off that Gregory Keith Davies (pictured) was the killer, with a DNA match to prove it

However, three decades later Police knocked on Ms Maybury's door telling her they received a tip off that Gregory Keith Davies was the killer.

Police later found a DNA match of Davies' semen in Kylie's underpants.

Ms Maybury told A Current Affair her daughter's killer was 'right on my doorstep' with the convenience store sitting in the middle of the two houses.

'I would love to kill him myself,' Ms Maybury said.

'I broke down, the tears were running down my eyes.

'[He's] a bastard and a monster for what [he] did to my daughter.'

Ms Maybury told A Current Affair she 'would love to kill him myself' after what he did to Kylie

Davies was arrested and charged in 2016 for abducting, raping and murdering the young girl

The mother said she and Kylie used to deliver pamphlets around the neighbourhood but she always had an 'eery feeling' at Davies' house, with the feeling being so uncomfortable, they stopped delivering pamphlets to his area completely.

The murder sparked one of the biggest police operations for the time, with hundreds of men interviewed.

Davies was arrested and charged in 2016 for abducting, raping and murdering the young girl.

Ms Maybury told A Current Affair her daughter's (pictured) killer was 'right on my doorstep' with the convenience store sitting in the middle of the two houses

Ms Maybury said she and Kylie used to deliver pamphlets around the neighbourhood but she had an 'eery feeling' at Davies' house to which they stopped going to his area altogether

Earlier this year the 74-year-old (pictured) had boiling water poured on his groin while in prison and is expected to appear before court on November 27

The 74-year-old admitted to the crime on what was supposed to be the first day of his pre-trial committal hearing at the Melbourne Magistrate's Court.

In July this year, Davies' had boiling water poured on his groin at Port Phillip Prison in Victoria.

The defence lawyer told the Supreme Court of Victoria in September Davies had 'skin grafts to 15 per cent of his body' and had only just been able to walk again.

Davies' will appear before court on November 27.
A North Korean nuclear missile fired at Hawaii could possibly avoid interception, would hit too fast to evacuate the population and would claim 15,000 lives, a government file reveals.

The chilling file was presented at a meeting in the Hawaiian capital Honolulu last Thursday, two days after lawmakers met secretly to discuss the issue.

It takes the form of a presentation, explaining the threat posed by a nuclear weapon nearly six times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima.

The chilling file was presented at a meeting in the Hawaiian capital Honolulu last Thursday, two days after lawmakers met secretly to discuss the issue

The file takes the form of a presentation, explaining the threat posed by a nuclear weapon nearly six times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima

It predicts as many as 15,000 casualties, with up to 60 per cent of the surviving population exposed to radiation, in addition to widespread damage to infrastructure.

The presentation warns that a nuclear missile couldn't be intercepted 'with absolute certainty' and there would be just 20 minutes from launch to impact.

No evacuation will be attempted in that timeframe, the file adds, so Hawaiians should prepare to shelter in place and await further instructions.

A warning statement, which would to be continuously broadcast on radio and TV and beamed to mobiles and pagers, also appears in the presentation.

It predicts as many as 15,000 casualties, with up to 60 per cent of the surviving population exposed to radiation, in addition to widespread damage to infrastructure

The presentation warns that a nuclear missile couldn't be intercepted 'with absolute certainty' and there would be just 20 minutes from launch to impact

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un delivering a statement in Pyongyan about a speech made by the president of the United States of America at the UN General Assembly

It states: 'The US Pacific Command has detected a missile threat to Hawaii. A missile may impact on land or sea within minutes. This is not a drill.

'If you are indoors, stay indoors. If you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building. Remain indoors well away from windows.

'If you are driving, pull safely to the side of the road and seek shelter in a building or lay flat on the ground. We will announce when the threat has ended.'

Further slides advised families to keep at least two weeks of emergency supplies and gave details on which type of building could best withstand an atomic blast.

No evacuation will be attempted in the timeframe, the file adds, so Hawaiians should prepare to shelter in place and await further instructions

The test launch of an intermediate range Hwasong-12 in North Korea

The presentation, which carries the seal of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, is based on the threat of a 100kiloton bomb detonated at 1,000ft.

However, estimates for the yield of this month's nuclear test suggest North Korea used a bomb with between 140 and 250kilotons of explosive power.

As details of their secret meeting on Tuesday emerged, Hawaiian lawmakers said they met privately to avoid spooking the public.

Their presentation was marked 'official use only' and reportedly showed where North Korea might target for an attack.

Yet Thursday's presentation insisted that while Honolulu was the likeliest target, 'impact on a neighbour island cannot be ruled out'.
Entertainment / Music

by Staff Reporter

In a bid to produce professional musicians, the Zimbabwe College of Music on Monday launched a state of the art recording studio in Harare.The move is in line with the college's investment plan towards profitable entrepreneurship and self sustainability for musical students and the community at large.Zimbabwe College of Music Executive Director, Rachel Chigwanda noted that the studio will help to produce adequately trained professional music artists.The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Lazarus Dokora said the music recording studio has come at such a time when his ministry is celebrating the introduction of the new curriculum.Zimbabwe College of Music's vision is to produce music art professionals and in that regard, counts musicians such as Hope Masike, Rute Mbangwa and Dudu Manhenga among its graduates.
This is the heart-warming moment a group of policeman manage to pull a puppy from the wreckage of last week's devastating earthquake in Mexico.

The 7.1 magnitude disaster has left over 300 people dead in Mexico City, with relief teams from around the world desperately trying to rescue those trapped in the rubble.

But this dog offered tired rescue workers a glimmer of hope yesterday when it was pulled from a flattened building in the city's Colonia Del Valle district.

Police and earthquake relief workers are pictured on their knees trying to pull a puppy from the wreckage of a flattened house

As they reach under the rubble, Camila the chihuahua (pictured) emerges and onlookers cheer in celebration

Posting the heart-warming video on Twitter the Mexico City police force confirms the young hound (pictured) was nursed back to health and reunited with her owners

A video shows the men on their knees searching beneath the debris and onlookers shout 'Make way! Make way!' as one backs up with the young creature in his arms.

As the Chihuahua, now called 'Camila', emerges from the destroyed building bystanders cheer with happiness.

Commenting on Twitter, locals thanked the relief workers for their hard work, saying: 'Thank you, this makes me so happy, thank you God!'

Residents of Mexico City responded with joy on social media, praising God and thanking the police and recovery workers for their efforts

Another said: 'Thank you, we can do this, let's go Mexico!'

Also posting on social media the Mexico City police force confirmed the tiny dog has been nursed back to health and reunited with its owners.

Two days ago Japanese humanitarian workers found a Schnauzer under another flattened building in the city.

The horrendous quake is believed to be the worst to hit Mexico in 32 years.

Japanese rescue workers reach a dog in a collapsed building where the search of victims continues, in Mexico City after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit last Tuesday
Hundreds of criminals at a notorious Indonesian prison have been evacuated after fears the nearby volcano will erupt.

Australian Bali Nine member Scott Rush is among the 166 prisoners moved from Karangasem jail which could be affected if Mount Agung volcano erupts.

Indonesian woman Noor Ellis, who murdered her Australian husband Bob Ellis, and Australian Michael Sacatides, who was sentenced to 18 years in jail for smuggling drugs onto the resort island, were also moved from the prison.

Australian Bali Nine member Scott Rush (pictured) is amoung the 166 prisoners moved from Karangasem jail which could be affected if Mount Agung volcano erupts

Indonesian woman Noor Ellis (pictured), who murdered her Australian husband Bob Ellis, was also moved from Karangasem jail

Australian Michael Sacatides (pictured), who was sentenced to 18 years in jail for smuggling drugs onto the resort island, was also moved from the jail after volcano eruption fears

Despite being outside the 12km exclusion zone, the prisoners were taken to other jails for safety reasons.

Prisoners were reportedly carrying their possessions in plastic bags and were being moved on police prison buses, The West Australian reports.

There were 15 female inmates transferred to Bangli women's prison while the 151 male inmates were moved to a narcotics prison.

Karangasem prison governor Kusbyantoro told the publication people who worked in the prisons were worried for their own, and the prisoners', safety, prompting the temporary move.

It is believed the volcano will erupt at any time, with the area being on the highest alert rating and the mountain shows all the crucial signs of eruption.

Authorities say more than 75,000 are now sheltering at more than 370 evacuation points across the country.

Despite the jail being outside the 12km exclusion zone, the prisoners were taken to other jails for safety reasons (pictured)

Prisoners were reportedly carrying their possessions in plastic bags and were being moved on police prison buses (pictured)

A natural disaster has been declared in parts of Bali as authorities imposed an exclusion zone around Mount Agung following increased volcanic activity on Sunday.

More than three hundred earthquake tremors have ripped through the area around the volcano, with fears it is about to blow.

Scores of Australian families are currently on the idyllic holiday island for their school holidays, but authorities insist the destination is still safe.

Despite this, officials have ordered villages living within a 12km (eight mile) zone around the mountain to leave.

Authorities raised the volcano's alert status to the highest level on Friday following a 'tremendous increase' in seismic activity. Its last eruption in 1963 killed 1,100 people.

The last eruption of Mount Agung (pictured) at Klungkung in Bali, in 1963 killed 1,100 people

More than 35,000 people have fled a menacing volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali

Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, a senior Cabinet minister, said Sunday that the districts surrounding the volcano 'must be prepared for the worst.'

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has praised the welcoming response of local communities on Bali to the flood of evacuees.

The agency has sent food and logistical supplies to the area, while also calling for public donations.

Thousands are living in temporary shelters, sport centers, village halls and with relatives or friends. Some return to the danger zone during the day to tend to livestock.

Thousands are living in temporary shelters, sport centers, village halls. Above, evacuees in a temporary shelter

Children play in an evacuation shelter after authorities raised the volcano's alert status to the highest level on Friday

Some evacuees return to the danger zone around the volcano in the day to tend to livestock

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has praised the welcoming response of local communities on Bali to the flood of evacuees

Authorities imposed the exclusion zone around the crater as increasing volcanic activity on Sunday sent strong tremors through areas in the eastern part of the island

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 14 tons of aid has been sent, including tents, blankets, mattresses and portable communications equipment.

Truck driver Wayan Suparta said he and his family left their village 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the mountain several days ago, bringing just clothes and blankets to a temporary camp in Rendang.

The 35-year-old said he sold the family's cow because they don't know when they'll be able to return.

Officials have said there is no current danger to people in other parts of Bali, a popular tourist island famous for its surfing, beaches and elegant Hindu culture.

Hoaxes have proliferated online, with videos of previous eruptions in Indonesia circulated as current events at Mount Agung.

Officials urged the public to remain calm amid false reports and videos circulating online of an eruption.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has sent food and logistical supplies to the area, while also calling for public donations

Women and children are seen taking refuge in an evacuation shelter after authorities imposed an exclusion zone around the volcano

'The latest analysis indicates that Mount Agung's seismic energy is increasing and has the potential to erupt,' the National Vulcanology Center said in a statement.

'However, no one can predict exactly when there will be an eruption,' it added.

Flights at Bali's international airport were operating normally on Sunday as were tourist spots across the rest of the island.

Meanwhile, Australian flights to Bali continued as scheduled on Sunday.

Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Qantas flights to Denpasar International Airport remained unaffected but the airlines said they were monitoring warnings.

Virgin Australia warned of possible flight delays and said some Bali bound flights would be making fuel stops in Darwin as a precautionary measure.

'This ensures that if an eruption occurs while the aircraft is en route, we will be able to get guests back to their originating port safely and quickly,' the airline said in a statement.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 14 tons of aid has been sent, including tents, blankets, mattresses and portable communications equipment

Indonesia, made up of thousands of islands, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'

All Jetstar flights were operating as scheduled and passengers would be notified individually if changes occurred, the company said in a statement on Sunday.

'Our pilots and meteorologists will continue to monitor the latest information from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre,' the statement said.

Qantas flights were also operating as scheduled, a spokeswoman told AAP on Sunday.

The government's Smart Traveller website urges visitors to monitor local media reports and follow instructions of local authorities.

Australians are also advised to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia and to contact their tour operators to confirm travel plans.

In 1963, the 3,031-meter (9,944-foot) Agung hurled ash as high as 20 kilometres (12 miles), according to volcanologists, and remained active for about a year.

Lava traveled 7.5 kilometres (4.7 miles) and ash reached Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) away.

The mountain, 72 kilometres (45 miles) to the northeast of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia.

The country of thousands of islands is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
A leopard leaped out from the undergrowth to kill an unsuspecting impala and the remarkable moment was caught on camera.

Bryan Mattice, a 35-year-old high school social studies teacher in the United States, witnessed the kill at the Dela Porte waterhole in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

'Several impala were drinking there and the female leopard was right there as well,' he said.

'Crouching down in a bush, she was completely invisible to the buck.

'We had stumbled upon this impeccable timing and landed a front row seat for the hunt and parked just 15-20 meters from her hiding spot.'

'The adrenaline motivated everyone in our vehicle to stay silent, but have our cameras ready.

'When the kill took place, it was incredible to watch. Beyond description. At that moment there were no words to describe it. Just amazement at the raw power of nature.'

Safari guide at Kruger National Park, Simon Vegter, told the group that witnessing such a successful hunt was a very rare sighting.

'It's hard to describe the emotions and feelings one has when viewing wildlife in their natural habitat,' Mr Mattice said.

'In our case, we were fortunate enough to have our cameras ready for something rare, powerful, exceptional, and emotional,' he said.

The impala was passing with a herd but never saw the leopard lurking in the overgrowth

Born to kill: The leopard leaped up from the long grass and grabbed the impala by the neck
A New Jersey man who made headlines in 2013 after scooping a $338million Powerball jackpot has been released on bail after being a arrested on suspicion that he sexually assaulted a young girl for three years.

Pedro Quezada, 49, from Wayne, has been charged with counts of first- and second-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child who was between 11 and 14 when the assaults occurred.

Quezada, a father-of-five and a grandfather, faces up to 40 years in prison, if convicted of all the charges filed against him.

Reversal of fortune: Pedro Quezada, 49, is pictured in his mugshot, left, has been released on bail after being charged with sexual abuse of a child. In 2013, Quezada emerged as the winner of a $338million Powerball jackpot (pictured right at the time)

Quezada, a father-of-five, took home a lump sum of $152million. Pictured: Quezada holds up the promotional Powerball jackpot check of $338million in March 2013

Quezada will be electronically monitored and confined to his home except for traveling to see his lawyer and his financial adviser.

Although the accuser is now 20, the victim alleges she was abused between the ages of 11 and 14

Court documents seen by CBS News show the woman told authorities Quezada touched her breast, legs and other body parts when she was around 11 or 12.

She says when she was around 13 or 14 he forced her to have sex after he bought her a flat iron for her hair.

Quezada's live-in girlfriend Ines Sanchez (left) sued him for a portion of the winnings but later dropped her suit

Quezada, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic with five children and a granddaughter, ran a bodega in Passaic, working 15-hour days, when he won the lottery in 2013. He took a $152million lump sum payment after taxes.

'My life has changed,' he said at a press conference when he was announced as the winner. 'It will not change my heart.'

Eight months later, Quezada's ex-girlfriend Ines Sanchez, sued him for a portion of the jackpot, arguing that the man purchased the winning lottery ticket with money earned jointly by the couple.

During a press conference in March 2013, a beaming Quezada told reporters that he would buy Ines 'whatever she wants' with the money. But his lawyer later said that Sanchez did not deserve any of the winnings because the couple, who lived together for 10 years, was never legally married.

According to the woman's attorney, a large chunk of the lump sum has disappeared including $57million that has been sent to Quezada's native Dominican Republic, $300,000 spent on the home in Clifton, and $20 million that can't be located.

In March 2014, Ines Sanchez dropped her lawsuit against Quezada.

Quezada was also accused of reneging on his promise to pay the rent of his whole street andwas sued by a contractor who claimed he didn't pay for renovations to a home he bought in Clifton.
This tragic selfie shows a student drowning on a school trip while his unaware friends smile into the camera.

Cadets at the National College in Bangalore, India were swimming in pond near a temple when one got into difficulties in the water.

But his friends were totally oblivious and only realised the 17 year old was missing when they left.

This tragic selfie shows a student drowning on a school trip while his unaware friends smile into the camera

The boy's grieving family later sat with his body outside the National College to protest his death.

They blame 'negligent' teachers after the boys ignored signs telling them not to enter the water.

The school's management has promised an investigation and disciplinary action against any member of staff found to be culpable.

Police confirmed that Vishwas G., the elder son of rickshaw driver Govindaraju and his wife Sunanda, drowned after a picnic near a 300-year-old temple.

Sumanth A., one of the students, said: 'We had finished swimming and left for the Gundanjaneya temple and did not notice Vishwas's absence.

'One of the students was replaying his selfie photos and noticed Vishwas drowning being captured in the frame.

'He immediately alerted the NCC unit chief, Prof Girish, and other friends, and by the time they returned to the Kalyani, an hour had passed. Vishwas was nowhere to be seen.'

Police said Prof Girish was present at the time but college authorities claimed that no faculty member had accompanied the students.

Police confirmed that Vishwas G., the elder son of rickshaw driver Govindaraju and his wife Sunanda, drowned after a picnic near a 300-year-old temple

Local police officers later pulled Vishwas's body from the water and his parents rushed to the scene after they were alerted by his friends.

Ramanagara district SP Ramesh Banoth said: 'The students came to the spot with Professor Girish - the incident happened when the students taking selfies.'

Kaggalipura police said around 25 students, all NCC cadets from the Jayanagar college, had been on the trip.

They disregarded a sign warning people against entering the water and 'plunged in,' a police officer said.

A police spokesman said: 'Govindappa filed a complaint alleging that negligence by the National College management cost his son his life.

'We registered a case of unnatural death, based on the complaint, and may register a case against the college management if a probe confirms their negligence.'

The spokesman added that police had not yet questioned the other students, as they had been in shock, but had their details and would do so in due course.
A swingers party in Michigan ended with a 'jealous' wife allegedly trying to run her husband over with Dodge Caravan.

Police say Amber K Schomaker, 28, was at the Bay City party with her 31-year-old husband and another couple. He went upstairs with the other woman while she stayed downstairs with the woman's fiance, according to MLive.com.

When Schomaker's husband and the 26-year-old woman came back downstairs, she allegedly slapped him and ran outside. She reportedly drank almost a fifth of vodka that night and had a blood alcohol level of 0.156.

Amber Schomaker reportedly tried to hit her husband and the couple they were swinging with using her minivan. She was charged with three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon

Schomaker's husband, the woman and her fiance all ran outside after her. That's when she is accused of climbing into the maroon minivan and speeding over the sidewalk towards the trio.

The woman called 911 to report Schomaker who allegedly sped away after her husband and the fiance narrowly jumped out of the way of the vehicle.

Schomaker soon returned, armed with a screwdriver she later told police she used to start the minivan. She is accused on then trying to use it to get inside the house.

Police say she started attacking her husband who ended up with a bloody gash on his forehead. He later told deputies his wife launched the assault because she was jealous.

Schomaker is accused of driving her Dodge Caravan (file photo) towards her husband, the woman and her fiance

When police arrived, they arrested Schomaker and her husband. He was apprehended for violating a personal protection order that listed his wife as the protected party.

While she was being taken away, Schomaker started insulting the officer saying she hoped his wife was cheating on him.

The night ended with Schomaker charged with three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.
A Georgia mayor is accused of a string of charges including using campaign funds to pay for vacations and a subscription to a porn website.

Tom Witts, mayor of Snellville, was indicted under 66 counts which also include tax evasion and improper business deals.

He has voluntarily suspended himself to prepare answers to the counts, according to a statement read out on his behalf at a meeting on Monday.

Tom Witts, mayor of Snellville, was indicted under 66 counts which also include tax evasion and improper business deals

All of the 66 counts are felonies apart from the accusation he used campaign funds from 2015 to pay for online porn, according to AJC.com.

'I am sorry I am unable to be with you tonight,' Witts said in a statement read out by Snellville City Attorney Tony Powell.

'But I will look forward to being with you again as soon as I can deal with the charges that have been asserted against me.'

The investigation into Witts began more than four years ago. He was indicted on September 7.
A young girl has been mauled by a neighbour's dog which bit almost half her lip off and has been left with lasting pain.

Zoe Nolan, five, was playing with a group of neighbourhood children in the house next door to her own in Nambour, Queensland, when a dog that had only been there for three weeks attacked her.

'I went outside and just saw blood all over my child and her screaming,' Zoe's mother Tegan Bonner told the Sunshine Coast Daily.

Zoe Nolan, five, (pictured) was playing with a group of neighbourhood children in the house next door to her own in Nambour, Queensland, when a dog that had only been there for three weeks attacked her

Zoe was rushed to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in an ambulance before she was later transferred to have facial plastic surgery.

While her mother thought the plastic surgery would be an instant success, the vicious ambush has left little Zoe with pain every time she smiles.

'I hope that she's able to smile with that bright smile that she usually has,' Miss Bonner said.

The pup had to be euthanised after the attack - particularly when the owner's mentioned that it had been given up previously for chasing horses and livestock

The dog in question, which is believed to be a dalmatian and labrador crossbreed, was a give-away prize the next door neighbour had won on Facebook.

The pup had to be euthanised after the attack - particularly when the owner's mentioned that it had been given up previously for chasing horses and livestock.

According to Miss Bonner, her once bubbly and extroverted daughter is now terrified of all dogs - even if they're on a leash - and cries each time she sees one.

'I felt bad [for the dog] in a sense but in the same sense that dog had just caused my daughter a lot of harm,' she reasoned.
A Ghanaian asylum seeker accused of raping a German woman while forcing her boyfriend to watch called his victim 'a prostitute' in court.

The man - only identified as Eric X - is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman after spotting the couple camping in a nature reserve near Bonn, west Germany in April.

Appearing in a Bonn district court today, Eric X, 32, defied his lawyers' advice to stay silent and after insulting his alleged victim, he added that anyone who believed her were 'filthy'.

Accused: Asylum seeker Eric X, 32, from Ghana,appeared in court today in Bonn, Germany

The attack took place on April 2, shortly after midnight. The couple were already asleep when Eric X allegedly cut through the tarpaulin, threatened them with a tree saw and ordered them to hand over their valuables - six euros (5.35) and a music box.

After robbing them he is said to have dragged the 23-year-old woman outside, where he raped her and forced her boyfriend, 26, to watch.

German media have reported that the boyfriend's call to police was initially considered a joke.

The suspect was arrested soon after in nearby Siegburg after a man recognised him from a composite picture of the sex attacker.

Today, Eric X.'s lawyers ordered the accused to remain silent, but according to local media his responded by shouting in court: 'Why should I remain silent, about a case where I don't know anything about?'

Defiant: Despite being asked to stay quiet by his lawyers, the defendant called the 23-year-old woman who he allegedly raped a 'prostitute'

Eric X. said: 'If the girl claims she has been raped, she must be a prostitute.

'All who help her in the lie are filthy people.'

Lawyer Gudrun Roth, who represents the 23-year-old student, said that it is 'always a slap in the face, if someone who has experienced such a thing is mocked even further.'

Both of the victims, from Stuttgart, south-west Germany are currently undergoing psychological care as according to local media they are still heavily traumatised.

Following his arrest it emerged that the man had been served notice by the German authorities ten days before the attack, informing him he would face deportation to Italy as his asylum application had been rejected.

An e-fit of the accused which was put out by the police. He was captured after a passer-by recognised him from the e-fit. Pictured right: The Siegaue Nature Reserve

The refugee was arrested after being accused of dragging a young woman from her tent and raping her while she was on camping with her boyfriend at in the Siegaue Nature Reserve (pictured)

He arrived in Italy in January and his asylum application was immediately rejected but by then he had made the journey to Kassel in Germany.

The suspect lived for a time in asylum seeker housing accommodation in the town of Sankt Augustin, near Bonn.

But local media have questioned why he was not immediately deported.

Vanessa Nolte, of the Cologne district authorities, said: 'On 23 March he received the order, on 24th March he appealed it.'

Bonn police spokesman Robert Scholten said: 'As well as from the rape, we found a lot of DNA samples at the crime scene, which are clearly from the arrested man.'

The trial is expected to last eight days.
A gigantic fatberg of congealed fat, wet wipes and human waste has been blamed for a sewer overflow in Baltimore.

The overflow discharged about 1.2 million gallons of muck into the Jones Falls waterway last week.

Public works officials said the up to 85 percent of the walls of the century-old 24-inch wide pipe were blocked, blocking the flow of sewage.

A gigantic glob of congealed fat, wet wipes and other waste called a 'fatberg' (pictured) has been blamed for a sewer overflow in Baltimore

The overflow discharged about 1.2 million gallons of sewage into the Jones Falls waterway (pictured) last week

The buildup of the slimy waste inside the pipe was so thick that it slowed sewer water moving through the area.

The blockage resulted in the sewer overflows happening underground, in the pipe that was created as a pressure-release valve in the event the sewers backed up about 100 years ago.

The disgusting plug of grease had been growing, far below the surface, in a sewer main between Baltimore Penn Station and the 1700 block of Charles Street, which includes the Charles Theater.

It was the second time in as many weeks that the fatberg created a sewer overflow. The fatberg has been mostly scraped off and sent to a landfill.

Officials also told folks in the area that the best way to prevent sewage overflow from a fatberg is to make sure they dispose of their waste properly.

Baltimore authorities said some best practices include, putting unused grease in the trash after it solidifies and making sure 'flushable' wipes are placed in the garbage and not flushed down the toilet.

These wipes, many labeled 'flushable' by manufacturers, are plugging up sewer systems across the US and around the world.

The US and the United Kingdom report the most fatbergs, with some of the largest found in the UK.
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

South African Airways has confirmed it will cancel flights on six of its regional destinations due to "operational reasons".Tourism Update states the airline sent out a notification to trade last week, confirming it "will cut flights to Brazzaville via Pointe Noire in the Congo; Douala in Cameroon via Libreville in Gabon; Kinshasa in the DRC; Entebbe in Uganda; Luanda in Angola; Cotonou in Benin via Libreville in Gabon".SAA says it will re-accommodate passengers with alternative travel to be finalised "on/before October 17, 2017".Towards the end of August SAA issued a statement saying the airline was set to introduce network changes on the domestic and regional segments of its route network.SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said at the time, it related specifically to replacement of SAA's own metal service on certain routes and not total withdrawal. The network changes are said to be part of the airline's implementation of its newly developed five-year Corporate Plan that seeks to return the company to financial sustainability in the shortest time possible.In June 2017, SAA aimed to address its current and long-term challenges, and bring more efficiency and financial stability, with the five-year business plan."We will continue to provide services to the affected markets, albeit rendered by our partner carriers who will be operating on those routes. In essence, no existing or future customers will experience an adverse impact due to the introduction of the partner carriers, as the change will be managed seamlessly."SAA will honour its obligations to all ticketed passengers who purchased tickets in advance," Tlali said.SAA is confident that together with its partners it has adequately planned and prepared for the changes that are necessary to bring about efficiencies for the airline whilst also giving our customers travel certainty on their future business or leisure travel.A City Press report, previously detailed plans to meet some of its challenges included cutting more than a third of its Johannesburg-Cape Town route - one of the most profitable flight routes in the world, but diminished in gainfulness due to more direct international flights to Cape Town."SAA currently has 17 daily return flights between the two cities.The report also indicated that SAA "plans to cancel all flights to Port Elizabeth and East London, as well as flights to all central African destinations. It will also cut back its already reduced international flight offering, and get rid of at least 10 of the more than 50 planes in its fleet".Traveller24 has contacted SAA for an update on any future changes on these routes and has yet to receive a response.The regional flight cancellations are as follows:- Effective September 25, flight SA084 JNB-PNR-BZV-JNB will operate on Fridays only. Currently the airline services the route on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.-Effective October 9, flight SA086 JNB-LBV-DLA , Fridays only. Currently the airline services this route on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.- Effective October 9, flight SA050 JNB-FIH will operate on Sundays and Thursdays. Currently the airline services the route on Sundays, Thursdays and Saturdays.- Effective October 9, flight SA160 JNB-EBB will operate on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Currently the airline services the route on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays.- Effective October 9, SAA will operate JNB-LAD on Sundays, Tuesdays and Saturdays. Currently the airline services the route daily.- Effective November 1, flight SA090 JNB-LBV-COO will operate on Mondays and Saturdays. Currently the airline services the route on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
A pet cat has been shot through the ear with an arrow in a 'barbaric attack'

Skittles the cat was found on Musselbrook Trail in Ellenbrook with the arrow by a neighbour who heard the animal crying in pain.

An inspector from RSPCA Western Australia was called to check on the cat, which was taken to a veterinary clinic for urgent care.

Skittles the cat was found in Musselbrook, Western Australia, with the arrow through its ear

Skittles was reunited with its owner after undergoing surgery to remove the arrow.

While the cat is expected to make a full recovery, RSPCA WA Chief Inspector Amanda Swift was concerned about the attack.

'I am deeply concerned to hear of yet another intentional and cruel shooting incident involving a pet cat in one of our suburbs,' she said.

Skittles was reunited with its owner after undergoing surgery to remove the arrow and is expected to make a full recovery

'This is a barbaric attack on an innocent and defenceless animal, and it troubles me that somebody could be so cruel.

'It is completely unacceptable to shoot an arrow at somebody's pet. It's lucky the cat wasn't more seriously injured, or even killed.'

RSPCA is urges anyone with any information relating to this incident to call 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 3589).
A woman in Florida tried to run over her daughter's 33-year-old husband after he exposed his affair with her to her daughter.

Kathleen Regina Davis, 58, told police she wanted to kill her daughter's husband, Michael Sciarra, after his admission of their indiscretions ruined their mother-daughter relationship.

According to police, the Jupiter mother drove to her paramour's home on September 20, where she threw eggs at his house and car.

In the police report, the responding officer observed Davis 'driving a black Mercedes two door vehicle in circles in the front yard of Sciarra's residence.'

Hannah Sciarra and her mother Kathleen Davis in a photo posted the day before Mother's Day

Kathleen Davis (left) was arrested at the scene after police witnessed her trying to strike her daughter's husband Michael Sciarra (right) with her car on his front lawn

The officer also noted they observed him running in different directions in an attempt to avoid being hit by the Mercedes being driven by Davis.

Police watched while she did donut's in front of the Sciarra's house in the 4400 block of Crestdale Street west of Interstate 95 and north of Northlake Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens.

While Davis confessed her affair with Hannah's husband to police she also admitted she wanted him dead, according to the police report.

Sciarra meanwhile told police he had recently broken it off with Davis' daughter Hannah, and that he had a sexual relationship with Davis before he ended things with her daughter.

He had originally been inside his home when he heard loud 'banging' outside, which was when he saw Davis egging his house, and came out to tell her to stop.

When he started to call 911 on his soon to be ex-wife's mother, Davis started chasing Sciarra in her car on his front lawn.

In an undated photo Hannah's mother Kathleen helps Hannah get ready for her wedding

Family affair: Explosive police report details the indiscretions and admissions of a full blown affair by both Michael Sciarra and his mother-in-law Kathleen Davis

Sciarra also told police he feared for his life as she chased him down in her Mercedes. He added he was almost hit several times by the car and wanted to press charges.

Davis was arrested on the charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

She was released on $3,0000 bond after spending two days behind bars at the Palm Beach County Jail.

From all accounts, in police reports obtained by DailyMail.com, the relationship between Hannah and her husband Michael had been in steep decline in recent months.

When police arrived on Crestdale Street they discovered Davis driving on her paramour's front lawn (pictured) trying to run him over with her car

In May of this year, police responded to the same address where Hannah's mother was arrested but this time for an incident involving Hannah and Michael after their neighbor called police when he said he heard Hannah screaming.

According to police Hannah said she was having family dinner with Michael and their two children, Andrew, 2 and Gabriel, 6, when her husband became agitated by the conversation in which she was telling him about an achievement at work.

She told cops he 'flipped out' on her after the conversation turned to their martial issues and she disclosed that she was cheating on him with another man.

Hannah told the police he struck her during the outburst. Police say when they entered the home it was covered with broken glass and items strew about the home.

Police say they both smelled like alcohol, and that Hannah was visibly upset and had a swollen eye.

Michael had left their home before officers arrived, but returned after they spoke with him by telephone and asked him to come back to talk over what happened.

He also got agitated by the conversation with police, and threw his hands behind his back telling the officers to arrest him- so they did.

Michael admitted to the police that they did get into a verbal altercation after she told him she was seeing another man, but denied striking her.

Police arrested him on the charge of domestic battery for the May incident.
A hospitalized officer who a Utah nurse said she was protecting when she refused to allow police to draw his blood died late Monday night.

William Gray, 43, a commercial truck driver and reserve police officer, succumbed to injuries he suffered during a fiery July 26 crash that left him with burns over nearly half his body, University of Utah Health spokeswoman Suzanne Winchester said.

Gray was unconscious at the Salt Lake City hospital when police detective Jeff Payne asked to draw his blood hours after the crash.

The incident escalated and made national headlines when nurse Alex Wubbels refused to draw Gray's blood because hospital policy required a warrant or patient consent.

Payne then violently handcuffed Wubbels and dragged her outside the hospital in a shocking arrest that caused national outrage.

Payne was suspended following the incident.

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William Gray (pictured with his wife April), 43, a commercial truck driver and reserve police officer, succumbed to injuries he suffered during a fiery July 26 crash that left him with burns over nearly half his body

Gray was unconscious at the Salt Lake City hospital when police detective Jeff Payne (right with his arms folded) asked to draw his blood after the crash. But nurse Alex Wubbels (left) refused to draw Gray's blood because hospital policy required a warrant or patient consent

Gray was hauling a load of sand in northern Utah when a pickup truck speeding away from police crossed the center line and hit his truck head-on, causing an explosion.

Video of the terryifing explosion was caught on police dashcam and released in July. The video shows the moment the vehicle slams into Gray's truck and bursts into flames.

State police had been trying to pull over Marcos Torres, 26, who was driving the pickup, after several people called 911 to report he was driving recklessly.

Gray, of Rigby, Idaho, was on fire, but was able to get out of his vehicle and was extinguished by a Highway Patrol trooper. He was burned on 46 per cent of his body.

Dramatic video of Wubbels' arrest (pictured) caught widespread attention online amid national scrutiny of police use of force

Payne violently handcuffed Wubbels (pictured) and drug her outside of the hospital

Officer Payne (pictured arresting Wubbels) was later suspended over the incident

Medical crews transported Gray to Logan Regional Hospital, where he was later air-lifted to the University of Utah Hospital.

Though Gray was not suspected of wrongdoing, Torres died in the crash and Utah police routinely collect such evidence from everyone involved in fatal crashes.

Dramatic video of Wubbels' arrest caught widespread attention online amid national scrutiny of police use of force.

Payne and the supervisor who backed him, Lt James Tracy, were placed on leave amid internal and criminal investigations.

Salt Lake City police apologized and Chief Mike Brown is now considering possible discipline.

The officers' union has defended Payne and Tracy, saying they have been unfairly made into pariahs.

Last week, Payne's lawyer said his client would 'love the chance to sit down and apologize for what happened here'.

Gray was hauling a load of sand in northern Utah when a pickup truck speeding away from police crossed the center line and hit his truck head-on, causing an explosion. Video (pictured) of the terryifing explosion was caught on police dashcam and released in July

The video shows the moment the vehicle slams into Gray's truck and bursts into flames (pictured). State police had been trying to pull over Marcos Torres, 26, who was driving the pickup, after several people called 911 to report he was driving recklessly

'If he could do this over, he would do it differently,' Payne's attorney said.

The Rigby Police Department previously thanked Wubbels for her efforts to protect Gray's rights and prevent his blood from being drawn.

Chief Sam Tower said Gray was dedicated to the community of about 4,000 people and plowed snow from a sidewalk last winter so neighborhood kids wouldn't have to walk in the street.

'Bill was truly the best of mankind,' Rigby police said in a Facebook post.

'Always willing to help, always willing to go the extra mile. Bill was a big man, with a bigger heart. Everything about him was generous and kind.'

'We would like to offer our condolences to his wife, April, and their loved ones,' the post read.

Tower previously thanked Wubbels for her efforts to protect Gray's rights and prevent his blood from being drawn.

Gray, of Rigby, Idaho, was on fire, but was able to get out of his truck (pictured) and was extinguished by a Highway Patrol trooper. He was burned on 46 per cent of his body
Former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos has been granted a new trial after a federal appeals court threw out his 2015 corruption conviction.

The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday, citing a recent US Supreme Court ruling narrowing the definition of what it takes to convict a public official, that the jury in the Skelos trial was wrongly instructed.

Skelos, 69, was convicted on extortion, bribery and conspiracy charges and sentenced last year to five years in prison. The Republican has remained free on appeal.

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Former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos (left) and his son Adam (right) have been granted a new trial after a federal appeals court threw out their 2015 corruption conviction. Pictured: the father and son leave court in May 2015 after being found guilty

Dean Skelos (left) was found guilty of using his position as Senate majority leader to pressure three companies seeking his political support into paying his son Adam (right) $300,000

But the appeals court said federal prosecutors can retry Skelos and his son, Adam Skelos, who was handed a six-and-a-half-year prison term, for bribery and fraud because the evidence presented at trial was 'sufficient' to prove their case.

The same court overturned former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's separate conviction in a $4million corruption case this summer on the same grounds. He's a Democrat.

Silver and Skelos were the state's two most powerful lawmakers, hammering out deals on the state budget and legislation.

Dean Skelos was found guilty of using his position as Senate majority leader to pressure three companies seeking his political support into paying his son $300,000, including for a lucrative 'no-show' job.

The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals cited a recent US Supreme Court ruling that overturned the corruption conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (pictured in 2014)

The same court overturned former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's separate conviction in a $4million corruption case. Pictured: Silver exists court in May 2016

Together with Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, Skelos and Silver were members of the 'three men in a room' in the state capital of Albany that hold enormous sway over major legislation.

The US Supreme Court last year overturned the corruption conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, finding that routine acts such as setting up meetings or contacting other politicians did not qualify as 'official acts' under federal bribery statutes.

The 2nd Circuit has now ruled that the jury instructions at Skelos trial, which occurred before the McDonnell decision, were therefore improper, through no fault of the judge or the prosecutors.

Both Skelos and Silver had been prosecuted by high-profile US attorney for Manhattan Preet Bharara, who was forced to resigned by President Donald Trump in March.
The Senate won't even vote on Republicans' latest effort to repeal Obamacare, GOP leadership announced Tuesday.

The Graham-Cassidy bill was already at death's door Monday night following the decision of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to not support the measure after seeing a preliminary Congressional Budget Office score, which suggested 'millions' of Americans would lose their health insurance.

But today, to avoid a second health care-related embarrassment on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., decided during a lunch with GOP lawmakers to put the final nail in the coffin  at least for now.

'We don't have the votes,' Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the bill's co-author, told a horde of reporters on Capitol Hill after the weekly luncheon. 'We've made the decision since we don't have the votes, we will postpone that vote.'

Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. (left), and Bill Cassidy, R-La. (right), authored the Republicans' most recent attempt to kill Obamacare, but with three definite no votes, the legislation was left for dead

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., decided against scheduling a vote for Graham-Cassidy with three Republicans saying they wouldn't vote for the bill and a handful of others on the fence

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced last night she would vote against the Graham-Cassidy measure, citing the findings of a preliminary Congressional Budget Office report

Both President Trump (left) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (right) vented frustrations Tuesday that the GOP-held Senate couldn't get an Obamacare repeal bill done

On Friday, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., announced that he wouldn't be voting for the Republicans' latest health care measure

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the first GOP senator to announced he was a solid no vote, saying he felt the Graham-Cassidy bill wasn't a true repeal of Obamacare

McConnell came out and said the caucus would be turning to tax reform, as President Trump is expected to release his plan tomorrow.

However, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the other co-author, promised Republicans would turn their attention back to health care once that's through.

'To the leader, thank you, it's complicated, it's difficult politics, instead of quitting you allowed us to move forward and, oh my God, how far we've come in such a short period of time,' Graham said.

Graham and Cassidy publicly announced their plan for the bill, to block grant Obamacare funds to the states, in July after the Republicans' 'skinny' Obamacare repeal effort didn't work out.

The duo had been working to get support for it since, knowing they had to contend with a September 30 deadline in order to use the Senate's reconciliation rules, which would allow them to pass it with only 51 votes.

'There are 50 votes for the substance, there are not 50 votes for the process,' Graham told reporters today, as lawmakers including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who announced his intention not to vote for the bill on Friday, protested that the bill was being rushed.

After McConnell's decision was announced today, McCain tweeted, 'Now let's return to regular order - hearings, open debate and amendments.'

Pulling the bill will surely rile up President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, who had already pooh-poohed the Senate Republicans' effort earlier Tuesday.

'We were very disappointed by a couple of senators, Republican senators, I must say,' President Trump told reporters from the White House, dubbing them 'so-called' Republicans as well.

'We were very disappointed that they would take the attitude that they did,' Trump added.

The president was referring to Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., McCain and Collins, who were the three on-the-record no votes, though several senators suggested there may be more.

At his own presser across town, Ryan seemed dismayed.

'Well, obviously in the House, we're a little frustrated because the House has done its job, we passed our health care bill last May,' he said. 'So yes we're a little frustrated that the Senate has not acted on a seminal promise health care, which, by the way, Obamacare is collapsing.'

House Republicans passed the American Health Care Act in the House of Representatives with only one vote to spare.

No Democrats voted in favor of their bill and 20 of their own members voted nay.

In the Senate, where Republicans have an even slimmer majority, the road to passage would have been even more narrow, with the GOP only able to afford two defections in what would have been a party-line vote.

Paul was the first senator to indicate he wasn't interested in voting for the bill, saying it didn't do enough to repeal Obamacare.

Then came McCain on Friday and Collins Monday night.

A number of senators had also expressed that they were on the fence including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas  who also outed Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, as a maybe  and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

Before McConnell's decision was announced, Trump said, 'there will be a repeal and a replace.'

From the podium Tuesday, Graham also said he wasn't ready to let it go.

'It's not if, it's only a matter of when,' the South Carolina senator said to the bemusement of reporters who knew Republicans didn't have the votes.

'We're coming back to this after taxes,' Graham also vowed. 'We're going to take this show on the road,' he said.
Taro Aso made the remarks when discussing Japanese responses to war

The Deputy Prime Minister of Japan raised the possibility of shooting down North Korean refugees who try to enter his country in the event of war.

Taro Aso, who also serves as finance minister, made the remarks when discussing Japanese responses to war at a press conference in Utsunomiya, north of Tokyo.

He asked: 'Will police respond and arrest them on charges of illegal immigration? If Self-Defence Forces are dispatched, will they shoot them down?'

Raising fears that some 100,000 North Korean refugees, some with guns, would try to enter Japan, the official added: 'It's a politician's job to think of an emergency response. It may not be an event in the distant future.'

The South Korean foreign ministry criticised Friday's comments.

It said in a statement: 'The government thinks it is very regretful in that a responsible government official of Japan recently made such a prejudiced remark with regard to North Korean refugees in a hypothetical situation that is based on a nationalistic perspective and it also runs counter to international norms related to refugee protection.'

The ministry also called for restraint from making remarks that could cause misunderstandings or have a negative impact on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

It comes amid claims that some 20,000 South Koreans would die every day in the event of a US-North Korean war.

Tensions: A war between Trumps' US and Kim Jong-Un's North Korea would see 20,000 people die every day in South Korea alone

The claim was made by a retired Air Force general who said the figure was estimated based on a conventional war scenario and did not include potential use of nuclear weapons.

Earlier today, South Korea and China urged the United States to help dial down tensions with the North after Pyongyang accused President Donald Trump of declaring war.

Yesterday, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho made the shock claim that Trump had declared war on North Korea, a statement branded 'absurd' by the White House.

When playing out hypothetical war scenarios in case armed conflict were to break out, the Pentagon 'estimated the potential number of dead in South Korea at 20,000 each day', retired general Rob Givens told the LA Times.

Givens, who spent four years stationed in Korea, added that the figures did not take into account potential use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang.

'There is only one way that this war ends. With North Koreas defeat  but at what cost?,' Givens said.

This morning, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry pleaded with both the US and Pyongyang to 'realise that resorting to military force will never be a viable way to resolve the peninsula issue and their own concerns, adding that 'War on the peninsula will have no winner.'

Pro or against: Former North Korean defectors and protestors hold placards during an anti-North Korea rally outside South Korean government complex in Seoul

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, centre, speaking through an interpreter, left, talks outside the UN Plaza Hotel in New York on Monday

While repeatedly calling for dialogue to resolve the issue, China has also signed up for increasingly tough UN sanctions against North Korea.

China's fuel exports to North Korea fell in August, along with iron ore imports from the isolated nation, as trade slowed after the latest UN sanctions, but coal shipments resumed after a five-month hiatus, customs data showed on Tuesday.

In Moscow, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was working behind the scenes to find a political solution and that using sanctions against North Korea was almost exhausted.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, speaking during a visit to India, said he appreciated global efforts to increase pressure on North Korea for its dangerous behaviour.

Yesterday in New York, Ri Yong-ho insisted all options are on the table for Pyongyang and that his nation now reserves the right to shoot down US planes even if they are not in Korea's air space.

The official, talking to reporters in New York, said: 'The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country.

'Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.'

US President Donald Trump listens to members of the media on the South Lawn after returning to the White House in Washington DC

Ri added: 'Trump claimed our leadership would not be around much longer. He declared a war on our country.'

The remarks from the rogue state's Foreign Minister is in reaction to comments made by the President of the US in which he questioned how long the North Korean leadership would be in power.

'Trump claimed our leadership would not be around much longer,' Ri said, threatening to shoot down American aircraft from international airspace.

'The question of who will be around much longer will be answered then,' he added.

Ri, who made the comments before leaving New York where he had attended last week's UN General Assembly, made the statement then returned from his car to the press microphones to add: 'In light of the declaration of war by Trump, all options will be on the operations table of the supreme leadership of the DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea).'

Kim Jong-un's Foreign Minister has said President Donald Trump has declared war on North Korea. The dictator is pictured here delivering a speech last week addressing the US leader

His words echoed warnings from the Trump administration that all options were on the table in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile development and its threats to have a weapon capable of reaching the continental United States.

On Monday afternoon, the Pentagon gave reassurance to Trump to say he will be provided with options to deal with Pyongyang if North Korea does not stop with its 'provocative actions'.

On Saturday, Ri told the UN General Assembly that targeting the US mainland with its rockets was inevitable after 'Mr Evil President' Trump called Pyongyang's leader a 'rocket man' on a suicide mission.

Trump tweeted: 'Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN.

'If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer.'

North Korea has pursued its missile and nuclear programs in defiance of international condemnation and sanctions.

North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb test on September 3 Pyongyang said on Friday it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.

While China has been angered by North Korea's repeated nuclear and missile tests, it has also called for the United States and its allies to help lessen tension by dialling back their military drills.
Bill Clinton heralded the surviving members of the Little Rock Nine for their bravery in advancing racial equality but warned of growing 'tribalism' in world politics.

The former President spoke at Central High School, where 60 years ago nine black students had to be escorted by troops past an angry white mob to enter the previously all-white Arkansas high school.

Clinton told the eight survivors to 'put on your dancing shoes' to celebrate yesterday's anniversary, but told them to keep their 'marching boots' to prepare for struggles ahead.

Bill Clinton spoke at Central High School, where 60 years ago nine black students had to be escorted by troops past an angry white mob to enter the previously all-white high school

During a half-hour address in the school's auditorium on Monday, Clinton said Little Rock proved the need to tolerate diversity rather than foster division.

'You taught us that in economics and in social policy and in politics, addition is better than subtraction, and multiplication is better than division,' he said.

'So, celebrate today. Put on your dancing shoes, but tomorrow ... tomorrow, we need you again. Put on your marching boots.'

Clinton, who also once served as Arkansas governor, added: 'Democracy requires diversity and debate'.

The world looked on in horror when 1,000 US paratroopers were bought in to protect nine black children from segregationist whites on September 25 1957.

Eight of the original group who integrated Central High under the military escort are still alive.

During a half-hour address in the school's auditorium on Monday, Clinton said Little Rock proved the need to tolerate diversity rather than foster division. He is pictured alongside the surviving Little Rock Nine members

Eight of the original group who integrated Central High under the military escort are still alive

The world looked on in horror when 1,000 US paratroopers were bought in to protect nine black children from segregationist whites on September 25 1957

Hazel Bryan, center, her face twisted in anger, is part of the crowd taunting Elizabeth Eckford, right foreground, as she walks in front of Central High School in Little Rock on September 4, 1957

The photograph appeared in a newspaper article written in 1957, when Little Rock made national news

ill Counts, background center, is shown in this scene of policemen trying to arrest a white agitator during a disorder at Central High School in Little Rock on September 23, 1957

Jefferson Thomas died in 2010 and on Monday an empty seat stood amid the group, beneath a sash of black and old gold - the school's colors.

'I feel like I'm visiting a religious shrine,' Henry Louis Gates Jr. of the Hutchins Center at Harvard, told the crowd of 2,000. 'This is a shrine. These are the saints.'

The then Arkansas Governor, Orval Faubus, surrounded the school with National Guard troops to keep the black children out, claiming he feared violence.

But President Dwight Eisenhower sent units from the 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, to enforce a 1954 Supreme Court order that schools integrate 'with all deliberate speed.'

Pictured are the Little Rock Nine. Top row from left are Minnie Brown, Elizabeth Eckford and Ernest Green; middle row, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo and Gloria Ray; bottom row, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls

Pictured are the Little Rock Nine today. Jefferson Thomas died in 2010 and on Monday an empty seat stood amid the group, beneath a sash of black and old gold - the school's colors

Asa Hutchinson, the current Arkansas governor, praised the students for their courage, fortitude and persistence.

'The bravery of youth inspired hope for all whose dreams had been crushed by an unfair system,' he said.

While Monday's ceremony commemorated the students' first day of school, Gloria Ray Karlmark spoke briefly about the final day of the 1957-58 school year.

'Nobody ever asks about the last day,' she said. 'On the last day of school, they handed out the yearbooks.

Ernest Green, Carlotta Walls LaNier and Terrence Roberts stand together on the steps of the LBJ Presidential Library in 2014

President Dwight Eisenhower sent units from the 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, to enforce a 1954 Supreme Court order that schools integrate 'with all deliberate speed'

Bill Clinton with his mother, Virginia Kelley, at Little Rock before he delivered a farewell speech to the people of Arkansas before being inaugurated as president

'I had my book and I knew people signed each other's books, but there I was, now a 15-year-old little girl, [thinking] "Who was going to sign my book? Who would I dare go up to and ask to sign my book?"

'I sat there for a while with my book open and then Becky, a girl I had secretly exchanged notes with, she came up and signed my book.

'But then another girl came and signed my book. She wrote, "In a different age, we could have been friends".'
Swiss zoos are reportedly accepting unwanted pets which are killed and then fed to large carnivores such as tigers.

At the Zurich Zoo, rabbits, guinea pigs and rats are given to the carnivores to eat, according to Swiss local media.

Zoo director Alex Ruebel, who revealed this happens around six times a year, said: 'The guinea pigs or rabbits are killed by a veterinarian, then fed to the tigers, lions and snow leopards.'

Swiss zoos are reportedly accepting unwanted pets which are killed and then fed to large carnivores such as tigers. Pictured, a tiger in the Zurich Zoo

The zoo director also said that mice are given to the zoo's owls. Other animals such as dogs are however denied by the zoo.

According to Ruebel, the pets are not cut up into pieces but are fed in their entirety to the zoo's carnivores.

He said: 'The reason for this is that we want to show what is natural. And carnivores eat meat together with the entrails.'

Ruebel said that some desperate pet owners even smuggle their pet inside the zoo where they release them inside an indoor rain forest.

The Daehlhoelzli animal park in the Swiss capital of Bern also receives inquiries from visitors who want to get rid of their pets.

Zookeeper Marc Rosset said: 'We speak of one to five animals per week, which become food.'

At the Zurich Zoo (pictured), rabbits, guinea pigs and rats are given to the carnivores to eat, according to Swiss local media

According to Rosset, these are also mostly smaller rodents or mammals such as mice, rats, guinea pics and rabbits.

However, not all Swiss zoos accept pets.

Spokesman Valentin Kressler of the Basel Zoo said: 'We do not accept such animals, as we do not know their health status.'

Swiss animal protection NGOs are shocked by the number of pets being offered to zoos.

Helen Sandmeier of Swiss Animal Protection said: 'It is not possible that one accepts the death of their pet.'

Zoo director Alex Ruebel, who revealed this happens around six times a year, said: 'The guinea pigs or rabbits are killed by a veterinarian, then fed to the tigers, lions and snow leopards' (Stock image)

Sandmeier said that when buying a pet, you automatically take on the responsibility of caring for the animal, which includes giving it a good new place when someone can no longer take care of it.

Antoine Goetschel, founder of Global Animal Law, also blasted the 'predominant throwaway mentality' of many pet owners.

However, both Goetschel showed some understanding for the zoos.

Goetschel said: 'If they would openly offer the acceptance of pets, they would become a shelter for unwanted pets.'
Dillan Tabares, 27, had been paroled from state prison (above in his mugshot) a week before he was fatally shot by police in a videotaped encounter outside of a California convenience store

A man who was fatally shot by police in a videotaped encounter outside of a California convenience store was a Navy veteran with a history of drug use and mental illness.

Dillan Tabares, 27, had been paroled from state prison a week before the shooting and was considered an absconder, according to his family and records released on Monday.

He was fatally shot on Friday after a physical confrontation with a Huntington Beach police officer outside of a 7-Eleven. Video clips from bystanders posted on Facebook and Twitter show Tabares punching the officer before the two fall to the ground.

Tabares could be seen grabbing something from the officer's belt before Tabares jumped to his feet and was shot.

His brother Brandon Tabares said his life had unraveled into homelessness, drug use and mental illness after he failed a drug test and was discharged from the Navy five years ago.

Video clips that captured the shooting, which were filmed from inside a car in the parking lot, start with the officer pointing a stun gun at Tabares (above) and ordering him to sit down

This clip appears to show Tabares (above) throwing punches at the police officer during a scuffle outside of the 7-Eleven. The officer appears to get Tabares in a headlock and they wrestle to the ground

Once they are on the ground, the cop can be heard shouting, 'let go of my gun!' though he appears to retain full control of the weapon during the encounter. Moments later, Tabares stands up and the officer fires his weapon striking the 27-year-old several times (above)

Tabares had a series of arrests in California and was released on parole September 14 after serving about 18 months for a felony battery conviction, according to state parole records. He absconded and was marked as a 'parolee-at-large' on September 20 - two days before the shooting.

Dillan's brother Brandon Tabares said his life had unraveled into homelessness, drug use and mental illness after he failed a drug test and was discharged from the Navy five years ago

Tabares joined the Navy in 2008 and served as an Information technology systems technician aboard a guided-missile cruiser and amphibious assault ship before he was discharged in April 2012.

While he was serving in the military, he bought a house in Norfolk, Virginia, and got married. But after he failed the drug test - testing positive for marijuana - he was discharged, lost his home, and his wife filed for divorce.

Brandon said Tabares then moved to California, spent time backpacking with his brother and started dating one of his brother's friends. When they broke up, Dillan 'didn't brush himself off.'

Instead, he started living in a park behind the public library in Huntington Beach and was known among locals as 'the kid who lived in the woods,' according to his brother.

'He was always high on drugs - so high that he had become a drug-induced paranoid schizophrenic,' Brandon said of his brother.

Dillan Tabares mans an M240B machine gun on the bridge wing of the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio. He was discharged from the navy after testing positive to marijuana

Melissa Cazares, a resident of Huntington Beach, places a candle outside the 7Eleven store where Dillan was fatally shot

His family repeatedly sought help for him and he was treated at psychiatric facilities.

Dillan Tabares also wrote several angry posts about police on Facebook, including one in 2015 that contended police officers were working with al-Qaeda as part of a sex trafficking ring.

'He had a distaste for police officers, no doubt about that, but not to the extent that he'd go out of his way to attack them,' Brandon said of his brother.

The video clips, which was filmed from inside a car in the parking lot, start with the officer pointing a stun gun at Tabares and ordering him to sit down.

Tabares seems unaffected when the officer fires the stun gun and quickly rushes toward the officer before repeatedly punching him.

The officer appears to get Tabares in a headlock and they wrestle to the ground. Once they are on the ground, the officer can be heard shouting: 'Let go of my gun!' though he appears to retain full control of the weapon during the entire encounter.

Tabares stumbled on his feet and staggered backwards before the cop fired his seventh shot

Tabares was rushed to a hospital where he later died of his injures. Police have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting

Moments later, Tabares stands up and the officer fires his weapon striking the 27-year-old several times. He is seen stumbling backward before falling to the ground against a wall.

A second video, which was posted on Twitter on Friday, showed Tabares grabbing an object from the officer's belt as they struggled next to a parked car.

The officer then pulls out his gun and backs away. Another video clip shows Tabares jumping to his feet and he's almost immediately shot. Six rounds are fired before the officer calls out, 'get on the ground.' After a short pause, a final, seventh gunshot is fired and Tabares stumbles backward and collapses against a wall.

Huntington Beach Police Chief Robert Handy said the officer had been forced to defend himself and had the right to fatally shoot the man if he felt his life was in danger.

'This is clearly an assault on an officer,' Handy told reporters Friday.

'I don't know what preceded that assault, we don't know that yet, but clearly this person attacked our police officer, and I don't think that there's any way an officer is expected to not defend them self and that includes a lethal force at times.'
The science, reading and mathematics skills of Australian students are on par with the most disadvantaged students in Singapore.

According to Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores, Singapore's 15-year-old's are the smartest in the world and are two years and four months ahead of Australian students in maths.

That would mean the average 15-year-old in the Asian city would be as clever as an Aussie school student aged 17 years and four months.

They are also 18 months ahead in science and 12 months more advanced in reading, the study found.

Coordinator of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Andreas Schleicher has touted the Asian city for valuing their poorer students education and 'believing in the success of every child' as reasons why they're competing with Australia (stock image)

Coordinator of PISA Andreas Schleicher says Singapore values its poorer students' education and 'believes in the success of every child', which he could not say about Australia.

Mr Schleicher was quick to point out that if Australia doesn't stop their academic freefall they will face 'an uphill struggle to remain ahead in this hyper-connected world,' reports The Australian.

Last year's PISA results showed that Australian students had slipped 12 months behind where they were in 2003 and were seven months behind were they were in science compared to 2006.

Australia has also fallen an incredible 10 months behind in reading since 2000.

Interestingly last year the results of the 2015 PISA tests were released and showed that Australian students had slipped 12 months behind where they were in 2003, seven months behind in science compared to 2006 (stock image)

Education Minister Simon Birmingham (pictured) said that while strong amounts of funding into the sector would make a substantial difference, what matters more is how the money is used

The idea in Australian culture that intelligence is a product of genetics, rather than hard work, is a mindset Mr Schleicher would like to see abolished - and one that differs from most Asian countries.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham said that while strong amounts of funding into the sector would make a substantial difference, what matters more is how the money is used.

David Gonski is currently leading a group of experts to examine 'best-practice initiatives' to ensure the money is helping students reach their fullest potential.
News / Education

by Ndou Paul

Donation guide for those in:

Jabulisa Development Project is collecting cash donations to sponsor Jabulisa School Project. Well wishers in the diaspora can use GoFundme ( Click Here ) to donate cash while those in Zimbabwe can also use GoFundme ( Click Here ) or Ecocash [Number: 0777354628. Name: Joburg Dube]. Note: Donations are received directly by coordinators of the project not this publication.

Residents of Inzula villages in Nkayi who built their first community secondary school have shared photos, below, showing the progress of their project.Below is a guide for donations but donors are invited to give what they can.SA and rest of Africa - R100 or equivalentZimbabwe - $5Overseas - $100 or equivalent-----------------
Media commentator Peta Credlin has slammed feminists for failing to speak up about a Muslim man in his mid-thirties marrying a 14-year-old girl.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott's chief-of-staff is outraged at the political left's silence on child brides, less than a week after a refugee was sentenced to one year in jail for taking part in the Melbourne mosque wedding last year.

'In other faiths we call it paedophilia but not when it comes to Islam,' she told Sky News on Tuesday night.

'"Where are the feminist warriors?", you might ask?

Scroll down for video

Media commentator Peta Credlin says feminists have been silent on Islamic child brides

'Their failure to speak up for these girls is because the left's silence on the crimes of Islam trumps any voice for the victim.'

Ms Credlin's impassioned critique of left-wing feminists comes six days after Rohingya refugee Mohammad Shakir, 35, was formally jailed for one year for marrying the 14-year-old girl at the Noble Park mosque, in south-east Melbourne, on September 29, 2016.

'We shouldn't even call it child brides. These young girls are being raped by much older men under the cover of a religious ceremony against Australian law and against Australian values,' she said.

Shakir had pleaded guilty to going through with the ceremony and tearfully told the County Court of Victoria he thought he was 'rescuing' the child bride.

Sacked imam Ibrahim Omerdic solemnised the wedding between a man, 34, and a girl, 14

The criminal, who will be returned to immigration detention after his sentence, was the first man to appear before an Australian court prosecuted with marrying a child, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of five years.

Ms Credlin said it appeared the feminists, the political left and Muslim groups were more obsessed with 'so-called Islamophobia' than speaking up for child brides.

'They don't like it and they won't admit it,' she said.

The wedding of a 14-year-old girl to a man 20 years her senior took place at the Noble Park mosque in south-east Melbourne

Ibrahim Omerdic was spared jail last month despite incurring a two-year prison sentence

'Quiet too are the many Islamic organisations that are quick to attack so-called Islamophobia but are silent non the rights of young, Muslim girls.'

Former Muslim imam Ibrahim Omerdic was spared jail last month after being found guilty of unlawfully solemnising the marriage.

He was sentenced to two months' prison, but immediately placed on a two-year recognisance release order, meaning he won't serve time in jail.

Omerdic was an imam of the Bosnian Islamic Society and Noble Park Mosque but was later sacked and had his celebrant licence revoked after his arrest last year.
This shocking video shows a child bride being abducted by violent thugs after her father promised her away.

The clip from a rural village in Rajasthan, India shows two men kidnapping the teenage girl as her mother wails in horror and tries to stop them.

The men throw the mother to the ground as one repeatedly punches her despite the terrified screams of her young son.

Sickening: This shocking video shows a child bride being abducted by violent thugs after her father promised her away

Violent: The clip, taken in a rural village in Rajasthan, India, shows two men kidnapping the teenage girl as her mother wails in horror and tries to stop them

In the background the bride is seen trying to run away but one of thugs, wielding a stick, catches her.

Then another older boy appears but he too is unable to stop the men dragging the girl on to a waiting tractor and driving off with her.

Indian media reported that the girl's father Aamad Khan had 'married' his daughter to a man named as Shaukat, one of the two seen abducting her.

Shaukat and his friend Iliaas then arrived at the family's rural home to take the unnamed young girl with them.

The girl's age was not reported but she is known to be under 18, the minimum age for girls to marry in India. Boys can wed at 21.

Her mother Nemat wanted her to stay at home until she was of legally marriageable age.

The young boy can be seen wailing the background as the two thugs take his sister away

Terrifying: The men throw the mother to the ground as one repeatedly punches her despite the terrified screams of her young son

Horror: In the background the bride is seen trying to run away but one of thugs, wielding a stick, catches her
Lukasz Jarosz has been found guilty of attempted murder after crashing a car with a schoolgirl inside

A chef has been found guilty of the attempted murder of a schoolgirl by undoing her seat belt and crashing his car just hours after he found his wife hanging in their bathroom.

Lukasz Jarosz was convicted by a majority verdict by the jury following a seven-day trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

The court heard that the 35-year-old crashed his Skoda Superb car at a junction of the A36 at Wilton, Wiltshire, on January 6, after he had found his wife, Aneta, dead earlier that afternoon.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered a fractured leg in the impact.

The Polish national had admitted a second charge of causing serious injury through dangerous driving.

He showed no emotion as the verdict was announced and was remanded in custody until he is sentenced on Monday.

Jarosz sobbed as he told the jury during the trial of the moment that he woke up after a nap at his home in Wilton to find his wife hanging in their locked bathroom.

He said: 'I saw my wife hanging and I cut her off and I started to cuddle her and was already all bruised. I then put my wife on our bed and I folded her hands, I cuddled her for an awful long time and I cried and I screamed "Why did you do this, why this?".'

He said that when he was driving the schoolgirl later that day he 'had no plans whatsoever' of what he intended to do.

He added: 'I can't remember half of the things, I know I had teary eyes. I remember nothing else, I do not remember the accident, nothing.

'I couldn't basically collect myself, to hold it all together after I had cut my wife off. I was just driving around in circles. My memory stops with the moment I cut my wife off.'

The crash happened near this railway bridge over the A36 near Wilton, Wiltshire (pictured)

He said that he did not remember claims that he unclipped the girl's seatbelt shortly before the accident or that he prevented her from leaving the car.

The court heard that Mrs Jarosz, who had completed a medicine degree before moving to the UK, had previously talked about taking her own life and made an earlier attempt to commit suicide.

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, told the court that the defendant had become 'hysterical' after the 'tragedy' of discovering his wife's body.

Miss Maylin said that the schoolgirl was trapped in the front passenger seat and had to be freed by firefighters following the crash in which Jarosz's car hit a van, driven by local worker Peter May, and a railway bridge.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org for details.
Under fire for using private email at the White House, first daughter and aide Ivanka Trump headed out of D.C. Tuesday, making a solo swing to Detroit to talk abut new public and private investments into teaching more American kids to code.

She said the goal of having computer science classes taught at every public school in five years was 'incredibly doable' and she wanted to 'create excitement and enthusiasm' for the subject as well, especially among minorities and young girls.

'I do think we live in a time where we're all so inspired by entrepreneurship and innovation ... and so I think that coding can be aspirational, it should be aspirational, it should be exciting, we need to make it exactly that for our students,' Ivanka Trump said during a panel discussion organized by the Internet Association, a group that represents a majority of brand-name internet companies.

First daughter Ivanka Trump, a top White House aide, visited Detroit Tuesday to talk about a new public and private commitment to get coding taught in public schools

Ivanka Trump (right) sat alongside Code.org's Hadi Partovi (left) who talked about how public schools weren't equal, especially in access to STEM

Ivanka Trump's panel discussion was sponsored by the Internet Association, a trade group that represents internet companies, many of which committed money to getting technology courses in public schools

As for the initiative, yesterday the White House announced a $200 million commitment for Department of Education grants to go toward funding STEM and computer science education in K-12 schools.

That sum was more than matched by internet and tech companies Tuesday, with $300 million in private funds allocated to be spent on educational endeavors.

Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Salesforce committed $50 million each, while Lockheed Martin pledged $25 million for the effort and Accenture, General Motors and Pluralsight each giving $10 million, according to the White House pool report.

Since taking a role in her father's White House, Ivanka Trump has spoken about matching curriculum with plausible job opportunities and she continued that theme today.

But she also advised that kids needed to not just be coding for their future career's sake  explaining that the skill set could be fun to learn and should inspire passion too.

'I think just generally when you're young that is the point in time where you should, with wild abandon, really see what it is that you enjoy doing,' she said.

She suggested kids should try a lot of things, though also pointed out that the opportunity for learning computer science should be there.

'Because one of the lessons that I grew up with and I found to be true my whole life, the people who really achieve great things, the people who are successful in the context of their company or business leaders running a company, they are all deeply passionate and love what they do,' Ivanka Trump said.

On Monday, President Trump signed an order to give $200 million in Department of Education grants to the cause of increasing access to STEM course work. While internet companies today pledged $300 million toward the cause

Ivanka Trump (center) stands alongside Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (back left) as President Trump signs a memorandum that allocates $200 million in Department of Education grants to enhancing STEM education in public schools

On the panel, she sat alongside Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi who drew attention to who public schools across the US aren't equal, which is particularly problematic when it comes to STEM  science, technology, engineering and math  course work.

'A student's chance to study shouldn't be about the neighborhood they grew up [in] or the color of her skin,' he argued.

He also applauded the private-sector companies for getting involved.

'Americans expect [their] tech industry to address these things and today they are putting their money where their mouth is,' Partovi said.

The first daughter will be putting her own words into action Wednesday when she visits a school, alongside Partovi and Microsoft President Brad Smith to help kids learn code.

Ivanka Trump already got a dose of coding education over the summer, alongside her daughter Arabella, though recently admitted it turned into the six-year-old instructing her.

'Tomorrow we're going to be coding in a public school and as part of a mission to get kids and students excited about code,' the first daughter told the crowd today. 'I look forward to continuing to do that.'
A huge python was caught in southern China by a villager before it started to regurgitate two livestock.

Villagers filmed the moment on their mobile phones as the video shows the snake throwing up a dead chicken and a dead duck.

The python was captured then taken away by local forestry officials.

The python was caught regurgitating a dead duck in a village in southern China two weeks ago

The wild python (pictured) was believed to weigh about 15 to 20 kg (33 to 44 lbs)

The villagers told Pear Video that they noticed their livestock missing on September 14 and later found a python hiding in a hut which they used to store their logs.

It's reported that the python was found in Shanwei of Guangdong Province.

The python was caught with a thin rope around its body as it curled up.

Local forestry department officials were called upon scene to capture the reptile.

The python was believed to weigh about 15 to 20 kg (33 to 44 lbs).

The giant python was ready to throw up another livestock after regurgitating a dead duck

The feet of a chicken can be seen as the reptile being dragged up to the truck by the officers

Soon the reptile started regurgitating and throwing up a dead duck.

Villagers were shocked as they saw their missing livestock, however the python appeared to have another livestock in its stomach.

A man then dragged the reptile up to a truck before it started to throw up a large chicken.

Forestry officials then took the python away.
Superintendent Gez Chiariello (pictured), who is already suspended from his role, was detained on Monday

A police chief has been arrested on suspicion of trying to interfere with a probe into his alleged misconduct for breaches of standards of authority, respect and courtesy.

Superintendent Gez Chiariello, who is already suspended from his role pending the investigation, was detained on Monday.

Thames Valley Police said the 46-year-old had been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

The martial arts expert has been serving as the commander of the forces Milton Keynes police area.

He made headlines earlier this year after he left his wife and moved in with a policewoman almost 15 years his junior.

The date of the disciplinary hearing had not been set and the case was expected to have been heard late in 2017 or early 2018.

However, his arrest and potential criminal proceedings could delay the internal investigation.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: 'A police officer has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and harassment.

'A 46-year-old man from Milton Keynes, who is of Superintendent rank and is currently suspended from duty, was arrested by the force in connection with forthcoming police gross misconduct proceedings.

'He has been released under investigation from police custody.'
Emmanuel Macron has laid out his plans for a much more integrated European Union after Britain leaves the bloc.

The French President proposed creating a common budget funded by extra taxes, a shared defense force and an asylum office responsible for distributing refugees.

He said the plans will 'give us the ability to act in a world faced with big challenges' but critics will view them as the first step to creating a European super-state.

French President Emmanuel Macron has laid out his vision for a more integrated Europe after Britain leaves the bloc in 2019

Mr Macron wants to create a European budget and finance minister, a shared defense force and an asylum office to decide who gets to settle in Europe and where

Mr Macron, 39, could not resist taking a few veiled swipes at Brexit during his speech at the prestigious Sorbonne university, but added that he could not see a future where Britain played no part in Europe.

The head of state said he wanted Britain to 'reestablish' its role within a reformed 'sovereign Europe'.

'Brexit is not defining the future of Europe,' said Mr Macron, adding that countries worked at 'different speeds' and Britain would still be a crucial partner in every field.

His proposals centered around six areas: security, migration, foreign aid, the environment, technology and the economy.

On security he proposed the integration of member armies, including foreign soldiers serving in national forces, Le Monde reports.

Mr Macron also proposed the creation of a pan-European 'rapid reaction force' to work with national armies in confronting sudden threats.

To tackle migration, Macron called for the creation of an asylum office with its own border force and judiciary to decide which immigrants would be allowed to settle in Europe and where.

These plans would help to ease the burden placed on Germany, Italy and Greece, who have taken on a disproportionate level of arriving migrants.

A new tax on financial transactions would allow for the creation of a development budget which would help fund aid projects overseas, especially in Africa, according to Le Monde.

On the environment he called for further taxes on carbon emissions, but said in return he could be willing to negotiate over the EU's giant farm subsidy programme, which has historically been defended by France and its powerful agricultural lobbies.

He also called for a new tax on technology giants like Facebook and Apple - accused of paying too little corporate tax on their businesses in Europe - which would help fund a European innovation agency to enable more research.

He told a crowd at Paris's Sorbonne university that while his goal was to further integrate Europe, he hoped Britain would 'find its place' in the bloc after Brexit

Macron will be hopeful of getting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to sign off on the plans, but she must first overcome anti-EU sentiment from within her own country

Finally, Mr Macron's plans for the economy would include giving Europe a budget and a finance minister, funded in part by digital and environmental taxes, and by further taxes on corporations

Macron is desperate for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's endorsement of his reform agenda, but his plans were dealt a blow by shock election results that saw the anti-immigration, eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerge as the country's third-largest party.

Merkel must now try form a government that is likely to include the Free Democratic Party (FDP), whose leader is an outspoken critic of Macron's European agenda and has said a eurozone budget would be a 'red line'.

Macron appeared to respond to FDP chief Christian Lindner directly on Tuesday, saying: 'I don't have red lines, I only have horizons.'

Along with Brexit and the German elections, Macron's proposals are likely to top the agenda at a two-day summit of all 28 EU members in Estonia from Thursday.

Cooperation from Germany - the other half of the so-called 'Franco-German motor' at the heart of the bloc - is essential, though Macron will also need to convince other European partners.

Over the next few months, analysts say they expect Merkel will try to form a coalition led by her conservative CDU/CSU with the pro-business FDP and the ecologist Greens.

French officials considered that now was the best time to intervene in the German debate, before a coalition contract is drawn up between the different parties setting out their roadmap for the four-year term.

'It's an opportunity we can't afford to miss,' an official from the French presidency told a briefing on Monday.

The closest attention will be paid to the most sensitive parts of his plans from Berlin's perspective - his desire for a common eurozone budget to which Germany would be one of the main contributors.

Macron proposed introducing a tax to finance the budget.

While Merkel won a fourth term as Chancellor, her power has been hobbled by the rise of the far-right, anti-immigration AfD party

Merkel has given tentative backing for a small common budget, but the FDP is staunchly opposed to German taxpayers sending any more money abroad to support weaker members of the eurozone such as Greece or Italy.

Macron's past support for common eurozone bonds enabling the bloc to raise money collectively - member states currently raise their own cash - is also a highly sensitive issue in Germany.

'The debate launched by the French president is being followed with some exasperation in the chancellor's office,' the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper wrote at the weekend.

'He talks about solutions before the question has even been properly discussed,' the paper added, accusing him of 'putting the cart before the horse'.

But Mr Macron appeared defiant in Paris on Tuesday, saying: 'What Europe is missing today is a common strategic culture.

'Our current inability to act together in a convincing way undermines our credibility as Europeans'.

Mr Macron said in his speech that 'dangerous ideas from the past are growing once more and exploiting the fears of people,' and that the EU was best placed to fight them.

'Faced with global challenges, one country in isolation can do very little to combat them,' he said. As founding fathers of the EU, France and Germany are traditionally seen as those who have the biggest influence on its progress.
A primary school teacher is facing jail after coaxing girls as young as eight into doing the splits for him and secretly filming them.

James Hughes, 54, would get girls to stand on chairs and put their legs up in the air after taking them out of class for one-to-one lessons at a school in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Police were contacted after a teenager, who was doing work experience at the school, found photographs of herself on his iPad and reported him to the head teacher.

Hughes appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court in Airdrie, near Glasgow, and pleaded guilty to two charges of voyeurism

Officers searched his home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, and office and discovered 260 images and 79 recordings on his phone and computers.

Hughes appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court in Airdrie, near Glasgow, and pleaded guilty to two charges of voyeurism under the Sexual Offences Scotland Act by secretly filming and photographing girls aged between 8 and 16.

Fiscal depute Anne Frances Hilley told the court: 'The accused was asking the girls to be excused from lessons saying he needed assistance and for extra reading lessons.

'The complainers described that the accused would play with them. He would have them sit on a chair and raise their legs into the air and tell them to open them wide.

'He positioned one of the girls so the camera was pointing under her skirt. He tried to get her to do the splits but she refused.

'Unbeknown to them the accused was filming them under the desk and the camera was focused on the complainers' genital area.

'He was their teacher and they trusted him. They were ashamed and embarrassed at what had happened.

'He was in a position of trust. They were all pupils in the care of the accused who was an experienced teacher. They thought of him as a great teacher until this happened. All are now aware of what he was doing.'

Miss Hilley told how Hughes crimes came to light when three girls aged between 14 and 16 were on a work placement at the school in November, 2016.

She said: 'On the first day of the placement one of the girls was working in the hallway when the accused approached her and said she was too small to reach up to the top of the notice board but she said she wasn't and used a stool to reach the notice board.

'She noticed the accused had his mobile phone in his hand and appeared to be looking around him.

'On the second day all three were in the same room and they noticed the accused had his phone under the desk and was moving it around.

'On the third day one of the complainers found herself in the same classroom as the accused who was holding a notepad in front of him. She felt there was something strange about this.

'The girls spoke with each other and said he had been taking pictures of them and was recording them. They were the only occasions they knew about however the accused was covertly filming them.

'On the last day of the placement one of the complainers went to the accused's office where they had seen him move his iPad about. He was not there and they found images of herself on the iPad.

'The girl became upset by this and spoke about what she had found. The girls went to speak to the headteacher and did not return to any classes.

'The accused had left his phone on charge in his office and they found five or six photos and some videos on his phone.

'Following this the school contacted parents and the education department of the council.'

Sheriff Petra Collins deferred sentence next month and placed Hughes on the sex offenders' register.

She said: 'I am prepared to continue bail but you have to appreciate that you have pled guilty to what are extremely serious matters and at the forefront of my mind is a custodial sentence.'

Hughes was suspended from his post when the allegations came to light and is expected to be sacked at a disciplinary hearing this week.

Gerard McLaughlin, head of education at North Lanarkshire Council, said: 'The safety and welfare of our pupils is paramount and as soon as the school was alerted to the incident, immediate action was taken to protect them.

'A police investigation was launched and Mr Hughes was immediately suspended. A full range of support services were offered to pupils and staff and school management engaged with parents to keep them informed of the situation.

'Incidents such as these are extremely rare within our schools but the council takes all allegations seriously and carries out all appropriate measures to safeguard pupils.'
A jogger dubbed the 'mad pooper' after she was busted defecating on front lawns in a Colorado neighborhood is not at fault because she has a traumatic brain injury caused by gender reassignment surgery, according to her mysterious spokesman.

An unidentified man claiming to be 'a family representative' of the woman said the jogger wanted to apologize but added that she couldn't help it because she could no longer control her bowels.

The man refused to identify himself or the jogger in a series of since-removed YouTube videos he posted online, KRDO reports. He also declined to verify he was speaking on the jogger's behalf.

Police in Colorado Springs are now investigating after a family spotted the female jogger (above) with her pants down outside their home two months ago

He claimed the woman's actions were no different to breastfeeding in public.

Police in Colorado Springs were on the lookout for the mad pooper after a family spotted the woman with her pants down outside their home two months ago.

Cathy Budde said her children were the ones to catch the jogger mid-squat and ran in screaming to tell her.

'They are like, "There's a lady taking a poop!" So I come outside, and I'm like ... "are you serious?"' Budde told KKTV.

'A"re you really taking a poop right here in front of my kids!?" She's like, "Yeah, sorry!"'

The jogger has defecated in the same spot on her running route every week for almost two months

The female jogger always has paper towels (above) tucked away in her tights

Budde said she thought it was just a one time thing and the woman would have been too embarrassed to show her face again.

But she said the jogger has been back once a week to defecate, despite there being public restrooms in a nearby park.

The woman always has paper towels tucked away in her tights, according to the shocked family.

'I put a sign on the wall that's like "please, I'm begging you, please stop." ... She ran by it like 15 times yesterday and she still pooped,' Budde said.

Police urged Budde to take photos of the woman in a bid to track her down.

The jogger could face indecent exposure and public defecation charges if she is caught.

The frustrated family have put up signs in a bid to deter the woman from defecating on their lawn
An exhibit featuring Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas opened over the weekend at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The addition to the museum comes one year after it opened in the nation's capital, and also after conservatives complained there was originally no mention of Thomas, who is the country's second African American high court justice.

For a lengthy part of its first year, the museum only acknowledged Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual harassment during his 1991 confirmation hearing.

That move prompted several lawmakers to criticize the museum for downplaying Thomas, who has been on the high court for over 25 years.

In December, Sen. Ted Cruz said the museum had made a mistake by not featuring Thomas.

An exhibit featuring Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (file above) opened over the weekend at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture

The addition to the museum comes one year after it opened in the nation's capital, and also after conservatives complained there was originally no mention of Thomas, who is the country's second African American high court justice

'As much as I am grateful for the museum and its efforts to preserve and promote the indispensable, yet oft-neglected, contributions of African Americans to the collective history of our nation, I believe the museum has made a mistake by omitting the enormous legacy and impact of Justice Thomas, as well as his compelling background,' the Texas Republican wrote to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, CNN reported.

'To be clear, I am not petitioning for a partisan hagiography of Justice Thomas, nor am I asking that everything critical of him be excluded.

'I am simply requesting that a fair and accurate portrayal of his powerful story be included, for the great benefit of millions of future museum-goers.

'I became deeply disturbed upon learning that Justice Thomas's moving story and incredible contributions to the country are not even mentioned, much less discussed in detail, in the new museum.

'Making matters worse, the only reference to Justice Thomas is in regard to a single individual's controversial accusation against him at his Senate confirmation hearing 25 years ago -- an accusation that was contradicted by numerous witnesses and rejected by the Washington Post, the Democratic-controlled Senate and the American public at the time.'

Thomas is featured in an updated exhibit at the museum (file above) titled 'The Supreme Court' that honors both him and Thurgood Marshall - the country's first African American high court justice

The museum announced that it has included Thomas in an updated exhibit titled 'The Supreme Court'.

It honors both him and Thurgood Marshall - the country's first African American high court justice -who also did not have a display.

'There is a label for Thurgood Marshall and one for Clarence Thomas, the two African Americans who have served on the Supreme Court,' Linda St. Thomas, chief spokesperson for the Smithsonian Institution, told the Washington Times.

Thomas has not commented publicly about being featured in the new museum

The exhibit also shines a light on the Supreme Court rulings that were 'landmark decisions on matters of race, as well as issues of ancestry, ethnicity and tribal sovereignty.'

Thomas has not commented publicly about being featured in the museum.

The museum is 'evolving and other things will change over time,' St. Thomas said.

In its first year, the museum has become the nation's top temple to blackness, an Afrocentric shrine on the National Mall where people of all races, colors and creed are flocking to experience - and leave behind for posterity - the highs and lows of African American life in the United States.

'This has become more than a museum. This has become a pilgrimage site,' said Lonnie Bunch, founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, in an interview with The Associated Press.

The nation's first black president, Barack Obama, opened the new Smithsonian to a standing room-only crowd on September 24, 2016, with the ringing of a church bell.

Since then, the Smithsonian's 19th - and so far, most popular - museum has only become more beloved.

Ground for the $540million museum (file above) was broken in 2012 on a 5-acre tract near the Washington Monument. Construction was completed in 2016. Millions of donors contributed $315million in private funds ahead of the opening

Free advance timed tickets sell out months in advance and people line up outside the doors every morning in hopes of snagging rare same-day passes.

Ground for the $540million museum was broken in 2012 on a 5-acre tract near the Washington Monument. Construction was completed in 2016.

Millions of donors contributed $315million in private funds ahead of the opening.

Nearly 3 million people have visited in the first year to see exhibits ranging from the glass-topped casket used to bury lynching victim Emmett Till to a fedora owned by late pop superstar Michael Jackson and a slave cabin from Edisto Island, South Carolina.

'We expected 4,000 people a day,' Bunch said. 'We get 8,000 people a day, so I can't complain about a thing.'

Much of the material inside the museum comes from inside people's homes and personal collections.

And they're still collecting and evaluating artifacts from around the country for inclusion in the museum, from slavery artifacts to items from the recent Black Lives Matter movement. And people are always willing to give, Bunch said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

An American appeared before a Harare magistrate yesterday for allegedly forging identity documents and illegally staying in the country since 2009. Carlton Sloan Bridges alias Brandon Lee Jones (47) appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Josephine Sande.He was facing charges of contravening the National Registration Act, which prohibits forging identity documents. Bridges was represented by Mr Admire Rubaya and was remanded in custody to today when the court will consider his application for bail.The prosecutor, Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that Bridges was an American who came to Zimbabwe in 2009 after committing a series of offences in his country.It is alleged that on July 13, 2010 he fraudulently obtained a birth certificate entry number SBY 1040/ 71 using an American certificate of live birth (birth record) issued in the City of Georgia.He allegedly indicated that he was born on June 25, 1970 to Zimbabwean parents. Bridges wanted to regularise his Zimbabwean citizenship, the court heard. It is alleged that on June 16, 2009, he fraudulently obtained a Zimbabwean national identity card registration number 70-036916 G00 using the name Brandon Lee Jones. It is alleged that in obtaining the ID, he used birth entry number LOM 102/ 17 purporting that it was issued by the Registrar General's Office in Chinhoyi.The court heard that ID number 70-036916 G00 belongs to Asiwell Nyakarota, a Zimbabwean born on August 25, 1955. Bridges allegedly obtained another fraudulent ID number 13-023672 P00 using the name Carlton Sloan Bridges.The court heard that the ID number belonged to Mtisi Lilli, a female born in Mashevedze village, Chief Mapungwana in Chipinge on October 10, 1953. It is alleged that on August 16, 2012 Bridges went to the Registrar-General's Office in Bindura with the forged ID and birth certificate entry number SBY 1040/ 71. He applied for a passport and was granted passport number CN945755. Bridges allegedly used the passport to travel around the world.
The 911 calls in the September 2015 death of off-duty Chicago police officer Donald Markham were released on Monday as authorities revealed they are investigating the case as a possible homicide.

The new probe comes after his wife, Dina, also a police officer, was found dead in the bathtub of the family home four months ago.

The medical examiner's office ruled she died of an accidental drowning after consuming a dangerous mix of alcohol and anti-anxiety drug Xanax.

At the time of her death, the FBI and Cook County prosecutors were investigating whether Donald's death may have been a murder and if the crime scene had been tampered with.

The Cook County medical examiner's office has not revealed why the tapes have been released, but the new investigation has been opened because of Dina's death and suspicions that police may have mishandled the original investigation.

Authorities said it was particularly concerning that no one tested Donald's wife for gunshot residue to rule out if she fired the gun.

The 911 calls in the September 2015 death of off-duty Chicago police officer Donald Markham (left) made by his wife, Dina (right), were released on Monday as authorities say they're now looking into the case as a possible homicide

In the tapes, Dina is heard telling an emergency dispatcher that Donald is unresponsive and bleeding from his head, and begs for an ambulance to come to their Norwood Park home (pictured)

On the tapes, Dina is heard telling an emergency dispatcher that Donald is unresponsive and bleeding from his head.

In her first call made at 3.06am, she yells: 'Please hurry! He's a PO (police officer)...There's blood all over the bed.'

Dina called 911 twice more, begging for an ambulance to come to the Norwood Park home, even as she's told help is on the way.

'Why can't you send one?...I need one now,' she pleads.

Donald's death was ruled a suicide via a self-gunshot wound to the head after a medical examiner conducted an autopsy.

Police reports from the time of the 51-year-old's death showed the narcotics officer had killed himself after drunkenly arguing with his wife at a bar and later at their home.

Dina had told police she was initially locked out of the house and found her husband dead in their bed when one of their children let her into the home.

Police reports indicate Dina then called 911.

Donald's death was ruled a suicide via a self-gunshot wound to the head after a medical examiner conducted an autopsy (Pictured, Dina and Donald Markham)

Dina (pictured), 47, was found dead in the bathtub of her Chicago home on May 28 in an apparent suicide

Then, on May 28 of this year, Dina was found dead in the bathtub, accidentally drowning after she consumed alcohol Xanax.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, a new probe into Donald's death had prior to the time of her death. A February 21 subpoena was sought about Donald's death from the medical examiner's office.

A Sun Times reporter had contacted Dina for comment about the new probe in the days before her death.

On May 22, she said she was 'unaware of the new investigation, would like to speak but needed a day to process it'. Then two days later when approached again, she told the publication she needed to 'protect herself and her children'.

The couple was married in 1995 and had five children together.

The medical examiner's office ruled that Dina (pictured) died of an accidental drowning after consuming a dangerous mix of alcohol and anti-anxiety drug Xanax

A day later she emailed the publication saying: 'In respect for the way you approached me, a friend of a friend will be in contact with you. I am unsure who that will be at this time, but he assured me he will follow through.

'My family and I have been through very difficult times, and it has been awful especially for my children. Should you proceed in writing a news story, I would appreciate a "heads-up" to prepare them.'

Investigators now want to know if Donald was killed, if police somehow mishandled the investigation or if officers were involved in a cover-up.

As well as removing Donald's body from the scene before it was examined by the medical examiner, there are concerns that no one tested his wife for gunshot residue to rule out whether she fired the gun.

Denis P Walsh, the lieutenant in charge of supervising the investigation into Donald's death, was accused three months later of mishandling a murder case he was looking after.

Steps were taken to fire him after Walsh admitted to keeping missing files at his home, but he resigned himself in February 2016.

For readers seeking help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or visit the website.
A mother has been arrested in Belgium amid fears she cooked her two-year-old daughter alive as part of a suicide bid.

The 27-year-old, who is reported to be of African descent and has not been named, was arrested in the town of Zemst, north of Brussels, on Sunday evening.

Neighbours had called authorities after hearing a girl screaming, then seeing smoke coming from under the garage door.

A 27-year-old mother in Belgium, who is reported to be of African descent, has been arrested amid fears she burned her two-year-old daughter alive

Police were called to a house in the town of Zemst, north of Brussels, on Sunday night after neighbours heard the girl screaming then saw smoke coming from the garage

When police arrived they found the woman cooking the body of her daughter on a charcoal grill, with the remains almost fully burned.

Officers are now investigating whether she cooked the child alive or if she killed the girl then tried to burn her remains, HLN reports.

When police arrived on the scene she allegedly told them: 'We both had to burn. That was the only way we could go to heaven together.'

The paper spoke to neighbours who said the woman had been depressed for some time after going through a divorce.

She had been living with her mother at the time, but the older woman was reported to have left the house on the evening in question.

Due to the mother's physical and mental state, she was not immediately interviewed by investigators.

When investigators arrived the found the woman burning the girls remains on a barbecue when she told them: 'We both had to burn in order to get into heaven'

Neighbours said the woman had been living with her mother after suffering from depression while going through a divorce

An autopsy on the young girl has already been performed, although the prosecutor's office of Halle-Vilvoorde have not yet made the results public.

According to psychiatrist Hans Hellebuyck, it is 'hard to estimate' what exactly goes through peoples' minds in cases like this.

He said that if the mother did indeed say that she started the fire because only the soul of cremated bodies enter heaven, could be a sign of psychiatric problems.

Hellebuyck said: 'If the woman made such remarks and truly meant them, it is possible that she is mentally ill. I am not saying it is like that, but it is something which has to be taken into account.'
Twitter says it will not be suspending President Donald Trump's account despite his tweet threatening violence against North Korea being technically against user guidelines.

In the missive, Trump lashed out against North Korea with a thinly veiled threat over Twitter, but the company said it wouldn't be suspending the President's account because what he says is newsworthy and 'of public interest.'

President Trump Saturday night took to the social media platform to antagonize the leadership of North Korea, tweeting 'Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!'

President Trump's twitter account will not be suspended for Tweeting a threat about North Korea

In the Saturday night tweet the president threatened President Kim Jong Un and the foreign minister of North Korea

Those familiar with Twitter's user policy were quick to call out the social platform giant for not suspending Trump for violating their policy of making 'violent threats (direct or indirect)' which 'can be grounds for temporary or even permanent suspension.'

The mounting pressure from disgruntled users forced Twitter to address the discrepancy in enforcing rules for the average user and the president's account in a series of Tweets on Monday.

'We hold all accounts to the same Rules, and consider a number of factors when assessing whether Tweets violate our Rules. Among the considerations is ''newsworthiness'' and whether a Tweet is of public interest.'

'This has long been internal policy and we'll soon update our public-facing rules to reflect it,' Twitter added. 'We need to do better on this, and will.'

The 140 character statement added in several tweets: Twitter is committed to transparency and keeping people informed about what's happening in the world. Well continue to be guided by these fundamental principles.'

Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey also said they 'will do better' and the company is committed to 'increasing our transparency.'

President Kim Jong-Un was the target of a threat by President Trump that was made over Twitter

The response to the backlash over Trump's tweets was released in several 140- character missives by the social media's 'policy' account

Some users thought the policy was unfair. One user noted: 'So, the tweet could be a threat from Trump, but because he's POTUS, it remains? Sounds inconsistent and biased.'

Yet, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York Monday that the country considered Trump's tweet a 'declaration of war.'

'Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country,' Ho said.

'The question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then,' Ho added.

Calls on the company to curtail Trump's use of the platform are not new.

The company has said in the past that it doesn't comment on individual accounts, but it has cited the importance of hearing from leadership in order to hold people accountable.

Trump's account wasn't affected in July, when Twitter announced that it was taking action, including suspensions, on 10 times the number of abusive accounts than it did a year before.

With few of the normal contacts that grease the wheels of interaction between two countries -- no embassies, infrequent chances for diplomats to meet -- the US and North Korea often conduct their relationship in full public view.
The mugshot for Candy Lawson, 46. She was convicted on Monday for three counts one of which was unlawful imprisonment for keeping her disabled adult sister locked in a closet

A Michigan woman who kept her adoptive disabled adult sister locked in a closet was convicted of charges including unlawful imprisonment on Monday.

The Shiawassee County jury also found Candy Lawson, 46, guilty of vulnerable adult abuse and embezzlement because she stole social security money that was intended for her sister, Dianna Churchill, 44.

Dianna is deaf and has other cognitive and physical impairments.

She was locked in a 4x8 closet on Oliver Street in Corunna, Michigan, for seven years, given little clothing, food and water and was only given a bucket for urination.

In 2009, her disabled adoptive brother, Justin Churchill, died at the age of 33 in Kentucky.

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An image of Dianna Churchill, 44, with a bump on the back of her head. She was locked in a 4x8 closet for seven years until police found her after a handyman left a tip

He had similar living conditions to Dianna and weighed 60lbs at the time of his death.

Candy has not been charged for Justin's death, but Kentucky State Police troopers aren't ruling out the possibility.

She got custody of her disabled siblings when their mother died ten years ago, according to ABC 12.

Candy took the stand in her own defense last week, saying the space her sister was kept in was a room, not a closet.

She also said she needed to lock her sister in at night because she would otherwise wander off and she denied restricting access to food.

The then 42 year-old, Dianna, weighed just over 70lbs at the time.

Dianna was found in July 2015 by police after a call from handyman, Robert Lamar, found her locked up when he went to do some work on the house.

He said he felt emotional and happy over the conviction.

'Horrible really. It was disgusting how she left her sister. Someone that doesn't care about another human's life,' Robert told Wnem.

Sergeant Mark Pendergaff also thought the act defied 'all human decency'.

The closet where Dianna was kept. When police found her, she weighed a little over 70lbs and was so dirty that soap irritated her skin

The detective used to be assigned to the case and said that the easy answer was that Candy wanted the money but that in this case, the system let Dianna down with not having face to face meetings to make sure she was alive and well.

The system didn't fail Dianna again because it took the jury less than two hours to reach the guilty verdict, according to ABC 12.

However, the defense attorney for Candy, Amy Housted, said that she was doing what she had to do.

'When you are the sole provider, you obviously cannot give 24/7 care. And so, my client felt that it was necessary to make sure she didn't wander,' Amy told Wnem.

She also said that Dianna was free to go walk in the house, eat what she wanted and go outside.

But her condition was so bad as she was malnourished but she was also so dirty that soap irritated her skin when nurses tried to clean her.

Lawson is facing 13 to 15 years in prison and will be sentenced on October 27.

Amy said they plan to appeal and that she 'really did try her best with the situation she was given'.

Dianna is now in the care of the state and is doing much better, according to Wnem.
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A photographer has captured a series of hilarious pictures showing the moment hungry dogs try to catch treats.

The pictures were taken using a special technique which captures the faces of the dogs with their eyes on the prize as they try to get the treat in their mouths.

The images were shot by Christian Vieler for his new book called Treat!, which showcases some of his best snaps.

From the terrier to the Labrador, Mr Vieler's new book showcases a variety dogs - some more successfully than other - looking overjoyed, sad or even candid as they snatch the airborne goody.

Mr Vieler, from Waltrop, near Dortmund, Germany, first became interested in taking pictures of dogs when he bought a new camera five years ago.

Having worked on perfecting the technique for his food-catching shots, he now gets bombarded with requests to take photographs of pets for others.

The snapper then uploads the funny shots to his social media platforms, under 'Fotos Frie Schnauze.'

The new 144 page book released by publisher Two Roads is on sale on Amazon for 12.99.

A German Sheppard with his eyes on the prize is caught with his mouth wide-open as he tries to catch a treat

This pug looks quite concerned that a treat appears to have lodged itself in its ear

The eyes of this chocolate Labrador are pulled back with force as the dog leans his head towards the treat

Christian Vieler took a series of four photographs in quick succession of this Golden Retriever eating a snack

Vieler also caught the moment this black pug struggles to focus on a variety of treats which were thrown towards him

A brown Poodle (left) and a Boxer (right) also featuring in Mr Vieler's new book, released today

Vieler became a social-media sensation when he uploaded his pictures on social mediam under 'Fotos Frie Schnauze'

Mr Vieler, from Waltrop, near Dortmund, Germany, first became interested in taking pictures of dogs when he bought a new camera five years ago
Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared war Tuesday on 'speech codes' and other efforts to restrict freedom of expression on college campuses, saying catering to students' 'fragile egos' endangers the First Amendment.

He called on institutions of higher learning to 'intellectually push back' against students and others who 'think they have a right to block somebody else's beliefs and the expression of those beliefs.'

Sessions spoke at the Georgetown University law school.

He said that if universities do a better job of teaching the value of the U.S. Constitution, 'fewer people will feel that they can have legitimacy by blocking someone else's speech.'

'Particularly on a college campus! My heaven's sakes!' the normally reserved Sessions erupted as he answered questions on stage. 'College campuses, where it should be the most  you're forming your ideas, you're thinking things through!'

'The American university was once the center of academic freedom  a place of robust debate, a forum for the competition of ideas,' he said during his speech.

'But it is transforming into an echo chamber of political correctness and homogeneous thought, a shelter for fragile egos.'

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared war Tuesday on 'speech codes' and other efforts to restrict freedom of expression on college campuses

Sessions said catering to students' 'fragile egos' endangers the First Amendment. A woman is shown stomping on a free speech sign after conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos spoke to a crowd of supporters on the University of California, Berkeley campus

this 'Free Speech Area' is the only place students are permitted to hold protests at Los Angeles Community College

Without specifically naming conservative campus groups, he encouraged students 'to ask questions, to push back and to challenge what may be orthodoxy in many different areas.'

Sessions told the story of one group of students who were jailed for passing out copies of the Constitution on a campus walkway, and cited a survey that found 40 percent of U.S. colleges and universities have 'speech codes that substantially infringe on constitutionally protected speech.'

'Who decides what is offensive and what is acceptable? The university is about the search for truth, not the imposition of truth by a government censor,' he said.

Sessions also criticized college administrators for permitting the 'heckler's veto' by allowing protesters to shut down speaking events.

The result, he said, 'has spawned a cottage industry of protesters who have quickly learned that school administrators will capitulate to their demands.'

Police were called in to escort conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos away from the University of California, Berkeley campus after he spoke there on September 24

Anti-Trump protesters met Yiannopoulos in Berkeley, and some in black masks turned violent

Sessions recalled a Middlebury College case in Vermont where student protesters physically assaulted debaters at a campus event, including an outside speaker and a professor.

And he clobbered 'Orwellian-named "anti-fascist" protesters' who have shut down conservative speakers through rioting.

Sessions mocked the University of California Berkeley for offering 'counseling' to students whose 'sense of safety or belonging' was threatened by a speech from one speaker, Ben Shapiro.

'In the end, Mr. Shapiro spoke to a packed house. And to my knowledge, no one fainted, no one was unsafe. No one needed counseling,' Sessions snarked.

The Trump administration has been largely silent about campus speech codes, but on Tuesday the Justice Department announced that it's weighing in on a lawsuit brought by college students in Georgia.

Sessions said Tuesday that the Justice Department is weighing in on a lawsuit brought by college students in Georgia.

When students at Grand Valley State University student Michigan wanted to protest the shooting of an unarmed man, they were told to stay in the college's 'free speech zone'

Gwinnett College's policy is to limit student protests to a pair of small 'free-speech zones,' which the DOJ says total 0.0015 per cent of the campus.

'Additionally, these students were required to obtain prior authorization from campus officials, to limit their expressive activity to a specified date and time, and to comply with the Student Code of Conducts prohibition of speech that "disturbs the ... comfort of person(s)".'

The 'Antifa' mob and other protesters managed to stop an appearance by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos at a Berkeley 'Free Speech Week' in February. The event led to violent protests.

Yiannopoulos held his own forum on Sunday after organizers nixed an event.

'We are unable to hold an official UC Berkeley speaking event, Yiannopoulos said amid intense security, according to the Los Angeles Times. 'So we're going to host an unofficial one.'
Two young boys whose parents died in a fall off a 200-foot cliff in upstate New York during a family hiking trip with them have been released from the hospital and are recovering at home.

Alexander Green, aged 4, and his brother Jacob Green, aged seven, are being surrounded by family and friends as they recover from the horror accident on August 20 in the Zoar Valley Gorge.

The boys' parents, William and Amanda Green, along with Alexander fell off the cliff and were found by other hikers at the bottom of the gorge, which is roughly 35 miles south of Buffalo.

The parents were dead, and Alexander, who was nearby, was severely injured. Jacob was found injured hours later wandering the gorge floor alone.

Alexander Green, aged 4, and his brother Jacob Green, aged seven (above together) were discharged from a hospital in Orchard Park, New York. The brothers were injured after falling off a 200-foot cliff along with their parents on August 20. Both parents died in the accident

The boys' parents, William and Amanda Green (together above), along with Alexander fell off the cliff and were found by other hikers at the bottom of the gorge, which is roughly 35 miles south of Buffalo

The Green family, in a statement released by Amanda Green's employer, BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, said it wanted to thank people for 'their thoughts, prayers and well wishes.'

The statement said the boys, known as Xander and Jake, 'continue to amaze us with their perseverance, and watching them get stronger by the day is nothing short of a miracle.'

The Erie County sheriff's office said the Greens were hiking in the rugged Zoar Valley, a popular hiking and kayaking spot.

Something went horribly wrong, and the parents and Alexander wound up at the bottom of the cliff, near the banks of Cattaraugus Creek, authorities said.

After the Greens were found, a police helicopter crew rescued the younger boy.

Alexander was found nearby was severely injured and Jacob was found injured hours later wandering the gorge floor alone (brothers together above)

Jacob suffered a broken right arm and ankle and was released from a Buffalo hospital at the end of August, while Alexander suffered internal injuries and a head injury and was released in mid-September, family spokesman Kyle Rogers said. (rescue scene above)

A police sheriff's detective later found Jacob. It's unclear if Jacob fell along with his parents and younger brother.

Jacob suffered a broken right arm and ankle and was released from a Buffalo hospital at the end of August, while Alexander suffered internal injuries and a head injury and was released in mid-September, family spokesman Kyle Rogers said.

Sheriff Timothy Howard said the investigation into what happened on the family outing remains open.

He said investigators haven't spoken to the boys and 'will only do so when the family and the boys are prepared to speak.'

A photo released by the family on Tuesday shows the boys smiling in wheelchairs surrounded by police and emergency mascot characters while attending a community event in the suburb of Orchard Park on September 10.
North Korea has relocated its warplanes and bolstered air defenses along its eastern coast after accusing President Trump of declaring war.

The move, which was reported by analysts in Seoul, puts the planes within striking distance of US bombers which have been conducting drills alongside aircraft from the South in international airspace near North Korea.

Pyongyang had previously said it has the right to shoot down American warplanes whether or not they had entered the country's airspace.

Kim Jong-un has redeployed North Korea fighter jets and bolstered air defenses along the country's east coast, close to where American bombers have been performing drills

The North previously said it has the right to shoot down American bombers whether or not they entered the country's airspace after accusing President Trump of 'declaring war'

The inflamed rhetoric came after President Trump told the UN general assembly that America would have 'no choice but to totally destroy North Korea' if forced to defend itself an its allies.

That threat brought an unprecedented personal response from Kim Jong-un, who called Trump a 'mentally deranged dotard' and raised the prospect of carrying out a hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific Ocean.

The war of words showed no sign of slowing down on Tuesday as Trump started the day by tweeting that North Korea had tortured arrested American student Otto Warmbier 'beyond belief'.

Warmbier was jailed in the hermit state in 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster while on holiday in Pyongyang, before being handed back to the US in a coma earlier this year. He died shortly afterwards.

Medical examiners have been unable to determine how he fell into the coma, but say there were no obvious signs of torture.

While Trump has repeatedly stated that a military solution is not his preferred choice, international observers and world leaders are nervous that heightened tensions could unintentionally spill over into armed conflict.

Ri Yong Ho, North Korea's foreign minister, made the claims to the United Nations amid fears that a war of words between Trump and Kim could spill over into conflict

World leaders have warned there would be 'no winners' from a war on the Korean Peninsula as they urged for calm (pictured, military drills in South Korea this week)

On Tuesday Russia warned that war on the Korean peninsula would be catastrophic as China and South Korea urged Trump and Kim to back down.

The Kremlin's foreign ministry said it is working 'behind the scenes' on finding a political solution to the North Korea crisis.

Government official Mikhail Ulyanovwho added that the current US approach to North Korea represents little more than a dead end and that the use of sanctions against Kim had almost been exhausted.

Meanwhile Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said war on the Korean peninsula would have no winner.

His South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha added: 'It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control.'

Counting the human cost of war on the Korean Peninsula, retired Air Force general Rob Givens said 20,000 people would like die each day in the South as long as the conflict continued.

The estimate is based on Pentagon predictions, and does not account for deaths in the North, or the potential used of nuclear weapons.

'There is only one way that this war ends. With North Koreas defeat  but at what cost?,' Givens said.
Accused rapist: Steven Deaton, 39, of Texas, has been charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child for allegedly raping a young relative for nine years, from the time she was six

A Texas man has been arrested on suspicion of repeatedly raping two young female relatives after he attempted to take his own life by overdosing on painkillers because he was desperate to avoid jail.

Steven Lyn Deaton, 39, of San Antonio, has been charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child and ordered held in the Bexar County Jail on $75,000 bond.

The case began unfolding on September 18 when Bexar County Sheriffs deputies responded to a report about a suicide attempt.

The caller, a 15-year-old girl, told the deputies that Deaton had been sexually assaulting her for nine years, from the time she was a first-grader.

Responding deputies found Deaton in an intoxicated state and unable to communicate with them, according to officials speaking to San Antonio Express-News. The 39-year-old rape suspect was then placed on emergency detention and taken to Santa Rosa Westover Hills Hospital.

Botched suicide: On September 18, Deaton allegedly tried to take his own life by overdosing on the powerful opioid painkiller Tramadol (stock photo pictured)

The mother of the alleged rape victim told deputies that Deaton said he would 'rather die than go to jail' before ingesting an unknown quantity of the powerful opioid painkiller Tramadol, according to an affidavit.

The sister of the teenage rape victim told officials that Deaton had also sexually abused her for years. Court filings stated the 39-year-old man would allegedly tell the young girls that if they loved him, they would let him perform sexual acts on them.

According to his Facebook page, Deaton worked as a software engineer and had a wife, aged 34, and children.

Married man: Deaton is pictured left and right with his 34-year-old wife. Her marital status on Facebook now reads 'separated'

Deaton, pictured above swimming with a dolphin, worked as a software engineer

His wife's martial status on her Facebook page now reads 'separated.'

Deaton was booked into the county jail on Monday afternoon, after his release from the hospital.

He is currently facing a single felony count of continuous sexual abuse, but more charges may be pending against Deaton, stemming from the allegations made by the teenage victims sister.
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The federal government said Tuesday that contractors began building eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico, hitting a milestone toward a key campaign pledge.

Construction in San Diego began three months behind schedule after those who didn't win contracts protested.

The building process will last about 30 days, Customs and Border Protection said.

The agency may pick several winners, or none. It said in a news release that the prototypes 'will inform future design standards which will likely continue to evolve to meet the U.S. Border Patrol's requirements.'

But the agency is also braced for massive protests and is beginning construction under tight security, the San Deigo Union-Tribune reported.

Breaking ground: CBP released pictures showing work beginning on the border wall at a secured site in San Diego. They are braced for massive protests

Build that wall: Construction work begins on the prototype wall on the border at San Diego

Four of the six private companies that won a national competition to build the designs began work in the morning

San Diego police officers and county sheriff's deputies were out in force at intersections and along streets near the entrance to the construction site.

Despite the concerns of police there were no protests or demonstrators Tuesday, and authorities do not foresee any in the near future

Four of the prototypes will be made of concrete while the other four will be made of alternate materials. All of the models will be between 18 to 30 feet high and 30 feet long

A man is detained by a Border Patrol official after breaching border fencing separating San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico

The construction site is about 1.5 miles east of Enrico Fermi Drive on open land that is a mixture of public and private ownership

Mexican Federal Police were on the scene just south of the area where the construction was going on

Ring of steel: Law enforcement has flooded into the area where construction is beginning of prototypes of the border wall

On patrol; Mounted border agents are operating behind the chain link fences which mark the area where construction is beginning

Here it is: A construction worker gets to work on building the first prototypes of the wall

Keynote pledge: Trump campaigned on building the wall and having Mexico pay. Now Customers and Border Protection say work has begun on prototypes

One model: This is one version of how Trump's border wall could look. Construction is now beginning on the prototypes

Guarded: An agent on duty near the existing security fence. CBP are braced for massive protests at their construction site nearby

The details of the design remain unclear. Each prototype will be up to 30 feet high and 30 feet long.

Bidding documents say four of the prototypes are to be solid concrete and four are to be made of 'other materials.'

Trump said Friday that the wall should be see-through, appearing to cast doubt on the concrete designs.

The construction site is close to the existing high-security fence which marks the border through San Diego and to the east.

Already there are fears of protests as big as those at the Dakota Access Pipeline last year, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Concrete barriers have been placed at access points to the construction site and chain link fences have been built across open land.

One area could be being designated a 'free speech zone' for protesters to congregate, the LA Times said.

Announcing the start of construction, Ronald Vitiello, CBP's acting deputy commissioner said in a statement: 'We are committed to securing our border and that includes constructing border walls.

'Our multi-pronged strategy to ensure the safety and security of the American people includes barriers, infrastructure, technology and people.

'Moving forward with the prototypes enables us to continue to incorporate all the tools necessary to secure our border.'

The administration faces several federal lawsuits in San Diego that seek to block the prototypes and plans to replace existing barriers in California.

A complaint filed last week by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, largely mirrors two others by environmental advocacy groups that allege the administration overstepped its authority to speed up construction of the wall.

No to the wall: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, is protesting in the courts. He says the wall is in breach of environmental rules

The administration faces several federal lawsuits in San Diego that seek to block the prototypes and plans to replace existing barriers in California

Buildings in northeast Tijuana can be seen close to the existing wall with Mexico close to where prototypes of the new wall were being built in San Diego

As an industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics

A dominant manufacturing center of the North American continent, the city maintains facilities of many multinational conglomerate companies

Police blockades, with buildings in northeast Tijuana visible in the distance, were set up to keep everyone from the border wall with Mexico

Democrats have balked at Trump's $1.6 billion request to replace 14 miles in San Diego and build 60 miles in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings

At issue is a 2005 law that gave the Homeland Security secretary broad powers to waive dozens of laws for border barriers, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act. The lawsuits say that authority has expired.

The administration has not commented directly on the lawsuits but it has issued two waivers since August, the first since 2008, on grounds of national security.

Both waivers are in California, including one that covers the site of prototype construction.

Funding to extend the wall beyond its distance of 654 miles (1,046 kilometers) is in doubt.

Democrats have balked at Trump's $1.6 billion request to replace 14 miles in San Diego and build 60 miles in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings.

Caddell Construction Co. of Montgomery, Alabama, and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co. of Philadelphia, Mississippi, were awarded contracts to build one wall of concrete and one of other materials.

Other contracts for concrete prototypes went to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. of Tempe, Arizona, and Texas Sterling Construction Co. of Houston.

Contracts for prototypes of other materials were awarded to KWR Construction Inc. of Sierra Vista, Arizona, and ELTA North America Inc. of Annapolis Junction, Maryland.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Electoral Justice Board has happily informed the nation and the generality of the international community that they have since registered The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Electoral Justice (ZLEJ) Trust MA 1245/17 with effect from 25 August 2017."We are yet to secure long term office accommodation and equipment and recruit necessary staff. Meanwhile, we shall be very temporarily locatable at Bothwell-Ndhlovu-Attorneys-At-Law premises, 6th Floor Merchant House, Corner Sam Nujoma/Robson Manyika Avenue, Harare," said the chairperson Chawaona Kanoti."For your information and attention, our Trust is a civil society team desirous to champion, monitor, advocate for and act to ensure successful and effective criminal and/or civil liability of any person(s) who are, or have been, involved in criminal electoral malpractice at whatever level of lawful electoral contestations, and in that endeavour work to ensure appropriate rehabilitation and/or compensation of victims of such practice. It is our own decided small albeit practical way of assisting society at large, the police and the prosecution, and of course our courts of law, in reaching out with a helping hand to victims of electoral malpractices."He said obviously it is not, will never, and cannot be a parallel justice system. ZLEJ is merely a dedicated civil team that will, for a start only, pick up for Private Prosecutions mostly political violence electoral malpractise cases which the police and/or the Prosecutor  General would have selected not to prosecute or, better, are not seeming to be selecting for prosecution in circumstances of course wherein the victims prefer or, put better still, in circumstances the victims with fuller knowledge and understanding of their rights and with the relevant capacities, would have preferred prosecuted."We shall therefore for now be concentrating mostly on such deserving but unprosecuted Political Violence cases stretching possibly from as long ago as 1999. The underlying lense, the philosophy that shall guide us in this our dedicated endeavour, is Hunhu/Ubuntu. We shall be seeking restorative, and not retributive, justice for both victims and perpetrators. We seek for both partys recovery into society," he said."Accordingly, to society at large we shall be appealing for cooperation and a restorative attitude to justice, while from the perpetrators we shall be appealing for both cooperation and a desire to compensate the victims whilst also repenting. From the Chief Magistrate of Zimbabwe we look forward to unhindered access to his Electoral Courts. From all those lawyers who gathered at last year's Evan Mawarire initial remand circus we shall be appealing for their recovery of that exhibited solidarity with justice towards these proposed private prosecutions, while we shall also make a general appeal to all fellow lawyers to assist with free court times as private prosecutors."He said from the police and the PG's Office they shall expect nothing but cooperation and assistance especially because they are the gurus in our intended area of focus."As it is we are now approaching, if we are not already there, another national electoral season, 2018, in which we expect do-or-fail political contestations as usual. We therefore see it as appropriate, for example, that assisting the Political Violence victims of yester elections NOW will go a long way in subduing any 2018 violence, if any, as perpetrators and potential perpetrators will realise the truth of the Zimbabwe Republic Police's popular saying: "the long arm of the law will catch up with you!," he said."We shall also be appealing to all political parties to refuse audience, councillorship and parliamentary candidature to any of their members or sympathisers fingered in and/or facing our private and any public prosecution for any political violence incident (s). Of course we shall not be targeting any particular political party's membership for prosecution but only the perpetrators. Any seeming concentration by the Trust on any particular political party's membership or sympathisers, if ever it would come to be, shall be coincidental as it shall be dependent upon the identity of the alleged perpetrator as pointed out to us by the victim seeking assistance."Kanoti said any material assistance and professional advices the nation and/or the international community may want to offer towards more efficient and effective achievement of the Trust's objects shall be highly appreciated.
A 16-year-old girl has been charged with attempted murder after a school welfare officer was stabbed in her office.

Police and ambulances were called to the Winterton Community Academy in North Lincolnshire after a 61-year-old woman, named locally as Joy Simon, was injured with a black-handled kitchen knife before 9am yesterday.

A schoolgirl was arrested and Mrs Simon was rushed to hospital. Police say her wounds are not life-threatening.

Georgina Corney, who went to the school to pick up her younger brother, said: 'A female student from year 11 came into the school and approached the safeguarding room where Mrs Simon was.

'She dropped her bag outside the door before going in and attacking Mrs Simon, who was defenceless.'

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Police closed off Winterton Community Academy in North Lincolnshire on Monday after a school welfare officer was stabbed and a 16-year-old schoolgirl was arrested

Parents were sent this text message on Tuesday morning informing them that pupils were safe

Ms Coney added: 'Cleaners who were finishing their morning of cleaning heard screams and cries for help and rushed down to the room and then were followed by other staff members, who held the attacker while emergency services arrived.'

Headteacher Gareth Morris, whose office is close to where the attack happened, said: When I arrived I could see a female member of staff was already been dealt with and being administered first aid.

'Another member of staff had already restrained the pupil while we waited for the emergency services to arrive.

'The incident was both horrific and very calm at the same time. Staff were there talking to a number of different emergency services at the same time.

'They acted almost instinctively. The injured member of staff was very distressed.'

Staff said the weapon was a small kitchen knife which was 'almost certainly' brought into the school by the pupil.

Mr Morris sent a text to all parents advising them they could collect their children if they wished but the school remained open for the rest of the day.

'This is a rare occurrence for something like this to happen in this locality or nationally,' he added.

'The school will be open tomorrow and everyone will be expected to be in school.

'PCSOs will be here for the rest of the week and the local authority will be providing on-site support for pupils.'

A fund-raising page to raise 100 to buy flowers for Mrs Simon and biscuits and chocolates for staff at the school has more than doubled its target.

Susan Maw, who set up the page, wrote: 'As you may be aware, Mrs Simon was attacked at the school. This was both traumatic for the teachers and pupils alike.

'I would like to raise some money to send some flowers to Mrs Simon to send with best wishes for a speedy recovery and also some biscuits and chocolates to the staff of the academy to thank them for how they dealt with what must have been an extremely difficult situation.

'We live in a great community and the academy is at the heart of that, let's show our appreciation.'

Chief Superintendent Christine Wilson, of Humberside Police, added: 'The alarm was raised through witnesses hearing a disturbance which was in a room where the teacher and the student themselves were.

A woman police officer stood at the gates of the school on Monday afternoon after the incident

'Staff responded to raised voices and called police upon finding her having been stabbed. We were on-hand quickly at the site and she was arrested.

'The teacher has non-life-threatening injuries and is in hospital with family. She will make a full recovery.

'Incidents like this are extremely rare - I can't think of another like this in my time as a police officer. We will have a police presence in the school for the rest of the week.'

Mrs J. Simon is listed as working as an inclusion support officer at the school on its website. Mervyn Smith, 85, a neighbour, confirmed Mrs Simon worked as a welfare officer at the school.

Jack Clixby wrote on Facebook: 'Absolutely f***ing shocked at this! How could anyone do this to Joy! Such a lovely lady! Wishing her a speedy recovery!'

Samantha Threadgold added: 'Miss Simons has been attacked by a young lass.'

Parents of children at the school wrote online that they believed no other youngsters were present when the alleged attack took place.

They praised the school worker injured, saying: 'She's lovely. I hope she is okay.'

Trudi Chapman, whose 11-year-old daughter Sophie is in Year Seven at the school, said she found out what was going on through Facebook.

She said: 'My daughter told me that the children were not allowed out of class.

'I texted my daughter asking 'is everything okay, you need to talk to me now' and she told me that children aren't being allowed out of their classrooms and that the children don't know what they are meant to do.

'I was shaking like a leaf - all I was thinking about was my daughter.'

A girl has been arrested after a welfare officer from this school near Scarborough was stabbed

The school is situated in a small village to the north of Scunthorpe in north Lincolnshire

Chief Superintendent Christine Wilson said: 'We attended a serious incident just before 9.00am this morning at Winterton Community Academy, and a 61 year old woman is being treated in hospital for serious but not life threatening injuries.

'Staff at the school and police officers responded to this isolated incident very quickly, and one person is currently in custody as a result.

'There was no disruption to any other children, none of whom witnessed the incident. Children at the school have not been directly affected by this.'

Police confirmed the girl arrested is a student at the school.

Winterton Community Academy is a mixed-sex school with 518 students on its rolls.

It converted to an academy from comprehensive status in 2012 and was rated as Good during its last Ofsted inspection in 2016.

The school is based in Winterton - a small town in north Lincolnshire about five miles away from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.

The incident will raise questions about teacher safety in schools, following similar cases in recent years, like that of Ann Maguire.

The Spanish teacher was fatally stabbed in the back by 15-year-old Will Cornick as she taught a class at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds in 2014.

And in Bradford, Vincent Uzomah was stabbed in the stomach by a 14-year-old boy in a racially motivated attack in front of pupils at Dixons Kings Academy in 2015.
The Trump administration will allow no more than 45,000 refugees into the United States next year, officials said Tuesday, in what would be the lowest admissions level in more than a decade.

The U.S. welcomed 84,995 in fiscal year 2016, and former President Barack Obama had wanted to raise that number to 110,000 in 2017.

President Donald Trump lowered the fiscal year 2017 cap to 50,000  a number that was reached on July 12. The State Department's Refugee Processing Center says the U.S. accepted 51,392 in the first eight months of this year.

Now Trump is expected to announce an even lower cap on refugee admissions for next year, following a lengthy debate within his administration about whether it should be adjusted go up or down.

President Donald Trump plans to lower the cap on refugee admissions for the fiscal year that begins October 1

Syrian refugees like these trying to get into Hungary have had diminished prospects of reaching the United States since Trump took office

The latest crisis, the Muslim Rohingya people fleeing from oppression in Myanmar, have put pressure on refugee agencies all over the world

The 45,000 figure represents the maximum number of refugees the U.S. would be willing to accept. The actual number of refugees who move to the United States could actually be lower.

The administration had been considering a ceiling somewhere between 40,000, which the Homeland Security Department recommended, and 50,000, the State Department's preferred level, according to officials. The new figure appears to be a compromise that Cabinet officials felt would be palatable to the president.

Still, Trump's stated hostility to accepting refugees and opposition among others in his administration mean the U.S. may not intend to fill all 45,000 slots in the 2018 fiscal year that starts Sunday.

The U.S. hasn't taken in so few refugees in a single year since 2006, when 41,223 were allowed entry.

Trump attempted to put a freeze on all refugee admissions shortly after taking office in January, but federal courts limited his reach.

And even as the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in to green-light his larger travel ban policy targeting six terror-prone nations, the high court has codified exceptions for refugees and others who have existing family ties in America.

All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations. They said no decision was final until formally announced by the president.

Former president Barack Obama had wanted 110,000 refugees admitted this year, but the final tally will likely be only about half as many

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called last year for increases in refugee acceptance, including a massive leap in Syrians  from 10,000 to 65,000

The State Department declined to comment on potential figures ahead of a presidential announcement.

Trump has until Sunday to determine how many refugees to admit. A new federal government fiscal year begins October 1.

Trump has made limiting immigration a centerpiece of his policy agenda. He temporarily banned visitors from the six countries  all Muslim-majority  and has rescinded an Obama-era executive action protecting young immigrants from deportation.

The president also continues to insist that he'll build a wall along the southern border with Mexico, a project that has begun with the construction of prototypes.

During his campaign, Trump pledged to 'stop the massive inflow of refugees' and warned of terrorists smuggling themselves into naive countries by posing as refugees fleeing war-torn Syria.

He said last October that 'thousands of refugees are being admitted with no way to screen them and are instantly made eligible for welfare and free health care,' even as American military veterans can't get such care.

Trump has also advocated keeping refugees closer to their homes.

In a speech to the United Nations last week, he thanked Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Syrian conflict, and described the United States as a 'compassionate nation' that has spent 'billions and billions of dollars in helping to support this effort.'

'We seek an approach to refugee resettlement that is designed to help these horribly treated people, and which enables their eventual return to their home countries to be part of the rebuilding process,' Trump said.

For the cost of resettling one refugee in the United States, he said, the U.S. can assist more than 10 migrants in their home regions.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated in 2016, said during her campaign that she would raise the number of refugees accepted each year from Syria alone to 65,000, from the existing cap of 10,000.
Dr Sumit Basu, 59, was said to have groped the three women's breasts in a hospital

A heart specialist accused of fondling three women hugged his wife after a jury acquitted him on all charges today.

Dr Sumit Basu, 59, was said to have groped the three women's breasts in a circular motion and examined two of the girls internally.

The consultant cardiologist allegedly told a second-year medical student, now 22, to drop her knickers so he could examine her at the Lewisham Hospital.

It was only when the heart specialist was charged and news of his arrest did two other alleged victims, now aged 29 and 32, come forward.

Basu's alleged sex assaults against the teenager and the two other women were said to have happened between 2006 and 2014.

It was claimed he abused his position of trust and exploited the naivety of the patients who had put their trust in him.

Hanna Llewllyn-Waters, prosecuting, claimed the alleged victims found his examinations 'odd, uncomfortable and upsetting' after being referred to him.

She said: 'They had not complained at the time because they trusted the doctor, and had been assured by him that he was acting in accordance with their care.'

But a jury of six men and six women at Woolwich Crown Court took six hours and 40 minutes to clear Dr Basu of all the charges.

He stood in the dock with his hands quietly with his hands around his waist as the jury foreman delivered their verdicts.

His wife trembled in the public gallery as the verdicts were delivered.

A jury of six men and six women at Woolwich Crown Court (pictured) took six hours and 40 minutes to clear Dr Basu of all the charges

Giving evidence Basu said it was absolutely necessary to close a curtain when examining patients 'even if you are just talking' and that his process with treating female patients has changed.

Basu added: 'I was taught to expose the part that you are going to examine completely.

'That is my training and that has been modified, I am no longer standing in front of an examiner.'

He said he now tells female patients to keep their bras on.

The consultant cardiologist allegedly told a second-year medical student, now 22, to drop her knickers so he could examine her at the Lewisham Hospital (pictured)

The court heard that he comes from distinct medical background as his father and sister are both doctors while his mother works as a nurse.

His grandfather also practised medicine, he said.

Basu told jurors he wanted to be a doctor for as long as he could remember and would listen to peoples' chests with a toy stethoscope as a child.

He has a 17-year-old son and told the court he married while he was a young junior doctor in 1988 and will celebrate his pearl wedding anniversary next year.

Dr Basu underwent medical training in Kolkata, India but came to Britain in 1986 to finish his training with a few of staying for up to five years before returning home.

His father and sister are also doctors and his mother is a nurse.

Before he began working at the Lewisham Hospital in February 2004 he worked at the Royal Brompton Hospital in Uxbridge.

Dr Basu also worked four days a week at the Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, Berkshire.

Basu, of Lewisham, southeast London, denied but was cleared of seven counts of sexual assault and three of assault by penetration.
A one-month-old baby boy (pictured) was found on an Oklahoma City interstate with $5,500 cash stuffed in his car seat and a birth certificate on Saturday

A one-month-old baby boy was found on an Oklahoma City interstate with $5,500 cash stuffed in his car seat and a birth certificate.

A church group found the baby abandoned in a car seat along I-40 in Oklahoma on Saturday.

Roger Prater, the driver of the church group's van, noticed a car seat on the side of the Interstate 40.

He initially thought there was a doll inside, but he noticed two feet kicking inside and immediately pulled over and called 911.

'You walk up on a baby on the side of the road, and youre like: "Wow, you think you got it bad,"' Prater said in an interview with newsok.com.

'It was not moving. Its eyes were closed. I thought, "Lord, dont let this thing be hurt,"' he said.

When Prater picked the carrier up and put it in his van, the baby opened his eyes.

It was 91 degrees when the infant was found, but police said it's unlikely the baby was on the side of the road for more than 30 minutes

'There's a baby here in a carrier,' Prater told the dispatcher over the phone.

Officers found a Social Security card, cash and a birth certificate with the baby.

It was 91 degrees when the infant was found, but police said it's unlikely the baby was on the side of the road for more than 30 minutes.

The baby was in good health and taken to a local hospital for an evaluation.

Family members helped located the baby's mother, who was also evaluated at a local hospital.

No names were released in the incident. A spokesman for the Oklahoma City Police Department said charges will likely not be filed.
The family of a wartime commander who helped set up the Bletchley Park codebreakers say they are 'thrilled' a new book is to be released after his reputation was damaged in a Hollywood film.

Alastair Denniston was the head of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS), responsible for hiring mathematicians, including Alan Turing, who helped crack the Enigma code.

In The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Denniston was portrayed in an unflattering light by actor Charles Dance, who described him as a 'pompous prat'.

Historian and author Joel Greenberg said his new book, 'Alastair Denniston, Code-breaking from Room 40 to Berkeley Street and the birth of GCHQ', aimed to highlight the huge contribution Denniston made to the war.

Alastair Denniston's family are 'thrilled' a new book is being released detailing his war efforts

Denniston's granddaughter Candy Connolly, 56, a florist's assistant from west London, said: 'We are thrilled with the book, it's absolutely brilliant.

'In the film it looked like my grandfather had no empathy with his team.

'He was portrayed as abrupt as abrasive. They didn't get the character.

'He had run that show for 20 years but he was made to look incompetent.

'This book shows who my grandfather really was - a loving man who believed in a strong team and supported them.

'I admire him so much and I feel like this book has helped me learn more about what he did because he would never talk about his career.'

Denniston was the commander at Bletchley Park from 1919 until 1942 and was transferred to Berkeley Street in London to run a separate code-breaking department.

It was in 1939 when GC&CS established its new 'war station' at Bletchley Park, where an intelligence battle developed between the Nazis and the Allies to try to crack each other's codes.

Denniston (right) leaving Buckingham Palace after being invested with the CBE on 2 January 1933

In The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch (right), Denniston was portrayed in an unflattering light by actor Charles Dance (left), who described him as a 'pompous prat'

Denniston (back right) watching a rounders match with fellow Bletchley Park staff

Denniston (right), his wife Dorothy (left), and children Robin and Margaret outside the family home in Burley, Hampshire

The British intelligence, which Denniston helped establish, had triumphed over the Germans, finding a way to decipher their codes without letting on. The messages contained details about military operations which helped win the war.

The messages which Britain were able to decipher from Nazi codes were known as 'ultra'. Following the war, Winston Churchill famously paid homage to their efforts, saying: 'It was thanks to Ultra that we won the war.'

The author of the new book, Mr Greenberg, said: 'Denniston was very innovative and realised the importance of bringing together a wide range of people with different skills to Bletchley Park.

'He became aware of the Polish success with using mathematicians as code-breakers so he recruited mathematicians, bankers because of their administrative skills and linguists to work there.

'A huge amount of women worked at Bletchley Park and Denniston wasn't interested in peoples' backgrounds - just whether they had the skills needed to be a successful code-breaker.

Denniston retired from the service in 1945 and died in 1961. He is buried in Burley in the New Forest, Hampshire.

Denniston (left picture) during the war and (right picture) with his family at a London home in 1936
A prankster tricked Jared Kushner attorney Abbe Lowell into thinking he was Kushner  then made increasingly bizarre claims about having porn on email exchanges with White House officials.

The prankster, who uses the Twitter account @SINON_REBORN, fooled Lowell into discussing confidential business with his client by using the email address kushner.jared@mail.com, and reaching out for help about whether it's okay to purge emails.

The prankster played off the timing of some real news: the discovery that Kushner and five other White House officials had used private email accounts.

Posing as Kushner, he wrote in an email that he had uncovered material of a 'sensitive nature' in his private account.

'Namely: some exchanges with a website featuring adult content,' he wrote.

RED LIGHT: Attorney Abbe Lowell (left) got tricked by a prankster posing as his client, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, under the ruse of an urgent request for legal advice about emails containing porn

'Can I remove these?' the prankster wanted to know.

'Forwarded or received from WH officials?' Lowell wanted to know.

The prankster reeled in Lowell, considered a top defense attorney, by stating that a single message came from a fellow White House employee.

'I think one was forwarded from a White House official, we had discussed a shared interest of sorts,' the prankster wrote. 'It was unsolicited. Then there are a handful more, but not from officials.'

The Lowell proceeded to dispense legal advice, but in the process revealed that he apparently hasn't read all of Kushner's emails as of yet.

'I need to see I think all emails between you and WH (just for me and us),' he responded. 'We need to send any officials emails to your WH account. Not stuff like you asked about. None of those are going anywhere,' he reassured his client.

IS THERE WIRELESS HERE? The prankster posing as Kushner wanted to know about whether it was okay to delete an email from a White House official with a 'shared interest' in porn

'Don't delete. Don't send to anyone. Let's chat in a bit,' Lowell wrote back

The prankster posted the exchange with Lowell on Twitter

'But we can bury it?' the prankster posing as Kushner wanted to know. 'I'm so embarrassed. It's fairly specialist stuff, half naked women on a trampoline, standing on legoscenes, the tag for the movie was #standingOnTheLittlePeople :('

'Don't delete. Don't send to anyone. Let's chat in a bit,' Lowell wrote back, not flummoxed by the claim and offering what appears to be sound legal advice.

The prankster then made another outlandish claims. 'There's one more,' the person wrote. 'I'll be SUNK if it's found out. The protagonist of the piece looks exactly like a younger Hillary Clinton.' Then, backing off, the prankster wrote: 'Hair's got more of a choppy fringe, though.

After Kushner's private email use was revealed, Lowell issued a statement saying: 'All non-personal emails were forwarded to his official address and all have been preserved in any event.'

The exchange, through the ruse, suggests that he made the statement without the benefit of seeing Kushner's emails.

Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti told Business Insider he was 'shocked to learn that Kushner's lawyer did not review the relevant emails before issuing a statement making assertions about what was in them and how many there were.'

The same prankster was able to fool Ty Cobb, who is defending the Russia probe from the White House, by posing as White House head of social media Dan Scavino earlier this month.

At the end of that exchange, Cobb wrote that it is a felony to impersonate a government official.
The news of Tony Booths death at 85 was met with sadness yesterday. But you can say one thing for the actor and veteran Labour activist: his timing was exquisite.

The Labour conference was moving towards its carefully scripted climax when news came through yesterday of the demise of Cherie Blairs father.

In the years when Tony Blair was its leader and prime minister, Labours annual gathering was often upstaged by the vaudeville act of the former Till Death Us Do Part star  and he played up to the role with the bravura of the born showman.

While others might have treated the marriage of a daughter into the upper reaches of the political establishment as a cause for discretion, Booth instead chose to swagger into the limelight.

Tony Booth (pictured left) with his second wife Pat Pheonix and his daughter Cherie, along with future Prime Minister Tony Blair

His chaotic private life  eight daughters from five different partners and a willingness to confess all with a lip-smacking glee  was matched only by a political incorrectness he raised to a fine art.

A life-long Labour party member  having joined at the age of 15  he must have been delighted to help propel his son-in-law towards Westminster.

He once recalled a lunch for Blair at the Gay Hussar restaurant in Soho with another Labour MP, during which the future prime minister was persuaded to stand for office.

Asked what might have happened to Blair had he not urged him on this course, Booth replied: He would have become a barrister.

Yet he frequently scorned his son-in-laws administration, witheringly labelling the peers Blair sent to the House of Lords as Tonys cronies, while dismissing Gordon Brown as the scrooge of Downing Street. He also criticised the Blairs for choosing to send their eldest son to a selective and grant-maintained school.

And the barbs kept coming. In 1999, he railed against androids at Labours Millbank HQ, and later accused Labour of ruthlessly squashing the pay demands of striking firefighters and then of being prepared to throw away billions on the Iraq war rather than spending the money on pensioners.

With third wife Nancy, there was a shared passion for socialism and the politics of the Left, and she was convinced Tonys crumpeteering days were over. But the marriage didnt last

And it wasnt just Blairs Labour Party he had an opinion on. The monarchy was especially singled out: arrogant, greedy, disreputable and stupid, he called the Royal Family.

In what was to be one of his last interviews, he railed about mass immigration, warning that for Britain to continue to accommodate 200,000 people a year risked civil disruption.

Just how this son of a Liverpool merchant seaman regarded his own life, no one can be sure.

He produced three memoirs crackling with satisfaction at his achievements, but tinged with regret and a touch of guilt. They were also rude, crude and wonderfully indiscreet.

Always canny for the main chance, he reissued one volume about his bawdy bed-hopping, hard-drinking days just as Blair was preparing for the election that would sweep him to power in 1997.

Curious timing, you might think.

Yet for all his foibles, most of his four wives and three long-term partners were surprisingly flattering. Gale, Cheries long-suffering mother who died last year, tactfully described her philandering former husband as a great character, you either like him or hate him.

Booth is pictured with first wife Gail (right) and fourth wife Stephanie at the Labour Party conference in 2006

Pat Phoenix, meanwhile, the Coronation Street siren who nursed him back to health after he suffered severe burns, before he nursed her when she had terminal cancer, thought he was wonderful. And his fourth and final wife Stephanie Buckley, 23 years his junior, described him as a sweetie pie. (Though at the time his third wife Nancy, who, for a while, lived only half a mile away with their daughter Jo, said she didnt talk to him at all.)

As for Booth himself, in irrepressible style, he insisted there are no skeletons in my cupboard  theyre out there waving to everyone.

Yet this, it turned out, was not entirely true. Five years into Tony Blairs premiership, the Mail revealed that Cherie had a secret sister, Lucy, who had emigrated to Australia a decade earlier.

Cherie Blair and Tony Booth celebrate after she was sworn in as a QC

Lucy was the result of a brief liaison between her father, then at the height of his fame as randy Scouse git Mike Rawlins in the long-running Sixties BBC comedy Till Death Us Do Part, and pretty radio sales girl Ann Gannon.

Booth  who played the son-in-law of Warren Mitchells Alf Garnett in the hit show  was then 35 and Ann 23.

At the same time he was already embarking on a 14-year relationship with another beauty, model Susie Smith, which produced two children: Lauren, who became a journalist, broadcaster and latterly Muslim convert, and Emma.

It was a classic example of Booths crumpeteering, as the former Labour prime ministers father-in-law described the serial promiscuity of his younger days.

Those were the years when he was carousing from bar to boudoir, a man with such a drink problem that it diminished his sense of responsibility.

His lifestyle in those days was closer to the high-jinks in the Confessions Of . . . series of sex comedies he made in the Seventies with Robin Askwith, which saw the duo chancing their arm with a string of pliant women.

Whether the screen role of priapic Liverpudlian skirt-chaser was what he had in mind when he started acting cannot be known, but he certainly put in the years, working his way around the regions in repertory theatre.

He and his first wife Gale met as young actors, with her later describing their courtship as pure Romeo and Juliet . . . we were absolutely in love.

They married in 1954, and when their daughter Cherie came along the same year, she was looked after by Tonys Irish-born mother in Liverpool while the couple appeared in rep around the country.

Mr Booth achieved fame playing 'randy Scouse git' Mike Rawlins in the BBC series Till Death Us Do Part, during the 1960s. Pictured, on set opposite Warren Mitchell, who played Alf Garnett

Gale gave up acting when a second daughter Lyndsey was born two years later. By now, Booth was in the West End in No Time For Sergeants, and on the verge of his acting breakthrough.

But he left Gale when Cherie was just eight years old. He had begun an affair with U.S. actress Julie Allan, later a Hollywood producer, and with her he fathered two more daughters, Jenia and Bronwen, though they never married.

Tony was just fun, Boston-born Miss Allan recalled in 2002. We had a little house in Putney and he was a lovely father, but my problems with him began when he started drinking heavily.

Eventually she left him and took the children to New York. Fondly recalling him, she added: Theres a richness there, an intelligence, a caring and a great sense of humour. I just think hes somebody one shouldnt be married to.

Booth quickly moved on to Susie Smith, with whom he stayed for 14 years. It was a volatile relationship, and while living with her and their two children in a flat in Hampstead, North-West London, Booth experienced the defining moment of being burned half to death.

Tony Booth enjoyed a successful career on the small screen. Left, the actor during the height of his fame in the late 1960s and right, in 2006

Locked out of his home after a drinking session with two soldiers, he set fire to some oil rags to attract Susies attention.

But in his drunkenness he set alight a drum of paraffin. He suffered 42 per cent burns and required 26 operations.

For Booth, the worst part of the fire was the injuries to his manhood. He was badly burned like an over-cooked chicken, Susie Smith recalled later, and the doctors told me he might never make love again as he had suffered damage to his private parts  a painful shock for someone mad on sex.

I waited until Valentines Day to try to turn Tony on. He was in a room on his own [in the hospital], which gave us privacy, and was desperate to prove his manhood, but I had to be careful because his legs were in a dreadful state.

But Booth and Susie split up in 1979, and the next year he took up with Coronation Street actress Pat Phoenix, with whom hed had a brief affair 25 years earlier when they acted together. By the Seventies she was at the height of her fame as the soaps Elsie Tanner.

Left, Mr Booth former wife Pat Phoenix in 1983 and right, with fourth wife Stephanie Buckley in 2010

Miss Phoenix was seven years his senior, and it was the start of the most emotional passage of his life. He moved into her Peak District cottage near Manchester and she helped him back to full health.

Then, in 1986 when she was dying of lung cancer, he supported her. She became the second Mrs Booth when she was in her hospital bed, just a week before she died.

Eleven months later, he was dating Nancy Jaeger, who became his third wife in 1988. They seemed an unlikely match, the dishevelled some-time actor and the feminist daughter of a Canadian diplomat. But she later candidly admitted: He was 6ft tall, nicely built, good-looking with a considerable presence and a certain boyish charm.

Frankly, Id fancied him 20 years earlier when he was on the telly, and it was nice meeting the real McCoy at last.

With Nancy, there was a shared passion for socialism and the politics of the Left, and she was convinced Tonys crumpeteering days were over. But the marriage didnt last. So what went wrong?

He turned out to a typical northern man, a bit of a chauvinist who just wanted a wife who would stay at home and look after him, and that wasnt me, said Nancy who ran a PR company in Cheshire.

Mr Booth with actor Robin Askwith on the set of Confessions of a Pop Performer in 1975

After divorce number three, Booth married Stephanie, whod also had a chequered marital past. Booth was her fifth husband. Their marriage was happy and content, and when Booth was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2004, Steph was said to be marvellous with him. With such a highly unconventional approach to marriage, let alone fatherhood, it was perhaps inevitable that tensions would simmer between Tony Booth and some of his children.

Matters reportedly came to a head when Cherie organised a party to mark her fathers 80th birthday at the Blairs grand 5.75 m Buckinghamshire mansion. It was meant to be a chance for Booth to have all eight of his daughters in the same room for the first time. But a family rift opened up over the planning, and amid the fall-out two of them  said to have been Lauren and Lucy  were taken off the guest list.

While Lucys absence was seen by some close to the family as a surprise, but Laurens was more predictable.

She and her father suffered a very public rift, with Booth even admitting to the Mail with cruel candour in 2010 that he no longer loved his daughter. Ironically enough, they had not spoken for years after falling out over her outspoken criticism of Tony Blair. For her part, Lauren said Booth was a neglectful father.

All of which means that whoever is organising the seating plan for the funeral of this extraordinary, charismatic rogue is going to have quite a job on their hands.
The house where Steve Urkel made America laugh on Friday night for almost a decade will soon be history.

The city of Chicago has approved plans to demolish a two-story home on 1516 West Wrightwood Avenue in the neighborhood of Lincoln Park.

Viewers of the hit ABC show Family Matters, however, would recognize the home as the same one which appeared on the opening credit sequence of the 90s TGIF sitcom, according to DNAinfo.

The city has given the necessary permits for the owner of the property to demolish the home and build a three-unit condominium residence on the lot.

A representative for the owner said that it was simply not viable to renovate the property.

Family Matters first aired on ABC television 28 years ago this week  September 22, 1989.

The house where Steve Urkel made America laugh on Friday night for almost a decade will soon be history. The city of Chicago has approved plans to demolish a two-story home on 1516 West Wrightwood Avenue (above) in the neighborhood of Lincoln Park

It told the story of a middle-class African American family from Chicago.

The main protagonist was Carl Winslow, a Chicago Police officer played by Reginald VelJohnson. He lived in the home with his wife, Harriet Winslow (played by Jo Marie Payton), and their three children.

But the shows popularity was fuelled by its breakout star, Jaleel White.

White played Steve Urkel, the super-nerd with the high-pitched voice, pants pulled up to his navel with the help of suspenders, wide-framed glasses, and a laugh that was punctuated by a pigs snore.

Urkels relationship with his neighbors, the Winslows, particularly his love-hate give-and-take with Carl Winslow and his relentless pursuit of his crush, Carls daughter Laura (played by Kellie Shanygne Williams), were common themes of the show.

Urkel was also known for his catchphrases, including Did I do that? for whenever he would inevitably screw up.

Viewers of the hit ABC show Family Matters, however, would recognize the home as the same one which appeared on the opening credit sequence of the 90s TGIF sitcom. The cast is seen above, left to right: Jaleel White, Darius McCrary, Kellie Shanygne Williams, Reginald Veljohnson, Jaimee Foxworth, Jo Marie Payton-Noble, Telma Hopkins, and Bryton Mclure

Family Matters told the story of a middle-class African American family from Chicago. The main protagonist was Carl Winslow, a Chicago Police officer played by Reginald VelJohnson. He lived in the home with his wife, Harriet Winslow (played by Jo Marie Payton), and their three children

Family Matters aired for nine seasons and totalled 215 episodes. It is the third longest-running sitcom with a predominantly African American cast in the history of American television

Family Matters aired for nine seasons and totalled 215 episodes. It is the third longest-running sitcom with a predominantly African American cast in the history of American television.

Tyler Perrys House of Payne (254 episodes) and The Jeffersons (253) are the longest-running sitcoms with a mostly black cast.

Its final ninth season aired on CBS, with the last episode being broadcast on July 17, 1998.

Prior to purchasing the property, they evaluated whether saving the house was a possibility and ultimately determined renovating the home wasn't a viable option, Lissa Weinstein of Coldwell Banker said on Wednesday.

In honoring the site's past, they plan to decorate the entry with framed photographs of the original house and the show's beloved cast.

Theyll certainly have the financial wherewithal to decorate as they see fit, considering that the real estate market for that particular neighborhood is quite friendly to property owners.

A residence in this area of Chicago could set you back from as little as $375,000 for a two-bedroom apartment to as much as $7.1million for a six-bedroom penthouse condo.

Lincoln Park is one of Chicagos most attractive areas, especially given its proximity to the lakefront, its museums, shops, markets, theaters, and the short distance to downtown.
A university Union has been accused of racism and 'exotifying local culture' after holding a 'safari tour' of fried chicken shops for new students.

Goldsmiths in south east London took freshers to four 'infamous' fast food establishments in New Cross as part of its annual Chicken Run.

But the tour backfired and was branded a 'disgusting joke' with the institution's Students' Union accused of creating a 'pretentious mess'.

Urging those behind the event to apologise, student Billie Paul wrote on Twitter: 'Why must you always exotify 'local culture' for middle class students to consume?'

Another added: 'Those who partake in these are racist as hell too.'

The Union's website had promised to take students to four different chicken shops in New Cross including PFC, Morleys, Gateway and Chick Chicken

Goldsmiths in south east London took freshers to four 'infamous' fast food establishments in New Cross as part of its annual Chicken Run

The Union's website had promised to take students to four different chicken shops in New Cross including PFC, Morleys, Gateway and Chick Chicken.

The area where the tour was held is one of England's most deprived and poverty among local residents is rife.

The event description said: 'South East London has a reputation for its chicken shops for a reason!

'We show you our favourite spots and you get free fried chicken samples so you can decide for yourself!'

Student Che Scott-Heron Newton, the daughter of late American jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron, slammed the tour as a 'disgraceful joke'.

Complaining to a lecturer, she wrote: 'This is the blatant and gross exotification of local working-class culture.

'Today I became aware that the student union is offering 'chicken shop tours' and I can honestly say that this is one of the most pretentious messes that I have ever seen in my entire life.

Urging those behind the event to apologise, student Billie Paul (pictured) wrote on Twitter : 'Why must you always exotify 'local culture' for middle class students to consume?'

A spokesman for the Goldsmiths University Students' Union told MailOnline that the event was created 'as a response to gentrification' in a bid to encourage students to 'engage' with local businesses owned by black people.

'I am beyond disgusted and appalled that the student union would think it appropriate to parade its new (typically non POC typically middle class) students through Lewisham as if it is a safari tour.

'This is an issue that needs to be addressed with urgency, as I've seen the SU mess up situations like this before and this is the type of nonsense that leads to diverse students not wanting to attend Goldsmiths.'

Chicken shops are a popular staple in London and some areas are lined with dozens of the establishments - selling everything from hot wings to fillets, often for just a few pounds each.

They are fiercely defended by locals who argue that so-called hipsters are hijacking the trend by creating upmarket eateries selling expensive versions of the battered food.

A vegan fried chicken shop that opened in Hackney, east London, was met with ridicule for its relatively high prices and minimalist branding - a stark contrast to the bright reds and blues adorning classic local fast food establishments.

A spokesman for the Goldsmiths University Students' Union told MailOnline that the event was created in a bid to encourage students to 'engage' with local businesses owned by black people.

The Students' Union added: 'A huge diversity of students attended the event, from international students to commuter students from other parts of London, and it was extremely encouraging to see so many different students keen to engage with and support BME-owned businesses in the area'

They said: 'The 'Chicken Run' event was created as a response to gentrification in the local area and wider London, encouraging our students to engage with and support the local community and local businesses.

'With a raft of local BME-owned businesses recently shutting down, we want to encourage our students to engage with these companies rather than the growing number of chains that are changing the face of South East London.

'A huge diversity of students attended the event, from international students to commuter students from other parts of London, and it was extremely encouraging to see so many different students keen to engage with and support BME-owned businesses in the area.

'The event was led by our full time officers who are black and minority ethnic, whose major projects this year include the 'Black Businesses of Lewisham' scheme, working to promote local community ventures run by black business owners.

'This scheme and others will continue work with these businesses and the community, to showcase, support and signpost Goldsmiths students to them.'
Lady Lucan (pictured) was found dead at her home in Belgravia, London

Lady Lucan died 'devastated' she never healed her rift with her three children - but had recently found love again, her friend told MailOnline.

The 80-year-old aristocrat was found dead yesterday at her home in Belgravia where her husband Lord Lucan famously disappeared from after bludgeoning their nanny to death 43 years ago, in the mistaken belief she was his wife.

Lady Lucan was one of the last people to see her husband John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, alive before he vanished after the body of Sandra Rivett, nanny to his three children, was found at the family's London home on November 7, 1974.

Speaking to MailOnline, her friend of 20 years Basia Briggs said she had recently 'found happiness with a gentleman'.

She said: 'There was a romantic entanglement with a gentleman for a couple of years. She had found happiness and at last she was happy. It had perked her up. They would go for walks together and he would scrub her back in the bath. I had hoped she would enjoy herself in her twilight.

'She emailed me last Monday and said she wasn't feeling well. It's such a shock what's happened. I felt responsible for her...she was a remarkably pleasant old woman and remarkably intelligent, but she drew the short straw in life. Everything went wrong for her.

'She was full of fun and very active, she used to go for regular walks in Green Park and feed the ducks. We used to meet on Sundays at the Goring Hotel.

'Since her dreadful misfortune in 1974 she gradually grew suspicious of people and couldn't understand why the world turned on her...she never did anyone any harm. She was fed up of talking about it. Her children didn't want anything to do with her, and she was devastated and upset about it.

'She couldn't understand it, and I couldn't fathom it either. She was the victim of extraordinarily bad luck.

'Her living conditions were really poor. Her wallpaper was peeling off the walls, the lavatory wouldn't flush properly so she had put buckets of water down the loo or use the toilet in the Goring, and she wanted a new kitchen.

'She was born with all life's advantages. She was a very pretty young woman, lived in Belgravia, everything should have been fine, but everything went wrong.'

Police battered down the door of her mews house in central London to find Veronica, the Dowager Countess of Lucan, dead

The estranged family of Lady Lucan, whose husband famously vanished more than four decades ago, said she 'was and is unforgettable'.

The family of Lady Lucan, formally named Veronica, Dowager Countess of Lucan, said in a statement: 'Veronica's children and her sisters are deeply saddened by the news and circumstances of her death.

'Although Veronica severed relations with her family in the 1980s, and continued to decline contact with them right up until her death, all of them remember her lovingly and with admiration.

'She had a sharp mind, and when she spoke it, she did so eloquently. She was courageous and, at times, outrageous, with a mischievous sense of humour.

'She was, in her day, beautiful and throughout her life fragile and vulnerable, struggling as she did with mental infirmity. To us she was and is unforgettable.'

The estranged family of Lady Lucan, whose husband famously vanished more than four decades ago, said she 'was and is unforgettable'

Lady Lucan was reported missing by a friend yesterday afternoon after she failed to appear in Green Park, where she walked every day at the same time.

Police battered down the door of her mews house in central London to find Veronica, the Dowager Countess of Lucan, dead.

Her death was being treated as unexplained, with police still trying to establish the circumstances.

Last night her son George, who took his father's title last year, confirmed his mother's death.

He told the Daily Mail: 'She passed away yesterday at home, alone and apparently peacefully.

'Police were alerted by a companion to a three-day absence and made entry today.'

Officers found her body after forcing entry to the property in Belgravia on Tuesday, but her death is not believed to be suspicious

Speaking to MailOnline, her friend of 20 years Basia Briggs (pictured left and right) said she had recently 'found happiness with a gentleman'

Lady Lucan was one of the last people to see her husband alive.

The countess was in the house watching TV in her bedroom that night when the 29-year-old nanny Sandra Rivett was killed as she went downstairs to the unlit basement to make her employer a cup of tea.

The countess contends that she disturbed her husband after the fatal assault. He hit her four times with a length of bandaged metal piping before she grabbed his genitals.

Recalling the attack she said: 'I'd started moving towards the cloakroom when someone rushed out and hit me about four times on the head with something hard. I screamed.

'A voice said: 'Shut up!' I just had time to register that the man was my husband when he thrust three gloved fingers down my throat.

'At this point, I started fighting back in earnest, but he switched tactics  trying to strangle me and then to gouge out my eyes. I gasped: 'Please don't kill me, John!'

Then, after she had persuaded her husband to get her a glass of water, she fled to a nearby pub and raised the alarm.

She recalled: 'He told me, "I'll go to Broadmoor for this". [Our children] George and Camilla were seven and three when it happened, and asleep in bed.'

Lord Lucan fled the murder scene in a car he had borrowed. His body has never been found.

Lord Lucan (pictured with his wife Veronica Duncan in 1963) famously disappeared from their home in Belgravia 43 years ago

Over the years several fantastical theories about his disappearance have placed him in the Australian outback, as a hippy drop-out in Goa, and even fed to the tigers at his friend John Aspinall's zoo.

Although a High Court judge granted a death certificate last year allowing his son to inherit his title, this has provided neither resolution nor a conclusion to the mystery.

Lady Lucan remained closer to the truth than anyone and with her death, the possibility of her husband's disappearance being solved looks ever more remote. She believed that the note he left, with the poignant sentence, 'Please tell those that you know, that all I cared about was them [the children]', was proof her husband intended suicide.

That night he called at the home of friends in a Sussex village, before leaving in the early hours. Lucan told them he had happened on an attacker hitting his wife as he passed the family home.

His version of the story was that his wife had accused him of hiring a hitman to kill her and he claimed he was going to 'lie doggo' for a while.

Three days later his borrowed car was found abandoned and blood-splattered  with a section of bandaged lead piping in the boot  at the cross-Channel port of Newhaven, East Sussex.

There has been no concrete clue to his whereabouts since. If still alive today, he would be 82.

Lady Lucan was the last person to see her husband before he disappeared on the night of November 7, 1974, after bludgeoning to death their nanny Sandra Rivett (pictured)

In an interview with the Daily Mail earlier this year, Lady Lucan said she believed that 'he got on a ferry and jumped off mid-Channel, and was chopped up by the propeller  which is why his body was never found'.

She said that as a powerboat racer he had a detailed knowledge of propellers and would have known precisely where to jump so his remains were destroyed.

She had recently written a book about the mystery, telling of her joyless marriage to the professional gambler.

An inquest jury at a coroner's court named Lord Lucan, in his absence, as the murderer of Mrs Rivett  making him the last person in Britain to be declared a murderer by an inquest jury, before the procedure was outlawed. He was never convicted in a criminal court.

Both his son George, a merchant banker, and younger daughter Camilla, a QC, had publicly made clear that their father should not be assumed culpable, to the fury of their mother.

The bitter rift that divided her and her daughters Frances, 52, and Camilla, 47, and son George, 50, as well as her sister Christina Shand Kydd, who was distantly related by marriage to Princess Diana, had persisted for almost four decades.

She said she didn't even know the identity of her eldest daughter's husband.

The Earl of Lucan and Veronica Duncan after their marriage on November 28, 1963

Lady Lucan was photographed with her children Camilla, Frances and George at Christmas in 1974

Following Lord Lucan's disappearance the children continued to live with their mother but custody was transferred to their uncle Bill Shand Kydd and aunt Christina in 1982 when Lady Lucan suffered a mental breakdown. Lady Lucan had five grandchildren but never met any of them.

Speaking earlier this year, she said: 'Time has passed and my life has carried on in a quiet, untroubled manner. I cannot see any advantage in seeing them.'

A couple of years ago her merchant banker son, George, invited her for tea at the Goring Hotel.

She recalled: 'If he'd suggested we meet at his flat, I'd probably have said 'Yes', but I wouldn't want to go to a public place where we'd be photographed or gossiped about.

'People's actions tell you when you should protect yourself.'

She lived alone in a two-bedroom mews cottage which was originally bought as a guest house during her ill-fated marriage to Lucan and provided a temporary home for her husband when they separated after he lost a bitter battle for custody of their children.

She moved into it three years after his disappearance.

It is just a stone's throw from the five-storey family home in 46 Lower Belgrave Street where the murder happened.

She spent her days going to library, listening to LBC radio and walking in nearby Green Park.

She said her friends from the old days were 'all dead'.

Lady Lucan survived a 1974 attack by her husband that sparked a decades-long mystery

Earlier this year, she told the Mail: 'I don't fear dying alone  not at all. But I do fear dependency. I'd find that very depressing. It would be horrible to feel you were a burden.

'Your faculties start to fade when you reach 80, so I've been thinking about my death. I'd quite enjoy the rest of my life if I knew it was not going to end in something horrific. I've given it some thought and I support the idea of assisted suicide.'

She campaigned for assisted euthanasia and said she hoped to slip away peacefully before disease or dementia debilitate her.

Last night the lights of Lady Lucan's townhouse were still on.

Alan Cook, who lives on the same street, said: 'She was quite a character. She had quite a sad life, but she had a sense of humour.

'She was very quiet and kept herself to herself for obvious reasons.

'My wife was quite fond of her and we gave her Christmas cards and Christmas presents, usually just a box of chocolates, because it didn't seem like she got many from anyone else.

'We used to leave her presents outside the door because no one was allowed inside.'

A film entitled Lord Lucan: My Husband, The Truth was aired just months before her death.

Greg Sanderson, executive producer of the documentary, spent nearly two years meeting with her as they worked on the project.

He said: 'She was very cautious when we stared talking as she had been hounded for years.

'I was really amazed by how much she divulged about her life.

'She had a great sense of humour; she was not the recluse everybody talks about. She had friends and socialised.

'Her memory was fantastic and she was very pleased with how the film turned out.'
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A village head in Muzarabani North ward 17 recently assaulted an MDC-T member for disrespecting Zanu PF, the Heal Zimbabwe Trust reported."Village head George Bumhira assaulted Nelson Shengweni an MDC T member on the 22nd of August 2017 in Muchembere village. The village head accused the victim of disrespecting Zanu PF people by passing through a Zanu PF gathering. Shengweni sustained head injuries and had to be treated at Hoya Clinic," said the trust."The case has since been reported to the local police station but no arrests have been made."The trust said in Mazowe Central ward 12 five unidentified Zanu PF youth moved around the ward forcing community members to make $0.50 contributions."The youths highlighted that the $0.50 contributions were for transporting people to the Presidential youth interface rally held in Bindura on the 9th of September 2017 at Chipadze stadium," said the trust.
As all proud Yorkshiremen will be happy to tell you, they live in God's own county.

And so it will come as no surprise to them that the land around the beautiful market town of Skipton has been named Britain's happiest place to live.

The rolling hills, a 900-year-old castle, cobbled streets, and a popular canal make it a tourist attraction as well as a local commercial hub.

The beautiful market town of Skipton, North Yorkshire, has been named Britain's happiest place to live

And the area boasts a range of independent shops on its high street, good schools, and the picturesque Yorkshire Dales nearby.

People around the North Yorkshire town rated their level of happiness as 8.3 out of ten  well above the national average of 7.5 in an Office for National Statistics survey. And they rated life satisfaction as 8.5, compared with a UK average of 7.7.

The survey specifically named Craven  the district centred on Skipton  as the happiest place to live, and the area also had the lowest levels of anxiety. Craven's average anxiety rating was 2.1 out of ten, compared with a national average of 2.9.

The happiness surveys involve a series of questions added to the ONS Annual Population Survey since 2010, a large-scale poll which consults 320,000 people.

SKIPTON'S TOPS LEAGUE OF JOY 1. Skipton, North Yorkshire 2. Orkney Islands 3. Mid Suffolk 4. Suffolk Coastal 5. Oadby and Wigston, Leicestershire 6. Richmondshire, North Yorkshire 7. North Warwickshire 8. Woking, Surrey 9. Western Isles 10. Eden, Cumbria Advertisement

Those taking part are asked to say on a scale of one to ten how happy they were yesterday, how satisfied they were with their life, how much they felt their life was worthwhile, and how anxious they felt.

When asked if their lives were worthwhile, residents of Islington in north London and Cheltenham in Gloucestershire reported the lowest rating  both scoring 7.4 out of ten, while North Warwickshire came out on top with 8.7 against a UK average of 7.9.

Although the UK generally reported higher levels of happiness, there were signs that some suburbs were less cheerful.

The area around Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, reported a below-average rating of 6.9 out of ten.

Broadly, the West Country and the Home Counties were among the happiest areas of the country, while parts of South Wales and the North East were among the least happy.

The Western Isles was voted the ninth happiest place to live in Britain (pictured here, the Isle of Lewis)

ONS spokesman Matthew Steel said: 'The figures may surprise some, showing a small increase in both happiness and life satisfaction during a period that has seen political change and uncertainty.

'It is worth noting employment rates rose during the period covered by this report, and other ONS analysis showed people perceiving an improvement in their own financial situations and in the overall economy. These are factors we believe may account for [an] increased sense of personal wellbeing.'

The report added: 'Employment or job satisfaction, our health, the quality of our relationships and our personal financial security are just some of the aspects of our lives shown to have an effect. Over time, changes and differences between areas could be related to these factors.'
The Trump administration does not believe Cuba is responsible for a series of mysterious 'sonic' attacks against US embassy staff and their relatives in Havana, it was learned on Tuesday.

'No one believes that the Cubans are responsible,' a source familiar with the investigation told McClatchy on Tuesday.

'All of the evidence points that they're not.'

There is no word yet as to who the Americans believe is responsible for the attacks.

Washington plans to remove a large number of diplomats and their families from the Cuban capital who have been affected by the unexplained attacks.

Cuba urged the United States on Friday to cooperate with its investigation into the incidents that the US says have harmed its diplomats in Havana and not to politicize the matter, days after Washington said it was considering closing its Cuban embassy.

The Trump administration does not believe Cuba is responsible for a series of mysterious 'sonic' attacks against US embassy staff and their relatives in Havana, it was learned on Tuesday. The US Embassy in Havana is seen in the above stock image

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez met with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the State Department in Washington.

The meeting was hastily arranged at the request of the Cuban government.

In December 2016, a number of US Embassy staff and one Canadian diplomat in Havana began to complain of symptoms such as hearing loss, severe headaches, loss of balance, and other forms of cognitive impairment.

The issue was thought to have died down in the spring when no new incidents were reported. In August, however, a new incident came to light.

In total, there have been 21 American diplomats who have reported the symptoms, which has been blamed by a mysterious sonic device to which they were exposed.

In an address to the United Nations General Assembly, Rodriguez said the top level of the government in Havana had ordered an investigation into the mysterious matter, which threatens the fragile detente between the old Cold War foes.

However, a Cuban government source told Reuters that the United States had provided no evidence of the harm, including hearing loss, dizziness and nausea, that it says US diplomats and their relatives based in Havana have suffered.

Cuban doctors had also not been allowed to examine anyone, the source said. A spokesman for the US embassy in Havana declined to comment.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez met with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the State Department in Washington. The meeting was hastily arranged at the request of the Cuban government

'The investigation to clarify this issue continues, and in order to be able to arrive to a conclusion, it will be crucial to count on the cooperation of the US authorities,' Rodriguez told the UN.

'It would be unfortunate if a matter of this nature is politicized,' said Rodriguez.

Cuba has denied any involvement in the affair.

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was among five Republican senators that a week ago called for President Donald Trump to retaliate against Cuba by expelling its diplomats and possibly shuttering the US embassy in Havana.

Rubio helped forge Trump's new Cuba policy, rolling back parts of the detente achieved under Democratic former President Barack Obama and taking a harder line on the Communist-run island.

Cuba's state-run media this week said the only party interested in a deterioration in relations were a small group of Republicans led by Rubio.

The US government in August first officially confirmed they were investigating the incidents it said began in late 2016.

Several Canadians were also affected, a Canadian official said, further deepening the mystery.

Some of those had returned home for testing and treatment, the US official said, while others had been tested in Cuba, where the embassy has a full-time medical officer.

Investigations by Cuba, the United States and Canada have yet to come up with any answers.

Experts agree it is hard to see how any attacks could have been carried out or what the motivation could be.

Theories abound, from surveillance technology gone awry to a sophisticated acoustic weapon in the hands of Cuban-American exiles or third-party state actors such as Russia, Iran or North Korea, but most flounder.

Audiologists for example have raised doubt over the possibility of whether any sonic weapon exists that can be used covertly to bring about the range of symptoms mentioned by diplomats.
Experts believe they have uncovered a 'flushing' toilet dating back more than a millennia.

The toilet, thought to belong to Korean royalty in the eighth century AD, was uncovered during an archaeological dig in South Korea.

It is the first time a bathroom structure, toilet and drainage system have all been found at an ancient site in the country.

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Experts believe they have uncovered a flushing toilet dating back more than a millennia. The device, thought to be from the eighth century AD, was uncovered during an archaeological dig in South Korea

THE UNIFIED SILLA DYNASTY The Unified Silla Dynasty brought together the three kingdoms of the Korean peninsula, Silla, Paekche, and Koguryo. The old Silla kingdom had forged an alliance with T'ang China, in around 618 to 907 AD. It conquered the kingdom of Paekche to the southeast in 660 AD and the northern Korean kingdom of Koguryo, the largest of the three, in 668 AD. This was the first occasion within historical times that the Korean peninsula had been unified under indigenous leadership, according to the Encyclopdia Britannica Under the Silla dynasty, Korea, which was one of the earliest of the nation-states to emerge, assumed many of the cultural, linguistic, and geographic features it maintains today. Advertisement

The device was discovered by the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.

It appears to have been constructed during the Unified Silla Dynasty, which reigned between 668 and 935 AD.

The oval-shaped flush toilet is made out of granite and has a drainage channel, according to reports on KBS Korea.

It features two rectangular slab stones on either side, for users to place their feet on while squatting over the lavatory.

The bathroom had no water supply of its own, so excrement would have been flushed down the drain by pouring water into the toilet.

A spokesman for the research institute said: 'This area is the centre of the former royal capital, which is dense with historic relics related to Silla royal castles and national temples.

'The Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage has been conducting excavation surveys of the Silla Royal Capital Relics to the east of Donggung, the Palace of the Crown Prince, and Wolji - also called Anapji Pond - since October 2007.'

It is the first time a bathroom structure, toilet and drainage system have all been found at an ancient site in the country. Experts believe that the quality of the build construction and the materials used suggest it would have been for use by a member of the royalty

The device was found at a site northeast of Donggung Palace in the city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. This is around 170 miles (270 km) south east, as the crow flies, from the capital of Seoul

FLUSHING TOILETS In 1596, Sir John Harington described a forerunner to the modern flush toilet that he had installed at his house at Kelston in Somerset. The design had a flush valve to let water out of the tank, and a wash-down design to empty the bowl. He installed one for his godmother Queen Elizabeth I at Richmond Palace. However, the history of using water to wash away waste can be traced far further back. The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo daro of the the Indus Valley civilisation, which flourished between 3300 and 1300 BC, had a flush toilet in almost every house, attached to a sophisticated sewage system. And the oldest neolithic village in Britain, dating from circa 31st century BC, Skara Brae, Orkney, used a form of hydraulic technology for sanitation. The village's design used a river and connecting drainage system to wash waste away. Advertisement

It was found at a site northeast of Donggung Palace in the city of Gyeongju around 170 miles (270 km) south east from the capital of Seoul.

The Unified Silla Dynasty united the three kingdoms of the Korean peninsula, Silla, Paekche, and Koguryo.

The old Silla kingdom had forged an alliance with T'ang China, in around 618 to 907 AD.

It conquered the kingdom of Paekche to the southeast in 660 AD and the northern Korean kingdom of Koguryo, the largest of the three, in 668 AD.

This was the first occasion within historical times that the Korean peninsula had been unified under indigenous leadership, according to the Encyclopdia Britannica.

For nearly a decade after 668 AD, fighting ensued in which Silla finally expelled T'ang forces.

Under the Silla dynasty, Korea, which was one of the earliest of the nation-states to emerge, assumed many of the cultural, linguistic, and geographic features it maintains today.

After more than 100 years of peace, the kingdom was torn in the 9th century by conflicts among the aristocracy and by peasant uprisings.

In 935 AD, the Silla was overthrown and the new Koryo dynasty was established.
Twitter cited President Donald Trump's 'newsworthiness' and the public interest as reasons why it declined to remove a tweet that added to the fiery rhetoric between the United States and North Korea.

Trump tweeted Saturday : 'Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!'

On Monday, North Korea's top diplomat called the tweet a declaration of war.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded by calling the suggestion of such a declaration 'absurd.'

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Twitter explained that 'newsworthiness' and the public interest as reasons why it didn't remove President Donald Trump's declaration in a tweet that North Korean leaders may not 'be around much longer.'

Twitter's rules state users 'may not make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism.'

The company responded to questions about why Trump's tweet wasn't removed Monday by posting in a series of messages on its public policy account that 'newsworthiness' is one of the factors it considers in determining if a tweet breaks the platform's rules.

'This has long been internal policy and we'll soon update our public-facing rules to reflect it,' one message read.

'We need to do better on this, and will.'

The company also stated it's 'committed to transparency and keeping people informed about what's happening in the world.'

Calls on the company to curtail Trump's use of the platform are not new.

The company has said in the past that it doesn't comment on individual accounts, but it has cited the importance of hearing from leadership in order to hold people accountable.

The company responded to questions about why Trump's tweet wasn't removed Monday by posting in a series of messages on its public policy account that 'newsworthiness' is one of the factors it considers in determining if a tweet breaks the platform's rules.

Trump's account wasn't affected in July, when Twitter announced that it was taking action, including suspensions, on 10 times the number of abusive accounts than it did a year before.

With few of the normal contacts that grease the wheels of interaction between two countries -- no embassies, infrequent chances for diplomats to meet -- the US and North Korea often conduct their relationship in full public view.

Tensions: A war between Trumps' US and Kim Jong-Un's North Korea would see 20,000 people die every day in South Korea alone

That this relationship has descended into playground insults -- Trump is a "mentally deranged... dotard"; Kim is "Little Rocket Man" -- carries risks, says Kim Hyun-Wook, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.

"The US and North Korea don't want to drive this to a military conflict but if this psychological warfare persists, one side could unintentionally cross the red line which will prompt the other to launch a counteraction, leading to an armed clash," he said.

Those actions and counteractions are already starting to play out.

A hint late last week that Pyongyang might respond to Trump's insults with an atmospheric nuclear test raises the stakes -- and the chance of miscalculation -- next time the regime fires a missile, say analysts.
A huge iceberg four times the size of Manhattan has broken off of an Antarctic glacier.

The calving is the second time in two years that a massive iceberg has separated from the continent's Pine Island Glacier.

One scientist has claimed the ice chunk shows the glacier is 'falling to pieces'.

The new break-off, which measures 103-square-mile (266 sq km), follows the release of an iceberg the size of Delaware from Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf in July.

Warming waters around the continent may be melting the enormous ice blocks from underneath, causing them to break free.

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A huge iceberg four times the size of Manhattan (pictured) has broken off of an Antarctic glacier. The calving is the second time in just two years that a massive iceberg has separated from the continent's Pine Island Glacier

THE CALVING The ice chunk has broken away from a floating part of the glacier, meaning it will not directly contribute to sea level rises. These floating shelves act like ice cubes in a glass of water - when they melt, the water level in the glass doesn't change. But the buoyant shelves do create barriers that stop land ice - which when lost raises global sea levels - from floating into the sea. The loss of these barriers could see land ice break away from the continent, resulting in irreversible changes to Earth's oceans. Pine Island Glacier could raise sea levels by 1.7 feet (0.5 metres) if allowed to completely melt. Advertisement

The new calving could accelerate the loss of more ice from the glacier, eventually breaking down the barrier that stops that land-based ice flowing out to sea.

Experts say the location from which the iceberg broke off is of particular interest.

Most of the time, icebergs break free from glaciers around the edges, but this most recent departure - from western Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier - has stemmed from an interior section.

This is unusual, and is not the first time the glacier has exhibited this behaviour in recent years, with a 224-square-mile (580 sq km) interior segment breaking off in 2015.

Experts claim it could be the result of warming ocean waters melting the ice from below, destabilising it.

Satellite observation specialist Dr Stef Lhermitte, from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, first reported the new iceberg on Twitter.

He said the glacier's latest break-off is the fifth biggest Antarctic calving event since 2000.

He tweeted: 'Breaking news from Pine Island Glacier, which lost 267km2 of icebergs today, after the internal crack resulted in a large calving event.

.@NASAEarth 's MODIS satellite gives an overview of #PIG's glacier front location since 2009 + corresponding 3 major calving locations 7/n pic.twitter.com/miP1RAUCBF  Stef Lhermitte (@StefLhermitte) September 24, 2017

Expert Stef Lhermitte took to Twitter to report the huge calving. He posted an animation showing how the area has progressed since 2013, including the calving og another huge iceberg from the region in 2015

The expert added that satellite imagery 'shows the Pine Island glacier calving clearly and seems to indicate that the iceberg is falling in pieces.'

Recent ice chunks have broken away from a floating part of the glacier, meaning they do not directly contribute to sea level rises.

These floating shelves act like ice cubes in a glass of water - when they melt, the water level in the glass doesn't change.

But the buoyant shelves do create barriers that stop land ice - which when lost raises global sea levels - from floating into the sea.

One scientist has claimed the ice chunk clearly shows the glacier is 'falling to pieces'. Pictured is a rift in Pine Island Glacier ice shelf in West Antarctica, taken November 4, 2016

The Pine Island Glacier, found in western Antarctica, has been losing ice at an accelerating rate over the past four decades

The loss of these barriers could see land ice break away from the continent, resulting in irreversible changes to Earth's oceans.

Pine Island Glacier could raise sea levels by 1.7 feet (0.5 metres) if allowed to completely melt, the Washington Post reports.



Another iceberg the size of Delaware broke free from Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf in July.

Last week an international agreement was put in place to protect the area of ocean left exposed.

In July, an iceberg broke free from the Larsen C ice shelf. An international agreement is in place to protect the area of ocean left exposed. The iceberg- called A68 - is starting to move North, and will leave behind a 5,818 square kilometer area exposed to open marine conditions

The iceberg- called A68 - is starting to move North, and will leave behind a 2,246-square-mile (5,818 sq km) area of seabed exposed to open marine conditions.

Much of the protected area may have been covered in ice since the last inter-glacial period around 120,000 years ago, so the site presents itself as a unique opportunity for scientists to study how marine life responds to this dramatic change.

The protected area is the first to benefit from an international agreement in 2016 by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

It allow research to be undertaken in the area, without any impact from commercial fishing, to address questions relating to how biological communities develop over time, and how new species colonise previously ice-covered areas.
Elon Musk's plan to launch more than 4,000 internet-beaming satellites into space has hit resistance from a US regulator.

The billionaire's rocket firm SpaceX wants to launch satellite internet in 2019, with initial tests planned for the end of this year.

But the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will now delay the project due to concerns over the satellite network interfering with competing systems.

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Elon Musk's plan to launch thousands of internet-beaming satellites into space has hit resistance from US regulators. Musk's rocket firm SpaceX wants to launch satellite internet in 2019, with initial tests planned for the end of this year (stock image)

SPACEX INTERNET SpaceX wants to launch satellite internet in 2019 with initial test to be carried out by the end of this year. Each satellite in SpaceX's planned group will weigh about 850 lbs (386 kg). They will orbit at altitudes ranging from 715 miles (1,150 km) to 790 miles (1,275 km). From this height each satellite will be able to cover an area on the ground about around 1,300 miles (2,120 km) wide. The project, which Musk previously said would cost at least $10 billion (8.03 billion), was first announced in January 2015. But it has now hit a roadblock as US regulators are worried it will interfere with competing systems. Advertisement

Selling hyper-speed broadband from orbit will be a key revenue for SpaceX beyond its pioneering private rocket-launching service.

The project, which would triple the total number of satellites in orbit, would bring high-speed internet to all corners of the globe, vastly undercutting existing services in coverage and cost.

The FCC's setback could force power reductions on SpaceX's satellites and limit the radio wave spectrum they can use, restricting their effectiveness.

The regulator will ask United Nations agency the International Telecommunication Union how these new satellite systems share and coordinate the spectrum they use, according to a draft set of rules seen by Bloomberg.

A vote on the new rules is due on Tuesday, with the FCC saying its proposals are a response to a new generation of communications satellites.

The orbiting networks will form constellations of thousands of internet-beaming devices.

Both SpaceX and fellow rocket-making firm Boeing have recently submitted plans, with the latter proposing a fleet of 2,956 satellites.

OneWeb, a company back by Virgin and Qualcomm, has asked permission to tap into the US market using thousands of UK-authorised satellites.

SpaceX plans to release more than 4,000 satellites into orbit in instalments between 2019 and 2024.

The satellites will orbit at altitudes ranging from 715 miles (1,150 km) to 790 miles (1,275 km). From this height each satellite will be able to cover an area on the ground spanning about around 1,300 miles (2,120 km). Pictured is SpaceX's satellite internet proposal to the FCC

The plans will increase the number of satellites in space by 300 per cent and will create worldwide internet that could offer speeds of up to one gigabit per second.

This is around 100 times faster than current home broadband.

SpaceX, owned and operated by Elon Musk, has proposed an orbiting digital communications array of 4,425 satellites

In a Senate hearing on US Broadband infrastructure in May, SpaceX vice president of government affairs, Patricia Cooper, revealed the company wanted to launch their operations in 2019.

The network of satellites could provide 'fibre-like' speeds for a large area, Ms Cooper said.

The first rocket to go up will be SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which was designed to deliver humans into space.

Ms Cooper also said the company would like to see more funding for projects that increase broadband speed.

An initial application was filed by SpaceX with the FCC in November last year.

The California-based company, owned and operated by technology entrepreneur Musk, proposed an orbiting digital communications array that would eventually consist of 4,425 satellites, the documents showed.

The system will be able to provide broadband service at speeds of up to 1 Gbps per end user, according to the original application to the FCC filed in November 2016. The aim of this network would be to provide high-speed internet to people around the world (stock image)

'The system is designed to provide a wide range of broadband and communications services for residential, commercial, institutional, governmental and professional users worldwide,' SpaceX wrote in its application.

SpaceX's satellite project, which Musk previously said would cost at least $10 billion (8.03 billion), was first announced in January 2015.

The documents, which include technical details of the proposed network, did not mention cost estimates or financing plans.

Financial backers of the company include Alphabet's Google Inc and Fidelity Investments, which together have contributed $1 billion (0.8bn) to Musk's space launch firm.




Samsung is about to release a new headset that will allows users to blur the lines between reality and virtual worlds, a series of leaked images revealed.

The photos were posted to social media ahead of a Windows Mixed Reality event being held on October 3 in San Francisco.

Microsoft is expected to use the event to announce its own plans for the platform as well as a range of headsets.

The inclusion of Microsoft motion controllers in the system suggests the Samsung device may be among them.

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Samsung is about to release a new headset that will allows users to blur the lines between reality and virtual worlds. The official looking photos were leaked to social media ahead of a Windows Mixed Reality event being held on October 3 in San Francisco

MICROSOFT'S HOLOLENS HEADSET The headset is designed with multiple environment understanding sensors and powered by a custom-built Microsoft Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) and an Intel 32-bit architecture. The device weighs just a little over one pound and consists of a 64GB of Flash memory and 2GB of RAM. The battery lasts for about two to three hours, with up to two weeks of standby time, says Microsoft. HoloLens has 'see-through holographic lens' that use an optical projection system to create multi-dimensional full-colour holograms. In order to achieve this, the device has an optimal holographic density of 2.5k radiants. Advertisement

Twitter user WalkingCat first shared the professional quality pictures at 2.18 am BST this morning (9.18pm ET).

Like most mixed reality headsets, including Microsoft's Hololens, it appears to include six degree-of-freedom tracking.

This allows objects to move and be experienced in a 360 degree sphere along six axis, which means objects can be viewed from all angles and moved around.

The pictures also show integrated AKG headphones, similar to the pair that's included on the Oculus Rift VR headset.

And Microsoft motion controllers can be seen in one of the images.

Mixed reality headsets will be supported by Windows 10, after its Fall Creators Update scheduled for October 17, according to The Verge.

Writing on the Redmond, Washington, based firm's blog, an official Microsoft spokesman said of the update: 'With the Fall Creators Update, we are enabling you to immerse yourself in a new reality, the world of Windows Mixed Reality.

'By combining our physical and digital worlds, we believe mixed reality is the next step in the evolution of human computing.

'For the first time, we are talking about a mixed reality system that fully immerses you in the experience not limited to a mobile device screen size.

'One that is easy to setup, not requiring you to mount cameras around the room, just put the headset on your head, plug it into your PC and get started, leaving your hands free to interact with the mixed world.

The pictures also show integrated AKG headphones, similar to the pair that's included on the Oculus Rift VR headset

Like most mixed reality headsets, including Microsoft's Hololens, it appears to include six degree-of-freedom tracking. This allows objects to move and be experienced in a 360 degree sphere along six axis, which means objects can be viewed from all angles and moved around

Twitter user WalkingCat first shared the professional quality pictures at 2.18 am BST this morning (9.18 pm yesterday ET)

'Its available from a wide range of partners around the world, like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo with headsets starting as low as $299 (219).'

There is no information on how much the Samsung device will cost, but it will likely fall within a similar price range to others already announced by rival firms - around 220 to 370 ($300 to 500)

These include efforts from Acer (219 / $299), while Dell and Lenovo (259 / $349) and HP (369 / $499).

The HP headset will also include motion controllers, so Samsung's is likely to be closer to this in price.

Microsoft's existing Hololens headset is designed with multiple environment understanding sensors and powered by a custom-built Microsoft Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) and an Intel 32-bit architecture.

Microsoft is expected to use its event next week to announce its own plans for the platform as well as a range of headsets. The inclusion of Microsoft motion controllers in the system suggests the Samsung device may be among them

Microsoft's existing Hololens headset is designed with multiple environment understanding sensors and powered by a custom-built Microsoft Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) and an Intel 32-bit architecture

The device weighs just a little over one pound and consists of a 64GB of Flash memory and 2GB of RAM.

The battery lasts for about two to three hours, with up to two weeks of standby time, says Microsoft.

HoloLens has 'see-through holographic lens' that use an optical projection system to create multi-dimensional full-colour holograms.
Elon Musk is set to reveal more details of his ambitious plans to establish humanity's first colony on Mars.

The SpaceX billionaire first announced plans to create the 'Interplanetary Transport System', a reusable rocket-and-spaceship hybrid powered by 42 SpaceX Raptor engines, back in June.

Now Musk says he will be unveiling an updated version of the system at a conference on Friday  hinting at major improvements and unexpected applications.

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Elon Musk is set to reveal more details of his ambitious plans to establish humanity's first colony on Mars. Musk says he will be unveiling an updated version of the system at a conference on Friday

CONDITIONS ON MARS Mars' atmosphere is 96 per cent carbon dioxide and less than one per cent oxygen, meaning any human who steps foot on the planet will have to wear a suit at all times. This compares to Earth, where 21 per cent of the atmosphere is oxygen and less than 1 per cent carbon dioxide. The average temperature on Mars is -62C (-81F), with lows reaching -176C (284F). By comparison, Earth's average temperature is 14C (57F), with the coldest temperature ever on record being minus -87C (-126F). Mars' gravity is 63 per cent weaker than on Earth so that someone who weighs 100lbs (45kg) here, would only weigh 38lbs (17kg) on Mars. Advertisement

Major improvements & some unexpected applications to be unveiled on Friday at @IAC2017 in Australia, Musk revealed on Twitter.

The SpaceX boss also shared simulation footage of the Interplanetary Spaceship and Rocket on Instagram, offering a glimpse at how the radical plan could work.

But, when it finally comes to fruition, the transport system might be different than weve anticipated.

Certain aspects of the new design and its application will be unexpected, Musk wrote.

Visitors to the last day of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), being held in Adelaide between September 25 and 29, will be the first to hear the new details, according to reports in CNET.

According to the conference's website, Musk will deliver a short address to delegates.

This is expected to include a slideshow for audience members in the afternoon, which will be live-streamed worldwide.

The IAC will also feature a presentation by Lockheed Martin on their plans for a Mars Base Camp.

This is designed to support Nasa's goal to send astronauts to the red planet by 2030, using the Space Launch System and Orion capsule.

The SpaceX billionaire first announced plans to create the 'Interplanetary Transport System', a reusable rocket-and-spaceship hybrid powered by 42 SpaceX Raptor engines, back in June. Now, he says he will reveal a new and improved version

Lockheed Martin believes their plans could be achievable by 2028, a timeline more in line with Space X's own plans for a visit to the fourth planet from the sun.

In a scientific paper released in June, Musk said the only way of attracting enough people to build a settlement on the red planet would be to cut the cost of a one-way ticket.

The entrepreneur aims to get the price down of the ticket down to the cost of an average house in the US - or around $200,000 (157,000).

'I want to make Mars seem possible - make it seem as though it is something that we can do in our lifetime,' Musk wrote in a freely available paper published in New Space.

An artistic impression of a SpaceX rocket heading towards Mars. Elon Musk revealed his ambitious plans to build a rocket that will slash the price of space travel back in June

ELON MUSKS'S 'INTERPLANETARY TRANSPORT SYSTEM' Last year, 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

'There really is a way that anyone could go if they wanted to.'

Musk writes that cutting the price of a one-ticket to Mars will be key to starting a viable population on Mars.

'Right now, you cannot go to Mars for infinite money,' he says.

'Using traditional methods, taking an Apollo-style approach, an optimistic cost would be about $10 billion (around 8bn) per person.

'You cannot create a self-sustaining civilisation if the ticket price is $10 billion per person.

An artistic impression of what a Mars colony might look like. The SpaceX billionaire claimed in a scientific paper than cutting the cost of a one-way ticket to Mars is key to attracting enough people to build a colony on the Red Planet

'If we can get the cost of moving to Mars to be roughly equivalent to a median house price in the United States, which is around $200,000 (157,000), then I think the probability of establishing a self-sustaining civilization is very high.

'I think it would almost certainly occur.'

He adds that 'not everyone would want to go' but people from all walks of life could apply for sponsorship in order to take up much-needed labour positions on the colony.

Key to cutting the price of space travel is to build a high-power reusable rocket-and-spaceship hybrid, he says.
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It is a stunning, almost ghostly view of Saturn's moon.

NASA has revealed the incredible image, taken by the Cassini probe before it crashed into Saturn's atmosphere in a 'death dive'.

Although the probe has now been destroyed, NASA is still regularly releasing images from its mission.

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NASA has revealed the incredible image, taken by the Cassini probe before it crashed into Saturn's atmosphere in a 'death dive'. Enceladus (313 miles or 504 kilometers across) is back-lit in this image, as is apparent by the thin crescent.

HOW IT WAS TAKEN This view looks toward the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Enceladus. North on Enceladus is up. The above image is a composite of images taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 29, 2017, using filters that allow infrared, green, and ultraviolet light. The image filter centered on 930 nm (IR) was is red in this image, the image filter centered on the green is green, and the image filter centered on 338 nm (UV) is blue. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 110,000 miles (180,000 kilometers) from Enceladus. Image scale is 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) per pixel. Advertisement

'The brightly lit limb of a crescent Enceladus looks ethereal against the blackness of space,' NASA says.

'The rest of the moon, lit by light reflected from Saturn, presents a ghostly appearance.'

Enceladus (313 miles or 504 kilometers across) is back-lit in this image, as is apparent by the thin crescent.

However, the Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft (or phase) angle, at 141 degrees, is too low to make the moon's famous plumes easily visible.

This view looks toward the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Enceladus.

The above image is a composite of images taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on March 29, 2017, using filters that allow infrared, green, and ultraviolet light.

The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 110,000 miles (180,000 kilometers) from Enceladus. Image scale is 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) per pixel.

The Cassini spacecraft ended its mission on Sept. 15, 2017.

More than a week after its dramatic death dive into Saturns atmosphere, NASA has released Cassinis final images, revealing stunning last looks at the ringed planet and its mysterious moons.

From a view of Enceladus setting behind Saturn, to the site where Cassini would make its impact, the new images show just what the spacecraft observed leading up to its demise.

Cassini circled the planet for 13 years, helping to transform our understanding of the gas giant  and, thanks to its observations, scientists now know two of its moons have potential to host simple life.

From a view of Enceladus setting behind Saturn, to the site where Cassini would make its impact, the new images show just what the spacecraft observed leading up to its demise. Its last image, pictured, is a monochrome look toward Saturns night side, light by sunlight reflected from the planets rings

In the breathtaking series of photos, NASA shows some of Cassinis final observations.

Its last image, the space agency reveals, is a monochrome look toward Saturns night side, light by sunlight reflected from the planets rings.

There, Cassini entered Saturns atmosphere just hours later, to embark on its mission-ending plunge.

The spacecraft also captured detailed images of Saturns rings, even revealing a look at the small moon Daphnis and the waves it causes in the Keeler Gap.

In photo, a lone propeller can be seen.

Space enthusiast Jason Major used some of Cassini's final images to stitch together a stunning composite of Saturn (pictured) as Cassini began its final dive toward the planet

The spacecraft also captured detailed images of Saturns rings, even revealing a look at the small moon Daphnis and the waves it causes in the Keeler Gap, as seen above. The image was captured on September 13

These are the features created by small moonlets in the rings, as they attempt to open gaps in the ring material, according to NASA.

Space enthusiast Jason Major used some of Cassini's final images to stitch together a stunning composite of Saturn as Cassini began its final dive toward the planet.

'Here's a mosaic of Saturn made from raw images acquired by Cassini on Sept. 13, 2017, as it was on its way toward its dive into the planet's atmosphere,' he said in a post on Flickr.

'These images are uncalibrated for color but were acquired in visible-light RGB filters.'

A week after its dramatic death dive into Saturns atmosphere, NASA has released Cassinis final images, revealing stunning last looks at the ringed planet and its mysterious moons. Its last look at the giant moon Titan, on Sept 13, is shown

Cassini circled the planet for 13 years, helping to transform our understanding of the gas giant  and, thanks to its observations, scientists now know two of its moons have potential to host simple life. One of these is the icy moon Enceladus, seen setting behind Saturn in the image above

The Cassini spacecraft may be gone, but the remarkable observations gathered over the crafts 13-year mission will continue to reveal new insights on Saturn and the mysterious worlds orbiting it for some time to come.

Just days after the dramatic conclusion to the crafts mission, NASA released a stunning Cassini observation of the planets yin-and-yang moon, Iapetus.

The photo is one of Cassinis last looks at the 914-mile-wide moon, revealing the striking dichotomy of its surface, long known to be bright on one side and dark on the other.

The strange moon is Saturns third-largest satellite.

In photo, a lone propeller can be seen (pictured) These are the features created by small moonlets in the rings, as they attempt to open gaps in the ring material, according to NASA

CASSINI'S DISCOVERIES IN ITS 20-YEAR MISSION Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1997, then spent seven years in transit followed by 13 years orbiting Saturn. In 2000 it spent six months studying Jupiter before reaching Saturn in 2004. In that time, it discovered six more moons around Saturn, three-dimensional structures towering above Saturn's rings, and a giant storm that raged across the planet for nearly a year. On 13 December 2004 it made its first flyby of Saturn's moons Titan and Dione. On 24 December it released the European Space Agency-built Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan to study its atmosphere and surface composition. There it discovered eerie hydrocarbon lakes made from ethane and methane. In 2008, Cassini completed its primary mission to explore the Saturn system and began its mission extension (the Cassini Equinox Mission). In 2010 it began its second mission (Cassini Solstice Mission) which lasted until it exploded in Saturn's atmosphere. In December 2011, Cassini obtained the highest resolution images of Saturn's moon Enceladus. In December of the following year it tracked the transit of Venus to test the feasibility of observing planets outside our solar system. In March 2013 Cassini made the last flyby of Saturn's moon Rhea and measured its internal structure and gravitational pull. In July of that year Cassini captured a black-lit Saturn to examine the rings in fine detail and also captured an image of Earth. In April of this year it completed its closest flyby of Titan and started its Grande Finale orbit which finished on September 15. 'The mission has changed the way we think of where life may have developed beyond our Earth,' said Andrew Coates, head of the Planetary Science Group at Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London. 'As well as Mars, outer planet moons like Enceladus, Europa and even Titan are now top contenders for life elsewhere,' he added. 'We've completely rewritten the textbooks about Saturn.' Advertisement

This false-color farewell view combines individual frames captured with filters sensitive to ultraviolet, green, and infrared light, according to NASA, and looks toward the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Iapetus.

For centuries, scientists have questioned Iapetus unusual yin-yang appearance.

But, thanks to Cassini, they may have solved the mystery of its contrasted surface.

Cassini observations of Iapetus support the prevailing theory that led to the understanding that the dichotomy of the surface is due to a combination of infalling dust from outside of the moon followed by a migration of water ice from the darker (therefore warmer) areas to the cold, brighter surfaces, NASA explains.

In the breathtaking series of photos, NASA shows some of Cassinis final observations. This photo, captured on Sept 13, shows a stunning look at Saturn's rings

As it glanced around the Saturn system one final time, Cassini spacecraft captured view of the giant moon Titan, using its narrow-angle camera on Sep 13

The breathtaking image above was captured by Cassini on Sept 13, and shows a look at Saturn's northern hemisphere

Cassini captured this last look at Iapetus on May 30, from roughly 1.5 million miles away.

NASA's Cassini mission came to a 'bittersweet' conclusion early Friday morning, as the historic spacecraft plunged into Saturn's atmosphere to become one with the gas giant planet it had studied for 13 years.

As mission scientists said their farewells to the craft and prepare to examine its final observations, footage emerged of the dramatic moment Cassini first lifted off 20 years ago, to embark on its 'billion mile trek to Saturn.'

The breathtaking footage takes us back to the Cape Canaveral launchpad on October 15, 1997, as mission control counts down to the start of a journey that brought an 'incredible wealth of discoveries.'

Just days after the dramatic conclusion to the crafts mission, NASA has released a stunning new observation of the planets yin-and-yang moon, Iapetus. For centuries, scientists have questioned Iapetus unusual yin-yang appearance. But, thanks to Cassini, they may have solved the mystery of its contrasted surface

As mission scientists say their farewells to the craft and prepare to examine its final observations, footage has emerged of the dramatic moment Cassini first lifted off 20 years ago, to embark on its 'billion mile trek to Saturn'

Cassini launched in 1997 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, bringing it past Venus (twice), Earth, and Jupiter on its way to Saturn.

But, it would be many years  and a billion miles  before it reached its target.

'We have cleared the tower, and the Cassini spacecraft is on its way to Saturn,' mission control can be heard saying in the 20-year-old footage, as the rocket breaks through the clouds.

The spacecraft arrived to Saturn in 2004, marking the start of its historic 13-year mission studying the planet and its moons.

'This is the final chapter of an amazing mission, but it's also a new beginning,' Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said as the space agency marked the end of Cassini's mission.

'Cassini's discovery of ocean worlds at Titan and Enceladus changed everything, shaking our views to the core about surprising places to search for potential life beyond Earth.'

After 20 years in space, Cassini spacecraft finally completed its suicide mission at 7:56 a.m. (ET) Friday, plunging into Saturn's atmosphere.

While we were unable to see Cassini's dying moments, an animation released by NASA reconstructs the probe's last few minutes as it tumbled through Saturn's atmosphere at 77,000mph

Cassini launched in 1997 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, bringing it past Venus (twice), Earth, and Jupiter on its way to Saturn. But, it would be many years  and a billion miles  before it reached its target

'We have cleared the tower, and the Cassini spacecraft is on its way to Saturn,' mission control can be heard saying in the 20-year-old footage, as the rocket breaks through the clouds

'The Cassini operations team did an absolutely stellar job guiding the spacecraft to its noble end,' said Earl Maize, Cassini project manager at JPL.

'From designing the trajectory seven years ago, to navigating through the 22 nail-biting plunges between Saturn and its rings, this is a crack shot group of scientists and engineers that scripted a fitting end to a great mission.

'What a way to go. Truly a blaze of glory.'

The confirmation of the mission was received at Nasa's Jet Propulsion unit at 07:56 EST (12:56 BST).

Upon receiving the news, Earl Maize, program manager for Cassini, announced: 'The signal from the spacecraft has gone. Congratulations, this has been an incredible mission and incredible spacecraft.'

After 20 years in space, Nasa's Cassini spacecraft has finally completed its suicide mission, plunging into Saturn's atmosphere. The confirmation of the mission was received at Nasa's Jet Propulsion unit at 07:56 EST (12:56 BST)

In its thirteen years at Saturn and two decades in space, the $4 billion (3 billion) Cassini probe has transformed our understanding of the ringed planet and its moons.

It has watched giant storms on the gas giant, recorded its ring system in stunning detail, and revealed incredible new insights on the potential habitability of Saturn's moons.

The decision to kill off Cassini was taken because the craft would soon run out of fuel and become impossible to steer. Scientists feared a collision with Titan or Enceladus - two of Saturn's moons that in the past 10 years have shown a potential to host simple life.

Nasa's animation imagine what the 'death dive' would have looked like

First, they expect the probe to have shed layers of insulating material.

Nasa's animation imagines what the 'death dive' would have looked like. First, they expect the probe to have shed layers of insulating material

Saturn's active, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus sinks behind the giant planet in a farewell animation from NASA's Cassini spacecraft

Then its large external structures, including the 11ft wide dish antenna and 30ft long magnetometer boom will have weakened and broken apart, followed by other body-mounted components, and eventually the leading face of the space craft itself.

It is also possible that propellant left in Cassini's fuel tanks may have exploded.

Meanwhile, atmospheric friction will have sent temperatures soaring.

By the time what was left of Cassini reached the cloud tops it would have been transformed into a glowing fragmenting meteor, hotter than the surface of the sun.

Project manager Earl Maize, centre, shakes hands with Bill Heventhal (left) head of Uplink Operations in mission control at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Lab

Finally, intense heat and pressure would have caused every part of the space craft to melt and dissociate, scattering its atoms to the winds of Saturn.

Cassini's death plunge was the climax of a 'grand finale' that saw the probe slip between Saturn and its rings in 22 daring orbits.

Fifteen minutes before the end, the voice of Dr Maize could be heard in a live stream from mission control telling his team: 'This might be a good time to pass out the farewell peanuts.'

Earlier Jet Propulsion Laboratory director Mike Watkins told a Nasa interviewer: 'It's kind of a bitter-sweet event for all of us.

'For me personally, it's more sweet than bitter, because Cassini has been such a fantastic mission.

During the live feed, experts from Nasa described the event as 'the last hour of the last chapter of Cassini's Grand Finale.'
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Hidden 60 feet beneath the surface in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists have discovered an underwater forest of ancient cypress trees, still rooted in the ground in which they grew more than 50,000 years ago.

With the unmistakable shape of cypress knees, intact bark, and sap still leaking from the wood, its believed the ancient trees spent millennia buried under the thick sediment, protected from decomposition, before they were finally unearthed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Scientists investigating the graveyard of giant trees just off the coast of Alabama estimate the forest dates back to an ice age roughly 60,000 years ago, when the climate was cold and windy, and neared full glacial conditions  and sea levels were about 400 feet lower than they are today.

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With the unmistakable shape of cypress knees, intact bark, and sap still leaking from the wood, its believed the ancient trees spent millennia buried under the thick sediment, protected from decomposition, before they were finally unearthed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004

THE ANCIENT FOREST The remarkable condition of the ancient forest is due to the presence of thick mud, which prevented oxygen from reaching the dead wood. Without oxygen, decomposition cannot take place in the underwater environment, the documentary explains. The underwater forest likely lay undisturbed until 2004, the experts explain, when the powerful category 4 storm Hurricane Ivan swept through the region, bringing 140 mile per hour winds and 98-foot-tall waves. As the storm passed directly over the site, it removed some of the mud that had hidden the ancient trees for so long. Advertisement

The remarkable site, revealed in a new documentary The Underwater Forest by AL.com journalist Ben Raines, was discovered after fishermen noticed unusual activity in the area.

It sits just 15 miles off the coast, some 60 feet beneath the surface  but, it remained concealed beneath the mud and sand for thousands of years.

Now, the strange underwater world bustles with marine life just like a coral reef.

Everything is in place in that ecosystem, said LSU Department of Geography & Anthropology Associate Professor Kristine DeLong.

Its just been buried and preserved through time.

The remarkable condition of the ancient forest is due to the presence of thick mud, which prevented oxygen from reaching the dead wood.

Without oxygen, decomposition cannot take place in the underwater environment, the documentary explains.

Raines collected the first samples from the site, working with scientists from Louisiana State University and the University of Southern Mississippi for subsequent investigations.

Scientists investigating the graveyard of giant trees just off the coast of Alabama estimate the forest dates back to an ice age roughly 60,000 years ago, when the climate was cold and windy, and neared full glacial conditions  and sea levels were about 400 feet lower than they are today

The ancient forest sits just 15 miles off the coast, some 60 feet beneath the surface  but, it remained concealed beneath the mud and sand for thousands of years. Now, the strange underwater world bustles with marine life just like a coral reef

And, with advanced sonar machines, the researchers discovered even more trees, buried upwards of 10 feet beneath the sediment.

By collecting core samples and radio-carbon dating the wood, the experts estimate the forest lived about 50,000-60,000 years ago.

Samples dried and cut in the lab also revealed another astonishing relic  ancient sap, tens of thousands of years old.

Hidden 60 feet beneath the surface in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists have discovered an underwater forest of ancient cypress trees, still rooted in the ground in which they grew more than 50,000 years ago

According to the experts, the trees show signs of stress events, indicating that they experienced rapid decrease in growth, followed by rapid increase, and then a final swift growth decline.

Then, it appears all the trees died about the same time, DeLong notes in the documentary.

The underwater forest likely lay undisturbed until 2004, the experts explain, when the powerful category 4 storm Hurricane Ivan swept through the region, bringing 140 mile per hour winds and 98-foot-tall waves.

The remarkable site, revealed in a new documentary The Underwater Forest by AL.com journalist Ben Raines, was discovered after fishermen noticed unusual activity in the area

With advanced sonar machines, the researchers discovered even more trees, buried upwards of 10 feet beneath the sediment. By collecting core samples and radio-carbon dating the wood, the experts estimate the forest lived about 50,000-60,000 years ago

Samples dried and cut in the lab also revealed another astonishing relic  ancient sap, tens of thousands of years old, as seen above

As the storm passed directly over the site, it removed some of the mud that had hidden the ancient trees for so long.

Not only does the discovery tell the story of a world that existed eons ago, but the experts say it could provide a glimpse into the future of the Gulf coast, in the face of a changing climate.

Raines collected the first samples from the site, working with scientists from Louisiana State University and the University of Southern Mississippi for subsequent investigations

The remarkable condition of the ancient forest is due to the presence of thick mud, which prevented oxygen from reaching the dead wood. Without oxygen, decomposition cannot take place in the underwater environment, the documentary explains

Its pretty rapid change, geologically speaking, paleontologist Martin Becker, with William Paterson University, told AL.com.

Were looking at 60 feet of seawater where a forest used to be. Im looking at a lot of development, of peoples shore homes and condominiums, etc.

The forest is predicting the future, and maybe a pretty unpleasant one.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Protest pastor Evan Mawarire spent a second night in police custody on Monday, awaiting his appearance at the Harare magistrates' court on charges of trying to subvert the government.Mawarire was arrested at his church on Sunday, a day after he went online to urge Zimbabweans to take action to stop the country's worsening economic crisis. He talked about the panic buying in Harare, and the reemergence of fuel queues, which he said showed the situation was urgent.On Monday, he pleaded not guilty at the Harare High Court at the start of his trial on an earlier charge of subversion. That charge stems from anti-government demonstrations he helped to organise last year.The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights says state prosecutors have lined up eight witnesses to testify against him.Proceedings adjourned early on Monday to allow defence lawyers time to view some of the video clips that form the basis of the state's case, said the state-run Herald.On his return Monday from the UN General Assembly, President Robert Mugabe admitted that shortages in the country may have been caused by people within the ruling party who wanted to trigger a revolt against his government while he was away, the state-run Chronicle reported him as saying.
Holiday-makers planning trips to Spain can expect to pay an extra ten per cent in 2018.

That's according to Thomas Cook Chief Executive, Peter Fankhauser, who made the prediction on Tuesday's edition of the BBC's Today programme.

Apportioning blame to the weak pound and safety fears - which have stopped people visiting places Egypt and Turkey - he said the price hike will manifest by next summer.

Price hike: Customers can expect to pay an extra 10 per cent for their 2018 Spanish jaunt

'We have not enough beds for all the demand,' he said.

Adding insult to injury, he also said that some Spanish hoteliers were 'taking a bit of an advantage' of increased demand, which implies even greater cost for those seeking a sunshine break.

However, he added that Thomas Cook has resumed selling holidays to Tunisia, which could off-set some of the demand.

It's the first time the company have provided breaks to the North African country since the Sousse attack in 2015.

Summer holiday stings: Chief executive Peter Fankhauser adding that some Spanish hoteliers were 'taking a bit of an advantage' of Britons in their resorts

Thirty-eight people, many of whom were British, were killed when Seifeddine Rezgui embarked on a killing spree.

The trips will begin in February 2018 after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office amended its official guidance for travellers.

Mr Fankhauser added that both Egypt and Turkey were 'wonderful destinations' offering 'great value for money'.




One of the most memorable moments in Woody Allens film Midnight In Paris is the Surrealist party scene, in which Owen Wilson flirts with Marion Cotillard.

Set amid a backdrop of stuffed lions, tigers and polar bears, the scene appears to have been filmed on an outlandish stage set crafted by the films designers.

But its not a set and nor was it staged. The scene was filmed in a Parisian taxidermy shop called Deyrolle. Virtually unchanged since it opened in 1831, its cavernous interior is so bizarre and fantastical it ought to feature in every guidebook to Paris.

Scene stealer: Marion Cotillard and Owen Wilson in the film Midnight In Paris

Not only is Deyrolle open to the public  and free  but it is also home to a menagerie of stuffed animals. You can buy a lion, elephant or kangaroo, just so long as you have a six-figure credit limit when it comes to pay.

For those strapped for cash, there are smaller animals for sale, including insects, butterflies and shells. Alternatively, you can enter into the surrealist spirit of the place, as I did, and buy a pair of glass animal eyes.

If you like this place you should visit the natural history museum, said the cashier as he wrapped up my newly acquired eyeballs. I did exactly that, heading to the Jardin des Plantes, home to the museum and adjacent zoo.

The Museum National dHistoire Naturelle is the equivalent of Londons Natural History Museum, but on an even grander scale. Here, housed in antique glass cabinets, are all the animals that didnt quite make it through the evolutionary process  forlorn big cats, bizarre insects and the famous dodo.

Iconic: Paris has many hidden treasures as well as the more famous sights

TRAVEL FACTS Eurostar (eurostar.com) offers fares from London St.Pancras to Paris from 29 each way. Eurotunnel (eurotunnel.com) offers five-day returns from Folkestone to Calais from 118 for a car and up to nine people. Advertisement

The adjacent Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy Galleries are an absolute must, packed with skeletons of every conceivable beast thats ever trodden this planet. Its not for the squeamish: there are lungs, hearts and other innards stowed in vast jars of alcohol, as well as stuffed beasts that could have come from the shelves of Deyrolle. My favourite was the rhinoceros skeleton that was once the favourite pet of King Louis XV.

Just a stones-throw from here (and still in the Jardin des Plantes) is the Paris menagerie, opened in 1794 and now home to more than 1,200 animals, including orang-utans, snow leopards and rare Seychelles tortoises.

Id not set out on an animal tour of Paris, yet wherever I turned I seemed to be confronted by a snake, parrot or tortoise. Nowhere were animals more in evidence than on the nearby Quai de la Megisserie, on the banks of the River Seine.

This noisy street  near Notre-Dame  has spectacular views across the river towards the Left Bank. Its also home to Pariss pet shops  dozens of them  where youll find everything from puppies to cats, parakeets and turtles.

One was doing a brisk business in monstrously fat snakes and in another a green and yellow parrot was flitting from shoulder to shoulder of the staff there. One of the citys less-visited attractions is the Sainte Chapelle, a vast Gothic chapel built to house what was said to be the holiest relic in Christendom, Christs Crown of Thorns.

The interior resembles a sparkling box of jewels, with 15 huge stained-glass windows that are 800 years old. Prepare to be dazzled by the kaleidoscope of colour when the suns shining.

Sightseeing is the best way to work up an appetite and this area of Paris is home to scores of eateries. My favourite is Louis-Philippe, where the food is solidly traditional. Steak in green pepper sauce, duck with wild mushrooms or a blanquette de veau. Washed down with a bottle of Burgundian Chablis, it will set you up for the afternoons sightseeing.

Alternatively, its a short walk to the Jardin des Tuileries, where you can while away the afternoon in the shaded alleys that lead towards the Louvre.

For those with real stamina, theres always the Louvre itself. But you might, like me, prefer to doze in the shade.
Have you dreamed of travelling around New Zealand in a motorhome?

Travel experts agree it is the perfect way to discover one of the worlds most extraordinary destinations on your own voyage of discovery.

For anyone keen to enjoy a motorhome journey with on-the-spot support and expert guidance, the Camping and Caravanning Club has a Worldwide Motorhome Holidays company that allows travellers to take motorhome tours as part of an escorted group.

Close to nature: Otama Bay on New Zealands North Island makes for a memorable stop

It offers a programme of 12 escorted tours to New Zealand, Argentina, Canada, the US, Japan, Southern Africa and Western Australia. Its tours are all about showing you the world with freedom.

You wont spend all your time in a group, or travel in convoy. Youre in complete control and free to roam and uncover new places, taking in the open roads and scenery at your own pace.

The tours take travellers off the tourist trail in search of culture and tradition  with the help of experienced escorts to ensure your holiday runs smoothly.

For example, the Land Of The Long White Cloud tour is a 34-day trip which takes in Mount Cook, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers on New Zealands South Islands and the North Islands Wellington, Lake Taupo, Rotorua and the Bay of Islands.

Covering 2,500 miles, you start in Christchurch before collecting a motorhome and travelling to Mount Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand. Youll see the Moeraki boulders en route and have a day in Dunedin, before visiting Milford Sound, the underwater observatory and enjoy a fjord cruise.

The Land Of The Long White Cloud tour with Worldwide Motorhome Holidays is a 34-day trip which stops at a range of stunning spots across New Zealand

No trip to New Zealand would be complete without a visit to Queenstown, the worlds capital of adventure sports. The journey ends in Auckland.

The tours  from October 2 to November 4 this year and from February 19 to March 24 and February 26 to March 31 next year  cost from 5,255 to 6,350pp including return flights from London, with 28 days in a two-berth motorhome (unlimited mileage); 27 nights site fees; Interislander ferry crossings; two nights B&B accommodation in Christchurch and one nights B&B in Auckland.

South Africa

Travel into the heart of Kruger National Park and experience magnificent wildlife close up. See the sunrise from stunning mountain ranges and join an evening safari into the wilderness on the hunt to find the Big Five.

Canada

If you like wildlife then the British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies tour is the perfect choice. Youll journey to national parks to see grizzly bears and elk and enjoy a whale-watching trip. If youre looking for a cultural adventure, the Heart Of The Great Lakes tour will get you under the skin of this fascinating country. It includes a First Nation experience on Manitoulin Island and drum making.

If you like wildlife, then the British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies tour with Worldwide Motorhome Holidays is the perfect choice

United States

Choose from three escorted tours to the USA. On the Western Adventure tour you will visit Yosemite National Park, home to the worlds largest redwood trees. Stop off to appreciate the Grand Canyon and drive on the famous Route 66 highway.

The California Dreaming tour is great for first-timers. Youll have a chance to dip into the beach life as you drive along the Big Sur coastal road. Rhythms Of The Deep South offers a chance to experience the musical heritage of Nashville and Memphis, along with a visit to Graceland on a 27-day tour.

Australia

The 18-day Great South-West Edge tour begins with a two-night hotel stay in Perth, with city tour, and it also includes an Outback experience with a tour of Kalgoorlie Super Pit, a visit to the National Anzac Centre and a Margaret River winery visit.

worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk/escorted-tours.
She plays tough-as-nails action hero, Lara Croft, in Tomb Raider.

But on Monday, Alicia Vikander showcased her softer side during the CDLP Crayfish Party at Mark's Club in London.

For her evening out, the 28-year-old beauty was styled in a pleated, tea-length sheer black dress which gave a peek at her lacy black bra.

On Monday, Alicia Vikander, 28, showcased her softer side during the CDLP Crayfish Party at Mark's Club in London

The Swedish stunner chose to play up her natural features with only the smallest amount of make-up.

Alicia's eyes were dusted with a hint of shadow. Her lips and cheeks complemented each other with a hint of soft pink and rose shades.

The star's medium-length, brunette locks were parted down the middle and styled in soft waves.

Classic: For her evening out, the beauty was styled in a pleated, tea-length sheer black dress. She is seen with CDLP co-founders Andreas Palm (L) and Christian Larson

What a stunner! The Swedish stunner chose to play up her natural features with only the smallest amount of make-up

Simple: Alicia's eyes were dusted with a hint of shadow. Her lips and cheeks complemented each other with a hint of soft pink and rose shades. She is seen with Swedish model Caroline Windberg, 32

Last week, the first official trailer released for Alicia's buzzed-about film, Tomb Raider.

The Jason Bourne star stepped into the boots first filled by Angelina Jolie in 2001.

Alicia will play Lara Croft, a daughter who seeks out to solve the mystery of her father's disappearance years beforehand.

Effortless look: The star's medium-length, brunette locks were parted down the middle and styled in soft waves

Creative talents: During the evening, Alicia was seated next to ballet dancer Eric Underwood

The young actress, who is dating Michael Fassbender, is set to star in five films up until next year.

The beauty will take the lead in Euphoria, Submergence, Freak Shift and Tomb Raider.

She will also voice a character in Moomins and the Winter Wonderland, a German animated film.
Their famous fathers have been in a bitter feud for the best part of a decade.

And now Liam Gallagher's son Lennon, 18, appears to have joined the family badmouthing business as he took a swipe at his cousin Anais, 17, on Twitter.

Just days after his 16-year-old brother Gene claimed Anais looked like her father Noel 'in a wig', Lennon wrote a sarcastic comment on her Twitter account after she posted about wanting a boyfriend on Monday.

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Family feud: Liam Gallagher's son Lennon, 18, appears to have joined the family badmouthing business as he took a swipe at his cousin Anais, 17, on Twitter

Anais penned to her 23,000 followers: 'I need love today. I'm feeling super fragile and basically need a boyfriend. But keep reminding myself I'm too embarrassing to get one!'

Instead of showing support for his cousin's plight, Lennon wrote back with a sarcastic response: 'Really?'

Gene and Anais were at loggerheads on Twitter last week, with the former hitting out at his cousin's modelling capabilities.

Snubbed: Just days after his 16-year-old brother Gene claimed Anais looked like her father Noel 'in a wig', Lennon wrote a sarcastic comment on her Twitter account after she posted about wanting a boyfriend on Monday

Oh dear: Instead of showing support for his cousin's plight, Lennon wrote back with a sarcastic response: 'Really?'

Liam and Noel Gallagher have been estranged since 2009, enduring a number of rows during their time in Oasis before they split that year, leading to a number of swipes from each side which now seem to have filtered down to their kids.

On Tuesday evening, Anais, whose mother is Meg Mathews, was joined by superstar offspring in attending the Tommy Hilfiger show, where she was with Jude Law's son Rafferty, Daniel Day-Lewis' son Gabriel-Kane and Suki Waterhouse's sister Maddi.

Also at the event was Gene's half-sister Molly Moorish, whose mother is Liam's ex-girlfriend Lisa Moorish, with whom he suffered an extremely acrimonious break-up after she was conceived during Liam's affair from his partner Patsy Kensit.

Keeping it casual: Gene and Anais were at loggerheads on Twitter last week, with the former hitting out at his cousin's modelling capabilities

While it is unknown how the spat began, it seemed Gene was on a crusade as he lashed out not only at his cousin's modelling ability but also the choice of stars attending the party due to its guestlist of celebrity children.

One of his particularly acerbic notes saw Gene describe the London Fashion Week party as 'celebrity driven, posh rubbernecking, kids culture club', while also hinting at a jibe due to the choice of Anais as a catwalk star on the night.

He penned to his 9,397 followers: 'Whoever got to chose who got to model for Tommy Hilfiger is a complete doughnut who should go spec-savers... Last time I checked 6"1 wasn't short bunch of d**ks...

Troubled: The Mancunian brothers have been estranged since 2009, enduring a number of rows during their time in Oasis before they split that year, leading to a number of swipes from each side which now seem to have filtered down to their kids

Fury: Gene appeared to hit out at his cousin (pictured at Glastonbury in 2013)

Living it up: Anais' appearance at the Tommy Hilfiger bash appeared to rile her cousin

FROW kids: (L to R) Anais was however getting on just fine with Gene's half-sister and Liam's other daughter Molly Moorish (third left), whose mother is Liam's ex Lisa Moorish

Rocker royalty: Anais hangs with a North London set that includes Brooklyn Beckham

Ready for my close up: Anais prepared backstage ahead of the Tommy Hilfiger show during London Fashion Week

MEET THE GALLAGHERS NOEL'S CHILDREN ANAIS GALLAGHER MOTHER: Meg Mathews AGE: 17 OCCUPATION: Model and actress --------------------------------------------------- DONOVAN GALLAGHER MOTHER: Sara MacDonald AGE: 9 OCCUPATION: N/A --------------------------------------------------- SONNY GALLAGHER MOTHER: Sara MacDonald AGE: 6 OCCUPATION: N/A LIAM'S CHILDREN GENE GALLAGHER MOTHER: Nicole Appleton AGE: 16 OCCUPATION: Student --------------------------------------------------- LENNON GALLAGHER MOTHER: Patsy Kensit AGE: 18 OCCUPATION: Model --------------------------------------------- MOLLY MORRISH MOTHER: Lisa Moorish AGE: 20 OCCUPATION: Student and model OTHER CHILDREN: Gemma Gallagher, 4, with Liza Ghorbani Advertisement

'Never will u ever see me attend celebrity driven, posh rubbernecking, kids culture club... I didn't wanna have to make another tweet but someone informed me that anais has been chatting more s**t about genetics and what not...

'Firstly you look like your dad in a blonde wig... Secondly u model coz u look like ur dad not coz of who you are nobody care about who you are lmao'.

Gene then responded to a message from one of Anais' fans reading: 'I admire Anais Gallagher bc she has to deal with t**ts' opinions over her dad and uncle.

Happier times: Anais previously shared a smiley pic cuddled up to her cousin Gene

'And she's classy while doing so. You go girl!' to which Gene penned: 'Thirdly idk wh

He then shared an image of his 18-year-old brother Lennon, who has carved a successful career as a model, while penning the cheeky caption: 'If this man isn't on stage walking then u know it's gonna b s***e'.

Ironically, Lennon himself was seen mingling with the stars at Burberry Spring Summer 2018 on Saturday - where he was spotted sporting one of the brand's trademark macs while surrounded by fellow stars.

Mummy dearest: On Tuesday evening, Anais, whose mother is Meg Mathews, joined by superstar offspring in attending the Tommy Hilfiger show, where she was with Jude Law's son Rafferty, Daniel Day-Lewis' son Gabriel-Kane and Suki Waterhouse's sister Maddi

New kids on the block: Anais, Rafferty Law, Gabriel Day-Lewis and Maddi Waterhouse cemented their status as the new kids on the scene while attending Tommy Hilfiger's SS18 showcase during London Fashion Week

Strutting his stuff: Ironically, Gene's brother Lennon was seen mingling with the stars at Burberry Spring Summer 2018 on Saturday - where he was spotted sporting one of the brand's trademark macs while surrounded by fellow stars

MailOnline has approached representatives for Noel and Anais for comment. A spokesperson for Liam declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.

When Oasis first parted ways, Noel admitted in a statement: 'It is with some sadness and great relief... I quit Oasis tonight.People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.'

However, Liam did recently hint at future reconciliation between the pair - admitting they had 'unfinished business' to sort, but that he is still fond of his brother.

Speaking to BBC Radio One, he said: 'Everyone knows I love our kid. He doesn't speak to me, we don't speak to each other.

Chic look: Maddie Waterhouse, 18, (left) proved she has the striking model look of her older sister Suki, 24 (right)

New generation: Anais cosied up to her fellow model mates

'I'll speak to him some day. It's all very sad, but we'll get over it I guess it musn't be nice for my mum If Oasis ever got back together if they do, they do. If they don't, they don't.'

At the party on Tuesday, the rising stars, who are all carving out careers in their own right, looked ready to take the fashion world by storm as they hung out.

Maddi, who is the youngest of the three Waterhouse sisters, showcased her sartorial credentials in a cropped band T-shirt and metallic striped flares.

Meanwhile Rafferty, who bore an uncanny resemblance to a young Jude, kept things casual in a two-tone T-shirt and a pendant necklace.

Like father, like son: Meanwhile, Rafferty Law (left) has followed in Jude's (right) early career footsteps by carving out a model career. His mother is former model Sadie Frost

Firm friends: The foursome had already bonded in February since walking in Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Fashion Week

Seeing double: Gabriel (left), 22, who is a model and musician, bore a striking resemblance to his famous father Daniel (right)

Gabriel-Kane - who made his runway debut for Chanel in 2015 - who is a model and musician, bore a striking resemblance to his famous father Daniel.

Despite bleaching hair blonde, the rising star seemed to have inherited his dad's brooding stare, which he flashed while posing in a green jacket and striped T-shirt.

The foursome had already bonded in February since walking in Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Fashion Week.

And they appeared to have strengthened their rapport since then, looking thick as thieves as they cosied up for photos at the show.

Three's a crowd: Rafferty and Gabriel, who boast budding model careers, seemed right at home at the show

Good night? Gabriel-Kane and Anais hung out, outside the venue, after the show

Holy smokes: The youngsters joined together for a group puffing session alongside Samuel Bensoussan (second from right)

It was a case of fashion deja vu for Anais and Rafferty, who also attended Tommy Hilfiger's collection with Gigi Hadid earlier this year.

And it is no wonder Anais was invited to the event, as one of the rising stars in the modelling world.

The blonde is currently giving the fashion industry's veterans a run for their money, having already graced the cover of fashion bibles Wonderland and L'Officiel.

However in March, Anais - who has been signed to Elite Model Management since she was 13 - revealed that her famous dad wasn't keen on her following in his musical footsteps.

She told The Sun: '[Modelling] is not their first choice for me but my dad definitely wouldn't want me to go into music.

Sartorial stars: Anais beamed as she wrapped an arm around model Gabriel-Kane

After party? The kids headed off into the night to attend the Disco Galactica party

'If you have ever heard me sing or play an instrument you would appreciate that.'

Meanwhile Rafferty has also enjoyed his fair share of time behind the camera - having modelled for Dolce & Gabbana in October alongside the sons of industry icons Daniel Day-Lewis, Cindy Crawford and Pamela Anderson.

Proving there a multiple strings to his bow however, Rafferty has more recently been focusing on a musical career instead.

The young star often DJs in his spare time, and was formerly in the band 'The Dirty Harry's' along with his best friend Marley, son of Pulps bassist Steve Mackey.

And Gabriel was born to Daniel and Isabelle Adjani, when she shared a six-year relationship with the Last Of The Mohicans actor between 1989 to 1995.

Like mother, like son: Rafferty attended the show with his mother Sadie Frost, 52, who was married to Jude Law from 1997 util 2003

Getting on famously: The pair seemed to be having a whale of a time as they posed together

Daniel reportedly announced that he was leaving the actress via fax, though he has never spoken about why he walked out before Gabriel's birth.

The notoriously private actor has only been married once, after tying the knot with current partner Rebecca Miller in 1996.

Gabriel now has half brothers Ronan Cal, 16, and Cashel Blake, 12, but remains very close to mother Isabella.

She recently gushed over his editorial in Rollacoaster magazine and bought five copies of the issue, as he called her his 'number one fan'.

Friends in high places: The teenager cosied up to Youtube star Cameron Dallas, 23

Little is known about Gabriel and Daniel's relationship, though he was there to see his father accept a knighthood in 2014 and wrote a touching ode to his father last father's day via Instragram.

Meanwhile, Maddi is the youngest of three Waterhouse sisters, and the sibling of models Suki, 25, and Immy, 23, and also has a twin brother Charles.

The daughter of Harley Street plastic surgeon Norman Waterhouse and his wife Elizabeth, a former nurse, has been busy carving out a career for herself in modelling just like her sisters.

In August she starred in a campaign, showcasing pieces from Suki's own accessories brand Pop & Suki.

Last call: Rafferty Law left with his scantily clad guests

Suki made sure to highlight her sister's latest modeling job on her social media account, sharing the images from the Pop & Suki campaign, while praising her younger sibling's effortless style.

'My sister is a total betty!' she captioned the post, before tagging her sister and adding a heart emoji.

Maddi landed her first cover for the teen edition of Tatler magazine last year.

When shes not striking a pose, Maddi runs with a glossy West London crowd that includes David and Victoria Beckhams son Brooklyn.
Russell Brand has replaced his penchant for partying with a proficiency for parenting.

The formerly 'wild' and unpredictable comedian revealed on Monday that welcoming his new daughter Mabel earlier this year has changed his life 'Radically.'

'I just don't have time to be as narcissistic as I'd like to be now,' the 41-year-old quipped on Australian program The Project.

Changed man! Former wild child of comedy Russell Brand revealed on The Project Monday that welcoming his new daughter Mabel earlier this year has changed his life 'Radically'

The UK-based comedian and actor welcomed his first child, Mabel, with girlfriend Laura Gallacher, 28, in November 2016.

Co-host Carrie Bickmore was keen to probe Russell on fatherhood during the interview, asking: 'How has it changed your life?'

'Radically,' he replied, 'I think it's impossible to preempt what it will be like to have a baby.'

Welcome Mabel! The UK-based comedian and actor welcomed his first child, Mabel, with girlfriend Laura Gallacher, 28, in November 2016

'That storm of will, that force - It's blowing my mind!'

He concluded: 'It's changed everything. I just don't have time to be as narcissistic as I'd like to be now.'

Russell was on the program to promote his fourth book, in which he discussed the battle with addiction that marred most of his 20s.

'It's blowing my mind!': Responding to co-host Carrie Bickmore, the 41-year-old concluded: 'It's changed everything. I just don't have time to be as narcissistic as I'd like to be now'

On the program, he compared addiction to: 'A tumultuous, ever restless cosmic force of deranged appetite... first in the form of drugs, then in the form of sex.'

'In this fourth book I talk about how do you tackle that problem and what is this appetite in the first place?'

The funnyman became a first-time father in 2016, and gave a candid insight into their new family when he appeared as a guest on John Bishop In Conversation on W.

Addiction struggles: Russell was on the program to promote his fourth book, in which he discussed the battle with addiction that marred most of his 20s

Appetite: On the program, he compared addiction to: 'A tumultuous, ever restless cosmic force of deranged appetite... first in the form of drugs, then in the form of sex'

He told his comedian friend about the moment his daughter Mabel was born.

'When she was born, I felt something really quite profound. I felt extremely present in that birth, completely overwhelmed by it,' he said.

Loves his daughter: Russell became a first-time father in 2016, and gave a candid insight into their new family when he appeared as a guest on John Bishop In Conversation on W
Brie Larson told NET-A-PORTER's PORTER magazine that she 'didn't feel pretty enough' to pursue leading roles.

The 27-year-old Oscar-winning actress made the revelation in an interview for the magazine's upcoming winter edition, that featured two cover editions of the star.

'I just didn't feel confident in myself, I didn't feel pretty enough. I thought I'd be a supporting character my whole life and I was struggling with the idea of being the star,' Brie told the magazine.

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Cover gal: Brie Larson wore Gucci on the cover of Net-A-Porter's PORTER magazine for its upcoming winter edition

Brie, who wore Gucci for one cover and Emilia Wickstead for her second, had small roles as a teenager in the 2004 movies 13 Going On 30 and Sleepover.

She then had supporting roles in Greenberg, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, 21 Jump Street and Don Jon.

Brie broke through as a leading actress in the 2015 drama Room and earned the Oscar for Best Actress as well as the BAFTA Award, Critic's Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for her work in the film.

The California native also told PORTER that she's experienced sexism in Hollywood

Modern heroine: The Oscar-winning actress in her second cover rocked an Emilia Wickstead outfit

Supporting role: Brie is shown as Monica Martello in a supporting role in the 2013 comedy-drama Don Jon

Critically acclaimed: The California native is shown with Jacob Tremblay in a still from the 2015 movie Room

'I've been on sets where I didn't feel safe, I've felt objectified. But as I'm getting older I'm realizing that I can value myself, I'm allowed to,' she said.

Brie was cast last year to play Carol Danvers and her alter ego Captain Marvel as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Filming was expected to begin in January 2018 and Captain Marvel is scheduled for release on March 8, 2019.

Award winner: Brie is shown holding her Oscar for Best Actress in February 2016 in Hollywood

Brie recently made her directorial debut with the comedy Unicorn Store that premiered earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival.

She also starred in and co-produced the film that featured Samuel L. Jackson and Joan Cusack.

Brie also had leading roles earlier this year in Kong: Skull Island and The Glass Castle.
They're fan favourites to win The Block.

And on the renovation show on Tuesday, Josh and Elyse's time in the competition came into jeopardy, when he injured his 'hammer hand.'

With only weeks until the end of the show, Josh landed himself in hospital after rival Hannah accidentally ran over his thumb while tobogganing in the snow challenge.

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Is this the end for Josh and Elyse (pictured) on The Block? Barker is rushed to hospital with a hand injury...as rival Wombat ends up with a bloodied face after a snow challenge

'His face just went white,' Elyse said to camera.

Josh said after the incident, he felt like he was going to faint and be sick.

'Bang, the pain kicked in, I thought I was going to faint and throw up,' he said.

'She folded my thumb back': Josh said after the incident, he felt like he was going to faint and be sick

Not the best news! Josh ended up in a splint and was told he had to wear it for four to six weeks, with the show only having three weeks left

Ouch! With only weeks until the end of the show, Josh landed himself in hospital after rival Hannah accidentally ran over his thumb while tobogganing in the snow challenge

'Hannah ran over my hand and folded my thumb back.'

Josh ended up in a splint and was told he had to wear it for four to six weeks, with the show only having three weeks left.

He ended up with a fracture, with Josh worrying about the rest of the build and how he will do it.

Keeping as positive as he can, he said to camera: 'It's just one of those things that happens, it was an accident.'

Concering: He ended up with a fracture, with Josh worrying about the rest of the build and how he will do it

Ouch! During the snow challenge, Wombat (R) also ended up with a bloodied face after he face planted the snow

During the snow challenge, Wombat also ended up with a bloodied face after he face planted the snow.

But Wombat laughed it off.

The teams went to Mount Buller in Victoria, and had to complete in mini race challenges in the snow, to win money to use in The Block pop-up shop.

They then would be able to renovate a bedroom in a ski resort they were staying at.

Judging the challenge was former Block contestant, Dea Jolly.

Winning the challenge were Ronnie and Georgia, who pocketed $10,000, placing second was Hannah and Clint, who won $6,000, and third was Josh and Elyse, who won $4,000.

Back on top: Winning the challenge were Ronnie and Georgia, (seen), who pocketed $10,000
He went through a highly-publicised split from Sam Frost in December.

And The Bachelorette's Sasha Mielczarek has opened up about the toll the breakup took on him, revealing he has been secretly battling mental health issues over the past six months.

'I suffered in silence,' the 31-year-old told news.com.au.

'I suffered in silence': Sasha Mielczarek reveals secret battle with mental health issues and his 'dark period' after split from girlfriend Sam Frost

Sasha revealed he had gone through a 'dark period' over the past six months after splitting from Sam in December.

The high profile former couple dated for 18 months after falling in love on the 2015 season of The Bachelorette.

The construction manager, who has been laying low on the NSW South Coast since the break up, told News Corp he had struggled to get help for his mental health at first.

Split: The high profile former couple dated for 18 months after falling in love on the 2015 season of The Bachelorette

Didn't talk about it: The construction manager told News Corp he had struggled to get help for his mental health at first

'Im a blokey-bloke... I suffered in silence and didnt talk about it,' Sasha confessed.

The former reality TV star was able to overcome his mental health struggle with the help of his friends and his mum, he shares a close bond with the latter.

In a better place now, Sasha explained he was happy being single and focusing on himself rather than dating.

Got through it: The former reality TV star was able to overcome his mental health struggle with the help of his friends and his mother

'Im just concentrating on family and friends now': Sasha explained he was happy being single and focusing on himself rather than dating

'I havent even begun the process of looking to date again  Im just concentrating on family and friends now,' Sasha said.

'I think Ill meet a girl at the pub just like any other normal guy.'

Since their split last year, Sam has also opened up about having mental health struggles.

In April, the reality TV sweetheart told the Herald Sun that the break up with Sasha combined with the criticism her short-lived radio career received led her to see a psychologist once a week for several months.

'I think Ill meet a girl at the pub just like any other normal guy': Sasha explained he wasn't looking to meet his next girlfriend on a reality TV show

'I reached breaking point last year. I was like oh my goodness I am really, really struggling with my mental health,' Sam said.

'The trolls and the criticism were relentless. I just thought I am a good person, I am a wonderful friend, I am a wonderful sister and I work hard and I am grounded, I dont understand why people are being so horrible to me.'

Since splitting from Sasha last year Sam has gone on to find love with longtime friend Dave Bashford, the pair confirmed their romance in July.

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MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has decided against naming any of his three deputies to act on his behalf while he recovers from a recent ailment.According to NewZimbabwe.com, to avoid a leadership vacuum in his party, Tsvangirai announced last Friday that his deputies Thokozani Khupe, Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri will be in charge of the party but only in their respective party portfolios."In the meantime, the three vice-presidents will continue to execute their assigned tasks to ensure consistent and uninterrupted leadership to the various party programmes currently taking place," Tsvangirai said through Tamborinyoka Friday.Khupe is in charge of Admin and Women while Chamisa superintends over Policy, International Relations and Youth with Mudzuri head of Organising and Elections.The opposition strongman was flown to South African over a week ago to receive treatment over a complaint linked to his colon cancer.
She's the in-demand Australian actress who moved to Cardiff, Wales last month, after usually splitting her time between California and Adelaide.

And Teresa Palmer has now spoken out about how the move, which is so she can film a lead role in a new fantasy television series for the next six months, has made her 'emotional.'

The 31-year-old wrote in a blog post on Your Zen Mama: 'We have always been a travelling circus but this time it came with a few added challenges.'

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'I was really emotional': Actress Teresa Palmer reveals 'added challenges' of juggling a busy career and motherhood after moving to Wales with husband Mark Webber

Teresa discusses juggling her busy career with motherhood on her blog.

The actress shares two boys with husband Mark Webber and is stepmother to Mark's son Isaac, who he shares with ex-partner actress Frankie Shaw.

Teresa and Mark have a three-year-old son Bodhi Rain and a nine-month-old baby Forest Sage.

The blonde stunner spoke about the struggles of sharing her time with all three children, writing: 'Being a stepparent or a parent in a split family is bittersweet because you only get to see one (or more) of your children some of the time.'

Moving to Wales with husband Mark and sons Bodhi and Forest for six months, she said this will be the longest the family has gone without seeing nine-year-old Isaac.

Big happy family: Teresa discusses juggling her busy career with motherhood on her blog

'Being a stepparent in a split family is bittersweet': The blonde stunner spoke about the struggles of sharing her time with all three children after her move meant spending six months away from Mark's nine-year-old son Isaac (L)

'It's always an adjustment after Isaac leaves and also an adjustment when he comes back,' she said.

'I was really emotional, feeling anxious about being so far away from each other and starting all over again in a new house, in a new job and with Bodhi starting a new school,' the Hacksaw Ridge star added.

Teresa remained positive about the situation: 'It's like a constant state of transitions for everyone, but with good, open communication we have been able to make the comings and goings feel pretty seamless.'

'Boy the jump from one to two children feels massive': Teresa, who welcomed her second son Forest Sage into the world in December, claimed having two children and working full-time hours has meant 'a lot of mental, physical and emotional output'

Teresa has moved into a 'big old farm house in the country' while filming A Discovery Of Witches, where she plays heroine Diana Bishop.

Speaking about returning to work with a nine-month-old bub, she said: 'Boy the jump from one to two children feels massive when you throw in full time work here!'

'Having the stamina to work full time hours (five-day weeks, 12 or more hours per day) plus having two children that I take over with as soon as work is finished, means a lot of mental, physical and emotional output.'

Meanwhile, the challenges aren't putting Teresa off growing her brood further, as she wrote: 'I've been fantasizing about baby number three (insert massive eye roll from Mark here!) I'm not there yet, just the curiosity seeds have been planted.'
There was no missing Jemima Kirke when she stepped onto the red carpet at the 2017 Metropolitan Opera Opening Night at The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City on Monday.

The 32-year-old Girls star donned a figure-hugging yellow dress for the event, which attracted a host of Hollywood stars.

The ankle-grazing satin gown was printed with flowers, and featured two short splits on either side.

Standout: There was no missing Jemima Kirke when she stepped onto the red carpet at the 2017 Metropolitan Opera Opening Night at The Metropolitan Opera House in NYC on Monday

Renowned for her quirkiness, Jemima also wore a dusty pink colored head piece, which featured a diamante on one side and a netted veil, which covered the top half of her face.

The actress and artist rounded out her vintage-inspired look with a pair of gold fabric high heels, also with diamantes at the front.

Her medium-length blonde hair was worn loose, and she wore a slick of red lipstick.

The Little Hours actress stuck close to New York-based artist James Viscardi at the opening.

Come together: Jemima posed for photos with artist James Viscardi. James was dressed handsomely in a black tux with a cream bow tie

New love blossoming? The Little Hours actress stuck close to the New York-based artist at the opening

Flying solo: Jemima split from her husband of seven years, Michael Mosberg, in January of this year

The pair posed for photos together on the red carpet ahead of the event, with James dressed handsomely in a black tux with a cream bow tie.

Jemima split from her husband of seven years, Michael Mosberg, in January of this year.

Other stars who turned out for the opening night included Anna Chlumsky.

Mellow yellow: The 32-year-old Girls star donned a figure-hugging yellow dress for the event, which attracted a host of Hollywood stars

Splitting up: The ankle-grazing satin gown was printed with flowers, and featured two short splits on either side

The 36-year-old Veep actress looked stunning in a structured black gown.

The gorgeous creation was tapered at the waist, before flaring out at the hips and tapering in again on the long skirt.

Around the shoulders and legs, it featured sheer panels covered in a black tile pattern.

The former child star wore her long hair parted in the middle and tied back in a low ponytail.

Gorgeous: Other stars who turned out for the opening night included Anna Chlumsky. The 36-year-old Veep actress looked stunning in a structured black gown

In and out... The gorgeous creation was tapered at the waist, before flaring out at the hips and tapering in again on the long skirt

She accessorized with gold earrings and carried a sparkly silver clutch purse.

She also wore strappy black stilettos.

Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson also stepped out, accompanied by his husband of four years, Justin Mikita.

The cute couple held hands as they posed for photos together, with both looking handsome in tuxedos.

Date night: Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson also stepped out, accompanied by his husband of four years, Justin Mikita

Joking around: Later, Jesse was seen sharing a laugh with onlookers from a balcony, a flute of champagne in one hand and his cell phone in the other

The 41-year-old actor stepped out in a charcoal grey suit with black lapels and a patterned black bow tie.

Meanwhile, his 32-year-old lawyer beau wore a sparkly black suit with a plain black bow tie.

Later, Jesse was seen sharing a laugh with onlookers from a balcony, a flute of champagne in one hand and his cell phone in the other.

Erin Richards was also in attendance.

Belles of the ball... Erin Richards (left) was also in attendance, as was Gina Gershon (right), who opted for a slightly bohemian floor-length gown

The 31-year-old Gotham actress stepped out in a floor-length white gown patterned with a silver floral motif.

The skirt featured pleated white panels interspersed with silver floral patterned panels.

Her bobbed platinum blonde hair was wore straight and loose, and swept over to one side.

Gina Gershon opted for a slightly bohemian floor-length gown.

Going green: Actress-turned-fashion-designer Georgina Chapman was also there. The Marchesa designer stepped out in an off-the-shoulder beaded and lace floral lime green dress

Dream team: Georgina was accompanied by her business partner, fellow Marchesa designer Keren Craig, who opted for a beaded lilac and grey floral creation

The 55-year-old actress stepped out in an olive green chiffon dress patterned with cream, brown and grey flowers.

She wore dangly earrings and a bangle on each wrist.

Her medium-length brown hair was worn loose and in tousled waves.

Actress-turned-fashion-designer Georgina Chapman was also there.

License to frill... Jill Hennessy stepped out in a floor-length black dress with cold shoulder detailing and soft frills

The 41-year-old Marchesa designer stepped out in an off-the-shoulder beaded and lace floral lime green dress.

She was accompanied by her business partner, fellow Marchesa designer Keren Craig, 41, who opted for a beaded lilac and grey floral creation.

Jill Hennessy, 48, stepped out in a floor-length black dress with cold shoulder detailing and soft frills.

The dress also featured metallic holographic stripes.

Night out: Also stepping out for the event was former supermodel Jerry Hall. The 61-year-old was accompanied by her husband of a year, Australian media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, 86

Blackout: Jerry opted for a slinky floor-length black dress with sheer lace paneling across the chest

Also stepping out for the event was former supermodel Jerry Hall.

The 61-year-old blonde bombshell was accompanied by her husband of a year, Australian media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, 86.

Jerry opted for a slinky floor-length black dress with sheer lace paneling across the chest.

Double date: Photographer Nigel Barker also attended the opening, accompanied by his wife of 18 years, Cristen Barker, and her twin sister, Kimberly Hise

Strike a pose... The 45-year-old appeared to have his hands full with the fun-loving sisters, with the pair kicking up their legs and leaning back as they posed for photos

She accessorized with a long maroon beaded necklace and carried a black box clutch purse.

Photographer Nigel Barker also attended the opening, accompanied by his wife of 18 years, Cristen Barker, and her twin sister, Kimberly Hise.

The 45-year-old appeared to have his hands full with the fun-loving sisters, with the pair kicking up their legs and leaning back as they posed for photos together on the red carpet.
Fans mourned the loss of their favorite television show in late June.

But a second spin-off was announced on Monday afternoon for the return of Freeform's Pretty Little Liars.

Sasha Pieterse, 21, and Janel Parrish, 28, are confirmed to reprise their roles for Pretty Little Liars: The Perefectionists.

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Sasha Pieterse is confirmed to reprise her role for the spinoff Pretty Little Liars: The Perefectionists

Janel Parrish, 28, is also set to star in the spinoff of hit Freeform show Pretty Little Liars: The Perefectionists

The teen drama will be based on the novel of the same name by author Sara Shephard, according to Just Jared.

Sasha excitedly shared the news of her return with a post on her Instagram page Monday afternoon.

The blonde beauty captioned the photo, 'So this is happening!!!'

Sasha Pieterse shared an Instagram photo on Monday afternoon confirming her role in the Pretty Little Liars spinoff with the caption, 'So this is happening!!!'

She continued, ''Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists' will include me and my girl @JanelParrish and we feel right at home @freeform'.

Freeform described the new show, 'Everything about the town of Beacon Heights seems perfect, from their top-tier college to their overachieving residents. But nothing in Beacon Heights is as it appears to be.

'The stress of needing to be perfect leads to the towns first murder. Behind every Perfectionist is a secret, a lie and a needed alibi.'

Parrish stars as Mona Vanderwaal on the Freeform mystery drama Pretty Little Liars and will reprise her role for the spinoff 'The Perfectionists'

Pieterse and Parrish will reprise their roles of Alison DiLaurentis and Mona Vanderwaal from the hit show.

'At Freeform, we are committed to delivering shows that push boundaries and become a part of our viewers' lives. Pretty Little Liars was a cultural phenomenon so it's no wonder fans wanted more,' Freeform's exeuctive vp of programming and development Karey Burke said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

This will be the second spinoff to come from Pretty Little Liars as Ravenswood was canceled after just one season.

Sasha is currently making moves on the dance floor on season 25 of Dancing with the Stars, following in the footseps of her co-star who participated in the 19th season of the hit ABC show.
He made his debut on Foxtel's period drama Outlander on Monday night.

And in TV WEEK, actor David Berry revealed how the program's shooting schedule almost caused him to miss the birth of his baby son.

'The timing was a bit nerve-racking but it all worked out,' the 33-year-old told the publication.

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'The timing was nerve-racking!' Actor David Berry, 33, revealed to TV WEEK magazine how Outlander's shooting schedule made him almost miss the BIRTH of his son Alexander

'I didn't really want to leave my wife (Kristina Berry) alone for that period of time, regardless of the opportunity. But then, at the 11th hour, the (schedule) dates changed,' David explained.

'I got into the airport and I was saying, "My baby son's on the way" and rushed straight through customs.

'I was at the hospital by 7am and Alexander arrived at 7pm. The timing was a bit nerve-racking but it all worked out,' the personality went on to say.

David explained: 'I didn't really want to leave my wife (Kristina Berry) alone for that period of time, regardless of the opportunity. But then, at the 11th hour, the (schedule) dates changed'

Came close! 'I got into the airport and I was saying, "My baby son's on the way" and rushed straight through customs. 'I was at the hospital by 7am and Alexander arrived at 7pm,' the A Place To Call Home star continued

After travelling to Glasgow to film scenes in the drama, David returned back home to be at the birth of son Alexander.

The comments come shortly after the entertainer revealed to The Daily Telegraph's Confidential that it was his mother-in-law's go-ahead that persuaded him to sign on to Outlander.

'I was going to say no...but what really sealed it for me to make the decision is my mother-in-law,' David said.

Family input: The comments come shortly after David revealed to The Daily Telegraph's Confidential that it was his mother-in-law's go-ahead that persuaded him to sign on

'She was like "Just do it" and (I think) that's because she's a huge super fan of Outlander.'

'But that blessing made it more comfortable for both of us to think I could go,' David continued.

David's career has has been on the rise since he landed a role of James Bligh in Australian drama, A Place To Call Home.

Stellar run: David's career has has been on the rise since he landed a role of James Bligh in Australian drama, A Place To Call Home. In August last year, it was announced the entertainer would star as Lord John Grey in Outlander

In August last year, it was announced David would star as Lord John Grey in Outlander.

His character is described as a 'steadfast and honorable British subject, torn between a finely-honed sense of familial duty and a strong moral compass of right and wrong,' according to Starz.

David features alongside Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.
They're the smitten Bachelorette couple, who recently enjoyed a month-long jaunt across Europe.

And Georgia Love, 29, revealed her post-holiday blues on Tuesday, telling fans that she is missing her beau Lee Elliot, 36, after just over one week apart.

Taking to Instagram, the Melbourne-based journalist said time apart from Lee is 'killing her.'

Struggling: Georgia Love, 29, revealed her post-holiday blues on Tuesday, telling fans that she is missing her beau Lee Elliot, 36, after just over one week apart

'After a month of being together 24/7 on holidays, these eight days away for work are killing me,' she captioned a throwback snap.

'How did we ever do those three months in secret?! @leeroyelliott #icanthrowbackonatuesdayifiwantto.'

The couple embarked on a romantic trip to Italy last month, where they travelled around various cities and celebrated Georgia's 29th birthday

Separated: Georgia took to Instagram to bemoan the fact she and Lee were being kept apart for work

Happy birthday! The couple embarked on a romantic trip to Italy last month, where they travelled around various cities and celebrated Georgia's 29th birthday

That's one way to celebrate! The couple are enjoying a loved-up getaway in Europe

Georgia took to her Instagram Story to document the occasion, posting a video of herself with Lee, which then cut to the surprise arrival of her friends via boat.

'Here I am sitting on the beach minding my own business then all of a sudden a boat full of our friends rocks up. Yay! What a beautiful surprise!' she can be heard saying.

The reality TV star then starts singing: 'Happy birthday to me'.

'Happy birthday to me': Georgia also documented the celebrations on her Instagram Story and revealed a boatload of friends had come to surprise her

The genetically-blessed couple previously sparked rumours that they may be thinking of tying the knot.

Last month, they were spotted paying a visit to Rome's exclusive Tiffany & Co. boutique - possibly on the hunt for an engagement ring.

It follows on from Georgia's touching one-year anniversary post earlier this month.

Taking to Instagram, she shared a photo of the couple during last year's grand finale episode of The Bachelorette and gushed: ''One year ago, I stood in this exact spot and told the man of my dreams that I loved him.

Tying the knot? The genetically blessed couple have sparked engagements rumours after being spotted looking in jewellery stores while in Italy
She's appeared as a contestant on The Block twice, and in April 2015, won almost $1 million on the show.

And Deanne Jolly - the wife of former AFL star Darren Jolly - made a surprise appearance on the latest series of the show, on Tuesday.

In an awkward moment, renovator and interior designer Dea failed to recognise a juju hat used in Hannah and Clint's challenge bedroom, asking host Shelley Craft: 'What do we call those things?'

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'What do we call those things?' Former Block winner and interior designer Deanne Jolly (seen) awkwardly fails to recognise a juju hat used in Clint and Hannah's challenge room

'It has got a bit of a boho vibe in here, beautiful paint, nice artwork, the bed is beautiful...that probably doesn't make much sense to me,' Dea said about the juju hat.

She added: 'What do we call those things?'

'It's a juju hat,' Shelley said.

Not a fan? 'That probably doesn't make much sense to me,' Dea said about the juju hat (seen R)

Unique: Host Scotty Cam then said he didn't know what a juju hat was and Shelley had to explain to the pair that it is a African feathered headdress (pictured is Hannah)

In it to win it: Pictured are Hannah and Clint

Dea went on, saying: 'Is it a juju hat? Yeah. I think the really big ones are beautiful, not sure about the little one Do you want to put it on Scotty?'

Host Scotty Cam then said he didn't know what a juju hat was and Shelley had to explain to the pair that it is a African feathered headdress.

She said it doesn't suit the 'Alpine luxe' brief of the challenge, and Dea said Clint and Hannah clearly went for two different styles.

On Tuesday's show, the teams went to Mount Buller in Victoria, and had to complete in mini race challenges in the snow, to win money to use in The Block pop-up shop.

They then would be able to renovate a bedroom in a ski resort they were staying at.

Winning the challenge were Ronnie and Georgia, who pocketed $10,000, placing second was Hannah and Clint, who won $6,000, and third was Josh and Elyse, who won $4,000.

Back on top: Winning the challenge were Ronnie and Georgia, (seen), who pocketed $10,000
He's the Swedish-born actor who was one of the biggest action movie draws of the 1980s and 1990s.

And Dolph Lundgren has fallen in love with Australia while filming a role for the Marvel blockbuster Aquaman on the Gold Coast.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, former Gold Coast tourism ambassador Melissa Burrows said she has been organising sightseeing trips for the Expendables 3 star, 59, and his partner Jenny Sandersson.

Love affair: It appears that Dolph Lundgren has taken to Australia while filming Aquaman on the Gold Coast. So much so that he plans to stay as long as he can

'Dolph said he loves it here and feels so comfortable,' she told the publication.

Melissa added that while filming commitments will see Dolph trot the globe again soon, he was planning to make his Australian jaunt last.

'He has other movies in other countries but [he is] staying as long as he can,' she said.

Stay awhile: Speaking to the Herald Sun, former Gold Coast tourism ambassador Melissa Burrows, who has been organising trips for the Expendables 3 star, 59, and his partner Jenny Sandersson

Relaxing: 'Dolph said he loves it here and feels so comfortable,' she told the publication. 'He has other movies in other countries but [he is] staying as long as he can'

'It will be a few weeks longer...but he will be back,' she added in a subtle nod to Dolph's 80s action movie alumnus Arnold Schwarzenegger's iconic Terminator catchphrase.

The publication also reported that Dolph's partner of the last seven years Jenny was also planning to launch a range of leather jackets with a mystery Melbourne fashion designer who will meet with her while on the Gold Coast.

Dolph will play as King Nereus in Aquaman alongside the likes of Jason Momoa, Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard and Willem Dafoe.

He is a more than well credentialed to star in the anticipated Marvel blockbuster having previously appeared in a slew of big budget action fare, including the 1983 adaptation of Marvel IP The Punisher.

As malevolent Russian Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Dolph was also responsible for killing Rocky's sparring partner Apollo Creed ion the ring.
She's the Spanish-born model who is living an idyllic Byron Bay lifestyle with husband Chris Hemsworth and their three children.

But Elsa Pataky, 41, swapped coastal Australian tranquility for the old world charm of Sicily when she shot a campaign for Spanish fashion label Gioseppo on Monday.

Taking to Instagram, Elsa shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the shoot that showed her reclining at the top of a set of stone steps that led to the sea.

Idyllic: Elsa Pataky, 41, swapped coastal Australian tranquility for the old world charm of Sicily when she shot a campaign for Spanish fashion label Gioseppo on Monday

Wearing a fetching black one shoulder number, that flaunted her well sculpted legs, Elsa kicked one in the air as she reclined further accentuating her pins' litheness.

It appeared that Elsa was in love with the location as she added a love heart to the photo, drawn onto the image in pink.

'Sicily! Working hard for the new campaign,' she excitedly captioned the post, adding the hashtags #workingmama #italy #dreaming and #missingmyfamily indicating that she had left Chris and the kids at home.

Kicking it: Wearing a fetching black one shoulder number, that flaunted her well sculpted legs, Elsa flung one in the air as she reclined further accentuating her pins' litheness

Stunner: The post was met with a flurry of comments from fans with the likes of: ' Luv you @elsapatakyconfidential your [sic] soooo beautiful.' Elsa is pictured with husband Chris Hemsworth

The post was met with a flurry of positive comments from fans with the likes of: ' Luv you @elsapatakyconfidential your [sic] soooo beautiful.'

Another chimed in with a similar: 'que muy bonita,' which translates from Spanish as 'how very pretty.'

Having already starred in numerous campaigns for Gioseppo, Elsa revealed to Confidential in August that she was collaborating with the designer for her own clothing line.

While details of what the collection may include are scant at this stage, speaking to the publication in 2016, she revealed that her environmental conscience would play a part in any fashion business she was a part of.

'If I had my own fashion label it would be a sportswear line made from recycled plastic bottles,' she revealed.
She's travelled the world as a leading Australian model and actress.

And this week, Jessica Gomes is celebrating her 33rd birthday in India.

The brunette beauty - who has just covered Maxim's 75th edition - wears a turban in a snap she posted to Instagram.

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'Feeling pretty groovy!' Makeup free Jessica Gomes wears a turban as she celebrates her 33rd birthday in India and indulges in a cake

'Feeling pretty groovy celebrating my birthday,' part of her post read.

She added: 'Thank you for all my birthday wishes! I wish for peace on earth!'

In the snap, Jessica enjoys an Indian meal and goes makeup free in baggy jeans and a striped shirt.

Sweet: Jessica received a birthday cake to mark her special day

Her long dark locks are out and over her shoulders.

Jessica also shared images of some locals to her Instagram, and shared an image of a birthday cake with candles that she received.

Jessica - who hails from Perth - recently flaunted her enviable figure on the cover of Maxim Magazine to celebrate their 75th edition.

She striped down to a one-piece swimsuit to flaunt her ample assets.

Babe! Jessica - who hails from Perth - recently flaunted her enviable figure on the cover of Maxim Magazine to celebrate their 75th edition

Successful: She's travelled the world as a leading Australian model and actress

Jessica is dating Australian actor Xavier Samuel, with the pair believed to have celebrated their one year anniversary last month.

She previously told Yahoo7 Be about why she's notoriously private about the relationship.

'It's something very close to me,' Jessica said.

Jessica explained she prefers to keep her professional and personal life separate.

'I think for me I like to keep things quite separate so I can be focused and be professional at work.'

She added: 'Everyone is different though, but for me I like to keep things quite private in my personal life which works for me and my partner.'
They were both elated on Monday after enjoying sweet treats with their mum Roxy Jacenko.

And the PR queen's two children Pixie, six, and three-year-old Hunter Curtis continued to enjoy the school holidays on Tuesday.

In a snap shared to Instagram, the youngsters beamed and showed off a series of adorable poses while playing around on a balcony ahead of a playdate with their pint-sized pals.

Adorable! Roxy Jacenko's children Pixie, six, and Hunter, three, were seen posing up a storm on a balcony at the family home on Tuesday

'Ready for our double date with Tommy and Eliza,' a photo caption read.

Dressed in a black skirt paired with a pink and white T-shirt and sandals, little Pixie struck a pose alongside her younger brother.

Hunter was wearing grey shorts, a white USA T-shirt and brightly-coloured sneakers.

Posers! In a snap shared to Instagram, the youngsters beamed and showed off a series of adorable poses before heading off on a playdate at the movies

After posing up a storm, the adorable brother-sister duo went to the movies where they enjoyed fun with friends.

The night before, Pixie and Hunter were seen tucking into dessert with their mum Roxy at Bay Vista Parramatta Dessert Bar.

At just six-years-old, Pixie is already following in the footsteps of her business savvy mum Roxy, after the pair unveiled a new range of bows in Sydney recently.

Sweet treats! The night before, Pixie and Hunter were seen tucking into dessert with mum Roxy at Bay Vista Parramatta Dessert Bar

PR queen: Roxy is one of Sydney's most prominent businesswomen

Roxy helped promote her daughter's new range of bows at the annual Essential Baby and Toddlers show in Sydney.

In a series of posts to her Instagram, Pixie, six, was pictured alongside her 37 year old mother and younger brother Hunter, three, at the family's pop up shop aptly titled 'Pixie's Bows.'

'Sales meeting #pixiesbows,' read Pixie's caption, whose Instagram is run by her mother.

New range: At just six-years-old, Pixie is already following in the footsteps of her business savvy mum Roxy after the pair unveiled a new range of bows in Sydney

The family, without husband and dad Oliver Curtis, shared a sentimental moment, embracing as they celebrated the opening of their new venture.

Pixie drove a pink electric ride-on car as she rocked up to the official opening in style.

A heavily decorated pop-up shop awaited her, with her mother and and grandmother Doreen Jacenko manning the sales desk.

Loving moment: The family, without husband and dad Oliver Curtis, shared a sentimental moment, embracing as they celebrated the opening of their new venture

Pullin' up: Pixie drove a pink electric ride-on car as she rocked up to the official opening in style

Pixie looked very professional dressing up in business attire for the event, while younger brother Hunter rocked a casual look with blindingly white Converse.

Roxy and Doreen had a matching look with a white t-shirt and skin tight denim jeans, and took selfies of themselves at the big day.

The family celebrated after the event by going to dinner at China Diner in Bondi, where Pixie helped share another memorable moment.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Parliament is at long last moving to rein in government ministers who bunk Parliament sessions, targeting those who did not attend the august House's business on Wednesday without giving apologies.Those found guilty face contempt charges.This comes on back of numerous complaints, particularly by opposition legislators, over ministers' absence from Parliament business, with National Assembly speaker, Jacob Mudenda, threatening to report them to President Robert Mugabe.Wednesday is traditionally set aside for lawmakers to question ministers on issues concerning the country but the members of the executive had developed a tendency to abscond without applying for leave of absence from Mudenda.When last week's session began, Mudenda told the House that truant ministers would soon be summoned to answer to charges of contempt of Parliament in line with the dictates of the law.Responding to MDC chief whip Innocent Gonese who had reminded him to publicly announce the names of ministers who had sought his indulgence to be excused from attending before the commencement of the questions without notice session, Mudenda said he was still compiling the list."The list is being compiled and I agree with you, we shall get the list and the due process shall follow," he said, adding that "the due process is that, we establish an appropriate committee on Standing Rules and Orders and then they will be summoned accordingly".While he did not mention names, Gonese had observed that while some ministers such as Foreign Affairs' Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and others had accompanied Mugabe to the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, there were others who were inexplicably absent."We know that there are ministers who are not here and we do not believe that all of them are with his excellency in New York."We just want to be informed of those who have accompanied the president and those who have otherwise sought leave of absence and thereafter we can then proceed accordingly," Gonese said.Zanu-PF MP for Gokwe Nembudziya, Justice Mayor Wadyajena, also rose on a point of order to complain about Indigenisation minister, Patrick Zhuwao's absence."May you compel the minister (Zhuwao) to come to Parliament please? He does not even come over here. We do not even know him. I have got questions for the past three months."Other notable absentees were Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo, Ignatius Chombo (Home Affairs) Josiah Hungwe (Psychomotor) Saviour Kasukuwere (Local Government), among several others.While opening the fifth and final session of the eighth Parliament, Mugabe received a rare round of applause from all legislators in the National Assembly after saying the conduct of some Cabinet ministers who bunk Parliament without reason was sullied.Since 2013, when the eighth Parliament's term began, it has been a common trend that questions on the House of Assembly's Order Paper are often deferred due to ministers' failure to turn up for the question and answer sessions, stirring opposition fury.Mugabe said he expected robust debate from the legislators to ensure that the remaining 30 Acts that have not been aligned to the country's Constitution are cleared."The many pieces of legislation for tabling during this session certainly mean hard work which demands absolute commitment and diligence from all members," Mugabe said."Those who do not take the business of this house seriously have no impeccable parliamentary conduct but we expect robust debate and well-informed debate from all members who should always be present, punctual, disciplined, and professional and of impeccable parliamentary conduct," he said, adding that much more is even expected from Cabinet ministers, who should lead by example".
Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins called for mandatory police body-cams after the Peoria Police shot and killed her cousin Eddie Russell Jr. 18 times outside his home last Wednesday.

Law enforcement claimed on Facebook the mentally-ill 25-year-old was captured on surveillance footage committing armed robbery at the First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust and then fled.

After a two-hour stand-off, Special Response Team officers shot Russell after he emerged from his mother's West Sheffield house 'and aggressively advanced toward them with a handgun.'

Outraged: Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins called for mandatory police body-cams after the Peoria Police shot and killed her cousin Eddie Russell Jr. 18 times outside his home last Wednesday (pictured September 13)

The Peoria Police Department have since placed the six officers who fired their weapons on 'critical incident leave.'

Outraged at the excessive force, the 47-year-old R&B belter questioned how Eddie was shot in the back of his head if he was 'aggressively advancing' and accused police of lying to his family.

'Now the question is did he have a gun? You tell me because I've never seen a gun like that before,' T-Boz - who boasts 1.9M social media followers - tweeted surveillance images on Sunday.

Crime scene: Law enforcement claimed the mentally-ill 25-year-old was captured on surveillance footage committing armed robbery at the First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust

Two-hour stand-off: The Peoria Police Department have since placed the six officers who fired their weapons on 'critical incident leave'

Excessive force? The 47-year-old R&B belter questioned how Eddie was shot in the back of his head if he was 'aggressively advancing' and accused police of lying to his family

'It Should Be MANDATORY THAT EVERY COP WEARS A BODY CAM That Way No He Said She Said Bulls*** & LIES CAN HAPPEN (sic).'

Family means a lot to the four-time Grammy winner, whose daughter Chase (with ex-husband Mack 10) is turning 17 next month and she adopted two-year-old son Chance last year.

The Dreams songstress will next appear on Tuesday's episode of Larry King Now!, a talk show streaming on Hulu/Ora TV.

T-Boz shared surveillance images on Sunday and tweeted: 'Now the question is did he have a gun? You tell me because I've never seen a gun like that before'

The Days of Our Lives actress wrote: 'It Should Be MANDATORY THAT EVERY COP WEARS A BODY CAM That Way No He Said She Said Bulls*** & LIES CAN HAPPEN (sic)'

'My babies!' Family means a lot to the Grammy winner, whose daughter Chase (with ex-husband Mack 10) is turning 17 next month and she adopted two-year-old son Chance last year

The A Sick Life author will next headline the sickle cell benefit concert T-Boz Unplugged this Wednesday at Hollywood hotspot Avalon alongside DJ Angie Vee, Frankie J., and Kamaiyah,

Watkins is best known as one-third of the R&B/hip-hop girl group TLC, which sold over 65M records sold worldwide in their nineties heyday.

Tionne and Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas kept the trio going after Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes died, age 30, from a 2002 car accident in Honduras.

'What would you ask her?' The Dreams songstress will next appear on Tuesday's episode of Larry King Now!, a talk show streaming on Hulu/Ora TV

Revealed her diagnosis in 1996: The A Sick Life author will next headline the sickle cell benefit concert T-Boz Unplugged this Wednesday at Hollywood hotspot Avalon
They opted for His 'n' Hers hair transplants in September.

And Maria Fowler and boyfriend Kelvin Batey proudly showed off the results of their latest procedure as they left the W7 End Of The Summer Glow Out party together in London on Monday.

Despite sporting sore looking heads, the couple - who share one-year-old daughter Evie - seemed in good spirits as they headed out on the town.

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Couples who transplant together: Maria Fowler and boyfriend Kelvin Batey proudly showed off the results of their hair transplant as they left the W7 End Of The Summer Glow Out party together in London on Monday

Hair transplants involve donor hair being taken from the back and side of scalp individually - meaning the scarring left is some red pin pricks - which could be seen on the couples' hairline.

Detracting somewhat from the scarring, Maria dazzled in a khaki patterned mini dress that cinched in at her slender waist and brushed against her thighs.

With her tanned and toned pins on display, the former TOWIE star donned a pair of gold strappy heels, and accessorised with delicate hooped earrings.

Kelvin looked dapper as he opted for an all-black outfit.

Leggy lady! Detracting somewhat from the scarring, Maria dazzled in a khaki patterned mini dress that cinched in at her slender waist and brushed against her thighs

Nothing to see hair! Despite sporting sore looking heads, the couple - who share one-year-old daughter Evie - seemed in good spirits as they headed out on the town

Last month, Maria proudly shared the results of their hair transplants on Instagram, writing: 'Not interested in negative comments because it's a massive positive for us and we are already over the moon with the results!!! #CouplesThatTransplant #hairrestoration #HairTransplant #KslHair.'

Image is important to Maria, and she previously spoke about her concerns with losing her baby weight.

She told the Daily Mirror: 'You do see some stars who lose their mummy tummies crazily quickly - posing up with a flat stomach weeks after the birth.

'That wasn't the case with me. I didn't want to go too quickly because I knew that would not be healthy. And I wanted Evie to be rooted in any exercise that I did so I would not spend much time away from her.'

Gorgeous in green: With her tanned and toned pins on display, the former TOWIE star donned a pair of gold strappy heels, and accessorised with delicate hooped earrings

The couple have slipped into their role of parents with ease after they were excited to welcome their first child into the world in September 2016.

At the time of the birth, Kelvin gushed on Twitter: 'Finally got my girls home after a complicated birth. So proud of the both of them and thankful things are ok now. Evie Paris Batey 25/9/16.'

'To meet my soulmate & be lucky enough to start a family with her is the best thing that has ever happened to me. nothing can compare. so happy.'
She has been a TV host on Australian screens since the 1990s.

And Shelley Craft has revealed to TV Week her secret to maintaining a strong relationship with her husband, despite her busy schedule filming The Block.

The 41-year-old said she and her husband Christian Sergiacomi try to enjoy some time together with a date night at once a month.

'Know your partner  not just as a father, but as a person': The Block host Shelley Craft has revealed her secret to maintaining a strong relationship with her husband is organising date night together once a month to enjoy some couple time together

'I appreciate to keep the relationship strong, you still need to spend some couple time and to keep knowing your partner  not just as a father, but as a person'.

'It's important to find out what your partner's needs are just as much as knowing what your kids' needs are,' she added.

Shelley married the Channel Nine cameraman in 2009, and together live in Byron Bay with their two young daughters Milla, seven, and Eadie, five.

Date night! She said: 'I appreciate to keep the relationship strong, you still need to spend some couple time and to keep knowing your partner  not just as a father, but as a person'

Family night in: Shelley married the Channel Nine cameraman in 2009, together live in Byron Bay with their two young daughters Milla, seven, and Eadie, five

She gushed over her partner, calling him a great dad, a very capable, protective person and a great father.

The former presenter of Saturday Disney, who is a devoted mother, also admitted her worries for her daughters ahead of their teen years.

'I'll be in the thick of teenage-hood and that scares the pants off me! But I'm in a really good position at the moment and I'm very grateful.'

Devoted parents: The TV presenter she gushed over her partner, calling him a great dad, a very capable, protective person and a great father

From girls to teens: She also admitted her worries for her daughters ahead of their teen years. 'I'll be in the thick of teenage-hood and that scares the pants off me! But I'm in a really good position at the moment and I'm very grateful,' she said

This comes after Shelley recently described herself as a 'tiger mum' and confessed to having really high expectations of her daughters in 9Supermums.

'We have a job chart Eadies job is to look after our giant Rhodesian Ridgeback and Millias job is to look after the bathroom.'

However, she did go on to say that she quite often goes between being a laid-back mum, 'that's the Byron Bay influence - to wanting my children to have the best manners and be perfectly behaved at all times,' she said.
She's the blonde bombshell known for turning heads in skimpy swimsuits.

And model Brooke Hogan was back at it on Tuesday, as she flaunted her stunning figure in a burgundy bikini.

The 24-year-old posted to Instagram the revealing shot of her relaxing in a spa at a picturesque location.

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Spa with a view! Swimsuit model Brooke Hogan flaunts her stunning figure while relaxing in a spa in a scantily clad Instagram post

'Spa with a view. Unbelievable,' the gorgeous blonde said.

Brooke could be seen scantily clad in the two-piece swimsuit, with much of her gym-honed physique on display.

She wasn't pictured with her good friend and fellow Australian swimwear model Natalie Roser on this occasion though.

Last month, at the launch of the Bumble BFF app in Sydney, she opened-up about the pair's burgeoning friendship.

'It's a super competitive industry, but it's nice when you find girls that are just like you,' Brooke exclusively told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's a super competitive industry, but she's just like me': The personality wasn't pictured with her good friend and fellow Australian swimwear model Natalie Roser on this occasion

'I love that we've made friends through a competitive industry': Last month at the launch of the Bumble BFF app in Sydney, Brooke opened-up about the pair's burgeoning friendship

'We've been friends for quite a while, she's such a nice girl,' Brooke gushed over Natalie.

'She's super down-to-earth, and I love that we've made friends through a competitive industry.

Her latest post comes weeks after she looked just as stunning in a tad more clothing at the Dior x Mercedes Benz lunch in Melbourne

Brooke wowed onlookers in a baby blue pants and cropped wrap combo, flashing glimpses of both her toned torso and cleavage in the ensemble.
They're at the top of their games when it comes to their careers and have somehow managed to juggle work with successful personal lives.

And following new reports that indicate having children can set women's careers back six years, Lisa Wilkinson, 57, and Sylvia Jeffreys, 37, provided a few words of wisdom to ladies who want it all.

Speaking on the Today show on Tuesday, the TV personalities shared their own experiences and gave tips on how to manage the work/life juggling act.

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Juggling act! On the Today show on Tuesday, Sylvia Jeffreys (left) and Lisa Wilkinson (right) shared tips for women on how to progress in their careers after having kids

Lisa, who shares three kids with husband Peter FitzSimons, said that after having children one difficult aspect of returning to work was a lack of confidence.

'You go back into the workplace and you can feel really under confident and it doesn't help when there's a gender pay gap, when you still don't have proper childcare and also have women feel like they are on the back foot when they go back to work,' she explained.

'I say to all women there's never a perfect time to have a baby but be confident in your choice and up-skill whenever you can and try and set a standard in your workplace.'

'There's never a perfect time to have a baby but be confident in your choice and up-skill whenever you can': Lisa (pictured with husband Peter FitzSimons,) shared her advice for going back to work after having kids

Working mum: The successful career woman shares three children with husband Pete: Billi, 19, Louis, 21, and Jake, 23

Sylvia, who wed Peter Stefanovic earlier this year, added that while she was lucky enough to have a job that would support her choices, workplaces should be more accommodating when it comes to families.

'It should be a case where gone are the days of the eight to five work day,' the journalist suggested.

'We need more flexibility, we need more child care, we need more assistance in the home to make sure that you can get the job done to the best of your capacity without taking a step back.'

'It should be a case where gone are the days of the eight to five work day,' Meanwhile, Sylvia Jeffreys (left) who wed Peter Stefanovic (right) suggested there should be more flexibility in the workplace

The discussion on the impact of family choices on a woman's career came after an Easy Offices survey found that having a baby can hinder progression in the workplace.

The survey found that four in 10 respondents thought having a baby led to them being discriminated against in the workplace.

It also suggested that 42 percent of working mothers felt they would be in a more senior position at work if they hadn't decided to start a family.
They are still going strong, after blissfully dating for more than a year.

And Jenson Button, 37, and Brittny Ward couldn't have looked more smitten on Monday, when they headed out to lunch at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills.

Model Brittny, 25, dressed to catch the eye for their date at the Italian eatery in a daringly low-cut top, which was head-turning in peachy-nude.

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Look of love! Brittny Ward, 26, secured the eyes of her boyfriend Jenson Button, 37, as she showed off her ample cleavage in plunging nude top in Beverly Hills, California on Monday

The Playboy pin-up also showcased her slender waist as she tucked her top into her cut-off jeans.

Showing off her sense of style, Brittny accessorised with baby pink cat-eye sunglasses and beige ankle boots complete with studs for the ultimate chic look.

For sparkle, the stunning brunette wore two layered golden necklaces which glittered in the sunlight.

Must be love: The lovebirds enjoyed a sunny lunch date at the Italian eatery Il Pastaio

Stunning pair: The Playboy pin-up also showcased her incredibly tiny waist as she tucked her top into her cut-off jeans while the Formula One ace cut a casual figure in a green T-shirt

So it was no surprise the British racing driver was unable to keep his eyes off his beautiful other half.

The Formula One ace cut a casual figure in a green T-shirt and shorts teamed with sandals.

He also shielded his eyes from the California sun in a pair of stylish sunglasses.

Sparks are flying: Brittny returned Jenson's affections as she gazed lovingly at the racing driver hunk

They were in the good company of their pals when they headed out for lunch.

The lovebirds went public in March 2016 following Jenson's high-profile split from his wife Jessica Michibata in December 2015.

Jenson and Jessica were said to have remained on good terms despite calling it quits on their romance a year after getting married.

Cosy: The pair looked completely and utterly relaxed in each other's company

The divorced couple had taken their vows at a lavish Hawaiian ceremony in December 2014.

Of the martial split, a spokesperson for Jenson told MailOnline at the time: 'They have decided to go their separate ways and it is very amicable. There is no one else involved.'

They first met in a hotel bar in Tokyo in 2008 and the ex couple struck up a relationship eight months later.

The McLaren star popped the question on Valentine's Day 2014 with a ring worth 250,000.

Still in love: The couple have gone from strength to strength since they went public with their affections in March 2016
Kylie Jenner is expecting a baby girl and is five months pregnant, according to TMZ.

The reality star, 20, who is yet to publicly state herself that she is pregnant, is said to be welcoming a daughter with her 25-year-old rapper beau Travis Scott, who she is thought to have begun dating around April.

The news of the make-up mogul's reported new arrival comes after fans have taken to social media in droves to reveal their belief that they've uncovered the exact moment that Travis learned he was set to become a dad.

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New bundle of joy: Kylie Jenner, 20, is reportedly expecting a baby girl and is said to be five months pregnant, according to TMZ (pictured in January)

'Baby daddy': The latest news comes as her beau Travis Scott, 25, cut a moody figure as he stepped out in Miami Beach, Florida

On June 12, the Goosebumps rapper excitedly took to Twitter to announce: 'Legit happiest day of my life,' but opted to share no other details at the time.

The tweet, which would have been sent out a month into Kylie's reported pregnancy, has since been unearthed by fans, who have now started to share it around.

Another potentially telling moment - when Kylie herself may have been in the early stages of her allegedly expecting her child - was when she went on a trip to Peru.

During the trip, which took place in early May, the reality TV star took to her Snapchat account to share images of herself wearing a mask as she revealed she needed supplemental oxygen while suffering from altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness: In May, Kylie shared images of herself wearing an oxygen mask after revealing that she'd been suffering from altitude sickness during a trip to Peru

Morning sickness? However, fans are now guessing that the 20-year-old may have been suffering from morning sickness at the time

'Happiest day of my life': Fans have taken to social media to reveal their belief that they've uncovered the exact moment that Travis learned he was set to become a dad on June 12

Given the direction of fans' investigations - and calculations of how far pregnant she is reported to be - there are now assertions that Kylie was actually suffering from morning sickness.

Sources directly connected with Kylie and Travis told TMZ the latest news about the sex of their purported baby.

They added: 'We've also learned Travis has been privately telling friends about the pregnancy for nearly 2 months.'

This comes after her Caitlyn Jenner seemed to confirm on Monday that daughter Kylie is pregnant with her first child.

However, the youngest Jenner has yet to say anything herself and instead took to Instagram to share a throwback snap of herself showing off her flat stomach.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Kylie and Travis for further comment.

'Pregnant': The reality star, who is yet to publicly state herself that she is pregnant, is said to be welcoming a daughter with the rapper, who she only began dating in April

Lovebirds: Kylie and Travis are said to have gotten together in April, but the exact date is unknown

Old news: The social media savvy star has yet to announce any news of a new arrival, but did recently take to Instagram to upload a throwback snap of herself baring her flat stomach

That same day a source told People how mom Kris Jenner is feeling: 'Of course, Kris will support Kylie being a mom. But she is still adjusting to the surprise news.'

And the insider added that Kris is doing 'whatever she can' to make sure her Kylie's cosmetics empire thrives.

'Kris is just trying to control what she can and make sure no one forgets Kylie is also a businesswoman. She wants to set Kylie Cosmetics up to sell,' said the friend.

The company is expected to have $386 million in sales in 2017, according to WWD.

'Kylie has worked so hard to build that empire. Kris doesnt want to see the pregnancy affect how that is perceived,' the source added.

Koming clean! This comes after Caitlyn Jenner seemed to confirm on Monday that daughter Kylie is pregnant with her first child - a girl due in February

Shocked lady: People magazine have also claimed her Kylie's Kris Jenner is still 'adjusting to the surprise news'

Letting slip: Caityn is the first person from Kylie's family to seemingly confirm the pregnancy

A representative for Caitlyn - formerly Bruce - told The Sun when asked how she found out about her daughter's pregnancy: 'All I can tell you is that it was some time ago.'

On Monday Ryan Seacrest, who is a producer on the family's E! reality show, reached out to momager Jenner on air when he was co-hosting Live With Kelly And Ryan from New York City to ask about the beauty's condition. He didn't get a no.

It was during the opening of the morning talk show when Ryan reached for his cell phone and texted the mother of Kylie.

He was hoping she would confirm that Kylie was pregnant. But what he got back, 'Kylies not confirming anything.'

Kylie has been seen since the news broke.

His attempt: On Monday Ryan Seacrest, who is a producer on the family's E! reality show, reached out to momager Kris Jenner via text on air when he was co-hosting Live With Kelly And Ryan from New York City to ask about the beauty's condition

He has known the family forever! Ryan and the clan seen in 2007 in LA; here is Caitlyn, far right, when she was Bruce Jenner

Over the weekend she pulled up her shirt and touched her tummy as she posed with her friend Jordyn Woods. It was too difficult to tell if she had a bump or not.

The star was also seen with Travis going to his iHeart Radio performance. Again she wore a baggy T-shirt.

And she was also at her best friend Jordyn Woods' birthday party in Malibu; again she was covered up.

Ryan was seen on Sunday interviewing Kylie for the KUWTK 10 year anniversary special, but the show was taped in the spring, before she likely got pregnant.

The reality star and her rapper boyfriend are said to have broken the happy news to friends earlier this month at the Day N Night Fest in Anaheim.

On air: Ryan was seen on Sunday interviewing Kylie for the KUWTK 10 year anniversary special, but the show was taped in the spring; here are Kendall, left, and Kylie, right, from the show

Jenner is pregnant: The reality star 'is expecting a baby with boyfriend Travis Scott' friends claim; the two are seen here in April, soon after they started dating

TMZ first broke the news, with a report stating that Travis was telling friends his life was about to change.

A further source told People magazine that Kylie was overjoyed about her pregnancy.

'It is an unexpected but completely amazing turn of events that she could not be more excited or thrilled about,' they said.

Kylie began dating Travis back in April following her split from former long-term boyfriend Tyga, who has a child, son King Cairo, with Blac Chyna (Rob Kardashian's ex).

As news broke of the pregnancy on Friday the rapper added his own thoughts to the mix - Snapchatting, then deleting, the comment: 'hell nah that's my kid!'

Four months ago - around the time she fell pregnant - Kylie went on a charity trip to Peru. Keeping Up With The Kardashians viewers were watching as a private jet made a pit stop in Miami to collect her, after she spent a romantic few days with Travis.

Oh Tyga! As news broke of the pregnancy on Friday Tyga added his own thoughts to the mix - Snapchatting, then deleting, the comment 'hell nah that's my kid!'

On Sunday: The star shared this image with her best friends over the weekend but still managed to conceal her 'bump'

Something to tell us? On Thursday she shared a shot with a group of friends, in which she wore a baggy T-shirt

Longtime friends: Kylie also posed with ber best pals Jordyn and Stassi during the bash

Kylie has previously spoken of her yearning to have a child, even confiding in her grandmother MJ on an episode of I Am Cait that she planned to be a 'young mom'.

Indeed there was wide speculation that she was expecting a child shortly before her break-up with Tyga back in April.

And while the rumor later proved to be untrue, Kylie made it clear she was keen on the idea of starting a family.

'I feel like 30 is too late!' she said on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. 'Every psychic said that Im only going to have two kids.'

Her brand: Kylie released new designs for Kendall + Kylie this week; here she is seen in one of the ads shared on Friday

On Life Of Kylie back in July she claimed was ready to get out of the spotlight and have a more normal life.

'I can't do it forever,' Kylie said.

'There is an image I constantly feel pressure to keep up with,' Kylie confesses. 'And then there's the real Kylie.'

The sister of Vogue model Kendall Jenner added: 'I do feel pressure to not let anybody down. Nobody has a perfect life.'
A clear skin beauty advert featuring Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter has been pulled from screens over concerns of bullying in teenagers with immediate effect.

The Proactiv+ skin commercial has raised concerns for school-age children after the actress spoke of being ridiculed for her bad skin at the age of 16.

The 29-year-old TV actress and reality star, voted 50th sexiest woman in the world by FHM magazine in 2011, has been the face of the brand for 18 months

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Banned: Jorgie Porter's Proactiv skin advert has been pulled from screens, after concerns were raised about bullying in schools

In the advert, Jorgie says she has suffered from poor skin since 14 and recalls name-calling, including 'spotty' and 'pizza face', from boys that drove her to hide away.

In a statement released to MailOnline on Tuesday, The Proactiv Company apologised, saying: 'It was never our intention for the ad to be interpreted in this way. We strongly object to any form of bullying.

'We simply wanted to show that Jorgie had struggled with breakouts for a long time, and that the advertised products had worked for her and could also work for the viewers. We are very sorry if anyone has been offended by the ad'.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Jorgie Porter for further comment.

Transformation: In the advert, Jorgie (left, aged 16) explains that she was bullied for her screen and now (left) feels more confident

Emotional: The subject was clearly an emotional topic for the Hollyoaks actress

Current ambassadors include Dancing With The Stars' Julianne Hough and Hollywood star Olivia Munn.

Famous former faces of the brand have included Justin Bieber, Sean 'Diddy' Combs as well as Avril Lavigne.

Jorgie was announce as the new face of Proactiv+ skin in April 2016 and the advert has run ever since.

The actress attributed her fresh-faced and red carpet-ready complexion to her regular use of the brand's products, after discovering it through a Hollyoaks co-star.

TV star: Jorgie (pictured last week) was chosen as the new face of Proactiv in April 2016

Clear skin: Jorgie attributes her red carpet transformation to the products she uses from the Proactiv range

Reflecting: The suggestion that children are bullied more if they have spots was not the intention of The Proactiv Company, they say

Dropped: The advert has been pulled with immediate effect

She said: 'My breakouts were huge on my chin and I called them 'The Alps'. I think it was hormones that caused the breakouts as I was at that age where my body was changing.

'A lot of the time I would rather stay in or go to dancing where there wasn't a mirror I had to look at myself in.

'I would rather do that than go out with everyone, I would always make up excuses. I tried everything, I've even popped spots with needles which is a complete no no and used perfume and peroxide to dry spots out.'
She opted to reduce her famous E-cup breast implants by two sizes last month.

And Imogen Thomas was more than happy to show them off on Monday, as she topped up her tan in Majorca.

The 34-year-old showcased her enviably svelte frame and new, smaller assets in a skimpy lime bikini, as she enjoyed a dip in the pool in the holiday hot spot.

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Simply the breast! Imogen Thomas was more than happy to show off her newly-reduced assets on Monday, as she topped up her tan in Majorca

Making them green with envy: The 34-year-old showcased her enviably svelte frame and new, smaller assets in a skimpy lime bikini, as she relaxed by the pool in the holiday hot spot

The mother-of-two set pulses racing as she relaxed in her two-piece - which plunged at the chest to leave her newly-reduced chest and delicate cleavage on show.

Pulling into stylish triple straps, the top then cut off just below her bust, to leave her enviably tiny waist and flat stomach on show.

Paired with equally skimpy bottoms, which rose high at the rear, the former Big Brother star then gave an even sexier flash of her derriere as she strutted her stuff by the pool.

Stunning: The mother-of-two set pulses racing as she relaxed in her two-piece

Transformed: The top plunged at the chest to leave her newly-reduced chest and delicate cleavage on show

Chic: The top remained stylish as well as saucy however by pulling into striking triple straps

Slender: The top then cut off just below her bust, to leave her enviably tiny waist and flat stomach on show

She left her hair wet from her swim and opted to go without make-up, to display her clear and glowing complexion to all.

Adding oversized shades to her face however, the Welsh beauty tied her look together with a touch of glamour, as she enjoyed another holiday abroad.

First topping up her tan, the brunette was seen enjoying a quick dip in the pool, before she headed to the shower to cool herself off in the Spanish heat.

Life's peachy: Paired with equally skimpy bottoms, which rose high at the rear, the former Big Brother star then gave a flash of her derriere as she strutted her stuff by the pool

Pins on parade! Sporting nothing atop her bikini, the two-piece then left her impressively long and slender legs on show

Natural beauty: She left her hair wet from her swim and opted to go without make-up, to display her clear and glowing complexion to all

Fit to bust! Imogen appeared more than confident with her new chest, which she had surgically reduced last month

Sexily tilting her head back underneath the water, Imogen happily drew attention to her chest - after undergoing a life-changing breast reduction last month.

The star unveiled the results in New! magazine last month, and confessed she chose to go under the knife after developing a dislike for her 'saggy' E-cup breast - causing her confidence to plummet.

She shared: 'My boobs were so saggy before. I hated them so I'll definitely be more confident now. I can't wait to wear a backless dress and feel good.'

Glam girl: Adding oversized shades to her face however, the Welsh beauty tied her look together with a touch of glamour, as she enjoyed another holiday abroad

Water baby: First topping up her tan, the brunette was seen enjoying a quick dip in the pool

Getting hot out here: She later headed to the shower to cool herself off in the Spanish heat

The breast decision: Sexily tilting her head back underneath the water, Imogen happily drew attention to her chest - after undergoing a life-changing breast reduction last month

New me: The star recently confessed she chose to go under the knife after developing a dislike for her 'saggy' E-cup breast - causing her confidence to plummet

Confidence is key: She shared: 'My boobs were so saggy before. I hated them so I'll definitely be more confident now. I can't wait to wear a backless dress and feel good'

While still recovering from the surgery, carried out at London's St John & Queen Elizabeth hospital, she admitted that her partner Adam Horsley - who she shares daughters Ariana, four, and 22-month-old Siera with - 'couldn't wait to get his hands' on her new cleavage.

'He's seen them with the dressings on. I'm sure he can't wait to get his hands on them but that won't happen any time soon,' she said. 'No, I think he's going to love them.'

However she was quick to add: 'I'm more nervous around him just in case he grabs them quickly, because they're so tender. I want to be properly healed before before he starts putting his hands on them.'

Professional: The surgery was carried out at London's St John & Queen Elizabeth hospital

Copping a feel: She also admitted that her partner Adam Horsley 'couldn't wait to get his hands' on her new cleavage

Her number one fan: 'I'm sure he can't wait to get his hands on them but that won't happen any time soon,' she said. 'No, I think he's going to love them'

Doting mother: She and Adam share two daughters - Ariana, four, and 22-month-old Siera

Careful: However she was quick to add: 'I want to be properly healed before before he starts putting his hands on them!'

Whilst she is often seen in a bikini to model her swimwear line, Imogen previously revealed that she 'hated' her breasts after she had a boob job.

Speaking to MailOnline earlier this year, Imogen confessed: 'I'm totally body conscious. It's so hard because I'm naturally a curvy woman, but after having kids and getting older it's hard to maintain your figure.

'I hate my hips. I hate my boobs, they're too big,' before first admitting that she wanted her implants removed.

Low self-esteem: Whilst she is often seen in a bikini to model her swimwear line, Imogen previously revealed that she 'hated' her breasts after she had a boob job

Difficult: Speaking to MailOnline earlier this year, Imogen confessed: 'It's hard because I'm naturally curvy, but after having kids and getting older it's hard to maintain your figure'
It's been over twenty years since he first starred as the hunky James Bond in the nation's favourite spy franchise, winning him a legion of female admirers.

But Pierce Brosnan proved he's still got his famous charm on Monday, as he headed to film The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York City.

The heartthrob, 64, was as smooth as his famous 007 counterpart by winking for cameras, as he arrived at the Ed Sullivan Theatre hand-in-hand with his wife Keely Shaye Smith, 54.

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He's still got it: James Bond star Pierce Brosnan proved he's still got his famous charm on Monday, as he headed to film The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York City

Dressed to kill, the four-time James Bond star looked typically slick in a sapphire blue suit, complete with matching tie.

Channeling his famous alter-ego further, he then maintained his suave appearance by adding shiny pointed brogues, as he headed inside to film his episode on the chat show with his stunning wife Keely.

The American journalist exuded elegance in a form-fitting black midi dress, which she teamed with comfortable but chic flat camel sandals.

Smooth: The heartthrob, 64, was as smooth as his famous 007 counterpart by winking for cameras, as he arrived at the Ed Sullivan Theatre hand-in-hand with his wife Keely Shaye Smith

She accessorised with glamorous sunglasses and a beaded white necklace with a tassel pendant, to break up the dress' black hue.

Pierce and Keely looked more in love than ever as they headed inside hand-in-hand - having first met in Mexico back in 1994.

The pair went onto tie the knot in a romantic ceremony in Ballintubber Abbey in Ireland in 2001, and went on to welcome sons Dylan, 20, and Paris, sixteen.

Stylish: The four-time James Bond star looked typically slick in a sapphire blue suit, complete with matching tie, while Keely stunned in a form-fitting black midi dress

It is the Hollywood hunk's second marriage, as the movie star first got hitched to Cassandra Harris in December 1980.

The couple were together until the Australian actress died of Ovarian cancer at the age of 43 in December 1991.

They had one biological son Sean, 34, together during their 11-year marriage, and he also adopted Cassandra's children Charlotte, who died age 42, and Christopher, 44, from her first marriage to Dermot Harris.

Pierce was no doubt promoting his new film The Foreigner on the show, which hits cinemas on October 13.

New project: Pierce was no doubt promoting his new film The Foreigner on the show, which hits cinemas on October 13

The flick follows a businessman, played by Jackie Chan, who attempts to find the terrorists responsible for the attack that killed his daughter - leading to a cat-and-mouse conflict with a British government official Hennessy, played by Pierce.

While he has embarked on a number of projects over the years, the Irish actor is best known for playing famous British spy James Bond.

In 1994, the actor became the fifth actor to take on the much coveted role, and starred in four films from 1995 to 2002.

He played the hero in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.
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by Staff reporter

Opposition leader and former vice president, Joice Mujuru, has waded into the Tendai Biti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) infighting, arguing there is nothing untoward about the latter's secretary-general Gorden Moyo announcing their alliance.Last week, PDP was plunged into chaos after Moyo announced that the party was not part to the MDC Alliance.He said instead, they were "working together" with Mujuru.Addressing a press conference in Bulawayo alongside Zapu president Dabengwa and officials from Mujuru's National People's Party after they had registered as voters, Moyo said their meeting was a culmination of "protracted" negotiations.However, Biti insists that PDP is a bona fide member of the MDC Alliance, which has since endorsed Tsvangirai as its candidate for the 2018 elections.But in a development that will, in all likelihood, strain relations between the MDC Alliance and Mujuru, who is expected to join others in a grand coalition, she backs Moyo, arguing he was right in making the announcement.Through her spokesperson, Gift Nyandoro, who also doubles as the NPP secretary-general, Mujuru sought to exonerate Moyo saying he had made "a reasonable statement of intent based on our on-going deliberations with PDP"."As NPP, we understand that their secretary-general is our contact person in our deliberations, unless there are insinuations that PDP is not aware of ever having discussions with us on coalitions, then NPP will be persuaded otherwise," Nyandoro told the Daily News yesterday.In dismissing Moyo's coalition announcement, Biti said the former State Enterprises minister had no authority to enter into coalition agreements on PDP's behalf."I am the president of the party and no one except me has the authority to do that and if there are any rogue officials doing that, we will deal with them accordingly," Biti said referring further questions to Jacob Mafume, the PDP spokesperson.On his part, Mafume slammed Moyo, describing him as "a poster child of disunity and tribalism"."That (PDP is not part to the MDC Alliance) is a piece of fiction," Mafume said adding "we have fully committed to the MDC alliance"."The move (to join Mujuru alliance) was announced by the secretary-general who for some reason has chosen to become the poster child and face of disunity."We are fully behind the alliance and candidature of Tsvangirai for the upcoming election. The alliance issues are done".Moyo's mobile number was not reachable throughout yesterday.However, announcing the Mujuru coalition, Moyo said "we are working together. We are finalising our terms of working together"."So whether we are going to have a broader coalition at some point, it does not depend on us alone. It depends on everybody else as we are engaging everyone, social movements, women and churches, he said.Notwithstanding Biti's concerns, Nyandoro reiterated that the NPP and PDP were continuing with negotiations regardless."We are not aware of having received communications from PDP that the engagement has been undone and that their secretary general is no longer the contact person between our two progressive parties," he said.This comes as Tsvangirai, currently on sick leave after he fell ill last week and was flown to South Africa for treatment, is grappling with how to placate one of his deputies, Thokozani Khupe, who is fiercely opposed to the MDC Alliance.While a meeting between Tsvangirai and his second-in command to try and heal the rift to avoid another split has been scheduled, Khupe has been digging in demanding that they meet at a neutral venue outside Harare.Khupe, along with MDC national chairperson, Lovemore Moyo and party organising secretary, Abednico Bhebhe, are against Tsvangirai's move to forge an alliance with Ncube's MDC and PDP.
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James Franco has put his bohemian Los Angeles duplex up for sale for $949,000.

The Oscar-nominated actor and director, 39, has listed the 1,496-square-foot two bedroom and three bathroom Spanish-style home, which is nestled in the hipster enclave of Silver Lake.

The 127 Hours star, who bought the property in 2012 for $775,000, was reportedly hit with complaints from neighbours in 2013 - who claimed he wasn't actually living in the house but running a production company there.

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Rustic charm: James Franco has put his bohemian Los Angeles duplex up for sale for $949,000

Built in 1923, the character-filled home boasts a European-style floor plan with multiple living areas spread over several levels.

The house also features a compact, rustic patio, and a 'crow's nest' top floor surrounded by windows looking out over the Hollywood sign towards the Griffith Observatory and the Silver Lake reservoir.

It also boasts a series of outdoor spaces including several tree-shaded terraces carved into the hillside behind the duplex and a large deck on top of the garage.

Why Him actor Franco bought the duplex back in August 2012 for $775,000 from Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant. It was briefly owned by European princess Tatiana von Furstenberg at the turn of the century.

New horizons: The Oscar-nominated actor and director, 39, has listed the 1,496-square-foot two bedroom and three bathroom Spanish-style home, which is nestled in the hipster enclave of Silver Lake

Outdoor living: The house also features a compact, rustic patio, and a 'crow's nest' top floor surrounded by windows looking out over the Hollywood sign towards the Griffith Observatory and the Silver Lake reservoir

Bohemian: Built in 1923, the character-filled home boasts a European-style floor plan with multiple living areas spread over several levels

Meanwhile, James' neighbours could be happy to see him move, amid reports they sent an email in 2013 claiming he was using the house as the headquarters for a company.

'Over the course of the last weeks the individuals living on the property appear to be running a MAJOR production company out of the house and have also used it for shoots,' they wrote.

The neighbor concluded: 'We like James Franco and we like some of his movies, but we're not so enamored of his presence that we are willing to give up our sanity in our own home.'

Star credentials: Why Him actor Franco bought the duplex back in August 2012 for $775,000 from Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant

Living the high life: It was briefly owned by European princess Tatiana von Furstenberg at the turn of the century

Franco previously lived in a Mediterranean-style home in the hills above Studio City that was sold for $1.525 million in 2006.

He then moved to a $2.35million renovated 1920s Mediterranean villa across the street from the iconic Chateau Marmont Hotel in West Hollywood. He sold the sprawling property in early 2010 for $3.3 million.

It comes as the Pineapple Express star opened up about his breakdown last November, in a searingly honest interview with GQ Australia last month.

'I really had a moment of crisis. I hit a wall,' James admitted, admitting the breakdown was due to running away from himself.

Opulent: One of the three bedrooms boasts hardwood floors, white walls and breezy Palladian windows

Cosy: It also boasts a series of outdoor spaces including several tree-shaded terraces carved into the hillside behind the duplex and a large deck on top of the garage

Big spender: Franco previously lived in a Mediterranean-style home in the hills above Studio City that was sold for $1.525 million in 2006

'It was a gradual thing. I hadn't been in a relationship in a long time and was like, realising how much I was running from feelings and people. And how much of my identity was wrapped up in work,' he added.

His last serious relationship was with actress Ahna O' Reilley in 2011 and he later confessed that he was incapable of settling down.

'I was a person that was incapable of settling down with anyone because I was so self-consumed before. I was incapable of sharing my heart with anyone. I was so scared to be vulnerable that I made myself busy every minute of the day, so I had an excuse. But I didn't realise until it started to hurt enough,' he said.

Impressive: He then moved to a $2.35million renovated 1920s Mediterranean villa across the street from the iconic Chateau Marmont Hotel in West Hollywood. He sold the sprawling property in early 2010 for $3.3 million
He's warned that he's 'ruthless' in business and 'will do anything I can to succeed'.

Though an insider claims that The Apprentice's new 'Tory boy' contestant Elliot van Emden, 32, showed no 'killer instinct' when he worked in politics.

It was revealed on Tuesday, just as the 2017 line-up was released, that Elliot spent less than a year working as an intern for David Cameron (before he became Prime Minster) during which time he was simply regarded as 'sweet and nice'.

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'Sweet and nice': An insider told MailOnline that new Apprentice candidate Elliot van Emden - a self-proclaimed ruthless businessman - is lacking killer instinct

Speaking to MailOnline on Tuesday, a source predicted: 'He'll be out [of the competition] fairly soon, there wasn't any killer instinct.'

'He was sweet, a nice bloke. He didn't do anything special for David Cameron (not inner circle - or in any circle for that matter), he was an intern working in the correspondence unit (basically copying and pasting emails).

'He wanted to go and be an investment banker and seemed bright and determined and the sort of person who might make it.'

Ruthless? During his time in politics, Elliot was said to have worked as an intern in correspondence for David Cameron

David Cameron was the leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016 and Prime Minister between 2010 to 2016.

After the nine month stint in David Cameron's office, Elliot went on to study for a law degree.

Impressively, by August 2015, he had gone on to establish his own law firm Bridgewood Legal Limited, for which he now serves as director.

Elliot is also the commercial director of Parliament Street, an innovative young think tank, at which Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo serves as Events Manager.

Back to business: This year's contestants are (back row, left to right) James White, Ross Fretten, Jeff Wan and Andrew Brady; (middle row, left to right) Jade English, Sarah Lynn, Charles Burns, Bushra Shaikh, Sarah-Jayne Clark, Michaela Wain, Siobhan Smith, Joanna Jarjue, Anisa Topan, Elliot Van Emden, Elizabeth McKenna and Sajan Shah; (front row) Danny Grant (left) and Harrison Jones (right)

Best known for her role as a bubbly blonde on London-based E4 reality show MIC, Georgia was originally a politics student at Westminster University.

She announced her role with Parliament Street in 2015, with director Steven George-Hilley saying: 'Her passion for campaigning on issues like voter apathy will inspire a whole generation of young people to get involved in politics.'

Joining the latest crop of 18 contestants, which includes a Muslim clothing designer, a hip hop dancer and a self-confessed 'bonkers country girl', Elliot has expressed his intent to band together with the strongest candidates from the start, in order to secure his place in the final.

Colleagues: As commercial director of Think Tank Parliament Street, Elliot works alongside Made In Chelsea's Georgia Toffolo, who serves as Events Manager for the brand

He describes himself as an affable chap, but concedes that people in business 'love me or hate me'.

Since his time in politics, Elliot has maintained his strong steer towards Brexit, regularly voicing his opinion on Twitter during EU Referendum in 2016.

A strong influence on business in the United Kingdom, Brexit was addressed by Lord Sugar at the launch on Tuesday.

He said: 'We're in strange times now, with Brexit, but be under no illusion, in this process I'm the one who decides who's going to remain and I'm the one who decides who's going to leave - simple as that.'
She's been getting mixed reviews for her new horror movie Mother!, which she has been touring the world promoting at various international film festivals.

But Jennifer Lawrence, 27, was the focus of what is likely her most bizarre critique of all recently, when she read out a very raunchy Celebrity Mean Tweet about herself in a pre-recorded clip which aired on US TV on Monday night.

Taking part in another star-studded instalment of the Jimmy Kimmel Live segment, the actress read a tweet from somebody who suggested that she 'gives really unenthusiastic h**dj*bs', to which she hilariously responded: 'How do they know?'

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Jennifer Lawrence raised laughs when she read out a very raunchy tweet about herself during Monday night's instalment of Celebrity Mean Tweets on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Also joining the Oscar-winning beauty for a round of viewing the harsh words people on social media share about them was Gwyneth Paltrow, who has sung the praises of vaginal steaming 'for healing purposes' in her lifestyle publication Goop.

The actress, who celebrates her 45th birthday on Wednesday, read: 'Can Gwyneth Paltrow just stuck to steaming her vagina and shut the f**k up, for f**k's sake?'

Jennifer Aniston, 48, encountered a tweet that was far less blue, though equally mean-spirited, which stated: 'Jennifer Aniston is what happens when a bag of flour gets its big break.' Showing her sense of humour, she dubbed the tweet 'funny'.

Steaming: Gwyneth Paltrow was told to 'stick to steaming her vagina' in one harsh missive

Mean girls: Jennifer Aniston faced less raunchy words, though they were still mean-spirited

Not very nice: Emma Watson seemed unimpressed as she read the unkind words aimed at her

Also faring badly was French-born, British-raised actress Emma Watson, 27, who read: 'Emma Watson seems like the type of girl who I would be friends with for like three days and then get really sick of, but not tell her.'

The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss, 35, pulled a sad face as she encountered the words: 'Elisabeth Moss looks stunning. I think she can clean up well, despite my grandmother's harsh opinion that she's hideous.'

And Israeli actress and model Gal Gadot, 32, was forced to assure 'they're there, don't worry', after encountering a tweeter's musings why 'that woman got no t**ties'.



The men of Hollywood weren't left out of the viciousness, with 36-year-old actor Jake Gyllenhaal reading a tweet which stated that he 'has the most punchable face of all time. I'd like nothing more than to sock him in his ugly soft, starry-eyed pug face.'

Horrible: Elisabeth Moss appeared to enjoy the tweet aimed at her... until she reached the end

Playground antics: Kristen Bell said that the mean words directed at her were 'probably true'

All intact: Gal Gadot assured she's endowed as somebody mused about the size of her bosom

Violence is not the answer: One tweeter took aim at screen star Jake Gyllenhaal's famous face

The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons was left exclaiming 'oh God!' when he perused somebody's harsh claim that he 'looks like a ventriloquist's dummy that came to life to become a sex offender'.

When his turn rolled around, Michael Keaton read: 'Someone just told me I smiled like Michael Keaton and I don't know if I should take one million selfies or put a gun in my mouth.'

After laughing in reaction to the tweet, the 66-year-old actor wryly advised: 'I'd put a gun in your mouth.'

Also getting Celebrity Mean Tweets treatment on the night were Dave Chappelle, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Alec Baldwin, John Lythgow, Bob Odenkirk, Jeffrey Tambor and Kumail Nanjiani.

Game of moans: Game Of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau found his character under attack

Foe: Alec Baldwin read a tweet from his most famous nemesis - US President Donald Trump

Shock: The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons appeared to be taken aback when he read his tweet
It's been nearly a year since she was robbed at gunpoint after being tied up in the bathroom of her luxury residence in France.

And according to US Weekly, Kim Kardashian is now skipping Paris Fashion Week, where the ordeal occurred, as she attempts to recover from the trauma, which left her physically unharmed but saw millions of pounds worth of her jewellery stolen.

This comes after, the popular reality star, 36 - who is celebrating ten years of Keeping Up With The Kardashians - confessed that she's 'taking a step back from social media' in an attempt to keep certain aspects of her life private.

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'Still too raw': Kim Kardashian, 36, is said to be skipping Paris Fashion Week - a year on from her traumatic robbery ordeal during the fashion extravaganza last year

Kim's world was turned upside down when five masked intruders - aged between 27 and 64 - stormed into her temporary Paris residence, tied her up and locked her in the bathroom as they robbed her of her jewels.

At around 3am in early October of last year, the robbers entered the building after the concierge let them in. Handcuffed and at gunpoint, he then led them to the star's flat.

Kim reportedly 'begged for her life' and told the gunmen she had children at home when two of them entered her room and held the gun to her head.

The men stole a jewellery box worth 6 million ($6.7 million/ 5.24 million) and a ring worth 4 million ($4.5 million/ 3.5 million), prompting fears that the valuables were personal ones, and not just jewellery Kim was borrowing for fashion week.

Traumatic: Kim is giving PFW a miss as she attempts to recover from the traumatic ordeal, which left her physically unharmed but saw millions of pounds worth of her jewellery stolen -pictured shortly before the robbery in Paris (Pictured a few days before robbery)

Terrifying: Kim's world was turned upside down when five masked intruders - aged between 27 and 64 - stormed into her temporary Paris residence, tied her up and locked her in the bathroom as they robbed her of her jewels - (Pictured days before the robbery)

And while a year has since passed, Kim is said to be skipping Paris Fashion Week this year, as it will no doubt bring back terrifying memories. However, her older sister Kourtney Kardashian is expected to attend.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Kim for further comment.

Meanwhile, Kim, mother to North, 4, and Saint, 1 with husband Kanye West, is now hoping to cull back her social media activity, as she explained to The New York Times' T Singapore.

'Its funny, so much can go on at home but if you dont post about it, people think it never happened, she said.

Not going back: While a year has since passed, Kim is said to be skipping Paris Fashion Week this year, as it will no doubt bring back terrifying memorie

Flying the flag for the family: Kim's sister Kourtney Kardashian is expected to attend Paris Fashion Week this year

Over it: Kim, mother to North, 4, and Saint, 1 with husband Kanye West, is now hoping to cull back her social media activity, as she explained to The New York Times' T Singapore

So theyll say, "She hasnt posted with her sisters, she must be in a huge fight." But its not what consumes me anymore, like how it used to', the media sensation, who boasts 55 million followers and counting on Twitter.

Kim's decision to stay away slightly from social media may arise from the robbery itself, as she was seen flashing her pricey jewels on Snapchat ahead of her unfortunate turn of events.

A spokesperson told DailyMail.com after the incident that Kim was 'badly shaken but physically unharmed.'

Kim herself detailed the night of the robbery on an episode of KUWTK where she tearfully told her sisters Khloe and Kourtney:'They're going to shoot me in the back. There's no way out. It makes me so upset to think about it.'

Social media savvy: Kim's decision to stay away slightly from social media may arise from the robbery itself, as she was seen flashing her pricey jewels on Snapchat ahead of her unfortunate turn of events
It was just before midnight, and I could barely keep my eyes open.

I was absolutely exhausted.

I was drained physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

I had almost no strength left.

I took two shots of espresso before leaving the house so I didn't fall asleep while driving to the airport to pick up my oldest daughter, Gia, who was returning home with her high school team after a weekend cheerleading competition in Orlando.

I'm so proud of all my daughters, but because Gia is the oldest, she's really stepped up and helped out our family in ways that no sixteen-year-old should ever have to. I was so excited to see her, even though it'd been only two days.

She is holding it together: She has to work all the time to provide for their four kids; seen here in 2013

I blasted the radio in the car so loud it was deafening. It'd been a very long day, but then again, it seemed as if every day was just as long, a virtual repeat of the day before.

I felt like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day.

It was as if I was running on a hamster wheel that never stopped. Around and around I went, running full speed, but I couldn't seem to get ahead. I needed a break, but I couldn't seem to catch one.

The day stayed for me earlier than most, about twenty-four hours prior, when my seventy-three-year-old father, who now lives with me (more on that later), came into my bedroom  not long after I'd returned home from a friend's place in Connecticut  and woke me up, asking me to take him to the hospital. He had a nosebleed that wouldn't stop and he was also coughing up blood. It wasn't the first time this had happened.

Staying attractive: Teresa has to work out daily and diet to keep her looks so she can land big deals

Before we left for the hospital, I woke up my twelve-year-old daughter, Gabriella, and told her I was putting her in charge while I was gone because I had to take Nonno to the hospital.

My poor kids.

There's always something.

It's as if we have a dark cloud hovering over our house.

Stars Who Got Their Start on Reality TV

I often think to myself, maybe we should move and start over. I fantasize about what life would be like if we picked up and relocated to a place like Kentucky and started from scratch. What if I was no longer Teresa Giudice, reality television star from New Jersey, and I became Teresa Smith, real estate agent from Louisville or Lexington?

What would my new house look like?

Her life: The star stops by the opening of Gorga's Homemade Pasta & Pizza in New Jersey in May

What would my new friends look like?

What would I get my hair hone?

Are there any good Italian restaurants in Kentucky?

Would the paparazzi come looking for me?

Would I be happy?

I snapped back to reality, my reality, not what you see on TV, as I walked into the ER with my father. As we sat in the waiting room, which was absolutely freezing, I was rubbing his back affectionately, just like he used to rub mine when I was a little girl and I was sick.

I couldn't believe I was only a few weeks away from my forty-fifth birthday. I couldn't believe I'd just buried my mother. I couldn't believe my husband was in prison. I couldn't believe that I went to prison.

My head hurt. My mind was racing, I was literally all over the place, both everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Is that even possible?

Recently a close friend of mine suggested that I go see someone, a therapist, to try and sort things out. I wish I had the time, but sadly I don't. And I'm not sure if I'd even know where to begin or if it would even help. Are my problems the type that can be solved by sitting across from someone for an hour every week? Lying down on some stranger's couch and telling him or her my deepest, darkest secrets. Who are they to judge me? I'm not someone who opens up easily. Or, at least I haven't been in the past. I guess I just feel like my time would be better spent getting things done for my family.

Around and around on the hamster wheel.

In addition to caring for my seventy-three-year-old father and my four young daughters, I also have to work, work, work, work, work like Rihanna to play the bills and keep things afloat after my husband made a mess of our finances. Such a massive mess that it makes the Exxon Valdez oil spill seem like a glass of spilled red wine (more on that later).

And speaking of my husband...

While I was sitting in the ER waiting for the doctor to examine my father, I checked my phone to find a new message on CorrLinks, the email system used by inmates who are in a federal prison.

My husband, Joe, is currently serving a forty-one-month sentence, but you already know that, just like you know that I spent eleven and a half months of my life inside a federal prison camp for women in Danbury, Connecticut. (And if you didn't know that, you should read my last book, Turning the Tables.)

Like Frank Sinatra, my husband did it his way. And look where it got us.

So there I sat on that particular Sunday at 4:00 a.m. in the ER waiting room, reading Joe's email from late Saturday night, just a few hours before, asking me in a not-so-polite way where I was, who I was with, and what I was doing at that moment.

Was he f--king kidding me?

One of four: Here Teresa spends time with one of her four daughters at home

Well, honey, here are the answers to your email:

On Saturday, I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to get our girls ready for their various activities and spent the next hour driving them around and dropping them off at what felt like a million different places. Soccer, cheerleading, dance  the usual.

Then I raced home to meet my glam girls, Priscilla and Lucia, who were doing my hair and makeup for a big event that was scheduled to start around noon, where I would be doing a meet-and-greet and book signing for fans, taking pictures, hosting a Q and A, and a cooking demonstration all while the producers and cameras from The Real Housewives of New Jersey followed my every move.

By 10:00 a.m. I was in the car  a black SUV with dark-tinted windows.

I called my lawyer, Jim Leonard  who also handles a lot of my professional commitments  and screamed into the phone, Jim, did you know I'm going to MetLife Stadium for this event today?! How many people are coming to this thing?

Teresa, you are so popular the only venue big enough for you was MetLife Stadium, Jim replied, being his usual sarcastic, smart-ass self.

Seriously, what time will I be done? I asked, because I'm always thinking about the next place I have to be. There's always a child to be dropped off or picked up. Or another work obligation.

When you're done signing books and taking pictures, he responded. Let's hope you're there all day. That will mean you sold a lot of books. Also, while you're there, look for Jimmy Hoffa's body; they say he's buried there somewhere.

Goodbye, I said, rolling my eyes as I hung up.

FOR THE FULL EXCERPT GO TO USWEEKLY.COM
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She has ruled the fashion world since bursting onto the scene in Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines music video in 2013.

So it's no surprise that Emily Ratajkowski took centre-stage once again on Tuesday, as she attended the star-studded Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2018 show during Paris Fashion Week.

The 26-year-old model stunned in a romantic Brock Collection ivory dress with a plunging corset bodice as she joined Naomi Watts and fellow models Karlie Kloss and Winnie Harlow.

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Here come the girls: Emily Ratajkowski stunned in a lace dress as she joined Naomi Watts, Karlie Kloss and Winnie Harlow at the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2018 show during Paris Fashion Week

The brunette beauty looked showstopping in her gown, which featured romantic accentuated shoulders and a racy thigh-split.

Injecting the chic ensemble with a dose of summery cool, the Gone Girl actress boosted her statuesque frame with some black espadrille heels with lace-up detail.

Styling her glossy dark tresses in a simple middle parting, the brunette beauty offset her striking features with dewy tawny highlighter and a taupe lipgloss.

Showstopping: Emily, 26, looked chic in an ivory Brock Collection gown with a sexy corset-style bodice and racy thigh-split

Glowing: The brunette beauty offset her striking features with dewy tawny highlighter and a taupe lipgloss

Killer footwear: Injecting the chic ensemble with a dose of summery cool, the Gone Girl actress boosted her statuesque frame with some black espadrille heels with lace-up detail

Hair today, gone tomorrow: The We Are Your Friends star wore her glossy dark hair in a simple middle parting

Ready for her close-up: Emily's Victoriana-inspired dress featured a cut-out bustier neckline that flashed a peek of cleavage

Chic, The star, who burst onto the scene when she appeared nude in Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines music video in 2013, smouldered as she posed alongside fellow model, Russian beauty Natalia Vodianova

Meanwhile, Naomi oozed old Hollywood glamour in her styling, teasing her golden hair into Veronica Lake-style waves that effortlessly framed her striking features.

The Impossible star kept her make-up dewy, plumping her pout with a slick of rosy lipstick and framed her eyes with an understated sweep of mascara.

The radiant Australian star, 48, looked impossibly chic in her lace dress, which featured decadent embellished straps and delicate semi-sheer tulle pleats that subtly highlighted her trim figure.

Lovely in lace: The star, 48, looked impossibly chic in her lace dress, which featured decadent embellished straps and delicate semi-sheer tulle pleats that subtly highlighted her trim figure

Mane attraction: She oozed old Hollywood glamour in her styling, teasing her golden hair into Veronica Lake-style waves that effortlessly framed her striking features

Glamorous: The Impossible star kept her make-up dewy, plumping her pout with a slick of rosy lipstick and framed her eyes with an understated sweep of mascara

Timeless beauty: Letting her gown do all the talking, the mother-of-three added height with simple black courts that complemented her thin black belt.

Radiant: The Gypsy actress beamed on the front row as she posed and greeted a fellow guest

Letting her gown do all the talking, the mother-of-three added height with simple black courts that complemented her thin black belt.

Joining her was Winnie Harlow, who ensured she stood out from her fellow models in a figure-hugging one-piece, putting her slender figure and long legs on display.

Winnie's sequin encrusted number left little to the imagination, hugging her bosom and toned upper body.

Dazzling display: Winnie Harlow ensured she stood out from her fellow models, rocking a daring embellished catsuit

Show-stopper: Winnie turned heads as she made her grand entrance at the show, which kicked off the five-day fashion extravaganza in the French capital

In demand: The 23-year-old model of the moment has become a regular at fashion shows - both on and off the runway

Glamorous: The former America's Next Top Model beauty donned a smart velvet jacket, draping the navy number over her shoulders

The former America's Next Top Model beauty donned a smart velvet jacket, draping the navy number over her shoulders.

She wore her hair down loose and upped the glamour with shimmery bronze eye shadow and a glossy lip.

Hot on Harlow's tail was Karlie Kloss - who stole the limelight in a semi-sheer navy tulle skirt that flashed her white underwear underneath.

The Chicago native accessorised with patent ankle boots with a star motif and a quirky black beret that gave a sartorial nod to the Nineties.

Meanwhile, as Paris Fashion Week kicked off on Monday, all eyes as much on the models as on what they are wearing.

C'est tres chic! Karlie Kloss stole the limelight in a semi-sheer navy tulle skirt that flashed her white underwear underneath

Stealing the limelight: The Chicago native accessorised with patent ankle boots with a star motif and a quirky black beret

Double trouble: The statuesque beauty beamed as she posed alongside Bianca Brandolini d'Adda

Having a whale of a time! The blonde beauty appeared to be in great spirits as she mingled with the fashion pack at the show

Styles in spades: Camille Rowe, the girl Harry Styles is thought to be 'smitten' with, put in a fashionable turn at Dior's Paris Fashion Week show

Quirky touches: The 27-year-old , who Harry is thought to be 'besotted' with, wore a semi-sheer auburn-coloured dress, which provocatively flashed through to her black lingerie

Pretty in pleats: In leather, the bralet and high-waisted knickers matched her ankle boots, while a patterned neckerchief added a very 'Harry' finish

French fashion's two biggest players, LVMH and Kering, said this month that they were banning ultrathin and underage models from their catwalks.

The two companies - which between them control a raft of storied labels from Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton to Saint Laurent and Balenciaga - have vowed to use only models 16 and older from now on.

The girls must also be at least size 34 (size six in Britain, 0 in the US).

Youthful: The 44-year-old Czech catwalk star shielded her eyes behind black square-frame shades and teased her blonde hair into polished waves

Gothic glamour: Supermodel Eva Herzigova stunned in a high-collar lace top and chic indigo boyfriend jeans

Legend: Bianca Jagger, the 79-year-old ex-wife of Rolling Stone rocker Mick, stunned in a white lace dress with a navy blazer layered over it

Pretty in prints: Alexa Chung caught the eye in a cream sweater teamed with a pleated maxiskirt boasting an autumnal watercolour print

Wrapped up: Alexa worked an eye-catching wool jumper for the event

Sitting pretty: The 33-year-old model and presenter was joined by Vogue editor legend Anna Wintour, who teamed her trademark shades with a printed dress

Camera ready: Bianca Brandolini d'Adda (L) and Arizona Muse posed together at the event

Sheer glamour: Chiara Ferragni (L) looked incredible in a rainbow-coloured striped and embellished Dior gown alongside model Arizona

The fashion pack: Blogger Helena Bordon, The City star Olivia Palermo and model Tina Kunakey all stunned in their quirky outfits at the show

Model behaviour: Arizona (L) donned a thigh-skimming mini dress for the fashionable event alongside supermodel Eva Herzigova

Not on the FROW? Monica Bellucci was seen walking around the posh shops in Paris

Casual: Monica was dressed in a casual pair of blue jeans and a white shirt

Sleek: Monica wore a pair of shades for her low-key ensemble

Hip hop beret! French actress Charlotte Le Bon looked sensational in a black beret that she teamed with a cropped white stop, skinny black jeans and heavily embellished knee high boots

Three's company: Charlotte was seen settling into the front row of the show alongside Annabelle Wallis (L) and Alexa Chung

Hat's the way to do it! Charlotte looked incredible as she posed for pictures at the star-studded runway show

But it is the latest twists in the merry-go-round of designers - and the new wave of 'refugees' from New York - that is likely to dominate discussion on the catwalk front rows.

Altuzarra, Thom Browne and Lacoste will show their spring/summer collections in the French capital rather than their usual berths in New York, following Rodarte and Proenza Schouler this summer.

The biggest changeover, however, is the British designer Clare Waight Keller's move to Givenchy, with many wondering if she will carry over her very feminine, hippy-dippy look from her six years at Chloe.

Her replacement at Chloe, the French designer Natacha Ramsay-Levi, makes her debut this week, while former Dior stalwart Serge Ruffieux takes his first bow at Carven, as does Olivier Lapidus at Lanvin and Richard Rene at Guy Laroche.

Awe-inspiring: The Dior show featured a firm focus on tulle

Work it: The model stunned in a number of eye-catching looks as they tackled the runway with aplomb

Parisian chic: There was a strong appearance of black throughout the collection

Ruling the runway: The Spring/Summer '18 collection featured romantic sheer tulle layers juxtaposed with schoolgirl-style touches like pointed collar shirts layered under pinafore dresses

Hats off to them! There was an emphasis on irreverent headgear, with the models rocking everything from denim baker boys hats to rocker chick trilbies

Visual spectacle: The collection was helmed by Dior's creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri
He holds the distinction of being the first actor to portray James Bond, taking on the role for seven films between 1962 and 1983 - and winning over a legion of fans.

But on Sean Connery looked a world away from his suave spy character 007 on Monday, when he stepped out in New York City looking noticeably frail.

With an attentive caregiver by his side, the 87-year-old actor supported himself with a cane as strolled amid the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, with Micheline Roquebrune, his 88-year-old wife of 42 years, following closely behind.

Walk: Sean Connery was spotted going for a stroll with a caregiver in New York City on Monday

The Scottish screen star opted to go casual for his outing, wearing a beige jacket over a grey shirt, with off-white tracksuit bottoms and lace-up shoes.

Rounding out his ensemble with a wide-brimmed black fisherman's hat, the Dr. No star chatted away with his caregiver, as he walked a short distance way from his Moroccan-French wife, who looked elegant in a patterned top with a cream hat.

The retired actor had been rarely seen before June, but had put on a surprise public appearance at the US Open in August - where he had received a standing ovation from the crowd, as the the James Bond theme tune played out across the stands.

Support: The 87-year-old James Bond legend walked with the aid of a cane during his outing

Beloved: He was joined on the walk by his Moroccan-French wife Micheline Roquebrune, left

It is there that he is said to have suffered a fall but he is believed to have been unhurt, save for a bruise on his face.

'The bruise was from a fall,' a representative explained to the Daily Express in August. 'He is absolutely fine.'

Sean courted attention for his daring role as the dashing James Bond in the first five movies of the nation's favourite spy saga.

He first took on the part as the secret agent in the flick Dr. No in 1962 and went onto star in From Russia With Love in 1963, Goldfinger in 1964, Thunderball in 1965 and You Only Live Twice in 1967.

Ensemble: The Scottish screen star opted to go casual for his outing, wearing a beige jacket over a grey shirt, with off-white tracksuit bottoms and lace-up shoes

Chatting away: Rounding out his ensemble with a wide-brimmed black fisherman's hat, the Dr. No star chatted away with his caregiver during their leisurely outing

Having loved the role so much, the actor returned to the franchise for Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 and Never Say Never Again in 1983.

Despite it being arguably his most famous role, he didn't win an Oscar for the iconic part in the series, based on Ian Fleming's books.

The award winning actor, however, did scoop the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part as hard cop opposite Kevin Costner in The Untouchables in 1988.

He's got style: Sean courted attention for his daring role as the dashing James Bond in the first five movies of the nation's favourite spy saga

Blast from the past! Sean first took on the part as the secret agent in the flick Dr. No in 1962

Sean has enjoyed a stellar career which flourished over 63 years, seeing him star in 63 films and TV credits.

He has been lavished with honors, including being named The Greatest Living Scot, Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure, and In 1989 he was even named the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine.

His last movie was Scottish animation Sir Billi in 2012, in which he voiced Sir Billi, the Guardian Of The Highlands.
They're the famous brother-sister duo known for hits such as Big Jet Plane and Yellow Brick Road.

And on Tuesday night they belted them out in front of a packed Enmore Theatre in Sydney's inner-west.

The folk artists were playing the third leg of their Australian tour to promote their latest album Snow.

Belting out the hits: Angus and Julia Stone take to the stage in front of a packed Enmore Theatre in Sydney's west

Putting on a show! Julia took to the stage in a mustard-coloured mini dress with butterfly applique

Julia took to the stage in a mustard-coloured mini dress with butterfly applique.

The dress also featured bell sleeves, a frilly bottom and low-cut neckline that revealed some cleavage.

The songstress kept accessories to a minimum, and let her brunette bangs down.

Multi-talented Julia was seen playing both the guitar and tambourine alongside her brother during the show.

Angus played the gig in a plain white T-shirt and wore an old fashioned flat cap.

Just like old times! Angus played the gig in a plain white t-shirt and wore an old fashioned flat cap

Hitting the road: The folk artists were playing the third leg of their Australian tour to promote their latest album Snow

Fans took to social media after the show to express their delight with the duo's performance.

'"That @angusandjuliastone sure know how to please a crowd" - What I like to think one of the many people at tonight's concert would have said,' said one concert goer.

'@angusandjuliastone just as great live,' wrote another person.

The latest album by the Big Jet Plane hitmakers was released on September 15.

They play two more sold out shows in Australia, first at Adelaide's Thebarton Theatre on Thursday, and then Perth Concert Hall the night after.

Angus and Julia Stone will then embark on a world tour before returning home to play Falls Festival.
She's become a regular face at high end fashion events.

And Winnie Harlow ensured she stood out from her fellow models when she attended the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2018 show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, rocking a daring embellished catsuit.

The 23-year-old model of the moment squeezed into the figure-hugging one-piece, putting her slender figure and long legs on display.

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Dazzling display: Winnie Harlow ensured she stood out from her fellow models when she attended the Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2018 show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, rocking a daring embellished catsuit

Winnie's sequin encrusted number left little to the imagination, hugging her bosom and toned upper body.

The former America's Next Top Model beauty donned a smart velvet jacket, draping the navy number over her shoulders.

She wore her hair down loose and upped the glamour with shimmery bronze eye shadow and a glossy lip.

Skintight: Winnie's sequin encrusted number left little to the imagination, hugging her bosom and toned upper body

Glamorous: The former America's Next Top Model beauty donned a smart velvet jacket, draping the navy number over her shoulders

Dramatic look: She wore her hair down loose and upped the glamour with shimmery bronze eye shadow and a glossy lip

Show-stopper: Winnie turned heads as she made her grand entrance at the show, which kicked off the five-day fashion extravaganza in the French capital

Winnie turned heads as she made her grand entrance at the show, which kicked off the five-day fashion extravaganza in the French capital.

The model, who is 5ft 9in, was diagnosed with vitiligo around the age of four, making her among one per cent of the population who has the condition.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, she revealed: 'Kids called me a cow and mooed at me. I remember sitting by my window wishing upon the stars that my skin condition would go away.'

Demure: Winnie's shy and retiring pose was at odds with her daring one-piece

In demand: The 23-year-old model of the moment has become a regular at fashion shows - both on and off the runway

Overcoming the odds: The model, who is 5ft 9in, was diagnosed with vitiligo around the age of four, making her among one per cent of the population who has the condition

She was physically taunted later in life and said a group of girls 'jumped her' in a fight, which led to her being suspended because she started skipping class.She dropped out of school at the age of 17 and never looked back.

Winnie, who was working at a call centre, was scouted on Facebook and was quickly snapped up to star in a string of campaigns and music videos.

When she excelled on the 21st series of America's Next Top Model, judge Tyra Banks said that Winnie's skin breaks down barriers of what is considered beautiful.

Now Winnie, who describes her self as a 'vitiligo spokesmodel' on Instagram, is being celebrated for her distinctive look.

Her striking good looks have even caught the eye of Formula One hunk Lewis Hamilton and the pair have frequently been spotted partying together - but they have never confirmed a romantic relationship.

Walking the runway: Models donned edgy black ensembles with a punk twist
The Bachelorette's front-runner Luke McLeod has confirmed his former relationship with Bachelor winner Laura Byrne following weeks of speculation.

Speaking to Confidential this Wednesday, the hunky 33-year-old let the cat out of the bag, saying: 'We did date for a couple of months'.

He was quick to confirm that the pair didn't know they would both end up on reality TV, however, saying: 'I swear to God it was a complete coincidence.'

'She's an amazing woman, we dated for a couple of months': The Bachelorette's front-runner Luke McLeod has confirmed his former relationship with Bachelor winner Laura Byrne following weeks of speculation

'She's an amazing woman, we dated for a couple of months and realised we were better off being really good friends and that's where things are at now,' he said.

'She's been so supportive of my journey,' he went on said, adding that he 'couldn't believe it' when he saw Laura vying for Matty Johnson's heart on The Bachelor.

While Laura is enjoying her new-found romance with Matty, Luke has his sights set on Sophie Monk.

Fancy that! 'She's been so supportive of my journey,' he went on said, adding that he 'couldn't believe it' when he saw Laura vying for Matty Johnson's heart on The Bachelor

In it to win it! Luke will likely find it easy to impress Sophie, with the Sydney-based hunk boasting devilish good looks and a solid career in business culture consulting

Luke will likely find it easy to impress Sophie, with the Sydney-based hunk boasting devilish good looks and a solid career in business culture consulting.

Meanwhile, it's not the first time Australia has seen it's Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants spark unexpected relationships.

Earlier this year it was confirmed that Bachelor star Jen Hawke and former Bachelorette star Jake Ellis had briefly dated at the end of last year.

Happy: Laura is currently dating The Bachelor, Matty J, 30, who she fell in love with on the latest series of the show

Former Bachelorette contestant Dave Billsborrow also dated Bachelor reject Sarah-Mae Amey following his rise to fame in 2015.

Bachelorette 'villain' David Witko also made headlines by confirming his new romance with Bachelor 'villain' Leah Costa shortly after she was eliminated from the show.

Perhaps the most memorable unexpected romance was that of lesbian couple Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon, who met in the Bachelor house.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A Harare man was this morning killed by touts at an illegal bus terminus near Fourth Street.Police have since closed the illegal pick up point and instigated a search to catch the errant touts.In an act of blatant lawlessness, the man died after being assaulted by touts at an illegal pick up point for Mutare buses near Road Port.An eye witness said the touts manhandled the defenceless man who was in the company of his wife before assaulting him.People said the law enforcement authorities must defend them from these touts who have become a menace.Police have since closed the illegal Mutare pick up point.Police Spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said police will not tolerate such lawlessness by touts, adding that they have instigated a search for the alleged culprits.It has been established that the now deceased, together with his wife arrived at the pick-up point around 5.am enroute to Mozambique.Upon setting foot at the pick-up point, they were mobbed and manhandled by the touts who force-marched them into a bus.The touts reportedly later assaulted the victims when they wanted to disembark from the bus.
There is heavy speculation that their romance is on the rocks after she fled to Germany following a tearful bust-up with her beau.

But in scenes to air on Sunday night for their brand new reality show Straight Outta Love Island, Olivia Attwood and Chris Hughes look to be every inch the lovebirds as they lock lips.

This comes after the hunk admitted his blonde bombshell girlfriend revealed during the promotion of the show that she begged him to propose.

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Smitten: In scenes to air on Sunday night for their brand new show Straight Outta Love Island, Olivia Attwood and Chris Hughes look to be every inch the lovebirds as they lock lips

New stills from the eagerly anticipated series, which will give a snapshot into their lives following their appearance on ITV2's Love Island, shows the genetically gifted couple showering each other with affection.

Chris leans into kiss Olivia at the red carpet event for her the launch of her fashion range.

In another scene baby Cash makes an appearance, as the twosome sit on the sofa to discuss their exciting future work endeavours.

A bevy of other Love Island favourites also make an appearance, including his best friend Kem Cetinay.

Reality stars: In another scene baby Cash makes an appearance, as the twosome sit on the sofa to discuss their exciting future work endeavours

Familiar faces: A bevy of other Love Island favourites also make an appearance, including his best friend Kem Cetinay

And while he was promoting the show, Chris admitted that Olivia urged him to take their romance to the next level.

Speaking to The Sun, the hunk admitted: 'Olivia wants me to (propose), she literally..wants to marry me.

'I don't see anything wrong with timescales, if it feels right it feels right. But I think it can a bit torture for the girl, if you get engaged and don't get married within a year,' he continued.

He also admitted that he knew people who got engaged but years down the line weren't married - something he didn't agree to.

Smitten: While he was promoting the show, Chris admitted that Olivia urged him to take their romance to the next level

Chris admitted: 'I don't see anything wrong with timescales, if it feels right it feels right. But I think it can a bit torture for the girl, if you get engaged and don't get married within a year'

However, just days after the confession, Chris and Olivia's relationship has taken a turn for the worse with the beauty heading to Germany following a row.

Olivia has since broken her silence for the first time since she fled to Germany, but did not confirm whether or not the pair have split

Posting a message on Twitter, Olivia thanked fans for all of their support, but kept mum on the current status of her relationship.

She said: 'Sorry I have been so quiet, sometimes in life you just need a minute to disconnect and remember what's important.

Not a fan: He also admitted that he knew people who got engaged but years down the line weren't married - something he didn't agree to

'But thank you so much for all your lovely comment and messages. I can't replay to them all but I do see them and they feed my soul... I love you guys. (sic)'

Olivia has been quiet on social media since leaving the UK as a result of the 'tearful' bust-up with Chris.

Speculation mounted that their romance was on the rocks following the 'jealous nightclub row' in the early hours of Friday

Downhill: However, just days after the confession, Chris and Olivia's relationship has taken a turn for the worse with the beauty heading to Germany following a row

Explosive: Speculation mounted that their romance was on the rocks following the 'jealous nightclub row' in the early hours of Friday

According to The Sun Online, Chris flew into a jealous rage after he spotted her dancing with a 'group of gay male dancers' while supporting him at London's Ministry of Sound.

The publication reported that ITV2 starlet Olivia was left so alarmed by his behaviour at the club - where he performed his new single Little Bit Leave It with his pal Kem Cetinay - that she left the UK to gain perspective on their relationship.

A source close to the blonde bombshell said: 'Chris asked Olivia to come to Ministry of Sound rather than work a job she'd been offered. She went to support him and looked like she was having a great night hanging out with Amber [Davies], her mates and Chris's family.
Of all the people he'd like to rile with his Saturday Night Live impression of Donald Trump, the President is surely number one.

So Alec Baldwin jumped at the chance to read out the former The Apprentice host's verdict on his work.

'Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse.'

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'Baldwin can't get any worse': Alec reads Donald Trump's verdict on SNL impression on Celebrity Mean Tweets

Nailed it: Baldwin paused, tilted his head, and in a distinct impression of the Commader In Chief finished his reading with the simple: 'Sad'

Baldwin paused, tilted his head, and in a distinct impression of the Commander In Chief finished his reading with the simple: 'Sad.'

Also taking part in the star-studded installment of the Jimmy Kimmel Live segment, Jennifer Lawrence read a tweet from somebody who suggested that she 'gives really unenthusiastic h**dj*bs', to which she responded: 'How do they know?'

Joining the Oscar-winning beauty for a round of viewing the harsh words people on social media share about them was Gwyneth Paltrow, who has sung the praises of vaginal steaming 'for healing purposes' in her lifestyle publication Goop.

The actress, who celebrates her 45th birthday on Wednesday, read: 'Can Gwyneth Paltrow just stuck to steaming her vagina and shut the f**k up, for f**k's sake?'

Not a fan: President Donald Trump has been mocked by Baldwin on SNL, to his fury

Jennifer Lawrence raised laughs when she read out a very raunchy tweet about herself during Monday night's installment of Celebrity Mean Tweets on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Steaming: Gwyneth Paltrow was told to 'stick to steaming her vagina' in one harsh missive

Mean girls: Jennifer Aniston faced less raunchy words, though they were still mean-spirited

Not very nice: Emma Watson seemed unimpressed as she read the unkind words aimed at her

Jennifer Aniston, 48, encountered a tweet that was far less blue, though equally mean-spirited, which stated: 'Jennifer Aniston is what happens when a bag of flour gets its big break.' Showing her sense of humour, she dubbed the tweet 'funny'.

Also faring badly was Emma Watson, 27, who read: 'Emma Watson seems like the type of girl who I would be friends with for like three days and then get really sick of, but not tell her.'

The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss, 35, pulled a sad face as she encountered the words: 'Elisabeth Moss looks stunning. I think she can clean up well, despite my grandmother's harsh opinion that she's hideous.'

Horrible: Elisabeth Moss appeared to enjoy the tweet aimed at her... until she reached the end

Playground antics: Kristen Bell said that the mean words directed at her were 'probably true'

And Israeli actress and model Gal Gadot, 32, was forced to assure 'they're there, don't worry', after encountering a tweeter's musings why 'that woman got no t**ties'.



The men of Hollywood weren't left out of the viciousness, with 36-year-old actor Jake Gyllenhaal reading a tweet which stated that he 'has the most punchable face of all time.

'I'd like nothing more than to sock him in his ugly soft, starry-eyed pug face.'

All intact: Gal Gadot assured she's endowed as somebody mused about the size of her bosom

Violence is not the answer: One tweeter took aim at screen star Jake Gyllenhaal's famous face

The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons was left exclaiming 'oh God!' when he perused somebody's harsh claim that he 'looks like a ventriloquist's dummy that came to life to become a sex offender'.

When his turn rolled around, Michael Keaton read: 'Someone just told me I smiled like Michael Keaton and I don't know if I should take one million selfies or put a gun in my mouth.'

After laughing in reaction to the tweet, the 66-year-old actor wryly advised: 'I'd put a gun in your mouth.'

Also getting Celebrity Mean Tweets treatment on the night were Dave Chappelle, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Alec Baldwin, John Lythgow, Bob Odenkirk, Jeffrey Tambor and Kumail Nanjiani.

Game of moans: Game Of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau found his character under attack

Shock: The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons appeared to be taken aback when he read his tweet
She always manages to turn heads with her eye-catching ensembles.

And Emily Ratajkowski didn't disappoint at the star-studded Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2018 show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.

Looking as though she'd be right at home on the catwalk, despite just being there as a spectator, the 26-year-old model stunned in a romantic ivory dress with a plunging corset bodice.

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Showstopper: Emily Ratajkowski didn't disappoint at the star-studded Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2018 show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday

The brunette beauty looked showstopping in her gown, which featured romantic accentuated shoulders and a racy thigh-split.

Injecting the chic ensemble with a dose of summery cool, the Gone Girl actress boosted her statuesque frame with some black espadrille heels with lace-up detail.

Styling her glossy dark tresses in a simple middle parting, the brunette beauty offset her striking features with dewy tawny highlighter and a taupe lipgloss.

Chest a glimpse! Looking as though she'd be right at home on the catwalk as well as off it, the 26-year-old model stunned in a romantic ivory dress with a plunging corset bodice

Leggy lady! The brunette beauty looked showstopping in her gown, which featured romantic accentuated shoulders and a racy thigh-split

Whilst she started her career as a model - gaining fame as a topless dancer in Robin Thicke's controversial hit, Blurred lines - she has gone on to forge an acting career.

The Gone Girl actress has a busy period approaching as she's set to co-star star in four films in the coming months.

The actress will join Natalie Dormer in the thriller In Darkness - a psychological revenge thriller about blind musician who hears a murder committed in the apartment above her.

Brunette bombshell: Styling her glossy dark tresses in a simple middle parting, the brunette beauty offset her striking features with dewy tawny highlighter and a taupe lipgloss

Head turner: Injecting the chic ensemble with a dose of summery cool, the Gone Girl actress boosted her statuesque frame with some black espadrille heels with lace-up detail

Strike a pose: Emily looked in her element as she posed up a storm for the cameras inside the star-studded Dior SS18 show

Pout it out: The Gone Girl star was a vision of beauty as she smouldered down the lens

Emily will also take the lead in romance, Cruise, which is set in the 1980s and follows the tale of a young Italian-American who falls in love with a Jewish girl from Long Island.

In 2018 Emily will then star alongside Amy Schumer and Michelle Williams for the comedy, I Feel Pretty, due out June 29, 2018.

Emily will also join Aaron Paul for the chiller, Welcome Home, about a couple's romantic trip to a cottage in the Italian countryside that turns into a nightmare.
They might have famous parents, but Otis and Ruby are normally kept away from the spotlight.

However Tobey Maguire's children were at home on the red carpet as they joined their jewelry designer mother Jennifer Meyer in supporting their actress aunt Carson.

It was clear Ruby, 10, and eight-year-old Otis have a close bond with Carson, who is their mother's younger half-sister.

Stars in the making: Toby Maguire's children join mom Jennifer Meyer, left, on the red carpet as they support their actress aunt Carson, second from right

The youngsters cuddled up to their aunt as they posed alongside her and their mother at the premiere of her debut film SPF 18.

Carson, 23, is the daughter of NBCUniversals Ron Meyer and environmentalist Kelly Meyer, who also attended the premiere to support her.

Jennifer was born during Meyer's marriage to his first wife, Ellen. She was married to Spider-Man actor Tobey for ten years, with their divorce finalised this year.

Dad's the word: entertainment executive Ronald Meyer, right, is the father of both jewelry designer Jennifer and atress Carson

NYU graduate Carson wore a slinky plunging velvet dress to the film's premiere.

She stars in contemporary artist Alex Israels directorial debut as high-schooler Penny Cooper.

The young actress told Vanity Fair: 'Its a coming-of-age love story that captures the West Coast lifestyle.'

Breakout role: NYU graduate Carson stars in contemporary artist Alex Israels directorial debut as high-schooler Penny Cooper

Onscreen: The young actress, right, has described SPF18 as a 'coming of age that captures the West Coast lifestyle'

And she said it was her mother's idea that she try her hand at acting.

'I never understood acting until I was allowed to use my anxieties in character,' she explained.

Joining her in the film are veteran stars Pamela Anderson, Rosanna Arquette and Victoria Bruno.
Kevin Hart was back on the Atlanta, Georgia set of his new movie Night School on Tuesday. The actor looked to be focused as he shot a scene where he was having a tough day.

The comedian seems to be having many tough days in his personal life lately as the woman he was caught fooling around with in a sex tape has talked to DailyMailTV.

This week Montia Sabbag told the show that she had sex with the Get Hard actor, who is married to pregnant Eniko Hart, three times in Las Vegas in August.

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He still has a job to do: Kevin Hart was seen on the Atlanta, Georgia set of his new movie Night School on Tuesday after his sex tape partner talked to DailyMailTV

In an interview with DailyMailTV, Sabbag tells all about the trip and the ensuing sextortion plot, which saw cheating Hart publicly apologize to his pregnant wife and his two children for a 'bad error in judgment.'

And the 26-year-old exclusively reveals for the first time that the sex tape was filmed during the day when Hart was sober, not when he was drunk late at night.

Sabbag says she and Hart became 'intimate' hours after she jetted in to Sin City with the star on a private jet. The pair, who traveled with a group of mutual friends, flew to Nevada from LA on August 19 and partied for three days and nights.

The agony: The star looked upset as he filmed a scene in a pink shirt with a beige jacket

The aspiring actress claims she didn't know the comedian was married nor did he tell her that he was. He took an immediate liking to her - paying the pretty brunette a lot of attention and ultimately having sex with her three times.

Sabbag said: 'I was intimate with Kevin three times in the course of maybe three days. It was fun,' she recalls in the interview airing Monday.

'We just get along, we get each other, he's funny, I'm funnier. We had a connection, we had chemistry. We clicked.

Look at this buddy: At one point a male co-star showed him something as they stood in front of a ruined building

'It was fun, he didn't try to woo me, it was just an instant connection.'

Sabbag, who says she is a makeup artist and recording artist who lives in LA, was once in a girl group called New View as a 17-year-old.

But that early brush with fame was short-lived and she was soon brought back down to earth.

Sabbag has denied being a stripper, claiming she worked as a bartender at a Vegas strip club before moving to LA. However, a new leaked video from that time period shows Sabbag trying out the pole.

Sabbag said: 'He was with his friends. I thought he was cute, he's an attractive man, but I wasn't star struck or anything like that, it was super casual, he was a gentleman, a nice guy'

Sabbag says she became 'intimate' with Hart hours after she jetted to Las Vegas from LA with him on a private jet on August 19. She spent three days with Hart at his suite at The Cosmopolitan (pictured)

It was back in Nevada that the latest chapter in her life unfolded. 'I had a girlfriend who invited me to go with a few of her friends. I was like, "okay, sounds fun,"' says Sabbag, who is originally from Boston, Massachusetts.

'We stayed at the Venetian hotel and we ended up moving hotels to The Cosmopolitan.

'I met him (Kevin) on the plane, I was with a friend and we had no idea he was gonna be there.

'He was with his friends. I thought he was cute, he's an attractive man, but I wasn't star struck or anything like that, it was super casual, he was a gentleman, a nice guy.'

Hart publicly apologized on September 16 over the scandal to his pregnant wife Eniko (pictured together in August) and his two children from a previous relationship

Sabbag has denied having any role in the extortion attempt and says she's now 'cooperating' with the police to help find the culprits

Hart married Parrish on August 13, 2016 and the pair is expecting their first child, a boy.

Sabbag says a friend alerted her to Hart's heartfelt Instagram apology and she quickly went online to watch it.

'I was like, "wow", but mainly I was confused because I thought he was saying I was the person (who targeted him),' she said. 'I knew I hadn't done anything wrong and I knew I didn't do any of the things he said in the video, so I was confused. I made myself clear from that initial phone call I received and I think I've made myself clear by hiring a lawyer.'

Looking good: Here Montia is seen during her interview for DailyMailTV

Sabbag has hired high profile Los Angeles civil rights lawyer Lisa Bloom to handle the case.

On Tuesday Hart looked serious on his movie set. The star wore a pink shirt under a beige jacket with jeans and brown sneakers.

He was standing in front of what looked to be a building that was blow up. There was yellow police tape around it. Hart was seen screaming in the air and later a male co-star put his arm around him.

Night School follows a group of outcasts who are forced to attend adult classes in so they can pass the GED exam. The story comes from Hart who is also producing with his Hartbeat Productions banner along with Will Packer through his Will Packer Productions.

Also in the cast are Mary Lynn Rajskub, Tiffany Haddish, Yvonne Orji, and Taran Killam. The film will be released on September 28, 2018.
His past leading ladies have included Natalie Imbruglia, Gillian Anderson and Rosamund Pike.

And now Rowan Atkinson can add French beauty Olga Kurylenko, 37, to his list of on-screen flames, as he reprises the role of Johnny English for the upcoming third instalment in the spoof crime franchise.

Spotted on set in Saint-Aygulf in Frejus, France on Tuesday, the 62-year-old comedian was seen on an overcast and windswept beach with the brunette, performing in what looked to be a romantic encounter.

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Back again (again): Rowan Atkinson gets the girl as he shoots new scenes for Johnny English III with French beauty Olga Kurylenko... who leaps into his arms in a plunging yellow swimsuit

Love story: Spotted on set in Saint-Aygulf in Frejus, France on Tuesday, the 62-year-old comedian was seen on an overcast and windswept beach with the brunette, performing in what looked to be a romantic encounter

Wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and bright turquoise shirts, the funnyman stood on the shore as Olga strutted up to him across the surf.

The svelte stunner wore a mustard swimsuit, plunging in a large V at the front, with a cream sarong wrapped around her waist.

With her arms outstretched warmly as she sauntered up to Rowan, the pretty actress wore her buoyant chestnut locks in a bouncy wavy 'do.

Before long, she had dropped the sarong and was running into the arms of the accident-prone spy.

Svelte stunner: Olga wore a mustard swimsuit, plunging in a large V at the front, with a cream sarong wrapped around her waist

Classic Johnny: Rowan was seen wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and bright turquoise shirts

Wrapping up: After the scene, the actress was seen slipping into a stone-grey robe, shielding her frame from the blustery climes

Rowan - who went through a costly 5million divorce from his wife of 24 years, Sunetra, in 2015 - appeared thrilled as his character readied himself for the sultry brunette's embrace.

After the scene, the actress was seen slipping into a stone-grey robe, shielding her frame from the blustery climes.

Olga is a French actress and model of Ukrainian origin, discovered as a model in Moscow at the age of 13.

She moved to the French capital at the age of 16 to kick-start her modelling career, before giving acting a go in 2005 - finding success in the role of Nika Boronina in the movie adaptation of the video game Hitman (2007).

How romantic: With her arms outstretched warmly as she sauntered up to Rowan, the pretty actress wore her buoyant chestnut locks in a bouncy wavy 'do

Lucky Johnny: Before long, she had dropped the sarong and was running into the arms of the accident-prone spy

Back! Rowan Atkinson was spotted shooting scenes for Johnny English III last month in London

She then played a real-life Bond girl - Camille Montes - in the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace (2008).

She starred in Momentum (2015), To the Wonder (2012), and Oblivion (2013) alongside Tom Cruise.

She acted opposite Russell Crowe in The Water Diviner (2014).

Last month the Mr Bean actor was spotted on the streets of London shooting the first scenes for the cult favourite film.

He was spotted wearing a crisp white shirt with a red tie and black trousers as he stood before cameras as the buffoon spy.

Bond girl: It seems Olga is to be one of the heroines of this third instalment

Chit chat: Rowan caught up with the crew between takes

With a sizeable crew surrounding him, the funnyman cut a pensive figure between takes, standing alone with his head down as he waited for his next scene.

And with the scenes being shot on the bustling streets of the English capital, it seemed fitting that an open-top red double decker bus was also incorporated into the scenes, with the cast and crew huddled on the top deck.

Little is known about where the third instalment of Johnny English will lead his character; the first, released in 2003, saw Johnny become the country's sole spy after an attack on the MI5, while the sequel took him on a mission to China.

Beachwear: The funnyman stepped out in a crisp white shirt with flip flops

A long time coming: Rowan, 62, first hit screens as the bumbling titular character back in 2003

Taking direction: Rowan listened to the director of the film as he stood solo among the production's cast and crew

The original, which also starred John Malkovich and Ben Miller alongside Atkinson grossed almost 22million domestically, 2011's Johnny English Reborn only pulled in a comparatively meagre 6.2million.

Rowman and Sunetra's divorce was granted on the grounds of 'unreasonable behaviour'.

Rowan is currently dating comedy actress Louise Ford - a comedy actress half his age. She has appeared in Channel 4's Misfits and starred alongside Inbetweeners actors Simon Bird and Joe Thomas in Skys Chickens.

Rowan and Sunetra were building an 11million home in Oxfordshire at the time of their split in 2014.

Under wraps: Little is known about the plot concerning his third instalment in the action series

First: Rowan appeared alongside Ben Miller and Natalie Imbruglia in the first Johnny English

Fix up, look sharp: He revived his character eight years later for 2011's Johnny English Reborn

Following the split, Blackadder star moved into a 4million London cottage while Sunetra resided in a 21million mansion in the capital, bought for her by Rowan in 2014.

One of Britains most wealthy entertainers with a fortune of around 70million, Atkinson sold his rare McLaren F1 supercar for 8million months before his divorce was granted in 2015.

Rowan first met his wife, the daughter of an Indian engineer from Ealing, west London, in the late Eighties, when she was working as a make-up artist for the BBC.

He was previously in a relationship with Men Behaving Badly star Leslie Ash, who he planted an avenue of rowan and ash trees for at his country home.

Bouncing back: Rowan split from his wife of 24 years, Sunetra, in a costly settlement in 2015 but appeared to be making the money back with his new film

Louise and Rowan met in 2013 after appearing together in the West End as he starred in the comic play Quartermaine's Terms.

The comedienne grew up in Bexleyheath, south-east London, before gaining an English degree at Southampton University.

After graduating, she won a place at RADA where she was in the same year and treaded the boards with now Hollywood actress Gemma Arterton.

This led to appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the Royal Shakespeare Company and parts in television comedies.
Jesse Williams has agreed to pay a hefty settlement sum to estranged wife Aryn Drake-Lee.

The Grey's Anatomy star will fork over $100k for 'spousal and child support' while another $60k is allocated to 'cover her lawyer's fees,' as reported in recently filed documents discovered by TMZ.

Earlier this month, the pair arrived upon a joint-custody agreement for their two children Sadie, three, and Maceo, two.

Opening his wallet: Jesse Williams has agreed to pay a $160k settlement providing estranged wife and Aryn Drake-Lee with 'spousal and child support' as well as funds to cover her legal fees; both are seen this month

The agreement stipulates Williams, 36, pay the sizable settlement in three parts, which will come out of his next three Grey's Anatomy paychecks.

On September 6, the married couple of five years reached a custody agreement which will see their little ones split time 50/50 between parents.

Interestingly, the agreement forbids the kids from meeting either's 'romantic' partners others 'until the relationship has endured at least 6 months,' according to an earlier report from TMZ.

It's thought that the curious clause could be directed at the star's rumored romantic interest Minka Kelly, who has been linked to Jesse since early summer.

Coming to terms: Earlier this month, Jesse and Aryn (above in 2013) agreed on sharing joint-custody of their two children

The contract also states that 'neither parent can make derogatory remarks about the other in front of the children.'

The five-years married couple share son Maceo, nearly two, and daughter Sadie, three.

It doesn't not break down the terms of the kids' physical custody arrangement, however.

The custody contract specifically forbids both Jesse and Aryn to 'introduce a person with whom he or she has a romantic relationship' to their kids 'until the relationship has endured at least 6 months.'

Kelly Green with envy? It's very possible the clause could be directed at the Grey's Anatomy star's new flame Minka Kelly (above in July)

Back on August 15 the maybe-couple made a much more bold appearance as they dined together at Largo at the Coronet in LA.

Before the star and his estranged wife reached their agreement, New York real estate agent Drake-Lee made an attempt to keep the star from posting photos of their children on social media.

Her concern hinged upon the fact unstable fans may attempt to engage Williams through Sadie and Maceo, potentially hurting the toddlers in the process.

Happier times: They are seen here in 2013 at an event for Art Los Angeles Contemporary

Williams at present has roughly 2.25 million followers on Twitter and approximately 2.4 million on Instagram - and Drake-Lee has, indeed, noted in her court documents that her estranged husband has a massive online audience.

The website has pointed out that several photos of the children have vanished from Williams' social media pages.

TMZ had reported on August 15 that Drake-Lee had, around that time, accused Williams of posting social media photos of the children so that they'd become a 'buffer for the negative talk about him in the media.'

As TMZ have since revealed, her counter to Williams' argument about his First Amendment rights was to refer to the children's own rights, and to the fact that they aren't public figures.

Put down the phone: Last month Drake-Lee accused Williams of posting social media photos of the children so that they'd become a 'buffer for the negative talk about him in the media'

According to explosive court documents, Williams accused his estranged wife of repeatedly slamming the front door on his leg while yelling at him in front of their two young children.

He claims Drake-Lee has stopped him from spending time with the kids, rarely answers the phone when he tries to FaceTime them and bars him from making any decisions regarding their lives, according to legal papers.

The actor flatly denies Drake-Lee's claims that he is an unfit parent - filed in court papers earlier this month - as completely false.

Williams (pictured in Grey's Anatomy) claims Drake-Lee, 34, has stopped him from spending time with the kids

In the papers, filed at Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Williams says: 'I can certainly care for Sadie and Maceo without assistance and did so on many occasions during our marriage.

'Like Aryn I should have sufficient time with Sadie and Maceo each week, including overnights, to continue to strengthen the very special bond I share with them and share equally int he parenting role.

'Aryn's clear intent, as shown throughout her testimony is to marginalize and dismiss me as a parent, micromanage my time with the children and to exclude me from all decision regarding out children, no matter how important.'
Julia Stiles has married fiance Preston J. Cook.

The pregnant actress, 36, surprised fans with the news on Tuesday, which she revealed by posting a close-up picture of her new husband's hands cradling her growing bump, clad in a white wedding dress.

Both wore their wedding bands in the intimate image, shot on the beach beside the shoreline.

'Who doesn't love a shotgun wedding?' Pregnant Julia Stiles confirmed on Tuesday that she had married fiance Preston J Cook on the beach in Seattle

Expecting: The 10 Things I Hate About You star confirmed her pregnancy in June and is set to welcome her first child by the end of this year

Jokingly dubbing the nuptials a 'shotgun wedding', Julia geo-tagged the Instagram image in Seattle, Washington.

The 10 Things I Hate About You star confirmed her pregnancy in June and is set to welcome her first child by the end of this year.

The couple met when Preston was a camera assistant on Julia's 2005 film Blackway.

The pair got engaged on Christmas Eve in 2015 during a romantic vacation to Isla Grande in Colombia.

Woman and husband: Preston was a camera assistant on Julia's 2015 film Blackway (pictured together at the BAFTAs in London in February)

The Save the Last Dance star, appearing on Live! With Kelly last July, said that some of Cook's questions prior to his proposal tipped her off to his romantic plans.

'We had had a conversation waiting for an elevator one day, where he was randomly like, out of nowhere, "With jewelry, you dont really wear silver or platinum. Youre more into gold,"' she said.

'And then I went, "What is up with this conversation?"'

Julia told People last summer she and Cook were comfortable with a long engagement period, and in no rush to the altar.

'Were really slow on the wedding planning so I havent really been soliciting advice,' the Dexter star said.

Mother to be: Julia showed off her beautiful baby bump as she stepped out in New York City in a floral maxi-dress earlier this month

'Somebody told me about radical empathy, but Im still trying to figure out what that means. Im trying to figure out what makes it radical.'

Julia recently played the art dealer Georgina on the TV drama Riviera, which is set, as its title would suggest, on France's Cote d'Azur.

Widowed when her billionaire husband's yacht blows up, Georgina, an American expat, becomes increasingly aware of - and enmeshed in - his old underground illegal activities.

All 10 episodes streamed stateside on Sundance Now starting this month.

The cast of the show also includes Lena Olin, Adrian Lester, Iwan Rheon, Dimitri Leonidas and Anthony LaPaglia as the billionaire with the ill-starred yacht.

Announcement: The pair got engaged on Christmas Eve in 2005 during a romantic vacation to Isla Grande in Colombia
They jetted back to Los Angeles on Monday night following a PDA filled trip to Miami.

But hours before their scheduled flight via private jet from Florida to the West Coast, Sofia Richie, 19, and Scott Disick, 34, were spotting grabbing frozen yogurt.

The duo, who shared several steamy kisses during their Miami getaway, walked side by side as they enjoyed their cold treat.

Sweet life: Hours before their scheduled flight via private jet from Florida to the West Coast, Sofia Richie, 19, and Scott Disick, 34, were spotting grabbing frozen yogurt

The teenager flashed her stomach in her red and navy track bottoms, adding a white crop top.

Sofia, an aspiring model, stayed warm in her cropped grey sleeveless cover up.

Scott wore a hoodie with sweat bottoms, adding sunglasses even though it was nighttime.

Soon after, the teen and the father of three enjoyed a meal with friends on a private jet back home to Los Angeles.

Friends and dessert: The duo, who shared steamy kisses during their beach holiday together, walked side by side as they enjoyed their cold treat

Classy arrival: Sofia Richie, 19, and Scott Disick, 34, were snapped on a private jet back to LA

Kourtney Kardashian's ex partner Scott shared a snap of their 'family dinner 40k above the rest' to his Instagram story.

Sofia and Scott sat across from each other on the plane; he later snapped a photo of his feet propped on her lap.

The duo, who seemingly became official over the weekend, shared a passionate kiss at a venue after being surprised with a 'congratulations' cake during a night out.

Foot rest: Father of three Scott shared the snap to his Instagram story on Monday

Facing the musica: They enjoyed a whirlwind romantic trip to Miami this past week

Hands on: The duo, who seemingly became official over the weekend, shared a passionate kiss at a venue after being surprised with a 'congratulations' cake during a night out

The snap of the duo kissing was posted to Scott's friend Alec Monopoly's Instagram story.

Scott and Sofia were seen on multiple occasions lounging in the sun in the Florida city over the past few days, even sharing a kiss or two.

Scott is dad to three children with Kourtney: Mason, seven; Penelope, five; and Reign, two.

What's the congratulation for: The snap of the duo kissing was posted to Scott's friend Alec Monopoly's Instagram story

They parted ways in summer 2015; since then, Scott has been linked with a bevy of models as well as actress Bella Thorne, 19.

On Sunday, E! broadcast the 10th anniversary special for Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

During the special, both Kourtney and Scott entertained the possibility of reuniting in the future.

Sorry Sofia: On Sunday, E! broadcast the 10th anniversary special for Keeping Up With The Kardashians, where both stunning Kourtney and Scott talked about the possibility of reuniting romantically in the future

During his Miami trip, he spent time with Dave Grutman and also Travis Scott.

Travis is reportedly expecting a baby girl with Kourtney's little sister Kylie Jenner, according to TMZ.

The 20-year-old Kylie Cosmetics founder is said to allegedly be four months along with the 25-year-old rapper's child.

They started dating five months ago.

Kylie and the Kardashian/Jenner clan have yet to confirm the pregnancy rumor.
Harrison Ford is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

And as if he didn't already have a fashionable enough entrance for a morning chat show appearance, the veteran actor had dozens of fans lining up just for a chance to meet him shortly after.

The 75-year-old actor looked hip in a pair of sunglasses as he arrived for an interview on Good Morning America in New York City on Tuesday.

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Cool customer: Harrison Ford looked hip in a pair of sunglasses as he arrived for an interview on Good Morning America in New York City on Tuesday

Friendly to fans: Later on in the day dozens of fans queued as they waited for just a chance to meet the 75-year-old star

During the sitdown with host Michael Strahan he detailed the now infamous moment where he punched co-star Ryan Gosling in the face on set of their new flick Blade Runner 2049.

He was asked if hitting his 36-year-old co-star was an accident or slip-up and Ford jokingly shrugged his shoulders before explaining what happened.

The Star Wars star said: 'You know we were doing an action scene. I threw 80 punches and one landed. That's really a bed record on my part.'

Dapper: Harrison looked handsome in a navy blue suit over a light blue striped dress shirt and brown leather dress shoes

Infamous: During the sitdown he detailed the now infamous moment where he punched co-star Ryan Gosling in the face on set of their new flick Blade Runner 2049

Pulling no punches: The Star Wars star said: 'You know we were doing an action scene. I threw 80 punches and one landed. That's really a bed record on my part'

He was told that Ryan was only two-years-old when the original Blade Runner film was released in 1982 before being asked what it was like working together.

Harrison once again showed his witty side as he joked: 'It was great. He's learned to talk and run and jump down.'

A nice moment came when a 15-year-old fan named Eric got to ask him for tips in trying to break into showbusiness.

Yum: After the appearance he ate at his favorite Big Apple restaurant Bar Pitti

Queued up: Little did the A-list actor know that several dozen fans were waiting to see him

Killer sign: Each of the fans had their own things for the star to sign

What could it be? One of the most interesting pieces was wheeled over by a superfan

Stuck on him: The follower revealed a silver mold of Ford's character Han Solo encapsulated in carbonite from the Star Wars franchise

Diehards: The group of fans patiently waited for the star

Here he comes: The life-sized statue seemingly received almost as much attention as the star did

The Raiders Of The Lost Ark actor gave an earnest response as he said: 'Find out how to be useful. Try not to make it about yourself but about the story. Just be useful.'

Aside from the designer shades, Ford looked effortlessly cool in a navy blue suit worn over a light blue striped shirt with the top few buttons undone along with brown leather dress shoes.

After the talk show appearance the veteran actor grabbed a bite to eat at one of his favorite Big Apple eateries Bar Pitti.

Swift exit: No doubt fans were excited as Ford left the restaurant

Making them happy: He did not hesitate to sign autographs for his loyal fanbase

Big moment: Harrison stopped to take a look at the intricate mold

There it is: He happily signed the large statue much to the enjoyment of the fan

Etched in carbonite: Harrison's signature could be seen right next to his character's head

It was there where a long line queued up filled with fans hoping for a chance to meet or get an autograph from the acting legend.

Perhaps the most hardcore fan of all brought a life-sized mold of Ford's character Han Solo encased in carbonite.

After the midday meal, the A-list actor was friendly to his fans as he signed autographs for several of them including the huge silver statue.

Blade Runner 2049 is set for release in the UK on 5 October with a US release following the next day on October 6.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A woman believed to be a lady of the night is alleged to have leaked her photograph with a married lover in order to extort money from him.Trisha Dzuro, who brags over snatching married men, is alleged to have asked a freelancer photographer at Zindoga Shopping Centre to capture her downing wise waters' with her married lover Taperesu Zhou recently.Trisha is alleged to have later leaked the photograph to Zhou's wife Tabeth by sending a love message and the photograph with the intention to extort her lover's money, impeccable sources told H-Metro.Contacted for comment, Zhou confirmed receiving calls from an anonymous female voice threatening to embarrass him if he failed to pay her money."To be honest I was cheating with Trisha for some time but I have since stopped after discovering something I cannot disclose," said Zhou."I do not remember how and when the photographs were taken because I was drunk but I smelt a rat after an anonymous caller demanded US$300 threatening to embarrass me using the photographs."I informed a police officer and the lady who identified herself as Jackie failed to show up to where we had agreed to meet for payment."The lady was after extorting me," said Zhou.Trisha confirmed bedding Zhou saying Tabeth has no right to disturb her affair since she is not legally married to Zhou."Zhou is my boyfriend and Tabeth must not disturb my peace because she is not legally married although they have children together," said Trisha."I do not see myself having Zhou's kids but as we speak we are in love zvekuti mukadzi wake haafanirwe kuramba kutindivewo naye murume uyu haamupedze ega."I am not a sex worker as what she want people to believe, izvezvi ndiripaZindoga madeko ano, that photograph shows that I am in love with Zhou so let people including H-Metro shut up about it."I never planned to extort Zhou his money because he can give me any amount I want since we are in love."Tabeth's young sisters are up against me but their actions will never stop my affair with Zhou asi mari haaunze yese kumba kwangu vanodyawo wani. "Zhou's friend is the one who took the photographs in question and I want to believe that he is the one who leaked them not me," said Trisha.Tabeth told H-Metro that Trisha's messages on her mobile over Zhou is disturbing her family peace daily."I want to suspect that Trisha used love potions on my husband and her messages are so provocative semunhu wemubhawa mhuri haichisina mufaro uye mari yose yavakuperera kwaari," said Tabeth.Reports were that Trisha organized with her friend in sending a message to Zhou using a South Africa mobile contact threatening to expose Zhou to extort him.
She joked she was suffering from a case of 'food baby' when she was hit by pregnancy claims last week.

But Jenna Dewan Tatum turned the other cheek as she put in a stylish appearance while out and about in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The actress and dancer, 36, showed off her perfectly toned pins in a flirty LBD and leopard print shoe boots as she grabbed breakfast to go.

Leggy lady: Jenna Dewan Tatum put in a stylish appearance while out and about in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Tuesday after dispelling pregnancy rumors last week

The World Of Dance hostess' outfit featured frills over its half sleeves and hemline, and she matched the dress with a black handbag.

The mother-of-one completed the look with aviator sunglasses and a medallion necklace.

Jenna - the wife of Magic Mike hunk Channing Tatum, 37 - chatted away on her cellphone, which was covered with an adorable unicorn-print Skinnydip case, as she headed on her way after grabbing a bite to eat.

The actress was spotted clutching a brown paper bag, possibly including a takeaway.

A walk on the wild side: The actress and dancer, 36, showed off her perfectly toned pins in a flirty LBD and leopard print shoe boots as she grabbed breakfast to go

Flirty: The World Of Dance hostess' outfit featured frills over its half sleeves and hemline, and she matched the dress with a black handbag

Channing and Jenna, who met filming the 2006 dance film Step Up, married on a vineyard in Malibu, California, in 2009.

The genetically-blessed twosome now raise sweet daughter Everly, four, together.

Last week, Jenna was hit by claims she was expecting her second child, but she quickly put the rumors to bed via People.

Dressed to impress: The mother-of-one completed the look with aviator sunglasses and a medallion necklace

She quipped in an article that ran last Tuesday: 'Thank you so much for all of your care and well wishes for my food baby and for the fact that I really needed to pee.'

Covering this year's January issue of Cosmopolitan, Jenna had looked back on carrying her daughter, saying: 'We actually got pregnant at the worst time.'

She recalled: 'I found out right after I filmed the pilot for the Witches Of East End, and then we spent six months in London while Chan was doing Jupiter Ascending.

'It was not a planned baby. It was crazy, but we figured it out. Youve just got to trust and follow the flow of life.'

Little Miss Chatterbox: Jenna - wife of Magic Mike hunk Channing Tatum, 37 - chatted away on her cellphone, which was covered with a unicorn-print Skinnydip case

As for her and Channing's relationship, sex 'was one of our biggest connections'.

She explained: 'Its just always been there. Were not those people who can just say, screw it, lets be sexual. We have to be connected in the right way.'

She went on: 'But Ive always been a very sexual person. We definitely have a very happy and healthy [sex life].

'Something about being a dancer connects you to your physical body. Its primal, earthy, sexual energy by nature.'

'You feel your body in a certain way. Channing is very much the same way. Hes very in tune with that. It just worked.'
Yves Saint Laurent's Paris Fashion Weeks show on Tuesday saw a bevy of super glam guests in attendance to eye up the Spring/Summer '18 looks.

And leading the way were mother/daughter team Courtney Love and Frances Bean Cobain.

The ladies looked to have compared notes when getting dressed as they appeared to match each other in black outfits with semi-sheer detailing to them.

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Slowly by sheerly: Courtney Love and Frances Bean Cobain make a mother/daughter entrance as they arrive at the Yves Saint Laurent PFW show in matching sexy black outfits

Rock legend Courtney ensured she was oozing sex appeal; the 53-year-old flashed a cheeky hint of bra from beneath a chic velvet blazer while also sporting tough boots and black jeans.

The bra was black with cut-out detailing and made in a nearly see-through fabric, complimented by Courtney's black nail polish and simplistic yet striking stone and silver necklace.

She wore her bright blonde locks in lightly unkempt waves and added some bright red to her pout, standing out from her porcelain complexion.

She finished this off with a bronze shoulder purse.

Rock royalty: The blonde beauty was going braless beneath her racy sheer cami with a velvet blazer underneath

Strutting their stuff: The stunner was in a mother and daughter style look with Bean

Frances wore a similar tone of make-up to her mother but offset her with her contrasting dark features.

The 25-year-old wore a top in a similar style to Courtney's bra, and added a black skirt with frill trim to the look.

She completed it with knee-high black leather boots.

The pair sat on the front row of the show, which played host to the likes of Kate Moss and Edward Enninful as well.

The guests sat and watched as the Ready to Wear collection by Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello was put on display, and featured androgynous and chic designs.

Legend: Naturally with such a high-profile show, the stars were arriving in droves including rock legend Courtney Love who was joined by her daughter Frances Bean

Furry fashion: Some of the looks were pushing the boundaries with funky fur boots in line

Strut: The styles on the runway were androgynous and chic
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She is the fashion world's hottest face of the moment, with designers around the globe rushing to sign her up.

So supermodel Cindy Crawford's daughter Kaia, 16, was a clear choice to walk the runway at Yves Saint Laurent's spectacular show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.

The teenager was seen wearing an array of chic ensembles as she pulled her very best model gaze while leading fellow fashionistas on the catwalk, which took place beneath the Eiffel Tower in a show-stopping event.

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Doing her thing: The daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber was sporting an array of looks which would scarcely appear in many teen's wardrobes

Kaia, whose dad is businessman Rande Gerber, was on hand to model YSL's Spring/Summer '18 looks for the Ready to Wear collection by Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello.

Each of her YSL looks were as striking as the next, including a chic black dress which tumbled off the shoulders and featured voluminous sleeves which masked her arms from beneath.

The dress was Nineties-inspired, perhaps in a nod to her mum Cindy's fashion heyday, while she blinged up the ensemble with a pair of dazzling drop earrings with a jewelled base.

Her brunette tresses were scraped behind her ears, while her make-up was kept dewy and natural with an extremely strong eyebrow enhancing her fashionista look.

Showstopper: The star strutted her stuff along the runway in an incredible setting as the fashion weeks drew to a close

Who's who? The likenesses between Kaia and her mum Cindy (pictured left in 1999) have frequently been pointed out since she launched her own career in fashion

Doing her thing: Not only was it a star-studded FROW but also a dazzling runway as model of the moment Kaia Gerber, 16, took centre stage in an array of ensembles

Breathtaking: The show was held in front of the Eiffel Tower and made for one of the most spectacular events of the fashion weeks

Kaia has been cementing her crown as one of the biggest models in the world after trotting around the globe in recent weeks for every big fashion week show going - most notably the iconic Versace show which saw her mum also storm the stage.

It seems the knock-on impact of fashion weeks have been taking their toll on the teen as she took to Instagram on Monday to share a snap as she cradled a cup of coffee while adding the caption: 'Survival'.

Kaia's runway appearances come after she revealed in July finds it 'difficult' juggling her modeling career with her education.

Jewelled: Her many looks included dazzling earrings paired with an intricately beaded top and a chunky necklace

She told Miss Vogue: 'Its really difficult, because you have a lot of different things going on. I go to school everyday, and that does come first.'

The teen also told the magazine: 'I try to separate my modeling work from my school life because I dont want people to think of me differently or that I am a certain way because of it.

'I think I do a pretty good job of separating it, I dont really talk about it with my friends. Other than my friends that are part of the industry, and I guess thats different.'

She added: 'I use my free time for work, but because I love it so much, it doesnt feel like work and I still have fun with it. I dont really have days where I can sit and do nothing.'

Kaia on fire: The star has been forging a successful career - proving a love of fashion and modelling runs in the family

Struggling? It seems the knock-on impact of fashion weeks have been taking their toll on the teen as she took to Instagram on Monday to share a snap as she cradled a cup of coffee while adding the caption: 'Survival'

Strutting her stuff: She is the fashion world's hottest face of the moment, with designers around the globe rushing to sign her up - as illustrated at the Versace, Bottega Veneta and Moschino MFW shows last week (left-right)

Intense stare: She pulled her very best pout as she strutted towards the cameras at the head of the runway

Legs eleven: She boosted her height with a pair of staggering strappy heels

On hand: Throwing their support behind their teen daughter was Rande, Cindy and their model son Presley as they too appeared in Paris, yet headed for dinner across town

Strutting their stuff: The good looking family were treating the sidewalk like a catwalk

Throwing their support behind their teen daughter were parents Rande and Cindy, and their model son Presley, who were all seen in Paris, too.

Also joining proceedings were two of the fashion worlds biggest talents - Kate Moss and her pal Edward Enninful.

Fashion great Kate, 43, stuck to her tried-and-tested rock chic cool, in a leopard print mini with a bias-cut blazer while the editing supremo opted for classic cool in a crisp and perfectly tailored suit.

Posing up a storm: Joining proceedings were two of the fashion worlds biggest talents - Kate Moss and her pal Edward Enninful. The 43-year-old fashion great stuck to her tried-and-tested rock chic cool, in a leopard print mini with a bias-cut blazer while the editing supremo opted for classic cool in a crisp and perfectly tailored suit

Proving to be quite the FROW experts, both Kate and Edward had their fashionista glares prepared for vying photographers at the event - which was littered with a who's who of the fashion world.

Slipping into one of her trademark edgy ensembles, the Croydon-born beauty sported a thigh-skimming leopard print mini with a long-line blazer.

Helping keep out the descending Parisian autumn chill, she rocked thick opaque tights while boosting her height with a pair of pointed stilettos.

Proving the key was in the accessories, she held on to a stunning crocodile skin clutch bag while rocking dainty gold earrings which upped the glamour further.

Look at me! Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello was proudly strutting his stuff after his designs were unveiled

The fash pack: The models were flaunting the stunning styles of the coming season with monochrome and coloured looks setting the catwalk alight

Out and a pout: Fashion great Kate, 43, stuck to her tried-and-tested rock chic cool, in a leopard print mini with a bias-cut blazer while the editing supremo opted for classic cool in a crisp and perfectly tailored suit

The greats: Naomi was joining the fashion heavyweights at the event as she went for a risque plunging top with dripping jewels while wearing her hair in flowing lengths with flawless make-up in place

Power dressing: the original supermodel cut a striking figure in tailored trousers and fitted blazer, teamed with a raunchy mesh shirt underneath

Racy: the stunning star gave onlookers a peek at her pretty black bra which was visible underneath her see-through blouse

Another notable accessory was the sapphire ring reportedly gifted to her by her toyboy beau, Count Nikolai von Bismarck, 29, who she is said to be engaged to hot on the heels of reports released in July.

Her blonde tresses were scraped back into an effortlessly mussed chignon while she allowed loose tendrils to frame her face - which was adorned with a dewy foundation while her eyes were lined with smudged kohl.

Kate and Edward have a special bond both personally and professionally as the model is a contributing editor of the magazine.

Legend: Naturally with such a high-profile show, the stars were arriving in droves including rock legend Courtney Love who was joined by her daughter Frances Bean

Mummy and daughter: Ensuring she was oozing sex appeal, the 53-year-old stunner flashed a cheeky hint of bra from beneath a chic velvet blazer while also sporting tough boots

Rock royalty: The blonde beauty was going braless beneath her racy sheer cami with a velvet blazer underneath

Out and a pout: Courtney was dazzling as she headed to the event for a family outing

Earlier this year, he spoke of her new role which she joined alongside Naomi Campbell, Steve McQueen and his former American Vogue colleague Grace Coddington, as he said: 'I am thrilled that Kate, Naomi, Steve and Grace are going to work with us in these new roles.

'As two of the biggest international style influencers and supermodels, the impact Naomi and Kate have in todays culture is enormous. Being an acclaimed filmmaker and Turner Prize-winning artist, Steve will bring an increased depth to the arts within the magazine.'

Naomi was joining the fashion heavyweights at the event as she went for a risque plunging top with dripping jewels while wearing her hair in flowing lengths with flawless make-up in place.

Naturally with such a high-profile show, the stars were arriving in droves including rock legend Courtney Love who was joined by her daughter Frances Bean.

Rock star cool: Lenny Kravitz cut an edgy figure as he posed alongside model Lou Doillon (right)

Good genes! Robin Wright, 51, commanded attention with her youthful complexion as she arrived at the show with her handsome son Hopper Jack Penn

Ensuring she was oozing sex appeal, the 53-year-old stunner flashed a cheeky hint of bra from beneath a chic velvet blazer while also sporting tough boots.

Fashionista Chloe Sevigny opted for a funky look complete with knee-high boots and a halterneck dress - in what was one of the sexiest looks of the show.

French model Aymeline Valade was oozing sophistication in all-black ensemble complete with a chic blazer and a racy sheer shirt.

Blonde beauty: Fashionista Chloe Sevigny opted for a funky look complete with knee-high boots and a halterneck dress - in what was one of the sexiest looks of the show

Stunner: French model Aymeline Valade was oozing sophistication in all-black ensemble complete with a chic blazer and a racy sheer shirt

Veteran: French actress Catherine Deneuve, who enjoyed huge fame in the Sixties, looked far less than her 73 years as she opted for classic glamour in a monochrome ensemble

Crowning glory: Princess Alexandra of Hanover, 18, added a touch of royal glamour to proceedings as the teen, who is the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and Prince Ernst August, rocked a tough leather jacket and sky-high heels

Leather ladies: She was joined by her half-sister Charlotte Casiraghi, who looked chic in a leather mini skirt with knee-high boots - again going for all black

Sister, sister: The ladies put on an equally glam appearance as they headed into the bash

Sister act: The duo proved the family resemblance as they dazzled in their rock chick looks

Inked-up beauty: Italian actress Asia Argento was looking typically edgy as she displayed her trademark chest tattoo to full display from beneath her plunging vest top

French actress Catherine Deneuve, who enjoyed huge fame in the Sixties, looked far less than her 73 years as she opted for classic glamour in a monochrome ensemble.

Princess Alexandra of Hanover, 18, added a touch of royal glamour to proceedings as the teen, who is the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and Prince Ernst August, rocked a tough leather jacket and sky-high heels.

She was joined by her half-sister Charlotte Casiraghi, 31, whose father is Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist, who looked chic in a leather mini skirt with knee-high boots - again going for all black.

Italian actress Asia Argento was looking typically edgy as she displayed her trademark chest tattoo to full display from beneath her plunging vest top.

Furry fashion: Some of the looks were pushing the boundaries with funky fur boots in line

Strutting their stuff: The styles on the runway were androgynous and chic
She has been going through love woes, after announcing a heartbreaking split from husband Kieran Hayler, shortly before blasting claims of a reunion.

So Katie Price is undoubtedly in the mood for some pampering, so headed to a Dublin hair salon on Monday to transform her trademark blonde tresses into a deep brown hue with lengthy extensions worked through.

The 39-year-old glamour model was extremely low-key in an Adidas tracksuit as she went through the lengthy motions of transforming her locks from blonde - which she often displays while sporting a wig - to deep chestnut brown.

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Look at me! Katie Price is undoubtedly in the mood for some pampering, so headed to a Dublin hair salon on Monday to transform her trademark blonde tresses into a deep brown hue with lengthy extensions worked through

Katie shocked her fans with her latest live tour revelation as she pulled off a wig and declared that her hair is thinning due to stress.

Following her admission, Katie has undergone a hair-raising transformation as she dyed her locks dark brown while coping with the strain of her divorce from Kieran.

Standing outside the salon in a stylish Adidas tracksuit, that flashed a hint of her blooming bump, she went barefoot while seemingly in the middle of the process.

The top of her hair was pinned high on her head before she later departed with her slick mane falling loose over her shoulders while she toted a Louis Vuitton bag.

Who's who? The 39-year-old glamour model was extremely low-key in an Adidas tracksuit as she went through the lengthy motions of transforming her locks from blonde - which she often displays while sporting a wig - to deep chestnut brown

Mane attraction: She has undergone a hair-raising transformation as she dyed her locks jet brown while coping with the strain of her divorce from Kieran Hayler

New hair, who dis? Standing outside the salon in a stylish Adidas tracksuit, that flashed a hint of her blooming bump, she went barefoot while seemingly in the middle of the process

Fresh start: She has been going through love woes, after announcing a heartbreaking split from Kieran last month

In August, the Loose Women panellist claimed her husband of four years cheated on her with their children's nanny and now attempting to move on from the fallout she has opted for a new look.

In the midst of Katie's image overhaul, she was faced with claims she has taken back Kieran following the cheating scandal that ended their marriage.

An insider told Now Magazine: 'She cant function alone and is adamant they can make it work. Shes got her experiences of divorce and simply cant face going through that again.'

Ready to go: The top of her hair was pinned high on her head before she later departed with her slick mane falling loose over her shoulders while she toted a Louis Vuitton bag

Back to black: The stunner was uncharacteristically covered up in her dark ensemble but gave a 'Pricey' touch with her fur sliders

In light of the reports, Katie has vehemently denied the claims, with her spokeswomen insisting that the pair have no immediate plans to get back together and instead they will both focus on their children.

She said: 'Kate and Kieran are currently living in their marital home. Of course their marriage is on the rocks and right now there is no future for them however they are currently dealing with their situation privately and in their own time.'

Adding: 'Kieran is getting help and is in therapy. Despite recent speculation from sources they are both acting in the best interest of their children and family, Katies main priority is her mum, her health, the children and her work.'

Here come the girls: Katie was joined by a group of supportive friends as she changed her look

Happy with the look? Katie was transformed in the salon as she had a laugh with pals

Deep in chat: She coordinated her pink shoes with her personalised pink phone case

Chatting away: Katie seemed to collide with a passing pedestrian as she made her way into the salon

Getting her hair tended to by the team at South Dublin salon Ceira Lambert, the mother-of-five appeared to return to look from 2011 when she divorced her second husband Alex Reid and even got a head of new hair extensions to match.

Sporting her look from yesteryear, Katie's new 'do also paid tribute to her mane of 2008 before she split with Peter Andre - who she welcomed son Junior and Princess with.

Her new look comes after she caused jaws to drop with her latest tour antics as she removed her wig live on-stage during a dramatic speech in Stoke-On-Trent last week.

The former glamour model initially appeared on-stage sporting a flowing caramel wig, parted in the middle and boasting soft luscious waves.

Shock: She shocked her fans with her latest live tour revelation as she pulled off a wig and declared that her hair is thinning due to stress

In the past: Getting her hair tended to by the team at South Dublin salon Ceira Lambert, the mother-of-five appeared to return to look from 2011 when she divorced her second husband Alex Reid and even got a head of new hair extensions to match (Pictured in 2009)

Paying tribute: Sporting her look from yesteryear, Katie's new 'do also paid tribute to her mane of 2008 before she split with Peter Andre - who she welcomed son Junior and Princess with (Pictured in 2008)

Looking chic in a ruffled black dress, the reality TV star suddenly grabbed attention when she whipped the wig off in front of her fans, revealing her shorter ombre locks beneath, which were scraped back in a low-maintenance ponytail.

The glamorous star has previously admitted to relying on wigs and hair extensions after suffering from thinning hair due to stress.

In February the surgically enhanced model bit back at a troll who accused her of going bald due to her dependence on hair extensions, saying: 'I've had 5 kids stress last year and hair loss due to it so not extensions so thanks for the put down!

Katie has previously expressed her distaste for her natural haired look, saying she feels at her most glamorous with big and lengthy locks.

Honest: The glamorous star has previously admitted to relying on wigs and hair extensions after suffering from thinning hair due to stress

The hair-raising act came after Katie reportedly told fans her cheating spouse Kieran bedded nanny Nikki Brown in the bath.

The star allegedly made the explosive claim as Kieran listened on in the crowd.

Katie's comments come after she announced she was divorcing Kieran - after the sex addict admitted to sleeping with their nanny Nikki Brown six times, something Nikki has vehemently denied.

Katie reportedly made the claim when an audience member shouted out: 'Get rid of your cheating husband!'

Claims: The hair-raising act came after Katie reportedly told fans her cheating spouse Kieran bedded nanny Nikki Brown in the bath

According to The Sun, the mum-of-five laughed and shot back: 'Im sure he enjoyed having sex in the bath with the nanny.'

MailOnline contacted Katie Price's rep at the time for comment.

Meanwhile, Katie has revealed her latest cosmetic procedure as she took to the stage in Stevenage for her tour.

Speaking to the audience on Saturday, she admitted to going under the knife to reduce her eye-bags: 'I've had "tear through" - to get rid of my bags so it looks like I've had a black eye.'

Despite the painful-sounding work, Katie is no stranger to going under the knife, having shown off the results of her first facelift in July.



Frank: Katie discussed her experience of plastic surgery during her stint on Loose Women, revealing there was pressure to keep up with younger women

New work: The TV personality showcased the results of the 5,000 procedure, designed to boost sagging cheeks and jawlines, on Loose Women at the time

The TV personality showcased the results of the 5,000 procedure, designed to boost sagging cheeks and jawlines, on Loose Women at the time.

Katie discussed her experience of plastic surgery during her stint on Loose Women, revealing there was pressure to keep up with younger women.

She recalled: 'I know when I have too much lips [filler], when I see myself on TV and pictures and am like "Oh my God, I look like a duck".

Katie also admitted that her son Junior had warned her about having too much work done on her face.

The mother-of-five explained: 'This is what Junior said, "Mum you are so beautiful. Why did you have to have it done?"

Warning: Katie also admitted that her son Junior had warned her about having too much work done on her face

'I was like, "I havent had that much done, Junior".' And he said, "Mum, your eyebrows are fake, youve got fake eyelashes on, youve had your lips done, youve had your nose done, and your teeth. And now youve put these things in your face  why?"

'And I didnt have a comeback. Because hes actually right.'

Despite a long history of cosmetic procedures, this was the first time Katie has ever gone under the knife for a facial rejuvenation.

Katie's facelift is the latest in a long line of cosmetic procedures, which began with the first of eight breast augmentations in 1998.

She's also undergone rhinoplasty, teeth veneers, bottom lifts, liposuction and has a regular Botox and dermal filler regime.

The procedure was carried out by cosmetic surgeon Chris Inglefield at London Bridge Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Clinic who said he was delighted that Katie is so pleased with the results.

Procedure: Katie's facelift is the latest in a long line of cosmetic procedures, which began with the first of eight breast augmentations in 1998
Egyptian Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, seen here at a July press conference at the Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi and believed to have been the world's heaviest woman, died Monday of heart and kidney failure

An Egyptian believed to be the world's heaviest woman died Monday of heart and kidney failure at an Abu Dhabi hospital, following months of treatment to help her lose weight and one day walk again.

A team of more than 20 doctors had been caring for the bedridden Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, 37, since her arrival at Burjeel Hospital in May.

El Aty first sought treatment in India, travelling from the port city of Alexandria to Mumbai aboard a specially modified Airbus in early February.

She had a long wait as no airlines were willing to fly her due to her health complications.

She had not left home in more than two decades and weighed around 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).

Her request for an Indian visa was initially denied, but she was granted passage after the doctor who volunteered to do her initial surgery tweeted a plea for help directly to India's foreign minister, who intervened.

She underwent bariatric surgery -- a stomach-shrinking bypass procedure -- the following month, initially shedding 100 kilograms at Saifee Hospital.

Her family told the doctor that as a child she was diagnosed with elephantiasis, a condition that causes the limbs and other body parts to swell, leaving her almost immobile.

By the time she left Mumbai, doctors said El Aty had lost more than half her original weight.

El Aty left Mumbai when her sister clashed with the hospital, disputing her progress and treatment.

In Abu Dhabi's Burjeel Hospital, doctors were hoping to help El Aty walk again, according to a report in the Indian Express.

El Aty celebrated her birthday last month with her family and doctors by her side.

The Alexandria native had dreamed to one day visit the beach again, the Indian Express said, quoting her sister.
Rebel groups have fought for decades roughly 500,000 soldiers deployed in Indian Kashmir, demanding independence or a merger of the former Himalayan kingdom with Pakistan

Indian soldiers killed four militants during a two-day gun battle near the heavily militarised de facto border in Kashmir that divides the disputed territory with Pakistan, officials said on Monday.

Police said civilians tipped them off on Saturday about the movement of armed militants near the Line of Control (LoC), prompting a search.

Three of the militants were killed Sunday at three different locations, including at a mosque, a police statement said.

"With killing of all the three terrorists who appear to be Pakistanis, a major terrorist attack was averted," the statement added.

Indian army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said Monday that a fourth militant was killed during the continuing search operation of the area.

Four civilians and a soldier were wounded during the shootouts.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947 but both claim the territory in full.

Rebel groups have fought for decades roughly 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the territory, demanding independence or a merger of the former Himalayan kingdom with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.

New Delhi accuses Pakistan of training and pushing armed militants across the LoC to launch attacks on Indian forces.

Islamabad denies the allegations, saying it only provides diplomatic support for the Kashmiri struggle for right to self-determination.
UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi talks with a refugee during a visit to Bangladesh's Kutupalong refugee camp for Rohingya

Bangladesh must not force Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar to move to camps on a desolate island, the UN refugee chief said Monday.

Authorities have stepped up moves to house the Rohingya on the island in the Bay of Bengal since a new surge which now totals 436,000 refugees started arriving on August 25.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had mentioned the relocation plan when they met in July. There were already 300,000 Rohingya in camps near the border at Cox's Bazar before the latest influx started.

But he insisted that any move from the camps to Bhashan Char island -- also known as Thengar Char -- "has to be voluntary on the part of the refugees".

"We cannot force people to go to the place. So the option for the medium term, lets say -- I dont want to talk about long-term -- has to be also something that is acceptable to the people that go there," he said.

"Otherwise it wont work. Otherwise people wont go."

The United Nations has praised Bangladesh for taking in the Rohingya, who fled a military crackdown in Myanmar. It has appealed for international help for the authorities.

"It is good to think ahead. These people (Rohingya) may not be able to go back very quickly and especially now the population has now doubled," Grandi told a Dhaka press briefing.

The UNHCR chief said his agency was ready to help the island plan with a "technical study of the options.

"That's all that we are ready to give. We are not giving it yet because I have not seen any concrete options on any paper."

The small island in the estuary of the Meghna river is a one-hour boat ride from Sandwip, the nearest inhabited island, and two hours from Hatiya, one of Bangladesh's largest islands.

The government has tasked the navy with making it ready for the Rohingya. Two helipads and a small road have been built.

The authorities first proposed settling the Rohingya there in 2015, as the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar became overstretched.

But the plan was apparently shelved last year amid reports that the silty island, which only emerged from the sea in 2006, was often unhabitable due to regular tidal flooding.

In recent weeks, Bangladesh has appealed for international support to move the Rohingya to the island as the impoverished nation struggles to cope with the influx

More than 436,000 refugees have crossed the border from Myanmar's Rakhine state since August 25 when a military crackdown was launched following attacks by Rohingya militants.

There is not enough food, water or medicine to go around. Roads around the camps are littered with human excrement, fuelling UN fears that serious disease could quickly break out.
People console each other outside of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ after a gunman kills one person and wounds six

The Nashville church where a gunman killed one and wounded six others over the weekend has convened a prayer vigil for Monday night, as the city absorbs the shock of the attack.

The shooting rampage Sunday in the southern city best known for its country music heritage, claimed the life of Melanie Crow Smith, 39, and wounded six others who ranged in age from 60 to 84, police said.

None of the other injuries were said to be life-threatening.

The Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, the scene of the shooting, planned a vigil Monday night, following one Sunday at a school.

"We are beyond grateful for the enormous outpouring of love and compassion," the church posted on Facebook.

Mayor Megan Barry said the incident was "a terrible tragedy," as witnesses described a harrowing ordeal in which they pretended to be dead and placed barricades to survive the attack by a 25-year-old who had previously attended the church.

Emanuel Kidega Samson was charged with murder and held without bond. Police said more charges were forthcoming.

The shooting began as Sunday services were ending. Some parishioners blocked doors with furniture to slow the masked gunman, according to The Tennessean newspaper.

The Burnette Chapel Church of Christ where a gunman killed one and wounded seven as a Sunday service was ending

Catherine Dickerson, who was shot in the leg, was cornered outside, the newspaper said.

"He had the gun straight ahead of him, holding it with both hands," Dickerson was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

"I just laid quietly and played like I was dead."

Authorities said in a court filing that Samson fired "randomly."

He was finally stopped by usher Robert Caleb Engle, 22, who fought with Samson, and in the struggle was pistol-whipped about the head, police said. Samson was shot in the chest with his own weapon, according to police.

"(Engle) is the hero. He's the person that stopped this madness," Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson told a news conference.

Samson -- who police say admitted to firing "upon the church building" -- was treated and released from a hospital. Police found four guns -- two pistols in the church, and a pistol and rifle in Samson's SUV.
Criticism of police response to protests in St Louis intensified Monday, as local leaders called for an investigation of alleged abuses and more stories emerged of questionable arrests.

Police and protesters clashed again over the weekend at a mall in a suburb of the Midwestern US city, where there were clashes last week between city police and downtown protesters.

Stories once again emerged in US media of questionable tactics employed Saturday, this time among county, as opposed to city, police officers in charge of suburban law enforcement.

Police were accused of indiscriminate use of pepper spray and arresting people who were not demonstrating at the mall, including shoppers simply passing by.

Also among the arrested was an undercover police officer caught up along with other corralled protesters and left with a bloody lip in the process, according to the St Louis Post-Dispatch.

"Approx. 150 people adhered to dispersal warnings and peacefully left prior to 22 arrests being made," the St Louis County police said on Twitter, adding, "Lot of positive feedback from businesses and patrons after peace was restored."

Faith leaders and elected officials expressed outrage Monday over "egregious actions" by police and demanded an investigation.

"We are not anti-law enforcement, but we are against extreme police tactics that can only be explained as a police riot," state representative Stacey Newman said at a news conference.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued St Louis on Friday, accusing city police of misconduct during earlier protests -- including illegal arrests and improper use of pepper spray.

Days of sometimes violent protests were sparked by the September 15 acquittal of a white police officer in the fatal shooting of a black man.

St Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, responding to intensifying public criticism, said Friday she would support strengthening civilian oversight of police, along with other changes.

"The core of what I've heard over the past week is a call for increased accountability," Krewson said in written remarks.
US Capitol Police remove a protester who disrupted a US Senate hearing about the latest Republican effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act

The latest bid backed by US President Donald Trump to dismantle his predecessor's health care law likely unraveled Monday when a crucial third Republican formally came out against the plan.

Senator Susan Collins, who has waffled for weeks on the latest measure that would overhaul Obamacare, joined Republican colleagues John McCain and Rand Paul as firm no votes on the legislation.

Republican leaders had hoped to schedule a vote on the bill, which replaces the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a system of block grants to states, before a September 30 deadline that would allow them to pass it with a simple majority.

"This is simply not the way that we should be approaching an important and complex issue that must be handled thoughtfully and fairly for all Americans," Senator Susan Collins said in a statement announcing her opposition.

The bill would make sweeping changes and cuts to Medicaid, with experts projecting a staggering $1 trillion plus in cuts between 2020 and 2036 to the federal health program for the poor and the disabled which has been expanded under Obamacare.

"This would have a devastating impact to a program that has been on the books for 50 years and provides health care to our most vulnerable citizens," Collins said.

Compounding the problem for the bill, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a preliminary study of the new legislation, and projected that while it would reduce the budget deficit by some $133 billion, it would "result in millions fewer people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events."

US Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, testifies

Republicans hold 52 seats in the 100-member Senate and can afford just two defectors.

Collins's opposition, along with McCain and Paul, essentially sinks the Republican effort, which had gained steam in the two weeks since senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy unveiled their new plan.

It is sure to be yet another embarrassing blow to the Trump White House, which has yet to secure a major legislative victory more than eight months into his turbulent presidency.

Paul criticized as "unseemly" Graham's and Cassidy's latest effort to tweak their legislation to sweeten the deal for states like Alaska, Arizona and Maine in order to lure skeptical senators from those states.

Paul has attacked the bill as a fake repeal of Obamacare.

"It represents Republicans accepting a trillion dollars of Obamacare spending," Paul said.

Some Republicans still had been holding out hope that the measure would get across the finish line.

"We're going to vote on this thing and we're going to pass it," Senator Dean Heller, a co-sponsor of the Graham-Cassidy bill, told reporters.

But that was before the Collins statement was released.

- 'Kill the bill!' -

A man dressed as the grim reaper waits outside the committee room where health care is being debated

Earlier in the day, tensions over the controversial bill boiled over at the only scheduled Senate hearing on the health measure, when police forcibly removed disabled protesters, pulling some of them from their wheelchairs when they disobeyed orders to leave.

"No cuts to Medicaid! Save our liberty!" protesters shouted, forcing the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Orrin Hatch, to suspend the hearing shortly after calling it to order.

Insurance companies and several health, doctor and patient groups opposed to the plan, tensions burst into the open in what is scheduled as the only public hearing on the contentious bill.

Several dozen protesters lined the halls, chanting "Kill the bill, don't kill us!" At least 50 US Capitol Police were on hand to maintain order, a rare scene in Congress.

Graham and Cassidy defended their legislation, which preserves some of the federal funding of Barack Obama's ACA but converts it to a system of block grants to the 50 US states.

"This is not the last chance, this is the best chance" to preserve health care for millions, Graham said.

"If you don't find a way to stop the bleeding, then it's going to basically collapse before our eyes."

Democrats stand united against the measure.

"Health care is a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it," Senate Democrat Mazie Hirono, who was invited to testify, said as she described being diagnosed earlier this year with stage four kidney cancer.

"Millions of lives are at stake."
Opinion / Columnist

In the main, Zimbabwe's economic challenges are rooted in the lack of confidence on the part of locals and foreigners alike, which confidence evaporated because of the country's toxic politics.Our Tsikamutanda brand of primitive politics premised on feja-feja and witch-hunting in Zanu PF and other opposition political parties has shut the country's doors on particularly foreign investors and has made it difficult for locals to attract capital with a long horizon.This is the toxic business environment under which some unthankful citizens want Mangudya to perform miracles. He has already performed miracles by keeping us afloat.There is also short-termism that now holds sway in the minds of our people whereby very few of us want to raise their sweat through production in industry hence our capacity utilisation remains static.This is why even after adopting the multi-currency regime in 2009, currency dealers still held out hope at Roadport and the so-called "World Bank" in Bulawayo instead of dirtying their hands on the farms and industry to produce for export.This is also why our farmers prefer selling the seed, fertilisers and chemicals they get from government on the black market than sweating it out in the fields to produce.Under these and other circumstances, Mangudya cannot be expected to possess the magic of Houdini nor the charm of Angel Gabriel when even the politicians in the opposition cannot even work together for purposes of confronting President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party which has presided over the calamitous collapse of our economy.Politicians, especially those in opposition trenches, have been the most vocal in their demands for Mangudya to vacate his office along Samora Machel Avenue in Harare. While I do not hold a brief to defend Mangudya, I am just wondering if any one of our politicians - who think they are blameless - can throw the first stone on Mangudya?In the holy book, there is the story about Jesus when he was teaching in the temple when the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery, and they asked Him if she should be stoned as required by the Law of Moses.It was, however, that her accusers cared nothing about this woman; they were using her to trap Jesus.Jesus did not answer immediately but stooped and wrote something on the ground, and they kept pressing Him. Finally, the Lord said, in essence, "Go ahead and stone her because that is what the Law requires. But the Law also requires that the first stone be thrown by a person who is sinless in connection with this charge" (John 8:67).In calls for Mangudya to leave the RBZ, it doesn't appear that his accusers are unaware that the RBZ governor is not the problem. This, they know very well.But my question is, why expend a lot of energy on Mangudya when they is a much bigger fish to fry?It doesn't help to target what we may perceive as weak targets in order to empty our anger or feel good when there is an elephant in the room that we must all focus on, which is Zanu PF and its ruinous economic policies that have bred corruption and other malpractices.I could not agree more with an observation that I came across on social media to the effect that whoever is appointed to that hot seat is bound to fail because they have very little sway over the centre of power which has very little respect for economic rationale. Mangudya does not supervise government ministers as some writers would like us to believe. If anything, he is much, much down the pecking order.Getting rid of Mangudya is therefore equivalent to curing the symptom to a problem without dealing with its root causes, which in the main is leadership failure in both the ruling party and the country's opposition which are failing to exercise their oversight role.If at all Mangudya is to go, he must go after the main characters that are behind Zimbabwe's multifaceted economic challenges have packed their bags to give Zimbabweans a break. Mangudya is in fact helping us. He is not part of the problem but part of the solution to Zimbabwe's challenges. His clarion call for the country to enhance production, productivity and exports is the solution to Zimbabwe's sustainable economic development.Even his call for the implementation of structural economic reforms, including enhancing investors' trust and confidence, transformation of State-owned enterprises, enhancing the ease of doing business and fiscal consolidation, is quite critical to increase investors' confidence within the economy.These calls are going by the wind, from both the opposition and the ruling party because there is too much concentration on politics of personalities at the expense of strengthening national institutions for the common good.In his inaugural address as United States president on January 20, 1961, John Kennedy had this to say: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens ofthe world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."That clarion call by Kennedy should push every Zimbabwean to ask not what Mangudya can do for this country but what we can all do for our country to get it out of the woods.
Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha speaks during a press conference at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on September 7, 2017

US President Donald Trump will host Thai junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha at the White House on October 3 as the pair seek to enhance warming ties and cooperation.

Ties between the countries had been strained following a coup orchestrated by former Thai army chief Prayut three years ago, although he met Trump's predecessor Barack Obama during a ASEAN-US summit in California last February.

"President Trump looks forward to reaffirming the relationship between the United States and a key partner and longstanding ally in Asia, the Kingdom of Thailand," the White House said in a statement.

Thailand's military has jailed dissidents, banned protests and ramped up prosecutions under the kingdom's draconian lese majeste law since toppling the government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014.

But the generals who now run Thailand -- a former staunch US ally that has moved closer to Beijing since the coup -- are now less likely to be berated for their rights record under Trump.

During Prayut's visit, which follows an invitation Trump extended during an April phone call, the pair will "discuss ways to strengthen and broaden bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region," the statement added.
Users in China have reported widespread disruptions in recent days to WhatsApp, a messaging app which previously malfunctioned in the country over the summer

Chinese authorities appear to have severely disrupted the WhatsApp messaging app in the latest step to tighten censorship as they prepare for a major Communist Party congress next month.

Users in China have reported widespread disruptions in recent days to the Facebook-owned service, which previously malfunctioned in the country over the summer.

Experts said the problems began on Sunday, but text messaging, voice calls and video calls appeared to be working again on Tuesday, though voice messages and photos were not going through.

WhatsApp provides message encryption technology that likely does not please Chinese authorities, which closely monitor and restrict cyberspace through their "Great Firewall".

Many Chinese activists favour WhatsApp over local messaging apps because of its end-to-end encryption function.

China has tightened online policing this year, enacting new rules that require tech companies to store user data inside the country as well as imposing restrictions on what is permissible content.

Chinese cyberspace regulators said Monday they slapped "maximum" fines on major Chinese tech firms Baidu and Tencent for allowing the publication of pornographic, violent and other sorts of banned material on their social media platforms. The amount of the fines was not disclosed.

Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and a slew of foreign media have been blocked for years.

The WhatsApp troubles emerged ahead of the Communist Party congress on October 18, when President Xi Jinping is expected to be given a second five-year term as the party's general secretary.

"It smells like Party congress pre-emptive blocking," said Jason Ng, who researches China's internet at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto.

China usually steps up surveillance around major events, Ng said.

- 'Extreme censorship' -

While the WeChat messaging app owned by China's Tencent company is more widely used in the country, many WhatsApp users complained about the disruptions.

"As we get closer to the Party congress, I think authorities will use more extreme censorship measures. The public knows that WeChat isn't safe," prominent Beijing-based activist Hu Jia told AFP.

"Me and other dissidents use WhatsApp to communicate 70 percent of the time. For the few days WhatsApp was completely inaccessible, we didn't talk at all," Hu said.

Earlier this month, WeChat informed its users in a new privacy policy that it would "retain, preserve or disclose" users' data to "comply with applicable laws or regulations" -- confirming long-held public assumptions about the company's practices.

Other users in China noted that the WhatsApp disruptions would make it difficult to work with clients abroad.

"Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Viber were blocked before. Now even WhatsApp is blocked? Without good messaging tools, it will reduce the efficiency of the foreign trade industry," wrote one person on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media website.

"I can live without the others (applications), but blocking WhatsApp is driving me crazy," said another.

WhatsApp declined to comment.

The Open Observatory of Network Interference, a global censorship detection group, said China started blocking WhatsApp on Sunday.

- Growing firewall -

To operate in China, some foreign tech companies have complied with local regulations. But others such as Google have chosen to pull out completely from mainland China.

In July, Apple removed software allowing internet users to skirt China's "Great Firewall" from its app store in the country, drawing criticism that it was bowing to Beijing's ever-growing web censorship.

Such software, called virtual private networks (VPN), allow people in China to access any website, even those that are blocked.

Beijing mandated in January that all developers must obtain government licences to offer VPNs and there has been concern that it might ban them outright.
AfD number two Alexander Gauland, pictured on September 25, 2017 in Berlin, has said German Jews have nothing to fear

The success of the right-wing populist AfD in Germany's weekend elections was met in Israel with a mix of concern and restraint, with the two countries' close relations a factor.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel on winning a fourth term in Sunday's elections but made no mention of the rise of the hard-right.

Israeli survivors of Hitler's Europe, however, said that they were shocked and worried by the result, in which the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won about 13 percent, the best showing for a nationalist force since World War II.

"We have an enemy in Germany," said Saul Oren, a former inmate of Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen concentration camps who moved to Israel in 1968.

"I am worried but nothing can be done to prevent this from happening in Europe," he told AFP.

Results showed the anti-Islam, anti-immigration AfD emerging as Germany's third-biggest political force, after Merkel's CDU/CSU bloc and the opposition Social Democrats.

"I am very shocked," said 86-year-old Berthe Badehi, who was in hiding throughout the Nazi occupation of France.

"It's like cancer spreading, it's shocking that it's happening in Germany," she told AFP.

She said it was a reminder of the fear she felt when she encountered German soldiers as a child.

- Global disillusionment -

"When I heard the results I recalled it," she said.

Both Badehi and Oren now live in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu, who also holds the foreign affairs portfolio, stayed positive.

"Congratulations to Angela Merkel, a true friend of the state of Israel, for her re-election as German chancellor," he wrote on his Facebook page.

"Wishing continued success to our friend and ally," deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely, of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, said in a Twitter message to Merkel.

Avi Primor, Israel's ambassador to Germany between 1993 and 1999, wrote in the Maariv daily on Monday that the swell of support for the AfD reflected a global disillusionment with mainstream politics.

"That same disappointment, incidentally, is typical of the entire Western world as a result of the changes that came too fast in modern life and modern economies, and was also what brought Donald Trump to power in the United States," Primor wrote in an opinion piece.

"The majority of those who voted for the AfD party undoubtedly do not exhibit neo-Nazi tendencies, although there are such people in the party," he said.

The New York-based World Jewish Congress (WJC) said anti-Semitism was on the rise worldwide.

- 'A dark day' -

"It is abhorrent that the AfD party, a disgraceful reactionary movement which recalls the worst of Germany's past and should be outlawed, now has the ability within the German parliament to promote its vile platform," WJC president Ronald Lauder wrote on its website.

Germany faces its "biggest challenge" since the birth of the federal republic in 1949 with the entry into the legislature of "a party that tolerates far-right views in its ranks and incites hate against minorities", the Central Council of Jews in Germany said.

Former Israeli Labour party leader Amir Peretz called it "a dark day for German democracy with the entry into the Bundestag of a racist and anti-Semitic party".

Tzipi Livni, who served in the past as foreign minister and justice minister, called on moderates around the world to unite against "the rise of extreme right-wing neo-Nazi parties".

But AfD number two Alexander Gauland told reporters that his country's Jews had nothing to fear.

"There is nothing in our party or in our programme that can or should in any way whatsoever worry Jews living in Germany," he said.

Gauland has called in the past for Germans to shed their guilt over two world wars and the Holocaust and to take pride in their veterans.

He has also suggested that Germany's integration commissioner Aydan Ozoguz, who has Turkish roots, should be "dumped in Anatolia".

More than 70 years after the Holocaust the slaughter of European Jews still runs deep in relations between Israel and Germany, one of its strongest EU supporters.
Chicago, home to less than one percent of the US population, accounted for more than 20 percent of the jump in murders nationwide in 2016

Violent crime jumped nearly 15 percent in America's biggest cities last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Monday, amid an increase in murders in large cities ravaged by gangs.

In its annual "Crime in the United States" report, the FBI counted an estimated 1,248,185 violent crimes last year, a 4.1 percent increase from 2015.

Murder and non-negligent manslaughter offenses jumped 8.6 percent -- most of those crimes perpetrated with firearms -- while aggravated assault and rape increased 5.1 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively, and robbery inched up 1.2 percent.

In the 30 biggest US cities, murder increased 14.8 percent.

Chicago, home to less than one percent of the US population, accounted for more than 20 percent of the jump in murders nationwide, noted The Brennan Center for Justice.

Yet crime is far from the peaks of the 1990s.

"Crime remains near historic lows, with an uptick in murder and violence driven in part by problems in some of our nation's largest cities. At the same time, other cities like New York are keeping crime down," The Brennan Center added.
Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha speaks during a press conference at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on September 7, 2017

US President Donald Trump will host Thai junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha at the White House next Tuesday, in a personal triumph for a Thai autocrat who was shunned by Barack Obama's administration for his regime's dismal rights record.

Ties between the long-time allies were strained by Prayut's 2014 military coup, which ushered in the former democracy's most authoritarian government for a generation.

But Trump's administration has started to reset relations with the junta government, dispatching high-level diplomats including the secretary of state, whose predecessors under Obama had noticeably avoided the kingdom in the wake of the coup.

"President Trump looks forward to reaffirming the relationship between the United States and a key partner and longstanding ally in Asia, the Kingdom of Thailand," the White House said in a statement late Monday.

Speaking to reporters in Bangkok on Tuesday, Prayut said the two leaders would discuss "security, trade and investment, and regional problems", adding that he expected the talks to be held in a "cordial climate".

Human Rights Watch lambasted the October 3 visit, which follows an invitation Trump extended during an April phone call, as the latest sign that the US president has "shamelessly thrown human rights considerations out the window".

"Doubtless Trump fails to realise that this propaganda victory for Prayut and the junta will come at the expense of the people of Thailand, who will pay for it in the form of intensified repression and human rights abuses when the general gets home," said HRW's Asia director Brad Adams.

- 'Not taking sides' -

Thailand's military has suspended democracy for more than three years, outlawing street protests, jailing dissidents and intensifying prosecutions under a draconian royal defamation law.

In response to the coup, the US trimmed back military aid and distanced itself from the regime.

But relations are on a better footing under Trump, with US Secretary State Rex Tillerson in August becoming the highest-level US official to stop in the kingdom since the 2014 coup. He was warmly received by a beaming Prayut.

The thaw comes amid Washington's concerns of rival superpower China's growing clout in the region.

Beijing woos its smaller neighbours with massive investment packages free of pressure to safeguard human rights or democratic principles.

With US relations put on ice after the coup, Thailand's generals have cosied up to China, welcoming infrastructure investment and arms deals.

On Tuesday Prayut tried to allay suspicions that the meeting with Trump was a realignment of alliances.

"Please don't consider this as me taking a side," he said. "We are cooperating with all superpowers, and both large and small countries."

Prayut has promised a return to democracy but the timetable keeps slipping and there is currently no scheduled date.

Even if a poll is eventually held, it will be organised under a new junta-drafted charter that significantly curbs the power of elected politicians and enshrines the military's oversight of any future government for the next 20 years.

The two leaders may find they have much in common when they meet next week.

Like Trump, the straight-talking and often bellicose Prayut enjoys berating the media and speaking off the cuff at length -- including during weekly "Bringing Happiness Back to Thailand" speeches that are broadcast on all channels.
The parallels between the decision by Japan's Shinzo Abe to call a snap election and Theresa May's gamble in Britain in April are striking

Seeking to capitalise on a fractured and weak opposition and a healthy lead in the polls, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stunned Japan by gambling on a snap election more than a year before it was due.

The parallels with another world leader -- Britain's Theresa May -- are striking.

In April, May caught the country off guard by calling an election, hoping to take advantage of a 20-point poll lead over the opposition Labour party and secure her own mandate to take Britain out of the European Union.

"Both leaders called a snap election at a time their public support was not going to get better," said Sadafumi Kawato, professor of political science at the University of Tokyo.

But in May's case, the gamble backfired spectacularly.

After a campaign widely seen as lacklustre and where May came across as distant and robotic, she lost 13 seats and was forced into a controversial deal with Northern Ireland's ultra-conservative DUP party to cling onto a majority.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn defied predictions of an electoral meltdown and campaigned strongly, being seen as close to the voters in contrast to an aloof May, dismissed in one paper as a "dead woman walking."

British voters were also furious that May called an election after repeatedly insisting this was not on the cards. Some experts warned Abe could face a similar backlash.

Yoel Sano, head of Global Political and Security Risk from BMI Research, said Japan's leader may have "underestimated the electorate's potential to switch to the opposition" and could lose support if voters see the vote as a ploy to cling onto power.

"The Japanese public may view it as a cynical and opportunistic move, especially given the severity of the North Korean crisis," said Sano.

Polls show voters generally approve of Abe's hawkish policy on Pyongyang -- which fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month -- and he is counting on the electorate seeing him as a steady pair of hands.

- 'Giant among dwarves' -

Jeff Kingston, Director of Asian Studies at the Temple University Japan, said Abe's gamble was more likely to pay off as he faces a weaker opposition than May did with Corbyn.

"Unlike in Britain with Labour, there is no opposition worthy of the name in Japan. (The ruling party) LDP is a giant among dwarves. It would take a major scandal to derail the Abe express," Kingston told AFP.

"He may not retain his super majority but given the fractured and unprepared state of Japan's opposition parties, it's hard to see much risk for a commanding majority."

British Prime Minister Theresa May reviews the guard of honour with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a welcoming ceremony at the state guest house in Tokyo in August

The conservative LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito enjoy a so-called super majority of two-thirds of the 475 House of Representatives.

This is crucial if Abe wishes to press forward with a constitutional overhaul to strengthen the Japanese military in the face of the North Korean threat.

Another reason Abe may be rushing ahead with an election is to cut the ground under the popular mayor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, who unveiled a new party "Kibo no To" (Party of Hope), just hours before the vote was called.

Here again there are parallels with Britain as some commentators believed May wanted to fight Corbyn rather than the well-liked Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, widely seen as a future Labour leader.

"Koike annihilated the LDP in Tokyo but taking that movement national will not be easy and they are not ready," said Kingston.

- 'Ill-doings' -

Abe's opponents have cried foul, with Kazunori Yamanoi, parliamentary head of the main opposition Democratic Party, saying it was "unthinkable" for the premier to call a snap vote "for his own reasons... at a time when Japanese citizens are frightened by the North Korean missile crisis."

Others view the election as a way of deflecting attention from a series of scandals that have rocked Abe in recent months, including allegations of favouritism to a friend in a business deal -- which the prime minister strongly denies.

"I think this will be a general election to cover up his ill doings, to move people's attention away from the scandals," said one voter, 33-year-old call-centre employee Mayumi Chikagawa.

But a year after 2016 produced vote surprises from Brexit to the election of Donald Trump, Temple University analyst Kingston said there was little chance of a repeat in Japan.

There was "not much enthusiasm for Abe or his policies," acknowledged the expert.

"Half of those who support him say they do so because there is no alternative. And that's why Abe will win. Disaffected voters have no place to go."
A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces surveys the destruction in the old city centre on the eastern front line of Raqa on September 25, 2017

Bashar Hammoud thought he knew his native Raqa like the back of his hand, but a months-long offensive against the Islamic State group has scarred the Syrian city so badly he can barely recognise it.

Hammoud, a 26-year-old member of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, was floored when he entered the battered northeastern district of Al-Rumeilah on Monday for the first time in years.

"I used to come here a lot because my uncles lived here and the college of literature, where I studied, was here," the bony member of the SDF's media office tells AFP.

"I don't even know where we are. If I got out of the car now, I wouldn't know how to go back. It's all gone. I know we're in Al-Rumeilah -- but where in Al-Rumeilah, I don't know," he says.

The district's two-storey homes have been smashed to the ground by bombardment.

Fighters from the US-backed SDF -- which broke into Raqa in June after spending months encircling the city -- are roaming the rubble-littered streets, but no civilians are in sight.

When a pair of air strikes send consecutive booms echoing across Al-Rumeilah, Hammoud furrows his brows.

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces checks a house as the US-backed Arab and Kurd alliance advances in Raqa on September 25, 2017

His family home lies in Al-Maarri, an IS-held district about 500 metres (yards) to the west, and he has not seen it since fleeing Raqa in December 2014.

"Standing or destroyed, my only wish now is to see my home, but I know that that neighbourhood hasn't been liberated yet," he says.

"My comrades told me hopefully today, it will be liberated. If my house is gone, it'll be a shock to me."

- 'Colours are coming back' -

More than three years after IS declared a self-styled "caliphate" across swathes of Syria and Iraq, the SDF's Arab and Kurdish fighters hold around 90 percent of its one-time de facto Syrian capital Raqa.

The Raqa natives among them say it has been dizzying to see neighbourhoods they had known for years being called different names by people who lived under IS's iron fist.

An area called Al-Hukumah -- "government" -- has become known as Al-Hikmeh, or "wisdom." The Al-Bassel Mosque, named after President Bashar al-Assad's older brother, was renamed Al-Nur.

Fighters returning to Raqa are shocked at the scale of destruction in areas of the Syrian city from which the Islamic State group has been driven out

And most infamously, the Al-Naim roundabout where IS carried out beheadings and crucifixions was renamed "Al-Jaheem" -- the Roundabout of Hell.

At the eastern entrance to the city, Hammoud points to two large triangular flags hanging from a metal frame: one belonging to the SDF, and the other to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

"There used to be a big black flag there with the phrase everyone knows -- 'the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.' Now look at the SDF flag. Colours are coming back to Raqa," Hammoud says.

Still, the once-bustling neighbourhood just ahead is jarring for him: "I was shocked when I came here. The shops are empty. It's like we went back 100 years."

Farther along the route lies Al-Meshleb, the first district that SDF fighters entered in June -- and the neighbourhood where Fahed al-Meshlebi grew up.

At the time, Meshlebi was living in a displacement camp north of Raqa and decided to join the SDF's battle against IS.

"I haven't gone to Al-Meshleb yet. I want to finish here first," he says, his thick tangle of hair pulled back from his eyes by a colourful bandana as he stands on the western edge of Al-Rumeilah.

"I don't know this neighbourhood anymore. The street I used to know here has been completely wiped out," Meshlebi tells AFP, saying he could barely make out "hints" of familiar shops or landmarks.

- Blown away -

Unlike Hammoud and Meshlebi, Khaled says he saw what was left of his home in the western district of Al-Daraiyah.

More than three years after the Islamic State group declared a self-styled "caliphate" across swathes of Syria and Iraq, the Arab and Kurdish fighters hold around 90 percent of its one-time de facto Syrian capital Raqa

The 39-year-old SDF fighter is originally from Al-Maskanah, a town in neighbouring Aleppo province, but spent his childhood summers in Raqa, where he met his wife and married in 2005.

"Raqa was the Euphrates' bride," Khaled says nostalgically, describing nights sitting along the Euphrates River in the city's south with old friends.

He fled Raqa with his wife and children as IS overran the city and, after several weeks fighting alongside the SDF, entered his own neighbourhood last week.

"I was blown away, to be honest. This isn't my neighbourhood. I went to my house -- this isn't my house," Khaled says.

"Now, there's nothing but corpses... If you don't know how to cry, come to Raqa to learn."

But he didn't have the heart to tell his wife, who spent her whole life in Al-Daraiyah.

"I told her the house is still standing -- our things are where they were, the pictures are still hanging on the walls. I said God had somehow protected our home," he says.

"What else could I say? Let her live this lie."
Since January more than 200 medical centres in Afghanistan have been forced to close, most temporarily, while 13 aid workers have been killed and over 150 injured

After the Taliban closed his local health clinic, Afghan farmer Haji Fazel Ahmad was forced to rent a car to take his sick wife to the nearest hospital six hours away. To his dismay the insurgents had shut that too.

It is a scenario being played out across Afghanistan as medical facilities and workers come under attack from all sides of the bloody conflict, denying ordinary people access to even the most basic healthcare.

Since January more than 200 medical centres have been forced to close -- most temporarily -- while 13 aid workers have been killed and over 150 injured, figures show, underscoring the growing violence as Afghan forces struggle to beat back a resurgent Taliban and other Islamist groups.

In recent days Taliban fighters have closed scores of medical facilities in the impoverished southern province of Uruzgan in what authorities say is an attempt to force the local government to set up more clinics in areas under control of the insurgents, apparently to treat their own fighters.

"We were in the clinic when a number of armed men came in and asked us to give them the keys and told us we could no longer stay there," Ehsanullah, a doctor based on the outskirts of the provincial capital Tarinkot, told AFP.

Other facilities shuttered by the Taliban were located in Charchino district where Ahmad and his wife live.

"There were no health services available so I spent 2,500 Afs (Afghanis, $37) on a car fare to Tarinkot but unfortunately the situation is no better," Ahmad told AFP.

The poor farmer then had to borrow more money to rent another car to drive to Kandahar city in the neighbouring province of the same name in the hope of finding treatment for his ailing wife.

- Attacks spreading -

The 2014 withdrawal of US-led NATO combat forces has fuelled the insurgency, driving up casualties and increasing pressure on healthcare providers.

Medical facilities and workers have been targeted by all sides of the conflict including the Taliban, Islamic State, Afghan military and international forces, experts say.

The motives include denying wounded enemy combatants medical treatment, killing those already inside a facility or using the centre as a shelter during battle.

They are also sometimes used as a bargaining chip, like in Uruzgan, to improve medical access for fighters while on other occasions they appear to be the unintended target such as the deadly US airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders trauma centre in northern Kunduz province in 2015.

The number of closures this year has already topped last year's count of 189, World Health Organization data shows.

"Before 2015, most of the attacks occurred in so-called traditional conflict areas such as Kandahar province in the south and Nangarhar in the east. However, in the past two years, attacks on health facilities and healthcare workers have become more common throughout the country," said David Lai, health cluster coordinator at WHO Afghanistan.

But the extent of the problem may be far worse than the figures suggest.

Many facilities do not bother to report attacks because they occur so frequently, New York-based advocacy group Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict said in a recent report.

- 'Every year is worse' -

Healthcare workers are also frequently threatened, abducted and even killed.

Earlier this month a Spanish physiotherapist working for the Red Cross was shot and killed by a wheelchair-bound patient at the charity's rehabilitation clinic in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

That followed the killing of six Red Cross workers during an ambush of their convoy in the northern province of Jowzjan in February, the deadliest attack on the aid group which local police blamed on IS.

Two Afghan employees abducted in the assault were released this month.

"Every year is worse than the previous one," said Thomas Glass, Kabul-based spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross which has dramatically scaled back its services in Afghanistan.

While the WHO tries to fill the gaps in healthcare services with mobile clinics, Lai admits they cannot reach everyone in need.

"When the normal standard health facility closes and there's nothing else the whole district is left without healthcare," Lai said, estimating two million people have been affected this year.

"Healthcare should not be part of conflict."
Canberra sends asylum seekers who try to enter the country by boat to processing facilities on Nauru and Manus Island, with those found to be refugees barred from resettling in Australia

A first group of refugees left Australia's remote Pacific detention camps for the United States Tuesday to be resettled under a deal that angered President Donald Trump.

Twenty-four asylum-seekers held on Manus Island off mainland Papua New Guinea flew to Manila en route to an undisclosed American location, the US embassy in Port Moresby told AFP.

"They're the first group that have been approved, that have gone through the extreme vetting process and have met all the requirements for resettlement," said the embassy's public affairs officer Beverly Thacker.

About another 30 refugees held on Nauru in the Pacific will head to the US "in the coming days", she added.

Canberra sends asylum-seekers who try to enter the country by boat to processing facilities on Nauru and Manus Island, with those found to be refugees barred from resettling in Australia.

Conditions in the camps have been widely condemned by rights groups and medical professionals.

Thacker did not provide the nationality of the those being transferred and it is not clear how many of those still remaining will qualify for US resettlement.

"We expect that other refugees will be resettled in the coming months. They will all proceed with different time frames, depending on how fast they will get through the process," she said.

Nearly 800 men are held on Manus, and 371 men, women and children are detained on Nauru, according to Australian immigration data as of July 31.

The government has tried with little success to relocate the detainees to third countries like Cambodia, or settle them elsewhere in PNG.

When former president Barack Obama was in office, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made a pact with him to accept an unspecified number of the refugees.

Trump blasted it as a "dumb deal" after assuming the presidency, before begrudgingly agreeing to honour it.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said the refugees were departing with mixed emotions.

"It is with some optimism that they are leaving, but they are very concerned that they could get no answers from the US officials when other people -- their friends -- would be able to leave Nauru or Manus island," he told AFP.

"There are indications that there will be further uplifts of people to the US but it is very unclear when that will be."
A member of Israeli security force stands guard near a checkpoint in the West Bank

A Palestinian opened fire at Israeli security personnel at the entrance to a West Bank settlement on Tuesday, killing three and wounding another before being shot dead, police said.

"A terrorist who arrived at the rear gate of Har Adar along with Palestinian labourers entering the settlement.... pulled out a weapon and opened fire at the force at the site," police said.

"Three Israelis were killed in the attack, another was wounded and the terrorist was neutralised."

Police later said the Palestinian had died of his wounds.

The wounded Israeli was admitted to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem in serious condition, the hospital said.

The incident, at a settlement northwest of Jerusalem that lies near several Palestinian villages, comes nearly two years after a wave of unrest broke out.

The violence had greatly subsided in recent months.

Since October 2015, the unrest has killed at least 295 Palestinians or Arab Israelis, 50 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP toll.

Israeli authorities say that most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks.

Others were shot dead in protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. LINDA H. MOSER, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, Defendant-Appellee. No. 16-16693 Decided: September 25, 2017

Before MARCUS, WILLIAM PRYOR and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.

Linda Moser appeals the summary judgment in favor of her former employer, the Florida Department of Corrections, and against her complaint of employment discrimination and retaliation, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C.  2000e-2(a), -3(a), and the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992, Fla. Stat.  760.01(1). The district court also entered summary judgment against Moser's complaint that the Department violated the Florida Public Sector Whistleblower Act, Fla. Stat.  448.101, et seq., but Moser has abandoned any challenge that she could have raised to that adverse ruling. See Hamilton v. Southland Christian School, Inc., 680 F.3d 1316, 131819 (11th Cir. 2012). Moser argues that she presented sufficient evidence of pervasive gender-based harassment by the Warden of the Okaloosa Correctional Institution to support her complaints of a hostile work environment and of retaliation. We affirm.

We review a summary judgment de novo. Moton v. Cowart, 631 F.3d 1337, 1341 (11th Cir. 2011). We view the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Id. Summary judgment is appropriate when the movant establishes that there is no genuine dispute of a material fact and that it is entitled to a judgment in its favor as a matter of law. Id.

The district court did not err by entering summary judgment against Moser's complaint of a hostile work environment. Title VII and the Florida Civil Rights Act prohibit an employer from discriminating against an employee with respect to the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of her gender. 42 U.S.C.  2000e-2(a)(1); Fla. Stat.  760.10(1)(a). But Moser failed to prove that she was subjected to unwelcome harassment because of her gender. See Miller v. Kenworth of Dothan, Inc., 277 F.3d 1269, 1275 (11th Cir. 2002). Moser speculated that her gender was the reason that the warden assigned her more duties than those required of her male precedessor, Jimmy Jeffery; that she did not receive assistance from fellow employees; and that she did not receive a permanent set of keys. But Moser presented no evidence that she suffered harassment based on her sex. The Warden testified that he promoted Moser to supervise the mailroom, commended her for her work ethic and named her employee of the month, and later promoted her to fill Jeffery's position as general services supervisor, with the warning that she would have to assume additional responsibilities. Jeffery and the Warden stated that the mail department was understaffed early in Moser's and Jeffery's tenures, and Jeffery averred that he completed his extra duties by asking coworkers to repay his past favors. The Warden testified that he tried to assist Moser by volunteering officers to perform extra duties when they were available. Moser provided no evidence that but for the fact of her sex, she would not have been the object of [the alleged] harassment. See Henson v. City of Dundee, 682 F.2d 897, 904 (11th Cir. 1982).

The district court also did not err by entering summary judgment against Moser's complaint that she was terminated in retaliation for filing a grievance against the Warden based on his discrimination. Even if we were to assume, like the district court, that Moser established a prima facie case of retaliation in violation of Title VII and the Florida Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C.  2000e-3(a); Fla. Stat.  760.10(7), the Warden provided a legitimate, nonretaliatory reason for Moser's termination, see Alvarez v. Royal Atl. Developers, Inc., 610 F.3d 1253, 1264 (11th Cir. 2010). The Office of the Inspector General discovered that Moser had emailed a literary journal endeavoring to misappropriate prize money that it had awarded to an inmate, Charles Norman; that Moser had filed a disciplinary action against Norman falsely accusing him of failing to submit a waiver renouncing the prize; and that Moser returned a letter to Norman under the false pretense that he was operating a business in violation of prison rules. Moser acknowledged that Norman had submitted a waiver of compensation and that his letter had not concerned a business, and Moser's assistant, Kimberly Kenealy, stated that Moser had a vendetta against Norman. The Warden fired Moser based on the findings of an independent investigator that Moser had acted with negligence, had failed to answer truthfully questions related to the performance of her official duties, had engaged in conduct unbecoming a public employee, and knowingly had submitted inaccurate or untruthful information.

Moser failed to present any circumstantial evidence that her termination was a pretext for discrimination or retaliation. That the investigation commenced after Moser filed her grievance against the Warden and concerned misconduct Moser committed a year earlier is, as the district court stated, sheer coincidence. Norman instigated the investigation by reporting Moser's misdeeds to the Warden, who then promptly transferred the matter to the Inspector General. Moser argued that the investigation was flawed and the report was defective, but [w]e are not in the business of adjudging whether employment decisions are prudent or fair. Instead, our sole concern is whether unlawful discriminatory animus motivates [the] challenged employment decision. Rojas v. Florida, 285 F.3d 1339, 1342 (11th Cir. 2002) (quoting Damon v. Fleming Supermarkets of Fla., Inc., 196 F.3d 1354, 1361 (11th Cir. 1999)). Moser blamed her termination on the Warden's remarks that they don't like each other and she was not a team player, but those remarks do not suggest the Warden harbored any discriminatory animus. Moser also argued that she was fired because, according to Jeffery, the Warden had a tendency to h[o]ld a vendetta  [and] bring up stuff from the past when it would suit his purpose, but the Warden fired Moser after receiving the investigator's report. Ellis v. England, 432 F.3d 1321, 1326 (11th Cir. 2005) (mere conclusions and unsupported factual allegations are legally insufficient to defeat a summary judgment motion). Moser failed to prove that discrimination or retaliation was the motivation for her termination.

Moser also failed to prove that other employees were treated more favorably than her. Moser argued that Kenealy was not disciplined for disavowing that Norman had filed a waiver of compensation, but Kenealy was not an adequate comparator. See Wilson v. B/E Aerospace, Inc., 376 F.3d 1079, 1091 (11th Cir. 2004). Kenealy was a member of Moser's protected class, was her subordinate, and was not the target of the investigation into the misappropriation of Norman's prize money and filing a false disciplinary charge against Norman. [T]he quantity and quality of [a] comparator's misconduct [must] be nearly identical to evidence discriminatory discipline. Burke-Fowler v. Orange Cty., Fla., 447 F.3d 1319, 1323 (11th Cir. 2006) (quoting Maniccia v. Brown, 171 F.3d 1364, 1368 (11th Cir. 1999)).

We AFFIRM the summary judgment in favor of the Warden.

PER CURIAM:
Israeli border police stand at the site of an attack at the West Bank settlement of Har Adar in which a Palestinian gunman killed three Israelis before being shot dead on September 26, 2017

A Palestinian opened fire at Israeli security personnel on Tuesday at the entrance to a West Bank settlement where he had worked, killing three and wounding another before being shot dead, police said.

The attack, which came as US envoy Jason Greenblatt was due in Jerusalem for talks on relaunching the moribund Middle East peace process, drew condemnation from Israeli officials who called for action from the Palestinian leadership.

It also occurred in the middle of the Jewish high holiday period, when Israeli-Palestinian violence has erupted in the past, and led police to order reinforcements to prevent further unrest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded a clear condemnation of the attack from Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, adding that the gunman's home would be demolished and Israeli work permits withdrawn from his extended family.

The target of the attack was Har Adar, a well-to-do settlement northwest of Jerusalem, high in the hills close to the Green Line that separates the occupied West Bank from Israel.

The windows of the guard booth at its northeastern entrance, where Palestinian day labourers are required to undergo security checks, had been shattered by gunfire, an AFP correspondent reported.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the gunman, who had a permit to work in the settlement and had been there "many times," had concealed himself among other Palestinian labourers.

Har Adar

"He hesitated and then all of a sudden, several metres (yards) before a security check, pulled out a nine-millimetre weapon and opened fire directly at the two private security guards, who were shot and killed directly at the scene," Rosenfeld said.

He also fired at a nearby border policeman, who was left dead, before two other officers shot and killed the gunman.

- Work permits under review -

Israel's Shin Bet internal security service identified the gunman as Nimer Aljamal, a 37-year-old father of four from the nearby Palestinian village of Beit Surik with no previous "security background".

"The preliminary investigation indicates that he had significant personal and family problems, including those regarding family violence," it said.

"His wife fled to Jordan several weeks ago and left him with their children."

Rosenfeld described Aljamal's profile as "very unusual" by comparison with others who have carried out a wave of lone-wolf attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories during the past two years.

He said there would have to be a security review of work permits for Palestinians to work in Israel and the settlements, with tens of thousands granted.

Israeli authorities later raided Beit Surik and Aljamal's home and arrested his older brother.

"We were surprised this morning with the news because we did not have prior knowledge," said Aljamal's uncle, Issa Jamal.

Aljamal's aunt Rihab Jamal said: "We were shocked. May he rest in peace. He wanted to be a martyr and he got it."

Netanyahu called on the Palestinian president to condemn the attack.

"I expect (Abbas) to condemn the attack and not try to justify it," he said.

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza, hailed the attack as "revenge for the crime of occupation against our people."

Members of the Israeli security forces inspect the shattered glass of the guard booth at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Har Adar where a Palestinian gunman killed three Israelis before being shot dead on September 26, 2017

The UN envoy to the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov condemned both the attack and the Hamas reaction.

"It is deplorable that Hamas and others continue to glorify such attacks, which undermine the possibility of a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis," he said.

US ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who has been a supporter of Israeli settlements, said on Twitter "once again, Israelis confront the cruel and evil brutality of unprovoked terrorism."

The European Union said "there can be no justification for such a crime and attempts by Hamas to glorify the attack are reprehensible".

- 'This place is quiet' -

Police named the border policeman killed as Solomon Gavria, 20.

The other two victims were identified as Youssef Ottman, 25, and Or Arish, 25.

The three were buried in separate ceremonies on Tuesday afternoon.

Har Adar resident Steve Leibowitz, 65, said the settlement's proximity to the Green Line had always made it feel safe.

"This place is quiet. We're inside the West Bank but we have a border fence and we feel as though we are inside Israel and safe," he told AFP.

"Until today I haven't locked my doors in years. Now I will be locking the doors."

The latest attack comes nearly two years after a wave of unrest broke out.

The violence had greatly subsided in recent months but Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman warned this month that the risk of new attacks was ever present.

West Bank settlements are a source of significant tensions between Israel and the Palestinians and have been a major sticking point in peace talks.

Israeli security forces and emergency teams gather at the scene of an attack at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Har Adar after a Palestinian opened fire on security personnel before being shot dead on September 26, 2017

The UN envoy told the Security Council on Monday that Israel continues to build settlements "at a high rate," in defiance of Security Council demands for an end to their expansion.

The international community regards all Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, as illegal.

They are seen as major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

jjm-sy-ab-mjs/mm
The latest government data suggests that fewer than 3,000 villages are still waiting for a power supply

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed that every home in India will have electricity by December 2018 as he moves to shore up voter support amid doubts over his handling of the economy.

The $2.5 billion scheme announced Monday would see the country's 40 million households without electricity linked up to power for free.

"Forty million of the total 250 million households still don't have power, which means 25 percent of people are living in the 18th century. The government will electrify every household, whether it's in a village, city or a remote region," Modi said in a speech.

Political analysts have called the initiative another move by the right-wing prime minister to bolster rural support ahead of national elections in 2019.

Recent economic trends have been worrying, with official statistics showing India's growth slowed to 5.7 percent in the first quarter.

Many economists have linked this to the cancellation of more than 80 percent of banknotes in November last year and the introduction of a national goods and services tax in July.

Modi has repeatedly linked his electricity announcement and similar initiatives, such as his 2015 promise to bring power to 18,452 villages without electricity, to the Indian government's concern for the welfare of the poor.

The latest government data suggests that fewer than 3,000 villages are still waiting for a power supply.

Per capita electricity consumption in the world's fastest-growing major economy is barely one third of the global average.

The new scheme could face hurdles from India's often hostile rural terrain and cash-strapped power distribution companies in some states.
A Japanese whaling ship leaves the port of Shimonoseki in December 2015

Japan said Tuesday it killed 177 whales off its northeast coast in an annual hunt that sparks anger among animal rights activists and others.

Three ships which left port in June returned with 43 minke whales and 134 sei whales, the number stipulated beforehand, according to the country's fisheries agency.

Japan is a signatory to the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) moratorium on hunting, but exploits a loophole which allows whales to be killed in the name of scientific research.

The studies are "necessary to estimate the precise number of (sustainable) catches as we look to restart commercial whaling", agency official Kohei Ito told AFP.

Norway -- which does not consider itself bound by the 1986 moratorium -- and Iceland are the only countries in the world that authorise commercial whaling.

Tokyo claims it is trying to prove the whale population is large enough to sustain a return to commercial hunting for a traditional source of food.

But Japanese consumer demand for whale meat has declined significantly over the years, raising the question of whether such hunts still make economic sense.

Foreign pressure on Japan to stop whaling has only made conservatives and politicians more resolute about continuing. It is a rare thorny issue in Tokyo's otherwise amiable diplomacy.

In 2014 the United Nations' International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Tokyo to end a regular hunt in the Antarctic waters, saying the project did not meet conventional scientific standards.

Japan cancelled its 2014-15 hunt, only to resume it the following year under a new programme -- saying the fresh plan is genuinely scientific.

Its hunt in the Antarctic has seen clashes on the high seas between Japanese whalers and animal rights activists.
Saudi Shiites take part in a mass funeral on May 25, 2015, for the victims of a mosque bombing carried out by the Islamic State group, the sort of attack that Human Right Watch says is being fanned by hate speech against the minority community

Saudi Arabia is condoning hate speech against its Shiite minority from the upper echelons of its religious establishment, schoolbooks and social media, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

Saudi clerics, including those holding official positions, have "vigorously employed" 21st century tools, like Twitter, to stoke intolerance among millions of followers, the New-York based watchdog said.

Often their words rise to the level of "incitement to hatred or discrimination", it said.

Derogatory statements against Shiites made by influential clerics mirror language found in state-sanctioned religious edicts end even children's schoolbooks, which use widely understood terms to castigate Shiite religious beliefs, HRW said.

The watchdog cited numerous examples, including a Facebook post in which Al-Sharif Hatem bin Aref al-Awni -- a former member of the government's Shura council -- hailed the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Qatif in 2015.

He later removed the post, without explanation.

Anti-Shiite attitudes come from the top.

In September 2016, the current grand mufti of Saudi Arabia -- the country's highest religious authority -- told Okaz newspaper that Iranians are "not Muslims", HRW researchers found.

They point out that such designations are dangerous in a country where apostasy can be punishable by death.

Saudi Shiites inspect the debris of a mosque following a deadly bombing carried out Sunni extremists of the Islamic State group on May 22, 2015

HRW said hate speech against Shiites has had "fatal consequences" across the region, employed by groups including the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda as justification for targeting Shiite civilians and religious sites in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.

"Saudi officials immediately condemned these attacks, but they have not acted to stamp out the hate speech that supports them," HRW said.

On the contrary, Riyadh had on occasions punished those who attempted to unite Sunnis and Shiites, and had shut down a committee which was working to unify the Sunni and Shiite lunar calendars.

The US considers Saudi Arabia a country of "particular concern" when it comes to religious persecution, but successive administrations have waived the potential sanctions that come with such a designation.

HRW urged the US, a key Saudi ally, to end the waiver.
Dozens of supporters and opposition MPs, who were blocked from entering the court house by a column of police, rallied outside to call for Kem Sokha's release

Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was denied bail Tuesday, three weeks after a surprise arrest that rattled the fragile democracy.

Kem Sokha, main rival of strongman premier Hun Sen, was detained in the early hours of September 3, taken to a remote border prison and accused of treason and espionage for allegedly conspiring with foreign powers to overthrow the government.

Rights groups have blasted the "concocted" charges as nothing more than Hun Sen's latest legal manoeuvre to sideline opponents ahead of 2018 elections that will test his 32-year grip on power.

"The court decided to uphold the provisional detention warrant (of Kem Sokha)," Touch Tharith, a spokesman for the Court of Appeals, told AFP after the hearing.

Authorities refused to bring the opposition leader to the Phnom Penh court, prompting his legal team to boycott the proceedings which were closed to the public.

"We demanded Kem Sokha be present at the hearing, but the court decided to continue the proceedings so the lawyers boycotted the hearing and walked out," lawyer Sam Sokong told reporters.

In response, the Court of Appeals issued a statement saying it was uneccessary to bring the suspect to the courtroom as it was not an evidentiary hearing.

The court has not set a date for the trial or explained why it is necessary to detain Kem Sokha, 64, in the jail on the Vietnamese border.

On Tuesday dozens of supporters and opposition MPs, who were blocked from entering the courthouse by a column of police, rallied outside to call for their leader's release.

"It is hard to accept the treason charge. We feel it is very unjust to lock him in jail," said one supporter who requested anonymity.

Hun Sen has accused Washington of involvement in Kem Sokha's "secret plan" with foreign entities -- an allegation rejected as "absurd" by the US ambassador.

The wily premier has helped the impoverished emerge from the ashes of genocide and civil war during his three decades in power.

But he has faced a mounting challenge in recent years from Kem Sokha's Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), buoyed by public frustration over corruption and rights abuses.

Ever since he nearly lost to the CNRP in 2013, rights groups say Hun Sen has smothered critics in the opposition, press and rights groups, often by using the courts as a cudgel.

Around a dozen opposition politicians have faced prosecutions since that poll, with Kem Sokha's predecessor Sam Rainsy forced to flee abroad to avoid a string of convictions which he says are politically motivated.

The CNRP nevertheless fared well in local elections earlier this year, shaking the confidence of Hun Sen's ruling party as it prepares for next year's national poll.
Members of SWAT security forces, affiliated with the Iraqi interior ministry, keep watch after a curfew was imposed on the disputed northern city of Kirkuk, during the vote on the Kurdish independence on September 25, 2017

A curfew on parts of Iraq's Kirkuk was lifted Tuesday and the city was calm despite fears of unrest over a vote on Kurdish independence.

Police said the curfew, imposed during the vote on Monday, had been lifted at 5:00 am (0200 GMT) and an AFP journalist saw heavy traffic and shops opening as normal.

"The situation is stable and normal," Kirkuk police chief Khattab Omar Aref said.

The city of about one million is divided between Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen populations and took part in the independence vote despite not being part of northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

The curfew was imposed in the city centre, as well as in Arab and Turkmen neighbourhoods, as night fell on Monday. Police said the move was to ensure public security and protect the city's residents.

Baghdad denounced Monday's vote as illegal and raised particular concern over the fact it was being held in disputed areas outside the boundaries of Iraqi Kurdistan. Results were to be announced later on Tuesday and an overwhelming "yes" victory was expected.

The non-Arab Kurds say that historically Kirkuk belongs to them, arguing that the late dictator Saddam Hussein chased them out and replaced them with Arabs.

The curfew did not apply in Kurdish areas of Kirkuk, where residents celebrated voting with music, fireworks and shots fired in the air.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for 'global security governance' as he addressed Interpol's general assembly in Beijing

Interpol opened its general assembly in Beijing on Tuesday as China seeks greater international help to repatriate alleged criminals -- despite accusations it is using the international police organisation for political gain.

Nearly 1,000 public security officials and political leaders from 156 countries will discuss terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime at the four-day gathering, one of the largest in Interpol's history, the group said.

Interpol eases the exchange of information between police forces from 190 countries and is therefore a crucial tool for China, whose President Xi Jinping has led an intensive crackdown on corruption that has extended beyond his country's borders.

Xi called for "global security governance" as he addressed the assembly.

"Countries should adopt a concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and jointly respond to security challenges," he said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, also in attendance, emphasised Interpol's role in protecting civil liberties.

"Law enforcement authorities have dual obligations. They are responsible for protecting public safety and for protecting the civil liberties -- including privacy rights -- of citizens," he said, calling it a "continuing challenge" to meet both goals.

Since 2014 Beijing has pursued its citizens abroad in what it calls "Operation Fox Hunt", seeking to repatriate allegedly corrupt officials who have fled.

Authorities say at least 2,500 nationals suspected of economic crimes have already been brought back.

Most Western countries including the United States do not have extradition treaties with China, where courts are overseen by the Communist Party and the use of force by police to extract confessions is believed to be common.

At the request of member states, Interpol, which is based in the French city of Lyon, issues "red notices" -- non-binding notifications of arrest warrants.

Human rights groups have raised concerns since Chinese public security vice minister Meng Hongwei was chosen as Interpol president last year.

"Interpol needs to explain how it will avoid becoming an arm of the Chinese government abroad, using red notices against dissidents and forcing people back to torture in China," said Human Rights Watch's China director Sophie Richardson, adding that the organisation's "credibility is on the line".

One of China's most prominent dissidents, Wei Jingsheng -- exiled in the US since 1997 -- said he feared that Beijing would use the international police institution to "repatriate political opponents".

The Chinese foreign ministry rejected such concerns as "unfounded".

Another issue likely to cause tensions at the general assembly is the Palestinian Authority's bid to join Interpol, which Israel opposes.

A previous bid to join failed last year after the authority was unable to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority vote in favour of its membership.
Traditional buildings in the Old City of Sanaa, among the attractions that have drawn Westerners to live in the Yemeni capital

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped a 63-year-old American, who has lived in Yemen for more than two decades, in the rebel-held capital Sanaa over the weekend, his family said on Tuesday.

Texas native Danny Burch was seized as he was walking back to his home in Sanaa after dropping off his children at a swimming pool, his family said.

A number of Westerners have been detained by the rebels since they overran the capital three years ago but nearly all have been released following mediation by neighbouring Oman.

Foreigners have also been abducted by the country's heavily armed tribes for use as bargaining chips in local disputes and there have been some kidnappings by Al-Qaeda.

Burch's wife Nadia Forsa al-Harazi urged the Huthi Shiite rebels to secure the release of her husband, in a telephone call with AFP.

She said her husband had lived in the capital for more than 20 years, making it his home. The couple has three children, the eldest 12.

The couple's niece, Rasha al-Harazi, told AFP that Burch had been working for the oil company Safer in Marib, a mainly government-held province east of the capital.

He had returned to work there three months ago, when controls on travel between rebel- and government-held areas eased for the first time in three years.

Burch would come home to the capital "every now and then" to see his wife and children, Harazi told AFP.

The family learnt of his kidnapping through friends and contacts in Sanaa but could not be sure who the kidnappers were.

A State Department official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said: "We are aware of reports of a US citizen missing in Yemen," adding: "We have no further information to offer at this time".
Bangladesh has deployed emergency medical teams and sent reinforcements to hospitals in the border town of Cox's Bazar, where refugee camps have been overwhelmed with a fresh influx of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar

Bangladesh has eased restrictions on aid groups working in refugee camps and sought $250 million from the World Bank to fund emergency relief, officials said Tuesday, after an influx of more than 435,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar has overwhelmed its border area.

The government NGO Affairs Bureau cleared 30 local and international groups to meet "emergency needs" in camps and said more would follow, Shahdat Hossain, a bureau director, told AFP.

Bangladesh has strictly limited access to Rohingya camps in recent years. It has never given reasons, but the country is sensitive about security and there are fears a Muslim influx could tempt extremist groups.

However, a new deluge of refugees since August 25 has put pressure on the existing camps, which were already home to 300,000 Rohingya Muslims who had fled earlier unrest in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar.

The camps are currently facing dire shortages of food and medicine, while the World Health Organisation warned Monday of a growing risk of cholera.

The aid groups still only have permission to work for two months in the camps around the border town of Cox's Bazar, Hossain said, and must focus on providing healthcare, sanitation facilities and shelters for the Rohingya.

The new groups include local and international charities. Authorities previously only let four international groups -- including Doctors With Border (MSF) and Action Against Hunger (ACF) -- provide food and healthcare.

Muslim Aid, a British-based charity given permission to operate in Cox's Bazar last week but whose access was later revoked, remains barred. It operates in other parts of Bangladesh.

Authorities briefly ordered MSF, ACF and Muslim Aid to stop providing aid to the Rohingya in 2012.

Dhaka-based BRAC, one of the world's largest charities, is among the new groups allowed into the camps.

BRAC senior director Asif Saleh said in a Facebook post that the scale of the "humanitarian crisis" is significantly worse than what is being portrayed by the media.

He said the group has taken on the "herculean task" of setting up 15,000 toilets, 1,100 tube wells, 50 health camps, 10 delivery centres and 50 child centres.

Bangladesh has deployed dozens of emergency medical teams and sent reinforcements to hospitals in Cox's Bazar.

They have treated more than 2,350 Rohingya for serious injuries sustained in the crackdown, including bullet and machete wounds and landmine injuries.

Some 80,000 Rohingya children have also been vaccinated for measles, rubella and polio diseases and thousands of adults treated for diarrhoea, respiratory diseases and pregnancy complications.

Desperately needing more help, junior health minister Zahid Malek said Dhaka has sought $250 million from the World Bank to provide healthcare to the Rohingya.

The World Bank is considering the request, a ministry statement added.

A United Nations official last week said it would need $200 million over the next six months to handle the Rohingya crisis.

The UN made an emergency appeal for $78 million on September 9, but UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, Robert Watkins, said much more would be needed as the exodus grows.
Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra waves to supporters. Yingluck, whose government was toppled in a 2014 coup, pulled a vanishing act shortly before the scheduled verdict in her negligence trial last month

Thailand's junta chief said Tuesday he knows where fugitive ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra has fled to, but will not reveal her location until after a court delivers its verdict in her negligence trial this week.

The comments were the first admission from the military regime that it had located the runaway premier, who hasn't been seen or heard from since she slipped out of the kingdom one month ago.

Yingluck, whose government was toppled in a 2014 coup, pulled her vanishing act shortly before a Supreme Court verdict scheduled for August 25.

She faces up to a decade in jail and a lifetime ban from office for allegedly failing to stop graft in a rice policy -- a case her supporters say is a junta-driven effort to push her out of politics.

After she failed to show up in court, stunning the huge crowds of supporters who had gathered outside, judges decided to delay the ruling until September 27.

"Now I know of her whereabouts but I will not disclose it until after September 27," junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha told reporters.

"She has not yet applied for political asylum, and I don't know whether she will be able to get it," he added.

Junta and party sources have previously told AFP that Yingluck is believed to have joined her brother Thaksin -- another former premier ousted in a coup -- in Dubai.

Thaksin has kept a home in the city since he fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction.

The junta has denied any prior knowledge of Yingluck's plan to escape. But many in the kingdom find that difficult to believe given the regime's tight security net and constant surveillance of the former premier.

Analysts say Yingluck most likely brokered a deal with the military leaders, who would have been eager to see off a popular politician poised to become a martyr for the kingdom's withering democracy.

The junta is desperate to avoid unrest and may also have feared that a harsh jail sentence would have unleashed protests from Yingluck's fervent supporters.

Authorities are now investigating three police officers who allegedly assisted the former premier with her getaway.

Thailand's deputy junta leader, Pravit Wongsuan, says the officers drove Yingluck to the border of Cambodia, which she entered through an informal crossing before likely flying on to a third country.

But the policemen will not be prosecuted as there was no arrest warrant out for Yingluck at the time, said the junta leader.
United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. PETER MOCCO; LORRAINE MOCCO; FIRST CONNECTICUT HOLDING GROUP LLC, IV, Appellants v. AEGIS FRUMENTO; CHICAGO TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY No. 17-1153 Decided: September 25, 2017

Before: CHAGARES, JORDAN, and NYGAARD, Circuit Judges.

OPINION*

This case is about whether the appellants' lawsuit against the appellees violated the New Jersey entire controversy doctrine (ECD) and merits dismissal. The District Court concluded that dismissal was warranted pursuant to the ECD. We will affirm.

I.

We write solely for the parties' benefit and thus recite only the facts necessary to our disposition. Because this case has already been before this Court in another posture, we summarize the facts as discussed in Mocco v. Frumento, 564 F. App'x 668 (3d Cir. 2014) where appropriate.

The Moccos are engaged in a protracted litigation in the Superior Court of New Jersey (the State Court Action) which was first filed in 1998 and comprises myriad parties and claims. That case involves a dispute between the Moccos and James and Cynthia Licata regarding ownership of real estate in northern New Jersey. Appellee Aegis Frumento was an attorney who represented the Licatas in some aspects of that litigation. Appellee Chicago Title issued title insurance policies to entities involved in some of the disputed real estate transactions.

The Moccos' instant claims against Frumento and Chicago Title relate to a real estate transaction in May 2006, in which the Licatas allegedly effected the sale of real estate to another entity in violation of a state court order forbidding the Licatas and other parties from transferring the property. The Moccos claim that Frumento and Chicago Title aided the Licatas with this scheme.

In June 2011, the Moccos filed a motion for leave to amend their claims in the State Court Action to add Frumento and Chicago Title as defendants. That attempt was the first time that the Moccos sought to add Frumento as a defendant, although they previously had twice added and twice dismissed Chicago Title as part of a quiet-title claim. Mocco, 564 F. App'x at 669. The Moccos assert that it was not until several years after 2006 that the facts pointing to Frumento and Chicago Title's liability in that transaction surfaced.

The Superior Court denied the motion on August 5, 2011. At an in-person hearing on the motion to amend, the state court denied the motion primarily on the basis of delay, reasoning that,  at the very least, [the Moccos] had a year to obtain the basic information that would give rise to at least [their] theory of liability, and that bring[ing] in new parties and apply[ing] new theories on litigation that started back in 1998 would further postpone an already-delayed trial. Mocco, 564 F. App'x at 669. The Superior Court remarked that what seems to be clear is that this information [regarding Chicago Title's liability] was known at least a year ago, when the Moccos took the relevant depositions. Joint Appendix (J.A.) 391-92. The court concluded, at some point you need to know the framework of the case that's going to trial, and today's the day. J.A. 403. The Moccos did not appeal this decision. The State Court Action proceeded to the first of three trials. The first trial regarding ownership issues resulted in a disposition in part unfavorable to the Moccos. J.A. 3042-64. That decision is now on appeal.

On January 25, 2012, the Moccos filed the instant action in state court. Frumento and Chicago Title removed the case to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. The defendants then moved to dismiss the case on ECD grounds and for failure to state a claim. The District Court granted the motion on ECD grounds. The Moccos appealed, and this Court vacated and remanded to the District Court, noting that the District Court applied a claim-joinder analysis instead of a party-joinder one and on remand should do the latter when reviewing the sufficiency of the Complaint. Mocco, 564 F. App'x at 671.

After the case was remanded, Chicago Title and Frumento each filed motions to dismiss pursuant to the ECD. On April 14, 2016, the Magistrate Judge issued his Report and Recommendation (R&R) that the matter should be dismissed pursuant to the ECD. The Magistrate Judge concluded that the Moccos violated New Jersey Court Rule 4:5-1(b)(2) by failing to timely identify Defendants Frumento and Chicago Title as potentially necessary parties in the State Court Matters. J.A. 39. The Magistrate Judge further determined that this failure was inexcusable because it was unreasonable under the circumstances, significant judicial resources had been expended, the defendants would be substantially prejudiced, and that the delay may have been strategic. The Magistrate Judge then outlined the forms of substantial prejudice to Frumento and Chicago Title, and determined that the action was successive because it was filed after the State Court Action was filed. The Magistrate Judge then concluded that in any event, the action would become successive to the State Court Action under the ECD when the State Court Action concluded, and therefore recommended administratively terminating this action pending the resolution of the State Court Action, at which point this action would be dismissed with prejudice.

The Moccos filed their objections to the R&R on April 28, 2016, challenging the Magistrate Judge's findings regarding inexcusable delay and substantial prejudice, and asserting that the interpretation of successive action under the ECD was incorrect. (D. Ct. Dkt. No. 93.) On December 23, 2016, the District Court adopted the R&R in all respects except for the analysis regarding successive action, concluding that the action became successive when the Superior Court denied the motion to amend. The District Court thus granted the motions to dismiss in full. The Moccos timely appealed.

II.

The District Court had jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C.  1332, 1441. This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C.  1291.

A threshold issue in this case, which we address infra, is whether the District Court's opinion employed a motion to dismiss standard or a summary judgment standard. Our court's review over either disposition is plenary. Allen v. DeBello, 861 F.3d 433, 437-38 (3d Cir. 2017); Thomas v. Cumberland Cty., 749 F.3d 217, 222 (3d Cir. 2014); see also Bennun v. Rutgers State Univ., 941 F.2d 154, 163 (3d Cir. 1991) (Our review of the district court's conclusion that [the] present action was not barred by New Jersey's entire controversy doctrine is plenary.).

III.

A.

New Jersey's entire controversy doctrine dictates that a party cannot withhold part of a controversy for separate later litigation even when the withheld component is a separate and independently cognizable cause of action. Paramount Aviation Corp. v. Agusta, 178 F.3d 132, 137 (3d Cir. 1999). The doctrine is an affirmative defense and applies in federal courts when there was a previous state-court action involving the same transaction. Ricketti v. Barry, 775 F.3d 611, 613 (3d Cir. 2015) (quoting Bennun, 941 F.2d at 163). The doctrine's purposes are: (1) complete and final disposition of cases through avoidance of piecemeal decisions; (2) fairness to parties to an action and to others with a material interest in it; and (3) efficiency and avoidance of waste and delay. Paramount Aviation, 178 F.3d at 137.

While the ECD initially only applied to joinder of claims, it now applies to joinder of parties as well. See Cogdell v. Hosp. Ctr. at Orange, 560 A.2d 1169, 1178 (N.J. 1989). The ECD, now codified as Rule 4:5-1(b)(2) of the New Jersey Rules of Court, requires the following:

[E]ach party shall disclose in the certification the names of any non-party who should be joined in the action  because of potential liability to any party on the basis of the same transactional facts. Each party shall have a continuing obligation during the course of the litigation to file and serve on all other parties and with the court an amended certification if there is a change in the facts stated in the original certification.

If a party fails to comply with its obligations under this rule, the court may impose an appropriate sanction including dismissal of a successive action against a party whose existence was not disclosed or the imposition on the noncomplying party of litigation expenses that could have been avoided by compliance with this rule. A successive action shall not, however, be dismissed for failure of compliance with this rule unless the failure of compliance was inexcusable and the right of the undisclosed party to defend the successive action has been substantially prejudiced by not having been identified in the prior action.

N.J. Ct. R. 4:5-1(b)(2). Thus, the rule provides that failure to disclose alone does not require dismissal. Rather, a court imposing dismissal as a sanction must conclude three requirements are met: (1) the action is a successive action; (2) the failure to provide notice of other potentially liable parties was inexcusable; and (3) the undisclosed party's right to defend the successive action has been substantially prejudiced by that failure. Kent Motor Cars, Inc. v. Reynolds & Reynolds, Co., 25 A.3d 1027, 1034 (N.J. 2011).

At its core, the ECD is an equitable doctrine, its application [ ] flexible, with a case-by-case appreciation for fairness to the parties. Paramount Aviation, 178 F.3d at 137. Indeed, it is New Jersey's specific, and idiosyncratic, application of traditional res judicata principles.  Fornarotto v. Am. Waterworks Co., 144 F.3d 276, 278 (3d Cir. 1998) (quoting Rycoline Prods., Inc. v. C & W Unlimited, 109 F.3d 883, 886 (3d Cir. 1997)). Although judges are afforded discretion in shaping the remedy for a violation of Rule 4:5-1(b)(2), in considering whether dismissal is appropriate, the court must comply with the language of [Rule 4:5-1(b)(2)] that further defines the circumstances in which that sanction is permitted. Kent Motor Cars, 25 A.3d at 445 (emphasis added).

B.

As a threshold matter, the Moccos contend that the District Court failed to apply the summary judgment standard and instead placed the burden of proof on the Moccos and resolved all factual conflicts (and granted all inferences) in favor of Chicago Title and Frumento. Mocco Br. 19. While the ECD can be asserted as grounds for a motion to dismiss, when the merits of the argument are not apparent on the face of the complaint, it should be resolved as a motion for summary judgment. Rycoline, 109 F.3d at 886 (quoting Bethel v. Jendoco Constr. Corp., 570 F.2d 1168, 1174 (3d Cir. 1978)). In this case, while many of the facts the District Court relied upon are matters of judicial notice, we do recognize that some issues referenced in its opinion were not, and were outside the scope of the complaint. See, e.g., J.A. 18 (referencing a fact witness who passed away); J.A. 17 (evaluating plaintiff's argument that Frumento was not a party to contracts and did not lose any money in the transactions at issue). Therefore, the proper vehicle for evaluating the ECD claim was under a summary judgment standard.

However, the District Court's opinion does not allude to whether it employed a summary judgment standard. We are cognizant of the Moccos' argument the District Court may not have viewed every factual issue in the light most favorable to the Moccos in rendering its decision. Nevertheless, we may affirm on any basis supported by the record. Davis v. Wells Fargo, 824 F.3d 333, 350 (3d Cir. 2016). Therefore, we examine the three requirements under Rule 4:5-1(b)(2) to determine whether dismissal based on the ECD is warranted in this case.

IV.

A.

The first requirement for dismissing a case under the ECD is whether the case is a successive action. On this issue, the parties' dispute is purely an issue of law.

As a threshold matter, we reject one interpretation advanced by the Moccos: that successive action means an action that was filed after the completion of the initial action. As the District Court noted, such an interpretation means this case can never become successive because it was filed during the pendency of the State Court matters. J.A. 22. There is no support in the caselaw for such a narrow position. Although the Moccos cite to Alpha Beauty Distributors, Inc. v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., 39 A.3d 937, 942 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 2012), the court in that case did not so conclude. Rather, the court in Alpha Beauty only noted that an obvious example of a successive action is one filed after the initial action concluded. Id. Limiting the concept of successive action to only this obvious example would be illogical since that would mean a party could always avoid triggering grounds for dismissal under Rule 4:5-1(b)(2) by filing the second action before the earlier-filed action reached disposition. See Archbrook Laguna, LLC v. Marsh, 997 A.2d 1035, 1041 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 2010) (holding that such a position would encourage the type of forum shopping and fragmentation of controversies the entire controversy doctrine was intended to preclude).

The Alpha Beauty decision does suggest, however, that a later-filed action would not be considered successive if the earlier-filed action had not yet reached disposition. The Appellate Division concluded that a later-filed action in state court was not successive to an earlier-filed federal action that was set for, but had not proceeded, to trial. 39 A.3d at 942. In Archbrook Laguna, the Appellate Division clarified that the entire controversy doctrine could be applied once the first action was concluded depending upon how the first action ended. 997 A.2d at 1041.

The question before us is whether the State Court Action has concluded in relevant respects, thus making the instant action a successive one. The Magistrate Judge suggested that the conclusion of a state court proceeding occurs when that court issues a judgment on the merits, but added that allowing the instant action to proceed while waiting for the state court judgment would be a waste of time and resources in contravention of the ECD's principles. J.A. 51-52. Therefore, the Magistrate Judge recommended administratively terminating the instant action pending the result of the State Court Action.

The District Court took a different approach and instead reasoned that the end has already occurred, since once the Superior Court barred Plaintiffs from asserting the civil conspiracy and aiding-and-abetting claims against Defendants in the State Court Matters, Plaintiffs were foreclosed from asserting those claims against Defendants in any subsequent litigation. J.A. 25. Therefore, the Court dismissed the action rather than waiting until the conclusion of the State Court Action.

We agree with the District Court's reasoning on this particular record, where the Superior Court's denial of the motion to amend (which was not appealed) was the death knell for Mocco's claims against Frumento and Chicago Title in the State Court Action. Even if the Moccos' appeal of the State Court Action's first trial were to result in their favor, and regardless of what happens in the second and third trials in that action, their claims against Frumento and Chicago Title could not be revived in the State Court Action. Given the underpinnings of the ECD  that is, avoidance of piecemeal litigation, fairness, and efficiency, Paramount Aviation, 178 F.3d at 137  we must conclude that in this particular situation, the instant action was successive to the State Court Action.

B.

We next examine whether the Moccos' failure to effect timely notice of Frumento and Chicago Title as potentially liable parties under Rule 4:5-1(b)(2) was inexcusable. In Hobart Bros. Co. v. National Union Fire Insurance Co., 806 A.2d 810, 818-19 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 2002), the court provided a non-exhaustive list of factors to consider to make this determination. Relying on Hobart Bros., the District Court determined that the relevant factors in the instant case are: 1) whether the Moccos' delay in filing the motion to amend was reasonable, 2) to what extent judicial resources had been expended in the meantime, 3) whether Frumento and Chicago Title would be substantially prejudiced, and 4) whether delay was potentially strategic.

As to the element of reasonableness of the delay, the Moccos contend that the District Court should have considered the state court's findings of discovery obstructionism by Chicago Title, which, among other things, hindered the Moccos' ability to learn the facts giving rise to their claims. Mocco Br. 26.

We agree with the District Court that this does not constitute a legitimate excuse for the delay in this case. Construing all facts in favor of the Moccos, and accepting for the purposes of this motion that discovery obstacles delayed their ability to identify Frumento and Chicago Title, there is no genuine factual dispute that the Moccos had knowledge of the claims underlying the instant case as of mid-2010. The Moccos acknowledge that by February 2010, they were taking depositions in order to confirm whether [they] should assert claims directly against Chicago Title. Mocco Br. 20 (citing J.A. 2096). The Moccos also note that an April 2010 deposition of a Chicago Title representative revealed that an agent of Chicago Title issued title insurance in a sum far above the policy's limit. See Mocco Br. at 11-12 (citing J.A. 2118-23). This is precisely what the Moccos assert in their complaint in the instant case. J.A. 119 (Because Chicago Title failed to enforce its own rules and procedures, its rogue agent[ ] Horizon  w[as] able to issue over $40 mil. of Lender title insurance which  was essential to consummation of the frauds that were committed against the Moccos and others.). Similarly, the Moccos acknowledge that through a review of the parties' email from 2010 Chicago Title productions, it was able to identify the substantial role of Mr. Frumento in counseling and persuading the participants in the May 2006 closing. Mocco Br. 21.

Although the Moccos make much of the assertion that Chicago Title delayed discovery and that the statute of limitations on their claims in this case have not expired, those issues were not pertinent to the question before the District Court: whether the one-year delay in alerting the Superior Court that Chicago Title and Frumento should be added was unreasonable. Based on the undisputed facts, we agree with the District Court and the Superior Court that it was.

The Moccos do not contest the District Court's conclusion that the State Court Action has commanded substantial judicial resources.

The third factor the District Court considered is substantial prejudice. Substantial prejudice is both a factor for considering inexcusable delay as well as a consideration under Rule 4:5-1(b)(2). See Hobart Bros., 806 A.2d at 819. We explore that issue infra, and for similar reasons conclude that Frumento and Chicago Title suffered substantial prejudice.

Finally, while the Moccos emphasize the District Court's statements regarding the possibility that Plaintiffs could have strategically delayed to add Defendants in the State Court Matters, J.A. 13, we conclude that a determination as to whether there was strategic delay is unnecessary to the determination of inexcusable delay in this case. Even if there was no intentional conduct by Mocco to postpone asserting claims against Frumento and Chicago Title, we would still determine that the delay was inexcusable.

C.

Dismissal under Rule 4:5-1(b)(2) requires a showing of substantial prejudice, which in this context means substantial prejudice in maintaining one's defense. Generally, that implies the loss of witnesses, the loss of evidence, fading memories, and the like. Mitchell v. Charles P. Procini, D.D.S., P.A., 752 A.2d 349, 354 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 2000); cf. Kent Motor Cars, 25 A.3d at 1038. The District Court concluded that the substantial prejudice to Frumento and Chicago Title took three forms: first, that they would be unable to influence the outcome of the State Court Action; second, that they would be time-barred from asserting any contract or tort claims in the State Court Action; and third, that they would lack the benefit of certain discovery evidence as a result of the delay. The Moccos challenge each of these conclusions.

As to Frumento's inability to participate in the State Court Action and to assert counter- or cross-claims, the Moccos advance no meritorious challenge on appeal. Since the alleged misconduct took place in 2006, Frumento is time-barred from asserting contract or tort claims against alleged co-conspirators. Excluded from the State Court Action, Frumento also could not cross-examine witnesses regarding potentially damaging testimony about him. Considering both facts together, we conclude that Frumento would suffer substantial prejudice to his defense.

As to Chicago Title, the parties disagree as to whether Chicago Title was able to participate in the State Court Action. We recognize the Moccos' argument that Chicago Title is involved in the State Court Action in its capacity as subrogee, and we note that there is lack of clarity as to whether its role is sufficient to alleviate any prejudice. We need not resolve that issue, however, because we agree with the District Court that Chicago Title has been deprived of the ability to assert claims against third parties, such as the Licatas, arising from the 2006 closing. We also agree that the death of Kenneth Williams, who was lead counsel for an entity which made a claim under a title policy issued by Chicago Title regarding the properties at issue in this case, constitutes prejudice to Chicago Title. Even considering the fact that Williams was deposed in June 2007, by the Moccos' own admission, at that time there was no allegation that Chicago Title aided a civil conspiracy through negligent supervision and through other tortious acts  the claims against Chicago Title at issue today. Thus, we conclude that Chicago Title also incurred substantial prejudice.

D.

The Moccos contend that the District Court should have imposed a lesser sanction than dismissal. Its entire analysis focused on offsetting the loss of Williams's testimony. Mocco Br. 40-43. While dismissal is a last resort, the R&R noted that [n]o sanction could alter Defendants' inability to participate in the State Court matters, revive Defendants' lost claims or restore witnesses' dulled memories. J.A. 47. Thus, the Magistrate Judge and the District Court concluded that dismissal was the only appropriate sanction in this case. On this record, that conclusion was properly drawn.

V.

For the foregoing reasons, we will affirm the judgment of the District Court.

FOOTNOTES

. Although First Connecticut Holding Group LLC, IV is also an appellant, for ease of reference, we will refer to the appellants in this case as the Moccos.

. The Moccos allege that Frumento: 1) aided and abetted trespass to land, 2) conspired to slander title, and 3) conspired to perpetrate a wild deed scam. They allege that Chicago Title: 1) aided a civil conspiracy through negligent supervision, and 2) aided a civil conspiracy and the commission of a tort. Joint Appendix (J.A.) 113-21.

. In 2007, as a part of a broader pleading relating to the 2006 closing, the Moccos asserted a quiet action claim against Chicago Title. J.A. 1860. This claim was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice soon thereafter, J.A. 1872-73, and re-asserted in another pleading in 2009, J.A. 1943. The Moccos agreed to dismiss this claim four months later. J.A. 1956-58.

. Although the motions were styled as motions to dismiss, they included information beyond the face of the complaint. Chicago Title's motion included a memorandum of law, certification by an attorney with hundreds of pages of exhibits, and a Statement of Undisputed Material Facts. J.A. 61. Frumento's motion included a memorandum of law, and a notation that it will rely on the papers previously filed with the Court in support of Defendant Frumento's initial motion to dismiss. D. Ct. Dkt. No. 65 (Frumento Mot. Aug. 27, 2014), at 2. Frumento's initial motion included a certification by an attorney with hundreds of pages of exhibits. D. Ct. Dkt. No. 14 (Frumento Mot. Apr. 27, 2012). The Moccos' opposition papers to both the Chicago Title and Frumento renewed motions also included certifications and numerous exhibits. The same was true for the reply filings. J.A. 62-63. The District Court issued an order acknowledging the Moccos' motion to strike the Rule 56.1 statement and instructing that Plaintiffs may incorporate their objections to the 56.1 statement in their brief opposing Chicago Title's Motion to Dismiss. J.A. 60.

. Summary judgment is appropriate if, drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party, there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Young v. Martin, 801 F.3d 172, 177 (3d Cir. 2015) (quotation marks and alterations omitted); see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). In evaluating an appeal from a grant of a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), we take as true all the factual allegations of the  Complaint and the reasonable inferences that can be drawn from them, but we disregard legal conclusions [and]  mere conclusory statements. Santiago v. Warminster Twp., 629 F.3d 121, 128 (3d Cir. 2010) (internal citations and quotation marks omitted). To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face. Id.

. The Moccos do not argue that they were unaware that the District Court was treating the motion dismiss as one for summary judgment. We note that the Moccos were on notice throughout the pendency of the District Court proceedings that materials outside the scope of the complaint would be used to resolve the ECD issue, since all parties appended exhibits to their filings and the District Court ordered that the Moccos may respond to any Rule 56.1 statements by Chicago Title. See Hilfirty v. Shipman, 91 F.3d 573, 57879 (3d Cir. 1996) (finding no error when the appellant had adequate notice of the court's intention to review the motion as one for summary judgment and was given an opportunity to respond).

. A court may take judicial notice of other courts' proceedings not for the truth of the facts recited therein, but for the existence of the opinion, which is not subject to reasonable dispute over its authenticity. S. Cross Overseas Agencies, Inc. v. WahKwong Shipping Grp. Ltd., 181 F.3d 410, 426 (3d Cir. 1999).

. We requested supplemental briefing from the parties on the question of whether the Moccos had forfeited this particular challenge. We are satisfied with the Moccos' showing that, in their objections to the R&R, they argued that the Magistrate Judge's conclusions were incorrectly drawn, because doing so necessarily meant they asserted that the Magistrate Judge did not follow the summary judgment standard of drawing factual conclusions in the non-movant's favor. See, e.g., D. Ct. Dkt. No. 93 (Objections to R&R, Apr. 28, 2016), at 1-3 (arguing the Magistrate Judge made improper implicit conclusion[s] in favor of the defendants), 4 (arguing that the Magistrate Judge overlooked facts in the Moccos' favor), 26 (challenging the R&R's conclusions as failing to identify specific claims that are time-barred), 28 (arguing that the Magistrate Judge overlooked evidence relating to an unavailable fact witness).

. Although in the following analysis we consider all of the facts proffered and evaluate the District Court's decision de novo and do not afford any preclusive effect to the Superior Court's factual findings, we nevertheless note that the Moccos are taking a second bite at the apple after receiving an unfavorable decision from the Superior Court on essentially the same issue.

. Moreover, we also agree with the District Court that the relevant issue is not whether the Moccos needed time to draft pleadings and sort through their materials. Under Rule 4:5-1(b)(2), the Moccos needed only to file and serve a simple notice.

. We note that before the District Court, the Moccos argued that Williams's law partner Todd Galante could testify as to the same issues. See D. Ct. Dkt. No. 93 (Mocco Objections to R&R, Apr. 28, 2016), at 29. The District Court rejected that argument, concluding that it could not replace Mr. Williams's lost testimony by virtue of the fact that [Galante] was Mr. Williams's law partner. J.A. 20. It noted that Galante was a bankruptcy attorney and was not in constant communication with the Moccos' counsel, as Williams was. J.A. 19-20. Now, the Moccos apparently assert that a number of other people could testify in Williams's stead. Mocco Br. 41. This argument was forfeited and we will not consider it on appeal. See DIRECTV Inc. v. Seijas, 508 F.3d 123, 125 n.1 (3d Cir. 2007).

CHAGARES, Circuit Judge.
Syrian Kurds take part in a rally in the northeastern city of Qamishli on September 15, 2017, in support of an independence referendum in neighbouring Iraqi Kurdistan

The Syrian government is ready to discuss autonomy for the country's Kurds, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has said, the first time Damascus has openly accepted such a possibility.

Muallem renewed his opposition however to an independence referendum held by Kurds in neighbouring Iraq on Monday.

State news agency SANA quoted Muallem telling Russia Today on Monday night that Syria's Kurds "want a form of autonomy within the framework of the borders of the state."

"This is negotiable and can be the subject of dialogue," he said.

"As soon as we have defeated Daesh, we can sit down with our Syrian brothers and agree on a formula for the future," he added, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

Syria's Kurds are a leading force against IS, and are supported in their campaign by the US-led coalition fighting the jihadists.

The Syrian government is fighting its own separate Russian-backed campaign against IS.

Muallem repeated his opposition to an independence vote held by Iraq's Kurds on Monday, calling it a "separatist referendum" and "totally unacceptable in our eyes."

"We support the unity of Iraq," he said.

Muallem had already criticised the vote.

Syria's Kurds, who made up 15 percent of the country's pre-war population, largely stayed out of the uprising that started the conflict in March 2011.

Instead they focused on building local government and security forces in Kurdish-majority areas in the north and northeast.

On Friday, they held the first of a series of local elections they plan to hold in areas under their control.

The election was dismissed by Syria's deputy foreign minister as a "joke."
Erdogan described the vote in Kurdistan as a "treason to our country" since it had come at a time of good relations between Ankara and its neighbour the KRG

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned the Iraqi Kurdistan region against pushing for independence after holding a non-binding referendum, saying it risked sparking an "ethnic war" in the region.

In his latest barrage of warnings to Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, Erdogan even warned that his region risked going short on food and clothing if Turkish sanctions were applied.

"If Barzani and the Kurdish Regional Government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war," Erdogan said in a televised speech.

Iraq's Kurds on Monday voted in a historic independence referendum despite fierce opposition from Baghdad and neighbours Iran and Turkey.

Results were expected within 24 hours, with an overwhelming "yes" vote not in doubt.

Erdogan described the vote as a "treason to our country" since it had come at a time of good relations between Ankara and the neighbouring KRG.

He urged Barzani to "give up on an adventure which can only have a dark end."

Erdogan reaffirmed that Turkey -- which fears the effects of the vote on its own sizeable Kurdish population -- would consider all options, from economic sanctions to military measures.

"Airspace and ground (options) are all on the table," he said, in apparent reference to his past threats to close the border.

"All options are on the table right now and being discussed," he said. "You (the KRG) will be stuck from the moment we start implementing the sanctions."

- 'No food or clothes' -

Ankara has said it will work more closely with the central government in Baghdad in response to the referendum by Iraqi Kurds. Baghdad has also refused to recognise the referendum.

As a first sign of this new policy, Iraqi soldiers on Tuesday took part in a Turkish military drill close to the Iraqi border on Tuesday, an AFP photographer said.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Ankara representative of Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Omer Mirani, who is currently in Arbil, Iraq, had been told not to come back to Turkey.

"If he was here, we would tell him to leave the country," said Cavusoglu, quoted by Turkish media.

Erdogan also reaffirmed his threat to block the Iraqi Kurds' crucial oil exports that go via the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

"The moment we turn off the valve, it is finished, all your income will disappear," he said.

"When the trucks stop crossing into northern Iraq, they will not find food or clothes ... Will Israel send them what and from where?"

Erdogan insisted that no other country would recognise the Iraqi Kurds' independence other than Israel, which had warmly supported the referendum.

"Who will recognise your independence? Israel. The world is not about Israel," he said. "Hey northern Iraq, what will you do with Israel alone?"

"You should know that the waving of Israeli flags there will not save you."
Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (L) speaks as US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (R) looks on during his visit to New Delhi on September 26, 2017

India will not deploy troops to Afghanistan as part of a new US strategy for the war-torn country, the Indian defence minister said Tuesday, but she promised to boost support for the recently unveiled effort.

After talks with US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Nirmala Sitharaman said India was prepared to increase training for Afghan personnel and help develop critical civilian infrastructure such as schools and hospitals.

"India's contribution to Afghanistan has been for a very long time, and has been consistently on developmental issues," Sitharaman said at a news conference with Mattis.

The "contribution has been on these grounds and we shall expand if necessary. However as we have made it very clear, there should not be boots from India on the ground."

Mattis' trip to India is the first by any member of President Donald Trump's cabinet. It comes just after Trump unveiled a new Afghanistan strategy and urged New Delhi to help.

"We applaud India's invaluable contributions to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote Afghanistan's democracy, stability and security," Mattis said.

India has long vied with arch-rival Pakistan for influence in Afghanistan, building dams, roads and a new parliament in the troubled country. Last year it offered some $1 billion in aid.

It has also trained more than 4,000 Afghan National Army officers and provided helicopters to the Afghan Air Force.

Unveiling his Afghanistan policy last month, Trump angered Pakistan by saying it offered safe haven to "agents of chaos".

"There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens," Mattis said Tuesday, without referencing Pakistan.

"As global leaders, India and the United States resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge."

- 'Bite the bullet' -

In Afghanistan, the Taliban are continuing to mount deadly attacks, control large areas of territory and are killing Afghan forces in the thousands.

Under the plan, the US is sending more than 3,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to train and advise the country's security forces.

There is no timeline on when the US may pull its troops out -- a change from under Barack Obama, who set dates for when he wanted troops home.

But critics have questioned what the extra US soldiers can accomplish that previous forces -- who numbered some 100,000 at the height of the fighting -- have not.

Earlier this year Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ordered a near doubling of the country's elite fighting force from 17,000 as part of a four-year roadmap that also aims to strengthen Afghanistan's air force.

While Trump's commitment to increase American troop numbers and leave them there indefinitely has been welcomed by Afghan authorities, they know it will take time to improve the fighting abilities of their security forces.

Asia expert Michael Kugelman of the Woodrow Wilson Center was not surprised India is avoiding putting troops into the fight.

"The risks of provoking Pakistan are perceived to be too great," Kugelman told AFP.

He outlined another, riskier possibility -- that India might be more open to ship arms to Afghanistan.

"New Delhi has rarely sent large, lethal weaponry to Kabul, other than a small fleet of fighter helicopters some months back," he said.

"But it may well bite the bullet and contend that the need to strengthen the Afghan security forces outweighs the risk of angering the Pakistanis."
Iraqi Kurds wave the Kurdish flag as they celebrate in the streets of the northern city of Arbil on September 25, 2017 following a referendum on independence

Kurdish leader Massud Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi engaged in a war of words Tuesday a day after the Kurds staged an independence referendum in their autonomous region.

Abadi said in Baghdad, a staunch opponent of the Kurdish move, that he would not negotiate on the back of the referendum result -- expected to be a resounding "yes".

But in Kurdish regional capital Arbil, Barzani in a televised address urged the Iraqi premier "not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems".

"We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad," he said.

"The referendum is not to delimit the border (between Kurdistan and Iraq), nor to impose it de facto," Barzani added.

The Kurdish referendum went ahead despite both Iraqi and international opposition.

The vote is non-binding and will not lead automatically to independence, but is seen by the Kurds as a major step towards a long-cherished dream of statehood.

Abadi was not in a negotiating mood Tuesday.

He said he would ban "international flights to and from Kurdistan" in three days unless its airports at Arbil and Sulaimaniyah were placed under his government's control.

Iraqi Airways and carriers including from Germany, Iran, Jordan and Turkey currently operate regular flights there.

Abadi ruled out negotiations on the back of the referendum result.

"We will not abandon the unity and sovereignty of Iraq because this is a national duty," he said.

"The government will impose its authority in accordance with the constitution. We remain engaged in talks, but we will not negotiate on the basis of the referendum."

In the Kurdish areas, the result is not in doubt, with people expecting a big "yes" to independence.

In Arbil, a night of fireworks, flag-waving and dancing followed Monday's vote.

"We made a Kurdish state today," Arbil resident Ahmad told AFP.

"We're Kurdish people, we're not Arab, we're not Persian, we're no one else... We're Kurds and we'll remain Kurds forever."

Polling was peaceful, but increased tensions between Iraq's Kurds and their neighbours raised fears of unrest.

The Kurds

Abadi had declared before the vote he would take "necessary measures" to protect Iraqi unity, and he was due to meet parliament members on Wednesday.

Lawmakers passed a resolution Monday to send troops to disputed areas where the referendum took place, but there have been no signs of a deployment yet.

- Turkish warning -

Analysts say Baghdad was unlikely to seek a confrontation now, especially as Iraqi forces continue battling the Islamic State group in its final bastions.

Turkey, concerned the vote could stoke the separatist ambitions of its own sizeable Kurdish population, repeatedly condemned the referendum.

On Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Iraq's Kurds risked sparking an "ethnic war".

"If Barzani and the Kurdistan Regional Government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war," he said.

Soldiers drive tanks bearing Turkish and Iraqi flags during a joint military exercise near the Turkish-Iraqi border at Silopi district in Sirnak on September 26, 2017

Erdogan had warned on Monday that Turkey would shut its border with Iraqi Kurdistan and threatened to block key exports from the region through Turkey.

Erdogan even suggested the possibility of a cross-border incursion similar to the one Turkey carried out against IS and Kurdish fighters in Syria.

Iraqi soldiers on Tuesday were seen taking part in Turkish military exercises launched last week in the southern province of Sirnak near the Iraqi border.

Monday's vote took place across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan -- Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk -- and in disputed border zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

- Kirkuk curfew lifted -

A curfew was lifted early Tuesday on parts of Kirkuk city, where it had been imposed on the centre and non-Kurdish neighbourhoods over fears of unrest.

Officials reported that turnout for the referendum was 72 percent, with 3.3 million of the 4.58 million registered voters taking part.

An Iraqi Kurdish boy with the Kurdish flag face-painted on his cheek poses during a celebration in the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, on September 25, 2017

Participation was only 50 percent in Sulaimaniyah province, the home base of political forces opposed to Barzani.

His opponents have accused Barzani of seeking to empower himself through the vote, and said he should have accepted a UN-backed plan to postpone the referendum in favour of negotiations with Baghdad.

The United Nations and United States had urged Barzani to cancel or postpone the vote, with Washington especially concerned it could hamper the fight against IS in which Kurdish peshmerga forces have been vital.

- 'Political chaos' -

Issam al-Fayli, a political science professor at Baghdad University, said he did not expect any immediate confrontations.

"There will be some minor incidents but the crisis should in the end remain under control," he said.

Iran, which like Turkey has a large and restless Kurdish population, also opposed the referendum.

Ali Akbar Velayati, chief foreign policy adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said after the vote it would sow "political chaos in the region".

Left without a state of their own when the borders of the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, the Kurds see themselves as the world's largest stateless people.

The non-Arab ethnic group number between 25 and 35 million spread across Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.
Over 500 cubic metres of toxic chemicals were dumped on garbage sites in the Ivory Coast's economic capital Abidjan in 2006, killng 17 people and poisoning thousands, Ivorian judges say

Lawyers for 100,000 victims of a 2006 toxic spill in the Ivory Coast will seek Wednesday to persuade a Dutch court to take up their class-action suit for compensation.

It is the latest in a slew of legal actions brought against the Dutch-Swiss commodity trader Trafigura following the disaster in Abidjan, the west African country's commercial capital.

"The Amsterdam court must decide whether they can take up the suit brought by our clients and whether Dutch law is competent to rule on Trafigura's responsibility," said lawyer Bojan Dekker.

In August 2006, toxic residues on board the Panamanian-registered Probo Koala freighter were prevented from being offloaded for treatment in Amsterdam's port.

The ship was instead sent to Abidjan, where the waste was dumped on the city's garbage sites and in at least 18 locations.

Over 500 cubic metres (18,000 cubic feet) of spent caustic soda, oil residues and water killed 17 people and poisoned thousands, Ivorian judges said.

But last year a similar suit brought by a foundation which said it represented some 100,000 victims was thrown out, when judges from the Amsterdam District Court said they were unconvinced by the claim.

The judges ruled in November "it could not be established" that the Netherlands-based foundation, calling itself the Stichting Union des Victims de Dechet Toxiques d'Abidjan et Banlieues did in "fact represent the claimants nor how many claimants there are".

Trafigura has always denied any link between the waste and the subsequent deaths and wave of sickness.

In 2007 however it agreed a settlement with the Ivorian government for 152 million euros ($180 million), although only 60 percent of registered victims are estimated to have received compensation.

A second out-of-court settlement was agreed in 2009 for 33 million euros involving 30,000 people to be paid in Britain. But funds for 6,000 of them were misappropriated before the payout happened.

But in 2011, a Dutch court rejected a case brought by the environmental group Greenpeace, calling for Trafigura to be prosecuted in The Netherlands for the events in Ivory Coast. The court ruled that none of the victims lived in The Netherlands and that the spillage had occurred outside the country.

Dutch media have also cast doubt on whether this latest legal action will succeed.

A decision on whether the court will take up the case is not likely before six weeks, the lawyer Dekker said.

UN experts warned last year that many Ivorians still suffered from skin problems and respiratory issues, and had not received "an adequate remedy" for the effects of the spillage.
A self-service shop in the southern state of Johor has sparked anger but saying that it would only allow Muslim customers

A Malaysian laundrette that banned non-Muslim customers sparked anger Tuesday as fears grow of creeping religious conservatism in the multi-ethnic country.

The self-service shop in the town of Muar, in the southern state of Johor, put up a sign saying that it would only allow Muslim customers.

Malay Muslims make up the majority of Malaysia's approximately 30 million inhabitants but the country is also home to sizeable ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, and restricting shops or services to a certain religion is rare.

A member of Johor state's royal family, prince Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim, led condemnation of the laundrette, saying in an Instagram post: "Is this for real? This is too extreme. I'm appalled."

An Islamic cleric in the northern state of Perlis, Mufti Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin, warned that the restriction was an example of "narrow-mindedness", the Star newspaper reported.

But the shop's owner defended the move, saying that "95 percent" of his customers were Muslim.

"There are other laundrettes available nearby. So, it wouldn't be a problem for non-Muslims if they needed to find another place to wash their clothes," he was quoted as saying by news website Free Malaysia Today.

Critics say that Malaysia's traditionally tolerant brand of Islam is being eroded by increasingly influential Muslim hardliners.

Last week, authorities in Kuala Lumpur cancelled an annual beer festival after an Islamist party warned it would turn the capital into "the biggest centre of vice in Asia".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opens the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office on September 26, 2017

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday Israel was concerned over a rise in anti-Semitism, after a right-wing nationalist party won seats in Berlin's parliament.

"Israel is concerned over the rise of anti-Semitism in recent years among political elements from the right and left, as well as from Islamist elements," Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying in a phone call with the German leader.

While Netanyahu seemed to be referring to the results of the Sunday general German election, the Israeli leader stopped short of naming the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which won about 13 percent of the general vote -- the best showing for a nationalist force since World War II.

In his conversation with Merkel, Netanyahu "called on the new government that would be formed to act to strengthen the forces in Germany that accept the historic responsibility" of the Holocaust, his office said.

"Israel rejects any attempt to deny the Holocaust," Netanyahu said, noting that Germany also remained responsible for the historic event.

"There are two things -- Holocaust denial, and denial of the responsibility," he said.

Key members of AfD have challenged Germany's culture of atonement over World War II and the slaughter of six million Jews in the Holocaust.

More than 70 years after the Holocaust the killing of European Jews still runs deep in relations between Israel and Germany, one of its strongest EU supporters.
Jose Eduardo dos Santos's 38-year reign over Angola finally came to an end when his hand-picked successor Joao Lourenco was inaugurated as president at a ceremony in Luanda

Jose Eduardo dos Santos's 38-year reign over Angola finally came to an end Tuesday when his hand-picked successor Joao Lourenco was inaugurated as president at a ceremony in Luanda.

Lourenco read an oath in which he vowed "on my honour to devote myself" to the role of president, as he took power after the ruling MPLA party won last month's election.

Dos Santos, who was at the ceremony but is reportedly in poor health, surprised many by announcing his retirement earlier this year, saying he would not be a candidate in the election.

The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) has governed since Angola's hard-fought independence from Portugal in 1975, with Dos Santos taking power in 1979.

The party won 61 percent of the vote in August, a sharp drop in support from the previous election in 2012 as the country suffers an economic crisis triggered by the fall in oil prices.

Lourenco, 63, until recently defence minister, has vowed to attract more foreign investment and said he wants to be recognised as a leader who brought an "economic miracle" to the southern African country.

Though seldom seen in public, Dos Santos, 75, has been a looming presence in daily life for as long as most Angolans can remember, maintaining fierce control over the country throughout its devastating civil war and a short-lived oil boom.

Dos Santos's reign saw the end of the 1975-2002 war and a post-conflict investment boom as the country exploited its oil reserves.

But the slump in crude prices in 2014 hit the country hard.

Dos Santos was Africa's second-longest-serving leader -- one month shy of Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

Nguema was present at the ceremony, along with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila, South African President Jacob Zuma and other African leaders.

Dos Santos's regular visits to Spain for "private" reasons fuelled criticism that the state of his health was being hidden from ordinary Angolans.

Earlier this year, his daughter Isabel -- who has become a billionaire and Africa's richest businesswoman under his rule -- was forced to deny rumours that he had died in Spain.

Amnesty International called for Lourenco to "guide the country out of the spiral of oppression" and castigated Dos Santos's "appalling human rights record".

Dos Santos is to remain MPLA party chief, and new laws limit the unfettered presidential power he enjoyed.
Northeastern Nigeria is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 people and displaced more than 2.6 million since 2009

The World Health Organization said Tuesday it has completed a massive cholera vaccination campaign in restive northeastern Nigeria, where the disease has already killed 54 people.

The week-long campaign allowed 844,000 people to receive one dose of the vaccine, which offers protection against the deadly disease for six months, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva.

Northeastern Nigeria is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 people and displaced more than 2.6 million.

As of Monday, nearly 4,000 suspected cases of cholera had been detected in the region in just over a month, according to WHO numbers.

Cholera is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhoea, with children facing a particularly high risk of infection.

With 54 related deaths so far, the case fatality rate, which measures the severity of an epidemic by defining the proportion of fatal cases within a specific timeframe, is currently at 1.4 percent -- well above the emergency threshold of one percent.

The first cholera case was identified in Borno State on August 16 and has since spread, mainly in camps for those displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Two doses of the vaccine are needed to offer full protection, but in emergency situations, the WHO allows for a single dose to be given to speed up the coverage.

Water-borne diseases are a constant threat because of a lack of adequate sanitation as well as stagnant groundwater during the current rainy season.

In addition to the vaccination campaign, WHO and other aid organisations are helping the Nigerian government to respond to the outbreak by establishing cholera treatment centres, "increasing outreach to communities with information on cholera and on prevention", Jasarevic said.

Providing access to safe water was also a priority, he said.

About 8.5 million people in Nigeria's northeast, out of 17 million in the wider Lake Chad region encompassing Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, need humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.

Widespread malnutrition and the severe hygiene crisis in northeastern Nigeria, aggravated by the current rainy season and the limited access to clean water, especially in remote areas and in the overcrowded camps, have sparked growing fears that the cholera epidemic could spread across the region.
A Palestinian gunman opened fire at an entrance to the Israeli settlement of Har Adar in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, killing three security personnel and wounding another.

Here are some key questions and answers on Israeli settlements:

- What are settlements? -

Settlements are Israeli villages, towns and even cities built on territory Israel seized during the Six-Day War of 1967.

Some 430,000 Israeli settlers currently live in the occupied West Bank, along with 2.6 million Palestinians.

A further 200,000 Israelis live in annexed east Jerusalem, along with at least 300,000 Palestinians, who want to make the sector the capital of their future state.

Israel also seized part of the Golan Heights from Syria and the Gaza Strip from Egypt and established settlements in both. It evacuated the Gaza settlements in 2005.

- What is their legal status? -

From the 1970s, Israel established a network of settlements throughout the occupied West Bank.

The Oslo accords of the 1990s divided the territory into Israeli- and Palestinian-governed zones meant to lay the ground for a future Palestinian state, but Israel continued to build and expand settlements there.

Palestinian violence has led to calls from some Israelis to build more settlements in response.

The United Nations and most of the international community see Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, as illegal.

Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not, often called outposts.

Successive Israeli governments have invested billions of dollars in the settlements over the past 50 years.

- Who are the settlers? -

Many Israelis moved to the settlements in search of affordable housing.

The government encouraged them to move to cities such as Ariel, Maale Adumim and the ultra-Orthodox settlements of Beitar Ilit and Modiin Ilit.

There are also many national-religious hardliners who see living in the biblical lands of Judaea and Samaria as fulfilling a divine promise.

Hundreds of them live near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, a holy site for both Jews and Muslims and a focal point of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

- How do Palestinians see settlements? -

Palestinians consider Israeli settlements a war crime and a major obstacle to peace.

The Palestinians want Israel to withdraw from all land it occupied in the Six-Day War and to dismantle all Jewish settlements, although they have accepted the principle of minor land swaps equal in size and value.

Israel rules out a full return to pre-1967 borders but has in the past expressed a willingness to pull out of some parts of the West Bank while annexing its largest settlement blocs which are home to the majority of the settlers in the territory.

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history, has recently said he plans no "uprooting" of settlements.
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee v. FRANCISCO ANTONIO COLORADO CESSA, also known as Pancho, also known as Francisco Antonio Colorado-Cessa, Defendant - Appellant No. 16-50328 Decided: September 25, 2017

Before PRADO, HIGGINSON, and COSTA, Circuit Judges.

We previously remanded this case to the district court to determine whether the Government suppressed certain favorable evidence and whether any of the suppressed evidence was material. United States v. Cessa, 861 F.3d 121, 143 (5th Cir. 2017) (Cessa II). On August 8, 2017, the district court concluded that none of the suppressed evidence was material. Because we cannot say that the district court's materiality determination was clear error, reversal is not required. We therefore affirm.

I

The Zetas import drugs from Colombia and export them to the United States. Cessa II, 861 F.3d at 127. The Zetas engaged in a money-laundering operation that involved purchasing quarter horsesa type of racehorsein the United States. The scheme was designed to conceal illegal drug money by repeatedly buying and reselling horses to straw purchasers and shell companies'a process that generated clean money, the origin of which was difficult to trace. Id. Colorado was indicted as part of the scheme in 2012. Id.

Colorado's first trial began in April 2013. In the Government's opening argument, it told the jury that it would hear evidence that Colorado funneled money from the Zetas through his company, ADT Petro Services, and then back to the Zetas through racehorses. But even at that time, the Government possessed evidence that may have undercut its trial theory. Carlos Nayen, whom the Government described as the money man and the man responsible for coordinating the purchase of horses in the first trial, had been interviewed nine times as part of the investigation. At times, Nayen's statements indicated that Colorado may not have participated in the scheme. For example, Nayen told the Government that Colorado only gave horses to the Zetas as a gift. The prosecutor's notes from the meeting indicate that Nayen said that Colorado gave the horses out of fear. But the Government did not disclose Nayen's statements to the defense.

Nayen was not called to testify at the first trial. And the Government severely limited written documentation of Nayen's statements. The Assistant United States Attorneys prosecuting Colorado were present at seven of the nine interviewsall occurring between November 27, 2012 and February 12, 2013. At those seven interviews, only the prosecutors took notes. And three times, no one took notes at all. The Government did not create official interview memoranda, FBI Form 302s, until after Colorado was convicted in his first trial. And within a month of Colorado's Rule 33 motion being denied, and nearly eight months after the first interview, FBI Agent Lawson began to create official interview memoranda for each of the meetings. Presumably working from prosecutor notesand where there were no notes, from distant memoryLawson generated 41 pages detailing Nayen's statements at the meetings that had occurred half a year earlier. This was not normal; the same agent, working on the same case, and dealing with the same witness quickly generated interview memoranda for the two meetings not attended by the prosecutors. Likewise, interviews of other witnesses throughout the investigation, including interviews by Lawson, were quickly memorialized into 302s. And for his interviews with other witnesses, Lawson noted his presence in the 302s, but for Nayen's interviews, Lawson failed to note that he was present.

After his first conviction, Colorado still did not get access to Nayen's statements. At his first sentencing hearing, however, the Government called Lawson to testify. During his testimony, Lawson referred to statements made by Nayen in the investigationattributing them to a confidential informant. In response, Colorado asked to view the interview memoranda. But, when it appeared that the court might give the documents to the defense, the Government disclaimed any reliance on Nayen's testimony and asked that the documents not be turned over.

At that point it appeared that Nayen's statements would never be disclosed. But we reversed Colorado's first conviction because of an instructional error. United States v. Cessa, 785 F.3d 165, 170 (5th Cir. 2015) (Cessa I). And when the Government retried Colorado it decided to call Nayen to testify. Nonetheless, the Government did not disclose any of the 41 pages of Nayen's statements to the defense, disclosing instead, only the formal interview memorandaand not the underlying notesin camera, to the district court. Following Nayen's direct examination, the district court ruled that nothing contained in the 302s was favorable to the defense. As we explained in Cessa II, the district court should have ordered disclosure because the 302s contained favorable exculpatory evidence. See Cessa II, 861 F.3d at 129. The Government compounded the error by saying nothing as Nayen testified inconsistently with the 302s during cross examination. Id. at 13134. The jury convicted Colorado at his second trial.

Even after the second conviction, the Government opposed Colorado's effort to view the favorable statements in Nayen's 302s. On appeal, Colorado argued that by failing to turn over the 302s, the Government violated its Brady obligations. To make the argument, Colorado requested the 302s, although the defense recognized that a protective order or redactions may have been necessary to protect the Government's interests in the 302s. Without explanation and without request for a protective order, the Government opposed. We granted Colorado permission to view the 302s.

Finally with the benefit of the 302s, Colorado argued that the district court erred in finding that the documents were not favorable to him. We agreed, and remanded to the district court to determine whether the information contained in the 302s was suppressed and material. Cessa II, 861 F.3d at 143. At the district court, the Government augmented its in-camera disclosure by providing the district court with the prosecutor notes corresponding to the 302s, as well as prosecutor notes from meetings with Nayen after the first trial (for which no 302s were made). With respect to the prosecutor notes for which no 302s were made, the district court held that the notes constituted non-discoverable, attorney work-product under the Jencks Act and declined to consider them. For the notes the district court did consider, it held that Nayen's statements in his interviews were not material under Brady, and therefore, Colorado's conviction could stand.

II

To establish a Brady violation, a defendant must show: (1) the evidence at issue was favorable to the accused, either because it was exculpatory or impeaching; (2) the evidence was suppressed by the prosecution; and (3) the evidence was material. United States v. Dvorin, 817 F.3d 438, 450 (5th Cir. 2016). Evidence is material if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different.  United States v. Brown, 650 F.3d 581, 588 (5th Cir. 2011) (quoting United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682 (1985)).  A reasonable probability of a different result is one in which the suppressed evidence undermines confidence in the outcome of the trial.  Turner v. United States, 137 S. Ct. 1885, 1893 (2017) (quoting Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 434 (1995)). Consequently, the issue before us here is legally simple but factually complex. Id. We must examine the trial record, evaluat[e] the withheld evidence in the context of the entire record, and determine in light of that examination whether there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed, the result of the proceeding would have been different.  Id. (quoting United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 112 (1976); Cone v. Bell, 556 U.S. 449, 470 (2009)).

Because the district court reviewed the alleged Brady material in camera and determined that it was not discoverable, we review for clear error. Brown, 650 F.3d at 589. The district court's finding is clearly erroneous if, on the entire evidence, we are left with a definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed. Id. (quoting United States v. U.S. Gypsum Co., 333 U.S. 364, 395 (1948)).

III

As we explained in Cessa II, Colorado's defense theory was that he bought horses for the Zetas using his own (or his company's) money. He explained that he spent millions of dollars on horses for the Zetas because he feared them. Cessa II, 861 F.3d at 129. Put differently, Colorado argued that he did not join the conspiracy at all, claiming that he gave the Zetas gifts using his own money because he feared them. Id. at 130. Colorado argues that the Brady material contains three categories of evidence that would have materially advanced his defense theory, or at least impeached Nayen's testimony: (1) statements that Colorado feared the Zetas, (2) Nayen not disclosing payments flowing from the Zetas to Colorado and back to the Zetas until his seventh interview, and (3) a statement that Colorado gave horses to the Zetas as a gift. We hold that the district court did not clearly err when it found that none of the favorable statements were material.

First, the district court did not clearly err in concluding that Nayen's statements indicating that Colorado feared the Zetas were immaterial. In the interviews, Nayen describes a meeting between Colorado and Zeta 40 (the leader of the Zetas in Veracruz) in 2007. Some background is useful. In March 2007, Zeta 40 killed Zeta 14 (then the leader of the Zetas in Veracruz). After Zeta 14's death, Zeta 40 was put in charge of the Zeta's Veracruz operation. Soon thereafter, Zeta 40 called Colorado, Nayen, and Tavoall friends of Zeta 14to meet with him in Tampico. In the interviews, Nayen described the Tampico meeting. At the meeting, Colorado greeted Zeta 40, saying hey friend. Zeta 40 responded that Colorado was not his friend. Nayen explained that after the meeting, Colorado was in a constant state of anxiety and that Zeta 40 always wanted to kill Colorado. Colorado now claims that he could have used Nayen's statements to (1) directly show that he gave horses to the Zetas out of fear and (2) impeach Nayen's testimony that Colorado was friends with the Zetas. The district court did not clearly err in rejecting the argument.

Nayen's trial testimony amply explained that Colorado feared Zeta 40 at the time of the Tampico meeting. See Rocha v. Thaler, 619 F.3d 387, 396 (5th Cir. 2010) (cumulative Brady evidence is not material). Nayen explained that he and Colorado fled from Mexico to the United States after Zeta 14 was killed. However, Nayen testified that they were called back to meet with Zeta 40, and that they felt that they could not say no to the meeting. Nayen explained that at the meeting, Colorado's business partner Tavo was killed, and that Nayen would have been killed had he attended because Zeta 40 did not trust Zeta 14's friends. Finally, Nayen explained that prior to the Tampico meeting Zeta 40 was killing all of Zeta 14's friends. Because Nayen extensively explained Colorado's reason to fear Zeta 40 at trial, the additional statements from the interviews were not material. See Spence v. Johnson, 80 F.3d 989, 995 (5th Cir. 1996) ([W]hen the undisclosed evidence is merely cumulative of other evidence, no Brady violation occurs.). Moreover, even if the statements had minimal substantive value, the Government put forward overwhelming evidence at trial that Colorado became friends with Zeta 40 sometime after the Tampico meeting. See id. ([W]hen the testimony of a witness who might have been impeached is strongly corroborated by additional evidence supporting a guilty verdict, the undisclosed evidence is generally not found to be material. (quoting Wilson v. Whitley, 28 F.3d 433, 439 (5th Cir. 1994)). For example, Nayen testified that Zeta 40 and Colorado shared the head of the table at an event in 2008, Zeta 40 began giving Colorado money in 2009, and Zeta 40 gifted Colorado a symbolic gun in 2011. Numerous other witnesses corroborated that Colorado and Zeta 40 appeared friendly after the Tampico meeting. Consequently, even accepting that the statements from the interviews would have allowed Colorado to show that he feared Zeta 40 in 2007, overwhelming evidence demonstrated that his fear subsequently dissipated as he and Zeta 40 became friends after 2007. And because Zeta 40 began giving Colorado money in 2009, the nature of their relationship after 2007 was far more important than the nature of their relationship as described in the favorable statements from the interviews.

Second, confronting Nayen with his failure to raise the cash deliveries until his seventh interview would not have been material because Colorado actually confronted Nayen about his failure to disclose the cash deliveries in his early interviews. See United States v. Bernard, 762 F.3d 467, 480 (5th Cir. 2014) (impeachment evidence not material where the witness was already impeached on the same issue). During cross examination Nayen admitted that he did not raise the cash deliveries during his first two interviews with the Government. And in closing, defense counsel impeached Nayen by noting that he failed to initially disclose the cash deliveries. Because Nayen was already forced to explain to the jury his failure to raise the cash deliveries early in his proffer, there would have been little, if any, additional value in showing that Nayen failed to raise the cash deliveries until his seventh interview especially because the Government put forward significant evidence that Colorado had received Zeta money and used that money to purchase horses for the Zetas.

Third, we see no clear error in the district court's finding that Nayen's statement that Colorado only gave horses to the Zetas as a gift was immaterial. The Government presented overwhelming evidence that Colorado bought horses for the Zetas using Zeta money. The gift comment, at best, ambiguously refutes the Government's allegation that Colorado used Zeta money to purchase horses for the Zetas. In context, what Nayen said in the interviews is that Colorado would give horses to the Zetas and say it is a gift. Nayen's statement explains how Colorado described the horses he gave to the Zetas, but it does not explain the provenance of the funds Colorado used to purchase the horses. And without that explanation, the gift statement would not been useful in refuting the Government's significant evidence that Colorado used Zeta money to buy horses. In any event, proving that Colorado used his own money to buy horses for the Zetas was not a significant issue at trial because Colorado could have been convicted of joining the money laundering conspiracy even if he used his own money. Cessa I, 785 F.3d at 182; see also United States v. Sipe, 388 F.3d 471, 490 (5th Cir 2004) (evidence more likely to be material if it goes to the heart of the government's case). Instead, the Government could prove that Colorado gave horses to the Zetas knowing that the purpose of doing so was to conceal the source or nature of illegal drug proceeds. Cessa I, 785 F.3d at 182. And the Government presented significant evidence that Colorado knew that the Zetas used his horse purchases to hide drug money; for example, the Government demonstrated that Colorado closely associated with the Zetas, knew the source of the Zetas' money, accepted money from members of the Zetas to care for horses held in Colorado's name, and paid for his horses in a surreptitious and suspicious manner.

Of course, we cannot examine the alleged Brady evidence in isolation; instead, the question we must address is whether the cumulative effect of all such evidence suppressed by the government  raises a reasonable probability that its disclosure would have produced a different result.  Sipe, 388 F.3d at 491 (quoting Kyles, 514 U.S. at 42122). But even viewing the evidence cumulatively, we cannot say that the district court clearly erred in concluding that the suppressed evidence was not material. Accordingly, we conclude that Colorado has failed to show a Brady violation, and we affirm his conviction.

IV

In Cessa II, we also declined to address Colorado's argument that there was insufficient evidence supporting the district court's forfeiture order and money judgment because both depended on a valid conviction. We now affirm both.

An individual convicted of money laundering under  1956 must forfeit to the United States any property, real or personal, involved in such offense, or any property traceable to such property. 18 U.S.C.  982(a)(1). A statutorily-prescribed forfeiture is warranted upon a showing of a preponderance of the evidence. United States v. Gasanova, 332 F.3d 297, 301 (5th Cir. 2003). Property involved in an offense includes the money or other property being laundered (the corpus), any commissions or fees paid to the launderer, and any property used to facilitate the laundering offense. United States v. Tencer, 107 F.3d 1120, 1134 (5th Cir. 1997). Facilitation occurs when the property makes the prohibited conduct less difficult or more or less free from obstruction or hindrance.  Id. (quoting United States v. Schifferli, 895 F.2d 987, 990 (4th Cir. 1990)).

The forfeiture order was supported by sufficient evidence. First, the Government demonstrated that the forfeited bank accounts were used to facilitate money laundering. The Government introduced extensive evidence demonstrating that Colorado comingled Zeta drug money in his otherwise legitimate accounts. And the Government demonstrated that the purpose of the comingling was to facilitate the money laundering offense. Second, the Government demonstrated that both the King Air aircraft and the Hawker aircraft were used to facilitate the money laundering scheme. Likewise, the money judgment was supported by sufficient evidence. The district court held that Colorado was jointly and severally liable for the $60 million money judgment imposed on his co-conspirators after the first trial. We agree that sufficient evidence supported the money judgment. Accordingly, we affirm the forfeiture order and money judgment.

V

We have expressed concerns about the Government's handling of the Brady material in this case. The better course is to take care to disclose any evidence favorable to the defendant. Turner, 137 S. Ct. at 1893 (quoting Agurs, 427 U.S. at 108). When the Government fails to take this better course, it risks that its convictions will be overturned. Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78, 8889 (1935). And the damage is greater than any individual outcome because the Government is privileged to be the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling as its obligation to govern at all; and whose interest, therefore, in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done. Id. at 88. The appearance of fairness is critical to a working justice system. Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done. The interest of justice requires more than a proceeding that reaches an objectively accurate result; trial by ordeal might by sheer chance accomplish that. It requires a proceeding that, by its obvious fairness, helps to justify itself. United States v. McDaniels, 379 F. Supp. 1243, 1249 (E.D. La. 1974) (Rubin, J.).

We affirm.

FOOTNOTES

. We nonetheless have reviewed the prosecutor notes for which no 302s were made, and we find no error in the Government's failure to disclose them to the defense. We likewise have reviewed the additional notes found belatedly by the Government and given to defense counsel and the district court on September 6, 2017. For these notes, too, we find no error in the Government's failure to disclose them earlier to the defense.

STEPHEN A. HIGGINSON, Circuit Judge:
US ambassador Sung Kim (L) shake hand with Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana after a press conference about the exercise

US and Philippine forces have staged an exercise simulating the seizure of an American plane by Islamic State and a hostage rescue, as they look to refocus their military alliance towards counter-terrorism.

The five-day training exercise which ended Tuesday was the first of its kind and saw more than 400 troops, airport police and hostage negotiators create a mock hijack of a plane by an IS cell that forced it to land at Clark airport north of Manila, officials said.

Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the drill was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's wish to refocus the two countries' 1951 mutual defence pact towards counter-terrorism and disaster relief.

Since coming to power, Duterte has sought to weaken ties with the country's former colonial ruler and pivot towards China and Russia. He previously said military exercises with America were a "humiliation" for the Philippines and threatened to sever defence ties completely.

He has since banned the Filipino military from conducting joint patrols with the US navy outside Philippine waters and trimmed the number of joint military exercises.

The latest drill was held in the shadow of a US-backed military campaign to retake the Philippines' southern city of Marawi, which was occupied by pro-IS gunmen more than four months ago.

"(It) served as a perfect opportunity to assess the needs of the new security environment in the Pacific region, especially now that terrorism has become evident in our current security landscape," Lorenzana said.

Both governments stressed there was no such known plot against aircraft by IS or its supporters.

The last hijacking in the Philippines was in May 2000, when a passenger armed with a grenade and handgun tried in vain to force a Manila-bound Philippine Airlines flight to return to the southern city of Davao.
Rohingya Muslim refugees wait as food is distributed by the Bangladeshi army at Balukhali refugee camp near Gumdhum on September 26, 2017

The United Nations on Tuesday drastically increased the estimated number of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Myanmar to 480,000 as Bangladesh eased restrictions on aid groups working in refugee camps and sought $250 million to cope with the crisis.

The number who have crossed the border since August 25 to escape a Myanmar military crackdown has increased by 45,000 in two days.

Between the new arrivals and some 300,000 Rohingya who were already living in the area due to previous violence in Myanmar, there are now nearly 800,000 refugees in camps around the Bangladesh border town of Cox's Bazar that are bursting at the seams.

The situation has forced new arrivals into makeshift shelters in grim conditions, and sparked warnings that epidemics, including cholera, could easily spread.

A report by UN agencies and international charities said the higher number was due largely to an estimated 35,000 Rohingya, not previously accounted for, moving into two refugee camps.

It also said numbers crossing the border had started to rise again.

After reporting a significant fall in arrivals last week, the new report said hundreds had been crossing the border daily in recent days.

- 'Herculean task' -

Pressure on Bangladesh has increased so much that it has eased restrictions on private aid groups so they can work in Cox's Bazar camps.

The country has previously strictly limited access. It has never given reasons, but is sensitive about security and authorities fear a Muslim influx could tempt extremist groups.

The government NGO Affairs Bureau has now cleared 30 local and international groups to meet "emergency needs" in camps and said more would follow, Shahdat Hossain, a bureau director, told AFP.

The aid groups still only have permission to work in the camps for two months and must focus on providing healthcare, sanitation facilities and shelters for the Rohingya, Hossain said.

Authorities had previously only let four international groups -- including Doctors With Border (MSF) and Action Against Hunger (ACF) -- provide food and healthcare.

Muslim Aid, a British-based charity, was given permission to operate in Cox's Bazar last week but this was quickly revoked again. It remains barred even though it operates in other parts of Bangladesh.

Authorities briefly ordered MSF, ACF and Muslim Aid to stop providing aid to the Rohingya in 2012.

Dhaka-based BRAC, one of the world's largest charities, is among the new groups allowed into the camps.

BRAC senior director Asif Saleh said in a Facebook post that the scale of the "humanitarian crisis" was significantly worse than what was being portrayed by the media.

He said the group has taken on the "herculean task" of setting up 15,000 toilets, 1,100 tube wells, 50 health camps, 10 delivery centres and 50 child centres.

- Desperate for help -

Bangladesh has deployed dozens of emergency medical teams and sent reinforcements to hospitals in Cox's Bazar.

They have treated more than 2,350 Rohingya for serious injuries sustained in the crackdown, including bullet and machete wounds and landmine injuries.

Some 80,000 Rohingya children have also been vaccinated for measles, rubella and polio diseases and thousands of adults treated for diarrhoea, respiratory diseases and pregnancy complications.

Desperately needing more help, junior health minister Zahid Malek said Dhaka has sought $250 million from the World Bank to provide healthcare to the Rohingya.

A United Nations official last week said it would need $200 million over the next six months to handle the Rohingya crisis.

The UN made an emergency appeal for $78 million on September 9, but UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, Robert Watkins, said much more would be needed as the exodus grows.
Soldiers holding Turkish and Iraqi flags walk near tanks during a joint military exercise near the Turkish-Iraqi border in Sirnak, Turkey on September 26, 2017

Iraqi soldiers on Tuesday took part in a Turkish military drill close to the Iraqi border on Tuesday, an AFP photographer said, a day after Iraq's Kurdish region held a vote on independence.

Despite warm relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Ankara has been fiercely opposed to the controversial non-binding vote and has threatened to enact a range of options from economic sanctions to military measures against the KRG.

The central Iraqi government in Baghdad has also refused to recognise the referendum.

The Turkish armed forces launched a military exercise with tanks last week in the southern Turkish province of Sirnak as Turkey stepped up its opposition to the poll.

The military continued the drill with reinforcements on Saturday, and said a third phase of the exercises would begin on Tuesday with units of the Iraqi army, who arrived on Monday.

The Turkish military gave no further detail on numbers.

Soldiers could be seen holding Turkish and Iraqi flags while on the move and on tanks during the exercise in the Silopi district, an AFP photographer said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cautioned the Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani against pushing for independence after the vote, saying such a move risked sparking an "ethnic war" in the region and said Turkey would consider its options.

"Airspace and ground (options) are all on the table," he said, appearing to refer to previous threats to close the border.

Erdogan on Monday warned the KRG of a cross-border operation by the Turkish army similar to that taken in northern Syria last year against the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.

Recalling the lighting offensive last August, Erdogan said: "We did this with Euphrates Shield. All the options are on the table right now. In Iraq, when necessary, we will not shy away from taking these types of steps."

Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had declared before the vote that he would take "necessary measures" to protect the country's unity.
A Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300 is seen at Le Bourget airport on June 18, 2017 on the eve of the International Paris Air Show

Qatar Airways announced Tuesday it has placed an order worth more than $2 billion for six Boeing planes, which it said reflected the airline's continued expansion in the United States.

A statement on the Gulf carrier's website said it had placed an order for two Boeing 747-8 Freighters and four 777-300ERs.

It added that the order was valued at $2.16 billion (1.8 billion euros) "at list prices".

"The order, a sign of the airline's continued expansion and contribution to the US economy, adds to the airline's current fleet of nearly 100 Boeing widebody airplanes and its more than 100 additional Boeing aircraft on order," read the Qatar Airways statement.

The announcement was made at Boeing's manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington, in the US.

The decision to buy the new planes may be seen as strategically as well economically important.

Gas-rich Qatar has made it clear it is seeking further investment opportunities in the US.

In 2015, it said it would invest up to $35 billion in the United States over the following five years, after targeting high-profile acquisitions in Europe.

Last December, Doha also announced the fund would invest $10 billion in US infrastructure projects.

The purchase also comes at a time of high political tensions within the Gulf.

Qatar has found itself regionally isolated since June 5 after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut all ties, accusing Doha of bankrolling Islamist extremists and being too close to Iran.

As part of the sanctions placed on Doha, they have stopped Qatar Airways use of their countries' airspace.

Qatar denies the charges.
Bukavu, the regional capital of South Kivu province, lies on the border with Rwanda

The United Nations said it is "gravely concerned by the use of lethal force" by Congolese security forces during a public protest in which a young girl died.

The defence and security forces reportedly fired warning shots to disperse demonstrators in Bukavu in the east of the country on Monday, according to MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It said an eight-year-old girl on her way to school was reportedly hit by a stray bullet and subsequently died.

Locals were protesting against instability and repeated cases of armed robbery.

"Defense and security forces have an obligation to use force only as the last resort...," said Maman Sidikou, the head of MONUSCO on Monday.

"Alleged violence perpetrated by protestors should never be an excuse for the use of lethal force."

MONUSCO said it has received credible reports of additional casualties and the United Nations Human Rights Office is investigating.

General Louis-Second Karawa, police chief of the South Kivu province, said Monday's protests had left a 14-year-old boy dead and 53 people injured, including nine police officers.

The police station and local administrative office in the district of Panzi was also set on fire.

Bukavu is the regional capital of South Kivu province, which lies on the border with Rwanda.

The east of the country has been prey to attacks by rival armed groups for more than 20 years.
President Muhammadu Buhari returned to Nigeria in late August after more than 100 days away for treatment

Nigeria's president is under no obligation to disclose his medical condition even though he has spent most of the year being treated abroad, one of his ministers said on Tuesday.

Muhammadu Buhari has spent lengthy periods in London since January, sparking speculation about his fitness to govern -- and also questions about who was footing the bill.

The 74-year-old former army general has said only that he required blood transfusions and had never been as sick in his life.

Claims from political opponents that he had prostate cancer have been denied but civil society groups still want to know whether tax-payers' money was used for the private treatment.

Buhari's information minister suggested the silence was not unusual, just hours after the president returned to Abuja from another round of check-ups in the British capital.

"It's not strange at all for a sitting president to be ill and it's not strange either for the state to take care of his medical bill," Lai Mohammed told AFP in an interview, without elaborating.

"I think there's so much speculation as to what he's been treated for.

"I think we would rather respect his privacy. If Mr President feels like telling the world his ailment, so be it. I don't think he's under an obligation to tell anyone."

The health of Nigeria's head of state is a sensitive issue. Former president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua fell ill and died while in office in 2010, sparking months of political turmoil.

Buhari's mystery illness also comes as political parties and potential candidates jockey for position ahead of the next presidential election in 2019.

Buhari's women's affairs minister Aisha Alhassan claimed earlier this month that he had said he would only serve one, four-year term of office.

But Mohammed, who was spokesman for Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) that unseated Goodluck Jonathan at the last vote in 2015, refused to be drawn.

"If he's going to run that's left to him but right now, his major preoccupation is delivering on all his electoral promises," he said.

Buhari returned to Nigeria in late August after more than 100 days away. He has since been met with a rising tide of support in southeastern Nigeria for a breakaway state of Biafra.

The government last week formally proscribed the main separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), after repeated clashes with the security services.

IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu is currently on bail pending the resumption of his trial in Abuja next month on charges of treasonable felony.

Kanu's supporters say he has not been seen since the unrest.

Mohammed, who said the group had been banned because it had "crossed a line" from legal protest, said he suspected the separatist leader was "in hiding".

But he added: "He's not being held by government at all."

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Iraqi Kurds wave the Kurdish flags as they celebrate in the streets of the northern city of Arbil on September 25, 2017 following the referendum on independence

Iran said Tuesday that the independence vote in Iraqi Kurdistan would trigger "political chaos" in the region, while the Revolutionary Guards said they were sending new missile equipment to the border.

"The outcome of this move is political chaos in the region," said Ali Akbar Velayati, chief foreign policy advisor to Iran's supreme leader.

"The honourable people of Kurdistan will not bear this disgrace," he said, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

There was a large turnout for Monday's vote in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, which is expected to deliver a resounding "yes" to independence.

As with Turkey, Iran strongly opposes independence for the Iraqi Kurds, fearing it will provoke separatists among its own Kurdish population.

State television made a rare admission on Tuesday that Kurds in Iran's northwestern border region had held peaceful demonstrations in support of the referendum.

"People in the cities of Sanandaj, Baneh and Saghez of Kurdistan province held peaceful gatherings congratulating their Iraqi fellow Kurdish-speaking people," broadcaster IRIB reported.

Iran is also worried about ties between the Kurds and Israel, the only government in the region that has supported Kurdish efforts towards statehood.

"Unfortunately, (Iraqi Kurd leader Massud) Barzani has been connected to the Zionists since long ago and hasn't learned a lesson from Palestine," said Velayati.

Iran has also blamed its traditional enemies -- the Americans and British -- despite their firm opposition to the referendum.

Meanwhile, the deputy head of the Revolutionary Guards aerial headquarters, Alireza Elahi, said it had "sent new missile equipment to the western region to boost the aerial defence and preparedness against any violation."

At least one Iranian lawmaker called for a more conciliatory stance now that the vote has gone ahead.

"The referendum does not mean independence for Iraqi Kurdistan. There is a process which, if implemented, will take two to three years. So we should not be so sensitive and should only make clear to Kurdish people that this is not in their interest," MP Ali Motahari told reporters, according to ISNA.
Students at Uganda's Makerere University defied a blanket ban on protests on the same day as a brawl in parliament

Lawmakers brawled in Uganda's parliament on Tuesday over long-serving ruler Yoweri Museveni's attempt to stay in power by removing presidential age-limits.

MPs shouted, shoved, threw punches and lobbed documents in a fight between ruling party politicians and those from the opposition. At least one MP brandished a chair and attempted to hit his opponent over the head.

Tensions were high over a plan backed by members of President Museveni's party to table a constitutional amendment scrapping age limits, which would clear the way for the 73-year-old to run for a sixth consecutive term in 2021.

Speaker Rebecca Kadaga struggled to control the brawl which broke out after one of the MPs from the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) -- many of whom were wearing red headbands to protest the proposed amendment -- accused a government legislator of threatening him and of sneaking a gun into the chamber.

The behaviour was no more decorous outside parliament, where police fought running battles with students angry at the proposed amendment.

Hundreds of students at the country's main Makerere University once again defied a blanket ban on protests and marched around campus wearing the red ribbons that have become a symbol of defiance.

Some demonstrators lit barricades and erected makeshift roadblocks as they faced volleys of tear gas from armed officers backed by military police.

Student leader Colins Tumukunde said the constitution was "the soul and character" of Uganda, and they must fight to protect it.

"Our constitution is not written in pencil, it cannot be amended just like that," he said.

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Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh in the face of the current wave of violence there

Radical Buddhist monks stormed a United Nations safe house for Rohingya refugees near Sri Lanka's capital Tuesday and forced authorities to relocate the group, officials said.

Saffron-robed Buddhist monks led a mob that broke down gates and entered the walled multi-storied compound at the Mount Lavinia suburb of Colombo as frightened refugees huddled together in upstairs rooms, a police official said.

Two police were wounded in the incident, which also saw the mob pelt stones at the safe house and trash the ground floor furnishings upon entry.

There were no reports of casualties among the group of refugees, which included 16 children.

"We have pushed back the mob and the refugees have been relocated in a safer place," the official told AFP, asking not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Police said they were going through local media video footage as well as Facebook in the hopes of arresting those who took part in the violence, and the monks who incited them.

One of the monks who stormed the building posted a video on the social networking site filmed by his radical group Sinhale Jathika Balamuluwa (Sinhalese National Force) as he urged others to join him and smash the premises.

"These are Rohingya terrorists who killed Buddhist monks in Myanmar," the monk said in his live commentary, pointing to Rohingya mothers with small children in their arms.

The 31 Rohingya refugees were rescued by the Sri Lankan navy about five months ago after they were found drifting in a boat off the island's northern waters. They were thought to be victims of a people smuggler.

They were eventually to be resettled in a third country, the official said, adding that they were authorised to remain in Sri Lanka pending the processing of their papers.

Sri Lanka's extremist Buddhist monks have close links with their ultra-nationalist counterparts in Myanmar. Both have been accused of orchestrating violence against minority Muslims in the two countries.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in the face of the current wave of violence there.

The Rohingya Muslims have been the target of decades of state-backed persecution and discrimination in mainly Buddhist Myanmar.

Many view them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite their long-established roots in the country.
US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley is pushing for an end to the conflict in South Sudan

US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Tuesday she will tell South Sudan's leaders when she visits Juba next month to seize a final chance for peace and quickly revive a political deal to end the three-year war.

President Donald Trump last week announced that Haley, his high-profile ambassador to the United Nations, would travel to South Sudan and to the region to push for an end to conflict.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Haley said peace efforts in South Sudan must show progress in the coming weeks after a 2015 deal backed by the United Nations never took hold.

"This is the last chance at salvaging the peace agreement in South Sudan," Haley said.

"The different parties to the conflict must use the next several weeks to commit themselves to this process and to conclude it," she added.

There has been growing impatience with President Salva Kiir as the humanitarian crisis in the country worsens, with 7.6 million people now in need of aid.

In a shift, the African Union last week warned that it will consider sanctions unless there is progress towards a political deal under a new peace drive led by the seven-nation IGAD regional group.

The new initiative, backed by the Security Council, is expected to hold its "revitalization forum" for South Sudan in the coming weeks, in what is shaping up as a test for Juba's leadership.

UN envoy for South Sudan David Shearer told the council that the "government appears emboldened by its recent military gains, including in some key strongholds of the SPLA in opposition loyal to Riek Machar."

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly 4 million people have been forced to flee their homes in the conflict that has stirred ethnic rivalries between Dinka, Nuer and other groups.

The war began when Kiir accused Machar, his former deputy, of plotting a coup. Heavy fighting flared in Juba last year when Machar returned to the capital under the terms of the peace deal.

Machar has since been residing in South Africa and regional countries, at the request of the United States, are preventing him from returning to South Sudan.
United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit. UNITED STATES of America, PlaintiffAppellee, v. Mohammad ALKARAMLA, Defendant. Appeal of: Philip L. Bernstein No. 16-2191 Decided: September 25, 2017

Before Easterbrook, Rovner, and Sykes, Circuit Judges. Kartik K. Raman, Attorney, Office of the United States Attorney, Chicago, IL, for PlaintiffAppellee. Philip L. Bernstein, Attorney, Philip L. Bernstein, Niles, IL, for Defendant.

Philip Bernstein, an attorney appointed under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA or the Act) to represent an indigent defendant in federal district court, hired forensic expert Erich Speckin to analyze evidence for the defense. But Bernstein disregarded the Act's rules and failed to obtain the district court's preapproval for the hire. Instead, he submitted a CJA voucher for the expert's services six months after his client was sentenced. The amount requested was well in excess of the statutory cap, and the district judge was unwilling to approve it. In the meantime, Speckin sued Bernstein for the money in Michigan state court. The state court entered a default judgment against Bernstein.

Bernstein then asked the federal district judge to vacate the state-court judgment or enjoin its enforcement. Not wanting to interfere with the state-court proceedings, the judge denied Bernstein's request. That was the right instinct, but the judge had no authority to consider the merits at all. We vacate and remand with instructions to dismiss Bernstein's motion for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.

I. Background

The Criminal Justice Act requires each federal district court to maintain and oversee a system that provides legal representation to federal criminal defendants who cannot afford it. 18 U.S.C.  3006A(a). The statute allows a CJA-appointed defense attorney to petition the court for expert services and instructs the judge to approve the request when the services are necessary and the defendant can't afford them. Id.  3006A(e)(1). If the defense attorney doesn't obtain the judge's preapproval, however, the judge may retroactively approve funds only if the timely procurement of necessary services could not await prior authorization. Id.  3006A(e)(2)(B). The CJA caps expert fees at $2,400 except in extraordinary circumstances. Id.  3006A(e)(3).

Here the district judge appointed Bernstein to defend Mohammad Alkaramla, who was charged in 2009 with mailing a bomb threat in violation of federal law. At a pretrial status hearing, Bernstein mentioned that the defense might need expert analysis, and the judge instructed him to submit the required CJA petition. But instead Bernstein hired Speckin, a forensic expert from Michigan, without obtaining the court's approval.

It turned out that Speckin's services were quite expensive: He billed a total of $15,142.90, more than six times the CJA cap. Needless to say, the district judge wasn't pleased when Bernstein submitted a reimbursement voucher for that amount six months after the defendant was sentenced. She informed Bernstein that she wouldn't approve the voucher at that number. Bernstein did nothing more until Speckin sued him for the funds in Michigan state court, alleging breach of contract. The state court entered a default judgment against Bernstein.

Bernstein then returned to the federal district court for help. He asked the judge to vacate the state-court judgment, order Speckin to release all claims against him, and compensate Speckin from CJA funds. The judge denied the motion and Bernstein appealed.

II. Discussion

The parties and district judge seemed to agree that the judge could exercise jurisdiction over Bernstein's motion, but we're required to assess the issue regardless. See Stearnes v. Baur's Opera House, Inc., 3 F.3d 1142, 1144 (7th Cir. 1993). Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. They possess only that power authorized by Constitution and statute, which is not to be expanded by judicial decree. Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 511 U.S. 375, 377 (1994) (citations omitted). No statute authorizes the district court to review the Michigan judgment.

Bernstein argues that the district court's supervisory authority under the CJA provides a jurisdictional basis for his motion. Since he hired Speckin outside the bounds of the CJA, however, their dispute is one of private contract and governed by state law. Bernstein also relies on the All Writs Act, which allows federal courts to issue all writs necessary or appropriate in aid of their respective jurisdictions and agreeable to the usages and principles of law. 28 U.S.C.  1651. But the All Writs Act does not itself confer jurisdiction; it simply authorizes a federal court to issue writs in aid of jurisdiction it already has. Lambert v. Buss, 498 F.3d 446, 454 (7th Cir. 2007). Since no jurisdiction exists here, the All Writs Act cannot help Bernstein.

Moreover, two statutes affirmatively prohibit the district court from adjudicating Bernstein's motion. First, under 28 U.S.C.  1257, the Supreme Court alone oversees the state courts' application of federal law. The RookerFeldman doctrine, which implements that statute, precludes lower federal court jurisdiction over claims seeking review of state court judgments. Brokaw v. Weaver, 305 F.3d 660, 664 (7th Cir. 2002) (quotation marks omitted); see also Rooker v. Fid. Tr. Co., 263 U.S. 413 (1923); D.C. Court of Appeals v. Feldman, 460 U.S. 462 (1983). The paradigmatic RookerFeldman litigant is one who, like Bernstein, loses in state court and asks a federal district court to modify the state decision. See Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Saudi Basic Indus. Corp., 544 U.S. 280, 284 (2005). The doctrine's complexity comes in determining whether the relief a litigant seeks is tantamount to vacating the state judgment. Mains v. Citibank, N.A., 852 F.3d 669, 675 (7th Cir. 2017). But there's no complexity when the litigant directly asks a federal district court to do exactly that.

Second, the AntiInjunction Act prohibits federal courts from granting an injunction to stay proceedings in a State court except as expressly authorized by Act of Congress, or where necessary in aid of its jurisdiction, or to protect or effectuate its judgments. 28 U.S.C.  2283. The term proceedings encompasses the enforcement of a judgment, which is effectively what Bernstein asks us to enjoin. See Pelfresne v. Village of Williams Bay, 865 F.2d 877, 87980 (7th Cir. 1989). And none of the AntiInjunction Act's three exceptions apply. The first and third exceptions are plainly inapplicable because nothing in the CJA comes close to authorizing an injunction of state-court proceedings and there's no federal-court judgment that the Michigan court's decision could have possibly infringed. The second exceptionwhere necessary in aid of its jurisdictionrefers to rare situations (almost always involving in rem actions) in which the state-court proceeding would tend to impair or defeat the jurisdiction of the federal court. Adkins v. Nestle Purina PetCare Co., 779 F.3d 481, 484, 485 (7th Cir. 2015) (quotation marks omitted) (emphasis omitted). Because the Michigan judgment didn't prevent the district court from adjudicating its case, the exception doesn't apply.

Bernstein's other requests fare no better. Federal courts may not circumvent the AntiInjunction Act's clear command by directing an injunction at the victorious state court litigants, rather than at the state court itself. Pelfresne, 865 F.2d at 880. That means we have no authority to order Speckin to release his state claims against Bernstein.

Finally, the district court's jurisdiction over the appointment and payment of experts for Alkaramla's defense has long passed. Nearly seven years after judgment was entered, it's far too late for Bernstein to petition the court for disbursement of CJA funds on behalf of an expert who was never CJA appointed.

We therefore Vacate the district court's order and Remand with instructions to dismiss Bernstein's motion for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.

Sykes, Circuit Judge.
US new home sales fell 3.4 percent from July to an annual rate of 560,000, seasonally adjusted, surprising analysts who forecast a decline of only 0.5 percent

US new home sales slowed sharply for the second straight month in August, relieving some pressure on a tight market, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

The decline brought the sales rate to its lowest level in since December while prices fell and inventories rose.

Sales fell 3.4 percent from July to an annual rate of 560,000, seasonally adjusted, surprising analysts who forecast a decline of only 0.5 percent.

And the sales pace was 1.2 percent below the rate in August 2016.

Meanwhile, July's numbers were revised upwards slightly, somewhat muting the drop from June to 5.5 percent.

Officials said Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in southeast Texas late last month, slowed the flow of data from some disaster stricken areas but its precise effect on the numbers was not immediately clear.

At the current sales rate, the volume of homes for sale represented a supply of 6.1 months, up seven percent from July and the highest level in three years.

Meanwhile, the median home price fell 6.2 percent for the month to $298,000.

Sales fell sharply in the US South, dropping 4.7 percent, and in the West and Northeast, declining by 2.7 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively.

Though they can see big swings from month to month, August's sales numbers could mean pressure is momentarily easing on would-be homebuyers.

But analysts say the current economic recovery, with steady job creation and slowly rising wages, has created strong demand for housing and this trend is likely to continue.

Impediments to construction, including scarce labor and rising costs for materials, have meant that supply has not kept pace with demand.

Mickey Levy of Berenberg Capital Markets said the hurricanes' destruction came at a moment when barriers to homebuilding already were stifling supply levels.

"The necessary rebuilding in the South will strain a housing sector already constrained by various supply factors," he said in a note to clients, highlighting in particular workers shortages.

"Builders will have difficulty finding skilled construction workers that are in short supply -- residential construction employment is just touching 2002 levels, as employment in other sectors have long-passed 2002-07 levels."
Keith Tharpe, who was condemned by a racist juror, faces death by lethal injection unless his execution is stayed

Condemned to die for murder by a jury that included a man who questioned whether black people have souls, African-American Keith Tharpe is to be executed on Tuesday.

Tharpe's lawyers have launched last-ditch efforts to secure the suspension of the execution on the basis that racism played a "pivotal role" in decision.

They also argue that Tharpe should be spared due to mental health problems. If the execution is not stayed, he will be put to death by lethal injection at 7:00 pm (2300 GMT) in the US state of Georgia.

Tharpe was found guilty of the 1990 murder of his sister-in-law Jaquelin Freeman, which took place as she drove to work with his estranged wife.

According to prosecutors, Tharpe also raped his wife.

As required by Georgia law, the jury unanimously decided to impose the death penalty.

- 'Two types of black people' -

In 1998, an NGO that provides free legal assistance to detainees interviewed members of the jury that imposed the sentence.

One of them was a white man named Barney Gattie, who according to court records said that: "There are two types of black people: 1. Black folks and 2. Niggers."

"Because I knew the victim and her husbands family and knew them all to be good black folks, I felt Tharpe, who wasnt in the 'good' black folks category in my book, should get the electric chair," Gattie said.

The juror also said that study of the Bible had led him to wonder "if black people even have souls."

Gattie said that he had not used the word "nigger" as an insult, despite its extremely racist connotation and his having signed an affidavit in which his comments were reproduced.

Aware of the remarks potential damage to their case, prosecutors then persuaded him to renounce them in another affidavit and said that he was drunk when he first spoke.

Sharyn Ifill, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said that Gattie's views mean he could not have made an impartial judgement in Tharpe's case.

- Favorable legal precedents -

"A juror who doubts whether black people have souls cannot make a reasoned, moral judgment about whether a black defendant such as Mr. Tharpe should face the ultimate sanction," Ifill said.

In several cases in recent years, the US Supreme Court has established that racial prejudice has no place in the American legal system.

In February, the high court suspended the execution of a Texan who had been cast during his trial as being potentially more dangerous because he was black.

The Supreme Court also ruled in favor of a black man in May 2016 who was sentenced to death by a jury of 12 white people from which black jurors were excluded.

Tharpe's fate will be decided in light of this recent jurisprudence.

Georgia's State Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected a clemency appeal on Monday, but other decisions are expected Tuesday.
UN envoy Ghassan Salame gestures during a meeting with rival Libyan factions in the Tunisian capital on September 26, 2017

UN envoy Ghassan Salame opened new talks between Libyan rivals in Tunisia on Tuesday, less than a week after he presented a plan to end the chaos in the conflict-wracked country.

The talks are scheduled to continue until the end of the week in Gammarth, on the outskirts of the capital Tunis, where negotiations had already been held in the recent past.

Salame said rival sides would be able to "give a very strong signal to the rest of Libyans that there is a possibility to work together" if they agreed on his plans.

"Today we will determine the points that the two sides agree to review," he told a news conference.

The UN diplomat expressed confidence that Libya would be ready to hold parliamentary and presidential elections "before or in July" next year.

Years of political turmoil since the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi have left Libya divided between rival governments and beset by violence as militia forces battle for power.

A UN-backed agreement was reached in 2015 as the basis for a political process in Libya, and a unity government was formed with Fayez al-Sarraj as prime minister.

The Government of National Accord (GNA) took office in Tripoli in March 2016, and since then it has extended its influence beyond the capital.

But it has struggled to impose its authority elsewhere, particularly in the far east where military strongman Khalifa Haftar controls much of the territory and supports a rival parliament.

Salame, who was appointed UN envoy in July, presented his roadmap to the United Nations on September 20, outlining his hopes to give Libyans a future.

Under his plan, a new constitution must be put before a referendum, paving the way for elections.

Speaking in New York, Salame said the Skhirat agreement reached in 2015 "remains the only possible framework", while noting "there is broad consensus to amend it".

The envoy also announced the organisation of a national conference in Libya aimed at reintegrating those marginalised by the conflict and its aftermath.
A safe zone agreed by Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel backer Turkey was implemented in parts of opposition-held Eastern Ghouta, pictured here, in late July 2017

Air strikes killed at least four civilians in a truce zone outside the Syrian capital on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

The Britain-based group said the deaths were the first in air strikes in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus since a "de-escalation" zone was implemented there.

The toll was expected to rise because the strikes in the town of Douma had also left several people with serious injuries, the monitor added.

A safe zone agreed by Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel backer Turkey was implemented in parts of opposition-held Eastern Ghouta in late July.

The deal has seen violence drop off, though there has been sporadic fighting and shelling that have caused deaths.

The Observatory said it was unclear whether Tuesday's deadly strikes were carried out by Syrian government warplanes or those of its Russian ally.

Russia is a key sponsor of a plan to implement four "de-escalation zones" in Syria, including in Eastern Ghouta, southern Syria, central Syria and the northwest of the country.

It is also a strong supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and began a military intervention in the country in support of his government in 2015.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort expects to be indicted in the the Russia election interference investigation, according to his longtime friend, political consultant Roger Stone.

Veteran political operative Roger Stone said Tuesday that Donald Trump's former presidential campaign chief Paul Manafort expects to be indicted in the probe over Russian election meddling.

Stone, a longtime friend of Manafort and also a former political advisor to Trump, said after meeting the Senate Intelligence Committee that he understood Manafort will face charges.

"His attorneys informed my attorneys of that," Stone told reporters when asked about a Manafort indictment.

However, he added, "They seem to know neither when or what the charge may be."

FBI agents raided a home of Manafort in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, on July 28. They seized documents for special prosecutor Robert Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian meddling in last year's presidential elections election.

A professional political consultant, Manafort managed Trump's campaign from June to August last year when he was forced to resign amid reports that he was under investigation over millions of dollars he was allegedly paid by the pro-Russia former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

He also took part in the June 9, 2016 meeting last year between Trump campaign officials, including son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer on the promise of damaging information about Trump's election rival Hillary Clinton.
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani says he is willing to engage in dialogue with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi

Kurdish leader Massud Barzani Tuesday urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to begin talks on the issues dividing them a day after the Kurdish autonomous community held an independence referendum.

"I call on Mr Haider al-Abadi and the others (Iraqi political officials) not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems," he said in a televised address.

"We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad," he said.

"The referendum is not to delimit the border (between Kurdistan and Iraq), nor to impose it de facto," Barzani added.

The Kurdish move to stage a referendum on independence went ahead despite both Iraqi and international opposition.

Iraq's neighbours Turkey and Iran both have minority Kurdish communities of their own.

The vote is non-binding and will not lead automatically to independence, but is seen by the Kurds as a major step towards a long-cherished dream of statehood.
Rohingya rehugees walk along a road on the proximity of the refugee camp of Thwangkhaneari near the Bangladeshi locality of Ukhia

The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss the violence in Myanmar, moving to step up its response to the exodus of 480,000 Rohingya Muslims in what has been condemned as "ethnic cleansing."

The meeting will set the stage for a public session of the top UN body on Thursday, during which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to brief on the crisis and China, along with other council members, will deliver remarks.

International alarm is growing over the fate of the Rohingya who have been fleeing an army campaign in Rakhine state that the United Nations says has included killings, rape and the torching of villages.

The military operation followed attacks on August 25 by Rohingya militants on police posts.

British Deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Allen said the council must "send a clear message to the authorities of Myanmar that the violence needs to stop."

Humanitarian aid must be allowed in Rakhine state and the status of the Rohingya, who are stateless in Myanmar, must be addressed, he said.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said he was pushing for a "strong and united response" from the council to pile pressure on authorities in Myanmar.

China, a supporter of Myanmar's former junta, backed a council statement earlier this month calling for an end to the violence, but the exodus has continued.

Rights groups, which have accused the council of dragging its feet on Myanmar, are calling for urgent action to address what they have denounced as crimes against humanity against the Rohingya.

"The council urgently needs to consider an arms embargo against the Burmese military and targeted sanctions against those responsible for the criminal campaign against the Rohingya," said Human Rights Watch's UN director Lou Charbonneau.

"We hope the secretary-general will drive home the importance of urgent action now by the council," he said.

France, which takes over the council presidency in October, has invited former UN chief Kofi Annan to brief next week on his recent report which advocates citizenship for the Rohingya.

Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has disappointed human rights groups who had campaigned for her freedom during the Nobel Peace Prize winner's 15 years under house arrest by a military junta.

The council meeting will measure the level of support Suu Kyi still enjoys with Western allies after her nationwide address last week failed to quell the outrage.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir speaking in South Darfur's Bilel village near Camp Kalma on September 22, 2017

The United States on Tuesday demanded a "thorough investigation" into clashes last week between residents of a Darfur camp for the displaced and Sudanese forces in which five people died.

Washington's call comes just two days after it lifted a travel ban against Sudanese travelling to the United States and ahead of a decision by President Donald Trump on whether to permanently lift a decades-old US trade embargo on Sudan.

Friday's clashes, which the United Nations earlier said had killed three people and wounded 26, erupted when residents of Camp Kalma protested against a visit by President Omar al-Bashir to the war-torn region.

In a statement on Facebook, the American embassy in Khartoum said it was deeply concerned by the "excessive use of force" by government forces in the clashes at Kalma in South Darfur.

"The United States calls on the government of Sudan to immediately launch a thorough and transparent investigation of the incident in which Sudanese security forces reportedly fired upon IDPs (internally displaced persons) resulting in five deaths."

"The United States reminds the government of Sudan that its security forces must respond with restraint when dealing with protests, even if provoked."

Last week Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on genocide and war crimes charges related to the Darfur conflict, toured the region urging locals to give up their weapons.

The clashes at Camp Kalma, which houses more than 125,000 people displaced by the conflict, came as he visited nearby villages.

The Darfur conflict began when ethnic African minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of economic and political marginalisation.

The UN says the conflict has killed about 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million, most of whom now live in large camps.

On October 12, Trump is due to decide whether to permanently lift American sanctions against Sudan.

Although Washington imposed the sanctions in 1997 over Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militant groups, it argues that the conflict in Darfur has been a factor in keeping them in place.

Khartoum insists that the conflict in Darfur, a region of the size of France, has ended.

On Sunday, Trump removed Sudan from the list of countries facing a US travel ban.
As former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's lawyers arrived at the Bangkok court, several hundred supporters gathered outside chanted "we love" Yingluck, followed by "Dubai!"

Thailand's top court will deliver a verdict Wednesday on whether former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is guilty of negligence -- but the fugitive politician will almost certainly be a no-show, having yet to publicly emerge since she fled the kingdom last month.

Yingluck, whose elected government was toppled in a 2014 coup, faces up to a decade in jail for negligence over a rice policy.

The Supreme Court ruling was supposed to be read on August 25, but the 50-year-old threw the court a curveball when she failed to show up, stunning thousands of supporters who had gathered outside.

Yingluck has not made any public appearance or comments since her vanishing act, but there are widespread reports she has joined her billionaire brother Thaksin, a former prime minister also ousted in a 2006 coup, in Dubai.

Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra Yingluck has not made any public appearance or comments since she vanished last month

On Wednesday, as her lawyers arrived at the Bangkok court, several hundred supporters gathered outside chanted "we love" Yingluck, followed by "Dubai!"

On the eve of the verdict junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha declared his "spies" had informed him of Yingluck's whereabouts, but said he would not reveal her location until after the judgement was delivered.

Yingluck's lawyer Norawit Lalaeng, meanwhile, told AFP he had not spoken to his client since her disappearance.

"She hasn't contacted me at all since last month," he said.

- Tight security net -

While the Shinawatra clan has dominated electoral politics, their governments have been repeatedly knocked down by coups and court rulings backed by elites, triggering rounds of rival protests

Thailand's junta leaders -- arch enemies of the Shinawatra siblings -- deny having any prior knowledge of Yingluck's plan to escape.

But many are unconvinced given the junta's tight security net and round-the-clock surveillance of the former leader.

Analysts say Yingluck likely cut a deal with the military leaders, who are bent on scrubbing her powerful clan from Thailand's political scene.

"By getting Yingluck out of Thailand, the military gets rid of a potential thorn in their side who could become a martyr if jailed, or a powerful politician again if she is not," said Paul Chambers, an expert on Thai politics.

Yingluck's trial revolves around accusations that she failed to stop corruption in a rice subsidy scheme that pumped cash into her family's rural base in the northeast.

The policy was wildly popular among farmers but slammed as a costly populist handout by her critics in the royalist, army-backed elite.

Those divisions -- between Shinawatra supporters among the urban and rural poor and rivals in the traditional aristocracy -- have gnawed at Thailand for over a decade.

While the Shinawatra clan has dominated electoral politics, their governments have been repeatedly knocked down by coups and court rulings backed by elites, triggering rounds of rival protests.

Political unrest has been hemmed in under the junta, which has banned protests and smothered dissent

Political unrest has been hemmed in under the junta, which has banned protests and smothered dissent.

With both Yingluck and Thaksin now in exile, there are major questions about the future of their political dynasty and the pro-democracy "Redshirt" movement formed by their supporters.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a politics expert at Chulalongkorn University, said a heavy sentencing Wednesday would jack up Thailand's political temperature but is unlikely to trigger any "cataclysmic" forms of unrest.

If the ruling is "harsh and seen as unjust, it will exacerbate and build up frustrations on one side of Thailand's polarised society," he told AFP.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - An evacuation is underway on an island on North Carolina's Outer Banks as Hurricane Maria moves north.

The Hyde County Sheriff's office said the evacuation began at 5 a.m. Monday on Ocracoke Island. It's not immediately clear how many residents and visitors are heeding the order to leave.

The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning from Cape Lookout to Duck on the Outer Banks. A tropical storm watch was in effect from Surf City to Cape Lookout and from Duck to the North Carolina-Virginia state line.

Hyde County commissioners ordered the evacuation on the island still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Jose.

A storm surge of 2 feet (0.6 meters) to 4 feet (1 meter) is possible. Up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain could fall through Wednesday.
CHICAGO (AP) - Former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds' misdemeanor tax charges case is set to begin in Chicago federal court.

The former Illinois congressman is accused of failing to file tax returns from 2009 to 2012. A bench trial is scheduled to start Monday before U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman. Reynolds is representing himself and has pleaded not guilty. Each count carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Harvard graduate and Rhodes Scholar resigned from Congress in 1995 after being convicted of statutory rape. He was later convicted on charges that included concealing debts.

FILE - In this July 30, 2015, file photo, former Illinois U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds talks on his cell phone as he leaves federal court in Chicago. Reynolds' misdemeanor tax charges case is set to begin Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Chicago federal court. He is accused of failing to file tax returns from 2009 to 2012. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

Reynolds was indicted in the tax case in June 2015. He spent two months in jail last year after a federal judge ruled he violated bond while traveling to Africa.
WASHINGTON (AP) - House Speaker Paul Ryan promised Monday that Washington will make sure that the people of hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico will "have what they need."

The Wisconsin Republican's statement came as authorities struggle to provide adequate relief to the more than 3 million U.S. citizens on the island territory, which is without power and has seen terrible devastation.

Ryan said Congress is working with the administration to make sure Puerto Rico gets all of the help that's required. Lawmakers approved $15 billion in hurricane relief in the wake of Harvey but tens of billions of dollars more is sure to be needed in the weeks and months ahead.

"The stories and images coming out of Puerto Rico are devastating," Ryan said. "Congress is working with the administration to ensure necessary resources get to the U.S. territory. Our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico remain in our prayers as we make sure they have what they need."

The tragedy has received relatively little media coverage compared to Harvey and Hurricane Irma, and President Donald Trump hasn't brought much attention to it.

An aide to the House Appropriations Committee, Jennifer Hing, said Monday that the magnitude of the damage and the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico makes it likely there will be congressional action on the next installment of disaster aid by mid-October.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., traveled to Puerto Rico Friday with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to assess damage from Maria and deliver supplies, personnel and assistance.

Velazquez said Puerto Rico was "already struggling from financial and economic challenges before Maria made landfall. Now, the Island has been dealt a crushing blow and needs all the assistance it can get."

She called the hurricane "a catastrophe of historic proportions that will require coordination at all levels of government." She said and others in the NY delegation will be advocating for federal funding to swiftly repair and rebuild Puerto Rico's electrical grid, help small businesses recover and address other problems.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
BALTIMORE (AP) - Six people were shot in two separate incidents in Baltimore.

Both shootings happened Sunday night. The first came when a gunman opened fire at four people sitting outside in the Brooklyn neighborhood of South Baltimore.

Police said a 34-year-old man was shot in the back, a 29-year-old man was shot in the left leg and a 26-year-old woman was shot in the stomach. All three people were taken to the hospital by ambulance and were listed in stable condition. A 32-year-old man who was shot in the arm took himself to a local hospital.

Later, in a separate shooting, police found a 25-year-old man and a 27-year-old man who had both been shot in the leg. Both were expected to survive their injuries.
PATERSON, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey mayor who pleaded guilty to corruption last week resigned Monday, abandoning his bid to stay in office until he's sentenced.

Jose "Joey" Torres had been due to appear at a court hearing Monday where state prosecutors were seeking to have him immediately removed from office. But that hearing was scuttled after he decided to waive that appearance and instead notified the city Sunday night that he would be stepping down at the start of the business day on Monday.

Torres had pleaded guilty Friday after months of saying he was innocent, but he initially sought to stay in office until Nov. 3 to provide a "smooth transition." City Council President Ruby Cotton is now the city's mayor, but she has said she won't seek the office in the May 2018 election.

Torres and three city public works officials were charged with conspiring to have city employees work overtime at a warehouse leased by the mayor's family. But the attorney general's office last spring offered co-defendants plea bargains, allowing them to avoid jail time if they testified against the mayor.

Torres won in 2002 as a Democrat and was re-elected in 2006. He lost a re-election bid in 2010, but won the office again in 2014 as an independent.

Over the weekend, Torres attended and spoke at a public ceremony dedicating a new monument to police officers. People attending the event said he received polite applause and did not mention his conviction during a brief speech, according to The Record newspaper.
GOMA, Congo (AP) - A local official says 34 prisoners have escaped a prison in eastern Congo after breaking through brick walls during heavy rains.

South Kivu provincial justice minister Pasaline Basezage said Monday that at least 27 of the prisoners who escaped late Sunday had been convicted of sexual crimes and other violent offenses.

The prison in Mwenga, a territory about 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Bukavu, was holding 42 inmates at the time.

Mwenga administrator Desire Masumbuko said security forces have captured four of the escaped prisoners. He called on residents to be cautious and to cooperate in the search for the remaining inmates.

Thousands of prisoners have staged successful escapes all over Congo since May, when Christian sect members stormed a prison in Kinshasa. Witnesses say thousands escaped.
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) - A man who was caught on video sucker-punching a man with cerebral palsy outside a Pennsylvania store has pleaded guilty to simple assault.

Twenty-nine-year-old Barry Robert Baker Jr. of Georgetown, Delaware, entered his plea Monday. The May 10 attack outside a West Chester convenience store was recorded by the store's surveillance camera and showed Baker mocking the man before punching him in the face without warning.

Baker's attorney says his client is sorry for what happened and wants to move on with his life.

A sentencing date has not been set.

___

This story has been corrected to show Baker is from Delaware, not Pennsylvania.
A police officer in suburban New York was shot in the jaw during a car stop that turned into a gunbattle, police said.

It happened around 8pm Monday in Yonkers.

'We received a call from a resident reporting a suspicious vehicle occupied by two males that were acting suspicious,' said Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner at a late night news conference.

As officers approached the vehicle, at least one of the suspects produced a handgun and fired several shots at the officers, striking one of them, police said.

The officers then returned fire.

'Several shots were fired. One of the suspects was hit,' Gardner said.

A police officer in suburban New York was shot in the jaw during a car stop that turned into a gunbattle, police said. It happened around 8pm Monday in Yonkers

Police said that a local resident in Yonkers called 911 to report suspicious behavior by two males in a car

Carmen Feliciano told the New York Daily News that she was helping her sons with homework when the gunfire broke out.

She said she called police, who told her to stay inside.

'The first shots were like a pistol, and then there were other guns going off, like they were exchanging fire. There were at least 30 shots,' said Feliciano, adding that it lasted for about 10 minutes.

As officers approached the vehicle, at least one of the suspects produced a handgun and fired several shots at the officers, striking one of them, police said

The wounded officer was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in serious but stable condition.

Police have not released her name.

One of the suspects was taken into custody at the scene, while the wounded suspect was taken to a hospital.

His condition was not immediately available.

'It could have been much worse,' Gardner said. 'Thank God the officer right now did not sustain a life-threatening injury. She was struck.

'She's in serious, but stable condition, but thank God it looks like she's gonna be OK.

'She's lucky to be alive.'
WASHINGTON (AP) - The prime minister of Thailand will be meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House next week.

The White House announced Monday night that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha will be making the visit on October 3.

The White House says in a statement that Trump looks forward to reaffirming the relationship between the U.S. and Thailand, describing the country as "a key partner and longstanding ally."

The two leaders are expected to discuss strengthening relations and enhancing cooperation in the region.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - When a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck central Mexico, toppling buildings and leaving hundreds of people trapped, Mexicans quickly mobilized a mammoth rescue operation involving police, firefighters, soldiers and other professionals bolstered by an army of everyday civilians.

The volunteer workers have come from all walks of life, and they include large numbers of women, underlining social changes in recent years that have seen Mexican women move into roles traditionally restricted to men.

Women did participate in rescue work after the devastating 1985 quake that killed thousands in Mexico City, but only in relatively small numbers. Juana Huitron, the most famous of the female "topos," as Mexican volunteer searchers were known, has said she faced machismo back then.

In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 photo, Dr. Karen Pina Fragoso poses for a portrait at the home being used as a safe-house for personal items being pulled from the rubble across the street from an apartment building that collapsed from an earthquake in the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City. From the base of a crushed apartment building on the corner of Amsterdam and Laredo streets, Pina says she coordinated the medical care of those pulled from the structure, between rescuers, doctors and ambulances. "Not having anything to tell the families of those trapped made me feel helpless. I pulled three people out alive, which was worth every ounce of effort spent these days. I cried every time we found someone." (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Since then, even though women still make up a smaller percentage of the workforce than their male counterparts, they have become leaders in education, business and the arts.

And since the deadly Sept. 19 quake, women are working alongside men digging into rubble to search for possible survivors, leading campaigns to collect food and medicine for those left homeless and comforting relatives of the deceased.

Here are some of their stories:

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KAREN PINA: doctor with the Red Cross

From the base of a crushed apartment building, Pina coordinated between searchers, doctors and ambulance teams to arrange medical care for those rescued from the debris pile.

"Not having anything to tell the families of those trapped made me feel helpless," she said. "I pulled out three people alive, which was worth every ounce of effort spent these days. I cried every time we found someone."

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LIZABETH JAZMIN LOPEZ: volunteer

Wearing a hard hat and reflective vest, Lopez joined in the arduous hunt for survivors, shoveling through mounds of rubble the first day after the quake.

"I was 14 years old during the '85 earthquake. I was a Girl Scout. I volunteered at a donation center, but with fear. In 2017, I have a lot of strength and hope," Lopez said. "Tragedy makes you value life and as a society. Together we can lift up a country with love and hope."

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FRIDA ISLAS: student

A 22-year-old, Islas was studying when the quake struck, knocking out power in her school's building. She walked six hours to get home and started aiding the rescue immediately after.

"I help because people need support. I don't know them," she said. "I remove debris, bring supplies and give food to scared animals. It saddens me to see the city like this, but the union between Mexicans comforts me. I couldn't stay at home knowing how the city is right now."

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VERONICA AGUILAR: computer sales

Aguilar was in a supermarket when the quake struck and rushed home to her 11-year-old daughter. At first, she stayed home, but then concluded she had to do something. She took her daughter to a collapsed office building to help, and show the girl the importance of helping however possible in the face of tragedy.

"The first days (after the quake) I didn't leave my house because of fear. But I decided to leave so that my daughter could see what is happening, to make her aware. So that she sees when you can help, you should," Aguilar said. "Among Mexicans, there is a lot of love. When something bad happens, we know that everyone chips in. "

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MYRNA MOGUL: actress

After the quake, she went to work on a different stage: a collapsed apartment building. She put on a construction hat and began digging through debris helping look for anyone still trapped inside.

"Whether you are a man or woman, you must help as a human being," she said. "Find people alive or dead but find them so that people can continue with their lives. It doesn't have to do with gender, age, class or profession. It has to do with your ability as a human to help others."

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Associated Press writer Christine Armario contributed to this report.

In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 photo, volunteer rescue worker Lizabeth Yazmin Lopez poses of a portrait outside a collapsed building in Mexico City. Wearing a hard hat and reflective vest, Lopez joined in the arduous dig for survivors in Mexico City, shoveling through mounds of debris the first day after the quake. "I was 14-years-old during the '85 earthquake. I was a Girl Scout. I volunteered at a donation center, but with fear. In 2017, I have a lot of strength and hope. Tragedy makes you value life and as a society, together we can lift up a country with love and hope." (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 photo, Frida Islas Rueda, 22-year-old student, poses for a picture near debris from a damaged building after an earthquake in Mexico City. At just 22, Islas has no recollection of the devastating 1985 earthquake that left thousands dead in Mexico City. She was studying when the Sept. 19 quake struck, knocking out power in her school's building. She walked six hours to get home and started aiding the rescue immediately. "I help because people need support. I don't know them. I remove debris, bring supplies, and give food to scared animals. It saddens me to see the city like this, but the union between Mexicans comforts me. I couldn't stay at home knowing how the city is right now." (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 photo, Veronica Aguilar Naranjo embraces her 11-year-old daughter Veronica Villanueva as the look at a collapse building where people search for survivors, after an earthquake in Mexico City. Aguilar said she brought her daughter to show her the importance of helping however possible in the face of tragedy. Aguilar was in a supermarket when the quake struck on Sept. 19 and went rushing home to her child. "The first few days, I didn't leave my house because out of fear. But I decided to leave so my daughter could see what is happening, to make her aware. So she sees that when you can help, you should. Among Mexicans, there is a lot of love. When something bad happens, we know that everyone chips in" (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 photo, Myrna Mogul adjusts her gloves during search and rescue efforts at a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City. In the aftermath of the Sept. 19 quake, the independent theater actress said she abandoned the stage for a different scene. She donned a construction hat and began digging through the rubble to help find those still trapped inside. "Whether you're a man or woman, you must help, as a human being. Find people alive or dead, but find them, so people can go on with their lives. It doesn't have to do with gender, age, class or profession. It has to do with your ability as a human to help others." (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 photo, Ilya Monforte, a 40-year-old makeup artist, carries oranges for search and rescue workers at a building that collapsed from an earthquake in Mexico City. Monforte, a volunteer in charge of feeding the search and rescue team and military police at the sight following the Sept. 19 magnitude 7.1 earthquake, said: "For the last three days we did not need money, it was like living in socialism. The collective goal during these days was to help others, to take care of them, love them. On each corner you can find people giving." (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 photo, Isabel Campana, 28, holds up a closed fist as a gesture to maintain silence outside a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mexico City. Campana said she was filming a movie when she and her crew felt the earthquake on Sept. 19, but were not allowed to stop filming and felt conflicted between her job and running to volunteer in the search and rescue efforts. "I felt impotent when not able to leave immediately to help. It creates a moral conflict. It feels good to know when there are disasters, people come out to help." After finishing work, Campana said she started volunteering. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

In this Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017 photo, volunteer Abigail Carino Marin cooks for homeless people affected by the earthquake in Atzala, Mexico. Thousands of people have been left homeless because their houses or apartment buildings are uninhabitable. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 photo, Mariana Mancera, a 35-year-old makeup artist, poses for a portrait in front of an earthquake-crushed car in Mexico City. Mancera, whose family owns a restaurant, said she volunteered to provide food to those searching for survivors in the rubble after the 7.1 earthquake on Sept. 19. "If I cannot work removing stones and debris, then I'll do something else to give them energy so they can do their jobs." (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Three Israeli soldiers have been shot dead in a terror attack at a Jewish settlement on the West Bank after a Palestinian man opened fire on security forces on Tuesday morning.

A fourth person is in critical condition after the incident at the Har Adar settlement near Jerusalem.

The 37-year-old attacker had attempted to gain entry to the settlement when he suddenly pulled out a weapon and shot four male soldiers in their 20s and 30s.

The incident has been branded a 'terror attack' by Israel, and is one of the deadliest in a two-year spate of violence in the area.

Scroll down for video

Terrorism: Israeli security forces a gather at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Har Adar where three soldiers were killed when a Palestinian man opened fire

The victims are all reported to have been members of the Israeli security forces who had been guarding the entrance of the settlement.

The attacker had approached the back gate entrance, hiding among fellow Palestinian day laborers who were being checked by security forces, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.

She said he aroused their suspicions and was asked to stop. At that point, he pulled out a weapon and began opening fire from a short distance.

The attacker was then shot dead by other forces at the scene.

The Magen David Adom medical service said that in addition to the three men in their 20s and 30s who were killed, a fourth Israeli man, 32, was evacuated to hospital in critical condition.

Protection: Israeli border police stand at the site of an attack at the entrance to the Har Adar settlement on Tuesday morning

All four people shot are reported to have been male Israeli soldiers in their 20s and 30s

Volatile area: Har Adar is located near the border of Israel and the West Bank

Har Adar is an upscale community west of Jerusalem, straddling the seam line between the West Bank and Israel proper - and an unusual target in the wave of violence that Israel has been coping with over the past two years.

Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and car-ramming attacks.

During that same time, Israeli forces have killed over 255 Palestinians; Israel says most of them were attackers, others died in clashes with Israeli forces.

Most of the attacks have been stabbings against security forces, primarily in the West Bank.

A fourth victim, a 32-year-old male soldier, was rushed to hospital with serious injuries

Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian religious and political leaders compounded on social media sites that glorify violence and encourage attacks.

Palestinians say the attacks stem from anger and frustration at decades of Israeli rule in territories they claim for a state.

The frequency and intensity of attacks has lessened of late but such an incident, coming amid the Jewish high holiday, threatened to ignite them anew.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said 'the cruel terror attack proves once again the daily front that our security forces face in the most important mission - protecting and defending the safety of the citizens of Israel.'
Chief Judge Diane Wood said that video of investigators questioning 'Making a Murderer' convict Brendan Dassey made her 'skin crawl'

One federal appellate judge said that a video of detectives questioning Brendan Dassey, a Wisconsin inmate featured in the 'Making a Murderer' series, was so disturbing that it made her 'skin crawl'.

But other judges at the full-court rehearing at the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago sounded unconvinced that investigators had improperly manipulated the intellectually challenged Dassey.

The judges heard arguments about whether investigators coerced a confession from him, in essence encouraging him to tell them not what he actually did but what they wanted to hear.

If the court decides the confession was forced, Dassey could go free in a high-profile case that puts police interrogation practices in the spotlight.

The seven judges who heard the arguments seemed split, based on their questions. A ruling is expected within the next few months.

Dassey, now 27, was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in the death of photographer Teresa Halbach two years earlier.

Brendan Dassey appears in court at the Manitowoc County Courthouse in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in April 2017. The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago considered arguments over whether Dassey, the subject of 'Making A Murderer,' was coerced into making a confession in aiding his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Teresa Halback in 2005

He was 16 when he told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach in the Avery family's junkyard in Manitowoc County.

A federal magistrate judge overturned Dassey's conviction last year, ruling that detectives took advantage of Dassey's youth and cognitive disabilities to coerce his confession.

A three-judge panel from the appellate court later upheld the magistrate's ruling, leading state attorneys to ask the full 7th Circuit for a review.

It was Chief Judge Diane Wood who most clearly signaled that she believed the detectives went too far, including by quoting a Biblical passage that the 'truth would set him free' to suggest Dassey might be released if he confessed and by winning his trust by saying they were talking to him more as parental figures than as cops.

'The investigators made my skin crawl watching this video,' Wood said. 'It was: "Tell me (the investigator) what I want to hear."'

Wood noted that Dassey appeared disoriented, pausing for long stretches in the video.

'He is obviously racking his brain about how he can answer ... in a way (investigators) will like,' she said.

Dassey has a low IQ and struggles to grasp simple concepts, meanings and consequences, court filings say.

Wood said comments by Dassey during his interview strongly suggested he didn't understand what was happening.

This undated photo provided by Thomas Pearce and the family of Teresa Halbach, shows Halbach, who was murdered in 2005. Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 after he told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Teresa Halbach

Steven Avery listens to testimony in the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wisconsin in March 2007. A lawyer is asking for a new trial for Avery, a Wisconsin man convicted in a case profiled in the 'Making a Murderer' Netflix series

After appearing to confess to participation in a brutal slaying, she noted, he asked the detective if he could now go back to school.

Luke Berg, representing the state, argued that detectives had merely 'nudged' a confession out of Dassey and that it wasn't psychological manipulation that led Dassey to say what he did.

According to court filings, Dassey has a low IQ and struggles to grasp simple concepts, meanings and consequences

'Brendan Dassey confessed,' Berg said, 'because his guilt became unbearable.'

And Judge Diane Sykes told Dassey's attorney, Laura Nirinder, there were no laws that explicitly barred her client's interrogators from using the techniques they did.

Dassey has remained in prison while the state appeals.

Avery was sentenced to life in prison at a separate trial. He's pursuing his own appeal in state court.

Both Avery and Dassey contend police framed them because they wanted revenge against Avery for filing a lawsuit against Manitowoc County over his wrongful imprisonment for a sexual assault he didn't commit.

Their cases gained attention in 2015 after Netflix aired 'Making a Murderer,' a series examining Halbach's death that spawned widespread conjecture about Avery and Dassey's innocence.

Authorities who worked on the cases said the series was biased.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is looking to deepen military ties with India, after he held talks with leaders in the first cabinet rank official visit to the country under the Trump administration.

Potential sales of US jet fighters and surveillance drones that experts say are aimed at helping it rein in China's influence in the region are thought to have been discussed at the meeting in New Delhi.

The talks with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also covered ways to enhance and complement efforts to restore security in Afghanistan as Washington steps up its own military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground. Mattis is due to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, left, escorts US Defense Secretary James Mattis to Defense Ministry office for a delegation level meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, centre, inspects a guard of honour upon his arrival at the Indian Defense Ministry office

Ties between India and the United States have rapidly expanded with New Delhi buying weapons worth $15 billion over the last decade from the United States, moving away from traditional supplier Russia.

Last month, while outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan, Trump urged India to assist security efforts in Afghanistan.

Sitharaman said India would continue its efforts to reconstruct Afghanistan's infrastructure, but she ruled out sending Indian troops to the country.

So far, New Delhi has contributed around $3 billion toward building highways, power transmission lines and dams, as well as to aid public health and education in the war-ravaged country.

Mattis was in the Indian capital on Tuesday, marking the first visit to the country by a Cabinet-level official from President Donald Trump's administration

New Delhi will also enhance its efforts to train Afghan soldiers in counter-terrorism and help build its police forces, Sitharaman said.

The two defense ministers also discussed defense deals with India, one of the world's biggest defense equipment buyers. The talks focused on deals that involve the transfer of technology, with New Delhi pressing Washington to share technology and wanting to manufacture its own fighter jets.

Mattis said the talks covered ways to further enhance defense trade and technology collaboration between defense industries.

'We look forward to sharing some of our most advanced defense technologies through the defense technology and trade initiative,' he said, add that this would improve the capabilities of both militaries.

The talks with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman covered potential sales of US jet fighters and surveillance drones for the South China Sea

Sitharaman said India appreciates America's 'willingness to share further cutting-edge platforms which would enhance India's defense preparedness to meet current and emerging threats.'

The two sides also discussed maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, amid shared concerns about an increasingly aggressive China.

The United States, India and Japan annually conduct naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal to improve coordination between their navies.

In June the US government approved a deal to supply 22 Sea Guardian drone aircraft to the Indian navy, the first such clearance to a non-NATO ally.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis listens to a question during a joint press conference with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after their meeting in New Delhi

A US aircraft carrier group docked in Chennai as it begins a massive naval exercise with India and Japan amid the South China Sea dispute

The Indian navy has sought the unarmed drones to help it mount longer duration surveillance of the Indian Ocean where Chinese naval ships and submarines are making regular forays.

The United States has been critical of Chinas build-up of military facilities in the South China Sea and had suggested joint patrols with the Indian navy across the region. New Delhi has turned it down, fearing a Chinese backlash.

'China looms very large for both countries,' said Dhruva Jaishankar, a specialist on India-US relations at Brookings India.

'The strategic underpinning of India-US defence ties is in the common concerns they have over China, over its revisionism.'

The talks with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also covered ways to enhance and complement efforts to restore security in Afghanistan

The Indian air force has also asked for 90 armed Avenger Predator drones that experts say it could deploy to conduct cross-border strikes, for instance on camps of militants that it says exist on the Pakistan side of disputed Kashmir.

Such a sale would need White House and Congress approval, sources said. Pakistan and possibly China are likely to see such a sale as de-stabilising.

Vivek Lall, chief executive, US and International Strategic Development at General Atomics, the company that makes the drones, said it was pleased the Indian government had won approval for the surveillance version of the drone.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is also expected to discuss security in Afghanistan, military technology and a possible deal on fighter jets

'Not only will this platform enhance Indias capabilities in the areas of maritime domain awareness and security - but the interoperability with one of the US's most important strategic partners will contribute to security across the region,' he said.

The two sides are also expected to discuss Lockheed Martin's offer to build F-16 fighter planes in India as part of Modi's drive to build a domestic military industrial base.

Sweden's Saab is the other contender for the deal to supply at least 100 single engine combat planes to the Indian air force that the Modi administration wants to be built locally.

Ahead of Mattis's trip, the Pentagon stressed India's broader role in the region.

'The secretary will emphasise that the United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia,' it said.
ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday criticized the country's judiciary for rejecting his appeal over his disqualification from office and vowed again to fight a legal battle to clear his name.

In July, the Supreme Court barred him from office for concealing financial assets. Sharif has since been replaced by a member of his ruling party but has vowed to fight and prove he never indulged in corruption. Earlier this month, the top court rejected Sharif's request for a review of its July 28 ruling.

Tuesday's remarks by Sharif came just after he made his first appearance before an anti-corruption court to face corruption charges earlier in the day. He has returned home from London, where he travelled to see his ailing wife who is undergoing medical treatment in Britain.

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses a news conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Sharif made his first appearance before an anti-corruption court in Islamabad, Tuesday, to face corruption charges. Sharif was disqualified on July 28 by the Supreme Court following a probe that determined he had concealed financial assets. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

"I know for what reasons I am being punished," Sharif told a news conference, without elaborating.

Sharif is likely to be indicted on Oct. 2 in connection with three corruption cases that were filed against him by the country's anti-corruption body earlier this month. Sharif resigned after the Supreme Court disqualified him, but afterward said he was being punished over a trivial charge.

As he appeared before the corruption court earlier on Tuesday, a group of Sharif's followers gathered outside the court and later some chanted slogans in his support inside the courtroom.

That annoyed the judge, Mohammad Bashir, who then asked Pakistan's three-time premier to leave the hearing as his lawyers were present and would be able to represent him.

Sharif left, along with his followers.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, cricket legend and Pakistan's top opposition leader, Imran Khan, said he believed Sharif has no future in the country's politics.

Khan said he would not pardon any corrupt figures if his countrymen voted him to power in the 2018 elections.

In this photo released by Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistani deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, center, arrives at an anti-corruption court in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Sharif made his first appearance before the court to face corruption charges. Sharif was disqualified on July 28 by the Supreme Court following a probe that determined he had concealed financial assets. (Pakistan Muslim League via AP)

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, right, addresses a news conference with party fellows, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Sharif made his first appearance before an anti-corruption court in Islamabad, Tuesday, to face corruption charges. Sharif was disqualified on July 28 by the Supreme Court following a probe that determined he had concealed financial assets. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

A car, right in white, carrying Pakistan's deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif leaves an anti-corruption court in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Sharif made his first appearance before the court in Islamabad to face corruption charges. Sharif was disqualified on July 28 by the Supreme Court following a probe that determined he had concealed financial assets. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

Supporters of Pakistan's deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif shout slogans to cheer their leader outside an anti-corruption court in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Sharif made his first appearance before the court in Islamabad to face corruption charges. Sharif was disqualified on July 28 by the Supreme Court following a probe that determined he had concealed financial assets. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

Police stop supporters of Pakistan's deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif trying to reach an anti-corruption court in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Sharif made his first appearance before the court in Islamabad to face corruption charges. Sharif was disqualified on July 28 by the Supreme Court following a probe that determined he had concealed financial assets. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's latest account of progress on his promised Mexico border wall was often misleading and sometimes flat wrong.

Parts were true, but parts were not. He contradicted himself, and the overall sense he conveyed of construction steaming along simply doesn't fit the facts.

Here's a parsing of his comments, delivered at a stem-winder rally in Alabama on Friday night, and how his claims fit or foul the facts:

TRUMP: "So you need to have a great wall, but it has to be see-through. We are now looking at samples. We have four samples that have already been built, General, right? They've been built. And we're looking at different samples already of see-through walls. And I think also I have to be honest with you, a see-through wall would look better. You know, you don't have that, whatever it might be. But we are looking at four different samples built by four great companies, four different concepts. They're just about completed."

THE FACTS: Yes, the government is looking at samples. No, they have not "been built." Nor are they "just about completed." Construction of the prototypes has yet to begin. That's expected imminently. The government awarded contracts for eight prototypes.

"Has to be" see-through? Not necessarily. Four of the chosen prototypes are concrete; the rest are made of "other materials."

Each one is about 30 feet long and just for testing. Each is expected to take about a month to build.

Trump's reference to the general was about John Kelly, his chief of staff and retired Marine general, who joined him at the rally.

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TRUMP: "We're soon going to have the final choices done. And the renovations will be done, I would say, within the next six or seven months. We're spending a tremendous amount of money and we're going to have that."

THE FACTS: It's not clear what he means by renovations. His administration has not outlined sweeping renovations to be done in that time. Its request to Congress for $1.6 billion in wall financing for the budget year that begins Oct. 1 incudes money for 14 miles of replacement barrier in San Diego and it's not certain Congress will approve even that. Money has been approved for three miles of border protection in Calexico, California. Such projects do not add up to the massive construction that would be required to fulfill his promise of a wall sealing off the two countries along the length of their border.

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TRUMP: "We're going to build the wall, it's coming along great."

THE FACTS: To date, not much is coming along besides the samples, repairs and some upgrading of what's already in place.

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TRUMP: "We've been dealing with ICE, we've been dealing with the Border Patrol. They both endorsed me, first time they've ever endorsed a candidate for president."

THE FACTS: Neither the Border Patrol nor Immigration and Customs Enforcement endorsed Trump for president. They are government agencies and can't endorse anyone politically. Two unions representing border and immigration agents who work for those agencies endorsed him.

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Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press writers Luis Alonso and Jill Colvin contributed to this report.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - The "Alternative Nobel" was given to four people Tuesday for their "courageous work" in human rights, public health and good governance.

The prize foundation announced the 2017 winners as Indian human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves, Azeri journalist Khadija Ismayilova and Ethiopian lawyer Yetnebersh Nigussie. American environmental lawyer Robert Bilott was given an honorary award. The three others share a cash award of 3 million kronor ($374,000).

The award's official name is the Right Livelihood Award. Gonsalves was cited "for his tireless and innovative use of public interest litigation over three decades to secure fundamental human rights for India's most marginalized and vulnerable citizens."

The Stockholm-based award committee said Ismayilova had shown "courage and tenacity" in exposing corruption in her native Azerbaijan "through outstanding investigative journalism in the name of transparency and accountability."

Nigussie was tapped "for her inspiring work promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities."

The award committee cited Cincinnati attorney Bilott "for exposing a decades-long history of chemical pollution, winning long-sought justice for the victims, and setting a precedent for effective regulation of hazardous substances."

In a statement issued by the foundation behind the Right Livelihood Award, the recipients said they were honored to get the prize that is awarded once a year.

It "comes at a time when India is going through a dark period and human rights activists are under siege," Gonsalves said, while Bilott hoped the award would help "spread awareness and recognition of the urgent need to take further steps to protect our drinking water, and the ability and power of local residents and communities to ensure that such steps are taken."

Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honors efforts that prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.

Named after the Buddhist concept of Right Livelihood, the prize has been given in the past to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, human rights activists Bianca Jagger from Nicaragua, and Swedish children's book author Astrid Lindgren.

Last year, the prize went to the Syria Civil Defense group, also known as the White Helmets, together with activists from Egypt and Russia, and Turkish independent newspaper Cumhuriyet.

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This story has been corrected to show that the spelling of the American environmental lawyer's surname is Bilott, not Billott.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The trial of the suspected mastermind of the 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attacks will be one of the biggest terrorism cases yet for a Justice Department under a leader who has said it shouldn't be handling such cases at all.

Since his time as an Alabama senator, Jeff Sessions has argued that terrorism suspects should be sent to the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, rather than prosecuted in U.S. courts by the Justice Department he now oversees. He's in lock-step with President Donald Trump, who promised during the presidential campaign to fill the prison with "bad dudes."

But the Trump administration has yet to send a terror suspect there. And next week, on Oct. 2, it will open the civilian trial of Ahmed Abu Khattala, a case that could offer further evidence that the American civilian justice system can provide legal rights to terror suspects without costing the government valuable intelligence or running the risk that the suspect will go free.

FILE - This Sept. 12, 2012 file photo shows glass, debris and overturned furniture are strewn inside a room in the gutted U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. The trial of Ahmed Abu Khattala, the suspected mastermind of the 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attacks will be one of the biggest terrorism cases yet for the U.S. Justice Department under a leader who has said it shouldn't be handling such cases. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Alaguri, File)

"Time and time again we have shown that we have a system that can withstand constitutional scrutiny and send people to jail for substantial periods of time," said David N. Kelley, a former U.S. attorney in New York City, a hub for terrorism prosecutions.

Abu Khattala is charged in connection with the September 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. The case became political fodder, with Republicans accusing the Obama administration of intentionally misleading the public and stonewalling congressional investigators, though officials denied any wrongdoing. Some in Congress were particularly critical of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's handling of the problem.

The Obama administration, which had been trying to shutter Guantanamo, brought Abu Khattala to the U.S. to face charges after his capture in 2014. Republican lawmakers, including Sessions, had warned that valuable intelligence might be sacrificed when a detainee is afforded the legal protections of the American justice system, like access to a lawyer and the right to remain silent. They argue that the government can learn more about future plots by holding suspects as enemy combatants and questioning them indefinitely.

But Abu Khattala's case shows that even in the American court system, the government has broad freedom to glean and use intelligence from terror suspects, said Jonathan Hafetz, a senior attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who has handled terrorism cases.

A judge ruled that prosecutors can use as evidence statements Abu Khattala made during 13 days aboard a Navy transport ship headed to the U.S., a trip his defense lawyers argued was illegal. He was questioned for days about national security matters before being advised of his rights. A new team of FBI investigators then pressed him some more, this time to produce evidence prosecutors could present at trial. Abu Khattala waived his rights, but his attorneys argued that the trip was so coercive, the waiver shouldn't count.

The judge rejected that, saying Abu Khattala was "treated respectfully and humanely while in custody."

The ruling raises concerns for the rights of defendants, but undermines Sessions' argument that intelligence collection is impeded by access to attorneys and other rights, Hafetz said.

"The decisions show the degree to which courts have accommodated the government's national security concerns in criminal prosecutions, albeit in some cases to a troubling degree," he said.

The debate played out vividly over the previous eight years, when then-Attorney General Eric Holder sought to prove that American courts were a fairer and faster form of justice for terror suspects. He tried in 2009 to move the five men accused in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks from Guantanamo to New York for trial, but was derailed by political opposition. With their cases bogged down in pretrial motions, it could be years before the men see a trial before a military commission.

Holder has claimed vindication as the military commission system at Guantanamo stalled, and the Justice Department convicted hundreds of terrorists captured in the U.S. and overseas. For many career officials, prosecuting terror suspects on American soil has become a source of pride.

Meanwhile, military commissions since 2001 have resolved just eight cases that ended in convictions, four of which were later overturned. Sessions has lamented the problems with the commissions but still supports their use.

The White House is drafting a detention policy, but there is nothing that would prevent Trump from sending suspects to Guantanamo again.

The Justice Department declined to comment on its position or elaborate on Sessions' views. But they have not publicly changed. He toured Guantanamo this year, after telling a conservative radio host, "I don't think we're better off bringing these people to federal court in New York and trying them in federal court where they get discovery rights to find out our intelligence, and get court-appointed lawyers and things of that nature."

Asked recently whether U.S. courts are the best place to handle terror cases, Dana Boente, acting head of the department's national security division, would not answer.

Another former Manhattan terrorism prosecutor, Andrew C. McCarthy, said that while the Guantanamo military commission system is flawed, Sessions' concerns have merit.

"If we end up holding people for five years because they are useful for intelligence, so what?" McCarthy said.

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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia's appeals court on Tuesday rejected a request for the release on bail of opposition leader Kem Sokha, who has been charged with treason in a case that is seen as a partisan political effort by the government ahead of next year's general election.

Lawyers for Kem Sokha, head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, boycotted the hearing when their demand that their client be allowed to attend was denied. "Our defense team believes that by holding the hearing in the absence of the accused man, Kem Sokha's rights are being abused, and that this trial cannot guarantee justice," said lawyer Sam Sokong.

Sam Sokong cited the judge as saying Kem Sokha was not brought to appear because of security concerns, a reference to the prospect of a protest by the opposition leader's supporters. Hundreds of riot police were deployed around the court, with several fire trucks and police trucks parked nearby. Journalists and members of Kem Sokha's party were not allowed into the hearing.

FILE - In this June 4, 2017, file photo, opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party President Kem Sokha shows off his ballot before voting in local elections in Chak Angre Leu on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia's appeals court rejected a request Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017 for the release on bail of Kem Sokha, who has been charged with treason in a case that is seen as a partisan political effort by the government ahead of next year's general election. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Kem Sokha was charged with treason for allegedly conspiring with the United States to topple the government, and could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted. He was arrested early this month on the basis of videos from several years ago showing him at a seminar where he spoke about receiving advice from U.S. pro-democracy groups.

Kem Sokha had been expected to lead his Cambodia National Rescue Party in next year's election in a strong challenge against the ruling Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has held power for three decades. The opposition party has denied the treason allegation, saying the charge is strictly politically motivated.

His Sept. 3 arrest in the middle of the night came amid a crackdown on the media.

A supporter of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party holds up a portrait of the party leader Kem Sokha during a rally near an appeals court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. The court rejected a request for the release on bail of opposition leader Kem Sokha, who has been charged with treason in a case that is seen as a partisan political effort by the government ahead of next year's general election. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A supporter of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party holds a poster of the party leader Kem Sokha during a rally joined by lawmakers near an appeals court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. The court rejected a request for the release on bail of opposition leader Kem Sokha, who has been charged with treason in a case that is seen as a partisan political effort by the government ahead of next year's general election. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Supporters of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party hold up a portrait of the party leader Kem Sokha and slogans that read: "Free Kem Sokha" during a rally near an appeals court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. The court rejected a request for the release on bail of opposition leader Kem Sokha, who has been charged with treason in a case that is seen as a partisan political effort by the government ahead of next year's general election. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
LONDON (AP) - The Latest on Brexit negotiations (all times local):

2:15 p.m.

European Council President Donald Tusk says Brexit talks haven't yet made sufficient progress to move on to the second stage desired by Britain.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May holds talks with President of the European Council Donald Tusk at 10 Downing Street in London, Tuesday Sept. 26, 2017. ( Jonathan Brady/Pool via AP)

But Tusk says he is "cautiously optimistic" that the divorce negotiations can move forward.

After meeting British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday, Tusk said he believed Britain had finally abandoned an unrealistic "having a cake and eating it" approach to leaving the EU.

Britain wants to start discussing future relations with the bloc, but EU officials say that can't happen until sufficient progress has been made on the terms of the divorce.

In a bid to break the logjam, May said last week that the U.K. would be willing to pay into EU coffers during a two-year transition phase after Brexit in March 2019.

Tusk said Tuesday at Downing Street "there is not sufficient progress yet, but we will work on it."

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11 a.m.

Britain's foreign secretary says his government will ensure the rights of Romanians living in Britain are protected after Brexit - though he didn't give details.

Boris Johnson said the 500,000 Romanians currently in Britain are "hugely valued members of our society," and that "we would be crazy to let them go back to Romania" in an interview published Tuesday by Romanian national news agency Agerpres.

The rights of Europeans living in Britain are one of the key issues in the talks over Britain's exit from the European Union.

Johnson, who's on a two-day visit to the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia, said Britain wants to continue attracting talented, ambitious and innovative people after Brexit.

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9:15 a.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to meet with the president of the European Council as she tries to break the deadlock in negotiations on leaving the European Union.

May holds talks Tuesday with Donald Tusk amid the fourth round of Brexit negotiations in Brussels. The meeting comes just days after May proposed a two-year transition period to smooth Britain's departure from the bloc.

EU negotiator Michel Barnier says he is "eager" to understand how May's speech will be turned into a negotiating strategy. The EU wants guarantees on financial commitments, citizens' rights and the Irish border before discussing future trade relationships.

Brexit Secretary David Davis says the UK is "committed" to reaching a solution and "there are no excuses for standing in the way of progress."

European Council President Donald Tusk meets British Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing Street in London, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

European Council President Donald Tusk meets British Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing Street in London, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) - The Latest on the Iraqi Kurdish referendum on support for independence from Baghdad and the tensions surrounding the vote (all times local):

9 p.m.

The president of Iraq's Kurdish region has claimed victory for the "yes" vote in the referendum on support for independence.

Iraqi soldiers leave a Turkish army armoured vehicle as they take part in military exercises in Silopi, near the Habur border gate with Iraq, southeastern Turkey, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Pool photo via AP)

In a televised address Tuesday, Masoud Barzani called for "dialogue" with Baghdad, which has rejected the vote as unconstitutional and is staunchly opposed to any redrawing of borders.

Barzani said "instead of harassment, let's have dialogue for a better future," adding that "negotiations are the right path to solve the problems, not threats or the language of force."

Iraq's Kurds held a non-binding vote Monday on support for independence from Iraq despite the heavy opposition from Baghdad, as well as neighboring Turkey and Iran.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has threatened a flight ban if the Kurdish region does not hand over control of its airports to federal authorities by Friday.

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7:40 p.m.

Iraq's prime minister says the Kurdish region has until Friday to hand over airports to federal authorities or will face a flight ban.

Haider al-Abadi's ultimatum Tuesday came the day after Iraq's Kurds held a referendum on independence that has been roundly denounced by Baghdad and Iraq's neighbors.

Al-Abadi says the ban would exclude humanitarian and other "urgent" flights.

The Kurds have their own regional government, parliament, armed forces and airports in Iraq's three northern provinces, where they have enjoyed constitutional autonomy for more than a decade. They control disputed territories outside those provinces that are also claimed by Baghdad.

The referendum is not binding and will not immediately lead to independence, but it has increased tensions in the region. Turkey has threatened to intervene militarily and is holding joint military drills with Iraq on the border.

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5:20 p.m.

The Arab League is calling on Iraqis to renounce their differences and open comprehensive dialogue to avoid clashes following a controversial independence referendum held by the country's Kurds.

Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, chief of the Cairo-based pan-Arab organization, says in a statement: "It is still possible to contain the repercussions of this step if all concerned parties exercise wisdom and responsibility and conduct themselves inside the parameters of the Iraqi state."

The interests of Iraq, he added, "will be best served in the framework of a unified, federal and democratic Iraq."

While the referendum is not binding and not expected to immediately lead to independence, it has shaken the region, eliciting condemnations from Iraq's neighbors as well as the United States and the United Nations.

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3:50 p.m.

Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reports that the country's defense minister has expressed concerns over the security implications of a referendum in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

The report quotes Gen. Amir Hatami as saying: "Iran is opposed to any action that leads to a change" in the geographical divisions of the countries in the region.

Iran is among many countries that opposed an independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan.

In June, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that advocates of Kurdish independence are "opponents of the independence and identity" of Iraq.

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3:10 p.m.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry is expressing concern over the possible "negative" consequence of the referendum in Iraq's Kurdish area.

Tuesday's statement by the ministry says "Egypt urges all parties not to take any unilateral measures that could further complicate the situation."

The statement called for "constructive dialogue to achieve comprehensive settlement over issues of conflict between Irbil and Baghdad."

Egypt is just the latest country to issue a statement in opposition to the referendum held by Iraq's Kurds on support for independence Monday. Iran, Turkey, the United States and the United Nations all condemned the vote citing fears of regional instability.

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2:35 p.m.

Tanks with soldiers holding the Turkish and Iraqi flags rolled on a field lifting up dust, as the two countries' militaries conducted joint exercises on Turkey's border with Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

A group of some 30 Iraqi troops have arrived in the border region to join ongoing Turkish military maneuvers that were launched last week in a symbolic warning to Kurds who are holding a referendum on independence.

The joint drills, which come a year after Turkey and Iraq were at odds over the presence of Turkish troops in Iraq, is taking place on land just 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) away from the Habur border crossing into Iraq on Tuesday.

Turkey, which has a large Kurdish population and is battling Kurdish insurgents on its territory, opposes Kurds' moves toward independence and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened military action against the Iraqi Kurdish region.

On Tuesday, Erdogan said all options from military action to economic sanctions were on the table.

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2:30 p.m.

Iran's parliament will hold a closed-door meeting on the referendum in Iraq's Kurdish area.

The meeting Wednesday will see lawmakers receive a briefing about Monday's vote.

The meeting comes as parliament speaker Ali Larijani on Tuesday criticized the vote. State television quoted him as saying there are "elements" ... "making provocations" in Iraq's Kurdish region.

Thousands of Iranian Kurds demonstrated into the early morning Tuesday to celebrate the vote.

Both Iran and Turkey fear the referendum will embolden their own Kurdish populations to seek their own states.

Iran has been holding military exercises near the Iraqi border in a show of its displeasure.

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1:15 p.m.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country is considering all options ranging from military intervention to economic sanctions against Iraq's Kurdish region.

Speaking in Ankara on Tuesday, Erdogan said, however, that he hopes the Iraqi Kurdish leadership will abandon aims of creating a separate state and not force Turkey into enforcing sanctions.

Erdogan says: "I hope the northern Iraqi administration gathers itself together and abandons this adventure with a dark ending."

He added that the landlocked Iraqi Kurdish region would not be able to survive without Turkey's support.

"The moment we shut the valve it's finished for them," Erdogan said in reference to a pipeline into Turkey allowing the region to export its oil.

The Turkish leader said no country other than Israel supports the Iraqi Kurdish referendum on independence, which he described as "invalid" and "fraudulent" and said attempts by Kurds to form an independent state are doomed to fail.

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11:35 a.m.

Regional authorities say the Iraqi Kurdish referendum saw an over 70-percent turnout.

That's according to the electoral commission in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Sherwan Zerar, the commission's spokesman, said on Tuesday morning that turnout was about 3.3 million of the eligible 4.5 million residents. Official results from the election are expected later in the day.

The vote, which was held on Monday, was billed by the Iraqi Kurdish leadership as an exercise in self-determination. To Baghdad, the vote threatens a redrawing of Iraq's borders, while leaders in Turkey and Iran fear the move would embolden their own Kurdish populations.

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11:11 a.m.

Thousands of Iranian Kurds have poured into the streets in Iran in support of the Iraqi Kurds' voting in a landmark referendum for independence from Baghdad.

Footage shared online by Iranian Kurds showed demonstrators waving lit mobile phones in the air and chanting their support into the night on Monday.

The demonstrations took place in the towns of Baneh, Saghez and Sanandaj.

Iranian state television on Tuesday acknowledged the demonstrations, a rarity in the Islamic Republic.

Iran, Turkey and Iraq's central government in Baghdad have all opposed the referendum. Iran has been holding military exercises near the Iraqi border in a show of its displeasure.

The Iraqi Kurdish push for independence comes as Kurdish forces captured extensive territory in fighting against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Turkish, left, and Iraqi soldiers greet each other as they take part in military exercises in Silopi, near the Habur border gate with Iraq, southeastern Turkey, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Pool photo via AP)

Turkish and Iraqi soldiers take part in military exercises in Silopi, near the Habur border gate with Iraq, southeastern Turkey, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Pool photo via AP)

Turkish and Iraqi soldiers take part in military exercises in Silopi, near the Habur border gate with Iraq, southeastern Turkey, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (Pool photo via AP)

Turkish and Iraqi soldiers sit on Turkish tanks during the exercises in Silopi, near the Habur border gate with Iraq, southeastern Turkey, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Tanks with soldiers holding the Turkish and Iraqi flags rolled on a field lifting up dust, as the two countries' militaries conducted joint exercises on Turkey's border with Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.(DHA-Depo Photos via AP )

Turkish and Iraqi soldiers walk with Turkish tanks during the exercises in Silopi, near the Habur border gate with Iraq, southeastern Turkey, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Tanks with soldiers holding the Turkish and Iraqi flags rolled on a field lifting up dust, as the two countries' militaries conducted joint exercises on Turkey's border with Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.(DHA-Depo Photos via AP )
MOSCOW (AP) - In its latest attempt to wrest control of the Internet, Russia's communications agency on Tuesday threatened to block access to Facebook if the company refuses to store its data locally.

Alexander Zharov, chief of the Federal Communications Agency, told Russian news agencies on Tuesday that they will work to "make Facebook comply with the law" on personal data, which obliges foreign companies to store it in Russia. Critics have slammed the law, which went into effect in 2015, for potentially exposing the data to Russian intelligence agencies.

Zharov said that the Russian government understands Facebook is a "unique service" but said it will not make exceptions and will have to block it next year if Facebook does not comply.

Last year, Russia blocked business-focused social network LinkedIn after a court ruled it violated the law on data storage. LinkedIn is available in Russia only if accessed via proxy servers.

In the most recent step to crack down on Internet freedom, Russia's parliament in July outlawed the use of virtual private networks, or VPNs, and other Internet proxy services, citing concerns about the spread of extremist materials. Russians use VPNs to access blocked content such as LinkedIn by routing connections through servers outside the country.

The law obliging companies to store personal data about Russian citizens in Russia has been applied selectively since it came into force two years ago. It has been widely viewed as the Kremlin's attempt to expand control over the Internet. Russian Internet freedom activists have urged international tech companies to reject the government's calls to give them access to personal data, saying that this would undermine cybersecurity for millions of Russian users.

Leonid Levin, chair of the parliamentary committee on communications and information policy, in comments carried by the Interfax news agency on Tuesday expressed hope that "it would not come to" blocking Facebook and that Russian authorities would be able to negotiate with the U.S. company.
ROME (AP) - Police have arrested the mayor of a city near Milan on corruption charges as part of an investigation into the infiltration of the 'ndrangheta organized crime clan of southern Italy in the north's business and political establishment.

Prosecutors on Tuesday accused Seregno Mayor Edoardo Mazza of being in cahoots with a mafia-linked builder who allegedly got him votes in exchange for the rights to build a supermarket.

The arrest of Mazza, elected in 2015 on the ticket of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was announced as part of a multi-pronged investigation into the 'ndrangheta's infiltration in Lombardy, the economic engine of Italy.

In all, police issued 27 arrest warrants Tuesday, many accused in the 'ndrangheta's cocaine trafficking operations and hailing from the mob's Calabrian hub in San Luca.
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - A missing British tourist may have been mauled to death and devoured by wild animals while hiking between archaeological sites in northern Greece, authorities said Tuesday after a woman's gnawed body was discovered in a remote hilly area.

Police say the human remains were found Saturday near the village of Petrota, 285 kilometers (180 miles) east of the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. Near them, authorities found a passport for Celia Lois Hollingworth, 63, whom the British embassy in Athens had reported missing in the area Friday.

"We believe that the body belongs to the missing woman, but can't say so for sure until the remains have been identified," a police official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity since the official was not authorized to discuss the case.

Coroner Nikos Kifnidis said the cause of death is still unclear as parts of the woman's body are still missing. An autopsy will be performed Wednesday. Kifnidis told the AP that the skeletal remains he saw had been stripped of their flesh.

"Evidence is still being gathered," he said. "The remains I saw were just bones, there was no soft tissue ... A first estimate would be that she was devoured by animals."

But the precise causes of the woman's death were unclear.

"We are examining all possibilities - either an attack by wild or domesticated animals or a criminal act," police spokeswoman Ioanna Rotziokou said. "We can certainly say it (the body) was a shocking sight, but we don't know exactly how it got into that state."

Hikers in the Greek countryside often face fierce shepherd dogs and strays near inhabited areas can also be aggressive. Wolves roam remote parts of the country and have been reported in the Petrota area.

Police said Hollingworth was reported missing to English police, who notified the embassy in Athens, by her brother in England.

Police said she had taken a taxi from the village of Maroneia, which has an ancient site, to another ancient site at Messimvria, near the sea 30 kilometers (19 miles) away by road, closer on paths. She was reportedly sighted later in the day in a coastal area between the two sites. The remains were found in the hills further inland, toward Petrota.

Britain's Foreign Office was providing consular assistance to her family.
NEW YORK (AP) - Robert Plant is going on tour in North America next year to support his upcoming album, "Carry Fire."

The former Led Zeppelin frontman announced Tuesday that his 2018 tour will begin Feb. 9 in Raleigh, North Carolina. He'll also visit New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles, among other cities. More dates will be announced later. Plant will be joined on the tour by his backing band, the Sensational Space Shifters.

Plant has also released another track from "Carry Fire" Tuesday, a cover of Ersel Hickey's "Bluebirds Over the Mountain."

FILE - In this June 14, 2015, file photo, Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters perform at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. Plant announced his 2018 North American tour on Sept. 26, 2017. (Photo by Wade Payne/Invision/AP, File)

The album is set to hit music stores and begin streaming on Oct. 13.

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This story has been updated to correct the name of Plant's band. The name of the band is the Sensational Space Shifters, not the Sensational Shape Shifters.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) - A fight broke out in Uganda's parliament Tuesday amid efforts to introduce legislation that could extend the president's decades-long hold on power.

After opposition lawmakers accused a colleague on the government side of carrying a gun, a brawl broke out in which lawmakers pushed and punched each other before the speaker ordered body searches and order was restored.

A motion is to be introduced Tuesday to remove a constitutional provision that prevents anyone over the age of 75 from running for president.

The move is seen as an effort by President Yoweri Museveni, who at 73 is ineligible to run for re-election in 2021, to extend his rule. Museveni himself has ducked the question of whether he is interested in more time in office, saying recently that the matter is not so important.

But critics say behind the scenes he is orchestrating the move by lawmakers to remove the last hurdle to extend his rule, possibly to rule for life.

Uganda's ruling party enjoys an overwhelming majority in the national assembly and the bill is expected to pass.

Heavy security was deployed in the capital, Kampala, and police fired tear gas and arrested scores Tuesday who demonstrated their opposition to ongoing efforts to remove the age limit from the constitution.

The United States urged Uganda's government to protect basic freedoms "without fear of intimidation," and Amnesty International said authorities "must end their absurd attempts to silence people opposed to scrapping the presidential age limit."

The bill has raised tensions in this East African country that has never seen a peaceful change of power since independence from Britain in 1962.

Museveni, a U.S. ally on regional security, took power by force in 1986 and was re-elected last year in a poll marred by allegations of fraud and voter intimidation.

Although Museveni warned in the past that Africa's problem was leaders "who want to overstay in power," he has since said he was speaking about leaders who were not elected.
White House officials are clearly instructed: Don't use your personal phones for official business. But some aides appear to have done it anyway, and it's getting fresh scrutiny along with questions about the use of personal email accounts.

The inquiries into private communication could prove uncomfortable for President Donald Trump, who relentlessly attacked Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email account and server during her time as secretary of state.

Multiple current and former Trump White House officials have used private email accounts and texts from personal phones for private conversations, sometimes using encrypted messaging apps. That's despite clear directives not to use personal devices for administration business and to save the records if they do.

Revelations that officials in the Trump administration have used private email accounts for White House business, including Jared Kushner (center) are leading congressional investigators to demand answers

Donald Trump made a campaign issue of Hillary Clinton's email practices, but key Trump officials began using their own private email accounts just weeks after the election

House lawmakers have requested more information about the use of private email addresses and texting or the use of messaging apps on personal phones. They're also asking about the oversight and record-keeping policies of the Trump White House. They acted after word surfaced that White House adviser Jared Kushner set up a private email account after the election to conduct work-related business.

Further, The New York Times recently reported the names of six close Trump advisers, including Kushner, Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus, who have used private email to discuss White House matters. Bannon and Priebus no longer work at the White House.

The extent of private communications on personal phones  or whether records were retained  is not clear.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and the top Democrat on that panel, Rep. Elijah Cummings, sent letters Monday to the White House general counsel and the State Department. They said they want more details on whether staffers are using personal emails, texting or encrypted messaging applications, and if they are preserving the records.

Ivanka Trump used a personal email address for White House work during the early months of the administration when she was working as an unpaid adviser to the president, according to Newsweek and The New York Times

The Presidential Records Act requires senior White House staff members to preserve their professional communications, with the records eventually transferred to the National Archives. Electronic communications outside of official channels, such as private email or text messages on a staffer's personal phone, are supposed to be copied to a government account within 20 days.

White House aides are instructed as part of their training not to use personal devices for official business and are told to save records if they do, said two people with knowledge of administration practices.

A memorandum went out to all White House personnel in February outlining the rules. The memo, provided to The Associated Press, states that records rules apply to 'other forms of electronic communication, including text messages.'

The memo adds: 'You should not use instant messaging systems, social networks, or other internet-based means of electronic communication to conduct official business without the approval of the Office of the White House Counsel.'

'Legally, the case is clear  you're supposed to save this stuff,' said Alex Howard, deputy director of the Sunlight Foundation, which advocates for transparency and open record keeping in government.

Other Trump administration aides said to have used private email accounts for government work include the departed former chief of staff Reince Priebus (left) and former chief strategist Steve Bannon (right)

Howard said that White House officials who sent and received messages via private channels did not necessarily violate the law - if they later forwarded those off-the-books communications to an official government account or preserved them in some other fashion.

'People will make mistakes,' he said. 'The key is, are those mistakes intentional.'

One reason White House aides text from private phones is simple. They cannot send texts from their official phones, a policy set during the Obama administration. When Blackberry devices were standard, a White House communications system automatically archived those messages.

When smartphones supplanted Blackberries, however, White House information technology administrators adopted a new policy: No texts at all.

'With iOS and text, you could get messages (and malware) from anyone,' said Tony Scott, Barack Obama's federal chief information officer from 2015 until the end of Obama's second term. The decision to disable texting was made 'more from a security perspective than anything else.'

Trump White House officials aren't the first to come under scrutiny for private communications. In 2010, the White House deputy chief technology officer, Andrew McLaughlin, was reprimanded for using a Gmail account to communicate with his former colleagues at Google.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Monday that the use of private email accounts by staff is 'to my knowledge, very limited.'

'White House counsel has instructed all White House staff to use their government email for official business, and only use that email,' she said, adding that 'we get instructed on this one pretty regularly.'

Kushner's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, on Sunday confirmed Kushner's use of a personal email in his first few months of the administration. He said the emails usually involved news articles and political commentary. Lowell also said any non-personal emails were forwarded to Kushner's official account and 'all have been preserved in any event.'

There are considerable differences between Clinton's email practices and what is known about the Trump administration so far.

Clinton maintained multiple private servers, and an FBI investigation found tens of thousands of emails, including many with classified material. While some Trump officials used private accounts, there is no evidence so far that classified material was transmitted through private email accounts.
CORUNNA, Mich. (AP) - A Michigan woman who authorities say kept her disabled adult sister locked in a closet has been convicted of charges including unlawful imprisonment.

A Shiawassee County jury on Monday also found Candy Lawson guilty of vulnerable adult abuse and embezzlement. Prosecutors say she stole disability benefits that were intended for her sister. Lawson faces prison time when sentenced Oct. 27.

Prosecutors say Lawson gave her sister little food, water or clothing. A construction worker found her in 2015.

Lawson took the stand in her own defense last week, saying the space her sister was kept in was a room, not a closet. She said she needed to lock her sister in at night because she would otherwise wander off. Lawson denied restricting access to food.

Lawson's lawyer plans an appeal.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on SEC Chairman Jay Clayton's appearance before the Senate Banking Committee (all times local):

11:50

The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission refused to comment Tuesday when asked if executives at Equifax engaged in insider trading when they sold shares after the company learned of a massive data breach but before it disclosed the hack to the public.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Jay Clayton told Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that he couldn't comment on an issue that might come before the agency. Three Equifax executives sold shares worth a combined $1.8 million days after the company discovered the breach. Equifax says the executive were unaware of the breach prior to the stock sales.

Kennedy and other senators on a senate banking panel also questioned Clayton about the SEC's own data breach, which the agency disclosed last week. Clayton said he became aware of the breach in August, months after becoming chairman, but couldn't say when the hack occurred or when an investigation into the breach would be completed.

His comments led one senator to wonder how the SEC could hold companies accountable when the agency itself isn't forthcoming about cybersecurity problems.

11:40 a.m.

U.S. senators from both parties grilled Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton Tuesday on the agency's handling of a 2016 data breach that Clayton disclosed only last week. The hack focused on the agency's system for handling corporations' public documents, known as EDGAR.

"I was disturbed to learn that the SEC suffered a cyber-breach of its EDGAR system in 2016, but did not notify the public, or even all of its Commissioners, until it was discovered during your recent review," Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, Republican from Idaho, said.

Clayton said the hack "concerns me deeply" and said that he has ordered an investigation by the agency's Inspector General.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, acknowledged that the breach occurred before Clayton took office in May. But he criticized the SEC chairman for not revealing it more quickly.

"The disclosure, or lack thereof, is all yours," Brown said. "How can you expect companies to do the right thing when your agency has not?"

10:45 a.m.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton says that senior executives at Equifax should be forced to return recent bonuses if the company's delay in disclosing a data breach is found to be improper.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat from Ohio, slammed Equifax for a six-week delay in disclosing the massive security breach, which exposed personal information for 143 million Americans. Several executives sold Equifax shares during that six-week period.

Clayton said the bonuses should be recovered if the delay is found to be improper. The company argued that revealing the information wasn't "material" to investors.

9:35 a.m.

Jay Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is likely to face tough questions from a Senate banking panel, after the agency acknowledged that it also was a victim to a hack.

Two major issues in the SEC breach are the potential any information obtained was used for insider trading and whether the SEC knew about the security breach for months and only recently decided to disclose it.

Clayton has been at the head of the SEC since May, and is not likely to face calls for his removal since the breach happened a year ago. But he may be questioned about whether the SEC - the federal government's main arm for enforcing rules and regulations on Wall Street - is up to the task of keeping data secure.

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This story has been corrected to show that the number of Americans affected by the security breach at Equifax was 143 million, not 134 million.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
CINCINNATI (AP) - The parents of a young Ohioan who was detained in North Korea for more than a year and died soon after being released said Tuesday he was "jerking violently," howling, and "staring blankly" when he returned home on a medical flight.

Fred and Cindy Warmbier appeared on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" morning TV show amid an escalating war of words between the Trump administration and North Korea. A North Korean official has claimed President Donald Trump has, in effect, declared war, which the White House denied.

Otto Warmbier's father said they wanted to speak out about his condition after hearing North Korea claiming to be a victim that's being picked on.

FILE - In this March 16, 2016, file photo, American student Otto Warmbier, center, is escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea. Fred and Cindy Warmbier, the parents of a young Ohioan who was detained in North Korea for more than a year and died soon after being released, appeared on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" morning TV show Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, saying their son was "jerking violently," howling, and "staring blankly" when he returned home on a medical flight that arrived June 13 in Cincinnati. He died less than a week after returning at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin, File)

"North Korea is not a victim. They're terrorists," he said. "They kidnapped Otto. They tortured him. They intentionally injured him. They are not victims."

The parents described the condition his family found him in when they went aboard an air ambulance that arrived June 13 in Cincinnati. They said Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, was howling, making an "involuntary, inhuman sound," ''staring blankly into space jerking violently," and was blind and deaf with his head shaved. Fred Warmbier said his mouth "looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth."

Fred Warmbier said Otto's mother and sister ran off the plane at the initial sight of him.

"We weren't prepared ... no mother, no parent should ever have gone through what we went through," Cindy Warmbier said. She said it was "inexcusable" that her son had been alone in captivity for so long with no one to comfort him. She said she "got it together" and stayed with him after his arrival.

President Trump tweeted about the family's appearance, calling it "a great interview" and that: "Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea."

Fred Warmbier also said Otto had a large scar on his right foot and a high fever.

He died less than a week after returning at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Doctors there said he arrived in a state of "unresponsive wakefulness" and had suffered a "severe neurological injury" of uncertain cause.

North Korea has denied mistreating the youth, sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in March 2016 for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster. He was arrested that January as he prepared to leave the country after visiting as a tourist.

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Follow Dan Sewell at http://www.twitter.com/dansewell
PARIS (AP) - The Latest on the French president's Europe speech (all times local):

7 p.m.

Germany's foreign minister is praising French President Emmanuel Macron's speech as a "passionate argument against nationalism" and for European reforms.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on the European Union at the amphitheater of the Sorbonne university in Paris, France, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Macron is laying out his vision Tuesday for a more unified Europe, with a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency and a stronger global voice despite Brexit looming. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

Sigmar Gabriel said in a statement Tuesday that Macron highlighted key issues where Europe needs to find better common responses because national responses have been inadequate, like the management of external borders, security policies, strengthening of the eurozone and fighting climate change.

He says "only with common solutions can we inspire the people in Europe again about Europe."

He added that beyond acknowledging the need for European solutions, "we also need the common European will" to implement them.

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5:25 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed reinforcing the French-German partnership in order to give a new impetus to the European Union.

In a speech to European students in Paris, Macron said German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing a "historic challenge," in a reference to the rise of a far-right party in Germany's election Sunday. He said he knows Merkel will have a "sense of history".

He proposed France and Germany discuss his proposals to reform Europe even though he is aware the countries won't agree on everything.

Macron wants to sign a new French-German cooperation treaty next January and proposed that the two aim to share business laws by 2024.

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4:50 p.m.

Riot police are holding back a few dozen French students and activists protesting at the Sorbonne university where President Emmanuel Macron is giving a speech about the future of Europe.

Police with shields and batons outnumber the protesters in the historic Left Bank neighborhood, but the demonstration has been peaceful. Police vans line nearby streets.

The protesters are expressing anger at Macron's pro-business labor policies, and the way he introduced them via executive orders instead of lengthy parliament debate.

The labor changes have prompted protests by unions and far-left groups.

Students from the Sorbonne and other universities in France and other European countries are inside for Macron's speech.

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4:35 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency, to allow for investment in European projects and help stabilize the Eurozone in case of economic crisis.

In a speech about Europe's future to students at the Sorbonne university in Paris, he said this budget could at first be financed by tougher taxes on internet giants and climate change-related taxes.

He added the budget would eventually need to come also from the national budgets of countries sharing the euro currency, for instance using domestic taxes on businesses.

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4:25 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron says EU countries should tax internet giants where they make money and not where they are registered, as he pushes for tougher Europe-wide regulation of the online economy.

Macron said, "I believe deeply in this innovation economy," but insisted that "we must have this debate" about making taxation more fair.

He proposed creating a single digital market, like other single EU markets, and a European "Disruption Innovation Agency" that could encourage European internet startups and finance research in artificial intelligence.

Macron made the proposals in a broad speech Tuesday aimed at reviving European unity.

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4:05 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron is proposing a European asylum agency and standard EU identity documents to better handle migration flows.

In a sweeping speech on his vision for Europe, Macron said Tuesday that Europe must better protect its borders.

He suggested the asylum agency to speed up and harmonize migration procedures, after years of EU arguing over how many migrants to take in and where.

Macron also warned against the dangers of anti-immigrant nationalism, saying it goes against the principles of a shared Europe born from the tragedy of world wars.

After a far-right party entered the German parliament for the first time in 60 years, Macron said "we thought the past would not come back." He said this isolationist attitude has resurfaced "because we forgot to defend Europe."

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4 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed a shared European military intervention force and a shared defense budget.

In a speech Tuesday to students at the Sorbonne university in Paris, Macron said a European defense strategy must be defined by the early 2020s.

He wants to open the French military to European soldiers and proposed other EU member states do the same on a voluntary basis.

He also proposed the creation of a European intelligence academy to better fight against terrorism, and a shared civil protection force.

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10:10 a.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron will lay out his vision for a more unified Europe, with a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency and a stronger global voice despite Brexit looming.

Macron is seeking to make a lasting mark on Europe's future with a speech Tuesday to students at the Sorbonne - and to send a clear message to neighboring Germany after its election Sunday.

While re-elected Chancellor Angela Merkel is open to some of Macron's ideas, she is trying to build a coalition with allies who aren't.

Macron is expected to argue that the eurozone needs a joint finance minister, budget and legislature to prevent future crises.

He says that's necessary to boost Europe's legitimacy and influence on global trade, taxing internet companies, migration policy and climate change.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on the European Union at the amphitheater of the Sorbonne university in Paris, France, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Macron is laying out his vision Tuesday for a more unified Europe, with a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency and a stronger global voice despite Brexit looming. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on the European Union at the amphitheater of the Sorbonne university in Paris, France, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Macron is laying out his vision Tuesday for a more unified Europe, with a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency and a stronger global voice despite Brexit looming. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Swedish police say a train carrying passengers has collided with an armored vehicle south of Stockholm.

Police said Tuesday's accident happened in Trosa, south of Stockholm.

The Expressen newspaper says the train has derailed and some people are injured. The daily said it was not immediately known how serious the injuries were.

The armored vehicle was likely taking part in Sweden's largest military exercise in over 20 years with nearly 20,000 troops drilling on air, land and sea. The three-week military drill started Sept. 11.
The Best Restaurants For Vegetarians In Chicago

By Chicagoist_Guest in Food on Sep 25, 2017 8:34PM

When most people think of Chicago food, its steak-and-potatoes-type fare that usually comes to mind. Not fair. Fortunately for vegetarians, theres a whole lot more than meets the eye around town to enjoy. Between top-tier eateries with plant-based dishes to restaurants focused on specific national cuisines that simply dont make meat their focus, one thing is for certain: They make it easy to hold the beef.

By Jennifer Olvera

Related: The Best Vegetarian Options at Carnivorous Restaurants

Mana Food Bar

Calling all carb lovers: gyoza, sesame-peanut noodles and sauteed mushroom-topped polenta await at this sleek, meat-free haunt with a global bent. Brown rice-mushroom sliders? Check. Potato gnocchi graced with grilled zucchini? You bet. Dont miss the daily happy hour either, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Two sliders and a beer will set you back just $8.50.

Mana Food Bar is located at 1742 W. Division St.

Zaytune

Dishing up top-tier Mediterranean and Middle Eastern eats, theres something for everyone at this super Bridgeport spot, known for its flatbreads, wraps stuffed with sizzling veggies, falafel and uber-garlicky, herb-laced fries. Seriously, theyre all good, so point, pick and repeatoften. And more good news is, the shawarma options will also appease your meat-eating friends.

Zaytune is located at 3129 S. Morgan St.



Image via Imperial Lamain's Facebook page.

Imperial Lamian

Veggie-centric diners rejoice at this stylish, modern Chinese restaurant in River North, where you can get your dishes prepared with vegetarian fish sauce. Finds range from straightforward pickles made with Japanese cucumbers, red Thai chile and sesame seeds to Instagram-worthy salads and spicy, hand-pulled noodles with shiitake and enoki mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts and snow peas.

Imperial Lamian is located at 6 W. Hubbard St.



"Acorn Squash Potstickers, soy caramel, carrot sesame puree, shaved radish" at Green Zebra (Photo by Stephanie/Creative Commons)

Green Zebra

This date-worthy West Town stunner woos vegetarians with an impressive tasting menu and elegant a la carte offerings that happen not to contain meat. That translates to sesame seed-studded scarlet beet poke with mandarin oranges, wakame seaweed, macadamia nuts and avocado mousse, as well as crispy sunchoke tartare, plated with cashew pudding and caper-raisin sauce. A noteworthy wine list, specialty beers, creative cocktails and booze-free bevs, like one with pink peppercorn and thyme, add to the special occasion feel.

Green Zebra is located at 1460 W. Chicago Ave.

Mysore Woodlands

Score meatless South Indian faves for a song at this Devon Street go-to, starting with the masala dosa-potato crepes with sambar and chutney-or pleasantly sour, tongue-singeing cilantro-tamarind rasam soup. Tame the flames with poofy, fried poori. Alternately, sample curries when ordering the Royal Thali-it comes with soup, an assortment of apps, chapati, two kinds of rice and chana and three vegetable curries, plus curd, pickles papad, dessert and a drink.

Mysore Woodlands is located at 2548 W. Devon Ave.



Irazu

Take a trip to Costa Rica-no passport required-at this casual, cash-only, BYOB hub where must-haves include garlicky yuka fries with mojo; soul-warming vegetarian paella with plantains; and tropical-feeling palmetto salad with hearts of palm, beets, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado and radishes atop greens. Be sure to score a banana or passion fruit shake made with milk, water or soy.

Irazu is located at 1865 N. Milwaukee Ave.



Kimski

Korean and Polish fare collide at this off-kilter, counter-service offshoot of Marias Packaged Goods & Community Bar. Prepare your taste buds for street food-inspired finds like sauerkraut-mushroom-filled potskis with farmers cheese, soy cream, pickled onions and herb salad. Then, go another round with sesame seed-showered rice cakes in spicy-sweet chile sauce with kapusta and sesame leaves. Enjoy them on the patio when weather allows.

Kimski is located at 954-960 W. 31st St.

Nana

Local, organic and sustainable ingredients  theyre order of the day at this lively New American-meets-Mexican eatery serving three squares daily in Bridgeport. Although not vegetarian-exclusive, there are loads of meat-free options, whether you favor avocado fries with chipotle-lime aioli or a crispy plantain sandwichhold the chickenpiled high with, cilantro-lime slaw, pickled red onions, melted cheddar, Cuban black beans and rice.

Nana is located at 3267 S. Halsted St.



Handlebar

From its well-stocked bar to its inviting patio, this vegetarian and vegan haven has something to please fans of straight-up appealing comfort food (even if they just so happen to eat meat). Thats true whether you order the gooey Gouda mac and cheese; the black bean maduro with plantains, pico de gallo and brown rice with chipotle tomato sauce; or the Green Meanie sandwich, which is loaded with avocado, spinach, herbed goat cheese and sprouts. Feeling hungover? The breakfast burrito will cure what ails you.

Handlebar is located at 2311 W. North Ave.



Shrimp at Opart Thai. Photo via Facebook.

Opart Thai House

With outposts in West Town, South Loop and Lincoln Square, this catchall Thai joint is a great choice for anyone who has vegetarians and carnivores in tow. That is to say, the menu has tofu satay and fried tofu with peanuts and cilantro for the former, as well as chicken satay and spicy tofu with ground chicken for the latter. Among meat-free entrees, the vibrant veggie pad paak ruam mit gets top props.

Opart Thai House is located at 4658 N. Western Ave., 1906 S. State St. and 1371 W. Chicago Ave.

Original Soul Vegetarian

Feel-good soul food is a reality at this globally inspired favorite with a menu that jaunts from Mediterranean to Asian, Southern and comfort food-driven American fare. Even omnivores will appreciate the seitan sloppy Joe, falafel platter and steamed vegetables and tofu served many ways.

Original Soul Vegetarian is located at 203 E. 75th St.




WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the Republican effort to overhaul the Obama health law (all times local):

7 p.m.

Senate Republicans have conceded defeat on their last-ditch effort to repeal and replace "Obamacare."

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., flanked by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., left, speaks to reporters as they faced assured defeat on the Graham-Cassidy bill, the GOP's latest attempt to repeal the Obama health care law, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Washington. The decision marked the latest defeat on the issue for President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Republican-controlled Congress. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The bill's authors acknowledge they don't have the votes ahead of a critical deadline at the end of this week.

President Donald Trump is slamming 'certain so-called Republicans' and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the focus will now turn to tax reform.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a sponsor of the latest, last-ditch effort, says Republicans are going to fulfill the promise they've made to voters and the GOP base for the past seven years.

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2:39 p.m.

Senate Republicans are insisting they won't give up on repealing and replacing the Obama health care law even as they abandoned plans for a vote this week.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters after a closed-door luncheon in which the GOP decided not to hold the vote: "We haven't given up on changing the American health care system. We aren't going to be able to do it this week."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a sponsor of the latest, last-ditch effort, said Republicans are going to fulfill the promise they've made to voters and the GOP base for the past seven years.

But it was clear that the GOP is moving on to the next complicated legislative priority. McConnell said: "Where we go from here is tax reform."

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2:05 p.m.

Senate Republicans will not vote this week on the latest, last-ditch effort to repeal and replace Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.

That's the word from senators as they emerged from a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona shook his head and said "no" when asked about plans for a vote.

The setback marks the end for the latest drive to overturn the law, a promise the GOP has made to voters for seven years.

The latest iteration of the bill was sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham, but opposition from at least three Republican senators in the narrowly-divided Senate sunk the measure's chances. Democrats were unified in their opposition.

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11:52 a.m.

A new analysis finds that 34 states and Washington, D.C., would lose money under the newest version of the Republican health care bill.

This is despite last-minute changes to the legislation.

Overall, states would get $205 billion less in federal health care money from 2020-2026, according to the analysis from consulting firm Avalere Health, which was released Tuesday.

States that expanded Medicaid to cover low-income adults, as well as those where lots of residents have signed up for subsidized private health insurance, were more likely to be losers under the Graham-Cassidy bill.

The latest changes soften the magnitude of the funding shifts, but the end result remains similar.

Half the 30 states President Donald Trump won last year would lose money.

Losses would grow over time. Sixteen states would gain money.

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11 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he's "disappointed in certain so-called Republicans" who have opposed the latest GOP attempt to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Trump tells reporters at the White House that "we'll see what happens" on whether the Senate will vote on the plan, which has suffered from Republican defections.

Trump says he's "very disappointed by a couple of senators," adding, "We don't know why they did it."

The president says "at some point there will be a repeal and replace" of the health care law. But Republican leaders in the Senate are conceding that their prospects for repealing the law are dismal.

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10:40 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the partisan debate over the country's health care system will "certainly continue."

The Kentucky Republican spoke as he tries to decide whether to hold a vote on the latest GOP bill repealing President Barack Obama's law. That measure seems almost certain to be defeated if a roll call were held.

The Republican legislation would transform much "Obamacare" spending into grants states could spend on health programs with few constraints.

McConnell called that proposal a "stark contrast" to a plan by Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders. That measure is backed by many Democrats and would create government-run health insurance.

McConnell says Sanders' plan would "rip" health insurance from people. He called the issue an important debate and said, "It's one that we'll certainly continue."

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9:35 a.m.

The White House says it believes a Senate health care bill that appears headed for defeat is "still good legislation."

Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the White House is "fully committed" to improving the health care system and that the Senate bill would do that.

With no Democratic support expected, three "no" votes from Republicans would appear to doom the bill. Republicans control 52 Senate seats and Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky have said they will not vote for the bill.

Sanders held out hope that opposing lawmakers might change their minds, or that undecided senators - like Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - will support it.

Senate Republican leaders have conceded that prospects for passing the measure this week appear dismal.

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3:43 a.m.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins' decision to oppose the GOP push to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul leaves the effort all but dead. Even party leaders concede that their prospects are dismal.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 3 GOP Senate leader, says reviving the push would be a heavy lift.

Thune made the comment after Collins joined a small but pivotal cluster of Republicans saying they're against the measure.

GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas are also against the legislation, though Cruz aides say he might back it if changes are made. Alaska's Lisa Murkowski is a Republican who's undecided.

With their narrow Senate majority, defections by three GOP senators would doom the bill.
PARIS (AP) - Calling Europe slow, weak and ineffective, French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said the EU should embrace a joint budget, shared military force and harmonized taxes to stay globally relevant.

With Brexit looming, Macron warned the rest of Europe against the dangers of anti-immigrant nationalism and fragmentation, saying it goes against the principles of a shared Europe born from the tragedy of world wars.

"We thought the past would not come back ... we thought we had learned the lessons," Macron told a crowd of European students at the Sorbonne university Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on the European Union at the amphitheater of the Sorbonne university in Paris, France, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Macron is laying out his vision Tuesday for a more unified Europe, with a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency and a stronger global voice despite Brexit looming. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

After a far-right party entered the German parliament for the first time in 60 years, Macron said this isolationist attitude has resurfaced "because of blindness ... because we forgot to defend Europe."

"The Europe that we know is too slow, too weak, too ineffective," he said.

To change that, he proposed a joint budget for European countries sharing the euro currency that would allow investment in European projects and help stabilize the eurozone in case of economic crisis. This budget would at some point need to come from national budgets of countries sharing the euro currency, for instance using domestic taxes on businesses.

Macron said the only way to make Europe strong in a globalized world is to reshape "a sovereign, united and democratic Europe."

While re-elected German Chancellor Angela Merkel has signaled openness to some of Macron's ideas, one potential ally in her new government is deeply skeptical about a eurozone budget. Macron's office says he wants his Europe strategy to play a role in Germany's coalition-building talks.

To reduce inequalities across the EU, Macron also suggested greater harmonization of EU tax policies - notably on corporate taxes, and taxing internet giants where they make money and not where they are registered.

Macron is also proposing that every EU country guarantee a minimum wage and payroll charges.

Macron said, "I believe deeply in this innovation economy," but insisted that "we must have this debate" about making taxation more fair.

Macron also proposed a shared European military intervention force and defense budget. He suggested the creation of a European intelligence academy to better fight terrorism, and a joint civil protection force.

He wants to open the French military to European soldiers and proposed other EU member states do the same on a voluntary basis.

To deal with Europe's migration flux, Macron wants a European asylum agency and standard EU identity documents.

Macron's policies have met resistance at home, and riot police held back a few dozen protesters outside the Sorbonne.

Macron doesn't want to wait for Britain to leave the EU in 2019 to tie European economies closer together.

He's well-placed to kickstart those efforts: at just 39, he came of age under the EU, and won a strong electoral mandate this year. And he's already held one-on-one meetings with 22 of the union's 27 other leaders to market his EU strategy.

Macron recalled he won the presidential election on a pro-European platform, against anti-European, anti-immigration far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

His biggest challenge may be the German political calendar. The outgoing government there goes into caretaker status in a few weeks and is not going to be taking any major decisions on the future of Europe, and it may take months for Merkel to form a viable coalition.

The pro-business Free Democrats, a key potential partner for Merkel, is against a joint budget because the party says that would result in automatic, uncontrolled money transfers from Germany to struggling eurozone partners.

Answering a question about Germany's potential reluctance to a joint budget, Macron said he is open to discussion and insisted this budget would not be based on an automatic, uncontrolled transfer of money, but rather on common projects that would be democratically approved and financed.

Merkel herself said Monday she wouldn't rule anything out and that she is in touch with Macron about his plans. "What is important to me above all is that we could use more Europe, but that must lead to more competitiveness, more jobs, simply more clout for the European Union," she told reporters in Berlin.

Macron plans to discuss his proposals with all leaders of EU member states that are interested in the integration process by the end of the year.

He then wants "transparent, free" debates involving all citizens to be organized in all EU countries early next year, with the aim of combating euroskepticism by giving a voice to Europeans, instead of imposing decisions.

He said EU leaders should be ready to propose a detailed, agreed roadmap to reform Europe by 2019, when elections for the European parliament are to be held.

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Angela Charlton in Paris and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on the European Union at the amphitheater of the Sorbonne university in Paris, France, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Macron is laying out his vision Tuesday for a more unified Europe, with a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency and a stronger global voice despite Brexit looming. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on the European Union at the amphitheater of the Sorbonne university in Paris, France, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Macron is laying out his vision Tuesday for a more unified Europe, with a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency and a stronger global voice despite Brexit looming. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on the European Union at the amphitheater of the Sorbonne university in Paris, France, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Macron is laying out his vision Tuesday for a more unified Europe, with a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency and a stronger global voice despite Brexit looming. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on the European Union at the amphitheater of the Sorbonne university in Paris, France, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Macron is laying out his vision Tuesday for a more unified Europe, with a joint budget for countries sharing the euro currency and a stronger global voice despite Brexit looming. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
Keith Tharpe, 59, was sentenced to death back in 1991 over the brutal murder of his sister-in-law Jacquelin Freeman

The US Supreme Court granted a temporary stay of execution Tuesday night for a Georgia inmate whose attorneys argue that the 59-year-old black man's death sentence was tainted by a juror's racial bias.

Keith Leroy Tharpe, known as 'Bo,' was set to be put to death at 7pm EDT at the state prison by injection of the barbiturate pentobarbital, but the hour came and went as the justices considered his case.

Just before 11pm EDT, the court announced the temporary stay.

'I'm glad they're willing to take the time to consider these serious issues in Mr. Tharpe's case,' said Tharpe attorney Brian Kammer.

The justices will now decide whether to hear Tharpe's case, but it's not immediately clear when that decision will be made.

Last week, Tharpe requested to eat three spicy chicken breasts, a roast beef sandwich with sauce, a fish sandwich, tater logs, onion rings, an apple pie and a vanilla milkshake prior to his execution.

His execution by lethal injection was scheduled to take place at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison (above) in Jackson on Tuesday

Tharpe was convicted of murder and two counts of kidnapping in the September 1990 slaying of his sister-in-law, Jaquelyn Freeman.

Tharpe's wife left him on August 28, 1990, taking their four daughters to live with her mother.

Tharpe ignored an order not to contact his wife and during an argument over the phone on Sept. 24, 1990, he said that if she wanted to 'play dirty,' he would show her what dirty was, a Georgia Supreme Court summary of the case said.

Freeman was traveling to work with Tharpe's estranged wife when Tharpe blocked their vehicle with a borrowed truck, ordered them out and fatally shot Freeman.

About three months after the killing, Tharpe was tried, convicted and sentenced to death.

Years after Tharpe's trial, his legal team interviewed a white juror in the case and he freely used the N-word, according to filings by Tharpe's lawyers.

CALORIES IN THARPE'S LAST MEAL: Three spicy chicken breasts: 1,260 calories Roast beef sandwich: 341 calories Fish sandwich: 325 calories Tater logs (10 pieces): 275 calories Onion rings (100g): 411 calories Apple pie (1 slice): 296 calories Vanilla milkshake (11 ounce): 350 calories Total estimated calories: 3,258 Daily recommended intake: 2,500 Advertisement

Juror Barney Gattie, who has since died, also said Freeman was from a family of 'good black folks,' but Tharpe wasn't in that category and should be executed for his crime, according to an affidavit.

'After studying the Bible, I have wondered if black people even have souls,' Gattie said.

Gattie later said he had been drinking when he talked to Tharpe's legal team and didn't understand what his statement would be used for.

He also said his comments had been 'taken all out of proportion' and 'misconstrued.'

He testified that he voted for the death penalty because of the facts of the case, not because of Tharpe's race.

The state of Georgia said the juror racial bias claim was barred by evidence rules and that there is insufficient evidence to show that juror bias affected the trial's outcome.

The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stop the execution.

The US Supreme Court issued the temporary stay based on a separate motion that Tharpe's attorneys had filed in federal court in June seeking to reopen his case based on the allegations of juror racial bias.

Once executed, Tharpe will be the 48th inmate put to death by lethal injection in Georgia. Above is the execution chamber at the Georgia Diagnostic Prison in Jackson

A federal judge and the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals denied that motion.

In a clemency application, Tharpe's lawyers described a tough childhood and an extensive history of substance abuse that they said included getting black-out drunk by age 10 and a debilitating crack cocaine habit.

They said Tharpe feels deep remorse over Freeman's killing and has kicked his addictions during his time in prison, devoted his life to God and sought to help improve the lives of others.

Tharpe would have been the second inmate executed this year by the state, and the 19th nationwide.

Georgia executed nine people last year.
GENEVA (AP) - Saudi Arabia has threatened other countries over a proposed resolution at the U.N.'s main human rights body, saying if they send international, independent investigators to war-torn Yemen that could "negatively affect" trade and diplomatic ties with the wealthy kingdom, a Saudi letter obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press shows.

Two competing resolutions - one by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states and another by Canada and the Netherlands - have been proposed on how to best document the human rights violations in Yemen. The resolutions are shaping up as the main diplomatic showdown at the Human Rights Council session that ends Friday.

Saudi Arabia has sent a letter to at least two foreign countries warning that the Arab states "will not accept" the Dutch-Canadian resolution, which seeks an "international, independent investigation."

FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2017 file photo, People inspect the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen. The Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, Kurdish independence referendum in Iraq is the latest in a series of moves toward formal secession or de facto fragmentation caused by conflict, race or religion in the Middle East. It's a trend viewed with considerable alarm in a region that had seriously flirted with merging its nations in post-colonial years more than a half century ago. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)

U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has repeatedly called for such an investigation.

Saudi Arabia favors an existing domestic investigation that critics say has failed to hold rights violators to account in a war pitting the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government against Shiite and affiliated rebel groups. The fighting has killed more than 10,000 civilians over the last 2-1/2 years in the Arab world's poorest country.

While both sides say they are working to reach a single, compromise text at the 47-member rights council in Geneva, the letter suggests that Saudi Arabia is exerting diplomatic and economic pressure to thwart the rival plan.

"Adopting the Netherlands/Canadian draft resolution in the Human Rights Council may negatively affect the bilateral political and economic relations with Saudi Arabia," the 1-1/2-page letter said, while also emphasizing the "importance of adopting a unified stance to face the conflict in Yemen."

Two Western diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the negotiations are ongoing, confirmed that their countries had received the letter.

When shown a copy of it, the Saudi ambassador in Geneva, Abdulaziz Alwasil, told the AP that he was not aware of it.

Saudi Arabia has succeeded in derailing past attempts by the Dutch at the council to ensure greater accountability for rights violations in Yemen. The Dutch-Canadian effort seeks to get access for human rights teams to rebel-held parts of Yemen that domestic investigators cannot visit.

The United States has not taken sides publicly about the competing resolutions.

"We do not support options that could further divide the Council on this topic and believe the most impact will come from a single resolution that can be adopted by consensus," State Department Public Affairs said in an email relayed by the U.S. mission in Geneva.

The Saudi-led coalition, which has received military hardware and support from the United States, Britain and France, has come under increasing fire from advocacy groups over its blistering air strikes that have killed civilians in an impoverished country that is now on the brink of famine and facing the world's largest cholera outbreak.

"The world has sat largely silent while Yemeni civilians endure horrors," said John Fisher, Geneva director for Human Rights Watch, citing abuses by both the pro-government side and by forces loyal to Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and their allies: the Iran-backed Shiite rebels known as Houthis.

Since March 2015, Fisher said in a statement, the Saudi-led coalition has bombed "homes, markets, schools, and hospitals. Opposing Houthi-Saleh forces have shelled cities and laid land mines that will harm civilians for years to come. Both sides have carried out arbitrary detentions, torture, and forced disappearances."

Human Rights Watch supports the Dutch-Canadian proposal.

"The Saudi text offers more of the same," Fisher wrote. "While shoring up the Yemeni commission can't hurt, it's no substitute for the independent international commission that is desperately needed."
HONG KONG (AP) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Wednesday that the Trump administration's priorities as it prepares to tackle "bigger" and "more difficult" trade issues with China are better market access, less protectionism and protecting intellectual property rights.

Ross spoke to reporters in Hong Kong after his visit earlier in the week to Beijing, where he met with Premier Li Keqiang, China's top economic official, as part of preparations for President Donald Trump's visit to the country in November.

Ross will also lead a senior trade mission to China that month, the Commerce Department announced Tuesday.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross listens to a reporter's question during a press conference in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Ross said Wednesday that the Trump administration's priorities as it prepares to tackle bigger and "more difficult" trade issues with China are better market access, less protectionism and protecting intellectual property rights. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met when Xi visited the U.S. in April, in a meeting where they agreed on a 100-day plan for trade talks to address Trump's complaints about China's swollen trade surpluses.

Ross said that while those talks have yielded some progress, such as a deal to let U.S. beef into China, "we're looking for bigger things and more difficult things than what we had in the first 100 days."

He didn't elaborate on specific issues, saying only that at the top of the list is "better market access both for companies operating there physically and for companies exporting there."

The U.S. also wants less protectionism and more respect for intellectual property rights from China, Ross said.

"The U.S. is actually the least protectionist of any major country and China is one of the most protectionist," he said, while adding that the "frankness and an openness" he saw on his visit to Beijing made him optimistic about the negotiations.

Trump has slammed China's large trade surpluses with the United States and ordered an investigation into whether Beijing improperly pressures companies to hand over their technology in exchange for market access. Last year, the U.S. ran up a $347 billion trade deficit in goods with China - accounting for nearly half the total.

Xi, who took power in 2012, and other Chinese leaders have vowed to let market forces have a bigger role, give equal treatment to foreign and Chinese companies and roll back state industry's dominance. But reform advocates complain little has been done to fulfill those pledges.

Ross raised concerns about Chinese government support measures aimed at helping develop key industries like robotics inadvertently leading to overcapacity.

China has been making a big push into robotics as communist leaders seek to take an early lead in emerging industries. Out of about 400 robotics companies in China, Ross said "people in the industry tell me their estimate is that 360 of those are in it to get subsidies and tax breaks and are not really that serious about the products."

On North Korean sanctions, Ross said the U.S. would keep them up as part of efforts aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

"We've been trying to go step by step gradually increasing the economic pressure on North Korea," Ross said. "If nothing else happens in terms of other alternative solutions, you can bet the U.S. will increase the pressure as best we can."

Ross also commented on a Commerce Department decision on Tuesday that Canadian plane maker Bombardier should be hit with tariffs on its C Series aircraft in a dispute with Boeing, saying it was part of playing fair.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had threatened to stop doing business with Boeing, which is in talks to sell Canada 18 Super Hornet jet fighters. British Prime Minister Theresa May also raised it with Trump because Bombardier employs more than 4,000 workers in Northern Ireland.

"It's not out of any anti-Canadian or any anti-U.K. or certainly any anti-Northern Ireland sentiment, but even with your friends and even with your allies, you must obey the rules," Ross said, adding that the decision was preliminary and a final ruling is expected in months. "The consequences are what they will be."

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross poses before a press conference in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Ross said Wednesday that the Trump administration's priorities as it prepares to tackle bigger and "more difficult" trade issues with China are better market access, less protectionism and protecting intellectual property rights. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross listens to a reporter's question during a press conference in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. Ross said Wednesday that the Trump administration's priorities as it prepares to tackle bigger and "more difficult" trade issues with China are better market access, less protectionism and protecting intellectual property rights. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
MADRID (AP) - Spain's government on Tuesday ordered Catalonia's regional police force to identify officials at local schools and other civic buildings expected to be used as polling stations in a controversial independence referendum.

Spanish authorities say the Oct. 1 ballot on whether the Catalan region should secede from Spain is illegal. It is cracking down on organizers by threatening them with prosecution.

The order placed further pressure on the Catalan police, who were being told by central Spanish authorities to act against their fellow Catalans in the emotionally-charged standoff.

A man looks at banners encouraging people to vote for the referendum Barcelona, Spain Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Grassroots groups driving Catalonia's independence movement say they have started distributing one million ballots to be used in a referendum on secession that the Spanish government has vowed to stop. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

The Spanish Interior Ministry in Madrid said the order to note down the personal details of officials was given to police by the top state prosecutor in Catalonia.

The prosecutor also instructed the Catalan police, known as the Mossos d'Esquadra, to commandeer the polling stations ahead of the weekend, Spanish news agency Europa Press reported.

As tensions surrounding the vote builds, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has canceled his trip to the Estonian capital of Tallinn for a European Union summit on Friday, Spanish media reported.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley urged South Sudan's leaders on Tuesday to seize "the last chance" to salvage the 2015 peace agreement and end the worsening violence that has forced 4 million people to flee their homes and left 7.6 million in desperate need of aid.

Haley told the U.N. Security Council that "the people of South Sudan are suffering and the promise of their hard-fought independence is slipping away."

She said opposing parties in the world's newest nation must commit themselves to the revitalization process put forward by the eight-nation East African regional group known as IGAD "to resuscitate the peace agreement - and to do so quickly for time is running short."

There were high hopes that South Sudan would have peace and stability after its independence from neighboring Sudan in 2011. But the country plunged into ethnic violence in December 2013 when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, started battling those loyal to Riek Machar, his former vice president who is a Nuer. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people.

The August 2015 peace agreement has not stopped the fighting and clashes in July 2016 between supporters of Kiir and Machar set off further violence.

Haley's appeal to South Sudan's feuding leaders to support the High Level Revitalization Forum that IGAD is trying to convene to bring them together was echoed by nearly all council members and U.N. special envoy for South Sudan David Shearer.

Shearer painted a grim picture of the impoverished, war-torn nation as it approaches the end of the rainy season.

"The government appears emboldened by its recent military gains," he said. "Across the country, the opposition remains deeply fractured and has suffered significant military setbacks in recent months."

At the same time, Shearer said, South Sudan is "beset by social, economic and humanitarian challenges" and an economic crisis is fueling public frustration with many civil servants unpaid for over four months and salaries to security forces delayed. In addition, he said, deep distrust of military forces, "exacerbated by human rights abuses," is fueling the flight of many people to neighboring countries.

Shearer said the splintering of opposition forces has had "negative consequences" for the delivery of humanitarian aid. As an example, he said the World Food Program's regular convoys to Yambio - normally two days travel from the capital Juba - now require "13 separate permissions from armed groups along its route."

The United Nations has a 12,000-strong peacekeeping mission in South Sudan and the Security Council last year approved an additional 4,000 peacekeepers from the region to help protect civilians after a series of reported gang-rapes and other assaults when fighting erupted in Juba in July 2016.

Shearer told the council that deploying regional troops to Juba Airport, including at the mission's Tomping base, "remains a vexed issue." He said that he and the force commander are discussing "unresolved issues" with the government and will reach out to IGAD and the African Union to meet with the government in Juba as soon as possible.

South Sudan's First Vice President Tabo Deng Gai painted a much rosier picture in his speech to the General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting on Saturday, saying the government is confident that peace will soon return to the country "and wars shall be stories of the past."

This was in sharp contrast not only to the assessments of Shearer and Haley but to those of many council members.

In late April, Haley urged the council to impose an arms embargo and additional sanctions on South Sudan to pressure the parties to end the civil war - but Russia and China remain opposed.

Haley told the council Tuesday that the U.S. recently imposed its own sanctions on a number of South Sudanese officials "who thwarted peace."

"Our hope is that South Sudan's leaders will seize this opportunity" offered by IGAD, she said. "If not, we must resolve now both individually and collectively to do more to end this conflict."

Haley said President Donald Trump has asked her to visit central and east Africa in October and she will be in Juba soon.

Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Petr Iliichev reiterated Moscow's opposition to targeted sanctions against individuals and an arms embargo, saying they "will not facilitate in alleviating the crisis. On the contrary, this will further compound the situation."

"Our hope is that preparations currently under way for the IGAD forum on revitalization of the peace agreement will lead to success," he said.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - A paraglider knocked out electricity in a Florida neighborhood after crashing into power lines.

St. Petersburg firefighters helped untangle the paraglider Tuesday morning after he landed in the lines.

WFLA reports the man was taken to a hospital with leg injuries, but was conscious and talking with firefighters. He apparently was shocked either when he hit the wires or hit the ground.

Power crews were called to remove the paraglider equipment from the lines.

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This story has been corrected to say it was a paraglider, not parachutist, that crashed into the power lines.

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Information from: WFLA-TV, http://www.wfla.com/
PARIS (AP) - The World Anti-Doping Agency has provisionally stopped France's only accredited anti-doping laboratory from carrying out testing after a positive sample it analyzed from a bodybuilder contaminated two other samples with traces of a steroid.

The indefinite suspension means France's anti-doping agency will have to send blood and urine samples abroad for testing, until the facility in the Paris suburb of Chatenay-Malabry is re-accredited by WADA.

The French agency's secretary general, Mathieu Teoran, told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that it's not clear when the suspension might be lifted.

The lab will be used for drug testing when Paris hosts the Olympic Games in 2024. It has previously been recognized for pioneering work in drug testing. It has never been suspended before, Teoran said.

The problem originated with a batch of 80 samples taken from bodybuilders, he said. Many of the samples tested positive, and some were found to contain 17 different substances, he said.

One sample with a particularly high concentrations of a steroid - some 200 times higher than generally found in positive cases - left traces of the substance on a testing machine, which then contaminated two other samples, he said.

Such machines are rinsed between samples to prevent contamination. But the cleaning procedure wasn't sufficient this time, he said.

The lab detected the problem on a Friday night, Aug. 25, and WADA was informed three days later, on the following Monday, he said.

The fault has since been fixed and samples were analyzed again. He said no athlete was wrongly punished because of the contamination.

"We re-analyzed entire waves of samples to ensure that there were no other problems," he said. "We think it's resolved."

The lab is now waiting for a WADA audit, he said.

A WADA statement said the lab's accreditation was suspended because of "analytical issues" but did not detail them.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas officials are seeking immunity from being sued for releasing decade-old information about a sexual abuse investigation involving Josh Duggar and four of his sisters.

Jill Duggar Dillard, Jessa Duggar Seewald, Jinger Duggar Vuolo and Joy Duggar filed a lawsuit in May against the city of Springdale and Washington County, Arkansas, alleging officials breached their privacy by giving InTouch Weekly, a celebrity magazine, investigation documents that revealed their identities. The magazine had requested the documents under a Freedom of Information Act request.

The documents were related to an investigation into allegations that Josh Duggar had molested his sisters between March 2002 and March 2003 when they were minors.

"It's despicable what happened here. There's no greater violation of a young person than to tell the world about their sexual assault," said Steven Bledsoe, an attorney for the Duggar sisters. "Any details about the sexual assault of a minor are not subject to disclosure under FOIA."

City and county officials have asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed, arguing that they qualify for immunity from being sued and that the information released was public knowledge.

Judge Tim Brooks held a hearing on the case Monday and is expected to issue a written order soon, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported .

Justin Eichmann, an attorney for the Springdale defendants, said officials believed they were required by law to release the redacted investigation reports. Eichmann argued that the Arkansas Juvenile Code doesn't apply to the case because there were no arrests, detentions or criminal proceedings involved.

Washington County officials released information after Springdale officials released their reports, said Jason Owens, an attorney for the Washington County defendants.

The siblings were on the "19 Kids and Counting" TLC reality show, which chronicled the personal life of Arkansas parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
A Chinese company has produced the world's first unmanned, amphibious commercial aircraft, with plans to use it to deliver goods, transport supplies to islands and detect submarines, according to the manufacturer.

A U650 unmanned amphibious aircraft undergoes tests in Central China at the end of 2016. [Photo/China Daily]

Liu Jiandong, founder and chairman of UVS Intelligence System, a privately owned drone-maker in Shanghai, said mass production of its U650 seaplane has begun and will enter commercial operation this year with a Chinese express delivery company and a client in Southeast Asia.

He declined to name the buyers, citing business confidentiality, but said both contracts had "considerable value".

"We are working with the domestic client to apply for approval from air traffic management authorities of our plan to open a freight route next year using the amphibious drone," he said.

The U650 was developed based on Spain's Colyaer Freedom S100 amphibious ultralight aircraft, whose intellectual property rights were wholly acquired by the Shanghai company, according to UVS.

The amphibious drone carried out its maiden flight from waters in Central China in December 2015, the company said.

The 5.85-meter-long unmanned seaplane, made of carbon fiber, is able to stay aloft 15 hours with a cruising speed of 180 kilometers per hour and a flight range of 2,000 km. It is capable of takeoffs and landings from short unpaved airstrips, grassland or water.

The drone can carry up to 250 kilograms of cargo and its wings can also carry four payloads, such as inflatable life rafts.

Liu said his company sees domestic and foreign couriers as the U650's primary users. It expects the model to be a commercial success because "it is the only civilian drone in the global market that is capable of ferrying cargo with a total weight of 200 kg or even heavier".

Express delivery enterprises along China's eastern and southern coastal regions will find the U650 useful, he said. Those areas are densely populated and have busy airline operations that lead to many restrictions when it comes to drone flights.

"Our aircraft can fly above and land on water. Its range is much longer than those of small types, so it doesn't need to make stops during a delivery mission. It will not risk the safety of people or airliners," Liu said.

Almost all of China's large couriers, such as China Post and SF Express, have begun to invest in research and development on delivery drones. Analysts have said drones will play an increasingly important role in the country's skyrocketing online shopping industry.

Globally, Amazon and DHL Express have deployed drones for delivery service on a small and experimental scale, and are continuing to design new models.

In addition to couriers, U650 will also be able to benefit Chinese troops and residents on islands and reefs in the South China Sea, Liu said.

"It can be used to transport supplies to those islands and reefs many times a day at a low cost while ships and manned planes are subject to weather and expenditure considerations," he said. "Meanwhile, the deployment of such drones will make it possible for those living there to have access to online shopping, which they are unable to do now because of the absence of delivery service."

The U650 is capable of carrying out reconnaissance and strikes for the military thanks to its ability to carry radar, sonar or missiles.

"For instance, the drone can remain afloat at sea to tow sonar to detect submarines and move rapidly to other areas to continue the search," Liu said.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Director Doug Liman loves spy stories and antiheroes, but he didn't anticipate having such a personal connection to the little-known story of TWA Pilot turned Medellin Cartel friend, drug smuggler and Drug Enforcement Agency informant Barry Seal, who became a central figure in the Reagan Administration's Iran-Contra scandal.

Liman's late father, Arthur Liman, served as chief counsel to the Senate committee investigating the affair.

"It was a story I already knew," said Liman, who directed "The Bourne Identity" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." ''I just didn't know it from the POV of the people on the ground doing the mission."

FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2016 file photo, Doug Liman attends The National Board of Review Gala, honoring the 2015 award winners in New York. Liman's latest film is "American Made," starring Tom Cruise. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Seal's life gets the Hollywood treatment in Liman's new film, "American Made," starring Tom Cruise as the charismatic hustler. It hits North American theaters on Friday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Liman talks about the film, his ongoing partnership with Cruise and the plane crash that killed two crewmembers and is currently the subject of lawsuits from their families.

Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

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AP: In the film, Barry Seal keeps saying how much he loves America while blatantly gaming the system - drug smuggling, laundering money. Do you think this is a cynical movie?

LIMAN: I don't think it's cynical. I think it's a celebration of America. We are this land of opportunity and opportunists. And the same drive that Barry had when he's flying these missions for the CIA, which is like, "I know how to get around law enforcement because the CIA is helping me, but I've got an empty airplane on the way back..." How is that any different than Henry Ford or Mark Zuckerberg?

AP: And you've teamed up with a larger-than-life movie star for this in Tom Cruise, who you've worked with before and will again on the "Edge of Tomorrow" sequel.

LIMAN: It's kind of hard to work with Tom Cruise and not be aware that you're working with one of the biggest movie stars in the world. We shot part of this movie in this really remote airstrip in Colombia...an hour and a half flight from the closest road. And along the river by the airstrip there were these indigenous people living not too far from the airstrip and I said to Tom, "You know those people don't know who you are." And Tom's like, "They'll know who I am." I was like, "They have no electricity. They are 300 miles from the closest road through the densest forest. How could they possibly know who you are?" We stayed a day there. We camped there for a night. And on the second day the indigenous peoples came up with all these gifts for Tom.

AP: Why do you think you two work so well together?

LIMAN: We created a really safe space where we can be totally honest with each other and can push ourselves and can do things outside of our comfort zone.

We have the kind of relationship where if he's doing something and it's not working and I'm trying to figure out how to tell him gently that it's not working and I'll say, "You know, Tom that was..." and I'm trying to figure out what word to use and Tom will go "Terrible?" And I'll be like, "Yeah that was terrible." And he can say the same thing back to me.

AP: Between this and "Edge of Tomorrow" you've gotten a lot of credit for putting him in more unconventional roles.

LIMAN: As much as I want to say "American Made" shows you a Tom Cruise you haven't seen before, the reality is it has most in common with "Risky Business" where he was a high school student who started a brothel.

AP: And you also lived together while making the movie?

LIMAN: This will sort of sum up my relationship with Tom: We shared a house making the film and I was taking piano lessons while we were making the film and I learned "Old Time Rock and Roll" and I kept playing it to see if he would slide into the room in his underwear...but he never did. I thought it would be a Pavlovian reaction.

AP: But he also didn't tell you to stop?

LIMAN: No.

AP: Is there anything you can say about the accident?

LIMAN: I'm a pilot as is Tom. As much as all the other things that attracted me to the movie, I was attracted to the idea of doing really exciting sequences with real airplanes and what I did with cars in "Bourne," I wanted to do with airplanes, kind of car chases with airplanes. And no one is more safety conscious than Tom Cruise. On "Edge of Tomorrow" we walked on to our drop ship set and the first thing he said was can we have a fire drill? Sure enough a few weeks later there was a little fire and the fire drill paid off. (This) accident wasn't on set so I don't know that much about it, but those of us who are pilots are acutely aware of how dangerous this thing we love is. Flying small airplanes is not like being on airlines.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
New research aims to find out why highly endangered beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet have failed to recover despite protective measures.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded more than $1.3 million to the state for three years of research involving the white whales.

'While we know what we believe caused the initial decline, we're not sure what's causing the population to remain suppressed,' said Mandy Keogh, a wildlife physiologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

In this August, 2009, photo provided by the Department of Defense, a Cook Inlet beluga whale calf, left, and an adult breach near Anchorage, Alaska. The state of Alaska and research partners will use grants of more than $1.3 million for three years of studies on why Cook Inlet beluga whales, an endangered species, have not recovered. (Christopher Garner/Department of Defense via AP)

BELUGA WHALES Belugas feed on salmon, smaller fish, crab, shrimp, squid and clams. Dubbed 'sea canaries,' the whales make a wide range of whistles, grunts and clicks, and use echolocation to navigate under ice and find prey in murky water. Advertisement

A population of 1,300 belugas dwindled steadily through the 1980s and early '90s.

The decline accelerated when Alaska Natives harvested nearly half the remaining 650 whales between 1994 and 1998.

Subsistence hunting ended in 1999 but the population remains at only about 340 animals.

Cook Inlet belugas are one of five beluga populations in U.S. waters.

Cook Inlet, named for British explorer Capt. James Cook, stretches 180 miles (290 kilometers) from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska.

Belugas feed on salmon, smaller fish, crab, shrimp, squid and clams.

Dubbed 'sea canaries,' the whales make a wide range of whistles, grunts and clicks, and use echolocation to navigate under ice and find prey in murky water.

Federal officials declared Cook Inlet belugas endangered in 2008.

The new research will supplement ongoing NOAA Fisheries research and review feeding patterns, social structure of whale pods and the effects of noise.

One new study will focus on beluga prey and habitat.

Researchers will analyze teeth collected over the years from hunted or stranded belugas and measure stable isotopes to determine how feeding patterns may have changed during their lives.

'Like tree rings, teeth have annual growth layers,' Mat Wooller, chemical oceanography professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said in a statement. 'Measuring isotopes in these growth layers can reveal how whales' feeding habits have changed over the life of an animal.'

Chemical signatures in teeth, Keogh said, can reveal whether belugas ate fish in the water column or prey along the ocean floor.

Streams within Cook Inlet have unique strontium signatures that carry over to the fish that hatch in them, such as salmon and eulachon, a kind of smelt also known as hooligan.

NOAA researchers last week deployed acoustic equipment to record belugas feeding.

The whales emit a specific buzz sound after successfully foraging.

NOAA Fisheries manages the animals, but the state has a strong interest in their recovery. Belugas are a tourist draw as they swim in waters along Alaska highways.

'Right now we don't know what they're feeding on in winter,' Keogh said.

Researchers also will listen for sounds of transient killer whales, a possible predator, along with industrial noises that could displace belugas from feeding areas.

Researchers also will study pod social structures and compare it to a growing population of belugas in Alaska's Bristol Bay, which has been studied for the past decade by researchers from Chicago's Shedd Aquarium and Atlanta's Georgia Aquarium in partnership with state, federal and university scientists.

Segments needed for a growing population may be missing in Cook Inlet, Keogh said.

NOAA researchers last week deployed acoustic equipment to record belugas feeding

'For example, we don't know if belugas need one male for every female, or whether they're more similar to something like a wolf pack, where not all individuals in the group are reproducing,' she said.

NOAA Fisheries manages the animals, but the state has a strong interest in their recovery. Belugas are a tourist draw as they swim in waters along Alaska highways.

Cook Inlet petroleum helps keep the lights on in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, and the state wants to lift development restrictions if the measures are not helping belugas.

'If you don't know the factors that are preventing them from recovering, it's really hard to appropriately manage them, or to know what factors to try to alleviate,' Keogh said.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Latest on the church shooting in Tennessee (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

A minister says he thought he was dying after a gunman shot him in his Tennessee church.

This undated photo provided by Metro Nashville Police Department shows Emanuel Kidega Samson. A gunman entered a church in Tennessee on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, and opened deadly fire an official said. Authorities identified the attacker as Samson, 25, of Murfreesboro, who came to the United States from Sudan in 1996 and was a legal U.S. resident. (Metro Nashville Police Department via AP)

In a news conference at the hospital where is being treated, Burnette Chapel Church of Christ Minister David "Joey" Spann said Tuesday that the masked gunman shot him in the chest and hand in Nashville. Another bullet whizzed past his ear.

The Sunday shooting rampage killed 38-year-old Melanie L. Crow of Smyrna, Tennessee, outside the church and injured six others.

Spann lost a finger, but says he's thankful he's alive.

His wife, Peggy, was also shot and is in the same hospital. Spann said he saw her early Tuesday and she's doing OK.

Police have charged 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson with murder and have said more charges will likely follow.

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8:30 a.m.

A funeral is set for a woman who was shot at a Tennessee church.

According to West Harpeth Funeral Home and Crematory, services for 38-year-old Melanie L. Crow of Smyrna, Tennessee, will be held Thursday at the funeral home in Nashville. Her visitation is scheduled for Wednesday.

Police said she was killed Sunday in the parking lot at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ. Six others were wounded inside the church in a Nashville neighborhood.

Police have charged 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson of Murfreesboro in her death and he's expected to face several more charges.

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An earlier version of this report had an incorrect spelling of Smyrna, Tennessee.

Both items have been corrected to reflect that the victim's family identifies her as Melanie L. Crow, not Melanie Smith Crow.

Ieshea White cries tears of joy after being reunited with her uncle Roger Bracey, center, who was at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ when shots were fired Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Antioch, Tenn. They were reunited at another nearby church. (Shelley Mays/The Tennessean via AP)

Leshea White and Kimberly Stallworth hug their uncle Roger Bracey, who was at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ when shots were fired, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Antioch, Tenn. They were reunited at another nearby church. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)

This undated photo provided by Metro Nashville Police Department shows Emanuel Kidega Samson. A gunman entered a church in Tennessee on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, and opened deadly fire an official said. Authorities identified the attacker as Samson, 25, of Murfreesboro, who came to the United States from Sudan in 1996 and was a legal U.S. resident. (Metro Nashville Police Department via AP)

Police investigate the scene outside the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ after a deadly shooting at the church on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Antioch, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)

Kaitlyn Adams, a member of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, hugs another church member at the scene after shots were fired at the church on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Antioch, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)

Kaitlyn Adams, a member of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, hugs another church member at the scene after a deadly shooting at the church on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Antioch, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)

Police investigate the scene outside the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ after a deadly shooting at the church on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Antioch, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)

Police tape lines the scene at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ after a deadly shooting at the church on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Antioch, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)

Police tape lines the scene at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ after a deadly shooting at the church on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Antioch, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) - A new round of U.N.-sponsored talks aimed at uniting Libya's rival factions has opened in neighboring Tunisia.

An "action plan" for dialogue was on the table at a meeting on Tuesday opened by the U.N. chief's special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame.

Libya sank into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Two rival leaders recently agreed to cooperate to pull Libya from the crisis that threatens the region and ultimately Europe. The final goal is big: a national conference with all Libyan parties, adoption of a constitution and presidential elections.

More immediately, they aim to thrash out amendments to a 2015 peace accord reached in Skhirat, Morocco.

Salame said there's "no doubt" the accord's legitimacy would be strengthened with broad support among Libyans.
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has announced he will dissolve the lower house of parliament and call a snap election for next month.

Mr Abe said at a news conference that he will dissolve the more powerful house in Japans two-chamber parliament on Thursday when it convenes after a three-month summer recess.

The election is due to be held October 22.

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (Evan Vucci/AP)

Support ratings for Mr Abes government have begun to rebound as attacks on its cronyism scandals have faded during parliaments recess, while opposition parties are regrouping. Opposition MPs said there is no need to hold elections now.

Mr Abe said: I expect opposition criticism is going to focus on (the scandals), and its going to be a very difficult election.

Analysts believe his ruling Liberal Democratic Party will retain a majority, but could lose the two-thirds majority it holds with its coalition partner, the Komei party.

However, a big enough victory could help Mr Abe extend his hold on power. His three-year term as party leader ends next September, and he will have to fend off any challengers from within the LDP to remain prime minister.
Tottenham will look to take one step closer to the Champions League knock-out stages on Tuesday when they face Apoel Nicosia in Cyprus.

Here, we take a look at five talking points ahead of the match.

Can Tottenham build on Dortmund win?

After last seasons disappointing Champions League campaign, Spurs got off to the perfect start in Group H with an impressive victory over Borussia Dortmund. They cannot afford to undo their good work with a slip-up against Apoel, who are likely to end up bottom of a tough Group H. If Tottenham win, they could well sit in a commanding position to qualify given Dortmund host Real Madrid this week.

Mousa Dembele in action for Tottenham

Who will fill Dembeles shoes in midfield?

Mousa Dembeles niggling foot injury is a cause for concern for Mauricio Pochettino, not just because he is so key to Tottenhams work going forward but because central midfield is not an area Tottenham are blessed with options. Harry Winks is regaining sharpness following an ankle injury and Moussa Sissoko is improving but neither offer the same strength and guile as the Belgian.

Will Dier drop back into defence?

Jan Vertonghens suspension creates a gap in defence for Pochettino, who could push Eric Dier back into defence, therefore lightening his midfield, or throw the 19-year-old defender Juan Foyth in at the deep end. Alternatively, Spurs could revert to a back four, which could allow the rather rusty Fernando Llorente to partner Harry Kane up front. None of the options are without flaws.

Is Spurs squad about to be exposed?

Spurs say Eriksen ill and hasn't travelled. Dembele out with foot injury. Rose, Wanyama, Lamela out. Vertonghen, Alli banned... Some list.  Tom Allnutt (@TomAllnutt_) September 25, 2017

Tottenham struggled last season to cope with some key absentees at this point in the campaign when the Champions League and Premier League combine to create an exhausting schedule. Pochettino said 12 months ago his squad was too thin and he will be hoping he does not come to the same conclusion again this time around.

Can Apoel capitalise on home advantage?

Apoel have not made it past the group stage of either the Europa League or Champions League since their surprise run to the latters quarter-finals in 2012 but they can prove an awkward opponent on their home patch. Their fans create a vibrant atmosphere in the tight GSP Stadium and if Tottenham arrive complacent, the visitors might find the task more tricky than they expect.
Iraqi Kurds were going to the polls on Monday to vote on whether to support independence from Baghdad in a historic but non-binding referendum that has raised regional tensions and fears of instability.

Millions were expected to vote across the three provinces that make up the Kurdish autonomous region, as well as residents in disputed territories  areas claimed by both Baghdad and the Kurds, including the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

The ballot is being held despite mounting regional opposition to the move and the United States has warned that it is likely to destabilise the region amid the fight with the Islamic State group.

Iraqi Kurdish woman

Baghdad has also come out strongly against the referendum, demanding on Sunday that all airports and border crossings in the Kurdish region be handed back to federal government control.

In a televised address on Sunday night, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the referendum is unconstitutional. It threatens Iraq, peaceful coexistence among Iraqis and is a danger to the region.

We will take measures to safeguard the nations unity and protect all Iraqis, he added.

Kurdish security services stand guard outside a polling centre shortly before opening for the referendum (Khalid Mohammed/AP)

Earlier on Sunday, the Kurdish regions president, Masoud Barzani, said during a press conference in Irbil that he believed the voting would be peaceful, though he acknowledged that the path to independence would be risky.

We are ready to pay any price for our independence, he said.

In a strongly worded statement, Turkey said on Monday that it does not recognise the referendum and declared its results would be null and void.

Man votes in Kurdish referendum

Turkeys Foreign Ministry called on the international community and especially regional countries not to recognise the vote either and urged Iraq Kurdish leaders to abandon utopic goals, accusing them of endangering peace and stability for Iraq and the whole region.

The ministry reiterated that Turkey would take all measures to thwart threats to its national security.

On Saturday, Turkeys parliament met in an extraordinary session to extend a mandate allowing Turkeys military to send troops over its southern border if developments in Iraq and Syria are perceived as national security threats.

Press Release Regarding the referendum that is being held in the KRG https://t.co/kQGHi456Q6  Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) September 25, 2017

Initial results from the poll are expected on Tuesday, with the official results to be announced later in the week.

Iraqi Kurds have long dreamed of independence  something the Kurdish people were denied when colonial powers drew the map of the Middle East after the First World War. The Kurds form a sizeable minority in Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq. In Iraq, they have long been at odds with the Baghdad government over the sharing of oil revenues and the fate of disputed territories like Kirkuk.

The Kurds have been a close American ally for decades, and the first US air strikes in the campaign against IS were launched to protect Irbil, the Kurdish regional capital. Kurdish forces later regrouped and played a major role in driving the extremists from much of northern Iraq, including Mosul, the countrys second largest city.

Kurdish voters

But the US has long been opposed to Kurdish moves towards independence, fearing it could lead to the break-up of Iraq and bring even more instability to an already volatile Middle East.

Voting was also under way on Monday morning in Kirkuk. The oil-rich city has large Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen and Christian communities and has seen some low-level clashes in the days leading up to Mondays vote.

I feel so great and happy, I feel well be free, said Suad Pirot, a Kirkuk Kurdish resident, after voting. Nobody will rule us, we will be independent.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has warned of the potentially destabilising effects of the referendum.

Antonio Guterres

In a statement Mr Guterres said all outstanding issues between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government should be resolved through structured dialogue and constructive compromise.
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has hit out at violent left-wing protesters as he campaigned for a controversial US political candidate who once said homosexual conduct should be illegal.

Mr Farage joined ousted White House strategist Steve Bannon to address crowds in Alabama on Monday night in support of Roy Moore, a controversial gay marriage opponent.

The Brexit campaigner railed against the liberal media as he criticised violent left-wing protesters during his pledge of support for Mr Moore, who is running for a Republican nomination for the US Senate.

The Republican establishment are the enemy within. They must be stopped from destroying @realDonaldTrump's #MAGA agenda. pic.twitter.com/Zy4cLdFrf7  Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) September 26, 2017

Mr Farage said: There are others on the left who are turning increasingly away from democratic process and towards violent, unpleasant, nasty protest.

We see some on the left who now even want to re-write history, tear down statues and pretend we are different people to who we are.

US president Donald Trump received criticism from across the political spectrum after he blamed many sides for violence at a far-right-led rally over the planned removal of a statue of Confederate leader Robert E. Lee.

Bannon: The @GOP elites who have destroyed America hold me in contempt. I wear their contempt as a badge of honor. pic.twitter.com/btNPROS9Oh  Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) September 26, 2017

Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a car ploughed into anti-fascist counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Mr Trump took two days to criticise hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan by name for the August 12 violence.

Mr Moores track record includes comments in a debate on Thursday that the USs core has been shaken while abortion, sodomy, sexual perversion sweep our land.

Former judge Roy Moore was twice removed as Alabama's chief justice by an ethics panel (Brynn Anderson/AP)

And in a speech claiming only God could unify public divisions, he used the historic slurs of reds and yellows, the former an outdated term for Native Americans and the latter a derogatory 19th-century term for Asian immigrants.

Mr Moore also said during an interview in 2005 that homosexual conduct should be illegal.

Mr Farage told the crowds: I have absolutely no hesitation in putting my support and my backing behind a man like judge Roy Moore, who has shown in his career that he will always put principle before his own career advancement.

The former judge was twice removed as Alabamas chief justice by an ethics panel  first for defying an order to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from a judicial building and then for allegedly urging colleagues to not grant marriage licences to homosexual couples.

Mr Farage, a long-term ally of the US president, has broken with Mr Trump in backing Mr Moore. The President has campaigned for the incumbent Luther Strange, as has vice president Mike Pence.
British holidaymakers in Indonesia are being warned volcanic ash clouds could cause flight disruption amid fears of an imminent eruption on the tourist island of Bali.

More than 57,000 people have fled the danger zone, which extends up to 7.5 miles from Mount Agungs crater, after authorities raised its alert status to the highest level on Friday.

The volcano, 45 miles to the north-east of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, last erupted in 1963, killing 1,100 people.

Bali volcano

About 330,000 British nationals visit Indonesia every year, according to the Foreign Office.

The latest Government advice to Britons planning to visit the region says the National Disaster Management Authority for Indonesias volcanic alert level indicates an eruption is possible in the next 24 hours.

You should follow the advice of the local authorities and stay outside the exclusion zone, it says.

If there is an eruption, volcanic ash clouds could cause flight disruptions.

In the event of volcanic ash clouds you should confirm your travel arrangements directly with your airline or travel agent before travelling to the airport.

Travel trade organisation Abta said the volcano is around 40 miles from Kuta.

A spokesman said: The Indonesian authorities have kept the alert level at the highest classification, meaning an eruption could be imminent.

There will only be a relatively small number of UK holidaymakers on the island at this time of year, although Bali is a major tourist destination for the Australian market.

Holidaymakers are advised to follow the advice of local authorities, to avoid the area around the volcano and to keep in contact with their airline or holiday company.
Pierre Gasly will make his Formula One debut with Toro Rosso at this weekends Malaysian Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old Frenchman has been given an opportunity due to the poor performances of the teams Russian driver Daniil Kvyat.

According to Toro Rosso, Gasly will replace Kvyat for the next Grands Prix.

Pierre Gasly is set to race for Toro Rosso

For the next GPs, @PierreGASLY will be driving for us, standing in for Daniil Kvyat, alongside Carlos Sainz.

More  https://t.co/5oEuHn1qb1 pic.twitter.com/1CHBGOApQa  Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) September 26, 2017

For a variety of reasons, some of them due to technical problems, but others being mistakes of his own making, Daniil Kvyat has not really shown his true potential so far this year, which is why we are standing him down for the next races, team principal Franz Tost told Toro Rossos official website.

This will give us the opportunity to evaluate Pierre on track during a proper race weekend.

Gasly, one of the Red Bull junior programme drivers, has been racing in Japan this year in the Super Formula category.

Pierre Gasly to drive with Scuderia Toro Rosso.



 Franz Tost's full quote on https://t.co/5oEuHn1qb1 pic.twitter.com/VRzOGzgfyq  Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) September 26, 2017

His F1 chance comes after 23-year-old Kvyat struggled to impress this season, scoring just four points from 14 races.

Gasly said: This is a great opportunity for me. I feel as ready as I can be, having had to be prepared for anything in my role as Red Bull Racings third driver this year.

Very happy to join @ToroRossoSpy for the #MalaysianGP! Thanks to everyone involved, can't wait to start my first @F1 GP this weekend.  pic.twitter.com/8bya5Z6ZWa  PIERRE GASLY  (@PierreGASLY) September 26, 2017

I will do my best to perform well with Scuderia Toro Rosso during these coming races.

Despite dropping Kvyat, Toro Rosso insist the driver still has a future with the team.

This is not a case of goodbye for our Daniil, as he still remains part of the Red Bull family, they added.
 Flash

From groceries and fast food to movie tickets and hotel reservations, an increasing number of people in China are making their daily purchases using smartphones instead of cash. Zhang Liying and Layne Flower from China.org.cn discuss the rising trend of mobile payments in China.
Jeremy Corbyn denied Labour is now a nasty party as members backed new rules dealing with anti-Semitism following a row over comments which allegedly targeted Jews.

The Labour leaders insistence that use of anti-Semitic language is completely at odds with the beliefs of this party came after a speaker at a fringe event was reported to have said people should be allowed to question if the Holocaust had happened.

This led to shadow cabinet member Jon Ashworth being forced to denounce the disgusting anti-Semitic remarks while backbench MP Wes Streeting accused the party leadership of having an ostrich approach to the problem.

Jeremy Corbyn

HELP JEREMY CORBYN FIGHT ANTISEMITISM



SUPPORT THE DISCRIMINATION RULE CHANGE AMENDMENT#lab17 pic.twitter.com/xSiJqqwQQg  Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) September 25, 2017

The Equality and Human Rights Commission urged the party leadership to take action while delegates called for Holocaust deniers to be kicked out on their ear from Labour and warned that anti-Semitism is a significant issue for the party as members considered party membership changes.

Labours ruling governing body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), developed a proposal to explicitly state, among other things, that prejudicial conduct includes anti-Semitism.

Labour confirmed this was supported by delegates at the partys conference in Brighton following a vote although the result was not announced in the main hall and a breakdown has yet to be released.

The damaging row broke out after Israeli-American author Miko Peled told a fringe event, which was advertised in Labours official conference programme: This is about free speech, the freedom to criticise and to discuss every issue, whether its the Holocaust: yes or no, Palestine, the liberation, the whole spectrum. There should be no limits on the discussion.

"A zero-tolerance policy to anti-Semitism should mean just that" - @RJHilsenrath's response to accusations against the Labour Party #Lab17 pic.twitter.com/zq6Z9id0fO  EHRC (@EHRC) September 26, 2017

The Daily Mail reported he said: Its about the limits of tolerance: we dont invite the Nazis and give them an hour to explain why they are right; we do not invite apartheid South Africa racists to explain why apartheid was good for the blacks, and in the same way we do not invite Zionists  its a very similar kind of thing.

Mr Corbyn, in a round of TV interviews, said it was awful for anyone to brand Labour the nasty party  a term which Theresa May admitted in 2002 had become attached to the Conservatives.

This is not a nasty party, Mr Corbyn told Channel 4 News. This is the biggest Labour conference we have had for many, many years.

Nobody should be abused, whoever they are. We have just passed a motion on racism and anti-Semitism which is comprehensive and inclusive and is supported by all wings of the party and unanimously agreed by our national executive.

Anyone using anti-Semitic language, anyone using any form of racist language, is completely at odds with the beliefs of this party.

Great to see Cllr Phil Cohen from @FGGLabour CLP speak from podium in support of @JewishLabour rule change.  Jeremy Newmark (@Jeremy_Newmark) September 26, 2017

Thanks to the current speaker for following her baseless lies about JLM by spelling out exactly why we have won the politics of this debate  Jeremy Newmark (@Jeremy_Newmark) September 26, 2017

The membership rule motion to clamp down on anti-Semitism followed proposals from the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM), with the groups Mike Katz telling delegates: The purpose of our rule change was to close off a loophole, a cop-out clause which says holding a sincerely held belief makes hate speech okay.

Come on conference, is it really okay for a member to say theyve got a sincerely held belief that women are inferior to men, or that the Holocaust didnt happen? No, of course not.

We want to see anybody saying that kicked out on their ear.

The JLM backed the NEC motion but the group was criticised by other delegates.

Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, who chaired the fringe event where the allegedly anti-Semitic remarks were made, was applauded after she said Mr Katz would have a bit more credibility if the JLM didnt spend so much of its time running to the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph with stories.

She also questioned the wording of the NECs proposal about the holding or expression of beliefs and opinions, saying: Obviously if you express hateful opinions, youve got to be disciplined  or at least educated.

But holding them? Thats thought crime, comrades, we cant be having with it  so be careful, NEC.

Don't forget to vote with our leadership listed here in favour of the discrimination rule change, unanimously voted for by our NEC #Lab17 pic.twitter.com/oiNyJrrhRn  Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) September 26, 2017

Phil Cohen, from Finchley and Golders Green CLP, said too many Labour voters in Barnet had turned away from the party as they didnt think the party was dealing with allegations of anti-Semitism effectively.

Zach Murrell-Dowson, from the Bristol North West CLP, added: Those who say that anti-Semitism isnt a significant issue in the Labour Party are wrong.

Labour sources said the party was not responsible for the content of fringe events staged by groups that had no affiliation to the party.
A 28-year-old man has been remanded in custody after appearing at court charged with stabbing a Muslim surgeon outside a mosque.

Ian Anthony Rook, of no fixed abode, appeared at Manchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with a section 18 assault  wounding or causing grievous bodily harm  and possession of an offensive weapon, a large knife.

Consultant Nasser Kurdy, 58, was attacked from behind as he walked to Altrincham Islamic Centre in Hale, Cheshire, just before 6pm on Sunday.

A man was stabbed in #Altrincham yesterday evening. Read more: https://t.co/ylMXDvYNRl  Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) September 25, 2017

Rook, wearing a grey jumper, spoke to confirm his name and date of birth at the brief hearing.

District Judge Khalid Qureshi sent the case to Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester where Rook will next appear on October 23.

Mr Kurdy suffered a three centimetre (1.1in) wound to the back of his neck and was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital for treatment, where he works as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon.

Ian Anthony Rook's case will be heard at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester (Dave Thompson/PA)

He was later discharged.

On Monday the father-of-three, from a Syrian Jordanian family, was preparing to go back to work to treat his patients.

He has worked as a doctor for four decades, after coming to Britain to study medicine in 1977 and working in Perth, Dundee and Northampton before settling in Manchester in 1991.

Earlier this year he treated casualties in the Manchester Arena bombing.

Mr Kurdy was heading to the Islamic Centre in Grove Lane for mid-afternoon prayers and a committee meeting, as he is a lay imam, sometimes giving sermons, and vice chairman of Altrincham and Hale Muslim Association.

He told reporters he felt no anger towards his attacker.

Greater Manchester Police said a second man arrested following the attack had been released with no further action.
The UK has abandoned the idea of having its Brexit cake and eating it, European Council president Donald Tusk has said.

Mr Tusk made the comments after Downing Street talks with Prime Minister Theresa May on Britains EU withdrawal.

Praising Mrs Mays speech in Florence last week in which the PM sought to map out the route to Brexit, Mr Tusk said Britain was now being more realistic in its approach.

Today Id say there is no "sufficient progress" yet. But cautiously optimistic about @Theresa_May constructive, more realistic #Brexit tone. pic.twitter.com/7qq3Xtq2dJ  Charles Michel (@eucopresident) September 26, 2017

He told reporters: I feel cautiously optimistic about the constructive and more realistic tone in the Prime Ministers speech in Florence and of our discussion today.

This shows that the philosophy of having a cake and eating it, is finally at an end  at least I hope so. Thats good news.

The reference was a clear swipe at Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who claimed Britain could have its cake and eat it over Brexit.

Mr Tusk said that not enough progress had yet been made in the Brexit divorce talks to move on to trade negotiations.

Describing Brexit as an exercise in damage control, he said: I feel now we will discuss our future relations with the UK once there is so-called sufficient progress.

The two sides are working and we will work hard at it.

But if you ask me, and if today member states ask me, I would say there is no sufficient progress yet. But we will work.

Theresa May holds talks with Donald Tusk

After the talks a Downing Street spokesman said Mrs May and Mr Tusk had welcomed the good progress that has been made on citizens rights in the negotiations.

The spokesman said: At the end of the meeting, the PM said her Florence speech had been intended to create momentum in the ongoing talks. She said it was important for EU negotiators to now respond in the same spirit.

While posing for photographs with Mr Tusk at the beginning of the Downing Street meeting, Mrs May said the two leaders agreed that things have moved on in the Brexit process.

Theresa May greets Donald Tusk at 10 Downing Street (Jonathan Brady/PA)

The PM stressed the need for a good economic and security partnership between the UK and EU after withdrawal.

The Talks came after the fourth round of negotiations on the UKs withdrawal from the EU began in Brussels on Monday.

Brexit Secretary David Davis has insisted there are no excuses for blocking progress to trade talks.
Bangladesh will build separate shelters for 6,000 Rohingya Muslim children who entered the country without parents to escape violence in neighbouring Burma, a minister said.

Children make up about 60% of the estimated 436,000 Rohingya who have poured into Bangladesh over the last four weeks to flee persecution in Buddhist-majority Burma.

Junior minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed said the social welfare ministry has asked local authorities for 200 acres of land to build facilities for the children without parents, and about 1,580 such children have already been registered.

A Rohingya Muslim family, who crossed over from Burma to Bangladesh, carry their belonging as they arrive at a refugee camp

429k Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh.

60% are children.



Here's what we are doing on the ground  pic.twitter.com/eR55zhW6HI  UNICEF (@UNICEF) September 26, 2017

The UN childrens agency Unicef has identified about 1,800 children who fled Burma without parents after violence broke out on August 25, but Mr Ahmed said the total number is about 6,000.

Zillar Rahman, a senior official at the ministry, told reporters in Dhaka that the government wants to protect those children by keeping them away from adults.

Ages between 13 and 18 are vulnerable. If they live with the adults there is a possibility of getting harmed or involved in criminal activities. So the government is thinking of separating such children who have come here without their parents, Mr Rahman said.

He said if the land is available, children will be divided into two groups, those below age seven and those between eight and 18.

Lets see what's inside the 1st consignment of #UNICEF emergency supplies for quarter of a million #Rohingya child refugees. @unicefsupply pic.twitter.com/HFHPZiVWEi  UNICEF Bangladesh (@UNICEFBD) September 25, 2017

The plans come as the UN refugee agency has called for a redoubling of the international humanitarian response in Bangladesh.

Despite every effort by those on the ground, the massive influx of people seeking safety has been outpacing capacities to respond, and the situation for these refugees has still not stabilised, Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for UN high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi, said on Tuesday in Geneva.

Many of those who have arrived recently are deeply traumatised. Despite having found refuge in Bangladesh, they are still exposed to enormous hardship.

In Bangladesh @RefugeesChief discussed need for solutions, but said immediate focus must be on those who are so desperately in need. 14/14 pic.twitter.com/h1niDEvhzX  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) September 26, 2017

In a separate statement issued in Geneva, seven experts empowered by the United Nations to look into human rights issues called on Burmas government to halt violence against its minority Rohingya community and stop persecution and rights violations that have been described as an example of ethnic cleansing.

They also called on Burmas de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to look more closely into the situation and personally meet with the affected Rohingya.

No one chooses, especially not in the hundreds of thousands, to leave their homes and ancestral land, no matter how poor the conditions, to flee to a strange land to live under plastic sheets and in dire circumstances except in life-threatening situations.

UNHCR is distributing emergency shelter kits, kitchen sets, jerry cans, sleeping mats, solar lamps, and other non-food items. 10/14 pic.twitter.com/qm3pTZU37r  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) September 26, 2017

Despite violence allegedly perpetrated by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa), the whole Rohingya population should not have to pay the price, they said in the statement.

Arsa is a Rohingya insurgent group whose attacks on police posts on August 25 led to massive retaliation by Burmas army.
Banks across Europe will have to consider diversity and set gender targets for their top executives for the first time under new EU guidelines.

The European Banking Authority and the European Securities and Markets Authority published a package of corporate governance guidelines for financial institutions across the EU, with diversity one of five key areas covered.

The guidelines, which come into effect from June 2018, specify the need for a quantitative goal for genders at boardroom level in the first such move by the two EU regulators.

It comes after Britains Davies review in 2015 called for women to make up a third of every FTSE 100 boardroom by 2020.

The Davies review has already called for a 33% target for womens representation on boards of FTSE 350 companies in the UK by 2020 (PA)

In their report, the EU regulators said: The diversity policy for significant institutions should include a quantitative target for the representation of the under-represented gender in the management body.

Significant institutions should quantify the targeted participation of the under-represented gender and specify an appropriate time-frame within which the target should be met and how it will be met.

The guidelines suggest firms should have a diversity policy, including career planning and measures to ensure equal treatment and opportunities for staff of different genders.

As well as gender, the report said diversity of education, age, profession and geography should also be considered in a bid to overcome the risk of group think.

The rules likewise aim to ensure board members can commit sufficient time to their roles, have the right knowledge, skills and experience, as well as good repute, honesty and integrity, and independence of mind.

The rules aim to ensure regulations are uniform across the EU and will also apply to firms with branches in the EU, which are head-quartered elsewhere.
President Donald Trump is sending Americas hearts and prayers to people in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and says he will visit both places ravaged by Hurricane Maria next week.

He said a massive effort to help people recover from the hurricane is under way and pledged that the federal government will pick up 100% of the bill for removing the debris left in the wake of Maria.

The president made the change to funding as part of an amendment to his earlier disaster declaration authorising federal aid in response to the Category 4 storm.

President Donald Trump. (AP)

US states and territories typically cover 25% of the costs, with the federal government paying the remaining 75%.

Puerto Rican officials and sympathetic members of Congress had called on Mr Trump to relieve the islands cash-strapped government of the cost-sharing requirement.

His declaration covers costs for removing downed trees, utility poles and other debris, as well as spending for emergency protective measures taken to save lives, protect public health and ensure public safety.

Trump has come under criticism that his administration responded too slowly to the growing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, where Maria knocked out power to virtually the entire island.

Help those affected by #HurricaneMaria and support the rebuilding of Puerto Rico by donating to https://t.co/1fG64M0Qk5 #UnitedForPuertoRico pic.twitter.com/W2Gnysd0O9  PRFAA (@PRFAA) September 26, 2017

Mr Trump announced the visit after the administration came under criticism for its response to the damage on the island that is home to more than three million US citizens.

The island has been coping with shortages of food, drinking water, electricity and various forms of communication after Hurricane Maria struck earlier this month.

Mr Trump said Puerto Rico is important to him.

He said Puerto Ricans are great people and we need to help them.

Puerto Ricos governor Ricardo Rossello said he has spoken as recently as last night to Mr Trump about the crisis.

Briefed @POTUS @realDonaldTrump in #SituationRoom and thanked him for his leadership, quick response & commitment to our people  pic.twitter.com/hIFKYSMCDY  Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello) September 26, 2017

He said he was confident the president understands the magnitude of the situation.

Mr Rossello said he would be speaking with Mr Trump later on Tuesday to discuss a long-term recovery package for Puerto Rico to be presented to Congress, apparently next week.

A flotilla of ships and thousands more military personnel are being sent to Puerto Rico, the Trump administration announced.

Nearly 400 #RedCross workers are on the ground in Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands providing relief after Hurricane #Maria. pic.twitter.com/Gwh8CwLSfN  American Red Cross (@RedCross) September 26, 2017

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said the devastation wrought by the storm presents unique logistical challenges for the federal response. He said demolished airports and seaports have made it difficult to get aid and personnel to the stricken island.

Mr Long said 16 Navy and Coast Guard ships are now in the waters around Puerto Rico, with another 10 ships on the way. They include the USS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship. Planes and ships are also bringing in a military force to help distribute aid.
US President Donald Trump has called on all nations to join forces to isolate the North Korean menace.

He said they must act now to achieve the denuclearisation of North Korea.

Mr Trump was speaking after his administration announced new sanctions against North Korean banks which punish eight banks and 26 bank workers living abroad.

(AP)

.@POTUS on #NorthKorea: All nations must act now to ensure the regime's complete denuclearization. pic.twitter.com/xSTcgzenRR  Department of State (@StateDept) September 26, 2017

The sanctions rely on an executive order Mr Trump signed last week to target North Koreas access to the international banking system.

They come as the United Nations has also recently passed its toughest sanctions package targeting North Korea.

The eight banks are all in North Korea. The Treasury Department said the 26 individuals are North Korean nationals employed by those banks who work in Russia, China, Libya and the United Arab Emirates.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the US is targeting those across the globe who facilitate financial transactions for North Korea. He said it is part of the effort to isolate North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme.
BRASILIA, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Brazil will reinstate a mining ban in a vast area of the Amazon rainforest, the government announced on Monday, in an about-face that is a victory for environmentalists who feared deforestation.

The Mines and Energy Ministry said in a statement that President Michel Temer's administration had decided to revoke an August decree abolishing the National Reserve of Copper and Associates (Renca), an area of roughly 17,800 square miles (46,100 square kilometers) or slightly larger than Denmark.

The decision will be published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday, officials said.

The reserve in the northern states of Amapa and Para was established in 1984 to protect what are thought to be significant deposits of gold, copper, iron ore and other minerals from the perceived threat of foreign miners at the time.

The reserve covers a section of the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, the preservation of which is seen as essential to soaking up carbon emissions responsible for global warming.

The government said it would revisit the issue in the future in a wider debate on the issue. "Brazil needs to grow and create jobs, attract mining investment and even tap the economic potential of the region)," the ministry statement said.

The government had argued that lifting the ban would be a boon to the economy and would allow better oversight of the area estimated to have 1,000 people illegally mining there.

Mining and Energy Minister Fernando Coelho Filho and other officials have maintained that the reserve merely applied to mining and that other protections for conservation areas and indigenous land inside Renca would remain.

But environmentalists argued that merely building roads or infrastructure in the area would bring deforestation and threaten biodiversity, with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen tweeting against the decree.

"If carried out, the cancellation of the decree shows that, no matter how bad, there is no leader absolutely immune to public pressures," Marcio Astrini, coordinator of public policy for environmental group Greenpeace, said in a statement.

"It is a victory of society over those who want to destroy and sell our forest."

The government had steadily backtracked in the face of the criticism, legal action and efforts to overturn the decree in Congress. A judge also granted an injunction blocking the decree. (Reporting by Ricardo Brito and Jake Spring; editing by Sandra Maler and Jonathan Oatis)
BAGHDAD, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Iraqi government will not hold talks with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) about the results of the "unconstitutional" referendum on independence held on Monday in northern Iraq, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said.

"We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional," Abadi said in a speech broadcast on state TV on Monday night.

Masoud Barzani's KRG says the referendum is not binding and was meant to be a legitimate mandate to negotiate with Baghdad and neighboring countries over the secession of the Kurdish-controlled region from Iraq.

The vote was expected to deliver a comfortable "yes", and final results should be announced in 72 hours. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Paul Tait)
By Ana Isabel Martinez and Anthony Esposito

MEXICO CITY, Sept 25 (Reuters) - In a simple, illustrated note, 10-year-old Maximiliano said goodbye to his friend and neighbor Julian, killed when their five-story housing complex collapsed after Mexico's deadliest earthquake in a generation.

"Julian, brother. I love you a lot. I won't forget you," read Maximiliano's handwritten letter, adorned with images of the two of them, and their collapsed apartment block. "We'll see each other in heaven."

Last Tuesday's 7.1 magnitude quake killed at least 326 people across Mexico and leveled dozens of buildings including a school in the capital, delivering a mass psychological blow that specialists say will take time to overcome.

In some of Mexico City's hardest-hit neighborhoods, psychologists and therapists have set up tents to offer a sympathetic ear to those traumatized after watching their friends and family perish under the rubble.

Julian Astudillo, 11, and his 6-year-old sister Jimena Lora were feeling unwell on Tuesday morning, according to their mother, Nayeli Flores, and she gave them the day off school. But eventually, Flores said she had to leave them and go to work. Shortly after 1 pm, disaster struck.

Rescuers found the bodies of Julian and Jimena buried under the debris of their former home in the Tlalpan neighborhood.

Struggling with the loss of Julian, Maximiliano had spoken with psychologists, and wrote to his close friend to try and cope with the grief.

"My two (youngest) kids were close friends with the small angels that were killed, my kids have been really affected," said Maximiliano's father, Israel Carranza, who has been sleeping under a tarp next to the destroyed building.

Enriqueta Ortuno, a 57-year-old psychotherapist who has been working with victims of the earthquake in the Xochimilco district, said she and her colleagues had brought drawing materials to coax a response from kids rendered mute.

"The children are in crisis and don't want to talk," said Enriqueta Ortuno, who has worked with children as young as 2. "Some kids didn't even remember their own names."

Nearly a week after the quake many children still had no school to go to, as only 103 schools in Mexico City, or roughly 1 percent of its schools, were set to resume classes after they were certified as structurally safe.

In hard-hit Morelos state, which was close to the quake's epicenter, 34-year-old Veronica Dircio said her children were in desperate need of emotional support after they lost their house.

"We need psychological help for the kids. My son since that day pees himself, he stutters and has a broken arm," said Dircio.

Mexico's national employees health service set up five tents in Mexico City and surrounding states, and by Sunday had attended nearly 1,200 people.

On Monday, lines of people formed to seek help.

"People kept coming, one after another ... a lot of sad stories and broken hearts. People that were left with nothing and by just holding their hand they were grateful," said psychotherapist Alejandra Alcocer. (Additional reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Gabriel Stargardter)
Four emergency medical workers at a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, paid 1,000 yuan ($151) in compensation for the cost of a patient's clothes they had cut off while saving his life.

The incident triggered hot discussion online, with many netizens expressing anger at the patient's family and some even offering to pay on behalf of the medical team. Some thought the hospital should not have cut off the man's clothes.

At 4:25 pm on Sept 11, a 34-year-old internet cafe worker, Li Ping, fainted and was sent to the emergency center at Wuhan University's Zhongnan Hospital, Beijing News reported.

"An acute pulmonary embolism left Li in a coma. When he was sent to the hospital, he was in cardiac arrest and couldn't breathe," Xia Jian, deputy director of the emergency center, was quoted as saying by Xiandai Jinbao newspaper. "Li was at extreme risk, and a rescue team was established immediately."

Surveillance video from the operating room showed at least eight medics treating Li, including four doing chest compressions.

At about 5:30 pm, two staff members used scissors to cut off Li's clothes, and then laid the pieces aside. At around 6 pm, the rescue team attached an artificial heart-lung apparatus on the man, the video showed.

"Every minute is precious during a rescue. We cut off his clothes so as not to lose time," Xia said.

He said Li's condition improved and he was transferred to intensive care that night. Seven days later, he was out of danger and transferred to a regular hospital ward.

Beijing News reported that Li's father claimed the hospital owed 1,500 yuan in compensation for his son's losses during the treatment. He said his son's clothes - including 500 yuan in cash, and his ID and bank cards that were in his pocket - had been lost.

The hospital rejected the claim, insisting that the rescue team had done nothing wrong.

On Sept 19, Li's family returned to the hospital, this time with the police, and asked for 1,000 yuan. Beijing News reported that the four medical workers from the hospital paid the money.

On Friday, Wang Xing, the hospital's president, praised the emergency team and reimbursed the 1,000 yuan the four medics had paid out, Chutian Metropolis Daily reported.

"Successfully saving the man from a pulmonary embolism was hard-won. We will cut clothes without hesitation in the future," he was quoted as saying.

He added that the hospital will continue to improve its services and several bags will be installed in the emergency room to keep patients' clothes and belongings.

Li Huijuan, a lawyer specializing in medical disputes, said: "It is reasonable for medical staff to cut off the patient's clothes because saving a life is their top priority."

"There are no rules or regulations about details like the proper disposal of a patients' belongings, but it is common sense that the hospital should keep the clothes instead of throwing them away. If they mistakenly throw out the clothes in an emergency, it is understandable," he said.
WASHINGTON/BANGKOK Sept 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha at the White House on Oct. 3, the White House said in a statement.

"The President and Prime Minister will discuss ways to strengthen and broaden bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region," the statement said.

Confirmation of the visit is the latest sign of warming ties between Bangkok and Washington. The relationship between the two had cooled after the Thai military took power in a 2014 coup.

It follows a visit to Thailand by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in August - the highest level visit by a U.S. official since the 2014 coup.

"The meeting of the two leaders reflects the importance of the strengthening of the alliance between Thailand and the U.S.," the Thai Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

"The two countries will discuss ways to forge ahead in becoming strategic partners for the benefit of both nations equally and sustainable,"

Prayuth and members of his cabinet will also be meeting with representatives of Thai businesses in the United States during the three day visit.

Thailand is often cited as the United States' oldest ally in Southeast Asia and the United States has been urging the region to do more to cut funding streams to North Korea.

Tensions have mounted on the Korean peninsula since North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3.

The United States has said it believes North Korean front companies are active in Thailand and it is trying to encourage the Thais to shut them down, but Thailand last month said trade between Thailand and North Korea had dropped by as much as 94 percent over the past year.

(Reporting by Eric Beech in WASHINGTON and Panu Wongcha-um in BANGKOK; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Michael Perry)
By Clyde Russell

SINGAPORE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The great disruptor that is U.S. shale oil is coming to Asia, as refiners in the energy-hungry region look to expand and diversify their sources of crude, and the consequences will likely go well beyond a shift in oil trade flows.

It should come as no surprise that rising oil output in the United States would find its way to the region that is the world's fastest-growing consumer of the fuel, but perhaps the rapid pace of the shift has caught some in the market off-guard.

Crude oil exports to Asia from the United States are still relatively small-scale, with Thomson Reuters Oil Research and Forecasts estimating flows of around 261,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the first eight months of the year.

However, this is about 10 times what they were in the same period last year. Major buyer China has gone from taking just one cargo of under 1 million barrels in the January-August period in 2016 to buying about 115,000 bpd from the United States so far this year.

It's also likely that U.S. shale oil exports will rise sharply in the next couple of years as production grows rapidly.

In one of the major U.S. shale plays, the Permian Basin, output is expected to surge to 2.9 million bpd by next year from the current 2.4 million, Ryan Krogmeier, vice president of crude supply and trading at Chevron, told the S&P Global Platts Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference in Singapore on Monday.

Much of this production will be exported as U.S. refiners along the Gulf Coast aren't capable of processing more light crude, having been set up to deal more with heavier and sour grades from offshore Gulf of Mexico platforms and imports from the Middle East.

That leaves Asia as the clearing house for U.S. crude. But there are several factors that have to work together to ensure that U.S. crude does actually flow east.

The first, and most important, is that U.S. crude has to remain at a significant discount to similar grades, given the higher loading and shipping costs.

U.S. shale crude is largely priced against West Texas Intermediate (WTI), while the other light grades that typically move to Asia, such as crude from Angola and Nigeria, are priced against Brent, often described as the global benchmark.

The spread between the two grades has widened recently, with Brent closing at $59.02 a barrel on Monday, a premium of $6.80 to the closing trade for WTI.

Effectively investors are taking the view that there is still surplus crude in the United States, home of WTI, while the market for Brent is starting to tighten as efforts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers start to drain global inventories.

WTI DISCOUNT TO REMAIN

The current discount of WTI certainly makes it profitable for traders to ship U.S. crude to Asia. If enough cargoes are booked, it should in theory boost the price of WTI relative to Brent.

However, there is a limit to how much WTI can rise relative to Brent before sending U.S. crude to the East is no longer economically viable.

Estimating that level is obviously an inexact science, but its worth noting that the two biggest months for U.S. crude arrivals in Asia this year were April and June.

In both cases, the discount of WTI to Brent was wider about six to eight weeks ahead of those months, suggesting that traders need a gap of around $5 a barrel to make the trade profitable.

This implies that WTI will have to remain in a structural discount to Brent is order to clear rising U.S. crude supplies.

Of course, this level is far from fixed or permanent. It could easily be lower in coming years as the United States builds out infrastructure that would allow for crude exports to be loaded directly onto the largest oil tankers, rather than medium-sized carriers as is currently the case at many export ports.

The other major implication is that WTI is going to become considerably more important in pricing decisions among Asia crude buyers.

If Asian refiners seeking light crudes can buy at prices linked to WTI, that may be far more attractive than looking at crudes priced against Brent.

This could mean that producers who use Brent as a benchmark will have to offer greater discounts in order to compete in Asia against U.S. crudes.

While WTI would have a long way to go before supplanting Brent as the global benchmark, it may well make inroads in Asia and become more attractive to market participants in the region as a tool for hedging and price discovery.

(Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
TOKYO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Philippine Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Tuesday that he is confident the tax reform package of 134 billion pesos ($2.6 billion) will be approved.

The tax reforms, critical to President Rodrigo Duterte's ambitious infrastructure plans, has been approved by the lower house of Congress in May. The bill still needs Senate approval.

Diokno, speaking on the sidelines of a seminar in Tokyo, also dismissed concerns about the financial impact of the ongoing conflict in Marawi, saying the estimated cost so far is only 3 billion pesos, a fraction of the annual budget.

Diokno also said he needed to see the final plans for Marawi before deciding on how to finance reconstruction. ($1 = 50.8950 Philippine pesos) (Reporting by Stanley White and Chehui Peh; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
By Daniel Trotta

MEXICO CITY, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Rescuers are unlikely to find any more survivors of Mexico's earthquake still buried in the ruins and will cease operations to find them at the end of Thursday, the emergency services chief said.

Tuesday marks one week since the 7.1 magnitude quake struck around lunchtime, killing 326 people, damaging 11,000 homes, and leading to a outpouring of civilian volunteers to aid and comfort the victims.

Luis Felipe Puente, coordinator of Mexico's Civil Protection agency, told Reuters that rescuers would continue working at four sites but that they would hand-pick through the debris until Thursday.

"I can say that at this time it would be unlikely to find someone alive," Puente said, considering that specially-trained dogs have yet to pick up the scent of survivors.

Forty-three people were still missing, including 40 who may have been trapped beneath a collapsed office building in the Roma district of Mexico City, Puente said. One person was believed missing at each of three other sites in the capital.

Asked how much longer search and rescue operations would continue, the official responded, "As of today (Monday), we have agreed to another 72 hours."

The week began with signs that Mexico was resuming its routine as the streets filled with traffic and more than 44,000 schools in six states reopened.

But in the capital city, only 103 of the more than 8,000 public and private schools resumed classes.

The quake, coming exactly 32 years after a 1985 earthquake killed some 10,000 people, delivered a massive psychological blow that specialists say will take time to overcome.

"The children are in crisis and don't want to talk. Some kids didn't even remember their own names," said Enriqueta Ortuno, 57, a psychotherapist who has been working with victims in the hard-hit Xochimilco district.

Much of the nation's attention was focused on a fallen school in Mexico City where 19 children and seven adults died.

That school was one of many buildings that prosecutors will investigate, Puente said. Roughly 10 percent of damaged buildings were constructed after strict building codes were enacted in the wake of the 1985 earthquake.

"The Mexico City mayor and the national government have already ordered judicial investigations to determine who was responsible for new construction that did not meet the requirements," Puente said from Civil Protection headquarters, where a roomful of technicians monitored seismic activity and tropical storms on an array of screens.

In Mexico City, 187 people died in 38 buildings that collapsed.

Rescuers pulled 69 people from quake-damaged properties, of whom 37 were still in the hospital as of Monday, 11 of them in grave condition, Puente said.

Demolitions of buildings that are beyond repair could begin as soon as Tuesday, he said.

Responders from 18 countries came to Mexico to help, but with the search for survivors down to four sites most of them had gone home, with Americans and Israelis among the few to remain, Puente said.

International aid was now focused on humanitarian needs, he said, with China providing large numbers of beds, tents and kitchen and bathroom fixtures for temporary shelters for the homeless.

But the biggest contributions came from Mexicans themselves, who responded with so much food, supplies and volunteer work that officials had difficulty moving largesse from wealthy and accessible neighborhoods to the most needy.

Puente recognized some "deficiencies" in coordinating relief efforts, but overall, he said, "The government today is an international benchmark." (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
BRUSSELS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The European Union's plans to increase taxes on digital firms risks undermining the bloc's growth and stifle global efforts to find common solutions, U.S. companies operating in the EU said on Tuesday.

Critics say online firms such as Google or Facebook pay too little tax in the EU by rerouting most their profits to low-rate countries like Luxembourg or Ireland.

Frustrated by how long it is taking the world's rich nations to reach a deal on how to tax fairly digital giants, the EU has threatened to move ahead alone with a tax on turnover or with other short or long-term measures.

"Unilateral action by the EU would seriously undermine international efforts to address tax issues," Susan Danger, head of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU (AmCham EU), said.

AmCham EU said a turnover tax, as proposed by France and backed by other large EU countries, would reduce investment, hit jobs and penalise start-ups, low-margin and loss-making companies.

Current rules exempt loss-making firms from paying taxes. A report by EU lawmaker Paul Tang said the U.S. online retailer Amazon, which has its EU tax residence in Luxembourg, has been mostly exempted from taxes in the 2013-2015 period because it did not make profits.

The EU is also considering more structural measures to change the way companies are taxed, so that levies could be raised when they have a "virtual" platform in a country, and not only a physical presence.

Changes to existing rules may be added to a review of corporate tax rules that is currently under debate in the EU Parliament, the EU executive commission said.

AmCham EU also criticised this initiative for a common tax base in the 28-country bloc saying the move could "adversely affect EU competitiveness and growth if it is not in line with internationally agreed rules". (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Angus MacSwan @fraguarascio)
BELGRADE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Austria's Erste bank will provide the bulk of the financing for construction of one of the first wind farms in Serbia, as the country seeks to move to cleaner energy.

Erste bank said its Serbian unit had agreed to provide a 113 million euro ($134 mln) loan to Israel's Enlight Renewable Energy, which is running the project.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has already committed to lend up to 50 million euros for the 104.5 megawatt (MW) farm, which is due to be completed in 2018.

The total cost of the project is estimated at 189 million euros.

The wind farm in the northern town of Kovacica, 50 kilometres (31 miles) northeast of the capital Belgrade, is one of several due to be built in the next few years in Serbia, which produces 70 percent of its energy from coal and the rest from hydro power.

The farm will comprise of 38 wind turbines with 2.75 MW capacity each. It will help lower Serbia's annual carbon dioxide emissions by around 247,000 tonnes and help the country meet an objective to secure 27 percent of total energy consumption from renewables by 2020, Erste said in a statement. ($1 = 0.8465 euros) (Reporting by Maja Zuvela in Sarajevo; Editing by Susan Fenton)
BUCHAREST, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors accused the justice minister on Tuesday of interfering in a criminal investigation involving two senior government officials.

They said they had asked the top judicial watchdog to look into comments that Tudorel Toader made about their inquiry, in a country that Transparency International and other bodies say has one of the worst records on graft in the European Union.

There was no immediate comment from Toader, whose Social Democrat-led government triggered the largest street protests in decades in February by trying to decriminalise several corruption offences.

The prosecutors from the DNA anti-corruption agency said on Friday they had opened a criminal investigation into Deputy Prime Minister Sevil Shhaideh for suspected abuse of office in a land transfer case.

The DNA also asked parliament to approve an investigation into European funds minister Rovana Plumb linked to the same case.

Both Shhaideh and Plumb denied wrongdoing.

Prosecutors said in a statement they suspected both of helping in 2013 to illegally transfer 324 hectares (800 acres) of prime land near the Danube river from the state to the county council of Teleorman, which then leased it to private operators.

They said the transfer was done through government bills, which prosecutors said contravened the constitution as well as laws concerning state property and national waters.

Justice minister Toader, when asked about the case on Tuesday, told journalists that judges not prosecutors should be the ones to look into whether bills were used properly.

"The justice minister's comments over an ongoing criminal investigation are ... a form of interference in prosecutors' activity," DNA said in a statement.

It said it had asked the Superior Magistrates Council to look into whether his words "could effect the independence of the judicial system", as he was in effect questioning the legality of their work.

In August, the European Commission expressed concerns that a planned judicial overhaul which would give the politically appointed justice minister more control over the justice system would undermine Romania's progress in fighting graft.

The leftist Social Democrats won an election in December, a year after losing power following street protests after a nightclub fire killed 64 people and triggered widespread anger over corruption and impunity.

They came into office promising to raise wages and pensions continue to top opinion polls. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
KUWAIT, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Kuwait's parliament is likely to approve a law to extend the country's borrowing limits, enabling 30-year debt issues, a senior finance ministry official said on Tuesday.

The law would allow Kuwait to increase its debt ceiling to 25 billion Kuwaiti dinar ($83 billion) from 10 billion currently. It would also allow the Gulf state to issue debt instruments with maturities of up to 30 years, from a current limit of 10 years.

"We're optimistic that the parliament will pass the law as it is, it's a matter of getting it though the process," Abdulaziz Al-Mulla, head of the debt management department at the ministry of finance, said during a Euromoney conference.

Kuwait issued a debut $8 billion international bond in March with maturities of five and 10 years. The government decided to extend its borrowing limit to 30 years after noting interest from pension and insurance funds for long-term paper when the bond sale was presented to international investors, said Al-Mulla.

"We believe time is a very important aspect, as we need to finance this fiscal year, from the beginning of April to the end of March 2018, and as we all know there are windows in the market," he added, without specifying when a new bond issue is likely.

Kuwait is also working on a law that would allow the sovereign to issue sukuk, said Al-Mulla, adding he did not know when such a law would be in place. The current legal framework does not allow the government to raise financing through Islamic bonds.

($1 = 0.3016 Kuwaiti dinars) (Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh, writing by Davide Barbuscia; Editing by Susan Fenton)
By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The daughter of the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood has been detained in Egypt with her husband for three months without charge, the family and their lawyer have said in an urgent appeal to the United Nations.

Ola al-Qaradawi, 55, and Hosam Khalaf, 58, both U.S. residents, are being held in separate Cairo prisons in solitary confinement after being detained by state security forces at their summer home on June 30, the family and lawyer said.

Egyptian homeland security sources say the Qatari-Egyptian couple are accused of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and of funding members of the banned group to spread information aimed at distorting Egypt's image. The family denies the accusation.

The couple's temporary detention was renewed by a criminal court last week for 15 days, but formal charges have yet to be laid.

Ola al-Qaradawi, a Qatari citizen, is the daughter of influential Qatar-based Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yousef al-Qaradawi whose assets have been frozen in Egypt.

Relatives came to Geneva last week to urge U.N. investigators on torture and on the right to health to take up the case with authorities. U.N. officials confirmed receipt of the appeal from Washington-based lawyer Jared Genser.

"Ola and Hosam are being held without access to their lawyers and family and are subjected to solitary confinement 24 hours a day in dark, small cells without beds or toilets," the letter said.

"Ola and Hosam have repeatedly affirmed that they are not, nor have they ever been, members of the Muslim Brotherhood or any terrorist organization."

Ola's brother Mohamed al-Qaradawi told Reuters in Geneva: "There are no documents whatsoever, no arrest warrants, no evidence. They only communicate for three minutes every 15 days during the renewal (of their pre-trial detention).

"They (authorities) say it is a security case, for both."

The couple was detained under a decision by the prosecutor of homeland security, two homeland security sources said.

"The investigations and information weve reached confirm that they are funding members of the Muslim Brotherhood to distort Egypts image and they transferred money to the accounts of three MB members outside of Egypt," said a homeland security policeman in charge of the Muslim Brotherhood file. "Based on the material evidence and investigations, homeland security prosecution detained them, and their detention is ongoing until they are referred to court," he added.

The detention came three weeks after a crisis erupted between Qatar and four Arab states, including Egypt, who charge that Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatar's leaders deny.

Khalaf, an Egyptian citizen, was formerly a senior member of Al-Wasat, a moderate Islamist political party, but has ceased any political activity, the family said. He was detained in Egypt without trial from 2014-2016, it said.

(Reporting and writing by Stephanie Nebehay; additional reporting by Arwa Garballa and Ahmed Aboulenein in Cairo; editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
By Anna Pujol-Mazzini

LONDON, Sept 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Wind and solar power are growing as sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, but storing renewable energy through the night, when the sun isn't shining, or when no wind is rotating the turbines, remains a hurdle.

A team of scientists at Columbia University has come up with a potential solution, however: using evaporation - the natural process that turns liquid into vapor - to power homes.

Researchers said on Tuesday evaporation from U.S. lakes and reservoirs could generate almost 70 percent of the country's current power output, while saving trillions of gallons of water every year.

"Evaporation can continue throughout the day and night because water can store heat, which is a form of energy," Ozgur Sahin, a Columbia University professor and lead author of the study, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a telephone interview.

"Evaporation comes with a natural battery," added Ahmet-Hamdi Cavusoglu, another lead author and a graduate student at the New York university. "You can make it your main source of power and draw on solar and wind when they're available."

To generate electricity, sponge-like materials are used to capture evaporation from a covered water source, growing bigger as they absorb more moisture.

Later, when the cover on the water source is opened, the materials dry and grow smaller. That change in size can be used to generate energy, the researchers say.

The machine used in the process - the Evaporation Engine - can reduce natural evaporation, saving on the large quantitites of water lost through that process every year.

The study said 25 trillions gallons of water could be saved in the United States each year by using the technology, or about 20 percent of the water people consume in the country.

Sunny states such as California, Nevada and Arizona, which regularly suffer from drought, could benefit most from the process, researchers said.

But the machine has so far only been used in a lab. Researchers now are hoping to make it more efficient and test it on a lake or reservoir, Sahin said.

(Reporting by Anna Pujol-Mazzini @annapmzn, Editing by Laurie Goering. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org)
China's most advanced weather satellite began formal operation on Monday, 36,000 kilometers above the Earth. It will extensively improve the countrys capability in meteorological forecast, disaster prevention and relief, environmental monitoring and climate change handling.

The 5.4-metric ton Fengyun 4A, developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, lifted off Dec 11 atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

Through trial runs over the past months, the satellite has proved to be performing well and the quality of images and data generated by it are good, said a news release from the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, which oversees the satellite project.

It said that during the trial runs, the satellite was used to detect and monitor typhoons, sandstorms and rainstorms, as well as smog.

Engineers from the China Meteorological Administration took over control of the satellite on Monday and began its formal operation, which is expected to last more than six years.

Zhao Jian, an administration official in charge of the project, said China plans to send the Fengyun 4B in 2018 and Fengyun 4C in 2020.

In another development, WeChat, the most popular instant messaging application in China, has replaced the original picture greeting users as they log on to the app -- an image of the Earth taken by the crew of the United States' Apollo 17 spacecraft on December 7, 1972, at a distance of about 29,000 km from the surface -- with another image of the Earth that was recently shot by the Fengyun 4A.

The new greeting picture, which started to be displayed at 5 pm Monday, will remain in place for three days, WeChat said.
By Huw Jones, Andrew MacAskill and Rachel Armstrong

LONDON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Britain's banks may have to comply with the world's first set of rules for coping with cyber attacks and other outages, Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods said on Tuesday.

The theft of 2.5 million pounds from 9,000 customers of Tesco Bank last November rang alarm bells for regulators and put cyber security high up on their priority list.

Woods said a landmark case like that of Tesco Bank, where money was actually stolen from customers accounts, it is important to ensure the bank has enough capital to safeguard customers - but this was not enough.

While UK banks like HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and RBS have had to undergo specific cyber resilience tests set by the BoE, Woods thinks that more needs to be done as the number of serious cyber attacks on financial firms rises.

The regulators' "emergency" response system has been triggered six times in the past 12 months alone, Woods told the Reuters Financial Regulation Summit.

New, so-called "operational resilience" rules would spell out what systems at a firm underpin critical services, and the "tolerance" level for an outage before regulatory intervention.

"We need to ask ourselves, because no IT system is absolutely perfect, what is the degree of outage that is acceptable," Woods said.

He foresees three levels of "tolerance", the lowest for activities regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, whose core aim is to protect consumers.

A second layer would be monitored by the BoE's Prudential Regulation Authority, which Woods heads, and looks at whether the solvency of the firm being hacked remained robust enough.

A third layer would be set by the BoE's Financial Policy Committee, which monitors threats to wider financial stability.

"At the moment nowhere in the world has anyone articulated a view on that stuff, and we are going to attempt to do so," Woods said.

"It is extremely challenging, but I think we need to build that or we dont have a solid basis to deal with this stuff."

Woods expects the issue to be discussed at the FPC and PRA by the end of this year or early in 2018, depending on how the initial thinking develops.

"The reason I am cautious is because this is really an entirely new field of work. It is a greenfield site in regulatory terms," Woods said.

"So as we go through it, I think it is possible we have to have several runs at it to get it right because we dont want to agree something, impose something and then decide that it was really down the wrong track."

Reuters Summits on Twitter @Reuters_Summits

(For more summit stories, see)

(Reporting by Huw Jones. Editing by Jane Merriman)
By Lily Cusack

BRUSSELS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Responding to complaints in eastern Europe about shoppers being fobbed off with poorer-quality versions of big brand foods, the EU executive issued legal advice for national consumer watchdogs on Tuesday to help stamp out the practice.

"Presenting two different products in the same branded packaging is misleading and unfair to consumers," Commissioner Vera Jourova, who handles consumer affairs, told reporters. "I am determined to put an end to this practice, prohibited under EU law, and make sure that all consumers are treated equally."

When leaders of formerly communist states in the east put their complaints on Brussels' agenda earlier this year, food manufacturers insisted their practices were legal under EU law and were the result of catering to tastes in local markets.

However, the Commission said national authorities charged with enforcing EU rules should take account of two pieces of EU law in particular, one ensuring full listing of ingredients and another barring "marketing of identically branded products in a way that has a potential to mislead consumers".

The EU executive has also provided financing to improve research on food comparison and enforcement of the rules. EU ministers will meet on the issue in Bratislava on Oct. 13.

In one example of dual standards, Reuters earlier this year found that a major brand of fish fingers was labelled in a shop in the Slovak capital as being made with 58 percent fish, while those in similar packaging a few miles away across the Austrian border stated that they contained 65 percent fish.

The issue has risen to the top table of EU summit politics.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke about the Slovak fish fingers in a keynote speech this month that made proposals to ease tensions with eastern governments, notably Poland and Hungary. Brussels criticises both countries for refusing to take in refugees and for measures it says limit civil rights. (Editing by Alastair Macdonald)
By Padraic Halpin

DUBLIN, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Ireland plans to hold a referendum next May or June on whether it should loosen some of the strictest abortion laws in the world, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Tuesday.

Abortion has long been a divisive issue in once stridently Catholic Ireland where, after a debate elicited large street protests from both sides, a complete ban was lifted in 2013.

Terminations were allowed if a mother's life was in danger.

"The ... proposal is to have a standalone referendum in May or June next year and will very much follow on from the recommendations of the all-party committee which is considering the matter," Varadkar told parliament.

A panel of citizens called together to advise government on the issue voted overwhelmingly that the eighth amendment of the constitution, which enshrines an equal right to life of the mother and her unborn child, should be changed.

The all-party committee is considering those recommendations and is due to report to parliament by the end of the year on the referendum and potential shape of future legislation. Opinion polls show a large majority of voters want some change.

Ireland became the first country to adopt gay marriage by popular vote in 2015 and campaigners seeking a repeal of the eighth amendment want that social change extended to abortion, citing the thousands of Irish women who travel abroad, mostly to England, for terminations each year.

Anti-abortion supporters demand no further changes to the law.

The human rights arms of the United Nations and Council of Europe have pressed the government to, at a very minimum, decriminalise abortion and widen the law to allow for abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, rape or incest.

The referendum on abortion will be among seven the government plans to call within the next two years, it said on Tuesday, including a vote to remove the crime of blasphemy from the constitution. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
DAMASCUS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Syria's government has produced much more power in recent months as the army recaptured natural gas fields from militants, the electricity ministry said on Tuesday.

Bassam Darwish, head of the electricity ministry's planning unit, told Reuters that the amount of gas the petroleum ministry provided to fuel power plants has nearly doubled since last winter.

"There had been a very big problem with securing fuel and we went through a difficult winter... We have seen an improvement," Darwish said. "After the liberation of any area, the workers of the energy sector directly go in and repair facilities."

With the help of Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, the army has driven rebels from Syria's main urban centres in western Syria and marched eastwards against Islamic State.

Syrian troops with their allies pushed into the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zor last month, after steady advances against Islamic State insurgents across the central and eastern desert. Several gas fields have fallen back under government control since last year.

Electricity supply has been highly restricted and irregular across various parts of the country during the six-year war. Improving it would help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad restore economic growth in territory the government controls.

Since early in Syria's multi-sided conflict, Damascus and the electricity ministry have worked with friendly states to help keep the power system running, Darwish said.

"Contracts were signed with Russia, with China, with Iran... that enabled us to continue working in the past," he said.

Earlier this month, Iran signed deals with Damascus to repair and build power plants, a potentially lucrative move for Tehran that points to its deepening economic role.

During the visit by Syria's electricity minister to Tehran, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding that includes restoring a main control centre for the Syrian power grid. The deals also involve a contract to supply power to Aleppo city.

Darwish said the meeting led to "signing very important contracts" with Iranian energy company MAPNA, with strong support from the Islamic Republic.

Under the deals, Iran will make payment easy for the Syrian government, whose economy has been battered by war and Western sanctions, he said.

"The contracts...are based on payment facilities from the Iranian side," he added. "We expect very big contracts to come out of the MoU that was signed... very large numbers, always with preferential terms for the Syrian side."

Shunned by Western powers, Damascus has been looking to friendly states to play a major role in rebuilding the country.

Iran will build an oil refinery in Syria after the war ends, the head of downstream technologies at Iran's Research Institute of the Petroleum Industry was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

In January, Iran's government and entities close to its elite Revolutionary Guards signed major telecommunications and mining deals with Damascus.

Since at least 2012, Iran has provided critical military support to the Damascus government, helping it regain swathes of the country. Iran experts say Tehran is now looking to reap a financial dividend.

Before the war in Syria, "power cuts and blackouts were almost non-existent," Darwish said. The government produced less than 20 billion kilowatt hour last year, down from 50 billion in 2011, he said.

"It was constantly declining because of the lack of fuel," in addition to destruction in the electric system and energy sector, including power plants and oil wells, he said.

Darwish estimated that direct damages in the power sector throughout the war amounted to between $4 and 5 billion. Indirect losses resulting from the lack of electricity to various sectors, residential zones, and institutions, had reached nearly $60 billion, he said.

"This shows us...the scale of the efforts that will have to be very big to restore the electric system," which will also require very large investments, he said.

"This issue is related to the availability of funding, which is currently the main obstacle," he said. The government was doing all it could, "but the size of the damages is big." (Reporting by Kinda Makieh in Damascus; Writing by Ellen Francis in Beirut; editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Kate Kelland

LONDON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Around one in six new cases of HIV diagnosed in Europe are in people over the age of 50, health officials said on Wednesday, showing a need to raise awareness and tailor testing programmes to older generations.

A study by researchers at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) found steady growth over the past 12 years in rates of new HIV cases in older people in the region.

The over 50s were also more likely than younger people to have advanced HIV, the study found, and to have contracted it via heterosexual sex.

"Our findings suggest a new direction in which the HIV epidemic is evolving. This potentially is a result of older people's low awareness of HIV and how it is transmitted," said Lara Tavoschi, who led the research at the ECDC and published it in The Lancet HIV journal.

She said a perception of older people being at lower risk of HIV is shared by some health workers and can mean HIV-related services are focused towards people under 50.

"Our findings illustrate a clear need to provide comprehensive HIV prevention programmes, including education, access to condoms, better testing opportunities and treatment targeted towards older adults across Europe," Tavoschi said.

Almost 37 million people worldwide have the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS.

The majority of cases are in poorer regions such as Africa, where access to testing, prevention and treatment measures has been more limited, but the HIV epidemic has also proved stubborn in wealthy regions like Europe.

The ECDC study analysed new HIV cases in the 28 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway from 2004-2015. It found that more than 54,000 over 50s were diagnosed with HIV during that time, compared to 312,500 cases in people aged 15 to 49.

The rate of diagnosis in older people increased in 16 European countries, including Britain, Belgium, Germany and Ireland. By 2015, it found, rates of HIV among over 50s were highest in Estonia, Latvia, Malta and Portugal. (Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Shanuki de Alwis shared her experience in overcoming a fear of public speaking, and the inspiration she took from the example of her own personal muse, her mother at the launch event

Drawing its inspiration from the rousing examples of successful women who have persevered against the odds, leading intimate apparel label amante, unveiled its Autumn-Winter 2017 Muse Collection at a fittingly inspiring showcase.

The chic new collection was launched on 21September 2017 at the ARQ Style House, where ladies were invited to find their muse, and celebrate those women that have dared to forge ahead.

In keeping with the theme of evening, prominent Sri Lankan thespian, speaker and activist Shanuki de Alwis shared her experience in overcoming a fear of public speaking, and the inspiration she took from the example of her own personal muse, her mother. Pointing to examples when women had dared to defy social norms to make lasting changes to their society and culture, she urged to draw strength from the examples of those who came before, and inspire the next generation to strive to even greater heights.

amante is the first Sri Lankan brand to design intimate wear to compliment the silhouettes of the South Asian woman. With our Autumn-Winter collection we hope to move the amante brand into a space that speaks to the aspirations of the modern Sri Lankan woman. Each style in our new collection was created to give expression to the grace and strength of the feminine spirit, Sasanka Bandara, General Manager-amante Sri Lanka and Bangladesh explained.

Models showcasing amantes Autumn-Winter 2017 collection Museat the launch event

Designed to inspire, the new collection pays tribute to the graceful femininity and strong substance of women everywhereit celebrates women with courage to take risk in pursuit of a dream, those that embrace adventure, and those that persevere against overwhelming challenges.

The collection weaves together a striking color palette of rich reds and blues, mixed with smooth and light floral prints, elegant strips and botanical prints.

amantes Muse collection is built around five styles: Lace Marvel, a padded, full cover lace bra with a pretty front picot strap with lightweight lace that sweetly transitions from dots to a floral and then geometric designs for a layered effect; Floral Fantasy, a tasteful and sophisticated padded, full cover bra that showcases an entwined floral design; Floral Blossom, a full cover wired bra with cups of printed microfiber inspired by the fragile beauty of nature; Delicate Bloom, amantes best-selling non-wired silhouette renewed in a limited edition seasonal print and Twilight Wonder, a demi-bra that offers less coverage for a youthful fit and a smooth, clean neckline.

The collection will be available at the flagship amante Boutiques at the Racecourse Mall in Colombo 07 and Kandy City Centre, where experienced fit consultants can guide customers to make the choice that fits best. The brand is also available at leading modern trade retail outlets island-wide and on the amante online site global.amantelingerie.com for worldwide shipping and delivery.
World Tourism day is celebrated on September 27 every year. In 1979 United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in its third session (Terremolinos, Spain, September 1979) decided to establish World Tourism Day. This is a very important milestone in the tourism sector. World Tourism day is celebrated on September 27 every year. In 1979 United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in its third session (Terremolinos, Spain, September 1979) decided to establish World Tourism Day. This is a very important milestone in the tourism sector.

The main objective of this day is to make people aware of the tourism industry and observe its impact on every field in the society such as culture, economy and religion. And this is a very good opportunity to reveal how tourism caters and serves people in the world for their well being.

Last year alone, 1.235 mn travellers crossed international borders

Tourism generates close to 12% of world GDP

The Secretory General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifari in his official message states, Tourism is today the 3rd largest export industry in the world after chemicals and fuels. It brings hope, prosperity and understanding to so many lives and livelihoods all over the world.

Last year alone, 1.235 million travellers crossed international borders, which is significant given that this was achieved in one single year. By 2030 this figure is expected to reach 1.8 billion.

The question posed, as we celebrate World Tourism Day 2017, is how we can enable this powerful global transformative force-these 1.8 billion opportunities- make this world a better place and to advance sustainable development in all its five (5) pillars.

1.Economic: Yielding inclusive growth

2. Social: Bringing decent jobs and empowering communities

3. Environmental: Preserving and enriching the environmental and climate change

4.Cultural: Celebrating and preserving diversity, identify and tangible and intangible culture

5. Peace: As an essential perquisite for development and progress.

The UN General Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Tourism for Development.

This is a unique opportunity for all of us to come together to promote travel as a contributor to tourism. This should be done as a grand 21st Century human activity, to build a better future for people, the planet, peace and prosperity.

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourist is defined as the temporary, short term movement of people to destinations outside the places where they normally live and work, and their activities during the stay at these destinations. It is also defined as the sum of the phenomena and relationship arising from the travel and stay of non residents, in so far as they dont lead to permanent residence and arent connected with any earning activity  (Hunziker and KrapF; 1941)

When considering archeology there are many definitions. According to Glyn Daniel, Archeology is a subject where revealing mans history depends on the material evidence (Artifacts, monuments). Moreover, at present, most of the eminent archeologists agreed that archeology is a science which studies ancestors behavior, there material culture and their environment.

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourist is defined as the temporary, short term movement of people to destinations outside the places where they normally live and work, and their activities during the stay at these destinations.

It is a well-known fact that for a long period of time Sri Lanka has been a place of attraction for tourists from all parts of the world. Especially it is very popular for the Ptolemis map of Sri Lanka and the visiting of Arabic trading community. Sri Lanka was named as serandib. And there is also Fahiens visit (5th century AD) to Sri Lanka giving some of the examples for Sri Lanka being on the map of tourism for a many centuries.

There are literary and clear archeological evidences to prove that trading was in operation in ancient Sri Lanka.

One of the ancient chronicles of India  Divyavadanaya  (5-6 century BC) mentioned about trade activities in ancient Sri Lanka. A Brahmi inscription, found at Duwegala in Polonnaruwa, has a picture of a sailing ship. Another Brahmi inscription at Bowattegala reveals the offering of a cave for the use of the Sanga (priests) by members of one of the foreign (Kaboja) trading companies. A trilingual inscription found in Galle (Chinese, Persian and Tamil (15th century AD) one C.W.Codrington has written that Roman coins were found along the coastal boarder of the southern province around Balapitiya. The records of H.C.P. Bell revealed that a fair number of Roman coins was found from the river bed of the Madu ganga. Quite a large number of Roman coins was found recently at Baragama in Hambantota District. Again there were many Chinese pottery found in various ancient ports and inland parts of Sri Lanka. According to the above examples it is very clear that people of various countries were aware of Sri Lankas trading activities. One of the ancient chronicles of India  Divyavadanaya  (5-6 century BC) mentioned about trade activities in ancient Sri Lanka. A Brahmi inscription, found at Duwegala in Polonnaruwa, has a picture of a sailing ship. Another Brahmi inscription at Bowattegala reveals the offering of a cave for the use of the Sanga (priests) by members of one of the foreign (Kaboja) trading companies. A trilingual inscription found in Galle (Chinese, Persian and Tamil (15th century AD) one C.W.Codrington has written that Roman coins were found along the coastal boarder of the southern province around Balapitiya. The records of H.C.P. Bell revealed that a fair number of Roman coins was found from the river bed of the Madu ganga. Quite a large number of Roman coins was found recently at Baragama in Hambantota District. Again there were many Chinese pottery found in various ancient ports and inland parts of Sri Lanka. According to the above examples it is very clear that people of various countries were aware of Sri Lankas trading activities.

The historical identity of a country is enhanced by its archeological heritage. One must consider not only the above mentioned artifacts, but also the monuments as well. There are already two thousand five hundred monuments in Sri Lanka. There are some monuments found from archeological explorations done by the Department of Archeology in the Northern and Eastern Provinces after the thirty-year civil war.

Because of the rich archeological sites and monuments UNESCO listed Eight world heritage sites in Sri Lanka. Six out of the eight are in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Kandy and Galle Fort. The other two are Sinharaja and Horton Plains given their significant environmental values.

Tourism is arguably the largest industry in the world generating 250 million jobs and contributing close to 12% of world GDP. Within this tourism sector, Cultural Tourism is one of the fastest expanding segments.

Furthermore, it has become clear over the last few years that it is the developing world which takes an increasingly large portion of this expansion. Increasingly developing countries will feel the impact of tourism. As practiced by various countries in the world archaeological heritage could be launched as one of the main assets of Sri Lanka as well.

In this process the Department of Archeology, Central Cultural Fund, National Museum and allied other institutions, Ministry of Tourism and relevant other institutions and experts of the industry have to play a vital role. A combined operation should be introduced and promoted in collaboration with these authorities.
Fonsekas flaw- not yet fatal- seems to be timing and not following through with his critiques and sustaining them

The greatest enemy of clear language is insincerity ~George Orwell

The separation occurred soon after the cessation of the war. In the immediate aftermath of the end of the war, the Rajapaksas had nothing short of praise and flattery for General Sarath Fonseka, the man who led his forces to a victorious end of the most destructive conflict between the Government forces and the LTTE militants.

There is no dispute about, who gave military leadership to the soldiers of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The astute leadership qualities of General Fonseka, while he was still the Army Commander, were the qualities the Rajapaksas announced to the country as exemplary and worthy of idolisation.

Now they seem to be empty rhetoric.

Politicians are notorious for such meaningless words. They rarely mean what they utter on the political platform. Being used to deception by words and action, politicians are seldom matched by any other for abuse of language. The Rajapaksas belong to that miserable category.

The war-victory gave them a very plausible avenue to trek. And they willingly chose to travel that path. Sarath Fonsekas tirade against former Jagath Jayasuriya, Army Commander, who in fact succeeded him, may have contained many truths; the allegations Fonseka hurled against Jayasuriya are not light; they are indeed in the realm of abuse of Human Rights and would have arisen the curiosity of many international organizations whose sharpened daggers are already in readiness to be used.

Fonseka would have been justified had he been only a private citizen, having retired from the Army. Sarath Fonseka must remember that he is not a private citizen anymore. He is now Field Marshal and a politician and a Cabinet Minister.

Fonseka was the Commander ..when Jayasuriya is purported to have committed these gross violations of Human Rights. With all his acumen as an alert leader and domineering personality Fonseka did walk into the political dump that the Rajapaksas mined. And he got burnt.

He being forthright will not suffice in the grand scheme of things; he should also be wise. Wisdom is not an inborn quality; it is a product of patience, it dawns on you when you have enough and gruelling experience tempered by iron discipline of mind.

Only a handful of Sri Lankan politicians could be classified as wise and Sarath Fonseka has time and again proved that he has not arrived at the lofty summit of wisdom.

Fonseka was the Commander of the Army when Jagath Jayasuriya is purported to have committed these gross violations of Human Rights. With all his wit, street-smartness, superlative skills and capacity on the military field and despite his acumen as an alert leader and domineering personality, Sarath Fonseka did walk into the political dump that the Rajapaksas mined. And he got burnt. His rhetoric as a candidate against Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Elections of 2009 went way out of line; his perception of forthrightness was not framed within political correctness and he paid the ultimate price in politics- a defeat at the election.

And his humiliation did not cease. Mahindas vengeance apparently knew no limit. General Sarath Fonseka was arrested, tried and sentenced to prison. Fonsekas political education was eventually sourced from within the prison cell.

The fake heroes who did not even throw a stone at the LTTE militants during the twenty eight-year-war against them are now berating the hero, who commanded the forces during a brutal and exhausting battle that claimed tens of thousands of men and women on both sides.

It is in fact a great insult to those soldiers who fell on the battlefield to disparage the commander of the forces. Yet, the excesses that may have been committed by both sides cannot and should not be condoned; nor could they be suppressed for what may come out is too bitter to swallow. That is to confront the human spirit.

When the spirit of any character is challenged with stark evidence of gross violations of fellow men and women, it is incumbent upon that man or woman to be accountable and that accountability; that element of accountability is an integral and differentiating quality of any human being who is counted as a decent and civilized one. Without that civility and decency, man falls into a quarry in which those who meander about in the land of degenerates and deranged.

Our leaders must show some semblance of courage and moral purity in meting out justice and civility. The Joint Opposition which is guided by the Rajapaksas who, in the first place were the beneficiaries of patriotism-euphoria that was almost flawlessly built up by their propaganda specialists; they have been using this tribal belief of nationalism which was always misunderstood for patriotism; they won elections, one after another, for Provincial Councils, Pradeshiya Sabha and Urban Councils with this phony patriotism. While ransacking the countrys national treasures like their own private property, they portrayed these alleged violators of Human Rights as war heroes.

The Parliamentary Opposition at the time was deaf, dumb and blind. Embroiled in their own leadership battles, they hardly had any time to craft a strategic approach to counter this patriotism-based propaganda onslaught of the Rajapaksa goons.

However, this patriotism-based propaganda not only gave a cover for the Rajapaksas, it also provided the general public with a triumphalism-based collective egoism, especially for Sinhalese Buddhists.

Not only did the people get deceived beyond any precedent, the looters branded themselves as the custodians of all morals and Good Governance and phony patriotism was their sartorial elegance.

It is in fact a great insult to those soldiers who fell on the battlefield to disparage the commander of the forces

The war-victory gave them a very plausible avenue to trek. And they willingly chose to travel that path

The excesses that may have been committed by both sides cannot and should not be condoned; nor could they be suppressed for what may come out is too bitter to swallow

Sarath Fonseka finds himself in a radically changed political culture, whose convoluted milieu is made up of utterly corrupt and short-sighted politicos

By being silent does not drive the issue away; on the contrary, it amounts to being perceived as politically impotence

The Opposition at the time feared this patriotism-garbed cabal that ruled the country. What gave away the nudity of their posture was the 18th Amendment. That 18th Amendment provided the ruling cabal with seemingly unlimited playing time on a field fairly barren of vociferous and courageous political minds.

At the time, Sarath Fonseka was still in prison. His was a powerful voice of opposition against those so-called patriots; those patriots feared a fresh voice; they wanted to still that voice and at least in the short run, they succeeded.

Now, Fonseka is on a different wicket. He is a Parliamentarian and a Cabinet Minister. And above all he is a UNPer. He has wilfully engaged in a controversial subject: Human Rights violations by Sri Lankan security forces.

On top of that, he also indulged in hurling even harsher criticism against one of those Buddhist Monks, whose social and religious standing, especially among the Colombo Cocktail Cockroaches is rather unimpeachable.

But Fonsekas words about Elle Gunawansa, another person garbed in saffron robes that had a not-so-pure image in regard to ethno-religious relations, were cutting and sharp.

However, Fonsekas flaw- not yet fatal of course- seems to be timing and not following through with his critiques and sustaining them.

What is even more telling is the deathly silence of the leadership of the coalition. That silence is not going to help them in the long run.

They must respond one way or other. By being silent does not drive the issue away; on the contrary, it amounts to being perceived as politically impotence. Sarath Fonseka is not known for political correctness. As a matter of fact political correctness has helped the country in the wrong way. It has framed those who need to express themselves freely in a cosmetic cage of correctness.

Yet, Field Marshal Fonseka has chosen to free himself of the shackles of a caged animal. His character, that of a fearless leader and forthright speaker of the truth, should stand out as an exemplary one, yet it should not display any recklessness that no modern political leader of any calibre to reckon with would be weighed down by. Societal inhibitions need to be addressed, if any political leader aspires to gain political power through the ballet. The collective mindset of any electorate invariably oscillates between varying options; it tends to absorb more of the superficial stuff than profound political theories.

The United National Party in which camp Fonseka is saddled with today has had some superlative leaders, both at the highest level and the second tires. M. D. Banda, U. B. Wanninayake, M. D. H. Jayewardene, M. V. P. Peiris, Sir Lalitha Rajapaksa of the fifties and sixties and Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayake and Nissanka Wijeyratne in the seventies and eighties, cannot be matched by any second-tier leaders in any other political party.

In terms of electorate-acceptance and real accomplishment of monumental tasks given unto them, no second-tier political leader even comes close. For that matter their accomplishments are not matched by the first-tier leaders of other parties.

But, today Sarath Fonseka finds himself in a radically changed political culture, whose convoluted milieu is made up of utterly corrupt and short-sighted politicos.

Their purpose of entering into politics is to enrich themselves at the expense of the country. What is more unpatriotic that that?

It is quite futile to dwell in the past and lament. If the environment is not sharp enough to produce good leaders, then we must change the environment.

That is not easy and wont be accomplished in just months a couple of years. But we all owe it our children that we leave a better place for them. Who amongst us is ready and willing to carry that burden?

The writer can be contacted at vishwamithra1984@gmail.com
The First Ever Open Mosque Day in Kandy took place on September 20 at the historic Meera Makam Mosque. The event, organised by the Centre for Islamic Studies (CIS) in association with the trustees of Meera Makam Mosque was an immense success with over 300 persons of other faiths participating.

Asiff Hussein, Vice President, Outreach, CIS said that the Open Mosque event- the first of its kind in Kandy- had attracted clergy of different faiths, Government officials, police officers, teachers and students. Besides a tour of the historic Meera Makam Mosque and Islamic prayer demonstrations, visitors were taken around a walk-through of posters clearing misconceptions of Islam and presented with beautiful Arabic calligraphy of their names, traditional Muslim foods and gift packs containing literature and perfume. A special henna corner for the ladies was also a major draw.

We plan to have similar events in other mosques all over the country in the near future spearheaded by our outreach team mainly drawn from our Youth Wing said Hussein. We have had such events at Akbar Mosque on Kew Road in Colombo, which were also very popular. A noteworthy feature of the Kandy program was the active participation of Mosque Tour Guides from among the learned scholars of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama, the countrys apex Islamic body. This shows the wide acceptance of the concept of mosque tours as a means of building bridges with other communities he added.
The following are excerpts from a speech made by Rear Admiral (Retd) Sarath Weerasekera at a side event on September 24 during the UNHRC sessions in Geneva

Is the resolution 30/1 legal? Certainly not. Let me briefly explain as to why the resolution is illegal. On 26 th March 2014, the UNHRC by resolution A/HRC/25/1 requested the High Commissioner to undertake a comprehensive investigation into  serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes allegedly committed during the period 2002 February to 2011November in Sri Lanka.

The final report of the investigation, widely known as the OISL report, was released on 16th September 2015. On 29th Sept 2015 the UNHRC by resolution A/HRC/30/1 endorsed without reservation the conclusions and the recommendations of the OISL report. The said resolution was sponsored by USA and co sponsored by the Government of Sri Lanka and adopted by the council by consensus, without debate.

We have proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the OISL report is seriously flawed and full of contradictions, omissions, lies, obfuscations and half-truths and fails to establish its primary claim, that the state, is responsible for war crimes and other serious crimes allegedly committed during the relevant period. We have handed over the relevant document to the High Commissioner in March this year.

First of all let me state that the investigation against Sri Lanka, authorized by UNHRC in March 2014, itself is again illegal. The councils authorization of the investigation was based purely on a recommendation for such an investigation made by the High Commissioner and we have proof that the High Commissioner had no rational basis to make the said recommendation at the time she did.

When UNICEF was confirming that LTTE were recruiting child soldiers on a large scale he did sweet nothing

The POE Report charged the Government (GOSL) of war crimes on false facts obtaining evidence and facts

We defeated the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world on 19th May 2009 and the first resolution passed in Geneva was a positive one praising the Sri Lankan Government for bringing peace and condemning the LTTE for using human shields. However 17 nations led by Germany called for a special session, 8 days after we won the war and charged the Government of committing war crimes and demanded that the perpetrators be punished. But the majority of countries in the council, specially the nations in the South, rejected it and adopted a positive counter resolution as mentioned above.

That resolution welcomed the conclusion of hostilities, the liberation of tens of thousands of its citizens that were held by the terrorists and bringing permanent peace to the country. It was obviously a set back to the separatist Tamil diaspora and other critics, so they attempted to recover through other means.

The then Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki Moon arrived in Sri Lanka just four days after the defeat of the LTTE to look into  accountability . When the LTTE held 3,50,000 civilians as human shields in Jan 2009, Ban Ki Moon never came here to prevail on LTTE to release them. When UNICEF was confirming that LTTE were recruiting child soldiers on a large scale he did sweet nothing. But he visited Sri Lanka one week after the war, in May 2009, and wanted us to initiate an accountability process. It is like, after the killing of Osama Bin Laden by the US Marines, Ban Ki Moon going to USA and asking Barak Obama to initiate an accountability process!

Also it should be mentioned that what we had in our country was a Non International Armed Conflict as the LTTE was fully qualified to be called a non state actor of an armed conflict

The above mentioned failure of the then UN Secretary General was also mentioned in the report titled  UNSG POE report on Sri Lanka, submitted to UN by the Charles Petrie Committee. It concludes that events in Sri Lanka mark a great failure of the UN to adequately respond to early warnings to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of civilians. UN failed to conceive and execute a coherent strategy in response to early warnings and subsequent international HR and humanitarian violations against civilians. Ban Ki Moon has subsequently admitted that failure. He said in Sept 2nd that had the UN being more actively engaged more lives could have been saved.

But as mentioned above, soon after we defeated the LTTE and brought peace to the country, Ban Ki Moon came and signed a joint statement with the President. The last two sentences of the statement were The Secretary General underlined the importance of an accountability process for addressing violations of international Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. The Government will take measures to address those grievances.

Mr. Ban Ki Moon used the said two sentences as a basis and appointed the Panel of Experts known as Darusman Committee to appraise him whether war crimes had been committed in Sri Lanka. This action of the Sec Gen was highly illegitimate and in fact illegal under the UN Charter. The Sec Gen had appointed three outsiders to the POE Committee. But article 100 of the UN Charter categorically states that the Sec Gen shouldnt receive instructions from any other authority external to the Organization.

As per article 97 and 98, the Sec Gen is the Chief Admin Officer of the UN and should perform tasks entrusted to him by the Security Council, the General Assembly or the Trusteeship Council. None of these organs had given instructions to the Sec Gen in this regard , but yet he appointed the POE on his own.

The Sec Gen also violated Article 2 (7) of the UN Charter which says,Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorise the UN to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter.

Hence by appointing the POE the Sec Gen had violated his own rules!

The Panel of Experts then concluded that there were credible allegations that violations of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights law did occur and recommended an international investigation. The POE then became the basis for the demand for an international investigation in subsequent UNHRC resolutions against Sri Lanka.

The POE Report charged the Government (GOSL) of war crimes on false facts obtaining evidence and facts from biased and separatist elements. Referring to the POE report of the UNSG, the International legal luminaries, Sir Geoffrey Nice QC and Rodney Dixon QC, who have both worked in international tribunals and worked for ICC in Hague, say that the findings in respect of the alleged criminal violations fall well short of the legal standards and all the evidence virtually unsourced. So how can a sovereign country be forced to abide by a resolution drafted based on the basis of such a report?

The Darusman or the POE Report failed to make a prima facie case with regards to any of the violations of humanitarian law and the Sec Gen exceeded his authority in commissioning the report too. It was never placed officially at the HRC and hence the Sri Lankan Government never got an opportunity to officially respond to it. When the Sec Gen first announced that he would commission the report, senior diplomats from a number of prominent countries expressed grave concerns about the dangerous precedence the Sec Gen was about to set. Russia, through its UN ambassador, even raised objections in the Security Council.

Russian Ambassador Vladimir Mikaylov, when asked on what grounds the objections were made, said On the grounds that it was not a UN Report. On the grounds that it was not done in accordance with the regulations and procedures of UN. From the very beginning it was told that the report was purely for the Sec Gen. So if it was for the Sec Gen why did they have to publish it?

So based on this illegal Darusman Report there were resolutions in 2012 and 2013 and it should be noted that just prior to the March 2013 Resolution, a group of 14 nations including Russia, China, Venezuela and Iran made a joint statement expressing their dismay and frustration at what was being done to this country. Referring to mandating the UNHRC to provide advice and technical assistance to Sri Lanka they said such recommendations are arbitrary, intrusive and of a political nature!

Finally the resolution 25/1 was passed in 2014, requesting the present High Commissioner to undertake a comprehensive investigation into alleged war crimes. It was hardly a unanimous decision where 23 countries voted in favour, 12 against while12 abstained. The OISL report of the present High Commissioner is the result of that investigation.

Meanwhile, the countries that voted against and abstained, including India and Pakistan, made strong statements condemning the investigation. Ambassador Dilip Sinha said, It has been Indias firm belief that adopting an intrusive approach that undermines national sovereignty and institutions is counter productive. Moreover any external investigative mechanism to monitor national processes for protection of Human Rights of a country is not reflective of the constructive approach of dialogue and cooperation envisaged by UN charter.

Ambassador Zamir Akram of Pakistan said, No self-respecting country would agree to the intrusive measures advocated in this resolution. It is inconsistent with the principles of the UN charter which calls for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. This resolution is about politics and not human rights. It is also a crass example of hypocrisy and double standards.

Also it should be mentioned that what we had in our country was a Non International Armed Conflict as the LTTE was fully qualified to be called a non state actor of an armed conflict. The applicable laws governing Non International Armed conflict are those that are governed by protocol additional to the Geneva Convention of 12 th Aug 1949. That is International Humanitarian Law and not International Human Rights Law.

Now what does Article 3 of this protocol say ? Article 3.1 sates Nothing in this protocol shall be invoked for the purpose of affecting the sovereignty of a state or the responsibility of the Government by all legitimate means, to maintain or reestablish law and order in the state or to defend the national unity and territorial integrity of the state.

So we exercised our sovereignty to defend the national unity and territorial integrity of the state, in keeping with the norms of non International armed conflict.

Now let me quote article 3.2; Nothing in this protocol can be invoked as a justification for intervening, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever in the armed conflict or in the internal/external affairs of the High Contracting party in the territory of which that conflict occurs.

Therefore the High Commissioners entire report recommending the establishment of a special counsel to investigate allegations of HR violations, a judicial system comprising foreign judges, asking to devolve power as per 13th amendment etc are contemptuous intimidation and amounts to intervention in the internal/external affairs of Sri Lanka in violation of the above article.

So the High Commissioner too in addition to the Secretary General, had violated his own rules!

Resolution 30/1 which persuades the Government to establish an office of missing personnel, establish a judicial system with foreign judges etc. is mainly based on the OISL Report making a case of war crimes against the state.

Now let us go through the charges levelled against us (Sri Lanka) in the OISL Report and see whether they are based on true facts. For, if the OISL Report is false then the resolution per se which is based on the OISL Report should in actual fact, become null and void.

1. Indiscriminate shelling of civilians:

In the Darusman Report the number killed during the last days of war has been mentioned as 40,000. If that figure was correct it is safe to presume that war crimes may indeed have been committed and that civilians may have been indiscriminately targeted. To be dead one has to be born. Therefore anyone who claims 40,000 dead must be able to provide details of names, addresses, school records, birth certificates etc. They must produce some evidence that who ever they claim to be dead actually lived! The Presidential Missing Persons Commission mandated to investigate between 1983 and 2009 had only 16,179 including 5000 names of missing soldiers. What happened to the 40,000 supposed dead? Why arent their names logged?

There is a UN Country Report completed in 2009, during the conflict itself, that gives an estimate of the number killed between 2008 Aug to May 13 th2009 as 7721including LTTE cadres. That number is also very close to the one calculated by the Census Department of Sri Lanka. Hence as the war was over by 19th May, if the 40,000 number killed was correct, then nearly 32,000 have to perish within 6 days. The last battle was in a very small area, so if the Army was supposed to have killed 32,000 people the soldiers would have had to bury them. In the thick of fighting, the soldiers had no time to carry 40,000 dead bodies.

Even if you throw them to sea or lagoon they (Bodies) should emerge! Where are the dead bodies or at least the skeletons? How did Sri Lankan military kill 32,000 whilst saving 295,000 innocent Tamils?

We must also bear in mind the conditions under which the last phase of the war was fought where the LTTE had taken about 300,000 civilians as hostages when the army began to close in on them. The POE Report also states that the tigers were killing civilians who were trying to escape. And even when civilian casualties rose significantly, the LTTE refused to let people leave, hoping that the worsening situation would provoke an international intervention and a halt to the fighting.

The former head of the Womens Wing of the LTTEs Political Office Thamilini Jayakumaran, states in her book Under the shade of a sharp edged sword how the tiger girls were ordered to shoot their own people who were fleeing.

Muralidar Reddy, an Indian journalist, was part of a group of embedded reporters in the battle field. He has had the opportunity to speak to the civilians emerging from the battle field. There isnt the slightest indication in his articles that he heard the civilians say that Government troops were carrying out massacres. Reddys impression also appears to have been that the civilians were glad to cross over to Government lines. They were running towards the Sri Lanka Army, presumably expecting to find safety. Would they have been running towards the army if they felt that the army had been massacring civilians over the past days? It doesnt make sense.

David Gray, from Reuters, was in the war zone. He has observed the soldiers were feeding the civilians with their rations. If these soldiers, whom Gray saw, were in the habit of attacking civilians indiscriminately, why would these soldiers be feeding the civilians?

Hence can a reasonable person conclude that the Government is guilty of indiscriminate killing of civilians as charged in the OISL Report?

2.Denial of humanitarian assistance

The other charge levelled against the Government is deliberately denying humanitarian aid being sent to the north which is a war crime. Here we say that the Panel was deliberately obfuscating the truth by completely ignoring highly reliable sources and witnesses including Neil Buhne, the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka at the relevant period.

In order to provide food and medicine to the North the Government had established a mechanism called Consultative Committee on Humanitarian Assistance. That committee comprised all the Government officials in the relevant ministries and Mr. Robert Blake, who was the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the representatives of ICRC, WFP, UNICEF, WHO, ILO, FAO, UNHCR etc.

To make it very short, with regard to providing essential items to North during the war, Mr.Neil Buhne, the UN resident Coordinator had commented that the Sri Lankan Government should be presented with a Gold medal for her commitment in that regard. Mr. Amin Award, the representative of UNHRC, had expressed the view that Sri Lanka was a role model to the rest of the world in the manner in which the Government of Sri Lanka had handled the humanitarian crisis created by the LTTE using civilians as human shields in the theatre of war.

With all these comments and statistics, the OISL has seen it fit to pronounce unequivocally that the Government of Sri Lanka, during the period in question, followed a deliberate policy of depriving civilians in the conflict zone of humanitarian assistance.

Likewise all other charges mentioned in the OISL Report and levelled against Sri Lanka were based on false facts. We have proved this beyond any reasonable doubt in our report titled A factual Appraisal of the OISL Report which we handed over to the HRC office in March this year.

The purpose of the OISL Report is to make a case for war crimes against the state. This report was never properly assessed by any professional agency of the UN and it is asserted that the report is deeply flawed, and biased against Sri Lanka. Hence UNHRC, in allowing resolution 30/1 to be adopted without a vote and without debate has been negligent in its duties and obligations under the UN Charter and hence illegal. Therefore we request to impose a moratorium on the UNHRC from pursuing any further measures with respect to Sri Lanka based on resolution 30/1 till the OISL Report is fully investigated.
 Flash

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. Sept. 25, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The United States has not declared war on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the White House said on Monday, in response to remarks of the DPRK's top diplomat.

"Last weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer. He declared a war on our country," Ri Yong-ho, the DPRK foreign minister, told reporters earlier in New York.

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country," Ri said, referring to Trump's tweet message on Saturday.

In response, the White House denied that the United States had declared war on Pyongyang.

"We have not declared war on North Korea and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told a regular briefing in Washington.

"Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," she said.

The DPRK foreign minister also said that the DPRK reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers even if they are not in its air space.

"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take countermeasures, including the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country," Ri said.

On Saturday, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighter escorts flew in international airspace over waters east of the DPRK, the Pentagon said.

"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown" off the DPRK's coast in the 21st century, said the Pentagon, adding that the move underscored "the seriousness with which we take DPRK's reckless behavior."

U.S. President Donald Trump also talked tough on the DPRK. In his first speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 19, Trump threatened that the United States "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the country unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches.

Two days later, Trump also signed a new order to ramp up sanctions on the DPRK.

In response, DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un vowed to retaliate, saying Trump "will face results beyond his expectation."

In a statement released on Friday, Kim said "I am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue," according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim also accused Trump of uttering "unprecedented rude nonsense that one has never heard from any of his predecessors," saying the threat to "totally destroy" a sovereign state has gone beyond the limit.
(From left to right): Lakshika Weeramundage, Nestle Senior Manager  Exports; Indira Malwatte, Chairman  Export Development Board; Dr. Harsha de Silva, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chandani Wijewardana, Secretary - Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade

Continues to support local livelihoods whilst enhancing foreign earnings for Sri Lanka

Nestle has won Highest Value Added Exporter in the Coconut Kernel Product category at the recent Presidential Export Awards. This marks the sixth Presidential Export Award for the company, in recognition of its strong contribution to national exports, and efforts to create sustainable livelihoods for local coconut growers and farm workers.

Nestle Lanka is one of the worlds largest exporters of coconut milk powder. The product is exported to over 50 countries, and is sold locally under the Maggi brand. It is manufactured in Nestles state-of-the-art factory in Kurunegala, where the company procures around 80 million Sri Lankan coconuts every year; providing a livelihood to close to 6,000 local coconut farming families.

Said Jose Roldan, Vice President - Supply Chain at Nestle: We are honoured to accept this award in recognition of our success in exporting Sri Lankan coconut milk powder. We pioneered the manufacturing of coconut milk powder in the 1980s and have continued to invest in the local coconut industry since. Our efforts have made Sri Lankan coconut milk powder one of the most sought after in the world; offering the best taste, highest quality and minimal environmental impact.

Nestles coconut milk powder is used by culinary professionals globally for a variety of dishes, as well as by world leading manufacturers of confectionery products like chocolates and ice cream. With coconut waste a growing concern in the face of crop scarcity in the island, it also offers consumers a more efficient way of using coconut milk. Authorities estimate only 65% of the coconut kernel is extracted from the raw fruit when used in-home. Coconut milk powder, in contrast, utilises as much as 85% of the coconut kernel.

(From left to right): Rajiv Dharmarajah, Nestle Senior Executive  Procurement; Sujeewa Priyadarshana, Nestle Assistant Manager  Financial Reporting; Shivani Hegde , Managing Director  Nestle Lanka; Jose Roldan, Nestle Vice President  Supply Chain; Lakshika Weeramundage, Nestle Senior Manager  Exports; Satish Daswani, Nestle Assistant Manager  Exports; Sathya Goonasekera, Nestle Assistant Manager  Supply Planning; Sujeewa Pinto, Nestle Assistant Manager - Customer Services; Dhanushke Ramanayake, Nestle Manager  Procurement and Mohamed Sazmin, Nestle Assistant Manager  Management Accounting

To help secure coconut cultivation and rural livelihoods, Nestle launched the Nestle Coconut Plan in late 2016, in collaboration with the Coconut Cultivation Board. 2,000 coconut farming families received 10,000 high yield coconut plantlets, and benefit from comprehensive training programmes as well as model farms to help benchmark best practices. The Plan encourages coconut cultivation by commercial farmers as well as home growers, both within the coconut triangle and outside, in areas identified as high potential for successful coconut cultivation.

More recently, Nestle initiated a significant investment to enhance its manufacturing capacity for coconut milk powder to support demand, in consideration of the high growth potential in both local and export markets.

Said Shivani Hegde, Nestle Managing Director: We believe our purpose as a company is enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. We are honoured and most proud to be recognised for our strong exports performance, and for our work in investing in projects that make a difference to our farmers, their families and workers. By supporting them we build stronger communities, which in turn help to ensure the long term security of the industry.

The Presidential Export Awards is an annual event that recognises and awards companies that have made a significant contribution to the local exports sector. It is organised by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board. Previous awards won by Nestle include Best Exporter of the Coconut & Coconut Based Product Sector in 2010 and 2013, Best Exporter of the Food & Other Beverages Product Sector in 2011, and Best Multinational Company (MNC) engaged in Exports in 2014 and 2015.
The presence of Rohingya Muslims who had fled Myanmar was questioned in Parliament today.

Opposition MP Jayantha Samaraweera who raised a question on the issue said a camp comprising of Rohingya Muslims who had come down from Myanmar has been set up near Mirihana. We would like to know what actions the government would take in regard to Extradition Laws, the MP questioned. Mr Samarawerra said this has been reported in social media. Social media has reported on this and it is indeed a reality, he said.

Minister of Justice Thalatha Athukorala who responded said she was not in a position to give any details on it now.

MP Wimal Weerawansa who responded to the Minister said the matter had become a serious issue as some of these people who were in the camp had got out of it and living in private residences. Some of the children of these people have been admitted to schools, he said.

Minister Athokorala said MP Weerawansa could raise a question on the matter from the Ministry of Defence.

SLMC MP M. H. M. Salman who spoke later in the House said Sri Lanka should look at the Rohingya people in a compassionate manner. It is true that Sri Lanka has not signed the UN Charter on refugees but it should look at an issue in a compassionate manner especially as Myanmar where the Rohingya people come from has been a friendly nation. Both countries have worked together in promoting Buddhism and it is essential that this issue is looked at in a more positive manner, he said. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)
...that morning, I went to Rosmead Place. The Prime Minister was talking to another monk. I occupied a seat at the end of the verandah, and then he came up to me and inquired why I had come ...I shot at the Prime Minister once. That shot struck him. He started running into the house. I followed behind him and fired three more bullets. Someone shot me as well and I lost consciousness. I do not remember what happened next. -Thalduve Somaramastatement by 1st accused [from the dock.]

The boy born to an anglophile Christian aristocratic family on January 8, 1899, was given the name, West Ridgway after the Governor of Ceylon and his God father, Sir Joseph West Ridgeway. He was affectionately called Solla, by family elders and Banda or SWRD by political colleagues and the press.

West Ridgeway joined Christ Church College, Oxford in 1919. A year later, studying Classics for his Bachelors degree, he shared with Anthony Eden [who later became Prime Minister of England] a room allotted to them. Switching to Law from Classics he became an active member of the Students Union making eloquent speeches on Governments policies, democracy, and Parliamentary system. Bandaranaike, in his fourth year, became Secretary of the Oxford Union. SWRDs political life and times have received immense publicity. Volumes authored about him by political analysts are available in print. So much is spoken of his strategies and governing policies, but little is said about his formative days. Before discussing about his vision for Federalism in detail lets take a quick glance at his ancestry and childhood.

Young Bandaranaike

In her work, Relative Merits- A Personal Memoir of the Bandaranaike Family of Sri Lanka C.Hurst & Co, London-1986- Yasmine Gooneratne traces the ancestry of Dias Bandaranaikes and illustrates how an Indian officer of high standing- who migrated in the 16th century- served the Kings of Kandy. Bearing the name Neela Perumal, he held the post of high priest of the shrine dedicated to God Saman and was authorised to use the name of Nayaka Pandaram (chief record-keeper) in 1454. For easy usage, it became Pandara Nayake. And with times, the P was substituted with more palatable B; thus Bandara Nayake, later evolved as Bandaranayake. The Pandarams, Brahmins of India, are the record keepers of Court and family, adds Gooneratne.

At St. Thomas College, he enjoyed the luxury of staying at the Wardens bungalow instead of the hostel. In politics, SWRD initially was in touch with powerful and influential leaders and gradually with more local level people who helped him to reach the masses or under-privileged villagers. The state conducted its affairs entirely in English. Of the adult population only eight percent were literate in English. He abandoned the legality of British rule and sustained an uncomfortable treaty with colonial administrators. SWRD changed his faith and thinking subsequently. The leading nationalists of the day became suspicious of the young man whose ancestors have ridiculed them. From 1936 he was a member of the Cabinet of D S Senanayake the chapter ending when DS and his men created an environment that brought SWRDs exit from Cabinet and UNP in 1951. He possessed socialist leanings, paradoxically became exceptionally perceptive to Sinhala-Buddhist aspirations in subsequent years.

Switching to Law from Classics he became an active member of the Students Union making eloquent speeches on Governments policies, democracy, and Parliamentary system.

catch-words are the bane of politicians all over the world- SWRD

Forming a political party named, Progressive Nationalist, young Bandaranaike, returning from Oxford, England in 1925, professed a federal structure for Sri Lanka. He also selected it as the main slogan pioneering efforts in the island, though his obsession for the concept gradually cooled over the years. Publishing a six-piece article in Ceylon Morning Leader, May/June 1926, Bandaranaike not only argued in favour for a Federal structure, he went beyond professing of what he called an External Federation, meaning, Sri Lanka as a unit or a state in a wider regional Federation of States that included India!

SWRD began his practice in 1926. The political arena then was dominated by Ceylon National Congress. Demand for regional devolution of power emerged with minorities in the CNC agitating for a new political structure. The first few paragraphs of his article in Ceylon Morning Leader indicate his vision for the country, he said,

At a time when the desire for self-government appears to be growing ever stronger, and successive installments of reforms seem to bring that goal almost within sight, two problems of vital importance arise, which require careful and earnest thought. The first is the question of Ceylons external status, that is what is her position as a nation in relation to other nations? The second is her internal status, the adoption of a form of Government which would meet the just requirements of the different sections of her inhabitants.

No effort has yet been made seriously to consider these problems, nor indeed in some quarters is it realised that the problem exist at all! There is the usual vague thinking, there are the usual generalizations, to which politicians are only too liable, the catch-words are the bane of politicians all over the world... in Ceylon we find in constant use, such phrases as co-operation, self-government, Cabinet-government, without any clear understanding of either what they really involve or whether and to what extent, they are applicable to our own particular difficulties.

The writer believes the true solution of the problem mentioned is contained in the federal system, and these articles are intended as a general introduction to the subject...

As minister of local administration (1936-47), he campaigned for a system of PCs as Nations local Government system. However, SWRD failed to take advantage of the agreement of the State Councilors to this in 1940

- Bandaranaike--Ceylon Morning Leader  19 May, 1926

His proposals for a federal structure based on structures in South Africa, Australia, Canada and Switzerland were outlined in a speech he delivered in Jaffna on July 17, 1926.

Early politics and Tamil opinion In the 30s and 40s Bandaranaike had turned from federalism to decentralization (PCs). As minister of local administration (1936-47), he campaigned for a system of PCs as Nations local Government system. However, SWRD failed to take advantage of the agreement of the State Councilors to this in 1940. In 1940/41 he could have been fired by Governor Caldecott for his injudicious comments on war efforts if not for the intervention of his father, the Maha Mudaliyar, who appealed to the Governor on his behalf. This caused him to change his interest from devolution to succession to the leadership. D B Jayatillake was ageing and Senanayake was the obvious choice. SWRD, who was thinking of consolidating his position was building up his Sinhala Maha Sabha for the purpose. Thus a great prospect was lost; PCs that received unanimous endorsement at State Council never saw the light of the day.

An Expedient Utopian

 Bandaranaike, was no flat, one-dimensional character. This is hardly surprising, since to be a colonial is to be pray to contradictions and counter pressures; to be torn between things local and things cosmopolitan, between Asian and European perceptions, between anti-colonialism and British values and ways, add to that Bandaranaikes own highly complex personality and the result is a life that was a tangle of incongruities.

- James Manor; The Expedient Utopian: Bandaranaike and Ceylon- Cambridge [1989]

A combined power of clergy, Ayurvedic physicians, teachers, peasants and workers organized under SLFPs Pancha Maha Balavegaya steadfastly supported Bandaranaike to power at the 1956 Elections. Some of the leaders of this group were impatient; they have been pressing for quick changes, while others expected special patronage on dealings. Bandaranaike was indebted to accomplish the common mans desires and the nationalist forces objectives, and the force applied by them for quick results, are evident in the following account by his official secretary.

SWRD, correctly surmised that the average bureaucrat mostly carried out faithfully..., therefore, somewhat slower than his followers expected, shifting out of those who they felt were henchmen of the former regime. ...I once heard him, I have only just taken control of the wheel. I cant, my dear fellow change all the parts at the same time or I wont be able to move at all. I will replace the brake first,...carburetor next and so on ... you must give me time. Rendering unto Caesar-Bradman Weerakoon, pp 22/23.

Mapitigama Buddharakkitha

SWRD had to settle personal disputes and policy issues within members of the party. An unprecedented Cabinet strike organized by Health Minister, Wimala Wijewardene, (who was 6th suspect in the assassination case) was a tragedy he faced during his relatively short rule of three and a half years. He understood the significance of correcting unfairness and injustice caused to minorities over his Sinhala only act. He amended it through an enactment called, Reasonable use of Tamil as a working language, which resulted in a pact with SJV Chelvanayakam, his school mate and leader of main Tamil party, [Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact of 58]; but finally he decided to abrogate it following a massive protest planned by his five-fold Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinists inside his premises, while the main opposition UNP too, organised an island-wide campaign against it.

The Sangha-Veda, [Buddhist priests and Aryuvedic physicians], the first two categories of Balavegaya that elevated SWRD to the zenith, had him killed when he denied them of extraordinary state favours for their nefarious activities.

One of the main architects of 56 election campaign and victory was Kelaniya temples, Mapitigama Buddharakkitha, who spent lavishly during the run up to polls. He wanted to import rice from Burma through his shipping company, to which two senior Cabinet ministers showed opposition. The PM appreciated the ministers advice. Then on another occasion tenders were called for the purchase of two ships - the priest endeavored to obtain the tender through back-door, to which PM declined to agree. Disgruntled Buddharakkitha conspired with, H P Jayawardene, an Aryuvedic physician, also a staunched supporter of SLFP. They convinced Somarama, an Aryuvedic lecturer, and an extremist Sinhala chauvinist by impregnating in him the idea that SWRD is a traitor who is preparing to sell the Sinhala nation and race to Federalist Chelvanayakam: Somarama was convinced.

Fanatical patriots, ultranationalists, extremists and those suffering from tribal-mentality, both the educated and not-so-educated, are vulnerable and could easily be enticed to risk their life, for a cause which they believed sacred; and would undertake unreservedly, a task to eliminate an opponent. Assassinations of Lincoln, Gandhi Ji and Kennedy are testimony to above.
Indias foreign minister, Sushma Swarajs speech at the United Nations General Assembly has attracted widespread attention, particularly for her comments related to the progress India has made in the knowledge sector in the past 70 years. The minister referred to the role played by Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, the Indian Space Research Organisation as well as the success achieved in the field of information technology.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which celebrates its platinum jubilee on Tuesday, among other research councils, too has contributed significantly. Undoubtedly, all these institutions have been major driving forces in Indias quest to become a powerhouse of knowledge in the 21st century.

Between 1945 and 1960, three dozen countries in Asia and Africa were decolonised and became independent. All these countries followed different trajectories of development, but few can rival what India could achieve in science and technology in the decades that followed Independence. This was because of the thrust India gave to science and technology as a key input in the process of nation-building, which emanated from Nehrus vision and alliance he struck with top scientists.

In British India, scientific institutions were spread in different parts of the country. The undivided Punjab and Bengal had great institutes of higher education which produced scientific leaders like Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar  who founded CSIR under the British rule  Meghnad Saha, Ruchi Ram Sahani, among others. After Partition too, links between the two countries in the field of scientific research remained for some years.

Salimuzzaman Siddiqui was an organic chemist who did his research in medicinal plants at the Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbi College in Delhi at the invitation of founder Hakim Ajmal Khan. Later, he was requisitioned to head a CSIR lab in Kolkata. According to Siddiquis biography, prepared by the Royal Society, London, the PM of Pakistan in 1948 wrote to Nehru requesting him to spare Siddiqui for organising science in Pakistan. In 1951, Siddiqui was appointed the chairman of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research which established five multi-disciplinary laboratories.

Pakistan also floated atomic energy and space agencies around the same time as India, but with little success. Looking back, I realise what a difference it made to have a visionary as our leader. Without (Vikram) Sarabhai, Indias space programme might have ended in doldrums like Pakistans, says R Aravamudan, Indian space scientist who was in the first batch of trainees. This  the vision of founding fathers of science  perhaps explains why India stands apart from other nations in science and technology.
Pakistan has excelled itself this year in its compulsive propaganda blast against India at the annual UNGA sessions. Just as its friendship with China is all-weather, its hostility towards India is decidedly all-season. In the last 70 years the international landscape has got transformed, countries  including Pakistan  have broken up, the enemies of yesterday have become friends of today, nations have adjusted their policies to changed conditions, but Pakistans animus towards India has not subsided.

Strife

Rather than exploring ways of making peace it has focused on newer ways to continue the strife with India. To religious antagonism, it has added to its arsenal nuclear capability and then terrorism. Even when its quest to wrest Kashmir or damage India internally has failed, its determination to pursue its confrontation with India, no matter what the cost to its own well-being, has not flagged.

Through the US decision to designate Hizbul Mujahideen (HuM) chief Syed Salahuddin as an international terrorist and later the HuM itself as a terrorist organisation  an act that has delegitimised the supposed Kashmiri struggle for independence  the message to Pakistan on its duplicitous conduct on terrorism has become clearer. (The BRICS declaration naming Pakistan-based terrorist organisations like LeT and JeM would have shaken Pakistan too.)

More importantly, after President Donald Trumps Afghanistan speech that summoned Pakistan to immediately cease providing safe havens to agents of chaos under threat of unstated US retribution, an unnerved Pakistan seems to have concluded that offence being the better part of defence, it should go all out to agitate the Kashmir issue vociferously on the international stage.

This would be a show of defiance towards the US as well as India, besides being consistent with Pakistans well worn tactics of creating an atmosphere of growing tensions with India so that the West feels concerned about the possibility of worsening India-Pakistan ties triggering a nuclear conflict.

Predictably, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has used the US think tank forums to brandish a nuclear threat against India by citing Pakistans possession of short-range nuclear weapons. He avoided making this threat from the UN podium as this would have been counterproductive in view of international concerns about the nuclear dimensions of the ongoing North Korean crisis.

Abbasis lurid rant on Kashmir should be seen in this background. In it he referred to the 7,00,000 Indian troops in Kashmir as constituting the most intense foreign military occupation in recent history, characterised the use of force in Kashmir as war crimes, demanded that the UN Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights send an enquiry commission to Kashmir to investigate human rights violations by India and accused India of using rape as an instrument of state policy.

Terrorism

He also called on the UN Secretary General to appoint a special envoy on Kashmir for implementing the defunct UN resolutions on J&K. Finally, he accused India of state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan, including from across its western border. This sweeping attack on India elicited an equally no holds barred response from a junior Indian diplomatic officer, followed by a scathing attack by Sushma Swaraj.

Even by Pakistani standards, Abbasis diplomatic assault on India at the UN went too far. Pakistans attitudes have become so rogue in nature that it has lost the capacity for self-restraint, of recognising its own vulnerabilities, of being able to judge properly whether the positions it takes have credibility in the eyes of others, much less support. (Chinas subsequent statement that Kashmir is an issue left over by history and should be resolved bilaterally between India and Pakistan should not have been lost on Pakistan.)

Rogue

It is not surprising that, speaking at the UN, Pakistans envoy Maleeha Lodhi should have passed off the photograph of a Palestinian girl with her face pock marked by shrapnel from an Israeli bomb in 2014 as that of a Kashmiri girl suffering from pellet gun injuries. Clearly, her colleagues, sharing the same degree of bile against India as hers, wanted to choose the most dramatic picture to make a point about the face of Indian democracy and tripped.

Just as North Korea, by acquiring nuclear and missile capability, has carved out space for itself for defying international norms with a sense of impunity, Pakistan too  but much earlier  has created space for its rogue conduct on terrorism and nuclear issues by acquiring nuclear and missile muscle.

The other aspect of Abbasis raw diplomacy at New York was his remarkable statement at a think tank that India had a zero political and military role in Afghanistan. That Pakistan claims the right to control Afghanistans foreign relations shows how blighted has Pakistans thinking become.

Abbasi is a transitional figure, a Nawaz Sharif loyalist, put in place by the latter until the elections in 2018. With Sharif under duress, the military is in fuller control of Pakistans India policy, and Abbasi has followed the script given to him. From all this, the inevitable conclusion flows: that India-Pakistan relations will remain frozen for the foreseeable future.
 Flash

Frauke Petry, chairwoman of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), announced on Tuesday that she will leave the party just after it succeeded in entering the German Federal Parliament for the first time.

It was "clear" that her withdrawal from the AfD would follow, Petry told press without specifying a precise date. The move comes close on the heels of her surprising decision not to join the AfD's parliamentary faction in the culmination of a long-standing inner-party rift.

The anti-immigration and eurosceptical AfD was elected into the Bundestag, or the German Federal Parliament, on Sunday with 12.6 percent of the votes, becoming the third strongest party in Germany.

Several leading AfD politicians welcomed the increasingly-isolated chairwoman's declaration that she would become an independent delegate in parliament.

Despite expressing increasingly vocal criticism of her party colleagues for racially provocative comments on the campaign trail, Petry succeeded in obtaining a strong direct mandate for a legislative seat from voters in her Saxonian constituency.

Petry has repeatedly called for the AfD to adopt a more moderate conservative stance to improve its long-term political prospects and was hereby met with open hostility from the party's co-leader Joerg Meuthen, co-founder Alexander Gauland, as well as its lead candidate Alice Weidel.

Meuthen had publicly encouraged Petry to leave the party after she stormed out of the AfD electoral press conference during which she revealed her earlier decision not to join its parliamentary faction.

Marcus Pretzell, AfD regional leader in North-Rhine Westphalia and Petry's husband, also announced that he would leave the party.
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Iran's Army dispatched more air defense missile system to the western borders of the country to counter any offense, Army's air defense headquarters announced on Tuesday.

The Army's air defense has increased preparedness for "decisive response" to any act of aggression in western areas, Lieutenant Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, General Alireza Elhami, said on Tuesday.

The move by the Iranian army follows the new developments in the western borders of Iran after the Iraqi Kurdistan held the independence referendum on Monday.

Iran has announced its discontent with the independence vote and has voiced its support for the integrity of Iraq.
Updated at 8:34 p.m.

The Charlottesville Police Department spent almost $70,000 in response to the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally, according to documents from the city.

About 70 percent of that, or $50,346.54, went to paying deputies, jailers at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, a psychologist and overtime to Charlottesville police.

The rally, scheduled to begin at noon Aug. 12, fell quickly into chaos as white nationalist groups entered Emancipation Park hours earlier. An unlawful assembly was declared after ralliers and counter-protesters clashed.

Later that afternoon, area resident Heather Heyer was killed near the corner of Fourth and Water streets after a car drove into a group of counter-protesters. James Alex Fields Jr., of Ohio, was later arrested and charged with second-degree murder, among other offenses. Thirty-five other victims of the car attack have been identified.

Police and city officials have faced criticism and have been questioned over their handling of the event itself, and for failing to take adequate action during the clashes between rally-goers and counter-protesters.

The itemized expense list said $14,176.35 was spent on logistical costs, including $2,900 to rent bike rack barriers from the University of Virginia; $96.25 on batteries; $2,414.60 at Hampton Inn and Suites for lodging on the night before and the night of the rally; $2,359.50 on bus rentals; and $728.84 for food on the day of the rally.

Another $5,280.14 was spent on quartermaster costs, including $957.36 for water and ice; $2,144.06 for Gatorade and snacks; and $621.11 on cold fire, a fire extinguishing agent. The department also spent $132 on pr-24 holders for police batons and $413.60 on mk-9 vapor w/hose and wand, also known as pepper spray.

Charlottesville psychologist Jeffrey Fracher was paid $750 for a consultation.

I was asked to work with the officers prior to the Aug. 12 demonstration  just in terms of psychological preparation, Fracher told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Im not comfortable saying more than that, he said, referring further questions to the department.

In July, the city spent $35,302.42 responding to the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan rally, and more than two-thirds of the cost, or $23,352.03, went to pay city personnel. In July, the city spent $51 on SWAT helmets, with expedited shipping. There were no SWAT costs labeled on the expense sheet for Aug. 12.

State police did not respond to request for comment by press time, but in July, agency spokeswoman Corinne Geller said it costs approximately $615 an hour to operate a state police helicopter.

Two state troopers who had been in one of the helicopters monitoring the Aug. 12 rally were killed when their helicopter crashed into a wooded area in Albemarle County. It is not clear how long the helicopters were in operation on Aug. 12.

It is unclear how much cost there was for Albemarle, as county police officers assisted by answering calls throughout the rest of the city on the day of the rally.
After pleading guilty in June to killing a school teacher and her teenage daughter, Gene Everett Washington was sentenced Monday to life plus 40 years in prison.

Its been almost three years since emergency crews responded to a house fire on Rugby Road on Dec. 5, 2014, where firefighters discovered the bodies of 58-year-old Robin Aldridge and her 17-year-old daughter, Mani Aldridge. Autopsies later revealed that each had died from multiple blunt force and sharp force traumas to the neck and head.

Police arrested Washington three days later and originally charged him with two counts of first-degree murder.

On June 21, Washington entered Alford pleas to a capital murder charge in the killing of Robin Aldridge and an amended second-degree murder charge in the killing of Mani Aldridge. As part of the plea agreement, Washington was spared the possibility of the death penalty.

On Monday, in a packed courtroom and following 12 hours of argument, Charlottesville Circuit Judge Richard Moore announced Washingtons fate.

As per the plea deal, the commonwealth took the death penalty off the table, but the only other option for a capital murder conviction is life behind bars, Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Elizabeth Killeen had argued. Washingtons attorney, however, argued that he should be able to receive a partially suspended sentence  if a judge so decided  meaning he could be released someday.

Though the plea agreement does not include language about suspended time, Moore agreed that the court most likely has the authority to make such a decision, based on precedent set by Donte Lamar Jones v. Virginia, which was decided in February of this year.

In her opening statement, Washingtons attorney, Jennifer Stanton, said Washington, then 30 years old, had a sexual relationship with Mani Aldridge. Stanton said both had social issues: Washington was like an adolescent and Mani did not understand social boundaries.

Both were naive about the ways of the world, said Stanton.

Calling him intellectually disabled, Stanton asked for some of Washingtons sentence to be suspended.

In her own opening statement, Killeen said Washington was charged with first-degree rape in North Carolina in 2013, but was convicted of a lesser assault charge later that year.

She also gave the court 20 victim survivor letters that were written by family and friends of the Aldridges. One of those letters was written by a 16-year-old girl who was supposed to have had a sleepover with Mani Aldridge the night that she died, Killeen said.

Charlottesville police Detective Jeremy Carper then took the stand and described how he found Robin and Manis bodies at the bottom of the basement stairs. Both were clothed and wearing jackets, he said, but Mani was missing a shoe.

Lt. James Mooney, the current case agent, then read through several transcripts of jail calls that Washington made between December 2014 and December 2015. At first, he maintained his complete innocence and said he did not know either Aldridge.

I didnt do nothing to those people, Washington said on the transcript. I didnt even know those people like that.

Nobody has nothing on me, he said in another call. They dont have any evidence on me because I didnt do the joint.

Washington also wrote more than a dozen letters to various organizations, including Charlottesvilles City Council, then-Police Chief Timothy J. Longo, current Chief Al Thomas and the Office of Human Rights. In a letter to the Virginia Attorney Generals Office, Washington wrote about a love triangle between Robin, Mani and himself.

In the letter, he requested a writ of innocence and wrote that he was having sexual relations with both women. But when Robin Aldridge caught him having sex with her daughter, she flew into a rage, he wrote. In his panic, he said he was forced to defend himself from her.

Washingtons defense then brought up two expert witnesses, Jeffrey Aaron, a clinical forensic psychologist, and Joette James, a forensic neuropsychologist. Both experts testified that Washington has intellectual disabilities that make it difficult for him to function socially.

His mother exacerbated those disabilities and social challenges, Aaron said, adding that Washington does not process emotions well. Aaron said it was possible that when Washington killed the Aldridges that he was reacting to overwhelming circumstances.

After putting Washington through a series of neurological tests for seven hours in June, James said he tested out at an IQ of about 72. She also tested him for problem-solving skills, memory, academic skills and visual/spatial skills, and found that he particularly struggled with language and vocabulary.

James said Washington is someone who does not learn quickly, gets overwhelmed easily and does not do well in stressful situations.

Washingtons grandmother, Katherine Burton, said she was upset when she learned her grandson had been charged in the killings. Speaking about the Aldridges family and friends, she said she understood what they were going through, particularly after her other grandson, Scooter, was slain in 2006.

I know theyre hurting, Burton said. I know. And its the same on the other side.

In their closing argument, Washingtons defense said there was no evidence of a plan to rob the Aldridges and no sign of forced entry. As they argued that it was not a premeditated crime, Moore interrupted to clarify that when Washington entered the Alford pleas, he was pleading to an element of premeditation.

Instead, his defense said Washington reacted in the heat of the moment.

In her closing, Killeen said Mani Aldridge caught Washington red handed committing burglary at her home and he decided to kill her. Then, she said, he waited until Robin Aldridge came home, and killed her, as well.

Hell have a life, if its in prison, Killeen said. The Aldridges wont.

Moore handed down the sentence of life plus 40 years just before 10 p.m. Monday.
I'm compelled to write this missive in response to the ongoing narrative about the Charlottesville protests on Aug. 12. There was bad behavior on both sides. However unacceptable we may find the rhetoric of any one group, in this country speech is protected. Behavior, if unlawful, will be prosecuted without regard to one's political beliefs. Believing you are "right" doesn't make you right under the law.

I'd like to also ask the people of Charlottesville to take a look at who stirred the pot, and what ulterior motives are at play. This isn't only about the so-called alt-right and its sad combo of angry white men. Perhaps Charlottesville should be reminded of the kind of man it is who serves as the vice mayor  who is certainly nobody anyone should be looking to for moral direction. If he is the best Charlottesville has, then its problems run much deeper than can ever be healed by removal of statues.

It should also be noted that many African-Americans in the community are not in favor of taking the statues down.

In a variety of national polls, usually only a few people support removal of Confederate statues (most responses range only from 26 percent to 33 percent in support of removal). And that is what is planned? Hardly democratic!

What some see as a "politically correct" move is taking history out of context. Should we also tell the Germans to burn Dachau or Auschwitz?

History must be remembered  and so should the past of our vice mayor. He is no pillar of the community. In the words of Maya Angelou, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

And in the words of Heather Heyer, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.

That should certainly be true for Wes Bellamy. Pay attention, Charlottesville; he is not worthy of representing the community.

Tracy Michael

Greene County
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Inland Trout Stream Management in New York

New York State Trout Stream Management Plan

The DEC's new Trout Stream Management Plan is founded on angler desires, sound science, and guiding principles that embrace simplicity, encourage angling participation and place value on managing for self-sustaining populations. The plan makes a sharp distinction between wild trout and stocked trout management, using a set of five management categories to clearly define fisheries management objectives. This approach balances the need to manage and restore natural populations while also supplying additional recreational opportunities.

Major Elements of the Plan

Drawing a clear line between wild fish and stocked trout management;

Placing greater emphasis on habitat improvement;

Making management simpler and more understandable;

Eliminating unnecessary regulations;

Providing year-round fishing opportunities through the creation of a statewide catch-and-release season;

Extending the duration of stocking on select stream reaches;

Increasing the size of stocked fish;

Ensuring that each stocking contains some fish that are 12 inches or larger;

Improving the vigor of hatchery brown trout for increased survival;

Developing an interactive map for information on stream reach management and fishing access locations; and

Expanding outreach on the significance of wild trout populations and the water they inhabit.

Read the New York State Trout Stream Management Plan (PDF)

Related documents

Categorization of New York State Trout Stream Reaches (PDF) : This document contains the current list of management categories assigned to New York trout stream reaches as of March 22, 2022. It is updated in mid-February of every year starting in 2021.

: This document contains the current list of management categories assigned to New York trout stream reaches as of March 22, 2022. It is updated in mid-February of every year starting in 2021. Assessment of Public Comments on draft New York State Trout Stream Management Plan (PDF): This document provides a summary of the 489 public comments that were received on the draft plan. General theses to recurring comments were identified (22 total themes); responses to those themes are included in the document. The appendix includes the full text of comments that were received (with personal identifying information removed).

Trout Stream Fishing Map

An interactive Trout Stream Fishing Map is now available. See the Trout Stream Fishing Map User Guide for more information.

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Fisheries Investigation Plan for the Delaware Tailwaters

The Delaware tailwaters are one of New York's premier wild trout fisheries. The information on the biological and angler use characteristics of the wild trout fishery of the Delaware tailwaters is outdated and predates significant changes in the fishery. This Plan outlines the information we will be collecting that will help develop a new trout management plan for the Delaware Tailwaters.

Learn more about the Fisheries Investigation Plan for the Delaware Tailwaters.

Evaluating New York's Inland Trout Stream Catch and Release Season

Beginning on October 16, 2021, angling will be permitted on trout streams statewide from October 16 through March 31. During this period, anglers are limited to artificial lures only and must immediately release their catch. Previously, the statewide trout season was closed during this period, although many stream reaches were open to fishing under special regulations. To assess any impact of the new season on wild trout populations, angling pressure and young of year trout abundance will be estimated on a statewide sample of 19 wild trout stream reaches from 2021 through 2024.

Learn more about the Angler Use and Wild Trout Young of Year Recruitment Study.





More about Inland Trout Stream Management in New York:
Dabur is testing a subscription-based model for its ayurvedic medicines in the country.

New Delhi: Homegrown FMCG major Dabur is testing a subscription-based model for its ayurvedic medicines in the country, a senior company official said today.

"Subscription-based model is the future for healthcare. It is in pilot stage right now. It is a good experiment which we are doing," Dabur India Executive Director (Consumer Care Business) Krishan Kumar Chutani told reporters here.

Chutani also hinted that the company will open clinics with Ayurveda doctors to advise patients. He, however, refused to share details.

In a subscription-based model, consumers receives products from a company at a regular interval.

When asked if the company plans to set up its own clinics: "You are asking me is future, I will not be able to reveal but somewhere in that direction. Telemedicine and eventually getting into the entire ecosystem of ayurvedic doctors is what we want to own".

The company recently started a new service called Ask Dabur where a panel of doctors answer consumers' questions.

He did not elaborate that in which city the company doing the pilot project.
Dabur has partnered with e-commerce giant Amazon to make over 30 of its products available to customers in the US, Canada and Mexico.

New Delhi: FMCG major Dabur has partnered with e-commerce giant Amazon to make over 30 of its products available to customers in the US, Canada and Mexico as it looks to further strengthen its international play.

The homegrown ayurvedic products maker, which gets about 30 per cent of its revenues from international operations through offline distribution network, has a presence in over 120 countries.

"There is a huge demand for ayurvedic, chemical-free products in the international markets... About 30 per cent of our business is international. Amazon has a wider reach and will help us expand our footprint exponentially," Dabur India Executive Director (Consumer Care Business) Krishan Kumar Chutani told reporters here.

He added that the partnership will help Dabur tap into demand from the Indian diaspora as well as local Americans.

As a part of Amazon's global seller programme, Dabur initially will take around 30 of its products like Vatika hair oil, Chyawanprash and toothpaste to the US market.

"Depending on the response we get, we intend to launch 80 more products in the next quarter," he said, adding that the company is also introducing an exclusive product Himalaya Honey that will be sold through Amazon.com.

Recently, Dabur got listed as a seller on Amazon's India portal to sell its products in the country.

Chutani said the company had started working with Amazon.in about a month back and many of its products are already best-sellers on the e-commerce platform.

"As part of the Global Selling Programme, Amazon will help provide Dabur a marketplace to showcase its vast range of products to global consumers," Amazon India Director and GM Gopal Pillai said.

He added that there are 26,000 sellers from India that are a part of this programme. Besides, Amazon is working with brands like Liberty, Fabindia, Biba and Titan to take them to international audiences.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday set up an economic advisory council to look into issues of macroeconomic importance. (File photo)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set up an economic advisory council, the government said on Monday, as concerns grow about a slowdown in Asias third largest economy.

The new council, headed by Bibek Debroy, a member of Modis federal think tank Niti Aayog, will address issues of macroeconomic importance and present its views to the prime minister, the government statement said.

A few quarters ago, India was the worlds fastest growing major economy.

But data showed last month that Indias economic growth had slowed to a three-year low, prompting many economists to revise down estimates for the fiscal year ending in March 2018.

The figures piled pressure on Modi, who was widely criticised by the opposition for a decision last year to scrap high-value banknotes.

The policy meant to flush out money hidden from the taxman ended up wiping out about 86 percent of currency in circulation, hitting consumer demand in an economy where most people are paid in - and buy what they need with - cash.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley held meetings with cabinet colleagues and other government officials earlier this month and on Monday said the government was planning measures to revive growth.

Some economists have called for expansionary fiscal policy to stimulate consumer demand in India.

The government is considering a plan to loosen its fiscal deficit target to let it spend up to $7.7 billion more to halt the slowdown, sources told Reuters last week.
Mumbai: In an unprecendented act of vandalism, members of Rajasthan based outfit Rajput Karni Sena had barged into the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati in Jaipur and assaulted the filmmaker in January this year.

The director decided not to go ahead with the shoot in the state and brought it to Maharashtra, but two months later, the alleged members of the outfit set fire to the sets in Kolhapur, with several costumes among other objects gutted in the fire.

Bhansalis effigies were burned in Nalasopara near Mumbai in the same month, and even the freshly released posters were burned few days back.

The outfit is protesting the distortion of history in the portrayal of the life of Rajput Rani Padmavati and were particularly angered by reports of the depiction of a dream sequence involving a lovemaking sequence between the queen and tyrant Alauddin Khilji.

However, it seems there is more than meets the eye in the violence conducted by the outfit as their extortion plans have got exposed in a sting operation conducted by India Today.

A reporter from the channel met Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the president of the Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena, at his Jaipur home in June and said he was a producer wanting to make a film on a fictitious love story between Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and a Rajput generals wife.

Gogamedi seemed least offended about the subject and told him, "You can talk to Umed Singh. He will speak to me on the phone from there. He's our organisational convener. You talk to him or ask him to speak to me. Just note down his number."

The reporter later met Umed Singh in Mumbai and Gogamedi's right-hand man promised staged attacks on the sets of the reporters film for publicity.

"Some people from outside will barge in. They'll create some trouble. The sets will not be burned down. Two to four people will be beaten up. Vandalism will be recorded," Singh told the reporter.

When asked by the journalist if the vandalism incident will then be posted on WhatsApp for publicity, Singh said, "That will be done throughout India and across the world."

After the attacks, comes the question of protection and Singh then said, "If you want 50 people for a month to protect (the sets), they (filmmakers) will then have to pay Rs 1.5 crore."

With Singh believing the reporter was actually making a film, he added, Fifty people will remain there for you all the time.

About the upcoming Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh-Shahid Kapoor starrer, he said, "Padmavati's release doesn't stop. But vandalism cannot be ruled out. He added, "It's safe in Mumbai. But it was burned down in Kolhapur."

This could possibly be why the attacks on the film have continued even after makers reiterating that there is no lovemaking scene between Padmavati and Khilji.
Amaravati: Telugu film star and Jana Sena Party founder K Pawan Kalyan has been chosen for the Indo-European Business Forum's Excellence Award this year in recognition of his commendable work in various fields.

The 46-year-old has been given the award in recognition of his commendable work "as an actor, politician, philanthropic and social work".

The award will be presented to him during the Global Business Meet-2017 at the House of Lords in London on November 17.

Theme of the meet will be 'Invest in New India', according to IEBF leader Sunil Kumar Gupta.

He met Kalyan on Monday and announced the award and also invited him to be the guest of honour at the event.

IEBF, an independent non-profit organisation in the UK, has appreciated Kalyan's espousal of the cause of chronic kidney patients in Uddanam of Srikakulam district in north coastal Andhra.

The actor's role as brand ambassador for handlooms and 'Jeevan Daan', an organ donation programme, have also been appreciated, according to a letter from IEBF.
Several people can go to any extent when it comes to winning over the love of their life, and many wont shy away from spending money to impress them. But money cant buy you love, and some people eventually learn their lesson.

A man from China thought that spending close to Rs one lakh on a giant teddy bear was somehow a great idea to express his love for a woman. The son of a rich businessman drove into Hangzhou Normal University in his Porsche with the toy seated besides him, only to be rejected in public.

The crowd witnessed the man presenting the limited edition toy to the woman, only to find out that the woman was unimpressed. She reportedly told the boy that she likes the bear but not him.
Based on the doctors mobile call data, the police have questioned Mr Patnaiks friends, doctors and acquaintances working in Visakhapatnam, Odisha and his colleagues working in Seven Hills Hospital. (Representational image)

Visakhapatnam: The CCTV footage which gave the Vizag police clues about the acid attack on a city-based paediatrician is of no use now as the Forensic Science Lab in Hyderabad could not make out anything from the images.

Now, the city police have summoned a Bhubaneswar based physiotherapist Dr Monalisa Mahapatra, with whom Dr Balaji Bhushan Patnaik spoke to hours before he was attacked by miscreants.

Dr Patnaik who works in Seven Hills Hospital as a consultant paediatrician was returning home on September 20, when masked bike-borne miscreants threw acid on him and fled from the spot.

Based on call data, the police have questioned all his friends, doctors and acquaintances working in the city, Odisha and those enrolled in Seven Hills Hospital.

We spoke to many of his friends and colleagues but did not find anything. The telephonic conversation between Dr Monalisa and Dr Patnaik hints to some animosity, Deputy Commissioner of police K. Fakirappa said and added that he hoped something might emerge out of her questioning.

More teams have been deployed and some of them are camping in Bhubaneswar, Behrampur and Cuttack where Dr Patnaik did his MBBS and PG.

We are yet to find any clue, said assistant commissioner of police A. Narasimha Murthy who has been given complete charge of the investigation. The CCTV footage was sent to FSL in Hyderabad but the scientists could not make out anything.
New Delhi: Chief of Congress's Bihar unit Ashok Choudhary was on Tuesday removed from the post with immediate effect.

The party, however, did not announce his replacement.

"Congress President Sonia Gandhi has relieved Ashok Choudhary from the post of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief with immediate effect," AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.

The action comes amid reports of a possible split in the Bihar unit, which a section of the party alleged was being spearheaded by him.

In a recent outburst, Choudhary had also accused a section within the party of maligning his name for brewing a rebellion within the Bihar unit.

The Congress has 27 MLAs in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.

Amid fears that the state unit may split and some members may join the ruling JD-U, the Congress has claimed of having "defused" the situation after several MLAs were reportedly gravitating towards the JD(U) following the disintegration of the Grand Alliance last month.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had also met over 20 of the 27 party MLAs earlier this month and sought their views on the party's functioning.

Sources said Gandhi had invited the Congress MLAs to avoid a split in the party, who were feeling uneasy after losing power in the state.
Hyderabad: Commercial banks are ignoring the strong warning by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to show minimum tolerance towards fake currency notes, fearing the wrath of their major customers who deposit large amounts of money daily.

Banks have to take follow up action if they come across fake notes. A cashier with a public sector bank said most cashiers encounter fake notes daily. They merely deface the notes with two strokes of the pen and return them to the owner. They are doing so following the instructions from higher officials, the bank cashier added.

Fake notes are found in the deposits from petrol stations, liquor shops and other business establishments. At least one among 100 is a fake. Counterfeit versions of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes are also there. We simply return them to customers which is against the RBI norms, the cashier said.

Banks are doing this as they do not want to displease major customers who deposit Rs 2 lakh and more per day.

The apex bank guidelines say that counterfeit notes should be impounded and sent to the RBI and a police complaint has to be registered by the branch manager if the number of fakes exceeds four. Disfiguring the fake currencies with a pen is against the norms.

Mr M.S. Kumar, secretary of the Bank Employees Federation, said, Striking lines on a fake note is against the rule. It has to be declared fake in court. After examining it under ultraviolet (UV) light, the bank has to put stamp on it and send it for the impounding process. The federation has asked banks to procure modern equipment to detect fake notes.
Prima facie investigation also suggest that students were lathicharged, Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn said. (Photo: ANI/videograb)

Varanasi: Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn on Tuesday said that the preliminary investigation has revealed that the administration of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) did not respond sensitively to complaint of a student.

Gokarn, in his report to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, said the university did not handle the situation on the campus on time. Had the administration addressed the complaint in a sensitive manner and handled the situation on time, the violence would have been avoided, Gokarn said.

The commissioner also said that the student was molested and the protests erupted because the students were not satisfied with the way the university administration did not deal with the complaint in a sensitive manner.

Prima facie investigation has also suggested that students were lathicharged when they tried to forcibly enter the Vice-Chancellors lodge on the campus.

A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathicharge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.

However, Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi has denied the allegations of lathicharge on students.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also taken suo motu cognizance of media reports about alleged inaction by BHU authorities into a complaint of eve-teasing.

Suo motu cognizance taken in subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP Police, NHRC said.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus of the Banaras Hindu University.

"A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incidents," UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said in Lucknow on Tuesday.

He was speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Sharma, however, did not elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or sitting judge.

The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence.

As opposition parties targeted the BJP over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on Monday spoke to the chief minister and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.

Sharma said the government wanted that there should be communication with the students by the local administration, vice chancellor and other university officials.

Sharma accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.

"If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses," he said.

On lathicharge on girl students sitting on dharna against the alleged eve-teasting on the campus, he said, "We are identifying those 'outsiders' who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathicharge."

He said the government has asked the local administration to strengthen the security on the campus.

"It has been decided to install CCTV on the campus," he added.

(With agency inputs)
In her bail application Honeypreet alleged that she is facing life threats from the drug syndicate of Punjab and Haryana. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the transit anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda's Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

We are examining the order and will see how to take this further, Honeypreets lawyer, Pradeep Arya said.

The High Court passed the order on grounds that she has evaded arrest and hence was not entitled to any discretionary relief.

The Court said that she was just wasting time by her actions and it was merely a camouflage that she applied for bail in the Delhi High Court.

She has filed an application before the Delhi High Court, whereas she should have done that in Punjab and Haryana High, the prosecution lawyer said.

The Delhi High Court stated the jurisdiction of Delhi does not lie here, and she does not deserve the bail since she is evading arrest, he added.

As far as surrender is concerned, it is left to her, the Prosecution lawyer said.

The court had asked the counsel for Honeypreet to show any document that a property in Delhi belonged to her or anyone connected to her.

"The easiest way out is that you surrender," Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal had said, while asking why the 36-year-old woman was seeking transit anticipatory bail for three weeks.

In her application to the court, Honeypreet has alleged that she is facing life threats from the drug syndicate of Punjab and Haryana.

According to ANI, in her bail application, Honeypreet mentioned that she is a single woman with clean antecedents and is law abiding. She has also said that she is willing to join investigation.

Panchkula Police on Tuesday conducted raid at A-9 Greater Kailash, Delhi with arrest warrant for Honeypreet but she was not found in the house.

The property is in the name of Dera Sacha Sauda.

Honeypreet has been on the run following the conviction of Dera chief by a special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25 in two rape cases.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Honeypreet, against whom a lookout notice was issued by the Haryana Police, had been earlier booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula.

The police added her name in FIR number 345 as an accused in connection with the violence that took place in Panchkula on August 25.

(With agency inputs)
In her bail application Honeypreet alleged that she is facing life threats from the drug syndicate of Punjab and Haryana. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved its order on the anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insaan, adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda's Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

How does this application come under jurisdiction of Delhi HC? the high court asked the lawyer representing Honeypreet.

She has house in Delhi and has apprehension to be arrested, the lawyer responded.

In her application to the court, Honeypreet has alleged that she is facing life threats from the drug syndicate of Punjab and Haryana.

According to ANI, in her bail application, Honeypreet mentioned that she is a single woman with clean antecedents and is law abiding. She has also said that she is willing to join investigation.

Panchkula Police on Tuesday conducted raid at A-9 Greater Kailash, Delhi with arrest warrant for Honeypreet but she was not found in the house.

The property is in the name of Dera Sacha Sauda.

Honeypreet has been on the run following the conviction of Dera chief by a special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25 in two rape cases.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Honeypreet, against whom a lookout notice was issued by the Haryana Police, had been earlier booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula.

The police added her name in FIR number 345 as an accused in connection with the violence that took place in Panchkula on August 25.

With agency inputs.
Sumit and Anamika, who hail from Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh, were granted deeksha by Sadhumargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj. (Representational Image)

Ahmedabad: An affluent Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh has adopted monkhood after renouncing property worth an estimated Rs 100 crore and leaving their toddler daughter in the care of her grandparents, as they set out on the journey for salvation.

While Sumit Rathore (35), a businessman, was ordained in the Shwetambar (white-clad) order of Jainism at a ceremony in Surat on September 23, his wife Anamika (34) embraced monkhood on Monday after submitting an affidavit, as asked by the authorities, stating their three-year-old daughter Ibhya would remain with her maternal grandparents.

Sumit and Anamika, who hail from Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh, were granted "deeksha" by Sadhumargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj.

However, the couple's journey to monkhood was not without hiccups, especially over the future of Ibhya. A Neemuch-based activist had sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to stop the initiation ceremony in the interest of the minor daughter of the couple.

A day before Sumit became monk, the Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) had sought a report from the civil and police administration about the steps taken by the couple to secure the future of Ibhya, who will now have no relation with her parents as monks are not allowed to keep family ties and have to sever all forms of worldly attachments.

The GSCPCR forwarded the matter to the Surat Police, who then approached the couple and their relatives to check on the steps taken by them to secure their daughter's future, Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said on Tuesday.

"The matter was referred to us after someone filed a petition with the child rights panel about the guardianship of the couple's daughter. The couple submitted an affidavit that they have taken ample steps to secure her future," he said.

As per the affidavit, Ibhya will be looked after by Anamika's parents.

The police commissioner said a relative is also learnt to have expressed readiness to adopt the child. Sharma said police will submit its report to the commission (GSCPCR) soon.

Sumit had worked in London before managing his family business in Neemuch, while his engineer wife Anamika was earlier employed with a mining major.

His cousin Sandip Rathore had claimed that before deciding to adopt a life of asceticism Sumit owned property worth Rs 100 crore.

Sandip had expressed reservations over the couple's move to become monks.

However, Anamika's father Ashok Chandaliya, a former Neemuch district president of the BJP, had last week said that he would take care of his granddaughter. "I am not against my daughter Anamika becoming a nun," he had said.

Rajendra Singh, Sumit's father, who runs a factory manufacturing gunny bags for packaging cement, had also echoed a similar view.

Sumit and Anamika were married for four years.

Sumit had announced his decision to take the vow of monkhood at a function attended by Acharya Ramlal at Surat last month.

"However, the pontiff asked him to seek Anamika's permission. She not only gave her consent but also expressed desire to become a nun. Their families asked them to rethink, but the couple stood their ground," Sandip said.

As per the Shwetambar tradition, the monks initiated into the order shave their heads and dress in white robes for their entire life.

The monks also start wearing a mouth covering so they do not swallow any living creature even by accident while talking.
Hizbul Mujahideen commander Abdul Qayoom Najar was killed on Tuesday as Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Srinagar: Hizbul Mujahideen commander Abdul Qayoom Najar was killed on Tuesday as Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of north Kashmir's Baramulla district.

"An infiltration bid has been eliminated in general area Zorawar of Uri sector. One terrorist has been killed," an Army official said.

He said a weapon has been recovered from the site of the encounter.

(With inputs from PTI)
Union minister Rajnath Singh said childhood is the best gift of God, but those who get trapped in child labour are deprived of that beautiful gift. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: More than 70,000 missing children have been rescued in different parts of the country under the home ministry's special initiative, Union minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.

Addressing a seminar on child and adolescent labour in Delhi, the home minister also said the country would try to get rid of child labour by 2022.

"The Home Ministry has launched 'Operation Smile' to locate missing children. More than 70,000 missing children have been rescued till date," he said.

The 'Operation Smile' was first launched by the home ministry in January 2015 to rescue and rehabilitate the missing children. Since then the programme has been continuing with the active help of the state governments.

Singh said childhood is the best gift of God, but those who get trapped in child labour are deprived of that beautiful gift.

"We are committed for a child labour free India. In the next 5 years we will try to get rid of child labour. Let us together pledge for building a child labour free India by 2022," he said at the seminar where a web portal named PENCIL, which connects all stakeholders working to check child labour, was launched.

The 'PENCIL' will help in effective implementation of National Child Labour Project (NCLP).

PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) is an electronic platform for no child labour developed by the labour ministry.

The portal came into being after it was felt that there was a need to create a robust implementing and monitoring mechanism for both enforcement of the legislative provisions and effective implementation of the NCLP especially in the backdrop that the subject of labour is in the concurrent list and enforcement to a large extent depends on respective state governments.

The labour ministry said that it was felt that an online portal which connects the Centre to the state governments, districts and to all project societies, would provide a mechanism for implementation. In this backdrop, the online portal PENCIL was conceptualised.

PENCIL portal has five components  child tracking system, complaint corner, state government, national child labour project and convergence.
Journalist Sajeev Gopalan, local correspondent of Kerala Kaumudi, was admitted to a private hospital in Varkala with injuries. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Varkala: Journalist Sajeev Gopalan who was allegedly beaten up by two police personnel at his house on Sunday night, on Tuesday said, "They (police officers) were taking revenge for a story I have done exposing their fault."

Gopalan, a journalist of a regional Malayalam daily, was allegedly manhandled by the police at Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, the latest in a series of attack on media persons across the country.

The assualt on Gopalan had triggered protests from media fraternity.

Gopalan, local correspondent of Kerala Kaumudi, was admitted to a private hospital in Varkala with injuries.

Earlier, his family members alleged that the journalist had recently published a news item on the abduction of a girl and the alleged involvement of some police officials in protecting the accused.

The incident took place when Gopalan was standing in front of his house to see off his two friends who had come for dinner.

Thiruvananthapuram district unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists condemned the incident and submitted a memorandum to DGP Loknath Behera seeking speedy action.

With agency inputs.
Srinivasan's comments have triggered a renewed demand by the DMK and other opposition parties for a thorough probe into the death of Jayalalithaa. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju on Tuesday contradicted the claim of two his cabinet colleagues that no one was allowed to see late chief minister J Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation last year.

"All the ministers met her," he said when asked if he had met Jayalalithaa during her 75 days of hospitalisation from September 22 last year.

Raju, however, refused to elaborate, and said the death of 'Amma (Jayalalithaa)' was a huge loss. The cooperation minister said he was not prepared to say anything more on the issue.

"You must only ask the minister who had expressed that opinion," he said when pressed further on the claim by Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan that AIADMK leaders had "lied" on the health condition of Jayalalithaa and none of them had seen her in hospital.

Srinivasan's comments have triggered a renewed demand by the DMK and other opposition parties for a thorough probe into the death of Jayalalithaa.

Addressing a public meeting in Madurai, Srinivasan had on September 23 apologised to the people, saying they had lied about Jayalalithaa's health.

He said no one was allowed to meet Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation and all those came were told by her close aide V K Sasikala's relatives that she was "all right".

Srinivasan had said that, afraid of Sasikala, party leaders lied so that people believed that Jayalalithaa was improving.

He had said that their claim of 'Amma' eating idli and tea was based on information given to them by Sasikala.

Endorsing his views, Commercial Taxes Minister K C Veeramani on Monday said the ministers were not able to see the late chief minister even one day.

At a public meeting in Vellore District, Veeramani, without naming Sasikala or her family, said, "Out of fear of this family... we would tell what we were told (by Sasikala's kin)..that Amma had two idlis, she spoke and that she is fine."

On the differing views of his colleagues, Revenue Minister R B Udhaya Kumar on Tuesday said it was their individual opinion based on their experience.

Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai on September 22, 2016, passed away on December 5.

The state government on Monday named retired judge of Madras High Court A Arumughaswamy as head of the inquiry commission to probe the death of Jayalalithaa.

A judicial probe was one of the pre-conditions of O Panneerselvam, the present deputy chief minister, for the merger of factions led by him and Chief Minister K Palanisamy.

After Palanisamy announced on August 17 that an inquiry commission would be constituted, the two factions merged on August 21.
In July, the legislative committee of Dunn County approved a referendum question that is unprecedented in rural America. The question asked Congress and the U.S. president to nationalize health care.

Its chances of success looked good ahead of the Nov. 8 referendum. Results of this referendum could make waves in Wisconsin.
Indo-US ties have grown in recent years and emerged as 'key pillar' in strategic partnership. (Photo: PIB)

New Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday met US Defence Secretary James Mattis in Delhi and informed him that India will expand developmental activities to Afghanistan, but there will be no boots on the ground in the country.

She also discussed with Mattis the issue of safe havens given to terrorist in Pakistan. They both agreed that such sanctuaries should not be tolerated, she added.

Sitharaman requested Mattis to raise the issue of cross-border terrorism and terror safe havens when and if he visits Pakistan.

The growing menace of cross-border terrorism remained the key issue of the discussion between Sitharaman and Mattis.

"We both recognise importance of holding those who use terror as state policy to account and to dismantle infra that supports terror," Sitharaman said.

"Indo-US ties have not only grown in recent years, but also emerged as key pillar in strategic partnership," she added.

The world's largest democracies share strong and vibrant strategic partnership, and fundamental values and interests.

Commenting on terrorism, Mattis said, "India and US have suffered grievous losses to terrorism. We intend to work closely with India as we work to eradicate terrorism."

The US defence secretary, who arrived in Delhi on Monday for a two-day official visit, laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate earlier on Tuesday.

Mattis's India visit comes a little over two months after US President Donald Trump said that India must contribute and play a vital role in Afghanistan's path to peace.

On Tuesday, the US defence secretary acknowledged that India has already contributed significantly.

"We value India's invaluable contribution to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote Afghanistan's democracy, safety and security," he said.

Outlining his administration's Afghan policy, Trump in August had said, We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the US, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development."
Visakhapatnam: Directing police officials to speed up investigation into the acid attack incident involving Vizag-based pediatrician Balaji Bhusan Patnaik, AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday assured that the state government would extend financial help for the treatment of the victim doctor.

This newspaper had published a report on its September 25 edition as how the doctor has almost lost one eye with 90 per cent vision damage in his left eye and the doctors treating him are not sure about the prognosis of the other eye. He suffered almost 80-90 per cent facial and neck burns and is undergoing treatment at Nair Hospital, Mumbai.

Officials of I& PR department said responding to the news report published in Deccan Chronicle, the Chief Minister on Tuesday told Vizag City Commissioner of Police T. Yoganand to expedite the investigation and nab the culprit as soon as possible.

As the doctors fraternity and friends of the victim had to launch a donation drive to pool enough money to ensure that the doctor gets access to best treatment, the CM spoke to the family members of the victim and assured them of all financial help needed for treatment.

The CCTV footage, upon which the Vizag police were zeroing on in to get some clues in the acid attack incident, has also turned of no use now as the Forensic Science Laboratory in Hyderabad could not decipher anything from the images.

Now, the city police have summoned Bhubaneswar-based physiotherapist Dr Monalisa Mahapatra, with whom Dr. Balaji Bhushan Patnaik had words with hours before he was attacked with acid by unknown miscreants.
New Delhi: India on Tuesday ruled out any troop contribution in Afghanistan and said it will continue to provide development assistance to the war-torn country.

This was stated by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman after her talks with her US counterpart James Mattis during which they discussed key bilateral, regional and international issues, including terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Amid the rising tensions due to the missile tests by North Korea and Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, the two sides also deliberated upon ways to deepen maritime security cooperation.

Referring to their discussion on Afghanistan, Ms Sitharaman said they had a useful interaction on how the two countries could strengthen cooperation bilaterally as well as with the Afghan government in pursuit of the common objective of a peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.

She said India has built dams, hospitals and it will continue providing development assistance to the war-torn country. We give them facilities in our hospitals both for those who are wounded on field and for civilians. The assistance for medical help will continue...We shall expand if necessary. However, of course, we have made it clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground, she said.

The remarks were made replying to a question during a press briefing with Mr Mattis on whether India will contribute troops in Afghanistan. Indias position assumes significance given that under the new Trump policy, the US wants greater participation by India to contribute more in the war-torn nation.

On his part, Mr Mattis said, We applaud Indias invaluable contribution to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote its democracy, stability and security.
It is difficult to play down the irony of our myriad daily pursuits. We may be planning to blow up the world, as brattish Kim and dotard Trump seem to be pondering. We may be locked in a wordy duel on Kashmir or the Rohingyas with no succour in sight for the hapless folks we claim to speak for. We may be preparing to walk in a Muharram procession of self-flagellating mourners. Or we may be assembling a suicide belt to slaughter them with. We may be rearranging the political furniture in Europe  Brexit, refugees, racism et al, or we may be searching for the survivors of the latest ear-thquake in Mexico or a hurricane in Florida. We may be the ubiquitous state that habitually assaults and robs its people of their freedoms and dignity. We may be the people fighting to turn the tide. Whatever it is about life, any aspect of it we may be celebrating today, or whatever strife we may be confronting or wading into, the fact is that we are around to do all that thanks to Stanislav Petrov, the Soviet Army colonel who averted a third world war by simply keeping his nerve.

Petrov  who passed away in May as quietly as he had lived, and we came to know of his death last week  was the duty officer at an early-warning anti-nuclear centre near Moscow on the day the world came closest to apocalypse. It was September 26, 1983, and his wristwatch showed midnight when the hair trigger siren went off at a deafening decibel. Only a few weeks earlier, the Soviets had shot down a Korean passenger jet. The disaster had set off a spiral of Cold War omens, which played out elsewhere, including Afghanistan. Large red signs on Petrovs computer showed that the US had launched a ballistic missile towards the Soviet Union. Within moments, a few more popped up. It turned out to be a glitch, but imagine the crisis on the watch of, say, a Pakistani or an Indian officer who would not have the precious 15 minutes to take a world-saving decision that Petrov had.

According to subsequent Russian accounts, from the moment the warheads had taken off, there was only half an hour for the Kremlin to decide on whether to push the red button in retaliation and just 15 minutes for Petrov to determine whether the threat was real and report to his commanders. My cosy armchair felt like a red-hot frying pan and my legs went limp. I felt like I couldnt even stand up. Thats how nervous I was when I was taking this decision, he would say later. He did a quick if risky calculation. He saw it as strange that the US, with its thousands of nuclear warheads, would begin an assault with just a few of them. That was his hunch. It was a good hunch in the end. But it could have gone horribly wrong. The early detection system was new and Petrov had little trust in it. Whatever the arguments, he knew that all he really had to go on was a hunch.

His brief was to determine whether the threat was credible, and how to report it to his superiors, who would relay the information directly to the assigned Politburo members.

I was the one with the information and my reaction would determine the course of action. If I told them it was an attack, it would have been easier for them to go along with this and to act accordingly than to say otherwise. The panic would have spread like in a henhouse, Petrov said. A high-level inquiry commi-ssion probed the malfuncti-oning alarm system and it was found to have many glitches that were hopefully corrected. Based on Petrovs story, the movie The Man Who Saved the World premiered in 2014. It featured Kevin Costner who sent the Russian hero $500 as a thank you for his decision. A sincere thank you note would have been adequate, and perhaps more respectful.

There have been several close calls, of course, that would have brought the world to a sudden end, and how many times have US nuclear forces, on their part, braced to launch on a false alarm? None of the corrections, however, involved a self-effacing human hero as Petrov was. I am not sure what Petrovs views were about a nuclear weapons free world. As an officer who was ready to respond to fire with fire, one can only surmise that he was sanguine in the nightmarish logic of the Cold War. If there is a lesson to glean from his moment of sagacity, however, it can be best expressed by accepting the fact that we are living on a second chance. Petrov could double guess a bad computer and save the world. It is harder to imagine anyone to fix the glitches of our frenzied minds.

By arrangement with Dawn
Durga Puja is the festival every Bengali looks forward to. Ma Durga, the 10-armed mother goddess, is not only revered but loved by the people of Bengal. According to folklore, these four Puja days mark the goddess annual visit to her parental home (Bengal) from her husbands Mount Kailash abode. This belief makes it not just a religious event but a celebration of a beloved daughters homecoming. Durga Puja is not just a religious occasion, its the biggest cultural festival for Bengalis with a strong emotional overture. The controversy over the West Bengal governments decision to ban Durga idol immersions on the day after Bijoya Dashami, which happens to coincide with Muharram, and the Calcutta High Courts subsequent striking down of the government order are being seen, quite rightly, as an attempt to politicise Durga Puja. Though there is no doubt Mamata Banerjee plays the Muslim card without much subtlety, one has to recognise that her votebank is far more broad-based, a majority of whom are Hindus, including middle class Hindus. It is doubtful that an astute politician like Ms Banerjee would attempt Muslim appeasement on an occasion like Durga Puja, which traditionally in Bengal has invo-lved all communities, including minorities.

Its not also the first time such a decision was taken. In 1982 and 1983, Muharram fell the day after Bijoya Dashami, and the then Left Front government took a similar decision, but without any hue and cry. What was perhaps a purely administrative move to preempt any untoward violence in the backdrop of recent communal clashes in the state, most of which was orchestrated, was deliberately turned into a political controversy; and the flaring of this controversy is not rooted in West Bengal but seems to originate from directions and stimuli from outside the soil of Bengal. The BJPs practised strategy of polarising society on communal lines for electoral gain, however, might not work in Bengal. Theres a clear lack of understanding in the minds of BJP/RSS leaders about Bengals socio-cultural ethos. Bengalis, by and large, including Bengali Hindus, have a strong sense of cultural identity that wouldnt allow the Nagpur version of Hindutva to be imposed in the state. Historically, the reforms within Hinduism in the Bengal Renaissance had their inspiration in rationalism and the concept of enlightenment rather than religious revisionism. Raja Ram Mohun Roys crusade against the abolition of sati, and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagars tireless efforts for widow remarriage and girls education stemmed from a genuine desire to reform society than to reform Hinduism, though the prevailing arguments sought endorsements from anci-ent Hindu texts to placate the conservatives. The prevalence of the Shakti cult made fish-loving Hindu Bengalis, including Bengali Brah-mins, very different from the Hindutva propagandists of Nagpur.

A hotbed of communal politics just before Independence, and having undergone a bloodbath during Partition, Bengal has rarely seen any largescale communal violence in the post-Independence era. Despite being the home state of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Jan Sanghs founder and still an iconic figure in Bengal, Hindutva politics couldnt take roots here. Perhaps this indicates a quirk in the Bengali character. A Bengali might love or idealise someone, but that doesnt necessarily mean an acceptance of his ideology. Besides so-me sporadic low-intensity, localised incidents, political violence in Bengal after Independe-nce was never in the name of Ram-Rahim. The BJP/RSS completely misses out on Durga Pujas socio-cultural aspects, and also Bengalis psyche in relation to this festival. A recent tweet by BJP social media head Amit Malviya about a non-traditional depiction of Goddess Durga on the cover of a Bengali magazines Puja special implied such a depiction was done deliberately under the Mamata government to humiliate Hindus. What Mr he probably doesnt know is that its a long-standing tradition for Ben-gals publishers to commission artistes to do the covers of these magazines, and famous artis-tes like Jogen Chowdhu-ry or Paresh Maity and others have done it without being restrained in their creativity in many unusual depictions of the mother goddess.

These magazines are collectibles, and many middle class Bengali families actually cut and frame these covers to adorn their homes. Mr Malviya and others of his ilk would perhaps be shocked if they went on a Kolkata tour during Puja days  they might then declare the entire Bengali community to be heretics! The whole city turns into an open air art gallery, and using most non-traditional themes (such as global warming) and materials (like brooms) for erecting pavilions, and sometimes even creating idols, Bengal lets loose its creativity at this time. This shows a great degree of adaptability of the artists and the general populace to embrace new and secular ideas and forms, and fuse it with religious iconography.

The onslaught of communal politics in Bengal could have made Ms Banerjee somewhat edgy. Her attempts to celebr-ate festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Hanuman Jayanti that are alien to Bengal show this. The state also has a significant number of non-Bengalis, particularly Marwaris and Biharis. While the BJP is trying to gain a foothold among them, this could have been Mamatas counter-offensive. But in doing so, Ms Banerjee might be falling into a BJP trap. She cannot beat them playing by their rules, and has to set her own rules. One subtext of Mamata-style politics, particularly after she came to power in 2011, has been the politics of cultural identity of Bengalis, which distinctly differ even in the practice of religion, and takes pride in this difference. The BJP tried to harness this politics of cultural identity and pride before the state Assembly elections by using Netajis name and even fielded his grand-nephew as its CMs face. It will never tolerate or forgive anyone for trying to politicise its greatest ideal and idol  Ma Durga.
All power to Prime Minister Narendra Modis elbow in seeking to fulfil his promise to electrify the 3,000 villages which still dont have electricity. Back in 2015, he had assured us that by 2019, his government would provide power to all the 18,000 villages which remained to be electrified. That figure has now dropped to 3,000. Some work has evidently been done. This has given Mr Modi heart and he has advanced the date for completing electrification by a year. So, by December 2018, with the Centre committing Rs 16,320 crores (the remainder of the tab to be picked up by the states), the happy moment is expected to arrive. This will be terrific news even if the target is reached somewhat late. This is as good a time as any to do some stocktaking. It will be useful to know if electricity has reached all homes in the approximately 15,000 villages which have been electrified, as per the governments data. In Gujarat, when Mr Modi was chief minister, promises of electrifying all villages had not yielded power for every home in the rural areas which had wanted connections.

Indeed, there is the interesting issue of governmental definitions. If a transformer tower arrives within a certain distance of a rural settlement, electrification of surrounding villages is deemed complete. It is to be hoped that the promise of the Saubhagya plan for household electrification made by the Prime Minister on Monday does not meet this fate. At the BJPs extended national executive meeting, also on Monday, the partys top leadership was shortsighted when it continued to defend demonetisation. The people have suffered way too much due to this poorly-conceived and more poorly planned measure, and our GDP is at imminent risk of dropping about two per cent for the year. In the circumstances, government finances are more than likely to be under severe strain.

Non-tax revenues for the current year are expected to drop sharply, with the dividends from the Reserve Bank and government companies, and the proceeds from disinvestment not looking too good as of now. Governmental spending on infrastructure at a hectic pace in such circumstances could strain the fiscal deficit. The railway minister is already speaking of parcelling off railway operations to the private sector since the governments finances do not look to be in the pink of health. It is to be seen if the private sector will show boldness in stepping up to the plate. The next Lok Sabha election is not too far away and leaders do make promises to keep in the peoples favour. But it will be truly wonderful for the people if the assurances made by the highest authority in the country can be met.
Militancy in Kashmir has stumbled upon an unexpected challenge in the form of Zakir Musa, a 23-year old gun-toting jihadi. He is a twist in the jihadi tale that has thrown the secessionist lobby into a tizzy. For the first time in the history of the 28-year-old Kashmiri uprising, Musa, a militant commander, has admitted that their fight is not for political rights or accession to Pakistan but the supremacy of the Sharia and establishment of an Islamic caliphate. In May this year, Musa quit the terror outfit called Hizbul Mujahideen, controlled from across the border by the Pakistan Army, and went on to form Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, the Kashmiri unit of Al Qaeda. His defection and open Islamist challenge triggered a flood of condemnation from the separatist camp, which accused him of defaming the Kashmiri resistance movement. Chief jihadi Syed Salahuddin, in a statement released from his roost in Muzaffarabad, fulminated: Some of our friends, playing into the hands of our enemy, have been creating confusion in the leadership. These acts wont benefit them Daesh or Al Qaeda dont have space or requirement in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba joined the anti-Musa chorus, accusing him of being part of an Indian conspiracy. Srinagars separatist leadership, including Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and JKLF chief Yasin Malik attacked Musa, arguing that their movement was political and not religious or communal. Echoing Lashkars arguments, the trio declared Musas defection was a well-thought-out plan conceived by New Delhi to malign the Kashmiri freedom movement. But why fault Musa for being explicit about the Islamist aims of the Kashmiri uprising? Is it because his incarnation as an Islamist zealot negates the separatists portrayal of their movement as a purely political and non-communal one? History suggests that Musa might not be as completely off-track as the separatists would like the outside world to believe. The seeds of the current uprising in Kashmir was sown in the late 1970s in the afterglow of the Islamic revolution in Iran and the beginning of the jihad in Afghanistan in the early 1980s.

The J&K chapter of the Jamaat-e-Islami began patiently watering the seeds of dissent following rising confrontation with the largely-secular National Conference. This conflict culminated in violent clashes between the two in 1978. The first feelers to Gen. Zia-ul Haq, the military dictator then running Pakistan, were sent shortly thereafter.

The growing Islamisation was most pronounced in south Kashmir and an indication of the coming storm was felt in Anantnag town in 1986 when communal riots broke out. The state government clamped down on news of that event and pretended that nothing had happened. The truth was that hundreds of Hindus were targeted and scores of temples all over south Kashmir were burnt or destroyed. At around the same time, youth all over the Kashmir Valley began to raise Islamic slogans and when the state went to the polls next year, and the new face of Kashmiri politics was the Muslim United Front MUF). Supporting it from the background was the Jamaat. Alarmed by the threat of an Islamist upsurge, New Delhi, in a moment of short-sightedness, went along with the National Conference plan to rig the Assembly polls. The MUF was trounced and although it managed to secure a third of the total votes polled, only four of its candidates won. The new government ordered a crackdown on MUF leaders and activists and jailed many of them. This prompted the beginning of the armed struggle as Kashmiri youth began to cross the border in droves to receive arms training in Pakistan.

In those early years, the Jamaat and its supporters piggybacked on the pro-freedom movement started by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). The JKLF spearheaded the Kashmir armed struggle during the first couple of years until the Jamaat-sponsored Hizbul Mujahideen became more powerful thanks to the Pakistan Army. Some JKLF cadres crossed over to the Hizbul Mujahideen while others were murdered or betrayed. By the early 1990s, JKLFs last man standing was its chairman, Yasin Malik. The Hizbul Mujahideen, unlike JKLF, stood not for independence but for accession to Pakistan. The cross-border Jamaat link was the key in thrusting it to the forefront. This was also a time Pakistans generals were promoting Islamists to carry the Kashmir struggle forward, just as they had done in Afghanistan.Then and now, Kashmiri fighters chanted Islamic slogans, claimed that India was anti-Muslim, encouraged the notion of jihad and from day one strove to impose Islamic values. One of the insurgents first acts was to shut down cinemas, liquor shops, and impose a dress code across the Kashmir Valley.

The rising Islamist din sent shudders down the spines of the states Hindus, Buddhists and secular Kashmiris. Their fears were justified given that early on in the movement, virtually every one of the Valleys original inhabitants, the Hindu Pandits, were driven out. No Kashmiri Muslim came out onto the streets in violent protest against this great tragedy that befell their ethnic brethren. Contrast this to the violent protests that are now taking place on the streets of Kashmir in response to the exodus of the Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. There was deathly silence in Kashmir when the appalling exodus of over 200,000 Kashmiri Pandit men, women and children took place. The Pandit exodus was preceded and followed by the killing of hundreds of National Conference activists. The idea was to root out secular and non-Muslim elements from the Valley. Not surprisingly, till today, no other religious community in J&K  neither Hindus nor Buddhists  supports the separatist movement.

Kashmirs separatists have sought to obscure the essentially Islamist character of their movement by stressing on the alleged historical peculiarity of the undivided state of Jammu and Kashmir. Musa, by putting his finger on the politically sensitive spot, is a threat to their quest for global support. For, today the world has come to despise narrow xenophobic movements fuelled by religious sentiments. By exposing the Islamist nature of the Kashmir movement, Musa has written his own death warrant. Its only a matter of time before he is betrayed as were hundreds of JKLF fighters before him.
India has the highest number of child brides in the world, according to a Unicef study conducted in 2016. As per the latest census, 30 per cent of married women in India wed before they turn 18. This is despite the fact that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 (PCMA) set the legal age of marriage for women at 18 years. The practice of underage marriage is also in direct violation of UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which India ratified back in 1993. In addition to deterring socio-economic empowerment of women by perpetuating the cycle of illiteracy and exploitation, child marriage is a severe impediment to maternal and child health. It is associated with a 50 per cent higher chance of stillbirth and death within first few weeks among infants born to underage mothers. While the number of child brides under 15 has seen a decline, rates of marriage have increased for girls between 15 and 18, according to Unicef. For the law against child marriage to be truly effective, therefore, we must ensure that there are no other legal provisions that contravene it.

The Supreme Court as well as the Delhi high court are hearing separate cases with regard to the same provision  Exception 2 to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on rape. Exception 2 states that sexual intercourse by a man with his wife, the wife not being under 15 years of age, is not rape. The existence of this section provides tacit approval to illegal marriages between the ages of 15 and 18. Further, since the legal age of sexual consent under the IPC is 18 years, child marriage would amount to statutory rape if was not for the exception mentioned above. The petition in the Delhi high court calls for the criminalisation of marital rape. This is a larger issue that extends beyond underage brides. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, is looking into a narrower aspect of whether the law allows for sexual intercourse with minors in the case of married girls between the ages of 15 and 18. While the Delhi high court hears different arguments, the Supreme Court has the opportunity to lay the groundwork for in-principle recognition of marital rape as well as harmonise the legal provisions around age of sexual consent under several existing laws that can fortify the law against child marriage.

First, the Supreme Court must determine if married women between 15 and 18 form a separate class from unmarried minors. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Posco) Act 2012, as well as the section on the age of consent as per IPC, when read together, imply that sexual offences have been divided into two classes  sexual offences against minors and sexual offences against women who have attained majority. In the first class, since it pertains to a minor, whether or not consent is given is deemed irrelevant as the minor is treated as incapable of giving any form of consent. In the second class, after a woman has attained the age of 18, she is deemed capable of giving consent, and thereafter, it must be considered in cases of sexual violence. If viewed from this restricted lens coupled with the fact that PCMA sets 18 years as the legal age of marriage, the provision to treat married women between 15 and 18 would appear invalid. Unfortunately, this is not a one-dimensional issue, and the existence of personal laws has to be accommodated while looking at the larger picture. Muslim law, Christian law as well as the Hindu Marriage Act allow for minors to be married, with varying provisions for revocation of marriage. Various high courts have taken competing and contradictory views when it comes to whether the PCMA will prevail over personal laws.

The Gujarat high court in 2014 held that a Muslim woman can get married by choice after reaching the age of 15 and attaining puberty. On the other hand, several other jurisdictions  including the Delhi, Karnataka and Madras high courts  have taken the view that PCMA must prevail over personal laws, including the Muslim personal law. But despite various high courts ruling in favour of the PCMA overriding personal laws, Karnataka is the only state to amend the PCMA and declare any marriage between minors as invalid in law. Clearly, there is a disparity and incoherence in terms of jurisprudence on this front. The current proceedings are an opportunity for the Supreme Court to minimise discretionary pronouncements with regard to the prevalence of personal laws when it comes to child marriage. With a view to making the provisions on underage marriage consistent with these laws, I have filed a private members bill in Parliament  Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2017  that seeks to replace the word 15 mentioned in Exception 2 to 18.

A uniform age of consent and marriage will help solve several discrepancies between the legal age of marriage, the age of consent of an unmarried woman and Exception 2. It will provide protection for the physical and mental well-being of minor women who are already victims of the societal evil of child marriage. If anyone below 18 is assumed to not have the capacity to form an informed decision when it comes to voting for a leader, I doubt they will have that faculty when it comes to marriage. Informed consent and the ability to form it is the differentiating factor between the ages of 15 and 18. The verdict of the Supreme Court is expected soon and one hopes the judiciary will take cognisance of this basic principle. The amendment to Section 375 will serve as a benchmark in creating more homogenous laws and will be a step forward to the abrogation of child marriage in India.
Australia has committed to creating a national space agency as it looks to cash in on the lucrative and fast-evolving astronautical sector.

The announcement came at a week-long Adelaide space conference attended by the world's top scientists and experts including SpaceX chief Elon Musk.

It brings Canberra -- which already has significant involvement in national and international space activities -- into line with most other developed nations, which already have dedicated agencies to help coordinate the industry and shape development.

"The global space industry is growing rapidly and it's crucial that Australia is part of this growth," acting science minister Michaelia Cash said in statement.

"A national space agency will ensure we have a strategic long-term plan that supports the development and application of space technologies and grows our domestic space industry."

According to the government, the global space sector -- encompassing innovation, defence, and telecommunications -- has been growing annually since the late 1990s at almost 10 per cent, driving revenue each year of US$323 billion.

Thousands of the world's top scientists and space experts are attending the week-long International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide.

SpaceX chief Musk is set to give an update on his ambitious vision of establishing a Mars colony.

Also among those presenting is defence giant Lockheed Martin, which is working with NASA on plans to reach the Red Planet.

Lee Spitler, from Macquarie University's astronomy department in Sydney, said Australia's space industry currently operated "as a grassroots movement across a small number of companies, university groups and the defence sector".

"It will help bring to the forefront all the great work that has been going on in Australia in the space sector, and increase the potential for our country to play a key role in the international space scene in the future," said Spitler.

Australia's commitment to an agency follows the government in July ordering a review of the country's space industry capability, with a fuller strategy to underpin the work of the new body to be unveiled next year.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Australia launching its first satellite, the only country at the time to achieve the feat after the United States and Russia.

It has played a vital part in many space missions in the decades since then, with its Deep Space Communication Complex outside Canberra one of only three sites in the world capable of tracking NASA's deep space assets.

Australian National University's Penny King, who worked on the Mars "Curiosity Rover", mission, said the agency would improve opportunities for local scientists.

"Australians will be on the world stage, asking questions such as: How can we best care for Earth? How should we look for life beyond Earth? Where should we go?," she said.

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Finnish smartphone maker HMD Global is expected to launch the cheapest variant of Nokia-branded Android smartphone, the Nokia 2, in November this year, according to reports.

Earlier, an image of two Nokia handsets  Nokia 9 and Nokia 2 shared on Chinese social media platform Baidu confirmed half-baked rumours around the design of the latter phone.

Leaked image of Nokia 2 and Nokia 9 (Photo: Baidu)

In the images, Nokia 2 was shown featuring a single camera on the rear alongside the LED flash and volume controller and power button on the right side. The Nokia 9, placed alongside, was seen sporting dual rear camera with LED flash, a fingerprint reader on the rear and volume controller and power button on the right side, similar to the Nokia 2.

Rumours also say that the Nokia 2 will feature a 5-inch HD display, will be powered Snapdragon 212 SoC coupled with 1GB RAM, an 8MP rear and a 5MP front sensor. It is also expected to pack a 4000mAh battery and runs on Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

To date, Nokia 3 is the affordable of all Android-powered Nokia smartphones released this year. The Nokia 2 is speculated to be cheaper than it too.

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Nearly 17,000 registered voters in Dane and Milwaukee counties may have been deterred from voting in the 2016 presidential election because of the states voter ID requirement, according to a UW-Madison study released Monday.

The study provides a more precise estimate of the effect of the states controversial photo ID requirement, said study author and UW-Madison political science professor Ken Mayer. Other estimates have ranged from 500 to 300,000 voters affected.

The main conclusion of the study is that thousands, and perhaps tens of thousands, of otherwise eligible people were deterred from voting by the ID law, Mayer said. An eligible voter who cannot vote because of the ID law is disenfranchised, and that in itself is a serious harm to the integrity to the electoral process.

The estimate is smaller than Donald Trumps narrow 22,748-vote margin of victory in the state last November, the first major election since the 2011 law took effect after years of legal challenges from Democrats who said it disenfranchised students, seniors, minorities and low-income voters.

Mayer said whether the law would have changed the outcome is the wrong measure.

Tom Evenson, a spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker, said the public supports voter ID because it protects the integrity of our voting process, and this law makes it easy to vote and hard to cheat.

The study was paid for by $55,000 from the Dane County Clerks Office. Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell, a Democrat who opposes the law, said the county paid for the study because the debate around voter ID has involved anecdotal evidence and that actual data was missing from the debate.

The study was based on a mail survey of 288 registered voters who didnt cast a ballot in November. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 to 4 percentage points.

The study found 11.2 percent of respondents either said they didnt have a valid ID, believed they didnt have a valid ID or were told at a polling place their ID was invalid. Mayer noted that figure doesnt include people who dont even register to vote because they lack an ID.

Mayer said the results show the voter ID law caused confusion for many voters. Most of the respondents who said they didnt vote because they lacked valid ID also said they possessed a valid ID. More than a third of respondents said they didnt see any information about voter ID prior to the election.

One in five respondents with annual income below $25,000 were deterred by the voter ID law, compared with 7.2 percent of those with higher income. And 28 percent of black respondents were deterred, compared with 8.3 percent of white respondents.

Just more than 50 percent of those surveyed listed dissatisfaction with the candidates as a reason for not voting, and a third listed it as their main reason for not voting. That was by far the biggest reason and is consistent with previous studies on the reasons people give for not voting, according to Marquette Law School political science professor Charles Franklin.

Because it was funded by the Dane County Clerks Office, the study didnt ask participants for whom they voted or would have voted.

Sen. Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, chairman of the Senate Committee on Elections and Local Government, said the voter ID law did what it was intended to do to ensure that people who showed up at the polls to vote were who they actually were, LeMahieu said. If they would have showed up at the polls and been denied, they could have cast a provisional ballot.
United Nations: India has urged the UN Security Council to ensure that the first and foremost duty of international community is to ensure that the forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe havens anywhere and at any level.

"We must not differentiate between good and bad terrorists, or play one group against the other. Taliban, Haqqani Network, AI-Qaeda, Daesh, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and others of their ilk are all terror organizations, many of them proscribed by the UN," said Syed Akbaruddin on Monday, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN.

"The international community cannot remain silent. It is the international communitys first and foremost duty to ensure that the forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe havens anywhere and at any level," he said in an apparent dig at Pakistan.

Participating in an open debate of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan, Akbaruddin said that these terrorist groups should be treated like terrorist organisations with no justifications offered for their activities.

Noting that the situation in Afghanistan has remained particularly painful and disturbing with security worsening and visible signs of withering away of the gains by the international community and Afghan people, the top Indian envoy said that the incessant attacks on hospitals, schools, funerals, or international development agencies, diplomatic missions are a matter of serious concern.

"The multiple crises that have been inflicted on Afghanistan have made Afghan territory attractive for criminal and terrorist groups, who are well connected to international terror and crime networks.

"These groups are stealing the resources of Afghanistan which ought to belong to the people of the country," he said.

Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani joined Akbaruddin in identifying terrorist safe havens across the border.

"The scourge of terrorism and violent extremism affecting Afghanistan is the product of a long-standing policy by a neighboring State to keep Afghanistan unstable," he said.

"It has menaced Afghanistan for several decades now, with its roots located in terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens outside of my country," Rabbani said, adding that the new strategy of the United States for South Asia has generated new hope among people across the country.

Afghans from all walks of life are looking to the future with renewed optimism that finally the threats of terrorism and extremism in Afghanistan and the wider region will be tackled appropriately.

"In this connection, we welcome the fact that the new strategy recognizes the critical need to address the lingering problem of terrorist safe-havens and sanctuaries in our region; and for more determined efforts to end political, logistical and financial support enjoyed by terrorist groups," he said.

"Furthermore, the strategys conditions based approach has addressed some uncertainties by reinforcing the right message that the international communitys engagement will endure until Afghanistan becomes stable and secure," Rabbani said.

Representing the European Union, Joanne Adamson, stressed that it is important that the international community remains strongly committed to accompany Afghanistan towards long-term peace, security and stability.

Eshagh AI-Habib from Iran rued that more than a decade after its invasion, Afghanistan, the region and the world is not any safer.

"I need to reiterate, once again that deteriorating security in Afghanistan has its deeper roots and cannot be addressed solely through military build-up as some suggest," he said.

Taliban and self-proclaimed Islamic State Khorasan Province or ISIL-KP continues their heinous attacks against the civilian population.

They are reinforcing and recruiting and undertaking complex attacks such as the attack on a Shia mosque in Herat on the first and 25 August that killed over 90 and 28 people respectively or August attack in Sar-e Pul province during which at least 36 people were killed, as in Herat, the majority of the documented casualties were Shia, he said.

"The proliferation of terrorist groups in the Afghan territory necessitates concerted international effort on counter-terrorism.

"The world needs to deal with this increasing threat in a comprehensive manner," the Iranian diplomat said.

The Turkish representative expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation and the presence of Daesh in the country.

"Increased cooperation among the countries of the region is imperative for the success of Afghanistan," he said.
Washington: North Korea's top diplomat said Monday that US President Donald Trump's weekend tweet was a "declaration of war" and North Korea has the right to retaliate by shooting down US bombers, even in international airspace.

It was the latest escalation in a week of undiplomatic exchanges between North Korea and the US during the UN General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting.

Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that the United Nations and the international community have said in recent days that they didn't want "the war of words" to turn into "real action."

But he said that by tweeting that North Korea's leadership led by Kim Jong-Un "won't be around much longer," Trump "declared the war on our country."

Trump tweeted on Saturday: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN if he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

Meanwhile, the White House has rejected claims that the US has declared war on North Korea, asserting that any suggestion in this regard is absurd, even as the two nuclear powers engaged in a war of words again.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was responding to questions in this regard at her daily press conference.

Not at all. Weve not declared war on North Korea. And frankly, the suggestion of that is absurd, she said.

Sanders said it is never appropriate for a country to shoot down another countrys aircraft when its over international waters.

Our goal is still the same: We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearising of the Korean Peninsula -- thats our focus -- doing that through both the maximum economic and diplomatic pressures as possible at this point, the White House Press Secretary said in response to a question.

North Korea has repeatedly said it needs a nuclear deterrent because the US intends to invade it.

Ri told the General Assembly on Saturday that the DPRK's recent "ICBM-mountable H-bomb test" was a key step to completing its nuclear force.

He called it "a war deterrent for putting an end to nuclear threat of the US and for preventing its military invasion."

"Our ultimate goal is to establish the balance of power with the US," the foreign minister said.
United Nations: After India, Afghanistan has cornered Pakistan for promoting terrorism. Afghan foreign minister said that extremism in Kabul is bi-product of Islamabad giving safe havens to terror outfits such as Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Addressing the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said, The scourge of terrorism and violent extremism affecting his country is the product of a long-standing policy by a neighbouring State to keep Afghanistan unstable.

Afghanistan has faced menace of terrorism for several decades now, with its roots located in terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens outside my country, Rabbani said.

United States President Donald Trump had in August announced new South Asia and Afghanistan Policy, wherein he declared that more troops would be deployed in Afghanistan to fight Taliban.

Despite being on the receiving end, provocative actions, including continuous violation across the border line, Afghanistan has maintained a principal position of seeking to resolve differences with Pakistan through dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful means, Rabbani said.

This is particularly true in case of relations with Pakistan, which unfortunately, have so far failed to respond positively at its own cost, particularly in relations to its global reputation and standing, he added.

Rabbani welcomed Trumps new Afghan policy and said that the US' strategy for Afghanistan has generated new hope among its citizens.

We welcome the fact that the new strategy recognizes the critical need to address the lingering problem of terrorist safe-havens and sanctuaries in our region; and for more determined efforts to end political, logistical and financial support enjoyed by terrorist groups, he said.

Before concluding his speech, Rabbani said, I also wish to highlight that the exaggerated claims of Taliban control over some percentage of territory is being used as part of psychological warfare, our security forces have the upper hand against terrorists and extremists group through out the country.

Last week, Indian External Affairs Minister Susham Swaraj called Pakistan a pre-eminent export factory for terror. Swaraj, while speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday, asked the neighbours politicians to introspect as to why India is recognised globally as an IT superpower.

Indirectly referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as a hypocrite, Swaraj, responded to the accusations levelled by him and said that all those listening to his speech had only one reaction, Look who is talking.
About 40 per cent of the total Rohingya population living in the Rakhine State of Myanmar have now fled to Bangladesh.

Colombo: Radical Buddhist monks stormed a United Nations safe house for Rohingya refugees near Sri Lanka's capital Tuesday and forced authorities to relocate the group, officials said.

Saffron-robed Buddhist monks led a mob that broke down gates and entered the walled multi-storied compound as frightened refugees huddled together in upstairs rooms, a police official said.

"We have pushed back the mob and the refugees will be relocated in a safer place," the official told AFP, asking not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The 31 Rohingya refugees were rescued by the Sri Lankan navy in May after they were found drifting in a boat off the island's northern waters.

The Rohingya were eventually to be resettled in a third country, the official said, adding that they were authorised to remain in Sri Lanka pending the processing of their papers.

A monk who stormed into the building was filmed by his radical Sinhale Jathika Balamuluwa (Sinhalese National Force) as he urged others to join him and smash the premises.

"These are Rohingya terrorists who killed Buddhist monks in Myanmar," the monk said in his live commentary on Facebook, pointing to Rohingya mothers with small children in their arms.

Sri Lanka's extremist Buddhist monks have close links with their ultra-nationalist counterparts in Myanmar. Both have been accused of orchestrating violence against minority Muslims in the two countries.

The police official said the refugees were taken into "protective custody" and had been brought back to their safe house when the mob returned and started throwing stones.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in the face of the current wave of violence in that country.

The Rohingya Muslims have been the target of decades of state-backed persecution and discrimination in mainly Buddhist Myanmar.

Many view them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite their long-established roots in the country.
Mahalakshmi Layout Police arrested three persons and recovered Rs 5 crore worth demonetised currency after acting on a tip-off on Monday.



The suspects have been identified as Mohammed Aslam (50) of Jayanagar, Kalingappa alias Kalinga (35) of Ballari and Manjunath (58) of Nelagedaranahalli near Peenya. Police have seized a Maruti Swift car from them.



According to the police, the trio were arrested near Mahalakshmi Layout swimming pool with demonetised currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination.



Police said that the suspects were waiting near the swimming pool for their agents and were discussing about the exchange of banned currency notes with new notes. The policemen went there in plain clothes and arrested them and seized the banned currencies, police said.






A 15-year-old girl was found hanging at her home on Monday morning in what is seen as a case of witchcraft or black magic.



Chandana, a class 9 student, was found hanging from the ceiling fan at her home at Bilwaradahalli village, Anekal taluk. Her father, Vasudev, came home around 7 am after working the night shift as a security guard at Royal Meenakshi Mall. His wife left for work and two sons for college. Vasudev then went to sleep.



A while later, Vasudev woke up as his mobile phone fell from the bed. As an afterthought, he opened the door of another room and was stunned to see his daughter hanging. She was still alive, shivering and struggling to breathe.



Vasudev was numb with disbelief. He ran out to inform his wife who works in a factory about 200 metres away. The couple returned, freed Chandana from the noose and took her to hospital. But it was too late. Doctors declared her brought dead.



Witchcraft/black magic?



Police quoted neighbours as saying that they found big kumkuma (vermilion) on Chandanas forehead though she had never applied it before. The ceiling fan is too high for Chandana to reach.



Threat note



The family found a one-page letter in Kannada that read:



You didnt know about the power of my mantra, Vasudev?



See, how I made your daughter hang herself! Do you now realise the power of my mantra?



You troubled me a lot. This wont end here. Remember, you have two more children. I wont leave them. Your son was with me, but he just escaped my clutches last week. I wont spare him.



You destroyed my family. I will destroy your family. Dont forget it.



The letter was neither dated nor signed.



A teacher at Chandanas school said she was good at studies. Chandana took a transfer from the government school to a private one.



She is not a girl who will commit suicide, the teacher added.






Hectic lobbying has begun in the ruling Congress and JD(S) for the posts of Bengaluru mayor and deputy mayor respectively.



Elections, if required, will be held on September 28.



Two-time corporator from Deevarajeevanahalli R Samapath Raju and three-time corporator from Subashnagar L Govind Raju have emerged as strong contenders for the post of mayor. The post of mayor is reserved for SC, while the post of deputy mayor is reserved for women (general category) this time.



Sources in the Congress said the party has convened a meeting of its Bengaluru MLAs on Wednesday to finalise the mayoral candidate. Senior leaders of the party, including Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G Parameshwara, will participate in the meeting.



JD(S) members Manjula Narayanaswamy (Laggere), Netra Narayana (Kaval Byrasandra) and Ramila Umashankar (Kaveripura) are in the race for the deputy mayors post. JD(S) leaders are yet to finalise the candidate.



The last day for filing nomination papers is 9.30 am on September 28 (Thursday).



Meanwhile, officials have started making preparations for holding the elections. M Jayanthi, regional commissioner and presiding officer for the mayoral polls visited the BBMP head office. Bengaluru urban deputy commissioner and assistant election officer V Shankar too was present with her on Monday. Both inspected preparation works.



Several measures have been taken to ensure a fair and transparent voting process. Name plates of 266 voters in the elections have been placed according to their seats.



We want to ensure the voting process is transparent. We have made it mandatory for everybody to bring their identity cards. We have barred all supporters and followers who come along council members from entering the Council Hall. We have informed the police to ensure this, they said.




Thirteen summers back, Jayaprakash had a fleeting glimpse of Sunitha as she walked past his classroom. She was his first crush, a memory he deeply cherished even as they moved apart. Years later, as a horrendous accident disfigured her face, Jayaprakash returned to her, shared her pain and lived through her 27 surgeries. He had found love.



Four years after he married his teenage crush, Jayaprakash posted their fascinating life story on the Beyond You Facebook page. That moving Saturday post has now gone viral, the Bengaluru-based couples unwavering bond sparking an avalanche of appreciation from over 1.5 lakh people. It was a rare, collective tribute to a triumph of love and humanism over looks.



Drifting apart from college, the two had lost touch. But in November 2011, Jayaprakash got a call from a mutual friend that Sunitha had had an accident and she was in Coimbatore. His visit to the hospital changed his life. And hers.



He recalled in his post, When I went to visit her, I saw a person with no hair, a disfigured face, no nose, no mouth and no teeth, walking like a 90-year-old. I was stunned. I broke down. That moment, I realised that I love her.



Later that night, he sent her a text: I am the only person who can take care of you. I love you. Lets get married. She called and he proposed again. She laughed but she didnt say no. Initially my mother was shocked but my dad backed me, and eventually they both came around, Jayaprakash recollected.



He was part of all her surgeries from January 2012. I would watch her giggle as she woke up after them in the ICU. Two years after those painful yet bonding years, the two tied the knot. Shifting to Bengaluru, they became four with the arrival of Atmia and Atmik. His post was proof how much he valued all that went before.



As Jayaprakash put everything in a capsule, all those who read it on Facebook had tears welling up in their eyes: Today, I am married to my teenage crush. She became my love. Love isnt about a face or imposed conditions or external beauty. It is a connection of souls. It feels right. All I know is that I love her to the moon and back, infinity and beyond, forever.




Rains returned to the city after a gap of around a week, on Sunday night and Monday morning. The city recorded 54.3 mm, up to 8.30 am on Monday morning. Bengaluru rural recorded 74.4 mm, HAL airport recorded 44.2 mm and Kempegowda International Airport recorded 12 mm rainfall.



Rainfall continued till later in the day. Up to 5.30 pm, the city received 9.2 mm rainfall, HAL airport recorded 4.5 mm, while no rain was recorded at the international airport.



The city, from June 1 (onset of monsoon), received 867 mm rainfall (657 mm higher than normal). HAL airport received 733 mm rainfall, which is 303 mm higher than normal.



The city, from September 1 till date, received 431 mm rainfall. According to the records with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), this is the highest the city has received for the month since 2005. The highest ever rain recorded for the month of September was 516.6 (in 1986). The city had recorded 352.6 in 2013 and 345.8 in 2009.



The weathermen have also issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall across south interior Karnataka for the next two to three days. Heavy rainfall in isolation has been forecast over north interior Karnataka also.



Sunder M Metri, director incharge of IMD, Bengaluru, said the city and parts of south and north interior Karnataka will experience rainfall because there is an east- west shear zone along latitude 12 degree north at 5.8 km above mean sea level.
Prison Evangelism's Inspiring Graphic-style Book Outreach Given National Spotlight CBN broadcast spurs support for David Howell's mission to 'transform lives and close prisons;' produces tearful personal encounter



Contact: Darin Campbell,

512-785-8350,

dcampbell@inchristcommunications.com; Press kit available @ inchristcommunications.com/prisonevangelism



HOUSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- A reformed businessman's ambitious plan to bring revival to America's prisons through a simple graphic-style book has been given a major boost with national exposure for his unusual outreach.



Photo: Former Prison Evangelism "roughneck" David Howell interviewed by CBN reporter John Jessup about how Howell's How to Be a Child of God guidebook is "transforming lives and closing prisons."



The success of David Howell's How to Be a Child of God publication in bringing those behind bars to Christ was recently spotlighted in a widely viewed 700 Club report on CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network). The network gained rare access when it visited Eastham Unit in Lovelady, Texas, to speak with prisoners impacted by Howell's Prison Evangelism ministry.



Over the past few years, Howell has mailed more than 110,000 copies of the 52-page book to prison chaplains across the country, receiving countless letters from prisoners who have prayed to receive Christ as a result and pledged to turn their lives around.



"We have received a lot of responses following the broadcast, from people saying how they are glad for what we are doing," said Howell. Among the emails was one from a wife of a prisoner interviewed by CBN, who wrote, "I just wanted to reach out to you and thank for your ministry... to tell you what a blessing you are."



Howell hopes the coverage will mean more support for his effort to distribute an additional 600,000 free copies of How to Be a Child of God nationwide. Prison Evangelism says that at just 54 cents a mailing, the book produces a 7,000-to-1 return on investment for prisoners who turn over a new leaf and don't return to prison. It costs an average $31,000 a year to house and feed each offender.



"That book changed my life," inmate Keith Gilstrap told CBN at Eastham. "I wasn't a child of God until I read that book." When he returned home, it would be as a new man, he said.



Though Howell receives many letters from prisoners, the CBN reportfor which he accompanied the network to Easthamgave him the rare opportunity to meet face-to-face some of those impacted by his ministry.



"It was very moving," he said. "I teared up when one of them said how the book had helped him tell his story and witness to othersthat's what it's all about, sharing the good news with others."



In his CBN interview, Howell noted that he shared a similar background to some of those he was now trying to reach. "The only difference is he's in prison, and I'm not," he said.



The owner of Houston-based pipeline appraisal specialists Pipeline Equities, Howell began working in the oil and gas industry as a 14-year-old roughneck. Before becoming a Christian in 1984, he was lost in alcohol and wayward living.



Prison Evangelism, Inc. (www.prisonevangelism.com)  "changing hearts, transforming lives"was founded in 2010 to distribute How to Be a Child of God and companion pieces Seeking God Through Prayer & Meditation and Fully Alive and Finally Free.



With Prison Evangelism research showing that one in 10 people who read the 52-page book makes a commitment to Christ, if the national campaign saw a similar response and those impacted did not return to prison, the Houston-based ministry calculates that annual savings to taxpayers would be $2.1 billion. Additionally, the reduced inmate population would be equivalent to closing 60 prisons.



Now 77, Howell credits the impact of the publications, written at a sixth-grade reading level, to their simple language and the emphasis on being transformed by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.



"These are people who have come to an end of themselves, and that is where all of us must come before we are willing to accept the need for a power greater than ourselves," he said.



Prison Evangelism (www.prisonevangelism.com) is a faith-based nonprofit committed to transforming and rehabilitating offenders through the distribution of "How to Be a Child of God" and other evangelistic and discipleship materials designed to help prisoners find new purpose and power in life through a relationship with Jesus Christ.



To schedule an interview with David Howell, contact:

Darin Campbell, InChrist Communications

(512) 785-8350 -or- dcampbell@inchristcommunications.com



Link to CBN story: www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2017/august/from-crude-oil-and-crude-living-to-prison-evangelist



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The army foiled an infiltration attempt by militants to cross over from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) into the Uri sector of north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Tuesday, and an ultra was killed in the ensuing encounter.



Sources said troops guarding the Line of Control (LoC) in Lachipora in Boniyar sector noticed the movement of heavily armed militants, who were trying to infiltrate into Indian territory. "As the troops challenged the infiltrators, they opened fire and in the retaliatory action one unidentified militant was killed," they said.



Defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia confirmed that an infiltration bid was foiled in Uri sector in which one militant was killed. During the search, one weapon was recovered from the possession of the slain militant," he said. The identity and the group affiliation of the slain militants were not immediately known.



The Army had on Monday recovered a body of one more militant at Kalgaie Uri near the Line of Control, taking the number of militants killed in the gunfight to four.



Deputy Commander of Kalapahar Brigade, Harpreet Singh, while addressing media at brigade ground Uri, said that slain militants were on a suicide mission.



War-like stores recovered from them had a striking resemblance with the ammunition recovered from militants during a fidayeen attack in Uri area last year. Militants were on a suicide mission and intending to carry out a major strike on an army camp situated at Kalgaie, he claimed.



Kalgaie is just three kilometres from Uri brigade that witnessed a deadly strike by militants in September last year. At least 19 soldiers were killed in the attack.
Haryana Police today conducted searches in Delhi to trace jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief's adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in connection with incidents of violence following Gurmeet Ram Rahim's conviction.



The police here said that searches were being conducted at various locations to trace Honeypreet and two other key Dera functionaries, though they did not specify the places where they were carrying out the search.



The Delhi Police said a team of Panchkula Police had come with an arrest warrant for Honeypreet on a tip-off that she was present in a house in A block in Greater Kailash in New Delhi.



However, the raid did not yield anything, DCP Southeast Romil Baaniya said. The raid was conducted at 7:30 am and only the caretaker was found. The house was registered in the name of the Dera Sacha Sauda, Baaniya said.



Police also said that any person giving any information leading to the arrest of the three and other 'wanted' accused in connection with the incidents of violence in Panchkula on August 25 will be suitably rewarded and his/her identity kept secret.



The Haryana Police today said that a court in Panchkula had yesterday issued an arrest warrant against Honeypreet Insan, Dera spokesperson Aditya Insan, and Deras top functionary Pawan Insan in connection with incidents of violence in Panchkula.



The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Haryana Police had moved an application before the court seeking arrest warrants of the three accused.



Accepting the SIT's application, the court has issued arrest warrants against them, DGP B S Sandhu said.

"If these three continue to evade arrest, then the police will again move court with a plea to declare them as proclaimed offenders," Sandhu said.



Honeypreet Insan, who has been on the run following the conviction of Dera chief by a special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25 in two rape cases, has moved the Delhi High Court today seeking anticipatory bail.



Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Honeypreet, against whom a lookout notice was issued by the Haryana Police, had been earlier booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula.



The police added her name in FIR number 345 as an accused in connection with the violence that took place in Panchkula on August 25.



Her name has been included in the same FIR in which other Dera functionaries Aditya Insan and Surinder Dhiman, among others, had been booked for allegedly inciting violence and arson, police had said earlier.



Haryana Police has also been questioning arrested Dera functionaries including Dilawar Insan and Pradeep Goyal to get concrete information about her place of hiding.



Dilawar Insan, a key member of the Dera was arrested from Sonipat while Pradeep, another Dera functionary was nabbed from Udaipur in Rajasthan by Haryana Police.



Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted by the special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, following which violence and arson had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa districts of Haryana which had left 41 people dead and several others injured.



Honeypreet had accompanied the Dera head when he had come to the special CBI court on August 25. She had also travelled along with him in the special chopper which ferried them to Rohtak from Panchkula after the conviction.



The sect head is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district of Haryana. Several teams of Haryana Police have travelled across the country, including the Indo-Nepal border, to trace Honeypreet.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued a notice to Tamil Nadu government to file a case against those who forced about 20 children to pierce their cheeks with two-meter steel rods as part of a ritual for the speedy recovery of the then ailing chief minister J Jayalalithaa.



The Commission also asked north Chennai additional commissioner of police, Law and Order to register a case under sections 326/341/34/120B IPC and 23 of Juvenile Justice Act against the people involved in piercing children's cheeks using steel rods.



The officer has also been asked to inform within four weeks about the disciplinary action taken against the erring police officials, who were, admittedly, present at the site and did nothing to stop the criminal act.



Further, the Commission asked the Home Secretary of Tamil Nadu government to submit a report, within four weeks, on the steps taken to stop such rituals.



The Commission's directions have come after the Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, confirmed that such an incident had happened on the 3rd October 2016.



As part of a ceremony, the children were made to walk from Murgan Temple, R.K. Nagar, to Seniamman Temple, Manikondu, Tondiarpet by the supporters of AIADMK.



The Commission, acting on a complaint into the allegations, had called for a report from the concerned authorities on the 7th November 2016.



The Commission has observed that from the material available on record, including the photographs, it is apparent that the children were very small and innocent and their cheeks were forcibly pierced.



A photograph reveals that the children were made to wear a cap with a photograph of Jayalalithaa and with the slogan written on it - "long live Amma". One girl is seen caught by some persons for the purpose of piercing her cheeks. The incident makes it a clear case of violation of human rights of children.



The Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, in his report, confirming the incident, had said that the children participated in the event with the approval of their parents and were not forced to do so.



However, he had accepted that the incident was a gross violation of Child Rights and that the police personnel, who attended the security duty on the 3rd October 2016 in connection with the event, had been severely warned.



He assured that if any such incident is reported in future, action will be taken under the relevant provisions of the law against the guilty.



The Commission has observed that it fails to understand how the consent of the parents, or that of the children for the ritual, can justify the criminal act of piercing children's cheeks with two-meter steel rods. Admittedly, the police officials, present at the site of the incident did nothing to stop it.



Therefore, a simple warning to the erring police personnel is abysmal considering the gravity of the incident, the Commission said.


Similarly, ousted AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran also said that even his aunt Sasikala was not allowed to stay permanently with Jayalalithaa when she was under treatment in the Apollo Hospitals.



Dhinakaran also said that Sasikala uses to go once in a while to see Jayalalithaa only after getting permission from the doctors.



Soon after minister Raju's claim, the entire opposition parties in the State including DMK demanded immediate probe into the mystery behind the death of the former chief minister.

Senior AIADMK leader and minister for Co-operation Sellur K Raju created controversy on Tuesday after he claimed that all his colleagues met the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa when she was undergoing treatment at the Apollo hospital.His statement came few days after forest minister Dindigul Srinivasan claimed that none of the ministers had met Jayalalithaa during her hospitalization and he also "lied" about the health condition of the late chief minister.
Eyeing the support of the influential Patel community, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today hit the campaign trail in the Patidar-dominated areas of poll-bound Gujarat.



Some members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the party's student wing, greeted him as he left Jamnagar for Rajkot this morning.



The Congress leader urged the NSUI members to work hard to bring the party to power in Gujarat.



Taking a dig at BJP governments in the state and at the Centre, Gandhi said if the Congress was voted to power, his party's government would function from Gujarat and not on orders from Delhi.



On his way, at Falla village in Jamnagar, locals welcomed him by raising the slogan 'Jai Patidar, Jai Sardar'. People were also seen wearing caps with the same slogan.



Gandhi, who is on the second day of his three-day tour of Gujarat, is slated to visit several villages and towns, such as Dhrol and Tankara that have a sizable Patel population.



The Congress is hoping to get the support of this decisive vote bank during the polls due later this year.



Yesterday, on the first day of his visit to the state, Gandhi was greeted by Hardik Patel, leader of the Patel quota agitation.



"A warm welcome to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat," Patel tweeted in Hindi yesterday when Gandhi landed at Dwarka.



Patel had earlier hinted that he may consider supporting the Congress in the Assembly polls to achieve the goal of reservation to the Patel community under OBC quota.



Gandhi had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over issues like note ban, GST, farm policies and 'Gujarat model' of development, during his campaign from Dwarka to Jamnagar yesterday.



He also expressed confidence about winning the upcoming Assembly elections, claiming that there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat and the people regretted having voted for the BJP.
A former vice president of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students union was shot at and stabbed by two assailants, leaving him seriously injured, the police said today.



According to University Proctor Prof Mohsin Khan, the incident took place in Dodhpur locality, adjoining the AMU campus in Civil Lines area yesterday night.



Nadeem Ansari was rushed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College where doctors said that he was "stable" and out of danger.



Police said Ansari was shot at and stabbed by two armed assailants who forced him to stop while he was heading to his home in a two-wheeler.



"The bullet missed his vital organs and passed through his shoulders. The miscreants then stabbed him but by then locals rushed to his rescue. The attackers then sped away," Prof Khan said today.



In his statement to police, Ansari has named two former students of the University - Salman and Arman - both resident of Badaun district.



As news of the incident spread, a large number of students gathered at the Medical College Hospital, demanding the immediate arrest of the attackers.



Senior University officials, including the UniversitysVice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor visited the Hospital and assured the victim of all necessary help.
Shoots of peace are sprouting in the terrorism-hit state of Jammu and Kashmir and the government is now working towards ensuring that the people in the state can be uplifted with dignity, state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said.



In an interview to PTI last night, the 58-year-old chief minister welcomed recent attempts by the Centre and the ruling party to reach out to Kashmiris, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day speech where he asked the countrymen to embrace Kashmiris.



This was followed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhs statement that the Centre is willing to hold talks with all stakeholders, then BJP leader Ram Madhav saying talks can be held with anyone. In his "Mann ki Baat" speech on Sunday, Modi also praised a poor Kashmiri youth, Bilal Dar, for his attempt to clean up a lake, which became front page news in Kashmir and heavily discussed on social media.



"These are welcome signs" in Kashmir Valley where people are eagerly waiting for peace to return, the chief minister said.



"The shoots of peace have started sprouting. They have to be watered and fertilized, and I am sure that the fruits of peace will follow," she said in the interview at her home, with a large portrait of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in the background. Mehbooba succeeded him as the chief minister a few months after his death in January 2016.



Mehbooba, whose PDP is in an alliance with the BJP in the state, blamed the electronic media for making even minor incidents of violence into national events, portraying Kashmir as a region in perpetual flames. She said the high-pitched debates that follow end up vilifying Kashmiris. This in turn alienates Kashmiris against the rest of the country, and the country against Kashmir, which has a direct impact on tourism, the mainstay of the economy.



Mehbooba, who is also the tourism minister, gets a report on tourist arrivals every evening, and the figures are grim arrivals have now fallen to 4,000-5,000 daily from a peak of 10,000-12,000. Most hotels and houseboats are empty, taxi companies have virtually no business and shops are shut.



She said it is wrong to project the entire 70 lakh population of the Valley as pro-militants when intelligence figures show that there are only about 200-300 home grown militants.



"You talk about the 200 militants but dont talk about the thousands of Kashmiris in the Indian Army, she said. But she did not deny that there is a sense of alienation among Kashmiri youth, and even children as young as eight, because of severe security crackdowns that follow stone pelting incidents.



However, the recent statements from highest level are an opportunity to build peace and give Kashmiris back their dignity, Mehbooba said. "All that is required now is to hold their (people of Kashmir) fingers with dignity intact," she said.



Mehbooba, who is the first woman chief minister of the restive border state, said her government is in favour of holding talks with everyone as has been enshrined in the Agenda of Alliance between the PDP and the BJP.



She indicated that she is in favour of the peace talks strategy employed by the Vajpayee government in the early 2000s when Kashmiri separatist leaders were allowed to talk to Pakistan as part of peace building efforts, while New Delhi and Islamabad were also simultaneously engaged.



"There is a need to take the bull by its horns and finding a way out for bringing in a 'permanent' peace in the state," she said, adding that she is in regular contact with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, whom she described as "very supportive".



She noted that Ram Madhav, the BJP general secretary, also has a clear understanding of Kashmir and has been extremely supportive of the alliance government. "I am sure together, we will be able to steer the state to new heights."



Mehbooba said Modis singling out 18-year-old Bilal Dar in "Mann Ki Baat" had sent a wave of pride among the young residents of the Valley.



"These steps have a tremendous impact on the psyche of the younger generation and their hope for recognition at national level is rekindled. They are not seen or labelled as mere stone pelters," she said.



Seventeen months into office, Mehbooba also feels that talks between India and Pakistan should begin at the earliest but she holds Islamabad responsible for the present tension.



"The Prime Minister made a wonderful gesture by stopping at Islamabad and meeting the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But what happened after that? It was followed by attack at Pathankot and increased terror activities in the state," she said.



"However, there is a need to bring Pakistan to the negotiating table once again. After all, the relations between India and Pakistan have a direct bearing on Jammu and Kashmir.



"Smooth relations between the two countries have always seen better life for people in the state," she said.



The chief minister blamed the Congress-led UPA for not carrying forwarding the "gains" from the peace process of the Vajpayee-era.



"I mean they were there for 10 years but could not make any headway. It was an opportunity that was never cashed in by them," she said.
A tigress and a male cub died in different forest areas of Madhya Pradesh in the last 24 hours, officials said today.

A two-year-old tigress was yesterday found dead in a well in the area of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Umaria district.

"The tigress might have fallen into the well while running away from an attack by wild animals and drowned," BTR's ranger Vijay Shankar Shrivastava said.

The forest department was probing the feline's death from various angles, he said.

The well is located in Milli village, which was included in the BTR's core area some years back.

Besides, a mutilated carcass of a male cub was yesterday found in the Karmajhiri range of Pench National Park in Seoni district.

The park's field director, Shubhranjan Sen, said it seemed as if a powerful male tiger active in the area had attacked the cub.

"The pug marks of a tiger were spotted at the site. The marks of dragging the cub were also seen. The postmortem report indicated that the cub's skull bones were broken," he said.

There was no sign of poaching at the site, he said.

A tigress was recently spotted with its three cubs in the area. The dead cub might be one of them, Pench National Park's deputy director K K Gurwani said.
India on Tuesday asserted that it would not send troops to Afghanistan, but would continue its developmental and humanitarian assistance to the war-ravaged neighbour.



Asked how India could enhance its support towards Afghanistan in accordance with the US expectations, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman ruled out sending troops to the neighbouring nation, but observed that developmental activities and humanitarisn assistance would continue.



There will be no boots from India on the ground. If necessary, we can expand our support for infrastructure building, training of personnel and medical assistance, she said after her interaction with the US Defence Secretary James Mattis here.



This is the first US Cabinet-level visit to India after Donald Trump Administration assumed office on January 20 this year.



Last month President Trump announced a new policy on Afghanistan in which Washington envisaged New Delhi's greater role in Kabul.



India welcomed President Trump's new US Strategy for Afghanistan. I had useful discussions with Secretary Mattis on how we could strengthen our cooperation bilaterally as well as with the Government of Afghanistan in pursuit of our common objective of a peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, she said.



Earlier this month, New Delhi announced deepening its strategic partnership with Kabul besides awarding projects worth $ 300 million to the north western neighbour.



India is also a member of a Russia-led, six-nation coalition that is carrying out the consultation on reconciliation process involving the Afghanistan government and the Taliban. Mattis would be reaching Kabul on Wednesday for bilateral talks.



On Pakistan, the USA closed ranks with India in denouncing the Islamic republic for providing safe heavens to terrorists that caused mayhems like 9/11 in New York 26/11 in Mumbai.



There should not be any safe heaven for the terrorists. There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe heavens. India and USA resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said here after his maiden meeting with his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman.



While Mattis didn't name Pakistan, Sitharaman said she raised the issue of USA supplying military aids to Pakistan that continued to back the terrorists.



The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross border terrorism were discussed in depth. Secretary Mattis assured me that he will raise the issue of terrorism emanating with Pakistan, when he visits Pakistan, she said.



The US Defence Secretary called on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.



On the 2+2 dialogue process involving Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and their counterparts Sitharaman and foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, Mattis said the inaugural dialogue would happen in near future.



Also more exercise opportunities will be explored by the two militaries, which include expanding the maritime engagements
Exodus Mandate to Celebrate 20th Anniversary October 26, 2017

Contact: Frontline Ministries, Inc., 803-714-1744, exodusmandate@gmail.com; www.exodusmandate.org



COLUMBIA, S.C., Sept. 26, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Frontline Ministries, Inc., will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Exodus Mandate Project with a gala banquet October 26, 2017. The featured speaker will be noted author and award-winning journalist, Cal Thomas.



One of the most widely read and most highly regarded voices on the American political scene, Cal Thomas has a twice-weekly column in hundreds of newspapers. For 19 years he was a commentator on Fox News Channel, including his own show After Hours, and was a panelist for Fox News Watch.



Thomas, a graduate of American University, is a veteran of broadcast and print journalism. He has worked for NBC News in Washington, D.C., and hosted his own program on CNBC which was nominated for a Cable ACE Award in 1995. In 2011, he received the William F. Buckley, Jr., Award for Media Excellence from the Media Research Center. Thomas has written 10 books, the latest of which is What Works: Common Sense Solutions for a Stronger America published in 2014 on the 30th anniversary of his syndicated column. He has four children and eleven grandchildren and resides in the D.C. area. His wife of 51 years, Charlotte Ray Thomas, passed away in February this year.



The theme for the evening will be "Find us Faithful," in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the world-changing Reformation of 1517. By revisiting that era, today's evangelical Church, the rightful heir to that rich theology and history, can find strength and renewed hope.



The banquet at the Brookland Baptist Conference Center (1066 Sunset Blvd, West Columbia, SC 29169), will open the doors at 6:00 p.m.; dinner served at 6:30 p.m. A VIP reception will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Business attire is required. Tickets may be purchased for both events online at exodusmandate20.eventbrite.com. For sponsorship opportunities, please, contact the office at exodusmandate@gmail.com, 803-714-1744. A press conference will be held at same location at 5:00 p.m. A block of rooms has been secured at Hampton Inn-Airport for out-of-town guests with shuttle service to & from the banquet. Reservations can be made at hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/south-carolina/hampton-inn-columbia-i-26-airport-CAEWEHX/index.html.



The Exodus Mandate Project has become a leading advocate in America for K-12 Christian and home-based education as an alternative to state-run public schools. Exodus Mandate was launched by E. Ray Moore in 1997. Rev. Moore is a retired Army Reserve Chaplain and veteran of Gulf War I, where he received a Bronze Star for meritorious duty. He and his wife, Gail, began homeschooling in 1977, among the first to pioneer the modern home schooling movement. As a result of Exodus Mandate and the efforts of similar organizations, an estimated 2.5 million children will be home schooling this year  and millions more will be attending Christian and private schools.

Ray Moore states, "For over 20 years, I have traveled across the country promoting the mission of the Exodus Mandate, encouraging and assisting Christian families and churches to leave the state-sponsored public school system for the promised land of K-12 Christian schools or home schooling. My hope and prayer is that a fresh obedience by churches and families in the education of their children according to biblical commands will prove to be a key for the revival and reformation of our families, churches and culture. Neither the state nor government has any God-ordained role in the education and discipleship of children, which belongs to the family and the Church."



For more information, please, contact: Frontline Ministries, Inc., P.O. Box 12072, Columbia, SC 29211, (803) 714-1744, www.exodusmandate.org, exodusmandate@gmail.com.
Justice Jayant Patel, senior-most judge in the state after chief justice S K Mukherjee, resigned on Monday.



As a judge of the Gujarat High Court, Patel had ordered a CBI inquiry into the Ishrat Jahan encounter case.



Patel has sent his resignation to President Ramnath Kovind and Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.



He had just been transferred to the Allahabad High Court. He was to take over as the third most senior judge there.



Speaking briefly to reporters here on Tuesday, he said, Im not desirous to go to Allahabad High Court and that is the reason why I have tendered my resignation. There is no other reason apart from that.



He said he had just about 10 months to go for retirement and did not wish to go to another place from here. He was to retire in August 2018.



Asked if the orders he had passed as a judge in the Gujarat High Court had adversely affected his career, Patel just said he had done his duty diligently and passed orders according to the law.



He said he always passed unbiased orders on the basis of material placed before him, and never even looked at the names.



Acting CJ position



Patel was to take over as the acting chief justice next month as chief justice S K Mukherjee retires on October 9.



He was also due for elevation to the Supreme Court, a decision deferred many times.



Patel said he had served the judiciary for 16 years and destiny had led him to end his career in Karnataka.



I have very sweet memories from the Karnataka High Court that I will take along with me, he remarked.



Ishrat Jahan case



On 15 June, 2004, Ishrat Jahan (19) and four men were shot dead in what the Gujarat police described as an encounter.



They maintained Ishrat and her associates were out to assassinate Narendra Modi, then Gujarat chief minister.



Questions were raised, and senior policemen were subsequently convicted of staging a fake encounter.



The case has since taken many twists and turns, with David Headley, an American terrorist of Pakistani origin, describing Ishrat as a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative.



Justice Jayant Patel, who resigned from the Karnataka on Monday, had ordered a CBI inquiry into the fake encounter case.
A judicial probe was ordered into the violence on the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus on Saturday night and Sunday, that left dozens, including girls, injured.



Uttar Pradesh minister and government spokesman Shirkant Sharma told reporters here on Tuesday that action would ensure against the guilty on the basis of report of the probe.



He said that the varsity administration had been asked to speak to the students to resolve the situation and ensure peace on the campus.



Violence had erupted after cops used force to disperse hundreds of girls from near the vice-chancellor's residence protesting against increasing incidents of eve teasing on the campus.



Three senior officials including an additional city magistrate, circle officer of Bhelupur and the SHO of Lanka police station had been shunted out after the violence, sources said.
India has asked the UN Security Council to use sanctions regime as a weapon against terror funding in Afghanistan and support the strengthening of the war-torn country's sovereignty and stability threatened by terrorist safe havens across the borders.



India also asked the international community to ensure that the forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe havens anywhere and at any level.



"We must not differentiate between good and bad terrorists, or play one group against the other. The Taliban, Haqqani Network, AI-Qaeda, Daesh, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e- Mohammad and others of their ilk are all terror organisations, many of them proscribed by the UN," Syed Akbaruddin, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, said.



"The international community cannot remain silent. It is the international community's first and foremost duty to ensure that the forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe havens anywhere and at any level," he said in an apparent dig at Pakistan.



Participating in an open debate of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan, Akbaruddin said that these terrorist groups should be treated like terrorist organisations with no justifications offered for their activities.



Noting that the situation in Afghanistan has remained particularly painful and disturbing with security worsening and visible signs of withering away of the gains by the international community and Afghan people, the top Indian envoy said that the incessant attacks on hospitals, schools, funerals, or international development agencies, diplomatic missions are a matter of serious concern.



"The Security Council must act on the funds which the terrorists in Afghanistan are generating through their illicit activities. In this regard, we would like the Council to consider how the 1988 sanctions regime can be utilised and also leverage for progress in the peace process? These are significant instruments and must be utilised to their full capacity," he said.



"While making our collective efforts here at the UN or at other multilateral settings, we must be mindful to support the strengthening of Afghanistan's sovereignty and stability, the two things anti-Government terrorist elements are trying to undermine from their safe havens across the borders of Afghanistan," he said.



He said the multiple crises that have been inflicted on Afghanistan had made the country's territory attractive for criminal and terrorist groups, who are well connected to international terror and crime networks.



"These groups are stealing the resources of Afghanistan which ought to belong to the people of the country," he said.



Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani joined Akbaruddin in identifying terrorist safe havens across the border.



"The scourge of terrorism and violent extremism affecting Afghanistan is the product of a long-standing policy by a neighbouring State to keep Afghanistan unstable," he said.



"It has menaced Afghanistan for several decades now, with its roots located in terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens outside of my country," Rabbani said, adding that the new strategy of the United States for South Asia has generated new hope among people across the country.



"In this connection, we welcome the fact that the new strategy recognises the critical need to address the lingering problem of terrorist safe-havens and sanctuaries in our region; and for more determined efforts to end political, logistical and financial support enjoyed by terrorist groups," he said.



"Furthermore, the strategy's conditions based approach has addressed some uncertainties by reinforcing the right message that the international community's engagement will endure until Afghanistan becomes stable and secure," Rabbani said.
A new survey has found that India has the highest proportion (38%) of policymakers with not much/no knowledge of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in comparison with four other nations (Colombia, Kenya, Senegal and Indonesia).The survey , published and presented on September 22 was conducted by Equal Measures 2030, an independent civil society and private sector-led partnership. The study interviewed policymakers in Colombia, Indonesia, India, Kenya and Senegal, specifically on SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality and women empowerment.The key findings of the survey that pertain to India suggest that:69% of Indian policymakers didnt recall share of women in labour force, 12% didnt know the answer or where to find the relevant information.65% of Indian policymakers didnt recall seats in parliament held by women in 2016 (The answer is 12%)25% of Indian policymakers didnt know where to find information on maternal mortality ratio (MMR); Indias MMR is worst among BRICS nations.Indian policymakers estimates of percentage of women in labour force ranged from 20% to 70% (The answer is 27%46% of Indian policymakers thought too little attention is paid to gender equality in government policy.A further comparison between the same countries and their respective overall performance towards achieving sustainable development goals and specifically towards SDG5, according to the SDG Index and Dashboards Report produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung also doesn't fare too well for India.Compared to Colombia, Kenya, Senegal and Indonesia, India has the lowest score (33.3) in the SDG 5 Index.While several questions have been raised about the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagship scheme Beti Bachao, Beti Padhaowhich lays focus on the SDG5 of gender equality and women empowerment, he has also made plenty of unwavering pledges to honour India's commitment to attaining SDG milestones.But this aforementioned survey, however, suggests that along with Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, the prime minister should perhaps come up with an equally catchy campaign, one that also aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls, but is instead aimed to boost the knowledge of our unaware policymakers.
The CPI(M) today attacked the Narendra Modi government for its "hypocrisy" in fighting corruption, saying it was "selectively" choosing graft cases against political opponents.



Taking on Modi for his statement yesterday that there would be no compromise on corruption, the party Politburo listed out several alleged graft cases including the Vyapam scam, the Panama Papers, and an illegal mining scam in Karnataka and demanded an inquiry into them.



"The list of corruption scams in BJP ruled states goes on and on...yet there is no investigation in any one of these," it said in a statement.



The party said the "hypocrisy" of the prime minister and the BJP government lies in the fact that while they are pursuing corruption cases against leaders of the opposition, they have not even implemented the law enacted by Parliament to establish the Lokpal.



"Clearly, the prime minister's exhortations are a cover to selectively choose cases against political opponents in the name of fighting corruption while protecting his own party and governments who are involved in allegations of huge corruption at high places," the statement said
BJP MP Varun Gandhi has supported asylum to Rohingya Muslims, contradicting the governments stand and in what could be an embarrassment to his party.



Responding to Gandhis article in a Hindi daily, Union minister of state for home Hansraj Ahir said the young MPs view is against the national interest and people should stop making such opinions.



Just a few days ago, the government told the Supreme Court that it would submit information in confidence to reveal the link between some Rohingya Islamists and Pakistan-based terrorist groups, which prompted it to deport them.



Varun Gandhi tweeted his clarifications later, saying that his piece focused on Indias asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how we would accept refugees.



He pasted his published write-up on his official Twitter handle to comment: as for the Rohingyas, Ive called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns.



Rejecting opposition call to have a humanitarian approach, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had reiterated the government stand last week, saying Rohingya were illegal immigrants and not refugees who have applied for asylum.



At its extended national executive on Monday, the BJP had supported the NDA regimes stand and passed a resolution to stress, the government duly fulfilled its responsibilities when it provided humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees.


43-year-old Najar, head of Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI), a breakaway group of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, was one of the longest surviving Kashmiri militant commanders and caried Rs 10 lakh bounty on his head.



Police said Najar was killed in a gunfight near Zorawar post of Lachipora, Uri on Tuesday morning when was trying to infiltrate into this side of the LoC from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).



Najar hogged the headlines in May-June 2015, when his lesser known LeI outfit attacked cellular operators in north Kashmir areas asking them to wind up their businesses. He also killed several former militants and Hurriyat activists for their alleged links with government forces. He was disowned by PoK based Hizbul commanders, after which he formed his own LeI. Later that year reports emerged that he had crossed over to Pakistan.



A resident of apple rich Sopore town, Najar joined militancy barely at an age of 16 and was arrested in 1992 and later released, according to police records. After his release, he recycled into the militancy in 1995. He had escaped from several security forces cordons and carried out major attacks in north Kashmir.



A police spokesperson confirmed that Najar was returning to Kashmir from Pakistan to take command of Hizbul following the "wiping up of the outfit" from north Kashmir. "The killed commander was despatched by United Jehad Council Commander Syed Salah u din to revive the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen whose commanders of north Kashmir Pervaiz Wani @ Mubashir of south Kashmir and Yasin Yatoo got killed recently," he said.



Army on Tuesday killed Kashmirs longest surviving militant Qayoom Najar while he was trying to infiltrate into the Valley from Lachipora area of Uri sector in Baramulla district along Line of Control (LoC).


Sources said the ambush, carried out by the BAT of the Pakistan army, could have inflicted damages if Indian troops weren't alert. "After few BAT attacks this year, the Army is on high alert. However, as Pakistani army gives covering fire, the BAT wearing black combat uniform cross over the LoC. They tried to assult Indian Armys Area Domination Patrol but had to retreat after retaliation," they said.



Defence experts say that the Pakistan's Special Services Group (SSG) forms the core of the BAT, besides, dreaded terrorists from Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad outfits, for trans-LoC action up to a depth of one to three kilometres.



On June 22, the BAT carried out an attack 600 metres inside Indian territory along the LoC in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district in Jammu region and killed two Indian soldiers. Earlier, on May 1, Pakistani BAT had crossed into the Indian territory in the same area under the cover of heavy shelling and beahded two Indian soldiers.



On May 26, Army foiled a similar BAT attack along the LoC in Uri sector of north Kashmirs Baramulla district, killing two militants.



Army on Tuesday foiled a Border Action Team (BAT) attack by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector of north Kashmir's Kupwara district.Sources said seven to eight armed terrorists suspected to be backed by Pakistans Border Action Team (BAT) attacked an Army post near Gutthur in Keran sector at around 2 pm. "They were supported by small and mortar fire by the Pakistani troops from across the border. The attack was, however, repulsed by Indian army and after one hour of firing, the BAT attackers were pushed back," they said.
Who was Kidnapped by the Vatican? The story of Edgardo Mortara is told for the first time through his own words, precedes big Hollywood film



Contact: Kevin Wandra, 404-788-1276,



SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /



Mortara was born into a Jewish family but was secretly baptized by a Catholic servant of his family when he was near death as an infant. He survived, but because of the laws of the Papal States in Italy where he lived, and the sacredness of the sacraments, Mortara had to be raised as a Catholic, not a Jew. This began the long saga that involved Pope Pius IX, an antagonistic media and the dissolution of the Papal States in 1870.



Much has been written about Mortara but none of it in his own words. KIDNAPPED BY THE VATICAN? reveals how the child felt when he was taken by Pope Pius IX from his home, how he thrived in Rome, became a priest, and was secretly smuggled out of the country when hostile forces sought him as an adult.



Mortara's story, while it happened in the late 1800s, is relevant even today. Hollywood has already taken a keen interest in the story and director Steven Spielberg will start filming a movie about it later this year. Yet, it is likely many of the untruths in Mortara's story will resurface in the Hollywood version of the narrative.



"The Mortara Case is something few people know much about," James V. Schall, S.J., Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University, says about KIDNAPPED BY THE VATICAN? "It involves sacramental issues, the relation of Jews and Christians, kidnapping, and the last of the Papal States."



For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Roy Schoeman, who wrote the foreword to KIDNAPPED BY THE VATICAN?, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or



Share Tweet Contact: Kevin Wandra, 404-788-1276, KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- For the first time in the English-speaking world, the incredible story of Edgardo Mortara is told in his own words through the new book, KIDNAPPED BY THE VATICAN? His story is one that reverberated around the world in the late 19th century, and is currently the cause that is holding up the canonization of Blessed Pope Pius IX.Mortara was born into a Jewish family but was secretly baptized by a Catholic servant of his family when he was near death as an infant. He survived, but because of the laws of the Papal States in Italy where he lived, and the sacredness of the sacraments, Mortara had to be raised as a Catholic, not a Jew. This began the long saga that involved Pope Pius IX, an antagonistic media and the dissolution of the Papal States in 1870.Much has been written about Mortara but none of it in his own words. KIDNAPPED BY THE VATICAN? reveals how the child felt when he was taken by Pope Pius IX from his home, how he thrived in Rome, became a priest, and was secretly smuggled out of the country when hostile forces sought him as an adult.Mortara's story, while it happened in the late 1800s, is relevant even today. Hollywood has already taken a keen interest in the story and director Steven Spielberg will start filming a movie about it later this year. Yet, it is likely many of the untruths in Mortara's story will resurface in the Hollywood version of the narrative."The Mortara Case is something few people know much about," James V. Schall, S.J., Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University, says about KIDNAPPED BY THE VATICAN? "It involves sacramental issues, the relation of Jews and Christians, kidnapping, and the last of the Papal States."For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Roy Schoeman, who wrote the foreword to KIDNAPPED BY THE VATICAN?, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com ) of Carmel Communications.
Chief of Congress's Bihar unit Ashok Choudhary was today removed from the post with immediate effect.



The party, however, did not announce his replacement. "Congress President Sonia Gandhi has relieved Ashok Choudhary from the post of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief with immediate effect," AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.



The action comes amid reports of a possible split in the Bihar unit, which a section of the party alleged was being spearheaded by him.



In a recent outburst, Choudhary had also accused a section within the party of maligning his name for brewing a rebellion within the Bihar unit.



The Congress has 27 MLAs in the 243-member Bihar Assembly. Amid fears that the state unit may split and some members may join the ruling JD-U, the Congress has claimed of having "defused" the situation after several MLAs were reportedly gravitating towards the JD(U) following the disintegration of the Grand Alliance last month.



Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had also met over 20 of the 27 party MLAs earlier this month and sought their views on the party's functioning.



Sources said Gandhi had invited the Congress MLAs to avoid a split in the party, who were feeling uneasy after losing power in the state.
A total of 149 Indians serving prison terms for minor and financial offences in Sharjah will be released following the amnesty declared here by the Emirate's visiting ruler Sultan Bin Mohammed Al- Quasimi.



The announcement came in response to a request by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking the release of Keralites who had completed three years of their jail term in Sharjah.



According to a joint communique issued by the Sharjah and Kerala governments, those facing punishment for minor offences and financial misappropriation would be given pardon as per the general amnesty.



Al-Quasimi was honoured with an honorary D.lit Degree from Calicut University at a function held at Raj Bhavan here. Governor Justice (retd) P Sathasivam conferred the degree.



Sharjah also agreed to open an institution of higher learning for Arabic studies and research and set up a chain of skill development centres for imparting training to those seeking jobs in the Gulf region.



"This was announced by Al-Quasimi during his one-to-one meeting with Vijayan", the communique said.



Sharjah has also accepted in-principle the state's proposal for giving international driving licence to those who seeking jobs in the Emirate, the release said.



A joint committee consisting top officials of Sharjah and Kerala would be set up to work out an action plan to implement projects agreed to by both sides.



The Kerala government also offered land for construction of a permanent building for the UAE consulate in the state capital.



The Sharjah Family City project, cultural centre and International Education Complex to be set up by Kerala in Sharjah were some of the other projects under the active consideration of the Sharjah government, the release said.



Later, giving a lecture, Al-Quasimi hailed the harmony among the people of Kerala and wanted them to preserve it.



"I saw a dance yesterday. I was very happy to see three sects of people dancing together with love. I hope that will remain always," he said.



Al-Quasimi, who reached here on September 24 on a five- day visit to the state, promised he would be back within a year to celebrate the fulfilling of promises he had made.



The ruler met the chief minister at his official residence in the morning. He also met the council of ministers yesterday and discussed various issues pertaining to Kerala and Sharjah.
Govindaiah, the father of the 17-year-old Vishwas, a student of National College Jayanagar, who drowned on Sunday at Ravugodlu village, said the 108 ambulance refused to help, and the hospital authorities sought Rs 3,500 for the post-mortem.



Govindaiah told DH, I called the 108 ambulance to take his body to hospital. They did not turn up and when I repeatedly called the emergency service, one driver finally agreed but sought Rs 5,000 to shift the body to hospital. How can anyone demand money from the family of the deceased and why is the government not taking action against them? he asked and said he had to call a private ambulance to take the body to the hospital.



When we brought the body to the hospital, the staff demanded money to conduct the post-mortem. When we refused, they delayed handing over the body. Despite losing my son due to the colleges negligence, I was forced to pay money to get his body, he said.



Govindaiah also said the college did not help him in these formalities. I am deeply hurt since people are demanding money while I am grieving my sons death. No one should go through this. The government should look into such issues, he said.



The Kaggalipura police phoned National Cadet Corps chief Girish who took the students for trekking, to appear before them and explain why he allowed Vishwas to enter the temple tank though he did not know how to swim. He is still absconding, police said.



Meanwhile, the PU department has issued a show-cause notice to the National College management. The principal said they were not informed about this trip. The coordinator Girish had not taken any permission. The principal said they will take action against the coordinator, an official in the department said.






The government will open Indira Canteens in all districts, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, while inaugurating various developmental works in Mahalakshmi Layout Assembly constituency.



The government has already opened 100 Indira Canteens in the city and the remaining 50 will be opened on October 2 and 47 more canteens will be launched during Karnataka Rajyotsava. If land is not available, the government is ready to open canteens in rented buildings. Indira Canteens will be constructed in all major government hospitals in the city to provide hygienic meals to poor patients, the chief minister said.



The chief minister questioned why the BJP, which was in power for five years, did not develop the city. After the Congress came to power in the BBMP, it has provided Rs 7,300 core for the city, including Rs 1,000 crore for rajakaluves alone, he added.



Taking credit for Bengalurus Dynamic City tag, Siddaramaiah said, The city has earned the tag of the most Dynamic City in the world and our government will ensure Brand Bengalurus image is projected world wide. If we come to power again, all roads will be white-topped in the next five years.



We have given permanent jobs and increased salaries of pourakarmikas to Rs 17,000 a month. We plan to provide 10,000 litres of water free to slum dwellers every month. Considering the increasing population of the city, the government is planning to split BBMP into five divisions in the coming years, he said



Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP is known for corruption and its leaders, who went to jail, are now spreading lies about the Congress government.



Mayor G Padmavathi, Bengaluru Development Minister K J George, Home Minister R Ramalinga Reddy and BBMP commissioner Manjunath Prasad were present.




Unfazed by his severe criticism over handling of the students protest, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) vice chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi on Tuesday maintained that the violence in the university campus was fanned by rumour mongering and outsiders.



We have the footage in which outsiders can be clearly seen at the protest. Rumour mongering escalated the protests, he told reporters.



Though Tripathi maintained that BHU administration was upset over the police crackdown on students, which left many including women students of the varsity injured on Saturday, he refused to accept accusation of his failure in handling the situation.



He said a committee, headed by a retired judge of Allahabad High Court V K Dixit, has been set up by the Uttar Pradesh government on the recommendation of the BHU administration to conduct a probe into the incident.



The committee will probe the incident and submit its report. We will take action as per the recommendations of the committee, he said.



The BHU vice chancellor, who was here to attend a meeting of BHUs executive council, also said that he has kept Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar updated on the

issue.



The HRD Ministry, however, remained tight-lipped on the issue.




Currently, there are three rotavirus vaccines available in India. Only one of them, Rotavac, made by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, has been tested for efficacy in India. On a head-to-head comparison, Rotavac with 53.6% efficacy fared better than Rotasil that has 39.5% efficacy.



Asked whether 39.5% efficacy is good enough for the vaccine's commercial marketing in India, a company official answered in affirmative.



This result is in line with all other vaccines when tested in developing countries. All rotavirus vaccines show little lower efficacy in developing countries because of various reasons. But since the disease burden is very high, the impact of the same vaccine is tremendous, Prasad Kulkarni, the lead investigator from Serum Institute told DH.



Nearly 37% of the 578,000 diarrhoeal deaths worldwide in children less than 5 years of age were caused by rotavirus in 2013, leading to 215,000 deaths out of which 22% were Indian kids.



It is estimated that in India alone,11.37 million episodes of rotavirus gastroenteritis occur every year, requiring 3.27 million outpatient visits and 872,000 inpatient admissions. Vaccination can prevent many of these hospitalisations.



In March 2016, the union health ministry introduced rotavirus vaccination in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Later the scheme has been expanded to Assam, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, increasing the vaccine market.



The ministry has placed an order for 3.8 million doses of Rotasil, whose cost is comparable to Rotavac. The other two vaccines, Rotarix (GSK) and RotaTeq (Merck) are more expensive.





Indian medical researchers on Tuesday announced success with a second rotavirus vaccine, which is expected to hit the market next month.The vaccine to protect babies against a deadly form of diarrhoea comes at a time when the centre is expanding its immunisation basket with the inclusion of more shots.Named Rotasil, the new vaccine has been made by a team comprising scientists from Serum Institute of India in collaboration with ten other outfits including non-governmental organisations PATH and Kolkata-based National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Disease.Rotasil reduced severe rotavirus diarrhoea by more than a third  39.5% over two years. Its efficacy was 55% against the most severe cases of rotavirus diarrhoea, which represent the highest risk of dehydration, hospitalisations, and deaths.The results of the phase-III trials involving 7,500 infants have been published in the journal Vaccine on Tuesday.We are delighted with these results, which indicate that Rotasil, could save the lives of tens of thousands of children each year in India and, potentially, around the world, said Rajeev Dhere, executive director of the Serum Institute, Pune.
Scanfil Now Twice Size of Next-Largest Nordic EMS Published: 26 September 2017 by Mike Buetow by Mike Buetow

LONDON -- In the runup to the release of its annual strategic analysis of the European EMS industry Reed Electronics Research has released it provisional ranking of the Top 15 Nordic EMS providers based on global revenues.

The acquisition of PartnerTech by Scanfil in 2015 created a group with sales of over a half billion euros and operations in six countries and three continents. The company, which has undergone a major restructuring of its manufacturing footprint including sites in Norway, the UK and Hungary, is almost more than double the size of the second place company Kitron. Like Scanfil, Kitron has also established low-cost operations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Asia as well as a site in the US to support customer requirements for local manufacturing.

The Danish EMS GPV established a production site in Mexico in 2016 to support its North American customers and is the only other company outside of the top two with a manufacturing presence in that region.

Apart from the Norwegian company HAPRO all of the top 15 companies have established a low cost manufacturing operation, either in CEE or Asia. However, for the majority of companies production remains in the Nordic region.

Outside of the Nordic headquartered companies there are only three major players with significant manufacturing operations in the region. The Swiss company Enics has sites in Finland and Sweden and at the beginning of 2017 acquired PKC Groups site in Raahre, Finland but has subsequently closed the plant. The global Group 1 company Sanmina has three sites, one in Sweden and two in Finland, while the Polish EMS Fideltronik established a presence in the region in 2013 through the acquisition of an OEM manufacturing site in Sweden. Based on revenues generated in the region both Enics and Sanmina are ranked in the Top 5 EMS providers in 2016.
A high-profile citizens group, led by former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, on Tuesday urged the Centre to initiate dialogue with the stakeholders in Kashmir.



In a statement, the CCG said it had read the statements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the BJP leadership with much hope as there is a positive change in policy towards Kashmiris.



While it is looking forward to a concrete follow-up on these statements, the CCG said it wants the government to clearly identify the stakeholders and announce the name of an authorised interlocutor to operationalise the well-intentioned statements that have so eloquently been made.



The statement, signed by former National Minorities Commission chairman Wajahat Habibullah, former Union minister Manish Tewari and former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, among others, also wanted the government to set a time frame for the beginning and conduct of the dialogue process and start it as soon as possible.



Despite the deep scepticism that has taken hold of their minds, the encouraging statements by the prime minister, home minister and others hold promise for the Kashmiris. The present opportunity should not be wasted. And, therefore, it is our fervent appeal to the government to quickly act definitively on the sentiments, the statement said.
The city will be able to experience mobile data speeds three times faster than 4G in a few months time.



With Airtel preparing to launch 5G technology here, Bengaluru will become the first Indian city to stride into next-generation mobile technology.



Indias largest telecom operator Airtel has chosen the city to deploy its Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (massive MIMO) technology, a key enabler for 5G networks.



Besides Bengaluru, Kolkata will also experience 5G technology in the first phase.



Although 5G is capable of much higher speeds of 500 Mbps going up to 1 Gbps, Airtel is expected to offer speeds only two to three times faster than 4G to begin with.



As of now, 4G networks offer speeds of up to 16 Mbps. Airtels 5G is expected to hover around 40-45 Mbps.



Massive MIMO, that enhances spectrum efficiency by five to seven times, has already been tested in the country.



Gear coming today



Though Airtel has not specified when exactly it will deploy the new technology, but necessary equipment is reaching Delhi on Wednesday, company officials told DH.



India is fast striding towards exponential and unprecedented data growth. Our latest deployment of Massive MIMO, will help us serve this demand and give an impetus to build a future-ready network, Abhay Savargaonkar, directornetworks, Bharti Airtel, said.



Indian distinction



With this, India would become the first country globally to use Massive MIMO Technology for 5G data. Though the technology is already live commercially in China and Japan on the 4G network, India will experience it on the 5G network.



Airtel has joined hands with SK Telecom of South Korea to evolve standards for 5G.



The deployment is part of Airtels ongoing network transformation programme, Project Leap, in which it is investing Rs 60,000 crore, officials said.



Airtel had a user-base of about 38 crore customers. State-owned telecom firm BSNL expects to start a field trial of 5G services by the end of this financial year, while Reliance Jio is working on enhancing its existing 4G VoLTE network.



Incidentally, the government, on Tuesday, announced formation of a high-level forum to guide India towards 5G by 2020.


By Frances Robles and Luis Ferre-Sadurni

24 September 2017

YABUCOA, P.R. (The New York Times)  Jose A. Rivera, a farmer on the southeast coast of Puerto Rico, stood in the middle of his flattened plantain farm on Sunday and tried to tally how much Hurricane Maria had cost him.

How do you calculate everything? Mr. Rivera said.

For as far as he could see, every one of his 14,000 trees was down. Same for the yam and sweet pepper crops. His neighbor, Luis A. Pinto Cruz, known to everyone here as Pina, figures he is out about $300,000 worth of crops. The foreman down the street, Felix Ortiz Delgado, spent the afternoon scrounging up the scraps that were left of the farm he manages. He found about a dozen dried ears of corn that he could feed the chickens. The wind had claimed the rest.

There will be no food in Puerto Rico, Mr. Rivera predicted. There is no more agriculture in Puerto Rico. And there wont be any for a year or longer.

Hurricane Maria made landfall here Wednesday as a Category 4 storm. Its force and fury stripped every tree of not just the leaves, but also the bark, leaving a rich agricultural region looking like the result of a postapocalyptic drought. Rows and rows of fields were denuded. Plants simply blew away.

In a matter of hours, Hurricane Maria wiped out about 80 percent of the crop value in Puerto Rico  making it one of the costliest storms to hit the islands agriculture industry, said Carlos Flores Ortega, Puerto Ricos secretary of the Department of Agriculture.Across the island, Marias prolonged barrage took out entire plantations and destroyed dairy barns and industrial chicken coops. Plantain, banana and coffee crops were the hardest hit, Mr. Flores said. Landslides in the mountainous interior of the island took out many roads, a major part of the agriculture infrastructure there.

The island suffered a loss of $780 million in agriculture yields, according to the departments preliminary figures. Hurricane Georges in 1998 wiped out about 65 percent of crops and Hurricane Irma, which only grazed the island, took out about $45 million in agriculture production. []Puerto Rico already imports about 85 percent of its food, and now its food imports are certain to rise drastically as local products like coffee and plantains are added to the list of Marias staggering losses. Local staples that stocked supermarkets, school lunchrooms and even Walmart are gone.

Sometimes when there are shortages, the price of plantain goes up from $1 to $1.25. This time, there wont be any price increase; there wont be any product, Mr. Rivera said. When I heard the meteorologist say that the two had turned into a three and then a four, I thought, Agriculture in Puerto Rico is over. This really is a catastrophe.

He noted that other islands that export food to Puerto Rico, such as the Dominican Republic, Dominica and St. Martin, were also hit, and that the food supply could be even more precarious if the islands other suppliers were also affected. []I have never seen losses like these in any of my 80 years, he said as he stood on a riverbank, counting the number of coconut trees that fell. He could earn $100 a month from each one of them. A dozen cracked in half, beside a nursery where the winds swept away all the seedlings and left behind broken glass and ruin. [more]
If Finnish startup, HMD Global, was to do well with the Nokia brand, the company needed a flagship. Pure, secure and always up to date is a promise worth banking on, but as the market is today, its not enough. Hence, the Nokia 8. Its perhaps the only phone from HMD that has so far lived up to Nokias brand promise. I have only used it for a precious few minutes right now, but the phone feels like a functional flagship that very actively avoids pushing the boundaries of what a smartphone can be.

Ive seen few phones from HMD now and as with those, the Nokia 8 feels positively sturdy. It doesnt feel as reassuring as the Nokia 6 (review), which is perhaps a flaw given that this is a flagship, but then neither do those glass-covered Galaxys and iPhones. The Nokia 8 also beats them in ergonomics. Its not perfectly suited to single handed usage, but it wont fail you when you really need it. But while its a well built phone, you have to question HMDs design choice. The Nokia 8 is compact and ergonomic, but for a flagship it lacks the premium feel or forward looking design, just as the OnePlus 5, which interestingly is its chief competitor now. My thoughts on the Nokia 8s look and feel are the same as I felt with the OnePlus 5 at first. Im not impressed, but I dont dislike it either.

Is it fast?

It would be criminal to proclaim the Nokia 8 a fast phone without actually testing it, but from what I saw, it certainly feels smoother and snappier than the Nokia 3, 5 and 6. Thats no surprise, given that the company chose to spend the cash needed to fit Qualcomms flagship class chipset on this phone. We were shooting outdoors with the Nokia 8, on a hot summers day, so I did find some heating on the device, but thats nothing to be worried about.

Does it feel like a flagship?

Truthfully, no it doesnt. But the Nokia 8 isnt your uber premium flagship anyway. Its a mid-ranged flagship, same as the OnePlus 5, and if you forgave that device for lacking the bells and whistles, you would do the same for this. Incidentally, I did not forgive OnePlus, so it remains an issue for me on the Nokia 8. Would slimmer bezels have been that difficult? After all, Sony sells near bezel-less form factors on cheaper phones like the Xperia XA1.

What is Bothie?

'Bothie' is the first time weve seen Nokia try a gimmick this year. Its a software feature within the camera app that turns on both front and rear cameras. In doing so, it lets you shoot or record with the two of them simultaneously. Its not a feature you will buy this phone for, but its one that you may get addicted to once you have bought the Nokia 8.

I would say Bothie is useful for creators/YouTubers, but the Nokia 8 lacks a wide angle camera, on the front or back. So, even if you do want to create with this, you will be stuck with rather narrow frames. Moreover, splitting the viewfinder into two seems rather cumbersome when youre trying to concentrate on the shot you need to take. My camera person, who shot the video below, thinks its more suited to vloggers than professionals.

Speaking of cameras, are they good?

The Nokia 8s camera is reasonably fast and shows no processing lag. While thats certainly good, Im not completely satisfied that this is indeed a flagship-class camera. I only had time for a few shots, almost all of which were taken in daylight and I saw some loss in detail on the phones own display. The monochrome and RGB combination should produce good colours, but Im not sure this is a competitive camera by todays standards. Well find out soon enough, I guess.

Ozo recording

The Nokia 8 also features Ozo audio recording. Thats the spatial recording technology in the real Nokias Ozo VR camera. It gives the handset the capability to identify where the sound is coming from and reproduce it in a similar manner when youre watching the recorded video. HMD had two pre-shot videos for this, which the company claims are shot on the Nokia 8. To listen to the audio in these, I used a Sennheiser HD205 headset, a Jlabs Epic 2 bluetooth headset and one of Sonys MDR series headsets.

While neither of these are low-end headphones, it was easy enough to understand the difference in soundstage. The HD205 felt the most real, reproducing sound the way things were seen on the video. So, a woman recording the video seemed to be standing in front of me, while the dog barking behind her at a distance, felt farther away and to her left. On the Jlabs Epic 2 BT, the sounds seemed closer to each other, while the Sony MDR headset brought them closer still. There are two key takeaways here. The first is that audio still felt more real than it usually does on videos recorded by smartphones. The second, perhaps more important, is that the impact of Ozo recording becomes less apparent with the quality of headphones.

Is it better than the OnePlus 5?

Based on my first impressions, the Nokia 8 doesnt seem to outperform the OnePlus 5, but it matches it in many aspects. Sure, it doesnt have gobs of RAM, but did you really need 8 gigabytes of that in the first place? The decider between these two phones will be the camera, which may need some work on HMDs part. Theres a live bokeh mode here that looks more like Snapseeds lens blur feature, which gives the OnePlus 5 an edge. However, if my first impressions of the general image quality on the Nokia 8 turns out to be false, OnePlus may still have something to worry about.

Should you buy the Nokia 8?

The Nokia 8 is a phone meant for the masses, but not one that wows you out of the box. It doesnt have a curved or bezel-less screen. In fact, it doesnt have a single feature that you wouldnt expect from a phone in this price range. It doesnt dazzle, but it should suffice. That, combined with Nokias brand value, is what HMD would be banking on. But should you be buying this phone? I would implore you to wait for our review to find out!
Digitimes Research: Apple outraces Google for on-device AI development

Google has been regarded as the leading force for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology thanks to its AlphaGo AI computer program. While Google still holds the advantage in the cloud-AI sector, Apple appears to have outraced Google in the development of on-device AI products with the launch of its iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices.

The built-in dual-core neural engine chip incorporated within the A11 processors, which power the iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices, integrates functionality such as machine learning, inference model and related algorithm to perform as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip for image recognition and achieve hardware acceleration.

The face ID application allows iPhone X users to actually experience on-device AI applications. Through the use of the TrueDepth camera, users can build up a depth map of face and the neural engine can identify and confirm the face and unlock the iPhone.

With regard to AR development, although Google has rolled out its Tango AR platform and also cooperated with hardware vendors such as Lenovo and Asustek Computer to launch AR-enabled smartphones, these AR-enabled smartphones have failed to wage an AR campaign because their prices are too high due to the adoption of high-priced components such as depth measuring sensors, and the number of users of Tango-based AR phones is scarce due to limited cooperation smartphone partners, as well as immature integration between related AR software and hardware.

In comparison, Apple's ARKit supports current and previous iOS-based devices launched up to two years ago through upgrades. Without using hardware components to build a 3D mode, the ARKit can utilize software algorithm to stack up AR scenes and objects to enable users to ride on AR experiences.

To compete effectively with ARKit, Google launched ARCore at the end of August, using a technology similar to that of ARKit. However, since hardware devices supporting ARCore are still limited to only Android 7.0 and above smartphones such as Google's Pixel and Pixel XL, and Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S8, the number of ARCore-based devices will lag far behind those of ARKit-based products, Digitimes Research believes.
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NEW YORK (AP)  The destructive floodwaters of Superstorm Sandy receded quickly, but some storm victims are still neck-deep in a battle over insurance payouts. And many victims of this year's storms in Texas, Florida and elsewhere should brace themselves for a similar fight, lawyers involved in Sandy insurance battles say.

As Sandy's fifth anniversary approaches Oct. 29, more than 1,000 families in New York and New Jersey are still fighting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over their flood insurance claims, according to government statistics.





. . .
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SEATTLE  An eight-unit apartment complex at 1300 E. Mercer St. on Capitol Hill sold for $4.5 million, according to King County records. The seller was an LLC related to the Swegel family, which has owned the property for over three decades.





. . .
Deputy Joe McHugh has passed on his congratulations to towns and communities across the county who took part in this years Tidy Towns competition.

Minister McHugh said he was pleased with awards today to Buncrana, Carrigart, Raphoe, Culdaff, Malin, Kerrykeel and Letterkenny.

For the last fifty nine years the Tidy Towns competition has brought enormous improvements to our local towns, villages and rural areas here in Donegal. Here in Donegal the enhancements brought about by our local tidy towns committees give the whole community a lift.

I was particularly pleased to see our own towns and villages doing very well. Letterkenny, the overall winner a couple of years ago, won another gold medal today and landed the County Award. And Buncrana picked up gold in their category as well as a commendation.

Carrigart and Raphoe also scored highly and secured bronze medals.

And Carrigart also picked up the Gaeltacht Award. Elsewhere beautiful Malin  another previous winner  was highly commended. Kerrykeel picked up an Endeavour award for all their hard work. I was also delighted to see the Culdaff River Community Angling group pick up an award for all their hard work, he said.

The awards were presented by Minister Michael Ring in Dublin yesterday.

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring said: "Tidy Towns is one of the most recognisable environmental initiatives in Ireland, but it also encompasses a way of life here in Ireland, where we show respect for our neighbours and for nature.
There were heated exchanges in the chamber of Donegal County Council on Monday over a disputed count to elect a member to the board of Udaras na Gaeltachta.

Sinn Fein proposed Cllr John Sheamais O Fearraigh for the position while Fianna Fail proposed Cllr Seamus O Domhnaill.

A vote, via a show of hands was counted by Director of Service Joe Peoples who informed the meeting chairman, Cathaoirleach Cllr Gerry McMonagle, that Cllr O Fearraigh received 12 votes while Cllr O Domhnaill had eleven.

The chairman deemed Cllr O Fearraigh elected, but this was met with strong opposition from a number of Fianna Fail councillors who claimed the count was inaccurate and that Cllr O Domhnaill had garnered more votes than the figure stated. They demanded the vote be retaken as a recorded vote.

Cathaoirleach Cllr McMonagle said the vote stood and they could not demand a recorded vote retrospectively.

After stormy scenes the Cathaoirleach, Cllr McMonagle adjourned the meeting for ten minutes to allow order to be restored.

Before normal business recommenced, a retake of the vote was requested by Cllr Ciaran Brogan who said they were entitled to it under the Local Government Act.

His party colleague Cllr O Domhnaill said the chairman was not showing independence in the chamber.

Cllr McMonagle responded saying he did not vote on the matter and that the count was carried out by Mr Peoples.

The matter was then raised again when chamber reconvened after lunch and Cllr McMonagle adjourned the meeting from 2pm to 3pm to allow legal advice to be sought.

At 3.30pm Cllr McMonagle sought a further adjournment saying the legal advice was not ready but he understood it would be ready by 4pm.

The meeting later heard that the advice was still being sought and the members proceeded to hold a discussion on a motion on Local Property Tax.

Once this had concluded in the evening, the Cathaoirleach said he had again been in contact with the county council solicitor who advised him that he would require more time to consider the matter further, and he would not have legal advice ready by the close of business.

The meeting was then adjourned until Monday, October 2nd.

Cllr Frank McBrearty asked if a senior counsel was consulted by the council solicitor and if the legal advice would be in written form?

He was told that it would be in written from but senior counsel was not consulted.

Cllr Ciaran Brogan said as the person who was seeking the legal advice he believed that there were 14 members who had voted for the Fianna Fail candidate. The Fianna Fail members circulated a list of the names with each one signed by named councillor who claimed they had voted.

Cllr Brogan said he did not believe the alleged miscount was intentional and was a genuine mistake but it caused huge annoyance.
By the slimmest of margins, the Houston County Commission authorized a request to pay $75,000 for road work related to the proposed construction of a new Chick-fil-A in Dothan.

Commissioners Curtis Harvey, Doug Sinquefield and Mark Culver approved the request to help with the construction of controlled left-in turn lanes for the restaurant and Southeast Alabama Medical Center near Ross Clark Circle on the east side. The request stems from concerns about the increased traffics impact on the ability of emergency services to access SAMC.

Commissioners Brandon Shoupe and Jackie Battles dissented with the request, citing jurisdictional and budgetary concerns.

We just approved a budget, and weve asked our department heads to cut back, Battles, who represents District 3, said. Its not right to put $75,000 toward a road that we dont even maintain. I do support economic development. If we had plenty of money, I wouldnt have a problem with it.

Im along those same sentiments. Were not competing for this Chick-fil-A, Shoupe, the District 4 Commissioner, added. Theyre gonna build there because thats where the demand is. Thats the part I cant get past.

Culver, who cast the deciding vote as the commission chairman, said the deal to construct a third Chick-fil-A restaurant in Dothan is not solidified, and the construction of the lanes would be needed to ensure the new business would be established. Culver also noted the county has set aside $150,000 in the budget for another economic development project, but if that project never materializes, the commission could use the funds to pay for the new request.

Sinquefield, who represents District 2, suggested asking the Houston County Healthcare Authority  which oversees SAMC  for some help with the funding. The commission appoints members to the authority.

Culver said his major focus was the ability of Houston County citizens to quickly receive emergency medical care.

Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce Matt Parker said the new Chick-fil-A property would require the demolition of three other buildings  including two that housed Canton House and Leons Seafood. Parker said the Chick-fil-A project would cost about $3 million, generating $200,000 in construction sales taxes for the state, city and county.

Parker added the property taxes generated from Chick-fil-A would be about $170,000 over a 10-year period.

The Dothan Commercial Development Authority, which made the request for funding, will also ask the Dothan City Commission for funding for the turn lane configuration. Officials estimate the installation of the turn lanes would cost between $200,000 and $300,000.
Louth Deputy Declan Breathnach has expressed his sadness at the death of Fr. Willie Murtagh.



Fr. Murtagh was my boss for 23 years while I was Principal in Walshestown National School. The love and respect that he commanded from communities such as Ardee, Clogherhead, Dundalk and beyond among his fellow priests in the diocese was evident.



The children and staff in the parishes he served truly loved him. His ritual visit every Monday to every class room was a lesson to behold. His theme was always centred on three respects that he tried to instil in the children  Respect for Oneself; Respect for your Family; and Respect for your Wider Community was always very much part of the stories he engrossed the children with.



He had a profound positive effect on all who knew him and he will be sadly missed by all. In his own words as he would leave the class room Oro, se do bheatha 'bhaile!



"Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis."

Fr Murtagh was the beloved brother of the late Fr Mick Murtagh PP, May Murphy (Blackrock), and Kitty Murtagh (Blackrock).

His passing is deeply regretted by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Cardinal Brady, the Priests of the Archdiocese of Armagh, his nieces Anna, Dara and Michelle, his grandniece Cliodhna, grandnephews Ronan and Joseph, nephews-in-law Eamon Laverty, and Shane OReilly, many friends and Parishioners.



Reposing at Moorhall Lodge Nursing Home, Ardee from 2pm until 8pm on Wednesday, and from 2pm on Thursday. Removal on Thursday evening at 5.15pm to Church of St. Michael, Clogherhead, arriving for evening Prayer at 6.30pm Concelebrated Mass on Friday at 12 noon followed by burial in St. Dennis Cemetery.

May He Rest In Peace.
Recently I was given a very interesting book called 'Guide to the Military Service' published by Oglaigh na hEireann (Irish Defence Forces) in 2012 about how pensions and medals were awarded to people involved the War of Independence (1916  1923).

The book contains few details of persons who were involved in this process and even fewer involved who came from this part of Ireland. One name, however, stood out  that of John McCoy from Mullabawn about whom I had previously heard very little but who must have played an important part in the events in this area during those turbulent times.

The book gives a short biography of McCoy who was born at Tullymacrieve, Armagh, on the County Louth Border, of farming stock in about 1888. He joined the Volunteers in December 1917, became a full-time organiser and was appointed Captain of the Mullaghbawn Company, Dundalk Battalion. He took part in the raid on Ballyedmond Castle, one of the very first actions by the Volunteers during the War of Independence (reported on by the Dundalk Democrat in February 1919). He was appointed Adjutant General of the 4th Northern Division in March 1921 and was second in command to Frank Aiken when the Division took over the Dundalk Military Barracks on April 13, 1922.

McCoy was involved in many military actions, including being the commander of the Republican force who aided the escape of Frank Aiken and over 100 of his men from Dundalk Jail in July 1922. He was wounded twice, once by the British forces in April 1921 and a second time by Free State forces in during an escape from the Curragh Internment Camp in April 1923. Following his recapture, he was sentenced to death but this was commuted to ten years penal servitude. After the Civil War he was released from the Military Hospital at the Curragh in 1924.

John McCoy was appointed a member of the Advisory Committee to the Referee under the Military Pensions Act 1934 (with which this book deals) and served on this body until 1944. He was temporary Investigating Office with the Bureau of Military History in 1948.

He died on January 17, 1971 but this biography does not say where nor anything about his life after 1948.

Clearly he led a very interesting and exciting life and one has to wonder why more has not been written about him? Maybe some of my readers will know more about him?
Australian businesses will benefit from increased cyber security through the implementation of a new industry-led cyber security Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), which will receive $50 million in government funding over the next seven years.

The funding will leverage more than $89 million from the 25 industry, research and government partners.

Assistant Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, the Hon Craig Laundy said: This investment will contribute to Australias reputation as a secure and trusted place to do business, enabling industry to attract and increase investment, trade and commerce and delivering broad economic benefit, he said.

The Cyber Security CRC will deliver solutions to increase the security of critical infrastructure and that benefit businesses and their customers.

These include frameworks, products and approaches that will service existing and future ICT enterprises across a broad range of platforms and operating systems.

Mr Laundy said cyber security was a priority for Australias national security.

As our industry, government and businesses become increasingly cyber-connected, we need to ensure the essential technologies, core systems and architecture they need to function are secure.

This will give the Australian community confidence they are safe and secure as they conduct their business online.

For more information visit www.business.gov.au/crc-grants
International students are encouraged to seek free help from the Fair Work Ombudsman following the release of a new strategy aimed at raising awareness of workplace rights among international students.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James is encouraging international students to speak up if they have any concerns relating to their employment.

We know that international students can be reluctant to speak out when something is wrong, making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation. This is especially the case when students think that seeking assistance will damage future job prospects or lead to the cancellation of their visa, she said.

Weve seen cases where employers have threatened international students with deportation for working more than the number of hours permitted under their visa when they have raised questions about their entitlements.

In some cases these same employers have altered payslips and underpaid hourly rates in order to disguise the number of hours the student has worked.

According to research commissioned by the Fair Work Ombudsman, many international students were not aware of their rights under Australian workplace laws.

The research showed that when it comes to international students in the Australian workplace, 60 per cent believe that if they report a workplace issue to their employer the situation will either remain the same, or get worse, she said.

Ms James said some students told researchers that their employers threatened to deport or blacklist them for future work if they complained.

I would like to reassure international students that in line with an agreement between my agency and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, you can seek our assistance without fear of your visa being cancelled, even if youve worked more hours than you should have under your visa.

We know that it can be difficult to understand what is right or wrong at work, or to speak up if you are concerned.

This is why we are committed to making it as easy as possible for international students to access the help they need.

Last financial year, only 18 per cent of litigations filed in court by the Fair Work Ombudsman involved an international student, which is why Ms James is encouraging all international students to get informed about their workplace rights.

The Fair Work Ombudsman website has information available in 30 different languages.

For more information visit www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 or the Translating and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50.
Food, water, clothes, medicine and personal hygiene are covered mostly by the fund raisers held by charity organizations and groups. These are immediate need that needs attention and support right away. Shelter is one of the most important thing to have so the families affected by the calamity have something to start with, a roof on their heads to keep their family safe and warm while trying to move on and get a fresh start find work or a livelihood.

There are many homes that were ruined by the recent calamities that hit the Philippines. While some have the means to re-build their own houses some dont have the resources. This is where Habitat for Humanity comes in. Habitat for Humanity is know to build houses for the poor. This time around they will build temporary and permanent shelters for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda and the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

In line with this I have tied up with Habitat for Humanity Philippines for my 6th blog anniversary on January 2014 to raise funds for the victims of calamities that hit the country. Funds gathered from this will given to said chairty so they can re-build homes and re-build lives at affected areas.

You may send sponsorship inquiry to : earthrullan (@) gmail.com or earthlingorgeous @ gmail.com

Sponsorships vary from sponsoring a number of houses/temporary shelters built plus free advertising and blog feature here at Earthlingorgeous!

For Online Donations:

Click the donate button below:

Click button below if you want to donate a fixed amount of donation of $10.00









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This fund raiser will be live until January 30,2015 (EXTENDED! this project is Gonna be happening the whole year of 2014 to raise funds more as requested by some sponsods who couldnt make tge deadline!). We are hoping to raise as much funds as we could. The amount of money needed for home repairs, build temporary shelters and permanent homes is huge minimum of Php15,000.00 for a basic repair kit, while a temporary home cost about minimum of Php150,000.00 .

Thank you so much for your help!

I will update everyone of the progress of this fund raiser. Thank you so much!

Update as of February 2014 we have raised Php30,000.00 and we will have. Summer Youth Build this May 2014 Stay tuned!

Sincerely yours,

Earth Rullan
I believe that retirement is not the end of your life but the beginning of your new one. It was just that it was seen negatively as it is associated with old age. We all could retire at any age as long as we have secure financial capabilities like living on passive income or savings. []
I first met Elissa Slotkin a few months ago when we sat down to chat about the potential of her running for Congress to replace the corporate shill Mike Bishop in Michigans 8th Congressional District. I came away VERY impressed.

I have written about Bishops desire to create an environment [in Michigan] wherelabor costs are low, how he has been bought and paid for by multi-millionaire developer Matty Moroun, wants to eliminate the Department of Education, and how, while he was the state Senate Majority Leader, he worked closely with Foreclosure King David Trott to help rig laws to benefit Trotts foreclosure business. So, Ive been eager for a great candidate to emerge in the 8th District to replace this odious excuse for a Congressman for a long time.

Elissa Slotkin may be that candidate.

First, Slotkin has a background that uniquely prepares her to be a member of Congress. Shes a third generation Michigander who went to graduate school at Columbia University and was then recruited out of college to join the Central Intelligence Agency as a Middle East analyst. She deployed to Baghdad to serve alongside our countrys soldiers and diplomats and served three tours in Iraq, working under Presidents Bush and Obama in various defense and intelligence roles at the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the State Department. While in Iraq, she met her future husband, a Colonel in the U.S. Army with a 30-year career who served as an Apache helicopter pilot in the first Gulf War, Korea, and Kosovo, and who served two tours during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

What became immediately apparent to me is that Slotkin has a keen grip on both what it will take to defeat Bishop and what the Democratic Partys message needs to look like to win in light of the results of the 2016 election. She clearly learned the lesson that an almost exclusively negative campaign that highlights the glaring faults of your opponent isnt going to win seats for Democrats. Its a bitter irony that Republicans can get away with 2-dimensional, shallow campaigns that are highly negative but Democrats are expected to have actual policy answers and to be nice. But that is precisely where we find ourselves.

Slotkins approach is best demonstrated by her first campaign ad. Its an example of how Democrats should be running for Congress in this election cycle. She never once mentions Bishop in her opening salvo. However, she hits on major themes that make it clear that she holds politicians like Bishop in great disdain. Talking about elected officials who refuse to work on behalf of the needs of their constituents to make their lives better, she says, that is not service, its selfishness. The attack on the American Dream, she says in the ad, Is our nations biggest crisis.

But its not just these broad themes that things arent right. Slotkin also shares her populist vision for what things SHOULD look like and lifts up America as a place that is good and decent and has its best days yet to come, an affirmation of our strength when we work together.

Perhaps the highlight of the ad is when she talks about how personal saving the Affordable Care Act is for her. Her mother passed away from cancer in 2011 after having spent many years without healthcare insurance that may have helped he live a longer life. Slotkin was forced to write checks for thousands and thousands of dollars just to get her mother the tests she needed during her treatment. Bishops giddy response to having signed the House version of Trumpcare was the final straw for her, pushing her to get into the race. Have a listen:

Heres the whole ad and its very much worth at watch:

You can listen to an extended interview we did with Elissa Slotkin on our podcast The Sit and Spin Room with LOLGOP & Eclectablog last week (HERE or on iTunes HERE). Follow her on Twitter at @ElissaSlotkin and check out her website at ElissaForCongress.com.

But most importantly, please make a donation to Elissas MI-08 campaign HERE. This is a flippable seat, especially if we support a candidate like Elissa Slotkin.
Vivaldi CEO Jon von Tetzchner, the brains behind both the new Vivaldi browser and the early Opera browser, on Monday accused Google of retaliating against his company after he questioned its customer privacy practices.

Vivaldis Google Adwords campaigns mysteriously were suspended just two days after von Tetzchners criticisms of Googles handling of customer data appeared in a Wired article this spring, he said.

Von Tetzchner had raised questions about both Googles and Facebooks data collection practices, lamenting the fact that too much personal information was being collected on ordinary consumers for use in targeted advertising based on individual browsing habits.

That was the second time that Google suspended Vivaldis AdWords campaign in 12 months, von Tetzchner told the E-Commerce Times.

After Vivaldi complained about the actions, the responses from Google were less than satisfying, he added.

In both cases, when contacting Google, there has been no clarity why it happened or at least it seemed really hard for Google to explain, von Tetzchner said. The second time it happened two days after a series of interviews where I questioned the tracking practices of Google and Facebook and their use of the collected data.

Friendship Cooled

The relationship between the two dates back many years to when von Tetzchner was CEO of Opera, which once enjoyed a close relationship with Google.

Opera was the first browser to have Google search integrated into its browser, according to von Tetzchner.

However, that relationship frayed over time, as Google moved closer to the Mozilla Foundation; launched Google Docs, which was incompatible with Opera; and eventually introduced its own Chrome browser.

The Vivaldi browser is based on Chromium, an open source project led by Google and built on WebKit and KHTML. However, users still have to hide their identity when visiting services like Google Docs, according to von Tetzchner.

Google denied that the AdWords suspension had anything to do with the critique, but it took the opportunity to launch a few counterpunches.

We certainly dont suspend anyone from AdWords because they criticize us, Google said in a statement provided to the E-Commerce Times by spokesperson Elisa Greene.

We do take action against sites that contravene our guidelines and policies about software downloads, which are there to ensure that our users know exactly what they are downloading and that the installation process is safe and easy to understand, the statement says. And we follow those same guidelines and policies for our own products.

Facebook did not respond to our request to comment for this story.

Browser Wars

Although theres no indication that any formal complaints have been filed with the European Commission or other regulators, Von Tetzchner is fighting on familiar territory. Back in 2007, when he was CEO of Opera Software, his company filed a complaint against Microsoft, alleging that the way it bundled Internet Explorer with its Windows operating system constituted an abuse of its dominant position.

In 2009, Opera Software won that case, which led to key changes in access to Windows computers for browser developers. Users of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 were offered a choice of browsers.

Ironically, prior to the European Commissions ruling against Microsoft, both Mozilla and Google had Operas side in the case.

Asked about Vivaldis conflict with Google, the FTC does not comment on the activities of a particular business unless 1) we have investigated, and 2) we are issuing a complaint, said spokesperson Betsy Lordan.

We have not issued a complaint in the Google-Vivaldi matter, she told the E-Commerce Times.

Privacy History

Google recently has faced other allegations regarding its privacy issues and competitive practices.

The EU earlier this summer slapped the company with a record US$2.7 billion fine for biasing search results to favor its own shopping comparison site over smaller competitors.

Also this summer, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, asking the agency to block Google from tracking in-store purchases.

The power and influence Google wields is virtually unmatched among its Silicon Valley peers, cautioned Marc Rotenberg, executive director of EPIC.

Google has an almost unique ability to silence critics, he told the E-Commerce Times, although he noted that he has no idea of what transpired between Google and Vivaldi.

Between its political influence and its control of the worlds dominate gateway for news and information, Rotenberg said, Googles power is unmatched even among the tech titans.
In this age of tech industry consolidation, one has to wonder what will happen with the pace of innovation as a few large companies begin to dominate.

In personal computers, the WinTel (Microsoft Windows and Intel) marriage continues to control the technology, while Dell, HP and Lenovo control the devices. Similarly, in smartphones, Apple and Samsung, which both design their own chips and devices, dominate the market, especially in North America.

It is natural for market leaders to emerge as technologies and markets mature. However, that maturity often is accompanied by a change in the strategy of key players.

Theres a shift from market enablement  that is, seeking to share technologies and enable competition  to market control. Key players continue to innovate, but they seek to limit access to their technology as a means of controlling the market or the pace of innovation.

Intel and Microsoft once sought to not only innovate, but also to enable any original equipment manufacturer to build PCs and compete with Big Blue (IBM). That changed as the two companies rose to dominance, often squeezing out competitors and leaving startups with one hope: being acquired by a market leader. So, what happens to innovation and market enablement as smartphones and other segments also mature?

Enabling an Ecosystem

While the acquisition strategy of startups is nothing new, I do not believe this should be the strategic goal of innovators. It is still possible to outmaneuver the industry powerhouses, as long as a strategy includes both innovating and enabling the market.

Despite the PC example, I am encouraged by many of the current startups and other industry leaders not only to innovate through huge investments in research and development, but also to enable the market.

For example, at Huaweis recent Connect conference in Shanghai, the company indicated that it was targeting just 1 percent of the cloud ecosystem that it hoped to enable through its partners, and it was pleased with that figure.

Similarly, by some estimates the average smartphone leverages more than 200,000 active patents from more than 30,000 patent holders, the largest being a handful of companies like Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Nokia, all of which have been willing to license their patents to all smartphone OEMs.

While not all of those patents would be considered essential for the construction of the smartphones, its clear that the experience of using a mid-range phone like the Chinese Oppo R11 or even the new Apple iPhone X would not be the same without those patents.

Qualcomm alone spends US$5.15 billion in annual R&D, and it grants access to its entire pool of Qualcomm intellectual property, the largest in the industry.

Additionally, the concept of enabling an ecosystem has allowed a small processor design company, ARM, to rise to the top of the semiconductors largest ecosystem, which ships more processors than all the PCs and enterprise servers combined and is still growing.

Market Influencers

We will see new companies emerge through new areas of innovation, such as connected devices (Internet of Things, or IoT), augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR), autonomous vehicles and intelligent solutions (machine learning, or ML), deep learning (DL) and artificial intelligence (AI).

Many of these new areas have become the focus of acquisitions and consolidation by industry powerhouses, but the culture of the organization ultimately will determine whether innovation continues to be accompanied by ecosystem enablement.

In PCs, Microsoft once again has been aiming to reinvigorate innovation and ecosystem enablement by building PCs based on ARM-based processors, beginning with Qualcomms Snapdragon mobile processor  theyre two of the previously mentioned industry enablers.

Microsoft also has been contributing code to the open source community through GitHub.

Likewise, the industry has been going through a major shift as it approaches 5G, which will entail not only new mobile devices, but also broader connectivity of all electronics. Two of the companies most heavily investing in 5G technology are Huawei and Qualcomm, market enablers.

While it is natural for mature companies to shift from being market enablers to market controllers, in this age of startups vs. powerhouses (or Davids vs. Goliaths), its growing clear that those that both innovate and enable are likely not only to influence the market, but also to grow their respective market segments.
ECSU Aids Coast Guard Families in Hurricane Aftermath

When the Coast Guard and their families needed help, Elizabeth City State University was standing by.

As Hurricane Maria pounded the island of Puerto Rico several days ago, many people understood that the U.S. Coast Guard was prepared for the aftermath. But in the aftermath of the Category 4 storm, their spouses and children were stranded on the Caribbean island territory, at least until now, when the Coast Guard began bringing them stateside, to Elizabeth City.

And the people of ECSU were here to help in any way they could.

The willingness and readiness of the University to help out was phenomenal, said Cmdr. Warren Judge, the executive officer at Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City, and an ECSU graduate.

Judge said families of Coast Guard service members had taken shelter on the island, during the storm. However, in the wake of the devastating hurricane, like so many living on Puerto Rico, their homes had been demolished, and water, food, fuel, and communications had been cut off due to the historic storm.

Judge says on Friday, Sept. 22, 58 family members arrived in Elizabeth City, with the Coast Guard anticipating that more would follow them. The families have been housed at a local hotel, but other options for their future exist in Elizabeth City.

Were not sure if there will be more evacuees, said Judge. Thats the question mark part. They may call us and say we are bringing more to the area. So what we would like to do is be prepared for anything.

Base Elizabeth City commander, Cmdr. Randy Meador, and Judge, began working with not only ECSU, but also the City of Elizabeth City, to help bring the Coast Guard families home, and give them shelter while they wait for either transport elsewhere, or options outside of being temporarily housed at a local hotel.

Judge, coordinating with ECSU Chancellor Thomas Conway, says one option is for the families to have temporary housing on campus. In the interim, however, ECSU has made its large bus available to transport all of the families staying in town.

On Sunday, the Coast Guard base, in conjunction with the Chief Petty Officers Club, and the Spouses Club, held a family barbecue. Thats where ECSU came in handy.

The large bus the University uses to transport students was pulled out and taken to the hotel, where the families were picked up and delivered to the Coast Guard base. Judge says the generosity of ECSU was then extended by the bus driver, campus security officer Kavin Harris.

He was great with the families, said Judge.

Harris, said Judge, stayed with the families, made them feel welcome, and played with the children during the barbecue.

He really ensured that everybody felt at home, said Judge.

Elizabeth City State University and the Coast Guard have worked together in the past and most recently when the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at working toward providing higher education options for enlisted men and women. The opportunity to reach out to the Coast Guard members and their families is an extension of that bond between the two local institutions.

Chancellor Conway has made it clear that ECSU is here for the U.S. Coast Guard, in every way possible.

When we needed help, the University was, yes, we are here for you, Coast Guard, said Judge.
ECSU Faculty Receive Grants to Advance STEM Education

The National Science Foundation has awarded faculty at Elizabeth City State University more than $745,000 in grant funding to enhance STEM education at the university.

The principal investigators for these grants include Dr. Ali Khan and Dr. Gloria Payne. Under their leadership, ECSU will continue working collaboratively to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in the STEM fields.

Dr. Ali Khan, Professor of Natural Sciences, was awarded $395,365 from the University of Virginia for ECSUs participation in the National Science Foundation for a project titled The Virginia-North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP). This initiative will strengthen and encourage recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of underrepresented students in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

Dr. Khan will provide oversight of student and faculty mentor recruitment, as well as summer boot camp activities. In addition, ECSU will utilize the Upward Bound and the North Carolina Mathematics & Science Education Network (MSEN) program to recruit high school students. ECSU faculty on the project include Dr. Gloria Payne, Department of Natural Sciences.

Dr. Gloria Payne, professor and chair for the Department of Natural Sciences, was awarded $350,000 from the National Science Foundation for a project titled The Vikings Enhancing STEM Innovation and Collaboration (VESTEMic) Model. The goal of this project is to address a national need to increase the number of students pursuing STEM degrees and the quality of their preparation.

This project aims to increase the number of students pursuing STEM degrees, enhance the quality of their preparation, and increase access to graduate education and the workforce. A proposed STEM Innovation Lab will serve as a hub in the northeastern regions of the state for the development of creative approaches to learning STEM concepts. ECSU faculty on the project include Dr. Kenneth Jones, Department of Natural Sciences and Dr. Ali Kahn, Department of Natural Sciences.

Elizabeth City State University is a constituent university in the University of North Carolina system, 28 undergraduate degree programs and four graduate degree programs.




Brazilian beef exports up 13.4% in August

Based on its export performance last month, it would seem that Brazilian beef has recovered from the tainted-meat scandal that blew up in mid-March.

According to data from the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporters (ABIEC), Brazilian beef exports in August grew 13.4% to 145,822 tonnes compared with the previous month. So far this year, it is the best month for Brazilian beef exporters.

The August exports generated a turnover of more than US$ 607 million, or 12.8% higher than in July.

Compared with August 2016, last month's beef exports grew 34% both in terms of volume and

value. August posted the best performance since October 2013 in terms of volume and since December 2014 in terms of sales.

Hong Kong continued to be the main importer of Brazilian beef, purchasing 34,540 tonnes (7.4% more than in July), followed by Egypt, which imported 23,070 tonnes (up 27.8%) and China, with 18,565 tonnes (up 15.1%).

ABIEC said it continues to focus its efforts on opening new markets and expanding their presence in strategic partners, with China as a priority.

More meatpackers allowed to export to China

Earlier this month China announced that more Brazilian meatpackers would be allowed to export meat to China following a meeting between the presidents of both Brazil and China. Brazil could possibly double the volume of beef sold to the Asian country.

Currently, Brazil produces around 9.1 million tonnes of beef, around 20% of which are exported.

In March, the Brazilian meat scandal erupted when the police announced that 21 Brazilian meat companies--including Brazil's largest meat producers, BRF and JBS--might have bribed government officials to approve spoiled meat.

Because of the scandal, at least 25 countries suspended imports of Brazilian meat.

Brazil is the world's largest exporter of beef and poultry, and the fourth-largest exporter of pork. --Rick Alberto
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Emergency services dealing with chemical spillage

Emergency services are currently dealing with chemical spillage in the south of the Island.

Police and fire crews were called to the Station Garage on Victoria Road in Castletown at just after 11:15am.

The road is closed and nearby residents are being urged to close their windows as a precaution.

Fire crews on scene say the incident is a minor chemical spillage and has been contained.

The fire brigade have confirmed that there is no risk to anyone in or around the area of Victoria Road School
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Road closures in Brentwood that are rumoured to be linked to some filming near Thorndon Country Park have been revised after feedback from residents.

The roads in question are Childerditch Lane, Hartswood Road, The Avenue and Eagle Way.

All four roads, in in Warley, will be affected for six days between Thursday, September 28 and Tuesday, October 10.

The road closures were originally set to be in place from 7am til 7pm each day. except Tuesday, October 3, when the roads were set to be closed from 5am til 9pm.

But after listening to residents, who were concerned this would affect their morning travel, the company has decided to close Childerditch Lane, Hartswood Road and Eagle Way from 9.30am instead.

An Essex Highways spokesperson said: Having listened to feedback from local residents, Jupiter Spring Productions Ltd will only enforce the closure on Childerditch Lane, Hartswood Road and Eagle Way after 9.30am.

The Avenue closures will remain as previously advertised.

Thorndon Country Park will remain accessible to the public through the south car park. Both car parks will be open at the weekend.


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Everyone has seen the eager holiday-makers sat in the departure lounge ready for the 'boarding' sign to flash up so they can jump up and queue in a truly British fashion.

Others like to take the more laid back approach and board the plane at the last minute.

But, if they knew this Ryanair rule, they may think differently.

As reported by the Birmingham Mail, the budget airline has an extremely strict policy when it comes to hand luggage.

These rules are about to get much stricter too because as it stands, RyanAir only has space in their cabins for 90 pieces of hang luggage.

That means that if you are not near the front of the queue with your hand luggage, you are running the risk of your bag having to be placed in the hold or not being able to fly at all.

A RyanAir spokesman said: Due to overhead locker cabin space limitations, only 90 normal cabin bags (55x40x20cms) can be carried in the cabin and any remaining normal cabin bags can be carried free of charge in the aircraft hold.

(Image: Getty)

Both carry-on bags must fit in the sizer at the boarding gate and any oversized cabin bags will be refused, or where available, placed in the aircraft hold for a fee of 50/50.

At the moment, RyanAir allow passengers to take two pieces of carry on luggage with them - one being a 55x40x20cms bag and the other a smaller bag like a handbag or laptop bag.

From November 1 though, this will be scrapped for everybody - except those travelling with 'priority boarding'.

Adding this to your booking will cost the customer 5 when you initially book your flight or 6 if you add it later.

Priority boarding customers will be allowed to take two pieces of hand luggage onto the flight for free, whilst others will be limited to just one - with the larger of the cases needing to be checked into the hold at the boarding gate.

A spokesman for the airline said: Too many customers are availing of Ryanairs two free carry-on bags service, and with high load factors (97 per cent in August) there is not enough overhead cabin space for this volume of carry-on bags, which is causing boarding/flight delays.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has secured her fourth term in office in Sundays (24 September) election amidst a historic breakthrough of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, signaling a political turbulence in Europes largest economy.

Chancellors Christian Democrats and their Bavarian sister party saw their weakest results since 1949 losing 20% of the 41.5% support they had had in the previous election four years ago. The Social Democrats have suffered their worst defeat since the end of WWII. Their losses combined with the success of the far-right party that was founded only five years ago came despite a well-functioning economy with almost full employment.

The results of the German federal election might shake a political system whose relative stability has underpinned the workings of the European Union for years. While the center has grown weaker, an unpredictable new force rose on the right as the polls point out to Ms. Merkels decision to accept hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants in 2015. AfD will become the first far-right party to sit in the German parliament  the Bundestag  in more than half a century. The party that has won votes on the negative rhetoric towards the European Union describes Germanys Muslim minority as a great danger, adding that the country should reduce its focus on Holocaust remembrance.

AfDs success also reflects the rise of anti-establishment mood across the West in recent years and underlines the shrinking of the political center. Chancellor Merkel admitted that the entering of AfD into the German Bundestag would be a great new challenge. She also admitted that she was slightly disappointed with the result and added that we want to win back AfD voters by solving problems, by taking in their concerns and in part their fears, and especially through good policy-making.
Written by ACM





*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- While an Emblematic and Symbolic Vote, but also Politically Crucial for USA's foreseeable Future, starts Tomorrow at Alabama's Mediatic GOP Primary for a New Senator at Washington DC, between the American People's Grassroots Favorite, the popular Judge Roy Moore, and the Washington DC. Establishment's pre-appointed Senator Luther Strange, (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/uspeoplevotenaturalfamilysuporterforsenator.html ), interesting New Facts, just Emerging from Yesterday's (Sunday, 24 September) Important Parliamentary Election in Germany, seem to send a Vibrant Message of Support to Judge Moore's self-sacrifice for the Defense of Natural Marriage and Births, against "Socialist" former US President Barack Hussein Obama's notorious 2009-2016+ Attempts to Impose, everywhere in the World, the Controversial and UnPopular "Same Sex Marriage" with "Adoption" of Children from Homosexuals, etc., which had Recently Influenced even some Conservative Politicians of the Establishment both in the US and in Europe.



That Alabama Senatorial Vote of Tuesday, 26 September 2017, is expected to Influence the forthcoming 2017-2018 Primaries for the 2018 Mid-Terms Elections in US Congress and Senate, where a Strong Fight is currently going-on between the New Popular Values Conservative Movement which had triggered New US President Don Trump's Surprizing Win in the latest, 2016 US Presidential Elections, and the Establishment, which has notoriously Delayed and/or Blocked most of his Electoral Agenda, for which has Voted the American People, marginalized or fired various among his Best Counsellors, linked with the Grassroots Popular Movement, systematically slandered, muzzled or mis-represented the New US President's real positions through Mainstream Medias, etc., as part of a Wider, Exceptionally Hard Struggle vis a vis a "Deep State", strongly Denounced recently even by some Experienced and Honest Journalists also of the Left, (See, f.ex.: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/journalistgreenwaldfortrumpondeepstate.html .



Last Sunday's German Elections concern almost the Same Period of Time (Late 2017 - 2021), as those incoming USA Mid-Term Primaries and Final Senate + Congress Elections (2017+2018-2022).



While the Issues linked with (mainly "Socialists"') Attempts to Impose "Same Sex etc., Both in Europe and in the USA, as well as Elsewhere in the World, (Despite Strong Resistance inside Many Countries), have notoriously provoked various very "Hot" Controversies, Massive Popular Counter-Demonstrations, Political Oppositions, Constitutional Amendments, Popular Referenda, Resistance of many Officials, but also an UnPrecedented Oppression of Dissidents, etc., mutatos-mutandis, almost Everywhere, (f.ex. in the US, France, the UK, Hungary and Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Russia, Australia, even at EU-level and Africa, etc.), and still seem Far from stopping Nowadays, (all the Contrary)...



In Addition to the Religious, Moral, Health, Social and Ethical Controversies about "Same Sex Marriage" itself, recent Public Propaganda of Homosexuality even in front of Children, and the more UnPopular Submission of Chldren to the Power of Homosexual Strangers under Pretext of "Adoption", stands also, Behind all that, a Risk for Exploitation by shady Technocratic Lobbies in order to Get Hold and soon Dominate various abnormal and AbNatural Techniques of Procreation of Human Beings, (f.ex. via the Atrocious abuse of so-called "Surrogate" Mothers, and/or more or less "Artificial" Births, with "In Vitro Fertilisations", Pre-Natal Genetic Tests, Transplantations, Genetic Manipulations of Human Embryos, etc), Obviously Dangerous for all Humankind.



It's in order to try to Protect Natural Family and Natural Births, that former Chief Justice in the Federated State of Alabama, Roy Moore, had Dared Sacrifice even his own (Elected) Top Job, a few Years earlier, from which he was brutaly Dismissed by Bureaucrats Executing Mr. Obama's Dictates, (that he notoriously Tried to Impose even in ... Poor African Countries, many among whom Dared Refuse and Fight-Back, both v. B.H.O. and Against some other US and EU Bureaucrats' Attempts to link even International Humanitaran Aid earmarked for very Poor Nations, to that Imposal of Controversial and UnPopular there "SSM", Officially Condemned inside the UNO, etc). Various more or less Similar Individual Conflicts, with manifold Slander, Muzzling or Censorship, Threats, Oppression, even Dismissals, Prosecution, Arrests and Jailings, etc. against Dissidents, took also place around these Same Issues, both in USA and in the UK, France, etc.



In Germany, it's Just ... the Last Day, before the Parliament's recess for the 2017 Elections, that a Sudden, UnExpected Move pushed for a Hasty, UnPrepared, Last-Minute Vote, (withOut Any Previously Serious and open Public Debate among Citizens in the Society), which Adopted a Draft Law due to Impose that Highly Controversial "Same Sex Marriage" and "Adoption" of Children by Homosexuals : But it's Not yet due to Enter into Force before the 1st October, (i.e. soon After those Elections), while various Groups have already Announced their Intention to also Challenge that Controversial Bill to the Constitutional Court, Headquartered at nearby Karlsruhe, asap, because of its Contradiction to the National Constitution, which clearly speaks only about Natural, Traditional Marriage between a Man and a Woman.



=> So, that "Hot" and Topical Issue (in Addition, naturally, to the Parallel, still On-going, "Hot" Debate about that sudden "Tsunami" of more than 1,5 Millions of Mass Asylum Seekers/Irregular Migrants tresspassing inside Europe through Neighbouring Turkey from 2015-2016, as well as Islamist Terrorism's parallel, extended and growing Deadly/Destructive Attacks, cowardly Targetting Innocent Civilian People, systematically), was, obviously, due to Influence also these, September 2017, German Elections.



- F.ex., inter alia, Rightist "Alternative" Party's main Spokesperson, Mrs Frauke Petry, had already Announced, at the Eve of that Electoral Competition, that she Expected to "Welcome many Conservative ChristianDemocrat People" (from the Governing, mainstream Center-Right Party), traditionally Supporters of Natural Family and Natural Births.



+ And a very Big Majority, of More than 75 % among the Governing ChristianDemocrat/EPP "CDU/CSU" Parties' MPs, indeed, VOTED (on July 30, 2017) at the Parliament in Berlin, AGAINST that "Same Sex Marriage" controversial Bill, (including even Chancellor Angie Merkel herself)...



In consequence, that controversial Bill passed Only with a Push from the Parties of the Left and the Greens, but Despite More than 75% of "NO" Votes from the Governing ChristianDemocrats, and withOut Any Participation from the Rightists of "AfD", which had Not Yet Entered in the German Parliament then...

Already, Berlin's catholic ArchBishop, Heine Koch, (who had often criticized the AfD in the Past) Warned that such a Controversial and Hasty Decision would "Strengthen the Alternative" party AfD, if some are pushed to see it as the only one which currently supports the main Christians' positions in such topical issues...



=> So that, Indeed, the German People really "Punished", precisely, the "Socialist" and "Green" Parties (while Leftists stagnated) during these, subsequent, National Elections, (for this and other Topical Issues : Comp. Supra), where they Faced a Historic Backlash, Falling Down to an UnPrecedentently Low level of Votes, (particularly the Most Important and formerly "Big" among them : the "Socialists", who were Surprized by that Fall, etc).



+ On the Contrary, the Rightists of the "Alternative" ("AfD"), in Yesterday's Election Won much More Votes than all Polls had Predicted for them, UnExpectedy Advancing from a 9% or 10% only, (generally Expected to Assimilate them with Other 3 Small Parties of Leftists, Liberals and Greens), Up to a 13+% or 14% of Votes, Succeeding not only to Enter for the First Time in Germany's National Parliament, but Also to Become the 3rd Biggest Party in the Most Populated and Richest European Country, as well as Head of the Opposition.



But, may be Due also to the Strange Fact that, curiously, a Short Time Before these Elections, and withOut any Warning, suddenly, some pushed at the Top Job of 1 among the 2 Campaign Chiefs an Individual UnKnown yet to the People, who, Later-on, proved to be a Lesbian living also at a 2nd Home, in Switzerland, with another Homosexual Woman, and even Kept Together 2 Children there, as Non-Contradicted Press Reports, meanwhile, Revealed, it's also a Fact that Many Found (including its Chief until now, Frauke Petry) that the "Alternative" did Not get as much Votes as it could have Expected, (particularly after a CDU/CSU's "U-Turn", which Allowed that Last-Minute Vote in the Out-Going Parliament on "SSM", etc : Comp. Supra)...



=> That was, most Probably, at least one of the Reasons or Motivations for which, suddenly, its Number 1 Leader, Frauke Petry, just Announced her Decision to Refuse to participate to the Parliamentary Group that her Lesbian collegue is due to Co-Chair in Berlin's Bundestag, preferring to be an Independent MP, and Exceptionally leaving Out from a collective Press Conference organized with her in the name of the AfD on the Results of these Elections Today !



At least one more AfD Elected MP reportedly will Follow Petry's move, while all the Medias and the People are still Wondering to find out which were the full Real Reasons from what Happened...



>>> But, the Most Important New Development, concerning the above-mentioned Controversy, is that, in Fact, many among the People of Germany seem to have already Understood that sudden Problem, with 1 among the 2 AfD Top Candidates, - who even pushed the ball so far that she also ...Advised Homosexuals to become AfD's Members, in order to Turn it into "the Most pro-LGBT Party in the Country" (sic !), as she had recently Boasted in a Pre-Electoral Public Meetings according to Press Reports - , and they Voted Accordingly :



=> Thus, among other relevant Facts, f.ex., the Historic Leaders of the "Alternative", who were in Favour of the Natural Family and Natural Births, such as, f.ex., Frauke Petry, a.o., (Comp. Supra), Clearly Won their Election from the outset, by Directly Receiving a Majority of Votes on their personal Name, right from the start !



+ On the Contrary, the proved-to-be Lesbian Co-Chair of this Electoral Campaign (Comp. Supra), despite all Publicity she took on the Medias during the Electoral Debates, she Curiously ... Failed to be Directly Elected, receiving Less than a Small Minority of Only 10 % of Direct Votes in her Name, at her own Constituency... (So that she wouldN't even be Elected at all, if the Total of Votes for her Party, AfD, in general, did not allow that, at a 2nd Share of unused, left-over, anonymous votes, Later on)...



++ But her Co-Leader of the AfD Electoral Campaign, veteran, Old Conservative Politician, Alexander Gauland, (who was among the First to call for a Legal Complaint against that Controversial Draft Law at the Costitutional Court), Contrary to her, Succeeded to Win ...More than the Double Number of Votes than her : Instead of Only 10%, he Personaly got from the People, on his Name and at his own Constituency, ... 22 % of Direct Votes !

------------------------

Meanwgile, the fact that, sometimes, certain AfD politicians might seem or even really be more or less Controversial, in personal terms as Individuals, does Not Change at all what is our Main Interest here, since it was also Found, in his Sunday's Election, that often, many German Voters may Choose an CDU/CSU Candidate, in the Personal Vote, but, on the Contrary, prefer the AfD at theie Party-preference vote ! Indeed, the German Electoral System provides for 2 Votes : One for a Person, and afterwards, another for a Political Party. So that Votes for ChristianDemocrats/EPP Candidates personally, might practically mean, for a Voter, that he would like the Personality of a ChristiaDemocrat EPP Member, but would prefer for him/her to endorse the Political Positions of the "Alternative", either inside the CDU/CSU, or by acceeding into the "AfD" itself, sooner of later...

------------------------





+++ Even More and Various concrete Facts appear to show that Many People in Germany already started to React to those Hasty, Last-Minute Attempts to Impose them the Controversial "Same Sex Marriage" and even "Adoptions" of Children by Homosexuals, withOut any Previous Warning, Neither any Open Public Debates (Comp. Supra) :



- Indeed, it's also Among that Tiny Minority of Less than 23% of Establishment's CDU/CSU Out-Going MPs who recently Betrayed their Party's Commitments to the People in favour of Natural Family and Births, by Voting, on the Contrary, for "SSM" only 1 Day before their previous Mandate Ends (Comp. Supra), that several did Not receive enough Votes from in these Elections...



=> F.ex., at least in one case among Many possible, (and probably much Better : See Infra), at a Nearby Constituency of Rasttat, (where a Top MP had Betrayed his Party's Commitments, going for "SSM" inside the Parliament), the Out-Going CDU/CSU, surprisingly did Not Receive but Only a Small Portion of its usual Number of Votes there, Falling Down to an Exceptionally Low level, (While, on the Contrary, almost All Other surrounding Constituencies, at the Neighbouring Areas, Succeeded to get a more or less Normal Share of Votes, and Most even Got much More than the Average of their CDU/CSU Party Nation-wide !



Such Examples of Popular Reactions, Down-Voting those MPs of the Establishment who Betrayed the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Party's Official Commitments (Comp. Supra), may probably be found also at Many Other Concrete Cases, accross the Country, (f.ex., perhaps also near Constanze lake, etc).



Indeed, they could be an Additional Cause for an Exceptionally Heavy Fall of CDU.CSU Votes Now, never seen before in Recent History, (Obviously in Addition to the Mass Migration/Islamist Terror Attacks parallel controversies).



This might also Explain why All the Polls Never Predicted such a Sharp Fall, generally showing at least +4% or +5% (sometimes even Higher) of Votes More to all the out-going CDU/CSU former MPs, than what they received finally...



=> Therefore, it would be Certainly Interesting to Carefully and Deeply Examine and Analyse all the Real Facts about What exactly Happened to those Few CDU/CSU Out-going MPs who even Openly Betrayed their Party's Commitments to the People, (suddenly, without any previous Warning, and even without any Open Public Debate for their Citizens : Comp. Supra), on that Last Day of the Out-going Parliament in Berlin, on June 30, 2017, in order to Find out what the German People really did now about them.



Astonishingly, however, this Time, too many usually good Sources for concrete Details of German Elections, Contrary to the Past, suddenly Started to show some UnPrecedented "Technical" or other "Practical" Problems, (including mainly at the Internet), which Exceptionally Delayed or even Block Until Now, the Full plain Facts on What Really Happened in Many "Key" Constituencies accross Germany !



+ Moreover, at the Last Minute, practically OverNight, suddenly, the Total Number of Elected MPs was ... Exceptionaly Augmented, extending to Dozens More, withOut Clear Reasons, Neither a Clear Previous Warning : Could it, Perhaps, be, because of a (tehnically possible) Last-Minute Attempt, precisely, to HIDE that Popular Reaction, which seems to have tried to "Sanction" those MPs who had Betrayed their Party's Commitments to the People, also on Natural Family and Natural Births (Comp. Supra) ?



Hopefully, we shall learn the whole Truth, one day...



>>> But Now, obviously, TIME IS PRESSING at Alabama's widely Symbolic Vote !



=> Perhaps, TO UPDATE asap....

--------------------------------



(NDLR : Trump's venue to a brief meeting in Alabama, (where he reportedly went also for anOther reason), with the participation of Moore's Competitor, Stranger, (a Non-Elected yet Senator, simply Appointed by a notoriously Corrupted former Governor, some suspect in exchange of closing his eyes contrary to the Duty that Stranger had, in the Past, to investigate any such alleged wrong-doing), apparently, should Not be over-estimated :



Among many and various other factors, Trump currently is, notoriously Pressured by USA's "Deep State", his "Socialist" Competitors of the Dem. Party, and some RINOS among GOP's Establishment, (always Opposed to him, even during the Electoral Campaign of 2016, that he Won UnExpectedly, by a Last-Minute Widely Spread Move of American People), Targetting Both his main Policies (even if they Won the Elections) and even him Personally, and part of his own Family...



In Addition, nowadays, he Needs the slightest eventual Support, particularly inside the Senate (where GOP's Majority still remains at Only 4 Votes, RINOS of the Establishment included), for the Year which preceeds the Autumn 2018 forthcoming Mid-Term Senatorial and Congress Elections.



While still Backing Stranger, after a very Heavy and Persisting Lobbying (almost Harassment, as several mainstream Medias describe..) by Establishlent's notorious RINOS, including, mainly, the Controversial Out-Going GOP Senate Majority's current Head, the Old McConnel, (who, curiously, Spends Many Millions $ for one Primary Election in Alabama, which has Never seen Before so much Money there !), nevertheless, Trump has also, "Congratulated" Judge Roy Moore for his Victory in the 1st Round of this Primary GOP Election, (where he Succeeded to come 1st among more than Ten Competitors), and also Promissed to "Fight for him" (Moore) at the Final Electoral Vote against the "Socialist" (Dem. Party's) Competitor, on December, "if he (Moore) Wins" Now, (i.e. in this Final Vote of GOP's crucial Primaries, expected to Determine, in fact, the New Senator, due to GOP's traditionally Dominant position in Alabama).



But, most Polls have already shown, many times, that Moore had a Double-Digit Lead in potential Voters, Ahead of Stranger.



And, in Addition to Winning the 1st Round of GOP's Primaries, last August 2017 (See : ...), Moore has also Received, recently, the Backing of the 3nd and 4rd former Competitors, (Brooks and Pittman), Hoping to Add to his 40% of Voters also Brooks' 20% and Pittman's 6%, i.e. expecting, normally, a clear Majority of about 66%, more or less, in this 2nd and Final Round of GOP's Primary now.



Moreover, the Popular Judge Roy Moore (and his Anti-Establishment political positions) has practically ... Won the Sympathy of almost All among the Warmest Supporters of New US President Don Trump, whi Helped Elect him on 2016 !



F.ex., among Many Others, Moore has also been Endorsed also by the Popular former US vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah PALIN, (formr Alasca Governor); Trump's former Campaign Manager and White House's Chief Strategy Advisor Steve BANNON ; Trump-appointee and former US Presidential Candidate, now Minister for Urban development and Housing, Dr. Ben CARSON ; Popular former Front-runner US Presidential Candidate (2008 +2016) and Governor of Arkansas, currently TV Journalist, Mike HUCKABEE (a Supporter of Trump, who even selected his Daughter for White House Press Spokeswoman) ; Alabama's own former Governor Fob JAMES, and former Alabama's Chair of GOParty and former Senator, Bill ARMISTEAD, as well as Alabama's "TEA PARTY" Organisation, All with a rare Experience on ths spot ; several Top, USA-wide JOURNALISTS, such as Ann COULTER, Sean HANNITY ("Fox News"+), Mark LEVIN, Laura INGRAHAM, Daniel HOROWITZ, etc ; Many US elected CONGRESSMEN such as, f.ex. : Rep. Mo BROOKS, Steve KING, Jim JORDAN, Jody HICE, Louie GOHMERT, Thomas MASSIE, Mark MEADOWS, etc ; several former USA SENATORS ; even Famous "BREXIT" main Inspirator, President of EU Parliament's "Freedom and Direct Democracy" Group, many times re-Elected Brittish MEP and Journalist Nigel FARAGE ; "WOMEN FOR TRUMP" Political Action Committee from active Grassroots Citizens Nation-Wide ; Phil ROBERTSON, popular self-made CEO and Star of "Duck Dynasty", as well as World Famous Cinema Actor Chuck NORRIS ; (etc).



=> Various Public Meetings and other popular gatherings and moves to support Judge Roy Moore were reportedly still on-going at the Time that these lines were written and/or due to comme asap.

If this Highly Symbolic Alabama Vote goes well for Moore, then, such a New Fact might set in Motion a Growing series of Changes, (considering also the Fact that almost All US Presidential Candidates at GOP's 2016 Primaries were Initialy United against Obama-imposed "Same Sex Marriage" + "Adoption" of Children by Homosexuals, while President Trump did not exclude, but reportedly said that he would "Consider" a possible move to Change the Supreme Court's case-law back towards the original principles of the US Constitution), American People's decision could, eventually Help also European People to face similar attempts against Natural Family annd Natural Births.

And this, might even arrive Sooner than expected : That Controversial New Law will Not Enter into Force in Germany but Only After the 1st of October, and one or more Legal Complaints to the Country's Constitutional Court are expected...





...







(.../..)



------------------------------




















Australia and New Zealand are two of the most popular countries in the world for expats who rate the quality of life highly along with healthcare and education but find childcare expensive.A quarter of expats move to the region for a better quality of life and many settle there with 72% intending to stay for live in New Zealand and 51% in Australia, according to the latest InterNations expat survey.Expats are happy with the available leisure options, which around nine in 10 in both countries rate favourably while over three quarters rate the climate and weather positively, or as one British expat in Australia put it; I wake up happy when the sun is shining.Low pollution levels also make it easier and more enjoyable to spend time outdoors and both Australia and New Zealand have some of the lowest air pollution levels in the world, and 88% of respondents in Australia and 90% in New Zealand feel positively about the quality of the environment.Good healthcare further enhances expats quality of life. While Australia falls below the global average when it comes to healthcare costs, over seven in 10 respondents in both countries still feel positively about the quality of medical care, and over two fifths are happy with its affordability.This may be because a doctors appointment and prescriptions are at least partially subsidized in both countries, and hospital treatments are free of charge. Additionally, both countries spend over nine percent of their GDP on healthcare, leading to a reliable and affordable system.However, there is a price to pay and both New Zealand and Australia rank very poorly in both the personal finance and cost of living Indices. Despite over two in five respondents in both countries having access to an annual household income of over US$75,000, expats under are unhappy with their personal finances. Over 30% believe that their disposable household income is not enough to cover their daily expenses.This is not helped by the fact that New Zealand has the second most expensive property prices in the world, with Australia only falling slightly behind in third place. Expats certainly feel this financial drain with over six in ten respondents saying accommodation is unaffordable. One South African expat in New Zealand even described the cost of living as horrendous, while one German in Australia said that rental prices and the cost of living are far beyond average.Although their average full time working weeks are similar at 42.9 hours in Australia and 42.3 in New Zealand, three-quarters of expats in New Zealand say they are satisfied with their working hours, while only 60% in Australia feel the same way.Life is made easy by a friendly attitude towards families with kids and over five sixths of expat parents in both countries are happy with this aspect and they are just as happy with their childrens health and leisure activities. Over 80% in both countries rate childrens health positively, while 86% feel the same about available leisure activities for kids.Parents are also happy with the quality of education, which over 70% rate positively. These two countries have some of the best education systems in the world and the education systems may be one reason why 49% of of expat parents in Australia and 64% in New Zealand send their children to local state schools, compared to the global average of just one third.But family life is not all positive as parents in both countries think childcare is expensive. Some 41% of expat parents in New Zealand believe that its affordable, while a mere 8% in Australia feel the same way. Childcare in the region is among the most expensive in the world. Parents in Australia spend 15.7% of their income on childcare, while those in New Zealand spend 29%, making it the second most expensive childcare worldwide.
Hi everyone, I hope you dont mind me posting this on here as I do not live in cyprus. My fiance , my kids and I have just got back from holiday and we loved it. We are getting married out there next year and i am really just looking for some advice on decent but cheaper florists and photographer in that area also hair and makeup that are english spoken. I hope this is ok and I would really appreciate any advice that can be offered.

Much obliged

claire x
desertsunshine said: Hi Sushantv. Have you been able to get your educational certificate attested? I am from Mauritius and recently got a job offer as well. If you did get your certificate attested, could you please let me know how you did it. Thank you Click to expand...

Hi Sushantv or anyone else who can help meI am in the same situation as you were.I got an offer and they need my degree (from the University of Mauritius) to be attested at the Mauritian apostille and UAE embassy in Mauritius and then go to the Ministry of Foreign Affair in Dubai to get it stamped.But the problem is that there is no UAE Embassy in Mauritius, nor Mauritian embassy n UAEI am planning to go back to Mauritius and do the necessary, but I am still not sure what to do afterwards.Could please let me know how you proceed to get the stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affair in Dubai?Many thks for your precious help.
dezzlinem said: Thank you all.



I'm in my 40s. My priority is my family. I'm in facilities Management, cant go into too much detail, as I had my last post removed for advertising myself!!! Security, cleaning waste management... I've been looking at boarder control.



Now, job aside, I may be able to buy a house without a mortgage! I'm hoping anyway... I've considered working part-time while developing a small business too. Just wanting to get the feel of the area from guys and Girls in the know...



I've got an added urgency pushing me to develop a suitable level of French, i.e. not seeing my wife and kids too often, but I agree, living here and leaning it is slower than what it would be if I was in situ. but leaving a fairly well-paid job on the chance of getting on in France!!! Oh the dilemma... thanks for the info so far, you are all stars...



Keep suggestions coming though, you never know, our paths may cross sometime...



Big Don

:frusty: Click to expand...

Hi DonI guess from what you say you run your own company? Certainly you could start your own organisation here...there are various options. However, transplanting your company to find clients in France would be difficult - language, getting your first contract etc.A few ideas....some better than others.1. Learn French....do evening/weekend classes in the UK, take a holiday (ha!) in France in an intensive immersion school....hardwork! If you ask we can give you more ideas. We've all done it!2. Look at the possibility of working for a big company in your business in the UK that has / wants French business. You might be able to get a foot in the door of French working life?3. Can you subcontract some of your work so that you spend some time in France....long weekends etc? From what you say it might be difficult to do that in your line of work.....but if you want to live in France you have to think outside the proverbial box.4. Many people commute Paris / London and reverse on the Eurostar. For a limited time you might be able do something like that. Beware that some French regional airports only fly to the UK in summer (or winter for skiing). It's very tiring and expensive doing this for a long time, but people do it.5. I support Bev's comments about using the French family. Go for this in a big and unembarrassed way. For what it's worth I've helped people professionally find jobs after reduncancy. The technique is to go through your address book, Christmas card list, business friends etc ...and use these contacts to generate more contacts..... The trick is not to ask for a job...because the easy answer is "no". You ask if they know anyone who could help you....they are then under a moral pressure to give you a name or two. However, it may well be a long, slow and painful grind. You will need a good CV in French...separate subject for discussion!PS several big shops here in Rouen (IKEA, big bookshops...FNAC, theatres etc) have bag checking heavies when you go in. They must get this service from someone?Good luckDejW
ntoolan said: ...I'm still not sure if the visa is a document attached to the passport or as stamp on a visa page. Click to expand...

by the Consulate

ntoolan said: So what would happen if I have a visa with a certain arrival date but I actually arrive earlier?... Click to expand...

NancyYour "visa" is permanently affixed to one of the pages of your US Passport. When we applied for the Visa, the Consulate required that we leave our US Passport with them until they'd granted or rejected our request for the Visa.As far as I know, there's no arrival date on one's Visa. There is a date, if memory serves, on which the Visa was granted. During our interview, we were advised to be prepared to go to France within a few weeks of the Visa being granted (3 weeks comes to mind...but I don't really remember for sure). It would be useful to ask the Consulate if there's a required or recommended amount of time to move to France.If the Consulate still keeps one's US Passport and you wanted to go to France before receiving your Visa, you'd need to request it back in order to travel internationally. If they return it to you before the Visa application is processed, you'd have it in hand, of course. In either case, though, you would have to return to the US to the French Consulate to have the Visa attached to your US Passport.As a result, it doesn't seem possible you'd arrive in France "early"...you'd simply arrive as a tourist who'd have to return to the US.If the Consultate still retains one's US Passport while deciding whether to accept or decline one's request, I strongly recommend you ask the Consultate whether requesting your Passport back before they've concluded their deliberations will void your request for a Visa.Good luck.Ray
mogo51 said: No doubt this has been discussed previously. After nearly 3 months here in Philippines, I have come to the conclusion they are arguably the worst drivers in the world.

I did not think I would find worse than Thailand, but I was wrong.

The propensity for continual unsafe overtaking just for the sole purpose it would seem, to get one car further up the queue, is non sensical as far as I am concerned.

Yes I am getting old and slowing down, not in any great hurry these days, but I liken Philippine drivers as akin to Kamakaze pilots!!! Click to expand...

Mogo51, I agree with you entirely. This is got to be the birth place of the world craziest and most dangerous drivers. I drove huge 18 wheeler semi trucks and charter bus in the States for years. It takes the experience of millions of miles of professional driving to stay safe driving anything here. Below is a post (in part) on that subject that I made back in 2010. My opinion has not changed except there are more unlicensed drivers now making it even more dangerous than back then:_______________________________________________The very best advice that can be given to a foreign visitor about driving in the Philippines is dont! Dont even think about it. Even if you are a professional driver of 80,000 pound semi trucks with two million miles under your belt; dont drive in the Philippines.The right hand driving pattern is used here as it is in America and Canada etc. The road markings and highway signs are pretty much the same. And even the traffic laws are much the same as most western countries.But that is where the similarities end.For reasons too numerous to go into in this short post I will just say that no matter what happens; no matter who is at fault in a traffic accident here. You, as the foreigner will almost always be found in the wrong. Even if you can show proof that you were not at fault, chances are you will still be held at fault and responsible by police for repairs and medical expenses of the other party.Sounds crazy, but their philosophy is that as a foreigner, if you were not in the country the accident would not have happened in the first place!Having said that; it is important to also note that I have been living in the Philippines for the past seven years and breaking my own rule the entire time.So far, I have been very lucky and have had only one minor accident in that time. And be sure to always wear a helmet when driving. The police are always on the lookout for the unsuspecting foreigner that is in violation of any law they can think of.If you are caught and fined in cash for a violation of any kind; it will give new meaning to the expression of support your local police as you will leave the scene knowing you have just bought the officers lunch or helped put food on the table in the home of one of his many wives he is working so hard to support
This question can only be answered by the respective US Embassy/Consulate after review of your application which includes reason for travel, ties to home country and previous applications.



I am still waiting for details on B1 in lieu of H1.
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San Antonio residents would no longer be able to tether their dogs with chains or leave them tied up outdoors unless the dog has shaded shelter and clean water, under proposed changes to the citys animal ordinance.

If tethered, a dog would need to have 150 square feet of unobstructed space. The tying device could not weigh more than 1/10th the animals weight. Additionally, dogs in heat, puppies, sick or injured animals could not be tethered.

Animal Care Services officers also would have expanded authority to impound animals in cases where theyre sold at unauthorized sites and in cases where their owners repeatedly violate permit or spay/neuter requirements.

In addition, officers would have the authority to cite residents for repeatedly noisy dogs. Thats defined as dogs who can be heard from 100 yards away or inside a home, and barks continuously for at least 20 minutes on two separate occasions.

Other changes involve increasing the number of fowl a San Antonio resident can keep at home from three to eight, but only one could be a rooster. Additionally, each chicken would have to have 6 square feet of space in the coop.

The San Antonio city council is expected to vote on the changes at its Oct. 5 meeting.

In presenting the proposal to the council last week, Animal Care Services Director Heber Lefgren noted it was based on input gathered from the public over eight months at community meetings and via an online survey. ACS said 1,073 surveys were completed.

The community expressed that more changes were desired, Lefgren said.

The ACS director said if approved, there would be a grace period and educational outreach for the updated ordinance requirements from October through February. The changes would go into effect March 2018.

Other proposed changes involve dogs deemed by a judge to be dangerous/aggressive. The ordinance as written now requires owners of those dogs to have a special permit, post warning signs on the property and muzzle the dog in public.

Under the new ordinance, owners also would have to attend a responsible pet ownership class and wouldnt be able to transfer ownership of the animal to anyone else. And the animal would have to be spayed or neutered before its returned to the owner.

Much of the public input involved proposed changes to the rules governing poultry.

The main areas of disagreement included the number of allowable hens a resident could own. Currently, the ordinance allows a resident to own three fowl.

Lefgren said ACS had conferred with the Food Policy Council that supported increasing the number of fowl to eight and listened to the call for change based on feedback from the public and the backyard chicken owner community.

District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran inquired about the recommended area of space for eight fowl.

Is there any space requirements for that? she asked.

Lefgren said that under the revised code, a resident would need a coop that allows 6 feet of space per bird.

Another modification to limits includes requiring 450 square feet of unobstructed space per dog for an excess animal permit.

Recommended changes for spaying and neutering include surgeries for repeat violators, animals roaming on a leash and animals found without a litter or a sellers permit.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg asked Lefgren to clarify the term roaming on a leash. Lefgren defined it as a pet that has a leash thats not attached to a person.

Councilman Rey Saldana questioned how ACS would handle barking dogs at night and whether a resident could call to report someone.

Lefgren said the ordinance would cover a three to four month period. ACS officers would talk to neighbors and collect evidence before issuing a citation.

This is not a recommendation to say, if a dog barks once well be out there, Legren said. This provides an additional tool to help the community.

At the presentation, city manager Sheryl Sculley noted that ACS impounds more than 30,000 pets each year. She said that with support from the city council and community partners, the citys current live release rate is 91 percent as compared to less than 10 percent a decade ago.

She said that over the years, the city has updated its strategic plan, which was prepared with input from the public, the ACS advisory board, and local nonprofits. The plan focuses on enforcement, controlling the pet population through spay/neuter services, increasing the live release rate and community education and engagement.

vtdavis@express-news.net
WASHINGTON - Jay Hulings, one of four Democrats seeking to challenge U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, next year, has won endorsements from alliances totaling some 80 U.S. House Democrats.

The New Democratic Coalition and the Blue Dog Coalition, both of which draw self-described moderate and conservative Democrats to their ranks, announced a series of endorsements of candidates aiming to challenge incumbent Republicans in 2018.

Hulings was among 12 challengers endorsed Monday by NewDemPAC, the funding arm of the New Democratic Coalition. Those receiving the PACs blessing included Jana Lynne Sanchez, who is campaigning to challenge veteran GOP Rep. Joe Barton of Arlington.

U.S. Rep. Scott Peters of California, who heads the PAC, said it supports candidates who reject partisan gridlock to work together to build an economy that leaves no American behind.

The New Democratic group claims 61 members, among them Reps. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, and Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.

The Blue Dog Coalition, an alliance that has seen its ranks thinned over the years due to losses and redistricting, included Hulings on a list of eight candidates the group describes as its first wave of endorsements.

Hulings, 42, of San Antonio resigned last month as an assistant U.S. attorney to make the race against Hurd. He said in a release that he is thrilled at the endorsements and that the status quo is no longer acceptable in Washington.

Hurd is in his second term in the sprawling 23rd District, which stretches from Bexar County to the eastern edge of El Paso. Democrats nationally are expected to once again invest heavily in the district, won in 2016 by presidential Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Rick Trevino, another Democrat seeking to challenge Hurd, said he expects to win endorsements  but perhaps not from Washington politicians. Trevino, 32, resigned last month as a history and geography teacher at Sam Houston High School in San Antonio.

I find it interesting that people running in District 23 in Texas are courting Washington, he said. Washington has gotten it wrong time and time again.

Gina Ortiz Jones, a San Antonian and former Air Force intelligence officer who also is campaigning to challenge Hurd, said she is seeking endorsements from several U.S. House members.

Jones, 36, raised by a single mother who arrived in the United States from the Philippines, noted that she won the endorsement of the Asian American Action Fund, a Democratic-aligned organization.

blambrecht@express-news.net
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Violent crime spiked to a 31-year high in the city of San Antonio last year, according to FBI data released Monday, but the violence wasnt confined to the city.

Over half of the regions municipalities  most notably Schertz, Seguin, Selma, Hondo and New Braunfels  saw increases from the previous year in violent crime, which includes homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

But its not all bad news: The numbers are still fairly low in comparison to large cities nationwide, and almost all the regions cities  besides San Antonio  reported no homicides.

Overall, it appears that crime is on a downhill trend, said David Ferguson, communications coordinator for the New Braunfels Police Department. Thats not to say there arent victims of crime. There certainly are. But I certainly dont feel anyone feels unsafe in New Braunfels.

In January, the San Antonio Express-News reported that homicides in the city of San Antonio spiked to 149, a 21-year high, based on preliminary data provided at the time. The per capita homicide rate, 10.8 per 100,000 people, also jumped to the highest it has been in 20 years.

The FBI data, which is a compilation of crimes reported to the FBIs Uniform Crime Reporting program by law enforcement agencies from across the nation, provides a better picture of crime in the region as a whole.

An Express-News analysis of the data, the most recent numbers available, also shows:

Violent crime increased in 17 of the 30 local municipalities with populations over 1,000 people. Many of those increases were minor, but not so in Schertz, Seguin, Selma, Hondo and New Braunfels.

In those cities, the increase in violent crime can be attributed mainly to an increase in aggravated assault. Homicides in each of the cities were still low, ranging from zero to four a year.

Hondo reported one of the sharpest increase in rapes  13  up from one in 2015.

After adding in type-one crimes  which include violent crimes plus burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny and arson  19 out of the 30 municipalities reported that crime went up. The FBI tracks type-one offenses because they are considered the most serious crimes, and they are the most likely to be reported to police.

Among the 19 were Selma, Bulverde, La Vernia, Terrell Hills and Universal City. Places with significant decreases include Floresville, New Braunfels, Pleasanton and Hollywood Park.

The overall rise in crime mirrors a national trend; there were 1.2 million violent crimes committed nationally in 2016, a 4 percent increase from the year before and the second year in a row that violent crime has increased.

However, criminal justice experts and law enforcement officials typically caution against rushing to judgment. Its normal for violent crime and homicides to fluctuate from year to year, sometimes without an apparent cause.

Additionally, violent crime and homicides have generally decreased in the past two decades; they both remain much lower than in the 1980s and 1990s.

Any increase in crime is a cause for concern, Ferguson said. Its something the Police Department is aware of. But if you look at the numbers  its an overall decrease.

Why the increases?

In New Braunfels and Selma, where there were notable increases in violent crime, officials say the cities are still very safe. Overall, the number of violent offenses are much lower than in other cities nationwide, they say.

Officials in Schertz and Seguin, also cities with more violent crime, did not immediately respond to an interview request for this story.

In New Braunfels, violent crime climbed from 175 offenses in 2015 to 207 last year, an 18 percent increase. At the same time, type-one crimes decreased by 14 percent, according to the data.

Ferguson, the communications coordinator, credits the overall decrease to good police work and residents who actively report crime.

Even though we are growing by leaps and bounds, that small-town mentality still exists, Ferguson said. It plays a part in why weve seen a decrease in type-one crimes over the last three years.

Crime in San Antonio-area cities, 2016 Search for a city to see the number of crimes committed in 2016, by crime type. City Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter Rape Robbery Aggravated assault Property crime Burglary Larceny theft Motor vehicle theft Arson Source: Federal Bureau of Investigations Credit: Annie Millerbernd

The department touts several crime prevention programs, including a rape defense class for women and a campaign to get residents to properly lock their vehicles. Motor vehicle theft increased to 181 offenses last year, up from 164 the previous year.

In Selma, both violent crime and type-one crimes have increased, according to the data.

Police Chief Dave Padula blames crime on transient offenders who come from the outskirts of San Antonio trying to escape the San Antonio Police Department.

Padula said patrol officers keep up to date with the current crime trends and that they know what to look for. The department focuses on community outreach so residents feel comfortable calling police.

Our officers do a good job of patrolling our neighborhoods, he said. They focus on patrolling our neighborhoods more than anything else. They will act on it. They are proactive, as well.

eeaton@express-news.net | Twitter: @emilieeaton
WASHINGTON - Texas Republican Kevin Brady and a cadre of congressional tax writers working behind closed doors Monday put the finishing touches on an ambitious tax overhaul being billed as the biggest rewrite of the U.S. tax code since President Ronald Reagan was in office.

This is an exciting week for people across the country who have waited for more than 30 years for Washington to fix the broken U.S. tax code, said Brady, of The Woodlands.

The tax plan came together as the House was poised to vote separately to approve a wide-ranging set of temporary tax benefits for hurricane victims from Texas to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Details of the tax overhaul, however, remained under wraps Monday, pending a scheduled speech Wednesday by President Donald Trump to rally support for a long-simmering GOP agenda of deep business and individual tax cuts.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president will lay out the details at his speech in Indiana. These details will include specific proposed rates for individuals, small businesses, and corporations, and he will also discuss the elimination of loopholes that have rigged the current tax code in favor of the wealthy and well-connected, she said.

The speech is scheduled the same day the Senate is set to vote on the latest GOP effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, allowing Trump to pivot quickly to tax reform in the event the health care vote should fail.

The tax effort, meanwhile, has been sharply criticized by Democrats who say the proposed tax cuts will benefit the wealthy and large corporations at the expense of health and social benefits for the low and middle classes.

Like the health care repeal fiasco, Republicans appear intent on pushing through a partisan tax break for those at the top, said Texas U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. Brady, who chairs the committee, held a retreat over the weekend ahead of the expected rollout. Committee Democrats, however, were not invited.

Though much of the debate has focused on tax cuts, Brady has concentrated much of his attention on simplifying the tax code by eliminating what he calls special interest deductions and credits - possibly putting into play or limiting popular write-offs for mortgage interest and state and local taxes.

Texans, who pay no state income taxes, save an estimated $1.2 billion a year claiming the sales tax deduction on their federal returns. While that would likely go away, Brady says lower federal tax rates would more than make up for it.

But the outline being released this week is expected to focus mainly on tax rates, leaving out many other policy decisions, such as whether to offset revenues lost from tax cuts.

A framework, Brady said, is just that.

Republicans have been divided on how to pay for tax cuts and not add to the national debt over the next decade. Prominent conservatives like Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz argue that the promised economic benefits of tax cuts will pay for themselves, a proposition that many Democrats find dubious.

The sticky issue of making tax cuts revenue neutral is likely to remain a significant stumbling block as Republican leaders try to pass a comprehensive tax reform plan by the end of the year.

Brady said his goal is permanency, which may mean balancing the budget over the next decade.

From the get-go, we know that tax reform done right creates economic growth, Brady said. That should be accurately measured and be part of our discussion. We also know that our budget in Washington has been nonsensical for too long.

Brady, one of the Big Six on tax reform, was recently forced to abandon a 20 percent import tax as a way to raise new revenues to pay for tax cuts.

The import tax proposal, known as a border adjustment tax, divided Republicans and the business community over much of the summer, leading to its demise.

Conservatives also have split on a proposal for more generous and rapid business expensing rules, which could help some businesses at the expense of deeper tax cuts for others.

According to leaked reports of the latest Republican blueprint, the plan is to cut the top individual tax rate to 35 percent from 39.6 percent and the top corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent.

Trump has called for dropping the top corporate rate even lower, to 15 percent, though it appears that the White House might go along with a more modest cut.

Trump also has made vague suggestions about focusing tax cuts on the middle class and foregoing tax cuts for some of the wealthiest taxpayers in the nation. Those remarks have called into question whether there is any agreement yet among GOP negotiators about the highest individual rate.

Trump had a private dinner Monday with a group of outside conservative leaders, with tax reform reportedly on the agenda.

Brady, for his part, said he will continue pressing for the lowest rate possible.
BRACKETTVILLE  It just might be that this thinly populated ranching community about 130 miles west of San Antonio simply isnt big enough for two practicing lawyers.

This summer, Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan and County Attorney Todd Durden started butting heads during county budget deliberations.

Shahan, 72, who had been critical of the first-term county attorneys attendance and work ethic, sought a big wage cut for both Durden and his secretary.

Durden, who took office in January, was hoping for a big raise from his $40,731 annual salary in exchange for taking on more legal work. Like the county judge, he also receives a sizable salary supplement from the state.

Instead, Durden said, at the final budget hearing on Sept. 11, he was blindsided when the commissioners started talking about reducing his salary, a matter he claims was not on the agenda.

Out of the blue, without any forewarning, they started bringing it up for discussion again. I told them, this is illegal, you have to have specific notice, he said.

After Durden walked out of the meeting, the commissioners voted to whack his pay by 20 percent. The next day he sued them in district court, claiming the action violated the Open Meetings Act, which requires a detailed agenda.

I felt I had no choice. They took illegal action to deprive me of a salary I am entitled to, he said.

On Sept. 12, State District Judge Enrique Fernandez approved a temporary restraining order sought by Durden, putting the brakes on any reductions in his salary or his secretarys by the county commissioners.

Durden followed up a day later by filing a motion to have Shahan recused from presiding over county court where Durden is the prosecutor.

The motion claimed that Shahans impartiality might be questioned because of derogatory remarks he has allegedly made about Durden, including that he is absent from office and is not earning his paycheck.

Attached to Durdens motion was an affidavit from defense lawyer Ruben Nino who described Shahan insulting Durden recently in open court over his performance as a prosecutor.

I remember the Courtroom got really quiet when the Judge was berating Mr. Durden because everyone was paying attention, he wrote in his affidavit.

In Shahans answer to the recusal motion, he claimed that many people besides him have called attention to Durdens shortcomings, which include a lack of attendance, lack of courtesy and lack of prosecution as well as his one week per month attendance.

Since July 21, 2017, the County Attorney has filed only six cases in County Court when the normal filings are three to five cases per week, asserted Shahan, who also noted that he has been county judge or county attorney for the last 35 years.

According to the county clerks office, Durden had filed 94 misdemeanor criminal cases through Tuesday, a significantly lower rate than his predecessor, who filed 175 cases during all of last year.

On Tuesday, with more than two dozen people in the courtroom, Fernandez heard more than three hours of testimony on Durdens request to have the temporary restraining order made into an injunction.

Both Durden and Shahan were called as witnesses, with each presenting contradictory accounts of what has transpired since Durden took office on Jan. 9.

When I have criminal court, hes ill-prepared. Im not sure he knows whats in his cases, testified Shahan, who was county attorney for 32 years.

Shahan went on to paint Durden as a largely absentee county official who spends most of his time tending to his private practice near Fort Worth.

In his closing argument, Durden said the case isnt about him, its about protecting the public.

This is a democracy. Its government of the people and they have a right to know whats going on with their government. Thats why we have open meetings acts, he said.

Durden also disputed the charges that he is neglecting his county duties, saying it is a part-time position and he must maintain a private practice to support his family.

He said he is now winding down his practice in Keller to become a full-time resident of Kinney County and hopes to open a private practice in Del Rio or Uvalde.

Brackettville is a small town. There is not a big legal market there, and there is already one attorney there, the county judge, he said.

Fernandez said he would rule on the case by Friday.
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The only reward a young, scavenging skunk received for pursuing a taste of fast food in a dumpster was greasy fur and a short nap.

Monday afternoon, the skunk, trying to get a midday snack, got himself wedged in a drain hole at the bottom of a blue dumpster in the 200 block of Spencer Lane. His head was inside, but he couldnt get the rest of his body through the drain.

After 1 p.m., Animal Care Services officer Carolyn Pelke responded to a call from a storage unit worker. She found the animals four legs and full tail with distinctive white stripe wriggling outside of the opening. Pelke tried to get the squealing animal back out through the drain, but his ears prevented his head from slipping through.

Pelke called for backup from ACS veterinarian Dr. Monica Gil. With the skunk in distress, the pair acted to make sure it didnt feel threatened and spray them with its signature foul scent.

Gil sedated the young skunk before applying a thin coat of mineral oil around its head. Then Pelke worked from the inside of the rusty dumpster to gently ease each ear out of the tight space and Gil, working from the outside, gently pulled the skunks head out into the open.

ACS spokeswoman Lisa Norwood said as soon as the skunk was free, he picked his head up and stood on his own. Gil estimated the skunk was eight months old. By 4 p.m., ACS had transported the young skunk to Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation.

It didnt end the way he wanted to, Norwood said, noting the little beast didnt get the fast food leftovers he was after. Hes safe at Wildlife Rescue and thats the outcome we wanted.

Norwood said that in the last month, ACS officers have rescued a half-dozen animals from dumpsters, including raccoons and a bird. She said the rescues will continue as San Antonio continues to grow and housing developments encroach on animal habitats.

There will absolutely be a time when everyone of us will come in contact with wildlife, she said, and we need to figure out how we can all live together.

vtdavis@express-news.net
AUSTIN  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has formally notified Texas and 20 other states that hackers targeted them prior to the 2016 presidential election. But the ones who tried to mess with Texas didnt get very far, officials with the Texas secretary of states office said Monday.

Instead of targeting the states voter registration database, hackers in 2016 searched for a vulnerability on the secretary of states public-facing website, federal agents said, according to Sam Taylor, an agency spokesman.

If anyone was trying to get into the elections system, they were apparently targeting the wrong website, Taylor said.

The website, www.sos.state.tx.us, is devoid of information on voters, he said, and hackers never found a way to crack into it.

After nearly a year of speculation, the notice received Friday from the Department of Homeland Security was the first time the federal government confirmed to states they were targeted by hackers in the runup to the election

A department official told Congress in June that states were targeted, but declined to disclose which ones. Some election systems were hacked but not manipulated, according to the testimony.

The other states were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, according to the Associated Press.

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials have concluded that Russian attempts to interfere with the 2016 election were widespread. Investigations by the Justice Department and congressional committees into possible ties to it by associates of President Donald Trump have dogged the administration for months.

According to testimony before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, the Department of Homeland Security began finding incidents of scanning and probing of state and local election systems in August 2016. A declassified report from national intelligence officials released in January stated that Russian intelligence obtained and maintained access to elements of multiple U.S. state or local electoral boards.

There is no complacency in Texas when it comes to protecting the security of our elections system. We take our responsibility to guard against any and all threats to the integrity of elections extremely seriously and will continue to do so, Secretary of State Rolando Pablos said.

North Texas media outlets reported in June that the Dallas County election administrator confirmed 17 attempts to hack their servers in October. Officials said staff cross-checked hundreds of suspicious or Russia-linked IP addresses provided by the Department of Homeland Security with those that attempted to access county servers.

The secretary of states office said there was no evidence of any attempts or targeting of Dallas countys elections systems, but the elections administrator there, Toni Pippins-Poole, stood by early reports that there were attempted hacks. None penetrated the countys system, she said.

Our voter registration and our website were not compromised in any way, she said.

Andrea Zelinski@chron.com | Houston Chronicle Staff Writer Mihir Zaveri contributed to this report.
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus reacted with trademark composure on Saturday to news that members of the Bexar County Republican Party will seek to censure him next month.

I dont think its going to happen, he said onstage at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin.

Straus, R-San Antonio, is confident for good reason. Hes popular in his district, where he trounced his most viable opponent last year by a 32-point margin. Further, the campaign to censure the business-friendly Republican is opposed by Bexar County Republican Party Chairman Robert Stovall, who called it a ridiculous idea on Monday and warned it would backfire.

Over the weekend, a committee of four precinct chairs hand-picked by Stovall blocked a version of the resolution to censure Straus, sending it back to its authors for technical modifications, the chairman said.

Nonetheless, goaded by longtime Straus antagonists in Austin, a small faction of local GOP precinct chairs is seeking a vote to censure Straus at an Oct. 9 meeting of the County Executive Committee. The same faction managed to pass a separate anti-Straus resolution in July calling for a change in leadership in the Texas House speakership.

The looming resolution accuses Straus of abusing his authority as speaker in order to subvert the Texas Republican Partys conservative platform.

If successful, this resolution will be forwarded to the State Republican Party Executive Committee to be adopted as a statewide rebuke of the Speaker, stated a letter signed by six precinct chairs.

Patty Gibbons, a local precinct chair who supports the resolution, told me the speaker should be more focused on social issues, such as curtailing transgender, homosexual rights, as well as supporting marriage, prayer in school.

Hes veered too much over to the left and not to the right, Gibbons said. He appoints a lot of Democrats who are too liberal to chair committees, and he directs the calendar in the House to stay away from issues that would be more right in nature  and thats starting to be irritating to people on the far right of the party.

Straus, who once served as a precinct chair in Bexar County, addressed this criticism at the Texas Tribune Festival.

What I do try to do is appoint committee chairs who have good judgment and let the process work, he told Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith. Everybody wants their bills to pass, but when you look at the percentage rate of bills that pass versus the ones that are introduced, its a very low percentage. Thats a fact of life in a process that was built to make it difficult to pass a bill.

In response to the effort to censure him, Straus said, When I place my hand on the Bible and I raise my right hand on the first day of the session, I pledge to uphold the Constitution of the United States and of this state, and not any party conventions platform.

As he seeks a record-setting sixth term as speaker, Straus hasnt tried to hide his distaste for socially conservative legislation. At the same time, Straus has focused on laws that make a real difference in peoples lives, he said, such as reforms in foster care and mental health services.

They arent necessarily the issues that get people all lathered up at party conventions, Straus said.

Straus, nonetheless, is getting people all lathered up, notably Empower Texans, a tea-party group thats been targeting him for years. According to Stovall, representatives from the group have been going around Texas trying to persuade other local parties to pass similar resolutions denouncing Straus.

These guys are not giving up, Stovall said. Im expecting theyre going to show up to our meeting to try to intimidate people.

Stovall mentioned another outside influence spurring the resolution to censure Straus: local conservative Jeff Judson, who is not a precinct chair, he said, and who lost miserably the last time he ran against (Straus).

As a candidate last year, Judson accused Straus of murder for not opposing so-called sanctuary cities. He lost by a 32-point margin.

The local anti-Straus agitators comprise a small percentage of Bexar County precinct chairs. Nonetheless, due to poor attendance of the meeting in July, they proved robust enough to pass the previous resolution denouncing Straus.

As he urges more precinct chairs to show up next month, Stovall is citing that embarrassing outcome.

I said, Well, thats why its important that we have these meetings and its important that you be there, Stovall said.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
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Dona Liston was determined to uncover the interior of a castle, buried behind the walls and paneling of the 19th-century mansion in Government Hill shed bought with her husband, Pat. After months of research help from the University of Texas at San Antonio and reading Mary Carolyn Hollers Georges book on the homes designer, they contacted her husband, architect W. Eugene George, who agreed to visit with Liston and suggest ways to uncover the structures hidden luster.

The house will tell you where things go, Liston recalled George saying, during the one-and-a-half-hour tour of the home at 950 E. Grayson St.

For more than a year, Liston and her team scoured the four-story manse and basement, thumping walls, eyeing wooden floors and tapping lowered ceilings to find arches, doorways and stairways.

The owners restored the original decor along with the homes storied name, The Lambermont. After several owners, the Listons and more than 50 contractors renovated the 8,000-plus-square-foot mansion into a special events venue, marrying modern conveniences with Victorian-era craftsmanship. Located across from Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, the home sits on an acre of land with a brick carriage house.

Everything here is about preserve and protect, said Liston, 54. Lots of people are surprised that its back to the original footprint. It always does my heart good when people come through and have praises about the house and the experience.

Edwin Holland Terrell, a U.S. ambassador to Belgium during President Benjamin Harrisons term, fell in love with the Belgian castles and French chateaus while living in Europe with his first wife, Mary Maverick, and their six children. Maverick died in Brussels in 1891. She was the daughter of Samuel A. Maverick.

In 1894, Terrell commissioned English architect Alfred Giles to design a castle for his second bride, Lois Lasater. Residents called it the Terrell Castle; he named it The Lambermont, after an associate in Belgium, Baron Augusta Lambermont. Giles, who designed buildings at Fort Sam Houston and other structures in Mexico and the Southwest, included amenities in the limestone-block home such as nine fireplaces, a wine cellar and cornices above each door. The second floor had six bedrooms; the third floor had four bedrooms and a ballroom with a parquet floor.

The family lived in the 26-room, limestone-block castle until Terrell died in 1910. The building then was empty until 1917, a year that started a succession of owners who created apartments for military families, separate living spaces and a bed-and-breakfast.

According to historical records, Lucille Bonnett turned every room into bedrooms until 1926, when the home was sold and changed back to a single-family home. In the 1950s and 1960s, Ursula Samuels converted the rooms into apartments, lined with tiles of pink, a popular color of the era.

By the mid-1980s, conservationists were nervous that the house, then for sale, would end up leveled by a wrecking ball. Their fears were relieved when Diane and Victor Smilgin bought the mansion in the mid-1990s as the Terrell Castle Bed and Breakfast, hosting military promotion parties, graduations and weddings.

Listons first glimpse of the property came late one night nine years ago, when she and her husband lived in Harlingen. He turned his computer screen around to show her the building that was featured at Ranchline.com, a website with ranches for sale. She said their research started that night.

Pat Liston and their daughter, Erica Vasquez, attended an auction in San Antonio, where, Dona Liston said, her husband put in the winning bid of the day for less than $1,000,000. The home originally cost $16,500, according to historical records.

After the sale was finalized, the Listons thought it would take one year to renovate the mansion, but it turned into a three-year restoration project.

Vasquez, 32, stayed in the home for one year, with her dog, a lab mix named 24-Karat, to start the renovation process, pulling down wallpaper and knocking on walls and cutting out holes. She said the community, many homes outfitted with burglar bars, was undergoing a resurgence and that they were inspired to be a part of the improvements on the way.

Its amazing what this neighborhood has done in those years; we love it,  Vasquez said. At that time, it was just empty fields and empty car lots. We knew this neighborhood was on the up and up.

Liston said she would walk with the contractors through the home and ask that they care for it with respect.

Treat her like youd treat a 116-year-old grandmother, Liston recalled telling the artisans and workers. Its OK if she has some wrinkles.

In 2012, the San Antonio Conservation Society recognized The Lambermont and several other restoration projects with the historic preservation awards for the Built Environment.

Liston said it was a relief to start bookings for weddings. Wedding parties often occupy the rooms throughout the home on weekends. Theres a rehearsal dinner, the bridal party spends the night upstairs and the grooms party stays in the carriage house. On the day of the wedding, theres a wedding ceremony outside on the green, lush property, and then the couple spend their honeymoon in the upper floor, decorated with hand-carved wood furnishings.

Liston said they will open the home Dec. 6 for a Christmas, Cupcakes and Cocktails fundraiser for St. Pauls Montessori School and that guests will be able to tour the mansion.

Throughout the years, former residents have returned to share the homes history and personal stories. Liston pulled out a handwritten letter from a niece of one of the early owners, who recalled a memorable afternoon at the mansion. She wrote that they were on the third floor and waved at a group of men cleaning a yard across the street at Fort Sam Houston. She said the men, who waved back, were prisoners of war.

Liston said she has plans to write a book, in which the house is the author, revealing the many things experienced over decades. The last chapter would be a personal journal of peoples experiences at The Lambermont.
The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and the Honourable Andrew Leslie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations), today held a roundtable with Canadian agricultural stakeholders, ranging from beef to dairy to grains.



Our Government will continue to work together with Canadian farmers to ensure trade remains an engine of growth and prosperity for our nations

A strong NAFTA is important for our farmers and our economy, Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said during a press conference. Millions of sector jobs across North America are supported by NAFTA, which has helped grow agricultural trade between our three nations to $85 billion annually.

Discussions focused on how the sector can maximize the benefits of a modernized NAFTA and look at ways to make North America an even stronger agricultural market.

Since NAFTA was signed 23 years ago, North American trade in agriculture and food has quadrupled, and last year North America exported over a quarter of a trillion dollars in agri-food products to the world, added Andrew Leslie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations). Our success in recent decades is due in large part to the value of our trading relationships, and to the hard work of our agriculture and agri-food industries.

NAFTA has nearly quadrupled agricultural trade in North America over the past 25 years, with trilateral trade reaching nearly USD$1 trillion in 2016.

Macaulay concluded by saying, Our Government will continue to work together with Canadian farmers to ensure trade remains an engine of growth and prosperity for our nations.

Source: Meatbusiness
A former executive of Paris-based Alstom was sentenced Monday to 30 months in prison for bribing officials in Indonesia.

Frederic Pierucci, 49, a French citizen, was also fined $20,000.

He appeared in federal court in New Haven, Connecticut.

Judge Janet Bond Arterton gave Pierucci credit for 14 months he already spent in detention.

He was vice president of global sales for an Alstom subsidiary in Windsor, Connecticut.

He pleaded guilty in 2013 to an FCPA conspiracy and a substantive FCPA offense.

The DOJ said Pierucci and other Alstom executives bribed a member of the Indonesian Parliament and officials at Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the state-owned electricity company.

The bribes helped Alstom and its consortium partner Marubeni Corporation win a $118 million contract from PLN.

Alstom pleaded guilty in 2014 to violating the FCPA by bribing officials in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Bahamas. It paid the DOJ $772 million in criminal penalties to settle the charges.

Marubeni pleaded guilty in March 2014 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and seven counts of violating the FCPA. The Japanese trading company paid a criminal fine of $88 million.

Alstoms power generation business was later acquired by General Electric Co.

Three other former Alstom executives were charged in the case. David Rothschild pleaded guilty and is waiting to be sentenced. Charges are still pending against Lawrence Hoskins.

The fourth defendant  William Pomponi  died in 2016.

In the UK, the Serious Fraud Office has charged seven individuals and Alstom Network UK Ltd with bribery-related offenses.

In Switzerland, police arrested a former Alstom manager in 2008 and searched for evidence as part of a corruption and money-laundering probe. Police raided offices near Zurich and in Baden, along with homes in several cantons.

The Swiss attorney general fined Alstom about $40 million in 2011 for corporate negligence for failing to stop overseas bribery.

____

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
Heroines come in many different forms, and it is no less true for medieval heroines. They can be found in all areas of medieval life; from the dutiful wife and daughter to religious devotees, warriors and rulers. What makes them different compared to those of today are the limitations placed on them by those who directed their lives  their fathers, husbands, priests and kings.

Sharon Bennett Connolly

The Medieval Ideal

Matilda of Flanders is the prime example of a perfect medieval woman. She helped to bring a sense of legitimacy to her husband, William Duke of Normandy, a man who, although powerful, was tainted by his illegitimate birth. The marriage proved to be a strong and trusting relationship; William is one of very few medieval kings believed to have been completely faithful to his wife, no known lovers or illegitimate children have ever been uncovered, although that did not stop the rumours. Matilda provided a nursery full of sons and daughters, to ensure the continuation of the dynasty, and was a competent regent of Normandy during her husbands absences in England. Matilda also acted as a peacemaker between William and their eldest son, Robert Curthose and was a generous benefactor to the church, particularly her own foundation, the Abbaye aux Dames (La Trinite) at Caen.

Heroines in Religion

St Margaret was an Anglo-Saxon princess, a great-granddaughter of thelrd II (the Unready), who fled to Scotland following the Norman Conquest of 1066. Although she wanted to dedicate her life to the church, her royal blood meant she was a great prize on the marriage market and she was married, in 1069-70, to Malcolm III Canmor, King of Scotland. Margaret used her position and influence as queen in order to help reform the Scottish church, steering it away from Celtic influences and bringing it in line with Western Catholicism. She was supported in all her reforms by her husband. Educated and knowledgeable, Margaret was able to confidently debate with the leaders of the Scottish church; she embarrassed some of the clerics by knowing more about the proper procedures of the Church than they did and even had the papal manuals to quote from. Margaret was a strong figure; she was pious but also worldly-wise. She and Malcom would have a large family, with six sons and two daughters growing to adulthood. Margaret died three days after the siege of Alnwick, in 1093, possibly on receiving the news of the deaths of her husband and eldest son.

Mistresses and Scandal

You wouldnt automatically think of a mistress as being a heroine, but these were the women who gave up everything  their future and reputations  for the sake of the men they loved. Katherine Swynford became the mistress of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster and third son of Edward III, shortly after the deaths of her husband and his wife. She bore him four children, three sons and a daughter; she watched him marry another woman  Constance of Castile  and go off to fight for her crown. At one stage she was publicly put aside when Gaunts popularity was at a low ebb; but she remained faithful throughout and eventually won her prince. Katherine married her duke in Lincoln Cathedral in 1396 and their children were legitimised by the pope later in the same year. Through her Beaufort children by John of Gaunt, Katherine was the great-grandmother of kings of England and Scotland. She died in May, 1403, and was buried in Lincoln Cathedral; her daughter, Joan Beaufort, countess of Westmoreland, would eventually be laid to rest beside her.

The Pawns

The youngest daughter of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Joanna of England was born in 1165. At the age of 12 she was married to William II, king of Sicily, in Palermo Cathedral. Their baby son was born  and died  in 1181 and William himself died in 1189. Williams illegitimate nephew seized the throne, imprisoning Joanna in order to gain control of her dowry. She was rescued by her brother, Richard the Lionheart, who called at Sicily on his way to the Third Crusade. Travelling to the Holy Land with Richard, she was at one stage offered as a bride to Saladins brother to cement peace. However, she flatly refused to consider marrying a Muslim. When she returned to Europe, she was married to Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse, in 1196 in an attempt to bring that prestigious county into the Plantagenet fold. Raymond was far from the ideal husband, having married his third wife without divorcing his second. This third wife was now confined to a convent so that he could marry Joanna. In 1199 and pregnant, Joanna was hurt during a siege against Raymonds rebel barons, she sought refuge with her mother in Rouen, where she died giving birth to her son Richard, who only lived long enough to be baptized. Mother and son were buried together at Fontevraud Abbey.

Captive Heroines

The only daughter of Eleanor de Montfort and Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, the last native prince of Wales, Gwenllian was born on 19th June 1282; her mother Eleanor died 2 days later. Following the defeat and death of her father, in December 1282 and the capture of her uncle, Dafydd, Gwenllian was taken into the custody of the King of England, Edward I. A potentially powerful symbol of Welsh resistance the little Welsh princess was sent to be raised at a convent far away from her homeland, at Sempringham in Lincolnshire; where she eventually became a nun. She died there on 7th June 1337, the last of her fathers line, her grave lost following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. She was probably never allowed to speak, hear or learn her native language. As a heroine, Gwenllian is still loved; in 2009 a Welsh mountain was named after her in Snowdonia and she even has her own society, who had a memorial plaque placed where the priory once stood at Sempringham.

Warrior Heroines

Nicholaa de la Haye was an incomparable heroine. She held Lincoln Castle during not two sieges; the first against King Richard Is justiciar, William Longchamp in 1191 and the second during the 1216-17 invasion of the Dauphin Louis of France, in support of the rebel barons in the First Barons War. A stalwart ally of King John, Nicholaa held out against the French force for almost three months, long enough for William Marshal, regent for young Henry III and Earl of Pembroke, to form a relief force which destroyed Louis army, commanded by the Comte de Perche, on 20th May 1217 in a battle which has since become known as the Lincoln Fair. In a monumental display of ingratitude Nicholaa was relieved of her position as Sheriff of Lincoln and castellan of the castle just four days after the battle. Although in her 60s, Nicholaa refused to take this laying down and travelled to the court of King Henry III to recover her position. A compromise was reached whereby Nicholaa retained the castle, but the Earl of Salisbury kept control of the city itself.

Women Who Ruled

Adela of Normandy was the daughter of Englands first Norman king, William the Conqueror, and his wife, Matilda of Flanders. Born in the mid-1060s she was married, in about 1081, to Stephen of Blois, count of Blois and Champagne and the couple had about eleven children together. Letters between the couple attest to a deep affection. Adela was a capable administrator and took charge of her husbands domains when he left on the First Crusade in 1095. She was instrumental in Stephen returning to the Holy Land in 1101, having returned home without fully completing his Crusader vows. Stephen was killed at the Siege of Ramallah in 1102 and Adela took on the role of regent for her son. Even after Theobald came of age, mother and son ruled jointly until Adela retired from public life in 1120. An able administrator and negotiator, Adela settled many disputes among monasteries, and even between monasteries and laymen, she was praised her skills as negotiator and peacemaker. An avid patroness of the arts, the book Ecclesiastical History Together with the Deeds of the Romans and the Franks, written by Hugh of Fleury, was dedicated to Adela. Aged almost 70, and having been a widow for half of her life, Adela of Normandy died in 1137, having lived to see her son, Stephen, claim the throne of England in 1135.

True Love

Joan of Acre was a daughter of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile. Born in the Holy Land in 1272 while her parents were participating in the Ninth Crusade, she was first married to Gilbert de Clare, earl of Hereford and Gloucester, in 1290; Joan was 18 years old while Gilbert was 46. The marriage lasted five years, and produced one son and three daughters, before Gilbert died in December 1295. As her father set about finding Joan a politically acceptable new husband, the young princess took matters into her own hands. After sending her late husbands squire, Ralph de Monthermer to the king to be knighted, she secretly married him in January 1297. A furious Edward I imprisoned Ralph in Bristol Castle and deprived Joan of all her lands. When the kings anger cooled, probably on learning that Joan was pregnant with Ralphs child, the couple were reunited and Ralph was restored to favour. They lived happily together, with four more children, until Joans death in April 1307.

Literary Heroines

Every female author owes a nod of recognition and thanks to Christine de Pisan, the first women to ever make a living from her writing. Born in Italy, Christine moved to France as a child, when her father was appointed royal physician and astrologer to the king of France, Charles V. When her father and husband both died within a couple of years of each other, it fell to Christine to provide for herself, her small children, her mother and a niece. With patrons such as the Duke of Orleans and Frances queen Isabella of Bavaria, Christine wrote both poetry and lais (poetry set to music). The Duke of Burgundy commissioned her to write a biography of his brother, Charles V, entitled The Book of the Deeds and Good Character of the Wise King Charles V. Her most famous work, The Book of the City of Ladies was published in 1405, telling of the lives of past and present heroines, including pagan, Hebrew and Christian ladies who were renowned for being examples of exemplary womankind, famed for their chastity, loyalty and devotion. Christines final work the Poem of Joan of Arc was written in 1429, a year before her death.

The Survivors

Eleanor of Aquitaine has to be the ultimate survivor in any list of medieval women. Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, Eleanor was the only woman to have ever been Queen of both France and England. She endured Crusade, survived several kidnap attempts and the births of 10 children. After rebelling against her second husband, Henry II, she endured 16 years of imprisonment, before being released on the accession of her son Richard I the Lionheart. Active to the very end, Eleanor was instrumental in securing Richards release from captivity in German, made the arduous journey to Spain to select a bride for the Dauphin of France from her two granddaughters, Uracca and Blanca of Castile, and was besieged by her grandson at Mirebeau in 1202. Surviving all but 2 of her children, Eleanor died in 1204, having seen her youngest son, John, accede to the throne of England. To many she is the ultimate medieval heroine.

With so many incredible women, it is hard to rank them from 10 to 1, or 1 to 10. Suffice to say that they all deserve to be in the top 10  and maybe they all deserve to be number 1. If I had to pick on, it would probably have to be Eleanor of Aquitaine, simply because of her reputation, her ability to survive and the legacy she left as mother of the greatest dynasty in English history.
Santex Rimar Group, one of the leading players in the world market of textile finishing, technical textiles, and green technologies for water treatment and drying processes, recently held the second Future Textile Road event in Yazd, Iran, working towards its commitment to the textile industry development. Yazd is the Iran textile industry hub.The event drivers were research, dialogue and intercultural cooperation, open innovation, and new technology implementation. The aim of Future Textile Road is to build an innovative platform for the future development of the global textile industry and the long-term construction of the cooperation between countries.

Santex Rimar Group, one of the leading players in the world market of textile finishing, technical textiles, and green technologies for water treatment and drying processes, recently held the second Future Textile Road event in Yazd, Iran, working towards its commitment to the textile industry development. Yazd is the Iran textile industry hub.#

During the event, Santex Rimar Group signed an agreement with Yazd University for supplying a SMIT rapier weaving machine with the purpose to train students on the latest textile technologies and do research jointly.Aliasghar Alamdar-Yazdi and Dr. Seyed Abbas Mir Jalili from the textile engineering department of Yazd University; Kamalian from the Sanat va Maadan Bank - Mine & Industries Bank; Federico Businaro, general manager of Santex Rimar Italy; Enrico Valsecchi, sales head of Smit, and Giancarlo Grandesso from Gi.Vi.Co, Smit were part of the event.Contents shifted from the relationship between University and local textile companies to the financial tools for Iranian entrepreneurs who want to buy equipment - from the latest developments of SMIT to the trends of fabrics design of Spring/Summer 2018.The event represented a unique opportunity to the attendees to visit the factory of SMIT customer Reza Soltani. With more than 36 years of experience, he begun weaving traditional fabrics before focusing mainly on upholstery fabrics which are among the best products of SMIT rapier weaving machines. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
SUZHOU, CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/25/17 -- Integer Research released the list of 2017's Top 100 Global Wire & Cable Producers this September. Hengtong Optic-Electric (600487. SH), a global information and energy network service provider hold by Hengtong Group is the only one Chinese company to successfully squeeze into the top 10 again and honors its place in ranking 7th, improving from last year.

Integer Research, an independent provider of specialist market research and analysis across Wire & Cable industry, specially provides independently verified rankings of the 100 largest insulated wire & cable producers in the world based on revenues derived from insulated products year to year.

China shows a strong increase according to the data from Integer Research. This year there are 34 Chinese companies to honor their place in the Top 100 including Hengtong and the total revenue of these 34 companies has grown year-on-year despite that the global Top 100 has decreased 5%.

For more information please click on https://www.integer-research.com/market-analysis/the-integer-top-100-wire-cable-producers-database/f...

With over 20 years of development, Hengtong now has grown to be a giant group with 18,000 employees over the world and developed its own core technologies in optical preform and cable researching and manufacturing. With such strong growth, Hengtong attracts attention from the world again with a new definition of Made in China.

Hengtong and many other Chinese companies are ready to open to the world, and are looking forward to achieving new partnerships internationally which will also be a brand new era for China.

About Hengtong Optic-Electric

Hengtong Optic-Electric is a global information and energy network service provider offering various kind of wire and cables including fibre-optic, power cable, marine cable and so on.

As one of the listed companies of Hengtong Group, with over 20 years of development Hengtong Optic-Electric now grows to have 10 manufacturing facilities based in China, Europe, South America, South Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. As well as sales offices in over 30 countries and regions around the world supply products and service to over 120 countries.

Committing to innovation and social responsibility is at the heart of Hengtong - Hengtong is implementing and transforming to intelligent manufacturing to be one of the most advanced cable manufacturers in the world.

More information about Hengtong:

http://www.hengtonggroup.com/en/

CONTACT:

Qian Cuihong

+86 512 -63957334

qiancuihong@htgd.com.cn




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 09/25/17 -- Uranium Participation Corporation ("UPC" or the "Corporation") (TSX: U) today filed its Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis ("MD&A") for the period ended August 31, 2017. Both documents can be found on the Company's website (www.uraniumparticipation.com) or on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). The highlights provided below are derived from these documents and should be read in conjunction with them. All amounts are in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise noted.

Selected financial information:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 31, May 31, February 28, 2017 2017 2017 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net asset value (in thousands) $ 388,808 $ 407,362 $ 462,345 Net asset value per common share - basic and diluted $ 3.22 $ 3.37 $ 3.83 U3O8 spot price(1) (US$) $ 20.00 $ 19.25 $ 22.25 UF6 spot price(1) (US$) $ 56.35 $ 55.55 $ 64.00 Foreign exchange noon-rate (US$ to CAD$) 1.2536 1.3500 1.3248 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Spot prices as published by Ux Consulting Company, LLC ("UxC").

Overall Performance

Total equity, or the value of the Corporation's assets minus its liabilities ("Net Asset Value" or "NAV"), decreased by $18.6 million during the three months ended August 31, 2017. This equates to a reduction in the NAV per common share of $0.15.

The net loss for three months ended August 31, 2017, of $18.6 million, was primarily due to unrealized net losses on investments in uranium of $17.5 million, operating expenses of $1.1 million, offset by income from lending and/or relocation of uranium of $0.1 million.

Unrealized net losses on investments in uranium, during the three months ended August 31, 2017, were caused by the decrease in the U.S. dollar to Canadian dollar exchange rate, slightly offset by increases in the spot prices of U3O8 and UF6.

Operating expenses, net of income from lending and/or relocation of uranium, of $1.0 million, for the three months ended August 31, 2017, represents approximately 0.3% of the Corporation's NAV at May 31, 2017 and 0.2% of the NAV at February 28, 2017.

Current Market Conditions

Over the last several months, uranium prices continue to be under downward pressure. This is generally due to a prolonged over-supply in the uranium market. Uranium spot prices have fallen as much as 75% from March 2011 (US$70 per pound U3O8), reaching a 13 year low of US$17.75 per pound U3O8 in early December 2016. In the first quarter of the 2018 financial year, uranium prices reached a high of US$25.50 per pound U3O8, before retreating back to the US$20 per pound U3O8 range. Uranium prices during the second fiscal quarter of 2018, traded in a fairly narrow range between a low of US$19.25 per pound U3O8 in June, and a high of US$20.75 per pound U3O8 in August, and the long-term price indicator remained constant at US$31 per pound U3O8.

While the ongoing realities of the over-supplied spot market can explain the recent market weakness, the longer term fundamentals continue to point towards market recovery, as new reactors are coming online around the world in significant numbers, and uranium production levels are not likely to be sustainable while spot prices challenge the all-in mining costs for most uranium mines.

Nuclear energy, with its reliability and clean air benefits, fills an important role in the supply of baseload electricity around the world. In each of 2015 and 2016, more new nuclear capacity was connected to the electricity grid than any of the preceding twenty-five years. As at August 31, 2017, the World Nuclear Association ("WNA") reported that there are 447 operable reactors worldwide, with 58 new reactors under construction, 160 reactors planned or on order, and another 351 proposed. When translated into uranium demand, UxC projects that these increases in nuclear power facilities will increase demand from approximately 185 million pounds U3O8 (Base Case) in 2017 to over 202 million pounds U3O8 by 2030 (9% increase) in the Base Case scenario, and as much as 276 million pounds U3O8 by 2030 (49% increase) in the High Case scenario.

In the US, the Department of Energy's recently released the Energy Grid Reliability Study, which stresses the negative impact that highly-subsidized renewables and low-priced natural gas have had on the stability of the national electricity grid. In states where the energy market is deregulated, government subsidized renewables and inexpensive natural gas have contributed to the closure of six nuclear plants in recent years. However, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is looking into potential changes to the market structures in these states, to prevent further lost capacity.

Also in the US, two South Carolina utilities (SCANA and Santee Cooper) recently announced their decision to cancel the continued construction of two units, as a result of construction delays and cost overruns, by project manager Westinghouse Electric Company LLC ("Westinghouse"). In Georgia, Southern Companies, the majority owner of the two nuclear plants under construction by Westinghouse in that state, has decided to complete the construction of the reactors, using a new project manager, Bechtel Corp.

Japan's long-awaited recovery from Fukushima has taken a positive turn in 2017. According to the World Nuclear Association, 26 reactor restart applications have been received by the Japanese nuclear regulator and five units are now operating. UXC expects another four reactors, Ohi 3&4 and Genkai 3&4 units, to come on line by mid-2018. Fukushima operator, Tokyo Electric Power, recently received its restart approval for its undamaged Kashiwasaki-Kariwa units.

Outstanding Share Data

At September 25 2017, there were 120,848,713 common shares issued and outstanding. There are no stock options or other equity instruments issued and outstanding.

Subsequent Event

On September 25, 2017, the Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement with Cormark Securities Inc., on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters (together the 'Underwriters'), under which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase, on a bought-deal basis, 10,745,000 common shares at a price of $3.50 per share, for gross proceeds of $37,607,500.

The Corporation has granted the Underwriters an over-allotment option to sell an additional 855,000 common shares at $3.50 for additional gross proceeds of $2,992,500. The over-allotment option is exercisable, in whole or in part, at any time during the five day period after the closing. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about October 4, 2017. The majority of the net proceeds of the offering will be used to fund the purchase of uranium, with the balance to be used to fund the operating expenses of the Corporation.

About Uranium Participation Corporation

Uranium Participation Corporation is a company that invests substantially all of its assets in uranium oxide in concentrates ("U3O8") and uranium hexafluoride ("UF6") (collectively "uranium"), with the primary investment objective of achieving appreciation in the value of its uranium holdings through increases in the uranium price. Additional information about Uranium Participation Corporation is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on Uranium Participation Corporation's website at www.uraniumparticipation.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this press release constitutes forward looking statements or forward looking information. These statements can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "plan", "should", "believe" or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information pertaining to expectations regarding uranium spot prices and uranium market factors, including expectations regarding reactor restarts, levels of uncommitted utility reactor requirements, anticipated contracting cycle and market supply and demand, the development of new nuclear power projects and other statements regarding the outlook for the uranium industry and market.

By their very nature, forward looking statements involve numerous factors, assumptions and estimates. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of UPC, may cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward looking statements. For a list of the principal risks of an investment in UPC, please refer to the "RISK FACTORS" section in the Corporation's Annual Information Form dated May 16, 2017 available under UPC's profile at www.sedar.com. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements. Although management reviews the reasonableness of its assumptions and estimates, unusual and unanticipated events may occur which render them inaccurate. Under such circumstances, future performance may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward looking statements. Except where required under applicable securities legislation, UPC does not undertake to update any forward looking information.

Contacts:

David Cates

President & Chief Executive Officer

(416) 979-1991 Ext. 362



Mac McDonald

Chief Financial Officer

(416) 979-1991 Ext. 242




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Venezuelan government rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose a travel ban to its citizens through a decree that was signed Sunday. 'The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically rejects the irrational decision of the government of the United States of America to once again catalog the noble Venezuelan people as a threat to their national security, this time under false assumptions that they pose a terrorist threat,' Caracas said. On Sunday, Trump issued a new travel ban to block the entry into the country of people from eight countries, including citizens of Venezuela, North Korea and Chad. The decree replaces a previous one, released in March, banning travelers from six Muslim-majority countries. The new travel ban comes into force on October 18 for Venezuelan, North Korean and Chadian citizens, while is valid since yesterday for people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia. The new travel ban has no expiration date. 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.
READING, England, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Claire Perry MP, the UK Minister for Climate Change & Industry, will today officially open Anesco's Clayhill solar farm and energy storage facility, located near Flitwick in Bedfordshire. Clayhill is the first solar farm in the UK to operate without a government subsidy. The 10MW solar farm will generate enough electricity for around 2,500 homes and save 4,452 tonnes of carbon.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561017/Solar_Farm.jpg )



Steve Shine OBE, Anesco's Executive Chairman said: "For the solar industry, Clayhill is a landmark development and paves the way for a sustainable future, where subsidies are no longer needed or relied upon. Importantly, it proves that the Government's decision to withdraw subsidies doesn't have to signal the end of solar as a commercially viable technology."

He continued: "Given our extensive experience with solar and storage projects, we took a fresh look at how we could finance and develop Clayhill without needing a renewables subsidy. We sought the views of our supply chain and with them looked at every aspect of the project - its design, the technical specifications, the use of the very latest technology and the costs of the various components. By deciding to co-locate the 6MW battery storage unit and by working closely with our supply chain partners, we have been able to achieve a subsidy-free development."

Planning permission for the 10MW solar farm, along with the five battery storage units, was granted by Central Bedfordshire Council in 2015. The construction and installation of the project was completed in 12 weeks.

Claire Perry MP, BEIS Minister for Climate Change & Industry, said "The cost of solar panels and batteries has fallen dramatically over the past few years, and this first subsidy-free development at Clayhill is a significant moment for clean energy in the UK. Solar panels already provide enough electricity to power 2.7 million homes with 99% of that capacity installed since 2010. The Government is determined to build on this success and our ambitious Clean Growth Strategy will ensure we continue to lead the world on the transition to a low carbon economy."

Anesco is one of the country's leading renewable energy developers with more than 100 solar farms in its portfolio.It originated, financed and built the Clayhill project, which is a 10MW solar installation combined with a 6MW energy storage facility.

BYD supplied the solar panels and the five battery storage units and Huawei supplied the solar inverters - a second 'first' for the UK market, marking the first time the ground-breaking 1500v inverters have been deployed in Europe.
LONDON and PHOENIX, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

London record label Dirty Water Records has agreed licensing terms with the new, independent, US label Dirty Water Records USA. This will make the UK label's catalogue more readily available stateside, enable Dirty Water Records USA to release and promote its own product under the Dirty Water Records brand, and create a transatlantic partnership to work together to continue enabling the music we all love and to give all our fans the least expensive option toharass their neighbours with their loud rock'n'roll records.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561136/Dirty_Water_USA.jpg )

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561135/Dirty_Water_USA_1.jpg )



The London-based record label has been growing rapidly over the past few years, its irreverent, raucous brand of garage rock picking up new fans with each new release. Founded in 2004 by club DJ and club promoter PJ Crittenden (who ran the now infamous Dirty Water Club, the label started off doing small run releases for friends' bands and quickly developed into a full-on record label, riding the wave of the near legendary North London club night that is notorious for its many gigs that have gone down in history, celebrity regulars, and wild DJ stomp parties that continue to rage on after more than 20 years.

The club and label's name is a tribute to The Standells' 1966 hit "Dirty Water" which glorifies the US city of Boston, Massachusetts. Coincidentally, not only was the original, long-term home of the Dirty Water Club a North London pub named "The Boston Arms", but US ex-pat Paul Manchester (aka Boston Paul) - first a fan, then a friend, then a partner - engineered the label's first big release: the reissue of the Boston group Lyres' 1979 classic single, "Don't Give It Up Now" c/w "How Do You Know". Spanish dynamo Diego Dominguez was the third initial partner in the label and the fourth partner, Bostonian ex-pat Matt Hunter, first met Boston Paul at the Boston Arms before a Dirty Water Club gig by Boston's legendary Lyres.

Since then, the label has released a world class selection of acts including American chart-botherers Muck and the Mires, from Boston, LA's Mr. Airplane Man & The Morlocks, San Diego's The Loons, Detroit's The Hentchmen, Cleveland's Archie and the Bunkers, NYC's Dirty Fences, Keokuk's GONN (a particular honour and pleasure to release) as well as Magic Christian (featuring the talents of Blondie's Clem Burke and Cyril Jordan from the Flamin' Groovies) plus Japan's The Routes & The Fadeaways, Argentina's Los Peyotes , France's Les Grys-Grys, The Dustaphonics, & The Arrogants , Denmark's The Youth, David Peter and the Wilde Sect and POWERSOLO, Sweden's The Branded, Thee Gravemen Holland's De Keefmen, Portugal's d3o, Spain's Los Chicos, Hollywood Sinners, & Los Bengala, Ireland's The Revellions & The Urges, Austria's Wild Evel and the Trashbones (soon), New Zealand's The Cavemen, Australia's The Kits, UK's MFC Chicken, King Salami and the Cumberland 3, The Vicars, The Masonics, The Priscillas, The Vipers, The Despondents, Johnny Throttle, Oh! Gunquit, Atomic Suplex and Suicide Generation and The Dirty

Last Summer whilst on sabbatical in Phoenix Arizona, the label's publicity and A&R supremo Matt Hunter serendipitously ran into local (and international) rock chanteuse, (and former label owner of Atomic A Go Go Records) Nicole Laurenne (of the Love Me Nots, Zero Zero and Motobunny) who was just starting her jaw-dropping new all-girl project The Darts (US). Hunter was already intent on signing them after randomly discovering the band on a Facebook post before they had even played their first show.

The two eventually met up one evening in the cosy basement confines of Phoenix's Valley Bar, where the two instantly started plotting world domination over drinks with just an eyeliner pen and upside down beer mats to map out a strategy. The simple plan entailed removing the store sign off of Atomic A Go Go Records and replacing it with Dirty Water Records USA, with Nicole assuming the role of proprietor.

"I always envisioned the label having some kind of US based operation; I just never imagined it would be located in the middle of a desert", says Hunter. "After that first meeting with Nicole, who was already a big fan of Dirty Water, I knew this just had to happen by any means necessary - and signing The Darts was the ultimate cherry on top of this whole amazing endeavour taking shape."

""I'd been trying to get the attention of Dirty Water for years with The Love Me Nots but they never seemed to take notice," Says Nicole. "When Matt wrote to me out of the blue that he was interested in The Darts and my little DIY label, I almost fell off my chair. After five minutes together we knew we had a lot in common in musical tastes, mutual friends, business ideas and more. We were both so psyched, we couldn't get this off the ground fast enough."

After several weeks of long distance discussions and forward planning, Hunter flew back to London with two Phoenix bands on the roster, The Darts and Playboy Manbaby, which sent loud signals from the Big Smoke that something interesting was brewing in the 'Valley of the Sun'.

Fast forward almost eight months later, and a licensing deal has now been struck between Dirty Water Records Ltd and Nicole Laurenne to effectively spin off a separate label to her, with full creative and financial control that will in turn carry the Dirty Water Records label brand name that will help promote and distribute the current London roster, whilst creating a whole new label with a diverse flavour of sounds, including perhaps some not typically heard from the label before.

"The idea is to create a select roster of artists who we fully believe in enough to launch and support in a variety of different ways worldwide, while also offering existing Dirty Water records and other products that we absolutely love, from a lot different worldwide sources, to US customers so everything can be bundled and shipped domestically", says Laurenne. "The tastemakers involved with DWR USA have kind of eclectic taste - but with a common theme of loving music that tears your face off in its awesomeness and power and leaves you on the floor. That's our goal."

PJ Crittenden says: "The club night and label started off as a small time DIY effort with, at the beginning, myself doing everything. Once Paul and our Spanish dynamo Diego came on board, with their extra skills, knowledge and experience, we were able to take things further than I'd originally imagined. With Matt's input we've grown even further. So this is the next logical move for us. From a very young age I was completely into American music - rock'n'roll, blues, soul, proper old rhythm'n'blues, sixties garage, psych, and so on, the kind of music that I see as the real deal. In that context, a US branch of Dirty Water in my eyes is exactly what we should be doing. Giving some rock'n'roll back to the place where it started!"

"These are exciting times for us!" says Paul Manchester. "Dirty Water has already grown beyond what any of us were initially expecting, and Dirty Water Records USA is a quantum leap for us. But this isn't just about geography - we have distribution and a large fanbase in the US - it's also about the great skills, flair, and drive that Nicole and her team bring to the table. It's a perfect fit, and the future looks Dirty."

The new label already have five new artists and forthcoming releases poised to build up its roster and will also offer a full service agency for booking, promotion, publishing and artist representation - in addition to delivering the highest quality in new music on a variety of formats; vinyl, cassettes, digital, and CD's with Worldwide distribution from Cargo UK.

Coming Soon From Dirty Water Records USA

Mean Motor Scooter

Fuzzed up, farfed out, Fort Worth quartet of psych-garage goodness firmly rooted in the Texas traditions of The Butthole Surfers, The Dicks, and Roky Erickson with tab of Scratch Acid.

Escobar

Two-headed touring pirate beast from Limoges, France that spar in the vicious dens of Suicide and Nirvana with a bloodying, stinging assault on the senses from their 'biggest' sounds.

Baronen & Satan

"Garagedeath" quartet from Gothenburg, Sweden that exercises the demons of The Cramps and Siouxsie and the Banshees into a whirling dervish of dark, spirited tones and ferocious guitars.

Bee Bee Sea

This irresistible trio from Castel Goffredo, Italy shoots addictive pop-fuelled, garage-spiced rave-ups, like a Sonic Boomerang flung out into space and returning to spear the listener through the heart.

The Callas

Hailing from Greece, built around brothers Lakis and Aris Ionas, The Callas offer Krautrock grooves and hypnotic, scuzzed-up guitar lines, featuring the undeniable six-string genius of Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth). This artistic, luxe record will find favor with fans of The Velvet Underground, The Horrors, and Neu!.

Dirty Water Records USA

Bandcamp

Web Store

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

"The shameless American little sister of Dirty Water Records London - and your turntable's hot new girlfriend".

The Dirty Water Club started in October 1996 in the Tufnell Park neighbourhood of north London, at a venue called The Boston. The club's name is derived from The Standells' 1966 hit 'Dirty Water' which glorifies the US city of Boston, Massachusetts.

Past performers have included The White Stripes (voted by Q Magazine as one of the top 10 gigs of all time, Mojo one of the top 30 and Kerrang one of the top 100!), The Gories, Country Teasers, Black Lips, NOBUNNY, Kid Congo Powers, The Fleshtones, Billy Childish, Radio Birdman, The Dirtbombs, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, The 5.6.7.8's, The Horrors and The Brian Jonestown Massacre to name just a few. The club has also seen some original '60s performers, such as The Monks, - and the Mysterians, Kim Fowley, Sky Saxon, GONN, Michael Davis of the MC5 and more grace its stage.

Their in-house record label, Dirty Water Records, is one of the leading garage/beat/(real) R&B labels in the world.

For all submissions, requests, customer service, or just to annoy us, email us at dirtywaterrecordsusa@gmail.com.

Media Enquiries: Matt Hunter, +1-480-253-6471

matt@dirtywaterrecords.co.uk
AMSTERDAM, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

As a world premiere, Dutch cheese shop Kaan's Kaashandel and ABN AMRO are today launching the world's first live Stream Store in the Dutch town of Alkmaar. The Stream Store is an omni-channel experiment that lets online customers order artisanal cheeses in real time, as though they were actually inside the shop. ABN AMRO is helping to optimise this new approach, which seamlessly meshes online and physical dimensions: the expertise, authenticity, and experience of a brick-and-mortar shop combined with the ease and speed of an online store.

Until September 30, 2017, Kaan's Kaashandel will be offering its products to customers visiting its website. The world's first live Stream Store will give online customers a real-time view of the shop and its staff, and let them start a purchase via a live chat. Kaan and his team will communicate with them via a video link, providing recipe tips, and even cutting and wrapping cheeses while customers watch on screen. Customers can read product descriptions by tapping any one of the cheeses in the virtual shop.

Kaan's Kaashandel has a loyal local customer base, but also provides services to Dutch and foreign tourists. "We've been doing things the old-fashioned way for many years, but we also want to keep up with modern times," says Kaan. "ABN AMRO asked us to take part in this experiment. We do not have great online visibility yet, so that motivated our decision to participate. I hope the Stream Store will boost online sales of our artisanal cheeses. Alkmaar is famous for its cheese, and this kind of technology will allow us to ship our delicious cheeses to international customers as well."

According to ABN AMRO, independent retailers are vital to any shopping street, but they often suffer from strong online competition. What's more, many of these retailers see the omni-channel approach as something of the distant future. "We started this experiment to boost customer experience by linking the authentic character of a brick-and-mortar artisanal cheese shop with the ease and speed of online shopping," explains Henk Hofstede, Retail Sector Banker at ABN AMRO. "This enables us to provide independent retailers with a fresh take on innovation and hopefully inspire them."

For more information, please contact:

ABN AMRO

Arien Bikker

Arien.bikker@nl.abnamro.com

+44-020-628-57-19
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The New Zealand dollar weakened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday. The NZ dollar fell to near 2-week lows of 0.7236 against the U.S. dollar and 80.76 against the yen, from yesterday's closing quotes of 0.7263 and 81.15, respectively. Against the Australian dollar, the kiwi dropped to a 6-day low of 1.0976 from yesterday's closing value of 1.0921. The kiwi edged down to 1.6385 against the euro, from yesterday's closing value of 1.6309. If the kiwi extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 0.70 against the greenback, 79.00 against the yen, 1.11 against the aussie and 1.66 against the euro. 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.
First Experimental Release of MyRocks with Percona Server for MySQL Enables Greater Performance at Lower Cost for High-Volume, Write-Intensive Workloads



DUBLIN, Ireland, 2017-09-26 09:43 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PERCONA LIVE OPEN SOURCE DATABASE CONFERENCE EUROPE - Percona, the company that delivers enterprise-class MySQL, MongoDB and other open source database solutions and services, today announced an experimental full release of Percona Server for MySQL 5.7 that includes the MyRocks storage engine. The powerful combination of Percona Server for MySQL and MyRocks will enable database administrators to achieve more throughput for high-volume, write-intensive workloads. Optimized for modern hardware, the product requires less storage space and reduces maintenance costs, providing increased ROI for on-premises and cloud-based applications.



MyRocks, which integrates RocksDB as a MySQL storage engine, is optimized for modern hardware. When testing of the experimental combination of Percona Server and MyRocks is complete, the product will be ideal for today's high-volume, write-intensive applications such as data aggregation, IoT, transaction logging, system monitoring, payment processing and billing systems.



The MyRocks storage engine is based on the RocksDB key-value store, which is a log-structured merge-tree (LSM) that uses much less space and has a much smaller write volume (write amplification) compared to a B+ tree database, such as InnoDB. As a result, when used with fast storage, such as SSDs, MyRocks requires less storage space, provides more storage endurance, and ensures better IO capacity.



Percona Server for MySQL is a free, fully compatible, enhanced, open source drop-in replacement for MySQL that provides superior performance, scalability and instrumentation. With more than 3,600,000 downloads, Percona Server for MySQL offers self-tuning algorithms and support for extremely high-performance hardware, delivering excellent performance and reliability. Percona Server for MySQL is trusted by thousands of enterprises to provide better performance and concurrency than other MySQL servers. Percona Server for MySQL also provides greater scalability and availability, enhanced backups and increased visibility.



Quotes



Peter Zaitsev, Co-founder and CEO of Percona "MyRocks has proven to be a superior storage engine for high-volume, write-intensive applications, and we are proud to be working with Facebook to include MyRocks in a package that delivers all the other advantages of Percona Server for MySQL, including greater performance, scalability, availability and visibility. The combined solution will enable our customers to do significantly more processing at a much lower cost, leading to improved ROI and a better end user experience."



Mark Callaghan, MTS, Facebook "The efficiency improvements in MyRocks make it a great complement to Percona Server for MySQL. The MySQL community can now fully benefit from the storage engine, and we are thrilled to have worked with Percona to make this happen."



Company Information



Press Contact Brigit Valencia For Percona (360) 597-4516 bdbvalencia@gmail.com



About Percona



With more than 3,000 customers worldwide, Percona is the only company that delivers enterprise-class solutions for both MySQL and MongoDB across traditional and cloud-based platforms. The company provides Software, Support, Consulting, and Managed Services to large, well-known global brands such as Cisco Systems, Time Warner Cable, Alcatel-Lucent, Rent the Runway and the BBC, as well as smaller enterprises looking to maximize application performance while streamlining database efficiencies. Well established as thought leaders, Percona experts author content for the Percona Database Performance Blog and the Percona Live Open Source Database Conferences draw attendees and expert technical speakers from around the world. For more information, visit www.percona.com.



Percona is a registered trademark of Percona LLC. All other registered and unregistered trademarks in this document are the sole property of their respective owners.

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
One of the largest independent research firms in the U.K. has chosen Deltek ERP to optimise internal processes and improve financial control London, United Kingdom, 2017-11-09 11:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deltek, the leading global provider of enterprise software and information solutions for project-based businesses, today announced that IFF - one of the U.K.'s leading research firms - has selected Deltek's enterprise resource planning solution to improve visibility and control across its entire business and project portfolio. Deltek's integrated ERP is purpose-built with projects at its core to deliver the business agility, transparency and control needed by modern project-centric organisations. Based in London, England, IFF offers a full suite of social and market research services to a varied client base. The business is structured into teams which specialise in different sectors, each of which originates in public policy and administration but now reaches out to the private sector. These sectors include learning & skills, financial services, business & enterprise, regulations, employment & benefits, professional services and health & wellbeing. As IFF's project and client portfolio continued to expand, its incumbent system was unable to provide real-time visibility and granularity of reporting required by both project managers and business management. To meet the demands of its changing business, IFF initiated an extensive vendor search in Spring of 2017, identifying a potential 13 ERP vendors in its long list. With the assistance of specialist advisor, Gradient Consulting, a series of detailed demonstrations and business process discovery sessions were conducted, with Deltek emerging as the preferred ERP partner. In connecting all core business processes - from customer relationship management, project and resource planning, to financial management and reconciliation - Deltek's integrated project-based ERP platform seamlessly connects people, processes, and information. The key success factors for IFF when selecting its new ERP included: providing greater visibility to all decision makers through reporting and dashboards; improving forecasting of resource and revenue; reducing the complexity and time taken on revenue recognition; and reducing the reliance on spreadsheets and legacy databases. "As one of the largest and fastest growing independent research agencies in the U.K., possessing robust and reliable company insight is crucial. As our business expands, it is extremely important that our ERP system keeps pace to optimise internal process and enable us to continually provide a better service to our clients. From our detailed assessment of ERP vendors, Deltek stood apart from competitors due to its strong references within the market research sector, thorough understanding of our requirements, and commitment to deliver work that truly makes a difference," said Jan Shury, Managing Director at IFF. "IFF approached its ERP selection with a clear set of both functional requirements and key outcomes and metrics which will constitute success. We are thrilled that the depth of our solution's functionality, our industry expertise and our positive customer references have resulted in Deltek being selected as its ERP partner to underpin their systems transformation," said Fergus Gilmore, Deltek's VP and Managing Director, U.K. & Central Europe. About IFF IFF Research illuminates the world for organisations, businesses and individuals, helping them to make better-informed decisions. Established in 1965, IFF combine their in-depth knowledge of the issues faced by clients with a full range of data collection methodologies to ensure the success of each project. About Deltek Deltek is the leading global provider of enterprise software and information solutions for government contractors, professional services firms and other project-based businesses. For decades, we have delivered actionable insight that empowers our customers to unlock their business potential. 22,000 organisations and millions of users in over 80 countries around the world rely on Deltek to research and identify opportunities, win new business, recruit and develop talent, optimise resources, streamline operations and deliver more profitable projects. Deltek - Know more. Do more. www.deltek.com Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/207e53b4-e050-4966-84e2-d2885 b3337ad Lauran Cacciatori Deltek 703-885-9947 LauranCacciatori@Deltek.com
12 December 2017

COINSILIUM GROUP LIMITED

("Coinsilium" or the "Company")

Coinsilium Raises 720,000 in Fundraising

Coinsilium Group Limited (NEX: COIN), the blockchain venture builder and investor that finances and manages the development of early-stage blockchain technology companies, is pleased to announce that it has successfully raised 720,000 gross of expenses in an oversubscribed share subscription and placement through the issue of 8,000,000 ordinary shares of no par value ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 9 pence per share (the "Subscription") from existing and new shareholders.

Directors' participations in the Subscription:

Director Number of Ordinary Shares Amount subscribed Shares post fundraising Eddy Travia 100,000 9,000 7,373,368 Malcolm Palle 100,000 9,000 7,837,021

The funds raised will primarily be used to invest in, support and accelerate blockchain technology companies, including some within Coinsilium's existing portfolio of investments and to fast-track the expansion of the Company's advisory service capability which is experiencing unprecedented levels of demand.

Eddy Travia, Chief Executive Officer of Coinsilium, said: "We are delighted to see the continued support of our existing shareholders and welcome new shareholders to our register.

"2017 has been a transformational year for Coinsilium and we are now seeing the market beginning to recognise the true potential of blockchain technologies. This fundraising provides Coinsilium with the opportunity to deliver shareholder value from making further early stage investments in some of the most viable Blockchain opportunities as well as providing much needed advisory services to companies in the burgeoning token economy. We look forward to announcing some of the exciting new initiatives we have planned over the coming weeks."

Director's number of Ordinary Shares as a percentage of the enlarged issued share capital on completion of the Subscription:

Director Ordinary Shares Percentage interest in enlarged issued share capital Eddy Travia 7,373,368 6.18 Malcolm Palle 7,837,012 6.57 Tony Sarin 3,444,805 2.89

On completion of the Subscription, the Company is aware of the following disclosable interests in the share capital of the Company:

Name Ordinary Shares post Subscription Percentage interest in enlarged issued share capital Cosmic Bridge 6,791,168 5.70 Rockridge Investments 5,500,000 4.61 Hakim Mamoni 5,352,913 4.49 Malcolm Burne 7,708,182 6.46 Cameron Parry 4,877,921 4.09 Yacine Terai 4,118, 724 3.45

Total Voting Rights

Following the issue of the 8,000,000 Subscription Ordinary Shares, the Company has 119,243,055 Ordinary Shares of nil par value in issue, which also represents the total number of voting rights in the Company. This figure should be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

Further, the Company also has 3,500,000 ordinary shares of nil par value ("Ordinary Shares") in issue, which are held in treasury.

In accordance with the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules, Coinsilium has 122,743,055 ordinary shares of nil par value ("Ordinary Shares") in issue, of which, 3,500,000 Ordinary shares are held in treasury.

The Directors of Coinsilium Group Limited take responsibility for this announcement.

For further information, please contact:

Malcolm Palle, Executive Chairman +44 (0) 7785 381089

Coinsilium Group Limited

Eddy Travia, CEO +44 (0) 20 3889 4312

Coinsilium Group Limited

www.coinsilium.com

Harry Chathli / Ana Ribeiro / Alexis Gore +44 (0) 207 618 9100

Luther Pendragon Ltd

(Media Relations)

Guy Miller / Mark Anwyl +44 (0) 207 469 0930

Peterhouse Corporate Finance Limited

(NEX Exchange Corporate Adviser)



Nick Emerson +44 (0) 1483 413 500

SI Capital Limited

(Broker)



Notes to Editor

About Coinsilium

Coinsilium is a blockchain venture builder and investor that finances and manages the development of early-stage blockchain technology companies. It does this through its consortium of top-tier investors, industry thought leaders and executive managers.Based in London, Coinsilium's focus is on driving innovation in fintech and blockchain technologies, enabling businesses to take advantage of growth opportunities.

Coinsilium shares are traded on NEX Exchange Growth Market, the primary market for unlisted securities operated by NEX Exchange, a Recognised Investment Exchange under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

For further information about Coinsilium please visithttp://www.coinsilium.com
Loxam Group ("Loxam") announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire the activities of the Italian powered access equipment rental company Nacanco SpA ("Nacanco").

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005845/en/

Founded in 2001, Nacanco is a leader of the Italian market for powered access equipment rental. The company operates a network of 14 branches located in the northern and central regions of Italy. Nacanco generated a revenue of EUR 27 million in 2016.

This transaction enables Loxam to enter the Italian market, thereby consolidating its presence in Western Europe, as well as on the powered access market.

The Giusto family, founding shareholder of Nacanco, will remain a 20% shareholder in the company and will continue to support the future development of Nacanco, alongside Loxam.

Gerard Deprez, President of Loxam said: "We are delighted by the forthcoming acquisition of Nacanco, which completes our footprint in Western Europe. Nacanco is a well-established player which has contributed to the development of the Italian equipment rental market, thanks to an ambitious growth strategy. We look forward to working with its management team and employees."

Marzia Giusto, General Manager of Nacanco, added: "Since its foundation 16 years ago, Nacanco has built a leading franchise on the powered access rental market, thanks to the commitment of its shareholders and its staff. This transaction marks the beginning of a new development phase for Nacanco. I am confident that our integration within the Loxam Group will enhance our capacity to consolidate and develop our market position."

The completion of the transaction, which is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, is expected to take place before the end of the year.

About Loxam:

LOXAM is the leading equipment rental Company in Europe with unaudited proforma consolidated revenue of 1,330 million in 2016 and approximately 7,200 employees. LOXAM's network of more than 720 branches extends over 12 countries in Europe (France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway) as well as in the Middle East, Morocco and Brazil.

More information: www.loxam.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005845/en/

Contacts:

LOXAM

press contact:

Yannick Duverge

yannick@relationpresse.com

Tel +33 (0) 1 71 70 38 38
StaffConnect v2.0 Transforms The Employee Experience by Enabling Business, Nonprofit and Government Organizations to Better Connect, Communicate and Engage with Entire Workforce - Including Remote, Non-Desk Employees LONDON and SAN FRANCISCO, 2017-11-13 10:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StaffConnect, provider of the award winning enterprise mobile employee engagement platform, today announced it will showcase its recently launched StaffConnect Mobile App Platform version 2 (v2) at the upcoming smilelondon 2017, taking place next week on Monday, November 20, at etc.ventures St Paul's (London, UK). In addition, StaffConnect will be participating in the "Meet the Experts: Table Session #2" roundtable discussion focused on how to develop winning communications strategies that protect employee engagement during critical times of business transformation. One of the UK's leading conferences on social intranets and collaborative platforms, this year's smilelondon 2017 will focus on the technologies shaping your future digital workplace. StaffConnect is a Silver sponsor of smilelondon 2017, and will be available throughout in Stand #5 to: -- Offer practical advice on how to increase employee engagement across the entire workforce, including non-desk workers. -- Discuss key issues such as reducing attrition rates and the impact disengaged employees have on an organization. -- Provide customer use examples of how mobile technology has helped customers such as Yeo Valley, CHP and Vodaphone increase employee engagement and productivity. -- Give examples of how StaffConnect can help drive employee engagement during times of crisis and business transformation. -- Introduce Chat, the enterprise mobile chat feature within the StaffConnect app that has all the same ease of use and functionality as WhatsApp but is more suited for business use. -- Demonstrate StaffConnect, the Award Winning Mobile Employee Engagement Platform, on a giant iPhone providing the opportunity to interact with the App, in a big way. All visitors to the StaffConnect Stand #5 will be offered an opportunity to participate in an industry survey. Each participant will be offered full-access to the final results. And, each participant will be entered into a 50 Amazon gift voucher prize drawing. StaffConnect v2 features key bar-raising enhancements that transform the employee experience by enabling business, nonprofit and government organizations to better connect, communicate and engage with their entire workforce - including remote, non-desk employees. The result is employees are more loyal, passionate and productive - leading to improved customer/client experiences, and consequently superior business outcomes. To learn more, please visit: https://www.staffconnectapp.com/product/. For further information and to register for smilelondon 2017, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/smilelondon-2017-shape-your-future-digital-workpl ace-nov-20th-tickets-35011209470?discount=Sponsor Tweet this: .@StaffConnectApp to Showcase EmployeeEngagement Mobile App Solution at smilelondon 2017 https://www.staffconnectapp.com/latest/press-releases/ About StaffConnect StaffConnect delivers the award winning mobile employee engagement platform. The StaffConnect solution transforms the employee experience by enabling large enterprises to connect, communicate and engage their entire workforce, especially remote, non-desk employees. The customer-branded mobile app gives employees 'a voice' - with access to company and user-generated content to increase loyalty and productivity. The cloud-hosted platform empowers employers to target that content, with analytics, to deepen engagement with everyone. From offices in London and San Francisco, StaffConnect's platform and domain expertise are supporting large businesses around the world to inspire their workforces to deliver better performance, improved customer experiences and greater shareholder value. For further information, please visit: www.staffconnectapp.com. Media Resources (logos, screenshots, etc.): https://goo.gl/2CMbNz PR Contacts: Sabrina Sanchez The Ventana Group for StaffConnect (925) 785-3014 ssanchez@theventanagroup.com Nicole Gorman The Ventana Group for StaffConnect (508) 397-0131 ngorman@theventanagroup.com
Subsidiary prepares for expected 2018 US product launch SYDNEY, Australia, 2017-12-04 14:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SpeeDx Pty. Ltd, a developer of advanced multiplex molecular diagnostic solutions, announced the incorporation of a US-based subsidiary company, SpeeDx Inc. The parent company, headquartered in Australia, will use the US base to support current clinical trial activity for ResistancePlus MG (not currently for sale in the US), in preparation for an expected 2018 launch. The SpeeDx ResistancePlus MG test detects the sexually transmitted bacteria Mycoplasma genitalium along with mutations that confer resistance to azithromycin, the front-line antibiotic treatment of choice. ResistancePlus MG will potentially be a first-to-market molecular diagnostic test in the US, providing both detection of the MG infection along with information about antibiotic resistance of the disease. The test previously received regulatory clearances in Europe, Australia and New Zealand and is already experiencing strong sales in those locations. SpeeDx recently signed a partnership agreement with Thermo-Fisher to help bring the ResistancePlus MG test to the US and a distribution agreement with Cepheid in Europe for their PlexPCR and ResistancePlus tests. "We have always had the goal of bringing ResistancePlus MG to the US market", said Colin Denver, CEO of SpeeDx, "local offices and staff will allow us to more easily navigate the FDA approval process and keep us on track for our product launch next year." A rapid rise in resistant strains of M. genitalium across the globe has led to international guidelines for the management of M. genitalium infections that recommend testing for macrolide resistance to better inform treatment options.1 With M. genitalium prevalence rapidly increasing in the US, and in some instances exceeding that of Chlamydia,2 it is expected that US guidelines will also be updated to address antimicrobial resistance in this significant sexually transmitted disease (STD). "Our aim is to empower clinicians and physicians to make the best treatment decisions about the diseases they are faced with," said Colin Denver. "Ultimately, we want to support individualised patient management and better antimicrobial stewardship, which will help patients quickly receive the best treatment for their disease and for physicians to better address antibiotic resistance challenges." About MG Mycoplasma genitalium can cause symptoms such as urethritis, cervicitis, endometritis and pelvic inflammatory disease. In recent studies, it has been found to have a higher prevalence than Gonorrhea.3 Like Gonorrhea, MG is also evolving into a so-called STI "superbug" that is becoming resistant to many antibiotic treatments, leading to exceedingly difficult-to-treat infections and threatening global public health.4 Macrolide antibiotics, specifically azithromycin, are the first-line treatment for M. genitalium infections, but resistance to these antibiotics has increased up to 50 percent in several countries.4 New European Guidelines for the treatment of M. genitalium infections were released last year recommending the molecular detection of M. genitalium with an assay capable of detecting macrolide resistance-associated mutations.1 Timely detection of antibiotic resistant infections enables better treatment of the disease, lessens the potential for spreading among vulnerable populations and combats the rising level of antibiotic resistance. Currently, there is not a commercially available, FDA-cleared molecular diagnostic test for the detection of MG. About SpeeDx Founded in 2009, SpeeDx is an Australian-based private company with offices in London and distributors across Europe. SpeeDx specializes in molecular diagnostic solutions that go beyond simple detection to offer comprehensive information for improved patient management. Innovative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology has driven market-leading multiplex detection and priming strategies. Product portfolios focus on multiplex diagnostics for sexually transmitted infection (STI), antibiotic resistance markers, and respiratory disease. Currently, SpeeDx markets the only CE-marked and TGA approved commercial molecular test for the STI M. genitalium (ResistancePlus MG) that combines detection of the disease with detection of markers for antibiotic resistance. For more information about SpeeDx please see: http://www.plexpcr.com 1 Jensen, JS. et al 2016. 2016 European Guidelines on Mycoplasma genitalium Infections. 2 Getman D et al. Mycoplasma genitalium prevalence, coinfection, and macrolide antibiotic resistance frequency in a multicenter clinical study cohort in the United States. J ClinMicrobiol 2016; 54:2278-2283. 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines. 4 Unemo, M & Jensen, JS. Antimicrobial-resistant sexually transmitted infections: gonorrhoea and Mycoplasma genitalium. 2016. Nat. Rev. Urol. 268. Published online 10 Jan 2017. doi:10.1038/nrurol Contacts for SpeeDx: Madeline O'Donoghue madelineo@speedx.com.au +61 2 8212 8512 (ext 008)
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.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 5, 2017) - TerraX Minerals Inc. (TSXV: TXR) (OTC Pink: TRXXF) (FSE: TX0) is pleased to announce high-grade surface sampling results from the Homer Lake Gold structure on their Northbelt property, one of 8 new high grade target areas identified on the Yellowknife City Gold Project during field work this summer (see Map 1 here).

Initial surface exploration in the Homer Lake area in 2013 identified massive lead and zinc mineralization with high silver and gold values over a strike length of approximately 1 kilometer. Drilling on this target in 2016 (6 holes) extended this zone to a vertical depth of at least 250 meters and two of these holes intersected a gold zone trending north-south (see our news release of May 4, 2016 here). Prospecting and mapping by TerraX in 2017 has followed these mineralized structures over two kilometers of strike length. Mineralization is pervasive and has been discovered in all rock types including mafic volcanics, mafic intrusives, granitic intrusives, felsic volcanics, and quartz veins (60 samples greater than 1 g/t Au, and 192 samples of 567 samples grading greater than 0.10 g/t Au). Maps showing the location of these samples can be accessed here.

Joe Campbell, CEO of TerraX, states. "Our 2017 field exploration program has greatly expanded the mineralized zones at Homer Lake, providing us with yet another opportunity for high grade discoveries on the Yellowknife City Gold property during our upcoming drilling programs in early 2018."

A total of 567 samples have been taken in the Homer Lake area, including 217 channel and chip samples. Individual highlights from outcrop samples include:

Up to 25 . 5 g/t Au , with 60 samples greater than 1.00 g/t Au

, with 60 samples greater than 1.00 g/t Au Up to 529 g/t A g , with 28 samples greater than 100 g/t Ag

, with 28 samples greater than 100 g/t Ag Up to 21 .0 0 % Pb , with 42 samples greater than 3% Pb

, with 42 samples greater than 3% Pb Up to 1 3 .6 5 % Zn , with 24 samples greater than 3% Zn

, with 24 samples greater than 3% Zn Up to 1.50% Cu, with 23 samples greater than 0.10% Cu

Channel sampling was carried out in mafic volcanics, felsic volcanics, and in granitic rocks. Best results included:

3.00 meters @ 2.00 g/t Au , 44 g/t Ag, 1.99% Pb, and 7.94% Zinc in felsic volcanic

in felsic volcanic 3.00 meters @ 0.88 g/t Au , 90 g/t Ag, 4.55% Pb, and 2.22% Zinc in felsic volcanic

in felsic volcanic 6.95 meters @ 0.11 g/t Au , 16 g/t Ag, 1.12% Pb, and 0.55% Zinc in mafic volcanic

in mafic volcanic 5.70 meters @ 1.00 g/t Au, 7 g/t Ag in granitic intrusion

Assay values ranged from nil to highs of 25.5 g/t Au. Sampling included insertion of certified standards and blanks into the stream of samples for chemical analysis. Samples were prepared at ALS Chemex's laboratory in Yellowknife and shipped to their Vancouver facility for gold analysis by fire assay and other elements by ICP analysis. ALS is a certified and accredited laboratory service. It should be noted that, due to their selective nature, assay results from grab samples may not be indicative of the overall grade and extent of mineralization on the subject area.

Terrax's summer field exploration program at Yellowknife is now complete, with over 5,600 surface samples taken from outcrop throughout the property. Assay results are still pending from over 3,700 samples as well as biogeochemical and lake sediment surveys completed this fall throughout the property. Results will be reported when received and interpreted. All assay results will be used for targeting the next drill campaign in early 2018.

The technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Joseph Campbell, the Chief Executive Officer of TerraX, who is a Qualified Person as defined in "National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects."

About the Yellowknife City Gold Project

The Yellowknife City Gold ("YCG") encompasses 440 sq km of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, TerraX controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 km of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople.

The YCG lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering 45 km of strike length along the main mineralized break in the Yellowknife gold district, including the southern and northern extensions of the shear system that hosted the high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The project area contains multiple shears that are the recognized hosts for gold deposits in the Yellowknife gold district, with innumerable gold showings and recent high-grade drill results that serve to indicate the project's potential as a world-class gold district.

For more information on the YCG project, please visit our web site at www.terraxminerals.com.



On behalf of the Board of Directors



"JOSEPH CAMPBELL"



Joe Campbell

CEO

For more information, please contact:

Samuel Vella

Manager of Corporate Communications

Phone: 604-689-1749

Toll-Free: 1-855-737-2684

svella@terraxminerals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors - including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the completion of due diligence and the results of exploration activities - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Joint report presents physical and network-based malware affecting ATMs

Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, and Europol's European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) today released a comprehensive report on the current state of ATM Malware. "Cashing in on ATM Malware" details both physical and network-based malware attacks on ATMs, as well as highlights where the malware is created.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005125/en/

ATM malware has evolved from requiring physical access to infect the machines to now successfully attacking network-based access using the bank's corporate network. The report dissects recent attacks using bank networks to both steal money and credit card data from ATM machines, regardless of network segmentation. These attacks not only risk personally identifiable information (PII) and large sums of money, but also put banks in violation of PCI compliance standards.

"Protecting against today's cyber threats and meeting compliance standards require increased resources that are not always available for organizations, including those in the financial services industry," said Max Cheng, chief information officer for Trend Micro. "Public-private partnerships strengthen the global, ongoing fight against cybercrime, and help fill the resource gap for organizations. This report furthers Trend Micro's commitment to helping law enforcement and private businesses mitigate future attacks and protect individuals."

"The joint industry law enforcement report by Europol's EC3 and Trend Micro shows that the malware being used has evolved significantly and the scope and scale of the attacks have grown proportionately. While industry and law enforcement cooperation has developed strongly, the crime continues to thrive due to the major financial rewards available to the organized crime groups involved. This report assesses the developing nature of the threat. I hope that it serves as a blueprint for future industry and law enforcement cooperation," said Steven Wilson, Head of EC3.

In addition to the public report, a limited-release version is available to law enforcement authorities, financial institutions and the IT security industry. This private report provides greater detail for public and private organizations to harden ATM and network systems and prevent future attacks against financial institutions.

For the complete public report, please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/shift-in-atm-malware-landscape-to-network-based-attacks

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, helps to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data centers, cloud environments, networks and endpoints. All our products work together to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a Connected Threat Defense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, faster protection. With more than 5,000 employees in over 50 countries and the world's most advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro enables organizations to secure their journey to the cloud. For more information, visit www.trendmicro.com.

About EC3

Hosted at Europol's headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands, the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) was launched in 2013 to coordinate cross-border law enforcement activities against cybercrime and to act as a centre of technical expertise on the matter. For more information, visit: www.europol.europa.eu/ec3

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005125/en/

Contacts:

Trend Micro Incorporated

Erin Johnson, 972-499-6627

publicrelations@trendmicro.com
Disaster Response Kits providing critical connectivity for coordination center in Dominica and restoring connectivity for airport in Saint Martin

The emergency.lu Rapid Response Kit has been deployed by the Government of Luxembourg to provide vital satellite-enabled connectivity to the coordination center in Dominica, following the devastation brought by the Category 5 Hurricane Maria, announced SES and its partners today. The connectivity provided on an SES satellite is used for broadband and voice communication, to ensure that emergency services and first responders can stay informed and connected, and are able to act quickly, where they are most needed. The solution has been deployed upon the request of the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) to support the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and installed by Luxembourg Civil Protection volunteers.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005979/en/

SES: emergency.lu Re-establishes Critical Connectivity in the Caribbean Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria (Photo: Business Wire)

Another emergency.lu Rapid Response Kit was deployed earlier in the island of Saint Martin to re-establish connectivity to the airport of Sint Maarten, after the Category 5 Hurricane Irma made landfall in the North East Caribbean islands, severely damaging terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure.

The Government of Luxembourg sent emergency.lu Rapid Deployment Kits to the region earlier this month, to support the establishment of humanitarian hubs and to provide vital communication links for first responders.

In addition to the already-available satellite capacity for emergency.lu services, SES has donated additional satellite capacity to support the high demand for connectivity for relief actions.

"When a hurricane strikes, communication infrastructures are often badly damaged or destroyed, and the situation can get even worse if first responders, emergency services and hospitals have no access to connectivity," said Gerhard Bethscheider, Managing Director of SES Techcom Services. "Thanks to satellite technology, communication networks can be rapidly restored, enabling effective and coordinated assistance and aid in the most affected areas."

Emergency.lu is a rapid communications solution for global disaster relief and humanitarian missions, developed and implemented as a public-private partnership by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg in collaboration with a consortium of Luxembourg companies and organisations: SES TechCom, Hitec and Luxembourg Air Rescue. It is designed to help the humanitarian and civil protection community in the field to (re-) establish telecommunication services and support effective communication and coordination of first responders. Emergency.lu can be deployed by the Government of Luxembourg anywhere in the world within hours of a natural catastrophe or man-made crisis.

The emergency.lu solution consists of satellite infrastructure and capacity, communication and coordination services, and satellite ground terminals as well as transportation of equipment to disaster areas all over the world. Since its inception in 2013, the solution has been deployed dozens of times in various parts of the world, and has provided connectivity for relief efforts after Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and in many more crisis situations.

Follow us on:

Social Media

Blog

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About SES

SES is the world-leading satellite operator and the first to deliver a differentiated and scalable GEO-MEO offering worldwide, with more than 50 satellites in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and 12 in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). SES focuses on value-added, end-to-end solutions in two key business units: SES Video and SES Networks. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and institutions. SES's portfolio includes ASTRA, O3b and MX1, a leading media service provider that offers a full suite of innovative digital video and media services. SES is listed on the Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange (ticker: SESG). Further information available at: www.ses.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005979/en/

Contacts:

SES

Markus Payer

Corporate Communications PR

Tel. +352 710 725 500

Markus.Payer@ses.com
The World Bank will end its financial support for oil and gas exploration within the next two years in response to the growing threat posed by climate change. In a statement that delighted campaigners opposed to fossil fuels, the Bank used a conference in Paris to announce that it "will no longer finance upstream oil and gas" after 2019. - Guardian Pilots working for Ryanair in Ireland have called a one-day strike next week, potentially disrupting flights for Europe's biggest airline on its home ...

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.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 10/16/17 -- Beaufield Resources Inc. ("Beaufield") (TSX VENTURE: BFD) is pleased to announce the completion of drilling at Urban for the summer season and wishes to provide new results from its drill program on its 100% owned Urban property located in the Windfall gold camp, Quebec. The drill program consisted of 39 holes for a total of 9,777 metres. Of these, 19 holes for a total of 5,140 metres were drilled on the Rouleau block located immediately northeast of the Gladiator gold deposit of Bonterra Resources ("Bonterra").

"Our summer drilling has identified the possible extension of Bonterra's Gladiator deposit which will require further testing to fully evaluate the potential of this target. In addition, we consider the northern margin of the Rouleau block highly prospective for extensions of Osisko's multiple Lynx zones. We intend on conducting a thorough test of these targets this winter," stated President and CEO, Ron Stewart.

Drill results for the first 8 holes drilled on the southern portion of the Rouleau block are provided in the table below. Assay results for 12 holes completed on the Macho and ET zones and a partial result for a hole on Rouleau (BRS-17-10) were released on September 18, 2017. Assay results for the remainder of hole BRS-17-10 and 18 additional holes for the Rouleau and Macho drill programs are pending.

Holes were collared near the common property boundary with Bonterra to test for possible northeast extensions of their nearby Gladiator deposit. Highlights include an intercept of 7.48 g/t gold over 2.58 metres that includes 20.5 g/t gold over 0.79 metres in hole BRS-17-06 (please refer to the quality control paragraph regarding true widths). This gold intercept is located approximately 860 metres southwest of the previously reported gold intercept of 33.6 g/t gold over 1.0 metre in hole BRS-17-10.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drill Hole Length Area (m) UTM E UTM N Azimuth --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-01 Rouleau South 411.0 456288 5428521 340 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-02 Rouleau South 69.0 456403 5428436 340 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-02A Rouleau South 25.4 456403 5428440 340 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-02B Rouleau South 198.0 456408 5428436 340 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-03 Rouleau South 279.0 456544 5428440 330 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-04 Rouleau South 375.6 456683 5428442 342 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-04 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-04 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-05 Rouleau South 440.3 456890 5428437 335 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-05 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-05 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-05 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 Rouleau South 381.0 457178 5428430 338 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 Including --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drill Hole From To Length(i) Dip (m) (m) (m) Gold (g/t) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-01 -45 No Significant values --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-02 -45 34.00 34.52 0.52 0.25 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-02A -45 No Significant values --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-02B -45 No Significant values --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-03 -45 71.00 74.00 3.00 1.41 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-04 -45 61.58 63.00 1.42 0.22 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-04 97.00 99.50 2.50 0.17 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-04 108.00 108.41 0.41 0.16 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-05 -45 57.50 63.00 5.50 0.63 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-05 80.00 85.42 5.42 0.40 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-05 105.00 107.50 2.50 0.16 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-05 122.00 123.00 1.00 0.72 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 -45 95.00 97.58 2.58 7.48 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 Including 95.71 96.50 0.79 20.50 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 115.00 115.82 0.82 0.30 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 178.54 186.34 7.80 0.20 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRS-17-06 205.50 206.74 1.24 0.11 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

(i)May not represent true width: There is insufficient information at this time to determine true widths of the mineralized intercepts

All holes encountered wide zones of sheared mafic volcanic rocks cut by felsic dykes and local quartz-carbonate veining. Gold mineralization is mostly associated with dark smoky quartz veins containing minor sulphides or native gold.

North of the series of holes reported above, 18 additional till samples were collected up ice from the previous till samples that had identified a strong gold anomaly with a likely local source (News release September 18th, 2017). Assays from the new samples will aid in determining additional drill targets for the area. Due to the terrain being too soft and wet, the area will require winter drilling.

Winter drilling will also be undertaken between 400 metres to 800 metres west of Bonterra's Gladiator deposit in an area known as the Rivage Gap. The Rivage Gap is located between Bonterra's Gladiator deposit and the Rivage gold zone (73.8 g/t gold over 3 metres (BTR news release September 27th, 2012)), a portion of which falls onto Beaufield claims.

The location of the drill holes completed on Rouleau South, the till sampling and the Rivage Gap are shown on the first adjoined map.

A review of the helicopter borne VTEM survey completed in June 2017 has outlined several high priority targets that will require winter drilling due to terrain conditions. The targets are shown on the second adjoined map. On the western side of the Rouleau block, two distinct targets (LR02 and LR03) have been identified in an area known to contain significant amounts of tourmaline and sulphides near a mapped mylonite zone. Historical sampling of humus and soil have also identified anomalous gold over the target area.

Two large VTEM anomalies (LR14 and LR15) were also identified on the eastern side of the Rouleau block, in an area with no recorded exploration work. The geophysical data collected indicates that the two 500m wide anomalies are in a structurally complex area, possibly within a fold. Access to the area is being established for follow-up ground work prior to winter drilling.

Seven additional VTEM anomalies have been located on the northern part of the property, five of which have been earmarked for follow-up ground work (LR09 to LR14).

Beaufield is also keeping a close eye on current exploration near the northwestern boundary of its Rouleau block where a large drill program remains underway on the Lynx gold zone by Osisko Mining. Recent results indicate that the Lynx zone has been extended to within 500 metres of the common boundary and newly published maps also indicate that drilling has been extended to within a few metres of the boundary. Results from these holes will aid in determining if winter drilling is warranted on Beaufield's property.

Beaufield is currently planning its winter drill campaign to test targets that were inaccessible during the summer, due to the wet condition of the ground. Magnetically defined structural targets near the northern and southeastern portions of the Rouleau block are of particular interest. The program is expected to be equal to or exceed the summer program and should commence early in the new year.

Quality Control

Beaufield's drill program includes descriptive logging and systematic sampling of the drill core for analysis. A total 3,587 samples were taken from the drill core. Every sampled interval was split in half with a core splitter or cut with a diamond blade saw. Half of any sampled core was left in the core box for future reference and the remaining half was bagged and sealed and sent to a commercial laboratory. Quality control samples (duplicate, blanks and standards) were inserted in the sequence. Assays were performed at ALS CHEMEX Laboratories in Val d'Or, Quebec. The processed samples were subjected to a standard Fire Assay with AA technique (Au-AA-23) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy (ME-ICP-41) on a 30 gram sub-sample. True Widths Statement: There is insufficient information at this time to determine true widths of the reported mineralized intercepts.

Qualified Person

This news release has been prepared by Ronald Stewart, P.Geo., President and CEO of Beaufield and Mathieu Stephens, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration and Corporate Development for Beaufield, the Qualified Persons, as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Beaufield:

Beaufield is a mineral exploration company with its exploration activity focused in Quebec and Ontario. Please refer to Beaufield's website to view the Corporation's properties in Urban, Launay, Eleonore-Opinaca, Troilus, Hemlo and Launay. The Corporation is actively exploring, is well financed with approximately $5.5 million in working capital, has no debt and has excess work credits on its properties.

The information set forth in this press release includes certain forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on assumptions exposed to major risks and uncertainties. Although Beaufield deems the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, the Corporation cannot provide any guarantee as to the materialization of the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements. The Corporation expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Release.

Maps 1 and 2 are also available at the following links:

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1103500_Map1.jpg

http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1103500_Map2.jpg

Contacts:

Ronald Stewart

President and CEO

647.409.0293



Mathieu Stephens

VP Exploration and Corporate Development

613.721.2919

info@beaufield.com

www.beaufield.com



Jason Monaco

Partner at FCCC

416.566-8894

jmonaco@firstcanadiancapital.com

www.firstcanadiancapital.com




SPRING HOPE, NC--(Marketwired - Sep 26, 2017) - Hemp, Inc. (OTC PINK: HEMP (http://marketwire.com/news_room/stock?ticker=HEMP)), a global leader in the industrial hemp industry with the largest hemp mill in the western hemisphere, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Hemp University, LLC's 4th educational symposium, "The Art & Science of CBD Oil (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hemp-oil-event-tickets-37341434235)," to be held on Saturday, September 30, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., is sold-out, with the maximum allowed participants of 140 registered. The event will be held at the Peachtree Hills Country Club, 3512 Peachtree Hills Road, Spring Hope, NC 27882.

The educational symposium, The Art & Science of CBD Oil (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hemp-oil-event-tickets-37341434235), will bring attendees up to speed on all business and scientific aspects of Industrial Hemp CBD cannabinoids by disseminating current, reliable information that continues to shape the revolutionary CBD market. Attendees will also get a chance to go to Hemp, Inc.'s 70,000 square foot multipurpose industrial hemp processing facility for the first live public demonstration of its NuAxon Bioscience Supercritical CO2 Extraction System using North Carolina-grown CBD industrial hemp. Representatives from NuAxon Bioscience will be on hand for those interested in purchasing their own CBD extraction system.

Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp Inc., said, "We are excited to announce that our 4th Educational Symposium has sold out, creating a decent revenue stream for the company and its shareholders. This will be the fourth educational symposium since we launched 'The Hemp University' and each one has been a sold out event. That's a testament to people's growing interest in the exploding industrial hemp and CBD market. The hemp educational infrastructure we provide through 'The Hemp University' is delivering on our goal to make America great again by making America hemp again. We are teaching farmers, landowners and entrepreneurs how to create a profitable income stream by maximizing their per-acre crop revenue."

Perlowin continued, "The Hemp University is one of our four foundational hemp infrastructures... the other three being the industrial, manufacturing and processing infrastructures; the hemp extraction infrastructure; and, the farming infrastructure. While the Hemp University is actually the least profitable of the four, as it was designed primarily to educate, it is proving to be very lucrative revenue generator which is good for the company and our shareholders.

Continue reading the full release here (http://marketwired.sys-con.com/node/4166642).

CONTACT INFORMATION

Hemp, Inc.

(855) HEMP-OUT

info@hempinc.com (mailto:info@hempinc.com)

http://www.hempinc.com (http://www.hempinc.com/)



For Investor Relations, please send correspondence to:

ir@hempinc.com (mailto:ir@hempinc.com)

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Hemp, Inc. via Globenewswire


Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 26, 2017) - Bell Copper Corporation (TSXV: BCU.H) ("Bell" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a further update on the Bell Copper Corporation's Kabba porphyry copper project in Arizona.

Drilling

Initial 2017 drilling completes 5 holes, totaling 2679 meters.

All 5 holes intercepted oxidized and leached capping in Laramide-age porphyritic intrusive rocks

Several of the holes showed low concentrations of the copper-bearing minerals chalcocite and chalcopyrite.

The initial 2017 drilling program at Kabba has been completed. The initial budget allocated to the project allowed for the completion of five drill holes testing significant IP electrical geophysical anomalies identified during the recent geophysics program this past winter. A total of 2679 meters of drilling was completed. The holes were spread across an area measuring 3 kilometers by 1.6 kilometers.

All five holes penetrated cover rocks ranging between 259 and 518 meters thick followed by oxidized and leached capping in Laramide-age porphyritic intrusive rocks. The holes all terminated in pyrite-bearing Laramide or Precambrian rocks. Several of the holes showed low concentrations of the copper-bearing minerals chalcocite and chalcopyrite.

Core has been shipped to Salt Lake City where it will be cut and then sent to an independent lab for assaying.

Assay results and further detailed geological information are expected to be available in approximately 60 days.

Project Development

Property package expanded to 13,000 acres (5244 hectares), increase of +55%

3 additional drill holes permitted based on 2017 drilling

The Company's mineral tenure at the Kabba project now stands at approximately 13,000 acres (5244 hectares), a 55% increase from last year. No federal lands are included in the Kabba project area.

Permits have been obtained from the Arizona State Land Department to drill 3 additional holes. While there is no guarantee that all or any of these holes will be drilled, these permits remain valid until the end of June 2018.

Community Relations

Kennecott Exploration Company, a part of the Rio Tinto Group continues to communicate with the local community. Once assays are in hand and all drill data is evaluated, they will again engage the local community in writing or in a public meeting to inform them of potential future mineral exploration efforts on the project.

Tim Marsh, the Company's President and CEO, assisted in logging the latest Kabba core and is enthused by what he saw. "This round of drilling took place beyond the limits of previous drill testing by Bell.The geophysical anomalies that were tested were proven by drilling to be pyritic porphyry with porphyry-copper-type alteration at the modeled depths."

Qualified Person

The technical content of this release has been reviewed and approved by Timothy Marsh, PhD, PEng., the Company's CEO and President. No mineral resource has yet been identified on the Kabba Project. There is no certainty that the present exploration effort will result in the identification of a mineral resource or that any mineral resource that might be discovered will prove to be economically recoverable.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

Bell Copper Corporation

"Timothy Marsh"

Timothy Marsh, President, CEO & Director

For further information please contact the Company

Tel: 604.970.0316

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 26, 2017) - Ted Konyi, CEO, SmartCool Systems Inc. (TSX: SSC) (OTC Pink: SSCFF), is pleased to announce that the company is establishing an installation and servicing network for its operations in North America. Having added 6 sales representatives in North America since the beginning of 2017, installation of Smartcool technology was the next phase in establishing continued revenue growth for the company. Agreements have been entered into with Sandcastle Energy Systems Alliance and CCS Climate Control Systems Inc. in Canada. In the US, an agreement is in place with Evolution Mechanical. The company is also in negotiations with 3 other groups covering most of the southern US markets.

Ted Konyi commented, "Numerous initial installations have been completed with the possibility that several large scale rollouts are anticipated. In order to accommodate this potential growth, it was clear that additional technical personnel were required. By adding these independent groups, Smartcool will be able to grow rapidly without the usual commitment of employee installers. Three of the groups were in attendance at a training session held in the U.K. last week."

Steven Martin, head of U.K. operations for the company led the training and anticipates that these groups are now prepared to complete installations in North America with support from the U.K. team. The secondary benefit of this approach is the prospect of additional sales to existing clients of these established installation groups.

About Sandcastle Energy Systems Alliance



SANDCASTLE Energy Systems Alliance manages an alliance of mechanical HVAC/R contractors providing service and support to clients across Canada. We support facility management by optimizing building performance and helping to minimize costs. Through designed energy conversation projects we are able to capture potential incentives.

About CCS Climate Control Systems Inc.



CCS is a full service HVAC and Refrigeration company providing services throughout the Vancouver, Canada region.

About Evolution Mechanical



Evolution Mechanical provide full service on HVAC and Refrigeration in Los Angeles, California and surrounding areas with 40+ qualified service technicians.

About Smartcool

Smartcool Systems Inc. (TSXV: SSC) (OTC Pink: SSCFF) provides cutting edge energy efficient and energy cost reduction solutions for businesses around the world. The ECO3 and ESM are Smartcool's unique retrofit technologies that reduce the energy consumption of compressors in air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pump systems by up to 40%, giving customers a return on investment in as little as 12 months.

For further information

WEB www.smartcool.net and www.smartcooleco3.com

EMAIL info@smartcool.net

Investor inquiries

Mike Kordysz

Vice President, Investor Relations

TEL +1 604 904 8632

EMAIL mike.kordysz@smartcool.net

Legal Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward looking statements". Forward-looking statements are projections of financial performance or future events. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "believe", "estimate" and words of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and they are subject to risks that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include those concerning the company's belief in the growth opportunities in the Israel. These statements are subject to risks that may cause the actual results to be materially different in future periods from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Risks that may prevent or delay the forward looking statements from coming to fruition as anticipated include the availability of working capital, risks inherent in product development, as well as market factors that may increase costs or time to market. It is our policy not to update forward looking statements except to the extent required under applicable securities laws. Further information on the Company is available at www.sedar.com or at the Company's website, www.smartcool.net.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 26, 2017) - Rise Gold Corp. (CSE: RISE) (OTC Pink: RYES) ("Rise" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche of the non-brokered private placement announced in its August 24, 2017 news release (the "Financing").

The Company has raised a total of $1,061,571 through the sale of 7,077,140 units (each a "Unit") at $0.15 per Unit where each Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional Share at an exercise price of $0.25 until September 25, 2019. The Company will pay a finder, fees in accordance with CSE policies of a total of $540 and issue a total of 3,600 finder's warrants (each a "Finder's Warrant") where each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Share at a price of $0.15 until September 25, 2019.

The securities referenced herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States except in compliance with exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

About Rise Gold Corp.

Rise is an exploration-stage mining company. The Company's principal asset is the historic past producing Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine located in California, USA. The Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine is one of the United States' greatest past producing gold mines with total past production of 2,414,000 oz of gold from 1866-1955. Rise is a US corporation incorporated in Nevada, USA and maintains its head office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:

Benjamin Mossman

President, CEO and Director

Rise Gold Corp.

For further information, please contact:

RISE GOLD CORP.

Suite 488, 1090 West Georgia Street

Vancouver, BC V6E 3V7

T: 604.260.4577

info@risegoldcorp.com

www.risegoldcorp.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitation, obtaining all necessary approvals, meeting expenditure and financing requirements, compliance with environmental regulations, title matters, operating hazards, metal prices, political and economic factors, competitive factors, general economic conditions, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulation and supervision, seasonality, technological change, industry practices, and one-time events that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information contained in this release. Rise undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements or information except as required by law.
VAL-D'OR, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- Abitibi Royalties Inc. (TSX VENTURE: RZZ) ("Abitibi Royalties" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the Company's various net smelter royalties ("NSR") at the Canadian Malartic Mine, near Val-d'Or, Quebec. The Canadian Malartic Mine is jointly operated by Agnico Eagle Mines Limited ("Agnico Eagle") and Yamana Gold Inc. ("Yamana").

Odyssey Project Exploration (3% NSR)

Abitibi Royalties holds a 3% NSR on the portions of the Odyssey Project (Odyssey North, Odyssey South, Internal Zone), within the Malartic CHL Property, which is located east of the Canadian Malartic open pit (Fig. 1).

A total of 65,102 metres of core in 96 holes have been completed as of September 1, 2017. Drilling has focused on discovery and definition of mineralized zones internal to Porphyry 12, which hosts the Odyssey North and Odyssey South deposits. Drilling has primarily targeted a block approximately 500 metres long and 300 metres wide, extending from 400 to 1100 metres below the surface.

Drilling has identified multiple gold-bearing structural corridors in a variety of complex and intersecting structural orientations within Porphyry 12. These mineralized corridors have been defined using a combination of geology, alteration envelopes, oriented core structural data and assay data. Internal Zone intercepts typically range from 5.0-30.0 metres drill width at 1.5 - 3.0 g/t Au, commonly with multiple intercepts per hole. Significantly higher grade zones have been intersected locally, ranging from 1.0-12.0 metres drill widths at 4.0 to +50.0 g/t Au (uncut) and additional work is underway to evaluate the continuity of these zones. An Inferred Mineral Resource estimation for the Internal Zone is to be completed by the end of 2017.

As of December 31, 2016 all of Odyssey North and the extreme northwest area of Odyssey South was contained within the Company's 3% NSR (Please see Company news release March 10, 2017 for the Odyssey Project resource estimate attributable to Abitibi Royalties 3% NSR). The Company believes based on publicly available information, that the Internal North Zones and the majority of the Jupiter Zones fall within Abitibi Royalties 3% NSR as shown on Yamana's Figure 10 cross section contained in its September 25, 2017 news release.

Historic East Malartic Mine Exploration (3% NSR)

Exploration efforts have focused on exploration and confirmation drilling at the East Malartic historic mine area. A total of 38,300 metres in 40 holes have been completed through September 1, 2017. Drilling is on-going with five drills, with a planned 2017 total program of 47,000 metres of core.

Abitibi Royalties believes that the areas at the East Malartic Mine covered by its 3% NSR include the deeper portions of the Main/East Zones, Porphyry Swarm, East Porphyry and the Chert/Wedge Zone (Fig. 2). The latter three zones may straddle the southern property boundary of the Company's NSR at depth and the Chert/Wedge Zone along strike to the east. These zones are in addition to the Norrie Zone (for more information on Norrie please see news release - August 19, 2014).

To view a long section of the underground ("UG") exploration targets at East Malartic and Odyssey, please see Figure 9 contained in Yamana's September 25, 2017 news release.

Technical Information

Abitibi Royalties has not received any of the 2017 drill hole data from the Internal Zone or from the historic East Malartic Mine that is otherwise not publicly available. The Company cannot make any assurances that all or any of the drilling completed at the Internal Zone or the East Malartic Mine referenced in the Yamana news release dated September 25, 2017 encountered mineralization where Abitibi Royalties holds an NSR. Although the Company believes the drill results from the Internal Zones could have a positive impact on its 3% NSR, the Company has not independently verified the drill hole data and cannot confirm, nor can there be any assurance, that all or any of the previous or current drilling from the Internal Zones encountered mineralization on the Malartic CHL Property where the Company holds a 3% NSR. Additionally, the Company has not been informed of the drilling locations for the historic East Malartic Mine or if the drilling encountered mineralization where Abitibi Royalties holds a 3% NSR. The full impact of the additional drilling will not be known until the mine operators calculate an updated reserve and resource estimate for the portions that are attributable to the Company's NSR interest. Abitibi Royalties anticipates this would occur in early 2018.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Glenn Mullan, Chairman, is the Qualified Person (as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) who has reviewed this news release based on the data provided and is responsible for the technical information reported herein. Information contained in this news release (Excluding Figures or as otherwise stated) is derived from Yamana's news release dated September 25, 2017 and without independent verification.

About Abitibi Royalties

Abitibi Royalties holds a 3% NSR on the Odyssey North and other portions of the Odyssey Project, Jeffrey Zone, eastern portion of the Barnat Extension and parts of the historic East Malartic Mine, where the mineralization is located inside the Malartic CHL Property and a 2% NSR on portions of the Gouldie and Charlie zones, all at the Canadian Malartic Mine near Val-d'Or, Quebec. In addition, the Company is building a portfolio of royalties on early stage properties near producing mines. The Company owns common shares in Yamana Gold and Agnico Eagle Mines (Market value CDN$32.2 million - September 25, 2017), plus cash (Cash balance CDN$7.3 million - June 30, 2017) of approximately CDN$39.4 million. The Company is debt free.

Golden Valley Mines Ltd. and Rob McEwen hold approximately 49.2% and 12.2% interest in Abitibi Royalties, respectively.

Forward Looking Statements:

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "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 or realities may differ materially from those in 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 law, 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.

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.

To view Fig. 1 - Plan Map of Canadian Malartic Mine & Abitibi Royalties' NSR Holdings, please follow this link: http://abitibiroyalties.com/maps/rzz-assets-nr-09262017-fig1.jpg To view Fig. 2 - Schematic Longitudinal Section of Malartic CHL Property, please follow this link: http://abitibiroyalties.com/maps/rzz-longitudinal-nr-09262017-fig2.png

Contacts:

Abitibi Royalties Inc.

Shanda Kilborn

Director, Corporate Development

1-888-392-3857

info@abitibiroyalties.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- Chemistree Technology Inc. (CSE: CHM) (CSE: CHM.CN) (CNSX: CHM) (OTCQB: CHMJF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that Chemistree's common shares have been approved for trading on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States under the new trading symbol CHMJF, effective September 26, 2017.

Listing on the OTCQB is part of Chemistree's overall strategy to increase its potential audience of international investors. It will provide the company with a significant trading platform for its current shareholders and future investors from the U.S. and internationally.

The OTCQB is the ideal marketplace for emerging U.S. and international companies. To be eligible for the OTCQB, companies must be current in their reporting obligations with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, meet a minimum price bid test, and undergo an annual verification and management certification process. These quality standards and appropriate regulations coupled with a solid technical platform provide investors with a high level of confidence and enhance their trading experience. Investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the Company on http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/CHMJF/quote

Chemistree will continue to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under its current symbol CHM.

President Karl Kottmeier said, "I am pleased to announce our OTCQB listing. Chemistree hopes to expand its operations further into the various US markets and it is only logical for the Company to make itself easily available to American investors, many of who frequently find it challenging to invest in Canadian listed companies."

Chemistree is an exciting new company, focusing its efforts on social media, branding, licensing and marketing technology. In addition to marketing events, brands and any other activities in the cannabis industry, the company will continue to identify other avenues for growth for social media marketing services, as well as brand marketing, product marketing, and more general services like financing and corporate consulting. The Company believes the cannabis industry offers a tremendous opportunity for growth. The reason for this is simply that marketing of cannabis companies, their products as well as information about the industry itself is in its infancy. Initially, the Pacific Northwest is the Company's main target geography, but this is expected to expand from British Columbia and Washington into Oregon, and eventually California.

"Karl Kottmeier", President

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Contacts:

Paul Searle

(778) 240-7724

paul@chemistree.ca




BROSSARD, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- DIAGNOS Inc. ("DIAGNOS" or the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: ADK)(OTCQB: DGNOF), a leader in early detection of critical health issues through the use of Artificial Intelligence, is pleased to announce that the Corporation's common shares traded on the OTC Markets Group Inc.'s OTCQB Venture Market in the United States, under the symbol "DGNOF", are Depository Trust Company ("DTC") eligible, effective September 22, 2017. DTC is a subsidiary of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. and manages the electronic clearing and settlement of share transactions for publicly-traded companies.

Andre Larente, President of DIAGNOS, stated: "Achieving DTC eligibility will simplify trading of DIAGNOS shares on the OTCQB Venture Market and will allow U.S.-based investors and brokers to be able to fully trade our common shares on a U.S. market which will benefit DIAGNOS and all of its shareholders and is in-line with our strategy to succeed in the U.S. healthcare market for the early detection of critical health issues such as Diabetic Retinopathy and cardiovascular disease."

The OTCQB Venture Market is for early-stage and developing U.S. and international companies that must be current in their reporting and undergo an annual verification and management certification process. DTC eligibility allows DIAGNOS shares to be more easily and economically transferred between brokerage accounts electronically within the United States. DTC is the largest securities depository in the world, providing clearing and settlement efficiencies for brokers, as well as various other services.

In addition to the OTCQB, shares of DIAGNOS continue to trade on the TSX Venture (Canada) stock exchange.

About DIAGNOS

DIAGNOS is a publicly-traded Canadian corporation with a mission of early detection of critical health issues through the use of its Artificial Intelligence ("AI") tool CARA (Computer Assisted Retina Analysis). CARA is a tele-ophthalmology platform that integrates with existing equipment (hardware and software) and processes at the point of care ("POC"). CARA's Artificial Intelligence image enhancement algorithms make standard retinal images sharper, clearer and easier to read. CARA is accessible securely over the internet, and is compatible with all recognized image formats and brands of fundus cameras, and is EMR compatible. CARA is a cost-effective tool for screening large numbers of patients in real-time and has been approved by regulatory authorities including Health Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Union and in Mexico.

Additional information is available at www.diagnos.com and www.sedar.com.

This news release contains forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements. DIAGNOS disclaims any intention or obligation to publically update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary 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 release.

Contacts:

DIAGNOS Inc.

Andre Larente

President

450-678-8882 ext. 224

alarente@diagnos.ca




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- San Marco Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: SMN) ("San Marco") announces the results and recommendations of recent exploration on its 1068 Project. The Project is an undrilled copper, molybdenum and gold porphyry system discovered from San Marco's generative program (see news release dated January 19, 2017).

During construction of a preliminary access road to potential drill site areas, mineralization was noted in the roadway with copper values up to 0.76%, gold up to 0.17g/t and molybdenum up to 2050 ppm over 3 - 4 metre channel samples. Drilling is recommended after additional surface mapping and sampling is completed. Preparation for such work will commence immediately.

Exploration Highlights

Highlights of the exploration include;

-- Surface alteration and mineralized footprint has increased to 1.6 kilometres X 1.5 kilometres ("km") and is open for expansion in at least two directions. -- Poorly exposed erosional window into potassically altered mineralized intrusive (100 metres by 200 metres) is an obvious drill target. -- Extensive phyllically altered and stockwork-quartz-veined volcanic lithocap (as above, 1.6 km X 1.5 km and open) may have created favourable conditions for sealing the system acting as a trap for fluids, enhancing the mineralizing process. Drilling through this volcanic cap is another obvious drill target. -- Oxide copper occurs mainly in fractures and veinlets. Fresh sulphides (pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite) were observed below the volcanic rock cap in potassic alteration. -- Semi-continuous channel sampling over part of a newly constructed road cut ran 62 metres of 0.1% copper; 215 ppm molybdenum and 0.044 g/t gold. Sampling was limited to where the bulldozer was able to build the road and not necessarily cutting the best outcrop exposures. -- Geochemical zonation suggests use of pathfinder elements as well as mapping alteration mineralogy can be utilized to vector to the best drill targets.

Exploration Plans

Recent work has resulted in the following strategy and recommendations for continued exploration of the 1068 Project:

-- Extend geological mapping over the northeast and southeast sections of the Project, up to 1 kilometre in each direction. -- Expand the previous rock-chip sample grid by a minimum of 500 metres to the southeast and northeast. -- Detail mapping of the phyllic alteration over the volcanic cap (lithocap) using pathfinder alteration minerals and the relative amounts of porphyry copper system vein types, to define specific drill targets. -- Commence drilling into the deeper core of the potassic alteration window (where current road cut sampling exists), as well as selected locations within the volcanic cap to test for mineralization suspected to occur beneath.

The Company plans to initiate the exploration programs as indicated. A more precise timetable of events will be disclosed over the next few weeks.

About San Marco

San Marco Resources Inc. is a Canadian mineral exploration company with a portfolio of promising projects in mining-friendly Mexico, including the Chunibas, Mariana and 1068 Projects in Sonora State.

San Marco actively pursues strategic project generation program focused on high-caliber, low acquisition cost opportunities in the North-western Mexico. The Company has a committed management team with extensive experience in Mexico and a proven track record of building shareholder value. San Marco currently has 56,201,832 issued and outstanding shares.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Robert Willis, P. Eng., President & CEO

National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

This news release has been approved by San Marco's CEO, Robert D. Willis, P. Eng. a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has verified the data disclosed, including sampling, analytical and test data, underlying such technical information by reviewing the assay reports provided to San Marco by its independent testing laboratory.

The Company has implemented quality assurance ("QA") and quality control ("QC") programs to ensure sampling and analysis of all exploration work is conducted in accordance with the best possible practices. All sampling programs are carried out in a careful and diligent manner using scientifically established sampling practices designed and tested to ensure that the results are representative and reliable. Quality control programs appropriate to the type of sample and the mineralization are implemented, including such measures as external blanks, standards and duplicate samples. The security of samples from sample acquisition to analysis is a vital component of the sampling process. Procedures include the use of secure core logging, sampling, storage and preparation facilities as appropriate and the prompt, secure and direct shipping of samples to the laboratories. Appropriate sample security procedures are employed given the geographic and topographic conditions and the logistics created by the site location.

Forward Looking Information

Information set forth in this document may include forward-looking statements. While these statements reflect management's current plans, projections and intents, by their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond the control of San Marco Resources Inc. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. San Marco's actual results, programs, activities and financial position could differ materially from those expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Nancy Curry

info@sanmarcocorp.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- Levon Resources Ltd. ("Levon" or "the Company") (TSX: LVN)(OTCQX: LVNVF) Levon is pleased to announce results of the 2017 core drill program (news release of May 15, 2017) at the Cordero Ag, Zn, Pb, Au discovery, 35 km north of Hidalgo Del Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico. Complete hole assays have been returned. The drill results are conformable with the grid drilling results of the 2014 Cordero resource (the "Resource") (news release of May 15, 2017) and extend a Au (gold) enriched sulphide zone in a northern part of the Resource (Figures 1 and 2).

The Company completed a total of 5,655 m of core in 18 infill core holes within the central part of the Resource (Figure 1), aimed at better definition and exploration for improved grades. We have learned that a gold enriched sulphide zone forms a key part of the Resource and extends from the Pozo de Plata Diatreme into the Cordero Felsic Dome toward the higher grade Aida feeder zone identified in past drilling (news release of April 30, 2014).

The 2017 drill holes also tested the youngest rhyolite intrusives within the composite Dome complex to the south, which also returned significant by-product gold results.

The ongoing Resource starter pit studies by independent Mining Consultants (IMC) of Tucson in collaboration with M3 indicate by-product gold within the starter pits has a significant impact on pit shapes, modeled production scheduling and projected starter pit economics.

The gold zone is defined by 3D contouring of the Au block model of the Resource. Inspection of 2017 drill results support projection of the zone through 350m on strike to the NE (Figure 2). The gold zone extension drill results are highlighted by four holes defining the projected extension (Figure 2, Table 1).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HoleID From To Width Ag_gpt Zn_% Pb % Au_gpt AgEq gpt ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C17_291 102 196 94 63.1 0.75 1.12 0.215 113.3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C17_285 38 112 74 44.9 0.34 0.34 0.151 64.7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 128 174 46 58.7 0.81 1.17 0.260 111.7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C17_289 196 244 48 70.5 1.12 1.41 0.236 130.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C17_287 210 284 74 46.0 1.33 1.27 0.200 111.7 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table 1. 2017 drill hole assay composites arranged from SW to NE within the projected Au enriched sulphide zone extension of about 350 m from the Pozo de Plata Diatreme into the Cordero Dome toward the Aida mineralization feeder zone (Figure 2). Widths are drill hole widths reported in meters. True widths are not known. AgEq gpt (silver equivalents gram per tonne) are calculated on the basis of 2014 Resource metal prices, mining costs, projected mill recoveries, transportation charges and NSR deductions used in the 2014 resource calculations considering a $6 NSR cutoff.

Other holes (C17_275, C17_276) began testing the youngest rhyolite intrusives within the composite Cordero felsic dome to the south. The holes also intersected significant near surface by-product grade Au (Figure 1) within the modeled starter pits (Figure 2). Assay composites of the drill hole intercepts are summarized in Table 2.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HoleID From To Width Ag gpt Zn_pct Pb_% Au_gpt AgEq gpt ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C17_275 58 142 84 113.1 1.1 0.67 0.131 156.9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C17_276 102 159 57 36.9 0.56 0.35 0.191 64.4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table 2. 2017 drill hole assay composites in the southern part of the Cordero Dome (Figure 2). Widths are drill hole widths reported in meters. True widths are not known. AgEq gpt (silver equivalents gram per tonne) are calculated on the basis of 2014 Resource metal prices, mining costs, projected mill recoveries, transportation charges and NSR deductions used in the 2014 resource calculations considering a $6 NSR cutoff.

The 2017 drill results highlight the need for additional infill Resource drilling to completely define the Resource internally. The Resource has yet to be delineated along its perimeter or at depth. Cordero remains an advanced stage exploration project with the Resource, proximal porphyry targets beneath the Resource, and outlying targets, on the 137,000 hectare district scale property owned by Levon.

"As metal prices rebound our strategic focus has been to continue to define and improve the Cordero Resource. We expect the 2017 drill results will extend an Au enriched sulphide zone from the Diatreme into the Dome that will have a positive effect on economic projections in the continuing starter pit analysis. The 2017 Resource infill drilling also adds to our exploration understanding of the deposit. Our next step is to provide a 2017 43-101 compliant Resource update to the market and continue the starter pit evaluation toward producing Preliminary Economic Assessment. We are pleased with the 2017 drill results and the improving metals market, which fit our plans to improve Levon shareholder value. We believe Cordero, our 100% owned key asset, is a remarkable project with upside continuing to be realized" says Ron Tremblay, President and CEO.

The 2017 drill results, including 43-101 compliant quality assurance, quality control sample results (QAQC), are being forwarded to IMC to begin the Resource update. All assays were conducted by ALS Chemex, Chihuahua, Mexico. QAQC referee analyses by an independent lab (ACTLabs, Zacatecas, Mexico) are underway.

IMC is starting to work with the 2017 drill results to provide an updated 43-101 compliant 2017 Cordero resource that will likely be completed by Q4.

Figure 1. Index map of 2017 drilling, 2014 Resource boundary (not yet delineated), 2016 modeled starter open pits being evaluated, and 243 past drill holes defining the 2014 Resource.

To view Figure 1, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1102742_FIGURE-1.pdf

Figure 2. Map highlighting by-product grade Au results of 2017 drilling. The starter open pits being modeled by IMC (Figure 1) show the Au in the Pozo de Plata Diatreme significantly improves projected economics of the pits, as well as their design and mine scheduling in the ongoing, in-house studies. By inspection of drill hole assays, 2017 drill holes will likely extend a by product Au zone from the Pozo de Plata Diatreme into the Cordero Dome Complex toward the Aida Feeder Zone discovered in 2014 drilling.

To view Figure 2, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1102742_FIGURE-2.pdf

About Levon Resources Ltd.

Levon is a well-funded gold and precious metals exploration Company, exploring the company's 100% owned flagship Cordero bulk tonnage silver, gold, zinc, and lead project near Hidalgo Del Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico. Cordero hosts a porphyry Silver, Zinc, Lead, and Gold resource with indicated Resource of 488.5 million ounces of Silver, 9.0 billion pounds of Zinc, 4.7 billion pounds of Lead, and 1.37 million ounces of Gold.

Levon's most recent mineral resource estimate is contained in a technical report prepared by IMC titled "Cordero Project September 2014 Mineral Resource Update, Chihuahua, Mexico" dated October 15, 2014, which was filed on the Company's website www.levon.com and under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Vic Chevillon, AIPG QPG # 11054, the Company's VP Exploration and a qualified person as such term is defined in NI 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators, has reviewed and approved this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Ron Tremblay, President and Chief Executive Officer

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (together, the "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including our belief as to the extent and timing of various studies including the PEA, and exploration results, the potential tonnage, grades and content of deposits, timing and establishment and extent of resources estimates. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and the dates of technical reports, as applicable. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. While we have based these forward-looking statements on our expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee that such future events will occur and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

Levon Resources Ltd.

IR Direct: 604-682-2991

main office number: 778-379-0040




WHITEHORSE, YUKON / ACCESSWIRE / September 26, 2017 / Turbo Power Systems Inc. (LSE: TPS) ("TPS" or the "Company") and Tao Sustainable Power Solutions (UK) Ltd. ("Tao") announce that the Company has entered into an acquisition agreement with 536348 Yukon Inc. (the "Purchaser"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tao, to complete a group restructure transaction of the Company. The transaction will be effected through an amalgamation of TPS and the Purchaser (the "Amalgamation") under the Business Corporations Act (Yukon) (the "Act"). Under the proposed Amalgamation, common shares of the Company held by minority shareholders (other than Tao and its affiliates) will be exchanged for redeemable preferred shares of the amalgamated company and immediately redeemed for a redemption price of 0.0002 per share. The Amalgamation will constitute a going private transaction for the Company as Tao and its affiliates will own 100% of the outstanding shares of the amalgamated company.

The Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board") formed a special committee (the "Special Committee") of the independent director to evaluate the proposed Amalgamation and to make recommendations to the Board. The Special Committee received an opinion from Evans & Evans, Inc. (www.evansevans.com) to the effect that, as of the date of such opinion and subject to the assumptions, qualifications and limitations set forth therein, the consideration to be received by minority shareholders of the Company pursuant to the Amalgamation is fair from a financial point of view to such shareholders. The Special Committee, after considering the price offered to shareholders, the financial condition of the Company, the limited ability for TPS shareholders to dispose of their shares, Tao's level of ownership as a shareholder of the Company, the fairness opinion, and a number of other factors, concluded that the consideration is fair to the minority shareholders. After considering these and other factors relevant to the Amalgamation, the Special Committee resolved that the Board submit the Amalgamation to a vote of the shareholders at a special meeting of shareholders and, in furtherance thereof, authorized the Company to enter into the acquisition agreement and to recommend to the shareholders to approve the special resolution in respect of the Amalgamation (the "Amalgamation Resolution").

Click on, or paste the following link into your web browser, to view the associated PDF document.

http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8453R_1-2017-9-26.pdf

SOURCE: Turbo Power Systems Inc.
MANAMA, Bahrain and BEIRUT, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

In partnership with Bahrain EDB & Investcorp

Forum to feature an international lineup of experts in disruptive technologies



Global experts, entrepreneurs, and academics will convene at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain on the 27th and 28th of September for the Innovation Forum, an event that will highlight the latest trends in state of the art and disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, financial technology, autonomous driving, and cloud computing.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561902/Innovation_Forum.jpg )



The event, which is organized by the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab, in partnership with Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) and Investcorp , a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products, will bring together over 500 entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers, along with CEOs, CTOs and CIOs from the world's leading tech companies as well as policy makers and the media.

Keynote talks on artificial intelligence by Denis Batalov, Senior Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services, and Wendell Wallach, consultant, ethicist, and scholar at Yale University, will demonstrate the latest advances in the field and shed light on the challenges that this new technology poses respectively.

Cybersecurity experts Ghareeb Saad, Kaspersky, and Najwa Aaraj, DarkMatter, will expose the latest online threats and counter measures, while panels on autonomous cars and fintech will explore the future of transportation and the future evolution of asset management respectively. Other notable speakers include John Defterios, CNN's Emerging Markets Editor, Amira Rashad, Co-Founder & CEO at BulkWhiz, and Paul Papadimitriou, CEO and Founder at Intelligencr.

Hala Fadel, Chairperson of the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab highlighted the vision of this forum, which is to shed light on technologies that carry the biggest potential for disruption, saying, "The forum will focus on state of the art technologies and will bring together global experts as well as stakeholders from local startup communities. We want to foster the exchange of knowledge and expertise to help propel the regional entrepreneurs to a new level of innovation and creativity and maximizing their impact."

Also, commenting on this partnership and the Innovation Forum, H.E. Khalid Al Rumaihi, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) said, "Innovation is a special tool that has the ability to empower people. In Bahrain, both the government and private sector have worked hard to create an ecosystem that will allow innovation to thrive. With its open and forward-thinking approach, the Kingdom has proven to be an ideal testing ground for the introduction of new technologies to the region."

"We are pleased to be part of the Innovation Forum, as it's an ideal platform to exchange ideas, share expertise and attract entrepreneurs looking to expand in the region to consider Bahrain as their perfect operation base."

Investcorp's Co-CEO Mohammed Al-Shroogi said: "Investcorp holds a strong belief in the power of innovation and creativity in driving economic and social development. Our partnership with the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab and Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is just another testament to our ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of innovative collaboration in Bahrain and the wider Arab region. We are pleased to sit alongside some of the world's innovation and entrepreneurship leaders to discuss the latest on disruptive technology, and understand the impact of emerging trends like FinTech and cyber security on the regional business landscape."



To register for the Innovation Forum, taking place in Bahrain, potential participants must register online on the following link .

About MITEF Pan Arab:

Founded in 2005, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (http://www.mitefarab.org) is one of the28 worldwidechapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum Global, an avid promoter of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. The MIT Enterprise Forum- Pan Arab has a proven record in promoting MIT-style entrepreneurship by organizing each year the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition targeting 21 countries of the Arab region and attracting over12,000entrepreneurs a year.

About the Bahrain Economic Development Board

The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is an investment promotion agency with overall responsibility for attracting investment into the Kingdom and supporting initiatives that enhance the investment climate.

The EDB works with the government and both current and prospective investors, in order to ensure that Bahrain's investment climate is attractive, to communicate the key strengths, and to identify where opportunities exist for further economic growth through investment.

The EDB focuses on several economic sectors that capitalise on Bahrain's competitive advantages and provide significant investment opportunities. These sectors include financial services, manufacturing, ICT, tourism, logistics and transport. The financial services sector is particularly strong in Bahrain and the EDB works to support the continued growth of the banking industry and key sub-sectors, including Islamic finance.

For more information on the Bahrain EDB visit http://www.bahrainedb.com; for information about Bahrain visit www.bahrain.com .

About Investcorp:

A leading provider and manager of alternative investment products and is publicly traded on the Bahrain Bourse (INVCORP). Investcorp focuses on generating investor and shareholder value through a disciplined investment approach in four lines of business: corporate investment, real estate, alternative investment solutions (formerly known as hedge funds), together with the recently added credit management business. Investcorp employs approximately 390n people across its offices in New York, London, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Singapore.

Contact details: Maggie El Eid 01-973030 ext.3124
PLANTATION, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- (OTC PINK: ACRL) Atacama Resources International is launching Good2Drive/Fleet, a mobile application that allows commercial fleet owners and operators to manage multiple drivers as they test their mental alertness before getting behind the wheel of a truck, bus or van. Good2Drive/Fleet uses a simple and fun 60-90 second image-matching test using a patented process based on scientific studies of mental abilities conducted at various West Coast hospitals and universities. A unique feature of Good2Drive/Fleet is the Dashboard, controlled by responsible fleet executives through any computer. As each driver takes the Good2Drive test, the results of the test are recorded on the Dashboard, along with a 'selfie' of the driver taken at random during the test.

Glenn Grant, CEO, reported, "Atacama Resources International is excited about the release of Good2Drive/Fleet for commercial applications. The Good2Drive test for driver alertness is now available for fleet drivers in even the largest fleets and can be monitored and controlled by responsible company managers from any computer." Grant continued, "The Good2Drive test has been proven to accurately identify cognitive impairment, whether caused by drinking, drugs, or drowsiness. The use of the daily test as part of the driver pre-check procedure at the start of the shift will help the fleet owner in promoting safe driving. The benefits, in terms of fewer accidents and its consequences, are obvious and that is why Good2Drive/Fleet will become an important tool in the commercial driving world."

The first commercial use of Good2Drive/Fleet will be by Calgary, Alberta-based Surepoint Group, a respected company providing high-quality instrumentation and electrical services in the oil and gas, construction, mining and power generation industries. With over 300 employees based throughout Western Canada and the US, the company is a natural for the first pilot project for Good2Drive/Fleet.

Trevor Muir, Surepoint Group's CEO, adds, "After hearing about Good2Drive/Fleet and how the company would benefit from the use of the Good2Drive app, we were eager to engage in the pilot project now underway in one of our branches in Northern BC. After getting familiar with how the company monitors and controls the results of the testing, we are scheduled to introduce Good2Drive/Fleet throughout the company. The 90-second test taken every day by each of our drivers is a small price to pay for the benefits that Surepoint Group will enjoy."

About Good2Drive (www.good2drive.com)

Good2Drive, Inc is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atacama Resources International. In addition to Good2Drive and Good2Drive/Fleet, the company is committed to providing smartphone hosted applications based on our proprietary testing process for cognitive awareness. Our suite of smartphone-hosted apps will include cognitive tests for care givers, seniors with impairments, remote employees in potentially hazardous environments and other situations where it is necessary to be mentally alert.

About Atacama Resources International (www.acrlintl.com)

Atacama Resources International is a publicly traded OTC company with a wholly-owned technology subsidiary called Good2Drive, Inc. that has pioneered a smartphone application called Good2Drive and is developing follow on products that will be released later this year. In addition, the company has significant mining claims in the greater Kirkland Lake area of Northern Ontario. Metals and minerals under potential exploration include gold, silver, diamonds, graphite and cobalt. Major deposits of copper and iron ore are included in the mining claims.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain information set forth in this news announcement may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of Atacama Resources International. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's industry, management beliefs and certain assumptions made by its management. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Information concerning factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements can be found in the Company's periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, and in its Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise to reflect future events or circumstances or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact:

Glenn Grant

CEO

Atacama Resources International, Inc.

ggrant@acrlintl.com

1-780-512-3805




ADSUM 2.0, a Premier Event for Marketers, Will Take Place in Aspen, CO from December 8-10, 2017

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 26, 2017 / Nate Lind, founder of ADSUM, is pleased to announce his vision for ADSUM 2.0, which will take place this December 8-10 in scenic Aspen, Colorado.

To learn more about ADSUM 2.0 and why it is regarded by many as a "mastermind retreat for advertisers, by advertisers," please visit https://event.adsum.net/.

As Lind noted, since last year's ADSUM, it's been a tumultuous time in the performance marketing business.

"Many of us dealt with traffic shortfalls in Q1, escalated FTC action in Q2, and merchant processing cancellations in Q3 - all of which lead to serious concern and unrest heading into Q4, which is traditionally a low volume part of the year when major brands suck up large media buys from the major traffic sources," Lind said.

Some companies are even worried that a bad Q4 will mean they won't make it to see Q1 again, he added.

After poring over the feedback from last year's ADSUM with his team, having conversations with performance advertising peers and colleagues, and engaging with the ADSUM virtual community, Lind and his team saw a clear pattern.

"On some level, nearly everyone wants to know how to manage this uncertainty short-term and evolve beyond it long-term," he noted.

"That's why the vision for ADSUM this year is to reveal the trade secrets of sustainable eCommerce business models and performance marketing billing methods."

At this year's ADSUM event, Lind said the focus will be on building lasting businesses and brands that evolve beyond the short-term thinking that unreliable vendors and greedy affiliates have pushed on advertisers.

Topics will include how advertisers can take advantage of insider branding techniques used by Fortune 500 companies for a fraction of the cost, and how they can take a loyalty-driven approach to marketing.

Seminars at ADSUM will also cover how to leverage Amazon's massive scale to build more sustainable sales channels, and how to evolve to lower-risk billing methods.

"It's time for advertisers to come together and take back the power in the performance marketing industry. For too long, we've been treated like second-class citizens, while the affiliates are getting steaks and bottle service," Lind said.

About ADSUM:

Join 500 top performance advertisers at ADSUM in Aspen from 12/8 to 12/10 and be a part of transforming the industry. Register today at https://event.adsum.net/.

Contact:

Nate Lind

nate@adsum.net

(949) 555-2861

SOURCE: ADSUM
Technavio market research analysts forecast the global agricultural enzymes market to grow at a CAGR of more than 7% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005857/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global agricultural enzymes market from 2017-2021. (Photo: Business Wire)

The market study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global agricultural enzymes marketfor 2017-2021. The report also lists control products, fertility products, and growth-enhancing products as the three major application segments, of which the control products segment accounted for more than 50% of the market share in 2016.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free

Technavio analysts highlight the following three market drivers that are contributing to the growth of the global agricultural enzymes market:

Growth in the global population

Growing preference for organic farming

Increased production yield for limited arable land

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Growth in the global population

The ongoing economic development in countries such as the US, China, India, Indonesia, and other emerging economies is fostering urbanization. This has also resulted in the rise in disposable income of consumers, which is directly responsible for the growing purchasing power. Moreover, food consumption has also increased to meet the growing demands of the increasing population. Therefore, there is a need to increase food production to cater to the growing demand across the world. Agricultural enzymes play an important role in the farming processes as they facilitate high crop yield in lesser time without harming the environment.

Growing preference for organic farming

Consumers across the world are increasingly concerned about the nutrition, health, and quality of their food. Organic farming improves agro-ecosystem health, such as the biological activity of the soil, biodiversity, and biological cycles. It also encourages the use of biological and mechanical practices as it is not as harmful as synthetic materials. It also promotes the health of the soil, water, and air by minimizing pollution that may result from agricultural practices. Therefore, organic farming, as an integrated farming approach, gives importance to both technical and economic aspects, as well as human health. North America is the largest adopter of organic farming and is characterized by the adoption of latest technologies and significant investments in R&D for developing products that aid in organic farming.

"Organic farming includes the use of different bio-products that are generally eco-friendly in nature and are biodegradable. This prevents harmful emissions that can cause pollution. The bio-products include bio-pesticides or insecticides, bio-fertilizers, and bio-stimulants. They maintain environmental sustainability while facilitating higher crop yield and higher nutritional value," says Mohd Shakeel Iqbal, a lead analyst at Technavio for agrochemicals and fertilizers research.

Increased production yield for limited arable land

Most of the arable land is already used for agriculture, which means that area of expansion would occur on marginal lands where it is unlikely to produce high yields. As a result, the land becomes vulnerable to degradation. In some of the major grain production areas of east and southeast Asia, the rate of rice yields is falling back because of the lack of fertile lands. These lands are damaged to a large extent because of the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

"The rising awareness regarding the use of bio-based products and organic farming can help in increasing the yield of crops in a limited arable land, without harming the environment and, creating healthy nutritional valued crops. This results in less consumption of water for agricultural lands," says Shakeel.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Nematicides Market 2017-2021

Global Metal Chelates Market 2017-2021

Global Biopesticides Market 2017-2021

About Technavio

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005857/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

www.technavio.com
MINNEAPOLIS, MN and SPERRYVILLE, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- VigiLanz, a digital healthcare intelligence firm, and Antimicrobial Therapy Inc., publisher and developer of The Sanford Guide, announced today an exclusive partnership that brings together the market-leading clinical intelligence platform and the industry's top digital infectious disease content. Doing so provides VigiLanz users with the critical next step in the clinical surveillance process -- access to peer-reviewed recommendations on the latest treatments for improved patient outcomes.

The agreement with Sanford Guide, the most trusted name in the treatment of infectious disease, is just the latest in a string of achievements for VigiLanz. Most recently, its antimicrobial stewardship platform achieved the top overall satisfaction rating in the "Antimicrobial Stewardship 2017" performance report from KLAS Research.

The VigiLanz clinical intelligence platform leverages real-time monitoring of thousands of patient care data elements to help improve medication safety, antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention, quality and care management, and patient safety. Its state-of-the-art rules engine analyzes that data and pushes alerts to clinicians at the point of care when interventions and other actions are necessary, driving significant improvements in safety, efficiency, performance, and reimbursement.

"Integrating Sanford Guide content into this process answers the question, 'What's next in the antimicrobial de-escalation process?' by giving clinicians and pharmacists convenient access to the latest clinician-designed treatment recommendations without having to exit the VigiLanz system," said VigiLanz Chairman and CEO Dr. David Goldsteen, MD, MBA. "We are proud to provide our clients with access to The Sanford Guide's exceptional content and clinical guidance, more so because we are the first and only clinical intelligence platform able to do so."

Trusted by clinicians in more than 100 countries, The Sanford Guide is optimized to minimize time-to-answer while providing comprehensive guidance at the point of care. Edited by distinguished infectious disease experts from leading academic and clinical centers, Sanford Guide content provides comprehensive coverage of treatment options for infectious diseases, syndromes, and pathogens. Under the partnership agreement, VigiLanz clients will have access to the full suite of Sanford Guide digital infectious disease content.

With continually updated information based on the latest available evidence, focused anti-infective drug information, interactive dosing tables, and extensive links to references and related resources, The Sanford Guide provides actionable guidance that is accessible, concise, and reliable.

"This partnership with VigiLanz is the most unique collaboration our company has undertaken since its founding nearly 50 years ago. As we moved forward with ever more sophisticated digital offerings, it was imperative that the company we aligned with share our values and commitment to improving the quality of treatment through focused clinical guidance at the point of care. VigiLanz was that company," said Sanford Guide CEO and Managing Editor Jeb Sanford. "Together we have created a product that fully integrates trusted clinical treatment recommendations with top-rated clinical surveillance tools. Our goal is to improve patient outcomes while minimizing technology burdens on providers."

For more information on the VigiLanz-Sanford Guide partnership, visit VigiLanz in booth #226 or Sanford Guide in booth #710 during IDWeek 2017, taking place October 4-8 in San Diego, CA.

About Sanford Guide

Since 1969, Sanford Guide has been a leader in point-of-care recommendations for the treatment of infectious diseases. Widely used by pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, and nurses, Sanford Guide helps to improve patient care by providing carefully curated recommendations based on the latest evidence. With over 1 million users worldwide, Sanford Guide takes pride in responsiveness to customers, the development of innovative solutions, and providing content that is unparalleled in quality and clinical applicability.

About VigiLanz

Founded in 2001, VigiLanz Corporation (www.vigilanzcorp.com) is a privately held, rapidly growing provider of SaaS health care intelligence and predictive analytics. The firm is focused on aggregating disparate EHR transactional workflow and documentation data across health systems to identify real-time clinical issues that avoid or minimize harm, optimize clinical outcomes and support preventive care along the entire health system continuum. VigiLanz supports a large and growing community of hospital CMOs, CMIOs, CIOs, quality teams, infectious disease and control specialists, pharmacists, and other clinicians dedicated to real-time inpatient and outpatient care. VigiLanz is shaping the emerging era of real-time health care by delivering enterprise intelligence technology and services that improve clinical outcomes, patient care and operational effectiveness.

Erik Johnson

Vice President of Marketing

952.232.6391

ejohnson@vigilanzcorp.com




WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - September 26, 2017) - Although nearly every American adult considers homeownership a key component of the American Dream, thousands of would-be homebuyers -- especially people of color and millennials -- are shut out from the market because of confusion about down payment requirements, lack of information about credit standards and the burden of student loan debt, according to the fifth annual America at Home survey from NeighborWorks America.

Over the past year, government-sponsored mortgage agencies and both large and small lenders have launched mortgage products with low down payments and broader credit standards; however, a significant number of Americans are not aware of these programs or are confused about their requirements. Millennial and nonwhite consumers are particularly confused about how to qualify for a mortgage, and these are the demographic groups that will influence the strength of the housing market for years to come.

Findings from the America at Home survey include:

The average millennial thinks the minimum required down payment is 21 percent

29 percent of consumers know someone who has delayed homeownership as a result of student loan debt.

Ninety-three percent of adults believe owning a home is part of the American Dream.

Eighty-one percent of adults and 72 percent of millennials say homeownership increases financial stability.

Seventy-four percent of adults and 84 percent of millennials perceive the home buying process as complicated.

Down payment confusion

The NeighborWorks survey found that 70 percent of adults feel they don't have enough money saved for a down payment. That's not surprising considering that, on average, consumers think 17 percent is the minimum down payment required to buy a home. In fact, however, a down payment as small as 3.5 percent is sufficient for many mortgage products.

Younger consumers believe even a higher amount is required for a down payment, with, on average, those 18-24 years old thinking that a 25 percent down payment is necessary. Seventy-eight percent of renter millennials say they "don't" or "probably don't" have enough money for a down payment, compared to 70 percent of adult renters overall.

The confusion about minimum down payment requirements is compounded by a general lack of awareness about assistance programs. Approximately 73 percent of all consumers and 62 percent of millennials say they are not aware or are unsure about down payment assistance programs in their communities for middle-income homebuyers.

Of those surveyed who have heard of down payment assistance programs, 53 percent report receiving "not much information" or "nothing at all" about them, a signal for providers to increase their marketing efforts to reach more consumers.

Impact of credit

Credit concerns are the second-biggest obstacle to homeownership highlighted in the NeighborWorks survey, with 17 percent of all adults and 22 percent of millennials citing credit as a barrier. However, the median FICO score (a measure of credit used when applying for a mortgage) was 700 in April, well above the mortgage-qualifying rate of 620 published by many mortgage lenders and government-sponsored enterprises.

While some consumers looking to purchase a home have scores below the median, many are not aware of the strength of their credit and thus mistakenly believe they are unable to obtain a mortgage.

This may be especially true for people of color. Twenty-one percent of nonwhite respondents cited credit as a home buying obstacle, slightly more than the 19 percent who listed lack of down payment funds.

This is an opportunity for nonprofit organizations to increase outreach about their homebuyer education and counseling services.

Student loan debt

Approximately one in four (26 percent of) adults in America have student loan debt, and more than half of millennials carry this burden, according to the survey. This has had a major impact on their home buying behavior, with nearly one in four millennials reporting they have delayed buying a home because of student loan debt. Likewise, more than one-third of millennials say they know someone who has delayed buying a home because of student loans.

When asked to rate where student loan debt stands as an obstacle to homeownership, using a scale of 1-10 (with the latter being the most onerous), nearly 18 percent of both the total adult population and millennials chose either nine or 10. Student loan debt is a major source of anxiety: Half of millennials, 47 percent of nonwhite consumers and 43 percent of the general population worry about their student loans "all" or "most" of the time.

Similar to the lack of good information about credit and down payment assistance, most consumers with student loan debt are not aware of help available to manage the cost. Sixty-five percent of everyone with student loan debt and 70 percent of millennials report they are "not too familiar," are "not at all familiar" or have "never heard of" nonprofit organizations that offer free or low-cost help.

Editor's note: Widmeyer Communications, a Finn Partners Company, conducted the national representative study using an online panel, including 1,000 adults aged 18 or older, with an additional, separate sample of 500 millennials, defined as aged 18-34.

About NeighborWorks America

For nearly 40 years, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp. (D/B/A NeighborWorks America), a national, nonpartisan nonprofit, has created opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $27.2 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation's leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/9/25/11G145871/Images/americaathome-loan2017_mediacenter-aaa4c6575bf9b10eb10ab81bcb2035d2.jpg

Contact:

Douglas Robinson

202-760-4062

drobinson@nw.org




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - New home sales in the U.S. unexpectedly showed a sharp decrease in the month of August, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday.



The Commerce Department said new home sales tumbled by 3.4 percent to an annual rate of 560,000 in August from the revised July rate of 580,000.



The decline surprised economists, who had expected new home sales to climb to a rate of 583,000 from the 571,000 originally reported for the previous month.



The unexpected decrease in new home sales reflected a notable decline in sales in the South, which plunged by 4.7 percent.



New home sales in the West and Northeast also slumped by 2.7 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively, while new home sales in the Midwest were virtually unchanged.



The report also said the median sales price of new homes sold in August was $300,200, down 6.2 percent from $319,900 in July but up 0.4 percent from $298,900 in the same month a year ago.



The Commerce Department said there were an estimated 284,000 houses for sale at the end of August, representing 6.1 months of supply at the current sales rate.



Last Wednesday, the National Association of Realtors released a report showing an unexpected decrease in existing home sales in the month of August.



NAR said existing home sales slumped by 1.7 percent to an annual rate of 5.35 million in August after tumbling by 1.3 percent to a rate of 5.44 million in July.



The continued decrease surprised economists, who had expected existing home sales to edge up to an annual rate of 5.46 million.



With the unexpected decrease, existing home sales fell to their lowest annual rate since hitting 5.34 million last August.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- VVC Exploration Corporation ("VVC" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: VVC) is pleased to provide an update on its previously announced CA$1 million in a non-brokered equity private placement. This placement is for units of the Company ("Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit, whereby each Unit consists of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") of the Company. Each full Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company for a period of three years, at an exercise price of CA$0.06 per share. The Company has raised to-date about CA$900,000 and have commitments for an additional $460,000. The Company therefore is increasing the maximum amount of the offering to CA$2 million. The proceeds from the offering will be used mostly for ongoing drilling program, maintenance fees and option payments on the Corporation's Samalayuca Copper Project in Mexico and working capital.

The Company also announces a non-brokered convertible 3-year Debenture private placement financing of up to US$ 2 million whereby the Debenture will be convertible into common shares at a conversion rate US$0.04 per share in the first year and at US$0.08 per share in years 2 and 3. The estimated number of shares to be issued on conversion would be up to 50 million if converted in the first year or 25 million if converted in the years 2 to 5. The Debenture will bear interest at 8% per annum compounded quarterly. As part of the Debenture, the debenture holders will receive an aggregate up to 10,000,000 common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") of the Company. Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at $0.11 per share for a period of 3 years from closing. It is expected that all the debenture holders will be parties unrelated to the Company. Debenture financing is subject to TSXV acceptance for filing.

The Company is not anticipating paying a commission on either financings, however should a commission be paid, it will not exceed the allowable limits imposed by the TSXV.

The offering is subject to all necessary regulatory requirements including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued pursuant to the offering will be subject to the applicable statutory, exchange and regulatory hold period of four months.

About VVC Exploration Corporation

VVC is a Canadian exploration and mining company with projects in Mexico and Canada, including the Samalayuca copper property in Chihuahua State, and gold and silver prospects in Sonora and Sinaloa States, Mexico. The Company also has a grassroots gold/VMS prospect in the Timmins area of northern Ontario. Visit our website at: http://vvcexpl.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Michel J. Lafrance, Secretary-Treasurer

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

VVC Exploration Corporation

Patrick Fernet

(514) 631-2727

pfernet@vvcexploration.com




Regulatory News:

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006325/en/

Jehan de The, Europcar Group Public Affairs Director

Europcar Group (Paris:EUCAR) announces the appointment of Jehan de The, 52 years old, as Public Affairs Director for the Group.

In his mission, Jehan will have to develop the Group's public affairs strategy with the main objective to promote the group's expertise in the new mobility markets and to be the link with the public institutions (urban transport, professional and regulation bodies). He will work closely with all the Group's brands and franchisees.

Expert of mobility jobs, Jehan de The shared his professional experience between marketing and business development on car rental.

Graduated from the European Business School, he joined Europcar France in 1990 as International Marketing Manager then he was appointed Sales Manager for south of France. In 1999, he became Sales Director for the broker, holiday-autos. In 2001, he joined Expedia International to create and develop their car rental program.

After obtaining the IMD's "Leadership Certification" in 2006, Jehan de The returns to Europcar Group and took the position of Marketing and e-commerce Director. Since 2012, he has led the development of InterRent, the low-cost brand of the Group that he successfully deployed in more than 40 countries.

About Europcar Group

Europcar Group is listed on Euronext Paris. Europcar is the European leader in vehicle rental service and is also a major player in mobility markets. Active in more than 130 countries and territories, including nine subsidiaries in Europe and two in Australia and New Zealand, Europcar serves customers through an extensive vehicle rental network comprised of its wholly-owned subsidiaries as well as sites operated by franchisees and partners. The group operates mainly under the Europcar, InterRent and Ubeeqo brands. Customer satisfaction is at the heart of the group's mission and all of its employees, this commitment fuels the continuous development of new services. The Europcar Lab, based in Paris, was created to better grasp tomorrow's mobility challenges through innovation and strategic investments, such as Ubeeqo, E-Car Club or Brunel.

Further details on our website :

europcar-group.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006325/en/

Contacts:

Europcar Press relations

+33 1 30 44 98 82

europcarpressoffice@europcar.com

or

Elan Edelman

europcar@elanedelman.com

+33 1 86 21 51 56 or +33 1 86 21 50 38
North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday accused US President Donald Trump of declaring war on his country by tweeting over the weekend that North Korea "won't be around much longer."

In light of this, Ri said North Korea would take counter measures, including the right to shoot down US bombers flying over the Korean Peninsula, even if they did not enter North Korean airspace.

Ri made the comments to reporters in New York.

"In light of the declaration of war by Trump, all options will be on the operating table of the Supreme leadership of DPRK," Ri said, according to his official English translator.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

CNN's Chieu Luu and Sol Han contributed to this report.
DUBLIN, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Mezcal Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global mezcal market to grow at a CAGR of 21.71% during the period 2017-2021.

Global Mezcal 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.

According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is Rising exports of mezcal. The increasing value of exports, in terms of volume and revenue, is an encouraging sign for the mezcal market. Since the last five years, the mezcal exports from Mexico to other countries has grown significantly. In 2016, the total volume of mezcal exports from Mexico (2.7 million liters) grew by 30.6% in comparison to 2015. Whereas, in dollar terms, the value rose by 35% in comparison to 2015 and was billed at: $26.8 million. Currently, eight states of Mexico have the right to produce mezcal, with Oaxaca state being the leading one.



The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is Easy accessibility of products due to online retailing. With the increasing influence of e-commerce businesses worldwide, the vendors have immense opportunity to realize the huge market potential of their products. E-commerce trading accounts for approximately 12% of the global retail trade. Most of the e-commerce channels support both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) operations.



Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is Distribution challenges. Supermarkets and big chains of discount and convenience stores have become important modes of distribution for mezcal manufacturers. However, this presents some serious challenges to the manufacturers, such as pressure regarding the prices and profit margins of the product, as retail stores operate at a lower profit margin.



Key vendors

Destilera Tlacolula

Ilegal Mezcal



Pernod Ricard

Pierde Almas



William Grant & Sons



Other prominent vendors

El Silencio Holdings

El Tinieblo

Fidencio Mezcal

GEM & BOLT

HEAVY MTL PREMIUM IMPORTS

Lgrimas de Dolores

Los Danzantes

Mezcal Vago

Mezcales de Leyenda

Key Topics Covered:



Part 01: Executive Summary



Part 02: Scope Of The Report



Part 03: Research Methodology



Part 04: Introduction



Part 05: Market Landscape



Part 06: Market Segmentation By Product Type



Part 07: Market Segmentation By Geography



Part 08: Key Leading Countries



Part 09: Decision Framework



Part 10: Drivers And Challenges



Part 11: Market Trends



Part 12: Vendor Landscape



Part 13: Key Vendor Analysis



Part 14: Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/g49lp6/global_mezcal

Media Contact:

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
Regulatory News:

TxCell SA (FR0010127662 TXCL) (Paris:TXCL), a developer of cellular immunotherapies based on regulatory T cells (Tregs) for inflammation, autoimmunity and transplantation, today announces it has completed the development of its first-generation production process for its proprietary CAR-Treg technology. The process will be transferred to a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) before the start of a first-in-man clinical trial.

For its first CAR-Treg manufacturing process, TxCell has isolated a subset of Treg cells that have shown to be stable and to display a strong anti-inflammatory activity. Despite the rarity of the selected Treg subset, TxCell has successfully produced its CAR-Treg cellular product within two weeks (before post-production quality control). TxCell will present additional details on this manufacturing process at the CAR-TCR Summit Europe to be held on February 20-22, 2018, in London, United Kingdom.

TxCell is currently finalizing its selection of the CMO for clinical supply of its lead HLA-A2 CAR-Treg product. Once CMO contractual agreements are executed, the transfer of TxCell's manufacturing process will follow immediately. A regulatory dossier to start a first-in-man study is expected to be filed in Q4 2018. The start of clinical development will be subject to regulatory approval and availability of appropriate funding.

"It is very important for TxCell to have completed the production process within the expected time frame for its first clinical candidate, a CAR-Treg product for solid organ transplantation. This will enable us to evaluate the potential of TxCell's platform as soon as possible in a first-in-man study," said Stephane Boissel, CEO of TxCell. "Our personalized cellular approach could offer an alternative therapy to prevent chronic rejection of transplanted organs. There is a significant risk of post-transplant organ rejection. In lung transplants, for example, this results in a mortality rate of 40% to 55% five years after surgery. As a result, there remains a significant medical need for a novel therapeutic approach.

The CAR-Treg manufacturing process developed by TxCell for the HLA-A2 CAR-Treg candidate will be applicable to its portfolio of other CD4+FoxP3+ products. The CD4+FoxP3+ Treg population is one of the three Treg populations TxCell is working on. The other two are CD8+FoxP3+ Tregs and Type 1 Tregs (Tr1).

About TxCell's HLA-A2 CAR-Treg

The HLA-A2 CAR-Treg is TxCell's most advanced CAR-Treg product-candidate. It is based on a subset of CD4+FoxP3+ Tregs. It targets HLA-A2, a common mismatch antigen in transplantation, and is in development for the prevention of chronic rejection after organ transplantation. HLA-A2 CAR-Treg has shown strong efficacy in a preclinical GvHD model1,2 and is now on track to start a first-in-man study in transplanted patients.

In June 2017, TxCell appointed Lentigen Technology, Inc. (LTI) as its contract manufacturing organization (CMO) for the GMP production of the product's lentiviral vector.

About TxCell www.txcell.com

TxCell is a biotechnology company that develops platforms for innovative, personalized T cell immunotherapies for the treatment of severe inflammatory and autoimmune diseases with high unmet medical need. TxCell is targeting transplant rejection as well as a range of autoimmune diseases (both T-cell and B-cell-mediated), including multiple sclerosis, lupus nephritis and bullous pemphigoid.

TxCell's cellular immunotherapies are based on regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs). Tregs are a T cell population discovered in the nineties for which anti-inflammatory properties have been demonstrated. Contrary to conventional approaches based on non-specific polyclonal Tregs, TxCell is exclusively developing engineered antigen-specific Tregs, where the antigen specificity is brought by a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) (CAR-Treg cells).

Based in Sophia-Antipolis, France, TxCell is listed on Euronext Paris and currently has 46 employees.

Upcoming events

Scientific and medical conferences

Jan 30-31, 2018 Combined CAR-T Congress Europe Berlin (DE) Feb 11-15, 2018 Keystone conference: Emerging cellular therapies Keystone (US) Feb 20-22, 2018 CAR-TCR Summit Europe London (UK) Mar 20-22, 2018 Combined CAR-T Congress USA Boston (US)

Financial and business conferences

Dec 19, 2017 Invest Securities Biomed Event Paris (FR) Jan 8-11, 2018 Presence at the J.P. Morgan Annual Healthcare Conference San Francisco (US)

Next financial milestone

January 24, 2018 Revenues and cash position as of Dec 31, 2017 (post-market)

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of TxCell, which shall not be considered per se as historical facts, including TxCell's ability to develop, market, commercialize and achieve market acceptance for specific products, estimates for future performance and estimates regarding anticipated operating losses, future revenues, capital requirements, needs for additional financing. In addition, even if the actual results or development of TxCell are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, those results or developments of TxCell may not be indicative of their in the future.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "could," "should," "may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "aims," "targets," or similar words. Although the management of TxCell believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonably made, they are based largely on the current expectations of TxCell as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In particular, the expectations of TxCell could be affected by, among other things, uncertainties involved in the development of the Company's products, which may not succeed, or in the delivery of TxCell's products marketing authorizations by the relevant regulatory authorities and, in general, any factor that could affects TxCell capacity to commercialize the products it develops, as well as, any other risk and uncertainties developed or identified in any public documents filed by TxCell with the AMF, included those listed in chapter 4 "Risk factors" of the 2016 document de reference (registration document) approved by the AMF on April 26, 2017 under number R.17-024. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements made in this press release will in fact be realized. Notwithstanding the compliance with article 223-1 of the General Regulation of the AMF (the information disclosed must be "accurate, precise and fairly presented"), TxCell is providing the information in these materials as of this press release, and disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

1 MacDonald KG, Hoeppli RE, Huang Q, Gillies J, Luciani DS, Orban PC, Broady R, Levings MK. Alloantigen-specific regulatory T cells generated with a chimeric antigen receptor. J Clin Invest. 2016, 126(4):1413-1424.

2 Levings M. Alloantigen-specific regulatory T-cells generated with a chimeric antigen receptor. Oral presentation at the 18th Congress of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT), September 24-27, 2017, Barcelona, Spain.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171218005639/en/

Contacts:

TxCell

Caroline Courme, Tel: +33(0) 4 97 21 83 00

IR Communication Director

caroline.courme@txcell.com

or

Image Box Press relations

Neil Hunter Michelle Boxall, Tel: +44(0) 20 8943 4685

neil.hunter@imageboxpr.co.uk

michelle.boxall@imageboxpr.co.uk

or

NewCap - Investor relations

Julien Perez Mathilde Bohin, Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 98 52

txcell@newcap.eu
Hoya Corporation (TOKYO: 7741) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2017.

During the quarter, revenue of the HOYA Group increased 18.2% year on year, reaching 135,772 million yen. Pre-tax profit amounted to 32,868 million yen with 26,767 million yen in profit, representing increases of 3.9% and 7.9%, respectively.

In the Life Care segment, sales of eyeglass lenses rose, mainly overseas and in response to business acquisitions. Medical endoscopes experienced improved sales, pushed mainly by performance in Europe and Asia. New products drove sales of intraocular lenses as well. As a result, the Life Care segment as a whole reported higher sales year on year.

The Information Technology segment also reported higher revenues year on year, driven by stronger demands in semiconductor devices and glass substrates for hard disk drives. Imaging-related product sales increased as well due to an expansion of new applications.

For the six months ended September 30, 2017, HOYA posted record revenues of 262,930 million yen and record profit for the term of 51,960 million yen, representing increases of 14.3% and 21.4%, respectively.

"The Life Care segment delivered sales increase of 9.4% without exchange gain this quarter," said Hiroshi Suzuki, president and chief executive officer of HOYA. "We expect the segment profitability to improve in the second half as post-merger integration completes."

HOYA also announced the interim dividends of 30 yen per share of common stock.

Summary of Consolidated Financial Statement (Millions of Yen: Rounded to the nearest million) Three months ended Variance Six months ended Variance Sept./16 Sept./17 Sept./16 Sept./17 Revenue 114,865 135,772 18.2 230,030 262,930 14.3 Profit before tax 31,637 32,868 3.9 53,911 63,416 17.6 Profit for the term 24,819 26,767 7.9 42,797 51,960 21.4 Basic earnings per share(yen) 63.42 70.11 108.62 134.81 *Results are preliminary and unaudited.

The full reports are available at: www.hoya.com

About HOYA

Founded in 1941 in Tokyo, Japan, Hoya is a global med-tech company and the leading supplier of innovative high-tech and medical products. Hoya is active in the fields of healthcare and information technology providing eyeglasses, medical endoscopes, intraocular lenses, optical lenses as well as key components for semiconductor devices, LCD panels and HDDs. With over 150 offices and subsidiaries worldwide, Hoya currently employs a multinational workforce of 36,000 people. For more information, please visit http://www.hoya.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171027005295/en/

Contacts:

Hoya Group

Akiko Chiba, +81-3-6911-4824

Public Relation

HOYA-pr@hoya.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- A British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) panel has dismissed allegations that Kenneth William Trociuk and CAAS Mining Corporation distributed securities without a prospectus. The panel also dismissed the allegation that Trociuk provided false or misleading information to the Executive Director.

CAAS was a company incorporated under the laws of B.C. on January 13, 2010. Trociuk incorporated CAAS (or had it incorporated on his behalf). CAAS has never filed a prospectus under the Securities Act. Trociuk was the sole director and officer of CAAS and its only registered shareholder. CAAS was dissolved on July 1, 2013 for failing to file annual reports.

CAAS distributed securities to an investor in return for $15,000 and it did so without a prospectus. However, the investor was a relative of the person the panel found to be a "founder" of CAAS at the relevant time. Therefore, there was no illegal distribution because the investor was related to a founder of the company and the respondents were eligible to use a prospectus exemption - the Family, Friends, & Business Associates Exemption for the distribution.

You may view the findings decision on our website, www.bcsc.bc.ca, by typing CAAS Mining Corporation, Kenneth William Trociuk, or 2017 BCSECCOM 296 in the search box. Information about disciplinary proceedings can be found in the Enforcement section of the BCSC website.

Please visit the Canadian Securities Administrators' (CSA) Disciplined List for information relating to persons and companies disciplined by provincial securities regulators, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA).

About the British Columbia Securities Commission (www.bcsc.bc.ca)

The British Columbia Securities Commission is the independent provincial government agency responsible for regulating capital markets in British Columbia through the administration of the Securities Act. Our mission is to protect and promote the public interest by fostering:

-- A securities market that is fair and warrants public confidence -- A dynamic and competitive securities industry that provides investment opportunities and access to capital

Learn how to protect yourself and become a more informed investor at www.investright.org.

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Alison Walker

604-899-6713



Public inquiries:

604-899-6854 or 1-800-373-6393 (toll free)

inquiries@bcsc.bc.ca




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 26, 2017) - American CuMo Mining Corporation (TSXV: MLY) (OTC Pink: MLYCF) ("CuMoCo or the "Company") and its wholly-owned subsidiary Idaho CuMo Mining Corporation (ICMC) co-hosted two local events to inform elected officials, decision-makers and community members of the latest developments regarding the CuMo Project in Boise County, Idaho. Despite inclement weather, both events were well-attended.

On Monday, September 18, approximately 30 representatives from local, county, state and federal government offices gathered at the historic Golden Age Mine property owned by ICMC to stage for a tour of the CuMo Project exploration. Shaun Dykes, President and CEO of ICMC, characterized the site as representative of the historic mining legacy celebrated for more than 150 years in Idaho.

"Boise County has one of the richest mining legacies in the U.S.," said Dykes. "We are standing on a chapter in our history, but there are many chapters still to be written. Idaho CuMo wants to partner with this community to build a more sustainable future that is based on its legacy but driven by modern mining innovations."

Dykes provided an overview of the project from an overlook near the CuMo site. He described the ore body as the world's largest molybdenum deposit of its type and in the top twenty-five silver deposits. ICMC has been exploring the deposit and gathering critical environmental data for the past thirteen years. He emphasized that all the conditions and studies to-date indicate that exploration can proceed without adverse impact to the environment, the community, or its culture.

"The mining industry is often characterized as boom-and-bust. It is not so for the CuMo Project," said Dykes. "Our current analysis points to CuMo as one of the lowest cost producers in the world. This means that should the Project advance to production, it will not be effected by the market price of molybdenum."

The community-at-large attended a dinner and update on Wednesday, September 20, at Boise Basin Senior Center in Idaho City. ICMC partnered with Boise Basin Boosters (BBB) to raise funds for the organization's community-based initiatives. Community contributions combined with an Idaho CuMo donation delivered approximately $4800 to support BBB's programs which include holiday meals, disaster relief and a winter Chinese lantern celebration.

Both CuMo events included an overview of the status of the Project, a stationed presentation and small group discussions to address individual questions. Topics included mapping, exploration, permitting, geology and community engagement.

The ICMC team addressed questions about hiring practices, timelines, and infrastructure improvements. Many answers remain vague at this phase of exploration, but the team emphasized that modern mining is based on scientific data and collaborative solutions.

"This is not your grandfather's mining. Modern mining is a collaborative process based on scientific studies, preserving culture, and building communities," stated Noelle Laury, Vice President of Public Relations and Corporate Communication at Idaho CuMo Mining Corporation. "ICMC hopes to become a trusted partner in preserving the community's great legacy while building a more sustainable Boise County."

Final comments made by the team included a call for the community to become more vocal regarding the Project. Lisa Anderson, Vice President of Government Relations, invited community members to get more involved by joining an advisory group, reaching out to their government officials and attending public forums regarding the CuMo Project.

More information regarding the CuMo Project is available at cumoproject.com or like the CuMo Project Facebook page.

About CuMo Project

The CuMo Project is a scientific exploration of the largest molybdenum deposit and one of the top 25 silver deposits in the world. CuMo is located in a historic mining district in Boise County, Idaho. American CuMo Mining Corporation (CuMoCo) acquired the claim in 2004. CuMoCo established Idaho CuMo Mining Corporation (ICMC), an Idaho-based, wholly-owned subsidiary, to manage the geologic and environmental exploration that will determine the future development plan.

About Idaho CuMo Mining Corporation

Idaho CuMo Mining Corporation (ICMC) is the wholly-owned subsidiary of American CuMo Mining Corporation, a Canadian natural resource exploration and development company. ICMC is committed to conducting all exploration and development activities, present and future, in a manner that ensures a minimal impact on the environment. Every decision made by the development team is focused on designing an environmentally sound and socially responsible project. Currently, ICMC is advancing the CuMo Project in Boise County, Idaho and Calida Gold project in Lemhi County, Idaho. For more information, please visit idahocumo.com.

About American CuMo Mining Corporation

American CuMo Mining Corporation (CuMoCo) is focused on advancing its CuMo Project towards feasibility. CuMoCo is also advancing its newly-acquired Calida Gold project. Management is continuing to build an even stronger foundation from which to move the Company and its projects forward. For more information, please visit cumoco.com, idahocumo.com and cumoproject.com.

For further information, please contact:



American CuMo Mining Corporation

Shaun Dykes, President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (604) 689-7902

Email: info@cumoco.com

###
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - September 26, 2017) - Aviation Week Network's MRO Asia-Pacific (MROAP) will be held October 31-November 2 at the Singapore EXPO Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The 2017 event is expected to sell out of exhibition space and surpass 4,000 registered attendees, hundreds of which represent airlines. MRO Asia-Pacific, in partnership with Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore), is sponsored by HEICO, SATAIR Group, StandardAero and UTC Aerospace Systems at the Platinum Level; APS, Embraer, Lufthansa Technik, Pratt & Whitney, ST Aerospace and Wesco Aircraft are Gold Sponsors.

Focused on commercial aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), the event is the industry's largest in Asia-Pacific featuring airlines, OEMs, regulators, suppliers, and service providers. Each year, MRO Asia-Pacific attracts attendees from more than 65 countries including China, France, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States. Out of the attendees at the 2016 conference and exhibition, more than 80 percent were involved in the buying process.

"Singapore is Asia's transport hub and we encourage interested exhibitors to register soon, as we are close to selling out," said Lydia Janow, Managing Director/Events & Tradeshows, Aviation Week Network. "MRO Asia-Pacific sets the industry standard as the place to gather and learn the latest news, experience the hottest technologies and meet with aviation decision makers."

The chairman's address will be delivered by Andrew Hewitt, Head of Engineering Contracts & Leasing, for AirAsia India who will speak the pace of change required in MRO: partnering to solve problems and opportunities for automation. During the airlines panel, Asia Pacific airline executives will share their strategic MRO approaches and requirements with speakers from Jet Airways India, Thai Airways International, and AirAsia India.

The full agenda includes:

Future of Commercial Aviation

The Evolving Aviation Supply Chain with speakers from Air New Zealand, Embraer Asia-Pacific, AAR Corporation and Alton Aviation

Lessors' panel with speakers from Aviation PLC, GECAS, CAV Aero Services, and Laminaar Aviation Infotech

IT Strategies to Maximize on e-Enabled Aircraft

Workforce Needed for Asia Pacific Growth with speakers from Cebu Pacific Air, Jetstar Airways and AFI KLM E&M

New MRO Markets and Networks

Latest Tech Applications in MRO

The exhibition, open November 1-2, will feature The Queensland Pavilion with 11 MRO companies from Queensland, Australia, the Singapore Pavilion, featuring 29 companies from the region, and the Inflight Pavilion, Workshop and Awards, hosted in collaboration with HMG Aerospace.

ABOUT AVIATION WEEK NETWORK

Aviation Week Network is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries that has a database of 1.2 million professionals around the world. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week Network for analysis, marketing and intelligence. Customers include the world's leading manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, business aviation operators, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. The product portfolio includes Air Transport World, Aviation Week & Space Technology, AC-U-KWIK, Aircraft Blue Book, Airportdata.com, Air Charter Guide, AviationWeek.com, Aviation Week Intelligence Network, Business & Commercial Aviation, ShowNews, SpeedNews, Fleet and MRO forecasts, global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tradeshows and aerospace & defense conferences.

ABOUT INFORMA

Aviation Week Network is part of Informa, the international business intelligence, academic publishing, knowledge and events group. Informa serves commercial, professional and academic communities, helping them connect and learn, and creating and providing access to content and intelligence that helps people and businesses work smarter and make better decisions faster.

Informa has over 7,500 colleagues in more than 20 countries and a presence in all major geographies. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.

CONTACT:

Elizabeth Kelley Grace

855-525-2899

Elizabeth@thebuzzagency.net
SAP to Resell Mendix Platform as SAP Cloud Platform Rapid Application Development by Mendix

BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Mendix, which offers an easy-to-use platform to rapidly create and continuously improve mobile and web applications, today announced a global reseller agreement with SAP (NYSE: SAP). Through this agreement, SAP will resell and support the Mendix platform under the name SAP Cloud Platform Rapid Application Development by Mendix. The solution aims to allow customers to build custom applications on SAP Cloud Platform much faster than traditional development approaches.

As enterprises invest in digitizing their operations, business demand for new and innovative applications is growing significantly faster than the capacity of IT organizations to deliver them. Gartner predicts that by 2020, at least 50% of all new business applications will be created with high-productivity toolsets.1 The solution is designed to help IT organizations to close this gap.

"Businesses across all industries must constantly find new ways to innovate, and today's market leaders are putting low-code development platforms at the core of their digital strategy," said Derek Roos, CEO at Mendix. "We already have dozens of mutual customers achieving significant value leveraging the strengths of SAP and Mendix independently. Customers can now accelerate their digital transformation initiatives by building apps on SAP Cloud Platform at considerable speed and scale, and leverage SAP's strong ecosystem."

Through this agreement, SAP aims to enhance its portfolio of cloud platform services with Mendix's industry-leading low-code development capabilities. SAP Cloud Platform Rapid Application Development will help customers shorten time to value for applications that increase operational efficiency and customer engagement. Running on SAP Cloud Platform, the solution offers tight integration with SAP systems, data and services, helping enterprises unlock even greater business value from their investments in SAP software.

"We are excited about the agreement between SAP and Mendix, as their products are strategic to our business,"saidWillem Jan Zwart, Chief Digital CounselofEnexis. "We have built more than 50 apps on the Mendix platform,leveraging the strengths of SAP software in the back end. As we have started to use SAP Cloud Platform and are making the move towards SAP S/4HANA, we anticipate that thiscollaboration will enable us to realize even greater business value."

SAP Cloud Platform Rapid Application Development extends the power of systems running SAP software by helping IT organizations rapidly build apps for:

Innovation - Launch new digital products and services by leveraging the SAP Leonardo digital innovation system for the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and Big Data.

- Launch new digital products and services by leveraging the SAP Leonardo digital innovation system for the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and Big Data. Customer Engagement - Build web and mobile apps to deliver superior user experiences for customers and partners.

- Build web and mobile apps to deliver superior user experiences for customers and partners. Operational Efficiency - Build apps to increase process efficiency and employee productivity.

- Build apps to increase process efficiency and employee productivity. SAP S/4HANA Migration - Accelerate migration to SAP S/4HANA by bringing customizations and localizations to SAP Cloud Platform.

"We identified low-code development as a key enabler of digital transformation, and found Mendix to be an ideal fit for customers aiming to speed application delivery," said Bjorn Goerke, CTO at SAP and president of SAP Cloud Platform. "We decided to offer the Mendix platform in the SAP Cloud Platform portfolio because we share the same technology vision and leverage open standards like Cloud Foundry and Docker."

For more information:

SAP Solution Brief

www.sap.com/rapid-application-development

Additional resources:

Report: Gartner 2017 Magic Quadrant for High Productivity Application Platform as a Service

Report: Gartner 2017 "Magic Quadrant for Mobile App Development Platforms (MADP)"



1Gartner, Inc., "Market Guide for Application Platforms," November 23, 2016, Anne Thomas and Aashish Gupta

About Mendix

Mendix is the fastest and easiest platform to create and continuously improve mobile and web applications that enable innovation. Recognized as a market leader by leading analysts, we help our customers digitally transform their organizations and industries by building, managing, and improving apps at unprecedented speed and scale. More than 4,000 forward-thinking enterprises, including KLM, Medtronic and Philips, use our platform to build business applications to delight their customers and improve operational efficiency.

Join the Mendix community by following Mendix onLinkedIn and Twitter. Start building apps for free atwww.mendix.com/try-now/

SAP, SAP S/4HANA and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices.

All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

SAP Forward-Looking Statement

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Salbu

Communications Manager

Sarah.Salbu@mendix.com

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/560732/social_LinkedIn_SAPannouncement.jpg
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- (Marketwired) -- 09/26/17 -- Global restaurateur HMSHost, in partnership with Pady Regnier of St. Croix Airport Retail, INC. and Robert Grace of Be Graceful Bakery and Catering, LLC, has been awarded a 10-year contract valued at approximately $367 million to operate 12 food and beverage spaces at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The contract was approved by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) on September 25th.

"HMSHost is very excited to build on the strong partnership that we have built over the years with the MAC with this opportunity to open a variety of leading dining choices in Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport," said HMSHost Vice President of Business Development Michael Price. "We thank the MAC and our local partners for their commitment to delivering an experience that is sure to enhance the traveler's journey."

Travelers to the Twin Cities will soon be able to find new local brands from revered establishments as well as popular national brands. In the airport's Main Mall, HMSHost will welcome travelers with On the Border, PinKU Japanese Street Food, Shake Shack, Moe's Southwest, Auntie Anne's, Firehouse Subs, and Starbucks Coffee. In Concourse C, travelers will be able to enjoy Joe & The Juice, Bottle Rocket from Blue Plate Restaurant Group, Tattersall Distilling, Smashburger, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks Coffee.

"Our goal is to provide a unique mix of locally and nationally branded restaurants with a wide variety of menu items and price points to satisfy everyone's taste and budget," said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns and operates Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. "The new venues being introduced by HMSHost and its partners will greatly enhance the options available to travelers and help solidify the airport's reputation as one of the best in the nation."

Construction of the new locations is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

HMSHost has operated restaurants at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport for many years, delivering innovative and popular options to travelers such as Minnesota Wild, MKT, and Starbucks. All of HMSHost's Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport locations can be viewed here.

HMSHost Leading the Industry

HMSHost is recognized by the industry as the top provider of travel dining with awards such as 2017 Best Overall Food & Beverage Operator (for the tenth consecutive year) and Food Operator with the Highest Regard for Customer Service (for the eighth year) by Airport Revenue News. USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards recognized HMSHost's Dale Jr.'s Whisky River at Charlotte Douglas International Airport as Best Airport Bar and Best Airport Sitdown Dining. HMSHost is a leader in worldwide travel venue dining, infusing innovation and culinary expertise into everything we do; this includes HMSHost's unique events, such as the first-of-its-kind Airport Restaurant Month at more than 50 airports across North America and the award-winning Channel Your Inner Chef live culinary contest at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

About HMSHost

Global restaurateur HMSHost is a world leader in creating dining for travel venues. HMSHost operates in more than 120 airports around the globe, including 46 of the 50 busiest airports, and 99 travel plazas in North America. The Company has annual sales in excess of $3.1 billion and employs more than 39,500 sales associates worldwide. HMSHost is a part of Autogrill Group, the world's leading provider of food & beverage services for people on the move. With sales of over EUR 4.5 billion in 2016, the Group operates in 31 countries and employs over 57,000 people. It manages approximately 4,000 stores in about 1,000 locations worldwide. Visit www.HMSHost.com for more information. We can also be found on Facebook at fb.com/HMSHost and on Twitter at @HMSHost.

HMSHost Contact:

Sarah Cody

Sarah.Cody@hmshost.com

Phone: 240-694-4403




BARCELONA, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The aviation industry jets to Barcelona this week for one of the biggest events of the year-the World Routes 2017-which will include a spotlight session on Asia, including China, as a key player in the future of aviation. As that outlook shifts to the East, Guangzhou, southern China's biggest city, is becoming an integral international air hub that is creating more connectivity and commerce opportunities between Spain, China and the rest of the world.

On September 26th, representatives from the Guangzhou Municipal Government and the Guangdong Airport Authority (GAA) will participate in a ceremony to handover the Flag of World Routes at Fira Gran Via, as this burgeoning aviation authority officially welcomes the world's biggest industry stakeholders to World Routes 2018 to be held in Guangzhou next year.

"By bringing together this impressive roster of industry leaders and stakeholders we can engage in open, productive discussions about the future of the aviation industry-which is at the heart of Guangzhou's development initiatives and is a matter of global-reaching impact," said Diao Ailin, Deputy Secretary General of Guangzhou municipal government. "Guangzhou is at a turning point in our own aviation development as we become a steadily more international transportation and logistics hub, and by hosting next year's World Routes conference we can continue to help foster sound, innovative growth and development that benefits stakeholders industry-wide."

As part of these development efforts, Guangdong Province has sped up the formation of its "5+4" airport pattern, and the transport volume, cargo throughput, networks and industry economy surrounding the Baiyun Airport have continued to see substantial forward movement. The Baiyun Airport has also become the first portal hub for travel between China, Southeast Asia and Oceania, and its global and regional network continues to blossom to cover a growing expanse of Europe, the United States and beyond.

Furthermore, the 116-square-kilometer Guangzhou Airport Economic Zone (GAEZ) aims to build the world's most advanced aviation maintenance industry cluster, and has initiated a number of major projects and developments including the FedEx Asia Pacific trans-shipment center. The GAEZ is working closely alongside large multinational enterprises and groups, including a number of Fortune Global 500 and renowned international companies like SIEMENS, United Technologies Company, Airbus and Vailog S.r.l. to support and foster their investment and on-going development in the region.

"As China continues its opening up to the world, Spain is becoming an increasingly key partner to the city of Guangzhou, and this panel gave us a great opportunity to discuss key topics of mutual interest," said Diao Ailin, Deputy Secretary General of Guangzhou municipal government.

By the end of July, Spain had set up 46 enterprises in the city of Guangzhou, achieving a 900 percent year-on-year growth of cumulative contractual foreign investment in the region, and actual foreign investment of USD $65.37million. Between January and July of 2017, the total export-import volume between Guangzhou and Spain reached $607million, with exports from Guangzhou to Spain growing 25.6 percent and imports from Spain growing more than 22 percent.

"As we strive to build new bridges in the air, the World Routes to be held in Guangzhou serves as a way to build even more bridges between leaders and executives in Spain and Guangzhou," said Diao Ailin.

Guangzhou Aviation Fast Facts



From 2012 to 2016, annual take-offs and landings at the Baiyun Airport increased from 373,000 to 435,000.
BARCELONA, Spain, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The annual World Routes forum was officially handed over to next year's host city, Guangzhou, at a ceremony in Barcelona this evening (26 September).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150730/250177LOGO )

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/562287/Routes_handover.jpg )

World Routes brings together airlines, airports and destinations to plan and negotiate future air services. Guangzhou, an economic hub on the Pearl River in Guangdong Province, South China, will provide the perfect platform for the event in 2018.

Guangzhou has been an important trade centre for 2,000 years due to its strategic position near the South China Sea. Its economic strength has helped Guangdong to maintain its status as the richest province in China for the last three decades.

The colourful Canton Tower and Cantonese cuisine has made Guangzhou a popular choice with international tourists. Other attractions include the asymmetrical Guangzhou Opera House, the Five Rams Statue in Yuexiu Park, a variety of Buddhist temples and Baiyun 'White Clouds' Mountain.

World Routes 2018 will be hosted by Guangdong Airport Authority, the owner of Baiyun International Airport. Baiyun is China's third busiest airport and the 15th busiest in the world, handling nearly 60 million passengers in 2016. A second terminal will be able to handle up to 80 million passengers a year when it opens in early 2018.

The growth is set to continue into the next decade as Baiyun's expansion projects are completed. The airport will be transformed into a five-runway, three-terminal operation that can handle 62,000 flights, 100 million passengers and three million tons of cargo a year by 2025.

Steven Small, brand director of Routes said: "Baiyun International Airport's development plans reflect Guangzhou's economic strength. China is due to become the world's largest aviation market in the next seven years and Baiyun will take a leading role in this growth."

International route development professionals from 270 airlines, 600 airports and 80 tourism authorities attended World Routes 2017 in Barcelona, and Guangzhou can expect similar numbers next year.

Mr Kejian Zhang, Chairman of the Board of Guangdong Airport Authority said: "It's a great honour to win the right to host World Routes 2018. I believe it will be an excellent opportunity to showcase Guangzhou City and Guangdong Province to the world.

"We're looking forward to meeting all of the friends of this great event. We'll be meeting them with our best service and full enthusiasm."

More information about World Routes can be found at routesonline.com

World Routes 2018, 15-18 September 2018, Canton Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China.

Notes to Editors

Routes events are unique forums dedicated to the development of new air services. They revolve around pre-scheduled meetings, an exhibition and a conference. Four 'regional' route development forums are held between February and June in the Americas, Asia , Europe and Africa , with the flagship World Routes event taking place in September.

, and , with the flagship World Routes event taking place in September. Routes events are organised by UBM plc.UBM is the largest B2B event organiser in the world.Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors.Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed.Please visitwww.ubm.comfor the latest news and information about UBM.

For further information contact:



Karen O'Neill

Communications & Content Marketing Manager

Routes, UBM EMEA

T: +44(0)161-234-2721

M: +44(0)796-6405-105

E: Karen.ONeill@ubm.com


A flyer made its way around the internet Monday that said former state Sen. Bill Kintner will be a candidate for Sarpy County assessor, and asking for voters' support on May 15.

Kintner responded to a Lincoln Journal Star question via text on whether he was a candidate this way: "I have been approached by many taxpayers about running for the Sarpy County assessor. I am seriously considering doing it."

Kintner said he is talking and listening to people as he goes door-to-door in the county.

The flyer that is circulating says "Kintner for Assessor" and that he is running. It is paid for by Citizens for Kintner, and gives his Papillion address.

It quotes him as saying, "If you entrust me with your vote on May 15th, I will insist that each employee of the assessor's office treat the taxpayers like the important and valuable customers that they are, rather than servants of big government."

It also quotes President Calvin Coolidge, saying, "Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery."

Sarpy County Assessor Dan Pittman, who will also be a candidate for the job in 2018, his 20th year in the position, said he knew only that Kintner took the assessor's exam.

"You've just got to assume when someone does that, that their intentions are to run for assessor," Pittman said.

Still, he said, it would surprise him.

"It was just a short time ago he was in the public trust and he was asked to leave. And now he's asking to hold another government office," he said. "It just surprised me."

Kintner resigned from the Legislature in January after years of complaints about his behavior in office, a cybersex scandal, and calls from many for him to resign, including from Gov. Pete Ricketts and Sarpy County politicians, which he resisted.

The last straw was his retweet of a California radio host's post mocking a photo of three women protesting Donald Trump's hot-mic moment from 2005, in which he joked about grabbing women. That caused one state senator after another to stand up on the legislative floor and pressure Kintner to quit.

Pittman said when Kintner was a senator he probably heard from a lot of unhappy agricultural land owners because of their land values. Pittman met with him once when he was a senator to discuss legislation.

Both men are Republicans.

The assessor is responsible for the valuation of property in each county, because local services rely on property taxes for funding. He or she follows state law on assessments and conveys those to the county board, which has the ultimate authority on interpretation on such things as exemptions.

"This is the place to be for an assessor 'cause it's the fastest-growing county in the state," Pittman said. "Development's just very robust."
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 26, 2017) - Kuuhubb Inc. (TSXV: KUU) ("Kuuhubb" or the "Company") announces that it has granted to employees, officers and directors of the Company, pursuant to the terms of the Company's stock option plan (the "Option Plan"), a total of 1,625,000 stock options, each such stock option entitling the holder to purchase one common share of the Company ("Common Share") at a price of Cdn$1.60 for a period of five years. These stock options are subject to receipt of required shareholder and TSX Venture Exchange approvals.

The Company also reports that it has amended the Option Plan to provide that the maximum number of Common Shares that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of stock options granted under the Option Plan must not exceed 7,500,000. This amendment is subject to receipt of required shareholder and TSX Venture Exchange approvals. Before this amendment, the Option Plan provided that the number of Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding stock options must not at any time exceed 10% of the number of outstanding Common Shares, from time to time.

About Kuuhubb

Kuuhubb is a company active in the digital space that focuses mainly on lifestyle and mobile video game applications. Its strategy is to create sustainable shareholder value through acquisitions of proven, yet underappreciated, assets with robust long-term growth potential. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, the Company has a global presence with a strong focus on developing U.S. brand collaborations and Asian partnerships.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, please contact:

Kuuhubb Inc.

Jouni Keranen - CEO

jouni@kuuhubb.com

+358 40 590 0919
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - September 26, 2017) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a stock market analyst with insider trading prior to the publication of research reports and articles he authored with the false disclaimer that he wasn't trading in the companies being covered. He agreed to settle the charges and be barred from trading in penny stocks for the rest of his life.

The SEC alleges that Jason Napodano, who headed a division called Zacks Small Cap Research within a larger investment research firm, misled investors in penny stocks by representing that he wasn't trading or holding positions in the companies he was writing about while secretly trading the same stocks based on nonpublic information about the publication date of his research. In an effort to evade detection, Napodano allegedly limited his profits from each illegal trade by taking small positions and closing the positions shortly after his reports and articles were published.

In addition to a permanent penny stock bar, Napodano agreed to pay full disgorgement of his insider trading profits totaling $143,865.48 plus interest of $17,620.87 and a penalty of $143,865.48. The settlement is subject to court approval.

"Retail investors seek honest rather than conflicted research to help them make decisions about which stocks to buy and trade. It is unacceptable for analysts to represent they have no stake in the companies they're writing about while secretly cashing in on trades in those stocks," said Steven Peikin, Co-Director of the SEC's Enforcement Division.

The SEC's complaint also charges a pair of investment bankers who, along with Napodano, allegedly traded on nonpublic information that they and Napodano shared about certain small-cap issuers. According to the SEC's complaint, Bilal Basrai and Bryce Stirton worked at Chicago-based brokerage firm LBMZ Securities and together with Napodano breached the duties of trust and confidentiality owed to microcap issuers that retained Zacks Small Cap Research to provide sponsored research or LBMZ to act as a financial adviser.

Basrai agreed to settle the charges by paying disgorgement of his insider trading profits of $39,668.37 plus interest of $4,617.89 and a penalty of $39,668.37. Stirton agreed to settle the charges without admitting or denying the allegations by paying disgorgement of his insider trading profits totaling $2,218.87 plus interest of $257.43 and a penalty of $2,218.87. Basrai and Stirton also agreed to be barred from trading penny stocks and from working in the securities industry, with Stirton having the right to reapply after five years.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois today announced criminal charges against Napodano and Basrai.

LBMZ Securities separately agreed to be censured and pay a $240,000 penalty without admitting or denying the SEC's findings that the firm failed to enforce policies and procedures designed to prevent its employees from misusing nonpublic information. According to the SEC's order, LBMZ failed to obtain or review complete trading records of many employees, including Basrai, and conducted only a minimal review of employee communications to monitor potential misuse.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Jonathan Austin, Elizabeth Doisy, Martin Zerwitz, and Deborah A. Tarasevich and supervised by Robert Cohen and Antonia Chion. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) today announces that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's ordinary shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"):

Date of purchase: 26 September 2017 Number of Shares purchased: 6,209 Shares Highest price paid per Share: 967 pence 12.97 USD Lowest price paid per Share: 960 pence 12.87 USD Average price paid per Share: 963.28 pence 12.92 USD

PSH intends to cancel these Shares. The net asset value per Share related to this Share buyback is USD 16.87 GBP 12.47 which was calculated as of 19 September 2017. After giving effect to the above Share buyback, PSH has outstanding 237,698,495 Shares. The prices per share in USD were calculated by Jefferies.

The number of PSH Management Shares and the 1 special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) has not been affected.

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006748/en/

Contacts:

Maitland

James Devas, +44 20 7379 5151

Media-pershingsquareholdings1@maitland.co.uk
Officiating guests include (from L to R) Li Lingbing, Consul General, Section of Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Dubai; Sun Chenghai, Director-General, Trade Development Bureau, Ministry of Commerce, People's Republic of China; HE Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of Foreign Trade and Industry, Ministry of Economy, UAE; Stephen Liang, Assistant Executive Director, HKTDC; Perry Fung, Regional Director (Middle East & Africa), HKTDC.



HKTDC Communication and Public Affairs Department (Dubai) Sarah Al Jundi Tel: +971 43298975 Email: sarah.al.jundi@hktdc.org (Hong Kong) Joe Kainz Tel: +852 2584 4216 Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org

HONG KONG, Sept 26, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - The Lifestyle Expo in Dubai is being held to foster business collaboration between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as the rest of the Middle East-Africa (MEA) region, helping companies seize the enormous business opportunities emerging from China's Belt and Road Initiative and Expo 2020 Dubai.Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, the fifth edition of the Lifestyle Expo opened yesterday (25 September) and continues through today at the Hyatt Regency Dubai.The two-day event showcases a wide selection of trendy products from about 110 Hong Kong and mainland companies to an expected 1,300 buyers from the UAE, Iran and Africa. Exhibits include consumer electronics, information and communications technology (ICT) products, household products and electrical appliances, fashion and fashion accessories, gifts and premiums, as well as watches and clocks.Mainland-Hong Kong-UAE collaboration on Belt and RoadSpeaking at the Opening Ceremony, HKTDC Assistant Executive Director Stephen Liang highlighted the cooperation between the mainland, Hong Kong and the UAE to unlock opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative, a key global economic driver for the 21st Century."The Lifestyle Expo in Dubai serves as an ideal platform for suppliers from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland and buyers from the Middle East and Africa to forge business partnerships," said Mr Liang. "This cooperation between the mainland, Hong Kong and the UAE creates synergy for our mutual benefits."He said such collaboration is especially important in view of the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to connect markets in more than 60 countries spanning Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, including Hong Kong and the UAE. These economies represent about 4.6 billion potential consumers and accounting for over 30 per cent of global merchandise trade."Hong Kong is Asia's business hub and the ideal gateway to the region, especially the Chinese mainland, a huge market with buoyant growth," said Mr Liang. "Meanwhile, we at the HKTDC have long recognised the importance of the UAE, not just as a market, but also as a springboard to the promising Middle East and Africa markets.""Both Hong Kong and the UAE have what it takes to be a key commercial hub for the Belt and Road Initiative. Working together, we can build new business-to-business links along the Belt and Road and gain access to new markets," Mr Liang added.Business tiesThe Belt and Road, together with the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai, is expected to boost demand for trade, logistics, infrastructure, real estate and financial services in the UAE. Hong Kong and mainland companies can help fill the need by providing services and investment.The UAE is Hong Kong's largest trading partner and export market in the Middle East. Bilateral trade between the two places grew at an average annual rate of 14 per cent from US$4.80 billion in 2010 to US$10.6 billion in 2016.Hong Kong's exports to the UAE grew 13 per cent to US$6.8 billion last year, led by exports of pearls, precious and semi-precious stones (40.6% of total, up 32.1%), telecom equipment and parts (32.3% of total, up 23.8%), and jewellery (5% of total, up 36.5%).Business matching and networkingThe Lifestyle Expo in Dubai 2017 features various networking events and activities, including the third Hub-to-Hub Business Meeting with business leaders from Hong Kong, the UAE and Africa discussing ways to capitalise on the latest market developments. Customised one-to-one business-matching services are being arranged to connect exhibitors and buyers.Products from 11 exhibitors are spotlighted at the hktdc.com Small Orders showcase, where buyers can place orders of between five and 1,000 pieces. The HKTDC Frequent Buyer Awards 2017 were presented yesterday to UAE companies that frequently visited the Council's trade fairs in Hong Kong and Dubai.Business mission to explore opportunitiesMr Liang is in Dubai with a Hong Kong business mission representing a range of sectors, including electronics, fashion, housewares, gifts, stationery, packaging, toys and wellness products. The delegates are exploring collaboration opportunities with UAE companies, and will make a day trip to Sharjah and Ajman in the North Emirates region tomorrow.Highlighting Hong Kong's position as Asia's lifestyle trendsetter, the Lifestyle Expo is among the HKTDC's signature international promotion events with a successful track record in fostering trade between companies from Hong Kong and emerging markets worldwide, including Russia, Poland, Turkey, India and Indonesia.Fair Website:Lifestyle Expo in Dubai: http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkledubai-enPhoto Download: http://bit.ly/2yEoFRtAbout HKTDCEstablished in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Google+, Twitter @hktdc, LinkedIn.- Google+: https://plus.google.com/+hktdc- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/hktdc- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-councilSource: HKTDCContact:Copyright 2017 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
WOODBURY, NY--(Marketwired - September 26, 2017) - The Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), the world's leading peer-to-peer network of successful business leaders, has announced its pledge to support the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that include 17 goals and 169 targets to wipe out poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change by 2030. EO New York's President Steve Distante was named EO Global UN Ambassador to promote, educate, and serve as liaison for the SDGs and to inspire entrepreneurs to embrace these ideals into their businesses.

This pledge was announced at a commemorative event held Monday, September 19th at the UN General Assembly's main plaza, with a confluence of dignitaries and over 50 EO members from Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Jordan and the USA in attendance. The event was set up by EO New York Chapter President Stephen Distante, CEO of sustainable broker-dealer Vanderbilt Financial Group, and Sergio Fernandez de Cordova, co-founder & visionary behind P3 SmartCity Partners, P3GM, KAPTYN and PVBLIC Foundation.

"EO celebrates 30 years this year, and we believe supporting the UN's SDGs will bring us closer together as a global organization committed toward changing the world for the better," said Distante.

According to William Kennedy, Officer-in-Charge, United Nations Office for Partnerships. "The 17 SDGs provide a framework and roadmap to guide entrepreneurs everywhere, as they seek to define the values and higher purpose of their companies in contributing to sustainability and societal well-being. The commitment of EO and its global network of entrepreneurs represents a tremendous example of business leadership in action and is very much welcomed."

The UN and EO share the belief that entrepreneurs can play a huge part in improving society through businesses that truly make a mark on the world. As the leader of both the EO and a sustainable broker-dealer, Steve Distante has made a dedicated effort to be a champion for the SDGs and will continue to promote these goals alongside his impact investing and sustainable campaigns.

About Vanderbilt Financial Group: Founded over 50 years ago in 1965 and located in Woodbury, NY, Vanderbilt Financial Group is known as the Sustainable Broker Dealer and RIA committed to investing with purpose. Vanderbilt is a full service Broker Dealer and Advisory firm with a focus on Impact Investing through their initiative ImpactU.me.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/9/26/11G145926/Images/EOSDG-00e3894a0366a88983cc939b978544d5.jpg

Contact:

Jenny Klaum

Executive Creative Director

Phone: (631) 845-5100

Email: jklaum@vanderbiltsecurities.com

Website: www.joinvanderbilt.com
Lively, Inc., a San Francisco, CA-based health savings account creator and provider, raised $4.2M in funding.

Investors include Streamlined Ventures, Transmedia Capital, Y Combinator, SV Angel, PJC, The Durant Company (Kevin Durant & Rich Kleiman), Liquid 2 Ventures (Joe Montana), Haystack Partners, Paul Buchheit (creator of Gmail), Isaac Oates (Founder & CEO of Justworks), Frederic Kerrest (Co-founder of Okta), and Jeff Epstein (former CFO of Oracle), among others.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its HSA offering and increase long-term HSA value for its users.

Led by Alex Cyriac, Co-Founder & CEO, and Shobin Uralil, Co-Founder & COO, Lively is a modern Health Savings Account (HSA) platform for employers and individuals. The user-centric solution enable easy sign-up, payroll syncing, paperless account management, and transparent pricing.

Lively, whose HSAs work alongside HSA compatible health insurance plans, also announced the introduction of investment capabilities through an integration with TD Ameritrade Institutionals Self-Directed Plan Services platform.

The investment feature allows users to grow their health savings and generate financial returns over the long-term.

Lively also offers:

 An online dashboard

 investment performance reporting

 Automated transfers or withdrawals with no phone calls required.

FinSMEs

26/09/2017
After the recent wave of ransomware attacks that spread all over Europe, targeting businesses and financial institutions, cybersecurity researchers looking for signs of further attacks or dormant malware. According to a security researcher based in Paris who goes by the handle Benkow, one such investigation led him to a hidden cache of millions of sets of stolen personal information used to further propagate a banking trojan virus.

Researcher Uncovers Largest Set of Compromised Data to Date

According to ComputerWeekly, at the end of August Benkow revealed that he had come across a Dutch server that hosted more than 700 million email addresses and passwords  711,477,622, to be exact  that were used by a spambot to bypass email credential filters. The spambot has been active since at least 2016 and was used to launch attacks that spread a banking Trojan virus named Ursnif, also known as Gozi. The researcher also estimates that the spambot would have a pattern with regard to its targets, opting for specific countries or a specific type of business, like hotels.

As per the same source and the owner of the HaveIBeenPwned website, where online users can discover whether their email account has been compromised in any data breaches, this is the largest set of compromised email credentials discovered to date  surpassing for example the record of more than 390 million accounts that were hacked from River City Media. Not all compromised email accounts on this list are new, though, as many come from previous leaks. As he writes on his blog, Benkow himself has encountered Ursnif before and believes some of the personal data may have come from the public Badoo or LinkedIn leaks or credential-stealing malware such as SQL injection scanners. SQL injection is a type of attack that inserts malicious data into a databases SQL engine, tricking it into executing the malicious commands and thus granting the hacker unauthorized access to view or process restricted data. It can be used to modify or even delete datasets, compromising data integrity.

Banking Trojan Especially Relevant to Financial Institutions

Ursnif allows cybercriminals to steal browsing data including banking information and credit card credentials, as well as obtain passwords through keylogging and screenshots, manipulate and send unintended second payloads, spreading the infection to connected machines and through peer-to-peer communication with other Ursnif occurrences within the same network. In particular, the spambot would first try out each of the stolen email accounts to ensure that it is still valid and then send out fingerprinting spam emails that allowed the attacker to know the time, location, and actual device on which the email was opened.

Financial institutions in particular that handle large sets of banking and financial personal data are especially sensitive to similar attacks; being affected by the Ursnif malware could have grave effects for individuals, but when it comes to larger fintech firms, the consequences could be devastating. Incidents like the stolen accounts cache discovered by Benkow highlight the importance of an efficient and proactive cybersecurity strategy, especially for financial firms engaged in fields that deal with investment in novel products, such as cryptocurrencies.
Hyderabad: Tata Motors has said it would continue the production of Nano cars for some more time as the vehicle has an "emotional connect" with the Tata Group.

"Nano plays an important role in our PV (passenger vehicle) strategy because it is our only product in the entry hatchback segment, which is a very important segment from a first time buyer point of view," a Tata Motors spokesperson told PTI in an email reply.

"We regularly review our product strategy and will certainly give an update in the months to come. Till that time, we continue to produce Nano catering to customer demand in key markets," the spokesperson said.

There have been discussions lately with regard to the future of Tata Nano, which was the brainchild of chairman emeritus Tata Sons, Ratan Tata.

"There have been a lot of discussions around the future of Nano and the emotional connect with the vehicle, leading to several conclusions. No decision has been taken on Nano yet as this cannot be done in isolation. Decisions regarding any product will be taken in context of the entire Passenger Vehicle Strategy," the official said.

Meanwhile, Mayank Pareek president passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors, said that by the end of next year, the company's aim is to be among the top 3 PV players in the domestic market.

Pareek was in the city on Monday to launch Tata Motors latest SUV Nexon.

"With the entry into newer segments and the launch of market leading products, our aim is to cover 95 percent of the market by 2020," Pareek said.

Tata Motors passenger vehicle sales has been witnessing a positive growth trajectory, with company sales growing at 22 percent in FY17, while the industry growth stood at 9 percent.

In the five months of the current fiscal (2017-18), the market grew by almost 6-7 percent whereas the company grew by 11 percent, he said.

To a query on foraying into electric vehicle segment, Pareek said Tata Motors European Technical Centre PLC (TMETC), a subsidiary of Tata Motors in UK, has already built electric versions of the Tiago and the Bolt.

According to Pareek, electric mobility preparedness will play a critical role in achieving sustainable growth of the automaker.
London: Ubers boss Dara Khosrowshahi apologized to Londoners for the taxi apps mistakes and pledged to make changes as the Silicon Valley firm tries to overturn a decision to strip it of its license in one of its major markets.

The British capitals transport regulator on Friday deemed Uber unfit to run a taxi service and decided not to renew its license to operate, which will end this week, citing the firms approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers.

Mayor Sadiq Khan, a Labour politician who has criticized the firm in the past, said on Monday he had asked Transport for London (TfL) to be available to meet CEO Khosrowshahi.

Ubers 40,000 drivers, one third of the citys total number of private hire vehicles, will continue to take passengers until an appeals process is exhausted, which is likely to take several months.

London police complained this year that the app, which is backed by Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, was either not disclosing, or taking too long to report, serious crimes including sexual assaults and that this put the public at risk.

Its ... true that weve got things wrong along the way. On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologize for the mistakes weve made, Khosrowshahi wrote in an open letter to Londoners.

We will appeal the decision on behalf of millions of Londoners, but we do so with the knowledge that we must also change, he said.

The loss of the San Francisco-based start-ups license in one of the worlds wealthiest capitals comes after a tumultuous few months that led to former CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick being forced out.

Khosrowshahi, who is less than a month into his new job, did not specify which mistakes Uber had made in London.

Ubers UK head of cities, Fred Jones, said the firm was working with the police to work out how it can better report incidents.

He also said TfL, which declined to comment on Monday, had not been clear about it concerns.

Once we understand them, we can work with them to figure out what is it that they would like us to do and how can we move forward and I think thats the important next step, Jones told BBC radio.

'Army of lawyers'

Khan, who backed TfLs decision, said the transport body was open to meeting Ubers boss but attacked the Silicon Valley companys response to losing its license.

I appreciate Uber has an army of lawyers, theyve also made aggressive threats about taking us to court and the rest of it, he told BBC radio.

You cant have it both ways: On the one hand, acting in an aggressive manner for all sorts of things but on the other hand, brief to journalists that they want to do a deal with TfL, he said, adding companies that played by the rules were welcome in London.

The firm has until 14 October to formally appeal TfLs decision and the case is likely to be filed at Westminster Magistrates Court in London.

Uber, which began operating in London in 2012, has faced regulatory and legal setbacks around the world amid opposition from traditional taxi services, and has been forced to quit several countries including Denmark and Hungary.

However, it has also managed to overturn bans and other crackdowns.

Earlier this year, Italy briefly blocked Uber from operating, citing unfair competition, but lifted the prohibition a week later, while in Taiwan it resumed services in April after talks with the islands authorities, ending a two-month suspension.

A petition calling on London to overturn its decision not to renew Ubers license had gathered more than 750,000 signatures at noon on Monday.

This ban shows the world that London is far from being open and is closed to innovative companies, who bring choice to consumers and work opportunities to those who need them, the petition says.
What's more fun than passing off stalking celebrities on social media as work?

Very little, right?

And so, we scanned the Instagram and Twitter accounts of celebs from India and abroad, to bring to you weekly updates from the interwebz. Who tweeted to whom? Who reposted last night's party pics? Who went on a rant about what. Whatever it is, don't worry, we've got you covered.

We stalk, you read. Deal?

Today's guide has all the jaw-dropping social media moments you might have missed during the week. From Kareena-Karisma's stunning selfie, to Bella-Gigi's floor-length gowns, see it all here.

Doting dad Akshay Kumar wishes daughter a happy birthday

My favourite part of every day...my daughter shaving me at the sink, precious times, priceless moments! Happy Birthday my Princess  One request, please don't grow up sweetheart  A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) on Sep 24, 2017 at 11:54pm PDT

Akshay Kumar wished his little one, Nitara a happy birthday on Instagram. He gave his fans a sneak peek into his daily routine, his favourite part being the morning shave, which Nitara helps him with. Priyanka Chopra hosts the Global Citizen Festival

The multi-talented Priyanka Chopra never disappoints her Indian fans. The actor, who is also a Global Citizen ambassador hosted the festival, while posing for photographs with Demi Lovato, Freida Pinto and Lupita Nyong'o among others.

Aamir Khan's garba debut

My 1st Garba in Vadodara! What an atmosphere! What a feeling! Thank you Vadodara  pic.twitter.com/ZJS76fcjiT  Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) September 24, 2017

Aamir Khan attended his first garba night in Vadodara, amid thousands of fans. The actor was in the city to promote his upcoming film Secret Superstar. Karan Johar's star-studded frame

We shot our own VOGUE cover!!!! This ones for you @vogueindia A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) on Sep 24, 2017 at 12:57pm PDT

Karan Johar shared a behind-the-scenes photo from a Vogue shoot. Featuring Bollywood bigwigs, the photo features Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Karan Johar, Kiran Rao and Shweta Nanda Bachchan among others, in the same frame. The Hadid sisters are goals, once again

This is the celebration of a genius . A post shared by Bella Hadid (@bellahadid) on Sep 23, 2017 at 10:50am PDT

Models Gigi and Bella Hadid know how to keep it classy. The extremely fashion-forward siblings shared a photo, in which they 're wearing stunning floor-length gowns with thigh-high slits. Kareena Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor are twinning

When you #twin without knowing #soulsisters#fashiongram photo credit  @varindertchawla A post shared by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) on Sep 24, 2017 at 5:12am PDT

Kareena Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor looked epic in black at a recent do. The two, who always make heads turn, aced the party look this time around, too.
What's more fun than passing off stalking celebrities on social media as work?

Very little, right?

And so, we scanned the Instagram and Twitter accounts of celebs from India and abroad, to bring to you weekly updates from the interwebz. Who tweeted to whom? Who re-posted last night's party pics? Who went on a rant about what. Whatever it is, don't worry, we've got you covered.

We stalk, you read. Deal?

Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal revel in Kashmir's beauty

directed by.. A post shared by Alia  (@aliaabhatt) on Sep 24, 2017 at 10:25pm PDT

A post shared by Alia  (@aliaabhatt) on Sep 25, 2017 at 7:38pm PDT

Aru Valley. #kashmir A post shared by Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) on Sep 25, 2017 at 10:05pm PDT

They may be hard at work shooting in Kashmir for Meghna Gulzar's Raazi, but that has not stopped Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal from taking in the mesmerising beauty of Kashmir and photographing it! In the film, he will play an army officer and she will play a Kashmiri spy. Varun Dhawan is greeted by hundreds of fans

The reason I don't get tired of promoting my film is because I get to meet people from across india and dance with them. Doesn't matter how tired I am the minute I see people I just get so much energy thank you for never letting me be tired A post shared by Varun Dhawan (@varundvn) on Sep 25, 2017 at 9:20am PDT

When he was at an event to promote his film Judwaa 2, Varun Dhawan found himself surrounded by hundreds of fans who were singing along to the song 'Tan Tana Tan' and clicking pictures of him. The actor expressed his gratitude and spoke about how he loves dancing with his fans.

Shilpa Shetty, Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh strike a pose

What a maaad time we had @farahkhankunder and @riteishd .. crazy episode for #lipsing battle... and what a Battle if was#friendsforever #competition #battleofmadness A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty) on Sep 25, 2017 at 7:57am PDT

Shilpa Shetty and Riteish Deshmukh are going to be guests on Farah Khan's show Lip Sing Battle, and the trio took a selfie together after the shoot. Shilpa called it a 'battle of madness', so fans can look forward to a cracker of an episode! The shoot of Marvel's Ant-Man begins

Now this is super cool. This is #AntMan's stunt double. If you know any kids that this may help uplift feel free to take it. pic.twitter.com/SIAlSvNGTK  Atlanta Filming (@AtlantaFilming) September 23, 2017

Ant-Man actor Evangeline Lilly shared a behind-the-scenes photograph with co-star Hannah John-Kamen as the two begin work on the sequel of the film. A picture of Paul Rudd's stunt double was also released, and in it, fans will notice that the superhero's costume has underdone some changes.
Filmmaker A.R Murugadosss decade-long desire to work with superstar Mahesh Babu has finally gotten fulfilled with forthcoming bilingual spy-thriller Spyder.

In 2006, when the Ghajini filmmaker watched Pokiri, he had made up his mind to work with Mahesh Babu, and luckily, in the same year he met him while shooting for his film Stalin and expressed his interest to collaborate. After a long wait, the duo joined hands for Spyder, which is slated to hit the screens on Wednesday.

Says Murugadoss, The wait has been worth it. There couldnt have a better film than Spyder to mark our maiden collaboration. Over the years, whenever we discussed the possibility of joining hands, we didnt want to do a film for the sake of it. Both of us were very clear about it. We are glad things finally fell in place for Spyder. At the audio launch of Spyder, Mahesh expressed a similar opinion.

Maheshs stardom in the last decade has grown beyond ones imagination, and Murugadoss sees his growth as a blessing for the project. He says, Had we collaborated a decade ago, we might not have made such a big film. Teaming up at this point in our careers meant we could explore new avenues and it helped in putting this project together.

Spyder, a Rs 125 crore Telugu-Tamil film, is reportedly about bio-terrorism and going by the teaser, it looks like Mahesh Babu is on a mission to save the world from a serial killer, played by SJ Suryah. Mahesh plays an intelligence bureau officer in the film.

We have shown how intelligence agencies work [in the film]. Its a very humanistic story and thats why we made it in two languages. The story has a universal appeal and it could even be made in more languages, he says, further clarifying that he wasnt hell bent on launching Mahesh in Tamil, we believed the story could appeal to audiences from any regional background. Hence, we discussed the idea of making a bilingual and even Mahesh was excited about the plan.

However, shooting a bilingual took a toll on the entire team, admits Murugadoss.

Recalling the experience of shooting in two languages for over a year, the 7am Arivu director said, Initially, we were thrilled about the idea. In no time, we realised making a bilingual is no joke. However, hardships aside, he vouches that Spyder is a bonafide bilingual.

We roped in actors from both the industries and shot it in a way that audiences dont feel alienated. This meant we had to shoot each scene twice and every time the whole set up had to be changed. Luckily, we didnt have to worry too much about changing the backdrop because the story is set in Hyderabad. Even the songs were shot twice because we wanted the lip sync to match the language in which we shot. Naturally, this meant we had to shoot longer than expected. I need to thank my producers for having immense faith in me. Needless to say, we couldnt have pulled it off without Maheshs support. We had 80 days of night shoot and Mahesh never had any problem with the schedule. He was even ready to give us more dates if needed. His dedication level is unmatchable," he reveals.

Murugadosss films are popular for inspiring audiences with a social angle. He likes to take address human issues through his stories. If it was about the corrupted system in Vijayakanths Ramana, in Vijays Kaththi, he touched upon the issues of farmers. Is it important to be a socially responsible filmmaker?

My stories are a manifestation of the anger I feel about certain issues. Im not saying its a filmmakers responsibility to address a social issue but lets not underestimate the power of cinema as a medium, he says. Is that why there is no smoking or drinking scenes in Spyder, because he feels it can influence the viewers? I have already said this. I dont like to show smoking or drinking casually on screen. As filmmakers, we need to treat this medium seriously and not do something because it looks cool. But if I have to make a film about smoking, youll definitely find my hero smoking. Your actions as a filmmaker need to be justified, he adds.

Asked about the experience of launching a superstar in a new language, Murugadoss said hes confident the film will cement Maheshs berth in the Tamil industry. Hes already quite well known to Tamil audiences. Some of his films have been remade in Tamil and a few have been dubbed and released. The fact that he speaks fluent Tamil and has dubbed in his own voice for the films Tamil version will work big time with the audiences. His Tamil, in my opinion, will be a trend-setter," adds the director

One of the highlights of Spyder will be the action. Murugadoss is all praise for National award-winning action choreographer Peter Hein, best known for his work in Baahubali and Pulimurugan. He put his life at risk for the action sequences. The climax action episode, in which we had to include general public, will be highly spoken about. This is going to be one of his best works and audiences are going to love Mahesh in the action scenes. Mahesh insisted on doing all his stunts sans a body double," reveals Murugadoss.

The million dollar question now remains  Will he collaborate with Mahesh again? Who wouldnt want to? But I wont do a film again just for the sake of it because our film was a hit. I dont write a story keeping in mind any actor. During the course of writing, the story lets me choose an actor, he says, signing off.
After reportedly declining all the film offers that have come to her in the recent past, former Bigg Boss Tamil contestant Oviya may have inked the deal.

Deccan Chronicle reports that she has been signed to play the lead role in YouTuber and actor Vijay Varadaraj's next Tamil directorial titled Pallu Padama Paathuka. The same report states that it will reportedly be a horror comedy and will feature multiple adult comedy situations. It will be reportedly produced by Blue Ghost Pictures.

While there is no official word of confirmation on the same, the same report states that the official announcement will be made soon as the film reportedly goes on floor in the coming months.

It was earlier reported that popular filmmaker Sundar C had also approached Oviya to play the lead role in his next, Kalakalappu 2, the sequel to his 2012 super-hit Tamil film Kalakalappu. However, the actress reportedly turned down the offer, subsequently getting replaced by Nikki Galrani.

Galrani had confirmed the news to Deccan Chronicle, ""Ive signed Kalakalappu 2 and were starting the shoot on 4 October. I will also be joining the team from the very first schedule. It is going to be a laughter-riot with Jiiva and Jai. Im really looking forward to having a great time at the shooting spot."
If an actor's 50th film marks her foray into Bollywood, then the interviewer should probably steer clear of questions involving the actor's 'confidence'. Raai Laxmi  Bollywood debutante and South film industry veteran  certainly has a lot of it, and is confident about making an impact with her upcoming film Julie 2. When we meet up to chat about her film, a torrential downpour rages outside, but Raai Laxmi  a Mumbai resident for the past 10 years  is calm and comfortably ensconced on a settee, sipping a cup of chai.

Why did she choose to make Mumbai her base, despite being a popular star down South? I lived in Chennai for about three years and when the studios took over, we started shooting elsewhere. It made no sense (to stay put in Chennai) and the locations were so far from my home that I normally had to take two flights to get there. It was easy for me to work with Mumbai as base. Its been more than 10 years and now I consider airports and flights as my first home, says Raai, laughing.

In the initial years of her career, Raai was credited as 'Lakshmi Rai'. It is only recently that she adopted the name we now know her by. I changed from Lakshmi Rai to Raai Laxmi some three years ago; there was no trigger for it. It was my father who forced me to change my name. He didn't have any explanation for it, he just said that the change would be good for me. And it has worked well for me!

Not many know that in 2006, Raai was approached by Yash Raj Films for a role in Chak De India. Raai was finalised for a part, but things didn't fall into place at the contractual level. Raao too got busy with Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil cinema, shooting (in the initial phases of her career) as many as six films a year. When big opportunities knock on your door, you definitely want to show your presence. In the past there have been three attempts to 'introduce' me. While dates didnt work out in a few cases, it was a contract issue in some others. There were also clashes of opinions with a few producers, she explains.

Down South, Raai has worked with all the top stars of the day. Why debut with Julie 2 in Bollywood ten, instead of a project opposite an A-lister/one supported by a big banner? "Bollywood, to me, is a new industry and I have no idea how it operates. I come from a different school of thought and wonder if its the same here. We dont chase people and I would have been happy to accept a film from a big banner or with a known star. Its just that the Khans do one film in a year and Akshay does three films with a long queue of producers behind him. Also its a rare thing that you get to see a fresh face in the films of such stars.

One of the dampeners during the Julie 2 promotion press interactions have been questions related to MS Dhoni, with whom Raai was once in a relationship. For Raai, it's in the past and the questions about Dhoni seem to visibly annoy her. It is annoying," she says. "I feel like banging my head against a wall. People start judging you and imagine that you're doing this for publicity. I have my own identity, and if I've not been talking about (the relationship), then why are people asking me about it?"

When faced with a couple of persistent questions about Dhoni at a press conference for Julie 2, Raai responded with, "Who is he?" She tells us that the constant questions are in a sense, 'forcing (her) to not acknowledge him'. "When you say something, it becomes a headline. When you don't say anything, it becomes a headline," she says, wryly, adding, "Maybe I shouldn't date someone famous, only to bring an end to these questions."

Perhaps after Julie 2's release, the focus will shift to other talking points when it comes to Raai Laxmi.
Amit Masurkar's film Newton  India's official entry to the Oscars  could be rejected by the Academy Awards jury. Which is a crying shame, because by rejecting Newton, the Academy will effectively reject two movies  the Rajkumar Rao-starrer which would be India's official entry to the Oscars, and the Iranian film Secret Ballot, which Newton is said to have used for inspiration.

Now, we have not seen either movie, so we will do what any self-respecting film reviewer does: Assume the worst. Best case scenario, we will be proven right. Even worst case scenario, we will end up saving a lot of time, which we can utilise for other, more intellectual pursuits, like watching that video of a cat playing piano! I mean, it's a cat! And it's playing the piano!

On second thoughts, we should have just sent that to the Oscars.

What? You can't send random viral videos to the Academy? What about that video of the fat guy doing parkour? What do you mean strict rules in place? They are just coming up with these random new rules to deny fine Indian cinema.

If only we could have a movie which checks all the boxes. But where can we find a film of such outstanding quality which is entirely original? So original that every scene, every frame, every dialogue is entirely from the fertile imagination of a battery of writers? Do we know of a single movie which can send out a social message to the masses, while at the same time create an enthralling cinematic experience? Which can be an advertisement to the idea of India, glorify the land of plenty, while at the same time show the world how we Indians tackle our problems here?

Enter MSG.

MSG has the added advantage of having had two movies within the review period. While every other movie in the running is handicapped by the fact that it's just ... well, a movie, MSG comes in a pair  MSG Lion Heart 2, and Jattu Engineer. Not that either movie is anything but flawless, but together they are just about a world beating team. What MSG Lion Heart 2 couldn't do, Jattu Engineer would, and where Jattu Engineer fails, MSG Lion Heart 2 would pick up the tab. You get the drift? It's like having a two-headed person, with both heads possessing equally arresting qualities, to a beauty pageant, knowing all other competitors are encumbered by a solitary head. The possibilities are dizzy and endless. Makes us lose our collective heads.

What's more, both films come with equally strong social messages. MSG Lion Heart 2, which released in February, showed the world the truth about Pakistan and terrorism and virgins. The Academy's love affair with war is no secret (How else do you explain Saving Private Ryan winning anything?), and a war movie that shows them the truth about Pakistani girls intending to do sexy time, and Pakistani terrorists realising their bombs won't burst is just what would win them over.

Jattu Engineer, on the other hand, released in May, and told us people with black faces are evil. After all, isn't the colour of a person's heart reflected in their face? Race is again a concept which has been richly rewarded by the Academy (we won't even insult your intelligence with examples here), and in Jattu Engineer, they have the perfect antidote to the Spike Lee school of filmmaking.

Still not convinced? Their utter originality will convince you then. In Jattu Engineer, for instance, we are introduced to people who speak in donkey-like brays. Show us another movie, from anywhere else in the world, where you have a character whose raison d'etre is to bray like a donkey, and we will show you a shameless plagiariser.

So, without any further ado, here we present India's alternative entries to the Oscars: MSG Lion Heart 2 and Jattu Engineer! A country can only send one entry? What about Saving Private Ryan then? That was just one really long movie? No way!
Mumbai: Producer Marco Mueller feels that there is not even a hint of plagiarisation in Rajkummar Rao's Newton, amidst claims that the movie has been inspired from his 2001 Iranian film Secret Ballot.

Last week, Newton was announced as India's official entry for Oscars' foreign language film category.

On Monday night, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, in a Facebook post, shared Muller's opinion after watching Newton.



"'A pretty decent film, definitely no rip off from our Secret Ballot (even if the general concept is the same)"' and then I asked him if I can share his response on social media? He replied,"Please feel free as you see fit, there is not even a hint of plagiarisation," Kashyap, who spoke in defence of the film on Sunday, posted.

He also shared the screenshot of his conversation with Mueller. On Sunday, defending the film, Kashyap tweeted: "Newton is as much a copy of Secret Ballot as The Avengers is of Watan Ke Rakhwale."

"Newton" is as much a copy of "Secret Ballot" as The Avengers is of Watan Ke Rakhwale  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 24, 2017

Standing up for its genuineness, Kashyap said, "Newton is an award winner from Berlin fest and I can promise you those curators watch more films in a year than rest of us do in a lifetime."

Newton is an award winner from Berlin Fest and I can promise you those curators watch more films in a year than rest of us do in a lifetime.  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 24, 2017

DNA quotes Suparn Sena, General Secretary, Film Federation of India, the body which decides India's official entry to Oscars, as saying, "No rule for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars states that any likeness to any other film in any form is a disqualification. Weve full faith in the team behind the film and we stand by the film, as of now. He adds that the plagiarism allegations do not reduce Newton's chances of getting nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the 90th Academy Awards.

The movie, produced by Manish Mundra of Drishyam Films, had its world premiere at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival, where it even won an award.

While Newton, which stars National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao, revolves around a government employee who struggles to supervise voting in a forest area of Chhattisgarh, controlled by Maoists, Secret Ballot is described as a movie which focuses on the life of a lady ballot officer who visits a barren and desolate place to plead with voters to cast their votes and take part in the elections.

Newton director Amit V Masurkar has already given his take on the controversy, saying, "The story was born from my heart. I had no idea about Secret Ballot."

Meanwhile, meeting the film team's expectations, Newton is attracting audiences to theatres. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted on Sunday: "Newton shows remarkable 162.5 per cent growth on Saturday. Friday Rs 96 lakh, Saturday Rs 2.52 crore. Total: Rs 3.48 crore India biz."

#Newton shows REMARKABLE 162.5% GROWTH on Sat... Fri 96 lakhs, Sat 2.52 cr. Total:  3.48 cr. India biz.  taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 24, 2017

With inputs from IANS.
Los Angeles: Pennywise the evil clown is getting ready to terrorise audiences all over again, as the sequel to the horror blockbuster It is set to hit the theatres in September 2019.

New Line Cinema and Warner Bros have announced that a sequel to the film will release on 6 September 2019, reported Variety.

Since its debut earlier this month, the film adaptation of Stephen King's book has shattered numerous records, including becoming the top-grossing horror film of all time.

The Exorcist, released in 1973, made $441.3 million worldwide. It has earned $478.1 million globally to date.

Andy Muschietti, who directed It is expected to return for the second installment. Producers Barbara Muschietti, Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Seth Grahame-Smith, and David Katzenberg are believed to be back as well.

King's 1986 novel focuses on a group of friends in a fictional Maine community that battles the small towns demon as kids, and then again as adults. The blockbuster movie, which released on 8 September, centers on the children, while the upcoming film will follow them into adulthood.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Accepting Upadhyay's plea on the ground of parity, since the other prime accused in the case have been granted bail by the high court and the apex court, a bench of Justices Ranjit More and Sadhna Jadhav granted him bail against a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.

While the National Investigating Agency's (NIA) counsel Sandesh Patil opposed the bail plea, the HC said that its hands were tied in view of the apex court's directions on parity.

The court also asked if Upadhyay's role in the blasts was larger than that of prime accused Shrikant Purohit.

Upadhyay's counsel, however, denied the same and said, "The apex court had recently granted bail to Purohit and that the trial court in Mumbai had also let out two other accused persons in the case, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi. Thus, Upadhyay too must be granted bail."

The NIA, in its chargesheet, had cited transcripts of phone conversations between Upadhyay and Purohit as prime evidence against the former.

The Supreme Court had last month granted bail to Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Seven people were killed in a bomb blast on 29 September, 2008, at Malegaon, a communally-sensitive textile town in Nashik district of north Maharashtra.

A special MCOCA court had earlier ruled that the ATS had wrongly applied this law against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Purohit, and nine others.
Dehradun: After many years, the country has got a stable government at the Centre which is a must for the all-round progress of the nation, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said as he exhorted the IAS officers to play a key role in India's development agenda.

Addressing the officers at Mussoorie's prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration on Monday, he also said that India can take advantage of its demographic dividend, largest English speaking population and information technology in pursuit of its development goals.

"After so many years, we have a stable government under the leadership of prime minister Narendra Modi," said Naidu, who had been invited by the academy at the inaugural session of the 11th round of a three-week mandatory mid-career training programme for senior IAS officers.

The chief minister told the officers that they have a key role to play in building a developed India and if they keep learning, then they can do wonders.

He said that he still considers himself as a student.

"Those who can learn continuously can do wonders...I learn from society, common man and administrators like you," Naidu added.

Highlighting how the use of technology can help in the country's overall development, he presented the case study of Andhra Pradesh which has implemented various reforms with the use of technology in the state.

"Through fibre grid, we want to reach the last mile by connecting every home in the state. Andhra Pradesh is leading with a steady growth rate.

"In the first quarter, it has achieved 11.72 percent growth rate while the country's average is 5.6 percent. We have selected ten sectors as growth engines contributing the maximum growth of the state," he said.

Underscoring the importance of environment, the chief minister said that the state was aiming to achieve 50 percent green cover by 2029.

"We are developing a smart water grid by conserving water and linking rivers," Naidu said.

Andhra Pradesh has achieved 100 percent electrification and 24/7 power supply to every household.

Now, we are going for smart power grid with the help of technology, he added.

"I had the fortune of building a brownfield city, Cyberabad. Now, I am building a greenfield city, Amaravati. My state, Andhra Pradesh is a new state, only three years old. It is like a small child. I will nurture it carefully," the chief minister said.

Presenting his strategy for building the state so that it becomes the best in the country by 2029, he said that the state was implementing latest technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, drones, sensors and geo-tagging to improve governance.

He also told about the concept of uberisation on how to utilise assets more efficiently.

During his presentation, he showcased CM Core dashboard built to facilitate real-time governance where the state can monitor welfare schemes and other government services in real time.

To promote good governance, we are using CM Connect, Praishkara Vedika, Kaizala and People First applications to address public grievances.

We want to ultimately achieve 80 percent plus public satisfaction levels, he said.

"One out of four IT professionals in the world is an Indian and out of every four Indian IT professionals, one is from Andhra Pradesh," he said.
In a bizarre incident reported from Bengaluru, a 17-year-old reportedly drowned in a pond on Sunday as his friends were clicking selfies. One of the pictures shows the victim drowning while the others are taking a selfie.

#Karnataka: A 17-year-old student drowned while his friends were busy taking a selfie in a pond near Kanakapura pic.twitter.com/x65nBaEmA4  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

Vishwas G, a student of the National College, drowned in a pond at Ramagondlu Betta of Kanakapura at Ramanagara district around 40 kilometres from Bengaluru, Bangalore Mirror reported. Kaggalipura police said that Vishwas is a resident of Hanumantha Nagar in South Bengaluru and he was on an outing with other cadets of the National College when they entered the pond.

The other cadets, according to NDTV, left the pond to go to a temple without noticing that Vishwas was missing. Later, a student scrolling through the photos they had taken earlier spotted Vishwas' head disappearing under water. The police later found the body at around 3.30 pm and informed his parents.

"We had finished swimming and left for the Gundanjaneya temple and did not notice Vishwas' absence. One of the students was replaying his selfie photos and noticed Vishwas drowning being captured in the frame," a student, Sumanta A, told The Times of India.

The police told Bangalore Mirror that 25 students, all NCC cadets, had gone to the hill for trekking. Superintendent of police of Ramanagara, Ramesh Banoth, said that the students got into the pond and started swimming, ignoring a sign put up by the grama panchayat indicating danger. Vishwas lost balance and was stuck in the silt, he added.

Vishwas' parents have accused the college authorities of negligence and ignoring the safety of students. On Monday morning, they arrived at the college to demand an explanation, Deccan Chronicle reported. The parents demanded that the Associate NCC Officer (ANO) Rajesh should answer them that how did their son die. However, when Rajesh did not respond to the calls made by the college management, Vishwas' parents and relatives staged a protest.

His father, Govindappa, filed a complaint alleging that negligence by the National College management cost his son his life, a police officer told The Times of India. The police subsequently registered a case of unnatural death, based on the complaint, and may register a case against the college management if a probe confirms their negligence. The parents left the college premises after the management assured them that an inquiry will determine the facts of the death.
Varanasi: Varanasi district administration has asked the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to change the uniform of their security guards - which is similar to the state police's uniform - in order to avoid any confusion.

The order comes in the aftermath of the widespread criticism of the state police after it was alleged that a number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathicharge by them in the BHU on Saturday night.

According to the letter written by SSP RK Bhardwaj to the vice-chancellor, dated 24 September, the varsity has been given time till Tuesday to make the change or else face action.

In his letter, Bhardwaj has also cited an order dated 3 December, 2016, when the then district magistrate had issued a similar order.

"There are constant clashes between the security guards (proctorial board members) and the students. The guards are dressed in uniforms similar to that of the Uttar Pradesh Police (khaki), which in such cases, earns the state police a bad name," the letter said.

"It is thus requested that within 46 hours, i.e. 5 pm, 26 September, 2017, the look of the uniform of the security guards of the BHU should be changed to something other than what the state police officials wear," he said.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra on Monday visited the university and asked its administration to ensure that incidents of violence do not occur on the campus again. He also asked the university administration to install CCTV cameras at every entrance and especially at women's hostels and to deploy woman security guards at the wings dedicated for women.

BHU students have alleged they have to face eve-teasers on the campus regularly and the varsity administration was not taking any action to stop the miscreants.

The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice chancellor at his residence.
Taking moral responsibility for the Banaras Hindu University crisis, chief proctor ON Singh submitted his resignation to vice-chancellor GC Tripathi on Tuesday night, 101reporters told Firstpost.

Singh's resignation has been accepted by Tripathi, according to the report.

The atmosphere on the campus of the iconic BHU in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi continues to remain tense even as Tripathi is convinced of an "outsider" angle to the whole controversy.

Despite his explanations, the vice-chancellor, who is in the Opposition's line of fire and has made some controversial comments, allegedly trivialising the molestation incident, is in the eye of the storm.

Tripathi, who was summoned by the human resource development ministry in New Delhi on Tuesday morning, told reporters that protests against an incident of sexual harassment on the varsity campus escalated only due to rumour mongering and involvement of outsiders.

The vice-chancellor, in an interview to CNN-News18 also remained defiant that the police never baton charged girl students at the university. Referring to a fake image, unrelated to the incident but which was in circulation, Tripathi said that no girl was ever beaten up at the campus. Other videos, images and the alternative narrative emerging from the campus, however, suggest otherwise. Tripathi assured that he is in touch with the proctor and the students and due process will be followed to punish the perpetrators. A magisterial probe has already been ordered.

Not a stranger to controversy

Speaking on the violent protests that have rocked the campus, Tripathi told The Indian Express, that if the complaints and demands of every girl were to be listened to, he will not be able to run the university. He later denied making the statement in an interview to CNN-News18.

The vice-chancellor also justified strict curfew timings in girls' hostel and alleged gender biases by saying that the security of girls and boys can never be at par. The statement spurred widespread outrage over Tripathi's alleged trivialisation of an important issue. However, this wasn't the first time that the BHU vice-chancellor was in the eye of a controversy.

Before this, girls have alleged absurd and discriminatory restrictions in the five girls hostels in the university, paralleling the life at BHU campus to that of the militancy-hit state of Jammu and Kashmir, according to a Hindustan Times report.

Reports also suggest that the girls hostel wouldn't serve meat at the students' mess because it apparently violated "tradition". Students of the university have also accused the administration under Tripathi of turning the educational institution into an RSS shakha (branch). Students have alleged that girls aren't allowed to use mobile phones after 10 pm and are not expected to step out of hostel gates after 8 pm.

He was also accused of culling out any voices of dissent in the university, in an attempt to paint BHU saffron. According to a report in The Wire, he expelled a well-known educationist, social activist and Magsaysay awardee, Sandeep Pandey, for not toeing the Sangh Parivars line.

Besides this, there were some controversies on several appointments made by Tripathi. He appointed Satyapal Yadav and Ashok Kumar Sonkar to the Department of History at the university, however, both these academics have been accused of plagiarism in the past.

BHU V-C an RSS ideologue?

Tripathi's known links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have been an open secret. A short profile of him on Business Line states that Tripathi, in a five-minute address in 2015 espoused the RSS and VHP intellectuals, saying, "The planet is a family. Our way of life is prescribed by sarve bhavantu sukhinah and vasudhaiva kutumbakam." Another CNN-News18 report claims that he has been an associated with the saffron organisation for the past four decades.

He himself has known to be quite candid about his RSS links. According to The Wire, when objections were raised to his use of the university as a unit for the RSS, Tripathi said, "When the Indian government itself is of the RSS, there is nothing wrong in establishing an RSS shakha in BHU."

"Tripathi believes in a dictatorial mode of functioning and takes immense pride in his 40 years of candid association with the RSS," the article in The Wirereads. On the question of open debates, dissent, and exploring the Opposition's view at the university, Tripathi is proud to have prevented BHU from going the JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) way.

In an interview to The Hindu, he says that he would never allow BHU to conduct events on "controversial and sensitive" issues and that it was his administrative alertness that prevented the institution from going the JNU way.

Appointment too was mired in controversy

Tripathy was appointed the vice-chancellor of BHU on 27 November 2014 amid a host of controversies. His appointment kicked off a conflict of interest controversy, as the search-cum-selection committee that appointed him was headed by Justice (retired) Giridhar Malviya, grandson of Madan Mohan Malviya, who was a long-time and close associate of Tripathi. According to The Times of India report from the time, Tripathi and Malviya allegedly hid the fact from the government when it appointed the panel and Tripathi's name was shortlisted.

On its part, the HRD ministry ignored the complaint when it was brought to its notice. A ministry source said, "We do not interfere in the working of search-cum-selection committees," the report further said.

The Business Line report also said that HRD ministry also appointed Tripathi as chairperson of renowned IIT-BHU ignoring the list of candidates put forward by the institute. "A Google scholar search reveals no publications, citations or papers to his name," the report said.

Besides this, attempts to trace his past credentials only reveal that he was a professor of economics at Allahabad University, before the current appointment. Tripathi was also the secretary of Seva Samiti, a registered society in Allahabad. However, apart from this, no trace of any administrative experience, which is mentioned as a key credential mentioned in a 2014 notification inviting applications for the post of BHU vice-chancellor, is available, at least online.

Another report in The Wire states that the Department of Economics at the Allahabad University fails to provide information under the RTI act regarding the research activities of Tripathi, while he served as a professor there. Outstanding academic record and research credentials too are one of the first things that grab one's attention on the notification inviting application for the BHU vice-chancellor's post.

His tenure is due to end in two month's time on 26 November this year, according to the Department of Higher Education website but no formal notification for the appointment of a new vice-chancellor has come out so far. The notification for the appointment of vice-chancellor in 2014 was released on 30 September in 2014, after which Tripathi was picked for the job.
The protests at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) against unabated and increasing incidents of eve-teasing haven't seemed to reach any conclusion. The university continued to remain on tenterhooks as the students' protest turned violent, police lathicharged the protestors, evoking a sharp response from political leaders. Several political parties, including the Congress, have come out to support the students and condemn the Uttar Pradesh government's response and the police crackdown on the students.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, Girish Chandra Tripathi, has been summoned by the Ministry of Human Resources Development to Delhi and according to a The Times of India report, he departed for the national capital on Tuesday morning. While protesters claim that he has been summoned by the HRD ministry, the report quoted a university spokesperson as saying that quarterly meeting of the executive council of BHU was rescheduled and Tripathi has gone to attend the same.

Uttar Pradesh government orders judicial probe

Amid top issues which were discussed at the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday morning, was the students protesting at the BHU against rampant sexual harassment on the campus. Speaking to the press, government spokesperson Srikant Sharma said that the Yogi Adityanath government has decided to launch a judicial probe into the alleged police excesses in controlling the student protests. Sharma said that strict action will be taken against all those found guilty.

Sharma, however, did not elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or sitting judge. Sharma said the government wanted that there should be communication with the students by the local administration, vice-chancellor and other university officials. Sharma accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.

"If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses," he said. On lathicharge on the protesting girl students sitting, he said, "We are identifying those 'outsiders' who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathicharge." He said the government has asked the local administration to strengthen the security on the campus.

Moreover, Sharma also said that the CCTV cameras will be installed at university campuses, including Lucknow University and BHU, to improve safety arrangements on campus. He also advised university administrations across state to reach out to students and establish a dialogue mechanism, so that students' issues could be addressed before things spiral out of control.

Vice-Chancellor speaks

Tripathi insists that people from outside the university are responsible for the violence. The latest incident of eve-teasing, which triggered these protests, was reported on Thursday. A woman student of the arts faculty was harassed by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus as she returned to her hostel.

Talking to The Indian Express, Tripathi said that the incident of sexual harassment was "created by outsiders" with "vested interests" who had an eye on the prime minister's visit to Varanasi. He added that while the campus has adequate security measures in place, "security for boys and girls can never be at par".

"If we listen to every demand of every girl we won't be able to run the university," the report quoted him as saying.

The students of BHU have been protesting outside the vice-chancellor's residence and several female students were injured when the police allegedly used force to remove them. The students reportedly wanted to meet Tripathi but were stopped by security guards.

The vice-chancellor claimed that the use of force was against criminals and not girl students, according to The Indian Express report.

The girl students of BHU feel that the campus is unsafe because of its poor lighting, lack of CCTVs and uncooperative security guards, according to The Hindu. Following the incident, the woman students submitted a memorandum to the Dean of Student Welfare. It states, "Boys come from outside and engage in objectionable acts... They pelt stones, and use filthy language while passing by."

Tripathi further said that the protests escalated due to rumour mongering. While talking to reporters on Tuesday, he said that while the identity of a person is important, we should also take care of the identity of institutions.

Earlier he had said that the sexual harassment was a "simple case of eve-teasing." According to an NDTV report, Tripathi alleged that the incident was deliberately staged a day before Modi's visit.

State governor Ram Naik constituted a committee headed by the Chief Secretary to examine how the "police behaved and other aspects".

Varanasi divisional commissioner, Nitin Gokarn sent an interim report to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary on Tuesday. In the report, Gokarn blamed the university administration for the violence. "The BHU did not deal with the victim's complaint properly. It is a sensitive matter. The situation was not handled on time by the university administration,"he said in the report, according to India Today.

#BREAKING -- BHU Violence Probe: Commissioner sends interim probe report to Chief Secretary

(File Image) pic.twitter.com/Tt15o4O2cu  News18 (@CNNnews18) September 26, 2017

Government's response

The Uttar Pradesh government removed three additional city magistrates and two policemen in connection with the baton-charge on students. Station officer of Lanka police station Rajiv Singh was removed and sent to police lines.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered an inquiry into the violence and sought a report from the Divisional Commissioner about the incident as well as on the lathicharge on journalists.

Some journalists and girl students were injured in the police crackdown on Saturday and it led to protests in Lucknow, with some journalists staging a sit-in near the chief minister's residence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah have spoken to Adityanath over the police action, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said, adding that the state government will find an appropriate solution to the issue.

He said the party was committed to ensuring dignity and respect of women and any opinion should not be formed on the basis of any isolated incident.

Condemnation of the incident

Various political parties, including the Samajwadi Party, criticised the government and condemned the police action.

AAP condemned the midnight police baton charge on girl students. Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said that it is unpardonable and shameful that police, instead of acting on the girl student's complaint of alleged molestation, ordered male police personnel to enter girls hostels during night hours.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Raj Babbar was arrested along with other party leaders ahead of their participation in a protest demanding Tripathi's sacking. The Times of India report quoted Babbar as saying, "It is shocking that I am not being allowed to reach BHU to meet the injured girls and know their problem. They (policemen) started a bid to stop me from the airport."

The National Students Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged demonstrations in New Delhi on Monday against the baton-charge on BHU students. ABVP demanded constitution of a fact-finding committee, while the NSUI demanded an inquiry under a sitting high court judge and resignation of the BHU vice-chancellor.

The two student organisations had separately announced their plans to stage demonstrations outside the office of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in New Delhi.

However, the NSUI claimed that it supporters were detained much ahead of the venue, while ABVP activists were allowed to reach the site.

With inputs from agencies
New Delhi: Lathicharge on students, especially female students, is totally unacceptable and strong action would be taken against those involved in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) incident, Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha said on Tuesday.

"Lathicharge on any student, especially girl students, is not permissible. Strong action will be taken against those involved in this incident," Sinha said on the sidelines of an event.

The Minister is an alumnus of IIT (BHU) and a Lok Sabha Member from the adjoining Ghazipur constituency.

"Government is keeping an eye on the situation and appropriate action has been taken. The officials who were responsible have been removed," Sinha added.

On 23 September night, a protest by female students outside the vice chancellor's office against molestation of a student on the campus turned violent.

The protesting students got into a heated argument with security personnel when they tried to stop them. As the news spread, male students from other hostels came out to support the women students and in some time the agitation turned violent.

Over 1,500 police personnel in the area carried out a baton charge on the students and even fired some rounds in the air. In response, students threw stones and burnt a police motorcycle.

On Tuesday, Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn submitted a report in connection with the 23 September lathicharge on protesting students and blamed the BHU administration for the violence.

Gokarn has in the report, sent to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, said that the BHU did not deal with the victim's complaint in a sensitive manner and did not handle the situation on time.
By Sharanya Gopinathan

Since a first-year student was molested at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus on Thursday, the university has been rocked by huge protests. When informed about the molestation, the warden blamed the victim, asking her (of course) what she was doing out late at night, and when students began protesting this shameful response, they were lathicharged by police on Saturday. The latest news is that the police have actually filed 1,000 FIRs against students for arson, disrupting government work and vandalism.

These events make The Sound of Silence, a new documentary by multiple National Award winner Bina Paul, even more pertinent. The Sound of Silence explores the issues of gender bias and discrimination on Kerala university campuses, although, as Paul notes, the protests at BHU show that this is not a Kerala problem, or even an Indian one. Its an entire world view.

The students at BHU rallied behind the survivor, and were lathicharged when they were approaching the house of the vice-chancellor en masse in rage. But not all cases reach this zenith, and not all campuses can muster the power that BHU did. For many students, who face institutionalised gender discrimination regularly, huge protests just arent a viable option, either for lack of knowledge, fear of being pulled out of college or being targetted by vindictive professors. In these cases, women turn to covert, everyday methods of resistance.

Paul says that smaller resistances can mean something huge for the women who undertake them. Because of family pressure and other reasons, its really not easy for them to even break the rules. A lot of them cant do it often, so it does become a form of protest for them. Its useful to (assert yourself by) breaking the rules.

Dhanusha Panicker, 23, says that back in her time at Vishwajyoti College, Kochi, women werent allowed to leave the hostel after 6.30 pm. Thankfully, there was a bit of the hostel wall that was caved in, making it the perfect spot to leap over to freedom. "All the women knew about it, and the senior girls would tell juniors the exact location and how to cross." Ardra B, a Kochi-based MC, remembers that in her college, St Josephs College, women would flout the draconian dress code by wearing sleeveless blouses, but always while keeping a sweater on standby to pull on when a teacher passed them by. It feels like for many women, college life is an exercise in balance: Asserting your own will while also suppressing it so as not to get into frustrating confrontations with authority figures.

Ligin S, an architect, used to live in a working womens hostel near her university in Kottayam, because the curfew was two hours later than her college hostels. She wasnt allowed to have a mobile phone though, and there was no way for her to charge it there. So instead, she reached a complicated agreement with a man who worked at a nearby restaurant: She would leave her phone to charge in the hotel after college, and her friend would leave it at a designated spot on the wall two hours later for her to pick up. She said she always felt proud that shed managed to outwit her evil warden, and laughs that she would throw her deeply satisfied looks from time to time, which probably left the warden mystified. Ligin says that crazy conditions push you to think out of the box.

Amina, 29, a stay-at-home mother and graduate of Sree Maharshi Vidyalaya, Nhangattiri, told me about her hilarious college escapades. Her class would be taken to a temple opposite the institution daily. There, Amina and her boyfriend would wait for their teachers to close their eyes in prayer and then bolt from the rest of their class to share a few minutes alone, before rejoining their ranks on the way back as though theyd never left. I never thought of it as a rebellion, I just did whatever I had to do to get what I wanted. And isnt that, in essence, what rebellion is all about?

Most women speak of their college rebellions with glee, and remember them as exciting and fun. These memories seem to take on more meaning in hindsight, and they agree that part of breaking these rules is knowing that you can, whenever you want to. Knowing how to break the rules gives them confidence, and makes them feel like they have some kind of choice in the matter. Its an important thought to hold on to when your freedoms are being curtailed.

Many women feel that college was the turning point in their politics. For some, its meeting inspiring teachers, being exposed to authors like Virginia Woolf and Kamala Das, or meeting students from other states. For others, its the disappointment that universities pose that prompt them into action: its hard not to feel betrayed when you come to university full of hope, looking for freedom and adulthood, only to be treated like children while watching male classmates live their lives to the fullest. For these students, its coming face to face with discrimination that forces them to act. The girls are being so suppressed that they're protesting. This is why girls are leading the protests now, Paul observes.

KK Aishwarya, a former student of the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, and an organiser of the Break the Curfew movement, has engaged with resistance in a serious, methodical way. Break the Curfew was a comprehensive campaign from 2015 against discriminatory hostel rules in Kerala. The organisers consulted with journalists and activists, launched an open discussion forum, started campaigns to educate fellow classmates and parents, tricked the college into giving them permission to host a rally (by telling them it was a rally for womens safety), approached then-education minister Abdu Rabb (who, Aishwarya says, discouraged them from pursuing the issue until he suddenly remembered he was the education minister and then told us to write a complaint) and MP Shashi Tharoor, who supported their cause, and also organised protests on campus. They dealt with vicious opposition too, like when the principal moved their internal exams up a week early purely to interfere with their protests.

Aishwarya says movements like this take time to bear fruit, and credits student movements like Pinjra Tod for the laying the foundation for the overwhelming response from students at BHU. Pinjra Tod is responsible for the students realising these issues are out there, that they are happening and important, but its the administration that is clearly still two generations behind. I was expecting a huge change from Pinjra Tod when it was launched in 2015 after Break the Curfew. I know it has changed and can change so many campuses, but I think it will still take some more time.

To Paul, the beautiful thing about these resistances is that theyre like a journey for young students. The protests themselves are a learning process. The girls come into a new, big campus, and initially, theyre afraid to raise their voices. But if an issue does push you, you go on a journey by getting involved in protests. First theyre scared, and they learn how to make a change (through the process of protest).

Sukanya S, who studied in Kerala before pursuing her Masters at University of Hyderabad, says that acts of rebellion can feel very personal. The biggest act of rebellion according to me is doing what I want to do and not caring about what people say, but also not being hostile to them. Aishwarya agrees when she says that the process of protest has made her confident in her ability to handle any situation. I love people, and now I have the tools and the rationality to engage with them.

Even if everyone isnt able to take to the streets in protest, its clear that women are resisting in ways they can, and feeling pretty good about it. Ligin says knowing you can outsmart figures of authority makes you less afraid of them, less confident in their omnipotence. They keep trying to tell us that we cant get the better of them, that they are aware of all our tricks. How can you take them seriously after that when you know youre outsmarting them under their own noses?

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine delivering fresh and witty perspectives on politics, culture, health, sex, work and everything in between.
Union minister of state for home affairs and senior BJP leader Hansraj Ahir has slammed his own party's MP Varun Gandhi for having adopted a pro-refugee stance regarding the influx of Rohingya migrants into the country.

Jo desh ke hith mein sochega vo is tarah ke bayan nahi dega: Hansraj Ahir,MoS Home on BJP MP Varun Gandhi's article on #Rohingyas pic.twitter.com/FwvtmncJpK  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

Ahir said "no nationalist" would support Gandhi, reported India Today. This difference in opinion has brought to the fore the conflict within the BJP regarding the issue. Reacting to Gandhi's article in NavBharat Times, Ahir said that anyone who wishes for the good of the nation would not want Rohingya in the country. After Ahir's remarks, Gandhi took to Twitter to clarify that he only sought a clear demarcation on how the refugees would be accepted.

As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns.  Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) September 26, 2017

Ahir had previously said that India cannot trust Rohingyas as they are "illegal migrants".

"Let me make it very clear... they are not Indians, they are illegal migrants. We can't trust them," Ahir said, while speaking to a news channel. "These people came in small numbers and then Indian government sheltered them. But now the government has decided not to keep them," Ahir said.

He added that it's not in the nation's interests to keep Rohingyas in the country and that the government will not yield to any pressure.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had last week said Rohingyas were not refugees who have applied for asylum in India but illegal immigrants who "will be deported".

The Indian government's previous plan to deport around 40,000 Rohingya refugees came under fire from the UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein.

In his opening statement at the 36th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Hussein said that around 14,000 Rohingyas living in the country are registered with the UNHCR and that India cannot carry out the deportations as per international law.

With inputs from agencies
New Delhi: Enhanced cooperation between India and the United States, regionally and globally, in pursuing shared priorities for peace, stability and combating terrorism were discussed when visiting Secretary of Defence James Mattis met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Modi appreciated the close engagement between India and the US on regional and global issues of mutual concern, according to a PMO statement.

The prime minister recalled his "wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions" with President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States in June this year, the statement said.

During that meeting between Modi and Trump, both sides had reaffirmed their resolve to further develop their strong strategic partnership.

Mattis briefed the prime minister on the progress in advancing the bilateral agenda and implementing the decisions taken during that visit, the statement said.

Earlier, Mattis held wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, the "adopted daughter" of the now jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Honeypreet's anticipatory bail plea dismissed; Court in its order observed applicant is just seeking more time by moving such an application  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

"The plea is without merit. Honeypreet has been evading arrest in Haryana," ruled Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal on the plea moved earlier in the day by Honeypreet, who apprehended a threat to her life in Haryana, IANS reported. Her advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya told the bench that she is willing to join investigation but wants protection from arrest.

Delhi HC stated the jurisdiction of Delhi does not lie here, and she does not deserve bail because she is evading arrest: Prosecution lawyer pic.twitter.com/uvortgu3JQ  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

Court said this is time pass;she filed application before Delhi HC whereas she should have done that in Punjab&Haryana HC:Prosecution lawyer pic.twitter.com/R7bK2eSgN0  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

Earlier, the high court in the morning had reserved its order on the transit anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet, saying the "easiest way out" for her would be to surrender.

Justice Sehgal, after hearing arguments on behalf of Honeypreet and the police of Delhi and Haryana, had said that she would pass an order later in the day.

"The easiest way out for you would be to surrender," the court had observed.

Honeypreet has been on the run since the conviction of Ram Rahim in two rape cases. She is facing a case of sedition for allegedly inciting violence in Haryana after the Dera chief's conviction.

Transit anticipatory bail plea is meant to seek protection against arrest during transit. In this case, Honeypreet is seeking bail for her transit from Delhi to Haryana to join investigation in the sedition case.

During the hearing, the Haryana Police opposed the filing of her plea in the Delhi High Court, saying it was "a ploy to do 'forum shopping'".

Delhi Police also alleged that Honeypreet should have approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, rather moving the high court in Delhi.

The police of Delhi and Haryana opposed her plea for anticipatory bail for three weeks on the ground that the court of competent jurisdiction would be in Haryana.

The lawyer for Honeypreet contended that her life was in danger in Haryana and that is why she has moved Delhi High Court seeking protection from arrest till she moves a court in the neighbouring state.

The lawyer said that she will join the probe if she is protected.

With inputs from agencies
The Delhi High Court will hear Honeypreet Insan's anticipatory bail plea at 2 pm, according to media reports.

According to a report in CNN-News18, Honeypreet's bail plea claims there is a threat to her life and she has approached the Delhi High Court under Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. She has sought three week transit bail after which she will appear before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The report further said that the address given on the bail plea is of a house in Greater Kailash-II locality of New Delhi.

The plea for urgent hearing of Honeypreet's application was mentioned before Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar who sought to know why they are "super-excited now".

"You must be anticipating this," the bench asked advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya, who sought three weeks transit anticipatory bail for Honeypreet.

The bench, however, listed the matter for today after the counsel pressed for hearing the petition on an urgent basis.

Arya informed the court that even the DGP Haryana has gone on record to say that there is "danger" to her life.

On Tuesday, the Haryana Police conducted raids in Delhi in a bid to arrest Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, close aides of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Police sources said that the raids were conducted in Delhi and nearby areas of the National Capital Region (NCR). One raid was conducted in a house in Greater Kailash-II in south Delhi.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Ram Rahim was convicted by the special CBI court in Panchkula on 25 August, following which violence and arson erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa districts of Haryana, leaving 41 people dead and several others injured.

The CBI court on 28 August sentenced Ram Rahim to 20 years in prison for raping two of his disciples in 2002.

Honeypreet accompanied the Dera chief when he had come to the special CBI court on 25 August.

She also travelled with him in the special chopper which ferried them to Rohtak from Panchkula after the conviction. The controversial sect head is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district of Haryana.

Several teams of Haryana Police have travelled across the country, including the India-Nepal border, to trace Honeypreet.

Meanwhile, Ram Rahim on Monday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the trial court verdict.

Honeypreet has been the closest aide of Ram Rahim since 2009. The police has been on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted in Nepal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana.

Honeypreet, who claimed she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, for three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

With inputs from agencies
Aligarh: A former vice president of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students union was shot at and stabbed by two assailants, leaving him seriously injured, the police said on Tuesday.

According to University Proctor Prof Mohsin Khan, the incident took place in Dodhpur locality, adjoining the AMU campus in Civil Lines area on Monday night.

Nadeem Ansari was rushed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College where doctors said that he was "stable" and out of danger.

Police said Ansari was shot at and stabbed by two armed assailants who forced him to stop while he was heading to his home in a two-wheeler.

"The bullet missed his vital organs and passed through his shoulders. The miscreants then stabbed him but by then locals rushed to his rescue. The attackers then sped away," Prof Khan said.

In his statement to the police, Ansari has named two former students of the University  Salman and Arman  both residents of Badaun district.

As news of the incident spread, a large number of students gathered at the Medical College Hospital, demanding the immediate arrest of the attackers.

Senior University officials, including the Universitys Vice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor visited the Hospital and assured the victim of all necessary help.
Patna: States like Bihar are the worst victims of climate change as it frequently faces floods and droughts affecting development, Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said on Tuesday.

Bihar faced major floods in the year 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2017, causing loss of life and property, damage to crops, roads and other infrastructure, Modi said.

For this year's flood, 514 people died and the state government paid Rs 1,788 crore as ex-gratia to 30 lakh affected families, he said at a symposium on climate change.

"This is the magnitude of the damage caused by floods in one year alone... The frequency of natural disasters has been rising due to climate change," Modi said.

A huge amount of money is spent to deal with disaster-related incidents, he said adding that the state government has made a provision of Rs 68,000 crore in 2016-17 for its 10 departments to deal with natural disasters.

The deputy chief minister said it would be difficult to combat the issue of climate change until and unless every individual of the country moderates his/her lifestyle.

"Affluent sections of the society will have to take initiative to reduce carbon footprint. There is a need for creating awareness among the people as for how to moderate one's lifestyle," the senior BJP leader said.

He also advised people to avoid packaged food items, plastic bottles and bags and grow the habit of switching off lights, fans and water taps when not in use.

In the symposium, state Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav highlighted the necessity of a detailed study on the impact of climate change in Bihar.
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday appealed to the Gorkha Janmukti Morch (GJM) to withdraw the ongoing strike in Darjeeling Hills for a separate Gorkhaland state and asked the Union home secretary to convene an official-level meeting to discuss all related issues.

In a statement, the home minister said that in a democracy, dialogue is the only way out to resolve any problem and solutions can be found through restraint and mutual dialogue within the legal ambit.

"I appeal to the GJM and its leader Bimal Gurung to withdraw the ongoing bandh and to help create a conducive atmosphere for allowing normalcy to return to the area, particularly in view of the festival season," he said as the indefinite shutdown to press for a separate state of Gorkhaland continued for 104th day.

Singh said he has asked Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba to convene an official-level meeting within a fortnight to discuss all related issues.

"Eleven precious lives have been lost so far, seven have been injured and the entire people of Darjeeling Hills have suffered a lot since the strike. I have pained immensely by what has happened in Darjeeling Hills," he said.

The indefinite strike called by the GJM has continued since 12 June though its rebel leader Binay Tamang had announced suspension of the bandh.

On 20 September, the West Bengal government announced the constitution of a nine-member board of administrators with the same powers as Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) which is headed by GJM chief Bimal Gurung.

Rebel GJM members Tamang and Anit Thapa were made the chairman and vice chairman of the board respectively.

The state administration Monday night decided to lift the restrictions on use of internet services in Darjeeling and Kalimpong, which were imposed on 18 June.
Srinagar:Top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was on Tuesday killed in a gunbattle with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector as he was trying to sneak into the Valley to take charge of the outfit, a senior police officer said.

J&K: Terrorist killed by security forces in general area Zorawar (Uri) earlier today identified as Lashkar e- Islam Chief Abdul Qayoom Najar pic.twitter.com/Z8MWm8Wilw  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

It was a major success for the security forces as Najar was wanted for his alleged involvement in more than 50 killings, including that of policemen in Hygam area of Sopore, in the past 17 years.

Baramulla senior superintendent of police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain said, "Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC this morning."

"He was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen in the wake of elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces," he told PTI.

"Najar started his career as a terrorist with the killing of Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar in 2003," he said.

The officer said Najar was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers in 2015 after he fell out with the Hizb leadership.

"He was now tasked with reviving the outfit in Kashmir in the wake of elimination of top militants," he said.
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Police on Tuesday arrested three more Oman nationals along with two locals including a chief Qazi in connection with the alleged trafficking of minor girls from the city under the guise of 'contract marriages' with elderly men from Gulf countries.

Omani national Al Sheyadi Sulaiman who claimed before police that he came to the city for medical treatment, was found to have actually come here for his marriage and was looking for minor girls, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Zone) V Satyanarayana told reporters.

A broker from Oman identified as Al Shayadi Mohammed Khalfan had brought Sulaiman here to perform his marriage and investigation is underway to find out other victims who were trapped by him and trafficked to Oman and other Gulf countries, the DCP said.

The third Omani national Al Awdi Yasir, who married a city woman, had brought one visually challenged 75-year-old Oman national Abdullah Mubarak, who had already married ten times before for another marriage, the senior police official said.

Along with the three Omani nationals, police also arrested chief Qazi Ali Abudullah Rifai, who allegedly provided girls to foreign nationals by maintaining a network of brokers including women to search girls from poor families of the city, Satyanarayana said.

He added, they also arrested one local person Nayab Ibrahim, who assisted Rifai in performing the marriages of Arab nationals.

All the three Omani nationals were in touch with Rifai, he said.

Police have also initiated measures to deport two other Oman nationals  Abdullah Mubarak and Al Shayadi Sulaiman Khamis Mohammed, son of 70-year old Al Sheyadi Sulaiman, for want of evidence, the official said.

Mubarak, who works as an Imam in Oman, is visually challenged and a chronic kidney patient undergoing dialysis thrice a week, said the official.

He had come to Hyderabad under the guise of treatment, the DCP said, adding investigation revealed he was already married ten times before to young girls from the city, but most of them either have shifted their residences while others have requested that their names should not be revealed.

"As victims are not preferring complaints against him and due to lack of sufficient evidence to book him in a criminal case police have decided to deport him along with Khamis Mohammed, who had come to the city for performing his father Sulaiman's marriage," Satyanarayana said.

Police teams are continuing searches of middlemen who are facilitating marriages of minor girls and luring them with false promises of bright future in foreign countries, he said.

On 20 September, police had busted the 'contract marriage' (short-term marriage) racket, and arrested 20 persons including five Oman and three Qatar nationals, who attempted to marry the girls.

Police foiled attempts by eight Sheikhs from Oman and Qatar to marry local girls and rescued two minor girls.

They also arrested three qazis (people who conduct the marriage), including Farid Ahmed Khan, a Chief Qazi of Mumbai, four lodge owners and five brokers/agents who mediated to get such marriages solemnised.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahendar Reddy had then said that they have identified 35 brokers including 25 women and unearthed the network spread from Hyderabad to Oman and other Gulf countries.

The Hyderabad Police had in the past also busted several contract marriage rackets in the Old City area wherein such marriages were performed aided by fabricated documents.
The Indian Army on Tuesday foiled an infiltration bid by Pakistan's Border Action Team which tried to intrude into Indian territory and attack an army post in Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

#FLASH: BAT action attempted by 7-8 armed intruders today at 1300h in the area of J&K's Keran Sector in Kupwara thwarted by security forces pic.twitter.com/88Re71X3GH  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

No casualties in BAT action (Pak's Border Action Team) attempt by 7-8 armed intruders in Keran, Kupwara. Fire assaults by Indian troops on  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

According to sources, armed intruders came close to an Indian Army post, and were provided cover fire by a Pakistan Army post on the other side, which fired mortars and shells.

Sources said the intruders aimed to damage the post, but it were thwarted by the Indian Army. There was no casualty on the Indian side and the intruders retreated.

Retaliatory firing is still on.

On Tuesday morning, a militant was killed as the army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of north Kashmir's Baramulla district.

"An infiltration bid has been eliminated in general area Zorawar of Uri sector. One terrorist has been killed," an army official said.

In June, a BAT attack was carried out 600 metres inside the Indian territory in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir in which two jawans were killed along with one of the attackers.

In a separate incident, top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was killed in a gunbattle with the army near the LoC in Uri sector while he was trying to sneak into Kashmir to take charge of the outfit, a senior police officer said.

With inputs from agencies
Chennai: Officials of the Indian Space Research Organisation, Tamil Nadu campus, have filed a police complaint against unidentified people for spreading rumours that smoke emanated after a "mysterious explosion" on its premises recently.

Police said the ISRO officials lodged a complaint against unidentified persons for spreading rumours.

Anti-Naxal team and CISF took up investigation after reports of smoke emanating on the campus in Mahendragiri of Tirunelveli district on 23 June, the police said today, adding as per the probe, the incident was only a rumour.

According to a police release, the investigation also revealed that a huge boulder located in a hilly area about 20 kms away from the campus had fell from the top on 23 June.

"Further investigation was underway in the matter," the release added.
New Delhi: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was in the Indian capital on Tuesday, marking the first visit to the country by a Cabinet-level official from President Donald Trump's administration.

Delhi: US Defence Secretary #JamesMattis laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate pic.twitter.com/18v1hcjjLZ  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

In meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials, Mattis was expected to focus discussions on security in Afghanistan, military technology and a possible deal on fighter jets.

Mattis began his visit by meeting staff at the US Embassy early Tuesday, before reviewing an Indian military honor guard in New Delhi.

Later, he met Modi, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Mattis' newly appointed Indian counterpart, Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Over the weekend, the US Defense Department had said that the "United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia."

Discussions are likely to involve how the two democratic countries can bolster cooperation on security in Afghanistan and make progress on a deal for the US to supply India with fighter jets.

Last month, Trump had urged India to help more with security efforts in Afghanistan, as Washington steps up its own military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground.

So far, New Delhi has contributed around $3 billion toward building highways, power transmission lines and dams, as well as to aid public health and education in the war-ravaged country.

In his talks with Indian officials on Tuesday, the Pentagon said Mattis would seek to discuss other ways India could help bolster security in Afghanistan.

Some officials in New Delhi have suggested India could train Afghan soldiers in counter terrorism.

Mattis will also be looking to seal new deals with India, one of the world's biggest defense equipment buyers.

India's military has been negotiating with major global arms producers for drones, combat aircraft and submarines, while also pressing the US to share technology and the ability to manufacture its own fighter jets.

The US, however, is eager for India to buy Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 fighter jets, while US aircraft maker Boeing has offered to manufacture its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet in India if it can supply combat jets to the Indian Navy.

The two countries were also expected to discuss maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, amid concerns about an increasingly aggressive China.
After the long delay in declaring results of over four lakh Mumbai University students, the call for the resignation of MU vice-chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh gained momentum. On Monday, the Governor of Maharashtra C Vidyasagar Rao cracked the whip and sought Deshmukh's resignation, failing which he could face dismissal, The Times of India reported.

According to the report, the provisions of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act could be invoked for his dismissal, if Deshmukh fails to resign from his position.

"We expect Deshmukh to resign in a day or two. If he fails to submit his resignation, due process of law will be followed for his dismissal," The Times of India quoted a senior official as saying.

The report noted that Deshmukh had met Rao at the Raj Bhavan to allow him to resume his work. However, Rao denied the request after meeting Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state education minister Vinod Tawde over the university deadlock.

It is to be noted that according to the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, the results of every stream needs to be out within 45 working days.

With Rao's decision unlikely to change now, the Mumbai University is currently being headed by Devanand Shinde, vice-chancellor of Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

On 10 August, Shinde was given the charge of the university after Deshmukh was told to go on leave following the two-month delay in announcing results.

I dont know much about MUs system and I havent had much of a briefing. But I plan to visit both the Fort and Kalina campuses of the university and understand the issues, Shinde had told Hindustan Times after taking over the responsibility of the university.

While most of the results are now out, the results of at least 12,000 candidates are yet to be declared. The Indian Express quoted Rao as asking the university to expeditiously" declare all the remaining results.

"Out of 477 subjects, results of 14 are still to be out. Even after 100 days of examinations, the university is still struggling to announce the results. The institution has so far announced the results for 463 subjects," a 19 September article on Firstpost had noted.

Here is a timeline of the Mumbai University fracas over the delay in results:
New Delhi: The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Tuesday said the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) vice-chancellor should act as a responsible administrator and ensure safety and dignity of women on the campus.

The Commission also hit out at vice-chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi over his reported remarks that BHU cannot pay heed to "every demand of every girl".

Several students, including women, and two journalists were injured in police action at BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent. An inquiry has been ordered into the violence on the campus.

"The NCW while taking other statutory measures strongly condemns such remarks and expects the vice-chancellor, BHU, to act like a responsible administrative head, who ensures safety and dignity of women," it said in a statement.

NCW officials did not respond to queries about statutory measures being contemplated.

In an interview to a national daily, Tripathi said, "If we are going to listen to every demand of every girl we won't be able to run the university."

The vice chancellor, who was in the national capital on Tuesday for the varsity's executive council meeting, also said the violence was fanned by "rumour mongering" and "outsiders".

"We have the footage in which outsiders can be clearly seen at the protest. Rumour mongering escalated the protests. Rumours were spread that girls have been asked to vacate the hostels and those who were not involved in the protests also joined it," Tripathi told PTI.

He also brushed aside allegations of gender bias in the central university, suggesting the perception may have to do with the fact that authorities were "more concerned" about the security of women than men.
Patna: In what could be a first of its kind, 98-year-old Raj Kumar Vaishya has passed the MA (economics) examination from Patna's Nalanda Open University (NOU) with a second division.

Vaishya, who graduated in 1938, expressed his delight on Tuesday at this achievement.

"Finally, I have fulfilled my long cherished dream. Now I am a postgraduate. I decided to prove two years ago that even at this age, one can fulfil their dreams and achieve anything. I am an example," he told IANS in Patna.

Vaishya reiterated that he has been trying to send a message to the youth that defeat should never be accepted.

"I want to tell them not to get upset and depressed. 'Mauka aur avsar har wakt rehta hai, kewal khud pe vishwas hona chahiye' (There will be always be opportunities for those who believe in themselves)," he said.

Admitting that it was not easy to follow the routine of a student at his age, he said: "It was really difficult for me to wake up early to prepare for the exams."

According to NOU officials, Vaishya was so determined to get a postgraduate degree that he sat for a three-hour MA first year examination in 2016 and the final year exam in 2017 along with students younger than his grandchildren. He wrote in English and used nearly two dozen sheets in each exam.

Vaishya has set an example for millions of people, who use age as an excuse to give up on their dreams.

Vaishya was recognised earlier this year by the Limca Book of Records as the oldest man to apply for a postgraduate degree.

Vaishya, who enrolled for the course in 2015, said that he has no plans to pursue a PhD.

Vaishya, who retired from a private firm in Jharkhand in 1980 after having worked there for over three decades, recalled that he wanted to study economics to understand the problems being faced by the people and the society as a whole in the country.

"The idea was not to get a degree but to study economics. There are many PhD students who have superfluous knowledge," he said.

Born on April 1, 1920, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, he did his graduation from Agra University in 1938 and got a degree in law in 1940.

"I failed to pursue a postgraduate programme at that time due to family responsibilities," he recalled.

A vegetarian and a lover of simple traditional Indian food, Vaishya said that he never consumed fried food and always ate in moderation.

Vaishya can read without glasses and write in both Hindi and English.

"I took the help of a walker only after I fractured my back a few years ago," he said.

Vaishya lives with his son Santosh Kumar in Rajendra Nagar Colony, a posh society in Patna. He has been living here for almost a decade after his wife's death.

He lived with his wife earlier in Bareilly and shifted to Patna because there was no one to look after him.
There was a time not so long ago in Kashmir, when the very mention of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the countrys premier investigative agency, sent a chill down the spine of the corrupt.

The agency was well respected for demonstrating institutional incorruptibility and autonomy when dealing with cases.

Then, in 2009, the Shopian rape and murder case came to light.

On the intervening nights of 29 and 30 May, 2009, the bodies of Asiya and her sister-in-law Neelofar were discovered in Rambi Ara stream at Bongam Village in south Kashmirs Shopian district.

The Valley was slow to recover from the 2008 crisis sparked by transfer of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board. The state government struggled to maintain law and order. Mehbooba Mufti, then leader of the Opposition, spent a few hours at a police station demanding a CBI probe.

The people of the Valley, including Shakeel Ahangar, the husband of one of the slain women and brother of the other victim, initially favoured handing over the case to the CBI.

On 9 September, 2009, they got their wish: The state government handed over the case to the CBI.

In December 2009, the CBI reached a conclusion: The women were not raped or murdered by security forces, as their relatives had alleged. Instead, the agency determined that the women had drowned. In a stream where the water was barely ankle deep!

Despite the then Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court maintaining that "the CBI report is not the gospel truth, the image of Ahangar setting ablaze a copy of the CBI report outside the high court in Srinagar has stayed with me.

No one knows if the CBI acted under political pressure or if they simply pursued the case to its logical end.

But in the Valley, the Shopian report was largely seen as the lie which marked the slow death of an institution that enjoyed credibility even among separatists. Earlier, some separatists urged CBI investigation into cases where they suspected state agencies such as the Jammu and Kashmir Police were either following a script or "stopped" from dispensing justice. But no more.

In January 2015, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge-sheet against a fugitive police informer and exonerated Syed Liaqat Shah, a resident of north Kashmirs Kupwara, whom the Delhi Polices Special Cell had arrested on charges of being a Hizbul Mujahideen militant.

At the time, by stating that Shah was framed in the case, the NIA received perhaps the largest amount of free publicity in the history of the Valley. An editor of a Kashmiri newspaper remarked that when it came to credibility, the NIA was taking the CBI's place.

So when the NIA started raiding middle-rung Hurriyat leaders and businessmen in the Valley, there were whispers that those who were arrested directly or indirectly benefited from Kashmir's conflict economy and that they ought to be punished.

Raids left Syed Ali Shah Geelani isolated, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest and Yasin Malik walking through a revolving door in and out of jail. But on the ground, fatigue set in. Previously bustling Srinagar markets were left without customers due to the Hurriyat regularly calling for shutdowns.

And then the NIA arrested photo journalist Kamran Yusuf, who had worked mostly in south Kashmir, without revealing much about his involvement in the so-called terror funding case. Yusuf's arrest was followed by summoning Kashmir Bar president Mian Abdul Qayoom, whom the agency had to eventually let go. Now, the agency has questioned Kashmiri university scholar Aala Fazili in the terror funding case.

There is no doubt that the law must be allowed to take its own course.

However, a realisation has dawned among the people of Kashmir that the NIA has slowly transformed into the CBI.

Sweeping arrests and selective targeting of people who believe in an ideological framework which runs contrary to the State has left little doubt in their minds about the agency's motives.

In Kashmir, your political education begins the moment you leave the comfort of home. Most people have developed a strong yearning for political independence and some sort of mechanism to dispense justice which could apply salve to the people's festering wounds.

Instead, we are witnessing the persecution of those whose opinions' differ from the State, the humiliation of scholars, businessmen and lawyers who have a particular political ideology and who take a stand on the issues at the heart of the Kashmir problem.

The NIA is fast eroding whatever little credibility it has left in Kashmir.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ruled out deploying troops in Afghanistan but said India will expand its development activities to help stabilise the war-torn country during a meeting with US defence secretary James Mattis in New Delhi on Tuesday.

"There shall not be any (Indian) boots on the ground in Afghanistan," Sitharaman told reporters after talks with Mattis.

No Indian troops in Afghanistan: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pic.twitter.com/MbpRjQM1fg  News18 (@CNNnews18) September 26, 2017

Have raised the issue of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan with US Defence Secretary James Mattis: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pic.twitter.com/skQeIWyRZ3  News18 (@CNNnews18) September 26, 2017

We both recognise importance of holding those who use terror as state policy to account&to dismantle infra that supports terror: Defence Min pic.twitter.com/IHA9f63At5  News18 (@CNNnews18) September 26, 2017

Elaborating on India-US ties in terms of defence, Sitharaman said India-US share strong and vibrant strategic partnership as world's largest democracies also share fundamental values and interests. Cooperation in defence equipment grew steadily over past years and the US is now a leading state-of-the-art defence equipment supplier to India, Sitharaman said.

She said there was a growing convergence between India and the US over the issue of terrorism in the region and condemnation of those who use terror as an instrument of state policy. Sitharaman also said that Mattis has assured her that he will raise with Pakistan the issue of terrorism emanating from there.

"The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth. There is growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue," Sitharaman said at a joint press conference.

Mattis was in the Indian capital on Tuesday, marking the first visit to the country by a Cabinet-level official from President Donald Trump's administration.

On terror, Mattis said, "Our two countries recognise the threat that global terrorism poses to people throughout the world."

During his India visit from 26-27 September, the US defence secretary will also meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said.

Over the weekend, the US Defense Department had said that the "United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia."

With inputs from agencies
Patna: The High Commissioner of Mauritius to India J Goburdhun on Tuesday met Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and invited him to his country on the occasion of NRI conclave there on November two next.

"The Mauritius High Commissioner invited the chief minister to attend the NRI day in the country on 2 November, 2017 as chief guest," an official statement said.

The Bihar chief minister honoured Goburdhun at his official residence.

Bihar has a special connection with Mauritius for a long time. More than 60 percent of the population of Mauritius is of Indian origin. Of them, many people are from Bihar with Bhojpuri as their mother tongue.

Sharing historical bond, Mauritius and Bihar jointly organize 'Bhojpuri festival' every year to keep the language alive.

The Mauritius High Commissioner while attending a function at the AIIMS Patna yesterday had expressed his desire to have a regular exchange of programmes of medical establishments of Mauritius with AIIMS Patna.
Refusing to accede to US requests for military participation in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that India would not commit to sending any soldier to the war-torn nation. The statement came at the conclusion of Sitharaman's meeting with Secretary of Defence James Mattis at New Delhi.

However, Sitharaman said that India will expand its development activities to help stabilise Afghanistan. Sitharaman added that there was a growing convergence between India and the US over the issue of terrorism in the South Asian region.

The defence minister's statement can be seen as a continuity of a policy which began when then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee refused to accede to former US president George W Bush's request for Indian troops in Iraq.

In March 2003, US had declared war on Iraq under Operation "Iraqi Freedom" after suspecting Saddam Hussein of possessing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The invasion was also a part of US' Global War on Terror that began in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

According to The New York Times, the Bush administration had hoped that India would send a army division of at least 17,000 soldiers to Iraq's Kurdistan region around Mosul.

An IANS article noted how close Vajpayee was to sending troops to Iraq.

"It took very little persuasion for External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Army Chief NC Vij to fall in line," the article noted.

Ships were readied, battalions shortlisted, generals chosen for India's first imperialist adventure since the Cholas, IANS noted.

However, Vajpayee decided to stand firm and not send any troops.

There is a popular anecdote of how Vajpayee summoned AB Bardhan and Harkishan Singh Surjeet to his office to seek their counsel. Both communist stalwarts advised Vajpayee to not give any commitment to Bush.

According to The Times of India, Vajpayee had also overruled his divided Cabinet on sending troops to Afghanistan, after the US invaded the Taliban-controlled country on 7 October 2001.

When Manmohan took over as the prime minister in 2004, he continued the policy of not engaging militarily in a third country.

In July 2004, when then US deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage, met the Indian leadership, Singh refused Washington's request for sending troops to Iraq.

"There is no change in our policy. As of now, there is no proposal to send any Indian troops to Iraq," Singh had told the Parliament.

India's Afghanistan policy too persisted beyond the Vajpayee era. While refusing to send any troop to Afghanistan, India continued to provide economic assistance to the country, with which India shares historic ties. The Salma Dam that Narendra Modi inaugurated in 2016 and the new Parliament building are two examples of India's commitment to bring Afghanistan into the mainstream of the global geo-economics.
Rahul Gandhi, on the second day of his three-day trip to Gujarat, took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the government in the state will be run by 'Gujaratis in Gujarat.' The vice-president said that under the Congress, the government will not be run from Delhi by a 'remote control,' as reported by India Today.

 model        -     ,  ,   |    model pic.twitter.com/plQm4X1BJD  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) September 25, 2017

Rahul Gandhi, campaigning in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat  where Assembly polls are due later this year  began day two of his three-day trip by meeting representatives of the trader community in Jamnagar. "There is a strong undercurrent in favour of Congress in Gujarat. People want change and Congress will definitely come to power this time. People of Gujarat are unhappy with the ruling party as they feel cheated after giving their votes to the BJP," India Today report quoted Rahul as saying.

Congress VP Rahul Gandhi begins day 2 of Navsarjan Yatra from Jamnagar, after a successful first day. #___ pic.twitter.com/48JhBI7vGY  Congress (@INCIndia) September 26, 2017

CVP Rahul Gandhi begins day 2 by meeting trader community representatives in Jamnagar who shared concerns with him #___ pic.twitter.com/LolUDy3qJv  Congress (@INCIndia) September 26, 2017

Rahul is expected to visit Dhrol and Tankara before reaching Rajkot later in the day. He is also scheduled to meet local milk producers as well as cooperative leaders. He is slated to interact with traders and businessmen at Hemu Gandhvi hall in Rajkot later in the evening.

On Monday, Rahul attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over note ban, GST, farm policies and 'Gujarat model' of development and voiced confidence about winning the upcoming Assembly elections, claiming there is a strong undercurrent in favour of Congress in Gujarat.

Talking to journalists on arrival in Jamnagar for a road show on Monday, Rahul said people are regretting having voted for the BJP.

"There is a strong undercurrent in favour of Congress in Gujarat. People want change and Congress will definitely come to power this time. People of Gujarat are unhappy with the ruling party as they feel cheated after giving their votes to the BJP," said Rahul, adding that Congress will help Gujarat develop.

The Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for over two decades. The 47-year-old Congress leader, who started Monday by offering prayers at the famous Dwarkadhish Temple in Dwarka, interacted with people during his trip from the holy city to Jamnagar, passing through Saurashtra region.

In his short speeches at various places, Rahul assailed Modi over demonetisation and a host of other issues. He highlighted the issue of unemployment under the BJP dispensation and promised to solve the problems faced by Gujarat's farmers if his party is voted to power in the state. Travelling in a specially designed bus, he interacted with villagers at many places.

From Dwarka, Rahul headed to Hanjrapar, where he was accorded a traditional welcome by villagers. He even rode a bullock cart and interacted with villagers. Rahul came down heavily on Gujarat's BJP government on the issue of privatisation.

"Privatisation is happening in every sector under this government, be it education or health sector. Due to this policy of the BJP government, poor people are not getting education or health services," Rahul said. He promised free medicines and medical treatment if the Congress is voted to power in Gujarat.

Accusing the BJP government of being "anti-farmer", Rahul demanded that the government announce complete farm loan waiver in Gujarat.

"If the government can waive loans given to businessmen, why not farmers? The Indian government gave away Rs 1.30 lakh crore to 15 large business houses while Rs seven lakh crore in loans were not returned to banks. They (businessmen) will get all the benefits, while you (farmers) will be jailed for not repaying loans," said Rahul.

Before visiting Hanjrapar, Rahul made several halts along the route, including at Bhatia village. In his address there, Rahul slammed the Modi government for "failing" to address basic problems of people.

Around 20,000 youths pass out of educational institutes every day but the Central government manages to give employment to only 400, he claimed. "You go to any corner of this country and ask farmers whether they get proper price for their produce. All of them will promptly say, no," Rahul said.

"Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared demonetisation without consulting anyone. This was a massive blow to our economy. Farmers were badly hit as they do not do transactions through phone or debit card. They use cash to buy seeds or pay farm labourers," said Rahul.

He claimed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has broken the back of small traders and shopkeepers. Rahul said though the Congress told the government to have a single tax rate under the GST, it introduced five slabs. He claimed lakhs of businesses have shut down due to the GST.

The poor have no place in the 'Gujarat model' of development which has benefited only a handful of businessmen, the Congress leader said. "Business houses get everything, be it water, land or electricity. But the poor are always neglected. This is the difference between them (the BJP) and us (the Congress). I promise our government will be of the poor, farmers and youth," he said.

After Bhatia, Rahul reached Nandana village, where he addressed school children. "Our country has made huge progress in the last 70 years. When we got Independence, we didn't have many good schools, big universities or companies. Whatever exists today is because of the hard work of your parents as well as grandparents," he said.

Notably, Rahul was greeted by Hardik Patel, leader of the Patel quota agitation, on his Gujarat visit.

"A warm welcome to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat," Patel tweeted in Hindi on Monday morning.

On Wednesday, Rahul will cover Chotila, Jasdan, Virpur, Jetpur and other towns before concluding his campaign at Khodal Dham at Kagvad village.

Party sources said Rahul is expected to campaign in north, central and south Gujarat at later dates as part of the party's poll campaign ahead of the Assembly elections slated to be held later this year.

With inputs from agencies
Editor's Note: Over 40,000 Rohingya refugees are living in India. The Government of India's recent announcement to deport them back to Myanmar has worried not just the Rohingyas but also refugees from other parts of the world now living in Delhi. In this four-part series, Firstpost will look into the condition of these refugees and how the Centres stand has sent chills down their spine, many of whom say they have no homes to go back to.

Everyone loves to romance a war that has ended. Outside the ambit of geopolitical developments, Myanmar was best forgotten as Rangoon, a colony separated from India in 1937, a place where colourful pagodas, hardwood teak and kinnari dancers wearing pointy headgear once roamed. It's 2017 and Rangoon is now Myanmar; its refugees on Indian soil are a living and constant reminder of what life in that country is like.

In the north-western state of Rakhine, in Buddhist-majority Myanmar that borders Muslim-dominated Bangladesh, a military campaign is on to wipe out insurgents. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is fighting against the state for the liberation of Rohingyas, who are being mutilated, tortured and forced to leave, only to be driven back by the Bangladesh border forces.

An article on the UN News Centre website states: "The humanitarian situation in parts of Bangladesh sheltering hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees continues to deteriorate, making the crisis one of the fastest growing refugee crises of recent years, according to the United Nations. According to estimates, some 3,80,000 Rohingya refugees, fleeing violence in Myanmar, have crossed the border into Bangladesh since 25 August (2017)."

After the Indian Government's stand on deporting close to 40,000 Rohingya refugees, claiming that they had links with the Islamic State and Pakistan's intelligence network ISI, other refugees from Myanmar in India are worried that they too might be asked to go back and the assumption that they're some kind of a terror threat is going to make life harder for them.

In Myanmar, the largest minorities are Shan (nine percent) and Karen (seven percent). Other indigenous minority groups include Mon, Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Kayan, Danu, Akha, Kokang, Lahu, Rohingya, Tavoyan, and Wa. Replying to a query posed by Firstpost earlier in the year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had said, "There are around 5,000 Chin refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar registered with the UNHCR in India. The Chin community lives mainly in West Delhi and many of them have been in India for a long time. While the financial condition of many Chin refugees is weak, most of them are working in the informal sector to support themselves and their families,"

"Many Chin refugees have also been issued long-term visas which are expected to ease their access to higher education and employment opportunities in the formal sector." It should be noted that the UNHCR identification card given to refugees in India has no legal validity, which is why employment in the formal sector or booking train tickets or even acquiring phone numbers becomes nearly impossible for them.

To separate truth from conjecture, Firstpost visited the refugees in their homes at Janak Puri, Vikas Puri, Sitapuri and Bindapur  nondescript postal codes in West Delhi where a large number of homes are carelessly constructed and often threaten to collapse; small shops selling cell phone batteries, bags and groceries pop up randomly, anywhere.

What took us to these homes weren't Delhi's large roads, but reedy streets with open drains and open wiring on either side, where people from the Chin community were seen selling Burmese samosas (though square shaped but with the familiar Indian filling) and tiny packets containing frogs cooked with bitter leaves.

Owing to their mongoloid features, neighbours often refer to them as 'chinky' and conveniently assume that they're from one of the North Eastern states. "We are not Muslim, we are Christians and we left our country because the Buddhist state forced us to leave. We left our education, our homes, our lives and we didn't come here out of choice," said 31-year-old Cing Dwat, who was a BSc student at Kaley University in the Chin region of Burma when Buddhist monks set his neighbourhood on fire during a demonstration. He came to Delhi in 2008. He added that people come here from different Chin tribes, such as the Zomi, Tedim, Falam, Cho, Hakha, Mara and Mizo (Mara and Mizo tribes share their ethnicity with tribes from North East India).

Dwat alleged that in 2013 and in 2015, the locals attacked the community and neither the police nor the UNHCR looked into the matter. "We feel insecure all the time. Our history, our culture, our identity don't matter to anybody over here," said Dwat.

He took us into homes that were barely lit, where widows were trying to eke out an existence by stitching belts and skirts and children, who had dropped out of school because of their lack of motivation and ability to learn English or Hindi, were working rented sewing machines, plying their way into a bleaker future.

Pu Bual, who is in his 60s, was a government lawyer back in Myanmar. "I am surviving with the help of my friends. After working for 36 years, I cannot earn here because I can't be employed in the formal sector," he conveyed through a translator. Ca Vang, a widow in her early 40s, shared the story of how her husband was killed by what she believes was a racial mob, and neither the police nor the UNHCR took a definitive stand to inquire into the matter. "I am struggling to raise my children and I live with the burden of injustice and have no answers for my children about why their father was killed," she communicated through the same translator.

Thin Hnem is 65-years-old and arrived here in 2009. When we entered her home, she was busy crafting a metal belt, which she told us, will be exported to the Chin community either in the US or Australia. She makes close to Rs 4,000 a month and pays Rs 1,800 in rent. A strong smell of fermenting rice grips her dimly lit room, which is now her only home.

Like Hnem, Dim Hai, a 43-year-old widow, also landed in India in 2007 and has been plying in the informal sector. She has rented a sewing machine to make Chin costumes and sells them in night bazaars. She acquired tailoring skills in a course offered by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), an international Catholic organisation that works with refugees in over 60 countries.

The UN partners with ACCESS, a national livelihoods promotion organisation that partners with the UNHCR. It also supports Chin refugees with vocational training and placement opportunities. Surprisingly, Hai was making a silk dress that was saffron and green and naively asked what the colours reminded us of.

In 2015, JRS conducted a survey among the Chin refugees in New Delhi. Among the 801 respondents, 94.4 percent were Refugee Status Determination identity holders and 45 were still waiting to get refugee status/cards. The UNHCR carries out an RSD procedure, which starts with registration as asylum seekers. After getting this status, UNHCR provides a recommendation letter and it is only after obtaining that letter can refugees approach the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to obtain their residential permit, which is not to be mistaken as a work permit for employment.

The JRS report stated that leaders complained of problems in this regard. Obtaining a refugee card involves a lot of time-consuming procedures like seeking appointments and waiting indefinitely for the result, along with hight travel costs to the office. "Initially, it used to take about one to two years to obtain the status, however, today, the time frame ranges from about three to nine months," the report adds.

The JRS report further declared that children fall under a complex category. "In normal circumstances in any society, the rate of illiteracy (of children) tends to be lower than that of the parents. This is not the case among the Chin refugees of Delhi... about 6.9 percent of the respondents have completed graduation and 0.6 percent have completed post-graduation. When it comes to their children, the percentage has dropped to 0.9 percent for graduation and none have reached post-graduation till they completed the age of 25."

Sang Lian, 47, came to Delhi way back in 2000. A single parent of an eight-year-old daughter, he said, "If the Indian government asks me to go back to Myanmar, I don't even have the money to reach the border. I have no land in Myanmar and it is not safe for us to live there anymore. I want to live in India," he told Firstpost.

Each of the Chin communities has some sort of an office where the needs of its members can be addressed by leaders vested with whatever limited powers. Lives have been displaced but a deep and decentralised social structure, a distinctive characteristic of tribal communities worldwide, has remained intact.

The Chins mostly buy rejected vegetables from night markets and access to clean water and air is a luxury for them. Since India has rejected to take on Rohingyas, the Chins are a worried lot. "It is a struggle to survive here but going back home won't even guarantee the safety of our lives," a sentence Dwat wished he never had to say.

(India has signed neither the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention nor its 1967 Protocol. It doesn't have on its statute book a specific law to govern refugees. The care and treatment of refugees falls under India's Registration of Foreigners Act of 1939, the Foreigners Act of 1946 and the Foreigners Order of 1948. The Indian Evidence Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure apply to refugees who are living on Indian soil.)

Centre's decision to deport Rohingyas has other Stateless migrants living in India worried that they could be next

Read Part II here, Part III here and Part IV here.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju on Tuesday contradicted the claim of two his cabinet colleagues that no one was allowed to see late chief minister J Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation last year.

"All the ministers met her," he told reporters when asked if he had met Jayalalithaa during her 75 days of hospitalisation from 22 September last year.

Raju, however, refused to elaborate and said the death of 'Amma (Jayalalithaa)' was a huge loss. The cooperation minister said he was not prepared to say anything more on the issue.

"You must only ask the minister who had expressed that opinion," he said when pressed further on the claim by forest minister Dindigul C Srinivasan that AIADMK leaders had "lied" about the health condition of Jayalalithaa and none of them had seen her in hospital.

Srinivasan's comments have triggered a renewed demand by the DMK and other Opposition parties for a thorough probe into the death of Jayalalithaa.

Addressing a public meeting in Madurai, Srinivasan had on 23 September apologised to the people, saying they had lied about Jayalalithaa's health.

He said no one was allowed to meet Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation and all those came were told by her close aide VK Sasikala's relatives that she was "all right".

Srinivasan had said that afraid of Sasikala, party leaders lied so that people believed that Jayalalithaa was improving.

He had said that their claim of 'Amma' eating idli and tea was based on information given to them by Sasikala.

Endorsing his views, Commercial Taxes Minister KC Veeramani said the ministers were not able to see the late chief minister even one day.

At a public meeting in Vellore District, Veeramani, without naming Sasikala or her family, said, "Out of fear of this family...we would tell what we were told (by Sasikala's kin)...that Amma had two idlis, she spoke and that she is fine."

On the differing views of his colleagues, Revenue Minister RB Udhaya Kumar said it was their individual opinion based on their experience.

Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals on 22 September 2016, passed away on 5 December.

The state government named retired judge of Madras High Court A Arumughaswamy as head of the inquiry commission to probe the death of Jayalalithaa.

A judicial probe was one of the pre-conditions of O Panneerselvam, the present deputy chief minister, for the merger of factions led by him and Chief Minister K Palaniswamy.

After Palaniswamy announced on 17 August that an inquiry commission would be constituted, the two factions merged on 21 August.
Panaji: The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to stay the framing of charges against former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal in a lower court, but also directed that the trial could begin only after the consent of the high court.

The court direction followed a petition by Tejpal challenging the framing of charges against him by the Additional North Goa District and Sessions court for the alleged rape of a colleague during a conference in Goa in 2013.

Tejpal's counsel Aman Lekhi, while challenging the 7 September framing of charges process, said that the accusations of rape were false and that the prosecution had delayed handing over the evidence to him by three years. The prosecution lawyer Saresh Lotlikar on the other hand argued that only a proper trial could establish the veracity of the charges levelled against the journalist.

Justice Prithviraj Chavan also directed that examination of witnesses at the lower court could only begin after its consent.

Tejpal faces charges under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code had been endorsed by the court, while an additional Section 354 (b) (criminal assault with intent to disrobe) had been added.

The former editor-in-chief has been accused of sexually assaulting a junior female colleague in the elevator of a hotel in north Goa during an event in November 2013.

Tejpal was subsequently arrested but is now out on bail.

While the next hearing at the additional District and Sessions court in Mapusa town, located 10 km from Panaji, is scheduled for 28 September, the high court will continue hearing Tejpal's petition on 1 November.
By Shruti Sunderraman

I hate to admit, but participating in Navratri celebrations held by my residential complex had to do with hormones. At 16, the idea of meeting different boys-next-door coupled with the incentive to dance till midnight made me turn up nine nights in a row with dandiya sticks. And like most encounters fuelled by hormones, my escapades were embarrassing, to say the least.

So, despite my love for all forms of dancing, I never returned to the Navratri celebrations. I stuck to regular dating.

Which makes me wonder if Ive missed out on something good. Its no news that Navratri has always been a breeding ground for meeting hot Gujju singles in your area, but the often overlooked phenomena is how differently they play out against usual dating in India.

Last week, the Gujarati community released their fury on a condom company for putting up billboards across Gujarat with its brand ambassador Sunny Leone encouraging Navratri dancers to carry condoms. Strong protests led by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) pressurised the company to apologise for their ad. CAIT claimed that the company had tried to ride piggyback on the festive sentiment of Navratri to sell its product and urged Smriti Irani, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, to formulate a code of conduct for brand ambassadors with stringent penal (heh, pun unintended) provisions against irresponsible endorsements. Leone, however, remains mum about her opinion surrounding this controversy.

Backlash or no backlash, garba dating goes on, and quite successfully for some. Like Charmi Gala*, a 27-year-old dentist in Mumbai, who met her fiance at her residential complexs garba night two years ago. For nine nights, we danced together. Dating in Navratri helped me skip all the awkwardness of first dates. When youre both dancing like no ones watching, it sheds your inhibitions. Attraction is immediately established. Theres no second guessing.

Navratri dating provides teenagers an opportunity to meet their peers outside parental radar. Unlike regular dating, teenagers dont generally have to make excuses up during Navratri. Still, reports of overprotective parents hiring private detectives to keep an eye on their kids love lives crop up every year during Navratri. Darshan Thakur, a 17-year-old student in Mumbai, risks the large crowds of sarvajanik garba just to relish the opportunity to meet girls without parental restriction.

Which makes love in the time of garba a serious business.

A lot of women participating in garba and dandiya come from conservative families. Like Anchal* and Pooja*, two 22-year-old design students, who even find relief in the idea that dancing at Navratri events comes with parental approval. "Not having to lie to my parents for once in my dating life is a massive relief. They know there'll be men I'd like to meet at garba events, but since it's a traditional festival, they don't oppose my participation," says Pooja.

Something Tinder dates can never achieve, no matter how many cringe-worthy ads the app creates depicting hook-up-approving mommies.

But beyond these meet-cutes, theres also a serious hook-up culture underlining Navratri that could teach a lesson or two to regular dating. Theres a lot more fluidity in attraction and sexual tension between Navratri singles. Anushree Mehta, a 24-year-old psychology student in Mumbai, says, Theres lowered expectations from people. On day 1, you might be attracted to a guy and can be easily attracted to another guy the next day and so on. Because of the promise of meeting a large number of people, the emotional expectations that naturally settle in with regular dating skip Navratri hook-ups and dates.

Unlike regular dating however, hooking-up during Navratri comes with a time frame. Rohan*, a 23-year-old software developer in Mumbai hooked up with a girl last year during Navratri in Mumbai. They had only nine days together and they both had different lives to go back to. For Rohan, it was a relief to not have to worry about going on normal dates to hook-up with someone. Navratri for him, like for many women and men, is a no-strings-attached hook-up opportunity.

But like Charmi, there are those who look for relationships beyond nine nights even if the nature of these relationships vary. While a lot of men and women look for the (Gujju) one, some look for consistent sexual partners. In the traditional environment of the festival, this freedom to choose from a variety of partners for short or long-term relationships is empowering to a lot of women.

This is not to say that men and women dont go on regular dates throughout the year, but Navratri gatherings create a sexually-charged environment that makes it easy to establish intentions and leave very less room for guesswork. Charmi believes dating outside of Navratri could take a leaf out of Navratri datings book in this regard. Theres so much ambiguity with regular dating. Meeting people at Navratri is a lot easier because no ones hiding their intentions, she says.

Theres also the promise of never having to see people again in case things go south. A Bangalore garba event proved to be the first time a few women spoke to men freely; to laugh, dance and flirt without fear of judgement. If something doesnt work out or goes wrong with one of these men, wed never have to see them again, unlike in usual dating routines, says one of the women at the event.

Supriya*, a 29-year-old business consultant in Bangalore, believes in having fluid sexual relationships and has met many of her partners during garba events in Mumbai and Bangalore. She was in a year-long sexual relationship with someone she met at a dandiya event in Mumbai before moving to Bangalore this year. Shes participating in Navratri events in Bangalore this year in the hope of repeating history.

Supriya also draws attention to the stigma surrounding the perception of dating during Navratri. None of her friends knows that she goes to dance garba and dandiya every year because she fears theyll think of her as uncool.

A lot of it comes from international pop culture influences. Colonial hangover and Indian movies (Dil Toh Pagal Hai, I see you) reinforcing the idea that international dance forms are cooler led to the creation of a youth culture in mid-2000s that purrs at tango but cringes at garba.

But lately, movies like Ram Leela are attempting to make Navratri cool again.

People like Supriya are attempting to slowly come out of the closet to call this stigma out. When asked how she met her previous partner, she used to say that they met at the gym. But she plans to change things this year, by not hiding the roots of her relationship from her friends.

Around 2009, my own dating during Navratri was still about taking baby steps. But now, with the increasing fluidity in relationships (sexual and otherwise) during dandiya, Leones advertisement was merely addressing a well-known need.

It's funny how a traditional system such as Navratri is finding ground in India even as dating apps are consistently finding a grip in urban spaces. Navratri's Rams and Leelas are not very different from average Tinder Romeos and Juliets. They just dance a little harder against the face of stigma, and this year they could have had Sunny Leone for company.

*names have been changed to protect privacy.

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, or 'Saubhagya', on Monday, which aims to provide electricity connections to over 4 crore families in rural and urban areas by December 2018. If implemented efficiently and in a time-bound manner, it has the potential to be a political winner.

With completion of the scheme targeted for just months before the next parliamentary elections are due, the Rs 16,320 crore scheme can act as a game changer and enable the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) effortlessly overcome electoral challenges.

By providing last-mile connectivity free of cost to BPL homes, the Centre will claim it delivered what it promised. It needs to be recalled that when Modi's fame as spearhead of the Gujarat model was spreading across the nation, power sector reforms and 24x7 electricity to rural homes was touted as one of his major accomplishments. He is aiming to continue initiatives in this sector now. The government claimed that providing electricity will benefit people in multiple ways, and will improve health and quality of life as well.

Saubhagya also addresses a key concern that surfaced during periodic reviews of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), launched by Modi in July 2015. In periodic reviews of the rural electrification programme, last-mile delivery surfaced as a major problem because people were unwilling to bear its cost.

By providing free electricity connections to BPL families  those above the poverty line will pay just Rs 500 per connection payable in 10 instalments  the government is aiming to make this as popular as the 'Ujwala' scheme, under which 5 crore LPG connections were to be provided to BPL families, at Rs 1,600 per connection within three years of the launch. The scheme had fetched political dividends, and many voters in Uttar Pradesh said this was a key reason for voting for BJP.

'Saubhagya' also marks an important departure from Modi's previous insistence of not providing anything for free to consumers. In many conversations, the prime minister always contended that he is opposed to the "politics of dole", and sees himself more as an "enabler". Saubhagya is thus an important step in the evolution of Modi as a more pragmatic political leader, now willing to almost completely subsidise electricity connections for people. The shift in posture is undoubtedly an indication of political compulsions.

However, he isn't providing electricity absolutely free; highly subsidised consumers will have to pay monthly bills. The government has said that connections will be pre-paid, like mobile phones. But with connections becoming live months before the polls and because waiving-off of electricity bills has been an oft-repeated electoral promise by most parties, the narrative of domestic monthly bills will be an evolving one. This is new territory Modi is treading, and how he navigates it will have to be tracked.

Significantly, Saubhagya is another instance of a UPA scheme being revamped and renamed. The Manmohan Singh government in April 2005 launched Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) with specific objectives of providing electricity to all rural households, and free of cost to those in the BPL category. This was to be done through creation of rural electricity infrastructure  comprising rural distribution, village-level infrastructure and decentralising distribution, generation and supply system. Though power is a state subject in India, the government pledged to fund 90 percent of the costs while the balance was provided as loan to states by the Rural Electrification Corporation, the nodal agency for the programme. The programme was one of several cited as evidence of the UPA's inclusive agenda.

By November 2013, under RGGVY, almost 2.14 crore BPL households were provided free electricity connections, while over 1.7 lakh villages had been electrified. In February 2014, the REC conducted a survey demonstrating that rural people, upon being provided free connections, were managing lives better; women especially felt more secure. Many of those surveyed also said they were able to use mobile phones and communicate with family members in cities. Electrification of households also enabled people to augment their income with indoor activities like weaving, tailoring, and grocery retail. The gains listed were similar to those Modi promised would be achieved under his government's initiative.

Though significant shortfalls still remained insofar as providing connections to rural homes, considerable progress was made during the UPA's tenure.

However, the government failed to adequately publicise the achievement in this sector, as a consequence of which the alliance was unable to provide a counter to the charge of being perennially corrupt and gripped by policy paralysis. Modi was quick to seize the opportunity, and after becoming prime minister, announced rural electrification as a grand plan.

The NDA government identified more than 18,000 villages for electrification under DDUGJY and made considerable progress with providing the infrastructure. However, according to the government's dashboard, there are currently just 8 percent villages with 100 percent household connectivity. A comparison of the number of villages electrified during UPA rule with what has been achieved since 2015 also shows that the previous annual average was higher. Yet, there is a visible shortfall which Modi is targeting and is aiming will get him political mileage.

The Modi government subsumed RGGVY, including its budgetary support, into its own scheme shortly after its launch in 2015. Saubhagya will revive the UPA scheme leaving Modi open to the charge that his government has done little beyond repackaging the previous government's schemes. For this, it will bank on its fabled communicative skills and publicity machinery. It is a legitimate ploy if the BJP is able to provide the pending connections and at an efficient pace.

Having said that, however, the problem of rural electrification is manifold and affordability is among the key issues. Villages get routinely de-electrified, because high costs are not balanced by consumption and consumers default on payment. There is also the issue of eliminating load-shedding. In village after village, people often point at electricity poles that have no power. The ability to address these issues will eventually determine if Modi's initiative will politically benefit the BJP or not.
Ahmedabad: The BJP termed as "dramatic and laughable" the Gujarat visit of Rahul Gandhi, saying his campaign in the poll-bound state will boomerang on the Congress and ensure another victory for the ruling party.

Gandhi began his three-day tour of Gujarat by attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi on demonetisation, GST and the 'Gujarat model' of development while exuding confidence about winning the upcoming Assembly polls.

Launching a counteroffensive, the BJP said Gandhi's visit would herald the defeat of his party. "The Congress has lost elections wherever Rahul Gandhi had campaigned for the party. Under his leadership that party has lost 28 elections," state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said in a release.

Talking to journalists on his arrival in Jamnagar for a road show, the Congress vice-president earlier said people are regretting having voted for the BJP. He also said there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat.

Taking a dig at Gandhi's statement that people want change and that the Congress will come to power in Modi's home state, Pandya said, "Gandhi's visit this time, like his previous three visits, is dramatic as well as laughable...It will only benefit the BJP". Pandya said Gandhi had been hurling "baseless" allegations against the prime minister who is a "popular action leader".

He said Gandhi kept "mum" on the "injustice" meted out to people of Gujarat when the Congress was at the helm of affairs at the Centre. "Why Rahul Gandhi doesn't reply to the injustice meted out to people of Gujarat when the Congress was ruling the Centre? Why did Congress oppose the Narmada Dam project which deprived farmers and women (in dry regions of the state) of water?" he asked.

Pandya accused the Congress of harbouring a "bias" against two top leaders from Gujarat: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Morarji Desai. "The Congress delayed conferring Bharat Ratna on Patel by over four decades whereas it unceremoniously removed Desai from the post of prime minister," the BJP leader said.

Claiming that no member of the Gandhi family ever visited the famous Somnath temple in the state, Pandya said even the Congress vice-president preferred to launch his tour by offering prayers at Lord Krishna temple in Dwarka.

The Somnath temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Patel had envisioned the temple's reconstruction which was completed in the 1950s.
New Delhi: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) on Tuesday termed as "hypocrisy" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stand on corruption and demanded to know why the government had not moved ahead on the Lokpal or probed scams like Vyapam and the Sahara-Birla diaries.

Modi had on Tuesday reiterated at the BJP's National Executive that there would be no compromise or leniency on corruption.

"The hypocrisy of the Prime Minister and the BJP government lies in the fact that while they are pursuing corruption cases against leaders of the opposition, this government in these three years has not even implemented the law enacted by the Parliament to establish the Lokpal," the CPM said in a statement on Wednesday.

"There is no step being taken by this government to investigate scams like Vyapam, Srijan housing scam in Bihar, the Birla-Sahara diaries, the Panama papers, the Lalit Modi case, the mining scandal in Karnataka that led to the resignation of BJP Chief Minister in the state, the cases of land grabbing by BJP leaders in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand, PDS scam in Chhattisgarh and the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) scam etc," it added.

It said that the list of scams in BJP ruled states "goes on and on, yet there is no investigation in any one of these".

"Clearly, the Prime Minister's exhortations are a cover to selectively choose cases against political opponents in the name of fighting corruption while protecting his own party and governments who are involved in allegations of huge corruption at high places," the Left party said.

Stressing that the CPM's position on fighting growing political corruption is well-known, both in its conduct and its concrete proposals to end this scourge, it demanded that all such allegations "must be subject to an impartial inquiry and action be taken against the guilty".
Former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, who has quit the Congress, met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday.

However, The Indian Express reported that there was no indication about Ranes much-speculated entry into the ruling party. Apparently, the BJP central leadership is not too keen on inducting Rane at the moment.

The report also cited a senior leader present at the meeting as saying, "The meeting lasted eight to nine minutes. There was no discussion on politics."

Rane quit the Congress earlier this week amid speculation that he was keen on joining the BJP.

Rane met several Maharashtra BJP leaders, including state BJP chief Raosaheb Patil Danve, earlier in the day before meeting Shah, sources said.

"Rane met Shah this evening. There was no political discussion during the meeting," state BJP sources said. Rane had gone to Delhi to invite Shah for inauguration of a hospital at Padwe in Kudal in Sindhudurg district, a source close to the Maratha leader said.

Maharashtra revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, when asked recently about the possibility of Rane joining the saffron party, had said that a decision in this regard would be taken by Shah, as Rane is a senior leader and a former chief minister.

Announcing his decision to quit the Congress in his home turf of Sindhudurg district in the coastal Maharashtra, Rane had accused the Congress of reneging on the promise of making him the state's chief minister when he joined the party 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena.

He was the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999 while in the Shiv Sena.

"I have not yet decided where to go," he said while announcing his exit from the Congress, adding that he would make an announcement before Dussehra, which falls on 30 September.

The former firebrand Sena leader had joined the Congress in 2005.

Speculation about Rane joining the BJP was triggered by reports suggesting that he had met Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago. During the recent Ganesh festival, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had visited Rane's residence.

With inputs from PTI
Varanasi: Those indulging in the "politics of religion and caste" should learn a lesson from what happened in Muhammad Ali Jinnah's Pakistan, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has said.

Addressing a seminar titled "Idea of India: Indira's contribution to it" on Monday, the leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said the idea of India was under threat.

"Desh ke us paar Jinnah Sahab ko dekh lejiye, dharm ki rajneeti ki wajha se kya hashra hai wahan (Look across the border to see what has happened to Pakistan because of Jinnah's politics of religion)," he said.

Azad said Jinnah had indulged in the "politics of religion and caste", resulting in his nation being ruined.

"Today there is a threat to the idea of India  its sovereignty, unity and integrity faces threat," Azad said.

He recalled the late prime minister Indira Gandhi, who he said, "took all the sections of people together, irrespective of their caste or religion".

"She also respected and promoted people of all ages, whether they were young party leaders or the older ones," Azad said.

He also urged party workers to read the history of the Congress party and that of its leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, who treated everyone equally irrespective of their religion or caste.

Addressing the gathering, Congress state chief Raj Babbar lashed out at prime minister Narendra Modi over the violence in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and lathi-charge on women.

"On daughters' day, girls were beaten up with lathis...they received inhumane treatment. Our prime minister was in Varanasi when they (students) were staging dharna, he should have come at least to take a selfie with them," he said.

The seminar was also addressed by senior Congress leaders, including Pramod Tiwari, Sanjay Singh and Women Congress national president Sushmita Dave among others.
Shoots of peace are sprouting in the terrorism-hit state of Jammu and Kashmir and the government is now working towards ensuring that the people in the state can be uplifted with dignity, state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said.

In an interview on Monday night, the 58-year-old chief minister welcomed recent attempts by the Centre and the ruling party to reach out to Kashmiris, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day speech where he asked the countrymen to embrace Kashmiris.

This was followed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhs statement that the Centre is willing to hold talks with all stakeholders, and BJP leader Ram Madhav saying talks can be held with anyone. In his "Mann ki Baat" speech on Sunday, Modi also praised a poor Kashmiri youth, Bilal Dar, for his attempt to clean up a lake, which became front page news in Kashmir and heavily discussed on social media.

"These are welcome signs" in Kashmir Valley where people are eagerly waiting for peace to return, the chief minister said.

"The shoots of peace have started sprouting. They have to be watered and fertilized, and I am sure that the fruits of peace will follow," she said in the interview at her home, with a large portrait of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in the background. Mehbooba succeeded him as the chief minister a few months after his death in January 2016.

Mehbooba, whose PDP is in an alliance with the BJP in the state, blamed the electronic media for making even minor incidents of violence into national events, portraying Kashmir as a region in perpetual flames. She said the high-pitched debates that follow end up vilifying Kashmiris. This in turn alienates Kashmiris against the rest of the country, and the country against Kashmir, which has a direct impact on tourism, the mainstay of the economy.

Mehbooba, who is also the tourism minister, gets a report on tourist arrivals every evening, and the figures are grim  arrivals have now fallen to 4,000-5,000 daily from a peak of 10,000-12,000. Most hotels and houseboats are empty, taxi companies have virtually no business and shops are shut.

She said it is wrong to project the entire 70 lakh population of the Valley as pro-militants when intelligence figures show that there are only about 200-300 home grown

militants.

"You talk about the 200 militants but dont talk about the thousands of Kashmiris in the Indian Army, she said. But she did not deny that there is a sense of alienation among Kashmiri youth, and even children as young as eight, because of severe security crackdowns that follow stone pelting incidents.

However, the recent statements from highest level are an opportunity to build peace and give Kashmiris back their dignity, Mehbooba said. "All that is required now is to hold their (people of Kashmir) fingers with dignity intact," she said.

Mehbooba, who is the first woman chief minister of the restive border state, said her government is in favour of holding talks with everyone as has been enshrined in the Agenda of Alliance between the PDP and the BJP. She indicated that she is in favour of the peace talks strategy employed by the Vajpayee government in the early 2000s when Kashmiri separatist leaders were allowed to talk to Pakistan as part of peace building efforts, while New Delhi and Islamabad were also simultaneously engaged.

"There is a need to take the bull by its horns and finding a way out for bringing in a 'permanent' peace in the state," she said, adding that she is in regular contact with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, whom she described as "very supportive".

She noted that Ram Madhav, the BJP general secretary, also has a clear understanding of Kashmir and has been extremely supportive of the alliance government. "I am sure together, we will be able to steer the state to new heights."

Mehbooba said Modis singling out 18-year-old Bilal Dar in "Mann Ki Baat" had sent a wave of pride among the young residents of the Valley. "These steps have a tremendous impact on the psyche of the younger generation and their hope for recognition at national level is rekindled. They are not seen or labelled as mere stone pelters," she said.

Seventeen months into office, Mehbooba also feels that talks between India and Pakistan should begin at the earliest but she holds Islamabad responsible for the present tension. "The Prime Minister made a wonderful gesture by stopping at Islamabad and meeting the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But what happened after that? It was followed by attack at Pathankot and increased terror activities in the state," she said.

"However, there is a need to bring Pakistan to the negotiating table once again. After all, the relations between India and Pakistan have a direct bearing on Jammu and Kashmir...Smooth relations between the two countries have always seen better life for people in the state," she said.

The chief minister blamed the Congress-led UPA for not carrying forwarding the "gains" from the peace process of the Vajpayee-era. "I mean they were there for 10 years but could not make any headway. It was an opportunity that was never cashed in by them," she said.
New Delhi: The CPM on Tuesday attacked the Narendra Modi government for its "hypocrisy" in fighting corruption, saying it was "selectively" choosing graft cases against political opponents.

Taking on Modi for his statement on Monday that there would be no compromise on corruption, the party Politburo listed out several alleged graft cases including the Vyapam scam, the Panama Papers, and an illegal mining scam in Karnataka and demanded an inquiry into them.

"The list of corruption scams in BJP ruled states goes on and on... yet, there is no investigation in any one of these," it said in a statement.

The party said the "hypocrisy" of the prime minister and the BJP government lies in the fact that while they are pursuing corruption cases against leaders of the Opposition, they have not even implemented the law enacted by Parliament to establish the Lokpal.

"Clearly, the prime minister's exhortations are a cover to selectively choose cases against political opponents in the name of fighting corruption while protecting his own party and governments who are involved in allegations of huge corruption at high places," the statement said.
Amid talks of split in the Bihar Congress, party president Sonia Gandhi removed state unit chief Ashok Chaudhary from his post and dissolved the state Congress committee on Tuesday. The party high command appointed Kaukab Qadri as the acting president of Congress' Bihar unit.

CP Joshi, in-charge of party affairs in the state, told News18 that a full-time Bihar Congress state committee president would be elected with organisational elections in November, until which time Qadri will head the party in Bihar.

Joshi, however, refused to comment on the change in ranks. When asked about the reason behind the reshuffle in party ranks, barely a month before scheduled elections, he said, "There must have been some reasons behind this. I will not comment further but I have confidence that Qadri will steer the party very well till the next elections."

Before his elevation Qadri was the vice-president of the Congress' Bihar unit. He is considered close to Akhilesh Singh, who belongs to the rival camp of Chaudhary. It was reportedly, the rival camp that had complained to Gandhi about the functioning style of Chaudhary.

Senior Congress leader Prem Chandra Mishra and party spokesman VK Thakur welcomed the decision taken by the party high command and hoped the party will strive to gain the lost ground in Bihar under the new leadership to be announced shortly.

Ashok Chaudhary, who was considered close to Nitish Kumar, had allegedly taken signatures of few party legislatures to split the party. However, he could not garner the support of enough MLAs to overcome the anti-defection law. Congress has 27 MLAs in the Bihar assembly.

As soon as the word of an imminent split reached New Delhi, an alert high-command summoned all party MLAs and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi held one-on-one meetings with all the legislators. Chaudhary abstained from the interaction, adopting a defiant stance. He also alleged that some senior leaders of the All India Congress Committee were engineering a split in the party and conspiring against him.

Now when a decision of his removal has been taken, Chuadhary might take the final call on leaving the party. When contacted, his office informed that he would announce his next course of action on Wednesday.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has sacked Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ashok Choudhury with immediate effect, party spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi confirmed on Tuesday.

#FLASH: Congress President Sonia Gandhi relieves Ashok Choudhary from post of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief with immediate effect pic.twitter.com/rtpUfB1ARs  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

According to The Times of India, the Congress party in Bihar is on the verge of a split, as 14 party MLAs have formed an informal group and are planning to cross over to the ruling JD(U). The number is just four short of the magic figure of 18 it needs to formalise a division. Congress has 27 MLAs in Bihar, and a two-thirds split is the minimum required figure.

Getting hint of a possible split, the central leadership summoned Choudhary and Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Sadanand Singh to New Delhi on 2 September, and Sonia Gandhi, while expressing unhappiness over their failure, asked them to prevent a split.

On 31 August, a report by The Telegraph also said that at least three Congress MLAs had written to the Congress president about Choudhury "fraudulently" taking their signatures on a letter that suggested a split in the legislature party and pledged support to the Nitish Kumar government.

The report said that although the JD(U)-BJP coalition enjoys majority support, a split in Congress may offer Nitish a cushion, while dealing a blow to opponents.

On 11 August, four of the 27 party MLAs had skipped a meeting called by senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia in Patna and demanded the removal of the state chief.

"The post of a party president is in itself a very strong position and he was made a minister too. But he never ever did anything for the party. We have conveyed to Jyotiraditya that change in leadership is required," Congress member Sarwat Jahan Fatima had said then.

In August, a faction of the Bihar Congress led by Choudhury had also decided to not show up for an anti-BJP rally, adding fuel to reports of a possible rift in the party's state unit.

The rally, however, was attended by senior national Congress leaders such as the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and party general secretary CP Joshi.
tech2 News Staff

ISRO researchers are working on a replacement satellite IRNSS-1H for India's own navigation satellite system, similar to the American Global Positioning System, the Russian GLONASS, the European Galileo and the Chinese Beidou. The satellite has been dubbed the IRNSS-1I, and will provide the same functionality that the IRNSS-1H would have. The IRNSS-1H was itself a replacement satellite for the IRNSS-1A. The three redundant navigation clocks on the IRNSS-1A failed over a period of three months.

According to a report in The Hindu, ISRO has started assembling the replacement IRNSS-1I satellite. The satellite had already been approved as an emergency replacement in case one of the satellites in India's navigation constellation failed. India's navigation constellation requires seven satellites in orbit, and two on the ground as emergency replacements in case of the failure of one of the seven.

ISRO plans to increase the number of navigation satellites in orbit from seven to eleven, but currently seven satellites in orbit, and two backup satellites have been approved. If the space agency has to come up with the IRNSS-1J, it will probably do so with the participation of private industries. The IRNSS-1H was supposed to be the first satellite that ISRO had launched after partnering with private companies.

On 31 August, 2017, ISRO's PSLV-C39 mission failed to deploy the IRNSS-1H satellite. The satellite was housed in the conical portion right on top of the rocket, known as the heat shield or the payload fairing. The heat shield field to separate at the last moment, trapping the satellite within it. Low tech explosive elements are believed to be the cause of the lack of separation, and the results from a thorough investigation by ISRO are awaited. The satellite enclosed within the heat shield is expected to burn up in the atmosphere in October or November this year.

Each satellite in the constellation is expected to run for 10 to 12 years. Each satellite in the Indian regional navigation satellite system (IRNSS) constellation costs Rs 150 crore, and the PSLV launch in the XL configuration costs about Rs 130 crore. Together, the constellation will provide navigation and geolocation services across India. This can be used by smartphones, road vehicles, aircraft and vessels in the sea. The constellation will also support geofencing applications, monitor sea vessels straying too close to international borders, and provide support for logistics companies.

ISRO is preparing for its next PSLV flight some time in November or December, and the exact details of the mission are not known yet.

Towards the very end of the year, on 28 December, two contenders for Google's Lunar XPRIZE, India's Team Indus and Japan's Team Hakuto will rideshare on a PSLV in an attempt to be the private company to land a rover on the Moon.
Reuters

A man who refused to provide passwords to his electronic devices when stopped by British police was found guilty under terrorism laws at a court in London on Monday, in a case that campaigners say threatens personal privacy.

Muhammad Rabbani, 36, the international director of campaign group CAGE was found guilty of wilfully obstructing or seeking to frustrate an examination or search, and given a conditional 12-month discharge, and was ordered to pay a 620 pound ($830) fine.

CAGE is an advocacy group which campaigns against the impact of counter-terrorism policies and came to international attention over its links to Jihadi John, a British Islamic militant before he went to Syria.

Rabbani said he was returning from a wedding in Qatar when he was stopped at Heathrow last November. Police seized his phone and computer and demanded the passwords for the devices.

Rabbani said that he had not provided the passwords as he wanted to protect the privacy of a client who he was working with on an anti-torture case.

However, judge Emma Arbuthnot found that Rabbani was lawfully required to provide the passwords.

Rabbani said he would appeal the decision.

He was held under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which was used to detain David Miranda, the partner of the journalist who brought leaks from former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden to world attention in 2013.

Rabbani said that the law poses a threat to personal privacy, and told reporters and supporters outside the court that the decision highlights the absurdity of the Schedule 7 law.

They accept that at no point was I under suspicion and that ultimately this was a matter of having been profiled, he said, referring to the judge and prosecution.

There are important implications for our collective privacy, as Schedule 7 acts as a digital strip-search.

But the police welcomed the verdict.

Todays verdict is an important one. Its crucial that police are able to use the legislation that exists to help keep the public safe, said Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command, in a statement, adding that Schedule 7 was a vital tool in the fight against terrorism.

The Met has retained Rabbanis phone and laptop and is continuing its efforts to examine the contents.
PTI

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is now pushing the IT major to build a quantum computing ecosystem, a new revolutionary technology, which would allow scientists to do computations in a fraction of time. "A quantum computer enables you to encode information, not just as one or zero but as one and zero simultaneously. That means it unlocks amazing parallelism," Nadella said in his key note address at Microsoft's Ignite conference in Orlando in the United States yesterday.

This kind of technology is being used by the most advanced computers today. "You could take a quantum computer and solve some of these unsolvable problems because they approach it with that amazing parallelism where they'll take every path in the corn maze simultaneously. That's the intuition behind the power of quantum," he said. Of course, building a quantum computer requires a lot more than just that simple intuition, he conceded.

"We have had to assemble a world-class team. In fact, we've had to take a very novel approach of bringing together breakthroughs in math, fundamental physics, and computer science together, and put a system or get started on a journey to put a system that's going to be a truly scalable general purpose quantum computer," he said. Appearing with Nadella, Michael Freedman who joined Microsoft's theoretical research group two decades ago, said Microsoft's qubit will be based on a new form of matter called topological matter that also has this property that as the information stored in the matter is stored globally, one cant find the information in any particular place.

Freedman was a renowned maths genius known for his fundamental research into an obscure field of maths called topology. According to Allison Linn, his job was simply to keep doing maths, no strings attached. "That broad charter has ended up putting Microsoft on the path to building the first topological qubit, a robust type of quantum bit that Microsoft believes will serve as the basis for a scalable, general purpose quantum computer system, and mark a profound breakthrough in the field of quantum physics," she said.

We're seeing the potential foundation for a new, revolutionary technology," said Todd Holmdahl, the Microsoft corporate vice president in charge of the quantum effort. "You know, I get goosebumps". On Monday, Microsoft showcased the progress it has made toward developing both a topological qubit and the ecosystem of hardware and software that will eventually allow a wide range of developers to take advantage of quantum computing's power.

Microsoft's plan to build a quantum computing ecosystem is based on Freedman's field of maths and a branch of physics so seemingly mystical, its early pioneers invoked philosophy and spirituality to describe it, and its later disciples attracted funding and support from self-help gurus in the 1970s, Allen said. What Microsoft has done that's really unique in its approach to quantum computing, which is to first of all recognise that each one of these steps is actually very hard, Freedman said.

"In fact, it may seem like making the chip with the Majoranas is the hard part, or thinking of the idea is the hard part. But actually they're all hard. And everything from the software that well hear about in a second to the cryogenic engineering is extremely difficult," he said. "We've invented new materials that support Majoranas. We've built the chips. They're back in our labs in the refrigerator down at the bottom of the refrigerator with our students and colleagues working hard to check off the list of all the properties that they're supposed to have, to fictionalise the electrons and verify that the're at the two ends of the chip.

And the work is going forward," Freedman said. Computer scientist Krysta Svore said at Microsoft they are building a comprehensive full stack solution so that they can actually run revolutionary applications on this newly revolutionary device. "So this includes the quantum chip that we've just discussed in this dilution refrigerator. But it also includes a cryogenic classical computer tha'ts also operating in the dilution refrigerator," she told the audience.

"And this is unlike any classical computer we have today. It has to operate at 4 kelvin. That's around minus 452 degrees Fahrenheit. That's pretty darn cold. And we need that to control the quantum computer itself. And then, of course, my favourite part, on top of all of that you need software," she added.
tech2 News Staff

Microsoft has launched a 100 TB Azure Data Box to ease the process of cloud storage.

There are already storage boxes available in the market which come up to 80 TB capacities, such as the 80 TB Snowball Box or those of from the likes of Amazon Web Services (AWS).

According to a report by TechCrunch, Azure Data Box weighs around 45 pounds. In order to use this, the user has to buy a data box, upload it with their data followed by sending this box to Azure Cloud for cloud storage.

The box is secured with 256-bit AES encryption. It also follows Microsofts SMB and CISF protocol.

Microsoft has partnered with companies providing data services such as Commvault, Veritas, NetApp, Avid, Rubrik and CloudLanes. These companies will integrate their services with Azure. Microsoft describes it as a 

Microsoft describes it as a ruggedised, tamper-resistant and human-manageable applications that will help organisations overcome the data transfer barriers that can block productivity and slow innovation.

The data box was also tested in Oceaneering International, where heavy data was stored in a data box even when there was no internet. This data is then put on Azure Cloud, which is then used by the company.

Back in 2015, Microsoft had launched a BizSpark Plus programme for startups in India. In the programme, the company would offer $120,000 per year of free Azure Cloud services to each of the qualified startups. The startups could use $10,000 worth of credits monthly, to invest in Microsoft services to power their business.

Wipros Big Data Analytics-as-a-Service solution on Microsoft Azure Data Discovery Platform was made available for industries in August. Wipro's 'Data Discovery' platform basically enables businesses, including banking and financial services, retail, energy, education, and manufacturing, to bridge the gap between the insights required by business and the information that is available.
tech2 News Staff

The Cassini mission to Saturn might have burned up in the atmosphere after observing the gas giant and its moons for thirteen years, but the science has not stopped. The vast amount of observations collected by Cassini from the scientific payloads are expected to continue to provide insights to researchers for decades into the future. NASA has now released an image of Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, with the sun lighting up a bright crescent limb. The image was captured on 29 March 2017, at a distance of 180,000 kilometers from the moon.

Conspicuously missing from the image are the jets of water that erupt from a region near the south pole of the moon known as the tiger stripes. The spouts of water are hidden by the moon itself because of the angle at which the spacecraft captured Enceladus. Scientists had no idea that the water erupted from the moon when the Cassini spacecraft was designed, which is why the instruments on board did not have the necessary instruments to study the jets in detail. However, Cassini glided through the geysers and conducted some scientific observations, paving the way for future follow-up missions that could unravel the mysteries of Enceladus.

Enceladus has all the ingredients required to support life, and is one of the reasons why Cassini was burned up in the Saturnian atmosphere. There was inadequate fuel in Cassini to maintain control of the spacecraft, and there was a possibility that Cassini would drift into Enceladus after the fuel was depleted. If there is an ecosystem on Enceladus, it could be adversely affected by any hardy microbes piggybacking on Cassini from Earth.
tech2 News Staff

To extend its streaming services 40,000 feet above the sea level, Netflix will improve its bandwidth efficient technology in mobile devices.

According to a report on Variety, Netflix will use this technology for mobile devices so that the users can have access to it, while on plane. Doing so, the passengers can have access to Netflix, via better in-flight WiFi.

It intends to extend this service by 2018.

As per the report, In 2015, the Netflix had inked a deal with the Virgin America to offer free, in-flight WiFi on some aircrafts. According to Variety, Netflix has partnered with airlines like the Virgin carrier, Qantas, and Aeromexico.

A Reuters report had stated that, "more than one-fifth of young adults who stream shows like Game of Thrones or Stranger Things borrow passwords from people who do not live with them." It has even lead to speculations that password sharing on Netflix may soon be a thing of past; since Thomson Reuters has predicted a Netflix shares slump from 31 percent in the second quarter this year to 19 percent next year.

Recently, Netflix was in active talks with the Disney to retain its streaming rights over the Disney shows. This came after Disney announced that it was pulling new Disney and Pixar films from Netflix starting with its new releases in 2019 and will put the movies on a new Disney-branded online service.
Sheldon Pinto

It's 26 September and it's high time Nokia fans in India got their flagship smartphone. The Nokia 8 is the first Android-powered premium flagship smartphone from a brand, which was almost lost to Microsoft over the years, but now stands tall, all by itself thanks to HMD Global.

The Nokia 8 was officially unveiled at an event in London on 16 August and since then, it has been a long wait for Nokia fans in India.

Today, HMD Global finally made things official and has announced that Nokia 8 will be priced at Rs 36,999 in India. The device will be available both online and offline starting 14 October.

The Nokia 8 also comes with a few firsts

It is the first Android-powered Nokia smartphone where HMD Global has partnered with Carl Zeiss for helping out with the device's camera setup.

It is also the first device to feature a 'Bothie', which uses both the front and rear cameras to record an image or a video. Additionally, the Nokia 8 also lets users live stream in this mode, which will be great for those who love to live stream videos on YouTube and Facebook.

The device also packs in Nokia's OZO Audio that delivers 360 degree audio recording, the technology that comes from Nokia's VR recording platform built for its OZO+ VR camera.

Design

The Nokia 8 is globally available in four finishes. There's a matte blue, matte silver and a polished blue and a polished copper. A detail to note here is that the polished finishes are not glass but polished 6000 series aluminium. Which would also mean that it may get scratched easily, much like the Jet Black iPhone 7 models that were given a similar treatment.

The device has a rounded design and there's plenty of bezel around the display as well. The design is not entirely unique as it shares plenty of similarities with the HTC U11 flagship which is already on sale in India and could turn out to be its arch rival, if priced right.

The antenna bands run from the top of the device, which should make it easier to grip, without worrying about network loss.

On the back there is a vertical dual camera setup with with an LED flash. The handset features a hybrid SIM slot and comes with the usual Type-C USB port at the bottom and a 3.5mm headphone jack placed at the top.

One detail that can go against the handset, is the lack of an IP 67 or 68 rating. The Nokia only features an IP 54 rating, which means the device is only resistant to accidental splashes of water.

Hardware Specifications

Coming to the core features, the Nokia 8 features a 5.3 inch, 2K, polarized display covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The device packs in an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor along with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage expandable to 256 GB via a micro-SD card. The phone uses a full-length copper cooling pipe with a graphite shield to dispense of heat across the metal body of the phone.

The device has a 3,090 mAh battery and 4G dual-SIM support with one slot acting as a hybrid SIM slot. It also has an IP 54 rating, making it splash proof. The phone comes with a 3.5 mm jack and a type-C port (USB 3.1 Gen 1), NFC and Bluetooth 5.0 for connectivity.

Nokia 8 will be running on Android 7.1.1 Nougat and HMD CPO, Juho Sarvikas has promised an upgrade to Android 8.0 Oreo soon.

Price, availability and comparison

The Nokia 8 has been priced at Rs 36,999, which is pretty low given what it packs in. It however steps into OnePlus territory, where the OnePlus 5 has settled for a not-so-OnePlus Rs 37,999 (8 GB RAM) price tag.

It will be interesting to see where Nokia goes with this kind of cutthroat pricing with the Nokia 8. The device seems to offer a bit more in terms of features but cuts it short when it comes to core hardware when compared to the OnePlus 5. Both manufacturers are also looking to offer their smartphone both online and offline so its evidently clear, that Nokia is after OnePlus.

With an IP 54 rating, the Nokia may have an edge here if its camera keeps up to Carl Zeiss optics branding. With the Sony Xperia XZ1 announced with Android 8.0 Oreo, it makes even more sense for manufacturers to upgrade their software offerings on the flagship. Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 too was a missed opportunity here. A flagship after all has to pack in the latest and greatest that the platform has on offer.
tech2 News Staff

HMD Global's Nokia is scheduled to launch the Nokia 8 in India later today at an event, but a report now states that Amazon India might have revealed the price of the device. The Amazon India listing showed the Nokia 8 to be priced at Rs 36,999.

The listing reported by BGR India stated that it was spotted on the Amazon mobile app, clicking on which showed up a 'Notify Me' option. This price tag could be the official pricing of the Nokia 8, however, now that the company is aware of the pricing leak, it could alter its final price during the official launch which will take place today.

The Nokia 8 which was launched at an event in London in August boasts of a dual-camera setup on the back as well a feature touted as the 'bothie' mode which allows images and video to be shot using both front and rear cameras at the same time. Nokia partnered with Carl Zeiss for designing the camera lenses, while also carrying the Zeiss branding on the back, reminiscent of the older Nokia Lumia range.

The phone comes with an aluminum unibody design which houses a 5.3-inch, 2K, polarised display covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Nokia 8 will be running on Android 7.1.1 Nougat (with an Oreo update arriving soon) and employs an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor along with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The storage is expandable to 256 GB via a microSD card. The phone also uses a full-length copper cooling pipe with a graphite shield to dispense off heat across the metal body of the phone.

Other capabilities of the Nokia 8 include 4K streaming and the ability to employ Nokia OZO Audio for spatial 360-degree audio recording. OZO is the brand name that Nokia employs for its spatial audio and VR video recording platform. This includes the OZO+ VR camera used by many Hollywood studios.

The Nokia 8 has a 3,090 mAh battery and 4G dual-SIM support with one slot acting as a hybrid SIM slot. It also has an IP54 rating, making it splash proof but not waterproof. The Nokia 8 will be available in four colours namely matte silver, polished blue, matte blue, polished copper.
Reuters

Russia will block access to Facebook next year unless the social network complies with a law that requires websites which store the personal data of Russian citizens to do so on Russian servers, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday.

The threat was made by Russias communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, agencies said, the organisation which blocked access to LinkedIns website last November in order to comply with a court ruling that found the social networking firm guilty of violating the same data storage law.

That case set a precedent for the way foreign Internet firms operate in Russia and other companies are now under pressure from the regulator to comply with the law, which was approved by President Vladimir Putin in 2014 and entered into force in September 2015.

Everyone needs to abide by the law, the Interfax news agency cited Roskomnadzor head Alexander Zharov as telling reporters on Tuesday. In 2018, everything will be as it should be for sure, he said, referring to Facebook.

In any case, we will either get the law implemented or the company will cease to work on the territory of the Russian Federation as unfortunately happened to LinkedIn. There cant be any exceptions here.

Twitter Inc had already notified Roskomnadzor that it would aim to localise the personal data of its users by the middle of 2018, Zharov said.

We understand clearly that Facebook has a significant number of users on the territory of the Russian Federation, Zharov was cited as saying. On the other hand, we understand that this is not a unique service, and that there are other social media.

Asked to comment on the regulators demands for Facebook to localise the data of its Russian users, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US firm had to comply with the law like everyone else.
PTI

Asserting that every piece of technology should help "embellish the capability of human beings", Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella underscored the need for technology to provide new levels of inclusiveness.

"As we talk about technology, what we in particular as technologists and decision-makers will have to keep in mind are the timeless values that drive what we do. How are we going to use technology to empower people?", Microsoft's India-born chief said in his key note address at the Ignite conference in Orlando, Florida yesterday.

"Every piece of technology should help embellish the capability of human beings. We definitely want more productivity and efficiency, but we do not want to degrade humanity," he said

"We want technology to provide new levels of inclusiveness. In fact, Im most excited about accessibility," he said. Satya's key note address was being simultaneously translated using AI (Artificial Intelligence) into 12 languages.

"How can we bring more people into as full participants in our society, in our economy, using technology? How can we make sure that theres no bias built into technology?" he said. "Technology also needs to build the trust. Trust in how we secure data, how we ensure privacy, and the control and transparency that we build all around.

"These timeless values and this opportunity of digital transformation is what grounds us at Microsoft in our mission -- our mission to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more," he said. This is something that Microsoft takes very seriously -- each word in this mission, he said.

"The ability to really make sure that were not only thinking about the person, but the institutions people build," he added. "We think about it at the global scale, but most importantly, for us, its not about our technology, it is about what you can do with technology to create your own technology, to have real impact in moving our society and economy forward. That's what is central to our mission," Nadella said.

"In fact, technology trends and paradigms will come and go, but what will center us is this sense of purpose and mission?" he noted. In his key note address, Nadella said that this is a time where the profound impact of technology in everything that people do is so much deeper, so much broader, whether one is talking about precision agriculture, or precision medicine, the future of connected products, smart cities or smarter factories.

"There isn't a single industry that isn't being transformed. We collectively have the opportunity to lead in this transformation," he said. Nadella said "while Microsoft's our mission remains constant, technology paradigms come and go". "Where before we held a worldview of a mobile-first, cloud-first world, that worldview is evolving to the new technology paradigm of the intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge," he said.

Three characteristics define this shift: the move to multi-device, multi-sensory interactions; artificial intelligence driving predictive insights across devices; and a new fabric of serverless, or distributed, computing power, he added. In this new era, Microsoft is building systems of intelligence, virtuous cycles and new feedback loops that help create data and refine how one reasons over this data to gain insights from information.

Aiming to empower people within an organisation, he said Microsoft is taking it a step further, to ensure they are also transforming the processes and functions surrounding them. Bing for Business combines data from the enterprise with public web results to produce a seamless experience that's intelligent, personal and contextual, he said.
tech2 News Staff

Spotify might be planning to extend its services to Asia.

In a report by the TechCrunch, Spotify is looking for two music editors in Vietnam and Thailand. They would be working in Spotifys headquarters in Singapore. However, it is not yet confirmed whether the company would launch its services in Vietnam and Thailand.

Previously, Spotify had hired a music editor from Indonesia, according to TechCrunch in 2015. Within six months the music streaming company had extended its services there. If the same pattern is followed, then one could see Vietnam and Thailand added to the list of countries with the music streaming service in no time.

If sources are to be believed, Spotify is planning to expand further and is contemplating India as well.

Meanwhile, if Spotify were to come to India, it could face competition from Indian music services such as Gaana, Saavn, Google Music or Apple Music, which are already in operation here.

Back in June, it was speculated that the music streaming service could be issuing an IPO or initial public offering within a year.

Initially, according to a report, Spotify was working with investment banks like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, and Allen & Co, to carry out a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange later this year or early in 2018.

Spotify co-founder, Martin Lorentzon, however, told a Swedish radio station that there were no plans for a listing.

Spotify, which most recently was valued at $13 billion, lost 173 million Euros ($194 million) in 2015, according to figures disclosed by its Luxembourg-based holding company.

On 24 August Spotify had renewed its global licensing partnership with a third major label, Warner Music Inc, the last big music royalty deal it needed before pushing ahead with a US stock market listing.
PTI

The new chief executive of American taxi-hailing app company Uber today apologised for its "mistakes" but vowed to fight the London city's decision to not renew its licence to operate in one of the company's largest markets. Dara Khosrowshahi, 48, made the apology in an open letter addressed to Londoners today, days after Uber had been deemed not "fit and proper" to operate in London by Transport for Londons (TfL) last week.

The TfL deemed the US-based Uber unfit citing the firms approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers. "While Uber has revolutionised the way people move in cities around the world, its equally true that we've got things wrong along the way," he wrote. "On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologise for the mistakes we've made." "We wont be perfect, but we will listen to you; we will look to be long-term partners with the cities we serve; and we will run our business with humility, integrity and passion".

Khosrowshahi's letter seems to mark a decisive shift in Uber's strategy and an attempt to present a more conciliatory approach. "We will appeal (against) the decision on behalf of millions of Londoners, but we do so with the knowledge that we must also change," the letter adds. Khosrowshahi was appointed as the new CEO of the California-based company in August. Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has asked the city's transport regulator to be available to meet Ubers boss after the firm apologised.

"I welcome the apology from Dara Khosrowshahi, the Uber CEO. Obviously I am pleased that he has acknowledged the issues that Uber faces in London," Khan was quoted as saying by the BBC.

"Even though there is a legal process in place, I have asked TfL to make themselves available to meet with him." Earlier, Khan had accused Uber of adopting an aggressing stance and putting "unfair pressure" on TfL.

Khan, who is also chairman of TfL, had said, "What you cant do is have a situation where unfair pressure is brought on a quasi-judicial body, where there are officials working incredibly hard."

"I appreciate Uber has an army of PR experts, I appreciate Uber has an army of lawyers ? theyve also made aggressive threats about taking us to court." Ubers licence to ride in London runs out on September 30 but the company can continue to operate as it appeals against TfLs decision not to renew the licence, a process that is likely to take months.

A petition calling on the London mayor to reverse the ban on Uber has now gathered more than 750,000 signatures.
IANS

The United States has asked China not to implement its new cyber security law over concerns it could damage global trade in services, a US document published by the World Trade Organization showed on Tuesday.

China ushered in a tough new cyber security law in June, following years of fierce debate around the move that many foreign business groups fear will hit their ability to operate in the country.

The law requires local and overseas firms to submit to security checks and store user data within the country.

The United States, in a document submitted for debate at the WTO Services Council, said if Chinas new rules enter into full force in their current form, as expected by the end of 2018, they could impact cross-border services supplied through a commercial presence abroad.

Chinas measures would disrupt, deter, and in many cases, prohibit cross-border transfers of information that are routine in the ordinary course of business, it said.

The United States has been communicating these concerns directly to high level officials and relevant authorities in China, the US document said, adding it wanted to raise awareness among WTO members about the potential impact on trade.

We request that China refrain from issuing or implementing final measures until such concerns are addressed.

Chinas Ambassador to the WTO Zhang Xiangchen spoke on Tuesday at a WTO conference panel on trade protectionism, which he said was an underestimated problem that was causing a crisis at the WTO.

Asked by Reuters if the US filing showed China was guilty of protectionism, he said:

Theres no definition of protectionism and each member has his own legitimate right to adopt a trade policy legally in the WTO system. But we have to be cautious to say which one is (legal within the (WTO) ... and which is illegal.

The two-page US document said the measures causing concern included the Cybersecurity Law adopted in November 2016 ... and the July 2015 National Security Law.

China is seeking to require companies to store all data within China and pass security reviews, fitting Chinas ethos of cyber sovereignty  the idea that states should be permitted to govern and monitor their own cyberspace, controlling incoming and outgoing data flows.

The impact of the measures would fall disproportionately on foreign service suppliers operating in China, as these suppliers must routinely transfer data back to headquarters and other affiliates, the US document said.

Companies located outside of China supplying services on a cross-border basis would be severely affected, as they must depend on access to data from their customers in China.

China maintains a strict censorship regime, banning access to foreign news outlets, search engines and social media including Google and Facebook.
New York: The Supreme Court signalled on Monday it may dismiss a challenge to President Donald Trumps controversial travel ban after the White House announced tailored restrictions on eight countries that legal experts said stand a better chance at holding up in court.

The high court cancelled oral arguments scheduled for 10 October to decide whether or not a 6 March executive order that temporarily blocked travel from six Muslim-majority countries was discriminatory.

That ban expired on Sunday. The president replaced it with a proclamation that indefinitely restricts travel from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea. Certain government officials from Venezuela will also be barred. The new ban, Trumps third, could affect tens of thousands of potential immigrants and visitors.

Trump has been trying for most of the year to create a ban that passes court muster. The Sunday proclamation, which he said is needed to screen out terrorist or public safety threats, could be less vulnerable to legal attack, scholars and other experts said, because it is the result of a months-long analysis of foreign vetting procedures by US officials.

It also might be less easily tied to Trumps campaign-trail statements some courts viewed as biased against Muslims.

The greater the sense that the policy reflects a considered, expert judgment, the less the temptation (by courts) to second-guess the executive, said Saikrishna Prakash, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, in an email. It looks less like a matter of prejudice or a desire to fulfil a campaign promise.

In its brief order, the high court asked the Trump administration and the bans challengers, including states and refugee advocacy organisations, to file briefs on whether the case should be dismissed.

Trumps 6 March ban sparked international outrage and was quickly blocked by federal courts as unconstitutional discrimination or a violation of immigration law.

In June, the Supreme Court allowed a limited version of the ban to go ahead while the justices prepared to hear arguments over its legality on 10 October, a date they have now scrubbed.

In 2016, more than 72,000 non-immigrant and immigrant visas were issued to the countries covered by the new ban, excluding Venezuela, with nearly half of those going to Iran. Only nine North Koreans immigrated to the United States in 2016 and 100 were granted non-immigrant visas.

The new ban is set to go into effect on 18 October, but it already applies to five of the six countries covered by the 6 March ban, according to a US State Department cable issued on Sunday and obtained by Reuters. Sudan was dropped from the list of banned countries after the Sudanese government provided information required under the new criteria set out by the Trump administration earlier in 2017, a White House official said on Monday.

The government has said the president has broad authority in immigration and national security matters, but challengers to the March ban had argued that it ran afoul of the US Constitutions bar on favouring one religion over another.

They cited statements Trump made during his 2016 campaign for president, including his call for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

Within hours of Sundays proclamation, representatives for the Hawaii, New York and California attorneys general said their offices were reviewing the new restrictions. Advocacy organisations denounced it as more of the same. If the court does dismiss the case, there remains the separate issue of whether the justices will throw out the sweeping lower court rulings that invalidated the ban.

The government would want to erase precedents that constrain its authority while the challengers would want to keep them in place for the same reasons.

Still a Muslim ban?

This is still a Muslim ban. They simply added three additional countries, said Becca Heller, director of the International Refugee Assistance Project, which previously sued to block Trumps travel ban executive orders.

Of those countries, Chad is majority Muslim, travel from North Korea is already basically frozen and the restrictions on Venezuela only affect government officials on certain visas, Heller said.

The worldwide review examined each countrys ability to issue reliable electronic passports and share security risk data with the United States. Overall, 47 countries had problems, and 40 made improvements, including 11 that agreed to share information on known or suspected terrorists, Trumps proclamation said.

The review at least arguably attenuates the link between the presidents alleged bias and the policy, said Margo Schlanger, a University of Michigan Law School professor.

However, challengers potentially could argue that the expanded ban violates the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, which forbids the government from discriminating based on an individuals nationality when issuing immigrant visas. Congress decided that it didnt want an immigration system that played favourites among countries, Schlanger said.
The more the Right gains in Europe, the deeper liberals go into denial, till it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy where each feeds off its opposite impulse. This troublesome phenomenon is now an axiomatic truth, repeated again in Germany following Angela Merkel's return for the fourth time as German Chancellor amid a rancor of ethno-nationalism in Berlin.

The rise of the Right presents a unique challenge to the western liberal order from where it spreads out to the entire world, shaking the foundation of the model of governance on which modern democracies are built. And as western democracies grapple with nativist urges due to their inability to deal truthfully with crucial questions on race, identity, religion and terror, they become weak and vulnerable to authoritarian influence. Witness how Russia and China are rewriting the international rules-based order.

This, as Thorsten Benner warns us in Foreign Affairs, may ultimately "push the world towards illiberalism". It won't remain restricted to Europe.

It is imperative, therefore, to take the right lessons from the rise of neo-Nazis in Germany. Early signs have been disappointing. Most liberal commentary, on the face of mounting evidence, radiate an innocent optimism that the Far Right will eventually self-destruct and the world (not to speak of Europe) will return to post Cold War equilibrium.

On the face of it, Alternative for Germany's (AFD) march into the heart of German democracy coincides with the similar march of the Right-wing across Europe. It is tempting to place it within a larger context of European politics tipping to the Right and then dismissing it as a "passing fad".

Leonid Bershidsky, for instance, writes in Bloomberg that "identity-based parties like Germany's AFD are election losers", and concludes smugly that it is "another defeat for the Far Right, which appears to have hit its ceiling".

This is misleading. While they may not have managed to seize power yet, Far Right forces in Austria, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, France or The Netherlands have made significant recent gains. In Germany, they just broke fresh ground to emerge as the third-biggest political party.

Liberals interpret this trend as a non sequitur, contending that the core of Europe remains strong and avowedly centrist, and instead of an ideological shift, this tilt is merely an expression of dissatisfied voters speaking out against globalisation, melting of borders and red-tapism of the European Union project.

In reality, however, AFD's entry into the Bundestag (German Parliament) for the first time in half a century is a deeply troubling sign, no less significant because it concerns Germany, the European crown jewel that carries the Nazi millstone around its neck.

It is astonishing that the radical Right has managed to step out of the shadows again in a country which has, instead of burying its past, confronted and institutionalised the memory. "Every German school child," writes The Economist, "Must visit a concentration camp; as essential a part of the curriculum as learning to write or count. Streets and squares are named after resisters. Little brass squares in the pavements (Stolpersteine, or stumbling stones) contain the names and details of Holocaust victims who once lived at those addresses. Memorials dot the streets; plaques commemorating specific persecuted groups, boards listing the names of concentration camps a giant field of grey pillars in central Berlin attesting to the Holocaust."

Germany has evidently adopted a culture of remembrance in daily life. Whereas nations dedicate monuments to remember its heroes or remind itself of horrors, Germany does so in an everyday way to insulate itself from a relapse.

Fred Kaplan elucidates further in Slate, "The city memorialises not its discarded leaders but rather their victims. Take the 'Topography of Terror', a museum built on the site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters that fully documents the rise, reign, and fall of the Nazi regime. The Nazis were excellent at keeping records, and thousands of records are laid out here  official memos, photographs, newspapers, film reels, and more  to sear into the world's memory that these things really happened."

For such a country to give in to nativist impulses must have required an equally powerful stimulus, and in its consensus-driven, cloyingly sanctified politics and public discourse, German politicians and its media have provided just that  refusing to address real issues that concern real people.

In the public debates leading to Germany's election, there was little to differentiate in the sparring between Merkel and her chief challenger Martin Schulz and they could have nodded off without anyone even noticing it. Instead of pugnacious debates, there was consensus, leaving the Far Right to pick topics that worried the public. More than a million immigrants had been let inside Germany, introducing a tremendous disruption and social discord in German societies but neither were the politicians willing to talk about the troublesome questions of identity, rising crime graph or lack of integration, nor was the media interested in raising those questions. In an effort to show itself as the model of multiculturism amid a nativist storm, Germany tried to bury its differences. A steep price had to be paid.

Figures released in August by Germany's interior ministry showed an alarming rise in crime, perpetrated mostly by asylum seekers. Financial Times reported from Berlin, quoting official figures, that "some 174,000 immigrants from non-EU countries were suspected of carrying out crimes last year, a 52 percent increase on 2015", and statistics showed that "immigrants were responsible for 35 percent of cases of pickpocketing, 11 percent of home break-ins, and nearly 15 percent of cases of grievous bodily harm".

The report quoted the German interior minister as saying that when it came to violent crimes there were "about 90 percent more immigrant suspects in 2016" than in the previous year.

These statistics followed a survey in April by the Bertelsmann Foundation which found that a majority of Germans are wary of Merkel's refugee policy and believe that the country cannot afford to admit any more. It didn't help that some of the most violent crimes  such as an Afghan asylum-seeker hacking at five people on a train with an axe, a Syrian killing himself and injuring 15 in a suicide bomb attack, or a Tunisian plowing a truck into a crowd and killing 12 in Berlin  were associated with migrants.

While this was taking place, German politicians and mainstream media were obsessed with protecting the identities of perpetrators, fearful of a backlash against migrants. In their refusal, they ironically triggered that very impulse. It's not difficult to imagine the hesitation in German media in mentioning the ethnicities of criminals given its troublesome past but the more it tried to avoid it, the more it exposed itself to charges of lying, and clearly a lot of Germans were swayed by the Right.

As Deutsche Welle said in a report, faced with public pressure, the German press council had to eventually loosen its guidelines.

The sexual assault on revelers in Cologne on 2016 New Year's Day, where gangs of men of North African or Arabic appearances groped and robbed young women, triggered an astonishing response from the Cologne mayor who advised young women to stay at a safe distance from strangers, leading to more outrage. It was a classic case of politicians blaming the victims instead of perpetrators to avoid raising troubling questions related to immigrants.

The German public, not initially averse to letting in refugees, wanted the politicians to discuss the tough questions once the disruption set in. To quote from Jochen Bittner's piece in The New York Times, "How do you make sure that Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Iraq or Northern Africa unambiguously accept values like religious tolerance, equal rights for women and the priority of earthly law over divine commandments? Can those who have a right to stay be integrated into the highly demanding German labor market? And can German authorities develop the thick skin it needs to deport hundreds of thousands of rejected asylum claimants?"

Neither the Christian Democrats nor its ally, the Social Democrats, were willing to raise these issues because it would have exposed Merkel's "open-door" policy to further scrutiny. This abdication of responsibility from Merkel and her allies left the Parliament door open for the neo-Nazis to barge in.

This carries a lesson for the liberal centrist core of Europe and elsewhere. Multiculturism and diversity cannot be an end unto themselves, they must lead to something  a better, more secure and prosperous life. When the means deviate from the end and try to become an end unto themselves, we are presented with a perverted paradigm where criminals are given a free pass and victims blamed because none wants to be called a bigot.

Voters see with dismay how their representatives (be it elected leaders or even the press) are failing to engage in honest conversations. This anger is reflected in the ballot. Whether or not the Far Right manage to entrench itself deeper into German society is a question for time to answer. This election result, however, should trigger a deeper introspection.
Washington: Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has invited Pakistan for a comprehensive dialogue, warning that if Islamabad does not avail this opportunity, it will pay a "high price". Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been tense for months, with the two sides accusing each other of turning a blind eye towards certain militant outfits.

"What I am offering the Pakistan government, the Pakistan security apparatus, is the invitation to a comprehensive dialogue," Ghani said during CNN's GPS Sunday talk show.

"So here is the opportunity. If Pakistan does not take this opportunity, I think there will be - they will pay a high price. So I hope that its their interest to engage," he said.

In his UN General Assembly address last week, President Ghani had sought dialogue with Pakistan to build strained ties and address raging militancy.

Kabul says Pakistan provides safe havens to terrorists who launch cross-border attacks, while Islamabad complains that Afghanistan and its intelligence services provide support to militant groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

"The examination of Pakistan has never been as thorough, and the message for the need for Pakistan to engage and become a responsible stakeholder in the region and in the fight against terrorism has never been this clear," Ghani told the channel.

He said the Afghans are determined to fight and no one should underestimate their wish for a secure region.

"Our tragedy is we are potentially one of the richest countries on earth, given our size and population, with our natural resources, natural capital, you know, mining, and potentially oil and gas. But the cost of war is intense and immense," the president said.

Responding to a question, Ghani claimed that the Taliban are becoming less and less popular.

"It's a sign of weakness to attack a mosque. It's a sign of weakness, not strength, to kill people, soldiers who are praying. Its a sign of weakness to attack civilians in broad daylight. Blowing bombs, track bombs particularly, does not make you popular," he said.

The president said the Taliban should understand that society does not support violence, particularly a society that has suffered 40 years of violence.
Dhaka: Bangladesh has eased restrictions on aid groups working in refugee camps and sought $250 million from the World Bank to fund emergency relief, officials said Tuesday, after an influx of more than 435,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar has overwhelmed its border area.

The government NGO Affairs Bureau cleared 30 local and international groups to meet "emergency needs" in camps and said more would follow, Shahdat Hossain, a bureau director, told AFP.

Bangladesh has strictly limited access to Rohingya camps in recent years. It has never given reasons, but the country is sensitive about security and there are fears a Muslim influx could tempt extremist groups.

However, a new deluge of refugees since 25 August has put pressure on the existing camps, which were already home to 3,00,000 Rohingya Muslims who had fled earlier unrest in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar.

The camps are currently facing dire shortages of food and medicine, while the World Health Organisation warned Monday of a growing risk of cholera.

The aid groups still only have permission to work for two months in the camps around the border town of Cox's Bazar, Hossain said and must focus on providing healthcare, sanitation facilities and shelters for the Rohingya.

The new groups include local and international charities. Authorities previously only let four international groups -- including Doctors With Border (MSF) and Action Against Hunger (ACF)  provide food and healthcare.

Muslim Aid, a British-based charity given permission to operate in Cox's Bazar last week but whose access was later revoked, remains barred. It operates in other parts of Bangladesh.

Authorities briefly ordered MSF, ACF and Muslim Aid to stop providing aid to the Rohingya in 2012. Dhaka-based BRAC, one of the world's largest charities, is among the new groups allowed into the camps.

BRAC senior director Asif Saleh said in a Facebook post that the scale of the "humanitarian crisis" is significantly worse than what is being portrayed by the media. He said the group has taken on the "herculean task" of setting up 15,000 toilets, 1,100 tube wells, 50 health camps, 10 delivery centres and 50 child centres.

Bangladesh has deployed dozens of emergency medical teams and sent reinforcements to hospitals in Cox's Bazar. They have treated more than 2,350 Rohingya for serious injuries sustained in the crackdown, including bullet and machete wounds and landmine injuries.

Some 80,000 Rohingya children have also been vaccinated for measles, rubella and polio diseases and thousands of adults treated for diarrhoea, respiratory diseases and pregnancy complications.

Desperately needing more help, junior health minister Zahid Malek said Dhaka has sought $250 million from the World Bank to provide healthcare to the Rohingya. The World Bank is considering the request, a ministry statement added.

A United Nations official last week said it would need $200 million over the next six months to handle the Rohingya crisis. The UN made an emergency appeal for $78 million on September 9, but UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, Robert Watkins, said much more would be needed as the exodus grows.
A Chinese daily has slammed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for her strong criticism of Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, saying it is "politically imbecilic and unsophisticated" to think that Islamabad exports terrorism.

The editorial, titled Indias bigotry no match for its ambition, in state-run Global Times defending Pakistan against its failure to flush out terrorists is not surprising as China has always lavished praise on its "all-weather ally" for being at the "forefront" of tackling terrorism. The newspaper, run by the Communist Party, said Sushma Swaraj's speech at the UN reflected India's arrogance and "bigotry" towards Pakistan.

Sushma, in her address last week at the UN General Assembly, tore into Pakistan for sheltering terrorists. "Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?" she had said.

The newspaper asked what makes Sushma Swaraj believe that Pakistan exports terrorism and India is an IT superpower?

"There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the country's national policy? What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money or honour? Is India really an IT superpower that produces engineers and doctors when it is hell-bent on believing Pakistan is evil?"

"It is politically imbecilic and unsophisticated for Indian elites to conclude that Pakistan exports terrorism. They should have seen the efforts and sacrifice that Pakistan has made to rid the world of terrorism and refrain from mixing disputes over terrorism with their own historical disputes," the editorial said.

China has steadfastly shielded Pakistan from criticism from India, the US or any other country, and told them not to single out Islamabad on terror.

In fact, China has repeatedly blocked India's resolution at the UN to declare Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist. The newspaper also mentioned that the Minister in her speech took a "dig at China for blocking international efforts to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar".

"By trumpeting India's justice and grandeur while rebuking its neighbour's foolishness and ugliness, the minister (Swaraj) seems to have moved herself and the whole country."

"But it is a grave disaster when Indians are confident in their rightness and their neighbours' wrongs while super-proud of India's capabilities in cultivating engineers and doctors. A country that despises others can hardly seek agreement over conflicts.

"India's bigotry toward Pakistan doesn't match its much-vaunted ambition to be a world power. By inflaming nationalism in the Indian public, Indians become more determined to make India first than even US President Donald Trump's 'America First'.

"With the smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China.

"It takes for granted that it should be feared by neighbors and wooed by the US and Europe. If smart enough, India should befriend China and respect Pakistan, preventing disputes from spilling over," it said.
Washington: A man arrested near the White House is a former Memphis police officer who had an arsenal of weapons in his car and believed the CIA had implanted a chip in his head, according to court documents.

Timothy J Bates, 37, of Collierville, Tenn. appeared in a District of Columbia court on charges of illegally carrying a rifle or shotgun.

According to court documents, Bates was approached by uniformed members of the Secret Service Sunday at the corner of 17th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue as he appeared to be publicly urinating.

He told the officers that he was trying to reach Defense Secretary James Mattis or NSA Director Mike Rogers "for advice on missing paychecks and how to get the dog chip out of my head."

Bates gave officers permission to search his illegally parked car and they discovered nine firearms including a Bushmaster assault rifle and a loaded AK-47.

According to testimony by the arresting officers detailed in the court documents, Bates told the Secret Service officers hat he had been offered $28.7 million by the Department of Homeland Security and the state of Tennessee to participate in the CIA's "MK Ultra" programme and that he had a chip planted in his head that was causing him "severe headaches, shaking and convulsions."

Bates told the officers that he had driven from Tennessee to seek advice from Mattis and Rogers on how to remove the chip and recover the promised payment.

The court documents state that Bates is a former police officer who was "medically retired" in 2013 and that he was "involuntarily committed for mental health reasons" in February 2017.

It was not immediately clear if Bates had his own defense attorney.

The charge of illegally carrying a rifle is a felony offense with a statutory maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

The court documents state that Bates had been placed under observation for mental illness.
Celle: Notorious hate preacher Abu Walaa, described as the Islamic State (IS) group's de facto leader in Germany, went on trial Tuesday accused of radicalising young men and running a jihadist network linked to the Berlin Christmas market attacker.

Nicknamed "the faceless preacher" for showing his back to the camera in propaganda videos, the 33-year-old Iraqi was arrested last November on suspicion of being the "central figure" in an IS recruitment ring.

Walaa  named by the authorities as Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah Abdullah  appeared before a court in the northern German city of Celle alongside four co-defendants accused of supporting IS.

The five created a "pan-regional Salafist-jihadist network" in which Walaa "took on the leading role as the representative of the so-called Islamic State in Germany," prosecutors said in their indictment.

"The goal of the network was to send people to IS in Syria or Iraq."

The closely-watched terror trial, expected to run until early 2018, opened under heavy security with armed police on patrol outside the courthouse.

"For a long time little has been known about the backroom men, those who seduce and incite to jihad," Der Spiegel news weekly wrote.

"The proceedings against Abu Walaa promise to give deep insights into these mechanisms, which makes this one of the most interesting Islamist trials in recent years," the article said.

If found guilty, the accused face up to 10 years in prison, according to DPA news agency.

A shadowy figure who long evaded capture, Walaa has been linked to some of Germany's most high profile jihadist attacks since arriving in the country in 2001.

After setting up his base in Hildesheim, a northern town seen as a hotbed of Islamic radicalism, he made a name for himself delivering extremist sermons at the notorious DIK mosque, which has since been shut down.

Walaa, who has two wives and several children, also gave seminars across the country calling for jihad. He notably spoke at a Berlin mosque frequented by Anis Amri, who drove a truck through a crowded Christmas market last December, killing 12 people.

German intelligence services took pictures of Amri in Hildesheim some 10 months earlier, prompting speculation he had ties to the network. Amri was shot dead by police in Italy days after his rampage.

Walaa's four accomplices  a Turkish national, a German, a German-Serbian and a Cameroonian, aged between 27 and 51  are likewise accused of indoctrinating young men with jihadist ideology.

German media reported that among their "students" was at least one of the three teenage boys who last year set off a home-made bomb at an Indian wedding, badly wounding a Sikh priest.

Much of the prosecution's case rests on evidence collected by an unidentified informant who infiltrated the network for months.
United Nations: India on Monday slammed Pakistan for using a "fake picture" in the UN General Assembly to push a "completely false narrative", a day after its Permanent Representative presented an image of a girl from Gaza as a victim of pellet guns in Kashmir.

Exercising her right to reply hours after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj blasted Pakistan for its support to terrorism, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi, in a major goof-up, held up a photograph of a woman whose face was peppered with alleged pellet gun wounds.

"This is the face of Indian democracy," Lodhi said of the picture which had no connection with Kashmir.

The picture of 17-year-old Rawya abu Joma'a of Gaza, an alleged victim of an Israeli attack was actually taken by award-winning American photo journalist Heidi Levine in July, 2014.

"The Permanent Representative of Pakistan misled this Assembly by displaying this picture to spread falsehood about India. A fake picture to push a completely false narrative," said Paulomi Tripathi, a junior most Indian diplomat at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations.

Tripathi took the floor of the General Assembly to exercise India's right to reply to the blistering attack by Lodhi.

"The Permanent Representative of Pakistan, in her statement, yet again sought to divert attention from Pakistan's role as the hub of global terrorism. She did so by callously holding up a picture of an injured girl," Tripathi said.

"The picture was taken on 22 July, 2014 by an American photographer Heidi Levine. This photograph was published by The New York Times on 24 March, 2015 under the caption 'Conflict, Courage and Healing in Gaza'," she said.

"In view of this cynical and misleading attempt by Pakistan, we are constrained to show this Assembly, a photograph that reflects the real picture of pain inflicted by the nefarious designs of Pakistan on India," she said showing a picture of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz.

Twenty-two year old Umar, who was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifle, was picked up from his house at Harmein in Kulgam in May. The body of the young officer was later found three kilometres from his house.

"This is a real and not a fake picture of Lt Umar Fayaz. A young officer from the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. Umar Fayaz was kidnapped at a wedding celebration. He was brutally tortured and killed by Pakistan supported terrorists in May 2017," Tripathi said showing the picture.

"This is a true picture. It portrays a harsh and tragic reality. A picture of terrorism emanating from across our borders that the people of India, especially in the state of Jammu and Kashmir have to struggle with, every day.

"This is the reality which the Permanent Representative of Pakistan sought to obfuscate. The true face of Pakistan is not hidden from anyone," Tripathi said as she displayed the two pictures again to the international community.

Pakistan, meanwhile, continued with its fake narrative against India.

Speaking on behalf of Pakistan, Tipu Usman, counselor at Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN, claimed, "Kashmiris want freedom form brutal Indian occupation".

They will continue to rise again and again and again, he said.

"Kashmiris will take bullet after bullet; pallet after pallet but will never give up. The real issue is of human life, of human eyes, of children and infants blinded forever," he said.

Usman alleged that India's diversionary tactics will not change the situation on ground.

"It is the situation on ground that India has to answer for. It is the call for legality, morality and conscience that it has to answer for," he said.
United Nations: India has urged the UN Security Council to ensure that the first and foremost duty of international community is to ensure that the forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe havens anywhere and at any level.

"We must not differentiate between good and bad terrorists, or play one group against the other. The Taliban, Haqqani Network, AI-Qaeda, Islamic State, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and others of their ilk are all terror organisations, many of them proscribed by the UN," said Syed Akbaruddin, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, on Monday.

"The international community cannot remain silent. It is the international community's first and foremost duty to ensure that the forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe havens anywhere and at any level," he said in an apparent dig at Pakistan.

Participating in an open debate of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan, Akbaruddin said that these terrorist groups should be treated like terrorist organisations with no justifications offered for their activities.

Noting that the situation in Afghanistan has remained particularly painful and disturbing with security worsening and visible signs of withering away of the gains by the international community and Afghan people, the top Indian envoy said that the incessant attacks on hospitals, schools, funerals, or international development agencies, diplomatic missions are a matter of serious concern.

"The multiple crises that have been inflicted on Afghanistan have made Afghan territory attractive for criminal and terrorist groups, who are well connected to international terror and crime networks...These groups are stealing the resources of Afghanistan which ought to belong to the people of the country," he said.

Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani joined Akbaruddin in identifying terrorist safe havens across the border.

"The scourge of terrorism and violent extremism affecting Afghanistan is the product of a long-standing policy by a neighboring State to keep Afghanistan unstable," he said.

"It has menaced Afghanistan for several decades now, with its roots located in terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens outside of my country," Rabbani said, adding that the new strategy of the United States for South Asia has generated new hope among people across the country.

Afghans from all walks of life are looking to the future with renewed optimism that finally the threats of terrorism and extremism in Afghanistan and the wider region will be tackled appropriately.

"In this connection, we welcome the fact that the new strategy recognizes the critical need to address the lingering problem of terrorist safe-havens and sanctuaries in our region; and for more determined efforts to end political, logistical and financial support enjoyed by terrorist groups," he said.

"Furthermore, the strategy's conditions based approach has addressed some uncertainties by reinforcing the right message that the international community's engagement will endure until Afghanistan becomes stable and secure," Rabbani said.

Representing the European Union, Joanne Adamson, stressed that it is important that the international community remains strongly committed to accompany Afghanistan towards long-term peace, security and stability.

Eshagh AI-Habib from Iran rued that more than a decade after its invasion, Afghanistan, the region and the world is not any safer.

"I need to reiterate, once again that deteriorating security in Afghanistan has its deeper roots and cannot be addressed solely through military buildup as some suggest," he said.

Taliban and self-proclaimed Islamic State Khorasan Province continue their heinous attacks against the civilian population.

They are reinforcing and recruiting and undertaking complex attacks such as the attack on a Shia mosque in Herat on 1 August and 25 August that killed over 90 and 28 people respectively or the August attack in Sar-e-Pul province in which at least 36 people were killed, as in Herat, the majority of the documented casualties were Shia, he said.

"The proliferation of terrorist groups in the Afghan territory necessitates concerted international effort on counter-terrorism.

"The world needs to deal with this increasing threat in a comprehensive manner," the Iranian diplomat said.

The Turkish representative expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation and the presence of Daesh in the country.

"Increased cooperation among the countries of the region is imperative for the success of Afghanistan," he said.
Arbil (Iraq): Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum on Monday as tensions rose with Baghdad and neighbouring countries over the historic vote.

The referendum was proceeding peacefully but there were fears of potential unrest, especially after lawmakers in Baghdad demanded that troops be sent to disputed areas where the referendum was taking place.

As night fell, a curfew was imposed in parts of the disputed city of Kirkuk, police said.

Iran and Turkey, which both worry it will stoke separatist aspirations among their own sizeable Kurdish minorities, were also increasing pressure on Iraq's Kurds, with Ankara saying it would shut its border and threatening to block key oil exports.

An overwhelming "Yes" outcome is expected, but the vote is non-binding and Kurdish officials have said there are no plans for an immediate declaration of independence.

Voters headed to the polls early, many men dressed in traditional Kurdish dress of brown shirt and billowing trousers for the occasion.

"I came very early to be the first to vote for a Kurdish state," Diyar Abubakr, 33, said outside a polling station in regional capital Arbil.

Initial results are expected to be announced 24 hours after polls close.

Polling stations are scattered across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan  Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk  as well as in disputed border zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

A total of 12,072 polling stations are open for more than 5.3 million registered voters.

Left without a state of their own when the borders of the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, the Kurds see themselves as the world's largest stateless people.

Baghdad has declared the vote unconstitutional and parliament voted on Monday to demand Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi "deploy forces" in areas disputed with the Kurds.

Asked about the risks of armed conflict, Abadi's spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told AFP: "If there are clashes in these zones, it will be the job of federal forces to apply the law."

Karim al-Nuri, a head of the Badr Brigade which forms part of the powerful Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units, suggested the group was ready to deploy to "Kirkuk and the disputed zones occupied by armed gangs, outlaws who do not respond to the army command."

Kirkuk, home to Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, has been a particular point of concern and late on Monday police said a curfew was being imposed in the centre of the city and in Arab and Turkmen areas "to ensure security, monitor the situation and protect the citizens of Kirkuk".

Abadi on Sunday pledged to take all the "necessary measures" to protect the country's unity, as his government urged all countries to deal only with it on oil transactions.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday threatened to halt these oil exports, angrily denouncing an "illegitimate" referendum.

Erdogan also said Turkey's Habur border crossing with Iraqi Kurdistan would be closed.
Islamabad: A defiant Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday criticised the judiciary for disqualifying him as prime minister, claiming that the prosecution has failed to prove any charges against him or his family in the Panama Papers graft scandal.

67-year-old Sharif's comments came as an anti-corruption court decided to indict him on 2 October after the former prime minister for the first time appeared before it to face corruption charges.

Addressing a crowded press conference in Islamabad after appearing before the accountability court, Sharif said he was targeted in the Panama Papers case and ousted despite the failure of the prosecution to prove wrongdoing by him or his

family.

"When nothing was proved and they were not able to prove any corruption, they still disqualified me and used the iqama issue (his work permit with the UAE-based company)," he said.

Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court on 28 July for possessing a work permit in his son's company in the UAE.

He said at least the court should have told the people that no allegation of corruption has been proved against him.

"When legal experts themselves did not accept the decision, what could I do? These decisions were passed, punishments were given but they were not accepted."

He said the judges of the Supreme Court made a joint investigation team (JIT), monitored it, announced the decision and told the National Accountability Bureau [NAB] to file corruption cases.

"The same court took control of NAB...If necessary, this same court will listen to my last appeal as well after decision by NAB court," he said.

"Is this how justice works? Is this what we call the rule of law?" he asked.

"This is the first case that the weight of the law was placed with the petitioner, and the rights of the defence was not implemented," he alleged.

He said he would stay in Pakistan to face courts despite strong reservations. Sharif also announced that he would wage a struggle for democracy and sanctity of vote.

"I have been fighting false cases and being punished but I have decided to fight the case of rights of people to rule...sanctity of vote. I believe people would win in the long run," he said.

Sharif said he believed that God and the people of Pakistan are with him and expressed hope that justice would prevail.

"The whole country is being punished the people and the generations to come. They have made a mockery of a progressive Pakistan on the track of democracy.

"I appeal that this country be allowed to progress in line with the Constitution. If the Constitution gives the people the right to govern, let them realise that right," he said.
Islamabad: An accountability court on Tuesday decided to indict Nawaz Sharif on 2 October after the ousted prime minister for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges filed against him in the Panama Papers scandal.

The court also issued fresh arrest warrants against his children and son-in-law.

Sharif, 67, appeared before the court located in the judicial complex here, a day after he returned from London where he was with his ailing wife. During the brief hearing, Sharif informed Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir that his wife was unwell and he needed to attend her. He was then allowed to leave the court.

The court then adjourned for 10 minutes before continuing with the normal case proceedings. The appearance was just a formality to ensure that the accused was ready to face the trial. Sharif stayed at the court for about 10 minutes. He was accompanied by his lawyer Khawaja Harris who would represent him as a counsel in the corruption cases.

The court had last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retd.) Safdar to appear before it on 26 September. It is pertinent to mention that the Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on 19 September.

When the hearing started again, the judge asked about Maryam, Hussain and Hasan, and Sharif's son-in-law Safdar who were also ordered to appear on Tuesday. Sharif's lawyer Harris contended that they were in London to take care of their ailing mother but the court rejected the argument and ordered them to appear before it on 2 October.

The court also issued fresh bailable arrest warrants against Maryam, Hussain, Hasan and Safdar. Harris asked the court that Sharif needed to take care of his wife in London so he would be allowed to skip personal appearance in the court. The court refused by saying that he should first appear on the day of indictment and the issue of skipping personal appearance will be decided later on.

Sharifs legal aide Barrister Zafarullah Khan told media that the court should have given more time for indictment. "The court cannot indict until all accused appear in the court. It should give us more time to prepare out case," he said. He said that Sharif would appear in the court if all went well during the period before next hearing and health of his wife remains stable.

Independent law expert Shehzad Akbar said that court was not bound to delay indictment of an accused if his accomplices are not present or refuse to appear before the court. "The accountability courts have vast powers. They can indict the accused who has presented himself in the court, while it can convict others for non-compliance and failing to appear," he said.

Hundreds of Sharifs supporters, including Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, lawyers, lawmakers and several ministers were present in the court premises. Heavy security arrangement were made around the judicial complex.

Earlier, Sharif left the Punjab House in Islamabad at about 8.30 am to appear before the court. It took him about 15 minutes to reach the court. More than 35 vehicles were part of Sharifs convoy which safely reached Punjab House after his appearance in the court.

Sharif is expected to hold some important meetings with aides and to address media in the evening, according PML-N sources. Sharif was in London from 31 August to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer. He decided to return to Pakistan after consultations with senior party leaders including his younger brother and Punjab province chief minister Shahbaz Sharif in London. Sharif stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on 28 July from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons  Hassan and Hussain, daughter  Maryam, son-in-law  Safdar, and finance minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently. The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Sharif's family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated. Rest of his family is still in London.
At Shippensburgs Thought Lot, a wave of acoustic guitar and harmonious singing swept over the audience last Friday night.

Opener Cody Wilt, of McConnellsburg, brought soulful Southern rock, while Renshaw Davies, a dream-pop duo whose self-proclaimed goal is to make you happy and sad at the same time filled the stage with music-based storytelling.

Local to the Midstate region, Cody Wilt returned to the Thought Lot stage to share some new songs and excite the audience for the evenings headliner. His ability to shift between upbeat folk rock and soothing love songs reminded me of bands like Led Zeppelin and The Black Crowes.

While sharing the story behind his song Two Brothers, which ended in an altercation behind a bar, Wilt exclaimed, Man, I love writing songs.

Following Wilt, the headlining duo took to the stage with John Renshaw on guitar and vocals and Emily Davies on vocals and percussion.

They explained that their set would tell the story of their musical careers while intertwining some new songs.

The set opened with Going down the Road, which expressed the duos disinterest in money as an object: When the moneys all gone/I dont care at all/ The moneys all gone/but Ill keep moving on.

However, their next song, Auctioneer, diverged from Going down the Road and followed Renshaw Davies during their stressful attempt to record their first EP and their constant chase after gigs and the ever-necessary search for cash.

As Renshaw Davies switched into songs that they had only ever rehearsed, more complex themes emerged, including a song about social media whose lyrics, are you with us/or are you not, left a haunting impression on the listener.

Though the dreamy lullabies defined the band, the evening was not devoid of exciting anthems. Despite their wistful reputation, crowd favorite, I can see through you, you can see through me had the audience on the edge of their seat as the duo suddenly increased tempo and left listeners wanting more. They ended their set with selections from their 2017 summer EP The Heat.

Shippensburgs Thought Lot provides worthwhile concerts from upcoming artists nationwide, and Renshaw Davies was no exception. Direct from New Orleans, Louisiana, the bands use of simple percussive instruments as well as acoustic guitar was noteworthy. However, it was the duos vocals that sets them apart. The swelling harmonies would crescendo to fill the entire room before returning back to a soothing whisper to let listeners know that the song would soon come to a close.

The two-act concert was a genre breaker from beginning to end, from Cody Wilts tribute to Southern Rock anthems all the way to Renshaw Davies moving performance.

For more information on the Thought Lot and future performances and exhibits, visit it on Facebook or go to its website at www.thethoughtlot.rocks.
United Nations: The US has made clear its new policy on Afghanistan looks to the whole region to bring stability to that nation in a move away from relying mostly on Pakistan as Washington has during the 16 years it has been mired there.

"A central tenet of our new South Asia strategy is the recognition that Afghanistan's security and stability are tied to the security and stability of the entire region," Michele Sison, the US deputy permanent representative, told the Security Council on Monday during a debate on Afghanistan.

Unveiling the new US policy on Afghanistan last month, US president Donald Trump said a "critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India".

He added that he wanted India "to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development".

The very use of "South Asia" by Trump as well as by US diplomats to describe the new strategy and policy that primarily about Afghanistan underscores the new approach.

Sison also set out firmly the other key element of the new Afghanistan policy: a commitment to a political settlement that could include the Taliban.

"The United States' new regional strategy for South Asia is also well-timed and makes clear that, ultimately, the US and the UN share the same overarching goal in Afghanistan: a durable political settlement that leads to lasting peace.

"We call on all regional governments to support the Afghan government and to do what they can to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table," she added.

Sison, however, declared: "Our message to the Taliban and their supporters is clear: you cannot win on the battlefield. The only path to peace is through negotiations. You must abandon violence, cut ties with international terrorism, and accept the Afghan constitution."

Trump in his policy speech had warned Islamabad that "it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists".

Afghan foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani welcomed the new strategy saying it "has generated new hope among our people across the country" and Afghans are optimistic "that finally the threats of terrorism and extremism in Afghanistan and the wider region will be tackled appropriately".

He said: "The prospect of peace with the Taliban is dependent on genuine and constructive regional engagement in support of an Afghan-led process."

In a reference to the possible outcome from a stern stand of the US against supporting terrorism, Rabbani said: "In this regard, we believe a paradigm shift could profoundly impact peace efforts with the Taliban in a positive way."

But he also accused the Taliban of cooperating with the Islamic State in the massacre in Mirza Ulang village in Sar-e-Pul province and the attacks on mosques in Kabul and Herat.

Rabbani said that Afghanistan had been "on the receiving-end of provocative actions, including continuous violations across the Durand Line" by Pakistan.

Asked after the Council meeting about Trump's new policy, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's special representative for Afghan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, told reporters that the US gave "clarity" to the peace process in "seeking a political solution".
Tokyo: A would-be car thief in Japan has been nabbed after he tried to steal a vehicle with several police officers inside.

Ushio Sato, 23, was caught red-handed trying to make off with the unmarked police car in his failed pre-dawn heist on Monday, said a police spokeswoman in the central city of Numazu.

She declined to give more details.

Japanese media reports said the luckless Sato did not notice there were officers inside the unlocked vehicle, which was at a local parking lot.

He immediately fled but was quickly caught, according to the Sankei newspaper.

It was not clear if the officers were wearing uniforms or were on duty at the time.
Islamabad: A Pakistani intelligence officer has accused his own spy agency of "protecting" terrorists and filed a petition in a court in Islamabad requesting for a thorough probe in the matter, a media report said on Tuesday.

Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Shahzad, a serving assistant sub-inspector of Intelligence Bureau (IB), has accused his senior officers of not taking action against terrorism suspects. In a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), he requested the court to refer the matter to the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for a thorough probe, Dawn reported.

The IHC Registrar's Office fixed the petition before Justice Aamer Farooq who referred the case yesterday to Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, with a note that the matter may be transferred to Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui since an identical matter is pending in his court, the paper quoted a court official as saying.

In the petition filed through his counsel Masroor Shah, Shahzad claims that he reported against terrorist groups from various countries but no action was taken. "However, to the petitioners utter dismay, no action was ever been taken by IB in this respect despite concrete evidence provided to it in the form of the intelligence reports," the petition says.

"Upon thorough intelligence gathering process, it transpired that certain high officials of the IB themselves are directly involved with the terrorist organisations having linkages with hostile enemy intelligence agencies," it reads. It goes on to say that the matter was even reported to the IB director general, who also did not take any steps. It claims some IB officials travelled to Israel and had direct links with Afghan intelligence which, it was found later, had links with another terrorist group from Kazakhstan.

"These terrorists used to disguise themselves as citrus dealers in Kot-Momin and Bhalwal, Sargodha. The business was a mere camouflage," the petition says. The petition claims that the son of joint director IB (Punjab) was dealing with the said terrorist groups.

It also names certain IB officials who are allegedly on the payroll of foreign intelligence agencies which include a joint director general, directors and deputy directors. Shahzad said he "has been running from pillar to post including approaching the prime minister of Pakistan to raise this issue of national security."
Islamabad: Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif will on Tuesday appear before a court to face the corruption references filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Panama Papers scandal.

The Accountability Court in Islamabad, which is hearing the corruption cases against the Sharif family, last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar to appear before it on 26 September.

It is pertinent to mention that the Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on 19 September.

Sharif, who returned to the country on Monday, is likely to be accompanied by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including federal ministers, at his first appearance before the accountability court. Heavy security arrangement have been made around judicial complex in view of the hearing.

Sharif was in London from 31 August to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

Sharif, 67, decided to return after consultations with senior party leaders including his younger brother and Punjab province chief minister Shahbaz Sharif in London, party officials said.

He had stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on 28 July from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons  Hassan and Hussain, daughter  Maryam, son-in-law  Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Earlier, Sharif's family had alleged that the cases are politically motivated.
A shooting took place on Tuesday close to the Manila residence of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, a spokesman for his security detail said, but an official from the palace said Duterte was not there at the time.

The incident took place in Malacanang Park, the base of Dutertes guard unit and close to his Bahay ng Pagbabago residence, presidential security group spokesman Mike Aquino said in a text message to reporters.

He said the unit was investigating the incident and had no more details.

DZMM radio reported that one person was wounded.

The presidential security group separately said they would release a statement later.

Duterte, who hails from the southern city of Davao, has said he dislikes staying in the presidential compound and often returns to his home city on weekends.

Duterte was elected in a landslide last year on a vow to eradicate illegal drugs in society by killing up to 100,000 traffickers and addicts.

Since he assumed office 15 months ago, police have reported killing more than 3,800 people in anti-drug operations with many more killed in mysterious circumstances.

Despite criticism from human rights groups, he still enjoys widespread support among Filipinos who see him as a charismatic, anti-establishment politician who is their best chance to quell crime and corruption.

With inputs from agencies
Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Tuesday expressed outrage over deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif being accorded "official protocol" at the Islamabad airport upon his return from abroad.

Sharif returned to Pakistan from London on Monday and then appeared before an accountability court on Tuesday for the hearing of National Accountability Bureau references against him.

Khan, in a tweet, regretted that a "disgraced" and disqualified PM, who faces charges of tax evasion, forgery and money laundering, was being accorded special consideration as per "official protocol" at the international airport and described it as shameful.

The PTI chief further tweeted that the move sent a wrong message to the society, that the powerful can break laws with impunity. "Clearly this is mafia rule, not democracy," he added.

Khan also called for the resignation of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief for visiting Sharif in London.

Sharif returned to Pakistan on Monday after spending more than three weeks in London and went straight into several consultation sessions with party leaders about his future plans.

He left for London on 30 August days after his wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, was diagnosed with lymph node cancer. Since then, she had undergone three surgeries in the British capital, with Sharif and their sons beside her.

A five-member Supreme Court bench had disqualified Sharif from the PM's office on July 28 for failing to declare a salary, which he had not withdrawn as an executive of a Dubai-based company, as an asset when filing his nomination papers in 2013.
Islamabad: Pakistan's Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Monday that "hostile agencies" were trying to destabilise his country.

General Bajwa made his remarks while visiting the family of 22-year-old Lieutenant Arsalan Alam who was killed when militant fired at his post from across the border in Afghanistan on Saturday.

"Hostile agencies from abroad are trying to destabilise our country," Bajwa said, but stopped short of naming any country.

"They (hostile agencies) fear the Army for being a hurdle to achieving their nefarious designs," Bajwa said.

This terminology was traditionally used for India but now Afghanistan's intelligence agencies are also branded as hostile.

Bajwa said the armed forces would continue to perform in Pakistan's best interests and would restore peace and rule of law in the country.

He said the Army will continue to work for defeating militants.

"Pakistan's enemy is our enemy. Use of force is the prerogative of the state alone," he said.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been tense for months, with the two sides accusing each other of turning a "blind eye" towards certain militant outfits.
Cox's Bazar: With no money even to bury his eight-year-old daughter, Ali Hossain broke down as he recounted her final moments, the latest Rohingya refugee to die in Bangladesh as fears mount over outbreaks of disease.

The little girl was among some 436,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine, making the dangerous journey across the border to neighbouring Bangladesh.

But her bid for safety ended when she fell victim to an intestinal infection, likely triggered by poor sanitation as well as food and water shortages in the overcrowded makeshift camps that are home to the Rohingya.

She died on Monday, hours after she was admitted to a state-run hospital in the border town of Cox's Bazar.

More than 200 Rohingya are being treated in Sadar Hospital, which has been inundated with patients, with a shortage of beds forcing doctors to house the sick on sheets spread out on the floor.

Nurses said at least 20 refugees, mostly children, have died in that hospital alone since the influx began, after attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts on 25 August sparked a sweeping crackdown.

But official figures from the Bangladesh authorities say that just 10 Rohingya have died throughout the camps around Cox's Bazar.

Police have set up checkpoints around the camps, to stop refugees going to other parts of the country, and are only allowing ambulances to ferry patients in and out of the area.

"We don't stop any sick and injured refugees from going to the hospitals," a policeman at one checkpoint told AFP.

"And there have been a lot of Rohingya who have gone to hospitals in the past few days," he said.

Relief agencies have warned that diarrhoea, cholera and pneumonia could spread quickly among the refugees who are living in squalid conditions, putting further pressure on overstretched hospitals.

"This extra influx has piled up a huge burden on our resources. But we are trying very hard to manage these cases to our best level," Sadar Hospital spokesman Abdur Rahman told AFP.

"We have limited resources, limited medicine, limited manpower, limited food," he said.

"If we cannot control these (cases), there will be a high chance of epidemics of diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery."

Epidemic risk

Before the latest influx, the camps around Cox's Bazar were already packed with 300,000 Rohingya who had fled earlier violence in Rakhine. Conditions have only worsened since then.

The Rohingya are facing dire shortages of food and medicine in what has quickly become one of the world's largest refugee settlements.

Meanwhile the absence of safe drinking water and hygiene facilities has heightened the risk of water-borne diseases, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning Monday of a growing cholera threat.

The risks are all too real for Hossain, whose octogenarian mother is being treated in the same hospital where his daughter died.

The onset of his child's illness was sudden and brutal.

She began vomiting on Sunday evening, prompting her terrified father to rush her to a local clinic and then to the hospital.

"But the doctors said we came too late," he told AFP, distraught as he stood beside her body, now covered by a bedsheet.

"I don't know what to do...I've run out of ideas and I hope Allah will help me."
Yangon: Myanmar is committing crimes against humanity in its campaign against Muslim insurgents in Rakhine state, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday, and it called for the UN Security Council to impose sanctions and an arms embargo.

A government spokesman rejected the accusation, saying there was no evidence and the government was committed to protecting rights.

Myanmar has also rejected UN accusations that its forces are engaged in ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in response to coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents on the security forces on 25 August.

It says its forces are fighting terrorists responsible for attacking the police and the army, killing civilians and torching villages.

The military campaign has sent nearly 4,40,000 refugees fleeing to Bangladesh, most of them Rohingya. They have accused the security forces and Buddhist vigilantes of trying to drive Rohingya out of Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

"The Burmese military is brutally expelling the Rohingya from northern Rakhine State," said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch.

"The massacres of villagers and mass arson driving people from their homes are all crimes against humanity," he said.

The International Criminal Court defines crimes against humanity as acts including murder, torture, rape and deportation "when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack."

Human Rights Watch said its research, supported by analysis of satellite imagery, had found crimes of deportation and forced population transfers, murder and attempted murder, rape and other sexual assault and persecution.

The UN Security Council and concerned countries should impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo, the group said.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay rejected the accusation, saying no Myanmar government was ever as committed to the promotion of rights as much as the current one.

"Accusations without any strong evidence are dangerous. It makes it difficult for the government to handle things," he told Reuters.

Little Sympathy

The violence in Rakhine State and the refugee exodus represent the biggest crisis the government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has faced since it came to power last year in a transition from nearly 50 years of harsh military rule.

Myanmar regards the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and communal violence has flared periodically for decades. Most Rohingya are stateless.

For years, the United States and its Western allies imposed sanctions on Myanmar in support of Suu Kyi's campaign for democracy. Its response was to forge closer ties with China.

The United States has criticised the military campaign as "disproportionate" and called for an end to violence but a Trump administration official said this month he did not expect a return to sanctions.

Suu Kyi has faced unprecedented criticism and calls for her Nobel prize to be withdrawn. She has denounced rights violations and vowed that abusers would be prosecuted.

Suu Kyi has little if any control over the security forces under a military-drafted constitution that also bars her from the presidency and gives the military veto power over political reform.

Myanmar has seen a surge of Buddhist nationalism over recent years, and the public is supportive of the campaign against insurgents blamed for starting the violence. There is little sympathy for the refugees.

Since Sunday, the army has unearthed the bodies of 45 members of Myanmar's small Hindu community who authorities say were killed by the insurgents soon after the violence erupted.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army insurgent group, which has claimed attacks on the security forces since October, denied killing the villagers.

Rights groups have said they have found evidence of abuses by the insurgents, including the burning of some Buddhists' homes, but on a much smaller scale than abuses by the army and Buddhist vigilantes.

Some Hindus have fled to Bangladesh, complaining of violence against them by soldiers or Buddhist vigilantes. Others have taken refuge in Myanmar towns, accusing the insurgents of attacking them on suspicion of being government spies.
United Nations: The UN Security Council will meet Thursday to discuss the violence in Myanmar and hear a briefing from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the crisis, diplomats say.

Britain, France, the United States and four other countries requested the meeting after more than 4,30,000 people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, fled an army campaign in Myanmar in recent weeks and crossed into Bangladesh.

The United Nations has described the military operation as "ethnic cleansing" and French president Emmanuel Macron last week went further, calling it "genocide."

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has denounced the plight of the Rohingyas, accused Myanmar of waging a "Buddhist terror" against the Muslim minority and also denounced the "genocide."

The military operation was sparked by attacks carried out by Rohingya militants on police posts on 25 August.

The meeting was also requested by Egypt, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Sweden, which are non-permanent council members. Council members will also get an update on the situation in Myanmar on Tuesday, ahead of the formal briefing by the UN chief, which will be held in an open session.

The Security Council earlier in September called for "immediate steps" to end the violence, following a closed-door meeting.

The 1.1-million strong Rohingya community have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship even though many have longstanding roots in the country.

In early September, Guterres took the rare step of sending a letter to the council to express concern about the "humanitarian catastrophe" unfolding, raising fears that it could have "implications for peace and security" beyond Myanmar's borders.

Rights groups are pushing the council to threaten sanctions against Myanmar's government and urging countries to review military cooperation.

Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has disappointed human rights groups who had campaigned for her freedom during the Nobel Peace Prize winner's 15 years under house arrest by a military junta.

Suu Kyi failed to quell outrage over the plight of the Rohingya when she delivered a nationwide address last week in which she appealed for patience.
PennDOT has begun a project to install cable-median barriers on roads across Pennsylvania, including in multiple locations in some of the western and eastern most parts of Cumberland County.

Cable-median barriers will be installed on Interstate 81 just east of Route 11 in the Shippensburg area to just north of exit 37 near Newville and from exit 61 in Hampden Township to exit 65 East Pennsboro Township.

The barriers are meant to prevent vehicles from crossing the median and striking vehicles traveling in the opposite direction.

The crossovers have the potential to be catastrophic, PennDOT spokesman Michael Crochunis said.

Work on installing the barriers will take place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and will run through early fall.

No lane closures are expected, but Crochunis said motorist should use caution and advised the shoulder may be closed in areas where the barriers are being installed.

Crochunis said work will resume again in 2018, with all of the work for the statewide $3.2 million contract being completed by August 2019.

The work will not stretch into the Carlisle area, which has been the subject of debate following a series of fatal crossover crashes in recent years.

The area is under review and just what would be a good fix, Crochunis said. The speed was reduced several years ago, and that seems to help with the type of crashes that we have.

In December, three people were killed when a dump truck traveling south on I-81 between the College Street and Hanover Street exits blew a tire and crossed into the northbound lane.

Several other crossover crashes have been reported in the area since, prompting a renewed call for PennDOT to act.

The median is not as wide as we have in some of these other areas, he said. It is not on a slope that is conducive to a cable-median barrier. So, we are weighing a few options what would be the proper solution to this area. Also ... we dont want to create more problems than we already have.

In March, area officials met with PennDOT to discuss possible solutions in the Carlisle area.

We thought it was a productive sit down, and those talks are continuing, Crochunis said.
Washington: South Korea urged the United States to help dial down tensions with the North, after Pyongyang accused President Donald Trump of declaring war.

"It is very likely that North Korea will conduct further provocations," South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha said in a speech in Washington yesterday.

"It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation... in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control."

North Korea's top diplomat said Monday that a weekend tweet by US president Donald Trump was a "declaration of war" and North Korea has the right to retaliate by shooting down US bombers, even in international airspace.

It was the latest escalation in a week of undiplomatic exchanges between North Korea and the US during the UN General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting.

Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that the United Nations and the international community have said in recent days that they didn't want "the war of words" to turn into "real action."

But he said that by tweeting that North Korea's leadership led by Kim Jong-un "won't be around much longer," Trump "declared the war on our country."

With inputs from agencies
Beijing: Terming External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's scathing attack on Islamabad at the UN as "arrogant" for being the pre-eminent terror factory, a state-run Chinese daily in a grudging admission said "there is indeed terrorism in Pakistan".

"India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?", Swaraj said in her speech at the UN General Assembly.

"We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world. But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own people apart from terrorism? We produced scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists", she said referring to terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad.

Her speech riled all weather friend of China. The official media of China termed it as "bigotry". "There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the country's national policy? What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money or honour," said an editorial in the state-run daily Global Times.

"With smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China," said the editorial titled 'India's bigotry no match for its ambition'.

It takes for granted that it should be feared by neighbours and wooed by the US and Europe. If smart enough, India should befriend China and respect Pakistan, preventing disputes from spilling over, it said.

"She was also deemed by Indian media as having taken a veiled dig at China for blocking international efforts to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar," the report said apparently referring to Beijing's blocking of India's efforts to declare Azhar as a terrorist by the UN.

The editorial also made references to the 73-day standoff between India and China at Doka La in the Sikkim section which ended on 28 August.

"India also seems to assess China's strategic hostility with its own logic: China's sound relations with Pakistan are to counter India. China's road construction in Doka La is to threaten the security of its Siliguri Corridor and China's Belt and Road initiative operates programmes with Pakistan and other South Asian countries to encircle India.

In any case, India's interests always reside at the epicenter of this logic," it said.
Jerusalem: Israeli police and medical services say an attacker has opened fire at the entrance to a town outside Jerusalem, killing three Israelis.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the attack took place early on Tuesday just outside the community of Had Adar.

There was no word yet on the identity of the attacker but Rosenfeld says it's being treated as a terrorist attack. The Magen David Adom medical service says a fourth Israeli is in critical condition.

Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and car-ramming attacks.

During that same time, Israeli forces have killed over 255 Palestinians; Israel says most of them were attackers, others died in clashes with Israeli forces. Most of the attacks have been stabbings against security forces, primarily in the West Bank.
Jerusalem: A Palestinian opened fire at Israeli security personnel at the entrance to a West Bank settlement on Tuesday, killing three and wounding another before being shot dead, police said.

"A terrorist who arrived at the rear gate of Har Adar along with Palestinian labourers entering the settlement, pulled out a weapon and opened fire at the force at the site," police said.

"Three Israelis were killed in the attack, another was wounded and the terrorist was neutralised."

Police later said the Palestinian had died of his wounds.

The wounded Israeli was admitted to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem in serious condition, the hospital said.

The incident, at a settlement northwest of Jerusalem that lies near several Palestinian villages, comes nearly two years after a wave of unrest broke out.

The violence had greatly subsided in recent months.

Since October 2015, the unrest has killed at least 295 Palestinians or Arab Israelis, 50 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP toll.

Israeli authorities say that most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks.

Others were shot dead in protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Mumbai: Former US Senator Larry Pressler said India is getting "more weight" as compared to Pakistan under the Trump administration, although the two countries were treated equally by the US in the past.

"Under the new regime of President Donald Trump, India is getting more weight than Pakistan. Earlier, both the countries were treated equally, but now the situation has changed," he said.

Pressler was speaking here at the launch of his new book: Neighbours in Arms: An American Senator's Quest for Disarmament in a Nuclear Sub-Continent.

During his speech, he dwelt on a wide range of issues, including India-Pakistan relations, China, growing tension among countries holding nuclear weapons and lobbying that is influencing the foreign policy of countries, including the US.

"An octopus-like nexus of lobbyists, arms dealers, law firms, PR and consultancy firms has been active internationally and influencing the foreign policies," Pressler said.

On the Indo-Pak relations, he said, "Pakistan was a pet state of generals in the Pentagon, more so of the arms lobby and more so of the octopus, hence was the equal treatment to India and Pakistan, despite India's reservations. We do need generals, but they needed to be controlled by the Congress."

On Pakistan's role to support the US war against terrorism and how the latter got disappointed with it, he said, "We never got any help in Afghanistan from Pakistan".

"In fact, they harboured terrorists including (Osama) Bin Laden...I have asked (the US government) to declare Pakistan as a terrorist state, equal to North Korea, a rogue state. And Trump may declare it," he said. He also said that China's continued support to Pakistan would worsen its already tense relationship with India.

"I think China is not getting anything from Pakistan. It (China) is a smart country," the former Senator from South Dakota said. Commenting on the US foreign policy, he said, "We had almost lost control over our foreign policy. The law firms had at least a law of not having clients from both the sides, but the newly-emerged consultancy firms...they do not have such a binding."

"India-China are not going to have war. China might build few roads, but it is not relying too much on Pakistan. I am not worried about China and Pakistan doing (anything serious) together. They can make loud noise," he said in response to a query.
Washington: The US has not declared war on North Korea, the White House said on Monday, in response to remarks of North Korea's top diplomat.

"Last weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer. He declared a war on our country," Ri Yong-ho, the North Korea foreign minister, was quoted as saying in media reports.

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country," Ri said, referring to Trump's tweet message on Saturday.

In response, the White House denied that the US had declared war on Pyongyang.

"We have not declared war on North Korea and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," Xinhua quoted White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders as saying.

"Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," she said.

The North Korean foreign minister also said that the country reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down US bombers even if they are not in its air space.

"Since the US declared war on our country, we will have every right to take countermeasures, including the right to shoot down US strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country," Ri said.

On Saturday, US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighter escorts flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea, the Pentagon said.

"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) any US fighter or bomber aircraft has flown" off North Korea 's coast in the 21st century, said the Pentagon, adding that the move underscored "the seriousness with which we take North Korea's reckless behaviour."

US President Donald Trump also talked tough on North Korea. In his first speech at the UN General Assembly on 19 September, Trump threatened that the US "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the country unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches.

Two days later, Trump also signed a new order to ramp up sanctions on North Korea

In response, North Korea's top leader Kim Jong Un vowed to retaliate, saying Trump "will face results beyond his expectation."

In a statement released on Friday, Kim said "I am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue," according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim also accused Trump of uttering "unprecedented rude nonsense that one has never heard from any of his predecessors," saying the threat to "totally destroy" a sovereign state has gone beyond the limit.
While the world was focussing on the ongoing war of words between North Korea and the United States, the oil-rich Latin American nation of Venezuela  another major US-baiter  seemed to have been missing in the news. However, Venezuela hit back at US president Donald Trump on Monday, accusing him of acting like "the world's emperor".

Venezuela's rebuke came after Trump took to the floor of the UN General Assembly to criticise the Latin America nation, putting it in the same league as North Korea, Syria and Iran.

"This corrupt regime destroyed a prosperous nation by imposing a failed ideology," Trump said of the socialist country, adding that the US was "prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule."

In August, the Trump administration had imposed sanctions and also threatened to militarily intervene in the oil-rich nation.

Trump's decision was influenced by the three-month long standoff in Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro announced the formation of a new National Assembly in April. The announcement triggered violent protests across the country, killing over 100 people and leading to worldwide condemnation.

However, the antagonism between the US and Venezuela has a long history to it.

The US and Venezuela established diplomatic relations in 1835, just like many other Spanish-speaking South American nations that won their freedom from the Spanish Empire.

Ties between Caracas and Washington witnessed a major turning point in the 20th Century under Theodore Roosevelt and his successor Howard Taft, who used the "big stick" policy and "dollar diplomacy" to raise US' diplomatic profile in its backyard: Latin America and the Carribeans.

During Rooselvelt's tenure, the German threat loomed large over Venezuela. After Caracas appealed to US for help, Roosevelt administration applied pressure on Germany, which helped alleviate a potential economic crisis.

Dollar diplomacy, which was aimed at furthering the United States' financial interests abroad, too helped in boosting bilateral ties between the two nations.

The twin policies were followed by the discovery of oil in Venezuela, which changed the economic dynamics of the country.

Under Juan Vicente Gomez, Venezuela embarked on a programme to exploit the newly found oil reserves. As national debt was high, Gomez opened the oil sector to foreign firms, triggering a massive investment from European and in particular US companies.

According to research, the US displaced the United Kingdom as the largest foreign investor by the 1920s. In 1930, US investment in Venezuela amounted to $247 million, while the UK's total investment stood at $124 million.

This fact is significant as oil has been the focal point of US-Venezuelan ties since the last century.

While various reports noted that ties between the two countries were smooth until the 1990s, things took a turn for the worse after the socialist leader Hugo Chavez took charge of Venezuela.

Chavez, a known US critic, took charge of the oil-rich country in 1999, won a landslide on an anti-US, pro-poor plank. Anti-Americanism is a popular ploy of socialist parties in Latin America, which has lived under the shadow of US' alleged domestic interventions since the early 20th Century.

The death of popularly elected Chilean president Salvador Allande in an US-backed military coup is still considered a watershed event in Latin America's Left-wing politics.

With such a background in place, Chavez's anti-US stance seemed a well thought-out rhetoric.

A 2005 article in the Council of Foreign Relations noted, "Chavez has upped his criticisms, calling President Bush "Mr Danger" and blaming the United States for a myriad of plots against Venezuela, including assassination attempts, a campaign to sabotage Venezuelas oil production, and plans to invade his country."

The low point in the bilateral ties came in August 2008, when Venezuela cut diplomatic ties with the US, in solidarity with Bolivia, which had expelled the US envoy over charges of abetting violence in the country. But ties were restored in 2009, with Chavez terming the development as "a new era" in relations.

However, that did not mean bilateral ties normalised. After Chavez died in 2013, his successor, Nicolas Maduro, continued the anti-Washington diatribe and also accused the US of interefering in the presidential elections.

Despite deteriorating political ties, the economic ties have remained untouched  and it largely revolves around oil.

What may come as surprise is the fact that the United States is actually the largest trade partner of Venezuela, despite several sanctions.

"Bilateral trade in goods between both countries reached $23.9 billion in 2015. US goods exports to Venezuela totaled $8.3 billion in 2015, down 25 percent from 2014. US imports from Venezuela totaled $15.6 billion, down 48 percent from 2014, due principally to the fall in oil prices," the US state department report noted.

However, the statistics mentioned are from the recent past. The Trump administration was always expected to be hostile to Caracas. This was partly due to Trump's anti-immigrant stance, and partly due to an economic reason. As Exxon Mobil's CEO, Rex Tillerson, who is now the Secretary of State, did not share a good relationship with the Venezuelean authorities. The tumultuous history between Tillerson and Venezuela was expected to spill over into the diplomatic arena.

However, economic interests can sometimes trump political tensions. As this 2017 April article in Forbes, written in the aftermath of the latest economic sanctions, noted, "Fortunately, they (US) stopped well short of real sanctions on the oil business, something which would have both crashed the Venezuelan economy entirely but also have been costly to the US itself. The point here being that the US is a major importer of that heavy Venezuelan oil."

But will oil be the panacea for the deteriorating US-Venezuela ties? This remains to be seen.

With inputs from agencies
Arbil (Iraq): Iraq's Kurds defied widespread opposition to vote Monday in a historic independence referendum, sparking fresh tensions with Baghdad, threats from Turkey and fears of unrest.

The vote in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq and some disputed areas is non-binding and will not lead automatically to independence, but is seen by the Kurds as a major step towards a long-cherished dream of statehood.

Voters flocked to the polls, eager to show off their ink-stained fingers after casting their ballots, and an overwhelming "Yes" outcome is expected.

Polling stations for the five-million electorate closed at 7:00 pm (GMT) after voting was extended for an hour. Results were expected within 24 hours, with an overwhelming "yes" vote not in doubt.

The vote took place peacefully and in a festive atmosphere, but signs of potential trouble mounted as the day progressed.

In New York, UN chief Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the "potentially destabilising effects" of the referendum.

Expressing respect for "the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq", he called for differences to be resolved through "structured dialogue and constructive compromise".

Lawmakers in Baghdad, which has declared the vote unconstitutional, demanded the government send troops to disputed areas where the referendum was taking place.

In Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkey -- which fears the effects of the vote on its own sizeable Kurdish population -- would shut its border with Iraqi Kurdistan and threatened to block key exports.

And in Kirkuk, a disputed city where the vote controversially went ahead, security forces deployed on the streets after a curfew was imposed in parts of the city.

'Day of celebration'

Soon after voting began in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil, many men headed to polling stations dressed in traditional Kurdish dress of brown shirt and billowing trousers.

"I came very early to be the first to vote for a Kurdish state," said Diyar Abubakr, 33.

"It's a day of celebration today. That's why I've put on our traditional outfit, which I bought for the occasion."

One voter even brought a cow to slaughter before the start of the referendum.

Veteran Iraqi Kurd leader Massud Barzani, who initiated the vote, smiled as he cast his ballot early in the morning, wearing a traditional headscarf.

He pushed ahead with the referendum despite the opposition from Baghdad and Ankara, but also from Iran which has its own large Kurdish minority, and Western countries who fear the vote could hamper the fight against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in which cooperation between Baghdad and the Kurds has been key.

Polling stations were scattered across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan -- Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk -- as well as in disputed border zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

A total of 12,072 polling stations were open for more than 5.3 million registered voters.

As voting progressed, Iraq's parliament ordered Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to "deploy forces" in areas disputed with the Kurds.

Asked about the risks of armed conflict, Abadi's spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told AFP: "If there are clashes in these zones, it will be the job of federal forces to apply the law."

Karim al-Nuri, a head of the Badr Brigade which forms part of the powerful Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units, suggested the group was ready to deploy to "Kirkuk and the disputed zones occupied by armed gangs, outlaws who do not respond to the army command."

Curfew in Kirkuk

Kirkuk, home to Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, has been a particular point of concern and late on Monday police said a curfew was being imposed in the centre of the city and in Arab and Turkmen areas "to ensure security, monitor the situation and protect the citizens of Kirkuk".

A senior official in Kirkuk later said the situation was stable and that the curfew would be lifted within hours. "Tomorrow will be a normal work day in Kirkuk," he said.

Abadi on Sunday pledged to take all the "necessary measures" to protect the country's unity, as his government urged all countries to deal only with it on oil transactions.

The Iraqi Kurds export an average 600,000 barrels per day through a pipeline running through Turkey to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.

Erdogan on Monday threatened to halt these lifeline oil exports, angrily denouncing an "illegitimate" referendum.

The Turkish president also said Turkey's Habur border crossing with Iraqi Kurdistan would be closed.

Tehran has also increased pressure, announcing on Sunday it had blocked all flights to and from the region at Baghdad's request.

However, the referendum sparked celebrations in the Syrian Kurdish city of Qamishli, in solidarity with their brethren across the border.

"We've been waiting for this moment for more than 100 years, to celebrate the independence of Kurdistan," said one of the revellers, Rezkar Pigeot, 40, as young Kurds sang and danced in the streets.

Left without a state of their own when the borders of the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, the Kurds see themselves as the world's largest stateless people.

The non-Arab ethnic group number between 25 and 35 million people spread across Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.
Security experts have confirmed that China has blocked popular messaging platform WhatsApp in its region. Users of WhatsApp in China have faced interruptions over the past few months as users were barred from sending or receiving images and videos, but the current ban has been confirmed to apply to text messages as well.

Nadim Kobeissi, an applied cryptographer at Symbolic Software confirmed to The New York Times in a report that the service was affected in the country and it included text messages as well. This is not the typical technical method in which the Chinese government censors something, Kobeissi said.

The cryptographer who works at a research start-up based out of Paris also added that the ban on text messages on WhatsApp could mean that China's censors have developed a specific software to interfere with these messages. According to Kobeissi, disruptions in the messaging service had begun on 20 September and was 'comprehensively' blocked on Monday, 25 September.

The country has had a history of blocking social media websites with the likes of Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and a number of Google's services. The New York Times report states that video chats and other modes of file-sharing on WhatsApp were being blocked in mid-July but text messages were allowed to be sent.

The report pointed out that despite the ban, a number of services provided by American tech companies like Microsoft's Skype continue to run, though Skype does not provide end-to-end encryption. Apple's FaceTime is also allowed which despite having end-to-end encryption, does not let secret codes to be exchanged between users which WhatsApp uses to remove the occurrence of what is termed as a 'man-in-the-middle' attack.

The Verge, in an another report cites that the Facebook-owned messaging service's use of end-to-end encryption to secure chats could be the reason behind the ban, while it also coincides with the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Existing chat services in China like WeChat are pledged to provide the Chinese government user personal data which could be a reason that allowed WhatsApp to be picked on. WeChat with 963 million active users, however, would look to thrive on the ban as WhatsApp was one of its few remaining competitors in the Chinese market.

Perils of reporting on censorship in China: A day after everyone reported WhatApp was blocked, it appears to be working again.  Josh Chin  (@joshchin) September 26, 2017

There are hints, however, that the ban could be a temporary one as Josh Chin, a political reporter for the Wall Street Journal in Beijing, updated on the ban stating that the messaging service is supposedly back up. The reporter took to his Twitter handle to inform followers, a morning after it was reportedly banned.
HARRISBURG  The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday revived legislation that emerged last year as then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump urged his supporters to watch the heavily Democratic bastion of Philadelphia closely for cheating at the polls on Election Day.

The Republican-controlled chamber voted 106-91 to allow a registered voter from anywhere in Pennsylvania to be appointed as a poll watcher in any election district. Every Democrat opposed the bill, along with 13 Republicans, mostly from southeastern Pennsylvania where Trump is particularly unpopular.

Currently, a poll watcher must be registered to vote in the same county, and the proposed change raised objections from the bill's opponents that it would inspire a flood of agitators to show up and create friction at polling places.

Its fate in the GOP-controlled Senate is uncertain, and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf did not immediately say Tuesday whether he would support or block the measure.

In floor comments, Rep. Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, criticized the bill as being inspired by Trump's "outrageous and outlandish" campaign-trail allegations about voter fraud, and said he worried that it would enable intimidation and harassment at polls that threaten elections.

The sponsor, Rep. Rick Saccone, R-Allegheny County, said his bill had nothing to do with Trump's claims.

Saccone  a staunch Trump supporter who is running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate next year  said it is a good-government measure that can help ensure that polling places are secure.

It can help supply poll watchers for candidates in areas where their party members are relatively scarce, he said, and it gets around what Saccone called an "arbitrary" restriction on a registered voter to serve as a poll watcher outside their county of residence.

The current law prevents poll watchers from working in some parts of a legislative district that cross county lines, Saccone said.

"There's a lot of misperception out there that these people could be intimidating or disrupt the process," Saccone said. "They're not allowed by law."

Poll watchers are not allowed to interact with voters, but can report perceived election irregularities at a polling place to a judge of elections stationed there.
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This week in industry news, Swiss flavor house Firmenich accelerated its efforts toward becoming carbon neutral in its operations by 2025. General Mills became the first... Read More
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The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of ones country deep enough to call her to a higher plain.  Sen. George McGovern (D-SD)

Filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick have performed a vital public service in making their documentary The Vietnam War for PBS. Given the division that war caused in America, it is a pretty fair chronicling of the way things were half a century ago. The film brought back a lot of mostly bad memories to people of my generation.

Chief among them was the unfairness of those drafted to fight. The film notes a disproportionate number of African Americans were taken from inner cities. I saw that in my company at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where the few white men, besides me, were poor West Virginians.

I had recently flunked out of my freshman year at American University and was listed as 1A, prime draft material. Those who remained in college or those who suddenly discovered an interest in The Almighty and enrolled in divinity school, remained deferred. A woman I knew at the draft board called to say my number was about to come up and urged me to make arrangements.

I was working as a copyboy at NBC News in Washington at the time and I asked the Pentagon correspondent if he knew someone I could speak to about a good assignment. He did and I wound up fighting communists with Armed Forces Radio in New York. Few others had such connections, which was also unfair to them. I was from a conservative family that was supposed to hate communists, but the Vietnam War, even in the mid-60s, increasingly appeared to me more like Custers last stand, not World War II.

The film notes the failure of generals and politicians at all levels. John F. Kennedy was concerned that pulling advisers from Vietnam might hurt his re-election chances in 1964. After his assassination, Lyndon Johnson had the same concern, and listened to generals trained in World War II tactics, which were wrong for Vietnam.

When Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara wrote a private memo to LBJ in 1967, expressing his belief that the war could not be won, Johnson shuffled him off to the World Bank. It would be two decades before McNamara spoke publicly about his doubts and confessed his misjudgments, too late for the nearly 60,000 noble and faithful patriots who were killed fighting what they were told was a war to stop the spread of communism.

Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D-MN), who challenged Johnson for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination and eventually forced him from the race, gave a speech in Chicago on December 2, 1967, that sounded like surrender to America: love it or leave it supporters of the war, but in hindsight it rings true.

A war which is not defensible even in military terms, which runs contrary to the advice of our greatest generals  Eisenhower, Ridgway, Bradley, and MacArthur  all of whom admonished us against becoming involved in a land war in Asia. Events have proved them right, as estimate after estimate as to the time of success and the military commitment necessary to success has had to be revised  always upward: more troops, more extensive bombing, a widening and intensification of the war. Extension and intensification have been the rule, and projection after projection of success have been proved wrong.

Again, the bravery of our military was never in doubt, but misjudgments by egomaniacal politicians are the real lessons of Vietnam. Current and future generations should watch this documentary and learn from the lessons of Vietnam, which, as evidenced by more recent wars, we apparently have not yet fully internalized.
President Trump said Tuesday that he plans to visit Puerto Rico next week, as the U.S. territory desperately struggles to hang on after not one, but two massive hurricanes hit the island in less than a month, leaving millions of residents without power, shelter and clean drinking water.

There is food coming [but] its a little bit slow. The logistic process of delivery is [a] little bit harder because we lost telecom and energy, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello told FOX Business Melissa Francis on Monday. The problem right now is the air traffic control has been very limited, to give you a sense, it is about 20% of what normal air traffic control [is] to Puerto Rico because some towers are limited. Notwithstanding, it is critical we get those resources.

Making a dire situation even worse, one of its dams is on the verge of collapse. Rossello said the island was on the brink of a humanitarian crisis.

Trump tweeted about the devastation late Monday saying,Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble. It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well. #FEMA.

Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

...It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well. #FEMA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

Norman Bristol Colon, special assistant to Pennsylvanias Secretary of State, whose family is currently living in Puerto Rico and who was born and raised there, tells FOX Business that the island desperately needs funds from the U.S. to get residents back on their feet.

The island needs an injection of dollars to restart its economic engine and for these funds to go directly to buy whats left of goods after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. The Port Authority needs to open its ports and airports for relief to arrive and assistance in the clean up efforts. The assistance of medical professionals is crucial to ensure that in the days to come, there is not a break of any epidemics related to flooding. The infrastructure for electric, water and telephone service is priority to begin the process of normalizing government operations so services can be assessed and delivered to the thousands of individuals affected by this natural catastrophe. We need Congress and the federal government to support what is anticipated to be a long, difficult journey for the island and its citizens, Colon says.

Before the latest storm hit, the country was already suffering a 10-year recession and owed billions of dollars to investors. Earlier this year, the country filed for a form of bankruptcy after years of borrowing money to cover budget deficits. The former governor declared its $70 billion in public debt load unpayable, which has prompted an independent investigation into its financial disclosures.

Puerto Rico Econ Woes

Storm Costs: ~$30B+

May: record bankruptcy

Debt: $74B

Pension liability: $49B

Unemployment: 10.1%

Poverty: 45.5% pic.twitter.com/5h92Bv6kev  Fox News Research (@FoxNewsResearch) September 21, 2017

Early estimates say overall damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria will cost about $30 billion, Enki Research reports. But some economists say that while the country was already on a downward spiral before the latest catastrophes, the current devastation may help to loosen creditors grip on the country to help them get back to normalcy.

You cant squeeze water out a turnip, Nobel-Prize winning economist and professor at Columbia University Joseph Eugene Stiglitz tells FOX Business. The bottom line is [Puerto Rico] is going to need a massive amount of help. Without relief from bondholders or from the federal government, they are going to continue on their downward spiral which means for the creditors that they would be better giving them more debt relief because in the future, it will have to come. They are not going to be able to repay anything back.

Jose Antonio Ocampo, professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University who served as Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations, agrees, saying he believes the hurricanes have now increased the proportion of debt that should be written-off.

All will depend on how much the U.S. supports [Puerto Rico] in the reconstruction of the major damages incurred by the island, he tells FOX Business.

Stiglitz adds that not only is a very large haircut needed among creditors, it is imperative that the federal government give them relief and mentor it with what they are giving other parts of the country that have been also hit, like Houston.

If they dont get those additional funds from the government, it just means the education systemwhich is already being strangledwill prevent the countrys ability to return to normalcy. Anything that can be cut will be cut now, he says.

Arthur Gonzalez, former chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York and NYUs Senior Fellow, tells FOX Business that its simply too early to tell what impact [the hurricanes] may have on [Puerto Ricos] debt crisis. The focus now is on the recovery efforts to ensure the health and safety of the people of Puerto Rico, he says.
Qatar Airways on Tuesday announced an order for two Boeing (NYSE:BA) 747-8 Freighters and four 777-300ERs, valued at $2.16 billion at list prices.

The airline received the first of its 747-8 Freighters on Monday at Boeings manufacturing plant in Everett, Wash. The order for the new jets will add to Qatars current fleet of nearly 100 Boeing widebody aircraft, in addition to its other fleet of Boeing jets.

We are very appreciative of our enduring partnership with Boeing, as it is key to our future growth, and we look forward to continuing to work with this important U.S. partner, Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said in a statement.

Last year, the Middle Eastern air carrier ordered 30 787-9 Dreamliners and 10 777-300ERs, valued at $11.7 billion. The airline also has an order for 60 777X jets, of which Qatar is a launch customer.

Qatars announcement comes as the airline still faces a blockade by its Gulf region neighbors. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties with the airlines home countryincluding halting air trafficover its alleged support of terror groups, which is expected to cost the airline this year.

In June, Qatar was named Airline of the Year at the Paris Air Show by Skytrax, an air carrier ratings organization.
Tax reform has been a major component of the Trump administration's domestic policy agenda, and after numerous distractions, the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill are starting to talk more seriously about the Trump tax plan and potential ways to achieve the goal of bolstering economic growth. Yet one fundamental obstacle to tax reform remains the difference in priorities between the two major political parties.

With that in mind, those who demand action from the government are looking for constructive ways to combine policy agendas from Republicans and Democrats. One particularly revolutionary plan combines a wide variety of elements from tax policy leaders and lawmakers from both parties into a single proposal. Even though it includes several controversial components, analysis from the Tax Foundation suggests that the plan might stand a better chance than other proposals of cutting the tax burden on middle-income earners while also reducing corporate tax rates and keeping overall revenue levels close to unchanged.

A wild mix of tax proposals

The plan as described by the Tax Foundation comes from several sources. Columbia Law School Professor Michael Graetz is one of the foremost experts on tax law, and the plan borrows elements of the Graetz Tax Plan. At the same time, Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Republican Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) have also put forward their own proposals from which the plan draws certain ideas.

Among the key components of the plan are:

A reduction in corporate income tax rates from 35% to 15%.

Consolidation of personal income tax rates into three brackets of 10%, 25%, and 38%.

Increase in the standard deduction to $50,000 for singles, $75,000 for heads of household, and $100,000 for joint filers.

Elimination of personal exemptions and most itemized deductions. The plan would provide new child tax credits and work credits, and it would retain deductions for mortgage interest, charitable donations, and state and local taxes.

Ordinary income taxation for all investment income, including both dividends and capital gains.

Elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax, along with limitations on itemized deductions and the net investment income tax.

A new 13% value-added consumption tax.

It's that last plank of the plan that is the most controversial. Many people see value-added taxes as the worst possible outcome, borrowing a framework that is extremely popular in Europe and yet runs counter to the spirit of consumption in the U.S. economy. However, the tax encourages exports by leaving them free of the tax, even as imports would be subject to the value-added charge.

The plan would add 3.2% to long-run gross domestic product, according to the analysis, while being roughly revenue-neutral. Most importantly, it would make the tax system more progressive, benefiting the bottom 20% of taxpayers the most and reducing the tax burden on the bottom 90% of taxpayers by between 0.2% and 1.5%. Meanwhile, the top 1% of taxpayers would pay more in taxes under the plan.

Could this crazy plan fly?

As with most tax proposals, there's plenty of room for opposition from both sides of the aisle. Neither side gets everything that they want under the proposal. Republicans have to deal with a fairly high 38% tax rate on upper-income taxpayers, and the higher taxation on investment income is a non-starter among many. Meanwhile, Democrats worry about the regressive potential of a value-added tax, even if incentives elsewhere in the tax structure would more than offset those negative impacts. If lawmakers focus solely on each individual line item used in the plan, then they'll never be able to muster the support necessary to pass it.

Looking at the overall nature of the deal offers a different perspective. Any compromise proposal will invariably include provisions that are unfavorable from one point of view, but if the benefits outweigh those problem areas, then they're a good incentive to strive toward meaningful reform. Meanwhile, the one thing on which lawmakers can unquestionably agree is that forward action of some sort is necessary in order to restore the confidence of the American public in the way that its federal government can get work done.

Watch out

It's unlikely that the White House will include provisions from this tax plan in its own proposal. Lawmakers, though, could seek to avoid further drawn-out proceedings by finding a middle ground. In the grand scheme of Washington, D.C. politics, a plan including major tax cuts funded by a value-added tax could be a reasonable compromise for those willing to make concessions in order to win key tax policy victories.

The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

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"Obamacare" lives on.

Senate Republicans, short of votes, abandoned their latest and possibly final attempt to kill the health care law Tuesday, just ahead of a critical end-of-the-week deadline.

The repeal-and-replace bill's authors promised to try again at a later date, while President Donald Trump railed against "certain so-called Republicans" who opposed the GOP effort. But for now, Trump and fellow Republicans who vowed for seven years to abolish President Barack Obama's law will leave it standing and turn their attention to overhauling the nation's tax code instead.

The GOP's predicament was summed up bluntly by Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a lead author of the legislation: "Through events that are under our control and not under our control, we don't have the votes."

"Am I disappointed? Absolutely," he said after a GOP lunch attended by Vice President Mike Pence.

Standing alongside Cassidy, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said: "We haven't given up on changing the American health care system. We are not going to be able to do that this week, but it still lies ahead of us."

"We do think it's time to turn to our twin priority, reforming the tax code," McConnell said.

There was much talk of returning to the repeal effort later, but not all Republican senators were putting on that brave face.

Sen John Kennedy of Louisiana described the bill as "dead as a doornail."

The bill Cassidy co-authored with Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina would have unraveled the central elements of Obama's law, including the requirement for Americans to carry health insurance or pay fines, and offered block grants to states to design their own systems with less federal control.

Republicans are also strongly in agreement on a need for action on overhauling the loophole-ridden U.S. tax code, and hope that if they also succeed in getting Americans a tax cut, their failure on health care will be forgiven.

Yet they began the health care effort with unanimity, too, up until the devilish details began to emerge and divide them as they pursued a partisan effort against united Democratic opposition.

Much the same could happen on taxes, where Republicans are at the beginning of the process, with plans to unveil a blueprint on Wednesday.

On health care, the urgency confronting the GOP this week lay in special budget rules that protected the legislation from a Democratic filibuster, allowing the Republicans to pass it with just 50 votes, plus a tie-breaker from Pence, instead of the 60 often required. Those special rules expire Sept. 30.

Even with that advantage McConnell had little room for error given his slim 52-48 vote majority in the 100-member Senate. And as in July, when Arizona Sen. John McCain cast a dramatic late-night thumbs down to kill the previous repeal bill, McConnell was unable to corral the 50 "Ayes."

In addition to McCain, moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced her opposition, as did conservative Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Several other senators were skeptical or undeclared, among them Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who waited until McConnell had conceded defeat Tuesday to issue a statement criticizing "a lousy process" on the legislation.

A full analysis of the legislation was never completed by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, contributing to critics' complaints of a rushed process, but independent experts warned that millions could lose coverage, states could relax existing requirements, and coverage could end up being unaffordable for many, including people with pre-existing conditions.

That last element drew attention from late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, who got involved in the health debate in April after his son was born with a heart defect. He was outspoken on his ABC show in denouncing the bill and accusing Cassidy of lying about it. On Tuesday Kimmel tweeted a photo of his smiling baby son and wrote, "Thanks to all who stood up and spoke out from this happy guy and his less-fortunate friends #GoodbyeGrahamCassidy."

The legislation also would have cut $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade, prompting angry protesters in wheelchairs to descend on the one hearing held on the bill, on Monday, chanting "No cuts to Medicaid! Save our liberty!" Dozens were pulled out and arrested as cameras captured the striking scene.

For Trump, the failure added one more justification for his ongoing grudge against McConnell, and provided another reason to turn his back on Republicans and make deals with Democrats instead, as he's begun to do of late. Indeed, he said in a private bipartisan meeting of House Ways and Means members Tuesday that he would work with Democrats on health care if the Republicans "didn't get repeal done," according to Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., who was present.

Neal quoted Trump as saying, "You get a better deal if it's bipartisan."

Graham insisted that despite Tuesday's failure, Republicans would return to the health issue after disposing of taxes. But even under the optimistic assumption that Republicans will pass tax legislation in the coming months, Graham's timeline would put the next health care debate into the 2018 congressional campaign season, and that would be unlikely to improve the bill's chances.

It's unclear how the collapse of the GOP's latest repeal effort will affect Americans' 2018 sign-up season for subsidized private health policies under the Affordable Care Act.

Wednesday is the deadline for insurers to finalize 2018 contracts. Uncertainty over whether the Trump administration will continue to pay monthly subsidies for assistance with copays and deductibles has been blamed for driving up next year's premiums.

Earlier this month senators launched a bipartisan effort to try to stabilize premiums for next year, but that was put on hold as Republicans pursued repeal. Talks are resuming, but it's unclear if they can succeed, particularly since feelings are raw on both sides.

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Ken Thomas and Marcy Gordon contributed to this report.
 



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Brexit talks haven't yet made sufficient progress to begin negotiating a new relationship between Britain and the European Union, European Council President Donald Tusk said Tuesday. But Tusk said he's now "cautiously optimistic" about the way ahead.

After meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May in London, Tusk said he believed Britain had finally abandoned its unrealistic "having a cake and eating it" approach to Brexit.

Britain triggered a two-year countdown to leaving the EU in March, but since then talks have made little progress. Negotiators are meeting in Brussels this week for a fourth round of discussions, as EU officials warn Britain that time is running out.

Britain is keen to start discussing future trade and security relations with the bloc, a move that would alleviate some of the uncertainty rattling the British economy. But EU officials say those talks can't happen until there has been "sufficient progress" on the terms of the divorce.

In a bid to break the logjam, May made a conciliatory speech Friday in Florence, Italy, saying the U.K. would be willing to pay into EU coffers during a two-year transition phase after it formally leaves the bloc in March 2019.

Tusk said Tuesday he felt Britain had finally abandoned an unrealistic belief that it could leave the EU while keeping all the advantages of membership.

"I feel cautiously optimistic about the constructive and more realistic tone in the prime minister's speech in Florence and of our discussion today," Tusk said after meeting May at 10 Downing St.

"There is no sufficient progress yet, but we will work on it," he added.

Other EU officials also gave a cautious welcome to May's speech, but said more details are needed. Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Monday he was "keen and eager" to understand how May's words would be turned into a negotiating strategy.

May's office said the Florence speech had been intended to create momentum in the talks and "it was important for EU negotiators to now respond in the same spirit."

The EU insists it won't discuss future relationships until it has guarantees on Britain's outstanding financial commitments, on the rights of more than 4 million EU and British citizens affected by Brexit and on the status of the Irish border.

EU leaders are to assess at an Oct. 19-20 meeting whether Britain has made "sufficient progress" on the divorce arrangements for negotiations to move on. It's likely they will decide it's too soon and will reassess the decision in December.

In another sign of Britain's more conciliatory tone, U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tried to reassure eastern Europeans that they will remain welcome. Brexit will end the automatic right of EU nationals to live and work in the U.K., and that has left many of the 3 million EU citizens in Britain worried for their futures.

Johnson told Romania's Agerpres news agency that the estimated 500,000 Romanians currently in Britain are "hugely valued members of our society."

"We would be crazy to let them go back to Romania, we want to ensure ... their rights are protected," said Johnson, who is on a visit to the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia.

Johnson also seemed to have changed his tune since July, when he said the EU could "go whistle" if it wanted a big exit payment from Britain.

"We're putting some money on the table," Johnson said, adding that Britain would "continue to honor our commitments" to the EU.

___

Alison Mutler in Bucharest, Romania, contributed to this story.
Retail giant Target (NYSE:TGT) on Monday announced its intention to increase its hourly minimum wage to $15 by the end of 2020, a decision one analyst said other retailers may not feel too much pressure to follow.

[Fifteen dollars per hour is] a big movement higher and I think the challenge is we dont have any idea what the employment markets are going to look like in 2020, Scott Mushkin, senior retail analyst and managing director at Wolfe Research, told FOX Business. If I was running a business, I dont know if I would rush to match that intention. I wouldnt have even advised Target to make that announcement.

Target will raise its hourly minimum wage to $11 next month and then to $15 by the end of 2020, a move the company said will allow it to both recruit and retain strong team members. The pay increase will apply to all 100,000 seasonal employees who will be hired to work the holiday season.

While the $11 minimum wage hike this year might be in line with labor market trends, the telegraphed move higher is aggressive and costly, Mushkin said, adding the company will also have to raise other employees salaries in line with the shift.

However, Mushkin noted that in the near-term, consumer trends are putting pressure on companies across all industries to be competitive in order to attract low-skilled workers from a shrinking pool of candidates. That is why some executives from other industries are happy the decision is company-specific, as opposed to federally mandated.

My first response is this is a much better reason to go to $15 per hour than to have the government mandating it, Patrick Sugrue, CEO of restaurant chain Saladworks, told FOX Business. The reality for an industry like ours in the restaurant business where 20 to 25 cents of every dollar of revenue goes to employee costs  it has a much more significant impact on our [profits and losses].

Although Sugrue said there is some overlap between the employees the restaurant and retail industries compete for, he believes the higher labor-related costs in his industry make it unlikely restaurants will start following Targets lead. However, ultimately that decision will be up to the free market, he said.

I think we have to assess  how competitive were going to need to be and let the market determine where the overall wage rate lands, Sugrue said.
Greece is under a news blackout after the country's biggest press union called a 24-hour strike to protest the feared closure of a special health care fund for media employees.

No news programs are being broadcast Tuesday and websites aren't renewing their news content, while newspapers won't be published Wednesday.

The Athens Journalists' Union is pressing for assistance from the government and media companies to help keep the troubled fund afloat.

Greece's news media have been hard hit by the country's financial crisis, which caused a sharp drop in advertising revenues and subscriptions, and unemployment is high among journalists.

The strike ends 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Too much of a good thing can be, well, too much. Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD) has been chugging down so many pint-sized craft breweries that it is giving itself a bad hangover from the binge, and now it's fired 90% of its high-end craft beer salespeople.

Having acquired 10 craft breweries over the past few years, each with its own sales force, a national distribution giant like Anheuser-Busch might find the positions superfluous and the jobs expendable. Along with the 380 people let go in the great purge, the high-end craft beer division is also undergoing a reorganization. The division's president told Forbes A-B wasn't going to be making further acquisitions in the space, but rather would grow its portfolio organically.

That's certainly the most favorable spin to put on it, and there is more than a grain of truth to the assertion. But having gobbled up so many craft brewers in such a short time span, A-B InBev may have drunk its fill: Buying more breweries at this point will mean diminishing returns.

A beer binge hangover

There can be no question there is a blowback building up in the craft beer industry over the continued buyouts by megabreweries and sellouts by craft breweries. Case in point: Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ), which paid $1 billion for Ballast Point Brewing, just had to take an $87 million impairment charge on the value of the brewery's trademarks. It said it noticed some negative trends with the brand, as well as in the craft beer industry as a whole, and the $223 million carrying value of Ballast Point's trademarks had to be written down to a new, lower fair market value of $136 million.

Part of those "negative trends" was the failure of newly introduced products to catch on, which signals a deeper problem. One of the arguments used by the megabrewers when scooping up these small, regional brands is their ability to bring the specialty beer to a wider national audience. Yet it's entirely possible that a brewer that is popular in a niche, regional market may not be able to make that transition to other parts of the country. San Diego-based Ballast Point just might not resonate as well in, say, Bangor, Maine.

Taking mass craft in a new direction

Anheuser-Busch isn't giving up on craft beer -- that's for certain. In the interview with Forbes, the president of its high-end division pointed to its opening a Latin-themed craft beer brand and brewpub in Miami called Veza Sur. The brewpub is a joint effort between A-B's 10 Barrel Brewing, which it bought in 2014, and Bogota Beer, a Colombian brewer that A-B acquired when it bought SABMiller, which at the time owned 99% of the Colombian beer market.

Because the brewpub won't be immediately recognizable as being owned by Anheuser-Busch, it will serve to further confuse the difference between true craft beer and mass craft, and amounts to an attempt to further ameliorate concerns about the acquisitiveness of mass brewers.

It is part of a strategy A-B began last year when it opened a Goose Island Vintage Ale House in London and announced plans to open a string of the craft-beer-inspired pubs based on the Goose Island brand, which itself began as a brewpub in Chicago in 1988. The beer giant has also acquired craft brewers, like Wicked Weed, that have their own brewpubs operating.

It's clear Anheuser-Busch InBev has had its fill of buying craft beers, but the brewpub scheme suggests it is returning to its approach of trying to create its own "craft-y" brands (as it did with Shock Top), but also indicates there is a limit to how far mass brewers can grow in craft beer simply by buying up the industry.

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The Latest on Brexit negotiations (all times local):

2:15 p.m.

European Council President Donald Tusk says Brexit talks haven't yet made sufficient progress to move on to the second stage desired by Britain.

But Tusk says he is "cautiously optimistic" that the divorce negotiations can move forward.

After meeting British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday, Tusk said he believed Britain had finally abandoned an unrealistic "having a cake and eating it" approach to leaving the EU.

Britain wants to start discussing future relations with the bloc, but EU officials say that can't happen until sufficient progress has been made on the terms of the divorce.

In a bid to break the logjam, May said last week that the U.K. would be willing to pay into EU coffers during a two-year transition phase after Brexit in March 2019.

Tusk said Tuesday at Downing Street "there is not sufficient progress yet, but we will work on it."

___

11 a.m.

Britain's foreign secretary says his government will ensure the rights of Romanians living in Britain are protected after Brexit  though he didn't give details.

Boris Johnson said the 500,000 Romanians currently in Britain are "hugely valued members of our society," and that "we would be crazy to let them go back to Romania" in an interview published Tuesday by Romanian national news agency Agerpres.

The rights of Europeans living in Britain are one of the key issues in the talks over Britain's exit from the European Union.

Johnson, who's on a two-day visit to the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia, said Britain wants to continue attracting talented, ambitious and innovative people after Brexit.

___

9:15 a.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to meet with the president of the European Council as she tries to break the deadlock in negotiations on leaving the European Union.

May holds talks Tuesday with Donald Tusk amid the fourth round of Brexit negotiations in Brussels. The meeting comes just days after May proposed a two-year transition period to smooth Britain's departure from the bloc.

EU negotiator Michel Barnier says he is "eager" to understand how May's speech will be turned into a negotiating strategy. The EU wants guarantees on financial commitments, citizens' rights and the Irish border before discussing future trade relationships.

Brexit Secretary David Davis says the UK is "committed" to reaching a solution and "there are no excuses for standing in the way of progress."
The Latest on the Republican effort to overhaul the Obama health law (all times local):

7 p.m.

Senate Republicans have conceded defeat on their last-ditch effort to repeal and replace "Obamacare."

The bill's authors acknowledge they don't have the votes ahead of a critical deadline at the end of this week.

President Donald Trump is slamming 'certain so-called Republicans' and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the focus will now turn to tax reform.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a sponsor of the latest, last-ditch effort, says Republicans are going to fulfill the promise they've made to voters and the GOP base for the past seven years.

___

2:39 p.m.

Senate Republicans are insisting they won't give up on repealing and replacing the Obama health care law even as they abandoned plans for a vote this week.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters after a closed-door luncheon in which the GOP decided not to hold the vote: "We haven't given up on changing the American health care system. We aren't going to be able to do it this week."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a sponsor of the latest, last-ditch effort, said Republicans are going to fulfill the promise they've made to voters and the GOP base for the past seven years.

But it was clear that the GOP is moving on to the next complicated legislative priority. McConnell said: "Where we go from here is tax reform."

____

2:05 p.m.

Senate Republicans will not vote this week on the latest, last-ditch effort to repeal and replace Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.

That's the word from senators as they emerged from a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona shook his head and said "no" when asked about plans for a vote.

The setback marks the end for the latest drive to overturn the law, a promise the GOP has made to voters for seven years.

The latest iteration of the bill was sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham, but opposition from at least three Republican senators in the narrowly-divided Senate sunk the measure's chances. Democrats were unified in their opposition.

____

11:52 a.m.

A new analysis finds that 34 states and Washington, D.C., would lose money under the newest version of the Republican health care bill.

This is despite last-minute changes to the legislation.

Overall, states would get $205 billion less in federal health care money from 2020-2026, according to the analysis from consulting firm Avalere Health, which was released Tuesday.

States that expanded Medicaid to cover low-income adults, as well as those where lots of residents have signed up for subsidized private health insurance, were more likely to be losers under the Graham-Cassidy bill.

The latest changes soften the magnitude of the funding shifts, but the end result remains similar.

Half the 30 states President Donald Trump won last year would lose money.

Losses would grow over time. Sixteen states would gain money.

____

11 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he's "disappointed in certain so-called Republicans" who have opposed the latest GOP attempt to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Trump tells reporters at the White House that "we'll see what happens" on whether the Senate will vote on the plan, which has suffered from Republican defections.

Trump says he's "very disappointed by a couple of senators," adding, "We don't know why they did it."

The president says "at some point there will be a repeal and replace" of the health care law. But Republican leaders in the Senate are conceding that their prospects for repealing the law are dismal.

____

10:40 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the partisan debate over the country's health care system will "certainly continue."

The Kentucky Republican spoke as he tries to decide whether to hold a vote on the latest GOP bill repealing President Barack Obama's law. That measure seems almost certain to be defeated if a roll call were held.

The Republican legislation would transform much "Obamacare" spending into grants states could spend on health programs with few constraints.

McConnell called that proposal a "stark contrast" to a plan by Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders. That measure is backed by many Democrats and would create government-run health insurance.

McConnell says Sanders' plan would "rip" health insurance from people. He called the issue an important debate and said, "It's one that we'll certainly continue."

____

9:35 a.m.

The White House says it believes a Senate health care bill that appears headed for defeat is "still good legislation."

Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the White House is "fully committed" to improving the health care system and that the Senate bill would do that.

With no Democratic support expected, three "no" votes from Republicans would appear to doom the bill. Republicans control 52 Senate seats and Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky have said they will not vote for the bill.

Sanders held out hope that opposing lawmakers might change their minds, or that undecided senators  like Lisa Murkowski of Alaska  will support it.

Senate Republican leaders have conceded that prospects for passing the measure this week appear dismal.

____

3:43 a.m.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins' decision to oppose the GOP push to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul leaves the effort all but dead. Even party leaders concede that their prospects are dismal.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 3 GOP Senate leader, says reviving the push would be a heavy lift.

Thune made the comment after Collins joined a small but pivotal cluster of Republicans saying they're against the measure.

GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas are also against the legislation, though Cruz aides say he might back it if changes are made. Alaska's Lisa Murkowski is a Republican who's undecided.

With their narrow Senate majority, defections by three GOP senators would doom the bill.
The people of Puerto Rico are Americans. And they are in desperate trouble.

We try to avoid hyperbole, exaggeration. But the word "desperate" is relevant here.

Puerto Rico is an island of 3.5 million people. It is virtually cut off from the mainland. The airport in San Juan can only handle a few flights a day. Thousands are stranded. There is no power grid, and it won't come back for months. Because of that, the water supply has failed.

Eighty-percent of the island's crops were destroyed by Hurricanes Irma and Jose. Food is very scarce.

Schools are closed. Only a few ATMs are functioning. Same with gas stations.

In short, this is a life-threatening situation and American citizens are in deep trouble.

What to do? The good news is that FEMA is there and organizing, and so too is the military. They are best-placed to get the relief effort moving.

But then, money will be requiredlots of it. Remember, Puerto Rico is bankrupt and now devastated. We are surely talking tens of billions of dollars. Coming on top of the big bills for Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida, that kind of money will be contentious. And it will add to the already exploding deficit.

Talk about bad timing. The president and Congress are locked in a political battle over taxes and healthcare and a budget.

In the middle of a humanitarian crisis, Puerto Rico and its 3.5 million Americans, are in dire need now.
The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to be grilled by Congress on Tuesday over a 2016 hack of the regulator's corporate filing system that has shaken investor confidence in its cyber defenses.

The hearing by the Senate Banking Committee, which had been scheduled prior to the disclosure of the breach last Wednesday, will offer lawmakers, companies and investors the first opportunity to hear from SEC chief Jay Clayton on the incident. The SEC has so far provided no additional public information.

Clayton originally had been scheduled to discuss capital market reform at his first hearing before the committee since being formally appointed in May, but his pro-growth agenda is likely to eclipsed by the breach of the SEC's EDGAR database, Congressional sources said.

Wall Streets top regulator came under fire last week after disclosing that hackers might have used information stolen from EDGAR, which houses millions of market-sensitive corporate disclosures such as earnings releases, for insider trading.

"When we learn a year after the fact that the SEC had its own breach and that it likely led to illegal stock trades, it raises questions about why the SEC seems to have swept this under the rug," Senator Sherrod Brown, the ranking Democratic member of the committee, will ask Clayton, according to prepared remarks seen by Reuters.

"What else are we not being told, what other information is at risk, and what are the consequences?" Brown will ask. "How can you expect companies to do the right thing when your agency has not?"

CYBER-PREPAREDNESS IN FOCUS

Reuters reported on Monday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service have launched investigations into the breach, which occurred in October 2016 and appeared to have been routed through servers in Eastern Europe. The breach appeared to have been one of several cyber incidents documented by the SEC in recent months, Reuters reported.

Clayton said in prepared testimony released by the committee on Monday that he only learned about the 2016 hack in August and that the SEC's enforcement staff and inspector general's office have launched internal probes.

The regulator reported the breach to the Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team when it was first discovered, Clayton said in the testimony, adding the regulator plans to hire more cyber security experts.

Clayton said in his prepared remarks that the hack was possibly the result of a defect in the EDGAR software and said that personally identifiable information did not appear to have been put at risk.

He said the SEC was still determining the extent and impact of the breach and that it could take "substantial time" to complete. Clayton said he was limited in what he could say publicly given the ongoing review.

Even so, Clayton is expected to be quizzed on Tuesday about the SEC's broader cyber-preparedness and on the activity of a new cyber unit, announced by the SEC Monday evening, that the regulator said will target cyber-related misconduct including market manipulation.

The committee is also expected to ask about the robustness of the SEC's current guidelines requiring public companies to disclose material cyber breaches to investors.

The committee wrote to Clayton on Monday asking whether the guidelines, first drawn up in 2011, should be updated in light of heightened cyber risks underscored by the Equifax Inc breach in which hackers stole personal data of about 143 million customers of the credit reporting firm.

"Right now the SEC needs to do more, and it needs to make sure the companies it regulates do better," Brown will say.

(Reporting by Michelle Price; Editing by Leslie Adler)
U.S. senators from both parties on Tuesday grilled the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission  the agency responsible for policing Wall Street  on its handling of a 2016 data breach that was disclosed only last week.

The hack breached the SEC's system for handling corporate filings intended for investors, known as EDGAR. That has raised concerns that the hackers may have gained advance looks at filings and engaged in insider trading.

The SEC's disclosure also followed a much larger breach at credit reporting firm Equifax that exposed sensitive personal information belonging to 143 million Americans. Lawmakers also blasted Equifax executives for their delay in disclosing the hack, even as some executives sold shares in the company. Equifax's CEO stepped down Tuesday.

"I was disturbed to learn that the SEC suffered a cyber-breach of its EDGAR system in 2016, but did not notify the public, or even all of its commissioners, until it was discovered during your recent review," Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton told the committee that the incident "concerns me deeply" and added that he has ordered an investigation by the agency's inspector general. On Monday the SEC said it had created a new cyber unit that will target market manipulation, hacking and dark-web operatives.

Clayton said he became aware of the attack in August, months after becoming chairman in May. But he couldn't say when the hack occurred or when an investigation into the breach would be completed.

He also said he couldn't guarantee "that this was the only breach that we had."

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, acknowledged that the breach occurred before Clayton took office. But he slammed the chairman for not revealing it more quickly.

"When we learn a year after the fact that the SEC had its own breach and that it likely led to illegal stock trades, it raises questions about why the SEC seems to have swept this under the rug," Brown said. "Of course this breach took place under your predecessor, but the disclosure, or lack thereof, is all yours."

Brown and other senators also expressed outrage about how Equifax handled its breach, which it didn't disclose until six weeks after discovering it.

Three Equifax executives sold shares worth a combined $1.8 million before the company revealed it had been hacked. Equifax says the executives were unaware of the breach prior to the stock sales.

Clayton refused to comment when asked if executives at Equifax engaged in insider trading when they sold their shares. He did not confirm or deny that the SEC was investigating the issue.

However, he opened the door to potentially forcing the executives to return the proceeds of the stock sales, if the company's six-week delay in disclosing the breach is found to be improper. Equifax's stock is down more than 26 percent since the company disclosed the hack after the close of trading on Wall Street on Sept. 7.

Under questioning, Clayton agreed that publicly traded companies needed to do more to disclose the risks they faced from cyberattacks and to disclose them more quickly when they occur.

He also said the agency needed more resources for data security and to combat future attacks. The SEC did not seek any increase to its budget for next year, but Clayton said that would change when it submits its budget for its 2019 fiscal year that beings in October of next year.

"We are going to need more money for IT security and technology generally and I intend to ask for it," he said.

The amount a single Wall Street bank spends on cybersecurity "dwarfs" the SEC's budget, he said.
Ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc said on Tuesday that it will stop operating in the Canadian province of Quebec next month, pulling out to avoid following tough new regulations announced last week.

Uber is pulling out of Canada's second-most populous province as it battles a decision to strip the company of its license to operate in London, the latest in a series of regulatory attacks on Uber as new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi seeks to rebuild the company's image.

Uber's Quebec general manager, Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, said the company would cease operations in the province on Oct. 14.

Uber employs more than 50 office workers in the province, where more than 10,000 drivers have worked for the company, he said.

The company left room to reverse its decision, calling on the government to reconsider strict regulations announced on Friday that tightened up rules that had let Uber operate since October under the terms of a pilot project.

"We're asking the government to renew the pilot project and let's sit down and find a solution to this," he said.

Representatives of Quebec's transport ministry were not immediately available to comment.

The new rules require drivers to undergo 35 hours of training, in line with requirement for traditional taxi drivers.

Taxi operators have opposed Uber's presence in Quebec, sometimes blocking traffic during protests in the province's largest city, Montreal.

The move means Uber will cease operations in Quebec cities including Montreal, the country's second-largest city, and Quebec City. It does not affect operations in other Canadian cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.

Uber does not operate in Vancouver or Winnipeg, due to a lack of provincial regulation in the provinces of British Colombia and Manitoba, respectively.

Uber rival Lyft, which currently only operates in the United States, has started exploring a move north of the border. Its lobbyists have met several times with municipal officials in Toronto, according to city records.

(By Alastair Sharp and Anna Mehler Paperny; Additional reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Jim Finkle)
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Wednesday that the Trump administration's priorities as it prepares to tackle "bigger" and "more difficult" trade issues with China are better market access, less protectionism and protecting intellectual property rights.

Ross spoke to reporters in Hong Kong after visiting Beijing, where he said he made it clear to Chinese officials that "we do need major change" in the U.S-China trade relationship, which he said "is too lopsided."

Ross met Premier Li Keqiang, China's top economic official, in Beijing as part of preparations for President Donald Trump's visit to the country in November. He will also lead a senior trade mission to China that month, the Commerce Department announced Tuesday.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met when Xi visited the U.S. in April, in a meeting where they agreed on a 100-day plan for trade talks to address Trump's complaints about China's swollen trade surpluses.

Ross said that while those talks have yielded some progress, such as a deal to let U.S. beef into China, "we're looking for bigger things and more difficult things than what we had in the first 100 days."

He didn't elaborate on specific issues, saying only that at the top of the list is "better market access both for companies operating there physically and for companies exporting there."

The U.S. also wants less protectionism and more respect for intellectual property rights from China, Ross said.

"The U.S. is actually the least protectionist of any major country and China is one of the most protectionist," he said, while adding that the "frankness and an openness" he saw on his visit to Beijing made him optimistic about the negotiations.

Trump has slammed China's large trade surpluses with the United States and ordered an investigation into whether Beijing improperly pressures companies to hand over their technology in exchange for market access. Last year, the U.S. ran up a $347 billion trade deficit in goods with China  accounting for nearly half the total.

Xi, who took power in 2012, and other Chinese leaders have vowed to let market forces have a bigger role, give equal treatment to foreign and Chinese companies and roll back state industry's dominance. But reform advocates complain little has been done to fulfill those pledges.

Ross raised concerns about Chinese government support measures aimed at helping develop key industries like robotics inadvertently leading to overcapacity.

China has been making a big push into robotics as communist leaders seek to take an early lead in emerging industries. Out of about 400 robotics companies in China, Ross said "people in the industry tell me their estimate is that 360 of those are in it to get subsidies and tax breaks and are not really that serious about the products."

On North Korean sanctions, Ross said the U.S. would keep them up as part of efforts aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

"We've been trying to go step by step gradually increasing the economic pressure on North Korea," Ross said. "If nothing else happens in terms of other alternative solutions, you can bet the U.S. will increase the pressure as best we can."

Ross also commented on a Commerce Department decision on Tuesday that Canadian plane maker Bombardier should be hit with tariffs on its C Series aircraft in a dispute with Boeing, saying it was part of playing fair.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had threatened to stop doing business with Boeing, which is in talks to sell Canada 18 Super Hornet jet fighters. British Prime Minister Theresa May also raised it with Trump because Bombardier employs more than 4,000 workers in Northern Ireland.

"It's not out of any anti-Canadian or any anti-U.K. or certainly any anti-Northern Ireland sentiment, but even with your friends and even with your allies, you must obey the rules," Ross said, adding that the decision was preliminary and a final ruling is expected in months. "The consequences are what they will be."

___

Follow Kelvin Chan at www.twitter.com/chanman
U.S. Senator Susan Collins rebuffed intense lobbying from fellow Republicans and the promise of more money for her state in deciding on Monday to oppose - and likely doom - her party's last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare.

The most moderate of Republican senators joined John McCain and Rand Paul in rejecting the bill to end Obamacare, a top priority for President Donald Trump, who pressured Collins in a call on Monday. A sweeping cut in funding to Medicaid, a program for low income citizens and disabled children, was the main reason for opposing the bill, she told reporters.

"To take a program that has been law for more than 50 years, and make those kinds of fundamental structural changes ... and to do so without having in depth hearings to evaluate the impact on our most vulnerable citizens was unacceptable to me," Collins said outside the Senate chambers.

She also opposed the bill for weakening protections for people with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma, cancer and diabetes.

"So for those reasons, I cannot support the bill," Collins said.

Collins' decision came even after the sponsors of the bill, Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, offered a boost in federal health care funds of more than 40 percent for her state, Maine.

For seven years, Republicans have vowed to get rid of Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, which extended health insurance to some 20 million Americans. They believe it is an unwarranted and costly government intrusion into healthcare, while also opposing taxes it imposed on the wealthy.

Republicans, who hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate, are up against a tight September 30 deadline to pass a bill with a simple majority, instead of the 60-vote threshold needed for most measures. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wanted to hold a vote this week, but it is not clear he will do so now that three senators have said they will cast "no" votes.

Graham dismissed notions that the bill was the last chance for Republicans to get rid of Obamacare and pledged to keep working on the legislation.

$1 TRILLION CUT TO MEDICAID

Democrats kept up their pressure for killing the bill. In an evening speech on the Senate floor, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said, "The Trumpcare bill would gut Medicaid, would cause millions to lose coverage, cause chaos in the marketplace."

Schumer said once repeal of Obamacare is off the table, Democrats want to work with Republicans "to find a compromise that stabilizes markets, that lowers premiums."

Collins and McCain, who voted against the last major repeal effort in July, have both advocated for a bipartisan solution to fixing the parts of Obamacare that do not function well.

U.S. hospital stocks were down across the board as the bill struggled. Shares of HCA Healthcare Inc and Tenet Healthcare Corp were hit particularly hard, falling 2.5 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively, on Monday.

"The Graham-Cassidy bill is looking to reduce funding for Medicaid in the longer term," said Jefferies analyst Brian Tanquilut. "That is a benefit that we have seen improve the earnings outlooks for these hospitals."

Collins announced her opposition shortly after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said that the number of people with health insurance covering high-cost medical events would be slashed by millions if it were to become law.

CBO also found that federal spending on Medicaid would be cut by about $1 trillion from 2017 to 2026 under the Graham-Cassidy proposal, and that millions of people would lose their coverage in the program, mainly from a repeal of federal funding for Obamacares Medicaid expansion.

The Trump administration, including Health Secretary Tom Price had lobbied her hard in recent days, Collins said.

The president called me today, the vice president called me in Maine over the weekend, Secretary Price has called me, it would probably be a shorter list of who hasnt called me about this bill, she said.

Trump had not called Collins before the vote in July.

PROTESTERS IN WHEELCHAIRS

The Senate held its first hearing all year on the proposed Obamacare repeal on Monday, but it was immediately disrupted by protesters who forced Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch to postpone its start by about 15 minutes.

The protesters, mainly from a disability rights group and many of whom were in wheelchairs, were forcibly removed one-by-one from the hearing room as they yelled, "No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty." The hearing eventually proceeded for about five hours, but protests could be heard outside for more than an hour.

Police arrested 181 demonstrators, including 15 in a senate hearing room. Police removed some protesters from their wheelchairs and carried them out by the arms.

Television talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who had become part of the debate on U.S. healthcare legislation in May after discussing his newborn son's heart surgery, had taken aim at the bill in recent days. On Monday he tweeted: "Thank you @SenatorCollins for putting people ahead of party. We are all in your debt."

A new CBS poll released earlier on Monday said that a majority of Americans - 52 percent- disapprove of the Graham-Cassidy bill. It said only 20 percent of those polled approved. The poll was taken between Sept. 21 and 24.

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Timothy Gardner, Philip Stewart, Makini Brice Alistair Bell in Washington and Caroline Humer in New York; writing by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Bill Trott and Mary Milliken)
Equifax (NYSE:EFX) CEO Richard Smith abruptly retired Tuesday following a massive data breach that potentially impacts 143 million Americans.

The credit-reporting agency said Paulino do Rego Barros, Jr., president of Equifaxs Asia Pacific business, will serve as interim CEO. Mark Feidler was named non-executive chairman. The companys board will consider candidates from inside and outside Equifax as it begins a search for a permanent CEO.

The Board remains deeply concerned about and totally focused on the cybersecurity incident. We are working intensely to support consumers and make the necessary changes to minimize the risk that something like this happens again. Speaking for everyone on the Board, I sincerely apologize, Feidler said. We have formed a Special Committee of the Board to focus on the issues arising from the incident and to ensure that all appropriate actions are taken.

Smith had served as chairman and CEO since 2005. He is scheduled to testify in front of the Senate Banking Committee on Oct. 4.

Equifax disclosed earlier this month that hackers gained access to Social Security numbers, birthdays, addresses, drivers license numbers and credit card numbers, potentially putting millions of people at risk for identity theft. Hackers exploited a known vulnerability in open-source software to breach Equifaxs systems, according to the company. Equifax discovered the data breach on July 29.

Equifax set up a website, equifaxsecurity2017.com, where consumers can check if their personal information may have been compromised in the hack. Consumers can also sign up for credit monitoring, which will be free for a year.

The company previously announced the retirements of its chief information officer and chief security officer in the wake of the cyber-attack.

Federal investigators are reportedly looking into whether three Equifax executives violated insider trading laws when they sold nearly $1.8 million worth of shares in the days after the hack was discovered.

Equifax shares slipped 1.2% to $103.79 in recent trading. The stock has tumbled 27% since news of the data breach first surfaced.
Dyson has announced plans to build electric cars by 2020.

The British vacuum cleaning firm will spend $2.7 billion on the "radical and different" project.

The all-new model is being developed by 400 staff at its HQ in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

Further work will take place at a nearby former RAF base with staff moving in next February.

A factory has yet to be chosen but the battery-powered car will be on sale after 2020.

Company founder Sir James Dyson told staff in an e-mail: "Competition for new technology in the automotive industry is fierce and we must do everything we can to keep the specifics of our vehicle confidential."

Dyson has had an ambition to develop an electric car since 1998 but was rejected by the industry.

Sir James also pursued car makers to fit cyclone exhausts to cut emissions in the 90s but was met with resistance.

Half of the $2.7B investment will be spent on the car with the other half developing the battery.

Battery range has yet to be announced while the price is still under wraps.

However, it's unlikely to be cheap with Sir James confirming it will be aimed at the "tech end" of the market rather than a mass produced model like the Nissan Leaf or Renault Zoe.

The car will look "radical and different" according to Sir James and would feature some self-driving technology.

It's also expected to use next-gen solid state battery technology rather than lithium ion.

Solid state is believed to be safer - and can be charged quicker. Toyota plans to have this tech on sale by 2020, too.

READ MORE FROM THE SUN
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has been a long-time favorite for commercial fleets around the world, and the United States has been the number two market behind Germany for parent automaker, Daimler. Ahead of its launch next year, Mercedes-Benz today took to the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta to provide the first details on the next-generation Sprinter van.

Notably, the brand released a design sketch to serve as a teaser to the production van's design. For the most part, the design seems to follow the Vision Van concept's design motif, and the headlights and grille match spy shots of the next-generation Sprinter as well. Mercedes-Benz says the Sprinter's new design will embody emotion and intelligence. Overall, it's a more streamlined and fluid appearance than the current van's frumpier looks.

The other big news surrounding the Sprinter is Mercedes-Benz's new Charleston, South Carolina, assembly plant. Sprinters sold in the United States will be built at the all-new facility. Currently, due the the chicken tax, Daimler assembles the vans in Germany, then disassembles them for shipment to the U.S. where they are reassembled at a soon-to-be-defunct South Carolina facility. The van will remain in production in Germany for other markets as well.

Mercedes-Benz says to expect a major leap forward in technology, too. A suite of driver assistance systems will be available with the new Sprinter and facets from the brand's "adVANce initiative" will help implement new telematic systems to enhance fleet management capabilities.

The major details, such as powertrains and body styles, haven't been discussed yet, but Mercedes-Benz says the range of variants will be considerable extended. More information will arrive in the coming months. The next-generation Sprinter will launch in the first half of 2018 in Europe, and other markets will follow shortly thereafter.

MORE AUTO NEWS FROM MOTOR AUTHORITY
A couple got married at a Costco in Sydney, Australia in front of 90 of their friends and family. Sue Berkeley and Eli Bob already spend four days a week at the superstore in Casula so, naturally, thats where they decided to take their vows.

I get to spend another day at Costco, that I love, Berkeley told A Current Affair. Where else can I get married to the one I love, in a place that I love, surrounded by the people I love.

The reception menu boasted 18-inch pizzas, meat pies, hot dogs, and unlimited fountain drinks  only costing the couple a mere $10 per head.

Ive grown up with Costco, Ive been with the company 30 years, Ive seen a lot, store manager Linda Hamill told A Current Affair. But Ive never participated in a wedding at Costco.

Shopping that day remained uninterrupted, but the food court was dressed with a trellis and a giant Costco cake. While the Berkeleys arent the first to marry in a Costco, they are the first to do so in Australia.
A 24-year-old Georgia woman who overcame cancer twice in her life has fulfilled her dream of becoming a nurse at the hospital where she received treatment. On Sept. 18, Montana Brown began her career at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta as a pediatric nurse.

I just want to take a minute to say thank you to everyone who called and texted me today, Brown, who was diagnosed with cancer first at age 2, and again at 15, wrote in a Sept. 18 Facebook post. As some of you may not know, today was my first official day at CHOA. Every time someone said Welcome to Childrens! or I looked down at my badge and saw that CHOA logo, it brought tears to my eyes.

NEW PILOT PROGRAM PUTS NURSES IN 911 RESPONSE CHAIR

In a show of support for their former patient-turned staffer, the hospital shared a similar post of Brown on its own Facebook page, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. The hospital's post noted that Brown began her career at Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Im so overwhelmed with this amazing life that God has chosen to give me, Brown posted on her own page. Never in a million years did I think that at age 24 I would have achieved my biggest and wildest dream  to work at the hospital I was treated at as a child/teenager. Its amazing and crazy and awesome and Im SO excited to work for such an inspirational organization!!

Browns post received 160 reactions from friends and relatives cheering her on, while the hospitals Sept. 24 mention received more than 5,800 and 280 shares.
Family and friends are mourning the loss of a Massachusetts father who died of what is believed to be a heart attack after he was swarmed by bees while blowing leaves from his lawn. Eric Dahl, 48, was said to be in excellent health and had no prior incidents involving bees, his wife, Alison, told The Sun Chronicle.

She told the news outlet that the pair had gone for a six-mile run on Saturday before Dahl began yardwork at their Foxborough home. Dahl was then attacked by a swarm of bees, potentially triggering a shock reaction, and was rushed to Norwood Hospital where he later died.

WEST NILE DEATH TOLL HITS 7 IN LA COUNTY, OFFICIALS SAY

Foxborough Fire Chief Roger Hatfield told The Sun Chronicle that three paramedics were on the ambulance that transported Dahl to the hospital, but he did not disclose the nature of the emergency.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire family, Hatfield told the news outlet.

In addition to Alison, Dahl is survived by his 15-year-old daughter Emma, and 12-year-old daughter Casey.

He was a wonderful son and husband and he was a wonderful father, Carolyn Romsey, Dahls mother-in-law, told The Sun Chronicle.
At the urging of Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rossello, thousands of people are trying to leave the beleaguered island of Puerto Rico. The airport is packed with hot, frustrated, tired passengers desperate to catch any plane out of Puerto Rico going anywhere.

Day after day people are relating their horror stories of dangerous experiences during historic Hurricane Maria. And they are relating the sad sagas of their 24-, 48- or 72-hour waits in this stifling, humid airport. Several couples have told me they endured the long wait only to be told that their flights have been cancelled for a week, or more.

GERALDO RIVERA: TOURING PUERTO RICO AFTER HURRICANE MARIA WAS A 'DEPRESSING' EXPERIENCE

Bursting with impatience and frustration, they ask: "Where will we stay?"

I have no answers for them, other than to suggest lamely that they try a hotel, only to be dismissed with a plaintive cry that "they are all full."

But in the midst of stories of price gouging and line jumping, there are some bright spots.

United Airlines just announced that it was providing one of its biggest aircrafts, a Boeing 777, free of charge. It is headed from here to Chicago and there the airline will provide another leg of the journey for those lucky to get a seat on a first-come, first-served basis.

WATER AND SOME FOOD SCARCE AS PUERTO RICO EMERGES FROM STORM

This island remains in dire straits. It has no power or fresh water. There are no elevators or air conditioning to service most of the luxury condos. The wait for gas to power generators exceeds six hours. There are no traffic lights and only limited access to ATMs. Schools and businesses are largely closed.

President Trump knows Puerto Rico well enough to know that it needs compassion and generosity now, not lectures on previous fiscal difficulties. If this island commonwealth is to survive, it needs folks back in the states to remember these people sweating and worrying about their future are their fellow Americans.
Tzvetan Vassilev, a fugitive indicted Bulgarian businessman, has hired a Washington law firm to help him avoid prosecution and settle a score with a politician by invoking the Magnitsky Act, a law that empowers the U.S. government to impose sanctions as retaliation for corruption and abuses of human rights.

The law was not intended to serve as a shield for those who allegedly committed financial crimes and then seek to cloak themselves in righteousness. As our own State Department has acknowledged, the laws purpose is to identify and hold accountable persons responsible for gross violations of human rights and acts of significant corruption.

Clearly, the Magnitsky Act is not about creating an international get-out-of-jail-free card for fugitives like Vassilev.

The Magnitsky Act is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who discovered a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme among Russian tax officials. Magnitsky was arrested and held without trial. In 2009, seven days before Russian law required that he be released, he was beaten to death, becoming a worldwide symbol of repression in Vladimir Putins Russia and a martyr for freedom.

In the aftermath of Magnitskys death, President Obama and Congress worked together to enact the Magnitsky Act in 2012. The law was designed to punish the Russians responsible for Magnitskys death by barring them from entering the U.S. and from using the American banking system.

At the outset, the law blocked 18 Russian government officials and businessmen from entering the United States. The law was expanded last year to enhance the presidents power to sanction individuals outside of Russia and given global effect. It was then renamed the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Already, 44 human rights violators, ranging from Russian district court judges to senior investigators for the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, have been put on the sanctions list, and are now barred from entering the U.S., and utilizing U.S. banks.

To be clear, Tzvetan Vassilev is no Sergei Magnitsky. As Reuters reported, Bulgarian authorities recently indicted Vassilev and others on charges of embezzlement and money laundering related to the failure of Bulgarias fourth-largest bank, Corporate Commercial Bank  in which Vassilev was the main shareholder.

All told, more than $1.5 billion was purportedly taken from the bank and pocketed by Vassilev and his cronies. For the record, it is one of the largest fraud investigations in Bulgaria since the fall of the Soviet Union.

As the prosecutor put it: In essence the Corpbank model ... is a mechanism through which a group of people led by Tzvetan Vassilev managed to appropriate the public funds attracted and entrusted to them for management in the bank. According to a 2014 audit conducted by Ernst & Young Audit, Deloitte Bulgaria and AFA, the banks loans had defied standard banking practices and responsible risk assessment. Only 13 percent of the loans on the banks books were actually backed by sufficient collateral. The other 87 percent were ticking financial time-bombs.

Not surprisingly, Vassilev has denied culpability and has fought extradition from Serbia, claiming that he is being wrongly accused.

Instead, Vassilev has pointed a finger at Deylan Peevski, a Bulgarian media owner, and Sotir Tsatsarov, Bulgarias chief prosecutor. Vassilev is asking the U.S. government to place economic sanctions on these two men using the new Magnitsky Act. Both deny his claims.

Looking at the bigger picture, Bulgaria is a member of both NATO and the European Union. In fact, this past summer, NATO conducted its military drills on Bulgarian soil.

As one U.S. district court observed about Bulgaria and its judicial system, to gain admission to the European Union, Bulgaria was required to demonstrate that it possessed a stable judicial system that adhered to the rule of law. The court also noted that Bulgaria was a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Suffice to say, Bulgaria is not Russia, Iran, North Korea, or Libya  enemies and adversaries that have been sanctioned by our government, with systems rife with corruption.

Under these circumstances, the U.S. government and members of Congress should carefully scrutinize Vassilevs application under the Magnitsky Act. Imposing sanctions here appears groundless. It would make a mockery of the letter and spirit of the law, and be an insult to the legacy of Sergei Magnitsky. We can and should do better than that.
Do you remember your first best friends? One of mine walked up to me on the first day of second grade at a new school and asked me, the new girl, to be her friend. Relief flooded my little body, and the lesson in kindness never left my heart. Unfortunately, some schools in the U.K., and even here in the United States, are robbing kids of those deep friendships that teach them empathy, character and, yes, even heartbreak.

Why? To ensure that these kids will not have to deal with the normal evolution of relationships, which include the risk of getting hurt. One summer camp in New York physically separated children who seemed to be getting too close to one another as friends, putting them at opposite ends of the dining table or making sure they never had the same activity together.

Contrary to helping children deal with the inevitable rejection in elementary and middle school years, these schools may be contributing to an unhealthy, less stable adulthood.

Kids today are already forced to work twice as hard to learn social awareness, because the pervasiveness of social media that inundates their little lives is slowly replacing the need for direct social contact. Healthy human maturation requires those fragile bonds of friendship early in life; it is the first step to a healthy understanding of self and relationships.

Enforcing some kind of non-BFF standard in schools is ridiculous and hurts less social and overtly social children alike.

This is not to say that every kid will have a large group of friends, but all parents wish at least one close friend for their child. How sad to learn even that is being intercepted. Enforcing some kind of non-BFF standard in schools is ridiculous and hurts less social and overtly social children alike.

Are some limits acceptable? Absolutely. Not allowing party invitations to be handed out in elementary school classes unless everyone is invited is just decent manners.

If the schools need some direction and foresight on this subject, science can help. Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist known for his groundbreaking findings on social circles of human beings, has shown through research that humans have a limit on the number of close friends they can maintain, as well as the number of people in their overall social circle.

Dunbars research found that humans have the brain capacity to only sustain about 150 acquaintances in their social sphere. When it comes to close, deep, and meaningful connections with other individuals, that number drastically reduces to around five people. It doesnt have to be the same five people over the course of a lifetime and, indeed, people change and move, and their friendships follow suit.

And then there are those who will not fill the relational limit that science predicts. Thats okay, too! Some people are only wired to have one or two close friends, while others cant keep up with their social calendars because of the group of friends they have. Lets take the pressure off our kids, and let them navigate life in an organic manner.

Friendship is vitally important to us as humans, and it is something that public entities have no right to take away. Childrens social awareness grows every day and is impacted in small ways, even if it is just playing in the sand at recess with their little friends in kindergarten.

A fascinating study released just last month found that those in mid-adolescence who had close friendships grew up to have greater self-worth, less anxiety, and less depression into adulthood than those who sought acceptance into a larger group of peers. If those little ones, in all their innocence, find a dear friend playing in that sandbox, then they should be allowed to have that friend.

In adulthood, best friends are important for everyone, but perhaps even more so for women, who have the capacity as females to develop incredibly deep, lasting relationships with one another. Indeed, C.S. Lewis wrote about friendship as a type of love in The Four Loves. He said: The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others.

As a Christian, I find particular comfort in Lewis writings. In my early adulthood, way before marriage and children, I found that deep friendships with both men and women filled an empty spot in my life; to this day, I am so grateful for those relationships.

There is true love in the beauty of friendship, which many times goes unnoticed in our hypersexualized culture. By putting boundaries around friendship, or forcing children to deny a natural connection and a true friend, these anti-best friend schools are contributing to a lack of social development for the students entrusted to their care. They are making a huge mistake.
A feisty and passionate Steve Bannon stood up against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other establishment Republicans during an interview on Hannity Monday night while doubling down on his support for his former boss.

Im here to support Donald J. Trump, he said during the interview from Alabama where he was stumping for Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, who is running against incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, who has been endorsed by the Oval Office. The hardcore Trump people are not here to defy Donald Trump. We are here to praise him. And I think the best way to do that is to send someone to Washington D.C. -- for Alabama to send someone who is going to have the presidents back.

Bannon -- who pointed out early in the interview with Sean Hannity that he was back to wearing the bomber jacket made infamous during the 2016 campaign -- pointed blame at McConnell, R-Ky., and other Republicans on the hill for trying to sabotage Moores campaign ahead of the runoff vote Tuesday.

I think Roy Moore is the guy that is going to represent Donald J. Trump and fight the establishment. Its very simple. This election is $30 million being spent by Mitch McConnell and that crew of corrupt and incompetent politicians and consultants. They raised $30 million of outside money to destroy Judge Moore.

For months, several reports have suggested a simmering feud between Trump and McConnell. Last month, McConnell insisted he and the president were working together, adding: We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we are committed to advancing our shared agenda together and anyone who suggests otherwise is clearly not part of the conversation.

Bannon offered further explanation as to why he has thrown his support behind Moore, despite his former boss supporting Strange.

Sean, its very simple. Strange cant sit there and say, 'Im going to stand up to Mitch McConnell. Im going to go to Washington to stand up to him,' Bannon also said. Mitch McConnell is giving him $30 million... not to come down here and debate the issues.

Hannity asked Bannon at one point what his thoughts were on the establishment criticizing him and Republican-on-Republican attacks with dirty campaign ads against Moore in Alabama.

The elites hold me in contempt, he said. They think Im a bad guy. They think Im a dangerous guy. I wear their contempt as a badge of honor. They have helped destroy this country. They have done nothing but allow economic hate crimes against working men and women in the heartland of this country.

Bannon left his post at the White House last month. He has since returned to his old post as executive chairman of Breitbart News.

Fox News' Alex Pappas contributed to this report.
Across Alabama on Monday night, Vice President Mike Pence, Steve Bannon and Phil Robertson, of Duck Dynasty, were all seen on stage stumping for the two candidates running in Alabamas runoff election on Tuesday.

Vice President Pence took the stage in Birmingham supporting incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, while Steve Bannon and Phil Robertson rallied in Fairhope for former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore.

After walking on stage, Pence echoed President Trumps sentiments from Friday, saying how much he loved the state of Alabama and how much they needed the peoples help to send Strange back to the U.S. Senate.

ALABAMA SENATE PRIMARY: TRUMP'S INFLUENCE TESTED AS LUTHER STRANGE, ROY MORE VIE FOR GOP SEAT

He quickly praised the work of Attorney General Jeff Sessions while telling Strange: You know Luther, youve got big shoes to fill. But I can tell thats never been a serious problem for you.

Strange has filled the Senate seat vacated by Sessions.

Pence highlighted Stranges attributes, saying upon first meeting him he could sense his faith, his sincerity, his humility and his dedication to public service.

He also made note of the accomplishments the Trump administration has achieved, saying that Stranges support played a strong role in each success.

He also referenced the presidents plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, saying President Trump and Big Luther are going to build that wall, which was followed by chants of build that wall from the crowd.

ALABAMA RALLY: TRUMP CAMPAIGNS IN LAST-DITCH EFFORT FOR SENATE CANDIDATE LUTHER STRANGE

When Bannon took the stage for Roy Moore, he condemned the current politicians in Washington, saying they are the most corrupt and incompetent group of individuals in this country, and suggested that Strange could be bought, just like them.

And despite campaigning for the opposing candidate from Trump, Bannon insisted that he was not defying the president but instead went there to praise and honor him.

Bannon concluded his speech saying Moore is a good man, a courageous man, and most importantly, a righteous man and represented Alabamas values, like Trump.

A vote for Judge Roy Moore is a vote for Donald J. Trump. And a vote for Donald J. Trump is a vote to make America great again, Bannon said.

After Bannons speech, he introduced Phil Robertson, who spoke briefly on health care before encouraging everyone in the audience to go out and vote on Tuesday. Roy Moore is a godly man, Robertson said, or I wouldnt be here.

Strange and Moore have been campaigning to become the Republican primary candidate for the Senate election later this year. The vote on Tuesday is one of the first tests of Trumps influence, after he gave his support to Strange over the summer.
With an end-of-year deadline looming to re-authorize a vital foreign intelligence collection tool, senior U.S. government officials said Monday that the program had 106,000 foreign targets in calendar-year 2016  as they urged renewal, arguing there is no substitute for this kind of intelligence.

The 702 program  Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) -- is "the single most important operational statute," one senior government official said, pointing to its effectiveness aiding counter-proliferation efforts, disrupting terrorism plots and aiding warriors on the battlefield.

Officials authorized to speak on behalf of their department or agency briefed reporters Monday. As part of the briefing, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said its reauthorization is "absolutely a top priority," adding the intelligence community wanted to be "upfront with the American people" about the program, which is only used against foreign targets.

Senior U.S. government officials say the tool was instrumental in fleshing out the ISIS network associated with Shawn Parson, who was a recruiter and prolific propagandist who directed sympathizers to launch attacks against western targets. He was killed in Syria in 2015.

The U.S. officials also said intelligence from the program helped Turkish authorities identify the assailant in an Istanbul New Year's attack, which killed 39 people.

Lawmakers from both parties have expressed their concerns about U.S. citizen information and the safeguards to protect it, as well as whether officials from the Obama White House wrongly leaked the intelligence to damage the incoming Trump team.

A senior NSA analyst, whose father was on the ground at the World Trade Center after 9/11 and now suffers serious health issues, emphasized the ripple effect of terrorist acts -- saying there are multiple protections in place to maintain U.S. government commitments to privacy, as well as the integrity of the data.

The analyst said the ability to search foreign intelligence in the database already gathered under 702 cannot be underestimated, citing its utility when an American is taken hostage overseas or a terror suspect is apprehended. The analyst said the intelligence community uses this resource to flesh out their network of contacts, based on so-called pocket litter -- which is intel-speak for telephone numbers or emails found on a suspect. The analyst said it is especially helpful to determine if there is an American connection to an overseas cell or plot.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., among others, has pressed the NSA to make available the number of Americans who have been swept up during surveillance of foreign targets, or so-called "incidental collection." A senior U.S. government official said the figure is "unknowable," because so much of the data is only fragmentary.

While the senior government officials said they have "full confidence" 702 will be re-authorized, they hope it will be on a permanent basis, adding that any tweaks to the existing legislation to enhance civil liberties protections for Americans should not end up protecting foreign targets or blocking information-sharing among U.S. government agencies.

Coats said discussions with Congress continue.
The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will step down at the end of this month, Fox News confirmed Tuesday.

Chuck Rosenberg will leave his position effective Oct. 1, a DEA source told Fox. A reason for his departure was not given.

Rosenberg's resignation was first reported by The New York Times, which claimed that he was "disillusioned" with President Donald Trump.

According to the paper, Rosenberg is a close confidant of former FBI Director James Comey, whose dismissal by Trump in May is the focal point of an ongoing investigation into alleged collaboration between Trump's campaign and Russian officials.

The Times also reported that Rosenberg sent an email to all DEA employees decrying comments Trump made in July about police treatment of suspects.

"When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon  you just see them thrown in, rough," Trump told an audience of law enforcement officers in Suffolk County, N.Y., "I said, 'Please don't be too nice.'"

"We must earn and keep the public trust and continue to hold ourselves to the very highest standards," Rosenberg wrote at the time. "Ours is an honorable profession and, so, we will always act honorably."

Fox News' Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
The Washington Post has made a correction to an explosive cover story that undermines the entire premise of Mondays front-page article headlined, "Obama sought to prod Facebook on Russia role."

The problem, according to a Facebook executive, is that when Obama reached out to the social media giant in 2016 to discuss political disinformation spreading on the site, he didnt actually call out Russia  essentially making the Posts headline misleading and inaccurate. Or, as President Trump would call it, fake news.

As first reported by Axios, the Post added significant information to the digital version of the story with the disclaimer, This story has been updated with an additional response from Facebook. The response from Facebook that didnt make the papers print edition is vital and changed the story enough that the word Russia was removed from the updated headline.

The story detailed how then-President Obama gave Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg a wake-up call regarding fake news spreading on his social media platform. After reporting that Obama made a personal appeal to Zuckerberg to take the threat of fake news and political disinformation seriously," the paper has added that Obama did not single out Russia specifically."

The story reported that Obama and his top aides quietly agonized on how to respond to Russias brazen intervention on behalf of the Donald Trump campaign without making matters worse.

The paper also added a statement from Facebooks vice president of communications, Elliot Schrage, which it received after the front-page story was published. Schrage told the Post that Obamas talk with Zuckerberg was about misinformation and false news and did not include any references to possible foreign interference or suggestions about confronting threats to Facebook.

The initial correction was unclear and only mentioned that it added Schrages statement, but this was eventually corrected by the papers editorial staff.

When we updated the story with Facebooks additional response, we also added the text did not single out Russia specifically to foreshadow the Schrage statement, which appears further down in the story. When we added that clause we should have made the attribution clear and weve modified the line to do so. Heres how it now appears: although Facebook representatives say the president did not single out Russia specifically, a Washington Post spokeswoman told Fox News.

The story goes on to detail a 16-month journey in which [Facebook] came to terms with an unanticipated foreign attack on the U.S. political system, that is based on interviews with more than a dozen people involved.

The Washington Post did not immediately respond when asked if a correction will be made in the print version of the paper.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is back at the populist Breitbart News and the administration's former chief of staff Reince Priebus is back at his old law firm.

Bannon and Priebus arent alone in needing to brush off their resumes after working briefly for the Trump administration; in the months after Donald Trump became president, more than one dozen high-level officials have been fired or resigned from the administration.

Read on for a look at what some former Trump administration officials are up to now.

Steve Bannon

Steve Bannon, a hardcore populist, was removed as the presidents chief strategist on Aug. 18, 2017. And it wasnt long before the former Breitbart News chief was back at his old conservative publication.

If theres any confusion out there, let me clear it up: Im leaving the White House and going to war for Trump against his opponents  on Capitol Hill, in the media, and in corporate America, Bannon told Bloomberg following his departure.

Bannon returned to Breitbart as its executive chairman on the same day his ouster from the White House was announced and led its evening editorial meeting, the site said.

And he immediately began to bump heads with his old boss.

Bannon and Trump first clashed during the Alabama special election as both men initially backed different candidates. Bannon backed the beleaguered former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, and Trump campaigned for incumbent Sen. Luther Strange. Moore won.

Bannon had an even greater falling out with Trump and his cohorts when unflattering comments were attributed to him in a recent White House tell-all book, Fire and Fury. In the highly controversial book, Bannon is quoted as calling a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic.

Trump said Sloppy Steve has lost his mind, and Bannon attempted to backtrack from his comments. He said they were directed at Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chairman.

My support is also unwavering for the president and his agenda, Bannon said in a statement.

James Comey

In less than a year, James Comey went from FBI director to college faculty.

Comey, who was unceremoniously fired by Trump in May 2017, joined Howard University as part-time lecturer.

The King Chair is part of the Washington, D.C., colleges push to provide students access to experienced, senior public service executives who developed and advanced public policy initiatives, according to a university press release.

Comey, who was sacked from his job at the FBI just two months after he announced the agency was looking into ties between the Trump campaign and Russias meddling in the presidential election, said he was honored to be at Howard.

Howard has a longstanding history of being a vibrant academic community and the perfect place to have a rich dialogue on many of the most pressing issues we face today, Comey said in a statement.

Comeys time at Howard got off to a rough start after his convocation address was overtaken by raucous protestors.

Anthony Scaramucci

Anthony Scaramucci was the White House communications director for only 10 days, but he caused quite the shake-up in less than two weeks.

During his tenure, the Goldman Sachs alumnus ranted about his coworkers in an infamous and crude interview with the New Yorker  specifically slamming former chief of staff Reince Priebus as a paranoid schizophrenic and former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Since hes left the White House, Scaramucci has been quite active on social media  including tweeting some vaguely self-deprecating images.

In August, Scaramucci tweeted a cartoon depicting a cartoonist banging his head against the wall in frustration as Trump seems to fire White House misfits at a rapid pace. A computer screen in the cartoon reads, New flash! Mooch out!!  invoking Scaramuccis common nick name, The Mooch.

He also tweeted an image of a t-shirt that read, I was communications director for 10 days and all I got was this lousy shirt.

Scaramucci has also appeared on a variety of talk shows, including The View and Stephen Colberts Late Show.

Michael Flynn

Trumps former national security adviser is no longer part of the White House, but he still remains under multiple investigations for his dealings with foreign governments, particularly Russia, during the presidential campaign.

The embattled former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn resigned under harsh scrutiny in February 2017 after it was revealed that he misled the administration when it came to his ties to and conversations with Russian officials.

Since his firing, Flynn registered as a foreign agent with the Justice Department in March.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether Flynn was involved in the push to obtain former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons emails from Russian hackers during the presidential campaign.

Several of Flynns allies and appointees in the White House have been slowly pushed out as well.

Sean Spicer

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer could have been a star  a dancing star, that is.

After Spicer resigned as Anthony Scaramucci was hired as the White Houses short-lived communications director, he reportedly turned down an opportunity to be a contestant on ABCs Dancing with the Stars.

Sources told TMZ that Spicer turned down the gig because he has an overwhelming number of commitments in the fall and because hes not a good dancer.

Since he announced he was leaving the Trump administration, Spicer has been photographed with fans at Fenway Park and is angling to appear on Saturday Night Live. Spicer was also able to finally meet the pope. The former press secretary was infamously denied the opportunity to meet Pope Francis during Trump's trip to the Vatican in May.

Spicer joined the Worldwide Speakers Group as a paid speaker.

Melissa McCarthys depiction of his press briefing performances earned him a spot in Saturday Night Live lore, but it was his role as the architect of the Republican National Committees PR strategy that earned him a reputation as one of the partys most effective and hardest-charging strategists and communicators, his bio states.

His speaking topics include: navigating crises, a conservative viewpoint, an objective look at the philosophies, people and policies making the news and the Trump administration.

Spicer has continued to consistently share Trumps tweets and messages of support for the administration on Twitter.

Spicer also made a surprise appearance at the Emmy Awards in September, seemingly poking fun at his own claim about the size of the inauguration audience.

Reince Priebus

The former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus has rejoined his old law firm, he announced on Twitter.

Priebus said he has joined the Michael Best & Friedrich, a Milwaukee-based firm, as its president and will work from Washington, D.C. Priebus worked for the firm for about 13 years before he was the Republican National Committee chairman, according to the Associated Press.

Priebus also announced that he has joined the Washington Speakers Bureau.

Trump tweeted his congratulations to his former chief of staff and called him a really good and talented man.

Were proud of you, Reince! Trump said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the historic Green Tree Tavern in Ste. Genevieve Friday, bringing together patrons of the property and representatives from state offices.

The Green Tree Tavern was recently acquired by the Missouri State Parks division of the Department of Natural Resources with about half of the funding being provided by the organization Les Amis, which is dedicated to preserving Missouris French colonial heritage.

Les Amis Chairman Emeritus Elizabeth Gentry Sayad served as mistress of ceremonies for the dedication, welcoming the crowd and explaining the importance of French heritage to Missouri history. She described the other historic locations in Ste. Genevieve that had been renovated, preserved and opened to the public, saying the many different locations promote greater tourism to the area.

With this kind of diversity, a visit becomes a weekend and not just a day, she said. It helps cultural tourism really boom.

Missouri State Parks Director Ben Ellis briefly spoke, saying he brought greetings from Gov. Eric Greitens and thanking those who made the acquisition of the property possible.

The Green Tree Tavern was acquired as an addition to the Felix Valle State Historic Site. The sites former Administrator Jim Baker spoke to the crowd about the wealth of history present in Ste. Genevieve, evidenced by the Green Tree Tavern among others.

We stand in Ste. Genevieve every day of the year with an embarrassment of riches, Baker said. If you plop down any one of the vertical log houses from here in Ste. Genevieve in any other place in the United States, it would immediately be seized upon as a historic site of great importance. But here in Ste. Genevieve, we have so many of those treasures that we cant even agree on exactly how many vertical logs are in Ste. Genevieve today.

Baker described how the building was at great risk during the flood of 1993, as many other historic homes were in the region. He expressed excitement for the state parks system to get involved with the property, saying he is confident the house has a long and wonderful history ahead of it.

A French professor at Webster University in St. Louis and a native Frenchman, Dr. Lionel Cuille spoke about the importance of preserving structures like the Green Tree Tavern for future generations.

I didnt know that houses from the 18th century could still be on the ground, Cuille said. Ive never seen houses like this.

Cuille said he is planning ways to bring students from Webster University to Ste. Genevieve to better understand French culture, as exhibited by the architecture left behind by early French colonials.

The Green Tree Tavern is thought to have been built around 1790, making it one of the oldest buildings still standing in the state. The building has been renovated and restored, but most of the original architecture of the building remains as it has for more than two hundred years.

The building has been both a home and an inn during its life, prompting archaeologists to regularly explore the soil around the building for artifacts, including a current dig being undertaken by Drs. Elizabeth Scott and Donald Heldman. For more information about the Felix Valle State Historical Site, visit mostateparks.com/park/felix-valle-house-state-historic-site.
House Republicans on Tuesday formally renewed their call for a second special counsel to probe 2016 controversies involving Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration  following allegations that former FBI director James Comey drafted an exoneration statement for Clinton weeks before interviewing her.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, who first called for a second special counsel's appointment in July, cited several factors in a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

In this case, it appears that Director Comey and other senior Justice Department and government officials may have pre-judged the matter before all the facts were known, thereby ensuring former Secretary Clinton would not be charged for her criminal activity, they wrote.

Foremost was the allegation  which emerged in transcripts of FBI staffer interviews conducted by the Office of Special Counsel  that the former FBI boss drafted a statement clearing Clinton in her personal email case weeks before interviewing her and making his public recommendation against criminal charges.

The claim has prompted some lawmakers to call for Comey to return to Capitol Hill to resolve discrepancies in his past statements.

GRAHAM WANTS TO HAUL BACK COMEY TO TESTIFY ON CLINTON EMAIL CASE, SAYS 'I SMELL A RAT'

The letter specifically cited an exchange that Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, had at a hearing last year with Comey.

At the time, Ratcliffe asked Comey whether he made the decision not to recommend criminal charges against Clinton before or after she was interviewed by the FBI in early July.

After, Comey said.

In Tuesdays letter, Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and other GOP lawmakers said the latest Comey allegations suggest the decision had already been made prior to the interview of Clinton and other key witnesses. The letter also complained that top Clinton associates received immunity for cooperation while also being allowed to attend the FBIs Clinton interview.

That, coupled with the revelation that the Director had already drafted an exoneration statement, strongly suggests that the interview was a mere formality, and that the Director had already decided the case would be closed, they wrote.

Further, they complained that Comey did not record interviews with Clinton and other close associates, despite Justice Department policy encouraging the practice.

This is truly inexplicable, given that the case was of keen national interest and importance, they wrote, adding: It only reinforces the sense that our nations top law enforcement officials conspired to sweep the Clinton matter under the rug, and that there is, truly, one system for the powerful and politically well-connected, and another for everyone else.

The lawmakers want an entirely separate special counsel probe from the one Robert Mueller is leading into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible coordination with Trump associates. The crux of their argument is that numerous unanswered questions remain from the 2016 campaign cycle that have been pushed aside amid the intense Russia focus.

The renewed focus on the Clinton email case, though, comes as Trump associates also are facing scrutiny over reports that they used private email to discuss White House issues.

NEW PRESSURE ON COMEY TO RETURN TO CAPITOL HILL, AS WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES HIM OF 'FALSE TESTIMONY'

During his more recent testimony in June before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Comey said that his decision to announce the results of the Clinton email investigation in July 2016 was influenced by then-Attorney General Loretta Lynchs infamous meeting days earlier on an Arizona tarmac with former President Bill Clinton.

Yes, in an ultimately conclusive way, that was the thing that capped it for me  that I had to do something separately to protect the credibility of the investigation, Comey said.

Comey, whom Trump fired in May amid tensions over the Russia probe, also testified there were other things that contributed to his decision to go public, including Lynch allegedly urging him to refer to the email probe as a matter and not an investigation.
Donald Trump ally Roger Stone said Tuesday after a closed-door Capitol Hill meeting on Russian election collusion that he repeated his claims of neither being involved in nor knowing about any collusion by any Trump presidential campaign member.

I am aware of no evidence of collusion with the Russian state, Stone, who was an informal Trump 2016 campaign adviser, said after his roughly three-hour meeting with the House Intelligence Committee. I dont think some of the members believed some of my claims, but they had no evidence to the contrary.

Stones lawyer, Grant Smith, told reporters that his client answered all of the committee members questions truthfully.

Stone, as he has in the past, denied having advance knowledge of the emails hacked from the account of Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta and published by WikiLeaks.

Claims that I knew about the John Podesta emails are false, Stone said.

But he also acknowledged his refusal to name his WikiLeaks contact.

California Rep. Adam Schiff, the committees top Democrat, later told reporters that Stone wouldnt answer one seminal area of importance to the committee, and threatened a subpoena saying, "If not, it will be necessary to subpoena him."

Before entering the meeting, Stone vowed to tell nothing but the truth.

Stone, who informally advised Trump during his 2016 White House bid, has repeatedly denied engaging in any illegal activity in a statement released ahead of his appearance.

Justice Department and congressional investigations into the Russian meddling and whether Trump associates are involved has been a tremendous strain on the Trump administration.

Also on Tuesday, Stone seemed to confirm speculation that Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign manager, thinks he will be indicted in the Justice Department probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Stone, a long-time Republican strategist, has frequently argued that not one shred of evidence" shows he was involved in Russian interference.

On Monday night, he defended himself in a lengthy statement.

"While some may label me a dirty trickster, the members of this committee could not point to any tactic that is outside the accepted norms of what political strategists and consultants do today, he said in the statement. I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support. There is one `trick' that is not in my bag and that is treason."

Stone has also released a series of supporting documents, including direct messages he exchanged with Guccifer 2.0, the unnamed hacker who has taken credit for breaking into Democratic National Committee email servers.

The direct messages on Twitter, exchanged over a month-long period, show Stone first congratulating Guccifer for being reinstated on Twitter after he was kicked off. They also show him asking that the account retweet a tweet about how the election could be rigged against Trump.

Guccifer writes: "I'm pleased to say that u r great man .... please tell me if I can help u anyhow."

Stone doesn't respond again until several weeks later, when Guccifer asks him about an article on a Democratic turnout model. Stone replies "pretty standard."

On WikiLeaks, Stone said he was kept apprised of Julian Assange's plans to release the Podesta emails by a journalist he said served as an "intermediary." He did not name the journalist.

Stone has been outspoken in his own defense and had asked for his House appearance to be public. But he said the House panel insisted on holding the session behind closed doors.

His statement was heavy on criticism for Schiff, who suggested in March that Stone had a direct line to Russian hackers based on his comments predicting the release of Podesta's emails.

Stone said Tuesday that he did not ask Schiff to apologize.

Fox News Joseph Weber and Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump announced he will visit hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico next Tuesday, as the island copes with shortages of food, drinking water and electricity.

We have to help them. The island is devastated, Trump said Tuesday.

The administration has been facing criticism for its response to the damage on the island that is home to more than 3 million U.S. citizens.

Trump said next Tuesday is the earliest he can visit without disrupting recovery operations. He voiced confidence that Puerto Rico will recover.

These are great people, theyre wonderful people.  Theyll be back, Trump said.

Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted that his administration is working hard to respond to the islands needs, vowing, Much food and water there/on way.

The president also tweeted about the devastation overnight, while noting the island suffers from broken infrastructure & massive debt.

It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well. #FEMA, he wrote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned the conviction of former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos, dealing another blow to ex-U.S. attorney Preet Bharara's prosecutorial record.

Bharara was fired by President Trump earlier this year and has since emerged as a prominent Trump critic.

During his time in office, he launched a high-profile anti-corruption campaign targeting Skelos and others.

But the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the conviction of Skelos and his son, granting new trials. The court found jurors in the case were wrongly instructed, in light of a Supreme Court decision following their 2015 convictions. The high court ruling narrowed the definition of a corrupt act.

Because we cannot conclude that the [instruction] error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, we are obliged to vacate the convictions, the court wrote.

The decision came less than three months after the court reversed former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's separate corruption conviction on the same grounds. Skelos is a Republican, Silver a Democrat.

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said that they are disappointed in the decision and plan to weigh their appellate options.

We look forward to a prompt retrial where we will have another opportunity to present the overwhelming evidence of Dean Skelos and Adam Skeloss guilt and again give the public the justice it deserves, Kim said in a statement. Cleaning up corruption is never easy, and that is certainly true for corruption in New York State government.

He added: But we are committed as ever to doing everything we can to keep our government honest. That is what we will do in this prosecution as well.

The decision Tuesday is a major setback for Bharara, who was fired by Trump in March. He has since carved out a post-office career as a commentator, while regularly criticizing Trump's policies and comments on Twitter.

Bharara tweeted that the ruling was "not unexpected, but still disappointing, given there was more than enough evidence to convict as the appeals court itself found." He did not respond to Fox News request for comment.

Skelos and his son, Adam, were convicted of federal extortion charges in 2015. The elder Skelos was accused of strong-arming three companies with a stake in state legislationa major real estate developer, an environmental technology company and a medical malpractice insurerinto giving work to a son prosecutors portrayed as an underachieving only child whose sense of entitlement knew no bounds.

The government said at the time that the businesses provided the younger Skelos with about $300,000 and other benefits.

Dean Skelos was sentenced to five years in prison, and his son was given six-and-a-half years.

Since 2000, more than 30 New York state lawmakers have left office over allegations of criminal or ethical violations, and more than a dozen have been convicted of those charges.

Fox News' Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Throughout the first year of his presidency  and even as he campaigned for the office  President Trumps rhetoric regarding North Korea has been harsh.

He warned earlier this year that Americas nuclear capabilities were much bigger [and] more powerful than that of the Asian nation. And at the end of 2017, Trump designated North Korea a state sponsor of terror again  a classification that came with additional sanctions.

On the heels of a planned, historic summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trumps tone softened, saying great progress has been made. But Trump ultimately cancelled that meeting, citing "open hostility" from North Korea.

From agreeing to meet with Kim to dubbing him Little Rocket Man, heres a look at what Trump has said about North Korea and its leader over time.

Back together again

After meeting with a North Korean official in the White House for more than an hour, Trump announced the June summit with North Korea is back on.

We'll be meeting on June 12 in Singapore," the president told reporters after the meeting.

Let's call the whole thing off

Trump announced on May 24 that he has decided to pull out of the June summit with North Korea.

"We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant," Trump said in a letter to Kim. "I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump said.

"I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you," he added. "In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated."

Deal or no deal?

After speaking with the South Korean president amid threats from the rogue regime to cancel talks, Trump suggested the historic summit between him and Kim might not happen after all.

If it doesnt happen, maybe it will happen later. You never know about deals. Ive made a lot of deals, Trump said on May 22. You never really know. It may not work out for June 12.

Trump said he wants the Korean peninsula to be denuclearized in an all in one manner.

I can guarantee Kims safety. He will be safe. He will be happy, Trump said. His country will be rich.

Trump also said hes noticed a change in Kims attitude recently.

I cant say that Im happy about it, he added.

Save the date

Trump officially announced that he would meet with Kim in Singapore on June 12.

We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace! Trump said in a tweet.

The announcement came hours after Trump and the first lady welcomed the three Americans freed from detention in North Korea at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland early on May 10.

After Trump met with the three men, he publicly thanked Kim for releasing the prisoners.

Were starting off on a new footing, Trump said.

Positive gesture of goodwill

In announcing that a date and place has been set for his much-anticipated meeting with Kim, Trump also confirmed three American prisoners have been released.

The three Americans  Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak Song  are returning to the U.S. with newly-confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trump said in a tweet. The president confirmed the three men are also in good health.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORIC SUMMIT BETWEEN TRUMP, KIM JONG UN

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump appreciates Kim Jong Uns action to release these American citizens, and views this as a positive gesture of goodwill.

Another American detainee, Otto Warmbier, died in June 2017 after he was released back to the U.S. with severe brain damage.

Good relationship formed

Trump has confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo  his pick to lead the State Department  secretly met with Kim in April and a good relationship was formed. He said the meeting went very smoothly.

The president also disclosed that the U.S. and North Korea have held direct talks at extremely high levels in preparation for the summit.

Kim will do what is right

After Kims first reported visit to China, Trump said there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity.

For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility, Trump said in a March tweet, adding that he is looking forward to his upcoming meeting with the North Korean leader.

He also gave North Korea the benefit of the doubt earlier that month, saying he believes the country will abide by its pledge to suspend missile tests.

When Trump delivered a speech in Pennsylvania, the crowd booed the mention of Kim, but the president stopped them.

No, it's very positive ... no, after the meeting you may do that, but now we have to be very nice because let's see what happens, let's see what happens, Trump said.

Invitation accepted

Trump accepted an invitation from Kim to meet, the White House said. While a time and place has yet to be determined, the two leaders are expected to meet by June.

The invitation to convene was extended by Kim.

Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached, Trump said on social media. Meeting being planned!

The deal with North Korea is very much in the making and will be, if completed, a very good one for the World. Time and place to be determined, he later said.

Possible progress

As North Korea is reportedly willing to negotiate its nuclear weapons, Trump cautiously acknowledged possible progress.

For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned, Trump said on Twitter. The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!

At a later White House news conference, Trump said he believed North Korea, which has a long history of deception and threats to target U.S. cities with nuclear missiles, is sincere.

We have come certainly a long way, at least rhetorically, with North Korea, Trump said. Of the possibility for peacefully resolving the nations deep differences, he said: Itd be a great thing for the world, would be great for North Korea, it would be a great thing for the peninsula.

But well see what happens, Trump said.

Spirit of the Olympics

At the conclusion of the 2018 Winter Olympics, North Korea sent the U.S. a message through South Korea, saying it has ample intentions of holding talks with America.

During a meeting with the nations governors at the White House in February, Trump said those talks will only occur under the right conditions.

The administrations position has been that North Korea must get rid of its nuclear and missile programs first before any talks can take place.

Relationship status: Its complicated

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump reportedly said he probably has a very good relationship with North Korea.

Trump also suggested that he is open to diplomacy with the country hes spent years criticizing, the newspaper reported.

I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised, Trump said.

The Wall Street Journal released the audio and transcript of the interview after Trump denied making the comments.

'Success for the world'

Trump told South Korea that he would be open to talks with its northern neighbor under the right circumstances, the White House said.

Trump also took credit for the talks between North and South Korea ahead of next months Winter Olympics. At a January Cabinet meeting, Trump said it was his administrations pressure on North Korea that caused the rogue nation to negotiate with the South.

"Without our attitude that would have never happened," Trump said of the inter-Korean dialogue. "Who knows where it leads. Hopefully it will lead to success for the world  not just for our country but for the world, and we'll be seeing over the next number of weeks and months what happens."

Whose button is bigger?

After Kim warned Trump about North Koreas nuclear capabilities, Trump hit back on social media, arguing that his Nuclear Button is bigger [and] more powerful.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,' the president tweeted. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

Kim previously warned the U.S. should know that the button for nuclear war is on my table.

The entire area of the U.S. mainland is within our nuclear strike range, he said. The United States can never start a war against me and our country.

Good news or bad news?

Trump insinuated at the start of the new year that sanctions and additional pressures are having a big impact on North Korea.

Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea, Trump said. Kim now wants to talk to South Korea for the first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not  we will see!

In his tweet, Trump was seemingly referring to the recent, dramatic escape of at least two North Korean soldiers across the heavily militarized border into the southern country He also alluded to Kims recent comments indicating he would send a delegation to the Winter Olympics to be hosted in South Korea.

Trump also took credit for the talks between North and South Korean leaders.

With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North, Trump said in a Jan. 4 tweet. Fools, but talks are a good thing!

'Sick puppy'

While giving a speech on tax reform at a Missouri event in November, 2017, Trump digressed from the topic to call the North Korean leader a "sick puppy."

His comments drew hoots from the crowd.

State sponsor of terror

Trump re-designated North Korea a state sponsor of terror on Nov. 20, 2017, citing its support of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil.

During a Cabinet meeting, Trump announced the designation came along with new sanctions on the murderous regime as part of the administrations maximum pressure campaign in dealing with North Korea. He said these sanctions will be the highest level of sanctions on the North.

North Korea was on the list but was taken off by the Bush administration in 2008.

Why can't we be friends?

In a series of tweets while in Vietnam, Trump said he doesn't know why the North Korean dictator would "insult" him.

Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me old, when I would NEVER call him short and fat? Trump said. Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!

The comment came after Kim referred to Trump's speech in South Korea as reckless remarks by an old lunatic.

'Dont try us'

In Asia, Trump issued a stern warning to North Korea, saying it would be a fatal miscalculation for the country to attack the U.S. or an ally.

This is a very different administration than the United States has had in the past. Do not underestimate us. And do not try us, Trump said during an address at South Koreas National Assembly.

North Korea has interpreted Americas past restraint as weakness, Trump said.

'Lets make a deal'

While on his Asia trip, Trump implored North Korea to come to the table for talks on its nuclear weapons program. Trumps request for North Korea to make a deal was in stark contrast to his previous hardline rhetoric when it comes to the rogue nation.

"It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and for the world," Trump said during a news conference alongside South Korean president Moon Jae-in in November 2017.

Trump also said hes seen a lot of progress in dealing with North Korea but still called the country a worldwide threat.

In a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo the day before, Trump repeated his assertion that the era of strategic patience with North Korea was finished.

Some people say my rhetoric is very strong but look what has happened with very weak rhetoric in the last 25 years, Trump said then.

'Rocket Man' is on a 'suicide mission'

After dubbing him Rocket Man in a tweet, Trump eventually tried out the new nickname for Kim during his inaugural address to the U.N. General Assembly.

During his speech, Trump vowed to totally destroy North Korea if the country so provokes him. He also said Kim was on a suicide mission.

No more talking

After North Korea said it successfully launched a missile over Japan, a U.S. ally, and into the Pacific Ocean, Trump initially had a subdued response.

"Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region and among all nations of the world," Trump said in a written statement after North Koreas missile soared almost 1,700 miles into the Pacific Ocean, triggering alert warnings in northern Japan and shudders throughout Northeast Asia. "All options are on the table."

The missile launch was said to be a precursor to North Koreas containment of the U.S. territory of Guam by Kim, according to state-run media.

But in a tweet, the president suggested the U.S. is finished talking to North Korea.

The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer, Trump tweeted.

The U.S. is 'locked and loaded'

Trump took to social media in August 2017 to proclaim that the U.S. military is locked and loaded in case North Korea act[s] unwisely.

'Fire [and] fury' isn't 'tough enough'

With the threat of nuclear violence growing, Trump warned North Korea on Aug. 8, 2017 that he would unleash fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.

But when tensions continued to rise and North Korea threatened to attack Guam, Trump said maybe that comment wasnt "tough enough."

"Lets see what [Kim] does with Guam. He does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody has seen before  what will happen in North Korea," Trump said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump was "sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jong Un can understand, because he doesnt seem to understand diplomatic language."

Kim Jong Un is 'not getting away with it'

Trump said Kim has disrespected our country greatly.

He has said things that are horrific. And with me, hes not getting away with it, Trump said. He got away with it for a long time, between him and his family. Hes not getting away with it. Its a whole new ball game.

'Strategic patience  is over'

After meeting with the South Korean president in Washington, D.C., in June 2017, Trump said that the era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed.

Frankly, that patience is over, he said.

As Trump made these comments, the U.S. was rocked with the death of Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old American college student who suffered extensive brain damage while being held captive in North Korea for more than a year.

There are 'worse things' than assassinating Kim Jong Un

In an interview with CBS News during the presidential campaign, Trump said he could get China to make [Kim Jong Un] disappear in one form or another very quickly.

When asked if he was talking about assassinating the North Korean dictator, Trump shrugged.

Well, you know, Ive heard of worse things, frankly. I mean, this guys a bad dude  and dont underestimate him, Trump said. Any young guy that can take over from his father with all those generals and everybody else that probably wants the position, this is not somebody to be underestimated.

'What the hell is wrong with speaking?'

Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Atlanta that should Kim want to come to the U.S., he would be accept[ed].

I wouldnt go there, that I can tell you. If he came here, Id accept him, but I wouldnt give him a state dinner like we do for China and all these other people that rip us off when we give them these big state dinners, Trump said in June 2016.

What the hell is wrong with speaking? Trump said, referencing the criticism he received for being willing to talk with North Korea. Its called opening a dialogue.

'Maniac'

During a GOP presidential debate in September 2015, Trump railed on the maniac in North Korea while answering a question about Planned Parenthood and womens health issues.

Nobody ever mentions North Korea, where you have this maniac sitting there, and he actually has nuclear weapons and somebody better start thinking about North Korea and perhaps a couple of other places. But certainly North Korea, Trump said.

You have somebody right now in North Korea who has got nuclear weapons and who is saying almost every other week, Im ready to use them, and we dont even mention it, he continued.

China needs to solve the problem

Even before he was president, Trump urged China to step in and help alleviate problems with North Korea.

North Korea is reliant on China. China could solve this problem easily if they wanted to but they have no respect for our leaders, Trump tweeted in March 2013.

In April 2013, Trump continued that line of thinking, adding that North Korea cant survive, or even eat, without the help of China. He then accused China of taunting the U.S.

As president, Trump has said he is very disappointed in actions China has taken regarding North Korea, particularly allowing oil to go into the nation. He also said a Chinese envoy to North Korea had no impact on Kim.

Additionally, Trump has said hes spoken to Chinas President Xi Jinping regarding the provocative actions of North Korea as well as the planned meeting between Trump and Kim.

President Xi told me he appreciates that the U.S. is working to solve the problem diplomatically rather than going with the ominous alternative, Trump said in March 2018. China continues to be helpful!

'Wack job'

In April 2013, Trump urged then-President Barack Obama to be very careful with the 28-year-old wack job in North Korea.

At some point we may have to get very tough, he tweeted.

'Negotiate like crazy'

Trump warned that the U.S. needed to do something to stop North Korea in 1999 during an interview with the late Tim Russert on Meet the Press.

"Do you want to do it in five years when they have warheads all over the place, every one of them pointing to New York City, to Washington and every one of us, is that when you want to do it, or do you want to do something now? Trump said. You'd better do it now. And if they think you're serious  they'll negotiate and it'll never come to that.

He said then that if he ever became president, the first step he would take would be to negotiate like crazy to make sure that the country would get the best deal possible. Trump also predicted then that in three or four years, North Korea would have weapons aimed all over the world, including at the U.S.

Fox News' Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump late Monday tweeted his support for Sen. Luther Strange in the hotly contested Alabama Republican runoff for U.S. Senate, in a race that has pitted the president against his former strategist, Steve Bannon.

The runoff is set for Tuesday.

Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Strange in Birmingham while Bannon spoke at a Moore rally at the coast.

Taking the stage to prolonged applause, Bannon said Alabama can show the world "that this populist, nationalist, conservative movement is on the rise."

"A vote for Roy Moore is a vote for Donald J. Trump," Bannon said.

Bannon lashed out at negative ads funded by allies of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Bannon said Republican "elites" had put millions of dollars into the Alabama race "to destroy a man."

Its very simple, Bannon told Fox News Hannity. This election is $30 million being spent by Mitch McConnell and that crew of corrupt and incompetent politicians and consultants. They raised $30 million in outside money to destroy Judge Moore.

Bannon mentioned that conservative radio hosts Mark Levin, Laura Ingram and Michael Savage have all voice support for Moore.

Bannon, who was in Alabama during the interview, said he was not there to defy Trump, rather to support his agenda.

Wearing a white cowboy hat and a black leather vest, Moore repeated the conservative Christian themes that he has used his entire public career, quoting Bible passages and Colonial leaders at length.

"All of Washington is watching to see what Alabama does tomorrow," Moore said.

Strange, Alabama's former attorney general, was appointed to the seat previously held by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in February.

Moore is the state's Alabama's chief justice, but was twice removed from that office because of stands for the public display of the Ten Commandments and against gay marriage.

Propelled by his support from evangelical voters, Moore led Strange by about 25,000 votes in the crowded August primary and runoff polls have shown him leading, or in a dead heat with, Strange. Strange looked to help from the White House to try to avoid another second-place finish Tuesday

Trump, who held a rally Friday in Huntsville for Strange, continued his efforts Monday, calling a popular Alabama radio show to campaign.

Trump predicted that Moore, whom he mistakenly called "Ray," would have a "hard time" in the December election against Democrat Doug Jones.

"Luther Strange is going to be a great senator. He already has, and he has already helped me," Trump said on the "Rick & Bubba" radio show.

Walking into the humid hangar to hear Pence, 57-year-old Randy Beasley of Springville said he had been undecided in the race but was swayed to vote for Strange because of his backing from the National Rifle Association. Beasley said he also had concerns that the twice-ousted chief justice "might have more of a negative image for the state."

Although Trump has endorsed Luther Strange, many in the crowd at the Moore rally wore Trump T-shirts or "Make America Great Again" hats.

Chu Green, 71, of Mobile said she arrived five hours early to snag a front row spot just feet from the speaker's microphone. She held up a sign reading: "Mr. President and Mr. V.P. I love you but you are wrong! America needs Judge Moore."

"It's how I feel in my heart," Green said. "I think (Trump) knows he made a mistake. He had an obligation to Strange."
Economists have called 2017 a sellers market. Still, that hasnt stopped thousands of houses from sitting unsold for months, without so much as a whisper of an offer.

While the biggest mistake sellers make is overpricing, there are dozens of other off-putting things they can be guilty of. A seller has to be particularly sensitive to consumers tastes since purchasing a home is the biggest emotional purchase most people make in their entire lifetimes.

7 DESIGN FEATURES ALL HOME-BUYERS ARE LOOKING FOR

Here are 10 things to stop doing if you want to start seeing bids:

#1. Not staging

According to the National Association of Realtors 2017 Profile on Home Staging, 77 percent of buyers agents reported staging a house made it easier for the buyer to visualize the property as a future home. The goal for home staging is to be so orderly, neat and clutter-free that you seduce buyers into thinking: Wow, if I lived here, my life would fall into place, too,' says Marni Jameson, a former professional live-in stager. Tampa-based real estate investor Eugene Gamble agrees, but cautions against getting rid of everything and being left with an empty, uninspiring space. Hire a professional to find the sweet spot between the two extremes.

#2. Over-staging

Montana-based REALTOR Alexis Brill cringes when she sees bowls filled with wax fruit, believing that fake anything seems inauthentic and can leave a bad taste in a potential buyers mouth.

Allen Shayanfekr agrees overstaging can be harmful. Its important the entire house is not staged, says the CEO of Sharestates. This leaves room for some thought on customization. Specifically, Shayanfekr prioritizes staging the kitchen, bathrooms and landscaping  in that order.

Bathrooms and kitchens still sell homes, agrees Cathy Hobbs, a home staging expert and "HGTV Design Star" finalist.

#3. Overdoing or neglecting the landscaping

Too many plants and kitschy yard decor is not only an eyesore  it can also scream maintenance, or worse, overpower the house, says Brill. Landscape designer Steve Griggs particularly recommends trimming any bushes or trees blocking light from coming into the home. And from the exterior perspective, repair dead grass and remove weeds. The last thing you want your home associated with is death and destruction.

HATE YARD WORK? 8 WAYS TO A SMARTER YARD

#4. Posting poor quality pictures

You only get one chance to make a good first impression and that first impression is usually online, says Gamble. According to the National Association of Realtors, 90 percent of home buyers search online. Julie Locke, a Newport Beach-based Keller Williams agent, says its essential to not skimp on high quality photos and video since theyre often the first step toward getting a buyers foot in the door. You want people to swipe right on the photos of your home, says Aaron Burnett, a professional photographer who charges between $150  $500 for a shoot. Professionals understand composition, lighting, shadows, color balance, etc. We also have really good equipment to work with.

#5. Leaving evidence of pets

Samantha DeBianchi, a real estate agent who appeared on "Million Dollar Listing Miami," remembers a time the seller left a foul-mouthed caged parrot at home during the walk-through. (The bird knew more than just hello, recalls DeBianchi.) But even just leaving dog dishes out or cat toys laying around can be a huge turn-off for potential buyers.

#6. Ignoring lingering odors

Obviously, pets are a big source of these invisible dealbreaking odors, which also include mold and cigarette smoke. Food is frequently a culprit, too. RJ Winberg, an Orange County-based real estate agent, recommends finding a third party to provide objective feedback.

For decades, retailers have been well aware that scent affects purchasing habits, and the same correlation is found in real estate.

#7. Converting rooms for special uses

Allison Bethell cautions against turning a garage into a family room or combining two bedrooms into one large bedroom if youre trying to sell your home. A potential buyer wants a garage to park in and an extra bedroom for guests, says the Miami-based real estate analyst.

If you do decide to convert, leave money in your budget to convert it back. Transforming a bedroom into a walk-in closet or that dark room youve always wanted, may be something you will enjoy while living in the home, but will be a big negative to potential buyers, says Hobbs.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

#8. Lacking in lighting

Few things are as frustrating as walking into a dark room and having to fumble around to find a light switch. Install light switches in places that make sense, and during a showing, make sure lights are already on when the potential buyer arrives. Not only will this let buyers know everything is working correctly, it will also brighten the space, notes Jessica Levings, a Realtor in Orlando. To add even more light, open the curtains and use mirrors to reflect existing light.

#9. Sharing TMI

I once showed a Democrat client a house where there was a photo of George Bush. He walked out, says Barbara Ackerman, a Realtor in Southwest Florida, who advises that clients hide polarizing personal items during showings. According to Ackerman, even the greatest house on Earth won't be purchased by a buyer who is offended.

Removing personal items also applies to whats behind closed doors. Buyers will often snoop, says Nancy Brook, a RE/MAX agent in Billings. Ive had some buyers comment about a sellers use of Xanax. Why is this a mistake? It takes the buyers attention off the property and onto the sellers personal life.

KENDALL JENNER DITCHED STARTER HOME FOR ONE WITH MORE CLOSET SPACE

#10. Underpromising on storage

The notion that you should "underpromise and overdeliver" doesnt work when youre trying to sell a house. Thin out your closets and storage spaces, advises Kathryn Bishop of Keller Williams Reality in Los Angeles. When closets are jammed with clothes, boxes, etc., buyers think the home doesnt have enough storage. Bishop also cautions against stashing stuff in the garage, saying the best solution is to rent a POD-type storage unit. Its an additional expense, but its also a head start on the inevitable process of moving out.
Maybe E.T. has just been waiting for an invitation.

That potential solution to the Fermi Paradox is getting a test this week, with the debut of a suite of "cosmic welcome mats" designed to let intelligent aliens know that Earth is happy to receive them (as long as they wipe their tentacles first, of course).

One of the mats now graces the entrance to the Adelaide Convention Center in South Australia, where the 68th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) is being held from Monday to Friday (Sept. 25 to Sept. 29). And a handful of other mats have been placed around the campus of nearby Flinders University. [13 Ways to Hunt Intelligent Aliens]

Previous missives to E.T. have generally included a fair bit of information about ourselves. For example, the golden plaques affixed to NASA's Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 probes, the Golden Record flying aboard the twin Voyager spacecraft, and the radio message beamed toward a distant star cluster in 1974 by Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory all sought to let aliens know what we look like, among other things.

Such communiques may be too complicated (and too self-centered) to really draw aliens in, said experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats, who developed the welcome mats with Flinders University space archaeologist Alice Gorman. So they aimed for simple.

"I think 'Welcome' is the simplest message of all," Keats told Space.com.

You can't assume journeying aliens will speak English, or any other human language, so he and Gorman didn't just grab a stack of mats off a Walmart shelf. Instead, they came up with their own design, which features an amorphous red blob against a blue-and-purple background.

The mats are bordered by black, which stands for outer space. The blob is the alien  a representation that Keats hopes E.T. would recognize based on the shape's "otherness." (Most creatures and objects on Earth have a defined geometric structure, and the red stands out strongly against the background, he said.)

The mats communicate "welcomeness" in a similarly abstract way. There are four different versions of the basic design, and all mean to convey spatially that the blob fits in well with its surroundings, Keats said.

In addition, two of the designs evoke a biochemical reaction, with the blob/alien "agonist" slotting nicely into a "receptor." A third version shows that the blob has room to grow, and the fourth features multiple blobs, suggesting that aliens of all kinds are welcome, Keats said.

Gorman's students will vacuum the mats every day during the IAC meeting, and then assiduously analyze the collected sediment to see which versions trapped the most dirt and dust  a proxy for "invitingness"  and how much of this gunk came from space. (About 100 tons of extraterrestrial material hits our planet every day, the vast majority of which burns up in the atmosphere.)

These data will inform future iterations of the mat, which Keats hopes go global and beyond. He'd like to get one on the doorstep of every person on the planet, as well as aboard the International Space Station, he said.

Whether or not the mats persuade E.T. to step in for a drink, Keats said he would like the project to inject a little bit of invitingness into what he sees as an increasingly xenophobic world.

"My core audience is everybody," he said. "We're all aliens."

The IAC isn't the end of the line for the cosmic welcome mats. Keats and Gorman will unveil a new version and discuss the project on Oct. 11, at the STATE of AI Pop-Up Studio in Los Angeles. To learn more, go to http://www.statefestival.org/program/2017/panel-the-cosmic-welcome-mat-designing-a-universal-greeting

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+ . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook or Google+ . Originally published on Space.com.
NASA's Earth-observing satellites can track the forces that create malaria outbreaks, and their data will soon help local communities make big strides toward warding off the deadly disease.

The Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) project allows satellites from far above the Amazon rainforest in South America to track environmental factors (such as rainfall) and human activities (such as logging) that may attract the Anopheles darlingi mosquito, the host of malaria in the region.

NASA's Applied Sciences Program is funding the investigation into using the LDAS to predict malaria outbreaks. William Pan of the Duke Global Health Institute, who is leading the project, said it could be ready to be implemented within a few years, and its analytical models can also be extended to help prevent the spread of Zika, dengue or other diseases. [Why Use Satellites To Measure Rain? (Video)]

By pinpointing areas with warm air temperatures that are likely to have calm ponds or puddles of water, the satellites provide data that Pan and his research team can use, in cooperation with the Peruvian government, to forecast malaria outbreaks down to the household level, NASA officials said in a statement.

Malaria is a deadly global disease that is transmitted by about 40 species of mosquitoes, according to NASA. And in nations like Peru, it is difficult to assess where contaminated female mosquitoes are laying their eggs. The insects look for warm and calm waters, which, according to NASA, can emerge in changing parts of the rainforest, depending on where rainfall accumulates and where logging ditches are dug.

The Amazon basin is witnessing a recent rise in malaria infections, which have particularly severe effects on young children and the elderly. According to the World Health Organization's 2016 Malaria Report, Peru and Venezuela were each experiencing more than 20 percent spikes in estimated malaria cases as well as in estimated mortality rates. People do not always experience their first symptoms of malaria where they contract the disease, so containing an outbreak is challenging. Malaria is passed from female mosquitoes when they feed on blood, and frequently lay eggs as they have short life cycles of just two weeks.

Pan and his team can get data about precipitation, soil moisture, air temperature and vegetation from the LDAS, which folds in data from satellites such as Landsat, Global Precipitation Measurement, Terra and Aqua.

By showing where calm puddles and ponds are likely to form, the team can anticipate where malaria outbreaks are likeliest to occur.

"These models let us predict where the soil moisture is going to be in a condition that will allow for breeding sites to form," Ben Zaitchik, the project's co-investigator, said in the statement.

As NASA satellites detect rainfall, scientists can make predictions about where loggers are likeliest to enter the jungles  and, therefore, where they might catch malaria  since logs are easier to transport via timber floating, where there is a body of water they can travel upon. Malaria is often a byproduct of deforestation, and several nations in the Amazon basin, like Peru, are home to extensive, and sometimes illegal, logging. As the prediction models analyze the data from NASA's satellites, public health officials can make better-informed preparations by sending aid to people living near malaria breeding grounds in the country.

The project is now in the third and final year of its NASA grant, and Pan's team continues to refine the models. The Peruvian government is already familiarizing itself with LDAS, according to NASA, and the malaria prediction tools should be ready for use within the next few years. Colombia and Ecuador, which also have lands inside the Amazon basin, have expressed interest in the initiative.

Follow Doris Elin Salazar on Twitter @salazar_elin . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com.
After years of being washed, perfumed and fed in ancient Egypt, the statue of a revered Egyptian deity was given a proper burial with other "dead" statues more than 2,000 years ago, a new study finds.

Ancient Egyptians buried the statue of the deity Ptah  the god of craftsmen and sculptors  with other revered statues, including those of a sphinx, baboon, cat, Osiris and Mut, in a pit next to Ptah's temple.

The statue of Ptah had likely sat in the temple for years, but it and the other sacred objects were respectfully buried after they accumulated damage and were declared useless by the ancient Egyptians, the researchers said. [See Photos of the Ptah, Sphnix and Other Statues]

"We can consider that when a new statue was erected in the temple, this one [of Ptah] was set aside in a pit," said study co-researcher Christophe Thiers, director of the French-Egyptian Center for the Study of the Temples of Karnak. "The other artifacts were also previously damaged during their 'lifetime' in the temple, and then they were buried with the Ptah statue."

Archaeologists discovered the pit in December 2014 at Karnak, an Egyptian temple precinct, and spent about a month excavating its rich assemblage. The pit held 38 objects, including:

Fourteen statuettes and figurines of Osiris.

Eleven fragments of inlay from statues. The inlay included that of an iris, a cornea, a false beard, a cap, a strand of hair and an inlay plaque.

Three baboon statuettes (representing the god Thoth).

Two statuettes of the goddess Mut (one with hieroglyphic inscriptions).

Two unidentified statuette bases.

One head and one fragmentary statuette of a cat (Bastet).

One small fragmentary faience stele (a stone slab) recording the name of the god Ptah.

One head of a statuette of a man in gilded limestone.

One lower part of a statue of the seated god Ptah, sawn and repaired.

One sphinx.

One unidentified metal piece.

It appeared that the artifacts were buried in a certain order. After digging the pit, also known as a favissa (a cache of sacred objects that are no longer in use), the ancient Egyptians would have put down the lower part of Ptah's limestone statue. The statue was large, and it probably took two to three people to carry it, the researchers said.

Next to the statue, the Egyptians would have placed a wooden effigy of the god Osiris that had metal applique, including a beard and two feathers in its crown. Then, the other artifacts would have been distributed around these two artifacts, which were then covered with about 8 inches (20 centimeters) of backfill. This is where the ancient Egyptians placed a statue of a small limestone sphinx.

The pit was then covered with more backfill. At the top, the Egyptians placed a small male head made of gilded limestone, likely for protection, the researchers said.

The objects were made at different times, the researchers found. The statue of Ptah dates to the New Kingdom; the style of the sphinx supports a late Ptolemaic date; and the gilded head dates to the early Ptolemaic period, the researchers said. However, by studying the site's rock layers, the researchers found that the artifacts were buried by the temple's priests during the second half of the Ptolemaic period, between the second century B.C. and the middle of the first century B.C., the researchers wrote in the study. [7 Amazing Archaeological Discoveries from Egypt]

Rebirth awaits

The vast number of buried Osiris figurines and statues intrigued the archaeologists. Osiris was the god of fertility and of the dead in the underworld, but also of rebirth. It's possible the priests placed Osiris with Ptah because of his role in rebirth and regeneration, the researchers said.

"[Ptah] is waiting for rebirth," study lead researcher Guillaume Charloux, an archaeologist with the French-Egyptian Center for the Study of the Temples of Karnak, told Live Science. "It's protected by the sphinx. It's surrounded by the Osiris statues. We have the feeling here that it's waiting for rebirth, like mummies of pharaohs."

The study was published online Sept. 21 in the journal Antiquity.

Original article on Live Science.
Archaeologists have harnessed spy satellite imagery and drones to help identify the site of an ancient lost city in Northern Iraq.

Experts at the Iraq Emergency Heritage Management Training Scheme have been working at the Qalatga Darband site, which is 6.2 miles southeast of Rania in Iraqi Kurdistan. Backed by U.K. government funding, the project involves archaeologists from the British Museum and their Iraqi counterparts.

Qalatga Darband was first spotted when archaeologists analyzed U.S. spy satellite imagery from the 1960s that was declassified in the 1990s. Experts at the British Museum used the data to map a large number of carved limestone blocks at the site, indicating substantial remains. A drone survey highlighted other buildings that may be buried at the site.

EXPERTS HARNESS 3D PRINTING TO RECREATE ANCIENT ARTIFACTS DESTROYED BY ISIS

The site, which overlooks the Lower Zab river at the western edge of the Zagros Mountains, is part of a historic route from ancient Mesopotamia to Iran. Alexander the Great passed through the area in 331 B.C. when his army was pursuing Persian King Darius III after defeating him at the battle of Gaugamela. The site was also at the eastern edge of the Assyrian Empire in the 8th and 7th centuries B.C., according to the British Museum.

Excavations at Qalatga Darband have given archaeologists a fascinating glimpse into the life of the ancient city. Initial analysis suggests that the city was founded by the Seleucids, who inherited the empire of Alexander the Great. Hellenist, or Greek, influences, were still strong in the region during the Seleucid era. The site is thought to have survived the subsequent overthrow of the Seleucid Empire, when Qalatga Darband came under Parthian rule.

A systematic collection of surface ceramics has been carried out, analysis of which has for the first time established that the site can be dated to the first and second centuries BC, explained the British Museum, in a press release. Excavations revealed a large fortified structure at the north end of the site, stone presses that may have been used for wine production, and Greco-Roman architecture, such as the use of terracotta roof tiles.

CHRISTIAN SAINT'S BONES UNEARTHED IN MONASTERY DESTROYED BY ISIS

When archaeologists investigated a huge stone mound at the southern end of the site, they found the remains of a large building, which given the presence of smashed statuary, may have been a temple for worshipping Greco-Roman deities. The smashed statues include a seated female figure that may be the Greek goddess Persephone and a half life-sized nude male figure that may be Adonis.

A nearby site, Usu Aska, has revealed a fort tentatively dated to time of the ancient Assyrians. A grave cut into the Assyrian remains contained a coin dating to the time Parthian King Orodes II, around 57 to 38 B.C. The discovery of a fort dating to the time of the Assyrian period will generate information on a corner of the empire which is virtually unknown, while the discovery of a city established in the wake of the conquests of Alexander the Great is already yielding evidence for the fundamental changes wrought by the advent of Hellenism, explained the British Museum.

The Iraq Emergency Heritage Management Training Scheme was set up in 2015 in response to the devastation wrought by the Islamic State.

SPHINX, BABOON AND CAT STATUES FOUND IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BURIAL

During its reign of terror, ISIS launched a series of wanton attacks on sites of historic and religious importance across a swathe of Iraq and Syria. Last year, for example, ISIS released a video that showed militants using sledgehammers and drills to destroy artifacts in Iraqs Mosul Museum.

In 2015, ISIS took control of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and subsequently demolished some of its best-known monuments, such as the Temple of Ba'al. The jihadists, who beheaded the citys former antiquities chief, also used Palmyras ancient amphitheater for public executions.

Last year, a Christian saints bones were reportedly unearthed amid the rubble of an ancient Syrian monastery destroyed by ISIS.

The Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
An Australian cruise operator has come under fire for mistakenly leaving a passenger behind on a remote beach.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), charter company Ahoy Buccaneers has received a prohibition notice from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's (AMSA) following the June 2017 safety breach.

"As they were bringing their passengers back on board their main boat it appeared that one of their passengers had been left behind, unfortunately, for a brief period of time," AMSA manager of compliance, David Marsh, told the ABC.

"It was brought to their attention by another operator. So yes, the vessel did come back around and pick up that passenger, but yes quite concerning that they'd left someone behind," Marsh said.

The incident occurred in Western Australia's Kimberley region after more than a dozen passengers had been dropped off to see Aboriginal rock art.

The remote Raft Point site is where the passenger wandered from the track and is located 110-plus miles from the nearest town and inaccessible by road.

"The most important thing here to remember is that a head count would have identified this, so whether the vessel left or whether it didn't is not really that important," Marsh added. "The point is that they were unaware that that person was not aboard their boat...it is serious, there's no doubt about it."

Ahoy Buccaneers has since gone on the defense, downplaying the incident and the potential risk to the traveler. The company said the MV Oceanic would never have departed without all of its guests.

However, ABC reports the cruise agency has been cited twice in as many years for issues pertaining to the dinghy's seaworthiness, stability, electrical wiring and firefighting equipment.

The company was forced to temporarily suspend operations in September 2015 and again a year later as a result of a lack of safety equipment aboard its vessel.

Marsh said the prohibition notice signals the company's last chance to demonstrate its commitment to safety.

Launched in 2015, Ahoy Buccaneers offers an affordable cruise option for tourists to Kimberley, with eight-day itineraries starting at $1,500.
Two category 5 hurricanes back-to-back in just 12 days. In St. Croix and the Virgin Islands, many stranded residents were starting to feel they had been forgotten.

Hurricane Maria made landfall in St. Croix last Tuesday at 2 a.m.

Now, 1,200 U.S. National Guardsmen are helping residents dig out, and 800 are from the Virgin Islands. Some have lost their own homes, but are living in tents now helping others.

Another 1,500 are on their way, and will be sleeping onboard a cruise ship that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has contracted to give them shelter.

The governor of the Virgin Islands compares going through a hurricane to experiencing a war. He says he needs more help, especially mental health specialists to treat traumatized residents and first responders.

"When your roof starts to peel away and you are inside there and then your windows start to go and the walls start collapsing when you are in that structure  that is awful. The emotional ride of going through any hurricane is devastating," said Gov. Kenneth Mapp, who has experienced five hurricanes. "You begin to think it is abating and then it comes back more ferocious. You begin to believe your structure is going to hold and in the last two hours it begins to disappear and then water comes through everywhere."

From the air, St. Croix has a lot to rebuild: 70 percent of the buildings are damaged, and many look like the contents of a match box tossed on the ground.

The Tennessee National Guard gave a visiting Fox News team a bird's eye view of the damage across the island from a Blackhawk helicopter. Even the tombs in the cemetery were blown open by the winds.

The governor hopes to have the electricity back on by December.

"We need a lot of support in terms of how we are going to get homes repaired," Mapp told Fox News. "We are really trying to figure out how we rebuild resiliently as opposed to how we are going to rebuild fast. We've got 80 percent of our power system on the ground."

He estimates it will cost an estimated $200 million to rebuild the electrical grid, most of which was built above ground. These telephone and electrical lines look like a ball of tangled yarn. The islands of St. John and St. Thomas to the north are "shredded," according to the National Guard working there.

"Our federal partners  FEMA  have been dropping provisions on the ground. We have our supermarkets up and running. We are sending fuel to St. Thomas," the governor said while waiting on the tarmac for the arrival of FEMA director Brock Long and the President's Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert, who flew in to assess the damage.

In western St. Croix, some people remain trapped in their homes. There is no clean water and roads are still blocked by downed trees. Neither landline phones nor cell phones are working yet.

"You hear about the freight train noises like a tornado," said resident Charles Dolphin Jr., who was waiting in line for water and Meals Ready To Eat at a National Guard distribution point. "People have been breaking down."

His wife, Trudy Cowan Dolphin, works at the University of the Virgin Islands and is responsible for a large number of U.S. medical students who are trapped and trying to get home.

He asked if the trapped American students could fly out on military flights. "They are getting hot meals. Tell their parents they are safe," Dolphin said. Their parents keep buying airline tickets, but there are still no flights.

Members of the Texas National Guard have set up a control tower at the airport so a few military planes can land, but the airport is not yet ready for commercial flights.

On Friday, the governor lifted a 24-hour curfew for four hours a day to allow residents to resupply.

He's trying to manage expectations: 55,000 people live in St. Croix year round.

St. Croix escaped the brunt of Hurricane Irma. It was supposed to be the relief hub for St. John and St. Thomas to the north. Then Hurricane Maria hit.

The recovery on these islands is harder than recovery efforts in Texas and Florida where there were about 20,000 National Guard mobilized to help and resources flooded in.

They only have 11 helicopters and the airport in St. Thomas is closed -- but officials say they hope it can reopen in the coming

days.

General Joseph Lengyel, the National Guard chief, arrived from the Pentagon to figure out what more could be done to help St. Croix and the other islands.

"My initial impression is it will be a while before this place returns to a semblance of normalcy," Lengyel told Fox News. "They are working hard to get back to normal, but it's going to be a long haul for the Virgin Islands."

St. Croix wants to rebuild hurricane-proof buildings but that will take longer and cost more.

In Texas, President Trump adjusted the cost-sharing ratio to allow the governor to request more National Guard help. Officials say he could do the same for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The real problem is these residents know they are only halfway through this hurricane season.

"The emotional ride is the worst part of it. But we're resilient," Mapp said. "We are going to rebuild the Virgin Islands. It's going to be better and stronger."

If people would like to help, the governor says they can go to USVIRecovery.org.

He said: "We have a lot of families and folks to take care of. Many lost everything and now have just the clothes on their back."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that the airport in St. John was closed. In fact, the airport in St. Thomas was closed; St. John does not have an airport.
Police on Long Island are looking for several teenagers who are accused of attacking two boys in a Burger King.

It happened on August 22 in Valley Stream but police are just releasing surveillance video of the attack.

Detectives say two 16-year-old boys were inside a Burger King on W. Merrick Road around 5 p.m. when they were approached by a group of five males and two females and began beating them.

Both victims suffered contusions and lacerations to their heads before running away.

The victims suffered non-life threatening head injuries and were transported to a hospital for treatment.

Police ask anyone with information regarding the attack to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. They say that all callers will remain anonymous.



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From bans on plastic bags to preventing the sale of foie gras, California has enacted plenty of new rules within the past few years in hopes of improving both the environment and quality of life.

Despite these efforts, the Golden State has somehow still ranked dead last  behind New Jersey and Indiana  among U.S. states in quality of life, according to a study by U.S. News.

Each state was judged on both natural environment and social environment.

"A person's quality of life is largely a result of their interactions with those around them," the magazine wrote.

U.S. News also ranked each state in seven other areas, which were weighted based on a survey that determined their importance to the public: health care, education, economy, opportunity, infrastructure, crime and corrections and fiscal stability.

Though the state seemed to fail U.S. News' tests, that doesn't mean politicians are ready to give up. Here's a look at some bans and regulations the state has enforced (or might soon).

Mandated solar panels

The first state in nation to do so, California is mandating all new homes have solar panels. In an effort to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, the new regulation requires all homes and apartments built after 2020 to have the solar panels.

This regulation will add about $10,000 in construction costs to single-family homes. However, according to the California Energy Commission which approved the policy in a unanimous vote on May 9, the panels could generate more energy savings.

No non-rescue animals in pet stores

California will become the first state to prohibit pet stores from selling dogs, cats or rabbits that aren't rescues, thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October.

Starting in January 2019, pet stores will be required to obtain animals from a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group  that is in a cooperative agreement with at least one private or public shelter. Stores will face up to $500 fines for the sale of each animal that is not determined to be a rescue, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The bill's passage also makes California the first state to ban the sale of animals from so-called puppy mills or mass breeding.

No more cosmetics testing on animals

Sen. Cathleen Galigiana, D-Stockton, also hopes California will become the first state to ban cosmetics testing on animals.

Galigiana's bill, called the California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act, would make it illegal for any cosmetic manufacturer to "knowingly import or sell any cosmetic, including personal hygiene products such as deodorant, shampoo or conditioner in California, if the final product or any component of the product was tested on animals after Jan. 1, 2020.

Violators would face a fine up to $500 for their first offense, and up to $1,000 for each subsequent violation.

Ban on plastic bags

California became the first state in the U.S. to ban single-use plastic bags in 2015, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Businesses that continue to offer the bags have to charge customers a fee.

Limit state-funded travel

California blocked state-funded travel to multiple states in June that had what the state attorney general considered anti-LGBT policies. Those states were: Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota and Texas.

Non-essential state-funded travel was already banned from Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Restriction on pets

California bars the possession of certain restricted animals without a specific permit, including hamsters, ferrets and gerbils.

Hedgehogs, certain parakeets and piranhas are also banned from being kept as pets.

Cars with internal combustion engines could go

Cars with internal combustion engines could soon be banned in California.

Mary Nichols, the California Air Resources Board chair, told Bloomberg that Gov. Jerry Brown is interested in a potential ban. However, she said banning cars with internal combustion engines wouldnt happen in the next 10 years.

CALIFORNIA COULD BAN CARS WITH INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES, REGULATOR SAYS

Foie gras is a faux pas

Californias foie gras ban was reinstated in September by a federal appeals court. It found that a state law preventing sales of the food product made by force-feeding ducks and geese was not preempted by federal authority to regulate poultry products.

The ban was signed into law in 2004 after proponents said the process of fattening the birds livers was cruel and inhumane. The law took effect in 2012, but was blocked by a court in 2015, delighting chefs who wanted to serve it.

Fox News' Jennifer Earl, Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A man holding a pregnant woman at gunpoint in North Carolina was shot by police officers after the woman slipped out of his grasp, authorities said.

The officers were responding to a home invasion call at a north Charlotte home about 10 p.m. Monday when they shot Johnathan Autry several times, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said in a statement.

"Somehow she was free just in an instant. That's when they saw that imminent threat and they fired their weapons," Police Chief Kerr Putney said at a news conference after the shooting.

Autry and a second man broke into the home and demanded the woman give them money, saying the name of her husband, police said.

The second suspect escaped and has not been caught, authorities said.

Autry, 28, was in critical condition at the hospital Tuesday morning. When he recovers, he will face first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping and other charges.

The woman and a child inside the home, and the officers were not seriously injured, authorities said.

The three officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave. Officer Shon Sheffield has been on the force for five years, Officer Joseph Bauer has worked for the department almost four years and Officer James Tindall was hired last October, the department said.
Puerto Rico is in the throes of a full-blown "humanitarian crisis," with washed-out roads, downed power lines and damaged infrastructure -- a scene President Trump intends to view first hand next week.

Trump, who has been criticized for not focusing more on Puerto Rico in the days following the devastating Category 3 storm, said Tuesday the federal government is working hard to get food and water to the U.S. territory, saying the island was hit as hard as you can hit.

Those people are very important to all of us, he said. We are working very, very hard on Puerto Rico.

Though the federal government has sent aid to Puerto Rico, recovery efforts have been hampered by logistical hurdles on the island of more than 3.4 million U.S. citizens.

Rep. Paul Ryan called the destruction a humanitarian crisis and vowed to help.

They need our help and they are going to get our help, Ryan said Tuesday, adding the $15 billion Congress passed earlier this month for hurricanes Harvey and Irma also applied to Puerto Rico.

Local officials have said they have been unable to reach more than half of the towns on the Caribbean island; however, they continue working hard to get food and water to isolated communities.

What were now seeing is that the aftermath is almost more horrific than the actual passing of the hurricane itself, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told the Los Angeles Times. The death toll is rising. People have still not communicated. And in San Juan, youre seeing what Im calling urban refugees.

She added: Were doing our damnedest to get to them, especially the elderly that are left locked up in their buildings with no food, no electricity, no medication, no medical attention. Were canvassing them one by one.

Cruz, on Tuesday, lauded recovery efforts, while slow, from FEMA officials. She told CNN incoming aid is making people feel like were not alone and we can make it.

Power has been restored in a handful of hospitals on the island, although nearly 100 percent of Puerton Rican residents have been sitting in the dark.

Officials say it could be months before power is fully restored.

There is no water and practically no food  not even spaghetti, Mercedes Caro said outside the SuperMax in the Condado neighborhood of San Juan after purchasing a loaf of white bread, cheese and bananas.

Flights off the island are infrequent and communication is spotty at best. Officials said Monday more than 91 percent of cell sites were out of service.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello called the situation on the island a humanitarian crisis and urged Congress to pass an aid bill like it did for Hurricane Harvey.

This has been an unprecedented disaster, not only for Puerto Rico, but for all of the region, Rossello told MSNBC on Tuesday. We need more help. We need more help with resources. We need more help with people being deployed so that we can get logistical support elsewhere.

The Trump administration has tried to blunt criticism that its response in Puerto Rico has fallen short of efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there.

On Monday, the president addressed the situation in a series of tweets, noting the islands electrical grid was in terrible shape, but promised food, water and medical are top priorities.

Texas & Florida are doing great, but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble, he tweeted.

According to the Wall Street Journal, catastrophe-modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimated that Hurricane Maria caused $40 billion to $85 billion in insured losses, mostly in Puerto Rico.
The nation's top military officer said Tuesday he's not seen any shifts in North Korea's military posture despite the reclusive nation's threats to shoot down U.S. warplanes amid the "charged political environment" between Washington and Pyongyang.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee "we haven't seen military activity that would be reflective of the charged political environment that we're seeing."

His remarks come amid escalating rhetoric between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump tweeted that North Korea's leadership "won't be around much longer." North Korea's top diplomat, Ri Yong Ho, argued Trump's tweet gives his nation the right to shoot down U.S. military aircraft, like the strategic bombers Washington flew close to the border between the two Koreas over the weekend.

The White House said Monday it's not seeking to overthrow North Korea's government and called Pyongyang's assertion absurd that Trump's comment amounted to a declaration of war.

Still, the fiery rhetoric carrying over from a week of threatening exchanges at the U.N. General Assembly only further stoked concerns the U.S. and North Korea would lurch into an open military conflict. The Korean War ended seven decades ago without a formal peace treaty and tensions related to the North's nuclear advances have escalated for months.

Dunford also indicated that reaching a diplomatic solution with North Korea may be more difficult if the U.S. abandons the landmark nuclear deal with Iran. Trump has suggested he might seek to renegotiate or walk away from what he's labeled the "worst one-sided deal perhaps in American history."

But Dunford cautioned that ditching the deal could have ramifications.

"It makes sense to me that our holding up agreements that we have signed, unless there's a material breach, would have an impact on others' willingness to sign agreements," Dunford said.

The general said that Iran is adhering to its obligations under the nuclear agreement.

Dunford completes his first term at the end of September. The committee was holding his confirmation hearing with just days to spare to give him another tour of duty. The full Senate must vote to confirm Dunford by Saturday or he'll have to step aside until his nomination is approved.

Trump in May nominated Dunford to serve a second two-year term as chairman as most military leaders serve two terms. President Barack Obama had tapped Dunford for the job.

During the wide-ranging hearing, Dunford voiced support for currently serving transgender troops, telling the panel that anyone who meets the military's demanding standards and is capable of deploying should be allowed to continue to serve. Trump directed the military to indefinitely extend the ban on transgender individuals enlisting in the service, but he left it up to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to decide if those currently serving should be allowed to stay.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., asked Dunford if he would promise that transgender troops who have followed department policy and met every requirement would not be dismissed from the armed forces based solely on their gender identity.

"I can promise that that will be my advice," Dunford responded. "What I've just articulated is the advice I've provided in private, and I've just provided in public."

In a recent memo to top military leaders, Mattis said a high-level panel will determine how to implement Trump's ban on transgender individuals in the military. The guidance also made clear that transgender troops in uniform can re-enlist in the next several months, even as the department debates how broadly to enforce the ban Trump ordered.

Dunford, a highly respected, combat-hardened commander, took over as chairman on Oct. 1, 2015, following just one year as commandant of the Marine Corps. Before that assignment, he led the Afghanistan war coalition during a key transitional period from February 2013 to August 2014.

During his fast-tracked military career that began in 1977, Dunford jumped from a one-star general to four stars in about three years. He's steadfastly steered clear of politics and urged all U.S. troops to do the same.

Dunford, 61, is a Boston native who holds master's degrees in government from Georgetown University and international relations from Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

___

Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rplardner
A former Tennessee police officer was arrested outside the White House Sunday with an arsenal of weapons in his car, authorities said.

Timothy Joseph Bates allegedly told authorities that he came seeking for help to remove a chip implanted in his head.

Bates was reportedly stopped near the White House. He told officers that he was blackjacked in the head by the Memphis Police Department and a chip was implanted in his head, FOX5 reported.

Bates allegedly told the officer that he was offered $28.7 million by the Department of Homeland Security and the state of Tennessee to participate in a special C.I.A-managed project called MK Ultra.

He also said to have travelled to Washington, DC. to speak with Adm. Mike Rogers and Gen. Jim Mattis for advice on missing paychecks and how to get the dog chip out of my head, The Washington Post reported. citing an affidavit.

Mattis is the U.S. Secretary of Defense, while Rogers is the director of the National Security Agency.

Police searched Bates vehicle and said they found multiple weapons, including a machine gun, two assault rifles, four pistols, a set of brass knuckles, a blackjack, and three knives longer than 3 inches, FOX5 reported. Some guns were loaded and within arms reach of the driver.

No intention to use the weapons is mentioned in court documents.

The Memphis Police Department confirmed that Bates had been a police officer for 13 years before resigning in 2013. Court documents revealed the Tennessee man was allowed to retire for medical reasons, The Post reports.

The man was taken by police for a mental observation before brought to jail for processing. He is facing a prison sentence up to five years and a fine up to $5,000 for illegally carrying a rifle or shotgun. A preliminary hearing is set for Thursday.
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The Guggenheim Museum in New York City has caved in to the demands of animal-rights activists and removed three major artworks involving animals out of concern for safety.

The museum came under fire last week after it announced a highly anticipated exhibition by Chinese conceptual artists. One included an artwork titled Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other, featuring a video of eight pit bulls trying to attack each other on a nonmotorized treadmill but which never actually make a contact.

The museum decided to remove the works following the weekend of protests by animal rights activists outside the museum, violent threats and an online petition demanding cruelty-free exhibits that racked up more than half a million signatures, The New York Times reported.

Guggenheim - please do what you know in your heart is right. Take a stand with our animal cohabitants of this planet, and pull the artists employing these cruel methods from your upcoming show, the petition reads.

Last week, the museum said it was going through with the exhibit even though the work may be upsetting to some.

The museum now said exhibiting the controversial artwork poses a safety threat. The museum is removing it out of concern for the safety of its staff, visitors and participating artists.

Although these works have been exhibited in museums in Asia, Europe and the United States, the Guggenheim regrets that explicit and repeated threats of violence have made our decision necessary, it said in a statement.

As an arts institution committed to presenting a multiplicity of voices, we are dismayed that we must withhold works of art. Freedom of expression has always been and will remain a paramount value of the Guggenheim.
Maria weakened to a tropical storm by Thursday morning as it continues to move away from the U.S. east coast.

Maria had been briefly downgraded to a tropical storm earlier this week before it regained strength and became a Category 1 storm on Wednesday. Forecasters do not expect much of a change in Maria's strength over the next few days, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm made landfall in Puerto Rico last week as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, destroying hundreds of homes and knocking out power to the entire U.S. territory of 3.4 million people. The storm's center passed near the U.S. Virgin Island of Saint Croix.

Here's what you should know about Marias path.

Where is Maria today?

Maria is approximately 275 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and 470 miles northwest of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. ET advisory Thursday.

HURRICANE WARNING VS. WATCH: HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?

The storm is traveling east-northeast at 8 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

What else should I know about the storm?

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. All storm surge warnings have also been discontinued as of Thursday.

North Carolina previously issued a mandatory evacuation for visitors to much of the Outer Banks. Officials said Thursday that they hope to lift the evacuation order on two islands in the Outer Banks soon.

Maria already ravaged the Caribbean nation of Dominica, leaving widespread devastation, according to Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.

WHAT IS THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE?

"So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," Skerrit said.

The confirmed toll from Maria jumped to at least 49 on Monday, including 16 dead in Puerto Rico. No injuries have been reported on the U.S. mainland from Maria after it lashed the Outer Banks with strong waves and rising waters.

When Maria hit Puerto Rico, it was the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Irma when it hit the Florida Keys.

Saint Croix, largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma just weeks ago, this time experienced five hours of hurricane force winds, U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.

Residents in Saint Croix told Fox News that the storm left them without power and turned roads into mudslides. Barges were also destroyed in the storm, residents said, causing concern not only for Saint Croix, but for nearby Saint Thomas and Saint John, which had been receiving aid from the larger of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Fox News' Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Zoe Szathmary and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The husband of a Massachusetts second-grade teacher was arrested Tuesday and charged with her murder, authorities said.

Andrew MacCormack, 29, was taken into custody by Revere Police and Massachusetts State Police detectives and is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in the death of his wife, 30-year-old Vanessa.

"The evidence suggests that her murder was a crime of domestic violence, committed in the very place where she should have been safest  her own home," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said in a statement.

Vanessa MacCormack was found unresponsive in the couple's Revere home Saturday afternoon. According to the medical examiner, she had suffered blunt force trauma to her head, sharp force injuries to her neck and asphyxiation.

"Evidence suggested that the killer made concerted efforts to clean up the crime scene and dispose of related items," the statement from the district attorney's office said.

MASSACHUSETTS MAN DIES AFTER BEING SWARMED BY BEES

MacCormack, who is survived by one young daughter, taught at Connery Elementary School in Lynn, a suburb north of Boston. Lynn Public Schools Superintendent Catherine Latham said MacCormack had taught there for five years and had been in the district for seven years.

Latham called MacCormack "a talented, dedicated and passionate educator and a loyal, kind and compassionate friend and colleague. We send our deepest sympathies to her family, friends and colleagues."

MAN CHARGED IN 1992 SLAYING OF MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS AIDE

Angela Masucci, MacCormacks sister, told Fox 25 Boston Monday night that "although [Vanessa] was only 30 and she was robbed of her future, she lived a happy life.

"She had the wedding of her dreams, her dream job, traveled, went out to eat, had the perfect baby, and loved her husband with every ounce of her soul," Masucci's statement continued. "I hope for my sister to be remembered, as a beautiful mother, sister, wife, cousin, daughter, and teacher."

Over the weekend, Masucci described her sister as "the world's best mother" in a statement to CBS Boston.

"She did everything for her daughter and had so many plans for her" Masucci said at the time. "She never missed an opportunity to bring her places to show off her beautiful baby."

There was no immediate comment from the family on Andrew MacCormack's arrest.

Click for more from Fox25Boston.com.
A man claiming to be the spokesman of a jogger dubbed the "Mad Pooper"  who reportedly has been defecating on the lawns of Colorado homes  says the woman is struggling after gender reassignment surgery and as she battles a traumatic brain injury.

The unidentified man made the comments in a YouTube video that has since been removed, KRDO reported.

He said he was speaking on the behalf of Colorado Springs jogger Shirley and said she is sorry for her actions. The man also said Shirley can no longer control herself after undergoing the reassignment surgery.

He added the joggers actions are protected under the First Amendment and the government cannot control when and where she decides to do her business  a claim blasted by criminal defense attorney Jeremy Loew.

"Defecating in someone's yard is definitely not protected under the First Amendment and it is actually a crime," Loew told KRDO. "This is actually the worst thing the family could do. Maybe they thought the videos would make the situation go away, but they won't. People all over the world are talking about this, and police will catch her. The man in the video will also have to be called into court to testify."

Click for more from KRDO.


Berkeley Police are celebrating a magical drug bust.

Cops in the California city hauled 677 pounds of magic mushrooms from a house over the weekend  worth around $1 million  after responding to a domestic disturbance call about a bickering couple.

Ive been a cop for 17 years, and its very rare to see mushrooms in this quantity, Sgt. Andrew Frankel, spokesman for the Berkeley Police Department, told SFGate.

Police said the boyfriend and girlfriend were detained Saturday after initially refusing to leave the home. Officers then went in and discovered a large scale psychedelic mushroom processing operation.

In plain view were psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of cultivation as well as storage and distribution materials, the police department said in a statement. The Berkeley Police Department takes great pride in ridding the community of dangerous narcotics."

Both the 35-year-old male and 37-year-old female were arrested and booked into Alameda County Jail on narcotics charges. More than $3,000 in cash was also recovered from the home.

It was not immediately clear why the couple was in a dispute, which led police to the home.

It certainly makes you wonder what sparked the argument, Frankel told SFGate. I dont think they were fighting over the TV remote control.
America's first accredited Muslim college has reportedly purchased an expansive property in Berkeley, California, for $10 million.

The property was previously occupied by Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary for 65 years, BerkeleySide.com reported.

Zaytuna College, the Muslim college, was opened in 2009 with just 11 students, but has since expanded and will use the 10-acre property for its graduate program.

The college has 51 undergraduate students.

California Lutheran University announced the sale of its property on Friday.

We are delighted that the property is going to another nonprofit, faith-based educational institution, Cal Lutheran President Chris Kimball said in the statement.

Zaytuna said its aim is to educate students to become morally, intellectually and spiritually accomplished persons who, having been rigorously trained in the Islamic and Western scholarly traditions.

Prior to the sale, a group in the community tried to get the space designated as a landmark and effectively block any changes to the landscape. The effort failed.

Zaytuna Colleges President Hamza Yusuf said it will honor the intentions of the space's founders.

We are humbled and honored by this beautiful display of interreligious cooperation, he said. "The Lutheran community built and maintained this lovely campus, and has seen fit to entrust us with its next chapter, and we intend not to disappoint them."
The first time Otto Warmbier's parents saw their son after he was flown back from North Korea in June, they were confronted with the sound of inhuman howling so terrifying Otto's mom ran off the plane.

As they waited for the plane bringing him back to Ohio, Ottos parents, Fred and Cindy, had held on to hope that with medical care in the United States, he would eventually get better. That optimism didn't last long.

They instead saw the reality of torture at the hands of Kim Jong Un's brutal regime: their son was now blind and deaf, with mangled teeth, jerking violently and moaning on a stretcher with a feeding tube coming out of his nose.

NEWLY EXPOSED VIDEO REVEALS BRUTAL TACTICS OF OTTO WARMBIER'S SADISTIC TORTURERS

That's how he would spend his final days before dying at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on June 19.

President Trump, who has previously talked about Warmbier's treatment in stark terms, tweeted about the interview with Fred and Cindy: "Great interview on @foxandfriends with the parents of Otto Warmbier: 1994 - 2017. Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea."

Cindy told "Fox & Friends" she and her husband had been informed that Otto, who had been imprisoned for more than a year for allegedly trying to steal a propaganda poster from his North Korean hotel, was brain damaged.

So what we pictured, because were optimists, is that Otto would be asleep and maybe in a medically induced coma and then when our doctors here would work with him and hed get the best care and love that he would come out of it," she said during the first interview the couple had given since their 22-year-old son died.

The reality of Ottos injuries were much worse than the Warmbiers could ever imagine.

We walked over to the plane, the engines are still humming, they had just landedwhen we got halfway up the steps we heard this howling, involuntary, inhuman sound, Fred said. We werent really certain what it was.

NORTH KOREA DENIES TORTURING AMERICAN DETAINEE OTTO WARMBIER

When they spotted their son, they found Otto on a stretcher, jerking violently, producing the terrifying cries.

Otto had a shaved head, he had a feeding tube coming out of his nose, he was staring blankly into space, jerking violently, Fred said. He was blind. He was deaf. As we looked at him and tried to comfort him it looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth.

He added: North Korea is not a victim, they are terrorists. They purposefully and intentionally injured Otto.

North Korea has denied it cruelly treated or tortured Otto, saying he was dealt with according to domestic law and international standards.

Warmbier's parents said the countrys actions are inexcusable and it should be listed as a state sponsor of terror.

COLLEGE PROF WHO SAID OTTO WARMBIER 'GOT WHAT HE DESERVED' WILL NOT RETURN TO SCHOOL

We see North Korea claiming to be a victim and the world is picking on them, and were here to tell you North Korea is not a victim, Fred said. They are terrorists. They kidnapped Otto, they tortured him, [and] they intentionally injured him."

He added: It was astounding to Cindy and I to discover that North Korea is not listed as a state sponsor of terror. We owe it to the world to list it to North Korea as a state sponsor of terror.
President Trumps updated travel order could result in Muslim immigration to the United States being reduced by as much as 21 percent, based on Department of Homeland Security statistics from 2015.

Trumps travel order announced Sunday would block all permanent immigration from seven countries: Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Chad. In addition, non-immigration temporary visas are restricted for some Venezuelan government officials.

During Trump's campaign, he once called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."

Trump later backed off that, and his new order never mentions religion; instead it describes in detail how the list was compiled based on non-religious security factors.

But in impact, five of the seven blocked countries -- Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen -- are overwhelmingly Muslim.

It is impossible to say exactly how many fewer Muslims would be allowed to immigrate in the future due to the order, but the past data from 2015 likely serve as a good estimate, as immigration figures have been relatively stable. In 2014, 126,742 people came from the Islamic world; in 2015, it was a similar 131,061.

In 2015, the United States gave permanent immigration visas to 27,678 people born in those countries, according to the latest data from the Department of Homeland security.

If those 27,678 people had not been allowed to immigrate in 2015, that would have stopped 21 percent of immigration from the Islamic world that year -- out of a total of 131,061 people who were admitted from countries in which the large majority - more than two-thirds - are Muslim.

The Department of Homeland Security does not include immigrants' religion in its statistics, so the 21 percent figure is an estimate based on the main religion in the countries from which people came.

The new order marks a change from the original travel ban in that it focuses most on restricting permanent immigration rather than temporary travel, noting that, permanent residents are more difficult to remove than nonimmigrants even after national security concerns arise.

Refugees are processed separately by the government, and are not impacted by this executive order or included in the numbers above. But the impact of Trump's policies on refugee admissions has been even more stark; nearly 3,000 Muslims were admitted as refugees in January, but that fell by more than 90 percent, to just under 250 admitted, in August.

Trump's order still allows continued immigration from several major Muslim countries with a lot of immigration to the U.S., such as Pakistan (18,057 immigrants in 2015), Egypt (12,085), and Afghanistan (8,328).

Trump immigration critics say his latest ban is wrong and isnt even applied to the countries with the biggest terror problems.

No person from any of these countries has killed any American in a terrorist attack on U.S. soil in at least the last four decades, David Bier, immigration analyst at the libertarian CATO Institute, told FoxNews.com.

Some of the most deadly recent terror incidents were by people from countries that are not being blocked  the San Bernardino shooters who killed 14 people last were from Pakistan. The Orlando Nightclub shooter who murdered 49 people was the son of an Afghani immigrant who was a Taliban supporter.

Bier, however, says thats not a reason to just extend the ban to other countries.

The risk of terrorism by foreigners in general is already miniscule, he said, adding that in any given year the average American has only a 1-in-3.6 million chance of being killed in a terror attack.

The economic costs of the new ban already far outweigh the supposed benefits, he said, adding that national origin is not a good predictor of terrorist activity.

Mark Krikorian, who runs the Center for Immigration Studies, supports restrictions.

The fact is, the danger is coming from Islamic groups. There are no Buddhist terror groups bombing people in United States, he said.

But he also noted that order clearly does not amount to Muslim ban considering that non-Muslim countries are also on the list and the list was compiled based on whether countries complied with vetting.

The new order, he said, shouldnt even be controversial.

Trumps initial order wasn't a Muslim ban, and this isnt a Muslim ban. Its so prosaic. Banal, even. This is just the daily work of homeland security.

Maxim Lott can be reached on twitter at @maximlott
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday that the United States wants to resolve the standoff with North Korea diplomatically and is focused on denuclearizing Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

"We maintain the capability to deter North Korea's most dangerous threats, but we also will back up our diplomats in a manner to keep this as long as possible in the diplomatic realm," Mattis told reporters in New Delhi, following talks with his Indian counterpart.

"Our goal is to solve this diplomatically," he said.

Mattis' comments come amid escalating rhetoric between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The Trump administration clarified Monday that it is not seeking to overthrow North Korea's government after Trump tweeted over the weekend that Kim "won't be around much longer." Pyongyang interpreted the tweet as a declaration of war.

Mattis arrived in the Indian capital late Monday, marking the first visit to the country by a Cabinet-level official from Trump's administration.

In meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials, Mattis was expected to focus on deepening defense cooperation between the two countries and discuss how India could contribute to U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.

The talks with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman covered ways to enhance and complement efforts to restore security in Afghanistan as Washington steps up its own military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground.

Last month, while outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan, Trump urged India to assist security efforts in Afghanistan.

Sitharaman said India would continue its efforts to reconstruct Afghanistan's infrastructure, but she ruled out sending Indian troops to the country.

So far, New Delhi has contributed around $3 billion toward building highways, power transmission lines and dams, as well as to aid public health and education in the war-ravaged country.

New Delhi will also enhance its efforts to train Afghan soldiers in counterterrorism and help build its police forces, Sitharaman said.

The two defense ministers also discussed defense deals with India, one of the world's biggest defense equipment buyers. The talks focused on deals that involve the transfer of technology, with New Delhi pressing Washington to share technology and wanting to manufacture its own fighter jets.

Mattis said the talks covered ways to further enhance defense trade and technology collaboration between defense industries.

"We look forward to sharing some of our most advanced defense technologies through the defense technology and trade initiative," he said, add that this would improve the capabilities of both militaries.

Sitharaman said India appreciates America's "willingness to share further cutting-edge platforms which would enhance India's defense preparedness to meet current and emerging threats."

The two sides also discussed maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, amid shared concerns about an increasingly aggressive China. The United States, India and Japan annually conduct naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal to improve coordination between their navies.

___

Follow Nirmala George at www.twitter.com/NirmalaGeorge1
For more than 15 years, security and intelligence officials  including former CIA Director James Woolsey  have been raising the alarm bells about the vulnerability of the U.S. power grid to an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. Only now as tensions with North Korea quickly escalate  with the rogue nation refusing to back down from its nuclear testing and threats of such an onslaught  is the matter really generating attention.

But according to U.S. defense and security officials, while there are players purporting to protect the nations critical infrastructure given millions of American lives on the line, the reality is that no one really knows what will happen and what can be done.

We recognize that an EMP event would have extremely dire consequences for the entire country, but where the challenge comes is in attempting to quantify those impacts, one high-ranking Department of Homeland Security official, who requested anonymity, told Fox News. This is not something we have had a lot of real world experience with.

Earlier this month, state news agencies in the Kim Jong Un-dictated country explicitly cautioned that it could hit the U.S. with an EMP offensive. A hydrogen bomb detonated at a high altitude would create an EMP that potentially could abolish prominent parts of the electrical grid. The higher the bombs detonation, the wider the scope of destruction. And given that high-altitude nuclear tests were prohibited as per a 1963 treaty, from the U.S. side, there is little scientific data to understand the devastation of a detonation on modern infrastructure.

But the potential fallout from such an event is monstrous. In 2001, Congress enacted the since-disbanded Commission to Assess the Threat to the U.S. with regards to an EMP event, with commissioners testifying that up to 90 percent of Americans could die within a year of such an attack. All the functions communities rely upon  hospitals, water, waste, transport, telecommunications, air control, medical care  could potentially be decimated for not days or weeks, but months or years.

Our ability to know what would happen in the aftermath is highly uncertain. That being said, we are doing several things to deepen our understanding. There is a lot of information sharing, noted the official. We are looking at mitigation strategies and developing planning tools. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is involved too as there have been exercises and workshops related to catastrophic planning and EMP events. But DHS does not have authority to compel power operators to do anything, we do not have regulatory authority over grid operators.

The U.S. electrical grid, which is deemed one of the most vital pieces of infrastructure in the country and serves more than 300 million, does not have one singular oversight body responsible for its safeguarding  hence authorities have cautioned that the magnitude of threat has fallen between the cracks.

The military doesnt think it is their job to make the grid resilient, even though 99 percent of their missions in continental United States rely on the civilian grid. The utilities dont think it is their job because it is a national security problem. Besides, they dont want to come up with the money, face more regulatory burdens or fool with making over parts of the grid with uncertain technical consequences, lamented Frank Gaffney, Center for Security Policy President and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy under President Reagan, who has long warned of EMPs efficiency to bring down America. And because of the sweetheart regulatory arrangement they have at the federal level, they have been able to avoid it.

Rather, the private nonprofit North American Energy Reliability Company (NERC) makes best practices recommendations to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). NERC, as the Electric Reliability Organization, said that they do develop mandatory and enforceable standards to help protect the bulk power system, including numerous security standards and take a risk-based defense-in-depth approach to protecting critical grid assets from all threats.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Energy (DOE) counterpart on security and preparedness efforts.

According to the DHS, financing grid security  given that it doesnt fall under the responsibility of one particular office  could have been done through slight rate increases, but efforts are typically bound by red tape.

If utilities want to increase their customer rates by one cent a kilowatt hour to help invest in a new effort for counter-terrorism or EMP they have to go to a public utility commission and convince them that these rate increases are beneficial and meet certain cost/benefit conditions, said the official. Frankly, public utility commissions are there to protect consumers and they tend to be skeptical and tend to really push utilities to think very hard about the times they come in and push for rate increases to help support these kinds of efforts. Unlike some other industries where they can immediately pass off costs to consumers, this is not the case with power companies. They are slower to move due to the regulatory environment they have to deal with.

MILLIONS OF AMERICAN LIVES COULD BE AT STAKE AS NORTH KOREA THREATENS TO ATTACK POWER GRID

WHY RUSSIA PROPS UP THE DANGEROUS NORTH KOREAN REGIME

Risk analyst and policy expert Dennis Santiago observed that any effort to harden the U.S. power grid  including the oldest and most interconnected portions of it in the eastern United States, which are especially exposed to disruption due to their age and design  have fallen short at the public utilities level because of more pressing threats like physical attack security and cybersecurity.

In the end, this process has left the U.S. with antiquated and vulnerable infrastructure, he said. There is no unified or specified commander charged with specifically marshalling Americas resources from the government and private sector into an active defense of the power grid. There are civil services and regulatory bodies mostly focused on energy as utilities but nothing looks like an energy version of a military defense command.

However, DHS authorities, in conjunction with the Department of Energy, claim that even before North Koreas provocations they started ramping up efforts  around a year ago  to make grid vulnerability higher on the priority list. The issue was always secondary to threats considered to be more acute by the intelligence community such as counter-terrorism post 9/11 and later cybersecurity and more destructive type natural hazards.

If something happens in two weeks, we wouldnt be able to close all the gaps of vulnerability, pointed out the official. But having looked at this issue for a number of years, we are taking appropriate action given our set of responsibilities and authorities.

A spokesperson for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) additionally told Fox News that they are constantly working with federal partners to identify threats and vulnerabilities that could impact the power grid and, in coordination with the federal partners, are working to mitigate threats and where appropriate work with the private sector.

But beyond the North Korea threat, experts also bemoan that Iran, Russia and China too have assimilated EMP attack into their military creeds, posing a significant peril to the United States.

The very existence of the nation is at stake, Gaffney added. We are facing explicit threats to use EMP against us from the North Koreans  and there is a lot of capability to execute such an attack in the hands of other enemies.
ISIS is still dangerous in parts of Iraq  and in Kiruk, theyre just across from the Kurdish frontlines. But on Tuesday, Kurdish soldiers are preparing to defend against a very different threat  Baghdad.

One day after the referendum, which saw an over 70 percent turnout, and around 3.3 million people vote in a resounding yes, soldiers manning those lines, told Fox News proudly that this frontline was the new Kurdish border.

Be assured we will stay in these trenches  whether its the militias, or ISIS or the Iraqi army who come  this is our border. We will never leave, said Mofaq Borhan Ibrahim, a first lieutenant in the Peshmerga forces.

IRAQI KURDS CELEBRATE ON THE STREETS AFTER CASTING VOTE FOR INDEPENDENCE

But on Tuesday, the governor of disputed, oil-rich Kirkuk, Dr. Najmaldin Karim, as well as other Kurdish politicians, tried to downplay that.

But every soldier I spoke to believes it is. To them, this is their land  theyve fought for it and many have died for it. And now two U.S. allies are sitting on a tinderbox that could erupt into a full blown conflict.

WHATS NEXT AFTER IRAQI KURDS VOTE ON INDEPENDENCE

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country is considering all options, ranging from military intervention to economic sanctions against Iraq's Kurdish region.

He added that the landlocked Iraqi Kurdish region would not be able to survive without Turkey's support.

The Turkish leader said no country other than Israel supports the Iraqi Kurdish referendum on independence, which he described as "invalid" and "fraudulent" and said attempts by Kurds to form an independent state are doomed to fail.

We are not looking for war, Karim said. But the Peshmerga will defend the city under any circumstances
Saudi Arabia has threatened other countries over a proposed resolution at the U.N.'s leading human rights body that would send international, independent investigators into war-torn Yemen.

A Saudi letter obtained by The Associated Press shows the kingdom has warned that adoption of the proposal by Canada and the Netherlands at the Human Rights Council could "negatively affect" their trade and diplomatic ties with the rich, influential kingdom.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab states are pushing a rival resolution that would reinforce a domestic investigation under the Saudi-backed government.

The competing approaches over violations in Yemen's 2 1/2-year war are perhaps the biggest showdown at the council session that ends Friday. Two Western diplomats confirmed their countries had received the letter. The Saudi ambassador in Geneva said he was not aware of it.
As Mount Agung in Bali is shaken by unprecedented levels of seismic activity and 75,000 people evacuate from the surrounding area, local officials are warning the volcano could erupt in "a matter of hours."

Authorities have already ordered the evacuation of villagers living within a high danger zone that in places extends 7.5 miles from Mount Agung's crater.

Instrumentally we have never recorded such high energy or seismicity from Mount Agung, Devy Kamil Syahbana, a seismologist from Indonesias center for volcanology and geological hazard mitigation, told the Guardian.

Data showed that Mount Agung experienced 844 volcanic earthquakes on Monday, and 300 to 400 earthquakes by midday on Tuesday, he said.

We need to pay attention because these kinds of earthquakes indicate the movement of magma and increase the probability of an eruption," Syahbana said.

Mount Agung last erupted in 1963, killing about 1,100 people.

Pak Kasbani, the head of the volcanology centre, told local media that if tremors continued, an eruption  the first in more than half a century  could be a matter of hours away.

Evacuees are taking shelter at more than 370 sites across the island that include temporary camps, sport centers, village halls and the houses of friends and relatives.

Villager Wayan Merta said he was among the first to evacuate last week because his village, Selat, is just four miles from the summit.

Q&A: RUMBLING BALI VOLCANO LOOMS OVER TOURIST PARADISE

"We have already sold our cattle, because we thought it was better than leaving them there for nothing," he said. "My feeling is the mountain will erupt. But no one knows, we just pray."

Sutopo said it was "natural" people outside the immediate danger zone are leaving. More than 500,000 people evacuated when Mount Merapi in central Java erupted in 2010, more than double the population in the exclusion zone around that volcano, he said.

In 1963, Agung hurled ash as high as 12 miles and remained active about a year. Lava traveled 4.7 miles and ash reached Jakarta, about 620 miles away.

"This is the heaviest test in my live and hopefully it will end soon," said Ketut Suliasih, a Selat villager.

She said evacuees are being treated well by the government and community, but like others she is fearful about the future.

"No eruption. That is my prayer," she said. "Otherwise, our farms would not be able to be planted again."

In a televised news conference, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said "the highest priority is the safety of our people" and urged those around Mount Agung to follow the instructions of authorities.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Guatemalan authorities say the country's former ambassador to the United States has been arrested in Spain on an international warrant for alleged campaign finance violations.

National Civil Police spokesman Pablo Castillo says that Interpol in Spain informed Guatemala of the arrest of 61-year-old Jose Ligorria Carballido.

Guatemalan prosecutors and a U.N. anti-corruption commission announced in July that Ligorria had acted as the middleman between business interests and politicians in the transfer of about $2 million to the Patriot Party. That party carried ex-President Otto Perez Molina to office.

Perez Molina resigned in 2015 and is jailed awaiting trial on corruption charges.
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Israel's prime minister says ties with Germany will "deepen and prosper" after its national election, without mentioning gains by a far-right party in the vote that secured a fourth term for Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel is concerned over the rise of anti-Semitism in "the right and left and among Islamic elements."

Israel was established on the ashes of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. The two countries have cultivated strong ties since then.

Netanyahu is ordinarily quick to rail against anti-Semitism around the world. But he was criticized for remaining largely silent over President Donald Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists chanted anti-Jewish slogans.
Italian officials have urged Libyan military strongman Khalifa Hifter to "contribute effectively" to the U.N. effort to stabilize Libya, and ruled out any military solution to end Libya's chaos.

Hifter met Tuesday with Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti as part of Italy's efforts stabilize its former colony and stem the flow of migrants to Europe.

The ministry said Pinotti repeated Italy's support for the U.N. process of dialogue to work toward elections "and hopes that all sides can contribute effectively to the strategy, excluding any military solution."

Libya sank into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gadhafi. It is split between rival parliaments, governments and militias in the east and west, but in July Hifter and his west-based rival Fayez Serraj, pledged to cooperate.
A lone wolf Palestinian terrorist gunned down three Israeli security officers Tuesday at the entrance to a settlement outside Jerusalem, Israeli officials said, evoking a harsh response from one lawmaker, who called the gunman Satan and said his body should be thrown into the sea.

Gaza's Hamas ruling party praised the attack but stopped short of taking responsibility for it. Israeli officials said the attacker --identified as Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Jamal from Beit Surik -- was a 37-year-old Palestinian father of four who appeared to have acted alone and was suffering from personal issues, The Associated Press reported.

Likud lawmaker Nava Boker called Jamal Satan," the Jerusalem Post reported.

The attack comes at a tense period amid the Jewish high holidays and is likely to complicate the mediation efforts of U.S. peace envoy Jason Greenblatt, who had just arrived in the region for meetings with Israeli and Palestinians leaders.

Speaking at his weekly Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was partially a result of systematic Palestinian incitement and said he expected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to "condemn this attack and not try to justify it."

Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan told the Jerusalem Post that there were no prior indications that Jamal was planning to launch an attack. Israel's internal Shin Bet security service said its preliminary investigation indicated there was significant violence in Jamals family, while his wife had recently fled to Jordan and left him with their four children.

Jamal said in a private message to his wife that she was a "merciful mother," apologized for the way he treated her and said he was in a "bad state of health," the IDF revealed, according to The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu pledged that as a punitive measure, Jamals home would be demolished and working permits of his extended family would be revoked.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker approached the back gate entrance of the Har Adar settlement Tuesday, hiding among dozens of Palestinian day laborers who were being checked by security forces.

Jamal aroused police suspicions and was asked to stop, Samri said. At that point, he pulled out a weapon and began opening fire from a short distance. The attacker, who held a valid permit to work in Israel, was then shot dead by other forces at the scene.

The Magen David Adom medical service said that in addition to the three killed, a fourth Israeli man, 32, was evacuated to a hospital in critical condition. The casualties were identified as Solomon Gavria, a 20-year-old policeman, and two private security guards.

Har Adar is an upscale community west of Jerusalem, straddling the seam line between the West Bank and Israel proper  and an unusual target in the wave of violence that Israel has been coping with during the past two years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kenya police have fired tear gas at opposition supporters demonstrating outside the electoral commission's offices in Nairobi.

Opposition supporter Cyrus Okemwa said Tuesday police lobbed tear gas after shoving opposition supporters demanding the resignations of top officials of the electoral commission following the annulment of presidential elections. Ruling party supporters also demonstrated calling for no change to the electoral body.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, whose re-election in August was cancelled by the Supreme Court, has said the electoral commission should not be changed. Opposition leader Raila Odinga says the electoral commissioners are complicit in electoral fraud which denied him a win.

The Supreme Court last week invalidated Kenyatta's win saying the electoral commission failed to verify results and there was evidence of irregularities and illegalities in the vote counting.
American and Pakistani officials say there is no deal to secure an early release of Shakil Afridi, the doctor who perhaps unwittingly aided the Central Intelligence Agency via a vaccination program to confirm Usama bin Ladens presence in the Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad.

Ive spoken to (other officials), and they said theres no deal on Afridi, said a U.S. State Department official speaking on the condition of anonymity. He told Fox News that Pakistans rigidity has made the matter difficult.

President Donald Trumps statement last year that he could have Afridi released in two minutes was met with fury by Pakistans then-Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who said the U.S. president should learn to treat sovereign states with respect.

Afridi is a Pakistani citizen, and nobody else has the right to dictate to us his future, Khan added. Trumps perception and his comments about Pakistan are highly misplaced and unwarranted.

Speaking to Fox News, a Pakistani security official who was part of a task force to probe the bin Laden raid also confirmed that, theres no agreement and neither anything in the works for future.

The officer confirmed a general impression that Afridis sentencing on May 23, 2012 was on phony charges. He was charged on anti-state activity and colluding with terrorists, while his role of aiding a foreign country and the city where he committed treason were omitted.

He was subsequently sentenced to 33 years imprisonment. Citing procedural errors, a tribal court ordered a retrial in August 2013. But the same year, he was slapped with murder charges of killing a patient in Khyber Agency, a volatile tribal area, dating back to 2005, complicating his already-stalled case. His sentence was slashed to 23 years in 2014 by a tribal judge and since then, the case hasnt inched forward according to his attorney.

The official said, We shouldve convicted him on treason, but we didnt. He explained that the sentence is death if he had been convicted of conspiring against the country and aiding a foreign state, concluding that fabrication and legal maneuvering actually saved his life.

Afridi remains a bone of contention between the two countries, which currently are passing through a rocky diplomatic and political relationship. He is viewed as a hero to Americans but a villain to Pakistanis.

We believe Dr. Afridi has been unjustly imprisoned and have clearly communicated our position to Pakistan on Dr. Afridis case, both in public and in private said U.S. Embassy spokesperson Rick Snelsire, in Islamabad to Fox News.

With bilateral relations hitting rock bottom following Trumps accusations in his national address in August, Pakistan is poised to swallow the bitter pill of an economic and military aid cut by Washington if it comes to that, since its northern friend China is investing billions of dollars to build the China Pakistan Economic Corridor in the country.

Its unknown if Afridi came up in discussions between Vice President Mike Pence and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasis sideline meeting Thursday at the UN General Assembly in New York. Under the current circumstance, where both countries need to engage in open dialogue to mend fences, its unlikely the doctor would have been on the agenda.

Fox News asked Nafees Zakaria, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman, if Afridi was discussed in the sideline meeting. He replied, You should ask the Americans.

However, on Friday, Abbasi, speaking during a meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations, was asked about Afridi during a question and answer session. Abbasi said that theres no health issues with him and that his family has been meeting him.

The premier said Pakistan certainly didnt have knowledge of Usama bin Laden being there. And we only wish that we would have been taken into confidence so that any action would have been mutual. But Dr. Afridi was a practitioner of medicine in the polio program and he should have been doing his job. If he had any knowledge, and brought [it] to Pakistani security, they would have taken action.

The moderator asked Abbasi if he could imagine an alternative scenario in which he [Afridi] might be treated as a national hero?

Well, he was violating many laws in the country,, replied Abbasi, without clarifying the other violations. So, we have to uphold the law. Like I said, if he had any knowledge, he should have brought it to the knowledge of the Pakistani agencies who were available in that area, a standard response Pakistan has maintained on his issue.

The only option that legal experts and officials in the Pakistani government point to is a full pardon from governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province or the president of Pakistan if the court hearing Afridis case axes the appeals to clear him of all charges. Though Qamar Nadeem, Shakil Afridis lawyer, wants the Tribal law under which Afridi is charged to be abolished, officials in Pakistan know well the draconian legal framework if a time comes to spring him, leaving a door open to possibility.

Afridis next court hearing is September 28.
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has made his first appearance before an anti-corruption court in Islamabad to face corruption charges.

Sharif was disqualified on July 28 by the Supreme Court following a probe that determined he had concealed financial assets.

His court appearance on Tuesday comes a day after he returned home from London, where he visited his wife who is being treated there.

Sharif is likely to be indicted on Oct. 2 in connection with three corruption cases, which were filed against him by the country's anti-corruption body earlier this month.

During the court appearance, some Sharif followers started chanting slogans in his support inside the courtroom, annoying the judge, Mohammad Bashir, who then asked Pakistan's three-time premier to leave as his lawyers were there to represent him.
Poland's president and defense minister are visiting Polish and other NATO troops as they perform major defense exercises.

President Andrzej Duda and Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz on Tuesday watched land and airborne troops at the test range in Drawsko Pomorskie in northwestern Poland.

The Dragon-17 exercise involves some 17,000 land, air force and navy troops and 3,500 units of equipment from 12 NATO and partner nations. It runs through Sept. 29 at locations in northern Poland.

For the first time, the biannual drill is being joined by Poland's new Territorial Defense Forces, which train civilian volunteers to support regular troops.

The defensive scenario of the maneuvers was inspired by Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Poland and the Baltic region are concerned about Russia's increased military activity.
Women in Saudi Arabia now will be allowed to obtain drivers licenses, as per an order from King Salman, reports said on Tuesday.

The historic announcement, which reverses a decades-old law prohibiting the act, was announced in a state television broadcast, The New York Times reported.

The law reportedly will not take effect immediately due to necessary societal changes. Currently, the kingdom has no system set up to teach or distribute licenses to women, The Times reported.

Also, they say police will need to be trained on how officers may interact with women in society. In Saudi culture, it is reportedly uncommon for men and women who are not related to interact frequently.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the decree reportedly ordered the establishment of a committee, which is expected to give advice on how to proceed with the new law within 30 days, the BBC reported. The order is expected to be in effect by June 2018.

CHINAS MANIPULATION OF UN HUMAN RIGHTS EFFORTS MUST BE STOPPED

The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licenses for men and women alike, the report said, according to the BBC.

In the announcement, officials noted the damage the previous law had done to the countrys reputation. Saudi Arabia long has been the recipient of significant criticism over the rule, calling it a repression of women. It was also the only country in the world that barred women from driving.

Officials reportedly hope that the new policy will help undo some of the negative publicity the country has received regarding the matter.

TUNISIAN WOMENS RIGHTS PLAN RATTLES MUSLIM TRADITIONALISTS

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the U.S. is happy with the move, calling it a great step in the right direction for that country. But Nauert didn't comment on whether Saudi Arabia still needs to do more to ensure full rights for its female citizens.

For many years, activists have argued that the ban is unjust and should be overturned. But Saudi officials have justified the law, saying that it was inappropriate in Saudi culture for women to drive, or that male drivers would not know how to handle women in cars next to them, The Times reported. Others also reportedly have claimed that overturning the order would lead women to act promiscuously.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Victims of a contaminated blood scandal that killed hundreds in Britain in the 1970s and '80s have won the right to launch a court action seeking damages.

The claimants allege that officials failed to take reasonable care when tainted blood products were used to treat thousands of public health patients, killing at least 2,400, according to officials.

The High Court said Tuesday an order would be issued to allow surviving patients and families of those who died to join together to claim compensation.

Many of the victims were hemophiliacs, and were infected with the HIV virus or hepatitis C.

In July, British Prime Minister Theresa May ordered a public inquiry into what she called an "appalling injustice" and whether there had been a cover-up.
Witch doctors are sacrificing children in Uganda, looking to turn the tide with miracles in the drought-stricken country, a new report says.

Officials in Uganda say the number of human sacrifices are on the rise, as the East African country battles its worst drought in more than half a century. More than 11 million people are facing food insecurity and more than 1.6 million are on the brink of famine.

There is no food due to the ongoing drought, and some believe that this has been brought by ancestral spirits, Joel Mugoya, a traditional, told the Religion News Service, according to USA Today. So there is a high desire for people to conduct sacrifices so that they come out of this problem.

Sacrifices often involve removing body parts, blood or tissue while the child is alive.

Its a brutal ritual that destroys the lives of our children and affects their parents mentally, said Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga, leader of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries. We are working with police to arrest witch doctors involved in the ritual. We are also assisting the survivors financially and with moral support.

Moses Binoga, a police officer who heads the countrys Anti-Human Sacrifice and Trafficking Task Force, said seven children were sacrificed last year and seven children and six adults were sacrificed in 2015.

The numbers could be even higher, however.

Just this month, more than 44 people were arrested in connection with a spate of murders of women and children. One man arrested reportedly confessed to killing 8 women, Uganda Police Inspector General Kale Kayihura said.

The murders were for ritual sacrifices, he said last week. We are working hard to arrest the remaining suspects and end the practice.

One such murder was that of 8-year-old John Lubega, whose remains were found in a swamp in February without teeth, lips, ears and genitals.

My innocent son died a painful death, Jackline Mukisa, 28, said. How could somebody intend to murder my son?

Church leaders across the country are teaming up with police in hopes of ending the brutal practice.

Sewakiryanga said children are disappearing across the country every week. Most often they are found dead, or alive with missing body parts.

Its a serious problem but we are fighting it with the help of the government, he added.

In June, a Ugandan court sentenced a witch doctor to life in prison for sacrificing a 7-year-old girl named Suubi.

According to authorities, the witch doctor drained her blood and cut out her genitals before cutting the neck and draining the blood of her 10-year-old brother, Kanani.

According to KidsRights, a global organization that advocated for children, Uganda has 650,000 registered traditional leaders and about 3 million unregistered practitioners.

Child sacrifices are also reportedly practiced in Tanzania, Nigeria, Swaziland, Liberia, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
NORFOLKFrederick Douglass walked toward the front of Rising Sun Baptist Church in Mineral, looking a little tired. Hed come a long waya 2-hour drive from his present home in Suffolk and 122 years from the grave.

About 50 people had filed into the church this August evening to hear what the great orator had to say.

The gray-haired Douglass shook off the fatigue and spotted a line of children sitting in the back. He motioned them to the front pew.

It is easier to build strong children, he said as the seven children walked up, than to fix broken men.

One woman whispered to a friend that shed heard Douglass speak at another event and that he had been wonderful. Another woman said she had plenty to do tonight but couldnt wait to see him.

As President Donald Trump said famously earlier this year: Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody whos done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice.

Out of costume, Suffolk native Nathan Richardson rolls his eyes at the Trump effect.

During a Black History Month speech in February, the president referred to Douglass in a way that left some people wondering whether Trump knew who he wasor that he had been dead since 1895.

Douglass trended on the internet. Late-night comics seized on Trumps words. Several Frederick Douglasses opened Twitter accounts.

Richardson, who has been portraying Douglass for the past three years, got so bombarded with emails and nonsense after the speech that he had to take a sabbatical from his social media accounts.

The Christians Serving Christ in Unity group in Louisa County asked Richardson to perform at the church on this muggy Tuesday night. But the groupmen from different churches who get together monthly to break bread and paint homes and change light bulbs for elderly folksneeded some guidance: Why do blacks and whites still segregate themselves, especially in church pews on Sunday? Even on that Tuesday evening listening to Douglass, blacks and whites tended to sit in segregated clusters.

Douglass, a former slave who bridged the rigidly divided worlds of blacks and whites in the 1800s, might be able to do the same now.

Over the years, Richardson has moved beyond simply going on stage and reciting a speech in a thoughtful baritone. He wants to project Douglasss legacyone that he sees as so rich and little-known that it can offer hope to those who learn about it.

Douglass was born a slave on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1818 and learned to read and write, a practice that was illegal for slaves. He was so determined to learn that he bribed white children with biscuits to teach him words. Masters tried to break his will and spirit with whippings that almost killed him, but they never did. When he was about 20, he escaped, and often referred to himself as a thief for stealing himself away from his owner. He married, had a family, founded a newspaper and became a famous abolitionist and womens suffragist.

Typically, Richardson arrives before the crowd to slip into his persona and walk the grounds to absorb the spirit of a place. But he was running behind. He played the audiobook of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass on his phone in his Mercury Sable as he covered the last few miles of Louisa County country roads.

This evening, Douglass told the group about his childhood. His mother lived 12 miles away on another farm, and she would sometimes walk the 24-mile round trip to shush him to bed at night. Douglasss father was rumored to be his master. Douglass was often sent to work for others, and it was the wife of a master who taught the youth to recognize letters. Her husband found out and forbade it. But the slave had learned enough to know he wanted more.

My mind was freed and thus my body had to follow, Douglass said to the people in the sanctuary as others continued to trickle in. Words became my food.

He pointed to one youngster in the first pew and asked him what he liked to read.

Captain Underpants.

Douglass looked perplexed as the audience laughed.

Captain Underpants? he repeated.

Another young man said Treasure Island was his favorite.

Douglass said that if you want to learn interesting things, all you have to do is read a book. Someone mustve opened a book and brought him back, he said, explaining how he came to be among them this evening.

He enjoys his visits to the present and learning about things like selfies, he said, but he still believes he has much to teach.

Until the lion learns to read and write, history will always glorify the hunter, Douglass said, quoting an African proverb. He looked to the children: What does that mean? They shook their heads.

He explained that they, like him, have the ability to create their own destinies. He wasnt going to let anyone stop him from being free.

When you succeed, you can tell your own story. You can write your own book, he said, leaning toward the children. Do you think I would write myself as a coward?

Richardson has been a poet for years and popular in local poetry circles. He discovered Edgar Allan Poe and Langston Hughes at Forest Glen High School in Suffolk, and during the Army he wrote poems for fellow soldiers. Theyd come to him with Dear John letters from their girls and needed Richardson to win the ladies back with his pretty words.

It often worked.

About four years ago, a fellow poet told Richardson that he should include a historic figure into his public speaking repertoire. Richardson, 57, started perusing the photos of famous men. He thought he had a slight resemblance to Douglass; Richardson had worn a beard since he got out of the Army in 2000, and now it was salt-and-peppery like Douglasss was in his later years.

His knowledge of Douglass was scant, though. He knew about his oratory and that he had lobbied President Lincoln to allow blacks to fight for the Union during the Civil War. Then Richardson read Douglasss speeches and autobiographies.

Wow, I thought, this guy is poetic, he said.

He appreciated that Douglass was a voice of reason but did not mind challenging the status quo. On July 5, 1852, Douglass was asked to speak to a crowd to commemorate Independence Day. Since slaves were not freed with the Declaration of Independence, he told the crowd bluntly: This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. ... Do you mean, citizens, to mock me by asking me to speak today?

The speech was one of the first that Richardson, who often recites from memory and not notes, performed. He got a standing ovation.

Richardson started seeing parallels between his life and Douglasss. The mutual love of the written and spoken word. Their work in newspapersDouglass was a publisher and writer, and Richardson is a marketing consultant for the Suffolk NewsHerald. Both are self-made when it comes to their literary lives. Richardson tries to break through racial and cultural barriers with his work, as Douglass often did.

For years, Richardson had listened to Clay Jenkinson on the radio playing the role of Thomas Jefferson; that became a model for him. Richardson, like Jenkinson, now answers questions at events as he believed Douglass would have responded.

Richardsons first wig looked more like a stringy mop than a head of hair. He contacted a stylist, who built him a thick and wiry wig, strand by strand. His first requests were for Black History Month, but Richardson knew Douglasss timeline and started pitching himself as a perennial possibility.

First of all, he is an American, and this is an American story, Richardson said. Second, were black all year round.

Hes now being asked to speak at all times of the year and all along the East Coast. On Sept. 16, he appeared at an event in New Haven, Conn., a place the real Douglass visited. He performed alongside actor Danny Glover. Next year is Douglasss 200th birthday, and Richardsons schedule is already dotted with bookings. Hes looking into investing in more authentic costumes as the demands come in; this could become a full-time job, he said.

I realized everything Ive done all my life was an evolution for this.Douglass spoke for an hour about his escapes, about his marriages, about his five children. He explained why he got involved with not only abolitionism but womens rights. He spoke of unity, of the need to include everyone in a discussion and not create false boundaries like gender and race.

The divisions can cause you to fail in your efforts to build a community.

Douglass apologized if hed talked them into a slumber but said hed be happy to answer questions before returning to the pages of history.

People asked if hed had children with his second wife. (No.) How well did he know Harriet Tubman? Theyd met on occasion, he said, and he had great respect for her.

As the questions ended, Douglass did something he tries to avoid. He broke character and addressed the group as Nathan Richardson.

He thanked them, saying that he hoped they would continue to teach him about being Frederick Douglass.

The questions that I get, just your faces right now, gives me encouragement that there are people in this society who are trying to live Christian lives and have a compassion for people, he said.

Thats what Frederick Douglass was trying to do.
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A man who stole nearly $150,000 from a Stafford County company was ordered Monday to serve a year in prison.

Michael Patrick Ziegler, 49, of Reston, was convicted in April of seven offenses, including forgery, passing forged documents and obtaining money by false pretenses. He began serving his sentence Monday.

According to the evidence, Ziegler was a vice president for Garrett Development Co. Prosecutor Michael Hardiman said company owner Andy Garrett hired Ziegler in part because he knew Zieglers father.

Between April 2014 through last year, Ziegler diverted company funds to a phony shell company in Miami that he createdJMN Consulting. The scam involved creating fraudulent invoices that Ziegler sometimes got Garrett to sign.

An investigation began when Garrett noticed a bill from an architect that was much higher than it should have been. The architect told Garrett that hed never submitted a bill and that Ziegler had sent him an excessive payment and told him to send the excess money to JMN Consulting.

Bank records led to a home in Kentucky where Zieglers wife and children were living.

Hardiman argued that Ziegler deserved a significantly more than a year, just like a lower-income person who robs a 7-Eleven.

Your wealth shouldnt buy your freedom, Hardiman said.

Ziegler has already repaid $45,000 and has to pay another $103,115 by the end of 2022. He will serve his time on work release.

Keith Epps
A Maryland man whose blood tied him to a 2015 burglary and theft in Stafford County has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.

David George Clark, 54, of Baltimore got the same sentence from Judge Michael Levy on Monday that a jury recommended in May after convicting him in Stafford Circuit Court of burglary, grand larceny and vandalism.

According to the evidence, the Hunan House on Plantation Drive in Stafford was broken into on Sept. 9, 2015. Deputy H.D. Young found a shattered door and a large rock inside the restaurant, along with blood stains on the furniture. Parts of the broken cash register were on the floor.

Prosecutor Kristin Bird said $468 was taken. There were no suspects at the time, and the blood samples were collected and sent to the state lab.

Clark was arrested in November of last year after the state lab informed county detectives that the samples were consistent with Clarks DNA profile. Clark was in the system because of a criminal history that includes robbery and multiple burglaries.

He was charged with a burglary in Stafford in 2014, but he was later acquitted in that case.

Stafford Detective E.L. McCullough drove to a Pennsylvania prison to interview Clark after learning about the DNA evidence. Clark told McCullough that he hadnt been in Stafford since 2014 and that hed never been to the Hunan House.

But the DNA evidence suggested otherwise, and Bird urged jurors during Clarks trial to give him a lengthy sentence. She said at the time that Clark has committed crime after crime and his long criminal road needs to end today.
A Maryland man already behind bars for drug convictions was ordered Monday to serve nearly four years in prison for spitting on a correctional officer at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

Patrick Walcut Clarkson, 28, was sentenced by Judge Michael Levy to three years and 11 months in prison. He was convicted in April of assault on a law-enforcement officer.

According to prosecutor Ryan Fitzgerald, Clarkson was convicted last year of four drug-related felonies, including possession of illegal drugs and possession of drugs by a prisoner.

He was ordered to serve five years in prison on those convictions and was in the regional jail on Nov. 18 when he was given a command by a jail officer, Fitzgerald said. Clarkson refused to comply, then unleashed a stream of saliva onto the face of the officer, the prosecutor said.

Fitzgerald said that although the victim suffered no lasting physical damage, Clarkson deserved a stiff sentence for his vile conduct.

The punishment needs to be severe enough to send the message that if you spit on a jail officer, it will cost you your freedom, Fitzgerald said. We need to make sure this never happens to a jail officer again.

Levy, who could have given Clarkson up to five years on the assault charge, noted Clarksons prior criminal record in announcing the sentence.
A Maryland woman convicted Monday of threatening another woman with a machete in Culpeper will spend four days in jail and pay a fine.

Diane Michelle Amory of Annapolis, Md., was found guilty of brandishing a bladed weapon with intent to intimidate, a Class 1 misdemeanor. Judge Dale Durrer found Amory guilty after a 30-minute bench trial in Culpeper General District Court and sentenced her to six months in jail, with all but four days suspended.

Prosecutor Christopher Morehouse introduced into evidence a photo of Amory wielding the weapon at the woman who made the complaint. The GIF showed several seconds of movement but did not include audio.

The incident occurred at about 11 a.m. on June 20 in the town of Culpeper, when a woman showed up at a house to deliver a cheesecake to her father-in-law, according to testimony. The woman observed an SUV on the street with the door open and shut it.

I thought I was doing her a favor by shutting the door, the woman said.

Amory, who was staying in the Culpeper residence with her boyfriend, the homeowners nephew, said she looked out the bathroom window after she heard a loud noise, came to the front door with her dogs and got into an argument with the woman.

Amory testified that the woman who was delivering the cheesecake threatened her several times. The defendant testified that she didnt know the woman and that she had threatened to poison her dog.

I was very confused. She was yelling at me about leaving the car door open and making her look like an idiot, Amory testified. I at no time threatened her  . I walked over to my vehicle. I do carry a machete for protection because I go into Baltimore city a lot.

This is self-defense, your honor, she added.

Amorys boyfriend corroborated her story, stating that the woman had violently slammed Amorys car door and then began badgering her.

She was very aggressive, rude, obnoxious and threatening, he told the court.

The other woman involved testified that Amory came toward her with the machete and threatened to cut her head off, while hurling expletives at her.

We were arguing, but she threatened me, she told the court.

Morehouse, the prosecutor, told the judge, Ms. Amory could have left, cooled down, but she decided to come back into the confrontation carrying a 2 1/2-foot machete. At the very least, this is intimidation.

After finding Amory guilty, Durrer agreed, stating, This isnt a case of self-defense where she had to make a split-second decision.

Durrer also imposed a $500 fine with $250 suspended and 30 hours of community service that Amory must complete in Maryland.
A federal judge recently dismissed a feminist groups lawsuit claiming that the University of Mary Washington ignored a sexually hostile environment on the Fredericksburg campus.

The federal suit arose from anonymous threats and insults directed at five of the plaintiffs in 201415 on a social media platform called Yik Yak. The plaintiffs were UMW students and members of Feminists United when they received the threats.

Feminists United asked UMW to disable Yik Yak on campus and ban it on the schools wireless network, but administrators declined because of First Amendment concerns, court papers show.

U.S. District Judge John Gibney, who dismissed the suit with prejudice last week, acknowledged that cyber bulling had become a national problem, especially when bullies can hide behind the cloak of anonymity. But violating the First Amendment is not the solution, he wrote in his opinion.

Solutions are not easy or obvious to anyone, Gibney wrote. In seeking solutions, however, schools cannot ignore other rights vital to this country, such as the right to free speech.

Five former UMW students, along with Feminists United and its national affiliate, the Feminist Majority Foundation, filed the lawsuit in May in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. They also submitted a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights in May 2015, but withdrew it in favor of the lawsuit.

The suit said the plaintiffs suffered psychological harm after UMW permitted violent, hateful sex-based harassment to go unchecked.

But the federal judge dismissed the former students allegations of sex discrimination and retaliation, in addition to their claim that UMW violated the Constitutions Equal Protection Clause.

UMW had little, if any, control over the anonymous postings on Yik Yak, which has since shut down, the judge wrote. Still, he added, the school attempted to take action by holding sharing circles to discuss cyber bullying and assigning a university police officer to some on-campus meetings after a Feminists United member said she felt unsafe.

In addition, the judge wrote that a June 2015 letter by then-UMW President Rick Hurley, who is listed as a defendant, did not constitute illegal retaliation. The letter simply responded to the [Office of Civil Rights] complaint, he wrote.

Hurley, who shared the letter with The Free LanceStar and other news outlets, called some of the students accusations demonstrably false. An op-ed by then-Feminists United President Paige McKinsey fueled most of the Yik Yak comments, he wrote.

In her op-ed, McKinsey, one of the plaintiffs, wrote that there was an insidious misogyny and hatred very much alive at UMW. She referenced a misogynistic chant by the UMW mens rugby team at an off-campus party.

Some of the Yik Yak comments were certainly offensive and appear alarming in isolation, but must be placed in context, Hurley wrote. In particular, two of the comments highlighted in the complaint  are a direct quote from  the comedy group Whitest Kids U Know and a paraphrase of dialogue by a character on the television show American Horror Story: Freak Show.

Hurley also criticized the students for trying to connect the Yik Yak comments to the April 2015 murder of UMW student and Feminists United member Grace Mann. Manns roommate, Steven Vander Briel, was convicted of murder after his attorneys say he snapped during a schizophrenia-induced delusion.

The lawsuit said Hurleys retaliatory letter minimized the severity of Yik Yak threats involving rape and murder and spurred more hostile comments on the social media app.

Officials with the Feminist Majority Foundation were unavailable for comment Tuesday afternoon.
The Charlottesville Police Department says it spent just under $70,000 on its response to a disastrous white nationalist rally last month that left dozens injured and one dead.

The expense covers everything from batteries, bottled water and fast food, to overtime for police personnel and a consultation with a clinical psychologist to help prep the officers.

The costs released by the department do not include the roughly 600 Virginia State Police personnel who also responded. A state police spokeswoman said the department is in the process of calculating its own costs. Two Virginia State Police pilots also died the afternoon of Aug. 12 when their helicopter, which had been monitoring the day's events, crashed.

The numbers were provided in response to a Freedom of Information Act Request by Richmond television station WRIC that was also provided by the department to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The largest single expense was $50,000 for personnel, which included $44,000 in overtime for police officers and support staff, $5,600 in salaries for sheriff's deputies and regional jail personnel, and $750 for a consultation with Charlottesville psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Fracher.

"I was asked to work with the officers prior to the Aug. 12 demonstration - just in terms of psychological preparation," Fracher said. "Im not comfortable saying more than that," he said, referring further questions to the department.

The department spent an additional $14,000 on what it described as logistical costs, which included $2,900 to rent metal crowd control barriers, $2,400 for lodging and $2,300 to rent a bus.

The other major expense was food, snacks and other miscellaneous personnel supplies, which totaled about $6,000. That included $640 for food from Papa Johns, Subway and Chick-fil-a, $2,476 for water, Gatorade and snacks and $135 for sunscreen.
But the research team found that survivors insurance status did differ meaningfully in a few important ways. Survivors were more likely than the sibling group to receive coverage through Medicaid or Medicare. They were also more likely to have been denied insurance coverage: Less than 2 percent of the sibling group reported being denied health insurance in the past as compared to more than 15 percent of the cancer survivors.

The researchers then drilled down into the survivors expenses, their access to health care and their state of mind surrounding their health. The team compared both the survivors to the siblings as well as the insured to uninsured survivors. They found that survivors average annual out-of-pocket expenses were about $800 more than those of the siblings: nearly $2,400 versus nearly $1,600.

This finding is even more striking when taken in the context of other research about childhood cancer survivors, Leisenring said. The current study saw that survivors annual household income was on average lower than that of the control group, and past research from the CCSS found that survivors are more likely to be unemployed due to their health, and when they have jobs, they are less likely to work in typically higher-paying managerial or professional positions.

It all ties together, Leisenring said.

That overall financial burden played out in behavioral differences the researchers saw in their study. Survivors were more likely than the sibling group to have skipped a necessary medical test or treatment, or skipped filling a prescription, because of worries about cost. They also had higher levels of worry about their medical bills and were more likely to have borrowed money to pay those bills.

Insuring the most vulnerable

Those differences were more dramatic  and more worrying to the researchers  in the group of survivors without health insurance. Nearly 60 percent of the uninsured cancer survivors reported having had a medical problem but not seeking care for it versus 22 percent of the survivors with insurance. And 46 percent of survivors without insurance had no primary care provider, as compared to only 6 percent of those with insurance.

Their study didnt directly ask whether skipping necessary health care or medication led to worse health problems for the cancer survivors, although they are planning to address that question in a follow-up survey to the entire population of 24,000 survivor participants in the CCSS, the researchers said.

Depending on which treatment they received, childhood cancer survivors are often at higher risk of many other diseases in their adult lives, including heart disease and secondary cancers. Because of those risks, specialty groups such as the Childrens Oncology Group recommend that childhood cancer survivors get screened more often for certain conditions.

So it stands to reason that skipping medical appointments, especially preventive health care, could lead to poorer overall health for childhood cancer survivors, Leisenring said. If they develop a secondary cancer, it might not be detected until its more advanced, for example.

Thats why the researchers are especially interested in conducting additional studies to ask whether the ACAs mandates for coverage and costs for those with pre-existing conditions  like a previous cancer  are mitigating some of this financial toxicity to survivors.

There were provisions in the ACA that were meant to protect vulnerable populations like cancer survivors, Park said, pointing not only to the rules relating to pre-existing conditions but also the mandate that parents could keep their adult children on their insurance plans until age 26. Previously, young adults who were not in school full-time were cut off from their parents plans at age 19.

The current study lays a good groundwork for future studies to see how these outcomes that weve looked at might change over time [under the ACA] for people who are the most dependent on our health care systems, Leisenring said.
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Kaylee Meeds of Albany might have gone to the University of Oregon. Elsie Tucker of Corvallis might have tried to commute to a different community college.

And, if Linn-Benton Community College hadn't opened 50 years ago, Amanda Alexander of Albany and Robert Lee of Lebanon said they likely wouldn't be in school at all.

Monday marked the first day of the 2017-18 term for 7,085 students at LBCC. It was the 50th anniversary, to the date, of the day classes began at the community college in 1967.

Culinary arts students baked special yellow-frosted cupcakes, which administrators shaped into a giant "50" on a table in the cafeteria, to mark the occasion.

A bigger party is planned for 4 p.m. this Friday at Deluxe Brewing Co., 635 Water Ave. N.W., Albany. The no-host gathering will feature live music, a no-host bar and food truck, and a special edition "LBCC-inspired" IPA brewed by Deluxe.

The Roadrunner Red IPA is 7 percent alcohol by volume and 100 on the international bitterness unit scale, said Jamie Howard, Deluxe co-founder.

"It's all about inspiration and balance with the Roadrunner Red IPA," she said. "We were inspired to use the Strata hop, a brand new Oregon-grown hop, known for its tropical-citrus hop-forward flavors. It balances nicely with the caramel, malty body of a traditional Red IPA."

Howard said the brew is a small-batch beer that will go into production later this year.

"Yes, it will be available, but in limited quantities until it goes into production on our big system," she said, quipping: "Like a Roadrunner, it could go fast."

Voters agreed on Dec. 6, 1966, to form the community college education district that would become LBCC. Classes started Sept. 25, 1967, in a variety of locations across Linn and Benton counties. The commuting students came to call themselves "Roadrunners," which eventually became the college mascot.

The current 104-acre campus in Albany was completed in 1972. Today, the college has centers in Corvallis, Lebanon and Sweet Home, a horse center in Albany, and the Advanced Transportation Technology Center and the Healthcare Occupations Center in Lebanon.

The very first graduation, on June 12, 1969, saw 11 associate degrees and 48 certificates awarded to 59 students. In contrast, the June 2016 graduation awarded 990 total degrees and certificates to 820 students.

More than 20,000 students now take at least one class each year, and approximately 30 percent of in-district high school students come directly to LBCC after graduation, according to the college.

Students can earn an associate degree, transfer degree, or short-term certification, and community members and businesses have access to a wide-variety of classes and services offered through LBCC Extended Learning.

Enrollment as of Monday was down just a little so far this year, said Dale Stowell, executive director of advancement/foundation. As of Monday morning, the head count was down 4 percent and the full-time-equivalent was down 5 percent.

That's likely because of the strengthening economy, which often pulls would-be students away from classes and into the workforce. But the college is expecting to be back on track by spring quarter as students return to finish what they've started, Stowell said.

And, he said, it's worth noting that manufacturing-related enrollment is up. Welding, for instance, saw a 40 percent enrollment growth as of Monday.

Robert Lee, 22, currently in his second year at LBCC, said he took some welding classes last year before deciding to study geology instead. "The instructors are great," he said. "This is a very, very good school."

If it weren't for the community college, Lee said, he doubts he'd be in school at all. He earned a modified diploma in high school and didn't take the SAT and said he didn't think Oregon State University would have been the best choice.

Amanda Alexander, 18, started at LBCC on Monday intending to study pharmacy. If the college had never been founded, she said she'd likely have spent Monday "at home and work, probably. I would not be going to college, for sure."

Linn-Benton offers affordability and access, both key factors in being able to go to school, Alexander said.

Kaylee Meeds agreed. The 18-year-old, who is working on general studies, could have gone to the University of Oregon but said she prefers a smaller campus. Besides, she said, "I live right next door. Easy commute."

Elsie Tucker, 18, she likely would have tried to find another community college, but the commute from Corvallis would have made things harder.

A community college is like a trial university, said Tucker, who is studying psychology. Plus it's a great way for her to meet new people while still seeing a reassuring number of familiar faces from her hometown or graduating class.

"It's kind of that feeling, 'Oh, I"m not the only one,'" she said, laughing. "I'm not the only one confused."
During the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the world watched events unfolding on television screens.

But Warren B. Brainard watched the events from across the street.

Brainard, now the commanding officer of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Oregon State University, was assigned to the Pentagon when the attacks occurred. Although he regularly worked in the main building, on the day of the attacks he was working in one of the ancillary office buildings across the street from where a hijacked plane hit the building.

In an interview with the Gazette-Times, Brainard recalled that he initially couldnt quite process what was happening.

For a long time, I was trying to justify it. It has to be an accident.

Brainard said he was initially convinced that instead of a plane crashing into the building deliberately, the impact must have been from a helicopter that had been attempting to land on a military helipad near the crash site. But eventually, the reality of what was happening became impossible to ignore.

Brainard was at that point a ten-year veteran of the Air Forces security force, a job that does both base defense and acts similarly to military police. Brainard said he was ordered to evacuate with some civilians, while some of his colleagues were ordered to join the response. He said he still regrets not being part of the response directly.

Thats what security forces do, he said.

With all the people trying to evacuate Washington D.C., Brainards normally 50-minute commute home took eight hours, during which he was frantically trying to make phone calls to let loved ones know he was okay. Brainard said just the day before the attacks hed been in a meeting on the side of the Pentagon where the plane struck.

After getting home, Brainard was told to come back to work the next day at the Pentagon. He went back to work in the main building while it was still burning, he said. To this day, he said, the smell of a burning building brings up memories of that day.

Brainard said before the attacks, hed been considering retiring from the military, but the attacks motivated him to stay in the Air Force.

The overwhelming feeling I took from that at first was shock, and then it was anger. Someone had tried to kill me. I decided I needed to do what I could to protect my country.

Brainard, a Eugene native, enlisted in the Air Force at age 25 in 1991. He said he hadnt been a terrific student and bounced between jobs without having much purpose.

Nobody would have said youre going to be a professor of aerospace studies at Oregon State, he said.

However, he had an encounter with an Air Force Guardsman while camping at Lake Billy Chinook and heard a little bit about what a military career could be like. Brainard said he wanted to get a bachelors degree and got interested in a military career as a way to have the costs of his education paid.

After visiting a recruiter, Brainard said he was told he probably wouldnt get in without a letter of recommendation. So he asked his former Thurston High School counselor for a letter  and was told no. But eventually, the counselor asked Brainard to write a letter about what he hoped to accomplish in the Air Force.

Brainards letter, of which he still has an original copy, convinced the counselor, and with the letter of recommendation Brainard was able to enlist.

After being assigned to security forces, Brainard began working on school part time, earned his degree five years later and was commissioned as an officer. He then worked as a commander of convoys that transported nuclear missiles with 75 people working under him.

Brainard continued his education and was working on a graduate degree at George Washington University while he was assigned to the Pentagon.

He then worked at an Air Force base in England in the lead up to and start of the Iraq War. Brainard said during that time he got to see the military transition its focus to a more anti-terrorism force from the older traditional model it had been before 9/11. Brainard also has worked at Air Force bases in Saudi Arabia and Qatar and did security audits at bases in Iraq.

During one assignment he investigated an Afghan officer who had murdered some U.S. training officers.

Brainard said many people dont know much about careers in the Air Force outside being a pilot, and he tries to raise awareness of other fields in the branch, such as his own job in security forces.

Essentially, my job is to protect people and resources at our bases, he said. In some of his assignments thats meant command of base security. Other assignments hes done security planning and audits.

Brainard returned to Oregon in July 2016 to run the Air Force ROTC program at OSU, a job he said he enjoys both because he gets to be near his family again and because he gets to teach future officers the values of the Air Force.

This is a nice job. Its a nice break after being responsible for 500 people, he said.

Ordinarily, the post would last for about three years, but Brainard, currently a lieutenant colonel, is scheduled to be promoted to full colonel in just a few months. Since running the Air Force ROTC detachment is a job for a lieutenant colonel, hell be promoted out of the job after fall term.

Brainard, who with his family lives in Lebanon, said hell learn his next assignment in December. Until then, hell be working to teach the around 100 students in the Air Force ROTC the branchs core values, including service above self, integrity, professionalism and support for the Constitution.

He added that he thinks negative views of young people today mischaracterize them  in his experience the participants in Air Force ROTC are great students and highly motivated to serve their country.

Most people dont realize how much responsibility we put on these young lieutenants and captains. These people, within a few years of graduating, will be responsible for billions of dollars of aircraft, satellites and missiles.
CORVALLIS  Linn-Benton Community College is offering three new writing classes at the LBCC Benton Center, 757 NW Polk Ave., that start Sept. 26.

 The Writers Ready Room is designed to help improve skills via Lill Ahrens conversational method of feedback. By asking and answering questions about writing projects, learn what's working, what needs clarification, and the tricks and techniques of famous writers.

The nine-week class meets Tuesdays, 6 to 9:20 p.m. starting Sept. 26. Cost is $120.

 First Person: Biographical Storytelling helps shape life experiences into stories to share. The five-week class meets Tuesdays, 6 to 7:50 p.m. starting Sept. 26. Cost is $79.

 Collage Night: Create, Discover, and Recharge helps dig deeper into the writing process or just offer fun with open form collage. Supplies provided. The eight-week class meets Wednesdays, 6:30 to 8:20 p.m. starting Sept. 27. Cost is $69.

For more information or to register, see the LBCC online schedule at www.linnbenton.edu, or call LBCC Community Education at 541-917-4840.
Defendant denies criminal charges : Alleged Siegaue rapist defames victim

Bonn The trial of the man who allegedly raped a woman camping in the Bonn Siegaue started on Monday. The defendant disputed carrying out the rape and defamed the victim.

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Eric D. kept the handcuffs firmly hidden under the dock. Only when his eye watered or something itched, did he lift his arms with the heavy chains around them to his face, but then let them quickly fall back into his lap. The 31-year-old black African is considered unpredictable. He went on the rampage several times while in custody, assaulted guards and even lit a fire in his cell. His leg shackles were also not removed during the proceedings and two policemen sat close behind him.

Six months after a horrific night for a camping couple from Freiburg, the black African has been standing trial in the criminal chamber of the Bonn regional court since Monday. Chief prosecutor Claudia Trauzettel is convinced that around 0.15am on 2 April, Eric D. slit open the couples tent in the Siegaue with a branch saw, threatened them and robbed them of 6 euros and a loudspeaker. He is then alleged to have abused the 23-year-old student and raped her ten metres from the tent, while the branch saw was at his side within easy reach. Her 26-year-old boyfriend had to witness the crime unable to help or intervene. The criminal charges are aggravated rape and serious extortion.

Defence lawyers Birgit Schurz and Martin Morsdorf had ordered the defendant to remain silent as the evidence is not in his favour. However, Eric D. soon showed his impatient and aggressive side. Why should I remain silent, he cried, about a case I know nothing about? Of course he was going to talk. He declared he had been in the Sankt Augustin refugee home on the night of the crime. The court chamber, chaired by Marc Eumann, then said that according to the attendance register at the accommodation, which is recorded electronically, he left the accommodation on the evening of 1 April at 7.58pm and only returned during the night at 3.06am. That is not true, countered Eric D. It is a trick by the court. A trick question. He said he did not want to play this game. I havent got time to listen to these fairytales.

When Eumann told Eric D. that DNA traces identical to his own had been found on the 23-year-old student and asked him to explain this, the defendant was beside himself. If the girl claims she was raped, she must be a prostitute, he sneered. And he added: All those helping her with these lies are filthy people. The court stopped his speech and the translator to protect the defendant from himself.

Lawyer Gudrun Roth, who is representing the 23-year-old as a joint plaintiff, was restrained in her reaction. It is always a slap in the face when someone who has lived through something like this is then ridiculed. She did not want to say anything further.

Before the charges were read, Eric D. explained his life story in detail. He even seemed to like that everyone was listening. The proud son of a rich cocoa plantation owner in Ghana, after his fathers early death, he got into an inheritance dispute with the husband of a half sister. He killed the brother-in-law with a pruning tool. He escaped through Libya and over the Mediterranean to Italy and finally to Germany.

Ten days have been set aside for the trial until 19 October.
City centre building works : New footbridge at Bonner Loch

Bonn Building works at the Suduberbauung mean Poststrae will be closed between the main station and Maximilianstrae. A new footbridge has been built over the Bonner Loch.

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The temporary pedestrian walkway at the Suduberbauung in front of the main train station is ready. Poststrae will be closed until the end of the year between the Bonner Loch and the demolished Suduberbauung and pedestrians will have to use a scaffolding bridge. It will link Maximilianstrae and the main train station.

The construction is made of traditional scaffolding and is close to 80 metres long. It measures 3.5 metres at its narrowest point but gets wider towards the main train station. The construction is around six metres tall and is secured by railings. The floor will be made of wooden plates screwed together. To allow for greater stability, the scaffolding will be anchored to the wall of the Bonner Loch.

We have built the scaffolding on the basis of a City of Bonn traffic regulation, explained site manager Christian van de Loo. For example, before construction it was calculated how many pedestrians would use the bridge and what load the construction would have to bear. Problems were caused by bikes, which had not been collected despite signs requesting this. We will now fence them in and the owners can collect them from us, said van de Loo.

The area will be completely closed as the holes for the new stairways must be drilled there, said Marc Hoffmann from the City of Bonn press office. The important link between Poststrae and the main train station must be preserved during the building works.
Sunday opening : Verdi continues to fight against shops opening for the Bonn Festival

Bonn Will shops open for the Bonn Festival? The Verdi union wants to prevent shops opening this coming Sunday and has lodged a complaint with the Higher Administrative Court.

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It has still not been decided whether shops in the city of Bonn will be allowed to open for the Bonn Festival this coming Sunday, 1 October. As reported, the administrative court in Cologne last Wednesday refused an emergency application by the Verdi union, which was directed against the planned Sunday opening. Volker Wenner from Verdi explained his union had lodged an appeal against the decision with the Higher Administrative Court in Munster. A court spokesman told the GA on Monday that a decision is still pending.

Wenner referred to previous decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court, according to which Sunday openings are not a means of promoting business. We assume that the Higher Administrative Court will be make a quick decision on the matter and that it will decide in our favour, said a confident Wenner.

Tanja Krober, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Bonn/Rhein-Sieg said the rejected claim brought by Verdi against Sunday opening at the upcoming Bonn Festival showed how urgent the change in the law by the new state government is. The weeks long situation of limbo brought about by the complaint is unacceptable. The IHK is relieved that the state government wants to achieve legal and planning certainty through the Liberalisation Law, said IHT head Stephan Wimmers. Among other provisions, the Law contains a more generous interpretation of the general conditions to be fulfilled for Sunday openings. In future, unlike up to now, the promotion of the retail trade will be sufficient grounds for Sunday openings.

Wimmers said the Chambers of Industry and Commerce in North Rhine-Westphalia have therefore had a legal opinion drawn up. The essence of the report is that support of local trade and revitalisation of the city centre are also in the public interest as they are conducive to the preservation of the city centre in the long term. There are therefore other ways of creating reasons for Sunday openings. It is now essential that the change to the law is brought into effect as quickly as possible, said Wimmers.

Harry Benzrath, managing director of Galeria Kaufhof in Bonn, explained that the Works Council had declared it was in favour of opening this Sunday form 1pm to 6pm. He said the shops would not open without this consent. Employees receive twice their hourly rate to compensate for the loss of leisure time. There were no problems getting volunteers. As a rule, there were always more employees applying to work on Sundays than were required.
felicilin at 25-09-2017 04:50 PM (5 years ago) (f)

A Nigerian woman named Ibok Offiong has lost over One Hundred and Ninety-two thousand dollar ($192,000.00) to Cryptocurrency trading called Bitcoin trade.

A Nigerian woman named Ibok Offiong has lost over One Hundred and Ninety-two thousand dollar ($192,000.00) to Cryptocurrency trading called Bitcoin trade. Mrs Ibok while narrating her story says, her account was blocked after investing so much in the Bitcoin Trade and all efforts to reach the management proved abortive.

About 9 months ago, Ibok Offiong was introduced into trading in cryptocurrency by Adaego Ononuju (Her referral), a fellow team member of hers in onelife/Onecoin to the trading company called Tradecoin club aka TCC, @TradecoinUSA @ TradeCoin Club @TCCNAIJA.



She was asked to provide start of capital and was promised a refund. After some months of her successful trading, TCC told her they wont return her capital. Though she didnt find it funny she continue trading to make profit to recover her lose.



And boom! For no reason, TCC to block her account. All effort to have unblock the account for 4 months now have proved abortive.

Read Ibok Offiong story:

On the 5th of July I logged into my Acc and had a total of about 7btc available for me to withdraw, but I decided to wait till the next day to do so.

So come 6th July 2017, I tried to log into my trading account with TCC, and to my surprise, I could not. I then got a constant alert that my account was blocked, and I should contact the compliance unit of the company, which I did immediately through my email.

I contacted my sponsor, Ada, and she claimed being too busy to meet with me, even after finally convincing her to meet me, I asked for her office address and up till date, I am yet to get that from her.

Precisely 12 days after, I contacted the CEO of the company directly, Joff Paradise, and his first response was that he was eating with his kids. I waited patiently for him to get back to me, and he did nothing. 24 hours later, I contacted him again, and attached was what transpired.

Joff paradise stated in his chat that

1- I didnt pay for tax, which I did

2- I had 2 accounts, in which I only have 1

3- evidence of promoting another business, which to my knowledge, was not a problem when I invested in the coy TCC.

According to TCC Co-founder, Joff Paradise, it would take about 45 days for the company to respond to my email, in response to their blocking my account with the company. As at date, its going to 90days.

90 days of not trading, 90 days of not having access to my 87 bitcoins on my TCC account, from a total investment of 40 bitcoin in this company, as a pioneer investor and founding member and shareholder of the company. 90 days of no access to my account as top 200 leader/member of a company, who was given a free VIPs ticket and accommodation for the 26th May Macau event, as well as a VIP invitation for a recently concluded event in Belize.

After pressure from Ibok Offiongs, TCC then handled her an option of selling the account to an unknown client when they later found out the buyer is Adaego.

This is the same Adaego who was having financial problem for years and Offiong was there at every moment to help out.

Some friends are only there for the gains and to add mystery to ones life.

Adaego you are not a friend but a fraud. You and TradeCoinUSA should return Iboks money. And to you who is planning to invest in Tradecoin Nigeria, you better receive sense.



Mrs Ibok while narrating her story says, her account was blocked after investing so much in the Bitcoin Trade and all efforts to reach the management proved abortive.About 9 months ago, Ibok Offiong was introduced into trading in cryptocurrency by Adaego Ononuju (Her referral), a fellow team member of hers in onelife/Onecoin to the trading company called Tradecoin club aka TCC, @TradecoinUSA @ TradeCoin Club @TCCNAIJA.She was asked to provide start of capital and was promised a refund. After some months of her successful trading, TCC told her they wont return her capital. Though she didnt find it funny she continue trading to make profit to recover her lose.And boom! For no reason, TCC to block her account. All effort to have unblock the account for 4 months now have proved abortive.Read Ibok Offiong story:On the 5th of July I logged into my Acc and had a total of about 7btc available for me to withdraw, but I decided to wait till the next day to do so.So come 6th July 2017, I tried to log into my trading account with TCC, and to my surprise, I could not. I then got a constant alert that my account was blocked, and I should contact the compliance unit of the company, which I did immediately through my email.I contacted my sponsor, Ada, and she claimed being too busy to meet with me, even after finally convincing her to meet me, I asked for her office address and up till date, I am yet to get that from her.Precisely 12 days after, I contacted the CEO of the company directly, Joff Paradise, and his first response was that he was eating with his kids. I waited patiently for him to get back to me, and he did nothing. 24 hours later, I contacted him again, and attached was what transpired.Joff paradise stated in his chat that- I didnt pay for tax, which I did- I had 2 accounts, in which I only have 1- evidence of promoting another business, which to my knowledge, was not a problem when I invested in the coy TCC.According to TCC Co-founder, Joff Paradise, it would take about 45 days for the company to respond to my email, in response to their blocking my account with the company. As at date, its going to 90days.90 days of not trading, 90 days of not having access to my 87 bitcoins on my TCC account, from a total investment of 40 bitcoin in this company, as a pioneer investor and founding member and shareholder of the company. 90 days of no access to my account as top 200 leader/member of a company, who was given a free VIPs ticket and accommodation for the 26th May Macau event, as well as a VIP invitation for a recently concluded event in Belize.After pressure from Ibok Offiongs, TCC then handled her an option of selling the account to an unknown client when they later found out the buyer is Adaego.This is the same Adaego who was having financial problem for years and Offiong was there at every moment to help out.Some friends are only there for the gains and to add mystery to ones life.Adaego you are not a friend but a fraud. You and TradeCoinUSA should return Iboks money. And to you who is planning to invest in Tradecoin Nigeria, you better receive sense.

Post Reply Posted: at 25-09-2017 04:50 PM (5 years ago) | Hero
felicilin at 26-09-2017 10:13 AM (5 years ago) (f)

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has strongly condemned the attack on Ogba Zoo and Nature Park in Benin, Edo State, on Sunday, during which three policemen were killed and the Head of the Zoo, Dr. Andy Ehanire, was abducted by the attackers.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has strongly condemned the attack on Ogba Zoo and Nature Park in Benin, Edo State, on Sunday, during which three policemen were killed and the Head of the Zoo, Dr. Andy Ehanire, was abducted by the attackers.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Minister described the attack on one of the country's foremost tourist destinations as a big blow to ongoing efforts to lift the tourism sector in the country.



''The success or failure of a tourism destination depends largely on a safe and secure environment. Incidences such as the attack on the Ogba Zoo and Nature Park therefore negate the concept of tourism as well as government's determination to develop our tourism industry as a tool for socio-economic development.



''The killing of the three policemen attached to the zoo to provide security for fun seekers, the abduction of the zoo boss and the trauma suffered by the visitors who witnessed the attack are saddening, condemnable and most unfortunate,'' he said.



Alhaji Mohammed said the government will step up security in all the tourist sites across the country in particular in order to prevent a recurrence, while urging the abductors of Dr Ehanire to quickly

release him unharmed.



He also sent his condolences to the families of the policemen who were killed in the attack, and prayed that God will grant repose to their souls.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Minister described the attack on one of the country's foremost tourist destinations as a big blow to ongoing efforts to lift the tourism sector in the country.he said.Alhaji Mohammed said the government will step up security in all the tourist sites across the country in particular in order to prevent a recurrence, while urging the abductors of Dr Ehanire to quicklyrelease him unharmed.He also sent his condolences to the families of the policemen who were killed in the attack, and prayed that God will grant repose to their souls.

Post Reply Posted: at 26-09-2017 10:13 AM (5 years ago) | Hero
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bayonel3 at 26-09-2017 04:57 PM (5 years ago) (m)

Veteran actress, Hilda Dokubo has revealed some interesting details about her life many people do not know about during a ministerial event at the Fresh Oil International Church.

Veteran actress, Hilda Dokubo has revealed some interesting details about her life many people do not know about during a ministerial event at the Fresh Oil International Church. The actress shared a story how she rebelled against God and got pregnant at 16. The youth advocate who once served as special adviser on youth affairs to Ex-Governor of Rivers State Peter Odili, said although she was born with a silver spoon, her fathers forced her family to become poor as she had to fend for herself..

She said: I was born with a silver spoon but death turned me poverty stricken after my father died when I was just nine. I turned away from God at that point because I felt disappointed that despite how much my father loved and served God, He still died.

After my dad died, my mother completely lost her mind. If she were in U.S, I am sure she would have been diagnosed as a mental case. You know in Nigeria, we dont consider people mad until they have started eating from dustbin. I rebelled against God at that point and stopped going to church at the age of nine.

However, I was a very brilliant girl and I got admission into the university at the age of 16. I became rascal and did what girls like that do. I slept with a man and I became pregnant.

It wasnt the Holy Spirit that impregnated me. My mom was devastated and disappointed in me because of that. I was angry with her because her God killed my father and we stopped speaking to each other. The actress shared a story how she rebelled against God and got pregnant at 16. The youth advocate who once served as special adviser on youth affairs to Ex-Governor of Rivers State Peter Odili, said although she was born with a silver spoon, her fathers forced her family to become poor as she had to fend for herself..She said: I was born with a silver spoon but death turned me poverty stricken after my father died when I was just nine. I turned away from God at that point because I felt disappointed that despite how much my father loved and served God, He still died.

Post Reply I scour the world wide web to bring you interesting stories from around the globe. [email protected] Posted: at 26-09-2017 04:57 PM (5 years ago) | Hero
Overall, dont let the bhoot mislead you, nothing bhootiya about this story. Had the makers tried to push the envelope, the idea could have been outstanding for a bhootiya comedy.
The Greater Albany Rotary Club and Albany Rotary Club will hold a meeting at 5:45 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, to provide information on the Rotary Youth Exchange programs.

The meeting will be held at the offices of Koontz, Perdue, Blasquez & Co., P.C., 920 Elm St. SW.

The meeting is open to students ages 14-17 and their parents. Information regarding Rotarys short-term and long-term exchanges will be available, including the exchange experience, selection process and costs, as well as a question and answer time.

If unable to attend, or for more information, contact Debbie Blasquez, Youth Exchange Officer for Greater Albany Rotary Club, at 541-926-5543 or dblasquez@midvalleycpa.com.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cuba Ventures Corp. (TSX-V:CUV) (OTCBB:MPSFF) (the Company) is pleased to announce that it has released the much anticipated www.Havanatur.com for public beta testing. Using the latest version of the companys proprietary booking software and employing the most modern design parameters, the new e-commerce website is expected to increase user engagement and revenues for the travel division going forward.



Havanatur.com rollout

Shareholders are aware that the initial acquisition of 432 websites included many renowned web properties, many of which had been operating in the same guise for almost 20 years. It immediately became apparent to management that an upgrade of these websites was necessary to both enhance customer engagement and revenues. It is, however, important to note that, during this upgrade period, travel revenues have been generated from the legacy websites which, despite being outdated, have provided a satisfactory revenue stream during the past fiscal year. Unlike its previous legacy versions, the new website meets or exceeds current Google speed, mobile compatibility and algorithm exigencies. Further, it adds a new look and feel, while at the same time deploying revised booking software, which continues to be proprietary to the company. Finally, this content-rich website increases available real-time offers by 55%, thus potentially increasing booking probability and, expectantly, travel revenues. New shareholders may wish to revisit the 20 year old websites which have been generating all travel related revenue until the current day, still active until the full roll out occurs across all 68 e-commerce domain names, at www.4travel2cuba.com and, make an informed comparison with the new www.Havanatur.com. The public beta rollout is expected to last for 30 days, primarily to iron out any user issues. However, bookings have already commenced on the new website as of Sept. 22, 2017, with remarkable results during the subsequent days.

Working Towards a Booketea DA and the future of online travel revenue

The programming language utilized on previous legacy versions of the substantially 20 year old e-commerce websites, accountable for all travel revenue to date, was incompatible with current xml and, other vital protocols used in todays modern online tourism industry. The advent of the newly designed websites brings with it the opportunity of integrating the previously announced GDS (Global distribution system) to the back-end/back-office structure, as anticipated with Booketea. This corporate milestone will see the company re-enter the real-time flight sales arena, hotel discounting networks, niche tour & excursion sales and, most importantly, put us in the direct line of sight of the worlds two largest online travel operators.

Timeline  68 E-Commerce website update program

Upon conclusion of the beta phase, the company will deploy the new website profile across its 68; demographic, language and country/market specific domain names (see https://www.cubaventures.com/assets/docs/travelucion-web-properties.pdf page 2). It is expected to take several months to complete this secondary domain-by-domain modernization, as each website is either language or design specific. Upon completion of the full rollout, all internet traffic, approximately 35 million annual page views, will be exposed to the new websites. The company envisages an increase in visitor numbers allied to revenue.

Timeline  134 General interest & traffic generating portals

The company owns a total of 432 websites whose content is divided into various niches, creating a self sustaining hub which generates organic (free) traffic for its e-commerce linked 68 websites. 134 of these websites are Cubas cities, towns, and provinces, along with special interest websites for culture, sports, investments, arts, etc. On July 27th the company informed shareholders that several of these websites had been fully redesigned and were being beta tested: www.CubaHavanacity.com, www.CubaHavana.com, and www.CubaLaHabana.com. Management has been watching closely the increase in visitors to these new web properties and has decided to use this new design brief across all of the 134 general interest websites. The rollout of this update is thus confirmed and ongoing.

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, a wholly owned subsidiary, is a digital media and marketing company which owns a vast portfolio of Cuba related websites and online portals providing Cuba travel information in up to six languages, 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.

Cuba Ventures Corp. has acquired an equity interest in a Florida, the USA domiciled, licensed and bonded travel agency which specializes in travel to Cuba. This equity ownership permits the company and, its subsidiary Travelucion, to promote U.S compliant travel packages to Americans citizens through its equity partner International Business & Travel Opportunities, LLC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

Travelucion's 432 Cuba focused multilingual websites generate over 35 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.

Cuba Ventures FinTech division will bring together a global team to stimulate Cubas archaic economic systems. Financing of both internal and external debt, blockchain deployment - across the all important private enterprises and remittance industry are primary objectives of this division. Finally, bridge loans for foreign enterprises who receive Cuban bank payment instruments will enable faster transactions and rapid advances in the economy.

Cuba Ventures consulting division harnesses over 60 years of combined advisor experience in submitting and, obtaining approval, for joint ventures, joint production agreements, and import/export permits for foreign enterprises. More recently the company has taken a royalty approach for future agreements between third parties anxious to begin commercial operations with Cuba and, the companys Cuba Consulting Unit. Current contractual partnerships include Tyrval, a worldwide hotel industry supplier. Cuba Ventures intends to augment the amount of financially beneficial consulting related companies.

For further information on Cuba Ventures Corp. (TSX-V:CUV) or Travelucion visit the Companys website at www.cubaventures.com or www.travelucion.com. The Company has 78,412,487 shares issued and outstanding.

CUBA VENTURES CORP.

STEVE MARSHALL

______________________________

Steve Marshall

CEO

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

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.
NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Luxembourg subsidiary of Tokyo-based Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (MHFG) has mandated BNP Paribas Securities Services as its sub-custodian and settlement agent in Brazil.



Mizuho Trust & Banking (Luxembourg) S.A., a specialist provider of asset servicing, custody, payments and treasury services, helps its institutional clients invest in a wealth of global markets. Parent company Mizuho Financial Group ranks among the worlds largest banking institutions, with segments including personal, retail, corporate and international banking.

This is a significant mandate win, which demonstrates our strengths in Brazil. Mizuho was looking for a local sub-custodian to support their clients investing in the country and selected us for our extensive local expertise and tailored custody and FX solutions, said Andrea Cattaneo, Head of Brazil for BNP Paribas Securities Services.

BNP Paribas Securities Services is rapidly expanding in Latin America and currently offers local custody and clearing in Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

Press Contacts

Caroline Lumley caroline.lumley@uk.bnpparibas.com +44 (0)20 7410 4650

Simon Danaher simon.danaher@uk.bnpparibas.com +44 (0)20 7595 9108

BNP Paribas Securities Services on Twitter - @BNPP2S

About BNP Paribas Securities Services (www.securities.bnpparibas.com)

BNP Paribas Securities Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of the BNP Paribas Group, is a leading global custodian and securities services provider. Backed by the strength of the BNP Paribas Group, we provide multi-asset post-trade and asset servicing solutions for buy and sell-side market participants, corporates and issuers. With local expertise in 36 countries and a global reach covering 90+ markets, our network is one of the most extensive in the industry, enabling clients to maximise their investment opportunities worldwide.

The information contained within this document (information) is believed to be reliable but BNP Paribas Securities Services does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions and estimates contained herein constitute BNP Paribas Securities Services judgment and are subject to change without notice. BNP Paribas Securities Services and its subsidiaries shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or opinions contained within this document. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. For the avoidance of doubt, any information contained within this document will not form an agreement between parties. Additional information is available on request.

BNP Paribas Securities Services is incorporated in France as a Partnership Limited by Shares and is authorised and supervised by the European Central Bank (ECB), the ACPR (Autorite de Controle Prudentiel et de Resolution ) and the AMF (Autorite des Marches Financiers).

BNP Paribas Securities Services, London branch is authorised by the ACPR, the AMF and the Prudential Regulation Authority and is subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our authorisation and regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request. BNP Paribas Securities Services, London branch is a member of the London Stock Exchange. BNP Paribas Trust Corporation UK Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas Securities Services), is incorporated in the UK.

In the U.S., BNP Paribas Securities Services is a business line of BNP Paribas which is incorporated in France with limited liability. Services provided under this business line, including the services described in this document, if offered in the U.S., are offered through BNP Paribas, New York Branch (which is duly authorized and licensed by the State of New York Department of Financial Services); if a securities product, through BNP Paribas Securities Corp. or BNP Paribas Prime Brokerage, Inc., each of which is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a member of SIPC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; or if a futures product through BNP Paribas Securities Corp., a Futures Commission Merchant registered with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission and a member of the National Futures Association.
Hurricane Maria will brush the Outer Banks with 45 mph gusts and high water on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it won't have much of an effect beyond the immediate North Carolina coastline.

On Monday, local authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for visitors to low-lying Ocracoke Island and Hatteras Island because of the risk of dangerous road conditions.

Tropical storm warnings extend from the North Carolina-Virginia border south to the Emerald Isle vicinity, and also across the Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, Hurricane Maria was located 280 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras and moving north at 7 mph.

Reconnaissance flights found sustained winds of 80 mph in the storm, which made it a minimal Category 1 hurricane.

The center of the storm and any hurricane-force wind will remain far away from Virginia, but Tidewater may see minor coastal flooding on Wednesday and high surf and rip currents for much of the week.

Maria is much weaker than it was last week when it hit Dominica, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and cooler water off the Carolina coast will prevent it from restrengthening into a major hurricane.

Track and timeline

Tuesday: Maria will continue moving due north, and wind speeds will gradually increase to tropical storm-force on Hatteras Island.

Tuesday night: The center of Maria will make its closest approach to Cape Hatteras, probably about 150 miles to the southeast. The National Hurricane Center expects Maria to lose hurricane strength by this time.

Wednesday: Maria will begin a turn to the northeast, but will still be close enough to make it another gusty day on Hatteras Island.

Thursday: Maria will accelerate to the east-northeast into the open ocean, and the weather will greatly improve in the Outer Banks. Rough surf and a high rip current danger will continue until the end of the week.

Storm surge and coastal flooding

In North Carolina, Maria may inundate low-lying parts of the barrier islands and the southern coast of the Pamlico Sound with 1 or 2 feet of water.

In Virginia, high tides will continue to be somewhat higher than normal this week along the Chesapeake Bay and the lower James River.

Wednesday's high tides could result in minor coastal flooding around Hampton Roads.

Wind

No part of the Virginia coastline is predicted to face steady, tropical storm-force winds, but gusts could get as high as 30 or 35 mph from Virginia Beach to Chincoteague.

On the Outer Banks, gusts of 50 mph may be strong enough to damage some trees and power lines on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Rainfall

The steady rain from Maria won't advance far beyond the Outer Banks, but some occasional showers could pass through Hampton Roads.

A stray shower can't be ruled out in central Virginia, but more likely than not it will remain dry.

Surf and rip currents

The large swells from Maria are extending far beyond the wind and rain.

The risk of rip currents is high for the Atlantic coastline of Virginia, and nearly the entire Eastern Seaboard from Florida to Massachusetts.

Hurricane Lee

Tropical Storm Lee dissipated over the eastern Atlantic early last week, but its remnants unexpectedly spun into a small hurricane over the weekend.

The system will loop across the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Azores this week, and poses no threat to land.

Aside from Lee and Maria, there are no other storms or disturbances in the Atlantic as of Monday.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie said his plans for overhauling the Virginia income tax code and cutting tax rates would lead to small business and job growth in the Dan River Region.

Well make it easier, not only for those hard-working Virginians who havent seen their wages increase and have had stagnant wages for too long now, but well also unleash more spending in our economy, Gillespie said.

Gillespie touted his plans for Virginias economy and his positions on education, immigration and Confederate monuments during a question and answer forum Monday at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.

The candidate began the event by talking about his other plans for economic growth in the region, including pushing to expand rural broadband access and taking focus away from attracting huge business to the state and investing in strategies to promote small businesses.

Gillespie also thanked Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, who is helping with Gillespies economic platform.

Hes a great delegate and an effective voice for Southside Virginia, Gillespie said to Marshall, who was also in the audience.

Gillespie then took questions. When asked about how Virginia could depend less on the U.S. government for economic revenue, Gillespie said he would boost the private sector while also protecting federal dollars.

I will be able to work with President [Donald] Trump and Vice President [Mike] Pence, Gillespie said. He added he believed opponent Ralph Northam wouldnt be able to do so, because he kept attacking Trump on the campaign trail.

Gillespie also said he hoped the U.S. Congress could find a solution to allow so-called Dreamers  the children of undocumented immigrants  to stay in the country. However, Gillespie also voiced his opposition to both sanctuary cities and the removal of Confederate monuments.

Gillespie took a question from Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chair Bob Warren, who asked if the tax cuts would have any effect on state revenues for local budgets.

Our budgets are so tight now, Warren said.

Gillespie said his tax plan was based on a phase-in period of a few years, and if revenue projects were lower, the implementation would be delayed so localities, schools and law enforcement would remain funded.

Thats protected, and very thoughtfully done, he said.

Kevin Donohoe, campaign coordinator for the Democratic Party of Virginia, said in a statement that Gillespies shifting stance on the Graham-Cassidy health care bill was unacceptable. He also criticized Gillespies tax plan.

Gillespie has proposed a phony math tax plan to voters that has now been panned by analysts for creating a $1.4 billion hole in the budget that would jeopardize the commonwealths commitment to fiscal responsibility and ability to fund priorities like education, public safety and transportation, Donohoe said via email.
Employees and Eden residents could learn the name of the potential new owner of bankrupt Morehead Hospital by Halloween.

Morehead declared for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection July 10 in the Middle District of North Carolina as part of an attempt at financial reorganization. Hospital trustees have been attempting to find a new operator for more than a year.

The bankruptcy filing listed assets and liabilities as both being between $10 million and $50 million, along with between 5,001 and 10,000 creditors. Dana Weston, the hospitals chief executive, said Friday the debt is about $58 million.

On Tuesday, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved a motion allowing for the sale of the hospitals assets. The order is supported by the hospital. Excluded assets include cash and cash equivalents that include investments.

The order from Benjamin Kahn sets 5 p.m. Oct. 23 as the deadline for submitting bids, Oct. 30 for an auction of the assets, Oct. 31 for identifying the winning bidder to the hospitals board of trustees, and Nov. 6 for a hearing on whether to approve the assets sale.

The hospital, which Novant Health Inc. manages, remains open. It has 108 acute-care beds and also operates Morehead Nursing Center, a 121-bed, four-star, skilled-care facility.

There has been some confusion in the community about the bankruptcy process, Weston said. Whomever acquires the assets acquires the operations and the services. Were not selling off the assets in pieces.

At the time of the filing, hospital officials said none of its 657 full-time and 80 contract employees faced a job cut. The management team, led by Weston, remained in place.

A status report, filed Thursday, listed the hospital with 658 employees.

Potential bidders are required to provide either $500,000 or 10 percent of their bid amount before the auction. Weston said bidders are required to demonstrate their ability to finance a bid, provide high quality care, and meet any regulatory requirements for buying the assets.

The auction will take place at the offices of Winston-Salem law firm Waldrep LLP. Thomas Waldrep Jr., an attorney representing Morehead, said Friday the trustees anticipate multiple bidders.

The goal is securing a buyer of the assets that will keep the hospital open, Waldrep said. That is what the board wants and what Eden wants.

We have a process in place and we have to let it play out.

Weston said the possibilities are open when it comes to attracting a for-profit operator or a not-for-profit hospital system.

The bankruptcy allows us to remove a barrier (the debt) to attracting bidders, Weston said.

Secured creditors want hospital operational

The order allows secured creditors Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC, the federal Housing and Urban Development Department and First Citizens Bank & Trust to exercise their rights ... to bid up to the full amount of their claims as a credit against the purchase price of their real property collateral.

Berkadia and HUD are listed in filings as having a joint lien claim of $33.85 million thats secured by property, while First Citizens has a $1.31 million lien on the Dayspring and Thomson Street buildings.

Weston said the hope is that the hospital trustees and creditors can agree upon the winning bidder, but each has the option to oppose the auction outcome.

We know the largest secured creditors all want a community hospital to remain open in the Eden community, Weston said.

A status report for August disclosed the hospital is paying employees and its bills on time. For August, it listed having income of $5.66 million and expenses of $6.55 million for a deficit of $891,948.

Cash on hand as of Tuesday was $5.84 million, down from $7.32 million on Aug. 1. It listed having $10.14 million in receivables.

Weston said the hospitals pension plan for employees has been transferred to the federal Pension Benefits Guaranty Corp. for managing those assets.

We are confident that no one will lose any of their current pension benefits with PBGC, Weston said.

Management takeover

Novants Shared Services division took over management of the hospital in January 2014. Novant could not be reached for comment about whether it plans to bid on the hospital assets.

Novant spokeswoman Jennifer Garber said July 11 that Moreheads trustees are using the filing as a tool to restructure the hospitals debt, which will make it more attractive to potential buyers.

Novants Shared Services division is designed to assist smaller hospitals with supply chain, clinical engineering and information technology, as well as offering strategies to improve clinical performance and identifying growth opportunities. Those hospitals remain independent, retaining local ownership and governance. Some assistance comes through third-party providers.

Morehead is based in the district of N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, who has been among the more vocal opponents of expanding Medicaid coverage in North Carolina.

Eugene Russell, Morehead trustee chairman, cited at the time of the bankruptcy filing ongoing financial pressures for the decision.

The past decade has been a difficult one for the health care industry, especially for small, community hospitals, Russell said in a statement.

This move will allow the hospital to restructure its debt in order to reach financial stability and ensure its long-term success. The reorganization strengthens Moreheads potential to find a strategic partner.

Before Novant took over management, Morehead was run by for-profit Quorum Health Resources.

The boards goal has been to find a partner that shares Moreheads dedication to quality care and patient safety, and has the financial capabilities to grow our clinical programs and enhance the ways we serve our community, Morehead spokeswoman Myla Barnhardt said July 11.

The filing listed Moreheads 20 largest unsecured creditors, of which the most is owed to Nuvasive Inc. of San Diego at $631,629. Two Triad companies are on the list: Moonlighting Solutions of Greensboro (sixth at $182,143); and Novant Shared Services (10th at $120,821).

Hospital partnerships

Some rural areas, such as Stokes County, have turned to for-profit operators to run and/or own their hospital.

Others have chosen to have not-for-profit groups, such as Novant, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Carolinas HealthCare System, own their hospital, though they lease the facilities.

Yadkin County has been without a hospital since May 2015 following the abrupt closing of Yadkin Valley Community Hospital in May 2015 by for-profit operator CAH Acquisition 10 LLC. About 150 hospital employees lost their jobs.

Yadkins Board of Commissioners is attempting to fully reopen the hospital.
Five years after being indicted, Armet Armoured Vehicles and owner/CEO William Whyte have come to trial in U.S. District Court in Danville on charges of major fraud against the U.S. government, wire fraud and false or fraudulent claims.

This case is about greed, Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Carlton said at the beginning of her opening statements on the first day of trial Monday. Greed that compromised the safety of American soldiers, bravely serving their country in Iraq.

Defense Attorney Justin Lugar, of Roanoke-based law firm Gentry and Locke, agreed with the prosecutor on many points, however, including the fact that Armets fulfillment of this contract was a failure. However, Luger stipulated that it was not intentional fraud.

The core of the case is very simple  did Whyte know about the defects? Lugar told the jury.

Whyte and the company were indicted by a grand jury in 2012 and charged with three counts of major fraud against the United States government, four counts of wire fraud and three counts of false or fraudulent claims.

Armet, now defunct, once had a manufacturing plant in Danville and was headquartered in Ontario, Canada, where Whyte lives  he had to be extradited here in September 2016.

Whyte, his defense attorney said, was a self-taught defense contractor.

He had no formal training, but a knack for designing armored vehicles, Lugar said. He had 25 years of experience by the time he got this contract.

In spring 2006, Armet signed a contract with a joint coalition of the United States Armed Forces to provide them with 24 Kestrel armed SUVs, with the stipulation that the first four vehicles arrive in Baghdad, Iraq, within 45 days of the contract being awarded. Several months later, an additional contract was signed for another 8 Kestrels. The total price, to be paid on delivery, was to be more than $6.3 million.

Frankly, this case is old, Carlton told the jury. For some of our witnesses, youre going to hear that their memories arent perfect.

Per the contract, the first 24 vehicles needed to be delivered before July 31, 2006. To date, only seven of those vehicles ever arrived in Baghdad. Carlton stated that Whyte talked his way into nearly $2 million as progress payments which were not in the original contract. The vehicles later had to be shipped back to the United States and tested after a former employee tipped off the FBI that the products were defective.

These SUVs were to be used for the personal safety details of the newly elected Iraqi prime minister, president and vice president. These vehicles were supposed to have armored protection from every angle in order to protect from improvised explosive devices from below, and gunfire and artillery shells from the sides and above.

These were going to be used to rebuild Iraq, testified Retired Master Sergeant Michael Hollon.

Carlton brought the prosecutions first two witnesses to the stand, retired Lt. Col. Jeffrey Voss, who originally solicited Armet for market research during the creation of the statement of work, which lists the requirements for a needed product, and Hollon, who was in charge of the request for quote and contract portion of hiring Armet in 2006.

Most of the first day of trial delved into the specifications of the vehicles, and the details of the contract process and the final contract with Armet.

The trial is expected to take at least two weeks.
Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire) - Tsodilo Resources Ltd. (Tsodilo or the Company) (TSX-Venture Exchange: TSD) is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (Sandstorm) (NYSE MKT: SAND, TSX: SSL) to grant royalties on three projects in consideration of the payment of $1,500,000 USD.

The package of assets in the Royalty Sale includes:

the grant of a 1% NSR on the Companys wholly owned Botswana subsidiary Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Ltd. prospecting metal licenses in northwest Botswana;

the grant of a 1% GPR on the Companys Botswana wholly owned subsidiary Bosoto (Pty) Ltd. precious stone prospecting license (PL217/2016) located in the Orapa Kimberlite Field; and,

the grant of a 1% NSR on the Companys 70% owned South African subsidiary Idada 361 (Pty) Ltd. gold and silver prospecting license located in the Barberton Greenstone Belt in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

Sandstorm shall have a right of first refusal with respect to any third-party bona fide offers to purchase a metal or precious stone royalty on the properties.

Proceeds from the Royalty Sale will be used for exploration and general corporate purposes.

James M. Bruchs, Chairman and CEO of Tsodilo commented: We are extremely pleased to have signed these agreements with Sandstorm. The agreements represent and attractive source of funding for Tsodilo allowing us to fund our exploration activities while still giving Tsodilo shareholders full upside exposure to our projects.

About Sandstrom Gold Ltd: Sandstorm Gold Ltd. is a gold royalty company. Sandstorm provides upfront financing to gold mining companies that are looking for capital and in return, receives the right to a percentage of the gold produced from a mine, for the life of the mine. Sandstorm has acquired a portfolio of 163 streams and royalties, of which 20 of the underlying mines are producing. Sandstorm plans to grow and diversify its low cost production profile through the acquisition of additional gold royalties.

For more information visit: www.sandstormgold.com

About Tsodilo Resources Limited: Tsodilo Resources Ltd. is an international diamond and metals exploration company engaged in the search for economic diamond and metal deposits at its Bosoto (Pty) Limited (Bosoto) and Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Limited ("Gcwihaba") projects in Botswana and its Idada 361 (Pty) Limited (Idada) project in Barberton, South Africa. The Company has a 100% stake in Bosoto (Pty) Ltd. which holds the BK16 kimberlite project (PL369/2014) in the Orapa Kimberlite Field in Botswana as well as precious stone (diamond) exploration license PL217/2016 in the same vicinity. The Company has a 100% stake in its Gcwihaba project area consisting of twenty-one (21) metal (base, precious, platinum group, and rare earth) prospecting licenses all located in the North-West district of Botswana. Additionally, Tsodilo has a 70% stake in Idada Trading 361 (Pty) Limited which holds the gold and silver exploration license in the Barberton area of South Africa. Tsodilo manages the exploration of the Gcwihaba, Bosoto and Idada projects. Overall supervision of the Company's exploration program is the responsibility of Dr. Mike de Wit, President and COO of the Company and a "qualified person" as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101.

The Company has offices in Toronto, Canada and Gaborone, Maun and Letlhakane, Botswana. Please visit the Company's website, www.TsodiloResources.com, for additional information and background on our projects.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements pertaining to the use of proceeds, the impact of strategic partnerships and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals) are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, changes in equity markets, changes in general economic conditions, political developments in Botswana and surrounding countries, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, exploration and development risks, the uncertainties involved in interpreting exploration results and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration business. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the 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.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such forward- looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

James M. Bruchs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer JBruchs@TsodiloResources.com Dr. Mike de Wit President and Chief Operating Officer MdeWit@TsodiloResources.com Head Office Telephone +1 416 572 2033 Facsimile + 1 416 987 4369 Website http://www.TsodiloResources.com

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/Tsodilo09262017.pdfSource: Tsodilo Resources Ltd. (TSX Venture:TSD)

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Copyright  2017 Filing Services Canada Inc.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Sept. 26, 2017) -

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

Sherlock showing: 7 grab samples from an area covering 300m 2 grading between 1.14% and 2.87% Cu and 5 grab samples grading between 1.14% and 2.05% Mn

grading between 1.14% and 2.87% Cu and 5 grab samples grading between 1.14% and 2.05% Mn Watson showing: channel sample of 13.6m @ 0.54% Cu, 5.29 g/t Ag and 0.57% Mn (0.76 CuEq*), remains open in all directions

540m distance between the two showings within the same folded sedimentary sequence

Folded mineralized horizons make over 10m thick intervals

Kintavar Exploration Inc. (the "Corporation" or "Kintavar") (TSX VENTURE:KTR), is pleased to announce the first results from the summer 2017 exploration campaign. The work completed during the campaign, including the follow up of the copper showings in the Eastern portion of the Mitchi property, helped identify a sediment-hosted stratiform copper-silver-manganese mineralization within a siliceous dolomite unit. This helped establish a connection between the various showings such as Watson/Sherlock, Nasigon and Hispana. The mineralized horizons were folded and metamorphosed creating sub-kilometric areas of thickening. Such thickening is well documented to generate open pit mines in the Grenville geological province, such as the iron ore mines in the south of Labrador and Quebec and the Lac des Iles graphite mine, located in the Mont-Laurier region, only 120 km to the south of the Mitchi property.

In the western portion of the property, polymetallic mineralization with copper-silver  gold, nickel, cobalt, tungsten and locally rare earth elements was identified. Mineralization is associated with magmatic lithologies and locally with potassic alteration.

Mitchi Property - Eastern Sector - Watson and Sherlock Showings - Cu, Ag, Mn

Surface work on the Watson showing exposed a sequence of marbles, phlogopitic glimerites and diopsidite with bornite, covelite, malachite and trace of chalcopyrite mineralization. The lithologies appear to have been folded, creating a thickening of the mineralized horizons, while their true width still remains unknown. A continuous composite channel sample of 13.6m returned grades of 0.54% Cu, 5.29 g/t Ag and 0.57% Mn (0.76% CuEq*) and a second channel sample 8m to the west gave 0.61% Cu, 6.02 g/t Ag and 0.53% Mn (0.83% CuEq*) over 3 m. Both channel samples remain open in all directions.

At a distance of 540m to the East of Watson, the identification of Cu-Ag-Mn mineralization led to the discovery of the Sherlock showing (see Figure 1). A total of seven (7) grab samples from an area of 20m by 15m returned grades of 1.14% to 2.87% Cu and up to 39.0 g/t Ag while five (5) samples returned grades of 1.14% to 2.05% Mn. In that area, an historical channel was graded at 0.45% Cu over 5.5m. The following table summarizes the best grades from the grab samples including the Cu equivalent* grade. The manual trenches revealed the same lithologies as those present at the Watson showing with the mineralized marbles, glimerites and diopsidite folded, thus creating a thickening of the lithological sequence. The higher copper grades typically correspond to marble and diopsidite horizons while the higher manganese grades correspond to glimerites. The same mineralized and folded lithological sequence has been observed at the Watson, Nasigon, Hispana and the Sly showings although with a certain zonation of copper minerals (bornite, covellite, chalcocite and chalcopyrite).

Figure 1: Watson and Sherlock exploration target with historical results, summer 2017 results and interpretation of potential folded sediment-hosted stratiform Cu-Ag-Mn mineralization. Full size map can be viewed here.

Samples UTM nad83 z18 Cu (%) Ag (g/t) Mn (%) CuEq* (%) X Y V640373 483650 5252985 1.74 14.9 0.21 1.94 V640374 483658 5252985 1.14 10.8 0.28 1.32 V640375 483656 5252988 1.57 28.6 0.29 1.91 V640376 483654 5252989 1.53 37.2 0.23 1.93 V640377 483660 5252992 1.17 10.8 0.19 1.32 V640378 483660 5253000 2.64 39.3 0.33 3.09 V640379 483668 5253003 2.87 37.8 0.38 3.32 V640858 483653 5252990 0.80 11.0 2.05 1.53 V640859 483654 5252990 0.41 6.1 1.38 0.89 V640860 483658 5252989 0.75 10.9 1.75 1.39 V640861 483658 5252989 0.42 8.0 0.28 0.58 V640865 483654 5252977 0.43 5.9 1.34 0.90 V640866 483657 5252975 0.24 2.5 1.14 0.62 V640867 483653 5252974 0.14 0.4 0.84 0.41

*Copper equivalent grade (CuEq) is presented for information purposes only and is not indicative of management's opinion on the potential metallurgical recoveries or future commodity prices. The CuEq grade demonstrates that Ag and Mn play a limited role in the overall grade. CuEq grade including silver and manganese values are based on 100% metal recoveries, Cu price of 3$/lb, Ag price of 18 $/oz and Mn price of 0.93 $/lb. Copper grade equivalent calculation. CuEq% =(Cu% + (Ag grade x Ag price))/(22.0462 x Cu price x 31.0135 g/t) + (Mn grade x Mn price / Cu price)

Two additional outcrops returned grades of copper-silver-manganese in grab samples. The first one, located 200m east along strike from Sherlock, graded at 0.80% Cu and 11 g/t Ag (0.90% CuEq*) while the second one, located 300m north-east of Watson graded up to 0.83% Cu, 6.3 g/t Ag and 0.62% Mn (0.90% CuEq*).

The Corporation completed a quality control study in order to investigate a potential supergene enrichment. Several deep channels were completed with the sample later cut in two. The upper and the bottom portions of the sample were analysed individually in the laboratory. The assays do not suggest a supergene enrichment. Furthermore, a review of the drill logs completed in 1971 by Noranda on the property shows that copper mineralization continues at depth and that several of these historical drill holes are mineralized the entire length of the hole (100' deep or 30.48m). Drill hole #13 returned grades of 0.49% Cu and 14.0 g/t Ag (0.61% CuEq*) over 9.75m (32') starting from a depth of 14.30m (47').

"The identification of a sediment-hosted stratiform Cu-Ag-Mn system is very encouraging. The effects of the Grenville metamorphism and deformation that helped mask and preserve this system for all those years, played an important role in creating thick mineralized zones that could prove to be economic and minable using traditional open pit methods. This type of deposit has never been exploited in Canada and we are excited to be working on a potential major multi-kilometer system. The location of the property, adjacent to road and power infrastructure and 50km from a railroad in Parent, will be important factors in helping advance this project forward. The Watson and Sherlock corridor that now extends a significant 540m will be the subject of trenching, channel sampling and detailed ground magnetics and Induced Polarization (IP) studies in the coming months in preparation for a drilling program during the upcoming winter." commented Kiril Mugerman, President and CEO of Kintavar Exploration.

Mitchi Property - Western Sector - Porphyry / IOCG type mineralization - Cu, Au, Ni, Co, REE

The western portion of the property presented a porphyry / IOCG (Iron Oxide Copper Gold) type mineralization. Five (5) mineralized showings were discovered or visited. The Forget2 and Assini showings consist of magnetite areas locally brecciated which are enriched in copper, gold, nickel and cobalt and anomalous in rare earth elements. Horizons consisting of mafic tuff blocks were observed at the Assini showing. The two showings are 300m apart.

The highest grades from grab samples at the Assini showing are 0.35% Cu, 0.16% Ni, 418 ppm Co, 700 ppm La and >500 ppm Ce. A channel sample of 1.0m returned 0.23 g/t Au, 0.15% Cu, 118 ppm Co, 372 ppm Ni, 220 ppm La and 395 ppm Ce. At the Forget2 showing, the best grade from a channel was 0.19% Cu, 165 ppm La and 302 ppm Ce over 1.0m.

The De La Tour showing was resampled and a grab sample returned 1.51% Cu, 3.9 g/t Ag, 392 ppm Ni and 652 ppm co. The showing consists of centimetric cross-cutting veinlets at metric intervals which are mineralized in pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite associated with potassic alteration. The Lac Edge and #14 showings were revisited and two (2) grab samples from a felsic intrusive dyke associated with potassic alteration returned anomalous grades of 3.27 g/t Au and 0.74% Cu and 0.19 g/t Au and 0.77% Cu respectively. A channel covering 0.90m gave 0.16 g/t Au and 0.52% Cu at the #14 showing.

All samples have been sent and prepared (PREP-31) by ALS Global laboratory in Val-d'Or. A portion of the pulp of each sample was analyzed at the laboratory in Val-d'Or for gold by standard fire assay (AU-AA23) followed by gravimetry (AU-GRA21) if results were greater than 0.5 g/t Au. The other portion of the pulp was sent to ALS Global laboratory in Vancouver for a multi-elemental analysis by aqua-regia and spectroscopy (ICP-AES/MS). Sample with assays higher than 1% Cu were reanalyzed by atomic absorption (CU-AA46) at the ALS Global Vancouver laboratory. Quality controls include systematic addition of blank samples and certified gold standards to each batch sample sent to laboratories.

Grab samples are selected samples and not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted on the property.

The Corporation has not been able to independently verify the methodology and results from the historical work program within the property boundaries. However, management believes that the historical work program has been conducted in a professional manner and the quality of data and information produced from them are relevant.

About the Mitchi Property

The Mitchi property (approx. 21,000 hectares, 100% owned) is located west of the Mitchinamecus reservoir, 100 km north of the town of Mont-Laurier. The property covers an area of more than 210 km2 accessible by a network of logging and gravel roads with a hydro-electric power substation located 14 km to the east. The property is located in the north-western portion of the central metasedimentary belt of the Grenville geological province. Many gold, copper, silver and manganese mineralized showings have been identified to date, with many characteristics suggesting of a sediment-hosted stratiforme copper type deposit (SSC) in the Eastern portion of the property and Iron Oxide Copper Gold ore (IOCG) and skarn type deposits in the Western portion. Osisko Mining holds a 2% NSR on 39 claims and 1% NSR on 21 other claims of the Mitchi property.

NI 43101 Disclosure

Alain Cayer, P. Geo., MSc., Vice-President Exploration of Kintavar, is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 guidelines who supervised and approved the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

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 this release.

This news release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking information" or "forwardlooking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information and statements may include, among others, statements regarding future plans, costs, objectives or performance of the Corporation, or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In this news release, words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "estimate" "target" and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will be achieved. No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, including additional closings of the private placement referred to above, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Corporatioon will derive. Forward-looking statements and information are based on information available at the time and/or management's good-faith belief with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Corporation's control. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those described under "Risk Factors" in the Coproration's annual management's discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended Dece 31, 2016, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; they could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. The Corporation does not intend, nor does the Corporation undertake any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements contained in this news release to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except if required by applicable laws.
When it comes to transit, there are two types of American cities. The first are the six legacy cities -- Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. -- that developed dense downtowns long before the automobile and have always maintained significant transit ridership. Then theres everyone else.Despite recent urbanization, most U.S. cities were designed for cars. In fact, most remain dominated by solo drivers. Taking transit in these cities is generally inefficient. Nevertheless, some, such as Los Angeles and Miami, are arriving at an in-between stage. Theyre seeing increased density and congestion. These kinds of cities face two major questions: Can they densify in ways that avoid traffic Armageddon, such as by encouraging transit? And can transit ever become as convenient as driving once was, so that densification doesnt mean reduced quality of life?This second question, in particular, matters. As Ive discovered while traveling across the country, Americas densest, most transit-intensive cities are also the hardest places to get around, precisely because people cant quickly drive to and park at their destinations. It helps explain why the legacy cities have six of Americas 11 longest average commute times. Its therefore crucial that in-between cities densify in a way that preserves personal mobility.That is where the in-between city of Seattle could become an interesting case study. As Americas fastest-growing big city -- it added 21,000 people in 2015 -- its growing denser and more congested. Fortunately, it already has a robust transit system: 70 percent of daily commuters living downtown use transit, and Seattles countywide bus ridership since 2002 has grown at a faster rate, more than double, compared to the population.This growth has occurred because residents in Seattle adequately fund transit. In two decades, voters have approved three pro-transit ballot measures. As a result, the city pays more per capita on new transit projects than any other metro area. Recently, it has invested this money into its buses by expanding access so that 25 percent of residents live near frequent service; designating transit lanes to keep buses from getting stuck in traffic; and building an underground tunnel, which opened in 1990, so that buses can avoid downtown traffic.Beyond funding, though, Seattle has -- at least relative to other U.S. cities -- encouraged approaches that complement transit. The private rideshare industry, for example, has flourished there, accounting for 9 percent of downtown commutes. The city has also relaxed zoning laws to allow for denser development.Time will tell whether these measures help Seattle maintain, or even improve, its mobility. Already, average congestion and commute times there remain below that of legacy cities. The real test will be keeping it that way even as it continues to get denser and bigger.
As parents and students start writing checks for the first in-state tuition hike in seven years at the University of California, they hope the extra money will buy a better education.But a big chunk of that new money -- perhaps tens of millions of dollars -- will go to pay for the faculty's increasingly generous retirements.Last year, more than 5,400 UC retirees received pensions over $100,000. Someone without a pension would need savings between $2 million and $3 million to guarantee a similar income in retirement.The number of UC retirees collecting six-figure pensions has increased 60% since 2012, a Times analysis of university data shows. Nearly three dozen received pensions in excess of $300,000 last year, four times as many as in 2012. Among those joining the top echelon was former UC President Mark Yudof, who worked at the university for only seven years -- including one year on paid sabbatical and another in which he taught one class per semester.The average UC pension for people who retired after 30 years is $88,000, the data show.The soaring outlays, generous salaries and the UC's failure to contribute to the pension fund for two decades have left the retirement system deep in the red. Last year, there was a $15-billion gap between the amount on hand and the amount it owes to current and future retirees, according to the university's most recent annual valuation."I think this year's higher tuition is just the beginning of bailouts by students and their parents," said Lawrence McQuillan, author of California Dreaming: Lessons on How to Resolve America's Public Pension Crisis. "The students had nothing to do with creating this, but they are going to be the piggy bank to solve the problem in the long term."At a UC Board of Regents meeting this month, university officials began discussing next year's budget and broached the possibility of another tuition increase. Pensions and retiree healthcare topped their list of growing expenses, but it's unclear whether regents would approve another hike.Public pension funds are in crisis across the country, and particularly in California. The underlying cause is essentially the same everywhere. For decades, government agencies and public employees consistently failed to contribute enough money to their retirement funds, relying instead on overly optimistic estimates of how much investments would grow.UC's pension problem, while not unique, is distinctly self-inflicted. In 1990, administrators there stopped making contributions for 20 years, even as their investments foundered, leaving a jaw-dropping bill for the next generation -- which has now arrived.After setting aside about a third of the new money for financial aid, university officials expect this year's increased tuition and fees for in-state students to generate an extra $57 million for the so-called core fund, which pays for basics like professors' salaries and keeping the lights on in the classrooms. But they also expect to pay an extra $26 million from the fund for pensions and retiree health costs, according to the university's most recent budget report.UC spokeswoman Dianne Klein said it's impossible to say precisely how much of the tuition increase will go toward retirement costs because the university pools revenue from a variety of sources, including out-of-state tuition and taxpayer money from the state general fund, to cover expenses.The steep rise in six-figure pension payments over the last five years was driven by a wave of retiring baby boomers with long tenures at high salaries, Klein said. "UC, as you know, has an aging workforce."University officials have attempted to control costs by increasing the retirement age and capping pensions for new hires, but those are long-term fixes that won't yield significant savings for decades. And the current budget promises $144 million in raises for faculty and staff, a move that will send future pension payments even higher.The top 10 pension recipients in 2016 include nine scholars and scientists who spent decades at the university: doctors who taught at the medical schools and treated patients at the teaching hospitals, a Nobel Prize-winning cancer researcher and a physicist who oversaw America's nuclear weapons stockpile.The exception is Yudof, who receives a $357,000 pension after working only seven years.Under the standard formula -- 2.5% of the highest salary times the number of years worked -- Yudof's pension would be just over $45,000 per year, according to data provided by the university.But Yudof negotiated a separate, more lucrative retirement deal for himself when he left his job as chancellor of the University of Texas to become UC president in 2008."That's the way it works in the real world," Yudof said in a recent interview with The Times.The deal guaranteed him a $30,000 pension if he lasted a year. Two years would get him $60,000. It went up in similar increments until the seventh year, when it topped out at $350,000.Yudof stepped down as president after five years, citing health reasons. Under the terms of his deal, his pension would have been $230,000. But he didn't immediately leave the university payroll.First, he collected his $546,000 president's salary during a paid "sabbatical year" offered to former senior administrators so they can prepare to go back to teaching. The next year he continued to collect his salary while teaching one class per semester, bringing his tenure to seven years and securing the maximum $350,000 pension.In 2016 he got the standard 2% cost-of-living raise, resulting in his $357,000 pension.Asked if he was worth all the money, Yudof said it would be more appropriate to ask the members of the university's Board of Regents, who agreed to the deal.Richard C. Blum, who was chairman of the board in 2008, did not respond to requests for comment.Six of the top 10 pensions recipients last year -- each of whom got more than $330,000 -- were doctors who taught at the medical schools or treated patients at the teaching hospitals.For decades, university officials have argued that the generous pension plan is essential to compete with other top schools, especially private ones that offer higher salaries.Rival medical schools in California, including Stanford and USC, do not provide doctors guaranteed, lifetime pensions. Instead, they offer defined contribution plans in which the employer and employee each pays into the employee's personal retirement account. When the worker retires, he or she gets the money and the employer is off the hook -- no lifetime of continuing payments.The vast majority of doctors in the U.S. who don't work for public universities are offered such plans instead of pensions, as are the vast majority of other professionals working in private industry.Three physician recruiters told The Times that they thought persuading top doctors to work at UC would be easy, given the prestige of the institution and the fact that the hospitals are located in some of the nation's most desirable places to live."I think I could sell it against a higher-paying job in the private sector, even without a guaranteed pension," said Vince Zizzo, president of Fidelis Partners, a national search firm based in Dallas. Working for a university "is a protected world of guaranteed this and guaranteed that," Zizzo said. In private practice, doctors are paid based on the number of patients they see and how much they bill. "It's a much harder life; you eat what you kill."Most of UC's top pension recipients did not respond to requests for comment on this story.Two interviewed by The Times said they were grateful for the pensions, but the retirement plan played no role in their decision to take jobs at the university early in their careers.Nosratola Vaziri, a former kidney and hypertension specialist at UC Irvine's medical school, collected a $360,000 pension last year. He went to work at UCI after finishing a fellowship at UCLA in 1974 and stayed for the next 37 years, contributing to more than 500 scientific articles. Despite offers from other institutions, he never left because he loved the work, Vaziri said."Neither salary nor pension were the reason for my choice," Vaziri said.Radiologist Lawrence Bassett spent 41 years working at UC hospitals after finishing his residency at UCLA. He specialized in the emerging field of breast imaging and said UC was a great place to benefit from leading research. Asked whether the pension had been a factor in his decision to take the job initially, or stay over the years, Bassett said, "No, honestly it wasn't." Bassett's pension was $347,000 last year.McQuillan, the author and Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, a nonpartisan think-tank in Oakland, said it would be simpler, more transparent and ultimately cheaper for UC hospitals and medical schools to compete with other institutions by paying higher salaries.Pensions involve a guess about how much the employer will have to invest today to pay a retiree a guaranteed amount later. It's common for public officials to guess low, saving money in the short term, and leaving their successors to figure out how to make up any shortfall.That's what has been happening at UC for decades, McQuillan said. "At least with a big salary, there isn't this ticking time bomb that's going to explode 30 years down the road."Like most public employee pensions -- they're rare in the private sector these days due to the cost -- UC's is funded through regular paycheck contributions from employers and employees. The money is invested in stocks, bonds and real estate around the world with the hope that it will grow enough over time to cover the guaranteed payments in retirement.As is often the case, the UC pension fund's financial trouble didn't begin when there was too little money; it began when there was too much.In 1990, after years of strong investment returns, university officials determined the fund had accumulated more than it would owe retirees into the foreseeable future. So they took what was supposed to be a temporary "holiday" from making contributions to the fund. They let employees do the same.The policy was popular and difficult to overturn even as the fund started slipping into the red.By the time contributions were reinstated in 2010, the fund had fallen billions of dollars behind.Since then, university administrators have been scrambling to catch up, borrowing and transferring $4 billion from other university accounts to plow into the pension fund. They also raised the minimum retirement age from 50 to 55.In 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown offered a $436-million gift of state taxpayer funds in exchange for an agreement from UC President Janet Napolitano to cap the amount of salary that can be used to calculate a pension at $117,000 -- a move that will save money decades from now, but does little in the short term.The deal also required Napolitano to offer new employees the choice of a defined contribution plan.Despite all these efforts, UC's pension hole hasn't shrunk since 2010; it has grown by billions, according to the university's most recent valuation. That's because the return on investments has not kept pace with the growth in staff, salaries and departing employees' pension payments. This year's stock market gains will help but have not yet been included in the published valuations.As the university struggles to deal with the problem, Napolitano's office has become a jealous guardian of pension information.In December, the nonprofit California Policy Center sent a public records request to UC for an update of a 2014 spreadsheet listing pension payments to the university's retirees. A school administrator responded with an email saying UC had provided the previous spreadsheet as a "courtesy" and was no longer willing to do so.When the nonprofit pressed -- the information is indisputably public under the law, and other California government agencies routinely provide pension data without delay -- the administrator sent an email claiming that the employee who created the 2014 spreadsheet had since retired and nobody could find the query he had used to extract the information from a larger database."They lost the computer program? That's not my problem," said Craig P. Alexander, a Dana Point attorney representing the nonprofit. The university finally turned the pension data over in May, but only after the Alexander threatened to sue.Napolitano's staff also initially refused when The Times requested the pension information in February. It took until June for them to provide usable data -- which showed the dramatic rise in six-figure pension payments and revealed for the first time the full amount of Yudof's pension.
Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) releases statistics on food security, a measure of whether people have enough food for a healthy life. Households who experience foodhave so little money and resources that they can't afford to eat every meal. Data released this month show that while food insecurity has declined for five consecutive years, tens of millions of Americans are still going hungry at times.Last year, about 12.3 percent of American households were food insecure, down from a peak of 14.9 percent in 2011.Anti-hunger advocates, though, warn that the Trump administration and Congress are poised to undo that progress."We don't want to take our foot off the gas," says Ginger Zielinskie, president and CEO of Benefits Data Trust, a nonprofit that works with social services agencies in seven states. "In a country with as much wealth and food as we have, theres no reason that kids should be struggling to eat.The Trump administration is calling for $190 billion cuts over 10 years for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps. The U.S. House Budget Committee has similarly proposed at least $150 billion in SNAP cuts over 10 years, starting with fiscal year 2018. The proposals would reduce SNAP benefits spending between 21 percent and 27 percent a year.The Republican-controlled House has outlined similar cuts before, but they had little chance of being enacted under President Obama, a Democrat. Over the summer, Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, a Republican, reportedly resisted the large cuts. It's unclear, however, whether centrist Republicans will back a plan that makes dramatic cuts to SNAP, which could complicate budget negotiations this fall.The White House and Republicans in Congress argue that SNAP costs too much (about $71 billion last year) and doesn't do enough to encourage recipients to work. They note that the unemployment rate and SNAP participation rose during the recession, and unemployment is back at pre-recession levels -- but the number of people on food stamps is still 66 percent higher than before the downturn.The national poverty rate, like food insecurity, has been slower to rebound than unemployment, suggesting that people at the bottom of the income distribution haven't fully recovered from the recession. Two years ago, a bipartisan commission appointed by Congress found that structural changes in the economy, which resulted in the loss of manufacturing and service jobs, had exacerbated hunger.Food insecurity stays high primarily because of job market problems, says Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center. People cant find jobs, and many millions of people get paid crappy wages.Before the recession, food stamp recipients were required to have a job or participate in government-approved training. But during and after the recession, the Obama administration granted waivers for that ruleto states, or some parts of states, with high unemployment and weak labor markets. As the economy improved in the past few years, though, some stateshave re-established work requirements in SNAP for able-bodied adults without dependent children. Last week, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam announced that he would reinstate work requirements, noting that his state's unemployment rate had hit record lows for three months in a row.For the roughly 15 percent of SNAP recipients who are subject to the work requirement, finding stable, high-paying jobs may still be difficult. Many lack a high school degree, forcing them to rely on part-time or seasonal work. For people who still struggle to find work, Rus Sykes, a program director at the American Public Human Services Association, says states need to establish stronger relationships with local employers that can and are willing to hire SNAP recipients.We know that a job, even at entry levels, is the best path to better economic and social conditions, he wrote in an email.Surprisingly, many food-insecure households do not benefit from federal food subsidies, according to the USDA report released this month. Only 59 percent participated in SNAP or the next two largest nutrition programs. Nationally, about 85 percent of eligible people participate in SNAP, though the rate ranges from 57 percent in Wyoming to near 100 percent in Maine, Nevada and Oregon, according to the Food Research and Action Center.Between 2014 and 2016, the average food insecurity rate ranged from 8.7 percent in Hawaii to 18.7 percent in Mississippi. In some states -- including Alabama, Connecticut and West Virginia -- food insecurity was far worse during that period than before the recession. The map below shows the food insecurity rate for each state.Household Food Insecurity (%)
A Manhattan federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned the corruption conviction of former Senate leader Dean Skelos, knocking down a second pillar of former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's clean-up Albany campaign on the same grounds it reversed former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver's conviction a few months ago.The 2d U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the conviction of Skelos and his son Adam for using Dean's influence to extort financial benefits for Adam had to be overturned because the jury charge didn't comply with a new Supreme Court ruling narrowing federal anti-corruption laws."Because we cannot conclude that the charging error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, we are obliged to vacate the convictions," Judges Reena Raggi, Ralph Winter and Alvin Hellerstein said in an unsigned order.The three-judge panel did, however, rule that there was sufficient evidence for the charges to support a conviction of quid-pro-quo bribery if a jury was instructed properly, and said the Skeloses can be retried."The abundant record evidence that Dean Skelos traded his vote for legislation...in exchange for benefits to his son... is sufficient to allow a reasonable jury to infer the existence of a quid pro quo arrangement," the judges said.Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim, Bharara's replacement, said Tuesday that his office was "disappointed" and planned to aggressively pursue a retrial of the two Skeloses."We look forward to a prompt retrial where we will have another opportunity to present the overwhelming evidence of Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos's guilt and again give the public the justice it deserves," Kim said. "We are as committed as ever to doing everything we can to keep our government honest."Bharara, in a tweet, called the ruling "not unexpected" and complained that the Supreme Court ruling had "made it harder to punish corruption, but justice should prevail here."But Alexandra Shapiro, the attorney who handled Skelos' appeal, applauded the decision and said the former senator should have never been charged with a crime."Senator Skelos is grateful for the court's careful consideration of the issues and looks forward to the next steps," Shapiro said Tuesday in an email. "We believe that as events unfold it is going to become clear that this is a case that never should have been brought."Dean Skelos, 59, and Adam, 34, both of Rockville Centre, were convicted in 2015 of using Dean's clout in three schemes to squeeze Physicians' Reciprocal Insurers, a Roslyn malpractice firm, New Hyde Park developer Glenwood Management, and Nassau County storm water contractor AbTech Industries to help Adam.They were sentenced, respectively, to five and 6-1/2 year prison terms by Manhattan U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood, but have stayed out while their appeals were pending.The Supreme Court, in a case last year involving former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell, ruled that corruption convictions could only be based on performance of an "official act" that represented a formal exercise of government power -- not just a phone call or a meeting with a lobbyist.Skelos was accused of some acts that qualified -- such as votes on legislation sought by Physicians Reciprocal and Glenwood -- and others that might not have, such as meeting with lobbyists and arranging for access to state agencies.The 2d Circuit said that in the absence of a proper instruction it was impossible to tell whether the jury convicted on the basis of something that qualified as an official act, or something that didn't."."Although the government principally advanced a theory that Dean Skelos's arrangement for or participation in certain meetings constituted circumstantial evidence of a quid pro quo for legislative votes, it also argued in the alternative that the meetings themselves satisfied the official act requirement," the court said.Silver's conviction of doing favors for a doctor and two real estate companies that funneled legal fees to him was overturned in July on the same grounds. He is seeking a ruling from the Supreme Court to bar a retrial, but if his request is rejected his new trial has been set for next April.
Violent crime climbed in California and around the country in 2016, the second straight year of increases that have been driven by spikes in big cities like Chicago and have reversed longer-term trends toward safer cities and towns, the FBI reported Monday.The per capita rate of homicides, robberies, assaults and rapes went up 4.1 percent nationally last year when compared with 2015. Killings alone were up 5.3 percent and reached a level last seen in 2008.But the recent jumps, while prompting concern and a search for causes, do not reflect a picture of spiraling lawlessness suggested by some observers, criminologists said. President Trump earlier this year falsely claimed the U.S. murder rate had surged to its highest level in nearly 50 years.Violent crime and property crime rates, instead, were uneven across the Bay Area and the country, with some local jurisdictions reporting falling numbers year-to-year, and nearly all of them seeing crime rates that are well off the historical highs of decades ago.Property crime -- burglaries, thefts and boosted cars -- declined 1.3 percent across the country last year, the FBI said, the 14th consecutive drop.In California, those crimes decreased 2.9 percent in 2016 after ticking up 6.6 percent the year before. The statewide property crime rate is down 63 percent since 1980. Meanwhile, California and U.S. homicide rates remained near their low point in the past half century.In California, 1,930 people were slain last year, an increase of 3.7 percent that came on the heels of a rise of 9.7 percent the previous year. But the 2016 rate -- 4.9 victims for every 100,000 population -- is relatively low compared with the rate 10 years earlier (6.9) and far lower than the rate in 1980 (14.4)."The overall picture is that homicide and violent crime rates went up dramatically in the 1970s and '80s and '90s, and then underwent a dramatic drop in the last 20 years, and leveled off," said Robert Weisberg, a Stanford University criminal law professor and co-director of the school's Criminal Justice Center.The FBI's 2016 numbers, he said, "are not inconsistent with that."Still, Bay Area law enforcement officials have expressed concern about the recent trend, opening up a debate over whether crime has gone up due to several factors, including the effort to reduce jail and prison populations and a struggle in some places to recruit and retain officers.The FBI's "Crime in the United States" report compiled statistics from 16,782 towns, cities and other jurisdictions and is used to gauge crime priorities locally and nationally.In California, violent crime went up from 2015 to 2016 in major cities, including Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Jose, contributing to an overall increase of 4.1 percent. The state had seen an 8.4 percent jump the year before. However, California was coming off historic lows in 2014.Nationally, the violent crime numbers were driven by year-to-year surges in cities like Chicago, Baltimore and Phoenix. Chicago, home to 2.7 million people, suffered 765 homicides in 2016, compared with 478 the year before."The apparent majority of the uptick is due to some really troubled places where the rate is catastrophically high," Weisberg said.The Bay Area's figures reveal some contours of a region undergoing great transformation, while continuing to grapple with deep-rooted crime problems.San Francisco, which is in the middle of a car-burglary epidemic, actually saw a decrease of 11 percent in property crimes last year. But the trend isn't expected to last, as vehicle break-ins were up 28 percent this year through the end of July, according to the Police Department.Last year, Oakland continued to have the region's highest rate of violent crime. Killings in Oakland remained level, at 85, from 2015 to 2016, while the violent-crime rate dropped 1 percent.The property-crime rate in Oakland -- also the highest in the Bay Area, narrowly edging San Francisco -- fell almost 4 percent over the same period, according to the FBI.To the south, Fremont, with a population of 236,000, provided more evidence of its emergence as one of the safest big cities in the nation, with not a single homicide in 2016.In the region's largest city, San Jose, violent crime went up 13 percent from 2015 to 2016 and homicides rose from 30 to 47. San Jose, though, remains relatively safe among big cities.
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GIS  26 September 2017: A Ministerial Committee, set up by Government, will examine the impact of the Metro Express Project on the bus industry and make recommendations accordingly.

This decision has been taken following the apprehensions of bus companies operating along the corridor of the Project, and the issues raised by trade unions representing the bus industry workers.

The committee comprises the following Ministers: Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport; Minister of Arts and Culture; Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment; Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training; Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands; Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms; Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance and the Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms.

Moreover, a Joint Project Monitoring Committee on the Metro Express Project, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport and the High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, met last week to review physical progress, and ensure the smooth implementation of the Project, as well as ascertain conformity to the prescribed quality standards, time frame and cost. The Joint Committee will meet at regular intervals.

A Monitoring Committee also meets on a weekly basis to monitor the implementation of the Project.
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GIS  26 September, 2017: A nomination ceremony will be held in Paris tonight during which Jane Constance will be named as UNESCO Artist for Peace.

The ceremony, to be held at the Headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, will be attended by the Director-General of UNESCO, Mrs Irina Bokova, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, the Mauritian Ambassador to France, Mr Vijayen Valaydon, Jane Constances parents and friends, and previous Artists for Peace, among others.

The nomination of Jane Constance is in recognition of her commitment to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as her work for their empowerment and inclusion and for her dedication to the ideals of UNESCO. As a UNESCO Artist for Peace, she will give her support to the Organisations work in favour of the inclusion of persons with disabilities.

It is to be recalled that Jane Constance, blind at birth, took up singing at the age of five and started learning to play piano at seven. She pursued further studies in piano and singing at the Royal School of Music in London. In 2015, she won the French television competition The Voice Kids 2 and released her first album, A travers tes yeux , the following year.

UNESCO Artists for Peace are internationally renowned personalities who use their influence, charisma and prestige to help promote UNESCOs message and programmes. UNESCO works with these distinguished personalities to heighten public awareness of key development issues and of the Organisation's action in these fields.
The city of Buffalo has announced plans to launch an open data portal in October that will give the public streamlined access to data sets about services, policing and more.

Mayor Byron Brown announced the upcoming launch in a press release Sept. 25, noting that the platform will make data sets available for simple download in spreadsheet form, as well as in more engaging ways that will foster citizen engagement, allowing users to create visualizations and build apps that automatically update when new data enters the system.

The proactive public release of our data will also increase transparency of how the city of Buffalo functions, while offering residents, government leaders, businesses and researchers easy access to information that will provide opportunities for external analysis and generate new ideas on how to use information for the public good, Brown said in the release. Creation of the portal will also help us work smarter by increasing internal data sharing, improving workflow and end duplicative data collection, and give our city departments the ability to tell their everyday stories through interactive tables, charts, graphs and maps.

To create the platform, Buffalo has partnered with Socrata , one of the leading companies in the government open data portal space. This comes after Brown implemented an open data policy for the city in February. Buffalo also held open houses to solicit community input on the effort earlier this year, according to local news outlets , where there was discussion between city officials and about 80 data and tech professionals.

Until now the city did not have a centralized place online for residents to find its open data. The closest it had was Open Book Buffalo , which was created by the city comptroller to make Buffalos finances more transparent. According to the RFP for the open data portal , in the past some city data was available on the website, but oftentimes it was only in PDF or other non-extractable or machine-readable format. The new platform will change that.
(TNS)  As Puerto Rico begins to recover from the devastation left by Hurricane Maria, the island's governor is asking his fellow Americans for help."Puerto Rico, which is part of the United States, can turn into a humanitarian crisis," Gov. Ricardo A. Rossello said on Monday."To avoid that, recognize that we Puerto Ricans are American citizens; when we speak of a catastrophe, everyone must be treated equally."On Friday night, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that Massachusetts sent members of the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1 alongside members of the New York Task Force 1 to assist in rescue missions on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which were also struck twice by back-to-back hurricanes over the past month.Nearly all of Puerto Rico lost power after the hurricane, and residents continue to struggle in search of proper food and water. Approximately 80 percent of agriculture value was destroyed in the storm, reports thestriking an estimated $780 million blow in crop yields.Some have criticized the response by the federal government and President Donald Trump as less urgent compared to aid responses in Texas and Florida, following hurricanes there in the last month.The White House has challenged those criticisms. On Monday, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders referred to the federal response to Puerto Rico as "an unprecedented push through of billions of dollars in federal assistance." She said responders are currently focused on lifesaving efforts and are still in a "fact-finding process" to determine what funds are needed.On Monday, President Donald Trump sent tweets referring to Puerto Rico's "massive debt ... owed to Wall Street and the banks," adding that "food, water and medical are top priorities."Lawmakers are trying to draft a federal aid bill for Puerto Rico, which, despite housing American citizens, currently lacks any voting representation in the United States.The Puerto Rican government has set up a donation page called "United for Puerto Rico," listing everyday items and construction materials most needed on the island.2017 MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass.Visit MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass. at www.masslive.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) -- Three months after activating its 4-acre solar array along Holtzclaw Avenue, utility provider EPB is tying the power generated by the sun into a new type of flow battery that officials hope could be a model for modernizing the power grid.Chattanooga's municipal power utility on Friday energized a 100 kilowatt vanadium redox flow battery that researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed and which Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers will study.The battery is a new type of technology that utilities could use to supplement or even substitute for some substations to ensure that electricity keeps flowing even when its generation source or transmission line is knocked offline."Because Chattanooga's power distribution infrastructure combines a communitywide fiber optics network with more than 1,200 automated power management devices to form one of the most advanced smart grids in the country, we are well-positioned to serve as a living laboratory for testing new technologies and developing best practices that will help other utilities modernize their infrastructure," EPB Chairman Joe Ferguson said.The battery is capable of delivering up to four hours of power at a time. Although its power output of 100 kilowatts is a tiny fraction of EPB's power load, the new device attracted plenty of political power during a dedication Friday.Both of Tennessee's U.S. senators  Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker  and two members of the U.S. House of Representatives  Reps. Chuck Fleischmann and Diane Black  praised the innovative technology and the DOE labs that provided the research for the commercial venture.EPB's project is a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as part of the DOE's Grid Modernization Lab Consortium program.The battery system for the EPB project is provided by UniEnergy Technologies, a Seattle-based manufacturer that already has installed five other designs of the new battery type at other sites around the globe. The new flow batteries have an efficiency of more than 70 percent, meaning there is less than a 30 percent loss of the power put into the battery compared with the amount that comes out and is delivered when it is needed."This new battery system is a good example of how basic energy research at our national laboratories can bring together businesses and utilities to develop and deploy new energy technologies," Alexander said.Corker said the EPB partnership with DOE will help the utility "better understand energy storage and test new technologies in an effort to bring resilient and affordable electricity to Americans."If successful, EPB President David Wade said he hopes similar batteries could be installed across EPB's grid.EPB will use the battery system for solar integration, voltage regulation, back-up power, advanced microgrid operations and energy management. Working with ORNL, EPB hopes to hone the control strategies used to operate and maximize the value proposition for utilizing battery systems."This installation combines cutting-edge, long- duration storage technology with an outstanding communication network," said Dr. Imre Gyuk, director of energy storage research in DOE's Office of Electricity. "Chattanooga will serve as an example of innovative electrical infrastructure for Tennessee and the nation."
(TNS) -- Louisiana's rapidly growing software industry employed 11,694 people in 2016 and had a $1.5 billion impact on the state's economy, according to a new report by Software.org In Louisiana, employment in the industry has grown nearly 22 percent since 2014, according to "The Growing Trillion-Dollar Impact of Software." The report tracks software's impact on the U.S. economy and describes the industry as "a powerful spark" nationally."Software industry employment is growing fastest in some unexpected places. Kansas, Mississippi, Indiana, Idaho and Louisiana led the way in 2016, with direct software employment in Kansas and Indiana growing more than 30 percent," the report says.Louisiana's software industry generated 20,533 indirect jobs, or jobs created to support the industry, in 2016, the report says. In addition, software companies invested $22 million in research and development, 6.2 percent of Louisiana's total R&D spending.In a blurb for its quarterly online magazine, Louisiana Economic Development describes Louisiana as an emerging software hub. One reason? Louisiana's Digital Interactive Media and Software Development tax credit is "the strongest of its kind in the nation," offering digital media and software development companies a competitive edge.The program provides a 25 percent refundable tax credit on qualified payroll for in-state labor and 18 percent for qualified production expenditures.The state's successful efforts include recruiting EA's North American Test Center to LSU in 2008; French firm Gameloft's digital game studio in New Orleans, which drew successful online startups, such as TurboSquid and Lucid; Chicago area-based High Voltage Software's game development studio in New Orleans; and The Rogue Initiative, a California-based studio whose Baton Rouge operations will employ 20 people for projects that blend traditional storytelling with new media applications, such as virtual reality and interactive reality.In Lafayette, independent IT and business process services firm CGI has a tech center with nearly 400 employees; food delivery app service Waitr has more than 100 employees  in addition to the 100 or so in Lake Charles  and has been expanding to other southern states and northern California.LED Secretary Don Pierson said the state's IT sector is rapidly growing and dispersed throughout the state.Louisiana, like other states, is competing for talent in a variety of jobs, from animators to people writing code to cybersecurity systems analysts, Pierson said. LED expects the software industry's growth to remain strong, and he's optimistic the state will continue to capture a significant share of that growth.
(TNS) -- SEATTLE  Microsoft is ending Skypes foray into business communications, packaging its communications tools into Microsoft Teams, the companys challenge to workplace collaboration startup Slack.Skype for Business, the companys voice and video-chat software, will be replaced in Microsofts Office 365 bundle by Teams, Microsoft said Monday at Ignite, its annual conference for business-technology buyers. The company, based outside Seattle, didnt set a date for the changeover.Much of the shift is cosmetic. Skypes technology backbone will still route customers calls through the web in Teams. (The consumer version of Skype, which got a Snapchat-like face-lift earlier this year, will continue to operate under its own name.)But the move shows the growing importance of Teams at Microsoft. The software, which allows business users to set up chat windows between individual co-workers as well as groups, was introduced a year ago and aimed squarely at the success of San Francisco based Slack Technologies.Slacks easy-to-use software, and its free tier for people to experiment with, has made the company one of the hottest business-technology startups. When Amazon.com reportedly was looking at an acquisition of Slack earlier this year, Bloomberg News said the company could be valued at $9 billion.Microsofts answer to Slack  Teams  is gaining traction, the company says. More than 125,000 organizations are using Teams, Microsoft said earlier this month.Slack fired back a day later with far more specific figures: 50,000 teams, and a total of 2 million users, were paying for its service, the company said. And, including free users, more than 9 million people were logging into Slack each week.Microsofts corporate chat and calling tools have gone by several names over the years.Skype for Business came into existence in 2014, a bet that the consumer brand that Microsoft acquired a few years before was stronger than Lync, the services previous name. Before that, Microsoft sold Office Communicator.For those dedicated to Skype for Business, Microsoft said it will release a version for corporate servers next year.The company announced other tweaks to its business-software lineup on Monday.A bundle of products sold as Microsoft 365, which includes Windows 10, Office 365, and management tools, is getting new editions aimed at schools, as well as workers who spend most of their days dealing with customers instead of staffing a desk.Separately, Microsoft is rolling out an invitation-only preview of a version of its Bing search engine customized for companies own needs.Also coming: integrations of LinkedIn data with workers Office 365 profiles. Microsoft closed the $27 billion acquisition of professional social-network LinkedIn in December, and has been rolling out deeper connections between its products and Microsofts Office suite.
(TNS) -- ST. LOUIS  All St. Louis police officers could be wearing body cameras within 90 days after a contentious and chaotic vote of the St. Louis Board of Estimate and Apportionment Wednesday.Normally staid affairs, the meeting featured crowd members and board members shouting each other down amid the crowds demands for immediate action.Although officials said that there were many details that still need to be worked out, the board voted unanimously to immediately implement a free, one-year trial with one company while a longer-term contract is sought.Among those details are privacy concerns and the agreement of the police union, which has historically been opposed to the cameras. St. Louis Police Officers Association business manager Jeff Roorda said Wednesday that the union wanted to make sure our officers due process rights are protected, as well as the privacy rights of citizens. And we do want to make sure that guys arent singled out for discipline because of the department not liking them.Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed said that during the trial period, Axon, formerly known as TASER International, would provide up to 1,300 cameras and all the associated equipment and software and store the data for a year for free.At the end of the year, it could all be returned at no cost, he said, or the city could pay $1,000 per camera per year to keep using Axon. That would be $1.3 million per year for 1,300 cameras. The city would retain control of the data, he said.Frustrated at the years of debate on the camera issue, Reed said 75 percent of major police departments had them, and were still discussing them, three years after the death of Michael Brown and the resultant protests and demands for police accountability.Reed said St. Louis was at a major crossroads and that it was critical to move forward to benefit residents as well as police. Body cameras tell you exactly what happened, he said.But the other two members of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, Mayor Lyda Krewson and Comptroller Darlene Green, complained that they had been sandbagged by an 11-page contract that was delivered to them just hours before the meeting.Green said her first copy had sections blank, with information filled in later on a second copy distributed at the meeting.Many of their concerns and questions about the details of the contract, the lack of police input into the proposal and the speed at which Reed was moving were shouted down by a crowd that was angry, impatient for change and demanding an immediate vote. Among those in the crowd were pastors, activists and friends and relatives of those killed by police.Take care of it now. Now! one man demanded.Vote yes and show us you care, another spectator shouted later.Green eventually proposed that the board vote to solicit bids for a long-term camera program that would be finalized by the end of the year. After more debate, Reed combined the proposals and the vote was met by cheers and applause.After the meeting, Green said, Weve got our work ahead of us. She said that she was only seeking a long-term solution during the meeting, and wanted to knock the politics aside.Reed called it a tough meeting and said if the crowd wasnt here, I would have lost. He also said that failure would have caused more turmoil in streets already roiled by a judges decision last week to acquit Jason Stockley, a former St. Louis police officer charged with murder.He acknowledged there were details to work out, but said that the one-year trial program could be implemented without the approval of the police union, because a smaller trial already has been approved and conducted.Roorda said the first trial did not need union approval because cameras were placed on sergeants, who did not have a union contract at the time.But he said the union will meet our obligation to bargain in good faith. He did say that camera advocates were using the recent protests as cover to advance an agenda.Krewson said union buy-in would be necessary. She said that Reed forced the issue on the board via a very unusual process or putting forth a contract, but called body cameras an important tool.She seemed confident that officials could work out the details. Many other cities have done this.Krewson said of the crowd, I appreciate the pain that was being expressed in that meeting.She said that shed already seen tweets from elected officials opposed to the move.Ward 15 Alderman Megan Green tweeted: There must be policies in place to protect victims of crimes and witnesses, policy on who can have access to footage, during the meeting.Ward 21 Alderman John Collins-Muhammad was among those who tweeted their support.Earlier this year, members of Privacy Watch STL and the ACLU supported a bill that would require public scrutiny before the board approves new surveillance technology.A law professor cautioned at a conference in St. Louis in May that body camera footage is not a panacea and can be misinterpreted, particularly in use-of-force cases.
GREENSBORO  The National Folk Festival attracted more people  and donations from them  this year than during each of its first two years in center city.

Its phenomenal, said Tom Philion, president and chief executive officer of ArtsGreensboro, which co-produced the festival. We have shown the community that this is an event that has broad and wide appeal.

That bodes well for 2018, when the national traveling festival moves to Salisbury, Md., Philion said. ArtsGreensboro, the city of Greensboro and other partners will replace it with the locally-produced North Carolina Folk Festival.

From Sept. 8 to 10, about 162,000 people came downtown to experience the free outdoor festival of multicultural music, dancing, storytelling, crafts and food, Philion said Tuesday.

Thats up 17 percent from last years estimated 138,000, and up 59 percent since the festival came to the city in September 2015.

The festival also collected $77,127 in donations from attendees and the local Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation, surpassing its goal of $77,000 and nearly doubling the $39,000 it raised last year. The foundation matched gifts dollar for dollar up to $10,000.

Attendees made contributions through the on-site volunteer Bucket Brigade, online and by mail.

The nonprofit ArtsGreensboro co-produced the 77th festival with the National Council for the Traditional Arts. The Maryland-based organization chose Greensboro to host the festival from 2015 to 2017.

It was a big hit, and we are very pleased to have been a part of it at ArtsGreensboro and the city, Philion said.

Because the festival is free, its difficult to calculate attendance.

So ArtsGreensboro compiles data from a variety of sources.

It uses aerial photographs from drones, observers on the ground, sales of festival merchandise and beverages, and parking deck data from the city, Philion said.

We ordered 30 percent more water and beverages than last year, and we started running out on Saturday, Philion said. We had to get a special delivery on Sunday. Thats a huge indicator.

And parking downtown was up considerably, Philion added.

With three days of pleasant temperatures, Philion said, The weather really cooperated and that makes a huge difference.

A Bucket Brigade of volunteers circulated through the festival, seeking to collect donations of $10 per person per day. Those donations help to keep the festival free.

The day after the festival, contributions totaled about $69,500, including the Tannenbaum-Sternberger gift.

Another public reminder brought contributions that topped the $77,000 goal, set in honor of the festivals 77th year.

Bucket Brigade donations represent just part of the $2 million that it costs to produce the festival. The rest comes from sponsorships, vendor fees, beverage revenue and in-kind contributions. About $1.2 to $1.3 million comes from cash.

Until it tallies all income and expenses, festival organizers wont know how the event fared financially, Philion said.

Local organizers plan to keep the festival free next year, when they launch the inaugural North Carolina Folk Festival from Sept. 7 to 9.

Several other communities have created similar festivals when the national moved on, including Richmond, Va.; Bangor, Maine; Lowell, Mass., and Butte, Mont.

Local organizers will consider the past three festivals as they look for ways to tweak next years event to please the crowds.
Six people were shot within a 17-hour span of violence in Winston-Salem between Sunday night and Monday afternoon, city police said. The shootings took place in four separate incidents, two of which police said were related. The most serious case involved a man being shot in the head.

The latest incident happened about 4:30 p.m. Monday when officers found the Irvin Marcial Ruiz, 18, on Patria Street, near Wright Street and the South Park area in the citys southern section, police Lt. Tyrone Phelps said. Ruiz was lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest. Police said his injuries were life-threatening and he was in critical though stable condition early Tuesday.

Investigators say Ruiz was a passenger in a car involved in a shooting at the corner of Anderson Drive and South Main Street. Michael Sosa, 25, reported Monday afternoon that he was sitting in his vehicle when occupants of another vehicle shot at him. Sosa told police he returned fire.

By the time police located Ruiz, the car he had been riding in was gone.

But around 9:30 p.m., police were called to the 500 block of Pitts Street on reports someone was shooting. Officers said they found an SUV occupied by seven men and women. One of the passengers told police he was shot earlier at Anderson Drive and South Main Street.

Investigators say the man, 19-year-old Jose Agustiniano, had been in the car whose occupants exchanged gunfire with Sosa earlier in the day. Agustiniano was taken to the hospital for a gunshot wound to his arm. He is expected to recover.

Police said they found three guns inside the SUV Monday night and took all of the vehicle's occupants into custody. Any criminal charges will have to wait until police piece together the details of what happened. Investigators with the city's gang unit will assist, according to a release from police.

Man wounded at park

The Main Street shooting followed an incident in which a Winston-Salem man was wounded by gunfire in the area of Rupert Bell Park at 1501 Mount Zion Place, in eastern Winston-Salem.

Barron Bernard Lewis, 26, of Ansonia Street was taken to a local hospital for treatment, Winston-Salem police said.

That shooting happened about 4 p.m. Officers were near the park when they heard several gunshots, police said. The officers then found Lewis seated in a vehicle in the parks parking lot with several gunshot wounds, police said.

Overnight shootings injure 3

Two other shootings occurred an hour apart late Sunday and and early Monday, injuring three people, police said. Those earlier shootings were related to each other, police said.

The first shooting happened about 11:45 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of East 15th and East 17th streets, police said.

Officers found two males from Winston-Salem, ages 15 and 16, who had been shot, just south of Blum Park in the citys northern section, police Lt. Michael Cardwell said. Police didnt identify those victims, citing their ages.

Cardwell declined to say what the juveniles were doing in the street prior to the shooting or if they were in a car or with other people at the time. He said detectives are seeking witnesses to the shootings.

While officers were investigating that shooting, they received a second call about a man who had been shot in his home in the 800 block of Cameron Avenue.

Detectives found Cherokie DeMichael Williams, 20, who had been shot in the head, Cardwell said.

All of the victims were taken to local hospitals for their injuries. Williams is in critical but stable condition. The juveniles are expected to recover from their injuries.

Other people were in Williams house at the time of his shooting, Cardwell said. He declined to comment on the number of people in the house at the time. Cardwell didnt immediately know if someone inside the house was the person who called 911 to report the shooting.

Cardwell also declined to elaborate on how the shooting of the two teens is related to the mans shooting on Cameron. He said there is an ongoing dispute that led to the violence.

Detectives canvassed the two scenes after the shootings but have not found any weapons that may have been discarded by the suspects, Cardwell said.

Anyone with information about the shootings can call Winston-Salem police at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800 or in Spanish at 336-728-3904.
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

More on who I am is here.

Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com
Jonathan Encarnacion feels it is his calling to serve.

He served in the U.S. Navy for four years, created a business based on serving the needs of others and now plans to launch a nonprofit that will help guide the low-income immigrant community on a path to U.S. citizenship and integration.

Encarnacion is the owner of JE & Sons, which has multiservice, insurance and home design divisions. His multiservice division offers tax preparation, translation, notary and other services.

The Navy gave me good footing and my work ethic took me from there, Encarnacion said. We are here to serve. Thats my calling.

Encarnacion came to Danbury from the Dominican Republic when he was 9 years old. He attended Henry Abbott Technical High School and took a particular interest in drafting classes. He became a U.S. citizen at age 18 and served four years in the Navy, stationed in Norfolk, Va.

He launched his business in 2002 with design work, building on his interest and talents in architecture. He specializes in home renovations and additions, offering clients 3D computerized imaging of the plans.

He expanded in 2006 and the multiservice division has seen significant growth, particularly with tax preparation. He said he gains about 150 to 200 new clients each tax season and now serves more than 3,000 clients.

Encarnacion said he and his other tax preparers are certified each year at Norwalk Community College, which he said offers a more comprehensive course than online classes.

He is a business owner like no other, Nelson Merchan, a business adviser at the Danbury office of the Connecticut Small Business Development Center, said. The cost of preparing taxes is a concern for many. He provides a unique experience and his services are priced right, allowing his clients to keep more of their money in their own pockets.

Business has grown to the point where Encarnacion is starting to feel cramped at his office at 337 Main St. in downtown Danbury. The JE & Sons office is sandwiched in the building between the Christian church Iglesia Jesus Es El Camino and the Islamic center Baitul Mukarram Masjid.

Were right in the middle so we are doubly blessed, he said.

Encarnacion is seeking an expansion of another sort, as well, and plans to launch the nonprofit organization Community Immigration and Education Services, or CIES. The nonprofit would provide services such as immigrant representation, integration courses, computer literacy and ESL courses.

He is working with SCORE of Western Connecticut on the project.

The main focus is to help (immigrants) become U.S. citizens. There are hundreds of immigrants that are permanent residents but are not comfortable with the civics test or some other aspect of becoming a citizen, Encarnacion said. We dont want people to lose their culture, but to some degree, to stay here they need to integrate to the U.S. philosophy. The goal is to help the community.

He hopes to avoid future Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, cases whereby immigrants who have been in the U.S. for many years and have families here are being deported.

Its tough to see. Theres no way to sugarcoat it, he said of the recent DACA deportation cases. Especially with the younger generation  they were brought here as infants and toddlers. This is the only home they know. You can see their suffering. I understand the legal matters and the unfairness because there are other people waiting to become citizens. Its difficult to balance but you cant forget the human factor.

Encarnacion is being trained to provide accredited representation to immigrants in United States Citizenship and Immigration Services cases.

CIES services would be available to people of all ethnic backgrounds, he said.

Jonathan keeps learning and planning for growth, Merchan said. He knows that growing takes time and effort.

To reach JE & Sons, call 203-456-3388.

The writer may be reached at cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338
Mostarda is made differently in almost every region of Italy. In Sicily, you'll find a dense treat of prickly pear juice thickened with flour and placed in decorative moulds; in Piedmont, you'll find a delicious, sweet jam of autumnal fruits like Barbera grapes, pears, and hazelnuts, typically paired with cheese; in Venice, it's a smooth, spicy jam eaten with creamy mascarpone. The earliest written recipe for mostarda, in the medieval cookbook Liber de Coquina, instructs the reader to boil grapes until the liquid is reduced to a third or a quarter of its original volume and add ground mustard seeds. It's ideal for eating with pork and marinated freshwater fish, the recipe concludes.

But the most famous Italian mostarda comes from two parts of Lombardy, in Italy's north: from Cremona, where whole, mixed fruits are candied, spiced, and eaten with boiled meats; and Mantova (Mantua), where hot and spicy sliced quince or applewhat sets this mostarda apart is that it is made with just one single type of fruitis briefly cooked so that it holds its shape and still has bite. It is typically eaten with cheese (or slipped into pumpkin tortelli, a favorite local tradition for Christmas Eve).

Traditional mostarda takes 4 days to makebut there's only 30 minutes of active time. Photo by Emiko Davies

The name mostarda comes from the Latin mosto or must, the juicy results of wine-pressingwhich usually includes skin, stems, and seeds along with the grape juice itself. In fact, many traditional mostarde (plural) are made in the autumn, during the grape harvest, and include other autumnal fruits in a thick, sweet-spicy jam. This grape must jam, spiced with mustard, is what gave our English word for mustard its name.

Mustard, or rather, its essence, is the special ingredient in Lombardy's mostarde. It is this hot and spicy, wasabi-like, nose-tingling, lingering scent that makes it a mostardanot grape must. Mostarda Mantovana, Mantua's version, has been made essentially the same way for centuries. I recently met with Italian restauranteur Anna Maria Eoclidi, whose restaurant, Pasta Emilia, is a little gem of northern Italy in Sydney, Australia. She recounted her aunt's recipe for mostarda mantovana to me, and I discovered it is the recipe to use, the most traditional, barely changed in hundreds of years, except for the use of fruitquince is most typical, but nowadays, many use apples, as they are more easily found year round.

Mostarda Mantovana

By Emiko

2 pounds (1 kg) quince (or apples), on the underripe side

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar

1/2 lemon, sliced (optional)

mustard essence, as needed (10-20 drops per kilogram of cooked fruit)

View Full Recipe

The quince (or apples) are peeled and chopped into thin pieces. Sugar is poured over them and they are left to sit for 24 hours. The next day, the liquid produced by the macerated fruit is poured into a saucepan, boiled for 5 minutes, then poured back over the fruit and left to sit another 24 hours. The liquid is strained again, boiled, poured over the fruit and left a further 24 hours. This is repeated again, and on the fourth day, a mixture of all the fruit, plus the syrup, is boiled together for about 10 minutes. Once cooled, the third and final ingredientthe mustard essenceis added, and then it's bottled. It takes 96 hours, but the active cooking is less than 30 minutes.

In Italy, the mustard essence (essenza di senape)not to be confused with mustard oilis bought in a pharmacy, not a food store. It comes in a tiny bottle and is sold by the drop; you only need about 12 potent drops per kilogram of cooked fruit. It's not without reason that the bottle has a skull and crossbones on it. It's an extremely dangerous, volatile essence when not used carefully. You must use it in a well-ventilated place; just looking at it, you can feel your eyes burn and your nose tingle. Luckily those few drops go a long way. Place it in the fruit only once cooled, then close the jars right away. You can begin eating the mostarda immediately but don't wait too longabout 6 months after bottling, the distinct, intense mustard scent begins to lose its punch, even if you never open the bottle.

Mostarda is perfect for a cheese platter. Photo by Emiko Davies

Outside of Italy, mustard essence is probably difficult, if not impossible, to find, considering that it is a banned substance in the US for its intense toxicity. (Our intrepid community members managed to find a solution, though.) Fret not: There are other ways to replicate a similar mostardayou can save the real deal experience for your next trip to Italy. Plus, not all the traditional recipes call for Mantua's potent mustard essence. In Maestro Martino's fourteenth century cookbook, De Arte Coquinaria, he instructs readers to soak mustard seeds in water for two days, then grind them into a paste with almonds, vinegar, verjus, and breadcrumbs. In the 19th century tome Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well, Pellegrino Artusi describes a Tuscan version of mostarda where cooked grapes, apples, and pears are spiced with white mustard (sinipis alba) powder dissolved in warmed vin santo (Tuscan dessert wine). Marcella Hazan recreated mostarda when she emigrated to the US by mixing the fruit jam with Colman's mustard for eating with mascarpone (the Venetian way). Here on Food52, Antonia James tells us how to make mostarda without a recipe (and without mustard essenceinstead, using mustard powder mixed with vinegar, white wine, or both). Either way, mostarda is the perfect accompaniment to a cheese and charcuterie platter, to serve alongside glasses of wine, Italian aperitivo style, or as a condiment for grilled or poached meat.
Sept. 22

Bryan A. Allison, 32, of Reno was arrested at Fourth and Court streets for possession of a weapon by a prohibited person, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended license. Bail: $25,995

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Angela Arndt, 54, of Carlin was arrested at 1944 Mountain City Highway for trespass not amounting to burglary, disturbing the peace, assault on a protected person, and battery on a protected person. Bail: $20,550

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Stanley J. Gardner Jr., 57, of Elko was arrested at 190 Commercial St. for false statement to obstruct public officers and trespass not amounting to burglary. Bail: $1,332

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Jason A. Hulett, 36, of Tooele, Utah, was arrested at the Peppermill Casino in West Wendover for attempting to utter a fictitious bill, note or check; and two counts of use or possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail: $6,280

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Steven R. Johnson, 58, of Spring Creek was arrested at the Elko County Sheriffs Office lobby for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. No bail

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KC Yowell, 30, of Spring Creek was arrested at 1739 Weyumb St. on three tribal charges. Bail: $1,500
Daniel Rose has built a career defying the odds: In 2006, the Illinois-born chef opened Spring in Paris, a restaurant so small that he worked there alone for several weeks. Just four years later, the restaurant was so successful, he moved it to a new, three-story location almost ten times the size of the original. More recently, he teamed up with Stephen Starr  who owns several of the highest-grossing restaurants in America  to open the ambitious, expensive Le Coucou in New York. The restaurant has been universally praised, perpetually packed, and was even named the countrys best new restaurant by the James Beard Foundation. (Meanwhile, hes also opened two other successful restaurants in Paris: La Bourse et la Vie, and Chez la Vieille.)

Then, late last month, Rose surprised diners in both cities when he announced that he would close Spring. Grub sat down to talk with the chef about the choice to close the restaurant that many consider to be his flagship, as well as what the future holds for him and his family.

How long were you thinking about the decision to close Spring? Was it an emotional process?

Yes. You have to put it in context of what Spring was. Spring was sometimes a very tortured moment for me and sometimes simple joy. I think anybody who has a restaurant under those conditions thinks actively all the time about what its going to be, what it becomes. From the moment I opened Spring, there was always a thought that I was still defining it as I was doing it. Its not a surprise to me that it can close and then reopen. Before I opened, I stopped cooking for a year and a half and I worked in a bookstore, and then I opened Spring. In between Spring One and Spring Two, I closed it down and turned it into something else. For me, Spring the restaurant is closed, but the process that is Spring, which is really the thing that is my own personal inspiration, is still ongoing, and there will probably be some other version of Spring again, with or without that name

Its an interesting question: How long is any given restaurant really supposed to last?

Its supposed to last as long as you can keep it excellent. I think that Id much rather close a restaurant before it becomes an afterthought. If Spring was anything, it was honest. From the opening to its closing, things got better, things got worse. I can clearly identify three or four different periods at Spring. There was a period where I was in my Blue Period or whatever, or my Brioche Period.

In 2006, when Spring opened, it was radical. People around me were saying, Youre going to go out of business. You dont have enough experience being a chef. Its not a restaurant. I didnt care. I didnt realize it was radical at the time, but it was a big deal, this little restaurant, and then it became a very big deal because I think it inspired a lot of other people to kind of do the same thing. They tasted my cooking, and they saw what I was doing, and they said, Well, if he can, then so can I, which is awesome. And now Paris is bubbling with, whether the style is different or the decor is different or the food is different, little Springs.

How did you make such a personal, small restaurant work, financially?

You think, Well, whats the worst that can happen? My business plan at Spring was four to six customers a night. I learned quickly that thats not quite enough for a business to operate, but you then make it work. When I opened the second Spring, I tripled the budget, and then I tripled the amount of business we did, so things started to line up. Paris is an excellent place to go ahead and do it. In fact, in some ways its easier than New York City. Im the proof of that, in the sense that theres less regulation, believe it or not. The amount of investment you need to make is much less. Rents are less.

Is finding talent any easier?

Nope, not easier. Thats something that seems universally difficult everywhere in the world. But expectations are less. Theres definitely an effect of Were in Paris, so this is delicious. Peoples expectations when they walk into a restaurant in New York City, and when they walk into a restaurant in Paris are very, very, very different. And its the same people.

How have you settled into your life in New York? Do you feel at home here?

My life isnt much different, being in New York or Paris. Decor changes a little bit, the intensity of things is different, but the rhythm is the same. My life still revolves around what time people are eating lunch or dinner or breakfast. Thats not so different. I still get home after everyone is asleep.

Paris is an excellent place to go ahead and do it. In fact, in some ways, its easier than New York City.

Do you feel connected to the city, outside of Le Coucou?

I feel connected to New York mostly through the people that I meet in the restaurant, and the people that I work with. Thats the same in Paris. Thats how my life has always been. Thats also why its very difficult to have two restaurants, one in Paris and one in New York, that require so much work. The other restaurants require lots of work, but its not the same. Spring was a personal laboratory for me for ten years. I built it. I know where every pipe is. I hired every person that works there.

And you met your wife at Spring, right?

I did meet my wife through Spring. I met my wife on May 3, 2007, when she came in for dinner. She came back the next day and said something like, I really liked the dinner. Do you need some help? I thought she was a psychiatrist, but she was a cook. I was like, Oh, shes a social worker. This is perfect. But she, at that time, had already worked for ten years or so in kitchens. She was the real deal, and she was looking for new experiences. Spring became that, and then we had a relationship and now we have a family.

She was in a prominent role operationally, but she was in a supporting role in terms of my career. Thats the other advantage of being in New York. Now so many things open up for her that she couldnt do. I suppose you could do them in Paris, but there are many, many, many opportunities in New York that are very different than things you could do in Paris, so thats exciting.

How so?

The scale of everything here is different. You can make your career out of so many different things here. In France, things are slightly more compartmentalized. In New York, you could work for a magazine; you could open a restaurant; you can open a bakery; you can do consulting; you could write cookbooks. You can kind of do those things in France, but not quite as quickly. Its the American Dream thing. As Americans, I think we have a way of rationalizing risks that I think is actually a very important part of our way of working and seeing the world. In France, if you open a restaurant and it fails, youre done.

Marie is this super chef, and now that the kids are in school, shes thinking about all the different opportunities she has in New York. Thats why I was like, If theres a moment to close Spring, its now. I wanted to make space for her to do her thing and me to enjoy my life more, even if I still have to travel back and forth, and spend more time with my kids while Marie is working on her restaurant. Thats inevitably what happens in a restaurant couple. Somebody has to take care of the kids. It can be a nanny, but for many years, it has been Marie. Now its my turn. I like that.

But you still go back to Paris to support your other restaurants.

I still go back, but having three restaurants in Paris is much different than having two small ones, and having a restaurant that requires such intimate involvement. It became less about me cooking there, obviously, because I wasnt there as much, and more about trying to impart my vision and stuff like that, which is much easier to do at Chez La Vieille and La Bourse et La Vie than it is in a place that was very much linked to this process that was personal.

Stephen Starr is your partner at Le Coucou and Chez La Vieille. Howd you two first meet?

Stephanie [Fray, his public-relations rep] connected us. I had written menus for a restaurant that I had been thinking about in Chicago that resembled Le Coucou a little bit. I dont think Stephen knew what kind of restaurant he wanted to open.

Was there a moment where you thought about putting it in Chicago?

Well, there was a moment in which I was going to go to Japan. There was a point at which I had a customer at Spring who knew somebody who had this tiny 12-seat thing that they were going to build, and I was thinking what an adventure to go to Japan and do this thing. Then I thought, Well, its very difficult to go back and forth between Paris and Fukuoka, at this point, even though I really wanted to have a restaurant in a place called Fuck You, Okay.

Picking New York City, I think it was really about who to work with, because it would be very ambitious. It would be impossible for me to come to America, having never worked here, and just open a restaurant like I did. You need an operational structure to do it. Stephen was funny. We had a good laugh. We drove around town looking into spaces and crazy things.

How do you see this partnership evolving? Youve hinted at opening places around the world together.

Are there more things to do together? Yeah. I have lots of ideas and so does Stephen, and most of them are very similar. Its a very organic thing. You have to have a plan, but then again, you have to take advantage of opportunities that show up. There are interesting spaces that are becoming available. We have all these great people here. We need to provide new opportunities for them. A sous-chef needs to become a chef someday, if thats what they want. So if you want to keep cultivating that talent, then it would be good to open some new venues for them. You spend so much time trying to understand each other, and then when you know how to dance well together, it seems stupid not to dance. But theres no rush. Weve seen people rush in New York.

All the time.

I think Id like to find that happy place between being open for ten years before you do something new in France, and being open for six months and striking while the iron is hot in New York. You know, Im 40. I have 40 more years of cooking. I think we need to create things that will last for a long time and be interesting and good. Those things take time. I cant wait to do more, but I can wait.
WINNEMUCCA  Two life-long residents of Elko County were among four Nevadans inducted earlier this month in the Buckaroo Hall of Fame.

Ed Chapin and Tom McKnight were honored Sept. 1 in Winnemucca, along with Hank McNinch and Jess Laucirica.

The organization, which honors legendary individuals that used buckaroo characteristics on their days working on Great Basin ranges, provided the following biographical information:

Tom McKnight

A Louie LAmour western novel or an old western movie would resemble the life and times of Tom McKnight. He was handsome, charismatic, playful, a good cowboy, a gentleman  and maybe a ladies man, too.

Growing up on the family ranches in Charleston required him to ride a lot along with his two older sisters, one older brother, and three younger sisters on his familys ranches. He rode the rough horses in the brush along with brother, Joe. He practiced the Vaquero reining style of the snaffle bit, hackamore, two rein and bridle notorious in the Great Basin, and perfected it in his long career, as evidenced by his pinto horse, Cloud, and sister Vernas horse, Fancy. He showed more than once in the stock horse class at the Elko County Fair.

His Dad, George, who was deaf, died at the Deeth railroad crossing in a train vs. auto accident when he was 21. His ranching life in Charleston ended with the Depression when his family lost their ranches at the age of 26.

McKnight married Ila Hewitt, horsewoman, ranch woman, and the mother of his son, Tim, while working for Charlie Sewell at the Flying H  Blue Creek Ranch in Riddle, Idaho. He divorced Ila, and later married Fern then divorced her, too. His family and his former in-laws raised Tim while he continued the buckaroo life. It would have been impossible for a single dad to buckaroo and raise a son; consequently Tim grew up in Washington, visiting relatives in Elko County often.

In 1941 he went to Hot Springs Ranch in Golconda, Nevada to work for E.L. Cord, who bought the ranch from the bank. After leaving Hot Springs he went to the Horseshoe Ranch in Beowawe to work for Orville Doan.

In 1958 he and nephew Jerry Chapin, worked together at the Anderson Ranch  Rattlesnake Canyon in Roland, gathering cattle for Erwin Griswold.

In 1958 and for more than four years he worked for Russel Peavy at the Health Ranch in Starr Valley, Nevada.

He was good with cattle, horses, and children. He could impart his knowledge to those around him easily and effectively. He was shrewd about his cow and horse work, and a good hand with both, always encouraging them. He was never known to cuss, and was very easy going.

In the 60s he managed a herd of artificially inseminated heifers at the Hunter and Banks Ranch where the South Fork meets the Humboldt River, currently Maggie Creek Ranch. Nephew Harold Chapin helped him there too.

In 1972 at the time of his death on May 12 he was working for nephew Charlie Chapin at the ONeil Basin Ranch outside of Wells. He died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 66.

Ed Chapin

The legacy of Ed Chapin included his unique ability to combine family and the working buckaroo with determination, and the help of wife, Alice. He lived and worked in the northern Nevada portion of the great Basin for about 35 years, beginning when he was about 20 and ending with his untimely death at 55.

Ed was born in Denver, Colorado in 1894. He moved to Burns, Oregon with his family then left home alone on horseback with a pack outfit at the age of 14 in 1908 because his Dad was a preacher and a surveyor. He got thrown in jail somewhere along the way while still in Oregon because they thought he had stolen the horse he was riding.

He was first sighted in the Great Basin with the Miller and Lux crew in McDermitt by Joe Anacabe, who owned a store there.

He rode the Northern Nevada border, including ONeil Basin, until he met Alice McKnight, marrying her in 1918 when she was 18and he was 24. Alice was an avid horsewoman, as was her entire family of four sisters and two brothers.

Ed and Alice worked at the McKnight ranches with her brothers, Joe and Tom, before purchasing their own ranch on Beaver Creek on the North Fork. They operated this when three of their sons, George, Charlie and Vernon were born before the Depression took their ranch from them in 1932.

He was remembered tying handkerchiefs on the phone line between Elko and North Fork when they trailed cattle so the drag could see where they were going. They were still there in the spring.

Chapin went to work at the Kerns Ranch, today known as the PX, where they were when Harold was born in the McKnight house on Commercial Street in Elko, still owned by family. In 1935 when Harold was a very tiny baby and George, Charlie, and Vernon were small, while living at the Tremewan. The house caught on fire with them in it, while they were sleeping. The house burned to the ground, but they all got out safely with only the clothing they were wearing. They continued working for Charlie Sewell. Jerry, their fifth son, was born in 1938 at the Saval.

In about 1941 they went to the Hot Springs Ranch in Golconda to work for the bank after John G. Taylor had died. Before long E.L. Cord bought the ranch, and Ed and family stayed a few months before moving to the Jiggs Home Ranch for Cord and General Smith.

Chapin stayed at the Home Ranch for the remainder of his short life. His and Alices ranch house at the Home Ranch was a friendly and popular place to family and friends in Elko County. He was a character who loved to tease, and did so regularly. He bred and sold English shepherd-border collie working ranch dogs popular to cowboys in the North counties of Nevada for many years.

His life ended in Elko a few days after an injury he received while cutting horses on May 26, 1949. It is believed the cause of death was a blood clot.




Haiti - Economy : Sunrise Airways adds a new Boeing 737-800 to its fleet





On Monday, Haitian airline Sunrise Airways announced an order for a next-generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft, continuing the aggressive expansion of the Haiti-based company. This second 168-seat jet is being acquired through a wet lease agreement with Travel Service, the largest airline in the Czech Republic.



Sunrise Airways will deploy its new Boeing 737-800 on its new routes to Orlando and Miami https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22016-haiti-economy-sunrise-airways-rates-for-direct-flights-miami-and-orlando.html from its hub in Port-au-Prince. The new Sunrise Airways service from Orlando begins October 18, 2017, while its flights to Miami will be launched on November 14, 2017.



"Our continued fleet expansion speaks to the tremendous potential we see in growing our route network within and beyond the Caribbean region, while also providing our customers with the very best inflight services and amenities in the skies," said Philippe Bayard, President of Sunrise Airways."



The new Boeing 737 from Sunrise Airways will feature two classes of services: business and economic, with a maximum of 168 passengers; 18 in business class, 150 in economics. Delivery is scheduled for the first week of October 2017.



The Sunrise Airways fleet also includes an Airbus A320 with 150 seats https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19865-icihaiti-sunrise-airways-commissioning-of-an-airbus-a320.html , which is currently deployed along Sunrise Airways routes from its hub in Port-au-Prince to three gateways in Cuba : Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Camaguey.



About Sunrise Airways :

Sunrise Airways (IATA: S6, ICAO: KSZ) is rising to meet the progressively expanding demand for safe, reliable, and affordable air travel throughout the Caribbean. From its hub in Port-au-Prince, Sunrise Airways operates daily scheduled passenger flights serving Santo Domingo, (SDQ and JBQ) and Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI); Havana (HAV), Camaguey (CMW) and Santiago de Cuba (SCU) in Cuba; and Cap Haitien (CAP). New flights to/from Orlando, FL (MCO); Kingston, Jamaica (KIN); Providenciales, Turks & Caicos (PLS); and Nassau, The Bahamas (NAS) are planned for 2017-2018, pending government approval. In line with the expansion of its route network, Sunrise Airways has initiated service aboard a 150-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. Headquartered in Port-au-Prince, Sunrise Airways is a privately-owned corporation with registered offices in Haiti.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22016-haiti-economy-sunrise-airways-rates-for-direct-flights-miami-and-orlando.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19865-icihaiti-sunrise-airways-commissioning-of-an-airbus-a320.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : Minister Auguste Meets with Disabled People





On Monday, Stephanie Auguste, the acting Minister Minister of Haitians Living Abroad newly installed as Minister of Social Affairs and Labor https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22121-haiti-politics-installation-of-stephanie-auguste-at-the-ministry-of-social-affairs.html went to the park Sainte Therese of Petion-ville to meet several hundred people with disabilities in the metropolitan area.



It was for the Minister to make people of special needs understand that the Government is sensitive to their conditions and constantly listening to them. After shaking hands with several of these disabled, the Minister listened attentively to some grievances.



Stephanie Auguste said that the time had not yet come for promises and that the Government is active and is trying to provide itself with the means to respond substantially to the problems of this vulnerable category of the population not only because of handicaps, but also because of difficult social conditions.



At the end of the meeting, the Minister distributed food kits and envelopes to the disabled.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - DR : Strong tension at the border of Malpasse-Jimani





On Monday, Haitian carriers blocked the entrance to the Malpasse border crossing with their trailers and trucks, causing the access door to and from Haiti to be closed, causing long lines of more than 300 m on both sides of the border...



Haitian transporters and merchants demanded the lifting of the ban on the importation of 23 products of Dominican origin, imposed under the Martelly government in September 2015 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-15156-haiti-notice-import-ban-by-road-of-certain-products-from-dr.html



The binational market that takes place every Monday and Thursday in this sector of Mal Paso, had started early but trade was affected by seizures of goods on the Haitian side. Several Haitian traders who had already bought products nevertheless succeeded in transporting them on the Haitian territory by alternative routes...



Trade unionist Jerald Desi, the Vice-President of the Carrier Association of Fond Parisien, said the Moise to remove the ban on products of Dominican origin, qualifies as a joke. He pointed out that this ban was detrimental to the poorest Haitians living in the utmost poverty along the border, while the richest in Haiti import goods from the Dominican Republic without any concern.



Jerald Desi warned that if Haitian merchants and haitian transporters do not meet their demands, they were able to close the entire border as long they did not win.



In addition, Jerald Desi protested against the Land Border Security Corps (CESDRONT), which he accuses of seizing 24 Haitian taxi motorbikes Saturday and Sunday, on the pretext that they had no papers in order to make transportation in the city of Jimani.



On Monday, following a meeting between Mrs. Therese Longchamp, Minister Counselor and Cheffe of post at the Haitian Consulate in Barahona and Dominican authorities, 16 motorcycles were returned to their Haitian owner in the afternoon.



SL/ HaitiLibre


















Have you ever found yourself saying, someday I am going to do something. Eventually that changes to, I always wanted to do that. Maybe its time to act on some of these things, before you just cant. In the mid...
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Published on 2017/09/25 | Source

"The Fortress" will be here next week and the leading men look quite determined to bring you the goods in this newest poster. Start the countdown for the epic defense of Namhansanseong.

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"The Fortress" (2017)

Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk

With Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yun-seok, Park Hae-il, Go Soo, Park Hee-soon, Jo Woo-jin,...

Started filming : 2016/11/21

Synopsis

The movie depicts the conflict between Choi Myung-kil and Kim Sang-heon while they fled to the South Castle (Namhansanseong) during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea. Choi Myung-kil is a representative figure of the Juhwapa faction who insisted on maintaining friendly relations with Qing Dynasty in order to protect the people in Joseon. Kim Sang-heon is a representative figure of the pro-Ming Dynasty faction, Cheokhwapa.

Release date in Korea : 2017/10/03
WSTA calls on Labour MPs to champion gin industry

By Lisa Riley

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) last night called on Labour MPs to champion the booming British gin industry at its 'Fringe' event.

At the event, which formed part of the Labour Party Conference that takes place in Brighton this week, the WSTA urged MPs to support the UK wine and spirit industry, with a particular focus on the booming gin category.

To help the gin boom go global, total UK sales topped 1.2bn (44.6 million bottles) in the past 12 months (WSTA), chief executive Miles Beale encouraged Labour MPS to stand up for local SMEs.

Our aim is to make sure all politicians are supporting British gin and give our great spirit makers their full backing," he said, pointing to Brighton Gin as a fantastic example of an SME with huge ambitions to expand both at home and abroad.

Companies were however constantly held back by the UKs excessively high duty rates, making it harder to invest and take advantage of new opportunities overseas, he added.

The quintessentially British spirit has become the stand out success story when it comes to growth in the spirits category and continues to smash record sales both at home and abroad.

In the past year, off-trade gin sales broke the 500 million barrier for the first time, up 200 million since 2012, according to the latest WSTA data released earlier this month.

This is the equivalent of 36.3m bottles sold, up nearly half a million bottles on last year.

Across the on-trade, 8.3 million bottles were sold in the on-trade in the on-trade, worth 687m.

In addition, the UK hit its largest ever gin exports in 2016 worth 474m, making it the worlds seventh most valuable food and drink export, with sales now worth more than beef and cereals, said Beale.

And, the party appears to be far from over with the latest IWSR Forecast Report projecting gin to grow by 37.2% by 2021.
ROCHFORD, S.D. (AP)  Some private landowners are opposing a Canadian company's search for gold in a remote area of South Dakota's Black Hills National Forest.

Mineral Mountain Resources has submitted an operating plan to the forest for more than 20 drilling sites on federal land a couple miles south of Rochford. Another dozen sites will be drilled on nearby private land, where the company already has a permit from the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Rapid City Journal reported.

Landowners near the proposed sites are asking the U.S. Forest Service to reject the project. But the agency can only add conditions to the company's plan of operations, said Gary Haag, a geologist with the Forest Service.

"There isn't an option to turn it down," Haag said. "What they're doing is covered under the 1872 mining law."

The federal General Mining Act upholds the right of virtually everyone  including foreign companies with U.S. subsidiaries  to explore for minerals on federal public land. Mineral Mountain Resources meets the law's criteria because although its main office is in Canada, it also has a registered corporation in South Dakota.

Illinois resident Doug Rees said he owns a cabin near one of the proposed drilling sites. He wrote a letter to the Forest Service opposing the project for reasons including his desire to protect creek drainage areas from proposed withdrawals for the drilling rigs; his aversion to the project's potential noise and equipment traffic; and the project's likelihood of becoming an unsightly mine if the company finds gold.

Mineral Mountain CEO Nelson Baker said there's currently no permit issued for drilling on federal lands.

Haag said it'll take months for the Forest Service to fully analyze the company's operation plan and the public's comments.
UH Law Prof Antolini: Mrs Brian Schatz North Shore Shopping Plaza is Not News  Stop reporting it

Dear Editor, Sept 25, 2017

We appreciate your covering the story about the Hanapohaku Sharks Cove development and DPP's fines.

I would like to make two important corrections to your article:

1. This insertion into the quote is not from me and I ask that you please correct or clarify your editor's insertion:

"Basically, the city accepted about 10% of the assessed value. (Sure does pay to grease a Schatz.) [please REMOVE this underlined insertion by your editors - I did not say that and this is misleading - I did not mention Ms. Schatz or the Senator in my interview - the rest of the quote is correct from the Hawaii News Now interview] We think that is way too low, sending the wrong signal to the development community about what city enforcement really means," said Antolini.

2. Linda Schatz no longer works for Hanapohaku and has not for months (which we think was a good decision on her part - that is, to leave the situation where the owners/developers were not good clients) and I am unaware of any connection now (for many months) between her and this project.

3. I do agree that political influence can make a difference in terms of DPP enforcement and fines in many subtle ways - that is not news - but there is no connection here any longer with Ms. Schatz -- or the Senator -- and this project - please drop that allegation from your reporting and any connection to anything I said.

Mahalo!

Denise Antolini

UH Law Prof

Editors Response: All these political insiders protect each other. We have inserted the words Editors Note to ensure that nobody thinks that UH Law Prof Denise Antolini is any different. Influence peddling by any Schatz is not news and Antolini would never be caught discussing nonnews .

Yes, Mrs. Schatz claims to have disassociated herself from her work as project manager for the Shopping Plaza being pushed on the North Shore by principals of the now-defunct Bonterra Solar . We reported that here . But pointing out that Hanapohakus North Shore Shopping Plaza was planned by Mrs Brian Schatz is correct. Linda Schatz was the project manager for the community shopping center and touted that work online .

Back in January, Linda Schatz stupidly provided an interview to HNN in which she tried to defend her shopping plaza plans. But Schatz-free coverage was the order of the day in April and again in September when the Star-Adv reported on the Sharks Cove project. PBN kept Linda Schatz out of the story in March and April and KITV had no mention of Schatz in January coverage. (CB Oct 3, 2017: These North Shore Food Trucks Are Under Fire From Environmentalists No Schatz here either.)

Political insiders engage in damage control after their dirty deeds are exposed. Does that mean they are entitled to erase from the media all record of nonnews activities like influence peddling? We have found that particular attitude (taught at UH Richardson?) quite common among the people who now pass for a political elite in Hawaii. We also find it amusing--especially when delivered in the form of a letter to the editor. Please pause here and take a moment to laugh at them.

Antolinis request for censorship is denied.

Jan, 2014 WaPo: Schatz Represents Hawaii's new White Ruling Class

Jan 2017 HNN: Mrs Brian Schatz is Project Manager for Illegal North Shore Commercial Activities
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Think Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms implementing D&I initiatives? Think again.



New research suggests that leadership teams in Australia and New Zealand are ahead of the curve when it comes to D&I, according to Aimee Williamson, executive director at Russell Reynolds Associates.



In Australia and New Zealand, CEOs are taking a much more active role in setting their organisations strategy than the rest of the globe, Williamson told HRD.



Williamson cited the finding that Australia and New Zealand organisations saw that 61% of executives report their CEO sets the D&I strategy in ANZ, versus just 49% globally.



What we know about D&I is that the standard is set from the top and the CEOs active engagement is much more likely to deliver outcomes, said Williamson.



The results came from Russell Reynolds Associates recent D&I Report which surveyed more than 2,000 senior executives globally.



The results also found that Aus/NZ companies are almost twice as likely to set diversity goals when it comes to appointing senior leadership (56% ANZ v just 38% globally).



Moreover, Aus/NZ companies place a higher priority on retaining diverse talent than the rest of the globe (60% of ANZ v just 47% globally).



Anthony Armstrong, country manager  Australia, at Russell Reynolds Associates, added that there is still considerable work to done at both board and especially executive level.



I think we have made good progress in Australia on boards but there is still work to be done, he told HRD.



Armstrong said its important to note that in terms of talking about diversity, it is not just about male/female.



Increasingly, companies are talking about race, ethnicity, LGBTI, etc, and I think that is extremely healthy, he said.



I think that programs such as Male Champions of Change at both board level and executive level have been really impressive in terms of highlighting the importance of diversity.






ies such as The Terminator might portray robots as creepy and threatening, but the reality is that workers are generally not too concerned about them being in the workplace.A new survey commissioned by Microsoft Australia found that 67% of firstline workers agreed that the ability to work closely with automation and AI-enabled systems was central to developing a successful modern workforce.The research also revealed that 77% of employees (both customer-facing firstline workers and managers) believe that digital transformation and technology are significant issues for every organisation.They also recognise the benefits technology offers in terms of improving work-life balance, easing access to new skills and training, improving engagement levels and enabling collaboration with co-workers.Ian Heard, general manager, Digital Workplace & Collaboration, Microsoft Australia, said that as rote work is increasingly performed by machines, human interaction and knowledge-based expertise will become more essential to firstline workers.Theyll use technology to collaborate, to exercise greater creative and strategic freedom, and to bring real value to the work they perform, he said.When asked how advanced their organisation was with regard to digital transformation, the largest cohort  39%  said it was still developing with significant room for improvement.However, only 4% said felt they were part of a pioneering enterprise that featured organisation-wide integration of digital technologies promising significant process improvement.Heard added that theres room for improvement in all sectors and all scales of business.By engaging firstline workers from the get-go, enterprises will be better positioned for success, he said.Organisations that engage firstline workers in their digital transformation initiatives  ensuring that these programs are inclusive, simple and effective, supporting firstline creativity and teamwork while preserving enterprise and employee security  will be better placed to succeed with their strategic priorities.Digital transformation is powerful but everyone needs access. Firstline workers are the key to the next wave of successful digital transformation and sustained competitiveness  they must be part of the program.
io has emerged of a Channel Seven cadet journalist being dismissed just days after she made a complaint against an older male colleague.At the time, Amy Taeuber complained about the male reporter for making sexist remarks about her marital status, and calling her a lesbian.Taeuber, 27, produced a phone recording that was aired on the ABC s 7:30 Report, which shows she was told to leave the building immediately after being presented with bullying allegations against her.The cadet was presented with a series of written allegations during a meeting with Seven's HR department.She was also allegedly told her phone and Seven identity pass would be taken away, that she was immediately suspended from duty, and she could not log out of her computer."I feel like this is humiliating me for making a complaint in the first place, and it's really disgusting," said Taeuber during the meeting.Taeuber said she felt very victimised, to be honest.Ive worked so hard to get this job and I know people are just trying to get rid of me now and its just really upsetting, she said.Moreover, it was later allegedly revealed that the victim of the bullying was Taeubers friend and a fellow cadet, Peter Fegan, who had not made any complaint against her.It was also alleged that Seven had gone through Taeubers emails and found evidence of her talking about Fegan.The ABC reported that Seven began investigating Taeuber over a number of pranks the cadets had played on each other, which had been uploaded to YouTube.Moreover, early in the meeting the HR manager had ordered Taeuber's support person, chief of staff Lesley Johns, to leave the room. When Johns protested, she was cut off.After Taeuber asked for a statement of the person making the allegations of bullying against her, the HR manager said: "OK, so how do we want to plan your exit, Amy? I do understand that we don't want to make it humiliating for you."In February this year, it was reported that Taeuber has settled her legal row with the network out of court.Taeuber filed an adverse action claim in the Federal Court Circuit after mediation through Fair Work Commission failed following her dismissal.HRD contacted Channel Seven for comment, and a spokesperson said in a statement that the program broadcast on 7.30 was neither accurate nor balanced and the allegations aired were not put to Seven for reply.Had they been, Seven would have made clear that the termination of employment was made pursuant to a breach of contract, and the former employee was represented by two successive firms of lawyers and the union, said the spokesperson.The spokesperson added that there was an investigation into alleged breaches of Amy Taeubers employment contract.Sevens HR team did not try to build any case against her and their investigation was not related to any complaint made by Amy about other staff, said the spokesperson.It is untrue to say that she was not represented. The matter proceeded to mediation, where she was again represented, culminating in a deed of release which contained a confidentiality provision.We are surprised by the allegations six months after the signing of a mutual agreement and settlement. Her complaint was fully investigated and resolved.A public apology was issued by the person who has been transferred to another newsroom. Nothing of this issue was raised by her law firms at the time.Channel Seven claim Amy was not sacked during the telephone call which she recorded and which was broadcast on 730 as the ABC has suggested."She was suspended and given a chance to respond to the allegations. It is customary practice that employees under investigation be suspended."Following that telephone call, Channel Seven claim allegations about Amys conduct were fairly put to her in writing and she was asked to respond in writing and stood down during the interim to allow her time to do that.The spokesperson said Seven has a long history of providing career opportunities and promotion of the more than 2,500 women who work for the organisation in Australia.We reject completely the claim we do not act fairly and supportively at all times with members of our staff.
es probably the best argument for keeping strictly separate personal phones and work phones: A junior M&A banker has been fired for his use of Tinder.Co-workers revealed the banker, who was working for a major international firm, was sacked for sending inappropriate messages via Tinder on his own phone, while his boss was paying the bill, Efinancial Careers reported.One expert said the issue appeared to have arisen from banks adopting Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, where staff use their personal phone, with their employer paying the bill.Nana Wereko-Brobby of Social Concierge, a matchmaking firm which organizes events for young bankers in London and New York, said those policies were blurring lines between personal and business use.Factoring in dating applications and banks desire to monitor employees messages, the grey area only grows.Wereko-Brobby advises employees to keep app-swiping and dating out of the office.If you work in banking its expensive to make you redundant; you dont want to create an opening to let you go on disciplinary grounds.Banks increasing desire to monitor their employees mobile phone use has been prompted by the realization that workers may be using personal mobile devices for price discovery, quoting and trading.In monitoring employees devices for encrypted messages, information sent with dating apps are more likely to be caught as well, says Oliver Blower, VoxSmart CEO.
Mental health is an increasingly challenging area for employers, Worksafe said in its 2017 Annual Report released last week.



In the past year, more workers who filed mental injury claims took longer to return to work than those who suffered physical injuries.

Forty-five percent of workers who filed for mental injury claims are not back at work within six months of lodging the claim.



In contrast, just 18% of those who filed for physical injury claims failed to go back to their jobs within the same period.



This was partly responsible for Worksafes inability to meet its 2017 return-to-work target of 80.53%. Only 78.47% of injured workers were able to return to work within six months of their injury.



But the sooner an injured worker can get back to safe and sustainable work, the better it is for the worker, their family, the employer and the community as a whole, said Worksafe Chairman Paul Barker and Chief Executive Clare Amies in the report.



The report also said that 20% of Australians are expected to experience a mental health condition each year.



Because of this, Worksafe is focusing on a new programme that will make mental health in the workplace a priority for everyone. It will enable Victorian workplaces to address the underlying issues while educating employers and workers on how to recognize the risks.



Mental injuries are more likely to be complex and to take more than four weeks to resolve, the report said.



Worksafe says that while employers have a legal obligation to provide a safe and healthy working environment, including managing mental health risks, employees should raise their mental health stressors and risks with the right officials at the workplace.



According to the Worksafe website, if an employee has experienced a mental injury or illness as a result of work-related stress, the worker has to:



 make a reasonable effort to return to work in a suitable capacity;

 get involved in planning ones return to work;

 cooperate with ones doctor and other health professionals so they can assess capacity for work

 use any occupational rehabilitation services that are provided to help with the workers recovery and return to work.






International students who work part-time or casual jobs should seek help from the Fair Work Ombudsman if they experience any breach of their workplace rights.



Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James has published an open letter to international students urging them to be aware of these rights and to speak up if they have concerns.



International students - more than 560,000 as at July 2017 - make up a large proportion of temporary entrants to Australia.



The number of international students reporting issues to the Fair Work Ombudsman is disproportionately low compared to other categories of visa holders, despite the fact that international students represent a significant proportion of overseas visitors with work rights, James said.



Students reluctance to report workplace issues make them particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Many of them believe that seeking assistance may damage their job prospects or cause the cancellation of their visa.



Sixty percent of international students believe that if they report a workplace issue to their employer, the situation will remain or get worse, a study commissioned by the agency found.



Some employers also threaten their workers with deportation or blacklisting from future work if they raise questions about their entitlements.



In some cases these same employers have altered payslips and underpaid hourly rates in order to disguise the number of hours the student has worked, James said.



She assured international students that her agency has an agreement with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection so they do not have to fear the cancellation of their visa even when they have worked more hours than they should have.



Records show that despite the low number of international students reporting work issues to the agency, the cases that do get filed involve one or more international students.



For example, last year, 49 percent of litigation filed by the Fair Work Ombudsman involved a visa holder, and over a third of these involved an international student.



Ms James says all international students should visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website, which has information available in 30 different languages.



Among the resources available:
(CNBC) Blackrock may be prohibited from collecting some state government fees because an executive made a donation to a presidential candidate last year, according to Reuters. Mark Wiedman, a BlackRock senior managing director, donated $2,700 to the presidential campaign of Ohio Governor John Kasich, who was seeking the Republican Party nomination

To read this article:
(HedgeCo.Net) Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, now a subsidiary of Novelion Therapeutics, has agreed to pay a $4.1 million penalty to settle the charges that it misled investors on multiple occasions in 2013. The SECs complaint alleges that Aegerion told investors that the number of unfilled prescriptions for Juxtapid was not material and the vast majority of patients receiving prescriptions ultimately purchased the drug. The SEC alleges that Aegerions records reflect that it was actually around 50 percent of prescriptions that resulted in actual drug purchases.

By no ones math is 50 percent a vast majority, said Paul Levenson, Director of the SECs Boston Regional Office. When companies publicly discuss their financial data, they must be truthful. Whether they supply hard numbers or give broader descriptions, they cannot mislead investors.

According to the SECs complaint, Juxtapid is used to treat a rare and potentially life-threatening genetic condition that causes extremely high cholesterol. In 2013 and 2014, it was priced at approximately $250,000 to $300,000 annually per patient. Following Juxtapids introduction in 2013, investors and investment analysts had little financial data to estimate Aegerions future revenues from sales of the drug.

Aegerion allegedly provided details on the number of Juxtapid prescriptions during several subsequent earnings calls, but this data alone was insufficient for analysts and investors trying to forecast the companys future revenues because only prescriptions that were actually filled converted into sales. According to the SECs complaint, it wasnt until October 2014 that Aegerion disclosed to investors that the conversion rate was actually in the range of 50 to 60 percent. But Aegerion allegedly failed to reveal to investors even then that the conversion rate had hovered around 50 percent since 2013.
Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday reported that 16.7 per cent of the people surveyed between August and September expressed their support for the opposition party, signalling a drop of 0.8 percentage points from one month earlier.

The Green League has lost at least some of the momentum it had gathered over the first eight months of the year, suggests a poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat .

The Green League was also stripped of its newly gained status as the most popular party in the opposition, as support for the Social Democrats crept up by 0.5 percentage points from the previous poll to 17.8 per cent.

The National Coalition consolidated its position as the most popular party in the country with a 0.5-percentage-point increase in support, to 21.2 per cent. The Centre Party, on the other hand, has yet to halt its down-slide and saw its support fall by an additional percentage point to a five-year low of 16.1 per cent.

The Finns Party has continued to recover from the internal crisis that erupted in the wake of its leadership election in Jyvaskyla in June. Helsingin Sanomat highlighted that support for the opposition party has continued to creep up closer to the levels preceding the crisis, standing at 9.2 per cent in mid-September.

The poll results were not as encouraging for the group of lawmakers who broke away from the Finns Party in mid-June, with only 1.3 per cent of the people surveyed saying they would cast their vote for the splinter group, the Blue Parliamentary Group.

Support for the three ruling parliamentary groups has consequently slipped to its lowest level yet  to 38.5 per cent.

Jenni Karimaki, a senior research fellow at the University of Turkus Centre for Parliamentary Studies, estimated that the changes in support for the Finns Party and Green League may be partly attributable to the immigration debate that was re-kindled by the suspected terror attack in Turku on 18 August.

Another reason for the dip in support for the Green League, she added, may be that the media and other parties have begun to challenge the views of the partys new chairperson, Touko Aalto.

A total of 2,512 people were asked to disclose which political party would receive their vote if the parliamentary elections were held today in the poll conducted by Kantar TNS between 21 August and 19 September. The respondents constitute a sample that is representative of the population of mainland Finland.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Markku Ulander  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
Votes Being Tallied in Iraqi Kurd Independence Referendum (video)

Official results are expected Tuesday after Iraqi Kurds voted on an independence referendum that drew objection from the government in Baghdad as well as neighboring countries and the United States. Ahead of the vote, it was widely assumed the result would be in favor of independence. A "yes" vote would not trigger a declaration of independence, but Kurdish officials hope they will serve as the first step in separation negotiations. At the polls in the Kurdistan Regional capital, many voters donned traditional clothes and carried Kurdish flags, saying they believed this vote could be the beginning of the realization of their dream for independence. It is a true day for us, said Mohammad, carrying his toddler son and a flag at a polling station in Irbil. We have been waiting for 100 years for this. It is beautiful. Precincts reported high turnouts and a peaceful vote, but before the last ballot was cast, leaders in Baghdad had already sent troops toward disputed areas claimed by both Iraq and Irbil. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed to take all necessary measures to preserve Iraqi unity. Kurdish President Masoud Barzani has been consistently defiant, saying the independence vote was the will of the Kurdish people and out of his hands. "Independence will allow us not to repeat past tragedies, he said on Sunday. The partnership with Baghdad has failed and we will not return to it," Barzani said. A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the decision to hold the referendum in disputed areas "particularly destabilizing." "The Secretary-General regrets that the opportunity for serious negotiations to resolve outstanding issues between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, based on the constitution and in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect, were not fully seized prior to this move," the spokesman said in a statement. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States is "deeply disappointed" with the decision to hold a unilateral referendum. She added that the U.S. relationship with the Iraqi Kurds will not change, but that the vote will "greatly complicate" Kurdish relationships with the Iraqi government and neighboring countries. Barzani told VOA's Persian Service last week that following the referendum, the Kurdish government would begin discussions with Iraqi officials on such issues as border demarcation, division of natural resources and a timeline for declaring independence. Barzani estimated the transition time would be one to two years. The Kurds and the Iraqi government have long-running disputes over oil revenues and who controls several key cities in the region. Before the vote, Prime Minister Abadi ordered the Kurdish region to hand over control of its border crossings and airports, and called on other countries not to import Kurdish oil. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would close a border crossing with Iraq and could move to block oil exports. Other nations, such as the United States, have said they oppose the referendum on the grounds it takes focus away from the battle against the Islamic State group. VOA's Persian Service contributed to this report.
ENTRIES for the Henley Mayors official Christmas card competition are now open.

Councillor Kellie Hinton has been visiting the towns primary schools to explain to pupils the rules and theme for the contest, which is supported by the Henley Standard.

The only condition for entries is they must fit the theme Christmas around the world and be on a piece of A5 card.

Councillor Hinton chose the theme after being inspired by a summer fete at Sacred Heart Primary School in Greys Hill.

She said: They were celebrating all the different nationalities of pupils at the school with different foods from around the world cooked by the parents.

I have family living in Australia and Spain and this year Im not able to spend Christmas with them.

The winner will be invited to turn on the Christmas tree lights with the Mayor at the Christmas Festival on Friday, December 1. He or she will also receive family tickets to see the pantomime Robin Hood at the Kenton Theatre.

All the entries will be on display at the River & Rowing Museum from the end of November to the beginning of January.

Cllr Hinton said: Im sure there are going to be lots of good entries because there are so many talented children in Henley.

Ive been asked how Im going to choose  the winner will be the card which makes me smile and my heart feel warm.

The competition is open to all children aged five to 11 who live or go to school in Henley. Entries should be submitted by 4pm on November 3 and sent to: Leena Wiseley, Henley Town Hall, Market Place, Henley, RG9 2AQ.

Dont forget to include your name, age, address and contact details, including a daytime telephone number.
ULTRAFAST broadband is to be made available in Wargrave village centre after all.

Virgin Media has said it will now include High Street in central Wargrave as part of its Cable My Street initiative, which offers householders and businesses speeds of up to 200 megabytes per second.

The company had said previously that it would not install the service in the village centre as there was not enough demand to justify the traffic disruption that would be caused by digging up the roads to lay the fibre-optic cables.

It laid cables elsewhere in the village over the summer and the broadband service is expected to be available to most residents of these streets this month.

At a meeting of Wargrave Parish Council in July, Virgin project manager Paul Hartley said work on roads in the village centre would require closures with long diversions and he was worried that doing that could lead to negative publicity for the company.

He told councillors: We outlined concerns with High Street, Ferry Lane and Church Street. They are central roads and would require closures. At the moment it is still a no.

We would like as many customers attracted to us as possible but theres commercial viability and brand impact or damage.

Im happy to debate but there has got to be a clear understanding of what could happen. The company announced its change of heart after winning support from residents, the parish council and Wokingham Borough Council. The work in High Street, Church Street and Ferry Lane will begin next month.

A company spokeswoman said: As Virgin Media continues to expand its fibre broadband network in Wargrave, we endeavour to minimise disruption for residents and businesses, which is why we originally took the decision not to extend our cables along High Street.

We are delighted to have received huge amounts of support and are now pleased to announce that we will be bringing ultrafast connectivity to Wargrave High Street.

Last year, BT installed fibre-optic broadband in Wargrave as part of its Superfast Berkshire project.

The scheme aims to cover 97 per cent of the county by 2018 but does not cover Crazies Hill, which has instead agreed a deal with provider Gigaclear to connect the village with speeds of up to 1,000Mbps.

About 40 per cent of residents agreed to sign up to the service in July last year when the company promised to provide the fastest broadband in the country.

Gigaclear, which is based in Abingdon, began work to lay fibre-optic cables in the village earlier this month before connecting homes there and in neighbouring Cockpole Green, Warren Row and Knowl Hill.

Wargrave Parish Council chairman Richard Bush, who lives in Crazies Hill, said: Im pleased to see they have the spade in the ground. They have started at the top of Crazies Hill and are working backwards.

Crazies Hill currently experiences speeds as slow as two megabits per second.
A HARDWARE shop in Sonning Common had 200 stolen from the till in a distraction theft by two women.

The incident happened when 70-year-old Barry Stone was on duty alone at Heath & Watkins in Wood Lane on Wednesday last week.

The women  believed to be mother and daughter  tricked him by asking lots of questions and persuading him to open the till to change a 50 note.

Mr Stone, of Lea Road, Sonning Common, was behind the counter when the women came in at about 3pm.

The older woman asked to buy a tube of ant killer powder but wanted money knocked off the price.

She then asked Mr Stone if he could change a 50 note but when he opened the till she began firing more questions at him so he didnt notice the younger woman pulling money out of the drawer.

The women then left without buying anything and had vanished by the time the assistant realised what had happened.

They are thought to have been accompanied by a man who kept lookout outside the shop.

Mr Stone, who works in the shop two days a week, said: They looked like mother and daughter to me and they were speaking in a tongue I did not understand. The older one asked me how much the powder was and the younger woman was interpreting for her. As they came up to me, I went behind the till and the older woman held out a 50 note in her hand. She wanted me to change the note. The younger woman was stood next to me.

I opened the till and then the mother talked to me as a distraction. In those few seconds the till was open the other woman must have dipped her hand in  I didnt see.

They left the shop without even buying anything. I was a bit concerned and then I realised they had taken the money. It was all obviously a distraction and that was how they were trying to work it. It was not a nice experience for me.

Greg Wheadon, who runs G W Machinery Service and Repair, which is based on the same site, had seen the women outside the shop but didnt think anything of it until Mr Stone told him what happened.

He said: I had been outside getting something out of my van when I saw these three characters walking across from the Christian Community Action charity shop.

I noticed they were talking in a foreign language and watched them walk into the shop. One gave me a bit of a blank look, which I thought was a bit strange. I didnt think anything of it but after about 10 minutes or so Barry came running out saying he thought the shop had been robbed.

Mr Wheadon immediately ran into Wood Lane but could not see the culprits. Mr Stone thought they had gone towards Kennylands Road.

Mr Wheadon said: We think its about 200 thats gone but its difficult to say because the shop had a busy morning.

The shops owner Mick Wells, a retired potato merchant, was away on holiday when the incident happened and is not due back until next week.

When villagers heard about the incident they began fund-raising to replace the stolen cash.

Lauren Applebey, 32, of Blounts Court Road, started a crowdfunding page which raised the money within 24 hours.

She said: Heath & Watkins is a really special shop. Its a proper, traditional hardware shop  you can go in and they will have whatever you need.

Everyone I spoke to was really shocked when they found out what happened.

I set up the fund-raising page and within 24 hours we reached the target. Sonning Common has a good community and I feel people really look out for each other.

The money will be presented to Mr Wells on Tuesday next week when he returns from holiday.

Mr Wheadon said he had spoken to Mr Wells who had indicated he would donate the money to Cancer Research UK.
Moscow tries to impose its so-called Russian plan for the solution of the Artsakh issue (video)

During the Armenia-Diaspora conference, Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, stated that some territories will be given to Azerbaijan. However, the security of the people of Artsakh will not be questioned without those territories. He met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov yesterday. So, what does this activity mean? Political scientist Stepan Safaryan told A1 +. Russia puts pressure on Armenia and forces Yerevan to enter into a phase of so-called subject matter negotiations that Yerevan had previously resisted, as long as the agreements with Vienna did not come to life. He adds, Now Armenia's sovereignty is so weak that they are even deprived of opportunities to persistently assert the former position. Moscow tries to impose its so-called Russian plan for the solution of the Artsakh issue. Thus, 7 or 5 regions of Artsakh will be handed over to Azerbaijan. During Kocharyan's term, the political scientist remembers, even though the negotiations were on the same unacceptable basis, they served the conflict management problem at least. The negotiation process has been so distorted in recent years. There are a number of unacceptable things now such as the distortion of the essence of the conflict. This is when the aggressor has become a victim, and a victim has become the aggressor. Also, there is no control over rhetoric. In the past, presidents and ministers were forbidden to resort to rhetoric which could harm the negotiation process. According to the political analyst, the negotiation forced by Russia is highly dangerous for Armenia and Artsakh. Serzh Sargsyan, the president of Armenia, should remain faithful to the position adopted after the war in April 2016, which was not to negotiate with Aliyev, the president of Azrbejan, unless international security guarantees were provided. Styopa Safaryan says: As we can see, Yerevan has forgotten that it had made a statement a year ago. Unfortunately, the same western co-chairs are firmly committed to the realization of Vienna agreements. Armenia and Artsakh can pay a high price if they allow it to be forgotten. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are also responsible for that Armenia remains alone behind the Russian-Azerbaijani tandem. Styopa Safaryan states: The interests of Russia and Azerbaijan are matched about the weakening of the Minsk Group positions. The efforts of the Minsk Group to strengthen its positions are visible, and as long as it is in interests of Armenia that the issue does not go beyond the OSCE Minsk Group framework, Armenia does not become a partner for the West. In this situation, Armenias only way is considering only about its own interests, by ignoring the pressure of other states.
A prime target for the deadly Kinahan cartel, who was lucky to survive a recent assassination attempt in the capital, has fled from his west Dublin home and is now hiding out in a caravan.

The 24-year-old criminal is a very close associate of slain Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, who was shot dead last December.

Kirwan's close associate was not injured in the murder bid earlier this month but is considered "extremely lucky" to be alive.

The target, who is originally from north Dublin, was given security advice by officers in the aftermath of the shocking incident. They also formally warned him of an active threat against his life.

Isolated

Just days after this he fled a property in the Blanchardstown area and is now hiding out in a caravan controlled by one of the east coast's most dangerous criminals, who is currently serving a jail sentence for serious offences.

"He has ran to this fella before for help and he is back with him now. He feels extremely isolated and is in grave fear for his life. He does not feel safe," a source said last night.

One theory being examined is that the 24-year-old became a target for the cartel after he was accused of "trying to seek revenge" for the murder of Kirwan (62) last December.

"Even after this month's incident, it is understood that the target is continuing to mouth off and seek information about it," a source said.

The 24-year-old was very close to Kirwan, who was murdered by the cartel because of his friendship with its number one target Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch.

The intended target cannot be named here for legal reasons, as he is facing serious firearms-related charges before the courts after he was arrested by the Garda Special Detective Unit (SDU) last November in north Dublin.

Less than two months after that, Kirwan was shot dead, and the 24-year-old was said to be "extremely distraught and angry" over this murder.

Threat

"The cartel saw him as a threat and that is why they decided to target him," a source said.

The criminal was spotted with other mobsters at Kirwan's funeral and, in the weeks after the murder, gardai warned him of an active threat against his life.

The intended target is considered "extremely volatile" and a property linked to the young man was attacked twice in the summer of 2016, when windows were smashed in.

However, he was not in the north Dublin house at the time of the incident, which was blamed on junior members of the cartel.

Last Thursday, it emerged that a 25-year-old man who is accused of the murder of Kirwan in Dublin "is fully contesting the charge".

Jason Keating, of Lower Main Street, Rush, has been re-sent forward for trial to the Special Criminal Court and is charged of the murder of Kirwan.

A book of evidence has been served on him by gardai.
The man was caught during a sting at Kevin Street station

Detectives have arrested a man in relation to the suspected theft of 12,000 in cash and other property from a city centre garda station.

Officers from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) made the arrest following a pre-planned sting operation.

The man, aged in his 40s, was detained in Dublin city centre on Sunday afternoon and was last night being questioned at Crumlin Garda Station.

The suspect was arrested in relation to the theft of the significant cash sum and property from Kevin Street Garda Station.

A garda spokesman confirmed that the male was detained under Section 4 of the Theft and Fraud Offences Act.

It is understood that hidden cameras were used to identify the individual, who until the sting had not been suspected of involvement in the crime.

The 12,000 in cash and property was taken over a period of time, and came to light following an internal audit within the garda station in April.

"A number of members were suspected of involvement in relation to the incident, but have since been proven completely innocent," the source said.

A senior investigator from another garda district was tasked with investigating the incident, and it had recently been determined that cash and property had been stolen from the south inner city garda station.

Dealers

The stolen cash was seized as a result of a number of operations linked to organised crime in the capital.

The money and property were taken from a store room at the station - where exhibits and seized cash are kept - and is meant to be a secure area.

Kevin Street Garda Station, located in Dublin 8, polices an area where some of the senior members involved in the ongoing Hutch/Kinahan feud reside.

Officers attached to the station have had several successes against organised crime in recent years under Operation Thistle, which targets low and mid-level dealers linked to the gangs.

There have been a number of occasions in recent years in which sums of cash have gone missing from Dublin garda stations. In June 2013, it emerged that 27,000 - which was being kept in a safe at Malahide Garda Station - was missing.

It had been recovered by off-icers following a robbery at the Coolock branch of Woodie's DIY chain on Malahide Road, which took place in June 2009.
Minister not satisfied with construction of North-South Highway (video)

Today, Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Vahan Martirosyan announced that the cost of building North-South highway can exceed $ 2 billion. He stated that the 11-meter-long concrete pavement has already been installed in the left-hand part of the Ashtarak-Talin road section, and another 15 km is planned to be installed by the end of the year. North-South highway is very important for Armenia, since it will be a high-speed way that will connect the north to the south. Also, this road will contribute to the growth of the flow of tourists, the minister said. Shane Rosenthal, the representative of Asian Development Bank, announced that the construction cost of the Ashtarak-Lanjik section will reach $ 3.5 million. And Minister Vahan Martirosyan, referring to this statement, said that the Asian Development Bank finances the construction only partially. Moreover, the minister added that he is not satisfied with the work of the companies making the construction. So, the government intends to finish the construction of the highway. The minister also informed that the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies plans to provide a unified bus park this year in the republic, which will be available for all the regions and will provide a joint ticket idea. Vahan Martirosyan also noted that several options with neighbor states are being discussed in order to build an alternative route for Larsi.
Gor Metsoyans vocal studio does not get any support from government (video)

For the past five years, Gor Metsoyan has been teaching students interested in national culture in his vocal studio. "I sang in different groups. So, I wanted to convey my experience to next generations in order not to lose our national song, art and mentality. He opened the studio in his native community of Nor Geghi and then opened a branch in Yerevan, with no state support. Currently, the studio has 17 students. I have applied to different places, but did not get any attention from anyone, states Gor Metsoyan. The only girl in the vocal studio is Irina. However, she does not feel uncomfortable about it. Even more, she claims that the boys of the studio have become her best friends and the love towards the national music has awakened thanks to Gor Metsoyan's vocal studio. Unlike Irina, Hamon from Sassoun is interested in national songs and dances since childhood. He has decided that he will continue in the same spirit in the future. Two years ago, 10-year-old Suren, already warned his parents that he was going to become a student of Gor Metsoyan's vocal studio. He claims: "I am a patriot; I like Armenian songs and will not sing another song." On the 5th anniversary of their activity, the studio's students shot their first video, and on November 13 they will have a jubilee concert.
Comings & goings: Health bar, candle shop, fishing charter website

A health bar and candle-making shop will cut their ribbons in the next few weeks while a charter fishing company launches its website.
Mkhitar Sebastatsi educational complex is more commendable - Ashot Bleyan (video)

It is dangerous to give a new status to the Russian language. They want to impose a culture of dependence on our pupils and children, they want to say that if you want to get a good education, you must attend classes in advanced Russian language, public figure David Sanasaryan said during a discussion at the Media Center NGO. He wonders whether authorities in Armenia have ever tried to understand and reveal the real problems in schools. They [authorities] have led Armenia to the swamp of the Eurasian Economic Union and now they claim that the language of that swamp is Russian, they want to make sure that our children learn the language as well, Mr. Sanasaryan continued. He lauds the education system in the West. We think that the education system introduced by the Mkhitar Sebastatsi educational complex is more commendable and I am saying this seriously, said Ashot Bleyan, Director of the educational complex. Mr. Bleyan is concerned that pupils in Armenia have little opportunity to make their choice in the education system. They are guided by other standards at the Mkhitar Sebastatsi educational complex. He added that the number of foreign-language educational institutions must not exceed four under intergovernmental agreements, whereas in Armenia we have 42 schools offering Russian-language classes.
I read with disappointment that President Trump made fun of Kim Jong Un of North Korea. That is the job of evening talk shows.

No president should make fun of any country that has nuclear weapons.

You cannot trust them to act reasonable.

Dennis DeBalso

Conover

The math simply doesnt work

The nations annual deficit has been steadily coming down but for 2017 is still projected to be around $450 billion. When Obama was in office, Republicans reminded us at every opportunity about the national debt. Since Trump has been in office, the D-word has all but disappeared from their lexicon.

I would agree that the nation needs tax reform but accomplishing significant reform will equal the challenge of health care reform. Tax reform may as well be code for tax cuts for the wealthy and big business rather than a genuine effort at simplification of a system that employs a million accountants, tax preparers and attorneys.

If Republicans attempt to use reconciliation to pass reform with a simple majority, the plan must be revenue neutral, which pretty much eliminates a 15 percent corporate tax rate. To get bipartisan support requiring 60 votes, proposals must pass muster with some eight to 10 Democrats.

Regardless of the talking points, we are not the highest taxed nation in the developed world. Total tax revenue as a percentage of GDP is 26 percent, which is lower than the UK, Germany and China. Statutory rates for corporations are high but the effective rates paid are much lower.

Arguing against tax reform and simplification is like arguing against motherhood, apple pie, and the flag. Who wouldnt like to see U.S. corporations repatriate some of the cash they have parked in lower taxed countries? Who wouldnt like to pay less taxes and have a simpler system?

That said, I have grown fond of my tax accountant and dont wish her and thousands more, the misfortune of unemployment. Furthermore, adults in the room know present deficits are unsustainable and that hurricane recoveries, Trumps wall and a major buildup in defense cant all go on the nations credit card while cutting tax revenue.

Stakeholders will fight to protect their self-interest and favorite deductions. We will hear the same promises made by Reagan and George W. Bush that economic growth will more than offset the loss of tax revenue, but we know all too well the outcome of those promises.

The math simply doesnt work and the person presenting the math, our president, is short on credibility. Is my tax accountants job safe? Is this the next component of Trumpism to fizzle?

David Turman

Hickory

Global poverty reduction and the U.S. economy

Is foreign aid simply aid or is it an investment? Look at post World War II Europe and the Marshall Plan. After the conclusion of the Second World War the U.S. invested the equivalent of $110 billion in todays dollars to assist in rebuilding Europe along with our allies  today, the U.S. exports $240 billion of goods from the European Union annually.

There is potential for a similar situation with the worlds poorest countries today. As citizens of impoverished countries move from barely surviving into the global middle class, this creates new consumers of U.S. goods and products, which creates more American jobs, in turn boosting our economy.

While 95 percent of potential consumers of U.S. goods and products live outside our borders, giving aid to these impoverished countries is an untapped resource.

The Borgen Project  an innovative, national campaign  believes that leaders of the most powerful nation should be doing more to address global poverty.

The nonprofit organization presents methods that make the U.S. more effective with existing aid dollars.

Effectivity is important since the International Affairs Budget only makes up 0.8 percent of our federal budget.

The bottom line: protect the International Affairs Budget.

Styrling Tangusso

Asheville
On Christmas morning many years ago, I noticed that our middle daughter Betsy grew quiet as we opened packages. She got up, slipped out of the den and went to her bedroom. Realizing something wasnt right, I went to her room and asked her what was wrong.

She looked at me seriously and said, You and mom are Santa Claus, arent you? I had to admit we were. There was no Santa Claus. Betsy looked down, slowly and silently pondered the news, and then looked up and asked, and the Easter Bunny?

It was obvious she already knew the answer. For Betsy, it was The Moment Childhood Officially Ended.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet and talk with participants in the Leadership Catawba program sponsored by the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce. The 40 participants that are chosen for Leadership Catawba go through an intense program in which they learn a great deal about our government, business, and civic affairs.

The program is often a springboard where future community leaders are created. In this years class, a number of the people going through the program have moved to our area from other places. As I listened to them, they sounded like kids opening packages on Christmas morning. They were excited to be here and felt Hickory was such an improvement compared to communities where they had previously resided.

Now, if youve been here a long time like I have, you know weve got problems. Our young people are leaving. Opioids. And the traffic. Why, I had to sit through a long light the other day at U.S. Highway 70 and Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard. And who the heck named our streets anyway? Dont get me started!

But heres the thing. These newcomers dont see any of that! I wrote down some of the things they said.

Kristin Darbee: After living in the rat race of D.C., this is heaventhis is the perfect location. Weve loved it since day one. You get all the amenities of a big city but in a happier, more relaxed way. She went on to say everyone is embracing of new people.

Molly Gross worried is there going to be enough to do? That hasnt been a problem at all. She said its a great, walkable city and liked the fact that its dog-friendly.

Drew Caldwell commented that Hickory is a warm, friendly community. After being away for six years, Hanes King of Century Furniture came back to Hickory. What brought him back was a job opportunity, quality of life, and cost of living. He did say at 22, it was boring, but now, with two kids, its good.

Tracey Hall: I love the size, not too big, not too small.

And one of my favorite quotes of the day was from Patrick Broos, of Catawba Valley Medical Center, who said, Reno (Nevada) says its the Biggest Little City in the World, but its not true. Its Hickory!

Spend a morning with inspiring people like this, and if that wont make you darn glad youre in Hickory, nothing will. Maybe we all need to live somewhere else for a while to appreciate how good weve got it.

But in the meantime, lets not tell the new kids that Hickory isnt as perfect as they think it is. Let em enjoy Christmas morning here in Hickory. Who knows, maybe there is a Santa Claus.

Jeff Cline is the City of Hickory mayor.
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Lets begin with connectivity. After 1947, Northeast India has had to access the rest of India largely via the Chickens Neck near Siliguri, greatly increasing travel times. For example, to reach a port, traders need to travel 1,600 km from Agartala in Tripura to Kolkata in West Bengal, via Siliguri, instead of travelling less than 600 kms to reach the same destination via Bangladesh, or even better, travel only 200 km to access the nearby port of Chittagong in Bangladesh.

This is set to change as close cooperation between Bangladesh and India (including various ongoing initiatives such as the trans-shipment of Indian goods through Bangladeshs Ashuganj port to Northeast India, expanding of rail links within Northeast India and between the two countries, the BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement) can dramatically reduce the cost of transport between Northeast India and the rest of India. The resultant decline in prices of goods and services can have a strong impact on consumer welfare and poverty reduction in the Northeast. Such cooperation also opens up several additional possibilities of linking India with ASEAN via Myanmar: for example, with Mizoram and Manipur acting as a connector between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Think of medicines being transported by land from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh to Thailand, via Bangladesh, Manipur and Myanmar.

Digital connectivity is increasingly important. Broadband connectivity of 10 gbps for Northeast India is now being provided from Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar to Tripura and beyond, to help improve the speed and reliability of internet access in Northeast India. And Bangladesh has the capacity to provide more.

Trade relations have been gathering strength, going up from $1 billion in 2002, to over $6 billion now. With India providing duty-free treatment to all Bangladeshi products (save 25 sin products such as alcohol, arms, etc.) since 2011, Indias (dollar value) imports from Bangladesh grew an average of 6% per year over 2012-16, even as its imports from the world dropped by 8% per year. For Northeast India, Bangladesh is potentially its most important economic partner, given the latters size and location. However, the potential of the relationship between Northeast India (NEI) and Bangladesh has barely begun to be tapped. For example, agricultural products, where NEI has a strong advantage can feed into Bangladeshs vibrant food processing industry, while NEI can provide a market for its processed foods.

Investment is another untapped area. At a national level, India is a growing investor in Bangladesh, and now has land earmarked for development of special Indian economic zones in Bangladesh. At the sub-national level, however, it is Bangladeshi companies which could become some of the key investors in Northeast India  a process that has just scratched the surface so far.

Energy cooperation is delivering results. India already exports 600 MW of power (including 100 MW from Tripura) to Bangladesh, and much more is in the offing. In the future, this energy trade could well link up with potential hydropower exports from Bhutan and Nepal to form a BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) power market. Deeper cooperation would also facilitate access to energy supplies through projects such as the natural gas pipeline linking Myanmar to India via Bangladesh.

Leveraging the potential of the India-Bangladesh economic relationship has the power to change the economy of Northeast India, and also advance Indias Act East vision. Some critical steps to move this agenda forward would involve expanding direct connectivity between Northeast India and the rest of India via Bangladesh, while giving Bangladesh similar access to Nepal and Bhutan via India; reducing the time and cost of trading across the two borders, which will require reducing perceived and real non-tariff barriers and promoting efficient customs procedures and border facilities; encouraging Bangladeshi companies to invest in Northeast India, and Indian companies to expand their presence in Bangladesh.

Finally, the continued and growing momentum in the India-Bangladesh relationship also offers a tantalising glimpse of the possibilities of a more integrated South Asia.

Sanjay Kathuria is lead economist and coordinator, South Asia Regional Integration, in the World Banks trade & competitiveness global practice.

The views expressed are personal
Chancellor Angela Merkel is poised for an unprecedented fourth term as Chancellor in Germany with her party, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) winning 33% of the vote and emerging as the largest party in parliament with 246 seats. The vote reflects a comfort level with Merkels non-flashy and pragmatic leadership which has steered Germany and Europe through the difficult currents of the global financial crisis, the debt crisis in Southern Europe and now the challenge to European integration posed by the decision of the UK to leave the European Union. The German economy, the largest in Europe, is performing relatively well largely on the back of reforms undertaken by Merkels predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, while Germanys consensual style of politics has brought both political and social stability.

At the same time, the vote is a signal of the looming challenges ahead. For the first time since the Second World War a far right nationalist party  the Alternative for Germany (AfD)  has won around 13% of the vote and has entered the German parliament with 94 seats. The AfD had campaigned on an anti-refugee, anti-Islam platform, tapping into the fears of a section of Germans against Merkels decision to allow over one million refugees into the country. This is part of a larger wave sweeping Europe and America and reflected in the rise of right wing parties across several European countries, in the UKs Brexit decision and in the election of an inward-looking Donald Trump in America.

Echoing Trumps slogan of take our country back, the AfD talks of taking our land back. In a direct attack on the refugee policy of Angela Merkel, the AfD has threatened to launch an investigation into the crimes she has committed against the country. The AfD support has come largely from East Germany, where it was expected to get 21% of the vote. The Eastern part of Germany continues to struggle with unemployment and a subdued economy, post-reunification, providing fertile ground for xenophobic ideas. Surprisingly AfD is also poised to do well in the traditionally conservative states of southern Germany  Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria  where it has gained at the cost of Merkels partner, the CSU. Overall the AfD is gaining around 8% of vote share at the cost of the CDU/CSU combine whose vote share has come down by 8.6%.

The Free Democrats (FDP) will be the other major gainer in this election with over 10% of vote share. Traditionally the FDP has been a coalition partner in many governments in post-war Germany and has been described as the tail which wagged the dog. However, in the last election they had failed to cross the minimum 5% vote threshold and were unrepresented in parliament. They are opposed to some of the European reform proposals of President Macron of France.

The other major party, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is currently a partner in the Grand Coalition Government led by Chancellor Merkel, is likely to lose 5% voting share and obtain around 20.5% of the vote. While this is less than the 8.6% decline in the CDU/CSU voting share, what should be of concern to the SPD is that over the last 20 years, its vote share has declined by nearly 20%. Martin Schulz, the SPDs candidate for Chancellor, has announced that the SPD will not join a grand coalition to form the government. They will then be the largest opposition party, a space which would have otherwise been occupied by the far right AfD.

Chancellor Merkel is now likely to explore a coalition with the FDP and the Greens. This is not going to be easy but Merkel has, in the past, pragmatically appropriated parts of the platform of the Greens, such as closing down all nuclear power plants, and is known as a skilled coalition builder.

Steering a four party coalition with partners with widely divergent political outlooks will be more complex and challenging and will test Merkels skills.

Germany faces a more uncertain international environment as the traditional pillars of its post-war policies look increasingly shaky, including closer European integration, the alliance with the USA under Donald Trump, relations with Putins Russia and robust economic growth. The overhang of the debt crisis in Europe continues while the new wave of digitisation and artificial intelligence sweeping the world could disrupt the traditional manufacturing sector, which has been Germanys mainstay. The emergence of the AfD and its sharp rhetoric presages a more polarised polity and a shift in the post war style of German politics characterised by compromise and consensus. Angela Merkels leadership is reaffirmed but there are signals of the uncertainties and challenges ahead.

For India, Angela Merkel and Germany have been reliable partners in Europe and her re-election points to the relationship remaining on course. The challenge will be to impart more substance by building greater economic and strategic synergies.

Meera Shankar is a former Indian ambassador to Germany and USA

The views expressed are personal
It hurts to say it but its the sad truth: If today the Army is embarrassed by the emerging outcome in the Farooq Ahmad Dar case, when an allegedly innocent Kashmiri voter was forcibly used as a human shield by Major Leetul Gogoi of the 53rd Rashtriya Rifles to deter stone-pelters and also teach them a lesson, the Army has only itself to blame. Unfortunately, a fair part of that responsibility lies with the Army chief himself.

A police inquiry interim report says Dar was subjected to wrongful confinement. It states Dar cast his vote at a polling booth in his native village of Chill. He was, therefore, what he claimed to be, a voter and not a stone-pelter.

The Army, on the other hand, claimed he was instigating a stone-pelting mob and could have been their ring leader. He was said to be part of a group threatening the safety of election officials. However, the Army had no answer to a critical question raised by Dar: If I voted for democracy, why would I stop others from voting and pelt stones?

Although the Army appointed a court of inquiry the Army Chief, without awaiting its verdict, described the Majors behaviour as the right call. He also proceeded to award Major Gogoi a commendation. This was deliberate defiance of the Armys own due process and a clear snub to the Kashmiri people but Gen. Bipin Rawat defended his decision whilst the government endorsed it.

In an interview to the Economic Times in May, Gen. Rawat said the award was to ensure the confidence level of the officer and others operating in (a) similar environment. As he elaborated: The message is not for the people. I am concerned with my rank and file. In other words, he was determined to defend illegal acts for fear that if he did not the armys morale could suffer. Worse, making a mockery of the court of inquiry, which he admitted is for fact finding, the Army Chief said even if he (Major Gogoi) is found guilty of some lapse, no major action will be taken against him. I find no reason for major action to be taken against him. Altogether this prioritized the armys interests over Kashmiri human rights.

Speaking to PTI, Gen. Rawat went further. This is a proxy war and proxy war is a dirty war. Its played in a dirty way. This was his justification for what he called Major Gogois innovation, when Dar was strapped to an Army jeep as a human shield and paraded for five hours through the villages of Kashmir.

Not surprisingly, several people criticised the army chief. Even within the Army, Gen. Rawats behaviour was considered controversial though the criticism was sotto voce and made behind closed doors. However, Lt. Gen. HS Panag, a former Northern Army Commander, was outspoken. In a series of tweets he said: Whatever the provocation, the Indian army cannot take recourse to illegal acts. Commenting on the commendation, Lt. Gen. Panag tweeted: IA (Indian Army) traditions, ethos, rules and regs (regulations) swept away by the mood of the nation! Gen. V. P. Malik, a former Chief, whilst defending Major Gogois action added the Major must be warned against repeating it.

Now that the police inquiry interim report seems to undermine the Army chiefs stand, we should ask what has become of the Armys own court of inquiry? Did it complete its task? Has it submitted a report? And if it has, whats become of it? Or, as many suspect, have Gen. Rawats comments and commendation made the inquiry infructuous?

The undeniable truth is that in this sad instance the Army let itself down. As an Army son I believe the Army is fair, correct and unwaveringly committed to defending the rights of every Indian citizen. But that didnt happen in this case. More importantly, I believe the Army comprises the best of our nation because, beyond being brave warriors, its men can distinguish between right and wrong. When a soldier makes a mistake he doesnt hesitate to admit it. Ultimately, this is what separates him from a civilian. Again, that didnt happen in this case.

Finally, to those who claim criticising the Army is anti-national, let me point out the Army doesnt see itself as above the nation. When its erred, as it has in this case, it welcomes criticism. I have no doubt thats also true of Gen. Rawat, even if circumstances wont permit him to admit it.

The views expressed are personal

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Like every year, Pakistan has once again railed against India at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) . Raking up Kashmir again, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi urged the UN to appoint a special envoy to the state to investigate into the alleged atrocities. He also called for the need to send an inquiry commission to the state in order to secure the punishment of those responsible of human rights violation. Indias response was quick and potent, which underlined that Pakistan is now Terroristan, with a flourishing industry producing and exporting global terrorism.

The world has stopped listening to Pakistani rants on Kashmir but Islamabad has nothing else to talk about at the global forum. These are tough times for Pakistan as it is feeling the heat from the rapidly evolving regional realities. The US is tightening the screws on Islamabad. Its new Afghanistan policy has a laser-like focus on Pakistan to make sure it abides by its commitments.

This theme also found mention in Trumps speech at the UNGA where he suggested that it is time to expose and hold responsible those countries who support and finance terror groups like al-Qaida, Hezbollah, the Taliban, and others that slaughter innocent people. He added, We must deny the terrorists safe haven, transit, funding, and any form of support for their vile and sinister ideology. Pakistan, as the epicentre of global terrorism, could not have been oblivious to the underlying message.

The US has already banned in the US operations of Habib Bank, Pakistans leading financial institution, for regulatory violations, signalling its resolve that it intends to move forward with the operationalising of its policy.

A number of other tough measures are being considered which may include revoking Pakistans status of a non-NATO ally, cutting off aid, and even declaring Pakistan as a terrorist State. Not surprisingly, there is panic in Pakistan, which is suggesting that it is ready to respond in kind by gradually limiting diplomatic relations with the US, reducing mutual cooperation on terrorism-related issues and refusing cooperation with the US on Afghanistan.

Even as US-Pakistan relations are passing through one of their most turbulent phases, India has emerged as a critical part of Donald Trumps South Asia policy as it doubles down on the Indo-US strategic partnership. Buoyed by Washingtons desire to see a more engaged India in the economic development of Afghanistan, India has decided to take up 116 high impact community developmental projects in 31 provinces of Afghanistan. India and Afghanistan have also agreed to strengthen security cooperation with New Delhi agreeing to extend further assistance for the Afghan national defence and security forces in fighting the scourge of terrorism, organized crime, trafficking of narcotics and money laundering.

Pakistan continues to live in its own world as was reflected in its PMs statement that there is no role for India in Afghanistan. Many in Pakistan are now putting all their eggs in Chinas basket. The Xiamen BRICS declaration, which listed Pakistan-based terror organisations for the first time, should be a warning to Pakistan than an isolated Pakistan would be of little use to even China.

As regional trends unfold, Pakistans position is becoming difficult to sustain.

Not surprisingly, ranting at the UN is the only thing left for Pakistani policy-makers.

Harsh Pant is professor of international relations at Kings College, London

The views expressed are personal
The political turmoil in Tamil Nadu, triggered by the death of AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa nine months ago, shows no signs of abating. If only the power struggle within the party has intensified into a high stakes, no-holds-barred battle between assertive former minions and their masters in TTV Dinakaran and his jailed aunt and former AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala.

That AIADMK leaders such as chief minister Edapaddi Palanisami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam could have an independent mind of their own and challenge the revered Chinnamma was unthinkable  by anyone else or even by themselves, and least of all by the masters who kept them on the tightest of leashes.

Why EPS and OPS were not too long ago prostrating before Chinnamma and pleaded with her to take over the party and the government. The manner in which OPS revolted  by invoking the soul of Amma  to take on the Mannargudi family that has had its fingers in many pies in Tamil Nadu, is now part of the states political folklore. After OPS managed to worm his way back into the AIADMK and government, through a merger managed with a little help from BJP in Delhi, the duo began clawing back the party from the clutches of the Mannargudi family. The duo gathered enough courage and sacked Sasikala and Dinakaran from the party posts.

After an attack on its carefully acquired political clout and accompanying business interests under threat, it was only natural that the family would strike back. And this is exactly what Dinakaran did, in consultation with and backing of his jailed aunt Sasikala  and got together his band of loyal MLAs in the party and launched an assault  through letters to governor expressing loss of faith in corrupt chief minister Edapaddi Palanisami.

With everything boiling down to the numbers game, given the persistent onslaught of a waiting-in-the-wings DMK, the ruling dispensation chose the disqualification route to bring down the magic number in the assembly and sail through any trial of strength, if needed.

But now, the issue of disqualification of 18 pro-Dinakaran MLAs has turned into a legal battle that will take its own time, as the two sides are expected to go all the way up to the highest court in the land. For now, the Madras High Court has stayed floor tests till the petition challenging the disqualification by MLAs was disposed of. It has also asked the Election Commission not to hold by-elections to 18 vacancies notified by the TN Speaker.

Even as the current intra-AIADMK power struggle is fought inside the courts, outside in the field a new political alignment is taking shape - the AIADMK led by EPS-OPS combine warming up to the BJP. Its efforts to break away from the highly controversial Mannargudi family seem to have the blessings of the BJP leadership.

Since Ammas death in December, the BJP leadership appeared to have resisted all attempts by Sasikala to take over the government, as was evident in the cautious approach of the acting governor C Vidyasagar Rao. Instead of rushing and swearing in Sasikala, who had been elected the AIADMK legislative party leader, as the CM, the governor preferred to wait for the Supreme Court ruling in the disproportionate assets case. It was the correct decision as subsequent events proved.

Since then, the BJP has gained a potentially strong political ally in a sanitised AIADMK sans the controversial Mannargudi family.

But one thing is certain, given the strong anti-Centre stance taken now by rebel leader Dinakaran, the AIADMK is heading for a vertical split. And what can and should be cause for worry for EPS-OPS combine and its potential allies is that Dinakaran has been attracting huge, responsive crowds at public meetings where he is playing the victim card.

Whether the people will see him as a victim or a villain  only time will tell? But, in all this intra-AIADMK war, it is the DMK that could be the real gainer on the ground.

The AIADMK appears hurtling towards frittering away the peoples mandate and this has not gone down too well with the people as governance suffers.

Tamil Nadu has reached a state where it is virtually run by judicial fiats, far from its image of a well administered state. The government seems hamstrung even in making routine administrative transfers reflecting the turmoil in the state politics.

klakshmana@htlive.com

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Farah Khan, who hosts the Indian version of popular American show, Lip Sync Battle, teased fans with a picture on social media. In the picture, posted late Monday, Farah is seen posing with someone in an Amitabh Bachchan costume.

Farah captioned the picture with, Now GUESS WHO??!!! Doing a jumma chumma a la @SrBachchan #Lipsingbattle.

She followed this up with a few more tweets, this time with actors Shilpa Shetty and Riteish Deshmukh, who will be appearing on the show. Lip Sync Battle - or, Lip Sing Battle, as it is called in India - features celebrities doing lip sync performances of popular songs.

The show premiered on Star Plus on September 16.

Fans replied to Farahs tweet with their guesses. Most people seem to have decided that the person under all that makeup is Shilpa Shetty. Check out some of their tweets. One of thems by Huma Qureshi.

Ufffff too much  Huma Qureshi (@humasqureshi) September 25, 2017

Shilpa Aunty ???  Rajat Mangla  (@rajat2571) September 25, 2017

Shilpa + Farah equal to total Madness really waiting for the episode  Siju.Krishnankutty (@iam_cju) September 25, 2017

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From George Eliot to John le Carre, writers reaching out for the disguise or anonymity offered by a pseudonym is nothing new in the literary world. But the phenomenon has been put back in the spotlight by Italian publishing sensation Elena Ferrantes assiduous efforts to keep her real identity a secret, at a time when new reasons are emerging for publishing from behind a mask.

For Ferrante, who was reported last year to have been outed as Rome-based literary translator Anita Raja, anonymity was a choice; born of a desire to avoid the pitfalls of celebrity and a conviction that books, once written, have no need of their authors.

Some of her predecessors did not have that luxury.

Alberto Moravia, author of The Woman of Rome and one of the greatest figures in 20th century Italian literature, was born Alberto Pincherle. He opted to drop his Jewish family name as part of his efforts to escape censorship and persecution at the hands of Benito Mussolinis 1922-1943 fascist regime.

Natalia Ginzburgs first novel, published during the fascist period, appeared under the name of Alessandra Tornimparte and Giorgio Bassani became Giacomo Marchi for similar reasons, journalist Mario Baudino recounts in his recently published, Lei non sa chi sono io (You Dont Know Who I Am).

That was literally the case for the judges of Frances top literary prize, the Goncourt, when, in 1975, they awarded it to Emile Ajar for The Life Before Us, unaware that Ajar was actually a pseudonym for writer Romain Gary.

The latter had already won the prestigious award, in 1956 for The Roots of Heaven, and, under the Goncourts rules, was excluded from getting it again.

US best-selling author Stephen King also wrote under the name Richard Bachman. (AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand)

Real-life spy

Gary got round that problem by getting a young cousin to pretend to be Ajar -- a subterfuge that was only definitively revealed to the world with the publication of The Life and Death of Emile Ajar, an essay written before the writer shot himself in his Paris flat in 1980.

It was not the only time Gary, a World War II pilot, a diplomat and filmmaker as well as writer, managed to hoodwink the literary establishment. Capable of writing equally well in French and English, he would translate his texts himself under other pseudonyms.

He even occasionally published as Romain Kacew, the name he was born with. Ive had a lot of fun. Goodbye and thanks, was how he signed off his posthumously published farewell note to the world.

Romain Gary used pseudonyms partly out of his taste for provocation but also because he had the literary concept of the total novel in which the author is a character in his own book, Baudino told AFP.

Gary was a case apart but the journalist found many recurring themes in the stories of writers and their alternative monickers.

Le Carre was adopted when the real-life David Cornwell began writing his spy thrillers while still active in Britains MI6 intelligence agency.

Algerias Mohammed Moulessehoul, who began writing when he was an army officer, published under his wifes name Yasmina Khadra to avoid military censorship, only revealing his true identity when he moved to France.

And there have been many writers who have been exposed like Ferrante, says Baudino.

Rejected manuscript

Stephen King, the American master of horror, was a famous example, having eventually been revealed as being the creative force behind the seven novels of a certain Richard Bachman.

Prodigiously productive, King adopted the pseudonym to sidestep his publishers requirement that he release no more than one book per year under his own name.

And he also wanted to know whether his success was down to his talent, or the good fortune of having got the breaks that made him an established name: he got a sort of answer when sales of the Bachman books surged following his unmasking.

Nobel literature prize winner Doris Lessing tried something similar when she gave her agent a work under the name Jane Somers: her own publisher rejected the manuscript.

The choice of a pseudonym is never completely random, said Baudino, explaining how Henri Beyle became the 19th century French literary giant Stendhal to distance himself from his hated father.

A few decades earlier, a similar desire to escape the clutches of family led a certain Francois-Marie Arouet to publish under the name Voltaire.

A trend reflecting the prevailing sexism of the time saw many accomplished female writers publish their work under masculine names: George Eliots real name was Mary Ann Evans, George Sand was Aurore Dupin and the Bronte sisters were first published as Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.

Lately, partly because of female readers becoming more important to the market for new writing, there has been a trend towards gender neutral pen names.

Thriller writer Tom Knox (real name Sean Thomas) opted for SK Tremayne when he turned to family-based drama, while JK Rowling famously opted for initials on the Harry Potter books for fear her first name, Joanne, would put boys off reading them.
ShopClues founder Sandeep Aggarwal on Tuesday filed an FIR against his estranged wife Radhika Aggarwal and Sanjay Sethi, both co-founders of the shopping portal, for allegedly usurping the e-commerce company from him.

On the directions of a Delhi court, an FIR has been registered against Radhika and Sanjay who are the chief business officer and chief executive officer of Showclues, respectively.

The main allegation in the FIR is of forgery to usurp Shopclues from Sandeep Aggarwal and the subsequent misappropriation of funds. It is also alleged that attempts have been made to revoke Sandeep Aggarwals voting rights, said Sandeeps lawyer Vijay Aggarwal.

Sandeep has alleged that while he was facing prosecution in the US for insider trading  for which he has pleaded not guilty  Radhika and Sanjay allegedly took his signatures on wrong papers and committed forgery in order to usurp the company from him.

Shopclues, an online marketplace, was founded in 2011 by the Aggarwals and Sanjay Sethi. Sandeep handed over the reins of the company to his wife in 2013, when the case was filed against him in the United States.

Sandeeps involvement in day-to-day operations had ceased since then, but he continued to be the largest shareholder in the company.

Following allegations by Sandeep Aggarwal against Radhika and Sanjay in March through Facebook posts, the two sides have filed several cases against each other. There is also an ongoing case of alleged adultery filed by Sandeep Aggarwal in a Gurgaon court.

Sandeep had moved an application under Section 156(3) CrPC, seeking direction from the court of Sandeep Garg, the additional chief metropolitan magistrate in Saket court complex to register an FIR alleging that efforts are underway to take control of ShopClues from him. The court allowed the application on Tuesday.

Sandeep claims he was the original founder and brains behind ShopClues, which is valued at over a billion dollars, and largely caters to Tier-II, III and IV cities in India.

Sandeep Aggarwal was arrested by the FBI and is awaiting his sentence in the US Courts and has filed the present FIR while concealing the fact that, he has previously made an attempt on similar grounds at Economic Offence Wing in Gurgaon but the case was closed in favour of the management of ShopClues. Mr Aggarwal is also out on bail in India and facing trials on the charges of criminal defamation, violence and outraging the modesty of women. The initiation of the instant FIR and seeking a media trial is nothing but an attempt by Mr Aggarwal to continue to malign the reputation of ShopClues, said Sandeep Kapur, the legal representatives of ShopClues, in a statement.
The Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana, which got going with a display of austerity in 2014, will finally have its own fixed wing aircraft  a Beechcraft King Air 250  soon.

Top officials said US-based Textron Aviation, the manufacturer of Beechcraft, is being called for price negotiation after a go-ahead was given by the technical committee set up to select the machine.

The state government has a twin-engine helicopter, purchased during Congress rule at a cost of EUR 5.5 millon (Rs 33 crore in 2009).

A Beechcraft King Air 200 aircraft, also purchased during the Congress rule, had crashed in 2014 at Chandigarh airport soon after taking off. The then-governor, Jaganath Pahadia, his wife and officials, who were on board, had a miraculous escape.

Austerity Gone For Six

First time BJP chief minister, Khattar had tried to set an example in austerity early on his tenure by travelling in trains, commercial flights, luxury buses and metro rail, providing plenty of photo-ops. However, the pretence veered off soon. And despite having a chopper at his disposal, Khattar started taking chartered flights for his visits to Delhi, sparking criticism on millions being shelled out to private aviation companies. Similar chartered planes were also hired for governor Kaptan Singh Solanki.

Gradually, it dawned upon the political and bureaucratic brass that the state government needed another flying machine to cater to the needs of the VVIPs including the chief minister.

It would be better to invest in a state aircraft than depend on private operators. The state government had been paying millions for chartered operations. Also many a times, a chartered plane is not available when the government requires it. Often, the government has to pay a higher cost, Many a times, even the state chopper is not available due to maintenance and repairs, said an official justifying the purchase.

The Chosen Machine

A civil aviation official said that Beechcraft King Air 250, which is an upgraded version of King Air 200, was chosen as it was an ideal machine considering the length of runways at Chandigarh, Delhi and Hisar airports.

The King Air 250 needs a take-off distance of 2,111 feet which is just right keeping in view the average length of these airstrips. The aircraft can seat 7-10 persons.

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..I am distressed at my wife and daughters suicide/murder by the CBI. I have no desire to live and am taking my life.

BK Bansal, ex-director general, corporate affairs.

God, whatever happened to us should not happen to any happy family.

Yogesh (BK Bansals son)

The dead dont speak. The manner of their deaths do.

On September 28, 2016 two handwritten suicide notes signed by Bansal and his 25-year-old son were delivered to media houses across the city, a day after the two were found hanging in their flat in Delhi. Bansals wife Satyabala (57), and daughter Neha (27) had killed themselves in the same flat in July after he was arrested on charges of accepting a bribe from a pharmaceutical company.

In the note, Bansal (63), under investigation for corruption charges, mentioned names of CBI officers who he alleged tortured his wife and daughter. Bansal said the two were tortured and threatened by four CBI officials, forcing them to commit suicide.

A year to the day since Delhi police began investigations into the deaths, there is very little progress in the cases, sources in the force said, and none of the officers named in the suicide notes have been questioned.

Bansal suicide: Copies of note found at residence blames CBI for torture

To put it in perspective, police arrested a man on Tuesday afternoon within hours of the suicide of a woman who had named him in her letter.

HT mailed a detailed questionnaire to the CBI and Delhi police seeking comments on the Bansal case but is yet to get any reply. Spokespersons of the two agencies also did not respond to repeated calls.

Most police officers say Bansals family member were not pursuing the case. The relatives said no police officer came to meet them. There was no one to speak for the Bansals.

HT travelled to Bansals ancestral village in Hisar, Haryana, about 180 km from the national capital, to meet who remains in the Bansal family.

Hisar

In his ancestral village at sector 14, Hisar, Bansal is referred to as Babuji and Sir. He was one of the few to leave the village and make it big in Indias capital city.

Locals spoke fondly of the man but refused to be named, saying they had read in newspapers that the accused officers were close to senior politicians.

Auto mode mein chal raha hoga case (the case must be proceeding automatically). We have no knowledge, said Vinod, the son of Bansals elder brother Pawan, at his shop in Gandhi Chowk.

He also spoke of troubles since the deaths.

Suicide was the only option left with Bansals, says domestic help

Please dont click our photographs. We have had enough troubles. After media reported the suicide notes and it made the headlines, a CBI team came to our house saying they were enquiring the role of their officers but it turned out to be our interrogation, he told HT.

They asked me to tell the exact distance between the CBI officers and my aunt inside the house on the day of the raid. It was a six-hour-long interrogation and see what has come out of it, said Vinod, who was present at the Bansal residence in Delhi in July last year when the CBI raided the apartment for the second time.

Vinod said Delhi police have not contacted any member of the family till date.

On July 18, we heard about our uncles arrest on television. I had never been to their house but because I was worried about Neha and aunty, I went to meet them. At the house, the CBI officers asked me to stay at the top floor, while they were interrogating my aunty and sister below, he said.

Bansal suicide: CBI deputes joint director to probe torture allegations

They (the CBI officials) were rough and abusive. A few times that I went to the ground floor to get water, I saw the two women crying. Let me be honest, I did not see them getting beaten but they were abused and were humiliated.

In the suicide note, Bansal alleged that his wife and daughter were tortured. He named an officer who allegedly boasted of his close link to a senior politician and threatened to bump off his whole family.

I had heard the CBI is tough but did not know that these officers.would torture and beat my wife and daughter. This is not suicide but murder. My wife was slapped, her nails pulled and she was abused.Even if I was at fault why was my wife and daughter forced to take their lives, Bansal wrote.

Vinods father, Pawan said they have not hired a lawyer.

The family has been wiped off the face of the earth. Those men are powerful. We live more than three-and-a-half hours drive from Delhi. Going to Delhi everyday is also not possible. (Hence) we did not pursue the case.

Most residents in Gandhi Chowk know about the case and the politicians named in the suicide note.

Will a dying man lie? was the question most had in Bansals ancestral village.

Neelkant Apartment, Madhu Vihar, Delhi

In this East Delhi middle-class colony, the Bansals would be forgotten but for his two flats, which remain locked. Some of their belongings outside the house, covered in bedsheets are dusty. The two scooters Yogesh owned have developed rust. Bansals Maruti Alto car is covered and parked where it was since the morning of September 27.

The colonys elderly security guard said, Sir used to clean the car like his child. He used not one but three car covers. He loved his cars. Whenever we see dust or leaves on top of the cover, we clean it. The whole family is gone. This car will also turn to rust someday.

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Nearly 24 hours after he allegedly murdered his wife and cousin in north Delhi, a 28-year-old man killed himself by hanging from a pipe in a field in a Kanpur village in the early hours of Tuesday, police said.

Before hanging himself from a tube well pipe, Mahender alias Mohit made desperate but unsuccessful attempts to kill himself. Mohit tried popping sulphas pills, but when that did not kill him, he slit his right wrist, said Jatin Narwal, DCP (north).

A shaving blade, a bottle of sulphas tablets and some homeopathic medicines - used to treat impotence  were recovered from the alleged suicide spot. It remained unclear whether he used the homeopathic medicine to attempt suicide or he was taking them on prescription No suicide note was found, police said.

Mohits body was found in Kanpur Dehat, around three kilometres from his home, around 5.15 am on Tuesday by a Delhi Police team that had been sent to Kanpur to find him. We found the blood stained clothes and his wifes mobile phone from him, said the DCP. Narwal denied that Mohit met anyone from his family before committing suicide.

Mohit had allegedly used a kitchen knife and a screwdriver to inflict more than a dozen wounds each on the two women  his wife Premlatha, and 22-year-old cousin sister, Soniya. The bodies of the two women were found in Soniyas home in Wazirabad village in north Delhi around 11 am on Monday.

The triple deaths mean that several circumstances surrounding the murders may never be known. However, police said long-term harassment over unfulfilled dowry demands, combined with suspicion of infidelity, triggered Premlathas murder.

DCP Narwal quoted Premlathas father as alleging that Mohit had been harassing her for dowry ever since they got married around four months ago. He had demanded Rs 5 lakh cash and a 150 cc motorcycle. However, Premlathas family managed a 100 cc bike only, Narwal said, quoting the victims father.

As per her father, the relations between the couple were also strained because Mohit used to suspect Premlatha of speaking to another man, the DCP said.

According to another investigator, the immediate trigger for the murder in the early hours of Monday, was a phone call that aroused Mohits suspicion. He was drinking at that time. The brutality with which he repeatedly stabbed Premlatha suggested how much he hated his wife.

As for Soniya, Narwal said she could have been killed for possibly intervening in the violence and being an eyewitness to the crime. Soniya too was stabbed multiple times, her head stuffed into the toilet and her mobile phone smashed, prompting investigators to probe if her killing too had anything to do with hate.

Soniya had undergone a gallbladder surgery a few days ago. Her stitches had not even healed yet and she was to visit a doctor on Monday. But this did not make the killer spare her, said an investigator.

Unemployed for the last few months, Mohit lived with his wife Premlatha in Agra. His cousin, Soniya, lived with her father and brother in Wazirabad village. Since Soniya had a gallbladder surgery a few days ago, she needed someone to care for her at home.

But with her father and brother having to leave for their village in UPs Auraiya a week ago for some work, Mohit was requested to come down to Delhi and look after her. Mohit and his wife had been staying with Soniya for the last one week.
Fuelling reports that Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahims adopted daughter, Honeypreet Insan, may be hiding in Delhi, the police on Tuesday raided a house in Greater Kailash Enclave were unable to find her there.

Her lawyer, Pradeep Kumar Arya, filed an anticipatory bail petition in the Delhi High Court on Monday, sparking reports that she may already be in Delhi.

Delhi Police and the Panchkula Police jointly raided the residence in Greater Kailash Enclave, allegedly owned by the Dera. The Panchkula Police had come with an arrest warrant for her. It was suspected that she was hiding in house number A9 in Greater Kailash Enclave. The house wad raided, but she was not found there, said Romil Baaniya, DCP (south-east).

Delhi Police sources said they are also looking out for her in other neighbourhoods in south Delhi, particularly in Lajpat Nagar, based on the inputs from Panchkula police. Insans lawyer told ANI that Insan had visited him at his Lajpat Nagar offices.

Honeypreet Insan, originally Priyanka Taneja, was a close ally of the self-styled godman, and was even spotted with him at the CBI court during his trial and also accompanied him in the special chopper that took Singh from Rohtak to Panchkula. She went missing soon after. Soon, reports followed that may have fled to Nepal.

The Haryana Police had named her as one of the 43 persons wanted for the violent outbreaks in the state following Ram Rahims conviction in August this year. She has, however, been on the run since her adoptive father was jailed.

(With inputs from agencies)
A city court on Tuesday pulled up the Delhi police for not complying with its order to deseal a room of a five star hotel where Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in 2014.

Metropolitan magistrate Dharmender Singh said that suite number 345 of Hotel Leela Palace should have been opened by Tuesday, as per the courts previous order.

The suite should have been desealed by now. Do you (police) want to initiate proceedings against yourself? I have already passed an order. But no compliance report has been filed, the judge said.

The court has directed the joint commissioner of the Delhi Police to explain on October 6 why its previous order has not been complied with.

Also, it directed the police to file the names of members of its special investigating team probing the case.

The court has ordered desealing of the suite twice in the past this year. However, the suite continues to be locked since January 17, 2014.

The court is hearing a plea by the hotels management seeking desealing of the suite where Pushkar had died under mysterious circumstances.

In its plea, the hotel said that due to the sealing of the suite, which costs between Rs 55,000 and Rs 61,000 a night, it had suffered a loss of over Rs 50 lakh in the last three years. It said that the locked suite has become a home for bugs and insects.

The court had on July 21 ordered desealing of the suite within four weeks, saying the hotel cannot be put to unending hardship due to laxity on part of the police. Police had at that time sought more time to complete the probe. Later on September 12, the police was again directed to deseal the suite. Also, the court had on September 4 taken the police to task for its lethargic attitude in its probe into the case.

Pushkars death has been the cause of immense controversy, and the Delhi Police have come under criticism for the manner in which they handled the case.

ENDS

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I recall my recent visit to a district public library in Jharkhand. I was excited to learn that the collector had reclaimed the public library building that had been occupied by paramilitary forces for years. The building was large, spacious, well ventilated. It had a number of shelves, full of books. However, the soul of the library was missing since there was neither a trained librarian nor any users. It was being managed by a clerk who was protecting the collection and the building without drawing and connecting with users. Unfortunately, this is not a stray story of a neglected public library, but representative of long and widespread neglect of libraries and librarians.

Consider another scenario in the same district in Jharkhand. This was a typical government school in a tribal heartland. It did not have separate library room, as space was a constraint. There were only two teachers in the primary school and no librarian. Teacher and community volunteers had made book holders using locally available gunny bags which were full of picture books in Hindi and Mundari (tribal language). Children had free access to books. The well-thumbed books made it evident that these were in regular use.

The children had also made library cards recording books borrowed for home reading. During the library period, the community volunteer, who had received special training on running a classroom library, did an effective read aloud, using a picture book. She read with voice modulation, moved around in the class to show pictures as she read, asked questions encouraging children to predict what would happen next, and got them to relate their own experiences to characters in the book, communicating in Mundari and Hindi. Childrens interest and engagement with books was apparent. One knew, this could be the beginning of a life-long bond of children with reading and learning.

The Right to Education mandates every school to have a library. While majority of schools have library books, those are locked in cupboards. Only 26% to 40% schools have functional libraries. At the heart of a vibrant library is a professionally trained library teacher who understands books and is committed to childrens learning.

Our collective resolve to invest in building a cadre of librarians who have knowledge, skills and vision for open access libraries for children would be the best way to get children to fall in love with books

India celebrates National Librarian Day on August 12 in the memory of Dr SR Ranganathan. Known as the Father of Library Science in India, he is remembered by library scientists for his seminal contribution through new classification system and cataloging, combining his expertise in mathematics and library science. As an educator, what inspires me is his vision of library and librarianship. He advocated that libraries should be dynamic, books should be used and not hoarded. For him users were most important, they were at the heart of the library.

The author is head, education and sports, Tata Trusts.
The government of Kerala on Monday declared the Vocational Higher Secondary Education (VHSE) first year improvement result 2017. The examination was held in July.

Steps to check the result:

1) Visit the official website of Kerala examination results

2) Click on the link for VHSE FIRST YEAR IMPROVEMENT EXAM RESULTS - JULY 2017

3) Enter your roll number on the login page

4) Click on submit

5) Result will be displayed on the screen

6) Take a printout and save it on your computer

Government of Kerala had announced the Vocational Higher Secondary (plus two) SAY (Save A Year) exam results in July.

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Even after the second round of counselling for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Super Speciality (NEET-SS) more than 500 seats for higher studies in medical (DM) and surgery (MCh) courses remain vacant all over India. Hearing a plea for a third round of counselling to fill up all seats by 25 NEET-SS aspirants, the Supreme Court (SC) recently reserved its judgment on the case, but students hope it will order a third round of counselling soon.

The court chose to combine the case (item 74) with another one (item 64) listed for hearing on September 22, in which advocate Kapil Sibal argued in favour of a mop-up round for NEET SS seats for private colleges and institutes. A mop-up is different from counselling as its meant only for those who do not get a seat in round one or two of counselling. A mop-up round will not do justice to all aspirants as it gives a chance to candidates with low NEET SS ranking to opt for high priority seats, a medical student said.

A third round of counselling will enable all eligible candidates who have qualified NEET-SS to take a shot at priority seats.

Super specialisation seats are precious, these should not go waste or go to candidates who can afford the exorbitant fees of private colleges. All candidates should be given a chance, a medical student told the Hindustan Times.

The NEET SS was held on June 10 and 11 and results were out on July 15. The first round of counselling was held in August for just 1,140 seats. About 828 seats were not offered as states such as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and some institutes did not submit their (seat) vacancy lists.

The apex court ordered a second round and counselling was held from September 14 to 16. Even though Andhra and Telangana submitted their lists, more than 500 seats remained vacant.

Medical students argue that since 828 seats were not offered in the first round of counselling and 500 seats remain vacant now, all super specialisation seats have not been subjected to two rounds of counselling.

Mop-up rounds can be conducted only for a few seats. Only private medical colleges benefit from this as they charge a huge fee. This goes against the ultimate aim of NEET-SS, which is all-round equality and gives a chance to students from all sections of the society to try and complete their super specialisation from good institutes of their choice for a reasonable fee, the student said.

Since judgment has been reserved in the case, the medical students say they are praying for a ruling soon in favour of round three of counselling.
Ladies, you may want to rethink going under the knife to lose weight. According to a recent study, liposuction puts you at the risk of developing a rare genetic condition that can lead to fat globules entering their lungs. Liposuction is a technique in cosmetic surgery for removing excess fat from under the skin by suction.

According to researchers, the condition, known as fat embolism syndrome (FES), is a rare but very serious complication, in which fat travels through the body and blocks blood vessels, but it is notoriously difficult to recognise and diagnose. The authors stressed that liposuction is generally a safe procedure, but it is important for doctors to consider diagnosis of FES, especially in patients with underlying risk factors, such as high body mass index (BMI) and fluid retention (lymphoedema).

The team found that a 45-year-old woman developed a serious life threatening condition after having liposuction. Shortly after the procedure, the woman became drowsy and confused and had a high heart rate. Her condition worsened as she was transferred to intensive care where the doctors suspected that she had dangerously low oxygen levels in her body (acute respiratory distress syndrome). After further tests, the doctors realised that her symptoms pointed to FES.

The woman remained in hospital and was given oxygen and drugs to help with her heart rate and her breathing. FES is a difficult condition to initially diagnose, the authors noted. What makes it even harder is the lack of a standardised set of diagnostic criteria to assist the clinician in making the diagnosis, they explained. The research appears in the British Medical Journal Case Reports.

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A tabulation of the data procured from the Election Commission and a subsequent analysis provides for a grim reflection of the voter turnout in wards dominated by urban population in the recently held Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) elections.

The voter turnout in wards 32-35 averaged to a mere 39.91%, against the citys overall voter turnout of 55.92%, which was also incidentally lower than the turnout of 63.3% in the 2011 elections.

Ward 35, which comprises DLF Phase-3 and Nathupur village, though, was an exception to the low-turnout trend. The voter turnout in this ward was registered at 58.12%, the highest among the four wards.

Wards 32 to 35 comprise a majority of the citys urban areas  DLF phases 1-5, Sushant Lok Phase-1, Suncity, sectors 27, 29, 42, 43, 44, 45, 52, 53 and 54, and Essel Tower.

The villages falling under these wards are Nathupur, Chakkarpur, Sikanderpur, Kanhai and Silokhra, where the voter turnout was above 75%, which helped to significantly boost the overall voter turnout in these wards.

The lowest voter turnout was registered in Ward 32, which comprises DLF Phase-5, Sushant Lok Phase-1, Suncity, sectors 44, 45, 52, 53 and 54, Kanhai village and Silokhra village. The voter turnout in this ward was 28.83%.

The margin of victory in these wards was also relatively close. The difference between the winner and the runner-up candidate in the MCG elections was 930, 245, 142 and 212 in wards 32, 33, 34 and 35, respectively.

Hindustan Times report on Sunday, the election day, had highlighted how the polling centres in the urban areas wore a deserted look as residents preferred to stay indoors. A majority of the residents said they were glued to their television sets, watching a One Day International match between India and Australia.

For our part, we had sent out video messages all over social media and also organised events with celebrities to generate awareness among urban voters and generate voter turnout. However, these efforts and the strategies were largely unsuccessful. For the next elections, we will have to come up with different measures, an official with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) said.

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Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said the performance of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) elections was justified as it took its tally from four in 2011 to 14.

Taking a dig at opposition parties, Khattar said that in 2011, the number of Congress-backed candidates has decreased from 20 to six while the Indian National Lok Dal, which had six councillors last term, has only one this time.

Khattar was in Gurgaon on Tuesday to visit the Sheetla temple. It is strange that opposition is nowhere in the MCG election. The mayor will be from BJP and the party has performed better than the previous time, he said.

He said the opposition leaders are attacking the BJP to mask their poor performances. He also said that the ticket allocation will be reviewed and improved upon.

BJP had aimed to get at least 30 seats and an internal survey by the party leaders had projected victory in 24 wards. Some local leaders were surprised that only 14 candidates had won.

The party leaders are now in the process of placating the rebel candidates who won as independents. About a dozen rebels belong to camps of two senior leaders and they held a meeting on Monday at the residences of the leaders, said sources.

Forming the house is not tough as the party has 14 candidates and only five more are required. The tussle among senior leaders is over who will be the mayor, a party source said.

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The Bombay High Court granted bail on Tuesday to retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Accepting Upadhyays plea on the ground of parity  since the other prime accused in the case have been granted bail by the high court and the apex court  a bench of Justices Ranjit More and Sadhna Jadhav granted him bail against a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.

While the National Investigating Agencys (NIA) counsel Sandesh Patil opposed the bail plea, the HC said its hands were tied in view of the apex courts directions on parity.

The court also asked if Upadhyays role in the blasts was larger than that of prime accused Shrikant Purohit.

Upadhyays counsel, however, denied the same and said, The apex court had recently granted bail to Purohit and that the trial court in Mumbai had also let out two other accused persons in the case, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi. Thus, Upadhyay too must be granted bail.

The NIA, in its charge sheet, had cited transcripts of phone conversations between Upadhyay and Purohit as prime evidence against the former.

The Supreme Court had last month granted bail to Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Seven people were killed in a bomb blast on September 29, 2008 at Malegaon, a communally-sensitive textile town in Nashik district of north Maharashtra.

A special MCOCA court had earlier ruled that the ATS had wrongly applied this law against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Purohit and nine others.
The Delhi high court will on Tuesday hear an anticipatory bail plea filed by Honeypreet Insan, a close aide of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The Haryana Police conducted raids in Delhi on Tuesday as they searched for Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s, is on the run since August 25, hours after Ram Rahim was convicted of raping two women followers. She has been the closest aide of Ram Rahim since 2009. The police is on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted in Nepal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahims adopted daughter, starred in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Papas angel, philanthropist, director, editor and actress Passionate to transform my Rockstar Papas directions into actions -- this is how Honeypreet describes herself on Facebook.

She caught media attention when she accompanied Singh to the CBI court. Insiders say she became his shadow in the past few years. The Deras website on her introduces her as a prodigy of sorts who learnt editing, direction and acting without any training. When her dad watched her putting so much of hard work and learning directing skills so fast, he thought of giving her a chance to debut as a director in MSG The Warrior Lion Heart, says the website.

Honeypreet is from Fatehabad near Hisar.

She was given her present name after the Dera chief got her married to Vishwas Gupta, a Dera follower from Sirsa, in 1999. Dera insiders claim that when Honeypreet complained to Singh that her in-laws were demanding dowry, he adopted her as his daughter in 2009 and made Vishwas his son-in-law, which gave a boost to his business. But soon Gupta fell out with his father-in-law, and in 2011 approached the Punjab and Haryana HC to seek the custody of his wife from the Dera chief.

In 2015, Honeypreet started directing and acting in Singhs movies. Sources say at a meeting of volunteers, he announced that she could be a candidate for his seat.

Last week, Honeypreets former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several other places in Punjab.

With inputs from agencies
A 17-year-old Bengaluru boy drowned in a temple tank in Karnatakas Ramanagara district while his friends posed for a selfie, unaware that Vishwas G was struggling to stay afloat, police said on Tuesday.

The Class 12 student of the National College in Jayanagar in south Bengaluru is the latest victim of the craze for self-portraits in India, which accounts for half of the worlds selfie deaths.

Vishwas was part of a group of NCC cadets who had gone for an outing on Sunday to Kanakapura in Ramanagara district, about 40km from Bengaluru.

They decided to take a dip in a temple tank near Ravagondlu Betta and left the tank after the picnic. The group realised much later that Vishwas was missing, a college teacher told Hindustan Times on Tuesday.

Some students then went through the photos and saw one that had captured the incident, said the teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity fearing reprisal from the administration.

The photograph shows Vishwas drowning  only his hair is visible on the surface of the tank  as the rest of the group smiles for the camera. However, by the time they reached the spot it had already been an hour and his body was nowhere to be found, the teacher said.

The college staff then informed police who pulled out the body, a police official said.

Repeated calls to the college remained unanswered.

Around 25 students were part of the NCC camp and two college staff accompanied them, police said.

One of the students informed Vishwas father, Govindappa, an autorickshaw driver, who filed a police complaint, Ramanagaram superintendent of police Ramesh B said. We have filed a case of unnatural death based on the complaint, he said.

It appeared to be an unfortunate incident which couldnt be blamed on a student, police said. Moreover, the complaint lodged with us does not mention any negligence on the part of those present, Ramesh said.

Selfie deaths in India, one of the worlds fastest growing smart phone markets, has forced authorities in several states to demarcate no-selfie zones but people continue to risk their lives for that one memorable picture.

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Even as the police in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, filed charges of arson and other crimes against 1,200 Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students protesting a sexual assault by motorcycle-borne assailants, the state reported a 33% rise in sexual harassment cases from 2014 to 2015, according to national crime data, which also reveal that 74% of these cases went unpunished.

These data provide context to student allegations that the victim, a fine arts student, is being shamedshe was accused of being out late and trying to be a boyin a state that set up controversial anti-Romeo squads and is among Indias top three states with regard to many crimes against women.

The BHU protests have now garnered national attention, spiralling after the September 21, 2017, assault, when men on a motorcycle groped, abused and passed lewd remarks against the student, made worse by the reaction of vice chancellor GC Tripathi.

Boys will be boys, Tripathi was quoted as saying in the Telegraph. Forget about what happened. Why dont you stop stepping out after 6 pm if you dislike such things? You are a girl, dont try to become a boy (by stepping out after sunset).

My friend's been suspended by BHU administration for raising voice against sexual harassment in campus, while molester's still roaming free! pic.twitter.com/hnvdnnOMhV  Varada Marathe (@Varada_M) September 24, 2017

No further word was forthcoming on the investigation into the sexual attack on the student, but as the events at BHU became a matter of national debate, union minister for road transport Nitin Gadkari said: I express my deepest condolences (at the events at BHU), and our government will inquire it soon.

Sexual harassment cases now comprise three-fourths of all assaults recorded against women in UP, the conviction rate rising from 16% in 2014 to 26% in 2015, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

UPs conviction rate for assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty (which includes sexual harassment, voyeurism and stalking) is better than the all-India rate which is 10%. Specific cases of sexual harassment in UP were 5,925, comprising 75% of this section of the law, the highest number of such cases reported nationwide.

Over 15 years to 2015, cases registered under this head rose 141% to 82,422. The other related section of the law, insult to the modesty of women (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), saw a decline of 11% over the same period.

With 7,885 cases, an 8.3% fall over two years to 2015, UPIndias most populous statereported the third highest number of cases after Maharashtra (11,713) and Madhya Pradesh (8,049) under assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty.

The number of sexual harassment cases in UP were 4,435 in 2014, an increase, as we said, of 33% in 2015, according to NCRB data. In comparison, such cases rose 17% in Maharashtra and declined 19% in MP.

The rise in the number of cases is likely to indicate more women today are coming forward to report crimes against them, according to experts. Crime statistics in UP are often unreliable and likely to be under-reported, IndiaSpend reported on March 13, 2015.

UP also ranked third with 519 cases of stalking, after Maharashtra (1399) and Delhi (1124) in 2015, a decrease of 38% from the previous year, when 835 cases reported were more than any other state.

(Salve is a senior analyst with IndiaSpend, and Nair, a graduate in economics and statistics, is an intern with IndiaSpend.)

(Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit/FactChecker.in is fact-checking initiative, scrutinising for veracity and context statements made by individuals and organisations in public life.)
Pressure mounted on the beleaguered Banaras Hindu Universitys vice chancellor on Tuesday after the Varanasi commissioner blamed the institutes administration for last weekends campus violence and the National Human Rights Commission sought an explanation.

Vice chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi, who was in New Delhi for the universitys executive council meeting, said a judicial investigation was initiated under retired Allahabad high court judge VK Dikshit.

The century-old BHU is rattled by events that unfolded shortly after Saturday midnight when university guards and police cane-charged students protesting alleged inaction on a complaint of molestation on the campus two days before.

Several students, mostly women, and cops were wounded in the crackdown and clashes in which protesters were being accused of arson and throwing stones at police.

As the protests threatened to spread to other universities, the BHU violence became a political talking point with opposition parties Congress and Samajwadi Party accusing the BJP government of mishandling the situation.

The violence became an embarrassment for the state government as it happened when the Prime Minister was visiting his parliamentary constituency, Varanasi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah are said to be keeping an eye on the situation and had sought reports.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath promised stern action against the culprits.

A magisterial probe has been ordered into the brawl and lathi-charge in BHU. Action has already been taken against a few, he said at Gorakhnath temple on Tuesday evening.

He is the chief priest of the popular shrine in Gorakhpur.

Adityanath refused to commit anything on the vice chancellor, though. His role is also being probed. I will say something once the report comes, he said.

The human rights commission issued a notice to the vice chancellor, taking suo motu cognizance of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP police.

Tripathi denied on Monday that woman students were hit during the crackdown.

There was no baton-charge on any girl  Action was taken against criminal and anti-social elements who (vandalised) varsity property, he said.

The vice chancellor dubbed the alleged sexual harassment as part of a larger conspiracy to instigate woman students against him.

The vice chancellor briefed Union human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday about the campus unrest and sent a report to the ministry.

He reported the Centre after Varanasi commissioner Nitin Gokarn submitted a report blaming the university administration for the violence.

The report sent to chief secretary Rajiv Kumar says the BHU did not deal with a hostellers complaint over men on motorcycles molesting her on the campus.

It says a sensitive matter was not handled on time and the situation festered into a major controversy.

Tripathi refused comments on the probe report. But is it possible to find out every fact about such a big incident within 24 hours? he wondered.

The students alleged that campus security and police hit them with lathis, pulled many of them by their hair and dragged them.

Photos and videos from people present on the campus and at the entrance of the BHUs main gate showed police descending on students who had gathered at the two locations.

Some videos, which could not be independently verified, showed policemen thrashing woman students.

(With inputs from HT correspondents in New Delhi)
The countrys medical education regulator has asked a Karnataka college to provide counselling to a second year MBBS student who has threatened suicide after his admission was cancelled because of a severe visual disability.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) was examining if Suresh could be cured though on face of it, the condition seemed incurable, an official told Hindustan Times on Monday.

If so, then there is no way we can allow the student to continue MBBS because our norms are very clear as far as physical disability is concerned, the official said.

As reported by Hindustan Times, 19-year-old Suresh, who hails from Raichur in Karnataka, cant see beyond 8cm.

He threatened suicide after the MCI found his condition too severe for an aspiring doctor and cancelled his admission to the Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences.

He was given admission against seats set aside for disabled students.

In its letter, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, the MCI has asked the college and Raichur district magistrate to handle the case sensitively.

The cancellation order came on June 26, 2017 after Suresh had completed the first of the five years of the medical programme.

MCI rules say the only disability allowed in medical colleges is of the lower limbs, and a candidate has to fall under the 50%-70% severity to be eligible for a reserved seat. Someone with more severe condition is not eligible for admission.

Parliament in December 2016 passed a bill providing 5% reservation without exception to the disabled in all educational institutes. Suresh cant benefit from the law as it came into force in April 2017, almost a year after he joined the college.

we want this matter to be settled early so that he does not waste more time on a career option that is practically not possible for him to pursue, the MCI official said.

Suresh wrote a Notice of Death to the MCI on August 28, detailing his struggle to get into a medical college.

The Kalaburagi bench of Karnataka high court, where Suresh challenged the cancellation, has allowed him to continue the course till its final decision, expected in February 2018.

The court had earlier allowed him to sit his first year examination.

When contacted, Suresh said he was determined to fulfil his childhood dream of being a doctor.

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The CBI has told a parliamentary panel that it was denied permission from the then Central government to approach the Supreme Court against a 2005 Delhi high court order in the Bofors guns case, sources here said.

The six-member Public Accounts Committees sub-committee on defence is looking into non-compliance of certain aspects of a 1986 CAG report on the Bofors Howitzer gun deal.

The panel had last month asked the premier investigating agency why it did not approach the apex court after the Delhi court dismissed proceedings in the case in 2005.

On analysing the Delhi high courts order of 2005, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was of the view that a special leave petition (SLP) should be filed in the apex court, it told the panel, the sources added.

CBI vide its letter dated June 22, 2017, conveyed its views that CBI, as investigative agency was of the view that SLP should be preferred against the order of Delhi high court dated May 31, 2005.., the agency told the panel recently.

It had, however, been denied permission by the governments Department of Personnel and Training, it said.

A proposal was forwarded to the Director (Vig), DoPT, on September 8, 2005. The DoPT vide its order dated November 25, 2005, denied permission for filing an SLP in the matter. Accordingly, no SLP was preferred, it said.

Meanwhile advocate Ajay Agarwal has moved the Supreme Court seeking a reopening of the case.

The CBI had on January 22, 1990, registered an FIR for alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and sections of Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then President of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Europe-based industrialists, the Hinduja brothers.

The CBI had alleged that certain public servants and private individuals in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy for the supply of Howitzer artillery guns and a sum of Rs 64 crore was paid in kickbacks for the deal.

The Delhi high court had in February 2005 quashed the charges against the three Hinduja brothers under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Several members of the parliamentary panel looking into the CAG report on the Bofors deal had asked the CBI to move the Supreme Court against the Delhi high courts 2005 order.
A couple in Madhya Pradesh renounced their three-year-old daughter and property worth Rs 100 crore to become Jain monks. The decision by Sumit and Anamika Rathore to leave their daughter Ibhya this week prompted social activists to appeal to the National Human Rights Commission.

Sumit and Anamika had decided to become monks when Ibhya was only eight months old and, as preparation, started living separately. The couple, who married four years ago, have taken a vow of silence.

A teenager, Varshil Shah, who scored 99.9 percentile in Class 12, announced in June that he would renounce the world to become a Jain monk. ... To attain and maintain peace, I think renouncing the world is the only way, his uncle quoted Shah as saying.

Shahs family follows the Jain principle of Jivdaya, or compassion for all living beings. The use of electricity is restricted in their house as they believe many aquatic animals are killed in the process of power generation, which is also against the Jain vow of ahmisa, or non-violence. The Shahs dont keep a television or a refrigerator at home.

Monkhood in Jainism, one of the oldest religions in India that is followed by less than 1% of the Indian population, means rising above corporeal existence. Although Jains worship deities, they dont believe in God as a creator, protector and destroyer. According to the book Faith and Philosophy of Jainism by Arun Kumar Jain, the preachers are those who have attained ideal knowledge, mastered self control and achieved moksha, the ideal state of being.

Varshil Shah, an Ahmedabad resident, scored 99.99 percentile in his Class 12 Gujarat board examination and took diksha' at a grand ceremony in Surat, Gujarat. (HT File Photo)

Jains believe every living being has a soul and for this reason, devotees and monks are vegetarians. They also avoid eating root vegetables such as onions and some turn vegans because they believe animals are subjected to cruelty in dairy farms.

Before becoming a monk, the diksha ceremony is performed. It is the last ritual in which an individual can indulge in worldly possessions before devoting oneself to a life of spiritual fulfilment that includes celibacy. Some families take out rath yatras called varghodas to mark the ceremony and throw money, utensils, clothes etc to the public.

Monkhood means following the principles of non-violence and tolerance strictly. They cover their mouths with a piece of cloth after the diksha ceremony so they dont swallow any living creature while talking. Accidentally sitting on an ant, touching a flower or a person of the opposite sex is a grave sin. The morning starts with repentance during which the monks decide whether he or she will eat both meals, drink water or fast partially, an article by India Today read.

In the Svetambar sect, the monks hair is plucked out (kesh lok), they wear white seamless clothes and their daily routine involves praying for hours and walking barefoot. They dont eat, drink or travel after sunset and always rise before sunrise, wrote Jain.

My life was full of materialistic things  going for movies, shopping and meeting friends. One day I happened to accidentally listen to an audio CD of Gurudev and since then began to question myself and what my life was about. Then came a day when I made up my mind to give up everything, Ghatkopars Pooja Vegda told The Times of India last year.

Controversies

Social activists have spoken against bal diksha, in which a child embraces monkhood. There have been previous attempts to outlaw Santhara, a practice in which a person who is nearing death stops eating and drinking. No other world religion takes its fasts to this fanatical point; neither do any of them endorse the extinguishment of human life  even if voluntarily by the victim himself, said Shekhar Hattangadi, a law professor and documentary filmmaker.
Hyderabads chief qazi Ali Abdulla Rifai was arrested from an undisclosed destination on Monday night for his involvement in the child bride ring, which is accused of marrying off underage girls to much older men in various parts of the world.

Deputy commissioner of police, Hyderabad (south zone), V Satyanarayana said Abdulla Rifai, also known as Volta Qazi, was arrested along with three Oman Sheikhs and would be produced in court on Tuesday.

Satyanaryana said the crackdown on the ring would continue till the menace ends.

Rifai, a resident of Bhavaninagar in the old city, is considered to be chief qazi of Greater Hyderabad and the head of all qazis in the city.

Following the arrest of over 20 persons, including eight Arab bridegrooms, brokers and local qazis last week, Rifai had gone into hiding. However, a special team of the Falaknuma police tracked him down and arrested him.

The qazi was arrested in the past too, for performing child marriages with elderly foreign nationals and was suspended by the state minorities department. However, he got bail and a stay order against his suspension.

The police have so far identified more than 35 brokers in Hyderabad alone, of which 25 were women. Four lodge owners and five brokers and three qazis were also arrested, including chief qazi of Mumbai, Farid Ahmed Khan, who was considered the kingpin.

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Former senator of the United States Larry Pressler said on Monday India is getting more weight as compared to Pakistan under the Trump administration, although the two countries were treated equally by the US in the past.

Under the new regime of US President Donald Trump, India is getting more weight than Pakistan. Earlier, both the countries were treated equally, but now the situation has changed, he said.

Pressler was speaking here at the launch of his new book  Neighbours in Arms: An American Senators Quest for Disarmament in a Nuclear Sub-Continent.

During his speech, he dwelt on a wide range of issues, including Indo-Pak relations, China, growing tension among countries holding nuclear weapons and lobbying that is influencing the foreign policy of countries, including the US.

An octopus-like nexus of lobbyists, arms dealers, law firms, PR and consultancy firms has been active internationally and influencing the foreign policies, Pressler said.

On the Indo-Pak relations, he said, Pakistan was a pet state of generals in the Pentagon, more so of the arms lobby and more so of the octopus, hence was the equal treatment to India and Pakistan, despite Indias reservations. We do need generals, but they needed to be controlled by the Congress.

On Pakistans role to support the US war against terrorism and how the latter got disappointed with it, he said, We never got any help in Afghanistan from Pakistan.

In fact, they harboured terrorists including (Osama) Bin Laden...I have asked (the US government) to declare Pakistan as a terrorist state, equal to North Korea, a rogue state. And Trump may declare it, he said.

He also said Chinas continued support to Pakistan would worsen its already tense relationship with India.

I think China is not getting anything from Pakistan. It (China) is a smart country, the former Senator from South Dakota said.

Commenting on the US foreign policy, he said, We had almost lost control over our foreign policy. The law firms had at least a law of not having clients from both the sides, but the newly-emerged consultancy firms...they do not have such a binding.

India-China are not going to have war. China might build few roads, but it is not relying too much on Pakistan. I am not worried about China and Pakistan doing (anything serious) together. They can make loud noise, he said in response to a query.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi invoked Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Indias first home minister hailing from Gujarat, to woo people of the state which is bound for polls later this year.

Addressing a Patidar-dominated crowd donning skull caps with slogan written Jai Sardar, Jai Patidar at Tankara and Dhrol, Rahul said Gujarat had given Sardar Patel and it would have to play an important role in taking the country forward.

You (patidars) gave Sardar Patelji... Gujarat gave Sardar Patelji. Gujarat will have to take lead in taking nation to new heights, he said.

Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi-promoted Gujarat model of development a failure, Rahul called for the return of the old Amul model, which he said catered to all sections of the society.

Modijis Gujarat model has failed. We need old Gujarat model of Amul, which aims for development of all, he said.

Amul is a brand owned by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation which is jointly owned by 3.6 million milk producers in the state. It was set up in 1946 in response to the exploitation of milk producers by the only existing dairy Polson Dairy, and spurred White Revolution, making it the worlds largest producer of milk and milk products.

Amid chants of Jai Sardar, Jai Patidar, Gandhi recalled the deaths of 14 Patidar youths in clashes with police in 2015 while demanding reservation, and said, When the youth asked for their right, BJP treated you with bullets... this is not the Congress way... Congress believes in taking everyone along.

Gandhi also raised the issue of unemployment and farmers plight in the farm-rich belt of the state, which is dominated by Patidars who have been demanding reservation in government jobs and education under the other backward classes (OBC) category.

As Gandhi tried to woo Patidars, the BJP-led state government under chief minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday called groups involved with the Patidar agitation for talks.

Hardik Patel, the face of the agitation, said he would participate in talks with the government.

Rahul is on a three-day poll campaign Navsarjan tour of Gujarat and is scheduled to visit Khodaldham, the pilgrimage place for influential Leuva Patidars.

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Justice Jayant Patel of the Karnataka high court has resigned in protest against a move to transfer him to Allahabad.

The Supreme Court collegium that decides transfers of judges shifted Patel, the second senior-most judge in Karnataka and tipped to be the acting chief justice of the states high court after Chief Justice SK Mukherjees retirement on October 9.

I have put in my papers on Monday. The Chief Justice of India has sent me a letter seeking my consent to be transferred to Allahabad high court. However, I choose to resign, he said over the phone from Ahmedabad, where he is spending the courts autumn break.

If moved to Allahabad high court, Patel would become the third senior-most judge there. He is to retire next year.

Before Karnataka, Patel was a judge in the Gujarat high court where he ordered a CBI investigation into killing of Ishrat Jehan, a Mumbai college girl shot dead with three men by police in 2004 on the suspicion of being a terrorist.

The order put Gujarat police officers under judicial scrutiny. Police had accused the 19-year-old girl of being an operative of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group. She was allegedly on a mission to kill Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat.

Justice Patel has sent his resignation to the law ministry and the Chief Justice of India.

Rules say the President has to accept, or reject, his resignation. It is unclear is the letter was forwarded to President Ram Nath Kovind.

Sources said Patel is protesting against his non-elevation to the post of chief justice or acting chief justice of a high court.

He is the senior-most judge from Gujarat. Sources said there is no Gujarat representative as chief justice either in the top court or in high courts.

Patels resignation drew sharp reactions from the Gujarat High Court Bar Association that had criticised the top court collegiums for not elevating the judge.

The association condemned the Supreme Courts latest move, saying it would strike work on Wednesday and challenge the transfer.

Patel began his career as a district court lawyer in Rajkot in 1979. He moved to the Gujarat high court in 1985 and became a judge in 2001. He became a permanent high court judge three years later.

He was appointed acting chief justice of the Gujarat high court in August 2015. But in February next year he was sworn in as judge of the Karnataka high court.
After the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, few anticipated Manmohan Singh to become the prime minister. Congress president Sonia Gandhi threw a surprise by proposing Singhs name as the partys prime ministerial nominee. He was endorsed by party members, as Gandhi was assumed to be the natural claimant for the post.

Born on September 26, 1932 in Gah village of Pakistans Punjab province, Singh held several key positions such as economic adviser to the government and deputy chairman of Planning Commission before being catapulted to the position of the Prime Minister in 2004. The first Sikh prime minister of the country was sworn in by then president APJ Abdul Kalam.

The economist, who turned 85 on Tuesday, headed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government as the 14th Prime Minister and its success probably won him his second term. He demitted the prime ministers office after 10 years, the longest after the Jawaharlal Nehrus 17 years in office, and left a mixed legacy of achievements and setbacks.

Warm birthday wishes to our former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. May he lead a long life filled with good health.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 26, 2017

Many happy returns of the day to Dr Manmohan Singh. You served the nation with great dignity. May you continue to do so for many many years  Sheila Dikshit (@SheilaDikshit) September 26, 2017

Singh is credited with playing a key role in ushering in economic reforms in the 1990s, when India liberalised its economy. A celebrated economist, he entered politics during the peak of the 1991 economic crisis when late prime minister PV Narasimha Rao inducted him into the government as a finance minister. Together they lifted the economy out of the balance of payments crisis and paved the way for economic reforms on which no successive government has looked back.

A technocrat who had occupied various positions, including as the Reserve Bank governor and secretary general of the South-South Commission, he had earned a name for probity and integrity that made him the automatic choice for Sonia Gandhi for the PMs post.

The fruitful five years

Singhs administration brought in a sense of balance in the communally-charged country. The government led by Singh delivered a robust 8.5% GDP growth for most of his tenure and first five years were marked by initiatives such as MNREGA and RTI.

The highlight of Singhs first term was also the strong stand taken by the soft-spoken prime minister on the India-US civil nuclear deal despite strong opposition from Congress allies. Putting his foot down on the issue, Singh asserted that he will not go back on the international commitment even if it means the fall of his government. The Left parties did withdraw support to his government but it survived in the confidence vote with the help of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.

Besides working for stronger ties with the US, Singhs personal commitment to maintaining peaceful ties with Pakistan helped keep bilateral relations on track.

Problems in second term

The Singh-led governments second term was tainted by three major scams -- 2G, CWG and coal blocks allocations fraud cases -- whose combined amount was said to be to the tune of Rs 4 lakh crore, prompting the Opposition to allege that there was unprecedented corruption. The accusations were followed by government policy paralysis.

Adding to the woes of his government was the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption crusade that acquired widespread dimensions at the cost of the Congress. As predictions of bad performance by the Congress came, party leaders said that the government did not communicate well its achievements. It was seen as a veiled attack on Singh for remaining silent.

Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. (PTI File Photo)

Ironically, a man whose personal honesty was not questioned presided over a government that was marked by a series of scams. The perceived dual power centre in the Congress in the form of power vesting with party chief Sonia Gandhi also haunted him, with critics calling him a weak prime minister.

Awards

Among the many awards and honours conferred upon Singh in his public career, the most prominent are the Padma Vibhushan (1987); the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of Indian Science Congress (1995); the Asia Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year (1993 and 1994); the Euro Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year (1993), the Adam Smith Prize of the University of Cambridge (1956); and the Wrights Prize for Distinguished Performance at St. Johns College in Cambridge (1955).

He is a recipient of honorary degrees from many universities including the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. His initial education took place in Pakistans Punjab province.

(A version of this article was published in 2014)
Union minister of state for home affairs Hansraj Ahir criticised BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Tuesday for his views that Rohingya Muslims should be given asylum in India after security vetting, saying those who have national interest in mind should not make such statements.

Jo desh ke hith mein sochenga woh is tarah ke bayan nahi dega (Anyone who has national interest in mind, wont make such statements), Ahir told reporters in Delhi.

In an article written in a Hindi daily, Gandhi said India must give asylum to Rohingyas but before that analysis of genuine security concerns should be done.

After Ahirs comments, Gandhi said his recent piece focused primarily on defining Indias asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how we would accept refugees.

As for the Rohingyas, Ive called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns (sic), he tweeted.

As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns.  Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) September 26, 2017

The BJP, in its national executive on Monday, adopted a resolution supporting the governments stand on the Rohingya issue, saying it fulfilled its responsibilities by providing humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees while ensuring that internal security was not compromised for its 125 crore citizens.

Terming the Rohingya refugees as illegal immigrants, the government recently told the Supreme Court that some of them were part of a sinister design of Pakistans ISI and terror groups such as the ISIS, whose presence in the country will pose a serious national security threat.

Home minister Rajnath Singh last week had said Rohingyas were not refugees who have applied for asylum in India but illegal immigrants who will be deported.
Banaras Hindu University is in the eye of a storm after a protest by women students against an incident of molestation on campus turned violent. The university called in the police, who lathi-charged the students, most of them girls. In the aftermath of the protest, the university was shut four days early for Dusshera holidays and FIRs were registered against 1,000 students.

The university administration has sought to portray the protest as politically motivated. But in an interview to The Indian Express, vice chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi, defended his actions with every sexist argument in his arsenal.

One of the most damaging statements that the V-C makes in the interview is to downplay the reason for the protest, asserting at the outset that it is not an incident of molestation, it is one of eve-teasing.

Eve-teasing. That very South Asian term belittles womens experience of facing harassment every single day. It is equivalent to the Hindustani chhed khani or chhed-chhad that carries implications of teasing or playful naughtiness rather than violence and violation of ones personal space.

Euphemisms like eve-teasing or chhed-chhad that seek to normalise or veil such behaviour, need to pass out of usage for India to confront the full horror of what harassment entails.

Tripathi may dismiss the incident as merely eve-teasing, but for the women at the receiving end, it is not. It is harassment, sexual harassment and molestation. A spoken word, groping or lewd gesture is repulsive and can make you feel violated.

Tripathi explains at length about how Thursdays unfortunate incident was triggered by vested interests and ulterior motives to vitiate the universitys atmosphere before the Prime Ministers visit to Varanasi, his constituency. In fact, though Tripathi, the university administration or the police have not come forth with any information on the molesters, the V-C claims the molestation was done to trigger this fiasco.

No girl or student feels unsafe anywhere on campus. The only ones who always feel so are members of student bodies like AISA and SFI, says Tripathi, a former RSS man, accusing protestors of politicizing the incident.

This deliberately dismissive view of the situation completely ignores the rampant sexual harassment at BHU. A HuffPost report points out that this is hardly the first case of harassment reported since Tripathi took over in 2014. Anger has been simmering for a long time. Women visiting the Lanka market near the universitys Singh Dwar gate carry a huge target on their backs as the area is known for harassment.

There is also a stubborn refusal to confront gender discrimination on campus. A HT report from last year details the stifling atmosphere that female students at BHU experience. The curfew deadline for womens hostel is 8 pm, while boys can stay out till 10 pm. Boys are allowed to use their mobiles after 10 pm or access the library till 11 pm  both privileges denied to girls. Even WiFi facilities in the girls hostel were installed as recently as two weeks ago, while boys have enjoyed these facilities much earlier.

Policing women and limiting their access to public space under the guise of protecting them is patriarchys time-worn tactic. Yet, in the face of these glaring inequalities, Tripathi insists that there is no discrimination and justifies the hostel curfew timings. Security for boys and girls can never be at par, Tripathi explains. All these rules are for their safety, all in favour of the girl students.

This argument  that rules which constrain and limit women are for their own good  is not only patronising, but actually contributes to victim-blaming. It makes it so much easier to pin the blame on the woman, to say that since she did not adhere to the rules, she is inviting the harassment.

Is there no way to make campuses safer for women other than locking them up? And if protecting its women students ranked so high on the universitys priorities, why did it stand by and let police assault them with lathis?

The women protesting at BHU were asking for the right to feel safe and equal on campus. They demanded security without curtailing their freedoms and for the university to hear their complaints without blaming and shaming the victim. An academic institution with a century-old legacy should have honoured these demands, rather than failing its women students.

If we are going to listen to every demand of every girl, we wont be able to run the university, says Mr Tripathi. But if BHUs long-standing problems are to be fixed, that is exactly what you must do, Mr vice chancellor.

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India will not send troops to war-torn Afghanistan, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said after a meeting with her visiting American counterpart on Tuesday, but pledged to help the troubled country build infrastructure and stamp out terrorist safe havens.

The announcement clears the governments stand in the backdrop of President Donald Trumps speech this August when he, outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan, urged India to assist efforts to restore security in the country.

There shall not be boots from India on the ground in Afghanistan, Sitharaman said at a joint media briefing with US defense secretary Jim Mattis, the first high-ranking cabinet official in the Trump administration to visit India.

Mattis also briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the progress of deals signed and decisions taken during his June visit to the US. They discussed bilateral cooperation toward peace, stability and combating terrorism.

The Prime Minister recalled his wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions with President Trump.

India vowed to continue efforts to build Afghanistans infrastructure such as dams, schools, hospitals, roads and any institution the country requires.

New Delhi has contributed around $3 billion toward building highways, power transmission lines, dams, and a new parliament as well as to aid public health and education in Afghanistan.

We are also at the moment training their officials in good governance... Indias contribution has been there and we shall expand if necessary, Sitharaman said, underscoring New Delhis counterterrorism drill for Afghan soldiers.

Indias refusal to involve its military in Afghanistan is viewed as a diplomatic strategy for maintaining fragile peace with arch-rival Pakistan.

Islamabad has long vied with New Delhi for influence in Afghanistan and it sees Indias humanitarian work as one-upmanship. It also accuses India of trying to use the war-ravaged country as a base for anti-Pakistan activities.

But Trump accused Pakistan, saying it offered safe haven to agents of chaos. His administration stepped up pressure on Islamabad for more action against militant groups operating from its soil that are blamed for attacks in India and Afghanistan.

Mattis did not name Pakistan but said India and the US would work together to fight terrorism.

There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens, he said. As global leaders, India and the United States resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge.

For her part, Sitharaman minced no words and said terrorist attacks in Mumbai or New York originated from Pakistan.

The very same forces which did find safe haven in Pakistan were the forces that hit New York as well as Mumbai, she said.

The two ministers discussed defence deals with India, one of the worlds biggest military equipment buyers. India-US defence ties have expanded rapidly, with New Delhi buying US weapons worth $15 billion over the past decade, moving away from traditional supplier Russia.

The talks focused on deals that involve the transfer of technology, with New Delhi pressing Washington to share technology and wanting to manufacture its own fighter jets.

We look forward to sharing some of our most advanced defence technologies, Mattis said.

India wants to buy for its navy 22 Sea Guardian drone aircraft, whose June approval by the US government was the first such clearance to a non-NATO ally.

Sitharaman appreciated Americas willingness to share further cutting-edge platforms which would enhance Indias defence preparedness to meet current and emerging threats.

Military experts say US weapons transfers aim at bolstering Indian capabilities to develop a counterweight against Chinas growing military assertiveness and rising tension from missile tests by North Korea.

India and the US discussed ways to deepen maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The armies of the two countries are conducting a joint drill, called Yudh Abyas, and the navies recently concluded the 2017 edition of Malabar, a trilateral exercise between India, the US and Japan.

Mattis said these exercises boosted operational cooperation.

(with agency inputs)
A militant was killed on Tuesday as the Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of north Kashmirs Baramulla district.

An infiltration bid has been eliminated in general area Zorawar of Uri sector. One terrorist has been killed, an Army official said.

He said a weapon has been recovered from the site of the encounter. The operation is on and further details are awaited, the official added.

On September 20, the Border Security Force (BSF) had killed two infiltrators in the Ajnala sector in Amritsar. An AK-47 assault rifle, a pistol and over two dozen bullet rounds were recovered.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced a new scheme to provide power to all people, marking the birth anniversary celebrations of Sangh ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay.

The scheme, pegged at Rs 16,320 crore, will provide free electric connections to an estimated 4 crore poor households.

Here are the details of the scheme:

* The scheme aims to set up basic electricity infrastructure in villages and provide free electricity connections to below poverty line (BPL) households.

* The Saubhagya scheme wants to connect all un-electrified rural and urban households who are willing to take a power connection.

* The government hopes that by pumping Rs 16000 crore into the economy, additional job opportunities may open up.

* The new scheme is set to give several social benefits to poor households as can be envisaged with the use of power. The PM remarked that people who dont have electricity, live in the 18th century.

* Though the power connections, that will cost between Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,000, will be given free, the government has said there would not be any subsidy for monthly consumption of electricity. Consumers will have to pay the bill as per their utilisation, said a source.

* All power meters will have technology driven registration, payment and consumer billing to avoid any leakage. There will be both centre and state-level monitoring and web-based monitoring mechanism of the scheme.

* Rural people, who dont fall within the ambit of the socio-economic caste census that determines the level of poverty, will pay Rs 500 for connection. They will have 10 installment facilities. Urban non-poor excluded from the scheme.

* 90% of the targeted un-electrified households falls in the more than 10 states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and J&K.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday wished his predecessor Manmohan Singh on his birthday praying for his long life.

Warm birthday wishes to our former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. May he lead a long life filled with good health, Modi said in a tweet.

Warm birthday wishes to our former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. May he lead a long life filled with good health.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 26, 2017

Singh, who turned 85 on Tuesday, was the Prime Minister between 2004 and 2014 during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.

His political career began in 1991 when he was appointed as the countrys finance minister under late Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.

It was the same year during which he helped usher in liberalisation and privatisation to the Indian economy.
A senior official of the municipal department in Andhra Pradeshs Visakhapatnam was arrested by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on Monday night for allegedly amassing assets worth over Rs 500 crore, just three days before his retirement.

Golla Venkata Raghurami Reddy, director of state town planning in municipal administration department, was arrested after ACB authorities raided his house and other properties in 15 places, including Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, and Maharashtras Shirdi.

Reddy will retire on Wednesday. He was planning to throw a grand party to his friends and relatives on the occasion of his retirement at a resort abroad and even booked flight tickets for them.

He also owns a hotel, Sai Suraj Kunj, in Shirdi and 300 acres of valuable land in Gannavaram near Vijayawada among other properties. ACB officers also found Rs 50 lakh in cash at Reddys residence.

ACB director general RP Thakur said the raids, which began on Monday morning, would continue on Tuesday as well. The market value of the assets confiscated so far has been estimated to be around Rs 500 crore.

We are yet to open the bank lockers of Reddy. Only after that, we would be able to arrive at the magnitude of the wealth, he said.

Reddy was arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act for possessing assets disproportionate to his income, which would be around Rs 1 lakh per month. The investigation is going on into the alleged irregularities indulged in by Reddy, the official said.

The ACB authorities also raided the houses of his cousin Vijayawada town planning AO Venkata Sivaprasad and other relatives, who were acting as benamis of Reddy.

According to ACB sources, as many as 15 teams participated in the simultaneous raids that began in different places in the state, including one in Shirdi, early in the morning. Raids were conducted in Guntur, Chittoor and Mangalagiri as well.

The jewelleries seized from the residence of Golla Venkata Raghurami Reddy, director of state town planning in municipal administration department. (HT Photp)

Raids were also conducted under the supervision of ACBs deputy superintendent of police Ramadevi at Sivaprasads residence in Vijayawada, where they found kilos of gold and diamonds worth Rs 19 crore stashed in washing machines.

Sources said Sivaprasads wife Gayatri was also acting as a benami of Reddy. She was found to be in possession of several promissory notes, gold ornaments, gold idols and owns one functional hall in Mangalagiri, 16 flats in several apartment complexes and hundreds of acres farmlands in Velpur.

Eight people, including Reddys in-laws, were found to be holding properties on behalf of Reddy.

Raghu, who joined the town planning department as assistant director in 1988, later worked in Nellore, Anantapur, and Visakhapatnam.

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JD(U) rebel MP Sharad Yadav has been dropped as the chairman of the parliamentary committee on industry following his partys communication to the Rajya Sabha chairman.

Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, who was elected as the JD(U) parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha in place of Yadav, replaces the former party chief as the head of the parliamentary committee, according to an official communication.

Following Yadavs stand against JD(U) chief Nitish Kumars decision to ally with the BJP, his party has also urged Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to disqualify him from the House due to his alleged anti-party activities. Naidu is yet to take a decision on the plea.

The latest rejig of parliamentary panels has also seen the Congress losing the chairmanship of the key committee on law, which is looking into the issue of electoral reforms.

The opposition party is now heading five committees while the BJPs tally has gone up to 10.

The BJP and its allies are now heading as many as 14 parliamentary standing committees while the opposition is left with 10.

According to a Rajya Sabha bulletin, out of the total 24 department-related standing committees of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the BJP is now heading 10, the Congress 5, two by the TMC and one each by the Shiv Sena, the SAD, the SP, the JD(U), the AIADMK, the BJD and the TDP.

However, crucial panels on home, external affairs and finance will continue to be chaired by the Congress. BJP MP B C Khanduri has got another term as chairman of the committee on defence.

Congress MPs P Chidambaram, Shashi Tharoor and M Veerappa Moily have been given another term as head of the panels on home affairs, external affairs and finance respectively.

BJP MP Bhupender Yadav is now the new chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, in place of Congress MP Anand Sharma.

Sharma will now head the committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests in place of his party leader Renuka Chowdhury.

The panel headed by Yadav on commerce will now be chaired by his partys ally SAD MP Naresh Gujaral.

TMC MP Derek OBrien has replaced Mukul Roy as chairman of the committee on transport, tourism and culture.

Heads of the remaining panels have been given extension.

Sharad Yadav calls Nitish Kumar selfish, betrayer

JD-U rebel leader and former party President Sharad Yadav on Tuesday called Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a selfish person and a betrayer for breaking the Grand Alliance and forming a new government with the BJP.

Nitish Kumar is swarthi (selfish) and vishwashghati (betrayer). He has no principles or ideology, Sharad Yadav said while addressing public meetings in Rohtas and Kaimur districts during the second phase of his campaign that he launched in Bihar on Monday to expose Nitish Kumars game plan.
Abdul Qayoom Najar, one of the most dreaded and among the longest-surviving Kashmiri militants, was killed in an encounter with security forces along the Line of Control in north Kashmirs Uri on Tuesday, police said.

Najar, 43, joined the insurgency when he was 16. Imtiyaz Hussain, the senior superintendent of police (SSP) Baramulla told HT that Najar was behind more than 50 killings, IED blasts, weapon snatchings and attacks on mobile towers.

Najar, the SSP added, is said to have joined the militancy in the early 90s and had gone to Pakistan in 2015. He was returning to Kashmir to revive operations of the Hizbul Mujahideen after the militant groups top brass was neutralised by forces in recent months, he said.

Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC this morning, Hussain said. He was the fifth militant to be killed in Uri since Sunday.

Top HM terrorist Qayoom Najar r/o Sopore killed while trying to infiltrate at Lachipora, Uri. Big achievement for SFs- @adgpi @JmuKmrPolice pic.twitter.com/MLrsDIO7D2  Nitish Kumar (@nitishcop) September 26, 2017

Police said in a press release that Najar was sent by the United Jehad Councils commander Syed Salahudin to revive the Hizbul Mujahideen, whose commanders of north Kashmir Pervaiz Wani and Yasin Yatoo were killed recently.

Najar is said to be the perpetrator of a series of attacks on mobile towers and tower operators in 2014-15. He was expelled from the Hizbul Mujahedeen in July 2015 after being held responsible for deaths of innocent civilians in these attacks.

Najar reportedly started as a top commander after the killing of militant Abdul Majid Dar in 2003, a death many see as being orchestrated by Najar. Dar, according to the police, had entered into a dialogue with the Indian government in 2000.

He was recalled to the base camp in Muzaffarabad in Pak-occupied-Kashmir to sort out the differences, a police press note said.

The same year, when police circulated a most-wanted notice for Najar announcing a reward of Rs 10 lakh, a shopkeeper in Kupwara accused the police of using his picture instead of the dreaded militant, who was a lookalike. The gaffe had then made headlines.

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One in every four alleged cases of sexual harassment in Indias universities come from colleges in Uttar Pradesh, according to official data, underscoring a problem that emerged in focus this week after a womans alleged molestation led to violence in Banaras Hindu University.

A student said she was attacked outside her hostel in Varanasis BHU and her attempts to lodge a complaint were rebuffed, prompting several women students to begin a sit-in. Late on Saturday, police cane-charged the protesters as their numbers swell and an inquiry by the Varanasi administration blamed BHU officials for letting the agitation go out of hand.

According to data collected by the University Grants Commission between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 for a first survey to size up the problem of sexual harassment on campuses, 103 women students alleged they were victimised. Among those, 24 were from UP, but none from the BHU.

Cases were reported from Aligarh University, Ambedkar University, and Sharda University among others. Of 16 cases reported from Punjab, 12 were from Panjab University, Chandigarh. Eight complaints came from Haryana and 15 from University of Calicut in Kerala.

The UGC data, particularly relating to UP, reflected a trend supported by statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau, the official compiler of crime statistics in the country. The number of sexual harassment cases in the state went up by 33% -- from 4,435 in 2014 to 5,925 in 2015, reported Indiaspend, a data journalism website, quoting NCRB figures.

Cases range from eve-teasing, stalking, to sending vulgar messages to girl students. This includes students as well as teachers. In many cases, deduction of marks has been carried out as a penalty, affidavit of good conduct has been taken from students, students are put on discipline probation and debarred from campus placements, a senior UGC official told HT.

The commission had notified specific rules to tackle sexual harassment of students and staff that required institutions to take action on complaints of all sexes.

The regulation has notified a provision for third-party complaints that allows a victims friends, colleagues or any other person to file a complaint on their behalf.

The complaint needs to be filed within three months of the offence and the university or college would have to face action including fund cuts if they failed to follow regulations. The UGC guidelines said that the internal committee of the college or university is liable to complete its probe within 90 days and the authorities have to take action within 30 days. If found guilty, the university or college can rusticate a student while an employee or teacher has to face action according to the service rule, explained a senior UGC official.

The commission has also asked institutions whether workshops or awareness programmes against sexual harassment were conducted during the year.

In one complaint from a university in NCR, a student complained of stalking by fellow classmates. In the action-taken report, the authorities said a written apology was taken from the accused and counselling sessions were conducted. A fine of Rs 2,000 was also imposed.

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Pressure mounted on Banaras Hindu Universitys vice chancellor GC Tripathi on Tuesday after the Varanasi commissioner blamed the varsity administration and the National Human Rights Commission asked for an explanation over last weekends violence on campus.

Students, mostly women, were cane-charged shortly after Saturday midnight when they were protesting the universitys alleged inaction over a reported molestation in campus on Thursday. The crackdown left several students wounded and clashes that followed injured a number of policemen.

V-C Tripathi, who was in New Delhi for the varsitys executive council meeting on Tuesday, said that an inquiry will be headed by retired Allahabad high court judge VK Dikshit. The decision was also announced on Monday by the university.

The human rights panel issued a notice to the V-C over the crackdown and molestation case later in the afternoon. Suo motu cognizance taken in subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP police, the NHRC said.

Earlier in the day, Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn submitted a report that blamed the university administration. Sent to chief secretary Rajiv Kumar, the report said BHU did not deal with the victims complaint in a sensitive manner and did not handle the situation on time, said a senior administrative official.

The report also said that if the matter had been settled on time then there would not have been such a big controversy.

Photos and videos from people present inside the campus and at the entrance of the BHUs main gate showed large groups of police descending on students who had gathered at the two locations. Some videos, which HT could not independently verify, showed male cops raining blows with a stick on female students.

Tripathi late on Monday denied that women students were hit during the crackdown. There was no baton-charge on any girl on the varsity premises during the intervening night of September 23 and 24. Action has been taken against criminal and anti-social elements who (vandalised) varsity property, a press statement issued late on Monday by Tripathi said.

The vice chancellor also dubbed the alleged sexual harassment as part of a larger conspiracy to instigate women students against him.

We have asked the administration for initiating a dialogue with the students through the vice-chancellor and a decision to set up close circuit TV cameras there had been taken, said Sharma.

The campus unrest drew flak against chief minister Yogi Adityanath as Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government for the police action.

(With inputs from HTC in New Delhi)

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Bengalis followed a tradition of writing letters to elders, especially relatives living far away, conveying pranam after Dasami, the last day of Durga puja. It suffered after the advent of computers and email, and perished with the advent of cellphones and social networking platforms.

The authorities of Birbhum district in West Bengal have decided to reintroduce the dead art with the district primary school council taking up a letter writing competition among the students of class 4 and 5.

Read: Meet the men who write love letters to somebody elses girlfriend

There are more than 2,400 primary schools in the district, and the number of students in class 4 and 5 will be about a lakh.

The competition will introduce young minds to the beautiful art. We have already informed every circle in the district, said Raja Ghosh, chairman of Birbhum district primary school council.

The competition will be held on October 25. The students have to write a letter within only 75 words conveying their pranam to elders.

The competition will held in the schools. The letters will be collected by the teachers and would be sent to the district council through the school inspectors. Then they will hold a meeting to select the best ones. Though participation is not mandatory, the authorities wish that everybody takes part.

Read: Youve got mail! 5 postcard and letter-writing services to check out

The tradition of sending letters conveying bijoyar pranam was alive even in the eighties. Bengalis celebrate bijoya which involves embracing each other and touching the feet of elders after the diol is immersed, a ritual on Dasami, the last day of the puja.

Its a nice idea. It will introduce the children to a beautiful but dead tradition. It will also prompt their parents to think whether they can encourage their children to start writing letters. The handwritten letter is one of the most charming ways of human expression, said Subhabrata Mitra , a teacher of Mitrapur Nimno Buniyadi Primary School.

It immediately took me back to my childhood, said Sabeya Sultana, a teacher of Kestara Primary School.
UP Congress Committee president Raj Babbar on Monday said BHU vice-chancellor Prof Girish Chandra Tripathi should be booked for his failure to protect girl students on the campus.

Speaking to HT over the phone, Babbar said like the owners of Ryan International School in Gurgaon, who failed to protect their student who was murdered on the school premises, the BHU VC should be booked for not addressing the problems of students.

As BHU VC, it is his responsibility to hear the complaints of girls and take appropriate action. He neither heard their complaints nor took any action in eve-teasing case, he said.

Babbar said the VC was responsible for cane-charging on girls as he didnt take action on the girls complaint.

He expressed anger for not being allowed by the administration to meet the girls who sustained injuries in the lathi-charge. He also raised objection over registration of a police case against 1,000 unidentified students.

I have come to know that 1,000 unidentified students have been booked. It is sad that students are being blamed for the incident, he said.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who gave the slogan of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, should have stopped and listened to the problems of girl students.

Read more| BHU campus tense: As police file cases against students, UP sees 33% rise in sexual harassment

He claimed that the administration and the government were trying to intimidate girls.

YOUTH CONG ACTIVISTS TORCH EFFIGIES OF MODI, YOGI

Members of the Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress (UPYC) took out a march, got their heads tonsured and burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath to protest against lathi-charge on BHU students on Saturday.

The police stopped the Congress youth wing leaders near UP Sunni Central Waqf Board office as they tried to move towards GPO Park from the UP Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarters.

UPYC (central zone) president Ankit Parihar, who led the march, demanded that a case be registered against those responsible for lathi-charge.

Lucknow unit president of UPYC Manoj Tiwari said partymen protested against the detention of UPCC president Raj Babbar in Shivpur area of Varanasi.
Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav changed the script at the eleventh hour and did not announce the formation of a new party on Monday, sending shock waves in his brother Shivpal Yadav camp.

Shivpal wants to form a new party or a front with Mulayams support and Mulayam was all set to read a script penned by the Shivpal camp on Monday. Instead, he came to the press conference armed with his own three-page statement. "I will read this out," he said ignoring a piece of paper forwarded by Sharda Pratap Shukla, a senior leader. "Will read that later," he told him.

Once through reading his statement, Mulayam told reporters, "I am not forming any party." Mulayam was holding a press conference at the Lohia Trust office in Lucknow.

Minutes after Mulayams statement that he will not form a new party, Akhilesh Yadav tweeted: "Netaji zindabad, Samajwadi Party zindabad".

Shivpal Yadav, who was to attend the press conference did not reach there. He reportedly also cancelled the 2 pm press conference that he was likely to address at the same venue .

Mulayam did criticise Akhilesh Yadav and called him a betrayer. But at the same time said: "How long can differences survive between a father and son?"

The veteran leader also ducked the question on who would he chose -- Shivpal or Akhilesh?

The night before, it was almost certain that Mulayam will announce a new party. Lok Dal president Sunil Singh too was invited to the press conference as it was expected that Mulayam will take over the Lok Dal. But Sunil Singh too did not attend the press conference.

The Shivpal camp supporters eagerly anticipated an announcement about the new party. A bunch of them even shouted slogans outside the venue. But all went quiet once Mulayam cleared the air.

Sources quoting the original press note, a portion of which also got leaked at the press conference, said, "The page had an announcement about the formation of a new party. Netaji was to read out: I have unnecessarily been going through humiliation for the last one year. They did not invite me to the state convention, while it was I who founded the party in 1992. Despite humiliation, I tried my level best to keep the party one. But now respecting the sentiments of party workers, I have decided to form a party in which I will include like-minded people to make a new political path, the outline of which will soon be laid down."

The protracted Yadav family feud has been going on since August last. The power struggle within the SP has split the Yadav family with the patriarch Mulayam siding with his brother Shivpal much to the chagrin of his son Akhilesh. On January 1 this year, an emergency session of the party announced Akhilesh Yadav as the national president replacing Mulayam.

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While UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath was discussing Ken-Betwa river inter-linking project with the union water resources ministry in Delhi on Monday, Jaggi Vasudev, 60 of the Isha Foundation and the man behind the Rally for Rivers campaign drove into Lucknow to seek Yogis support for the river cause.

Sadhguru - as the river campaigner is known as  has so far driven through nearly 15 states, signing pacts with state governments for providing sustainable modules for saving rivers and getting people to make missed call on 8000980009 as proof of their support.

We are living here as if we are the last generation. Disasters would happen once the threshold is breached. We need a mandatory enforceable river policy aimed at treating rivers as national treasure, he told HT ahead of his Tuesday meeting with Yogi Adityanath whose government too is consulting experts on how to revive depleting and vanishing rivers in the state.

He also met governor Ram Naik on Monday, seeking support for the river cause.

Sadhguru is expecting about 30 crore missed calls, possibly by October 2, which, he hopes would make governments realise that the save rivers campaign has popular support too.

The Centre is mediating between UP and MP to clear the roadblock on the ambitious Ken-Betwa river inter-linking project  one from which UP hopes to benefit but has been red-flagged by MP, which has put certain riders before agreeing to the project that runs across the two states.

Sadhgurus take on river-linking projects is different.

Connecting rivers is about how to use water. But, for that first there should be water, he says citing examples of Cauvery, Krishna or Narmada, which he says, have metamorphosed from being perennial rivers to seasonal.

So what is he expecting out of his meeting with Yogi?

We are looking at signing MoUs with UP on providing sustainable modules for the campaign. We are seeking plantation around river banks. There is a famous saying in Tamil Nadu that Cauvery should come walking because if she runs there would be disaster. For her to walk there must be vegetation all along the banks to hold her and its here that green cover plays an important role, he said.

Sadhgurus Isha Foundation is also working with experts to evolve a national policy recommendation that they plan to hand over to the Centre for a long-term policy initiative.

I have already met water resources minister Nitin Gadkari. I feel everyone from water resources to environment would have to pitch in. I am hopeful, he said.

He laughed when asked if the river cause would run into language issues during his meeting with Yogi Adityanath (because he doesnt know much Hindi). I will try some Hindi, he said with a smile.

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Twelve years after he quit the Shiv Sena to join the Congress, former chief minister Narayan Rane is all set to start a new political inning now.

As expected, Rane quit the Congress last week. There are chances that he will join the BJP alongwith his two sons and followers. Though the BJP is mum on him, Rane has been negotiating his entry into the party. Will he join the state cabinet or be sent to Rajya Sabha as a parliamentarian? Will his both sons and prominent followers be rehabilitated in the BJP? These questions will be answered if the BJP leadership gives a green signal to his induction into the party.

While Rane is clear on what he wants from his future political moves, the Maharashtra BJP seems to be divided over his entry. It seems Chief Minister Fadnavis camp is not keen to let Rane join his cabinet. The camp led by union transport minister Nitin Gadkari wants him on board and to be part of Fadnavis government. On the other hand, the central leadership of the party looks at Rane as someone to tackle the Shiv Sena and snatch the partys stronghold of Konkan. In 2014 assembly elections, the Shiv Sena won 7 seats in three districts of Konkan (Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg) while the BJP could win only onePanvel. Besides, the BJP top brass is angry with Sena leadership for its continuous tirade against the party. At times, Senas criticism of the Modi government at the Centre is bitter than that of the Opposition parties. If Rane joins the BJP, his brief is likely to be clear: Counter the Sena in the language it understands.

If that happens, it will be the second time Maharashtra will witness Rane versus Uddhav Thackeray fight.

In 2005 as Sena founder late Bal Thackeray made it clear that his son Uddhav would be calling the shots in the party, Rane was the first Shiv Sena leader to publicly raise question over Uddhavs ability to lead the party. He led a revolt within its ranks and walked out with 11 MLAs of the party. Then, he was irked that the Sena leadership had planned to make Uddhav Thackeray chief minister and not him had the party won 2004 assembly elections. Rane believed he could fulfill his ambition in Congress. With his exit, the Sena suffered a setback. Following Rane, Raj Thackeray too quit the party and there was a question mark over Sena survival. The party failed to win the assembly elections in 2009.

Rane joined the Congress in 2005 and remained a minister till the party lost power in 2014. He was, however, not made the chief minister by the party. Now, he has quit the Congress and is willing to take on the Sena and Uddhav Thackeray.

But things have changed in these 12 years.

Questions are being raised over his political strength. As of now his camp has twohis son Nitesh and close confidant Kalidas Kolambkar. If he has support of any other legislators, they have not made their stand public yet. On the other hand, Uddhav Thackeray today is a different politician as compared to 2005. Three years ago, he got 63 MLAs elected on his owneven contesting against the BJP at the height of Modi wave. When Congress-NCP stalwarts are keeping quiet, he has been targeting PM Modi and the BJP. Further, the Sena workers or sainiks have a history of bouncing back when they are pushed to the wall---be it was split by Chhagan Bhujbal in 1991 or Rane and Raj in 2005. Taking on the Sena wont be as easy as it was in the past. How Rane---a veteran of many political battlesmanages this remains to be seen.

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Iqbal Kaskar, brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, to investigate his alleged money laundering and hawala activities. Iqbal is in the custody of Thane police for an extortion case filed by a builder.

A senior official of the ED confirmed the development.

The Thane police registered an FIR against Iqbal after a builder complained he was extorting money from him. During investigations, it came to the fore he could have undertaken activities such as money laundering and hawala. Based on the FIR and the consequent leads that have come to fore, an ECIR has been registered and further probe is on, he said.

The Thane police have found suspicious bank transactions made by Iqbal and his aides and the ED will look into them.

The Thane police have also found Iqbal s Gmail account and some evidence of the D Gangs money trail. This may be crucial in the coming days for the ED probe.

Iqbal was along with Mumtaz Ijaz Shaikh and Israr Ali Jamil Sayyed based on a complaint registered by a Thane-based builder.

Iqbal had allegedly usurped four houses from the builder and had been demanding more. The builder had approached Iqbal in the past to settle a dispute pertaining to a plot and the gangster had demanded four houses in return for the settlement. When Iqbal pushed for one more property, after which the builder approached us, said a police officer investigating the case.

According to Thane police officials, the issue started in 2013 when the builder bought a plot of land in Waghbill Naka on Ghodbunder Road in Thane from a villager to develop apartments. In 2015, the villager who had sold the land to the builder died, and the villagers daughter approached the builder to demand a share. The daughter, who did not get her share, was approached by 48-year-old Mumtaz, a real estate broker, who through 57-year-old Israr contacted Iqbal.

The police said Iqbal called up the builder and said the plot where the builder had started construction belonged to him as he had bought the plot from the villagers daughter. The builder questioned Iqbal about his identity and got scared when he learnt that Iqbal was Dawoods brother.

In 2016, Iqbal told him to settle the issue and asked the builder to give him Rs30 lakh and four flats, said a crime branch officer. Israr accepted the money on behalf of Iqbal and out of the four flats, two were sold, one was given on rent and Mumtaz stayed in the fourth flat, said the officer. We are interrogating the accused and more arrests are likely in the case.

Meanwhile, the questioning of key Chhota Shakeel aide Mohammad Ahmad Yaseen Mansoor alias Ahmed Langda by the Thane crime branch continued.

A top source in the Thane police revealed the anti-extortion cell, which picked up Mohammad from Teli Mohalla in JJ Area, on Monday night to question the whereabouts of an accused in the case who is on the run, subjected him to prolonged questioning.

In the backdrop of information that Iqbal would use mobile phones of his acquaintances to make ransom calls and speak to his family members in Karachi and Dubai to dodge surveillance, the police have confiscated Mohammads cell phone. The call records in Mohammads phone would be analysed and he will be asked about them, sources said.

Read more:

Iqbal Kaskar arrested: Cops question key aide of Chhota Shakeel
The Mumbai crime branch is likely to submit a chargesheet against six jail officials in connection with the Manjula Shetye murder case. A school in Wadala, Mumbai, fumigated its classrooms during the weekend after some students were diagnosed with hand-food-and-mouth disease. A 38-year-old executive with a multinational media conglomerate in India was recently duped of Rs81,000 by an unidentified agent he had contacted over the phone, after getting his number through a popular search engine, to buy two return air tickets to Italy. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal is all set to gift 72 new local train services to the citys commuters on the eve of Dussehra. I was much amused by Narayan Ranes rantings against Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan as he quit the party to not yet join the BJP (which seems to have left him stranded).

Here are todays top five picks:

1. Manjula Shetye murder: Police likely to submit chargesheet against 6 Byculla jail officials

The Mumbai crime branch is likely to submit a chargesheet against six jail officials in connection with the Manjula Shetye murder case. Shetye, a life convict, was allegedly assaulted by the officials of Byculla prison as she raised a complaint against them for providing fewer eggs and bread. The incident occurred on June 23 around 11am, when Shetye was allegedly assaulted. Around 5.30pm, she was found in unconscious in the bathroom. The police recorded the complaint of an inmate who was an eyewitness on June 25.

2. Mumbai schools worried about hand-foot-and-mouth disease cases among students

A school in Wadala, Mumbai, fumigated its classrooms during the weekend after some students were diagnosed with hand-food-and-mouth disease. Doctors in Mumbai confirmed that the city is seeing an outbreak of the viral disease, with children as young as three years being treated for the infection. The disease, which is often seen in children more than adults, results in painful reddish blisters in the mouth, hands, feet, thighs and sometimes on the buttocks along with fever and sore throat.

3. Mumbai man books two air-tickets through agent, gets duped of Rs81,000

A 38-year-old executive with a multinational media conglomerate in India was recently duped of Rs81,000 by an unidentified agent he had contacted over the phone, after getting his number through a popular search engine, to buy two return air tickets to Italy. An FIR has been registered at the Sakinaka police station in Andheri (East), and further probe is on to nab the accused. According to the Sakinaka police, the complainant is a resident of Andheri (East) and wanted to visit Italy with his wife. Hence, he searched for the number of a booking agent online, and spoke to him over the phone.

4. Railway minister Piyush Goyals Dussehra gift to Mumbaiites: 72 new local train services

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal is all set to gift 72 new local train services to the citys commuters on the eve of Dussehra. The launch is likely to be during his second official visit to the city on Friday. Of the new services, 40 will be on Central Railway (CR) and 32 on the Western Railway (WR). Goyal will also officially announce the change in nomenclature of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Elphinstone Road to Prabhadevi station.

5. Has Rane shut all doors on himself?

I was much amused by Narayan Ranes rantings against Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan as he quit the party to not yet join the BJP (which seems to have left him stranded). Ranes choices were always limited but it is rather rich of a man who lost three elections (one on behalf of his son, two of his own) from both his home turfs to describe Chavan, the singular leader who kept the Congresss nose above water in 2014, as a man without base or support in his own constituency of Nanded.
I was much amused by Narayan Ranes rantings against Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan as he quit the party to not yet join the BJP (which seems to have left him stranded). Ranes choices were always limited but it is rather rich of a man who lost three elections (one on behalf of his son, two of his own) from both his home turfs to describe Chavan, the singular leader who kept the Congresss nose above water in 2014, as a man without base or support in his own constituency of Nanded.

The Congress has been doing consistently well in Chavans home constituency in a series of elections while Rane has been mostly losing  his own seats as well as that of others for whom he may have campaigned.

But it is quite obvious from his statements that he is angry that the party did not fulfil its promise to him when he quit the Shiv Sena and joined the Congress in 2005. Now what was this promise? We have it only from Rane with no one else in the Congress confirming that he was told he would soon be made chief minister of Maharashtra. Mohan Prakash, the AICC general secretary in charge of Maharashtra, has flatly stated he was not in charge when Rane joined the Congress and cannot be responsible for the promises other leaders may have made but not kept.

However, easy as it was for Rane to compel Bal Thackeray to displace Manohar Joshi and make him chief minister in 1999 in his stead, such jobs are not to be easily had in the Congress. Firstly, you have to be a winner and Rane clearly is not - a fact obvious from the time the party handed him a bulk of tickets for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in 2007 and he lost all but two. And while even Mrs Indira Gandhi lost her own election, post-Emergency, it needs more than aggression and resources in the party for a comeback. Persuasion, a charm offensive with voters and humility in defeat are what is needed to overcome setbacks (which Mrs Gandhi had aplenty), not finger wagging at voters and hurling abuses at party leaders as Rane had done at Sonia Gandhi when he was passed over for the job of chief minister in 2008 in favour of Ashok Chavan. Yet, he was one of the few leaders who were swiftly forgiven and rehabilitated in record time - even Sharad Pawar had not been as fortunate vis-a-vis Mrs Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

And if Rane is wondering why Chavan is more important to the party than him, he only has to look at Rahul Gandhi who, despite being on top of the party hierarchy by virtue of his birth, is still not insulated against successive defeats  only, being who he is, it might take a lot longer for party men to displace him from his pre-eminent position (if he does not start winning soon).

Whatever the Congresss faults and backroom machinations, it is a party that demands a show of humility and deference at all levels of its hierarchy (some may label it as servility) and is put off by the kind of abrasive aggression on display by Rane. Moreover, ability to fund party activities alone  unlike in the Shiv Sena  secures no Congressman anything as many party stalwarts have discovered to their detriment.

If Rane was taken in by the assurances of state leaders in 2005 that he would soon be made chief minister, I can only say he had erred in understanding the Congress culture and its instinct for political expediency. Bal Thackeray may have been a man of his word but many Congress leaders are not  Pawar being the best example of promises being made only to be broken to suit the changed circumstances.

If a dozen years in the Congress have not taught Rane anything about the party and the patience needed to reach ones goals, he might as well seek greener pastures. But I wonder where he might go now. He wanted to be chief minister in the Congress. It is unlikely the BJP will make him one. The NCP has many potential CMs waiting in the wings for years. And the Shiv Senas doors are closed forever. At least with the Congress he stood a chance - eventually.

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Although Bandra fair came to a close on September 17, residents grew tired of the filthy leftovers of the fair and abandoned parts of the stalls lying around Mt Mary Basilica for another week. Locals said the delay in the civic bodys work had caused the garbage to rot and stink on the Mt Mary steps and in the surrounding areas.

Resident Lillian Pais said the garbage stays back every year, causing a health hazard for the locals. After she filed a petition in 2014, the High Court sent a list of rules to be followed by the authorities, which includes removing all 430 erected stalls and picking up the garbage after the fair ends.

If the stalls had been dismantled on Monday, the cleaning work would have been finished by now. But, the week-long fair is extended illegally by hawkers to a 9th day, said residents.

If the Brihanmumbai Municicpal Corporation (BMC) earns lakhs through licence fee and auctioning of stalls before the fair, why cant it have a proper garbage disposal system in place? asked city activist Godfrey Pimenta, who had sent a letter to the BMC regarding the problem.

BMC officials said the cleaning work had started after the fair ended last week but there was more garbage to be picked up on the churchs property.

Corporator Asif Zakaria told HT, Once all the stalls are dismantled, it is easier to clear the garbage. The work had also been stalled because of the rains.

According to the BMC, lakhs of visitors attend the fair throughout the 8 days. We are working on a permanent solution to the issue. A marshal will be appointed during the fair next year for taking action against those littering, said a solid waste management official.
Following the parameters set by the government for the loan waiver, around 12 lakh well-off farmers have been left out of the benefit net, data submitted by financial institutions to the government has showed. Against 89 lakh farm loan accounts with various banks, the government has received 77.26 lakh applications from 56.59 lakh families for the waiver.

While announcing the waiver the state government excluded all government employees (except class IV ones), former and sitting legislators and elected representatives in civic bodies, income tax payees, among others from the benefits of the waiver.

This has reduced the number of applications. Besides, the reduction in the applications is because of the exclusion of fake farm loan accounts.

A cabinet sub-committee headed by cooperation minister Subhash Deshmukh and comprising senior ministers reviewed implementation of the loan waiver on Tuesday. It rapped representatives of a few centralised and cooperative banks for the poor response in collating data on outstanding farm loans. This delayed the disbursement of the waiver, leading to discontent among farmers.

Of the 89 banks that have given loans to farmers, 48 banks have shared details with the government.

Of the 30 district cooperative banks, 28 have made the submission, while only 20 of 43 commercial banks have complied to the states order.

The sub-committee has decided to help 2.42 lakh farmers register for Aadhaar card, which is mandatory for beneficiaries.

Officials will also visit villages and hold a community reading (chavadi vachan) to verify application details of farmers.

We will complete the process of community reading by October 2 and begin the disbursement before Diwali. Not a single eligible farmer will be left out of the benefit and no ineligible farmer will get the waiver, said minister Deshmukh.

Farmers outfits now demand action against Fadnavis

Continuing their agitation for a blanket loan waiver, the farmers outfits now want chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to be booked on charges of cheating and abetment of suicide.

They will stage a statewide agitation on October 20 to press for these demands. The decision was taken in the steering committee meeting of the farmers outfits at Jalgaon district in north Maharashtra on Tuesday.

With no solution in sight, the farmers decided to intensify their agitation against the state government by holding protest mar-ches at tehsildar offices across the state. We will demand that Fadnavis be booked for cheating farmers and abetment of suicides, said Ajit Nawale, coordinator of the steering committee.

The farmers outfits have been demanding a blanket loan waiver for farmers and implementation of recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report.

The government has failed to keep its promise of giving loan waiver benefits to all 89 lakh farmers in the state. The data shows that only 56 lakh farmers have applied for loan waiver. The number will further reduce during verification process as the government has imposed many conditions for the waiver. This is nothing but cheating. The government is abetting more suicides, said Nawale.

The farmers issues were highlighted when they took to the streets in June. This prompted the state to announce loan waiver package of Rs34,022 crore. However, it has imposed a cap of Rs1.5 lakh for each farmer and has listed several conditions of eligibility, opposed by the farmers outfits. The NCP has also threatened a statewide agitation if loans are not waived before October 1.

Sunil Tatkare, state NCP chief, said the online applications are a delaying tactics by the government.
Afraid of losing a year, a group of law students have moved the Bombay high court (HC) seeking directives for the University of Mumbai (MU) to speed up re-evaluation of LLB papers.

The petitioners said many who aspire to pursue LLM at the university have unexpectedly failed in their LLB exams. They fear they may lose a year if re-evaluation results arent declared before the September 28 deadline for submitting applications.

Many students with excellent academic record have failed in the final-year examinations. While they have applied for re-evaluation, the deadline for LLM admissions is fast approaching, said Saurabh Mashelkar, one of the petitioners.

Many students have complained they received lower scores, even single-digit marks, in the MU exams held in the first half of the year. A number of law students said they failed in Law of Evidence paper.

Around 50,000 students have so far applied for re-evaluation of papers. The students have blamed the varsity, which is struggling to implement its new on-screen marking process, for shoddy assessment of papers. The students are suffering for no fault of theirs. We requested the university officials to expedite the re-evaluation process, but we were told they were unable to do so due to some problems in the centralised assessment process (CAP), said Sachin Pawar, president, Student Law Council.

Arjun Ghatule, in-charge director, board of examination and evaluation couldnt be reached for a comment.

MUs decision to replace the traditional pen-and-paper evaluation with an on-screen assessment process has caused an unprecedented delay in results.

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After the arrest of a 29-year-old woman for allegedly running a baby selling racket, the police are investigating the involvement of unauthorised IVF centres.

Julia Fernandes, a Worli resident who was arrested on Friday, has told the police that she had a chain of agents who not only tracked down poor parents wanting sell their child, but also took the newborns to the clients.

The unauthorised IVF centres are under scanner as they could lead us to an inter-state racket of agents across the country involved in buying and selling of newborns, said an officer from the Wadala TT police station.

Sources from the police station said that after checking Fernandes call records, they have sent teams to Gorakhpur and Delhi in search of the agents who worked for her.

On Monday, Fernandes confessed to have sold six newborns to childless couples in the past six months. She claimed that she was only the middle person who cracked a deal with childless couple as she was well educated. Delivering the newborns to childless couples was done by the agents who worked for the IVF centres.

Fernandes has not been cooperating with the police. She has not named anyone except someone called Ahmed, said a police officer.

The police said Ahmed and Fernandes have known each other for the past six years. Ahmed and the other agents earned commissions from the IVF centres for providing sperm donors and surrogate mothers for Rs1 lakh or Rs2 lakh, said the police officer.

Fernandes came in touch with Ahmed when she went to an IVF centre as a surrogate. She learnt about the child selling racket and became a part of it.

The police are facing an uphill task to trace the six newborns who were sold in the past six months. We have arrested the father of the seven-day-old boy who was rescued before Fernandes could sell him off, the officer added.

Baby selling racket busted, 2 infants rescued, 8 arrested in Thane

A one-month-old boy and a four-month-old girl were rescued by the Thane police on Sunday before a gang operating in Thane and Mumbra could sell off the babies.

The police arrested eight people, including six women  one of whom was the mother of the four-month-old girl.

Nitin Thackeray, senior police inspector, of crime branch unit 1, said, We rescued two infants who were about to be sold by the gang for money. The mother of the four-month-old girl was also arrested. The infants were born in a village in Ahmednagar and were brought to the city to be sold to rich couples who did not have children.

Rakhi Babarey, 38, Harjinder Gil, 42, Kaveri Das, 32, Neelam Shirsat, 28, Mohini Gaikwad, 45, Janabai Khotkar, 35, Mangal Superkar, 35, and Santosh Gaikwad, 38, were arrested for running the baby selling racket.

On Sunday, the police laid a trap near Modella Check Naka on LBS Road after a tip-off.

Thackeray said, We got a tip-off about the racket and laid a trap. We saw a couple carrying the one-month-old baby and asked their names. But, they gave evasive replies. We arrested them under the Juvenile Justice Act and kidnapping of minor and selling of a minor for the purpose of prostitution.

The couple told the police that a woman from Ahmednagar had sold the child to two women from Mumbra. The women gave them the child who was to be sold in Mumbai.

We traced the two women from Mumbra. We found another child, the four-month-old girl, with them. We were not able to trace the mother of the one-month-old. Investigations are on, Thackeray added.

The infants were allegedly being sold for more than Rs1.35 lakh.
A 29-year-old woman, who was arrested for allegedly running a baby selling racket on Friday, confessed to have sold at least six newborns in different parts of the country in the past six months, said the Wadala TT police.

Police sources said this number could just be a tip of the iceberg as they are still interrogating Julia Fernandes, the accused, who is not cooperating with the investigation. Also, police teams have been sent to various states to track the six children.

On Monday, the police booked an autorickshaw driver and his wife who sold their seven-day-old baby to Fernandes for Rs20,000 under sections of the Juvenile Justice Act. She was going to sell the baby for Rs1.5 lakh to a childless couple when she was arrested. We will now have to prove that the boy was their child through DNA test and that they had sold their newborn for money, said an officer from Wadala TT police station.

Fernandes also said that since the demand for boys was higher, she targeted poor parents in nursing homes and government hospitals who had just had a boy and convince them to sell their newborn for Rs20,000 to Rs30,000, added the officer.

The police said they arrested Fernandes after they got a tip off that she had dropped off a newborn at a womans home in Sangam Nagar. The police then reached the spot and took the kid in their custody.

On being interrogated, the woman said Fernandes, who is her neighbour, had left the child in her care for two days. She added that Fernandes had told her that she worked for a nursing home and sometimes got newborns out of the hospital for getting them vaccinated.

The police also suspect that Fernandes could be part of an inter-state racket and sold children through her gang members.We are now trying to find out if the woman had any gang members. We are also looking for her clients, who may include NRIs, added the officer.

Fernandes, who speaks fluent English and has done a course in nursing from Jawahar University after studying business management, has been changing her statement and misleading the police. The police said this is making it difficult for them to track the babies.
A 38-year-old executive with a multinational media conglomerate in India was recently duped of Rs81,000 by an unidentified agent he had contacted over the phone, after getting his number through a popular search engine, to buy two return air tickets to Italy. An FIR has been registered at the Sakinaka police station in Andheri (East), and further probe is on to nab the accused.

According to the Sakinaka police, the complainant is a resident of Andheri (East) and wanted to visit Italy with his wife. Hence, he searched for the number of a booking agent online, and spoke to him over the phone.

The agent took money from him in two instalments on the pretext of booking air-tickets and mailing him the e-tickets. The complainant on September 3 told the agent to book two tickets to Italy via Munich for September 15, and return tickets from there for September 22. The victim transferred the money into a bank account given by the agent.

The agent said the tickets will be booked within a weeks time. However, after a week passed by, the complainant tried to contacted the agent, but he cut off all communication. The victim then realised that he has been duped and called up the travel agency for which the agent worked. The agency informed him that they did not receive any money from him, and no air tickets have been booked by him.

The complainant then approached the Sakinaka police station in the second week of September, where a First Information Report (FIR) was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and IT Act. A police officer from Sakinaka police station said, The accused has switched off his phone. Many a times, accused use SIM cards which are either stolen or bought using forged documents. We are also tracking the money trail.
Almost a year after it was launched, the citys Closed-Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) surveillance network will be fully live, sources said, in a fortnight.

The softwares at the command-control and control rooms have now gone fully functional and would enable the police to make full use of the 4,717-camera network .

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had inaugurated the CCTV surveillance network last October at a public function. But at the launch, ahead of this years civic elections, about 85% of the cameras had gone live.

At that point, the contractor completed the installation of 4,717 cameras

First, we had planned to implement the project in phases by installing cameras in DCP zones, but later decided to implement it simultaneously across the city. The delay in the permissions for trenching so as to install the poles delayed the project. The contractor, L&T, has been paid about Rs360 crore of the total cost of Rs 949 crore. Once we announce that the entire project has gone live, 50% of the project cost will be released. The remaining part of the project cost has to be released over the next five years after ensuring the flawless function of the cameras, said an official.

The contractor is yet to deliver four of five mobile vans equipped with CCTV surveillance for the patrolling.

With the number-plate recognition system, picture intelligence units are in place and integration with the public-sector establishment, the police will now be in position of averting untowards incidents. During the recent floods, the police used the system wherever more personnel were deployed, said a senior official. The contractor is also likely to face a penalty for the delay in implementation of the project by one year.

MOTION CAPTURE

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had inaugurated a CCTV-surveillance network last October in a public function

At the launch of the project, which was inaugurated ahead of this years civic elections in the city, about 85% of the cameras had gone live

Rs949crore: Cost of the CCTV surveillance network

4,717 cameras on 2,293 poles at 1,510 locations

Of them,

3,727 fixed-box cameras

970 PTZ (pantiltzoom) cameras

20 thermal cameras

Command and Control Centres at the commissioner headquarters can control the cameras at any corners of the city

There are viewing rooms in the offices of the additional and deputy commissioners to keep a watch on the CCTV feed

Local police stations too have been integrated with the cameras installed in their jurisdiction

The state government has also identified 102 establishments, including public sector establishments such as the railways, for the integration of the network

About 65 of them include few famous malls, multiplexes and commercial organisations

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A school in Wadala, Mumbai, fumigated its classrooms during the weekend after some students were diagnosed with hand-food-and-mouth disease. Doctors in Mumbai confirmed that the city is seeing an outbreak of the viral disease, with children as young as three years being treated for the infection.

The disease, which is often seen in children more than adults, results in painful reddish blisters in the mouth, hands, feet, thighs and sometimes on the buttocks along with fever and sore throat.

Dr Fazal Nabi, paediatrician, who practices at three south Mumbai hospitals said he has seen fourteen cases in the last four weeks. The blisters are present as vesicles along with mild fever. Although most cases I saw were not very severe, parents need to be careful by not sending the child to school, as it is contagious, he said. The virus is airborne and also spreads through touch. It may last over a week, Dr Nabi added.

Dr Om Srivastava, a city-based infectious disease specialist said that he has seen two suspected cases of the disease. The numbers of cases are definitely lesser than last year, he said.

Schools where children were diagnosed with the condition have been taking precautionary measures to ensure that it does not spread. A parent, whose child goes to the Wadala school, who did not wish to be named, said two children in her childs class were diagnosed with the condition, after which the school undertook major sanitation action.

The school handled it very well. They informed all the parents, with the information about the disease, so no one panics, she said.

However, disease experts said that fumigation is not very effective against the disease and the best way to stop transmission is to limit contact of the infected person with the public as infections spreads through touch. The disease is self-limiting and goes away on its own but symptoms, like blisters in the mouth that can make swallowing painful, and can cause distress.

The problem is that it largely affects children and most parents are not aware that it is contagious. It is better to keep the child at home to stop the infection from spreading, said a doctor.

Public health experts said there is no treatment for the disease, but the symptoms can be treated. Ice pops can help soothe the sores in the mouth and help with the sore throat, Dr Srivastava said.
A week after announcing the examination schedule for the upcoming examinations, the University of Mumbai has decided to change the schedule for BCom and law courses. The decision has come after the MU received a series of complaints from students about university exam and competitive exam dates clashing in November.

Many students from the commerce faculty opt to study for Chartered Accountancy (CA) simultaneously. They will have a tough time as MU exams and CA exams will clash, said a professor from a suburban college. Many students have also complained about the problem to the university with hope of avoiding double exams on the same day. The university exams are conducted between 11am and 1.30 pm, whereas the CA exam starts at 2pm. Imagine running between two exam centres in Mumbai, added the professor.

When law students also faced a similar problem, the examination department of MU received a series of complaints. There have been various complaints, and we are taking all into consideration. Students need not panic because we are working out a schedule that would avoid any clash of dates between examinations. New dates will be announced soon, said Deepak Wasave, deputy registrar, MU.

While the university is looking towards damage control at present, students and colleges are upset about facing this same problem year after year. The CA exam is always held between first and second week of November, so how can the university not take this into account every year? We end up panicking and complaining every time and then the officials try to repair the damage, said a third year Bachelor of Accounting Finance (BAF) student from a city college.

The MU will release an updated exam schedule soon, said officials.

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The Congress has stepped up its protest against the rising prices of petrol, and has demanded that petroleum products be brought under the Goods and Services Tax (GST). After the protest at 70 city petrol pumps, the Mumbai Congress will hold a cycle rally between Malad and Borivali on Tuesday evening.

The party has demanded the reduction of tax on petrol, to bring down prices to an affordable level. The party distributed handbills to motorists at 70 petrol pumps last week to explain to them the heavy tax component that has led to the price rise.

The petrol price in Mumbai is highest in the country. The taxation component accounts to 60% of the per liter price of petrol sold in the city. The middle class and bikers are hit the most due to the unreasonable hike in the cost, said Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam.

The party had organised its first rally at Lokhandwala in Andheri on Sunday in the second phase of its protest against the price hike. The cycle rally was held to highlight the unaffordable prices of petrol to the motorists. We will have similar rallies in Mulund, Ghatkopar and other parts of the city and in cities like Nagpur, Nashik and Pune soon, Nirupam said.

He said that the party was not demanding subsidy from the government for petrol, but their demand was for reasonable taxation so that the middle class was not burdened.
Pianist Karan Josephs friend Rishi Shah, with whom Joseph had moved in two months before he committed suicide, filed a case against his house help on Thursday alleging that he stole his mobile phone worth Rs13,000.

Shah alleged that his help Vinod Kumar stole his phone from his residence. Kumar is also a witness in Josephs suicide case.

Shah told the police he had bought the phone two days ago. A Bandra police officer said, When we asked him for the phone number to track the mobile, Shah said he had just bought it and had not got around to putting a SIM card in it. The Bandra police have registered a case under section 381 (theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master) of the Indian Penal Code.

Josephs suicide case was transferred to crime branch last week after his father Thomas cited serious lapses in the ongoing probe by the police officials. Joint commissioner of police Sanjay Saxena (crime) said, We are investigating the case from every angle and both the Estonian national and Kumar are under police surveillance.

Thomas added that his son was neither a depression patient, nor was he on any kind of medication. He also said that the pianist had sent messages to his friends that showed that he was going through a rough time and that he feared for his life. Joseph committed suicide by jumping from the 12th floor of Concerd building in Bandra on September 9.

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Despite a meeting and discussion between former chief minister Narayan Rane and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday, the party has remained reticent about the senior leaders entry into the party.

This is the second meeting Rane held with Shah in the past two months. Just prior to meeting him at his residence, Rane had held an independent discussion with state president Raosaheb Danve, state revenue minister Chandrakant Patil and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at Danves residence in Delhi.

A day after the Delhi meeting, Shah paid a visit to Mumbais Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office to meet Sangh leaders, including general secretary Suresh alias Bhaiyyaji Joshi. While the meeting was to brief Sangh leaders about the deliberations at the national executive committee meeting held in Delhi, it is possible Ranes induction could have figured in the talks. Joshi refuted this, saying Ranes entry or otherwise was an issue to be discussed by the BJP and he was not its leader.

There is little denying that so far hectic parleys have been held over Rane joining the BJP. For now, the impression is that the BJP wants to keep the senior leader waiting.

Sources told HT a deal with Rane had been nearly finalised and was likely to be announced after Diwali, when Fadnavis is likely to rejig his cabinet. As HT reported on Tuesday, it is likely Rane will be asked to float his independent front and join the BJP-led government as a smaller ally. This option is being considered to fend off an attack from the Shiv Sena and also because many in the BJP are not comfortable with the idea of Rane being part a part of the BJP. Given his experience and status of former chief minister, Rane will emerge as de-facto number two after Fadnavis among the BJP ministers, which could make things complicated within the party. The BJP-led government has the support of smaller allies like the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, the Republican Party of India, the Swabhiman Shetkari Sanghatana (until recently), whose leaders have been inducted in the cabinet.

However, there has been no official confirmation on this development. It also remains to be seen whether Rane will agree to such a deal.

Both parties are bargaining and right now we have a better hand at holding the negotiations. The party top brass would like to see what he can bring to the table. Its possible that as an independent front, he can break away more legislators. His performance in the local polls will also count, said a senior BJP functionary.

He, however, added the picture will be clearer by the end of this month.

Read more:

Has Rane shut all doors on himself?

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Angela Merkel will be Chancellor of Germany, but things cannot continue as usual. Germany faces serious economic challenges, and the new government should address them appropriately.

The first challenge is digitalisation. Some are calling for a nationwide fibre-optic network, and many fear the sharing economy. They are worried about firms such as Uber and Airbnb. But policymakers should resist the lobbying: investment in fiber-optics should take place only where it is needed, not everywhere. And regulation should not inhibit innovative business models.

There are also fears of job losses due to automation, and calls for an unconditional universal basic income. This would mean we give up on parts of the population and surrender to unemployment. We should focus instead on training for the job opportunities of the future.

Already, Germanys aging population is putting upward pressure on welfare costs. Both major parties have ruled out raising the retirement age to 70. There are concerns about workers with physically demanding jobs. But these should be met through higher wages and disability insurance, not through public pensions.

Globalisation is also a huge challenge. Germany wants to attract companies and investment as well as high skill immigrants. Redistributive taxation and welfare transfers attract low skill migrants and drive away investment and the high skilled. Germany needs to limit the tax burden caused by subsidies to the welfare state. It also needs to limit the access of new immigrants to social transfers.

Then there is climate change. As Germany pursues emissions reductions, it should keep an eye on cost-effectiveness. Some propose a ban on internal combustion engines after 2030. It would be much better to include road traffic in the Paris agreement emissions-metering system. There are cheaper emissions savings to be made elsewhere.

Lastly, there is Europe. Here, Germany must pick its battles. I would focus on the eurozone. It is key to ensure that European banks hold fewer domestic government bonds, and that private creditors bear the burden of public debt restructuring, not taxpayers from other countries.

Clemens Fuest is president of the Ifo Institute and professor of economics at the University of Munich

The views expressed are personal

Project Syndicate 2017
Probe into the Mohali double murder kept the police department  from Punjab director general of police Hardeep Singh Dhillon to the lower ranks  busy on Monday.

To find clues to the killers, cops spent several hours questioning family members of KJ Singh, including his brother, sisters and nephew. KJ Singh, 63, a senior journalist, and his bedridden mother Gurcharan Kaur, 92, were found murdered at their Phase-3B2 house on Saturday noon. KJ was stabbed at least 15 times while his mother was strangulated.

To question nephews ex-wife

Police said they have found KJs personal diary, in which he had mentioned minute details of his friends and family members. They are also looking into the recent divorce of his nephew Ajaypal and will be questioning his former wife and her family members, said sources.

KJ Singh, a senior journalist, and his bedridden mother Gurcharan Kaur (92), were found murdered at their Phase-3B2 house. KJ was stabbed at least 15 times while his mother was strangulated.

The double murder came to light when Ajaypal and his mother and KJs sister Yashpal Kaur came there with lunch. They found blood stains on the main door that was bolted from outside and the trail led to the room where KJs body was lying on the bed.

Sources said KJs family members were asked about the sequence of events leading to the murder, which is suspected to have taken place around 9pm on Friday.

His elder brother BP Singh was questioned about the details of the call that KJ reportedly made to him on Friday evening, in which he claimed to have spotted a suspicious person moving around his house between 4pm and 6pm. Although the kin claimed KJ had also made a call to the police control room about the presence of a miscreant, sources confirmed no such call was received.

CCTV footage yield no result

Sources said police also made inquiries in the neighbourhood about people who used to frequently visit KJ. After failing to find any substantial leads from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from nearby houses, police have started scrutinising the footage from all cameras in the city to locate KJs car.

KJs Ford Ikon car besides mobile phones of both victims and an LCD television are missing after the incident. Police have also recovered the cover of a dagger from a nearby lawn.

Was a woman involved?

Mohali senior superintendent of police Kuldeep Singh Chahal said KJ Singh could have been using more than one mobile phone. KJs phone along with that of his mother has been missing after the crime. Police are also probing as to with whom he used to talk on phone frequently. We have also found his two to three personal diaries, said Chahal. Police are also looking into whether KJ, who had never married, was in touch with any woman.
Over 100 Panjab University (PU) professors have submitted their papers, claiming that their past services were not counted while considering the promotion of teachers under the career advancement scheme (CAS).

This came after three days of Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) raising an issue of misrepresentation of senate proceedings by PU vice- chancellor AK Grover, in regard to the counting of past services of assistant professor Namita Gupta.

V-C follows pick-and-choose policy

PUTA president professor Rajesh Gill had submitted a complaint to the varsitys chancellor Venkaiah Naidu, stating that the V-C wrongly approved Namita Guptas claim of past services, even when the committees formed in this issue, had rejected her claims. Professor Gill in her complaint had accused the V-C of following a pick-and-choose policy.

Counting of past services Previous service is a regular service as defined in the relevant act, statute of the institution/organisation. The institution or organisation should be recognised by the UGC for such purposes or in case of an outside institution (foreign Institution), equivalence certificate issued by UGC or other statutory body set up for the purpose. Selection process of the previous service was by the prescribed selection procedure as laid down by the said organisation. Essential qualification for the previous service was not lower than the qualification for the post of lecturer or assistant professor Pay scale of the previous service was equivalent grade or pay scale of lecturer. Applied through proper channel for services in UoA No break in service

In the senate meeting held on Sunday, where the issue was raised again, the vice- chancellor approved the matter, in principle, but on a condition that all cases, including that of Namita Gupta will be taken up, in the next meeting for the final approval.

On September 14, the PUTA had asked the faculty members who have a case of counting of past service pending to submit their applications to DR (establishment) before the syndicate meeting on September 23.

Professor Gill said that the V-C had formed a committee to look into all these cases, which held its first meeting on September 20.

Gill further added that the V-C, on his own, had approved Namita Guptas request for counting of her past service and conveyed the same to her, through the coordinator, Centre for Human Rights, vide letter dated February 6, much before the case was taken up in the board of finance.

However, the board of finance in its meeting on August 1 resolved that the V-C be authorised to form a committee to examine all such similar cases, which were not accepted earlier of those who are still in service which are covered under UGC guidelines for counting their past services towards total service period for promotion and/or retirement benefits.

UGC permits condonation of technical breaks

Vice-chancellor professor Arun Kumar Grover, said, I was first confronted with this issue in the beginning of 2013 and my consistent stand since then has been that University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations permit the condonation of technical breaks.

He added, If 100 people have been denied this opportunity that cannot become an excuse to continue with this injustice. Let all cases be examined again and senate will take a call.

He said, I have all things recorded in the files how I have insisted that UGC regulations have to be correctly implemented but a vast majority of seniors, including PUTA president, have resisted such an interpretation. As all things are in files and all PUTA presidents who have served as senate members are welcome to pursue them. I am not indulging in the pick-and-choose policy,

Grover said, I tried my level best to get justice on salary fixation for Prof Rajesh Gill from UGC, but UGC did not relent. She is aware of my umpteen attempts.

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In Punjab, its remembered as the wadi ladai (the big war). The World War-1 fought by the British India continues to resonate in the state, which sent a large number of soldiers to the battlefields spread across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Tony McClenaghan, a British military historian, says while the role of Indian soldiers serving in the British army was well documented, the involvement of the princely states in the war was dismissed as a footnote.

McClenaghan, who has authored Armies of the Indian Princely States, is working to correct that oversight. He says the princely states, including Patiala, Kapurthala and Faridkot, contributed 50,000 men to the WW-1, of whom 18,500 served overseas where 1,634 were killed in action or went missing. They received 689 gallantry awards, including Indian Order of Merit (first class), which was considered equivalent to the Victoria Cross.

IMPERIAL FORCES

At least 40 of the 560 princely states volunteered their services to the British, merely days after the war erupted. Many did it out of a sense of honour and duty. They regarded themselves as leaders of fighting men. Also, they hoped that their participation would make the British loosen their stranglehold on the kingdoms and place India on a more equal footing with other colonies such as Australia and New Zealand, said McClenaghan, who was invited by the Centre for Indian Military History (CIMH) to deliver the first Maharaja Yadavindra Memorial lecture here.

Mandeep Singh Bajwa, chairman of the CIMH, said the greatest contribution of the Patiala ruler, Yadvindra Singh, was to persuade his fellow princes to throw in their lot with India, thereby preventing its Balkanisation.

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Ill-equipped and ill-trained, it wasnt an easy transition for the soldiers of the imperial forces. Maj Gen Raj Mehta (retd) said the soldiers wore cotton uniforms in cold Europe and were issued guns they had never fired before. They learnt on the job, while displaying exceptional gallantry, said McClenaghan.

The Patiala Lancers worked on the communication lines in Mesopotamia. The Indian 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade was part of the two regiments that captured the towns of Haifa and Acre. The Jodhpur Lancers commander, Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat, who was killed in the battle, was posthumously awarded the Military Cross. Even today, the 61st Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army commemorates the battle as Haifa Day on September 23 every year.

The Europeans found the Indian troops quite an eyeful. In France, they were called the gentlemen from India, while the Germans labelled them as exotic barbarians. McClenaghan recounts how the French lined the streets to get a glimpse of the Indian troops. There are photos of young women pinning flowers on their uniforms at the Champs Elysees, he said.

PERSONAL CONNECT

Many families in Punjab continue to carry memories of that war in the form of medals, tales and letters. Charanjeet Kaur Sohi, principal of Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, heard of the war from her grandfather, Second Lieutenant Ude Singh, who had fought in the third battle of Krithia at Gallipoli. I still have the 100-odd letters he exchanged with his commanding officer, she recounted.

Lt Col MS Grewal (retd) had brought with him a photograph of his grandfather Havildar Bishan Singh, who was part of the 15 Sikh, the first Indian unit to land in France. He was injured in the famous Battle of NeuveChapelle that saw hand-to-hand combat in which 172 Indian soldiers were killed. Grewal still has his grandfathers medals that include an Indian Distinguished Services Medal (IDSM).

Lt Gen KJ Singh (retd), former western army commander, drew the attention of the gathering to 300 audio files of prisoners of wars (POWs) lodged in German camps. We must consider visiting the place. There are families in Punjab whose kin went missing in the war. They need a closure, he said.

Col PS Randhawa (retd), who has the audio recording of Sepoy Mall Singh, an Indian POW in Germany, agrees. Mall Singh sums up the entire battle in 80 seconds. His last words Maharaj kirpa kare, chheti sulah hoye (May God be bountiful, and a truce be signed soon) always haunt me.
Mahesh Babus Spyder is riding on very high expectations as it marks the debut of its lead in Tamil filmdom. Speaking at the audio launch of the film earlier this month in Chennai, Mahesh said he felt like a newcomer to enter an industry after 18 years since he started acting.

The film, a bilingual spy-thriller shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, marks the maiden collaboration of director A.R Murugadoss and Mahesh Babu, who had wanted to collaborate for a decade. While theres no doubt about the fate of the film in Telugu, one wonders what will happen to the Tamil version as except for the younger viewers, Tamil audiences are not quite familiar with Maheshs work.

Like it or not, the general perception of the audiences is that Spyder is still a dubbed Tamil film and not directly shot in the language. Even though Mahesh has dubbed in his own voice for the Tamil version, there isnt enough buzz about its release in the language.

Nevertheless, itll be really interesting to see how the film fares at the box-office. Made on a budget of Rs 125 crore, the film features Mahesh in the role of an intelligence bureau officer and the film, according to Murugadoss, will shine the spotlight on how intelligence agencies work. One of the highlights of the film will be its action, overseen by National Award-winning stunt choreographer Peter Hein, whose work is said to be essential for the films story. A roller-coaster fight sequence is expected to leave audiences on the edge of their seats.

The film also stars Rakul Preet Singh, SJ Suryah and Bharath. Suryah plays a serial killer and it is Maheshs job to save the world from him. At the recent press meet in Chennai, Suryah had said that Murugadoss has used a high level concept in the first half of the film and it has been treated in a way that even a common man can understand. He also said the second half of Spyder has a segment that will appeal to women.

Speaking to IANS, Murugadoss said, Weve been planning to work together for a decade now. In fact, I had even planned to remake Ghajini in Telugu with Mahesh but things didnt fall into place and the film later got dubbed. Both of us are glad that we collaborated for Spyder.

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Even as the two doyens of Tamil cinema, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, have made their intention to eventually join politics clear, their roadmaps cannot be more different. On Monday, Haasan again spoke about his plan to launch his party while reiterating saffron is not my colour. Talking to news channels, the actor said his friend and contemporary Rajinikanth is a more suitable ally for the BJP due to his religious beliefs.

Haasan said he has already discussed his political plans with the Kabali star. I speak to Rajini regularly, he is a friend. I informed him when I decided to join politics. Although there are no plans right now, I am open to working with him. He seems like a more suitable ally for the saffron party because of his religious beliefs, while I am a rationalist, he said.

Actor Kamal Haasan shaking hands with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a press conference after a meeting at his residence in Chennai on Thursday. (PTI)

He also used a film metaphor while discussing when he will enter politics. Theres lots of work to be done. A roadmap is not easy for a rookie like me, I am unwilling to commit to any date, he said, adding, It is juvenile to talk of an end-game. One cannot say it will be a silver jubilee even before the film is made.

Speaking about his meetings with various political leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Kamal said he has been on a learning curve.

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Besides reading, travelling is a great way to educate yourself and learn more about the world.

Sadly, unlike reading, it is an expensive interest dependent on the availability of funds, time and company. But if money is the sole factor holding you back, start with places in India and around the world that are perfect for those travelling on a budget.

BookMyForex has compiled a list of inexpensive foreign destinations for Indian travellers:

Bali, Indonesia

Bali is known for its beaches, blue waters and clear cloudless skies. If you want to let your hair down and simply relax, this is the ideal vacation destination.

Currency: Indonesian Rupiah

Hostel: Rs 500/night

Local Travel: Rs 50 or less

Meals: Rs 500

Drinks: Rs 350

Sightseeing: Rs 200

Daily budget calculation: Rs 1,600

Places to visit/things to do: Besides the lovely beaches, you can check out Sekumpul waterfalls, Gunung Kawi, and TirtaGangga.

Sofia, Bulgaria

Sofia, which is at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain, is a treat to the eyes with its beautiful buildings and skyline. The Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky is synonymous with Sofia.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria. (Shutterstock)

Currency: Bulgarian Lev

Hostel: Rs 500/night

Local Travel: Rs 200

Meals: Rs 600 on an average

Drinks: Rs 250 on an average

Sightseeing: Rs 250

Daily budget calculation: Rs 1,800

Places to visit/things to do: Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Rila monastery, Boyana Church, National Gallery of Foreign Art, Banya Bashi Mosque and National Park. Sofia has the most beautiful churches.

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest is Europe at its best. With its gothic columns, magnificent bridges and buildings, you will fall in love with this city.

View to Fishermans Bastion castle and tower in Budapest, Hungary. (Shutterstock)

Currency: Hungarian Forint

Hostel: Rs 600/night

Local travel: Rs 175

Meals: Rs 750

Drinks: Rs 250

Sightseeing: Rs 200

Daily budget calculation: Rs 1,975

Places to visit/things to do: Take a tour around the Danube, see the Hungarian opera house, the Parliament and gothic-styled churches, the Chains Bridge, Fishermans Bastion, St. Stephens Basilica.

Istanbul, Turkey

History, art, an interesting mix of Christian and Islamic architecture, Turkey is by far the most photogenic in the world.

Hot-air balloons flying over Galata tower in Istanbul, Turkey. (Shutterstock)

Currency: Lira

Hostel: Rs 770/ night

Local travel: Rs 200

Meals: Rs 600

Drinks: Rs 600

Sightseeing: Rs 450

Daily budget calculation: Rs 2,620

Places to visit/things to do: Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Galata Tower, Archeological Museum, the Grand Bazaar and the flea markets

Thimpu, Bhutan

Set in the hills, Thimphu is scenic and picture-postcard pretty. Bhutan is said to have the happiest people in the world. Go here for its scenery and feel-good atmosphere.

Currency: Bhutanese Ngultrum

Hostel: Rs 1,240/night approximately

Local travel: Rs 310

Meals: Rs 750

Drinks: Rs 310

Sightseeing: Rs 250

Daily budget calculation: Rs 2,860

Places to visit/things to do: Buddha Point, Thimpu Dzong, Gangteng Monastery.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh is a beautiful city with a surreal mix of architecture, greenery and culture. Visit Phnom Penh to experience this wondrous city in Southeast Asia.

The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Shutterstock)

Currency: Cambodian Riel

Hostel: Rs 750/night

Local travel: Rs 350

Meals: Rs 1,000

Drinks: Rs 350

Sightseeing: Rs 150

Daily budget calculation: Rs 2,600

Places to visit/things to do: Check out the Wildlife rescue centre, the Genocide Museum, Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, National Monument of Cambodia and The Killing Fields.

Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest is an ancient city with fabulous concert halls and beautiful buildings. When there, you can catch a concert or an orchestra performance too.

Romanian Atheneum, an important concert hall and a landmark in Bucharest, Romania. (Shutterstock)

Currency: Romanian Leu

Hostel: Rs 600/night

Local travel: Rs 100

Meals: Rs 700

Drinks: Rs 350

Sightseeing: Rs 200

Daily budget calculation: Rs 1,950

Places to visit/things to do: There are a lot of historical walking areas around the Old Town like the Romanian Atheneum.
Mouni Roy is our go-to person for all fashion related emergencies and this time again, she hasnt failed us. If you have run out of ideas on what to wear on your next garba night this Navrati, heres some inspiration from the actor.

The popular television actor posted pictures of herself in a stunning new floral lehenga as she celebrated Navratri in Raipur. The dress is designed by Payal Singhal and has beautiful pink flowers and peacock motifs all over the skirt. The noodle strap top is complimented by a sheer dupatta in onion purple.

The girl loves being in Zoraya @payalsinghal  Make up @mallikajolly Hair @jadhavsharda Err'ything by @eshagupta1331 Jewellery by @nehalulla_nlj #navratri #raipur A post shared by mon (@imouniroy) on Sep 24, 2017 at 12:27pm PDT

Mouni let her long hair loose and styled it in thick waves. She wore ruby earrings with the dress and a thick ring that coiled on her finger, much like the Naagin she played on her popular television show.

#RAIPUR #mouniroy A post shared by Mouni (@mouni_roy_my_heartbeat) on Sep 25, 2017 at 5:40am PDT

In another picture posted on her page, she asked Where is my food? with her hair pulled back.

Where s my food ?  A post shared by mon (@imouniroy) on Sep 24, 2017 at 12:28pm PDT

Mouni made her television debut with hit television show Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi as Krishna Tulsi and also starred in Devon Ke Dev Mahadev as Parvati.

The actor will make her Bollywood debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Gold, which tells the story of Indias first Olympic medal win as a free nation in the year 1948 at the 14th Olympic Games at London. It will release on Independence Day, 2018.

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Iran has sentenced a 74-year-old man to death for hosting mixed and half-naked parties, the head of Tehrans judiciary said on Tuesday.

Chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said the man led a corruption gang which held parties with drugs and alcohol, and where women were sexually harassed.

The head of this corruption gang has been sentenced to execution and the case has been sent for appeal to the supreme court, he said, according to the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency.

Dolatabadi mentioned another case in which six people had been arrested for downloading obscene Hollywood films and dubbing them into Persian.

The gangs website was the largest download centre for Hollywood films and series, and in the past three years they have published 18,000 dubbed films and series, many of which were obscene and pornographic, said Dolatabadi.
Donald Trump said he would have had sex with Princess Diana and also joked about asking her to get tested for HIV, US media reported after some old interviews of the President surfaced on Monday.

Audio recordings and transcripts of Trumps several interviews with controversial American radio jockey Howard Stern were anonymously sent to the Factbase website, the Washington Post reported Monday.

In a 1997 interview, Shock Jock Stern and Trump speak about asking women to get an HIV test before the billionaire had sex with them.

I wouldnt say I do this, but you could send lots of people you really like to the doctor before you ever get to know them, Trump says.

Continuing the conversation, Stern mockingly says: Hey, Lady Di, would you go to the doctor?

Trump then jumps in and imagines telling the British royal: Go back over to my Lexus, because I have a new doctor. We wanna give you a little checkup.

The interview came a few months after Diana and Prince Charles divorce.

Reports from last year said Trump had boasted he could have nailed Diana long before his political ambitions became serious.

Trump denied the claims.

Three years after Diana, the Princess of Wales, died in a car crash, Trump, a regular guest on Sterns show, said in an interview in 2000 that he would have slept with Diana without hesitation, US media reported.

The former owner of a beauty pageant described Diana as a supermodel beauty who had the height and magnificent skin.

This isnt the first time Trump has been embroiled in a controversy over disrespecting women. Trump was caught bragging about groping and seducing women in a 2005 conversation caught on a microphone.

He was heard, in a video released by Washington Post, describing attempts to have sex with a married woman and gloating about women letting him kiss and grab them because he was famous.

When youre a star they let you do it. You can do anything, Trump said, adding seconds later: Grab them by the p----. You can do anything.
A female US Marine on Monday became the first woman to complete the Corps notoriously rigorous training course for infantry officers.

Many women serve in the Marines and other branches of Americas armed forces but the woman, who has requested that her name not be released, is the first to make it through the Marine Corps 13-week infantry officer training course.

I am proud of this officer and those in her class, Marine Corps commandant General Robert Neller said.

This US Marine Corps photo obtained September 25, 2017 shows an unidentified Marine as she participates in an exercise during the Infantry Officer Course at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. (AFP Photo)

Marines expect and rightfully deserve competent and capable leaders, and these (Infantry Officer Course) graduates met every training requirement as they prepare for the next challenge of leading infantry Marines; ultimately, in combat, Neller added.

As an infantry officer, the woman, a lieutenant, will be assigned to lead a platoon of around 40 Marines. She will join the 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, California, the Marines said.

A total of 131 Marines started the infantry officer training course in July and 88 graduated on Monday in Quantico, Virginia, the Marine Corps said.

A female Marine became the first woman to complete the notoriously rigorous training course for US infantry officers https://t.co/NTgsXYLSuP pic.twitter.com/LiVmPtNCb3  AFP news agency (@AFP) September 25, 2017

Three dozen female Marine Corps officers had previously signed up for the infantry training program but failed to finish, according to the Marine Corps Times.

On its Twitter feed, the Marine Corps released a video showing the woman taking part in exercises in the mountains alongside male infantry officer candidates.

Women make up about 15 percent of the nearly 1.4 million active duty troops in the US armed forces.

Former president Barack Obama opened up all military positions to women, including combat units, in March 2016.

Women were previously technically barred from combat, but thousands of American servicewomen saw fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq nonetheless.

This US Marine Corps photo obtained September 25, 2017 shows an unidentified Marine as she participates in an exercise during the Infantry Officer Course at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. (AFP Photo)

The Marines have been seen as the branch of the US military that has been the least accepting of women in combat roles and the infantry plays a special role in the lore of the Corps.

Earlier this year, the Marine Corps was rocked by the revelation of a secret Facebook group called Marines United where nude pictures of female Marines were posted without their consent.

In 2015, two women became the first to graduate from the US Armys elite Ranger School.

In July, a woman reportedly applied to become a member of the celebrated Navy SEALs but dropped out before completing the selection program.
A flag similar to that of the Islamic State (IS) group was seen flying on a key thoroughfare in the Pakistani capital before it was removed by police after a report from a citizen.

Police removed the black flag, hoisted on a billboard at a pedestrian overbridge in Khanna Pull area of Islamabad by unidentified persons, on Sunday afternoon after Naveed Ahmed Khan, a resident of Dera Ismail Khan, alerted authorities.

Pakistani officials insist the IS has no presence in the country though the group has claimed a string of attacks across the country. It also claimed responsibility for the abduction and killing of two Chinese nationals in June.

Khan, who was taken in by police, said in his statement that he was travelling on the Sixth Road in Islamabad when he saw the flag. He said he recognised the flag as he had seen it on television before.

The flag had "Khilafat is coming" written on it in English, in addition to verses in Arabic.

Taking notice of the matter, interior minister Ahsan Iqbal asked the inspector general of police to file a report.

Police officials told the media they had no clues as to who had put up the flag. They added that a case had been registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Police were unable to glean any information from CCTV cameras in the area as they were not functioning.

Over the past few years, reports have circulated of IS leaflets and pamphlets being found in different parts of the country. In January last year, IS leaflets found in a girls school in Gujrat city of Punjab province had warned the administration to close down the institution.

In 2014, leaflets calling on people to support the IS were seen in parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, while pro-IS slogans were painted on walls in several cities across Pakistan.
Myanmars UN ambassador insisted Monday that there is no ethnic cleansing or genocide taking place against Muslims and objected in the strongest terms to countries that used those words to describe the situation in Rakhine state.

Hau Do Suan used his right of reply at the end of the six-day gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly to respond to what he called irresponsible remarks and unsubstantiated allegations repeated by countries in their speeches to the 193-member world body.

He didnt identify any of the nations, though many spoke out about the plight of more than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 25, when Rohingya insurgent attacks on security forces prompted a military crackdown and reprisals by majority Buddhists.

Among those who accused Myanmar of trying to rid itself of Rohingya were Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein, and a number of Islamic countries, including the United Arab Emirates.

Suan denied those claims.

There is no ethnic cleansing. There is no genocide, he said. The leaders of Myanmar, who have long been striving for freedom and human rights, will not espouse such policies. We will do everything to prevent ethnic cleansing and genocide.

He called the issue of Rakhine State extremely complex and urged UN member states and the international community to see the situation in northern Rakhine objectively and in an unbiased manner.

Pointing to the initial attack by the insurgent Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, known as ARSA, he said: It is the responsibility of every government to fight against terrorism and protect innocent civilians.

The ambassador said there are several reasons for the exodus and prominent among them is the fear factor. Following the August 25 attacks and the security operation, he said, most of the women and children were forced to flee while men were conscripted into ARSA to fight Myanmars security forces.

The scorched earth policy employed by the terrorists is another factor, Suan said. The terrorists planted IEDs everywhere, blew up bridges, and committed arsons.

Amnesty International has said it turned up evidence of an orchestrated campaign of systematic burnings by Myanmar security forces targeting dozens of Rohingya villages. The human rights group released video, satellite photos, witness accounts and other data that found over 80 sites were torched and said as recently as Friday that fresh fires continued in Rakhine and that satellite and video images showed smoke rising from Muslim villages.

The Rohingya have faced persecution and discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for decades and are denied citizenship, even though they have lived there for generations. The government says there is no such ethnicity as Rohingya and argues they are Bengalis who illegally migrated to Myanmar from Bangladesh.

Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, fight for tarpaulin received in aid during its distribution near Balukhali refugee camp, Bangladesh, Monday. (AP Photo)

US Vice President Mike Pence last Wednesday lamented the terrible savagery of Myanmars security forces and warned that the violence against the Rohingya will sows seeds of hatred.

He called for an end to violence and a long-term solution and urged the UN Security Council to take strong and swift action and to give hope and help to the Rohingya people in their hour of need. He did not specify what kind of action he was seeking.

The council, the UNs most powerful body, is scheduled to hold private consultations on Myanmar on Tuesday and an open meeting on Thursday.

Suan said humanitarian assistance is the governments top priority and in cooperation with the Red Cross it has started humanitarian assistance to the displaced.

He said a commission led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that called for economic development and social justice to counter deadly violence between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine has provided the government with a clear roadmap ahead.
Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif will be formally indicted by an anti-corruption court on October 2 in three graft cases filed against him, a judge announced on Tuesday.

The National Accountability Board court also issued bailable arrest warrants for the ousted premiers children Hassan, Hussain and Maryam Nawaz and his son-in-law Mohammad Safdar ahead of the indictment.

Earlier in the day, the court in Islamabad allowed Sharif to leave after he briefly appeared before the judge for the hearing of cases filed against him by the NAB. He was permitted to leave after a few minutes when he informed the court that his wife Kulsoom was unwell.

A number of leaders of the ruling PML-N party, including federal ministers, accompanied Sharif for his first appearance in the court, which summoned him after he failed to appear for a hearing on September 19.

The court had also summoned Sharifs sons Hussain and Hassan but they did not appear as they are in London, tending to their mother, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, according to the family lawyer.

Sharif, who returned to Pakistan on Monday after his wife underwent surgery, went from the court to Punjab House, where he chaired a meeting of senior PML-N leaders. He had spent the past three weeks in London and returned to the country after consultations with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and his brother, Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Supporters of former Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif hold placards as they shout slogans outside an anti-corruption court where he appeared to face graft charges in Islamabad on September 26, 2017. The Supreme Court has ordered the anti-corruption watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau, to open criminal cases against Sharif, his sons - Hussain and Hassan - and his daughter Maryam. (AFP)

Addressing the media at Punjab House, Sharif strongly criticised the judiciary over his disqualification by the Supreme Court on July 28 in connection with the Panama Papers scandal.

Sharif said a joint investigation team was formed after the court could not find proof of any wrongdoing by him. The same courts and judges announced the decision and told the National Accountability Bureau to open (cases), he said.

Is this how justice works? he asked. Is this what we call the rule of lawIs this what it is meant by a fair trial?

Sharif contended that the people continued to back him and would make a big decision when the next general election is held in 2018.

Today, I have faced the accountability courts and I am clean. I believe that God and the people of Pakistan are with meThe whole country is being punished  the people and the generations to come. They have made a mockery of a progressive Pakistan on the track of democracy, he said.

Let the decision of qualification and disqualification rest with the people  do not take that right from them. Our history is full of bad decisions that are painful to recall. The time has come to cure this 70-year cancer.
Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa is expected to visit Afghanistan this week for talks on counter-terror efforts and measures to involve the Afghan Taliban in peace talks.

The Afghan defence ministry announced Bajwas upcoming visit on Tuesday, saying he will hold talks with top Afghan officials. Peace talks with the Taliban will be among the issues to be discussed during the visit, it said.

The Afghan government will reiterate its call to Pakistan to act against terrorist hideouts and safe havens in Pakistani territory, defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told the media.

We will ask Pakistan to act honestly, otherwise these trips will not have results, Waziri said.

A number of Afghan lawmakers have called on officials to provide the Pakistani side with solid evidence of Islamabads support for the Taliban. They said the Afghan government should pressure Pakistan to abide by its commitment to fight terrorism.

Pakistan should be asked to hand over the leadership of the Afghan Taliban to the Afghan government and act solidly for the elimination of terrorist hideouts, MP Fatima Aziz told Tolo News channel.

The Afghan government should hand over all evidence to the Pakistani side and categorically tell them this action is no longer acceptable to us, said MP Abdul Hai Akhundzada.

Bajwas visit comes ahead of his trip to Russia, which is also scheduled to hold a meeting of delegates from 50 countries to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan.
The daughter of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev is facing the wrath of the world after she was caught on camera taking selfies while her father addressed the United Nations General Assembly on genocide.

Leyla was first seen listening intently to her fathers speech as she sat beside her 53-year-old mother Mehriban in the hall, reported Daily Mail. This was before she turned her camera onto herself.

As the Azerbaijan president decried the fact that more than one million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons, because of Armenia, his 33-year-old daughter started making absurd faces at the camera for a selfie.

What adds to the embarrassment is that her self-obsessed stunt was streamed around the world from the General Assembly.

Social media users were quick to note the contrast in presidents grave comments on refugees and his offsprings frivolous behaviour.

Here's why you don't bring your kids to work.(This is #Azerbaijan president's#Aliyev daughter taking selfies during his #UNGA speech) pic.twitter.com/6ZrSXDCdex  Zunaira najeeb  (@zunaira_najeeb) September 23, 2017

ICYMI: Azerbaijan presidents daughter takes surprised face selfie during her fathers speech to UN about genocide https://t.co/PsH5QcXXdl pic.twitter.com/v0Ufhf0DoO  James Longman (@JamesAALongman) September 26, 2017
A Palestinian opened fire at Israeli security personnel at the entrance to a West Bank settlement on Tuesday, killing three and wounding another before being shot dead, police said.

A terrorist who arrived at the rear gate of Har Adar along with Palestinian labourers entering the settlement.... pulled out a weapon and opened fire at the force at the site, police said.

Three Israelis were killed in the attack, another was wounded and the terrorist was neutralised.

Police later said the Palestinian had died of his wounds.

The shooter was identified by police as a 37-year-old man from Beit Surik, a Palestinian village near Har Adar, who carried a work permit for the settlement.

As he approached the checkpoint at the entrance to Har Adar, he aroused the suspicion of security forces, who ordered him to halt, police said.

He then pulled out a pistol and opened fire on border police and civilian security guards, before being shot.

The wounded Israeli was admitted to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem in serious condition, the hospital said.

The incident, at a settlement northwest of Jerusalem that lies near several Palestinian villages, comes nearly two years after a wave of unrest broke out.

The violence had greatly subsided in recent months.

Since October 2015, the unrest has killed at least 295 Palestinians or Arab Israelis, 50 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP toll.

Israeli authorities say that most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks.

Others were shot dead in protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Clouds shrouded the top of Balis highest volcano on Tuesday as the risk of an imminent eruption began to persuade some tourists to have second thoughts about visiting Indonesias paradise island.

Strong volcanic tremors and billowing white smoke seen over the crater have raised alarm in recent days, prompting the evacuation of more than 50,000 people from villages dotting the paddy fields at the base of the forested slopes of Mount Agung.

Indonesian officials have imposed a 12-km (7.5-mile) exclusion zone around the volcano, whose last eruption in 1963 killed over 1,000 people and destroyed several settlements.

President Joko Widodo was expected to visit evacuation centres on Bali later on Tuesday.

Several countries, including Australia, Singapore, and the United States, have issued travel advisories alerting holidaymakers to the risk. And a hotel operator in Bali said news of the volcano had caused some guests to cancel their plans.

Business is getting low since Mount Agungs alert status was raised to the highest level, said Ketut Purnawata, manager of Dasawana Resort, which is in the same district as the volcano, normally popular with tourists and hikers.

Tourists have a drink while watching the sunset behind Mount Agung, a volcano on the highest alert level, in Amed on the resort island of Bali, Indonesia September 25, 2017. (Reuters )

Nearly five million people visited Bali last year - most of them from mainly from Australia, China and Japan.

Airlines in Australia and Singapore said they were preparing for any possible disruptions due to an eruption, but flights were running normally for now.

Virgin Australia and Jetstar, both of which fly to Bali from Australia, said they would carry extra fuel in case they needed to reverse course quickly.

Jetstar and Singapore-based budget carrier Scoot said they had been contacted by a small number of customers looking to change their travel dates. Less than 100 customers chose to rebook to a later date, a Scoot spokeswoman said.

Singapore Airlines and its short-haul arm SilkAir said customers travelling to Bali until Oct. 2 could rebook or request a refund, while AirAsia said flights were operating normally.

Graphic showing Agung volcano on Indonesia's Bali island. More than 57,000 people have evacuated the area after weeks of seismic activity. (AFP Photo)

Passengers spooked by news of the active volcano also took to Twitter to ask airlines about cancellation options, and several mentioned cancelling their plans altogether.

One Indonesian travel agency said it had seen some cancellations from domestic and international travellers.

There will definitely be an impact on (sales of) tour packages but we dont know the figures yet, said Agustinus Pake Seko of PT Bayu Buana travel agency.

For now, life was going along largely as normal on the island famous for its beaches, temples and gentle culture.

One Spanish tourist, Jordi Portalo, 23, said he was unperturbed by the rumbling volcano.

I think it could happen but...maybe wed have to stay here a couple more days, so nothing to worry about, he said sitting at a cafe next to a white-sand beach in the Nusa Dua area.

Sitting on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia has nearly 130 active volcanoes, more than any other country. Many Indonesians live near volcanoes because lava flows can make the surrounding soil and land fertile for farming.

Ash clouds from volcanoes and eruptions have disrupted tourism in Bali and other parts of Indonesia in the past.

Hundreds of domestic and international flights were disrupted in 2016 when a volcano erupted on Balis neighbouring Lombok island, sending up columns of ash and debris.
The White House has rejected claims that the US has declared war on North Korea, asserting that any suggestion in this regard is absurd, even as the two nuclear powers engaged in a war of words again.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was responding to questions in this regard at her daily press conference.

Not at all. Weve not declared war on North Korea. And frankly, the suggestion of that is absurd, she said.

North Koreas foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, who was in New York on Monday, accused US President Donald Trump of declaring war against his country. He also said that Pyongyang was ready to defend itself by shooting down US bombers.

The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country, Ho told reporters in New York.

The top North Korean diplomat is in New York to attend the annual General Assembly Session of the United Nations. North Korea does not have a diplomatic relationship with the United States.

Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country, Ho said.

Sanders said it is never appropriate for a country to shoot down another countrys aircraft when its over international waters.

Our goal is still the same: We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearising of the Korean Peninsula -- thats our focus -- doing that through both the maximum economic and diplomatic pressures as possible at this point, the White House Press Secretary said in response to a question.

Later in the day, the US House of Representative passed the North Korea Human Rights Reauthorisation Act by 415-0 votes, reflecting the overwhelming bipartisan support to it. The bill reauthorises US programs that promote human rights, democracy, and freedom of information in North Korea.

Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said the bill enacts important updates to freedom-of- information authorities, to reflect technological advances beyond radio broadcasting, including USB drives, mobile devices, and other promising tools.

It also renews the obligations of the Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights. Finally, the bill enhances congressional oversight tools, to help ensure that our investments stand the best chance of paying dividends in freedom for North Korea, and greater security for the rest of the world, he said on the floor of the House.

The world is rightly focused on the threat that North Korea poses to global security. Their nuclear detonations, missile launches, forward-deployed artillery, and a history of deadly provocations all underscore a simple, jarring fact: The Kim regime wants to pose a mortal threat to the United States, and to our democratic, treaty allies: South Korea and Japan, he said.

But in facing this reality, we cannot afford to forget the regimes greatest victim and longest-held hostage: The North Korean people themselves. Remembering this is not just a moral imperative, but its a strategic one, too. If Kim had to answer to the North Korean people, he would pose far less danger to us, Royce said.

Appearing on MSNBC, Democratic Leader Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, alleged that the US President Donald Trump is giving a platform to Kim Jong-un.

Its really [Kim Jong-un] is so beneath the dignity of this discussion, about the safety of the world, she said.

Im one of the few people in Congress who has been to Pyongyang. What Im concerned about is the following. I think Kim Jong-un is a bully. I dont think hes going to ever do any of these things. Anything he does has a return address. He must know that its bad news for his people, should he do anything, Pelosi said.
If a wedding day is about creating memories, these newly-weds may have added an extra-special one to cherish for keeps.

A groom in Canadas Ontario jumped into a pond to rescue a young boy from drowning on his wedding day.

Clayton Cook and his bride Brittany Cook were posing for their post-wedding pictures in Ontarios Victoria Park last Friday when he spotted a young boy struggling in the pond.

Before Brittany could shout Clayton out for help, he had already sprung into action and pulled the boy out of the water.

In a Facebook post, wedding photographer Darren Hatt - who captured the dramatic moment on camera - narrated the incident and applauded Clayton for acting promptly.

The kid was underwater on his back. He ingested water and there was mucous coming out of his nose, Hatt told Londons CTV news. It was scary. (The boy) was struggling. It could have gone unnoticed, he added.

After being rescued, the boy appeared fine, if a little shaken, and went off with an older sibling, reported the BBC.

Brittany said her husbands quick thinking and selfless action were just some of the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place.

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A Portuguese king sought to glorify his military exploits through the art of tapestry.

IN THE 1470s KING AFONSO V OF PORTUGAL (14321482) commissioned a series of tapestries from the workshop of Flemish weaver Pasquier Grenier, the preeminent commercial weaver of the late 15th century.

Medieval and Renaissance monarchs and merchant princes often commissioned tapestries, but Afonsos tapestries were unusual. Instead of portraying heroic deeds from mythology, the Bible, or ancient history, the four works known as the Pastrana Tapestries celebrated the Portuguese kings capture of two Moroccan ports in 1471victories that earned him the name Afonso the African.

PORTUGALS INVOLVEMENT IN NORTH AFRICA had begun a generation before Afonso, with the conquest of the Moroccan trading center of Ceuta in 1415. It was a dramatic military triumph, as the city fell in a single day. Once captured, however, Ceuta became a liability. The Portuguese had envisioned the city as a gateway to the luxury trades of silk and spices from Asia, the abundant wheat of North Africa, and the gold that traveled across the Sahara from the Sudan to North Africa. Instead, Ceuta was an isolated possession surrounded by hostile territory.

Rather than abandoning the port as a bad investment, Portugal decided to use it as a base for further expansion. In 1436 a Portuguese expedition sailed with the goal of capturing Tangier, a strategic port on the Strait of Gibraltar. Led by two of King Duartes younger brothers, it was an abject failure. Unlike the Ceuta expedition, which had been planned over several years, the 1436 expedition was put together rapidly, undermanned, and inadequately armed. The Portuguese forces met fierce resistance from the citys defenders, who were quickly reinforced by soldiers from neighboring cities. The invasion ended in a humiliating treaty that allowed the Portuguese to evacuate their soldiers but required them to leave a royal prince, the Infante Dom Fernando, in Tangier as a hostage.

King Duartes sudden death in 1438 left six-year-old Afonso V the new king of Portugal. No new African expeditions sailed from Portugal during the young kings troubled minority. But the failure of the expedition against Tangier and the need to avenge Dom Fernando, who had died in captivity in 1443, were always in the background as unresolved problems, and once Afonso reached his majority, he became obsessed with conquering Tangier.

His first expedition, in 1458, was a limited success. Afonso and his forces captured Kasr es-Seghir, a small town between Ceuta and Tangier. The garrison at Kasr es-Seghir successfully withstood two sieges by Muslim forces but was unable to extend Portuguese control beyond its walls. Two subsequent sieges of Tangier, led by Afonso himself in 1463 and 1464, failed altogether, largely because the Portuguese army was unable to keep reinforcements from reaching the besieged city.

On August 15, 1471, Afonso sailed again for Morocco, with a force of 400 ships and 30,000 soldierslarger than any force Portugal had previously fielded against North Africa. His plan was to first capture the port city of Asilah, which would give Portugal control of territory on both sides of Tangier, and then march against Tangier itself.

When Afonsos troops landed near Asilah, they found Morocco torn by civil war. Asilahs governor, Muhammad al-Shaikh, was away, besieging Fez in a bid for control of the sultanate, and had left the city poorly defended. The Portuguese bombarded it for three days and then stormed the walls. By the time al-Shaikh returned, Asilah was already in Portuguese hands.

The capture of Tangier was anticlimactic. When news of the Portuguese victory reached Tangier, its citizens decided to evacuate rather than suffer a merciless assault like the one that had felled Asilah. On August 18 the Portuguese marched into the city unopposed.

On his return, Afonso commissioned four monumental tapestries to commemorate his North African victories.

FIFTEENTH-CENTURY TAPESTRIES WERE COMPLEX works of art, woven with fine wool yarn and silk and silver or gilt-metal thread. Only the richest and most powerful could afford them. Tapestries were a status symbol, commissioned to display the wealth and importance of their owners. Afonsos tapestries had an additional purpose: to record his triumphs for posterity.

Together, Afonsos tapestries total 49 yards in length. They contain hundreds of figures of knights and foot soldiers set against a stylized backdrop of ships and fortresses. The tapestries are unmatched in their detailed depiction of arms and armor used in 15th-century warfare, including the construction of brigandines, the placement of lance rests, the form of helmets, and the shapes of spear points and sword hilts. Both artillery and handheld firearms are prominent in the tapestries, reflecting the changing nature of warfare at the time.

Throughout the series King Afonso and his son, Prince Joao Manuel, are distinguished from the mass of the Portuguese force by their luxurious armor and garments: both their brigandines and horse armor are covered in patterned fabrics that stand out against the monochromatic brigandines worn by their troops. They are further identified on each tapestry by the location of the royal banner with the kings personal emblema spinning waterwheel spraying droplets, with the word jamais (never) at its centerwhich Afonso chose to express his eternal sorrow over the death of his first wife, Isabel of Coimbra.

The tapestries depict four separate scenes from the 1471 campaign: the landing at Asilah, the siege and assault of Asilah, and the capture of Tangier. Each tapestry is a complex composition in its own right; together, read as a sequence from left to right, they give us a panoramic view of the campaign.

The first tapestry depicts the landing of the Portuguese troops in Asilah, dividing the narrative into three parts and using the same left-to-right movement that carries across the tapestries as a whole. The left side of the first tapestry shows the arrival of the Portuguese fleet off the coast near Asilah. In the center Afonso and Joao dominate the foreground, overseeing the landing. Behind them, oared boats ferry soldiers from the ship. Each boat bristles with banners and weapons. Bodies of drowned soldiers wash ashore, almost unseen in the crowded field of the tapestrya reminder that some 200 knights and foot soldiers were lost in the operation. In the upper right, king and prince advance toward the city walls at the head of their troops, who are crowded shoulder to shoulder, giving the effect of a huge military force. By contrast, the Muslim defenders of Asilah are spread thinly along the walls of the besieged city, which looks more like a Northern European city than the most opulent Moorish city described in the Latin banner across the top. Thats not surprising, given that the artisans and weavers who produced the panels would have had no model of a North African city to draw on.

The second tapestry, which depicts the siege of Asilah, is relatively static. The composition is shaped by three concentric ovals that contain the besieging force within their lines. The besieged city stands at the center, surrounded by the Portuguese army, whose soldiers are armed with muskets, pikes, and crossbows. The oval formed by the city wall is paralleled by the wooden palisade that surrounds the Portuguese armya structure that was built to prevent reinforcements from neighboring cities (a lesson learned from previous expeditions against Tangier). Between the palisade and the city walls, the Portuguese force is divided into two sections by a central bombard, one of several artillery pieces that are aimed at the city along a third rough oval. Afonso and Joao, on horseback, bracket the action from positions on the far left and right. Unlike the Portuguese troops, who are crowded together, the defenders of Asilah are spread thinly across the walls of the city. Besiegers and defenders alike are caught in a quiet moment before the battle begins.

The third tapestry shares the same basic structure as the second, but quiet is replaced by frenzy. The defensive palisade and artillery are no longer visible because the Portuguese army is at Asilahs walls. Portuguese soldiers wield naked swords and raised muskets. Some scale the walls, meeting raised scimitars and spears in the hands of the citys defenders. The walls are masked by the abundance of figures involved in the assault, pressed so tightly together that there is not an open inch in the tapestry.

In the final tapestry, which depicts the surrender of Tangier, the action is once again divided into three parts. At the left, the Portuguese army, unaccompanied by either king or prince, marches on Tangier, which had occupied the national imagination for 35 years. The march is more a triumphal procession than a military advance. The city sprawls across the center of the tapestry, empty but for a single Portuguese soldier, larger than life, who holds the national banner above the battlements. On the far right, pushed into a small section of the tapestry, the inhabitants of Tangier evacuate their city, clutching a few possessions. In the foreground, a woman carries an infant in one arm and leads a small child with the other. Neither Portuguese nor Moroccans are armed, making it clear that this was a bloodless victory.

Commissioning the Pastrana Tapestries was the final step in Afonsos African career. Having avenged Dom Fernandos death and captured the long desired city of Tangier, Afonso the African ignored Africa for the rest of his reign and turned his attention to diplomatic relationships with Spain. He died in Sintra in 1481.

THE TAPESTRIES DID NOT REMAIN IN PORTUGUESE HANDS. At some point, probably during Afonsos lifetime, they became possessions of the Duchy of the Infantado in Spain, perhaps as a gift from the king or perhaps taken as booty after the Battle of Toro (1476), in which Afonso was defeated by the Spanish monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, putting an end to his attempts to seize the Castilian crown in the name of his second wife, Juana la Beltraneja. In 1667 the heir to the Duchies of Pastrana and the Infantado donated the tapestries to the Collegiate Church of Pastrana, from which they take their name. MHQ

PAMELA D. TOLER writes frequently about history and the arts. She is the author of Heroines of Mercy Street: The Real Nurses of the Civil War (Little, Brown and Company, 2016) and is currently working on a global history of women warriors.

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This article appears in the Autumn 2017 issue (Vol. 30, No. 1) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: Threads of History

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Facing disaster in Brooklyn, Washington rolled the dice across the East Riverand won

WHEN HE LEARNED late on August 27, 1776, that British troops had routed the Americans on Long Island, Admiral Lord Richard Howe must have thought that his chance to be the peacemaker who saved the colonies for the empire finally had arrived. Howe moved quickly. He took it for granted that the kings men had trapped George Washingtons army on Brooklyn Heights, where the Americans would surrender in a day or two. General William Howe, the admirals brother, was so confident of victory that he was not requesting any additional support from the navy. Admiral Howe wrote to Commodore Hotham, I have the satisfaction to hear from General Howe that he has every reason to be contented with the prospects before him.

Indeed General Howe was. He and his brother, the admiral, believed they had achieved their primary aimdefeating Washingtons army. Lord Howe expected the war to end, ushering in a new era in relations between colonies and mother country. Instead of concentrating on penning up Washingtons army in Brooklyn Heights, Howe focused on getting negotiations started right away. He ignored the obvious need to patrol the East River. He could easily have sealed off that waterway and made certain Washington was trapped. No matter what the weather, Howe had the resources to keep the river clear of rebel boats.

Instead, Howe forgot about the East River and turned his mind to the Continental Congress and the Long Island defeats effect on the delegates. He hoped the loss would change enough minds to set in motion a new dialogue. Preoccupied with the peace initiative, Howe never considered that the rebel army might survive. Even though there were unmistakable signs that Washington might try to retreat across the river, Lord Howe ignored them. He overlooked the unusual amount of rebel activity on the water, as men collected large numbers of boats to bring the defeated army back to Manhattan.

On August 28, as fighting continued in Brooklyn, Howe invited to his flagship, the Eagle, captured American generals William Lord Stirling Alexander and John Sullivan, hosting his prominent prisoners at dinner for a long conversation about the possibilities of peace. Sullivan, captivated by the talk, agreed to go to Philadelphia to convince Congress of the importance of at least listening to what Admiral Howe had to say.

That same day, Washington reinforced his army on Brooklyn Heights, bringing the total to 9,500. Among his troops were Colonel John Glover and his regiment of mariners from

Marblehead, Massachusetts. Washington had decided to fight it out. He was not going to surrender, even though the odds against him were daunting. His men were tired and downcast, many of them sick or wounded, and for the most part, without shelter. The enemy was less than a mile away. British artillery was firing, and General Howe was beginning a formal siege, digging trenches 500 yards away that would bring troops and guns within easy striking distance without undue exposure. But a heavy rain developed, halting the siege work as the British moved into their tents.

The evening of the 28th, the rain let up. While Lord Howe was having dinner with Stirling and Sullivan, General Howe, assuming Washington had no place to go, resumed his siege, with engineers again digging trenches.

As newer patriot militiamen listened with dread to shovels moving dirt and stone, even Washington was having second thoughts. When he rode over the ground early on August 29, he realized there was no hope if he stayed put. He had made a terrible mistake, splitting his amateur army and trying to defend Brooklyn Heights against a force more than twice the size of his. Washingtons close confidant, Adjutant General Joseph Reed, confirmed this dismal view. Washington quickly decided to attempt a retreat, even though Lord Howe controlled the East River. As Congress required, the American leader called a council of senior officers, who agreed that the entire rebel army should leave that night.

Before the dramatic council meeting, Washington had already sent orders to General William Heath to round up all available boats and assemble these craft on the Manhattan side of the East River, across from the encampment at Brooklyn Heights. If Admiral Howe was paying attention, Washington wanted him to think he was bringing more troops from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

Heath ordered Colonel Hugh Hughes, assistant quartermaster general in New York, to round up every boat he could lay hands on. Once the boats were in place, he could have Glover and Colonel Israel Hutchinson man them from their regiments of mariners from the Massachusetts towns of Salem, Beverly, Gloucester, Cape Ann, Danvers, and Marblehead. Tough fighters and excellent seamen, the New Englanders would have the seemingly impossible job of bringing Washingtons troops, horses, and equipment across the East River at night under the noses of the Royal Navy and its renowned fighting admiral.

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As the sun set, strong winds were blowing from the northeast, keeping Lord Howes big warships out of the East River. Smaller British craft with swivel guns at their prows easily could have worked up the river to disrupt Washingtons operation. Fortunately, Admiral Howe was preoccupied with organizing peace. His boats were nowhere to be seen.

In a gamble of a high order, Washington hoped to bring off all 9,500 men, with their horses, equipment, and supplies. As Glover and Hutchinson raced to ready and crew every boat, Washington watched for the Royal Navy. He naturally worried that Lord Howes small boats might sound an alarm, triggering a frontal assault by the other Howe. The navy then could have wreaked havoc on Glovers small boats, loaded with men, at the middle of the East River.

But Admiral Howe, who had a well-deserved reputation for attention to detail, hadnt the least suspicion what was up. His confidence that Washington wasnt going anywhere enlarged when that vicious storm blew in on August 29.

Pelting rain seemed to make it even less likely that the rebels would attempt to withdraw over the water.

Actually, the storm made that very process easier, by concealing activity on either shore. The operation began at 8 p.m. with Washington everywhere, directing and encouraging. The northeast wind threatened to sweep the rescue craft downriver and into the arms of Lord Howes sailors.

Despite the conditions, the Massachusetts mariners rowed men and equipment across the East River through the night.

The wind abated around 11 p.m., making the going far easier but also renderinging the rebel flotilla more visible and vulnerable. Glover and his men kept at it. At daybreak, a providential fog covered the final stages of the retreat. Incredibly, General Howes men did not discover what was going on until the Americans had nearly finished their evacuation, executing Washingtons plan as perfectly as could have been. British soldiers fired on the last of the retreating patriots but succeeded in wounding only four. None was killed. The British captured three loaders who had stayed behind. Admiral Howes failure to detect or prevent the retreat was a colossal oversight that would cost him and his cause dearly.

Washingtons departure left General William Howe in control of Brooklyn Heights with a minimal loss of personnel. New York City lay at Howes feet.

The rebel army was in retreat and in disarray, a surpassing achievement. The only thing marring the British triumph was the wanton and indiscriminant cruelty of the Germans and some redcoats as they pillaged and raped in Queens and Kings counties. Word of their depravity spread fast and hurt the Howes cause, as would the sadistic behavior of their jailers, only just beginning and as yet not generally known.

News of the victory on Long Island reached London on October 10. Britain was ecstatic. King George assumed that his force soon would be suppressing Washingtons army, followed by the joining of British forces at Albany and, soon after, the submission of Congress. The kings vision of the way to preserve the empire had been vindicated. The ambitions of France were frustrated. It was a great triumph. King George made General Howe a Knight of the Bath and wrote the soldier a personal letter promising a lucrative sinecure when he returned.



While the king and his kingdom celebrated, the negotiations that Lord Richard Howe had set in motion on August 28 proceededalbeit with Washingtons army, although defeated and humiliated, still in the field.

Nevertheless, the prospect of being the great peacemaker so dazzled the admiral that he hoped easy victory on Long Island would suffice to make Congress reconsider independence.

Howe persuaded Sullivan, but not Stirling, to help arrange a conference on Staten Island with a congressional delegation. Howe wanted to inform Congress of terms that might follow if the patriots surrendered. Secretary of State Lord George Germain and the king had insisted, as a key part of Howes instructions, that until the rebels gave up, no discussion of the terms of reconciliation could take place. And even then, anything Howe agreed to had to be approved in London.

On August 30, Sullivan, who was on parole, visited Washington. Sullivan requested permission to go to Philadelphia and present Howes request for a conference. Washington thought Sullivan naive to think Howe had anything real to offer, but agreed that the matter was for Congress to decide. The following day, Sullivan set out for Philadelphia.

By September 2, Sullivan was hard at work trying to convince delegates that no harm could come from listening to what Howe had to say. After considerable discussion and argument, Congress agreed.

Three delegates were selectedone from the North, another from the Middle States, and a third from the South: John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina. The three left Philadelphia on September 9 and in two days reached Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The admirals barge was waiting to take the delegates to the landing at Captain Christopher Billopps estate on Staten Island, where Lord Howe welcomed the Americans. Billopps two-story stone mansion, being used to house military guards, was as dirty as a stable, according to Adams. In an effort to enhance the occasion, Lord Howe had had two rooms cleaned.

Franklin knew Howe fairly well; the others had not met him. They spoke at dinner. Not surprisingly, the parties found no common ground, as none existed. Howe was frank in telling his guests that only after the colonies surrendered could real negotiations about the future take place. That was a nonstarteras Howes betters meant it to be. Germain and the king had imposed the requirement to keep total control of any talks. In spite of this, Howe insisted that acceptable terms could be worked out after surrender, but he wasnt convincing.

Franklin told Howe that it was too late for the colonies to return to the empire. Too much had been inflicted on Americans for them to reverse course. Forces have been sent out and towns have been burned, Franklin said. We cannot now expect happiness under the dominion of Great Britain. All former attachments have been obliterated.

Adams and Rutledge felt the same. Discussion continued, however. Franklin wanted to suggest a real alternative. Not expecting the British admiral to agree, the American wanted to open Howes mind to the possibility of an approach that might avoid needless slaughter. To begin with, Franklin argued, independence was inevitable. Even if, in some sense, Britain won the war under way, victory would only mean an indefinite period of unrest requiring a large army of occupation. Perpetual resistance inevitably would move London to try to remake colonial society, which could never work. British troops would become a permanent fixture, as in Ireland, keeping down a hostile population and impoverishing both countries.

Instead of compounding Britains errors and fighting a long, expensive war that Britain could never win, Franklin said, London should accept American independence, which would cost nothing. Trade between the two countries could flourish, enriching both, as trans-Atlantic commerce had in the past. Britain and America had been each others principal trading partners. They could be again. Why not bring that lucrative business back to life, as an alternative to endless bloodshed? In time, even an alliance was possible. Why would that future not be better than constant, costly strife?

Even though Franklin knew he and his colleagues had no chance of persuading Howes superiors, he did not feel the exercise was a waste of time. Franklin wanted the admiral to be aware of an attractive alternative to civil war. The Pennsylvanian did not expect to change Howes mind about independence, but he did want to give Howe something to think about.

What Howe actually thought was that the war would continue. With his brother he wrote a joint letter to Germain, telling the secretary of state, We do not yet perceive any symptom of that disposition to allegiance and submission to legal government, which would justify us in expecting to see public tranquility soon restored.

In the same letter, Howe said that Franklin and cohort were very explicit in their opinions, that the associated colonies would not accede to any peace or alliance, but as free and independent states; and they endeavored to prove that Great Britain would derive more extensive and more durable advantages from such an alliance, than from the connection it was the object of the commission to restore.

Franklin could not even convince Lord Howe, never mind King George III, that independence was a realistic way out of the bloody mess they were in.

The king could never accept an independent America. Independence would avert a war, save a fortune, and preserve thousands of livesbut also would diminish Englands power and prestige, diminish the empires place in the world, and that was intolerable. The benisons of renewed friendly relations, trade, even an alliance aside, the king abhorred the thought of destroying Britains dominion over North America.

Germain and the Earl of Sandwich, first lord of the Admiralty, felt the same. After that spectacular victory on Long Island, the kings men expected submission, not a negotiated settlement, and certainly not independence. Their fixation on military power was too strong to consider any alternative, particularly when they appeared to be winning.

Adams shared his impressions of the meeting in a letter to wife Abigail: Yesterday morning I returned with Dr. Franklin and Mr. Rutledge from Staten Island, where we met Lord Howe and had about three hours conversation with him. The results of this interview will do no disservice to us. It is now plain that his lordship has no power but what is given him in the act of Parliament [the Prohibitive Act]. His commission authorizes him to grant pardons upon submission, and to converse, consult, and advise with such persons as he may think proper upon American grievances, upon the instructions to governors and the acts of Parliament, and if any errors should be found to have crept in, His Majesty and the ministry were willing they would be rectifiedHis lordship is about fifty years of age. He is a well-bred man, buthis head is rather confused.

The Staten Island talks did not serve Lord Howe well, making him appear to be a negotiating novice out of his depth. but these interactions were of great importance to the patriots, giving their military forces critical time to recover somewhat from that terrible beating on Long Island.

Had General Richard Howe, instead of pausing to allow his brother time to negotiate, immediately followed his victory with an attack on Washingtons depressed army in Manhattan, that assault likely would have been fatal to the Revolution. 

This story was originally published in the December 2017 issue of American History magazine. Subscribe here.
There must be more historians of the Civil War than there were generals fighting it, David Herbert Donald declared in his book Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era, adding dryly: [O]f the two groups, the historians are the more belligerent. One would think that by now, some 150-plus years after the war, every Union and Confederate general would certainly have received the level of attention and appreciation his services merited. And yet that is not the case. What follows is a look at 10 leaders whose service to the Union cause makes them worthy of a place on any list of Civil War notables.

10. John G. Parke

The Union 9th Corps served everywhere, from the coast of North Carolina to the banks of Antietam Creek to the swamps of Vicksburg to the mountains of eastern Tennessee. Because it never really belonged to any single theater of the war, the 9th Corps and its leadershipwith the notable exception of Ambrose Burnsidehas had a hard time getting the recognition it deserves. Thus, it is not surprising that John G. Parke, who assumed command of the corps after the July 1864 Battle of the Crater fiasco and led it through the end of the war, has not figured prominently in discussions of important Civil War generals.

A Pennsylvania native and West Point graduate, Parke first saw significant service as a brigade commander during Burnsides 1862 North Carolina Expedition, and was promoted to major general later that year. He spent much of the rest of the war as Burnsides chief of staff, but commanded the corps during part of Ulysses Grants 1863 Vicksburg Campaign while Burnside was stationed in Ohio. Parke returned as Burnsides chief of staff in eastern Tennessee later that year, and continued in that capacity until the early stages of the 1864 Petersburg Campaign.

After replacing Burnside, Parke gave the 9th Corps solid leadership in the fall offensives around Petersburg. He commanded the Union forces in the critical March 1865 fighting at Fort Stedman and was instrumental in the final push that chased the Rebels out of Petersburg and Richmond on April 2.

9. Nathan Kimball

Any man with a battlefield victory over Stonewall Jackson on his resumeespecially one earned in the Shenandoah Valleymerits more attention and respect from students of the war than Nathan Kimball has enjoyed. Though he lacked a West Point pedigree, Kimball possessed a record of distinguished service in the Mexican War, a willingness to leave a flourishing medical practice, and active support for the Republican Party when Indiana Governor Oliver Morton began looking for a commander for the 14th Indiana. Kimball accepted the post and led his unit in the operations in western Virginia that culminated at Cheat Mountain. By March 1862, Kimball was commanding a brigade in James Shields division in the Shenandoah Valley. When Shields was wounded on March 22, Kimball found himself in charge of the Union force at First Kernstown that Jackson believed would be easy pickings. The following day, Kimball and his command corrected this misperception, beating back Confederate attacks until Jackson and his badly bloodied command were forced to make a unpleasant retreat back up the Valley.

For his victory, Kimball received promotion to brigadier general, but had no opportunity to add further laurels to his record until Antietam, where his brigade was among those that assaulted the Sunken Road and won the nickname the Gibraltar Brigade for its conduct. After suffering wounds during the fight for Maryes Heights at Fredericksburg and declining to return to Indiana to run for office, Kimball transferred to the Western Theater and in June 1863 took command of a division. After participating in operations against Vicksburg and in Arkansas, in April 1864 Kimball was called to Georgia and won praise for his conduct at Peach Tree Creek. Shortly thereafter, Kimball was summoned to Indiana to help the governor deal with disloyal elements in the state, then returned to the field as a division commander in the Army of the Ohio and led his command at Franklin and Nashville.

8. Joseph A. Mower

Although he was not a West Point graduate, two years attendance at Norwich Academy and service as a private in the Mexican War were enough to secure for Joseph Mower a commission in the Regular Army in 1855. When civil war came in 1861, like many of his peers Mower experienced a rapid rise in rank. After a stint as commander of a Missouri regiment in which he distinguished himself in the capture of Corinth, Miss., Mower ascended to brigade command in the Army of the Mississippi. In fighting at Iuka and Corinth in the fall of 1862, he survived a neck wound and earned promotion to brigadier general.

During the Vicksburg Campaign, Mowers performances continued to impress his superiors. Among those was William T. Sherman, who proclaimed him the boldest young soldier we have. In the Red River Campaign of 1864, Mower was one of the few bright spots for the Union, commanding a successful assault on Fort DeRussy, a post Rebel authorities proclaimed to be the Confederate Gibraltar, and fighting effectively at Yellow Bayou. He followed this with a solid performance as a division commander at the July 1864 Battle of Tupelo.

Following promotion to major general, Mower joined Shermans army at Atlanta and received command of a division in the 17th Corps, which he led during the Federal marches through Georgia and the Carolinas. Once again he impressed Sherman, who after the Battle of Bentonville elevated Mower to command of the 20th Corps. After the surrender of Joseph E. Johnstons army, Mower and his command were sent to Texas, where he received the task of organizing and training African-American units and became a champion of civil and political rights for the freedmen before a fatal pneumonia attack brought an end to his distinguished career.

7. Edward R.S. Canby

In early 1862, Confederate forces were on the march with the ambition of staking claim to the region west of Texas and possibly extending the new nations boundaries to the Pacific Ocean. The man the U.S. government entrusted the task of denying the Confederates their goals was Edward Richard Sprigg Canby, commander of the Department of New Mexico. Through careful management of the limited resources at his disposal, Canby was able to recover from an early tactical setback at Valverde and, by compelling the Confederates to retreat back to Texas, win a major strategic victory for the Union. A little more than three years later, the Kentucky native added another major accomplishment to his resume. In one of the last major actions of the war, forces under Canbys command successfully assaulted Fort Blakely, Ala., and brought Mobile into Federal possession in early April 1865. Canby then accepted the surrender of Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. His long career in the U.S. Army, which included service in the Second Seminole War and Mexican War, came to a tragic end in 1873 when Modoc warriors murdered him in the middle of peace talks in Californiathe only general officer killed during the Indian Wars.

Undoubtedly, the main reason Canbys accomplishments have not made him a household name is that they occurred far from the main stages of the Civil War. Another consideration is that though he conducted his work with solid competence and quiet modesty, he seemed to lack personal charisma or social skills. Furthermore, Ulysses S. Grant, whose writings have done so much to shape our sense of just who the Union stars of the war were, seems not to have thought too highly of Canbys qualities as a field commander, even though he shared the near universal respect for his administrative abilities.

6. David M. Gregg

David McMurtrie Gregg is almost the only cavalry commander to fight at Gettysburg who has not received significant attention from historians. Although the Pennsylvanian performed solidly during the first two years of the war, it was not until George Stonemans raid during the Chancellorsville Campaign that he had an opportunity to seriously test his talents as a division commander. Although the raid failed to accomplish much, Gregg not only retained command of his division but also led one wing of the attack on the Confederates at Brandy Station that demonstrated the Union cavalry was becoming a force with which to be reckoned.

In the Gettysburg Campaign, Gregg and his division partook in the engagements in Virginias Loudoun Valley during the armies marches north and screened the advance of the Army of the Potomacs right wing as it advanced toward the Mason-Dixon Line. Arriving at Gettysburg on July 2, Gregg received the critical task of covering the armys right and rear. The following day, Gregg kept his command near the Hanover Road and ordered George Custers brigade to come to his assistance. These actions ensured there would be sufficient force available to thwart whatever J.E.B. Stuart hoped to accomplish that daythough given the flair with which Custer did just about everything, it is not that surprising that Gregg would be overshadowed in accounts of the fight at East Cavalry Field.

Gregg followed up the Gettysburg Campaign with important service in the Bristoe Station Campaign and the 1864 raid that culminated at Yellow Tavern, as well as engagements at Haws Shop, Trevilian Station, and Saint Marys Church during the Overland Campaign. During the Petersburg Campaign, Gregg and his division played important roles in the operations at Deep Bottom and attacks on Confederate logistical networks south and west of Petersburg.

Unfortunately, shortly after Hatchers Run, Gregg decided he had had enough and resigned his commission. Given just how much active service he had seen, it is understandable that Gregg could not face another day in the saddle. Nevertheless, the end of his distinguished career meant he missed the final stages of the Petersburg and Appomattox Campaign.

5. James B. Ricketts

At First Bull Run, the wars first major battle, James Brewerton Ricketts figured prominently, commanding one of the Union batteries during the fierce fighting on Henry Hill, where one of his foes, Thomas J. Jackson, won fame for standing like a stone wall. When the Federal army withdrew from Henry Hill, Ricketts was left behind, having suffered multiple wounds, and ended up spending several months in Richmond, during which time his wife, Fannie, made well-publicized visits to minister to her husband. After being exchanged, having recuperated from his wounds, the New Yorker in April 1862 accepted appointment as brigadier general and command of a division.

During the Second Bull Run Campaign, Ricketts and the 2nd Division, 3rd Corps, had the thankless task of obstructing the march of James Longstreets wing of the Army of Northern Virginia through Thoroughfare Gap. Ricketts probably did as well as he could, but simply did not have enough men to hold off Longstreets command. In the fighting at Second Bull Run that followed, Ricketts once again played a significant role. A few weeks later, his division was in the thick of the mornings fight at Antietam.

Ricketts, though, would not get a chance to demonstrate what he could do in the field for more than a year after Antietam, probably due to his lack of zeal for the prosecutions case when he served on Fitz-John Porters notorious court-martial. Finally, in March 1864, Ricketts received command of the 3rd Division in the 6th Corps, which he led through the Overland Campaign and the opening stages of the Petersburg Campaign.

Then, in response to Jubal Earlys 1864 Maryland Raid, Ricketts division was sent north to defend Washington, D.C., received praise for its efforts on the Union left at Monocacy, and had a significant hand in defeating the Confederates in the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Wounded severely in the chest at Cedar Creek, where he exercised corps command briefly, Ricketts nevertheless managed to resume command of his old division two days before the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered at Appomattox. Ricketts never fully recovered from his wounds, and today this underappreciated officer rests next to his wife and son (who served with the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War) at Arlington National Cemetery.

4. August Willich

The man born Johann August Ernst von Willich left Europe in the early 1850s following a duel with a man who had taken exception to Willichs characterization of Karl Marx as being too conservative. When civil war broke out in his adopted homeland, Willich did not hesitate to offer his talents to the Union as an officer and leader of menrefined during a youth spent in the Prussian army and his experience commanding forces in the German revolutions of 1846-48 (during which no less than Friedrich Engels served as his aide). After service in western Virginia in 1861, Willich raised a regiment of Germans and under his driving, innovative leadership it quickly won recognition as one of the crack units in the Union Army.

For his superlative performances at Rowletts Station and Shiloh, Willich won promotion to brigade command and a brigadier generalship. (At the latter engagement, Willich conspicuously had his regimental band play the revolutionary anthem La Marseillaise as it maneuvered on the battlefield.) He fell into Confederate hands when they shot his horse from under him at Stones River and endured captivity until May 1863. After being exchanged, Willich returned to the field and once again performed exceptionally in the campaigns for Tullahoma and Chickamauga, where his men employed the innovative tactics he had drilled into them. He subsequently led the assault on Missionary Ridge that broke the Confederate defenses at Chattanooga, with his brigade among the first to reach the top of the ridge. He was wounded in the fighting at Resaca, Ga., in May 1864, and was relegated to administrative posts for the rest of the war. One of the truly great combat leaders in the Union Army, Willich ended the war a brevet major general.

Any man who was too Red for Marx and too tough for the Rebels deserves to be far better remembered by posterity.

3. Horatio G. Wright

On May 9, 1864, John Sedgwick inadvertently ensured that he would be eternally remembered when he uttered perhaps the most famous last words ever spoken by an American general, declaring to his nervous men that the Confederates at Spotsylvania couldnt hit an elephant at this distance just before he was struck down by a Rebel sharpshooter. Lamentably, Sedgwicks legacy casts a huge shadow over the capable officer who took his place as commander of

the Union 6th Corps: Horatio G. Wright.

The Connecticut natives Civil War began at the Gosport Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Va., where he was captured while trying to destroy it so the Rebels could not use its facilities. After his release, Wright assisted in the massive fortification of Washington and served as a staff officer at First Bull Run, earning promotion to brigadier general. He saw service in South Carolina and Florida, then received command of the Department of the Ohio, where he bolstered his reputation during the successful Federal response to the Confederate invasion of Kentucky in 1862. Wright finally took command of a division in the 6th Corps in May 1863 and led it through the Gettysburg Campaign and the fall campaigns of 1863. He was the senior division commander when the 6th Corps lost its beloved Uncle John and subsequently found himself overshadowed not just by his predecessor but the more celebrated Winfield Scott Hancock and Gouverneur K. Warren, despite leading his corps through some of the most brutal and demanding operations of the war in Virginia.

Wright finally got the opportunity to show what he could do when his command was detached from the Army of the Potomac and sent from Petersburg to Washington. Wrights men reached the capital in time for their presence at Fort Stevens to ensure the Confederates under Jubal Early would go no farther. Wright was critical to Phil Sheridans ability to defeat Early in the Shenandoah Valley. He then returned to Petersburg and commanded the decisive assault that finally broke the Confederate lines there on April 2, 1865. Four days later, he followed this up by smashing the Confederate defensive line at Sailors Creek. It was a remarkable record that merits far greater appreciation from students of the Civil War.

2. Charles Griffin

Charles Griffin was one of the pivotal figures in the fight for Henry Hill at First Bull Run, which decided the outcome of the wars first major battle. In 1865, Griffin led one of the corps threatening the Army of Northern Virginia near Appomattox Court House that sealed the fate of Robert E. Lees command. In an army in which turnover in personnel was constant and upon which the nations attention was persistently fixed, it is surprising that a man who was such a continual presence in its officer corps (and who married a prominent Maryland society lady) has not garnered more notice.

Griffin was teaching artillery tactics at West Point when slave states began leaving the Union and responded by organizing the so-called West Point Battery. After leading the battery at First Bull Run and during the opening stages of the Peninsula Campaign, the Ohio native was promoted to brigadier general in June 1862 and earned praise for his brigades performance during the Seven Days. Although he did not play significant roles at either Second Bull Run or Antietam, Griffin was promoted to division command during the fall of 1862. He then led his division through the great campaigns that culminated at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harborand on through the Siege of Petersburg. Griffin finally received well-earned promotion to command of the 5th Corps when Phil Sheridan controversially relieved Gouveneur Warren in the aftermath of Five Forks and subsequently led the corps in the Appomattox Campaign.

Unfortunately for his place in history, illness forced Griffin to miss all but the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg. There his divisions three brigades, especially the one commanded by Colonel Strong Vincent, made the most of their moment on the wars grandest stage and winning the sort of attention from history that Griffin, despite his long record of meritorious service, has never really garnered.

1. Samuel R. Curtis

A West Point graduate and one-time U.S. congressman from Iowa, Samuel Ryan Curtis first came to notice when, as commander of the Army of the Southwest, he led one of the Norths first successful major campaigns. In early 1862, as Union forces elsewhere seemed inextricably stuck in the proverbial mud, Curtis drove out of Missouri the last remnants of the Confederate army that had embarrassed the Federals at Wilsons Creek back in August. He then pushed into Arkansas and won decisively at Pea Ridge in March before moving east to capture Helena, crushing the hopes of pro-Confederate Missourians.

These accomplishments in the field should have been enough to ensure Curtis a significant place in the wars historiographyor at least a major command in one of the wars main theaters. Unfortunately for Curtis, they were followed by two years in which he faced the thankless task of managing affairs in Kansas and Missouri, places where bitter interstate antagonism, guerrilla warfare, intense internal factionalism, and his own abolitionist sentiments made for unending headaches. Despite these obstacles, as commander of the Department of Kansas, Curtis was able in the fall of 1864 to organize an Army of the Border in response to a major Confederate invasion of Missouri and decisively defeat Sterling Price at the Battle of Westport.

Arguably, no man did more for the Union cause west of the Mississippi River than did Curtis. And yet, in scholarship on the war in the region, he remains overshadowed by such (admittedly more exciting and dynamic) figures as Jim Lane, Nathaniel Lyon, Sterling Price, and Earl Van Dorn.

Ethan S. Rafuse, a regular contributor to Americas Civil War, teaches at the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He is the author of several books, including McClellans War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union.
The Confederate 1st Missouri Brigade paid a high price at Allatoona Pass and Franklin

In the foreword to In Deadly Earnest, Phil Gottschalks 1991 history of the 1st Missouri Brigade, C.S.A., Ed Bearss, retired Chief Historian of the National Park Service, leader of countless battlefield tours, and member of the Civil War Times advisory board, claims that the Missouri brigade compiled a combat record that was unsurpassed in the Civil War. The following two wartime newspaper accounts, reprinted here for the first time, describe two of the Missourians costliest engagements, the October 5, 1864, Battle of Allatoona Pass, Ga. and the November 30, 1864, Battle

of Franklin, Tenn.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he article on Allatoona Pass appeared in the Wilmington (N.C.) Daily Journal on November 2, 1864, but it had been published previously in an unidentified Mississippi newspaper. Although the writers identity is unknown, he indicates that he had served with his regiment since it was part of the Missouri State Guard during the September 1861 siege of Lexington, Mo.

The battle at Allatoona had its origin in a plan adopted by Confederate General John B. Hood following the fall of Atlanta to Union forces. Hood decided to march his Army of Tennessee north to launch attacks against the Federals main communication and supply line, the Western & Atlantic Railroad. The Confederate general hoped that this would force Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman to withdraw his army from Atlanta to Chattanooga or pursue the Army of Tennessee, in which case the Confederates would withdraw into Northern Alabama. If Sherman chose not to chase Hood and decided instead to march south of Atlanta and head for the Atlantic or Gulf coast, then Hood could pursue and attack the Federals on ground of his choosing.

As related by Missouri, Confederate corps commander Lt. Gen. A.P. Stewart detached Maj. Gen. Samuel G. Frenchs Division on October 4, 1864, to strike Allatoona Pass, a Federal supply depot located where the Western & Atlantic Railroad ran through a 180-foot-deep cut in the Allatoona Mountains. The Federal garrison at Allatoona numbered roughly 2,025 men and occupied a fortified position anchored by two large earthen forts on opposite sides of the railroad cut. During Frenchs initial assault, the Missourians attacked and overwhelmed an advanced Federal position that became known after the battle as Rowetts Redoubt. This is where the hand-to-hand fighting took place as noted by Missouri. The Federals then retreated into the Star Fort, described in the article as the strong fort on our right, which the Yankees held until the Confederates withdrew. Although the battle involved relatively small numbers of men, the casualties sustained on both sides reflect the intensity of the fighting. The Union garrison suffered 707 casualties. Frenchs Division, which numbered 3,553 men, sustained 898 casualties.

The Fight at Altoona Wilmington [N.C.] Daily Journal, November 2, 1864

Jacksonville, Ala., Oct. 17, 1864. Editor Mississippian:

Will you please allow me, through the columns of your paper, to give a short sketch of the battle of Altoona. On the 3d of October, we, [General Alexander P.] Stewarts corps, struck the [Western and Atlantic] railroad near Big Shanty. Gen. [Samuel G.] Frenchs division then went to the right and tore up the track to within three miles of Kennesaw mountain, while Gen. [William W.] Lorings turned to the left, moving in the direction of Acworth, capturing that place and tearing up the track some distance beyond. On the evening of the 4th, Gen. French was ordered, with his division, to move and attack Altoona at daylight the next morning. The garrison was then supposed to number five thousand. In accordance to orders Gen. French moved that night so as to be near the town by light, and, if possible, surprise the garrison. His division was composed of Generals [Claudius W.] Sears, [William H.] Young and [Francis M.] Cockrells brigades, with twelve pieces of artillery. Before light on the morning of the 5th, we had gained a position on the railroad within three quarters of a mile of the place, and began skirmishing with the enemy. As soon as light began to dawn our column could be dimly seen moving to a position around the enemys stronghold. The artillery, supported by a portion of a regiment from the Texas, Youngs brigade, was posted on an eminence south of the town, and the 4th Mississippi regiment, of Sears brigade, was detached to attack a block house on one branch of the Hightower river. With the remainder we moved to the north and rear of the enemys position, which was now discovered to be very formidable, consisting of strong forts and heavy redoubts running in all directions. After having secured our position in the rear, in the following order, Gen. Sears to attack and carry a strong fort on our left, and Gen. Cockrell, supported by Gen. Young, to attack and carry the heavy redoubts in front of a most formidable fort on our right. Gen. French dispatched a flag of truce demanding an unconditional surrender within twenty-five minutes. At the expiration of the time allotted them, a boom from their cannon brought the reply. Gen. French was here informed that the enemy had evidently been reinforced. The movement was one day too late, for just before our arrival, five regiments from Rome reached the garrison, already composed of three regiments, amounting in all to a little over three thousand, while our force did not exceed twenty-five hundred men. When Gen. French heard the reply he immediately began to prepare for actiondetermined to take them by storm. Never in all the contest for freedom have I seen men as anxious for the fray to begin. Every man was confident of victory. The scene now became general and imposing. The golden sun had arisen from behind Altoonas towering hills, shedding a bright yet solemn lustre upon the surrounding mountain fields, and the silvery dew-drops glistened with clear sunlight, reminded one of the sweet tears shed oer freedoms sons. The word Attention! and the little, yet noble band arose to their feet. For a moment then, and all is silent as the grave. The wind ceased to moan through the lofty pines, and all nature seemed to pause in solemn, yet awful grandeur. The Goddess of Liberty, dressed in her robe of love, hovers around each heart and whispers courage, braves! And oh! Missourians, Mississippians, and Texans, methinks I see in this awful stillness one last, one lingering look to home and friends; breathe one prayer to Heaven that love ones shall meet again. Yet in our gloom the bright, the lovely hills around the old homestead comes in view. But hear, the silence breaks, and rings along the line, Forward! With that yell, characteristic of Missourians, they sprang forward, and the work of death began. I have followed the army from Lexington to Altoona, but never witnessed such a scene as is now transpiring on Altoonas bloody hills. The enemy fought like men, and when within twenty yards of their works, so deadly was their fire, that our lines halted, and for a time the contest seemed dreadful. It was here that Major [Owen A.] Waddell, commanding the 3d and 5th Missouri, fell mortally wounded, whilst nobly and exultantly leading his men. Major [Robert J.] Williams, of the 3d, fell severely wounded in the thigh. But another deeper, louder yell from behind, and the cry rang along our lines forward, the Chubs are coming, and like the tiger upon his prey, our men leaped upon their works. And now let nature pause and for one moment gaze upon the scene. The cannons thunder was no longer heard, the rumble of the musket had ceased, but shrill and terrible from rank to rank, resounded the clash of bayonets. The Texans, determined not to be outdone by the Missourians, rushed impetuously forward, and having no bayonets, turned the butts of their guns, or gathering rocks, hurled them upon the falling foe. [quote style=boxed float=left]Every man was confident of victory[/quote] Here fell the noble Stephen Barton, ensign of the 3d and 5th Missouri triumphant over the enemys works. Here General Young was severely wounded, while leading his men to the charge. Never was the work of death more terrible, while here friend and foe fell to fill one common grave. The gallant Mississippians came promptly up from the left, and the enemy staggered, reeled and fled, and left us in possession of all the forts and redoubts except the strong fort on our right, to which the enemy now all retired. This fort was the most formidable of all, being surrounded by a deep, wide ditch with no approach but at the draws. Our men were now compelled to rest and get a new supply of ammunition. While this was being done, and preparations were being made to storm and carry the last remaining fort, General French received a dispatch from General [Frank C.] Armstrong, stating that the enemy were advancing 10,000 strong by way of Big Shanty. This made it necessary to withdraw, for if this was true, before preparations could be made and the victory complete, the enemy would be upon us in our rear. Gen. Cockrell was ordered three times before he would withdraw, and when necessity compelled him, he wept. He met Gen. French with tears in his eyes and the two heroes wept together. Yonder lies some of Missouris noblest sons, there flowed some of her purest blood, and shall it all be in vain? But it is our luck. On the eve of one of the brightest victories of the war, we are defeated by a false dispatch, for scarcely had we been withdrawn when Gen. French received a second dispatch stating that no enemy were advancing. But it was now too late, though there was not a man but begged to go back. Considering the odds against us, the enemy out-numbering us, with strong earthworks, and the terrible desperation with which they fought, it was one of the most hard fought battles of the war. I had thought we had done hard fighting before, but there is not a man but will not say it was the hardest fought battle in which he was ever engaged. We never before on any field used the bayonet. I had forgotten to mention that Major [William F.] Carter, of the 2d Missouri, was killed. Though individual deeds of daring could not be recorded, I must however mention a few. Sergeant [William W.] Rice, of the 3d regiment, after laying three men low at his feet, plunged a bayonet through anothers breast, just in time to save the life of Captain Adkinson of Co. G, of the same regiment, who was leading his men gallantly on; J.J. Payne, belonging to a company of sharpshooters, walked up to a rifle pit containing six Yankees and demanded of them to surrender; all threw down their guns but one. He remarked that six were too many to surrender to one. Well, said hero, leveling his gun, you can do as you please, sir, when he too surrendered, and the six were marched to the rear, our hero carrying with him two heavy rifles. Another, Robert Theaderick, a letter bearer, seeing our men halt in the thickness of the fight, letter in hand, and was severely, if not mortally, wounded. When asked why he rushed into danger, he replied, I wished to encourage the boys. I wish I had room for more. The Missouri Brigade lost near two hundred and eighty killed and wounded. I do not know the number lost in the other brigades, but suppose it to be about the same. The loss of the enemy was equally heavy. In killed they lost the most. We captured two flags and about 220 prisoners. Hoping I have done injustice to no one, I beg leave subscribe myself yours, Missouri.

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ess than eight weeks after Allatoona, the Missourians under Brig. Gen. Francis M. Cockrell once again faced entrenched Federals at the Battle of Franklin. This bloody engagement is briefly described in the second article from the April 5, 1865, Atlanta Intelligencer that consists of an extract from a private letter written by a defiant Cockrell. During his brigades advance against the Federal line in the vicinity of the cotton gin, Cockrell had two horses shot from under him and received wounds in the right arm, the left leg, and the right ankle.

When I got these wounds, he recalled years after the war, I was at the front line right in the midst of the fight. I tried my right leg, and when I found I couldnt walk on it, I hobbled off the field. It was not until the surgeon was working on my right ankle that I found I had been wounded in my left leg. Cockrells statement that his brigade lost two-thirds of its strength at Franklin roughly coincides with figures that appear in Gottshalks In Deadly Earnest, which claims that out of 696 men who participated in the charge, the Missourians suffered 419 total casualties. The Missouri generals war ended on April 9, 1865, when he was captured along with most of the garrison of Fort Blakely on the Appalachee River near Mobile, Ala.

How a True Soldier and Patriot Feels Atlanta Intelligencer, April 5, 1865

From the Telegraph & Confederate The Columbus [Ga.] Times has been permitted to make the following extract from a private letter written by General Cockrell to a friend in that city. This officer is a Missourian, and commanded a brigade in Frenchs division. He has not been at home in four years, but has been constantly in the field except when wounds (of which he has many) compelled his absence. His brigade of Missourians with himself at their head, has won a name that can never die. The letter was written in the freedom of private correspondence, and, of course, was never intended to be published; but the sentiments it utters are so honorable to the author, and are, moreover, so well calculated to inspire faith and hope in the cause, that we trust he will excuse the liberty taken. Since I saw you last, I have gone thro a regular flint mill. My noble brigade has been almost obliterated. At Allatoona, Ga., I lost one-third of the number taken into the fight, and at Franklin, Tenn., I lost two-thirds- having had every fourth man killed dead, or mortally wounded, and since died. This was by far the fiercest and bloodiest and hottest battle I have ever been in. My Brigade acted more handsomely, defiantly and recklessly than on any field of the war; and you know what it required to eclipse all former conduct on so many bloody fields. They march quietly, and boldly, and steadily through the broken and fleeing ranks of at least twice their own number, and no man waveredall to the stop, with colors six paces in front, just like a drill, and never brought their guns from a right shoulder shift until within thirty or forty yards of the enemys works, and then fired by order, and hurled themselves against the works. It was grand and terrible in the extreme. Almost all were killed and wounded very near the works, or in the ditches of the works. I have no language to paint the scene. We hear that Colonel [Elijah P.] Gates has escaped the enemy, and is now somewhere in our lines. I hope it is true. He is the noblest and best soldier I ever saw. [Gates was wounded in both arms at Franklin, having one of them amputated. Federals captured him in a field hospital, but he subsequently escaped from the train taking him north.] I had a rough time getting out of Tennessee, but would have ventured almost anything before falling into Yankee hands. I rejoined my brigade at West Point, Miss., January 20, 1865, just sixty days from the day I was wounded. I have been on crutches up to March 4, 1865. Laid them aside on that day to take an even start with Old Abe for the coming four years. I am in for that time, and four more if necessary- forever if required. We arrived in Mobile February 4th and since then I have commanded Frenchs division. [quote style=boxed float=left]My noble brigade has been almost obliterated[/quote] I am not well yet. My right leg is still not well. I have six pieces of bone which have worked out, and I think more pieces will yet work out. I got disgusted with the rearcould scarcely keep from breaking my crutches over the rear men, who talked so loudly of demoralization, peace, etc. I never want any man to gas to me of peace. I dont think of any such good thing. I think of warbitter, cruel, devastating warfully prepared for the worst. I expect Richmond to fall and even when all our large armies are disbanded by force of the enemyour cities, railroads, and rivers in their possessionthen I will just commence fighting in earnest. Will take to the mountains and swamps, and fight on, fight ever. Let us all resolve to do this, and we will be free. Be not overjoyed with victory, and draw new, fresh inspiration from disasters and reverses. Trust in God and our own arms, and all will be right. I firmly believe in our entire ability to maintain our separate nationality and achieve our independence.

Keith Bohannon teaches at the University of West Georgia. His latest essay appears in Gary W. Gallagher and Caroline E. Janneys Cold Harbor to the Crater (University of North Carolina Press, 2015).
Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin has jetted over to Brighton to discuss the dangers of Brexit with politicians there at the UK Labour Party Conference.

I will be reiterating my belief that Brexit will be bad for Britain, and bad for Ireland too, the Irish Labour leader tells us.

And I will be welcoming the nuanced position that Labour has adopted over recent weeks, while calling upon the Labour leadership to go further, and to take whatever actions they can to stop the relentless drive towards a hard Brexit.

He adds, As members of the Party of European Socialists, I have been working alongside Jeremy Corbyn and Colum Eastwood over recent months to try to influence the debate on Brexit in the United Kingdom, and to clearly spell out the dangers of Brexit to the island of Ireland.

"As sister parties, our friendships are deep and enduring. Friends have an obligation to support each other, but also to be honest with each other.

"I look forward to engaging with members, activists and politicians from across the United Kingdom over the coming days at what promises to be a lively and eventful Labour Conference."
The Stereophonics have announced two new Irish shows, as well as revealing that their new album Scream Above The Sounds will be released October 27 on Parlophone Records.

One of Britain & Irelands best live bands, Stereophonics will embark on a major UK & Ireland arena tour in February & March 2018 following the release their new album Scream Above The Sounds.

Twenty years after their debut Word Gets Around; Stereophonics tenth studio album released on October 27th via Parlophone Records follows Keep The Village Alive which went straight to #1 when it was released in 2015 and became their sixth chart-topper after Performance and Cocktails (1999), Just Enough Education To Perform (2001) You Gotta Go There To Come Back (2003), Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005) and Pull The Pin (2007).

Scream Above The Sounds was primarily recorded in the bands HQ in west London with a further session at RAK Studios. Created with the help of regular collaborator Jim Lowe, its an album in which creative sonic touches add to the bands emphasis on songwriting and melody. Scream Above The Sounds will be released on digital (standard and deluxe), CD (standard and deluxe) and vinyl formats. Its available to pre-order from http://www.stereophonics.com with new singles Caught By The Wind and All In One Night provided as an instant downloads.

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The band hinted in their break up message yesterday that a final round of shows might be the perfect way to say farewell.

Wild Beasts will perform at the Olympia Theatre on February 15. Tickets on sale this Friday. More details below. NEWS! @WildBeasts The Final Shows | @olympiatheatre | February 15th | Tickets on sale this Friday at 9am! pic.twitter.com/OwSWJa7GiF  MCD Productions (@mcd_productions) September 26, 2017 Advertisement
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Uber's CEO has done the unthinkable. Dara Khosrowshahi apologized for the company's rogue behavior.

After the London's transport authority suspended the company's license to operate, Khosrowshahi has written a letter, published in the London's Evening Standard newspaper, saying the company "has got things wrong along the way" to building a multibillion-dollar business.

"We won't be perfect, but we will listen to you; we will look to be long-term partners with the cities we serve; and we will run our business with humility, integrity and passion," he wrote.

Is Uber finally lowering the Jolly Roger, ending the rein of lawlessness where it showed complete disregard for local authorities, safety regulations and cultural norms? With a valuation in the tens of billions of dollars, Uber's investors certainly hope so.

RELATED: The problem is with Uber and Lyft, not city rules

It's hard to imagine founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick issuing the same apology. After all, Kalanick started Uber because he thought city leaders were stupid and their taxi regulations a foolish impediment to making money.

Uber announced that even though it offered rides for money, that it was somehow not a taxi service. Using the flimsiest of arguments, the company entered new markets with complete disregard for city ordinances and then demanded that city councils change the rules for them.

That tactic worked well for Uber, at least for a while. Then the reasons for all of those taxi regulations became apparent as drivers realized they were getting ripped off, riders discovered some drivers were not trustworthy and serious crimes began piling up.

Austin voters voted against allowing Uber to remain in the city if it wouldn't follow the same rules as everyone else. But then Uber convinced the Texas Legislature to pass a sweetheart law that gave ride-hailing firms special privileges over taxis. State lawmakers, after all, hate local control.

Kalanick's rule-breaking wasn't limited to his business model. He didn't like rules of any kind. Women employees accused him of creating a frat-house work environment, the FBI is investigating whether Uber improperly used software tracking devices and the company might have bribed foreign governments.

London suspended Uber's license to operate due to "lack of corporate responsibility" in all kinds of behavior, including the failure to report sexual assault by its drivers and using lax background checks.

None of this is good news for a company that is way overvalued. And all of this tarnish on the Uber brand is one certainly reason why Japanese tech investor Softbank wants a 30 percent discount on the $70 billion valuation in return for a $10 billion cash infusion.

RELATED: Former CEO was least of Uber's problems

The company's troubles have also led many existing investors to write-down the value of their shares in securities filings. Many tech industry analysts are questioning whether Uber will ever stop burning through cash and become a profitable company.

Khosrowshahi is trying to catch a falling knife. He has already said that he wants to launch an initial public offering of Uber stock within 18 months. That would give worried investors a chance to cash out before the company loses any more value.

To convince retail investors to buy Uber stock, though, Khosrowshahi needs to demonstrate that Uber is a real corporation that behaves in the way that we expect a multibillion-dollar public corporation to behave. Issuing an apology is a symbolic step in that direction.

Yet it's nothing more than symbolic until the new CEO takes concrete steps, such as better background checks, improved cooperation with local authorities, better pay for drivers. All of that will mean higher fares for riders, but they are necessary to save the company.

Whether Khosrowshahi will do all of this, and make money, will determine whether Uber becomes a lasting tech giant, or the biggest flop the industry has ever seen.
Over the past few years, as the North American Free Trade Agreement has come under fire from candidate and now President Donald Trump, businesses that have offshored production have had a strong defense: All those imports coming in from Mexico aren't as bad as they look.

In fact, the stuff America buys from Mexico contains a lot of parts that were first made in the United States, like a car dashboard that gets exported to Mexico, put into a vehicle, and then shipped back to the United States.

"Forty cents of every dollar spent on imports from Mexico comes back to the U.S., a quantity 10 times greater than the 4 cents returning for each dollar paid on Chinese imports," wrote the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank, in 2011. The statistic has been repeated by columnists, reporters, and Dallas Federal Reserve president Robert Kaplan.

So the business community got a jolt last week, when Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross  who's a big player in the effort to re-negotiate NAFTA with Mexico and Canada  took aim at that wonky but important point in an op-ed in the Washington Post, arguing that only 16 percent of what the United States imports from Mexico started in the U.S., and therefore those imports don't create many jobs here.

This debate matters, because Ross wants to tighten the rules on where parts can come from for the product to be tariff-free under NAFTA. For example, if most of the components come from China, and the product is then imported from Mexico to the U.S., it should be treated like an import from China.

Who's right?

Well, both, in a way  they're just measuring different things. The 40 percent statistic comes from a 2010 paper written by researchers at the U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent federal agency. It measures only trade in final goods  what materials are in the car (or whatever good) that is assembled in Mexico and sold in the United States.

The newer study, produced by economists at the Commerce Department, uses a newer database recently released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development that measures all trade, including services and "intermediate inputs," such as energy and labor, that are involved in producing the good. That explains why these numbers show a lower amount of U.S. content in stuff imported from Mexico.

But NAFTA defenders say this is all beside the point. Luisa del Rosal, executive director of the Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center at Southern Methodist University, says it doesn't matter where stuff is made. If it's cheaper for companies to make things in Mexico, that's better for everyone.

"Consumers lose their ability to buy things if we aren't able to produce them in the most effective ways," del Rosal says. "There has to be a better way to measure what value it adds to our economy than what percentage is made in a certain country."

Caroline Freund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, also argues that stricter rules would just make North America less competitive from a manufacturing standpoint, and that goods that are more economical to produce in Mexico should be made in Mexico, not the United States.

It may be true that Americans benefit from cheap stuff made in Monterrey or Puebla, and that if it weren't made in Mexico it would just be made in China. But business groups may have to drop the pretense that goods made in Mexico might as well have been made in the U.S because of flow of trade across the border. The new data shows that made in Mexico mostly means just that.
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"Shrimp and grits" is not a dish you expect to see on an Indian menu. Yet there it is at Kiran's, chef Kiran Verma's posh new Upper Kirby location: the plump Gulf shellfish glossed red with masala spices, propped against a molded cylinder of upma, the dry-roasted semolina grains often used as a breakfast porridge on the subcontinent. Angled across the top fly two long pods of pickled okra, green bridges between two worlds.

Threaded with mustard seeds and curry leaves, the upma read as magical super-grits while the shrimp sang of the smoky tandoor and the okra snapped with a sweet-sour tang. At 20 bucks, the appetizer was pricey, but it delivered.

So does much of the food at 8-month-old Kiran's, where the Delhi-born chef who introduced upscale contemporary Indian food to Houstonians - at Ashiana in the mid-1990s - has partnered with talented young New Orleans import Dominick Lee in a match that could happen only in latter-day Houston.

The unusual pairing has brought new polish, soul and humor to the Indian fine-dining repertoire that Verma established at the original Kiran's Highland Village location. (That space closed last year when the center was demolished for new development.)

That old warhorse chicken tikka masala, reworked as spunky fried chicken in the lightest cloak of spicy red gravy? Check. A lamb-belly appetizer, the fatty little rashers cooked sous-vide and crisped like bacon, then given a frisky garbanzo bean "succotash," a dash of roasted cumin yogurt and an electric charge of candied jalapeno? Double check.

Over and over as I tasted such dishes, I thought, "these two people are having a lot of fun."

But then, Verma has never sat still in the food and beverage department. Though Kiran's always had a notably smart wine list, over the years she moved into craft cocktails with style, and the big, hospitable bar at the new location - in a mixed-use midrise beside Levy Park - turns out meticulous, thoughtful drinks on an Indian theme. Even the Colonial-era gin and tonic has been reimagined with green cardamom syrup and fresh basil, resulting in one of the best modern G&Ts in town.

Even better, Verma introduced her own zippy versions of Indian street-food classics in recent years, along with a dazzling variety of stuffed naan loaves and lesser-known flatbreads.

Today, in the comfortable new Gensler-designed space that seats almost twice the number of guests as the original, the appetizer-size street-food dishes rock hard. The traditional curries and vegetable dishes that, to my mind, have always been the restaurant's greatest strength are more resonant and detailed than ever.

Even the tandoori-cooked luxury proteins that have long been a Kiran's calling card - the lobster, the sea bass, the duck and the like - are showing up with interesting tweaks.

Such dishes befit the restaurant's wildly diverse country-clubby crowd, but I've never cared too much for the big-ticket items. I'm not here for multicourse lobster tastings or a whopping $46 rack of tandoori-roasted venison that stymied me with its damp, mealy texture some months back.

More Information Kiran's Three stars 2975 Richmond 713-960-8472 Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; dinner 5-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 5-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; afternoon tea 2 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays Credit cards: all major Prices: starters $4-$22; classic vegetable dishes and curries $18-$34; tandoori specialties $28-$46; tasting menus $40-$95 and up to market price, for lobster tasting Must-orders: lamb belly; shrimp and grits; chili tikka paneer; Delhi chaat; raj katori; lamb shank; bison kofta curry; malai kofta; sarson kaa saag; bagare bengan; plain kalonji butter naan; goat cheese and rosemary naan; vegetarian feast Reservations: advisable; walk-ins welcome in bar Noise level: quiet to moderate Parking: valet Website: kiranshouston.com Four stars: superlative; can hold its own on a national stage. Three stars: excellent; one of the best restaurants in the city. Two stars: very good; one of the best restaurants of its kind. One star: a good restaurant that we recommend. No stars: restaurant cannot be recommended at this time. See More Collapse

Nor am I even here for the nicely conceived Duck Two Ways, lovely rare Moulard breast meat and a not-quite-confited-enough leg quarter crisped in the tandoor. I appreciated its little fried duck egg, its delicate apricot biryani, its sprightly "cherries Jubilee" chutney. But it's Kiran's more traditional dishes that stir my soul.

The meaty curries (most priced in the $20s, with a few darting into the $34 zone) and the vegetable "sides" ($18) cost enough to give palpitations to anyone convinced that "ethnic food" - which translates as "any international cuisine not rooted in the American/North European tradition" - should be cheap.

It shouldn't. Not when excellent ingredients are brought to bear, when they are handled with unusual finesse and served with care, in comfortable or even plush surroundings. Everything from the attentive service to the usually good wine list, curated by Verma's family friend Dr. Jagdish Sharma, adds value to the experience. So, for a certain subset of diners, does the ability to have a fully audible conversation with one's tablemates.

Personally, I'm happy to pony up for such stunning dishes as slow-cooked lamb shank in a profound, shiny mesh of caramelized onion, garlic, ginger, tomato and red chile. Or tender bison meatballs cooked in the tandoor, then moored in a burnished rogan josh-style gravy, red-tinted by chiles and smoothed with a bit of yogurt.

I actively crave Kiran's cushiony malai kofta, the vegetable-and-farmers-cheese dumplings adrift in a creamy, cumin-scented sauce of ground almonds and cashews. Ditto the bhindi masala, springy little okra pods given a sweet/sour treatment livened by resilient threads of fresh coconut. And for someone who adores adroitly handled bitter flavors of all kinds (that would be me), Kiran's sarson kaa saag is the stuff of dreams: a rich, dizzying blend of mustard greens, kale and chard softened with warm spices.

I could go on in the same vein about my other favorites: the begare bengan of glazed, soft baby eggplant laced with sesame and peanut; its even richer tandoori-roasted and twice-cooked cousin, bengan bartha; the irresistible lengths of spongy farmers cheese in mild tomato gravy that is paneer makhni, which is my idea of baby food.

And do not get me started on the fascinating bitter melon dish jolted with pickling spices; or the besan kadi dumplings in spiced yogurt; or, or, or. I love to pick and choose via the vegetarian feast, which at $40 for one (or $65 for two) allows you to specify four of the vegetable dishes, which come with a lovely cucumber raita, immaculate saffron Basmati rice pulao flecked with seeds and nuts; and a hank of paratha flatbread.

Said vegetarian feast is a great way to acquaint yourself with Kiran's somewhat bewildering-at-first-look menu, four pages of multicourse tastings, appetizers, street foods, classic curries, upticket tandoori items and flatbreads.

Another short course: Sit at the bar. Order a good glass of wine or a cocktail, perhaps the ginger-shot margarita variant edged - gently - with serrano. Treat yourself to some pappadums (at 4 bucks, these airy crisps are the cheapest thing on the menu) and proceed to marvel not only over the textures of both the lentil-flour-cumin version or the more fragile rice-flour iteration. Get to know the superlative chutneys: the tart-and-sweet tamarind lifted by green apple; or the verdant, finespun cilantro-and-mint emulsion.

Then you might opt for one of the street-food dishes in the $12-$14 range. I adore the semi-fiery chili tikka of paneer (housemade cheese) or cod; and the glorious lentil dumplings, raj katori, housed in a brittle pastry shell with rampant drizzles of yogurt, mint and tamarind chutneys, not to mention stray pomegranate seeds and cashew.

But then you'd have to miss the Delhi chaat, with its spiced potato cakes holding down the fort; or the mirchi pakoras, whole-shishito-pepper fritters served with a vibrant, tart carrot emulsion that is nothing short of brilliant. (I was tempted to pick up the cup and drink it like soup.)

The bar actually feels livelier and more comfortable than the subdued, earth-toned dining rooms, which have the air of a restaurant in a good hotel. I may miss the cozy, vintage railcar feel of the old Kiran's. But that doesn't stop me from welcoming the cuisine's increased sass and quirky Houstonian style at the new.
Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp's leadership of Hurricane Harvey recovery is far from A&M's sole contribution to these efforts.

Multiple Texas A&M University System agencies  plus employees and students at several universities  have assisted with thousands of rescue and recovery operations in dozens of Texas counties, according to new figures released by the system.

Since the storm, they distributed supplies and have started to rebuild from the damage. Sharp was tapped by Gov. Greg Abbott to lead a state commission focused on Houston and coastal recovery.

Here's how the efforts break down, with figures and information courtesy of the A&M System.

Texas Task Force 1 -- comprised of first responders, medical professionals, academics and other professionals -- is a FEMA team sponsored by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and based in College Station. With Texas Task Force 2, sponsored by Dallas's fire-rescue department, Texas Task Force 1 and TEEX:

Operated in 25 counties between Aug. 24 and Sept. 14.

Rescued 12,982 people.

Evacuated 35,046 people.

Checked on 4,354 people sheltering in place.

Evacuated or rescued more than 2,000 pets and animals.

At its height, 2,433 people worked under TEEX and Texas Task Force 1, A&M says.

Texas A&M Forest Service is a conservation group for the state's trees and forests. During the storm, the agency:

Responded to Rockport, Victoria and Beeville, among others.

Activated 1,437 people.

Managed Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System, which rescued thousands of people in 44 boats and 136 engines.

Put out about 100 structure fires.

Trained 112 AgriLife Extension County Agents to use an application to communicate local needs and resources.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service works county by county to lower the impact of droughts, conserve water and improve emergency management. In the storm's recovery, the agency:

Took about 5,000 phone calls from nationwide entities to coordinate hay, feed and donations for 13 animal supply points.

Agency representatives will assist county officers to distribute information on recovery.

Texas A&M University's Veterinary Emergency Team:

Accommodated Texas Task Force 1's search and rescue dogs.

Professors from system institutions:

Tested floodwater for contaminants.

Monitored chemical factory problems.

"So many people within the seven agencies and 11 universities of The Texas A&M University System put themselves in harm's way to serve the state and the save the lives of their fellow Texans since Harvey slammed into our coastal communities," Sharp said in a statement. "I am filled with pride over the Texas A&M University System employees who sacrificed in service to Texas."

As an aside, Texas A&M's list of contributions to Harvey recovery doesn't include the face of Houston's forecasts -- alum Jeff Lindner, whom the Wall Street Journal dubbed the "unlikely hero of Harvey," offering near-constant forecasts and straight-talk on Twitter.

Lindsay Ellis writes about higher education for the Chronicle. You can follow her on Twitter and send her tips at lindsay.ellis@chron.com.
A large portion of the housing stock in and near Meyerland has flooded three times in the last three years.

Homeowners there have lessons to share about the hard choices people across the city are facing now for the first time. Among the options to rebuild and recover is to elevate.

Doug and Erin Anders of Heatherglen Drive elevated their home a month before Hurricane Harvey, and they were thus spared from the muck-and-gut their neighbors faced.

Having flooded as much as a foot during the Memorial Day Floods (2015) and two feet during the Tax Day Floods (2016), the Anders decided to look into elevating their home above the floodplain. Doing so would be a difficult task  like most homes in the neighborhood, their home was built on a slab foundation. A slab foundation is composed of a single layer of concrete poured on the dirt, and is therefore more difficult to separate from the dirt during the elevation process than a house built on piers.

The 1959 home was also historically significant, designed by the architect Arthur Steinberg for Mr. and Mrs. Alan Finger of Fingers Furniture. To the Anders, preserving the windows in their nearly 18-foot tall living room and the handcrafted, white-stained, rough-hewn paneling in their den were paramount.

ARCHITECTURE: After Harvey, do pier-and-beam houses make even more sense?

Arkitektura is an elevation company that specializes in lifting houses on slab foundations. With a degree in architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington, Phillip Contreras focuses his company on providing architecturally minded design solutions to raising homes. Arkitektura offers their clients a turnkey elevation solution  accounting for permits, material and labor.

Arkitektura

Since 2000, the company has elevated more than 100 homes across Texas and Florida, with nearly 10 in Meyerland alone. Their lifting of a different house days before Harvey hit received national and local media coverage.

Even though the method to elevating a home is multifold, the entire process takes only about 6 to 8 weeks. The Arkitektura team first partners with Aran and Franklin Engineering to develop a design that is resilient, meets site constraints and conforms with both HOA requirements and city building codes.

The city and Harris County require structures to be 18 inches above base flood elevation. Arkitektura recommends at least two feet above the 100-year floodplain.

AFTER RECEIVING approved permits, the Arkitektura team excavates underneath the slab foundation and disconnects gas and water utilities. At this excavation stage, the foundation is further examined to confirm how many slabs need to be lifted  in older homes, multiple slabs for multiple additions and renovations are a strong possibility.

The Anders home consisted of two slabs, the first dating from its original construction in 1959 that was headed by Steinberg and the second dating from its renovation in 1974 that was headed by architect David D. Foster.

Steel reinforcements were added by Arkitektura, locking the two adjoining slabs and ensuring that the home would be safely elevated.

Excavating under the slab allows for segmented, concrete piles to be placed systematically, every 5 feet on center, underneath the slab foundation. These piles are pushed underground to individual points of resistance until they can be driven no further, to ensure consistent structural stability throughout the home.

Arkitektura then sets jacks on top of these concrete piles, which integrate to create a unified elevation system. This unified system allows the foundation to be as "monolithic" as possible, centralizing the point loads and preventing the interior walls from cracking. New grade beams are then formed and poured to lock all of these piles into place.

Arkitektura

Above these new grade beams, the team's engineers request the building of solid, concrete columns to then solidify the connection between grade beam and home.

Once the home is elevated to the final height and has passed all necessary inspections, utilities are reconnected and a "skirt wall" is built around the perimeter of the newly elevated home. This skirt wall becomes both an aesthetic and a structural element of the home.

Arkitektura was able to successfully elevate the Anders home while maintaining the midcentury spirit of its indoor-outdoor relationship that defined its original design.

With Meyerland requiring that 70 percent of a home's elevation be composed of masonry material, the owners decided on burnished concrete masonry units (CMUs) to line the newly elevated home. Contreras encouraged the homeowners to choose a product that differentiated from the rest of the preexisting home's elevation, which the chosen CMU does in both color and texture.

AFTER THE home is successfully lifted and skirted, the team can then focus on the finishes. The framing crew builds a new deck and accompanying stairs for each exterior entry door, as well as any other accompanying wooden element such as a fence or exterior paneling.

Arkitektura framed front-entry stairs and a backyard deck for the newly elevated home, which were both stained to match the wood on the preexisting elevation. The company was also able to extend the wooden slats on the front screen and front fence to make up for the height of the newly elevated home. These wooden slats were originally built in 1974 during the renovation designed by Foster.

Owners of flooded properties are understandably concerned about demoing and building anew, with prices of new construction running to about $150 to $200 per square foot. With those estimations, a 2,500-square-foot house  customary for a neighborhood like Meyerland  will cost as much $500,000 to build.

FLOOD CONTROL: How can we save Houston's midcentury modern neighborhoods?

Arkitektura's design, elevation, skirting and other finishes generally cost $75 to $80 per square foot, which can be a more cost-amenable solution than new construction, particularly if the quality of the design and construction of the original house is high.

Costs do vary, not only by company and by method of elevation, but by the requirements of neighborhoods and clients regarding the quality of the finishes and skirting.

The streets of Meyerland are lined with discarded debris, each pile directly correlating to the variety of housing stock behind it and each telling a story. After receiving more than three feet of floodwaters, houses on slabs often feature the largest piles. The most prominent element of these is scrapped Sheetrock, entire homes being dissolved into lath and paper.

Raj Mankad

As Danny Samuels observes, the piles in front of recently built houses are generally more minimal because of the city's requirements to build above the floodplain. The damage to these homes is often restricted to the garages. The smallest piles lay in front of elevated homes, like the Anders home, who had some damage to ancillaries stored outside. It is in front of these home that cars drive slower, inquisitive drivers almost in awe.

So too is the rest of the city. Where do we go from here? Surely recover and rebuild  and, perhaps, elevate.

The Anders family intend to continue living in Meyerland for a long time.

Cheryl Joseph is a writer living in Houston. This article originally appeared on OffCite, a publication of the Rice Design Alliance, a community engagement program of Rice Architecture.





Bookmark Gray Matters. It often features the largest piles.
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A short, amicable tete-a-tete in a federal court hallway downtown Tuesday ended with smiles, handshakes and a sigh of relief.

Catherine Dickerson wanted to make sure that Andrew Schneck, who was arrested in August for attempting to bomb a Confederate statue in Hermann Park with his own stash of potent chemicals, was not headed back to her sister's neighborhood while he awaited trial. Her sister and brother-in-law live across the street from the Schneck family with their special needs 19-year-old son and two dogs.

Schneck had a prior conviction for messing with chemicals at another of his parents' properties.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suspect Andrew Schneck appears bemused in court appearance

Philip Hilder, a seasoned defense lawyer with a gentle manner, listened to her questions and concerns and -- in so many words -- reassured her she had nothing to worry about. Hilder had asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Milloy for a second postponement of Schneck's detention hearing, now set for Oct. 12.

"The neighborhood is perfectly safe now," Hilder said. "I do respect your concerns. We're studying alternatives." He indicated that he would be pushing for his client to spend his pretrial time under unique circumstances other than traditional detention at a federal facility.

Schneck's arrest coincided with a series of civil rights protests around the country this summer aimed at removing statues of Confederate officials from civic spaces.

The hallway scene followed a brief court appearance by Schneck, who stood shackled and handcuffed before the microphone and told Milloy, yes, he agreed to another postponement.

Afterward, a federal prosecutor asked Milloy whether -- in spite of the postponement -- a homeowners representative from Southampton Place could speak, since she'd come to court to express her concerns about Schneck.

The judge was curt: "It's the United States of America versus Andrew Schneck," she said. She moved onto the next defendant.

But during a lull in those proceedings Milloy looked up and saw Kathie Easterly, president of the Southampton Civic Association, seated at the back of the gallery a row behind Dickerson.

Milloy called out from the bench, "Ms. Easterly, I remember you. We've met." Easterly said softly that she couldn't see well. Maybe it was her glasses? She tried to place the judge.

In the hallway afterward, Easterly said the neighborhood, which is near Rice University, was developed in 1923 and was home to a diverse community.

The families in the immediate neighborhood of the Schecks include doctors, a lawyer and an FBI agent, said Dickerson, whose sister is a doctor and couldn't make it to court Tuesday to speak before the judge.

Dickerson said, "I want him to go where he needs to go to heal." She also wants to make sure, on behalf of her sister's family, that the neighbors are safe from him and whatever chemicals may still be on his parents' property.

"I appreciate the concerns that the neighbors have," said Hilder, Schneck's lawyer. "We completely understand and we respect that."

Gabrielle Banks covers federal courts for the Houston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter or send tips to gabrielle.banks@chron.com
Houston's Indian-American community was honored by Mayor Sylvester Tuner over the weekend for their relief efforts and monetary donations after Hurricane Harvey dropped over 50 inches of rain on the city and decimated homes and businesses across the region.

At the west Houston home of Amit and Arpita Bhandari on Saturday evening, Sept. 23, 150 guests attended a reception where Turner accepted a $250,000 check from BioUrja Group, an energy and agricultural commodity trading company based in Houston with offices around the globe.

The check is a contribution to Turner's "Mayor's Fund for Hurricane Harvey Relief."

"The contributions of the Indo-American community did not just start with Hurricane Harvey," said Turner. "Indo-Americans have been contributing to this city for a long, long time. The Indian community is vital to the city and helps make Houston the great city that it is."

"I want to thank Indo-Americans for what you have done prior to Hurricane Harvey," he said. "I want to thank you for what you are doing now, and I want thank you for what you will be doing to help rebuild this great city. We will rebuild, we will be stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for next time around."

Bhandari is the owner and CEO of BioUrja Group, but more than 50 Indian businesses, organizations and individuals contributed to a financial gift totalling $1.5 million to other Harvey-related charities along with meal and housing efforts for victims of the storm.

"Indo-American volunteers helped rescue 700 Houstonians by boats, trucks, or by foot," said Bhandari. "More than 35,000 hot meals have been distributed to the hungry. More than ten temporary medical care facilities have been set up to provide urgent care. Additionally, more than 2,000 volunteers contributed 45,000 hours of service. Two emergency call centers were set up, 300 families sheltered, and 450 flooded homes were cleared out."

During the event Bhandari recognized specific organizations including Sewa International, BAPS Swami Narayan Temple, Bohra samaj, several other Hindu temples, all the Sikh gurudwaras and mosques and various businesses and restaurants that provided free meals.

One Indian-owned business made a special presentation to Turner and guests which will directly aid victims during a natural disaster.

Gaurav Khandelwal, CEO of ChaiOne, a Houston-based developer of mobile apps, introduced DisasterConnect. The app helps victims and donors make direct contact with each other to streamline relief efforts.

India's Consul General to Houston Dr. Anupam Ray echoed Turner's remarks of appreciation for the Indo-American community. "Your generosity makes India proud," said Dr. Ray. "A community is great if it rises above its suffering. Through your contributions toward Hurricane Harvey relief, you've demonstrated that as a community, you've risen above your sufferings."
HONG KONG - President Donald Trump's extension of the travel ban to North Korea is mostly symbolic and will have little to no effect on Kim Jong Un's regime, experts said Monday.

Trump on Sunday issued an executive order indefinitely banning travel to the United States from eight countries. The list includes all but one of the countries covered by the original ban plus three more: Chad, Venezuela and North Korea.

While the entire order is sure to be controversial, the timing of the North Korea add is particularly sensitive because it comes amid a protracted standoff over North Korea's weapons program.

Successive rounds of U.N. sanctions have done little to curb missile and nuclear tests, with the Kim regime pushing ahead and threatening, repeatedly, to target the United States.

In recent days, the situation has devolved into name-calling with the U.S. president tweeting vague threats to "Rocket Man" Kim and the North Korean dictator firing back at "dotard" Trump.

In the context of this escalating conflict, the North Korea travel ban may appear to be part of the U.S. push to isolate the regime. But experts said the provisions are unlikely to do so - or, in fact, accomplish anything concrete at all.

Trump pitched the new order as a measure designed to keep Americans safe. "Making America Safe is my number one priority. We will not admit those into our country we cannot safely vet," he tweeted.

The problem with punishing Pyongyang by stopping North Koreans from traveling to the United States is that there are very few - almost none - making the trip.

The new executive order suspends "immigrant and nonimmigrant" travel from North Korea to the United States. But people cannot immigrate from North Korea to the United States to begin with.

"They should have checked if there is North Korean immigration before they banned it," said John Delury, an associate professor at Seoul's Yonsei University. "Why are you banning something that doesn't exist?"

North Korean defectors who end up in the United States usually arrive via South Korea and are typically traveling on South Korean, not North Korean, passports.

Although North Korean diplomats do travel to the United States, mostly to United Nations headquarters in New York, the order notes that diplomatic visits are exempt from the ban.

That only leaves the handful of officials or academics who attend conferences in the U.S. each year, a group that is already closely vetted by the State Department.

Given all this, Cheng Xiaohe, a North Korea expert at Renmin University, in Beijing, predicted the impact of the ban on North Korea would be "very limited."

Lu Chao, a Korea specialist at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences in Shenyang, said there would by no practical impact at all. "It's propaganda," he said.

Yet, if this is a message, nobody seems certain what message Trump is trying send - or to whom.

Delury said the move may be aimed at a domestic audience, not an international one. The original travel ban was widely criticized for targeting Muslims - adding North Korea and Venezuela changes the conversation.

"There's no logic in the North Korea context, so we can conclude this is not really about North Korea," Delury said. "This is not part of real North Korea policy at all."
BEIJING - The view from China could hardly be much worse: the leaders of North Korea and the United States threatening to rain down total destruction on each other, while U.S. bombers and fighters stage a show of military might close to China's shores.

In public, China's foreign ministry has calmly advocated restraint, and warned Pyongyang and Washington on Friday not add oil to the fire. But behind closed doors, experts say, it is as frustrated with North Korea, and with the situation, as it has ever been.

As North Korea's dominant trading partner, China is widely seen as the key to solving the crisis, yet experts say its influence over Pyongyang has never been lower.

Unwilling to completely pull the plug, it has nevertheless agreed to a stiff package of sanctions at the United Nations, and implemented them with unprecedented determination, experts say.

So far, all that has achieved is to alienate its neighbor and erstwhile friend.

"The North Koreans have figured out that the Chinese are genuinely in a bind," said Euan Graham, director of International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. "Having cried wolf for so long about having limited influence, the Chinese genuinely do have limited influence in North Korea right now. It's not just weasel words."

The key step that China hesitates to take is to cut off crude oil exports to North Korea: On Saturday, it announced that it would limit exports of refined petroleum products, and ban exports of condensates and liquefied natural gas, to comply with the latest U.N. sanctions. It will also ban imports of textiles from North Korea.

But it is not prepared to do anything that might bring down the regime, potentially bringing refugees streaming across its border and unifying the peninsula under an American-friendly government.

North Korea's leadership, ever the experts in brinkmanship, know that full well, and this knowledge has allowed them to call China's bluff repeatedly.

But just in case, they are also thought to have stockpiled between six and nine months of oil supplies: enough to keep the military and key industries going for some considerable time, Graham said.

On Saturday, North Korea's foreign minister warned that a strike against the U.S. mainland is "inevitable" because President Donald Trump mocked leader Kim Jong Un with the nickname "Little Rocket Man."

In response to Ri Yong Ho's threats at the U.N., Trump tweeted: "If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

U.S. bombers, escorted by fighter jets, flew off the North Korean coast in a show of force on Saturday, while in Pyongyang, tens of thousands of people staged a mass rally to express support for "final victory" over the United States and call for the annihilation of the enemy, the state Korean Central News Agency reported.

"This is a disaster for all parties, and for China for sure," said Lu Chao, a Korean Peninsula expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences in Shenyang. "Although there is no imminent sign of an outbreak of war, partial conflicts, especially between the South and North Korea on the sea where boundaries are not set, are very likely to occur."

Next month, China's Communist Party leadership meets for a key Congress where President Xi Jinping is due to be confirmed for another five-year term as Communist Party General Secretary.

At home and abroad, there has been a massive effort to project confidence and control, and to ensure calmness and stability, in the run up to this meeting. That effort has been felt in every arm and at every level of government here. But Pyongyang simply isn't listening.

Its sixth and most recent nuclear test was staged earlier this month at a time when Xi was hosting leaders from BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nations at a key summit - an insult the face-conscious Chinese would have felt deeply.

Xi has never met Kim, and the two men are believed to hold each other in contempt. China's attempts to send an envoy to Pyongyang to calm the situation have been rebuffed.

Some experts say Beijing has only itself to blame, for helping North Korea in the past and allegedly enabling the regime to develop its missile program. Yet there is no doubt it is now paying a price.

China has watched in alarm and anger this year as South Korea installs an American missile defense system that it fears could be used to spy on Chinese territory. It will also not have welcomed U.S. warplanes flying close to its shores this weekend.

South Korea's presidential office said Seoul and Washington had coordinated closely over the deployment of the U.S. bombers, calling it one of the most effective countermeasures against the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, South Korean media reported.

While Seoul cooperates with Washington, Pyongyang is freezing out Beijing.

On Saturday, KCNA issued a list of diplomatic missions that had held celebrations earlier this month to mark the 69th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. The list included 17 nations - but pointedly not China.

The deterioration in relations between Beijing and Pyongyang erupted much more forcefully into the open on Friday when KCNA angrily rebuked their Chinese state media counterparts for threatening, insulting and undermining their country. In a piece entitled "Rude Deed of Shameless Media," it took aim at Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily for arguing in favor of sanctions.

"The party organ of the socialist country bragging long history denounced socialist Korea so maliciously in collusion with the imperialists" KCNA wrote. "This leaves us think that whether they can be entitled to enter the coming party conference hall only when they register the dirty reptile records of betraying the peoples of the two countries."

In China, experts said North Korea has resolved to continue develop its nuclear and missile program - at least until it can put a nuclear warhead on a missile capable of reaching the United States - despite whatever external pressure was applied.

"Sanctions, in my view, will not reverse North Korea's resolute determination," said Shen Dingli, deputy dean of Fudan University's Institute of International Studies in Shanghai.

But Lu at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences insisted sanctions would work - at least by encouraging North Korea to one day return to talks.

"The sanctions that have been imposed will have a significant impact on North Korea's economy, making them reconsider benefits and losses, and choose between being an enemy of the international community or sitting back at the negotiating table," he said.

"I believe that one day North Korea will be at the table. "

---

Shirley Feng contributed to this report.
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Mankind's history with booze can be traced back thousands of years - and whether you realize it or not, you're part of the story every time you sit down for an adult beverage at the bar.

A highball of history has a nice ring to it, actually. And that's the idea behind the new cocktail menu at Max's Wine Dive in Montrose, 214 Fairview.
North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons is preventing the the U.S. from launching a first strike against the rogue nation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview Sunday.

"The Americans won't strike because they know for sure -- rather than suspect -- that it has atomic bombs," Lavrov said on Russia's NTV television. "I'm not defending North Korea right now, I'm just saying that almost everyone agrees with this analysis."
Unity is a worthy goal for any leader, but it can't be achieved by pretending divisions don't exist.

Pasadena Mayor Jeff Wagner seems to understand this.

"Some of our neighborhoods really felt that they had been ignored for years," Wagner said during an interview in his office Monday, describing feedback he got from voters during his campaign last spring. "I stressed that if I became mayor, Pasadena was Pasadena to me.  What I meant was, we're all in it together."

Wagner's predecessor, longtime Mayor Johnny Isbell, had expressed similar sentiments. Isbell told a New York Times reporter in 2015 he aspired to lead "one Pasadena," Latino and Anglo, north and south.

Yet Isbell used every bit of his considerable political muscle to pursue a City Council election system that would become one of the most divisive issues in recent city history. His tactics - funding ads that demonized a Latino council candidate who threatened the mayor's fragile majority, for example - contributed to the sense that Pasadena was a city of warring camps.

Now Wagner, 53, a retired Houston police officer, is vowing to unify the industrial Houston suburb despite the dramatic demographic and cultural change it has experienced over the past 20 to 30 years. Some of his administration's actions in his first three months in office suggest he understands what it will take to bridge the city's gaps of ethnicity, income and culture.

One of his early official acts was to appoint Pasadena Police Department veteran Al Espinoza as the city's first Latino police chief.

His plan to restore the bus service dropped by Isbell - city officials are working out details with Harris County Transit - is likely to benefit many of the same low-income residents who told him their neighborhoods were not getting a fair share of city services.

These disparities were documented last May by Chronicle reporter Susan Carroll, whose reporting debunked officials' claims that Pasadena's economic development agency had spent most of its funds for projects on the older, predominantly Latino north side. In reality, about three-quarters of the money was spent on the mostly Anglo south side, Carroll reported.

It would take years, of course, for any administration to rectify inequities of that magnitude. In the short term, the biggest test of Wagner's commitment to unity will be his handling of a lawsuit that challenged the new City Council system created in a 2013 charter change election initiated by Isbell.

Ongoing legal matter

A federal judge ruled in January that the new system, which added two at-large council seats and removed two district positions, intentionally diluted Latino voting strength. To comply with the judge's order, the May city elections were conducted under the earlier system of eight single-member district positions.

Before leaving office, Isbell instructed Pasadena's outside lawyers to appeal the ruling. Wagner has not said publicly whether he intends to continue the appeal, and during our interview he said he couldn't discuss ongoing legal matters.

But during a council meeting last week, Wagner answered a question about a payment to the law firm handling the case with a cryptic remark about "discussions with the other side." And Councilman Don Harrison previously said he understood the attorneys were negotiating with plaintiffs' lawyers toward a settlement over payment of legal fees.

As I discussed in a previous column, Pasadena would only be liable for the plaintiffs' legal costs if the city drops or loses its appeal. So the discussions with the plaintiffs' attorneys suggest that Wagner wants to put the lawsuit behind the city with as little additional expense to its taxpayers as possible.

City council questions

When I asked Wagner which council system better served the city - legal questions aside - he was noncommittal.

"I believe both systems work," he said. "We're not getting rid of a position; as long as there are eight people there, and eight people want to do the best for the city, either way is going to work. I mean I have no opinion one way or another."

It might seem surprising that the mayor has no opinion on an issue that brought national attention to his city, which was widely portrayed as an emblem of efforts to suppress Latino voting rights. But the point will be moot if the city stops fighting the lawsuit, pays a reasonable settlement and moves on.

Wagner's challenge won't end there, however. Testimony during the trial of the voting rights suit showed that powerful forces in Pasadena are determined to resist the political change represented by the city's growing Latino majority. Navigating that landscape, while fulfilling his promise to serve all neighborhoods equally, will continue to test the new mayor's ability to achieve the goal of unifying his city.

***********************************

I reported incorrectly in previous columns that Wagner, as a Pasadena councilman, voted in favor of a new council election system pushed by former Mayor Johnny Isbell. Wagner was not yet on the council when the relevant votes were taken.
The foundations of former first ladies Laura and Barbara Bush have pledged a combined $2 million to help support education in schools and public libraries after Hurricane Harvey.

The Laura Bush Foundation announced Monday it would dedicate nearly $1 million for school grants for campuses affected by Harvey and other storms through the 2017 Disaster Relief Initiative. The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation on Monday pledged $1 million to public libraries and to purchase supplies and books for classroom teachers and students in Houston.

Laura Bush, the daughter-in-law of Barbara Bush, said it was an obvious decision to contribute after witnessing the devastation wrought by Harvey and other storms.

We are committed to rebuilding school libraries that have been damaged during this years hurricane season so that our nations children have the resources they need to be successful in the classroom and beyond," Laura Bush said, according to a news release.

Both foundations will also raise funds to help rebuild schools and community libraries damaged by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, as well as help mobilize volunteers.

It's not the first time that one of these foundations has come to the aid of storm-ravaged schools.

In 2006, the Laura Bush Foundation's Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative gave nearly $6.5 million to school libraries affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The foundation said in a statement that with its goal to raise additional funds to combine with the initial pledge, this years Disaster Relief Initiative will provide larger grants to schools in Texas and across the southeastern United States.

Former first lady Barbara Bush, who calls Houston home with former President George H.W. Bush, said she was called to help the region after seeing the selflessness displayed by Texans and Houstonians during the storm.

As heartbroken as George and I were watching Hurricane Harvey engulf our beloved Texas with unprecedented floodwaters, so too were we moved by the selfless heroism of the first responders and neighbors who risked their own safety to help others, Barbara Bush said. Seeing Texans reaching out and coming together is why I am so proud to join Laura and her foundation to equip our childcare centers, schools and libraries with resources they need to help children and their families continue on the path to recovery.

All the living former U.S. presidents recently joined together in an online campaign, OneAmericaAppeal.org, to raise money for those affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. The idea for the joint appeal arose from discussions between George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush, both of whom live in Texas, but was immediately embraced by former Presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama, according to a spokesman for the elder Bush.

The campaign, titled "One America Appeal," allows individuals, foundations and institutions to make tax-deductible donations to assist a specific recovery effort or all three of them.
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A former Houston woman is suing the City of Houston and a long list of current and former mayors and police chiefs for failing to investigate a backlog of more than 6,000 untested rape kits, and not identifying her attacker as a man who had been in a national police database for decades.

In one of several cases brought by victims against officials around the country in recent years, the victim of a 2011 sexual assault in Houston claims in a federal civil rights lawsuit this week that her perpetrator could have been apprehended and prosecuted for earlier crimes if officials had kept on top of the massive backlog of DNA samples in the city's possession.

DeJenay Beckwith, 35, who now lives in Milam County, contends city officials failed to pursue a serial offender in her case, or investigate rape kits for other victims, because they don't take women or child victims seriously. She is seeking damages, saying city officials violated her rights to due process and equal protection, and officials illegally took her property and violated her personal privacy and dignity under the Fourth Amendment.

Now Playing: At a recent town hall meeting, Rep. Buddy Carter said he would only test the backlogged rape kits in Georgia if they were not from sanctuary cities, Jezebel reports. Video: NowThis News

The class action status, if upheld by a judge, could presumably extend to other women or child victims whose rape kits were left untested during the backlog at the crime lab managed by the Houston Police Department, a topic the Houston Chronicle has reported on.

"To not test the rape kits of a serial rapist who also raped children is beyond unconscionable," said Beckwith's lead attorney Randall Kallinen. "It didn't take them long once they knew who he was."

Mayor Sylvester Turner's spokesman, Alan Bernstein, referred a request for comment to the city's crime lab.

Peter Stout, CEO and president of the Houston Forensic Science Center, among more than a dozen officials named as defendants in the suit, declined to comment on the pending lawsuit. However, Stout said in a statement that the lab is "keenly aware" of how vital it is to process sexual assault evidence in a timely fashion, noting that untested rape kits are a nationwide problem.

"Since taking over management of the Houston Police Department's forensic operations in 2014, HFSC has eliminated legacy and incoming backlogs of sexual assault evidence," he said. "A legacy backlog inherited from HPD that dated back to the 1980s has been eliminated. HFSC's goal is to have a sustainable, average 30-day turnaround time for all evidence, including that which is related to sexual assault."

He noted that the lab recently hosted a symposium on testing and tracking sexual assault evidence promptly featuring state Rep. Donna Howard, former state Sen. Wendy Davis and participants from Joyful Heart Foundation, a nonprofit working toward ending the national rape kit backlog.

Joyful Heart cites Texas on its website as once having nearly 19,000 untested rape kits, more than any other state, although the foundation notes the state has passed comprehensive reform efforts. As of Aug. 31 of this year, data maintained as a result of Texas law reports there are 2,138 untested kits submitted by 161 Texas law agencies.

Houston tackled the backlog of rape kits in early 2013 under former Mayor Annise Parker and ex-Chief Charles McClelland, drawing on $4 million in federal grants to outsource DNA testing with private forensic labs. Parker led the initiative to remove the crime lab from HPD management in April 2014 - although it remains in the HPD headquarters building - after the creation of an independent city-funded lab now overseen by civilian forensic experts.

According to court documents, Beckwith met her assailant on April 2, 2011, when he pretended to be a mechanic and offered to fix her broken down car. He asked to come inside her Southwest Houston home for a glass of water.

According to the lawsuit, he proceeded to throw her to the floor, strike her repeatedly and rape her. She chased him on foot, and a neighbor joined the chase, but he escaped in his car.

A rape kit taken at Memorial Hermann Southwest as a result of her police report was taken to the city's crime lab.

Beckwith's lawyers say the kit went untested for five years. During that time, she got one phone call from a detective who wanted to know what she was doing wandering on Bissonnet when she met her assailant, implying she was a prostitute and saying, "These things happen."

The detective discouraged her from filing a report, telling her it was unlikely the suspect would be caught, according to the lawsuit.

She next heard from Houston police in 2016, when they contacted her to say they tested the DNA and they had a suspect. She later learned the man's name was David Lee Cooper. Cooper had prior sexual assault convictions, including one from 2002 involving minor child. His DNA had been in the Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS and managed by the FBI, since 1991.

Cooper also had convictions for burglary, theft, DWI and attempted kidnapping.

Cooper was charged with rape in 1991 but the case was dismissed, according to the lawsuit. In 1994, he was found not guilty in another rape, but her lawsuit claims the facts of that case were similar to what happened with Beckwith in 2011 and during an attempted kidnapping in 2005.

On December 14, 2016, Cooper pleaded guilty to a 2002 sexual assault of a child, a 2009 sexual assault and the 2011 sexual assault of Beckwith.

The federal lawsuit claims that if Houston officials had tested Beckwith's and other victims' rape kit evidence in their possession and entered it into CODIS, Cooper could have been apprehended before he could rape and sexually assault Beckwith.

Under former Mayor Annise Parker and ex-Chief Charles McClelland, the crime lab was moved from the police department in April 2014 to an independent city lab.

The lawsuit was brought against Turner and his police chief Art Acevedo, but it also names five former mayors going back to Kathy Whitmire and six former police chiefs.
A 14-year-old's tragic slaying, the first part of a series on growing fear in immigrant communities and more problems with the city's public housing - all in this week's long-form and investigative reporting.

Family pushes for answers in death of 14-year-old Houston-area girl

By Margaret Kadifa and Brooke A. Lewis

@margaretkadifa and @brookelewisa

Alana Mock jolted awake about 2:30 a.m. Her 14-year-old daughter, Layla Ramos, hadn't come home, so Mock grabbed her cellphone. "Where are you at?" she texted. "Please come home I'm worried." An hour later, Layla sent a cryptic reply. She was at Walmart.

Mock tried to call her daughter, but Layla's phone was dead. She'd find her in the morning, she thought, as she fell back asleep.

But the morning would be too late.

Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle

DEEPER UNDERGROUND: Fear drives mistrust between police, immigrant communities

By Ileana Najarro and Monica Rhor

@Ileanajarro and @monicarhor

The black and white Chevrolet SUV rolled into the Home Depot parking lot in southeast Houston. Day laborers huddled under slim trees, their bicycles on the ground nearby. Raindrops from an early morning shower dripped through the leaves. Al Yanez stuck an arm out his window and waved hello. Some of the men, recognizing the Houston police officer, responded with a nod. Others crossed their arms, avoiding eye contact. A few months ago, Yanez could count on friendly exchanges.

But the growing presence of anti-immigrant sentiment in new political forces has sparked a change, and now some immigrant communities are retreating into the shadows, shying away from police.

Bonus: Houston's undocumented immigrants pen their thoughts on postcards

Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle

Housing authority charges tenants rent for flooded units

By Rebecca Elliott

@rfelliott

Residents of at least one Houston public housing complex have been asked to pay September rent for flooded units deemed uninhabitable, even as Mayor Sylvester Turner has publicly condemned private landlords for similar practices.

After hurricanes, climate change resurfaces in Washington

By James Osborne

@Osborneja

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are revving up a climate change debate that had gone quiet in Washington. The sheer scale of the destruction forces political leaders to again confront the question of its role in the increasing frequency of violent storms.

Republicans and Democrats seem to be falling into familiar positions around the issue. But the one-two punch of those storms, which cost more than 100 lives and well over $100 billion in estimated damage, is at least prompting more debate about Washington can or should do, political observers said.

Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle

City of Liberty claims new unofficial Harvey rainfall record: 55 inches

By John D. Harden

@jdharden

Bruce Johnson knew it all along. While the Houston area shuddered at a record-setting 51 inches of rain recorded during Hurricane Harvey, Johnson knew his rural community was hit with even more.

"Houston didn't get the most rain," said the Liberty resident. "We did."

Meteorologists now agree. New hour-by-hour rainfall data collected by the National Weather Service shows a gauge in the city of Liberty northeast of Houston recorded 55 inches of rain during Harvey - a new record that surpasses even the 52 inches recorded in Hawaii in 1950.
AUSTIN - Hackers targeted Texas and 20 other states prior to the 2016 presidential election, the United States Department of Homeland Security has formally informed the states.

But the hackers who tried to mess with Texas didn't get far, officials with the Texas Secretary of State's office said Monday.

The federal agents said instead of targeting the state's voter registration database during the 2016 elections, hackers searched for a vulnerability on the Secretary of State's public-facing website, according to Sam Taylor, an agency spokesman.

"If anyone was trying to get into the elections system, they were apparently targeting the wrong website," Taylor said.

The website, http://www.sos.state.tx.us, is devoid of voter information, he said, and hackers never find a way to crack into it.

The notice received Friday from the Department of Homeland Security serves as the first time the federal government has confirmed to states they were targeted by hackers in the run up to the 2016 election after nearly a year of speculation.

A department official told Congress in June that states were targeted, but declined to disclose which ones.

Some election systems were hacked, but not manipulated, according to the testimony.

The other states targeted include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, according to the Associated Press.

Allegations of Russian interference with the 2016 election have tailed President Donald Trump throughout his tenure amid suggestions officials there tried to swing the election in his favor.

According to testimony before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, the Department of Homeland Security began finding incidents of scanning and probing of state and local election systems in August 2016. A declassified report from national intelligence officials released in January stated that "Russian intelligence obtained and maintained access to elements of multiple U.S. state or local electoral boards."

"There is no complacency in Texas when it comes to protecting the security of our elections system," Secretary Rolando Pablos said. "We take our responsibility to guard against any and all threats to the integrity of elections extremely seriously and will continue to do so moving forward."

Texans already thought hackers had tried to meddle in the 2016 elections here after North Texas media outlets reported in June that the Dallas County election administrator confirmed 17 attempts to hack their servers in October.

The confirmation, officials said, came after staff cross-checked hundreds of suspicious or Russian-linked IP addresses provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with those that attempted to access county servers.

A Dallas-area TV station, WFAA, reported last week that there was no evidence of any attempted or successful Russian hack at the county, and the Secretary of State's office said "there was no evidence of any 'attempts' or 'targeting' of Dallas county's elections systems."

The elections administrator, Toni Pippins-Poole, stood by early reports that there were attempted hacks, but said none penetrated their system.

"I have to continue to say we were not hacked," she said. "Our voter registration and our website were not compromised in any way."

Despite reports from intelligence agencies and local governments that hackers associated with Russia targeted and in some cases successfully hacked systems connected with elections, local officials in Harris County won't say whether they have seen similar attempts.

Harris County officials have repeatedly refused to say whether there were attempted hacks of their elections registration or website during the 2016 election cycle, and contend that revealing that information could jeopardize the county's cybersecurity.

Mihir Zaveri contributed to this report.
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AUSTIN - As a boy he weathered several nasty hurricanes that blew through his hometown on the Texas coast, including Carla and Beulah, but for John Sharp's family, federal disaster assistance was not an option in the 1960s.

In fact, until recently, he had never had contact with or knew much about the Federal Emergency Management Agency, other than reading about the miscues that brought it notoriety during Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago.

That changed when he got a late-night call from Gov. Greg Abbott's political guru, Dave Carney, alerting him that the governor would soon call to ask him to become Texas' new recovery czar.

"Do I get to keep the job I have now?" Sharp said he asked the governor.

Sharp, 67, the $900,000-a-year chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, accepted the challenge.

"What do you say? No, I don't want to do this?" he asked. "Of course I said yes. I mean, anybody would."

Anybody, if you're John Sharp, an affable Texas politician with a ski slope nose like Bob Hope and a charming, good-old-boy approach to match, the last Democrat to win state office two decades ago who has since become a go-to for Republican governors to fix complex problems or push through controversial ideas.

Since he signed on three weeks ago to oversee Texas' recovery from Hurricane Harvey, the worst storm to hit the Texas coast in more than a century, and by most measures the most destructive in U.S. history, Sharp has crisscrossed the storm-blasted areas along the Texas coast.

'I didn't ask'

When Abbott announced Sharp's appointment as the head of the Governor's Commission to Rebuild Texas on Sept. 6, he said his instructions were simple: "Rebuild Texas ahead of schedule, under budget and with a friendly smile."

In the weeks since, Sharp has juggled his A&M duties with the recovery, spending hours in briefings and updates and repeatedly touring the state with Abbott, including a Thursday trip to devastated Rockport. He routinely gives out his private cellphone number to local officials with the instruction, "call me if you need anything," and, perhaps not surprisingly, he has taken calls at all hours ever since.

And as Texas' cleanup and recovery enters its fourth week, the Sharp-led effort has logged several firsts, officials confirm, including pressing Texas A&M's network of locally based agriculture extension agents into service for the first time ever to be the local contact for state recovery efforts, instead of hiring a network of expensive consultants to do the same thing.

Seasoned experts who successfully helped the recovery after Katrina and Sandy have also been brought in to assist, several also at no expense to taxpayers. Sharp's first call after taking his new job was to call Billy Hamilton, a former deputy comptroller known as one of the best organizers in state government.

True to form, the straight-talking, tobacco-chewing Sharp offers a salty response when asked how those changes got approved so fast, within days after the state's recovery got into full swing: "I didn't ask."

For a get-it-done, no-BS guy who was once considered an up-and-comer who might run the state as governor someday, before Texas went from blue to red, Sharp said the new job is a perfect fit in some respects, even though he admits he spent the first few days "scared s---less" before he got the operational plan set and going.

"I ain't running for nothing," Sharp said, explaining why he feels free to make decisions that will push the recovery ahead quickly, even before they are not fully vetted politically. "It's a real liberating experience knowing you're not ever running for anything ever again."

"Respond immediately, fix the problem, cut red tape," read one of Sharp's homespun Rules of the Road that he issued for the recovery effort soon after he came aboard.

"No surprises," read another.

On a recent morning, as Sharp toured the battered coastal community of Rockport, near where Harvey made landfall Aug. 25 with disastrous 140 mph winds, he said he was struck by the totality of the devastation. With Abbott at his side, Sharp's rules quickly took effect.

Recalling previous hurricanes and the controversies that turned the recovery ugly, Sharp knew that fast action was the imperative.

"Every time you turned on CNN, the mayor was bitching, the parish sheriff, all those people were bitching - and they just turned the whole tone of everything," he said. "You've got to be able to get to that mayor before he gets so frustrated that he just starts screaming and hollering about it."

So when local officials on the tour complained that debris removal was an issue, because they had no landfills to hold the trash and couldn't burn it, Abbott signed a proclamation allowing them to burn the debris.

When a woman tearfully relayed how she had not heard from her father, who had been unable to get to safety from an island before Harvey arrived, state officials dispatched a boat that located him safe and sound.

"You don't wait around for things to happen. I'm not big on rules," Sharp said. "The governor has shown a total willingness to cut through red tape."

Attention to detail

Sharp said he cares little whether someone is upset. What matters to him is that their needs are being properly and quickly addressed.

"Mosquito spraying. We caught a lotta s--- over that," he explained. "The beekeepers were not happy with C-130 aircraft flying over killing mosquitoes, (and) organic farmers  because they can't call their stuff organic anymore because it's been sprayed with pesticides.

"I said, 'Sorry, I've got kids trying to go to school and they've got mosquitoes stuck up their nose and we're going to kill them (the mosquitoes).' "

If his bluntness may seem unusual when most politicians try to spin a happy face on whatever they do, Sharp is clearly a throwback to another era.

Born and raised in Placedo, a coastal farming town of 200 near Victoria, he grew up the son of an oilfield worker and a schoolteacher. He jokes that has family's white frame house was "so porous the wind went right through it," to explain why it never sustained much damage in previous hurricanes.

It also escaped damage from Harvey. Even though his dad sold it 50 years ago, he said he checked in with the current owner - a remark that highlights his attention to detail that has made Sharp legendary, and occasionally reviled, in state government.

After earning a bachelor of arts degree in 1972 from Texas A&M, where he was in the prestigious Corps of Cadets and served as student body president, he went to work for the Legislative Budget Board in Austin. Soon, he earned a master's degree in public administration at what is now Texas State University in San Marcos.

Returning in 1978 to Victoria, where he ran a real estate firm, Sharp launched his political career by getting elected to the Texas House where he served until 1982, when he was elected to the Texas Senate. In 1986, he was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission, where he helped reform trucking regulations, improve railroad safety and develop new markets for clean-burning natural gas.

In 1990, he was elected comptroller of public accounts to replace the legendary Bob Bullock, who had been elected lieutenant governor. Sharp instituted a series of reforms to make state government more efficient and accountable, despite complaints from entrenched bureaucrats, and implemented a new credit-care system for state benefits as well as a new state lottery - in a process that became a model for other states.

In 1998, he ran as a Democrat to replace Bullock as lieutenant governor but lost to Republican Rick Perry. Another try in 2002 was unsuccessful, when he lost to Republican David Dewhurst.

In 2005, at a time that Sharp's name was mentioned as a possible candidate for governor, Perry named Sharp to head a special education task force to study reforming the state's tax system. He dropped his gubernatorial aspirations and went to work on a reform plan that eventually was adopted by the Legislature - in what was considered a win for both Sharp and Perry.

After helping spearhead the passage by voters of a new program for cancer-fighting research grants, Sharp in 2008 announced he would be a candidate to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison - a decision he withdrew when he became chancellor.

At A&M he has created occasional waves as he has pushed ahead with the biggest expansion in the A&M System's history, overseeing enrollment growth from 122,000 to 148,000 and a $5.4 billion construction boom at the flagship campus in College Station.

While Abbott has said Sharp was a natural go-to to oversee Texas' recovery - because of his long experience in state government and his get-it-done style, Sharp professes that he has no idea why the governor selected him.

Even so, the two had known each other for more than 10 years as neighbors in Austin's upscale Pemberton Heights neighborhood, just northwest of downtown. "We both had adopted kids. We're both Catholics," Sharp said.

'A very astute choice'

For legislative leaders and outsiders familiar with both Abbott and Sharp, the choice seems natural - a choice that promises to make Sharp one of Texas' most prominent non-elected officials for the rest of this decade, and perhaps beyond. Sharp estimates the recovery from Harvey will take at least three years.

"It's a very astute choice for the governor because it takes politics out of the equation: a lifelong Democrat who has no political aspirations and won't be a political rival," said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston. "John Sharp is immensely talented and gets along with conservative Republicans, centrist Republicans and Democrats."

And if the recovery effort becomes controversial, Abbott can't be accused of assigning a political hack or crony to handle the showcase program.

So far, with the recovery efforts going smoothly, both remain highly complimentary of each other - with Sharp insisting, in typical fashion, that Abbott has amazed him with his attention to detail.

"I'm telling you, he's immersed in this," Sharp said. "

Abbott aides said the governor's instructions to Sharp were simple: Advocate for communities, and get things done without delay.

People close to Sharp say he and Abbott have something else in common: Both Texas natives have taken the state's recovery personally.

Two weeks ago, while Abbott and Sharp toured the Houston area, Ray Kendall, 49, shook hands with both officials and heard their reassurances that recovery assistance would be expedited. He had questions - and doubts.

"Both of them guys listened and (Sharp) had someone get my information and told me to let him know if I didn't," the Fort Bend business owner explained. "I got a call back from someone later that afternoon, and they're helping me get everything lined up.

"He said he knew how to cut through the damn red tape. And sure enough."

No surprises, as Sharp said.
AUSTIN -- A month to the day after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, the reality of the storm was beginning to sink in on the minds of politicians, policy makers and advocates bracing for a long recovery.

In short, any political plans people had pre-Harvey are now moot.

"Whatever any of us thought or hoped that the agenda for the next session would be, it is going to be overtaken by mother nature," House Speaker Joe Straus told a full auditorium at the University of Texas Saturday. "It's going to the biggest challenge that we face."

And even tax increases, typically a taboo topic around the Capitol, could be on the agenda. Two Houston city officials and several state lawmakers said despite the Legislature's reluctance to allow tax increases, Harvey has changed everything and should at least open the discussion to using state sales taxes to pay for schools funding or badly needed flood control projects and systems, like the coastal spine, or Ike Dike.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said it shouldn't just be left to the city of Houston and Mayor Sylvester Turner to find sources of revenue to better protect the state's largest city and such a key economic region that benefits all of Texas.

"The Legislature needs to step up," Acevedo said.

The comments came during The Texas Tribune Festival, an annual three-day event in Austin featuring politics and government leaders from around the nation.

Houston Chief Resilience Officer Stephen Costello, known as the flood czar, said during one session that a temporary increase in the state sales tax just for Houston would go a long way toward finally building the coastal spine system that would protect the region from storm surges.

While in years past, State Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, said the tax conversation may have been a non-starter in the Legislature, that should change given the destruction Harvey has brought to the state.

Politicians said it's still too soon to know exactly what the state needs to do to help the areas slammed by the storm cover, such as how much money it will cost to fix schools and roads and invest in such infrastructure to guard against future storms.

What policy experts and politicians across the board do know is it could take years for the state to recover.

The storm may provide an opportunity for a special legislative session for lawmakers to rethink the state's school funding formula given property taxes, which schools depend on for funding, are expected to tank in storm-ravaged areas, said state Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Humble.

"I don't believe 1 million children are going anywhere, but their homes have been destroyed," he said, noting his home sustained $50,000 in damage from Harvey. "I just don't see any path to victory for the schools if we don't take this very seriously going forward."

Huberty wants lawmakers to return to Austin for a special legislative session focused on storm relief. In that conversation, they could rehab the state's school funding formula to level out funding for districts that stand to lose property tax revenue from the storm.

While Harvey damaged hundreds of schools across southeast Texas, it's also upended expectations for this year's round of standardized testing, known as the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.

The focus on the STAAR bothers HD Chambers, the superintendent of Alief Independent School District. Whether the state will move or delay the test is the second question people ask after how his schools are doing.

"Our state has programmed our public education system so much that the thing we worry about most, or second most in this case, seemed to be about STAAR," Chambers said during a panel discussion on testing and accountability.

Teachers and other people responsible for educating children lost everything and went through their own traumas before returning to the classroom.

"Before we start expecting them to deliver instruction with profession and craft at a very high level, we have to do everything we can do to help them be a person," he said, and allow them to adjust to the "right mindset to being able to educate kids."

Education Commissioner Mike Morath said he's still undecided about whether to cancel, delay or ease how the state grades schools based on the tests. However, his tone changed from last week when he told the State Board of Education it was unlikely Texas would tinker with the STAAR.

The political conference waded into other politics of the storm, including the controversial decision of whether Houston officials should have ordered an evacuation.

Acevedo, Houston's police chief who had only been on the job nine months when Harvey hit, gave a stern defense of Mayor Sylvester Turner's handling of preparation. He pushed back at questions about whether Turner should have ordered an evacuation after Gov. Greg Abbott suggested people should leave Houston.

Acevedo said it would have been impractical to evacuate such a large city, saying "Where would they have gone?" He said sending people to other parts of Texas that were hit just as hard or worse would have been a disaster.
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AUSTIN - State officials vowed Thursday to fight a court order that blocked parts of a controversial state immigration law that outlawed sanctuary cities and would have penalized local officials who refuse to cooperate with federal deportation efforts.

In contrast, immigration advocates and community organizers hailed the ruling from a San Antonio federal court late Wednesday as a major victory for more than 1 million undocumented immigrants in Texas who live in fear of deportation.

DACA might end

Immigrant advocates were relieved by the court decision, but they feared an impending loss on another front as a new round of leaks Thursday suggested President Donald Trump soon will announce the potential end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program that shields immigrants brought to the United States as children from deportation and allows them to work and study here.

Senate Bill 4, one of Gov. Greg Abbott's key legislative priorities that was set to go into effect Friday, would have punished police chiefs, sheriffs and other law enforcement agencies who prevent their officers from asking about a person's immigration status during an arrest or detention. It also would have required jail officials to honor all requests from federal agencies to hold an inmate for possible deportation. SB4 also forbids local governments from "adopting, enforcing, or endorsing" policies that materially limit immigration enforcement.

But late Wednesday night, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia wrote that parts of SB4 are likely unconstitutional and granted a preliminary injunction against many of the law's key provisions.

"This is an astounding defeat for the state's attempt to conscript local officers into becoming deportation agents," said Andre Segura, legal director at the ACLU of Texas, who represented several communities and cities in the lawsuit against the state.

Garcia temporarily blocked the state from punishing local officials, saying that infringes on their free speech rights. He also wrote that local officials, including law enforcement, provided "ample" evidence that the law will "erode public trust."

"The court cannot and does not second guess the Legislature," Garcia wrote. "However, the State may not exercise its authority in a manner that violates the United States Constitution."

Abbott said the decision makes Texas communities "less safe," and said the decision will be appealed "immediately." Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the San Antonio federal court Thursday to stay its decision while he appeals the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals. His request was turned down.

"Because of this ruling, gang members and dangerous criminals, like those who were released by the Travis County Sheriff, will be set free to prey upon our communities," Abbott said in a written statement.

Paxton said SB4 was intended to set a "statewide policy of cooperation" with federal immigration authorities. In January, Trump signed an executive order threatening to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities, but a federal judge halted the order, saying it was too broad.

"Texas has the sovereign authority and responsibility to protect the safety and welfare of its citizens," Paxton said. "We're confident SB4 will ultimately be upheld as constitutional and lawful."

But immigration advocates and community organizers are confident all the provisions in SB4 will be blocked.

"We know we have a big fight ahead of us, in the court and on the ground," said Mary Moreno, communications director with the Texas Organizing Project. "In a way, not much has changed for us, except we did get a little breathing room."

Knowing their rights

The Texas Organizing Project and others, including the ACLU and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said their priority is to connect with immigrant communities so people understand their rights.

The court's ruling allows officers to inquire about someone's legal status during a lawful arrest or detention. Officers can turn that information over to federal authorities.

But advocates say people can refuse to answer, and an officer cannot make an arrest based on a person's answer or refusal to provide immigration information.
In his 1968 book. "The Promise of Space," the late Arthur C. Clarke envisioned a time when people would find themselves "fighting tooth and nail to save the last unspoiled vestiges of lunar wilderness." Clarke predicted that the battle would take place around the year 2218. However, as it turns out, lunar preservation has become a thing 200 years earlier than Clarke envisioned. The difference is that modern moon preservationists are more concerned about artifacts left by human beings rather than pristine wilderness.

For All Moonkind is a new organization that wants to preserve the Apollo landing sites, all six of them, as cultural historical preserves. The idea would be for the United Nations to declare them protected sites based on the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage Convention efforts to preserve sites of historical and cultural significance here on Earth. The signatories of the agreement would work together to enforce it. The United States cannot unilaterally declare the Apollo landing sites off limits because of restrictions agreed to in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

Few probes have landed on the moon since the last Apollo mission took off from the moon in December 1972. However, the lunar surface is about to become a busy place. A number of private groups, some participants in the Google Lunar XPrize, others working outside the competition, propose to land on the moon starting by the end of 2017 and stretching into 2018.

One of those groups, a German team called Part-Time Scientists, intends to set down two miles from the Apollo 17 landing site and send two rovers to approach the lunar rover left behind by the astronauts. The team has promised to conduct their operations with the utmost care and respect for the historical and cultural significance of the site. Hopefully no technical glitch, such as a landing accident, will cause damage to the area where Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt last walked on the lunar soil.

A new race for the moon is starting to take shape. Russia, China and the European Union have already expressed interest in returning astronauts to the lunar surface. NASA, with a group of commercial partners, is expected to join the race because of the recent change in presidential administrations. Sooner than many might imagine, boots will tread in lunar soil for the first time in five or so decades.

Without a clear agreement preserving the integrity of the Apollo landing sites, some of those boots may sully the ground where astronauts left their footprints that, barring interference, could be expected to stay for thousands of years. The equipment left by the Apollo astronauts would be a lucrative source of treasure for scavengers eager to sell it to the highest bidder back on Earth. A United Nations agreement, enforced by the international community, will go a long way toward preventing that tragedy.

Sometime in the far future, when people are working and living on the moon, the Apollo landing sites will become an economic asset, much like national parks are on Earth. Tourists will set out from lunar settlements in pressurized buses to visit one or more of the six places where men first walked on the moon. They will disembark at the visitors' center on the edge of each of the sites. After passing through the gift shop, the lunar tourists will arrive at the observation deck where they can look upon where history was made a century or so ago. The current generation, on the edge of the next great age of lunar exploration, owes it to those future travelers to preserve that legacy.

Whittington, who writes frequently about space and politics, has published a political study of space exploration entitled "Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?" He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner.
A Spring man previously accused of staging his wife's murder scene is now charged with her death.

A Montgomery County grand jury indicted Mike Angel Ulloa, 35, on a first-degree murder charge Thursday for the death of his 34-year-old wife, Lisa Ulloa, who was strangled to death in what Mike Ulloa initially told investigators was a late-night home invasion. Ulloa also was reindicted on two felony tampering charges for allegedly destroying or concealing his wife's body in an effort to thwart investigators, prosecutors claim.

Lisa Ulloa was killed Dec. 21, 2009, at the couple's home in the 30700 block of Ginger Trace Drive in South Montgomery County near Birnham Woods Drive. Ulloa and his then-18-year-old stepdaughter Lacey Brock told investigators Lisa Ulloa died at the hands of two home invaders, although investigators on the case believe that story does not add up.

ORIGINAL STORY: What Ulloa told police in 2009

Mike Ulloa's defense attorney, Richard Canlas, was unable to be reached Monday but previously told The Courier his client is innocent.

"Mr. Ulloa is innocent," Canlas said in March. "They're saying he tampered with evidence, but how do you tamper with evidence if you're the one who got beat up?"

Ulloa told police he was heading out the back door to check on some food he had cooking on his back porch when he was accosted by two masked intruders who beat him over the head with what was later described as a dowel rod, according to court documents. He said he was forced into his kitchen and beaten again, then tied up with duct tape and moved into the master bedroom.

As this was happening, Lisa Ulloa and Brock were forced into the master bedroom and restrained with duct tape, Brock told police. Before Lisa Ulloa and Brock made it into the room, Brock told police, Lisa Ulloa's neck was wrapped with duct tape.

The crooks scoured the home for jewelry and money, Brock and Mike Ulloa told police. At some point, Lisa Ulloa was moved from the master bedroom to the home's living room.

Mike Ulloa told investigators he was knocked unconscious at some point before heading into the kitchen to grab a knife to free himself and his stepdaughter. He also informed investigators that's when he told Brock to go seek help from a neighbor as he checked on Lisa Ulloa in the living room.

Mike Ulloa told police he found his wife not breathing inside the living room and that her neck had also been wrapped up with an electrical cord. He then removed the cord and duct tape around her neck before fleeing to the same neighboring home where Brock was.

Brock told investigators that the intruders forced her to clean her hands and fingers with a toothbrush and disinfectant. In court documents, investigators noted the crime scene was "very, very bloody" before denoting what they believed were inaccuracies and contradictory statements given by Brock and Mike Ulloa.

DNA reports given to investigators by the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab gave detectives reason to believe Mike Ulloa "was an active participant" in tying up his wife and stepdaughter in what they later called a "staged crime scene" in court documents.

Mike Ulloa's DNA was the only DNA found on the duct tape roll he claimed the intruders brought to the crime scene, which contradicted what he told deputies on scene the day of the crime, court documents state. His blood DNA was found on the inside of Lisa Ulloa's purse, on Brock's pants and on the toothbrush used to clean Brock's fingers.

Detectives said the duct tape used around Lisa Ulloa's neck also had Mike Ulloa's blood DNA on the inner sticky side of the tape, and that the sticky side of the tape had what is called "expectorate" bloodstains. Expectorate blood is blood that flows through a person's airway.

The expectorate bloodstains could have only shown up on the sticky side of the tape if the person who was bleeding was in close proximity to the tape before it was applied to Lisa Ulloa's neck, detectives stated.

"The revelation of the expectorate on the inside of the tape is in direct contrast to the voluntary statements  provided by Brock and (Mike Ulloa)," investigators stated in a court document.

During a March 30 hearing 221st state District Court Judge Lisa Michalk, Montgomery County Chief Prosecutor Rob Freyer told her the DA's Office was seeking a murder indictment against Mike Ulloa. Six months after that hearing, and nearly eight years after Lisa Ulloa's death, her husband is facing the murder charge.

Freyer said the investigation is still ongoing.

"It's a very detailed investigation," Freyer said Monday. "Officers have worked very hard on it, in all phases."

Mike Ulloa is set to face a jury for the two tampering charges in November, although the murder indictment could change the scheduling on those charges, Freyer said.

If convicted, Mike Ulloa is facing up to life in prison. He is being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $350,000 worth of bonds.
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A flag is just a piece of cloth. What it's supposed to represent - an equal playing field for all, justice for all - is not being adhered to and has not been, ever, in the history of the US.

Remember these protests started under Obama's administration, as a protest against police brutality. Only Trump could make it all about himself and some perverse idea of patriotism, where one doesn't question how loyalty to this 'flag' trumps (pun intended) keeping racist law enforcement officers in check.

But since The Donald has decided to put his rather profane tuppence ha'porth in, let's use it to question what is really important here. In truth, no flag matters. What is done supposedly in the name of the flag does. The flag is no more than a human extension of the Pavlov's dog experiment. I support those taking a knee because what they are protesting for (actual civil rights, the right to not be killed by endemic racism) is more important. If you are proud of your country (and by this I mean any country, not just the U.S.), know exactly what it is you're proud of. When it comes down to it, and if one's grasp on history is solid, and if one is scrupulously honest, it'll end up that you'll be proud of some things, of other things not so much. Let the country that is without sin cast the first stone.

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The danger is, during this political paradigm shift (and we are still in the midst of this shift) that revisionism of history is rife. We have the situation in Germany where partly (to the best of my understanding) what the AfD set their stall out on is whitewashing German history, especially that of the Third Reich, as something to be proud of, that 'others' had wilfully misinterpreted. How can one be proud of that part of one's history which included mass genocide? And this point could be said of many countries, including the US. Including the UK. Trump and Brexit happened, to a large extent, due to people's ignorance of their own imperialist, genocidal, racist histories.

Pride in a flag, for pride's sake, if the foundation of what that flag represents, is ridiculous. Pride in an anthem, a song, is indefensible if the human rights that have been nominally enshrined in law are not being accorded to all citizens, irrespective of colour, creed, sex, gender, sexual preference, power and wealth status. There is ample evidence to show us that the US has little respect for the rights of its African-American citizens. The very presence of a man like Trump in the White House and his penchant for the company of white supremacists and self-described Nazis is a very testimony to this. The symbols that we once held dear unquestioningly are being called into question. It's long overdue. Men like Kaepernick remind us that rather than slavishly adhering to the status quo, our citizenship calls upon us to question whether it is fit for purpose, or indeed, if it ever was. And the evidence and history taken objectively, would strongly indicate that it never has been.

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The late great Stephane Hessel wrote about a 'Time for Outrage'. Outrage is only the beginning point. It's the precursor of change, and holds the potential of change for the better, for everyone. Some people will not want change, simply because change, even when it is for the better, is not easy. Some people will not want change, because they see change as an attack on their status and supremacy in the world order. Those latter are probably not wrong, but they must not stand as an impediment to change for the better for the majority. We are on a knife's edge balance in the West when Germany, for 28 years a beacon of hope to the power of people and progressive thinking, to the art of the possible rather than the cynical deal, can have 1.3 citizens who ignored their own history and voted in the far-right to the Bundestag again. The damage has been done, and nationalism has made its inroads. The road that this ultimately leads to can be changed, however. It's not too late for that yet, if we remain conscious of the difference between superficial nationalism and deeper citizenship.
Rejection - one of the harshest parts of life. If there is one experience that all we humans have faced in our life that would be the pain of rejection. A sharp pain that makes you feels like an outsider. For some of us who are very lucky, the feeling of rejection is the closest we will ever get to the feeling of being discriminated.

For as bad as it may feel, even denial plays a significant role in our lives for it builds character. It is a great teacher. It does not tell you who or what you should be, but instead lets you decide for yourself who or what you want to be. Rejection will stand between you and your dreams. It will never fight you. All you need to do is to stare it in the eyes and keep going on.

It was not easy when I was working as a model in Milan and later in Los Angeles. Castings were always full of beautiful girls. It wasn't easy. I was being rejected in between five to ten times a day. Being rejected is common in the life of an upcoming model. It either makes you or breaks you. In my case, each rejection just made me stronger. It forced me to realize that the only rejection I should fear is my own.

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The only rejection you should fear is your own! Nobody can deny you your happiness, nobody except yourself.

Have you ever thought about how it feels like to be on the other end of the table? To be the one, who must do the rejecting? I have been hiring assistants for twenty years and let me tell you; sometimes it feels as horrible to tell someone; "thanks, but no thanks" as it is to hear it! Especially when I like that person, and she would be so right for the job.

So never think that rejection means you are not good enough. It may be just a matter of circumstance.

Show determination and perseverance, and you will find your way.

I noticed that rejections many times just re-directed me to something better. It did not maybe happen immediately nor did I understand when I was rejected but now looking back over my shoulders I feel like each rejection was a blessing in disguise.

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Nowadays I keep being rejected! Maybe not five to ten times a day but still nine out of the ten times I am rejected (except for when I am buying something. When you are handing out money, you are never rejected).

Because of my condition, paralyzed, not being able to speak, I face much prejudice. People think; "what good can anyone be to society in a condition like this." Do not kid yourself, as civilized as we pretend to be, too many people's minds are set to go by preconceptions and one or another form of discrimination.

Most people do not do this on purpose. It is a reaction due to lack of knowledge, a feeling of awkwardness and a sort of fear. They just do not know the facts nor how to face someone like me, someone who is a little different. I understand that is frightening and that it can make someone feel uncomfortable.

However, self-growth is not just essential it is one of the golden rules in life, and it's something a person should keep doing until the end of his/her days. As humans, we should keep an eye on all kinds of prejudice in our environment, leaders and own behaviour just as much as we keep an eye on the weather.
More than 400,000 people have reportedly fled for their lives from Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh, and each one has their own heart-wrenching story to tell.

In the week I was in Bangladesh I met countless families, whilst assessing the need on the ground and seeing how Islamic Relief could help.

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Caption: Imran Madden at the southernmost city of Teknaf, along the Naf River, where a dozen narrow wooden boats were collecting refugees from a river island where they had fled by night and dropping them on the Bangladesh side of the river.

One of the first people I spoke to was Mohammad Rafiq. He was crossing into Bangladesh with his wife Nuru, and their four children.

We caught up with Muhammad at a river crossing that was the second step on their journey through the border area. He was joined by several members of his village and they remained together as a means of mutual support.

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Caption: Muhammad's youngest son, Noyum, who he holds closely in his arms, had fever and needed immediate medical attention.

Muhammad held his young son, Noyum, closely in his arms. Noyum had a fever and seemed semi-conscious, calling constantly to his parents.

Muhammad told me, "We left in the middle of the night. We had time only to grab our children. We left everything behind..."

He needed to complete the next part of his journey quickly as his son required immediate attention. However, Noyum has to compete with hundreds of others at this crossing, all of whom have similar needs and stories.

I cannot help but wonder whether two-year-old Noyum received the urgent medical treatment he needed.

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Caption: Najmul Haq fled Myanmar, arriving in Bangladesh with 13 members of his family on 6 September.

On my second day in Bangladesh, our team visited Poschim Kul village, where I met Najmul Haq.

Najmul's home is now a makeshift camp on top of a hill, a stone's throw away from the border.

What was once a lush hillside has been cleared for a settlement.

The huts are constructed from plastic sheeting and locally-cut bamboo, demonstrating the refugees' incredible ingenuity, but their resources will not last long. There are no latrines and a single water pump serves hundreds of people.

Speaking to Najmul was excruciatingly painful. He said: "We had land, cattle and poultry but had to leave it all behind. Yesterday, I tried to cross back into Myanmar to retrieve some of my animals but I was forced back by the border guards. I am not comfortable here but I know I will not be safe if I return. In the end, if Allah wants me to die, I will die."

Caption: Soydul Amin clears the hillside with family members to build a shelter for his family and other refugees.

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The refugees I met in Bangladesh all showed incredible resilience, but they still need help.

At a refugee camp called Tayum Kali, roughly 4km from the Myanmar border, I met Soydul Amin who had arrived in Bangladesh on 12 September with five family members.

He had to flee overnight and, like the others I met, he too left everything behind.

Soydul showed incredible determination by clearing part of a hillside then levelling it out with hand tools - aiming to, quite literally, build a new home for his recently uprooted family.

He then set about building a shelter frame out of bamboo that he covered with plastic sheeting purchased from the local market.

You can see that the refugees are self-sufficient and stoic, and that they are determined to help themselves. While this independent spirit is essential in the chaos of the first few days, it will be down to NGOs like Islamic Relief, for the most part, to provide them with improved shelter units, water, sanitation and food.

Many of these settlements are on hilltops and in early December the temperature will drop dramatically. These makeshift shelters will be completely inadequate for the coming winter.

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Soydul, sounding resolute, told me: "My family and I will clear this land and make a shelter. We will support each other and others around us."

Caption: Muhammad Ridwan, from Poschim Kul, Bangladesh (100m from the Myanmar border), opened a small shop when refugees started arriving.

In many refugee situations there can be tensions between the new arrivals and the local 'host' community. This is not always the case, however.

It might seem insensitive, but the arrival of refugees can also provide opportunities for local businesses.

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Some will no doubt profit unfairly, but for many this allows them to provide refugees with their basic needs until NGOs can provide for them. This undoubtedly reduces some tensions.

Muhammad Ridwan is a farmer who opened a small shop next to the refugee camp at Poschim Kul village when refugees started arriving.

Ridwan said: "Last night a large number of refugees arrived and some of the villages are located very close to the border on the Myanmar side. I notice that very few women come out of the camp. They are afraid."

His remarks are perhaps a reflection of concerns over the safety of women at night and those venturing out alone. All refugees, of course, are vulnerable to a degree.

The crisis in Myanmar has seen an unprecedented number of refugees being forced to flee, a number that we have not seen previously over this decade long conflict.

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We live in a world where we hear about a new crisis every month, and we are in danger of becoming desensitised to human suffering.

It is vital that the stories behind this crisis are told so that we, the international community, can truly comprehend their plight and respond in their hour of need.
Professor25 via Getty Images

Sexual harassment is an abhorrent abuse of human rights.

Sexual harassment includes long lewd, sexually aggressive leers, inappropriate sexual comments or unwanted touching.

Sexual harassment is most commonly found in the street and generally involves men leering, hissing and yelling out sexual obscenities at women as they walk by. Sexual harassment involves stalking or imposing one's presence on another in a sexually aggressive way. Sexual harassment can also commonly take place in the workplace. A superior may use his position of authority to pressure or intimidate a woman into a sexual relationship which may be followed up by possible retributions should she try to challenge or reject his advances.

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Explicit sexual jokes that are designed to demean and humiliate another can constitute as sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment also includes refusing to stop sexually aggressive behavior despite requests to do so.

Basically, sexual harassment is any behavior that is of a sexual nature and is intended to intimidate, degrade or to treat another human being as having the same value as an object.

Sexual harassment is a global problem and indeed, statistics continually emerge showing that sexual harassment is a pervasive problem throughout the world.

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Recognising the severe psychological harm caused from sexual harassment a number of countries have taken steps to criminalise sexual harassment.

In 2014, Egypt officially criminalised sexual harassment and introduced penalties including prison terms and fines. A decree was approved where offenders of sexual harassment could be punished of up to five years in jail or fines between $400 and $7000.

In Algeria, a person convicted of sexual harassment is subject to imprisonment of two months to one year and a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 dinars.

China amended their law in 2005 to provide protections to victims of sexual harassment at work and in 2008 a woman was the first to win a criminal case related to sexual harassment under the new law and her harasser was sentenced to five months in jail.

Kenya passed the Sexual Offences Act in 2006 and declared in Section 23 that, 'any person who being in a position of authority or holding a public office who persistently makes any sexual advances or requests which he or she knows or has reasonable grounds to know are unwelcome is guilty of the offence of sexual harassment and shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than three years or to a fine of not less than one hundred thousand shillings or both.'

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The Criminal Code in Lithuania states that: a person who, in seeking sexual contact harasses a person subordinate to him in office or otherwise by vulgar or comparable actions or be making offers shall be held liable for an act provided for in paragraph one of this article only subject to a complaint filed by the victim or a statement by his authorised representative or at the prosecutors request.

Philippino law defines sexual harassment as being an act committed in a work-related or employment environment when among other instances, a sexual favor is made as a condition in the hiring or in the employment of an individual. The penalty for this crime ranges from a term of imprisonment of one to six months and a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 pesos.

In 2016, Portugal made verbal and sexual abuse a crime.

Peru passed a bill that defines harassment as any act impacting the freedom and dignity or movement or another person's right to physical and moral integrity with such offences in public spaces carrying a maximum sentence of 12 years.

In 2014, Belgium passed a law that introduced considerable fines and imprisonment of up to on year for street harassment crimes.

In 2016, Nottinghamshire in England made misogyny a hate crime. Described as 'incidents against women that are motivated by an attitude of a man towards a woman and includes behavior targeted towards a woman by men simply because they are a woman.' Chief Constable Sue Fish said, 'what women face, often on a daily basis is absolutely unacceptable and can be extremely distressing. Nottinghamshire police is committed to taking misogynistic hate crime seriously and encourages anyone who is affected by it contact us without hesitation.'

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It is essential that sexual harassment is criminalised everywhere in the world. It must be criminalised because the harm caused is tremendous and can make the lives of those who are subject to it incredibly difficult and uncomfortable. No one ever, under any circumstances should be subject to lewd and degrading behaviour that causes so much distress and psychological harm.

It is essential that everybody, everywhere places pressure on their governments to implement laws that make sexual harassment not only illegal, but socially unacceptable. We as a global community need to work together to make it unacceptable for men to degrade and sexually humiliate women for their own perverse enjoyment.
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The Royal Society of Arts survey last week warned that increasing automation and artificial intelligence (AI) could see 4 million UK private sector jobs replaced within a generation. They are not the only ones to make pessimistic estimates on the 'rise of the robots'.

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, made global headlines at the start of December when he warned we're "in the midst of a technological revolution that is once again changing the nature of work". A Deloitte and University of Oxford study also warned that 95% of finance professionals were at risk of losing their jobs over the next 20 years.

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Whilst some elements of manufacturing and services have faced continual disruption from technological advancement, the advent of AI and smart robotics threatens professional level jobs as never before. Yet driverless cars or Amazon's experiments with drone deliveries may be just the beginning of what computing power might replace. Many technologists and policy-makers have dubbed this period 'IR4' or 'Industry 4.0' - the Fourth Industrial Revolution.'

When ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) conducted the global 'Generation Next' survey of 19,000 students and qualified accountants under the age of 36 - the generation most vulnerable to the impacts of innovation - 84% welcomed the advent of new technologies. This was not because today's aspiring accountants underestimate the threat posed to their career paths: two thirds expected automation to replace a large number of entry-level jobs in the near future.

What those surveyed did recognise, however, was that the technology offered opportunities for new, more productive forms of work. Young professionals in shared services in particular see technology as an unprecedented opportunity to focus on much higher value-added activity (90% of respondents in the UK compared to 84% of respondents globally).

What they and other finance professionals are able to recognise (perhaps more acutely than others outside the profession) is that straightforward number-crunching has always played a low-level role in the professional accountant's skill-set.

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While automation of this basic data analysis is almost inevitable even at current levels of technology, there is no obvious reason to believe that the digital revolution will be able to substitute for the strategic vision and forward-thinking counsel that accountants can bring to a business.

Even as computers and the internet have transformed the workplace in recent decades, accountants have grown increasingly important to the effective running of organisations. One reason for this is that businesses are navigating a globalised landscape where technology can destroy traditional industries and build entirely new ones in the space of only a few years, just as digital photography disrupted the growth of famous brands like Kodak and Polaroid.

In this ever-changing world, businesses appreciate the value of highly skilled accountants capable of thinking ahead and providing insightful guidance on investment, innovation and strategy, enabling firms to grow, adapt and build resilience. This is why qualified professional accountants are highly sought after for CFO positions and increasingly taking the step up to CEO. And that in turn is why so many younger accountants look towards the new machine age with ambition and optimism.

Yet the growing role of 'smart' tech means that all of us will face ever greater challenges to stay smarter than the robots. As part of ACCA's ongoing research into the future of the profession, we predict that developing digital skills will play an essential role in the future relevance of finance professionals: there is a lively discussion already underway about whether or not today's accountants should be learning to code.

Crucially, and perhaps unsurprisingly, given that business is, after all, about people, is that the professional accountant of tomorrow will need to work just as hard at honing their interpersonal skills.

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These range from the emotional intelligence to manage teams and communicate better with clients, through to developing the creativity and vision needed to exploit new commercial opportunities as they arise.

While we may muse on the day when robots become indistinguishable from humans, in reality robotics is a still some distance from being able to replicate processes which require complex and independent judgements. There is little purpose in competing with computers and AI when it comes to the speed of calculations or ability to process vast quantities of information.

The accountant of tomorrow will need to focus on maximising those talents and skills that even the most advanced programming finds it difficult to replicate.
How is it that the year is 2017, and people are still being murdered for their ethnicity and religion? When I was a child, in the 90s, I always tried to imagine what life after the year 2000 would be like. I imagined ordinary humans like myself freely travelling to space on a daily basis, the most wonderful and innovative technology and transport, and world peace. Of these three things, the one I was most sure of happening was world peace. Wars, genocides and whole groups of people being murdered based on things they can't change like their ethnicity, and other such horrors, were surely a thing of the past. But as I get older, I realise that of all the things I imagined for the twenty-first century, world peace is the least likely of the lot. And that makes me very sad, and ashamed of being human.

As I write, Burma/Myanmar is killing hundreds of thousands of its Muslim inhabitants, the Rohingya people. The latest estimates are that 421,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled, with similar numbers having been massacred, their villages burnt down, their women raped, their children beheaded. The reason I say "inhabitants" and not "citizens" is that the Rohingya people in Burma/Myanmar have, for decades, been denied citizenship and basic human rights such as education, medicine or freedom of movement.

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This is not Isis we're talking about: this is the army that rules the country whose de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, won the Nobel Peace Prize. The same Aung San Suu Kyi who can currently be accused of, at best, ignoring the issue of the massacred and displaced Rohingya Muslims, or at worst, having these Rohinya Muslims' blood on her hands. In her denials of the genocide, her lies that "Since 5 September, there have been no armed clashes and there have been no clearance operations" (a complete falsehood), that everyone in Burma/Myanmar has access to education and healthcare (again, not true) and other misrepresentations of the awful, shameful truth, Aung San Suu Kyi does indeed have the blood of every one of those Rohingya Muslims murdered, on her hands.

The rest of the world has reacted too late. As mentioned, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have already either been massacred or forced to flee their homes, with nowhere to go. This is not just a recent event: these stateless, impoverished people have been persecuted by Burma/Myanmar for decades. In 2013, the United Nations described the Rohingya people as being "one of the most persecuted minorities in the world", and more recently described the Burmese treatment of the Rohingya people as a "textbook" example of ethnic cleansing.

I cannot believe that this is the state of the world, where our Rohingya Muslim brothers and sisters, our fellow humans, are being robbed of their villages, their human rights, their lives. And the rest of the world looks on.
The horror the nation witnessed as fire engulfed Grenfell Tower in June is a black mark on modern British history. In what is the worst loss of life in a fire in peacetime Britain, the government owe it to every victim to get to the bottom of how exactly this disaster was allowed to happen. And let's be clear, it was allowed to happen. Tower blocks are designed so that a fire in a flat is contained to the original flat (compartmentation) so as to give firefighters plenty of time to arrive at the scene and get the blaze under control.

During my firefighting career, I responded to incidents in tower blocks where neighbours a few floors up never even knew there was a fire until the morning afterwards. This is how the system is supposed to work but at Grenfell Tower, that safety net fell apart completely, with estimates now of around 80 people losing their lives that night as a result.

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No stone CAN remain unturned in the fight for justice for the victims. We know that many of those involved (including the FBU) have already expressed serious concern about the structure and remit of the public inquiry. So if the inquiry, which opened earlier this month, pulls its punches and turns into a stitch-up that avoids holding those in charge to account then the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) would need to consider whether we cooperate any further. Nobody wants to see that but we cannot allow the real issues behind this atrocity to be ignored.

There has been a litany of mistakes - I would call them crimes - made by both Conservative and Labour governments stretching back years that have culminated in the disaster at Grenfell. This is not just an issue of austerity, which has seen the number of firefighters cut by a quarter since 2010, but one of more than 30 years of deregulation that has left the public at greater risk when fires happen. What government ministers of both parties have called in the past cutting 'red-tape', I call cutting public safety provisions. It is a national scandal that today, for instance, anyone without any qualifications or training in fire safety can set themselves up as a fire risk assessor. This was once an industry that was regulated in order to protect people from the damage caused by would be charlatans.

It is right that the Communities Secretary, the Fire Minister and Housing Ministers, as well as their predecessors, give evidence to the Inquiry. They should be questioned on what decisions they took while in office, who gave them the advice, why they took it, who signed off the change in the regulations and who signed off the different policies they introduced. Tracing back the mistakes leading up to Grenfell is vital for the Inquiry in order to to deliver justice, hold politicians to account and ensure a similar disaster never happens again.

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There's nothing quite like tradition and such tradition in the UK used to mean Christmas advertising began the day after Bonfire Night.

Every year, that date has come forward to the extent that Christmas planning now seems to start as soon as the kids go back to school.

For retailers, however, be that online, mobile or the increasingly quaint bricks-and-mortar stores, the build-up to Christmas is not the gospel it once was.

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Now it is all about Black Friday, another day bound in tradition. It is always the Friday after the US festival of Thanksgiving.

Black Friday this year is on November 24th, two months away, but already online retailers are planning to ensure their web systems are strong enough to handle peak demand.

Any delay or 'web-site-down' can wipe out millions of pounds on what is the busiest day of the year for online retailers. Even 15 minutes of downtime is a disaster.

For some retailers, the Black Friday peak can represent as much as 10% of their annual revenues. Moreover, a report by software company Dynatrace found that 75% of mobile users would abandon a retailer's mobile site or app if it was slow or prone to crash.

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Earlier this month, High Street and digital retailer Argos experienced an early nightmare when its website was down for 'maintenance', but the real problems started when its website was up that the problems really began.

Intermittent crashes and, most damagingly for the company, incorrect pricing such as an Xbox on sale for 89.99 instead of 379.99 have been an unmitigated disaster.

At time of writing, the PR crisis had still not diminished. Argos's arrogance in blaming the technology, ever-alert social media and a mother's persistence in getting a console present for her son at 89.99 still persist.

No doubt, Argos is working day and night to ensure Black Friday passes successful and they may have had a lucky escape with a disaster happening at the right time. But, how are such catastrophes averted?

Increasingly, the answer is to be found in preparing for disaster and moving away from so-called traditional 'monolithic architectures'; web systems that were designed for yesterday when the Cloud hadn't condensed.

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The problem in such monolith models is that if one thing fails, all of it fails. Retailers are now thinking instead of server-first, better to employ systems that are Cloud-first and offer a deck of microservices.

Microservice architecture is an approach to software design that breaks down large projects into a set of manageable, independent and loosely-coupled services; it is by nature flexible and withhold spikes and surges.

Such models are already employed not just by retailers, but behemoths such as Amazon, Netflix, and Uber, all of which experience daily peaks, troughs and surges, not just on a Friday in November.

Argos could learn, in fact, from another online retailer ASOS, which realised as long ago as 2011 that it would have to scale for the future.

The company believed that the software 'stack' that it has used to grow would have to come from a different model. It knew that customer experience was based on how it performed for ecommerce. In 2011, that attitude was almost revolutionary and not every retailer was thinking that way.

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Instead, ASOS chose to deploy in the Cloud on Microsoft Azure, the epitome of hyperscale transactional systems and worked with London-based Amido, a ''tech consultancy that rebuilds old-fashioned infrastructures in the cloud'.

"The technical restraints that traditional 'off-the-shelf' ecommerce products place on retailers impacts their ability to provide a customer experience at global scale. It's complete vendor lock-in. Once you've spent 10 million, you're not going to write it off. You have to keep spending because you have to make it work," said Alan Walsh, CEO Amido.

Six years on, ASOS were probably right. Now, its platform supports as more than 30 distinct transaction sets, including identification, product, bag, check-out and payments.

Where the company previously felt locked-in by a stack of products from one supplier, it was now liberated. The ASOS site is also ready for AR and conversational commerce, something that seems as forward-planning as the company was in 2011.

Christmas may come but once a year, but it is the 24-hour period where retailers must make, not break. So they must look forwards, not backwards and towards the Cloud, not the server.

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The news has lit up today following a BBC File on 4/Adoption UK survey that highlighted a state of crisis in more than one-quarter of adoptive families in the UK.

To anyone who has adopted or is close to networks supporting those with adopted children, there is sadly no surprise at these figures. Adoptive families across the UK are feeling relieved that their struggles are being noticed.

In one of its more attention-grabbing findings, the survey highlights that "almost two thirds of respondents said their child had displayed aggressive behaviour towards them."

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Most new stories are focusing on the very real impact of the too often traumatic and neglectful backgrounds that many of these children have had. And yet, there is a huge gaping hole in the coverage.

For many of these children, there may be a physical reason for the very real and distressing behaviours. A large proportion of these children may have brain damage due to Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). One study showed that in Peterborough as many as 75% of the children available for adoption were exposed to alcohol in the womb. (Which is not to say they all had FASD. We are still waiting, after decades, for a home-grown UK prevalence study.)

There are structural reasons why FASD is not identified earlier and more consistently.

The UK sadly lacks a national strategy for diagnosis and care of those with FASD. Government has recognized the importance of addressing FASD and has tasked the local clinical commissioning groups with following through. "Early intervention services can help reduce some of the effects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and prevent some of the secondary disabilities that result. Responsibility for commissioning these services lies with clinical commissioning groups." (Written Question HL5052 - http://bit.ly/2kdNiAV)

Sadly, however, it's a postcode lottery and time and time again families are at worst misled and/or denied knowledge about the child's prenatal exposure to alcohol or their efforts to seek diagnosis and understanding hits hurdle after hurdle due to ignorance or a lack of conviction that a diagnosis would in fact matter. This then compounds problems with seeking proper support in schools. Without that support, the situation and behaviours further spiral, especially as the student hits the challenging teenage years.

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Some believe strongly that there needs to be greater information sharing and insights provided by social services and other related agencies to prospective adopters. "Around a third believed they did not receive 'full and correct' information about their children during the adoption process." This information should be available, along with information about FASD. This doesn't mean, however, that people should not adopt. The advice from at least one adopter of a child with FASD (who happens to be my husband) is "Don't go into this wearing rose tinted glasses. Don't avoid reality. Understand this is lifelong brain damage. But if after doing all of your research, you feel you are ready, do go into it."

Our frontline healthcare providers also need more information. In a small survey recently conducted by OnePoll for NOFAS-UK, only 23% of GPs strongly agreed that they feel confident that all those with FASD are being diagnosed properly and 41% of GPs said they have not received clear guidance from their local Clinical Commissioning Group regarding a pathway for diagnosis and support of FASD. Only 31% of the GPs said they had in-depth education regarding FASD in their medical school training. This survey begs for a larger cohort of GPs (and possibly paediatricians and other specialists) to be similarly questioned.

Meanwhile, research in the US shows that diagnosis and support is the key to happier families. Rather than seeing a violent child, if a family understands the root causes of the behaviour may be due to how the child's brain is wired and not due to wilful 'naughtiness', the whole picture changes. This is a partial answer to the Adoption UK results that said "more than a quarter of parents said there were either serious challenges impacting the wider family, or that their adoption was at risk of disruption, or that it had already disrupted." This support is currently found mostly in peer-to-peer support via networks like the FASD UK Alliance. But that is not enough. Families need professionals to back them up and arm them with the information, support and insights their children deserve.

Yes, the lived experiences of adoptive families need to be heard. Yes, I identify with much of what they are saying. But I strongly suggest that we need to dig deeper into the 'why' behind the behaviours. The fact that many of these children may have an underlying brain-based disability should give us all pause for concern. We need to think once again about the type of messages we send as a society. The media only wakes up in horror when either someone suggests pregnant women are wise to avoid alcohol or when we can point fingers at out of control children in the care system or who have been adopted.

The uncovered story is the need for a national strategy and true leadership on FASD. We need to ensure families seeking a diagnosis are not given incorrect information or dismissed as only wanting to 'label' their struggling children. We need champions for people with FASD and their families.

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My son with FASD is lovely. He was diagnosed at age 10. Our family's trajectory changed once we knew he had FASD and we put in place the proper supports, ensured his educational setting was appropriate, decreased our expectations, understood that he was not intentionally bad, and realized that he was overwhelmed by a world he found confusing. Behaviours can be symptoms. As a society we need to look more closely at what this survey might be telling us.

Sandra Butcher

Chief Executive
There's a new business buzzword. Seen it a couple of times recently and I reckon it's the start of a trend. It's the application of values and behaviour embedded in us from an early age, and scaled up for commercial culture.

Sorry.

No, I'm not apologising - it is saying "sorry". Mess up the scheduling of leave for your pilots Ryanair? "Sorry". Lose your operating licence because your corporate structure is too opaque to be regulated Uber? "Sorry". If you make a mistake, or do wrong, best to own up and apologise. It makes everything alright.

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Except it doesn't, does it? So who exactly are Ryanair and Uber (to name but two current examples) apologising to? And what are they apologising for? How can we tell if they are a sincere and remorseful acknowledgement of what has gone wrong - or simply a self-serving device to get off a hook before carrying on as before?

In some circumstances, however profound and/or genuine the apology, it is never ever going to be enough. I'm sure the people responsible for the cladding on Grenfell Tower are truly sorry, but the enormity of that tragedy puts the debate into an entirely different dimension. Southern Rail's apologies during the hopefully-just-about-to-be-concluded dispute over staffing were so numerous and repeated that they lost any meaning. Newspapers' phone-hacking became a criminal matter which eclipsed the apologies (very belatedly) offered.

In some circumstances the absence of an apology is telling. No acknowledgement, no recognition. No self-awareness. Ok, we'll note that and engage accordingly.

But if there is enough nouse to offer an apology, ought we to accept it? Ryanair apologised to its customers, and Uber has blinked in the face of the regulator. But both have businesses to preserve and stakeholders to satisfy. It is impossible to untangle the motivations, but 500,000 petitioners (in support of Uber) show the demand for, and profit in, the interrupted service. The calculation is that it is worth apologising irrespective of the level of sincerity.

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The challenge for adherents to the business-case school of apologies is that your credibility is at risk. "Sorry" doesn't work for the same un-remedied problem time-after-time. So a key test of whether an apology is genuine is to see what changes have been made in systems, operation, and personnel.

Even apologies that tick these boxes may not be "good": For example, tower blocks may be reclad with fire-resistant materials, but if the system that allowed Grenfell Tower to happen is unreformed, what's to say that there won't be another tragedy?

So I would propose a further fundamental test; which stakeholders have been engaged by an apology? Have their concerns been recognised and incorporated? Specifically, have the people providing the service been brought inside the process - the pilots at Ryanair, the drivers at Uber? That's the test of a genuine apology. The former are unimpressed and are mobilising collectively across Europe. The latter have had to go to court to secure basic rights. Both companies clearly have work to do.
I've been talking a lot recently, along with everyone else, about the rise of the digital nomad. The ability to earn a living doing what you love while travelling, is such an alluring prospect that it's hardly surprising that so many people are now taking advantage of the opportunities that the combination of modern technologies and freelance working bring. But in all this chat of escapist dreams there's one issue that has been largely overlooked: the small matter of affordability. If I'm a freelance programmer living in Bristol, can I really hope to survive on my typical income while living and working in Bermuda?

It's something of an obvious thing to say, but travel isn't cheap. That's why most of us only do it once or twice a year. While the average digital nomad won't be racking up many nights in five star luxury accommodation, they do still need to be able to pay the rent, access the internet and perhaps a workspace to do their job, oh, and eat from time to time. So how do you know where to go to make nomadism worth your while? Somewhat predictably, destination is everything... But it depends on what you're looking for.

If you want cheap rent, then Croatia is the go-to place, typically coming in at 327.50 per month. Like eating out a lot? Then you should consider Mexico, where a good meal for two is a snip at 17.70... Unlike Switzerland, where that would barely cover a McDonalds for one, with a Big Mac coming in at 10.97, and that's before you get your 'shake and fries. While for best broadband rates (4.98 pcm), you might want to head to Russia. Overall though, according to PeoplePerHour's research, it's India that comes out on top as being the most affordable destination for the travelling freelancer.

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With the typical cost of living in India totalling just 523 per month - almost 1,200 less than that of the UK - and the typical British freelancer earning 829.20 per 40 hour week, even after your initial travel outlay, you'll be quids- in in just a fortnight or so.

Of course, saving money isn't generally the sole - or even main - driving force behind digital nomadism; it's about experiencing new cultures, taking in fabulous scenery, enjoying amazing food, and meeting new people. Brits dream beach destinations; Mexico, Brazil, Thailand and Jamaica are some of the cheapest places to live - you could expect to have more 70% of their annual earnings left and be basking in unbroken sunshine while you work.

If you're looking for somewhere closer to home, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Croatia all offer exceptional weather, lifestyle and value for money

As for the most expensive destination... let's return to my opening question. If I'm a freelance programmer living in Bristol, can I really hope to survive on my typical income while living and working in Bermuda? The answer is: afraid not. As residents of one of the most costly destinations in the world, Bermudans typically spend 5,122.35 per month just to get by on the essentials. Broadband prices are sky-high at 107.17 pcm - it makes the UK's 20-30 look like a bargain, doesn't it? - a litre of milk will cost you 3.01, chicken breasts are more than 14 per kilo and utilities come in at more than 190 per month, and that's before you get to the 3430.77 you'll have to fork out each month on rent.

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The lesson is, really, if you're planning to take the digital nomad plunge, assess your options, work out your priorities and go where you can afford to go, not just where you want to, if you want a carefree time. For most of us that rules out Bermuda, but Goa is definitely a goer for the freelancer with the freedom to move.
5 Tiny Must-Play American Venues

While the Holy Grail of concert venues for most performers is likely a large capacity spot like the House of Blues or the Filmore, there are number of venues across America so small they are often overlooked, but are nonetheless a must for performers. Here we look at five such spots.

________________________

Guest post by Patrick McGuire of the ReverbNation Blog

A dream for most up-and-coming American bands is to perform at world famous venues like Red Rocks, The Fillmore, and House of Blues, but theres thousands of incredible small venues scattered across the country that are often overlooked. If youre a new band eager to take on the world, making your mark at small venues is one of the best ways to do it, but small venues are a blast to play even if youre in an experienced band that can sell out 1,000-capacity rooms. Weve assembled a list of five incredible small venues that are worth playing whether youre just starting out or have been at it for years.

1. Kilby Court  Salt Lake City, Utah

If youve never been to Salt Lake City, you might be surprised to hear that it has a thriving music scene, and Kilby Court deserves a lot of the credit for it. Equal parts colorful shanty town and music venue, Kilby Court is Salt Lake Citys longest running all ages venue and is known for hosting acts right before they explode into national prominence. Everyone from Kishi Bashi to Foster The People played here before they were well-known indie darlings.

2. Kirbys Beer Store  Wichita, Kansas

If youve got a 12-person Arcade Fire-ish situation going on with your band, youll take up about half this beer store and venues capacity. What Kirbys lacks in terms of a decent sound system it more than makes up for in gritty low-down fun and character. Years ago, Playboy Magazine declared that the tiny venue was one of the best dive bars in the country, a fact proudly displayed through a banner hanging on the wall. Bands here are paid in tips from the crowd and free Miller High Life, so Kirbys is an ideal mid-week excuse to get drunk and have a little fun in the midwest.

Get unbiased fan feedback on your songwriting, production, and more with brand new Crowd Reviews

3. The Nick  Birmingham, Alabama

Affectionately known as Birminghams dirty little secret, The Nick resembles a dirty punk club straight from the 80s, but the club prides itself on hosting acts from every conceivable genre. The Nick is as unpretentious as it gets, so if your music is fragile or unapproachable, this might not be the best spot for you. But if youve got an affinity for cheap beer and are looking for a fun southern time, look no further than The Nick.

4. The 806  Amarillo, Texas

North Texas isnt exactly a beacon of art and music, but The 806 has been delivering just that to Amarillo residents for years. Over the past decade, the coffee shop has slowly built its reputation as a venue that treats its artists incredibly well, and bands from all over the region go out of their way to play there. A word of warning though, if youve got complex sound needs, its probably worth bringing your own PA for this one.

5. The Garage  Charlottesville, Virginia

And last but not least, weve got a very special venue that you should go out of you way to play. Its called The Garage because, well, its a one-car garage. Open only during warmer months, bands perform in the tiny garage to a crowd across the street that posts up on a grassy hill. The sound is surprisingly decent for such a precarious operation, and everything about The Garage has a vibrant labor-of-love character to it. A show at The Garage might help you remember why you love playing music.

Patrick McGuire is a musician, writer, and educator currently residing in the great city of Philadelphia. He creates music under the name Straight White Teeth, and has a great affinity for dogs and putting his hands in his pockets.

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Letter: Stephanie Bosley Will Provide Fresh Ideas in Boston

To the Editor:



I am writing to voice my support for Stephanie Bosley in the race for state representative from the 1 st Berkshire District.

Stephanie recently spent an hour with me discussing her impressive educational background and experience, as well as her reasons for running for this position. I believe she will be a tremendous advocate for our region, particularly on environmental and agricultural issues. She understands keenly the need to balance economic development with environmental protection and supports further expansion of renewable energy.

Stephanie also understands that the farm sector is important to the local economy and supports increasing tax credits and other protections for dairy farmers. She will also promote bike paths  for both recreation and commuting. Working for numerous local and national organizations such as: Soldier On, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, the

Community Development Department in the town of Adams, the American Cancer Society and 1Berkshire has given Stephanie hands-on knowledge of the needs facing our people and communities.

She will be a tireless advocate for us in Boston, and I hope you will join me on Oct. 10 in supporting her in the Democratic primary.

Sarah Gardner

Williamstown, Mass.

Associate Director and Lecturer in Environmental Studies, Williams College

Forgotten Farms, Producer

Co-Chair, Williamstown Agricultural Commission

Member, Berkshire Grown
Dozens went to Park Square on Monday in opposition to the Graham-Cassidy bill. Jay Gonzalez. Jessica Shandor. State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier. PreviousNext

Local Democrats Rally Against Latest Federal Health Care Bill



Park Square was lined with people opposing the new federal health care proposal. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Republicans are attempting to once again repeal and replace the ACA with a new health care program.

The so-called Graham-Cassidy bill, sponsored by Republicans Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham, is the latest attempt at a new federal health care program.

Republicans spent much of the weekend attempting to round up the votes needed to pass, but the bill is looking to fall short -- with three Republicans already indicating they will leave the bill short on votes.

But that didn't stop a few dozen local Democrats from taking to Park Square in protest against the bill.

The crowd gathered at 5 p.m. with signs and a speaking program to express their support for the Affordable Care Act and opposition to the attempts to dismantle it.

"They're trying to bring something back from the dead to kill a lot of people, quite frankly," state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier said of the latest attempt to repeal the ACA, often called Obamacare.

The Democrats say millions of people will lose health care coverage, that it will allow insurance companies to deny coverage for "pre-existing conditions," and that Massachusetts will lose billions in federal funding.

Jessica Shandor would be one of those caught in the middle of pre-existing conditions. She said her daughter has Type 1 diabetes and if the Graham-Cassidy bill is passed, she might not be able to get affordable coverage.

"It can cost upward of $20,000 on health care for a diabetic," Shandor said.

Michael Bushy's partner Rebecca is on the verge going to a nursing home at age 37. Bushy said he provides her with physical needs around the house, monitors her health, and provides her with the help she needs to stay inside her home.

"Without me, Rebecca, at 37 years old, would be shunted off to a nursing home," he said.

But, he says he's just as fragile. At any point, he said he is a moment away from death or a disability. It is the health care coverage provided in the ACA that helps people in tough times.

"You are one moment away from needing this health care that is on the table and is in danger," Bushy said.

The Democrats aren't saying everything is perfectly fine with the Affordable Care Act. They just believe the replacement bills are steps in the wrong direction.



State Sen. Adam Hinds said the state government will continue to move toward a single-payer system. "President Trump and the Republicans in Congress are trying to take us backward. Make no mistake, if this passes we will lose billions of dollars in federal funding, hundreds of thousands of people in Massachusetts will lose coverage, they will have less access to the health care services they need, be less healthy, and we will have communities that are less strong," said Jay Gonzalez, the state's former secretary of administration and finance under Deval Patrick and now running for governor himself.

Gonzalez said successfully defeating Graham-Cassidy only brings things back to the status quo. Instead, he wants Massachusetts to move toward a single-payer system.

"We've got a health care system today that is too complicated. It is too expensive. And the quality is not as good as it should. We need to move to a single-payer system that is simpler, cheaper, and does a better job at keeping people healthy," Gonzalez said.

More and more Democrats are moving in the direction of single-payer. It has been kicking around for a number of years but recently there has been a bit more support behind it.

"A year ago there weren't as many people standing up and saying health care is a human right. There weren't as many people who said we could do anything in Massachusetts like single payer," state Sen. Adam Hinds said.

Hinds said Massachusetts will make strides toward a single-payer system, but first, a number of bills will be coming to the State House to lower the cost of health insurance here.

At the end of the day on Monday, the news from Washington was that Republicans did not have the votes again this time to overturn the ACA. The vote was expected to happen on Wednesday and local Democrats said to keep the pressure on Congress despite the current vote expectations.

The turnout at Park Square nonetheless was impressive to some. State Rep. Paul Mark said, "it seems like just about every week now there is an offense we need to rally against" and every week the Berkshires make their voices heard.
A number of teachers complained about conditions in Hoosac Valley Elementary School.

Adams-Cheshire Hiring Facilitator for Regional Agreement Review

CHESHIRE, Mass.  The Adams-Cheshire Regional School Committee will hire a representative to facilitate the school district agreement amendment process.

Although the committee did not have a quorum Monday night, Superintendent Robert Putnam told the members present that the district will hire Stephen Hemman, assistant director of Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools.

"He said he would be very much interested in working with the district and the two towns," Putnam said. "He will help us bring the agreement up to date."

The School Committee will form a 10-member committee with members from the district and both towns to make changes to the district agreement.

The amendment process was sparked earlier this year when the committee voted to close Cheshire Elementary School over that town's objections. Cheshire, the smaller of the two towns in the regional school district, feels it has little control because of its size and representation on the School Committee. The agreement also has not been reviewed or updated in years.

Putnam said Hemman will go through each line of the agreement with the committee and update what needs to be updated while implementing what changes the committee would like to see.

He added that whenever a proposed change is made it will be sent off to the state Department of Education.

"Everything will be submitted to the Department of Education so by the time we get to the end of the process we know what they are going to accept what the committee has arrived at," Putnam said. "There is a lot to be done because the last time it was looked at I think was 1992."

Putnam said he hopes that the committee will have amendments ready for the towns to vote in at their town meetings.

The School Committee also heard from Hoosac Valley Elementary School teachers who aired their concerns about the building.

Among their grievances was a dilapidated chimney that they believed could fall through the physical Education office ceiling.

"I have been touch with the Adams building inspector and masons and I am getting different stories," Putnam said. "So I went to an engineer."

He said the engineer had few concerns about the safety of the chimney but the town building inspector did, so currently the chimney is going through a more thorough survey.

"We are going to see what the report says and when we get the report we will deal with the report," acting Chairman Stephen Vigna said.

Putnam said, either way, the office will be relocated.

Teachers also said they were upset they could not hang student artwork on the walls of their classrooms unless they were laminated.

Putnam said there is little the district can do about this because the Adams fire chief sets these rules.

"The fire chiefs are the ones who set our rules ... and they have been very consistent over the years," Putnam said. "All of the issues they bring up can be cited in state fire regulations."

Putnam said he has seen the regulations in other schools and flammable objects cannot be hung from the ceiling, in the hallway or within 5 feet of an egress. Many schools have glass wall cabinets within which to hang paper materials.

Before closing, the teachers also shared their displeasure of the high temperatures on the upper levels of the building.

School Committee member Darlene Rodowicz said she thought the town of Adams was going to fix this issue.

"We knew this was an issue and the town of Adams said they could address it and they could fund it," she said. "The town administrator felt there were options."




iciHaiti - DR : Important visit of Chancellor Vargas in Haiti postponed...





The visit of the Dominican Republic's Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado to Haiti to meet with President Jovenel Moise and other senior officials on Tuesday in Haiti, before signing a joint ministerial declaration with his Haitian counterpart Antonio Rodrigue on the development of the border area, was canceled and postponed.



Monday, a little before midnight, the Dominican Chacellery informed us that the trip of Miguel Vargas Maldonado and his delegation to Port-au-Prince was postponed for security reasons, due to risks of possible social movements in Haiti.



Vargas was to lead a delegation of Dominican businessmen and discuss among other topics: economic development of the border area, investment, stimulation of trade for the benefit of both nations and the fight against smuggling...



S/ iciHaiti


















Hailed as Heroes, Terror Victims Buried

The Fellowship | September 26, 2017 Israeli security forces attend the funeral of Israeli border police officer Solomon Gabariya, one of three Israeli guards killed in a Palestinian shooting attack on a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, during his funeral in Beer Yakov near Tel Aviv, on September 26, 2017. The target of the attack was Har Adar, a well-to-do settlement northwest of Jerusalem, high in the hills close to the Green Line that separates the occupied West Bank from Israel.Mourners at the funeral of First Sgt. / AFP PHOTO / aao / GIL COHEN-MAGEN (Photo credit should read GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Today, the three men who were murdered during an earlier terrorist shooting were hailed by Israel as heroes. The Times of Israel reports that the Border Police officer and security guards murdered outside of Jerusalem were buried as their loved ones and countrymen mourned:

Thousands of mourners gathered on Tuesday afternoon to pay their final respects to the three Israelis who were killed by a Palestinian terrorist in the Jerusalem-area settlement of Har Adar earlier in the day.

Border policeman Solomon Gavriyah, 20, civilian security guards Youssef Ottman, 25, from Abu Ghosh and Or Arish, 25, a resident of Har Adar, were laid to rest in separate funerals.

Gavriyah was buried in his central Israel hometown of Beer Yaakov, in an emotional ceremony that saw several family members collapse from grief.

In Jerusalem, Arish was buried in the citys Givat Shaul Cemetery, with the funeral closed to the press.

In the nearby Arab Israeli town of Abu Ghosh, hundreds attended the funeral for Ottman. The burial was held in both English and Arabic, and was attended by police officials, Knesset members, and town mayor Issa Jaber.

Gavriyah, who was posthumously promoted to staff-sergeant, had joined the Border Police for his mandatory national service and had recently been serving as a policeman in the Jerusalem seam area along the boundary with the West Bank.

The 20-year-old was mourned by his girlfriend as the best person I knew.

You never complained. You were a warrior. A hero, my hero, she said
Imperial Valley News Center

Revised Used Car Rule: Answering dealers questions

Washington, DC - Before consumers buy a used car, we suggest they consult the Buyers Guide posted in the window. And before dealers post the Buyers Guide, we suggest they consult Answering Dealers Questions about the Revised Used Car Rule, a new resource to help them comply with the Rule.

In place since 1985, the Used Car Rule requires dealers to display in the window of used vehicles a sticker called a Buyers Guide that contains information about warranties and other specific matters of interest to used car shoppers. A few years back, the FTC put the Rule under the regulatory microscope. Based on the feedback we received, we announced revisions to the Used Car Rule in November 2016.

The staff FAQs answer questions weve heard about changes to the Rule, warranties, service contracts, the interaction between the Buyers Guide and state law, and related topics. If you have clients who sell used cars, Answering Dealers Questions about the Revised Used Car Rule may help streamline their compliance responsibilities by addressing the matters on their minds.

The Business Centers automobile portal features other resources for industry members, including a fillable version of the Buyers Guide available in English and in Spanish.
Governor Brown and Attorney General Becerra Honor Oceanside Fire Department Lifeguard with Medal of Valor

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. joined Attorney General Xavier Becerra today to present the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor to Oceanside Fire Department Lifeguard David Wilson, who went above and beyond the call of duty when responding to a distress call at Oceanside Harbor last July.

You were vulnerable but that didnt stop you, you exercised real courage, said Governor Brown. Thats what we recognize and reward. Thats what were doing today.

The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act of 2003 gives the Governor the authority to award medals to public safety officers who are recognized by the Attorney General for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty. The Attorney Generals Office receives nominations from public safety agencies. These nominations are reviewed by the Medal of Valor Review Board, which makes a recommendation to the Attorney General.

The hero we honor today, David Wilson, went far above the call of duty, said Attorney General Becerra. We thank him and all our public safety officers whose quiet bravery and grit make our communities safer.

Below is an account of the incident for which Lifeguard Wilson was awarded the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor today:

Oceanside Fire Department Lifeguard David Wilson

On July 17, 2016, a distress call was received regarding an unmanned personal watercraft in the mouth of the Oceanside Harbor. Boating conditions were hazardous with high surf breaking at the entrance of the harbor and crashing over the rock jetty.

Lifeguard David Wilson and his partner responded to the call from a nearby lifeguard tower on Harbor Beach. Upon arrival, Lifeguard Wilson ran across the rock jetty and observed bystanders waving and pointing to outside of the jetty, where the surf was pounding against the rocks and a capsized watercraft. Oncoming waves struck a barely conscious man wedged between two boulders, submerging him with each pass. Lifeguards refer to this area as the Devils Triangle due to its dangerous conditions.

As his partner radioed for backup, Lifeguard Wilson crawled down to the victim and attempted to free him while positioning himself in front of the victim to lessen the impact of the waves. An Oceanside harbor officer arrived on a police boat to assist Lifeguard Wilson. A rescue buoy and lifejacket were put in place to protect the victims head. The rescuers faced relentless waves, allowing only 15- to 20-second windows in which to dislodge the victim. Lifeguard Wilson was repeatedly knocked down, sustaining cuts and bruises from the rocks, but was able to maneuver back into position. The harbor officer attempted to pull the victim up by his lifejacket, while Lifeguard Wilson worked to lift him from below. Lifeguard Wilson dove underwater between the rocks to free the victims legs, despite the force of the waves.

Governor Brown and Attorney General Becerra honor Lifeguard Wilson (center.)

Additional rescue personnel arrived and assisted Lifeguard Wilson and the harbor officer with freeing the victims trapped legs and loading him into a rescue basket for the arduous task of transporting him over the rocks to be airlifted to a local hospital. The victim survived as a result of Lifeguard Wilsons act of heroism, during which he risked his own personal safety.

Lifeguard Wilson has shown a level of dedication and valor that is highly respected in lifesaving. His commitment to service was such that he denied medical treatment for himself and joined his colleagues in the rescue of 20 other individuals that day. Without his great efforts, knowledge and skill in the ocean environment, no doubt a life would have been lost.

For extraordinary bravery, heroism and courage in the face of imminent and personal life-threatening peril, Lifeguard Wilsons actions were above and beyond the call of duty and exemplify the highest standards of a California public safety officer.

Photo Credit: Dionne Grubbs, California Department of Justice.
Office Supply Telemarketers Will Pay $7 Million to Settle FTC Charges

Los Angeles, California - An office supplier and its owner will pay $7 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they tricked child care centers, schools, and police and fire departments into paying for products they never ordered.

Billing for unordered merchandise is against the law, and small businesses like those affected here are under no obligation to return or pay for items they did not order, said FTC Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen. This enforcement action is yet another example of the FTCs efforts to protect hard-working small businesses from scams. In May, the chairman announced the launch of a new FTC website, http://FTC.gov/SmallBusiness , to help business owners avoid scams, protect their computers and networks, and keep their customers and employees data safe.

According to the FTC, Telestar Consulting Inc. and Karl Wesley Angel offered an initial shipment represented either as free or as a low-cost good deal. If people agreed to make a purchase, the defendants did not disclose the total cost, quantity, and terms of the sale. The FTC alleged that Telestar, doing business as United Business Supply and, later, as Kleritec, also sent additional shipments of merchandise without obtaining the consumers agreement, misrepresenting that consumers had agreed to the shipments. When consumers challenged the invoices they received or did not pay promptly, the defendants threatened to send them to collections. Those who paid, mistakenly believing they had to, often received even more unordered merchandise and bills for payment.

Under the settlement order, Telestar and Angel are banned from telemarketing nondurable office, cleaning, educational and art supplies to consumers. They are also banned from sending merchandise without the recipients prior consent, unless it is clearly marked as a free sample; sending a bill or requesting payment for products without prior consent; or violating the Unordered Merchandise Statute.

The order also prohibits the defendants from misrepresenting that consumers are obligated to pay, that goods are being shipped as part of a prior order, or that consumers have agreed to pay for multiple shipments. It also bars them from illegal debt collection practices, and, in connection with the selling of any good or service, requires the defendants to clearly disclose the total amount and quantity, and all material conditions to buy, receive or use the goods. In addition, the defendants are prohibited from profiting from consumers personal information they had obtained, and from attempts to collect on the accounts of prior customers.

The order imposes a $7 million judgment that must be paid to the FTC within one year, including $1.6 million that must be paid within seven days of the order. The agency intends to distribute these funds to victims. The Better Business Bureau serving Los Angeles and Silicon Valley provided valuable assistance in this matter.

The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the stipulated final order was 2-0. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered the order on August 30, 2017.
NIST Awards Nearly $3.9 Million for 2017 Small Business Innovation Research Program

Washington, DC - The U.S. Commerce Departments National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced that 21 small businesses will receive a total of nearly $3.9 million in grants to support innovative technology development.

These small business grants from the National Institute of Standards and Technology exemplify the Trump Administrations commitment to using public-private partnerships as a model for innovation and growth, said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. These projects support essential elements of our economy and national security apparatus, such as semiconductors, forensics, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.

Awardees in 16 states will receive Phase I or Phase II funding through NISTs Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The competitively selected awardees submitted proposals in response to NISTs calls for innovative products. These products aim to solve specific technology challenges in collaboration and partnership, data and modeling, precision measurements, and systems.

These grants are a strong investment in the nations economic future, said Paul Zielinski, director, NISTs Technology Partnerships Office. Small businesses build on NISTs scientific advances and create next-generation products that boost U.S. leadership in technology.

Phase I awardees receive up to $100,000 to establish the merit, feasibility and commercial potential of the proposed research and development. After completing their Phase I projects, awardees may vie for Phase II funding of up to $300,000 to continue their efforts. In Phase III, non-SBIR funds are used for technology commercialization.

Over the years, the NIST SBIR program has supported numerous technology advances, including a device to help ensure the safety and effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, more secure electronic health records and improved sensors for a variety of applications.

The 2017 Phase I awardees are:

Collaboration and Partnership

EnUrga Inc. (West Lafayette, Indiana) $100,000

Optical Device for Sorting Particles by Sizea device based on a NIST provisional patent to estimate the size of minute drops in advanced spray nozzles and fuel injectors designed to improve engine efficiency in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Data and Modeling

MBSE Tools, Inc., doing business as ModGeno (Cumming, Georgia) $100,000

A Model-Based Solution to Improve the Accessibility and Affordability of Manufacturing System Simulationsan automated modeling and analysis tool to help manufacturers answer routine questions about throughput, capacity, cycle time and work-in-process inventory.

MetroSage, LLC (Volcano, California) $99,500

Interactive Software Tools for Processing QIF-formatted Part Models to Generate Realistic and Accurate Measurement Plans and Programs in Standard Digital Languagesa software application for automated measuring machines based on an ANSI standard for advanced manufacturing.

X-wave Innovations, Inc. (Gaithersburg, Maryland) $100,000

3-D Digital Image Correlation Based Non-Destructive Testing System for Qualification of Additive Manufacturing Partsa 3-D nondestructive testing technology to detect defects in parts produced by advanced manufacturing, for applications in the aerospace and energy fields.

Precision Measurements

ColdQuanta, Inc. (Boulder, Colorado) $99,902

Compact Vapor Cell Technology for RydbergAtom RF Metrologya device for high-accuracy radio frequency metrology with applications in detection and imaging of concealed weapons; biological sensing of optically opaque materials; and design and manufacture of smart antennas, phased arrays and radar systems.

Low Thermal Electronics, Inc. (Itasca, Texas) $97,500

Precision 10 kV Programmable Voltage Sourcea voltage source to provide precise high-voltage and high-resistance measurements in a cost-effective instrument.

Tetramer Technologies, LLC (Pendleton, South Carolina) $99,953

Rational Design of sub-100 nm Polystyrene Particles with a Low Coefficient of Variation in Sizea set of nanometer-scale calibration particles for optical sizing equipment, electron microscopy and semiconducting measurement tools for commercial products made using nanotechnology.

Systems

Cadre Research Labs, LLC (Chicago, Illinois) $92,100

Development, Validation, and Implementation of CMC Algorithm into a Software Platform for Firearm Analysisan automated system based on a NIST-developed algorithm for firearm evidence identifications in crime labs.

InfoBeyond Technology LLC (Louisville, Kentucky) $100,000

LowLatency HighReliability Wireless Protocol for Advanced Manufacturing Applicationsa wireless protocol to meet the communications needs of advanced manufacturing automated factories.

Nikira Labs, Inc. (Mountain View, California) $98,177

Large Field of View Microscope for Rapid, High-Resolution Imaginga high-resolution microscope that can rapidly image a large field of view and which can be retrofitted into existing microscopes.

SIFT, LLC (Minneapolis, Minnesota) $99,835

ISABEL - Integrated Secure Automated Bug Extraction Lista program based on the NIST Bugs Framework (a dictionary of software bugs) that seeks out bugs and their sources to improve software development.

XpressRules LLC (Spokane, Washington) $100,000

XpressRules-PM: Commercial Implementation of PM/NGACan IT product based on NIST guidance that helps organizations manage and analyze their rules and policies, with applications in the pharmaceutical, health care, credit card, banking, government and insurance fields.

The Phase II awardees are:

Advanced Sensing for Manufacturing

Bridger Photonics, Inc. (Bozeman, Montana) $299,926

Absolute Distance Interferometer for Manufacturing Metrology Applicationsa rapid, precision sensor for applications in the semiconductor industry and laser materials processing.

Innoveering, LLC (Ronkonkoma, New York) $299,867

High-Temperature, High-Resolution in-situ Differential Pressure Sensora compact, accurate sensor to monitor high-pressure, high-temperature processes in chemical plants.

MicroXact Inc. (Radford, Virginia) $299,959

High Density Semi-Auto Closed Cycle Cryoprober IIa cryogenic probe for testing sensors and electronic components for nuclear security, concealed weapons detection, astrophysics and signal processing, as well as testing classical and quantum processers with superconducting elements.

Omega Optics Inc. (Austin, Texas) $299,240

Fiber Pigtailed On-Chip Mid-Infrared Difference Frequency Generation in Silicona technology to improve chemical sensing and biosensing with possible applications in food, air and water quality.

Quantum Diamond Technologies, Inc. (Somerville, Massachusetts) $300,000

High-Throughput Single-Nanoparticle Magnetic Analysis Platform Using Diamond Magnetic Imaginga benchtop analysis system for quantifying the magnetic properties of single nanoparticles for quality control in biomedical applications.

Symbio Robotics, Inc. (Emeryville, California) $299,587

Visual Part Identification, Localization, and Manipulation with Deep Networksa robotic perception engine developed in Phase I that will be enhanced to meet the accuracy and reliability thresholds needed for factory automation.

Biomanufacturing

Optofluidics, Inc. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) $299,987

Horizon: Validation of an Improved Method for Rapid Characterization of Protein Aggregates in Biologic Drugs for Increased Quality and Safetya particle-analysis quality-control instrument that could ultimately speed up product development time and improve the quality and safety of biotherapeutics.

Cyber Physical Systems

XCSpec (Larkspur, California) $298,925

Air Movement Efficiency Monitora small, inexpensive, wireless micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensor that operates as a fitness tracker for buildings by continuously monitoring and reporting duct leakage, air balancing and fan efficiency at key locations to lower operating costs.

Lab to Market

AxNano, LLC (Danville, Virginia) $299,994

Bimetallic Zero Valent Iron Composites for In Situ Remediationa novel, low-cost remediation technology that will be prototyped and field tested for its ability to clean chemically contaminated waste sites.

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. To learn more about NIST, vist www.nist.gov.
NAVSUP FLC Pearl Harbor Celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - As Latin music played in the background and a variety of Hispanic themed dishes were served, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Pearl Harbor personnel gathered to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the historic Sharkey Theater, Wednesday.

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from 15 September to 15 October, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. 15 September was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on 16 and 18 September, respectively.



Opening remarks began with chaplain, Lt. Keith Russell, leading with a moment of silence for all those impacted by the natural disasters that struck Mexico and Puerto Rico, followed by a prayer.



Joint Base Pearl harbor-Hickam service members represented various Latin American countries to provide insight on the diverse cultures.



Logistics Specialist 1st Class Maria Garcia, NAVSUP FLC Pearl Harbor Diversity Committee member, presided over the event and represented Puerto Rico. Dressed in a white guayabera shirt and a red flowy skirt, she displayed traditional clothing of the country. The guayabera shirt is among Puerto Rico's most prevalent traditional garments, still commonly worn today.



"It is important that we celebrate and recognize our diversity" said Garcia. "It informs us how other people live, and how they work together and makes us more aware of what we can accomplish together."



Senior Master Sergeant Monica Strong, 647th Logistics Readiness Squadron, represented Peru in a traditional black and gold dress, highlighting facts about the country as Peruvian music played in the background.



"It is very important we celebrate heritage from around the world because today's military consists of all colors, cultures and people of the world" said Strong. "Celebrations are not only a time to remember, but also an opportunity to educate other cultures."



There are more than 57,000 Hispanic American Sailors, as well as more than 16,000 Hispanic American civilian employees working for the Department of the Navy. Making up a total of 15 percent of the Navy, 2.5 percent are serving as flag officers and 11 percent represent the E8-E9 leadership. Representation is present in every rank and in a wide variety of career fields.



A diverse workforce positions the Navy to operate successfully around the globe by bringing together Sailors and civilians with different ideas, experiences, perspectives, capabilities and skill sets. Integrating Sailors and civilians from diverse backgrounds into the force allows the Navy to recruit and retain the nation's top talent from a wider pool of skilled personnel.



NAVSUP FLC Pearl Harbor is one of eight fleet logistics centers under NAVSUP GLS, which provides global logistics, business and support services to fleet, shore and industrial commands of the Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army, and allied forces. Services include contracting, regional transportation, fuel, material management, household goods movement support, postal and consolidated mail, warehousing, global logistics and husbanding, hazardous material management and integrated logistics support.



NAVSUP GLS provides global logistics for a global Navy. The organization is made up of more than 6,300 military and civilian logistics professionals operating from 105 locations worldwide providing an extensive array of integrated global logistics and contracting services to Navy, Marine Corps, joint operational units, and allied forces across all warfare enterprises.


The Conviction and Sentencing of Mykola Semena

Washington, DC - The United States is deeply troubled by the decision of a court in Russian-occupied Crimea against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Mykola Semena, convicting him of separatism charges and handing down a two-and-a-half year suspended sentence and a ban on future journalistic activity.

This conviction was based on the fact that Mr. Semena had criticized Russias occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea in his writing. We call on the Russian occupation authorities to vacate Mr. Semena's conviction, allow him to resume his journalistic activity, and cease their campaign to stifle dissent in Crimea. Crimea remains an integral part of Ukraine, and the United States remains steadfast in its support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government's Referendum

Washington, DC - The United States is deeply disappointed that the Kurdistan Regional Government decided to conduct today a unilateral referendum on independence, including in areas outside of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The United States' historic relationship with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region will not change in light of today's non-binding referendum, but we believe this step will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people.

The unilateral referendum will greatly complicate the Kurdistan Regional Government's relationship with both the Government of Iraq and neighboring states. The fight against ISIS is not over, and extremist groups are seeking to exploit instability and discord. We believe all sides should engage constructively in a dialogue to improve the future of all Iraqis. The United States opposes violence and unilateral moves by any party to alter boundaries.

The United States supports a united, federal, democratic and prosperous Iraq and will continue to seek opportunities to assist Iraqis to fulfill their aspirations within the framework of the constitution.




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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The first solar power plant to be built in the UK without any subsidy from the Government has been opened by the Climate Change Minister, Claire Perry, in which she described as a significant moment for clean energy.

Clayhill solar farm near Flitwick, Bedfordshire, will provide enough power for 2,500 homes and also features battery storage to enable the electricity to be used at any time of day.

The cost of renewables has been falling rapidly as the technology improves and it is now much cheaper than new nuclear power.

The Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is being built after the Government guaranteed a price of 92.50 per megawatt-hour of electricity. This means if the market price falls below this level, billpayers pay more to make up the difference. Recently an offshore wind farm was awarded a contract with the much lower guaranteed price of 57.50.

Fossil fuels receive vast subsidies such as 4.8bn in support under a Government export scheme since 2010, compared to just 39m for renewables since 2012.

The solar industry has warned that the Government is endangering the sector by increasing taxes on panels and failing to give it a level playing field with oil, coal and gas.

Recommended Offshore wind energy is cheaper than new nuclear power for first time

But, in a statement, Ms Perry hailed a historic moment for solar.

The cost of solar panels and batteries has fallen dramatically over the past few years, and this first subsidy-free development at Clayhill is a significant moment for clean energy in the UK, she said.

Solar panels already provide enough electricity to power 2.7 million homes, with 99 per cent of that capacity installed since 2010.

The Government is determined to build on this success and our ambitious Clean Growth Strategy will ensure we continue to lead the world on the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The statement said that ministers expected more developers to install subsidy-free solar farms this year.

Lisa Murray's climate change photography Show all 12 1 /12 Lisa Murray's climate change photography Lisa Murray's climate change photography Dinka cattle herders starting their migration in South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography A Dinka woman fetches water in South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Veronica in South Sudan preparing tea outside her home, recently ravaged by heavy flooding Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Children playing in Vietnam. When it floods, transport to and from school is a major challenge Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Sugeng, a fish and crab farmer from Indonesia who suffers financially every time the area floods Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Tan, a vegetable farmer, learning new methods through Oxfam in Vietnam Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Maluk, a 19-year-old from Tonj South, South Sudan Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Normally this farmer in South Sudan would be harvesting sorghum, but rains are late so the hunger season continues Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Herders bringing home their cattle in Afar, Ethiopia Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Farmers harvesting chilli in Ethiopia Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography A woman in Tigray, Ethiopia, scares birds away from her crops with a slingshot Lisa Murray Lisa Murray's climate change photography Irula tribe woman in Tamil Nadu Lisa Murray

Steve Shine, executive chairman of the firm behind Clayhill, Anesco, said it was proof that the Government had not killed off solar by slashing subsidies to a minimal level.

For the solar industry, Clayhill is a landmark development and paves the way for a sustainable future, where subsidies are no longer needed or relied upon, he said.

Importantly, it proves that the Governments decision to withdraw subsidies doesnt have to signal the end of solar as a commercially viable technology.

However Leonie Greene, of the Solar Trade Association, said the Clayhill plant was an exception and repeated the call for a level playing field with other forms of power generation.

"Solar and storage have a major role to play in providing consumers with cheap, reliable power, so this scheme is a hugely important landmark," she said.

"Our congratulations to Anesco for making this happen in a difficult context for solar power. It is fantastic that the UK industry continues to innovate with new technologies and we anticipate there will be a number of pathfinder schemes like this over the next few years.

"However, the reality is it is only exceptional projects that can be commissioned today. Considerable work has gone into this exciting pathfinder scheme which has some particular characteristics.

"If we are to meet national carbon targets and deliver cheaper power for consumers then Government must provide a level playing field for both solar power and for new storage technologies. That means allowing solar to compete again in the UK's clean power auctions, which it has been shut out of for two and a half years. It also means fair grid treatment and opening up markets for the many services solar and storage can provide.

"We hope Government will set out actions to level the playing field for the tremendously innovative solar industry in its forthcoming Clean Growth Plan."


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Coca-Cola Plus Coffee No Sugar is the latest limited edition flavour to hit the shelves.

A creative bunch  think turmeric lattes and even espresso tonics  coffee lovers are ceaselessly inventing new ways of getting their caffeine fix but if you thought wed reached peak coffee fusion, think again.

Joining a long list of exclusive tastes including Black Cherry (USA), Vanilla (UK, Canada and USA), Orange (UK, Latvia, Russia) and even Green Tea (Japan), the coffee-flavoured beverage is only available in Australia and is being released just in time for their summer.

Following the hype from Coca-Cola Ginger, which was released the same time last year, the brand hope that this new launch will follow a similar path to market.

Australians have a love-affair with coffee so we thought why not give them more of what they want, Coca-Cola Australia spokeswoman Lisa Winn said.

We think it will be a great-tasting afternoon pick-me-up - like a delicious antidote to the 3pm slump.

And at 14mg of caffeine per 100ml, it could do just the trick, with more caffeine than regular Coca-Cola (9mg) but far less than a cappuccino (43mg).

So, how does it taste?

A fresh take on the classic version, this new twist combines the traditional taste of Coke with a dash of real coffee from Brazil and subtle caramel undertones.

But, not everyones convinced. The flavour fusion has seemingly divided Coca-Cola fans and while some think its delicious others have damned it just plain "weird."

It's a unique taste but I love coke and coffee so them together is actually pretty satisfying, one person wrote on Instagram.

Conversely someone else added, The concept sounds like it's attempting to ruin both coffee and coke for me.
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A French journalist has revealed how she discovered the dating app Tinder had 800 pages of personal data about her.

Judith Duportail said she discovered the app had gathered massive amounts of data about her age, gender, interests, the people she had dated or spoken to, where she went and where she lived over a period of several years she used it.

She said that with the help of a privacy activist group, personaldata.io, and human rights lawyer, Ravi Naik, she emailed Tinder asking them to send her all the information they have on her.

The US company is required under EU data protection rules to hand over any information it holds on any European citizen if they ask for it.

The process involves an email to the privacyinquiries@gotinder.com email address with a clear and precise list of all the information you want with the subject line Subject Access Request.

This could include a copy of all the personal data they have on you, where they got it from, whether any of it is currently being processed and what this data is being used for  i.e whether it has been sold on or used by third parties  or asking for information on what steps the company was taking to make sure this data is secure.

European citizens have the right to access this data under the Protection of Personal Data Directive issued by the European Commission in May 2016 but British people can apply for the information under domestic law as well.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998, British citizens are entitled to access the same information as the rest of the EU and will continue to do so after Brexit.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA

They will then have 40 days to comply with the request and Tinder says they will typically compile a report within 30.

According to their privacy policy: If you have a Tinder account, you have the ability to review and update your personal information within the Service by opening your account and going to settings.

Applicable privacy laws may allow you the right to access and/or request the correction of errors or omissions in your personal information that is in our custody or under our control. Our Privacy Officer will assist you with the access request.

This includes identification of personal information under our custody or control and information about how personal information under our control may be or has been used by us.

But it warns that the data gathered may be used to deliver targeted advertising and you should not expect that your personal information, chats or other communications will always remain secure.

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Ms Durportail wrote in the Guardian: Some 800 pages came back containing information such as my Facebook likes, my photos from Instagram (even after I deleted the associated account), my education, the age-rank of men I was interested in, how many times I connected, when and where every online conversation with every single one of my matches happened  the list goes on.

As I flicked through page after page of my data I felt guilty. I was amazed by how much information I was voluntarily disclosing: from locations, interests and jobs, to pictures, music tastes and what I liked to eat. But I quickly realised I wasnt the only one.

Luke Stark, a digital technology socialist at Dartmouth University said apps lure uses into giving away all their personal information.

He said: Apps such as Tinder are taking advantage of a simple emotional phenomenon; we cant feel data. This is why seeing everything printed strikes you. We are physical creatures. We need materiality.

The Independent has contacted Tinder for comment.
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Donald Trumps about-face diktat that America is to galvanise its gig in Afghanistan was met with derision by many but will have caused others to sit right up. These will have included troops about to be dispatched to Afghanistan for a second, third or fourth helping of whack-a-mole, and especially those to be deployed in medical roles.

The killers need to know they have nowhere to hide, that no place is beyond the reach of American might and American arms, Trump said. Retribution will be fast and powerful. An additional 3,000 troops are to be flown to central Asia, to add to the 8,400 US troops already there. Its well short of the estimated 100,000 troops active in Afghanistan during Obamas surge, but Trumps decision to continue an expensive and  given that swathes of the country are back under Taliban control  futile war is likely to inflict significant casualties on civilians.

Launched by the US in 2001 as Operation Enduring Freedom, the war toll is estimated at 104,000 Afghan deaths to date  among which 31,000 are civilian  with another 41,000 civilians wounded. These numbers exclude injuries and deaths among Nato military personnel, including 2,254 US soldiers (1,856 in hostile action) and 454 UK soldiers (405 in hostile action).

The US is sending 3,000 extra troops to Afghanistan as the Taliban gains ground (EPA)

During the first of a six-week tour of duty with a surgical team at Camp Bastions field hospital, I witnessed 174 casualties taken into the emergency room. My embedded deployment, as an academic keen to understand how high-performing individuals solve problems collectively under difficult circumstances, took place in the summer of 2011, or one of the bloodiest periods of the war.

The opportunity to study, by observation, how it is these doctors come to develop ideas about their work and the war, fairness and cruelty, about themselves and the other, is unprecedented, and I was keen to try to reciprocate the hospitality and camaraderie Id been extended. One such opportunity presented itself when I was asked (repeatedly) to help the public understand what war is really like from the medics point of view. Richard Hookers 1968 novel M.A.S.H.  a fictional account of a US army surgical hospital in Korea during the Korean War  had been the only book to do full justice to the surreality of their experience, the doctors said, and might I write a modern-day, nonfictional version of it?

One likes to think that writing a book is cathartic. Not so. Or at least not in this case. While the deployment ended in 2011, it took me another five years to write up the account: Doctors at War: Life and Death in a Field Hospital. Aside from an unpleasant (and ultimately unsuccessful) attempt by the UKs Ministry of Defence to ban publication, what stalled the writing was a personal struggle to make sense of the experience.

Data suggests rear-located medics suffer similar rates of PTSD to those on the front line

Ive no wish to claim I was more, or less, affected than anyone else by the goings-on in that field hospital. These things are hard enough to measure as is. We do know something about the incidence of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) among rear-located medics (or medical staff who operate in war zones but away from the front line), the available data suggesting that they suffer similar rates of PTSD to those on the front line despite not typically being exposed to risk of death or injury. This comparison is relevant insofar as the definition of PTSD assumes it to be caused in no insignificant part to precisely such exposure. So how might we explain the incidence of PTSD among the doctors and nurses I deployed with? And how might this help me understand my own experience?

A careful reading of my field notes suggests that the specific cultural, professional, and organisational contexts in which people who work at war are embedded can play a central role in the experience of emotional distress, regardless of whether they are directly exposed to combat. This is because these contexts can trigger and amplify repeated experiences of senselessness (witnessing the needless cruelty that is part and parcel of war), futility (the many times protocol required doctors to turn over patients they had stabilised to ill-equipped local facilities), and surreality (the disorienting, dreamlike quality of war). When these experiences are sustained, they can dislocate peoples homegrown sense of the meaningful, the good, and the normal to the point where they experience a threat to their sense of being in the world.

And perhaps this helps explain some of my own difficulties? My own expectations of the meaningful, good, and normal might differ in certain respects from those I spent weeks observing  after all, we were prepared for different professions  but this is not to say that they contrasted sharply from the felt experience of senselessness, futility, and surreality that many of us will still have shared.

Occasionally, this contrast resulted not from any professional expectation, but merely from my own expectation of what it is to be good and noble and, well, human. For example, I clearly remember feeling annoyed when, midway through our Friday pizza night routine, learning that yet another amputee had been flown in. To provide emergency treatment meant that our pizzas would grow cold yet again, and I felt physically sick at discovering my ever so slight sense of relief upon hearing that the casualty had been dead on arrival. What had happened to me?

What helped me process my own experience were the firsthand accounts of those whod been at the sharper ends of war. In one of these, a US Army soldier found himself laughing at a man whose leg had been shot clear off, and how the man kept crawling around until he could no more, and thinking to himself, that was a f*****g human being, you son of a b***h. You f*****g crazy b*****d, that was a human being you f*****g killed. And yet, he said hed do the same thing again, for its like an evil thing inside your body. To a monster, everyone is a monster, John Steinbeck wrote, and when war veterans  medics included  dont talk about war it isnt just because we wont appreciate its horrors but because we wont understand its surreality and pleasures.

I was never exposed to the thrill of the fight  and nor were the doctors  yet we were willing spectators to all that war destroys. As I write in the book, ours were the best seats in the house to a massacre that repels and intoxicates, a spectacle that flaunts humanitys best and worst in not quite equal measure.

As Lillian Smith said: The human heart dares not stay away too long from that which hurt it most. There is a return journey to anguish that few of us are released from making.

And, as I worked my way through the account, and as I wrote at the time, I realised that I missed the surreal, adrenaline-fuelled world of war surgery, that the relevance of my scholarship paled in comparison, and that my fate was little different from that of the surgeon and soldier insofar as our pleasure is often proportionate to anothers pain.

Mark de Rond is a professor of organisational ethnography at Cambridge Judge Business School. This article was originally published on The Conversation (theconversation.com)
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A handyman suspected to have cancer after doctors found a mass in his lungs had his fears allayed when tests revealed it was a small toy cone he had swallowed as a child.

The unnamed 47-year-old from Preston, who had smoked for around thirty years, visited a doctor after coughing up yellow mucus for over a year.

A scan to determine the cause of his symptoms showed that he had a shadow in his lung.

However, tests at the Royal Preston Hospital revealed that the mass was a traffic cone from a Playmobil set, according to BMJ Case Reports. This prompted the man to recall that he had received a Playmobil set on his seventh birthday.

Doctors were stunned by how the cone remained undetected, and believed his is the first reported case of a tracheobronchial foreign body overlooked for forty years.

Doctors believed the mass in the bottom left lung was a cancerous tumour (BMJ Case Reports)

Usually, parents notice that their child have ingested a small object as they choke and cough. Due to his young age when he inhaled the toy, medics reasoned that his lungs developed around the cone.

He finally found his long lost Playmobil traffic cone in the very last place he would look, medics wrote in the journal.

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The report comes as a US doctor warned that he is seeing increasing numbers of children who have swallowed small but powerful magnets. One child seen by Childrens Hospital at Colorado had the magnets pinching her bowl. Doctors performed an endoscopy on the two-year-old to remove the magnets.

That can have very significant implications, Dr Robert Kramer, co-medical director of the Digestive Health Institute and the Director of Endoscopy at Children's Hospital Colorado, told WHTN.com. In the worst cases there has been deaths associated with these.
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Time Out Group, most famous for its city nightlife and culture guides, saw operating losses more than double to 15.6m in the first half of the year. The company said the hit was due to increased investment in its online business.

Online revenues for the half year to 30 June jumped 25 per cent to 8.5m, catalysing a 13 per cent rise in overall revenues to 18.7m, the publisher reported on Tuesday.

However, print revenues fell 3 per cent to 7m. Across all platforms Time Out reached a global audience of 242.3 million over the half year, a big jump on the 136.6 million it reached in the first half of last year, driven largely by publication of more Facebook video content

Time Out Digital revenues rose 8 per cent to 16.1m, with digital advertising up 8 per cent to 4.4m.

The company has branched out from its core publishing business in recent years as income from print advertising has fallen. It launched its first Time Out Market - a food market, curated by the companys journalists - in Lisbon in 2014. The Lisbon market served a record 1.7 million customers over the first six months of this year.

A second market is planned to open in Miami next year while Time Out said it would appeal against a decision to deny planning permission for a market in Spitalfields, London.

Chief executive Julio Bruno hailed good progress across both business divisions. Time Out Digital continues to deliver significant revenue growth, driven by e-commerce and [business listings] and was the focus of on-going investment, he said on Tuesday.

Time Out Market's success continues with its first market in Lisbon generating 2.6m of revenue in the first half, proving the strength of the format.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

Mr Bruno said that the companys revenues would increase in the second half of the year as they had in previous years.

Time Out launched magazines in the US cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco and Austin over the period and plans to open markets in Miami and Porto next year. The company said it would appeal against a decision to refuse it planning permission for a market in Spitalfields, London.

Time Out founder Tony Elliott was awarded a CBE in June for services to publishing in June this year. The company he founded while a student in 1968 is now published in 108 cities across 39 countries.
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Ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc has said it will stop operating in the Canadian province of Quebec next month, pulling out to avoid following tough new regulations announced last week.

Uber is pulling out of Canadas second-most populous province as it battles a decision to strip the company of its licence to operate in London, the latest in a series of regulatory attacks on Uber as new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi seeks to rebuild the companys image.

Ubers Quebec general manager, Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, said the company would cease operations in the province on 14 October.

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Uber employs more than 50 office workers in the province, where more than 10,000 drivers have worked for the company, he said.

The company left room to reverse its decision, calling on the government to reconsider strict regulations announced on Friday that tightened up rules that had let Uber operate since October under the terms of a pilot project.

Were asking the government to renew the pilot project and lets sit down and find a solution to this, he said.

Representatives of Quebecs transport ministry were not immediately available to comment.

The new rules require drivers to undergo 35 hours of training, in line with requirement for traditional taxi drivers.

Taxi operators have opposed Ubers presence in Quebec, sometimes blocking traffic during protests in the provinces largest city, Montreal.

The move means Uber will cease operations in Quebec cities including Montreal, the countrys second-largest city, and Quebec City. It does not affect operations in other Canadian cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.

Uber controversies Show all 4 1 /4 Uber controversies Uber controversies June 2017 Travis Kalanick resigned from his position as CEO of Uber in July of this year, after a tumultous period for the company. A sexist workplace culture was exposed by a damning internal report, leading to heightened pressure on the CEO and consequently to him taking a leave of absence in June. A week later he was forced to resign after losing the confidence of the board of investors AFP/Getty Uber controversies June 2017 Indian police escort Uber taxi driver and convicted rapist Shiv Kumar Yadav following his court appearance in New Delhi on 8 December, 2014. An Uber executive, Eric Alexander, was fired in June of this year after reportedly obtaining the records of the rapist's victim, with the intent to cast doubt on her account of the incident. She later sued the company for defamation and violating her privacy rights Chandan Khanna/AFP Uber controversies May 2017 The company were ordered to pay up to $45 million dollars back to New York based drivers, after taking too much in commission over a two and a half year period. We made a mistake and we are committed to making it right by paying every driver every penny they are owed, plus interest, as quickly as possible, said Rachel Holt, Ubers regional general manager in the US and Canada, to the Wall Street Journal Getty Uber controversies December 2016 Uber's self-driving cars were ordered to be removed from the roads by a Californian car regulator, after being spotted skipping traffic lights. Uber insist that the incidents were "human error" rather than a design flaw. The New York Times later refuted this in an article claiming the autonomous technology had in fact failed Youtube/KTVU

Uber does not operate in Vancouver or Winnipeg, due to a lack of provincial regulation in the provinces of British Colombia and Manitoba, respectively.

Uber rival Lyft, which currently only operates in the United States, has started exploring a move north of the border. Its lobbyists have met several times with municipal officials in Toronto, according to city records.

Reuters
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A London-based female Uber driver has issued sex discrimination proceedings against the embattled ride-sharing company, claiming it unfairly disadvantages women who work for the the group.

The claims come at a turbulent time for Uber.

In a shock move on Friday, Transport for London announced that it was revoking the groups licence to operate in the capital, reasoning that Ubers approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications.

Separately, Uber is seeking to overturn a controversial landmark ruling ordering it to give drivers basic employee rights. A hearing is due to take place on Wednesday.

Recommended Sadiq Khan says TfL prepared to meet Uber over licence ban

The latest accusations stem from a 44-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, and are being brought by the GMB union, represented by law firm Leigh Day. The woman claims that Uber, through the way that it operates, is putting her and other women at risk.

She said that drivers with the company do not know their passengers destination until that passenger is already in the car. If that passengers journey is to a remote or unsafe area, the driver then has no option to cancel the journey.

If a customer becomes aggressive in the car, she says, the driver cannot cancel the journey. Asking a passenger to leave the car could lead to a customer complaint and a low rating, which in turn could affect future work.

The claim, brought at the Central London Employment Tribunal, demands that Uber should allow drivers to challenge complaints as well as low ratings, so that drivers do not risk losing their jobs if they ask passengers to leave their cars for their own safety.

Once again we have a member with serious concerns about Ubers systems and practices, which place the basic safety needs of the worker as secondary to the imposition of a rigid and purely profit-based model, said Maria Ludkin, GMBs legal director.

We look forward to allowing the courts to examine whether this aspect of their model discriminates against women drivers.

Nigel Mackay, a lawyer in the employment team at Leigh Day who is representing the driver, said that he does not think that Ubers current policies do enough to protect female drivers.

Our client no longer feels able to drive in the evening or at night time, suffering a loss of income as a result, he said.

We believe that Uber should not only ensure the safety of its passengers but also all of its drivers, and provide as much protection as possible to women to ensure that they are not vulnerable to assaults from passengers.

Responding the accusations, a spokesperson from Uber said that drivers on the app are free to log in and out as they want and can choose which trips they want to take, or cancel, without any penalty.

If a driver doesnt want to go to a particular area there is no obligation for them to do so. Drivers can also set a preferred destination in the app and Uber will only allocate bookings heading that way, the spokesperson added.

One of the main reasons why women choose to drive with Uber is because of the safety features in the app. All trips are GPS tracked and a driver is able to share a live map of their trip with a friend or loved one.

On Wednesday, Uber will seek to overturn an employment tribunal ruling won by drivers James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam in October last year.

According to tribunal submissions seen by The Independent, Uber will accuse judges of failing to understand basic law and instead engaging in legally irrelevant and unfair criticism.

In the skeleton argument submitted ahead of the hearing, lawyers for Uber insist that contrary to what the judges have said, Uber drivers are in no sense in an employment relationship with the company.

Rather, Uber acts as the drivers agent, in referring passengers to him ... for [which] it receives payment [for] each trip.

An estimated 40,000 people currently work as drivers for Uber in London. The company has confirmed that it is appealing TfLs decision last week to revoke its licence and on Monday the San Francisco groups CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, in an open letter pleaded for Uber to be allowed to continue operating in the capital  one of its most important European markets.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is also chairman of TfL, has since said that he is open to TfL holding talks with Mr Khosrowshahi on the matter.

An estimated 3.5 million people use Uber in London and a petition to grant Uber a continued licence had garnered almost 790,000 virtual signatures by Tuesday afternoon.
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The assassination of Kim Jong-uns brother, Kim Jong-nam, was a ritual killing intended to strike fear into the international community, according to one North Korea expert.

The estranged half-brother of the dictator was murdered in Malaysia in February when two women allegedly rubbed a toxic nerve agent on his face. He died within 20 minutes.

Throughout the assassination his attackers did not attempt to hide their faces, which many saw as a sign of incompetence.

 Man claiming to be Kim Jong Nam's son appears on YouTube to say he's safe

But Korea University Professor Nam Sung-wook told GQ the murder was purposefully brazen: Pyongyang wanted to send a worldwide message by murdering Kim Jong-nam in this gruesome, public way.

Pyongyang wanted to horrify the rest of the world by releasing a chemical weapon at an airport.

[Mr Kim] wants to reign a long time and negotiate as a superpower. The only way to do that is to keep the world in fear of his weapons. He has a grand design, and this is part of it."

One Vietnamese woman and one Indonesian woman have been charged with murder and are currently on death row.

North Korea has rejected the autopsy findings and denies any involvement in the murder.

The report comes as relations between the US and the isolated state remain incredibly fraught.

On Monday, North Koreas foreign minister Ri Yong-ho described Donald Trumps latest comments as a a declaration of war.

Mr Ri was responding to a tweet in which the US President said the Foreign Minister wouldnt be around much longer.

Leaving the UN on Monday, Mr Ri said that following the latest tweet his country now had every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.
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A sadistic killer who was caught on camera torturing a vulnerable gay man in his own home has been jailed for at least 39 years.

Jason Marshall, 29, posed as an MI5 agent then stripped, gagged, handcuffed and smothered 58-year-old Peter Fasoli with cling film. Fasoli begged for his life when Marshall threatened him with a knife before killing him.

He stole his bank cards and PIN numbers, and torched his flat to cover his tracks in January 2013. He then fled to Italy, where he killed again and attacked a third man before being caught.

Fasoli's death was put down as an accident until his nephew stumbled across harrowing webcam footage of his last hours on his uncle's computer hard drive.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Marshall was found guilty of murder and arson.

Victim: Peter Fasoli (PA)

On Tuesday Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC sentenced him to life with a minimum of 39 years for the "sadistic" killing.

He said: "I am sure you were motivated by a desire to cause Fasoli pain without his consent, which would be a significantly greater source of pleasure or gratification to you. You tortured him for so long because you enjoyed it so much.

"I'm sure that you can have felt no remorse whatsoever for what you have done. On the contrary, you derived pleasure from it."

The defendant had met Fasoli on gay dating website Badoo and arranged to meet him at his bungalow in Northolt, west London, on the pretext of a bondage sex session but with the plan of robbing him.

He stole 780 in the days following Fasoli's death and used his bank card to buy a flight to Italy where he continued his violent spree in Rome.

Computer repairman Fasoli's murder went undiscovered for nearly two years until his nephew Christopher Murgatroyd found the footage while looking for family tree research on his fire-damaged hard drive.

Jurors were shown the footage in which Myleene Klass's Classic FM radio show can be heard playing in the background.

Marshall, from East Ham, east London, who is already serving 16 years for the attacks in Italy, claimed to be suffering from amnesia.

Mitigating, Tomas Quinn said his client had a "bizarre" history of impersonating police officers, ticket inspectors and special constables. But he was not sophisticated, deliberate, long-term targeted or focused in his crimes, he said.

Prosecutor Ed Brown QC told the court Fasoli's sister Ann Murgatroyd had come to court but her son Christopher was still too upset. He said: "Mrs Murgatroyd is here. The finding of the very distressing footage for her son, and nephew of the deceased, has plainly had a significant impact on both parties.

Her son has not felt able to come and he continues to be distressed by what he saw and therefore his part in this sorry affair."

Judge Hilliard had asked for more information about why the initial police investigation did not examine Fasoli's bank records or social media activity. He said: "I express the hope that someone who is in a position to do so, so far as the Metropolitan Police is concerned, will look at whether procedures for investigations are significantly comprehensive and robust in such circumstances."

Mr Brown told the court a Detective Superintendent had looked "very carefully" at what happened and found there was "no breach of any procedure".

Detective Inspector James Stevenson, of Scotland Yard, said he was "very pleased for the family" of Marshall's victim.

He said of the killer: "He is clearly a very sadistic individual. He has a psychopathic personality disorder but does not have a treatable mental illness."

PA
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The director of an advocacy group has been convicted of a terror offence after refusing to give police passwords to access his phone and laptop at Heathrow Airport.

Muhammad Rabbani vowed to appeal the first verdict of its kind after being handed a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay 620 in costs at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

The director of Cage was stopped under the Terrorism Act on 20 November last year after returning home from a wedding in Doha, Qatar.

Officers demanded access to his phone and laptop under wide-ranging powers granted by Schedule 7 of the law.

It allows police and immigration officials to stop, search, question and detain anyone at British ports and airports to determine whether they were involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism  with or without reasonable suspicion.

In the year to June 2017, 17,501 people were stopped under the power but only 1,522 of those were detained, according to Home Office statistics.

Rabbani refused to hand over his Pin or password, saying he had been stopped many times under the schedule before and had never been required to give these details.

 Cressida Dick says terrorism is putting 'unsustainable' strain on Met

The 36-year-old told the court the devices contained confidential information on an alleged victim of torture by American agencies, and that sharing it would breach personal and professional privacy.

The court heard that Rabbani refused to tell officers what he did for a living, telling them it won't help you in any way and citing his right to privacy.

PC Tariq Chaudhry, who conducted the search, said: I asked him questions about his occupation and he said he was a director of a company but wouldn't go any further - he kept saying 'You don't need to and it won't help you in any way'.

Rabbani was warned that he would be arrested if he failed to give access to the devices, but said he had never been asked to give the information during numerous previous stop-and-searches.

He was arrested at Heathrow Airport and later charged under an offence that makes it illegal to wilfully obstruct, or seek to frustrate, a search or examination under Schedule 7.

In a prepared statement given at his second police interview in May, Rabbani said: I considered that although the police were in law entitled to ask questions so that they could satisfy themselves I was not engaged in terrorist activity, that did not justify my in addition being required to expose all the sensitive contents of my phone to being copied and undoubtedly disseminated not just to police but to intelligence services and possibly elsewhere in the world - an unjustifiable, uncontrolled acquisition of material.

He told the court he was carrying a large volume of documents relating to a Qatari torture victim.

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It was a case involving the US against an individual who was allegedly tortured over the course of 12 or 13 years in US custody, he added.

There were around 30,000 (documents) which I was especially uncomfortable handling and I felt an enormous responsibility to try and discharge the trust that was given to me.

Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot said: I find he took a calculated risk and, as on certain earlier occasions, the police wouldn't take any further action.

"He took a calculated risk. At the time of the stop he was warned over and over he would be committing an offence if he didn't provide the information."

Speaking to supporters and media gathered outside the court, Rabbani said the judgment exposed the absurdity of the Schedule 7 law and called for it to be reformed.

"I was prepared from the outset to pay the ultimate price, even if that meant imprisonment, he added.

At no point was I under suspicion and this was a matter of being profiled at the airport. There are important implications for our collective privacy as Schedule 7 acts as a digital strip search.

"I took the decision not to raise the details of an important torture case before my arrest and ultimately I have been convicted of protecting the confidentiality of my client.

If privacy and confidentiality are crimes, then the law stands condemned.

The Metropolitan Police said Rabbanis position did not give him the privilege of not sharing information with police.

People pray outside Westminster Magistrates' Court during a hearing where Cage director Muhammad Rabbani was convicted of obstructing a police search under terror laws (PA)

Journalists and lawyers are granted special protections over the information they carry and their devices cannot be removed by police without a court order, but members of non-governmental organisations are not afforded any exceptions.

An order that allowed police to seize the laptop of a BBC Newsnight journalist who had been communicating with British Isis supporters was controversially granted in 2015.

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the forces Counter Terrorism Command, hailed the important verdict, adding: Its crucial that police are able to use the legislation that exists to help keep the public safe.

Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is a vital tool in the fight against terrorism and we are committed to ensuring the power is used appropriately and proportionately, as it was in this case.

The Met has retained Rabbanis phone and laptop and is continuing its efforts to examine the contents.

Cage said Rabbani would be appealing the conviction as part of efforts to defend the right to privacy.

To convict under terrorism law despite not having anything to do with it is a perfect example how scaremongering is used to erode our rights, a spokesperson added.

It's precisely for this reason that Cage will continue to call for the abolition of all counter-terrorism legislation.

Cage describes itself as an independent advocacy organisation working to empower communities impacted by the War on Terror but has faced controversy over its work with clients including Mohammed Emwazi.

He sought advice from Cage over alleged harassment by the British authorities before leaving for Syria in 2012, where he became the Isis executioner known as Jihadi John.

Asim Qureshi, the research director at Cage, described Emwazi as a beautiful young man before the identity of the executioner was confirmed.

Additional reporting by PA
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A British woman believed to have died after being mauled by feral dogs in Greece may have been attacked by wolves, a coroner has said.

The woman, named locally as Celia Hollingworth, of Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, was reported missing on Thursday.

The 62-year-old disappeared while walking back to her accommodation in Maroneia, in the northern part of the country, following a visit to a nearby archaeological site.

Coroner Nikolaos Kifinidis told The Times that the condition of remains found on Saturday suggested she was not attacked by stray dogs.

"It seems like she may have been attacked by other wild animals, like rabid wolves and jackals," he said.

According to animal welfare campaigners, there are an estimated one million stray dogs in Greece, however wolves are common to the wooded region.

Reports suggest that Ms Hollingworth tried to contact her relatives in London after being attacked but lost signal on her phone.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every 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Several campaign groups in the UK paid tribute to the retiree, who was described as "dedicated" and "always optimistic".

According to reports, Ms Hollingworth worked as an administrator at the University of Bristol and latterly dedicated her time to raising money for causes including Syrian refugees.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: "We are working closely with officers in Greece regarding the formal identification of the deceased.

"We are also working with colleagues from the Foreign Office and supporting her next of kin at this difficult time."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are in contact with Greek police in relation to a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.

"We are also providing consular assistance to her family."

PA
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A single mother who was sentenced to prison for committing grievous bodily harm at the age of 19 has said it is a massive smack in the face to see an Oxford student spared jail after committing a violent offence simply because she wants to have a career.

Michaela Booth, 27, was a single mother with no previous criminal record when she was sentenced to four years for kicking a woman during a drunken fight in a nightclub six years ago.

She left her victim with a fractured eye socket and a split eyelid and accepts the injuries she caused were serious, but is upset by the disparity in the outcomes of the two cases.

Oxford student Lavinia Woodward, 24, admitted to causing grievous bodily harm earlier this year after she stabbed her boyfriend in the leg. She has had a 10-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months and been told she may be spared jail completely because of her extraordinary talent.

Ms Booth, who grew up on a council estate in Worcester with two heroin addicts as parents, and is now studying a criminology degree, had pleaded not guilty for causing grievous bodily harm with intent following the nightclub incident, saying she hadnt intended to hurt her victim.

She said she felt hurt by Ms Woodwards suspended sentence  saying it was a sign of an unfair and unequal justice system.

Im not often shocked by what happens in the justice system, but this one has really hit home, she told The Independent.

My case and Lavinias are similar. I was involved in a fight in a nightclub. I was out with my sisters as a teenager. I was walking through the bar and there was a fight already going on.

My victim was a stranger to me  it was nothing premeditated. It was a stupid drunken mistake. I had a stiletto heel on and I kicked her, so my shoe was considered a weapon.

I always admitted causing the injuries and harm. I pleaded not guilty as my charge was section 18 wounding with intent and I didnt intend to cause harm.

I knew I had caused another person serious injury and for that I was sorry. It changed my life and made me so wary of social outings and going out.

This lady picked up a knife and stabbed someone, yet her charge is one down from mine. Hers was causing GBH without intent, mine was with intent. Are you not intending to cause an injury when you pick up a knife and you stab someone?

It shows the justice system is not fair and equal. Its a massive smack in the face to see someone privileged whos committed a violent offence get to walk out of prison because shes at Oxford and wants to have a career.

What hurts me most is that, probably on the same day, women who are drug addicts and need proper help are being sent to prison for minor offences  yet this woman, because she wants a career and is rich, can get let off.

Ms Woodward, a medical student and aspiring heart surgeon, attacked her ex-boyfriend with a bread knife in a drug-fuelled rage at her university accommodation at Christ Church College, Oxford Crown Court heard.

At an earlier hearing, 24-year-old Woodward had pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding her partner.

The offence would normally carry a custodial sentence, but Judge Ian Pringle QC previously suggested she could be spared jail because of her academic record  drawing criticism for being unduly lenient and demonstrating class bias.

Ms Booth said that growing up in a troubled household with parents suffering with drug addictions meant she had few role models in her life, and said her prison sentence only served to push her back further from achieving her dream of studying at university.

Growing up wasnt great. We could never have friends over to the house. It was hard. How can you ever have a stable home life with two parents who were addicted to heroin? she said.

Nobody ever helped me to reach my full potential or instilled it in me to have goals and ambitions, and the prison sentence held me back further. Even when I applied for university, before my life experience and my qualities and attributed and what I could bring to the course was considered, my crime was considered.

To think someone can come from a privileged background, whos been silver-spooned for all her life, can get away with something that people who actually need help and support get sent to prison for, is absolutely heartbreaking. Its not fair. People should be outraged about it.

During her sentencing, Ms Booth said the judge failed to take into account the fact she was the sole carer for her daughter.

My legal representative told me that no matter what happened at the end of my trial, Id be going home and getting a pre-sentence report, about my background and needs  such as the fact that I was the sole carer of a four-year-old child, and had never been to prison before, she said.

This shouldve been considered and the judge made aware of it. But five minutes before the judge sentenced me, he found out I was a mother. I had no pre-sentencing report.

Prison was absolutely awful. My mum had to look after my daughter. Prior to them arriving in the visits room, my little four-year-old girl would walk through security with her arms already out ready to be searched.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses 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We have a justice system to enable justice for victims and justice for society. This is a case where justice has not been served for anybody apart from the rich girl whos got a career ahead of her. And that is just terrible.

The judges decision to spare Woodward from jail was also condemned by mens rights campaigners, who said it risked putting male victims of domestic abuse off coming forward.

The chairman of the ManKind Initiative, Mark Brooks, branded the sentence unfair and said she would have been expected to go to prison had she been a man, adding that there was already a problem with male victims not seeking justice because they fear that society wont take them seriously.
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A 31-year-old man found dead near his escaped pet python was strangled, according to new post mortem evidence.

Dan Brandon, an experienced snake handler, was found dead at his home in Church Crookham, Hampshire in August. One of his snakes, a pet python, was out of its pen and lying near the body, according to reports.

Mr Brandon, a snake enthusiast who had posted a number of pictures of himself with a number of exotic reptiles, died of asphyxiation, Basingstoke Coroners Court heard.

Dan Brandon with a snake wrapped around his neck (Dan Brandon/Facebook ) (Dan Brandon/Facebook)

An initial inquest session was opened on Monday, and further hearings will take place in November.

Hampshire Police said the death was currently being treated as non-suspicious, but that officers were carrying out enquiries on behalf of the coroner.

The coroner will investigate whether the python played any role in Mr Brandons death. If it is discovered that the python was behind the death, it would be the first time a python has never been linked to a death in the UK.

It is extremely rare for pythons to attack humans: in the United States, seventeen people have died in constrictor snake related incidents between 1978 and 2012, according to the animal welfare organisation The Humane Society.

Dan Brandon holding snakes (Dan Brandon/Facebook ) (Dan Brandon/Facebook)

In 2013, two Canadian brothers aged four and six years old were killed after an African rock python escaped from its cage in a pet shop near their bedroom.

John Cottrell, who set up a JustGiving page raising money in Mr Brandons memory, said:

"[Dan] was obsessed with snakes, spiders, birds and all wildlife, in his memory we have set up two fundraising pages, one for the [World Wildlife Fund] and one for the [Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]

"We have struggled when looking for photos for his funeral to find any when he isn't holding a spider, snake, small bird, toad, slow worm, hedgehog, feeding a fox, stroking cattle, befriending a cat or dog so these charities seemed the perfect choice."
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Three men arrested over an attack at Parsons Green Tube station have been released.

The development means six out of seven people arrested as part of the investigation into the attempted bombing have now been released without further action.

Ahmed Hassan, an 18-year-old Iraqi refugee, has been charged with attempted murder and explosives offences over the attack, which injured 30 people.

Scotland Yard said a 25-year-old man who was arrested in Newport, South Wales, on Tuesday 19 September and a 30-year-old man, also arrested in Newport on Wednesday September 20, were released on Tuesday afternoon.

A 20-year old man arrested in Cardiff on Monday was also released.

The Metropolitan Police said it was continuing to search one address in Cardiff, while a search in Surrey has bee completed.

Mr Hassan appeared in court on Friday and was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 13 October.

He allegedly bought parts to make the improvised explosive device on Amazon and left the train at Putney Bridge before the device partially detonated at the next station.

Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion A bucket with flames and wires coming out of it was photographed in the carriage after the explosion  apparently the source of the blast AFP Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion An explosion on a packed Tube train has injured a number of people in west London AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion The blast triggered a stampede as commuters panicked AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Click through for more pictures from the scene Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosioN Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion PA Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty

Witnesses described seeing a "fireball" fly down the Tube carriage, which was packed with commuters and schoolchildren.

A woman with serious burns was among the injured.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told LBC on Friday it was a very, very dangerous bomb. It partially detonated. It had a large quantity of explosive and it was packed with shrapnel.

It could have been so much worse.

Mr Hassan, of Cavendish Road, Sunbury, Surrey, was arrested at the port of Dover in Kent at 7.50am on Saturday 16 September by counter-terrorism officers.

The teenager, whose parents are believed to have been killed in Iraq, was in the foster care of Penelope and Ronald Jones, who previously received MBEs for services to children and families.
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A Tube station has been evacuated after a phone charger exploded on a District Line train.

The London Fire Brigade said it had dealt with a "small explosion" from the device at Tower Hill.

Firefighters were called shortly before 12.30pm but arrived to find the blaze was already out.

Mali Siloko was standing next to the man who had the charger. Something exploded and caught fire, she told The Independent.

He threw it out of his hands and it fell on the floor. It looked like a white charger attached to a phone.

Ms Siloko said the man appeared to have burned his fingers but no one else was injured.

Andy Brown, the London Ambulance Service's incident response officer, said: We treated a man at the scene for a hand injury, but he was not taken to hospital.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the station, which sits on the bank of the River Thames near the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

Images appeared to show the device burning on the carriage floor, sending up a small plume of black smoke.

Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion A bucket with flames and wires coming out of it was photographed in the carriage after the explosion  apparently the source of the blast AFP Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion An explosion on a packed Tube train has injured a number of people in west London AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion The blast triggered a stampede as commuters panicked AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Click through for more pictures from the scene Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosioN Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion PA Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Parsons Green explosion Reuters Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty Terror attack at Parson's Green  in pictures AFP/Getty

A spokesperson for British Transport Police said the blaze was not suspicious and was believed to "have been caused by a mobile phone charger overheating".

Tower Hill station was temporarily closed but has since reopened.

The incident caused alarm under two weeks after a homemade bomb exploded on the District Line at Parsons Green station.

Isis claimed responsibility for the attack, which saw 30 people injured by a fireball after the device failed to fully detonate.

Ahmed Hassan, an 18-year-old Iraqi refugee, has been charged with attempted murder and explosives offences over the attack.

The UK's terror alert level remains at "severe", meaning further attacks are considered highly likely.
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A judge's decision to spare Oxford University student Lavinia Woodward from going straight to prison for stabbing her boyfriend risks putting male victims of domestic abuse off coming forward, a campaigner has warned.

Mark Brooks, chairman of the ManKind Initiative, branded Woodward's sentence "unfair" and said she would have been expected to go to prison had she been a man.

Judge Ian Pringle QC imposed a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, on the 24-year-old at Oxford Crown Court on Monday.

Mr Brooks said there was already a problem with male victims of crime not seeking justice because "they fear that society won't take them seriously".

"When male victims see this case, to them it will actually enforce that view, that male victims are not taken as seriously as female victims," he told the Press Association.

Woodward, a student at the university's Christ Church college, was to be sentenced earlier this year after admitting unlawful wounding, but the judge controversially gave her four months to prove herself and stay out of trouble.

The court heard Woodward was later admitted to a clinic for treatment for addictions to Class A drugs and alcohol, and an eating disorder.

Passing sentence, Judge Pringle said Woodward's case had "many mitigating features", however the decision to spare her from going straight to prison has provoked further controversy.

Mr Brooks said of the sentence: "It is unfair because we would expect a man who committed this type of crime to go to prison and rightly so, so the question has to be asked why it wasn't the case here."

The stabbing happened on December 30 last year when Woodward's partner, a Cambridge University student, visited her in Oxford.

He realised she had been drinking and when Woodward discovered he had contacted her mother she became "extremely angry" and began throwing objects, before stabbing him in the leg with a bread knife.

Earlier this month the Crown Prosecution Service announced plans to encourage male victims of sexual and domestic abuse to come forward.

Director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders said she hoped a "public statement"' showing the CPS' commitment would "create an environment that gives male victims increased confidence to come forward and get the justice they deserve".

Mr Brooks said: "The judiciary should be taking up the mantle thrown down by the CPS three weeks ago and ensuring that when they do make their judgments they should always ensure that they are applying the same mindset as they would for victims of all genders."

He urged the judge to clarify that Woodward's gender "had no bearing on the sentence she was given".

James Sturman QC, defending Woodward, told the court on Monday that she was a "different woman" since she last appeared and would be returning to a clinic for continued treatment.

Christ Church dean the Very Rev Professor Martyn Percy, said Woodward was not currently studying at Oxford, having voluntarily suspended her medical studies.

"The question of her future will now be decided by the university, which has procedures in place when a student is the subject of a criminal conviction," Mr Percy said.
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The founder and chair of Jeremy Corbyn-supporting group Momentum has condemned grossly offensive comments denying the Holocaust after the reemergence of a row over antisemitism threatened to overshadow Labours annual conference.

Jon Lansman, a key ally of Mr Corbyn, said Holocaust denial is not acceptable and backed calls for disciplinary action to be taken against anyone found guilty of promoting it.

It comes after reports that a speaker at a fringe event at the conference in Brighton had suggested people should be allowed to question whether the Holocaust took place. At the same event, speakers compared Israel to the Nazis and said the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) group should be kicked out of the party.

Recommended Corbyn warned antisemitism claims could stop Labour winning power

The speaker, named as Miko Peled, an Israeli-American author, is reported to have said: This is about free speech, the freedom to criticise and to discuss every issue, whether its the Holocaust  yes or no  Palestine, the liberation, the whole spectrum.

The row escalated to the conference floor on Tuesday when Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, a left-wing activist who chaired the Free Speech on Israel event where the issue of Holocaust denial was raised, used a speech to accuse JLM of running to the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph with stories.

In response, the group accused Ms Wimborne-Idrissi of antisemitism and demanded the party take disciplinary action against her.

Asked about the row, Mr Lansman told The Independent: I have never come across a Holocaust denier in the Labour Party. Give me some examples.

Reminded of the reported events at the fringe event the day before, he replied: The Labour Party is not full of Holocaust deniers. In Germany its a criminal offence; Im not advocating that it should be a criminal offence but of course Holocaust denial is grossly offensive to all of us.

Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Britain's opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton Reuters/Toby Melville Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Senior members of Britain's opposition Labour Party listen to Leader Jeremy Corbyn deliver his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton Reuters/Peter Nicholls Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Diane Abbott receives a standing ovation during Jeremy Corbyn's speech at the Labour Party conference BBC Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses delegates on the final day of the Labour Party conference on September 27, 2017 in Brighton Leon Neal/Getty Images Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn stands with Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Rebecca Long-Bailey (left) and Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Angela Raynor after speeches in the main hall, on day three of the annual Labour Party Conference on September 26, 2017 in Brighton Getty Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Angela Rayner, Shadow Education Secretary, addressing the Labour Party annual conference at the Brighton Centre, Brighton PA Labour Conference 2017  in pictures The mayor of London Sadiq Khan delivers a speech at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, Britain Reuters Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Dennis Skinner addressing the Labour Party annual conference at the Brighton Centre, Brighton PA Labour Conference 2017  in pictures John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Labour Party Conference, Day 2, Brighton Rex Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell (C) speaks with Labour party's leader Jeremy Corbyn (L) ahead of making a speech on the second day of the Labour Party Conference AFP/Getty Images Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses supporters during a momentum rally on the first day of the Labour Party conference Getty Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Jeremy Corbyn listens to speeches in the main hall on the first day of the Labour Party conference Getty Images Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Labour Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott addresses delegates in the main hall on the first day of the Labour Party conference on September 24 Getty Labour Conference 2017  in pictures Jeremy Corbyn addresses a rally ahead of the Labour Party Conference in Brighton Reuters

He added: I am Jewish. Ive experienced antisemitism. Thats why I speak out against antisemitism and thats why it matters to me. I want to eradicate it.

Mr Lansman said he supported disciplinary action being taken against any Labour member found guilty of Holocaust denial, adding: Holocaust denial is not acceptable.

He said he absolutely condemned calls for JLM members to be expelled from the party but added: There are lots of opinions among Jews and there are going to be different views about Israel Palestine in the Labour Party and amongst Jews

On Wednesday, Labour passed a motion making it easier for action to be taken against people in the party who are found guilty of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.

The text had widespread support from across the party but had been criticised by some who felt it could prevent criticism of Israel.
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Britains Department for Exiting the European Union has only existed for 14 months but already more than 20 per cent of its staff have left.

According to the Governments response to a freedom of information request submitted by Bloomberg, as of 18 August, 124 employees had left the department since it was set up, leaving 482.

The churn on Cabinet office jobs reportedly soared from 20 per cent in 2010 to 35 per cent in 2016, but the average staff turnover across the civil service more broadly was just 9.1 per cent last year.

The high turnover within the Brexit department could suggest that civil servants dont enjoy working in the office which is tasked with one of the Government's most challenging jobs in decades.

The department itself, however, pointed out that fewer than five of the people who had left had quit the civil service altogether, suggesting that some officials may just be passing through the department to gain valuable experience. It said that a large majority of the changes were the result of normal civil service rotation or the end of defined loan periods.

Oliver Robbins announced that he would be leaving the department last Monday after a spate of reported rows with Brexit Secretary David Davis. Government insiders claimed that Mr Davis had been left frozen out of decision making, and that there was no personal warmth between the two men. Mr Robbins joined the Cabinet office as Theresa Mays EU adviser, which is a brand new role.
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Sir David Attenborough has expressed dismay at the Brexit referendum vote, saying he would rather people "embrace one another than spat in one another's face".

In an interview with Greenpeaces Unearthed website, Sir David also attacked the idea  put forward by Michael Gove, the current Environment Secretary, during the Brexit debate  that the public have "had enough of experts". He criticised the decision to put leaving the European Union to a referendum because people had not been given the facts".

Denial of facts about climate change was also proving to be a problem, just as it had during the smoking debate in the 1950s when "evil men" covered up the truth about the link to cancer, Sir David said.

Asked about the trend to dismiss hard evidence, he paraphrased Mr Goves remark when asked about expert assessments that Brexit would damage the UK economy. Weve had quite enough of experts. That's a cry from somebody who doesn't understand what they're saying  that's what that means, Sir David said. "That's when someone has told them something which they don't like, and which they probably don't understand.

That is not evil necessarily. Theres quite a lot I don't understand and quite a lot of people I dont like, in those terms anyway. It's a knee-jerk kind of thing but it doesn't bear examination for a microsecond.

The 91-year-old broadcasters opposition to Brexit was not based on economics but relations between people.

Im not an economist, I certainly dont understand the political and economic implications of Brexit  but philosophically I would rather the people embrace one another than spat in one anothers face, he said.

And he added: The decision to call a referendum was an abrogation of parliamentary democracy in my view because we didnt know the facts. We werent presented with the facts. I still dont know the facts really!

In any case it was only within a few percentage one way or the other  and if the ref had been two-thirds against one-third, that would have been bad enough. But it wasnt even that.

He spoke out despite a general reluctance to talk about politics. Why am I going on about this? Im not a political chap; I know about bugs, he said.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

On efforts to convince climate science deniers of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he expressed optimism that the tide was turning. Its a free world and we arent thought dictators. All we have to do is go along declaring the facts as we see the facts and producing the evidence whenever we can, he said.

The trouble is there are a lot of vested interests and a lot of people who it suits to deny it. Its what happened in the smoking debates in the 1950s. I think there were evil men, I certainly think that  I think there were people who really knew and denied it  but there were quite a lot who didnt. And I think there are probably plenty of people now who think Well its not really true about carbon dioxide.

But all we can do, all anybody can do is go on stacking up the evidence from every quarter.

My hope is that the world is coming to its senses  Im so old I remember a time when  we didnt talk about climate change, we talked about animals and species extermination.

For the first time Im beginning to think there is actually a groundswell, there is a change in the public view. I feel many more people are more concerned and more aware of what the problems are. Young people  people whove got 50 years of their life ahead of them  they are thinking they ought to be doing something about this  thats a huge change.
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Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary has criticised Donald Trumps terrifying rhetoric on North Korea, saying it is "absolutely unthinkable" that there could be a military solution to the conflict over the communist states ongoing missile tests.

Speaking at a fringe event at the partys annual conference in Brighton, Nia Griffith also suggested the US President was being sidelined by "more professional people" in Washington.

She said: It is absolutely unthinkable that we should think in terms of a military solution to North Korea.

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The sort of language that Trump is using is terrifying and I think that more professional people in the United States are dealing with things in a rather different way.

There is absolutely no way that we can be taking a military approach to this one.

Mr Trump has been engaged in a war of words with Pyongyang in recent weeks. Last month, he threatened to unleash fire and fury the like of which the world has never seen against North Korea after it refused to bow to international pressure to stop testing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

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 Republican has also referred to the countrys president, Kim Jong-un, as little rocket man and said North Korea wont be around much longer if it continues to make threats against the US.

Ms Griffith also launched a staunch defence of Nato  an organisation that has previously been the subject of criticism from Mr Trump and Ms Griffiths own party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

She said: It was the Labour Party that was a founder member of Nato and these are Western allies who weve worked with very, very closely.

I really do not think we should assume that Trump is the dominant view in Nato. What a horrifying thought. Hes not even the dominant view among his own party in his own country.

We absolutely have to try to maintain stability. Its stability, diplomacy and de-escalation that we have to work on and its through Nato that we are going to be able to do that.
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European Council President Donald Tusk has said there is not yet sufficient progress in Brexit talks to discuss future trading relations with the UK.

After meeting Theresa May in Downing Street, he said there were signs the UK now had a more realistic position and that the Prime Minister appears to have abandoned a having her cake and eating it approach to Brexit.

But he said he would tell member states there has still not been enough progress towards the EUs objectives to allow negotiations to move to discussing the future trade deal the UK desires.

It follows the Prime Ministers speech in Florence, in which she proposed a Brexit transition period of two years during which the UK would pay into EU coffers and remain in the single market and customs union.

British officials hoped the speech would help to break a deadlock in talks and mean discussion could move on to future relations.

But at the start of the fourth round of Brexit talks on Monday, the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK would have to give a stronger commitment on settling its financial obligations to the EU, before any transition was discussed.

Leaving No 10, Mr Tusk backed Mr Barnier, saying: If you ask me, and if today member states ask me, I would say there is no sufficient progress yet, but we will work on it.

EU officials had been annoyed by suggestions from Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson that the UK could have its cake and eat it on Brexit, or have the benefits of the EU without the obligations, but Mr Tusk said that approach appears now to have ended.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

He added: The constructive and more realistic tone in the Prime Ministers speech in Florence and of our discussion today ... shows that the philosophy of having her cake and eating it [is] finally coming at and end  at least I hope so.

Thats good news, but of course no one will ever tell me that Brexit is a good thing, because as I have always said in fact Brexit is all about damage control. I didnt change my opinion.

An EU source told The Independent the talks at No 10 had touched upon all of the objectives that Brussels wants met  the UKs financial obligations, Ireland and EU citizens rights  before talks progress to future trade.

A No 10 spokesman said the meeting started with the Prime Minister restating her wish for a bold and unique new economic partnership.

The spokesman added: The PM also stressed the importance of agreeing a period of implementation once Britain leaves the EU in March 2019. She said this would build a bridge to that new relationship that ensures the process is smooth and orderly and creates as much certainty as possible for everyone.

At the end of the meeting, the PM said her Florence speech had been intended to create momentum in the ongoing talks. She said it was important for EU negotiators to now respond in the same spirit.

On Tuesday Brexit Secretary David Davis travelled to the Netherlands to meet Foreign Minister Bert Koenders. He will arrive back in Brussels on Wednesday for meetings with President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and the body's negotiator Guy Verhofstadt.
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The head of the Fire Brigades Union has described the Grenfell Tower disaster as a crime that should topple the government amid warnings over a boycott of the national inquiry.

FBU chief Matt Wrack said the tower block fire was a national political scandal and called for ministers to be hauled before the inquiry to answer questions about why regulations were cut.

The union will walk away from the official inquiry if it is seen by survivors and firefighters as a pointless stitch up, Mr Wrack warned.

Speaking at a fringe event at the Labour conference, he said: To me, Grenfell Tower was an atrocity.

You struggle to find words to describe it when 80 people die in their own homes, not through war, not through terrorism but through some other crime, in my view.

A crime where people have to be held to account.

Political decisions to alter safety and inspection regimes created a culture where the fire could occur, he claimed.

Mr Wrack said: For me it is a national political scandal. It is the sort of scandal on which governments should fall, by the way.

Any genuine inquiry wouldnt just be asking firefighters to come and give evidence, as they will. They would be asking government ministers.

They would be instructing government ministers to come and give evidence and be cross-examined about what decision they took, who gave them the advice, why did they take advice and not that advice and who signed off the change in the regulations.

Retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick is leading an official probe into the fire, which claimed the lives of some 80 people, but the inquiry has already attracted criticism for being too narrow in its focus.

Mr Wrack said: Ill say this, if actually we conclude and if representatives of the residents and the survivors and the bereaved conclude that the whole thing is a pointless stitch-up, then actually we may conclude that we are going to walk away and boycott that inquiry if thats the conclusion we reach.

"I hope it doesnt happen but I think we need to tell the inquiry people that thats where we stand."

The union leader also cast doubt on the ability of fire services to cope with a similar disaster as some cities only had a handful of firefighter on duty at night, despite having tower blocks that failed fire safety tests.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA 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

Mr Wrack said: In Grenfell Tower, the London Fire Brigade sent 60-odd fire engines and 250 firefighters and then another 250 later.

There is not another fire service in the UK that could provide that level of response.

Plymouth has tower blocks that failed the tests.

They have night duties where they have 18 firefighters on duty in Plymouth so clearly they could not respond on the scale the response was provided in London.
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Jeremy Corbyn has risked reopening Labours Brexit wounds by arguing there will be positives from leaving the European Union.

The Labour leader also played down the prospect of the party offering a further referendum on any Brexit deal, after London Mayor Sadiq Khan suggested it might.

The comments came as a former Labour adviser attacked the delusional thinking at the top of the party about Brexit, putting it on a par with the Conservative approach.

Recommended Sadiq Khan suggests Labour may back second referendum on Brexit

At the Brighton conference, frustrated Labour MPs have tried and failed to push Mr Corbyn into recognising the dangers of failing to fight to stay in the EU single market.

But, in an interview ahead of his speech on Wednesday, the Labour leader once again struck an ambivalent tone about EU withdrawal.

Asked on Five News whether he saw any opportunities for Britain, he replied: I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is all going to be positive. It is going to be difficult and complicated, but there are positives there.

Brexit would allow powers to be devolved from Brussels to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and English regions, Mr Corbyn suggested.

He has previously argued that only leaving the EU would allow Labour to pursue its programme of nationalisation and state support for industry.

Earlier, Mr Khan said Labour could end up offering a further referendum on whether to accept the Brexit deal or stay in the EU, suggesting he could push for it.

But Mr Corbyn told Sky News: We are not planning any referendum. Sadiq is obviously thinking through all scenarios and possibilities.

He represents a city which overwhelmingly voted for Remain. As you know, the referendum result across the country was a majority to leave.

But, at a fringe meeting in Brighton, the deputy director of the pro-EU Open Britain group accused the Labour leadership of failing to understand the realities of EU withdrawal.

Francis Grove-White, who worked on Brexit for Labour until last month, said Mr Corbyn was wrong to believe it would free Britain from state aid rules.

In reality, the EU would respond to any attempt to ignore those rules by blocking a trade agreement with the remaining member states, leaving the UK without a deal.

He also criticised the shadow international trade secretary, Barry Gardiner, for wanting to pull out of the EU customs union to pursue trade deals offered by Donald Trump, Xi Jinping or the Saudis  which Labour could not support.

Mr Grove-White said it was absolutely essential that we challenge the delusional thinking going on within our own party.

If we don't do that then the clock is ticking, and I think we are going to end up in a bad place, he warned.
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Labour cannot win power while Jewish voters shun the party over antisemitism, a defeated candidate has warned, as allegations of Holocaust denial tarnished the conference.

Mike Katz warned Jeremy Corbyn of many difficult conversations on the doorstep with Jewish people who were turning their backs on Labour because of the perception of an antisemitism stain.

He spoke out as Tom Watson, Labours deputy leader, vowed the party would investigate a speaker in Brighton who said people should be allowed to question whether the Holocaust took place.

Mr Watson said he was disgusted the party gave a platform to Israeli-American author Miko Peled, who told a conference fringe event there should be no limits on the discussion.

This is about free speech, the freedom to criticise and to discuss every issue, whether its the Holocaust: yes or no, Palestine, the liberation, the whole spectrum, Mr Peled is reported to have said.

Jeremy Corbyn was forced to reject accusations that Labour was now the nasty party, insisting all antisemitic language was completely at odds with the beliefs of this party.

The controversy then broke out on the conference floor, when the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) was accused of running to the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph with stories.

A furious JLM said the attack  by Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, who chaired the fringe event where Mr Peled made his remarks  amounted to an antisemitic trope" and demanded action.

The row overshadowed the conference preparing to agree a rule change to explicitly outlaw antisemitism by party members, rather than simply any actions deemed to be prejudicial.

In his speech, Mr Katz warned delegates of the response from Jewish voters when he lost narrowly to the Conservatives in Hendon, north London, at the June election.

I'd be lying if I said my team and I didn't have plenty of difficult conversations on the doorstep with concerned Jewish voters who'd always backed Labour in the past but weren't sure now, the JLM vice-chairman said.

We need to win seats like Hendon, Finchley and Golders Green, Chipping Barnet, Harrow East and seats across north London and around the country if we're to rid this country of the awful Tory Government.

So repairing the once-strong relationship between our party and the Jewish community, where we share so many shared values, is a political imperative as well as a moral one.

Philip Cohen, a councillor from neighbouring Barnet, also warned many Labour voters in Barnet turned away from the party for failing to take antisemitism seriously.

Asked about Mr Peleds comments, on ITVs Good Morning Britain, Mr Watson said: It is nothing to do with the official Labour party conference.

And if there was Holocaust denial there, these people have no right to be in the Labour party, and if they are they should be expelled.

Labours conference organising committee would investigate how the author had been given a seat on a panel at the event, he added.

The current Labour party rules say: No member of the party shall engage in conduct which in the opinion of the NEC is prejudicial.

The amendment, backed by the JLM, adds a commitment to act on incidents involving racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia or otherwise racist language, sentiments, stereotypes or actions, sexual harrassment, bullying or any form of intimidation.
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Hospitals must be given a 500m bailout to cope with the coming winter crisis or face putting thousands of patients at risk, Labour has said.

New analysis shows 10,000 people will be stuck for too long in A&E waiting rooms every day if the situation continues unchecked against a backdrop of growing waiting lists and cancelled operations.

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth accused Theresa May of burying her head in the sand over the unprecedented demand on the health service after patients faced the worst winter on record last year.

Doctors leaders warned that the overstretched NHS was facing a strain on services in the summer months normally reserved for winter, when poor weather and seasonal flu heap pressure on hospitals and GPs.

Mr Ashworth will use a speech to the Labour party conference on Tuesday to urge the Government to pour 500m into beleaguered hospitals to help boost capacity, increase numbers of doctors and nurses, and take the strain off social care services.

He was expected to say: Last winter, Theresa May stuck her head in the sand and refused to give the NHS the money it needed to keep services running properly.

This decision pushed NHS staff beyond their limits and caused misery for patients in every part of the country. It cant be allowed to happen again.

Labour is calling for a comprehensive package of emergency support, including a new 500m winter bailout fund, to urgently be put in place so that patients dont suffer the same pain as last year all over again.

It is not acceptable for the Government to stumble into another NHS winter crisis  theyve been well warned and need to take action now.

January was the worst month on record for A&E departments, as NHS England statistics revealed nearly 80,000 ill patients waited more than the Governments four-hour target for treatment. If the pattern continues, waiting lists could soar to 4.3 million this winter, with 10,000 people waiting too long for emergency care every day, according to analysis of official statistics by Labour.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, council chair of the British Medical Association, said the NHS was at breaking point as demand had far outstripped investment. He said: Last year NHS staff and patients endured the worst winter on record and right now we are sleepwalking into yet another crisis that has the potential to be worse than the last.

Weve yet to hear of any concrete plans from the government on exactly how they plan to stop a repeat of last year and any new injection of cash and resources will of course help ease pressure during the winter.

Pressures that were previously only seen in winter are now stark year-round, with targets routinely missed, a lack of hospital beds and services, A&E departments struggling because of an overstretched system, and GPs increasingly unable to provide the high-quality, timely care they want to deliver for their patients.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA

Emergency departments are facing soaring demand, with more than 23.4 million patients coming through A&E in England in 2016/17  an increase of 2.8 million people since 2010.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: The NHS planned for winter earlier this year than ever before and has robust plans in place, supported by an extra 100m for A&E departments and 2bn funding for the social care system to help improve discharging and free up beds in hospitals.

Since 2010, hardworking NHS staff are treating 1,800 more patients within four hours each day and are seeing 2.8 million more people each year.
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Philip Hammond believed he was going to be sacked by Theresa May during the election campaign, his Labour counterpart has claimed.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said his Tory rival confided that he had been "preparing his pension" when asked about his role in the weeks leading up to the snap poll in June.

Many senior Conservatives were kept on a tight leash during the election campaign, which focused heavily on Ms May's abilities as a leader.

Recommended Philip Hammond refuses to back Theresa May as Conservative leader

Mr McDonnell told Labour party activists that the Chancellor admitted to him that he thought he might have lost his job when the pair took part in the Queens Speech ceremony after the election.

It comes as Mr Hammond repeatedly failed to endorse Ms May as the Conservative leader to take the party into the next election.

Speaking at a fringe event at the Labour conference, Mr McDonnell said: When Parliament reconvened...you troop down to the Lords and you listen to the Queens Speech etcetera.

On the way back, you know, you pair up with your counterpart. You pair up with your counterpart, so I have to walk back with Philip Hammond.

Its small talk, you know, How is the election campaign for you?

No word of a lie, he said, For most of it I was preparing my pension. Its true, its exactly right.

He said, Oh, I shouldn't have said that. He was expecting to be sacked.

Im not that cruel but I wanted to say to him - Dont worry, we're going to sack you.

Earlier, the Chancellor was repeatedly asked to give his support to Ms Mays plan to stay in post until 2022 but failed to give her his backing.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party 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During a trip to Scotland, Mr Hammond declined to say Ms May is the optimum individual to lead the Conservatives into the 2022 election despite being asked four times.

He said: Well I am not going to get involved in the discussion about future Conservative Party leadership politics.

Theresa May has made it very clear that she has a job to do, I am completely behind her in doing that job.
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has suggested Labour may back a second referendum on the UKs withdrawal from the European Union.

Mr Khan hinted he would press for a commitment to a further national vote  on whether to accept any Brexit deal reached  to be included in the next election manifesto.

The vow came as Kezia Dugdale, Labours former leader in Scotland, said the public had the right to have its say in a second referendum.

Meanwhile, Andrew Gwynne, Labours election chief, and a Corbyn ally, refused to rule out a further vote, saying: Who knows where we will be at the end of this process?

At Labours conference, there were also claims that John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, had left open the prospect of a further referendum, at a private meeting with business leaders.

Mr Corbyn has tried to keep a lid on Labours Brexit divisions, sparking fury when Labour MPs were denied a vote on permanent membership of the single market.

But Mr Khan said it was possible Labours next manifesto would offer voters the chance to reverse the Brexit referendum verdict.

Id have my tuppence worth as Mayor of London, he told the London Evening Standard, making clear he feared no Brexit deal would be struck that would be good enough to accept without offering a second referendum.

I so far have not been persuaded how this Government has a plan that works for our country, Mr Khan added.

A previous version of this story stated Mr Khan had explicitly called for a second referendum on the UKs withdrawal from the European Union, but the Mayors team has insisted this was not the case.

 Sadiq Khan calls for Theresa May to stand up for EU migrants during Brexit

Meanwhile, Ms Dugdale said: Brexit is spiralling out of control and out of the interests of working people.

Thats why we the people should take back control with a final vote on the deal, she told Glasgows Daily Record newspaper.

On Sunday, Mr Gwynne warned his party that Brexit divisions could tear Labour apart, as he urged activists and MPs to settle their disagreements in a comradely fashion.

Over the summer, Labour negotiated a united policy to stay in the single market for a transitional period of between two and four years, but with no mention of a second referendum.

Today, Mr Gwynne said there would have to be a very serious discussion about a referendum if the Prime Minister failed to achieve an acceptable deal in the Brussels talks.

Certainly Parliament, at the very least, wants to have that final say over what deal Theresa May comes back with, Mr Gwynne added.

Before the June election, Mr Corbyn appeared to flirt with offering a referendum on the Brexit deal, before eventually stepping back. Both the Liberal Democrats and the Greens say they would offer one.

But, on Monday, a survey revealed a narrow majority of Labour voters now supports a further referendum, with an option for Britain stay in the EU.

One person who attended Mr McDonnells meeting with business leaders said they had left the event with the impression that another vote was a possibility.

However, a source close to the Shadow Chancellor told the Evening Standard he had not given any backing to the idea of a second referendum.
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Theresa May is to hold talks with European Council President Donald Tusk as she tries to break the deadlock in Brexit talks.

Mr Tusk will head to London for a meeting with the Prime Minister on Tuesday after having a pre-briefing with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

It comes further Brexit talks in Brussels saw little progress, with Mr Barnier saying the UK had to settle its obligations to the EU before talks of a transition of future relationship but Brexit Secretary David Davis insisting there are "no excuses" for moving forward.

The meeting with Mr Tusk will be seen as a key opportunity for Ms May to direct her message to member state leaders, whom she wants to push EU Commission negotiators to allow progress.

The Council will meet next month to decide whether "sufficient progress" is being made for talks to move on to discussion of a future trade deal.

In her speech in Florence on Friday the PM said she wanted a two year transition period in which Britain would stay in the single market, to provide "certainty" for business.

A positive initial response raised hopes the move would encourage the EU to begin talking about an essential EU trade deal, but on Monday Mr Barnier said talk of a transition could not precede talks on settling the divorce bill, and issues around EU citizens' rights and Ireland.

He said he was "keen and eager" to understand how the Prime Minister's speech would be turned into a negotiating strategy.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

"We do not need to remind ourselves that we are six months into the process. We are getting closer to the UK's withdrawal and I think that this moment should be a moment of clarity," he said.

Mr Davis said the latest citizens' rights would be incorporated fully into UK law, progress had been made on resolving the Irish border and insisted the UK would "honour commitments" made during its EU membership.

"But it's obvious that reaching a conclusion on this issue can only be done in the context of and in accordance with our new deep and special partnership with the EU," he added.

"The UK is absolutely committed to work through the detail. We are laying out concrete proposals and there are no excuses for standing in the way of progress.

"It will take pragmatism on both sides to make headway and I hope we can achieve that this week."
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Naomi Klein, the renowned Canadian author, has mocked Donald Trump claiming he is the political equivalent of fatberg  the congealed lump of fat and sanitary products currently blocking Londons sewers.

Speaking at Labours party conference in Brighton, the best-selling writer won applause as she likened the US President to the 130-tonne mass of fat, wet wipes and nappies found to blocking a section of the London sewers earlier this month.

You know that horrible thing currently clogging up the London sewers. I believe you call it the fat berg? she said. Well Trump, hes the political equivalent of that.

She continued: A merger of all that is noxious in the culture, economy and body politic, all kind of glommed together in a self-adhesive mass. And were finding it very, very hard to dislodge.

It gets so grim that we have to laugh. But make no mistake: whether its climate change or the nuclear threat, Trump represents a crisis that could echo through geologic time.

She also used her speech to address the Labour leader who was sitting alongside her at the conference, adding: You went and showed us all that you can win. Now you have to win. We all do. Winning is a moral imperative.

With the transformed Labour Party in 2017, and with the next Prime Minister of Britain, Jeremy Corbyn  because in the last election, thats exactly what you did.

The stakes are too high and time is too short to settle for anything less.

In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour Show all 39 1 /39 In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud arriving for a reception ahead of a banquet at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud being welcomed at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump with King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during a welcome ceremony with traditional sword dancers at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with US President Donald J. Trump and wife Melania during a welcome ceremony at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump adjusts the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal, after it was bestowed upon him by Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud presents U.S. President Donald Trump with the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 Palestinians print posters depicting US President Donald Trump in preparations for his planned visit, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, before delivering his remarks to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump looks on as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef exchange a memorandum of understanding Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump shares a laugh with a child during a visit to the American International School in the Saudi capital Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers rest during preparations ahead of President Trump's landing in Tel Aviv, Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump makes her way to board Air Force One in Riyadh as she heads with her husband the US President to Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump board Air Force One for Israel, the next stop in Trump's international tour, at King Khalid International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers wait for the arrival ceremony of US President Donald Trump at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive aboard Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump disembark Air Force One on arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump and his wife, US First Lady Melania Trump are welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, in Lod outside Tel Aviv, Israel EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit during welcome ceremony in Tel Aviv AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump chats wife Sara Netanyahu as US President Donald Trump chats to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a welcoming ceremony to welcome Trump at Ben Gurion International Airport Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump delivers a speech upon his arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump gestures during a press conference with Israel's President at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump watches as First Lady Melania Trump signs the guest book at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump walks with first lady Melania Trump in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalems Old City Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump stands next to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz at the plaza in front of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner leave notes at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Ivanka Trump, assistant and daughter of US President Donald J. Trump, touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump arrives in a vehicle to Saint Damaso's Court for a private audience with Pope Francis in Vatican City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis walks past Ivanka Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the occasion of the private audience with President Donald Trump, at the Vatican AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis exchanges gifts with US President Donald Trump during a private audience at the Vatican Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis meets US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania during a private audience at the Vatican Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis with US President Donald J. Trump EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis gets into is car after meeting with US President Donald Trump AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 President Donald Trump and his wife Melania look at the frescoed ceilings during their visit to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump security vehicles are seen in front of Air Force One before take off from Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to reporters before boarding the Air Force One to Brussels, at the end of a 2-day visit to Italy including a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, at Rome's Fiumicino international airport AP

She added: Theresa May ran a cynical campaign based on exploiting fear and shock to grab more power for herself  first the fear of a bad Brexit deal, then the fear following the horrific terror attacks in Manchester and London.
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The man accused of the gruesome torture and murder of his girlfriend by scalping her and draining her body of blood in a Los Angeles apartment had already written a fictional version of a similar crime in one of his graphic novels, it has been reported.

Blake Leibel, 36, the son of a wealthy property magnate in Canada, is charged with the murder of his partner, Ukrainian-born model Iana Kasian.

The 30-year-old models body was found in May last year. She had been tortured and mutilated, suffering a head trauma, and died from having her blood drained from her body, according to a coroners report.

Mr Leibel is charged with murder, mayhem, aggravated mayhem and torture, and could face the death penalty. He denies the charges.

He had reportedly lived in LA on an $18,000(13,300)-a-month allowance with dreams of making it in the comic book industry, writing a number of stories based on violence and murder.

He is credited with working on an animated version of the Mel Brooks film Space Balls, creating a failed film comedy called Bald and publishing a graphic novel called Syndrome, which he described as grappling with the questions surrounding what provokes a person to commit evil acts, the Washington Post reported.

He also wrote a screenplay for a film entitled Psychopomp, which focuses on a vigilante who beheaded people who opposed his personal code of conduct.

Syndrome, which Mr Leibel apparently handed out for free at Comic-Con, opens with a television news reporter standing outside the prison where a serial killer is being kept, the night before his execution.

One of the killers murders is shown in the comic, in which a couple are hung, naked, from their feet, with their throats slashed, causing them to be drained of blood.

Ms Kasians autopsy was released as part of civil suit filed by her family who are seeking $56m (42m) over her death, The Toronto Sun reported.

Dr James Ribe, of the LA County Coroners office, said Ms Kasians entire scalp was traumatically absent and her scalp had been stripped to the bone with portions of her face torn away.

She had suffered bruises and a bite mark to her face, and had lived for at least eight hours after receiving the head injury.

Her death was recorded as exsanguination, due to her body having been drained of blood.
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Equifax Chairman and CEO Richard Smith has retired, following a massive data breach at his company that exposed the personal information of millions of people.

The credit reporting agency revealed earlier this month that hackers had accessed the information of some 143m Americans  including some who had no idea the company was collecting their data. The exposed information included social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and even credit card numbers.

The breach  the result of an unpatched flaw in the website's software  is said to be the worst in US history.

Scrutiny has increasingly fallen on the company's leaders, with Bloomberg reporting that the breach occurred months before the date the company reported. Equifax maintains that the earlier hack was not related to the later, larger breach.

Three Equifax executives also sold almost $2m worth of shares in the company days after the breach was discovered  but before it was announced publically. The company maintains that the executives did not know about the breach at the time.

The company's chief information and chief security officers stepped down on 14 September.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

Paulino do Rego Barros Jr has been named interim CEO in the wake of Mr Smith's departure. Mr Barros previously served as president of Equifaxs Asia-Pacific business. Board member Mark Feidler will serve as non-executive chairman.

"The Board remains deeply concerned about and totally focused on the cybersecurity incident," Mr Fielder said in a statement. "We are working intensely to support consumers and make the necessary changes to minimise the risk that something like this happens again."

Mr Smith, who led the company for more than a decade, will serve as an unpaid adviser during the transition. The 57-year-old was credited with growing Equifax's data collection operation and more than quadrupling the company's value.

Equifax shares fell 26 per cent after the attack was reported, and dropped an additional 2 per cent in premarket trading on Tuesday.

The FBI has opened a criminal investigation into the cyberattack. Federal legislators from both parties have requested additional information from the company. Dozens of states attorneys general are also investigating.

At least 30 lawsuits have been filed against the company. In the suits, Equifax is accused of misleading shareholders about its ability to protect consumer data and inflating its financial statements before the truth became known.

Equifax has said it will conduct an internal review and work closely with the FBI on the agency's investigation.
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US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said the US wants to resolve the standoff with North Korea diplomatically and is focused on denuclearising Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.

"We maintain the capability to deter North Korea's most dangerous threats, but we also will back up our diplomats in a manner to keep this as long as possible in the diplomatic realm," Mr Mattis told reporters in New Delhi, following talks with his Indian counterpart.

"Our goal is to solve this diplomatically," he said.

Mr Mattis' comments come amid escalating rhetoric between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The Trump administration clarified Monday that it is not seeking to overthrow North Korea's government after Mr Trump tweeted over the weekend that Mr Kim "won't be around much longer." Pyongyang interpreted the tweet as a declaration of war.

Mr Mattis arrived in the Indian capital late Monday, marking the first visit to the country by a Cabinet-level official from Mr Trump's administration.

In meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials, Mr Mattis was expected to focus on deepening defence cooperation between the two countries and discuss how India could contribute to US efforts in Afghanistan.

The talks with Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman covered ways to enhance and complement efforts to restore security in Afghanistan as Washington steps up its own military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground.

Last month, while outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan, Mr Trump urged India to assist security efforts in Afghanistan.

Ms Sitharaman said India would continue its efforts to reconstruct Afghanistan's infrastructure, but she ruled out sending Indian troops to the country.

So far, New Delhi has contributed around $3bn (2.2bn) toward building highways, power transmission lines and dams, as well as to aid public health and education in the war-ravaged country.

New Delhi will also enhance its efforts to train Afghan soldiers in counterterrorism and help build its police forces, Ms Sitharaman said.

India and the US also discussed maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, amid shared concerns about an increasingly aggressive China. The US, India and Japan annually conduct naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal to improve coordination between their navies.

AP
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Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos went ahead with a highly anticipated visit to the University of California, Berkeley over the weekend despite a student group cancelling his talk, speaking briefly and without amplification in an anticlimactic appearance.

Part of a Free Speech Week organised by conservative student organisations, Mr Yiannaopoulos scheduled appearance had the campus bracing for another skirmish in a free speech war that in the past year has spurred mass protests and halted planned speeches. The university had previously cancelled appearances by Mr Yiannaopoulos and right-wing firebrand Ann Coulter.

But before Mr Yiannaopoulos spoke a student organisation announced it was cancelling a longer slate of Free Speech Week activities, capping weeks of uncertainty. The group Berkeley Patriot had hoped to host Ms Coulter and former top White House adviser Steve Bannon. Multiple conservative figures whom Berkeley Patriot listed as speakers said they had no such plans.

Recommended Milo Yiannopoulos says Miami home has been destroyed by hurricane

Despite those wider developments, Mr Yiannaopoulos proceeded. The conservative figure appeared for about 15 minutes, speaking without amplification to a crowd estimated at between 150 and 200 people and signing autographs for admirers amid heavy security before departing. An estimated 500 protesters gathered outside the event and then took to the streets for marches.

Masses of people remained outside of security barricades as Mr Yiannaopoulos spoke, and Mr Yiannaopoulos claimed on Facebook after his appearance that hundreds of people were denied entry. University spokesman Dan Mogulof said there's no doubt the security line was moving slowly, noting authorities were exercising caution after catching someone with a weapon that resembled plastic brass knuckles, but said Mr Yiannaopoulos chose to begin speaking with people still waiting.

The brief event cost the university around $800,000, said Mr Mogulof, who told reporters it was the most expensive photo op in the universitys history. The university worked with local law enforcement to bolster security, and Mr Mogulof pointed to the expense and concerted effort as evidence of the schools commitment to the First Amendment and Free Speech.

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

Attorneys for Berkeley Patriot sent a letter to the university suggesting that the administration had undermined the planned event, saying organisers had endured extraordinary pressure and resistance, if not outright hostility. The university rejected the claim that it sought to block Free Speech Week from happening, pointing to the extensive planning it undertook to allow the event to proceed.

It is extremely unfortunate that this announcement was made at the last minute, even as the University was in the process of spending significant sums of money and preparing for substantial disruption of campus life in order to provide the needed security for these events, Mr Mogulof said in a statement after the cancellation was announced. Claims that this is somehow the outcome desired by the campus are without basis in fact.
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Hawaii residents have been told to prepare for a nuclear attack in light of increasing tensions with North Korea.

State authorities have advised residents to prepare for an attack as they would if a tsunami or hurricane were about to hit the chain of islands.

Gene Ward, a State Representative, said that he did not want to be an alarmist but wanted people to be prepared.

Recommended James Mattis tries to row back heated North Korea rhetoric

But as a local paper reported, a closed door, secret meeting of state officials to look at possible effects of a nuclear attack may have scared the public more than preparing them.

Mr Ward said younger Hawaiians were likely worried because talk of fallout shelters and drills are not issues they grew up with; its probably more surreal to younger generations, he said.

However, the Washington Post reported that residents are not panicking.

 North Korea propaganda video shows missiles blowing up US targets

Tsunami and hurricane preparation is nothing new for Hawaiians and instead of seven days of food, water, and emergency medical supplies on hand, they have been told to keep double that.

However, officials are not downplaying the seriousness of a potential nuclear attack.

The Honolulu Civil Beat newspaper obtained a copy of the document circulated at the closed-door meeting.

It includes chapters titled Enhance missile launch notification process between U.S. Pacific Command and the State Warning Point and Publish a new Ballistic Missile Threat Annex to the State Emergency Operations Plan (underway).

The state will begin testing a siren warning system, a wailing sound, in November.

It would give people about 12 to 15 minutes to get to safety, after which they would be required to stay indoors for 48 to 72 hours.

Hawaii does not have any public fallout shelters at the moment.

 White House denies Trump 'declaration of war' on North Korea

But in a darkly positive note the Frequently Asked Questions portion of the document said current estimates of human casualties based on the size (yield) of North Korean nuclear weapon technology suggests an explosion less than 8 miles in diameter which would mean about 90 per cent of the states population would survive in the event of an attack.

Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly last week and was warned by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres not to sleepwalk our way into nuclear war.

Mr Guterres said extreme language - such as the type Mr Trump has been using like saying he would rain down fire and fury - on Pyongyang could lead to fatal misunderstandings.

During his speech, Mr Trump did not hold back on the isolated Asian nation and its mercurial leader Kim Jong-un, saying he would totally destroy it should North Korea threaten and attack the US or an ally.

The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country, North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong-ho said from New York.

The Pentagon and Defence Secretary James Mattis have briefed Mr Trump on all available military options.
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San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz has declared that storm-ravaged Puerto Rico is facing a humanitarian crisis.

Almost a week after Hurricane Maria made landfall, most of the territory remains without power and running water.

We need food, diesel, water and logistics support, Ms Yulin Cruz tweeted. The mayor also told CNN: There are thousands and thousands of people going back to their homes to find out they don't have a home to go back to.

Recommended Donald Trump criticised for silence over Puerto Rico disaster

Jenniffer Gonzalez, the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, told the Associated Press that Maria has set the island back decades.

Donald Trump will visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that it is the earliest day he can head to the US territory.

Puerto Rico needs a lot of money, Mr Trump said. I am going to Puerto Rico on Tuesday  its the earliest I can go because of the first responders and we dont want to disrupt the relief efforts.

Weve gotten A-pluses on Texas and in Florida, and we will also on Puerto Rico, Mr Trump said, referring to the hurricanes that devastated parts of both states. But the difference is this is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean.

Hurricane Harvey brought unprecedented flooding to Southeast Texas, and Hurricane Irma ravaged areas of Florida after wreaking havoc across the Caribbean.

Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Show all 45 1 /45 Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Recently planted palm trees lie strewn across the road as Hurricane Irma passes by in Miami Beach, Fla. 10 September 2017. AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Damage outside the Mercure hotel in Marigot, on the Bay of Nettle, on the island of Saint-Martin AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures People pick up debris in Fajardo as Hurricane Irma howled past Puerto Rico after thrashing several smaller Caribbean islands Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Large waves produced by Hurricane Irma crash into the end of Anglins Fishing Pier in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The category 4 hurricane made landfall in the United States in the Florida Keys at 9:10 a.m. after raking across the north coast of Cuba. 10 September 2017 Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A Royal Air Force Puma has been delivered to the US Virgin Islands to assist with the humanitarian efforts post Hurricane Irma. The Puma will be delivering Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief in support of the Department for International Development. Royal Air Force logisticians from RAF Brize Norton have assisted with the delivery of military personnel and aid cargo to the Caribbean to support disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Irma. RAF aircraft including, C-17 A400M and Voyager are supporting a Joint Task Force of RAF, Royal Marines, Army and RN personnel who are supporting the Department for International Development as it delivers aid to stricken Caribbean Islands. MoD Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Flamingos at Zoo Miami, are shown in a temporary enclosure in a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, Saturday, 9 September 2017 in Miami. Though most animals will reman in their secure structures, the cheetahs and some birds will ride out the storm in temporary housing. AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Boats are seen at a marina in South Beach as Hurricane Irma arrives at south Florida, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. 10 September 2017 Reuters Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Storm clouds are seen over Fisher Island as Hurricane Irma approaches on 9 September 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida. Florida is in the path of the Hurricane which may come ashore at category 4 Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Waves crash over a seawall at the mouth of the Miami River from Biscayne Bay, Fla., as Hurricane Irma passes by. 10 September 2017 AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Some of the damage on Saint Martin EPA/Gerben Van Es/Dutch Department of Defence Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The skyline is seen as the outerbands of Hurricane Irma start to reach Florida on 9 September 2017 in Miami, Florida. Florida is in the path of the Hurricane which may come ashore at category 4. Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A tree toped by hurricane Irma is seen on a empty street in Remedios, Cuba, 9 September 2017. Hurricane Irma reached Cuba bringing winds between 160 and 190 kilometers per hour. The hurricane has hit the north coast of the island. EPA Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures James Constantineau loads sands bags in his truck as he prepares for the approach of Hurricane Irma Saturday, 9 September 2017, in East Palatka, Fla. Gov. Rick Scott is urging anyone living in an evacuation zone in southwest Florida to leave by noon as the threat of Hurricane Irma has shifted west. AP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The Fort Louis Marina in Marigot is seen on 8 September 2017 in Saint-Martin island, devastated by Hurricane Irma. AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Destruction in Orient Bay on the island of Saint-Martin AFP/Getty Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The wreckage in Orient Bay on the island of Saint-Martin AFP/Getty Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures View of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Saint Martin Reuters Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A mobile network tower snapped in two by the hurricane on the island of Barbuda ABS TV Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A house reduced to rubble on the island of Saint Barthelemy AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures General view of damage on Saint Martin Reuters Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A damaged Casino Royale on Saint Martin after the passage of Hurricane Irma Anna Mazur/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures An aerial photograph taken and released by the Dutch department of Defense shows the damage of Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, the Dutch section of the Caribbean Island Gerben Van Es/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Flooded houses in Gustavia on the island of Saint-Barthelemy Kevin Barrallon/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The damage on the island of Saint-Martin, a day after Hurricane Irma hit AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A man carrying an umbrella is battered by the wind in Fajardo, Puerto Rico Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A lone police car on patrol during the passing of Hurricane Irma in Fajardo, Puerto Rico Jose Jimenez/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Haitian people walk through the wind and rain on a beach in Cap-Haitien on September 7 as Hurricane Irma approaches Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A flooded street on the island of Saint Martin AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A tree collapsed on a house in Saint Martin Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A hotel in Saint Martin is gutted by floodwater during the hurricane Guadeloupe 1ere Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Cars submerged in Saint Martin Rinsy Xieng Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Debris floats amongst the floodwater in Saint Martin @la1ere Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Household items float down the street in Gustavia, Saint-Barthelemy Carole Greaux Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures The coast of Saint Martin is flooded as the hurricane hits the island Meteo Express Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A whole street underwater in Saint Martin @la1ere Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A car crashes into the tree amongst the chaos in Saint Martin @Bondtehond Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A building on the Saint Martin seafront, destroyed by the hurricane @Bondtehond Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A mobile home overturned at Princess Juliana International Airport in Saint Martin @Bondtehond Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Palm trees bend in the wind in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Irma slammed across islands in the northern Caribbean Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A woman runs in the rain as Hurricane Irma slammed into San Juan, Puerto Rico Reuters/Alvin Baez Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A picture taken on September 5, 2017 shows a view of the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot, with the wind blowing ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma AFP/Getty Images Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures A man rides past a boarded up house as part of preparations ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma on September 5, 2017, in the French overseas island of Guadeloupe Helene Valenzuela/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Employees of the Mercure Hotel fill sand bags on the Baie Nettle beach in Marigot, as part of the preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Irma Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures People in line at Costco, as they find out the store has ran out of water on September 5, 2017 in North Miami Michele Eve Sandberg/AFP Hurricane Irma  devastation caused in pictures Night view of the city of Cap-Haitien, in the north of Haiti, 240 km from Port-au-Prince, on September 5, 2017 Hector Retamal/AFP

While Irma also hit parts of Puerto Rico, it caused much less extensive damage to the island than Maria.

We have shipped massive amounts of food and water and supplies to Puerto Rico and we are continuing to do it on an hourly basis, Mr Trump said. But that island was hit as hard as you could hit. When you see 200 mile-an-hour winds, not even Texas had 200 mile-an-hour winds .. literally houses are just demolished, it was like tornadoes. It was like having hundreds of tornadoes.

Mr Trump tweeted on Tuesday that much food and water there/on way.

Ms Yulin Cruz on CNN praised the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) response, saying aid was starting to reach the island.

That is making people feel like we're not alone and we can make it, she said, adding: FEMA people have been wonderful.
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Steve Bannon has claimed his insurgent campaign to elect a controversial judge as an Alabama senator has been carried out to praise and honour Donald Trump, his former boss and someone who threw his support behind the other candidate.

In a pugilistic, nationalistic speech delivered at a farm barn 25 miles outside of Mobile on the eve of polling, Mr Trumps former strategist said electing Roy Moore would send an unmistakable message to Washington Republicans and the global elite.

They think youre fools - they have no interest in what you think, he declared, to huge cheers. Tomorrow, you have a chance to show what you think of the elite who are running our country.

Mr Moore's entire career has been marked by controversy (AP)

Mr Bannon, who threw his support behind Mr Moore after being fired as Mr Trumps chief strategist, sought to claim his campaign was not a challenge to Mr Trump, who has endorsed Mr Moores rival, Luther Strange.

Yet the man now back in charge of the conservative Breitbart News site, has admitted Mr Moore is his first attempt at electing a non-mainstream congress candidate. If successful, he has vowed to challenge many mainstream Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections.

We did not come here to defy Donald Trump. We came here to praise and honour him, Mr Bannon said.

We believe in America first, and conservatism because we oppose progressives and everything they stand for.

 North Korea: Trump's latest comments are 'clearly a declaration of war'

But many of those gathered in the early evening sunshine close to the Gulf Coast - some of them Mr Trumps strongest supporters - expressed anger and bewilderment over his decision to support Mr Strange.

I dont know why he is supporting Strange. He has to go back to his own. He was elected to drain the swamp, said Deane Suits, who had travelled from the town of Foley.

Another supporter of Mr Trump, Debbie Giles, said she she did not think Mr Strange would stand up for the issues important to her - primarily the freedom of religion. She said that Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell was close to being a socialist.

I think Mr Trump was wrong this time, she said. He needs to pay attention to the people who elected him.

Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Show all 22 1 /22 Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump talk as they leave the Army Museum at Les Invalides in Paris AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump arrive for the group photo at the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in May 2017 Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Mr Trump was pressed on the subject at the G7 summit in Italy Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump gives a speeech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument on Krasinski Square Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a ceremony at the NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is seen to the right of Donald Trump at a Nato summit in Brussels REUTERS Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis meeting with US President Donald J. Trump EPA Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis poses with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump arrives at Palazzo del Quirinale ahead of the meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella Ufficio Stampa Presidenza della via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is seen during a joint press conference with the Palestinian leader at the presidential palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets US President Donald Trump PPO via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with US President Donald Trump prior to the President's departure GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech at the Israel Museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump watch on during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump takes his seat before his speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump look at a display of Saudi modern art at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips King Salman presents Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz al-Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace on 20 May AP Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn prior to their first foreign trip Getty Images

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage, asked to attend the rally just a few days ago by Mr Bannon, was introduced to the crowds as Mr Brexit. He received huge applause when he celebrated Mr Trumps victory and talked up Mr Moores record.

He said he believed a vote for the 70-year-old judge, known for the installation of a granite statue of the Ten Commandments in his Montgomery courtroom, would help rejuvenate the movement that Mr Trump had given momentum to.

He said: This point about getting Judge Roy Moore is to help the President, isnt it? He will rejuvenate Trump, Brexit, and those wonderful things that happened in 2016.

Mr Moore took to the stage in a white cowboy hat and a black leather vest. He talked of his long career as someone who had fought in religious issues.

All of Washington is watching to see what Alabama does tomorrow, he said.

Meanwhile, in Birmingham, Mr Strange campaigned with Vice President Mike Pence.

Luther Strange is a real conservative. Hes a leader and a real friend to President Trump. I got to tell you, Big Luther has been making a big difference in Washington, said Mr Pence, according to the Associated Press.

Mr Srange said: Tomorrow, theres a lot on the line. For the Vice President and the President and of the United States to come here on my behalf means more than I can possibly say.
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Donald Trump has made a final push to avoid a humiliating defeat in the Alabama senate contest, where latest polls suggest the candidate he is backing is trailing by up to 11 points.

As voting centres opened across the state for voters to cast their choice for the Republican candidate for the US senate, Mr Trump posted two early morning tweets, urging people to get behind the man has endorsed, Luther Strange.

Luther Strange has been shooting up in the Alabama polls since my endorsement. Finish the job - vote today for Big Luther, he said.

A few hours later, he added: Alabama get out and vote for Luther Strange - he has proven to me that he will never let you down! #MAGA.

Yet Mr Strange faces a very tough task. An aggregate of polls collated by Real Clear Politics suggest he is trailing his opponent, retired judge Roy Moore, by 11 points.

Mr Strange held an eve of election rally in Birmingham in the company of Vice President Mike Pence, who went out of his way to stress the candidates conservative bona fides.

Luther Strange is a real conservative. Hes a leader and a real friend to President Trump. I got to tell you, Big Luther has been making a big difference in Washington, said Mr Pence, according to the Associated Press.

 Man who linked arms with Martin Luther King on Selma bridge: Trump should accept Christ

Mr Srange said: Tomorrow, theres a lot on the line. For the Vice President and the President and of the United States to come here on my behalf means more than I can possibly say.

Mr Moore faces a fired-up insurgent challenge from a candidate who has sought to portray him as someone who will become a Washington insider rather than working for the people who elected him. He has received the support of Mr Trumps ousted strategic adviser Steve Bannon, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Chuck Norris, Nigel Farage and Rush Limbaugh, among others.

At a rally for Mr Moore at a farm outside of Mobile in the south of Alabama, many people who voted for Mr Trump said they were disappointed he was supporting Mr Strange rather than the judge.

Debbie Giles, said she she did not think Mr Strange would stand up for the issues that were important to her - primarily the freedom of religion. I think Mr Trump was wrong this time, she said. He needs to pay attention to the people who elected him.

Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Show all 22 1 /22 Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump talk as they leave the Army Museum at Les Invalides in Paris AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump arrive for the group photo at the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in May 2017 Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Mr Trump was pressed on the subject at the G7 summit in Italy Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump gives a speeech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument on Krasinski Square Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a ceremony at the NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is seen to the right of Donald Trump at a Nato summit in Brussels REUTERS Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis meeting with US President Donald J. Trump EPA Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis poses with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump arrives at Palazzo del Quirinale ahead of the meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella Ufficio Stampa Presidenza della via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is seen during a joint press conference with the Palestinian leader at the presidential palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets US President Donald Trump PPO via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with US President Donald Trump prior to the President's departure GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech at the Israel Museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump watch on during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump takes his seat before his speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump look at a display of Saudi modern art at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips King Salman presents Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz al-Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace on 20 May AP Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn prior to their first foreign trip Getty Images

Mr Bannon has said his support for Mr Moore is the first of what he hopes will be a number of anti-establishment candidates he wants to back during the 2018 midterms in a challenge to Republican leaders such as Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. He said he believed electing Mr Moore, known for his installation of a huge granite statue bearing the 10 Commandments and his opposition to same-sex marriage, would help the President.

We did not come here to defy Donald Trump. We came here to praise and honour him, he said, borrowing the words of Shakespeare.

Judge Roy Moore is a good man. Hes a courageous man. Most importantly, hes a righteous man.

Mr Bannon claimed that a vote for Mr Moore was a vote for Mr Trump (Getty)

Mr Moore claimed Republicans in Washington cared little for the voters of Alabama.

They think youre fools - they have no interest in what you think, he declared. Tomorrow, you have a chance to show what you think of the elite who are running our country.

British right wing political Nigel Farage, who was introduced as Mr Brexit, had flown in at the invitation of Mr Bannon.

I have absolutely no hesitation in putting my support and my backing behind a man like judge Roy Moore, who has shown in his career that he will always put principle before his own career advancement, he said.

Mr Moore took to the stage wearing a cowboy hat and leather vest. He sought to hit back at claims from Mr Stranges campaign that he is somehow soft on gun rights. To do so, he pulled a handgun from his pocket.

I believe in the Second Amendment, said Mr Moore. For whatever reason, God has put me in this election at this time and all of the nation is watching.
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US President Donald Trump admitted to feeling up his wife in public and bragged about having sex with some of the greats in history in recently released interviews with radio host Howard Stern.

Leaked recordings of the two men's conversations between 1993 and 2015 reveal some of the the Presidents more uncensored thoughts about women. In the interviews, Mr Trump and Mr Stern frequently rate womens appearances and dish about their various sexual escapades.

In one interview, which was anonymously leaked to the website Factbase this month, Mr Stern asks if its true that Mr Trump has banged some of the greatest beauties on the planet.

True. Some of the greats in history, Mr Trump responds.

Later, when asked if he requires STD tests from all of the greats he bangs, Mr Trump responds: I own 25 percent of Goodyear Tire and Rubber"  a reference to using a condom.

In another interview, Mr Stern asks the billionaire about his third wife, Melania.

Have you ever felt her up in public? Mr Stern asks.

Yeah, Mr Trump replies, before clarifying: I'm very well behaved, actually, and almost always I'm very down the middle.

Women go on strike against Donald Trump Show all 7 1 /7 Women go on strike against Donald Trump Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Several times, the two men compare Melania Trump to Mr Trumps first wife, Ivana. In one interview, Mr Trump says his first wifes Czech accent was terrible and that he couldnt stand it.

Mr Stern refused to release old recordings during the presidential campaign, claiming it would be a betrayal.

I feel Donald Trump did the show in an effort to be entertaining and have fun with us, and I feel like it would be a betrayal to any of our guests if I sat there and played them now where people are attacking him, Mr Stern said in 2015.

 Melania Trump: "It's our generation's imperative to take responsibility for what our children learn"

Mr Trump, meanwhile, has claimed that people love the interviews he did with the so-called shock jock.

I never anticipated running for office or being a politician, so I could have fun with Howard on the radio and everyone would love it. People do love it, the then-candidate said last year.

Mr Trump's original ban provoked mass protests and legal challenges (EPA)

During his campaign, however, it appears Mr Trump attempted to tone down his comments. In a 2015 interview, the candidate declined Mr Sterns invitation to rate journalist Megyn Kellys attractiveness.

Well, you know, in the old days I would not have minded answering that question, but today I'll take a pass, he said.

Some of Mr Trumps other, more vulgar comments have come back to haunt him, however. A leaked recording of the businessman bragging about grabbing women by the p**** sparked outcry during the campaign, and caused many Republicans to call on him to step down.

Mr Trump later apologised for the remarks.
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A court order has reportedly labelled a gang rape survivor as promiscuous and has suspended the jail terms of the three perpetrators in India.

Two judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court agreed to give bail to the three students from the renowned Jindal Global Law School, who had been convicted in March for blackmailing and gang raping another student.

Hardik Sikri and Karan Chhabra were sentenced to 20 years behind bars. Vikas Garg will spend seven years in prison.

As shown in the court document, the woman had a consensual relationship with Sikri for one month and then she broke up with him. He then used naked pictures of her to blackmail and rape her. He also forced her to have sex with his two friends and gang-raped her on one occasion.

Justice Mahesh Grover and Justice Raj Shekhar Attri said the woman had a promiscuous attitude and a voyeuristic mind, pointing to her admissions that she had drunk a few cans of beer and smoked marijuana, which she said she had done to make forced sex more bearable.

The judges gave five reasons for granting bail, including the perpetrators educational prospects, the fact they believed the non-consensual sex did not constitute violence, family honor, the womans character and the fact she did not inform her parents.

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. 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Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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The entire crass sequence actually is reflective of a degenerative mindset of the youth breeding denigrating relationships mired in drugs, alcohol, casual sexual escapades and a promiscuous and voyeuristic world, the judgement stated.

No wonder, what is thrown up before us is a tragedy of sorts, driving four young lives and equal number of families into an abyss.

They added: It would be a travesty if these young minds are confined to jail for an inordinate long period which would deprive them of their education, opportunity to redeem themselves and be a part of the society as normal beings.

 CCTV shows men molesting woman on New Year's Eve in India

The court order document has sparked protests on social media. Friends of the woman started a petition to condone the judgement, which has gathered 4,500 signatures.

This judgement is a perpetuation of rape culture, the friends wrote.

It worsens concerns with regard to security of women in public spaces. Does the Court mean to signal to our generation that if we drink and smoke, we shouldnt expect justice from the system, even if it comes to rape and intimation?

The judges have ordered the perpetrators to attend counselling.

Indian law until recently stated that perpetrators of rape would not be convicted if their victim was of generally immoral character. It was changed in 2003.
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North Korea has moved military aircraft to its east coast and begun boosting defences after claiming the US has declared war.

Pyongyang threatened to to shoot down American bombers flying near the Korean peninsula "even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country".

The warning came after US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighter jets flew east of North Korea in a show of force following a heated exchange of rhetoric between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho claimed the US President's threat that that Kim's regime "won't be around much longer" amounted to a declaration of war and said Pyongyang had the right to take countermeasures.

Tensions have escalated in the region since North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb test on September 3 and fired two ballistic missiles over Japan in the past month.

The hostility of the rhetoric reached a new intensity over the last week as the two leaders traded threats and personal insults.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency suggested the reclusive North was bolstering its defences by moving aircraft to its east coast.

The unverified Yonhap report said the US appeared to have disclosed the flight route of its bombers intentionally because North Korea seemed to be unaware.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service was unable to immediately confirm the report.

Mr Ri said on Monday the North's right to countermeasures included shooting down US bombers "even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country".

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country," he told reporters in New York on Monday, where he had been attending the annual United Nations General Assembly.

He added: "The question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then."

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said it was "absurd" to suggest the US had declared war.

The US and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.

Pyongyang's nuclear test this month prompted a new round of sanctions after the UN Security Council voted unanimously on a resolution condemning the test.

North Korea has been working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the US mainland, which Mr Trump has said he will not allow.

The North says it needs its weapons programmes to guard against US invasion and regularly threatens to destroy the United States, South Korea and Japan.

But the increasingly personal insults being exchanged between the leaders of the two sides have raised fears a miscalculation could lead to global war.

Mr Trump last week threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea, a country of 26 million people. In response, Mr Kim issued an unprecedented personal statement in which pledged to "tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire".

Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Show all 6 1 /6 Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the "Hwasong-14" intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters

White House National Security Adviser H R McMaster defended Mr Trump's rhetoric and said on Monday he agreed Mr Kim might fail to realise the danger he and his country were facing.

However, he also acknowledged the perils of military escalation.

"We don't think there's an easy military solution to this problem," said Mr McMaster, who said he believed any solution would be an international effort.

"There's not a precision strike that solves the problem. There's not a military blockade that can solve the problem," he added.

China, North Korea's sole major ally and largest trading partner, has called for calm and dialogue, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the only solution to the crisis was a political one.

China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi said Beijing wanted the situation "to calm down".

"It's getting too dangerous and it's in nobody's interest," Mr Liu told Reuters in New York.
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The worlds largest butterfly  an endangered species  will be the first to benefit from a new conservation project in Papua New Guinea.

The Queen Alexandras Birdwing is facing dwindling numbers due to the palm oil industry eating up its natural habitat, as well as logging and illegal trade.

Within its small pockets around Popondetta in the Northern Province of Papua New Guinea, there are only 10 female butterflies per square kilometre.

Recommended Palm oil firm linked to Tory donors accused over rainforest fires

Conservationists hope the new project to save it, a captive breeding and release programme involving the local community, can be extended from Papua New Guinea to the UK.

The laboratory will be located at New Britain Palm Oils Higaturu palm oil estate, and staffed by an entomologist and technicians. Conservationists said their work is financially independent from the palm oil industry, but that collaboration was crucial.

Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust member and entomologist Charles Dewhurst said he was sure the project would protect the species, which has been endangered for four decades.

The butterfly with a woodland empire Show all 5 1 /5 The butterfly with a woodland empire The butterfly with a woodland empire 220372.bin The butterfly with a woodland empire 220368.bin The butterfly with a woodland empire 220369.bin The butterfly with a woodland empire 220370.bin The butterfly with a woodland empire 220371.bin

It has the advantage not only of being co-located at the heart of the problem, but also has support from all quarters. This sort of cooperation will make all the difference, he said.

If successful, the programme will also be used to protect other species.

Newly hatched (Angelus Palik)

Mark Collins, former co-author of the IUCN Red Data Books on Invertebrates and Swallowtail butterflies and chairman of the new Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust, has worked on saving the butterflies for 30 years.

We need to create win-win relationships. Everyone loves butterflies  they are flagship species and can bring back a feel-good factor to those working in the palm oil sector, to local people and as an attraction for eco-tourists, he said.

They plan to study the best areas to release the butterflies in the forests surrounding the palm oil estates, cultivating vines in those areas and making sure there are supplies of the butterflies' favourite food plant, the Dutchmans Pipe Vine.

Mr Collins has worked with palm oil industry figures to launch the programme. NBPOL is a subsidiary of Sime Darby Group, which works on plantations and industrial equipment.
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A man has died after being gored by a bull during a festival in the Spanish region of Valencia.

The victim, named locally as Amadeo AC, was gored and trampled in the street by the animal during a bull run in the Spanish town of Pucol.

The 46-year-old had been taking part in the annual Bous al Carrer festival on Saturday, evening which sees bulls released onto the streets.

Footage from the scene shows Amadeo trying to escape the bulls horns by leaning into the doorway but the animal followed.

It gored him before dragging him out into the street and trampling him despite attempts by onlookers to distract it.

The father-of-two was rushed to hospital but died a few hours later after suffering a cut to his femoral artery and a skull fracture, Las Provincias de Valencia reported.

After news of the death reacted the town the celebrations were suspended as a mark of respect.

Pucol mayor, Lola Sanchez, declined to comment on the death, saying they were waiting for the coroner's report.

In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Show all 20 1 /20 In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain A bull throws a reveler in the bullring during the Fiesta de San Fermin in Pamplona in July 2014 In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain 'Mozos' or runners fall during the 4th bull run at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Members of the Red Cross look after two girls after bulls from 'Jarandilla' ranch entered the bull ring during de fifth bullrun at the San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain 'Mozos' or runners are crowded together as bulls from the 'Jarandilla' ranch turn La Estafeta street during de fifth bullrun at the San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Jandilla ranch fighting bulls enter the bullring during a running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain A bull jumps over revelers on the ring at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain A man wheeling a bull head chases children at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain A reveler is hit by a bull on the ring at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Photographers take a close up as 'mozos' or runners fall just before the bulls during the second 'encierro' at the San Fermin Fiestas in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Bulls chase 'mozos' or runners as some fall to the ground during the second 'encierro' at the San Fermin Fiestas in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Runners sprint alongside Torrestrella fighting bulls at the Estafeta corner during the first running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Bulls run after the 'mozos' or runners during the first bullrun of the 2014 Sanfermines in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Revellers run with Torrestrella's fighting bulls along the Calle Estafeta during the second day of the San Fermin Running Of The Bulls festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain A statue of San Fermin, the patron saint of the Fiesta of San Fermin, is paraded during a procession on the second day of the Festival of San Fermin (or Sanfermines) in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain A runner avoids a fighting calf inside Pamplona Bullring during the second day of the San Fermin Running Of The Bulls festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Participants run in front of Torrestrella's bulls during the first bull-run of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Steers and bulls from the Ranch of Torrestrella run above runners entering the bullring during the second day of the San Fermin Running Of The Bulls festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Medical assistants help a participant injured during the running of the bulls with ''Torrestrella'' fighting bulls, at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Bulls run after the 'mozos' or runners during the first bullrun of the 2014 Sanfermines in Pamplona In pictures: Bull running in Pamplona Spain Revelers cheer before the launch of the "Chupinazo" rocket, which is set off to announce the start of the Fiesta of San Fermin, during the celebration of the opening day of the Fiesta of San Fermin 2014 in front of the Town Hall of Pamplona

Jose Maria Angel, general director of Security and Emergency Response of the Generalitat Valenciana, said the town had a lot of experience organising the Bous al Carrer and that they were committed to fulfilling all the [safety] protocols that are demanded.

At least 33 people and around 6,500 people have been killed in bullfights and bull runs in Valencia in the past 10 years.

The controversial sport remains popular across Spain despite several attempts to ban it on animal cruelty grounds.

Spains Constitutional Court struck down a bullfighting ban imposed by the Catalan government in 2010 after finding it fell foul of a law passed by the federal government which gave the bloodsport protected cultural status.
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Denmark's immigration minister on Tuesday posted a screenshot of her iPad showing a drawing of the Prophet Mohammad on Facebook, one of the satirical cartoons that caused outrage among Muslims around the world more than a decade ago.

The Facebook post comes as a reaction to a decision by the Skovgaard Museum in Viborg, Denmark, not to include the drawing in a new exhibition about blasphemy since the Reformation.

"It is the museum's own choice and they have their full right to do it, but I think it's a shame," said Inger Stojberg, minister for immigration and integration, in her Facebook post.

The Facebook post is accompanied by a screen shot of the minister's iPad background screen, which shows a cartoon of a bearded man with a bomb in his turban.

Stojberg said in the post she uses the cartoon as her background screen because it reminds her that Denmark is a country with freedom of speech, which includes the right to criticise religions.

"Honestly, I think we should be proud of the Mohammad cartoons," Stojberg said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. 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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. 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

Three Danish embassies were attacked and at least 50 people were killed in rioting in 2006 in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, after drawings of the Prophet Mohammed, images many Muslims consider blasphemous, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

The picture posted on Monday by the minister was one of those cartoons.

Reuters
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Emmanuel Macron suggested Britain could rejoin the EU at a later date as he set out an ambitious vision for a profound transformation that would boost integration between EU countries.

The French President called for the introduction of EU identity cards, a shared defence budget and a European military intervention force.

Speaking at Paris-Sorbonne University, he also proposed a shared budget for eurozone countries and an EU-wide asylum agency to help tackle the migration crisis.

Recommended Macron says UK needs to clarify three questions before Brexit resumes

In a move that raises the prospect of Britain returning to the EU at a later date, Mr Macron said he saw a place for the the UK in a reformed, simplified union.

He said: In this union rebuilt on intransigent values and an efficient market, in a few years, if it so wishes, Britain could regain its place, which is why you havent heard me talk about Brexit this afternoon.

The French President spoke for almost two hours as he laid out a vision for Europe that he hopes German Chancellor Angela Merkel will support.

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

He said: What Europe is missing today is a common strategic culture. Our incapacity to act together in a convincing way undermines our credibility as Europeans.

Europe as we know it is too weak, too slow and too inefficient.

But only Europe can give us the means to act on the world stage as we tackle the great challenges of the day.

Mr Macron called for the creation of an EU defence force by 2020 that would give the bloc autonomous capacity for action and proposed creating an European security training academy.

The centrist leader also proposed an EU tax on big technology companies and international action to regulate online activity.

Discussions are under way which dont define the future of Europe. But in this reformed, simplified European Union I dont rule out that Britain could find its place.

Mr Macron was elected in May on a platform of strengthening the eurozone and promoting EU integration ahead of Brexit.

However, his plans were dealt a blow when the Eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party emerged as the third biggest in last weeks German elections. The result means Angela Merkel is likely to have to form a coalition with the Free Democrats, who are opposed to many elements of deeper EU integration.
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In a modest apartment in a district of former East Berlin, Hans Blank, 95, a veteran socialist and political activist, sighs at the state of politics in Germany.

A member of the left wing populist party Die Linke (The Left), Mr Blank has lived in the now gentrified neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg for his entire life, witnessing the key events of the last century and how they have transformed Germany into a modern state.

The recent rise of the right wing nationalist and euroseceptic party Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD), which seized on the countrys anti-immigration sentiment and the shift of the political landscape to the centre ground, has brought back memories of darker times in Mr Blanks life.

The results of Sundays election sent shockwaves through the country as the AfD won 12.6 per cent of the vote and a total of 93 seats in parliament. It is the first time a far-right party has entered the Bundestag in almost six decades.

Mr Blank does not hide his anxiety at the success of the AfD. The oldest member of Die Linke in Prenzlauer Berg, Mr Blank has, like his father before him, made political engagement his way of life.

For him, the AfDs message of them versus us when referring to refugees and migrants is a slippery slope.

We cant directly compare what is happening now with what happened in the last century but the rise of the AfD is reminiscent of Nazi times, particularly in their political message. There is nothing more serious than this for our people, he told The Independent.

The AfD suggests migrants are not good people and that they must leave, they see Muslims as different from them, they say they are not Germans and cannot become German. This is the same thought process the Nazis had with the Jews, that they could not be Germans, he added.

Siding with optimism, Mr Blank said he hoped the German people will resist the AfDs political arguments and stay away from this renewed nationalism. Have we not learnt the lessons from the war? he asked.

It is partly the fault of my generation, we should have done more to pass on our experience to younger generations.

Some people and politicians argue all this is in the past and we should put it behind us to focus on the present. But thats a mistake. We cant close our eyes on the past because otherwise we wont know how to deal with the present and the future.

Born in 1922 in Berlin into a working-class family, Mr Blanks father Wilhelm Blank was a member of the communist KPD party in Germany and became a leading resistance figure against Hitlers regime after he was elected into power in 1933.

Demonstrators protest against the anti-immigration party Alternative fuer Deutschland in Berlin (Reuters)

He helped people persecuted by the regime into hiding and sent letters and notes encouraging others to join the resistance. He was eventually denounced, allegedly by a member of his left wing network and sent to Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp for political prisoners in the northeast of Berlin. He was later transferred to Mauthausen in Austria where he died four weeks before US troop liberated the camp.

In 1941, Mr Blank was forced to join the German army and fight for the Nazi cause after his father had attracted dangerous attention on his communist family and friends.

My father had told me what a war was like and for ordinary people there is nothing more wicked than a war, he said.

Mr Blank fought under the command of notorious German war general Erwin Rommel in North Africa, deliberately avoiding fighting on Europes front line.

But in 1943, he was captured by the British in Libya. For the next four years he worked in labour camps as a war prisoner, first in Morocco before being sent to Louisiana in the US to pick cotton and harvest sugar cane. He was eventually sent to France where he worked in a stone pit in the Pyrenees.

In 1947, Mr Blank was one of the first war prisoners in France to be sent back to Germany after his mother sent a letter to the French authorities explaining that his father had been a communist rebel against the Nazis and that the family was on the good side in Mr Blanks words.

Now a staunch pacifist, he remembers this part of his life with mixed emotions. Imprisonment was a terrible thing but at least I always had something to eat, he said.

Upon his return to Berlin, Mr Blank joined the new police force but his aversion to uniforms made him seek other opportunities and he became an engineer for the construction industry.

An active member of the East German Communist Party, the SED, he continued to participate in organising the new party but living standards were slow to improve.

Life was hard, said Mr Blank, remembering the chocolate and cars enjoyed by Germans living on the western side and which drew millions of East Germans to cross the border in the hope of a better life.

In my construction office, out of 40 engineers only three were left before the wall was built, all the others had left, he said.

When the Berlin wall was completed, Mr Blank was working in North Korea, helping to build a printing factory promised by East Germany.

Cherishing the prospect of creating a socialist state in the East, Mr Blank said he believed at the time the wall was a necessary evil that would enable the economy to grow and quickly prosper until we wouldnt need it anymore.

But the socialist ideal was dashed and the economy failed to catch up with the capitalist-driven West. Mr Blanks family, which like many others had been torn apart between East and West, started to feel the growing gap between both sides as living conditions became harsher in the East.

I just couldnt see the end of it, he said, adding I also felt sad because we didnt manage to make socialism work.

And yet, over the years Mr Blank has continued to hold on to his belief in a socialist ideal. He said some have described his affiliation with Die Linke, which received 9 per cent of the votes in Sundays election, as utopian but added: This is the only party which can achieve peace.

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

For now, Mr Blank hopes he can pass on the principles that have ruled his life to his two granddaughters, including the memory of his own father who died resisting the Nazi regime.

A few hundred metres from his home, a memorial stone remembers his father as a political victim of Hitlers so-called national socialism. In recent years, the stone has regularly been vandalised and Mr Blank has had to clean the memorial himself on several occasions.

This continues to be my battle, he said.
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Ireland is to hold a referendum on abortion in 2018, it has been announced.

A decision on the eighth amendment, which gives equal right to life to the unborn, will take place in May or June next year, according to Prime Minister Leo Varadkars government.

The public will then decide if abortion should be legalised in almost all cases.

The move comes after a long fight by campaigners to repeal the 8th, which caught international attention. It also comes before the sixth annual March for Choice demonstrations in Dublin and London on Saturday.

Claire McGowran, a volunteer with London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign, told The Independent that they were waiting for an exact date and the wording of the referendum question and were ready to start a year of campaigning.

"Our ideal is that the eighth amendment is completely repealed, and not replaced," she said. "The very minimum is that it's not confusing anymore and gives free, safe abortions to women in Ireland regardless of how they became pregnant."

The United Nations Human Rights Committee called last July for the countrys abortion bans to be reversed.

Abortion Rights Campaign wrote on its website to advertise the march on Saturday: This year we have learned of young children sectioned under the Mental Health Act for seeking abortions, of suicidal women denied access to the abortion theyre entitled to under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act because their doctor doesnt think theyre suicidal enough.

Meanwhile in Northern Ireland women continue to be prosecuted for procuring their own abortions, even though the push to decriminalise abortion is growing in the rest of the UK.

Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Show all 5 1 /5 Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS

We need full repeal of the 8th Amendment in the Republic of Ireland, and proper legislation in Northern Ireland. We need access to free, safe and legal abortion for all who need or want it. And we need it now.

Thousands of women seeking an abortion have had to travel to the UK every year to get the procedure, which is legal under Westminster, but Irish women have had to pay up to 4,000 for travel, accommodation and medical costs.

Ireland, a predominantly Catholic country, currently has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. The eighth amendment was voted in a time when contraception was also illegal in Ireland.

A woman can face 14 years in prison for taking abortion pills which can be ordered online.

Terminating a pregnancy is only allowed under extremely rare circumstances where the mothers life is in danger. This provision to protect the mother was voted into the Constitution in the 1980s by a large majority in another referendum.

However, referendums have recently led to progressive social change, for example, same sex marriage was legalised in 2015.

Various high-profile cases of women seeking bodily autonomy have forced the issue into the spotlight.

The UN committee focused on Amanda Mellet, who was 21 weeks pregnant when she was told that her baby would die in the womb or shortly after birth. She got an abortion in the UK but could not afford to stay long, and was forced to have her babys ashes flown to her separately.

In March, women across the country went on strike for a day, wearing black, to protest the laws. The campaign group, Strike 4 Repeal, was inspired by similar protests in Poland in 2016, where women took to the streets, waving coat hangers as a powerful symbol of women who were at serious risk via underground and illegal procedures.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to invade Iraq, after the country's Kurds voted for independence in a non-binding referendum.

Issuing a strongly-worded speech, Mr Erdogan said fighting the Iraqi Kurdish bid for independence was "a matter of survival".

The Turkish leader also suggested he could cut off a pipeline that carries oil out of Iraq, to increase pressure on an autonomous Kurdish region.

Mr Erdogan has long struggled against a Kurdish insurgency in southeast Turkey, which shares a border with northern Iraq.

Baghdad also did not recognise the referendum, which it sees as a Kurdish attempt to exert more control over the country's oil reserves.

Mr Erdogan's indication that he could cut the pipeline came shortly after Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara could take punitive measures involving borders and air space against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over the referendum.

Voting began on Monday despite the strong opposition from governments in the region. Western governments, too, had objected to the poll, fearing the move could aggravate Middle East instability.

Mr Erdogan said the separatist referendum was unacceptable and that economic, trade and security counter-measures would be taken.

Pointing to Turkish military exercises currently taking place on Turkeys border with the Iraqi Kurdish region, Mr Erdogan said: Our military is not (at the border) for nothing." He added: We could arrive suddenly one night.

Suggesting that Turkey could halt oil flows from a pipeline from northern Iraq, he said: After this, let's see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it. We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it's done.

Yet he stopped short of saying Turkey had decided to turn off the oil flow. Hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day come through the pipeline in Turkey from northern Iraq.

Mr Yildirim said Ankara would decide on punitive measures against the KRG after talks with Iraq's central government.

Our energy, interior and customs ministries are working on (measures). We are evaluating steps regarding border gates and air space. We will take these steps quickly, Mr Yildirim told Turkish broadcasters.

Iraqi soldiers arrived in Turkey on Monday night to join a drill on the Turkish side of the border near the Habur area in the southeast, Turkey's military said in a statement. Iraq's defence ministry said the two armies started major manoeuvres at the border area.

Local media said Turkey had blocked access to the KRG via the Habur border crossing with Iraq. Ankara's customs minister denied this, saying Habur remained open but with tight controls on traffic, according to the state-run Anadolu agency.

However, Mr Erdogan later said traffic was only being allowed to cross from the Turkish side of the border into Iraq.

Maruf Ari, a 50-year-old truck driver, was one of those who had crossed back into Turkey early on Monday morning. He said a closure of the gate would ruin his livelihood.

If the border is closed it will harm all of us. I (have been) doing this job for 20 years. I'm not making a lot of money. Around 1,000 lira (209) a month. But if the gate is closed, we will go hungry.

The United States and other Western powers also urged authorities in the KRG to cancel the vote, saying it would distract from the fight against Islamic State.

We will continue to take determined steps and the Kurdistan Regional Government must take a step back. It is an absolute must, Mr Erdogan said.

Shares of Turkish Airlines, which has direct flights to northern Iraq, tumbled 6.5 per cent in the BIST 100 index. Turkey's currency, the lira, also weakened.

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

Turkey took the Kurdish television channel Rudaw off its satellite service TurkSat, a Turkish broadcasting official told Reuters.

Turkey has long been northern Iraq's main link to the outside world, but sees the referendum as a grave matter for its own national security. Turkey has the region's largest Kurdish population and has been fighting a three-decade insurgency in its mainly Kurdish southeast.

On Saturday, Turkey's parliament voted to extend by a year a mandate authorising the deployment of troops in Iraq and Syria.

But Turkey is unlikely to make rash moves when it comes to sanctions against the KRG, said Nihat Ali Ozcan, a professor of political science and international relations at TOBB University of Economics and Technology.

Closing the border gate, cancelling international flights and, at the final step, cutting the pipeline can be discussed, he said. Military pressure can be used directly or indirectly.

The Turkish army launched military exercises involving tanks and armoured vehicles near the Habur border crossing a week ago and they are expected to continue until at least 26 September. Additional units joined the exercises as they entered their second stage.

Turkey's military said in its statement that the third phase of the drill would be held on 26 September and that Iraqi soldiers who arrived on Monday night would join.

The military has also in recent days carried out daily air strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq, where the group's commanders are based.

There are around 30 million Kurdish people scattered across several countries following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire a century ago.

The PKK launched its separatist insurgency in 1984, and more than 40,000 people have been killed since. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

In a travel warning, Turkey strongly recommended its citizens in the Iraqi Kurdish provinces of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniya leave as soon as possible if they are not obliged to stay.

Agencies contributed to this report
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A Palestinian attacker opened fire early Tuesday at the entrance to a settlement outside Jerusalem, killing three Israeli security men and critically wounding a fourth, Israeli police and medical services said, in one of the deadliest attacks in a two-year spate of violence.

Gaza's Islamic Hamas rulers praised the attack but stopped short of taking responsibility for it. Israeli officials said the attacker was a 37-year-old Palestinian father of four who appeared to have acted alone.

The attack comes at a tense period amid the Jewish high holidays and is likely to complicate the mediation efforts of US peace envoy Jason Greenblatt, who had just arrived in the region for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

 One million Palestinian children in 'unlivable' conditions amid power shortages

Speaking at his weekly Cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was partially a result of systematic Palestinian incitement and said he expected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to "condemn this attack and not try to justify it."

Police spokesperson Luba Samri said the attacker approached the back gate entrance of the Har Adar settlement, hiding among dozens of Palestinian day labourers who were being checked by security forces.

The man aroused police suspicions and was asked to stop, Ms Samri said. At that point, he pulled out a weapon and began opening fire from a short distance. The attacker, who held a valid permit to work in Israel, was then shot dead by other forces at the scene.

The Magen David Adom medical service said that in addition to the three killed, a fourth Israeli man, 32, was evacuated to hospital in critical condition. The casualties were identified as Solomon Gavria, a 20-year-old policeman, and two private security guards.

Israel: From independence to intifada Show all 7 1 /7 Israel: From independence to intifada Israel: From independence to intifada 26973.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26974.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26975.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26976.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26977.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26985.bin Robert Capa/Magnum Israel: From independence to intifada 26986.bin Robert Capa/Magnum

Har Adar is an upscale community west of Jerusalem, straddling the seam line between the West Bank and Israel proper  and an unusual target in the wave of violence that Israel has been coping with over the past two years.

Shay Retter, the head of Har Adar's security committee, said that between 100 and 150 Palestinian labourers typically enter the community each day for work. Local residents said they knew the attacker from previous work he had carried out in the community and were shocked to hear what he had done. The military imposed a closure on the nearby Palestinian village of Beit Surik, the home of the attacker.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he saw no difference between Palestinian terrorism and radical Islamic terrorism targeting sites in Europe and elsewhere.

"Before talking about any kind of negotiations, the world must demand of the Palestinian Authority to stop its incitement and encouragement of terror," he said, alluding to Mr Greenblatt's visit and his goal of securing concessions for Palestinians.

Minister of Intelligence Israel Katz was even blunter.

"The attack is also a message to special US envoy Greenblatt," he said. "Israel's security was and yet remains the supreme consideration in the government's policy, and is above any other consideration of improving and easing the lives of the Palestinians."

Mr Netanyahu pledged that as a punitive measure, the attacker's home would be demolished and working permits of his extended family would be revoked.

However, Israel's internal Shin Bet security service downplayed ideology as a motive, saying the attacker was plagued with personal issues.

The attacker was identified as Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Jamal and the Shin Bet said its preliminary investigation indicated there was significant violence in his family. His wife had recently fled to Jordan and left him with their four children, it said.

Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 51 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and car-ramming attacks. Several of these attacks were carried out by individuals struggling with domestic and emotional issues whose acts were subsequently cloaked in nationalism.

During that same time, Israeli forces have killed over 255 Palestinians. Israel says most of them were attackers and others died in clashes with Israeli forces. Most of the attacks have been stabbings against security forces, primarily in the West Bank.

 Trump: Israelis and Palestinians are 'reaching for peace'

Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian religious and political leaders compounded on social media sites that glorify violence and encourage attacks. Palestinians say the attacks stem from anger and frustration at decades of Israeli rule in territories they claim for a state.

The frequency and intensity of attacks has lessened of late but such an incident, coming amid the Jewish high holiday, threatened to ignite them anew.

Gaza's Hamas called Tuesday's assault a "heroic operation" that was a "natural response" to Israeli aggression against Palestinians and proved that the Palestinian uprising was still alive.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said "the cruel terror attack proves once again the daily front that our security forces face in the most important mission  protecting and defending the safety of the citizens of Israel."

Associated Press
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The overwhelming vote for Kurdish independence in the referendum in northern Iraq is re-energising Kurdish nationalism and the demand for a separate Kurdish state.

Bye bye, Iraq! Bye bye, Iraq!, chanted demonstrators in Irbil, capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), as they danced in the streets after the polls closed.

The impact of the referendum is not confined to Iraq, but is producing outbursts of nationalist enthusiasm in Iran, where thousands of Iranian Kurds marched through the streets of their cities to show their support for the vote. Many wore masks to hide their faces from the Iranian security forces observing the demonstrations.

The angry and threatening response to the referendum by government leaders in states surrounding Iraqi Kurdistan underlines how difficult it will be for any of the 30 million Kurds in the region to win independence. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that he can close the oil pipeline carrying crude from the KRG to the Mediterranean, demanding that the Iraqi Kurdish leadership abandons this adventure with a dark ending. The Defence Ministry in Baghdad has announced wide-scale joint military manoeuvres with the Turkish army.

These menaces need not be taken too seriously for the moment. Mr Erdogan often issues apocalyptic warnings directed against his enemies, but is usually more cautious in acting against them, The Iraqi armed forces won a big victory by capturing Mosul from Isis in July this year, but they were able to call in the massive fire power of the US-led coalition. Baghdad would not have the same advantage if it came to war with the Kurds.

But the condemnation of the Kurdish referendum by everybody from Washington to Tehran does show the degree to which the Kurds in Iraq are isolated and without allies, if they do opt for independence. Only Israel has given them full support, something that will hardly win them friends in the region. Critics in Baghdad often accuse the Kurds of wishing to establish a second Israel in the Arab world.

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 reality, the balance of power between the Iraqi Kurds and their many enemies has not changed much in the long term and remains heavily weighted against them. The balance did swung in their direction in 2014 when Isis defeated the Iraqi army in Mosul and the US stepped in to give air support the Kurdish peshmerga when they in turn were attacked by Isis.

Three years later Isis is close to final defeat and its self-proclaimed caliphate has been battered to pieces. The Kurds in Iraq and Syria, who supplied most of the ground forces to battle Isis, are no longer needed by the international community. Ominously, the Iraqi and Syrian governments have both won military victories against Isis and may now turn their attention to combating the Kurds.

This is a serious point of vulnerability for the Iraqi Kurds. They took advantage of the Iraqi armed forces' defeat by Isis in 2014 to expand their own territory. By one count they increased the area they controlled by 40 per cent, much of it in zones where Arabs, Kurdish and minority populations mingle. Once Isis is eliminated the disputed territories are bound to provoke friction and possible armed conflict.

An all-out war between the central government in Baghdad and Iraqi Kurds does not look likely because both sides have foreign allies who would probably prevent the fighting getting out of hand.

Did President Masoud Barzani make a mistake in holding the referendum, as so many foreign powers now contend? The answer to this depends on whether any of the threats now being made against the Kurds turn out to be more than words. If they remain rhetorical, however belligerent in tone, Mr Barzani can claim that he has successfully put the national aspirations of the Kurds back on the international agenda, even if Kurdish statehood remains a long way off.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that the referendum on support for independence for Iraqi Kurdistan next door risks sparking an "ethnic war" in the region.

In a speech at the presidential palace in Ankara on Tuesday, Mr Erdogan reiterated that all options, including the military, are on the table to protect Turkey's security.

He also repeated his Monday threat to cut off the pipeline which exports the autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq's oil across the Turkish border.

 Iraqi woman solving uniform shortage for Kurdish fighters

The KRG's 8.4 million strong population took to the polls on Monday to vote on whether to separate from Baghdad in a referendum not recognised by the central government. Turnout is believed to have been high, at around 72 per cent, and local television said 90 per cent of votes had been cast as yes to independence. Results are expected at the latest by Wednesday.

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"Until the very last moment, we weren't expecting Barzani to make such a mistake as holding the referendum. Apparently we were wrong," Mr Erdogan said, referring to KRG President Masoud Barzani. "This referendum decision, which has been taken without any consultation, is treachery."

Iraq's Kurds would starve, he added, if Turkey decided to close its long border with northern Iraq, warning that economic and military action were both options on the table for Ankara.

The Kurdish people  who number roughly 30 million across several countries  were left stateless when the Ottoman Empire collapsed a century ago.

Iraq's neighbours Turkey and Iran also have significant Kurdish populations. Ankara and Tehran are worried that the creation of an independent Kurdistan could fuel the desire for Kurdish independence within their own countries.

My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison Show all 3 1 /3 My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison 442629.bin GETTY My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison 442630.bin AP My reporting on the Kurds landed me in a Turkish prison 442631.bin REUTERS

While it has been met with enthusiasm by the Kurdish diaspora all over the world, Baghdad and Iraq's Arab population have expressed their concerns that areas voting in the referendum include Kirkuk, an ethnically mixed and oil-rich province.

Increasing unrest there in recent days has led to worries that the likely "yes" result could lead to Arab-Kurdish violence.

"We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a speech on Monday night.

Ths US also repeatedly attempted to persuade the KRG to delay the referendum, fearing further friction between Irbil and Baghdad could derail the fight against Isis and Iraq's fragile peace.

Meanwhile, Iraqi soldiers joined Turkish troops for military exercises in Turkey's southeast, near the KRG border. And Kurdish Rudaw TV was also taken off the air, a broadcasting official told Reuters.

In Irbil, however, the mood on Monday was jubilant, with public referendum celebrations continuing late into the night and beginning again on Tuesday.
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The Saudi Arabian government is too tolerant of hate speech and even incitement directed at minority groups in the Kingdom, a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found.

Despite recent efforts at reform and the condemnation of attacks made on Shia citizens, state-affiliated clerics and government agencies are using language which is derogatory towards the countrys Shia and Sufi minorities and non-Muslims, the watchdog said on Tuesday. Sometimes the language reaches the level of hate speech and even incitement to violence, the New York-based organisation said.

The report - titled They Are Not Our Brothers: Hate Speech by Saudi Officials - also found that public school textbooks contain language that that discriminates against other forms of worship, and Shia citizens face discrimination in the legal system.

 May denies suppressing report into Saudi Arabia's funding of extremism to protect arms deals

Shia and Sufi Muslims who do not adhere to the tenets of the extremely conservative Wahabist state-endorsed version of Sunni Islam are a prime target of Saudi-sponsored hate speech and intolerant rhetoric, the 64-page-long study found. Shia Muslims are often referred to as the derogatory rafida or rawafid by clerics with millions of followers on social media.

The school curriculum does not mention Shias by name, but uses veiled language to stigmatise Shiite religious practices - for example, criticising visiting graves and shrines to venerate important people, which are common practices among Shias. Saudi textbooks describe these practices as a form of polytheism, HRW said.

Calls for equality for Saudi Arabias Shia citizens reached fever pitch during Arab Spring protests in 2011. Since then, the countrys mainly Shia East has seen periodic bouts of unrest including car bombs and attacks on the security services.

Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel Show all 4 1 /4 Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel 20597.bin HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty Images Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel 20596.bin HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty Images Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel 20598.bin HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty Images Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel 20601.bin HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty Images

Riyadhs newly-established Department of Public Prosecution has powers to charge offenders who are accused of spreading hate speech and inciting violence on social media, including anyone who attempts to foment sectarian violence - although rights activists have expressed concerning the far-reaching new laws could be used to target anti-government protesters too.

Anti-Shia rhetoric spiked in 2016, after the Sunni-led Kingdom and its regional rival, Shia Iran, severed ties. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has recently claimed that Iran is based on an extremist ideology and seeks to control the Islamic world, ruling out a dialogue with the country.

The cold war between Tehran and Riyadh has played out in proxy wars in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and has also fuelled tensions between Sunnis and Shia citizens in Bahrain and Lebanon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
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The King of Saudi Arabia has issued a decree allowing women to drive, state media has said.

The order  issued by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud  overturned a longstanding policy which had become a powerful symbol of oppression. The conservative kingdom is currently the only country where the act of women driving is forbidden.

The move was announced on television and also by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the royal decree mandating the creation of a ministerial body to give advice on the practicalities of the edict within 30 days and a full implementation of the order by June 2018.

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The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licences for men and women alike, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.

Saudi Arabia is a Muslim monarchy ruled according to Sharia law, with the royal decree stipulating that the new rules must apply and adhere to the necessary Sharia standards. State media said that the Council of Senior Religious Scholars  the country's highest religious authority that advises the King on religious matters  had approved the permissibility of the decree.

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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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

Saudi officials and clerics have provided numerous explanations for the ban in recent years. Some clerics have said that it was inappropriate in Saudi culture to drive, while others have said that male drivers would not know how to handle driving with women in the cars next to them. A number conservative clerics have argued that allowing women to drive would corrupt the wider Saudi society and lead to sin.

Since the 1990s, women's rights activists in the kingdom have been pushing for the right to drive, saying that it represents their larger struggle for equal rights under the law. A number of women have been arrested for defying the ban.

With Saudi law enforcing a strict form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism, it is not entirely clear yet how the new rules will work in relation to other remaining restrictions. These include laws which require women to be accompanied by a male "guardian" when they leave their homes.

The momentum to change the policy has picked up in recent years with the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, son of the King and heir to the throne. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has laid out a far-reaching plan two years ago, labelled Saudi Vision 2030, which looks to overhaul the kingdom's economy and society and reduce its dependence on oil.

That plan includes diversifying the economy and creating new sectors for young people to work in, as well as laying on more cultural events such as concerts.

Low oil prices have limited the government jobs that many Saudi families have relied on and authorities are looking to push more citizens, including women, into employment. However, the cost of hiring private drivers to take them to work, eating up wages, has diminished the incentive for women to look for work.

The move to let women drive may face some opposition in the country, with Saudi authorities facing a social media backlash earlier this month after women were allowed into the country's national stadium for the first time as part of celebrations launched to mark the 87th anniversary of Saudi Arabia's founding.

But many have welcomed the development as an important step. Manal al-Sharif, an activist and an organiser of the Women2Drive campaign who has also been imprisoned for driving, said on Twitter that Saudi Arabia would never be the same again.

Prince Khaled bin Salman, the new Saudi ambassador to Washington, said it was the right time for Saudi Arabia to do the right thing and said his government viewed women driving as a social issue, not a religious or cultural matter. He said Saudi Arabia would recognise driver's licences issued to women in other Gulf Co-operation Council countries, but would not comment on whether Saudi Arabia would take other steps to expand rights for women.

US State Department spokesman Heather Nauert called the new decree a great step in the right direction.
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Down the maze-like cobbled streets of Lisbons Alfama district  a once impoverished neighbourhood thats now thriving  you might be surprised as fragments of conversation drift past. English, French, German  theres even the rogue American drawl.

Because here, between the ancient houses that rise from the Tejo Estuary to the majestic Castele de Sao Jorge, youll find a community of young people from all around the world whove settled in the Portuguese capital and made it their home. The Alfama district is at the centre of Lisbons new cultural shift; but not everybody is happy about it.

Up-and-coming: Alfama has attracted many different nationalities (Getty/iStock) (iStock)

Lisbons been the European city break par excellence for some time now; the new Barcelona, if you will. Its easy to see why: it enjoys a subtropical climate (the average temperature in December is a sultry 14C), the cost of living is cheap (you can rent a one-bedroom apartment in a central location for around 800 a month), its blessed with a vibrant bar and restaurant scene, and it provides easy access to the beaches of the Algarve.

But young, affluent millennials arent just holidaying in the City of Seven Hills. Theyre moving here, and theyre doing it en masse. Its all down to the way we work nowadays. Gone are the stable 9-5 jobs of yore; welcome to the gig economy.

According to one recent report, 60 per cent of 18 to 35-year-olds are actively looking to move abroad. Todays workers are self-employed and geographically flexible; theyre freelancers who can work anywhere, provided the broadband is fast enough. So why live in a city like London  where rent is eye-wateringly expensive and the weather uniformly grey  when you could halve your living costs and wake up every morning to sunny skies?

My girlfriend and I moved to Lisbon for a change of scene in 2013, explains 31-year-old James Cave, who now lives in the up-and-coming Alcantara neighbourhood. We had just started freelancing, and Lisbon seemed a great place to base ourselves. It was affordable and had great weather.

Other newcomers to the city come once and love it so much they never leave. I originally came here for a week for work, because I was producing music for Lisbon Fashion Week, says Chris Savor, 31, who moved to the city three months ago and lives in the Principe Real district in the city centre. I loved the vibe of the place so much I decided to live here! Now, Savor spends 800 (700) a month on rent  half of what he paid in the UK. I love it here, he enthuses. The weather is always great, I love the old architecture and cobbled streets, amazing beaches and live music on the streets.

Sail away: Lisbon provides quick access to the beaches of the Algarve (Getty/iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

But the pace at which people are moving to the city has quickened exponentially in recent years. In around 2014, Lisbon started winning awards and getting listed as a place to visit. Suddenly, it seemed like everyone was going there, says Cave. The expat scene is a lot bigger than a few years ago. He explains that younger expats tend to stay closer to the city centre and spend their weekends surfing or drinking in the bars of Graca, Cais do Sodre, Bairro Alto and Principe Real.

My favourite thing about Lisbon is the overall quality of life I have here, raves 37-year-old Kev Harrison, who lives in the Paco De Arcos area on the outskirts of the city. Its incomparable to anywhere else Ive lived. The availability of fresh food at reasonable prices; the weather conditions; the cost and high standard of public transport  its all so much better.

My quality of life is great, agrees Aristote Koen, 25, who recently moved to the Sao Domingo de Benfica area. I rent a cosy room with weekly cleaning in a flat-share, for 370 a month. The city is multicultural, the food is great, prices are low and locals are friendly. You can also feel the historical and cultural wealth of the city, and theres entrepreneurs from all over Europe, which is great.

Local living: younger expats tend to hang out in the city centre (Getty) (Getty Images)

In particular, theres a burgeoning nomad community in the city, comprised of freelance workers from all over the world who base themselves in the capital for months or even years at a time. Rosanna Lopes, 33, has been running a meet-up group for freelance workers for two years now. My goal was to integrate the local startup scene with the digital nomad scene, she says. Now her nomad community numbers around 150, has taken on a co-working space, and hosts regular networking events.

But not everyone is as delighted with Lisbons rapid pace of change. Lisbon residents associations have met to discuss what can be done to protect the interests of locals. Already rent is becoming prohibitively high for native-born city dwellers, and increasingly scarce.

Its becoming really expensive to find a long-term rental in central Lisbon, says Agustin Cocola-Gant, an expert in gentrification and tourism at the University of Lisbon. At the same time, demand has grown a lot, as European professionals, locals and international students move to the city. This is terrible for prices.

And small private landlords are increasingly turning to rental services like Airbnb to make a living, decimating entire neighbourhoods, like the Alfama district. Grant tells me that on one street in Alfama alone there are 230 Airbnb rentals.

Inevitably, this has a corrosive effect on the fabric of Lisbons society. In the last two or three years, locals have begun to complain, he says. The facilities and the services they use are disappearing. Traditional stores and bars that would have been cheap meeting places for locals are disappearing and being replaced with expensive cafes for English-speaking foreign students.

Despite these concerns, Lisbon looks set to continue its relentless progress. And the city authorities are doing much to encourage this change  regulation is loose and taxes on short-term rentals remain low, as the city tries to stimulate the tourism industry to help tackle the still-high unemployment rates.

If theres one thing for certain, its that we can expect many more young, geographically mobile professionals to book flights to Lisbon soon. Whether the city will be able to keep up with the rate of change is another question entirely.

Click here to find flights to Lisbon
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Mount Agung, an active volcano in north-east Bali, is showing increased seismic activity as travellers and local people prepare for a possible eruption.

Indonesias National Disaster Management Authority has raised the volcanic warning level for Mount Agung from "Alert" to "Warning". The exclusion zone extends between 9km and 12 km from the crater. When it last erupted in 1963-4, nearly 2,000 people died.

The authority advises those in the location to Make sure you are at a shelters or another safe place from the effects of the eruption, and to use a mask and safety glasses. It warns of the potential secondary hazard in the form of cold lava flood.

Up to 50,000 islanders have been moved from the area around the volcano as a precaution.

The Bali Tourism Board said: Basic needs such as food and water are flowing in from all around Bali with volunteers supporting the distribution process.

It says ferries to and from the neighbouring islands of Lombok and Java are running normally, as are flights at Denpasar airport.

But airline schedules are being affected already, with Virgin Australia saying: As a precautionary measure, some of our Bali bound flights will be making fuel stops in Darwin.

This ensures that if an eruption occurs while the aircraft is en route, we will be able to get guests back to their originating port safely and quickly.

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The Australian government is warning its citizens: Local authorities have temporarily suspended all outdoor activities such as hiking and camping activities in proximity to the crater.
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The worlds longest non-stop flight has been reduced to a protracted one-stop trip due to Auckland airport running short of jet fuel.

Qatar Airways flight 921 is scheduled to cover the 9,025 miles from New Zealands largest city to Doha in 18 hours. But because of what Auckland airport calls a temporary fuel supply disruption, for the last week it has stopped in Australia to fill its tanks  typically adding three hours to the journey time.

The pipeline between New Zealands only oil refinery, at Marsden Point, and the depot which supplies airlines operating at Auckland airport, has been damaged. As a result, only about one-third of the normal usage is being delivered and oil companies are rationing the amount of fuel they supply.

While the pipeline was repaired at the weekend, continuing shortages are affecting flying.

Pilots of short-haul flights, such as domestic services or hops across the Tasman Sea to eastern Australia, can tanker fuel, arriving in Auckland with enough on board to operate the return leg. But many long-haul flights are having to make unscheduled stops soon after take-off from the city in order to fill up.

Over the past week, the daily Qatar Airways Boeing 777 to Doha has mainly landed at Adelaide, with some services touching down in Melbourne instead. Both Australian airports are off the most direct track between Auckland and Doha, meaning that the journey is extended.

The worlds second-longest flight also begins in Auckland: Emirates non-stop trip to Dubai, 8,817 miles away. The Airbus A380 used for the service has refuelled at either Melbourne or Brisbane.

The time spent descending, on the ground and ascending again typically adds two or three hours to the journey. It also increases costs by tens of thousands of pounds, with extra fuel burn, landing charges and wear and tear on the airframe and engines.

In addition, passengers who miss their connections because of the longer journeys need to be provided with hotels and alternative flights.

The fuel shortage also presents fleet allocation issues, with round-trips typically taking several hours longer than expected. There are crewing problems too, with ultra-long-haul flights on Qatar Airways and Emirates becoming even longer one-stop flights that require additional crew to avoid infringing flight-time limitations.

Air New Zealand is the airline most affected by the fuel crisis. It has managed to keep its flagship Auckland-London service on schedule, with the Boeing 777 fuelled for the 6,500-plus miles to the en route stop at Los Angeles.

Other services, such as a recent Auckland-Houston round-trip, have been cancelled, with the daily trip to Hong Kong picking up fuel in Brisbane.

In the past few days Air New Zealand has avoided cancellations. The airline says it is continuing to implement a range of measures to reduce fuel uplift in Auckland including some long-haul international services making refuelling stops at either Australian or Pacific Island airports.

Air New Zealand says it believes the situation is stabilising and will continue to be manageable in the absence [of] any further complications.

Qantas took extreme action by flying a Boeing 747 filled with fuel from Sydney to Auckland in order to replenish the tanks of Australia-bound planes.
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Turkey and Egypt are attracting more British holiday bookings, as prices in destinations seen as safer continue to increase.

Both countries have seen a slump in visitor numbers due to a series of terror attacks, together with the closure to UK airlines of the main Egyptian resort airport, Sharm el Sheikh.

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But Peter Fankhauser, Chief Executive of Thomas Cook, said demand had picked up as customers look for quality and value.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Both destinations are wonderful countries, with great hotels, great beaches, nice people, and its really good value.

People want to go back. We are not a security company; as long as we have the advice of the Foreign Office that we can fly to Egypt and Turkey, we offer a great product.

Many holidaymakers have switched from the eastern Mediterranean to destinations perceived as safe, notably Spain.

Sales to Spain were unchanged, with a very competitive trading environment  due to the sheer number of aircraft seats from the UK to Spanish airports. Average selling prices for seat-only tickets are down 3 per cent, while holiday prices overall have risen by 7 per cent.

Spanish hoteliers are taking advantage a bit of the increased demand, and prices went up because we have not enough beds for all the demand, said Mr Fankhauser. He predicted A 5 to 10 per cent price increase well have for sure in Spain for summer 2018.

Thomas Cook has faced criticism from some holidaymakers caught up in the extreme weather in the Caribbean and Florida earlier this month, in particular travellers who were in Cuba as Hurricane Irma approached and who say Thomas Cook was slow in responding.

But Mr Fankhauser said: I am proud of how fast we acted in the wake of Irma to support our customers, and offer them alternative destinations for their winter sun.

Click here to compare flight options with Skyscanner
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This week Mastercard released its 2017 Global Destination Cities Index, which provides a ranking of the 132 most visited cities around the world.

Measured by the number of international overnight visitors, the study, now in its ninth year, predicts which countries will be the most visited in 2017.

From Mumbai to Miami, here are the 30 cities set to see the most visitors this year:

30. Johannesburg, South Africa  4.8 million international visitors.

29. Berlin, Germany  5.1 million international visitors.

28. Toronto, Canada  5.3 million international visitors.

27. Mumbai, India  5.35 million international visitors.

26. Munich, Germany  5.4 million international visitors.

25. Madrid, Spain  5.5 million international visitors.

24. Dublin, Ireland  5.59 million international visitors.

23. Chennai, India  5.7 million international visitors.

22. Los Angeles, USA  5.8 million international visitors.

21. Miami, USA  6 million international visitors.

20. Prague, Czech Republic  6.4 million international visitors.

19. Vienna, Austria  6.63 million international visitors.

18. Shanghai, China  6.65 million international visitors.

17. Rome, Italy  7.3 million international visitors.

16. Taipei, Taiwan  7.8 million international visitors.

15. Osaka, Japan  7.9 million international visitors.

14. Milan, Italy  8.4 million international visitors.

13. Amsterdam, Netherlands  8.7 million international visitors.

12. Barcelona, Spain  8.9 million international visitors.

11. Istanbul, Turkey  9.24 million international visitors.

10. Hong Kong  9.25 million international visitors.

9. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  12.1 million international visitors.

8. New York, USA  12.4 million international visitors.

7. Seoul, South Korea  12.44 million international visitors.

6. Tokyo, Japan  12.5 million international visitors.

5. Singapore  13.45 million international visitors.

4. Dubai, UAE  16 million international visitors.

3. Paris, France  16.1 million international visitors.

2. London, UK  20 million international visitors.

1. Bangkok, Thailand  20.2 million international visitors.

Read more:

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Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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In the aftermath of the result of the Brexit referendum, we in Ireland were told two things. We were told that Brexit means Brexit. And we were told that there will be no going back to a hard border on the island of Ireland.

More than 12 months on, the exact meaning of phrases like these is far from clear.

Looking at the situation through the lens of simple common logic, if part of the island of Ireland is in a different customs union than the remainder of the island, the necessity for border checks seems inescapable.

Ireland does more than of 1bn (877m) a week trade with the UK. Our Central Statistics Office tells us that last year alone saw 110 million border crossings between our countries. Some 375,000 Irish people now live in the UK. And 277,000 British people now live in the Republic of Ireland.

That this volume of trade, travel and human interaction could be interrupted by border checks stretching along the border from Carlingford Lough to Lough Foyle is not only unthinkable, but for most Irish people unacceptable.

 Mays Brexit breakdown: UK must settle divorce bill says EUs chief negotiator

The hard-won peace on the island of Ireland is anchored in our membership of the European Union. Our common European citizenship has allowed a blurring of the stridency of British or Irish identity. The contrast between unionism and nationalism has been somewhat lessened by a shared European identity. Unfortunately, Brexit risks once more driving those two sides further and further apart.

Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, and we simply cannot allow Brexit to undermine the progress that has been made since then. Putting that progress into reverse would be a serious blow to the achievements of so many people over the past two decades.

So we are told there will be no hard border; no return to the past. But nobody has spelled out in clear terms how this is to be achieved.

Boris Johnson writes more than 4,000 words on the Brexit he wants, without so much as a glancing reference to Ireland. Theresa Mays Florence speech lengthened the timeline for hard decisions. But those decisions will still need to be made.

From an Irish  and indeed a European  perspective, the ball is in the UKs court. The British people exercised their sovereign right to withdraw from the European Union. I will continue to argue that they should get to have their say once more when negotiations come to an end, but that view has not yet gained much currency among British politicians. Separately, the TSSA campaign for continuing freedom of movement deserves greater support.

Regardless, since the British people voted for Brexit, the first responsibility to explain how this is to be achieved must fall to their Government. We have heard much talk of creative and imaginative solutions. Let them now be set out.

 Emily Thornberry rips into Boris Johnson with Brexit joke

What specifically will the landscape of the island of Ireland look like post-Brexit? How specifically are we to vindicate the European citizenship of Irish passport-holders who reside in Northern Ireland? The time for generalist talk has passed. As Michel Barnier reminded us, the clock is ticking. On our side of the Irish Sea, were watching it count down with growing unease.

The recent shift in position by the UK Labour Party was a welcome one. Remaining in the single market and the customs unions during a transition period will mitigate risks to Ireland during that period. That Theresa May has mirrored the Labour position is some progress.

But it is nowhere near enough. As close neighbours, we have spent 40 years developing our relationship, and freeing ourselves from the prison of our shared past. It has been painstaking and difficult. The Brexit decision, while taken in the UK, has an impact way beyond your shores.

The economic consequences for us of a decision to leave the customs union and the single market  a mandate never sought by the Brexiteers  could be mutually economically devastating. Worse still, it risks destabilising a peace process that ended the Troubles which cost 3,000 lives.

That would be a tragedy.

Brendan Howlin is the leader of the Irish Labour Party
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It is difficult to know what the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, on his visit to Washington this week, was expecting President Trump to do about his little local difficulties in Catalonia. It is perhaps a sign of some desperation that the Madrid government is resorting to seeking out the support of this most divisive and controversial of world leaders in its attempts to keep Catalonia from holding its unofficial independence referendum  now all but certain to go ahead  and, indeed, to keep Catalonia within the kingdom of Spain for the longer run.

What, the world might wonder, is Donald Trump supposed to do? Send out a tweet threatening to nuke Barcelona?

Facetious maybe, but Mr Rajoy should have learned by now that even the most draconian of measures and bloodcurdling of threats have done nothing to dampen the appetite for change in Catalonia. Whats more, there is every chance that the attempt to coerce local officials into obstructing the referendum, with threats to jail mayors and postal workers, will have precisely the opposite effect.

Such militancy on the part of Madrid simply makes the separatists' case for them; they can simply ask their fellow Catalans to look around and see the authoritarian tendencies of the Spanish government, all too willing to hurt ordinary Catalans and all too reluctant to engage in a dialogue about the future.

 Spanish police storm Catalan buildings in fight over referendum

The Catalan question, which will be far from resolved after the vote on Sunday, is only the latest example of some strikingly similar moves towards separatism and self-determination. The Scottish National Party, partly rebuffed at the general election earlier this year, will no doubt be back in due course for IndyRef2  especially if, as does seem the most likely scenario, the UK crashes out of the European Union and its single market. Oddly, the very existence of the EU as a supranational proto-federalist body has given relatively small would-be states such as Scotland, Catalonia and Flanders more encouragement to feel that they can make it in the world under the EU umbrella.

In rather different circumstances, but with some echoes of Scotland and Spain, the Kurdish independence referendum has also stirred dangerous passions and ambitions  and equally aggressive threats, not least form President Erdogan's Turkey. Even more than prosperous Catalonias position within Spain  a good fifth of the national economy  Iraq depends crucially on the Kurdish territories for some 40 per cent of its oil revenues. Neither Spain nor Iraq need starve if their troublesome provinces did break away, but the economic damage does add to the political reasons for trying to keep them within a unitary state, or at least that is how the majority in both countries  overall  view the question.

In the German elections, too, there was a similar, almost atavistic urge for a simpler world of nation states united by a common  perhaps even homogenous  people, language and culture.

It is no novelty. When the spirit of self-determination grew in Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it gave us unified Italy and Germany, and, after the First World War and again after the fall of the old Soviet Union, a modern version of the ageless Russian empire, a kaleidoscope of newly independent states across Central and Eastern Europe appeared. Some, such as Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, themselves fragmented into their constituent parts in due course. Others, such as the Serbian province of Kosovo, are still doing so.

Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Demonstrators block a Guardia Civil vehicle as they try to leave the Department of External Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Catalan Government office in Barcelona AP/Emilio Morenatti Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Demonstrators react as they try to stop the car carrying Xavier Puig, a senior at the Department of External Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Catalan Government office, after he was arrested by Guardia Civil officers in Barcelona AP/Emilio Morenatti Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures A demonstrator reacts as he tries with others to stop the car carrying Xavier Puig, a senior at the Department of External Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency of the Catalan Government office, after he was arrested by Guardia Civil officers in Barcelona AP/Emilio Morenatti Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Spokeswoman of the Catalan pro-independence anticapitalist party "Candidatura d'Unitat Popular - CUP" (Popular Unity Candidacy), Ana Gabriel, talks to the media in Barcelona Josep Lago/AFP Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures Republican Left of Catalonia party's (ERC) Member of Parliament Joan Tarda (C) attends a demonstration outside the regional Economy Ministry in Catalonia during a police search for documents connected with the organisation of the Catalan independence referendum, in Barcelona EPA/Alejandro Garcia Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures A man holds pro-referendum poster next to a Spanish Civil Guard who stands in front of the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government in Barcelona. The operation comes amid mounting tensions as Catalan leaders press ahead with preparations for an independence referendum on October 1 despite Madrid's ban and a court ruling deeming it illegal Josep Lago/AFP Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures People hold placards reading "Democracy" as they protest in front of the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government in Barcelona AFP Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures A crowd of protesters gather outside the Catalan region's economy ministry after junior economy minister Josep Maria Jove was arrested by Spanish police during a raid on several government offices, in Barcelona Reuters/Albert Gea Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures People holding 'Esteladas' (Catalan pro-independence flags) attend a protest near the Economy headquarters of Catalonia's regional government Lluis Gene/AFP Catalonia referendum protests  in pictures People demonstrate on a Spanish Civil Guard Police car outside the Catalan Vice-President and Economy office as police officers holds a searching operation inside David Ramos/Getty Images

In the mid-20th century it was Africa and Asias turn, and billions more were liberated and achieved independence for their own homelands. There again, as most painfully in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and most recently in South Sudan, some of the emerging nations created after the Second World War came to be partitioned or have their borders redrawn along ethnic or religious lines, with ethnic cleansing to match.

From the poorest or most obscure of territories  Somaliland, Norfolk Island, Transnistria  to the most prosperous  Quebec, Catalonia, Corsica  the urge toward separatism seems to be primeval and universal. Sometimes such ambitions can be contained within federal or devolved structures, or power sharing, and sometimes it has to be otherwise peacefully accommodated, but never does it forever stay dormant under a system of oppression. That is one powerful lesson of history.

At the moment, though, Mr Rajoy and his counterpart in Barcelona, Carles Puigdemont, President of the government of Catalonia, are proving themselves adept at making their problem even worse. It is past time that they started talking to each other, instead of appealing to the likes of Donald Trump.
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So Ireland is to hold a referendum on abortion in 2018. Finally! you might say  despite the fact that the prospect of a group of people, 50 per cent of whom are male, voting on whether or not women deserve bodily autonomy feels less and less liberating the longer you think about it.

This move comes too late for many and is in no way guaranteed to lead to an extension of womens rights. Five years on from her untimely death, I still think of Savita Halappanavar  a dentist who was born in India and who begged for proper medical intervention during her pregnancy at a Galway hospital  almost weekly. She began miscarrying her much-wanted first child at University Hospital Galway in 2012, and asked for a proper abortion when she found herself in severe pain. The hospital refused because there was technically still a foetal heartbeat, telling her: This is a Catholic country. She died of septicaemia. Where the supposedly Catholic reverence for the sanctity of life was as she pleaded for her own to be saved is anyones guess.

Any move toward legalising abortion  and therefore preventing deaths like Savitas where doctors hesitate to act in the best interests of the patient lest they end up struck off and prosecuted for contravening the countrys strict anti-abortion laws  is welcome. Small steps toward liberation are still steps. But one does wonder where all of this would leave Northern Irish women, the only UK citizens left who dont have the right to terminate their pregnancies (unless they can prove that having the baby would cause their own deaths.)

More than 700 women travelled from Northern Ireland to England for an abortion in 2016, down from 833 in 2015. Just three months ago, the NHS agreed to start funding those trips on the basis that these were medical interventions all UK citizens had the right to access. It was a bizarre and cowardly decision designed to quietly help out the few Northern Irish women with the knowledge and resources to know how to take advantage of the deal in the first place; one week later, the DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr stood up in Parliament and stated that the rights of the unborn child [would] trump any political agreement with Theresa May, before the Tories shunted Paisleys party 1bn.

If the Republic of Ireland does end up legalising abortion, the UK Government will be forced into an uncomfortable position. Northern Irish women  UK citizens, in case that needs reiteration  could be left with some of the worst rights in the western world. What female Prime Minister would want to preside over that?

This is in no way an academic issue in Northern Ireland: in 2016, a woman whose flatmates reported her to the police for taking abortion pills shed ordered online was prosecuted, leading to widespread protests but no actual legislative change. She was 19 years old, and given a three month suspended sentence which  as her lawyer pointed out  never would have been handed down had she lived in England, Scotland or Wales.

Just a few days ago, members of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists voted in favour of fully decriminalising abortion in the UK (at present, even in England, Scotland and Wales, a woman can go to prison for life for administering her own abortion rather than going to a doctor.) This should be a step towards stripping away the other unnecessary legislation in place which prevents women from accessing abortion because they dont want a baby, such as the demand for two doctors to separately agree that the termination is necessary on medical grounds or because of the womans health. At the moment, many women who simply do not want a child access it when they argue that the demands of pregnancy and childbirth would be detrimental to their mental health. In reality, we shouldnt need them to have to frame things in this way: if a woman doesnt want to carry a foetus to full term, that fact alone should be enough grounds for removing the foetus from her body.

 Jacob Rees-Mogg says he opposes abortion in all circumstances

There is an old philosophical argument which is often posed to men: you wake up one day with all your organs and your circulatory system tethered by a futuristic machine to a person lying beside you in a hospital bed. This person cant live without access to your organs, you are told, so youll need to walk around connected to them for the next nine months, and then tend to their medical needs for years thereafter. The treatment will probably have a permanent effect on your own organs, but the sacrifice will be worth it. The people who tell you this are fanatics, committed to an ideology which states that the person youre connected to with wires and tubes is special and must be kept alive at all costs.

Most men respond that this is an unrealistic and nightmarish situation, the kind you might come across in a horror film  and there is something really, truly horrifying about the idea of having your body wrenched off you by strangers because of their commitment to an incomprehensible ideology. When you take the woman out of the equation, most men see this sort of situation as unacceptable. So why, when you put the woman back in, do so many of them still defend it  and why are we giving them a vote?
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Donald Trump is under fire for spending all his time castigating professional athletes for disrespecting the flag while barely acknowledging the heartbreaking damage wrought by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, whose 3.5 million residents are American citizens.

When he first addressed the calamity on the island  a not-quite US state and a not-quite nation  he even suggested that its partly of its own making because it has been in recession for over a decade and its infrastructure was creaking and vulnerable long before the storm rolled in.

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Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with, he said on Twitter. Talk about being kicked when youre down. A crying child who just broke a tooth doesnt need a mother telling her that its because she hasnt been brushing enough. She wants to be consoled.

There is little escaping that compared to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida, what has befallen Puerto Rico has received insufficient attention. And not just from Trump. Media coverage has been scant too. A study by mediamatters.org notes that even as the islands officials were warning of apocalyptic conditions in the wake of Maria, the five political talk shows in the US last Sunday dedicated just one minute to discussing its plight. Combined.

The islanders themselves will decide what they think of the federal response when the nightmare is over. Right now they are just trying to survive. But there are signs that the criticism has stung. By Tuesday, Trump had changed his tone. Puerto Rico needs a lot of money, he told reporters at the White House. Weve worked very, very hard in Puerto Rico. Its very tough because its an island ... Were doing a really good job. He will travel there early next week.

In truth, Americas parenting of Puerto Rico has always been half-hearted at best, starting 100 years ago when it granted citizenship to its residents but told them theyd only be marginally involved in American democracy. They can participate in the primaries every four years but cannot cast votes for president. Similarly, their single representative in the US Congress can vote on matters of procedure but must leave the room when actual laws are passed.

Hurricane Maria destroyed homes in the town of Aibonito and elsewhere in Puerto Rico (AP)

There was Operation Bootstrap, a concerted effort to industrialise the island after the Second World War, which took on an additional importance in the 1960s when building a bastion of capitalism downwind from Cuba seemed like a smart idea. In the Seventies, the US introduced tax breaks to lure US multinationals to the island. But in the 1990s, President Bill Clinton began winding down those provisions, effectively putting the economy on a slow skid to where it is today.

Barack Obama always seemed more interested in Cuba than Puerto Rico. On a visit to San Juan in 2015, I found local economists in despair that Washington was turning a blind eye to its predicament which by then was getting serious. The island was already in a $70bn (52bn) hole. That compares with $18bn (13bn) for Detroit when it declared bankruptcy. But because it was a territory and not a US state  or a municipality  it did not have the right to declare bankruptcy, even though what it owed amounted to $100,000 (743,000) for every working person on the island.

Nor was Washington interested in bailing it out. In fact, the Obama administration was explicitly ruling it out. Its why one economist I met with, Sergio Marxuach, public policy director at the Centre for a New Economy in San Juan, had that famous front page, Ford to City: Drop Dead, pinned to his office wall. That was Gerald Ford brushing off a begging New York 40 years ago.

Eventually, in mid-2016, Obama signed a law making it possible for Puerto Rico to begin bankruptcy proceedings if it had to. In May this year, Puerto Rico did just that. It was officially bust and the journey to economic perdition complete, thanks to years of economic mismanagement in San Juan and of blatant neglect from Washington. Anyone who had been paying the slightest attention to Puerto Rico was hardly surprised. But few people had.

This is not just about spreadsheets. Its about peoples lives. A broke government means broken public services. Everything has been in decline. Hundreds of schools have been closed or are slated to close because there is no budget for them. As the health system has imploded, doctors have been fleeing the island at the rate of one a day. Everyone who can has been leaving in an exodus to the US mainland that has seen the population drop 2 per cent in three years.

And now everything has been shredded, not by neglect or incompetence but by nature. Electricity grid down. Whole neighbourhoods destroyed. Lawlessness on the streets.

For years, on and off, Puerto Ricans have wrestled with their strange, twilight status. In June, a referendum showed 97 per cent in favour of becoming the 51st state of the US. It didnt mean much, first because opponents to statehood boycotted the vote but more because no one thinks there is even the remotest chance of the US Congress taking the steps necessary to accept Puerto Rico as a fully-fledged state. Because hardly anyone gives a fig about Puerto Rico.
Land sales in Connacht Ulster in terms of volume and value are usually somewhat behind the rest of the country but this year there is evidence of an improved market for land in the north and west.

The average price of land stands at 8,211/ac and thanks to the sale of two substantial and valuable farms in Galway and Roscommon there was a huge increase in the money generated by sales. It increased by 94pc on this time last year but excluding those two farms the trends would reflect what happened in the rest of the country: a decline in the amount of land sold but an increase in the value of what was sold.

The highest per acre price paid for land was given for a 27.5ac parcel of ground at Claregalway that sold under the hammer of Pat Callanan making 11,500/ac. The next best per acre price was paid in Co Monaghan at Castleshane where a 20.8ac parcel made 11,100/ac when sold by Crosbie and Graham.

The two largest farms sold comprised a 120ac residential farm at Moylough, Co Galway that sold in a transaction handled by Murtagh Bros Mullingar. The farm made 1.305m when it was bought by a group of local farmers bidding as one. A 125ac non-residential holding with extensive shedding at Tulsk in Co Roscommon made 1m under the hammer of John Earley and was also bought by local farmers.

Mr Earley has seen the price of land increase this year.

"I believe land in this area is now running at between 7,000 and 8,000/ac," he said, "there has been a steady rise in prices and while interest from the UK has declined there is rising interest from midland and southern buyers."

He has also seen the price for planting land go back somewhat. "While it reached highs of 5,000 to 5,500/ac it is now back to around 4,000/ac," he said.

Karl Fox of Fox and Gallagher in Ballina, Co Mayo agrees, saying the price of planting land is back to those levels. He also says that the price per acre averages in Mayo are dependent on size as well as location.

"Up to 10ac will get 7,000 to 10,000/ac, 10ac to 20ac will get 6,000 to 7,000/ac and over 20ac you're looking at 5,000 to 6,000/ac," he said.

Forestry

He describes the land market in Mayo as very patchy. "Small pockets where there are active dairy farmers are doing well and you will have customers for small parcels. However, in drystock or sheep areas it is a harder sell," he said.

According to Mr Fox, the land market is a key indicator of the continued decline in population in many parts of Mayo.

"In isolated under-populated areas the forestry companies are the major buyers, a sure sign that population decline is continuing unabated in many parts of Mayo," he said.

There was a 150pc surge in the levels of forestry planted by non-farmers last year, official figures reveal.

The new Department of Agriculture data shows that 35pc of the total area planted in 2016 was carried out by non-farming private investors.

Counties with the highest proportion of non-farming investors - more than 40pc - include: Leitrim, Longford, Clare and Cavan.

However, forestry companies have been quick to point out that the sharp rise comes from a low baseline figure of just a 3pc nationwide increase in forestry last year.
Aughinish Alumina refinery on the Shannon estuary which recorded pre-tax losses of $40.5m last year.

The largest alumina refinery in Europe on the Shannon estuary, Aughinish Alumina, last year went back into the red with pre-tax losses of $40.5m (34m).

Limerick Alumina Refining recorded the loss as revenues slumped by 24pc from $688.39m (581m) to $520m (439m) due to a drop in the price of alumina worldwide.

The pre-tax loss of $40.58m followed a pre-tax profit of $14.4m (12.1m) in 2015.

The directors stated that "the outlook in 2017 is much more positive due to higher sales prices and continuing lower production costs, which are forecasted to lead to a return to profitability."

The directors stated that the impact from the lower alumina prices were somewhat offset by lower production costs in 2016.

The loss last year included a full impairment charge of $15.8m (13.3m) concerning the company's investment in North United Aluminium (Shenzhen).

The directors stated that the company is expected to generate positive cash flows for the foreseeable future.

The report added: "The parent continued to invest significant capital in the company to ensure its long-term sustainability and the directors have received a written confirmation of support from the company's parent."

The company's cost of sales last year reduced from $653.35m (551m) to $536m (452m).

Around 450 people are employed on site and staff costs at the facility last year increased marginally from $49.28m (41m) to $50.35m (42m). The loss takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of $33m (27.8m) and net interest payments of $6.4m (5.4m).

The company has incurred interest payments on a $400m facility from Swiss commodities trading and mining group Glencore since 2014 and the loan had been fully repaid by the end of last December.

Limerick Alumina Refining is owned by Russian firm Rusal, controlled by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, and it purchased Aughinish Alumina from Glencore in 2007.
Its not a big surprise that the ESB and Vodafone (aka Siro) have pulled out of the state-sponsored National Broadband Plan.

But why did they do it?

The company has yet to make any public comment on the matter.

But here are three possible reasons, based on what they have said and done.

1. Eir punctured Siros business case

Earlier this year, the government did a deal with Eir that recognised the former incumbents right to remove 300,000 from the states targeted 842,000 homes and businesses. The government had no choice: Eir wanted to serve these homes commercially. EU state-aid rules mean that they have the right to do so.

But in doing this, Eir effectively hived off what might be considered the only tranche of premises that were even quasi-viable on a commercial basis. In other words, the remaining collections of 542,000 homes are far-flung, isolated and difficult to get to.

Whats more, the logistics of building fiber connections to those far-flung homes would be frustrating to Siro. Fiber broadband is built from the town (or village) centre out. Because Eir snagged those town and village centers with their 300,000 government deal, it would mean that Siro would either have to duplicate a fibre network build themselves from the town centre (thus replicating Eirs build and thinning out any returns) or apply to use Eirs infrastructure to carry their service out to where the remote rural premises are. Either way, it was a difficult prospect.

2. Siro executives have been unhappy about the NBP process for a while.

Back in May, Siro made it clear that they regarded the Eir deal as being a potential torpedo to their bid.

There has been a very material change to the competition, said a company spokesman at the time. We are looking at this very closely now and considering whether there is still a business case.

This has been the standing position right up to two weeks ago, when I rang them about it.

3. It simply changed its mind about taking on such a big project.

All of the preceding drawbacks applied equally to Enet (the other remaining bidder and rival to Eir) as to Siro. So why is it only Siro that was complaining, ultimately pulling out?

Its possible that the companys shareholders -- Vodafone and the ESB -- simply looked at it and decided it wasnt worth the time and hassle. Siro is already behind its own declared commercial rollout, with less than 100,000 homes passed of its 500,000 target. It has discovered the hard way that rolling broadband out in regional areas is difficult and full of planning or logistical roadblocks. The company seems to remain committed to its current rollout but may just not be into a state rural rollout anymore.
German chancellor Angela Merkel attends a party meeting at the party's headquarters, in Berlin one day after the parliamentary elections. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)

Southern European government bonds underperformed yesterday after an unexpectedly weak election result for Germany's Angela Merkel led to concerns about the emergence of a more hardline stance towards the eurozone in the bloc's largest economy.

Ms Merkel secured a fourth term as chancellor but was weakened by a surge in support for the far right and investors were unsettled by the possibility that she may have to form a coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens - the so-called 'Jamaica' coalition.

Some also said the German result could complicate the European Central Bank's policy path as it looks to scale back its monetary stimulus programme, which has driven down borrowing costs since its launch in 2015.

"The pro-market Free Democrats, as well as part of the CDU/CSU, oppose deeper financial integration in the euro area," analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a note. "This suggests headwinds to the euro and periphery."

The concerns came a day before French President Emmanuel Macron is due to announce his proposals for European Union reforms in a speech in Paris.

Lower-rated Spanish, Italian and Portuguese government bonds sold off and 10-year yields rose three basis points across the board in early trade.

They clawed back price losses as the session wore on, but remained underperformers on a day when higher-rated eurozone government bond yields fell four to five points.

The Italy-Germany 10-year government bond yield spread hit its widest in three weeks at around 170 points. Germany's 10-year bond yield hit an 11-day low of 0.395pc, down six points on the day in late trade on renewed jitters over North Korea. (Reuters)
50p coin marking the 375th anniversary of the birth of Sir Isaac Newton next to a prism Credit: CPG Photography Ltd/The Royal Mint/PA Wire

A new 50p coin celebrating Sir Isaac Newton can be snapped up by people visiting his birthplace and family home from this week.

Just 375 Sir Isaac Newton 2017 50p circulating coins are being released into tills at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire.

The initiative is the result of a collaboration between the Royal Mint and the National Trust, to celebrate 375 years since his birth.

The Mint also says it is "imminently" releasing more of the coins into circulation across the country.

This means that they will soon start to show up in people's change generally.

Anne Jessopp, the Royal Mint's director of consumer coin, said: "As well as undertaking pioneering work in the fields of physics and astronomy - work for which he is widely known - Isaac Newton was also master of the Royal Mint for three decades, so we couldn't think of a better place to issue a special release of these coins than Woolsthorpe Manor, Newton's birthplace."

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Commemorative editions of the coins in gold, silver and collectable brilliant uncirculated finishes are also available to buy from the gift shop at Woolsthorpe Manor, as well as directly from the Royal Mint website.

As well as helping to shape our understanding of maths and physics, Sir Isaac was master of the Royal Mint for nearly three decades.

When he was appointed warden of the Mint in 1696, at the age of 53, he was already a well-established scientist.

A report he produced in 1717 helped to establish gold coin as the pre-eminent currency of the UK, paving the way for the introduction of the "gold standard".

The 50p coin has been designed by Aaron West, one of the Mint's team of graphic designers.

Jannette Warrener, operations manager at Woolsthorpe Manor, National Trust, said: "This is the perfect way to celebrate the 375th anniversary of Isaac Newton.

"We are forging a link between two of the places that played an important role in his life - Woolsthorpe Manor, where he was born but also where he achieved some his most notable and world-changing scientific thinking, and the Royal Mint, where he spent much of his working life."
Grantchester star James Norton has said he hopes to establish himself in Hollywood with his first film in the movie capital.

The British actor, 32, has forged a career in UK television, with performances also including Happy Valley and War & Peace, but he is now hitting the big screen with his first Hollywood production, Flatliners.

It was good, it was a new experience for me and I think you could tell I was the green, fresh (actor)  I was running around, having the time of my life because it was all new, he told the Press Association in Los Angeles.

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Some of the set pieces which you just dont have access to in television are really fun and are really exciting  driving down a freeway on a motorbike on my own at 100 kmh was the best theme-park ride of my life.

Theres an amazing amount of brilliant writers and directors in this town so hopefully if this allows me maybe an entry into that, then great.

Flatliners, also starring Ellen Page, Nina Dobrev and Diego Luna, is a remake of the 1990 film of the same name.

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It sees a group of medical students at a prestigious school experiment on each other by stopping their hearts so they can experience the afterlife before being resuscitated.

Original star Kiefer Sutherland also plays a role in the remake, which is out in UK cinemas on September 29.
A GARDA has been sent for trial after pleading not guilty to assaulting an RTE cameraman during a violent protest in Dublin city centre.

Garda Sean Lucey denies assaulting and injuring cameraman Colm Hand who was filming while protesters were being baton-charged.

He is also denying that he damaged Mr Hands camera during the clashes that erupted when protesters came out against the launch of the Irish branch of anti-Islamic group Pegida.

Gda Lucey, based in Crumlin Station, is accused of assault causing harm and criminal damage at the junction of OConnell Street and Cathedral Street on February 6 last year.

Today, defence solicitor Liz Hughes told Dublin District Court Gda Lucey was pleading not guilty.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed summary disposal of the case in the district court on a guilty plea only.

As he is contesting the charges, Gda Lucey will now face trial before a judge and jury in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

A State solicitor said the DPP was consenting to this and a book of evidence was ready. The book was served on Gda Lucey after he stepped forward from the back of the court.

The State solicitor said the accused could be sent forward for trial to the next sittings of the circuit court on both charges.

Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, Garda Lucey stepped forward again and Judge Walsh told him the case would be listed in Court Number 5 in the Criminal Courts of Justice on October 27.

You will appear in the list of cases and a date will be assigned to the case in due course,  Judge Walsh explained to the defendant.

He then gave the accused the formal notice that he must provide any alibi details to the prosecution within 14 days.

When asked if he understood the alibi notice, Gda Lucey said: yes, judge.

Ms Hughes applied for free legal aid, handing a statement of the defendants financial means in to court.

Judge Walsh granted legal aid, saying he was taking into account the serious nature of the charges, the complexity of the case, the time involved and the fact that it was somewhat novel.

Gda Lucey was remanded on bail in a nominal bond of 200, with no cash lodgment required. He left the courtroom after signing the bail bond.

Mr Hand was present for the proceedings, accompanied by his wife, RTE reporter Laura Whelan. He was not required to address the court.

It was Gda Lucey's second court appearance on the charge after he was summonsed in July.

A complaint was made through RTE to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) which had successfully applied to the court to issue summonses against Gda Lucey.

The court had heard Mr Hand attended hospital following the incident and suffered bruising to his groin.

Judge Walsh previously directed disclosure by the State of a summary of evidence including statements and CCTV footage.

The alleged assault happened during a march by Pegida, which stands for Patriotic Europeans Against The Islamisisation of the West.

Clashes broke out when small groups of Pegida supporters were heading towards the GPO from surrounding streets. About 1,000 people turned out for a counter-demonstration protesting against the launch of the anti-Islam group in Ireland.

A Garda Public Order Unit baton charged anti-Pegida demonstrators back to OConnell Street and set up a cordon in the middle of North Earl Street.

OConnell Street was closed to traffic in both directions between Abbey Street and Cathal Brugha Street, while Cathedral Street was cordoned off by public order.

Mounted gardai and garda dogs were used for crowd control and Luas services from Smithfield to the city-centre were suspended.
A Dublin man has been accused going to a post office counter and passing a note to the clerk threatening to kill her if she did not fill the bag with money."

Michael Kelly (55), who is charged with robbery, is alleged to have left the premises after staff refused to hand over any cash and activated the alarm.

He is facing trial on the charge and the case against him was adjourned at Dublin District Court for the preparation of a book of evidence.

The robbery is alleged to have happened at Rush Post Office, Main Street, Rush on September 29, 2016.

The DPP had directed summary trial of the case at district court level.

Garda Sergeant Gail Smith gave Judge Michael Walsh a summary of the allegations so he could consider jurisdiction.

She said it was alleged that Mr Kelly, with an address at Sandy Lane Lodge, Rush, entered the post office on the day in question and joined the queue, before speaking to the person behind the counter.

He made some excuse and left but returned and handed a note to the person behind the counter, Sgt Smith alleged.

The note said Fill the bag with money or I will kill you, and also warned her not to call the gardai, the court heard.

The court heard the worker refused and the panic alarm was pressed. The accused then left the post office, the prosecution maintained.

No violence was used in the alleged robbery, Sgt Smith said.

Judge Walsh refused jurisdiction to deal with the case at district court level. This means it will be sent for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court when a book of evidence is ready.

The defendant, wearing a grey blazer and slacks and pink open-necked shirt, did not speak during the proceedings.

He was remanded on continuing bail to appear in court again on a date in November. He has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charge.
A High Court ruling means that restriction orders contained in the Companies Acts cannot be imposed on the directors of Credit Unions.

Mr Justice Robert Haughton on Tuesday found the High Court lacks the jurisdtiction to impose sanctions, as contained in various sections of the 2014 Companies Act, on 11 directors of Newbridge Credit Union, in Co Kildare.

As a result the judge said he was satisfied to strike out an application to restrict the 11 directors.

The Credit Union went into liquidation in 2013.

The liquidator of Newbridge Credit Union, Mr Jim Luby of the firm McStayLuby, had applied for restrictions, which can include being prohibited from being involved in any company for a period of five years unless the company meets specified capital requirements, to be imposed on the directors.

Mr Luby applied to the Director of Corporate Enforcement (DCE) to be releived of his obligation to seek restriction orders in respest of all of the Credit Union's directors.

However the DCE did not relieve Mr Luby of that obligation, which resulted in the restriction orders being sought.

In what was a preliminary issue in the case the liquidator sought a declaration form the court that the restrictions could be applied in respect of the liquidation of Newbridge Credit Union.

Lawyers for one of the directors argued the sanctions as contained in 2014 Companies Act Reporting and Restriction regime did not apply to directors of credit unions.

It was argued that the restrictions could not be applied becasue credit unions have distinctive features that differentiate them from ordinary companies, and they are subjected to a very different regulatory framework.

It was also argued that extending the regime contained in the 2014 Act to directors of credit unions was unconstitutional.

The Credit Union Development Association, which is owned by credit unions and provides representative and development services to its members, also argued the regimes does not apply ro credit union directors.

It was been joined to the proceedings as a friend to the court.

In a detailed ruling Mr Justice Haughton said he accepted that credit unions are "very different in many respects" from private companies registered under the Companies Act.

The Judge said that the laws which allow a credit union to be wound up do not contain a restriction regime similar to the one contained in the 2014 Companies Act.

Therefore the court was satisfied to strike out the motion to have restrictions imposed on all 11 directors.

Newbridge Credit Union was formally wound up in December 2013 on the petition of the Central Bank.

The credit union was taken over by Permanent TSB in a 53.9 million deal after a proposed merger with Naas Credit Union did not go ahead.

A special manager to Newbridge Credit Union by the High Court in January 2012 after the Central Bank sought that appointment due to its concerns about the credit unions financial position.
Fire fighters from around the country gathered in Bray this morning to remember their fallen colleagues, Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy, who lost their lives battling a blaze 10 years ago today.

In a somber ceremony at Bray Fire Station, two wreaths were laid in honour of the men and the national anthem was played.

Sub Station Officer Brian Murray (46) and fire fighter Mark O'Shaughnessy were fighting a blaze at a disused factory at Adelaide Villas on the morning of September 26, 2007, when the roof suddenly collapsed.

This morning members of their families, including Mr Murray's widow Mary, joined fire fighters from across Co Wicklow and around the country in remembering the two men.

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Speaking to Independent.ie at the event, Murray family friend and Sinn Fein TD John Brady said the bravery of the two fire fighters will never be forgotten.

"The two guys left a huge impression on all their colleagues.

"The fire fighters here today know every call they go out on, they will face risks. Today is a reminder that the risks all the emergency services put themselves in every day as they serve their communities and keep them safe," he added.
Flowers left outside the house in Mountain View Park where Patricia OConnor lived. Photo: Arthur Carron

Garda technical team at the home of Patricia OConnor. Photo: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

Gardai investigating the murder of Patricia O'Connor have made another arrest in relation to the case.

Gardai in Bray arrested a 40-year-old man this morning in the Dublin area.

He is currently detained at Bray Garda Station under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

A 32-year-old man who is accused of murdering the Dublin grandmother was further remanded in custody earlier this month.

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Kieran Green, with an address at Mountain View Park in Rathfarnham, Dublin, faced his fifth hearing when he appeared again via video-link before Judge Victor Blake at Cloverhill District Court on Thursday, September 14.

Judge Blake remanded Mr Green in continuing custody to appear again at the same court on September 28 next.

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The killing allegedly took place at Mountain View Park between May 29 and May 30 last. Directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) have been sought.

The victim's remains were found scattered across the Wicklow mountains, has been further remanded in custody.
A worried mum has launched a worldwide appeal to reunite her daughter with her beloved teddy which she lost on a trip to Ireland.

Anna Fitzpatrick and her daughter Madison were on holidays here last month when Madison lost her "best friend" Baa Baa, a teddy she has had since she was born.

The teddy was lost on August 11, either at Ferrycarrig Castle Picnic site or Rosslare Harbour.

The local council in Wexford has already checked the castle site but no trace of the teddy was found.

"My daughter Madison is devastated that she has lost her 'best Friend', a well worn little black sheep known as Baa Baa," Anna told Independent.ie.

"I hoped as time went on she would forget about him but she still cries for him and misses him terribly, I have contacted the ports, my sister in New Zealand even set up a facebook page and managed to get the local council to look at the Ferrycraig Castle Site however we have had no luck," she sadded.

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"I thought I would make this last attempt to find him as we are desperate to find him and re-unite them as she is very worried about him, she intends to ask Father Christmas to bring him back," she added.

"If we could find him it would make a little girl very, very happy."

Anyone who may be able to help can get in touch with the family via email to anna@noelfitzpatrick.ltd.uk
A four-month waiting period for the treatment of children with scoliosis promised by the end of 2017 will not be met. Stock photo

A four-month waiting period for the treatment of children with scoliosis promised by the end of 2017 will not be met.

Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny had said the issue was an absolute priority for the Government but his successor has now said the aim is to provide an offer of treatment within the target period.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin told the Dail today that there has been nothing has been more heart rendering in recent years than the stories of children suffering from scoliosis.

The condition involves a persons spine having a sideways curve.

Mr Martin said childrens health has been compromised by delays in treatment but the waiting lists continue to grow.

He referred to the case of teenager Megan Halvey Ryan who told her story on the Late Late Show earlier this year before receiving her surgery.

The Cork South Central TD also cited the case of another unnamed 14-year-old boy whose mother told him of the need for humanity, empathy and compassion.

Shes at her wits end. Shes totally stressed with the lack of progress, Mr Martin said.

In response Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the issue was one very close to my own heart, saying that waiting lists dropped in August.

He noted a number theatre for threating scoliosis patients has opened in Crumlin hospital and some cases had been outsourced to other hospitals in Dublin and the UK using the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

The four month target was set by the HSE, he said, adding: Id certainly be calling on the HSE to meet that target.

He said that a treatment offer should be made to every children waiting between four to six months.

I think its fair to say that we are pulling out all the stops and doing everything we can to make sure more children get the surgery they need in an acceptable timeframe.

Mr Martin said it should be the responsibility of Health Minister Simon Harris to ensure the targets are met.
Bus Eireann passengers face more chaos with further service cancellations and delays now coupled with the threat of industrial action.

At least 16 bus services were cancelled yesterday due to a high number of drivers calling in sick, according to Bus Eireann.

This meant that commuters were left without services with little or no notice - with claims that patients missed hospital appointments and students in Meath missed lectures in Dublin City University.

The disruption could escalate as a major union has threatened that the company will face a "major flashpoint or standoff" on October 29 unless it engages in talks on the rollout of new rosters.

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Bus Eireann also said that 12pc of drivers in the east of the country were calling in sick, which is a significant increase on the norm. A spokesperson said this was among a number of factors that meant trips in the east were not operating to schedule.

An update issued yesterday morning announced the cancellation of two services on route 12, four on route 109A, two on the NX, and eight on route 103 between Dublin and Ratoath.

Meanwhile, the NBRU is claiming there are issues with the roster, including working days of more than 12 hours in some instances and personal security concerns for drivers who have to change duties in remote areas.

This morning two services in the eastern region are facing disruption:

The 08.25am Dunshaughlin to Dublin service (services from Dunshaughlin to Dublin will operate at 08.05am and 08.55am).

The 06.45am Dublin to Kildare via Celbridge and Clane is also cancelled but a service will operate from Celbridge at 07.15am.

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In a letter to the company, seen by the Irish Independent, the National Bus and Railworkers' Union warned there would be mayhem if the company continued to implement temporary rosters.

"The boards (rosters), albeit temporary, introduced at Broadstone on Sunday last are an insult," said the letter from general secretary Dermot O'Leary to chief executive Ray Hernan.

"They are downright shoddy. They do not remotely resemble any schedule we have ever seen, and, believe me, we have seen some appalling anti-staff rosters in our time. There is now an immediate requirement for the company to engage with the trade unions on all aspects of board/roster compilation. The alternative is a major flashpoint/standoff on October 29."

It is understood that October 29 is a company deadline to begin the rollout of permanent rosters.

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Bus Eireann spokesperson John Sheridan said it recently introduced rosters for 400 driving staff along the M3 corridor.

He said that due to "unforeseen operational difficulties" some trips in the east were not operating to schedule.

"Bus Eireann would like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience to passengers," he said. "Efforts are being made to ensure services operate to schedule."

He said the company was engaged in talks with unions regarding the rosters, which are part of a Workplace Relations Commission recommendation.

The recommendation was made to end a dispute that led to strikes earlier this year. He noted that unions voted to accept the recommendation.

He said the rosters must be implemented to cut costs as it tries to address losses and "reverse the ongoing insolvent financial position".
A convicted sex offender with links to the Kinahan cartel was arrested for hurling abuse at gardai after they stopped a car he was in as he travelled to a funeral.

Barry Finnegan (36) became "extremely aggressive" towards officers when they questioned him after he got out and blocked their patrol car near Temple Street Children's Hospital.

A court heard he was on his way to the funeral of an eight-year-old girl, a family friend, and "emotions were very high".

Judge Kathryn Hutton applied the Probation Act, leaving him without a conviction, after he paid 300 to charity.

Finnegan, of Rory O'Connor House in the north inner city, pleaded guilty to threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour as well as failing to give his personal details to gardai.

Gda Peter Byrne told Dublin District Court the incident happened at Temple Street at 11am last April 5.

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He was at a checkpoint mounted under Operation Hybrid, an initiative designed to provide an armed response to organised crime in the capital, when he saw a car turn off into Hardwicke Street Flats.

The officers followed and Finnegan stepped out of the car on to the roadway, blocking the passage.

When spoken to, Finnegan became "extremely aggressive" in front of members of the public, including families with children present, Gda Byrne said.

There was on-street parking being used by people accessing the hospital.

The accused was cautioned a number of times before being arrested and taken to Store Street Garda Station.

Once there, he calmed down and his demeanour became "level-headed".

He told gardai he had been in attendance at a number of funerals in a short space of time.

The court heard Finnegan had 13 previous convictions, including one under the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990 and several for motoring offences.

He had been given a suspended sentence on July 24 for his most recent offence, failing to notify gardai of a change of his details as a sex offender.

Gda Byrne agreed with the accused's lawyer that this had been due to a "misunderstanding of the conditions" rather than a deliberate breach.

The suspended sentence post-dated the latest incident.

Finnegan had apologised for his actions on the day and this apology had been accepted by the garda, his lawyer said.

He had been on his way to the funeral of the eight-year-old girl. It was the second funeral he had attended in a three-day period.

Finnegan owned a dog kennel and earned 1,700 a month, the court heard.

Judge Hutton dismissed the charges under the Probation Act after the charity payment.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has launched a stinging attack on Sinn Feins deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald, comparing her to French far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

In an extraordinary Dail exchange Mr Varadkar said Sinn Fein is the only party in Leinster House that has never done anything for children.

And he claimed the party has lost interest in being in government in Northern Ireland.

The Taoiseach was responding to questions from Ms McDonald on the issue of childcare.

She called on the Government to stop creating a sham fight with Fianna Fail over tax cuts and instead increase the childcare subsidy five-fold in the Budget.

The Dublin Central TD, sitting in for Gerry Adams, said Fine Gael and Fianna Fail were preparing to hammer out a budget that will disproportionately help the better off in society.

Many parents are paying what amounts to a second mortgage to make sure their children are looked after, she said.

In reply, Mr Varadkar said the first priority in next months budget will be to balance the books for the first time in 10 years.

After that money will be put towards infrastructure and after that yes we will find some space to improve the take home pay and living standards of people.

The Taoiseach said his administration and previous governments including Fianna Fail, the Labour Party, Green Party and Independents had brought child benefit to one of the highest levels in Europe.

He said Fine Gael and Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone had introduced the Affordable Childcare Scheme earlier this month and all under-sixes now have free GP care.

Tell me what your party has ever actually done for families, he said across the Dail chamber, adding that Sinn Fein claim to put families first is totally bogus.

Ms McDonald pointed out that she is raising two young children and therefore understands the plight of families.

All of the empty rhetoric about balancing the books is not work a fig to working families, she said.

The Sinn Fein TD warned the Taoiseach dont dream of attacking us on the issue of children, adding that he has considerable neck.

However, Mr Varadkar swiped back that even though their politics is totally different Ms McDonald reminds him of Marine Le Pen because she always goes back to her script.
Elisa Teyssier from Meath enjoying a gin and tonic while getting her hair done by Craig Fitzpatrick at Brown Sugar in South William Street, Dublin. Photo: Steve Humphreys

The growing trend of customers being offered a complimentary gin and tonic, glass of wine or beer in hairdressing salons and barbershops may be outlawed under proposed new laws, it emerged yesterday.

Health Minister Simon Harris will be able to call time on people having a tipple as they get a hair cut.

The Department of Health confirmed that the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill - which the minister hopes will be passed at the end of the year - allows for regulations to be introduced to stop the supply of alcohol where it is offered for free.

The hair and beauty salon trend of offering a bubbling glass of prosecco or a "manicure and a merlot" is causing concern among groups campaigning to change our drinking culture.

In some upmarket salons there is a stylish permanent drinks table.

A gin and tonic may be offered along with the regular choices of tea and coffee, particularly if the customer will be in a salon for some time to get their hair dyed.

However, the practice was condemned at a joint meeting of the Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (IACP) and Addiction Counsellors of Ireland.

The experts were told that some customers are being urged to go on to social media and tweet photos of themselves enjoying the tipple while getting a blow dry or highlights.

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Eugene McHugh, the IACP's chairman, warned: "Front line counsellors and psychotherapists who encounter alcohol harm, need to give voice to their concerns."

He urged the Government not to delay the passage of the proposed legislation any longer.

Suzanne Costello, chief executive of Alcohol Ireland, told the gathering that tweeting or posting about getting a drink at the hairdressing salon was a form of "manipulation" and warned that there is no way of stopping it.

A spokesman for the organisation said: "We would say that it's not a healthy practice to offer alcohol free to customers of any service.

"It is precisely this level of normalisation that the proposed legislation seeks to deconstruct.

"In Ireland we have a cultural love affair with alcohol that ensures its omnipresence through our daily lives.

"Counteracting the ubiquity of alcohol in nearly every corner shop or petrol station is challenging enough.

"But handing it out in a barbers, or other such everyday commercial engagement, simply serves to reinforce a cultural norm that must be breached if, as a society, we are to commence a process of reducing our consumption of alcohol."

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The legislation would also serve to outlaw promotions such as "Welfare Wednesday" where people who receive social welfare payments are targeted.

Campaigners also point to cut-price Leaving Cert deals on alcohol, and all-day Sunday prosecco brunches.

The most recent figures show that our per capita alcohol consumption has started rising again.

We drank 11.46 litres of alcohol per person last year, up from 10.93 litres in 2015.

The minister has promised that the legislation will remain intact and that the only change will be to the original plans for a so-called booze curtain to make alcohol less visible in retail outlets.

However, the drinks industry has claimed the law contains a series of punitive measures to make Ireland one of the most restrictive countries in the world for marketing alcohol products.
My pregnancy was complication free. There was no reason to think anything was likely to go wrong. I work as a child protection social worker, based in Cork and living just outside the city. Since having Cathal though, I havent returned to my post.

I have a wonderful husband Paul who is an electrician and we got married on 16th March 2017. We have a boy, Conor, who turned 4 in August and is Cathal's big brother.

When we found out we were pregnant with Cathal it was a surprise. As with every person going through pregnancy, you are anxious for the first number of weeks until you have your scans and check-ups. We didnt want to tell anyone. As times progresses, your anxiety subsides as the initial high risk period passes. For us, the pregnancy did not show any issues. Cathal was initially meant to be a twin. However the twin did not survive to full term, and was lost in the early part of the pregnancy.

As the weeks passed we began to bring the idea to Conor that he will be a big brother, and explain what that will mean. Conor was excited and it was starting to all feel real for us, a growing family.

The due date was the beginning of June, so we prepared ourselves for the upcoming arrival. I attended every check-up with the hospital and my doctor. Everything was normal and they were happy with the babys weight.

The week I was due, I attended my doctor for my final check-up and he told me that he could not hear a heartbeat. I was sent straight to the CUMH emergency room. This is something that is not unusual towards the end of the pregnancy as the baby could be lying in an awkward position for the doctor to hear in surgery.

It was all so strange. The previous week everything was fine. My baby was kicking and the heartbeat was regular. I rang my husband immediately and told him what had happened and not to worry. I said I would contact him from the hospital. But as I drove further down the road, I realised I needed him to meet me in the hospital. I was scared and something didn't feel right. We arrived at the same time and walked in to a situation that I already felt wouldn't have a positive outcome.

The staff in the CUMH emergency room were so nice and understanding. I went in on my own initially and was given a scan by a nurse who asked me if I would like my husband to join me. She then called a consultant to also scan me. I knew at this point that four days from my due date we had lost our baby.

The consultant came and I will never forget the looks I got from the staff as they scanned me. My fears were confirmed as they told me they couldnt find a heartbeat but would wait for a more detailed scan to be conducted.

This wait was the longest wait we have ever had to go through. Even though we knew the outcome, we still had that flicker of hope. It was not until the dreaded words were spoken to me I am so sorry we cannot locate a heartbeat, your baby has died', that I went into auto pilot.

Actions and events became mandatory and I continued with tasks without thinking. I really feel that I remained in this way until recently. I think its only now that the enormity of what we went through is hitting home.

The silence in the room was intangible, I just stared into space. At the hospital we spoke to the doctor about what would happen next. But it hit me. I would be having a natural birth and have to endure the physical pains of labour for my baby that would not take a breath.

I drove home from the hospital on my own and tried to take in what had just happened. Paul and I just sat in silence, we were numb. My hospital bag was packed. But now I had to go back and change it. It was meant for my healthy newborn.

I lay in bed with Cathal in my tummy that night. I feel asleep with him there, I woke up with him there, I prepared for my visit to the hospital, with him there.

We had to be at the labour ward for 2pm the next day, Wednesday 25th May. We arrived unsure of what was ahead of us. I will never be able to speak highly enough of the nurses and staff in Ward 4 who helped us through what can only be described as a living nightmare.

They brought us to our room and explained what would happen over the next few hours. The thought of labour absolutely terrified me, especially knowing the outcome. A lovely understanding nurse from West Cork spoke to me about Feileacain and the service they provide to still born parents and families. I initially did not want to avail of any service, only wanted to know how the delivery was going to be done.

I was induced at 3.30pm and waited for labour to begin. We went down to the labour ward around 9pm. I remember this so vividly because there was a live episode of Coronation Street on television.. the silly things you remember.

The labour ward was silent but I could hear other babies being born and the cries from them. I turned to Paul and said all we are going to have is silence.

I remember the midwife asked me if I would like a radio to break the silence, which I was so grateful she gave to us.

Cathal George Feehan was born sleeping at 11.29pm 25th May 2016. I had no pain relief and was so grateful to have had the experience. I feel that Cathal was there with me and it somehow made it all so easy. He was born a healthy weight and length and the image of his brother Conor. Paul was the first to hold him. At the time I couldn't. I think I was afraid, I was completely and utterly vunerable.

The midwives were so sensitive and obliging to our mountains of questions. We had brought clothes for Cathal to be dressed in. When he was ready, I held Cathal and grasped at him as I didnt want to let go. I spent that night awake staring at Cathal taking in everything about him, waiting to see him breath. How can a perfectly formed baby not take a breath and just lay there.

I think that both Paul and I existed for the next couple of days if not months, and to some extent, we still are only just existing.

A cuddle cot was provided to us through Feileacain - which allowed us to spend extra time with Cathal both in the hospital and at home. A cuddle cot looks like a conventional Moses basket but regulates the baby's temperature, allowing parents to keep their baby with them for longer.

We were also given a memory box from Feileacain. This included items like a hand knitted blanket, two teddies, a memory box, a number of cards and leaflets, a foot/finger printing kit and a candle. The following morning I remember making phone calls arranging Cathal's cremation and writing out the plaque for his coffin.

Both Paul and I had decided not to tell anyone about Cathal's birth as we wanted to keep the precious few days we would have with him to ourselves.

Arranging a child's funeral in particular a baby's is something that no person should ever have to experience.

A little piece of you dies with them, willing and almost bargaining to do anything to have them here with you. I felt so numb. I couldn't cry like I wanted to and I was petrified to start crying as I thought I might not stop. I felt empty, lost completely broken.

Cathal got to spend a night at home with his brother and parents. This is something we will be forever grateful to have had. We had photos taken by the photography As I Lay me Down in the hospital. This is a service provided by professional photographers to grieving families, giving you real memories of the time with your baby. I was dreading this whole process but afterwards was so happy to have done. It seems so natural to want take a photo of a new born baby, and they are now everlasting memories of precious beautiful baby boy.

Cathal was taken to the Island Crematorium, the most peaceful tranquil place. We cannot thank them enough for everything they did for us, in particular Frank.

We collected Cathal's ashes on Monday. Its an understatement to say the previous 6 days were a whirlwind hurricane. Instead of bringing home a healthy newborn baby boy, we were bringing Cathal home to live with us in an urn.

Days, weeks, months passed and I don't think that theres a moment where I am not reliving it. We found it important to mark occasions by including Cathal.

We released balloons into the sky and lanterns with written messages to him. This is still an important part of our lives such as holidays, birthdays, celebrations and something thats very important for Conor to partake in.

The support we received from our families, friends, hospital and Feileacain and continue to receive will never go unappreciated; we don't know where to start to repay the kindness. There is a small group of people that we will be eternally grateful to who brushed over their own lives to help prop us up, the emotional courage these people showed our family was amazing.

Paul and I had arranged to get married 16th March 2017 and decided to go ahead with the wedding. It kept me occupied for the months after Cathal.

When I was in hospital, I had the idea to include some of Cathal's ashes into our wedding rings. We were lucky to find that Askoy Jeweller in Cork city were able to oblige us with this.

We provided them with a small vile of some of Cathal's ashes and they were sent to Istanbul to be incorporated into our rings. They documented the process for us and when the rings were ready, sent us photos.

Our wedding day arrived. Cathal along with Conor held a special part in our day. We dedicated our first dance to Cathal. He was always going to be part of our day.

The taboo around stillbirth, although diminished, still has a stigma surrounding it.

From our experience, we have learnt of so many couples that this has happened to and do not speak about it. No one tells you how to deal with the grief. No one tells you what its going to be like weeks after the event and sit on the couch with your family and understand what happened. And no-one tells you why you do and dont feel sad, why you do or dont feel depressed, and most of all, why you feel very, very angry.

Its been just over a year since we lost Cathal and life doesn't get any easier. You just find the strength to carry on.

Our relationship has grown stronger because of this experience and we have learnt to appreciate every moment with each other and Conor. We have learnt more than we ever realised from Cathal - not everyone needs to live a life to change the world.

Emotional courage is something that should be commended for people who dare to show it. We learnt what true friendship was and the importance of having real friends in our lives.

Our future, well, who knows what it holds.
The Irish public is turning to the Health Service Executive for counsel on every aspect of their lives, not just health, according to recent research.

While the top ten most common queries received by HSELive include those related to medical cards, the European Health Insurance Card, and the drug payment scheme, it also receives the the most bizarre calls for help from the Irish public.

Theres a bull in the field which is annoying me at night time, what can I do?

I have bats in my attic which are keeping me awake at night, another person asked.

While another cried: Is that AA, as my car has broken down?

Meanwhile, one mother who contacted HSELive wanted to know how to sterilise a pram which was up in the attic for a few years.

Another asked: My son has come back from Australia and I found a spider in his bag and I dont know what to do with it. Is there an antidote that the HSE can use in the event of an outbreak of a disease?

Over 27,000 people have used the LiveChat function on HSE.ie, the HSE said today.

Geraldine Charman, Team Leader at HSELive said; Our frontline support team at HSELive is ready and waiting to help anyone looking for information about the health service.

Director General, Tony OBrien said; We know that navigating a complex health system, either for yourself or for a loved one, is not always easy for people."

"Improving access to health services is a key focus for us and the importance of information provision in terms of supporting access to health services cannot be underestimated.

HSELive operates Monday to Friday, 8am - 8pm, and Saturday, 10am-5pm.

The top ten most common queries received by HSELive are:

1. Medical Cards

2. European Health Insurance Card

3. Drug Payment Scheme

4. Long Term Illness Scheme

5. Dental Services

6. Optical Services

7. Births, Deaths and Marriages

8. Child Adolescent and Mental Health Services

9. Services for older people

10. Aids and Appliances

Kirsten Connolly, the HSE's Deputy Director of Communications said; HSELive provides customer-focused information and support to the public on all aspects of health and social care services. We want HSELive to be the go to information service for everything you need to know about accessing public health services."

The HSELive team has transitioned from providing an analogue (phone only) service to a multi-platform service over the past 18 months.

HSELive can be contacted by calling 1850 24 1850 from a landline, or 041 6850300 from a mobile phone, emailing hselive@hse.ie, tweeting @HSELive, or visiting HSE.ie.
Two of Ireland's biggest holiday brands are set to disappear this autumn, as Falcon Holidays and Thomson change their name to TUI.

The popular brands have been owned by TUI since the Germany-based group got the go-ahead to buy Falcon/JWT in 2007.

A gradual brand change has been underway for months, with the TUI smile logo working its way into Falcon and Thomson products and literature.

Holidaymakers may also have noticed a new, 20-second TV ad flagging the change that debuted during RTEs coverage of the All Ireland GAA Final.

"People will notice changes on the high street from this week as our 11 stores shift from Falcon to TUI," says Charlotte Brenner, Marketing Manager at TUI Ireland.

A "wide-scale communications offensive" is now underway, the company says, that aims to "cement the name of TUI in the minds of the Irish public".

The full change will be complete by the end of autumn.

TUI is one of the world's biggest tourism businesses, with thousands of travel agencies, 150 aircraft, 16 cruise liners and 300 hotels in its brand portfolio.

Crystal Summer will be absorbed into the new TUI brand, Brenner confirms, although Crystal Ski will continue to operate as a sub-brand.

"There is no effect to bookings or holidays," she adds.
A destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico (AP)

President Donald Trump is sending "America's hearts and prayers" to people in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and says he will visit both places ravaged by Hurricane Maria next week.

He said a "massive" effort to help people recover from the hurricane is under way and pledged that the federal government will pick up 100% of the bill for removing the debris left in the wake of Maria.

The president made the change to funding as part of an amendment to his earlier disaster declaration authorising federal aid in response to the Category 4 storm.

US states and territories typically cover 25% of the costs, with the federal government paying the remaining 75%.

Puerto Rican officials and sympathetic members of Congress had called on Mr Trump to relieve the island's cash-strapped government of the cost-sharing requirement.

His declaration covers costs for removing downed trees, utility poles and other debris, as well as spending for emergency protective measures taken to save lives, protect public health and ensure public safety.

Trump has come under criticism that his administration responded too slowly to the growing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, where Maria knocked out power to virtually the entire island.

Mr Trump announced the visit after the administration came under criticism for its response to the damage on the island that is home to more than three million US citizens.

The island has been coping with shortages of food, drinking water, electricity and various forms of communication after Hurricane Maria struck earlier this month.

Mr Trump said Puerto Rico is important to him.

He said Puerto Ricans are "great people and we need to help them".

Puerto Rico's governor Ricardo Rossello said he has spoken "as recently as last night" to Mr Trump about the crisis.

He said he was "confident the president understands the magnitude of the situation".

Mr Rossello said he would be speaking with Mr Trump later on Tuesday to discuss "a long-term recovery package for Puerto Rico to be presented to Congress", apparently next week.

AP

A flotilla of ships and thousands more military personnel are being sent to Puerto Rico, the Trump administration announced.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said the devastation wrought by the storm presents unique logistical challenges for the federal response. He said demolished airports and seaports have made it difficult to get aid and personnel to the stricken island.

Mr Long said 16 Navy and Coast Guard ships are now in the waters around Puerto Rico, with another 10 ships on the way. They include the USS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship. Planes and ships are also bringing in a military force to help distribute aid.

AP
Banks across Europe will have to consider diversity and set gender targets for their top executives for the first time under new EU guidelines.

The European Banking Authority and the European Securities and Markets Authority published a package of corporate governance guidelines for financial institutions across the EU, with diversity one of five key areas covered.

The guidelines, which come into effect from June 2018, specify the need for a quantitative goal for genders at boardroom level in the first such move by the two EU regulators.

It comes after Britains Davies review in 2015 called for women to make up a third of every FTSE 100 boardroom by 2020.

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In their report, the EU regulators said: The diversity policy for significant institutions should include a quantitative target for the representation of the under-represented gender in the management body.

Significant institutions should quantify the targeted participation of the under-represented gender and specify an appropriate time-frame within which the target should be met and how it will be met.

The guidelines suggest firms should have a diversity policy, including career planning and measures to ensure equal treatment and opportunities for staff of different genders.

As well as gender, the report said diversity of education, age, profession and geography should also be considered in a bid to overcome the risk of group think.

The rules likewise aim to ensure board members can commit sufficient time to their roles, have the right knowledge, skills and experience, as well as good repute, honesty and integrity, and independence of mind.

The rules aim to ensure regulations are uniform across the EU and will also apply to firms with branches in the EU, which are head-quartered elsewhere.
David Hockney with the painting he is donating to the Pompidou Centre in Paris (AP)

David Hockney said his hearing loss has helped sharpen his painting, giving him an enhanced sense of space and perspective.

Speaking on Tuesday at a retrospective of his work at Paris' Pompidou Centre, Bradford-born Hockney said: "If you lose one sense, you gain other senses, and I feel I could see space clearer.

"I put it down to the hearing loss. ... I can't tell what sound is coming from where."

The 80-year-old artist said he is currently working on reverse perspective paintings.

Hockney donated a huge work to the Pompidou Centre, The Arrival Of Spring In Woldgate, East Yorkshire, that is part of the travelling retrospective opening in Paris this week.

Hockney's depictions of Los Angeles swimming pools and wooded Yorkshire hills are among the best-known images in contemporary art.

AP
A British woman believed to have died after being mauled by feral dogs in Greece may have been attacked by wolves, a coroner has said.

The woman, named locally as Celia Hollingworth, of Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, was reported missing on Thursday.

The 62-year-old disappeared while walking back to her accommodation in Maroneia, in the northern part of the country, following a visit to a nearby archaeological site.

Coroner Nikolaos Kifinidis told The Times that the condition of remains found on Saturday suggested she was not attacked by stray dogs.

"It seems like she may have been attacked by other wild animals, like rabid wolves and jackals," he said.

According to animal welfare campaigners, there are an estimated one million stray dogs in Greece, however wolves are common to the wooded region.

Reports suggest that Ms Hollingworth tried to contact her relatives in London after being attacked but lost signal on her phone.

Several campaign groups in the UK paid tribute to the retiree, who was described as "dedicated" and "always optimistic".

According to reports, Ms Hollingworth worked as an administrator at the University of Bristol and latterly dedicated her time to raising money for causes including Syrian refugees.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: "We are working closely with officers in Greece regarding the formal identification of the deceased.

"We are also working with colleagues from the Foreign Office and supporting her next of kin at this difficult time."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are in contact with Greek police in relation to a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.

"We are also providing consular assistance to her family."
A daughter stole up to 180,000 (205,000) from her parents and left them without any money in Europe after they sold their home and went on a round the world trip, a court heard.

Melissa Humphreys (33) abused her parents' trust when they left their finances in her hands after setting off on a trip around Europe in a motorhome.

The retired couple were forced to cut their trip short when they discovered they were suddenly unable to withdraw any money from their bank accounts.

When an investigation was launched it was discovered that Humphreys had spent all their funds, maxed out their credit cards and had even applied for new cards in their names.

Appearing at Chelmsford Crown Court, Humphreys admitted 12 counts of fraud involving credit cards and one count of obtaining property by deception.

At an earlier hearing Barry Hargreaves, prosecuting, said victims, Elizabeth and Terence Fordham, had been left in a dreadful financial position.

He said in 2006, the retired couple sold their property and bought a motorhome in order to go travelling across Europe.

They had left their daughter, Humphreys, responsible for the management of their credit cards and bank accounts.

Mr Hargreaves said: They discovered in 2010 things began going wrong and they couldnt get money out. Eventually it transpires that the accounts had no money in them.

Credit cards were maxed out and they had to borrow money from a relative to get back to the UK.

Their dreams have been shattered by these offences. They have been left in a dreadful financial position.

Read More

Following Humphreys plea, Judge Emma Peters said: "Given the breach of trust here and the extended period of dishonesty, and the terrible fact that her victims were her parents, is clearly an aggravating factor in my view."

Humphreys denied three charges of obtaining property by deception, and the prosecution said they would be pursuing the charges. Steven Levy, defending, called for an eight-week adjournment for a psychiatric report to be written.

He said: "Clearly this matter was not one that was easy to assimilate because of the age of some of the offences and the defendant's parents went away some time ago.

"That has had a big impact on her, and her mental health."

In summing up, Judge Peters, said: "You've pleaded guilty to most of these offences and stolen tens of thousands of pounds from your parents, just short of 200,000.

"I don't want you to be under any doubt at all that the most immediate sentence will be one of custody."

She added: "Bail is no indication of the sentence you might receive."

Humphreys must stay at her home and surrender her passport to Colchester police station until November when she is next due at Chelmsford Crown Court for sentencing.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Swept into parliament by those Germans angered at the arrival of more than a million refugees and migrants, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) delivered a stark message for Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"We will hound her. We'll get our country and our people back," Alexander Gauland (76), one of the party's two leading candidates, told supporters to wild applause at a post-election celebration in Berlin.

The first far-right party to enter Germany's parliament in more than half a century, the AfD - which has been likened by Germany's own foreign minister to the Nazis - won around 13pc of the vote, making it the third biggest party in the new parliament after Ms Merkel's conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats, both of whom saw their share of the vote fall amid the AfD surge.

The party did well in the former communist eastern part of the country, where it won 22.9pc of the vote - in the west it won 11.3pc. Although parties refuse to work with the AfD, its 94 parliamentary seats mean it will now have a voice in the lower house of Europe's richest country and become eligible for funding tied to the size of its vote.

It rejects comparison to the Nazis, insisting it raises valid concerns about immigration and what it calls the "Islamisation" of the West which are not being addressed by mainstream politicians.
Spain's government has ordered Catalonia's regional police force to identify officials at local schools and other civic buildings expected to be used as polling stations in a controversial independence referendum.

Spanish authorities say the October 1 ballot on whether the Catalan region should secede from Spain is illegal.

They are cracking down on organisers by threatening them with prosecution.

The order places further pressure on the Catalan police, who were acting on instructions from central Spanish authorities against their fellow Catalans in the emotionally-charged stand-off.

The Spanish Interior Ministry in Madrid said on Tuesday the order to note down the personal details of officials was given to police by the top state prosecutor in Catalonia.

AP
Women came dressed in their finest, the men in traditional Kurdish sarwal pants and sashes.

For some of the older voters, yesterday's historic referendum on Kurdish independence was too much, and they broke down in tears as they walked out of the voting booths in Kurdistan's capital, Erbil.

"Today we will finally be a nation, just like the UK," Khano Darwesh (77) said as he showed off his ink-stained finger. "Our people have been fighting for over 100 years for this moment."

He joined three million other residents of Iraqi Kurdistan who turned out to vote yesterday.

For Mr Darwesh, who was not deterred by the two-hour queue, it was only the second time he had ever voted in his life. The last was Kurdistan's 2005 local presidential election.

"Nobody wanted this but here we are today," he said, slamming his fist on his chest. The polls closed at 6pm yesterday and while the result is expected later this week, it is a foregone conclusion. Iraqi Kurds have long dreamed of independence - something the Kurdish people were denied when colonial powers drew up the map of the Middle East after World War I.

However, yesterday's vote, called by Masoud Barzani, the president of Kurdistan, has been rejected by just about every world power, amid concerns it could threaten the fragile stability on the region's borders.

Iraq has called it unconstitutional, with its parliament demanding yesterday that troops be sent to areas contested by the Kurds that were included in the referendum. Turkey, unsettled at the prospect that the vote might provoke the separatist dreams of its own Kurdish minority, has threatened that Kurdistan will pay "a price" in the event of a yes vote.

Amid escalating tensions, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president, yesterday announced the country was closing its borders to Kurdistan before threatening to halt all oil exports.

The Iraqi Kurds export an average 600,000 barrels per day through a pipeline running through Turkey to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. The landlocked Kurdistan regional government imports 80pc of its goods and is heavily reliant on oil exports for revenues.

The UK and US, which have allied with Kurdistan's Peshmerga military in the fight against Isil in northern Iraq, had urged Mr Barzani to delay the referendum, saying it would only distract from the fight against the jihadists.

Mr Darwesh, who for 45 years fought for independence as a soldier in the Peshmerga, said he believed his people would not be safe until they had a state of their own. ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Anthony Weiner, the former congressman, was sentenced to 21 months in prison yesterday over a sexting scandal that set off a chain of events which Hillary Clinton claimed cost her the US presidency.

The charge, over messages exchanged with a 15-year-old girl, marked a fall from grace for Weiner, a Democrat politician married to Huma Abedin, Mrs Clinton's top aide.

Weiner's habit of sending sexual messages to strangers on social media destroyed his career in the US House of Representatives, his campaign to be mayor of New York, and his marriage.

The scandal that enveloped him also triggered a key event in the presidential election. Eleven days before the vote James Comey, the then-FBI director, announced that emails discovered on a laptop used by Weiner had led him to reopen an earlier high-profile investigation into Mrs Clinton's use of a private computer server while she was secretary of state. Mrs Clinton has blamed the negative publicity surrounding that decision for her defeat.

In a Manhattan court, Weiner (53) wept as he was told to surrender to prison officials by November 6, and that he would be on the sex offenders register for life. He will serve three years of supervised probation after being released. Weiner had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of transferring obscene material to a minor.

He wore his wedding ring in court but Ms Abedin, with whom he has a five-year-old son, has filed for divorce and was not present.

In a statement to the court before sentencing Weiner broke down in tears, saying he had reached "rock bottom". He said: "I was a very sick man for a very long time but I'm also responsible for the damage I have done. I have a disease but no excuse." ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Political pressure is gradually forcing Facebook executives to take responsibility for the content that appears on the social network, at this point mainly for the advertising. So far, they are doing a good job of avoiding the real subject.

On Wednesday, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg addressed the recent discovery that ads on Facebook could be targeted at "Jew haters" - or, rather, at the small number of people who self-describe as such. Fixing that required temporarily ceasing all targeting by profession. Sandberg promised a new level of human oversight so that new targets would require approval from an actual Facebook employee.

On Thursday, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg weighed in on a scandal with potentially more dire consequences for his company - Russian influence operations through Facebook during the 2016 US presidential election.

Facebook accounts, apparently set up in Russia, purchased some 3,000 ads during the US election campaign.

Zuckerberg explained that this took place "programmatically through our apps and website without the advertiser ever speaking to anyone at Facebook".

Zuckerberg insisted that Facebook wasn't going to police content: "We don't check what people say before they say it, and frankly, I don't think our society should want us to. Freedom means you don't have to ask permission first, and that by default you can say what you want."

Zuckerberg offered some policy changes on ads, similar to Sandberg's, such as more human oversight, greater transparency when it comes to who's paying for "political ads" and what ads an entity is running.

Zuckerberg tried to offer a sop to critics: "But even without our employees involved in the sales, we can do better," he said, without specifying what he meant.

Within its current model, however, Facebook cannot really do much better. Only once Facebook is forced to admit that it's really a media company (just one that doesn't pay for content) will that stance have to change.

It's pointless to force a Facebook page to list what ads it's running to different audiences. A Russian troll farm can set up any number of pages and use any number of payment options; that's what troll farms are for.

It's also impossible to screen for "political ads" programmatically: filtering by certain words or expressions will stop a lot of legitimate ads, and a player intent on getting a message across will soon find a way to bypass the filters. Involving humans in screening all ads is the only foolproof solution. It would bring Facebook's practice closer to that of a traditional media company, which always knows what ads it's running, who paid for them and what legal problems may arise from running them.

This may be inevitable unless Facebook is prepared to wage war on the US political establishment in the name of information freedom - something Zuckerberg has been disinclined to do so far.

While it would be fair for Facebook to accept media regulation to level the playing field, it's a shame Zuckerberg isn't putting up that fight. It would give the public a chance to find out more about the way Facebook advertising works today.

A 2016 paper on Facebook's ad targeting, written by Facebook's Neha Bhargava and Dan Chapsky in co-operation with Northwestern University's Brett Gordon and Florian Zettelmeyer, sheds some light on the issue. It notes that targeting engines "stack the deck" by sending ads to the people most likely to purchase the advertised product or service, "making it very difficult to tell whether the ad itself is actually having any incremental effect".

Applied to the "Russian ads", this suggests that Facebook's engine was programmed to preach to the converted, or at least the easily swayed.

That, of course, is the problem with the whole concept of Russian propaganda warfare: messages generated by Russian propagandists bounce around echo chambers that are full of similar home-grown content, produced by and for people who love this kind of thing.

Figuring out whether they had an effect is like deciding whether it was the 10th drink that did all the damage or the previous nine.

The other revelation from the paper is that, when it comes to commercial ads, the efficiency of Facebook advertising is rather low.

For the paper, 12 experiments were run with millions to hundreds of millions of ad impressions. These were commercial ads, for financial, telecom and tech products, as well as retail sales.

The average click-through rate - that is the ratio of the number of times users click on an ad to the number of times the ad is shown - was only 1.6pc.
The man accused of the gruesome torture and murder of his girlfriend by scalping her and draining her body of blood in a Los Angeles apartment had already written a fictional version of a similar crime in one of his graphic novels, it has been reported.

Blake Leibel, 36, the son of a wealthy property magnate in Canada, is charged with the murder of his partner, Ukrainian-born model Iana Kasian.

The 30-year-old models body was found in May last year. She had been tortured and mutilated, suffering a head trauma, and died from having her blood drained from her body, according to a coroners report.

Mr Leibel is charged with murder, mayhem, aggravated mayhem and torture, and could face the death penalty. He denies the charges.

He had reportedly lived in LA on an $18,000(15,250)-a-month allowance with dreams of making it in the comic book industry, writing a number of stories based on violence and murder.

He is credited with working on an animated version of the Mel Brooks film Space Balls, creating a failed film comedy called Bald and publishing a graphic novel called Syndrome, which he described as grappling with the questions surrounding what provokes a person to commit evil acts, the Washington Post reported.

Mr Leibel is charged with murder, mayhem, aggravated mayhem and torture, and could face the death penalty. He denies the charges.

Read More

Ms Kasians autopsy was released as part of civil suit filed by her family who are seeking $56m (42m) over her death, The Toronto Sun reported.

Dr James Ribe, of the LA County Coroners office, said Ms Kasians entire scalp was traumatically absent and her scalp had been stripped to the bone with portions of her face torn away.

She had suffered bruises and a bite mark to her face, and had lived for at least eight hours after receiving the head injury.

Her death was recorded as exsanguination, due to her body having been drained of blood.
Commercial vehicle hire firm Northgate has sacked its finance chief after he was convicted of assault.

The companys board  which hires out its fleet to the likes of construction, wholesale and distribution businesses  said that while Paddy Gallaghers offence took place outside of work, he was still deemed ill-suited for the role.

Paddy Gallagher, Chief Finance Officer, has been summarily dismissed due to his conviction for the summary offence of common assault, Northgate said in a market announcement.

Whilst the conviction relates to Mr Gallaghers personal life, solely as a result of this conviction, the Board considers Mr Gallaghers position is untenable.

Mr Gallagher was re-elected to the board of directors earlier this month, receiving support from 99% of shareholders, but it is unclear whether he was handed the conviction after the annual general meeting took place on September 19.

No further information on the conviction or dismissal was provided.

David Tilston has been appointed as interim chief financial officer in his stead, having previously served as interim finance chief for Consort Medical for the five months to April 2017. He also served as CFO of Innovia Group  the company known for supplying the UKs 5 plastic notes  from 2012 to 2015.

Northgate shares were trading around 0.2% higher at 428p in morning trading in the wake of the news.

Northgate, which operates across the UK, Ireland and Spain, employs around 3,000 staff across its three markets.
Israeli soldiers guard near the scene where a police spokeswoman said a Palestinian gunman killed three Israelis guards and wounded a fourth in an attack on a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank before himself being shot dead, September 26, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

An Israeli border policeman walks past a damaged security booth near the scene where a police spokeswoman said a Palestinian gunman killed three Israelis guards and wounded a fourth in an attack on a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank before himself being shot dead, September 26, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Israeli soldiers guard near the scene where a police spokeswoman said a Palestinian gunman killed three Israelis guards and wounded a fourth in an attack on a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank before he was shot dead, September 26, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

A Palestinian attacker opened fire early on Tuesday at the entrance to a settlement outside Jerusalem, killing three Israeli men and critically wounding a fourth, Israeli police and medical services said.

It was one of the deadliest attacks in a two-year spate of violence.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker was a 37-year-old Palestinian who approached the back gate entrance of the Har Adar settlement, hiding among fellow Palestinian day labourers who were being checked by security forces.

She said he aroused their suspicions and was asked to stop. At that point, he pulled out a weapon and began opening fire from a short distance. The attacker was then shot dead by other forces at the scene.

The Magen David Adom medical service said that in addition to the three men in their 20s and 30s who were killed, a fourth Israeli man, 32, was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Har Adar is a community west of Jerusalem, straddling the seam line between the West Bank and Israel proper and an unusual target in the wave of violence that Israel has been coping with over the past two years.

Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and car-ramming attacks.

During that same time, Israeli forces have killed more than 255 Palestinians; Israel says most of them were attackers, others died in clashes with Israeli forces.

Most of the attacks have been stabbings against security forces, primarily in the West Bank.

Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian religious and political leaders, compounded on social media sites that glorify violence and encourage attacks.

Palestinians say the attacks stem from anger and frustration at decades of Israeli rule in territories they claim for a state.

The frequency and intensity of attacks has lessened of late but such an incident, coming amid the Jewish high holiday, threatened to ignite them anew.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said "the cruel terror attack proves once again the daily front that our security forces face in the most important mission - protecting and defending the safety of the citizens of Israel".
A Palestinian attacker opened fire early on Tuesday at the entrance to a settlement outside Jerusalem, killing three Israeli men and critically wounding a fourth, Israeli police and medical services said.

It was one of the deadliest attacks in a two-year spate of violence.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker was a 37-year-old Palestinian who approached the back gate entrance of the Har Adar settlement, hiding among fellow Palestinian day labourers who were being checked by security forces.

She said he aroused their suspicions and was asked to stop. At that point, he pulled out a weapon and began opening fire from a short distance. The attacker was then shot dead by other forces at the scene.

The Magen David Adom medical service said that in addition to the three men in their 20s and 30s who were killed, a fourth Israeli man, 32, was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Har Adar is a community west of Jerusalem, straddling the seam line between the West Bank and Israel proper and an unusual target in the wave of violence that Israel has been coping with over the past two years.

Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and car-ramming attacks.

During that same time, Israeli forces have killed more than 255 Palestinians; Israel says most of them were attackers, others died in clashes with Israeli forces.

Most of the attacks have been stabbings against security forces, primarily in the West Bank.

Israel blames the violence on incitement by Palestinian religious and political leaders, compounded on social media sites that glorify violence and encourage attacks.

Palestinians say the attacks stem from anger and frustration at decades of Israeli rule in territories they claim for a state.

The frequency and intensity of attacks has lessened of late but such an incident, coming amid the Jewish high holiday, threatened to ignite them anew.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said "the cruel terror attack proves once again the daily front that our security forces face in the most important mission - protecting and defending the safety of the citizens of Israel".

AP
The Russian military has launched drills involving intercontinental ballistic missiles in Siberia.

The Defence Ministry said on Tuesday the manoeuvres involve the Yars missile launchers along with support vehicles.

It said 4,000 troops will be involved.

The Yars, the most advanced nuclear-tipped missile in the Russian military arsenal, is mounted on a heavy lorry, making it more difficult for an enemy to spot and destroy it.

The ministry said the exercise will involve the missiles' deployment and feature action to protect them from enemy scouts and precision strikes.

The drills come a week after Russia and Belarus wrapped up their massive week-long war games that caused jitters in some Nato countries, including Poland and the Baltics.

The Russian military has intensified its combat training amid tensions with Nato over Ukraine.

AP
Dragan Vasiljkovic, centre, a former Serb paramilitary commander, sits between guards in a courtroom at the beginning of his trial (AP)

A former Serb paramilitary commander and Australian citizen has been sentenced by a Croatian court to 15 years in prison for war crimes in the 1990s.

The municipal court in the coastal town of Split said on Tuesday that Dragan Vasiljkovic, also known as Captain Dragan and Daniel Snedden, is guilty of the killings and torture of imprisoned Croatian civilians and troops while he was a rebel Serb commander during the 1991-95 Croatian war.

The 62-year-old Vasiljkovic, who was born in Serbia, went to Australia at the age of 15 but returned to the Balkans to train Serb rebels in 1991, when Serbs took up arms against Croatia's secession from Yugoslavia.

Vasiljkovic was extradited from Australia in July 2015, after fighting a 10-year legal battle against being handed over to Croatia's judiciary.

AP
Frauke Petry (closest to camera) with other leading Alternative for Germany members (AP)

The co-chairwoman of the n ationalist Alternative for Germany party said on Tuesday she plans to leave it just two days after it made a strong showing in the country's elections.

Frauke Petry's announcement came a s other politicians from the anti-migrant party gathered for their first meeting after their breakthrough.

Alternative for Germany, or AfD, won 12.6% of the vote in Sunday's election to win seats in the national parliament for the first time.

Ms Petry, its co-chairwoman since 2015, announced on Monday that she would not join its parliamentary group and other leaders urged her to leave the party altogether.

"It is clear that this step will follow," Ms Petry said on Tuesday in the eastern city of Dresden, in remarks reported by the dpa news agency.

Ms Petry's husband, Marcus Pretzell, the party leader in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and a regional politician there, said he is also leaving AfD.

AfD won 94 of the 709 seats in the new German parliament, including Ms Petry's.

It was not immediately clear whether any others would follow Ms Petry, who moved AfD's focus from opposing eurozone bailouts to migration after she took over in 2015 but has been increasingly sidelined in recent months.

Ms Petry has said she was aiming to make the AfD ready for government in 2021, and urged her party earlier this year to exclude members who expressed extremist views.

She said on Monday that "an anarchic party" can be successful in opposition but cannot eye a place in government, before storming out of a press conference and leaving other party leaders momentarily speechless.

Fellow AfD members appeared relatively unconcerned by Ms Petry's departure as they gathered in Berlin.

Asked whether other politicians will follow Ms Petry, co-leader Alexander Gauland said: "I hope not, but I can't look into people's heads."

Sunday's election left Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc weakened but still easily the biggest group in parliament.

Mrs Merkel now faces a complicated task in forming a coalition, most likely with the pro-business Free Democrats and the traditionally left-leaning Greens.

Her partners in the outgoing government, the centre-left Social Democrats, say they will go into opposition after they lost substantial support in the vote.

Mrs Merkel also faces calls from her own allies for a more robust conservative image.

AP
Kenyan police dispersed protesters in front of the electoral commission offices as controversy continued over who should conduct the fresh presidential elections.

Voting is scheduled for October 26 after the country's Supreme Court, earlier this month, invalidated President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election win.

Police used tear gas after shoving broke out between opposition supporters, who demanded the resignations and prosecutions of top officials of the electoral commission, and ruling party supporters who urged no change to the electoral body, said opposition supporter Cyrus Okemwa.

Peaceful protests were carried out by hundreds of supporters in the opposition stronghold of Kisumu against the commission.

The opposition coalition's parliamentary group charged in a statement that members of an outlawed gang had been brought to the demonstration to cause chaos and harm opposition leaders.

Police security for opposition leader Raila Odinga was withdrawn ahead of the protests, said his running mate, former vice president Kalonzo Musyoka.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, whose re-election in August was cancelled by the Supreme Court, has said the electoral commission should not be changed.

Mr Odinga charges that the electoral commissioners are complicit in electoral fraud and should be dismissed and charged with crimes.

The Supreme Court invalidated Mr Kenyatta's win, saying the electoral commission failed to verify results and there was evidence of irregularities and illegalities in the vote counting.

Mr Odinga rejected reforms the electoral body said it would implement including allowing opposition computer technology experts to monitor the commission's computer systems and letting the UN purchase ballot papers.

Mr Odinga alleged the group of suppliers who conspired to rig the first elections was still intact and they must be replaced to have fair results in the rerun.

Mr Odinga charged that members of the conspiracy include one of East Africa's most successful companies, the communications firm Safaricom, and France's OT Morpho.

Separately newly elected opposition legislator Paul Ongiki, also known as Babu Owino, has been charged with subversion for allegedly referring to Mr Kenyatta as "son of a dog" in Swahili during the campaign trail last week.

Prosecutors told the court the charges carry a sentence of seven years and six months.

Mr Owino was remanded for a day at a police station as he awaits a ruling on his bail application.

AP
Formula 1 pays its last visit to Sepang next weekend, a venue where the combination of high track temperatures and fast corners encourages drivers to make more pitstops, not less.

To complicate matters, Pirelli's tyre nominations are one step softer than last year, with the white medium, yellow soft and red supersoft selected: the same combination last seen in Italy.

The Sepang track underwent some significant changes in 2016, being entirely resurfaced to remove many of the bumps that were formerly a key characteristic of the circuit, originally built on a swamp.

However, the tropical and humid weather, with regular monsoon-like downpours in the afternoon, remains a notable feature.

"The Malaysian Grand Prix we saw last year was somewhat different to previous seasons, thanks to its return to an autumn slot and the comprehensive resurfacing work that took place in 2016," says head of car racing Mario Isola.

"This also had the result of improving drainage: an important aspect at a circuit where it can rain so heavily and frequently.

"However, the characteristics of new asphalt can change from one year to the next, so it will be interesting to see what the effect of this is.

"This year we are bringing the softest election of tyres ever seen in Malaysia, which we expect to result in even faster lap times, with the supersoft used there for the first time.

"Consequently, all previous strategy calculations will have to be adjusted, making the work done in free practice particularly important."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

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An education law that critics say will infringe on the rights of ethnic minorities has been signed into law by Ukraine's president.

Petro Poroshenko's office said in a statement that the law "strengthens the role of the Ukrainian language in education".

The bill sparked concerns in Hungary, Romania, Russia and Moldova.

Hungary's foreign ministry called it a "stab in the back" while Romania's president last week cancelled a visit to Ukraine in protest and has also called off a trip to Bucharest by Mr Poroshenko.

The law restructures Ukraine's education system and specifies that Ukrainian will be the main language used in schools, rolling back the option for lessons to be taught in other languages.

Ukrainian officials have rejected the suggestion that minority languages will be sidelined.

AP
An already convicted sexual offender was charged with sex crimes with a minor after investigators found pictures on his phone.

Ricky Brian Clark Jr., 34, was arrested May 21 on eight counts of statutory rape, five counts of indecent liberties with a child, two counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, three counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor and general sex offense. He was issued a $1.1 million bond and remains in Cabarrus County jail. His next court date is Wednesday, Sept. 27.

The case originated Sunday, May 21, when Concord Police responded at about 1 a.m. to a report of a sexual assault between an adult and a minor. According to court documents, the victims mother had become suspicious of the relationship between Clark and her daughter after he told the teenager via text message that he was staying the night at her grandmothers house.

The mother went to the grandmothers house and found her 14-year-old daughter alone with Clark in a bedroom. Law enforcement said that both Clark and the victim denied any sexual contact.

During the course of the investigation and the interviews, it was apparent the mother had interrupted the suspect and juvenile before any sexual act had occurred, a search warrant said. During further investigation, it was learned that the suspect was a registered sex offender and that there was some type of relationship between him and the juvenile.

After searching Clarks phone, detectives found several pictures of the victim in her underwear, law enforcement said. They also found pictures of a females sexual organs, which the victim said must have been downloaded when she logged into her Google account from Clarks phone, court documents said.

The victim said other pictures of Clark with a naked female were not her, according to law enforcement.

Detectives arrested Clark for possession of child pornography and seized his phone and the memory cards from his camera and in-car camera as well as the victims phone and a laptop Clark had bought her.

In an interview with police, Clark admitted he had sex with the victim twice before, according to court documents, and told detectives there was a video on his phone of the victim performing oral sex on him.

In a separate interview with child advocacy professionals, the victim said she had intercourse and oral sex with Clark on May 19.

Clark was also charged with being on a child premises as a sex offender for being at the Concord Chuck E. Cheese in May. He was indicted with that charge Sept. 11. Clark was convicted of child solicitation in Madison County, Ind., in May 2011.
By Srinivas Raman

The improper administration of the goods and services tax (GST) regime is adversely affecting exporters in India.

Exports are taxed under the Integrated Goods and Services Act, 2017 as per which exporters are supposed to enjoy zero rated supply, i.e. taxes and duties paid on input goods or services or final goods or services are to be refunded.

However, since the implementation of the GST, the online refund mechanism has either delayed processing or been non-operational due to technical glitches. Consequently, exporters are facing major financial and compliance related burdens. Some of the other challenges faced by the exporters are discussed below.

RELATED: Tax Compliance Advisory

Exporters lose out on upfront tax exemptions

Under the erstwhile indirect tax regime, exporters enjoyed several upfront tax exemptions such as input tax exemption. However, these upfront exemptions have been removed under the GST regime, and the only exemption granted to exporters is the exemption from paying basic customs duty.

This is because GST works on the principle of refunds and not rebates. This essentially means that exporters will have to pay upfront integrated GST (IGST) for the procurement of goods and services, and the input tax credit will be refunded to them subsequently.

Exporters face working capital crunch and increased compliance burden

As per the IGST law, exporters have two options to claim refund. They can either export goods and services by furnishing a detailed bond/ letter of undertaking prior to each export without paying IGST and claim refund of input tax credit, or they can pay the applicable IGST and claim refund of IGST paid on export of goods and services. The former method is a documentation intensive process whereas the latter exposes the exporter to greater financial risk by reducing capital liquidity ratio.

In previous weeks, the electronic refund mechanism has not been operational on the official GST Network website. As a result, exporters have not received any refunds despite having furnished bonds or paid IGST. This has severely affected the availability of working capital for exporters as critical funds remain blocked by GST. Several small and medium sized exporters have even delayed shipments in order to cope with the working capital deficit.

RELATED: Impact of GST on Imports and Exports in India

Debt financing as a last resort for exporters

The working capital crisis has particularly impacted industries with high input costs, such as labor intensive sectors like leather, jewelry, and tea, among others. This has also affected employment in these sectors, resulting in greater retrenchment of the workforce.

In order to continue their business, exporters are also seeking bridge loans to finance their working capital requirements. However, availing debt financing is an additional liability for traders already finding it difficult to cope with the current GST regime.

Government finally responds to exporter concerns

Exporters are demanding a total upfront tax exemption under GST or temporary rebates due to the working capital problem caused by the inefficiency of the present refund mechanism.

The GST Council (which is part of the finance ministry) has recently decided to constitute a committee to look into export related concerns, and resolve existing problems. The council will meet on October 6, 2017 to deliberate on the matter. The commerce ministry is also expected to play an advisory role.

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Ukrspyrt has agreed with Maxifood on the supply of vodka of its own brand to Germany.

According to a company press release, the matter concerns the export of Starozhytnia vodka produced at the Lutsk plant of Ukrspyrt state enterprise.

It is noted that the first batch is now being prepared for shipment.

It is planned to start negotiations soon on the supply of products to Italy and France.

The net profit of Ukrspyrt in 2016 amounted to UAH 97.1 million against a net loss of UAH 84 million in 2015.

Ukrspyrt production in 2016 increased by 2%, to UAH 1.822 billion in comparison with the previous year. The share of ethyl alcohol in total production is 93.5%.

Ukrspyrt is managed by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, which drafted a bill on the privatization of the state company.
In a rather unusual ruling the Delhi High Court has acquitted 'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui in a rape case, and raised questions on the victim's claims.

BCCL/ FileSetting aside his conviction and seven-year jail term sentenced by a fast track court in 2016 the Delhi HC observed that there were doubts over the claim of the US-based complainant that he had oral sex with her without her consent.

The complainant, a research scholar from Columbia University had alleged that Farooqui had oral sex with her without her consent. Justice Ashutosh Kumar acquitted Farooqui after observing that "instances of woman behaviour are not unknown that a feeble no may mean a yes".

Instances of woman behavior are not unknown that a feeble no may mean a yes. If the parties are strangers, the same theory may not be appliedBut same would not be the situation when parties are known to each other, are persons of letters and are intellectually/academically proficient, and if, in the past, there have been physical contacts. In such cases, it would be really difficult to decipher whether little or no resistance and a feeble no, was actually a denial of consent.

BCCL/ File

The judge also noted that the complainant had failed to establish that she did not resist the advances due to fear.

There is no communication regarding a fear in the mind of the prosecutrix to the appellant. The prosecutrix makes a mental move of feigning orgasm so as to end the ordeal. What the appellant has been communicated is, even though wrongly and mistaken that the prosecutrix is okay with it and has participated in the act.

In the judgment, the high court also took into account factors such as past intimacy between Farooqui and the woman, noting that they had kissed twice in the past. It remains in doubt.
Bollywood's most anticipated movie Padmavati has finally released two spectacular looks from the film. The movie which stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh is its final leg of post production and makers are gradually revealing their look.

Instagram/Shahid Kapoor

While Deepika's royal Rajputana Queen left us awestruck, Shahid Kapoor's latest poster as a brave Rajput warrior stunned us. Clearly, he has outshone Ranveer from Bajirao Mastani and this is not the first time he has transformed himself.

Be it his portrayal of Prince Hamlet in Haider or drug addict Tommy Singh in Udta Punjab, the man outdoes himself each time.

Instagram

Shahid plays the role of Maharawal Ratan Singh and has his costumes accordingly. Fashion designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula are the official designers for the actor and they spoke to Mid-Day about how much research went to his look.

"We sourced organic fabrics from Rajasthan that were then embroidered by hand by 22 local artisans. We have stuck to pure muslin cloth as the base, and then used vegetable dye or hand dye. While we tried to use hues that are associated with masculinity, we also had to balance it with brighter colours, since Rajasthani outfits are all about colour at the end of the day."

The duo was overwhelmed to work with the brilliant filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

  . ,     . #MaharawalRatanSingh #Padmavati @FilmPadmavati A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) on Sep 24, 2017 at 5:54pm PDT

"Many samples of antique textiles and costumes from that period are dispersed in various museums all over the world. So, our dreams of visiting these museums was realised as we collated all the necessary information. We visited the Calico Museum and several museums in Jaipur."

Well, we can't wait to see the trailer and the larger than life cinema. The movie is slated to release on December 1, 2016.
Kyiv's Pecherksy district court has arrested accounts of Trafigura Ukraine LLC, Skela Tercium LLC, Craft Energy LLC, Agroresurs production industrial company LLC and AGT LLC opened by the companies in Alfa-Bank.

According to a court ruling dated September 19, 2017, the Prosecutor General's Office asked to arrest the accounts in the investigation into the embezzlement of funds by managers of state-owned enterprise Ukrspyrt when natural gas was purchased.

As reported, the subsidiary of international trader Trafigura  Trafigura Ukraine  obtained a license to supply natural gas in the country on June 15, 2017.

Trafigura was founded in 1993 by a group of traders that left Marc Rich Co. Later the latter was transformed into Glencore. In April 2017, Trafigura won a lot to supply 218 million cubic meters of gas for UAH 1.35 billion in a tender held by public joint-stock company Ukrtransgaz.
After Pakistan described India as mother of terrorism in South Asia, India came up with a stunning rebuttal with a young Indian diplomat accusing Pakistan of using fakes to embellish its false narrative on Kashmir and waving the photo of a martyred Kashmiri Indian Army officer to drive home India's point on cross-border terrorism perpetrated by Pakistan.

afp/representational image

Paulomi Tripathi, secretary with India's permanent mission to the UN, held up together 2 photographs - one showing the army officer and the other of Pakistan's permanent representative to UN Maleeha Lodhi brandishing the picture of a Palestinian woman whom she had described as a Kashmiri - and declared, "True face of Pakistan is not hidden from anyone''.

The army officer shown in the picture was Lieutenant Umar Faiyaz who was abducted and killed by terrorists in J&K's Shopian district. A 2007 batch IFS officer, Tripathi, who took on Pakistan's most experienced diplomat at the UN, is the junior-most Indian diplomat at India's permanent mission to the UN in New York which is headed by Syed Akbaruddin.

Tripathi was a deliberate choice to portray India as a storehouse of young talent, a point which foreign minister Sushma Swaraj too had sought to make as she ripped Pakistan apart over cross-border terrorism in her UNGA address. Tripathi handles human rights at the Indian Permanent Mission.

Young Indian diplomat highlights Facts Vs Alternative Facts @UN pic.twitter.com/rWw3xwxPnu  Syed Akbaruddin (@AkbaruddinIndia) September 25, 2017

In view of Lodhi's cynical attempt to mislead the UN, a confident Tripathi said, India had been constrained to show the Assembly a photograph (of Faiyaz) that reflected the real picture of pain inflicted by the nefarious designs of Pakistan.

"This is a real and not a fake picture of Lt. Umar Faiyaz, a young officer from the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. Umar Faiyaz was kidnapped at a wedding celebration. He was brutally tortured and killed by Pakistan supported terrorists in May 2017,'' said Tripathi, as she displayed the photo of Faiyaz.

twitter

"This is a true picture. It portrays a harsh and tragic reality. A picture of terrorism emanating from across our borders that the people of India, especially in the state of Jammu and Kashmir have to struggle with, every day. This is the reality which the Permanent Representative of Pakistan sought to obfuscate,'' she added.

Tripathi accused Lodhi of yet again seeking to divert attention from Pakistan's role as the hub of global terrorism. ``She did so by callously holding up a picture of an injured girl,'' said Tripathi.

Lodhi, while exercising Pakistan's right to reply, had sought to counter foreign minister Sushma Swaraj's strong indictment of Pakistan's conduct on terrorism by displaying a picture of a woman she thought was a Kashmiri pellet gun victim.

As Tripathi said in her speech, it was actually a photograph of Rawya abu Jom'a, a girl from Palestine. The picture was taken on 22 July 2014 by an American photographer Heidi Levine. This photograph was published by New York Times on 24 March 2015 under the caption 'Conflict, Courage and Healing in Gaza'.

"The Permanent Representative of Pakistan misled this Assembly by displaying this picture to spread falsehoods about India. A fake picture to push a completely false narrative,'' said Tripathi.
AFP

A state run Chinese daily has termed Sushma Swaraj's scathing attack on Islamabad as "arrogant". However, the newspaper grudgingly admitted that "there is indeed terrorism in Pakistan". Read more





Here are more top news of the day:





1) Police File FIR Against 1,000 BHU Girls As They Continue Protest, HRD Ministry Summons VC

PTI

More than 1,000 unidentified students have been booked for violence, arson, disrupting government work on the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus where violence erupted on Saturday night. Read more

2) Mukesh Ambani Was Born In Yemen, Now His Wealth Is 50 Per Cent More Than The Country's GDP

A massive rally in the stock market and the resultant jump in Reliance stocks saw the wealth of Ambani shooting up by a massive 58% to Rs 2.57 trillion this year. Read more

3) US Politician Wants India To Attack And Destroy Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal Forever

reuters/representational image

former US Senator Larry Pressler told The Times of India that both India and the US conduct pre-emptive strikes inside Pakistan to destroy its nuclear sites. Read more

4) Army Chief Bipin Rawat Warns Pakistan Of Surgical Strikes If It Continues To Send Terrorists

ap/representational image

Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday warned Pakistan that it should desist from promoting cross-border terrorism. Read more

5) Mahamana Express Inaugurated By PM Modi At Varanasi Finds Its Taps, Carpets Missing On First Day

twitter

The next time the Indian Railway rolls out a new train, it might as well come out with a manual for rail passengers on how to treat government property. Read more
While Indian government is adamant on deporting 40,000-odd Rohingya refugees despite the problem descending into the deep crisis in Myanmar, there were times when Indians living in Myanmar back on the 1930s and 1940s were subjected to similar treatment and were thrown out of the Burmese soil.

Like the Rohingyas today, Indians in Burma were also the target of racial discrimination and were referred as Kala Admi, the very term, Burmese refer Rohingyas with. Therefore, Rohingyas are just an anecdote in the whole episode of religious and racial grappling going on in Myanmar for over one and half-century now.

AFP

The extent of racial discrimination and Burmese superiority can be fathomed by the written work of Henry Yule, a British servant who went to then Burma in 1855 after parts of Burma came under British rule after Anglo-Burma war.

Yule wrote in his travels in the South-East Asian country about the racial superiority the Burmese felt with respect to their dark-skinned western neighbours.

By a curious self-delusion, the Burmans would seem to claim that in theory at least they are white people. And what is still more curious, the Bengalees appear indirectly to admit the claim; for our servants in speaking of themselves and their countrymen, as distinguished from the Burmans, constantly made use of the term kala admi  black man, as the representative of the Burmese Kola, a foreigner.

AFP

Yules accounts take us into something which could be the genesis of the issue between the local Burmese and first the Indians and now the Rohingyas. However, most Indians wouldnt believe it since they have been fed with stories about how Rohingyas are a threat to the national security of India.

Therefore here is the story of how Indians were being subjected the similar treatment as that of Rohingyas by Burmese majority.

It started in 1826

It all started in 1826 when the first Anglo-Burmese war ended in British victory and the Raj got control over Burmese territories which today form North-East India. As a result, Indians started pouring in Burma for work and by 1885, the whole of Burma came under the British rule.

Indian occupied the key sectors

Since most of the people who migrated India were from the trader communities such as Marwaris, Chettiars and Gujarati etc, soon Indians had a significant hold on the commerce sector in Burma.

Reuters

A large number of Indians migrated to Burma to do menial labour jobs as well which once again affected the livelihood of local Burmese as it happens in case of any area where migration from other places is rampant. It became the third largest group where Indians worked as coolies, servants and masons.

By 1931 Indians were 7% of Burmese population and paid 55 % tax

By 1931, Indians formed 7 per cent of Burmas population and the level of the prosperity of a handful of them can be fathomed by this simple fact that during the 1930s, Indians paid 55 percent of the municipal taxes in Rangoon- the capital of British Burma. The local Burmese, on the other hand, paid only 11%.

Rohingyas are also said the part of this migration

AP

Local Burmese have always treated Rohingyas outsiders because their forefathers had migrated to Burma generations back from Bengals eastern-most district, Chittagong. Though currently, this fact is used politically by the administration to paint Rohingyas as Bengali which shows that their citizenship laws are based on race and not birth.

And then it started

The tension between Indian and Burmese started in 1930 when Telugu and Burmese dockworkers clashed in Rangoon which led widespread violence against Indians. Things remained tense in the coming years as frequent clashes increased. But things went from bad to worse when in 1938 after Burma was separated from British India yet still remained under British rule.

The tip-off point was a book written by an Indian Muslim was said to be critical about Buddha. The racial violence spread like a wildfire and Indians were targeted.

WW-II made Indians more vulnerable

The Japanese attack on Burma in 1941 made Indians vulnerable than ever before as now even the British Indian army wasnt there to help the Indians. As a result, major exodus took place from Burma and the records say that thousands of Indians died on their way to India because they had to cross the tropical forest on the way.

AFP

Rohingyas are dying in a similar way apart from being killed by the military.

Racism as official policy

In 1949, Burma got freedom from the British and situation become even more difficult for the Indians. Before the world war, there is around 10 lakh Burmese Indians in Burma, but that number got dropped to seven lakh till the mid-1950s. If we speak about state-sponsored discrimination, Between 1949 and 1961, out of 1,50,000 applications for Burmese citizenship by persons of Indian origin, less than a fifth were accepted.

Military take over further tightened to screws on Indians

In 1962, Burma saw a military takeover of its government. The dictator Ne Win followed an aggressive racial policy which affected every minority group.

Reuters

Since all properties were nationalised, the rich Indians have affected a lot and white collar Indians were expelled from the country. Between 1962 and 1964, more than three lakh Indians were forced out of Burma.

In 1982 came the citizenship law

In 1982, Burma passed a new citizenship law that created a strict racial definition for citizenship. This law rendered people of many origins stateless including Rohingyas.

Reuters

While the plight of Rohingyas have been lately seen by the world after them being subjected to persecution for years, people of Indian origin are still discriminated against in Myanmar and that without getting noticed by the media.
A few months ago, researchers discovered a patch of garbage floating in the Arctic Ocean just north of Norway.

Now, another team has spotted a more problematic garbage heap; large chunks of polystyrene on ice floes in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.

Images courtesy: Conor Mcdonnell/Exeter University

The discovery was made by a British-led expedition, just 1,600 kilometres from the North Pole. Not only are scientists worried by how the plastic has reached such a remote location, but also by the fact that their polluting effects dont end at floating around on ice at the top of the world.

The team, lead by marine biologist Tim Gordon from Exeter University made the discovery in areas hundreds of miles from land, previously covered by ice all year round. But the problem isnt just that that plastic is littering the North Pole; the bigger worry is that its all breaking down into microplastics, which are then consumed by wildlife and spread through the food chain.

The only reason the team was able to make the discovery is because the year-round ice cover in that area of the central Arctic Ocean has melted, letting them go further than any other yacht in history. Ironically, thats thought to be the work of climate change, another of our gifts to Earth.

"Finding pieces of rubbish like this is a worrying sign that melting ice may be allowing high levels of pollution to drift into these areas, Gordon said. This is potentially very dangerous for the Arctics wildlife."

"The Arctic Oceans wildlife used to be protected by a layer of sea ice all year round. Now that is melting away, this environment will be exposed to commercial fishing, shipping and industry for the first time in history."

The idea is that all of this plastic was trapped in ice, essentially isolating it from the local wildlife. Now that its exposed, itll eventually break down (without decomposing) and be consumed by fish, thereby passing into the digestive systems of polar bears and walruses, and even humans that consume fish harvested in the vicinity.

The expedition team used nets with perforations smaller than a millimetre to attempt to sieve the water for samples of microplastics. Theyre now studying them in labs, trying to pinpoint the levels of microplastic pollution in the water. Basically, theyre trying to figure out just how badly weve screwed ourselves.

Scientists estimate there are over 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating around the worlds oceans, even going so far as to predict that it will soon collectively outweigh all the fish in the world.
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Russia Was The Target of Nato's Own Fake News



Military and media reports hyped the Zapad military exercise as a major threat. In fact, what took place was nothing as dramatic as the West's warnings would have led you to believe



By Mary Dejevsky September 25, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Whatever happened to the imminent outbreak of World War Three? Earlier this month, you may recall, warnings about a huge Russian war game were everywhere, sowing alarm across the Western world. This could, we were told repeatedly, be Russias biggest military exercise since the end of the Cold War. Massive and vast were other adjectives used. Military and media reports built Zapad-2017  Zapad meaning West in Russian  into an almost unprecedented threat, but two particular claims stood out. Russias insistence that around 12,000 troops would take part was dismissed as a subterfuge; in reality, there would be upwards of 100,000. Then there was intent. Such a major exercise, it was argued, could provide cover for a Russian land grab in Ukraine or even the Baltic States. Its proximity, in time and geography, to the 1 September anniversary of the start of the Second World War  Germanys assault on Polish troops at Westerplatte  only seemed to lend the warnings extra credibility. With East-West tensions running high, we were on standby for World War Three. So what happened? Zapad-2017 concluded earlier this week, by which time it had seriously fizzled out, in Western media terms at least. All that made the news was footage of President Vladimir Putin observing the scene through binoculars, and a report that three people had been injured when a Russian helicopter accidentally fired on spectators. The numbers are put, even by Western analysts, at somewhere between 10,000 and 17,000 troops taking part. No one has been invaded. And the Russians are enjoying a rare last laugh. They point out, with some justification, that their numbers were accurate, there was no dissembling, international borders were respected. All the Russian troops introduced into neighbouring Belarus for the exercise are going home, too. After all the Western accusations that Russia has been waging an information war with the help of fake news, who is disseminating fake news now, they ask. Is this not further evidence that Western opinion formers are stuck in the rut of Cold War stereotypes? They have a point. One theory doing the rounds is that, with Zapad-2017, Russia contrived to set a trap which Western analysts and media duly fell into. More likely, I think, is that Russia is simply enjoying the novelty of finding itself on the right side of any information war. But that leaves the real question  for us  unanswered. How did it come about that the scale and intent of Russias Zapad-2017  its latest in the four-yearly Zapad series of manoeuvres  was so unrealistically hyped in the West to the point of presaging a new world war? Behind the scenes, accusations are flying, with the media  the irresponsible media  as usual, in the spotlight. There is an element of truth in that, but only an element. The media does not usually invent, completely invent, what it reports. Especially with military and defence matters, their information comes from somewhere; they may also be given a steer as to interpretation. In this case, the media  or, more accurately, some headline writers  can be accused of missing some nuance in the information they were given. Russia could field as many as 100,000 troops, could use the exercise as cover to invade Ukraine, and so on, may slip over into will. Possibility becomes certainty. This may be done out of ignorance, for effect, or, in some cases, because it fits an existing political agenda. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter But the media is not where the information  or rather, lets use the old word, disinformation  about Russias Zapad-2017 originated. Even a cursory look back over advance media reports about these Russian war games shows that they relied on sometimes anonymous, but more often named, sources  sources moreover that could claim some expertise in the matter in hand. One of these was none other than the Secretary General of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, who warned that Russia has used big military exercises as a disguise or a precursor for aggressive military actions against their neighbours, citing Georgia in 2008 and Crimea in 2014. Then there was the British Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, who said the exercise was designed to provoke us and appeared to accept the estimate of 100,000 troops. Many of the reports also cited political or think tank sources in the Baltic States, Poland or Ukraine, where  for understandable reasons  a view of Russia as a past and potential aggressor prevails. That a particular view is understandable, however, does not make it correct, especially in new or different circumstances. The same applies to precedent. UK officials defended what some  myself included  would regard as the scaremongering of the UK Defence Secretary and head of Nato, by saying that Russia had a record of understating the numbers involved in military exercises so as to exclude international observers, and it was not unreasonable to suspect them of doing the same again. Something similar applied to the use of manoeuvres as cover for aggression  even though the relationship between Russian exercises and its Georgia and Crimea interventions are at very least contestable. Vigilance, they insisted, should be the watchword. But vigilance  and being prepared for any eventuality  is rather different, in my book at least, from hyping a supposed threat from a routine Russian military exercise in a way that simply was not warranted by the evidence and served a sharply anti-Russian Western agenda. This was happening, it is also worth noting, even as non-aligned Sweden (so described by Nato) was conducting a Nordic area exercise which involved many Nato members, and shortly after Nato itself had held exercises in the Black Sea and before that in and around the western borderlands of Ukraine. Who, it has to be asked here, is threatening whom? Thanks to an initial analysis by the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House, the facts of Zapad-2017, in summary, would appear to be these. This was an exercise designed to test the new, smaller and more agile configuration of Russian forces and its new electronic and communications capabilities. It was also intended, in part, to show off its modern hardware, for commercial purposes  and, yes, to demonstrate to Nato that Russia remains a force to be reckoned with. In other words, it was an exercise, in concept and purpose, very similar to the sort of exercise that Western forces hold This article was first published by The Independent -
The Financial Investigation Service should, first of all, have functional independence, Ukraine's Minister of Justice Pavlo Petrenko has stated.

"First of all, this body should have functional independence," the minister said at a meeting with the representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, speaking about his vision of work of the Financial Investigation Service.

Speaking about the subordination of the created structure, the minister said "this can be the Ministry of Finance, which can coordinate this service, but the service should 100% have procedural and functional independence."

He stressed this would become the guarantee of efficiency and objectivity of the service.

"I think it's normal to conduct a discussion who should formally coordinate the work of this body ... The main thing is that the law should be qualitatively registered in terms of powers, in terms of how this service communicates with business," Petrenko said.

The minister is convinced the independence of this service should be determined at the level of law.
A Failing Empire: Russia and China's Military Strategy to Contain the US By Federico Pieraccini September 25, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - L ooking at the global political landscape over the last month, two trends are becoming more apparent. The infamous military and economic power at Americas disposal is declining, whereas in the multipolar field, an acceleration has occurred in the creation of a series of infrastructures, mechanisms and procedures to contain and limit the negative effects of Americas declining unipolar moment. This series of three articles will focus firstly on the military aspect of these ongoing changes, then the economics at play, and finally, how and why smaller countries are transitioning from the unipolar camp to the multipolar field. One of the most tangible consequences of the decline of US military power can be observed in the Syrian conflict. Over the past few weeks, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies have completed the historic and strategic liberation of Deir ez-Zor , a city besieged for more than five years by Islamists belonging to Al Qaeda and Daesh. The focus has now shifted to the oilfields south of the liberated city, with a frantic rush by both the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the SAA to free territories still held by Daesh. The final goal is to claim Syria's resources and strengthen a weak US position (the US is not even part of the Astana peace talks) in future negotiations concerning the country's future. To understand how much the US dream of partitioning Syria is failing, one only need note repeated US failures as seen in the liberation of Aleppo and then Deir Ez-Zor, and now the crossing of the Euphrates river . In spite of American intimidation, threats, and sometimes even direct aggression, the Syrian army continued to work against Daesh in the province of Deir Ez-Zor, advancing on oil rich sites . Thanks to the protection given by the Russian Federation Air Force during the conflict, Damascus has obtained a protective umbrella necessary to withstand attempts by the US of balkanize the country. Further confirmation of Washingtons failed strategy to divide the country a la Yugoslavia appears evident from the strategic realignment of the most loyal allies of Washington in the region and beyond. In the course of the last few weeks, several meetings have taken place in Astana and Moscow between the likes of Putin and Lavrov with their Turkish , Saudi , and Israeli counterparts. These meetings outlined the guidelines for Syrias future thanks to Moscows red lines, especially regarding Israels desire to pursue regime change in Syria and an aggressive attitude towards Iran. Even the most loyal allies of the United States are beginning to plan a future in Syria with Assad as president. US allies have started showing a pragmatic shift towards a reconciliation with the factions that are clearly winning the war and are going to call the shots in the future. The long-held dreams and desires of sheikhs (Saudi-Qatar) and sultans (Erdogan) to reshape Syria and the Middle East in their image are over, and they know it. Washington's allies have been let down, with the US incapable of keeping its promises of fulfilling a regime change in Damascus. The consequences for the US have just begun. Without a military posture capable of bending adversaries and friends to her will, the US will have to start dealing with a new reality that involves compromise and negotiation, something the US is not accustomed to. An example of what can happen if Washington decides to go against a former friend can be seen with the Gulf Crisis involving Qatar . Since the beginning of the aggression against Syria, the small emirate has been at the center of plots and schemes aimed at arming and financing jihadists in the Middle East and Syria. Five years later, after billions of dollars spent and nothing to hold onto in Syria, the Gulf Cooperation Council, as expected, has plunged into a fratricidal struggle between Qatar and other countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Egypt. The latter accuse Doha of funding terrorism, an undeniable truth. But they omit to acknowledge their own ties to the jihadists (Egypt in this framework is excluded, fighting continually with terrorists inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood in the Sinai), showing a hypocrisy that only the mainstream media can rival. The consequences of Riyads actions against Doha, backed up by a large part of the American establishment, seems, almost six months later, to have finally pushed Qatar and Iran together, reopening diplomatic ties . These are two countries that have for years been on opposite sides of many conflicts in the Middle East, reflecting contrasts and divisions dictated by the respective positions of Tehran and Riyadh. This seems to be no more, with Doha and Tehran coming closer and circumnavigating sanctions and blockades, overcoming common difficulties. This shift can only be described as a strategic failure by Riyadh. Looking back six years, one of the reasons for the eruption of the conflict in Syria has everything to do with the famous pipeline that Iran intended to build connecting Iraq and Syria. Incredibly, the end of the conflict will see a new transport line emerging between countries that for years have had opposing and diverging strategic goals. Iran and Qatar are currently engaging in trade agreements, and rumors have it that a joint effort to build a new pipeline that should cross Iraq and Syria, to end in the Mediterranean, is in the making. The idea is to jointly exploit the world's largest gas field, and in so doing become a new supplier for a Europe that is looking to diversify its energy imports. Riyadh and Washington will have to take full responsibility for this failure of epic proportions. A clear sign of how fast things are changing in the region and beyond comes from Israel. Even the Jewish State has had to abandon any dream of territorial expansion into Syria, despite several attempts by Netanyahu to persuade Putin of the existential danger that Israel faces with Irans presence in Syria. A smart and pragmatic Putin is able to let Israel know that any request to impose conditions on Russian or its allies in Syria will be firmly refused. But at the same time, Moscow and Tel Aviv will continue to pursue good relations with each other. Russian political figures are far to smart to play double games with their long-standing allies in Syria or to underestimate the capacity that Israel has to disrupt the region and plunge it into chaos. Furthermore, Assad has invited Russia into Syria as well as Iran and Hezbollah. Even if Putin were willing to help Netanyahu, which is doubtful, international law prohibits this. If anything is clear, it is that Moscow respects international law as few nations do. All other foreign nations operating in Syria, or flying over Syrian skies, have no right to be there in the first place, let alone to impose decisions over a sovereign territory. If Tel Avivs goal was to expand the illegal border in the Golan Heights and proceed with regime change, the situation has ended up totally different six years later. Iran has expanded its influence in Syria thanks to aid provided to Damascus in combating terrorism. Hezbollah has increased its battle experience and arsenal, as well as expanded its network of contacts and sympathizers throughout the Middle East. Hezbollah and Iran are seen as Middle Eastern peacemakers, playing positive roles in fighting the plague of jihadist terrorism as well as against Israel and Saudi Arabia, states that have tried in every way to assist terrorist organizations with weapons and money. Washington, Riyadh and Tel Aviv six years later find themselves in a totally different environment, with hostile neighbours, less collaborative friends, and in general, a Middle East increasingly orbiting around the Iranian and Russian spheres of influence. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter Another indicator of American decline in military terms can be clearly seen on the Korean peninsula. The DPRK has obtained a full nuclear capability through a development program that has paid scant attention to American, South Korean and Japanese threats. The imperative for Pyongyang was to create a nuclear deterrent capable of dissuading the desire of many US policymakers enact regime change in North Korea. The strategic importance of a regime change in the DPRK follows the strategy of containment and encirclement of the People's Republic of China, a failed doctrine well known as the Asian pivot. Beside its nuclear deterrent, the US is unable to attack the DPRK because of the conventional deterrent that Pyongyang has patiently put in place. Trump and his generals continue the rhetoric of fire and flames, dragging Seoul and Tokyo into a dangerous game of chicken between two nuclear powers. Not surprisingly, Trumps words worry everyone in the region, especially the Republic of South Korea, which would pay the heaviest price were war ever to break out. In light of this assessment, it is worth pointing out that the military option is simply unthinkable , with Seoul and perhaps even Tokyo ready to break with its American ally in case of disastrous unilateral action against Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un, as well as Assad and other world leaders facing pressure from Washington, have fully understood and taken advantage of Americas declining military power. Trump and his close circle of generals are full of empty threats, unable to change the course of events in different regions around the world, from the Middle East to the Korean peninsula. Whether it is through direct action or through proxies, little changes and the results remain the same, showing a continuous failure of goals and intents. The underlying rule guiding US policy makers is that if a country cannot be controlled, such as with a Saudi-style regime serving only American interests through something like the petrodollar, than that country is useless and ought to be destroyed in order to stop other peer competitors from expanding their ties with that country. The Libyan example is still fresh in everyone's minds. Luckily for the world, Russia has stepped in militarily, and on more than one occasion has, together with her allies, sabotaged or deterred the US military from taking reckless actions (Ukraine, Syria and DPRK). In this sense, Hillary Clinton's defeat, more than Trump's victory , seems to have instilled some sense into this declining empire, if one ignores the persisting strong rhetoric. One can only shudder on imagining a Clinton presidency in the current environment, with her predictably careening at full speed towards a conflict with Russia in Ukraine and Syria or a nuclear standoff with the DPRK in Asia. Trump and his generals are slowly adapting to a new reality where it is not only impossible to control countries, but where it is increasingly difficult to destroy them. The old doctrine of wreaking chaos on the world, with a view to emerging once the dust settles down as the world's hegemonic power, now seems like a distant memory. Just looking at the Middle East, even Syria, in spite of the unprecedented destruction, is on the road to reconstruction and pacification. Russian military power and Chinese economic might have thus played an invaluable role in restricting the US war machine. The DPRK even took a further step by attaining a formidable nuclear and conventional deterrent, effectively blocking the United States from influencing domestic events by bringing about destruction and chaos. While this reality is difficult for Washington to take, it must come to accept it. After almost seventy years of imperialistic chaos and destruction wrought all over the globe, Americas friends and enemies are starting to react to this situation. Washington is left with a president full of sound and fury, but a credible militarily posture is now but a thing of the past. The financial mechanisms that have allowed for this indiscriminate military spending are based on an intrinsic bond between dollar, oil, and the role of American money as the world reserve currency. The transition of the world order from a unipolar reality to a multipolar one is deeply tied to the economic and diplomatic strategies of Russia and China. The next article will explore the role of gold, investment, diplomacy and the petroyuan, which are all decisive factors that have accelerated the transformation and division of power on a global scale. This article was first published by Strategic Culture Foundation -
Light at the End of the Tunnel



By Professor Francis A. Boyle Peace Teach-In - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - September 23, 2017 September 25, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - It is the Unlimited Imperialists along the line of Alexander, Rome, Napoleon and Hitler who are now in charge of conducting American foreign policy... Historically this latest eruption of American militarism at the start of the 21st Century is akin to that of America opening the 20th Century by means of the U.S.-instigated Spanish-American War in 1898. Then the Republican administration of President William McKinley stole their colonial empire from Spain in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines; inflicted a near genocidal war against the Filipino people; while at the same time illegally annexing the Kingdom of Hawaii and subjecting the Native Hawaiian people (who call themselves the Kanaka Maoli) to genocidal conditions. Additionally, McKinleys military and colonial expansion into the Pacific was also designed to secure Americas economic exploitation of China pursuant to the euphemistic rubric of the open door policy. But over the next four decades Americas aggressive presence, policies, and practices in the so-called Pacific Ocean would ineluctably pave the way for Japans attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and thus Americas precipitation into the ongoing Second World War. Today a century later the serial imperial aggressions launched, waged, and menaced by the neoconservative Republican Bush Junior administration then the neoliberal Democratic Obama administration and now the reactionary Trump administration threaten to set off World War III. By shamelessly exploiting the terrible tragedy of 11 September 2001, the Bush Junior administration set forth to steal a hydrocarbon empire from the Muslim States and Peoples of Color living in Central Asia and the Middle East and Africa under the bogus pretexts of (1) fighting a war against international terrorism or Islamic fundamentalism; and/or (2) eliminating weapons of mass destruction; and/or (3) the promotion of democracy; and/or (4) self-styled humanitarian intervention and its avatar responsibility to protect (R2P). Only this time the geopolitical stakes are infinitely greater than they were a century ago: control and domination of the worlds hydrocarbon resources and thus the very fundaments and energizers of the global economic system  oil and gas. The Bush Junior/ Obama administrations targeted the remaining hydrocarbon reserves of Africa, Latin America (e.g., the Pentagons reactivization of the U.S. Fourth Fleet in 2008), and Southeast Asia for further conquest and domination, together with the strategic choke-points at sea and on land required for their transportation (e.g., Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Djibouti). Today the U.S. Fourth Fleet threatens oil-rich Venezuela and Ecuador for sure along with Cuba. Toward accomplishing that first objective, in 2007 the neoconservative Bush Junior administration announced the establishment of the U.S. Pentagons Africa Command (AFRICOM) in order to better control, dominate, steal, and exploit both the natural resources and the variegated peoples of the continent of Africa, the very cradle of our human species. In 2011 Libya and the Libyans proved to be the first victims to succumb to AFRICOM under the neoliberal Obama administration, thus demonstrating the truly bi-partisan and non-partisan nature of U.S. imperial foreign policy decision-making. Let us put aside as beyond the scope of this paper the American conquest, extermination, and ethnic cleansing of the Indians from off the face of the continent of North America. Since Americas instigation of the Spanish-American War in 1898, U.S. foreign policy decision-making has been alternatively conducted by reactionary imperialists, conservative imperialists, and liberal imperialists for the past 119 years and counting. Trump is just another White Racist Iron Fist for Judeo-Christian U.S. Imperialism and Capitalism smashing all over the world. Trump forthrightly and proudly admitted that the United States is in the Middle East in order to steal their oil. At least he was honest about it. Unlike his predecessors who lied about the matter going back to President George Bush Sr. with his War for Persian Gulf oil against Iraq in 1991. Just recently, President Trump publicly threatened illegal U.S. military intervention against oil-rich Venezuela. Q.E.D. This world-girdling burst of U.S. imperialism at the start of humankinds new millennium is what my teacher, mentor, and friend the late, great Professor Hans Morgenthau denominated unlimited imperialism in his seminal book Politics Among Nations 52-53 (4th ed. 1968): The outstanding historic examples of unlimited imperialism are the expansionist policies of Alexander the Great, Rome, the Arabs in the seventh and eighth centuries, Napoleon I, and Hitler. They all have in common an urge toward expansion which knows no rational limits, feeds on its own successes and, if not stopped by a superior force, will go on to the confines of the political world. This urge will not be satisfied so long as there remains anywhere a possible object of dominationa politically organized group of men which by its very independence challenges the conquerors lust for power. It is, as we shall see, exactly the lack of moderation, the aspiration to conquer all that lends itself to conquest, characteristic of unlimited imperialism, which in the past has been the undoing of the imperialistic policies of this kind. Since September 11, 2001, it is the Unlimited Imperialists along the lines of Alexander, Rome, Napoleon, and Hitler who have been in charge of conducting American foreign policy decision-making. The factual circumstances surrounding the outbreaks of both the First World War and the Second World War currently hover like twin Swords of Damocles over the heads of all humanity. After September 11, 2001 the people of the world witnessed successive governments in the United States that have demonstrated little respect for fundamental considerations of international law, human rights, and the United States Constitution. Instead, the world has watched a comprehensive and malicious assault upon the integrity of the international and domestic legal orders by gangs of men and women who are thoroughly Machiavellian in their perception of international relations and in their conduct of both foreign affairs and American domestic policy. Even more seriously, in many instances specific components of the U.S. governments foreign policies constitute ongoing criminal activity under well-recognized principles of both international law and United States domestic law, and in particular the Nuremberg Charter (1945), the Nuremberg Judgment (1946), and the Nuremberg Principles (1950), as well as the Pentagons own U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 on The Law of Land Warfare, which applies to the President himself as Commander-in-Chief of United States Armed Forces under Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution. Depending on the substantive issues involved, these international and domestic crimes typically include but are not limited to the Nuremberg offences of crimes against peacee.g., Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, and their longstanding threatened war of aggression against Iran. Their criminal responsibility also concerns crimes against humanity and war crimes as well as grave breaches of the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the 1907 Hague Regulations on land warfare: torture, enforced disappearances, assassinations, murders, kidnappings, extraordinary renditions, shock and awe, depleted uranium, white phosphorous, cluster bombs, drone strikes, etc. Furthermore, various officials of the United States government have committed numerous inchoate crimes incidental to these substantive offences that under the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles as well as U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956) are international crimes in their own right: planning, and preparation, solicitation, incitement, conspiracy, complicity, attempt, aiding and abetting, etc. Of course the terrible irony of todays situation is that seven decades ago at Nuremberg the U.S. government participated in the prosecution, punishment, and execution of Nazi government officials for committing some of the same types of heinous international crimes that these officials of the United States government currently inflict upon Peoples of Color all over the world. To be sure, I personally oppose the imposition of capital punishment upon any human being for any reason no matter how monstrous their crimes, whether they be Saddam Hussein, Bush Junior, Tony Blair, Barack Obama, or Donald Trump. According to basic principles of international criminal law set forth in paragraph 501 of U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10, all high level civilian officials and military officers in the U.S. government who either knew or should have known that soldiers or civilians under their control (such as the C.I.A. or mercenary contractors), committed or were about to commit international crimes and failed to take the measures necessary to stop them, or to punish them, or both, are likewise personally responsible for the commission of international crimes. This category of officialdom who actually knew or should have known of the commission of these international crimes under their jurisdiction and failed to do anything about them include at the very top of Americas criminal chain-of-command the President, the Vice-President, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Director of National Intelligence, the C.I.A. Director, National Security Advisor and the Pentagons Joint Chiefs of Staff along with the appropriate Regional Commanders-in-Chiefs, especially for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and now U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). These U.S. government officials and their immediate subordinates are responsible for the commission of crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes as specified by the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles as well as by U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 of 1956. Today in international legal terms, the United States government itself should now be viewed as constituting an ongoing criminal conspiracy under international criminal law in violation of the Nuremberg Charter, the Nuremberg Judgment, and the Nuremberg Principles, because of its formulation and undertaking of serial wars of aggression, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes that are legally akin to those perpetrated by the former Nazi regime in Germany. As a consequence, American citizens possess the basic right under international law and the United States domestic law, including the U.S. Constitution, to engage in acts of civil resistance designed to prevent, impede, thwart, or terminate ongoing criminal activities perpetrated by U.S. government officials in their conduct of foreign affairs policies and military operations purported to relate to defense and counter-terrorism. They are the terrorists! They terrorize the entire world! For that very reason, large numbers of American citizens have decided to act on their own cognizance by means of civil resistance in order to demand that U.S. government officials adhere to basic principles of international law, of U.S. domestic law, and of the U.S. Constitution in their conduct of foreign affairs and military operations. Mistakenly, however, such actions have been defined to constitute classic instances of civil disobedience as historically practiced in the United States. And the conventional status quo admonition by the U.S. power elite and its sycophantic news media for those who knowingly engage in civil disobedience has always been that they must meekly accept their punishment for having performed a prima facie breach of the positive laws as a demonstration of their good faith and moral commitment. Nothing could be further from the truth! Todays civil resisters are the sheriffs! The U.S. government officials are the outlaws! Here I would like to suggest a different way of thinking about civil resistance activities that are specifically designed to thwart, prevent, or impede ongoing criminal activity by officials of the U.S. government under wellrecognized principles of international and U.S. domestic law. Such civil resistance activities represent the last constitutional avenue open to the American people to preserve their democratic form of government with its historical commitment to the rule of law and human rights. Civil resistance is the last hope Americans have to prevent the U.S. government from moving even farther down the paths of lawless violence in Africa, the Middle East, Southwest Asia, military interventionism into Latin America, and nuclear confrontation with Pakistan, North Korea, Russia, and China. Such measures of civil resistance must not be confused with, and indeed must be carefully distinguished from, acts of civil disobedience as traditionally defined. In todays civil resistance cases, what we witness are American citizens attempting to prevent the ongoing commission of international and domestic crimes under well-recognized principles of international law and U.S. domestic law. This is a phenomenon essentially different from the classic civil disobedience cases of the 1950s and 1960s where incredibly courageous African Americans and their supporters were conscientiously violating domestic laws for the express purpose of changing them. By contrast, todays civil resisters are acting for the express purpose of upholding the rule of law, the U.S. Constitution, human rights, and international law. Applying the term civil disobedience to such civil resistors mistakenly presumes their guilt and thus perversely exonerates the U.S. government criminals. Civil resistors disobeyed nothing, but to the contrary obeyed international law and the United States Constitution. By contrast, U.S. government officials grossly violated fundamental principles of international law as well as U.S. criminal law and thus committed international crimes and U.S. domestic crimes as well as impeachable violations of the United States Constitution. The civil resistors are the sheriffs enforcing international law, U.S. criminal law and the U.S. Constitution against the criminals working for the U.S. government! Today the American people must reaffirm their commitment to the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles by holding their government officials fully accountable under international law and U.S. domestic law for the commission of such grievous international and domestic crimes. They must not permit any aspect of their foreign affairs and defense policies to be conducted by acknowledged war criminals according to the U.S. governments own official definition of that term as set forth in U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956), the U.S. War Crimes Act, the Geneva Conventions, and the Hague Regulations, inter alia. The American people must insist upon the impeachment, dismissal, resignation, indictment, conviction, and long-term incarceration of all U.S. government officials guilty of such heinous international and domestic crimes. If not so restrained by civil resistance, the U.S. government could very well precipitate a Third World War. That is precisely what American civil resisters are doing today! The future of American foreign policy and the peace of the world lie in the hands of American citizens not the bureaucrats, legislators, judges, lobbyists, think-tankers, professors, and self-styled experts who inhibit Washington, D.C., New York City, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Hyde Park/Chicago, Illinois. Civil resistance is the way to go! This is our Nuremberg Moment now! Thank you. Professor Francis A. Boyle is an international law expert and served as Legal Advisor to the Palestine Liberation Organization and Yasser Arafat on the 1988 Palestinian Declaration of Independence, as well as to the Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East Peace Negotiations from 1991 to 1993, where he drafted the Palestinian counter-offer to the now defunct Oslo Agreement. His books include  Palestine, Palestinians and International Law (2003), and  The Palestinian Right of Return under International Law (2010).  Copyright 2017 by Francis A. Boyle. All rights reserved.
How to End the Korea Crisis By Ron Paul September 25, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The descent of US/North Korea crisis to the level of schoolyard taunts should be remembered as one of the most bizarre, dangerous, and disgraceful chapters in US foreign policy history.



President Trump, who holds the lives of millions of Koreans and Americans in his hands, has taken to calling the North Korean dictator rocket man on a suicide mission. Why? To goad him into launching some sort of action to provoke an American response? Maybe the US president is not even going to wait for that. We remember from the Tonkin Gulf false flag that the provocation doesnt even need to be real. We are in extremely dangerous territory and Congress for the most part either remains asleep or is cheering on the sabre-rattling.



Now we have North Korean threats to detonate hydrogen bombs over the Pacific Ocean and US threats to totally destroy the country.



We are told that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is a madman. Thats just what they said about Saddam, Gaddafi, Assad, and everyone else the neocons target for US military action. to the benefit of the neocons and the military industrial complex.



Where are the cooler heads in Washington to tone down this war footing?



Making matters worse, there is very little understanding of the history of the conflict. The US spends more on its military than the next ten or so countries combined, with thousands of nuclear weapons that can destroy the world many times over. Nearly 70 years ago a US-led attack on Korea led to mass destruction and the death of nearly 30 percent of the North Korean population. That war has not yet ended.



Why hasnt a peace treaty been signed? Newly-elected South Korean president Moon Jae-in has proposed direct negotiations with North Korea leading to a peace treaty. The US does not favor such a bilateral process. In fact, the US laughed off a perfectly sensible offer made by the Russians and Chinese, with the agreement of the North Koreans, for a double freeze  the North Koreans would suspend missile launches if the US and South Korea suspend military exercises aimed at the overthrow of the North Korean government. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter So where are there cooler heads? Encouragingly, they are to be found in South Korea, which would surely suffer massively should a war break out. While US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, was bragging that the new UN sanctions against North Korea would result in a near-complete blockade of the country (an act of war), the South Korean government did something last week that shocked the world: it announced an eight million dollar humanitarian aid package for pregnant mothers and infant children in North Korea. The US and its allies are furious over the move, but how could anyone claim the mantle of humanitarianism while imposing sanctions that aim at starving civilians until they attempt an overthrow of their government?



Heres how to solve the seven-decade old crisis: pull all US troops out of North Korea; end all military exercises on the North Korean border; encourage direct talks between the North and South and offer to host or observe them with an international delegation including the Russians and Chinese, which are after all Koreas neighbors.



The schoolyard insults back and forth between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un are not funny. They are in fact an insult to all of the rest of us! Copyright  2017 by RonPaul Institute
September 25, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The day after US President Trumps barnstorming speech to the UN General Assembly decrying 'the scourge' of rogue states and terrorism, it was reported that his administration is set to greatly loosen American arms exports.

The trade in question is in the private sector of so-called non-military weapons. There seems little doubt that unleashing an already massive American export trade in private weapons will further fuel the scourge of conflicts and terrorism around the world.

What is also telling is the timing of the move by the Trump administration.

The move to boost exports of private American gun makers also follows an investigative report revealing a $2.2 billion arms pipeline run by the Pentagon and the CIA into Syria. Citing incriminating procurement papers, the explosive report shows how American government agencies are funneling assault rifles and rocket launchers, among other munitions, from Central and Eastern Europe into Syria to arm anti-government militant groups.

What the latest move by the Trump administration will do is obscure the potential paper trail of the weapons trade. In effect, the proposed change in US export regulations amounts to privatizing arms dealing.

As Reuters reported , the Trump administration wants to shift the responsibility for issuing export licenses for non-military firearms from the State Department to Commerce. The change could be implemented within the next months.

The volume of US privately manufactured weapons that are traded around the world is already huge. Last year, the State Department granted licenses for the export of $4 billion-worth of US-made small and medium arms. These weapons included handguns, assault rifles and even rocket launchers for the more adventurist gun enthusiasts.

Under the proposed Commerce Departments purview the flow of arms overseas is expected to dramatically increase. Thats because Commerce has less restrictions than State on the risk of illicit weapons proliferation. Commerce is more driven by basic concerns to maximize trade and profit.

There will be more leeway to do arms sales, one senior administration official told Reuters. You could really turn the spigot on if you do it the right way.

The Trump administration is pushing for the regulatory change on the basis that it will boost Americas trade figures. Buy American is part of Trumps plan to make America great again.

One key area to reduce the US trade deficit and supposedly give a fillip to American manufacturing jobs is to expand the export of non-military weapons.

Trumps election campaign was bankrolled by the National Rifle Association to the tune of $30 million. Earlier this year, in April, he told an NRA convention: I am going to come through for you.

Some senior US lawmakers have expressed concern that the loosening of trade regulations will fuel conflicts overseas.

As Reuters reported: Assault rifles like the Bushmaster would be some of the most powerful weapons expected to be more readily available for commercial export under the new rules.

Democrat Senators Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy reportedly wrote objections to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, pointing out that combat firearms are the primary means of injury and destruction in civil and military conflicts throughout the world.

However, the issue is about more than just callous indifference in the pursuit of profit. It is also about obscuring the potential links between US authorities and the arming of terrorist groups in the Middle East and elsewhere.

In the investigative report cited above, published earlier this month by the Balkans Investigative Reporters Network (BIRN), it confirms what many observers have been claiming for a long time. Namely, that the Pentagon and CIA have been covertly running a massive arms pipeline to militants in Syria to overthrow the Assad government.

According to the BIRN, the transfer of arms include Soviet-made assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. The arms were apparently scooped up from suppliers in Bosnia, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, and elsewhere, and then shipped from Bulgaria and Romania to Turkey and Jordan before final destination in Syria.

The problem for the American authorities is that such industrial-scale trading leaves an embarrassing paper trail, from procurement documents to shipping contracts. The paper trail unearthed by BIRN clearly implicates the Pentagons Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the CIA. The exposure compromises one of the main tenets of the CIA which is plausible denial. So serious are the findings of US gun running from Europe to the Middle East that the German authorities have been now reportedly forced to investigate.

The repercussions do not only concern Syria. It concerns any other country where American planners endeavor to covertly arm mercenaries for regime change or some other illicit function.

By shifting the responsibility for overseeing non-military arms exports from the State Department to Commerce, the Trump administrations move potentially obscures federal government involvement in illicit arms trade. Rather than the Pentagon or CIA having to do paperwork for its ventures, the onus will be on private weapons companies and their private buyers overseas. That inevitably lessens the accountability of the US authorities when weapons end up fueling conflicts.

As noted, the American trade in non-military weapons is already substantial at an annual volume of $4 billion. Under Commerces looser regulations that trade figure is expected to jump by 15-20 per cent, according to Reuters.

One of the main importers of American private arms is Saudi Arabia. Which, as Hillary Clintons communications leaked by Wikileaks acknowledged, is accused of being the biggest sponsor of Sunni extremist groups operating globally.

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The Trump administration appears to be primarily motivated by an unscrupulous objective of maximizing profits.

Commerce wants more exports to help reduce the trade deficit. And State wants to stop things because it sees [arms] proliferation as inherently bad, one of the US officials is quoted as saying. We want to make a decision that prioritizes whats more important, he added, pointing to the need to get ahead of international arms competitors based in Europe.

But equally important, it would seem, is the erasing of connection between US authorities and the scourge of terrorism, which ironically President Trump admonished the UN General Assembly about earlier this week.

In effect, the Trump administration will make it easier for US weapons to end up in the hands of terror groups. What has been up to now the shady business of the Pentagon and CIA will henceforth become even more darkened through private networks of sellers and buyers.

The move is a corollary of how much of American military operations overseas have been privatized to security contract firms like Eric Princes Black Water. In Afghanistan and Iraq, for example, it is estimated that thousands of such private contractors have taken over the role formerly carried out by US troops. There are also suspicions that American-run mercenaries are active in Ukraine, Syria and Yemen. That privatization allows for Washington to dodge questions about its violation of international law.

Similarly, the deregulation of American arms trade involving private manufacturers allows for the Pentagon and the CIA to better invoke plausible denial when they are accused of sponsoring terrorist proxies.

It serves to show how Trumps touted concern about terrorism at the UN was a cynical hoax  to use one of his favorite catchphrases.
Home Trump Is Playing With Fire



Trump and Israel want war against Iran, but it wont be one-sided



By Abdel Bari Atwan September 25, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - This weeks headlines have been dominated by reaction to US President Donald Trumps bluster against North Korea during his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. This has overshadowed the equally threatening and ominous references he made in the same speech to Iran. Anyone listening to will have been left with two impressions: Trumps speech faithfully echoed the utterances Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and it brazenly beat the drums of war against Iran. Trump described Iran as a rogue state and corrupt dictatorship that exports violence, anarchy, and bloodshed. He also said that he had reached a decision regarding the P5+1 nuclear agreement with Iran, while declining to reveal what it is. This has led many observers to conclude that he will soon withdraw from the agreement, in line with his electoral promise to tear it up on the grounds that it is the worst agreement in US history, and in deference to the dictates of the Israel lobby. Trump is widely expected to announce the US withdrawal from the agreement in mid-October when he testifies to Congress in his semi-annual review. This is likely to be accompanied by a further tightening of the sanctions and the economic blockade on Iran. And it could prompt the Iranian government to immediately resume the enrichment of uranium at very high levels, giving it the capacity it to produce nuclear warheads. It was no coincidence that shortly before Trump spoke, Netanyahu demanded that the nuclear agreement be scrapped or altered, while likening Iran to a hungry tiger on a vicious rampage in the region and the world. Nor was it a coincidence for Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot to announce that Israel has plans already in place for attacking Iran and Hezbollah, which he described as an Iranian surrogate whose growing missile and intelligence-gathering capacity (via pilotless drones) was a top Israeli concern. The Israeli occupation state is the only country that backs Trumps stance. The EU is opposed to it, especially French President Emmanuel Macron who warned it would be a mistake for the US to withdraw from the nuclear agreement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed the same view and vowed that his country would continue to uphold the deal. Trump is literally implementing Israeli dictates. He is planning to drag his country and the world into a ruinous war in the Middle East: a war whose main victims will be Arabs and Muslims, and which will not spare the citizens of those states that host American military bases, which along with Israel can be expected to be targeted in any Iranian retaliation. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter Iran will certainly not to stand by with folded arms in response to the attempt to cancel the agreement it spent five years negotiating with the six major powers, and ratchet up the economic sanctions that have stifled it for decades and inflicted huge damage on its economy and its peoples livelihoods. President Hassan Rowhani replied by stressing that his country was ready for all scenarios, including that of immediately resuming its nuclear activities. Revolutionary Guard Commander Mohammad-Ali Jafari went further, threatening to deliver a painful blow to the US if compelled to do so. Saturdays test of a new ballistic missile a few days after Trumps speech  apparently taking a leaf out of North Koreas book  was intended to demonstrate that Iran is not prepared to take his threats lying down. After the failure of his plans in Syria and the entire region, and after the humiliating embarrassment inflicted on him by North Korean President Kim Jong-un, who defied him by carrying out fresh nuclear and missile tests, Trump wants to return to the Middle East in force and start fires there. He is confident that the regions oil-rich governments will cover the wars expenses and does not mind turning their citizens into its victims. But the Israelis who are pushing for this war will also pay heavy price. They too will not be secure, either during or after this war, as hundreds of thousands of missiles will be aimed at their cities and settlements from Iran, Lebanon and Syria. It would be the mother of all wars, and with Israel armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons, potentially the regions last. This time round, however, it will not be one-sided. Trump is playing with fire. He may not only burn his fingers but also millions of our innocent people unless he is restrained, and unless his deranged tendencies and the megalomania which dominates his behaviour and policies are brought under control. This article was first published by Raialyoum - Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Do you agree or disagree with the article? - Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on other ICH community members or authors of articles posted on this website. Click here to comment on our Facebook page Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
Syria - U.S. CentCom Declares War On Russia By Moon Of Alabama September 25, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Yesterday three high ranking Russian officers were killed in an "ISIS attack" in eastern-Syrian. It is likely that they were killed by U.S. special forces or insurgents under U.S. special forces control. The incident will be understood as a declaration of war. The U.S. Central Command in the Middle East wants the oil fields in east-Syria under control of its proxy forces to set up and control a U.S. aligned Kurdish mini-state in the area. The Syrian government, allied with Russia, needs the revenues of the oil fields to rebuild the country.

bigger Last week the Russians issued sharply worded statements against U.S. coordination with al-Qaeda terrorists in Idleb province and warned of further escalation. Yesterday the Russian Ministry of Defense accused the U.S. military in east-Syria of direct collaboration with the Islamic State: US Army special units provide free passage for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) through the battle formations of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists, the ministry said in a statement. Facing no resistance of the ISIS militants, the SDF units are advancing along the left shore of the Euphrates towards Deir ez-Zor, the statement reads. The newly released images clearly show that US special ops are stationed at the outposts previously set up by ISIS militants. Despite that the US strongholds being located in the ISIS areas, no screening patrol has been organized at them, the Russian Ministry of Defense said. This map marks the currently relevant conflict area - (U.S. proxies - yellow, SAA - red, ISIS - black):

Map by Weekend Warrior - bigger The accusations are plausible. Large parts of ISIS in Deir Ezzor consist of local tribal forces from eastern-Syria. U.S. special envoy Brett McGurk recently met tribal leaders who had earlier pledged allegiance to ISIS. Deals were made. As we wrote : The U.S. diplomat tasked with the job, Brett McGurk, recently met with local tribal dignitaries of the area. Pictures of the meeting were published. Several people pointed out that the very same dignitaries were earlier pictured swearing allegiance to the Islamic State.

bigger Just like during the "Anbar Awaking" in its war on Iraq the U.S. is bribing the local radicals to temporarily change over to its side. This will help the U.S. to claim that it defeated ISIS. But as soon as the payments stop the very same forces will revert back to their old game. The local criminal Ahmad Abu Khawla , who had earlier fought for ISIS, was suddenly installed as commander of a newly invented "Deir Ezzor Military Council", set up under U.S. special force control. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Click Here For Your Free Daily Newsletter Last night a Russian three-star general and two colonels were killed in a mortar attack while they visited a Syrian army headquarter in Deir Ezzor: Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov, of the Russian armed forces, has been killed after coming under shelling from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants near Deir ez-Zor, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced. In its statement, the ministry said that Asapov was at a command outpost manned by Syrian troops, assisting commanders in the liberation of the city of Deir ez-Zor.

...

Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov is the highest-ranking Russian officer to be killed in the Syrian campaign. He was a commander of the 5th Army in Russias Eastern Military District, one of the four strategic commands in the Russian Armed Forces. The army is based in Russias Far East, in the city of Ussuriysk, some 98 km (61 miles) from Vladivostok. For three years ISIS had besieged Syrian troops in Deir Ezzor city and its airport. It had not once managed to successfully attack the Syrian headquarter or to kill high ranking officers. Now, as U.S. proxy forces "advised" by U.S. special forces, have taken position north of Deir Ezzor, "ISIS" suddenly has the intelligence data and precision mortar capabilities to kill a bunch of visiting Russian officers? That is not plausible. No one in Damascus, Baghdad, Tehran or Moscow will believe that. The Russian military, as usual, reacts calmly and officially attributes the attack to ISIS. Doing so avoids pressure to immediately react to the attack. (The U.S. will falsely interpret this as a face-saving Russian retreat.) But no one in Moscow will believe that the incident is independent of other recent maneuvers by the U.S. forces and independent of the earlier accusations the Russian military made against the U.S. forces. Nominally the U.S. and Russia are both in Syria to fight the Islamic State. The Russian troops are legitimately there, having been invited by the Syrian government. The U.S. forces have no legal justification for their presence. So far open hostilities between the two sides had been avoided. But as the U.S. now obviously sets out to split Syria apart, openly cooperates with terrorists and does not even refrain from killing Russian officers, the gloves will have to come off. U.S. Central Command has declared war on the Russian contingent in Syria. A high ranking Russian general was killed. This inevitably requires a reaction. The response does not necessarily have to come from Russian forces. Moscow has many capable allies in the area. The response does not necessarily have to come in Syria. "Accidents" and "incidents", like an "ISIS mortar attacks", or unintentional bombing of troop concentration of the other side, can happen on both sides of the front. Cars can blow up, bridges can collapse. Any U.S. officer or civilian official in the larger Middle East should be aware that they too are now targets. This article was first published by Moon Of Alabama - See also - Death of Russian general in Syria is result of US hypocrisy  Moscow : Moscow is concerned that while Washington claims it is interested in fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS\ISIL) terrorists, it demonstrates quite the opposite. Satellite images reveal US forces operating freely in ISIS areas
Four men employees of Baba Ijebu, have been arraigned before a Lagos State Magistrate Court for allegedly stealing N210,620 they realized from sales belonging to their employer, Francis Adjei.

The culprits are Ahmed Agbolade, 30; Sunday Adekunle, 34; Wasiu Fatai, 20 and Pedro Bolaji, 31.

The accused were arrested by the Police at the Adeniji Adele Division, Lagos Island, Lagos and after the investigation by Sgt Nwideemua Tuanee and his team.

The accused persons were arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate Court on a two-count charge of felony to wit. stealing.

Police Prosecutor, Kingsley Johnson informed the Court in charge No D/63/2017 that the accused persons committed the alleged offense at Ebute Ero and Jankara area of Lagos Island, Lagos.

Johnson told the court that the complainant reported to the police that he employed the accused persons as salesmen to sell tickets for customers at his business outlets on Lagos Island, but that after the accused persons sold his tickets, they converted the proceeds for their personal use instead of remitting the money into his account.

Johnson said that while Ahmed Agbolade stole the sum of N40,690.00; Sunday Adekunle converted the sum of N53,140.00 to his personal use; Wasiu Fatai stole the sum of N49,150.00 and Pedro Bolaji N67,640,00.

Johnson said that the offenses the accused persons committed were punishable under sections 287(7) of the criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

All the accused pleaded not guilty to the allegations in the open Court when the charges were read to them and the presiding Magistrate, B.A. Sonuga granted them bail in the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.

Sonuga adjourned the case till 17 October 2017 and ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Ikoyi Prison, Lagos pending when they can fulfill their bail conditions.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Sen. Dino Melaye on Monday, denied claims that he was evading the service of petition and timetable for his recall from the Senate, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Melaye made this known while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

The senator, who represents Kogi West Senatorial District, is facing a recall by his constituents who in a petition on June 23, 2017, called on INEC to recall him.

He was accused of poor of representation of the constituency at the Senate.

But, Melaye told newsmen that accepting any purported petition from INEC would amount to breaching the 1999 Constitution (Amended).

According to him, the window provided by the Constitution for the service of recall petition had elapsed and I would not be seen to be breaching the law.

It is clear that by the provisions of Section 69(b) of the 1999 Constitution, INEC must act on the petition purportedly presented to it on June 23, 2017 by conducting a referendum within 90 days of receipt of the petition.

The 90 days period as provided for in the Constitution for conducting the referendum after our verification, elapsed on Sept. 23, 2017.

The time having elapsed, I cannot under the circumstance, aid and abet INEC to further infringe on the provisions of the Constitution, which I have sworn to defend, he said.

The lawmaker pointed out that his position on the matter had been affirmed by various Supreme Court decisions.

He cited the case of Nyako v. Adamawa State House of Assembly and others (2016) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) v. Alhaji Mohammed Goni and others.

He said that from the apex courts decision, the Constitution could not be amended by mere pronouncement of a court of law.

Melaye added that it was only right to respect the provision of the Constitution.

The trial judge failed to respect that provision of the Constitution when he elongated 90 days provided for, saying the process was paused when the interim order for maintenance of status quo was granted.

I am not evading the service of any purported petition on me by INEC.

As a matter of fact, my lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, served INEC a notice to produce the said petition in the course of hearing of this matter but INEC failed to produce the petition in court.

I have also instructed my lawyer to challenge the jurisdiction of the trial court to entertain an ex parte application for the service on me.

In view of the lapse of time, I shall no longer be in a haste to take any further step in this matter so as not to aid any party, especially INEC in breaching the Constitution, he said.

Melaye said that having asked his lawyer to file appeal against the judgment by the court, he was aware that the matter was sub-judice.

He added that it was in view of that that he chose to speak only on the socio-political aspect of the matter.
President Muhammadu Buhari returned back to the country on Monday after participating in the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The Presidents aircraft landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 7.p.m, where he was received by top government officials including his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari and the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

The President, on Sept. 21, left New York at about 8.05a.m for JFK International Airport for his onward journey back home via London, United Kingdom.

While in New York, the president presented Nigerias National Statement at the UNGA and thereafter had meetings with President Donald Trump of the United States and the King of Jordan, Abdullah II.

Buhari also met with the President of Ghana, Mr Kuffour Addo and the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.

The Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had told State House correspondents that President Buharis appearance in New York was worth the while and immensely beneficial to Nigeria particularly Jordans donation of 200 armoured vehicles to Nigeria under generous terms.

He said Buhari held bilateral talks with the different leaders on various areas of cooperation.

He also called for the cooperation of world leaders to facilitate the recovery of stolen assets.

Through our individual national efforts, state institutions are being strengthened to promote accountability, and to combat corruption and asset recovery.

These can only be achieved through the international community cooperating and providing critical assistance and material support.

We shall also cooperate in addressing the growing transnational crimes such as forced labour, modern day slavery, human trafficking and cybercrime.

The president had also proposed a delegation of the United Nations to North Korea leader, Kim Jong-un, to pressure him to end the nuclear crisis which he described as the greatest threat to mankind.

Buhari said diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to ensure a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

North Korea recently increased the pace of its nuclear weapons development in defiance of all entreaties to halt the programmes.

Buhari said: The most pressing threat to international peace and security today is the accelerated nuclear weapons development programme by North Korea.

Since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, we have never come so close to the threat of nuclear war as we have now.

All necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept peaceful resolution of the crisis.

As Hiroshima and Nagasaki painfully remind us, if we fail, the catastrophic and devastating human loss and environmental degradation cannot be imagined.

Nigeria proposes a strong UN delegation to urgently engage the North Korean Leader.

According to the president, the delegation, led by the Security Council, should include members from all the regions.

The crisis in the Korean peninsula underscores the urgency for all member states, guided by the spirit of enthroning a safer and more peaceful world, to ratify without delay the Treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, which will be opened for signature here tomorrow, he added.

The president also drew the attention of the world body to the suffering of the Muslim minorities, the Rohingyas in Myanmar, accusing the government of that country of carrying out ethnic cleansing against them.

Speaking about new conflicts and the need for the world body not to lose sight of old ones including the Palestinian question, the president regretted the humanitarian situation in Myanmar which he said was reminiscent of the situation in 1995 Bosnia and 1994 Rwanda.

The President, in the statement, had also assured the international community of Nigerias firm and unshaken commitment to democracy in the country and the African continent.

He said this commitment to democratic ideals became profound with Nigeria leading ECOWAS effort in the restoration of democratic governance in The Gambia and Cote DIvoire.

President Buhari has since retired to his official residence in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Source: ( PM News )
North Koreas foreign minister said on Monday has accused President Donald Trump of declaring war on North Korea and that Pyongyang reserves the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers even if they are not in its air space.

The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York.

Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country, Ri said.

The question of who wont be around much longer will be answered then, Ri said in a direct reference to a Twitter post by Trump on Saturday.

Reuters reports that the increasingly heated rhetoric between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is raising fears of a risk of a miscalculation by one side or the other that could have massive repercussions.

China called on Monday for all sides in the North Korea missile crisis to show restraint and not add oil to the flames.

Ri told the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday that targeting the U.S. mainland with its rockets was inevitable after Mr Evil President Trump called Kim a rocket man on a suicide mission.

Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer! Trump said on Twitter on Saturday.

North Korea, which has pursued its missile and nuclear programs in defiance of international condemnation and economic sanctions, said it bitterly condemned the reckless remarks of Trump. They were an intolerable insult to the Korean people and a declaration of war, the Norths official news agency said on Monday.

Pyongyang accuses the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean war, of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies. The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950s conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.

U.S. Treasury yields fell to session lows after Ris comments on Monday

Source: ( PM News )
Militants of illegal armed formations have shelled the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone 13 times on Monday, the ATO headquarters press center reported.

"At the end of the past day, the situation in the ATO zone continued to be tense, but it was controlled by the Ukrainian army. After 18:00, pro-Russian militants increased of shelling our positions in the Prymorske and Donetsk sectors... All in all, illegal armed groups violated the truce 13 times yesterday. Servicemen of the ATO forces opened fire eleven times. There have been no losses among our defenders," the press center said in a statement on Facebook.

In the Donetsk sector, after 18.00, militants fired at the outskirts of Avdiyivka and Mayorsk from large-caliber machine guns, while Zhovanka and Butovka mine were shelled from grenade launchers.

In the Prymorske sector, militants fired at Vodiane and Talakivka from large-caliber machine guns, while Lebedynsky was shelled from 82-mm-caliber mortars.
Senator Dino Melaye, on Monday explained why he has refused to accept the service of petition from the electoral commission, INEC, for his recall.

Mr. Melaye stated this while briefing journalists in Abuja on Monday.

The senator, who represents Kogi West Senatorial District, is facing a recall by his constituents who in a petition on June 23, 2017, called on INEC to recall him.

He was accused of poor of representation of the constituency at the Senate.

On Monday, Mr. Melaye told journalists that accepting any purported petition from INEC would amount to breaching the 1999 Constitution (Amended).

According to him, the window provided by the Constitution for the service of recall petition had elapsed and I would not be seen to be breaching the law.

The senators stance comes despite the fact that it was his suit filed at the court that eventually led to INEC suspending the recall process, before the Federal High Court eventually asked that it continues.

It is clear that by the provisions of Section 69(b) of the 1999 Constitution, INEC must act on the petition purportedly presented to it on June 23, 2017 by conducting a referendum within 90 days of receipt of the petition, Mr. Melaye argued.

The 90 days period as provided for in the Constitution for conducting the referendum after our verification, elapsed on Sept. 23, 2017.

The time having elapsed, I cannot under the circumstance, aid and abet INEC to further infringe on the provisions of the Constitution, which I have sworn to defend, he said.

The lawmaker pointed out that his position on the matter had been affirmed by various Supreme Court decisions.

He cited the case of Nyako v. Adamawa State House of Assembly and others (2016) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) v. Alhaji Mohammed Goni and others.

He said that from the apex courts decision, the Constitution could not be amended by mere pronouncement of a court of law.

Mr. Melaye added that it was only right to respect the provision of the Constitution.

The trial judge failed to respect that provision of the Constitution when he elongated 90 days provided for, saying the process was paused when the interim order for maintenance of status quo was granted.

I am not evading the service of any purported petition on me by INEC.

As a matter of fact, my lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, served INEC a notice to produce the said petition in the course of hearing of this matter but INEC failed to produce the petition in court.

I have also instructed my lawyer to challenge the jurisdiction of the trial court to entertain an ex parte application for the service on me.

In view of the lapse of time, I shall no longer be in a haste to take any further step in this matter so as not to aid any party, especially INEC in breaching the Constitution, he said.

Melaye said that having asked his lawyer to file appeal against the judgment by the court, he was aware that the matter was subjudice.

He added that it was in view of that that he chose to speak only on the socio-political aspect of the matter.

Source: ( Premium Times )
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has ordered the dismantling of all roadblocks across the country with immediate effect particularly on Lagos-Ibadan, Shagamu-Benin, and Benin-Onitsha highways.

The order also affected Okene-Abuja, Kaduna-Kano, Katsina  Kano, Otukpo  Enugu, Enugu  Port Harcourt Expressways, according to a statement on Monday night by the police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood.

The directives, he added was necessary to enable ease of doing business in Nigeria, safeguard, and guarantee free passage of goods and travellers throughout the country.

To this end, no police department, section, squad or unit should mount road block without express permission of the Inspector-General of Police, Moshood stated.

He stated that Assistant Inspectors-General of Police in charge of Zonal Commands, Commissioners of Police in charge of State Commands and Heads of Departments, must ensure that every patrol vehicle in their respective formation has a conspicuous and legible inscription of patrol vehicle identification number, and dedicated emergency phone numbers for identification and report of distress by members of the public.

He added that the AIG in charge of border patrol was specifically directed to ensure compliance with the directive along the border routes, except the few approved points by the Federal Government.

Moshood said, Furthermore, police personnel involved in vehicular patrol on highways and major roads across the country must wear their uniforms with a bold name tag and service number.

The Special X-Squad teams of the Force have been deployed throughout the country, they are under strict instructions to arrest, investigate and discipline any police personnel violating this directive.

The statement further said that the IG had also directed the Special X-Squads to embark on removal of other forms of illegal blockage and obstructions on highways and roads created by illegal revenue collectors, road transport unions, labour and trade associations.

For avoidance of doubt, the Taxes and Levies act, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 section 2 (2) disallowed any person, including a Tax Authority from mounting a Road block in any part of the Federation for the purposes of collecting any Tax or Levy, it stated.

The Force advised the state and local government revenue as well as trade unions that it is against the law to restrict members of the public from the free use of roads anywhere in the country.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
The Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, on Tuesday dismissed two appeals entered by Mohammed Abubakar against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The appeals were in respect of rulings delivered by the Federal High Court Sokoto presided by Justice R. Aikawa for the admissibility of some documents presented by commission in the trial of the appellant.

The appellant in two separate appeals, had urged the court to set aside the ruling of the lower court which admitted some documents presented by the EFCC. But the appeal court ruled that it will not entertain any further interlocutory appeals until the matter is determined by the lower court.

The appellant who is currently a Commissioner for Lands and Housing in Sokoto State, was arraigned by the Commission on April 7, 2014 alongside his brother, Abdullahi Abubakar, and three companies before Justice Aikawa for alleged abuse of office while he was permanent secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. The second defendant was a director in the same ministry in the administration of the former governor, Aliyu Wamako.

The companies charged alongside the brothers are, Rose Gallery Nigeria limited, Silver Spring Global Concept Limited and Sitex Multiservice Limited.

During the course of trial on January 12,13, and 14, 2016, the prosecuting counsel, Saidu Atteh, through PW1, presented some documents which was objected by counsel representing the defendants.

After listening to the arguments by the learned counsel on the admissibility of the documents, Justice Aikawa adjourned the matter for ruling which was delivered on March 10, 2016 with some documents admitted while others were rejected.

The first defendant being dissatisfied with the ruling, approached the court of appeal, Sokoto division, seeking for an order setting aside the ruling of the lower court.

In a ruling delivered by Justice Usaini Mukhtar, leading Justices Mohammed Shuaibu and Fredrick Oho, both appeals were dismissed and the appellant ordered to go back to the lower court for trial.

If either party is not satisfied with final verdict of the lower court, it should then approach the court of appeal and make an appeal once and for all, the court ruled.

The court relied upon Rule 4 (e) of the Practice Direction of the Court of Appeal (Fast Track) 2014, which discourages interlocutory appeals until the final verdict has been delivered by the trial court.

This is the second of many attempts by the appellant to frustrate his trial. It would be recalled that on May 2, 2017, Justice Idrissa Kolo of the Federal High Court Sokoto granted the Attorney General of Sokoto State permission to take over the prosecution of the matter based on a fiat purportedly from the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

The fiat was later countered by a letter dated May 5, 2017 from the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation which said that the Attorney General of Sokoto State has no power to take over the matter.

However, after the prosecution had received the letter from the DPPF, it approached the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to allow Justice Aikawa who had been transferred to Lagos Division of the Federal High Court to continue with the matter.

The request was granted by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court

Source: ( Premium Times )
A court has ordered an aide to the Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, to stand trial over acts of impropriety.

A report by Vanguard has shown that Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwals commissioner for lands, Mohammed Bello Abubakars bid to frustrate his trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, reached a dead end today, as the Appeal Court threw out his case.

The Court of Appeal Sokoto Division dismissed two appeals filed by Abubakar against the EFCC in respect of ruling delivered by the Federal High Court Sokoto presided over by Justice R.M Aikawa for the admissibility of some documents presented by the Commission in the trial of the appellant.

The appellant in two separate appeals, had urged the court to set aside the ruling of the lower court which admitted some documents presented by the EFCC but the appeal court today ruled that it will not entertain any further interlocutory appeals until the matter is determined by the lower court.

Abubakar was arraigned by the Commission on 7 April, 2014 alongside his brother, Abdullahi Abubakar and three companies before Justice Aikawa for alleged abuse of office.

The offences were committed while he was permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and the second defendant, a Director in the same Ministry in the administration of the former Governor Aliyu Wammako.

The companies charged alongside the brothers are, Rose Gallery Nigeria limited, Silver Spring Global Concept Limited and Sitex Multiservice Limited.

During the course of trial on 12th, 13th, and 14th, of January 2016, the prosecuting counsel, Saidu Atteh through PW1, presented some documents which was objected by counsel representing the defendants.

After listening to the arguments by the counsel on the admissibility of the documents, Justice Aikawa delivered a ruling on March 10th, 2016 with some documents admitted while others were rejected.

The first defendant being dissatisfied with the ruling, approached the court of appeal Sokoto division seeking for an order setting aside the ruling of the lower court.

In a ruling delivered by Justice Usaini Mukhtar, leading Justices Mohammed Lawal Shuaibu and Fredrick O. Oho, both appeals were dismissed and the appellant ordered to go back to the lower court for trial.

If either party is not satisfied with final verdict of the lower court, should then approach the court of appeal and make an appeal once and for all, the court ruled.

The court relied upon Rule 4 (e) of the Practice Direction of the Court of Appeal (Fast Track) 2014, which discourages interlocutory appeals until the final verdict has been delivered by the trial court.

This is the second of many attempts by the appellant to frustrate his trial. On May 2, 2017, Justice Idrissa Kolo of the Federal High Court Sokoto granted the Attorney General of Sokoto State permission to take over the prosecution of the matter based on a fiat purportedly from the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN.

The Fiat was later countered by a letter dated 5th May, 2017 from the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation which said that the Attorney General of Sokoto State has no power to take over the matter.

However, after the prosecution had received the letter from the DPPF, they approached the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to allow Justice Aikawa who had been transferred to Lagos Division of the Federal High Court to continue with the matter.

The request was granted by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
Former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Unoaku Anyadike, who got a surprise 23rd birthday party, has shared a photo of her boyfriend.

Heres what Unoaku who handed over to new MBGN Ugochi Ihezue, had to say about her man in a new interview;
A Naval Officer, Kola Onifoto, and some concerned Nigerians have set up a GoFundMe account for Emmanuel Oyediran, the beggar who was wrongly accused of causing the penis of a good samaritan to disappear.

Emmanuel was born with his intestines outside and was begging at Ikeja Under Bridge, Lagos when he was almost lynched.

The target for the account is5,000, and heres what the Naval officer, Kola Onifoto and some concerned Nigerians who set up the account wrote;

A gofundme account is ready for Emmanuel Oyediran the wrongly accused beggar tagged a ritualist a few weeks ago.

Before the end of the week, a bank account in his name will also be ready for donations as we are having issues getting a valid identity card for him as the banks make it compulsory.

Here is the gofundme link for donations.

https://www.gofundme.com/sqw2tv-emmanuel-oyediran

No amount is too small to help this young man get help, at least a medical checkup in a hospital, something he has not done in over 15 years..

God bless you as you help with whatever you have

You can share too..





The campaign is already trending, as 1,160 has already been raised by 31 people in 13 hours.
Nigerian reggae gospel artist Buchi has revealed that he once escaped being kidnapped by militants in Northern Nigeria through Gods intervention with a little boy who refused to allow him enter the wrong car. He shared a photo via Instagram to illustrate what happened, and wrote;

My Testimony.!. I went to the Northern part of Nigeria, West Africa to minister as a gospel artiste some years back. As I got off the stage after ministration, there was this car waiting to take me to my hotel room with my protocol and security personnel. I put my left leg into the car and was about to lift my right leg but somebody held me. I looked down; it was a boy of about 4  5 years old holding onto my leg. I couldnt get into the car; neither could I shake him off. So I disembarked from the car and picked up the boy.

I lifted the boy up to my chest to take some photographs with him. In anger, the driver and my protocol personnel shouted, Man of God, dont you know the security situation in this place, let us go! Its dangerous here. We need to leave. But, I couldnt drop the child as he held on to my shirt. I took more pictures with the boy. As this was going on, some men showed up asking for my bible and other things. We are here for you, they said. Then I asked, Who are you? They said they were my security details. I said I already gave my things to the protocol officers in the car. Immediately the other security in the car saw them, they sped off, almost knocking off people in the process. But for that little child, I would have entered into the wrong vehicle, kidnapped by Islamic militants. God sent me an angel in the form of a 4 year old boy. Immediately, I felt so cold.

Dear friends, Gods love never fails and know that Our Lives are hid in Christ with God (Colossians 3:3) 
A house wife, Aisha Isa, who is the second wife of her husband, has allegedly killed the two daughters of her husbands first wife in Yelwabassa village in Kokona LGA of Nasarawa State.

The two girls, Zainab (4yrs) and Ramatu (2yrs) were bound hands and feet, and allegedly thrown into a well by Aisha where they got drowned.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mohammed Kura, who confirmed the heartless act, said the suspect is now in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department.

Kura said the 20-year-old wife stated in a confessional statement to detectives handling the case that she committed the alleged homicidal act because the mother of the two little girls forbade them from running errands for her.

He said trouble began 6-years-ago when she got married to Alhaji Isa and that it was not long before the new wife began to quarrel with the mother of the two girls.

He continued that in April 2017, Aisha killed the first victim, two-year-old Ramatu, whose hands and legs she tied and threw into the well, where the little child died.

With the enormity of her offence, a sense of remorse overwhelmed Aisha and she pleaded, I want the family to forgive me for what I did; I have regretted my mistake and want my husband to forgive me.

Source  Naijaloaded
In an eight-count charge filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation against the accused at the Federal High Court, Lagos, he alleged that the accused: Mahmoud Hassan, Oscar Okafor, Donatus Achinulo, Salihu Danjuma and Matthew Okoye who is said to be at large offered N1.4m as bribe to customs officers to prevent them from checking the container containing illegal arms imported from Turkey.

Two of the five persons, Oscar Okafor and Donatus Achinulo have, however, informed the court of their intention to change their pleas from not guilty to guilty.

The defendants, through their new lawyers, made the call today, Monday, September 25, before Justice Ayokunle Faji. The application was made orally by Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), representing Okafor and Mr. Paul Ananaba (SAN), representing Achinulo.

However, the judge directed the defendants to notify the Attorney General of the Federation of their intention to have their plea changed. He then adjourned the matter to tomorrow September 26 for the continuation of trial.

The defendants were arraigned on June 14 by the AGF on an eight-count charge along with one Mahmoud Hassan, Salihu Danjuma and Matthew Okoye.

On arraignment, they all pleaded not guilty to the all the allegations including unlawful important of 661 pump-action rifles into Nigeria.

Justice Faji denied them bail on the ground that the gravity of the charges leveled against them are enormous.

In the charges, the AGF said the defendants imported 661 pump-action rifles from Turkey through the Apapa Port in Lagos, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.

To facilitate the illegal importation, the accused allegedly forged a number of documents including a bill of lading, a Form M and a Pre-Arrival Assessment Report.

According to the prosecution team led by Mr. Nebo Cole, in order to evade payment of Customs duty, the accused allegedly forged a bill of lading issued at Istanbul on January 9, 2017, falsely claiming that it was issued at Shanghai, China.

In the forged Bill of Lading, they allegedly filled steel door as the content of the container instead of rifles.

They were also said to have allegedly offered a bribe of N400,000 to an official of the Nigeria Customs Service attached to the Federal Operative Unit to influence the said officer not to conduct a hundred percent search on the 40-feet container with number PONU 825914/3.

The prosecution also alleged that the first accused, Hassan, corrupted government officials when he gave N1m to Customs officers at the Apapa Port in order to prevent the search of the container by them.

In the last count, the Federal Government alleged that the defendants had between 2012 and 2016 illegally imported several double-barreled shotguns, pump-action rifles and single-barreled shotguns into the country through Lagos.

The eight counts charges filed against them border on conspiracy, importation of prohibited firearms, forgery, altering of forged documents and bribery.

The offences were said to be contrary to sections 1(2)(c), 1(14) (a)(i) and 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2014.

Source: ( PM News )
A Nigerian loverboy has found himself in serious trouble after duping a woman the sum of N1.9million while promising to marry her.

A 29-year old man, Mr Ebuka Okeke has been arrested and charged before a Lagos court for allegedly obtaining N1.9m from a single lady identified as Ogochukwu Ogbuehi under the false pretence that he will marry her but dumped her thereafter, PM Express reported.

It was gathered that apart from obtaining the money, Okeke brought a baked cake and made her take an oath that she will not tell anyone that he collected the said money to marry her. The incident happened between March and July this year at the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos where the suspect and the complainant reside.

He further went to the womans shop and drank assorted drinks worth N20,000 without paying at the same period. However, it turned out that it was a scam and ploy Okeke used to obtain money from her as he did not fulfill his own side of the bargain.

Ogochukwu waited for Okeke to come and perform the marriage rites as they agreed but he was not forthcoming. She asked to know why he had not fulfilled his promise and he gave flimsy excuses. The lady then demanded for her money but he refused giving her back. The matter was reported to the Police at Area M Command, Idimu. Okeke was then arrested and taken to the Command for interrogation.

However, Okeke has admitted that he collected the said amount from her and also promised to marry her. He said he found it difficult to convince his family to accept the lady because she was far older than him. He also explained that he had spent the money and asked to be given time to pay her in bits.

Okeke was charged before the Ejigbo Magistrates court for obtaining under false pretence and placing the victim under false oath. He pleaded not guilty and the presiding Magistrate, Mr Akeem Fashola granted him bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum. He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect the bail condition and the matter was further adjourned till 18th of October, 2017.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has urged Russia to stop police actions, including against Crimean Tatars and lift the ban on Mejlis.

"Put an end to police actions, including house searches, summons, detentions, taking of DNA samples, targeting disproportionately members of the Crimean Tatar community," the OHCHR said in its recommendations to the Russian government issued in its report on the situation with human rights in Crimea over the period between February 22, 2014 and September 12, 2017.

The UN also urged Russia to lift any limitations on the ability of the Crimean Tatar community to conserve its representative institutions, including the Mejlis.

In addition, the OHCHR called on Moscow to ensure that the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, thought, conscience and religion can be exercised by any individual and group in Crimea, without discrimination on any grounds, including race, nationality, political views or ethnicity.
A newsreader broke down in tears while reporting on the earthquake in Mexico as she revealed her colleagues wife was among the dead.

Yuriria Sierra couldnt control her emotions while delivering a news report on Imagen Television when she told the reporter at the scene and the audience about who one of the dead was. The dead woman had been married to fellow employee Julio Ocana and had died after spending 73 hours trapped in rubble.

A male reporter on the scene wore a sombre look as he listened to the female newsreader struggle to deliver the news without breaking down in tears.

Ms Sierra said of Mr Ocana: We send him a giant hug to his son and the whole family and we are here to hug him in the next days. Oh, what a tragedy.

The earthquake had hit Mexico City and two nearby states on September 19 leaving more than 300 people dead with many trapped inside buildings. The 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed more than 310 people and injured thousands in Mexico City and the neighbouring states of Morelos and Puebla, in the centre of the country. It was followed four days later by a 6.1 magnitude quake that killed five and injured seven in the southern state of Oaxaca.

Watch the video below.

Source: Linda Ikejis blog
Facebook users are demanding an explanation for the death of a Ghana-based Nigerian lady, Vera Udechukwu, who was killed two weeks after her traditional wedding in August. It was also gathered that her husband, is already on the run.

Heres what Facebook user, Onyebuchi Ememanka, who shared the sad story online, wrote;

WHO KILLED MISS VERA UDECHUKWU?, the Onyebuchi said Vera was found dead in her husbands apartment in Ghana on September 10th and up till now, no one knows the cause of her death as he husband is currently on the run. Read what was posted online below

Ladies and gentleman,

In the interest of justice and public safety, I am compelled to make this sad story public. I simply could not stomach it.

The story was brought to my attention by a friend and I am convinced that the public should know about it and be on guard.

Miss Vera Udechukwu is, sorry, was an indigene of Oba in Anambra State. She was 24 years old.

She met and fell in love with a young man called Jerry Ugochukwu Ohale, an indigene of Urualla, Ideato in Imo State. The guy is based in Ghana. They decided to get married.

Late August this year, they did their traditional wedding at Oba and the girl joined the husband in Ghana immediately after and they started planning their white wedding.

Then tragedy struck!

Barely two weeks after the traditional wedding, precisely on the 10th of September 2017, Vera was murdered in cold blood. The Ghana Police authorities discovered her body and managed to establish contact with her family in Nigeria. The family was contacted the next day, September 11, 2017.

The intriguing part is that the husband, Jerry, is nowhere to be seen. The Police in Ghana has since launched a manhunt for him. They suspect he has fled Ghana and returned to Nigeria.

Preliminary investigations by the Ghana Police show that the girl was brutally tortured to death. She was killed in the most gruesome circumstances.

Many questions arise.

Who killed this young lady?

Could it be her husband?

Why is the guy on the run?

Why has he disappeared?

Meanwhile, the girls family is naturally distraught. They dont understand how their daughter whom they barely gave out in marriage barely few weeks ago is now dead.

As we speak, the family is battling to retrieve the corpse of their daughter from the Police in Ghana and send the body home to Nigeria for burial.

Sadly, the girls family is not even sure of what their in-law does for a living. Their daughter simply told them that he is an international businessman.

Please share this post. Let it go viral. Let the world hear this story. Lets put the murderer under pressure.

The family has requested that any person who sees the guy anywhere should immediately contact the Police.

Meanwhile, my apologies for the gory pictures. I just couldnt help it.

May God bring justice to the murderer of this young girl whose only offence was to agree to marry someone who lives abroad.

Finally, dear young ladyyouyes, you. That guy who lives abroad that you lose sleep overyes, that one you call everydaysends you moneydo you know him well? What does he do for a living?
A Nigerian lady named Vera Udechukwu, who resides in Ghana with her Nigerian husband, has been killed barely two weeks after her traditional wedding in August.

This sad story was shared by a Facebook user Onyebuchi Ememanka, who is demanding an inquiry into what could have led to the death of the young lady.

In his post shared on Facebook tagged WHO KILLED MISS VERA UDECHUKWU?, the Onyebuchi said Vera was found dead in her husbands apartment in Ghana on September 10th and up till now, no one knows the cause of her death as the husband is currently on the run.

Read what was posted online below;

Ladies and gentleman,

In the interest of justice and public safety, I am compelled to make this sad story public. I simply could not stomach it.

The story was brought to my attention by a friend and I am convinced that the public should know about it and be on guard.

Miss Vera Udechukwu is, sorry, was an indigene of Oba in Anambra State. She was 24 years old.

She met and fell in love with a young man called Jerry Ugochukwu Ohale, an indigene of Urualla, Ideato in Imo State. The guy is based in Ghana. They decided to get married.

Late August this year, they did their traditional wedding at Oba and the girl joined the husband in Ghana immediately after and they started planning their white wedding.

Then tragedy struck!

Barely two weeks after the traditional wedding, precisely on the 10th of September 2017, Vera was murdered in cold blood. The Ghana Police authorities discovered her body and managed to establish contact with her family in Nigeria. The family was contacted the next day, September 11, 2017.

The intriguing part is that the husband, Jerry, is nowhere to be seen. The Police in Ghana has since launched a manhunt for him. They suspect he has fled Ghana and returned to Nigeria.

Preliminary investigations by the Ghana Police show that the girl was brutally tortured to death. She was killed in the most gruesome circumstances.

Many questions arise.

Who killed this young lady?

Could it be her husband?

Why is the guy on the run?

Why has he disappeared?

Meanwhile, the girls family is naturally distraught. They dont understand how their daughter whom they barely gave out in marriage barely few weeks ago is now dead.

As we speak, the family is battling to retrieve the corpse of their daughter from the Police in Ghana and send the body home to Nigeria for burial.

Sadly, the girls family is not even sure of what their in-law does for a living. Their daughter simply told them that he is an international businessman.

Please share this post. Let it go viral. Let the world hear this story. Lets put the murderer under pressure.

The family has requested that any person who sees the guy anywhere should immediately contact the Police.

Meanwhile, my apologies for the gory pictures. I just couldnt help it.

May God bring justice to the murderer of this young girl whose only offence was to agree to marry someone who lives abroad.

Finally, dear young ladyyouyes, you. That guy who lives abroad that you lose sleep overyes, that one you call everydaysends you moneydo you know him well? What does he do for a living?

More photos below;

(Gistreel)
The military authorities announced on Tuesday that a high-value target in the Boko Haram war has been captured by the police in Ondo State.

The Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, made the announcement in a statement in Maiduguri.

According to the spokesperson, Idris Ibrahim Babawo, a top Boko Haram commander, is identified as number 156 in the Boko Haram wanted list.

Mr. Babawo, 42, who also goes by the name Idoko or Nagada, was captured while trying to evade arrest.

Mr. Usman, a brigadier general, said that the jihadist had since been handed over to the military.

The Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Police on Sept. 24 at about 2: 00 p.m., arrested a wanted Boko Haram terrorist, Idris Ibrahim Babawo, believed to be number 156 on the wanted Boko Haram terrorists list.

He was handed over to the 32 Brigade, 2 Division, Nigerian Army at about 2:00 p.m. on Sept. 25 by the Ondo State Police Command.

Mr. Usman said that preliminary investigations showed that the suspect hailed from Chinade village in the Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

He said that Mr. Babawo escaped from the North-east because of what he described as sustained military onslaught on the insurgents.

Boko Haram staged a bloody insurgency in northern Nigeria in 2009 in a bid to establish an Islamic Caliphate.

But the military has decimated the group, forcing the insurgents to resort to attacking mainly soft targets in parts of northern Nigeria.

At least 2.7 million people have been displaced by the insurgency, especially in Borno and Adamawa States, the epicentre of the bloody campaign.

Source: (NAN)
German Pentecostal Evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke, is set to return to Nigeria for a five day crusade and a three day multi-purpose ministers fire conference, according to his team, Christ for All Nations (CFaN).

CFaN officials led by its African Director, John Darku, said the group is expecting more than 10 million people across Africa at the crusade billed to hold at the large expanse of land close by Sparklight Estate, diagonally opposite OPIC Plaza, Isheri Osun, Lagos/Ibadan Express way in November.

Bonnke, a renowned German preacher has visited more than 200 countries to stage, what the faithful described as life-transforming crusades.

Although the Lagos outing will be the last of Bonnkes international crusade, CFaN will continue to carry on with its global evangelism project.

Darku said the CfaN is anticipating the conversion of many souls to Christ as Bonnke delivers his final message to a crowd of worshippers in Nigeria.

One of the highlights of the crusade will be a Passing The Burning Torch Conference for leaders and church workers. Bonnke is believing God for many thousands of pastors and evangelists from around the globe to be inspired to evangelism, says Darku.

Darku told journalists that the crusade promises to be the best of its kind just as he hinted of plans to recruit more than 500,000 counsellors, 200,000 intercessors, a choir of over 23,000 and a security force of over 10,000. There is great excitement from all the churches in the country, and we are expecting a spectacular harvest of people coming to Christ, he says.

Lead evangelist of CfaN and successor to Bonnke, Daniel Kolenda expressed optimism that the landmark crusade will transform the church not only in Nigeria but also across the continent.

Im thrilled to join with Reinhard in this vision, and know that the results of this crusade will be farther reaching and of even greater consequence than we can even imagine.

Kolenda said: Ever since God gave Evangelist Bonnke a vision for a blood-washed Africa- a continent washed in the blood of Jesus Christ- over 40 years ago, he has been filled with a burning commitment to win the continent for Jesus.

Apostle Alexander Bamgbola said that since Nigeria is troubled on many fronts , with the economy struggling out of recession, cases of armed robberies, kidnappings, cultism and ritual killings have not only become widespread. He said youth unemployment and politicians squabbling over money have further compounded the countrys economic woes.

All these have fouled the air, putting the country in greater need of spiritual cleansing, said Bamgbola, Chairman Central Working Committee of the Crusade.

CFaN described Bonnkes return to Nigeria for his final international crusade as divine, because the global preacher has specific revelation and call to help the country fix its social fabrics and economy.

According to Darku, Bonnke strongly believes that the evangelism conference will plunder hell and populate heaven.

An excited Bonnke, who sent out an invitation on his Facebook wall, says: Hello Friends, I have a special announcement for you today! I am returning to Lagos, Nigeria for my Farewell Crusade in November of this year! This will be a truly momentous event, where we believe millions will, not only hear the Gospel, but will be saved, healed, and delivered! As much as I am concerned, I am inviting the whole world.

Bonnke, 77, has helped over 75,913,155 people make salvation decisions over the last three decades and plans to pass on the torch to a younger generation of evangelists led by CfaNs lead evangelist and Bonnkes successor, Kolenda.

The Lord spoke to me, that I should go back for one more crusade in Africa, Bonnke was quoted as saying. I want not only to see a gigantic harvest of souls, but to pass my burning torch to this generation. Recently, I traveled to Lagos, Nigeria to meet with the spiritual leadership there and they gave their unanimous support. I believe God is going to do something I have never seen before, he said.
An 8-year-old California boy was beaten to death with a hammer while protecting his younger sister from being sexually assaulted by his mothers ex-boyfriend, according to KTXL. Dante Daniels was brutally beaten with a hammer on Sept. 1. He died six days later.

According to a criminal complaint, 23-year-old Deandre Chaney Jr. was performing a criminal lewd act on Dantes 7-year-old sister when the child stepped in to help.

This guy beat my grandson with a hammer. Down to his spine. They couldnt save his brain, Dantes grandmother Monique Brown told KTXL.

Chaney was found in Nevada on Sept. 2. Officers said he was wrapped in a tarp hiding in a backyard shed, according to the Sacramento Bee. He was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Chaney is the ex-boyfriend of Dantes mother, 28-year-old Elizabeth Salone. At some point, investigators say the suspect turned the hammer and knife on Salone and the 7-year-old girl.

Salone sustained an eye injury during the altercation and will probably never see out of her left eye, Brown said.

Brown added that the 7-year-old girl will need a lot of help.

Doctors were able to recover Dantes heart and give it to a 4-year-old in California.

Dante gave his heart to a 4-year-old in southern California, Brown said. So a 4-year-old lives on.

Source  Ebiwalismoment
The President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has moved to start obtaining toll fees at federal highways to raise money for road maintenance and construction.

The Federal Government on Monday said it would reintroduce tolling on the nations highways to raise the much needed funds to maintain the roads .

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing , Mr. Babatunde Fashola, stated this while addressing members of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria , who visited him in his office in Abuja .

The ministers position may be an endorsement of the Senates proposal in July for the return of tolls on federal roads and the setting aside of 0.5 percent of transport fares paid by passengers on inter  state trips to generate funds for the rehabilitation and maintenance of roads in the country .

Fashola said that the tolling system would only be introduced to road projects that had been completed by the government .

The minister , according to a statement by the Director of Information in the ministry, Mohammed Ahmed, also said the government would spend N 100 bn to be raised from the issuance of the sukuk bond for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 25 arterial roads .

The sukuk bond, which has been described as a safe and low- risk investment , is being issued by Debt Management Office with a seven  year tenor .

He explained that the sum of N 16. 7 bn would be allocated for each geo  political zone across the country.

Fashola gave some of the prioritised road projects as the dualisation of Ibadan  Ilorin road , Suleja  Minna road , Kano -Maiduguri road and Lokoja -Benin road , as well as the rehabilitation of the Enugu  Port- Harcourt Expressway and the construction of the Kaduna Eastern Bypass.

The statement read in part, The Federal Government is reconstructing and rehabilitating 25 arterial roads with an aggressive plan to spend about N 16 . 7 bn for each geopolitical zone across the country.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing , Babatunde Fashola, also stated that the ministry was in the process of re  introducing the tolling system on completed federal highways in order to sustain the maintenance of these roads . 

The President, MAN , Dr . Frank Jacobs , commended the minister for the ongoing rehabilitation of the Lagos -Ibadan and Onitsha- Enugu expressways as well as other strategic roads across the country.

He also expressed delight with the approval of N213 bn Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility aimed at easing some of the challenges in the electricity industry value  chain.
Wanted Boko Haram terrorist, Idris Ibrahim Babawo a.k.a Idiko or Nagada, has been arrested by the Ondo State Police Command. The suspected Boko Haram terrorist believed to be the man on serial number 165 on the wanted Boko Haram terrorists list, was on Sunday 24th September 2017 at about 2.00pm.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the terrorist kingpin is from Chinade village, Katagum LGA of Bauchi State, escaped from the North East due to military onslaught on the terrorists, with a view to evade arrest and prosecution.

The Ondo State Police Command, handed him over to the 32 Brigade, 2 Division, Nigerian Army, at about 2.00pm on Monday 25th September 2017 by the Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Police.
Men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested four internet fraudsters duping innocent people in Edo state.

Four suspected internet fraudsters will soon be arraigned in court by the Benin Zonal office of the EFCC. The suspects, Shiko Romeo, Bobby Edigiu, Henry Nisike and Emmanuel Ayo were arrested recently by men of the Nigeria police force on suspicion of being involved in internet fruad.

Upon handing the suspects over to the EFCC Benin Zonal Office, operatives of the Commission embarked on painstaking investigations including forsenic analysis of their laptops where incriminating documents were retrieved and printed.

The suspects later confessed to their involvement in internet fruad using fake identification on Facebook in their attempt to hoodwinked unsuspecting persons especially European and American women.

For instance, Shiko Romeo, who claims to be a student of National Open University, NOUN, confessed that he scammed the duo of Kitty Zamaripas and Susan various sums of money with a promise of love relationship using the name John Culfer who lives in New Jersey, USA.
The system uses low-level Doppler radar to measure your heart, and then continually monitors your heart to make sure no one else has stepped in to run your computer. Credit: Bob Wilder/University at Buffalo

Forget fingerprint computer identification or retinal scanning. A University at Buffalo-led team has developed a computer security system using the dimensions of your heart as your identifier.

The system uses low-level Doppler radar to measure your heart, and then continually monitors your heart to make sure no one else has stepped in to run your computer.

The technology is described in a paper that the inventors will present at next month's 23rd Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Communication (MobiCom) in Utah. The system is a safe and potentially more effective alternative to passwords and other biometric identifiers, they say. It may eventually be used for smartphones and at airport screening barricades.

We would like to use it for every computer because everyone needs privacy, said Wenyao Xu, PhD, the study's lead author, and an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in UB's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Logging-in and logging-out are tedious, he said.

The signal strength of the system's radar is much less than Wi-Fi, and therefore does not pose any health threat, Xu said.

We are living in a Wi-Fi surrounding environment every day, and the new system is as safe as those Wi-Fi devices, he said. The reader is about 5 milliwatts, even less than 1 percent of the radiation from our smartphones.

The system needs about 8 seconds to scan a heart the first time, and thereafter the monitor can continuously recognize that heart.

The system, which was three years in the making, uses the geometry of the heart, its shape and size, and how it moves to make an identification. No two people with identical hearts have ever been found, Xu said. And people's hearts do not change shape, unless they suffer from serious heart disease, he said.

Heart-based biometrics systems have been used for almost a decade, primarily with electrodes measuring electrocardiogram signals, but no one has done a non-contact remote device to characterize our hearts' geometry traits for identification, he said.

The new system has several advantages over current biometric tools, like fingerprints and retinal scans, Xu said. First, it is a passive, non-contact device, so users are not bothered with authenticating themselves whenever they log-in. And second, it monitors users constantly. This means the computer will not operate if a different person is in front of it. Therefore, people do not have to remember to log-off when away from their computers.

Xu plans to miniaturize the system and have it installed onto the corners of computer keyboards. The system could also be used for user identification on cell phones. For airport identification, a device could monitor a person up to 30 meters away.

Xu and collaborators will present the paper  Cardiac Scan: A Non-contact and Continuous Heart-based User Authentication System  at MobiCom, which is billed as the flagship conference in mobile computing. Organized by the Association for Computing Machinery, the conferernce will be held from Oct. 16-20 in Snowbird, Utah.

Additional authors are, from the UB Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Feng Lin, PhD (now an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver); Chen Song, a PhD student; Yan Zhuang, a master's student; and Kui Ren, PhD, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor; and from Texas Tech University, Changzhi Li, PhD.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy has submitted proposals regarding the norms of pension reform, which raised doubts among international partners, to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"We've submitted our proposals and are waiting for a feedback," Minister of Social Policy Andriy Reva told Interfax-Ukraine, asked about a meeting with the World Bank representatives.

According to him, at present negotiations are under way regarding disputable issues, and it would be premature to disclose the proposals the Ukrainian side has made. Reva noted that in view of absence of the IMF mission in Ukraine, negotiations about the controversial issues that concern both sides are being held with the World Bank.

As reported, the World Bank and the IMF in a joint letter to the government of Ukraine expressed their concerns about amendments to the draft law on pension reform (No. 6614) during its preparation for second reading, World Bank Country Director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Satu Kahkonen said. In particular, the matter concerns payment of temporary assistance to non-working people who reached the age of 60 without the necessary length of pension insurance, indexation of pensions in 2018-2020, and then automatically according to the formula.
After nearly 60 years of being outlawed locally, self-storage development will be allowed to commence under strict guidelines in West Caldwell, N.J. The town council passed a land-use ordinance during a public hearing this week that will allow at least one storage facility in its M-1 limited-manufacturing district. Though the ordinance was urged by Mayor Joseph Tempesta, any approved projects will need to be compliant with certain conditions, he said.

Stipulations include limiting operating hours between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., access control, maintaining a log of people entering and leaving the property, and allowing police access to common areas, the source reported.

Some residents expressed concern about the types of items that could be stored, as well as the potential for excess lighting from the property. We dont know whats in the warehouses now, but they have to follow certain guidelines and keep a record of what is being brought into the warehouses, Tempesta said during the meeting. The mayor also indicated the town would try to control the brightness of the lighting.

Town attorney Paul Jemas described the ordinance as very conditional.

The move is similar to a city council decision in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., which will lift a 43-year restriction prohibiting self-storage from being developed along the citys major thoroughfares. The council is expected to give final approval on Sept. 28.

Both moves come after several municipalities across the nation have recently instituted self-storage moratoriums limiting new construction or restricting development is specific areas.
Wise Business Plans (WBP), a provider of custom business plans designed to help companies meet earnings projections and acquire financing, has expanded its research and writing services to cover self-storage.

"Often, owners of a business that is necessary and seems to be in steady demand make the mistake of thinking that they don't need to plan ahead," said Joseph Ferriolo, company director. "It is important for storage facility owners and operators to get the proper business-planning guidance and cutting-edge research that can secure their share of quality profits and also map an effective route to goals achievement and long-term stability in this growing market."

The companys business plans are written by MBA professionals and take into account each clients business details and goals, according to a press release. Each plan includes personal and professional financial planning and a free revision.

WBP staff includes financial experts, researchers and writers. The company creates custom plans designed to attract franchises, investors and lenders. It also creates plans to assist nonprofits and U.S. companies that want to bring in foreign workers.
Spend a few hours in IIs archives, and the story cycle is obvious: An alarming report on women in finance, followed by a declaration of victory several years later, followed by reports of a drunken finance bro mounting the Fearless Girl statue.

When State Streets Fearless Girl statue  a proud totem to gender equality  claimed her ground just steps from Wall Streets Charging Bull, it felt like a long-sexist industry had finally noticed it had a problem.

But days after the statue went up, a drunken finance bro humped her in front of a crowd, the New York Post reported. The stark imagery reminded many women that finances days of sexism are far from finished.

Dedicated Institutional Investor readers may have a sense of deja vu. After all, we covered the status of women on Wall Street back in the May 1972 issue and again in July 1996. Its gotten a little better: Crowds of traders no longer pour onto the streets to ogle a womans breasts. This actually happened back in 1968, when Chemical Bank secretary Francine Gottfried and her legendary 43-inch bustline drew crowds in the thousands, Linda Francke reported for the 72 piece.

Women were indeed an oddity on the Street. In 1967, Muriel Siebert was the first to integrate the New York Stock Exchange  which, having had no ladies, also apparently had no ladies rooms.

But two decades later, II declared Wall Street research departments veritable meritocracies and unparalleled paradise for women. But that paradise was short lived, the 1996 July issue counters. Many of the women who had poured into research roles just as quickly drained out in the 90s once they began having children, the author of Can Wall Street Women Have it All? declared.

Childcare and parental leave remain scant in benefits packages, and that old barrier stands between many women and executive roles in their careers. Women represent 13 percent of CEOs and 19 percent of CIOs at alternative investment funds, a KPMG srvey found. Those figures will strike many investors as high.

Since our initial stories on the state of women on Wall Street, the industrys gender inequities have pushed into view, from pioneering womens private crises of nowhere to pee, to the 2016 film Equity, which dramatized the struggle to climb the male-dominated finance ladder.

Advocates have become industry celebrities, like Sallie Krawcheck, the former Citigroup executive who launched the women-centered investing platform Ellevest in 2014. She has since raised $32.5 million from venture capital and individual investors.

And yet, for this progress, theres little doubt that we will publish yet another missive on the status of the women of Wall Street. Its only a matter of time.
BlackRock, Vanguard, and SSGA remain the three largest firms by assets under management as investors increasingly go passive.

Passive managers dominated in the 2017 II300 , Institutional Investors annual ranking of the 300 largest U.S.-based asset management firms.

For the eighth year in a row, BlackRock took the top spot, with $5.1 trillion in assets under management at the end of 2016  a 12 percent increase from the $4.6 trillion the firm boasted in 2015. Meanwhile, second-place Vanguard Group, with $3.9 trillion under management, grew by more than $1 trillion in the last year alone.

The firm, best known for its passive offerings, attributed this 36 percent boost to the rising popularity of index funds.Vanguard is a household name in indexing, said Chris Philips, Vanguards head of institutional advisory services, by phone. That has been a huge driver of cash flow and asset growth.

With State Street Global Advisors claiming third place, managers that offer passive strategies made up the three largest U.S.-based firms by assets under management for the fourth year running. In total, these three managers were responsible for a combined $11.5 trillion in assets at the end of 2016.

[II Deep Dive: BlackRock Tops II300 for a Seventh Straight Year]

Northern Trust Asset Management, another large passive player, grew from $875 billion under management at the end of 2015 to $942 billion in 2016, launching it from the 13th spot to 10th place.

Our success has been driven by strong flows from our ETF complex and our passive business, said Steve Potter, president of North Trust Asset Management.

Weve had a consistent strategy which is in the sweet spot of where the market is moving. We would expect to see more growth and momentum.

Active management firms, meanwhile, have struggled in the wake of an industry-wide shift to low-cost and passive products. Some traditionally active firms said they have adapted in order to better meet changing investor demands. Goldman Sachs Asset Management, which placed eighth this year with $1.2 trillion under management, is investing in new strategies like exchange-traded funds and active beta solutions, according to a spokesperson.

Despite industry wide challenges in the active management space, Goldman Sachs investment management division has experienced consistent and strong growth in clients and assets under management driven by our global, broad, and deep capabilities to serve our clients with holistic advice, solutions, implementation, and service, the spokesperson wrote via email.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management has also shifted its strategy to accommodate clients interested in passive products, having launched new beta offerings a few years ago.

We have what we call a blended product, which is a mixture of passive and active, said James Peagam, the firms head of North American institutional business. We also have our own beta platform.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management ranked fifth this year with $1.5 trillion under management, holding onto its spot from last year even as its assets under management decreased by around $200 billion.

Notably, some year-over-year fluctuations in assets under management were due to a change in the II300s methodology. This year, investment management shops that are owned or rolled up into a larger organization were broken out and reported separately to better reflect how asset allocators analyze, hire, and fire money managers. In past years, Institutional Investor included the money managed by affiliated firms in the parent companys total assets.

The II300 was created using data from research firm eVestment and supplemented by information provided by asset managers directly to II. The 300 firms on this years list managed a combined $45 trillion.
Ukrinmash denies Amnesty International's accusations of illegal supplies of arms to South Sudan via UAE

State-run Ukrinmash has denied accusations brought by the international non-government Amnesty International human rights group, claiming that the company illegally supplied machine guns and mortars to South Sudan via the United Arab Emirates under a contract signed in 2014.

"We may confirm that specified Contracts in no way were realized (namely, 5/61- from 22.10.2014, and IGG/Ukrinmash/2014/1399/5/47), and no movements of goods and services were performed," the company said in a statement posted on its website.

"The contact was not fulfilled because the State Export Control Service of Ukraine had not given permission," Ukrinmash Director General Serhiy Sliusarenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

"Despite that the UN Security Council has not imposed an absolute embargo on arms trade with South Sudan, Ukraine and Ukrinmash fully adhere to the declared policy of securing regional and international security and stability," the company assured.

Ukraine and all Ukrainian state companies adhere to all international norms and rules, including Arms Trade Treaty (Wassenaar Arrangement), it added.

Ukrinmash is a state-run foreign trade investment firm and a leading Ukrainian special exporter. It has been working on the international arms market since 1991. In 2010, it became part of state-run Ukroboronprom Concern.

As Interfax-Ukraine reported earlier, Amnesty International earlier claimed Ukraine was involved in weapons shipments to South Sudan in 2014 between a Ukrainian state arms producing company and a company based in the United Arab Emirates.

"The weapons in question form part of a previously undisclosed 2014 contract between a Ukrainian state arms company and a UAE-based company to procure US$169 million of weapons on behalf of South Sudan. These include thousands of machine guns, mortars, rocket propelled grenades and millions of rounds of ammunition," the NGO said on its website on September 25.
COO Michael Turner has been promoted to lead Man FRM as Man Group seeks to increase collaboration across the alternative investment firm.

Hedge fund giant Man Group has named a new chief executive for its fund-of-funds business.

Michael Turner was promoted to CEO of Man FRM after serving as the units chief operating officer since 2012, according to a statement Tuesday from Man Group. Deputy COO Rachel Waters will succeed Turner.

Man Group bought the fund-of-funds business in 2012. The firm has since focused on integrating Man FRM, with a particular emphasis on developing client services that benefit from all of the London-based asset managers resources and expertise, according to the announcement.

This appointment reflects the transformation of Man FRMs business in recent years as we evolve into a provider of customized solutions for our clients, Keith Haydon, Man FRMs investment chief, said in the statement. Mikes leadership will be instrumental as Man FRM continues to grow and diversify its offering and increase collaboration across the Man Group platform.

[II Deep Dive: Man Group Seeks to Build a Colossus With GLG Partners]

As Man FRMs COO, Turner was responsible for investment infrastructure and overseeing teams working on quantitative analysis, managed accounts and client services. In his new role, he will serve on Man Groups executive committee and lead Man FRMs management committee.

Turner joined the fund-of-funds business, formerly known as FRM Holdings, in 2007. Before that, he served in research roles at Aspect Capital and Citigroups European investment banking arm, then known as Schroder Salomon Smith Barney.
"These measures can help to lessen the impact," says Andrew Hall
American International Group (AIG) will undergo a major restructure, reorganizing its business into three units.



The move marks the first strategic decision made by the companys new CEO, Brian Duperreault. Formerly of Hamilton Insurance Group, Duperreault assumed his responsibilities last May to replace former CEO Peter Hancock.



Celebrate excellence in insurance. Join us at the Insurance Business Awards in Chicago on October 26.



With the new structure, AIG will operate through a general insurance business unit, a life and retirement unit, and a standalone technology unit.



General Insurance will include Commercial, Personal Insurance, and U.S. and international field operations. Life & Retirement will include Group Retirement, Individual Retirement, Life, and Institutional Markets, a statement from the company said.



Duperreault has chosen Peter Zaffino to lead AIGs general insurance unit. Zaffino was previously the head of Marsh & McLennans brokerage business, and was originally Duperreaults choice as AIGs chief operating officer.



Kevin Hogan has been tapped to lead the life and retirement unit. Hogan is an AIG veteran and most recently ran the consumer insurance unit.



The company said that Seraina Macia will serve as the chief executive overseeing the technology unit. She is the former head of Hamilton USA.



The current CEO of AIGs commercial unit, Rob Schimek, will leave the company by the end of October, a release mentioned.



I could not be more proud of what this company has accomplished over the last 12 years, from navigating the financial crisis and winning back the confidence of our partners and clients, to focusing on innovations that have outpaced the market, Schimek said in a letter to employees.



[The restructuring] better aligns with how investors actually prefer to analyze AIG, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Meyer Shields told Reuters.



The changes put a greater emphasis on product underwriting rather than the companys relationship to clients, commented Credit Suisse analyst Ryan Tunis. The company, however, still needs more hires with commercial underwriting expertise, he added.


Ironshore has expanded its Iron-Starr Excess underwriting agency business to serve both the US and London insurance markets.



The new segment, Iron-Excess, will enable Ironshore to deliver the advantages of the agency approach, providing clients and brokers access to a large pool of capacity. Iron-Excess will be led by Steve Horton, a company release said.



Iron-Excess will provide capacity to new and existing Ironshore and Liberty Mutual Insurance clients.



We have had a lot of success given the quality and experience of our team in Bermuda, said Ironshore COO and Ironshore Bermuda CEO Mitch Blaser. The business model has been well received in the Bermuda market and is advantageous to our clients offering a natural solution to concerns around counterparty risk and capacity needs. I am excited to broaden the existing Liberty Mutual relationships and provide wider access to our meaningful capacity.



We are very pleased to announce the expansion of our agency business into the US and London markets, added Ironshore CEO Kevin H. Kelley. Our ability to offer our clients access to not only Ironshore but third-party insurance partners will create significant and long term innovative solutions for our clients.


Michigan lawmakers are set to unveil a plan today that they say would drastically lower auto insurance rates.Michigan drivers pay the highest auto insurance rates in the country. Lawmakers have long sought to reform the states no-fault insurance laws, a system critics have said invites fraud and unnecessary expense. Michigan legislators have been working on a much-heralded proposal to help bring down the costs.The new proposal would offer different tiers of coverage, according to the Detroit Free Press. The top tier (and the most expensive) would include unlimited benefits for those catastrophically injured in car accidents  the system the state has in place now.Lower tiers would provide less coverage, all the way down to a bare-bones insurance that could see customers premiums lowered by up to 30%, the Free Press reported.The proposed legislation would also set the fees that healthcare providers can charge for services rendered to car-accident victims. Thats not popular with either healthcare providers or accident victims, who came out against the bill because car-accident victims often need more expensive care, the Free Press reported.
USI Insurance Services has announced the acquisition of David M. Banet & Associates, a firm specializing in benefits consulting and administration, human capital management and insurance brokerage and consulting services. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.The acquisition solidifies USIs position as the largest wholesale employee benefits general agent in the Northeast. Banet will combine with Emerson Reid, USIs employee benefits wholesale brokerage division and Banet employees will continue to work out of the companys Pennsylvania and Delaware offices.Our primary goal is to grow and protect our clients businesses by becoming an extension of their employee benefits programs through invaluable tools, knowledge and support, said Arthur W. Hall, USI senior vice president and employee benefits practice leader. With this acquisition, we are able to combine Banets advanced technology, innovative benefits and brokerage services with Emerson Reids suite of client services, specialty products, carrier expertise and vendor partnerships.We are excited to join Emerson Reid and combine our resources to best position our broker partners for success as the employee benefits market continues to grow in complexity and increased competition from non-traditional benefit companies, said Banet President David M. Banet. For more than 20 years, we have been cultivating strong, long-term relationships with our clients by doing what we promise and delivering excellent value. Our brokers will now have access to Emerson Reids specialized departments, sophisticated marketing technology, and in-depth healthcare reform and compliance resources.
Two New Jersey men have pleaded guilty to scamming more than $1.4 million from state health insurance plans.Judd Holt, 42, and George Gavras, 36, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Holt defrauded state health plans out of more than $769,000. Gavras scammed more than $659,000 from state plans.Holt, a drug company representative, would provide prescriptions to others, who would have them filled and give him a percentage of their reimbursement, the Press of Atlantic City reported.The two men are the seventh and eighth in the past month to plead guilty to crimes relating to a broad federal investigation into the abuse of compound pharmacy prescriptions. The fraud has robbed state health plans of millions of dollars, the Press reported.The same investigation nabbed New Jersey doctor John Gaffney, who admitted to signing more than 200 phony prescriptions , scamming more than $24 million from state plans. He pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to commit health-benefits fraud.
Celebrate excellence in insurance. Join us for the Insurance Business Awards in Chicago on October 26!

The insurance industry has already donated millions of dollars in relief. The figure is believed to already exceed $15 million, industry-wide.

That includes more than $410,000 raised for Hurricane Harvey relief through an Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) donation fund, which includes more than $150,000 in contributions from 1,000 individual insurance professionals.

The IICF is a nonprofit organization that unites the insurance industry in helping communities and enriching lives through grants, volunteer service, and leadership.

At least $7.4 million in relief donations has been committed by IICF board companies and supporters, with the figure still growing. And, including donations from non-IICF member companies, industry support has totaled more than $15 million.

Bill Ross, CEO of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, said the industrys support for Americans in need had been overwhelming.

Helping people during their times of need is the basic foundation of insurance and when we see our friends and supporters step forward personally, and contribute so generously to the IICF disaster relief funds, it makes a strong statement about the people in this industry, he said.

Weve seen an unprecedented level of personal giving to the IICF disaster relief funds, from individual insurance professionals, which is a testimony to the trust and confidence donors have placed in us. Their generosity has overwhelmed me.

Ross said the money collected would be directed to where it was needed most.

IICF is directing 100% of disaster relief contributions to helping people whose lives have been so severely affected by these hurricanes, he explained. As good stewards of the relief funds, the IICF team is working very closely with local nonprofits to ensure contributions are directed where there is the greatest need.

John Vasturia, president of specialty markets at Munich Reinsurance America, and IICF board of governors chair, added: The result of this disaster relief fundraising shows us the power of uniting together as an industry, through IICF, to help others and support our local communities. The insurance industry has an extensive and diverse network, and at a time like this we see its true capabilities and value to help.
The University of Kansas Hospital Authority is being sued by a former cafeteria worker who claims that the hospitals HR department overlooked a sexual harassment case.The lawsuit was filed in federal court Tuesday, alleging that hospital cook Demi Trimble was the target of sexual harassment by another cook when she started her work in May 2016.Trimble claims that she told human resources about the harassment, but the issues were never dealt with and the harassment continued. She resigned only a month after starting, on June 17.Aramark, the food services contractor Trimble works for, was also named as a defendant in the suit.The Associated Press reported that Trimbles claim is the latest of three employment-related lawsuits pending against the hospital. The Cornerstone Law Firm in Kansas City helped file all three suits.The Kansas City Star reported that the hospital denies the allegations in the lawsuit.We deny the allegations. We trust in the judicial system and well let it play out, hospital spokesman Dennis McCullough said in a statement.
After bringing the nations first enforcement action against Equifax for its failure to protect the personal information of nearly three million Massachusetts residents, Attorney General Maura Healey announced updated legislation that will better protect consumers from data breaches.

The new legislation, An Act Removing Fees for Security Freezes and Disclosures of Consumer Credit Reports (SB 130/HB 134), will help consumers by eliminating fees and establishing a one-stop shop for placing credit freezes, mandating encryption of personal information in credit reports and requiring that companies obtain consent before accessing or using consumer credit reports and credit scores.

For too long, protecting consumers has been an afterthought for Equifax and other credit reporting agencies, said Healey in a press release issued by The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. This bill will give Massachusetts residents control over their personal data and help fix a system that needed reform long before the Equifax breach.

The bill  introduced this week at the State House  is co-sponsored by Senator Barbara LItalien and State Representative Jennifer Benson. AG Healeys office assisted in drafting the updated language to provide additional protections for consumers affected by a breach.

With the Equifax breach we learned how easy it is for our personal information to be compromised, and the urgency of ensuring additional protection for consumers and our credit and financial information, said Senator LItalien in the release.

The updated legislation helps consumers in Massachusetts in a number of ways:

Consent: Any company seeking to obtain or use a consumers credit report or credit score will need the written consent of the consumer and must disclose the reason for seeking access to the information.

Credit freeze: The bill would allow consumers to place and lift a credit freeze on their files at any time for free. Unlike credit monitoring, which alerts the consumer after potential identity theft has already occurred, a credit freeze makes it harder for someone to open a new account in someone elses name. The new legislation will require the credit reporting agencies to put in place a simple, one-stop shop for freezing and unfreezing credit reports.

Credit reports: The bill will require each credit reporting agency to provide extra access to free credit reports to consumers impacted by a breach. Under federal law, consumers only get access to one free credit report per year, but under the new legislation, affected consumers will be entitled to no less than three free copies from each agency after a data breach.

Credit monitoring: If the breach occurs at a consumer reporting agency like Equifax, the bill requires it to provide five years of free credit monitoring to affected consumers.

Encryption: The bill will require that all agencies encrypt personal information contained in consumer credit reports to enhance the security, confidentiality and integrity of personal information.

According to Equifax, the breach reported earlier this month potentially compromised the personal information of 143 million consumers nationwide, including nearly three million Massachusetts consumers. Following the breach, Healey launched an immediate investigation and filed a lawsuit last week against Equifax alleging that it did not maintain the appropriate safeguards to protect consumer data in violation of Massachusetts consumer protection and data privacy laws and regulations. The Attorney Generals Office also issued guidance for consumers in the wake of the data breach.

Equifax is a consumer reporting agency that businesses rely on to make decisions about the credit worthiness of consumers, therefore affecting whether consumers can buy a house, acquire a loan, lease a vehicle or even get a job. Consumers have little to no control over the information about them that Equifax acquires.

Healey will testify before the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure today in support of the bill and ask the Committee to incorporate the additional consumer protections proposed.

Source: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General

Related:

Topics Legislation Cyber Massachusetts
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recommended the international community should press Russia for giving its consent to monitoring of the human rights situation in Crimea by international and regional structures and raise the issues of human rights violations at bilateral and multilateral forums.

"[OHCHR recommends the international community] insist on full cooperation of the Russian Federation with international and regional monitoring mechanisms, including by granting unrestricted access to their representatives to Crimea," the office said in its report on human rights violations in Crimea.

The UN calls on Russia and Ukraine to strictly abide by international human rights law and international humanitarian law in ensuring the protection of the population of Crimea.

The report also suggests raising cases of human rights violations and abuses in discussions with the Russian authorities at bilateral and multilateral forums.
The former head of a not-for-profit corporation formed to oversee the water services for Newark, N.J., was sentenced on Friday to more than eight years in prison for accepting nearly $1 million in kickbacks.

Linda Watkins Brashear pleaded guilty in 2015 to fraud for participating in what state auditors called an egregious and yet preventable abuse of public funds as executive director of the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. from 2007 to 2013.

The 57-year-old West Orange resident also admitted failing to report more than $300,000 in income.

On Friday, she received a 102-month sentence and was ordered to pay $1.3 million in restitution.

Among the payments Watkins Brashear received were $260,000 in cash from a partner of the watershed corporations special project manager and $177,000 from an internet research consultant.

She submitted to the corporation inflated invoices that covered the kickback payments, prosecutors said.

The 2014 state auditors report said Watkins Brashear wrote dozens of checks to herself totaling about $200,000, which the corporation couldnt justify, and received a severance package worth twice that amount at an emergency board meeting after state investigators began asking questions.

The report also said Watkins Brashear made risky investments without board permission, resulting in losses of more than $500,000. She also was accused of authorizing contracts worth more than $300,000 for interior design work to companies owned by her ex-husband.

In a statement to the court on Friday, Watkins Brashear apologized and said she had been struggling with a gambling addiction during part of her tenure with the corporation.

Several contractors have pleaded guilty in connection with the investigation, and former watershed official Donald Bernard Sr. was sentenced in July to eight years in prison for his role in the fraud.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud New Jersey
Ubers new boss Dara Khosrowshahi apologized to Londoners for the taxi apps mistakes and pledged to make changes as the Silicon Valley firm tries to overturn a decision to strip it of its license in one of its major markets.

The British capitals transport regulator on Friday deemed Uber unfit to run a taxi service and decided not to renew its license to operate, which will end this week, citing the firms approach to reporting serious criminal offenses and background checks on drivers.

Mayor Sadiq Khan, a Labour politician who has criticized the firm in the past, said on Monday he had asked Transport for London (TfL) to be available to meet CEO Khosrowshahi.

Ubers 40,000 drivers, one third of the citys total number of private hire vehicles, will continue to take passengers until an appeals process is exhausted, which is likely to take several months.

London police complained this year that the app, which is backed by Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, was either not disclosing, or taking too long to report, serious crimes including sexual assaults and that this put the public at risk.

Its  true that weve got things wrong along the way. On behalf of everyone at Uberglobally, I apologize for the mistakes weve made, Khosrowshahi wrote in an open letter to Londoners.

We will appeal the decision on behalf of millions of Londoners, but we do so with the knowledge that we must also change, he said.

The loss of the San Francisco-based start-ups license in one of the worlds wealthiest capitals comes after a tumultuous few months that led to former CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick being forced out.

Khosrowshahi, who is less than a month into his new job, did not specify which mistakesUber had made in London.

Ubers UK head of cities, Fred Jones, said the firm was working with the police to work out how it can better report incidents.

He also said TfL, which declined to comment on Monday, had not been clear about it concerns.

Once we understand them we can work with them to figure out what is it that they would like us to do and how can we move forward and I think thats the important next step, Jones told BBC radio.

Army of Lawyers

Khan, who backed TfLs decision, said the transport body was open to meeting Ubers boss but attacked the Silicon Valley companys response to losing its license.

I appreciate Uber has an army of lawyers, theyve also made aggressive threats about taking us to court and the rest of it, he told BBC radio.

You cant have it both ways: on the one hand acting in an aggressive manner for all sorts of things but on the other hand brief to journalists that they want to do a deal with TfL, he said, adding companies that played by the rules were welcome in London.

The firm has until Oct. 14 to formally appeal TfLs decision and the case is likely to be filed at Westminster Magistrates Court in London.

Uber, which began operating in London in 2012, has faced regulatory and legal setbacks around the world amid opposition from traditional taxi services, and has been forced to quit several countries including Denmark and Hungary.

However, it has also managed to overturn bans and other crackdowns.

Earlier this year, Italy briefly blocked Uber from operating, citing unfair competition, but lifted the prohibition a week later, while in Taiwan it resumed services in April after talks with the islands authorities, ending a two-month suspension.

A petition calling on London to overturn its decision not to renew Ubers license had gathered more than 750,000 signatures at noon on Monday.

This ban shows the world that London is far from being open and is closed to innovative companies, who bring choice to consumers and work opportunities to those who need them, the petition says.

(Additional reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Keith Weir and Mark Potter)

Related:

London Decides to Strip Uber of Its License; Uber Will Appeal

Topics London
Many terrorism insurance policies are triggered when there is physical damage to a property. As a result, commercial insurance buyers may find that they are unprotected against business interruption losses if there is minimal or no damage to their properties after a terrorist event, according to a report published by Pool Re, the terrorism reinsurance pool for the UK mainland.

The coverage gap issue is particularly acute for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), said the report titled Terrorism Threat & Mitigation Report January  July 2017.

On the other hand, larger retail and hospitality businesses are better placed to absorb losses through resilience of scale, it added.

The solution to such coverage gaps for SMEs? Pool Re says one possible model would see non-damage business interruption insurance resulting from terrorism offered to the market, and covered indirectly by the commercial market through reinsurance of Pool Re.

Such cover would be inexpensive, widely purchased, and with specific discounted rates for SMEs, said Julian Enoizi, chief executive, Pool Re, in a forward to the report.

Assessments of terrorist attacks in Europe suggest that SMEs could be impacted for between three and nine months, either by an event or the perception of reduced security, and suffer losses ranging from 5 percent to 30 percent of their annual revenue, he continued.

This years terrorist attacks in Manchester, England, and Londons Borough Market highlighted the seriousness of the coverage gap and its affect on SMEs  when an attack causes considerable business interruption, denial of access caused by police cordons, loss to the local economy and a reduction in visitor numbers, the report indicated.

Pool Re noted that the SME sector, which traditionally does not take out terrorism cover, was hit hard by the Borough Market attack in June. The minimum losses for businesses in the market were 1.4 million ($1.9 million) at the absolute minimum, said the report, quoting Darren Henaghan, managing director, Borough Market.

Terrorism cover is available to all businesses; the challenge is to make it affordable, accessible, adequate, simple to understand and up to date with the current threat. SMEs also need to be aware that the cover is available to them in the first place, the report added.

Despite the high number of terrorist incidents across Europe over the last four years and more recently in the UK, there is still very little take-up of terrorism cover outside the major cities, especially among the SME community, said Pool Re, estimating that less than 10 percent of this group of SMEs buy terrorism cover.

The Pool Re report analyzes recent terrorist attacks and provides a threat summary for Islamist terrorism across the globe. Key themes and emerging trends discussed in the report include:

The threat posed by Islamist extremism is global, evolving, persistent and ideological. Daesh and al Qaeda (AQ) associates remain the key threat actors and likely targets are crowded places, national infrastructure and police and military institutions and personnel.

Attacks are likely to continue. The methodology of them may be wide ranging and, whilst the most frequent may be unsophisticated, attacks involving home-made improvised explosive devices (IEDs) should not be discounted.

The arrests of three women in London in April, and their suspected involvement in the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts indicates that women may play a greater role in attack planning.

The increasing sophistication of the New IRA bomb-makers and the threat to Great Britain.

The prominence of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the enduring AQ threat to the West, particularly against aviation.

The influence of Islamist extremist magazines on terrorist attack methodology and the correlation between attacks and the content of online material.

This report aims to inform, raise awareness and provide an accessible and expert resource on the evolving terrorist threat, Enoizi said in a statement. By supplying Pool Res members and by extension their clients across the UK with knowledge and insight surrounding the threat, businesses can better protect themselves, their employees and the UK as a whole.

Source: Pool Re

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters
State Auto Labs Corp., the innovation arm of Columbus, Ohio-based State Automobile Mutual Insurance Co., has launched a $25 million corporate venture fund to support entrepreneurs and innovations in the insurance industry.

State Auto Labs said it is collaborating with Rev1 Ventures, a fund that is active in the Great Lakes region, to support insurtech and fintech startups with capital, technologists and insurance industry experts.

The insurer hopes to be able to identify and become an early adopter of new technologies through the effort.

The insurance industry is in the midst of an enormous transformation and is poised for a bigger disruption over the next five years than its undergone over the past 50 years, said Kim Garland, managing director of State Auto Labs, who also heads the companys Personal Lines operation. This next progression will come from both inside and outside of the insurance industry. The insurance companies that will be successful in the future are those that leverage innovations from a variety of sources.

The venture fund will focus on four key areas of investment: Internet of Things, machine learning and artificial intelligence, distribution technologies and new products such as those for the sharing economy, insurance-on-demand and claims management.

This is a critical time for the insurance industry, and we recognize that there is a better way to support the development of innovations that will fuel business success for startups and deliver cutting-edge technologies for enterprises, said Tom Walker, CEO of Rev1 Ventures.

Rev1s current portfolio features companies in medical, education, manufacturing, social media and other business fields including VES, a virtual education system; ScriptDrop, a prescription delivery service; PriorAuthNow, a prior authorization app; and Complion, a clinical research compliance service.

State Auto Labs was established last November.

State Auto Labs is far from the only insurer looking to invest in new technologies.

The Midwest is home to the three-year old Iowa-based Global Insurance Accelerator, which is backed by several insurers including Grinnell Mutual Markel, EMC, Farm Mutual and Farmers Bureau. It connects insurtech entrepreneurs with insurers for capital and mentoring.

In February, David Miles, owner of the insurance carrier asset management firm Miles Capital, and Matt Kinley, a Pappajohn Capital Resources investor, launched ManchesterStory Group, a venture capital firm backed by insurance companies from across the country. The fund has yet to reveal the carriers that are backing it.

The Hartford, Conn. area also now has its own insurtech accelerator with support from Cigna, The Hartford, Travelers, USAA and White Mountains.

Other insurers and reinsurers have gone the route of State Auto Labs in setting up their own investment funds. They include XL, Munich Re/HSB, Markel, Liberty Mutual and Starr Companies.

Insurtech funding totaled close to $1 billion in the 2017 second quarter, nearly 150 percent higher than the same period a year ago, according to a quarterly report on the sector from Willis Towers Watson and CB Insights. There were 31 private technology investments by insurers and reinsurers during Q2, according to the report.

Related:

Topics Carriers Auto InsurTech Tech Market New Markets
The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies has named Illinois state Sen. Bill Haine as one of two State Legislators of the Year for 2017.

Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert also was honored with the award.

Haine is the assistant majority leader of the Illinois Senate. Prior to this appointment, he served as chair of the Senate Insurance Committee for 12 years.

These elected officials have shown strong leadership on issues affecting insurance public policy throughout the course of their careers in public service, Chuck Chamness, NAMICs president and CEO, said in the associations announcement. They are deserving of this recognition as they have tirelessly worked on important pieces of legislation that have strengthened the insurance markets in Arkansas and Illinois to the benefit of both the insurance companies and the policyholders.

Each year, NAMIC has awarded the State Legislator of the Year to one or more deserving state lawmakers for their support of free-market principles and strong positions to improve the insurance market in their states.

The two public policymakers were selected by the NAMIC Board of Directors for their leadership in promoting and protecting competitive insurance markets.

Source: NAMIC

Topics Illinois
In San Juan, it was as if Hurricane Maria left everyone to fend for themselves.

Two days after Maria hit, electricity and mobile phone service was nonexistent in the capital and across most of Puerto Rico, which was already buckling under the financial fallout from the nations largest municipal insolvency. On Friday, San Juans main arteries were cut off by waist-high pools of filthy water and dangerous piles of debris. Desperate motorists searched for dry stretches of asphalt, only to be forced to turn around and drive the wrong way up highway ramps.

In Isabela, on the northwestern tip of the U.S. commonwealth, a dam failed, causing flash flooding downstream, the National Weather Service reported via Twitter. Authorities scrambled to evacuate thousands of residents. Governor Ricardo Rossello said all available resources were being dispatched to the communities near the Guajataca River.

The citizens of Isabela and Quebradillas, if youre watching, if youre listening, please evacuate for your own safety, Rossello told reporters in San Juan. We understand that there is a structural failure to the dam.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the area around the dam. But Marias death toll across the Caribbean climbed to at least 27 on Friday, including six in Puerto Rico, according to the Associated Press.

The burst dam was another reminder that Marias costs, both human and financial, have only begun to come into view. This much is certain: the U.S. territory, bankrupted by runaway debt, now confronts an even deeper economic crisis.

Four months after the islands government sought protection from creditors, the odds of a speedy resolution to its wealth of problems now appear to be dimming. President Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to visit the island and declared Puerto Rico a disaster zone, which helps clear the way for federal assistance.

In San Juan, many people tried to return to their homes, wondering what was left. Hermelinda Lopez, a 68-year-old retiree, made it back to her house of 20 years by catching a ride in a sport-utility vehicle through knee-high waters. Then she caught a glimpse of shattered windows and damaged walls.

I feel extremely nervous, she said, trying to get inside her waterfront condo. I dont know what has happened inside my home  all of my things, many memories.

In the historic Old San Juan area, a normally bustling tourist center, cobbled street were deserted as a curfew approached. In the citys financial center, Hato Rey, debris blocked streets and stoplights were toppled.

This is the legacy of Puerto Ricos worst storm in nearly a century. Hurricane Marias maximum sustained winds of 155 mph and torrential rain compounded the destruction that another hurricane, Irma, left just two weeks ago.

For those who made it to San Juans airport, which restarted commercial service Friday, getting out could be a challenge. At one open terminal, the leaking ceiling created huge puddles on the floor.

And forget about business. ATM screens were black, relegating commerce to cash. People milled about everywhere, as if everyone except emergency personnel were out of work. With many schools badly damaged and roads impassable, parents seemed resigned to their children spending weeks at home.

Maria made landfall in the southeastern part of the U.S. territory Wednesday. The storm may cause $45 billion of damage across the Caribbean, with at least $30 billion of that in Puerto Rico, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia.

The economic destruction seemed evident at every turn around San Juan, including tourism, one of Puerto Ricos biggest industries. Crowds of people who could afford it sought a dry bed in any hotel with a generator. But few, if any, were taking people in, citing a lack of undamaged rooms. A worker at a boarded-up Hampton Inn claimed they were closed until 2018.

This is going to take a long, long time to restore, Jenny Sotomayor, a 65-year-old retiree, said as she walked along Isla Verde, home to several hotels that cater to the islands tourism industry.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics USA
Using a Bermuda joint venture between Ironshore and C.V. Starr & Co. as a model, Ironshore announced the launch of Iron-Excess on Monday.

Ironshore, a Liberty Mutual company, describes Iron-Excess as an expansion of the Iron-Starr Excess underwriting agency business model launched in January 2009 to serve the Bermuda market, noting that Iron-Excess will serve the U.S. and London markets.

Iron-Excess will be led by Steve Horton, the company said.

In a media statement, Kevin H. Kelley, chief executive officer of Ironshore, said, Our ability to offer our clients access to not only Ironshore but third-party insurance partners will create significant and long-term innovative solutions for our clients.

Responding to an email from Carrier Management asking about Iron-Excess capacity providers beyond Ironshore and Liberty Mutual, Horton said that Ironshore is working with a number of different potential partners to be announced.

Iron-Excess will have an onshore presence in both the U.S. and London, in addition to the Iron-Starr platform in Bermuda, he confirmed.

According to a 2012 announcement, Horton joined Ironshore at Pembroke Managing Agency Limited in London in 2008, where he served as a Financial Institutions underwriter. He transferred to Iron-Starr in 2010, focusing on the agencys Financial Institutions business and growth of the platform.

In 2012, he was promoted to the position of vice president of Financial Lines within Iron-Starr Excess. Prior to joining Ironshore, Horton worked for Chartis Excess Limited in London as a Financial Lines Underwriter.

When originally formed as a specialty lines insurance and reinsurance managing general agency, Iron-Starr Excess had that ability to put together $75 million of policy limits, producing excess financial and commercial lines insurance and reinsurance products through U.S. insurers, Bermuda or other offshore carriers. In July 2014, Hamilton Re became subscribing insurer, increasing the amount of capacity Iron-Starr could offer for a full suite of casualty, financial lines and health care products. In 2016, Antares Syndicate 1274 at Lloyds and Oil Casualty Insurance, Ltd. also signed on as subscribing insurers.

As for Iron-Excess, there will be insurance partners that have not been announced yet, an Ironshore spokesperson said. While it would be incorrect to assume that the current relationships that built Iron-Starr will participate in this new managing agency, Iron-Excess is following the same business model, she confirmed.

We have had a lot of success given the quality and experience of our team in Bermuda, said Mitch Blaser, Ironshores COO and CEO of Ironshore Bermuda. The business model has been well received in the Bermuda market and is advantageous to our clients offering a natural solution to concerns around counterparty risk and capacity needs. I am excited to broaden the existing Liberty Mutual relationships and provide wider access to our meaningful capacity, he said in a media statement.

Related:

Topics USA Excess Surplus Insurance Wholesale London Human Resources
The Environmental Protection Agency said on Sept. 24 it has recovered 517 containers filled with unidentified, potentially hazardous material found floating in or washed up along Texas waterways after the devastating floods from Hurricane Harvey receded.

The agencys statement sought to clarify an earlier media release saying the containers were recovered from highly contaminated toxic waste sites. EPA said that statement issued on Sept. 22 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency created confusion by conflating two separate issues.

The FEMA media release summarizing the federal response Harveys historic floods said EPA had conducted assessments of 43 Superfund sites and recovered 517 containers of unidentified, potentially hazardous material.

The Associated Press reported about the statement Saturday afternoon, after EPAs press office did not responded to questions sent by email to top staffers the night before.

EPA and our response partners have been collecting containers orphaned after the hurricane, David Gray, a spokesman for EPAs regional headquarters in Texas, said in an email to AP on Sunday. These are not related to Superfund clean ups.

Gray did not respond to questions about why he and other EPA press staff had not sought to clarify the issue for more than 44 hours. Also left unanswered are questions about the results of EPAs assessments at two highly contaminated Houston-area Superfund sites flooded by Harveys record shattering rains.

EPA has not responded to more than a dozen calls and emails from AP over the last two weeks.

AP reported Sept. 18 that a government hotline had received calls about three separate spills at the U.S. Oil Recovery Superfund site, a former petroleum waste processing plant outside Houston contaminated with a dangerous brew of cancer-causing chemicals.

Records obtained by the AP showed workers at the site reported spills of unknown materials in unknown amounts affecting nearby Vince Bayou. Local pollution control officials photographed three large tanks that had been used to store potentially hazardous waste completely underwater on Aug. 29.

EPA has still not disclosed the spills or what was in the tanks before they flooded. The agency says its staff visited the site the following week and saw no visual evidence of contaminants in the bayou.

Associated Press reporter Frank Bajak contributed from Houston.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Texas Flood Pollution
Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty, Inc. has acquired three different agencies in Florida as part of its geographic expansion and continued growth throughout the United States.

The three Florida agencies most recently acquired include:

Mark Ellis Insurance, headquartered in Tamarac, Fla. Serving all of Florida for over 15 years now, Mark Ellis and his team have been offering insurance products throughout South Florida through local and national carriers. The plan for this acquisition is to fold it into Primera Capital, a Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty company run by Anthony Davis. The move will strengthen Seeman Holtz Property & Casualtys foothold in South Florida, according to the company. Brett Williams, vice president, added SPHC will be able to provide service from its existing Boca Raton office.

David/Greg Insurance Consultants, Inc., headquartered in Longwood, Fla., which has served all of Florida for over 24 years through local and national carriers. The company said the move will strengthen Seeman Holtz Property & Casualtys foothold in throughout the state of Florida.

Insurance Solutions Group, headquartered in Miami, Florida, which over 50 years of combined experience, offering comprehensive insurance coverage throughlocal and national carriers. The company said the move will strengthen Seeman Holtz Property & Casualtys foothold throughout Miami Dade County and the state of Florida. Williams added that Insurance Solutions will be consolidated into its existing Miami operations.

The Seeman Holtz family of companies provides comprehensive financial and insurance advice to clients across the country. SHP&C currently offers homeowners, automobile, renters policies, private client, umbrella coverage, commercial and employee coverage, and personal liability coverage.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Florida Agencies Property Casualty Property Casualty
Authorities are investigating a fire that damaged a law enforcement center in South Carolina.

Walhalla Fire Department Chief Brandon Burton told local media a fire started at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Oconee Law Enforcement Center.

Burton says the fire started on the first story of the building and caused significant smoke damage to the second floor.

The 911 dispatch center was evacuated, and no one was injured. Burton estimated the fire caused more than $100,000 in damages.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Law Enforcement South Carolina
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has stated Canada is not ready for an active dialogue on the introduction of a visa-free regime with Ukraine and the launch of negotiations on a road map on signing such an agreement.

"I don't see that the Canadian side is fully prepared to participate in an active dialogue and develop a road map to abolish visas for Ukrainians," she said at a briefing in Kyiv.

According to the official, the issue of introducing a visa-free regime with Canada is not unpromising, but it could take several years.
Five Florida attorneys and five of their accomplices are accused in a patient-brokering scheme that brought in more than a half-million dollars in profits.

Broward Sheriffs officials said in a news release that the arrests were made Sept. 6 following a two-year investigation by the Organized Crime Unit.

The investigation revealed that several personal injury attorneys were paying people to unlawfully solicit unsuspecting vehicle accident victims to make insurance claims for damages or personal injury benefits.

Investigators say the attorneys paid the solicitors on a per-client basis, and then referred the accident victims to a health care facility in exchange for cash kickbacks of $1,500 to $2,500 per patient.

Each suspect faces numerous charges, including organized fraud, criminal solicitation and patient brokering.

Officials say the group received more than $521,000.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Florida
The family of a California man who was killed when a bridge he was working on collapsed has received a $1.8 million settlement.

The Press-Enterprise reported an investigation by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health found fault with the contractor hired by Caltrans, SEMA Construction, and a subcontractor, Hard Rock Equipment Rentals, to work on the 91 Freeway in Riverside in 2014.

Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga says the agency reviewed its policies and procedures on bridge demolitions after the collapse and decided no changes needed to be made.

Okesene Faasalele Sr. was using a torch to cut I-beams on the eastern half of the Pechappa Street Bridge when the western half suddenly fell. Faasalele died from his injuries after he was catapulted to the pavement below.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California
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Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) Facial and Body Recognition Patent Application Received a Notice of Allowance

San Diego, CA - November 9, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) with GBT Tokenize Corp. ("GBT/Tokenize") received a notice of allowance for its facial and body recognition non-provisional patent application.

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A commemoration ceremony has been held at Bray Fire Station today to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragic deaths of Bray firefighters Brian Murray and Mark OShaughnessy.

The families of Sub Officer Brian Murray and Firefighter Mark OShaughnessy were invited to join with Wicklow County Fire Service and Wicklow County Council to acknowledge the sacrifice of both men in the service of their community.

Brian Murray and Mark OShaughnessy lost their lives when the roof of a factory collapsed in Bray in 2007.

We're pausing to remember firefighters Brian Murray & Mark O'Shaughnessy who passed away on duty this day in 2007 at a fire in Bray. pic.twitter.com/bPBqUw8T3L  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) September 26, 2017

Wicklow County Fire Service marked the event with a ceremony involving Fire Service personnel from all ten Wicklow Fire Stations and from around the country. The commemoration also included a Guard of Honour from members of the 7th Infantry Battalion of the Defence Forces who paid tribute to Brian and Mark.

Wicklow Chief Fire Officer, Mr Aidan Dempsey, said: It is hoped that todays ceremony will bring comfort and support to the families and the colleagues of Brian and Mark. They are not forgotten, they hold a cherished place in the memories of their comrades and an honoured place in the memory of this county and our country.

Mr Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Wicklow County Council, said: Today we gather to honour two brave firefighters who gave their lives in the service of their community. Both men were fine examples of the kind of dedicated officers who make up the Wicklow Fire Service. We hope that todays ceremony will demonstrate the respect the Council, and the people of Wicklow, have for Brian and Mark and how their memory will always be with us.

The ceremony commenced with a parade of Fire Personnel and 7th Infantry Battalion of the Defence Forces.

Wreaths were laid to honour the two firefighters followed by a minutes silence and the playing of the Last Post by the Dublin Fire Brigade Pipe band.

The National Flag was flown at half-mast as a mark of respect to Brian and Mark and was raised at the end of the ceremony which was closed with the playing of the National Anthem.
Met Eireann have issued a Status Yellow rainfall warning for parts of the country.

The forecaster says that Connacht, Kilkenny, Donegal, Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford will see between 30mm and 50mm of rain between 9pm tonight and 9pm tomorrow night.

They have also warned that Cork and Kerry will see roughly the same amount of the same 24-hour period.

However, they expect both counties to see even more rain in hilly and mountainous areas.
The Irish-Swiss baked goods group  formed through the 2008 merger of IAWS and Swiss group Hiestand  yesterday reported revenues of 3.8bn for the 12 months to the end of July, representing a 2.1% decline on the previous year.

Earnings  on an EBITDA basis  fell by over 31% to 420.3m and underlying net profit fell by 42.5% to 179m. A non-cash impairment charge of 860m  relating to goodwill, intangibles and fixed assets  was incurred in the period.

Rising costs and declines in contract renewal customers dragged Aryztas North American revenues down nearly 6% last year, to just under 1.8bn.

The American business also incurred impairment charges of nearly 757m.

It also incurred 37.6m in restructuring costs relating to business interruption challenges at its Cloverhill Bakery business in Chicago, due to wholesale changes in staff.

Despite European earnings falling by over 23% and revenue down by 0.5%, Aryzta said most of its European geographies performed well  although there were capacity issues in Germany and UK margins were affected by Brexit uncertainty and the weakening of sterling.

Aryztas board yesterday said its best current estimate for EBITDA for the 12 months to next July is to be broadly in line with the 2017 outcome.

On the positive side, the group said a new five-year 1.8bn refinancing has been completed, as has a new banking covenant ceiling for net debt of 4.75 times earnings.

It added that the last year saw continued strong cash generation of 196m and that its strategic direction is now defined.

Management has assembled a new leadership team after a year of significant change and the groups shares  down 33% since January  jumped nearly 9% yesterday.

The guts of Aryztas former management, including CEO Owen Killian, departed earlier this year in light of investor unrest over falling earnings and unpopular investment decisions.

The sale of Aryztas 49% share in highly-indebted French food retailer Picard remains unresolved, but the group remains intent on achieving a fair market return once agreement is reached on a sale by all shareholders.

Joint ventures, including Picard, performed well in the last year, contributing over 21m to group profits and 1.5bn to revenues.
Connemara already has joint-venture agreements in place on a number of assets around the country with Canadian resources companies Teck and Hendrick. It is looking to move on the development of two solely owned zinc-focused ventures in Laois and Kilkenny, which it sees as having potential. It is actively seeking a development partner for both.

We are working on the Derrykearn block of five licences and the Rapla licence in the same area. A full and detailed review of all historical data has been completed and has thrown up interesting possibilities. We have had initial discussions with potential partners and will have more, Connemara said in its interim statement yesterday.
Investors were unnerved by the prospect of months of coalition talks that could distract from negotiations with Britain over its divorce from the EU and efforts to integrate the blocs remaining members.

Some analysts said the political uncertainty may also throw into question ECB plans to reduce monetary stimulus, a move likely to be announced at the ECBs next meeting on October 26.

There might be some concerns at the ECB that a less stable and less pro-EU German government will have negative implications for the (economic) outlook.

"That would be dovish, said Frederik Ducrozet, an economist at Pictet Wealth Management.

Business confidence in Germany deteriorated unexpectedly in September, a survey also showed, and the chief economist of the Ifo economic institute said the election result could stoke further uncertainty.

A decline in the euro accelerated after the data, and at one stage it was down 0.6% at $1.1885.

That put more distance between a two-and-a-half-year high of $1.2092 reached earlier this month, when the last ECB meeting fuelled expectations the central bank would begin tapering its massive stimulus programme.

Europes benchmark German bond yield was set for its biggest daily fall in seven weeks, down 5 basis points at 0.40%.

The fall was less pronounced in Southern European bond yields as the election result led to concerns about the emergence of a more hardline stance toward the eurozone in the blocs largest economy.

While Ms Merkel held on to power, the surprise winners were the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD), which became the first far-right party to enter the countrys parliament in more than half a century.

All parties have ruled out a coalition with the AfD but investors are unsettled by the possibility Ms Merkel may have to form a coalition with the Free Democrats, who are seen more opposed to deeper financial integration in the eurozone and might take a more hardline stance on Greeces debt.

This suggests headwinds to the euro and periphery, analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a note.

The impact on stock markets was less marked, with eurozone shares down slightly.

But some investors predict that German stock may in time rise.

Elections in France and Germany were flagged among the key risks for investors, and with Ms Merkel back at the helm of Europes largest economy the path is now clear for bullish investors.

Money managers from Franklin Templeton to Credit Suisse Group said the weekends vote in her favour, albeit in conjunction with the rising popularity of the right wing, boosts their optimism for German equities longer term.

Valuations on the Dax index remain cheap relative to MSCIs global index of stocks which, together with forecasts for faster earnings growth than the global average, provides a foundation for gains.

With the German, French and Dutch elections now complete, the political risk from eurosceptic parties  one of the main concerns of 2017  is now largely alleviated, said Peter Wilmshurst, who runs a global equities fund at Franklin Templeton.

Capital Economics in London said there were reasons markets were little perturbed by the vote outcome.

Although the CDU fared a little worse than opinion polls had suggested, it was never expected to garner enough votes to govern without the support of others.

"Polls had also indicated that the right-wing AfD would win its first seats.

Notwithstanding AfDs rise, the result is unlikely to mark a major shift in economic policy in Germany, it said.

Additional reporting by Reuters and Bloomberg.
Police on Saturday detained on the Ukrainian state border the ex-director of the state-owned Information Court Systems concern. A court on Monday will determine pretrial confinement, head of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office's (PGO) department of special investigations Serhiy Horbatiuk has said.

"They detained the ex director of Information Court Systems, Mr. 'B,' on suspicion of embezzling UAH 6.4 million," Horbatiuk told the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Monday.

The PGO's press service said the ex-director is suspected of embezzling together with accomplices UAH 6.4 million by making fake contracts for the delivery of software for videoconference systems used in judiciary agencies of Ukraine, intending to transfer the state funds to an offshore company they controlled.

On Saturday, September 23, the suspect was arrested during an attempt to cross the state border with Russia in order to evade criminal responsibility. On the same day he was served with a notice of suspicion pursuant to Part 5 of Article 191 (misuse of public office for personal gain) and Part 1 of Article 366 (forgery) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The pretrial investigation is now attempting to identify other participants of the criminal group and their role, as well as checking similar deals worth more than UAH 40 million.

The PGO has not given the name of the suspect, but the Kyiv-based e-zine has reported he is Leonid Bohdanov. According to the e-zine, he was arrested at the Konotop train border crossing with Russia in Sumy region.
Latest figures  for the 12 weeks to September 10  from consumer insights agency Kantar Worldpanel show Irish grocery price deflation eased to 0.4% but that falling prices failed to stunt market share growth for the big players.

Tesco has a a 22% share of the Irish grocery market; just 0.1 percentage point lower than leading player SuperValu.

While a perennial struggler  in terms of till sales  in recent times, Tesco outperformed the market for the second straight quarter, according to the latest survey.

Its over-the-counter sales grew by 4.3%, year-on-year, in the latest 12-week period. That was its strongest sales spurt since the first quarter of 2012.

In contrast, Dunnes Stores grew its grocery sales by 2.3% and SuperValu only saw growth of 0.9%.

Overall, combined Irish grocery sales grew by 2.3%, year-on-year, in the last quarter.

As Irish families head back to school, weve seen strong performance from a number of lunch box staples.

Sales of cooked meats and bread increased by 3.7% and 3.6% respectively, while crisps posted a particularly strong sales increase  up 12.1%, said Kantar Worldpanel director David Berry.

Regarding Tesco, Mr Berry said that while it has lowered its prices, consumer spend in its stores has improved.

The average shopper spent 15 more with Tesco than during the same period last year. As it celebrates its fifth consecutive period of growth, Tescos fortunes certainly seem to have shifted, he said.

Dunnes, which controls 21.6% of the market, saw a 5% increase in customer spend in the last quarter, but its number of shoppers fell by the same percentage.

The challenge now will be attracting those lost shoppers back to the supermarket  a vital step if Dunnes is to improve its market share ranking, said Mr Berry.

The market shares of the German discounters, Aldi and Lidl, remained stable, on a year-on-year basis, at 11.6% and 11.8% respectively.

However, both saw decent at-the-till sales growth for the quarter  Aldi up 3.3% and Lidl ahead by 2.4% for the period.

Separately, Aldi yesterday reported a 17% drop in operating profit, for 2016, for its UK and Ireland division. Profit for the year amounted to 211.3m (240.4m).

The fall reflected the German grocers strategy of maintaining a price gap over larger rivals as well as investment in infrastructure.

Its UK and Ireland revenues increased by 13.5% to a record 8.74bn, however, and the company said it will be pressing on with its expansion in the UK despite the third straight year of falling profits there.

The owners of our business see such a huge potential for future growth in the UK market, Matthew Barnes, chief executive of Aldi UK said. Discount supermarkets still account for a much smaller share of the UK market.

Our investment in the UK is ramped-up if anything, Mr Barnes said, noting 450m was invested in stores and distribution centres in 2016 and 459m was planned for this year as a whole.

Mr Barnes added future capital expenditure plans were entirely unaffected by Britains decision to leave the EU.

Additional reporting Reuters
The figure is even worse for cars imported from the UK, where nearly one in five has an unreliable or questionable mileage reading.

The study was carried out by Cartell.ie in association with AA Ireland.

Over 120,000 vehicles were checked on the Cartell.ie database and the results show that clocking is widespread in the market locally and is worse for potential buyers of UK vehicles.

Cartell.ie and AA Ireland examined a random sample of 60,047 vehicle history checks on Irish vehicles carried out recently by potential buyers. Of those checks, 11.04% returned mileage discrepancies.

A supplementary study of 64,742 vehicles, which displayed at least two mileage readings on the National Mileage Register, found 11.15% had a mileage discrepancy. These results represent a rise in the overall numbers of both domestic and imported vehicles recording a mileage discrepancy since the practice was criminalised in 2014.

John Byrne, legal and public relations manager, Cartell.ie, said: We wanted to get a clear picture of the extent of clocking in Ireland both with respect to domestic vehicles and imports. Based on an overall study of more than 120,000 vehicles, these results are very concerning.

On the Irish side we are painting a picture worse than the Government did when it conducted its own research in 2013 when it returned a rate of 9.8%.

More worrying still is the situation with respect to imports  at 18.43% this rate is alarming.

Commenting on the findings, Conor Faughnan, director of consumer affairs at AA Ireland, said clocking was a serious issue that anyone looking at purchasing a secondhand car, whether in Ireland or from the UK, needed to watch out for.

Our AA Rescue team regularly encounter car breakdowns which can be directly connected back to mileage discrepancies in the car, he said.
Mr Justice Kelly yesterday directed that whatever staff in the HSE authorised an overnight visit for the woman to her family, be assembled before the court on Friday next to give a full explanation of the breach.

The judge said he also wanted to know why the HSE was now proposing to transfer the 19-year-old girl, with medical, psychiatric, and physical needs, from a general hospital to a community village for elderly people.

On June 26, Mr Justice Kelly made orders allowing doctors administer life-saving treatment to the woman who was in an advanced state of malnutrition. Her weight had dropped to just over six stone and her teeth were falling out, in line with the classic symptoms of severe anorexia.

Mr Justice Kelly had stated that without medical intervention the woman would die. It is not a question that she might  she will, he had said.

The woman has since been treated in an intensive care unit and in general hospital.

The judge told Mairead McKenna, for the HSE, that notwithstanding the orders he had made, someone in the HSE had decided it would be appropriate for the woman to be allowed an overnight visit to her family, which was strictly not in her best interests. Somebody in the HSE decided they would breach a court order and did so. Can you identify the person who dealt with this? said Mr Justice Kelly.

When Ms McKenna said she would have to take instructions from the HSE as to when appropriate witnesses could be brought to court to explain matters, Mr Justice Kelly said he would decide for them.

Have whatever witnesses the HSE proposes to give evidence to the court assembled here on Friday morning at 11 oclock to provide the court a full explanation, he said.

Mr Justice Kelly said he was wholly unimpressed at the way the matter had been approached and that nobody could tell him who authorised the woman going back to a completely unsatisfactory family situation in breach of directions contained in his court order.

David Leahy, for the committee of the woman, who had been made a ward of court, said he had only been given details on Friday of the HSEs proposals to discharge the girl from the general hospital in which she was being treated to the community village for the elderly.

Mr Leahy said while it would be an inappropriate place for the woman, the HSE appeared to believe it would be less worse than where she was at present.

The matter was adjourned until Friday.
Call for inquiry into Cork merger plan

- Eoin English

There have been calls for a public inquiry into the Cork Local Government Review process after revelations that senior civil servants pushed the positives of local authority mergers.

The Oireachtas environment committee should also examine the role of civil servants in the process, and how the review committee was chaired before its controversial recommendation in late 2015 to merge Cork city and county councils. That proposal has been shelved, and the subsequent Mackinnon review has recommended keeping Corks two local authorities and extending the city boundary.

Cork County Council is opposed to the scale of the Mackinnon extension and has formally offered to cede a smaller area of land.

Cllr Terry Shannon led calls for a public inquiry at last nights city council meeting after the Irish Examiner published extracts of files linked to the review process which were released to Cllr Chris OLeary under freedom of information. Mr OLeary, who was congratulated for his pursuit of the information over two years, said he did so to ensure the process, and those involved, were held to account.

Mr Shannon said the revelations were unprecedented in public administration in Ireland. There must be a public inquiry into what were attempts to stitch up the city, he said.

Earlier, city council CEO Ann Doherty confirmed to councillors that City Hall has received Cork County Councils formal request to alter its boundary with the city. She said the city has six months to consider it. A mechanism has been agreed internally to deal with issues relating to boundary issues, she said, and the councils request will be dealt with using those mechanisms.

Review outcome seemed predetermined

The outcome of the review of Corks local government structures appeared predetermined, the process lacked transparency, and its majority findings were not evidence-based, the former environment minister was told.

The claims were made by Dr Theresa Reidy and Prof Dermot Keogh, who united to oppose the merger proposal recommended by the majority members of the Cork Local Government Review (CLGR) committee in September 2015.

Their claims, contained in an email released for the first time under freedom of information legislation, underline the scale of their concern over the entire review process.

The CLGR merger report sparked a political storm, triggered a judicial review, and resulted in the Smiddy report subsequently being shelved following the Mackinnon review, which is itself causing controversy.

Dr Reidy and Prof Keogh were among the five people appointed to the statutory CLGR group by former environment minister Alan Kelly in January 2015.

Theresa Reidy and Dermot Keogh dissented from the majority finding of the local government committee.

Documents released to Cllr Chris OLeary, a former lord mayor, under FoI show how hours after the CLGR met on August 24, 2015, to consider their final draft report, Dr Reidy emailed Mr Kelly, on behalf of both her and Prof Keogh, to say they both dissented from the committees majority finding on the amalgamation of Cork city and county councils.

She said they disagreed with substantial sections of the content of the report and could not agree with most of the subsequent recommendations.

The far-reaching conclusions reached by the committee majority is not evidence-based, they wrote.

Due diligence was not sanctioned by the committee when requested by us.

In our view, the process lacked transparency and the outcome often appeared to be predetermined.

We will not sign the report as drafted and will submit a minority report to you by September 2.

The email from Theresa Reidy and Dermot Keogh to then environment minister Alan Kelly highlighting their concerns about the CLGR process.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, Mr Smiddy said that Dr Reidy and Prof Keogh only made their views known at the start of the CLGRs final committee meeting.

The two academic members of the committee, very surprisingly and without any advance knowledge, having been meeting together for almost nine months, stated in separate letters presented to the chairman at the outset of that meeting, that they could not sign the final majority report of the CLGC, which was actually fully considered and signed off and approved by the other members of the committee at that meeting, he said.

They stated that they would individually be outlining their position to the minister.

When they left the meeting and within a week they prepared a minority report  which came out of the blue, as this was never previously raised or discussed at committee meetings, and consequently was never put before the committee.

Mr Smiddy said the content of their minority report was never discussed or reviewed by his committee as it only became available when the agreed majority report was being submitted to the department.

Even some of the recommendations within the minority report were never once raised or discussed at committee meetings during the review period (eg: recommendation five on migration  recommending that Cork City be prepared to take larger numbers of refugees), he said.

The minority report was then attached to the final CLGR and submitted to the minister in early September.

At no point in the previous nine months was it stated by any committee member that he or she was contemplating issuing a minority report. It just was never said and never formed part of our review.

Alf Smiddy and Alan Kelly

Mr OLeary said the academics email clearly shows the scale of their concerns, and underlines why he felt it was important to pursue the FoI request for the last two years. I did it in the interests of transparency, he said. These academics put their professionalism on the line and the documents show that their expertise was discarded.

Lessons must be learned from this entire process  and such processes must be open to scrutiny.

Smiddy advised to take time over final report

- Eoin English

A senior civil servant advised Cork Local Government Review (CLGR) committee chairman Alf Smiddy that it was important the committee be seen to take their time before issuing a final report in an effort to avoid accusations of a rush to judgment.

The comments are revealed following an email update from Mr Smiddy to the department in May 2015, in which he said the committee was now moving into private consideration of the information it had gathered.

Established in January to report by September, the CLGR committee met almost weekly throughout 2015. By early February, it is clear from documents that some committee members expressed concerns internally about the September deadline.

But Mr Smiddy said he wanted the committee to focus on having the bulk of its work done by summer.

In an email update to department officials on March 6, he expressed satisfaction with the pace of the CLGR groups work, and said: Lets keep the momentum going to deliver our report ahead of schedule, if possible. In an email to Paul Lemass on May 14, Mr Smiddy said the CLGR group had gathered most of the material it needed.

We are now moving into the third phase of our work which involves the committee in private fully considering all aspects of the information gathered, against a multi-criteria evaluation analysis which we are now working on, he said.

He assured Mr Lemass that the group would consider everything thoroughly with a view to recommending to government the best possible local government structure for Cork that will stand the entire region and its citizens and local economy in good stead for the next 50 years.

He said as a proud Cork man, with extensive family, business and educational connections in the city, in north, east and west Cork, he only wanted the very best for Cork and all its citizens as the committee tried to galvanise everyone in the region around a vision that sees Cork prosper in the years ahead.

But against the backdrop of mounting public concerns that a merger was the likely outcome, the department sounded a note of caution.

Its official, Denis Conlan, emailed Mr Smiddy on May 18 with information on the city region concept  a key element of a policy which was being prepared by the Department of Enterprise and Jobs  but which was not yet public.

May 18: Department official emails Alf Smiddy and asks him not to distribute a policy paper. He also suggests it would be a good idea for the committee to be seen to take its time to avoid accusations of a rush to judgement.

Mr Conlan said it was for Mr Smiddys own information and that more information may come into the public domain before the CLGR report is finalised.

However, in the email, it is clear Mr Conlan was aware of concerns that were mounting locally about the possible outcome of the CLGR process.

On the question of finalisation of the report, recent publicity regarding some differences at local level would lead one to think that it may be important that the committee is seen to take as much time as possible in reaching its conclusions and avoid any possible accusations of rushing to judgment, he said.

Committee chair wanted to blow apart arguments

- Eoin English

The chairman of the Cork Local Government Review (CLGR) committee said he wanted to blow apart the arguments presented by the two committee members who opposed its majority merger recommendation.

Alf Smiddy also expressed concerns that the committees two academics, Theresa Reidy and Prof Dermot Keogh, may be leaking confidential information.

And he suggested changes be made to the wording of the final CLGR report after Dr Reidy and Prof Keogh had submitted their minority report.

The revelations are contained in a series of emails released to Cllr Chris OLeary under Freedom of Information legislation.

Dr Reidy emailed then environment minister Alan Kelly on behalf of herself and Prof Keogh on August 24, 2015, saying they could not sign the committees majority report, and would be submitting a minority report recommending the retention of Corks two local authorities and a city boundary extension.

On August 28, Mr Smiddy emailed Richard Boyle, of the Institute of Public Administration, who was drafting the final report, and dismissed the minority report as very general, not in any way evidence based, and the recommendations appear very light.

Later that evening, he copied department official Denis Conlan in an email he sent to Mr Boyle in which he wrote: Feel free to strengthen the majority report further in light of anything you might see in the minority report. (I want to blow apart their 8 recommendations on p56 in our report

The majority report and anything we say in there does not have to be approved by the minority and we dont need to send back to DK or TH. He went on: I want to ensure our [the majority] report wins the hearts and minds of the people of Cork.

He also suggested to department officials how Mr Kelly might respond to the academics email. In an email to Paul Lemass on September 3, he supplied a draft memo setting out options as a response. But in his foreword, he said hed be concerned that minority members are leaking confidential information, and fear that a response from me of this nature if passed on by the minister to them will get into the public domain.

My sense is that they may actually want to illicit such a response, but I feel that we certainly do not want a public spat between those who supported the majority and the minority. The report is just too important for that nonsense.

The email contains a suggested statement, written by Mr Smiddy, that he believed the minister could issue by way of response to the academics email.

The statement refers to the professionalism and rigour in the way the committee managed and processed everything, and concludes by thanking Dr Reidy and each member of the committee for their time, hard work and efforts. Mr Smiddy suggested the minister could respond thus: He could go on to say that in due course, and perhaps in the new year, he will call into UCC and specifically would like to visit the Political Science department to learn more of the degree course, the masters programmes and in particular, research activities.

Smiddy defended review committee

- Eoin English

Alf Smiddy mounted a robust defence of his stewardship of the Cork Local Government Review (CLGR) committee just days before the formal launch of its controversial merger report.

Documents released to Cllr Chris OLeary (SF) under freedom of information legislation show Mr Smiddy emailed senior department officials with a detailed defence following claims about a lack of transparency and due diligence, and accusations that the outcome was preordained.

In an email to department official Paul Lemass on September 3, Mr Smiddy said he had consulted with the three majority members of the CLGR who all took grave exception to the comments made by minority members Theresa Reidy and Prof Dermot Keogh.

It would appear to be yet another attempt by those supporting the minority position (who appear highly disgruntled) to discredit and undermine the facts, the evidence and the substance of the majority recommendations, wrote Mr Smiddy.

He said the majority report draws clearly from relevant national and international reports and experience, and from historical evidence.

There is no evidence whatsoever to support a contention that the minority report is more strongly evidenced that the majority report  on the contrary in fact, said Mr Smiddy.

Alf Smiddy

The evidence across all key measures in favour of the majority position was overwhelming, he said.

The minority group position is largely based on theory and generalisation, and they were not in a position to demonstrate to the committee any convincing arguments to support their case, wrote Mr Smiddy.

The majority of the committee were satisfied that the information provided by Cork City Council on the financial and staffing impact of boundary extension was sufficient for the purposes of drawing conclusions regarding the scale of change likely.

Mr Smiddy said the entire review process was clear, open, and transparent and involved extensive face-to-face engagement with individuals and groups, and extensive engagement with both the city and county councils in particular.

On the point of a predetermined outcome, he said the majority committee members approached the review with independent minds from the outset.

No pre-judging of the outcome was made by those who supported the majority position.

Mr Smiddy concluded by saying he realised the academics appear disgruntled with the majority position, adding: Sadly, their report is neither rigorous nor convincing, and indeed is seriously lacking in substance and tangible evidence to support their case.

It is not grounded in any sense of practical reality and  as stated in the majority report  is unworkable. Indeed it seems to replicate the failed and highly fractious attempts at extending the city boundary over the last 50 years leading to the preservation of the status quo.

READ MORE: Special Report: Documents reveal how senior officials prepared pro-merger information
The 70-year-old from near Carrigaline made the momentous decision earlier this year when she was laid up for a time following a farm accident. There was a need to scale back, but the prospect of breaking up the 70-strong herd, after years of milking, was a painful prospect. And so almost all of her cows will switch to the Hillside animal sanctuary in Norfolk.

Its believed to be the first time an Irish farmer has done so, with 37 animals making the journey last week and another two consignments set to follow, in what local Church of Ireland Rector, Rev Elaine Murray, called an inspirational move.

Describing herself as not a modern person, Jill said her time out of action made her consider what would happen to her beloved herd if she was laid up again. I was back on track in February and I said before this year is out the numbers will have to be reduced, she recalled. Help is scarce around and I cant be depending on my good neighbours forever.

The retiring of Jills herd to the huge UK sanctuary is all the more remarkable as, instead of selling them, she had to raise the money to pay for their travel.

Hearing the sanctuary mentioned on BBCs Countrywide, Jill reached out to Charlies Equine Rescue in Co Wexford, who helped her set up a crowdfunding page.

The gofundme campaign exceeded its 6,500 target  aided by musician Sharon Shannon, to the extent where she played music to the livestock  and so Jills cows will see out their days in luxurious Norfolk surroundings.

Even the first load are gone, I miss a few of the faces looking at me, Jill said. But I feel theyre having a better life where they are now.

She admits that some people thought she should just sell the animals, but 99% were supportive. Money never worried me, thanks be to God, she said.

Jill has been milking cows since she was 16. She milked year round, on her own.

I probably pulled a lot of them into the world, she said, referring to the mix of shorthorns, Freisans, Jerseys and native Droimeann. Some of those rarebreed animals will stay behind, as will a pet lamb and some old cows not fit to travel.

As a working farmer, some of her animals have had to go in the lorry before  reluctantly, without any pleasure.

This time it was different. It is hotel treatment, absolutely, she says of the roaming Norfolk sanctuary, adding that the herd will remain together. They will be pampered.

I would love to go [and visit] when I get a chance. Cattle never forget you. They know your voice. They will remember you forever, in a nice way.

I did shed a tear when the lorry pulled away, but they [her neighbours] comforted me. Five minutes later when it went around the corner, I was fine. and Im still fine. I just miss their presence but I know that they are happy.

Rev Murray, who was on hand to say a blessing as the first load of cattle took the ramp, said: It is a lovely story and she is an inspirational woman.

Retirement for the cattle, but its only semi-retirement for Jill. Will she take up any hobbies? I am definitely going to learn how to work computers, she said.
Siro, a joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone, told Environment and Communications Minister Denis Naughten there is no longer a business case for its continued participation.

It leaves just two potential bidders  Eir and Enet  in the procurement race.

In the Dail, Fianna Fails public expenditure spokesman, Dara Calleary, said the move represented a major blow to the process, which aims to bring high-speed broadband to rural Ireland.

Mr Naughten said that he received detailed submissions from the two remaining bidders as per yesterdays deadline, marking another milestone in the process: We are one of a few countries in the world that has a compelling competing operator to the incumbent.

Mr Naughten said the scheme remained on track and on schedule and that the Governments plan would put every placename on the digital map.

The facts are that close to seven out of 10 premises now have access to high-speed broadband, he said.

Within a year that will rise to nearly eight out of 10 premises and by 2020 nine out of 10 premises or 90% of premises the length and breadth of the country will have access to high-speed broadband.

It will be several months before the final bids, which will determine the overall cost of the plan, are submitted. The first homes are not expected to be connected until late 2018 or 2019.

In a statement, Siro said: Following a comprehensive review, Siro cannot develop a competitive business case to justify continued participation in the National Broadband Plan bid process and therefore has decided to withdraw.

It said its original plan to build a high-speed fibre broadband network in 50 regional Irish towns will be unaffected by the decision.

Chief executive Sean Atkinson said the decision to withdraw was not taken lightly: We will continue with our original plans focusing on transforming Irelands regional towns, putting them on a par for high-speed connectivity with cities like Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Siros decision comes five months after the Government removed 300,000 homes from its original plan and placed them back into Eirs commercial rollout plan.

Vodafone Ireland chief executive Anne OLeary said: Naturally we are disappointed that Siro is withdrawing from the National Broadband Plan tender, but our vision of creating a gigabit society in Ireland is unaffected as the Siro rollout continues as part of our 450m investment with ESB.
The trust is to construct eight apartments in Dublin city centre and it is envisaged five will be one-bed units.

Housing and homeless campaigners across the board have said that the lack of one-bed homes is worsening the crisis.

The trust has just tendered for architectural and engineering services for a project that will cost approximately 1.5m.

The site is located on New Street South in Dublin City, close to St Patricks Cathedral and comprises a four-storey building.

There will be two apartments on each floor. The ground floor will have a one-bedroom (double bed) and a two-bedroom (double bed and single bed) apartment. The same will be replicated on the first and second floors and the third floor will consist of two one-bedroom apartments, both with double beds.

The site is currently owned by Dublin City Council and it will be acquired by the McVerry Trust through a rental lease. The entire project is subject to planning.

New Street South is located in the south inner city close to the heart of the city. The development will be fully integrated and provides access to a range of services, transport, health, educational, cultural amenities, and employment opportunity, tender documents state.

The homeless charity currently provides supported temporary accommodation (STA) services in the Dublin city, Fingal, Kildare and south Dublin council areas.

The trust states that places are prioritised for those over 18 years of age who are homeless and have complex low-threshold needs.

The STAs replace the traditional one-night emergency hostel model of accommodation and are based on a six-month placement, where food is provided as well as access to computers, laundry, and medical help.

However, due to the lack of accommodation to move on to, clients of the trust are staying longer than six months in the STA units.

Approximately 86% of the charitys emergency beds are six-month supported placements.

Pat Doyle, the CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust, called for rapid build units at the time of the emergency housing summit earlier this month. We note that the target of 5,000 social housing units for 2018 is a significant increase. However, we would call for a high proportion of this incoming stock to be rapid build, to ensure that we get as many turn-key units in place as soon as possible, he said.
The changes are likely to focus on larger developments and apartments in a bid to encourage building.

It is understood that Mr Murphy will next week address some costly planning requirements which could be exempted in the case of city-centre locations.

At a social housing event yesterday, he said: It is viable to build apartments and still make a profit but there are difficulties there as well. Next week I am going to announce some affordability measures that are going to speak directly to those concerns.

We know that builders are building at the moment, they are building houses and apartments and we need them to build more.

Mr Murphy is examining parking requirements attached to apartment developments with a view to easing these in areas well serviced by public transport.

He said further measures around housing would be announced as part of Budget 2018 but put a conservative estimate of 20,000 homes, private and public, which he expects will be built next year.

Mr Murphy will also revisit the rent-a-room scheme to free up accommodation for students. He encouraged people to avail of the scheme, which allows homeowners to claim up to 14,000 in tax-free rent on spare rooms.

Meanwhile, the head of AIB is due to say the banking sector has a crucial role in helping to solve the escalating housing and homeless crisis.

AIB chief executive Bernard Byrne, who is due before the Oireachtas finance committee today, will say the severe housing shortage, particularly in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick is an obvious cause for concern for banks.

There is no silver bullet but lenders like AIB clearly have a crucial role to play and we are very active in not just providing real estate finance but increasingly in social and affordable housing, he will tell the committee.

Mr Byrne will also tell members that the level of construction must increase but that a clear constraint to builders is the low availability of funding for the acquisition and refinancing of zoned land that does not carry planning permission.

Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath said the escalating housing crisis would not be solved until the broken model for funding the construction of new homes was fixed.
Residents in Enniskeane are meeting at 8pm in the BEDA Community Hall to discuss a number of concerns over the proposed location of solar panels which are being planned for the Teadies Upper area.

The panels will be very close to up to five houses  quite literally a maximum of 10m from my house, for example, said Donal Shorten, spokesman for the residents.

A further ten to 11 homes were in the immediate vicinity of the site of the planned installation, while another five or six homes, he added, were in the general area of the field.

Residents had several reservations about the solar panel field, said Mr Shorten, pointing to the fact that the panels proposed proximity to some houses was giving rise to concerns about potential emissions as well as noise, glare, and a possible depreciation of property values.

There was also concern about a potential increase in traffic in the area.

We also dont know how the solar panel field will operate or how power will be diverted to the substation, which is in another part of the village, Mr Shorten declared. He said residents wanted to know if this would involve a series of pylons.

There will be noise or a hum from the ancillary buildings which will be built to service the field, he said, adding residents were planning to object.

We are seeking answers to all of this.

Representatives of the Dublin-based company Power Capital, which submitted its application for planning permission to Cork County Council, had been invited to the meeting but declined, saying their unavailability to attend due to another commitment.

However, residents were told, the company would be willing to answer questions over the phone at a later date. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on the matter.

It is understood a public consultation meeting was held with local residents earlier this month.

We are not objecting to the concept of solar panels, but we feel they are far too close to our houses, Mr Shorten declared.
Education Minister Richard Bruton confirmed the move as he said his department is continuing to consult with the Chief State Solicitors Office over what, if any, legal action it may take against builders behind the sites.

In a statement to the Dails education committee yesterday, Mr Bruton said all of the 37 schools built by Western Building Systems, based in Coalisland, Co Tyrone, since 2003 will be examined in the next six months.

The move is in addition to a separate sample audit of fire safety standards at 25 schools built by a number of companies during the boom.

This audit was launched after the department was last month forced to publish five 2016 audits into Western Building Systems-built schools found to have major fire safety concerns. These were instigated by an October 2015 Irish Examiner investigation into a linked school.

Mr Bruton said that while the extra investigations into schools in Cork, Meath, Dublin, Laois, and Wicklow have been launched, the department has no reason to believe students or staff are in any danger.

This comment was criticised by the committee, with members claiming the scale of the crisis has been suppressed.

Why was the department, from October 2015 right up to now, guilt of suppressing this, of having it suppressed? said Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett .

The view was supported by committee chair and Fianna Fail TD Anne Rabbitte and the partys education spokesman, Thomas Byrne, while Green Party TD Catherine Martin said the situation is despicable.

Mr Bruton said his department is in ongoing contact with the Chief State Solicitors Office to examine what, if any, legal action the State may take if mistakes are found.

He also said he has set up a new group within his department to oversee all audit findings, and that a clerk of works will be appointed to ensure transparency on future builds.

Asked if he will ban any firm behind schools considered a fire hazard, Mr Bruton said he cannot do so unless they breach EU tender laws.

A spokesman for Western Building Systems said it was confident all of the buildings conformed with the required standards and specifications relevant at the time of handover.

He also said the schools had been signed off by the departments professional representatives.

Western Building Systems Ltd has a distinguished record of delivering high-quality buildings for more than 35 years throughout the UK and Ireland. We take matters of health and safety very seriously indeed, said the spokesman.

The Department of Education has now launched four separate investigations into fire safety concerns in Celtic Tiger era schools:

The first was launched in 2015 into the Rusk and Lusk Educate Together school in north Dublin. This school was built by Western Building Systems.

A second investigation was instigated by this report, and focussed on five other Western Building Systems schools - St Francis of Assisi national school in Belmayne in Dublin; Belmayne Educate Together national school in Dublin; Mullingar Educate Together national school in Offaly; Gaelscoil Clocha Liatha in Greystones in Wicklow; and Powerstown Educate Together national school in Tyrrelstown in Dublin. While it concluded last year, it's findings were not published until last month after intervention from the Information Commissioner in response to a Freedom of Information Act appeal by the Dublin Inquirer newspaper.

On foot of the second investigation, a third investigation was announced which will examine 25 sample schools built during the Celtic Tiger era. They will be identified next month, with a report due by Christmas.

A fourth investigation was launched on Tuesday by Education Minister Richard Bruton, focussing on every school built by Western Building Systems since 2003. Mr Bruton said the step has been taken to ensure there are no concerns, and that just because the schools are named does not necessarily mean there is anything at fault at the facilities.

Excluding the six already examined Western Building Systems schools, the list relates to the following 31 schools:

- Griffeen Valley Educate Together, Dublin (built in 2003)

- Greystones Educate Together, Wicklow (2008)

- Macroom Boys Educate Together, Cork (2009)

- Ardgillan CC, Castleislands, Balbriggan, Dublin (2009)

- Athy Model School, Kildare (2011)

- Scoil Phadraig Naofa Phase II, Kildare (2011)

- Tyrrelstown Educate Together national school, Dublin (2011)

- St Paul's national school, Meath (2011)

- Lucan East Educate Together national school, Dublin (2011)

- Portarlington convent national school, Laois (2012)

- Mulhuddart national school, Dublin (2012)

- Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada, Lucan, Dublin (2012)

- Sc Chormaic CNS, Dublin (2012)

- Maryborough national school, Laois (2013)

- Gaelscoil Chloich na Coillte, Clonakility, Cork (2013)

- Gaelscoil Portlaoise, Laois (2013)

- Scoil Choilm, Porterstown, Dublin (2013)

- Carrigaline Educate Together national school, Cork (2013)

- Scoil Phadraig Naofa, Rochestown, Cork (2013)

- Portlaoise Educate Together, Laois (2013)

- Luttrelstown CC, Dublin (2013)

- Cara junior (special) school, Mayfield, Cork (2014)

- Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua, Stepaside, Dublin (2015)

- Scoil Chaitlin Maude, Dublin (2016)

- Gaelscoil Tulach na Og, Dunboyne, Meath (2016)

- Gaelscoil na Mi, Meath (2016)

- Ashbourne Educate Together national school, Meath (2016)

- Scoil Aoife, Dublin (2016)

- Lucan CNS, Dublin (2016)

- Broombridge Educate Together national school, Dublin (2016)

- De Lacy College, Meath (2016)
Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov has said he is confident that the Russian-Belarusian command and staff exercises Zapad 2017 demonstrate the readiness of Russian President Vladimir Putin for a war.

"The last stage of the exercises was devoted to testing the combat readiness of the nuclear triad - air, land and sea components were worked out. Therefore, Putin is demonstrating his readiness to conduct a powerful continental war," the council's press service quoted Turchynov as saying at a meeting with a delegation of the Canadian parliament headed by Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defense Stephen Fuhr on Monday, September 25.

The sides also discussed the situation in eastern Ukraine, the build-up of the Russian military potential in Crimea, and Russia's dominance in the Black Sea basin.
A heavy rain shower has just passed leaving a glistening sheen on the steep incline leading up to the front door of Jim OKeeffes home.

Up until his retirement in 2011, OKeeffe was best known as the long-serving Fine Gael TD for Cork South West. In a time long before that he was an Irish minister at the centre of a bizarre, unheralded and unprecedented incident in Irish history.

It was an episode that earned him a nickname for a time - The Skibbereen Eagle - a homage to a local paper made famous for reporting on Russian affairs.

And back in 1983, this Russian spy thriller of a story followed the kidnapping of the racehorse Shergar, the IRA abduction of businessman Don Tidey and in Mallow, the Mexican jet stranded on the local racecourse.

Only Jim OKeeffe ended up at the centre of an international, rather than national one, involving the Soviet Union and the US after a Russian spy ring was discovered in Dublin.

Back on the doorstep in Bandon, the bell rings a hollow sound in the morning still of the house. Less than a minute later OKeeffe appears and opens the door.

Hello, he says heartily, extending his hand to shake.

Come in, he waves.

Closing the door behind him he says: Since you called Ive been looking back at some notes. Its a long time since 1983, he laughs.

A lot has happened since! Jim opens another door to an office at the front of the house where the morning sun, still low in the sky, beams like a spotlight through the window.

Sit down, he directs.

OKeeffe shifts to get comfortable in his chair and leans in to his desk to study some prepared notes.

Its more than 34 years since he received the most remarkable call of his career from then Taoiseach Garret Fitzerald who told him that Irish intelligence officials had been tracking a Russian spy ring in Dublin.

Fine Gaels spokesman on Social Affairs Jim OKeeffe was responsible for informing three Russians they were to be the first diplomats expelled from Ireland.

Gripped by the telephone conversation he learned that some of the spies were working under diplomatic cover out of the Soviet Embassy in Rathgar, Dublin where they were attempting to steal secrets about the US military.

Cold War hostilities between the then Soviet Union and the United States were still blowing icy cold then and had been exacerbated by the shooting down of a Korean commercial airliner by the Russians, just weeks before. The incident killed all 269 passengers on board.

The fall out led to a raft of diplomatic expulsions worldwide.

And Irelands wasnt immune, declared OKeeffe turning from the chair in his office.

Yuri Andropov was the former KGB chief who had taken over as the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). He was the top man in the Soviet Union and there was an increase in spy activities worldwide.

In an interview that preceded this mornings meeting, a former Russian dissident now living in Cambridge England, declared that the security arm of the Soviet Communist Party - the KGB, had officers all over the world in 1983.

Everywhere but Antarctica he declared.

And Ireland in 1983 was viewed favourably by the Russians for being a nation hostile to Britain, their adversary, and also a place of sanctuary being a non-NATO member.

These conditions contributed to Irish territory being used by KGB agents to intercept and send back coded messages detailing sensitive US military operations.

There was also the suggestion that radio traffic here would not have been monitored as closely as in other countries, said OKeeffe.

So in September of that year, Garret Fitzgeralds government received a tip-off that Russian spies were gathering intelligence and a US double agent was dispatched to Dublin to trick the spies into handing over information on the US military  in of all places south Dublins Stillorgan Shopping Centre.

Following the sting officials notified Garret Fitzgerald who typically would have called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Peter Barry. But he was out of the country at the time.

And as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs at the time, OKeeffe was given the unprecedented task of expelling three diplomats on behalf of the government.

It had never happened before to me, he said. It had never happened before in the history of the state!

I remember getting a call from Garrets office saying they wanted to see me urgently.

When I got there, he told me that Id a job to do straight away and that I was the man to do it. They were my riding instructions from Garret. The diplomats the centre of the episode were Viktor Lipassov, his wife Evdokia and the First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Dublin, Guennadi Saline.

Up to that point the diplomats had built a reputation for socialising around Temple Bar more than covert intelligence gathering.

As the news leaked out, it was accompanied by speculation in the Irish media that the spies were linking up with the IRA in the North, and making contact with Russian submarines off the coast of Donegal.

In Dublin, OKeeffe summoned the Mikhail Sobolev from the Soviet Embassy for a showdown.

He came to the office in Iveagh House, he said.

And I used the term that the three people in question had been involved in unacceptable activities that werent in accordance with standards expected of diplomatic staff. And he would have known full well that that meant spying.

I remember him being very tough But if he was tough, I was equally tough.

While the intense exchange played out in Dublins Iveagh House a bigger conversation had been playing out between the Irish Government and their US counterparts who disapproved of the Soviets use of Shannon as a refuelling pit stop for flights between Moscow and Fidel Castros Cuba.

By then Shannon was already a departure point for left-leaning Irish politicians from The Workers Party and The Irish Communist Party - both trying to build alliances with the Russians in Moscow.

But in OKeeffes office in 1983, the exchange with Embassy official Mikhail Sobolev was exceptional for another reason other than the expulsion being a first with Soviet Union.

I had also to make it clear that the wife was being expelled, not just because she was the wife of one of the diplomats said OKeeffe.

Even though she was not a member of diplomatic staff, and they had quite big staff, she was directly involved in unacceptable activities and she herself was a KGB agent.

I simply told him that I was delivering a message on behalf of the government of Ireland and that these three people were to be expelled. That was it - get em out!

The story of Jim OKeeffes 1983 expulsion of Russian Diplomats features in a new RTE Radio Documentary Ireland and the KGB now available on RTEs The Documentary on One website.
Out he came, from that famous black door, his bright green tie leading the way.

Fresh from leaving lunch upstairs with British prime minister Theresa May, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar didnt repeat his cringey faux pas of mentioning Love Actually, as he did the first time.

No, it was far more business-like from our leader.

Having come out the door, trailed by his press adviser Nick Miller, the Taoiseach made straight for the cameras.

With the rain threatening, he got straight down to it.

We were warned that only three questions were allowed and with reporters caged behind a metal barricade, there was limited chance to get him to engage more.

On Brexit, he was clear he wanted more certainty from Theresa and he also suggested that Britain and Northern Ireland remain in the customs union and single market.

Of course I pointed out that the best way to achieve that is for the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland to stay in some form of a customs union and some form of a single market, Mr Varadkar said.

She was not for committing on that one, demanding that the Brexit talks be allowed move into phase two during which such matters could be decided upon.

Varadkar said that was a decision for the collective 27 EU leaders who meet in Tallinn later this week.

But he did welcome Mays strongest comments to date about not accepting any physical border between North and South.

One thing which was included in her speech was the fact Britain will not seek any physical infrastructure on the border. To me that is very important, that is more than saying you dont want the borders of the past. So in my view that is a very strong statement, he said.

Leo arrived at Downing Street shortly after 12.20pm and was there for a good deal longer than the hour allotted.

Due out by 1.30, word filtered out that the leaders were only beginning their desert and coffees.

May, since her election setback, has preferred to stay primarily at her home in Kent as opposed to Downing Street, so Varadkars visit was a nice break.

According to those present, the mood was warm and convivial and was boosted by the wearing of Ireland 2023 lapel pins by May and her advisers.

Leo and the gang were also in town to formally present the Irish bid to the rugby selection committee who will make a recommendation in the coming weeks.

Honoured to take part in the IRFU bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup this morning. Fingers crossed! pic.twitter.com/Ydxde40gta  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) September 25, 2017

Joined by Sports Minister Shane Ross and rugby legend Brian ODriscoll, Leo was doing his best to ensure Ireland can overcome the challenge of France and South Africa.

If Leo was cringey on his last visit to London, he was certainly outcringed by ODriscoll who was at pains to show how welcome visitors will be to Ireland.

The former Ireland captain said there would be an overwhelming welcome for all fans.

People can expect to be smothered with love. This is the biggest tournament we will ever host, its as big as it gets for us. Were sports lovers, not just rugby lovers, the GAA fans and soccer fans will all embrace this too and you just sense we will do an exceptional job.

Id be very envious of players in Ireland getting to play in a world cup in their own country, itll showcase us and I think it is something we will do with aplomb, he said.

Lets hope such gushing enthusiasm doesnt fatally hurt our national bid to lure the innocent rugby fans of the world.
Lviv region's appeals court has left Oleksandr Burtsev, a colleague of ex-head of Odesa region and leader of New Forces Movement Mikheil Saakashvili, in custody. Burtsev participated in the illegal crossing of the Ukraine-Poland border at the Shehyni checkpoint.

The ruling upheld a lower court ruling remanding Burtsev in custody until November 9. Bursev fainted when the verdict was read aloud in court.

As earlier reported, Saakashvili arrived in Ukraine on September 10. His supporters gathered at the Shehyni checkpoint and began a fight with border guards in the transit zone, helping Saakashvili and a group of other people, including five parliament deputies, illegally cross the border. Thirteen Ukrainian National Police officers and nine border guards were injured in the incident.
The Hungarian government has decided to block any further decisions by the European Union to build closer ties with Ukraine after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the new legislation on education, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said.

"We can guarantee that this will deal a severe blow to Ukraine's future," the Ukrainian online publication Yevropeiska Pravda (European Truth) quoted Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto as saying.

This decision came as Budapest's reply to Poroshenko's decision to sign the bill on education into law, it said.

Szijjarto described Poroshenko's decision as "shameful." While Poroshenko has declared that Ukraine desires to be closer to Europe, the decision to sign this legislation is "far from Europe, as a huge step has been made in the opposite direction."

Ukraine can "forget about integration into Europe," as "Hungary will be blocking any initiatives that benefit Ukraine in international organizations, especially in the EU," Szijjarto said.

It had been reported earlier that on September 25, Poroshenko signed the law on education passed by the Verkhovna Rada on September 5.

The law stipulates that the language of education in Ukrainian educational institutions is the official language, Ukrainian; at the same time, it also says that depending on the curriculum, one or several disciplines could be taught in two or more languages, i.e. in Ukrainian and in English or other official languages of the European Union.
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Ukraine will propose a resolution to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on deploying a peacekeeping mission to Donbas after agreeing on a position with its international partners, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said.

"As for the Russian resolution, nothing has started, except for very formal consultations, one round, so that there would be a response. We will not take the bait. First comes an agreed upon position with the so-called G7, the EU, China. Only then will we move forward with a resolution," Klimkin said during the ICTV Channel's "Freedom of Speech" program aired on Monday evening.

"Ours will be an agreed-upon position, not just our resolution," Klimkin said, adding "We will introduce it when we have an agreed-upon position with our friends and all the main players. Russia will not be able to start playing its game, like it always does, to create conditions to weaken the mandate of the mission," he said.

Klimkin emphasized that the mandate of UN peacekeepers cannot be watered down. He added that the first resolution to be taken up by the UNSC would be a technical one and would not envisage the mandate of the entire peacekeeping mission.

"After that resolution or in parallel with it  there will be a mission that the UN General Secretary will send to assess the cost and means required [for a peacekeeping mission]," he said, adding that Ukraine first proposed a UN peacekeeping mission at the start of 2015.

Klimkin said Russia has tried to introduce is own conditions for deploying a UN peacekeeping mission which are unacceptable for Ukraine.
The Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) of Kyiv jointly with the police on September 25, 2017 notified former board chairman of bank Starokyivsky (Kyiv) that he is suspected of embezzling funds of the bank.

The press service of the PGO reported that during the pretrial investigation it was established that in 2007-2013 the former board chairman acting with other managers of the bank and abusing his office embezzled almost UAH 82 million from the bank via issuing credits to affiliated persons.

He is suspected under signs of crime foreseen in Part 5 of Article 191 (misappropriation, embezzlement or conversion or property by malversation via abuse of office) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Earlier the PGO notified the former deputy board chairman of the bank that he is suspected of embezzling almost UAH 82 million.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has called on Russia to ensure the availability of instruction in the Ukrainian language and the development of the culture of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars in Crimea.

"[Russia must] ensure the availability of education in the Ukrainian language," read the recommendations for the Russian authorities in an OHCHR report for the period from February 22, 2014 to September 12, 2017.

The UN called on Russia to enable all ethnic communities in Crimea, including the Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians, to maintain and develop their culture, traditions and identity, and to commemorate important events.
Ukraine is prepared to take symmetrical retaliatory steps if Budapest blocks any initiatives to build closer ties between Ukraine and the European Union, Volodymyr Ariev, the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and a member of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc in parliament, said on Tuesday.

"We've interacted with them in a neighborly way. If they don't want to interact in a neighborly way, for instance, there are three times as many Ukrainian delegates to the Council of Europe as Hungarian ones, we can also influence a final decision on Hungary. If they resort to blackmail rather than calm negotiations, this is an unreliable partnership," Ariev said.

Hungary's intention to obstruct closer ties between the EU and Ukraine makes Hungary an unreliable partner for everyone, but Ukraine has several possible responses to Hungary's threats, Ariev said.

Moreover, growing nationalistic sentiments in Hungary have long worried the EU, which damages the country's image in that organization, he said.

"What Hungary is doing is blackmail, and we will therefore act symmetrically in response to Hungary, if they do that to us in this situation," he said.

Aryev also said to wait for the Venice Commission's conclusions regarding the language clauses of the education legislation. There is no point in holding debates at the Council of Europe, as Romania has insisted, before the Venice Commission issues its findings, he said.

As for Poland's reaction to the law, Ariev said, "I haven't heard of any problems they might have."

Earlier on Tuesday, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry posted a statement on its website saying that the Hungarian government would block any further decisions by the European Union to build closer ties with Ukraine after President Petro Poroshenko signed the new legislation on education.

It had been reported that on September 25, Poroshenko signed the law on education passed by the Verkhovna Rada on September 5.

The law stipulates that the language of education in Ukrainian educational institutions is the official language, Ukrainian; at the same time, it also says that depending on the curriculum, one or several disciplines could be taught in two or more languages, e.g., in Ukrainian and in English, or in other official languages of the European Union.
Ukraine is behind in several areas in the fulfillment of the EU Association Agreement, including transportation, environmental policy, intellectual property protection and improvement in customs legislation, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has said.

"There are areas today where we are lagging behind agreement implementation For example, in the transportation area," she said during a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

The deputy prime minister said parliament has refused to support legislation on automobile transportation, the transportation of dangerous cargos and rail transport. She said Ukraine for the rest of the year will focus on the issue of services  a road map for maritime transportation and one for mail and courier services.

"We aren't moving forward in those areas where dialog with Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada are needed in the transport sphere," she said, adding Ukraine was also having difficulty with making progress on the environmental policy. According to her, this issue is not a priority for Ukrainian citizens and does not have enough support.

Klympush-Tsintsadze said the business community also does not support changes of the environmental policy because they see them as additional costs.

"It's obvious that business is resisting changes," she said.

Areas where Ukraine is making progress include energy, especially energy conservation, and in the sphere of electronic purchases.

Klympush-Tsintsadze said Ukraine has saved about UAH 30 billion thanks to the system of electronic purchases. She said Ukraine has also made progress [adopting] phytosanitary measures.
The international journalist organization Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has claimed Ukraine is involved in a network that is illegally re-exporting arms from EU countries to Africa and the Middle East.

At the heart of the export network is a loophole in Ukraine's regulations that allows for the origins and destinations of weapons "to be erased from documents as the arms move around the world."

According to OCCRP investigators, Ukrainian arms manufactures Ukrinmash and Techimpex, along with the British S-Profit company and Polish Army Trade were involved in a re-export scheme of Soviet armored vehicles (BRDM-2) from Poland to South Sudan banned under EU legislation from 2014 to 2016.

"South Sudan is under an EU arms embargo, making sales to the country by member states illegal," OCCRP says, adding "A UN Security Council panel set up to monitor the embargo has found that Ukrainian firms have sold millions of dollars' worth of attack helicopters and jets to South Sudan's government since the outbreak of the war, with Uganda used as a waypoint."

The Amnesty International human rights group on Monday issued a report saying Ukraine's state-owned Ukrinmash arms producer violated a United Nations arms embargo and in 2014 signed a contract with the United Arab Emirates to supply $170 million worth of artillery and small arms, including machine guns, mortars, rocket launcher and ammunition to South Sudan.

As well as the South Sudan deal, documents seen by Amnesty International show a sequence of commercial offers and contract negotiations involving S-Profit Ltd  some unfinished  for the prospective supply of armored vehicles, weapons and aircraft to Egypt, Senegal, Mali, Rwanda, Ukraine and Peru, as well as to private companies in Serbia, Ukraine, Poland and Australia. Amnesty International has been unable to identify UK trade control licenses for any of these negotiations or deals.

Ukrinmash on Monday denied Amnesty International's claims.

"We may confirm that specified Contracts in no way were realized (namely, 5/61- from 22.10.2014, and IGG/Ukrinmash/2014/1399/5/47), and no movements of goods and services were performed," the company said in a statement posted on its website on September 25.

"The contact was not fulfilled because the State Export Control Service of Ukraine had not given permission," Ukrinmash Director General Serhiy Sliusarenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

"Despite that the UN Security Council has not imposed an absolute embargo on arms trade with South Sudan, Ukraine and Ukrinmash fully adhere to the declared policy of securing regional and international security and stability," the company said.

Amnesty International has accused Ukraine in the past of illegal arms sales. In 2012 the group said Ukraine had illegally shipped tanks to South Sudan via Kenya.
Q: What should you do if you hit a deer with your car? Should you call 911 if you are not hurt? We have so many deer in my area, and I wondered if you went on home, how that would affect an insurance claim?

F.H.

Answer: The short answer to your readers questions is, if they are not hurt and there is obviously less than $1,000 total damage, then they are not required by general statute to report the traffic accident, said Lt. Brian Dobey with the Winston-Salem Police Department in an email response to SAM. If anyone is hurt or the total property damage is $1,000 or more, he said, then they are required to report the traffic accident under NCGS 20-166.1

A collision of a motor vehicle with a deer in the roadway is a traffic accident by definition, he said. The total amount of damage and any injuries to any of the people involved are the determining factors in whether it is required to be reported.

If no one is injured and there are no dangerous traffic conditions as a result of the accident, you should use a non-emergency phone number (336-773-7700 for the WSPD) to contact local law enforcement instead of 911.

However, call 911 if any injuries exist or there are any other emergency conditions.

Dobey said that he would recommend always contact the appropriate law enforcement agency when involved in any traffic accident, even if it does not meet the mandatory reporting requirements by state statute.

By reporting the traffic accident just after it occurs, you are having the accident factors documented by a law enforcement officer at the place and time where the accident occurred, he said. If you leave the area and wait until later, or do not report the accident at all, there is not an independent report of the accident completed by a law enforcement officer for anyone such as your insurance company or even the courts to review at a later date, should questions arise.

After the accident scene has been cleaned up, he said, it would be almost impossible to re-create the scene so that an accurate investigation and report could be completed.

As for insurance claims, Bob Rosser, director of public affairs for the N.C. Department of Insurance said that You should take a photo of the deer if it is still near the vehicle, and the damage to your vehicle. Then report the claim to your insurer as soon as you can.

Q: There is a gas station that I believe cheats you at the pump. If I fill up my empty gas tank there, I am charged for a full tank of gas, but a mile or so up the road my gas gauge is telling me I have 3/4ths of a tank.

B.G.

Answer: The standards division of the N.C. Department of Agriculture inspects gas pumps for accuracy. Yearly inspection stickers are posted on each pump.

This may be a problem with your gas gauge, but if this is happening at a specific gas station but not at others, you can file a report by calling 919-707-3225 or writing to the N.C. Department of Agriculture, Standards Division, 1050 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1050. You can find out more at www.ncagr.gov/standard/.
A former doctor at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is denying allegations that he botched a Caburrus County womans chances of getting pregnant by inserting an IUD-like birth control device during a surgery.

Attorneys for the woman, Kimberly Bryant, filed the lawsuit Sept. 21 in Forsyth Superior Court against Dr. Mehmet Tamer Yalcinkaya, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Wake Forest University Health Services and N.C. Baptist Hospital. The lawsuit, filed by attorneys Harvey and Harold Kennedy and Donna Taylor, alleges fraudulent concealment and medical malpractice. Bryant is seeking more than $10 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

These are allegations that are totally unfounded and not based on fact, Yalcinkaya said Monday. This unfortunate patient had a condition that causes severe scar tissue.

Yalcinkaya worked as the director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. He left Baptist in September 2014. He is currently practice founder of Carolinas Fertility Institute, which has offices in Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Charlotte.

According to Bryants lawsuit, she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids in 2007. Yalcinkaya performed surgery on Bryant on Oct. 5, 2007, to remove the fibroids and the lawsuit alleges that at the end of the surgery, he inserted a Gore-Tex plastic barrier that acted as an IUD-like birth control device. The lawsuit said that before the surgery, Bryant told Yalcinkaya that she wanted to remain fertile and that she and her husband wanted to have children.

The lawsuit alleges that Yalcinkaya never told Bryant that he inserted the device, even when it expired in April 2012, and that Bryant and her husband spent the next 10 years trying to get pregnant without any success. Bryant found out she had the device when she got sick in February of this year and had to have surgery. The lawsuit said a doctor told her after the surgery that she would have to undergo a hysterectomy.

Yalcinkaya said that the device is not an IUD.

All the depictions that an IUD was placed or a foreign body are purely preposterous, he said. This is a FDA-approved product that was used on many patients around the world to prevent infertility and to prevent scar tissue from forming back.

The lawsuit said that Yalcinkaya has performed a number of procedures related to the uterine fibroids.

Yalcinkaya declined to discuss any conversations he had with Bryant prior to the surgery, citing federal medical privacy laws.

Harold and Harvey Kennedy were in trial Monday and were not immediately available for comment.

According to the N.C. Medical Board, Yalcinkayas license to practice medicine in the state is active. The board has not taken any adverse or administrative action against him. The lawsuit alleges that the hospital did not take any disciplinary action against Yalcinkaya.

Another woman tried to file a lawsuit against Yalcinkaya, alleging that his negligence led to a near-fatal infection from fibroid surgery, but she was ultimately unable to file a complaint because the statute of limitations had expired, according to court records. The matter was dismissed with prejudice, meaning she cannot refile.

Im an infertility specialist, Yalcinkaya said. Patients are sent to me to treat their infertility or to retain their fertility. Ive helped tens of thousands of women and couples regarding their infertility in a 26-year career, and I would have a real issue with the distortion of facts in these allegations.

No trial date has been set for the lawsuit.
WENTWORTH  Mickey Snow, a prominent Eden businessman charged in a teen prostitution ring, was arrested for a violation of the conditions for his pretrial release, interim Rockingham County District Attorney Tom Keith confirmed Monday.

Snow, 77, of 318 Bearslide Court, was arrested by Eden police in 2015 for his alleged involvement in the prostitution of two mentally disabled teenage girls.

He is charged with six counts of promoting prostitution of a minor, six counts of statutory rape and six counts of patronizing a prostitute who is mentally disabled among other charges.

Little is being said about what Snow did to find himself back in the Rockingham County Jail on Monday.

The Rockingham County Sheriffs office confirmed deputies arrested him at his house around 5 p.m. and are holding him without bail.

Deputies said the arrest involved a violation of a judges order that allowed Snow to travel to Florida for medical purposes.

Neither Keith or Rockingham County Sheriffs Office spokesman Kevin Suthard would comment further. Keith said details of Snows violation would be discussed in a future hearing sometime this week.

Eden-based attorney Seth Woodall, who represents Snow, confirmed the arrest but declined further comment.

Snow is one of four men in the Eden community accused of paying the teenagers mother, Teresa Vanover, between $5-$20 for sexual activities with her daughters.

Vanover, who pleaded guilty in 2016, said she used the money to pay her husbands medical bills and support her crack cocaine habit.

After more than a year of abuse, Vanovers oldest daughter went to police in 2015 after the death of her father.

Vanover, Thomas Woodall, Everette Ferris and Donnie Ray Carter all pleaded guilty to their involvement in the prostitution ring.

Snow, who has maintained his innocence, gained international attention in 2015 after crisscrossing the globe following the arrest of Ferris and Vanover. He was arrested in Bangkok and extradited back to Eden.

Since his arrest, Snow has been free on a $25 million bail.

He is scheduled for trial on Feb. 19.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has demanded that Russia urgently ensure the absolute security of the personnel, sites and property of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) in the temporarily occupied territory of Donbas.

"The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is extremely concerned about reports indicating that on September 24, 2017, the Russian Federation and Russian-controlled militants of illegal armed groups operating in the temporarily occupied territory of certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine removed security from the sites of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM)," the ministry said in a statement released by its press service on Tuesday.

Kyiv sees such a decision by Moscow as the continuation of the deliberate practice of intimidating the mission's monitors.

"Undoubtedly, these deliberate steps are intended, among other things, to provide additional artificial arguments in favor of the initiative proposed by Russia and not supported by Ukraine and its international partners to deploy UN peacekeeping forces exclusively for the protection of OSCE SMM personnel along the disengagement line," reads the statement.

The ministry said that guarantees of the security of the SMM monitors performing their duties as determined by the mission's mandate were among the key obligations in the context of the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, which were also signed by Russia as a party to the conflict.

"We demand that the Russian Federation immediately take exhaustive measures to ensure the absolute security of the personnel, sites, and property of the OSCE SMM in the temporarily occupied territory of certain districts in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and provide the mission with full and unimpeded access to all districts temporarily out of the Ukrainian government's control, including the entire uncontrolled section of the Ukrainian-Russian state border," reads the statement.

The Ukrainian part of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) had reported earlier on Tuesday that representatives of certain districts in Donetsk region had removed guards from the SMM forward patrol base in Horlivka, which is not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. It called on the Russian part of the JCCC to facilitate the mission's activities.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko [official website] signed [press release] a controversial education bill into law on Monday that makes Ukrainian the required language in state schols, among other things.

Specifically, the law declares that Ukrainian will be the medium of instruction in all schools, eliminating options for minority languages such as Russian and Hungarian.

Russia, Hungary and Romania, among others, had already expressed concern for the bill when it was first drafted, fearing marginalization of minority rights. With the bill now becoming law, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto [official profile] made a statement [text] calling the law a shame and a disgrace, and adding that We guarantee that all this will be painful for Ukraine in the future.

Hungarys Ministry of Human Capacities [official website] also urged Ukraine to consult with its Hungarian minority groups who are not involved in the drafting of the bill and the subsequent legislative process, warning [statement] that Ukraines leadership is steering its own country not toward Europe, but toward a dead end.

Ukrainian government officials have rejected any suggestion that minority languages will be sidelined. These officials state the law merely strengthens the role of the Ukrainian language in education, in addition to protecting the education rights of all minorities.

Russia has condemned the law saying that it violates Ukraines international obligations while Romanias president had already canceled a visit to Ukraine last week protesting the bill before it was enacted.
The United States on Tuesday demanded a "thorough investigation" into clashes last week between residents of a Darfur camp for the displaced and Sudanese forces in which five people died.

Washington's call comes just two days after it lifted a travel ban against Sudanese travelling to the United States and ahead of a decision by President Donald Trump on whether to permanently lift a decades-old US trade embargo on Sudan.

Friday's clashes, which the United Nations earlier said had killed three people and wounded 26, erupted when residents of Camp Kalma protested against a visit by President Omar al-Bashir to the war-torn region.

In a statement on Facebook, the American embassy in Khartoum said it was deeply concerned by the "excessive use of force" by government forces in the clashes at Kalma in South Darfur.

"The United States calls on the government of Sudan to immediately launch a thorough and transparent investigation of the incident in which Sudanese security forces reportedly fired upon IDPs (internally displaced persons) resulting in five deaths."

"The United States reminds the government of Sudan that its security forces must respond with restraint when dealing with protests, even if provoked."

Last week Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on genocide and war crimes charges related to the Darfur conflict, toured the region urging locals to give up their weapons.

The clashes at Camp Kalma, which houses more than 125,000 people displaced by the conflict, came as he visited nearby villages.

The Darfur conflict began when ethnic African minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of economic and political marginalisation.

The UN says the conflict has killed about 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million, most of whom now live in large camps.

On October 12, Trump is due to decide whether to permanently lift American sanctions against Sudan.

Although Washington imposed the sanctions in 1997 over Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militant groups, it argues that the conflict in Darfur has been a factor in keeping them in place.

Khartoum insists that the conflict in Darfur, a region of the size of France, has ended.

On Sunday, Trump removed Sudan from the list of countries facing a US travel ban.

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BEIJING, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation on Monday with British Prime Minister Theresa May on bilateral ties and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

In the phone conversation, Xi recalled that during the Group of 20 summit held in July in Germany's Hamburg, he and May agreed to deepen the 21st century-oriented China-Britain global comprehensive strategic partnership and continue building the "Golden Era" of bilateral relations.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Britain at the ambassadorial level. The two sides should maintain high-level exchanges, promote institutional dialogue in various fields, preserve the robust momentum of China-Britain economic and trade and cultural exchange and cooperation, deepen the alignment of development strategies between the two countries within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and strengthen coordination in preserving world peace and development, Xi added.

A prosperous, stable and open Britain and European Union conforms to the interests of all parties, Xi told May, adding that China is willing to promote continued development of China-Britain and China-EU relations.

Proposed by Xi in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

For her part, May said Britain attaches great importance to developing relations with China, sticks to the general direction of the "Golden Era" of bilateral ties, and is willing to work with China to make bilateral high-level contact closer, make good use of strategic dialogue, deepen partnership cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, security and culture, and promote the development of EU-China relations.

Meanwhile, the two leaders exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula situation.

Xi stressed that China adheres to the goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, resolutely maintains the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and firmly safeguards peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

He also said the Korean Peninsula issue should be solved through peaceful means including dialogue and consultation, which requires joint efforts by the international community.

As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and Britain have responsibility and obligation to deal with the related issues from the perspective of maintaining regional and global peace, Xi said, expressing the hope that Britain will be actively committed to working for peace and facilitating talks and will play a constructive role in easing tensions and reopening dialogue.

May said Britain is committed to preserving international and regional peace and stability, as well as peaceful solution of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Britain values China's important influence on resolving the Korean Peninsula issue, appreciates the efforts China has made and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China in this regard, she added.
White House says U.S. has not declared war on DPRK

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. September 25, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United States has not declared war on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the White House said on Monday, in response to remarks of the DPRK's top diplomat.

"Last weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer. He declared a war on our country," Ri Yong-ho, the DPRK foreign minister, told reporters earlier in New York.

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country," Ri said, referring to Trump's tweet message on Saturday.

In response, the White House denied that the United States had declared war on Pyongyang.

"We have not declared war on North Korea and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told a regular briefing in Washington.

"Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," she said.

The DPRK foreign minister also said that the DPRK reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers even if they are not in its air space.

"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take countermeasures, including the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country," Ri said.

On Saturday, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighter escorts flew in international airspace over waters east of the DPRK, the Pentagon said.

"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown" off the DPRK's coast in the 21st century, said the Pentagon, adding that the move underscored "the seriousness with which we take DPRK's reckless behavior."

U.S. President Donald Trump also talked tough on the DPRK. In his first speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 19, Trump threatened that the United States "will have no choice than to totally destroy" the country unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches.

Two days later, Trump also signed a new order to ramp up sanctions on the DPRK.

In response, DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un vowed to retaliate, saying Trump "will face results beyond his expectation."

In a statement released on Friday, Kim said "I am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue," according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim also accused Trump of uttering "unprecedented rude nonsense that one has never heard from any of his predecessors," saying the threat to "totally destroy" a sovereign state has gone beyond the limit.
Zhang Xiaolan from Xinyang, Henan province, September 24, 2017. [Photo: Dahe Daily]

Zhang Xiaolan, an 18-year-old girl from a village in Henan Province has invented a system which automatically switches a vehicle's lights between high and low beams, which she's now been able to patent, reports youth.cn.

Coming from an underdeveloped rural area of Henan, Zhang Xiaolan's family doesn't even own a car.

"My dad has poor eyesight due to an industrial accident, so it's unsafe for him to walk at night," Zhang Xiaolan explained, "He gets blurred vision when a car's lights are on high beam."

Out of her concern about her father's safety, Zhang decided to improve the way car headlights work, beginning her project during her second year in high school.

"Convex lenses, light screens and photoreceptive circuits are used to judge the brightness of a car's headlights," said Zhang Xiaolan. "Two cars equipped with this device are able to switch automatically from high beam to low beam when they meet head-on."

Zhang Xiaolan holds her patent at her family's home in Xinyang, Henan province, September 24, 2017. [Photo: Dahe Daily]

The automatic auto high-low beam switcher Zhang Xiaolan invented gained a patent from the State Intellectual Property Bureau in August, 2016.

A manufacturer from Guangdong Province has already requested Zhang Xiaolan allow her product to be used in their vehicles.

Zhang Xiaolan is not resting on her one invention. She has enrolled in Jilin University.

"Given there are more opportunities at university, I'd like to make more inventions in the future," said Zhang.
KEARNEY  The Nebraska Supreme Court may consider a dispute next year involving two Republican Basin streamflow augmentation projects and property taxes.

A ruling also might impact broader groundwater issues.

The projects to aid Nebraskas efforts to ensure adequate Republican River water flows into Kansas for Republican River Compact compliance were discussed Monday at the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Conference in Kearney by Upper Republican Natural Resources District General Manager Jasper Fanning of Imperial and Lincoln attorney Don Blankenau.

The projects  Rock Creek in Dundy County and the Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement (NCORPE) project in southern Lincoln County  have repurposed groundwater use from irrigated crop production to streamflow augmentation.

NCORPE partners the Upper, Middle and Lower Republican, and Twin Platte NRDs purchased a 19,200-acre farm from a hedge fund and returned the crop acres to grasslands. Seventy-five percent of the groundwater is earmarked for use in the Republican Basin and is transported down Medicine Creek. The other 25 percent is available for the Platte River.

The Rock Creek project is owned and operated by Fannings URNRD.

These (farms) were not popular when they were developed, he said. They were breaking up sandhills and putting pivots on every corner.

NCORPE water has been pumped each of the past four years. Fanning said that without it the alternative for compact compliance would be that a whole bunch of folks would not have been able to irrigate.

Growing cooperation between Kansas and Nebraska has been another project benefit.

Fanning said Kansas cant store all the water required by the compact for its Bostwick Irrigation District at the times when it is available. The Nebraska projects allow more Kansas water to be stored in Harlan County Lake until its needed.

Kansas officials are looking more closely at how much water irrigators can actually use. Fanning said compact water not needed in Kansas in the past year was allowed to stay in the lake without Nebraska being penalized for a delivery shortfall.

So far, the agreements that have been negotiated and implemented have saved the three (Republican Basin) NRDs water and money for water they didnt need to pump. As we move forward, I think its going to be better for users on both sides of the state line, he said.

Other augmentation project issues are within Nebraskas borders.

A Lincoln County landowners lawsuit challenged NCORPE on such issues as the partners authority to use eminent domain, whether the project has a public or private purpose and the legality of transferring groundwater off overlying land.

In April, the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld a decision by the Lincoln County District Court to dismiss that lawsuit.

Blankenau said the layers of law governing groundwater start with a 1933 common law that says property rights include access to the water underground.

The next level includes laws giving the state and NRDs authority to limit water use with measures such as certifying irrigated acres and allocating irrigation water.

A big issue for critics of the augmentation projects is that property values declined when irrigated crop production was retired and the acres were returned to less valuable grassland.

Blankenau said that because augmentation water used for compact compliance allows producers who might otherwise have been shut down to continue irrigating, the projects serve a public purpose by greatly limiting overall tax base depletions.

The rub is that public bodies are prohibited by state law from paying property taxes on public purpose projects. That is a concern for counties where the projects are located.

Blankenau said the NRDs protested property taxes assessed on the augmentation projects to initiate the steps required for a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling on the issue.

When the protests were denied by the counties, the issue advanced to Nebraskas Tax Equalization and Revenue Commission. Its a complex issue for TERC, Blankenau said, which usually handles disputes about property values, not NRD land ownership and groundwater-related issues.

TERC ruled in favor of the NRDs tax exemptions and the counties appealed to the Nebraska Court of Appeals.

Blankenau expects the Supreme Court to take the case after briefs and court records are filed by the end of this year. That could allow arguments before the Supreme Court in March and a decision by next summer.

He said the NRDs paid property taxes on the projects in Dundy and Lincoln counties. The money is being held by the counties until the court decides whether it must be returned.

What the justices say about the many issues involved will determine what the case might mean for other water projects, Blankenau said.

Also pending is an augmentation-related bill introduced in the Nebraska Legislature this year by state Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte.

The statement of intent for LB218 says it would establish procedures for acquiring or using land to pump groundwater to augment water supplies for interstate compact compliance. Proposed procedures include requiring a public hearing on such projects every five years and requiring them to sell the land at fair market value without water rights.
KEARNEY  Area employers will soon set up booths looking to fill vacancies and expand business at Thursdays Central Nebraska Job Fair.

More than 25 employers will participate in the fair, which will take place 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds. The purpose of the event, organized by the Kearney Hub, is to give area businesses the opportunity to expand in south-central Nebraskas tight job market.

The latest Nebraska Works labor statistics show the unemployment rate is 2.7 percent in Buffalo County. Many counties in the Kearney region also have labor shortages. Custer Countys 2.2 percent unemployment rate is lowest in Nebraska.

Companies will offer referral bonuses at the job fair as well.

Admission is free. The title sponsor for the event is Baldwin Filters.

Among participating employers are Advance Services, Associated Staffing, Baldwin Filters, Becton Dickinson, Boys Town, Brown Transfer, Buckle, Cabelas, Cash-Wa Distributing, CHI Health, Eaton, Essential Personnel, Grand Island Independent, Grand Island Veterans Home, JobXcite, Kearney Hub, Mosaic Axtell, Mother Hull Home, On Point Construction, Pizza Hut, Raising Canes and Royal Engineered Composites.
AINSWORTH  The pilot of a plane that crashed Saturday morning north of Ainsworth died as a result of the accident is believed to be a Kenosha, Wis., resident.

David Streich, the Brown County attorney, said the investigation into the crash site continued Monday morning and authorities had not officially released the identity of the planes sole occupant.

But we are confident in saying that the victim was a Kenosha, Wisconsin, man and not someone from around here, Streich said.

The 10-seat plane was headed to North Dakota but never made it to its destination, which prompted search efforts to begin Saturday.

At about 7 p.m. Saturday, the crash site was discovered about 5 miles north of the Ainsworth Regional Airport, according to the Brown County Sheriffs Office. The plane had taken off between 10:15 and 10:30 a.m. Saturday, said Sheriff Bruce Papstein.

Ainsworth Fire Chief Brad Fiala said the crash site was secured until investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration arrived Sunday to begin the investigation.
Joe Morena stands in from of his bagel shop with his sons Vince, Robert and Nick, left to right, Sunday, May 21, 2017 in Montreal. St-Viateur bagel celebrated 60 years of bagel-making with a block party in Montreal's Mile End neighbourhood Sunday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
A Kenosha man reportedly died in a plane crash in northern Nebraska Saturday.

The victim was reportedly the pilot and sole occupant of the plane.

Authorities said the plane took off Saturday morning from Ainsworth Regional Airport in Brown County, heading to North Dakota.

The wreckage was found Saturday evening, just a few miles from the airport.

According to a report in the Norfolk Daily News, David Streich, the Brown County attorney, did not release the victims name but said he was from Kenosha.

No additional information formally confirming the pilots identification was released prior to press time.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane was a 10-seat Mitsubishi MU-2. A search began after it failed to arrive at its North Dakota destination, the Norfolk Daily News reported.

En route to N. Dakota

According to KBRB radio, the plane took off from Ainsworth between 10:15 and 10:25 a.m., and is believed to have crashed around 10:30 a.m.

KBRB reported the plane could not be located on radar, or at any airport along its anticipated route.

The aircraft was reported missing to the Brown County Sheriffs Office at 1:34 p.m., and the crash site was found by a local resident at 6:15 p.m., approximately 2 miles east and 3 miles north of the airport.

Brown County Sheriff Bruce Papstein said attempts were made to coordinate the location of the pilots cellular phone, but to no avail.

The crash is being investigated by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
PARIS  A triple homicide at Great Lakes Dragaway is still under investigation with the Kenosha County Sheriffs Department, FBI and other agencies working to solve the murders.

The Paris Town Board wants to discuss what happened Aug. 13 and come up with recommendations about what can be done to make sure deadly violence never happens again. The board plans to meet at 7 tonight to consider recommendations to ensure the publics safety.

Everyone knows things have to change there, Town Board Chairman Virgil Gentz said Monday.

We have to discuss some of these things to come up with some answers, Gentz said. This idea of weapons ... with whatever happened there, people can have guns anywhere, I guess. But everyone has to work together on this and the dragstrip has to be sure to be able to handle all circumstances.

We want to do whatever we can to make the dragstrip as safe as possible so none of these things happen again. This cant happen, he said.

Gentz said the town and the county can look at a number avenues for ensuring public safety, including reviewing what is in the existing conditional use permit for the site.

No arrests yet

Sheriff David Beth on Monday said no arrests have yet been made in the case, which authorities have described as a gang-related killing at Larrys Funfest, an annual event that has drawn thousands of people to the dragaway each year.

The night of the shooting, authorities estimated as many as 15,000 people were at the event.

Killed in the shooting were three men from northern Illinois: David L. Watson, 30, of Oswego, Ill.; Khalid R. Howard, 30, of Aurora, Ill.; and Derek K. Edwards, 26, of North Aurora, Ill. Each was shot as they stood near a food vending area in a parking lot at the dragaway, 18411 First St. (Highway KR).

Edwards and Howard died at the scene; Watson died while being transported to a local hospital.

According to the investigation at the time, after a suspect shot Watson, he went back to shoot the two other men to make sure they were no longer alive.

Were working on leads, Beth said. We believe all parties involved are from out of Kenosha County. There appears none had any real connections in Kenosha.

Reward offered

Last month, the FBI offered a $25,000 reward leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects involved in the the deadly shootings. But despite the reward, no one has come forward.

Were working with Illinois authorities and members of the FBI and all area gang units, Beth said. Were still finding it difficult to get cooperation from witness and the parties involved.

Beth said the department has a detective whose only job right now is this case.

Authorities said the shooter is a black man, age 20 to 30, with shaved hair on the sides and a scruffy top. He has a thin build and stands about 5 feet 9 inches tall. He was last seen fleeing on foot and then left the dragaway in an unknown vehicle.

Anyone with information on the shootings can call the Kenosha County Sheriffs Department at 262-605-5102 or the Aurora Police Department Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000.
Ken Burns brilliant television exposition The Vietnam War not surprisingly brought forth in me, as with many other Americans, old and troubling memories.

From the first time I went to Indochina in 1967, the most distressing thing I discovered in talking to hundreds of American troops was that I could not find one of them who believed in the war. They were there because they were drafted and because they loved their country, but that was it.

Perhaps worse than that, as I continued to go back to Vietnam as a reporter for the Chicago Daily News, for short monthly tours in 1968, 70 and 71, I would meet generals who would take me aside and tell me in one way or another: This is not working. The villagers are burning with hatred toward us when we go in and destroy their villages. Tell that story!

Every late afternoon in Saigon, there was what the press corps jocularly called the Five OClock Follies. This was the militarys briefing on the days events  the body count of Viet Cong killed, the number of villages pacified, the new American policy. After that, the briefer would take us journalists out for drinks and tell us what was really happening.

In the end, before leaving for good, more in sadness than in anger, I wrote a series based on interviews with leading American officers and legions of grunt soldiers and aid workers. We called the series The GI Who Asks Why.

My beloved brother, Glen, had nearly been killed in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, and he and his buddies also asked Why? Generally, they knew the answer, but Vietnam was a military and moral quicksand for the Americans who had, to the North Vietnamese, simply replaced the French colonialists.

In the first two parts of the very precise 18-hour documentary series by the unmatchable Ken Burns and his co-producer, Lynn Novick  which begins in 1858!  one little-noted theme impressed me: Whereas the U.S. military and diplomats were almost always afraid to speak out about the absurdities of the war and then got it wrong, American correspondents on the spot were not afraid  and almost always got it right.

The documentary tells the story of a young John F. Kennedy visiting Saigon, having dinner on the roof of the Hotel Majestic on the river and being impressed with the then French wars progression. But New York Times correspondent Seymour Topping took him aside and told him, no, the French are losing.

Neil Sheehan, then of UPI in Saigon, first remembers the war as a crusade, and it was thrilling. But as it wore on and grew cruel, as all crusades do, he went out in the villages with supreme war enthusiast Robert McNamara, and Sheehan remembers how, looking at the farmers, it was clear to me theyd cut our throats.

Malcolm Browne of the AP filmed the first Buddhist monk burning himself to death in a Saigon square to protest the American-backed government, presaging a new anti-American era; and David Halberstam and Stanley Karnow went on to write the two best, and fairest, books on Vietnam.

Meanwhile, American leaders were eternally ambivalent. JFK said, We have not sent combat troops in the generally understood sense of the word. (As he sent more and more.) McNamara relied on his beloved statistics, bragging on the body count of the day. (While, in truth, more and more Americans died.) LBJ pored out his fears on the phone, but did nothing. (Until he resigned in humiliation.)

The Burns-Novick documentary made me ask, among too many other questions: Why were newspaper correspondents capable of analyzing Vietnam and the war and our role in it, when most of our leaders, military and even civilian, were not?

There were several reasons: The correspondents could go everywhere and speak to everyone, and they listened carefully; they had respect, if not love, for the other side, but they were not generally taken in; they refused to accept the excuses and lies of officials  on any side; they preened, sometimes arrogantly, in their position as all-knowing; and although all were patriotic Americans, they were not wedded to one diplomatic or military policy.

And they voluntarily accepted the risks their freedom entailed  sometimes gaily, even as many of them died.

Personally, I believe that reliving the war, after such a long period of time and in such a classy way, is all to the good. It helps answer the question of how such an exceptional and moral nation as ours could involve itself in such a stupid and cruel conflict.

But in the end, something new troubles me. There are many excellent foreign correspondents in Afghanistan. I know many of them. They are as good as the Vietnam bunch. But who is listening, as we obsess over Donald J. Trumps tweets?
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A drug addict has been jailed for stealing three Kelly Turner charity boxes and a string of other thefts.

James Pope, 33, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to taking the tins from Tennessee takeaway in Cherry Tree Avenue on Monday, August 7, White Cliffs Bakery in Buckland Avenue on Monday, September 11 and Domino's Pizza in Pencester Road on Thursday, September 14.

He also pleaded guilty to attempting to steal another charity collection box from the Crabble Post Office in Buckland Avenue, Dover, on Tuesday, September 12.

Rare form of cancer

The thefts were tins belonging to 17-year-old Kelly Turner, who has a rare form of cancer and is hoping to raise 1million for life-saving surgery in New York.

Along with the charity thefts, Pope admitted seven other charges of theft relating to him stealing bottles of alcohol.

The 120 day prison sentence was imposed by magistrates because of Pope being a "persistent offender" trying to feed a drug habit, and because of his previous convictions.

Second man charged

He was sentenced at Canterbury Magistrates on Saturday, September 16.

Craig Dunn, 25, of Westbury Road in Dover, is also accused of stealing around 50 from a Kelly Turner charity box in The Dovorian Restaurant in Priory Place on September 6 and stealing from another charity tin in Greggs on July 13.

He denied both offences at Folkestone Magistrates' Court last Wednesday (September 20).

Heroin addiction

At the same hearing, he pleaded guilty to receiving stolen goods, and stealing washing powder from Asda.

Dunn, who the court heard suffers from a heroin addiction and has committed 66 previous offences, will next appear at Margate Magistrates' Court on Thursday (September 28).
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Police and firefighters were called to a car on fire at a roundabout in Herne Bay.

The vehicle was ablaze at the Greenhill Roundabout in Old Thanet Way.

The lane was partially blocked by the silver car during the incident at about 6pm.

The dramatic scene was captured by several people on social media, including Terry Parker and the company Garage Doors Kent.
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Health care reform continues to make national headlines as Republican senators have failed to pass a bill in the Senate with enough support to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). How did we get here, and why do so many Republicans want to make the ACA go away badly? To answer this question, you have to first understand the history of health care reform in the United States to provide context.

A major goal of the ACA  among its other goals of cost containment and increasing quality of care  was to expand health care coverage to the millions of Americans that lived without it. By 2010, the number of Americans reached an all-time high with 18 percent or about 55 million people without health insurance.

People without health insurance have shorter life expectancies and worse quality of life because they delay their care or cant receive proper care. When they get sick, the only place they could turn to is the ER which is an expensive and inadequate place to receive proper care for many non-emergent or chronic illnesses.

Health care in America is one of the most expensive in the world. Consequently, medical debt has become a top reason of personal bankruptcies. So it goes without saying that lacking health insurance in this country is a significant threat to the overall well being of its people. Furthermore, as one of the only OECD countries without universal coverage and having the some of the worse healthcare performances of high-income countries, the voices for universal health care coverage are growing louder.

Health care reformers have been advocating for universal coverage for over 100 years. In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt, as the Progressive Partys candidate, called for a national health insurance. Roosevelt lost that election and with it so did his universal coverage plan.

Twenty years later, his cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, would attempt to pick up where Teddy left off. In 1939, he addressed to Congress that, The health of the people is a public concern; ill health is a major cause of suffering, economic loss and dependency; good health is essential to the security and progress of the Nation. However, his national health insurance plan met stiff resistance particularly with physician groups like the American Medical Association (AMA) who were shouting it would lead the country into socialism.

Harry Truman in 1948 and Ted Kennedy in 1971 tried to pass a single-payer national health system. Again met with strong special interest opposition like the AMA, they failed to convince Congress. In fact, for many years, the AMA was a leading opponent of universal health care until the ACA in 2010.

In 1965, the most significant health care legislation of the 20th century in America was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson. With a majority Democratic support of both the Senate and the House Medicaid and Medicare programs would come into existence. Although not universal health care, these programs greatly expanded government-funded coverage for those unlikely to have health insurance  older adults, the disabled and poor children.

Richard Nixon also conceded that universal coverage is needed. Government has a great role to play, he said, but we must always make sure that our doctors will be working for their patients and not for the federal government. Nixon proposed his own version of universal health care by mandating that employers provide private health insurance to employees and government programs would cover everyone else. Nixons plan was derailed when he resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1974.

After Nixon, no other president would make an effort for universal health care until 1992. First Lady Hillary Clinton would lead the White House Task Force to promote the Health Security Act. This plan was for both universal coverage and controlling costs, but it did not tout for public coverage. Instead, the proposal was for employer and individual mandates with competition among private insurers. To control costs, they proposed regional spending limits and caps on premium increases.

The Clintons strategy for compromise with liberal values (universal coverage) and conservative values (promote private health insurance business) backfired. Moderate Republicans thought the proposal was too liberal, while some Democrats thought it was too conservative. Therefore the Clintons did not muster up enough support for it to pass.

While the history of health care reform at the federal level is necessary to understand the ACA, health care reform that occurred in Massachusetts was also strongly influential. In 2006, Governor Mitt Romney signed into law An Act Providing Access to Affordable, Quality, Accountable Health Care. Many similar components that would be in ACA were first in this Massachusetts law.

One year later, in the 2007 Democratic primary elections, polls showed that the majority of Democrats thought health care reform should be a high priority  second to the economy. But in 2008, the financial crisis and the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression occurred. Many predicted that health care reform would be placed on the back burner. Surprisingly, Obama, when elected, held steadfastly and made health care reform a high priority. Although he had fierce opposition from Republicans with the rise of the Tea Party, the Obama administration was able to receive support from key interest groups.

This was crucial as many prior administrations had failed to pass a comprehensive health care reform without support from powerful interest groups. Now, groups like the AMA were buying into the notion that health care reform is badly needed. Other key groups from the pharmaceutical industry and health insurance industry were also throwing their support behind President Obama.

Although Obama favored a public option with universal coverage, political pragmatism would win to achieve the ACA we have today. The bill passed a Democratic house and senate without a single Republican support. On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the ACA into law.

Today, nearly 90 percent of Americans now have health insurance. This among its many other reform changes made the ACA the most significant reform in American health policy in the 21st century. The ACA has had its successes, but it also certainly has had its challenges. With the rising costs of health care and poor population health outcomes compared to other high-income countries, there will indeed be more reform soon on the horizon. With a Republican controlled Senate now in gridlock on how to repeal the ACA, the uncertainty of the next chapter in health care reform has millions of Americans and their providers anxiously awaiting what will be revealed.

Behrouz Zand is a gynecologic oncologist who blogs at Digital Advocate. He is also a contributing writer to the Houston Chronicles Gray Matters.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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He was approximately 75 pounds and appeared to be wasting away. Although he was only 43 years old, he had end-stage AIDS. Even in this cachectic state, he continued to refuse to eat the hospital food because he didnt like it. After speaking at length with him, he said that he only wanted porridge with meat or fat cakes, both of which we did not serve in the hospital. He was told that his family was allowed to bring food to him in the hospital, yet day after day, the family was nowhere in sight, so he continued to starve. As a physician, how could I help this chronically ill man with the tools of modern medicine in a foreign country?

For those of us, health care workers, who are involved in global health, it can be difficult to find your role when working in another country. Where do you insert yourself in a foreign medical system without causing more harm than good? If we only spend a short period of time, such as a month in a country, will there be someone with the same skill set to take our place when we leave? If we bring antibiotics and medications to a community, what happens when they run out? If we screen and diagnose medical problems, will there be enough resources to actually treat the patient? Are we leaving the community or hospital a better place than when we came?

All of these questions travel through my mind each time I work abroad. According to the WHO, by 2035, there will be a shortage of 12.9 million health care workers. So theres no doubt that developing countries need more physicians and other health care workers. However, this dilemma cannot always be solved by training the personnel within the country. If you force individuals to pursue medicine as a career, will they be passionate about being a health care worker and have the necessary motivation to take care of patients? And, then, if foreign physicians are still required, we continue to face the same issues. While I am working in a country, I want to make an impact and meet the communitys needs while simultaneously being culturally competent, which can be difficult when only in the country for a short period of time.

I have worked in Mexico, Peru, India, and Botswana, both working within a hospital and in self-run clinics. In my most recent experience, I worked in an inpatient setting supervising trainees who obtained their medical training in various countries as well as helping to create curriculum for their intern year. The goal was to create a sustainable system that functioned equally well even after we, as providers, left the country. This would avoid the much-too-common problem of only providing short-term assistance as we aimed to leave a long-lasting impact. However, we learned that the skills we already possessed werent always applicable in another country.

That day, I felt truly helpless in treating my patients malnutrition. Even with all of the medications given to treat his opportunistic infections, he would not improve without proper nutrition. What the patient wanted was a fat cake, which is similar to a donut. While not healthy at all, it was better than the patient not eating anything at all. Day after day, I bought him a fat cake from a local vendor outside the hospital and watched with joy while he indulged each morning. Sometimes, we struggle with finding our role as physicians in an unfamiliar medical environment. I have had the opportunity to see how different health care systems work and how cultures define health, which can be dramatically different even in the same region. Some of the tools weve learned in our training can be applied, and some cannot. Not only is the epidemiology of disease different, but the workplace culture, resources, distribution of knowledge, and overall values of the community as well. We need to be adaptable and find where we can perform the greatest good while causing the least amount of harm for our patients as well as the local health care workers. For me, it is still an ongoing process.

Farrell Tobolowsky is an infectious disease fellow.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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We as women have to stop saying Im sorry for things out of our control. When we apologize for things we are not responsible for, we take a step backwards in the advancement of women in the workplace.

I am a cardiac anesthesiologist, which means I care for patients who are undergoing open-heart surgery. I work in an academic medical center and train doctors to become anesthesiologists. The operating room (OR) can be a high-stress environment, not to mention costly. As members of the OR team, we try to be extremely efficient with our time.

The very nature of what we do presents challenges, as our patients are critically ill and often times our plans do not go as anticipated. Difficulty in placing lines in our patients that allow us to give medicine and transfusions, challenges in airway procedures, or patients who are unstable under anesthesia are all equal opportunity tests that present themselves to both men and women resident physicians under my supervision.

However, there is something interesting that I have observed when watching residents. Male resident physicians, when faced with challenging procedures, rarely apologize for things outside of their control, appropriately so. While nurses and surgeons are standing in the OR waiting for our team to finish so we can start the surgery, you wont hear a male resident say Im sorry. Why? Because it is not his fault.

This scenario often plays out differently for female residents. While placing difficult lines or breathing for a sick patient, it is not uncommon to hear female resident physicians look at everyone in the room and say Im sorry.

Every time this happens, I cringe.

Why? Because just as the male residents are not at fault for the challenge that caused a delay or extra help, neither are the female residents. And yet in their attempt to apologize for the situation, what they are saying to everyone in the room is This is my fault.

And whether they mean to or not, with their apology, they are saying this: I am not as competent, I am causing this delay, and I am sorry for this fact.

Why is there a difference in the way males and females react to workplace challenges? Maybe it is because of differences in how we see ourselves. Perhaps unconscious biases by our teams and our own selves are also present. In the 2016 McKinsey Study on Women in the Workplace, differences were found between the top personality strengths of successful female and male leaders. While male and female leaders shared several top attributes, male leaders had achievement as their top strength, while the female leaders scored highest for responsibility. This suggests female leaders tend to take more self-responsibility for actions in the workplace. Is this why we are constantly apologizing, even for things outside of our control?

Perhaps.

What can we change? Our responses as individuals.

Recently I was working with a female resident on a very sick patient in an acute situation in the operating room. She was doing everything carefully, precisely, and with extreme caution, just as directed. The procedure was difficult and taking longer than it should have due to some things beyond her control. I knew that she was doing the safest thing for the patient, and I wanted her to achieve success in a stressful situation. So I remained silent, giving her nods of encouragement. Knowing someday she would have to do these procedures on her own in a similar high-pressure situation, I wanted her to feel success and gain confidence in her decision-making.

About half-way into the procedure, she glanced at the clock, and everyone in the OR watching her, and started to apologize for the length of time it was taking her.

Im sorry, she said.

I smiled at her and told her to keep going. I assured her she was doing a great job.

Finally, after her third apology, I stepped in and finished the procedure.

After the patient was stable and the procedure was finished, I pulled her aside. I explained to her that I wanted her to succeed in medicine, and I wanted her to be the leader that I knew she was capable of becoming. I recommended that she stop apologizing, immediately, for situations outside of her control. I described to her how her apologies made everyone in the room place blame on one person  her. I encouraged her that her approach to the patient and her clinical care was great. That was not the issue. It was her constant apologies, and her destruction of her own self-confidence, that required change.

She thanked me.

We have to recognize this in our colleagues and ourselves. As men and women, we are very different, and this is good thing. We have different strengths, talents, and ideas to offer. Diverse organizations are successful organizations. Diversity in organizational leadership equates to positive financial, cultural and customer satisfaction outcomes. We need women leaders, and as women, we must stop apologizing for doing our jobs.

Before you say Im sorry, I challenge you to think.

If you hear a woman in your workplace apologize for something not her fault, maybe you should speak to her privately and encourage her to change this behavior.

Lets help one another create diverse, successful, and forward-thinking organizations.

That is something we should never be sorry about.

Sasha K. Shillcutt is an anesthesiologist who blogs at Brave Enough.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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If I hadnt heard her sob, I might not have looked up. I was so immersed in her story, and so fixated on my own studious note-taking, that I didnt doubt the steady rhythm of her voice until I heard it break. Hudas (name changed) eyes were filling with tears, and I quickly handed over the tissue box, feeling that its trifling weight was an apt metaphor for how little I could do to help her.

Huda and her husband were Afghan refugees  and while she had been in the States for over a year, her husband remained stranded in Turkey, unable to join her as approval for his resettlement remained pending, possibly accumulating dust in a bureaucratic office somewhere. As she sat across from me in the psychiatric clinic, I couldnt help thinking that her problems cut deeper than her depression  that many of her circumstances were the result of systemic injustices, ones that warranted systemic corrections.

I developed an interest in refugee issues during my first year of medical school, as a result of informative lunch lectures that were wisely scheduled right after anatomy lab. As a result, I kept an ear out for refugee issues, and subsequently, I planned to address refugee health access in Houston over the course of a year-long service project. I started with optimistic goals: to collect health provider information, organize it into an electronic resource, and distribute it to refugee agencies. It was clear and simple enough to pitch. My imagination cast a sunny light on the prospects of aiding refugee health.

The first blow to my naivete came swiftly. I had just begun my service project; I had started by shadowing caseworkers as they addressed refugee needs. That morning, the objective was to help an elderly refugee with a limp to obtain disability benefits. This, as the caseworker warned me before beginning our expedition, would prove to be a difficult task. I dismissed this concern  surely she simply meant that the line would be long at the Social Security Office and the forms would be tedious.

Havent we all suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune at the local DPS when getting our driver licenses renewed? Upon arriving, we waited for four hours in an over-crowded waiting room. The applicant, Sara, offered her seat to me repeatedly although she was the one with a limp. When we stepped up to the window at last, the officer informed me and Saras son that we were not allowed to accompany her as we crowded up the window. We explained that she needed accompaniment because she did not speak English yet, and asked politely to be allowed to stay.

The officer next suggested that, since she was unlikely to be approved for disability benefits, perhaps she should consider not applying at all. Hearing this, I started to lose my temper. I raised my voice a notch and, keeping my eyes fixed on the officers, stated that we were not leaving without completing the forms and sending in the application, and I would stand by to assist and move out of the way of the window as needed. The officer didnt raise any more objections, and we continued with the application. This experience stands out in my memory as the first time I was genuinely angry about the injustices refugees undergo in the system. I had been annoyed and disquieted, many times, by their sufferings, but this was the first time I felt anger, and the first time I acted out of anger to advocate for them.

Two months later, at a family medicine clinic, I saw an Iraqi refugee, Asad, nominally for hypertension, but his history was notable for substance abuse and addiction. His story was an interesting one  he had served the U.S. Army as a translator, and afterwards was granted refugee status for his service.

However, despite his dreams about coming to America, he was sorely disappointed. After his arrival, he felt he had been abandoned by the system. He was repeatedly unsuccessful in finding a job and struggled to maintain his basic expenses. Despite his hardships here, he did not even have the option of returning to his native country of Iraq, since he had previously helped the U.S. military there. He hated living here and had thought repeatedly of ending his life. This was the second time I felt the same acute indignation, and my anger welled up. I must have done a poor job of hiding it, because my attending remarked to me that I seemed restless the rest of the day.

After finishing my stint at the clinic, I worked on my project, the electronic health directory, for three days straight, once coding overnight, driven mostly by the remembrance of these helpless situations. That year, I also helped to organize four local refugee health fairs and volunteered at several others. Ultimately, it was my anger, rather than my empathy or sensibility, that spurred me. Anger is the result of feeling passionate about an issue, and passion is how ideas are pushed to tangible strides. Its understandable how, over time, our compassion is worn down when we see case after hopeless case. But if we can hold onto those times when our sense of injustice was pricked, those times when we felt anger on behalf of our patients, I think we can continue to advocate with passion and purpose. There is still much work ahead to be done for them.

Weijie Violet Lin is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
More than 450 Chinese nationals have been evacuated from hurricane-ravaged Dominica and resettled in the neighboring country, Antigua and Barbuda.

Hurricane Maria hit Dominica as a category-four storm last week, leaving 15 dead. The whole island has been left in a state of disarray, cut off from electricity and telecommunications.

After days of joint efforts from embassies and institutes in Central America and China, a first group of 158 Chinese were safely evacuated on Friday. The second group of 304 Chinese nationals arrived in Antigua and Barbuda at around 8 p.m. local time on Monday.
In a warm tribute to the work of the Fr McGrath Family Resource Centre, Minister John Paul Phelan, cited the Centres work as an idea that he said is inspiring many other communities to support their young and their vulnerable.

He was speaking at an official Failte Isteach National Award presentation to the centre on Wednesday last for the work of their Failte Isteach Chapter at over the last six years.

Failte Isteach starts its seventh year of weekly English language classes this month. Volunteers will teach conversational language to dozens of students between now and June 2018.

More than 600 new immigrants or asylum seekers have received training under the programme provided by more than 100 local volunteers over six years.

Failte Isteach now has 110 branches nationwide. All are run by volunteers.

Beacon Of Light

The Minister for Local government said he always regarded the Fr McGrath Centre and its community innovations as a beacon of light that all people could take some pride in.

He agreed with the guiding principles of Failte Isteach and said his Government shared its objectives of encouraging integration to strengthen and enrich Irish society in a way that could only bring positive social and economic development.

Theresa Delahunty, founding member and volunteer at Failte Isteach said their aim was to make a difference in peoples lives. We value diversity and see the contribution and input of immigrants as a positive and rich new cultural stream, adding to our way of life, she said.

A valuable aspect for our participants is the linkage to the many services provided from the centre, such as the volunteers Immigrant Support Clinic, Child Care, After School and Homework Clubs, Parenting Skills, IT training, counselling and employment training supports, she said.

Failte Isteach English language classes are available every week with new members always welcome.

Volunteers interested in joining the programme can contact Theresa or Eamonn Corcoran, tel 056-7751988.
Kilkenny County Council are getting legal advice on how to proceed as the Northern Ring Road extension could be delayed by a further two to three years if the appeal case over the development goes ahead.

At a recent meeting of Kilkenny City Municipal District, Fine Gael Councillor, David Fitzgerald, asked for a timeline on the matter.

The planning permission for the scheme was granted by An Bord Pleanala in 2014 but an appeal was lodged by local individuals in the High Court in Ireland on a number of matters.

The High Court referred the matter to the Courts of Justice of the European Union.

Director of Services at Kilkenny County Council, Tim Butler, told members that if the case goes ahead in Europe it will delay the project by 2-3 years.

He says that long of a wait would not be palatable to the Council.

For more on this story, pick up this week's Kilkenny People.
Story

The Metropolitan King County Council today gave its unanimous support to having the County continue to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, the effort to reduce the impacts of global warming. The multi-nation agreement focuses on the efforts to reduce the greenhouse emissions that are a playing a role in the increase in global warming.The Paris Climate Agreement was a landmark moment for the entire world in our fight against climate change, said Council Chair Joe McDermott , prime sponsor of the motion. Todays action by the Council will ensure that King County will continue to hold up its end of the deal, and signal to the international community that we do not share the shortsightedness exhibited by our leaders in Washington, D.C.I am very pleased that King County will continue to address the challenges of climate change at the local level, said motion co-sponsor Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles . From investing in zero-emissions buses to protecting our migrating salmon despite rising temperatureswe will work tirelessly on all levels to safeguard the health, beauty and natural resources of the Pacific Northwest for generations to come.In June, the President announced his intent to have the United States withdraw from the Paris Agreement. The adopted motion reiterates King Countys commitment to meet the goals set in the Paris Agreement regardless of the actions taken by the Administration.In 2014, King County and the 39 cities that make up the County adopted shared regional targets to reduce countywide greenhouse gas emissions. A year later, the Council adopted the King County Strategic Climate Plan, one of the most ambitious climate action plans in the United States, a roadmap to reducing carbon pollution and preparing for climate change impacts.The adopted motion states that King County will continue working toward advancing the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement along with meeting the goals set by the 2015 King County Strategic Climate Plan.The County will also continue its collaborative effort with national and international coalitions of local governments and businesses to share best practices and advocate for state and federal policy frameworks that advance energy efficiency, renewable energy and climate change goals.
The war of words between the United States and North Korea has now accelerated to a new and more dangerous level of concern. Recent statements and threats made on the part of North Korea have escalated the current tension and hostility between our two countries.

Last week, in his first address to the United Nations, President Donald Trump stated, The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary.

North Korean response to this message began as a televised message from Kim Jong-Un, in which he called the president of the United States mentally deranged.

According to CNN, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday accused U.S. President Donald Trump of declaring war on his country by tweeting over the weekend that North Korea won't be around much longer."

This tweet was interpreted by the North Korean government as a declaration of war, as Minister Ri Yong Ho added, "Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make all self-defensive countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers at any time even when they are not yet inside the aerospace border of our country.

However, the White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the U.S. has not declared war on North Korea, stating the suggestion of that is absurd. Regardless, tensions continue to rise, as this war of words escalates to a new level.

Both spot and futures pricing of gold have spiked up strongly on the day. As of 4:30 EDT, spot gold is trading up $12.30 on the day. This dramatic spike has been tempered by a strong U.S. dollar today, which resulted in a $-7.40 of value per ounce. Normal trading today bid up the precious yellow metal by $19.70 resulting in the net change of gold of $12.30, fixing spot gold prices at $1309.40. This information comes according to the Kitco Gold Index.

Gold futures are also trading dramatically higher, and basis the most active December contract gold is trading up $15.60 for a net gain of 1.2%, settling at $1313.20 on the day.

Inasmuch as the tension between North Korea and the United States has escalated to a new level, it is still for the most part based upon threats and rhetoric from both sides. Inevitably it seems more and more unlikely that this current crisis will result in the peaceful resolution of the conflict.

For those who would like a deeper analysis, simply use this link.

Wishing you as always, good trading,
WELLINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - New Zealand business sentiment fell to its lowest level in two years in September, an ANZ Bank survey showed on Tuesday.

The survey's headline measure showed a net 0 percent of respondents were optimistic about the economy over the year ahead - the lowest level since September 2015. That compared with an 18.3 percent optimism level in the previous survey in August.

While some of the fall could reflect a maturing business expansion, ANZ said it was likely to have been caused by political uncertainty. New Zealand held a general election on Saturday.

(Reporting by Ana Nicolaci da Costa; Editing by Richard Pullin)
By Swati Pandey

SYDNEY, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The New Zealand dollar fell again on Tuesday as political uncertainty weighed on investor sentiment, while its Australian counterpart struggled below a key chart level as markets were rattled by fears of war on the Korean peninsula.

The New Zealand dollar hit a 1-1/2-week low of $0.7237, clocking its second straight day of losses after no single party won enough seats to form a government at Saturday's general election. In response, the kiwi fell 1 percent on Monday for its biggest one-day percentage loss since May 11. It piled on another 0.3 percent on Tuesday and was already poised for its worst weekly performance since late April.

The kiwi is the world's 11th most-traded currency, sought after by investors for its attractive yields and the nation's strong credit ratings thanks to its stable political and economic institutions.

But the market is feeling the jitters over the composition and potential economic policies of the new government with far-right New Zealand First (NZF) emerging as a kingmaker.

The presence of NZF was a sticking point for markets since some of its policies, including limiting immigration and imposing tighter restrictions on foreign investments, were unpopular with investors.

The market still believes the ruling National party with 58 seats would form a government with the NZF, with the Labour Party remaining in opposition.

Such an outcome "would for the most part generate continuity in the economy's structural themes, with National's legislated fiscal stimulus for next year still in train," said Ben Jarman, economist at JP Morgan.

"That stimulus is important in an environment of otherwise weakening growth impulses."

Across the Tasman Sea, the Australian dollar held at $0.7941, after breaking below major support of 80 U.S. cents last week when it touched a near one-month trough.

Against the Japanese yen , the Aussie steadied near 1-1/2-week lows after three consecutive sessions of losses.

Bonds rallied as tensions between the United States and North Korea took another sour turn.

North Korea amped the level of anxiety in global markets by saying U.S. President Donald Trump had declared war on the country and that Pyongyang reserved the right to take countermeasures. New Zealand government bonds rose, sending yields about 5 basis points lower at the long end of the curve.

Australian government bond futures ticked higher, with the three-year bond contract up 2 ticks at 97.830. The 10-year contract climbed 2.5 ticks to 97.195.

Investors are focused on a speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen later in the day for cues on monetary policy settings in the world's largest economy.

(Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
TOKYO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Philippine central bank has allowed a mild depreciation in the peso since the start of this year, in line with economic fundamentals, Governor Nestor Espenilla said on Tuesday. Speaking at a seminar in Tokyo, Espenilla said he saw limited pass-through to inflation from moves in the peso and said the current account balance was manageable.

(Reporting by Stanley White)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
SINGAPORE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Qatar's RasGas Co signed a 15-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales and purchase agreement with Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corp (Petrobangla) on Monday, RasGas said in a statement late on Monday.

Under the agreement, the Qatari company will supply 2.5 million tonnes of LNG every year to Petrobangla for 15 years.

Deliveries will be made to Petrobangla's floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) near Moheshkhali Island in Bangladesh, marking RasGas' first long-term contract delivered to a FSRU, the company said.

The deal is Bangladesh's first LNG import agreement and will help to cover the country's domestic natural gas shortfall. The contract with the world's biggest LNG exporter underscores the rise of South Asia as a new market for the fuel. Bangladesh's first floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), supplied by Excelerate Energy of the United States, is to be commissioned by April 2018. Its second, supplied by the country's own Summit LNG of the Summit Group, is due for commissioning by next October.

Bangladesh is also looking to add two additional floating LNG terminals next year. Bangladesh, a country of more than 160 million people, could import as much as 17.5 million tonnes of LNG a year by 2025, Nasrul Hamid, Bangladesh's state minister for energy and power, told Reuters last month. (Reporting by Jessica Jaganathan; Editing by Richard Pullin)
(Kitco News) - Banks will continue to talk down bitcoin because it makes the system obsolete, says longtime trends forecaster Gerald Celente.

But Celente has a stern message for the banks, bitcoin, is not going away anytime soon.

"There is no more In God We Trust,' people are realizing the fiat money scam so we see bitcoin having a bright future," Celente said in an interview on Monday.

Celentes past forecasts including the 2008 financial crisis, caused the likes of Oprah to take notice.

Addressing Jamie Dimon's harsh comments on the crytocurrency, Celente said that the chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase is dead wrong.

"Jamie Dimon called bitcoin one of the biggest frauds, well how about those six banks that were convicted of fraud? [The banks] are afraid bitcoin is going to take away their business...they are going to continue to talk it down because it makes banking obsolete."

Bitcoin represents a populist movement, the forecaster said, "people don't want to be attached to crooked governments and central banks."

Prices for the digital currency have been trading sideways for the last few weeks, as many investors wait to see how China's regulatory environment will look like going forward.

Bitcoins price has primarily traded below $4,000 since September 14; still up some 300% since the start of the year. The virtual currency had previously surged over $5,000 on September 2.

According to Celente, China is behind the volatility.

"China has placed restrictions on bitcoin because the yuan has been growing very rapidly, Celente said.

Adding, "You are going to see a devaluation of the yuan so they can increase exports -- and now that people wont have bitcoin to go into, they may go into gold."

Despite talking up the cryptocurrency, Celente said he is not invested in it - preferring tangible assets like the yellow metal.

But gold has to break above $1,400 for it to gain more strength and rally to $2,000 an ounce, he said.

"We see a positive future for gold  but it is going to take time, Celente explained.
CAIRO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Egypt has extended temporary import tariffs on steel rebar from China, Turkey and Ukraine, for two months, the trade and industry ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The tariff, set at 17 percent for Chinese steel, 10-19 percent for Turkish steel, and 15-27 percent for Ukrainian steel, was implemented in June to protect local manufacturers.

When implemented in June, it was to remain valid for four months. The extension means the tariffs will now remain valid until Dec 6.

(Reporting by Ehab Farouk; writing by Arwa Gaballa; editing by Jason Neely)
KAMPALA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Ugandan shilling held steady on Tuesday as the market received hard currency from coffee exporters, amid low demand for dollars from importers. At 0946 GMT, commercial banks quoted the shilling at 3,600/3,610, unchanged from Monday. UGX Spot Rate..... Ugandan Shilling Money Guide.... Calculated Cross Rates.......... Deposits..................... Deposits & Forwards............. Uganda Equities Guide....... Uganda All Share Index........ Shilling background ..... Ugandan Debt Guide............ All Uganda Bonds............. Uganda T-Bills.............. Uganda Benchmark............. Central Bank ................ Ugandan Contributor Index.... Uganda Coffee Prices....... (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Duncan Miriri)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
Editor's Note: Updating earlier story with more details from report.

(Kitco News) - Gold remained weaker Tuesday, neither hurt nor helped by a Conference Board report that was within expectations, showing the September U.S. consumer confidence index fell to 119.8 from a revised 120.4 in August.

Consensus expectations from most news organizations called for a headline index reading of around 119.5 to 120.2.

Around 10:20 a.m. EDT, Comex December gold was trading $8.10 lower for the day to $1,303.40 an ounce. Four minutes ahead of the report, the metal was at $1,304.10.

Consumer confidence decreased slightly in September after a marginal improvement in August, said Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board.

Confidence in Texas and Florida, however, decreased considerably, as these two states were the most severely impacted by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Despite the slight downtick in confidence, consumers assessment of current conditions remains quite favorable and their expectations for the short term suggest the economy will continue expanding at its current pace.

The present situation index decreased from 148.4 to 146.1, while the expectations index rose marginally from 101.7 last month to 102.2.
Wooden toilet seats made in southwestern Chinas Guizhou province have become top selling items in Europe and the US, due to their creative and functional design, dongjingguizhou, a public WeChat account of Guizhou, reported on Sept. 25.

With over 5,000 designs, from reliefs to 3D designs, these top sellers made by a company in Guizhou are not only creative, but also environmental-friendly, using high-quality local raw materials like bamboo and straw stalks and bio-glues as binding agents.

Creative made-in-China toilet seats have been a chic in the European market, with annual sales of over two million sets. Those exported to Germany and Switzerland account for 80 percent of the total export volume.

The made-in-China toilet seats are also well-received in the American market.

The company adjusted the creative design into a functional design, as most Americans prefer useful furniture with simple-design decoration.

The US version features a 2-in-1 seat for both adults and children, and a built-in potty seat that secures magnetically onto the cover when not in use. To satisfy American consumers, it was improved with easy installation and whisper close.

Now, Americans buy more than 200,000 sets every year, and a research and design center and marketing company have been set up in the US.
Sept 26 (Reuters) - Hong Kong shares steadies on Tuesday following the previous session's sharp falls, as investors looked past rising tensions on the Korean peninsula and instead focused on signs of improvement in China's economy.

The Hang Seng index rose 0.1 percent, to 27,513.01, while the China Enterprises Index gained 0.5 percent, to 10,968.39 points.

North Korea's foreign minister said on Monday that a weekend tweet by President Donald Trump counted as a declaration of war and that Pyongyang reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers even if they are not in its air space.

Investors, having coped with weeks of rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, instead focused on the outlook for China.

The Asian Development Bank maintained its 2017 and 2018 forecasts for China's growth at 6.7 percent and 6.4 percent. It had raised them in July. And on Monday, China's state planner said the growth of the country's overall leverage ratio has been clearly slowing and is now stabilising. The comments came days after S&P downgraded China's sovereign debt rating, saying government efforts to curb debt risks were not working as quickly as hoped.

Sector performance was mixed.

The property sector stabilized after Monday's slump, while the energy sector jumped nearly 3 percent on higher oil prices.

(Reporting Samuel Shen and John Ruwitch; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
MILAN, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Banca Carige will seek bondholder approval to force through a proposed debt conversion which is part of the troubled Italian bank's capital strengthening efforts.

Carige is the last large Italian bank still in difficulty after Rome rescued bigger rival Monte dei Paschi di Siena and liquidated two failing regional banks this year.

Many Italian banks struggled with a spike in bad loans as a result of the wider European economic slowdown which followed the financial crisis, forcing them to be recapitalised.

Genoa-based Carige, which is Italy's ninth-largest bank, must raise capital by the end of the year to comply with requirements set by the European Central Bank (ECB).

Carige's shareholders will gather on Thursday to approve a new share issue for up to 560 million euros ($662 million) and on the same day the board will set the terms of the debt swap, which it plans to launch on Friday.

The bank wants to convert up to 510 million euros in subordinated bonds into senior debt with a lower nominal value so as to reap a capital gain. The offer requires ECB approval.

It is counting on the bond swap and asset sales currently underway to generate around 400 million euros in cash.

The bank said in documents published on its website ahead of the meeting that it would ask bondholders to approve a mandatory conversion of the bonds.

This requires the approval of at least 75 percent of bondholders present at a general assembly, provided that at least 25 percent of them attend.

Carige reiterated that the bond swap was an essential part of its capital raising and said that its success was among conditions to which banks Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank had tied a pre-underwriting commitment.

The two banks' pledge to sign an underwriting accord before the launch of the new share issue is also subject to other conditions, including satisfactory feedback from investors.

Carige said it had taken part in meetings with investors in London and Milan to present its new business plan, but did not give any details as to how they went.

The bank estimated at around 37 million euros the costs associated with the new share issue and the bond swap. ($1 = 0.8465 euros)

(Reporting by Valentina Za; editing by Alexander Smith)
TOKYO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Japan Airlines (JAL) and Hawaiian Airlines will start code-sharing in March, the two carriers said on Tuesday.

The move comes as JAL was freed from government-imposed restrictions on route expansion in April, more than seven years after filing for bankruptcy and receiving a taxpayer-funded bailout.

Hawaii is one of the most popular destinations for Japanese outbound travellers.

With the code-sharing deal, the two carriers aim to solidify their lead in Japan-Hawaii flights against rivals such as Delta Air Lines Inc , ANA Holdings and Malaysia's long-haul budget airline AirAsia X Bhd .

Code-sharing is an arrangement that allows partners to access services in each other's flights such as booking, ticketing and check-in and frequent flyer programmes.

Hawaiian said it has asked ANA to terminate their code-sharing agreement.

(Reporting by Maki Shiraki; Writing by Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Sunil Nair)
By Ethan Lou

CALGARY, Alberta, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Canada's energy regulator has ordered Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd to stop some work on its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, after a public company blog post showed it had been conducting activities that had "not yet been approved."

In a letter sent on Friday, the National Energy Board (NEB) said Kinder Morgan has started work along the pipeline portion of the project, which the company is not yet allowed to do, and that it has to stop. The letter was filed to the NEB's website.

Kinder Morgan Canada, a division of Houston-based Kinder Morgan Inc , did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The C$7.4 billion ($5.9 billion) project, which would twin the current Trans Mountain pipeline, faces opposition from environmental and aboriginal groups and the provincial government of British Columbia, through which the pipeline passes.

While the project has federal approval, work on the pipeline itself cannot begin until the NEB determines its precise route, a process that has no firm conclusion date. The regulator has so far granted permission only for work on a coastal marine terminal, whose capacity needs to be increased to handle the extra crude from the expansion. Kinder Morgan Canada has not yet responded to the NEB, a spokesman for the regulator said on Tuesday.

The company has blogged frequently about its efforts to engage communities along the pipeline route and actions for the environment.

In a post this month, it wrote about installing devices to deter fish from spawning around construction areas for the project. The post included plans to install similar devices at another 21 sites.

The NEB wrote to the company: "Based on the information available to the board, it appears as though Trans Mountain is in violation of one or both of subsections ... of the NEB Act.

The letter did not mention any penalties or deadline for compliance.

The Trans Mountain expansion would nearly triple the capacity of the existing pipeline from Canada's oil heartland of Alberta to the west coast.

Canadian crude producers say their landlocked product needs more pipeline capacity to fetch better prices. Those opposing the project say they are concerned about its potential impact on climate change and increased possibility of spills.

A legal challenge that could overturn Trans Mountain's approval will be heard next week in Vancouver. (Reporting by Ethan Lou; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
TOKYO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Philippine Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Tuesday that he is confident the tax reform package of 134 billion pesos ($2.6 billion) will be approved.

The tax reforms, critical to President Rodrigo Duterte's ambitious infrastructure plans, has been approved by the lower house of Congress in May. The bill still needs Senate approval.

Diokno, speaking on the sidelines of a seminar in Tokyo, also dismissed concerns about the financial impact of the ongoing conflict in Marawi, saying the estimated cost so far is only 3 billion pesos, a fraction of the annual budget.

Diokno also said he needed to see the final plans for Marawi before deciding on how to finance reconstruction. ($1 = 50.8950 Philippine pesos)

(Reporting by Stanley White and Chehui Peh; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
Sept 26 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Tuesday.

DEBT TENDER

Romania sold a lower than planned 349 million lei ($90.22 million) worth of March 2022 treasury bonds on Monday, with the average accepted yield at 2.71 percent, central bank data showed. BUDGET DEFICIT

Romania's consolidated budget recorded a deficit of 0.8 percent of gross domestic product at the end of August, compared with a shortfall of 0.4 percent in the same period of last year, finance ministry data showed on Monday. MONEY SUPPLY

Romanian M3 money supply grew 11.7 percent on the year to 330.3 billion lei ($85.56 billion) at the end of August and was 1.7 percent higher on the month, central bank data showed on Monday. BANKS

Romania's four rated banks will benefit from buoyant economy and ongoing clean-up of loan books, Moody's said on Monday. CEE MARKETS

The zloty and forint eased on Monday as Hungary's central bank (NBH) pumped further liquidity into markets while Polish President Andrzej Duda demanded a greater say over the nomination of judges. DEPUTY PM

The ruling coalition led by the Social Democrat Party have expressed their support for Deputy Prime Minister Sevil Shhaideh and Minister in charge of European funds Rovana Plumb, asking them not to resign after anti-corruption prosecutors said they were investigating them in a land transfer case. Agerpres

CORRUPTION

Former minister and senator Dan Sova was sentenced to three years in jail for influence peddling on Monday. The decision is not final.

PROSECUTORS

Romania's judicial inspection unit of the magistrates' top watchdog said on Monday it was assessing chief anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi and two of her deputies following a challenge brought by two prosecutors who no longer work for the anti-corruption unit. Hotnews.ro

Chief anti-corruption prosecutors said in an interview on Monday that the judicial system has been under attack so far this year, with legislative changes, fake emails and challenges, adding that as long as corruption continued to exist so will attacks against the judiciary. Europe FM

For the long-term Romanian diary, click on For emerging markets economic events, click on For an index of all diaries, click on For other related news, double click on: --------------------------------------------------------------- Romanian equities RO-E E.Europe equities .CEE Romanian money RO-M Romanian debt RO-D Eastern Europe EEU All emerging markets EMRG Hot stocks HOT Stock markets STX Market debt news DBT Forex news FRX For real-time index quotes, double click on: Bucharest BETI Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX ---------------------------------------------------------------
MOSCOW, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Russia's central bank plans to tighten requirements for how much banks may lend to their shareholders, Deputy Central Bank Governor Vasily Pozdyshev told a conference hosted by the Fitch ratings agency on Tuesday.

"The banking system's birth trauma is lending to banks' own shareholders. We will tighten risk requirements for the (banks') shareholders' business further," Pozdyshev said.

In less than a month, the central bank took over two large private banks, Otkritie and B&N bank, saying they had been growing too fast, while also funding businesses of their owners and not setting aside proper provisions to cover for expansion.

(Reporting by Kira Zavyalova and Jack Stubbs; writing by Katya Golubkova; editing by Dmitry Solovyov)
Sept 26 (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 0402 GMT.

September 26 USD/VND mid-point 22,456 USD/VND interbank 22,732/22,733 USD/VND unofficial 22,720/22,740 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.55/36.77

Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.6-1.1

1 week 0.9-1.2

1 month 1.4-1.9

3 months 3.0-3.6

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016, the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
ZURICH, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Swiss blue-chip SMI was seen opening 0.4 percent lower at 9,107 points on Tuesday, according to premarket indications by bank Julius Baer .

Here are some of the main factors that may affect Swiss stocks:

NESTLE The food giant set a formal margin target and confirmed it wants to return to mid-single-digit organic sales growth by 2020. "The company will detail how it will reach its mid-single digit organic growth target by 2020, and will announce an underlying trading operating profit margin target of 17.5-18.5 percent by 2020," it said ahead of a highly anticipated investor seminar in London. Shares indicated up 0.5 percent

For more news see NOVARTIS Designated Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan is eyeing savings of up to 25 percent on clinical trials as part of a "productivity revolution", the Financial Times reported in an interview with Narasimhan. [ ]

For more news, click SYNGENTA Syngenta has postponed plans to issue U.S. dollar bonds, sources told IFR. The company, which was looking at a multi-tranche issue to refinance bridge loans ChemChina raised for its $43 billion takeover of the Swiss chemical maker, sent a notice to investors that said: "The company has had productive meetings with potential investors and intends to come to market in the coming months." COMPANY STATEMENTS * Addex Therapeutics LTD - net loss increased to CHF 1.8 million in the first half of 2017 from 1.5 million in the first half of 2016 * Kuros Biosciences AG H1 net loss of CHF 7.0 million (first half-year 2016: 13.3 million)

* Newron Pharmaceuticals raises 27 million francs in share placement * AMS AG announced the successful placement of $350 million 5-year convertible bonds. ECONOMY (Reporting by Zurich newsroom)

Daily Swiss stock market report in German................ All SMI constituent stocks............................ News on major Swiss stock price moves.................. FTSE Eurotop 300 index................................ DJ STOXX index........................................ Top 10 STOXX sectors............................. Top 10 EUROSTOXX sectors........................ Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors....................... Top 25 European pct gainers... , losers... Swiss mid-cap index SMI futures Swiss all-share index Market statistics Swiss market digest Sector overview All Swiss news Swiss research news All equity news INTERNET ADDRESSES: Swiss Exchange / Eurex STOXX Ltd SPEED GUIDES: ))

Keywords: MARKETS SWISS STOCKS/
BUDAPEST, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Hungarian Government Debt Management Agency (AKK) sold 15 billion forints ($57.06 million) worth of three-month Treasury bills on Tuesday, as planned, it said. Series: D180103 Issue status: Auction data: AUCTION DATE 26/09/2017 19/09/2017 TOTAL BIDS (bln HUF) 50.00 45.50 ALLOTTED (bln HUF) 15.00 15.00 AVERAGE YIELD (pct) -0.07 -0.05 ($1 = 262.8800 forints)

(Reporting by Sandor Peto)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
ISTANBUL, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Tuesday.

The lira stood at 3.5423 against the U.S. dollar at 0526 GMT, firming from 3.5470 at Monday's close.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond was at 11.03 percent in spot trade on Monday and fell to 10.98 percent in Tuesday-dated trade.

The main BIST 100 share index fell 1.78 percent to 102,270.17 points on Monday.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian shares withered on Tuesday and the yen firmed against the backdrop of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and as investors awaited fresh signals about the U.S. monetary policy outlook. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.3 percent, following tech-focused losses on Wall Street. REACTION TO IRAQI KURDISH REFERENDUM

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan threatened on Monday to cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world, intensifying pressure on the Kurdish autonomous region over its independence referendum. Turkish military exercises near the Habur border crossing into Iraq were set to enter their third stage on Tuesday with the addition of Iraqi soldiers who arrived in the area on Monday night. ERDOGAN

President Erdogan makes a speech at a ceremony to mark the start of the 2017-2018 academic year (0830 GMT). He will then chair a meeting of the executive committee of his ruling AK Party (1030 GMT).

TREASURY BOND AUCTION

The Treasury will tap its benchmark two-year, fixed-coupon bond maturing on May 15, 2019.

For other related news, double click on:

Turkish politics Turkish equities Turkish money Turkish debt Turkish hot stocks Forex news All emerging market news All Turkish news For real-time quotes, double click on:

Istanbul National-100 stock index , interbank lira trading , lira bond trading (Writing by Daren Butler)
CARACAS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - U.S. paint manufacturer Axalta Coating System has halted production in Venezuela due to the South American country's "political and economic situation" and is laying off its workers, the company and employees said on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Corina Pons; Editing by Paul Simao)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
* August semi-finished exports down 3.2 pct year on year

* Foil exports fall by almost 5 pct from August 2016

* Shipments hit by US, Indian duties on Chinese foil

(Adds foil figures, background)

BEIJING, Sept 26 (Reuters) - China's semi-finished aluminium exports fell for a third straight month in August as punitive duties imposed by the United Sates and India on Chinese aluminium foil leave manufacturers struggling to find alternative markets.

Semi-finished exports stood at 360,000 tonnes last month, according to final customs data published on Tuesday, down 3.2 percent on the same month a year ago and down 7.7 percent from 390,000 tonnes in July. The monthly export figure is the lowest since February 2017.

For January-August, semi-finished exports came in at 2.88 million tonnes, up 5.2 percent year on year, customs data showed.

Aluminium foil exports, which are included in the semi-finished category, stood at 93,400 tonnes last month, down 4.9 percent year on year, customs data showed. That figure - also the lowest since February - was down 6 percent from July's 99,408 tonnes.

January-August foil exports stood at 794,907 tonnes, up 10.1 percent year on year.

The U.S. Commerce Department last month announced a preliminary decision to impose countervailing duties ranging from 16.56 percent to 80.97 percent on imports of Chinese aluminium foil, giving Chinese exporters little incentive to ship the product to the United States. A decision from Washington on whether to impose additional anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese aluminium foil is due in early October.

India imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese aluminium foil in mid-May.

The customs data did not provide a breakdown of the semi-finished exports by country but the United States and India were key markets for Chinese foil manufacturers. Some companies are lodging a legal challenge against the U.S. duties. (Reporting by Tom Daly; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
(Adds further detail in second paragraph)

By Helen Bartholomew

LONDON, Sept 25 (IFR) - KfW has issued its first euro commercial paper using distributed ledger technology. The pilot transaction was led by Commerzbank and sold to MEAG, the asset manager of Munich Re and ERGO, as part of a test of the new technology in the sale of money market instruments.

Although issued using traditional processes required by regulators, the 100,000 transaction was simultaneously replicated using blockchain on the R3 Corda platform. The technology, which underpins cryptocurrency bitcoin, creates a decentralised data structure that forms the basis for "smart contracts", enabling full automation of business transaction processes.

The KfW paper, which has a five-day term, settled without the need for a paying agent or clearing system, allowing immediate posting compared to a standard two-day settlement period. KfW is a German government-owned development bank.

Digitalisation will have a significant impact on the manner in which financial markets transactions will be traded and settled in the future, according to Frank Czichowski, treasurer of KfW.

"Blockchain technology holds significant potential," said Czichowski in a statement. "With this pilot transaction, we have been able to gather initial positive experience in practice. Looking forward, we anticipate benefits in terms of settlement speeds, transparency and high security standards."

Immediate securities settlement poses many benefits for money market instruments, particularly given their short maturities and simple structures. Same-day settlement reduces risk and can provide capital relief, while the reduction in the number of intermediaries can further increase efficiency.

"Transforming securities transactions into digital issues may open up enormous potential for efficiency gains," said Roman Schmidt, Commerzbank's divisional board member for corporate finance.

Given the high volumes of money market instruments traded, capital and liquidity savings can be significant, though further technical, regulatory and legal adjustments are required to realise those gains.

Frank Wellhoefer, MD for investment controlling, back office and IT at MEAG, said the project allowed the firm to analyse the impact of blockchain technology on front-office and back-office processes as well as regulatory aspects from an investor's perspective.

"The future belongs to digital business processes," Wellhoefer said in a statement. "Whilst potential efficiency gains and cost benefits are already highly attractive when looking at existing processes, opportunities to further develop our processes promise additional revenues for our clients."

Blockchain technology also sees individual steps of the transaction made transparent through real-time visualisation, providing a basis for regulatory reporting.

The pilot transaction represents an extension of a blockchain prototype platform developed by Commerzbank in conjunction with other banks. Commerzbank is part of the R3 Corda consortium that explores the application of blockchain across the financial services sector.

Others have also been testing the technology in recent months. In July, Daimler used blockchain to issue a 100m bond in partnership with four savings banks, including Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg. The entire transaction from origination, distribution, allocation and execution to confirmation of repayment and interest payments was carried out by Blockchain.

In 2015, US-based Overstock.com issued the world's first cryptobonds through capital markets-focused DLT platform, T0. The private issue was sold to a small group of qualified buyers raising US$25m.

Cryptocurrency exchange BlockEx is planning to issue the first public bonds through a blockchain platform, while Swiss exchange group SIX has developed a digital bond issuance prototype in conjunction with Digital Asset Holdings, but has no immediate launch plans.

(Reporting by Helen Bartholomew)
* AngloGold biggest gainer among blue-chips

(Updates levels)

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 26 (Reuters) - South Africa's rand weakened in late trade on Tuesday, as investors fretted over global risk events such as the fallout from Germany's election and tension between North Korea and the United States. Stocks were also weaker.

At 1547 GMT, the rand traded at 13.3900 per dollar, 0.37 percent weaker than its New York close on Monday.

Demand for the rand stalled after the Reserve Bank's surprise decision last Thursday to keep lending rates on hold after cutting by 25 basis points at its July meeting. "Sentiment towards the rand is still fragile and will only be restored if USD/ZAR and EUR/ZAR can hold below 13.40 and 16.00 this week," Rand Merchant Bank currency analyst John Cairns said.

Cairns said the immediate threat to the rand was risk aversion amid an escalating war of words between North Korea and the U.S., German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "uninspiring" win in the election and problems facing U.S. President Donald Trump's healthcare reform bid.

"We do not expect these concerns to last for very long, but for now they prohibit any meaningful rand strength," Cairns said.

In fixed income, the yield for the benchmark government bond due in 2026 rose 8.5 basis points to 8.54 percent.

On the bourse, the benchmark Top-40 index was down 1.5 percent at 48,819 points, while the broader All-share index shed 1.4 percent to 55,070 points.

The JSE was closed for trading due to a public holiday on Monday and the local bourse had to play "catch-up" after the events of the weekend, said Cratos Capital equities trader Greg Davies.

Shares in South Africa's largest company Naspers were down 3.2 percent at 2,867.59 rand, following the fortunes of its largest investment - China's Tencent Holdings .

"Tencent is down more than 3 percent since we last traded," said Davies. Chinese regulators on Monday imposed a fine on Tencent for failing to properly censor online content. Naspers holds a third of Tencent and both the South African e-commerce firm and South Africa's bourse have scaled record highs this year buoyed by the Chinese technology company's strong performance.

The biggest gainer among the blue-chips was AngloGold Ashanti which rose 1.8 percent to 126.77 rand.

"Only gold shares are up and that is mostly on geopolitics," said Davies referring to the sabre rattling between the U.S and North Korea.

(Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and TJ Strydom; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
(Adds more details)

PRETORIA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - South Africa is in talks with Citibank on how to settle a 1.8 billion rand ($135 million) loan to the state airline due to be repaid at the end of September, Treasury Director General Dondo Mogajane said on Tuesday.

"We owe Citibank about 1.8 billion rand. We had an understanding with them to roll (the debt) to September. Citi did indicate to us that they will not be in a position to roll further and we engaged them. It's an ongoing consultation," Mogajane told journalists at a news conference.

Citibank South Africa's spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Mogajane said in total the airline had 6.9 billion rand of debt maturing at the end of September.

"We are engaging the lenders, so as much as 6.9 billion rand is due on paper it might just be that we don't have to pay the 6.9 billion, consultations continue," Mogajane said.

State-owned South African Airways (SAA) was in July provided with state funds to help it repay loans of about 2.3 billion rand to Standard Chartered . SAA already relies on government guarantees to support its finances.

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, speaking at the same news conference, denied there was a plan to tap the government pension fund to bail out SAA. SAA has been highlighted by all three major rating agencies as one of the problems facing South Africa's economy. The Treasury is under pressure to keep recent pledges to cut spending and reform governance at state firms to fend off credit downgrades deeper into "junk".

($1 = 13.3446 rand)

(Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Writing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo. Editing by Jane Merriman)
* GMF AeroAsia IPO had aimed to raise as much as 5.55 trln rupiah

* Status of 10 pct stake sale to strategic investors unclear

* Small size of IPO will deter foreign investors: analyst

(Adds analyst comments; paragraphs 6-8)

JAKARTA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Indonesia's Garuda Maintenance Facility AeroAsia (GMF AeroAsia) has raised just 1.27 trillion rupiah ($95 million) from its IPO, IFR reported, substantially less than the maintenance subsidiary of PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk had hoped.

GMF AeroAsia had intended to garner as much as 5.55 trillion rupiah in the initial public offering (IPO), with planned sales of a maximum of 10.9 billion shares within a range of 390 to 510 rupiah per share. IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication, said GMF AeroAsia priced the IPO at 400 rupiah per share on Tuesday, close to the bottom end of the indicated range. IFR cited two people with knowledge of the transaction.

The company decided to sell only 10 percent of its stake through the IPO, or half what it originally planned, IFR said.

GMF AeroAsia had also been seeking to sell an additional stake of 10 percent to strategic partners as part of the process. It was not clear where that plan stands now.

Corrine Png, the chief executive of transport research firm Crucial Perspective, said demand for the IPO was weak, in part because the global aircraft maintenance and repair market was suffering from overcapacity and rate pressure.

"GMF AeroAsia's workload is not well-diversified and too dependent on Garuda Indonesia, which is loss-making," she said.

"Unfortunately, the small size of the placement also deters foreign investors, given concerns about the future trading liquidity of the stock."

Garuda chief executive Pahala Mansury declined to comment on the IFR report. GMF AeroAsia was not immediately available for comment.

Indonesia's IPO market has struggled in the last few years, battling high valuations and worries about economic growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. But companies were boosted by the mid-May upgrade of Indonesia's credit rating to investment grade by Standard & Poor's, giving them the opportunity to raise funds on better terms. GMF AeroAsia had also been seeking to bring in strategic partners as it looks to build a new maintenance facility at Batam Island near Singapore and boost its work for customers besides Garuda.

In a statement this month, Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance said it signed a letter of intent with GMF AeroAsia to "move up" their longstanding partnership. But it has not, so far, announced an investment in GMF AeroAsia. ($1=13,368 rupiah)

(Reporting by S. Anuradha of IFR; Additional reporting by Cindy Silviana in JAKARTA and Jamie Freed and Anshuman Daga in SINGAPORE; Writing by Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Clarence Fernandez)
* Siemens set to opt for Alstom rail deal

* Signs of political backlash in France

* Alstom and Siemens' shares: (Adds further background and detail, Siemens CEO comment)

By Alexander Hubner and Cyril Altmeyer

MUNICH/PARIS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Siemens and Alstom are expected to announce a deal merging their rail operations on Tuesday, a Franco-German industrial breakthrough for President Emmanuel Macron but a move already riling opposition politicians.

Macron's centrist government has said it supports efforts to strengthen French industry through partnerships with German firms as long as jobs are safeguarded. The French state owns around 20 percent of Alstom. Siemens is expected to announce the rail deal with Alstom on Tuesday rather than pursuing an alternative with Canada's Bombardier , two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The agreement is likely to see Siemens Mobility merged into Alstom, in which Siemens would hold 50 percent plus one share, while the chief executive would be Alstom's current boss Henri-Poupart Lafarge. Major train makers in Europe are under increasing pressure to combine their businesses as much-larger Chinese state-backed rival CRRC embarks on a global expansion.

Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser said he believed the scale of CRRC left little room for regulators to oppose a deal.

"It always depends, but the facts are that there is a dominant player," he told Reuters in an interview in New York.

Siemens and Alstom are strong in high-speed intercity trains with their ICE and TGV models. Siemens is also the leader in signalling technology, while Bombardier - whose transportation headquarters are in Berlin - is stronger in commuter and light-rail trains.

Siemens stands to gain control of Alstom's main business, since all of Alstom's divisions deal with the railways and transportation industries.

A special dividend would even out the value of Siemens and Alstom, which has too much cash on its balance sheet, to smooth the intended 50-50 joint venture, one of the sources said.

"Will there be a special dividend? Yes," said the second person.

Siemens' mobility division reported operating profit of 678 million euros ($800 million) in its last financial year, a margin of 8.7 percent of sales and a 15 percent increase on the prior year.

Alstom posted adjusted EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) of 421 million euros in its most recent annual earnings, a margin of 5.8 percent and also a 15 percent rise.

SIGNS OF BACKLASH

While the French government has made comments backing the deal, several opposition politicians and French trade union activists expressed concerns.

Their worries centre on France losing control of its TGV high-speed train - a symbol of national pride that has highlighted French engineering skill - and possible job losses.

French right-wing politician Nicolas Dupont-Aignan criticised the likely deal on Tuesday as being more favourable to Germany than France, as did far-right politician Nicolas Bay, the National Front's secretary general, who said on Twitter that it could result in the "eradication of French industry".

Eric Woerth, a member of the right-wing Republicans' party, voiced similar views on his Twitter account.

"Is this now the end of Alstom? Will TGV become German? Why does the government accept such an imbalance?"

Last week, the French government's spokesman said France was not worried about an Alstom-Siemens tie-up provided that jobs were protected. One source said France had no concerns over any anti-trust issues emanating from it. A branch of the CFDT trade union representing Alstom workers wrote on Twitter: "Macron abandoned Alstom to GE and he's now abandoning them to Siemens." Macron served as economy minister for two years from August 2014.

A tie-up between the two companies - aimed at creating a European champion in the railway sector similar to Airbus in aviation - would represent a reconciliation of sorts between Siemens and Alstom.

Alstom snubbed the German company in 2014 to sell its energy division to General Electric in a deal that also saw Paris take a 20 percent stake in Alstom, under a temporary agreement with construction group Bouygues .

Analysts at Exane BNP Paribas raised their rating on Alstom to "neutral" from "underweight" noting a deal offered better growth prospects than remaining a standalone company.

"We suggest that, if they participate, value creation would be limited for Siemens but material for Alstom," the Exane BNP Paribas analysts wrote.

"Aside from the M&A (mergers and acquisition) angle, we believe that commercially, this year will be relatively muted for Alstom. With no large contracts in sight, pressure on free cash flow should intensify due to lack of downpayments received." ($1 = 0.8479 euros)

(Reporting by Alexander Huebner and Cyril Altmeyer; Additional reporting by Georgina Prodhan, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Maya Nikolaeva and Alwyn Scott; Editing by Keith Weir)
HANOI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Vietnam received an estimated $12.5 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first nine months of this year, up 13.4 percent from the same period in 2016, the government said on Tuesday.

Pledges of new FDI during the nine-month period jumped 30.4 percent from a year earlier to $14.56 billion, while additional funds to existing projects rose 28.3 percent to $6.75 billion, the investment ministry said in an online report.

Vietnam's FDI inflow hit a record high of $15.8 billion in 2016. (Reporting by Mi Nguyen; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Snow this evening will transition to snow showers late. Low near 25F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snowfall around one inch..

Tonight

Snow this evening will transition to snow showers late. Low near 25F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snowfall around one inch.
(File Photo)

A delivery company in east China was fined thousands of yuan for violating Chinas Counter Terrorism Law and encouraging drug trafficking, said the official WeChat account of Shuyang Police on Sept. 25.

The criminal surnamed Liu started an illegal methamphetamine delivery service from April 2017, according to local police handling Lius case on Aug. 5.

Three service stations of a delivery company in Suqian are responsible, as they failed to inspect goods and identities of senders in accordance with guidelines, creating an opening for drug traffickers.

Local postal administration on Sept. 25 imposed a fine of 150,000 yuan (over $22,000) on the company and 10,000 yuan (about $1500) on each executive. Local police said those involved should be punished for lacking legal consciousness and violating the counter-terrorism law.

This case is a warning for the express delivery industry. Delivery companies are required to fulfill duties in case of any illegal act, and this is the first fine on a company in Suqian, east Chinas Jiangsu province, since the law took effect in 2016, according to local police.
Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission warns consumers to beware of flood-related vehicle scams





Hurricane-damaged vehicles expected to infiltrate Tennessees used car market



NASHVILLE  Consumers who are shopping for a new vehicle should be aware that flood-damaged cars and trucks from states ravaged by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma will eventually surface in Tennessee. In an effort to raise awareness, the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission, which is part of the Department of Commerce & Insurances Regulatory Boards division, is warning consumers to be alert for scammers who might disguise severely water-damaged vehicles as being perfectly good.



The recent disasters in Texas and Florida are expected to leave over a million flood-damaged vehicles in their wake, said Motor Vehicle Commission Executive Director Paula Shaw. We want to help Tennesseans avoid unknowingly purchasing a used car that may have received non-repairable damage. Driving a flooded car puts its owner and other drivers at risk of injury or death.



The Motor Vehicle Anti-Theft Act of 1996 makes a clear distinction between a fresh water flood vehicle (which can be rebuilt) and a saltwater damaged vehicle (which cannot be rebuilt). Tennessee titling laws, governed by the Tennessee Department of Revenue, distinguish between non-repairable and salvage vehicles by the type and extent of the damage. The determination about the type and extent of damage is made by the insurance company.



Many of the vehicles damaged as a result of hurricanes Harvey and Irma will be categorized as salt water damage due to the presence of brackish water, a mixture of salt and fresh water that is generally the result of the backwash of saltwater into bayou areas. Saltwater damage continues to corrode and eat away at a vehicles body and operating components, even after it is cleaned up and repaired. With the computer system of todays motor vehicles commonly located in the lower quadrant of the car, even low water levels of water damage can cause damage to a vehicles electrical system.



A vehicle that has been declared a total loss due to saltwater damage is deemed nonrepairable and may never be titled again in the state of Tennessee. Saltwater damage vehicles can only be dismantled and used for parts.



Unscrupulous individuals looking to take advantage of the fact that no national standard or definition of various title brands exists and move water-damaged vehicles to states with different laws or definitions, giving them a clean title in that state. Typically, there is always an influx of water or saltwater damaged vehicles on parking lots and social media sites following an occurrence such as a hurricane or flood.



Scammers typically attempt to sell flooded vehicles quickly after a disaster, hoping to stay ahead of computer system updates so that title check systems dont have time to detect the cars history. By the time a consumer discovers the vehicles history, the seller will be long gone.



To help consumers avoid these flood-related car scams, the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission provides the following guidelines:



 Any person selling a flood vehicle is required by law prior to the sale of the vehicle to disclose such to the purchaser. Further, once titling that vehicle, the purchaser will receive a branded vehicle title indicating the vehicles salvage history. Having such a title will substantially impact the value of that vehicle for further resale.

 Anyone attempting to purchase a vehicle in the near future should be on the lookout for indicators of a flood vehicle, such as a musty smell, damp carpets, or mud/silt under the seats, and should attempt to find the vehicle history prior to purchasing.

 Use a reputable title check service, such as the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, to check the vehicle history. If you find that it was last titled in a flood-damaged area, you should ask a lot of questions before making a decision. Keep in mind that title check companies are only as good as the information that they collect from other sources. Some of the sources that they collect data from may be delayed in pushing their data to the system.

 Remember that a vehicles flood history may take up to 30 days or longer to post on traditional consumer reporting sites. As such, the Commission recommends that individuals purchase motor vehicles from a licensed motor vehicle dealer.

 Because the vehicle could appear to be in very good shape, even if it has significant electrical and corrosion issues, its important to always have a trusted mechanic inspect a vehicle before purchasing it.

 Be aware that there will be many recreational and powersport-type vehicles that have been damaged as a result of the recent storms as well. Look for the signs of flooding and saltwater damage before purchasing these units, too.

 Keep in mind that there are lawful ways of reselling previously damaged vehicles. Rebuilt vehicles can be repaired and sold as long as they comply with the applicable laws. The Motor Vehicle Commission requires that licensed dealers provide a disclosure of the vehicles history on the Commission approved form.

 Saltwater damaged vehicles are non-repairable but can be dismantled and the parts can be sold lawfully through a licensed dismantler/recycler.

 If you suspect a licensed dealer has sold you a vehicle with a salvage history and failed to disclose it, you may file a complaint here.

 The Commission is not responsible for collecting or enforcing any refunds from unscrupulous sales but may take disciplinary action resulting in potential civil penalties or revocations of dealer licenses.



Published September 26, 2017










Powell woman sentenced to serve eight years in federal prison





Tax evasion, mail and wire fraud earns woman prison time



KNOXVILLE  On September 20, 2017, 38 year old Andrea Rudd of Powell, Tennessee was sentenced to consecutively serve 60 months for tax evasion and 36 months for mail and wire fraud, for a total of 96 months in federal prison. Rudd was sentenced by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, Chief U.S. District Judge. Upon her release from prison, she will be supervised by U.S. Probation for three years. Rudd was also ordered to pay $15,766,417.32 in restitution to the victims of her offenses, $10,377,785.04 of which will go to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).



In April 2017, Rudd, pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging her with the above-referenced offenses.



Rudd was the owner of HR Comp, LLC (HR Comp) in Powell. HR Comp conducted business through several subsidiaries collectively known as the Professional Employer Organization (PEO) Entities. Operating both independently and in the name of the PEO Entities, HR Comp entered into contracts with client companies to process their payroll. In conjunction with handling the payroll, HR Comp was responsible for collecting and remitting money owed by the companies and their employees for payroll taxes to the IRS. Additionally, HR Comp, both independently and through the PEO Entities, entered into contracts with the client companies to provide workers compensation insurance.



Between 2011 and 2015, instead of remitting the money collected from her client companies for payroll taxes to the IRS, Rudd converted the funds for her own personal use. Additionally, client agencies sent money to HR Comp, in exchange for what Rudd and her co-conspirators represented to be workers compensation insurance. However, false certificates of insurance were provided to the client companies, and the insurance was never purchased.



Published September 26, 2017
Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, on Monday to discuss developments in bilateral relations between the two nations, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

El-Sisi arrived in the Emirati capital earlier on Monday as part of a two-day official visit, and was received by the crown prince and several senior UAE officials, Egyptian presidency spokesperson Alaa Youssef said.

Both El-Sisi and bin Zayed stressed the distinguished strategic relations between the two countries and agreed to continue coordination in combating the unprecedented challenges that threaten the stability and the security of Arab nations.

Egypt and the UAE maintain strong economic ties. In mid-August, the Emirati ambassador to Cairo announced that the UAE is among the biggest Arab investors in Egypt at $4.9 billion.

On Monday, bin Zayed expressed his country's full support for Egypt's fight against terrorism. El-Sisi and the crown prince discussed their efforts to combat extremism, as well as the importance of the efforts of other Arab nations and of the wider international community, especially in stopping the funding and favorable media coverage of terrorist groups.

The two leaders also discussed recent developments in the wider Middle East, including the need to confront attempts to destabilise Arab states and interfere in their domestic affairs.

They also discussed intensifying joint action by Arab nations in order to meet the interests of their citizens.

On 5 June, Egypt and the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar, suspending air and shipping routes to the Gulf state.

The four nations claim Doha supports Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood, which Cairo accuses of terrorism and attempting to destabilise Egypt.

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The lawyer and former presidential candidate was found guilty of making an indecent gesture outside the State Council headquarters in January

A Giza misdemeanor court on Monday sentenced prominent human rights lawyer and 2012 presidential candidate Khaled Ali to three months in prison for offending public decency, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

Ali has announced his intention to appeal the first-degree court ruling and has been granted bail of EGP 1,000 pending the outcome.

The lawyer was charged with offending public decency after allegedly making the middle-finger gesture outside the State Council headquarters in January.

The reported incident occured as a crowd gathered to celebrate a successful court ruling won by Ali against the April 2016 Egypt-Saudi border demarcation agreement that placed the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir with Saudia Arabian territory.

The case against Ali was filed by lawyer Samir Sabry.

Shortly after Monday's ruling, Ali took to Facebook to criticize the conduct of the trial, accusing the court of ignoring the defence team's requests and issuing the verdict without hearings.

"We will appeal the verdict, but not out of fear of prison. We are not better than those youths who paid the price with their own lives inside prison for defending the Egyptian identity of Tiran and Sanafir," said the lawyer.

Ali spearheaded a legal challenge to the Egypt-Saudi maritime border demarcation agreement, claiming that the two Red Sea islands were Egyptian territory and could not be transferred to Saudi Arabia by way of such an agreement.

The well-known human rights lawyer ran for president in Egypt's 2012 presidential elections.

Should he lose his appeal against Monday's verdict, he will be unable to run in the 2018 presidential elections, according to Egypt's Presidential Elections Law.

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"La Vie en Rose  The Four Major Rivers  Namhangang River I" by Hong Soun / Courtesy of the artist



By Kwon Mee-yoo





Hong Soun

Artist Hong Soun, who won the 17th LEEINSUNG ART PRIZE in 2016, holds a solo exhibition at the Daegu Art Museum in the southern city of Daegu.

The prize, given by the Daegu Metropolitan Government since 1999, honors the artistic spirit of the late artist Lee In-sung (1912-1950), who was from the city. Lee developed a distinguishable style represented by bold, indigenous use of color and depicted his home country during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945). The award also celebrates contemporary artists who express individual style just as Lee did.

Hong, born in 1959, works with various materials and media from painting, print, sculpture, installation and media art. He has been experimenting with news photos for a long time, adding a new depth to the photos by capturing the marginal parts and rediscovering significance. The artist pays keen attention to current issues and sublimates those interests into art.

The judges thought highly of Hong's experimental, avant-garde style over the last decade and his adventurous attitude reflecting social issues.

Titled "La Vie en Rose," the exhibit features some 3,500 pieces from 100 serial works Hong created during the last decade. Four major themes are "Sidescape," "Memoryscape," "Ordinary Monument" and "La Vie en Rose."

The "Sidescape" series is the longest series, which began in 2004. He collects news photos, edits them to remove key information and paints the peripheral landscape onto the canvas, questioning where the truth lies.

"Memoryscape" is a combination of paintings and sculptures as the artist creates a sculpture with objects collected from various sites of incidents and covers the objects with his painting.

"Ordinary Monument" is Hong's way of paying tribute to the ferry Sewol sinking in 2014. The artist visited Paengmok Port on Jindo, South Jeolla Province, near the site of the disaster, and collected objects from the port. These objects are covered in transparent plastic wrap, representing the transparently condensed anger and regret. For this exhibition, Hong reveals a larger artwork which consists of 304 objects.

"La Vie en Rose" is a series of red-hued paintings depicting dark characters in history such as German Nazi lieutenant colonel Adolf Eichmann who sent Jews to concentration camps and British imperialist Cecil Rhodes who exploited diamond miners. Another subject is the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project carried out under the Lee Myung-bak administration.

Hong, as an artist, questions what an artist and art can do facing such incidents or disasters through his works.

The exhibit runs through Jan. 7, 2018. Admission is 1,000 won for adults. For more information, visit artmuseum.daegu.go.kr.
By Yoon Ja-young



The liberal Moon Jae-in government is apparently making labor-friendly policies to resuscitate the household economy and pull up economic growth. But concern is increasing that these policies may end up hurting businesses and worsening the job market.



President Moon met with non-regular workers at Incheon International Airport right after his inauguration, promising they would become regular employees. The move by the former labor and human rights lawyer got applause from workers who were marginalized during the previous two business-friendly administrations.



On top of the pressure on businesses to shift from irregular to regular jobs, a series of labor-friendly policies have followed since his inauguration. The minimum wage will be raised by 16.4 percent next year, with President Moon having promised to raise it to 10,000 won by 2020. According to the Korea Federation of SMEs, the 16.4 percent hike will increase labor costs by 16.2 trillion won. Working hours, meanwhile, will be curtailed to 52 hours a week from 68 hours, which will incur 12.3 trillion won in additional costs according to the Korea Economic Research Institute.



Kia Motors lost a lawsuit in a dispute with its labor union over the definition of the base wage. According to the Korea Employer's Federation, the 115 companies currently undergoing lawsuits over base wages may face up to a 38.55 trillion won additional burden.



Some businesses, such as bakery franchise giant Paris Baguette, are also facing pressure to directly hire workers currently dispatched by outsourcing companies.



Most recently, the labor ministry abolished guidelines adopted during the previous Park Geun-hye administration, which aimed at enabling businesses to easily lay off underperforming workers and change employment rules.



While the labor-friendly policies stem from a shift of focus on households from corporations, which many deem as necessary, experts say the government seems to be making these changes too drastically.



"Just one of the numerous labor-friendly policies by the Moon administration will be burdensome enough for businesses. But they have been thrown out simultaneously as if they were bombs," said Jeong Yeon-ang, a professor of business administration at Chung-Ang University.



He said the administration seems to be focusing on getting results without tackling the root causes.



"For instance, simply raising the minimum wage without examining the underlying factors such as productivity will only decrease jobs."



He stressed the government should be neutral in labor-management relations since there are no winners and losers when it comes to labor-management relations. "The enemy of the labor union is not management, but competitor company. When a business goes poor, its workers lose jobs," he said.



Experts say the businesses are left without exits since the government is implementing contradictory policies at the same time. The peak wage system, for instance, is essential since the official retirement age of workers was extended to 60. Due to the abolition of the labor guidelines, however, it became difficult for businesses to adopt the peak wage system since the labor union is not likely to accept it. Jeong said the extension of retirement age for one worker without slashing their salary means businesses can't hire three new workers.



Experts say the government should not forget that businesses are the ones that create jobs.



"Though the job creation potential of businesses has weakened compared with the past due to technological advancements that came to require less labor, it is still businesses, though, that are in charge of creating jobs," said Kim Soo-hyung, a researcher at Hyundai Research Institute. "The government should induce them to invest more and create more jobs, providing tax incentives for job creation."




By Yoon Ja-young



The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) levied a 1.79 billion won ($1.58 million) fine on Mercedes-Benz Korea and eight dealers of the German car here for colluding to raise repair and maintenance fees.



According to the FTC, the eight dealers including Han Sung Motor, The Class Hyosung, JoongAng Motor and Star Motor, had meetings at the Han Sung Motor office and the Mercedes-Benz Korea office in the first half of 2009. They colluded to raise hourly labor fees for repairs and maintenance to enhance their revenue of after-sales service.



"They are official dealers of Mercedes-Benz, selling the cars as well as operating a repair and maintenance business in Korea," the FTC noted.



The anti-trust watchdog pointed out that the dealers colluded to raise the hourly labor rates they charge Mercedes-Benz owners for maintenance and general repairs.



Mercedes-Benz Korea imports Mercedes-Benz cars and components from Daimler AG in Germany. Then it sells the cars wholesale to the eight dealers here, who are engaged in the retail car business.



For repair and maintenance, however, each of the dealers operates their own repair and maintenance service center, charging their customers hourly rates on labor.



According to the FTC, Mercedes-Benz Korea suggested to the dealers they should meet to discuss raising maintenance and repair fees beginning in January 2009. It suggested the target revenue for the after-sales service business, and demanded that the dealers submit their financial information to determine how much the fees should be raised.



Based on the data they had submitted, Mercedes-Benz Korea held a meeting with the dealers in May 2009, notifying them of the details of the hike such as when and by how much prices be raised. Following the collusion, the eight dealers raised the hourly charges starting from the very next month.



Since price rigging violates anti-trust and fair trade regulations, the FTC levied penalties totaling 468 million won on the eight dealers, while Mercedes-Benz Korea faced a 1.32 billion won penalty for encouraging the dealers to collude.



The imported car market is growing steeply in Korea, with imported cars taking 15.5 percent of registered cars as of 2015, more than double the 6 percent marked in 2008. Mercedes-Benz Korea sold 19.3 percent of imported cars here in 2015, by the number of the cars registered.



A spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Korea said that the company does not agree with the FTC's decision, adding that it will appeal the ruling.




Fashion designer Songzio pose with his new cloth during his launching event for 2018 Spring and Summer collection line at Horim Art Center in Gangnam, Seoul, last Friday. / Courtesy of Songzio Homme



Designer launches secondary label after 12 years

By Kim Jae-heun

Launching a secondary label to support its main line has been a trend in recent years among Korean fashion designers.

To offer experimental haute couture every season, designers need lucrative ready-made sub-labels to maintain their main brands. Another reason to launch a secondary line is to commercialize the designer's brand that can appeal to anybody with simple and comfortable designs.

Songzio Homme, a representative menswear line by Song Zio, owned one of the hottest boutiques in the luxury street Apgujeong, Seoul, 12 years ago.

Song knew he would launch a secondary label one day, but his collections in London and Paris delayed his plan for a long time until last Friday.

"I was busy staging new collections every season in Europe and I really wanted to launch my secondary brand as soon as possible," said Song during the interview with The Korea Times at the opening event at Horim Art Center in Gangnam, Seoul. "But I lost time concentrating on my main label.

Song believes now is the perfect time to open his sub-label as Korean men have become more open to unique and creative designs and there are needs in the high-end brand market.

"The brand Songzio Homme pursues a very masculine design based on traditional menswear silhouettes that graft artworks. In the European fashion field, particularly, a designer must have his or her distinct identity and emotion in their clothing. You cannot survive if your designs are not unique," said Song.

Song's original design comes from his paintings the designer creates prior to making the clothing.

Traveling around the world, Song gets his inspirations for his new collections from nature, painting and movies and draws them on canvas. Be it an abstract figure, simple stripe or a particular person, the image gets printed on the clothing.

"My paintings are what make our house unique. I paint to deliver a new message using new colors every season. I've never learned to paint. If a painter's purpose is displaying their work in a show, I make paintings to turn them into clothing," said Song.

"For example, a sketch of a man has been embroidered on a shirt or made into a patch attached to a sweater," added Song.

The fashion designer ultimately hopes to make his secondary label successful and make the brand big internationally.

"It is a global era now and as one of the leaders in the Korean fashion industry, we need to compete internationally. It applies to all the businesses in any field. If I become successful, corporate will invest in my brand and younger designers will look up to what I've done. I want to become a role model for them and prove that Korean fashion designers can become big too," said Song.

Song established his line Songzio Homme in 1999, participating in his first Seoul Fashion Week while staging European shows in Paris since 2006 until last year.

Songzio Homme has been designing the most sophisticated classic suits with fine textiles used by high-end luxury brands such as Ermenegildo Zegna. Song's clothes are well-known for adopting European "Romantism" of the 19th century as well as avant-garde silhouettes.

His new casual line offers wearable clothes based on a military look and denim styles adopting the concept "Western Age," inspired by the idea of a "romantic wanderer."

For his upcoming 2018 Spring and Summer collection, Song chose orange and blue as highlight colors.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha urged North Korea on Monday to respond to her government's call for cross-border talks on easing tensions.

The communist regime has posed a growing threat by aggressively testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

"The political and diplomatic efforts toward the denuclearization of North Korea and improvements in South-North relations can and must be pursued in a mutually reinforcing manner," Kang told a forum in Washington, where she is on her first solo trip as Seoul's top diplomat.

"In this regard, we once again urge the North to respond to our concrete proposals to revive South-North contacts beginning with two very small proposals made on July 17th and start laying the building blocks for inter-Korean reconciliation and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," she said.

President Moon Jae-in's liberal administration took office in May under a pledge to restore strained ties with the North. Two months later, it proposed the two Koreas meet to ease military tensions and resume reunions of families separated in the 1950-53 Korean War.

Pyongyang has yet to respond.












By Kim Rahn

The U.S. military will send the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to the Korean Peninsula at the end of next month for scheduled exercises with the South Korean Navy to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, according to defense officials of the two countries, Tuesday.

The deployment of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, along with the earlier show of force involving B-1B Lancer bombers off the North Korean coast, is expected to draw a strong backlash from Pyongyang and provocations in response.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the USS Ronald Reagan strike group will conduct naval drills off the peninsula in late October.

It is not known how far the carrier striking group will go northward  on Saturday, the B-1B bombers carried out exercises in international airspace near North Korea, and they flew further north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) than any other American warplanes in the 21st century.












Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, left, and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, center, listen to Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)' Korea Chair Victor Cha during a forum co-organized by the CSIS and the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., Monday. / Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has warned of potential North Korean provocations, referring to its top diplomat's threat to take countermeasures against "the U.S. declaration of war."

Speaking at a forum in Washington, D.C., Monday, Kang also warned that any military conflict could "quickly spiral out of control," saying, "There cannot be another war on the Korean Peninsula."

She said sanctions and pressure are "diplomatic tools" aimed at bringing Pyongyang back to the negotiating table to discuss denuclearization, not to bring down its regime.

Her speech came shortly after North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho threatened to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers as a self-defense measure before he wrapped up his U.N. trip in New York.

Ri took U.S. President Donald Trump's tweet, Sunday, that the North Korean leadership "won't be around much longer," as a declaration of war. He argued that it gives his country the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even when they are not yet inside the North's airspace.

"It is very likely that North Korea will conduct further provocations," she said at the forum jointly organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

Kang is traveling in the U.S. on her own after accompanying President Moon Jae-in last week when he attended the U.N. General Assembly.

"Under these circumstances, it is imperative that we, Korea and the U.S., together manage the situation with astuteness and steadfastness in order to prevent the further escalation of tension or any kind of accidental military clashes in the region, which can quickly spiral out of control," she said. "There cannot be another outbreak of war in the region. There cannot be another war on the Korean Peninsula."












By Kim Rahn



North Korea has moved its warplanes toward its east coast and strengthened coastal defenses following the U.S. strategic bombers' flight near there, according to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Tuesday.



Pyongyang did not take any immediate military action in response to the flight of B-1B Lancer bombers, probably because it failed to detect them, the NIS said.



The spy agency briefed members of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on the movement of North Korea's military following the flight.



Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), the committee's head, said after the briefing that North Korea repositioned its aircraft as a follow-up to the bombers' flight late Saturday night.



The U.S. Air Force flew the bombers and F-15C Eagle fighters in international airspace over waters east of North Korea. It was the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that any U.S. warplane has flown this century.



"After the U.S. show of force, North Korea repositioned its warplanes and strengthened defenses in the eastern coastal area," Lee told reporters.



Another committee member said planes in Hwanghae Province on the west coast were moved to the east coast and some flew on patrol.



The moves come amid North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho's remark late Monday that the North "holds the rights to self-defense, including the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even if they don't fly into the country's airspace."



However, contrary to the follow-up measures and the strong threats, Pyongyang seems to have failed to detect the bombers and that is why it did not have an immediate military response, according to the spy agency.



"It seems North Korea could not take measures because it had not anticipated such a show of force would take place around midnight and its radars were unable to detect the bombers clearly," Lee said. "In short, the North did not take any action when the B-1Bs were flying."



There has been speculation that the impoverished state was unable to keep its radar system fully operational due to an electricity shortage.



Saying North Korea may have been surprised, the U.S. military told the NIS that the North was unable to respond quickly, such as issuing a condemnation or more threats, probably because it had to check the bombers' flight through China and Russia's anti-aircraft networks.



The spy agency said South Korea and the U.S. had an agreement on the show of force involving the B-1B bombers, but did not explain in detail what they agreed on, Lee said.



Regarding North Korea's military situation around the DMZ, Lee said the North is also trying to prevent any accidental clash.




Monday's event, arranged by the American University in Cairo, reflects closer ties between the three nations in recent years, including several top-level summits, with security and energy topping the agenda

Several academic and political figures from Greece, Cyprus and Egypt gathered in Cairo on Monday for a workshop on the emerging strategic cooperation between the Eastern Mediterranean countries, especially in the fields of energy and security.

The workshop was held under the auspices of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR) at the American University in Cairo.

The discussions reflected the growth of cooperation between the three nations in recent years, as evidenced by four tripartite summits involving the three nations' leaders, the last being in Cairo in October 2016.

Among the participants of Monday's workshop was MP Nicholas Papadopoulos, president of the Democratic Party in Cyprus and candidate in the nation's presidential elections scheduled for February 2018.

He highlighted the potential for increased economic cooperation between the three nations, saying he hoped to conclude an Egypt-Cyprus commercial agreement, making Egypt an export hub for the Aphrodite gas field. The export of gas to Europe was of strategic importance to Egypt, he said.

"We can actually use the facilities in Egypt's Damietta port, and that project will transform the whole region and benefit both countries, within strategic, feasible, essential cooperation to bring peace and stability to the region," Papadopoulos said.

"My late father, as a late president of Cyprus, signed the first demarcation [agreement] with Egypt in 2003, and nothing will give me greater honour as a possible president of the country than to sign the first commercial agreement with Egypt," he concluded.

Assessing the current threats facing the region, former Egyptian Ambassador Anis Salem, said there is huge potential for the three countries to work together in the areas of peace-building, arms control and preventive diplomacy.

"There is a mechanism for cooperation at the moment, which is the trilateral summits that gather the three countries' leaders. However, I believe this cooperation can be developed by activating higher-level joint committees to act more instantly and rapidly for enhancing coordination between the three countries," he told participants.

Salem pointed to military cooperation between Egypt and Greece, represented by the Medusa joint military exercise, as well as other third-party military exercises involving Egypt and Greece.

He recommended that the three nations coordinate to draw up various threat scenarios and the components of strategic cooperation, as well as mobilizing resources available from both the EU and NATO for the benefit of the three nations.

From Greece, Charalambos Papasotiriou, professor of Strategic Studies at Panteion University in Athens, talked about the causes of instability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the whole region, highlighting the conflits in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya.

Papasotiriou also tackled what he described as Turkish and Qatari support for the Muslim Brotherhood and extremist organizations, saying it lead to the current crisi in the Gulf.

He also discussed the ongoing dispute between Iran and Gulf Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Papasotiriou said the ongoing cooperation between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece was one positive aspect of the Eastern Mediterranean picture, in addition to cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel on the regions' gas pipelines.

Meanwhile, Markos Kyprianou, former foreign minister of Cyprus, said the Eastern Mediterranean region is historically, politically, socially and culturally diverse, a fact he explained should help in ensuring cooperation between nations in support of regional stability.

"An important aim for the European states is to have a secure and stable southern region, and more broadly, a more secure and stable Middle East and North Africa, by seeking full comprehensive security cooperation between the EU and its Southern partners," Kyprianou said.

Nabil Fahmy, the former Egyptian foreign minister, sent a statement to workshop participants saying that the leaders of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus had a responsibility to translate the ongoing "developing and prosperous" alliance into a tangible reality.

This can be achieved, Fahmy said, by studying the dynamics of the alliance and the possible opportunities of expanding it, providing a role-model for regional and global cooperation.

The leaders of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus are set to meet in Nicosia in November, the fifth tripartite meeting in the past few years.

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By Jun Ji-hye

North Korea's threat to shoot down U.S. bombers in response to the flyby near its coast of two B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by six F-15C fighters is causing fears over the possibility of the United States and North Korea stumbling into an accidental military clash.

Accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of declaring war on the North by tweeting that the Kim Jong-un regime "won't be around much longer," North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said Monday that his country has the right to implement self-defense countermeasures including shooting down the aircraft.

Trump tweeted the message Saturday soon after Ri delivered an address to the United Nations General Assembly. Hours before Ri's speech, the U.S. Air Force flew the bombers from Guam, and the fighters from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, further north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) than any other American warplanes flew in the 21st century.

"Last weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer and declared war on our country," Ri said in front of a hotel in New York before flying back to Pyongyang.

"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to take all self-defensive countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers at any time even when they are not yet inside the airspace of our country."

During Saturday's address, Ri also warned that missile attacks against the U.S. mainland would be inevitable as Trump has kept insulting the dignity of the Kim regime. Ri cited the U.S. president's U.N. speech in which he referred to Kim as "rocket man" and threatened to "totally destroy" the North if the U.S. was forced to defend itself or its allies.

The White House denied Ri's claim that President Trump had declared war on the North.












The government announced a set of measures to curb the crime of secretly filming women for sexual gratification and other purposes, including regular inspections of subways and other public facilities, to ensure they are free of hidden cameras.



The Prime Minister's Office reported the measures to President Moon Jae-in during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. Since August, Moon has called for comprehensive measures to end "hidden camera crimes" and support victims.



The package of measures also included requiring those buying secret cameras posed as daily devices to provide their personal information and toughening punishments for distributing illicit footage, including revenge pornography.



The measures called for those spreading revenge footage to be punished not with fines but only with imprisonment of up to five years. Those who circulate footage without the consent of those filmed should be punished with up to seven years in prison, according to the measures.



Earlier in the day, the government and the ruling party held a policy coordination meeting on the issue.



"The so-called digital crimes, such as the circulation of illicit footage, are at a serious level," Woo Won-shik, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said in his opening remarks. "Many are very concerned that they and their family members could be victimized."



During the meeting, the ruling bloc also agreed to explore ways to curb the import, sale and possession of cameras modified for illegal purposes.



They, in addition, decided to seek to encourage Internet service providers to delete or block any illicit films when they become aware of them and have offenders pay for the costs for deleting them online.



According to the National Police Agency, the number of hidden camera crimes, which stood at 2,400 in 2012, rose to 6,623 in 2014 and declined to 5,185 last year. (Yonhap)




Former top spy Won Sei-hoon / Yonhap



Noose tightening on Lee Myung-bak

By Lee Kyung-min

Former top spy Won Sei-hoon was questioned, Tuesday, over an allegation he orchestrated systematic efforts to intervene in a wide range of political affairs under the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration.

Lee is facing an increasing chance of questioning depending on statements from Won, his former right-hand man, about whether he regularly briefed the former president on his intelligence activities.

Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office escorted Won, who is serving a prison term, to the office at 1:53 p.m.

Won, the former head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), wearing a navy blue suit and covering his face with a mask, entered the building without answering questions from reporters.

This is a separate investigation from an earlier one in which Won was convicted of orchestrating cyberwarfare to meddle in the 2012 presidential election to help conservative candidate Park Geun-hye beat her major opponent Moon Jae-in.

Won was sentenced to four years in prison last month and his two deputies including Min Byung-joo, former head of the NIS psychological warfare unit, were sentenced to 30-month prison terms suspended for four years.

The prosecution decided to pursue this case last week following the recommendation of the NIS in-house reform task force which concluded the NIS engaged in political maneuvering under Won's leadership.

The task force said the NIS carried out measures to attack Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, suppress and fire liberal cultural figures, control broadcasters and attack judicial figures.

He was questioned over allegations he operated 46 extra-departmental teams comprised of civilians to engage in activities that could influence public opinion on socially and politically divisive issues. He is believed to have spent 7 billion won ($6.1 billion) in state funds in the process.

Min, who was arrested again last week after the Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant for him, admitted to all charges made by the prosecution.

The task force also found that Won strengthened the manpower and resources of the psychological warfare unit to increase attacks on politicians and professors who openly criticized Lee and his flagship state initiative _ the Four Rivers Refurbishment Project.

Those who worked for the "operation" posted online comments on opinion boards at portal sites. The attacks targeted any figures, regardless of their political orientations. More concentrated efforts were devoted in the lead up to general and presidential election campaign periods.

The prosecution searched the homes of two former NIS officials, Monday, who they believe were involved in creating and managing a blacklist based on which dissident figures were subject to numerous unjust measures including being moved to different departments or relocated to offices in rural regions.

The two, the prosecution said, were also involved in outlining measures to initiate and increase political attacks against Mayor Park, a known liberal.

Park has already filed a complaint with the prosecution against Lee and 10 others on charges of defamation, obstruction of justice and abuse of authority, on behalf of himself and the city.

The complaint followed the conclusion made by the task force that the spy agency wrote a document to "suppress Park Won-soon," based on the NIS officials who led systematic efforts to criticize Park online and organize rallies against him.

Actor Moon Sung-keun also filed a complaint against Lee, Monday, on charges of coercion, obstruction of business and violating the NIS Law that bans its officials from engaging in any activity that could influence the outcome of politically divisive issues.

Moon was among two movie stars alongside actress Kim Yeo-jin whom Lee deemed "unruly" as their calls to unify the voices against the then-ruling conservative party ahead of the upcoming 2012 general election had gained increasing traction with the public.

The NIS task force found that some of its officials under Won's leadership digitally manipulated a photo in which Moon and Kim were shown lying naked together to make it look like they were having an affair. They distributed the manipulated photo on a conservative online community to undercut the two.

Meanwhile, a former producer at MBC, one of the two broadcasters Lee sought to control alongside KBS, appeared before the prosecution, Tuesday, to give statements about allegations he was among many who were "punished" for criticizing Lee.

"If figures involved claim the NIS or presidential press secretary did what they did without any direction from the top, it is a lie with an unprecedented level of falsehood," said Choi Seung-ho. "Lee should be held accountable for all this."

Choi, who produced and aired a documentary criticizing the Four Rivers Refurbishment Project in 2010, was fired in 2011 for participating in a company-wide strike, which he claimed was a pretext to remove the critical voices within the firm. He now works as a producer and anchor at Newstapa.
President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech in a ceremony at the 63 Convention Center in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday, to mark the 10th anniversary of the second inter-Korean summit. / Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye

President Moon Jae-in urged North Korea to accept his proposal for the resumption of inter-Korean military talks Tuesday at a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the second inter-Korean summit in 2007.

Moon also said the two Koreas can no longer delay the reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

The summit between then President Roh Moo-hyun and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il took place Oct. 4, 2007. After the summit, they announced the Oct. 4 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration to expand cooperation and exchanges in virtually all sectors. Moon was Roh's chief of staff.

The government held the ceremony days ahead of the anniversary due to the Chuseok holiday, which begins on Sept. 30 through Oct. 9.

"We can still implement a number of provisions of the declaration," Moon said in a commemoration speech. "Especially, resuming inter-Korean military talks is an urgent task to ease tension between the South and the North."

Moon continued, "Humanitarian issues are the same. We can no longer delay the reunions of separated families."

In July, the Moon Jae-in government made two separate offers for dialogue to the North to discuss the two issues, but Pyongyang has yet to accept them.

Stressing that highly running military tension should be resolved peacefully, President Moon vowed to secure a deterrent force and keenly cooperate with the international community to prevent military conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

"There is an opportunity still open to North Korea. The door for dialogue and negotiation is always open," he said. "Once the North gives up its nuclear program, we, in cooperation with international community, will help the development of North Korea."

Moon vowed stepped up efforts to rid North Korea of its nuclear ambitions.

"We will never allow North Korean nukes. We will make North Korea realize that it has no future should it try to face the rest of the world with nukes," he said.
By Peter Y Paik





These are dark days for free speech in the United States. Lectures by notable academics have been disrupted by students who claim that the ideas they are presenting are harmful and injurious to members of racial and sexual minority groups, while other events have been canceled outright under pressure from student activists.

Most of the speakers who have drawn the ire of campus activists are associated with conservative views, such as Heather MacDonald, who writes about inner city crime, and Charles Murray, but those not known for their political stands or who are even on the left have also been targets of student protests. Janet Mock, a transgender rights activist of Hawaiian and African American descent, was forced to cancel a speech at Brown University because Hillel, a Jewish student organization, was found to have co-sponsored the event. A panel discussion about the meaning and value of higher education at UC-Berkeley had to be called off because of repeated interruptions by protesters who shouted over the speakers, who included the chancellor and the provost, that the university was not doing enough to help its African American students.

A recent survey by the Brookings Institution of some 1,500 current undergraduates revealed some disturbing findings. On the question of whether a student group had the right to drown out or otherwise disrupt a speech given by a speaker who is "known for making offensive and hurtful statements," 51% responded that they found such a tactic acceptable. One in five was willing to say that violence was justified in silencing such a speaker. While slightly more Democrats than Republicans rejected the use of violence as a response to offensive speech, 62% of Democrats, compared to 39% of Republicans and 45% of Independents, held that it was permissible to shout and chant in order to prevent a controversial speaker from being heard by the audience.

Freedom of speech is of course one of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. Americans have long recognized it as vital to the participation of the ordinary citizen in shaping the political life of the nation. Free speech is the cornerstone of the practice of government by the people for the people. So why have so many Americans, especially the young, soured on this liberty?

The shift toward diversity as a principal and defining value provides one explanation. As the population of the United States has become more diverse, American institutions have sought increasingly to accommodate peoples from a wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds and recognize an increasing array of identities based on sexual orientation. To create a harmonious and functioning society from such diverse constituents, old prejudices and entrenched social hierarchies must be swept away.

But it is not difficult to see that the promotion of diversity collides with the protection of speech. Minorities understandably do not want themselves and their children to be insulted by bigots, which recall earlier periods in the country's history when they were relegated to second-class status. On the other hand, it is common nowadays to find many on the left declaring that the right to free speech does little more than give cover to racists, sexists, and homophobes to express their hateful opinions.

The United States thus finds itself at a difficult impasse. One part of its population believes in curtailing freedom of speech for the sake of social harmony, while the other recognizes this right as the cornerstone of a free society. In my own case, I have moved from taking the view that hate speech should not be protected toward the view that hateful speech is a necessary evil in the maintenance of individual liberty.

What led me to change my mind were the discussions I had with people in arguing against the invasion of Iraq in 2003. At one anti-war forum, two Marines showed up and said they came because they wanted their mothers to protest their deaths if it turned out they had died for a false cause. A culture that respects freedom of speech is one that recognizes and values dissent. And should such a right be dissolved, there will be no way to preserve freedom in a diverse society.

Peter Yoonsuk Paik (pypaik@gmail.com) is a researcher in literature and philosophy at Yonsei University.
More than 40,000 cases of animal roadkill reported over past 3 years
By Bernard Rowan





President Moon Jae-in has said Korea must do more to develop local governments. By that I hope he means more than just tourism and economic development, and he will further the basis for and culture of local autonomy in South Korea. What is local autonomy? Do Koreans need it today?

There are three basic forms of national government: unitary, confederal and federal. Most countries have a unitary form of government. The central or national government exercises all powers except those delegated by the central government to states, provinces, cities, and other units of more local authority. Confederations are the opposite. Local governments keep all powers of government except those delegated to the central or national government. Some countries such as the United States and Germany have federal constitutions. Central and local governments exercise powers according to written constitutional terms; the federal constitution is a mixed constitution about governmental powers.

Local autonomy means self-government by the people of a locality. Uber Digest defines local autonomy as "the exercise of certain basic powers, i.e. police power, power of eminent domain, and taxing power, by local government units to best serve the interest and promote the general well-being of their inhabitants." South Korea's constitution provides for local autonomy. Consecutive national governments have further set up the powers of local autonomy to allow cities, rural towns and other local forms of government to exercise certain powers.

The Korean Constitution, Articles 96 and 97, speak to local autonomy. At first (and perhaps arguably still until now), the tendency of Korean government to executive-led administration has muted carrying out these articles. The first presidents and national assemblies appointed the mayor of Seoul and provincial heads and allowed for only indirect election of mayors by local councils. Many elections didn't occur, in particular during the Korean War.

South Korea's polity has changed in many ways that reflect the taming of executive power. In her young history, the gradual, if slight, decentralization of unitary political power slowly admits of greater local responsibility and control. At first, local autonomy meant only that local legislative bodies existed, and that local councils should select local executive leaders (mayors, town leaders). Provinces ran cities and towns. The central government ran provinces. Over time, this changed to allow direct elections. Today, local self-control occurs more, with legislative bodies for not only cities and towns but also for city districts.

President Moon has pledged to move power away from South Korea's nationalist or centralist tendency, characteristic of unitary governments. The national police authority may decentralize to allow local police forces. Moon speaks about creating a "secondary Cabinet" for meeting periodically with local government leaders. Moon also has shown interest in a referendum on a constitutional amendment to redistribute power to the local level.

Moon has suggested he wants South Korea to devise more federalist characteristics. To do this, more needs to occur than a meeting of the central government chief executive with provincial and municipal chief executives and county heads.

My reading is Moon's strategy or use of this purpose as a means to policy and political gains may unfound the goal of greater local autonomy. Moon's support isn't monolithic. The maelstrom of Korean politics may lead him to accept policy gains while sacrificing the reform of further federalism. I hope Moon doesn't just want a jobs bill or wins in local by-elections. At worst, the entire effort could amount to using the symbol of local government to enlarge the central and national government head's mandate and support base. The same goes for efforts to increase local taxes as a means of financing the growth of cities.

Federalism in democratic government places the powers closer to the people. This allows local assemblies and local heads of government to assume responsibility for local matters. Koreans need to develop more than just Seoul and wide cities. Spread local powers to include education, police, matters of health and morals, local business rules and local enterprises. Twenty-first century advancement likely needs more local power. Let's hope the Korean people and their elected representatives hold Moon to his promises.

Bernard Rowan is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University. Reach him at browan10@yahoo.com
By Oh Young-jin





Did President Moon Jae-in give the green light to a dangerous flyby of U.S. strategic bombers along North Korea's east coast?

If he okayed it, did he think of the consequences?

The presidential office said that during his trip to New York for a speech at the United Nations, Moon was consulted about the flight _ an all-American formation of two B1B Lancer strategic bombers, originating from Guam in the Pacific, escorted by six F-15C fighters from Kadena, Japan.

The flight was conducted in the middle of the night and took a U-shaped path off the east coast, which the Pentagon said had gone farthest above the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the inter-Korean border, than ever before in the 21st century. It was a boast that could kill a lot of Koreans. Already, the North Korea said that it was a U.S. declaration of war, which the U.S. denied. But it is seen as tossup how this situation will develop.

Although the mission occurred outside the North Korean territorial waters supposedly outside the range of its surface to air missiles, it could have entailed close calls that could easily turn into a full-fledged shooting war.

The flight came against the background that the peninsula is turned into a powder keg made bone dry by the North-U.S. verbal battles.

First, in New York, U.S. President Donald Trump mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a "rocket man" who was on a suicidal mission facing total destruction if his country continued to threaten the U.S. and its allies.

In Pyongyang, Kim arranged a press conference to speak in kind, calling Trump a "deranged dotard" and threatening nuclear attacks on the U.S. The North's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho took the U.N. podium to attack Trump with graphic descriptions.

President Moon was the only sober voice, using the word, peace, more than 30 times in his U.N. speech and getting the nickname, "peace beggar." Moon repeated his conciliatory stance that the South had no intention to absorb the North and didn't want its collapse.

So it was hard to believe that Moon had a sudden change of heart and consented to the U.S. request for the Saturday flyby, which came right after his return from the U.S. trip. It was quite obvious that Trump wanted to back up his verbal threats with action after being mocked by Kim, the leader of the destitute country incomparable in power to the U.S., who is less than half his age.

Most likely, Moon faced enormous pressure from Trump and was left with no other choice but to follow the American leader's demand. After all, in the ongoing standoff over the North's nuclear and missile development, Seoul has been reduced to the role of junior partner to the U.S. So the situation would have it that the U.S. request was closer to a notification than a consultation on equal footing, something different from Cheong Wa Dae's explanation.

Or Moon may not have known fully of the consequences of the U.S. operation, when he was told of it in New York before he belatedly realized them. That could explain why Moon hosted a full-scale National Security Council meeting, one that usually follows a major provocation by the North.

The nature of the flight shows the U.S. can go it alone at North Korean targets because it goes against the usual protocol that American strategic weapons are escorted by ROK Air Force aircraft. True, it would send a message to the North that the U.S. threats of a pre-emptive strike are not empty ones and should be taken seriously.

But this goes both ways. The next time a similar mission is conducted, there is a higher chance that the North will take it as an American onslaught and make a counterattack. This could easily turn into an exchange of fire that could escalate into a full-blown war, one that will likely go nuclear.

Then what about the North's own show of force _ firing a missile ever closer to South Korean vessels plying in neighboring seas, firing artillery rounds near population centers or kidnapping U.S. vessels?

It also dents the credibility for Moon's stance that no attacks at the North should be conducted without Seoul's consent. The next time when Moon speaks of no unilateral attacks, there would be even fewer people who are willing to listen. The U.S. may feel it easier to make the same show of force or, god forbid, go after the North's nuclear sites or missile launch pads on its own.

This takes us back to the fundamental question of the current crisis: Is Korea under Moon taking a role in proportion to its stake? This is a life-or-death issue for Koreans and they should speak up whether it is to our ally or adversary when it comes to protecting our best interest. It is imperative to learn to say no, and say no clearly enough to leave no misunderstanding about what we want.

Oh Young-jin (foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com) is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer.
IT ministers and vice ministers of Latin American countries inspect the KT Submarine Cable Complex in Busan, Monday. / Courtesy of KT



By Kang Seung-woo

BUSAN -- KT, the nation's largest-fixed line operator, showed off its expertise in submarine cable operations to information technology ministers of Latin American countries, Monday.

According to the Seoul-based company, it recently completed building a KT Submarine Cable Complex here and 16 Latin American ministers and vice ministers visited the center. They are visiting the port city for the four-day International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World 2017 that kicked off earlier the day.

The complex integrates the Submarine Network Operation Center and the Global Telecommunication Service Center. The former controls data transfers as well as its undersea network and the latter transforms cross-border data traffic into services such as roaming, internet and broadcasting.

KT operates seven submarine network cables out of the nation's 10.

"Incoming and outgoing data traffic in Korea is growing 40 percent annually and over-the-top (OTT) content takes up the largest portion. To provide high-quality video content, it is essential to control submarine cables and transmit cross-border internet traffic with stability," KT Senior Vice President Choi Han-kyu said.

For example, a video image sent from the United States to Hong Kong via a third country had to go through a waterfront cable station and an inland service center, which caused a 10-millisecond (ms) delay.

However, the submarine cable complex deals with the mid-process at the same place allowing KT to reduce the delay to 1ms, which drew rave reviews from the ministers.

"We also have submarine cables in Costa Rica, but KT's submarine cable complex is much more advanced," said Edwin Estrada Hernandez, Costa Rica's deputy minister of telecommunications. "We hope that there will be an opportunity to enhance bilateral cooperation with Korea on improving telecommunications as well as laying submarine cables."

"The KT Submarine Cable Complex boasts of top-tier technology to distribute cross-border data traffic among 25 companies in the world. It will pave the way to host data centers of global firms in need of fast networks," Choi said.

In the past, most cross-border traffic has been transmitted via satellites, but the use of submarine cables is growing due to the development of technology and the ease of large-capacity transmission. As of now, submarine cables transmit 99 percent of cross-border traffic, which increases the importance of submarine cable control.

KT believes the complex will play a key role in broadcasting the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February 2018.

To this end, the telecom company beefs up protection around undersea cables, using a submarine cable vessel monitoring system.

Four closed-cable television-loaded surveillance ships deployed in Busan, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province and Jeju Island and surveillance radars watch territorial waters and the maritime situation, which are sent to the complex, KT said.

"If a fishing boat or a merchant ship approaches within 4 kilometers of a submarine cable, the complex warns it via radio communication and sends its vessels to the area when a vessel moves closer to within 500 meters," Choi said.
Egypt's Court of Cassation cancelled life sentences for 27 defendants charged with breaking into and setting fire to a police station in Assiut in 2013, and ordered a retrial.

The case, known in the local media as the case of breaking into El-Ghanayim Police Station dates back to the summer of 2013 when prosecutors charged 127 people with setting fire to the police station following the violent dispersal of two pro-Mohamed Morsi sit-ins in Cairo.

Prosecutors also accused the defendants of attacking two schools and a court building, among other governmental buildings, as well as establishing an outlawed group.

In October 2014, an Assiut criminal court sentenced 27 defendants to life.

The rest of the 127 defendants received various sentences in absentia.

The 27 sentenced to life appealed the verdict.

Following the deadly dispersal of the pro-Morsi sit-ins in Rabaa and Nahda squares on 14 August 2013, there was a wave of attacks by Morsi supporters on churches and on police stations around Egypt.

Thousands of people stood trial in cases related to these events, and hundreds were convicted.

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Models promote KT's telecom technologies and services during the International Telecommunication Union Telecom World 2017 fair at the BEXCO exhibition center in Busan, Tuesday. / Courtesy of KT



By Yoon Sung-won



KT is exhibiting its latest telecom technology-based applications from internet of things (IoT) services and smart energy grids to an artificial intelligence (AI) digital assistant at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World 2017 fair in Busan.



The nation's leading telecom company stressed that it has prepared the largest exhibition among all Korean enterprises. It is the third consecutive year for the company to participate in the ITU Telecom World.



"As Korea's leading telecom service provider, KT will push to showcase innovative fifth-generation (5G) telecom technologies to the globe, helping the country take the leadership of the 5G telecom service market worldwide," a KT official said.



Hosted by the ITU, Telecom World is the world's largest telecom expo and forum that includes both public and private sector players from 193 member nations.



Telecom agency official, policymakers, CEOs of global telecom enterprises and industry experts are invited to the expo and forum to join in announcing new technologies and to seek business partnerships.



More than 300 ministerial high-tech officials from more than 130 countries as well as about 10,000 business executives and industry experts are visiting this year's Telecom World.













At its exhibition, which is the second-largest among all booths at Telecom World 2017 following the Korean government's, KT said it is presenting network technologies including 5G networks and GiGA Wire.



In particular, GiGA Wire allows up to 1 gigabit-per-second internet speed on a network built with copper wire, not fiber optic cables. This technology has drawn much attention from the global market where telecom companies have difficulties in establishing new fiber optic networks infrastructure.



KT said it started providing services based on this technology to Boston on Sept. 15.



The company has also introduced its AI-based intelligent energy management system, the KT-Micro Energy Grid, as one of its key future businesses. Based on variable energy consumption patterns in a building, the system is capable of projecting expected power demand and provides information on how to reduce consumption.



KT's "GiGA IoT Smart Air" has also been on display. This system, which is currently used on Jeju Island, collects air pollution data on the island using IoT technologies and helps the regional government formulate and implement environment protection policies.



"We plan to expand its application nationwide through a project we call Air Map Korea to help people better deal with fine dust in the air," a KT official said.



KT also exhibited its project that aims at preventing the spread of infectious diseases around the globe. The telecom company taps into handset roaming data of those who enter the country to analyze their travel history to regions contaminated by an infectious disease.



The project was included as a part of the joint statement announced at the G20 summit this past July. KT said it is also in discussions with countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East to provide the technology.



For consumer projects, KT presented its AI-based voice-recognizing digital assistant it calls GiGA Genie. Particularly for this event, the Seoul-based company demonstrated the foreign language support that can be used at hotels.



Besides exhibitions, the telecom company said it has provided network system support and network optimization services for both wired and wireless connections near the Telecom World 2017 venue.
Park Sam-koo

Kumho Asiana Group chairman

Creditors to take initiative to place Kumho Tire on track

By Lee Hyo-sik

Kumho Asiana Group has lost control of its struggling tire unit as Kumho Tire creditors rejected its 730 billion won ($650 million) self-rescue package.

The state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) and other creditors, which hold a combined 42 percent stake in the cash-strapped tire maker, have decided to strip Kumho Chairman Park Sam-koo of managerial control and subject the firm to a stringent workout program to normalize its operations.

KDB said Tuesday Kumho Tire's restructuring package is "insufficient" to tide over current difficulties, stressing that creditors should be in the driver's seat again to get the company back on track.

"Creditors have decided to take the initiative in normalizing Kumho Tire, given the low feasibility of its self-rescue plan," a KDB official said. "The restructuring package is not enough for the tire maker to overcome the ongoing hardship."

He said Kumho Tire CEO Lee Han-seob and other top managers will resign, adding that Kumho Chairman Park will give up his right to buy back the 42.01 percent stake.

"KDB reached a consensus with Kumho Asiana Group on these and other issues. The group also pledged to allow the Kumho Tire buyer, whoever it may be, to use the Kumho trademark without preconditions," the official said. "Creditors and Kumho Group have also agreed to do their best to get Kumho Tire back on track as quickly as possible."

The KDB and other creditors have been seeking to take control away from Park, holding him responsible for the botched deal with mid-tier Chinese tire maker, Double Star Tires. They viewed Park as the main culprit because he made it difficult for Double Star to use the Kumho trademark after acquiring the tire maker.

The Kumho chief did not dispute KDB's announcement Tuesday, telling reporters, "I will accept the creditors' decision. I have no control over the situation."

Korea's second-largest tire maker will again undergo a creditor-led workout program, three years after the previous one.

In 2010, it was placed under management by KDB and other creditors after suffering a severe liquidity crisis caused by overspending on Kumho Group's acquisition of Daewoo E&C in 2006.

Creditors are expected to extend the tire maker's 1.3 trillion won in loans, which will mature this month. They will also likely inject fresh capital into the company to prop up its deteriorating financial health.

In the first six months of 2017, Kumho Tire posted a 50.7 billion won operating loss, compared with a 55.8 billion won operating profit a year ago.

As of June, its cash and cash equivalents amounted to only 69.9 billion won, down from 163.5 billion won six months ago.

Early this month, Kumho Tire submitted its 730 billion won self-rescue plan that included raising 200 billion won by issuing new company stocks.

The firm also said it would sell the tire maker's three plants in China, valued at 400 billion won, as well as raising the remaining 130 billion won by disposing of a 4.4 percent stake in Daewoo E&C shares.
Hyundai Motor Vice President Hwang Seung-ho, center, poses with Deputy Governor of Guizhou Province, Lu Yongzheng, third from left, and other Chinese government officials during the opening ceremony of the carmaker's big data center in Guizhou, China, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor



By Lee Hyo-sik

Hyundai Motor Group has opened a big data center in China's southwestern province of Guizhou to facilitate the development of its connected car service platform in the world's largest automobile market.

Korea's top carmaker said Tuesday the facility will help it process massive amounts of customer data to provide safer and more efficient connected car services to Chinese motorists. It also strives to lead other digital transformation in the automobile industry.

The company also signed an agreement with China Unicom to develop and commercialize a big data analysis model to enhance its competitive edge in the rapidly-growing field. China Unicom is the second-largest wireless carrier of the world's most populous country.

Hyundai has already established extensive digital infrastructure in Korea, such as Hyundai car cloud and a connected car operating system, to produce safer and more efficiently operating vehicles.

On Tuesday, the firm held an opening ceremony for the big data center, 11 months after it broke ground. It is located in Guizhou's big data industrial district, which is also home to Apple, Alibaba, IBM and other global IT giants that operate a data processing center there.

Hyundai said it is the first multinational carmaker to open a big data center, which will help it hone its IT technologies and raise its brand value.

"We will do everything we can to successfully operate the center and set an example for other automakers," Hyundai Motor Vice President Hwang Seung-ho said.

"The facility will further enhance our expertise on how to analyze and use big data. This will significantly boost our capability to create an advanced connected car infrastructure and develop next-generation, wireless internet-based vehicles," he said. "To launch world-class connected vehicles in the near future, we have bolstered cooperation with U.S. network equipment maker Cisco."

The center will collect and systemize various data, including motorist behavior and road conditions, and then analyze it to offer more customized and convenient connected car services to each motorist.

Hyundai also plans to use the facility to collect and accumulate other types of data from social networking service platforms and other sources. It will then process data to more accurately predict market trends and consumer preferences, and introduce vehicles and customer service accordingly.
Cairo warns all parties to steer clear of 'unilateral measures' that could destablise Iraq and 'encourage a climate of chaos in the region'

Cairo is deeply concerned about the possible secession of Kurdish-held parts of northern Iraq in the wake of Mondays referendum on independence and called on all parties to avoid unilateral measures, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The ministry expresses deep concern about the possible negative repercussions of a referendum for the independence of Iraqdespite repeated Arab and international efforts to prevent moving forward with the step," the statement, released on Tuesday, read.

Large numbers turned out in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region during Monday's vote, with overwhelming results in favour of independence expected by Wednesday.

Egypt urged all parties to exercise "self-restraint" and steer clear of "unilateral measures that could complicate the situation, destabilise Iraq and encourage a climate of chaos and tension in the region," the statement added.

The ministry called for dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad to reach a "comprehensive and satisfactory settlement," saying it backs Iraq's unity and territorial integrity.

Also on Tuesday, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit expressed regret over the referendum. He voiced concern that "some parties have exploited the crisis to deepen divisions and fuel new conflicts in the region."

The initial data on the referendum indicated 72 percent of eligible voters had taken part and an overwhelming majority, possibly over 90 percent, had said yes, Erbil-based Rudaw TV said.

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Five MPs face accusations of profiteering by selling hajj visas that were supposed to be dispersed freely

A private tourist company on Sunday filed a complaint with parliamentary speaker Ali Abdel-Aal, asking him to investigate five MPs on the grounds of profiteering by selling travel visas they had received from the government to give to citizens for free.

The company's complaint alleged that the MPs received the Saudi Arabian travel visas from the government to give them to citizens free of charge, and not to profit from selling them to private tourist companies," in order that they could perform pilgrimage duties last month.

The company's director said one MP profited as much as EGP 3 million from selling 57 pilgrimage visas to the company.

"The other MPs also sold the company dozens of free visas, at a price of EGP 62,000 each," the director said, adding that "as this is a form of corruption, the company found it necessary to inform parliament's leadership of these shady practices."

The director said that the visas were granted to MPs with the stipulation that they give them free to constituents in their own districts or to professional syndicate and labour union members who can't afford the price of a visa.

"While they gave some of these visas to syndicates, they set aside others to profit from in terms of selling them to private tourist companies," said the company director.

Informed sources told Ahram Online on Tuesday that Abdel-Aal has decided to open an investigation into the accusations.

A source said that the private company's complaint against MPs is corroborated by a lot of documents indicating how much money they made from the visas and when and how they received this money.

"The accusations are serious and an investigation is expected to open next week," said the source.

The above accusations come just a few days before the new parliamentary session is scheduled to begin.

Salah Fawzi, a constitutional law professor who acts as an advisor to parliament speaker, told reporters Tuesday that parliament is expected to begin its next legislative session on 4 October.

Article 115 of Egypt's 2014 constitution states that president of the republic should invite the 596-member parliament -- the House of Representatives  to convene to open a new session before the first Sunday of the month of October every year.

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The Egyptian Musicians Syndicate bears no responsibility for monitoring audience behaviour at concerts, a representative said on Tuesday in the wake of the arrests of fans who raised the rainbow flag at a rock gig on Friday.

The controversy began last week as pictures of fans holding the rainbow flag, a symbol of LGBT pride, at a Cairo concert by Lebanese rock outfit Mashrou Leila provoked outrage on social media and on Egyptian television talk shows.

On Monday police arrested seven people who allegedly held the flag, and on Tuesday national security prosecutors summoned the concert organisers for questioning.

The syndicates sole duty lies in observing the behaviour of the band to whom they have granted a licence, Tarek Mortada, a syndicate media consultant, told state-news agency MENA.

"We contacted the band and warned them against the recurrence of such incident in any upcoming concerts; however we have no authority as a syndicate to monitor the behaviour of the audience," Mortada added.

While same-sex consensual homosexual conduct is not explicitly criminalised under Egyptian law, people accused of homosexual acts in many cases have been arrested and sentenced to jail on charges such as debauchery and violating public morals.

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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Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum Monday, defying warnings from Baghdad and their neighbours in a historic step towards a national dream.

The non-binding vote, initiated by veteran leader Massud Barzani, has angered not only Iraq's federal government but also neighbouring Turkey and Iran, who are concerned it could stoke separatist aspirations among their own sizeable Kurdish minorities.

Turkey on Monday warned the Iraqi Kurds would face sanctions over the vote, while Iran closed its border with the autonomous region.

The United States and other Western nations have also raised concerns, saying the vote could hamper the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group in which cooperation between Baghdad and the Kurds has been key.

Kurdish flags were festooned in all the streets, on cars and outside homes across Iraqi Kurdistan.

Voters headed to the polls early Monday, many men dressed in traditional Kurdish dress of brown shirt and billowing trousers for the occasion.

Young girls wore caps emblazoned with the Kurdish colours of red, white, green and yellow, and regional flags around their necks and shoulders.

"I came very early to be the first to vote for a Kurdish state," Diyar Abubakr, 33, said outside a polling station in regional capital Arbil.

"It's a day of celebration today. That's why I've put on our traditional outfit, which I bought for the occasion," he said.

One voter even brought a cow to slaughter before the start of the referendum.

"I brought this cow as today the state is born and it's tradition to slaughter a cow for a birth," Dalgash Abdallah, 27, said.

Initial results are expected to be announced 24 hours after polls close. An overwhelming "Yes" outcome is expected, but Kurdish officials have said there are no plans for an immediate declaration of independence.

Barzani, smiling and wearing a traditional outfit, cast his vote early in the morning.

Polling stations are scattered across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan -- Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk -- as well as in disputed bordering zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

In Sulaimaniyah, second city of the autonomous region, 40-year-old Diyar Omar came to cast his vote also wearing traditional clothes.

"We will seize our independence through the polls," he said.

"I'm so happy I could take part in this independence vote during my lifetime," he added.

A total of 12,072 polling stations are open for more than 5.3 million registered voters.

In disputed Kirkuk, mosque loudspeakers blared a prayer normally reserved for religious celebrations, but participation in the voted was limited.

Those who did take part showed off their ink-stained fingers after casting their vote.

"If I had 20 fingers, I would have voted 20 times for my state," Ibtissam Mohammed, 45, said.

Kirkuk governor Najm Eddine Karim, who was fired by Baghdad after his provincial council decided to take part in the vote, also voted.

But in Khanaqeen, another disputed territory in Diyala province, Um Ali, 30, said she feared the outcome of the vote and its consequences for her and her children.

"I don't want separation from Iraq, violence or war," she said.

Left without a state of their own when the borders of the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, the Kurds see themselves as the world's largest stateless people.

The non-Arab ethnic group number between 25 and 35 million people spread across Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday pledged to take all the "necessary measures" to protect the country's unity as his government urged all countries to deal only with it on oil transactions.

Abadi said the Kurds' unilateral decision to stage a referendum affected both Iraqi and regional security, and was "unconstitutional and against civil peace".

Hours later, the Iraqi government called on all countries "to deal only with it on matters of oil and borders".

The Iraqi Kurds export an average 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) through a pipeline running through Turkey to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara was working on the details of sanctions against the Iraqi Kurds.

"We will take those steps with regard to air space, and how the border gates will be governed," he said.

Tehran closed its border with Iraqi Kurdistan after saying on Sunday it had blocked all flights to and from the region at Baghdad's request.

Iranian news agency IRNA said Iran's President Hassan Rouhani had called Abadi late Sunday to reiterate his support.

But Barzani said the Kurds' "partnership with Baghdad" since the ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in a 2003 US-led invasion had failed.

He however said the vote was "not for defining borders or imposing a fait accompli".

"We want a dialogue with Baghdad to resolve the problems, and the dialogue can last one or two years," Barzani said of zones such as Kirkuk.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Ankara would close its border with northern Iraq over an independence referendum and threatened the Iraqi Kurds with blocking their key oil exports.

"Entrance-exit will be closed" at the Habur border crossing, Turkey's sole land border crossing with Iraq, Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul.

He said there were currently crossings allowed to the Iraqi side only but travel would be closed in both directions this week.

He added: "After this let's see through which channels they will send their oil through... and who they will sell to. The valve is with us. It's finished the moment we close it."

Iraqi Kurdish oil is exported through Turkey and its southern Ceyhan port, a key economic lifeline for the region.

Although Turkey enjoys strong ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Ankara fears the vote could raise separatist aspirations among its own sizeable Kurdish minority, the largest in the region.

Iraqi Kurds were voting on Monday in defiance of warnings from Ankara as well as Baghdad and Iran. But Erdogan said "irrespective of the result, we see this as null and void and say it is illegitimate".

He again urged the KRG to take a step back and appeared to threaten the northern Iraq administration of a possible cross-border operation.

"In Iraq, when necessary, we will not shy away from taking these types of steps," Erdogan said, referring to Turkey's military operation launched last year in Syria against Islamic State extremists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

Last week the Turkish armed forces began a military drill in the region around the border town of Silopi including 100 military vehicles, which continued with reinforcements this weekend.

"We are taking and will take all the steps on political, economic, trade and security fronts. The armed forces did not take necessary steps in Silopi for no reason. There is no compromise," Erdogan promised.

The Turkish parliament on Saturday approved overwhelmingly a one-year extension of a mandate to use troops abroad in Syria and Iraq.

Earlier Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara would take steps with regard to air space "before it is too late" although flights to northern Iraq from Turkey are reported to be running as normal.

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A Palestinian opened fire at Israeli security personnel at the entrance to a West Bank settlement on Tuesday, killing three and wounding another before being shot dead, police saiement on Tuesday, killing three and wounding another before being shot dead, occupaton forces said.
PRESS RELEASE

China Envoy to Syria Foresees a Political Settlement Soon

Sept. 25, 2017 (EIRNS)Following a meeting in Beijing with Egypts Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs Tarek Al-Kouni, Chinas special envoy for Syria, Xie Xiaoyan, said he feels confident that the situation in Syria is headed for a political settlement, Xinhua reported.

"Weve noticed some countries have adjusted their positions on the Syrian issue," he said. "I think this presents a good opportunity...to push forward the political settlement." The Chinese envoy also reported that he discussed the Syrian situation with Egyptian officials, in order to coordinate the push toward this outcome.

It was Xies evaluation that the creation of de-escalation zones reflected the international communitys desire that all parties to the Syrian conflict try to resolve their differences. But, he cautioned, these zones should only be considered temporary, and cannot pose a threat to Syrias territorial integrity.

"The independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected and protected," Xie underscored.

The Chinese envoy was emphatic on the need to defeat terrorism, such that it can never regroup, as it is "the common enemy of the world." He stressed that not only the symptoms of terrorism must be tackled, but also its root causes. Egypt, he said, has been playing an important role in helping to resolve the Syrian crisis, and China wishes to continue coordinating with the el-Sisi government on this and other matters.

Along similar lines, Syrias ambassador to China, Imad Moustapha, told Sputnik hes confident that, by the end of October, the Assad government will regain full control of the countrys oil and gas fields. He reported that the government is already developing projects for post-war reconstruction, including such top priorities as energy infrastructure and housing. Over the past two months, he said, the government has recaptured most major oil fields, and he anticipated that by late October, it will regain control of 100 percent of them.
PRESS RELEASE

Germany Is Headed for a Post-Election Crisis

Sept. 25, 2017 (EIRNS)Germany is headed for a post-election political crisis as the results of the Sept. 24 national elections take hold of the political class. Bild Zeitung called the results "a nightmare victory for Merkel." Indeed it is.

The election results were a disaster for the CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian partner Christian Social Union) and for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), both of which had the worst results since 1949. The former received 33%, down 8%, and the latter received 20.5%, a 5% decrease from 2013, the worst result in the history of the SPD going back to the times of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The turnout was 77%, a 5.5% increase from 2013.

The right-wing Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) received 12.5% and now is the third-largest party. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) returned to Parliament with 10.7%, the Linke with 9.2% and the Greens, 8.9%. According to the German election rules, there will be 709 members of the Bundestag (the lower house of the Federal Parliament), an increase of 78 from the previous Bundestag. The breakdown is as follows:

CDU/CSU 246 (down from 311)

SPD 153 (down from 193)

AfD 94 (up from 0)

FDP 80 (up from 0)

Linke 69 (up from 64)

Greens 67 (up from of 63)

Given the arithmetic of coalition building, unless the FDP and Green Party simply jump into bed with the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union with no questions asked, Germany is heading into a post-election political crisis. The FDP is expected to demand changes in Merkels energy and Eurozone fiscal policy. FDP leader Christian Lindner has called for improving relations with Russia.

Der Spiegels Dirk Kurbjuweit wrote that Angela Merkel deserved this defeat, and accused her of running an uninspired campaign and largely ignoring the challenges posed by the right. Since the SPD has announced it will go into opposition and not renew the grand coalition with Merkel, Angela Merkel has only two options, going by the numbers. Either she forms a coalition with the AfD, which is very unlikely, or she forms a so-called Jamaica Coalition (because the combined party colors are gold, green, black, like the Jamaican flag) with the FDP and Greens. Such a government would be a four-party coalitionCDU, CSU, FDP and Greens, something that has never happened and could be short-lived. Some people are not ruling out the possibility of snap elections.

Therefore, it is said that the FDP might not want to be in the government, and even the CSU (the CDU partner, which is based in Bavaria) is nervous, because it lost a full 10% from the 2013 elections and is now facing Bavarian State elections next year.

In her pyrrhic victory speech, Merkel had to admit that the result was not as good as expected, and the leader of her coalition partner, CSU chief Horst Seehofer, called the outcome a bitter disappointment. The hapless SPD leader, Martin Schulz, beating his breast, said the SPD would bear the consequences, and, with nothing else to offer, vowed his party would serve as the bulwark of democracy in this country to stop the AfD from leading the opposition.

The AfDs Alexander Gauland told euphoric party members at the partys Berlin headquarters: "This is a great day for our party political history. We are entering the Bundestag for the first time and we will change this country." He said the AfD would "haunt" Merkel over her refugee policy, by trying to organize a parliamentary committee to examine its legality. While the AfD polled, on average, 11% in Germanys Western states, it polled more than 21% in the East, grabbing the anti-Merkel votes. It won more than a million votes from among the traditional CDU/CSU voters.

Alexander Rahr, director of the German-Russian Forum, told Sputnik that he did not rule out new parliamentary snap-elections, saying that a CDU/CSU, FDP, and Green Party coalition would not be stable, and that "it is hard to foresee how it will perform at the Federal level. I think it is simply impossible, but there is no other chance to form a capable government in Germany."

Der Spiegel went so far as to say that Merkels own political future is in question: "Considering the weak result, this question is likely to arise even more quickly than previously anticipated.... The evening that Angela Merkel secured her fourth term in the Chancellery could also mark the beginning of the debate over who will one day inherit the office from her."
PRESS RELEASE

Current Status of Independent International Commission for Yemen

Sept. 25, 2017 (EIRNS)All of the European Union's member nations support the resolution to launch an Independent International Commission of Inquiry investigating violations of international humanitarian law in Yemenexcept for the United Kingdom and France. The United States is also dead-set against this proposal, together with the Arab world (except Syria). At the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, a resolution has been put forward by The Netherlands together with Canada. Most of Ibero-America is also onboard, led by Mexico. China also supports it, as we know from other sources. African nations are generally not supporting the resolution.

There is a counter-resolution proposed by Egypt, which is supported by the United Kingdom, United States, and France. This resolution supports the prolongation for one year of the so-called "Independent National Commission of Inquiry" which is controlled by Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni puppet government. These two resolutions will be put forward in Geneva at the UN Human Rights Commission next week, when the final HRC resolution of the 36th Session will be decided upon.

The big question, is whether The Netherlands will actually put forward their proposal this time, as both in 2015 and 2016 they pulled back similar proposals in the last week. This time it looks better, as the Dutch diplomats in Geneva are more firmly behind the resolution proposal. However, the decision rests with their government. Then, Canada also has to decide.

The problem of the earlier ambivalence of the Dutch government has made other nations, like Germany, hesitant to support the resolution clearly and openly. Nonetheless, Spain, Mexico, China, and other nations are coming out clearly supporting the Dutch/Canadian resolution.

If the resistance from the United Kingdom, the United States, and France couldnt be shifted in the last week of the HRCs 36th Session, there may be a compromise, where both Commissions will be authorized by the HRC to work for one year and come back with a report to the HRC.

However, this idea of a Commission working for one year is very ugly, because the war and siege against Yemen has to be ended immediately. This has to be the first priority.
PRESS RELEASE

Helga Zepp-LaRouche: German Voters Reject Neoliberal Policy

Sept. 25, 2017 (EIRNS)Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Chancellor candidate of the Civil Rights Movement Solidarity (BuSo), issued a short statement today on the results of the Bundestag elections of the previous day. A translation follows.

The political landslide that made the Alternative for Germany (AfD) the third largest party in Germany, as well as the winner in Saxony and the second largest force in the other states in the east of the country, is yet another expression of the rejection of the neoliberal policy, which led to the Brexit and to the defeat of Hillary Clinton. Chancellor Angela Merkels comment that the CDU/CSU [Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian partner Christian Social Union] is still the strongest group in the Bundestag [lower house of parliament] against which no one could governjust some 1 million voters had walked away from itshows that Mrs. Merkel is just as unwilling as Hillary Clinton to admit the reasons for her poor performance.

The parties in the Grand Coalition [CDU-SPD] were punished for their neo-liberal policy, for Hartz IV [labor market reform], for the balanced budget policy, which have driven a growing percentage of the population into precariousness in spite of abundant tax revenues. What has occurred is exactly what I had already warned of in the Brexit, Trumps electoral victory and the referendum on changing the Italian constitution: This wave will continue until the injustices of the neoliberal policy have been eliminated.

The absurdity of this election campaign became clear in the so-called "elephants round" [a talk show with the "heavyweight" candidates]. After the media and the candidates of the established parties had presented an election campaign void of any of the great issues, this talk show, after the election, turned into a slugfest, in which the participants at least gave free rein to their frustrations. [TV reporter] Anne Will made a point of challenging Alexander Gauland [leader of the AfD] to admit that the AfD is only against things, but has no solutions. That is true, of course, but solutions are also not to be found in the two major parties, or in the other three that are now in the Bundestag.

The elephant in the living room of the "elephants round" is the imminent new financial crash, which threatens to dwarf that of 2007-2008. The BuSo intends to increase its efforts for the implementation of a global Glass-Steagall system of bank separation as the only way to prevent uncontrolled chaos, together with friendly forces in different European nations and the United States.

The BuSo will also escalate its campaign to get Germany and the other European countries to take up Chinas offer to work together in building the New Silk Road. That is the only way to develop the economies of Eastern and Central Europe and the Balkans, and to industrialize the Middle East and Africa. Building the New Silk Road offers the only avenue to surmounting the causes of the refugee wave in a humane way. The BuSo fought for that during the election campaign, and will do so even more now. And our policy will prevail, despite the censorship, because it is in the interest of Germany and of all mankind.
Junot Diaz, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, called for more help for Puerto Rico, which has suffered massive power outages and shortages of food and clean water since Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. territory, in a speech in Cambridge, Mass., on Sunday.

Diaz's remarks at the restaurant La Fabrica Central, where supporters were gathered for a fundraiser to help Puerto Rico, were recorded by journalist Julio Ricardo Varela, a Puerto Rican native who now lives in Boston and New York.

The love that we have had for Puerto Rico is, in some ways, our guidepost, but it is not going to be enough, Diaz said. I think I dont need to rehearse to you the situation that is facing the Puerto Rican nation. It is dire beyond anything that we have seen in 500 years, anything that we have seen in memory.

If Puerto Rico is going to have any kind of future, the love that we feel for it must not only double, it must triple.... If Puerto Rico means anything to you, we have to step up.

President Trump is set to visit Puerto Rico next week to survey the damage.

Hurricane Maria swept through the American territory last week, killing at least 16, devastating the islands farms and laying waste to its power grid, leaving 3.4 million American citizens living in increasingly dangerous conditions, The Times editorial board wrote, on the verge of a massive humanitarian crisis.

Diaz, a native of the Dominican Republic, said people need to unite to help Puerto Rico heal from the devastation brought on by the hurricane.

We are all facing a future where we are exquisitely vulnerable to the ravages of climate change, he said during the noisy fundraiser. What is going to be required in this future is new forms of solidarity, and new forms of love, not only for each other but for the lands from which we come.

Diaz quoted an excerpt from the Nobel lecture of the late poet Derek Walcott, from St. Lucia in the Caribbean, to emphasize the need for people to come together: Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole.

Diaz continued, Puerto Rico in some ways is now broken. We must reassemble, repair and heal it, and the only way were going to do this is with love.
Its a question I encounter frequently when I discuss healthcare with conservatives, particularly after I note that I have a chronic and costly preexisting condition, Type 1 diabetes.

Why should I pay for your healthcare? they ask.

The question came up again the other day as I awaited an overpriced latte at a Hollywood coffee shop. A fellow patron recognized me (always flattering) and struck up a conversation about the latest Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare.

I totally get where conservatives are coming from, especially in this America First era where the interests of others are a secondary consideration. And its a fair question.

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Im the one with the disease, after all, and Im the one facing thousands of dollars in annual medical costs. How is that anyone elses problem?

Conservatives are right that there is an income transfer, observed Resul Cesur, a healthcare economist at the University of Connecticut. But Republicans can be very short-sighted, and the results can be catastrophic.

Preexisting conditions are once again a thing as Republican senators ponder the fate of legislation known as Graham-Cassidy, which would not just kill Obamacare but go further than any previous GOP bill in reshaping the U.S. healthcare system.

It appeared Monday that the bill was doomed after Sen. Susan Collins of Maine joined Arizona Sen. John McCain in saying she wouldnt support the legislation. But you never know. GOP repeal efforts have an alarming, zombie-like habit of rising from the dead.

Also Monday, the Congressional Budget Office said in a preliminary evaluation of the legislation that the number of people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events would be reduced by millions.

Among other things, Graham-Cassidy would slash funding for Medicaid and insurance subsidies. It would do away with Obamacares requirement that almost everyone buy coverage and give states the power to allow insurers to offer less-comprehensive plans.

While the main authors of the bill  Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana  insist their legislation protects people with preexisting conditions, the reality is that coverage for such folks in the individual insurance market would become increasingly out of reach.

Doing away with the insurance mandate means thered be no reason for younger and healthier people to buy coverage until they need it. This would cause premiums to soar for everyone else.

Graham-Cassidy requires that coverage for people with preexisting conditions be adequate and affordable, but it doesnt say what that means. Nor does it include Obamacares explicit requirement that all people be charged the same, regardless of health.

The bottom line is that sick people almost certainly would pay more for insurance under Graham-Cassidy, perhaps causing millions to forgo coverage. Millions more could end up underinsured, meaning theyd lack sufficient coverage for their medical needs.

The guy at the coffee shop was thrilled with the legislation. The government has no business telling him what to buy, he insisted, and he shouldnt have to pay more to cover sick people. He knew I had diabetes and said he was sorry for me, but that wasnt his lookout.

The Greeks had a word for this  hubris, said Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The idea that you shouldnt have to pay for other peoples health insurance because youre healthy, thats just insane. Bad things can happen to anyone.

He added: Im a good driver. But I still need to have automobile insurance. Just in case.

What conservatives overlook is that insurance isnt about healthcare or car crashes or damage to the home. Its about risk management. Its about mitigating risk for the greatest number of people at the lowest possible cost.

The healthy person is subsidizing the unhealthy one, said Allen Goodman, a healthcare economist at Wayne State University. Thats the straight economic argument.

At its most efficient, a healthcare risk pool includes the entire population  young and old, sick and healthy. This is how other developed countries do it with variations of single-payer insurance systems that guarantee affordable coverage to all.

If there is a 1 in a million chance of a bad thing happening, it makes sense for a million people to come together and pool their risk, said Guy David, an associate professor of healthcare management at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School.

The Graham-Cassidy bill seems to envision what economists call a segmented insurance market that separates the healthy from the sick. For young and healthy people, this is beneficial because costs are lower.

For those with medical issues, a segmented market guarantees sky-high premiums and high deductibles because their costs arent offset by premiums from the more fortunate.

It is clear that individuals who are healthy might benefit financially from a risk-segmentation approach when they are healthy, said David Grabowski, a professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School. In the short run, they dont have to pay for someone elses healthcare.

However, we know that ones health  and the health of ones family members  can change quickly, he said. An approach that shares risks across the healthy and the sick protects the healthy should they become sick.

There it is.

Health insurance  all insurance  isnt intended to reflect where you are in life. Its intended to anticipate what could happen in the future.

If you end up in the unlucky situation of getting cancer, you will be relying on other people to cross-subsidize your care, and you will be glad of it, said Ashley Hodgson, an associate professor of economics at St. Olaf College in Minnesota.

So to my new friend from the coffee shop as well as to all conservatives: thats why you pay for my healthcare.

Because Im gladly paying for yours.

And you want that.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.

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Our phones have become so entwined in our lives it was only a matter of time before one became a stage protagonist. Kevin Armentos Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, which opened last weekend at the Odyssey Theatre, is a clever drama narrated by a phone that sounds nothing at all like Siri.

The playwright has stipulated that the play can be done by several actors (as it was, to strong reviews, in New York) or by a single performer. Here there are two actors, one of whom speaks (Thomas Piper, billed as the Narrator) and another (Adam Smith) who remains silent, a youthful presence sitting at a desk behind a scrim as he conducts the shows soundscape.

As the narrating phone, Piper speaks in a manner thats too distinct for the assembly line. Large of frame and dressed in a futuristic jacket and slacks, without shoes and socks, the character exists in some liminal world between man and machine. Hes better at what he does than human beings but there are strict limits to what he can do. Emotion isnt beyond his repertoire, but hes helpless to act on his feelings. He lacks creative agency.

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The story that this hyper-alert phone is tracking centers on its young owner, a 15-year-old high school student who has transferred to a new school in Orange County after his parents divorce. Red McCray, friendless and disaffected, acts like a smart aleck in math class after his phone goes off while his algebra teacher is explaining the order of operations. (The plays title is a mnemonic device to help students handle complex equations.)

The teacher weirdly slips the phone into her purse and takes it home with her. (The sentient device, which at times seems as unaccountably omniscient as the narrator of a Victorian novel, reacts like a kidnapped basset hound.) The teachers motivations are fuzzy, complicated and clearly libidinous. Still adjusting to cohabiting with her unemployed boyfriend whos supposed to be working on a new app but spends his afternoons deflecting shame for not pulling his weight, she explores the kids unlocked phone while hiding out in the bathroom and becomes infatuated after discovering a series of artful photos of rock towers.

After she gives the phone back, she initiates contact by sending him mysterious photos that eventually become personal. Identities are revealed, and before you know it a furtive relationship is underway.

Piper slides into these various characters by changing his vocal manner. Hes required to talk more or less nonstop for an hour and 15 minutes, and he handles the challenge with theatrical brio and astonishing breath control.

The story, told rather than shown, requires us to listen attentively. You might close your eyes to imagine the events, but then youd miss Pete Hickoks entrancing geometric scenic design and Nick Santiagos dancing projections of mathematical data.

The tale is sensitively handled, though I felt troubled by the realization that this wouldnt at all fly if the teacher were male and the student were female. Armento is aware of the damage thats being done to Red, but he doesnt editorialize on what is in fact a criminal act. Instead, he sympathizes with this young mans lonely plight, seeing Red as a casualty of his parents bitter divorce  a mother who starts her drinking earlier and earlier each day and a father who cant let go of his resentment. (The teacher, less creepy than the inappropriate school secretary of Tommy Smiths Firemen, remains sketchy.)

Theres nothing by the numbers about Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, which follows neither the rules of dramaturgy nor morality. Its impossible to predict how the story will unfold. Armentos language has a rhythmic vibrancy that creates its own universe, which is accentuated by Smiths nifty sound design. But its Pipers invigorating incarnation of an eager-to-please phone, a computerized buddy as helpful as it is ultimately helpless, that powers the production.

         

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

Where: Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.

When: 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; ends Oct. 8

Tickets: $20

Info: (323) 960-4429 or www.plays411.com/PEMDAS

Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

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charles.mcnulty@latimes.com

Follow me @charlesmcnulty

MORE THEATER:

Review: Head of Passes at the Mark Taper Forum

Review: Open Fists Walking to Buchenwald

Alex Alpharaoh put his own DACA story onstage

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The 99-Seat Beat: The latest from L.A.s small-theater scene
When you travel, you learn more about yourself than any place you visit, observes a character in Tom Jacobsons Walking to Buchenwald, now in its premiere by Open Fist Theatre Company in Atwater Village.

Inspired by a European tour Jacobson took with his parents and his partner, the play is a kind of staged travelogue, and watching it is like watching somebodys vacation slide show getting acted out, except with an undercurrent of growing menace. While preoccupied by the logistics of tourism  taxis, naps, food, differing tastes in museums  the characters move along on a disturbing journey of self-discovery, forced to confront what it means to be American in the world today.

Like Jacobson, the plays protagonist, Schiller, works at L.A.s Natural History Museum and has a same-sex partner, here called Arjay. The pair is played either by two women (Mandy Schneider and Amielynn Abellera) or two men (Chris Cappiello and Justin Huen). At the performance I attended, the women were on.

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Schiller, a high-strung perfectionist, is the only one who really wants to be on this trip. Her aging Midwestern parents, Roger (Ben Martin) and Mildred (Laura James), have never left the U.S. and arent eager to start now; Arjay has been to Europe and doesnt look forward to weeks and weeks of being, as Schiller calls her, a buffer. But Schiller tempts her dad with London theater, lures her mom with genealogical research and sweet-talks the amiable Arjay, and off they all go to England.

The empty museum display cases that frame Richard Hoovers minimalist set dont change as the foursome moves from London to Bath and then to France and Germany. We can track their progress by the accents of the strangers they encounter (all played by the versatile Will Bradley), but the perpetual sameness of their surroundings and Roderick Menzies straightforward staging convey an inescapable existential nightmare rather than a colorful, whirlwind tour.

For large swaths of the action, the dialogue sounds like it could be a lightly edited transcript of Jacobsons actual trip. I wondered from time to time: Is there going to be a plot, or are we just going to watch these people wander through invisible museums, argue about naps and sit in different arrangements of folding chairs?

There is some low-key suspense along the way  each couple has news to share with the other  and a growing, discomfiting awareness that Americans are regarded with hostility in Europe following an election. (We didnt vote for him! they inform more than one intrusive stranger.) But the storytelling is so desultory and episodic that, for all the trains and taxis the characters take, it doesnt seem to be going anywhere.

As they near Buchenwald, their final destination, the script veers into magical realism. Statues start speaking, and Schillers meticulous planning breaks down, leaving the family lost and helpless in unfriendly woods, hearing terrifying but uncertain fragments of awful news from back home. This tonal shift is more puzzling than dramatic. Audiences may not be entirely sure what Jacobson wants to tell them about history, national identity and individual responsibility  nor will they be calling their travel agents and booking a world tour.

         

Walking to Buchenwald

Where: Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., L.A.

When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays; ends Oct. 21

Info: (323) 882-6912 or www.openfist.org

Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

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MORE THEATER NEWS AND REVIEWS:

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Hugh Hefner spoke with the L.A. Times often  and always had something memorable to say

(Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Understanding Playboy-in-Chief Hugh Hefners revered  and reviled  lifestyle was often just a question or two away.

The iconoclastic publishing mogul, who died Wednesday at 91, was an open book when it came to his views on swinging ways and sexuality, particularly how his puritanical upbringing shaped his career and gave rise to the revolutionary Playboy empire.

Over the years, the perennially pajama-clad Hef was interviewed often by the Los Angeles Times. Heres a sampling of some of his memorable quotes.

On sexualitys problematic origins in America:

Our society is fragmented, he asserted in 1994. Messages regarding human sexuality have always been mixed in America. We are a schizophrenic nation. We were founded initially by Puritans, who escaped repression only to establish their own. Then the founding fathers gave us the Constitution to separate church and state. But the one thing that got left out of all those laws was human sexuality.

On the life he made for himself:

Much of my life has been like an adolescent dream of an adult life, he told The Times in 1992. If you were still a boy, in almost a Peter Pan kind of way, and could have just the perfect life that you wanted to have, thats the life I invented for myself.

OBITUARY: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who shook up American morality with an ideal of swinging singlehood, dies at 91

On why he was so happy:

You will find in my bedroom images from long ago, little photographs and things from when I was a kid. Im a very happy guy, and part of that has to do with my connection to my childhood, he said in 2009.

On how he became Hef:

Through a lifetime, you reinvent who you are, he explained in 2009. I actually reinvented myself the first time when I was 16, when a girl rejected me. I started referring to myself as Hef, started changing my wardrobe  the same thing I did in 1959-1960 with the magazine, when I came out from behind the desk and started living the life and got the first Playboy mansion, started to drive a Mercedes 300SL.

On how the 1942 film Casablanca led to the Playboy Club:

I think I opened the first Playboy Club because of Casablanca. I wanted to have a place where people came to hang out as they did at Ricks, he said in 2010. It has everything  not only Bogies charismatic character, but lost love, redemption, patriotism, humor  it had a great musical score.

On traditional attitudes toward marriage and sex:

If you dont commit, he told The Times in 1994, you dont get hurt. I was always unwilling to commit to marriage because I was afraid to lose the romance.

On the Playboy brands global status:

It has been said that the two most famous trademarks in the world are Coca-Cola and the Playboy bunny rabbit, he said in 1994. There is certainly no one else in our area that represents the American dream in this particular kind of way. That rabbit means economic freedom, personal freedom and political freedom. That potential is unlimited.

On the Playboy Jazz Festival:

Ive never found anything that Ive cared more about than the music from my youth. I loved the Beatles, sure, but I never became  except for dancing purposes  a hard rocker. To me, there is something incredibly celebratory, and so wonderful about really good big-band swing and Dixieland, he said in 2002.

When I started, I just wanted to put out a mens magazine. But by the end of the 50s, it was so successful that I seized it as a vehicle for changing the direction of my life, he added. And that crucial change in my life was also associated with jazz, because it all began within a space of about six months after the first Playboy Jazz Festival in August of 1959.

Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, relaxes during a visit to England in 1966. (John Downing / Getty Images)

On his personal legacy:

One of the reasons that I have such tremendous satisfaction at this point in my life is because I know Ive made a difference, he said in 1994. Ive made a difference in a way that really matters to me.

On publishings shift to digital:

I dont sit around thinking about, Gee, what happened to the new generation and they dont read enough and why is the internet replacing books? he said in 2009.

On his fame and sex appeal:

I think that just as [Henry] Kissinger said, power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Celebrity is the ultimate aphrodisiac in todays world. And Im lucky enough to have fallen into a unique kind of celebrity, he said in 2009. So against all logic, nothing else matters  age doesnt matter. When [my last long-term] relationship ended, last year, they were climbing over the gate. ... young women. Endless numbers of young women.

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For many, the lasting image of Milo Yiannopoulos in his fizzled Free Speech Week appearance on the UC Berkeley campus will be of the selfie he took as he was surrounded by a small throng of admirers and journalists.

For me, however, it will be the vast, empty space of Sproul Plaza, barricaded by orange Jersey barriers, moments after Yiannopoulos left.

On the very spot in 1964 where Mario Savio, surrounded by thousands, famously commandeered the roof of a police car to demand that students be allowed to express their political opinions, there was nothing and nobody, a potent metaphor for a ginned-up Free Speech Week starring the puerile Yiannopoulos. (How puerile is he? One of the signs he held high on Sunday said, Feminism is cancer.)

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You could say Free Speech Week backfired; after all, none of the high-profile speakers (Stephen K. Bannon, Ann Coulter) touted by Yiannopoulos turned up, none of the proper permits were secured by the tiny student group that sponsored him, nor any of the required fees paid.

Sure, Yiannopoulos still came on campus  after all, speakers cannot be barred from the public square  but he would have no microphone, no bullhorn and really, not much of an audience because few people were able to get past the single security checkpoint by the time he arrived on campus just after noon.

For Yiannopoulous, though, it was a ringing success. He not only highlighted the hypocrisy of students who give lip service to free speech while trying to curtail it, but got a spectacular amount of publicity to boot.

The most expensive photo op in UC Berkeley history, declared the university spokesman, who estimated that about $800,000 was spent on security for the stunt.

Law enforcement officers had come from all over the state; a handful of sheriffs deputies came from Kings County, five police officers came from Taft, four from Corcoran. Your tax dollars at work, all in service of a self-regarding chaos agent who has become frightfully adept at exploiting the intellectual weak spots of left-leaning college students and, sadly, too many of their professors.

Once again, a circus clown of the far right, whose rich benefactors have a stake in keeping the culture wars alive, had conceived and executed a plan to back the university and its overwhelmingly liberal community into a corner over the issue of speech.

University administrators and hundreds of police officers behaved magnificently.

I wish I could say the same for everyone else.

::

At a moment when President Trump has told black professional athletes to shut up about their politics, called them vulgar names and urged team owners to fire players for expressing themselves in peaceful and powerful ways, its hard to overstate the irony of conservatives coming to Berkeley to give lectures about free speech.

And yet, Berkeley needs the lesson.

There is a distressing disconnect here between respect for the concept of free speech and respect for its exercise.

On Sunday, I observed several discussions between Cal students and practiced right-wing provocateurs who had come to campus to support Yiannopoulos and, if possible, increase their internet profiles. Some conversations were rational; most devolved into shouting matches.

Ben Bergquam, who runs an obscure Facebook page called Frontline Radio, was egging on black and Latina students, insisting the phrase La Raza is inherently racist, and insisting  bizarrely  that most people who call themselves African Americans have never been to Africa. (Not sure what his point was, but as soon as he said it, Viana Maria Roland, a black woman with long braids, stopped him in his tracks when she replied, I have been to Africa four times.)

Millie Weaver, a Valkyrie-braided agitator from InfoWars, the website of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones (who has promulgated disgusting misinformation about the murders of first-graders in Newtown, and spread hallucinatory rumors about Hillary Clinton and a Washington pizza parlor), argued with Camila Elizabet Aguirre Aguilar about structural racism and reparations. A very frustrated Aguirre Aguilar eventually told Weaver to shut up  I could not totally blame her  thus giving Weaver the sound bite of which she had undoubtedly dreamed.

I guess I came here to vent a little bit, Im not gonna lie, Aguirre Aguilar told me afterward. Im angry about everything thats going on. Free speech once sought to legitimize the oppressed, and now it has been appropriated to legitimize oppression. The right to free speech is different from the right to having a platform.

I appreciate her sincerity, and her willingness to show up to debate. But that sentiment, which I have heard many times from Berkeley students, gives me chills. Free speech is meaningless without a platform. Students at the nations foremost public university should not just understand that concept, but embrace it.

::

How is it that the cradle of campus free speech has become a place where disagreeable speech must be drowned out or driven away?

I shuddered last week when I heard a Cal associate French professor tell KPCCs Larry Mantle that she was taking her students off campus for classes this week, for their safety.

Good lord, why not teach them the immortal words of Eleanor Roosevelt: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent? Or even remind them of the childhood aphorism, Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me?

How did skin here get so thin?

The new chancellor of Cal, Carol T. Christ, recently offered the most cogent explanation that I have heard.

In an interview with my colleague Teresa Watanabe, Christ said that todays students grew up having lots of instructions on anti-bullying, on what constitutes harassment. Theyve been told strongly and repeatedly that certain kinds of speech are inappropriate. And so they dont understand the difference between how we say its right to act in a community  whether its a classroom or a dormitory  and what a public speaker is allowed to say.

Were doing a poor job of teaching kids the difference, a poor job of teaching them to rise above provocation, to ignore speech they find offensive, or to counter it with more speech.

This disconnect has allowed an intellectual charlatan like Yiannopoulos to build a business model in which he can pose as a victim of political correctness.

Dont let him get away with it.

More columns 

For more on politics 

robin.abcarian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AbcarianLAT

ALSO

Milo Yiannopoulos shouted down at UC Davis, but gets the last word

Understanding Andrew Breitbart, the late founder of the controversial website

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More from Robin Abcarian
In 2014 the company announced that it would move its car assembly line from Egypt to Algeria to take advantage of a number of facilities and privileges offered by Algeria

Mercedes-Benz will acquire a 96,000 square-metre piece of land to build a new factory in Suez Canals Industrial Zone, the zones head, Mohab Mamish, announced on Tuesday.

In 2014, the German carmaker announced that it would move its car assembly line from Egypt to Algeria to take advantage of a number of facilities and privileges offered by Algeria.

The problems Mercedes-Benz experienced in Egypt will be solved, Mamish told the press, adding that the cabinet working day and night to solve investors problems, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

Mamish also said that the deal will be signed after being reviewed by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

Mercedes-Benz Egypt's CEO & President Thomas Zorn, who made the announcement alongside Mamish, told the press that a solution has been reached with Egyptian authorities to end the companys problems in the country.

However, he added that a date is yet to be set for Mercedes-Benz to reassemble cars in Egypt.

The Suez Canal Economic Zone extends over 461 square kilometres across the three Suez Canal governorates of Suez, Port Said and Ismailia, and will include six maritime ports, to be completed by 2045.

The mega-project is part of a government plan to upgrade energy infrastructure, boost the economy and create jobs.

Over the past two years, Egypt has been seeking foreign investment for the Suez Canal Economic Zone, which is expected to include an international logistics hub and areas for light, medium and heavy industry, as well as commercial and residential developments.

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Crews broke ground Tuesday on eight border wall prototypes in a fenced-off area in Otay Mesa that is expected to be a construction zone for the next 30 days, U.S. officials confirmed.

Four of the prototypes will be made of concrete while the other four will be made of alternate materials. All of the models will be between 18 to 30 feet high and 30 feet long.

We are committed to securing our border and that includes constructing border walls. Our multi-pronged strategy to ensure the safety and security of the American people includes barriers, infrastructure, technology and people, Ronald Vitiello, acting deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement Tuesday. Moving forward with the prototypes enables us to continue to incorporate all the tools necessary to secure our border.

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Access to the site was restricted Tuesday. San Diego police officers and county sheriffs deputies were out in force at intersections and along streets.

Water tankers went in and out of the entrance to the building site, where work was already underway kicking up dust clouds, even with water dousing the dry and dusty location.

Authorities have been preparing the area for weeks, erecting chain-link fences, blocking road access with concrete barriers, installing security cameras and marking designated parking zones. Despite the preparations, authorities would not say when work would be starting, until now.

The site is about 1.5 miles east of Enrico Fermi Drive on open land that is a mixture of public and private ownership. It is several miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in a spot where the existing mesh secondary fence ends and a single barrier continues into the desert.

Police are anticipating protests. CBP officials said a free speech area for protests would be set up nearby, but the exact location was not confirmed by sheriffs officials. The location identified by federal officials is a dusty, unshaded, weed-choked lot overlooking Otay Mesa and more than 1.5 miles away from construction.

There were no protests as work began in the early morning and no sign of protesters as the day went on.

But the high potential for demonstrations prompted the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to pass an ordinance to give the county the power to create special zones where knives, sticks, bats, pepper spray, bricks and other possible weapons are temporarily prohibited.

Davis and Moran write for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Dozens of people gathered outside the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration on Tuesday to protest the expansion of jails in the county, while inside the building the Board of Supervisors finalized next years budget.

Wearing prison-orange T-shirts that read I am not the property of L.A. County jail, activists from a coalition of anti-incarceration groups perched on and around 100 steel-frame jail bunks that had been arranged on the street outside the Hahn Hall of Administration.



For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that about 63% of people in state prisons had not been sentenced in 2015. The statistic referred to people in jails across California, not state prisons.

Police closed the entire block of Temple Street between Grand Avenue and Hill Street downtown.

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These beds represent trauma, torture, embarrassment, isolation, shame and death, said Jayda Rasberry of the group Dignity and Power Now during a news conference.

The demonstrators, led by Patrisse Cullors, an L.A. native and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, launched the Justice L.A. campaign to call on county leaders to redirect funds intended for new jails to community services and other alternatives to incarceration.

The county plans to spend $2 billion to build a 3,885-bed replacement for the downtown Mens Central Jail and a 1,600-bed womens facility at the now-vacant Mira Loma Detention Center in Lancaster.

The plan, which opponents contend could amount to $3.5 billion by the time the jails are completed, was first approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2015.

Tacked on at the last minute to a motion to create a countywide Office of Diversion and Re-entry for people with mental illness, the plan was considered a second time after Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey criticized the board for violating the states open-meetings law.

It was approved on both occasions.

An environmental impact report on the Mens Central Jail replacement will be out next month. Contracts to design and build both facilities are expected to be awarded in summer 2018.

Greg Akili, with Black Lives Matter L.A., said the county is spending money in the wrong places.

We can find $3.5 billion to build more jails, but we cant find money for schools. We can find money for Olympics, but we cant find money for parks, he said. If youve got $3.5 billion, invest it in the people.

None of the county supervisors came outside during the news conference or protest.

LAPD Cmdr. Todd Chamberlain said the organizers had not obtained a permit in advance. The protest was peaceful and no arrests were made.

On Tuesday afternoon, after the board adopted its supplemental budget for 2017-18, some of the protesters asked the board to consider an immediate moratorium on jail expansion pending a review of the effects of recent criminal justice reforms.

We dont know what our projected prison population will be in the next 10 years, Cullors said. What we should be doing is getting a clear understanding of whos in our jails and investing in their health and well-being instead.

Among the reforms that could affect the countys prison population are Assembly Bill 109, passed in 2011; Proposition 47, passed in 2014; and Proposition 57, approved in 2016 but not yet fully implemented. Those measures, respectively, shifted public safety responsibilities from the state to counties, downgraded some property and drug felonies to misdemeanors, and allowed for the early release of some inmates.

This year there also has been a push at the state level to overhaul the bail system. About 63% of people in jails across California, or 46,000 inmates, had not been sentenced in 2015, according to the Board of State and Community Corrections. But one bill stalled in the Assembly, and Gov. Jerry Brown recently postponed an identical version to early next year.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell has previously said that only time will tell how effective diversion will be, and that an expanded Mens Central Jail is needed to prevent worsening overcrowding.

nina.agrawal@latimes.com

Twitter: @AgrawalNina

UPDATES:

3 p.m.: This article was updated with additional background and details from the Board of Supervisors meeting.

Sept. 26, 10:35 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from organizers and police.

This article was originally published at 10:25 p.m. Sept. 25.
John DeYoe spotted the residents in their open garage, gathering belongings they didnt have time to pack the night before when the fast-moving Canyon fire forced them to flee.

As firefighters gained the upper hand on the blaze in the Santa Ana Mountains on Tuesday afternoon, the residents had hiked to the top of their Corona hillside neighborhood to find part of their roof burned and the inside of their home damaged by smoke.

It was just a tragic wind shift, DeYoe, a firefighter and spokesman with the Corona Fire Department, said of the wildfire that has charred 2,000 acres and threatened 1,900 homes. I dont think those residents were really prepared.

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DeYoe parked his pickup to help the residents, loading their suitcases, snake aquarium and an ice chest into his truck before giving them a ride down the hill, as evacuation orders were still in place.

After racing along the border of Orange and Riverside counties Monday night, the fire slowed Tuesday as Santa Ana winds weakened and weather conditions improved. By Tuesday evening, the blaze was 15% contained.

But the fire was a forceful reminder that Southern Californias fire season is just beginning to reach its peak. October traditionally brings hot Santa Ana winds that can quickly spread brush fires, and autumn is generally when some of the regions most destructive fires have occurred.

Though this weeks fire provided some dramatic images  including motorists passing tall flames along the 91 Freeway  it did not cause widespread damage to homes. The area north of the freeway was hit in 2008 by the much worse Freeway Complex fire, which burned dozens of homes and apartments.

Still, this weeks fire rattled nerves.

At the Corona High School evacuation center on Tuesday, cars streamed in and out of the visitors parking lot, unloading community donations.

They included fruit, fresh-baked cookies, fuzzy blankets, first aid supplies and endless packages of bottled water.

All night long and through the morning, weve been texting and emailing since the community has come forward with everyone wanting to help, said school Principal Antonio Gonzalez. Teachers are asking what they can do. The school staff was here until past midnight. This is everyone stepping up and showing how much they care.

Resident Joey Tu described the chaotic scene as his family evacuated their home in the Sierra del Oro neighborhood the previous day.

It was far away, then suddenly it leaped toward us, and boy, we knew what we had to do, the 48-year-old said.

He, his son, Kyle, and his daughter, Karina, began throwing belongings into backpacks. They were sure to take pictures of their two-story house in case it caught fire, to include them in insurance paperwork.

We never knew it would spread so quickly. Then we saw ashes in our back and frontyard and so my dad went for the computers and hard drives, Kyle, 9, said. We were all panicking.

Karina, 15, a sophomore at Coronas Centennial High School, said she didnt have enough time to take any homework or school books. Seeing the group of three dozen evacuees set up in the gym, she figured she wouldnt be able to sleep among strangers. So she stayed in the family car overnight and scrolled through social media until 2 a.m. Tuesday, offering and receiving words of comfort from classmates struggling with the same situation across the city.

Some of my friends are in hotels, some are with relatives. Everyones stressed out, but we realize how lucky we are, she said. I just want to make sure everyone we know is safe. What I learned from this is our animals, our people, are irreplaceable. During an emergency, nothing else matters.

The family took one of their dogs, a Siberian husky named Koby, but they had to leave behind their elderly shepherd mix, Sassy, who suffers from a brain tumor. At 15, Sassy moves too slowly, so they said they tried putting out plenty of food and water in the garage.

Crews, meanwhile, were fighting the flames amid high temperatures, gusty winds and remarkably dry air that continued to create tinder primed to burn.

Its just getting hotter and drier, said Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority.

The fires size was listed on the Orange County Fire Authority website at 2,500 acres Tuesday morning but was reduced to 2,000 acres hours later.

1 / 21 A DC-10 makes a fire retardant drop on the Canyon fire in the Santa Ana Mountains near Corona. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 21 - A DC-10 flies over a burning hillside to make drop in the in the Santa Ana Mountains near Corona while battling the Canyon fire. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 21 A helicopter makes a water drop in the Canyon fire. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 21 Smoke billows from the Canyon fire buring the in the Santa Ana Mountains near Corona. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 21 A firefighter is enveloped in smoke and embers while battling the Canyon fire in Corona. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 21 Crews battle the Canyon fire as it closes in on homes in Corona. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 21 A firefighter is enveloped in smoke as the Canyon fire burns in the hills surrounding a neighborhood in Corona. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 21 A firefighting helicopter flies over a burning palm tree as it prepares to make a water drop on the Canyon fire in Corona. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 21 Firefighters battle the Canyon fire as flames threaten a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 21 Flames and embers swirl around a firefighter battling the Canyon fire in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 21 Firefighters look on as the Canyon fire burns in the hills surrounding a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. The fire charred about 1,500 acres by Monday evening, triggering mandatory evacuations for more than a thousand residents near the Anaheim-Corona border along the 91 Freeway. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 21 Against an orange sky, firefighters battle the Canyon fire as flames threaten a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 21 A firefighter monitors the Canyon fire as it burns near homes in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 21 Against a smoke-filled backdrop, a resident prepares to evacuate as flames from the Canyon fire burn in the hills surrounding a Corona neighborhood Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 21 The Canyon fire approaches a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 21 Firefighters battle the Canyon fire as flames threaten a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 21 Fast-moving flames from the Canyon fire threaten a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 21 The Canyon fire lights up the hills in a Corona neighborhood Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 21 Flames and embers from the Canyon fire swirl around a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 21 Traffic backs up along the 91 Freeway as the Canyon Fire burns in Corona on Monday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 21 Plumes of smoke billow into the Anaheim sky in a photo taken from neighboring Orange. (Marc Olson / Los Angeles Times)

Temperatures near the Canyon fire hovered around 90 degrees with winds moving at about 5 mph over the ridge tops, with the occasional 15-mph gust, said Miguel Miller, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

Looking out, the biggest enemy is humidity, he said.

The areas westerly winds proved a huge challenge, DeYoe of the Corona Fire Department said. Many days, at about 5 p.m., the sundowner winds come and they shift directions, heading inland, he added. Were battling this as best as we can.

Crews totaling 1,652 firefighters from at least five agencies continued working through the evening Tuesday, including firefighters from Anaheim Fire and Rescue, Cal Fire, Corona Fire Department, the Orange County Fire Authority and the U.S. Forest Service, DeYoe said.

Evacuation orders remained in place for residents of all homes south of Green River Road from the 91 Freeway to West Foothill Parkway, including the Skyline Drive area. Roads north of Green River Road and West Foothill Parkway were reopened to residents with valid ID.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

anh.do@latimes.com

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.

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UPDATES:

9:40 p.m.: This article was updated with more information and a new containment number.

6:10 p.m.: This article was updated with context about fire path.

1:25 p.m.: This article was updated with interviews from an evacuation center.

11:20 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from the Tu family.

7:45 a.m.: This article was updated with new acreage and evacuation numbers.

This article was originally published at 6:45 a.m.
The volunteer at the front desk will tell you that technically, the Canyon fire evacuation center at Corona High School doesnt allow pets. But if you really listen, the emphasis is on the word technically.

Technically, we only allow service dogs, but I dont have the heart to say no, confessed Janet Upchurch, a volunteer supervisor from the Red Cross who just returned from Texas, where she helped Hurricane Harvey evacuees.

Upchurch said Tuesday that pets were being housed in an anteroom at the side of the gym.

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Our dogs are our babies, especially when were older, said Upchurch, 83. Wherever we go, we always remember our animals.

That was certainly the case for Susan Niese. The 65-year old evacuee said she couldnt imagine leaving home without her gray tabby kitten, Willow.

It was nerve-racking, said the graphic designer. Just the traffic for what normally would be an hours commute was insane. I absolutely could not leave without my cat.

Niese and other pet owners expressed surprise at the donated gifts that greeted them and their pets at the evacuation center: chew toys, blankets and plenty of treats and dry food to feed their charges.

The people here offered an incredible amount of support, she said. The generosity of strangers is overflowing.

Shuichi Shimokawa, 56, who has lived in Corona for more than 20 years, evacuated with two dogs and two cats. Ashes still covered the glistening black coat of Cocoa, the familys Labrador. Next to him, Ruby, a flat-coated retriever and chow mix, sprawled on a flannel wrap, worry in her eyes.

The volunteers are amazing in the best way, Shimokawa said. To us, they are like heroes.

The speed of the fire caught the Tu family in Corona off guard.

We never knew it would spread so quickly. Then we saw ashes in our back and front yard. and so my dad went for the computers and hard drives, Kyle Tu, 9, remembered, as he stood Tuesday outside the evacuation center. We were all panicking.

Right away, he grabbed his eczema and asthma medication as family members escorted their Siberian husky, Koby, into their Nissan truck.

The fire forced their neighbors to leave, and when the Tu clan saw familiar faces loading up their cars, they, too, fled.

1 / 21 A DC-10 makes a fire retardant drop on the Canyon fire in the Santa Ana Mountains near Corona. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 21 - A DC-10 flies over a burning hillside to make drop in the in the Santa Ana Mountains near Corona while battling the Canyon fire. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 21 A helicopter makes a water drop in the Canyon fire. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 21 Smoke billows from the Canyon fire buring the in the Santa Ana Mountains near Corona. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 21 A firefighter is enveloped in smoke and embers while battling the Canyon fire in Corona. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 21 Crews battle the Canyon fire as it closes in on homes in Corona. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 21 A firefighter is enveloped in smoke as the Canyon fire burns in the hills surrounding a neighborhood in Corona. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 21 A firefighting helicopter flies over a burning palm tree as it prepares to make a water drop on the Canyon fire in Corona. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 21 Firefighters battle the Canyon fire as flames threaten a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 21 Flames and embers swirl around a firefighter battling the Canyon fire in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 21 Firefighters look on as the Canyon fire burns in the hills surrounding a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. The fire charred about 1,500 acres by Monday evening, triggering mandatory evacuations for more than a thousand residents near the Anaheim-Corona border along the 91 Freeway. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 21 Against an orange sky, firefighters battle the Canyon fire as flames threaten a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 21 A firefighter monitors the Canyon fire as it burns near homes in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 21 Against a smoke-filled backdrop, a resident prepares to evacuate as flames from the Canyon fire burn in the hills surrounding a Corona neighborhood Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 21 The Canyon fire approaches a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 21 Firefighters battle the Canyon fire as flames threaten a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 21 Fast-moving flames from the Canyon fire threaten a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 21 The Canyon fire lights up the hills in a Corona neighborhood Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 21 Flames and embers from the Canyon fire swirl around a neighborhood in Corona on Monday evening. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 21 Traffic backs up along the 91 Freeway as the Canyon Fire burns in Corona on Monday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 21 Plumes of smoke billow into the Anaheim sky in a photo taken from neighboring Orange. (Marc Olson / Los Angeles Times)

Karina Tu, 15, a sophomore at Coronas Centennial High, said she didnt have enough time to take any homework or schoolbooks. Seeing the group of three dozen evacuees set up in the gym, she figured she wouldnt be able to sleep among strangers. So overnight, she stayed in the family car and hopped around on social media until 2 a.m. Tuesday, offering and receiving words of comfort from classmates struggling with the same situation across the city.

Some of my friends are in hotels, some are with relatives. Everyones stressed out, but we realize how lucky we are, she said. I just want to make sure everyone we know is safe. What I learned from this is our animals and our people are irreplaceable. During an emergency, nothing else matters.

Thats why its even harder that the family had to leave behind Sassy, their elderly shepherd mix, who suffers from a brain tumor. At 15, she moves too slowly, so they tried putting out plenty of food and water in the garage.

Meanwhile, Koby, the Siberian husky, barked plaintively just outside the shelter. It seemed everyone  even the animals  wanted to go home.

anh.do@latimes.com
A team of firefighters may have been exposed to hepatitis A while battling a vegetation fire early Sunday at a homeless encampment in Spring Valley, officials said.

A large amount of urine and feces had accumulated at the encampment, prompting hazardous materials crews to require firefighters to decontaminate with soap and water before leaving the scene, according to the San Miguel Fire Protection District.

One firefighter fell and twisted his back after stepping into a bucket of waste. He was treated at a hospital and released.

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Eleven firefighters were tested for the virus Monday and received injections to prevent infection.

Its unclear if anyone who lives in the encampment, which officials said has anywhere from 20 to 100 people at a given time, is infected. The fire district asked San Diego County health officials to test the waste, as well as those living in the encampment.

The fire erupted about 1:30 a.m. near Spring Canyon Drive, east of San Diego. The blaze briefly threatened a nearby condominium complex.

San Diego health officials this month declared a public health emergency after it has tried for months to contain an outbreak of highly contagious hepatitis A, which has killed 16 people.

Officials have vaccinated more than 19,000 people, put up posters at bus stations and distributed hand sanitizer and cleansing wipes. Even so, hundreds of people have fallen ill in what officials say is the nations second-largest outbreak of the virus in decades.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek
A Los Angeles councilman called on the city Tuesday to fund emergency portable toilets to stem the public health threat posed by the hepatitis A outbreak among homeless people.

Westside Councilman Mike Bonin said that because of a public bathroom shortage, homeless people in neighborhoods are forced to defecate in the streets. Public health officials, who last week declared L.A.s hepatitis A outbreak, say the disease is most commonly transmitted from feces through contaminated food or sexual activity.



For the record: An earlier version of this article misspelled Jamarah Hayners last name as Haynar.

The current situation is neither tolerable nor humane, and it is a risk to public health, Bonin said in a motion seconded by Councilman Jose Huizar.

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Bonin spokeswoman Jamarah Hayner said city staff will report to the councils homelessness and poverty committee within 14 days on funding and installing portable toilets in neighborhoods such as downtowns skid row and Venice.

The councilman hopes a formal proposal can go to the full council in October, Hayner said.

Bonin also called for live attendants to staff the portable toilets. He asked staff to study launching a mobile toilet and sink program modeled on a similar effort in San Francisco.

Hayner said Bonin had been working for months on increased restroom access for homeless people; the announcement last week of the outbreak gave his work a push.

Los Angeles County health officials on Sept. 20 declared a hepatitis A outbreak in Los Angeles after a similar pronouncement in San Diego County, where 461 people have been infected by the virus, 17 of them fatally.

Only 10 people in Los Angeles have contracted hepatitis A, mostly through contact with people infected by the highly contagious virus in San Diego or Santa Cruz, where 69 people have been diagnosed.

However, two homeless people in Los Angeles who did not travel to either place were identified last week, which justified the outbreak designation, officials said.

Most people recover from hepatitis A on their own, but it can cause serious harm to people with compromised immune systems, and the homeless population is seen as particularly vulnerable.

L.A. health workers are inspecting street encampments and hope to vaccinate 40,000 homeless people, as well as new jail inmates, active drug users and medical providers.

gholland@latimes.com

Twitter: @geholland

UPDATES:

4:30 p.m.: This article was updated with new outbreak numbers in San Diego County.

This article was originally published at 1:30 p.m.
A Los Angeles police officer has been charged with assault after, prosecutors say, he pistol-whipped a man and pointed his gun at two others outside an El Segundo bar in 2016.

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Officer Joseph William Rooney, 33, was charged with four counts of assault with a firearm in connection with the May 2016 incident, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office.

If convicted, Rooney could face up to 27 years in state prison, prosecutors said.

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The men were standing outside of a bar in the 100 block of Main Street on May 22, 2016, when Rooney, who was off-duty at the time, approached them. He drew his handgun and pointed it at one man, then struck him in the face with the weapon, prosecutors allege.

He then aimed the weapon at the other men, before leaving, according to prosecutors.

Rooney is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. He has been with the department for nine years, according to public records.

Rooney was last assigned to Newton Division, according to an LAPD spokesman, who declined to comment further on the issue.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.
Far-right activist Joey Gibson, who planned and canceled a much-hyped rally at San Franciscos Crissy Field last month amid threats of violence, finally got a chance to speak in the Bay Area on Tuesday  though not many were around to hear it.

Gibson and at least 50 supporters of President Trump met at UC Berkeleys Sproul Plaza along with curious students going about their day and a heavy contingent of reporters, videographers and photographers. A few counter-protesters from the the liberal group By Any Means Necessary confronted and shouted at the Trump supporters. Scuffles broke out.

At least three people were arrested as the crowd marched from the campus to Peoples Park. Among them was Yvette Felarca, an organizer with By Any Means Necessary.

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Trump supporters cheered at the arrests and continued to Peoples Park, where Gibson climbed onto a wooden stage and spoke to the crowd without interruption.

He declared that he and his group, Patriot Prayer, would keep returning to Berkeley until they respect free speech.

Joey Gibson, speaking on a public stage at People's Park, says his group will keep coming to Berkeley until they "respect free speech." pic.twitter.com/sHu1U0ZMoM  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) September 26, 2017

Kyle Chapman, who goes by the moniker Based Stickman on Twitter and gained internet notoriety for fighting anti-fascists in the streets of Berkeley, also spoke to the crowd.

Chapman was captured on video fighting with anti-fascists while carrying a shield and staff this year, and Alameda County prosecutors charged him last month with possession of a leaded cane/billy club. He has a history of weapons-related charges.

Chapman talked about a war against whites and vowed to return to Berkeley.

I am far from done; I am not going to quit, he said. I am not out here looking for views; I am not here looking for friends. I am out here looking to fight for the freedoms of our country.

Kyle " Based Stickman" Chapman gets his turn on stage, is asked about white genocide, and says "there is a war against whites" pic.twitter.com/GXCNRUrRrM  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) September 26, 2017

After a few speakers finished on stage, sporadic arguments broke out among the crowd between the Trump supporters and students and residents gathered in the park, which is home to several homeless people.

Tuesdays protest is the latest in a string of politically charged demonstrations to roil the community and the UC campus.

The protest comes after the cancellation of Milo Yiannopoulos planned Free Speech Week at the campus. The 32-year-old right-wing provocateur spoke briefly Sunday amid protests before leaving town.

Tuesdays event grated on the nerves of students.

David Marquis, a 24-year-old senior in Near Eastern studies and archaic languages, watched the protesters scrum around and asked no one in particular, Do any of these people even live in Berkeley?

Marquis said his math discussion and other classes had been canceled for the week.

This whole crowd should not be here, he said. I am very confused.

UC Berkeley Senior David Marquis said he is tired of these protests and just wants to go to math class. pic.twitter.com/2pAkQce14s  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) September 26, 2017

The throng of Trump supporters are moving around the entrance to Sproul. pic.twitter.com/RDMXSAbApS  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) September 26, 2017

Edwin Fulch sat nearby in what he calls his empathy tent, where hes been preaching the gospel of mediation and understanding since Occupy Wall Street protests rocked the country. Its the reason he brought Gibson and a liberal documentarian named Rod Webber into the tent.

Shouting on all sides made the dialogue impossible. The tent was nearly toppled, and police officers had to rush in.

Its tough, but we do what we can to foster a dialogue, Fulch said. Over shouting, he added: They brought the crowd and the yelling and the media. We asked the media to not chase violence but listen and mediate different sides.

As Fulch predicted, once Gibson moved on, the media and the large crowd followed him.

benjamin.oreskes@latimes.com

Twitter: @boreskes

javier.panzar@latimes.com

Twitter: @jpanzar

UPDATES:

7:15 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with arrest details and other information.

2:35 p.m.: This article was updated with reports of scuffles breaking out and two arrests.

This article was originally published at 11:30 a.m.
The mother of two girls killed last year in Northern California when the car she was driving crashed and flipped into a Sonoma County river has been arrested in her daughters deaths, authorities said.

Alejandra Hernandez, 27, will appear in court Tuesday to seek a reduction on her $500,000 bail, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.

Hernandez was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter, felony child endangerment and driving with a suspended license.

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The fatal crash happened in August when Hernandez was headed to Rohnert Park to take her daughters, 7-year-old Sayra Gonzalez and 9-year-old Delilah Gonzalez, to school.

It was unclear exactly what triggered her arrest. Brian Staebell, a spokesman for the district attorneys office, said only that the totality of her conduct while driving resulted in the criminal charges.

Hernandez was driving a sedan when she lost control and went down a wooded embankment and into the Petaluma River, where the car overturned and sank.

A witness ran to help and found Hernandez, of Rohnert Park, on top of the car. Police officers and firefighters arrived within minutes and dove in to get the girls, still strapped upside down by their seat belts in the water-filled car, but could not free them in time. They were pronounced dead at a Petaluma hospital.

A week earlier, two young sisters, ages 4 and 6, died in a similar accident when the pickup truck their mother was driving crashed into the Russian River, also in Sonoma County.

Hernandez faces up to 11 years and four months in prison if convicted.
Federal, state and local law enforcement continued to prepare for the start of construction of prototypes for President Donald Trumps long-sought border wall in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego, though agencies remained tight-lipped about when work will begin.

Miles of temporary chain-link fencing surround a huge section of the mesa, essentially blocking foot access from the north and west.

Over the weekend, signs designating no-parking zones were placed along roads and streets in business parks that crowd the border area. The signs, posted by the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, ban parking around the clock starting Tuesday.

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The countys parking ban extends to Nov. 10, and the city prohibition ends Nov. 1.

Despite the preparations, which have been going on for weeks, Customs and Border Protection officials declined to say when construction would begin. Mark Endicott, a spokesman for the Border Patrol, said Monday that construction is expected to begin in the near future.

We currently dont have anything to release regarding the start of construction, he said.

There are expectations it will start this week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday, the day the parking ban goes into effect. That is also the date that construction was scheduled to begin, according to a security briefing memo issued this month to local law enforcement discussing the possibility of protests over the project.

A spokesman for the sheriff also did not say when work would begin or provide details on a discussed free-speech zone where any protesters demonstrating against the month-long project would be confined.

The no-parking zone blankets the closest developed area that could provide access to the site where the prototypes are to be built, about 1.5 miles east from Enrico Fermi Drive on the mesa. The area is open land stitched with trails and private roads, and is a checkerboard of public and private land ownership.

Over the last month, miles of chain-link fencing have been erected on the open mesa, blocking off individual parcels of land.

On Monday, vehicles from Customs and Border Protection and the Sheriffs Department were seen driving the dirt roads on the mesa. At one point, the Border Patrols mounted unit of eight agents on horseback patrolled the mesas roads and paths.

Other contractor crews were placing concrete barrier walls at some intersections, closing off access to roads. At least three mobile security cameras have also been placed at points overlooking the broad mesa.

The fencing and barriers and other apparent security measures might be for naught. The security memo that identified Tuesday as the start date for construction sent by the Department of Homeland Security also said the project could attract large-scale protests, perhaps similar to the weeks-long encampment of opponents protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline project.

There was no sign of any nascent protests on Monday. Hiram Soto, a spokesman for the activist group Alliance San Diego, said his group is not planning any demonstrations.

Its just political theater, he said of the wall prototypes project. There is no funding for it in Congress.  He said he did not know of any other local groups that were planning to demonstrate against the project.

Moran writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Ziad Doueiri's talks to Ahram Online about his new film The Insult, which was screened at the El-Gouna Film Festival and deals with the 'deep wounds' within Lebanese society

Since his first feature film, West Beirut, in 1998, Lebanese cinematographer, film director and writer Ziad Doueiri has secured himself a place on the international cinema scene.

West Beirut (A l'abri les enfants), a comedy drama, won a total of eight awards at numerous prestigious international festivals, among them the Francois Chalais Award at the Cannes Film Festival (1998), the Best Film Award at the Carthage Film Festival (1998), and the International Critics' Award (FIPRESCI) at the Toronto International Film Festival (1998), where he was praised for his youthful, energetic and unconventional approach to human values in the midst of civil war and its tragedies.

His next feature, crime drama Lila Says (Lila dit ca, 2004) as well as The Attack (2012), have also brought him a few awards; the latter film causing controversy based on thematic choices and was banned in a number of Arab countries.

Doueiri comes to the inaugural El-Gouna Festival (22-29 September) with his latest film The Insult (2017), competing in the narrative film category.

The Insult won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor (Kamel El Basha) at this years Venice Film Festival.

It is also Lebanons submission for the Foreign Language Film Award at the Oscars next January.

Ahram Online met Doueiri during his short stay in El-Gouna, where the director was surprised with the Best Arab Talent of the Year Award from Variety, right before the Egyptian premiere of The Insult.

Ahram Online (AO): Your film The Insult won the Best Actor award in Venice only a few days before its participation in the official competition at the El-Gouna Film Festival. What motivated you to take part in the inaugural edition of this festival?

Ziad Doueiri (ZD): It is a great opportunity and honour to screen my film in Egypt and to join the Egyptian audience. I also trust the cause of the organisers of this festival, especially Intishal El-Timimi, the festivals director. I hope the festival will grow in its coming editions.

AO: How would you describe The Insult?

ZD: The film deals with our deep wounds that we do not talk about since the end of the civil war in the 1990s. In less than two hours, The Insult sums up forty years of deliberate blindness. The story of this film is about a clash between a Palestinian and a Christian Lebanese in Beirut. When they go to the court the bitterness of the past haunts everyone.

In this sense, the film opens the question of the impossibility of building a healthy future unless you have a real reconciliation with the past.

AO: Your first feature, West Beirut, was about Beirut at the beginning of the civil war. Two decades later you decide to come back to Beirut to shoot The Insult. Why now?

ZD: When I and Joelle Touma wrote the script two years ago this question was not on our minds. We had a story to tell and we waited for two years to find a producer until the Lebanese producer Antoun Sehnaoui showed his interest.

It is thanks to the support of Sehnaoui that this film exists. Later on we had a little more funding from France, Belgium, and the USA in the different phases of film production.



I have to mention also the generous support of the Lebanese state which allowed members from the army, the police, and the riot police to be shown in some of the film sequences; they also provided us with locations and helicopters.

AO: And yet, despite such strong support of the state, earlier this month you were arrested at Beirut airport during your visit to the country. Why did this happen?

ZD: I was not arrested because of this film but because someone had a lawsuit accusing me of normalisation with and visiting Israel to shoot The Attack [several scenes of the film were shot in Tel Aviv, featuring Israeli actors]. I have no idea why this happened now; I have visited Lebanon over 30 times since the release of The Attack in 2013.

In the court the judge was very professional and I was treated with respect and dignity. Then I was released.

I believe there are a few individuals, and not the state per se, who do not want The Insult to be released in Lebanon.

Of course this whole situation is not easy for someone with my background and my work. But the Lebanese audience is smart and they were excited to watch my new film The Insult and engage in the conversation about the unspoken history of us, of Lebanon.

AO: What was the Lebanese audiences reaction to The Insult?

ZD: Two weeks following its release in the Lebanons cinema theatres, The Insult is still number one in terms of viewership.

AO: Speaking more about The Attack, did you expect that the film would provoke such a big wave of anger, in which many Arab countries, including Lebanon, banned the film and as a result of which you were accused of being pro-normalisation of relations with Israel?

ZD: Not really, because the Lebanese state accepted the films distribution in Lebanon before a campaign calling for boycotting the film had even started.



There are many Palestinian directors who work with Israeli actors and with Israeli production houses; they are not attacked and they should not be attacked.

We all stand for the freedom of artists.

All I did was take my camera to Nablus, Gaza, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv because these are the locations of my film. The participation of Israeli actors was a matter of language. I cannot imagine Youssef Chahine producing Alexandria... Why? in New York with French actors.

AO: And what is your stance regarding the core accusation?

ZD: I need to say also that I am not pro-normalisation. Normalisation is an act of a state not an individual.

I grew up in the middle of the civil war; my parents were members of the Al-Mourabitoun Nasserite party. I learned the Palestinian cause at my mothers breast.

Three members of my family were martyred fighting in the Fatah movement. I moved to the USA several years ago, then I moved to France. But my childhood and adolescence are still part of me and of who I am.

AO: Following the controversy around The Attack, did you find it difficult to convince the Lebanese and Palestinian actors to take part in The Insult?

ZD: Absolutely not. Kamal El Basha, the Palestinian actor, loved the script and it led him to win the best actor award at the Venice International Film Festival.

All the other actors also agreed to take part the moment they read the script, although there were some pressures on them not to take part in my movies. A successful artist likes to work with a successful artist; this was the case of The Insult.

AO: It is apparent that in all your films you do not impose an attitude but rather create a debate; you explore the different sides of the issue rather than taking a side. Is this a deliberate choice?

ZD: I have an attitude and it is very clear in all my films. But this does not mean I make movies with the intention to liberate Palestine or to promote the tragedy of the Christian Lebanese. My target is to make a film and I do all it takes to make it: the character, the plot, the transformation of the character, and so on.

On the other hand, I was born in a poor and militant family, not on board a yacht in Los Angeles or Paris. So it is normal to tell my own story. West Beirut is the story of my family in Beirut from 1975 to 1983.

The Insult is about my views and ideas about the tangled relationships in Lebanese society since the end of the civil war and up to this day. So it is also my story.

I am very concerned with the truth, and with justice. When you know the viewpoint of the other you give him the right to defend himself and his cause. I belong to a family of lawyers and judges, including my 80-year-old mother who is a lawyer. The legal profession might always be a good option for me if I fail as a filmmaker [laughs].

AO: How would you evaluate Lebanese cinema?

ZD: Cinema in the Arab world is facing two main obstacles: censorship and the lack of funding.

Arab states should support the film industry, and in addition, art cannot be subjected to censorship.

Freedom of Arab men and women should be a priority if we wish to have a healthy society and daring artists.

My ambition and hope is that Arab cinema is recognised on the international scene. I believe that Arab filmmakers will continue making their films despite all the challenges, that they will do it with consistency and without fear.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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The Medical Board of California has suspended the license of former USC medical school dean Carmen Puliafito pending a final decision on his fitness to practice medicine.

The medical board opened an inquiry into Puliafito after a Times investigation found that he regularly used methamphetamine and other drugs, including while serving as dean of the Keck School of Medicine.

In an order issued by an administrative law judge, the state attorney generals office, acting on behalf of the medical board, and Puliafito agreed to the suspension as an interim measure that will remain in force until the panel completes its probe and issues a decision.

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After The Times published its July 17 report on Puliafitos drug use, USC barred him from seeing patients at university clinics and began the process to fire him from the staff of the Keck School of Medicine. Puliafito was dean of the school from 2007 until last year.

An attorney for Puliafito, Peter Osinoff, said Monday that his client has not practiced medicine since the story was published.

He hasnt treated patients at all, Osinoff said. He has been in treatment.

The attorney declined to specify the type of treatment. A spokeswoman for the medical board said she could not provide other details about the inquiry.

Julie Fellmeth, a former overseer of the medical board who is a staff attorney for the University of San Diego Center for Public Interest Law, said the panels investigation could take some time.

If the board decides to punish Puliafito, it could revoke his license or reactivate it with certain restrictions, such as a requirement that he undergo drug and alcohol testing. Former and current USC administrators have said Keck employees complained about his drinking and that he was treated for alcoholism.

Puliafito, who earned more than $1 million a year as head of Keck, could face consequences harsher than a licensing penalty. The agency conducting the investigation for the medical board has the authority to refer any evidence it finds of criminal conduct to local prosecutors.

Saying he decided to pursue a job with a private firm, Puliafito, 66, abruptly resigned as dean in March 2016. He did not mention that, three weeks earlier, he was at the scene of a drug overdose of a young woman in a Pasadena hotel room registered to him.

A tip about the overdose prompted The Times to investigate Puliafito. The newspaper found that, for at least 14 months during his tenure as dean, he led a second life of drug use and partying with a circle of much-younger addicts and criminals.

That behavior continued in the months after he stepped down as dean. Throughout that period, USC did not respond to numerous Times inquiries about the circumstances of his resignation, including one last March about his presence at the overdose.

USC allowed Puliafito to remain on the Keck staff and continue seeing patients. He also represented the school at medical-related events.

After the story ran, a number of current and former Keck faculty and staff members said they had complained for years about Puliafitos abusive behavior and heavy drinking.

USC President C.L. Max Nikias has acknowledged that school administrators received complaints about Puliafitos behavior. In a July 28 letter to the university community, Nikias said Puliafito resigned as dean after USC provost Michael Quick confronted him about two complaints.

At the time, Puliafito was a key witness in a high-stakes legal battle between USC and the University of California over an Alzheimers research program. USC poached the leader of the program from UC San Diego, and he brought with him hundreds of millions in grant funding.

UCs lawsuit against USC seeks at least $185 million in damages. The suit is ongoing.

Puliafito and members of his drug-abusing group often captured their exploits in photos and videos. The newspaper reviewed scores of the images, including one showing Puliafito smoking what appeared to be methamphetamine and another in which he places an Ecstasy pill in his mouth. The Times later published three of the images.

The woman who overdosed at the Hotel Constance, Sarah Warren, now 22, said Puliafito was her constant companion in a relationship dominated by drug use. After she overdosed, paramedics took Warren to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. Warren said she woke up six hours later, and Puliafito drove her back to the Constance, where they resumed using drugs.

As part of his suspension, Puliafito is prohibited from prescribing medications. Warren and her younger brother, Charles, told The Times that Puliafito prescribed inhalers for them to soothe lungs made raw from smoking methamphetamine and marijuana.

paul.pringle@latimes.com

adam.elmahrek@latimes.com
For all its orderly, prosperous modernity, Germany remains shadowed by memories of World War II and the horrors of Nazism. Now, for the first time in the countrys postwar history, a far-right party  with a roster that includes some candidates who embraced anti-Semitism and espoused neo-Nazi views  will enter the lower house of Parliament, or Bundestag.

Alternative for Germany, known by its initials AfD, won 12.6% of the vote in Sundays election, coming in third place after the conservative Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats.

As AfD backers celebrated the partys performance at the polls, where it garnered nearly 6 million votes, protesters gathered outside its Berlin headquarters and chanted anti-Nazi slogans.

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Here are some facts about the party and what its crossing of the parliamentary threshold means for Germany and the rest of Europe.

What are the Alternative for Germany partys beliefs?

Some of the partys nationalist-populist campaign tenets might sound familiar to American voters. AfDs message is staunchly anti-immigration, fueled by periodic eruptions of anti-Muslim sentiment. It opposes closer ties to the European Union, disdains globalism and rails against Germanys political establishment. It is a self-described champion of law and order, particularly in the context of terrorism and security. It despises foreign bailouts and preaches the message that Germany is being taken advantage of economically by its neighbors. It scorns the customary language of social inclusiveness and revels in rhetoric that could be politely described as politically incorrect.

Hailing the vote result, one of the partys leaders, Alexander Gauland, vowed to take back our country and our people.

How did this party get started?

The party was founded in 2013, cobbled together under the umbrella of vehement opposition to the European Union and its common currency, the euro, together with sharp condemnations of German taxpayer funding of bailouts for what was seen as a feckless Greece. But it was the AfDs anti-immigrant stance that put it on the map. Buoyed by public angst accompanying the influx of about 1 million refugees from the Middle East and elsewhere in 2015 and 2016, the partys support at one point was polling in the neighborhood of 15%, but it did not achieve that in the vote.

Is this part of a nationalist wave?

When Britain voted in June 2016 to exit the European Union, and Donald Trump won the presidency in November, many wondered whether those votes prefigured a Europe-wide populist wave. But Dutch flamethrower Geert Wilders performance fell short of expectations in the Netherlands March parliamentary vote, and far-right standard-bearer Marine Le Pen was soundly defeated in Frances presidential election in May.

Even so, populists remain a force to be reckoned with, ever poised to capitalize on woes such as terrorist attacks and economic problems. Le Pen was among the first to offer the AfD her congratulations.

What does it mean for the rest of Europe?

Some of the ground that AfD gained in this election came at the expense of German Chancellor Angela Merkels center-right Christian Democratic Union party, leaving her in a weakened position as she forms a coalition government.

Frances president, Emmanuel Macron, is embarking on a major push for greater European integration and badly wants Merkels support in reforming and shoring up the European Union. The chancellors prospective new coalition alliances may dictate a friendlier approach to some elements of plans for greater European unity. But she has less maneuvering room than she did previously, when her mandate was stronger.

Alternative for Germanys now-proven vote-getting ability will probably make the chancellor extremely cautious when it comes to any agreements that will leave German taxpayers feeling they are footing the bill for the perceived irresponsibility of neighbors such as Greece or Italy. A likely coalition partner, the pro-business Free Democrats, is dead set against a key element of Macrons integration blueprint: a common budget for the 19-nation Eurozone.

How powerful will Alternative for Germany be domestically?

By the numbers alone  AfD is forecast to be allotted 94 seats out of 709 in Parliament  the party should wield considerable clout. But it wont be the leader of the opposition  that role will probably fall to one of Merkels erstwhile partners  and no mainstream party is expected to ally with it. Longstanding infighting within the AfD burst into view the day after the vote, with one of its senior members, Frauke Petry, storming out of a news conference and announcing she would not be part of the partys parliamentary caucus.

AfDs greatest influence, analysts say, may lie in continuing to move political discourse to the right, forcing others to adopt a milder version of some of its stances. Its rise, for example, is widely viewed as having forced Merkel to take steps to stem immigration, including a deal with Turkey, strongly denounced by human rights groups, to choke off refugee flows.

The party has also shown signs of a penchant for harrying Merkel that has echoes of Trumps seeming obsession with Hillary Clinton. Although it didnt go to the lengths of leading Lock her up! chants at campaign rallies, one of the partys leaders, Alice Weidel, has threatened to look into breaches of the law by the chancellor.

How did attitudes about World War II affect the vote?

For decades, formalized atonement for Nazi atrocities has been a cornerstone of German public policy, a tenet challenged by some in the ranks of the AfD. That was symbolized on election night, when jubilant supporters of the party sang the national anthem, whose use is frowned upon in any sort of triumphalist political setting.

Before the vote, Gauland shattered a taboo when he said Germany should be proud of its militarys achievements in World War II. And an AfD leader in Thuringia state, Bjoern Hoecke, has urged a U-turn in how Germanys Nazi past is remembered.

Many of its new lawmakers-to-be are unknown to the public, and analysts say they will probably include many extremist sympathizers.

Said Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, vice president of the German Marshall Fund: Not even their own party knows exactly who they are.

laura.king@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT

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Here at the massive Luis Llorens Torres public housing complex on the east side of this wrecked capital, black floodwater stood stagnant as heaps of garbage grew higher.

We have a car, but we cant go anywhere because of the water, said one resident, 63-year-old Juan Lopez, a retired security guard who was subsisting on spaghetti that he cooked on a propane stove, canned sausages and cookies.

Diabetic and disabled, he had enough food for three more days. His $888 monthly Social Security check  his only source of income  was supposed to arrive Wednesday, but with the banks still closed, he was not sure he would be able to cash it.

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They say they will open tomorrow, but who knows? Lopez said, sitting shirtless in his humid apartment.

The lives of the people in San Juan are now divided into two periods: before Hurricane Maria and after.

The after is the unknown. Its been nearly a week since the storm  the most powerful to strike in the island in 85 years  pummeled this city of 350,000. Most places still have no electricity, no running water, no working telephone lines or cell towers.

People to try to find a cellphone signal to notify family members they are OK. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The death toll was unlikely to remain at 16 as residents confronted sweltering heat and continued scarcities. Lines  for gasoline, for propane, for food, for water, for cash  stretched for blocks, sometimes miles. Some people skipped the lines and looted what they could.

What were now seeing is that the aftermath is almost more horrific than the actual passing of the hurricane itself, said San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz. The death toll is rising. People have still not communicated. And in San Juan, youre seeing what Im calling urban refugees.

 What were now seeing is that the aftermath is almost more horrific than the actual passing of the hurricane itself, said San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz. The death toll is rising. People have still not communicated. And in San Juan, youre seei

Were doing our damnedest to get to them, especially the elderly that are left locked up in their buildings with no food, no electricity, no medication, no medical attention, she said. Were canvassing them one by one.

A dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed after the storm remained in place.

The city was working to keep two hospitals supplied with fuel for their generators. Two emergency dialysis machines were in place, but it was far from clear that patients could reach them.

This is something that has to be figured out quickly, the mayor said. This is a life-or-death situation.

She said they have received help from the diaspora of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. mainland and beyond. Her message to her staff Monday: Push on.

Hurricane Maria toppled electrical wires, trees and vegetation in much of San Juan, even ripping roofs off wooden homes. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

In a series of tweets late Monday, President Trump wrote that Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble but that Food, water and medical are top priorities  and doing well.

That did not seem to match the mood on the streets. If there is a dominant sentiment in the capital, it is resignation.

Lidia Rivera, 81, who sat on a neighbors back stoop at the housing complex, wolfing down beans and rice, said she wasnt expecting any help from the Puerto Rican or federal governments.

FEMA is not coming to Llorens Torres! she said.

The mayor had visited, but no one had seen federal emergency crews or utility workers.

Ramona Ayara, 60, sat in curlers next to a trash heap soaked in the floodwater and made a prediction: People are going to get sick from that black water.

A few blocks away, Eddy Sarita, the owner of the local market, Jupiter Superstore, was trying to mop up the receding floodwater and decide whether to stay in Puerto Rico or move back to the U.S. mainland.

Sarita feared many of his customers were agonizing over the same question.

The more time without electricity, the more people will leave the island, said Sarita, 67, who spent years in New York City and has two children and three grandchildren in Orlando. The flood I can deal with, but without electricity, theres no business.

Even leaving  like everything in San Juan post-Maria  required a long wait. At the airport, scores of passengers were forced to camp out for days, sleeping in the terminal with their children and pets as they awaited relief flights.

Edmary Gonzalez said she was not returning any time soon. After losing her roof and spending nearly a week in a shelter, 20-year-old Gonzalez was headed to Boston with her 1-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son to join family.

Ramon Flores, 59, had been waiting four days to return to Chicago and expected to spend Monday night sleeping on the terrazzo floor again, amid barking dogs and crying children.

Its been chaos, he said.

He had come to Puerto Rico before the storm to visit family, only to see their house destroyed.

At Nuestra Senora de Fatima Catholic Church in the Hato Rey neighborhood on Sunday, the Rev. Elias Lorenzana posted a sign promising Mass, God willing. About 40 people gathered to worship in the sweltering sanctuary.

The Rev. Elias Lorenzana says Sunday Mass inside Nuestra Senora de Fatima Catholic Church in the Hato Rey neighborhood of San Juan. Flashlights were used Sunday, as the church was still without electricity. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

With no electricity, some used flashlights to read from the bible. Some came to give thanks for being saved from the storm, others to remember what they had lost.

Daisy Nazario, 61, had come to mourn.

She had been nursing her twin sister Enid, who had uterine cancer and had taken a bad turn just before the storm.

On Saturday morning, Nazario left her sisters bedside to deal with a storm-related leak in the roof. When she returned, Enid was dead.

It took hours for the family to find a funeral home able to take the body due to a backlog of people who still needed to be buried or cremated. That meant Nazario would have to wait to set a date for the funeral.

This is how things are now, she said, crying in her pew.

Daisy Nazario prays for her twin sister, who died several days after Hurricane Maria passed over San Juan, Puerto Rico. Enid Nazario, 61, died at home, as few services were working during the hurricane. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

In places that had fared relatively well during the storm, shortages were starting to take a toll.

When the Reina de Castilla condominium directors gathered more than a dozen residents for the nightly emergency meeting Sunday, they were finally in agreement: They had to conserve fuel for the generators by cutting back air conditioning and appliance use.

There was a change, said Cesar Cerezo, 61, a lawyer and vice president of the condo association. People didnt want to let go of their habits.

They were in denial. Now they are accepting reality, said neighbor Josue Rivera, 75, who owned a supermarket and lost a second house and a boat in the hurricane.

Police patrolling the Plaza Loiza strip mall Monday morning said they had arrested four men in connection with break-ins at a Walgreens, laundromat, gas station, restaurant and grocery store.

A cafe owner stands in the ruins of a shopping area in San Juan on Monday. A nearby drugstore had been targeted by looters. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

The Walgreens had been set on fire. The suspects were taken to a temporary holding area because the jail had flooded.

The people are desperate, said Irving Velez, deputy manager of the looted grocery store.

About 40 workers, nearly half the stores staff, showed up Monday, most in uniform. Managers put them all to work cleaning up. They hugged and exchanged storm stories.

On the island, we still have sections where we have that bond. You dont know somebody, but youre doing the same thing, Velez said.

 Christina Amador, a 26-year-old medical student, spent nearly five hours in line for gas in San Juan. "Puerto Ricans, were just always friendly to each other, she said. But in times of crisis, thats when we become a real family.

Lines for gasoline were so long that people staked out spots before dawn in lawn chairs with umbrellas and waited for hours in the heat.

Were getting burned, were hot, we dont have water, said Christina Amador, a 26-year-old medical student whose tank was nearly empty. Were doing the best we can.

Amador worried what would happen this week. Officials said 80% of the island would have gas by Tuesday. But what if it didnt?

She said neighbors afraid of thieves started tying down their generators or using them inside, despite the danger of inhaling carbon monoxide.

The looting is going to get worse, she said. People are going to start targeting the most vulnerable.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf

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Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Tuesday, Sept. 26, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Deal for new city fuels development boom in northern L.A. County

One of Southern Californias longest-running and ugliest development battles ended in a historic truce Monday when environmental groups agreed to a deal that will allow a new city of 58,000 residents to rise in the Santa Clarita Valley. Newhall Ranch will join other large developments in the works along the 5 Freeway corridor that together are likely to transform one of the last undeveloped sections of Los Angeles County. To the north, developers built a massive outlet mall and are planning a housing and resort project at Tejon Ranch. Los Angeles Times

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Anaheim isnt Mickey Mousing around anymore

For the first time in memory, Anaheim city officials are taking on Disney and demanding more from the Happiest Place on Earth. That puts the Burbank company in an unfamiliar position. For decades, it has been able to secure incentives, subsidies, rebates and tax protections from the city that experts say, in total, would be worth more than $1 billion, according to public policy experts who have reviewed the agreements. Los Angeles Times

L.A.s pot plan has some in the marijuana world worried

Los Angeles lawmakers tentatively backed a sweeping set of proposed regulations for businesses that grow, sell, process and distribute marijuana, the next step toward giving cannabis the stamp of local legitimacy. But industry groups said that recent changes to the proposed rules would force existing marijuana growers and manufacturers to shut down. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

USC controversy: The Medical Board of California has suspended the license of former USC medical school dean Carmen Puliafito pending a final decision on his fitness to practice medicine. Los Angeles Times

West Nile toll: Los Angeles County health officials warned residents Monday to protect themselves against the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus, as the number of people killed by the disease in L.A. County this year reached seven. Los Angeles Times

Cinema scandal: Inside the scandal rocking Cinefamily. Can the beloved movie junkie institution be saved? LA Weekly

No parking: Santa Monica got rid of some parking requirements on new development in its downtown area. Is the city onto something bigger? Los Angeles Times

On the street: Moving images of being homeless in L.A. Daily News

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Labor pains: Antonio Villaraigosa launched his political career as a union organizer in Los Angeles. As mayor, he became one of labors biggest foes during the economic downturn. Now, in the race for governor, he will have to deal with the repercussions. Los Angeles Times

UCI money: The troubling questions raised by a $200-million gift to UC Irvines medical schools. Los Angeles Times

LAUSD conundrum: The leaders of the Los Angeles Unified School District have some tough decisions ahead now that Ref Rodriguez, who is facing felony charges, has stepped down as school board president. Los Angeles Times

Youre out, kid: Yes, expulsion from preschool is a thing. And here is what some people say we need to do about it. SCPR

Farewell, Republicans? Is the land that invented Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan about to turn its back on the GOP? CNN

CRIME AND COURTS

Walled off: Preparations for the border wall in San Diego continue, but a lot of whats going on is top-secret. San Diego Union-Tribune

Vandalism: A 25-year-old woman was arrested Friday on suspicion of smearing paint across a statue of Christopher Columbus in San Joses City Hall. It was the latest backlash against a symbol that many have criticized as an endorsement of genocide and white supremacy. Los Angeles Times

New evidence: A second video of a fatal officer-involved shooting in Huntington Beach shows the man trying to punch the police officer. Los Angeles Times

THE ENVIRONMENT

Orange County fire: A fast-moving wildfire near the Anaheim-Corona border triggered mandatory evacuations for as many as 1,500 residents Monday evening as flames crept up on homes about a mile away, officials said. Los Angeles Times

Walking away: Can new hiking trails bring more tourists to Catalina Island? Officials are hoping so. Daily Breeze

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Modern simplicity: A tribute to the A-frame house, which is seeing a revival in California and beyond. There is this nostalgic idea of going to the cabin and playing board games and everyone being in the same room together. Curbed Los Angeles

Hey, bartender: Deep inside the darkness and red leather of Musso & Franks, you can get cocktails from the man some say is the longest-serving bartender in L.A. After 50 years behind the bar, whom does he miss? Raymond Burr. Charles Bukowski. Gore Vidal. LAist

Community support: A fundraiser has generated $88,000 for a bacon-wrapped hot dog vendor whose money was confiscated by a UC Berkeley police officer. Los Angeles Times

Big money: So how super-charged is the Bay Area economy? Fueled by tech, its growing at nearly triple the rate as the U.S. as a whole. But just try to afford an apartment. SF Gate

Plus: A legendary San Francisco cafe that draws boldface names is closing. Blame high rents. SF Gate

And: One expert on Silicon Valleys land rush: The overall dynamic is something Ive never seen before. Im referring to a sustained, really ridiculously low level of inventory  not just kind of low, but ridiculously low. Mercury News

The meaning of free speech: Milo Yiannopoulos came to UC Berkeley, said virtually nothing, cost the university a bundle in security, and left. But columnist Robin Abcarian said his free speech Kabuki did spark some interesting conversations. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: Sunny and 86. San Diego: Sunny and 79. San Francisco area: Sunny and 79. Sacramento: Sunny and 92. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Lou Bartolini:

I was born in the Bayview District of San Francisco in the early 30s. It also was called Butcher Town, for until after the end of WWII the then-existing slaughter and packing houses were in full operation. On a warm summer day, the strong and pungent aroma that filtered through the air surrounded the entire neighborhood, even though you were in the limits of a major city. Reminiscent of what you experience when driving by Hanford on a hot summer day. It was a neighborhood with a kaleidoscope of recently or newly arrived immigrants from throughout the European world on their way to citizenship.

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
President Trumps new and supposedly improved ban on travel to the U.S. from a handful of countries makes a few changes to the previous versions, and in so doing might successfully satisfy a court that its underlying impetus is not an anti-Muslim bias. But even if the Supreme Court ultimately decides that the new ban passes constitutional muster, its still bad policy, born of fear, stereotypes and prejudice, dressed up as an effort to protect national security. Even if it is upheld after the inevitable challenges, its hard to see how Americans will be any safer, or any better off, because of it.

The new iteration of the old ban still excludes people mostly from countries with Muslim majorities, while adding a few other countries  North Korea, for example  to throw critics off the scent of religious bigotry. But even if we accept (which we dont) that this isnt primarily motivated by a desire to keep Muslims out, its still not a good policy. On principle, theres something fundamentally wrong with excluding entire nations of people simply because some people in those countries are radicalized and dangerous. Reverse the scenario: Given the homicide rate in the U.S., and the number of hate crimes committed by white supremacists, why wouldnt other nations seek to ban entry by Americans? From the outside, and statistically, we are a very violent people. But we would be outraged if other nations judged us all by the Dylann Roofs and Jared Lee Loughners among us.

Citing what it says is a failure by the targeted governments to supply sufficient data on visa applicants, the new ban indefinitely bars immigrants from Syria, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Iran, Chad and North Korea. The last two countries are new to the list, and Sudan, which had been covered by the previous ban, is no longer listed. But the administration doesnt explain in any detail in what way the countries are not cooperating or what they must do to come into compliance. And in the end, the list of banned countries is almost the same as the one the administration was already defending in court.

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Theres something fundamentally wrong with excluding entire nations of people simply because some people in those countries are radicalized and dangerous.

In addition to barring people who want to immigrate to the United States from the countries above, the new policy bars all tourists and other short-term visitors from North Korea and Syria. But it allows entry by people from the other banned countries under various short-term categories  student visas, say, or business travel.

So what makes a person who wants to immigrate more dangerous than a tourist or visiting businessperson? The governments explanation is that if a problem should arise, its harder to remove someone who has lawful permanent resident status (which includes a path to citizenship) under an immigrant visa than it is to revoke a short-term visitors visa. That may or may not be true, but how that differentiation protects us from those who might do harm is hard to fathom. Wouldnt a wily Yemeni terrorist be just as likely to enter the country on a short-term visa as on an immigrant visa?

Trump is again playing to his political base. The U.S. government, like any other government, has a right and a duty to ensure that people do not enter the country intending to do it harm. If there was evidence to suggest that the protocols for vetting visa applicants before he took office exposed the U.S. to terrorism, Trump might have an argument. But the evidence wasnt there; as the Cato Institute reported, no one from the original six banned countries has killed anyone in a terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 1975.

Its perfectly fine to vet people whom we suspect of evil intentions or who come from dangerous places, and its fine to impose additional controls if countries arent cooperating with our efforts. But Trump is overplaying the problem in order to fulfill an ill-conceived campaign promise, and hes doing so in a way that will tarnish the nations image abroad. The ban does fit into a White House agenda, but its not national security. Its part of Trumps anti-immigrant ethos, which is reflected in his attitude toward Mexican immigrants, his reported desire to reduce the number of refugees the U.S. accepts and his broad and unfair characterizations of Muslims seeking to come to this country.

So no, were not fooled. This is the same old bad policy dressed up in a fall frock, and the nation should recognize it as such.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
California farmworkers will have to undergo sexual assault prevention training By Jazmine Ulloa Gov. Jerry Brown/ (Monica Davey/ EPA) Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed legislation to ensure farm labor contractors train employees on how to prevent and report sexual assault, a response to a 2013 PBS Frontline investigation that found sexual violence against women was a pervasive problem in California fields. Senate Bill 295 by Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) makes sexual harassment training mandatory at all businesses that supervise farm employees or provide them with lodging, transportation or other services. The training has to be conducted or interpreted in a language that employees can understand, the law stipulates, and farm labor contractors will have to provide proof of all of their materials and resources to the Farm Labor Commission as part of the license renewal process. Under the new law, the state labor commission also will be able to charge a $100 civil fine for any violation of the new requirements. The PBS Frontline investigative documenatory, Rape in the Fields, The Hidden Story of Rape on the Job in America found more than half a million women work in U.S. fields. Most do not have legal residency in the country, and sexual harassment and violence often go unreported. A 2012 Human Rights Watch survey found 80% of 150 women in Californias Central Valley had experienced some form of the abuse. Facebook

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Los Angeles voters can cast ballots in Assembly race on Tuesday By Chris Megerian Wendy Carrillo is one of 13 people running for a state Assembly seat. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) The political dominoes from U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxers retirement are almost done falling. Her decision two years ago to forgo reelection led to a reshuffling that eventually left vacant a state Assembly seat in Los Angeles. There are 13 candidates running in the special election, and the primary is Tuesday. Read More Facebook

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Gov. Brown signs major housing legislation By Liam Dillon At a signing ceremony in San Francisco on Friday morning, Gov. Jerry Brown signed 15 bills aimed at addressing the states mounting housing problems. It is a big challenge, Brown said. We have risen to it this year. The bills could add nearly $1 billion in new funding for low-income housing developments in the near term as well as lessen regulations that slow growth. Read More Facebook

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Watch live: Gov. Jerry Brown signs bills to tackle Californias housing crisis Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers are gathered in San Francisco for the signing into law of a package of proposals designed to tackle some of the most pressing parts of Californias housing crisis. Read More Facebook

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Businesses in California will be required to tell customers exactly how much their automatic renewal will cost By Mina Corpuz California will require online businesses that offer free trials to tell customers exactly how much an automatic renewal will cost under a law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday. The laws author, Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), thinks the bill, known as SB 313, will make it easier for customers to cancel service. Consumers need to know what they are signing up for and that they can just as easily cancel any service or subscription online as when they started it online, Hertzberg said in a statement. Streaming services like Hulu and Spotify and the file-sharing site Dropbox have elicited lawsuits and consumer complaints about their automatic service renewals, according to Hertzbergs statement. The law goes into effect in July. Facebook

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Heres why Californias early primary in 2020 is destined to pick the next president. (Nah, not really) By Mark Z. Barabak (Harry Chase / Los Angeles Times) Today we answer questions. Woo-hoo! Now that Gov. Jerry Brown has signed the bill, it looks like California is moving up its 2020 presidential primary. Finally! Uh. No more watching from the sidelines as small-fry states like Iowa and New Hampshire throw their weight around. Um. Im already fluffing pillows and prepping the guestroom for all the 2020 hopefuls wholl be camped out. Er. What? You dont seem too excited. Look, it would be great if California voted in a truly meaningful presidential primary. Its been about 50 years since that happened. But its about as likely in 2020 as President Trump dumping Vice President Pence and running for reelection on a unity ticket with Hillary Clinton. How can that be? Lots of reasons, both political and practical. Do tell. Read More Facebook

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Poll: Californians like Obamacare more than ever but are divided on single-payer healthcare By Melanie Mason Members of the California Nurses Assn. and other supporters rally at the state Capitol for a single-payer health plan June 28. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) As the latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act fizzles, the law has reached its highest popularity in California in four years, according to a new poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California. Nearly 60% of the Californians hold a generally favorable view of the healthcare law, and just over a third of Californians see it unfavorably  the highest approval rating since PPIC began tracking the laws popularity in 2013. But while Democrats and independents back the law, known as Obamacare, with strong majorities, three-quarters of Republicans have negative views of it. Only 18% of Californians believe congressional Republicans should try again to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and 58% of adults want to see bipartisan efforts to improve the law. Underscoring the GOPs challenge in dramatically reducing governments role in healthcare, two-thirds of the states adults believe it is the federal governments responsibility to ensure that all Americans have health coverage. But Californians are divided on whether to substantially increase government involvement through a single-payer system, such as the Medicare for All proposal recently introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). A national single-payer insurance program such as Medicare for All gets support from 35% of Californians, according to the poll. Support is higher among Democrats  44%  and independents  34%  than among Republicans. Only 6% of Republicans back such a system. But the current system, a patchwork of government and private insurance options, isnt particularly adored by Californians. Just under 30% of adults support continuing with a mix of private and public insurance options, while 36% of Democrats, 21% of Republicans and 31% of independents see that mixed system as the best way to provide health coverage. Facebook

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Half of Californias likely voters think Sen. Dianne Feinstein should retire, poll finds By Phil Willon (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) As Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein contemplates a 2018 bid for reelection, a new poll has found that 50% of Californias likely voters think she shouldnt run again. Just 43% of likely voters support Feinstein running for a sixth term, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll released Wednesday. The results are similar among all California adults, not just likely voters, with 46% saying she should not run for another term and 41% saying she should run. Feinstein, 84, has come under increased pressure from members of Californias left, many of whom were infuriated when earlier this month she called for patience with President Trump and refused to back demands for his impeachment. Still, the poll found that Feinstein remains popular. More than half of likely voters  54%  approve of the job shes doing, compared with 38% who disapprove. Thats on par with Gov. Jerry Browns approval rating, and it bests the marks for Californias other Democratic senator, Kamala Harris. When likely voters were asked about Harris, the former state attorney general elected to the Senate in November, 47% approved of the job she was doing in Washington and 30% disapproved. Almost a quarter of voters didnt offer an opinion about Harris. The contrasting results on Feinstein are difficult to decipher but at the very least indicate voters remain restless. Partly, this is a holdover from last years election in which you saw many Democrats wanting a more liberal alternative at the presidential level and you saw many independents wanting an outsider, said Mark Baldassare, president of Public Policy Institute of California. As people are looking to next year, theres a desire for something new. Speculation continues that Feinstein may face a Democratic challenger. Among those who have been mentioned is state Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), who is weighing his next political move after he terms out of office in 2018. De Leon lashed out at Feinstein after her comments about Trump in early September. In her last election, Feinstein trounced her Republican opponent, Elizabeth Emken, by a 25-percentage-point margin in 2012. She won by almost an identical margin in 2006 when challenged by former Republican state Sen. Richard Mountjoy. However, California has since switched to a top-two primary system. The two candidates who receive the most voters in the June primary election will advance to the 2018 general election, regardless of their party. Two Democrats faced off in the finale of Californias 2016 U.S. Senate election, with Harris besting then-Rep. Loretta Sanchez. Facebook

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Barbara Boxer says if Sen. Dianne Feinstein runs for another term, she should expect a tough race By Mina Corpuz Former Sen. Barbara Boxer (Mina Corpuz / Los Angeles Times ) Its one of the hottest political parlor games in California right now: Will she run again? Everyone is waiting for Sen. Dianne Feinstein to announce if shell seek a sixth term. And even though they served as colleagues in Washington for more than two decades, former Sen. Barbara Boxer said she has no inside intel on what Feinstein will do in 2018. I believe she is running until I see any other indication, Boxer said Wednesday at a Sacramento Press Club lunch. Every single race is hard.... Anyone who runs against her will give her a tough race. Feinstein, 84, has made clear she is taking her time, even as ambitious politicians eye the seat she has held since 1992. One long-shot Democrat already is raising money for the race, and Feinstein recently drew criticism from California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, who has not ruled out a primary challenge against her. Boxer said Wednesday her own priority for next years midterm election is flipping several Republican-held House seats in Southern California. Theres no such thing as an off election year, she said. Its an on year. Much of this work will be done through the political action committee Boxer founded, PAC for a Change. The organization also supports electing more Democrats to the Senate and standing up to President Trumps policies, she said. Since leaving the Senate in January, Boxer has also given speeches and promoted her book, The Art of Tough. She doesnt like to consider herself a retiree. Boxer also skirted a question about her pick for governor in a race that already is crowded with several Democrats. All of the candidates, she joked, are like my sons and daughters. Facebook

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Californias top elections officer now says his agencys website wasnt the one scanned by Russian hackers By John Myers Secretary of State Alex Padilla (John Myers / Los Angeles Times) Five days after saying he had been told Russian hackers scanned the states main elections website for weaknesses in 2016, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said Wednesday that it turns out it didnt actually happen that way. Padilla said that his office was given incorrect information by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and that the Russian operation was instead focused on scanning the network of the state Department of Technology. Our notification from DHS last Friday was not only a year late, it also turned out to be bad information, Padilla said in a statement. Bryce Brown, a spokesman for the states information technology agency, said officials had long known about suspect activity that occurred on our network last summer but didnt know anything else until the notification from federal officials. Although we did not have knowledge of the source until now, we have confirmed our security systems worked as planned and the activity was blocked as it happened in 2016, he said. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that federal officials also reversed course in a notification they had made to Wisconsin elections officials about Russian activity. In June, federal officials told Congress that 21 states elections systems were targeted by Russian activity. Padilla insisted last week that the scanning incident found no vulnerabilities or access to any California voter information, and he criticized DHS officials for the delay in sharing information about 2016 activities. On Wednesday, he said hopes that federal officials will continue to work with the states in preventing cyberattacks. I remain committed to a partnership with DHS and other intelligence agencies; however, elections officials and the American public expect and deserve timely and accurate information, Padilla said. Facebook

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Hollywood tour buses could get more rules slapped on them under the law Gov. Jerry Brown just signed By Patrick McGreevy A tour bus passes the late Carrie Fishers gated home in Beverly Hills. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at reining in the proliferation of tour buses offering to take fans to the homes and gathering spots of celebrities in Hollywood and other trendy neighborhoods. The measure allows cities and counties to adopt rules that restrict the routes or streets used by the tour buses, and prohibit the use of loudspeakers on open-topped buses and vans. Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks) introduced the proposal in response to a report by NBC Los Angeles that found some tour buses were operating unsafely without proper permits. He also cited complaints about topless buses on narrow streets of the Hollywood Hills, Malibu and Bel-Air. Facebook

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Latino state lawmakers back Antonio Villaraigosa for California governor By Phil Willon Antonio Villaraigosa gives a pep talk in Los Angeles at Cathedral High School, where he once was also a student. ((Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) The Legislatures California Latino Caucus on Wednesday endorsed former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for governor. While expected, the nod from the politically influential caucus is a boon for Villaraigosa, a former Democratic Assembly speaker and the only major Latino candidate running for governor. Villaraigosa has lagged behind Lt. Gov. Gavin Newson in early polls and fundraising. As Assembly speaker and Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa worked to strengthen our economy, expand our healthcare, improve our schools and invest in strategic infrastructure projects that create middle-class jobs, Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), chair of the caucus, said in a statement Wednesday morning. An intriguing aspect of the endorsement is that one of the most prominent members of the California Latino Caucus is Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles). In Sacramento, speculation abounds over whether De Leon may run for governor, and the Villaraigosa endorsement could indicate De Leon has other plans for his political future. Villaraigosa joins a slate of other Latino statewide candidates endorsed by the caucus: Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Azusa) for lieutenant governor; current appointee Xavier Becerra for attorney general; incumbent Alex Padilla for secretary of state; Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) for insurance commissioner; and Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) for superintendent of public instruction. Facebook

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California is trying to educate people about marijuana before recreational sales start By Patrick McGreevy Months before California allows the sale of marijuana for recreational use, the state has launched an education campaign about the drug, including highlighting the potential harms of cannabis for minors and pregnant women. The state is scheduled to issue licenses starting Jan. 2 for growing and selling marijuana for recreational use, expanding a program that currently allows cannabis use for medical purposes. In response, the California Department of Public Health has created a website to educate Californians about the drug and its impacts, including how to purchase and safely store cannabis. We are committed to providing Californians with science-based information to ensure safe and informed choices, said State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. The website, Lets Talk Cannabis, notes it is illegal for people under 21 to buy marijuana for non-medical use and warns that using cannabis regularly in your teens and early 20s may lead to physical changes in your brain. The site also warns that marijuana edibles may have higher concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. If you eat too much, too fast you are at higher risk for poisoning, the website warns. The state urges parents and guardians to talk to their teenagers about legal and health issues surrounding marijuana use. The state officials also say consuming cannabis is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or who plan to become pregnant soon, noting that it can affect the health of your baby. The website got good marks from legalization activist Ellen Komp, deputy director of Californias chapter of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The website is fairly accurate, she said, but added, The risks with pregnancy are somewhat overstated, telling women they should not use cannabis for nausea or even if they are thinking of getting pregnant. Some 43% of Californians have used marijuana for recreational purposes and 54% said they have not, according to a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll last November. Among those who have not used it, just 2% said they are much more likely to use it if Proposition 64 passed, which it did, while 5% said they are somewhat more likely to use it, and 89% said they are no more likely to smoke pot if it was legalized. Other advice from the states site: driving under the influence of cannabis is illegal and increases the chance of a car accident, and cannabis should be stored in a locked area to avoid poisoning children and pets. Updated at 11:30 am to include data from poll on marijuana use. Facebook

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Todays newsletter: Republicans fail again to repeal Obamacare By John Myers Todays Essential Politics newsletter details the last gasp of the Republican efforts in Washington to repeal the Affordable Care Act, efforts that President Trump insisted on Tuesday arent over. We also take a look at the win by Roy Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, in a Senate runoff that saw the president back the losing candidate. And weve got the details of what happens if Gov. Jerry Brown, as expected, signs the sanctuary state bill into law. The newsletter comes out Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Are you a subscriber? Sign up below. Read More Facebook

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After meeting with Trump, California Democrats say they want a seat at the tax reform table By Sarah D. Wire Ahead of Republicans plans to unveil a more detailed overview of their tax reform plan Wednesday, President Trump sat down with a bipartisan group of members that included California Democratic Reps. Linda Sanchez and Mike Thompson. Sanchez, of Whittier, who serves on the House committee that has authority over tax legislation, said members didnt learn much about the details of the plan Tuesday. There were kind of generalities but no specificity, which is why were interested to see what they put out tomorrow, because clearly its not something thats had Democratic input, Sanchez said. According to a White House transcript of part of the meeting, Trump said the plan is focused on making the tax code simple and fair, increasing the deduction most families can take, lowering the business tax rate and bringing wealth stored overseas back to the United States. Thompson, of St. Helena, said the president listened to what Democrats had to say, but he didnt get the impression that the policy plan would change before it becomes public Wednesday. I dont think it was that kind of meeting. We all agreed we wanted a fair, easy-to-work-with tax code that generates more jobs, said Thompson, who is also on the committee. He said repeatedly he wants to be successful. Republicans are set to unveil a consensus document Wednesday they say will be a much more detailed overview than previous tax policy papers theyve released. But it is not expected to be an actual plan or bill. Republicans will huddle with Vice President Mike Pence for half of Wednesday to discuss tax reform. Democrats are holding their own tax reform forum too. Its been 30 years since Congress has passed a major tax overhaul, and Republican leaders have set an ambitious timeline for passing a tax-reform measure, indicating they want to get it to Trumps desk by the end of the year. Sanchez said she tried to stress in the meeting that Democrats should play a role in writing the final bill. There wasnt discussion about the group sitting down with Trump again, she said. The president was very pleased that it was a bipartisan effort, which sort of confused me because that was the first meeting where there were members of the Democratic side of the Ways and Means Committee there, Sanchez said. I dont know if theyve been telling him that the process is bipartisan or if he knew it wasnt bipartisan but didnt care, but I thought that was kind of odd. Facebook

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Judge rewrites summary of proposed gas tax repeal initiative, saying it was fundamentally flawed By Patrick McGreevy A Chevron gas station in Sacramento shows prices in February. ( (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) A judge on Monday rewrote the title and summary for a proposed initiative that would repeal recent gas tax increases in California. He rejected a title and summary written by the state attorney generals office as fundamentally flawed. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley criticized the attorney generals office for not mentioning in the title that the ballot measure would repeal newly approved taxes or fees. This is not a situation where reasonable minds may differ, Frawley wrote in his ruling. The Attorney Generals title and summary ... must be changed to avoid misleading the voters and creating prejudice against the measure. The initiative proposed by Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) would repeal a bill approved in April by the Legislature and governor that would raise the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon and increase vehicle fees in order to generate $5.2 billion for road repairs and to improve mass transit. The title and summary will be placed on petitions to be circulated by those trying to qualify the measure for the November 2018 ballot. The title and summary are also placed on the ballot if enough signatures are collected. The original title written by Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerras office was: Eliminates recently enacted road repair and transportation funding by repealing revenues dedicated for those purposes. Allens attorneys argued the voter could read that to mean that the Legislature identified existing funds for transportation and the initiative would take those funds away. The judges title says: Repeals recently enacted gas and diesel taxes and vehicle registration fees. Eliminates road repair and transportation programs funded by these taxes and fees. The judge also made it clear in the summary that an Independent Office of Audits and Investigations that would be eliminated by the initiative is newly established. Representatives of the attorney generals office were not immediately available to comment on whether the ruling would be appealed. Facebook

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Democrats to try to force vote on Dream Act with rarely successful procedural move By Sarah D. Wire House Democrats are trying to force a vote on Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allards version of the Dream Act, they announced in a news conference Monday. The House and Senate have less than six months to address the legal status of people brought into the country illegally as children before the program protecting them from deportation ends in March. In the weeks since President Trump announced he was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Democrats have pushed for a quick vote on Roybal-Allards bill, which is backed by every House Democrat and four Republicans. There are also a handful of other Republican-sponsored bills that could be considered. To force a vote, Democrats would need a majority of the House  218 members  to sign whats called a discharge petition to pull the bill from the House Judiciary Committee and bring it to the House floor. Roybal-Allard, a Democrat from Downey, said she believes there is enough support to pass the bill if Democrats can get it to the House floor. Democratic leaders said they expect all House Democrats will sign the petition. The American people overwhelmingly oppose deporting our Dreamers, Roybal-Allard said. But the Republican leadership is ignoring the wishes of a majority of the American people. Democrats hold only 194 seats, and would have to convince 24 Republicans to buck their party leaders and sign the petition. House leaders control which bills come to the floor for a vote and when. Although discharge petitions have been used in the past to shame congressional leadership into letting a bill move forward, the procedural move is rarely successful. This month, Republican Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado filed a discharge petition for the Bridge Act, a Republican- sponsored bill to address the legal status of people brought to the country illegally as children. Five members of Congress had signed on as of Monday. FOR THE RECORD Sept 26, 12:38 p.m.: An earlier version of this post identified the member of Congress who filed a discharge petition for the Bridge Act as Rep. Mike Thompson. It was Rep. Mike Coffman. Facebook

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California lawmakers grant some megaprojects relief from environmental law, but not others By Liam Dillon Developers plan to build two skyscrapers near the Capitol Records building in Hollywood. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press) When professional sports team owners, Facebook and big developers have asked California lawmakers for some relief from the states main environmental law over growth, the answer usually has been yes. The law, the California Environmental Quality Act, requires developers to disclose and reduce a projects effects on the environment  a process that often can get tied up in lengthy litigation. This year, legislators passed a measure aiming to shorten any potential environmental lawsuit against Facebooks expansion of its headquarters, two skyscrapers planned in Hollywood and other megaprojects to less than nine months. Doing so has led many to question why only big projects get such relief. Read More Facebook

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The fate of Californias biggest campaign donor disclosure bill may hinge on some small details By John Myers Members of the California Fair Political Practices Commission. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP) You wouldnt expect to see the leader of Californias campaign watchdog agency rooting for Gov. Jerry Brown to veto sweeping new disclosure rules for political donors. And yet, thats where things stand in a seven-year debate over helping voters follow the money. I think we can do better than this bill, said Jodi Remke, chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Remke and her staff have raised a red flag about the fine print tucked inside Assembly Bill 249, the California Disclose Act, that rewrites rules for campaign contributions that are earmarked. Read More Facebook

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Oceanside lifeguard receives Californias highest public safety honor By Mina Corpuz Medal of Valor recipient David Wilson stands with his parents, a family friend, Gov. Jerry Brown and Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. (Mina Corpuz / Los Angeles Times ) An Oceanside Fire Department officer who risked his life to save a boater received the states highest award for public safety officers on Monday. Gov. Jerry Brown and Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra presented David Wilson with the Public Safety Medal of Valor at a ceremony at the state Capitol. In July 2016, Wilson rescued a man whose boat crashed into a jetty in Oceanside Harbor. The victim was barely conscious and jammed between two rocks. With only a short window between each set of waves, Wilson dove underneath the water and swam into the boulders to free the victims legs. You earned it, Brown said at the ceremony. You were assaulted by the waves and the rocks, and you went ahead anyways. Thats why you are the only one getting a medal of honor. A review board made up of law enforcement officers reviewed 21 nominations for the Medal of Valor. The award is given out once a year. There can be more than one recipient, but this year Brown chose one. Facebook

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7.5 million Californians could lose coverage under latest Obamacare repeal effort, state health insurance exchange says By Melanie Mason Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California, the states health insurance exchange, in 2013. (Rich Pedroncelli / AP) Californians who get their health coverage on the individual market could face dire consequences under the current Republican effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, warned a new analysis released Monday by Covered California, the states health insurance exchange. Under the latest plan, which is being led by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), 7.5 million Californians could lose their health insurance by 2027, the analysis said. It also said the repeal could trigger a collapse of the states individual insurance market. The Graham-Cassidy plan takes resources away from California and from the majority of states, which means that far fewer Americans would have insurance or the existing protections from insurers, said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California, in a statement. The effect on California would be devastating, and lead not only to there being more uninsured people than there were before the Affordable Care Act, but would also cause huge negative impacts on the health care delivery system, the economy and on those with employer-based coverage, Lee said. The report comes on the heels of another grim analysis by Gov. Jerry Browns administration, which estimated that the Senate proposal would strip California of nearly $139 billion in federal funds from 2020 to 2027. The Covered California report looked at two different scenarios for how state officials could respond to such a slash in federal dollars. If the state chose to prioritize protecting Medi-Cal, which provides coverage for low-income Californians, the analysis projects the collapse of the individual insurance market by 2021. If officials chose to direct attention to the individual market by stepping in to cover subsidies now paid for by the federal government, that could lead to large reductions in the Medi-Cal program. In both scenarios, the result would be up to 7.5 million fewer Californians with health insurance, according to the report. Proponents claim Graham-Cassidy gives states flexibility and choice, but in reality it puts states into a lose-lose situation, Lee said. Under this plan, California and states across the nation would be forced to either turn their backs on their most needy residents, or let the individual market be destroyed. Either way, millions lose coverage. Read More Facebook

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Todays newsletter: Sports spat starts with California teams By Christina Bellantoni Todays Essential Politics newsletter details President Trumps sports spat, which originated with California teams before becoming national political drama on football fields across America. It also notes last falls USC/Los Angeles Times poll, which found huge partisan divisions in how California voters viewed Colin Kaepernick at the time. Democrats liked him more, while he had just 6% favorability among tea party Republicans here. The state was evenly divided on whether to support his protest during the national anthem. The newsletter comes out Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Are you a subscriber? Sign up below. Read More Facebook

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Attorney running against Sen. Dianne Feinstein is hosting Hollywood fundraiser By Christine Mai-Duc Pat Harris may be a long-shot candidate for U.S. Senate, but hes not fundraising like one. On Monday Harris, a Democrat challenging Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is set to tread territory familiar to many prominent statewide candidates looking for cash: the Hollywood fundraiser. The event is to be held at the Catalina Jazz Club on Sunset Boulevard and is being billed as a CD release party for Carol Welman, a jazz musician and Harris wife. Tickets range from $150 for a single ticket to $2,700 for a VIP dinner for two. (An email to Welmans subscriber list earlier this week advertised tickets for as little as $30). Harris announced that he was running last month on a platform that includes support for single-payer healthcare and a pledge that he will only take campaign donations from individuals. Facing pressure from progressive activists, Feinstein has been coy so far about whether shell retire or run again in 2018. Either way, shes stockpiled $3.5 million in her campaign war chest. As of June 30, Harris had raised no money except for $104,685 he loaned his own campaign. Three other candidates have also filed to run against Feinstein: Democrats Steve Stokes and David Hildebrand, and independent Jerry Carroll. Facebook

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Rep. Keith Ellison headlines dinner for Orange County Democrats, who declare orange is the new blue By Christine Mai-Duc The focus was on 2018 as Orange County Democrats gathered Saturday night in Costa Mesa to bask in their high hopes here. Headliner and deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, urged unity as dozens of Democrats navigate crowded primaries throughout the state. Ellison getting star treatment tonight, speaking to VIP attendees & meeting congressional candidates & gubernatorial hopeful @DelaineEastin pic.twitter.com/2Bh8K5H1Qu  Christine Mai-Duc (@cmaiduc) September 24, 2017 Much of focus tonight on flipping 4 GOP congressional seats in OC. Ellison: "We need 24 more seats...I figure 4 of em we can get right here" pic.twitter.com/CDDbGWpNnT  Christine Mai-Duc (@cmaiduc) September 24, 2017 The theme of the annual awards dinner was Orange is the New Blue, a twist on the title of a popular Netflix show and the latest indication of Democrats rosy outlook as they try to flip the countys four GOP-held House seats next year. Ellison told the crowd it was not the proper role of the DNC to choose among the many primary contenders. But you will sort it out running spirited campaigns, you will sort it out over ideas, and when it is over we need you to hold hands and support the Democrat. Ellison pushed for a return to grass-roots organizing and outreach to voters of all stripes  and not just during election years. We cannot come a month before the election, tell them ... Come vote for us, Ellison said. Weve got to be in their lives in a physical, palpable way. Then we do have to have the right words, we do have to stand up for them. Ellison on more permanent solution for DACA: no wall, no increase in detention beds "but there might be some other things" Dems can agree to pic.twitter.com/yrmOGfXYan  Christine Mai-Duc (@cmaiduc) September 24, 2017 In an interview, Ellison also stressed the need to pass legislation for young people brought to the country illegally who were allowed to stay and work under the Obama Administrations Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Ellison said Democrats are open to negotiating certain immigration enforcement provisions in order pass a replacement for DACA, which President Trump announced he will end in March. But he said Democrats wont acquiesce to Trumps demand for a border wall or allow additional capacity for immigration detentions. There are certain things that are simply not on the table  the wall or more detention beds, were just not doing that, he said. Facebook

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Russians tried to find weaknesses in Californias election website last year, say state officials By John Myers Secretary of State Alex Padilla (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Californias chief elections officer said U.S. government officials believe Russian hackers tried to find weaknesses in the states election website during the 2016 campaign, but that theres no evidence their effort was successful. Secretary of State Alex Padilla said the Department of Homeland Security only told him on Friday of last years attempt. He described the attack as a scanning of the states website in hopes of finding weaknesses in its computer network. Our office actively monitors scanning activity as part of our routine cybersecurity protocols, Padilla said in a statement. We have no information or evidence that our systems have been breached in any way or that any voter information was compromised. Those involved were Russian cyber actors according to Padillas description of information he received from federal officials. In June, a top federal official told the Senate Intelligence Committee that systems in 21 states were believed to have been scoured by cyberattackers. The election website, www.sos.ca.gov, contains public information about voting procedures as well as data on past election results and current issues. More sensitive data, including the electronic files of some 17 million registered voters, are not included on the website. A leaked National Security Agency document earlier this year outlined a Russian effort to hack into devices made by a Florida-based voting software company. One California county, Humboldt, used the companys software, but did not find any evidence of tampering. Padilla, a frequent critic of President Trumps special panel investigating the potential of voter fraud, said federal officials should have notified him much earlier of the attempted breach. The practice of withholding critical information from elections officials is a detriment to the security of our elections and our democracy, he said. Facebook

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Antonio Villaraigosa jabs at Gavin Newsom over his apparent embrace of single-payer healthcare bill By Melanie Mason Supporters of a measure to establish single-payer healthcare in California were thrilled by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsoms embrace of their bill on Friday, but a rival gubernatorial campaign was less impressed with his position. A spokesman for former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa accused the lieutenant governor of flip-flopping because after Newsom was asked if he explicitly endorsed the legislation  Senate Bill 562  he responded that he endorsed getting this debate going again. This is an outrageous parsing of words when millions of people are at risk of losing their healthcare, Villaraigosa spokesman Luis Vizcaino said in a statement. It is a yes or no question, lieutenant governor. Are you for SB 562 or not? The nurses and California voters deserve the truth, Vizcaino added. The question of backing SB 562 is thorny since it was shelved earlier this year after Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) called it woefully incomplete. Backers have said theyd be willing to make changes to the measure, but the contours of those proposed changes have not been made public. Vizcaino said Villaraigosa has always supported universal healthcare and the concept of single payer, but agreed with Speaker Rendon that the bill couldnt be sent to the governor without a funding plan. Speaking to reporters, Newsom said he saw a single-payer system in which the government covers healthcare costs as the best way to achieve universal coverage and said he would be actively engaged in designing and developing it if SB 562 does not pass next year. RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of the California Nurses Assn./National Nurses United, said she saw Newsoms remarks as a clear endorsement of their measure and a stance she said was not surprising. We always knew Gavin would support our bill, DeMoro said. She lambasted Villaraigosa  who does not support SB 562  for criticizing Newsom, whom her group endorsed nearly two years ago. I want Villaraigosa to explain to the Latino community why he doesnt think they should have ... comprehensive healthcare, she said. Villaraigosas being disingenuous. He knows better. Hes just politically posturing trying to find a wedge issue and he knows better. UPDATE 4:32 p.m.: This post was updated with an additional statement from Villaraigosas spokesperson on the former L.A. mayors support for universal healthcare. Read More Facebook

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In San Francisco, Bernie Sanders plays two roles: Obamacare defender and single-payer advocate By Melanie Mason View Twitter post Sen. Bernie Sanders headed west to drum up support for his recently unveiled Medicare for All proposal Friday, but first trained his sights on the Obamacare repeal bill currently gripping Congress. Sanders (I-Vt.), whose speech was the cornerstone of a California Nurses Assn. gathering in San Francisco, blasted the Republican plan led by Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina as horrific legislation. How cruel, how immoral it is, to say to those millions of Americans, we are going to take away that health insurance that keeps you alive, Sanders said. Sen. John McCain announced on Friday he could not support the measure, dealing the GOP plan a blow. Sanders thanked McCain for his stance, prompting the liberal crowd to cheer the Arizona Republican. Some Democrats had worried that Sanders push for his single-payer plan could distract from efforts to oppose the repeal bill. But the senator was explicit in his appeal to the approximately 2,000 supporters in attendance to focus their energy on defeating the repeal measure. Our job is to continue to make sure the Republicans do not get the 50 votes they need ... I beg of you, please, do everything you can to stop the bill, he said. Still, the crux of Sanders speech focused on his single-payer bill, which he sold as an improvement over the status quo. The Affordable Care Act, as we all know, made significant improvements to our healthcare system, Sanders said, citing the expansion of the number of Americans with health insurance and the ban on insurance companies ability to deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions. But we must be honest and acknowledge that with all the gains of the Affordable Care Act, it does not go far enough, he added. The bill expands the Medicare program to cover the healthcare costs of all Americans with no out-of-pocket payments for patients. The measure does not include a plan to finance such a system, but Sanders has released a report laying out various ways to cover the costs, including a progressive income tax. During his pitch, Sanders said the implications extended beyond health policy. It is a struggle about what this great nation stands for, Sanders said. It is a struggle about whether or not every working person in this country has healthcare as a right or whether we allow insurance companies and drug companies to continue to rip us off. Facebook

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Gas tax foes win victory as they try to get a repeal on November 2018 ballot By Patrick McGreevy A Chevron gas station in Sacramento shows prices in February. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) In a rare court rebuke of the state Attorney Generals Office, a judge said Friday that the title and summary written for a proposed initiative is misleading  and that hed do a rewrite himself to make it clear the measure would repeal recently approved increases to gas taxes and vehicle fees. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley said he would draft a new title and summary to be placed on petitions for the initiative after attorneys for the state and proponents of the ballot measure could not agree on compromise language. In this circumstance, I honestly believe that the circulated title and summary that has been prepared is misleading, Frawley told attorneys during a court hearing Friday. He hopes to release the new title and summary by Monday. The initiative proposed by Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) would repeal a bill approved in April by the Legislature and governor that would raise the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon and increase vehicle fees to generate $5.2 billion annually to fix the states roads and bridges and improve mass transit. Allen and his attorneys said the state attorney general sought to confuse voters with a title that does not use the words taxes or fees. The title was proposed to say: Eliminates recently enacted road repair and transportation funding by repealing revenues dedicated for those purposes. Allen, who is running for governor in 2018, said the court decision showed the attorney general was trying to sway voters against the initiative. Justice is being served for the voters of California, Allen said after the court hearing. I think that he [the judge] has properly seen that the attorney general has tried to intentionally mislead the voters of California because he has tried to prejudice their vote and tried to keep increased taxes for Californians. A coalition of business, labor and government officials called Fix Our Roads, which supports the gas tax legislation, had representatives in the courtroom who later criticized Allen for seeking political gain at the expense of California motorists. This is more about Travis Allens gubernatorial race than anything else, said coalition spokeswoman Kathy Fairbanks. Hes condemning voters to driving on potholed roads and being stuck in traffic. Allen said the initiative and his campaign for governor are both aimed at giving voters power to fight higher taxes. Finally ordinary Californians are understanding that they actually can hold Sacramento accountable, Allen said. This is why Im running to be the next governor of California, because for too long Sacramento has been run by out-of-touch elitists that are coming from Sacramento and the Bay Area of San Francisco. A second initiative to repeal the gas tax has been proposed by a different group of Republican activists. Allen said he supports the second initiative but noted it has to collect many more signatures because it seeks to change the state constitution. It has a long way to go, Allen said. If the judge issues a new title and summary Monday, Allen said the petitions will hit the streets immediately and he is confident they will get the 365,880 signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2018 ballot. Facebook

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We will have universal healthcare in the state of California, Gavin Newsom promises single-payer advocates By Melanie Mason View Twitter post Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has made his most explicit endorsement yet of a controversial single-payer healthcare proposal that has roiled Democratic politics in California. Newsom appeared Friday before the California Nurses Assn., the most ardent backers of SB 562, a stalled bill to establish a system in which the state would cover all residents healthcare costs. Theres no reason to wait around on universal healthcare and single-payer in California, Newsom said. Its time to move 562. Its time to get it out of committee. The line prompted cheers and a standing ovation from the audience of about 1,500 members of the nurses union. He capped off his remarks with a promise: If we cant get it done next year, you have my firm and absolute commitment as your next governor that I will lead the effort to get it done. We will have universal healthcare in the state of California. Enthusiastic nurses in the room heard an unequivocal backing of their effort to push forward with the bill. When he says hes going to get this done, he means, seriously, that he will pass SB 562 and make sure that there is healthcare for all Californians, said Catherine Kennedy, a neonatal nurse from Roseville. But speaking to reporters after his address, Newsom was less clear in embracing the specifics of the proposal. I 100% support moving this process along, getting this debate going again and addressing the concerns, the open-ended issues that the nurses themselves have acknowledged as it relates to the need of going through the legislative process and to fill in the blanks on the financing plan, among other issues, he said. Facebook

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President Obama appears in an Assembly race mailer in California  but read it closely By Christina Bellantoni The race to replace Jimmy Gomez, who was elected to Congress earlier this year, has so far been waged by mail and door-knocking in northeast Los Angeles. Most of the mailers feature local leaders and endorsements from groups including Planned Parenthood and the Sierra Club. But one mailer that arrived in my mailbox Thursday has a much more familiar face  former President Barack Obama. While it might seem like one to the casual voter sorting through junk mail, this isnt an endorsement. Want to know what kind of job Gabriel Sandoval will do in the Assembly? Listen to the people hes worked with in the past, the mailer reads, above Obamas official White House portrait. In small type, it notes that Sandoval served as a Senior Civil Rights Attorney and Senior Advisor for a White House initiative within the Department of Education. It features a glowing quote over an image of a July 12, 2013, letter from the president to Sandoval written on White House letterhead. Facebook

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Healthcare a hot issue in race for California governor By Phil Willon Antonio Villaraigosa, left, and Gavin Newsom (Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images; Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) With the hyperpartisan politics surrounding healthcare stirred up by efforts to repeal Obamacare and calls for a single-payer system, both Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa are claiming the mantle of healthcare visionary. On the campaign trail the two Democratic candidates for governor are touting their signature healthcare accomplishments from earlier in their political careers as their bona fides. For Newsom, its about Healthy San Francisco, the nations first municipal universal healthcare program, approved while he was mayor; and for Villaraigosa, its Healthy Families, which provided healthcare coverage to the children of Californias working poor, legislation he authored as a California assemblyman. But do they deserve all the credit? It sure doesnt look that way. Healthy San Francisco is one of the many topics Newsom is expected to highlight when he speaks to the California Nurses Assn. convention in the Bay Area on Friday morning. On Thursday night, Newsom took a shot at the latest Republican effort in Washington to roll back the Affordable Care Act  a bill written by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) The numbers on this make my skin crawl. Under Graham-Cassidy, an individual with metastatic cancer could see their premiums increase by $142,650. Diabetes? $5,600. Want to tackle the opioid crisis? Gets a lot tougher if an individual suffering from drug dependence sees their premiums go up by $20,450, Newsom said in an email sent out by his campaign. This is not a game. Lives are at stake. Read More Facebook

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Rep. Duncan Hunter calls for preemptive strike against North Korea By Joshua Stewart, San Diego Union-Tribune Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) introduces U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions at a news conference. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) Rep. Duncan Hunter said that the United States needs to launch a preemptive strike against North Korea in order to prevent the rogue nation from harming the U.S. first. You could assume, right now, that we have a nuclear missile aimed at the United States, and here in San Diego. Why would they not aim here, at Hawaii, Guam, our major naval bases? Hunter, an Alpine Republican, said Thursday during an appearance on San Diego television station KUSI. The question is, do you wait for one of those? Or two? Do you preemptively strike them? And thats what the president has to wrestle with. I would preemptively strike them. You could call it declaring war, call it whatever you want, Hunter continued. Hunter, a member of a House Armed Services Committee and the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the United States nuclear arsenal, did not say whether the military should strike North Korea with conventional or nuclear weapons. Read More Facebook

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Will Bernie Sanders push for Medicare for All help or hinder the California effort for single-payer? By Melanie Mason When Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders visited Beverly Hills last May, he made a full-throated appeal for California to lead the country and pass a pending state proposal to establish single-payer healthcare. On Friday, hell return to California for a San Francisco speech trumpeting his own higher-stakes plan  a bill to drastically overhaul the nations healthcare system by covering everyone through Medicare. The push for single-payer, in which the government pays for residents medical care, has already rattled Californias political landscape. Now, the Sanders measure brings an additional jolt, elevating the issue to a national debate that has implications for the future direction of the Democratic Party and early jockeying in the 2020 presidential race. Read More Facebook

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What will Kevin de Leon do when his term in the California Senate expires next year? By Patrick McGreevy State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, speaks during the last regular Senate floor session of the year. ( (Rich Pedroncelli / AP)) As he gaveled down what may be his last full year as leader of the California Senate on Saturday, Kevin de Leon had still not said what he planned to do next. Will he run for governor or U.S. Senate? Does he want to be mayor of Los Angeles some day? De Leon told reporters they will have to wait to find out. His advisors, supporters and political observers have their own ideas what De Leon could do next. Read More Facebook

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Skelton: The presidential election bills on Gov. Browns desk may be satisfying politics, but theyre risky ideas By George Skelton Two presidential election bills are on Gov. Jerry Browns desk, sent to him by the Democratic Legislature. Both should be tossed in the trash. No doubt Im in the minority on this. These bills do offer some fun, even if theyre flawed. One has strong pluses that are outweighed by unacceptable minuses. The second is a mean-spirited gotcha bill aimed at the Democrats No. 1 enemy: President Trump. It may be satisfying politics, but it sets a risky precedent. The first bill moves up Californias presidential primary from June to March. Great idea. But it also moves up the state primary along with it. A horrible idea. The second measure would require all presidential candidates to release their tax returns for the last five years. Anyone who refused wouldnt be allowed on the California ballot. Thats a sharp poke at Trump, who in 2016 was the first presidential candidate in 40 years not to release his taxes. Yes, watching Trump squirm would be entertaining. And maybe the tax information would be useful for some voters. But even if the disclosure requirement were constitutional  and theres substantial doubt about that  its a crummy precedent. Read More Facebook

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California Senate leader preparing for legal fight over sanctuary state legislation By Sarah D. Wire California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown hasnt yet signed legislation making California a so-called sanctuary state, but state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon is preparing to defend it in court. In between several immigration events in Washington on Wednesday, De Leon (D-Los Angeles) said he met with former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr.  who has served as outside counsel to the Legislature for much of the year  to continue to further discuss inoculating California from [U.S. Atty. Gen.] Jeff Sessions Department of Justice. Passed early Saturday by the Legislature, the sanctuary state bill would limit state and local law enforcement communication with federal immigration authorities and prevent officers from questioning and holding people on immigration violations. Sessions has threatened to withhold some federal grant funds from cities and counties that refuse to assist federal immigration agents. Holder and other former Justice Department lawyers believe the bill is defendable, and if the Trump administration tries to compel California cities to act by withholding funds, it will find itself in court, De Leon said. Defenders of so-called sanctuary cities often rely on a 1996 Supreme Court ruling that cited the 10th Amendment and found the federal government cant compel local governments to cooperate with enforcing federal laws. It is immoral, and quite frankly un-American, that Americas top law enforcement official would withhold dollars that our local police officers need  precious dollars we need desperately to counter terrorism, to deal with the issue of human trafficking as well as international drug cartels, De Leon said. On Tuesday, Sessions urged Brown not to sign the bill, calling it unconscionable and a threat to public safety. Brown responded to Sessions comment on CNN by calling the legislation well-balanced. It protects public safety, but it also protects hardworking people who contribute a lot to California, Brown said. He has until Oct. 15 to sign the bill. De Leon also shot back against Sessions statement that the federal money isnt an entitlement, saying Californians pay more in federal taxes than they receive in federal funding. Thats not a gift or a grant from the Department of Justice to California. Those are our dollars; they belong to the people of California, he said. Facebook

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California, with alliance of states, pledges to keep pushing climate policies despite lack of federal progress By Chris Megerian (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) California and a growing alliance of states committed to fighting global warming said Wednesday that theyre slashing greenhouse gas emissions at the rate required by the Paris climate agreement. However, the rest of the country would need to join their effort for the United States to actually hit the target of cutting emissions by at least 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. President Trump has pledged to pull the country out of the Paris deal, but the states reiterated their pledge to keep pressing forward during a news conference in New York. Were all in, California Gov. Jerry Brown said. Eventually, Washington will join with us. You cant deny science forever. Californias climate goal is even more ambitious than the Paris target. A law signed by Brown last year requires the state to cut emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. California became a founding member of the U.S. Climate Alliance, along with New York and Washington state, months ago. Either we end this problem, or this problem will end us, said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. On Wednesday, North Carolina became the 15th member of the U.S. Climate Alliance. Other members include Massachusetts, Oregon and Puerto Rico. Clean air and a healthy environment are vital for a strong economy and a healthier future, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a newly elected Democrat, said in a statement. Facebook

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Bay Area cities sue major oil companies over climate change By Chris Megerian (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) San Francisco and Oakland are suing to get five oil companies, including San Ramon-based Chevron, to pay for the cost of protecting the Bay Area from rising sea levels and other effects of global warming. These fossil fuel companies profited handsomely for decades while knowing they were putting the fate of our cities at risk, San Francisco City Atty. Dennis Herrera said in a statement. The lawsuits, which were filed Tuesday in state court in San Francisco and Alameda counties and announced Wednesday, dont ask for a specific dollar amount. But the cities could try to put oil companies on the hook for billions. Long-term improvements in San Franciscos seawall are projected to cost $5 billion, according to one of the lawsuits. The law is clear that the defendants are responsible for the consequences of their reckless and disastrous actions, Oakland City Atty. Barbara J. Parker said in a statement. A spokesman for Chevron, Melissa Ritchie, said the lawsuits would not help address climate change. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a global issue that requires global engagement and action, she said in a statement. Should this litigation proceed, it will only serve special interests at the expense of broader policy, regulatory, and economic priorities. Facebook

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California sues to stop Trumps border wall: No one gets to ignore the laws. Not even the president By Patrick McGreevy  California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announces lawsuit against Trump Administration. California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that President Trumps proposal to expedite construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border violates laws aimed at protecting the environment. Becerra announced the legal challenge standing in front of the existing border fencing at Border Field State Park near San Diego, saying the federal government failed to comply with federal environmental laws and relied on federal statutes that dont authorize border wall projects in San Diego and Imperial counties. No one gets to ignore the laws. Not even the president of the United States, Becerra said. The border between the U.S. and Mexico spans some 2,000 miles. The list of laws violated by the presidents administration in order to build his campaign wall is almost as long. He said the project involves the improper waiver of 37 federal statutes, many aimed at protecting the environment. Filed in federal court in San Diego and including the California Coastal Commission as a plaintiff, the lawsuit states its purpose is to protect the State of Californias residents, natural resources, economic interests, procedural rights, and sovereignty from violations of the United States Constitution and federal law. Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra at the U.S.- Mexico border where he announced lawsuit to stop a proposal for a border wall. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) The lawsuit also alleges that federal officials have not shown any data suggesting new border barriers in the San Diego area will reduce illegal entry into the U.S., nor that there is a significant problem in that area. It adds that the wall would have a chilling effect on tourism to the United States from Mexico. In August, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a notice that it was waiving federal and state laws on the environment to expedite the construction of prototypes of the wall along the San Diego border with Mexico. The California lawsuit claims the federal government violated the U.S. Constitutions separation-of-powers doctrine by vesting in the Executive Branch the power to waive state and local laws. The lawsuit also says the Department of Homeland Security decided to build the walls without complying with the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act. As a result, the lawsuit alleges, the federal government lacks proper environmental analysis of the impact of the 400-foot prototypes of the wall currently planned, as well as the 2,000-mile-long final wall. A federal official declined comment. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending litigation, said Tyler Q. Houlton, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security. State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) stood with Becerra at the event, saying the wall is unnecessary and will put a barrier between relations involving the two countries. Maybe to people in Iowa, it sounds like a really good idea, she said. We dont need more structure. We need a good relationship [with Mexico]. Times staff writers McGreevy reported from Sacramento and Ulloa from San Diego. AG @XavierBecerra takes some shots at Trump: He hasn't made the transition from candidate to president. #borderwall pic.twitter.com/liSJdrAK2v  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) September 20, 2017 Facebook

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California to sue Trump administration over plan for U.S.-Mexico border wall By Patrick McGreevy California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra plans to announce a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of the state that will challenge President Trumps proposal to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, a project Becerra has called medieval. Becerra is scheduled to travel to Border Field State Park near San Diego to announce that a lawsuit is being filed in federal court over construction of border wall projects in San Diego and Imperial counties. The lawsuit, which includes the California Coastal Commission as a plaintiff, states its purpose is to protect the State of Californias residents, natural resources, economic interests, procedural rights, and sovereignty from violations of the United States Constitution and federal law. It adds that the wall would have a chilling effect on tourism to the United States from Mexico. The states lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration has failed to comply with federal and state environmental laws and relied on federal statutes that dont authorize the proposed projects. The brief alleges the federal government violated the U.S. Constitutions separation-of-powers doctrine by vesting in the Executive Branch the power to waive state and local laws, including state criminal law.. The lawsuit also says the Department of Homeland Security decided to build the walls without complying with the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. As a result, the lawsuit alleges, the federal government lacks proper environmental analysis of the impact of 400-foot prototypes of the wall currently planned, as well as the 2,000-mile-long final wall. The Democratic attorney general has been critical of the wall for months, including in April during an appearance on ABCs This Week. Im still trying to figure out who believes that a medieval situation to fix our broken immigration system is what we need, Becerra said. He also accused Trump at the time of reneging on his promise to have Mexico pay for the wall. I think American taxpayers probably are very much aligned with Mexico. None of them, whether its Mexico or our taxpayers, wants to pay for a medieval wall, he said. This is the latest of more than two dozen lawsuits and legal briefs filed against the Trump administration by Becerra, who was appointed attorney general in January and is running for election to the post next year. He previously sued to challenge Trumps plans to end a program that protects young immigrants from deportation, ban immigration from some countries and roll back environmental laws. Last week, three advocacy groups sued the federal government to block construction of a border wall, alleging that the Trump administration overstepped its authority by waiving environmental reviews and other laws. The action by the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and Animal Legal Defense Fund seeks to prevent construction of wall prototypes in San Diego. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said last month that prototypes for a border wall may be completed by the end of October. Becerras lawsuit is the latest attempt by California Democrats to fight the wall proposal. A bill that would have banned state government contracts for any company that helps build the wall passed the state Senate, but stalled recently in an Assembly committee. Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) authored the bill, testifying at a committee hearing that the wall is another attempt to separate and divide us. It sends a message that we are better off in a homogenous society. Todd Bloomstine, a lobbyist representing the Southern California Contractors Assn., opposed the bill, asking the panel, What next unpopular project would be [on the] blacklist? Read the lawsuit >> UPDATE 8:30 a.m. This article was updated to provide additional details of the lawsuit. This article was originally published at 6 a.m. Facebook

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Judge rules state used misleading language in summary of ballot measure to repeal California gas tax By Patrick McGreevy GOP Assemblyman Travis Allen, in red tie, with Democratic state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, left, and Charles Munger Jr., far right, in 2014. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A judge tentatively ruled Tuesday that the state-written title and summary of an initiative to repeal the recent gas-tax increases were misleading and should be rewritten by the state attorney generals office. The ruling by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley, scheduled to be finalized at a court hearing on Friday, was welcomed by the initiatives lead proponent, Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach). This preliminary ruling is a major victory for Californians, Allen, a candidate for governor, said in a statement. This brings us one step closer to repealing Jerry Browns hugely unpopular gas tax. I look forward to the final ruling on Friday, and ensuring that the Repeal the Gas Tax Initiative receives the straightforward ballot title and summary that it deserves. Judge Frawley agreed with Allens legal claims that the title and summary drafted by Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerras office is confusing, misleading, and likely to create prejudice against the proposed measure. The judge said the initiative would repeal taxes and fees approved by the Legislature this year, but the title and summary issued by the state makes it sound like it would eliminate transportation funding without using the words taxes and fees in the title. He ordered state officials to come to Fridays hearing prepared to discuss alternate language for the ballot measure. To avoid misleading the voters and creating prejudice against the measure, the Attorney General must prepare a true and impartial statement that reasonably informs voters of the character and real purpose of the proposed initiative in clear and understandable language, the ruling says. The existing circulating title and summary fails this test. If the judge finalizes the order after hearing arguments Friday, Allen can use the new title and summary to circulate a petition. Allen needs to collect 365,000 signatures from registered voters in 150 days to put the measure on the November 2018 ballot. Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown: Trumps rhetoric about North Korea adds to non-rational bluster By Mina Corpuz (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) California Gov. Jerry Brown said President Trumps name calling and threats at the United Nations can get in the way of diplomacy and statesmanship. Earlier Tuesday, Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a Rocket Man on a suicide mission and said the United States may have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. It just raises the temperature and the exchange of non-rational bluster back and forth, Brown said in a interview with CNNs Jake Tapper. I dont think thats positive. Brown is in New York for some climate meetings related to the United Nations General Assembly. Facebook

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Yes, dahlink: Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, widower of Zsa Zsa Gabor, is running for California governor By Phil Willon Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, widower of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, outside of the couples Bel-Air mansion in 2011. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, widower of the whimsical celebrity and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, is back. Von Anhalt has filed to run for governor of California  his second attempt after a short-lived campaign in 2010  saying hes fed up with seeing roads falling apart, people struggling to afford rent and an explosion of homelessness in the state. Ive lived in this city for 36 years. Ive never seen so many people eating out of a trash can in the Western world, Von Anhalt said Tuesday. We talk about Hollywood, and this being the entertainment center of the world. How is this possible? Von Anhalt, Garbors ninth and last husband, is running as an independent. He filed an official Candidate Intention Statement with the California Secretary of States office Monday, the first step in launching an official campaign. The 74-year-old Bel-Air resident, a German immigrant, said he has enough money to help support his own campaign. He said he dropped out of the 2010 governors race only because his wife became seriously ill. She died in December. She was the one  who wanted me run, Von Anhalt said. Von Anhalt also flirted briefly with a run for Los Angeles mayor in 2013, a race eventually won by Eric Garcetti. FOR THE RECORD 5:33 p.m.: An earlier of this post said Von Anhalt was age 71. He is 74. Facebook

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Assemblyman urges other legislatures to join California in censuring President Trump By Mina Corpuz Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) speaks with Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A California lawmaker who authored a resolution to support a censure of President Trump sent letters to 49 other state legislatures Tuesday to urge them to join the effort. Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, a Richmond Democrat, sent the letters days after the Assembly became the first state legislative body to support a congressional censure of the president. California has spoken and we look to the rest of the nation to join us, Thurmond said in a statement. Its important that all our states unite and show that the United States of America stands against hate. Read More Facebook

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After cap-and-trade vote, Assemblyman Chad Mayes faces a second Republican challenger for reelection By Patrick McGreevy Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley leaves the Assembly floor before resigning as Assembly Republican leader on Aug. 24. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) Former Palm Springs Police Chief Gary Jeandron on Tuesday became the second Republican to announce plans to challenge Assemblyman Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) in the 2018 election. Jeandron, a La Quinta resident, said he was angered over Mayes vote as Assembly Republican leader to support an extension of the states controversial cap-and-trade program, which requires businesses to buy permits to release greenhouse gas emissions. Jeandron saw the action as continuing a wrongful tax increase and said he is signing a no-tax pledge. I just dont believe [Mayes] has held Republican values, Jeandron told The Times. He has been blinded by ambition. He has been seduced by the governor. Mayes vote led to an outcry by Republican leaders, and he eventually succumbed to pressure to step down as leader of the Assembly Republicans. Mayes defended his position, telling colleagues during the floor debate, many of us believe that climate change is real and  we have to work to address it. Jeandron, who lost to Mayes in the 2014 election, joins San Jacinto City Councilman Andrew Kotyuk in planning to challenge Mayes for the 42nd Assembly District seat. Facebook

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Republican John Cox tasted political defeat many times before launching his bid for California governor By Phil Willon Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox speaks to the Lincoln Club of Riverside County in June. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) Candidate for California governor John Cox is relatively new to the states politics, but Cox has run for office multiple times, and even tangled with Barack Obama on the debate stage when the pair ran in the 2004 Illinois U.S. Senate race. Neither candidate was considered their partys favorite. But things began looking up for Obama, of course, who won the Senate race and then the presidency. Cox dropped out before the GOP primary election. It was his third try for elected office in Illinois and his third defeat. Now hes back, this time in his new home of California, running for governor against a trio of Democratic heavyweights. Once again, Cox is a practical unknown. Once again, the Republican is in a left-leaning state reaching for a coveted political office. Once again, Coxs campaign is being fed by cash from his own bank account. Read More Facebook

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After she was confronted by protesters, Pelosi says Democrats want a clean Dream Act  with no border wall By Jazmine Ulloa House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday said she understood the fear in young protesters who shouted her down at a San Francisco news conference, asking for a legal path to citizenship for themselves and their parents. Speaking at Sacramento State hours after the disruption, Pelosi said she agreed with the protesters, pointing to the Dream Act as only the first step to broader immigration reform. We are all disrupters ourselves, she said, standing next to fellow congressional Democrats. So we recognize it and respect it in others. At Sac State, @NancyPelosi on SF protests today: We are all disruptors ourselves. So we recognize it and respect it in others. #dacadeal pic.twitter.com/W1WKQikmsc  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) September 19, 2017 Both press events were scheduled by Pelosi to discuss a legislative fix to help thousands of young people affected by President Trumps decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Obama-era policy provided temporary status for 800,000 people brought to the country illegally as children. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York met with Trump last week after the termination of DACA was announced. In Sacramento, Pelosi said they had come to an agreement to a clean Dream Act, which would provide a path to permanent status for citizens who work, study or serve in the military, without tougher border enforcement or increased deportations. Meanwhile, Democrats are fighting with the president over the construction of a wall along the U.S-Mexico border. And House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has made it clear he wants some kind of border security, Pelosi said. That is not under discussion, she said. We can discuss other issues, but we are not going to discuss how we protect the Dreamers. At Sac State, @NancyPelosi arrives to talk #DACAdeal and help for Dreamers. Elected officials from every level of government also present. pic.twitter.com/yoESsRC1Ok  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) September 18, 2017 Facebook

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Feinstein, who called for patience with Trump, lashes out over his attacks on Clinton By Sarah D. Wire Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said it was appalling and disgusting to see President Trump retweet a video edited to look like he hit former rival Hillary Clinton in the head with a golf ball. He continues to obsessively lash out at her  at his rallies, with his words and now through social media  in a manner that is utterly unbecoming of the president of the United States, Feinstein said in a statement Monday. Every one of us should be offended by the vindictive and candidly dangerous messages the president sends that demean not only Secretary Clinton, but all women. Grow up and do your job. Clinton is out with a new book about the campaign, and Trump has repeatedly used Twitter to deride her as a sore loser. He retweeted the animated GIF Sunday which shows him hitting a golf ball that then knocks down Clinton. Feinstein, who has yet to say whether shell run again in 2018, has walked a fine line with Trump in recent months. Shes criticized him at times, but drew ire from some progressive Californians last month when she called for patience in dealing with the president, saying that Trump could be a good president if he learned and changed. Facebook

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California lawmakers are building a wall against President Trumps policies By George Skelton California state legislators ended their annual session the way they began it  building a wall to protect undocumented immigrants from President Trump. Not an iron wall, as Trump promised to erect along the U.S.-Mexico border, but a legal barrier to prevent local police and sheriffs from teaming with the presidents agents to enforce federal immigration law. The legislators did a lot of other things, too, before adjourning early Saturday until January. They sent Gov. Jerry Brown bills to address Californias dearth of affordable housing, to borrow $4 billion for parks and waterworks, to spend $1.5 billion in greenhouse-gas pollution fees, to provide tuition-free community college for first-year students and to lift some secrecy from prescription drug pricing. Earlier in the session, the heavily Democratic Legislature passed its boldest, most controversial bill of the year: A $5.2-billion annual increase in fuel taxes and vehicle fees to finance transportation infrastructure, especially to repair crumbling highways. Republicans will attempt to repeal the bill at the ballot box in 2018. Brown says that borders on insanity. Read More Facebook

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Trump is riding a very dead horse on climate change, Gov. Brown says at New York conference By Ann Simmons (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press) Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday touted steps California has taken toward a healthier climate, but warned that powerful forces he called climate deniers are resisting technologies and policies designed to improve conditions. I like all the optimism around here, but I dont want to minimize the steep hill that we have to climb, Brown said at the start of a gathering of international leaders called Climate Week NYC. Decarbonizing the economy when the economy depends so totally on carbon is not childs play. Its quite daunting. Hosted by the Climate Group, an international nonprofit organization that works with business and government to promote clean technologies and policies, the event was scheduled to bring together high-profile governors, executives of Fortune 500 companies and leaders of multinational businesses for a week to share their strategies in tackling climate change. The discussions come amid concerns about global warming and after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused devastation in Houston, Florida and across parts of the Caribbean. Some scientists believe that warmer ocean waters caused by climate change are creating stronger storms. Read More Facebook

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Nancy Pelosi shouted down at DACA news conference for working with Trump By Sarah D. Wire Dreamer protesters have disrupted a Pelosi presser in CA, asking for protections for Dreamer & their parents: https://t.co/o3zGNJvblL  Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 18, 2017 More than four dozen immigration activists upset with Democrats for negotiating with President Trump shouted down House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at a San Francisco news conference Monday. We are not your bargaining chip, the crowd chanted at one point, according to KCBS News political reporter Doug Sovern. VIDEO: Chaos at @NancyPelosi #DACA event as 40+ undocumented hijack her news conf in SF: "We are not your bargaining chip! Let us speak!" pic.twitter.com/KC2WyrjqSy  Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) September 18, 2017 'All of us or none of us' Crowd takes over DREAM Act event. Pelosi getting blasted by about 100 young 'undocumented youth' pic.twitter.com/RgwnZ4dB3O  Evan Sernoffsky (@EvanSernoffsky) September 18, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle reporter Evan Sernoffsky said on Twitter that some in the group were yelling, All of us or none of us. Other reporters said the group chanted, Shut down ICE. Pelosi held the news conference to advocate for speedy passage of a legislative fix to the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York met with Trump last week after he announced an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Obama-era program deferred deportation for some people brought to the country illegally as children. Pelosi and Schumer said their discussion with the president included the possibility of adding more immigration enforcement  which some immigration advocates are against  to legislation to address DACA. At the news conference, Pelosi first made remarks and introduced an immigrant in the country illegally, at which point the shouting began, according to a Pelosi aide. The group surrounded Pelosi, with some gesturing close to her face. She attempted to calm the crowd for about half an hour before leaving the news conference. The aide said the group was made up of local DACA beneficiaries. We need to have a conversation, but that was completely one-sided; they dont want any answers, Pelosi told reporters afterward, according to a transcript. Pelosi said the activists should be focused on Republican members of Congress, not Democrats. I understand their frustration, Im excited by it as a matter of fact, but the fact is theyre completely wrong. The Democrats are the ones who stopped their assault on sanctuary cities, stopped the wall, the increased deportations in our last bill that was at the end of April, and we are determined to get Republicans votes to pass the clean Dream Act. Is it possible to pass a bill without some border security? Well well have to see. We didnt agree to anything in that regard, except to listen, Pelosi said. UPDATES

1:06 p.m. This post was updated with more details throughout and quotes from Pelosi. This post was originally published at 12:12 p.m. Facebook

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Democrats hopes of flipping seats in California are soaring, but it wont be as easy at it seems By Christine Mai-Duc (Associated Press / AFP/Getty Images) Democrats know they have to win at least a few seats in California if they want to regain control of the House in 2018. But though the energy and hopes of many Democratic activists here are soaring, flipping Republican-held seats here could be harder than it appears. There are a few bits of conventional wisdom that suggest Democrats have a long road ahead. For one, Republicans often turn out in greater numbers than their Democratic counterparts in midterm-election years. And even though Hillary Clinton won seven of the Republican-held districts Democrats are now targeting, past election data show voters there still lean much more conservative than other parts of the state. If past is prologue, says Rob Pyers, research director for the nonpartisan election guide California Target Book, Democrats will have a hard time picking up more than a couple of seats in California. With most voters unlikely to tune in until at least next spring, there are many factors that could affect the political calculus, including whether the California Republican Party will be able to field a competitive candidate for governor, or whether ballot initiatives such as a potential repeal of the newest gas tax hike will propel GOP voters to the polls. Read More Facebook

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California will be the keeper of the nations future in the era of Trump, state Democratic lawmakers promise By Melanie Mason State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, from left, Gov. Jerry Brown and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press) Within a day of President Trumps election last November, Californias top Democratic lawmakers responded with a joint statement that contained an audacious promise. It was their state, not Washington, D.C., that would be the keeper of the nations future. An artistic rendering of that vow, with looping calligraphy and a roaring grizzly, is now on display in the offices of Senate leader Kevin de Leon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. In the wake of Trumps win, the words seemed to be a sort of foundational document  Californias declaration of resistance. That pugilistic posture is often conveyed in shorthand: California versus Trump. But the ensuing legislative year, which ended Friday, revealed the messy reality of squaring up against the federal government. Its been challenging, De Leon (D-Los Angeles) said, bleary-eyed as he took a break during the final days of the session. You have to debate, you have to negotiate, you have to make your case, and I think at the end of the day, well still have the most far-reaching policy in the nation. Read More Facebook

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California Politics Podcast: Lawmakers leave Sacramento after a busy year By John Myers From immigration issues to housing, some of the biggest debates of the Legislatures nine-month session happened at the very end. In governing, as in life, deadlines often make things happen. On this weeks California Politics Podcast, we take an early look at some of the most important decisions lawmakers made in the final few days of the 2017 session in Sacramento. That includes a landmark decision to intervene in the issue of illegal immigration, and to pass a long discussed package of bills to begin addressing Californias housing crisis. We also look at some of the broader political themes of the entire legislative year -- most notably, the effort by Democrats in the Legislature to provide a resistance to actions taken by President Trump. Im joined by Times staff writers Melanie Mason and Liam Dillon. Facebook

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Passage of sanctuary state bill draws rebukes from Trump administration officials, praise in California By Jazmine Ulloa Supporters of state sanctuary bill SB 54 rally outside the Hall of Justice. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) California lawmakers on Saturday passed a sanctuary state bill to protect immigrants without legal residency in the U.S., part of a broader push by Democrats to counter expanded deportation orders under the Trump administration. The landmark legislation by Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) would limit state and local law enforcement communication with federal immigration authorities, and prevent officers from questioning and holding people on immigration violations. But the bill sent to Gov. Jerry Brown drastically scaled back the version first introduced, the result of tough negotiations between Brown and De Leon in the final weeks of the legislative session. Its passage already is reverberating across the country. Trump administration officials have sounded off in opposition. And immigrant rights groups and some California law enforcement officials have come out in support of what they call a hard compromise. Read More Facebook

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Supporters unable to resurrect California clean-energy proposal on final day of legislative session By Chris Megerian Environmentalists rally in front of Assemblyman Chris Holdens office in Pasadena on Thursday. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Despite a last-minute push from environmentalists and actors from The Avengers, legislation that eventually would require all of Californias electricity to come from clean sources failed to advance this year. Facing opposition from unions and utilities, Assembly leadership refused to put the measure, SB 100, up for a vote on Friday, the final day of the legislative session. The decision to not move the bill this year is disappointing, said Kathryn Phillips, director of the Sierra Clubs California chapter. But we are committed to moving this policy next year. Theres no time to waste. The measure, written by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (
Former state Chief Justice Roy Moore won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Alabama on Tuesday as voters brushed aside pleas from President Trump and millions in ads from establishment Republicans and chose a brash and controversial conservative.

Moore defeated Sen. Luther Strange, who had been appointed to the seat in April by GOP Gov. Robert J. Bentley to replace Jeff Sessions when he became attorney general. Moore held a double-digit lead throughout the night as votes were counted, and with about two-thirds of precincts reporting, led 56% to 43%.

At the time of Stranges appointment, Bentley was under threat of impeachment because of a sex scandal, and he later resigned. Throughout the campaign, Strange, who was state attorney general before joining the Senate, had to fight off questions about the ethics of seeking a Senate nomination from a governor his staff was investigating.

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But Strange also fought  and Moore appeared to profit from  voters anti-Washington sentiment. Not even Trumps endorsement, and personal pitches including a rally in Huntsville on Friday, persuaded voters to pick the more reserved Strange over Moore, a perennial firebrand.

Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Nov! Trump tweeted late Tuesday. He later corrected the month  the election is Dec. 12.

Trump had argued that Strange would have coasted to victory against Democrat Doug Jones in that vote, and that Moores nomination would make the seat competitive for Democrats. But voters went with Moore.

People like Donald Trump, and people like Roy Moore, and they dont feel they have to choose between the two, said GOP pollster Brent Buchanan, whose Monday poll found Moore with a double-digit lead. They are bold and brash, and people prefer that over polished politicians right now. And they know where those guys stand, he said.

Moore showed his boldness in his election eve rally. To counter Stranges claim that he was soft on the 2nd Amendment, Moore brandished a revolver onstage. On Tuesday, he cantered to the polls on his horse.

Moore has sought multiple offices during decades in Alabama politics, making him well-known among the states voters. He also has been a magnet for controversy: His record includes being stripped of his court seat twice  once for setting up a monument to the Ten Commandments on state land and then for refusing to adhere to court decisions allowing gay marriage.

In recent days Moore referred to Asian and Native Americans as yellows and reds, in keeping with years of controversial statements.

Moores victory is likely to unleash a stream of Republican fault-finding. Even before election day, Trump appeared to be getting ready to blame Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky for the loss.

As you know Mitch is not, polling-wise, the most popular guy in the country, Trump said Monday on the Rick and Bubba radio show. He took part in an interview meant to show that Strange would not be beholden to McConnell despite the millions being poured into his campaign by groups allied with the GOP leader.

They like to label him Mitchs best friend in the Senate, and he hardly even knows him. Hell be fighting Mitch, Trump said.

Republicans may also question whether another failed GOP measure to repeal and replace President Obamas healthcare program played into the results. McConnell and Senate leaders canceled a vote on their latest effort midway through election day, but it was considered near death for days.

If Moore defeats Jones in Decembers match-up, he is likely to make it harder for Republican senators to unify. He said during the campaign that he would have voted against the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill, which Strange supported and McConnell pushed before its demise Tuesday.

Moores primary victory could provide fuel for opponents of establishment Republicans, who are considering challenges to GOP incumbents in several states where they contend the officeholders have strayed from Trumps agenda. That effort includes the presidents former chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon.

Bannon appeared with Moore at Mondays rally, savaging McConnell and by extension the candidate favored by Trump.

Mitch McConnell and this permanent political class is the most corrupt and incompetent group of individuals in this country. They think youre a pack of morons. They think youre nothing but rubes. They have no interest at all in what you have to say, what you have to think or what you want to do, he said.

The last days of the campaign betrayed how destructive the primary race had become. On Monday, in dueling Fox News interviews, Strange and Moore went at each other with a fierceness usually reserved for Democrats.

Strange said electing Moore would be catastrophic for Republicans because Democrats might be able to beat the former state chief justice as a result of the controversies in his past.

What has he actually done for the conservative cause? I couldnt point to anything actually getting stuff done, Strange said on Fox. Trump, he said, knows that I can work with him to get it done.

Moore, in his interview, said Strange has done nothing but tell mistruths, lies  hes so far not told the truth about hardly anything.

Moore said he supports Trump and would continue to do so if elected. Democrats want my opponent to be elected, he said.

Trump opened election day by exhorting voters via Twitter. ALABAMA, get out and vote for Luther Strange - he has proven to me that he will never let you down! Trump tweeted.

On Friday night in Huntsville, Trump praised Strange repeatedly but also sounded equivocal about his position in the race.

I have to be honest; I may have made a mistake, Trump said, asserting that if Strange lost, Trump would be blamed.

In that case, he said, he would campaign for Moore.

Both good men, he said. I told Luther, if his opponent wins, Im going to be campaigning like hell for him.

A Cygnal/L2 poll released Monday found that Trumps support of Strange had little impact on voters choice.

For more on politics from Cathleen Decker 

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Twitter: @cathleendecker

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The latest from Washington

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UPDATES:

7:25 p.m.: Updated with a tweet from President Trump.

6:50 p.m.: Updated with results from about two-thirds of precincts.

This article was originally published at 6:35 p.m.
Interior Department manager Joel Clement figured his new bosses in the Trump administration might disapprove of his climate-change-focused work protecting Alaskan villages from rising seas.

But the reassignment slip Clement received in June stunned him. He was not only removed from his post as director of policy analysis, he was deposited into a new job auditing fossil fuel company leases.

Approximately 50 such slips went out to the departments most experienced and highly paid managers. Other recipients interviewed were just as puzzled as Clement. It seemed to them that they were getting moved for the sake of getting moved  often to jobs unrelated to their skills. On Wednesday, Clement joined those who have quit in frustration.

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Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke may have shed some light on his thinking last week when he told a petroleum industry group that he believes nearly a third of his workforce is disloyal to the Trump agenda. I got 30% of the crew thats not loyal to the flag, he said, in a remark first reported by the Associated Press.

Most new administrations move quickly to reorient the federal workforce toward their agenda, but they usually rely on the deep expertise of top-level managers such as Clement to move the stubborn levers of bureaucracy. The Trump administration approach has been different.

Ive talked to a lot of folks who have been around the federal government for decades and they say transitions can be tough, but what this group is doing is remarkable, said Clement, who filed a whistler-blower complaint over the reassignment. They have moved me into an area I know nothing about. It might as well be Chinese.

Clements old job has yet to be filled. The Alaskan villages he has advocated for, he said, are on the verge of getting washed away.

The administrations actions have signaled deep suspicion of many of the civil servants on the government payroll, particularly when their work has involved confronting climate change or enforcing the environmental protections and other regulations the White House is working to roll back.

Some reassignments have come after media on the right demanded them, as was the case of a high-level State Department staffer whose involvement in the Iran nuclear deal was highlighted by Breitbart. Scores more diplomats at the department have been largely idled by an administration projecting ambivalence about their work.

At the Environmental Protection Agency, longtime civil servants  some with doctorates in environmental work  say they have been frozen out because their voluminous administrative records are out of sync with a Trump political agenda that holds that much of what they do is junk science.

The work of the EPA science arm has now been disconnected from the agencys decision-making, said Jeff Ruch, executive director of the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Its like a bureaucratic Dunkirk over there. They are just stuck waiting on the beach.

Betsy Southerland left her post in August as director of science and technology at the EPA Office of Water, after she said the administration all but ignored her teams work. Just before she left, her division had compiled what she called excruciatingly detailed briefings explaining the environmental damage and public health risks that would result from an industry demand to suspend restrictions on wastewater dumped by power plants.

We thought we could present this heavy-duty technical record and convince [EPA Administrator Scott] Pruitt he should not repeal everything, she said. We could show that what industry was saying was just not based in fact. But it fell on deaf ears. It all went to naught.

Her resignation came after the departure at the EPA of David Schnare, a longtime friend of the right with deep experience at the agency. The president had tasked him with aligning career staff with the Trump agenda. Schnare wrote in an op-ed article for the Inside EPA newsletter that he found the challenge insurmountable because Pruitt had little interest in hearing what the agencys managers had to say. He wrote that he ultimately quit after Pruitt ordered staff to break the law in dealing with what Schnare opaquely described as a sensitive issue.

In my view, this violated our oaths of office and placed the career staff in an untenable position, Schnare wrote in July.

EPA climate change advisor Michael Cox, who had been with the agency 25 years, sent his own scathing resignation letter to Pruitt in April. We understand that our positions might not always prevail, Cox wrote, but please take the time to listen to expert voices that might differ from yours and your immediate staff.

EPA officials argue that such critics dont reflect the prevailing view at the agency, which just completed a buyout program that reduced its workforce by 440 employees. They say the complaints are politically motivated, coming from activists who want to scuttle the Trump administration agenda. And they refute Schnares allegations, pointing to various meetings Pruitt has had with the agencys managers.

We have a great working relationship with career EPA employees, agency spokesman Jahan Wilcox wrote in an email. In their own words, Mr. Cox said he was planning his retirement before the new administration and Ms. Southerland said she was retiring due to a family issue. Despite the faux outrage, both employees will receive their six-figure taxpayer-funded pension and we wish them the best.

While the administrations budget plan would cut the agencys workforce by 20% and eliminate or roll back a broad range of environmental programs, officials there point out that there has been no wave of reassignments or staff shakeup since Trump took office.

That hasnt been the case at the Interior Department, where Zinkes shuffling of staff and his suggestion before Congress that he would use reassignments to push employees out of government has triggered a probe by the departments inspector general and given fuel to the whistle-blower complaint filed by Clement.

Thirteen legal scholars, including UC Berkeley School of Law dean Erwin Chemerinsky, wrote the federal office that protects whistle-blowers on behalf of Clement, warning that the administrations approach to dealing with its senior managers runs afoul of Nixon-era laws Congress passed to prevent purges of seasoned career staff for political reasons.

Wed all thought that we had moved past this kind of retribution, said Georgetown University law professor Josh Geltzer, who helped organize the effort.

Officials at the Interior Department would not comment on the whistle-blower investigation. But they say Congress created the class of managers to which Clement and the dozens of other reassigned employees belonged, called Senior Executive Service, so they could have a highly skilled and mobile group that can be called on to meet governments biggest challenges, when and where they emerge.

Personnel moves among the Senior Executive Service are being conducted to better serve the taxpayer and the departments operations, said a statement from the department.

Eight Democrats on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee suspect a different motive and have demanded the inspector general review the matter.

They are basically getting rid of the people who know the law and tell them you cant do that, and they are putting in people who are ignorant and do not know the policy framework, said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member on the committee. She said it is not by coincidence that the New Mexico director of the Bureau of Land Management has been reassigned as Zinke moves to strip protections from two of the states new national monuments and roll back a major sage grouse conservation effort that the displaced director had championed.

Clement said the departments effort to train him for a job for which he has no background or aptitude came at too high a cost to taxpayers. The process would have taken weeks and involved travel out West. Clement said in his resignation letter that the whole process placed unnecessary stress on the government employees tasked with retraining him.

The effort Clement was previously spearheading  to coordinate interagency aid to help relocate residents in imperiled Alaskan villages  has largely stalled, he said.

They are on the brink of becoming refugees, he said. This is work we need to do. This is not just bad governance, it is morally dangerous.

evan.halper@latimes.com

Twitter: @evanhalper

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Oct. 4, 11:55 a.m.: This article was updated with Joel Clements resignation.

9:15 a.m.: This article was updated with a quote from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

This article was originally published at 3 a.m., Sept. 26
In a strike at President Trump s call for more deportations, California lawmakers passed landmark sanctuary state legislation earlier this month to shield thousands of immigrants who have entered the U.S. illegally.

Senate Bill 54, approved on the last day of the 2017 legislative session, would limit whom state and local law enforcement officers can hold and question on immigration violations. Its now on Gov. Jerry Brown s desk and has set off a tense showdown between federal officials and state leaders over its potential effect on public safety.

Heres whats next if Brown signs it:

The law could land in court

The law would take effect in January, but Trump administration officials could challenge its provisions and even try to block it from being implemented.

U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, who has called SB 54 unconscionable, is already locked in a legal battle with several cities, including San Francisco, over his move to withhold Justice Department grant funds to discourage sanctuary city policies. On the day California lawmakers voted to pass SB 54, a federal judge in Chicago largely blocked his measure.

State senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), who introduced the legislation, has said state leaders are prepared to defend it in court. Some legal experts say an effort to block Californias law would likely be unsuccessful, pointing to the 10th Amendment and previous rulings in which courts have found the federal government can't compel local authorities to enforce federal laws.

If it takes effect, there would be new limits on law enforcement

Dubbed the California Values Act, Senate Bill 54 would establish clear divisions between law enforcement and federal immigration authorities in an attempt to ensure local officers do not become part of deportation efforts under the Trump administration.

The law would largely prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies, including school and security officers, from using money or staff to investigate, question, hold or arrest people for immigration violations.

For many officers across the state, the expanded restrictions wouldnt change much. Some police and sheriff agencies have already developed similar boundaries against working with immigration agents through their own policies or under local sanctuary city rules that limit collaboration between local agencies and federal immigration authorities. For other officers, the legislation would set new guidelines.

Agencies would be barred from: With no exceptions asking about a persons immigration status

detaining someone on a hold request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

participating in arrests based on civil immigration warrants

placing officers under the supervision of federal immigration agencies or deputizing them as special federal officers for immigration enforcement

using ICE agents as interpreters for law enforcement matters

participating in border patrol With some exceptions providing information regarding an inmates release date from county jail unless that information is available to the public, or the person has been convicted of certain crimes

transferring someone to ICE unless a judge finds probable cause or issues a warrant, or if the person has certain prior convictions

contracting with the federal government to house federal detainees, unless specified in current law

State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, right, shown with Secretary of State Alex Padilla. De Leon introduced the legislation. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

All offenders would not be protected

Under the law, state and local agencies would not be able to detain immigrants for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement based on hold requests, something many departments already stopped doing after a 2014 court ruling.

But the electronic fingerprint records for all offenders booked into state prisons and local jails would continue going to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Police and sheriffs would also be able to continue sharing inmates release dates and transferring people to immigration authorities if they have been convicted within the last 15 years of one of roughly 800 offenses outlined in the Trust Act. That California law prohibits state and local law enforcement from holding people past their release dates for federal immigration agents unless theyve been convicted of certain crimes.

Those include all serious and violent crimes, registered sex and arson offenses, domestic violence charges and other felonies. They also cover many nonviolent offenses and wobblers  crimes that can be charged as either a felony or misdemeanor.

But SB 54 did narrow the list: All seven drug and theft crimes reduced to misdemeanors under Proposition 47, which voters approved in 2014, would no longer be among those crimes.

Safe zones would be created

Other provisions in the bill were crafted to counter a chilling effect in immigrant communities, where some crime witnesses and victims have stopped coming forward to authorities out of fear of deportation.

Under the law, the state attorney general would have to publish policies by October 2018 to limit immigration enforcement at courthouses, public schools and libraries and health facilities run by state or local governments.

All other government-run organizations that offer physical or mental health and wellness services, or thatprovide access to education, legal aid and social services  including the University of California  would be encouraged but not required to adopt the state policies.

There would be more oversight and accountability

The state attorney generals office would have to publish guidelines and training recommendations in order to limit immigration agents' access to personal information, and all law enforcement agencies would have to send the office annual reports on the people they transfer to immigration authorities.

Law enforcement officials would still be able to participate in multi-agency joint task forces responsible for broad investigations, which sometimes include ICE criminal investigators. But their primary purpose could not be to enforce immigration laws, and they would have to submit annual reports to the attorney general on their activities, such as the types and frequency of arrests.

By March 2019, the state attorney general would have to publish an annual report on its website abouton the types of joint task forces operating across the state, an effort to give the public more insight into how many people without legal status they are detaining or questioning as part of those broader criminal investigations.

Prison policies would change

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would be exempt from all provisions in the bill.

But corrections officials would have to develop new standards to protect people held on immigration violations, and allow immigrant inmates to get credits toward their sentences if they join rehabilitation and educational programs.

State prison officials also would have to inform inmates if ICE has requested they be held or transferred, and provide them with written consent forms before any interview with immigration agents on civil immigration violations.

Some things would stay the same

As long as they dont violate existing city or county laws, any California law enforcement agency could continue:

arresting or charging people for illegal reentry if a person has previously been deported and been convicted of aggravated felony

providing ICE with information about a persons criminal record

asking questions to determine whether a person is eligible for temporary legal status for victims of human trafficking or violent crime

asking questions to determine if someone has violated federal laws on the sale of firearms to people without U.S. citizenship

allowing immigration agents to interview people inside county jails or state prisons

Xavier Becerra appears before an Assembly panel in January prior to becoming Californias attorney general. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

The attorney general would enforce it

The legislation doesnt specify what happens if law enforcement agencies dont comply with the law. But the attorney general has broad authority under the California constitution to prosecute police and sheriffs agencies that dont follow SB 54s provisions should it be signed into law.

jazmine.ulloa@latimes.com

@jazmineulloa

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Trump Jr. to speak privately to Senate staff on Thursday

(Richard Drew / Associated Press)

President Trumps oldest son is expected to meet privately with a Senate committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, several senators said Wednesday.

Donald Trump Jr.'s appearance Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee would probably focus on a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer and others during the final stretches of last years campaign. Emails released in July show that Trump Jr. was told the session at Trump Tower in New York was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, the Republican nominee.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating that meeting, also attended by Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. A grand jury has heard testimony about it.

Trump Jr. has also agreed to appear in the coming weeks before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting its own investigation.

Separately, President Obamas national security advisor, Susan Rice, was meeting on Wednesday with the House Intelligence Committee, according to a person familiar with the interview. This person wasnt authorized to discuss the committees confidential work and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

That committee has subpoenaed the Justice Department and the FBI for documents related to a dossier of salacious allegations involving Trump and possible ties to Russia.

As for Donald Trump Jr., some Democratic senators said they planned to attend his session though tradition dictates that senators cannot ask questions at such interviews conducted by committee staff.

Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said they would be there. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) was considering it.

I go in with an open mind, Durbin said. I want to hear his answers to questions  there are plenty of questions  about the involvement of the Trump corporation as well as the Trump campaign with the Russians and other foreigners, and I just want to hear what Mr. Trump has to say.

Durbin said he would be shocked if questions werent asked about whether Trump Sr. knew about the Trump Tower meeting.

The critical part of his testimony will be following the financial dealing, Blumenthal said. He said he also wants to find out what Trump Jr. may know about potential obstruction of justice, adding there may have been conversations between the two about the firing of FBI Director James Comey and other matters.

Blumenthal and Coons said the private interview is no substitute for a public hearing, which the committee chairman, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), has promised will happen.

This meeting is far less important than his public testimony, under oath, before the American people, Blumenthal said.

Grassley would not say on Wednesday whether he would issue a subpoena for Trump Jr. if he refuses to testify publicly.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department is reviewing subpoenas from the House intelligence committee.

In a letter Friday that was obtained by the AP, the committee wrote that it had served subpoenas on Aug. 24 to the department and the FBI for documents related to the committees investigation of Russian meddling. The Justice Department and FBI had missed the original Sept. 1 deadline, so the committee extended the deadline to Sept. 14.

The letter was signed by the committee chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who stepped back from the Russia investigation this year after he was criticized for being too close to the White House. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) took over the leading role, but his name does not appear on the letter.

As chairman, Nunes retains subpoena power in the committee.

According to the letter, the original subpoenas requested any documents related to the dossier and sought information about whether the department was involved in its production.

If the documents are not produced, the committee is seeking to compel Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, who has withdrawn from investigations examining connections between Trump and Russia, and newly installed FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify in an open hearing. The committee issued two additional subpoenas to Sessions and Wray on late Tuesday.

Resort to compulsory process was necessary because of DOJs and FBIs insufficient responsiveness to the committees numerous Russia-investigation related requests over the past several months, the letter said.

If the committee is unable to obtain documents or testimony, Nunes wrote, the committee expressly reserves its right to proceed with any and all available legal options, including a House vote to hold Sessions and Wray in contempt.

The Justice Department confirmed it was reviewing the subpoenas but declined further comment.

The dossier attracted public attention in January when it was revealed that then-FBI Director Comey had briefed Trump, soon before he was inaugurated as president, about claims from the documents that Russia had amassed compromising personal and financial allegations about him.

Its unclear to what extent the allegations in the dossier have been corroborated or verified by the FBI because the bureau has not publicly discussed it.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday evening on MSNBC that the subpoenas were issued over the objections of Democrats. Schiff said Republicans are working harder to discredit those who compiled the dossier than to find out if the allegations in it are true. He said Republicans should be more focused on getting documents from the White House.

The subpoenas were first reported by the Washington Examiner.
When New York police officers temporarily reduced their proactive policing efforts on low-level offenses, major-crime reports in the city actually fell, according to a study based on New York Police Department crime statistics.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, put a crack in the broken windows theory of policing that has become a mainstay of many urban police departments.

Order maintenance policing, a type of proactive policing, is informed by the broken windows theory  the idea that by fighting smaller crimes, its possible to create a lawful environment that helps deter the more serious crimes. Its an idea that was put to use in the 1990s by former New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton (who also served as Los Angeles police chief from 2002 to 2009).

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The idea has taken hold in police departments around the U.S. But some researchers have worried that this kind of policing can have a detrimental effect in the communities it targets.

A serious concern is that proactive policing diverts finite resources and attention away from investigative units, including detectives working to track down serial offenders and break up criminal networks, the authors point out. Proactive policing also disrupts communal life, which can drain social control of group-level violence. Citizens are arrested, unauthorized markets are disrupted, and people lose their jobs, all of which create more localized stress on individuals already living on the edge. Such strains are imposed directly through proactive policing, and thus are independent from subsequent judgments of guilt or innocence.

Either way, these arguments are hard to test, because the cause-and-effect of policing and crime are difficult to tease apart.

Police officers target their efforts at areas where crime is anticipated and/or where they expect enforcement will be most effective, they wrote. Simultaneously, citizens decide to comply with the law or commit crime partly on the basis of police deployment and enforcement strategies. In other words, policing and crime are endogenous to unobservable strategic interaction, which frustrates causal analysis.

That changed over the course of several weeks in late 2014 and early 2015. After a jury declined to indict the officers involved in the fatal chokehold of Eric Garner in Staten Island, the NYPD held a work slowdown for about seven weeks as political conflict between protesters, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the citys police unions intensified.

Legally, police officers cant strike. But they can work-to-rule, doing only the most necessary duties. They responded to calls only in pairs, left their squad cars only if they felt compelled, and did not perform certain proactive policing tactics, such as getting out of their vehicles to issue summonses or arrest people for petty crimes and misdemeanors. The officers were ultimately ordered to return to work by Jan. 16, 2015.

This sudden slowdown provided researchers an opportunity to answer the question: Did crime rates go up when proactive policing went down?

This makes for a unique natural experiment to identify the causal effects of changing police practices, the authors wrote.

The scientists filed Freedom of Information Act requests for a large set of NYPD CompStat reports from 2013 to 2016. These reports describe the weekly activity for each NYPD precinct, including: Criminal summonses for penal law violations such as public alcohol consumption and disorderly conduct; Stop, question and frisks or SQFs; Non-major crime arrests, the vast majority of which are misdemeanors; and Major crime complaints, such as murder, rape, robbery and felony assault.

During the slowdown, the researchers found that police dramatically reduced the number of criminal summonses and SQFs  a confirmation that, indeed, the low-level proactive policing activities had gone down. Non-major crime arrests also took a dip. So did narcotics arrests.

So, with the drop in relatively low-level police activity, what happened to serious crime in the city? The scientists found that civilian complaints of major crimes dropped by about 3% to 6% during the slowdown.

The cessation of proactive policing corresponds roughly to the relative decline in crime that earlier research attributed to the effects of mass incarceration, the authors noted.

The researchers ran the analysis under a couple other models, and the results still held. They examined whether crime underreporting could have biased the findings, and the results still held.

While we cannot entirely rule out the effects of under-reporting, the authors wrote, our results show that crime complaints decreased, rather than increased, during a slowdown in proactive policing, contrary to deterrence theory.

Each week during the slowdown saw civilians report an estimated 43 fewer felony assaults, 40 fewer burglaries and 40 fewer acts of grand larceny. And this slight suppression of major crime rates actually continued for seven to 14 weeks after those drops in proactive policing  which led the researchers to estimate that overall, the slowdown resulted in about 2,100 fewer major-crimes complaints.

The broken windows theory posits that fighting smaller crimes helps to prevent the larger ones. But in this case, it seems that the opposite may have been true.

In their efforts to increase civilian compliance, certain policing tactics may inadvertently contribute to serious criminal activity, the researchers wrote. The implications for understanding policing in a democratic society should not be understated.

The findings show that experts may need to reconsider their assumptions about what is and isnt effective in law enforcement practices, the authors said.

Our results imply not only that these tactics fail at their stated objective of reducing major legal violations, but also that the initial deployment of proactive policing can inspire additional crimes that later provide justification for further increasing police stops, summonses and so on, the authors wrote.

The researchers also noted that proactive policing is often used disproportionately in communities with high poverty rates and large numbers of people of color.

The vicious feedback between proactive policing and major crime can exacerbate political and economic inequality across communities, they said. In the absence of reliable evidence of the effectiveness of proactive policing, it is time to consider how proactive policing reform might reduce crime and increase well-being in the most heavily policed communities.

In a commentary, David Weisburd of George Mason University pointed out that the studys conclusions should be limited to a specific subset of proactive policing tactics.

Certainly, this evidence should not be generalized across the broad array of proactive policing strategies, said Weisburd, who was not involved in the paper. It is limited to a very specific approach applied very broadly in a large urban area.

But at the same time, as the authors note, they have capitalized on an interesting natural experiment that allows them to overcome the causal limitations of previous non-experimental work, he added. This is well-done social science, and in this context the results have strong weight.

Still, he added, this isnt a randomized experiment, and so the results arent entirely clear. Not every potential unknown could be nailed down in a natural experiment such as this. For example, even during the slowdown, did the police continue their practice of identifying and focusing on crime hot spots?

My point is simply that we dont know what the shock actually tells us because we dont have a detailed understanding of what the police were doing, Weisburd wrote. This gap suggests that we need experimental evidence of the impacts of proactivity at the jurisdictional level. Non-experimental studies simply cannot overcome the myriad threats to the causal interpretation of the findings.

Setting up large-scale policing experiments is a difficult and expensive operation, he said  but its increasingly looking like a necessary step to understand which practices really makes cities safer.

The first law of treatment is do no harm, Weisburd wrote. [The authors] suggest that generalized enforcement of low-level offenses does just that. We have a moral imperative to carry out well-designed experimental studies that can give us unambiguous answers to this important policy question.

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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In the wake of Fridays fatal shooting of a 27-year-old man by a Huntington Beach police officer, some City Council members Monday contended the shooting was warranted while others urged the public to withhold judgment until an investigation is completed.

Council members also maintained their support for Police Chief Robert Handy amid increased pressure from the citys police union for his ouster.

This was the seventh officer-involved shooting in Huntington Beach this year, and the second resulting in a persons death.

Friday mornings shooting outside a 7-Eleven at 6012 Edinger Ave. was captured on video by multiple bystanders.

A new 96-second video that surfaced over the weekend and was posted to Twitter provides a longer view than earlier ones of an altercation that preceded the shooting. It shows the suspect, identified as Dillan Tabares, aggressively approaching the officer  who was pointing a weapon that police said was a Taser stun gun  and throwing at least one punch before the pair began to wrestle on the ground. Tabares got up and the officer, whose name has not been released, fired seven shots. Tabares collapsed against the store and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Warning: The following video contains graphic content.

A video that surfaced earlier shows Tabares appearing to pull an item off the officers utility belt during the struggle.

In describing the latest video, Councilman Erik Peterson said he saw the officer show restraint and make the right decisions.

Councilman Patrick Brenden said the new video shows the officer was justified.

Its a tragedy, Brenden said. It was clear from the video this individual was very aggressive and escalated it.

Mayor Barbara Delgleize said she wants to wait until the end of the investigation to draw conclusions. The Orange County Sheriffs Department is investigating the case, as is typical for officer-involved shootings in Huntington Beach.

But Delgleize said the longer video shows Tabares approaching the officer and initiating a fight.

In a statement Friday on Facebook, Delgleize urged the community to withhold judgment about the shooting.

Until the investigation is concluded and all facts are made known, speculation serves no purpose and does a disservice to all who were involved, the statement says. I ask that everyone show compassion for all involved parties.  As more information is revealed, we will make sure that the public is informed and whatever action is appropriate will be taken.

Councilwoman Lyn Semeta on Monday expressed support for the citys excellent police force while similarly urging the public not to rush to judgment.

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Posey and council members Jill Hardy and Billy OConnell did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday.

For his part, Handy told reporters Friday evening that Tabares wouldnt obey any of the officers commands.

The suspect was resisting and clearly the officer was defending himself and trying to take the suspect into custody, Handy said. Just because the person didnt have a weapon, if hes struggling with that officer and actively assaulting that officer and trying to take his weapon away, trying to take equipment away from his belt that can harm him  he has every right and every responsibility and we train them to defend themselves with lethal force.

In August, the union, the Huntington Beach Police Officers Assn., took an overwhelming vote of no confidence against the chief.

A majority of the council has voiced support for Handy throughout his conflict with rank-and-file officers over issues such as body cameras, Handys decision to remove rifle suppressors from department weapons and what the union called his failure to support and bond with his management team and officers.

Peterson, Delgleize, Semeta and Brenden said the rash of officer-involved shootings this year doesnt affect their support for Handy.

I dont think this reflects on Handy, Brenden said. He provides great leadership. These are societal issues.

Peterson agreed, saying, This doesnt have to do with management at all.

Brenden and Peterson said the shootings may be indicative of the effects of Proposition 47, a 2014 state ballot measure that downgraded some felonies to misdemeanors, resulting in many reduced sentences and early prison releases.

Police all over are dealing with more issues, and the state has tied their hands, Peterson said.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilot
Members of a local business womens organization brought their flair for creativity to the groups recent installation luncheon.

A handful of members took part in a cake-decorating competition during the Verdugo Glen Chapter of the American Business Womens Assn.s 54th Night of Celebration at the Glendale Elks Lodge.

After President Ardis Bazyn welcomed everyone, member Lori Hartwell described the contest rules.

Contestants were to design a cake recognizing someone who inspires them.

Those competing were Teri Chandler, Lisa Swain, Cindy Cadell-Isaac and Marty Preciado.

Chandler won with her design inspired by Avon Products founder, David H. McConnell.

He inspired me because he believed that women in the 19th century needed a chance at financial freedom, she said. He gave women the opportunity to create and operate their own businesses, which would be later known as direct sales.

Sharon Jaeger-Eklund conducted the ceremony to install the officers. They are Barbara Williams, president, Torrey Bogest, vice president, Linda Hammell, recording secretary, Swain, corresponding secretary, and Chandler, treasurer.

Bazyn expressed her appreciation to the outgoing board members for another successful year.

Preciado introduced the 2017 scholarship winners. They are Christina Leon, Elizabeth Leon, Adrianna Ochoa, Jennifer Ochoa and Daniela Ruvalcaba.

Anne Marie Johnson, outgoing vice president, presented the Woman of the Year pin to Kandice Astamendi and the chapter Top Ten Woman of the Year nominee plaque to Bazyn.

Night of bingo games is paradise

Members and friends of the Kiwanis Club of Glendale enjoyed a mini-island adventure during the recent Bingo in Paradise fundraiser that meshed perfectly with President Patricia Larrigans year-long theme, The Spirit of Aloha.

Most guests were dressed in Hawaiian attire, and the decorations were appropriate as well throughout the Glendale Elks Lodge.

Each of the more than 200 attendees was greeted with a lei as they entered paradise.

The evening began with sandwiches, chips, cookies and camaraderie before the bingo games began.

Members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars volunteered to run the event as a thank-you to the Kiwanis Club of Glendale for all it does in the community.

Ten games were called using a high-tech electronic bingo system with a large lighted board, and bonus mini-games were inserted in between to add to the fun.

Big winners were Jenny Schwing, Ramon Marquez, Carvel Gay, Norm Leduc, Jane Karageorge, Kathy Van Houten, Becci Neville, Cathy Keen and Marietta Mora.

Kiwanis International has clubs in 80 countries around the world. The Kiwanis Club of Glendale supports the Glendale Salvation Army, the Glendale YWCA, Ascencia homeless services, Glendale Educational Foundation, the Campbell Center, Glendale Unified School District, Crescenta Valley Special Olympics and many other organizations.

For membership information, contact Miryam Finkelberg, Division 3 membership chair, at villamirylou@gmail.com.

JOYCE RUDOLPH can be reached at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.
After 38 years as president of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos left the nations highest office Tuesday, but not without making sure he and his family continue to maintain control.

Following an election last month, former Defense Minister Joao Lourenco was sworn in to office, but only after Dos Santos passed decrees shoring up his power and leaving doubts about how much room the new president will have to maneuver.

There was the special constitutional title Dos Santos created for himself: President of the Republic Emeritus Honorary, which gives him and close family members immunity from prosecution.

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There was the decree he signed freezing appointments of military, security and intelligence chiefs until 2025, ensuring his close circle of securocrat allies retains control. He also promoted 165 senior police commanders.

Not least was the fact that he remains head of the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, or MPLA, retaining the power to control the direction of the government.

Lourenco has said Dos Santos will not wield power behind the scenes.

Under Dos Santos, 75, oil-rich Angola has become known as a kleptocracy where for decades he used his sweeping power to enrich his family and members of a tiny elite, while the country remains one of the least developed in the world.

Billions of dollars in oil revenue have gone missing without explanation, according to Human Rights Watch.

Angolas ruling party has historically mismanaged the countrys substantial oil revenues and used its control over oil wealth to insulate itself from public scrutiny, according to the rights group. The scale of corruption and mismanagement in Angola has been immense.

The nation is ranked as one of the most corrupt, at No. 163 out of 167 countries on the corruption perceptions index published by the nongovernmental corruption watchdog Transparency International.

Meanwhile, more than 36% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank.

Dos Santos children hold key positions and control large sectors of the economy including oil and gas, banking and cellphone companies. His most famous daughter, the billionaire Isabel dos Santos, is head of the state oil company Sonangol and Africas richest woman.

His son Jose Filomeno dos Santos is chairman of Angolas $5-billion sovereign wealth fund, Fundo Soberano de Angola. Another daughter, Welwitschia Tchize dos Santos, is a member of the powerful MPLA central committee and has interests in the banking sector.

Although Jose Eduardo Dos Santos has taken steps to cling to as much power as he can, things have not gone entirely his way.

Last year, it looked as if Dos Santos was determined to stay in office. After he announced he would stand down at the end of 38 years in power, posters appeared around the Angolan capital Luanda, calling for him to stay on.

Comrade President, please continue guiding the destiny of our country, asks the nation, the posters said. But the campaign fizzled.

Dos Santos has been suffering from an undisclosed ailment and traveled to Spain twice this year for several weeks of treatment.

Speculation last year that a close Dos Santos ally, former head of Sonangol, Manuel Vicente, would succeed as president faded, after Vicente was caught up in a corruption scandal in Portugal. He is now facing charges in Portugal over allegations that he bribed Portuguese corruption investigators, accusations he has denied.

The MPLA won the majority of the vote in elections last month, although opposition parties protested irregularities. The countrys constitutional court, whose judges are appointed by the president, dismissed their objections.

Lourenco did not win a presidential election but became president when the MPLA won the majority of seats in parliament. A constitutional change in 2010 ended direct presidential elections.

He had campaigned on a promise to reduce poverty and corruption and to create development and jobs. Unemployment is at 26%, and Angolas economy has been shrinking in recent years because of low oil prices.

The nations gross domestic product fell from $126.7 billion in 2014 to 89.6 billion last year, according to the World Bank.

Dissident investigative journalist and anti-corruption campaigner Rafael Marques de Morais, who runs an independent blog, Maka Angola, wrote recently that Angolans had been ruled for decades by leaders imposed by the MPLA.

Angola has its third president in history, this time without even the pretense of legitimacy, he wrote.

He said the ruling party won the elections with the usual cheating, made possible by the MPLAs absolute control of the electoral process.

According to Marques de Morais, the presidents family and a few generals and ministers close to the family control most of the economy.

In May, Marques de Morais reported that the reason Dos Santos traveled to Spain was that he had suffered a stroke.

In June, after publishing an expose on a questionable land deal involving the Angolan prosecutor general, Marques de Morais and the editor who published his articles, Mariano Bras Lourenco, were charged with defamation of a public authority.

According to Amnesty International, the charges, which carry up to three years jail, are politically motivated and designed to deter critics of the ruling MPLA.

robyn.dixon@latimes.com

Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT

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Scraps of fabric, handwritten clothing orders, scattered beads and labels, a womens fashion catalog from summer 2016  all are strewn across a mostly vacant lot that only a few days ago was a four-story factory and commercial building that housed low-wage textile workers.

Bulldozers have scraped away much of what was left after last weeks magnitude 7.1 earthquake: the pancaked concrete, rusty strands of rebar, bits of lacy fabric  and anything else that was entombed under the rubble. On the site, mourners have left flowers and crosses, and expressions of outrage.

Corruption and machismo kill, said one sign left at the site. Alive or dead, our bodies are not to be discarded, read another.

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Whereas searches were still underway Monday at many collapsed structures around the capital, the building here was quickly bulldozed last week, prompting protests that authorities did not search long enough for possible survivors.

The building in the capitals Colonia Obrera, or Workers Colony, crumpled in a cloud of dust in the Sept. 19 earthquake, its demise captured in a dramatic cellphone video posted on YouTube.

Authorities say at least 21 people were killed, including five people from Taiwan, all of whom had apparent links to firms based in the building. A South Korean man also appears to have been among the victims.

To many of those asking questions now, the episode recalls the fates of hundreds of seamstresses who perished in the Mexico earthquake of 1985, which destroyed multitudes of apparel factories, including clandestine sweatshops that had no legal permits.

The building in Mexico Citys Colonia Obrera, or Workers Colony, crumpled in a cloud of dust in the Sept. 19, 2017, earthquake. (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times)

But the Mexican governments refusal to answer questions about the building  who operated it, how many worked there, whether the businesses operating there had legal permits, whether workers employed at the site were in the country legally  has spurred complaints that the hasty demolition foreclosed any such uncomfortable questions.

Almost a week after the earthquake struck, the case of the building on Chimalpopoca Street and its former occupants remain enveloped in mystery. Accusations about illegal clothing factories and official corruption are swirling on social media under the hashtag #Chimalpopoca, though they have been accompanied by no hard evidence.

The simmering dispute highlights something that is often true in Mexico: A lack of accurate information and an inherent distrust of officialdom combine into a combustible mixture, fueling confusion and speculation amid a crisis.

The now-controversial building site, next to an elementary school, was home to a number of businesses. Those reportedly included a textile factory, an importer of toys from China, a clothing wholesaler and a distributor of dash-cam video systems.

That many of those who died at Chimalpopoca were female has also touched a nerve in a nation where activists say that the killings of women  a phenomenon known here as feminicidio  often go unpunished.

Giselle Mejia, 23, and David Montoya, 32, students at National Autonomous University of Mexico, hug in shock as they stand near the site of the collapsed building. (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times)

Today, cracked concrete walls and floor supports with rebar jutting from jagged edges have been pushed to the side of the site. A few partial walls remain standing, all now emblazoned with furious graffiti scribblings.

The life of a seamstress is worth more than all of your machines! blares one message. Justice! Sprayed on the brick wall of the adjoining school is another denunciation: Not one more buried because of corruption.

Mexican authorities gave no public explanation for their decision late last week to clear rubble from the building site despite objections from volunteers who urged officials to continue the search for survivors. Many had been sifting through the ruins with picks and shovels, convinced survivors may be trapped in pockets in the basement.

We all wanted to keep digging, looking for anyone who may have been alive, said Andres Hernandez, 32, a neighborhood resident and former volunteer at the site who was among the many who came to pay respects Sunday at a memorial. Why was there such a rush to bring in heavy equipment?

Helping to fuel the rumors was the fact that Mexican officials have not provided answers to some basic questions.

Among them: How many people were in the building at the time the quake struck? How many died? How many escaped? And how many companies operated there?

The names and owners of the firms based in the building have not been publicly released. Nor have authorities said anything about the structures previous inspection and safety record.

There was obviously a problem with this building, said Marvella Rubi, who was also among the many paying respects Sunday, as she surveyed nearby establishments. The school is intact. The bank looks fine. The supermarket is still standing. But this building fell apart. What was wrong? ... Its the same old story in Mexico: corruption and exploitation of women. No one in the government cares.

Julian Andrade, a spokesman for Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera, said he could not provide any details about the building except to say: The information is being verified.

Lina Kuhn Santillan, right, an architect and volunteer with the rescuers at the factory, returned Sept. 24, 2017, to the site to pay homage to those killed. (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times)

Some have suggested there were signs of a factory or work site in the basement. All these constructions below ground, they seem strange to me, said Lina Kuhn Santillan, an architect who was among those paying homage here on Sunday. There are electrical cables, hydraulic installations, it seems there may have been a work area here.

The owners of the site have not commented publicly. At least one may have perished in the collapse.

Ricardo Contreras Santana, who formerly worked in the building at a company that made ornaments for womens clothing, told the Mexican news site Animal Politico that he escaped on Sept. 19 but that six co-workers died. Among the dead, he said, was his boss, a citizen of South Korea. Contreras said he survived because, at the moment the quake struck, he had just left the building to fetch lunch for his boss.

Upon leaving the door of the building, within [16 feet], it began to shake and I saw the building fall, Contreras said. Everything happened very quickly.

Scattered about the site of the former building are many small pink beads, apparently meant to be sewn into garments. Also found were several items of womens apparel with the New Fashion label, including a turquoise blouse with a suggested price tag of about $52.

Several business cards from Chinese firms were also scattered about.

Mourners brought flowers, candles and a large wreath to honor the dead. A woman banged on a drum and another blew through a conch shell as a moment of silence was observed.

Its terribly sad what happened here, said Rosy Izeahuitziall, 52, a neighborhood resident who said she knew three Mexican women who worked in the building  two of them died and one survived, she said. They had families, they were hardworking. They didnt deserve this to happen to them.

Special correspondent Liliana Nieto del Rio and Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcdneville

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A woman who refuses to stop bothering patrons at the Bethlehem YMCA and Wegmans supermarket was found not competent to stand trial on 21 trespassing charges.

Kathleen Rich has been repeatedly warned over the past two years to stay away from the YMCA and the supermarket in Hanover Township but insists on returning because she feels she needs to "defend her life, honor and dignity."

The 74-year-old Bethlehem resident, who is diagnosed with delusional disorder-personality type, believes people are spreading rumors in the community about her sexual promiscuity and needs to speak to strangers at the above locations to clear her name.

She faces four charges of trespassing at the supermarket and 17 at the YMCA. These charges come in addition to 47 police responses at the YMCA and 28 at the supermarket over the past two years.

Northampton County Judge Samuel Murray found her not competent to stand trial after a hearing Aug. 18. His decision was issued Sept. 13 and mailed to attorneys on Sept. 19.

Police and court officials have struggled with how to handle Rich's behavior. Despite her diagnosis by psychiatrist Alex Thomas, Rich refuses to comply with mental health treatment. Her behavior is criminal enough to warrant charges but not serious enough to warrant forced hospitalization or treatment, officials have said.

Rich has said she just wants to talk to patrons, but police chiefs say her behavior upsets them.

"Her comments to shoppers are not solicited and are very sexually explicit," said Colonial Regional Police Chief Roy Seiple in April. His jurisdiction includes the Wegmans in Hanover Township.

"You can't just trespass and fight or scream and curse at people," added Bethlehem police Chief Mark DiLuzio in April.

Seiple said Tuesday he will abide by Murray's decision.

"I hope some type of treatment is ordered," he said.

Rich went to prison for at least three brief stints when she refused to comply with orders to stay away from the YMCA and Wegmans. She posted bail and was released in each case.

Her 21 trespassing charges are temporarily on hold due to her competency status. The judge can order a new evaluation every 90 days.

Eventually her attorney, Jennifer Toth, can ask for the charges to be dropped if Rich never becomes competent to stand trial. The maximum penalty for each of her offenses is a year in prison.

Toth did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Assistant District Attorney David Ceraul said he believes treatment is strongly recommended for Rich, but it's unclear whether she will comply with it or can be ordered to comply.

She was involuntarily committed to a mental health facility at the time of her competency hearing. The judge's order says she participated in the hearing via video conference.

It appears she was released at some point because she filed a handwritten civil lawsuit on Sept. 5 against the Bethlehem YMCA. The lawsuit says the YMCA is discriminating against her by banning her. She claims she is banned on the basis of "sex discrimination."

She seeks $12,000 in the lawsuit, although, "no amount of money may compensate for what I have been going through for decades."

The retired French teacher has been institutionalized for schizophrenia in the past. She lives alone, takes care of her personal affairs and has lived crime-free in the recent past with the exception of her trespassing.

According to Murray's order, Rich was "loud and agitated" during her evaluation. She is likely to be disruptive and to disregard the judge's orders if she stands trial, according to Thomas' evaluation.

According to Thomas, Rich wanted to call members of the "Rat Pack" to testify at her trial. These include the late Frank Sinatra and the late Sammy Davis Jr.

THE CHARGES

Rich was charged with defiant trespass on all of these dates. The charges are pending unless otherwise noted. She remains not competent to stand trial.

Jan. 18, 2016, ShopRite in Greenwich Township, charge dismissed

May 3, 2016, Hanover Township Wegmans, charge withdrawn

May 11, 2016, Hanover Township, charge withdrawn

Sept. 7, 2016, Hanover Township

Sept. 23, 2016, Bethlehem YMCA (non-traffic citation)

Sept. 30, 2016, Bethlehem

Oct 21, 2016, Bethlehem

Oct. 26, 2016, Hanover Township

Oct 28, 2016, Bethlehem

Oct. 30, 2016, Bethlehem

Nov. 9, 2016, Hanover Township

Nov. 23, 2016, Hanover Township

Nov. 25, 2016, Bethlehem

Dec. 2, 2016, Bethlehem

Dec. 9, 2016, Bethlehem

Dec. 16, 2016, Bethlehem

Dec. 23, 2016, Bethlehem

Feb 3, 2017, Bethlehem

Feb 14, 2017, Bethlehem

Feb 21, 2017, Bethlehem

June 6, 2017, Bethlehem

June 13, 2017, Bethlehem,

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
A man delivering Chinese food was robbed of the supper he was carrying Monday night in Bethlehem Township, police report.

The driver for Happy Wok Restaurant, 4460 Easton Ave. in the township, about 8 p.m. was getting out of his vehicle to deliver food in the 4100 block of Ross Road when he was confronted by two men in their late teens or early 20s, township police said.

A Chinese food driver was robbed Sept. 25, 2017, in the 4100 block of Ross Road in Bethlehem Township. (Google map)

One of the men demanded the food and the other lifted his shirt to show a handgun, police said.

The driver dropped the food, got in his vehicle and left, police said.

Anyone with information or who witnessed the robbery is asked to call Investigator Anthony Stevens at 610-814-6426.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Two brothers were taken into custody Tuesday morning on Easton's South Side as part of a city police Vice Unit investigation into the sale of methamphetamine and heroin, a police official says.

The Special Response and Vice units had an arrest warrant for Troy Mordan, 53, for delivery of drugs when just after 6 a.m. they entered 911 W. Lincoln St., Lt. Matthew Gerould said.

Controlled buys had been made from the attached, tan-sided home, Gerould added.

As detectives searched the home, Craig Mordan, 50, was led out in handcuffs to a waiting police SUV. It wasn't immediately clear what, if anything, was found in the home.

Troy Mordan was arraigned Tuesday morning before District Judge Daniel Corpora on charges of delivery of heroin and criminal use of a telephone. The charges are tied to one specific sale earlier this month, court records show. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Craig Mordan will be charged by summons with possession of drug paraphernalia, Gerould added. He was released.

Neighbors said the men have lived in the home "forever" with their mother.

Northampton County property records show the home is owned by Mary Jane Kluge.

A police K-9 was brought into the home to search and as it passed the right rear saddle bag of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle parked right outside, the dog showed interest.

Neighbors said there aren't a lot of people in and out of the home, one joking, "we have quiet neighbors" as she looked to the grave yard across the street.

Numerous children play on the block, which features a "Watch Children" sign, they said.

One of the brothers "just got out of jail a year or so ago," a neighbor said.

Neighbors wouldn't provide their names due of the nature of the incident.

Troy Mordan robbed a Walgreens on Jan. 10, 2010, in Palmer Township and threatened to shoot the clerk, police said at the time. He was also charged with robbing a Phillipsburg gas station earlier the same morning, police said at the time.

He pleaded guilty to robbery on Sept. 14 of that year in Northampton County Court, records show. The outcome of the Warren County charges wasn't immediately available.

He was sentenced to 42 to 84 months behind bars in a Pennsylvania state prison, to be followed by 12 months of probation, records show.

A parole date is listed as March 29, 2015, but other records show he was released from prison on Sept. 30 of last year.

Troy Mordan's preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. Oct. 10 in Corpora's South Side courtroom.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A 56-year-old Lehigh Township man who went missing Saturday while fishing in Lake Ontario was found dead on Monday under 100 feet of water, the Oswego County, New York, Sheriff's Office reports.

Mark Deiter, of the 4700 block of Maple Drive, was fishing about 5:30 p.m. with two others in a 1994 Bayliner 23-foot boat off Sunset Bay Park in Sciba, New York, when the boat began to take on water and sink, the sheriff's department said.

The two other passengers wearing flotation devices jumped from the boat, clung to a cooler and stayed about water until other fishermen spotted and rescued them about 7 p.m., the sheriff's department said.

Deiter was still on the boat when it went under, the sheriff's department said.

A search began Saturday night and continued during daylight through Sunday into Monday, the sheriff's department said.

Deiter was found at 1:42 p.m. Monday in the cuddy -- a small cupboard or cabin -- of the boat, 100 feet down at the bottom of the lake, the sheriff's department said.

The boat was about three-quarters of a mile off shore, the sheriff's department said. The recovery involved the sheriff's department and New York State Police. Numerous organizations were also involved with the search over the weekend.

"The cause of this incident is still under investigation," the sheriff's department said in a news release.

The county coroner's office on Tuesday said with the death so recent, it had yet to be notified.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A man freed nearly a year ago after pleading guilty in a double shooting is now accused of assaulting the mother of his child.

Tchella Bellamy (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Tchella Bellamy, 21, of the 1200 block of Easton, allegedly pushed the woman through a glass window and down a concrete staircase Thursday at a home in the city's 900 block of Washington Street.

The victim suffered a cut to her right calf and abrasions and was admitted at Easton Hospital due to her injuries, according to Easton police.

Bellamy was arraigned Saturday morning before District Judge Robert Hawke on misdemeanor counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment.

He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000, which a bondsman posted Saturday to secure Bellamy's release.

A preliminary hearing is tentatively set for Oct. 6 before District Judge Daniel Corpora.

Bellamy could not be reached for comment Tuesday because no number could be found for him.

Bellamy was arrested previously in Oct. 27, 2014, in Phillipsburg, on charges including two counts of attempted homicide for allegedly shooting two men July 20, 2014, on a porch in the 1500 block of Washington Street in Wilson Borough.

He pleaded guilty Oct. 28, 2016, to aggravated assault and was sentenced to a year to two years in prison, with credit for time served. He was paroled Nov. 1, 2016.

That's after a jury deadlocked in January 2016 and a retrial was postponed because neither of the prosecution's two eyewitnesses showed up.

Both of the shooting victims, then-22-year-old New York residents Shane Weldon and Latek Smith, survived their injuries.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
As authorities investigate a pair of fires in Phillipsburg that may have intentionally been set, the man accused of purposely setting another home on fire last December in town is nearing trial.

Erik J. Gall (Courtesy photo)

Erik J. Gall, now 23, of Milford in Hunterdon County, is accused of attempted murder and aggravated arson for the Dec. 20 Firth Street fire that damaged two homes and resulted in minor injuries.

Jury selection in his trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 2.

The charges allege Gall poured gasoline on the exterior of 309 Firth St. with the intention of killing two people in the home.

"The charges are false," said Gall's attorney John Lanza. Further comment will be reserved for the proceedings, he said.

Authorities have not publicly identified a motive, but have said Gall knew the homeowner.

"I guess only he really knows why he did it," Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke said.

Flames were reportedly showing at 3:38 a.m. Dec. 20 when authorities arrived at the address, across from a town fire station. It took the approximately 60 town firefighters about 30 minutes to get the blaze under control, according to a news release later that day from fire Chief Rich Hay.

Phillipsburg police had evacuated residents from both 309 and the attached home at 311 Firth St. before firefighters arrived, the release said. And a resident and firefighter who both suffered minor injuries were treated at St. Luke's Hospital in Phillipsburg and released.

Gall is a Delaware Valley Regional High School graduate who was attending Raritan Valley Community College, according to his Facebook page.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A man in his 50s has been arrested in connection with a fire which killed a Kildare woman and two young children in 1987.

A media conference held last week by Gardai in Leixlip said the fire was upgraded to a murder investigation.

Gardai confirm a man was arrested this afternoon in North Dublin and is being detained at Leixlip Garda Station.

On September 20, 1987, a fire occurred at Church Lane, Kilcock.

The remains of 20-year-old Barbara Doyle, and her two nieces Mary Ellen Byrne (8) and Kerrie Byrne (3) were discovered at the scene.

File photo of Elizabeth Byrne, with her two children, Mary Ellen and Kerrie, who died in the blaze

The parents of the children, Aidan (now deceased) and Elizabeth, had been at a 21st birthday party that night in the locality.

Barbara Doyle was the aunt of the two girls, and the sister of Elizabeth Byrne.

The fire was reported between 3am and 4am that Sunday morning.

While the investigation remained open for the last 30 years, Gardai said new evidence has come into our possession, and we now believe the fire was started deliberately.
KILDARE county councillors has voted to keep its Local Property Tax base rate cut the same as the last three years, when it it cut the rate by 7.5%.

On September 25, the Council voted 29-8 in a roll call vote to maintain the same rate in 2018 as this year.

The Council has legal leg room to reduce the tax by a maximum of 15%, which was recommended by Cllr Joanne Pender. She argued the tax is regressive (68% of it comes from house valued at 200,000 or under), hitting the poor harder, and should be reduced. Wages and pensions are stagnant, she said.

Cllr Ide Cussen said someone with a property valued 200-250,000 has a 405 LPT.

Cllr Padraig McEvoy recommended a 5% rise arguing this would mean fifty cents a week extra per house. He said those proposing the maximum reduction did not hesitate to lay claim to the money from the LPT for spending.

Cllr Paddy Kennedy supported him.

Cllr Sean Power proposed there be no change.

Cllr Darren Scully said you must understand that unless you want to live in Cuba you must pay taxes. There is no nirvana or utopia, he said.

Cllr Naoise OCearuil said they were lumped with the LPT and there was no point in insulting each other in the chamber. I understand a lot of families find the difficult, he said.

Some opponents of an increase argued the Council was awash with money. Chief Executive, Peter Carey said there is a perception KCC is a well off local authority but the Council have not been able to keep pace with amenities and community supports for a growing population. He recommended either that the tax not be varied or it be increased by 5%.

Cllr Padraig McEvoy proposed a 5% increase but this was defeated 25-5.

Mr Carey had advised that a 5% rise would mean 4,328,840 would be available to Municipal Districts to fund specific projects within. If they did not vary their rate, they would have 3,242,880.

In the three years 2015-2017, 6,547,500 was spent on projects.

Overall LPT income to the Council is estimated to comprise 16m of its 145m budget with commercial rates at 58.5m.

Cllr Ide Cussen said the valuations would rise in 2019.

The effect of rise of house prices rises on the tax wont kick in until 2020.

The Finance (Local Property Tax) Amendment Act 2015 defers revaluation of properties for LPT purposes from 1 November 2016 to 1 November 2019. Self-assessed valuations for properties made by homeowners as of 1 May 2013 stand for a further two years, until 1 November 2019.
A motion calling for a reduction in excise tax on alcohol.

Cllr Tim Durkan called on Kildare County Council to back the Support Your Local campaign in calling for a reduction in excise tax on alcohol in Budget 2018, in order to support local jobs, the hospitality sector and the local economy in Kildare.

Cllr Durkan said Ireland had some of the highest excise rates on alcohol in Europe.

But Cllr Reada Cronin said she was surprised at such a motion given the dangers to health from alcohol.

She said Cllr Durkan was a very good councillor but asked him to withdraw the motion.

Cllr Cronin said that three people will die today as a result of alcohol abuse. I am quite shocked at the motion.

She accused some supporters of the proposal as lying through their teeth about the benefits of lowering the tax.

Cllr Ide Cussen also opposed the motion saying a similar one in county Louth was withdrawn by a councillor there.

She said alcohol was costing the health system 1.5 billion and there were about four groups lobbying for the tax reduction.

Cllr Teresa Murray also said she would not support it and Cllr Brendan Young said the retailer should not benefit for such a reduction and not carry the can for the consequences.

At this point, Cllr Durkan said he would withdrawn his motion. He said he was thinking more of people who went out for a drink and a meal.
My photo, taken last week, of the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, through the water of the fountain in Court Square, where Black slaves were bought and sold.

I have to say that the news that Nigel Farage is backing an extreme right-wing candidate in a Republican primary (mark that: its a party primary  not even a general election!) in Alabama, USA takes secure possession of a whole plethora of biscuits. Does this man stop at nothing to get some media coverage?

I was in Alabama this time last week, so I feel the urge to comment on this, if not having the qualification of detailed knowledge of the situation.

First of all, Farage is taking no risks here. Roy Moore, the candidate he is speaking for tonight, is going to win the Republican nomination for the US Senate seat which was vacated by Jeff Sessions when he became US Attorney General. So Farage is saddling up on a horse which is already going to win.

But Alabama, USA? Its like Nick Clegg endorsing a candidate for Mayor of Bratislava. What the heck has it got to do with Farage what happens in Alabama?

And a racist, homphobic candidate?

What makes me particularly angry about this is that, from the African American people I spoke to Alabama, it is obvious that there is still a long way to go to healing the racial divisions in that state. The last thing they need is Nigel Farage poking his nose in.

You only have to look at Civil War statues. While many cities in the USA are removing Confederate statues, Alabama has passed a law to preserve them, and indeed a new one has recently been put up. That tells you all you need to know.

* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
TRIBUTES are being paid to retired Limerick dentist Maire Magee, who sadly passed away at the weekend and was hailed as a wonderful woman.

Mrs Magee was a well-known dentist based on OConnell Avenue, and was a popular figure in Limericks medical and sporting community, with two of her sons playing rugby for Garryowen.

GFC sadly announces the passing of Mrs Maire Magee mother of past player and Hon Fixtures Secretary, David. https://t.co/qihFZFQB49 pic.twitter.com/Z39wneK0Vs  Garryowen FC (@GarryowenFC) September 25, 2017

It is with great regret and sadness that we learn of the passing of Mrs.Moira Magee mother of past players Dave & Ronan. RIP  Garryowen FC (@GarryowenFC) September 24, 2017

Limerick-based Senator Maria Byrne paid tribute to Mrs Magee, who was a close family friend.

Mrs Magee and the Magee family were very well known in OConnell Avenue, said Senator Byrne. She was a dentist and many families were her customers over the years. She was will be sadly missed by all of them.

She was a great woman for being out and about and was a very knowledgeable lady. Certainly, she will be missed by all, she was a wonderful woman, she added.

Garryowen Rugby Club have also paid tribute to Maire Magee, mother of past player and Hon Fixtures Secretary, David Magee.

Formerly of Blackbanks, Raheny, Dublin, Maire Magee passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 24 after a short illness.

Beloved wife of the late Michael. Dearly loved mother of Cliona, David, Ronan and Rachel. Sister of the late Joan, Eamon, Sheila and Fionnuala. Sadly, missed by her loving sons-in- law, daughters-in- law, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, sister-in- law Maura, extended family and friends.

Reposing at Thompsons Funeral Home, Thomas Street on Wednesday from 5.30pm to 7pm followed by removal to St Josephs Church, OConnell Avenue. Requiem Mass on Thursday at 11.30am, followed by private cremation.
A JUDGE has been urged not to criminalise a Limerick man who assaulted a 14-year-old boy after chasing him into a supermarket.

Frank ODonnell, aged 55, of Herbert Grove, Castletroy has admitted injuring the victim during an incident which happened inside the Costcutter store at Springfield, Castletroy at around 8pm on February 2, 2015.

The assault, Limerick District Court heard, happened a short time after the injured party and a number of other youths had thrown orange peel at the front of Mr ODonnells home.

Inspector Dermot OConnor said the defendant, who was armed with a baton, chased the youths from his home and that he followed the 14-year-old into the Costcutter store where he poked him in the chest. The boy, he said, sustained a minor injury to his lip when he was struck by Mr ODonnell who had earlier threatened to f****** kill the teenager.

Solicitor Sarah Ryan said her client, who had never come to the attention of gardai prior to the incident, accepts he should not have reacted the way he did on the night. She said there had been a number of incidents of antisocial behaviour near his home in the weeks prior to the assault and that his home had been broken into a short time earlier.

There had been a long line of small little things and it was very upsetting. He overreacted, she said urging the court to view what happened in the context of the previous incidents.

Ms Ryan said there have been no incidents since and that her client is anxious to maintain his clean record.

Judge Marian OLeary said it was a very frightening experience for the young boy and that her gut instinct was to apply the Probation Act if 500 is paid to the court poor box.

However, noting submissions from Ms Ryan, who said details of any Probation Order would appear on the garda Pulse system, the judge indicated she will not make a final decision regarding penalty until January.
NEARLY one million customers are due to receive refunds on water charges and Irish Water has appealed to customers in Limerick who paid their charges but have since changed address to update their details.

Over 173m will be refunded to 990,000 customers in the coming months once the relevant legislation is passed by Government.

In order to refund domestic water charges without delay, there is no application or registration process but customers who have moved since receiving their last bill must update their details now so that the cheque is posted to their current address.

The quickest way to do this is to call Irish Water on 1850 448 448 and lines are open Monday  Friday from 9am to 5.30pm.

Irish Water is planning to refund almost all customers before the end of the year and so it is essential that customers who have moved provide a current postal address to ensure there is no delay in receiving their refund.

Speaking in advance of the refunds being issued, Head of Customer Operations with Irish Water, Eamon Gallen said: Issuing refunds to 990,000 households presents a significant challenge but our priority is that the process is as efficient and straightforward as possible for our customers.

Crucially however, we are reliant on them telling us if their details have changed since the last time they contacted us so we encouraging anyone who has moved or changed their personal details to contact us as soon as possible to provide up to date information.

Over the coming weeks Irish Water will also be engaging with key stakeholder groups to advise them how the refunds process will work and to ensure that the needs of any vulnerable customers are taken into account, the body said.

More information is available at here and this page will be updated over the coming weeks as the process begins.
Sep 26, 2017, 1 PM

Bob Hautman scored his third win Sept. 16 at the federal duck stamp contest held at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. His acrylic painting of two mallards will appear on the 2018-19 federal duck stamp that will be issued in late June 2018.

By Wayne L. Youngblood

Bob Hautman of Delano, Minn., the third leg of the seemingly unstoppable Hautman family triumvirate, won the 2017 federal duck stamp art contest Sept. 16 with his acrylic painting of a pair of mallards alighting among cattails.

Hautmans entry was plucked from 227 pieces of art entered into this years contest, held at the Noel Fine Arts Center of the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.

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The 2017 victory is Bob Hautmans third first-place win, and it will appear on the 2018-19 stamp, which will be issued in late June 2018. The stamp will bear a face value of $25.

His previous winning designs include the 1997 and 2001 federal duck stamps, Scott RW64 (Canada Goose) and RW68 (Northern Pintail).

Greg Alexander of Ashland, Wis., placed second, with his acrylic painting of a cinnamon teal; and Christine Clayton of Sidney, Ohio, took third place with her oil painting of a blue-winged teal. Clayton is an alumnus of the junior duck stamp program. Her painting of a northern pintail was the winning entry for the 2012-13 junior duck stamp.

All three winners were selected unambiguously by a panel of five judges evaluating images of mallards, gadwalls, cinnamon teal, blue-winged teals, and harlequin ducks, this years five eligible species.

In addition, United States Fish and Wildlife Service principal deputy director Greg Sheehan made an almost unnoticed announcement regarding next years contest.

The 2018 contest, Sheehan stated, will place emphasis on hunters, suggesting that perhaps  for the first time ever  a hunter might well appear on a federal duck stamp.

Linns contacted the Fish and Wildlife Service. Although the FWS was unable to provide additional details, it did confirm there is no prohibition against hunters appearing in a duck stamp design, as long as a living example of an eligible species is the focus of the piece.

Judging of this years contest took place during a two-day period in three rounds. Of the 227 original entries, 216 were actually judged. The other 11 were disqualified.

The first round of voting was a simple disqualification round. Judges, each of whom had blinders preventing them from seeing other judges, were shown original artwork for each entry.

Signs reading IN or OUT were held up by each of the five judges, with only those entries receiving at least three IN votes proceeding to the second round. A total of 55 paintings received qualifying votes, with an additional nine to be reconsidered as an elimination override at judges requests. Each judge was allowed to override votes for up to five choices.

In the second round, entries were eliminated through a point system. Judges held up point-value signs (1 to 5) and entries achieving one of the top five highest combined scores moved on to the final round.

A dozen entries were considered for the final round.

Again, the point system was used (with only the 3, 4, and 5 point-value cards), with those three garnering the highest combined scores placing first, second, and third. Hautmans entry received 25 points (a clean sweep), Alexanders received 24 points, and Claytons garnered 22 points.

Judges for this years contest were Jane Kim, an artist and science illustrator; Tim Pearson, an artist and fly-fishing guide who paints mostly in watercolors, inspired by the waters and surrounding wilderness of Lake Superior; Richard Prager, an avid collector of federal and junior duck stamps, duck stamp remarques (stamps with additional artwork added, either to the stamp, the selvage, or both), and original artwork; Robert Spoerl, a lifelong hunter and conservationist with a passion for waterfowl; and Dr. Jacob Straub, a waterfowl biologist and wetlands and waterfowl conservation chair for UW-Stevens Points College of Natural Resources.

Judges may only serve once in their lifetime on the duck stamp jury. Panels usually include two artists, two conservationists, and one stamp collector.

Although the Hautmans  Bob, Jim, and Joe  are all humble, outgoing, and very highly regarded throughout the field, they are feared in wildlife art circles as a seemingly undefeatable juggernaut. This has even led to pop-culture references, such as those found in the movie Fargo.

Among the three of them, the brothers have won 13 of the past 29 contests, accounting for 44 percent of all winning federal duck stamp designs since 1988 and almost 20 percent of all duck stamp designs since the competition began in 1949.

Jim and Joe each have won five times, tying the record set by Maynard Reece. The good news for emerging artists is that none of the Hautmans is eligible to submit artwork for the 2018 competition.

There is a three-year waiting period for any winning artist before being eligible to enter the contest again. Jim Hautman won the 2016 contest, and Joe won the 2015 competition.
Apr 29, 2021, 4 AM

Originally slated to be issued Sept. 24, the commemorative forever stamp honoring the National Museum of African American History and Culture is now scheduled for an Oct. 13 issue date.

By Michael Baadke

The United States commemorative stamp honoring the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be issued Oct. 13, according to a news release from the U.S. Postal Service dated Sept. 26.

The nondenominated (49) forever stamp was originally scheduled for issuance Sept. 24, the 1-year anniversary of the museum, but the issue date was delayed by Postal Service officials in an Aug. 30 announcement.

The original issue date at that time had already been published in the Aug. 4 issue of Postal Bulletin, a fortnightly USPS publication that provides employees of the federal agency with procedural updates and additional information.

The Friday first-day ceremony for the new stamp will now take place at 8:30 a.m. at the museum, located on the National Mall at 1400 Constitution Ave., NW, in Washington D.C.

Entrance to the ceremony requires an online RSVP to usps.com/nmaahc and subsequent confirmation from the Postal Service. The confirmation will include additional instructions.

The event is standing room only, according to the Postal Service, and doors will open at 7:30 a.m. The Postal Service advises attendees to enter the museum through the 14th Street and Madison Drive entrance.

Ceremony participants will include museum Founding Director Lonnie Bunch, and USPS Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Government Relations Officer Ronald A. Stroman.

The stamp, offered in panes of 20, will be on sale at the ceremony, and in post offices nationwide on the same day.

Opened on Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is the 19th Smithsonian museum and the only national museum devoted exclusively to African American life, art, history and culture, the Postal Service stated.

The museums collections, which include art, artifacts, photographs, films, documents, data, books, manuscripts and audio recordings, represent all regions of the United States and acknowledge the cultural links of African Americans to the black experience around the world as well. The museum provides opportunities for the public to explore and enjoy African American history while demonstrating the centrality of that history to our nations past, present and future.
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A memorial ceremony for grocery store owner Konstantinos Gus Vardakastanis will be held Thursday night at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in San Francisco.

Mr. Vardakastanis, the founder and owner of three neighborhood grocery stores in the city, was killed early Friday by a hit-and-run driver while buying produce for his stores at the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market in the Bayview District.

Born in Greece, he came to the United States when he was 16, following his father, Dimitri, also a grocer.

In 1981, Mr. Vardakastanis and his wife, Georgia, founded Haight Street Market, which they later relocated a block away, to 1530 Haight St. They later opened Noriega Produce in the Outer Sunset and in 2015, with sons Dimitri and Bobby, founded Guss Community Market in the Mission District.

Mr. Vardakastanis, 57, had a reputation for high standards and good deals on produce and other groceries, but he also was known for his kindness under a gruff exterior. Regular customers recounted him slipping them free bottles of his homemade olive oil and wine, which he had produced on a small vineyard and orchard on his familys Sonoma County property.

Since his death last week, customers, staff and friends have set up small shrines in his honor at his markets and at the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market, which issued a statement about him.

Gus Vardakastanis was a fixture at the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market for more than 40 years, it said. He was a valued customer, a professional colleague and, most importantly, a cherished friend to many. His passing is a great loss that is felt deeply here and in the neighborhoods he and his family served so long and so well.

Mr. Vardakastanis sons have been in charge of day-to-day operations of the grocery stores for several years, Dimitri Vardakastanis said, and there are no plans to make changes to the business.

No one was more confident or proud of the business, he said of his father. Theres nothing that represents us more as a family than our business.

The investigation into Mr. Vardakastanis death is continuing. Just minutes before he was struck by a silver sedan on Jerrold Avenue near Toland Street, the city ShotSpotter system detected gunfire less than a mile away, at the intersection of McKinnon and Newhall avenues. Police wont say whether the incidents were connected.

Anyone with information on the hit-and-run is asked to call the San Francisco Police Departments tip line at (415) 575-4444 or text TIP411, beginning the message with SFPD.

In addition to his wife and sons, Mr. Vardakastanis is survived by his mother,Eleni, and sister Angelika Skiadopoulos, who live on the Greek island of Zakynthos, where Vardakastanis was from; his brother, Yianni of Athens; and four grandchildren.

The memorial service will begin at 7 p.m. at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in San Francisco, 999 Brotherhood Way. A funeral service is planned for the next day at 11 a.m. in the same location.

Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan
A 71-year-old man out hunting pigs in a remote area near Healdsburg on Sunday fell about 200 feet down a ravine and had to be rescued by a Sonoma County Sheriffs Office helicopter crew, officials said Monday.

The Vallejo man, whose name was not released, was hunting with his son when he plummeted down the ravine, injuring his hip and rendering him unable climb to safety. Police and medical personnel met the mans son on the 1400 block of Shaina Road outside of Healdsburg at about 11:45 a.m., and he led them about a mile to his injured father, officials said.
Gloria E. Anzaldua did not abide border walls of the mind and map, but rather strode into those culturally fertile places that we cannot simply wall off.

Anzaldua traveled where true scholars do not fear to tread: into the intellectual lands that seek not division, but common understanding.

So Tuesday, Google is celebrating the late author on what would have been her 75th birthday, with a Doodle that places her squarely at the middle of the cultural river, where her ideas on Chicana cultural studies and queer and feminist theories could flow, undammed and enriching.

Not that living along dividing lines both physical and psychological was not harrowing. "It's not a comfortable territory to live in, this place of contradictions," said Anzaldua, a daughter of the Rio Grande Valley who sprang from South Texas and lived in a string of rural towns along the Mexican American border.

She received bachelor's and master's degrees in Texas and headed to California to teach and write, leading to such works as "This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color" (which she co-edited), the speech "Speaking in Tongues: A Letter to Third World Women Writers" and her acclaimed semi-autobiographical "Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza," a 1987 work that combined prose and poem to illuminate the lives of those who live in multiple worlds.

Anzaldua, who died in 2004 in Santa Cruz, posthumously received a doctorate in literature from the University of California Santa Cruz.

Since her death, the National Women's Studies Association has created the Gloria E. Anzaldua book prize to honor "groundbreaking monographs in women's studies that makes significant multicultural feminist contributions to women of color/transnational scholarship."

The cultural relevance of her writing remains as alive as ever.
The Washington Post

The Washington Post is providing a daily podcast companion to the new PBS documentary from Ken Burns, "The Vietnam War." The podcast will include inteviews with Burns, co-director Lynn Novick and other collaborators on the film.

In America, the My Lai massacre helped turn Americans against the war, while in Vietnam, atrocities such as the massacre at Hue are still taboo subjects. The Washington Post's Alyssa Rosenberg asks Ken and Lynn about telling stories of brutality and survival.
A man has been arrested after he allegedly tried to strike a woman with an ax, according to Laredo police.

Alexis Garcia, 24, was charged with aggravated assault Friday in the 3200 block of Morelos Drive.
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Out of approximately 50 homicides recorded by Laredo police during the past five years, only a few remain unsolved.

Grand juries have returned six murder indictments against Laredo homicide suspects so far this year. Of those six, only one was indicted more than five months after the death occurred.

There are currently 15 pending murder cases in state court, with a total of 19 defendants.

Click through the gallery above to see mugshots for defendants in pending Laredo-area murder cases.

That high clearance rate stands in stark contrast to the years prior, when no suspects were identified in about 10 of the 36 homicide cases reported between 2009 and 2011.

Police typically identify suspects shortly after a homicide occurs, but the road to conviction can be a long, arduous journey for law enforcement and the victim's family. It can take years before a homicide case is resolved in the court system. Two homicides from 2011 and 2012, for example, are still languishing in the local district courts.

But the Laredo Police Department and the Webb County District Attorney's Office say they are working diligently to secure convictions in homicide cases. During the past two years, indictments in a majority of the homicide cases are being handed down within five months after a slaying occurs or an arrest is made.

State court judges have scheduled seven of those cases for trial before the end of the year. The remaining 13 are at various stages within the judicial process.

While some cases have been quickly processed through investigation and the courts, a few cases have lagged behind.

Perusquia

The oldest homicide case pending before a local state court dates back to 2003, when Bernadette Perusquia was first indicted for allegedly shooting her husband, Juan Perusquia.

She has been to trial twice. First, in 2006 when her case ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to come to a decision on a verdict after deliberating 12 hours. Then again in 2011, where she was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

Perusquia's case was reopened last summer after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted her a second retrial, finding she received deficient assistance from her trial counsel during her first retrial.

She is now out on bond. Her case is scheduled for an evidence exchange Oct. 20 in the 49th District Court. A trial date has not yet been set, according to court records.

Homicide cases can take years before they are resolved in the court system.

No spared resources

The time between arrest, clearance and indictment varies from case to case, according to the District Attorney's Office and LPD.

"Over the last eight years, (LPD) and the District Attorney's Office has improved its communication, collaboration and protocols in prosecuting cases," said Yanira De Leon, District Attorney's Office spokeswoman.

READ MORE: Zapata man drowns in Falcon Lake after rescuing teenage daughter

Investigator Jose E. Baeza, LPD spokesman, said communication between the prosecutor's office and police has "vastly improved" by having dialogue during weekly staff meetings in which a wide variety of cases and arrestees are discussed.

"The (assistant district attorneys) and even the district attorney himself have joined us and discussed in great detail better and more efficient ways to combine the efforts of both entities to reach a successful collaboration which lead to a safer community," Baeza said.

LPD's criminal investigation division, he said, spares no resources in trying to "zero in and render a reliable, prosecutable arrest once an investigation has been appropriately vetted and verified on dependable evidence."

"The cases do vary. Depending on the wide variety of circumstances involved in each case, then the detectives can be effective and efficient with a proclivity of meticulousness in each investigation," he said.

Challenges

LPD faces challenges when it comes to the timeliness of forensic, fiber and trace evidence results. It can take months or more than a year to receive them.

"This duration of time often renders the families of our victims to be frustrated, disconsolate and led to believe that the department has forgotten their loved ones, which could not be further from the truth," Baeza said.

One such case that is pending DNA and various other evidence from the lab is the death of Janette Escamilla Jaramillo, 33.

MORE FROM LMTonline: Contentious Webb County budget passed for 2018 fiscal year

She was the mother of nine children between the ages of 3 and 18 at the time of her death.

Two City of Laredo Parks and Leisure Services Department employees discovered Jaramillo's body April 20, 2016 underneath a skate ramp near West Guerrero Street and McDonell Avenue. She is believed to have been strangled to death.

No suspects or persons of interest have been named in the case.

"Each case is presented with a varied set of challenges and setbacks but our ... detectives and crime scene investigators, with all humility, are some of the best crime sleuths in the state," Baeza said.
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Two persons of interest in the slaying of a young couple in June 2016 have been sentenced to prison in Mexico on drug-related charges, according to Nuevo Leon authorities.

Francisco Villarreal Jr. and Ernesto Rodriguez Jr. were recently sentenced to three years in prison for drug trafficking with intent to distribute after a trial in late June, according to a spokesperson with the Nuevo Leon attorney general's office.

Villarreal is no stranger to serving prison time. He was released from a Texas prison in February 2016 after serving a sentence for aggravated robbery.

READ MORE: Timeline sheds light on escape, eventual capture of man charged in Ochoa Sanchez park homicide

Laredo police said Villarreal and Rodriguez are persons of interest in the killing of George O. Rodriguez, 20, and Alondra Gutierrez, 19. Both were found dead in an empty lot in the Lakeside Subdivision on June 26, 2016. No charges have been brought in the case.

Nuevo Leon authorities arrested Villarreal and Rodriguez in October after a shootout with police. Each was charged with possession of cocaine.

The shootout happened when agents patrolling Colonia Tecnologico in Monterrey, Mexico, saw a man on a black NINJA-type motorcycle exchanging bags with Villarreal and Rodriguez.

Police said the motorcyclist had a gun in his waistline. When confronted, he fled while Villarreal and Rodriguez took cover in some nearby apartments. Authorities said they fired shots at police officers.

MORE FROM LMTonline: McDonald's employee fired after asking customer 'Can you spell deportation?' in viral video

Police fired back, wounding Rodriguez in his right leg, according to reports. Authorities said they seized two handguns from Villarreal and Rodriguez, 77 doses of cocaine, plastic baggies containing marijuana, two digital scales and a black briefcase.

Warrant for arrest

Following a shooting on June 13, 2016, LPD issued warrants for the arrest for Villarreal and George Rodriguez, charging each with aggravated assault with a firearm. Police said Villarreal and Rodriguez arrived at the residence of Esteban Yruegas in the 3600 block of Galveston Street to allegedly collect a quota, or tax, from him for selling drugs.

Shortly after they arrived, Villarreal shot Yruegas, police said. His injury was non-life threatening.

Homicide suspects

Police named Yruegas as a homicide suspect less than two months later in relation to the death of Cesar Javier Sarmiento, 44.

This week, LPD said there are active arrest warrants for Yruegas and another man, Pedro Vasquez, in connection to Sarmiento's death.

Police said Vasquez and Yruegas gunned down Sarmiento in the 3300 block of Guerrero Street, outside a mobile home equipped with a surveillance system. Sarmiento sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head, chest and abdomen area. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said Vasquez is the owner of the mobile home where the July 26, 2016, shooting occurred. He and Yruegas are currently fugitives from justice, according to police.
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After hearing from droves of employees and engaging in debate with several elected officials, Webb County Commissioners Court officially approved their fiscal year 2018 budget on Monday.

The unbalanced budget includes longevity salary increases and hikes to employees' monthly health insurance premiums.

Because commissioners also voted to approve more than 15 budget amendments, it is not clear exactly how the county's $96 million budget will come out in the wash.

The county's Budget Office originally proposed a budget that put their general fund at a $413,000 shortfall, and total expenses at $1.9 million over revenue. Budget officer Lalo Uribe said this shortfall will be closer to $2 million considering the amendments commissioners approved, to be offset by savings from fiscal year 2017.

District courts

Throughout the budget process, the county's district court judges pleaded that Commissioners Court not cut their staff, to no avail.

The Budget Office recommended to commissioners that they cut the staff in the 341st District Court and the 406th District Court by three and two employees, respectively. This brings the staff in all of Webb County's district courts to eight.

Commissioner Jaime Canales made a motion that both these courts be able to keep their staff as is, but no one supported the motion.

The employees affected by these cuts to the courts will be moved to the County Clerk's Office or the District Clerk's Office.

341st District Court Judge Beckie Palomo told commissioners Monday she will not be able to effectively operate her court without the staff she needs. The Budget Office's conclusion that her court is overstaffed is based on analysis of other county's district courts, not of her own court, Palomo argued.

The three positions that will be cut from her staff are a bailiff, an administrative assistant and a drug court clerk, all necessary positions, Palomo said.

Her predecessor had eight employees in 2012, but Palomo is operating more programs and hearing more cases, she argued. And commissioners are only equalizing the district courts' staffs, while offices of the justices of the peace and constables vary in size, Palomo said.

Canales backed up Palomo's argument, adding that there's no logic in moving her staff to the clerks' offices  they don't want more staff, he said.

READ MORE: Zapata man drowns in Falcon Lake after rescuing teenage daughter

Commissioner John Galo said the county's district courts run on an inefficient system, and they shouldn't need more than five employees each. Commissioners Court is just trying to curb spending, he said.

"No one's going to be happy. I don't think anyone's gong to be happy," Galo said.

Uribe, the budget officer, added that other counties use a method called performance budgeting. If that method was employed in Webb County, they would be cutting even more from the district courts, he said.

406th District Court Judge Oscar J. Hale Jr. also argued to commissioners that his staff should not be cut. In 2015 his court's budget was $612,000, and it's gone down continuously. This year the Budget Office proposed a $442,000 budget for his court for 2018.

Meanwhile the office of the county judge had a budget of $442,000 in 2015, then went up to $500,000 in 2016, Hale explained in a PowerPoint to the court. When the Budget Office was created, the county judge's budget dropped to $428,000, but the Budget Office started with a budget of $408,000, Hale said.

This aggravated Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, who said he cut three positions in his office when he took the bench in 2015. Things reached a boiling point when Hale quipped back with an insult to Uribe's qualifications as budget officer, which Uribe defended, and Tijerina demanded an apology for, all in open court.

Longevity salary increases

These district courts did get a small win out of the budget process though, in that their staff will be receiving raises based on how long they have worked for the county.

The Budget Office proposed salary increases to employees under the Condrey Plan, the county's wage and pay scale classification system.

But several county departments, such as the 341st District Court, the 406th District Court and the District Attorney's Office, opted out of the Condrey Plan. The Budget Office did not recommend that employees in these departments receive raises.

Many prosecutors and assistant district attorneys spoke at Monday's meeting to ask that they receive raises as well. They argued that Commissioners Court would be choosing politics, ego and power over justice if they excluded the District Attorney's Office from the salary increases the rest of the county would be receiving.

In the end, commissioners voted that all three of these departments receive raises with the rest of the county.

Employees who have worked for the county for three years or more will see a 3.75 percent salary bump. Those who have worked for the county for two years will get a 2.5 percent raise. And employees who have worked for the county for a year will get a 1.25 percent raise.

Health insurance

Commissioners Court also approved and adopted the recommendations by their health insurance consultant to raise premiums, in some cases doubling them, in 2018.

The county has had a rough year regarding health insurance. They budgeted $13.5 million to pay for medical, dental and prescription claims in 2017 under a new contract with Aetna. However, Aetna projects claims will actually total $20.3 million in 2017, a number that excludes the $1.5 million in administrative fees. The county has already had to dip into their general fund to make up for this gap.

Aetna said the county should expect to pay $21.3 million for insurance in 2018, according to Uribe. He told them that's a number the county can't get to, so he budgeted $18 million for insurance in 2018.

The county's health insurance consultant Roger Garza recommended several ways that the county reach this cost.

RELATED: $1.9M budget shortfall eyed for Webb County

The county has several tiers within their insurance plans: employee only; employee plus child; employee plus children; employee plus spouse; and employee plus family.

Garza recommends the county get rid of the employee plus child tier and the employee plus spouse tier. People who fell under these tiers would now have to pay for the employee plus children or employee plus family plans.

Garza also recommended the county discontinue contributions to their retirees.

And finally, he recommended premiums go up for all employees. The county has a base plan and a buy up plan. The county's monthly contribution to each plan was $517 in 2017. In 2018 it would go up to $617 a month.

For employees, monthly premiums would go up as follows:

Base plan, employee only: $58.65 to $79.81

Base plan, employee + children: $232.04 to $392.43

Base plan, employee + family: $320.52 to $511.88

Buy up plan, employee only: $150 to $235.50

Buy up plan, employee + children: $450.33 to $942.52

Buy up plan, employee + family: $628.00 to $1,221.46

These increases were approved by Tijerina and commissioners Wawi Tijerina and Galo. They were voted down by commissioners Jesse Gonzalez and Canales.

Tano Tijerina said this part of the budget was disheartening, and this is what he has sleepless nights over.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
AUSTIN -- The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee already has one big idea ahead of next month's interim hearing on what the state can do to address the damage done by Hurricane Harvey with an eye toward mitigating the destructive power of future storms.

San Antonio Republican Lyle Larson said he hoped the state would attempt a long-term strategy to find ways to store those floodwaters underground in aquifers ahead of future droughts.
WASHINGTON - A large majority of African-Americans feel negatively about the direction the country is heading and most are pessimistic about their own prospects under the Trump administration, a poll released this week shows.

In a nationwide survey of 1,003 African-Americans, taken in July and August of this year, 84 percent said they feel the country is on the wrong track and around two thirds said they feel worried about President Donald Trump and fear his policies will negatively affect black people.

The poll, "The Lives and Voices of Black America," was conducted by PerryUndem and administered by the University of Chicago's NORC AmeriSpeaks panel, with funding from the Ford Foundation.

It is unusual in that it focused solely on African Americans, who comprise 13 percent of the population; they are more typically polled as a subset of the general population.

Sixty-four percent of respondents said they believed Trump's policies would negatively affect black people, while only 5 percent thought they would positively affect them. Twenty-four percent said they would both positively and negatively affect black people.

Although the study did not have earlier data with which to compare results, surveys taken about black men in 2006 and about black women in 2011 by the Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation show a stark drop in optimism now compared to the earlier dates.

In 2011, the third year of Barack Obama's presidency, 71 percent of black Americans said it was a good time to be a black woman and 17 percent said it was bad; in the new poll, 18 percent of respondents said it was a good time to be a black woman and 45 percent said it was bad.

In 2006, the sixth year of George W. Bush's presidency, 51 percent of black Americans said it was a good time to be black men and 36 percent said it was bad; in the new poll, only 12 percent of respondents said it was a good time to be a black man, and 59 percent said it was bad.

The PerryUndem and Washington Post/Kaiser surveys were not worded or conducted identically, but the differences in response were stark enough to merit attention, said Liz Hamel, director of public opinion and survey research at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

"Despite the methodological differences, it is striking that this new poll finds such large shares of black Americans saying it is a bad time to be a black man or woman in the U.S. today, while our earlier polls found much larger shares saying it was a good time to belong to one of these groups," she said.

A study last month by the Pew Research Center underlined the change: it found that eighty-one percent of black Americans saw racism as a "big problem" in American society, compared to 44 percent in 2009.

Two other recent Pew surveys found that black Americans' view of the state of race relations and racial equality were already pessimistic in the months before Trump was elected.

In one, published in June 2016, 61 percent of blacks said race relations were generally bad and 43 percent said they did not believe the country would make the changes necessary to give blacks equality with whites. Fifty-one percent said Obama had made progress on race relations. And in a Pew poll published the following month, 65 percent of black Americans said it is a lot more difficult to be black in America than white.

PerryUndem also conducted on-the-street interviews with black people to accompany the survey. "With the president and the racial slurs. . .(respondents felt) clearly that this president was going to advocate for policies that were going to benefit white people and that he was going to roll back everything Obama did that many feel was a positive thing in their lives," said Tresa Undem, a partner at the polling firm.

The poll was commissioned by In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, and included questions about access to birth control and factors in deciding whether to have a child. Those answers also reflected anxiety about the current administration.

Over half of respondents said issues such as access to childcare, quality public schools and higher education had influenced their decisions about whether or not to have a child.

Although the overall responses were pessimistic, at least two interviewees struck a positive note, Undem said.

"A couple of women said it was not a good time but also said it gives hope because there's a light being shone on what's a problem," she said.
Equifax Chief Executive Officer Richard Smith resigned, joining other senior managers who left the credit-reporting company amid an uproar over the theft of private data on 143 million Americans.

Smith will be replaced by Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., a seven-year company veteran who was most recently president of Asia Pacific, the Atlanta-based firm said Tuesday in a statement. Board member Mark Feidler, a former BellSouth Corp. president, was named non-executive chairman.

"The board remains deeply concerned about and totally focused on the cybersecurity incident," Feidler said in the statement. "We are working intensely to support consumers and make the necessary changes to minimize the risk that something like this happens again."

Equifax has drawn outrage from lawmakers and scrutiny from regulators since Sept. 7. when it disclosed one of the biggest cyberattacks. Hackers stole sensitive data -- including Social Security numbers, birth dates and other identifying information -- for much of the adult U.S. population.

Smith, who will remain as an unpaid adviser to the company, isn't the first executive to go down in the wake of the disclosure. The firm's chief information and chief security officers retired as of Sept. 15, the company said in a statement that didn't identify the executives. David Webb, who joined the firm in January 2010, was previously chief information officer, according to an annual regulatory filing in February. Susan Mauldin had been chief security officer, according to her professional profile on LinkedIn and an Equifax press release from 2015.

Mark Rohrwasser was named interim CIO and Russ Ayres was appointed interim CSO, reporting to Rohrwasser, according to the Sept. 15 statement.

Smith joined Equifax as CEO in 2005 after spending more than two decades climbing ranks at General Electric, where he worked in divisions focusing on plastics, modular homes, car fleets and insurance. Over almost 12 years at Equifax, the company's stock more than quadrupled before the breach was announced. The shares have tumbled 26 percent since the breach was announced on Sept. 7.

On Sept. 13, Equifax conceded that hackers exploited a software vulnerability known as Apache Struts CVE-2017-5638. Computer-security specialists had publicly identified that weakness earlier this year, offering a patch to fix it in March. Equifax has said the breach happened sometime after mid-May and was discovered July 29.

"This is the most humbling moment in our 118-year history," Smith wrote in an op-ed posted to USA Today's website Sept. 12. "We apologize to everyone affected."

Two days later, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called for Smith and the company's board to quit. The incident is "one of the most egregious examples of corporate malfeasance since Enron," he said, referring to the Texas energy trader that collapsed in 2001 after lying about its finances.

Lawmakers have threatened to boost oversight of the industry, which is supposed to safeguard data that could be used for identity theft and fraud. The Federal Trade Commission announced a probe, citing the "intense public interest and the potential impact."
Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone told House Intelligence Committee members Tuesday that allegations that he or anyone else in Trump's circle sought to collude with Russian operatives to win the 2016 election were "false."

But Stone refused to answer questions about the intermediaries through whom he made contact with WikiLeaks, prompting committee Democrats to threaten future subpoenas if he is not more forthcoming with information.

Stone spoke with House investigators for almost three hours behind closed doors. He said he mainly answered questions about his contacts with a hacker believed to be behind breaches of the Democratic National Committee's and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's email accounts, and with the founder of WikiLeaks, which released much of the hacked information.

He told reporters afterward that he considered the Intelligence Committee interview "an opportunity to correct a number of things that members of the committee had said about me."

But he declined to answer members' questions about the identity of his intermediary with WikiLeaks' Julian Assange, explaining that the person "is a journalist and our conversation was off the record."

Stone has long argued not only that the collusion allegations against the Trump campaign are unfounded, but also that there is no actual proof that Russia was the force behind alleged hacks and other efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. He has repeated this argument despite consensus in the intelligence community that the Kremlin tried to sway the election to favor Trump - arguing instead that consensus shows that the intelligence agencies have been "politicized."

Still, several of Stone's campaign-time interactions with suspected Russian intermediaries have raised public suspicion about what role he could have played in establishing alleged ties between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

In an opening statement to the committee, Stone sharply denied having any Russian clients or contacts with Russians during the campaign. He also denied that he had any foreknowledge of WikiLeaks' plans to release Podesta's emails, despite tweeting just days before that Podesta's "time in the barrel" was coming.

Stone also stressed that he never coordinated with the hacker Guccifer 2.0 before questioning last year not only the Russians' alleged role in the hacks, but also whether the DNC had ever been hacked. Stone included images of a private conversation he had with Guccifer 2.0 via Twitter - to back his claim - as an addendum to his opening statement. And Stone protested to reporters Tuesday that collusion would have been impossible "unless I owned a time machine, which I do not."

Stone said he had been "fairly treated" by the committee - but described "some clashes between Republicans and Democrats about the appropriateness" of certain questions he was being asked.

He recalled that at one point, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., who is helping to run the panel's Russia probe, asked Stone whether he had any knowledge of Russian collusion, which he denied having.

"Mr. Schiff said, 'Well, we could ask the same question of Vladimir Putin,' and Mr. Gowdy took exception to that," Stone added, referring to the panel's ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, Calif.

Stone went after Schiff at several points in his prepared opening statement to the committee, which he shared with The Washington Post on Monday night.

Schiff responded to those direct hits Tuesday morning, noting: "It's consistent with his motto: deny, deny, deny."

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The Washington Post's Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.

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VIDEO:

Roger Stone, a former campaign adviser to President Trump, dismissed the House Intelligence Committee's Russia investigation as a "political exercise" after testifying on Sept. 26 at the Capitol. (The Washington Post)

--http://wapo.st/2fOKg1o

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The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee and its top Democrat asked the Trump administration Monday for more information about the use of personal email accounts by senior officials - a day after it was revealed that Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, acknowledged using such an account for official business.

The letters, sent from Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to White House counsel Don McGahn and the leaders of two dozen federal departments and agencies, demand answers to inquiries about the use of nonofficial email and other messaging accounts to conduct official business. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the ranking Democrat on the panel, also joined the request.

The letters represent some of the most aggressive oversight of the Trump administration from Gowdy, who took over the reins of the Oversight Committee in June after Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, announced plans to resign his congressional seat. They come after the Republicans on the committee repeatedly questioned Democrat Hillary Clinton's use of private email, hosted on a personal server, during her tenure as secretary of state.

Kushner used his personal account to correspond dozens of times with White House colleagues, according to a statement from his attorney, Abbe Lowell. The emails, Lowell said, were forwarded to Kushner's official White House address and thus preserved in accordance with government policies. But the report has created an uncomfortable picture for Trump, who railed against Clinton's use of private email throughout the campaign, calling at times for her to be jailed, and has continued to criticize her during his presidency.

The letters signed Monday by Gowdy and Cummings cite a Sunday report by Politico, which first reported Kushner's use of the private account. They ask the addressees to share the names of any "non-career official" who has used a personal account to conduct official business or used an "alias" account - that is, an official account that does not use the person's actual name - to do so. They also request the names of any officials who use " text messages, phone-based message applications, or encryption software" to do their jobs.

The requests, they explain, are necessary to examine whether the Trump administration is adhering to federal laws pertaining to records retention. The Federal Records Act, for one, requires government officials and agencies to create systems and practices so that they preserve all records, memos, correspondence and other documents that detail their government work.

The use of personal email to conduct government business potentially puts those messages beyond the reach of congressional investigators and the media requesting public information. Private accounts can also open security risks if the email service used is lax on password security or doesn't regularly patch its software - weaknesses that hackers can exploit to gain access.

While Kushner's use of a personal account invited comparisons to Clinton's behavior, there are key differences. Kushner appears not to have used a private server as Clinton did, but rather used a commercially available email service, and there is no evidence Kushner discussed classified information on his personal account, as Clinton was found to have done.

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The Washington Post's Jack Gillum contributed to this report.
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Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday authorized the county attorney to file a lawsuit against Arkema over its struggles to manage stores of hazardous chemicals during Hurricane Harvey.

The county's Pollution Control Services Department found serious violations of the Texas Clean Air Act by Arkema, County attorney Vince Ryan said in a statement. The county will try to recover the costs from responding to the crisis at the company's Crosby plant. It will ask the court to review Arkema's emergency preparedness plan and its environmental practices. The commissioners made the decision to approve the suit as part of its agenda wide unanimous vote.

"We've shown if you're a bad actor, we'll hold you accountable," said Precinct 2 Commissioner Jack Morman.

Arkema's Crosby facility is in Morman's precinct.

The county attorney's office said it is preparing the suit which could be filed as soon as Friday.xxx

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Arkema lost control of its Crosby facility after floodwaters cut the power and wiped out its back up generators. With the power out and cooling systems failing, volatile organic peroxides exploded multiple times over a week, producing towering pillars of fire and thick plumes of black smoke.

A 1.5 mile evacuation zone was set up when government officials got access to the company's chemical inventories. About 300 homes were evacuated during the crisis.

"During the height of this storm event, we had to have literally dozens of first responders tied up at this facility when they could have been in other areas of the county," said Rock Owens, managing attorney for the county attorney's environmental group.

Arkema's claims that there was no way to anticipate six feet of water inundating the Crosby plant isn't believable, Owens said. "We all knew for a week that we might get up to 50 inches of rain," he said. ," Owens said. "That's not true."We all knew it was coming."

The company has repeatedly insisted that the flooding was an unprecedented event. In a Sept. 11 post on Arkema's web site, the company stated it, "cooperated completely with all first responders and numerous regulatory agencies... to keep the public safe."

The company did not have an immediate comment about the pending Harris County suit.

Arkema is already facing a lawsuit by a group of first responders and Crosby residents filed a civil suit against the company earlier this month over not who complain they were not warned about the potential exposure to hazardous chemicals.

The plantiffs in that case described deputies and medical personnel vomiting and gasping for breath, some getting sick outside of the evacuation zone. In previous statements, Arkema stated the danger was only in the evacuation zone.

Also named in that suit was Bureau Veritas, a global environmental testing company hired by Arkema to do air monitoring around the facility. The company was accused of not disclosing critical information about the chemical hazards to the public.

The Chemical Safety Board, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency are conducting investigations into what happened at Arkema. Each has requested documents from the company on how it planned for Hurricane Harvey and how it responded throughout the situation created by the flooding.

Morman heard a lot from constituents and county employees when the 1.5 mile evacuation zone was set up.

"You couldn't print what we heard from constituents in a family newspaper," said Dave Walden, Morman's chief of staff.

Outside of the safety of residents, one of Morman's biggest concerns was a county road maintenance facility just outside the evacuation zone. The facility had large vehicles there being used throughout the county for emergency response. Dozens of employees were going in and out of the area.

"Working 24/7 access to the facility was critical for storm recovery and response," Morman said. "There was a big concern about what would happen if the evacuation zone had to expand."
ISTANBUL - Nearly every Middle East government was opposed to Monday's vote for independence in the Kurdish region of Iraq. But not so just across the border in the cities and towns of western Iran.

There, thousands of Iranian Kurds, jubilant for their Iraqi kin, staged demonstrations in support of the vote. (Iran is home to roughly 8 million Kurds. The rest of the region's Kurdish population is spread across Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.)

"Tens of thousands of Kurds in #Iran'ian occupied #Kurdistan celebrate the independence referendum in Bashur. #Twitterkurds#Rojhelat

- PDKI (@PDKIenglish) September 25, 2017"

Crowds waving glowing cellphone screens marched in main squares in places including Baneh, Sanandaj, and Mahabad, the capital of a short-lived republic declared by Kurds in 1946. Images posted on social media showed demonstrators singing the Kurdish national anthem, chanting for "freedom!" and in some cases marching past Iranian security forces. No clashes were reported.

The protests, however, defied the government in Tehran that has condemned the referendum and warned of regional chaos. Iran is a key ally of the government in Baghdad, and has urged the international community to maintain Iraq's territorial integrity.

"Kurds in East-Kurdistan (Iran) or #Rojhelat are marching through the streets, chanting: "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!"

- Polla Garmiany (@PollaGarmiany) September 25, 2017"

But Tehran is also concerned about unrest within its own borders, where Kurds have long complained of discrimination and widespread rights abuses. The armed wing of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, or KDPI, which is based in Iraq, ended a years-long cease-fire with Iran's Revolutionary Guard last year. The two sides have engaged in low-level clashes, and on Monday the party circulated images from the protests.

Still, having spent decades in exile, Iran's Kurdish parties remain weak, and it is unclear if the leaders can mobilize their own campaign for self-rule. In the past, the KDPI has said it wants autonomy for Iranian Kurds, but within the framework of a democratic Iran.

"#Iran-ian Security forces were ordered to move into protests and the Kurds have pushed back continuing celebrations for #KurdistanReferendum

- Rising Sun (@RojhelatRising) September 25, 2017"

In Turkey, the military has battled Kurdish separatists for decades. Meanwhile, Syria's Kurdish militias have forged alliances with the United States in the fight against the Islamic State.

Galip Dalay, research director at Al-Sharq Forum in Istanbul, wrote in Foreign Affairs this month: "Even though the Iranian regime continues to execute dozens to hundreds of Kurdish dissidents every year, Iranian Kurds have not effectively sought to change their fate or utilize their power."

"Iranian Kurdish politics have remained largely unresponsive to the general regional upheaval and even to major developments inside Iran," Dalay wrote.
For millions of ethnic Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan, Monday was a historic day. After a century of despair and neglect, they had the chance to vote for their own independence in a controversial referendum staged by the Kurdistan Regional Government - the body that holds sway over the predominantly Kurdish areas of northern Iraq. Official results are expected in the coming days, with a "yes" vote in favor of independence almost certain to win out.

But for everyone else in the region, this is where the problems begin. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a statement on Monday lamenting the "potentially destabilizing effects" of the vote. The Iraqi government, as well as Turkey and Iran - nations on Iraqi Kurdistan's borders with sizable Kurdish minorities of their own - have rejected the referendum. Kurdish officials insist the vote is nonbinding, and see it instead as a demonstration of the Kurdish will for self-determination and a pointed message to Baghdad.

But the Iraqi government sent a message of its own, announcing that it was conducting joint military exercises with Turkey near Iraqi Kurdish territory. Iran did the same along its borders and closed its airspace to flights coming in and out of Iraqi Kurdistan.

What was the referendum about?

KRG officials argue that this moment has been long overdue. Since the U.S.-led removal of the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the Iraqi Kurds have enjoyed a great degree of autonomy from Baghdad and, blessed with considerable oil resources, have been able to build up institutions of a potential future state. Kurdish peshmerga militia have fought on the front lines against the Islamic State, a struggle that has seen close security cooperation between their forces and the United States.

Kurdish politicians, in particular Masoud Barzani, the Kurdish regional president, now sense their moment is nigh amid the upheavals and conflicts roiling Iraq and Syria. And they see a government in Baghdad, led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, that has turned cold toward the Kurds and is barely able to protect its own people.

"Changes happened also about 100 years ago, and the Kurds were bystanders," Bayan Sami Adbul Rahman, the KRG's top representative in Washington, told me earlier this year, referring to the Kurds' historic sense of dispossession as new states emerged out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. "We are not going to be bystanders again."

A "yes" vote should kick-start a process of negotiations that would pave the way for an eventual separation from Iraq, Abdul Rahman said.

But some critics within the notoriously fractious KRG see the referendum as a bid by Barzani and his ruling party to consolidate power. Two rival prominent Iraqi Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Movement for Change, grumbled about the referendum but eventually got on board.

"Both parties see the referendum as a power grab by Barzani, whose grip has been weakened by a prolonged economic downturn triggered by the fall in global oil prices," wrote Amberin Zaman in Al-Monitor.

Provocatively, the referendum was also staged in the disputed, oil-rich province of Kirkuk, where peshmerga fighters have held sway since 2014, when they rushed into the provincial capital to defend it from the Islamic State. The prospect of violence now seems particularly high there.

Why does the outside world oppose the referendum?

Even the United States, which has historically done a great deal to boost the Iraqi Kurds, is dead set against the referendum. U.S. officials fear that a Kurdish independence push now will undermine the campaign against the Islamic State and harm the reelection campaign of Abadi, their favored candidate, in April. Now is not the time, they argue, to rock the boat.

Abadi has deemed the referendum "illegal," while governments in Turkey and Iran also refuse to recognize the vote's result. The Turkish government has worked closely with Barzani, but now warned of dire repercussions should the secession movement gain much more steam.

"After this, let's see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, warning that Turkey could block the KRG's oil exports. "We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it's done."

Turkey, of course, faces its own long-running Kurdish insurgency, which has flared once more in the wake of the Syrian civil war and the rise of a semiautonomous Syrian Kurdish enclave on its southern flank. Ankara, desperate to shove the genie of Kurdish nationalism back into its lamp, dreads the possibility of a functioning, independent Kurdish state breaking away from Iraq.

The Iraqi Kurds do have one conspicuous source of support - the Israelis have long seen the Kurds as useful allies on the Iranian border and have been vocal advocates for their independence in the buildup to the vote.

What happens next?

A yes vote may not prompt an immediate crisis. There's a hope, suggests David Pollock of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, that the KRG's neighbors may moderate their stances after the referendum. "Outsiders will have little choice but to deal with the aftermath in a pragmatic fashion," Pollock wrote. "As one senior Kurdish official put it privately... this week, 'We hope that wisdom will prevail.' "

If it doesn't, though, and if no productive track of talks emerges between Baghdad and Irbil, then a fuse will have been lit and an already complex geopolitical conflagration will get all the more complicated, especially for the United States.

"Democratic Western states would hardly want to be seen as standing against the collective will of millions of people who had voted for separation from Iraq," wrote Michael Stephens, research fellow for Middle East Studies at RUSI Qatar, a think tank. "But neither do they wish to be the main architects of a permanent rupture in a fragmented region."
For The Intelligencer

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The perfect score of yore - 1600 - is back and just as impressive as ever. But many students could be forgiven these days for puzzling over whether their own SAT scores are good, great or merely OK.

The first national report on the revised SAT shows the confusion that results when a familiar device for sorting college-bound students is recalibrated and scores on the admission test suddenly look a bit better than they actually are.

The average score for the high school class of 2017, according to data the College Board released Tuesday, was a combined 1060 out of 1600: 533 for reading and writing, and 527 for math.

The averages for previous classes, going back a decade, hovered closer to the midpoint of 500 on each portion of the test. But those results came from a different test in a different era, with three separate sections for reading, writing and math, and a maximum score of 2400.

Last year, the College Board eliminated the notorious guessing penalty on the SAT, jettisoned some tricky vocabulary and took other steps, hoping to make the test a more straightforward measure of achievement. The board also returned the top score to the iconic number parents and grandparents remember: 1600.

What resulted were apparently higher marks. But that doesn't necessarily mean students are smarter. This year's high school graduates were subjected to the ensuing SAT-score whiplash.

Brian Keyes, 18, who graduated in June from Wilson High School in Washington D.C., said he took the old SAT in fall 2015 and got a combined 1990 on the three sections. He said he took the new version when it debuted in March 2016 and scored 1410.

So which was better - his first score, averaging roughly 660 per section? Or the second, averaging about 40 points higher?

The College Board has published a conversion chart allowing for comparisons. It shows that the scores Keyes obtained were almost equivalent. Keyes, who learned that after asking around, said he tried not to stress about it. His attitude: "I'll try my best. I'm a good student, a hard worker. I'll be fine wherever I go." He wound up at the prestigious University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Inevitably, some students and parents misinterpret the new scores. They forget that a 1300 now doesn't mean what it once did. (The conversion chart suggests that a comparable "old SAT" score on a 1600-point scale would be 1230.)

"I try to politely explain that the goal posts have moved," said Steven Roy Goodman, a college admission consultant in Washington. He said he compliments students when they tell him about a seemingly high score. But he points out that the scale has changed.

"My job is also to put that score in context with what is likely to be the national competition and the international competition that student is about to face," Goodman said. "I call it encouragement and reality at the same time."

The College Board discourages comparisons, calling this year's results a new baseline.

David Coleman, president of the College Board, acknowledged that the transition has caused misunderstandings. "By next year, we'll turn the page and this period of some confusion will be over," he said.

The New York nonprofit is in fierce competition for leadership in testing with Iowa-based ACT. In 2012, the ACT surpassed the SAT for the first time to become the most widely used college admission test. But in the Washington region and in many cities and states, the SAT remains dominant.

The College Board points to its popular PSAT/NMSQT and Advanced Placement testing programs, as well as a partnership with the Khan Academy to provide free online tutoring, as it seeks to rejuvenate the SAT brand.

About 1.8 million students in this year's class took the SAT, the vast majority using the new version. Male students averaged 22 points higher in math on the new test (538) than females (516), following a historic pattern. Female students averaged 2 points higher in reading and writing than males (534 to 532). Students whose parents hold a bachelor's degree fared better (1118 average combined) than those whose parents had only a high school diploma (1003 average).

James Murphy, director of national outreach for the test preparation company Princeton Review, said an analysis using the College Board's conversion chart shows that this year's SAT scores actually slid slightly. He said that probably reflects a broader testing pool. "It means that more students are taking the steps needed to get into a four-year college," Murphy said.

Critics of standardized testing call the SAT and the ACT overrated. They say grades and course rigor are a better guide to student potential. The new SAT is "a marketing ploy designed to sell more tests," said Bob Schaeffer of the nonprofit National Center for Fair & Open Testing, "not a better tool for tracking college readiness."

In recent years, numerous universities have dropped or scaled back testing requirements, including Wake Forest, Brandeis, American and George Washington. "The best predictor of success for our students was their performance in high school," Laurie Koehler, vice provost for enrollment management and retention at GWU, said this month at a college admission conference in Boston. "It's not rocket science." Going test-optional in 2015, she said, enabled the university to diversify its applicant pool without sacrificing quality.

But most highly selective schools continue to require an ACT or SAT score. Admission chiefs at those schools say they find the scores useful as they look at the entirety of an applicant's record.

Knowing this, generations of high school juniors and seniors have sweated over their scores.

"I was definitely nervous at first," said Alex Davis, 18, who graduated this year from Washington Latin Public Charter School in the District. He took the new SAT for the first time in March 2016. "We were kind of the guinea pigs and didn't know what to expect."

He said he was not satisfied with the result: 1180.

The next time, he took a test-preparation class through his school. Davis said he took the SAT again in October and got a 1220. He fretted about that score, too.

"Test scores can have a dramatic effect on how you view yourself academically," Davis said. He had gotten straight A's in high school and believed he could have or should have scored 100 or 200 points higher.

His mother worried, too. "It just is a tremendous amount of stress," said Shan Davis. "If you don't do well at taking tests, but you're an A student, then where does that leave you?"

But she and her son had faith that what really defined him was his academic record and his participation in activities such as lacrosse, the school newspaper and Model United Nations. He applied to and got into excellent schools.

Davis is now a freshman at Cornell University, aiming for a double major in classics and government.
The race to challenge incumbent Gov. Larry Hogan, R, in Maryland's 2018 election is wide open, according to a new poll, with nearly half of Democrats having no preferred candidate.

Former state attorney general Douglas Gansler - who said last week that he will not run in the primary - appears to have more name recognition among Democrats than any of the declared candidates, the poll by Goucher College finds.

Twenty-eight percent of Democrats said they would consider voting for Gansler, compared with 21 percent for Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, 17 percent for Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and 14 percent for former NAACP president Ben Jealous.

Others in the Democratic field garnered single digits.

Eight percent of respondents said they would consider casting a ballot for state Sen. Richard Madaleno, Montgomery; 6 percent said they would consider voting for Baltimore attorney James Shea; 5 percent for tech entrepreneur Alec Ross; and 2 percent for Krishanti Vignarajah, a onetime policy director for former first lady Michelle Obama.

Nine percent of respondents said they would consider voting for policy consultant Maya Rockeymoore, who has said she is weighing a run. She is the wife of Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., a longtime congressman from Baltimore whose name is known throughout the state.

The poll referred to the prospective candidate as "Maya Rockeymoore Cummings."

Forty-four percent were undecided or had no preference when asked who they would support if the election was today.

Mileah Kromer, a Goucher College political science professor and the director of the survey, said the results show that the June 2018 Democratic primary is up for grabs.

"Folks don't know a ton about these candidates," Kromer said. "The negative is that there's a long way to go for any of them to win, but the positive is that it's anyone's race."

Whoever emerges with the Democratic nomination would presumably face Hogan.

The governor is broadly popular across party lines but has lost some ground this year in terms of how many Marylanders say they plan to vote for him in 2018.

A Goucher poll released Monday showed that 51 percent of Marylanders are at least leaning toward voting to reelect the governor, compared with 57 percent who said the same in a February survey.

Fifty-five percent of respondents in Goucher's survey of Democrats said they want a "more progressive" candidate to win the party's gubernatorial nomination, compared with 34 percent who said they want a "more moderate" candidate and 8 percent who said they prefer a "more conservative" Democratic nominee.

Twenty-six percent of respondents identified education as the most important issue, followed by the economy and jobs (21 percent), racial and social justice (16 percent), health care (15 percent), the environment (7 percent), taxes (6 percent) and transportation and infrastructure (5 percent).

The poll, conducted Sept. 14-18, questioned 324 Maryland Democrats and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.4 percentage points.
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A man drowned over the weekend at Falcon Lake after he rescued his teenage daughter, according to the Zapata County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities identified him as Juan Jesus Sandoval Jr., 34.

At 2:35 p.m. Saturday, deputies responded to a possible drowning at Falcon State Park's boat ramp area.

Relatives of Sandoval stated he had rescued his 16-year-old daughter from drowning but he was not able to swim back to shore, authorities said.

READ MORE: 2 arrested, more than $2.3 million seized in Nuevo Laredo stash house raid, authorities say

The Sheriff's Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U.S. Border Patrol, park rangers, Department of Public Safety and the Zapata County Fire Department dive team began searching for Sandoval.

"After a thorough search for Mr. Sandoval, which agencies were unable to locate him, it was then decided to deploy the drag hooks by (Parks and Wildlife) and the ... dive team. The search then turned into a recovery operation for the body of Mr. Sandoval," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Authorities recovered the body at 5:18 p.m. Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Anna Guerra pronounced Sandoval dead at 5:45 p.m. The investigation continues.

'Hero'

Relatives are calling Sandoval a "hero."

"R.I.P. nephew... Juan Jesus Sandoval. You left this world as a hero by giving your life for your precious daughter. You saved her from drowning, but you didn't make it back," said Facebook user Yvette Cornejo. "God decided it was your time to go home and your work was done here (on) earth."

Cornejo described Sandoval as a "great father, husband, friend, son, uncle, cousin." She added that everybody loved Sandoval.

"You will truly be missed Juanito. So young gone too soon. Truly an Angel and a Hero," Cornejo stated.
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodiguez Tuesday evening to discuss the still-mystifying health problems that have befallen U.S. diplomats stationed in Havana.

In a lengthy account of the meeting, Cuba's Foreign Ministry said Havana has been conducting its own investigation into the incidents, on orders from "the top level of the Cuban government," a reference to President Raul Castro. But it said Cuba so far had found no evidence pointing to the cause or origin of the health disorders that have affected at least 21 Americans connected to the embassy. Nevertheless, it said measures had been taken to protect diplomats still stationed in Havana and their families, without specifying what they are.

U.S. Cuba relations, already tense since President Donald Trump vowed to reverse the rapprochement undertaken by the Barack Obama administration, have been weakened further by the case of the injured diplomats. Some have suffered hearing loss and traumatic brain injury. Investigators are looking into the possibility they were subjected to some sort of "sonic attack."

Cuba has vehemently denied being involved in any way, raising speculation a third country may be responsible. But two months after the State Department publicly acknowledged the incidents, they are no closer to solving what happened, much less who did it.

In a brief account of the meeting State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert characterized the conversation as a "firm and frank" discussion of U.S. concern for its employees.

"The Secretary conveyed the gravity of the situation and underscored the Cuban authorities' obligations to protect Embassy staff and their families under the Vienna Convention," Nauert said.

The end-of-the-workday visit by Rodriguez to Tillerson's office, requested by the Cubans primarily to discuss the incidents, appeared to be an effort to convince Tillerson not to close the embassy in Havana, a step he said recently that he is considering.

The Cubans also signaled their concern they are being blamed for the diplomats' injuries before investigations are complete, and urged "effective cooperation" between Cuban and U.S. authorities looking into the case.

Rodriguez, they said, "also stated that it would be regrettable that a matter of this nature is politicized and that hasty decisions not supported by conclusive evidence and investigation results are taken."

The meeting between Tillerson and Rodrigue represented the highest-level meeting of officials from the two countries during the Trump administration. However, it comes at the lowest point in U.S.-Cuba relations since the countries put aside half a century of enmity and normalized relations under the Obama administration in 2015.

President Trump has said he wants to reimpose restrictions that would limit U.S. business dealings in Cuba and make it harder for Americans to visit except on organized tours.

In a speech at the United Nations last week, Trump called the Cuban government "corrupt and destabilizing" and vowed not to ease the U.S. trade embargo against the island until democratic reforms are made. The Cubans called his remarks "disrespectful, unacceptable and meddling."

Despite the ideological differences, the State Department has said Cuba has cooperated in facilitating the investigation into what harmed the envoys from the United States, and several Canadians as well.

The complaints of health issues began in the final months of the Obama administration and continued into the Trump administration. Many of those injured have left the country for treatment.

In May, the United States expelled two Cuban diplomats from Washington as a response. The State Department did not publicly reveal the expulsions, or the reason behind it, until August.

According to the Cuban account, Rodriguez told Tillerson the expulsions were "unwarranted," and said Cuba's record in protecting diplomats is "impeccable."

"He reaffirmed that the Cuban government has never perpetrated nor will it ever perpetrate attacks of any kind against diplomats," the statement said. "The Cuban government has never permitted nor will it ever permit the use of its territory by third parties for this purpose."
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Tuesday strongly defended his response to the devastation in Puerto Rico, saying his administration was earning "tremendous reviews" even as fresh news reports from the hurricane-ravaged island showed an unabated humanitarian crisis.

"Everybody has said it's amazing the job that we've done in Puerto Rico," Trump said during a Rose Garden news conference. "We're very proud of it. . . . This was a place that was destroyed. I think we've done a very good job."

The president's rosy assessment came amid mounting criticism that he has appeared far less engaged in the recovery efforts of a U.S. territory with a long history of unequal treatment than for those in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes in those states.

Trump announced plans to visit Puerto Rico next week to get a firsthand look at the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which killed at least 16 people and left most of the island's 3.4 million people without power and facing serious shortages of food and medical supplies.

Just weeks after earning high marks for his response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Trump now faces multiple political risks related to Maria as the scope of the decimation becomes clearer by the day.

"His treatment of Puerto Rico gives the impression that he doesn't consider it as much of a part of the United States as Texas and Florida," said Timothy Naftali, a presidential historian at New York University.

Questions about Trump's engagement have been fueled by what critics see as the president's obsession with NFL players kneeling during the national anthem, a feud that has dominated Trump's Twitter feed, often a good gauge of what is grabbing his attention.

On Monday night, Trump tweeted about Puerto Rico for the first time since Maria made landfall last Wednesday, and many were taken aback by a tone that seemed to be blaming the island for its plight. In his tweets, Trump highlighted Puerto Rico's long-running debt problems and antiquated electrical grid.

Naftali said that in his responses to Harvey and Irene, Trump and his team seemed to have learned the lessons of Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 storm that stained the presidency of George W. Bush after his detached response.

"Trump wanted the message to be loud and clear, 'We care,' " Naftali said. "That attention has been sorely lacking in the case of Hurricane Maria."

Those questioning Trump's interest in helping Puerto Rico have included an array of Democratic politicians, including his vanquished presidential rival Hillary Clinton, and numerous celebrities such as pop singer Marc Anthony.

"Do something about our people in need in #PuertoRico," Anthony, whose parents are from Puerto Rico, wrote in a tweet this week. "We are American citizens too."

At the White House earlier Tuesday, Trump insisted to reporters that "Puerto Rico is very important to me."

"The people are fantastic people," he said. "I grew up in New York, so I know many people from Puerto Rico. I know many Puerto Ricans. And these are great people, and we have to help them."

Trump also told reporters that he is waiting until Tuesday to visit the island because "it's the earliest I can go because of the first responders, and we don't want to disrupt the relief efforts." He added that he will also visit the U.S. Virgin Islands, which experienced extensive damage as well.

On Twitter on Tuesday, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello posted a photo of him briefing Trump via video conference call and "thanked him for his leadership, quick response & commitment to our people."

Even before Tuesday's news conference with visiting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain, Trump was drawing flak from those who said he is understating the challenges ahead.

One of the Trump's tweets on Monday night asserted that "food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well."

That prompted a rebuke on the Senate floor Tuesday from Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

"With all due respect, President Trump, the relief efforts are not doing well, they're not close to good enough," Schumer said. "All any American needs to do is open a newspaper or turn on a TV to know that Puerto Rico is not doing well."

Journalist Geraldo Rivera delivered the same message Tuesday morning during a report on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" - typically a friendly venue for Trump.

Reporting from Puerto Rico, Rivera read the president's tweet and then added: "I don't think they are doing well, with all due respect to the president."

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. - who surprised Washington later Tuesday by announcing that he would not seek reelection - also was critical of the administration's response. Asked if he thought the response was sufficient in light of the widespread devastation, Corker said: "No, I do not. This is an emergency."

Officials say they are facing numerous logistical challenges, including damage to airports and ports. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency says its response has been robust, including the deployment of 10,000 federal workers.

"We've gotten A-pluses on Texas and in Florida, and we will also on Puerto Rico," Trump said. "But the difference is this is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. It's a big ocean, it's a very big ocean. And we're doing a really good job."

"We have shipped massive amounts of food and water and supplies to Puerto Rico, and we are continuing to do it on an hourly basis," he added. "But that island was hit as hard as you could hit."

Barry Bennett, a Republican operative who advised Trump during the general election, said Trump faces a messaging challenge given the widespread devastation. While he wants to be sensitive to people who have lost everything, he also wants to praise the efforts of relief workers, many of whom are working around the clock without sleep, Bennett said.

"They can be doing a good job, but that doesn't mean the problem is solved," he said.

Some also argued that the American public has not gotten a full sense of the extent of the federal response.

Miguel Soto-Class, president of the Center for a New Economy in San Juan, said the federal presence in the capital is "palpable." The airport was filled with law enforcement personnel from the Department of Homeland Security on a recent visit, he said. The sky buzzes with Air Force planes and Coast Guard choppers.

"I'm no Trump fan, but at this point I don't have anything negative to say about what we've seen so far," said Soto-Class, whose think tank plans to lobby Congress so Puerto Rico gets the maximum funds available to rebuild after Maria.

An unincorporated U.S. territory, Puerto Rico's residents are U.S. citizens but are not permitted to vote in federal elections, nor do they pay federal taxes.

Both major parties, however, allow Puerto Rico to participate in their presidential nominating processes. Last year, Sen. Marco Rubio, Fla., prevailed in the Republican primary, winning 70 percent of the vote, with Trump lagging far behind at 13 percent.

Rubio, who visited the island on Monday, said at a Capitol Hill news conference on Tuesday that Maria requires a "more aggressive" response from the federal government.

Because of Puerto Rico's location amid the Caribbean islands, it is often forgotten by policymakers in Washington and by residents' fellow Americans. Recent polls find less than half of Americans are aware people born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens.

Prior to Maria, much of the recent news from Puerto Rico that has trickled to the mainland related to its financial woes. The island has been struggling for years with a recession and debt that has grown to more than $70 billion. The crisis was caused by a variety of factors, including mismanagement by territorial authorities and dysfunctional policies from Washington. The commonwealth, whose debt is held by a variety of mainstream investment firms, as well as hedge funds that invest in distressed debt, filed for a form of bankruptcy earlier this year.

Democrats and advocates for Puerto Ricans' rights have been on alert for signs of lackluster federal efforts in Puerto Rico.

Amilcar Antonio Barreto, an associate professor at Northeastern University who specializes in Puerto Rico politics, accused the Trump administration of treating the territory with an attitude of "benign neglect" and criticized the president for failing to acknowledge the humanitarian crisis unfolding there in the aftermath of Maria.

"It's quite clear that for the White House, a public relations issue in the NFL takes far more precedence than a disaster in Puerto Rico," he said.

During his Rose Garden news conference on Tuesday, Trump said the NFL issue had not been a distraction.

"I wasn't preoccupied with the NFL," Trump said. "I was ashamed of what was taking place."

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The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan contributed to this report.

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President Trump spoke about the relief efforts in Puerto Rico on Sept. 26, and said he will be visiting the island next week. (The Washington Post)

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A relic of a time when tweets had to fit within a text message, 140-character tweets have become Twitters most enduring and defining trait.

But like those old-fashioned cell-phone-delivered text messages, Twitters terseness may soon become a forgotten aspect of technology past.

Twitter announced Tuesday that the company plans to test longer tweet formats  doubling the character count of the messages its users can post from 140 characters (the length of this storys first two sentences) to 280 characters.

The impetus for this change, Twitter said, was to make it easier for people to express themselves without worrying about hitting a virtual wall.

Twitter, which has about 328 million monthly users, has long struggled to show the kind of breakout growth rivals like Snapchat and Instagram have seen. Experts have attributed that in part to nonusers failing to understand the utility of the social network and casual users being turned off by its idiosyncrasies.

Now Playing: Twitter revealed why it didn't remove President Trump's tweet over the weekend citing "newsworthiness" and public interest as the reasons. This despite its own rules which state users "may not make threats of violence or promote violence." North Korea's Foreign Minister took the statement as a declaration of war. The White House denied the allegation Monday. Video: Wibbitz

When people dont have to cram their thoughts into 140 characters and actually have some to spare, we see more people tweeting, Aliza Rosen, Twitters product manager wrote in a blog post Tuesday.

Rosens blog post, at about 2,680 characters, would have taken 20 tweets to convey. If Twitters new character count limit goes through, however, it could have been released in 10.

The longer 280-character limitation is being tested among a small group that tweets in languages where the companys character count seems to pose a routine problem, Rosen wrote.

According to the company, 9 percent of all tweets in English hit the 140-character limit, whereas less than half a percent of tweets in Japanese do.

We want every person around the world to easily express themselves on Twitter, so were doing something new: were going to try out a longer limit, 280 characters, in languages impacted by cramming (which is all except Japanese, Chinese, and Korean), she wrote.

The announcement appears to be an extension of several moves Twitter has made over the past year to make tweeting easier by changing the way characters are counted in each tweet: Photos, videos and animated images known as GIFs are no longer factored into a tweets overall character count. Similarly, replying to other users by their handle no longer cuts into a tweets length.

Amid these changes last year, CEO Jack Dorsey promised Twitter loyalists affronted by the prospect of longer tweets that the 140-character count was staying.

Its a good constraint for us, Dorsey said in an interview on the Today show in March 2016.

That sentiment  and fear of alienating Twitters most hard-core users, many of whom have loudly defended the social networks 140-character limit  had previously held Twitters engineers back from altering the limit.

In its blog post on Tuesday, the company attempted to head off the outrage it routinely receives whenever an unpopular change is made to its product.

We understand since many of you have been tweeting for years, there may be an emotional attachment to 140 characters  we felt it, too, Rosen wrote. But we tried this, saw the power of what it will do, and fell in love with this new, still brief, constraint.

Initially, Twitter said, a small group of users would test out the new space constraints while the company studied their behavior and use of the longer length.

The testers would be randomly selected, according to the tech company. It was not immediately clear when or if the company would roll out its 280 character limits to a broader audience or to what extent the company may handpick users in the future to whom Twitter may allot more space.

Twitter is about brevity, Rosen wrote in the companys blog post. Its what makes it such a great way to see whats happening. ... That is something we will never change.

On other matters, Twitter is holding fast to its rules. On Monday, Twitter revealed that certain users who are considered newsworthy, like President Trump, are treated differently and allowed more leeway than everyday Twitter users.

Trump, who often reveals his feelings in passionate mini-missives on Twitter and has used the social network to announce policy decisions, has not been suspended or removed from the platform  despite calls for him to be dropped for violating Twitters user guidelines forbidding abuse and threats of violence, among other things  because of the newsworthiness of his words.

This has long been internal policy and well soon update our public-facing rules to reflect it, Twitters official public policy account tweeted on Monday.

It made the announcement in six 140-character tweets.

Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae
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As Harris County officials push to prevent another Harvey-like catastrophe, members of the Houston congressional delegation introduced legislation to require more oversight of water-retention basins and dams.

"We've had three 500-year events in two years," said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Monday in a nearly hour-long news conference offering storm recovery updates. "I don't think there's any question right now that everybody believes that flood control is the most important thing for our region."

In Washington, a bipartisan group of congressmen unveiled a bill to increase flood-related reporting by federal and local agencies.

READ ALSO: One month later, Houston continues to recover from Hurricane Harvey

Now Playing: FOX 26 News Reporter Greg Groogan Video: Fox 26 Houston

The Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017 would require entities including the Army Corps of Engineers, San Jacinto River Authority and the city of Houston to submit a report within 90 days for all dams, reservoirs, lakes and other water-retention facilities in southeast Texas.

The bill requires divulging water capacity, overflow levels and notification processes during flood emergencies. Agencies would also be required to provide recommendations to prevent future unplanned releases of water. Failure to comply would result in federal funding losses. The bill's sponsors are Republican U.S. Reps. Ted Poe, Brian Babin and John Culberson with Democratic U.S. Reps. Al Green and Gene Green.

The Army Corps opened the overflowing Addicks and Barker reservoirs for "controlled releases" during last month's storm, which caused flooding downstream that some blame for lives lost. The San Jacinto River Authority unfastened Lake Conroe's floodgates and inundated northeast Houston's Kingwood community.

READ ALSO: New maps show just how contaminated Houston surface water was

As debris removal begins amid home buyout discussions and long-term flood mitigation preparations, so have recalculations. Harris County officials now have more clarity about the historic nature of Harvey.

The storm dropped enough water to register as a 25,000-year event and maybe even a deluge seen every 50,000 years, according to Harris County Flood Control District meteorologist Jeff Lindner. In four days, the county averaged 33.5 inches of rain and 69 percent of its usual annual rainfall.

Those numbers mean the definition of a 50-year or 100-year flood must be recalculated, officials said.

Taking a hard look

The county's property-tax funding model, legislative efforts to suppress tax increases and where developers are allowed to build homes also must be reconsidered, Emmett said.

"Clearly, we've got to go back and look at what our floodplains are and make adjustments. But more importantly, we are going to have to look at spending serious amounts of money from the federal, state and local level in new reservoirs," the county judge said. "We've got to do all the buyouts (of properties). And then we've got to take a hard look at what our rules and regulations are relative to development."

The flood control district already had four federal flood relief construction projects in progress on Clear Creek, Brays, White Oak and Hunting bayous.

Emmett waded further into politics by noting that the biennial state legislative session won't start until 2019 but stressed the urgency of funding beyond property taxes and local autonomy in spending. Nearly 2 million people live in unincorporated Harris County.

"For an urban county like ours, we need to find some other way of having revenue come to the county," he said. "Hopefully, we're over this issue of the state telling local governments, flood control districts and everything else: 'We want to hold down your revenue to just the bare minimum.'"

Flood control district executive director Russ Poppe said the agency is working with Houston officials to determine the number of homes that flooded from the intentional releases.

"We do know it's probably several thousand," he said. "There were homes that were already flooding just from what Mother Nature put in the Buffalo Bayou watershed before they even started to make their releases."

Communication gap

The county judge also acknowledged a communication gap between Harris County officials and the San Jacinto River Authority.

"We weren't really that involved in it at all," Emmett said. "Was it just a Montgomery County perspective that Harris County paid the price for?"

In the last two decades, mostly with FEMA, Harris County has acquired about 3,000 parcels through voluntary and mandatory buyouts, Poppe said. Since Harvey, more than 3,000 residents have inquired about buyouts, he added, and "a good number" live near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs.

FEMA grants for those purchases, flowing through state and local agencies, could take nine months to a year to reach homeowners. Poppe said the flood control district has been "advocating very strongly" for immediate funding "before significant reinvestment is made back in these homes."

Generally, a home qualifies for a buyout if the residence has a flood insurance policy, is located in the 100-year flood plain and has past flood damage, he said.

Harris County is responsible for debris removal in unincorporated areas as well as three cities: South Houston, Shoreacres and Hunters Creek Village.

Crews will collect at each address three times. The first pass will happen in the first three or four months, said Harris County Engineer John R. Blount.

Alex Stuckey contributed to this report.
Metro Health wants to know  should the legal age to buy tobacco products in San Antonio be raised to 21?

Right now, San Antonio residents can enjoy their 18th birthday with a smoke, but if Tobacco 21 is implemented that could change. Metro Health is conducting a survey to see where San Antonians stand on raising the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21.
AUSTIN  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has formally notified Texas and 20 other states that hackers targeted them prior to the 2016 presidential election. But the ones who tried to mess with Texas didnt get very far, officials with the Texas Secretary of States office said Monday.

Instead of targeting the states voter registration database, hackers in 2016 searched for a vulnerability on the Secretary of States public-facing website, federal agents said, according to Sam Taylor, an agency spokesman.

If anyone was trying to get into the elections system, they were apparently targeting the wrong website, Taylor said.

The website, http://www.sos.state.tx.us, is devoid of information on voters, he said, and hackers never found a way to crack into it.

After nearly a year of speculation, the notice received Friday from the Department of Homeland Security was the first time the federal government confirmed to states they were targeted by hackers in the runup to the election

A department official told Congress in June that states were targeted, but declined to disclose which ones. Some election systems were hacked, but not manipulated, according to the testimony.

The other states include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, according to the Associated Press.

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials have concluded that Russian attempts to interfere with the 2016 election were widespread. Investigations by the Justice Department and congressional committees into possible ties to it by associates of President Donald Trump have dogged the administration for months.

According to testimony before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, the Department of Homeland Security began finding incidents of scanning and probing of state and local election systems in August 2016. A declassified report from national intelligence officials released in January stated that Russian intelligence obtained and maintained access to elements of multiple U.S. state or local electoral boards.

There is no complacency in Texas when it comes to protecting the security of our elections system. We take our responsibility to guard against any and all threats to the integrity of elections extremely seriously and will continue to do so, Secretary of State Rolando Pablos said.

North Texas media outlets reported in June that the Dallas County election administrator confirmed 17 attempts to hack their servers in October. Officials said staff cross-checked hundreds of suspicious or Russian-linked IP addresses provided by Homeland Security with those that attempted to access county servers.

The Secretary of States office said there was no evidence of any attempts or targeting of Dallas countys elections systems, but the elections administrator there, Toni Pippins-Poole, stood by early reports that there were attempted hacks. None penetrated the countys system, she said.

Our voter registration and our website were not compromised in any way, she said.
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Since 1985, students have come to Palo Alto College to fulfill their educational dreams of earning a degree, completing a certificate, earning transferrable credits, or receiving specialized training. What we do each day revolves around the best interests of our students, and this purpose has held true since we opened our doors more than 30 years ago.

Beginning as the first public higher education option available south of U.S. 90, Palo Alto College continues to uphold its mission to inspire, empower, and educate our community for success. A significant number of our 10,000 students are often the first in their families to attend a college or university, or they may have never considered college as an option because of family obligations, work, time constraints or financial challenges.
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The former Tivy High School educator accused of having an improper relationship with a student allowed the student to feel her breasts while they kissed behind a burger restaurant, police said.

The now-fired educator, Sara D'Spain, later allegedly admitted to law enforcement authorities that the relationship was "inappropriate."

She was arrested on Thursday and booked into the Kerr County Jail on a $35,000 bond. She has since bonded out.

RELATED: Former TX teacher gets 10 years probation for having sex with 2 teens

According to her arrest affidavit, D'Spain told police she communicated with the student through Snapchat and often sent him photographs, though what the often blurry, close-up photos depicteded is unclear.

D'Spain, who apparently complained on multiple social media platforms of her husband spending too much time away at work, admitted to meeting the student on Sept. 10 behind a Culver's Restaurant in the 1300 block of Junction Highway in Kerrville, where the two kissed and the student felt her breasts over her clothing, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: 2 educators at a Kerrville high school accused of improper relationships with students

Her relationship with the student was disclosed two days later, on Sept. 12, when a different student showed school administrators an "explicit" Snapchat photo he had received of D'Spain wearing a bra, her affidavit says.

When questioned about the photo, D'Spain insisted that she had only sent the photo to a former student who no longer attends Tivy High School and that she only stayed in contact with him after he had graduated, police said.

D'Spain does not face any charges in connection with that photo.

A Kerrville police officer present at the questioning asked her if she had had any contact with current students at Tivy, at which point she confessed her relationship with the victim. The victim, who was not identified, was later questioned and told police about his relationship with D'Spain.

On Thursday, a warrant for D'Spain's arrest was granted by a Kerr County judge and she was booked into jail.

RELATED: 18-year-old man accused of sexual assault after allegedly impregnating teenage S.A. girl

Kerrville police said D'Spain's arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into two instances of educators in the district having relationships with students. The second investigation continues.

According to online State Board for Educator Certification records, D'Spain is certified to teach pre-kindergarten through 8th grade students, and she is a certified English as a Second Language teacher as well.

Sexual relationships between educators and students are far from uncommon in Texas. In the 2016-2017 year alone, the Texas Education Agency has opened more than 300 such investigations.

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BEIRUT - Sometimes, in the fractious world of Iraqi politics, no means yes.

That was the central message from Kurdish leaders Monday morning when Iraq's Kurds cast their ballots in a controversial independence referendum, despite repeated entreaties and threats from regional and world powers to stop the vote.

The referendum was to decide whether the semiautonomous Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq will separate from the central government and become its own country.

Kurdish leaders say a vote in support of independence (the most likely result) will allow them to begin secession proceedings with Baghdad - a so-called "Kexit" that, like its British counterpart, will not spur any immediate changes but will lead to independence in one or two years.

A day before the referendum, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi launched a verbal broadside at Kurdish leaders, accusing them of attempting to divide Iraq. "We confirm today that we will not give up on our Kurdish citizens.We have refused and refuse the sectarian state, just as we reject the racial state," he said.

"This (referendum) is against the constitution. We will (take) steps afterwards to preserve the unity of the lands."

Later on Sunday, Baghdad directed the Kurdish regional government to hand over control of all border crossings, even as it exhorted other nations to deal exclusively with the Iraqi central government on issues of ports and oil, according to a statement from al-Abadi's national security council.

A secession could devastate Iraq's economy, given the Kurdish region's significant oil assets, its agriculture and even tourism revenue.

The request found a willing audience in both Iran and Turkey, the Kurdish region's two top trading partners. Both countries worry that calls for an independent Kurdish state would encourage their own Kurdish populations to follow suit.

Iran said Monday that it condemned "any measure against the territorial integrity of Iraq," while the Iranian foreign ministry said it closed its land border with the Kurdish region on a request from Baghdad. A day earlier, Tehran blocked all flights to the Kurdish enclave.

Turkish President Recep Tayyep Erdogan, speaking at a press conference in Istanbul on Monday, called the referendum "illegitimate" and said his country would support Iraq's territorial integrity, according to a report from Turkish state news operator Anadolu.

He added that the border crossings between northern Iraq and Turkey would be closed.

"Let's see how and where the northern Iraq local authority sells petroleum," he said. Turkey is the only pathway for Kurdish oil to reach world markets.

"The (oil) valve is ours. If we shut off the valve, it will be over," Erdogan said.

Both Iran and Turkey are holding military exercises near their respective borders with the Kurdish area.

The Trump administration has been adamant in its opposition to a Kurdish independence referendum. U.S. officials insist the Kurds can achieve a better deal, not to mention international support, by negotiating with Baghdad on an alternative to the referendum.

The already fragile balance of alliances the U.S. has formed with Kurdish fighters in the wars against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and, until recently, against the government forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, could be irreparably disrupted if the referendum goes through.

Opposition from Turkey, which dreads few developments more than a Kurdish independence movement, would be especially damaging to the alliance.

Turkey has begrudgingly tolerated U.S. ties with Kurdish fighters, but all bets will be off if the referendum succeeds in promoting Kurdish independence.

If the U.S. loses its Kurdish allies, who find themselves under attack from Turkey, its war against Islamic State will be weakened. Further, such operations could bring the U.S. and Turkey, two NATO allies, into potentially closer confrontation.

"The referendum just carries an awful lot of risks and that's not something the United States can control," Brett McGurk, the U.S. presidential envoy in the fight against Islamic State, told reporters. "In terms of the consequences it's not something we can fully control."

Presidential spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, asked Monday about Kurdish independence, said the White House continues to prefer a "unified Iraq to fight ISIS" and to counter Iran, using an abbreviation for Islamic State.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

In numerous briefings, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert has repeatedly reiterated what she called "strong" U.S. opposition and threatened that the Kurds could lose aid and the limited political power they have now. The priority, she said, must be the eradication of Islamic State.

"We respect Kurdish desires," she said in a tweet late last week. "Want to keep eye on the ball & eradicate ISIS so they never terrorize your land&people again."
Managing Crohns disease takes much more than just medicine. Diagnosed nearly eight years ago during my junior year of high school, Ive learned that one of the most powerful ways to cope with the disease is to build a strong community of support. I feel lucky that I have found that support not only from my family and friends, but also through my engagement with the Crohns and Colitis Foundation.

Several weeks ago, I volunteered at Camp Oasis, a camp put on by the Crohns and Colitis Foundation for kids with Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis in Bruceville. As I reflect upon the week I spent as a camp counselor, I am struck by the lasting impact Camp Oasis has had on me over the past six years Ive served as a volunteer.

Camp Oasis provides a much-needed support and sense of community for children with Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis. Since all the campers, and many of the volunteers and staff, are living with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, Camp Oasis is transformative because it allows kids who often feel very isolated to realize that they are not alone.

When I was first diagnosed, I remember feeling a mixture of fear and relief. Relief that I knew what was wrong with me, but fear that I wouldnt be able to live a normal life. As a counselor living with IBD, it is so rewarding to witness campers grow beyond their disease, gain confidence and independence, create lifelong friendships and just enjoy being kids.

Ever since my first summer at Camp Oasis, Ive felt called to be a proactive patient advocate for the other 1.6 million people who have IBD. Like many of us, when I was diagnosed, I had never even heard of Crohns disease. Thats why Im so passionate about raising awareness. I believe that by educating the public, patients and legislators, and by funding research, we are truly having an impact on the future of the disease.

In May 2016, I had the opportunity to travel to the Crohns and Colitis Foundations Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C., to talk with state legislators from Texas about the importance of research, development and access to care for patients with debilitating diseases.

Ive definitely experienced ups and downs in my health over the years, including having to have surgery to remove my appendix, 18 inches of my small intestine and 3 inches of my colon. But if I could tell my 17-year-old high school self about the journey I would go on and the community that would become so important to me, I know she would be proud.

Im currently in my second year of law school, studied abroad in Europe this past summer, and just completed a summer clerkship with Disability Rights Texas, an organization devoted to helping Texans with disabilities.

Crohns disease does not define me, nor does it stop me from achieving my goals. Every day I overcome some sort of obstacle and choose to take power over the disease. Im proud of myself and of every patient I know who makes it to school or work every day, and continue to be amazed by the patients who participate in extracurriculars on top of that.

Im excited about progress in treatment being made by biopharmaceutical companies toward a cure for IBD, and Im thankful for my community that has inspired and supported me over the years.

I would encourage everyone dealing with IBD to get involved in the Crohns and Colitis Foundation, and learn more about what the organization is doing in your area at www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org.

Hannah Cramer is in her second year of law school at St. Marys University School of Law in San Antonio and is actively involved in the Crohns and Colitis Foundations Texas Chapter.
District 6 City Councilman Greg Brockhouse has stolen from the playbook of state lawmakers.

He recently invoked property tax relief on behalf of struggling homeowners, but his solution wouldnt help residents, and it would hurt the city. Weve seen this out of Austin, but not at City Hall.

During City Councils recent budget vote, Brockhouse proposed  at the last minute  reducing the citys property tax rate by a half-cent per $100 as a way to help struggling homeowners.

This would save the typical San Antonio homeowner $9.

Thats $9 a year, not a month. But it would cost the city $5 million.

There was no chance of the measure passing. The cost and benefit dont match. But Brockhouse can now tell voters he has backed property tax relief while other members of City Council and Mayor Ron Nirenberg rejected his effort.

In other words, it wasnt meaningful property tax relief. It was potentially to set up a vote that could be used in another election or political fight.

We understand; thats politics. But its not good governance. Skyrocketing property taxes are a real issue. Taxpayers deserve better than to have the issue treated as a political prop.

We saw a similar dynamic in Austin last legislative session when some Republican lawmakers sought to cap city and county revenues in order to save homeowners a whopping $35 to $100 a year.

It was dubbed property tax relief, but it was really all about sticking it to cities.

The driving force behind property tax bills is education; school districts account for roughly half of most property tax bills. The state simply has not kept up with adequate school funding as Texas has grown, and districts have turned to local tax dollars to fill the void.

School funding and property taxes are inextricably bound. If Brockhouse really wants to provide property tax relief, he should make this argument to state lawmakers. If he wants to cut city services that he views as wasteful, then he should comb the budget, tell voters his targets and make the case.

But selling $9 in savings as tax relief for struggling homeowners is not fruitful because it would have taken a $5 million bite out of the budget for city services.

City taxpayers deserve better.
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By Long Island News & PR Published: September 26 2017

Schneiderman: I Wont Allow New Yorkers To Be Victimized By The Very System Thats Meant To Help Them Get Ahead.

Secretary DeVos and the Trump administration have repeatedly rolled back vital protections for borrowers, putting deceptive lenders above the very students the Department of Education is supposed to serve, said Attorney General Schneiderman. Attorneys General have fought these destructive efforts every step of the way. I wont allow New Yorkers to be victimized by the very system thats meant to help them get ahead.

The letter sent today to Secretary Betsy DeVos charges the Department of Education with three main faults after the Department terminated two key memoranda of understanding it had with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB):

The Department of Education falsely asserted it has exclusive jurisdiction over companies that service federal student loans when, in fact, student loan servicers are under the jurisdiction of the CFPB, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, Attorneys General, and other law enforcement agencies.

The August letter is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Department of Education to strip critical protections for millions of students and families repaying student loans.

The Department of Education misrepresents and undermines the strong work done by the CFPB on behalf of students and families across the country.

As the Attorneys General detail: Contrary to the Departments assertion, Congress did not exempt the $1.3 trillion federal student loan market from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus jurisdiction  or from the jurisdiction of any other law enforcement agencies.  Not only is the Departments assertion demonstrably false, but such an exemption would make no sense  the market for federal student loan servicers is bigger than any other consumer finance market except mortgages. Moreover, student loan borrowers, who in most cases cannot discharge their student loans through bankruptcy, are among the most vulnerable borrowers.

The two terminated memoranda of understanding with the CFPB were critical protections designed to streamline the supervision of student loan servicers. In response, the Attorneys General make clear that this step harms American families and makes it more difficult for the CFPB to assist and protect student borrowers.

Additionally, the Attorneys General highlight the strong work the CFPB has done to protect students and families  often in partnership with the Department of Education and state Attorneys General. These accomplishments include:

Processing complaints from more than 40,000 student loan borrowers from all 50 states

With assistance from Washington State and Illinois, suing Navient, the nations largest student loan servicer, for steering borrowers into costly repayment plans that benefit the servicer, not the borrower

Cracking down on abusive for-profit colleges ITT Tech and Corinthian Colleges Inc

Halting illegal loan servicing practices at Wells Fargo, and

Working with state Attorneys General to create an online tool that helps students plan for college by comparing financial aid offers, loan commitments and earnings potential.
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By Long Island News & PR Published: September 26 2017

U.S. Dept. Of Labor Wont Defend Expansion Of Overtime Pay Protections For Hundreds Of Thousands Of New Yorkers And Millions Of Americans.

New York, NY - September 26, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman led a coalition of Attorneys General in opposing the Trump administrations efforts to roll back overtime pay protections for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and millions of Americans.

The Attorneys General submitted comments in response to U.S. Department of Labors Request for Information concerning the executive, administrative, and professional (EAP) exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). By this action, the USDOL threatens to roll back the Obama administrations rule set to go into effect last year that would have expanded overtime pay protections for workers by setting a salary floor below which the exemption from overtime laws cannot apply. Workers impacted include those subject to misclassification as executive employees, like first-line supervisors at fast-food stores, car washes, retail stores, and construction sites; administrative employees, such as clerical and office workers; and professional employees, such as medical and dental technicians, mid-level IT employees, and film and television production assistants.

The Labor Department should be protecting workers rights, not undermining them at every turn, said Attorney General Schneiderman. Rolling back these overtime protections would threaten hundreds of thousands of hardworking New Yorkers who deserve a fair days pay for a fair days work. Im committed to using the full force of my office to ensure that all workers are treated with the fairness and dignity they deserve.

Click here to read the comments , which were led by Attorney General Schneiderman and filed by the Attorneys General of New York, California, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Washington.

Under the Obama administration, the USDOL issued a new rule raising the minimum weekly salary amount used in assessing the EAP exemption from $455 to $913, and created a mechanism for automatically updating the salary level based on actual changes in salary levels around the country. Following a Texas district courts recent decision to enjoin the rule, the Trump administration has not yet made clear whether it intends to appeal the courts decision and, rather, said that USDOL has decided not to advocate for the specific salary level ($913 per week) set in the 2016 Final Rule.

Attorney General Schneiderman and the coalition of Attorneys General submitted a comment, asserting that the 2016 Final Rule struck an appropriate balance of employer and employee interests in setting the $913 salary level, which was the outcome of a two-year federal rule-making process in which the USDOL reviewed more than 270,000 comments from a broad array of constituencies, including worker organizations and unions, small businesses, Fortune 500 corporations, state and local governments, and economists.

The comments submitted by the Attorneys General explain that, despite federal and state enforcement efforts, rampant violations of labor laws have continued nationwide  and a study of low-wage workers in large cities, including New York City, found that more than three-quarters were not paid overtime in accordance with federal law. The AGs argue that a meaningful salary test is essential to protecting workers from being misclassified as EAP exempt when they are lawfully entitled to receive overtime for hours worked beyond 40 hours a week. They urge USDOL to set a salary level that is at least as protective as the 2016 Final Rule, which was in line with USDOLs longstanding historical practice.

The comment also argues that a meaningful salary level test makes state labor law enforcement more effective and efficient, and weakening the salary level test will force employees, employers, and states to rely instead on a fact-specific duties test that is more susceptible to exploitation. Even for well-intentioned, law-abiding employers, a salary level test is a useful bright line, particularly for small companies that may not have sophisticated employment counsel to advise them on the more complex duties test. Because enforcement is more difficult without a salary level test, misclassification would be even more pervasive, due to employer and employee uncertainty, as well as intentional abuse by employers. Low-wage workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and generally cannot afford their own private counsel.
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By Long Island News & PR Published: September 26 2017

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Joins Cadillac for Kickoff of 12 Vehicle Fleet's Trip - Photos Available Here.

Albany, NY - September 26, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced Cadillac launched the nation's first cross-country, hands-free drive from its new global headquarters in New York City. The 12 Super Cruise-equipped Cadillac Ct6 vehicles will cross through 16 states and Washington, D.C., as they make their way from New York to California. The vehicles will make stops in major cities across the U.S., including Cleveland, Chicago, Memphis, Dallas, Santa Fe, and Phoenix.

"New York is the nation's hub of cutting-edge technology, and by launching the first-cross country trip using hands-free technology in New York, Cadillac is furthering that spirit of innovation," Governor Cuomo said. "By encouraging businesses to reimagine driving technology in New York, we are spearheading the creation of new, safe travel options for current and future generations of New Yorkers."

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul joined Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen at Cadillac House in New York City today to send off the fleet of vehicles.

Lieutenant Governor Hochul said, "Revolutions in transportation were at the heart of New York's original rise to national prominence and economic prosperity, and this cross-country demonstration continues that tradition. By changing state law to allow automated vehicle testing and partnering with Cadillac to bring its headquarters to New York City, Governor Cuomo has positioned New York State to take the lead in the development of the driverless/hands-free technology that is rapidly transforming the automotive industry."

Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen said, "We are proud to work hand-in-hand with government officials to ensure that our roads are safe for drivers and passengers, as well as to continue to push boundaries and develop new technologies that will define the future of transportation in the U.S. It's especially fitting to kick off this cross-country drive in New York City, the home of Cadillac's new global headquarters, and we're honored to have the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul of New York, both leaders in innovation and cutting-edge technology."

This year, New York began a one-year trial accepting applications from companies interested in testing or demonstrating autonomous vehicles on public roads. Applications for testing may be submitted by manufacturers of "autonomous vehicle technology," or companies creating such technology working in conjunction with manufacturers. All vehicles will also have to comply with federal safety standards and all applicable New York State inspection standards, and a person holding a valid driver license must be present in the driver's seat at all times while it is operated on public highways. Each vehicle to be used must be listed in the application, and a $5 million insurance policy must be in place for any vehicles to be tested.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Politics

By Legislator Anker's Office Published: September 26 2017

Legislator Sarah Anker and the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition will be hosting a tree lighting ceremony for the Pink Tree for Hope at the North Shore Heritage Park in Mount Sinai.

Mount Sinai, NY - September 25, 2017 - On Wednesday, October 4th at 6:30 PM, Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker and the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition will be hosting a tree lighting ceremony for the Pink Tree for Hope at the North Shore Heritage Park at 633 Mount Sinai-Coram Road in Mount Sinai. In recognition of National Breast Cancer Month and in support of breast cancer awareness, the tree at Heritage Park will be decorated with pink lights and illuminated throughout the month of October.

Having lost my grandmother from breast cancer, I am honored to partner with the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition to raise awareness about the prevalence of breast cancer, honor our loved ones lost to breast cancer, and support survivors across Long Island, said Legislator Anker. I thank Patti Kozlowski and the North Shore Neighbors for their important work to help breast cancer patients, survivors, and their families in our local communities. I would also like to thank Koch Tree Services for their generous sponsorship.

The North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds to provide non-medical or uncovered support services for local women and men in treatment for breast cancer. At the tree lighting ceremony, the organization will be selling flags and collecting donations to support their mission. For more information, please call Legislator Ankers office at 631-854-1600.
Cars

Over the weekend, visitors will get a chance to take one of P1 PowerBoats diverse selection of boats out for a joyride  including their equivalent of an F1 car.

Sep 26, 2017 | By Pameyla Cambe

The Formula One season in Singapore may be at a close, but heres a piece of good news to keep your spirits up: Singapore Rendezvous 2017 is only a week away. Happening from October 5 to 8 at Raffles Marina, Southeast Asias most anticipated luxury lifestyle event is back for its second edition, promising an even better experience this year.

The four-day extravaganza will showcase an array of beautifully crafted classic cars, supercar convoys, high-end properties and fine dining options. The spotlight, however, will shine on the display of the regions finest yachts. Set against a breathtaking nautical backdrop, Singapore Rendezvous will also host a range of water activities for those with a taste of something more hands-on.

From October 6 to 8, P1 PowerBoats has quite a line-up planned for boat enthusiasts as well. The FOCUS Adventure company will be offering free joy rides on its diverse selection of boats, taking place from 2PM to 6PM on Friday; 12PM to 6PM on Saturday; and 12PM to 5PM on Sunday.













Visitors can speed along the bay on the P1 PowerBoat, which is basically the boaters answer to a Formula One car; or cruise the glittering blue waters on a sail boat, which holds up to 15 people and measures 42 feet in length. The adrenaline-driven will hop on the chance to try out P1 PowerBoats JETSKI, while those looking for a calmer experience can opt for a kayak.

There is something for everyone  including novices  of all ages to discover at P1 PowerBoats booth, where the experts of sea-based activities will be showcasing their many basic courses. Kids aged 7 to 12 can take up their Learn to Sail  Sailing Course, while those slightly older can sign up for the Basic Sailing Course instead.











For those looking to get certified, you can find out more about P1 PowerBoats Powered Pleasure Craft Driving License (PPCDL) and Competent Crew Course. The company also offers a JETSKI Safari and JETSKI Expedition for the adventurous at heart, as well as a team-bonding Dragon Boat Expedition.

Singapore Rendezvous 2017 is certainly shaping up to be THE luxury lifestyle event of the year  definitely one not to be missed. Find out more on the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS 2017 website, or get your tickets on Peatix.
The great Gold Rush Music Festival returns to the township of Waihi, with the first nuggets of gold dropping for the highly anticipated return of the 2023 festival.
COMDIS-HSD granted extension for new study on NTDs in Ethiopia

26 September 2017



Malaria Consortium is pleased to announce a two-year extension to the COMDIS-HSD Research Programme Consortium (RPC). This project began in 2011 and has already concluded successful research and interventions in Mozambique, Myanmar, Uganda and Zambia.

The extension, running to December 2018, will see the project expand to Ethiopia. A new study, targeting neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), will pilot-test materials and processes designed to improve capacity to detect, manage and record such diseases at primary healthcare level in Ethiopia.

This extension represents the next phase of a productive partnership within the RPC that has produced a number of successful outcomes to date. Through our COMDIS-HSD work, we executed a study of community case management of pneumonia, which highlighted the potential of community-level interventions, including the capability of community health workers to measure respiratory rates and prescribe antibiotics according to guidelines.

In Uganda, COMDIS-HSD funding allowed us to pilot-test an intervention designed to increase womens protection from malaria in pregnancy. Our research found that sending educational text messages to health workers providing antenatal care is a promising approach for increasing the number of women who receive at least two doses of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy. This treatment is a key component of the prevention and control of malaria in pregnancy in malaria endemic countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

COMDIS-HSD is funded by UK aid from the UK government. Malaria Consortium is one of six RPC partner organisations, alongside lead partner, the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development at the University of Leeds, and country partners including ARK Foundation (Bangladesh), ASD (Pakistan), HERD (Nepal), and Good Shepherd Hospital in Swaziland. The extension amounts a 2m grant for the COMDIS-HSD RPC, with 358k awarded to Malaria Consortium.

More information about this extension can be found on the project page here.

More information about the wider COMDIS-HSD partnership can be found on the group's website here.

Country: Ethiopia

Keywords: Research

Related projects

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With LA-based food truck The Lime Truck making its debut foray into our Singaporean shores last month, it is unsurprising that our local dining scene is constantly bustling with new bars, cafes and restaurants. After all, there is constant need to excite the palates of all the enthusiastic foodies residing in the city.

If youre looking for a new haunt this October for a scrumptious meal or exquisite tipple, youll be heartened to know that there are great new restaurant and bar openings to try out, as well as completely revamped menus of old favourites.

From Chikin, the first-of-its-kind Szechuan yakitori and cocktail bar (yes, you read that right) to the newly unveiled Apothecary at Ann Siang, a secret bar actually themed as a medieval pharmacy, the options are endless. Check out the gallery for a peek into the newest grub spots in Singapore!

Ashley Anand

READ MORE:

10 Art deco-themed restaurants and bars to fall in love with in Singapore

Artful Plating: Where to dine at the museums and galleries in Singapore

Fresh, Affordable Tacos: L.A. food truck sensation opens in Pasarbella
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In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, the Indonesian Marxists are publishing, for the first time, the Indonesian edition of Alan Woods Bolshevism, the Road to Revolution. This will be the first comprehensive book on the history of the Bolshevik Party published in Indonesia since 1965, that fateful year when the Communist Party of Indonesia (CPI) were brutally crushed by a military coup.

The publication of this book is part of a series of publications that the IMT has initiated for the past 8 years to restore the genuine ideas and tradition of Bolshevism in Indonesia. The IMT has been at the forefront in translating and publishing the works of Leon Trotsky into Bahasa Indonesia, notably Permanent Revolution, Revolution Betrayed and Transitional Programme.

One hundred years ago, the October Revolution reached the ears of youth and workers in Indonesia and inspired the birth of Communist Party of Indonesia in 1920. The party was very young. Its first chairman was Semaun, a young railway worker who had just turned 21. The first cadres of the CPI were not in a positon to learn the lessons of the October Revolution and how the Bolsheviks built the necessary party to lead it. They hardly had any contact with the Russian Bolsheviks. For that inexperience, they had to pay dearly with their lives in 1926 when their premature rebellion was crushed by the Dutch colonial government.

When the CPI arose again in 1945, what was left for them to learn was the vulgarized version of the history of the Bolshevik Party, written by a Stalinist apparatchik. It had been sterilized from all the lessons of how to succesfully carry out an Indonsian "October". In fact the ideas that it promoted, could only lead to defeat. And it did lead to the most brutal defeat in Indonesia, claiming up to 3 million victims. We hope that this new book will serve as a long overdue guide for revolutionary youth and workers in Indonesia on how to build a revolutionary - Bolshevik - party that can lead this country out of the impasse of capitalism.

Bolshevism will be published in three volumes over a period of one year. The publication of these three volumes cost $2000 for 500 copies. We therefore appeal to our comrades, supporters, and readers of marxist.com around the world to help us publish this important work in Indonesia by donating via the button below. We appeal to all workers to show solidarity to our comrades in Indonesia so that they can access the most important lessons from the history of the proletarian movement and to rearm themselves with the correct revolutionary perspective.

DONATE HERE
Alt-rock band Walk the Moon will head out on a 208 tour that includes stops at the House of Blues in Boston and Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

The band will play Boston on Jan 14 and Mohegan Sun on Jan. 20.

Tickets for both shows will go on sale beginning Oct. 6 at 10 a.m. through all Ticketmaster outlets and locations including ticketmaster.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000.

The band is touring in support of its latest release "What If Nothing."
Martin Luther was a Catholic theologian and Augustinian monk who saw belief and righteousness as rooted in the Bible, God's grace and faith and less so in papal and church authority - ideas that would come to divide Christians who 500 years later have found some common ground though doctrinal differences remain.

Luther's grievances with institutional teaching and practices were put forth in a list of 95 theses said to have been nailed to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on Oct. 31, 1517.

His objections, as well as his translation of the New Testament from Latin into German and the dissemination of his sermons in German, helped to popularize his beliefs and launch a reform movement - the Protestant Reformation - that opened the door to other theological approaches to salvation for Christians than those preached by Roman Catholicism and that splintered the no longer unified course of Western Christianity.

Many events, including two area ones Oct. 29 involving Catholic and Lutheran parishes, have been scheduled both locally and globally in conjunction with the approaching 500th anniversary of the posting of Luther's 95 criticisms in Wittenberg.

Some are focused on bringing together in prayer what the call for reform in the medieval church broke apart in practice.

A joint Lutheran-Catholic prayer service led by Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, of the Roman Catholic Springfield diocese, and the Rev. Lauren Holm, pastor of the Bethesda Lutheran Church on Island Pond Road, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, New England Synod, will be held to commemorate the Reformation on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m., at St. Michael's Cathedral, 260 State St.

Members of the Interfaith Council of Western Massachusetts are scheduled to participate and all those attending are invited to prepare food packages for the area's needy in the adjoining Bishop Marshall Center following the service that is open to the public.

Rozanski chairs the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and will also take part in a joint lecture, "Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue: Past, Present and Future" on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m., at the Newman Catholic Center at the University of Massachusetts, 472 North Pleasant St., Amherst.

He will be joined by Smith College Professor Emeritus and biblical scholar Karl P. Donfried who is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and has been involved in Lutheran-Catholic dialogue.

Donfried is also speaking on "Global Christianity Unity" in the year of the commemoration on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 5 p.m., in Seelye Hall, Room 106, on the campus of Smith College in Northampton.

Asked about his upcoming talk, Donfried noted ecumenical progress has been made between Catholics and Lutherans but also said that "only continued and steady progress toward the unity of the Church of Christ will enable them to move with dynamism and energy toward proclaiming and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a deeply troubled global situation."

Last year, when asked about the importance of having greater agreement with the Lutheran Church, the oldest of the Protestant denominations, Rozanski said, "We realize that the divisions in Christianity are in themselves a source of scandal."

"Jesus Himself prayed that all may be one in Him," Rozanski said.

"Our divisions are a stumbling block to preaching the Gospel to the world."

In Amherst, a joint prayer service, "From Conflict to Communion," a reference to a 2012 document, "From Conflict to Communion: Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017," will be held on Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, 867 North Pleasant St. The service will be led by Rev. Steven Wilco, pastor, and the Rev. Gary M. Dailey, director of the UMass Newman Catholic Center.

There will be music by a combined choir and the service will be followed by a reception in the parish hall.

The Pew Research Center recently released two surveys that show what split Christianity in the 1500s - sometimes violently over time - is not viewed as divisively today among Catholics and Protestants either here or in Europe though serious doctrinal differences remain.

According to the surveys, one taken in Europe and one in the United States, this is particularly true for U.S. Catholics, some 65 percent of whom perceived more religious similarities with their Protestant counterparts than differences. Some 57 percent of U.S. Protestants also found more religious similarities than differences.

European Protestants scored a median percentage of 58 in terms of finding more religious similarities, while the median percentage for European Catholics was 50 percent.

The surveys focused on theological differences regarding whether good works are important to salvation or can it be attained by faith alone, as Luther argued, as well as the role of church teaching versus the Bible.

European Protestants in Germany, which is more Catholic than Protestant, the Netherlands and Norway, which is more Protestant, had the highest percentages - 78, 65, 60, respectively - in terms of finding religiously similarities.

For European Catholics, the highest percentages for religious similarities were reported for those living in the Netherlands (67 percent), considered a religiously unaffiliated country, Austria (64) and Switzerland (60), both more Catholic than Protestant.

Respondents knowledgeable about traditional church teaching showed greater support for that tradition in the surveys. Overall, only a small percentage of respondents said religion was very important in their lives.

Catholics and Protestants surveyed also showed an openness to having each other as friends or family members.

In recent years, a number of the Protestant denominations have entered into agreements of full communion partners with each other, meaning they recognize the validity of each others ministries. Unlike some of those denominations, Roman Catholicism does not allow for the ordination of women as priests or for its priests to marry.

Lutherans and Catholics began an ecumenical dialogue in the wake of the Second Vatican Council to find common ground and to better understand Luther and the Reformation movement's challenges to the papacy that continues today.

In 2016, Pope Francis traveled to Sweden for a joint Catholic-Lutheran commemoration of the Reformation, where, in a statement with Bishop Munib A. Younan of the Lutheran World Federation, he said, "With gratitude we acknowledge that the Reformation helped give greater centrality to sacred Scripture in the church's life."

According to a 2010 study from the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, Europe and the Americas are home to the majority of the world's Christians, but Christianity has grown the most in sub-Saharan Africa, in terms of percentage of population, over the last 100 years.
The MDT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program encourages and supports the participation of companies owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in transportation contracts.
Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter and senior White House adviser on the issue, says its vital that students learn how to write computer code and study computer science. She says early exposure to both is vital.

By Cassidy Belus

http://www.abcfoxmontana.com/story/36447432/trump-to-create-200m-grant-program-for-computer-education
Experience One is a more practical way to learn.Experience One

The University of Montana Western is the only public college in the country to offer a block scheduling program. We call this innovative program Experience One (X1). Heres how it works. Students take one class at a time, three hours each day for 18 days before moving on to the next class. In between, they enjoy a four day break to relax and recharge. Then the students move on to the next class. Taking four classes or "blocks" during the semester, students earn the same amount of credit theyd earn under traditional multi-class systems.

https://www.umwestern.edu/x1.html
Despite the states major funding shortfalls, Gov. Matt Mead said he expects Wyoming lawmakers to pass a workforce training package worth tens of millions of dollars when they meet this winter.

Mead said that while investing in workforce training, which is a key part of his economic diversity initiative, may be a tough sell, it is essential to helping the states economy recover and grow.

"There is a lot of things that look counterintuitive that will get us where we need," Mead told a meeting of the Wyoming Community Development Agency Board on Monday in Casper.

Arno Rosenfeld [email protected]

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/mead-expects-major-funding-for-workforce-development-to-pass-legislature/article_1cbedc4f-16ab-58fa-9b0e-1b2e85b4b714.html
Marriott International, Inc. has announced that it has signed an agreement to open a St. Regis in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt, just outside of Cairo.

In the second quarter of this year, The St. Regis Almasa is expected to occupy an existing luxury hotel at the entrance of the up-and-coming city that is slated to become the administrative and financial hub of Egypt.

We are delighted to be working with the National Authority for Management & Investment on this exceptional conversion opportunity to bring St. Regis to Egypts New Administrative Capital, said Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. This signing further enhances the St. Regis brand portfolio in Middle East and Africa and underscores the tremendous momentum that our luxury brands have in the region.

Speaking on the occasion, Colonel Waleed Samy Salama, CEO, National Authority for Management & Investment commented, The National Authority for Management and Investment is pleased to start a relationship with Marriott International. The St. Regis Almasa will be positioned as the luxury hospitality hub in the New Administrative Capital and with the largest state-of-the-art convention center in Egypt, the hotel will be the ideal host to the countrys largest events, conferences and summits. We are confident that this deal signing will play a vital role in the development of tourism in Egypt.

Also present during the signing ceremony were General Mohamed Amin Ibrahim Nasr, Advisor to the President of Egypt for Financial Affairs and Liam Brown, Group President Europe, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International.

With the population of greater Cairo expected to double in the next few decades, the government in Egypt announced plans to build the New Administrative Capital. Almasa Royal Palace, which the owner has operated for the past two years, is located adjacent to a 42,000-square-foot convention center that hosts official government conventions and events, as well as official foreign presidents visits.

The hotel consists of 270 rooms, 90 suites, 60 apartments and 14 villas. Other facilities include outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a gym, spa, club house and 20 food and beverage outlets.

When it opens, The St. Regis Almasa is expected to encompass the hallmarks of the brand such as its rich traditions and rituals, and signature St. Regis Butler Service. Through a phased approach, areas across the hotel will undergo a refresh to deliver an on-brand experience in New Cairo whilst remaining open to guests.

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North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said Monday the United States has declared war on his country and Pyongyang would take counter-actions if threatened, including shooting down American war planes in the region.

Ri directly linked U.S. President Donald Trump's comments Saturday night on social media platform Twitter to the threat.

In a tweet late Saturday responding to Ri's United Nations General Assembly speech earlier in the day, Trump wrote: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

On Monday, North Korea's foreign minister responded: "Given the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war," Ri told reporters outside his New York hotel. "All the member states participating in the United Nations and the whole world should clearly remember that it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country."

The North Korean foreign minister added, "we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers, even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country," he warned.

 U.S Responds

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said "We've not declared war on North Korea," adding that the suggestion is "absurd."

At the Pentagon, spokesman Army Colonel Robert Manning told reporters, "If North Korea does not stop their provocative actions, we (the military) will make sure that we provide options to the president to deal with North Korea. We have the right to fly, sail and operate where legally permissible around the globe."

On Saturday, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam escorted by F-16 fighter jets from a U.S. base in Japan flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.

Manning said the show of force, meant to display some of the military options available to President Trump, was "the farthest north of the demilitarized zone any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Koreas coast in the 21st century."

"We are postured. We are ready to fight tonight," the Pentagon spokesman noted, while declining to discuss any possible troop movements to the region in light of escalating tensions.


On Monday, Manning posted on Twitter a report from the Canadian government that identified her as a foreign national "who has not been authorized to enter Canada" due to prior convictions.

Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. intelligence analyst convicted of espionage for passing information to WikiLeaks, has been barred from entering Canada.

Manning told Reuters that she tried to enter Canada on Thursday evening, planning to vacation in Montreal and Vancouver.

She said she was stopped at the border and detained overnight before being handed a letter stating she was inadmissible "on grounds of serious criminality."

The letter said that if the same offense had been carried out in Canada, it "would equate to an indictable offence, namely treason," and could result in up to 14 years in prison. For this reason, Manning was deemed inadmissible to Canada.

Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for leaking more than 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks three years earlier. While in prison, Manning, a 29-year-old transgender woman formerly known as Bradley Manning, fought for and won the right to start hormone treatment.

She served seven years before then-president Barack Obama commuted her sentence days before he left office in January.
Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people of different races, backgrounds and walks of life came together as a unified McDowell County community with the goal of bringing hope into the need and confronting publically the problem of drug addiction that plagues so many here.

We are a community with so much potential yet we are a community exuding so much pain, said the Rev. Danny Hampton, executive director of Freedom Life Ministries.

Hampton delivered the sermon during the McDowell County Community Unity Service held Sunday in the auditorium of East Middle School. This special gathering was a follow up to the first Unity service held last year at First Baptist Church of Marion.

This years special service was broadened to include all of McDowell County and it had a specific focus of confronting the issue of substance abuse in the local community. The event involved representatives from the city of Marion, McDowell County, the school system, local law enforcement, numerous churches and agencies that assist people with overcoming addiction and getting their lives back on track.

Before the service began, a video was shown that was made at the Blue Ridge Recovery Rally held in May in downtown Marion. The video shows people who have struggled with addiction writing down their biggest regrets in life on a large chalkboard and describing how they have gone From Regret to Recovery.

You can see this video here: https://youtu.be/6boldpFDAXU

The special music that introduced the service was provided by the combined choirs from Addies Chapel United Methodist and Mount Zion AME Zion churches. Marions Mayor Pro Tem Billy Martin led the call to worship. Let us worship the one God, in one faith, as one community, said everyone present.

Mayor Steve Little led the invocation and everyone sang the beloved hymn Amazing Grace.

McDowell Social Services Director Lisa Sprouse was the first guest speaker. We come here because of substance abuse in our county, she said.

At this time, McDowell DSS has 125 children in foster care and 90 percent of them are from families that are abusing methamphetamine, IV drugs and other substances, according to Sprouse.

They are families that are not connected, she said. Are we connected? Are we connected to the one who created us? I hope you will understand the opposite of addiction is connection.

Marion Police Chief Allen Lawrence was the next to speak. He said opioid abuse is now the No. 1 cause of accidental death and law enforcement can only do so much.

The police cant arrest our way out of this problem, said Lawrence.

But here in McDowell County, various groups are working to combat this serious issue. They include the McDowell Health Coalition, the East Marion and West Marion community forums, Freedom Life Ministries and others. The Marion Police Department is partnering with them to tackle this situation, said Lawrence.

Chief Deputy Ricky Buchanan spoke on behalf of the McDowell County Sheriffs Office and stated the problem of substance abuse impacts everyone.

I have seen the devastation drugs can have on individuals, families and communities, said Buchanan. These issues and struggles affect us all.

McDowell Emergency Services Director William Kehler said McDowells rate of opioid abuse is higher than the state average.

In 2016, 112 opioid pills were prescribed in McDowell County, on average, for each of the countys approximately 45,600 residents  the ninth-highest rate of all counties statewide, according to state health data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

The number of McDowell County residents who have overdosed on opioids has risen by 300 percent this year.

Ladies and gentlemen, today is a warning that we have a storm in this community. The storm is opioid abuse, said Kehler.

The Rev. Walter Pegues of Addies Chapel gave a prayer for unity in action.

During the service, the Old Testament lesson (Psalm 42) was read in English by Tyler Young and in Spanish by Brenda Valdez. Likewise, the New Testament lesson (Luke 10:25-37) was read in English by Ariel Lineberger and in Spanish by Daniel Juarez. They are students at McDowell High.

Before giving his sermon, Hampton joined Scott Kelly and together they sang When God Ran.

During his sermon titled Living Hope, Hampton said McDowell County is a wonderful county full of great people. Therefore, the problem of substance abuse that exists here is confounding, he said.

You look at such a wonderful community and you scratch your head and ask What is going on? said Hampton.

But by working together as one community and putting our hope in God, McDowell County can overcome this situation.

After the sermon, another video was shown at the service. This second video is about a new program called 659-PRAY to help people in McDowell through the power of prayer. Through this free outreach, people who have issues and concerns weighing on them can call that number and their concerns will be lifted up in prayer. They can also lift up their praises and thanks for blessings in their lives. Here in McDowell, 25 churches have come together united in prayer and are willing to join with others, according to the video.

You can see this video here: https://youtu.be/qhg-fghtQlw

Following the video, the prayer of dedication was offered by Pastor Bob Ritter of Nebo Crossing and the song Redeemed was sung by Greg Conley.

The Rev. Armando Juarez pronounced the benediction. As it was during last years service, everyone joined hands and sang the hymn Blest Be the Tie That Binds.

An offering was collected to benefit two local agencies that help those in need: McDowell Mission Ministries and Freedom Life Ministries.

Following the service, a community resource fair took place in the schools cafeteria. Information booths were there representing McDowell DSS, McDowell Mission Ministries, the East Marion and West Marion community forums, DARE, the Sheriffs Office, the Marion Police Department, CareNet Counseling, Vaya Health, the McDowell Health Coalition and others.
The U.S. is considering sending an aircraft carrier group into North Korean waters if there are any further provocations from the renegade regime.

A government source on Monday said the U.S. is considering "a wide range of options" in addition to the latest show of force when B-1B bombers buzzed the North Korean coast. "This includes a U.S. aircraft carrier group crossing over the Northern Limit Line."

The NLL is the de facto maritime border separating the two Koreas drawn up unilaterally by the U.S. at the end of the Korean War.

Such an armada typically includes a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with 80 fighter jets on board, four to five Aegis destroyers and cruisers and two nuclear-powered submarines.

One is to take part in naval drills with South Korean Aegis destroyers and submarines next month, probably led by the USS Ronald Reagan, which is part of the 7th Fleet.

South Korean and U.S. military officials are also considering deploying B-2 stealth bombers and F-22 stealth fighters to the Korean Peninsula if North Korea resorts to further provocations.

The B-2 stealth bombers can carry 16 B61/B83 nuclear bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles or be loaded with GBU-57 MOP or "bunker buster" missiles that can strike targets 60 m underground.
A ring of Vietnamese brokers has been busted for cheating on Korean language proficiency tests in Hanoi, according to police in Busan on Monday.

The incident happened in April during the beginner-level Test of Proficiency in Korean or TOPIK, which some 2,400 Vietnamese took.

Korean police nabbed Vietnamese and Korean brokers and 18 test takers who paid them for helping them cheat.

The method was simple. One of the gang, a 27-year-old Vietnamese man who has a master's degree from Seoul National University and is fluent in Korean, sat the test and finished it in just 20 minutes out of the 100 allowed.
The credit ratings firm Fitch sent a representative to South Korea on Monday for three days of talks with government officials about the country's credit valuation.

The talks are usually held before the firm assesses the sovereign credit rating of a country but this time seem aimed at assessing the risk of escalating tensions between North Korea and the U.S.

A Fitch representative is scheduled to visit the Unification Ministry, which oversees affairs related to North Korea, whereas normally staff would meet with officials from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Financial Supervisory Service and Bank of Korea.

Government officials said they worry about Fitch's track record of rather strict ratings of South Korea. Unlike S&P and Moody's, which gave South Korea their third-highest ratings, Fitch only gave it the fourth-highest of AA-. Early this month, Moody's raised its assessment of the possibility of a military clash on the Korean peninsula from "very low" to "low."

The government is rolling up its sleeves to prevent a downgrading. Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon visited S&P's headquarters during his U.S. trip last week and explained the South Korean government's response to North Korean provocations.

The last time a South Korean finance minister visited a global credit rating firm's office in New York was back in 2004.

Hwang Geon-il at the Strategy and Finance Ministry said, "The chances of the North Korean nuclear threat affecting South Korea's sovereign credit rating is low, but we're constantly talking to the rating firms to maintain investor confidence."

Although they bill themselves as "agencies," ratings firms are private businesses that have parlayed their opinions to near-canonical status.


Shanghai nursing assistants to learn from Japan

By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2017-09-25 09:14

Japan's largest social welfare institution Asahikawazou which maintains communication with Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau for more than 30 years signed an agreement with Shanghai Senior Living, an elderly service corporation in Putuo District on September 20.

Being the first strategic cooperation Asahikawazou conducted with a Chinese elderly service institution, the agreement claimed that nursing personnel from front-line nursing workers to nursing home administrators, as well as students majoring elderly nursing are scheduled to be organized to Japan to receive systematic training.

According to Yang Yiming, deputy secretary-general of the Gerontological Society of Shanghai, the strategic cooperation reached sets a good example for the elderly caring industry in Putuo District and even in the whole Shanghai, and the training is expected to raise the skills of Shanghai's elderly care workers amid the current shortage of qualified elderly care aides.

Tadashi Obata, a representative of the Japan side introduced that a professional Japanese care aide not only has the knowledge of basic life-supporting skills, but also masters cultural arts like tea ceremony, art of calligraphy, etc.

As Shanghai enters an aging society, optimizing elderly service talents cultivation mechanism, a more and more imperative task is hopefully achieved through learning from Asahikawazou which is advanced in medical care training, welfare institutions management, elderly care workers'career planning, etc.
Premier Li Keqiang met with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Sept 25 in Beijing.

The Premier said China-US relations and bilateral cooperation on all sides are developing well. President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have held multiple successful meetings and dialogues, and the dialogues at all levels between the two countries have been promoted continuously, he said.

China is the worlds largest developing country and economy, while the Unites States is the worlds largest developed country and trading country. The healthy and stable bilateral relations between China and the US is in line with the interests of both countries and also the expectations of the international community, he said.

Premier Li noted that China and the US are each others largest trading partner. Cooperation is the mainstream of bilateral relations, and common interests outweigh the differences, he said.

Based on the principles of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, China is glad to expand commodity and service trade, and deal with disputes and divergences through dialogues, the Premier said.

China will increase its opening-up to foreign countries, and also is creating a better business environment, which welcomes more American companies investment, Premier Li said.

He also expressed hope that the US side could give equal treatment to Chinese enterprises, increase high-tech products export to China and promote bilateral trade cooperation to achieve more results that benefit people in the two countries.

Ross said China and the US are getting closer, and there is a huge development prospect for both. The US welcomes Chinas accelerating opening-up steps, and is glad to strengthen dialogues with China, expand trade and investment cooperation and increase people-to-people exchanges to achieve more fruits from cooperation and promote the development of bilateral ties, he said.
Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos carried out a visit to Portugal on Friday and Saturday, 22 and 23 September. Mr. Katrougalos met in Lisbon with members of the Portuguese government, including the Secretary of State of European Affairs, Ms. Ana Paula Zacarias, and the Secretary of State of Internationalization, Mr. Eurico Brilhante Dias. There was a convergence of views regarding the need for progressive alliances in Europe for the promotion of the changes in economic governance that will strengthen the democratic and social dimension. Also discussed at the meetings were issues concerning bilateral economic relations, on which there is significant room for improvement.

Mr. Katrougalos also met with Mr. Jorge Pais, the Vice President of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs G. Katrougalos today participated in the EU General Affairs Council meeting on the European Unions upcoming legislative work. In his intervention, Mr. Katrougalos stressed that the key priority should be to strengthen the EUs social and democratic dimension, so that we can respond to our societies justifiable fears that our children are at risk of having worse lives than ours.



In this context, he welcomed the Commission proposal for proclaiming the new Pillar of European Social Rights at the November Summit Meeting, though he underscored that it needs to become more specific and, in particular, legally binding. As an example of the vital ambitious changes Europe needs, he referred to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras proposal for establishing the post of Minister of Social Cohesion of the Eurozone, who would head a Eurogroup of Labour and Social Employment Ministers tasked with confronting the volatile inequalities within and between the Eurozone states.

Mr. Katrougalos also participated in the meeting of European Affairs Ministers from the Party of European Socialists and met with Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete.
CASS CITY  With facilities showing some age at Cass City Schools, the plan is to ask voters to support a millage issue next year for improvements and repairs.

The first step was taken recently with the board of education touring facilities to compile a list of needs. The school board was accompanied by CFO Allison Zimba, Superintendent Jeff Hartel, representatives from Architects I.D.T and from the construction management firm R&E.

Although the tour was publicized, no one from the public attended.

That didnt surprise me," said Hartel. "It was more of a tour for the board to get everyone on the same page of what needs to be done."

"There will be other tours as we go along to show the community the work that needs to be done," he added. "This tour was just the preliminary process.

The district plans to ask voters in May to approve a request for 3 mills for 16 years that would generate about $6 to $7 million.

The current 3 mills the district levied from a 2008 bond proposal will be expiring so the millage that is being requested wouldnt be for more, but rather an extension of the same millage rate, explained Hartel.

The plan that is being drafted is to do the work in three stages.

The first stage would be to address the heating and cooling system that runs through the ceilings in the high school that was built in 1967.

That is an old system and is causing problems with pipes breaking and leaking into classrooms," he said. "We want to replace those boilers."

Upgrading the aging heating and cooling system is necessary, and could also be necessary if the district moves toward implementing a balanced school year schedule.

That is only a possibility," he said. "It is something that may be discussed during the next teacher negotiations. At this point, it is just a possibility for discussion, but some schools are shifting to that.

A balanced school year would start in late August and go later in June, so a good heating and cooling system would be needed.

There is a possibility the state could require going to that (balanced school year) program, so we want to be ready, said Hartel.

The second phase would be working on needs at the elementary school that was built in 1997. That school also needs heating and cooling along with boiler upgrades; the gym floor needs replacing; and sidewalks repairs are also needed.

The third phase  and that list is still being worked on  would be for remaining projects.
MEADE TOWNSHIP  The Huron County Road Commission has announced the temporary closure of a local road.

McMillan Road was closed to through traffic beginning at 7 a.m. on Monday, between Berne Road and Campbell Road. The closure is necessary to replace a culvert in the area and is expected to be completed by the end of the day.

The Detour Route will be posted.

Please contact the road commission for any further information.
The Hudson River has always seemed like a trench filled with water, its bottom a Stygian tangle of sunken boats and discarded equipment, its water an over-steeped tea somehow brewed from the lives of 8 million people. By the same token, Manhattan seemed less an island than a moored raft covered with concrete, asphalt, steel and well-tended plants.

So when I eased myself into a kayak one day this summer to start a paddle around Manhattan Island, I was surprised to see a little beach nearby. Water came up from depths onto a patch of sand, with weeds just beyond. It was the geological past sticking its nose out from under 400 years of human occupation.

Circumnavigating New York City's core by water combines nature's forces with man's work in a way that's as dramatic as any place in America. It's also a trip strangely poignant and evocative, even for someone with no New York roots or even much knowledge of the city's history. And the funny thing is, it's not even that hard.

Each year, the Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club sponsors the "Manhattan Circ"- a trip around Manhattan Island in kayaks. This year, 158 people from 12 states and two foreign countries (Canada and Spain) did it. One-third were women; only one person dropped out.

To participate, you have to apply, attest to your skills, be accepted, and pay $80. Of course, the logistics are considerable if you're an out-of-towner, what with getting a kayak into the country's most densely populated place and finding somewhere to stay. But it's worth it.

I went with a group of people affiliated with an Annapolis, Maryland, nonprofit organization called Upstream Alliance. The Inwood Canoe Club, on the Hudson in far northern Manhattan, kindly allowed us to store the boats overnight and launch from its docks. The Circ's organizers had divided the fleet into three groups based on anticipated speed; two of the groups launched a few hundred yards from us at a public beach on Dyckman Street.

The Inwood is the only survivor of a string of boat clubs that once lined that part of the island's shore. Founded in 1902, and the home of seven Olympic canoeists in the middle of the last century, it recalled an era when New York's waterways were more recreational than they are today, and perhaps cleaner and less intimidating.

The day and hour of the Circ are chosen so that tidal flow will assist participants as much as possible. As we paddled into the eastern edge of the Hudson's channel, it was immediately clear this would not be a trip for the inattentive. The flow was swift. The river was in full ebb, doubling our paddling speed toward the Battery, the southern tip of island, where we would catch the flood tide that would carry us up the East River.

The group I was in would, in theory, be the fastest of the three. A motor launch appeared on our right. It accompanied us the whole way around, keeping us from straying into the all-business middle of the channel, like a border collie herding a flock of aquatic sheep.

The overcast sky hid the tops of the George Washington Bridge's towers. We paused briefly just above the bridge and then proceeded under it. A rumbling filled the air and disappeared. White, balloon-shaped buoys - presumably for transient yachts - strained against their mooring chains, the dark water pillowing over them. They were the first of several not-so-obvious obstructions we encountered that could easily have flipped a boat. (Thankfully, none did).

On my deck I had an old National Geographic map of Manhattan that I'd cut up and had laminated and spiral bound. It helped me get a rough idea of where we were as we hurried down the West Side on an eight-knot express. I spotted Grant's Tomb, the Riverside Church, and later the Empire State Building peeking out from the island's interior. As the haze cleared, the morning sun silhouetted rooftop water tanks, making them look like little party hats. In the afternoon on the East River, I recognized the United Nations headquarters, which in my 1960s childhood was second only to the Statue of Liberty in recognizable New York landmarks. (Such a hopeful time!)

Early on we passed a gigantic concrete structure with half-moon fenestrations lining its waterside front. I asked a fellow paddler what it was and he said it was a sewage plant. To be precise, it was the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant, which processes 125 million gallons of sewage a day and stretches from 145th Street to 137th Street.

Despite being surrounded by it (and partly because of that fact), water has always been a problem for Manhattan. New York City residents consume 1.3 billion gallons of clean water a day (imported from far north of the city), and dispose of 1.4 million gallons of liquid waste. The water was once notoriously polluted, and by a century ago had wiped out commercial fisheries of shad, clams and oysters while spreading cholera, typhoid fever and other fecal-oral illnesses.

Joseph Mitchell, the New Yorker magazine's famous chronicler of the city, started a 1951 article called "The Bottom of the Harbor" this way: "The bulk of the water in New York Harbor is oily, dirty, and germy. Men on the mud suckers, the big harbor dredges, like to say that you could bottle it and sell it for poison."

Things are better now. Thousands of people swam in the Hudson the day after the Circ as part of the New York City Triathlon. The Billion Oyster Project is engaging schools (among other groups) to restore New York's oyster grounds. There were 220,000 acres when Henry Hudson navigated the waters in 1609; the project so far has restored a little more than one acre and planted 22 million oysters. Heavy rains occasionally overwhelm the wastewater treatment capacity, spilling coliform-laden water into the rivers. We got occasional whiffs of sulfurous sewer gas on our passage.

We stopped at Pier 40, at West and Houston streets, in Greenwich Village, where people looking for a bathroom could admire the watercraft in the Village Community Boathouse. It promotes the construction and rowing of dory-like boats of a century-old design called "Whitehall gigs"- one of many examples of how New Yorkers are again turning to the water for recreation.

We approached the Battery with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the distance to our right, and One World Trade Center on our left. The waterway here is New York's aortic outflow - high-pressure, turbulent, essential. The Circ organizers arranged for us to cross it in 15-minute windows that would keep us safe from the gigantic, orange Staten Island ferry and its wake. By then, our group had caught up with the second-fastest one. We watched its paddlers cross as we milled around near a barge in a man-made cove - in this part of Manhattan, everything is man-made - waving to pedestrians on the waterside promenade.

Eventually, we got the signal to cross. This required hard, no-nonsense paddling. (I was chastised by one of our chaperons for pausing to take a picture.) At one point, we had to hold up unexpectedly to avoid a tour boat. As we headed into the East River, the water became a hectic mix of standing waves, wakes and clashing currents. Nobody appeared to be giving us much quarter. We were like mice crossing a crusty field of snow, hoping not to be picked off by predators.

Safe on the Brooklyn side, we caught our breath and headed up the East River under the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. We passed the blackened stubs of old dock pilings, shuddering in the current like loose teeth.

We paddled the length of Roosevelt Island and at its far end came ashore at a beach in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. We tarried there until the tide became favorable. Because the beach would flood, we carried the boats - the entire fleet, as the three groups were now together - up the street to Socrates Sculpture Park, a four-acre outdoor museum built on an old landfill. There, an overworked food truck, a small farmers market and a performance of Bengali music and dance entertained us for nearly two hours.

We crossed to the Manhattan side of the river at the lower end of Hell Gate, the most notorious strait in New York's harbor and the site of uncountable shipwrecks over the centuries. The water was slack; our timing was right. We paddled right over the spot off East 90th Street where the excursion steamer General Slocum, carrying 1,400 people - most of them recent German immigrants - caught fire on June 15, 1904. The death toll of at least 1,021 would not be exceeded in a single disaster in New York until 9/11.

At the north end of Randalls Island, we turned left into the Harlem River, where we were favored by the tidal quirk that makes the circumnavigation such a winning proposition. The tide pushes water that is already in the Harlem River northward, as well as pushing water that is not already in the Harlem River into it. One wouldn't think it possible! But it happens twice a day.

(Here, it's worth noting the distance around the island was 30 miles, which we covered in 6 hours of paddling time. Our average speed was just under 5 mph and our maximum speed an astonishing 8.7 mph. An oceanographer in our group calculated we did the work of a 20-mile paddle at 3 mph. In other words, one third of the distance we covered was entirely thanks to tide and river flow.)

While people came from many places to do the Circ - I paddled on and off with two guys from Los Angeles - there were enough from New York to provide a guided tour for the curious and sociable.

A paddler pointed out the garbage pier, the air vent for the Holland Tunnel and a row of Trump Organization-built apartment buildings recently stripped of their builder's name. Another told me as we passed under the Queensboro Bridge that it was also known as the 59th Street Bridge. ("Are you feeling groovy yet?" he asked.) I learned about Marble Hill, the Manhattan neighborhood that is no longer on Manhattan Island, thanks to rerouting of the Harlem River at the northern end of the island in 1895.

I was instructed to note the Pepsi-Cola sign in Long Island City in Queens, a landmark that's both pop-cultural and nostalgic-industrial. From my reading of the aforementioned Mitchell essay, I pointed out to a fellow circumnavigator that the eddies at the bend of the East River between the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges is where corpses that go into the water in the winter frequently surface in the spring.

We paddled under more than a dozen bridges; Manhattan is an island, after all. The oldest is High Bridge, opened in 1848 to carry the Croton Aqueduct that supplied water to the city. Macombs Dam Bridge (1895), near Yankee Stadium, with its stone piers, pyramid-roofed shelter houses and steel camelback in the middle, is my new favorite.

As the Harlem River became narrower and more industrial, culminating in the ship channel of Spuyten Duyvil, I was amazed to see a rocky outcrop on my left, the very northern tip of the island. I paddled over. It was shaded by vegetation growing out of its face and vines hanging down from its top. The air was laden with the smell of moss and mold. I thought to myself: "This, at least, is unchanged. This is something the Lenape Indians and the Dutch colonists might recognize." Then I thought about the blasting it took to make the ship channel. "Maybe not."

Was everything I'd seen a disturbed landscape? Yes, except for one.

The rivers the Circ followed were pretty much where they'd been in 1600. The currents and tides were the same (and so, undoubtedly, were some of the water molecules). Flowing water was the changeless New York City, and I'd been looking at it all day.

- - -

Brown is a writer based in Baltimore.

- - -

IF YOU GO

Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club

19 Alexander St., Yonkers, New York

yprc.org

The next Manhattan Circumnavigation, determined by favorable tides, is tentatively set for Aug. 4, 2018. Application details will be available after April 1 at the Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club website. Entry fee is $80.

Kayakers must paddle a decked sea kayak 14 feet or longer; be experienced in open water; be able to paddle 14 miles or more; paddle with a spray skirt; and attest they can perform a "wet exit" and an assisted rescue if they capsize. A limited number of rental kayaks are available. Overnight kayak storage is available for a fee.
The high-profile meeting in Bali is the first since Biden became US President in 2021.
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

The Center for Family Justice, with the support of community leaders and law enforcement in the six communities it serves, has scheduled series of vigils to mark the observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

These seven vigils  first of which will take place Monday, Oct. 2 at the Bridgeport Police Department  will honor those who have been affected by intimate partner violence; raise awareness and inspire hope that the cycles of violence can be broken. The vigils will also remind local residents that domestic violence, which national statistics suggest affects one out of three women in their lifetime, is a problem in every demographic and community CFJ serves.
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Dozens of municipalities in Puerto Rico struggling to communicate after hurricanes Maria and Irma wiped out internet and cell phone service may be in better touch thanks to the Connecticut National Guard.

Eight soldiers and five airman flew from the Bradley Air National Guard Base in East Granby on a C-130H cargo plane Tuesday morning, Gov. Dannel Malloy announced in a statement.

By afternoon the guardsman had set up communications equipment capable of connecting some local, state and federal officials by video, voice and text.

"The ability to communicate real time when attempting to assess damage of this magnitude is critical," said Maj. Gen. Thaddeus J. Martin, Adjutant General and Commander of the CT National Guard. "With Connecticuts trained and ready Guardsmen, we are proud to provide the assistance Puerto Ricos leadership needs to help those affected by this massive storm."

More than 3.4 million U.S. citizens in the commonwealth still lack adequate food, water and fuel five days after Maria pounded the island as a Category 4 hurricane, and officials said electrical power may not be fully restored for more than a month.

No return date has been set for the guardsman.

"Our office remains in consistent contact with Puerto Rican authorities and we will continue to provide whatever type of assistance we can during this time of emergency, Malloy said. "Connecticuts National Guard consists of an impressive group of men and women who have dedicated themselves toward protecting those who need it most, including those who live hundreds of miles away and whose lives have become devastated in the aftermath of two major hurricanes."

Tuesdays crew was the third deployed in a week, Malloy said. Guardsman were sent on Friday and Saturday to deliver supplies in a cargo plane. One crew has returned to Connecticut while another is in Georgia preparing for another mission.

Malloy said officials ask the U.S. to refrain from attempting to make supply donations and stick to monetary donations for the time being.

The infrastructure is simply not in place at the moment to handle these kinds of material goods, especially because transportation to the island remains extremely difficult and impractical, Malloy said. Monetary donations will allow the aid to reach those who need it through the most coordinated and efficient way possible.

The Associated Press contributed reporting
A poll of 2,200 American citizens by Morning Consult found that just 54 percent of those polled knew that people born in Puerto Rico are actually American citizens.

The finding, first reported by the New York Times, comes after Puerto Rico was ravaged by Hurricane Maria. Its plight did not attract as widespread attention as other areas of the United States affected by extreme weather in recent weeks, leading some, like the Times, to acknowledge that that could be because many Americans are viewing the event as a "foreign" disaster, not an American one.
Travelers swarmed the sweltering San Juan airport in Puerto Rico Monday to get off the island where flooding and devastation from Hurricane Maria have blocked roads and knocked out power and communications.

At least 10 persons have been confirmed dead in the Category 5 storm that made a direct hit on Puerto Rico following the glancing blow earlier from Hurricane Irma.

The most immediate concern Monday was in the island's northwest, where the damaged Guajataca Dam was barely holding. About 70,000 residents in the area have been under an evacuation order since last Friday.

"Some of the dam has fallen apart," said Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Rossello. "Now we are making sure that we can assess if the other part will fall down as well."

The Pentagon said that technical experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had conducted a preliminary inspection of the dam and were working closely with Puerto Rican officials to monitor the status of the dam and make assessments for repairs.

Rosello called on Congress to approve an emergency aid bill to help the island and its 3.4 million U.S. citizen residents to recover from the worst hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than a century.

"Puerto Rico is part of the United States, and we need to take swift action," Rosello told CNN. "This is a major disaster."

The National Weather Service (NWS) said Monday that Hurricane Maria was expected to "come close to portions of North Carolina" by mid-week with tropical storm-force winds before turning eastward into the open Atlantic.

Night satellite photos posted by NWS showed nearly the entire island of Puerto Rico blacked out due to the failure of the power grid, with the exception of much-reduced lighting in the San Juan area supplied by generators.

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Federal Emergency Management Director Brock Long was expected to arrive in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Monday to assess the damage and plan long-term relief. President Donald Trump last week said he would go to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- as he did in trips to Texas and Florida after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma -- but no date has been set.

At the direction of FEMA and local governors, U.S. Northern Command was overseeing the military response in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico while U.S. Southern Command, through the State Department, was playing a similar role in the Leeward Islands.

Puerto Rico's Federal Affairs Administration said 4,000 members of the U.S. Army Reserves have been deployed to the island to help with Hurricane Maria recovery.

The Department of Defense said that about 2,600 personnel had deployed across the Caribbean to aid in relief and recovery.

The Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) led by the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge with Marines aboard from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, had conducted eight medical evacuations, 123 airlifts and delivered 22,200 pounds of relief supplies and cargo to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands through early Monday, DoD said.

On Sunday, the ARG deployed Marine and Navy teams to the former Naval Air Station at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico -- now a civilian airport -- to conduct route reconnaissance, clearance of main roads and clearance of the airfield and associated taxiways.

In addition, the Navy was working with the Coast Guard to clear the San Juan port while U.S. Transportation Command was moving additional personnel and equipment to include eight UH-60 helicopters from Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, to the San Juan, Puerto Rico, International Airport to increase distribution capacity.

On Sunday, U.S. Northern Command said that Air Force had deployed a Regional Air Movement Coordination Center (RAMCC) to the U.S. Virgin Islands to support hurricane relief efforts.

The RAMCC is responsible for coordinating all U.S. military, commercial, governmental and non-governmental aircraft flow control into and out of the ramp area at the airports in St. John and St. Croix, and also provide aircraft landing and take-off times and coordinated air traffic control with various civilian agencies.

For Hurricane Maria, the Air Force through Saturday had flown 10 missions consisting of 20 sorties delivering nearly 100 short tons, or 200,000 pounds of equipment and supplies.

Air Force Col. Christopher Karns, a spokesman for Air Mobility Command, also released an update on AMC's response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

For Hurricane Harvey, the AMC flew more than 156 sorties on 30 airplanes, moving 2.7 million pounds of supplies, while offloading 457,000 pounds of fuel, and transporting 1,213 passengers, Karns said.

For Hurricane Irma, AMC has flown 148 missions involving nearly 500 sorties and accumulating nearly 5,000 flight hours. The command has transported 2,380 passengers, more than 2,700 short tons of equipment, supplies, and food, which equates to 5.4 million pounds of cargo.

Gen. Carlton Everhart, the AMC commander, said in a statement that "these missions demonstrate our values and leave a lasting positive impression on those we help. The amount of good that mobility Airmen deliver deeply reflects the core values of our nation."

--Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Camp Lejeune Town Halls Aim to Help Those Exposed to Toxic Water. Heres How You Can Go.

Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune...
Iranian state television released video footage Friday claiming to show the launch of a new type of medium-range ballistic missile, a few hours after it was displayed during a military parade in Tehran.

But it turns out Iran never fired a ballistic missile, sources say.

The video released by the Iranians was more than seven months old -- dating back to a failed launch in late January, which resulted in the missile exploding shortly after liftoff, according to two U.S. officials.

President Trump had originally responded to the reported launch in a late-Saturday tweet, saying, "Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!"

This was after Trump, speaking before world leaders at the United Nations, called the Iran nuclear deal an "embarrassment" to the United States.

"We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program," he said.

Trump later told reporters he had made up his mind about the deal, but wouldn't say whether he would pull the United States out of the nuclear accord with Iran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, speaking at the U.N. one day after Trump, maintained his country's missile program was "solely defensive" in nature.

"We never threaten anyone, but we do not tolerate threats from anyone," he said. Rouhani returned to Tehran two days later to preside over the missile parade featuring the new medium-range design and said his country would build as many missiles as necessary to defend itself.

Afterward, the footage was aired, with Iranian media claiming a successful test launch -- though it apparently showed the failed January launch.

At the time, Iran was attempting to launch its new Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile for the first time. It flew 600 miles before exploding, in a failed test of a reentry vehicle, officials said at the time.

The failed late January launch was first reported by Fox News and prompted the White House to put Iran "on notice" days later.

Iran's new medium-range missile is based on a North Korean design--Pyongyang's BM-25 Musudan ballistic missile, which has a maximum range of nearly 2,500 miles, putting U.S. forces in the Middle East and Israel within reach if its problems are fixed.

"The very first missiles we saw in Iran were simply copies of North Korean missiles," said Jeffrey Lewis, a missile proliferation expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. "Over the years, we've seen photographs of North Korean and Iranian officials in each other's countries, and we've seen all kinds of common hardware."

Last weekend, a senior Iranian general said the missile had a range of less than 2,000 miles.

"The Khoramshahr missile has a range of 2,000 kilometers [1,250 miles] and can carry multiple warheads," Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted Revolutionary Guards aerospace chief General Amir Ali Hajizadeh as saying.

The missile "is capable of carrying multiple warheads," Hajizadeh added.

"I am not sure why the Iranians are lying about the range," one U.S. official said. "I think they don't want to piss the Europeans off."

The official and others declined to be identified because they were not authorized to disclose sensitive information to the press.

Experts say Iran possesses the largest arsenal of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, with more than 1,000 short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. Tehran has conducted over 20 missile tests since 2015.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Iran is "supplying proxies such as Hezbollah and Syria's al-Assad regime with a steady supply of missiles and rockets" and "likely supplying Houthi rebel groups with short-range missiles in the ongoing conflict in Yemen."

U.N. resolution 2231 -- put in place days after the Iran nuclear deal was signed -- calls on the Islamic Republic not to conduct ballistic missile tests, but does not forbid them from doing so, after Russia and China insisted on the watered-down language in order to pass the resolution.

Iran is "called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology," according to the text of the resolution.

Iran claims the tests are legitimate because they are defensive in nature.
Cooperation between Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) was no longer a given following the independence referendum in the Kurdish region, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said Tuesday.

Kurdish forces had played a major role in the war against ISIS in northern Iraq, including the battle for Mosul, but "I'm concerned that the referendum will disrupt that cooperation," Dunford said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

Dunford said the U.S. had been expecting that the Peshmerga would join in the assault by the ISF to retake north-central Hawija from ISIS, but that effort by the Kurds was now in doubt.

The non-binding referendum Monday appeared to have passed overwhelmingly in what the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) saw as a first step in realizing the century-old dream of establishing a Kurdish state in northern Iraq despite opposition from the U.S., the United Nations, Turkey, Iran and most of all the central Baghdad government.

Preliminary results showed that turnout was more than 77 percent and the "Yes" vote was coming in at more than 90 percent, the Kurdish news agency Rudaw reported. Final results were expected Wednesday.

Kurds celebrated Monday night in the streets of Irbil, capital of the KRG that has enjoyed a great deal of autonomy since the overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

KRG President Massoud Barzani said he wanted to enter negotiations with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on a peaceful transition to secession but vowed "We will never go back to the failed partnership" with Baghdad.

Abadi rejected negotiations and demanded that control of the airports in Erbil and Sulaimaniya be handed over to the Baghdad government by Friday, raising the prospect that the airspace over the Kurdish region could be closed along with land crossings to the rest of Iraq.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani consulted by phone on the referendum and both expressed concern that the vote "will bring chaos to the region," according to Erdogan's office.

Both Iran and Turkey have also begun military exercises on the western and eastern frontiers of the Kurdish region.

"If Barzani and the Kurdish regional government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war," Erdogan said.

"Frankly, we did not give credence until the last moment that Barzani would make a mistake like this," Erdogan said, according to Turkey's Andalou news agency.

--Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
LOWELL, MI -- Poultry Management Systems, Inc (PMSI) has moved into a new building that is more than twice the size of its original headquarters.

PMSI makes computerized equipment for cage-free egg production and is planning to create 27 high-tech jobs at its new $2 million facility at 890 Bieri Industrial Drive near Lowell.

The 36-year-old company, owned by Big Dutchman of Holland, was headquartered at the corporate offices of Herbruck's Poultry Ranch in Saranac.

The new facility will host new software development, light manufacturing and assembly of electronic components used to manage cage-free egg production.

"Increased demand for cage free eggs and changing industry standards for the production of cage free eggs has significantly increased demand for PMSI solutions," according to a Feb. 7, 2017 announcement by The Right Place Inc..

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. supported the expansion with the approval of a $175,000 performance-based grant. The Right Place officials also said they are assisting PMSI with an application to Vergennes Township with a tax abatement request.

"We are excited to be part of the Lowell community, and look forward to the future growth within Lowell." said Doug Powell, president of Poultry Management Systems, Inc. at a recent ribbon cutting event.

"This new building was designed with our customers and the future of the industry in mind," Powell said.

"PMSI has always led the industry with intelligent solutions to complex challenges, and with this new location, we are able to better service our customers, and continue developing more innovative systems."



The new building allows for additional employees, and the property at this location offers the ability for future expansion, the company said.

Big Dutchman acquired a majority interest in PMSI in 2009. The company was founded in 1980 by members of the Herbruck family, owners of Herbruck Poultry Ranch, Michigan's largest producer of eggs.

Big Dutchman's global headquarters are located in Vechta, Germany. The headquarters for the Americas are located in Holland, Michigan.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - City commissioners approved a $15 million plan to convert the former Grand Rapids Christian High School into 40 low income apartments and a church on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

Non-profit housing developer Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF) is buying part of the three-story building at 415 Franklin Street SE and plans to build 40 apartments on the second and third floors.

ICCF also plans to build 12 townhomes that will be made available for purchase on a parking lot across the street at 349 Franklin Street SE.

Madison Square Christian Reformed Church, which has owned the building since 2015, plans to convert the ground floor levels into a 10,000-square foot worship center and social service offices.

The building, which was used as the local offices for Kent County's Department of Human Services from the late 1970s through 2009, will become an ArtPrize venue in 2018. The building has been vacant since 2009, when state offices moved into a new building.

On Tuesday, city commissioners approved a "payment in lieu of taxes" proposal that will allow ICCF to obtain low income housing tax credits to finance the $15 million project.

The proposal limits the city to collecting 4 percent of total rental receipts rather than traditional property taxes. City officials estimated the development will save about $19,500 on its tax bill every year.

Third Ward Commissioner David Allen said he was pleased to see the building being used for housing due to its lengthy history in the neighborhood and after "sitting mothballed" for years.

ICCF plans to create 33 one-bedroom apartments and seven two-bedroom units in the building. Monthly rents will be set at $747 for one-bedroom units and $895 for two-bedroom units.

The plan, which was approved by the city's Planning Commission earlier this month, is contingent on ICCF getting approval to sell $11 million in tax credits to private investors from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.
HOWELL, MI - A Fenton man charged with the deaths of five people in a May car crash in Livingston County will have his case heard in circuit court.

Matthew J. Carrier, 21, was bound over to circuit court after a preliminary examination on Thursday, Sept. 21, court records show.

Carrier is accused of drunken driving on May 9 when he crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of Argentine Road and M-59 in Oceola Township.

Prosecutors said Thursday that Carrier had a blood alcohol level of 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit for driving in Michigan, and was driving 103 mph southbound on Argentine Road when he ran the stop sign at M-59 and struck a Cadillac, according to a report by the Livingston Daily.

A survivor of the crash, Albert Boswell, 39, of Oakland County, testified Thursday to the aftermath - crawling out of the Cadillac he'd been driving and calling out to his three passengers to no avail, the Livingston Daily reported. Other witnesses recalled flames engulfing the vehicle Carrier was driving.

Boswell's girlfriend, Candice Lynn Dunn, 35, of Oakland County, died in the crash along with her mother, Linda K. Hurley, 69, of Macomb County, and Hurley's boyfriend, Jerome Joseph Tortomasi, 73, of Macomb County.

The group was coming from an employee appreciation banquet where Dunn was celebrated as the MDOC's 2017 Parole/Probation Agent of the Year.

Two of Carrier's passengers - Justin Andrew-Humberto Henderson, 18, and Preston Taylor Wetzel, 24, both of Fenton - were also killed in the crash, and another passenger, Kyle Eugene Lixie, 23, was critically injured.

Carrier did not have a valid driver's license at the time of the incident and prosecutors previously said that, prior to the crash, he'd been questioned about whether he was too drunk to drive.

He was previously convicted of being a minor in possession of alcohol in both 2013 and 2016, and was convicted of operating while under the influence in 2014.

Carrier now faces 19 felony charges - five counts of second-degree murder, five counts of operating while intoxicated causing death, two counts of operating while intoxicated casing serious injury, five counts of driving while license suspended causing death, and two counts of driving while license suspended causing serious injury.

No date has been set for his first appearance in circuit court.

Carrier faces up to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder and remains held without bond.
Andrew Dodson | adodson@mlive.com

2017 Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Fest

BAY CITY, MI  One of Bay City's hippest events is days away.

The 2017 Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Fest kicks off this Thursday, Sept. 28, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 1. Tickets for an all-access pass to the entire four-day event are $65 and get you in everywhere. Tickets for individual shows and concerts vary. Tickets can be purchased online at hhmfest.com.

In this guide, you'll find the who, what, where and when about each of the fest's main parties, films and indie music shows. If you're interested in knowing about the "why," you'll just have to come and find out.

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Opening Night Reception

Before you get to the opening night movie and music act, kick off the 12th annual festival from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Pere Marquette Depot, 1000 Adams St. in Downtown Bay City.

$10 Cash Bar reception only

$15 reception/film combo

Free to passholders

For more information, visit

www.hhmfest.com

.

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Film: 'The Scent of Rain and Lightning'

"The Scent of Rain and Lightning," 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28 at the State Theatre, 913 Washington in downtown Bay City.

Jodys grief at the loss of her parents turns to rage and fear when she learns that Billy, the man convicted of killing them, is being released from prison on a technicality. A confrontation with Billy sows Jodys doubts about the crime and leads her to uncover skeletons in the closet of her cattle-ranching family. Blake Robbins stylish whodunit set on the Kansas prairie features a host of excellent performances led by Will Patton as the family patriarch.

$10 Movie only

$15 Opening night reception, film and after party

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Music: The Old Adage

The Old Adage performs at 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28 at Old City Hall, 814 Saginaw St. in downtown Bay City.

Synthpop takes on a cinematic sprawl in the hands of these brother-sister sound auteurs. With Mimi Chavezs supple vocals above Ninos layered beats and synth melodies, the duo is nothing if not evocative and enthralling. Myriad rich tapestries deliver syrupy hooks that hit like a jolt to your emotional core.

Tickets are $5

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Michigan Film Office Advisory Council Meeting

The Michigan Film Office Advisory Council will be meeting at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the Delta College Planetarium & Learning Center, 100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City. This meeting is open to the public. We hope you will attend to see what the MFDMO is doing to drive the creative industries to Michigan.

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Film: 'Fits and Starts'

Check locations

"Fits and Starts" premieres at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 and at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave., Bay City.

Jennifer and David arent exactly a New York power couple. While Jennifers star has risen with her first novels publication, her partner and literary mentor David has struggled in her shadows. When the two get separated on the way to a publishers salon in the suburbs, David is left to fend for himself amongst a collection of oddballs from the margins of the citys intelligentsia. Laura Terrusos comedy features a bevy of inspired cameos including an operatic interlude by Michigan native and polymath performer Joseph Keckler.

The short film "Light Sight" screens before the feature. A happy stick figure is born into a tall tower lined with balls. With practice, he finds he can manipulate the balls to make lights, colors, and sounds. But there is one big ball that lords it over stick boy that he cant reach.

Tickets are $7

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Film: Friday Shorts Program

Watch eight short films beginning at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Tickets are $7 for all eight films.

"The Witching Hour" Family Comedy, Thriller 13 minutes

The only thing scarier than ghosts and goblins to a 12-year-old boy is girls, but this Halloween, George might leave all those fears behind thanks to a cute little witch who lives across the street. A delightfully spooky story of puppy love from first time writer-director Riley Geis.



"Cab Elvis" Documentary | 10 minutes

Hop in a taxi with Seattle cabbie and Elvis-impersonator Dave Groh, who fought the city for the right to share Elviss reservoir of love with his riders. Dave channeled the King a little too zealously, getting addicted to crack and moving to Hawaii for seven years, but eventually returned to Seattle and managed to avoid dying on the throne.



"Uncle Silas" Drama | 15 minutes

The joy of new life comes up against the anger and guilt of addiction when the mother of a newborn is visited by her troubled younger brother. Costars Kevin Kane and Sayra Player give bravura performances that run the gamut of emotions in this heartbreaking short.



"The Good Mother" Comedy, Foreign Language (Spanish) | 6 minutes

This political comedy for the post-2016 era directed by Sarah Clift conjures an alternate reality where demagogic politicians are full of candy instead of crap, as a Mexican madre searches far and wide for the pinata her little nino has his heart set on.

"Nini" Psychological Thriller | 18 minutes

The challenge of doing a heist film without a word of dialogue is only half the fun of this taut, precise short from Spanish director David Moreno. The silence of the film and its characters ends up offering a loud and clear lesson in empathy and human potential.



"Time Is a Place" Fantasy | 8 minutes

I want a dream lover, so I dont have to dream alone, Bobby Darin sang. Tim Nakashis intriguing fantasy-romance literalizes such desires by following two secret lovers through a hyper-lucid slumberland. Its all fun and games until one of them awakens.

"Cul-De-Sac" Psychological Thriller | 15 minutes

A normal party, except everyone seems ready to stab everyone else in the back. A normal couple, except they argue in six languages. A normal home, except theres a bugging device inside babys teddy bear.



"The Robbery" Dark Comedy | 10 minute

Warning: do not smoke crack in the backseat of your Uber. You may be tempted to pull a convenience store robbery to pay for your beloved dogs vet bill, which would be a very bad idea, as Crystal finds out in this brilliant single-take short from Jim Cummings. Appreciate cha!

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Music: Northwoods Improvisers

Northwoods Improvisers perform at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at Electric Kitsch, 917 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Northwoods Improvisers formed in 1976 and have rotated their roster ever since. The current trio is based in Midland and has been performing for more than 30 years, playing avant-garde/world jazz across the globe. Members have performed and recorded with jazz greats  Faruq Z. Bey, Connie Crothers, Eddie Gale, Eugene Chadbourne, Peter Kowald, and several more.

Free

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Film: 'What music do you speak?'

"What music do you speak?"screens at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Sebastien Roger de Nueez, a young French filmmaker whose mother is of Argentinian descent, arrived in Argentina with a small crew and an insatiable curiosity about the countrys musical traditions. As the filmmakers cut a trail from Buenos Aires to Tilcara, they take in the sights and songs of crowded carnivals, intimate cantinas, boisterous rodeos, and indigenous ceremonies. If this sounds like a dry lesson, think again; this is a film whose music you feel, animated by de Nueezs infectious enthusiasm.

Tickets are $7.

The short "Notorious Corn" plays before the film.

"Notorious Corn" Animation, Comedy | 1 Minute

This short resembles a highly condensed Behind the Music special following the brief but bright celebrity career of an ear of corn. Mallory Grolleaus charming minute-long animated short profiles a rock star right out of left field who gets a little too hot.

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Film: 'Kate Can't Swim'

"Kate Can't Swim" shows at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave. in Bay City.

Kate is almost thirty, almost engaged, almost settled in her career as a writerbut is deeply dissatisfied. When Kates best friend Em returns from Paris with a surprising new lover in tow, Kate and her boyfriend spend a weekend in upstate New York with the new couple. As Kate struggles with her suspicions about Ems new lover, dormant feelings about her own life arise, forcing her to decide whether to stay on her current life path or to burn it down and forge a new one.

Tickets are $7.

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Free Workshop: Social Media Charm School

Take a free workshop at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept.29 at the Delta College Planetarium,100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Have a spare couple of hundred thousand dollars laying around to spend on billboards and

commercials promoting your film? Cool, cool. Then this workshop isn't for you. If you *don't*

have unlimited resources, Social Media Charm School is a great place to start in terms of

learning how to use the internet to find, connect with, and charm your potential audience so

that, when you actually finish your film, there'll actually be someone ready to watch it!

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Music: Shawn Butzin

Enjoy an intimate performance by Shawn Butzin at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at Jakes Corner Lounge, 114 Third St. in downtown Bay City.

Hailing from Colorado, Butzins craft is naturally imbued with the free and pensive spirit of the American expanse. Blending folk, Americana, and alt. country reminiscent of Ryan Adams and early Wilco, his songs aptly accompany a glass of whiskey over ice or an afternoon beer.

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Film: '44 pages'

"44 Pages" screens at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave. and at noon, Sunday, Oct. 1 at the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave.

Remember Highlights, that magazine you perused in the dentists waiting room as a child to distract yourself from dread of the cavity drill? Its still going, still a family business, and still based in a stately mansion in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Tony Shaffs doc gives us a ringside seat for the production of the magazines 70th anniversary issue, introducing us to the editorial staff members committed to keeping Highlights relevant and fun in a changing world.

Tickets are $7.

The short film "It Should Be Easy" screens before the film.

"It Should Be Easy" Animation, Comedy | 2 minutes

It's not easy providing tech support for a senior, especially if she's your Mom. In Ben Meinhardt's charming animated short, a put-upon tech worker tries to walk his mother through her computer issues as a sci-fi apocalypse of machines gone wild unfolds in her living room.

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Film: 'Undocument'

"Undocument" screens at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City.

His collection of four short films from the U.K. shows the lengths that refugees of oppressive and war-torn countries go to for a measure of freedom and security. A pregnant woman seeks transit out of Afghanistan; an Iranian family in Greece suffers under a cruel trafficker; an immigrant couple in London is visited by immigration officials; and a court interpreter in London suffers a moral crisis while mediating a hearing that threatens to tear apart a family. Each story hits closer to home than the last in this moving political drama.

Tickets are $7.

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Film: 'Lost in Paris'

Lost in Paris shows at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave. and at noon Saturday, Sept. 30 at the State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave. in Bay City.

Fiona travels to Paris following a letter of distress from her 88-year-old Aunt Martha. Upon arrival she discovers that Martha has disappeared. In an avalanche of spectacular disasters, she encounters Dom, the affable, but annoying tramp who just wont leave her alone. Fiona searches for Martha with Dom a few steps behind in a film full of amazing antics and intricately choreographed slapstick.

Tickets are $7.

The short film "Ouija Sex" will be shown before the feature.

"Ouija Sex"

Dark Comedy | 5 minutes

Ryans so desperate to communicate with his deceased girlfriend that he resorts to a medium, but a Ouija board seance quickly reveals that shes getting a little frisky in the great beyond. Mondo Ghulams mischievous comic short reveals the pleasures and perils of sexting with spirits.

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Filmmaker Reception

Meet the filmmakers of Hell's Half Mile at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave. in Bay City. Enjoy tasty bevvys and yummy appetizers and music from Lightning Licks Vinyl Preservation Society and Detroits Mega Powers.

The filmmaker reception is open to Pass holders only.

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Film: 'The Sounding'

Watch The Sounding at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave. and at noon Sunday, Oct. 1 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave.

When psychologist Michael visits the island home of his mentor Lionel, he meets Lionels daughter, Liv, who is a kind of conscientious objector of verbalism; she hasnt spoken in years, though there appears to be nothing wrong with her. After Lionel succumbs to cancer, Liv finally begins speaking again, but in a surprising, archaic tongue. As he struggles to save Liv, Michael learns that it is she who may save him.

Tickets are $7.

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Film: 'Wexford Plaza'

Watch the film Wexford Plaza at 8:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 and at noon Sunday, Oct. 1 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave.

Betty is a love-starved loner tortured by the indignities of her job as a security guard at an anonymous strip mall. She develops a crush on Danny, who works as a bartender at a failing dive at the mall. The stage is set for love and heartbreak, but thats only half the story; the second half is Dannys very different perspective on the same events. Joyce Wongs tragicomic film brings the Rashomon effect to lower-middle class suburbia, following the struggles of two flawed yet deeply sympathetic characters.

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Film: 'El Revenge'

El Revenge screens at 8:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave.

Caco plans on surprising his girlfriend with a marriage proposal, but instead catches her in the act of cheating on him  worst of all with an Argentinean. Vadao, Cacos best friend, drags him on a revenge trip from Brazil to Argentina. Vadao is in high adventure mode, while Caco is focused on getting his ex-girlfriend back.

Tickets are $7.

The short film Swipe Right will screen before the film.

"Swipe Right" Comedy | 9 minutes

Dating apps offer users new control over their romantic entanglements, but sometimes the best encounters are unplanned. When a hot British guy buys Katie a beer, she quickly forgets the Tinder date who stood her up. Things move fast but don't go entirely as expected in Kendall Goldberg's madcap short.

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Friday Music Event

Dont miss the Friday Music Event at 9 p.m. Friday, Set. 29 at the Empire Room, 1205 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City. The Friday Night Rock Show is not to be missed. One venue. Two stages. Five bands. Performers are Willa Rae & the Minor Arcana, Sidewatcher and PALACES from Detroit and Blanca Luz from Grand Rapids.

Tickets are $8.

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Film: Late Night Shorts Program

For your viewing pleasure, Late Night Shorts Program at 10:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave. in Bay City.

"Alien Grounds" Sci-Fi | 10 minutes

As Rebecca pecks at a typewriter, Jack dictates from his push-button car phone. His story of an encounter on an unknown planet turns real as he runs headlong into his own close encounter.

"The Barber's Cut" Horror Comedy | 12 minutes

Talk about demon barbers! This one's a mad scientist with two reanimated severed heads stashed away in a fridge in his basement. They're none too happy to be separated from their bodies, so they've hatched an escape plan. Hijinks ensue in this horror comedy about a haircutter who takes a little too much off the top.

"Demonoid" 1971 (English Dub) Horror, Comedy | 16 minutes

This recently rediscovered Mexican horror classic tells the story of a group of friends on a camping trip who become possessed by an Aztec demon. It is one of the lesser known films of Juan F. Moctezuma, a reclusive Mexican auteur who mysteriously disappeared shortly after the film's release. Or not  either way it's pretty great.

"Fluffernutter" Satire, Dark Comedy | 9 minutes

Despite the Durkee-Mower company's best efforts to market it as a viable complement to peanut butter, many kids are forbidden by their parents from eating Marshmallow Fluff. Stephen and Clyde are among those kids; in fact, their Mom is a stickler for nutrition. But everything else is a little off in their household.

"The Hobbyist" Thriller | 9 minutes

Mr. Sangstrom has a problem: he wants to murder his wife. And the druggist has a solution: a completely undetectable poison. Yet the sagacious old chemist has a twist in store for Sangstrom that would make Chubby Checker blanch. Director George Vatistas's topsy-turvy morality tale delivers a sly sense of poetic justice.

"How Deep Can I Go?" Music Video | 5 minutes

Let's face it: when you get past the crooning and swooning a lot of love songs are just plain creepy, like in stalker creepy. But then, as this music video proves, even stalkers have their creative (and hilarious!) side.

"Killer Spacemen From Outer Planet X" Sci-fi, Comedy | 17 minutes

A spaceship crew, a faraway planet, an alien race. It sounds like the makings for an episode of The Outer Limits, which is precisely the cheap 1960s sci-fi vibe this spot-on parody is shooting for. Fans of latex-and-foil jumpsuits, hubcap wall hangings, and perfectly cliched dialogue will eat this up.

"Pet Monkey" Comedy, Thriller | 9 minutes

A couple's quiet TV night is disrupted when Terry floats the idea of adopting a pet a little too proximate on the evolutionary ladder. Soon, Gwen is running a gauntlet of banana peels through the hallway. Eric Maira's short is as charming, amusing, and oddly disturbing as one of those old-timey, cymbal-banging monkey toys.

"Tanglewood" Thriller | 14 minutes

Sarah and Zach are not your typical couple. Their home is a makeshift shelter in the woods, their meals consist of reheated dog food, and their days are spent tracking down predators  mostly, the two-legged kind. Love story meets zombie apocalypse in this exquisitely crafted short from Australian helmsman Jordan Prosser.

"Two Guys" Black Comedy | 13 minutes

Two roommates pursue artistry and make increasingly poor decisions.

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Film: 'Stigmatic: 'Our Opioid Crisis'

Stigmatic: Our Opioid Crisis shows at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave.

Those not directly impacted by opioid addiction often find it easy to ignore. In this documentary filmed in Saginaw and Bay City, Garret Morgan shows how deeply addiction has penetrated the heart of middle America. In interviews with recovering addicts as well as those tasked with treating them, the film suggests this scourge can affect nearly anyone, and makes a strong plea for greater attention to a growing national health crisis.

Tickets are $7.

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Film: Michigan Shorts Program

Watch a variety of films during the Michigan Shorts Program at noon Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave.

Tickets are $7.

"The Artist's Statement" Drama | 2 minutes

Sometimes an artist longs to see his work again.



"Blow Job" Animation, Comedy | 4 minutes

Despite the suggestive title, this film from animator Robert Hemlich merely shows that those inflatable dancing noodles outside strip malls (variously known as windymen, sky guys, and breezy geezers) can make for a charmingly innocent little love story. That said, one must admit that they do bear certain phallic properties.



"Goatism" Animation, Experimental | 5 minutes

This short from the Ypsi 24-hour film shootout demonstrates the chaotic inventiveness such beat-the-clock festivals can foster. With a makeup kit full of duct tape mustaches, Ben Armes plays a professor living out his own pepperoni pizza theory of the universe.

"Gut Instinct" Drama, Delta College Digital Film Program | 10 minutes

We never know what might become of our kindness to strangers.

"Liquid Ambition" Action, Comedy | 12 minutes

Fueled by repeated rounds of pints, four friends who've seen one too many Tarantino movies plan a heist and live it out (sort of) from the safety of their barstools. Jeff Hildebrant's short showcases a host of local talent.

"Locked" Psychological Thriller | 5 minutes

The best shorts constantly keep viewers on their toes. This Colchester 60 Hour Challenge entry from writer-director-actors Nick Gascho and Brittany Dunn grabs us with its foreboding opening image of a man locked in a basement and doesn't let go until its final seconds.

"Lowdown, Up Above" Comedy, Drama | 12 minutes

Mike and Jack share a complex rapport that constantly leaves Mike feeling a little shorted. This time Jack may have gone too far, but will Mike have the nerve to confront him? A subtle take on the cruelty concealed within many close friendships.

"One Good Deed" Sci-Fi, Delta College Digital Film Program

Two women left behind after the rapture form an unlikely friendship.

"Red Skies" Horror, Sci-Fi | 9 minutes

This wordless short starts out as a meditation on the quiet melancholy of packing one's belongings for a move. But its nameless main character has more in store than he knows. A sneaky shocker from Michigan auteur Bret Miller.

"Splinter" Drama, Fantasy | 8 minutes

In this film's universe, health care has progressed to the point where even the world's darkest outsiders are cared for. But it ends up that all lives are tenuous  an ill-placed splinter could still kill such a creature  and that on its death bed, such a creature would crave the company of loved ones just like anyone else.

"Trample Tino" Drama | 7 minutes

Training in at any job has its ups and downs, even for a would-be hitman.

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Film: 'Future'

Future screens at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave.

Whats done is done, but not for Doug. Hes a depressed tea store barista visited by a time-traveling nut job who offers him the opportunity to remake his life  all hes got to do is kill someone. Now Doug has three days before his consciousness and physical form cease to exist and his friend from the future wants to make sure he spends his time wackily. The first feature from Detroit filmmakers Rob and Joshua Cousineau, this gonzo sci-fi comedy shows the teams promise.

Tickets are $7.

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Film: 'The Strange Ones'

View The Strange Ones at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Sam is a kid at the edge of adolescence whos on the run with an older boy named Nick. No ones sure what theyre about, least of all us viewers. As they motor across a sparse landscape and hole up in an isolated cabin, the contours of their relationship grow darker, and signs emerge of the violent past theyve left behind. Co-directors Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein infuse this twisted coming-of-age thriller with disquieting mystery and picturesque beauty.

Tickets are $7.

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Daytime Music: High School Sweetheart

Listen to the music of High School Sweethearts at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Electric Kitsch, 917 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Electronic dance-rock at its finest is what this duo presents. From the ashes of Sugar Baron and the Lunar Calendar arise a surfeit of synth melodies paired with lyrics exorcising personal demons, juxtaposing the poppy with the confessional.

Tickets are $7.

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Film: 'Moss'

Moss screens at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave.

Centered on a young man stuck in the North Carolina back country with his single father, this film has all the elements of one of those morality tales of meth, opioid, and/or family abuse, but thats not at all what it turns out to be. Mosss Dad is an artist who carves masterpieces out of driftwood. His best friend is an African-American hippie on a homemade houseboat who smokes and sells a lot of dope but seems to get along just fine. And Mosss big encounter on his 18th birthday involves an older woman who introduces him to magic mushrooms and more in Daniel Peddles trippy, quiet, and beautifully atmospheric drama.

Tickets are $7.

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Saturday Shorts Program

Watch a variety of films during the Saturday Shorts Program at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City.

"The Mess He Made" Drama, LGBT | 10 minutes

Jude's got all of 15 minutes to wait for the results of his rapid HIV test, yet it seems interminable. He smokes a cigarette, buys a few groceries, gets a parking ticket, and takes a couple of phone calls that give us all the insight we need into the title of this taut micro-drama written and directed by Matthew Puccini.



"F" Drama, Comedy | 6 minutes

Zachary Neon is riding high. He's sure that he'll make sales manager by the end of the year, until the company lawyer shows up at his doorstep and informs him that he's been terminated. Zach's reduced to one word indicated by the film's title. Plug the kids' ears for this one.



"Valencia Road" Drama | 7 minutes

A chance encounter between two women, one of them in dire circumstances, serves as a reminder of the difficulty of offering compassion and comfort to those we cannot truly help. Logan George directs this stunning miniature.



"Laps" Drama | 6 minutes

Starting one's day by swimming laps can be tedious and exhausting. Braving a crowded subway car can be equally hard, especially if you're a young woman living in the city with the constant threat of unwanted contact. Charlotte Wells' vignette of a disturbing casual sexual assault is filmed almost entirely in extreme close-ups, making it all the more claustrophobic.



"Like Totally Hot Couple Seeking Same" Comedy | 17 minutes

This amiable little sex comedy from HHM veteran Kirsten Russell plays on intercultural stereotypes as an uptight French couple visits a pair of downtown New York hipsters for an Internet-arranged foursome. After strip quarters and liberal quantities of Jim Beam and PBR, the naked truth emerges.



"For Flint" Documentary | 18 minutes

"Resilient" is a word that comes up often in descriptions of Flint, a city that has faced high crime, industrial decline, and an inexcusable water crisis yet somehow keeps on keeping on. Brian Shulz's documentary highlights Flint's tenacity through the stories of three residents: an artist, a community educator, and a reformed drug dealer.



"Northfound" Drama | 15 minutes

What's the sexiest cartoon animal? That's the sort of silly conversation topic that only comes up between siblings. But in times of need such conversations can be the greatest salve. Dana Shihadah's film shows the healing power of sisterhood when a young woman receives a devastating diagnosis.



"Cake" Comedy | 10 minutes

The robotics revolution opens whole new horizons for kinky sex. In Anne Hu's satirical take on Americans' hyper-sexualization of East Asian culture, Eliza gets a nifty new gizmo to spice up her relationship with Thomas that looks suspiciously like a Japanese dominatrix. But Thomas is a mild-medium sort of guy.



"Le Creuset" Comedy | 8 minutes

"What's the fun of sneaking around without sneaking around?" Michelle asks Dave. Dave thinks he's getting away with something with Michelle's friend Jennifer, but Michelle's hiding Jennifer's husband Hank in the bedroom. Then there's the babysitter, and the mailman, and  if this sounds fun to you, take a number.

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Daytime Music: Sorry Hunny

Sorry Hunny plays during the Daytime Music program at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Jakes Corner Lounge, 114 Third St. in Bay City.

This all-woman quintet brings a ramshackle, devil-may-care energy to their fusion of folk and Celtic punk. An early evening cocktail isnt necessary to enjoy the set, but it couldnt hurt to have one in-hand to toast these lasses as they belt out last call sing-alongs, bar fight anthems, broken-hearted lullabies, and foot-stomping jigs.

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Festival Happy Hour

Good times at Festival Happy Hour at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Studio 23, 901 N. Water St. in downtown Bay City.

Take a short break between films and music and enjoy some social time with other festival-goers and filmmakers. More music from Lightning Licks Vinyl Preservation Society. More tasty bevvys and more yummy appetizers! All of this in the awesome Studio 23 gallery space. Plus, join us for the Crowdfunding Rally, where documentary filmmakers will make a LIVE PITCH to the audience on their next projects during the reception.

Open to Pass holders only

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Film: 'Sundowners'

Watch the film Sundowners at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City. A second screening is held at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave.

Phils a small-time videographer in a cold, flat town in the Midwest. When his boss sends him to shoot a swanky wedding in Mexico, Phil takes his pal Justin along to do the still photography (never mind that Justins barely ever picked up a camera). Pavan Moondis follow-up to 2015 HHM selection Diamond Tongues begins as a quirky comedy and evolves into a meditation on the feelings of mortality that come in the wake of lifes peak experiences.

Tickets are $7.

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Film: 'Teenage Love Bomb'

Teenage Love Bomb screens at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Thomas is a typical teenager in his Danish town. He likes to ride his bike and horse around with his kid brother. He has a crush on Vikki, the bad girl at school, and a secret admiration for her gang of toughs. One other thing: Thomas makes bombs. When he marshals his skills to impress Vikki and win the gangs friendship, Thomas soon finds hes in too deep. Mads Erichsens drama shows how adolescent issues of love, sex, and status can turn literally explosive.

Tickets are $7.

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Film: 'Bark'

Watch the film Bark at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave. A second screening takes place at 4:40 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1 at the Delta College Planetarium. 100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City.

After the sudden loss of a family member, three suburban siblings struggle to move forward. This sparsely scripted film is occasionally (and oddly) narrated by the family dog, Leadbelly, challenging us to make sense of its tragic circumstances along with its central characters. A stylish, intelligent, surprising debut from Anna Nilles and Marco Jake.

Tickets are $7.

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Film: 'Quality Problems'

Quality Problems screens at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Bailey certainly can be forgiven a little road rage. Shes got an 8-year-olds birthday party to prep for, an Alzheimers-afflicted father wandering somewhere around town, and a recurrent cancer in her left boob that requires immediate surgery. But with the help of good friends, her loving partner Drew, and a sense of humor as big as all outdoors she just might make it through the day. This heartwarming comedy from wife-and-husband team Brooke and Doug Purdy shows how adversity can be faced down with an appropriate arsenal of fart noises.

Tickets are $7.

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Film: 'Peacemaker'

The Peacemaker shows at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City.

In the early 1970s Padraig OMalley ran a bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while nursing an alcohol problem. During his recovery process, OMalley became obsessed with international diplomacy; if war is a kind of addiction, he thought, perhaps peace could be accomplished by similar means to recovery from other addictions. Since then OMalley has been instrumental in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, South Africa, and elsewhere. James Demos stunning documentary captures OMalley late in his career, as he surveys his accomplishments and struggles to accept his own limits.

Tickets are $7.

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Saturday Music Event

Saturday Music Event at 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 614 Center Ave. in Bay City.

Its time to rock. One. More. Time. Saturday night at the Scottish Rite. Performances by Atlantas Gringo Star, The Kickback from Chicago, Lipstick Jodi from Grand Rapids, and Bay Citys own Strange Lakes.

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Hell's Half Mile Run

Take a break from music and movies and join the3rd annual Run Hells Half Mile Sunday, Oct. 1. Registration is held from 8:45-9:45 a.m. at the corner of Water and First Streets in downtown Bay City. The half mile run begins at 10 a.m., the route is through Bay Citys Hells Half Mile on Water Street.

Registration is $12 and includes a 0.5 decal, two Sunday film tickets and one drink ticket for Tavern 101. Register online at www.hhmfest.com/run or the day of the race. After the race, enjoy a snack and a short award ceremony in the parking lot of the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave. Prizes for the top 3 female and male runners.

Runners are encouraged to dress as lumberjacks or saloon girls to celebrate the history of Bay Citys Historic Hells Half Mile.

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Film: 'The Crest'

Wind down the weekend with the film The Crest art 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1 at the State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Two descendants of an Irish king journey to the island where he once presided  not to reclaim the land, but to surf the waves. Mark Covino captures the surprising, scenic, and brave adventures of a family estranged by time and distance, but united by a peculiar devotion to the dangers of the sea.

Tickets are $7.

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Sunday Shorts Program

Check out more short films during the Sunday Shorts Program at 2 p.m. Sunday, oct. 1 at the Delta College Planetarium, 100 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City.

"Compatibility" Romance, Technology | 14 minutes

Big data has revolutionized the way we decide what movies to watch, what restaurants to eat at, and what mouthwash to buy  why not our romantic partners? In Jack Marchetti's short, a Facebook engineer uses profile data to create a hyper-accurate predictive model of romantic compatibility. But will he release it on the world?



"Spoetnik" Comedy, Foreign Language (Dutch, French) | 11 minutes

A spoetnik, it seems, is a kabob-like skewer of meatballs and onions originating in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. It is also a not-so-subtle phallic symbol in this quirky comedy from Dutch director Noel Loozen, in which a young food truck worker and a prostitute find love in the shadow of an isolated brothel.



"Shakes" Drama | 12 minutes

Jude suffers from a strange affliction in which he feels the entire world shaking. Jude's neighbor Kenny is just as cut off from the world as he is. Jason Fitzgerald's film follows two characters with nothing in common except their own isolation who, in coming together, help to make each other feel a little less lonely.



"Greetings From Kropsdam" Black Comedy, Foreign Language (Dutch) | 24 minutes

Lammert is a mild-mannered farmer who breeds pigeons and leads a simple life, until he makes the mistake of accepting a piece of cake at a forum held by a wind turbine company. Soon the NIMBY locals turn on Lammert like a mob at the gates of Dr. Frankenstein. A dry-witted lesson in scapegoating from Dutch director Joren Molter.



"Linea" Dark Comedy, Romance | 15 minutes

This voiceover-driven romantic comedy has a little bit of an Annie Hall vibe, except that the protagonist is a secretly murderous wallflower, the love interest is a cocaine-addled party girl, and the ending, strangely enough, is a lot happier. Twenty-five-year-old wunderkind Will Cuddy directs.



"Windowless" Psychological Thriller, Foreign Language (Spanish) | 7 minutes

This searing vignette from Spanish filmmaker Amanda Alvarez Diaz presents two women trapped in the windowless basement of their abductor. When an opportunity to escape presents itself, we are forced to fathom the tragedy of those enslaved so long that they can hardly imagine freedom.



"Off Track Betty" Drama, 19 minutes

The off-track betting parlor was a fixture of New York street life in the 1970s. There's a shell of one right downstairs from the dilapidated Lower East Side walkup that Betty has called home since the OTB's heyday. She stalks the gentrified neighborhood like a ghost, until an unexpected visitor brings memories rushing back.



"The Candidate" Comedy | 6 minutes

Jenna and Anne are auditioning another candidate. Their expectations are a little high but this guy appears to have it all. The nature and outcome of the interview are best left unspoiled in this hilarious, spot-on short directed by Michael Hilf.

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Daytime Music: Kostka

Daytime Music: Kostka performs at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1 at Tavern 101, 101 Center Ave. in downtown Bay City.

This local troubadour has built sizable grassroots rep in recent years, criss-crossing the country with his emotive brand of acoustic indie rock. On the final day of HHM 12, hes bringing his evocative tunes to you for a matinee show at Tavern 101. Grab yourself a Bloody Mary and soak it in.

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Film: 'Big Bear'

Wrap up the 12th annual Hell's Half Mile Film and Music Festival with "Big Bear" at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1 State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City.

Joes buddies have set the stage for a gonzo bachelor party with a cabin in the mountains and plenty of beer, but Joe arrives with the ultimate buzzkill: his fiancee has dumped him for another dude. To cheer him up, Joes posse gets the bright idea of kidnapping the dude and tying him up in the basement. It has all the makings of a disaster, till Joe and the dude form the unlikeliest friendship ever in this bright comedy from Joey Kern.

Tickets are $7.
BAY CITY, MI -- A 46-year-old mother police say was exceptionally intoxicated when she tried driving her two young daughters home from the Bay City Fireworks Festival has accepted a plea deal.

Rosemary Olivarez on Sept. 13 appeared in Bay County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to one count of second-offense child endangerment-operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with an occupant younger than 16. Normally a one-year misdemeanor, the second-offense enhancement increases the maximum potential penalty to five years' imprisonment.

However, the plea agreement states prosecutors are recommending Olivarez not receive prison time on her initial sentence.

In exchange for her plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a second count of the charge she pleaded to, as well as charges of driving while license suspended, denied, or revoked, driving an unregistered vehicle, and driving with improper plates.

Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran is to sentence Olivarez at 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 23.

Police reports contained in court files state that about 10:55 p.m. on Friday, June 30, officers at the corner of Ridge and Oxford roads in Hampton Township saw a black 2006 Chevrolet Impala heading east on Ridge with its rear taillights out. Police followed the car and pulled it over in front of Huntington Place Apartments.

Officers contacted the driver, identified as Olivarez. After fumbling through her glove box for a few minutes, Olivarez told the officers she did not have her license, registration, or proof of insurance.

As they spoke with her, officers smelled intoxicants and noticed her eyes were watery and bloodshot, they wrote in their reports. They asked Olivarez to step from the car and had her perform field sobriety tests, which she performed poorly on.

Olivarez submitted to a preliminary Breathalyzer test, which indicated her blood alcohol level was at 0.21. In Michigan, a person is legally intoxicated when his or her blood alcohol level hits 0.08; a person is considered super drunk at 0.17.

Police arrested Olivarez. Passengers in the car included Olivarez's 9- and 11-year-old daughters, her two adult sons, and a 28-year-old man who told police he had just met Olivarez at the fireworks show and was getting a ride home from her.

In the Bay County Jail, Olivarez twice submitted to a Datamaster alcohol test. The first test at 11:46 p.m. yielded a result of 0.20; the second, a result of 0.21 at 11:49 p.m., court records show.

Olivarez was never charged with being super drunk, however.

Police also later determined the license plate on the Impala was improper, as it should have been on a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox, court records state.
BAY CITY, MI -- Organizers of the annual River of Time living history encampment in Bay City say they are going to "take a long, hard look" at including German soldiers for future events after a social media firestorm over a photo showing re-enactors posing with a Nazi flag.

The photo, published on Facebook by the husband of Bay City resident Sandra Rogers, shows four re-enactors in German soldier regalia smiling while holding the Nazi flag. The Facebook post drew more than 100 comments, many calling it "sickening" and "disgusting."

"If you're going to include Nazis in this event, where are the rest of the enemies?" Rogers asked. "Where's the line going to be drawn?

"They had no business being there."

The Nazi re-enactors, who were sanctioned by organizers, have participated in River of Time for the past three years. Organizers asked the re-enactors to not display World War II-era German flags that feature Nazi symbols, like the swastika, at their camps.

"Unfortunately, that didn't happen," said Mike Bacigalupo, director of the Bay County Historical Society. "When our committee was walking around, they never saw this and I never saw this, but that photo is now out there.

"I'm going to need to take a long, hard look at this and make sure we are vetting people and making them understand that they need to be very sensitive -- especially because of what's going on in the country right now."

Steve Cook, who goes by the character name of Heinrich Hoffmann, mans the guard shack as a member of the German Waffen-SS during the annual River of Time event at Veterans Park on the Saginaw River in Bay City on Sept. 23, 2017.

The German soldier re-enactors at this year's event are part of the 9th SS Hohenstaufen Living History Group, which is based out of Metro Detroit.

Steve Cook, a re-enanctor with the group, said the photo features newer members of the group who were being "foolish" and not following its mission of educating the public in an appropriate way. He added the flag in the photo was given to them by a spectator at the event, who wanted to take a photo of the group holding it.

He said the photo in question was taken following a World War II skirmish that took place Sunday afternoon, Sept. 24, at the event. It was the first WWII skirmish to take place at River of Time. The photo shows a woman, who Hoffmann said was the mother of one of the men, taking a picture on her smartphone of the group.

"We're going to put the message out a little harder to those guys that they need to be respectful of the public," said Cook, who has a decade's worth of experience as a German soldier re-enactor.

"Had I seen that photo happening, I would have stopped it and made them aware, but I didn't see it," he said.

Cook stressed that his group is strictly a re-enactment group and not a political group or para-military organization. According to the re-enactment group's webpage, its goal is to "promote awareness and understanding on the part of the public, those elements of world history from 1939-1945; specifically the military history of WWII, through the staging of public educational exhibitions, lectures, displays and reenactmentsof typical battles fought between the Allied and Axis forces in WWII."

Still, members of the community say the photo poses an opportunity for River of Time organizers to rethink what they want to include at future events.

"I think there are some parts of history that we can overlook for this event," said C.J. Miller, a Bay City resident who has documented the River of Time on his Facebook page. "I think it's time to move on from the hatred and bigotry and move on. We need to move past that."

Rogers questioned why other groups weren't represented at River of Time.

"If we're going to have Nazis, where are the Viet Cong? Maybe we should bring in ISIS or the Taliban," she said. "River of Time needs to go back to being about education on American and Michigan wars."

Jan Rau, chairperson of the event, said the German group was invited three years ago to participate in River of Time when they re-enacted as World War I soldiers.

"They'll switch who they are portraying to stay fresh and offer something new," Rau said. "That's very common of re-enactors."

German prisoners of war were also held in Bay County and the region, Rau said. The site of MBS International Airport in Freeland was a site for POWs. The German soldiers were also used to work the fields in Bay County's Frankenlust Township, Rau said.

"It's not like there's no local connection if you're looking at the whole picture," she said.

Rau said this year's event wasn't as well attended as in year's past, attributing the drop to record-setting heat over the weekend.

About 1,900 school children participated in an education event on Friday, Sept. 22.

Bacigalupo said his committee will learn from this year's event and use the feedback for future events. A committee meeting is scheduled for next month.

"You can't change history," he said. "This is an important event in Bay City that needs to continue."
BAY CITY, MI -- A swingers party gone awry has led to a woman facing three felonies.

Bay County Sheriff's deputies at about 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, responded to an assault complaint in the 100 block of Walter Court, within Bangor Township's Bangor Downs housing community. The caller told dispatchers a woman was trying to run people over with a motor vehicle.

Deputies arrived to see a red or maroon Dodge Caravan in front of a residence and 28-year-old Amber K. Schomaker trying to enter the home with a screwdriver in her hand. Also outside was her 33-year-old husband, who was bleeding from a wound to his forehead, court records show.

The 26-year-old female resident who called 911 told deputies she and her 31-year-old fiance had the Schomakers over for a swingers party. According to police, Amber Schomaker was downstairs with the female resident's fiance and her husband was upstairs with the female resident.

When the pair upstairs came down, Amber Schomaker slapped her husband and went outside. The other three people followed her, only to see her get in her minivan and drive toward them. The minivan went over the curb, onto the sidewalk, and toward the porch where her husband and their hosts were standing, the woman told police.

Both men had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit, the woman told deputies.

Amber Schomaker drove away, but came back a few minutes later and resumed a physical altercation with her husband.

The male resident and Amber Schomaker's husband gave similar accounts as to what had transpired. The husband said his wife attacked him because she was jealous.

The husband had a deep cut to his forehead, bloody scratch marks on his right shoulder, a bite mark on his left shoulder, and was bleeding from his mouth, court records show. Amber Schomaker had a scratch down the middle of her back and a swollen right cheek.

Amber Schomaker, who appeared to be intoxicated, told police she had the screwdriver to start the minivan. She said she had consumed up to a half-fifth of vodka within the previous two hours.

Deputies at 11:05 p.m. administered a preliminary Breathalyzer test to Amber Schomaker, the results of which indicated her blood alcohol level was 0.156. In Michigan, a person is legally intoxicated when his or her blood alcohol level hits 0.08.

Deputies arrested both Schomakers. The husband was arrested for violating a personal protection order listing his wife as the protected party.

While en route to the Bay County Jail, Amber Schomaker threatened to sue the deputies for false arrest. She also added she hoped one deputy's wife was cheating on him.

"While in intake, Amber continued to be rude and agitated toward jail staff by kicking the doors, yelling, and taking her clothes off," a deputy wrote in his report.

Once in the jail, Schomaker would not submit to another breath test without her attorney present. Deputies soon acquired a search warrant for Schomaker's blood and transported her to McLaren Bay Region hospital for the draw, the results of which were not contained in court files.

Amber Schomaker on Friday, Sept. 22, appeared in Bay County District Court for arraignment on three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon -- a four-year felony -- and single counts of domestic violence and second-offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. The arraigning judge set her bond at $35,000 cash-surety.

She is to appear for a preliminary examination at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12.
Update: Wayne County Airport Authority spokesman Brian Lassaline issued the following statement about the residue Tuesday:

Our team is aware of the situation and is working with customers whose vehicles may have been affected. The issue was caused from condenser water drift from a nearby powerhouse cooling tower. The material is water and a thin scale of calcium and magnesium salts naturally occurring in potable water. Recent high temperatures and unfavorable winds caused the drift to land on some nearby vehicles in the airport's Blue Deck parking structure. The airport has a project underway to help correct the issue and is assisting customers who may have been affected.

After a quick weekend trip to see a heavy metal concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, an Albion couple returned to Detroit Metro Airport to find their car "caked" with a sticky, unidentified white residue.

John Ridge, 53, and his wife parked on the sixth level of the airport's Blue Deck parking garage about 5 p.m. Friday and returned to their vehicle about 1 a.m. Monday.

"I literally had to get out an ice scraper to remove the substance from my windshield so I could drive home," said Ridge. "Every car that was on the upper level ... had the same substance on them.

"I'm mystified as to what this substance actually was."

All of the other vehicles nearby Ridge's had also been affected, he said.

Despite scrubbing his car with water and other cleaners, the mystery coating with a white tint remains on the exterior of his metallic gray 2011 Mazda 3, Ridge said.

Ridge filed reports with the company that runs the garage and Detroit Metro Airport police.

Initially, a parking garage manager told Ridge he'd have to file a report with his local police department, but when he tried that, he was referred back to the airport.

Ridge made the nearly 160-mile round trip back to the airport Monday.

He hopes his insurance will cover any damage or costs and plans to take his vehicle in for a professional cleaning Tuesday.

MLive left messages for representatives of Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus about 5 p.m. Monday requesting comment.
METAMORA, MI - The family of Michigan State Police Trooper Timothy O'Neill has released a statement ahead of funeral services set for Tuesday, Sept. 26, in Auburn Hills

O'Neill, 28, a Metamora native, died Wednesday, Sept. 20, after the motorcycle he was driving while on duty collided with a pickup truck at Wolverine Boulevard NE and Belding Road in the Grand Rapids area.

"On behalf of Tim's entire family, we would like to thank the citizens of the state of Michigan and across the country for their support during this tragedy," reads the statement. "This loss of our son, brother, grandson, fiance, friend and state trooper is great sorrow for us all."

The family expresses their "gratitude to the Michigan State Police, the Michigan State Police Troopers Association and the Athens Clark County Police Department in Georgia for the overwhelming care they have shown all of us."

Brian O'Neill, Timothy's twin brother, is a police officer with the Georgia police department where a fellow officer set up a GoFundMe page to assist Carli Hicks, Timothy's fiancee, who he was scheduled to wed Oct. 7, and the O'Neill family.

A 2007 Lapeer East High School graduate and Western Michigan University alum, Timothy O'Neill enlisted with the Michigan State Police in January 2014 and was part of the 126th Trooper Recruit School graduation class.

He served at the state police Rockford Post his entire career.

"The troopers have provided 24/7 care and attention, as well as meals, housing and transportation," notes the family's statement. "We cannot express in words how much their love and concern has meant to us."

Gov. Rick Snyder has ordered Michigan and U.S. flags across the state to be flown at half-staff in honor of Timothy O'Neill.

"He gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to all Michiganders and will be deeply missed," said Snyder in a statement. "I send my heartfelt condolences to Tpr. O'Neill's family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time."

The O'Neill family called this a "very difficult time" for them, but they added "knowing we have care and compassion from people around the nation brings us comfort in our pain.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the other families impacted by tragedies across the country. Our hearts also go out to the families of other recently fallen officers. You are not alone. May we share this burden together."

The funeral service for Timothy O'Neill will take place at 11 a.m. Sept. 26, at Apostolic Church of Auburn Hills, 3655 Squirrel Road.

Squirrel Road is scheduled to be closed from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, from Tienken Road to Dutton Road in Auburn Hills for the funeral.
FLINT, MI -- The Flint Islamic Center, located at 9447 Corunna Road, hosted a fundraiser on Friday, Sept. 22, following weekly congregational prayers, for hurricane victims in Houston, Florida and Puerto Rico. The response was instantaneous, and in a span of 15 minutes the community raised well over $10,000 for hurricane victims.

The representative from Islamic Relief, Yousef Abdullah, began by reminding the audience that they had just begun the Islamic New Year, which is dated from the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca - where Muslims were facing persecution - to Medina, a diverse community where he established an example of caring for fellow citizens, regardless of religion, race or place of origin.

Shona Siddiqui, Outreach Coordinator for the Islamic Center, said, "Our prayers have been going out to the victims since the beginning, and we believe those have power. But we also need to open our pockets and share the resources God has given to us for exactly that purpose."

Islamic Relief USA, one of 40 charitable organizations recommended by Charity Navigator and featured in USA Today, will be distributing aid from the funds raised to those still suffering in the affected areas. "It's important to us that our contributions go to help those in need, and we've seen this organization doing valuable work for 25 years," Siddiqui said. "People have lost so much, and no amount of charity can make everything as it was. But we will do what we can to help victims get through the worst, and begin to build their futures again."
AUBURN HILLS, MI - Family, friends and law enforcement from across Michigan and the country paid their respects to fallen Michigan State Police Trooper Timothy J. O'Neill Tuesday.

Police from agencies in Florida, North Carolina, Indiana and many other states were seen arriving to attend the funeral for O'Neill.

Gov. Rick Snyder and Michigan State Police Commander Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue made were set to make remarks at funeral at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

O'Neill was a 2007 graduate of Lapeer East High Schooland also graduated from Western Michigan University.

He was part of the 126th Trooper Recruit School and joined the Michigan State Police in 2014.

O'Neill was on duty on Sept. 20 when the motorcycle he was driving collided with a pickup truck at Wolverine Boulevard NE and Belding Road in the Grand Rapids area.

He served at the state police Rockford Post his entire career.

"On behalf of Tim's entire family, we would like to thank the citizens of the state of Michigan and across the country for their support during this tragedy," the family said in a statement through the Michigan State Police. "This has been a very difficult time for our family, but knowing we have care and compassion from people around the nation brings us comfort in our pain."

O'Neill was set to be married Oct. 7, according to the Michigan State Police.

Timothy O'Neill is survived by his parents, brother, sister and fiance.

He also loved animals, had a great sense of humor and enjoyed spending time with his family and friends and making them laugh, according to the program for his memorial service.
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Pursuant to Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, we are submitting herewith the details regarding the proceedings of the 26th Annual General Meeting of the Company held on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 10.00 a.m. at Victoria Memorial School, Opp. Tardeo A.C. Market, Tardeo Road, Mumbai 400 034.Source : BSE

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The proposed flight services of Air Odisha under the much-trumpeted UDAN scheme have run into rough weather with as many as eight airports across three states not ready for operations.

Besides, the Bhubaneswar-based air charter firm is awaiting the scheduled commuter operator's (SCO) permit from the aviation regulator DGCA, which will allow it to launch services on the designated routes under the scheme, a source in the know of things said.

"Eight of the 26 airports from where we have to launch regional flights under the UDAN scheme are ready for operations as some work is still going on.

"Besides, we have been waiting for our SCO permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. We are hopeful of getting it within this month. But even then, we will not be in a position to launch services at least before November due to the airport issues," the source said.

Air Odisha is one of the five air operators who won bids for flying on 128 routes connecting 70 airports under the Government's Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme, which seeks to provide air connectivity to the unserved airports as well as enhance flight operations to under served airports.

Unserved airports are the one where there is no flight whereas the underserved airports have been categorised as the ones which have three or less flights per week.

Under the scheme, the operators were given six months time to commence operations.

The source said that while four airports in Odisha -- Utkela, Jharsuguda, Utkela and Rourkela -- are yet to be functional, the work on one each in Gujarat (Meethapur in Dwarka district), Neyveli in Tamil Nadu, Bilaspur and Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh have also not been completed.

"Since we are providing network connectivity, we can't launch operations unless all airports in the network are functional. And even if we start flights, it will not be economically viable," the source said.

"We are also facing slot issue at Delhi airport, from where we have to fly to destinations such as Gwalior, Kanpur, Lucknow, Dehradun and Gorakhpur. We have been told that we could get some slots, but only in the winter schedule," the source said.

The winter schedule of the airlines in India starts from the last Saturday of October every year.

According to the source, Air Odisha has already tied for seven 19-seater Beechcraft 1900D for operations from a South Africa-based lessor and one of them has already arrived in India.

"Five of the seven aircraft will be kept for flying, while the rest two will be on standby. We have already hired 25 expat commanders and 25 first officers and these pilots are currently undergoing training," the source said.
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A Chinese bus making company walked away winning two prized contracts of supplying fully electric buses in two different states where Indian companies like Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland had keenly bid.

BYD Auto Industry, headquartered in Shaanxi, China will supply 25 fully built electric buses to Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) as well as six buses to the state-owned transport service BEST in Mumbai.

These eBuzz K7 buses, which cost Rs 2 crore each, are 9 meters long and can seat up to 25 passengers. Their Lithium-ion phosphate-run batteries have a range of 144 miles (230 kms) on a single charge and a top-speed of nearly 90 kms per hour, as per figures announced by the company.

With zero tail-pipe emissions these BYD buses will run on routes that are 13,000 feet above sea level coupled with steep gradients. The buses have been certified by the Automotive Research Association of India, the apex homologation-providing body. The

Anand Swaroop, Chief Operating Officer Goldstone Infratech, said, BYD present are globally in USA, Europe, Australia, Far East. They have more than 30,000 buses running globally. These buses are manufactured in India at Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Goldstone-BYD fully-electric bus

Market leaders in buses Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland along with Mahindra & Mahindra had made independent bids for the prestigious HRTC contract. It was the countrys first large electric bus supply order where companies tried to demonstrate technological capabilities.

Tata Motors, which is believed to have made bids for the BEST contract as well, had a few electric buses running on a test basis on the ecologically fragile Manali-Rohtang route in Himachal Pradesh.

Secunderabad-based, Goldstone Infratech, a leading manufacturer of rubber polymer composite insulators, has partnered BYD to manufacture these buses in India. Deliveries to HRTC started in August this year.

We have not heard anything from the HP government since the past five months, a senior Tata Motors official said while talking to Moneycontrol.

In April this year a 9-meter bus from Tata Motors, with a seating capacity of 31, was piloted on the Parwanoo-Kalka route with the round-trip distance of 160km with no charging en-route. The state government decided to increase the bus order to 75 buses from the initial 25.

BYD-Goldstone is bidding for similar contracts in Chandigarh while testing in going on in Bengaluru, Pune and Delhi. Indian companies are making a bid for contracts in the same markets.
Banks can no longer hold more than a 10 percent stake in a deposit taking non-banking finance company, with the exception of lenders owning equity in housing finance companies, and also regulated their commodity derivatives play, according to a Reserve Bank of India circular.

In amendments to the Master Direction - Reserve Bank of India (Financial Services provided by banks) Directions, 2016, the central bank said banks should not invest more than 10 percent of the unit capital of a real estate investment trust (ReIT) or an infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) subject to overall ceiling of 20 percent of its net worth.

The master directions first issued in May last year did not provide for investments in the ReITs and InvITs, both newly introduced instruments.

Banks will not be allowed to hold more than 10 percent of the paid up capital of a company, not being its subsidiary and engaged in non-financial services or 10 percent of the banks paid up capital and reserves, whichever is lower.

The RBI will also not allow holding more than 20 percent stake through the banks subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures or entities directly or indirectly controlled by the bank; and mutual funds managed by Asset Management Companies (AMCs) controlled by the bank.

RBI notified that banks investing in such firms must have a minimum regulatory capital. Here, the capital computation must also include the so-called capital conservation buffer (CCB).

Earlier, the RBI had mandated at least 10 percent capital adequacy ratio and there was no mention of CCB.

Similarly, banks looking to undertake insurance and pension fund management business must also have minimum prescribed capital. Before this circular, RBI had mandated 10 percent capital adequacy of ratio for banks post such investments. Banks must have minimum total capital including CCB, of 10.875 percent by March 2018.

Commodity derivatives

The banking regulator also barred banks from investing in category III alternative investment funds (AIFs), specified norms for their participation in commodity derivatives clearing.

Category III AIFs employ complex trading strategies sometimes on borrowed money, while category II funds do not use leverage other than to meet daily requirements. category I AIFs invest in start-up ventures, SMEs and other sectors preferred by the government or regulators.

Banks may invest as much as 10 percent in the paid-up capital/unit capital in category I and II funds, but cannot invest in category III funds. So far, there was no specific rule on investing in AIFs.

No bank shall (make) investment of more than 10 percent of the paid-up capital/unit capital in a category I/ category II alternative investment fund, said an updated master circular on financial services offered by banks.

The central bank also said banks wishing to undertake commodities derivatives clearing must set up a separate subsidiary for the purpose and adhere to membership criteria of stock exchanges and Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) regulations.

For this, banks must set up internal risk control measures and take board approvals to decide the extent to which they can fulfil pay-in obligations arising out of trades executed by clients and set prudential norms on risk exposure, among others.

The bank shall not undertake trading in the derivative segment of the commodity exchange on its own account and shall restrict itself only to clearing and settlement transactions done by the trading members/clients on the exchange, said the RBI circular.

(With agency inputs.)
Anil Ambani, chairman of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, arrives at the Elysee Palace to attend a meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris, France, February 21, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer - RTSZNY9

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Anil Ambani today said Reliance Infrastructure is in talks with some Japanese firms to participate in the Rs 1-trillion worth of defence projects on the anvil and is also planning a rights issue for Reliance Naval & Engineering. "We are deeply engaged and involved with a number of Japanese companies through joint ventures and we will participate in this ambitious Rs 1 trillion

"We are deeply engaged and involved with a number of Japanese companies through joint ventures and we will participate in this ambitious Rs 1 trillion crore worth of defence projects," Ambani, the chairman of the Reliance Group said while addressing the shareholders at the Annual General Meet (AGM) of RInfra.

He also said the group's defence vertical Reliance Naval & Engineering will soon come out with a rights issue which will help the promoters to increase stake in the company to 36 percent.

Noting that the group is focusing on the defence sector even though there is a lot of competition, he said "government is shortly going to award contract for six submarines worth Rs 50,000 crore. With the acquisition of Pipavav, we are one of the only two companies strategically positioned to participate in this programme in the country."

Regarding the mandatory requirement for change of ownership in case of Reliance Naval and Engineering, he said the company has achieved its 31 percent share-holding.

"We've the ability to increase our shareholding to 36 percent, which we will be able to go through this rights issue," Ambani said.

He further said the company has a joint venture with the leading material and aerostructure composite company in France-based Daher which supplies 50 percent of composite material to Boeing and Airbus.

"They will be moving all their facilities to India and India will be an exporter to Boeing and Airbus of very sensitive composite parts and materials," he said without elaborating.

On the opportunities on its EPC business, he said the company has been short-listed as bidder for Bandra-Versova Sea Link, the coastal road project in the city, and we also have LoIs for metro orders. Besides, it has also been qualified for the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway project.

Ambani further said RInfra is looking at rooftop solar power installations on Mumbai MetroOne and customers in the megapolis.

"Commercially viable solutions have to be found, which do not impact quality of our service to our consumers," he added.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said CSR spending by large corporates could go up to Rs 14,000 crore, supporting significantly the government's social sector initiatives.

When Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) clause was put in the Companies Bill, there was opposition from the corporates, the minister said.

So, some provisions were diluted and a few dispensations were given for special reasons, he said while recalling his days as leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha when the Companies Bill was before the House.

"Now, over the last three to four years that we have seen it function...if you look at India's large corporates with a profitability of Rs 500 crore and above, you have a potential of about Rs 14,000 crore of CSR activities," he said at a CSR event of Axis Bank.

This makes a significant amount if added to the government's initiative towards social sector, he said, adding that this is the amount which is going to increase annually.

He exhorted companies to take up challenging areas for spending their CSR fund.

Citing some of the examples, Jaitley said corporates can take up jobs in difficult terrain.

Appreciating efforts of Axis Bank, he said, upgradation of 100 schools in Leh, Kargil region by the bank will help promote education in this area.

"Education is one area you can see feedback coming in the medium term itself. You don't have to wait for generations before the advantages come back," he said.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

The Karnataka government launched 'Vision-2025' project aimed at evolving a draft policy for development of the state in next seven years by seeking the opinion of the public.

Under the project, the government would seek public opinion on how they want their dream state to be in the next seven years, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.

Officials will collect the required information after discussing with public representatives and the general public. They will then bring out a draft vision policy for the year 2025, portions of which would be incorporated in the manifesto of ruling Congress.

Launching the website 'www.navakarnataka2025.in', the chief minister said, "This vision document will help us decide the manifesto of our party. We will also incorporate portions of the vision document in our manifesto. This document will be an echo of the public voice. It will be our motto and commitment".

Executive officer of the project, Renuka Chidambaram, and other officials will tour various parts of the southern state for three months starting from next month and speak to the masses and experts to gather public opinion to build a state of their dream, he said.

Siddaramaiah stated that the various measures taken by the government in the past four-and-half years and how he was able to fulfil most of the promises will be included in the manifesto.

"Today I can tell you with confidence that no one goes to the bed hungry in the state as we are providing 7 kg rice to each family free of cost.

"We have started mid-day meal programme and free milk distribution programme to counter malnutrition. Despite a drought situation for six successive years, migration in the drought-prone areas were almost nil because of the measures taken by the government," the chief minister said.

Siddaramaiah also told the gathering about the steps taken to improve the agriculture sector under the 'Krishi Bhagya' scheme.

He said the NITI Ayog had lauded the online auctioning of agriculture produce that helped many farmers.

Karnatataka will face the Assembly elections early next year.
NEW DELHI, INDIA - APRIL 10: (Editor's Note: This is an exclusive shoot of Mint) NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog member Vivek Debroy during an exclusive interview, on April 10, 2015 in New Delhi, India.

Moneycontrol News

The government on Monday reconstituted the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) to guide the Prime Minister on various economic issues and appointed economist Bibek Debroy as its Chairman.

Ever since the NDA had come to power in 2014 and former RBI governor C Rangarajan resigned as Chairman the same year, the Council was lying defunct.

PM Modi has set up the panel as the economy faces resistance prompting many economists to revise down estimates for the fiscal year ending in March 2018.

The five-member council consists of economists of high repute and eminence, a government release said.

Heres some background on economist Bibek Debroy, the newly-appointed Chairman:

# Debroy hails from Kolkata and he studied at Ramakrishna Mission, Narendrapur. He went on to complete his graduation in economics from Presidency College, Kolkata.

# He pursued his higher studies at the Delhi School of Economics, followed by Trinity College Cambridge.

# Commencing his career as an academic, Debroy taught at Presidency College, Kolkata from (1979-83), then followed by the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune (1983-87), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Delhi (1987-93), National Council of Applied Economic Research (Delhi) and the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies (1997-2005)

# His stint as an economic advisor was flagged off when he was appointed Director of a Ministry of Finance/ UNDP project on legal reforms from 1993-1998

# Debroy was formerly with the Centre for Policy research for eight years from 2007 till 2015

# Before that, Debroy was Secretary General of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 2005-06

# Since its inception in January 2015, Mr Debroy has been a member of NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of Indian Government.

# Debroy also headed a panel for restructuring the Indian Railways which had submitted a report in 2015 that suggested that the rail budget should be done away with, apart from other major revamps such as a shift in the accounting system to a commercial one and private entry into railway freight manufacturing

# Debroy was also a member of the National Manufacturing Competitive Council from November 2004-December 2009

# Debroy has also authored a ten-volume unabridged version of the Mahabharata and has done translations of the Harivamsa in 2016 and the Bhagavad Gita in 2006. He has also done a three-column translation of the Ramayana that is due to publish in 2017. He is currently working on a translation of the Bhagavata Purana

# He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015 and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the US-India Business Summit in 2016

# He was the Director of the project LARGE (Legal Adjustments and Reforms for Globalising the Economy) set up by the Finance Ministry and the UNDP

# Following this he went on to work as a Consultant for the Department of Economic Affairs from 1994-95

# Apart from economic research and policy advice, Debroy has also authored several books including written papers and also been a contributor columnist in various newspapers

Other members of the reconstituted council include Rathin Roy, Ashima Goyal, Surjit Bhalla and Ratan Watal.
Flipkart

E-commerce giant Flipkart is working with Microsoft to deploy artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions to make future sales easy, according to a report by The Economic Times.

Flipkart's recent 'Big Billion Day' sale saw three times more users and nearly 30 times its usual traffic. While the e-commerce platform did not see any major glitch, it is already working improve its systems for future sales.

Microsoft has invested USD 200 million to build those capabilities.

Vinay YS, Vice-President of Engineering at Flipkart, told the newspaper, "AI and ML are becoming focus for us now. We think there is a lot of opportunity to optimise how we do things like merchandising and offer placement. So we are putting those systems in place and looking to take away any kind of manual tuning and optimisation".

We mostly look at Microsoft from the point of view of AI and ML. There are a lot of those capabilities on Microsoft side that we would like to leverage. On aspects like voice recognition we want to partner with them deeply, Vinay said.

Flipkart had announced its strategic tie-up with Microsoft in February. It had also announced that it would use Microsoft's Azure cloud-computing platform.
Sudarshan Sukhani of s2analytics.com told CNBC-TV18, "Intraday trading can be on both sides. So there are opportunities for buying also. Remember all these trades we are discussing today are just intraday. Bharat Forge is a buying opportunity, perhaps the Nifty could find some stability as we speak. The second buy is Hindustan Zinc where a much better opportunity exists. Exit these trades before the close of the day."

"Third is Bharti Airtel which is a short sell. After that big decline, the stock suggests that more on the downside is coming."

"DHFL, the way forward is that you have to hold these shares. These are long term investments. Now we are already seeing how NBFCs are falling day-after-day in the last three to four days, but for a long term investor, these declines are immaterial. The bigger picture is robust, we are in a long term bull market, non-banking financial companies will continue to outperform as they have outperformed earlier. Stay with these shares, ignore the current correction, it will go away, your investments will be much higher in three years time.

"Hold Cox and Kings for three years. It has been an outperformer and the business it is in, is likely to grow in leaps and bounds and that is already reflecting in its stock price performance. Hold the shares, in three years you will be much happier," he added.
People push a shopping cart past a warehouse of the Swedish furniture maker IKEA in Bordeaux, southwestern France, February 13, 2010. REUTERS/Olivier Pon (FRANCE - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR2A6PO

Furniture giant IKEA obtained environmental approval for its planned store in Navi Mumbai in the last week of August, according to a report by The Economic Times.

The approval came 10 months after IKEA had first applied for it and three-and-a-half months after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis laid the foundation stone for the 4.30-lakh square feet store.

The process of getting an environmental approval had started in October-November 2016 and the approvals took time even though the project was prestigious, industry department officials told the newspaper.

IKEA's environmental approval application had to be sent to the Maharashtra's State Environment Impact Assessment Committee (SEIAC) as total area of the project is more than 20,000 square metres, government officials told the newspaper.

The committee, however, did not take a decision for nearly three-and-a-half months as it did not have a chairman.

IKEA had received the Central government's approval in 2013 to invest Rs 10,500 crore and open 25 'hyper stores' in the country. Its first outlet will open in Hyderabad in 2018.

The Navi Mumbai store, on which construction had started in May this year, was earlier expected to open in January 2019 with an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) may not grant a unified trading licence to five brokers who were served show cause notices by the regulator for allegedly misselling National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) products, sources told Moneycontrol. A unified trading licence allows the broker to transact in shares as well as commodities.

The brokers are Geofin Commodities, Philip Commodities, Anand Rathi, Motilal Oswal Commodities and India Infoline Commodities.

Investors who had lent money on the NSEL platform suffered huge losses when the borrowers defaulted on repayment. In what appeared to be a well-planned fraud, the collateral that borrowers were supposed to deposit in warehouses, turned out to be worthless or altogether absent.

In all, 231 brokers were doing trades in NSEL products for their clients when the Financial Technologies-promoted exchange suspended trading on July 31, 2013 following a payment crisis.

On what basis has SEBI picked the five brokers for investigation since over 200 brokers were providing the same trading platform to investors?, a source close to the development said.

Also read: NSEL case - SEBI close to passing final order on 5 brokers

SEBI has given a clean chit to other brokers despite the fact that Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is investigating them, including Jignesh Shah and 63 Moons (earlier known as Financial Technology). Some brokers that exited just before the NSEL scam was unearthed have also not come under the scanner of the regulator, said another source.

The markets regulator has not been able to pass any order against these brokers in the past two years and they are still waiting for a personal hearing. Forward Markets Commission (FMC) was merged with SEBI on September 28, 2015. Prior to that, FMC was the commodity markets regulator. As per the regulation the FMC couldn't take action against brokers who traded on NSEL. Hence, the commodity exchanges were directed to look into the matter. Since the traders hadn't carried out any faulty trades on their bourses, the exchanges didn't have a case against them, either.

SEBI is of a view that this is a case of misconduct and therefore falls under the Code of Conduct for regulated entities. But there are also deliberations over whether Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices (FUTP) Regulations would be applicable to the NSEL brokers involved. This is because, during the period when NSEL was operational, commodity broking entities were not regulated by SEBI, but by the Forward Markets Commission.
Oil prices may rise to $60 a barrel by the end of this year or by early 2018 as OPEC and non-OPEC producers are expected to extend supply cuts beyond March, while oil inventories continue to decline, a former Saudi energy ministry official said in a speech Washington on Monday.

"With the current arrangement and commitment of major producers, and their willingness to adjust and extend the agreement, I believe as commercial oil stocks continue to contract, oil prices will gradually increase. We even might hit $60 per barrel before the end of this year or the beginning of next year," Ibrahim al-Muhanna said, according to a transcript of the speech received by Reuters.

Global commercial stocks are being drawn down gradually, more slowly than initially hoped, and oil demand is growing by more than 1.5 million barrels per day this year, with robust growth forecast for next year, Muhanna said.

"Some market analysts have argued that once the agreement ends, the producers will flood the market with new supplies but this view is shortsighted. After all, it is in the best interest of producers to create a soft landing and not disrupt the market's newfound balance," he said.

Muhanna, who spoke at an industry event in Washington, is now an independent consultant after recently retiring as an adviser to the Saudi Energy Ministry.
22:14 The vast majority of US voters disagree with President Trump's escalating rhetoric on North Korea, saying the president's comments on the rogue regime are not helpful, according to a new poll by Fox News.

20:37 North Korea claimed today that some 4.7 million students and workers have volunteered to join the military or re-enlist in the army since its leader Kim Jong-un vowed last week to retaliate against the United States.

18:08 China

has ordered North Korean companies in the country to shut down by January as it applies UN sanctions imposed following Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test, the commerce ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry said the companies, including joint ventures with Chinese firms, have 120 days to close from the date the United Nations resolution was adopted, September 11.

13:30 China has comprehensively implemented United Nations sanctions on North Korea, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday, reports Reuters.

Commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters in Beijing that UN sanctions gave a cushioning or buffer period for implementation of the ban on coal and seafood imports from North Korea.

The comment was in response to a question about data from Chinas customs administration showing China imported 1.6 million tonnes of coal from North Korea in August, the first since February, when Beijing banned purchases of the fuel from its northeast neighbour.

11:10 South Korea expects North Korea to engage in more provocative action next month to coincide with the anniversary of the founding of its communist party and Chinas all-important Communist Party Congress, reports Reuters.

In a meeting with President Moon Jae-in on Thursday, national security adviser Chung Eui-yong said he expected Pyongyang to act around Oct. 10 and 18, but gave no details.

(Chungs report) also said there are worries over military conflict being sparked by accidental incidents, said Park Wan-ju, lawmaker and head spokesman of the ruling Democratic Party.

09:50 Malaysia said on Thursday that all its citizens are banned from travelling to North Korea until further notice due to escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula as a result of Pyongyangs missile and nuclear development, reports Reuters.

Malaysia is one of the handful of countries that still have friendly diplomatic ties with North Korea, but relations strained earlier this year after the murder of Kim Jong Uns half brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The travel ban will be reviewed once the situation has returned to normal, the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a statement.

19:07 The reports also said that Hawaii residents have been asked to prepare for a possible nuclear attack. The residents have been told to prepare for an attack as they would for a tsunami or a hurricane.

18:09 On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump retaliated and said that the US is prepared to use "devastating" military action if needed.

17:02 According to media reports, North Korea has relocated its warplanes to its east coast where US is carrying out military drills.

The move comes after Pyongyang said it has the right to shoot down American jets even if they don't enter the country's air space.

15:30 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit China this week for talks that will include the crisis over North Koreas nuclear and missile programs and trade, the State Department said on Tuesday.

Tillersons trip, from September 28 to 30, will also lay the groundwork for President Donald Trumps visit to China in November, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, reports Reuters.

1:30 South Koreas currency chief said on Wednesday that his top priority is managing risks to the countrys financial markets from rising tensions over North Korea, as the won slid to a six-week low, reports Reuters.

Increasingly harsh exchanges between North Korea and the US have unnerved foreign investors in recent weeks, with both South Koreas central bank and the finance ministry warning that further provocations could lead to sudden capital outflows.

For now, managing risks (related to North Korea) and making sure that our sovereign credit rating stands unscathed are our top priorities, deputy finance minister Hwang Kun-il told Reuters in Sejong, south of Seoul.

12:28 North Korea has been quietly trying to arrange talks with Republican-linked analysts in Washington in an apparent attempt to figure out the mind of US President Donald Trump.

An investigation by the Washington Post has revealed that several high-profile former officials and analysts have been approached by Pyongyang officials trying to make sense of Mr Trumps unconventional messages to Kim Jong-uns regime.

Theyre on a new binge of reaching out to American scholars and ex-officials, said Bruce Klinger, a former CIA analyst who is now the most senior expert on North Korea at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank which has supplied analysts to the Trump administration.

11:20 President Donald Trump said the US is prepared to use devastating military force against North Korea but encouraged the world to work together to end the countrys nuclear program as he imposed new sanctions on the countrys banks, reports Bloomberg.

We are totally prepared for the second option  not a preferred option  but if we take that option it will be devastating I can tell you that, Trump said during a joint news conference Tuesday at the White House with Spains Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. For North Korea that is called the military option. If we have to take it we will.

North Koreas nuclear weapons threaten the entire world with unthinkable loss of life and all nations must act now to ensure the regimes complete denuclearization, Trump said.

22:06 North Korean government officials have been quietly trying to arrange talks with Republican-linked analysts in Washington, in an apparent attempt to make sense of President Trump and his confusing messages to Kim Jong Uns regime, The Washington Post reported.

The outreach began before the current eruption of threats between the two leaders but will probably become only more urgent as Trump and Kim have descended into name-calling that, many analysts worry, sharply increases the chances of potentially catastrophic misunderstandings. Read the full story here.

20:21 Russian government officials have said that the Russian foreign ministry has been working "behind the scenes" to find political solutions to the North Korea crisis.

Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the non-proliferation and arms controls department, said that the United States' approach to the situation is a dead end and added that the tool of sanctions had almost been exhausted.

Officials confirmed that the Russian foreign ministry is planning to hold talks with representatives of the North Korean foreign ministry.

20:03 US defence secretary Jim Mattis said today that the United States wants to resolve the standoff with North Korea diplomatically and is focused on ending Pyongyangs nuclear weapons programme. The comments were made during Mattis' visit to India.

19:58 Former US ambassador to the United Nations and Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte today termed the Donald Trump administration's approach to the rising tensions between US and North Korea as "unhelpful background noise".

"I think hot rhetoric is never a very good idea in international diplomacy and I think in this particular case when both sides are brandishing pretty severe threats it seems to me maybe it would be useful if the rhetoric could be toned down a little bit," Negroponte said in an interview with BBC Radio 4.

19:47 Warning there would be "no winner" in the event of a conflict on the Korean Peninsula, China on Tuesday urged North Korea and the United States to stop their escalating war of words and sit down for talks on cooling the recent spike in tensions.

19:43 Military analysts have said that North Korea doesnt have either the capability or the intent to attack US bombers and fighter jets, despite the countrys top diplomat saying it has every right do so, Associated Press reported.

16:30 While neither country (US or North Korea) is outwardly moving towards an actual war footing, military displays of power, mixed with threats and counter threats may result in an ugly outcome, Stratfor Vice President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker told CNN.

"The North Koreans assume that the threats will be enough to restrain US action but the US might be thinking the same thing, so you end up in a situation where a provocation from one side is seen by the other as an actual move towards war," he said.

14:00 Chinas fuel exports to North Korea fell in August, along with iron ore imports from the isolated nation, as trade slowed after the United Nations latest sanctions, but coal shipments resumed after a five-month hiatus, customs data showed on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

China imported 1.6 million tonnes of coal from North Korea, according to data from Beijings General Administration of Customs, the first since February when Beijing banned purchases of the fuel from its northern neighbour.

The release comes after data on Saturday showed Chinas trade with North Korea jumped in August even after the U.N. sanctions, mainly driven by a rise in imports.

12:00 The US has gamed out four or five different scenarios for how the crisis with North Korea will be resolved, and some are uglier than others, National Security Adviser HR McMaster said as tensions remain high between the two countries, reports Bloomberg.

While McMaster said the threat from Pyongyang is much further advanced than anticipated and the Pentagon said the president has a deep arsenal to draw upon if needed, US officials dismissed North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Hos comment that President Donald Trumps warnings to Pyongyang at the United Nations amounted to a declaration of war.

Read full story here.

11:55 A retired US general said a Pentagon war scenario showed a conventional war with North Korea could result in about 20,000 deaths per day in South Korea, according to the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, a retired US Navy admiral sees a 50/50 chance of a conventional conflict with North Korea although much less likelihood of a nuclear war.

11:50 South Korea urged the United States to help dial down tensions with the North, after Pyongyang accused President Donald Trump of declaring war.

"It is very likely that North Korea will conduct further provocations," South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said in a speech in Washington yestertday.

"It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation... in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control.

11:45 North Korea's foreign minister said Monday that President Donald Trump has "declared war" on his country and that Kim Jong Un's regime would consider shooting down American bombers.

"Since the US declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the US bombers even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country," Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters in New York.

The White House on Monday rejected the notion that the US had declared war and ripped Pyongyang's talk of shooting down American planes.

"We have not declared war on North Korean, and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a press briefing Monday.
IRB Infrastructure Developers | In 2020 so far, the share price has moved up 76 percent to Rs 131.20. It's trailing twelve months (TTM) P/E was 6.40 multiple while 5-year average P/E was 8.30 multiple.

CNBC-TV18

The Maharashtra RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) is yet to form its appellate tribunal. In the meanwhile, the states revenue tribunal has been empowered to hear all the appeals of the MAHA RERA, said housing department sources.

The notification for this is expected to come out within the next 8 days.

The central act made it mandatory for the state governments to form RERA authority as well as the tribunal by April 30, 2017. Although Maharashtra has the regulatory authority in place the tribunal is yet to be set up.

Since it came into effect MAHA RERA has been very proactive and has passed over 20 rulings. We are in the process of setting up the appellate tribunal for MAHA RERA. The selection committee has been formed for the same and will finalise the names. However, in the interim, if the affected parties want to appeal the rulings passed by MAHA RERA they can appeal to the state governments revenue tribunal, said an official from the states housing department.

According to the central governments RERA act, the appellate tribunal will consist of three members namely the chairperson which will be a high court judge, one judicial member and a technical or administrative member who is well versed with urban affairs.

The Chairperson is appointed by the Chief Justice of the relevant high court while the other two members are recommended to the state government by the selection committee.

Till now over 13,400 projects have been registered under MAHA RERA. Developers can register their ongoing projects till September 30.
Sudarshan Sukhani of s2analytics.com told CNBC-TV18, "Britannia Industries is a buying opportunity and Indraprastha Gas (IGL), everyone is looking at that. These are two ideas where buying can be done, no matter what the choppy market is today."

"Three sells includes Kaveri Seed Company where a sharp upsurge was simply momentum driven. Momentum driven stocks come into our news, we talk about them and then they start falling and they fall like hard rocks and that is happening to Kaveri Seed."

"Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) is a part of public sector undertaking (PSU) bank pack, close your eyes and short it. PSU banks should be going much lower. I have been bearish on this pack for months."
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The Nifty50 might have fallen nearly 300 points in just 4 trading sessions but there were plenty of stocks which stood ground and rose anywhere between 5 to 30 percent in the same period.

Multiple factors led to a fierce fall on D-Street which most experts feel could extend further to 9,500 or even 9,300 before we see a journey back to 10,000 levels.

But, that didnt stop some of the stocks which posted hefty gains in the same period. In the S&P BSE 500 index stocks like TV Today Network rose 27 percent, followed by Shoppers Stop which gained 21 percent, Divis Laboratories rallied 14 percent in the same period.

The buying interest around TV Today Network picked up momentum in the last three months which saw its shares rising a little over 50 percent in the same period.

Domestic brokerage firm Sharekhan initiated coverage on the stock with a buy rating and expect 18-20 percent upside in the next 6-8 months. TV Today is in a sweet spot to leverage the uptrend in advertising spends and full digitalisation regime, which augurs well for the companys further growth prospects, it said.

Shoppers Stop saw buying interest after its board of directors approved a proposal to sell nearly 5 percent equity in the company in the form of a fresh issue for approximately Rs 179 crore to Amazon NV Holdings LLC, the investment arm of Amazon.

Divis Laboratories rallied after its unit 2 received six observations from USFDA but all its previous observations are resolved. The US Food and Drug Administration has inspected company's unit-2 during September 11-19, 2017.

The stock has been under dark clouds as well as delays in approvals, regulatory overhangs, and intensifying competition, culminating in a sharp 46 percent dip in FY17 earnings.

Edelweiss Securities Ltd upgraded the stock to buy and raised its target price to Rs 3500 from Rs2500 earlier. A promising complex generics pipeline, strong earnings revival with 53% CAGR over FY18-20E and compelling valuations at 13x FY20E EPS/US business valuation at 1x sales render Divis a prime rerating candidate, it said.

The S&P BSE Smallcap index slipped 5 percent in last week but there was plenty of stock which stood their ground which includes names like ITI Ltd which rallied 32 percent, followed by NELCO which gained 29 percent, Nitin Fire rose 27 percent, OM Metals gained 23 percent in the same period.

ITI Ltd, a public sector company involved in setting up telecommunication network has been on buyers radar so far in the year 2017. It has already rallied over 200 percent in the same period.

There was another stock which caught investors fancy  new kid on the block Capacite Infra which rose 60 percent on debt but managed to close with gains of 37 percent on Monday.

The company had a stellar response to its initial public offering, getting oversubscribed 183.03 times. The IPO has received bids for 209.17 crore equity shares against total issue size of 1.14 crore shares (excluding anchor investors' portion), aided largely by institutional investors.
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The S&P BSE Sensex plunged over 1,000 points, while Nifty shed a little over 300 points from their respective record highs weighed down by ongoing concerns over economic growth, geopolitical tensions, valuations as well as persistent selling by foreign investors.

Traders might not like the current volatility in the market but for long-term investors, it is a golden opportunity to buy into quality stocks for a minimum holding period of 1 year.

Corrections are part of every bull market and investors should not be overly worried about the ongoing decline which most experts feel could take the Nifty towards 9700 or below before the market bottoms out.

Market movement will be fast and swift. We see a sideways type of correction but would take a longer time to correct the excesses. The good thing about the current state of Market is that the leverage positions are not excessive and therefore deeper cuts in prices look unlikely, Jimeet Modi, CEO, SAMCO Securities told Moneycontrol.

Beginning of rupee depreciation due to the Fed unwinding of the balance sheet is the biggest macro threat for the Indian market, he said. Sectors such cement, housing finance, NBFCs, consumer durables are trading at overstretched valuations.

We have collated a list of stocks from various brokerage firms which investors can look at buying on dips for a minimum holding period of 12-months:

Mahindra & Mahindra: BUY| Target Rs 1586| Return 25%

Arihant Capital Market maintains a buy rating on M&M with a target price of Rs 1586. New Launches and transformation to electric vehicles to boost M&M revenues Mahindra & Mahindra August sales were up 3.75 percent at 42,116. Its tractor sales were up 22 percent at 16,516 in August.

With the move towards developing all-electric vehicles till 2030, M&M launched first e  rickshaw named ealfa. M&M is expected to improve its sales with all-new segments of EVs.

We expect a strong bounce back in Q2FY18 onwards on account of expected demand revival from rural India, Governments strong focus on the rural economy, EV vehicles and favourable monsoon helping agri industry and rural UV sales.

Though present product pipeline is lean, the company plans strong product pipeline over FY18 & FY19. Economic revival with new launches would help company clock double-digit growth in FY18 & FY19.

DCB Bank: BUY| Target Price Rs 218| Return 19%

Arihant Capital Market maintains a buy rating on DCB Bank with a target price of Rs 218.

The bank has strong CASA growth & Focus on better asset quality to boost Profitability. DCB Bank is one of the emerging private sector banks in India. The services offered by the bank include Personal Banking, Corporate banking & NRI Banking.

DCB Bank Ltd. reported strong growth for the Q1FY18 quarter. Operating Profit came in at Rs.136 crore for Q1 FY18 as against Rs. 93 crore in Q1 FY17 registering robust growth of 47 percent.

The brokerage firm is of the view that the bank is in growth trajectory with a continued focus on retail and SME segment customers.

On the back of strong CASA growth and better asset quality ahead, the bank will be able to maintain its current NIM levels. The company has set a target to bring down Cost to Income ratio to 55% by end of next FY.

Tata Global Beverage: BUY| Target Rs 280| Return 42%

Arihant Capital Market maintains a buy rating on Tata Global Beverages with a target price of Rs 280. Tata Global Beverages Ltd has a portfolio of five brands in the domestic market namely Tata Tea, Tetley, Kanan Devan, Chakra Gold, and Gemini.

After N Chandrasekaran took over as chairman of the Tata Sons and restructuring activity started with the selloff of loss-making operations in China and Russia. Total debt is 785cr and company can directly reduce its debt with cash that received from stake sell.

Inter-company stake selloff will lead to huge cash inflow which will be used for debt reduction and margin will improve and expected robust growth in the overseas market is likely to lead to P/E re-rating.

Present TTMEPS is 6.5 and company can grow its earning at the rate of 15% for next 2 years and EPS for FY 19 is expected to be Rs. 8.6.

L&T Finance Holdings Ltd: BUY| Target Rs 260| Return 35%

Arihant Capital Market maintains a buy rating on L&T Finance Holdings with a target price of Rs 260. L&T Finance Holdings Limited is a holding company. The Company offers a range of financial products and services across the corporate, retail and infrastructure finance sectors.

The management focuses on restructuring the business model to downsize the loss-making businesses loan book growth to remain fairly strong and likely to above 15 percent which will push ROE to 20 percent by 2020.

Housing finance loan book of 12,534 crores is growing at 28 percent. We estimate for FY19, total loan book will increase to 88,141cr with an adjusted book value of 58.19. We have valued the stock a multiple of 4.5X & arrived at a fair value of 260.

Adani Transmission: BUY| Target Rs 154| Return 21%

Edelweiss Securities Ltd maintains a buy rating on Adani Transmission with a target price of Rs 154. The brokerage firm initiated coverage on the stock earlier this month.

The conviction of Edelweiss is underpinned by 1) whopping Rs3tn domestic transmission opportunity over FY18-22; 2) aggressively growing ATL capturing 20 percent of TBCB projects; 3) debt restructuring & additional leveraging boosting IRR of existing/M&A projects by 300-400bps, and 4) scale & synergy benefits as O&M costs are spread across projects.

Hence, the brokerage firm estimates the company to clock 19 percent and 36 percent EBITDA and PAT CAGR, respectively, over FY17-19. We expect ATL to generate robust FCF, though we do anticipate high growth and M&A appetite.

VIP Industries: BUY| Target Rs 325| Return 38%

Kotak Securities maintains a buy rating on VIP Industries with a target price of Rs325. VIP Industries (VIP) which is the market leader in the organized luggage industry in India with more than 50% market share, manufacturing and supplying a wide range of hard sided and soft-sided luggage.

The domestic brokerage firm estimate revenue CAGR of 17 percent and earnings CAGR of 28 percent over FY17 to FY20E with improvement in operating margins and return ratios.

Kotak Securities believe VIP would be one of the major beneficiaries of healthy GDP growth, rising income level, changing life style and implementation of GST.

KPR Mill Ltd: BUY| Target Rs 904| Return 20%

Centrum Broking maintains a buy rating on KPR Mill Ltd with a target of Rs 904. Over the last 3 years, KPR has been investing in upgrading its machinery and expanding its capacity (in the better margin processed fabric and garment segments).

KPR enjoys steady EBITDA margins (~18-20%), low debt to equity (~0.5x) and decent return profile -- RoE (~24%). We believe, KPRs steady financials and volume ramp up in the garment business would help continue to generate better cash flows, said the note.

Currently, KPR trades at 14.3x P/E on the FY19E basis, which is justified given the healthy financials. Centrum believes that the stock is a good long-term portfolio stock and we initiate coverage with a target price of Rs904, valuing it at 16x its FY19E EPS.

CDSL: BUY| Target Rs 450| Return 28%

Reliance Securities maintains a buy rating on CDSL with a target price of Rs 450. CDSLs business is characterised by a high degree of predictability and profitability, with the company earning over 35 percent of revenue from annual issuer charges in FY17, which are likely to remain stable-to-growing.

The company has steadily gained market share in its core business vis-a-vis its lone competitor, NSDL and has enjoyed higher incremental market share 4 successive years on low operating cost, net worth criteria, and technology investment.

CDSL has also invested in new business initiatives to drive growth, including KYC services, National Academic Depository, insurance repository services, e-voting to corporates, online drafting solutions, KYC search assistance for Aadhaar holders and GST Suvidha Provider.

Neuland Laboratories: BUY| Target Rs 1318| Return 32%

AnandRathi maintains a buy rating on Neuland Laboratories with a target price of Rs1318. Neulands strategy to gradually replace high-volume, low-margin APIs with high-margin complex APIs would aid in boosting its operating margins and profitability. (Such prime products, niche APIs in therapies such as oncology and respiratory, are difficult to copy and attract limited competition).

Some of its niche APIs expected that would drive revenue growth are salmeterol, entacapone, linezolid. The contribution from its niche API division has increased to 26 percent in FY17, from 18 percent in FY14. The brokerage firm expects revenue from the niche segment to register an 18.5 percent CAGR in revenue over FY17-19.

Godrej Properties: BUY| Target Rs 756| Return 26%

BofAML initiated a coverage on Godrej Properties with a buy rating and a target price of Rs756. Godrej Properties (GPL), is a leading pan-India develop.

It has strong Godrej brand and asset-light model which make GPL best placed to benefit from consolidation through its JV model and (2) robust sales from recent/upcoming launches coupled with completion/renegotiation of low margin legacy projects could lead to FY17-20E EPS CAGR of 44 percent and 907bps rise in RoE to 20 percent in FY20E.

Current valuations at 4.7x FY19E PB are misleading as it does not account for 110mn sq. ft. development manager (DM) project in Mumbai. Adjusting for NAV of this project (Rs202/share, 32% of m. cap), GPL would trade at 3.2x FY19E P/B.

The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts 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.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested in Mumbai for allegedly trying to purchase an iPhone using fake Children Bank of India notes. The accused came to the seller with 60 fake notes of Rs 2000.

A cybercrime consultant based in south Mumbai, Sameer Nagodriya who wanted to sell his mobile put up an advertisement online. The juvenile approached Nagodriya and both set up a meeting outside a McDonalds outlet opposite CST Friday afternoon. However, when the 17-year-old tried to hand over fake notes, Nagodriya approached and handed him over to Azad Maidan police, as reported by The Indian Express.

As soon as they met at the designated spot, the juvenile inspected the iPhone 7 and as payment, handed a bundle of Rs 2,000 notes to the complainant and started walking off with the phone. After a short chase, Nagodriya caught hold of the accused and walked him to the police station.

A case of attempt to use forged currency has been registered and the juvenile has been put under arrest. After we placed him under arrest, his family members approached us with proof that he was 17 years old. He was then sent to a childrens home, the report quoted Senior Inspector at Azad Maidan police station, Vasanth Wakhare.

Prima facie it appears that the 17-year-old purchased the notes from a shop in Thane. He desperately wanted to buy an iPhone. As he did not have money for the phone, he purchased fake currency to get it.

According to the police, the boy is a resident of Kalyan and has studied till matriculation. He had been working in a garage.
Skytrax released its list of worlds 100 best airports. Singapore Changi Airport continues to lead for the eighth consecutive year. Four Indian Airports managed to take their place in the list. Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport ranked 50th, while Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Bengalurus Kempegowda Airport and Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport ranked 52, 68 and 72 respectively. Here are the worlds top 10 airports of 2020 on the basis of airport customers review. (Image: PTI)

A man was apprehended on Monday at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport for allegedly carrying 10 live bullets in his bag, an official said.

I Hiramani was going through the security checks at the Indira Gandhi International airport at around 7:00 am when a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel detected few "bullet-like objects" in his luggage, said the senior official involved in airport security.

"Ten live bullet rounds of 32-calibre were recovered from his bag. He was handed over to the police as he could not produce the valid documents for carrying it," he added.

The man was supposed to take a flight to Bengaluru, he said.

This is not the first time that something like this has happened at the airport. Previously, a flight from Delhi had to make an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport due to a mobile-like device that had triggered suspicion and panic.

In another instance on August 21, drone-like objects were spotted on two different occasions at the Indira Gandhi International airport following which the airport operations had to be halted for almost an hour amid security concerns following the spotting of the objects.

In August, a bomb scare delayed a flight from New Delhi to Jaipur by three hours.

(With inputs from PTI)
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing at the ceremony to launch the Goods & Service Tax (GST), in Central Hall of Parliament, in New Delhi on June 30, 2017.

Under opposition's attack over demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday power was a means of enjoyment for them when they were in government, asserting that his battle against graft was "uncompromising" and no one will be spared.

Addressing the BJP's national executive and its law-makers from across the country, Modi asked them to take the party beyond elections and make it an instrument of mass participation to improve quality of people's lives.

"When opposition was in government, power was a means of enjoyment for it. Now they do not know how to behave as opposition," Modi said in the meeting, according to Jaitley.

The prime minister also underlined his resolve to fight corruption, saying his "battle against it is uncompromising. No one will be spared. I have no relatives".

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Taking a dig at opposition parties, Modi said their use of harsh language could not be a substitute for substantive charges against the government.

Opposition parties have been attacking the Modi government over demonetisation and cited the recent RBI figures to corner it.

Modi's comments at the closed-door meeting, attended by 13 chief ministers, six deputy chief ministers, over 60 union ministers besides party's MPs and MLAs among others, were shared with the media by senior party leader Arun Jaitley.
Moneycontrol News

Ahead of Chinese Communist Party's 19th National Congress popular messaging app WhatsApp was reportedly blocked in China, with several users complaining on Twitter and other platforms saying that they could not access the app and their VPN connections had also been severed.

The move is a further blow for Facebook, whose home app was already blocked in China in 2009.

This is not the typical technical method in which the Chinese government censors something, said Nadim Kobeissi, an applied cryptographer at Symbolic Software, in a report by The New York Times.

The report says that China has 'a history of mostly, but not entirely, blocking internet services, as well as slowing them down so much that they become useless.'

According to Kobeissi, WhatsApp had started becoming more and more restricted since July and people had started facing hurdles in video chats, voice chats and file sharing in the app.

Kobeissi added that his companys automated monitors had begun detecting disruptions of WhatsApp in China on Wednesday and by Monday the blocking efforts were comprehensive.

It took time for the China's "Great Firewall" to adapt to this new protocol to target the text messages, hence the delay in WhatsApp's blocking, according to Kobeissi.

The end-to-end encryption of WhatsApp that keeps users' messages private and does not leak user data is likely to have made it a prime target of China's Great Firewall.

China has tightened online policing this year, enacting new rules that require tech companies to store user data inside the country as well as restrictions on what is permissible content.

Chinese domestic apps like Wechat, in turn, provide all users personal data to the Chinese government.



Seems to be a be assault on VPNs in #China today. Also many people unable to use Whatsapp. https://t.co/J1ZGr42o2L

 Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) September 20, 2017

Chinese government has clamped down on VPN too. It has become all the more difficult to access popular messaging apps like Facebook and Instagram from the country.



Anyone else experiencing almost total VPN breakdown in Beijing this morning?  Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsin) September 20, 2017



On the other hand, Josh Chin, a political reporter for Wall Street Journal in Beijing, tweeted an update on the ban stating that the messaging service is supposedly back up.



Perils of reporting on censorship in China: A day after everyone reported WhatApp was blocked, it appears to be working again.

 Josh Chin  (@joshchin) September 26, 2017

The reporter took to Twitter to inform his followers the morning after WhatsApp was reportedly banned.

China has a history of blocking social media sites like Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and a number of Googles services.

Apples Facetime and Microsfts Skype still run in China, although the latter doesnt provide end-to-end encryption.
CNBC Awaaz

The government's decision to cut the interconnect usage charge is a path-breaking move, says SS Sirohi, Former Member of the Telecom Commission, in an interview with CNBC Awaaz's Aseem Manchanda. Enumerating the various benefits to be derived from this move, Sirohi also champions the Bill and Keep model. Edited Excerpts:

What is your opinion on TRAI's decision to cut IUC rates?

This path-breaking progressive, pro-consumer, pro-competition, pro-innovation and pro-growth critical regulatory reform, though late, is direly needed at present. Drastic reduction in IUC while moving towards a Bill & Keep regime (mobile termination charge zero) is absolutely in line with global trends. It will certainly have a salutary impact on the whole telecom ecosystem including broadband proliferation. It will give a tremendous push to Digital India and help remove Digital Divide speedily in the country.

Do you think that incumbent operators were earning revenue from the IUC?

Surely. IUC is now a rich source of revenue as well as profits particularly for incumbent operators. In fact, IUC for termination is totally unwarranted at the present level of telecom networks size and plurality in India and is effectively an impediment to competition, growth and innovation. Telecom networks are originally designed with Indian/global standards for both incoming and outgoing call traffic per subscribers. Therefore, an operator establishes a network not only for sending but also for receiving calls. The operator, thus, does not do anything special or extra to provide for receiving another service providers calls. Consequently, additionality of cost for receiving calls is practically close to zero.

What do you think about the pure LRIC method adopted by TRAI to calculate IUC?

Globally, a pure LRIC model is very popular and trendy amongst regulators. The pure LRIC model brings out the cost closest to the reality as compared to other cost models like FAC & LRIC+ being used for discovering cost-based termination charge. It measures avoidable costs for carrying off-net incoming minutes i.e. service specific costs that arise from the increment of all off-net incoming minutes.

Do you see any advantages of Bill & Keep Method in long run?

It is the lasting and ultimate solution to IUC settlement which even the most forward-looking regulator of USA, FCC also recognized and has already facilitated its adoption in 2011 and is prevalent in USA now. Other countries also already moved or are moving towards it. There are huge advantages of Bill & Keep for all stake holders in the telecom ecosystem, some of them are mentioned below:

BAK will result in material welfare gains to consumers overall by substantial savings on calls made, increased calling and innovative service offering.

TSPs will become more efficient and competitive.

TSPs will adopt cost effective new technologies like IP and VOLTE (4G,5G and so on).

Reduction in regulatory compliance burden on TSPs.

More predictable regulatory path for industry and investors.

Explosive growth in data consumption. Affordable innovative multimedia services will drive healthy growth in industry revenue.

Provide necessary impetus to Digital India and remove Digital Divide in rural India.

Telecom companies will move to 4G in long run. Will people use messengers like WhatsApp and Skype to make calls? How can telecom companies prepare themselves?

All serious TSPs have either already established 4G networks or in the process of establishing. BAK will bring most of customers who use WhatsApp/ Skype calls back to TSPs due to negligible or zero cost of voice calls. With 4G, TSPs are moving towards voice as a bundled application in the high speed broadband.

What is the ITU stand on IUC? Why does ITU want IUC to be cut to zero?

ITU has recommended regulators should take into account the generally acknowledged fact that the existence of high fees for access to competitors networks (termination rates) can distort competition, become a barrier to new entrants, and finally be harmful to end users. Eliminating unnecessarily high termination rates among operators could lower consumer prices and spur innovation in the entire telecommunication sector.

How will consumers derive benefits of this IUC cut?

The new IUC regulation with this IUC cut will herald substantial material welfare gains to consumers overall, a few of them are given below:

Substantial savings on calls made and phone bills along with improvement in quality of service.

Increased calling, unlimited minutes at lower price or zero price.

Innovative customer friendly tariffs.

Drastic reduction in data charges and phenomenal increase in broadband access speeds leading to better user experience.

Availability of affordable new innovative multimedia services.
Germany's largest airline Lufthansa said today it would push "rapid growth" at low-cost subsidiary Eurowings by spending 1.0 billion euros (USD 1.2 billion) on acquiring more planes, some of them from bankrupt competitor Air Berlin.

"The funds will be used towards obtaining up to 61 aircraft, including 41 Airbus A320 Family aircraft" and 20 smaller turboprop planes, Lufthansa said in a statement - both types found in Air Berlin's fleet.

"Acquisition of the aircraft is partly dependent on the successful conclusion of negotiations" with the stricken carrier, the group added.

Lufthansa has emerged as the leading bidder for Air Berlin's assets, including valuable landing and takeoff slots at German airports, following its insolvency declaration in mid-August.

The group has already bought or holds an option to buy some 20 Air Berlin aircraft that were leased to Eurowings in recent months.

With today's announcement on top, the low-cost subsidiary will grow by a total of up to 81 aircraft.

It is not clear exactly how many planes Lufthansa wants to buy from Germany's number two airline, but chief executive Carsten Spohr recently suggested he could buy between 58 and 78 aircraft - around half of Air Berlin's fleet.

News agency DPA reported the yellow-and-blue liveried airline hopes to grab 55 planes belonging to Air Berlin subsidiaries Niki and LGW, as well as 13 more from the parent company, for a total of 68.

Meanwhile, Britain's EasyJet -- the other bidder in talks with Air Berlin -- is interested in 27 to 30 planes.

Operating the new planes would create "up to 3,000 additional jobs, especially in the cockpit and cabin crew fields," the Lufthansa statement added.

Many of those posts could go to former Air Berlin employees.

The insolvent firm's administrators said yesterday that as many of 80 percent of its more than 8,000 workers could find jobs at Lufthansa and Britain's EasyJet.

Air Berlin executives, administrators and buyers are set to thrash out deals to dismantle the company by October 12.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the test of a new-type anti-aircraft guided weapon system organised by the Academy of National Defence Science. Photo: Reuters

South Korea urged the United States to help dial down tensions with the North, after Pyongyang accused President Donald Trump of declaring war.

"It is very likely that North Korea will conduct further provocations," South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said in a speech in Washington yestertday.

"It is imperative that we, Korea and the US together, manage the situation... in order to prevent further escalation of tensions or any kind of accidental military clashes which can quickly go out of control.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - JULY 10: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his meeting with Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen at the PM's Office on July 10, 2017 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The two heads of state discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula and how Japan and Denmark could enhance their strategic partnership further. The Japanese PM said during their joint press conference that North Korea undermines the international order seriously. (Photo by Ole Jensen - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for an early election in a bid to capitalise on a fractured opposition to seek a fourth term as the head of the world's third-largest economy.

Abe said in a news conference held on September 25 that he will dissolve the lower house of parliament on Thursday when it opens after a summer break. The election is to be held on October 22.

The approval rating for Japanese PM rebounded recently after he spoke tough on North Korea at United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and in discussions with US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The Japanese PMs approval rating jumped to 50 percent according to a survey done by Yomiuri Shimbun early this month after plummeting to 36 percent July amidst a series of political scandals.

Abes move has a striking similarity with the UKs PM Theresa Mays decision to call for snap elections in April this year when her Conservative Party held a lead in polls over the Labour Party. May wanted to have a full mandate in negotiating Brexit.

Mays decision backfired with her party losing 13 seats in the election and had entered into a contentious deal with Northern Irelands DUP to form the government.

However, Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has no formidable competition from the opposition party in Japan unlike the Conservative Party which had a strong rival in Labour Party in the UK.

The road ahead wont be easy for Abe as he has to deal with an ageing population with 28 percent over 65 years, ballooning debt, slowing economy and North Koreas threat to sink Japan into the sea.
"The thought is that parents, grandparents, will bring their kids there to have fun, to use the trails, but also to understand the history of veterans' service in Towamencin," land planner Peter Simone
Jarrett Coleman goes from school board to statehouse with win in 16th Senate District race
Letter to editor: Gas pump politics and the election
September 26, 2017

The "Russian Influence" Story Falls Apart - A New Fairy Tale Is Needed

The Obama White House and some Democratic officials pressed Facebook to find evidence for alleged "Russian interference" in the U.S. election. When Facebook found none, the pressure increased. Facebook went back, again found nothing and political pressure increase further. Congress threatened to investigate. Senator Warner flew to California and demanded the "right" results. Eventually Facebook gave in:

By early August, Facebook had identified more than 3,000 ads addressing social and political issues that ran in the United States between 2015 and 2017 and that appear to have come from accounts associated with the Internet Research Agency.

All hailed Facebook - finally there was something they could build their anti-Russian campaign on.

It is of course idiotic to believe that 3,000 ads for which some $100,000 was spent over two years would somehow effect a U.S. election. In a U.S. presidential election more than $2 billion is spend on advertising. Facebook's ad revenue per year is some $27 billion.

Moreover - as it now turns out these 3,000 advertisements which "appeared" to be "associated" with something "Russian" were not anti-Clinton or pro-Trump but were a mix of pro- and contra ads on various social issues:

The batch of more than 3,000 Russian-bought ads that Facebook is preparing to turn over to Congress shows a deep understanding of social divides in American society, with some ads promoting African American rights groups, including Black Lives Matter, and others suggesting that these same groups pose a rising political threat, say people familiar with the covert influence campaign. The Russian campaign  taking advantage of Facebooks ability to send contrary messages to different groups of users based on their political and demographic characteristics  also sought to sow discord among religious groups. Other ads highlighted support for Democrat Hillary Clinton among Muslim women.

(Note again - there is no evidence that any of the ads were "Russian bought" or part of a "Russian campaign". Those are mere assertions by the Washington Post authors.)

As we now learn that these ads were not, as earlier assumed, pro-Trump and anti-Clinton, the narrative has to change. Earlier it was claimed that the alleged Russian aim was to get Trump elected. That no longer holds:

Their aim was to sow chaos, said Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. In many cases, it was more about voter suppression rather than increasing turnout.

How pro- and anti-Black Lives Matter ads might have suppressed voter turnout will stay Senator Warner's secret.

Instead of "Russia helped Trump" we now get an even more implausible "Russia wanted to sow discord" narrative. As if Donald Trump's campaign style had not been enough to cause controversies.

The Washington Post has been the major outlet to push the "Russian influence" baloney. It has long left all journalistic standards behind. Today it goes even further. An editorial now claims that Russia interfered in the German elections by pushing the right-wing AfD vote through last minute tweets from some Twitter bots:

The party was buoyed by social-media campaigns of the kind Russia has used elsewhere  faceless bots that multiply messages over and over. Once again, the Kremlins quest to disrupt democracy, divide the West and erode the rules-based liberal international order may have found a toehold.

No evidence is presented that any online activity "buoyed" the AfD. No evidence is presented that anything Russian was involved. Here is the sole point the editorial builds on:

In the final hours of the campaign, online supporters of the AfD began warning their base of possible election fraud, and the online alarms were driven by anonymous troll accounts and boosted by a Russian-language botnet, according to the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab.

The Atlantic Council is financed by foreign (Middle East) interest, NATO and the oil- and weapon industry. It has been a major driver of the anti-Russian new Cold War narrative. Its "Digital Forensic Research Lab" indeed claims to have found a few Twitter accounts which have their names written in Cyrillic(!) letters. Only Russian influence accounts would ever do that! It even found one tweet warning about election fraud that was retweeted 500(!) times. That MUST have helped the AfD to receive more than 12% of the 47 million cast votes in Germany - (not!).

Election fraud in the German pen and paper balloting is nearly impossible. No one will take vague claims thereof as serious. It is simply not an issue in Germany and any such claim would not effect the vote. German officials have found no sign of "Russian" election hacking or of voting fraud.

What the Washington Post editors and the Atlantic Council have missed in their search for undue election influence in the German election is the large support of a islamophobic U.S. megadonor for the rightwing Germany AfD party:

[O]ne of the major publishers of online content friendly to the far-right [German] party is an American website financed in large part and lead by Jewish philanthropist Nina Rosenwald. Rosenwalds site, the Gatestone Institute, publishes a steady flow of inflammatory content about the German election, focused on stoking fears about immigrants and Muslims.

The fake news stories by the Zionist agitators were translated into German and disseminated to support the AfD.

Allegations of "Russian influence" in U.S., French and German elections is made up from hot air. No evidence is or ever was presented to support these claims. Massive election interference by other foreign interests, like large Saudi donations to the Clinton Foundation, or Zionist Jewish financier support for extremist positions in Germany and France is ignored.

The story about "Russian influence" was made up by the Democrats to explain Clinton's loss of the election and to avoid looking at her personal responsibility for it. It also helps to push the new cold war narrative and to sell weapons. As no evidence was ever found to support the "Russian influence" campaign, Facebook and others come under pressure to deliver the "evidence" the U.S. intelligence services could not produce. The now resulting story of "sowing chaos" is something out of la-la-land.

If there is something to learn from this sad story it is this: The lack of objectivity and journalistic integrity is a greater threat to western democracy than any "Russian influence" could ever be.

Posted by b on September 26, 2017 at 17:50 UTC | Permalink

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Morganton natives John Zimmerman and Taylor Sharp might not have known exactly what they were doing in the winter of 2011 and spring of 2012 when they began organizing a benefit fly-fishing tournament for The Hope Chest for Women in Asheville, N.C. But bigger plans were definitely in store.

Fast forward seven years and the once-small benefit tournament in honor of Sharps mother, Amy Sharp, who passed in 2010 to ovarian cancer, is a thriving nonprofit organization serving women and families in western North Carolina fighting ovarian and other gynecologic cancers. Casting for Hope has two service wings for the families it works with: financial assistance and retreat programming.

In fact, Casting for Hope is fresh off its fall retreat for ovarian and other gynecologic cancer survivors and caregivers at the Casting for Hope Retreat Center in Bakersville, North Carolina. The long weekend away for patients and caregivers involves a number of escape opportunities  fly fishing, arts and crafts, and specialty talks such as wild flowering and the latest information in gynecologic oncology. Co-founder Taylor Sharp said its one of our favorite weekends of the year at Casting for Hope. This large retreat is platformed in September to coincide with our other efforts at raising awareness during National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

During the fall retreat, which took place Sept. 15-17, 14 of Casting for Hopes patients and caregivers called the Retreat Center home in order to get away from it all for a few days. Co-founder John Zimmerman said its really wonderful to see just how supportive these communities are to come out and lend their professional services to our women and caregivers during these retreat weekends. Far away from their normal clinical settings, the participants enjoyed guided fly-fishing excursions with professional guides from Morganton, Marion, Hickory and Winston-Salem. They enjoyed arts and crafts sessions provided by Me, You, and Some Glue Creative Arts Studio based in Morganton. They learned about wild flowers native to western North Carolina from Morganton native Novah Cash. They were brought up to date on the latest in gynecologic oncology from Dr. Ashely Case, a Casting for Hope board member. And the weekends devotional period was led by the Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Bland of First Baptist Church of Morganton, also a member of Casting for Hopes Board of Directors.

While the weekend is planned around activity, the most important part of the weekend during all of Casting for Hopes retreats is the community that is developed through women and caregivers sharing space with other women and caregivers going through the exact same disease sequences. Survivor Jean Harvey said,

Theres comfort even though youre sick or youve finished treatment or you dont feel so well  theres a comfort in knowing that theres another woman who knows exactly how you feel," survivor Jean Harvey said.

This sentiment is often echoed across the retreat experience for Casting for Hopes gynecologic cancer patients and their caregivers. Kristy Stiefel said it was the first time shed spent time around other cancer survivors.

It was very belonging because they knew how I felt, Stiefel said. And I felt comfortable talking about it without worrying about how I was making them feel.

The Casting for Hope team focuses on the gynecologic cancers because, as executive director Kathy Haney said, there are very few resources out there for these patients to turn to.

You dont realize that other people are going through what you are, that you think youre the only one," Survivor Flo Sackett said. "The gynecological cancers arent as common place. It was really important to have someone supportive.

Casting for Hope offers retreat opportunities for women and caregivers battling gynecologic cancers on a seasonal basis at the Casting for Hope Retreat Center in Bakersville, but funds financial assistance needs across the year. If you are or know of someone who could benefit from Casting for Hopes services, contact Casting for Hope Executive Director Kathy Haney at kathy@castingforhope.org. Those interested in being a financial support system for Casting for Hope, email Casting for Hope CEO and Board Chair John Zimmerman at john@castingforhope.org. For more information on Casting for Hope and other ways to get involved, find them on the web at www.castingforhope.org.
Academics promoting passive investing have argued that active managers do a poor job of beating their respective benchmarks. Fees are the most cited reason for this underperformance, with a higher fee structure prompting investors to reconsider the value they are getting.

This is combining with regulatory pressure and increased transparency, highlighting the ever-present importance of considering fee structures in the investment selection process. Yet, to comprehend the fee drag at a portfolio level, one must consider both the absolute level of returns that can be expected as well as the potential for gain. To illustrate, we must consider whether an investment can generate value, and this is commonly achieved by dealing with the dispersion of returns.

Understanding Multi-asset Dispersion

Dispersion can mean different things to different people and is especially sensitive to the way one defines it. Yet, most commonly, people think of dispersion as the range of outcomes that can be expected.

For instance, in the chart below we show the history of the broad global equity universe  illustrating the gap between the strongest performers versus the weakest, by assessing 47 key country markets and the gap between the 10th and 90th percentiles over five-year rolling periods.

The central idea is to identify the range of outcomes an active investor would have to choose from. We can see that the dispersion level has gradually dropped and is now at a level not seen in the past 20 years  where the range of outcomes is only 13% versus as high as 40% in 1998. While one must be careful when considering its permanency, it is a staggering statistic that could potentially illustrate the challenges being faced by active managers in recent years.

To quantify the relationship dispersion has with active management success, we can assess the dispersion of markets against the excess return achieved by the average active manager in the Global Flex fund category relative to its index benchmark  where we find an incredibly strong relationship, especially over the past 12 years.

In fact, statistically speaking, an extreme case leads this metric to an r-squared of 0.85 since 2005, meaning approximately 85% of the variability in a managers recent success, or lack thereof, is said to be explained by the dispersion of the market.

The obvious question to ponder is whether this is coincidental or causal  and if so, whether it is a cyclical or structural phenomenon. For example, a structural case would suggest that access to information is easier than ever, meaning an informational edge is increasingly difficult to maintain.

Globalisation could also play its part, as investors gain access to a more diverse set of markets that were previously off limits; for example, demand shifted as China opened their doors to foreign investors.

However, a longer-term view of dispersion  as shown above from 1973  shows that a cyclical element is likely at play too. To explain, one may not need to look any further than the six global recessions since 1970: 197475, 198083, 199093, 1998, 200102, and 200809. While imperfect, each of these recessions saw dispersion increase either during or in the aftermath of the economic stress.

Therefore, while our intuition leads us to see a causal connection, a wider range of outcomes should allow for greater value generation, the low dispersion at present may simply reflect the enormous quantitative easing programme that has shifted markets materially over the past 10 years. We have experienced one of the longest economic expansions in recent memory and strong asset flows into growth assets have lifted all boats. Therefore, should we see a market correction or recession  or simply a sustained period of wider dispersion  this could trigger a resurgence in active manager success.

Moving from Countries to Sectors

Another way of testing whether the low dispersion could be cyclical or structural is to check the results in alternative ways  a test of noise. We can run the exact same analysis on a sector-by-sector basis, showing the 5-year dispersion of 24 industry subgroups within the global index since 1999.

By doing so, we find that a structural decline is even less obvious, with the lows of 2016, a year of dramatic active manager underperformance, matching or nearing that of prior periods such as 2002/03.

How Should an Investor Use this Information?

Dispersion is clearly an important factor when assessing the fate of the active management industry. The first step is to acknowledge the challenges active managers face when dispersion is low, and to then realistically contemplate what value each manager offers in a portfolio context.

While there are limitations to the analysis; for example, it is possible that country and sector dispersion is low, but stock dispersion is wide  especially as we have ignored size/weight, it does tell us is that investors should garner a better understanding of the managers and the ways they deal with lower dispersion.

More broadly, it also raises the importance of fees, where we are seeing an exciting period of awareness and consolidation. The fee drag is a vital component to the investment selection dilemma and lower fees will help end investors obtain better outcomes. This is especially important when dispersion is low, as differences in fee structures can play an important role in an investors ability to protect capital from the erosion caused.
Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
Wells Fargo is in negotiations to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging that the bank was making mortgage modifications without the knowledge or consent of borrowers  modifications that could dramatically increase homeowners borrowing costs.The scandal  one of many plaguing the banking giant  first came to light in June after a North Carolina couple filed the class-action suit, according to a report by the Charlotte Observer.The plaintiffs in the case, Christopher and Allison Cotton, filed a voluntary Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2014, the Observer reported. They were current on their mortgage payments at the time and remained current on payments outlined in their bankruptcy plan, their lawsuit said. But they allege that Wells Fargo made illegal stealth modifications that caused their Chapter 13 trustee to pay less than originally required. That, the lawsuit alleged, resulted in defaults that were not the Cottons fault.The lawsuit also claimed that Wells Fargos stealth modifications would have added thousands of dollars to the Cottons mortgage debt over the term of the loan  without their knowledge or consent. One alleged change would have extended their mortgage by 26 years and added at least $84,939 in extra interest, the Observer reported.Wells Fargo has strongly denied the claims in the lawsuit, according to the Observer. However, the banking giant has agreed to good faith class settlement negotiations to resolve the suit. The case is only one of a cavalcade of scandals for the bank; CEO Tim Sloane is set to face a Senate committee Oct. 3 over the banks numerous alleged improprieties.
Midland County Sheriffs Office

An Odessa man was arrested Friday after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman, according to court documents.

Alfred Camacho-Terrazas, 45, was being held Monday on a $100,000 bond for a second-degree felony charge of sexual assault and a $100,000 bond for a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
James Durbin

A vote from Midland County Commissioners on Monday was a step forward in the southwest extension of Loop 250.

The Commissioners Court approved a land donation from Chevron for extending Loop 250 South from Interstate 20 to State Highway 349. The company donated about 73 acres to Midland County for the project, which would eventually create a route that reaches State Highway 158.
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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing San Antonio-based Whataburger Restaurants for allegedly retaliating against a manager in Florida after she refused to hire only white employees.

Vanessa Burrous, who worked at a Whataburger in Tallahassee, says she was pressured by her superiors in April 2015 to hire only white workers, according to a lawsuit filed Friday by the EEOC in federal court in Florida.

The EEOC is seeking a permanent injunction to force Whataburger to pay Burrous damages and back pay and to institute policies that protect employees from retaliation for refusing to follow racially discriminatory hiring practices, according to the lawsuit.

Employees who oppose unlawful practices should feel secure in exercising that right, Michael Farrell, district director for the EEOCs Miami district office, said in a news release Monday.

Whataburger denied the allegations after conducting its own thorough internal investigation, the company said in a statement Monday.

We value diversity in our teams and proudly employ family members of all races, the company said.

Whataburger sent a follow-up statement at 9:18 p.m. Monday, saying: We did not retaliate against this employee nor did we ask her to use the alleged discriminatory hiring practices. The company added that approximately 75 percent of our workforce identifies as non-white.

According to the EEOC, general manager Johanna Risk allegedly told Burrous to only interview candidates with names that sounded white, the lawsuit says.

Burrous proceeded to hire eight employees  seven who were black and one who was white, according to the lawsuit. Risk repeatedly reprimanded Burrous for not following her orders, leading Burrous to seek a transfer to another location from area manager Misa Levin, the EEOC said in its complaint.

Levin chided Burrous during a joint meeting with Risk, explaining the hiring directive came from upper management, according to the lawsuit. All employees named in the lawsuit are white.

Whataburgers customer base is white and we want the faces behind the counter to match the customer base, Levin allegedly told Burrous during the meeting, the EEOC said.

After the meeting, Risk began subjecting (Burrous) to ongoing retaliatory conduct designed to intimidate and upset (Burrous) and cause her to resign, the complaint alleges.

Risk engaged in emotional and verbal abuse, belittling Burrous in front of customers and encouraged employees to write negative letters about her, the lawsuit says.

Risk also changed Burrous schedule to overnight shifts, forced her to work without pay on her days off and reprimanded her for other managers incomplete work, according to the lawsuit. Burrous was eventually forced to resign, the lawsuit says.

I have suffered endless gossip, threats and abuse, both verbal and emotional making the work environment intolerable for a reasonable person, Burrous wrote in an undated resignation letter. I can no longer suffer the effects this abuse is having on my self-esteem, my confidence and my sense of self-worth.

Whataburger has 817 restaurants in 10 states including 668 in Texas, according to its website.

The San Antonio burger company isnt the only restaurant chain in the EEOCs cross hairs.

The federal agency sued 10 IHOP franchises in New York and Nevada on Thursday for alleged sexual harassment and retaliation against employees who complained about the harassment. Earlier in the week, the EEOC filed a lawsuit against two IHOP franchises in Illinois after a general manager and two cooks allegedly sexually harassed several female employees, including a 17-year-old high school student.

The EEOC also sued Chipotle Mexican Grill Sept. 18 after a female general manager in San Jose, California, allegedly sexually harassed a 22-year-old male shift manager and retaliated against him when he reported her behavior to her supervisors.

This story was updated to reflect an expanded statement from Whataburger sent at 9:18 p.m. Monday.

jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports
Brent Allen Hackett, 54, will be sworn in as new Hale County Precinct 1 Constable after a required bond and related paperwork are completed.

A retired Lubbock police officer, Hackett was selected Monday to fill the vacant constables post by Hale County commissioners.

The post has been vacant since the July 12 death of Mark Mull, 51, who served for 15 years. Hackett receives a 14-month appointment. To keep the job beyond that point, he will have to file to run in November 2018 to complete the remaining two years of Mulls unexpired term.

Hackett grew up in Plainview and graduated from Plainview High School. He worked at Plainview Plate Glass and later Craftons Glass in Lubbock before joining the Lubbock Police Department as a patrol officer in October 1991. He retired in May 2014.

He holds a Master Peace Officer license and has training in tactical police driving, field training officer, crime scene officer, mobile field force, active shooter training and patrol rifle school.

He is a member of the Texas Municipal Police Association and Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.

Hackett was one of eight applications  one woman and seven men  who went through individual interviews last Thursday.

Joining commissioners during the interviews was Justice of the Peace Sheron Collins. The Precinct 1 constable serves as bailiff for Judge Collins court and works out of her office.

What made this a particularly difficult decision was that each of the applicants was highly qualified, said Precinct 2 Commissioner Mario Martinez. It finally came down to who we felt would be the best fit for this position.
With Amazing Grace playing through a small speaker in the background, retired Army Staff Sgt. David Vasquez wanted to honor his fellow military service members with a special Veterans Day tribute Wednesday.

I wanted to do this for all the soldiers, said Vasquez as he stood at full attention in the parking lot of Happy State Bank.

Standing perfectly still while high winds slammed into him, Vasquez saluted a massive American flag located across the street at Centennial Bank. Vasquez planned to hold the position for the next few hours in tribute to American soldiers past and present.

Im saluting for the soldiers who lost their arms during war and cant salute. And Im standing for the soldiers that lost their legs and cant stand.

As he stood near the intersection of Olton Road and Ennis Street, some cheered while others got out of their vehicles to thank him for his service.

Thanks for serving our country, said one individual as he walked up to Vasquez who was still maintaining his salute.

Vasquez, who is from Lockney, served in the Army from November 2001 to 2009.

Vasquez served two tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan during his service.

While on tour, the effects of chemicals in improvised explosive devices (IED) destroyed Vasquezs kidneys, forcing him to retire on Nov. 11, 2009.

Thankfully with a new kidney transplant, Vasquez was able to recover and has enough strength to do tributes like the one Wednesday.
AMARILLO  Xcel Energys plans to add more wind power in its Texas-New Mexico service area would boost wind to about 40 percent of the regions electricity supply by 2021 and immediately begin reducing fuel costs on customer bills.

In March, Xcel Energy asked regulators to approve two new company-owned wind farms  one in New Mexico and the other in Hale County, Texas  that would provide enough energy to power 440,000 typical homes. The company already purchases enough wind energy to account for 20 percent of the annual energy use in the region, and the new wind farms, along with additional proposed contract purchases, would double that.

Other companies across the nation are following Xcel Energys lead because falling capital costs and favorable tax policies have made renewables  especially wind energy  among the most economical types of electricity production. This week, renewable energy advocates across the U.S. are marking National Clean Energy Week to step up awareness of the strides electricity providers are making to add new renewable generation facilities that reduce the impact on the environment and, most importantly for regional customers, the impact on monthly bills.

This focus falls in line with Xcel Energys strategy of transforming how it produces, distributes and encourages the efficient use of energy within the context of delivering the reliable and affordable energy that regional customers and communities need, said David Hudson, president, Xcel Energy  New Mexico, Texas.

The new wind projects we are proposing will generate electricity as cheaply as our coal-fueled power plants without using precious groundwater or producing air emissions, Hudson said. Because of these and other factors, we will save $2.8 billion on energy production costs over 30 years, and those savings will flow directly back to our customers through lower fuel costs.

The ability to add more wind is now possible in large part because of investments the company has made to strengthen the regions high-voltage transmission network. Dozens of new transmission projects in

Texas and New Mexico have improved the ability to move power throughout the region and connect with

outside marketplaces, both of which are vital to the development of new wind farms. The cost of improving this infrastructure has led to higher monthly bills in recent years, but the investments will deliver savings in the long run as more low-cost wind energy is connected to the system, Hudson said.

We have to invest wisely in our energy future, which means we may have to bear higher upfront costs to achieve long-term savings, Hudson said. Our wind energy expansion will pay for itself and return nearly 40 percent in savings over time, and thats not something wed want to pass up, Hudson said.

The wind projects are being reviewed by utility regulators in both Texas and New Mexico, with anticipated

approvals coming in 2018.

Once the necessary approvals are obtained, construction on the 478-megawatt Hale Wind Project in Hale County would start immediately with a planned completion in 2019. The other facility  the 522-megawatt Sagamore Wind Project in Roosevelt County, N.M., would be in service by 2020. Xcel Energy is also seeking approval of a contract to purchase an additional 230 megawatts of wind energy  enough to power more than 80,000 typical homes  from two facilities being developed in Texas by NextEra Energy Resources  one in Cochran County and the other in Crosby County.

In addition to Xcel Energys growing wind energy portfolio, the company also has brought on large amounts of solar energy in recent years. Two photovoltaic solar facilities built by NextEra Energy Resources outside of Roswell, N.M., began selling energy to Xcel Energy in late 2016. With 140 total megawatts of capacity, the solar facilities produce enough electricity to power 40,000 typical homes.

Renewable development also provides a needed financial boost to area towns and cities. The NextEra projects created 300 jobs during construction and five full-time positions for ongoing operations. They also return $660,000 per year in payments to local taxing entities, including the Roswell Independent School District. Xcel Energys proposed wind farms in Texas and New Mexico will create 600 construction jobs and between 40 to 50 full-time operational positions.

More information about Xcel Energys plans for the regions energy future can be found at www.xcelenergy.com/ourenergyfuturesw.
An 18-year-old man was held in Hale County jail Sunday on $2,500 bond for resisting arrest, search or transport. He also is held without bond on an active warrant for no drivers license when unlicensed. He was arrested about 4 p.m. Saturday in the 300 block of South Date Street.

--A 25-year-old man was held in Hale County jail Sunday without bond on active warrants for no drivers license when unlicensed and failure to appear. He was arrested about 9:40 p.m. Saturday in the 1500 block of North I-27.

--An incident involving criminal trespass on private property reportedly occurred about 2:35 a.m. Sunday in the 1500 block of West 24th Street.

--A vehicle suffered between $100 and $750 in a criminal mischief incident that occurred between 1-9:45 a.m. Friday in the 1300 block of Houston Street.

--Property in the 1100 block of Walter Griffin was vandalize between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday. Damage was estimated between $100 and $750.

--A person reported receiving harassing electronic communications about 9:20 p.m. Saturday.

--A 28-year-old woman was held in Hale County jail Sunday on $2,500 bond for driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration over 0.15 percent. She was arrested about 1:35 a.m. Sunday in the 1400 block of Utica.

--Police received a report involving the violation of a protection order that occurred between 1-9:45 a.m. Friday in the 1300 block of Houston.

--a 41-year-old man was held in Hale County jail Monday on $200 bond for public intoxication. He was arrested about 12:50 p.m. Sunday in the 500 block of North Columbia.

--A 35-year-old man was held in Hale County jail Monday on $200 bond for public intoxication. He was arrested about 7:30 a.m. Sunday in the 800 block of Quincy.

--A residence in the 1200 block of Portland was burglarized Friday.

--Property valued between $100 and $750 was stolen sometime between Sept. 8 and Sept. 21. The crime was reported Friday.

(Anyone with information on crime in Plainview and Hale County may contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 293-8477 or 293-TIPS.)
SOUTHINGTON  Police have arrested a second man in connection with a bank robbery and kidnapping in June.



Lamar McCarthy, 35, of Hartford, was charged Monday with three counts of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery involving an occupied vehicle, and engaging police in pursuit. He was also charged with evading responsibility, unsafe passing, failure to drive right, failure to obey traffic controls, improper turns and engaging police in pursuit.



On June 18, police received a call for a holdup alarm at the Peoples Bank branch inside the Stop & Shop supermarket at 505 N. Main St.



Police said a man, later identified as Norman Renaldi, 43, of Meriden, entered the bank and handed the teller a note demanding the money. Renaldi reportedly left the store and got into a red minivan operated by a second man, later identified as Lamar McCarthy. The vehicle left the area and headed north on Route 10. An officer tried to stop the vehicle in the area of the Walmart store at 235 Queen St. The vehicle did a U-turn, struck another vehicle, and fled south on Route 10. At the intersection of North Main and Curtiss streets, a tire went flat but the vehicle continued on until it reached the area of the Shell gas station at 212 Main St., where it pulled to the side of the road.



The two men the fled the vehicle, police said. Renaldi was taken into custody immediately. McCarthy reportedly got into a white Jeep Cherokee that was at one of the gas pumps and drove away, leaving behind a man who had been pumping gas. The mans wife and grandchildren, ages 3 and 6, were still in the vehicle. A short time later, the woman and the two children were released at a commuter parking lot off Interstate 84 Exit 26, near the Cheshire-Waterbury line.



Police identified McCarthy as a suspect later and obtained warrants for his arrest.






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Get ready to feel the heat  again.

Forecasters expect temperatures to rise in the Bay Area on Tuesday and Wednesday, reaching the mid-80s in San Francisco and low 90s in parts of the East Bay and South Bay.

The warm-up is expected to be more uniform throughout the region compared to other heat waves this summer that brought wildly varied temperatures, according to Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Things like 105 inland are not expected this time, he said. Its more of a mid- to upper 80s, closer to 90s event, and were not expecting huge variation in the Bay Area.

The latest hike in temperatures is the result of a high-pressure system moving in from the eastern Pacific Ocean, Gass said. The new system is pushing inland a front that brought cooler weather to the Bay Area in recent days and is causing winds to blow toward the coastline instead of in from the ocean, he said.

That change in direction cuts off our natural-occurring air conditioning, Gass said.

Temperatures in San Francisco are expected to cool slightly after Wednesday, though the city will still see temperatures in the 80s on Thursday.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health tweeted an advisory Monday instructing people to stay inside with air conditioning on when possible  especially vulnerable populations, including infants, young children and the elderly.

A heat wave over the Labor Day weekend this month set record temperatures for around the Bay Area. In downtown San Francisco, thermometers hit 106 degrees on Sept. 1, breaking the previous record of 103 set on June 14, 2000. On Sept. 2, San Francisco hit 101, making it the third time the city had seen back-to-back days of triple-digit heat since 1874.

The sweltering weather was suspected of causing the deaths of six people in the Bay Area, three in San Francisco and three in San Mateo County. All six were elderly. In San Francisco, all three lived alone and 911 call records show that none had called for medical help before their bodies were discovered.

The San Francisco medical examiners office said it was likely that the three victims in the city died of heat-related causes. San Mateo County confirmed that the other three victims died of shock caused by heatstroke.

Annie Ma is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ama@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anniema15
The chairman and chief executive of Equifax, Richard F. Smith, retired on Tuesday in the aftermath of a major data breach that exposed the personal information of as many as 143 million people, the credit reporting agency said.

Equifax said Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., most recently the president of its Asia-Pacific region, had been appointed interim chief executive. The company said it planned to conduct a search for a new chief executive and would consider candidates from inside and outside the company.

Speaking for everyone on the board, I sincerely apologize, Mark Feidler, the Equifax boards new chairman, said in a statement. We have formed a special committee of the board to focus on the issues arising from the incident and to ensure that all appropriate actions are taken.

Equifax, based in Atlanta, said this month that hackers had exploited an unpatched flaw in its website software to extract names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and other information about millions of people.

The company faced a blistering outcry from lawmakers and the public for failing to protect the sensitive data and for a response that many considered lackluster. A website that Equifax created to provide information about the breach was initially plagued by problems, and the company struggled to keep up with a deluge of questions from confused and alarmed consumers.

Three Equifax executives, including its chief financial officer, John W. Gamble Jr., sold $1.8 million in company shares in the days after the breach was discovered, but before it was publicly disclosed. (Equifax has said the executives were unaware of the breach at the time of the stock sales.)

Two other top Equifax executives  the chief information officer and the chief security officer  stepped down on Sept. 14.

Federal authorities, led by the FBI, have opened a criminal investigation into the cyberattack on the company.

More than 30 state attorneys general have begun investigations into the breach, and federal lawmakers from both parties have requested information from Equifax and called for hearings on what went wrong.
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A UC Berkeley junior who suffered irreversible brain damage in 2010 when housemates at his university residence waited two hours to call 911 after hed overdosed, has died.

His mother, Madelyn Bennett, confirmed that John Gibson, 28, died Sunday in a San Diego hospice seven years after his tragedy  and Bennetts lawsuit  set in motion changes to UC Berkeleys emergency reporting policies and the transformation of a beloved, historic student residence called Cloyne Court.

Gibsons story exposed safety weaknesses in the co-op residences, which the university leases to the nonprofit Berkeley Student Cooperative, and a culture of drug use at Cloyne that nearly cost the housing system its insurance coverage.

Bennett, who sued the Berkeley Student Cooperative, settled in 2014 for an amount just under $1 million that quickly went for Gibsons extensive medical needs. The suit also demanded that Cloyne transform from an artsy, drug-tolerant community into a substance-free residence.

Students opposed to the change draped Save Cloyne banners on the rambling brown-shingled home at 2600 Ridge Road, which architect John Galen Howard built in 1904 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some also vilified Bennett on Facebook. One student sent her an expletive-laced message saying: You personally have ruined the lifes (sic) of 150 people.

Bennett reported the attacks to UC Berkeley, saying: Its not that I object to getting hate mail. Its that I object to getting hate mail with incorrect spelling from students at UC Berkeley, where I expect a higher class of hate mail.

Gibsons overdose exposed a dangerous history at Cloyne. A Chronicle review of police records revealed 13 reports of grand theft, eight burglaries, three fights and five injuries or illnesses in the five years before Gibsons tragedy. In 2006 alone, Cloyne saw three rapes, a sexual battery, 16 students hospitalized after eating pot brownies, two drug arrests and the death of a former Cloyne resident, Fre Hindeya, 26.

Gibson was a charismatic 21-year-old who grew up in San Diego, the son of a news reporter and a computer engineer. Court papers show that on March 18, 2010, a housemate at Cloyne noticed at about 9 a.m. that Gibson appeared to be having a bad dream. By 11 a.m., he noticed that Gibsons lips had turned blue and that he wasnt breathing. Two Cloyne residents tried to perform CPR on Gibson before moving him into another room. They called 911 at 1 p.m.

Gibson had taken drugs, which caused a heart attack, court papers said, but he was deprived of oxygen and suffered a brain injury because of the delay in getting help.

Gibson was moved to his parents house in San Diego, where his mouth remained frozen in an oval, and his body clenched. He never walked or spoke again. Tubes kept him alive. His ability to think was unknown.

But even Gibsons overdose didnt immediately change things at Cloyne. Four months later, another man overdosed at Cloyne. His fate has not been made public. In 2013 and 2014, paramedics visited Cloyne three times for drugs or alcohol. Each time, students landed in the hospital.

In 2014, after an emotional, all-night session, the housing co-op voted to evict nearly all Cloyne residents and turn Cloyne into a substance-free, academic-themed house.

Bennett said at the time, This vote will prevent other families from going through this. Nobody wants to lose a kid that they love.

In 2016, UC Berkeley adopted a Responsible Bystander Policy declaring that students who report drug or alcohol emergencies would not be disciplined.

We have improved our training for all managers in the (Berkeley Student Cooperative) since that time, and we are currently recognized as one of the safest organized housing providers on campus, said Zach Gamlieli, student leader and president of the nonprofit.

Bennett said that Gibsons friends and family were with him when he died.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
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An on-screen romance five years ago has sparked a real-life engagement between two "Game of Thrones" stars.

Kit Harington and his girlfriend since 2012, Rose Leslie, are engaged, according to People. Their romance as Jon Snow and Ygritte blossomed into an off-camera relationship.

Despite a rumored split and reconciliation after a year of dating, they continued to pursue their relationship, making it official with a red-carpet debut as a couple in April 2016 at the Olivier Awards in London.

OTHER 'GoT' NEWS: Bran Stark is going to college and the internet can't deal

Fans of the show were quick to respond to the happy news saying congratulations and celebrating that he finally "bent the knee."

"If you're already attracted to someone, and then they play your love interest in the show, it becomes very easy to fall in love," Harrington, 30, said in a cover story for L'Uomo Vogue.

THEMED HOME: Check out this must-see 'Game of Thrones'-like house in Texas

In 2014, Leslie, 30, spoke highly of Harrington in an interview with People saying in part, "Kit is a lovely and funny man, and a dear friend. We had known each other before we started working together on Game of Thrones. It was always such a privilege to be working opposite him and such a blessing that we get on in real life because it made our characters more believable."

Fans of the show were quick to respond to the happy news.

To see what the characters look like outside when not on the "Game of Thrones" set, go through the drastic before-and-after photos above.
Three passersby came to a man's rescue late Monday after his car burst into flames in southwest Houston, local television stations report.

A pickup truck and a car heading opposite directions in the 7200 block of McHard collided head-on about 11 p.m.
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HARTFORD  After an 80-minute, closed-door meeting with a bipartisan group of legislative leaders on Tuesday, slight progress was made toward legislation that would give state hospitals $70 million in federal reimbursements before an Oct. 1 application deadline.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he hopes the legislation can reach the General Assembly on Thursday or Friday, before the Yom Kippur Jewish holiday at sunset. It seems unlikely that the General Assembly will reach a compromise budget deal before the end-of-the-week deadline for the fiscal years first rounds of school aid and municipal assistance.

And as the Republican budget finally was written into legalese and returned to the Capitol on its way to Malloys promised veto, the governor was vague on when he might reject the legislation.

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said the hospital reimbursement seems likely to pass before the end of the week, but there is as yet no definitive plan for a vote.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said the possible focused special session may be up to Malloy. He said that active negotiations with the Connecticut Hospital Association indicate the need for some new language in the legislation, even though the hospital assistance was contained in both the Democratic plan and the GOP budget, which passed with a handful of Democrats about 10 days ago.

Our plan is to meet again with the governor around noon tomorrow and continue in details some of the items we discussed today, Looney said.

Our message really is to have the hospitals and the administration to continue to negotiate and have the broadest agreement possible, so that can be voted on, Said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk.

The administration and hospitals have been in ongoing discussions based upon what was proposed in both of our budgets, and well see what happens in those discussions, said Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin. Well decide Thursday what were going to do.

Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano told reporters that Tuesday was the first day that he was told that lawmakers might not come in on Thursday or Friday to complete the hospital support. He expected to meet with the Connecticut Hospital Association to review the various options, including a pending court case over rates.

I dont see another budget on the horizon right now, Fasano said, adding that Hartfords imminent bankruptcy, as well as funding for UConn, were not discussed Tuesday.

Good meeting, I thought, and well continue tomorrow, Malloy said shortly after 2 p.m. He intends to issue a veto message, but declined when it might occur.

I think everyone understands what my strongly held positions are, Malloy said. The budget bill was returned Tuesday to the Senate clerks office for a signature, then it would go the House clerk and the Secretary of the State, who would deliver it to Malloy.

Once it gets to Malloys office, he will have five days to issue his veto message.

I just think we should get the whole thing done, Malloy said. Asked when he expected to veto the GOP budget, Malloy said he wasnt sure. When Im ready and happy with the message that I will attach, then well move forward on that.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
Have you ever wanted to get a behind the scenes look at Humble ISD operations?

District operations for the 2017-2018 school year are in full swing. You can get a behind the scenes look within Humble ISD schools and administration, examining district processes and operations with the Community Leadership Academy.

"It was an eye opening experience to see all of the moving parts that are required in order to educate our children in a safe, yet friendly, environment," said Travis Munro, investment advisor representative at Centera Financial and graduate of the program.

Participants will tour district facilities and receive in-depth knowledge of the inner-workings of Humble ISD. There are six half-day sessions running from November to April from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and there is a $50 participation fee to cover program supplies. Scholarships are available.

"This program provided me with a wide range of experiences that offered a glimpse at the daily activities of the Humble ISD," said Munro, who learned about creating district budgets and the self-sustaining child nutrition program.

Sessions will focus on areas of operations from the cafeteria to the classroom, from fine arts to finances. Additionally, participants will learn about school board member role and responsibilities, preparing students for success after high school graduation, state assessments and curriculum, technology in the classroom and student safety.

"I feel as if I was given the golden keys of the school district. I really felt the open door policy of the board. I have been a Humble resident for the past 10 years, and I didn't know all the wonderful projects and programs that the district is doing for our community," said Mariana Pena, graduate of the program.

Anyone interested in participating must submit an application by Monday, Oct. 9. Approximately 25 applicants will be selected to participate in the second Community Leadership Academy class. Jerri Monbaron, director of community development said, "We would love to include everyone who applies, but we have designed this program for participants to have a real hands-on learning experience, including interacting with students in the classroom. That type of experience is best with a smaller group."

For more information, visit http://humbleisd.net/communityacademy.
Stephen Louis spoke in a British accent when he made his acting debut four years ago at Clear Springs High School.

Last month, on the day before he turned 21, Louis left Texas to live among the Brits as a musical theater student in the world-renowned Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, an institution that dates to 1906 at the University of London.

"It's the alma mater of Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Carrie Fisher, Andrew Garfield and Riz Ahmed, among others," said Louis, whose parents are Allison Louis and Dr. Diane Robinson of League City.

"I don't think my parents could be more thrilled, but it's also hard and kind of scary for all of us," said the aspiring actor.

Performances noticed in high school

As a sophomore at Clear Springs, Louis "couldn't name more than five musicals" when he was cast as brittle, British director Christopher Belling in "Curtains." His performance won best featured performer at the 2013 Tommy Tune Awards, in the annual Theatre Under the Stars program that honors excellence in Houston-area high school musicals.

"It was a complete surprise," said Louis, who returned the next year to win best supporting actor as Officer Lockstock in "Urinetown."

In 2015, Louis starred as Professor Harold Hill in "The Music Man" at his high school, and was nominated for a Tommy Tune Award as best leading actor. At that year's Tony Awards-style ceremony at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston, Louis didn't win his category, but he was announced as the recipient of a $3,000 scholarship from TUTS.

He planned to use the scholarship in pursuit of a bachelor's degree in theater performance at the University of Evansville in Indiana. However, after a year on the dean's List at that school, Louis came home to regroup, opting to apply for enrollment at an acting conservatory.

"I applied for 14 different programs at 10 different schools," he said.

A big audition

The pinnacle of those programs was the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, which called him in for an audition last February in Manhattan.

"I knew then I had already jumped through one hoop," he said.

Performing with an accompanist for "a person holding a camera," Louis sang "Something's Coming" from "West Side Story" plus "And the Rain Keeps Falling Down" from the song cycle "Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens."

Then Louis returned to League City, where he worked as a shift leader at a movie theater while also taking weekly acting and voice lessons in Houston.

In early June, Louis received his formal acceptance to the London academy.

"My worries were put to bed," he said. "My gap year was well-worth it. I wasn't sure for a long time, but it all worked out."

Louis said his flat-mate in London will be Gabbi Martinet, whom he met "by complete coincidence" when she also auditioned for the school in New York.

"I was introduced to a young woman and her mother," he said, only to discover that Martinet is an aspiring actress who graduated this year from The Woodlands High School.

"We bonded, and for weeks afterwards, we would talk and share our anxieties," Louis said.

The school has only a 1 percent acceptance rate, but both Louis and Martinet won admission.

"It is helpful to both sets of parents that we are going off to London together," Louis said.

More information on the school is available at www.cssd.ac.uk.

Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be reached at donmaines@att.net
Brown

U.S. Air Force Reserve Airman 1st Class Omriyana C. Brown graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Brown is the daughter of Alfred Brown of Cypress, and Ruth Brown of Katy and granddaughter of Avenell Perry and Maxine Kelly of Houston.

She is a 2015 graduate of Katy High School, Katy.

Griffin

Air Force Col. James S. Griffin has arrived for duty as a chief, Homeland Division with Joint Staff, J-5, Pentagon, in Washington, D.C.

Griffin is the son of Charleen and James Griffin of Katy. He is also the husband of Christine Griffin.

The airman graduated in 1989 from Katy High School, Katy, and earned a bachelor's degree in 1993 from U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
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On Sept. 18, Congressman Michael McCaul, R-Texas was joined by the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on a Black Hawk helicopter ride across Cypress Creek, the Addicks and Barker reservoirs and Buffalo Bayou to gain a better understanding of the flooding problems facing the Houston area and the need to fix them.

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairs the committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, and McCaul said the committee is looking at an infrastructure funding bill that could come out of Congress later this year or early next. McCaul would like to see that bill include funding for the flood relief in the Houston area, including a possible Cypress Creek reservoir type structure.

A proposed levee with an estimated cost of $320 million is part of a study by the Costello firm, that was hired by the city of Katy after 2016 Tax Day flooding.The levee that was proposed in the 1940s no longer will work, said an aide to McCaul, so the congressman is working with locals on what is the best plan going forward  a reservoir type structure.

McCaul brought Speaker of the House Paul Ryan down to Texas on Sept. 21 and spoke of leading a delegation with Shuster in a few weeks to Houston to continue to keep the focus on Texas and on ideas to reduce flooding. "I'm working with Shuster pretty closely," McCaul added.

Referring to Cypress Creek, McCaul said, "I'm very focused on how to get federal funding as soon as possible." He noted three floods in the last two years downstream of Cypress Creek.

And officials are taking another look at the Addicks and Barker dams and what more might need to take place. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began to release water from the two reservoirs Aug. 28 because their water level had climbed too quickly due to Hurricane Harvey.

"The controlled spills caused a lot of damage and anxiety," said McCaul.

A $72 million overhaul to the dams, which are more than 70 years old, began in April 2016 before Tax Day flooding delayed work.

The infrastructure bill could involve private/public partnerships.

In September 2014, The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Panel on Public-Private Partnerships released its final report and recommendations on how to balance the needs of the public and private sector when financing the nation's infrastructure. In part, it mentioned changes to federal programs to more easily allow partnerships by states and localities.

On Sept. 18, McCaul said he and Shuster also met with John Sharp, Texas A&M University chancellor, who was named by Gov. Greg Abbott to head the Governor's Commission to Rebuild Texas following Hurricane Harvey. Sharp's list includes "Focus on the needs that will have the greatest impact locally and regionally."

McCaul said he shared with Sharp a copy of a 1940s map by the Civil Engineer Corps launched to build infrastructure that shows the Barker and Addicks reservoirs as well as a levee for Cypress Creek and described the situation as it's on the ground.

"Actually it's one of the issues - infrastructure - that could be a truly bipartisan bill to come out of Congress," said McCaul. The president is supportive, he added. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump talked of a multi-million package to rebuild the nation's infrastructure.

McCaul also has been working on more immediate disaster relief to help Houston-area residents.

In early September, Congress approved $15.25 billion in relief funding for victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Congress is working on another supplemental funding bill that probably will be acted on next month, he said.

On Sept. 14, the House passed H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act of 2018. The bill provides $44.3 billion, $1.9 billion above FY17, to protect the homeland, secure the border, and provide necessary funds to respond to disasters. It includes $7.3 billion for FEMA's disaster relief account for FY18 and $2.7 billion for FEMA grant programs, such as the State Homeland Security Grant Program, Urban Area Security Initiative, and firefighter assistance grants

McCaul said the disaster relief would keep FEMA solvent through the hurricane season and called block grants key to rebuilding people's houses and lives.
The University of Houston-Victoria's newest administrator sees tremendous growth potential for the university's teaching center in Katy.

"We are sitting on a gold mine," said Ronald Salazar, a UHV associate professor of management and associate provost for Katy operations. "The enrollment for community colleges in our area exceeds 200,000. These are students within our grasp. In addition, Katy is the fastest-growing zip code in the country, and we are right in the middle of the energy corridor."

David Cockrum, UHV interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, recently appointed Salazar to the associate provost post after an internal search. Salazar's primary responsibility is to work with the staff at UHV Katy to meet the needs of students and to incorporate data management tools to better inform and understand enrollment goals and needs.

"We are committed to making every aspect  from first contact through graduation  better and more convenient for our current and prospective students," Salazar said.

Salazar has taught at UHV since 2004, and he has an extensive background with strategic and tactical planning, management consulting, and the integration of theoretical and practical business applications.

Salazar earned a doctorate in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been a consultant on strategic management and technology to numerous private and public sector organizations, including British Petroleum, Exxon/Mobil, The Kroger Co., and MD Anderson Cancer Center.

"Dr. Salazar's track record in business and academics makes him a great fit for the position," Cockrum said. "I'm excited he is taking on this role in addition to continuing to teach our business students."

Salazar will oversee most staff members at UHV Katy. He also will develop training activities for staff and inform faculty members about opportunities for community engagement in Katy. He will collaborate with Karla DeCuir, UHV Katy senior director of enrollment management, on some external relations projects.

"I've worked with some of the staff in Katy for years," Salazar said. "I know them to be highly professional and dedicated. I intend to be a resource for them to help them succeed in their job goals in the future."

UHV Katy, 2002 W. Grand Parkway N., Building 2, opened in fall 2016 and offers bachelor's degrees for transfer students and master's degrees The university is leasing the third floor of the building while a new UH System campus is built nearby at Interstate 10 and Grand Parkway. The new campus eventually will house UHV and UH degree programs.

The addition of an associate provost stemmed from a recommendation in UHV's new Katy Business Plan. The plan was put together by a group of UHV faculty members and administrators, led by Wayne Beran, UHV vice president for administration and finance.

Salazar served on the business plan group, one of several internal service roles he's taken on. He also is chair of the UHV Technology Advisory Committee. He was president of the Faculty Senate during the 2013-2014 school year.

"The prospect of working with others on the team in Katy to develop and implement responsive growth will be a welcome challenge," Salazar said. "I am looking forward to building relationships and an organization that will fully serve the educational aspirations of Katy and the surrounding area."
MOSCOW - A blockbuster film about the romance between Russia's last czar and a ballerina has inflamed a simmering culture war between artists and conservative activists, testing the Kremlin's ability to promote conservative values without unleashing a reactionary pogrom.

Last week, masked Russian police burst into an apartment complex and arrested three men, including the leader of an extremist religious group called Christian State-Holy Rus, for calling on supporters to burn down movie theaters planning to show the film "Matilda." Someone had already tried to set fire to the director's studios and to several cars near his lawyer's offices.

"Burn for 'Matilda,' " a note near a burned-out automobile read.

"Matilda," set for release next month, is the story of Nicholas II's three-year romance with the ballet dancer Mathilde Kschessinska. It occurred before his marriage to the German princess Alexandra and his coronation as czar. Nicholas and his immediate family, who were murdered by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg in 1918, are saints, canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.

The film has been criticized by mainstream voices in the church, including Bishop Tikhon, who is the powerful head of Moscow's Sretensky Monastery and rumored, though never confirmed, to be President Vladimir Putin's personal confessor.

"From the point of view of history, it's just a desecration of history, a desecration of our culture," Tikhon said at a lecture in March.

A former film student who was baptized at age 24, Tikhon also said he had read the script for "Matilda" and called the trailer "drivel." But he hotly denied that the church wanted the film banned.

"Honestly, we already ban things too often in the name of the church," Tikhon told an audience at the Russian Military Historic Society, a body of politicians and other thinkers presided over by the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. "One after another. And the church is being turned into some kind of committee of censors. Stop. It won't lead to anything good."

Since his reelection in 2012, Putin has championed conservative values in Russia, while religious conservatives have become more prominent in United Russia, the party founded by Putin. In an acid state of the union speech in 2013, the same year that Russia banned "gay propaganda" and jailed members of Pussy Riot for a protest song in a church, Putin lashed out at the "destruction" caused by "nontraditional values" from the West.

Controversial legislation supported by religious conservatives, including a bill this year that decriminalized some forms of domestic violence, have made their way onto Putin's desk and into law.

Controversial art and theater productions have been targeted by conservative activists, and shows with controversial subject matter, like a Bolshoi ballet about Rudolf Nureyev that explored his homosexuality, have been canceled.

But the turn to violence by a group of far-right activists has produced a rare crackdown from the Russian government, and a backlash against the conservative Russian parliament member most critical of the film, Natalia Poklonskaya, a former prosecutor from Crimea who had the film reviewed for blasphemy.

"It's like a mini-ISIS is starting," Stanislav Govorukhin, a film director and member of parliament who heads the Duma Cultural Committee, said at a hearing this month.

The opponents of "Matilda" are led by Alexander Kalinin, the founder of Christian State-Holy Rus, who claims to have found God during a near-death experience (and trip through hell) while on vacation with his then girlfriend near the Sea of Azov in 2010. He told the Meduza news agency this month that he founded Christian-State-Holy Rus later in 2010 and that it had 350 members.

He also said he supports a theocracy along Iranian lines - Christian, of course, rather than Muslim.

After Kalinin was arrested, police said he was also under investigation for the attack near the lawyer's offices. Poklonskaya, trying to withdraw herself from the controversy, said that she had personally demanded his arrest.

For director Alexey Uchitel, whose 2010 film "The Edge" was nominated for a foreign-language Academy Award, the backlash was more than he expected when he decided to make a movie based on the diaries of Kschessinska. That she and Nicholas, then a grand duke, had an affair is little doubted by historians.

Uchitel said that he had feared for the lives of those closest to him after receiving death threats and attempts to burn down his studio. The arrests are a "good step," he said, and may convince several theater chains that dropped the film over safety concerns to reconsider.

"Sure, I expected the film to provoke some discussion," Uchitel said in an interview. Noting the October release date, he added, "But they haven't even seen a single frame, they have no idea what's there."

Poklonskaya was a leading supporter of Crimea's annexation from Ukraine in 2014. Young, telegenic and patriotic, she was made a member of parliament in 2016.

"Here you are, Natalia Poklonskaya, the new sex symbol of Russia," a reporter for state television said to her during a segment just days after Putin signed Russia's annexation of Crimea. "Oh my God," she replied. "No, I want people to recognize me as a prosecutor."

In parliament, Poklonskaya has drifted away from her image as a law-and-order figure toward religious conservatism. In an interview with the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, she complained that the actors portraying Nicholas (Lars Eidenger) and his psychiatrist were German.

"Really, [Eidenger is] an actor who spits on our history, who treats us and our traditions with a lack of respect and says Russia is a cultureless country, that a lack of morality and culture rule here because you just need to support gays and the opposition," she told a reporter in a 30-minute video interview in which she occasionally referred to herself in the third person. "And he's the person who's invited to play the main role of the film."

Referring to Nicholas as "our sacred ruler," she also accused Eidinger of taking part in the occult.

Uchitel confronted Poklonskaya at the Kremlin at a holiday reception in June. The encounter wasn't filmed, but one picture was released last week, showing Poklonskaya in a black dress looking past the suited director.

Uchitel asked her to watch the film. "I'm not going to watch the film," she said, both have recalled. "I have the reports."
WASHINGTON - Bill Cassidy of Louisiana walked down a hallway flanked by three members of the Capitol Police, each ready to ward off protesters who might confront him about his health-care bill.

It was an unusual day for the little-known Republican senator, spent shuttling from interview to interview, then to the Senate Finance Committee, where he would pitch his approach to dismantling Obamacare to his colleagues, and finally to a CNN stage where he subjected himself to a nationally televised, one-hour debate despite his bill's collapse hours earlier.

Was he still hoping to bring the measure back from almost certain defeat?

Hard to say.

The Cassidy-Graham proposal is unpopular with voters. It is opposed by the medical establishment to which Cassidy, a physician-turned-politician, once belonged. Experts estimated that it would kick tens of millions off their health-care plans. Even some members of Cassidy's own party are skeptical.

At what point does a quixotic effort become masochistic? And what would make Cassidy, or anyone for that matter, want to remain its public face?

One clue emerged in an interview with The Washington Post on Monday: Cassidy is determined. Relentlessly, strangely determined.

"Keep plugging, keep plugging and never quit," he said. "Two years ago, people thought I was Don Quixote. A month ago, people thought things were dead. Two weeks ago, people smiled. And now folks say, 'Wow, they may still pull it off.' If you keep your head down and keep plugging, good things happen, and that's my goal."

In the committee, Cassidy had hoped to revive a bill that had hovered near collapse for four days. He had revised the text to appeal to holdout senators. He would try to win approval from the heavyweights on the panel, where he is the most junior member. He didn't have much to work with.

"I was sent here to work," he said at one point. "If this [the bill] is the only means by which I can do so, I shall."

At another moment: "For three years, I went around to Democratic colleagues and met with you and asked, 'Can we please work together?' For three years, I was basically told, 'Nice try.' "

As the hearing began, the bill was holding onto a slim chance of success. Cassidy would find out before the committee adjourned, five hours later, that this chance was all but gone.

The first-term senator cuts an unusual figure in the upper chamber. He stands out at over 6 feet tall, with strong features and a shock of gray hair. Described as friendly but without close friends, he ranges around the Capitol with his headphones in, avoiding small talk. Before the health-care debate, he was not known for a signature issue - nor for a calling card among his colleagues.

That all changed in May after Cassidy's encounter with Jimmy Kimmel.

Cassidy had not even been part of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's official working group on health care early this year, despite his stated interest in the issue and his medical degree. He partnered with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on an Affordable Care Act replacement bill, but the legislation had aroused little interest.

He finally managed to join the debate after coming up with a standard for judging Republican legislation to replace the ACA. He would call it the "Jimmy Kimmel test" - an outgrowth of the late-night comic's plea to Congress to protect the ACA, which began after his baby son was born with a heart defect. Cassidy declared, after Kimmel's advocacy made headlines, that he would not support a bill that failed to guarantee that patients like the Kimmel baby would receive health coverage regardless of income.

Cassidy initially won praise from liberal advocates. But by mid-September, he had opted to become a lead sponsor of a new proposal offering dramatic cuts to Medicaid and leaving many coverage decisions to states.

Cassidy claimed that his position had not changed since May.

"My patients had terrible diseases and multiple chronic conditions, and my life's work was how to care for these fellow Americans," he said in a video posted on Twitter over the weekend, referring to his work with Louisiana's uninsured patients. "[Cassidy-Graham] accomplishes this by other means."

Kimmel - and many others - concluded otherwise.

"This guy, Bill Cassidy, just lied right to my face," Kimmel said on his program, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Cassidy claimed after Kimmel's riff that the comedian didn't understand his proposal. But the legislation is arguably more extreme than the bills Republicans considered this summer. It goes further in its cuts to federal health-care spending, aims those cuts more directly at states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA and allows states to use waivers to opt out of the law's consumer protections.

Mistaking disagreement for misunderstanding is typical for the awkward, slightly nerdish Cassidy, 59, who invokes his background in medicine at just about every opportunity,

A liver specialist by training, Cassidy helped create a free clinic for Baton Rouge's working poor and turned an abandoned Kmart into a makeshift medical facility after Hurricane Katrina.

Some in Louisiana Republican politics have speculated that it would be Cassidy's wife, Laura, a retired breast-cancer surgeon, who ultimately made the run for office. The two met during their medical residencies in the 1980s. He calls her his closest adviser.

"On health care, she has very much lived what I've lived," Cassidy said.

"She was in a publicly run system and noticed the resources always lagged behind those of a private hospital. . . . She understands the needs for coverage as do I, having patients who for whatever reason were uninsured and their breast cancer was delayed, both diagnosis and treatment, sometimes with terrible results. So she shares my passion."

When Cassidy sat down to testify at Monday's 2 p.m. hearing, the math for his bill was already difficult. With 52 seats and the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence, Republicans could lose only two GOP votes to pass most legislation. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., had already come out against the bill. That left Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, whom Cassidy had tried to lure with extra funds for their states in a new version of the bill released Monday.

Dressed in a dark suit, sky-blue shirt and navy-blue-and-pink striped tie, Cassidy entered the hearing room as protesters in the hallway audibly chanted, "No cuts to Medicaid!"

The next five hours passed slowly, as Cassidy entered the weeds of health-care policy to defend his bill, clause by clause. At one point, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, referred to him as "Dr. Kennedy," mistaking Cassidy for Louisiana's junior senator.

After one particularly heated exchange, Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, called for the panel's Democrats to ease up on Cassidy.

"He's a doctor, and he understands this probably better than anybody in this room," Hatch said. "Let's show some respect for Senator Cassidy. This is not easy for him."

Hours later, news broke that Collins was a firm no on the bill. Cassidy continued to implore Democrats to support the legislation, bringing out color-coded maps to make his points.

Hatch said he would suspend the hearing after another round of questions.

"Let's face it," he said. "We're not getting anywhere."
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Following extensive damage to its Beaumont location from Tropical Storm Harvey, CB&I has transferred more than 400 employees to other locations on the Gulf Coast but could still have to lay off about 45 people, the company said.

Earlier this month, the Woodlands-based company issued 455 notices warning employees of possible layoffs.

Explaining the notices, Gentry Brann, senior vice president of global communications and brand management, said the Beaumont Island Fabrication facility on Pine Street "experienced extensive flooding during Harvey" and the company has not yet decided what to do about the facility.

So far, about 90 percent of affected workers have been relocated to different CB&I locations and projects. The company has a similar facility in Lake Charles, as well as multiple projects along the Gulf Coast, including Freeport. Some employees remained in Beaumont to help assess the damage before the company decides what to do next, Brann said.

The uncertainty prompted CB&I to issue the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications, also known as WARN notices.

WARN notices are supposed to provide protections to workers and their families by requiring employers to provide 60-day advance notification of plant closings or mass layoffs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

However, Harvey's unexpected arrival enabled the company to secure an exception to that timeline, Brann said.

CB&I distributed its notices on Sept. 11, informing employees their last day would be Sept. 21. Of the employees who didn't transfer to other CB&I facilities, it is not known how many are still at Pine Street and how many might have been laid off.

The Texas Workforce Commission released a report Monday identifying CB&I as one of three Texas companies to issue WARN notices this month.

The Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, also known as CB&I, is an engineering and construction company that focuses on the energy industry, especially oil and gas companies, according to the company's website.

MGstalter@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/morgGstalt
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SCHENECTADY - A month after new data showed the crime rate in Schenectady County was the highest in the state, county lawmakers plan to reveal new measures to cut crime.

Legislature Chairman Anthony Jasenski and several other members of the legislature are holding a news conference at 10 a.m.
Baby Susan is living in the center of the whirlwind, new developments with each day swirling around her.

Shes a baby no more, of course. She is Susan Akie-Mote, and on Oct. 30 she will turn a still youthful 49 years old.

Yes, the storys been reported. But here it is, again, in a nutshell: Susan was left in a hatbox next to a U.S. Mail box when she was hours old. On the frosty morning of Nov. 1, 1968, 16-year-old Bob Halstead, then a high school student, came upon the box while walking along Old Town Road to Notre Dame High School.

What he at first thought was a doll turned out to be a very much alive infant.

Forty-nine years later, Susan managed to track down Halstead, piecing together clues she accumulated online. Last week, Susan, a former social worker and now a nurse at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in Patchogue, N.Y., made the hour-and-15-minute trip across Long Island Sound in an attempt to fill in some of the gaps in a 48-year life.

Last Wednesday, they met and embraced on the macadam of the parking lot at the Bridgeport terminal, as cameras rolled and clicked. They then went to the North End of Bridgeport to reunite with Halsteads now 93-year-old mother, Marie, who participated in that rescue of long ago and still lives in the same house on Travis Drive.

The improbable story has now drawn the attentions of newspapers and television news programs around the country. A crew from Inside Edition, the long-running television news magazine, interviewed Susan at her Long Island home after she returned on Friday, and was scheduling a vist to Bridgeport for this week, she said.

And Halstead, the former city council member and longtime community activist, is feeling it, too.

Hes had 300 likes and messages on his Facebook page  which is where he first heard from Susan on Sept. 14.

In a brief email, he wrote: People at the Whole Foods buffet recognized us. We are famous.

Susan and I spoke Friday night.

Shes experienced similar reaction on Long Island. had similar reaction on Long Island.

Im just absorbing it all. Its coming at me left and right. I saw a lady at the store the other day and she looked at me and she screamed. She laughed at the notion.

From the avalanche of publicity, she hopes maybe someone else will step forward from her past.

Maybe she will find her birth mother. Maybe she will find out she has siblings. Maybe shell discover critical medical information about herself.

So many maybes whipping around in the whirlwind.

She said the other day, and reiterated Friday night, that should she ever meet her biological mother she would hug her and thank her.

I would say thank you for wrapping me. When Halstead found her in the hat box, she was wrapped in a velour shirt.

Even if she said she just didnt want to have a baby, that would work for me, she said.

It would be nice to know if I have or had biological siblings, she said.

For now though, shes living in the whirlwind of exhiliration.

And its exhausting.

When everyone left the other day, Bob and I just sat and talked and talked. I wanted to get to know him as much as possible. But Ill tell you, I was shot. I was just a mess that day. I said Bob, Ive got to go to sleep.

And Day 1 of Baby Susans new life, drew to a close.

Michael J. Daly is editor of the editorial page of the Connecticut Post. Email: mdaly@ctpost.com.

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Bozeman, Mont

Dorothy Eck, who helped draft the Montana Constitution 45 years ago and later served in the state Senate for two decades, has died in Bozeman. She was 93.

Daughter Diana Eck told the Montana Democratic Party her mother died Saturday.

"Dorothy Eck fought the good fight until the very end. She proudly embraced being labeled a liberal," said Nancy Keenan, executive director of the state Democratic Party. "We mourn Dorothy's passing but celebrate the incalculable contribution she made to our Montana."

Eck was elected to help draft a new state constitution in 1972, fighting for the public's right to participate in government and for a requirement that public schools teach students about Montana's Native American heritage.

She helped elect Democratic Gov. Tom Judge and worked as a member of his staff for about four years before serving in the state Senate for 20 years. There Eck advocated for children, health services, the poor and the environment and helped mentor other lawmakers, including then-state Sen. Jon Tester.

"Dorothy was a trailblazer with courage, tenacity and compassion. She was a champion for women, Native Americans, and a transparent and accountable government," Tester, now a U.S. senator, said.
A former state judge who believes that "God's law" can invalidate federal court decisions won Alabama's Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday night, sending a clear warning to President Donald Trump and GOP leadership that conservative grass-roots anger will continue to roil the party into the 2018 midterm elections.

Roy Moore, who was twice suspended from his job as the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, defeated incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and was backed by Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Moore is now the front-runner to win the seat in the Dec. 12 general election. He will face Democratic candidate Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney in Alabama.

"We have to return the knowledge of God and the Constitution of the United States to the United States Congress," Moore said in his victory speech. "We have become a nation that has distanced ourselves from the very foundation."

In a tweet, Trump quickly threw his support behind Moore: "Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Dec!"

For conservative opponents of the current Republican leadership, the victory was a godsend - literally, for many - and a validation of the larger effort to replace the current leadership of the Republican Party with a more populist crowd.

"Who's sovereign, the people or the money?" former White House strategist Stephen Bannon asked at Moore's victory party in Montgomery. "The people of Alabama just answered: the people."

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For McConnell, whose allies committed vast resources to defeat Moore, the loss was the third blow in one day to a man once seen as an unflappable master of political chess.

Earlier Tuesday, McConnell was forced to call off a vote on the latest effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, his third failed attempt to muster 50 votes in the Senate.

Hours later, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., a McConnell ally, announced that he would not seek reelection in 2018, creating another open seat that anti-establishment conservatives are likely to contest. Bannon and other insurgent activists were previously looking to target Republican Senate incumbents in Arizona, Nevada and Mississippi.

On Tuesday, McConnell congratulated a "spirited campaign" that focused on frustration over the lack of progress in Washington.

"I share that frustration and believe that enacting the agenda the American people voted for last November requires us all to work together," McConnell said in a statement.

The defeat of Strange, a 6-foot-9-inch former prosecutor and lobbyist, could also put pressure on Republican Party fundraisers, who are wary of spending money on races they are unlikely to win.

The Senate Leadership Fund, an independent committee allied with McConnell that spent nearly $9 million to elect Strange and attack his rivals, released a statement throwing its support to Moore moments before the race was called. "Judge Roy Moore won this nomination fair and square," said the fund's president, Steven Law.

But there is little hope of a meeting of the minds any time soon. Scott Reed, a political consultant for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said Moore's victory was likely to make it harder to pass Trump's agenda, including tax cuts, which will require some conservative compromise to get through the Senate.

"Once again, Bannon's strategy has no logical endgame," Reed said, arguing that the vote count will be harder with Moore in the Senate. "Good luck moving President Trump's growth agenda forward."

With his victory, Moore became the first Republican Senate candidate since the 2014 cycle to overcome a full-scale attack during the primary from allies of Republican leadership and the U.S. Chamber. He also won despite a last-minute push by Trump for Strange that included a barrage of late tweets and a rally Friday in Alabama.

The effect of Strange's loss on Trump is not yet clear, as both candidates in the race draped themselves in the president's "Make America Great Again" slogan. Trump also seemed to distance himself from his own endorsement in the race's final days. At the rally Friday to support Strange, Trump told the crowd, which included many Moore supporters, that he "might have made a mistake." If Moore won the primary, Trump said to applause, "I'm going to be here campaigning like hell for him."

In the final weeks of the campaign, the Chamber spent about $1 million, and the Senate Leadership Fund spent nearly $5 million to support Strange and attack Moore. Republican voters in the state complained of daily direct-mail pieces attacking Moore, and one voter outside Birmingham said Tuesday that he disconnected his home phone to block the barrage of recorded calls.

The local business community, organized by the Chamber, also launched a get-out-the-vote effort among the employees of large companies, including the state's significant federal contracting workforce. And Strange, the Business Council of Alabama argued, was the best person to bring more jobs to the state, which relies heavily on defense contracting.

Unable to match the ad campaign against him, Moore was defended by a loose grouping of anti-establishment conservative activists, including Bannon, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson and conservative talk radio broadcasters including Laura Ingraham.

But in significant ways, his campaign differed from any other Senate effort in recent memory. On the stump, Moore made his belief in the supremacy of a Christian God over the Constitution the central rallying point of his campaign. His support for stronger immigration laws, less federal spending and a stronger military were all secondary issues.

In three books, Moore has described his legal opinion that the United States was founded as a Christian nation that ultimately answered to the "laws of nature and nature's God," a phrase contained in the Declaration of Independence.

As a judge, Moore refused to obey a federal court order to remove from his courthouse a monument to the Ten Commandments he had installed to underscore his belief. He was removed from his job as a result.

In a 2002 legal opinion, he described homosexual conduct as "an inherent evil," and he has argued that the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage should not be considered the rule of law. He was suspended from Alabama's court a second time for defying the higher court's marriage decision, and he later decided to retire from the bench.

If elected to the Senate, Moore has promised to be a disruptive force who will directly challenge the leadership of McConnell. Moore plans to crusade against the Senate practice of requiring 60 votes to move most legislation on the Senate floor, which he does not consider constitutional. He has also said he will seek the impeachment of federal judges who defy his view of the Constitution. He has called for military deployment to secure the southern border before the construction of a border wall, and he said he would have opposed the Cassidy-Graham legislation, the most recent effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, because it was not conservative enough.

Democrats have not yet committed to pouring money into Jones' campaign, but some Republicans, including Trump, have expressed concern that Moore could be vulnerable in the general election. "The people of Alabama deserve a senator who will put aside partisan rancor," Jones said in a statement after Moore's victory.

Alabama politics is historically a rough-and-tumble affair, and the campaign ended much as it began, with Strange playing defense and Moore reveling in his unique approach to public service. After casting his ballot Tuesday morning, Strange awkwardly told reporters he had not heard Trump say at the rally Friday that he may have made a mistake with his endorsement. "The president supports me 100 percent," Strange said.

Moore, who owns several motorized vehicles, decided to ride a horse named Sundance from his property in Gallant, Alabama, to the local firehouse to vote Tuesday, taking time to trot back and forth before a group of reporters.

The night before the election, Moore dressed in a cowboy hat and black leather vest at a rally in Fairhope. While giving his speech onstage, he pulled a small handgun from his pocket and pointed at the ceiling to demonstrate his support for the Second Amendment.

Bannon also appeared at the Monday evening event, along with Robertson and British politician Nigel Farage. "A vote for Judge Roy Moore is a vote for Donald J. Trump," Bannon said, disregarding Trump's endorsement of Strange. "We did not come here to defy Donald Trump."

At polling places across the state Tuesday, voters said they struggled with the conflicting messages in the race. In downtown Montgomery, Mable Greenwood, 58, said she voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election but was now supporting Moore. "The world, I don't think it's going to be here too much longer," she said, explaining her attraction to Moore's religious message. "Everything that the Bible said is going to happen - it is happening."

In Mountain Brook, a Birmingham suburb, a steady stream of voters made their way to Brookwood Baptist Church to cast ballots. Myron Trowbridge, 76, said he was voting for Strange because he could not validate Moore's willingness to flout judicial orders. "I don't respect people who don't respect the law," he said, explaining his reasons for supporting Strange over Moore.

In his concession speech, Strange promised to continue to serve Trump and the state of Alabama for his remaining time in office. "We're dealing with a political environment that I've never had any experience with," he said. "The political seas in this country right now are very hard to navigate, very hard to understand. It's been a very tough deal."

- - -

Daniel Teehan in Montgomery, Larry Bleiberg in Birmingham contributed to this report.
NEW HAVEN  Ed Joyner, the president of the beleaguered New Haven Board of Education, will remind you he didnt ask for the position.

Following the death of Daisy Gonzalez this summer, Joyner, as vice president, ascended to the role.

I just wanted to be Daisys support system, he said. In many cases that meant driving her around, making sure she got to where she needed to go or doing any background research she needed.

Although Joyner said he did not desire the role of president, he has attracted attention  and criticism  for his ambition and active, outspoken participation in meetings since joining the board in January 2016. He said he has had to contend with rumors that he is seeking to become superintendent of schools or mayor, which he steadfastly denies.

Im 70 years old. All I want to be is a good board member and father and husband, he said.

He presides over a board divided and, at times, fractured and paralyzed by two rival camps with competing agendas, boycotted meetings, remonstrations and accusations. He has staunch supporters who say he is doing his best to navigate an obstructionalist landscape and ardent detractors who say he wants to run the show by himself.

After retiring from a 43-year career as an educator, passing through Hillhouse, a stint as principal of Jackie Robinson Middle School, the Yale Child Study Center and Sacred Heart University, Joyner said he wanted to get involved in politics, but not at a high level. He decided to support the candidacy of Toni N. Harp, then a state senator, for mayor of New Haven.

I thought she was the best of the candidates in the field, he said. So I started to work for her and help her raise money and help her develop her education platform.

Joyner was selected as chairman of Harps school turnaround committee, and he speaks highly of that chosen team. Since then, the relationship between Joyner and Harp has soured, and the two have become school board rivals. Joyner endorsed Harps primary opponent, Marcus Paca, this year, although he declined to discuss it in a recent interview.

Theres a fundamental difference in that I know the (school) board is a state agency, he said.

Joyner said the charter revision that allowed him to run for his seat and be elected was bound to cause tension, as the mayor traditionally had the sole ability to place members on the school board.

Harp did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

One comment that attracted controversy, which Joyner said he wishes he could put behind him, is when he told the mayor Slow your roll.

Thats a mild statement, he said. If thats the worst thing Ive done since Ive been on the board, Ill take it.

Although it was widely considered dysfunctional in 2016 when Joyner and Harp butted heads for a year as the mayor sought to defend then-Superintendent of Schools Garth Harries from Joyner and five other members who had grown increasingly wary, relations on the school board have further deteriorated since Harries negotiated an early exit and its members lost something that had united them.

Former Superintendent of Schools Reginald Mayo has agreed to be at the helm of the school district on an interim basis for nearly a year now, but there have been significant roadblocks in the search for his replacement, as several board members have sought to stop the process over perceived inadequacies in the search.

Through it all, Joyner has fought to push the process forward, shrugging off criticism of executive search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, its methods and a perceived lack of community input on the search.

Darnell Goldson, a high school mentee of Joyners and onetime close ally on the board, has become an adversary to Joyner in the midst of the executive search.

[I]n politics you don't have permanent friends or enemies, but you should have permanent interests, Goldson wrote in an email when asked for his take on the search and Joyners leadership. Mine has not changed since I joined the board, I have always been committed to fairness, transparency, stakeholder input and truthfulness.

Goldson told the Register earlier this month he was considering missing meetings to deny the school board a quorum as a tool to slow down a process he believed was being forced to a conclusion. Goldson emphasized he had only missed two meetings between January and July this year, although his absence Aug. 28 and early departure Aug. 22 left the school board without a quorum at a pivotal time in the search, as HYA consultants closed the process to applicants and began narrowing down candidates.

Ed is brilliant in regards to education. Hands down; no one can compete, Goldson said in his email. But managing a board takes a certain tact and people skills, and more than anything a leader has to stow their ego and compromise.

I've led several boards. I understand the challenges. He has not shown the ability to do so. When a board gets to this state of dysfunction, the leader has to take the blame, Goldson said.

Joyner and Goldson rode the elevator together to a meeting last week between community stakeholders and HYA consultants, and Joyner entered the room alleging that Goldson had called him a liar in the elevator and he didnt plan to be cordial during the meeting.

I believe in self-defense, both physical and verbal, but you have to choose your time, Joyner said later.

The Rev. Boise Kimber, a city activist who often voices concerns at school board meetings, said he rates Joyners leadership as "poor."

"He has to learn how to bring people together. He has not brought this board together, Kimber said.

Frank Redente, a board member who expressed new reservations with the search process because of its lack of internal candidates among its six finalists, said he likes Joyner and would not downgrade his presidency, but he is uncomfortable with the amount of email bickering between Joyner and Goldson and the forcefulness with which Joyner is looking to bring the process to a close before 2018.

Its tiresome, he said. It almost feels like we cant make the proper decision with all this controversy on the board.

Redente said he cannot vote on the search with a clear conscience, especially if the board members cannot unite to make decisions peacefully for students.

Eds been helpful for me and I respect him, but with clear conscience I cant make that decision right now, he said. If we dont do it in the next couple of weeks, its not like the schools are going to close or anything like that. I just want to do whats best for our kids and our parents.

Joyner said he has listened to the objections of critics of the process, who say HYA largely bypassed input from the New Haven community to narrow down its list of candidates.

Its a work in progress, he said. Since those charges have been leveled, we met with presidents of all the major organizations in the school constellation.

Carlos Torre and Che Dawson are the two members of the school board who have supported continuing the search with Joyner; whereas Dawson shies away from discussing board politics, Torre has been outspoken about his support for Joyner.

Ive known Ed ever since Ive been in New Haven, about 32 years now, Torre said. Ed is one of the people I respect the most; he really understands the process of education, understands what people need to learn and understands that from just about every point of view you can imagine.

Joyner often touts his experience with the Comer Model, developed by James Comer at the Yale Child Study Center; between 1990 and 1996, Joyner was director of the Comer Project for Change in Education at the center. Torre said the Comer Models influence on pedagogy and its roots in New Haven cannot be overstated. When Joyner ran the program, awareness of social-emotional learning, the core tenet of the Comer Model, spread nationally.

Ed was an integral part of that, Torre said. Here is a major figure in education, and one of our own, and the way some people have treated him is unspeakably wrong.

Torre said calling the criticisms lobbied at Joyner from other board members politics would not even scratch the surface.

I think hes doing an outstanding job and standing up to the voices that are trying to destroy the district, he said. Given that, he would be doing an outstanding job if those voices werent there, but given those voices it really is way beyond what you can ask almost anybody to do given the circumstances.

Joyners career as an educator began in New Haven in 1970 at Hillhouse High School, two years after he followed his then-fiancee to the Elm City.

He has kids in his blood, said Shirley Love Joyner, his wife. A lot of kids in this community look up to Ed as a father figure. Kids call us Aunt Shirley and Uncle Ed. Hes great with kids.

Love Joyner, a retired educator herself, said Joyner has a knack for remembering her former students when even she had forgotten them.

They can get skinny, fat, bald; he still remembers them, she said. I dont know how he does it, but he does.

Education runs in the family, too, she said. Their two children and many siblings, cousins and nieces all work in the profession.

Joyner said his first memory of being an educator was teaching Sunday school to younger children in his hometown of Farmville, N.C., growing up.

That was when I thought I would be pretty good at teaching, but I cant remember a time when I didnt want to be a teacher, he said. I would be the one who would get a group of kids together, even in high school, to go over math problems we found difficult or to discuss some of the content in our English classes.

Joyner can point to many differences from his childhood growing up poor in a small, rural, segregated town in the South to the experiences of students in New Haven today  teenagers were afforded more responsibility, like driving school buses or working in the tobacco factory or on the farm, and teachers were held in higher regard  but what he stressed most for todays children is the importance of using a library. Although he grew up in a time of ascendancy for African-Americans, he said he was not allowed to use the library or to go swimming in a pool.

When asked to self-evaluate his performance as school board president, Joyner said he has had to face a lot of obstacles and challenges in just a few short months.

Dealing with the death of a revered board member, the unwillingness of some board members to attend meetings, trying to find a replacement for Dr. Mayo, the state budget, the absence of a CFO and an assistant superintendent of curriculum, he said, there have been a lot of challenges, but between the leadership of our interim superintendent and the support of people like (COO) Will Clark and (Human Resources Director) Lisa Mack and others, and more than anything the work of teachers and principals in the building, the ship is still sailing.

I cant imagine anybody doing any better.
NORWALK  With cars flying down the hill, crossing Maple Street at Prospect Street on foot near Norwalk Hospital can mean taking ones life into ones hands, according to hospital employees.

Two doctors and the hospitals attorney made their case to the Norwalk Traffic Authority on Monday afternoon for installing a crosswalk  or some other traffic-calming measure  to tame motorists speeding down Maple Street.

About 100 Norwalk Hospital employees and their families live in two hospital-owned apartment buildings on Prospect Street and must cross Maple Street to get to and from work.

Theyre crossing that street at all hours, day and night, because theyre working 24/7 to take their patients at the hospital, said Dr. Eunice Kang, program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Im just concerned about the increase in traffic and people can fly down that hill, especially if theres a little bit of snow or ice, its really easy to lose control.

Hospital employees arent the only people risking their lives when crossing Maple Street at Prospect Street. Kang said a pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle at the intersection two years ago, suffered serious injuries and had to be air-lifted to Yale New Haven Hospital, which has a level one trauma center.

Shift to Maple Street

Norwalk Hospital, now part of the Western Connecticut Health Care Network, emerged two years ago from a $102 million expansion that shifted the bulk of the hospitals services to Maple Street.

We enter most of our activity at the hospital now on Maple Street, said Frank Zullo, attorney for the hospital. So we have the McGraw Center and the main entrance to the hospital and the ambulatory (center) entrance on Maple Street.

In addition, the hospital relocated its Whittingham Cancer Center from Stevens to Maple Street, and doubled the size its emergency room, which has always been located along Maple Street.

Zullo said the two 40-unit apartment buildings owned by the hospital on Prospect Street house hospital resident students and students enrolled at the University of Vermont. Earlier this year, WCHN became Connecticuts newest medical school when the state approved the network as a clinical branch campus of the University of Vermonts Larner College of Medicine.

We have a population of over 100 persons in these two buildings, and theyre constantly moving from the hospital to the buildings, because theyre residents, 24/7, and this intersection here creates a problem for pedestrians, Zullo said. Hopefully the (police) chief and traffic department could come up with something that would ease the safety concerns that we have here.

Dr. Alexander Ho, a third-year resident student at the hospital, said students cross Maple Street throughout the day and often must wait a long time before venturing across the roadway.

Depending on the time of day you cross, you wait five or 10 minutes just to wait for safe (circumstances), Ho said. The cars travel very quickly being that the road is on a hill.

City to explore options

Therein lies the problem with painting a crosswalk or installing stop signs, according to Fred Eshraghi, traffic engineer in the Norwalk Department of Public Works. He noted that the nearest stop sign lies past the top of the hill  at Magnolia Street  or about 600 feet up from Prospect Street.

That 600 (feet) is a good amount of distance for the cars to speed up. So to bring them down to the speed that they can stop for the pedestrian to cross is a little bit difficult, Eshraghi said. Definitely we could put the crosswalk, but this crosswalk is going to be unprotected and its very dangerous as well because we have this 600 feet for the traffic coming down.

Placing stop signs at Prospect Street would pose another issue for motorists driving Maple Street in snow and ice during the winter, according to Eshraghi.

Director of Public Works Bruce Chimento said he and Michael Yeosock, the departments assistant principal engineer, visited the area to see where signed crosswalks could be installed.

We have to do something, to look at it again and study it, Chimento said. We looked at putting crosswalks in and where we could put them in. Again, we have to meet ADA requirements. I think a couple spots need ADA ramps to be put in there. Well see about putting those in and well do a whole study for it and come back to you guys.

Mayor Harry Rilling, chairman of the three-member Traffic Authority, is awaiting the results of that study.

I think we all agree something has to happen here, Rilling said.
HAR ADAR, West Bank - A Palestinian shot dead an Israeli policeman and two security guards at the entrance to a settlement near Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, in one of the deadliest attacks in recent years.

The attacker, from the neighboring Palestinian village, was also killed, police said. Another Israeli was seriously injured and transferred to hospital.

The militant group Hamas praised the attack, calling it a "new chapter" in Jerusalem's intifada, but did not claim responsibility.

The 37-year-old attacker had a work permit and was crossing from his village of Beit Surik through the security checkpoint to Har Adar just after 7 a.m. when he opened fire, residents and security officials said. The settlement - a wealthy community of luxury villas overlooking Jerusalem established in the 1980s - has a special arrangement that allows around 100 workers to cross inside each day without going through the main West Bank checkpoints.

The attack came just three days before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, when security forces were already on high alert. Israel has suffered from a spate of attacks over the past two years in what has been dubbed the "knife intifada" but has also included shootings and car-rammings.

Speaking at the scene, Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the process of issuing permits would be reexamined during a security meeting on Tuesday, and Israeli authorities would consider sealing off the West Bank for the remainder of the Jewish holidays, which run until mid-October.

"There is no way to know how to prevent the next attack so Israel needs to tighten its security in order to protect its civilians," he said. He blamed Palestinian "incitement" for the attack.

Palestinians say such attacks are caused by frustration stemming from 50 years of occupation. The attacker's village was on lockdown on Tuesday morning and Israeli special forces officers could be seen coming in and out. The attacker was married with four children, according neighbors, who said he was having marital problems and his wife had left for Jordan.

"Most of the people who lived here knew him," "said Yitzhak Rabihya, a resident of Har Adar. "This is why it's such a surprise here."

He said the community was proud of its efforts at "coexistence."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the house of the attacker would be destroyed.
RICHMOND, Va. - President Donald Trump looms large over the race for Virginia governor, according to a new survey that finds the president is a factor for a sizeable slice of the electorate.

For nearly 40 percent of voters, Trump plays into the choice between Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. For 28 percent of voters, the president is a major factor.

The "Trump Effect" is more pronounced among Northam voters, who are much more likely to disapprove of the president and to say their vote is meant to send a message to Trump and congressional Republicans.

"Disapproval of Trump and Congress is clearly motivating Northam's voters," said Rachel Bitecofer, assistant director of the Wason Center. "Gillespie voters mostly support Trump, but they'd rather keep him out of the picture here."

Trump has a 35 percent overall approval rating in the commonwealth, but Northam and Gillespie supporters have sharply different assessments of the president. Northam voters almost universally take a dim view of Trump, with 96 percent disapproving of his job performance. Gillespie voters are split; 75 percent approve of Trump and 16 percent disapprove.

A slim, 51-percent majority of Northam voters say Trump plays into their choice for governor, while 72 percent of Gillespie voters say he does not. Among independents, 78 percent say the president is not a factor.

Nearly half of all voters, 49 percent, see their vote as a way to send a message to Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress. About one-third say they want their vote to convey a message of disapproval, while 19 percent say it should be seen as a sign of support.

Northam, the state's lieutenant governor, is a pediatric neurologist who earned a reputation for working across the aisle as a two-term state senator. While touting his bipartisan credentials in this race, Northam has used uncharacteristically sharp rhetoric against Trump, calling the president a "narcissistic maniac" in a TV ad.

Gillespie, an establishment figure who nearly unseated Democratic Sen. Mark Warner in 2014, has walked a fine line with Trump, whom he supported only grudgingly after the real estate developer and reality TV star locked up the GOP nomination last year. A former lobbyist and Republican political operative who served as a counselor to President George W. Bush and as chairman of the National Republican Committee, Gillespie has avoided appearing with the president and commenting on his presidency.

But Gillespie has also taken steps to court Trump voters since nearly losing the June GOP primary to Corey Stewart, the president's one-time Virginia campaign chairman who made the defense of Virginia's Confederate monuments the cornerstone of his populist campaign. Gillespie has used images of a massive border wall and handcuffed illegal immigrants in some ads. And he has hired a veteran of the Trump and Stewart campaigns, who warns that communists are behind the push to remove monuments, as his field director for Southwest Virginia.

The poll explores the monuments issue, which gained prominence in the governor's race in August, when a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville dissolved into violence and mayhem and left three people dead. The rally had been called to protest the city council's plan to remove a Robert E. Lee statue from a downtown park.

Northam and Gillespie have both done some fancy footwork around the issue, which presents risks for both candidates. Both agree that the governor does not have much power to remove monuments. Cities have jurisdiction over their own statues in most cases. The governor would have some say over state-owned statues, such as the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee on Richmond's Monument Avenue, but the legislature would have to approve removal. The governor eventually would have say over Confederate monuments at Virginia Military Institute, through his appointments to the school's board of governors. Northam attended VMI.

Prior to the rally, Northam and Gillespie seemed content to say the issue was out of their hands, though Northam said he would prefer to see statues moved to museums and Gillespie said he would prefer to have them stay put.

Northam took a harder line after Charlottesville, pledging to be a "vocal advocate" for removal. More recently, as estimates for relocating the Monument Avenue statues hit $5 million to $10 million, Northam has spoken of the need to address other "monuments" to racism, such as inequities in education and healthcare. Gillespie, while calling for "a conversation" on the monuments in a essay released after the rally, has since said the monuments should remain in place but with added historical context.

The poll found there could be a "Robert E. Lee Effect" at work in the race, with 54 percent of voters opposed to removing monuments from public spaces. Sixty-two percent of Northam voters support removal, while 86 percent of Gillespie voters oppose it.

Nearly 75 percent of Gillespie voters say the monuments symbolize Southern pride, as do 26 percent of Northam voters. Among the Democrat's supporters, 59 percent say the statues symbolize racism.

"It's clear this is a more complicated issue for Northam than for Gillespie," said Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center. "Gillespie appears to have a Donald Trump problem, but Northam may have a Robert E. Lee problem."

The poll also finds that 44 percent of voters say Virginia is moving in the right direction and that 51 percent approve of the job that Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is doing. McAuliffe is prohibited by the state constitution from seeking back-to-back terms.

The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percent, was released the day after another Wason Center survey found Northam leading Gillespie, 47 percent to 41 percent. Libertarian Cliff Hyra claimed 4 percent of the vote and another 8 percent of voters were undecided.

It was the latest in a series of polls to find Northam with a slight lead or in dead heat with Gillespie ahead of the Nov. 7 contest.
Women in Saudi Arabia will be permitted to drive in the kingdom, according to a royal decree issued in Riyadh on Tuesday that overturned one of the most widely criticized restrictions on human rights.

The decree, signed by King Salman and broadcast on state television, said that the "majority of senior scholars" had deemed the change legitimate under Sharia law, and ordered applicable government ministries to make whatever legal adjustments are required to implement it by next June.

The change aligns Saudi Arabia with virtually every other country in the world, including other conservative monarchies in the Persian Gulf region that have long allowed more freedom for women.

It was unclear how the permission to drive would relate to other remaining restrictions, including laws requiring women to be accompanied by a male "guardian" when leaving their homes.

Several prominent female Saudi activists had spent years publicly protesting the driving ban, posting videos of themselves driving on Saudi roads or headed toward its borders. The videos garnered hundreds of thousands of views and quickly landed the activists in prison.

One of the activists, Manal al-Sharif, was arrested in May of 2011 as a grass-roots Saudi campaign to overturn the ban gathered momentum, and spent nine days in prison. "As a result of my protest, I was threatened - imams wanted me to be publicly lashed - and monitored and harassed," Sharif wrote in a first-person account of her arrest and exile from Saudi Arabia, that appeared in June in the New York Times.

Other activists also faced long term harassment for defying the ban. Loujain al-Hathloul, who was detained for 73 days in 2014 after attempting to drive into Saudi Arabia from the UAE, was rearrested earlier this year and held for several days. Shortly before her arrest, she said in an interview with the Post that she had not tried to drive since her arrest three years ago.

On Tuesday, following the news that the ban had been overturned, Sharif, in a Twitter post, wrote that "Saudi Arabia will never be the same again. The rain begins with a single drop."

Hathloul's reaction was more concise. "Praise be to God," she wrote.

Asma Siddiki, an educator at King Abdullah Economic City, said the issue was not the top priority for Saudi women but had become "symbolic."

"We enjoy some rights that other celebrated democracies do not enjoy and yet everything was brushed under the all-encompassing question of the right of women to drive," she said. "I feel ecstatic that it is about to become a moot topic."

"I am also quite relieved," she added, "that I, not my husband, may be the person who will teach my children how to drive, being a better driver, in my opinion."

Ali al-Ahmed, director of the Institute of Gulf Affairs, a group often critical of the Saudi leadership, said the decision reflects the influence of reforms pushed by the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

"This shows his stamp," Ahmed said. "The ban was increasing unpopular and difficult for the ruling family to justify. It was inevitable that it would be lifted someday. Now was the time with the Saudi economy struggling with low oil prices and the monarchy facing some internal pressures."

Last year, the well-known Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, who is a member of the royal family, declared that the kingdom's refusal to allow women to drive was draining billions of dollars from the sagging economy.

A new government plan has called for increasing the role of Saudi women in the economy, including boosting their participation in the workforce, from 22 percent to 30 percent by 2030.

Last month, a woman was appointed the chief executive of a major Saudi bank - a first in the country's history. That came a few days after Saudi Arabia's stock exchange appointed a woman as its chair.

Sahar Bahrawi, novelist also lives in Jiddah, said the announcement "means the world."

"It means we obtained our right for mobility thanks to our king. Now we are really free , we are really celebrating," she said. "We are equal to all the women around the world."

Loulwa Bakr, a senior financial adviser who also lives in Jiddah, said she was "just happy that I no longer have to tell my 7-year-old to stop ogling at women driving in Europe because yes, it's normal and okay for women to drive!"

"One small pedal for Saudi women, one giant leap for women kind," she said.

---

The Washington Post's Brian Murphy in Washington, Souad Mekhennet in London, Kareem Fahim in Istanbul and Sudarsan Raghavan in Cairo contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - Senate Republican leaders on Tuesday abandoned their latest campaign to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, conceding their plan lacked key support. But they showed little interest in moving swiftly to shore up the seven-year-old law with the crucial funding it needs.

The official collapse of the Cassidy-Graham health-care bill once again leaves the party short of fulfilling a signature promise, which some Republicans worried could inspire a backlash among their base heading into the 2018 midterm elections

And the failure of that alternative to the ACA, combined with the GOP's reluctance to fix weaknesses in the existing law, leaves states, insurers and millions of consumers who rely on its coverage with substantial uncertainty. Enrollment for 2018 health plans begins in barely a month.

The Senate leaders said they would turn their attention to their next major legislative undertaking. "Where we go from here is tax reform," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters after holding a closed-door policy lunch with members of his caucus.

Republicans already are bracing for the political fallout from the measure authored by Sens. Lindsey Graham, S.C., and Bill Cassidy, La., which McConnell had hoped to bring to a vote this week. They said the pressure to pass a tax reform bill was higher than ever and hoped the Republican base would give them a bit more time to take another shot at repealing the ACA.

"They're going to be frustrated, and I don't blame them," said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. "I hope they'll have a little bit of patience."

Some GOP senators have already drawn primary challengers who are running as more conservative alternatives. Tuesday's developments compounded existing concerns about the threat the far right could present next year.

The most pressing unresolved aspect of the 2010 health-care law is the future of subsidies known as cost-sharing reductions, which provide discounts to roughly 7 million lower-income customers for health plans' deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs. The payments are expected to cost the federal government $10 billion next year.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to stop the payments to insurers to offset those discounts, and both the Cassidy-Graham bill and recent bipartisan Senate negotiations would have guaranteed those payments for another year or two.

Wednesday is the deadline for insurers to sign government contracts so they can sell health plans on the ACA marketplaces for 2018. Many companies are hiking premium rates by double digits, but they have suggested they would curb such increases if the Trump administration agreed to provide the cost-sharing subsidies for all of next year.

Raising rates is "a best-worst solution absent a federal decision," said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, the state-run marketplace there.

Some GOP lawmakers expect consumers could experience major problems in the months ahead - and predict those would backfire on Democrats and build momentum for the law's eventual repeal.

"I personally think it's time for the American people to see what the Democrats have done to them on health care," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "They're going to find they can't pay for it, they're going to find that it doesn't work . . . Now that will make it tough on everybody. Maybe that's what it take to wise people up."

"Health-care problems are going to continue because Obamacare is broken," said the Senate's second-ranking Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, who opposes providing the subsidies without making major changes to the ACA favored by conservatives.

Earlier this month, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Patty Murray, Wash., had been working on an agreement that would guarantee the subsidies for at least a year. The deal would have provided states with more flexibility in how they carry out the law's insurance rules.

Alexander said in a statement Tuesday that he would consult with Murray and other colleagues "to see if senators can find consensus on a limited bipartisan plan that could be enacted into law to help lower premiums and make insurance available" in the individual market for 2018 and 2019.

But it is unclear how much appetite there is for a stabilization bill among Republicans in the Senate, let alone in the House. Aides to House leaders said they do not see a bill providing billions in ACA subsidies as viable in the lower chamber - a point House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., conveyed to GOP senators.

Trump has suggested on several occasions that, in the absence of a replacement bill, Republicans should let the current system fail to force Democrats to negotiate.

The administration is only covering the cost-sharing payments on a month-to-month basis right now; a White House official confirmed Tuesday that it had made them for September but said officials had not decided what to do going forward.

A decision to end the subsidies would make the marketplaces particularly precarious because insurers could legally withdraw their participation, regardless of the calendar.

Julie Mix McPeak, Tennessee's insurance commissioner and the incoming president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, said that both health plans and her colleagues around the country had been "expecting some movement from Congress" on the subsidies by the end of September.

"Nothing having moved forward makes me very nervous," McPeak said. Until Wednesday's contract deadline passes for insurers planning to sell marketplace policies in 2018, "I feel like I don't have a strong confidence we know what our markets look like . . . I'm afraid we are still looking at any environment where insurers are trying to decide whether to participate."

Kristine Grow, spokeswoman for America's Health Insurance Plans, said that many members of her trade group "are waiting until the very last moment to make these decisions."

If Congress comes up with an agreement before the start of ACA enrollment on Nov. 1 to continue the payments next year, insurers and health commissioners alike hope federal officials will let insurers revise their rates. In many places, they could be lowered.

Democrats on Tuesday reiterated their interest in striking a deal. "Let's pick back up right where we left off, and let's do it right now," Murray said.

"The clock is ticking, Democrats are at the table, and I hope Republican leaders will now allow us to get back to work on lowering costs for patients and families and stabilizing the markets," the senator said. "We don't have a minute to spare."

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump said he was "disappointed in certain so-called Republicans" who would not back the Cassidy-Graham bill.

The president had declined to speculate on whether he wanted lawmakers to actually vote on the measure given its certain failure.

"It's going along, and at some point, there will be a repeal and replace," Trump said.

In turning away from its health-care goals for now, Senate GOP leaders also are leaving unresolved the future of the Children's Health Insurance Program. Funding for CHIP will expire on Sept. 30 unless Congress reauthorizes the program, which was created 20 years ago for the children of the working poor. It now serves nearly 9 million families.

Earlier this month, Hatch and the Senate Finance Committee's ranking Democrat, Sen. Ron Wydenm, Ore., reached an agreement that would have extended the program for another five years. Most states have enough money through a hybrid of federal and state funds to continue their CHIP programs until next year, though a few would start to run out this fall.

Republicans sought to frame the outcome on the Cassidy-Graham plan as only a temporary setback - albeit one that repeats seven years of futile effort on the ACA. Graham vowed to return to his bill after the tax reform effort.

But the tax endeavor faces many obstacles and could stretch on for months, even though party leaders have said they hope to wrap it up by the end of the year. Complex policy and political disagreements among Republicans have yet to be sorted out.

Graham repeatedly blamed concerns about "process" more than "substance" for Tuesday's defeat. In the future, he said, he hopes more committee hearings and a more deliberative effort will help get Republicans across the finish line.

Democrats remain firmly opposed to any repeal, however. And the procedure that Graham envisions - more hearings, increased transparency and a slower pace - could give rise to new complications and resistance and perhaps lead to a different kind of bill as the end product.

"The one thing I don't want to do is disrupt the health-care system any more than it's being disrupted already," Graham said. "But I cannot tell you that I believe there's any way to fix Obamacare. I think it's beyond being repaired."

- - -

The Washington Post's Kelsey Snell, David Weigel and Mike DeBonis.
Today we are being told that those who wore a Confederate uniform on duty in the Civil War should be branded, for all time, as traitors. On the other hand, only the ignorant and simpleminded, we are told, would claim that U.S. Revolutionaries like George Washington and Sam Houston in the Texas Revolution should also be called traitors even though they too challenged the country of their citizenship.

Washington, Houston and even Thomas Jefferson are, however, linked to the Confederacy in the new thought because they were all slaveholders. The intellectual consensus now is that defending the heritage of slavery was the sole cause of the Civil War. Complementary motivations such as states' rights, a controversial tariff or other causes are dismissed, again as musings of the simpleminded "lost cause" advocates. Even if a person were drafted against his will, once he put on the uniform, he was, and always will be, addressed as a traitor with ill will toward blacks.
WASHINGTON - During a public relations tour of the United States, Vietnam's de facto first lady, Madame Nhu, spoke at the National Press Club in Washington. Inside, she taunted and belittled the Kennedy administration, accusing the White House of treason for economic sanctions against South Vietnam. Protesters gathered outside met by a smaller faction of her fans from the American Nazi Party holding signs that read, "Madame Nhu, we like you." And "JFK salutes red Tito, shuns Madame Nhu."

It was the fall of 1963, and by then the North Vietnamese communists had been carrying out guerrilla attacks against the South for several years. The United States had already started spraying the chemical Agent Orange in rural areas where guerrillas were thought to be hiding out. The first U.S. soldiers had been killed by the Viet Cong.

Nhu, born Tran Le Xuan, was married to the brother of President Ngo Dinh Diem, a bachelor, and so he entrusted her with all the duties of a first lady. Though she makes only brief appearance in the 10-part documentary on the Vietnam War by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, she played a significant role in the trajectory of the United States' involvement in Vietnam.

Elegant and strong-willed, she was a figure of international intrigue in the early 1960s. Unlike America's first lady, who was demure, classy and media shy, Nhu rarely shied from the spotlight. Both Time and Life magazines featured her on their covers. Jacqueline Kennedy once said Nhu was "everything Jack found unattractive" in a woman, according to the documentary.

By 1963, the Viet Cong was not only waging a war against the South, but the Buddhist majority in the South was also rebelling against the Diem regime. When a Buddhist monk lit himself on fire in protest in the middle of the city, Nhu flippantly said he had been "barbecued" with "imported gasoline," and offered to supply more fuel for other Buddhists and would stand by "and clap."

Later, she claimed her words were inspired by a conversation her children had overheard between two Americans in a Saigon snack bar. "I am only a victim of American advice," she said.

Americans dubbed her "Dragon Lady," and President John F. Kennedy was said to have called her a "goddamn bitch." Because of the Buddhist uprising, and Diem's poor handling of it, the Kennedy administration was losing trust in Diem's ability to lead such a fractured nation. And Nhu only added to that anxiety.

Nhu irritated the U.S. government by questioning American motives. She referred in one speech to "false brothers" who didn't understand Diem's positions, a not-so-veiled reference to the Kennedy White House. She also alleged the U.S. Embassy in Saigon had "threatened and blackmailed" the Vietnamese government in an effort "to shut me up," to which a State Department spokesman responded, "We don't wish to comment on Madame Nhu's utterances, especially in view of the fact that she does not have any official position in the Vietnamese administration."

During her 1963 U.S. speaking tour, she accused the United States of being soft on communism and presented herself as the victim. She complained that the Kennedy White House, which did not acknowledge her visit, could have shown her "more courtesy." She made several high-profile appearances, including an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press." She said America wasn't as anti-communist as Vietnam and had given in to liberalism, which in her view meant they were, "not red yet, but they are pink."

The Washington Post described her during her visit as "petite, quick-witted" and remarked on her "long, sharpened red fingernails detracting somewhat from her posture of defenselessness."

Meanwhile, while Nhu traveled the United States, the Kennedy administration urged the Diem government to make significant changes in how it was running South Vietnam. Eventually, a frustrated Kennedy heeded the advice of State Department officials and let it be known that he did not want to start a coup, but wouldn't stop one either.

Nhu was in Los Angeles with her daughter when dissident generals launched an attack against the South Vietnamese government on Nov. 1, 1963. Nhu's husband and President Diem were both killed.

Nhu blamed the United States. "The deaths were murders," she said, "either with the official or unofficial blessings of the American Government."

When she left her L.A. hotel, reporters asked her whether she felt defeated. She responded defiantly: "Never! Never! Never!" In a news conference on Nov. 2, 1963, she said those who carried out "such a cruel injustice," should have to "pay for it."

Less than three weeks later, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Among the many conspiracy theories around his death is that Nhu had him killed in retaliation. She did send a condolence letter to Jacqueline Kennedy with this cutting line: "I sympathize the more for I understand that that ordeal might seem to you even more unbearable because of your habitually well-sheltered life."

Nhu could not safely return to Vietnam, so she lived out the rest of her days in exile as a widow in a 15-room villa outside Rome. Nhu kept a low profile, "living in seclusion and silence," The Post wrote, and only granting interviews for a hefty price.

In 1986, her parents, retired Vietnamese diplomats living in the United States - they'd disowned her over her treatment of the Buddhist monks - were found murdered in their home, and their son was charged in their deaths.

Before Nhu's own death in April 2011, an academic named Monique Brinson Demery tracked her down in Rome and began a correspondence that she'd later publish in the book, "Finding the Dragon Lady." Appearing on "The Daily Show" in 2013 to promote it, Demery told Jon Stewart that it took a very long time to convince Nhu that she wasn't a secret government agent.

When Demery asked Nhu if she had any regrets, Nhu simply said she could have been more humble.

---

Part of a continuing series about facets of the past that remain relevant.
So far, President Donald Trump has given the oil and natural gas industry quite a bit of what it wants.

In a call to reporters just two days after Trump's election, the American Petroleum Institute, the largest U.S. oil and gas lobbying group, laid out its wish list for the new administration.

API said it wanted Trump to reconsider the stop on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. Check. It said it wanted federal regulations to be reviewed "holistically." Check.

One of Trump's many job-creating promises during the campaign was to make it easier for companies to extract and deliver fossil fuels, so making good on these requests was a win-win for the White House and industry.

Although a bushelful, that may have been the low-hanging fruit. API has another ask of Trump that will be harder for the president to fulfill: preserving a key investment-dispute provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which from Trump's perspective is a "job-killing" trade deal between Canada, Mexico and the United States.

"We're still optimistic that at the end of the day, this will be handled appropriately," Jack Gerard, API president and chief executive, said during a teleconference with reporters on Friday. "If it isn't, I think all of us, including those of us in the oil and gas industry, are going to have to look long and hard at the situation."

Here's what API (along with many other business groups) is asking for: that Trump push to preserve a system of resolving international trade disputes called investor-state dispute settlement, or ISDS.

Here's how ISDS works: Say you're a multinational corporation that decides to invest in a foreign nation. You put in your investment - it could be a gold mine in Indonesia or a luxury resort in Egypt - but suddenly, the foreign government issues a regulation that you think hampers your business. Under ISDS, you can sue that foreign government for the investment you think you lost.

ISDS is meant to inspire confidence in corporations making investments in foreign countries. But the arbitration system draws ire from many corners. Most environmentalists don't like how ISDS hamstrings governments that are attempting to curtail pollution. And some conservatives don't like how ISDS undermines national sovereignty by having tribunals of corporate lawyers, not judges, hear cases.

And there is where the strange bedfellows are made. ISDS is a feature of many free-trade agreements, including NAFTA. But the White House is putting together a proposal to allow the United States, Mexico and Canada to withdraw from the North American arbitration system at will, the Wall Street Journal reported in August.

But big businesses, oil and gas included, don't want the boat rocked. With the third round of NAFTA renegotiations underway as of Saturday, U.S. industrial groups are lining up to preserve the arbitration system that, according to API's Gerard, "provides what we need in the U.S. to secure that investment overseas."

Of particular concern to oil companies is Mexico. When NAFTA was first signed 23 years ago, Mexico had a nationalized energy sector. Since then, Mexico has begun selling off oil and gas fields. Foreign investors, including ExxonMobil, want ISDS protection if they are going to drill there.

"That in many respects has opened the door to a flood of new private investment that's going into Mexico to help further develop their oil, gas and natural resource sector," said Cal Dooley, president and chief executive of the American Chemistry Council and a former congressman. "It is even more important that we see ISDS be clarified in how it pertains to the energy sector in Mexico."

William Waren, senior trade analyst at Friends of the Earth, said that energy firms are particularly assertive in using ISDS.

"Just about the biggest and most frequent plaintiffs are big oil companies." Waren said. Given that annual profits at the largest multinational oil firms can sometimes dwarf the gross domestic products of developing nations in which they operate, those companies "are in a position to coerce smaller countries" through ISDS, Waren added. He said most of the environmental community wishes to see ISDS stripped out of trade deals altogether.

Since the United States's own fracking boom, natural gas exports via pipeline have doubled between 2009 and 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Almost all that increase in exported gas went to Mexico. NAFTA lets that gas flow across with no tariffs.

Which is why, even if you set ISDS aside, the oil and gas sector has responded forcefully to comments from the president suggesting he is willing the scrap the agreement altogether.

"Personally, I don't think we can make a deal," Trump said at an Arizona rally in August. He added, "I think we'll end up probably terminating NAFTA at some point."

Or as Trump tweeted about the "worst trade deal ever made" in late August after the first round of negotiations:

If persuading the president fails, the oil and gas industry can always lobby Congress, which will have to ratify any changes to NAFTA. Though it has many critics in both chambers, Congress has acted previously to protect ISDS.

For example, in 2015, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a strong opponent of ISDS, introduced an amendment designed to stymie the Obama administration from including ISDS in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed free-trade agreement for 11 nations along the Pacific Ocean.

Her effort failed.
ST. LOUIS - It was six days into this city's latest round of protests over racial injustice, six days since another white police officer was acquitted in the shooting of another black man, and a typically dull meeting of the St. Louis Board of Estimate and Apportionment had just turned - like so many other things here - into a display of anger and passion.

"Lyda Krewson, vote yes!" a few dozen people shouted across the packed room at the city's new mayor, who just months into her job is facing an intense pressure that has been here for years.

In the streets, throngs of protesters during the past week have called on her and her government to get serious about overhauling a local police force that they say is racist, abusive and unjust.

The powerful police union and its supporters want her to do just the opposite: Come out strongly in support of the police and condemn the protesters, who have smashed windows and disrupted commerce.

And on this day, in this meeting, a fellow lawmaker and a room full of people who supported the protests were urging her to approve a hastily drafted body camera trial program for police officers - something that she supports but that she thinks needs careful consideration and budgeting.

"I'll vote today in favor of body cameras, but is there any way we can actually go about this in a proper way?" she finally said.

It has been three years since a white police officer in the nearby suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, killed an unarmed black 18-year-old named Michael Brown, setting off a wave of protests and a police response that captured worldwide attention. The protests spawned the Black Lives Matter movement, threw a spotlight on the way police departments across America treat black citizens and highlighted the growing militarization of the country's police forces.

Three years, new leadership, same old concerns.

As Krewson said this week: "We here in St. Louis are once again ground zero for the frustration and anger."

In Missouri, the backlash to Brown's 2014 killing gave rise to a stack of reports and hundreds of recommendations for how police can do a better job of meting out justice fairly and safely, aiming to replace rage in the streets with respect and cooperation.

But although the state passed a law that makes it more difficult for local municipalities to treat their poor, often black, citizens as sources of revenue through aggressive ticketing and jailing - a major source of anger ahead of the Ferguson protests - there has been little action by local police departments toward resolving or even acknowledging the existence of racial discrimination.

"There are all these policy recommendations and proposals that have all, for the most part, been ignored by city officials and leadership in the police department," said Kayla Reed, a local college student and activist with the St. Louis Action Council who emerged as a prominent voice during the Ferguson protests. "I think what we are seeing is a real reluctance to listen to the community, to step into leadership about ushering in a new era of progress. And that, plus continued repression and brutality at the hands of the police, have ignited once again those feelings like, 'We have to take to the streets, we have to shut things down, we have to show we're not going anywhere.' "

The latest bout of anger kicked off Sept. 15, when a circuit court judge acquitted former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley of murder in the 2011 shooting death of a 24-year-old black man named Anthony Lamar Smith.

Stockley had engaged Smith in a high-speed police chase after Smith crashed into Stockley's police car. Stockley, who declared during the chase that he was "going to kill this motherf---er, don't you know it," ultimately shot Smith at close range through a car window. Prosecutors alleged that Stockley also planted a gun on Smith because only Stockley's DNA was found on the weapon. But the judge, Timothy Wilson, wrote in a detailed decision at the conclusion of a bench trial that he wasn't convinced that Stockley was guilty: The former officer would walk free.

To many St. Louis residents, particularly in the city's predominantly black northern neighborhoods, it was Michael Brown all over again.

"No justice, no peace!" they chanted during day and night protests, a small group of them clashing with police, hurling rocks and paint, and smashing windows of businesses and the mayor's house.

It was the same anger as three years ago, in large part because little has changed about the conditions of life in and around St. Louis. It is still a racially divided city, activists say. And it is still one of the most violent cities in America, a place where police say they come into contact with people carrying weapons on a daily basis.

"We've led the nation in homicides per capita for the past two years, and we're on track to lead the country again," said Jeff Roorda, the business manager of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 68, which represents 1,100 St. Louis city officers on a force in which the starting salary is $42,000 and where "stress" is a word that officials often use to describe officers' state of mind.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, city police have shot and killed more people this year - eight - than in any other year in the past decade.

In the Ville, the neighborhood where Smith was living before he was killed, the racial disparities run deep. The black community is underserved in access to education, jobs and a wide range of public services, activists and city officials say.

The brick houses are dilapidated and abandoned. Many have broken or boarded-up windows. And no one is out in the street during the day because there is nowhere to go: Nowhere to work, nowhere to shop, residents say. If you have a job, you drive to it someplace else.

Poverty and crime are just as rampant, if not more so, than they were in the past, residents say. And all of it contributes to the toxic cycle of mistrust and resentment between a predominantly white police force and a predominantly black community in the city's poorest neighborhoods.

A black person sitting outside on the porch is all that's necessary to attract police attention, residents say. Officers will pull up, ask for identification and then frisk, said Ronnie Bartee and Kerry Tate, who were standing outside Tate's carwash on a recent afternoon. "You ain't gotta be doing nothing," said Bartee, 43.

"Their favorite words are: 'Is it okay if I frisk you?' " said Tate, 48.

A spokeswoman for the police department did not respond to those allegations. "We hold our officers to the highest standards of professionalism, and any officer not meeting those standards will be held accountable," Leah K. Freeman said. "Anyone who would like to make a complaint of officer misconduct is encouraged to contact our Internal Affairs Division."

One of the foremost obstacles to police restructuring, activists across the country have said, is the justice system's failure to hold police accountable for violations.

"We have a pattern of not holding our officers accountable," said Sgt. Heather Taylor, the president of the Ethical Society of Police, an association of mostly black police officers that has repeatedly challenged bias within the St. Louis police force. Everyone in the department's internal unit tasked with investigating police-involved shootings is white, she added.

The police department confirmed that the five-person unit is all white.

"There are three different types of anger," said April Floyd, a local writer and a regular attendee at protests. There is the righteous justice crowd that has responded to these realities with cries of "no justice, no peace," thinking that enough noise can yield results. There are those who believe in shutting down the "process" - obstructing local business, for example, as a way to call attention to the cause, Floyd said. And there are those "who believe, 'You hit me, and I'm going to hit you back,' " she added.

Of all the grievances cited by protesters since the Sept. 15 verdict, after days of sometimes-violent clashes with tossed bricks, clouds of pepper spray and sweeping arrests, the story that is perhaps most provocative of protester rage was the chanting Sept. 17.

"Whose streets? Our streets," police chanted, after corralling a group of protesters and lining them up against a wall.

"Officers were high-fiving each other," said John Ziegler, an activist and videographer who had been live-streaming the protest under the Twitter handle "@Rebelutionary_Z." They were pointing at their arrestees and snapping pictures, saying things like, "They're communists and socialists," and "They're here to destroy America," Ziegler said.

The next day, interim police chief Lawrence O'Toole declared "we owned tonight." And the day after that, a St. Louis police officer posted a picture on social media of a Black Lives Matter protest with the words "THE KLAN WITH A TAN" and "DOMESTIC TERRORISTS."

The mayor said the allegations of misconduct, including the police chants and the officer's social-media post, are under investigation.

A police spokesman defended the department's actions during the recent protests but declined to answer specific questions about police conduct.

"The department has facilitated peaceful and lawful demonstrations to ensure those who choose to exercise their First Amendment rights can safely do so. We deploy tactics when criminal activity arises and escalation depends on the level of aggression," police spokeswoman Schron Y. Jackson wrote in an email. "The police department strives to employ best practices; however, we are always open to new ideas."

Krewson promised that the allegations of misconduct would be investigated internally by the police department, as well as by the Department of Public Safety. She called the police chief's comment "inflammatory." She condemned the "institutional racism" plaguing American society and vowed to make St. Louis a leader in resolving its long-standing inequality. She praised police for their "restraint" and dismissed the allegation that police misconduct and racism were widespread.

Then she canceled the week's town hall meetings - the only formal opportunity in the wake of the Stockley verdict for residents to vent their questions and complaints in a public forum.

And no one really seemed satisfied.

"I really feel for her. She's afraid," Floyd said. "But she has to listen to people. She has to know how to comfort people."

Krewson knows that such meetings are important. She knows the protesters think she's being too weak. She knows the police think so, too. Asked whether the rank and file were upset with her, she acknowledged on a recent afternoon that they "probably" were.

A friend who she has known for three decades had just sent her a couple of angry text messages - she, too, was disappointed.

"She's very mad at me," Krewson said. "She thinks I don't support police. She thinks that you can't support protesters' First Amendment rights and still support police."

Krewson looked tired. "But that isn't hard for me to see at all."
IRBIL, Iraq - Regional powers and Iraq's central government threatened crippling economic sanctions and military action against Iraq's Kurdish region on Tuesday, a day after Kurds staged a landmark vote for independence that is emerging as another crisis in a region roiled by civil wars and the fight against the Islamic State.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Kurdish leaders had committed "a strategic and historic mistake" by holding the referendum and gave them until Friday to hand over control of airports and borders in northern Iraq to the federal government. If the order is ignored, international flights to the Kurdish region will be suspended, Abadi said.

Abadi also said that any oil revenue from the Kurdistan region - a critical economic lifeline for the semiautonomous enclave - must be returned to Baghdad, though he did not set a deadline for the demands.

"We will not compromise on Iraq's unity or sovereignty," he said. "We have taken measures to impose federal authority according to the Iraqi constitution."

The orders are the latest signal that Iraq's central government, along with Turkey and Iran, are holding firm to their pledge to block Kurdish separation from Iraq. Kurdish leaders have said the nonbinding referendum vote would give them leverage in stalled talks with the Iraqi government over revenue-sharing and borders, despite warnings from the United States that the poll would destabilize the country and potentially the region.

Turkey's president on Tuesday ramped up his criticism of the referendum, calling it "treachery" against Turkey and threatening to impose a stifling blockade of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

The comments by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were the latest in a series of admonitions by Turkish officials and other regional leaders over the vote, which many Iraqi Kurds see as a critical step toward their long-deferred dream of self-determination.

Iranian state media quoted a military commander Tuesday as saying that new missile batteries have been installed in an area bordering the Kurdish region to "firmly respond to any invasion." Iran closed its airspace to flights to Iraqi Kurdistan over the weekend.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran - which has strong influence over Iraq's politics and military - will not support any Kurdish secession. He said Kurdish independence would be akin to "creating a second Israel," state media reported, according to the Associated Press. Israel has been the only country to publicly support the referendum.

Meanwhile, thousands of Iranian Kurds demonstrated Monday night in towns and cities in western Iran, defying their government's opposition to the vote in a show of Kurdish solidarity.

The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, which is based in Iraq, posted video from the demonstrations on social media, showing crowds marching and chanting the Kurdish anthem.

Kurds in Iran have long complained of discrimination, and Iranian authorities worry that fallout from the referendum could stir further unrest.

The results of the referendum have not been fully tallied, but officials expect an overwhelming yes on independence - the first step on a possible path toward a break with Baghdad.

Kurdish Regional Government President Masoud Barzani responded to the increasingly dire rhetoric out of Baghdad, Ankara and Tehran in a televised speech late Tuesday, saying that the referendum was not meant to immediately "draw new borders" but instead to begin discussions on how to become "good neighbors."

"The only way to solve our problems is through discussion and understanding, not through threats," said Barzani, adding that the international community should support the democratic exercise by the Kurds.

The vote was opposed by virtually all of the Kurds' allies and neighbors, including the United States and Iran. Turkey, which has fought for decades against Kurdish separatists at home, has reacted with growing anxiety as Kurdish groups have gained strength and influence across its borders in Syria and Iraq.

Erdogan's barbed comments Tuesday appeared to be part of a broader international effort to shape the vote's aftermath and push the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government toward an accommodation the region could accept.

Erdogan, speaking in the Turkish capital, Ankara, warned that Turkey could cut off oil exports from northern Iraq and stop trucks from moving across the border.

Iraq's Kurdish region also borders Syria and Iran, but Turkey is the main commercial lifeline to international markets.

But as Turkey continued to denounce the referendum, Western nations began to soften their tone.

In a statement, the State Department said that the United States "is deeply disappointed" the regional government held the vote but that the "historic relationship with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region will not change."

It did reiterate, however, the U.S. belief that the referendum "will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people" by compromising relations with Baghdad and neighboring countries. Washington also fears that the plebiscite could give extremists an opening to exploit.

Britain's ambassador to Iraq, Frank Baker, said in a Twitter post Tuesday that his country's long ties with the Kurdish government will continue, including in the battle against the Islamic State.

Kurdish media began publishing unofficial returns from polling stations Tuesday showing that with about 10 percent of votes counted, yes votes were coming in at an overwhelming 93 percent. Kurdish election authorities said official results would be released by Thursday.

- - -

Fahim reported from Istanbul. Erin Cunningham in Istanbul contributed to this report.

- - -

Video: Iraqi Kurds celebrate controversial independence vote

Despite severe opposition from Iraq and other countries, Iraqi Kurds headed to the polls to vote for their independence referendum on Sept. 25. Results are expected by Sept. 28.

Short URL: http://wapo.st/2xJwGGD

Embed code:
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Ahead of Elon Musk's talk at a conference this week, a South Texas official said the SpaceX founder may have some big news for the state, according to media reports.

The Rio Grande Guardian reported Eduardo A. Campirano, the port director and CEO of the Port of Brownsville, predicted Musk would announce plans for SpaceX's rocket-launching site at Boca Chica, though nothing is official.
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San Antonio police arrested an 18-year-old man accused of impregnating a teenage girl after he allegedly violated a protective order six times in three months.

Guadalupe Gil, 18, was charged with sexual assault of a child, a second-degree felony.

According to an arrest affidavit, Gil began dated a 15-year-old girl for about six months.

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The girl's parents, who initially thought Gil was 16, called police after the breakup and discovering his real age, police said.

Though the girl's parents warned Gil not to text the girl anymore, Gil continue exchanging messages with her father and allegedly told the father his daughter was pregnant with his child. Gil also sent the father a video of the couple having sex, police said.

The girl later confirmed to police the sexual relationship, officials said.

RELATED: Police: Accused child rapist tried to overdose on pills to avoid jail time

Gil allegedly continued reaching out to the girl and a protective order was issued May 11, authorities said.

Since then, the affidavit says, the parents have filed six violations of the protective against Gil. The girl was also reported missing twice in September, reportedly to meet up with him.

Gil was arrested on a 10,000 bond. Sexual assault of a child is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

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Police on Monday arrested a 39-year-old man, accused of sexually abusing two young girls, after he tried to overdose on pills to avoid jail time.

Steven Lyn Deaton, of San Antonio's far Northwest Side, was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a young child. He remains in the Bexar County Jail on a $75,000 bond.

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Bexar County deputies first encountered Deaton on Sept. 18 while responding to a call about a suicide attempt. The caller, who is an alleged victim of Deaton's, reportedly said Deaton tried to kill himself because he had been sexually assaulting her since 1st grade. The victim is now in high school.

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When deputies arrived, they found Deaton heavily inebriated and unable to respond to their questions, officials said. Authorities placed him on emergency detention and took him to Santa Rosa Westover Hills hospital.

The mother of the victim told deputies that Deaton said he would "rather die than go to jail" before taking an unknown amount of Tramadol, a strong pain killer, according to an affidavit.

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The victim's sister reportedly told deputies that Deaton had also sexually abused her. According to the affidavit, Deaton would tell each of the girls to allow him to perform sexual acts on her "if she loved him."

Following his release from the hospital, Deaton was booked into the Bexar County Jail. He only faces one child sexual abuse charge right now, though it's possible he may face more charges in connection with the abuse of the second alleged victim.

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A San Antonio mother who said she couldn't explain the severe head trauma that preceded her daughter's death has been arrested on suspicion of causing the child's injuries.

On Sept. 5, Jessica Briones, 34, walked into the San Antonio police substation on Prue Road carrying her unresponsive 4-year-old daughter, Olivia Briones.

Olivia had multiple injuries on her arms, face and head, according to an affidavit. Medics rushed her to University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead the following day, police said.

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When police interviewed the mother, she told them Olivia was vomiting and would not wake up that morning. Briones told police she researched causes of vomiting and found that head trauma is a possible cause, authorities said.

Briones allegedly admitted to slamming the door on Olivia's arm, but claimed it was accidental. She also told police Olivia falls often, and most recently hit her head on the floor on Sept. 1. However she told police she couldn't explain why Olivia's head trauma was so severe, according to the affidavit.

Briones also told police she had taken her daughter to the substation rather than calling 911 because she didn't know where her phone was and was low on minutes.

Doctors at the hospital found multiple bleeding sites inside the child's head and severe brain swelling, consistent with a strike to the head, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: Police: Accused child rapist tried to overdose on pills to avoid jail time

The medical examiner's office determined that Olivia had a swollen nose, 8 scars on her scalp, a large abrasion on the back of her head, a black eye, a deflated left lung, a fractured vertebrae, a swollen wrist and two swollen arms, a bruised ankle and tissue in her upper lip was detached from her gums.

The cause of death is still pending, according to the medical examiner's office.

The district attorney's office could file upgraded charges depending on the medical examiner's findings.

If convicted of injuring her daughter, Briones faces up to 99 years of prison.

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The mother of a Tipperary teenager with Spastic Quadriplegia cerebral palsy says her daughter received absolutely brilliant treatment at The Daisy Clinic Trust in Clonmel.

Brave Tipperary girl (5) beats cancer after 887 days of treatment

Fethards Keri Brett attended the charitable clinic at Knocklofty House - which specialises in complex special needs cases that need ongoing long-term support - for a number of years.

Keris mother Clodagh Sweeney praises the treatment at The Daisy Clinic - set up eight years ago by lead osteopath Ian Wright - for helping with Keris disorder and easing her pain.

I cant recommend Ian and his team at The Daisy Clinic enough. They are absolutely brilliant, Clodagh tells The Nationalist.

Keri has no use of her body in any shape or form. She had a bar put in her back at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London two years ago. Before the operation she was in a lot of pain and only got two to three hours broken sleep a night, but Ian was her saving grace. He has a big heart, is great with kids and made Keri feel very comfortable, Clodagh continues.

Fethards Keri Brett loves music and relaxing in the jacuzzi.

The Daisy Clinic is run on a charitable basis - there is a suggested donation of 30, but this not compulsory for those under financial pressure. Once a month 10-12 trained osteopaths attend the Clonmel clinic to give support to children and families across Ireland. The degree trained osteopaths are currently undergoing a three year diploma in paediatric osteopathy under the careful supervision and training of Ian, who enables them to gain practical experience by giving them the opportunity to work on clients in Clonmel. Ian is also accompanied by a tutor from the United Kingdom who flies over to train in the clinic.

13-year-old Keri now goes for weekly appointments with Ian, which help ward off complications and allow her to attend Scoil Aonghusa in Cashel for an hour and a half three times a week.

I swear by osteopathy. It helps relieve Keri from pain and stress, works on her stomach, keeps her lungs clear, and stabilizes seizures. Ian helped Kerry adjust to being peg fed after her operation, and she now gets better sleep, Clodagh adds.

Ian says osteopaths use gentle manipulation to attempt to free areas of the body in difficulty. "It is extremely safe and gentle even with tiny babies under the skilled hands of the osteopath. Parents report positive outcomes in situations like colic, reflux and feeding difficulties in babies and a wide variety of issues in children," he adds.

The next Daisy Clinic takes place on 24th October. Contact 052-6138800 for more information.
Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) is hosting its fourth annual event to raise awareness of childhood cancer and to raise funds for the Childhood Cancer Foundation.

The Golden Moments Afternoon Tea event runs from 3-5pm on Wednesday 27th September in the Tourism and Leisure building on the WIT Cork Road Campus. Local families that have been affected by childhood cancer will be in attendance as well as staff and students. Any money raised at the event will be donated to the Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Every September the Childhood Cancer Foundation runs a campaign called Light It Up Gold. It is part of an international awareness campaign as research into childhood cancer is critically underfunded. The gold ribbon is the international symbol for childhood cancer.

The event will help raise awareness for children in treatment today, the kids suffering the effects of the harsh treatments, the angels that were taken too soon and the families of tomorrow that will be told their kid has cancer. It also raises awareness for siblings.

Light It Up Gold is marked at WIT because back in 2013 three mothers working in WIT all met on St. Johns Ward in Our Lady's Children's Hospital with their children.

One of these mothers is Janet ONeill. Each year with the help of our colleagues here at WIT we invite local families that are affected by this terrible disease to come into WIT and have a cup of tea in the Tourism and Leisure building and let them see how much we support them, Janet says.

As part of Light it Up Gold the Tourism and Leisure building is lit up, as well as the WIT homepage and other websites. Information is displayed on digital screens, and pins are sold on campus. As well as having the support of WIT students, Waterford College of Further Education students do gold face painting at the Tea Party.

Every little thing we do is a big thing for these families, as it shows our love and our support and most importantly it shows them that we care, she adds.

For more information on the Light It Up Gold campaign and the Childhood Cancer Foundation, click here.
(Natural News) Obese people, as well as smokers, will be refused of services by the United Kingdoms National Health Service (NHS) until they go to a health boot camp for six months to try and lose weight, according to a Daily Mail report.

These patients will be referred to the health optimization program of the NHS and taught to improve their behaviors before having surgery. The plan will be executed in the East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), a health trust in East Yorkshire which serves 313,400 patients.

According to documents revealed by Health Service Journal, the scheme will be introduced in the Vale of York CCG in October.

The policy will be applied to all other non-urgent, non-life-threatening operations such as hip and knee replacements or hernia procedures. On the other hand, patients awaiting surgery for cancer, the frail elderly, or anyone with severe mental health problems will be exempted from the scheme. (Related: NHS doctors, nurses say government-run healthcare a dismal failure that puts lives at risk.)

It is stated in a document from the CCG that the scheme will offer people who are obese or people who smoke, a referral to either a weight management program or stop-smoking services. Moreover, it was stated that patients who smoke or are obese have an increased clinical risk of suffering complications during or after their operation. As well as improving their overall health and well-being, patients who make changes such as stopping smoking or losing weight can improve the results of their surgery.

Any person who needs surgery but has a body mass index (BMI) of 35, which is morbidly obese, or who smokes will be referred to the program for six months.

Obese patients will be sent to weight loss and exercise classes, while smokers will be offered smoking cessation counseling and nicotine patches. Regardless if they do not lose weight or stop smoking after six months, they will still be put forward for the operation. NHS managers are trying to save 11.5 million British Pounds this year. They said that the important thing is that patients are encouraged to have healthier lifestyles, irrespective of whether they succeed or not.

The managers claimed that patients will get more benefit from operations if they are in better health.

Policies like this were previously described by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) as wrong and shocking as all patients should have the right of being treated.

Other health trusts have considered imposing similar policies in the past months, but it is not clear how many of these are in place. According to an NHS report, around one in every four adults and around one in every five children aged 10 to 11 are obese in the United Kingdom.

Last November, the Vale of York CCG, which is a neighboring health trust, announced that smokers and obese patients would be denied surgery for up to a year and they would be put forward for operations sooner unless they either quit smoking or lost 10 percent of their body weight.

Leaving patients waiting in pain for treatment longer than is clinically necessary cannot be accepted, condemned Clare Marx, President of the RCS, in a report by The Telegraph.

At this rate, we may see brutal service reductions becoming the norm, rather than just being exceptions, Marx said.

Read more news like this at HealthCoverage.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Telegraph.co.uk

NHS.uk
(Natural News) While youve probably heard of the term fake news, which is most often used in reference to the spread of inaccurate or fabricated political rhetoric, one term that is heard less often but deserves just as much attention is fake science. As the name implies, fake science refers to scientific data that has been intentionally manipulated or altered in some way so as to advance a particular political agenda. If this sounds familiar, thats because you witness it almost every time you turn on cable news or sit down inside of your college classroom; indeed, fake science is exactly what progressives perpetuate whenever they talk about manmade climate change.

In a recent article published on The Daily Caller, columnist David Lewis, Research Director at the Focus For Health Foundation and a former EPA scientist, called on President Trump to put an end to the fake science routinely being perpetuated by leftists and radical environmentalists alike.

Trump can eliminate federal funding of data fabrication, Lewis wrote. It just takes putting accomplished scientists in charge, who understand both science and the federal bureaucracy from top to bottom and will do whatever is necessary.

As Lewis argued in the preceding part of his article, the need for President Trump to take action against the federal funding of fake science is so important because of how often data on climate change is being manipulated for political purposes. The public is largely unaware that federal agencies often engage in fabricating scientific data to support their policies and cover up any evidence whenever they screw up, Lewis wrote, adding that the manipulation of data isnt a practice that is solely limited to the Environmental Protection Agency or the CDC.

As proof, Lewis gave two examples. First, he pointed out how Deputy Inspector General Mary L. Kenda reported on widespread scientific misconduct last year within a U.S. Geological Survey lab in Lakewood, Colorado. At the time, Kenda argued that this data manipulation had a serious and far ranging impact on the credibility of the agency as a whole, which frankly should have been expected from the start.

Lewis also recalled more climate data manipulation that occurred back in 2008, when the EPA, the USDA and the University of Georgia were caught pushing false information to cover up cattle deaths linked to EPA and USDA environmental policies.

Reversing this culture of corruption will require changing the dimensions and course of the river of federal funds flowing into pools of academic scientists willing to selectively publish data to support government policies and certain industry practices, Lewis ultimately concluded before calling on Trump to end the spread of fake science.

Truth be told, the idea that man is contributing to rising sea levels and the warming of our planet every time he drives his Hummer to the grocery store is the biggest lie ever successfully perpetuated to the masses. (Related: The founder of the Weather Channel has told CNN that climate change is a hoax.) But the goal of the progressive left isnt even to rally people to their cause and convince Americans that saving the environment is a battle worth having; in fact, it has nothing to do with the environment in the slightest.

Ottmar Edenhofer, lead author of the IPCCs fourth summary report released ten years ago, let the cat out of the bag during a speech he gave in 2010, in which he admitted that climate policy is really about how we redistribute de facto the worlds wealth. (Related: Climate change science is exploding as it is revealed that IPCC climate models have been wrong all along.)

In this way, all of the climate change propaganda that the liberals are constantly spewing out has more to do with economics and the size of government than anything else. The idea that human beings are contributing to earths destruction is nothing more than a vehicle the progressives use to implement their totalitarian agenda. The sooner Americans wake up to this fact, and the more that President Trump does to stop it, the better.

Sources Include:

DailyCaller.com

ClimateDepot.com
A joint investigation by NBC owned and operated stations in conjunction with Telemundo stations around the country found a record backlog of immigration cases clogging an overloaded and over stressed system.

Court records show waits that last more than 1,000 days in some cases. And, those records show, some immigration cases in US Immigration Court in San Francisco now are being scheduled as far into the future as July 2022.

The reason: there simply arent enough judges and staff to handle such an overwhelmed Immigration Court system.

It is painful for the judges and it is painful for the community we serve, says Judge Dana Leigh Marks, who spoke to us in her role as President of the National Association of Immigration Judges. A lot of people tell us that they fear for their very life if they're sent back to their home country. That's a death penalty case.

Juanas case is one of those. Grateful to be alive, Juana is an undocumented immigrant seeking asylum in the United States. After she said she was raped back home in Guatemala, her attackers threatened to kill her if she went to police. I would cry a lot, Juana told NBC Bay Area. But once I came here, I would feel secure. Juana says she and her 8-month old baby, Graciela, are safer here in the US. But she had to leave two other daughters behind in Guatemala.

Because they remain at risk, the NBC and Telemundo team agreed not to use Juanas last name, or to use the full names of any of the other seven undocumented immigrants who spoke with us about their delayed court cases.

When I get my papers I will be happy, says Juana.

But on the day Juana arrived in US Immigration Court in San Francisco earlier this year, her chance to be awarded legal asylum suddenly disappeared because the judge was sick and abruptly canceled her case. That means she wont get her day in court until next year at the earliest, forcing her to leave her daughters behind in Guatemala, under constant threat for an even longer period of time. I think about them and cry for them, she says.

Basilio, 38, is also an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala who is seeking political asylum with his wife Margarita and their family. Back in Central America he tells NBC he was beaten and threatened with his life, all because he supported a political opponent of his hometowns mayor.

Even though Basilio, his wife and two of their two sons escaped to the US, the rest of their family remains behind in Guatemala faces the same threats.

I hope no one will harm them and I pray the United States can help me, he says.

For now, Basilio wont get that help. He wont be able to legally reunite with any of those children left behind until he and his family have their day in court. That court date is now scheduled for 2020.

Its certainly not justice, says Gautam Jagannath, a lawyer with the Social Justice Collaborative. He and his law partner, Emily Abraham, founded the non-profit legal group in Oakland in 2012 just to represent undocumented immigrants such as Basilio, Juana and hundreds of others. The US Immigration Court system, they say, carries life and death consequences for their clients. Yet, it functions with the same speed and lack of resources as traffic court.

Most of our clients have left family members - usually young children abroad. And they have no way to be reunited until the case is resolved, says Emily Abraham.

Abraham says the vast majority of the people the Social Justice Collaborative represents have strong asylum cases and want to be heard in a timely fashion. In fact Abraham and Jagannath says they rarely lose a case once they present evidence.

Abraham points out that the stress these Immigration Court delays impose on their clients intensifies further with the rising rhetoric of hate against immigrants across the country, forcing many of them to live in fear as they await their court hearings.

Were seeing cases set back four years and more, says Jagannath. We have cases set up to 2022.

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According to Syracuses Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), 617, 527 cases remain backlogged in US Immigration Court throughout the nation as of July, 2017. Thats more than double the number from 2009, even with more deportation orders issued under President Trump.

The problem according to court experts and the data: right now there are just 334 immigration judges in 58 courts across the country. That means each judge averages more than 1800 cases. Some judges have 5000 or more cases on their docket.

The immigration judges have been the canaries in the coal mine saying that we were going to be overwhelmed that we needed more help for more than a decade, says Judge Dana Leigh Marks. Judge Marks says she has more than 3000 cases on her calendar right now. She says understaffed courts continue to be a growing problemone only Congress can fix. It is not a Democratic or Republican issue, she says.

Though Congress did recently approve money to hire 65 more judge teams, Marks says only by adding another 200 or so more judges would the backlog start to improve. After watching the backlog grow under President Obama, Marks says it has only grown worse with President Trumps order to move judges to the U.S.-Mexico border and to take away prosecutorial discretion to drop or settle cases.

What happens is the home courts are left behind (when judges are transferred to the border) and in that sense and those cases just become older and older, says Marks.

In San Francisco Immigration Court the wait is now one of the longest in the countryan average of 1,113 days. No court is setting new cases as far into the futureto July, 2022.

The older cases get more complicated because the evidence becomes stale, says Judge Marks. People may lose touch with witnesses. (Witnesses) that they need. And a lot of people tell us that they fear for their very life if theyre sent back to their home country.

Judge Marks and others say that unless that system changes this backlog will continue to grow.

In response to NBCs questions about this backlog a spokesman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review which oversees the management of Immigration Courts around the country, said E-O-I-R is committed to a multi-level strategyincluding the hiring of more judges Spokesman Kenneth Gardner of the Western and Pacific Regional Public Information Office for EOIR also said EOIR is undertaking a broad, agency-wide effort to review and reform its internal practices, procedures, and technology in order to enhance immigration judge productivity and ensure that cases are adjudicated in a fair and timely manner across all of the agencys courts.

Click here to read the full statement from EOIR.
Police discovered a large-scale drug operation at a Berkeley home late Saturday night after responding to a domestic disturbance, according to the Berkeley Police Department.

At about 10 p.m., Berkeley police received a call regarding a domestic disturbance between boyfriend and girlfriend at a residence in the 1700 block of Alcatraz Avenue. When officers responded and made contact, the occupants initially refused to open the door, police said.

After a short time, the man and woman exited the house and were detained. Officers then entered the house to look for additional occupants and found a large-scale psychedelic mushroom processing operation, police said.

Officers found psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of cultivation as well as storage and distribution materials, police said.

Officers obtained a search warrant and seized 677 pounds of mushrooms with an estimated street value of more than $1 million, police said. They also recovered $3,000 in cash and additional evidence indicating a large-scale sales operation.

The 35-year-old man and 37-year-old woman, both Berkeley residents, were arrested and booked into the Alameda County Jail on narcotics related charges, police said.

The suspects' identities were not immediately released.
A car plowed into a San Francisco home's garage early Tuesday, knocking out power for a neighboring home and forcing crews to shut off power for other buildings in the area, according to fire officials.

The crash happened around 12:30 a.m. near the area where Bosworth, Elk and Congo streets meet in the Glen Park neighborhood, according to temporary San Francisco Fire Department Battalion Chief Thomas Kiernan. No injuries were reported.

When the car hit the building, it "popped a circuit breaker" and cut power for the house next door, Kiernan said. Crews decided to manually cut power for three to four neighboring buildings after residents complained about odors and smells. That move was precautionary.

Crews remained on scene to shore up the damaged building's structural stability, according to Kiernan, but two residents will likely be displaced through Tuesday night because utility services had to be shut off.

It is not yet clear what caused the car to crash into the building. An investigation is ongoing.
North Korea says President Donald Trump has declared war and that Pyongyang will shoot down American bombers if it appears they are a threat.

The White House is dismissing this latest pronouncement from North Kore'a foreign minister, but at Stanford University a renowned Korea expert says the heated rhetoric is increasing the chance of a military strike.

Professor Gi-Wook Shin, director of Stanford's Korea project and the head of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, continues to believe that it won't become a shooting war. But he says the back and forth between the White House and Pyongyang is taking us down a dangerous path.

"Tomorrow morning in Pyongyang they might make an even tougher statement," Shin said.

Shin said we are witnessing the same drama between the United States and North Korea, but the actors have changed and that is making all the difference.

"We know George W. Bush made a speech saying North Korea is part of the axis of evil, but I think Trump went much further attacking M.r Kim personally," Shin said.

The White House press secretary on Monday said that it is absurd to think the US has declared war on North Korea. The president has asked China to intervene with North Korea, but Shin said it is not clear that China has the power or even the inclination to solve what it considers a US problem.

"That's why some people in this country are saying it's time for US to make a bargain with China," Shin said.

Shin said that bargain would have to include the US pulling its troops off the Korean peninsula. Maybe if the US could do that if Kim Jong-un were deposed and the two Korea's were unified.

When asked if China would accept such a deal, Shin quickly said no because China does not trust the US and the US feels the same.

Shin's advice to the White House is to ramp down the rhetoric because it is not helping.
A police officer's two handguns were stolen during a vehicle break-in Monday in Oakland, authorities said.

Oakland Police Department spokesperson Officer Johnna Watson said the officer, who was off-duty and with the Taft Police Department in Kern County, parked an unmarked Taft city vehicle in the 400 block of Hegenberger Road, just off Interstate 880. The vehicle was broken into at 11:16 a.m., Watson said.

"It has been reported that two handguns have been taken. The Oakland Police Department understands the seriousness of the items that were taken in this auto burglary. Our patrol officers and investigators are working diligently to identify who is responsible for this crime, effecting an arrest and recovering the stolen property," Watson said in a statement.



Anyone with information on the crime may contact the Oakland Police Burglary Unit at 510-238-3951.

Monday's incident follows last week's announcement by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department a deputy's gun was stolen from a rental car parked in the city's Potrero Hill neighborhood.

Guns stolen from law enforcement have been used in several fatal shootings in recent years.



San Francisco police reported earlier this month a gun stolen from an officer's personal vehicle on Aug. 12 was used in an alleged crime spree over the next several days, including the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Abel Enrique Esquivel Jr., on Aug. 15 in the city's Mission District.

Three people have been arrested in connection with that shooting, which allegedly occurred during a robbery.

A gun stolen from a U.S. Bureau of Land Management agent was also used in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kate Steinle in July 2015 in San Francisco. Jose Ines Garcia-Zarate, 54, is expected to stand trial on a murder charge in that case later this fall.

A gun stolen from a U.S. Bureau of Land Management agent was also used in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kate Steinle in July 2015 in San Francisco. Jose Ines Garcia-Zarate, 54, is expected to stand trial on a murder charge in that case later this fall.

And in Oakland, 27-year-old Antonio Ramos was shot and killed on Sept. 29, 2015, with a gun that had been stolen from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent's car weeks earlier. Police arrested 20-year-old Marquise Holloway in connection with the shooting on Nov. 20.

In response to those and other incidents, a state law was signed last year requiring that law enforcement officers store guns in a locked trunk or safe box if they are kept in a vehicle. Civilians were already required to store their weapons securely but law enforcement had previously been exempt.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors also passed an ordinance in February 2016 requiring all weapons left in vehicles to be secured in a locked trunk or lock box, for both civilians and law enforcement.

Bay City News contributed to this report.
San Jose police and community members went face to face Monday night in search of a solution to a spike in officer-involved shootings in the city.

San Jose has had eight such incidents so far in 2017, and families of those lost in the shootings aired their concerns to the police Chief Eddie Garcia and the city's new police auditor, Aaron Zisser.

Churches and the group People Acting in Community Together, or PACT, brought hundreds of people together with the hope that they would get some answers from police brass. Victims' families told their personal stories and expressed their frustrations. They sat in circles to face each other and talk about what matters.

The pain of losing her boyfriend and the father of her son Josiah in a 2014 officer-involved shooting is what matters to Laurie Valdez.

"What hurts the most is trying to keep strong for my kids and remain positive," Valdez said.

That pain resurfaced, she said, after the latest San Jose officer-involved shooting that killed a 33-year-old father of three young children.

"What happened recently to Jacob Dominguez on September 15th has triggered my experience," she said. "I feel like I lost Antonio all over again."

For PACT member Yeme Girma, what matters is how she feels the need to educate her two children about how to act around law enforcement because of the color of their skin and her personal memory of being pulled over on a dark highway.

"I kept my hands on the steering wheel and wept," Girma said. "I thought I was going to die."

The open dialogue with police is a start. People like Valdez and Girma hope it will help lead to more officer training and more restraint.

Chief Garcia said his department needs to look very closely at each incident.

"It's not the number of officer-involved shootings that bothers me; it's the manner in which they occur," Garcia said.

Zisser, the city's new independent police auditor, is a former civil rights attorney, police reform advocate and South Bay native. He said he's ready to hit the ground running and improve department transparency.

"Working together with city leaders, working together with the police chief, that kind of dialogue, that kind of openness, that kind of conversation about serious issues that matter to the people," Zisser said. "You don't see that everywhere."
The last-gasp Republican drive to tear down President Barack Obama's health care law essentially died Monday as Maine Sen. Susan Collins joined a small but decisive cluster of GOP senators in opposing the push.

The Maine moderate said in a statement that the legislation would make "devastating" cuts in the Medicaid program for poor and disabled people, drive up premiums for millions and weaken protections Obama's law gives people with pre-existing medical conditions. She said the legislation is "deeply flawed," despite eleventh-hour changes its sponsors have made in search of support.

The only way Republicans could resuscitate their push would be to change opposing senators' minds, which they've tried unsuccessfully to do for months. Collins told reporters that she made her decision despite a phone call from President Donald Trump, who's been futilely trying to press unhappy GOP senators to back the measure.

"They're still working it and a lot of conversations are going on," No. 3 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota told reporters. But he conceded that a revival would be "a heavy lift" and the prospects were "bleak."

The collapse marks a replay of the embarrassing loss Trump and party leaders suffered in July, when the Senate rejected three attempts to pass legislation erasing Obama's 2010 statute. The GOP has made promises to scrap the law a high-profile vow for years, and its failure to deliver despite controlling the White House and Congress has infuriated conservatives whose votes Republican candidates need.

Republicans had pinned their last hopes on a measure by GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and South Carolina's Lindsey Graham. It would end Obama's Medicaid expansion and subsidies for consumers and ship the money  $1.2 trillion through 2026  to states to use on health services with few constraints.

With their narrow 52-48 majority and solid Democratic opposition, three GOP "no" votes would doom the bill. GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Texas' Ted Cruz have said they oppose the measure, though Cruz aides said he was seeking changes that would let him vote yes.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, remains undecided. Murkowski, who voted against the failed GOP bills in July, has said she's analyzing the measure's impact on her state, where medical costs are high.

The Senate must vote this week for Republicans to have any chance of prevailing with their narrow margin. Next Sunday, protections expire against a Democratic filibuster, bill-killing delays that Republicans lack the votes to overcome.

It was unclear if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would hold a roll call. Thune said he believed McConnell would have a vote if Republicans "have at least some hope that we would pass it."

Collins announced her decision shortly after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said "millions" of Americans would lose coverage under the bill and projected it would impose $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts through 2026.

Desperate to win over reluctant senators, GOP leaders revised the measure several times, adding money late Sunday for Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Kentucky and Texas in a clear pitch for Republican holdouts. They also gave states the ability  without federal permission  to permit insurers to charge people with serious illnesses higher premiums and to sell low-premium policies with big coverage gaps and high deductibles.

Collins said the eleventh-hour revision "epitomizes the problems" with the GOP-only process.

Collins decision drew a shout-out from late night talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel, who tweeted, "Thank you @SenatorCollins for putting people ahead of party. We are all in your debt." Kimmel had been an outspoken critic of the bill.

Kentucky's Paul said the bill spent too much and said Republicans were motivated by fear of punishment by conservative voters if they failed.

"It's like a kidney stone. Pass it, pass it, pass it," Paul told reporters.

Loud protesters forced the Senate Finance Committee to briefly delay the chamber's first and only hearing on the charged issue. Police lugged some demonstrators out of the hearing room and trundled out others in wheelchairs as scores chanted, "No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty."

On Monday, Trump took on McCain, who'd returned to the Senate after a brain cancer diagnosis in July to cast the key vote that wrecked this summer's effort. Trump called that "a tremendous slap in the face of the Republican Party" in a call to the "Rick & Bubba Show," an Alabama-based talk radio program.

Cassidy and Graham defended their bill before the Finance committee.

"I don't need a lecture from anybody about health care," Graham told the panel's Democrats. Referring to Obama's overhaul, he added, "What you have created isn't working."

Also appearing was Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, who learned earlier this year that she has kidney cancer.

She said colleagues and others have helped her battle the disease with compassion, saying, "Sadly, this is not in this bill."
In service to the tri-state community and in support of friends and families of viewers impacted by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and by the recent earthquake in Mexico, Telemundo 47 / WNJU and NBC 4 New York / WNBC will hold a special community call-to-action anchored by a one-day telethon scheduled for September 25.

Mondays telethon is part of a concerted effort spearheaded by Telemundo stations across the country. On this day Telemundo and NBC-owned stations will host phone banks in collaboration with the American Red Cross to collect funds for victims and communities impacted by severe weather-related events.

TELEPHONE:

Viewers can call 1-800-596-6567. Press 1 for instructions in English and 2 for instructions in Spanish. Donors can designate their funds to go to the Red Cross recovery efforts of their choice.

ONLINE DONATIONS:

Donate Here

For more on how to help, the following organizations are conducting relief efforts for hurricane and earthquake victims.

Catholic Charities USA: The official domestic relief agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, Catholic Charities USA, is asking people to support their Maria relief efforts by donating online, by phone at +1 (800) 919-9338 or by texting CCUSADISASTER to 71777. 100 percent of donated funds go directly toward disaster efforts, according to the website.

CONPRmetidos: This Puerto Rican non-profit is raising funds to support hurricane victims. We anticipate the funds will be used first for immediate needs of food, shelter and water and then transition to long term recovery efforts, the organization says, having set a fundraising goal of $150,000. Donate here.

Dominica American Relief & Development Association, Inc.: This association, which was organized in 1979 as a way for people from the island of Dominica living in the New York area to help their homeland after Hurricane David, has started a GoFundMe page for victims of the hurricane on the island.

Global Giving: This crowdfunding network has a fundraising goal of $2 million. This fund will provide relief to survivors in the form of emergency supplies like food, water, and medicine in addition to longer-term recovery assistance to help residents recover and rebuild, the group says. Donate here.

Save the Children: Another organization dedicated to helping children in particular is asking for donations here.

Team Rubicon: Team Rubicon is looking for military veterans and kickass civilians such as first responders and medical professionals to join recovery efforts. Volunteers should be prepared to "get dirty, from chainsaw operations to muck-outs," the groups says on its website. Apply to be a volunteer here.

UNICEF USA: The United Nations Childrens Fund has sent staff and humanitarian supplies such as water purification tablets, tents and hygiene kits to Caribbean islands. The program is asking for donations, saying on its website, Children are literally in the eye of the storm. The Hurricane season has forced the most vulnerable children in the Caribbean into even more danger.
White House aides regularly used personal devices for official business, while at least six close advisers to President Donald Trump occasionally used private email addresses, both Politico and the New York Times reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources.

Former chief of staff Reince Priebus tried to stop the "rampant" use of personal devices for official business, CNBC reported. He asked aides in a July meeting to store personal phones in secure lockers or leave them at home, Politico reported, citing meeting attendees.

Priebus' request was largely ignored, the Politico report said, citing six current and former administration officials, advisors and people who correspond with the White House.

The New York Times also reported, citing current and former officials, that at least six of Trump's closest advisers used private email addresses for White House business.
A bill to expand abortion coverage and ensure that it remains legal in Illinois was sent to Gov. Bruce Rauners desk Monday, amid uncertainty from even the governor himself over whether he plans to sign it.

While House Bill 40 passed the Democrat-controlled legislature in May, the legislations sponsors refrained from sending it to the Republican governor after he said he would not support it  a direct contradiction of his stance while running for office in 2014.

If signed into law, the measure would allow the state to cover abortions for its employees and Medicaid recipients, as well as protect access to abortion in Illinois should the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing it be overturned. [[419186634, C]]

Rauners decision will likely have major political implications, as the first-term governor looks to placate his conservative base without alienating moderate, largely suburban female voters ahead of his upcoming bid for re-election.

While campaigning without a social agenda, Rauner said in 2014 that he would back efforts to change state law against taxpayer-funded abortion because it "unfairly restricts access based on income."

However, just days before the House passed HB 40 in April, the governor signaled that he would not support the measure on the basis that it's "very controversial," saying Illinois should focus on other issues like reducing property taxes, lawmaker term limits and other elements of his so-called "turnaround agenda."

That reversal angered the bills proponents and offered Democrats the opportunity to capitalize on a flip-flop from Rauner, who was already seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbent governors in the nation. [[442789653, C]]

Rauners new stance also gave conservatives an avenue in which they could hold him accountable  though they, like abortion rights advocates, are now unsure of what he may do.

"On April 14, Gov. Rauner promised Illinois citizens that he would veto HB 40, which would expand state funding for abortions. I sure hope that Gov. Rauner actually keeps this promise," said State Rep. David McSweeney, a Republican from Barrington Hills.

Democrats echoed both that uncertainty as well as the feeling of obligation Monday, after the bills sponsor lifted a procedural hold on the measure to send it to the governors desk.

"Bruce Rauner has heard from advocates across the state of Illinois," chief House sponsor Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, of Chicagos North Side, said in a statement. "They have told him to sign HB 40, and fulfill his promise. He should put politics aside and do the right thing." [[445832893, C]]

The governor himself did not appear to know what he planned to do either on Monday, saying that he would decide how to handle it "in the near future."

"Im gonna keep doing what Ive been doing and that is listening to advocates all across the state of Illinois and also meeting with legislators about it," he said while taking questions during an appearance at a school in Chicago.

"There are very strong passions on both sides of the bill. I want to be respectful and listen and learn with them and then well be deciding where to go from there," he added.

Rauner has a 60-day window to act on the bill, meaning he must make a decision just before candidates are required to file nominating petitions to run in the March 2018 primary.
At least one person was killed and all lanes of eastbound Interstate 80 were shut down following a crash involving multiple semis Tuesday morning near Joliet.

The accident happened just before 6:30 a.m. during morning rush hour near Houbolt Road.

First responders were called to the scene and Illinois State Police confirmed at least one person was killed in the crash. A medical helicopter was also being sent for an injured driver who state police said was burned.

Details on further injuries weren't immediately clear.

Authorities said the crash involved as many as three semis, one of which appeared to be a FedEx Double trailer.

First and foremost we extend our deepest thoughts and concerns to the family and friends of those involved in this tragic incident," FedEx said in a statement. "We are cooperating fully with investigating authorities at this time.



Eastbound lanes of I-80 were expected to be shut down for several hours.



Traffic was being rerouted onto Interstate 55. Route 52 was also being used as an alternate.



Check back for details on this developing story.
Firefighters protected hundreds of homes overnight from a wildfire that began Monday afternoon near a Southern California freeway and quickly spread to about 2,000 acres due to strong winds.

A thick cloud of smoke billowed from the Corona hillside early Tuesday, when flare-ups were reported at the start of what's expected to be another warm, windy day.



The fire broke out next to the Riverside (91) Freeway, just west of Green River Road, on the border of Riverside and Orange counties and blackened about 2,000 acres within eight hours. The Canyon fire initially spread at a "moderate'' rate to Coal Canyon Road off the freeway, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.

Concialdi noted that the fire is burning in a box canyon, narrow canyons with steep walls and flat bottoms.

"There was fire on every hillside," Concialdi said Tuesday morning. "It was a hard-fought battle, and only one home sustained damage. We still have fire on the ridge. It's still kicking up."

While no injuries were reported, the number of mandatory evacuations increased from 1,000 residents to 1,500 residents, totalling an estimated 500 homes, according to Concialdi. Evacuations were ordered on Dominguez Ranch Road, San Almada Road, San Ponte Road, San Viscaya Circle, San Sebastian Circle, San Ramon Drive, San Alvarado Road, Mt. Elena Circle, Mt. Tesoro, Mt. Palmas and Mt. Cantara Circle, according to the Corona Fire Department.

As of 2 a.m. Tuesday, approximately 45 evacuees checked-in at an evacuation shelter set up in the gymnasium of Corona High School.



About 300 firefighters from the Anaheim, Corona, and Los Angeles County fire departments, as well as the OCFA, U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire were battling the blaze.

Five helicopters with night-vision capabilities and three planes, including a DC-10, were involved in the firefight, Concialdi said.

The big air tanker and some helicopters were grounded as night fell, the captain said.

Shifting Santa Ana winds were a cause for concern.

Crews were setting backfires, hoping to keep the fire from crossing the freeway.

Several lanes on the eastbound freeway at Coal Canyon Road were initially closed to make room for firefighting equipment, backing up traffic backed up for miles, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Authorities closed Dominguez Ranch Road to incoming traffic and Green River Road is closed at the entrance to a mobile home park until further notice.

Only the far right lane was closed, but traffic had backed up to the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway, said CHP Officer Florentino Olivera.

For many commuting from the Inland Empire to Orange County, the Riverside Freeway is the only access point, Olivera said. "But we're asking the public, if possible, to avoid the eastbound 91."

Traffic had also slowed to a crawl on the 241 toll road, according to Concialdi.

Santa Ana winds blowing 20 to 25 mph were fanning the flames, according to reports from the scene.

As a result of the wildfire, numerous schools announced closures for Tuesday. Adams Elementary School, Cesar Chavez Academy, Coronita Elementary School and Prado View Elementary School have announced they will be closed.
Massive budget cuts loom over the University of Connecticut as the state continues to operate without a budget for an 87th day.

The state House of Representatives and state Senate passed the Republican-backed budget, which Gov. Dannel Malloy has vowed to veto. On Monday, he took his fight against that spending plan to UConns Avery Point campus in Groton, the campus UConn officials said they will have to close if this version of the budget passes.

"We cannot allow this budget to take a gigantic step back for the University of Connecticut and roll it back from the wonderful progress it has made throughout its history, Malloy said.

The budget contains $300 million in cuts for UConn over the next two years.

UConn officials said the proposed cuts could lead to increased tuition, closing regional campuses and chopping financial aid.

UConn President Susan Herbst and UConn students holding I Love Avery Point signs attended the governors news conference.

Meanwhile, Republicans are defending their budget.

" (W)e have been giving UConn billions of dollars over multiple years. But now when solving a budget deficit totaling billions upon billions of dollars, when core social services are in jeopardy of being slashed, all areas of government have to scale back and live within the states means" State Senator Heather Somers (R-Groton) said.

"Well, it's getting a lot of publicity because president Herbst is out there making it sound like it's Armageddon and you know the truth of the matter is of this $200 million that she doesn't want to absorb but she can, look if she has a solution, I want to hear her solution," said Senate Republican Leader. Len Fasano.

Spending cuts will be triggered on Oct. 1 if no budget is passed and the governor has expressed doubts that legislators will make that deadline.
A Plainville livery service has been forced to shut down after the state found the owner was operating without proper permits after an anonymous complaint tipped off the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

"The regulatory authority is there for a reason, fundamentally to ensure safety," spokesman Kevin Nursick for the state Department of Transportation told NBC Connecticut.

Online state records from the Secretary of the States office show Kaz Tours and Travel opened for business in 2013.

A video from their website online advertises, "Do you need a reliable and safe ride to and from the airport? Look no further than Kaz Tours and Travel."

Their website offering limos for weddings cruises and airport shuttles to NYC, Boston and Bradley International, as well as, tours of the Big Apple and beyond. A white 14-passenger van and Lincoln town car, at owner Kaz Debinskis home in Plainville provided some of those services, according to Department of Motor Vehicle records.

"They did not have any authority to operate livery interstate or intrastate period. So, operating illegally for some amount of time. You want to make sure these vehicles and drivers are regulated and public is safe," according to state officials.

The DOT regulates livery permits, the DMV enforces.

Last week the DMV and Plainville police paid a visit to Debinski's home, citing him for illegally operating a livery service without a permit.

According to the summons report, state officials wrote Initially, Mr. Debinski stated he was not in business. I advised him that I had visited his website and have knowledge he transported several people to and from New York. It was at this time that his story changed and he decided to tell me the truth."

At home, Debinski told NBC Connecticut he had insurance and was fixing the issue, adding, "I only pick up in Connecticut and go out of state and pick up out of state and bring people back to Connecticut."

Getting a proper livery permit entails paperwork and nearly two hundred dollars.

"Background check on the drivers, making sure the vehicles are appropriate and inspected appropriately depending on vehicle, making sure they have insurance, so if something does go wrong they are going to be covered," DOT Spokesman Kevin Nursick added.

We are happy to tell public if licensed or not, so if public contacts us about a livery service or a taxi service, we will let them know whether or not they are appropriately licensed to operate the best way to contact us is through our website, we have a contact us form, send us an email well get back to you as quickly as we can and were pretty fast on this, so send us an email and well let you know.

As far as granting a livery permit to Debinski, DOT officials will take his case into consideration.
A judge heard arguments Monday but delayed sentencing a Fountain Valley man who admitted smuggling nearly 100 tiny Asian songbirds - - most of which died in transit -- in his luggage on a flight from Vietnam.

Kurtis Law brought 93 of the colorful birds -- worth a total of more than $90,000 on the black market -- into the country on March 24. Investigators who searched his luggage at Los Angeles International Airport determined that the birds were at risk of extinction and protected under the federal Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Prosecutors said the birds were individually wrapped and placed in Law's suitcases under "horrific conditions" in a way "that allowed each bird little or no movement." All but eight of the 93 birds ultimately died.

U.S. District Judge Manuel Real heard from a prosecutor, Law's attorney and the 50-year-old defendant himself, but delayed imposing a sentence until Oct. 16. The judge said he needed time to "think it out."

Federal prosecutors asked Real to sentence Law to two years behind bars. The defense recommended probation.

In a letter to the court, Law described himself as "Jane Goodall to the Asian bird world," a reference to the British conservationist known for her support of animal welfare issues. He told Real that his main interest was in protecting the birds and giving them new homes.

Prosecutors wrote that Law is "a large-scale trafficker in protected birds for profit -- birds that risk extinction because of traffickers like him."

Law's attorney countered that there is no evidence that Law was attempting to profit from the birds.

Law pleaded guilty in July to one felony count of importing wildlife contrary to law.

Court documents show that songbirds can be purchased in Southeast Asia for $1 or $2 each and fetch as much as $1,000 apiece in the United States.

The protected birds found in Law's luggage were Bali myna, Chinese hwamei, red-billed leiothrix and silver-eared mesia. Such birds are sold illegally at some Chinese markets in Southern California and are thought to bring good luck.


A suspected gang member accused of gunning down a tamale vendor in the Westlake area of Los Angeles in 2009, then fleeing to his native Guatemala, pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and attempted robbery charges.

Werner Rafael Francisco is also facing a special circumstance allegation of murder during an attempted robbery, along with gun and gang allegations, in the Feb. 27, 2009, killing of Cosme Marcial Gonzalez, who was shot in the chest while selling tamales in the 300 block of South Witmer Street.

The FBI has alleged that Francisco had been extorting a "street tax" from Gonzalez and other street vendors.

The 46-year-old victim, a father of three young children, had been selling tamales in the neighborhood for more than 20 years and was respected in the community, according to police and residents.

A warrant was issued for Francisco's arrest in 2009 and investigators tracing the fugitive's whereabouts issued a provisional arrest warrant in Guatemala in 2011. He was arrested in a remote part of that country on Feb. 15 of this year and extradited to the United States by the FBI's Los Angeles Fugitive Task Force in August.

Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty for Francisco, who is being held without bail. The 36-year-old defendant is due back in court Oct. 23, when a date is expected to be set for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.
A new proposal filed by a South Florida representative would offer free college tuition to thousands of Florida students, if they agree to live and work in the state after graduating.

The bill (HB-181), filed by Rep. Shevrin D. Jones of West Park, would create the Sunshine Scholarship Program that would cover 100 percent of tuition costs for Florida residents whose annual household income is $125,000 or less.

"I believe Florida has the chance to open the gates of opportunities, and join with other states by giving those who desire to further their education the opportunity to do so," said Jones.

If passed, the program would be administered by the Department of Education and would fund up to 72 credit hours for associates degrees and 120 credit hours for bachelors degrees.

Jones says higher education has always been a gateway to greater opportunities, stronger communities, and a path to end generational poverty.

Average salaries for college graduates are at an all-time high, according to a recent study from Korn Ferry, an executive search firm. The analysis states that the average starting salary for a 2017 college grad is just under $50,000  $49,785, to be exact.

The proposed bill will begin its journey through legislature in January.


Supermarkets are gradually re-opening in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, but the situation is far from normal and many customers are going home disappointed.

Most food stores and restaurants remain closed, largely because power is out for most of the island and few have generators or enough diesel to power them. The shops that were open Monday had long lines outside and vast empty shelves where they once held milk, meat and other perishables. Drinking water was nowhere to be found.

Mercedes Caro shook her head in frustration as she emerged from the SuperMax in the Condado neighborhood of San Juan with a loaf of white bread, cheese and bananas.

"There is no water and practically no food," she said. "Not even spaghetti."

Maria Perez waited outside a Pueblo supermarket in a nearby part of San Juan, hoping to buy some coffee, sugar and maybe a little meat to cook with a gas stove that has enough propane for about another week.

"We are in a crisis," Perez said. "Puerto Rico is destroyed."

The fact that some stores and restaurants have re-opened for the first time since Category 4 Hurricane Maria roared across the island Sept. 20 is welcome in a place where nearly everyone has no power and more than half the people don't have water.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello and other Puerto Rican officials said some ports have been cleared by the Coast Guard to resume accepting ships, which should allow businesses to restock. But the situation remains far from normal.

SuperMax opened on a reduced schedule for several stores in the San Juan area as well as in the hard-hit towns of Caguas and Dorado. Walgreens has reopened about half of its 120 locations in Puerto Rico on a limited basis. Walmart says it has a "handful" of its 48 stores and Sam's Clubs open, but the process has been slowed by the power outages, port closures and the near total collapse of communications.

Supermarket chain Econo opened 80 percent of its 63 stores across the island on Tuesday, though the hours would depend on the availability of diesel for its generators.

Two Medinia supermarkets opened in the coastal town of Loiza. But Manager David Guzman said he had to impose restrictions on cooking gas and other products that were running low and might not be restocked soon. "We are restricting so we can give something to everyone, to extend what we have left," he said.

Therese Casper was among several dozen people waiting for a Walmart to open in the Santurce section of San Juan, but that didn't happen Monday. She and her husband were looking for something to get rid of all the moisture that had accumulated in the apartment they rented three weeks ago when they moved to Puerto Rico from Denver, Colorado. They have been getting by in their dark, sweltering apartment on instant oatmeal and anything else they can cook on a propane stove as they wait for a flight back home.

"I tell my husband it's like camping. It's 'Survivor' Puerto Rico," Casper said. "It's not what we bargained for."

Stores are still packed with dozens of brands of shampoo and other consumer products, but those aisles were largely empty as people rushed to buy the basics, using cash sparingly since that is also in short supply and credit card transactions aren't being processed at all places. Ruth Calderon, a retiree, filled her basket with processed sausages that she planned to cook up with rice and share with an older neighbor who can't leave her apartment. "I'm surviving," she said with resignation. "I have what I need."

Others also described helping neighbors, and there are no signs of widespread hunger, at least not yet. "There is a tradition here of people helping each other, especially during disasters," Doris Anglero said as she looked for what was available in an Old San Juan supermarket.

Some disappointed shoppers were sharply aware that others on the island have it worse. Caro wept as she talked about her four grandchildren in Rincon, the western town that has been largely cut off from aid shipments as well as contact with the outside world. "Not knowing is so hard," she said, turning to walk off.

Associated Press writer Chris Gillette contributed to this report.
Seven people, including five firefighters, were injured as roaring blaze that could be seen for miles broke out in a Connecticut home and spread to a couple of other nearby houses, officials say.

The flames broke out just after 5 p.m. inside a home on Alden Street in Stamford, according to firefighters. The fire quickly spread to the home next door, but was under control and put out about an hour and a half later, the Stamford Fire Department said.

The five injured firefighters and two civilians were taken to an area hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion, officials said. A third home suffered minor fire damage as a result of the blaze.

Video shows a very smoky scene as firefighters worked to douse the flames.

There was no immediate word on what may have sparked the blaze, but an investigation is underway.
The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, even as President Donald Trump brought up the island's struggles before Hurricane Maria struck  including "billions of dollars" in debt to "Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with."

The Trump administration has tried to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of its efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there.

Five days after the Category 4 storm slammed into Puerto Rico, many of the more than 3.4 million U.S. citizens in the territory were still without adequate food, water and fuel. Flights off the island were infrequent, communications were spotty and roads were clogged with debris. Officials said electrical power may not be fully restored for more than a month.

Trump himself pointed out some differences between the two states and the island in a series of tweets Monday night.

"Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble."

Trump also noted that the island's electrical grid was already "in terrible shape." Still, he promised, "Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well."

In Washington, officials said no armada of U.S. Navy ships was headed to the island because supplies could be carried in more efficiently by plane. The Trump administration ruled out temporarily setting aside federal restrictions on foreign ships' transportation of cargo, saying it wasn't needed. The government had waived those rules in Florida and Texas until last week.

Though the administration said the focus on aid was strong, when two Cabinet secretaries spoke at a conference on another subject  including Energy Secretary Rick Perry, whose agency is helping restore the island's power  neither made any mention of Puerto Rico or Hurricane Maria.

Democratic lawmakers with large Puerto Rican constituencies back on the mainland characterized the response so far as too little and too slow. The confirmed toll from Maria jumped to at least 49 on Monday, including 16 dead in Puerto Rico.

"Puerto Ricans are Americans," said Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., who traveled to Puerto Rico over the weekend to assess the damage. "We cannot and will not turn our backs on them."

Trump himself was expected at the end of last week to visit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, after they had been ravaged by Hurricane Irma. But the trip was delayed after Maria set its sights on the islands.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, and White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert landed in San Juan on Monday, appearing with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello at a brief news briefing. Though Rossello had urgently called for more emergency assistance over the weekend, he expressed his gratitude for the help so far.

The governor said the presence of Long and Bossert was "a clear indication that the administration is committed with Puerto Rico's recovery process."

Long said, "We've got a lot of work to do. We realize that."

Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke made no mention of Puerto Rico or the hurricane during a joint appearance before the National Petroleum Council, a business-friendly federal advisory committee. News reporters were not allowed to ask questions.

Perry had traveled with Trump to Texas and Florida following hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Energy Department crews are working in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, coordinating with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, FEMA and a team from the New York Power Authority, among others. An eight-member team from the Western Area Power Authority, an Energy Department agency, assisted with initial damage assessments in Puerto Rico and has been redeployed to St. Thomas. A spokeswoman said additional responders would go to Puerto Rico as soon as transportation to the hurricane-ravaged island could be arranged.

Zinke's department oversees the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with other territories.

The federal response to Maria faces obvious logistical challenges beyond those in Texas or Florida. Supplies must be delivered by air or sea, rather than with convoys of trucks.

FEMA said it had more than 700 staff on the ground in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They were helping coordinate a federal response that now includes more than 10,000 federal personnel spread across the two Caribbean archipelagos.

In Puerto Rico, federal workers supplied diesel to fuel generators at hospitals and delivered desperately needed food and water to hard-hit communities across the island. Cargo flights are bringing in additional supplies, and barges loaded with more goods are starting to arrive in the island's ports.

San Juan's international airport handled nearly 100 arrivals and departures on Sunday, including military and relief operations, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Pentagon dispatched the Navy amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, which provided helicopters and Marines to help with the relief effort onshore.

However, the Trump administration said Monday it would not waive federal restrictions on foreign ships' transportation of cargo as it had following Harvey and Irma. The administration said it will continue to enforce the Jones Act, which requires that goods transported between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-flagged ships.

Department of Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said the agency had concluded there were already enough US-flagged vessels available.

On Capitol Hill, congressional leaders were talking about how to pay for it all. Puerto Rico was already struggling from steep financial and economic challenges before Maria made landfall.

Last year, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi joined with President Barack Obama to help recession-ravaged Puerto Rico deal with its debt crisis. After the devastating storm, Puerto Ricans will now be eligible to benefit from the same pots of federal emergency disaster aid and rebuilding funds available to residents in Texas and Florida.

Lawmakers approved a $15 billion hurricane relief packaged after Harvey hit Texas, but billions more will likely now be needed to respond to Maria.

Ryan said Monday that Congress will ensure the people of Puerto Rico "have what they need."
The search is on for the person responsible for the murder of a young mother who was watching her sister-in-law's South Jersey home.



Shawneeq Carter, 26, of Camden, was found dead inside a home along Hopkins Street in Woodbury, New Jersey around 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Investigators say she died from blunt force trauma and her death was ruled a homicide.

Police are searching for the person who beat a New Jersey mother to death inside a home she was watching. NBC10s Aaron Baskerville speaks to the victims cousin.

Family members say Carter was house-sitting for her sister-in-law who was not home at the time. They also say Carter's 5-year-old son and another child were with her inside the home at the time of her murder.

"It was a sad scene because the little boys found the mother in the house and everything," said Aryeon Walker, a neighbor.

Detectives searched through the home Wednesday and spoke to residents. They have not yet revealed whether the crime was random or if Carter was specifically targeted. Meanwhile, Carter's family is in mourning.

"It's a heartbreaking reality that pains me," said Carter's cousin Derrick Parks.



Investigators asked anyone with information to call prosecutors office Detective Warren Rivell at 856-384-5625 or Woodbury police Det. Carl Villone at 856-845-0065.

"Whoever you are, I forgive you," Parks said. "My family forgives you and we just want to see justice be done."

A vigil for Carter will be held Thursday night.


What to Know International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 98 plans to file in court later this week after consulting with other unions.

In 2016, 907 people died from overdoses in Philadelphia, more than three times the number of homicides in the city.

At least eight union members in 11 months died from opioid use.

Philadelphia-area union workers are joining a wave of litigation against opioid manufacturers after losing eight members to addiction in 11 months.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 98 (IBEW) said it is preparing to file a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies that have contributed to the growing opioid crisis. They plan to file in civil court later this week after consulting with other local and national unions interested in joining a class action suit.

"IBEW Local 98 will no longer allow the manufacturers and marketers of these deadly drugs to peddle their poison to our members without facing severe consequences," Local 98 business manager John Dougherty said.

"I have seen far too many of our members lose their lives to opioids," Dougherty said. "It's a national epidemic and I believe the only way to get the attention of Big Pharma is to hit them in the wallet."

The fight against opioid manufacturers is also extending to local municipalities, who are waging their own wars against the deadly epidemic. Bensalem Township is bringing claims against several drug companies and their subsidiaries, including Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Cephalon, Johnson & Johnson and Endo Pharmaceuticals.

Similar litigation is already underway in Oklahoma, Ohio and Mississippi.

But in Philadelphia, construction workers are especially susceptible to injury and, as a result, often turn to opioids for rehabilitation, Dougherty said. But addiction is never far behind.

They don't want to miss any work time, so they work through injuries, which compounds the pain and leads to the use and abuse of opioids. I'm sick of seeing our members working themselves into an early grave, he said.

Earlier this year, Local 98 changed its opioid prescription policy in an effort to prevent addiction. Members using the unions health care provider are now limited to five days on any opioid prescription for injury or pain management. Previously, their plan allowed for unlimited prescriptions.

"We researched it and found that for those Local 98 members who received opioid prescriptions of five days or less, the addiction rate was 10 percent. For those members who received opioid prescriptions of 10 days' duration or more, the addiction rate jumped to 25 percent, Dougherty said. We had to change the policy for the health and safety of our members."

But it took the union, which has more than 7,000 members, nearly two years of fighting with insurance providers before a change was made, spokesman Frank Keel said.

Michael Miller tried taking prescription painkillers when he was younger. Over time, his use grew stronger. Now, hes addicted to heroin and desperately trying to get his life back on track. NBC10 spent time with Michael to understand how addiction controls his life.

In 2016, 907 people died from overdoses in Philadelphia, more than three times the number of homicides in the city.

But officials project as many as 1,200 people could die from opioid-related overdoses this year, with thousands more suffering from non-deadly overdoses, according to Mayor Jim Kenneys Task Force to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

Often users will quickly move from powerful painkillers to heroin when they can no longer afford the legal drugs. NBC10 explored this transition and how the crisis is claiming an increasing number of lives in a special, six-month long investigation, Generation Addicted.


An undercover St. Louis police officer and an Air Force lieutenant who lives in the neighborhood were among several people who say they were forcibly arrested last weekend in the city even though they were not participating in protests over the acquittal of a white former officer in the killing of a black suspect.

About 120 people were arrested  most for failing to disperse  about two hours after vandals broke windows and threw items at police last Sunday. The officers used a tactic called kettling that boxed in demonstrators and others in the area.

Protests continued on Saturday, when several people were arrested at the upscale Galleria mall in suburban St. Louis where more than 200 demonstrators marched and chanted among shoppers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported officers briefly cleared the mall in Richmond Heights, Missouri, after some members of the group became unruly.

St. Louis County police said in a series of tweets that about 150 people dispersed before 22 people were arrested. Charges were expected to include trespassing, rioting, assault on a law enforcement officer, and disorderly conduct. One officer was taken to a hospital for a back injury and two protesters suffered minor injuries.

By Saturday night, protesters had moved to The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Clayton, another suburb on the Missouri side. They then took their cause outside the doors of the Target store in Brentwood, Missouri, but eventually left.

Some demonstrators ended up outside the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton hoping that those in custody would be released.

The city's acting police chief and Gov. Eric Greitens have praised the officers for controlling the demonstrations, but there has been growing criticism of their actions as details have emerged. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Friday alleging that the police violated people's civil rights, and two top city officials have said some police actions were "disturbing."

Police said people were arrested only if they didn't follow orders to disperse, but some people said they had nowhere to go because police had boxed them in.

The undercover officer was mistaken for a suspect who was carrying chemicals that could be sprayed on officers. When the man refused to show his hands, he was knocked down and hit several times, with his hands tied behind his back and his mouth bloodied, the Post-Dispatch reported .

On Friday, Mayor Lyda Krewson asked the director of public safety to investigate how the officer was treated.

During the same protest, Air Force Lt. Alex Nelson, 27, who lives in the neighborhood with his wife, said they were trapped in the kettling, the tactic police used to box in demonstrators. He said he was kicked in the face, blinded by pepper spray and dragged away.

"I hear the police say it was their street, but it's literally my street," he said. "I have coffee on that street, and I own property on that street. We were not active protesters. We were looking into the neighborhood to observe events that were unfolding."

He said the police actions were "incredibly unnecessary" because he followed every demand and officers never gave an order to disperse. He said when he told an officer he was with the military, the police officer replied, "Shut up. Stop. I don't care."

A documentary filmmaker from Kansas City who was visiting with his wife said he was knocked unconscious during the sweep. Drew Burbridge, 32, said he never heard orders to disperse until officers started to advance, banging their batons and chanting, "Move back."

"I turned my camera off and asked if there was anywhere I could go, but I was denied the right to leave," he said. "I didn't want to be a part of this."

He said after he was on the ground, officers grabbed him by both arms and dragged him away. He said he was sprayed with a chemical and eventually knocked unconscious for 10 to 30 seconds and when he came to, an officer pepper sprayed him again.

More than 160 people have been arrested since demonstrations began Sept. 15 after a judge found Jason Stockley not guilty of first-degree murder in the 2011 death of 24-year-old drug suspect Anthony Lamar Smith after a vehicle chase. Most of those arrests were on the night of the ruling and last Sunday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be coming to San Diego next week to discuss ways to fight the region's deadly Hepatitis A outbreak.

The San Diego County Health and Human Services updated the number of people infected with the virus Tuesday.

Seventeen people have died and 461 cases have been confirmed, according to county officials. Of those cases, there have been 315 hospitalizations.

A third of the cases involved people who used illicit drugs and are considered homeless. Of the cases, 25 percent are neither homeless or drug users.

County officials have not identified the locations of cases but did report to the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that there have been 38 cases in the unincorporated jurisdiction of the county. Of those, half were homeless, illicit drug users or both.

As of September 23, more than 42,000 vaccines have been administered in San Diego County. Close to 700 people were given the vaccine as a precaution after exposure to the virus.

Officials said 22,406 were given by health care systems or pharmacists but 15,662 vaccines were given by county staff in the field, in jails or detention centers or the county psychiatric hospital.

The City of San Diego has installed new bathrooms in the East Village to help curb the spread of the virus. That area has a high concentration of transients.

Those restroom facilities will be maintained at least twice a day, and will be monitored by full-time security, the city said.

There are now 22 public restroom facilities in downtown San Diego, as listed here.

City crews have also sanitized sidewalks in the downtown area and installed hand-washing stations.

County health officials have also notified 14,000 food facilities in the area as well as agricultural growers and public pools.

Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by a virus that is highly contagious. The Hepatitis A virus can be contracted by touching objects or eating food that someone with the Hepatitis A infection has handled or by having sex with someone who has an HAV infection.

Some people get the virus but have no symptoms. Signs of infection include fever, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, yellowing of the eyes (jaundice), stomach pain, vomiting, dark urine, pale stools, and diarrhea. Adults are more likely to have symptoms than children.

The California Department of Public Health suggests anyone who has been exposed to the virus, and who has not been previously immunized for Hepatitis A, should consider getting vaccinated no later than two weeks after exposure.

For more information, go to the San Diego County Hepatitis A Outbreak website.
More than a dozen crashes slowed traffic along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway Tuesday morning, including two that U.S. Park Police say were serious.

The first crash happened in the southbound lanes of the BW Parkway at MD-197 in Laurel, Maryland.

It's not clear what caused the crash, but a picture from the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department showed a black car tangled in the trees along the busy highway.

Fire officials say one person was trapped. That person was taken to the hospital, but their current condition is not known.

All southbound lanes of the BW Parkway were blocked between MD-197 and Powder Mill Road for several hours. The lanes have since reopened, but significant delays have been reported in the area.

Following that crash, Park police say more than a dozen crashes were reported along the BW Parkway. The crashes happened on both the north and southbound sides.

Police say at least one other crash was serious.

No further information has been released.
A lawyer from Fairfax, Virginia, has been indicted on charges of embezzling over $650,000 from the campaign fund of Virginia State Sen. Richard Saslaw.

According to the indictment that was unsealed in Monday's court appearance, David Miller, 68, participated in three fraud schemes between 2011 and 2014.

In the first scheme, Miller and his wife allegedly created two fake law firms to fraudulently bill Miller's employer, SkyLink Air and Logistic Support, the district attorney's office said.

The second scheme alleged that Miller embezzled over $650,000 from Saslaw's campaign account. Miller's wife, Linda Wallis, was Saslaw's treasurer in his state senator campaign.

During her stint as treasurer from June 2013 to Sept. 2014, Wallis issued over 70 fraudulent checks from Saslaw's campaign bank account. The district attorney's office said Saslaw had no knowledge of the checks being issued.

The third scheme in the indictment alleged Miller misused funds from an organization he and Wallis co-founded, the Community College Consortium on Autism and Intellectual Disabilities (CCAID). The consortium raised around $780,000 to create programs to help individuals affected by autism and other disabilities, but the indictment documents alleged Wallis transferred $482,000 to other bank accounts that she and Miller used for personal purposes, such as vacations to Jamaica and mortgage payments.

The thefts totaled $1.4 million, prosecutors said.



Wallis pleaded guilty and received a 56-month prison sentence.

Miller was charged with several crimes, including identity theft, money laundering and wire fraud.
The FBI is searching for a 19-year-old woman who entered the naval base where she works -- and vanished before showing up for her job.

Her car was spotted leaving the base 30 minutes later, but one week after disappearing, Ashanti Markaila Billie is still missing.

Billie was last seen about 5 a.m. on Sept. 18 entering Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Norfolk, Virginia, where she is an assistant manager at a Blimpie sandwich shop.

About 30 minutes after entering the naval base, Billie's car left the base, surveillance video shows. Authorities have not been able to determine who or how many people were in the vehicle, The Virginia Pilot reports.

Police say Billie was also absent from her college classes that day.



Billie's cellphone was found later that day in a dumpster nearly 3 miles away from where she was last seen.

Police say her car was found five days later on a dead-end road in the Ocean View section of the city. The 2014 cream-colored Mini Cooper with Maryland license plate number 2CX-0575 was parked about six miles away from where Billie was last seen, an FBI official said. According to The Virginia Pilot, the car was parked haphazardly and the windows were rolled up.

On Monday, the FBI announced they would be leading the search for Billie and offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to her whereabouts. The announcement came hours after Billie's parents, Brandy and Meltony Billie, met with U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor to ask for his help, multiple media outlets report.

Blimpie announced Wednesday it would match the $10,000 reward, bringing the total reward amount to $20,000.

We are very concerned about the disappearance of Ashanti Billie and we are working with the authorities to help find her and bring her home safely, said Jeff Wallace, vice president of operations for Blimpie. We are here to help support Ashantis family during this difficult time.



Brandy and Meltony Billie live in Maryland and are both veterans.

"Just help me bring my baby, Ashanti, home, please," the missing woman's mother said through tears in a video posted to Facebook.

Ashanti Billie moved to Virginia Beach in August to attend culinary arts classes at the Art Institute of Virginia Beach. She graduated from Henry Wise High School in Upper Marlboro in 2016.

Teachers say Billie kept in contact with them even after graduating.

"She's very outgoing, lovely," assistant principal Tyrone Hicks said. "Always giving you a hug, always being positive."

"She was very excited about going to culinary school," dance teacher Mi Mi McDonald said.

Billie is about 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds, an FBI spokesperson said. She has brown eyes and recently dyed her hair red.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI Norfolk Field Office at (757) 455 - 0100.
Tuesday marks National Voter Registration Day, and your vote counts.

The state of Virginia will elect a new governor on Nov. 7, in a race that is being watched across the nation. The deadline for registering to vote in the state is Oct. 16. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 31.

If you live in Virginia, Maryland or D.C., here is how to register:

Virginia: Virginians can register online, or in person at a county registration office. In addition to the gubernatorial election, all of Virginia's House of Delegates seats are up for re-election.

Maryland: Voters in Maryland can register online, by mail and in person at your local board of elections. You can also process your voter registration at your local motor vehicle administration office when completing drivers license transactions. Marylands registration deadline is Oct. 6.

Washington, D.C.: Though D.C. is not facing any critical elections this term, their board of elections also allows online registration year round. D.C. residents that vote at least once every four years, do not move, or change their names or party affiliations, do not have to re-register each year.

Across the DMV area, voters must be 18 by the date of the November election, reside in the locality where they register and not be disqualified to vote by a court.
A high school in Prince George's County was locked down Tuesday after a student was found to have a gun and a former student was seen trespassing onto school grounds, police said.

Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland, was locked down for about two hours Tuesday morning during the scare. No one was hurt, but many families were terrified about the children's safety.

"I actually received a text on my phone, and it really upset me," Karen Rhodes, the grandmother of a student, said, fighting tears. "It said there was a gunperson at Potomac High School, they were on lockdown, and I just freaked out."

The student accused of having the gun was handcuffed and taken away for questioning, News4 video showed. Police are working to track down the former student.

School officials became aware of the gun in the high school because of an alert teacher. The teacher spotted a 10th-grade boy exchanging cash with a former student about 9:45 a.m. The former student stood out, because he was not wearing a school uniform like the school's students do.

The teacher flagged the situation to a school resource officer, who then patted down the student, a Prince George's County Public Schools spokesman said.

The officer found the 10th-grader had a handgun. The former student ran from the school and was not immediately found.

Students sat in the dark for two hours and were told to turn off their phones, one student told News4.

The lockdown had been lifted by 11:40 a.m., police said. Students then resumed their regular school day.

News4's Pat Collins asked Principal Nathaniel Laney if the school needs metal detectors.

"That's not for me to decide," he replied.

He said he's not worried for the students. The student who brought the gun just made a bad decision, he said.

"Young people make bad decisions, and I think we've just got to teach them the right way," Laney said.

The search for the former student accused of trespassing is ongoing.
A display of colored T-shirts with the names, ages, and dates of death for victims of shootings in the Washington, D.C., area hopes to bring attention to the high price of crime violence.

Called the Memorial to the Lost, the display features 205 shirts with the names of those killed in D.C., Montgomery and Prince Georges counties in Maryland, and Northern Virginia in 2016. It is being shown on the ground of Temple Sinai, located at 3100 Military Road, Northwest, in Washington.

Among those being remembered are Prince William County police Officer Ashlen Guidon, who was killed while responding to a domestic dispute on her first day with the police department.

There were also shirts for NeShante Davis and her 2-year-old daughter, Chole, who were shot and killed outside a Fort Washington, Maryland, apartment.

The memorial will be on the temple grounds until Oct. 1.
Members of Virginia Task Force One returned home after dealing with three hurricane rescue efforts, including one where they found themselves in the direct path of a storm.

After helping in Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, then heading to Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico following Hurricane Irma, the team found themselves in the path of Hurricane Maria.

Battalion Chief Michael Schaff said the group gathered and prepared for the storm, utilizing their training to ride out the wind and rains. Often more sensitive to impending storms than humans, the team's canine members did something unusual. They stayed awake all night.

Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowers said recent training had prepared the dogs and handlers for something they had not done before: Island hopping by helicopter.

Family members waited for hours at a facility in Chantilly to give the task force an enthusiastic welcome home.

Members of Maryland Task Force One are still on the ground in the hardest hit areas of Puerto Rico.
There's a desperate race against time to save those trapped after Hurricane Maria battered the island of Puerto Rico. The San Juan Mayor is leading the charge. And right here at home, plenty of people want to help. Saturday night, members of the Latino community in Boston are joining forces to help the victims of the recent hurricanes in the Caribbean and the deadly earthquake in Mexico.

The organizers of the Puerto Rican Parade in Boston are turning their attention from celebration to helping victims of the devastation in the Caribbean and Mexico.

"Right now we need water we need clothes we need food, we need clothes."

"The Latino community is huge and we are going to get together and we are going to make this happen," said Edwin Alcea, president of the Puerto Rican festival, who lead a bi-lingual meeting for Latino groups from across New England at a gathering in Roxbury, Massaschusetts.

The intense hurricanes that battered Puerto Rico and the Domincan Republic; the powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake that rocked Mexico. Many here have family and friends that lived through those natural disasters but organizers say they don't understand why more isn't being done to help.

"There are a lot of people in the community trying to understand, but the frustration, worry, and anxiety are getting the best of them. We are trying to ease that pain," said Alcea.

The focus here is planning and preparation.

"We want to go out and help from the bottom of our hearts."

Organizers say their first priority is raising money to help the 3.4 million people in Puerto Rico without power and dealing with widespread flooding.

"Cash is king right now for our island, it gets there faster," said Alcea.

"With us together and united, we can make a difference."
Brown University says it has reached an agreement to end an encampment by members of a Native American tribe on land it owns in Rhode Island.

The Ivy League university released the agreement with the Pokanoket tribe on Monday. Under the agreement signed Thursday with tribal leader Sagamore Po Wauipi Neimpaug, the university acknowledges that the land is historically Pokanoket. The school agreed to transfer a to-be-determined amount of the land into a preservation trust.

The tribe agreed to end the encampment.

Messages left with the tribe and supporters were not immediately returned on Monday.

The encampment of dozens of tribal members and supporters began Aug. 20 on a 375-acre parcel the university owns in Bristol, about a half-hour drive from the Brown campus in Providence.
What to Know Vanessa Marcotte, a 27-year-old former Google employee, was killed while jogging near her mother's house in Princeton on Aug. 7, 2016.

Angelo Colon-Ortiz, 31, of Worcester, was indicted for the murder of Vanessa Marcotte.

Colon-Ortiz was linked to the murder by a cheek swab that matched DNA taken from underneath Marcotte's fingernails.

Police say socks and a hair tie found on the body of a Google employee slain while out for a run near her mother's Massachusetts home tested positive for gasoline, and the man charged with killing her bought $5 worth of gas on the day of her death.

The police affidavit in the death of 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte was filed in a Massachusetts court.

The New York resident was found murdered a half mile from her mother's Princeton home on Aug. 7, 2016.

Her body was found in a remote, wooded area a half-mile away later that evening. Police said her body was naked and partially burned. There were also signs that she had struggled with her attacker.

State police detectives and local police previously said they received more than 1,300 tips in the case.

Worcester resident Angelo Colon-Ortiz, 31, was charged with murder, aggravated assault and battery and assault with attempt to rape in connection with her death.

Prosecutors said Colon-Ortiz had worked as a third party contractor delivering FedEx packages in the area. Phone records show he was close by the crime scene at the time of Marcotte's death. He was arrested after a cheek swab taken in March matched DNA found underneath Marcotte's fingernails.

Colon-Ortiz is being held on $10 million bail. He has pleaded not guilty.

He is due back in court on Oct. 5.
Days after a second grade teacher was found dead in her Massachusetts home, authorities announced that her husband has been charged with her murder.

Police found Vanessa MacCormack's body in the couple's Revere home on Saturday. They say her husband, 29-year-old Andrew MacCormack, beat, stabbed, and strangled her, before going to great lengths to get rid of evidence before he called 911.

Police say Andrew was arrested on a murder charge Tuesday in connection with his wife's weekend death. They say they conducted a number of interviews and had the help of private and public cameras in the area.

Vanessa was a new mom, a wife, a sister, a daughter, and a second grade teacher. The 30-year-old was beloved, and her one-year-old child is with family at this time.

Calling Vanessa's murder "a crime of domestic violence," District Attorney Dan Conley said his office withheld information from the public as investigators gathered evidence.

"We're extremely grateful for the cooperation of witnesses and partner agencies who helped us build this case," he said.

Prosecutors said Andrew MacCormack called 911 on Saturday afternoon, prompting a police response to their Grand View Avenue home, where they found Vanessa MacCormack's body.

According to the medical examiner's office, she had sustained a blunt force injury to the head, sharp force injuries to the neck and asphyxiation. Prosecutors said the killer had disposed of items in attempt to clean up the crime scene.

"After a thorough, open-ended investigation, it was clear that those facts and evidence led to one person and one person only - and he is now under arrest," Massachusetts State Police Col. Richard McKeon said Tuesday.

Andrew is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Chelsea District Court. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.

Vanessa, 30, had taught at Connery Elementary School in Lynn for five years, and in the Lynn school district for a total of seven years.

The school principal said Monday the school's community was "heartbroken" over her death.

"Vanessa was loved by students, parents and colleagues. She was involved in every aspect of the school and a great friend to everyone on staff," said Dr. Mary Dill.

"She's just an amazing teacher. She's very outgoing - always happy," said Sarort Poum, the aunt of a student. "My nephew was really sad. He didn't believe me."
Maine Gov. Paul LePage is threatening to remove sheriffs from office who refuse to detain immigrants for federal immigration officials.

Maine's constitution appears to give the governor some authority in removing elected sheriffs.

The Bangor Daily News reports the Republican governor made the comments to conservative radio host Laura Ingraham on Monday. He didn't name sheriffs he would target.

In a statement released by LePage's press secretary, LePage sent a letter to the state's 16 county sheriff's to cooperate with federal officials per his executive order 001-2011, signed January 6, 2011.

"As a State established under the authority of the Constitutions of the United States of America and of the State of Maine, the State must do its duty and work cooperatively at the Federal, State, and Local level to enforce the laws that maintain our nations sovereignty and keep us safe, LePage said in the statement.

He added, "Because ICE officials must have probable cause prior to requesting a detainer, we should not be putting potentially dangerous illegal aliens back on the streets without granting federal officials the authorized 48 hours of detention. My executive order clearly requires this reasonable cooperation on behalf of Maines law enforcement officers for the safety of our people. If the sheriffs refuse to comply with state and federal law, I am authorized to take additional action to remove them from office under the Maine Constitution.

Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce has said he would reject requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to hold prisoners in jail beyond their scheduled release.

Joyce said county commissioners would have to begin the removal process, starting with impeachment proceedings.

County Commissioner James Cloutier says he's certain his fellow commissioners would not remove Joyce.

LePage spokeswoman Julie Rabinowitz says the governor has not taken any action to remove a sheriff.

___

This story has been corrected to show Cloutier said he's certain fellow commissioners would not be interested in removing Joyce, not that they would be.
An 81-year-old Maine man on a moped was killed when he was involved in a crash with a car in Alfred, according to state police.

Russell Faxon, of Lebanon, died at the scene of the crash on Route 202, which happened Monday afternoon.

The driver of the other car involved, identified as 65-year-old Acton resident Laura Melisi, was trying to turn left into an ice cream stand at the time, police said.

A preliminary investigation into the crash has found that Faxon, who was not wearing a helmet at the time, was allegedly following a large box truck, blocking himself from Melisi's view as she was turning left.

Melisi and a passenger in her car were not injured.

The investigation is ongoing.
A man from Tennessee has moved to New Hampshire to open the state's first full-time mosque.

Work on the building has already begun. Inside, you'll find volunteers from all different religious backgrounds coming together to make it happen.

Imam Will Coley has been studying religion for decades and converted to Islam about 10 years ago.

"Our work has always been about bringing people together," he told NBC Boston on Tuesday.

So when Shire Free Church, a local interfaith community, offered to donate a house in Keene to open a mosque, Coley decided to pick up his wife and five children and move from Tennessee.

"I saw an opportunity to do a service that would bring this community closer together and I cannot walk away from that," he said.

It will become New Hampshire's first full-time mosque, although Coley's plans include so much more.

"The space is here, so please come," he said.

Coley says the doors will be open as a community center to anyone and everyone  regardless of their religion.

"If there is an Orthodox Jewish community of about a dozen, Saturday, the building is all yours," Coley explained.

The mosque is literally being built on that same premise. Christopher Waid, an atheist, is doing his part to help.

"I think it's a great idea to bring some religious diversity to Keene," Waid said.

And the shop owner next door is even pitching in.

"I was raised in the Episcopal Church," said Christopher Rietmann.

He's proud that his community is sending a powerful message to those who believes religion is a barrier.

"This is a way of tearing down boundaries that some people may perceive exist," Rietmann said.

Coley couldn't agree more.

"We all do better when we are all working together," he said.

The front part of the house on Marlborough Street will also be used as a warming center for the homeless during the cold winter months.

Coley is hopeful the mosque will be open for worship by the beginning of November.
Aim to raise in excess of 65k to support armed forces community

BodyPREPARATION for the annual Newbury Poppy Appeal  run by the Royal British Legion  is well under way, ahead of its launch in the third week of October.

In 2016, Newbury raised 65,000 for the appeal and this year it is hoped that figure will be exceeded.

The money goes to the Royal British Legion, which provides support for the armed forces community (both former and serving), including housing, mental health and employment.

Newbury Poppy Appeal organiser Angela Logue said: Poppy sales are still on the increase every year.

I have already driven more than 200 miles delivering poppies to schools in the area.

Junior schools have also been sent packs so they can make their own poppies which will be displayed at the racecourse.

Some of the schools are also going to be doing portraits for us.

The youngest member of Newbury Royal British Legion, 11-year-old Darcy Hunt, is planning a sponsored swim to raise money for the appeal and said: The Legion Club is fun and its a good way to socialise with older and younger people.

Branch secretary Keith Williams said: Its people like Darcy who are the future of the British Legion. The younger generation.

Club secretary Ken Warburton said: The Newbury club needs more members and we are looking for younger members in particular.

We run a number of family-orientated events, games nights, adventure training and trail training.

A long-term member of the Royal British Legion, Derek Milam, said: The Legion is based on welfare.

Im very concerned about people living in isolation. I visit them at home and sit and talk to them for half and hour or so which makes a difference.

Ex-servicemen are more likely to open up to me as an ex-serviceman.

The Remembrance Poppy was inspired by the World War One poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae. The first Poppy Day was held in Britian on November 11, 1921.

To join the Newbury Royal British Legion, or to volunteer for the Newbury Poppy Appeal, telephone 01635 47415 or email info@newburyroyalbritishlegion.co.uk
Police to launch community forum

THATCHAM residents can share their ideas and concerns about crime in the town tomorrow (Wednesday).

Thatchams Neighbourhood Police Team will be holding the event to discuss community issues and to launch a community forum.

The forum will provide information to find out what the local police team has been doing and how they can be contacted.

It will also offer group discussion, guest speakers and refreshments.

The first meeting will be held in the meeting room of St Marys Church at 7pm on Wednesday, September 27 and will be run in a friendly world cafe style.

The West Berkshire safer communities team and Thatcham community safety group will also be present.

Officers want as many residents to attend the meeting as possible in order to hear a diverse range of issues.
By Online Desk

Fingerprints and iris scans to replace the flashing of ID cards at airport check-ins? Indias civil aviation ministry is very close to linking passenger biometrics using ID cards like Aadhar card and passport numbers with the databases of airlines and airports.

An Aadhar-based e-boarding entry is expected to make boarding easier for passengers and heighten security at airports, giving a seamless, paperless experience, similar to marquee airports such as Amsterdams Schipol airport, Brisbane airport and Hamad airport (Doha).

Presently, passengers show their printed or mobile air tickets coupled with their government-approved identity card to enter an airport.

IT major Wipro has been given the task of developing a blueprint for Aadhar-based access across Indias airports.

Aviation secretary R N Choubey is quoted as saying in a Times of India report that passengers will in the future be able to use their biometrics to prove identity before entering boarding terminals. They will no longer be required to produce their ID cards.

Nor will a flight ticket or e-ticket be needed as the linked airline databases will show the details of the flight the passengers are booked on.

International flyers, however, will need passports to travel.

Choubey in the TOI report said: We have set up a special unit in Airports Authority of India (AAI) for giving shape to this digi yatra programme. Airport operators, especially from Bangalore and Hyderabad, are part of this as they have done a lot of work in this field. We will soon know the indicative cost of the project and time frame in which it can be implemented.

Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru has started an Aadhar-based kiosk as a pilot project, and it is being tested with passengers of one airline.

Passengers of Jet Airways flight 9W 450 from Bengaluru to Mumbai can also experience a digitised, automated airport process, according to a Deccan Herald report.

Baroda and Vijayawada airports are likely to be the next to join this bandwagon.

Airport officials say that giving biometrics at each stage of the airport process will do away with the stamping of security checked on physical boarding cards, which is the current practice at airports to check if passengers have been through all the pre-boarding security clearances.

It might also help bring down the cost of security personnel deployment at airports, officials feel.

The database will also reveal if the passenger has been through checking and security check gates before being allowed access to the boarding gate ahead of flight departure time.

This move is expected to end passenger woes as it will reduce crowding at boarding gates and dispel their anxiety of clearing all security protocol in time to board their flights.

Airlines will also be able to know the last level the missing flyer was at in case he does not report for boarding in time, Choubey told TOI.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Central Industrial Security Force have already stopped the stamping of handbag tags at 17 airports and will begin trial runs soon at 10 more airports, including Pune and Ranchi.

An April 11, 2017, Mint report stated that India was now at the fourth spot in 2016 global air traffic rankings. Domestic air traffic definitely saw a surge with India jumping to number six in 2015 with 109 million passengers from the number seven spot in 2014 with 94 million passengers in 2014. Nearly a majority of the passengers were domestic.

The Aadhar privacy row

While it is not mandatory to produce the identification document yet, earlier media reports had suggested that the aviation ministry was planning to make Aadhaar or passport number mandatory for domestic travel very soon.

It remains to be seen whether the SCs August 24 ruling which declared that privacy was a fundamental right, at par to right to life and liberty, will impact this move in any way.

The ruling was preceded by a debate on privacy that began with legal challenges to Aadhaar-biometric system. The specific case of whether the Aadhar violates the right to privacy will be heard by a separate set of judges soon.

Will this move be a cause for concern?

Fingerprints and iris scans to replace the flashing of ID cards at airport check-ins? Indias civil aviation ministry is very close to linking passenger biometrics using ID cards like Aadhar card and passport numbers with the databases of airlines and airports. An Aadhar-based e-boarding entry is expected to make boarding easier for passengers and heighten security at airports, giving a seamless, paperless experience, similar to marquee airports such as Amsterdams Schipol airport, Brisbane airport and Hamad airport (Doha). Presently, passengers show their printed or mobile air tickets coupled with their government-approved identity card to enter an airport. IT major Wipro has been given the task of developing a blueprint for Aadhar-based access across Indias airports. Aviation secretary R N Choubey is quoted as saying in a Times of India report that passengers will in the future be able to use their biometrics to prove identity before entering boarding terminals. They will no longer be required to produce their ID cards. Nor will a flight ticket or e-ticket be needed as the linked airline databases will show the details of the flight the passengers are booked on. International flyers, however, will need passports to travel. Choubey in the TOI report said: We have set up a special unit in Airports Authority of India (AAI) for giving shape to this digi yatra programme. Airport operators, especially from Bangalore and Hyderabad, are part of this as they have done a lot of work in this field. We will soon know the indicative cost of the project and time frame in which it can be implemented. Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru has started an Aadhar-based kiosk as a pilot project, and it is being tested with passengers of one airline. Passengers of Jet Airways flight 9W 450 from Bengaluru to Mumbai can also experience a digitised, automated airport process, according to a Deccan Herald report. Baroda and Vijayawada airports are likely to be the next to join this bandwagon. Airport officials say that giving biometrics at each stage of the airport process will do away with the stamping of security checked on physical boarding cards, which is the current practice at airports to check if passengers have been through all the pre-boarding security clearances. It might also help bring down the cost of security personnel deployment at airports, officials feel. The database will also reveal if the passenger has been through checking and security check gates before being allowed access to the boarding gate ahead of flight departure time. This move is expected to end passenger woes as it will reduce crowding at boarding gates and dispel their anxiety of clearing all security protocol in time to board their flights. Airlines will also be able to know the last level the missing flyer was at in case he does not report for boarding in time, Choubey told TOI. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Central Industrial Security Force have already stopped the stamping of handbag tags at 17 airports and will begin trial runs soon at 10 more airports, including Pune and Ranchi. An April 11, 2017, Mint report stated that India was now at the fourth spot in 2016 global air traffic rankings. Domestic air traffic definitely saw a surge with India jumping to number six in 2015 with 109 million passengers from the number seven spot in 2014 with 94 million passengers in 2014. Nearly a majority of the passengers were domestic. The Aadhar privacy row While it is not mandatory to produce the identification document yet, earlier media reports had suggested that the aviation ministry was planning to make Aadhaar or passport number mandatory for domestic travel very soon. It remains to be seen whether the SCs August 24 ruling which declared that privacy was a fundamental right, at par to right to life and liberty, will impact this move in any way. The ruling was preceded by a debate on privacy that began with legal challenges to Aadhaar-biometric system. The specific case of whether the Aadhar violates the right to privacy will be heard by a separate set of judges soon. Will this move be a cause for concern?
By Online Desk

Banaras Hindu University is not used to student protests, marches or sloganeering as the prestigious varsity remains highly apolitical, unlike other major universities of the country. It doesnt have a Students Union body to represent the students collective interest, neither does the teaching fraternity express any open political affiliations.



However, BHU has been on the boil for the past few days due to the raging students movement protesting an alleged molestation of a girl student by bike-borne men near the campus premises. The impact of the movement reached the national capital yesterday when different students outfits conducted solidarity campaigns and clashed with the police. Here is the BHU unrest story so far, as it happened.

IN PICS | What happened at Varanasi's BHU as we know



21 September, Thursday: A girl student of the Fine Arts Undergraduate department of the Mahila Mahavidyalaya College is verbally and physically assaulted by three unidentified men right outside the BHU campus around 6 PM. The terrified girl runs to her room in the college hostel, and later complains to the warden along with her friends. The warden reportedly takes no action based on the student's complaint and accuses her of going out at late hours. Infuriated by the response, the university girls stage a dharna outside the wardens office. Police is called in and they intervene by lathicharging the girl students, a move widely criticised across the country. The protests reach the national capital, and various student political outfits condemn the incident.



22 September, Friday: A large number of female students from the BHU campus come together to conduct a protest campaign, demanding immediate action by the University vice-chancellor against increasing cases of eve-teasing and sexual molestation in and around the campus premises. Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi agrees to speak with the representatives of the students in his chamber, but the protestors refuse in the light of earlier instances where similar movements were neutralised by threat and suspension of leaders. They demand that the VC address the protesting girls out in the open.



23 September, Saturday: The movement that is so far a peaceful one takes a violent turn as students pelt stones at the policemen. They lathicharge in response, injuring several girls participating in the ongoing dharna. The University later issues a release, claiming the movement is politically motivated. The protestors counter stating that those behind the stone pelting are not students of the university.



24 September, Sunday: After Saturdays crackdown, the girls decide to organise a silent march to the Lanka Gate of the university. More students join in the march on Sunday, following the brutal police crackdown of the previous night, with boys of the campus coming out in solidarity with the girls. The police, however, charge upon protestors without any provocation, leaving many students with head and leg injuries. Cases are filed against over a thousand university students.



25 September, Monday: Expressing their solidarity with their kind in Varanasi, students in New Delhi take out protest marches and engage in clashes with the police. They shout slogans against the Yogi Adityanath-led UP state government and the NDA government at the Centre, for addressing students movements with force. The students march under the banners of NSUI, ASA and AISA. The student-wing of the RSS, the ABVP, too organises a rally demanding updation of the existing system, into a more student-friendly one. The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday transfers five officers from their posts and launches a high-level probe led by the chief secretary into the policemens brutal treatment of students protesting harassment of women on campus.



26 September, Tuesday: Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn submits a preliminary report to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar over the incident and blames the University administration for not handling the matter in a sensitive manner. Gokarn, in his report to the Chief Secretary, says that the BHU neither dealt with the victim's complaint in a sensitive manner nor handled the situation on time.

Banaras Hindu University is not used to student protests, marches or sloganeering as the prestigious varsity remains highly apolitical, unlike other major universities of the country. It doesnt have a Students Union body to represent the students collective interest, neither does the teaching fraternity express any open political affiliations. However, BHU has been on the boil for the past few days due to the raging students movement protesting an alleged molestation of a girl student by bike-borne men near the campus premises. The impact of the movement reached the national capital yesterday when different students outfits conducted solidarity campaigns and clashed with the police. Here is the BHU unrest story so far, as it happened. IN PICS | What happened at Varanasi's BHU as we know 21 September, Thursday: A girl student of the Fine Arts Undergraduate department of the Mahila Mahavidyalaya College is verbally and physically assaulted by three unidentified men right outside the BHU campus around 6 PM. The terrified girl runs to her room in the college hostel, and later complains to the warden along with her friends. The warden reportedly takes no action based on the student's complaint and accuses her of going out at late hours. Infuriated by the response, the university girls stage a dharna outside the wardens office. Police is called in and they intervene by lathicharging the girl students, a move widely criticised across the country. The protests reach the national capital, and various student political outfits condemn the incident. 22 September, Friday: A large number of female students from the BHU campus come together to conduct a protest campaign, demanding immediate action by the University vice-chancellor against increasing cases of eve-teasing and sexual molestation in and around the campus premises. Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi agrees to speak with the representatives of the students in his chamber, but the protestors refuse in the light of earlier instances where similar movements were neutralised by threat and suspension of leaders. They demand that the VC address the protesting girls out in the open.23 September, Saturday: The movement that is so far a peaceful one takes a violent turn as students pelt stones at the policemen. They lathicharge in response, injuring several girls participating in the ongoing dharna. The University later issues a release, claiming the movement is politically motivated. The protestors counter stating that those behind the stone pelting are not students of the university.24 September, Sunday: After Saturdays crackdown, the girls decide to organise a silent march to the Lanka Gate of the university. More students join in the march on Sunday, following the brutal police crackdown of the previous night, with boys of the campus coming out in solidarity with the girls. The police, however, charge upon protestors without any provocation, leaving many students with head and leg injuries. Cases are filed against over a thousand university students.25 September, Monday: Expressing their solidarity with their kind in Varanasi, students in New Delhi take out protest marches and engage in clashes with the police. They shout slogans against the Yogi Adityanath-led UP state government and the NDA government at the Centre, for addressing students movements with force. The students march under the banners of NSUI, ASA and AISA. The student-wing of the RSS, the ABVP, too organises a rally demanding updation of the existing system, into a more student-friendly one. The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday transfers five officers from their posts and launches a high-level probe led by the chief secretary into the policemens brutal treatment of students protesting harassment of women on campus.26 September, Tuesday: Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn submits a preliminary report to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar over the incident and blames the University administration for not handling the matter in a sensitive manner. Gokarn, in his report to the Chief Secretary, says that the BHU neither dealt with the victim's complaint in a sensitive manner nor handled the situation on time.
By IANS

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Police on Tuesday conducted raids in the national capitalin a bid to arrest fugitive Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, close aides of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Police sources said here that the raids were being conducted in Delhi and nearby areas of the National Capital Region (NCR).

One raid was being conducted in a house in Greater Kailash-II in south Delhi.

The move came a day after Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja, moved the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory transit bail.

A court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, on Monday issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan.

All three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after his conviction by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999.

The Haryana Police had sounded an international alert against all three.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s, is on the run since August 25, hours after Ram Rahim was convicted.

She has been the closest aide of Ram Rahim since 2009. The police is on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted in Nepal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several other places in Punjab.



CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Police on Tuesday conducted raids in the national capitalin a bid to arrest fugitive Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, close aides of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Police sources said here that the raids were being conducted in Delhi and nearby areas of the National Capital Region (NCR). One raid was being conducted in a house in Greater Kailash-II in south Delhi. The move came a day after Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja, moved the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory transit bail. A court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, on Monday issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan. All three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after his conviction by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999. The Haryana Police had sounded an international alert against all three. Honeypreet, in her mid-30s, is on the run since August 25, hours after Ram Rahim was convicted. She has been the closest aide of Ram Rahim since 2009. The police is on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted in Nepal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana. Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years. Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers. Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh. His conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several other places in Punjab.
By Online Desk

Manmohan Singh is a man who presided over the most-lauded economic reforms the country has ever seen and later became a Prime Minister who, as much as he achieved, was also faced with the ignominy of a large number of scams having taken place during his tenure. For these reasons, he is both praised as well as derided. But at the end of his tenure as prime minster, he had said in an interview, History will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or the Opposition parties in Parliament.

Three years down the line, his conviction stands validated, as the public realises the wisdom of the measured words spoken by the well-respected scholar. On his 85th birthday today, the hashtag #ManmohanSingh trended on Twitter, and a people reeling under the effect of demonetisation, a hastily implemented GST and rising prices showered praise on Manmohan Singh for his astute economic understanding.

What makes the man endure? Why he is as relevant today as he was in the 1990s.

Manmohan Singh: A torch-bearer of liberalisation

Heeding to the call of the progressive Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, who wanted to take the country in a new direction, the Oxford and Cambridge educated Manmohan Singh accepted the role of finance minister and went about ushering in an era of liberalisation.

Singhs historic budget of 1991 kick-started a series of economic reforms that helped India latch on to the globalisation fast train that catapulted a slow-moving socialist economy into an age where it became the country with the fastest growth rate.

Bringing about a major change in the socialist policies established under the first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and practised by subsequent governments, Singh opened up the economy to foreign investments and, along with Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, who created a business-friendly climate by abolishing licence raj, helped the service sectors and manufacturing grow.

Markets were thrown open for foreign investors and multi-national companies. The move prompted the then Opposition, the BJP, to lead nationwide protests against his pro-market policies.

During his tenure as the finance minister between 1991and 95, India achieved its highest ever Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 8.5 per cent.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: Achievements and controversies alike

Singh is not only the first Sikh prime minister, he was also the only PM after Nehru to serve consecutive five-year terms.

It was under his prime-ministership that India saw a number of significant milestones. The India-US nuclear deal, which enhanced cooperation in the area of nuclear energy between the countries was hailed for being forward-looking.

IN PICTURES | Manmohan Singh's 85th birthday: A glance at the legacy of the former Prime Minister

During his leadership, several legislations came from the government benches in the Lok Sabha and they all stand as landmarks today. With the stewardship of UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi as National Advisory Committee chairperson, several new reforms in areas of transparency in government and the social responsibility of government were brought in through legislation, such as the Right to Information Act, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Right to Food Act, better known as the Food Security Act , the Forest Rights Act, and Right to Education Act.

The benefits of these long-term measures, however, got drowned in the number of scams that surfaced during UPA-2, during Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs second consecutive term. The Commonwealth Games scam, the Aadarsh Housing Society scam and most controversially the 2G spectrum scam sank the Congress into a deep abyss, and the reputation of the Prime Minister along with it, by the time of the general election in 2014.

Manmohan Singh was widely criticised over his silence about the many corruption cases, and the academic-PMs otherwise squeaky-clean image took a severe beating, as Singh the politician was slammed for not standing up to wrongdoing that took place under his leadership.

Coalition compulsions were blamed for many of the lapses. The inability of someone who is less a politician, more an academic to deal with the runaway corruption indulged in by senior political leaders was, as much as it was unforgivable, all too apparent.

Three years since, a resurrection

At an interview during the end of his term as prime minister in 2014, Manmohan Singh had prophesied, It will be disastrous for the country to have Shri Narendra Modi as prime minister.

Subsequently, when the biggest economic decision of the Modi government, namely demonetisation, was announced, Manmohan Singh in a speech in the Rajya Sabha just two weeks after the announcement, warned that he foresaw a fall of 2 percentage points in the GDP of the then robust economy.

The sharp economist was proved right when the GDP for the first quarter of 2017-2018 had dropped to 5.7 per cent from 7.1 per cent in the corresponding quarter the previous year 2016-2017. The release of the statistics instantly renewed respect for Singh among the fickle masses who had at the start of the note ban derided him over his predictions.

Recently, the flagbearer of the Goods and Services Tax also warned about the consequences of hasty implementation of the tax regime that he himself helped pass in Parliament a few months ago, and said GST and demonetisation has struck a terrible blow on the small enterprises sector and the informal economy, which make up about 40 per cent of the Indian economy, and employs the majority of Indias workforce.

In his Rajya Sabha speech soon after the November 8, 2016 demonetisation, Manmohan Singh had said that the withdrawal of 86 per cent of the currency in circulation had led to the organised loot and plunder of the common people. Calling note ban a monumental failure, Singh shut down those who claimed it would have long-term benefits, by quoting 20th centurys most influential economist John Maynard Keynes: In the long run, we are all dead.

Manmohan Singh is a man who presided over the most-lauded economic reforms the country has ever seen and later became a Prime Minister who, as much as he achieved, was also faced with the ignominy of a large number of scams having taken place during his tenure. For these reasons, he is both praised as well as derided. But at the end of his tenure as prime minster, he had said in an interview, History will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or the Opposition parties in Parliament. Three years down the line, his conviction stands validated, as the public realises the wisdom of the measured words spoken by the well-respected scholar. On his 85th birthday today, the hashtag #ManmohanSingh trended on Twitter, and a people reeling under the effect of demonetisation, a hastily implemented GST and rising prices showered praise on Manmohan Singh for his astute economic understanding. What makes the man endure? Why he is as relevant today as he was in the 1990s. Manmohan Singh: A torch-bearer of liberalisation Heeding to the call of the progressive Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, who wanted to take the country in a new direction, the Oxford and Cambridge educated Manmohan Singh accepted the role of finance minister and went about ushering in an era of liberalisation. Singhs historic budget of 1991 kick-started a series of economic reforms that helped India latch on to the globalisation fast train that catapulted a slow-moving socialist economy into an age where it became the country with the fastest growth rate. Bringing about a major change in the socialist policies established under the first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and practised by subsequent governments, Singh opened up the economy to foreign investments and, along with Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, who created a business-friendly climate by abolishing licence raj, helped the service sectors and manufacturing grow. Markets were thrown open for foreign investors and multi-national companies. The move prompted the then Opposition, the BJP, to lead nationwide protests against his pro-market policies. During his tenure as the finance minister between 1991and 95, India achieved its highest ever Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 8.5 per cent. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: Achievements and controversies alike Singh is not only the first Sikh prime minister, he was also the only PM after Nehru to serve consecutive five-year terms. It was under his prime-ministership that India saw a number of significant milestones. The India-US nuclear deal, which enhanced cooperation in the area of nuclear energy between the countries was hailed for being forward-looking. IN PICTURES | Manmohan Singh's 85th birthday: A glance at the legacy of the former Prime Minister During his leadership, several legislations came from the government benches in the Lok Sabha and they all stand as landmarks today. With the stewardship of UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi as National Advisory Committee chairperson, several new reforms in areas of transparency in government and the social responsibility of government were brought in through legislation, such as the Right to Information Act, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Right to Food Act, better known as the Food Security Act , the Forest Rights Act, and Right to Education Act. The benefits of these long-term measures, however, got drowned in the number of scams that surfaced during UPA-2, during Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs second consecutive term. The Commonwealth Games scam, the Aadarsh Housing Society scam and most controversially the 2G spectrum scam sank the Congress into a deep abyss, and the reputation of the Prime Minister along with it, by the time of the general election in 2014. Manmohan Singh was widely criticised over his silence about the many corruption cases, and the academic-PMs otherwise squeaky-clean image took a severe beating, as Singh the politician was slammed for not standing up to wrongdoing that took place under his leadership. Coalition compulsions were blamed for many of the lapses. The inability of someone who is less a politician, more an academic to deal with the runaway corruption indulged in by senior political leaders was, as much as it was unforgivable, all too apparent. Three years since, a resurrection At an interview during the end of his term as prime minister in 2014, Manmohan Singh had prophesied, It will be disastrous for the country to have Shri Narendra Modi as prime minister. Subsequently, when the biggest economic decision of the Modi government, namely demonetisation, was announced, Manmohan Singh in a speech in the Rajya Sabha just two weeks after the announcement, warned that he foresaw a fall of 2 percentage points in the GDP of the then robust economy. The sharp economist was proved right when the GDP for the first quarter of 2017-2018 had dropped to 5.7 per cent from 7.1 per cent in the corresponding quarter the previous year 2016-2017. The release of the statistics instantly renewed respect for Singh among the fickle masses who had at the start of the note ban derided him over his predictions. Recently, the flagbearer of the Goods and Services Tax also warned about the consequences of hasty implementation of the tax regime that he himself helped pass in Parliament a few months ago, and said GST and demonetisation has struck a terrible blow on the small enterprises sector and the informal economy, which make up about 40 per cent of the Indian economy, and employs the majority of Indias workforce. In his Rajya Sabha speech soon after the November 8, 2016 demonetisation, Manmohan Singh had said that the withdrawal of 86 per cent of the currency in circulation had led to the organised loot and plunder of the common people. Calling note ban a monumental failure, Singh shut down those who claimed it would have long-term benefits, by quoting 20th centurys most influential economist John Maynard Keynes: In the long run, we are all dead.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The trouble on the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus, triggered by a girl students demand for security followed by the administrations inept handling of the issue, has given room for politicians to stir up a controversy in a constituency represented by the Prime Minister in Parliament.

On Monday, four days after the protest started and most boarders had left for their hometowns as the university had advanced the Puja holidays, political leaders turned up at the gates of BHU to see if they would get some traction.

While UP Congress in-charge Ghulab Nabi Azad, with several senior leaders in tow, arrived in Varanasi to express solidarity with the students, Samajwadi Party workers had a run-in with security forces when they were stopped short of the campus gates. They claimed to be a fact-finding team sent by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to get to the bottom of the happenings on campus.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi sent his emissaries  Raj Babbar and Ghulam Nabi Azad  to Varanasi to assess the situation and play accordingly. But Babbar was detained on Sunday night and Azad was denied entry into the campus.

BSP supremo Mayawati also made her presence felt by condemning the police action on girls, calling it unfortunate and directing her barbs at the Adityanath government for failing to handle the situation properly.

Civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad also landed in Varanasi on Monday but was detained first at the airport while heading to attend a youth training camp organised by the Samajwadi Jan Parishad, a political party. She was later released a little after 7 pm.

Here's what you need to know about the BHU molestation case:

The BHU has been in the news for over a year for issues like the ban on non-vegetarian food in womens hostels and restrictions on women students movements after sundown. The molestation of a student on Thursday brought their pent-up anger to the fore.

As per BHU sources, the BFA student from Delhi  who has been incommunicado to the media  said in her complaint to the proctoral board that as she was passing by the Bharat Kala Bhawan on campus a little after 6 pm last Thursday, two men on a motorcycle groped her from behind and sped away. Shocked, she called out to a guard at the proctors office just 100 m away but got no help. She ran to her hostel and narrated the incident to her friends. They rushed back to the spot and lodged a complaint in the proctors office. Instead of helping the students, they made some unwanted comments and asked why the woman was moving around alone in the evening.

This so infuriated the women students that they sat on a dharna at the entrance of the campus that very night, demanding the vice-chancellors intervention. Specifically, they wanted street lights and CCTV camera on campus and policewomen posted on security duties. As the VC did not bother to meet them, they continued the dharna through Friday. As a result, the route of the PMs convoy had to be changed as BHUs Mahila Mahavidyalaya was on the way to a temple that the PM was to visit.

What was until then a peaceful protest, turned violent when some students wanted to enter the V-Cs house on Saturday night. That triggered a brutal response from the police against the protestors  among whom were girl students  who were chased and beaten mercilessly.

LUCKNOW: The trouble on the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus, triggered by a girl students demand for security followed by the administrations inept handling of the issue, has given room for politicians to stir up a controversy in a constituency represented by the Prime Minister in Parliament. On Monday, four days after the protest started and most boarders had left for their hometowns as the university had advanced the Puja holidays, political leaders turned up at the gates of BHU to see if they would get some traction. While UP Congress in-charge Ghulab Nabi Azad, with several senior leaders in tow, arrived in Varanasi to express solidarity with the students, Samajwadi Party workers had a run-in with security forces when they were stopped short of the campus gates. They claimed to be a fact-finding team sent by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to get to the bottom of the happenings on campus. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi sent his emissaries  Raj Babbar and Ghulam Nabi Azad  to Varanasi to assess the situation and play accordingly. But Babbar was detained on Sunday night and Azad was denied entry into the campus. BSP supremo Mayawati also made her presence felt by condemning the police action on girls, calling it unfortunate and directing her barbs at the Adityanath government for failing to handle the situation properly. Civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad also landed in Varanasi on Monday but was detained first at the airport while heading to attend a youth training camp organised by the Samajwadi Jan Parishad, a political party. She was later released a little after 7 pm. Here's what you need to know about the BHU molestation case: The BHU has been in the news for over a year for issues like the ban on non-vegetarian food in womens hostels and restrictions on women students movements after sundown. The molestation of a student on Thursday brought their pent-up anger to the fore. As per BHU sources, the BFA student from Delhi  who has been incommunicado to the media  said in her complaint to the proctoral board that as she was passing by the Bharat Kala Bhawan on campus a little after 6 pm last Thursday, two men on a motorcycle groped her from behind and sped away. Shocked, she called out to a guard at the proctors office just 100 m away but got no help. She ran to her hostel and narrated the incident to her friends. They rushed back to the spot and lodged a complaint in the proctors office. Instead of helping the students, they made some unwanted comments and asked why the woman was moving around alone in the evening. This so infuriated the women students that they sat on a dharna at the entrance of the campus that very night, demanding the vice-chancellors intervention. Specifically, they wanted street lights and CCTV camera on campus and policewomen posted on security duties. As the VC did not bother to meet them, they continued the dharna through Friday. As a result, the route of the PMs convoy had to be changed as BHUs Mahila Mahavidyalaya was on the way to a temple that the PM was to visit. What was until then a peaceful protest, turned violent when some students wanted to enter the V-Cs house on Saturday night. That triggered a brutal response from the police against the protestors  among whom were girl students  who were chased and beaten mercilessly.
By PTI

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government today ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus of the Banaras Hindu University.

A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathi-charge by the police during the BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.

"A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incidents," UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said here. He was speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and the vice chancellor of Banaras Hindu University over the eve-teasing and violence. READ THE FULL REPORT HERE .

Sharma, however, did not elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or sitting judge.

The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence.

As opposition parties targeted the BJP over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJPpresident Amit Shah yesterday spoke to the chief minister and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.

Sharma said the government wanted that there should be communication with the students by the local administration, vice chancellor and other university officials.

Sharma accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.

"If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses," he said.

On lathi-charge on girl students sitting on dharna against the alleged eve-teasing on the campus, he said, "We are identifying those 'outsiders' who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathi charge."

He said the government has asked the local administration to strengthen the security on the campus.

"It has been decided to install CCTV on the campus," he added.

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government today ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus of the Banaras Hindu University. A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathi-charge by the police during the BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent. "A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incidents," UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said here. He was speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and the vice chancellor of Banaras Hindu University over the eve-teasing and violence. READ THE FULL REPORT HERE. Sharma, however, did not elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or sitting judge. The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence. As opposition parties targeted the BJP over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJPpresident Amit Shah yesterday spoke to the chief minister and asked him to address the issue at the earliest. Sharma said the government wanted that there should be communication with the students by the local administration, vice chancellor and other university officials. Sharma accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere. "If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses," he said. On lathi-charge on girl students sitting on dharna against the alleged eve-teasing on the campus, he said, "We are identifying those 'outsiders' who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathi charge." He said the government has asked the local administration to strengthen the security on the campus. "It has been decided to install CCTV on the campus," he added.
Automaker Ford India has raised prices of its premium SUV Endeavour by up to Rs 1.8 lakh following the hike in GST cess rates. The company sells a range of vehicles in the country, from Figo hatchback to iconic Mustang sedan. "Price of Endevour has gone up in the range of Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh depending on the variant," a company spokesperson told PTI. The impact on company's other models has not been much, the spokesperson added. Various automakers including Hyundai Motor India, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Honda Cars India and Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) have already raised prices following the hike in cess. The cess rates, under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), on mid-sized and large cars and SUVs have been increased by 2, 5 and 7 percent respectively. Under the GST regime, which was rolled out from July 1, cars now attract the highest tax slab of 28 percent and on top of that is the cess ranging from 1 percent to 22 percent.

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Worlds second biggest, a 1,109-carat uncut diamond - Lesedi La Rona - was sold for $53 million at a private auction. The diamond was bought by Canada-based Graff Diamonds on Monday.

The Lesedi La Rona, or our light in the Tswana language, went unsold at a Sothebys auction in London last year.

Following successful negotiation with Lucara Diamond Corp, Laurence Graff has acquired the worlds most valuable rough diamond  the Lesedi La Rona  weighing a record-breaking 1,109 carats, Graff Diamonds said in a statement.

We are thrilled and honoured to become the new custodians of this incredible diamond, said Graff.

The deal was closed with a handshake after more than a year of negotiations, Graff added in its statement.

Delighted to announce our latest acquisition - the 1,109ct Lesedi la Rona - the largest rough diamond in the world. #LesedilaRona pic.twitter.com/01b7FaYX0q Graff Diamonds (@GraffDiamonds) September 26, 2017

The stone has been identified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) as possessing exceptional quality and transparency.

Lucara, the original owner of the diamond had expected to sell it for about $86 million. After it failed to find any buyer in the first auction held last year, decided to hold a second auction, in which it received the highest bid of $53 million.

The Lesedi La Rona is second in size to the worlds largest diamond  Cullinan Diamond. The 3,106 carat Cullinan was discovered in South Africa in 1905. It was eventually cut into smaller stones, some of which are now part of Britains Crown jewels.

Graff diamonds, known to produce some of the worlds best diamonds and stones, earlier this year, had purchased a remarkable 373-carat rough diamond that was originally part of the Lesedi La Rona rough.
New Delhi: As Banaras Hindu University (BHU) continues to be under scanner after student protests against sexual harassment, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows that sexual harassment against women in Uttar Pradesh has been on an upward spiral.

Uttar Pradesh, famous for setting up the controversial anti-Romeo squads, is among the top three states when it comes to crime against women.

A report in India Spend said the state, as per NCRB data, reported a 33% rise in sexual harassment cases from 2014 to 2015. Shockingly, the data also shows that 74% of these cases went unpunished.

With 7,885 cases, which is an 8.3% fall over two years to 2015, UP recorded the third highest number of cases after Maharashtra (11,713) and Madhya Pradesh (8,049) under assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty.

The number of sexual harassment cases in UP were 4,435 in 2014 (a 33% increase). In comparison, such cases rose 17% in Maharashtra and declined 19% in MP.

A look at the NCRB data would show that sexual harassment cases make up for three-fourths of all assaults recorded against women in UP and the conviction rate has been rising- 16% in 2014 to 26% in 2015.

The report further stated that UPs conviction rate for assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty (which includes sexual harassment, voyeurism and stalking) was better than the all-India rate which is 10%.

The report, stating NCRB data, further said that specific cases of sexual harassment in UP were 5,925, comprising 75% of this section of the law, which is the highest number of such cases reported nationwide.

Taking a period of 15 years, until 2015, cases registered under this head rose 141% to 82,422. However, the other related section of the law, insult to the modesty of women (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), saw a fall of 11% over the same period.

After Maharashtra (11,713) and Madhya Pradesh (8,049), cases filed under assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty" in UP were 7,885 which was a fall of 8.3% over two years to 2015.

As of 2015, the state also came third in terms of stalking with 519 such cases being registered, trailing behind Maharashtra (1399) and Delhi (1124), which was a sharp 38% decrease from 2014 when the number of such cases reported was 835.
Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh police on Tuesday arrested three youth after they molested a girl, filmed the incident, and then circulated the video.

The incident occurred in August in Andhra Pradesh's Prakasam district, but it came to light only after the video went viral recently.

The other woman, seen in the video, was a friend of the victim, who was trying to save the girl and is now a witness in the case.

The police took suo-motu cognizance of the matter, registered a case and arrested the accused. The police said that the girl was in a relationship with the accused and decided to end it when things went downhill.

"The boy then, also accompanied by his friends, took the girl to the outskirts of the city and molested her and filmed the incident," police said.

The police nabbed the molesters after getting in touch with the girl and her family.
Hyderabad: In one of the biggest raids in Andhra Pradesh, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has unearthed assets worth Rs 500 crores from the premises of two officials of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development department.

The two arrested are Director of Town and Country Planning, G V Raghu and Junior Technical Officer in Vijayawada Municipal Corporation N V Sivaprasad. The accused will be produced before the court on Tuesday.

Police have recovered over Rs 60 lakhs in cash, 11 kilograms of gold ornaments and 23 kilograms of silver worth Rs 500 crore in total. The police have also found documents of over 22 properties that include land, apartments and even companies registered under their names.

Speaking to CNN-News18, ACB Director General, RP Thakur said, "They were arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act for the possession of assets disproportionate to their income. The investigations and raids are still on."

The raids were conducted simultaneously by 20 teams of the Anti-Corruption Bureau at Mangalagiri, Vijayawada, Gannavaram, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Chittoor, and Shirdi in Maharashtra.

As the raids continue for a second day, officials are still assessing the actual market value of the properties that may go for over Rs 500 crores.
New Delhi: The lathi charge against women students of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has highlighted the issues facing women students in the universities. Not very far from Varanasi, women students of Delhi Universitys Hindu College have been campaigning against bias in hostel fees.

For 117 years of its 118-year history, Hindu College did not have a functional hostel for women, forcing them to rent out apartments in areas close by. On-Campus accommodation was only available to men. Construction of women hostel began in 2013 and was finished in 2016. It was finally for the 2017-18 academic year that students were admitted into the hostel. But the fees was more than double that of the mens hostel. In August, students launched an agitation that brought the issue to light. Now, the matter is pending with the Delhi High Court.

In the beginning, the fee was exorbitant. The mens hostel fee was around Rs 50,000 per year and the womens hostel fee was close to Rs 1.3 lakh. It was after we opposed the move that the college finally reduced the fee to Rs 90,000. However, residents of the womens hostel will end up spending over Rs 1 lakh per year if the cost of electricity is included. For all practical purposes, the fee is double of what men pay, said Sheethal NS, a second year English (Hons) student.

According to students, the process was not followed while admitting women to the hostel. Sheethal said, The College did not issue a prospectus for the womens hostel and proper admission procedure was not followed. Moreover, when the fees were announced, we did not receive a break up of what we were being charged for.

Hindu College principal Dr Anju Srivastava recently told media that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has not given funds for the womens hostel, while it has given funds for mens hostel. Also, womens hostel has air conditioned rooms.

Sheethal retorted saying, If the difference in amenities was really the reason, then why is there a disparity in fixed fees? This component does not include the electricity bill. Men are charged around Rs 28,000, while women are charged Rs 60,000 as fixed fees.

Ish Mishra, professor of political science, also countered the colleges claims. I was hostel warden back in 2006 and an ex-officio member of the building committee. Back then, it was first decided that we would build a womens hostel. UGC funds were given for the construction of a womens hostel but they were not utilized on time. It was only by 2013 that construction began. UGC funds will also not affect the wages of the mess staff.

Students have also fought against discriminatory hostel rules. After our protests in August, the college changed curfew timings for women. Now, curfew for both hostels is 10 pm.

Most teachers only offer silent support for women students cause. We understand that most teachers are ad-hoc. Privately, they tell us to keep fighting. But only a handful of teachers stand with us. Their support means a lot, said Paribhasha Yadav, another Hindu College student.

Mishra is one of the few teachers who have come out in support of the students.

A handful of students are keeping the fight alive. They protested in August and all of them received show-cause notice from the college administration. When they were protesting, the college was so scared that they called the police and rapid action force (RAF) to deal with 15 women students. The purpose of a university is to create fearless, free-thinking students. In that respect, these young women have already succeeded.
New Delhi: Days after students were lathi-charged for protesting against sexual harassment, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Banaras Hindu University has come out with a list of demands, including suspension of the vice chancellor GC Tripathi. The demands also include suspension of District Magistrate, SSP of Varanasi and strict legal action against the culprits.

Police were literally throwing the girls out. This is a complete failure of the Vice Chancellor of the University to protect students and their rights to free speech. The administration has miserably failed to respond institutionally to an incident as grave as sexual harassment. Instead, it has responded by unleashing violence on peaceful and non-violent protesters and choosing to crush the constitutional rights of students of free speech and expression, the JAC statement reads.

The committee has demanded equality on campus with regards to food being offered, removal of curfew hours, provisions of lighting up all the dark zones and spots of the University campus, continuous patrolling by security guards, gender sensitization of administrative staff and teaching faculty, provision for hostels for girls, formation of Gender Sensitization and Sexual Harassment Committee, recruitment of women security personnel, inclusion of female functionaries in Proctorial board, installation of CCTV cameras at prominent spots.

The girl students of Banaras Hindu University have been protesting against the alleged sexual harassment on campus since September 22.

Their peaceful protests were met with lathi charge, which Tripathi denied in media. The girls complained that the police entered the girls hostel inside the campus and reportedly dragged girls out and assaulted them. The police are said to have used tear gas and rubber bullets against the unarmed students and also against those who were on hunger strike.
Panaji: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to stay the framing of charges against Tarun Tejpal, in a case of alleged rape and issued a notice to the Goa government seeking its response to the senior journalist's plea.

The district court in Mapusa had on September 7 refused to drop the charges against Tejpal, who has been accused of sexually assaulting a former colleague at an event in Goa in 2013.

Tejpal, the founder-editor of Tehelka magazine, had moved the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court against the district court's order.

Justice Prithviraj Chavan, while hearing his prayer on Tuesday, declined to stay the framing of charges by the trial court. Tejpal had sought a stay on framing of charges against him till the time the HC has decided his plea on dropping the charges.

Tejpal has contended there was a lack of evidence against him in the case.

Appearing for Tejpal, senior counsel Aman Lekhi and advocate Pramod Kumar contested the trial court's order in August to frame charges against him.

They contended that the statement recorded under sections 161 and 164 CrPC is not substantive evidence and at best can be used for "contradiction". They argued that it cannot be the sole basis for framing the charges.

Tejpal's counsel claimed materials available on record were also not considered by the trial court.

In its Tuesday's order, the high court said if the district court frames charges against Tejpal, the recording of evidence, which marks the beginning of the trial, should be deferred.

"In such circumstances, the matter is kept for final hearing after Diwali vacation. The trial court, if frames the charges, shall defer the examination of the first witness till the disposal of this criminal revision application," the court said.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on November 1.

Tejpal, former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine, is facing charges under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 376 (rape) and 354-B (criminal assault with intent to disrobe a woman).
Hyderabad: Continuing the crackdown on the international bride trafficking syndicate operating out of Hyderabad, city police have arrested three more Omani nationals and a Chief Qazi of greater Hyderabad, Ali Abdullah Rifai.

During raids, police have recovered steroids and other stimulants that the Arab nationals would use to enhance their sexual potency.

Speaking to News18, DCP (South Zone) V Satyanarayana said, "These aged men are travelling to Hyderabad and damaging the lives of innocent girls through contract marriages. Shockingly, they are using steroids to enhance sexual potency. They are using visiting visas to work visas for human trafficking."

The arrested Qazi, Popularly known as Volta Qazi, maintained a network of middlemen and was popular in Gulf countries for providing girls.

Investigations revealed that one Sheikh, Balushi Abdullah Mubarak, working as an Imam in an Omani mosque, indulged in 10 contract marriages.

Notably, Mubarak is blind, is a chronic kidney patient undergoing dialysis and even has a pacemaker attached to him. With no sufficient evidence to book a case against him, the police are planning to move for his deportation to avoid further exploitation of girls in the city.

The police are investigating to find details of other victims who were trapped, exploited by the arrested and trafficked to Gulf countries.

"Investigations have released that Gulf nationals prefer Hyderabadi girls as they are tolerant and put up with the torture of the Sheikhs. The girls are used as legal prostitutes in those countries," Satyanarayana added.

The Hyderabad police say they are in touch with Gulf country embassies in a bid to rescue victims and are leaving no stone unturned in ending the menace. The police is also involving the minority welfare department and creating awareness among communities to stop illegal contract marriages in Hyderabad.

The Hyderabad police had busted a "Sheikh Contract Marriage" racket in the city and arrested 20 people, including 8 Arab nationals for illegally marrying minor girls and taking them to Gulf countries to be used for prostitution.
New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who was chairman of the Prime Ministers committee on demonetisation, has told News18 that time has come to totally phase out Rs 2,000 notes.

Any reform will take time to show results. I have always maintained that higher denomination notes will naturally create some problem and will also begin certain corrupt practices. That is my firm belief. Even in the political spectrum, the Rs 2000 note is bound to create some problems. In fact, the digital currency needs to be made cost effective so that transformation is easier, he told News18.

When asked if it was Narendra Modi governments mistake to introduce Rs 2000 notes during demonetization drive, Naidu said, At that time, we needed Rs 2000 note since a large value of the currency was being removed from the system. The printers could not have kept pace had we not introduced Rs 2000 note. But it needs to be phased out now, he said.

The Andhra CM, who was also a big exponent of the Goods and Services Tax, admitted that that new system was facing teething problems. On Tuesday, he met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to discuss the same.

I told him there are some basic issues which we need to sort out. In Andhra Pradesh, even the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam is coming under GST. We need to exempt these. There are other sectors too which need to be exempted, Naidu said.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday acquitted Peepli Live co-director Mahmood Farooqui in a 2015 rape case and set aside his seven year jail term.

The judgment authored and delivered by Justice Ashutosh Kumar handed out an elaborate explanation of the concept of consent in sexual assault cases and how gender equations play a vital role.

But the reasoning cited in the verdict defies judicial propriety and precedents laid down by the Supreme Court and various high courts in a body of previous judgments.

According to Justice Kumar, there could be myriad circumstances which can surround a consent and it may not necessarily always mean yes in case of yes or no in case of no".

The judge then goes on to hold that hesitation or reluctance or a no to any sexual advances may not mean denial of consent but it would require the woman to communicate this denial in affirmative and in clear terms since, the judgment quotes, instances of woman behaviour are not unknown that a feeble 'no' may mean a 'yes'.

In fact, the judgment tends to suggest a distinct test of "consent" as it states that when parties are known to each other; they are intellectually or academically proficient, and if there have been physical contacts" in the past, "it would be really difficult to decipher whether little or no resistance and a feeble 'no' was actually a denial of consent.

The judgment takes its explanation a step ahead. It states that to constitute an offence of rape, the accused must know that the woman's consent was not free and it is for her to communicate her consent clearly. In this case, Justice Kumar held that Farooqui wasn't told by the complainant clearly that she had no consent.

But the judge's conclusions fall foul of what the top court and high courts have repeatedly held in a catena of judgments.

In Yedla Srinivasa Rao Vs State Of Andhra Pradesh, 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that if a victim states in her evidence before the court that she did not consent, the court shall presume that she did not consent.

The court had lent credence to Section 114A of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 which clearly provides that in a prosecution for rape where sexual intercourse by the accused is proved and the question is whether it was without the consent of the woman and she states in her evidence before the court that she did not consent, the court shall presume that she did not consent.

In State of Uttar Pradesh Vs Chhotey Lal, 2011, the Supreme Court held: "In order to constitute rape, there need not be resistance to the utmost, and a woman who is assaulted need not resist to the point of risking being beaten into insensibility...if she resists to the point where further resistance would be useless or until her resistance is overcome by force or violence, submission thereafter is not consent."

In Himachal Pradesh Vs Mango Ram, 2000, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court held that submission of the body under the fear of terror cannot be construed as a consented sexual act. Consent for the purpose of Section 375 requires voluntary participation not only after the exercise of intelligence based on the knowledge of the significance and moral quality of the act but after having fully exercised the choice between resistance and assent."

In Rao Harnarain Singh Vs. State, the Punjab and Haryana High Court held that "there is a difference between consent and submission and every consent involves a submission but the converse does not follow and a mere act of submission does not involve consent".

This judgment, which has been ratified by the top court in latter pronouncements, made it clear that consent is an act of reason accompanied by deliberation, a mere act of helpless resignation in the face of inevitable compulsion, non-resistance and passive giving in cannot be deemed to be Consent.

The Kerala High Court in Vijayan Pillai@ Babu Vs State, 1989, maintained that consent means active will in the mind of a person to permit the doing of the act of and knowledge of what is to be done, or of the nature of the act that is being done is essential to a consent to an act.

"Consent supposes a physical power to act, a moral power of acting and a serious and determined and free use of these powers. Every consent to act involves submission, but is by no means follows that a mere submission involves consent," it had held.

All these judgments, apart from Section 114A of the Evidence Act, also interpreted Section 90 of the IPC that defines consent known to be given under fear or misconception as no consent in law.

Besides, many of such judgments referred to in Words and Phrases Permanent Edition Volume 8A, which has held that adult female's understanding of nature and consequences of sexual act must be intelligent understanding to constitute consent.

Stroud's Judicial Dictionary (Fourth Edition), Volume 1 (1971) also explains consent as "an act of reason, accompanied with deliberation, the mind weighing, as in a balance, the good and evil on each side."

Thus, the HC judgment of acquitting Farooqui might have overlooked judicial precedents and the test laid down by the coordinate and higher courts.

The principles, elucidated by the Supreme Court on the concept of consent, also remains wanting in the 82-page judgment, making its validity susceptible if an appeal is filed against its correctness.
New Delhi/Chandigarh: The Delhi High Court is scheduled to rule on an anticipatory bail plea filed by Honeypreet Insan, who has been missing since the conviction of her adoptive father and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

In the bail plea moved by her lawyer on Monday, Honeypreet has claimed that my father Ram Rahim has been falsely implicated. The plea also alleged that Honeypreet was facing threat to life from drug mafias in Punjab and Haryana.

The bail plea said she would cooperate with the investigation and sought three weeks transit bail.

The bail plea, a copy of which has been accessed by News18, mentions a Greater Kailash address in Delhi.

The residential building  House No A-4, Greater Kailash II  was raided by the Haryana Police on Tuesday in a bid to arrest the fugitive Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, another close aide of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

However, the raid did not yield anything, DCP Southeast Romil Baaniya said. The raid was conducted at 7:30 am and only the caretaker was found.

The house was registered in the name of the Dera Sacha Sauda, Baaniya said.

A court in Panchkula had on Monday issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan.

All three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after his conviction by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999.

The Haryana Police had sounded an international alert against all three.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s, is on the run since August 25, hours after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted.

She has been the closest aide of Ram Rahim since 2009. The police is on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted in Nepal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several other places in Punjab.
New Delhi: One of the longest surviving militants in Kashmir - Abdul Qayoom Najar - was killed in a gunfight with security forces in North Kashmir's Baramulla district on Tuesday.

Senior police officers, who suspect Najar responsible for around 25 murders, including those of policemen, said that Najar was killed while he was trying to infiltrate back to Kashmir from Pakistan earlier this day.

Najar's death in the encounter a big success for the police as, sources in the police say, he was returning to the valley to take control of Hizbul Mujahideen.

Najar was the operational commander of Hizbul Mujahideen till 2015, when he was expelled by its chief Syed Salahuddin after Najar caused massive outrage in the valley by killing several civilians.

He had since then formed his own unit Lashkar-e-Islam. But his returning to take back the control of Hizbul Mujahideen, which has suffered huge setbacks with the deaths of Sabzar Bhat and Yaseen Ittoo in Kashmir earlier this year, may mean that the terror outfit has received another setback - possibly its biggest this year.

Najar had become the valley's most wanted militant during the summers of 2015 when he, through explosives, brought down a number of cellphone towers in several parts of North Kashmir.

The Inspector General of J&K Police, Muneer Khan, said that he was sure that the militant that his forces had killed in a gunfight near Zorawar post of Lachipora Uri, was indeed Najar, but he wanted his family members to identify the body for final confirmation. "We know that it's Najar but we would like his family to identify the body as well."

Najar was a resident of North Kashmir's Sopore area who carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head. However after a series of civilian killings in North and central Kashmir, all of which were linked to him, and cellphone tower bombings, he went underground and sometime in early 2016 is believed to have crossed over to Pakistan.

Najar is believed to have joined militancy and operated as a Hizbul Mujahideen militant, first at the age of 15 in 1992, and continued to lead insurgency in areas like Baramulla, Handwara, Pattan and Sopore through the bloody 90s.
New Delhi: Is Honeypreet Insaan hiding in Delhi? Sources in Delhi Police said they are examining CCTV footage showing a woman in a burqa seen walking with Honeypreets lawyer in south Delhis Lajpat Nagar.

The Delhi High Court is scheduled to rule on an anticipatory bail plea filed by Honeypreet Insaan, who has been missing since the conviction of her adoptive father and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

In the bail plea moved by her lawyer on Monday, Honeypreet has claimed that my father Ram Rahim has been falsely implicated. The plea also alleged that Honeypreet was facing threat to life from drug mafias in Punjab and Haryana.

The bail plea said she would cooperate with the investigation and sought three weeks transit bail.

The bail plea, a copy of which has been accessed by News18, mentions a Greater Kailash address in Delhi.

The residential building  House No A-4, Greater Kailash II  was raided by the Haryana Police on Tuesday in a bid to arrest Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, another close aide of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

However, the raid did not yield anything, DCP Southeast Romil Baaniya said. The raid was conducted at 7:30 am and only the caretaker was found, he said.

The house was registered in the name of the Dera Sacha Sauda, Baaniya said.

Police also said that any person giving any information leading to the arrest of the accused in connection with the incidents of violence in Panchkula on August 25 will be suitably rewarded and his/her identity kept secret.

A court in Panchkula had on Monday issued arrest warrant against Honeypreet Insan, Dera spokesperson Aditya Insan, and Deras top functionary Pawan Insan in connection with incidents of violence in Panchkula.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Haryana Police had moved an application before the court seeking arrest warrants of the three accused.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Honeypreet, against whom a lookout notice was issued by the Haryana Police, had been earlier booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula.

The police added her name in FIR number 345 as an accused in connection with the violence that took place in Panchkula on August 25.

Her name has been included in the same FIR in which other Dera functionaries Aditya Insan and Surinder Dhiman, among others, had been booked for allegedly inciting violence and arson, police had said earlier.

Haryana Police has also been questioning arrested Dera functionaries, including Dilawar Insan and Pradeep Goyal, to get concrete information about her place of hiding. Dilawar Insan, a key member of the Dera was arrested from Sonipat while Pradeep, another Dera functionary was nabbed from Udaipur in Rajasthan by Haryana Police.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted by the special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, following which violence and arson had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa districts of Haryana which had left 41 people dead and several others injured.

Honeypreet had accompanied the Dera head when he had come to the special CBI court on August 25. She had also travelled along with him in the special chopper which ferried them to Rohtak from Panchkula after the conviction.

The sect head is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district of Haryana.

Several teams of Haryana Police have travelled across the country, including the Indo-Nepal border, to trace Honeypreet.
New Delhi: Three days after students were lathi-charged on campus, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) continues to be tense. And the man in the middle of it all, vice chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi continues to defend his stand on the issue, despite being under fire for ignoring a woman students complaint on sexual harassment.

Even as the survivor and the protesting students stood their ground, Tripathi, on his part, said the issue was politically motivated. News18 takes a look at the man, who says outsiders are trying to malign the University.

Whos Girish Chandra Tripathi?

Girish Chandra Tripathi is known to be a staunch RSS man, which he openly claimed. He has been associated with the RSS for the past four decades and is known to be a close associate of RSS icon Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviyas grandson Justice (retd) Giridhar Malaviya. The latter was among the selection committee members who recommended Tripathis name for the VC post.

Tripathi took charge as the VC of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on November 28, 2014, prior to which he was a professor of economics at Allahabad University. He has also been the president of Federation of Central Universities Teachers Associations (FEDCUTA) and is also, currently, the chairman of the prestigious IIT-BHU.

No stranger to controversy?

His appointment as BHU VC was followed by a string of theatrics, one of which was varsity students accusing him of imposing RSS ideology within campus. Soon after he took over, Tripathi brought in a number of changes and many directly impacted lives of girl students in hostelshe allegedly banned consumption of meat in the girls hostels, since it made women impure. Students have also alleged that the VC allowed RSS cadres to hold rallies within the campus, to the extent that Tripathi himself was reportedly seen hoisting flags of the RSS students wing and that of ABVP.

Among other things that irked the students was him curtailing library timings. BHU has a 24x7 library, but the VC restricted its timing to 8 pm saying that students misuse the cyber library to watch pornography. It irked the students and some even protested against the library timings. An RTI reply had revealed last year that girls had a curfew of 8pm. In an interview to a media publication, he quashed any problems with the timings, adding that it was absurd for anyone to be hungry at midnight, hence the argument of stepping at night for food was redundant.

There have been reports of the college administration banning use of mobile phones by girls after 10 pm and also that the VC dissuaded girl students from studying after 10pm. When accused of running the University as an RSS shakha, Tripathi said that there was nothing wrong in establishing an RSS shakha in BHU, since the Indian government itself belonged to the RSS.

Tripathi had ruffled a few feathers when he expelled well-known activist and Ramon Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey on charges that he participated in naxalite and anti-national activities within the campus. However, Pandey came forward and denied the charges, saying he was sacked on the instructions of RSS because he raised his voice against saffronisation of the University.
Srinagar: Shoots of peace are sprouting in the terrorism-hit state of Jammu and Kashmir and the government is now working towards ensuring that the people in the state can be uplifted with dignity, state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said.

In an interview to PTI last night, the 58-year-old chief minister welcomed recent attempts by the Centre and the ruling party to reach out to Kashmiris, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day speech where he asked the countrymen to embrace Kashmiris.

This was followed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhs statement that the Centre is willing to hold talks with all stakeholders, then BJP leader Ram Madhav saying talks can be held with anyone. In his "Mann ki Baat" speech on Sunday, Modi also praised a poor Kashmiri youth, Bilal Dar, for his attempt to clean up a lake, which became front page news in Kashmir and heavily discussed on social media.

"These are welcome signs" in Kashmir Valley where people are eagerly waiting for peace to return, the chief minister said.

"The shoots of peace have started sprouting. They have to be watered and fertilized, and I am sure that the fruits of peace will follow," she said in the interview at her home, with a large portrait of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in the background. Mehbooba succeeded him as the chief minister a few months after his death in January 2016.

Mehbooba, whose PDP is in an alliance with the BJP in the state, blamed the electronic media for making even minor incidents of violence into national events, portraying Kashmir as a region in perpetual flames. She said the high-pitched debates that follow end up vilifying Kashmiris. This in turn alienates Kashmiris against the rest of the country, and the country against Kashmir, which has a direct impact on tourism, the mainstay of the economy.

Mehbooba, who is also the tourism minister, gets a report on tourist arrivals every evening, and the figures are grim arrivals have now fallen to 4,000-5,000 daily from a peak of 10,000-12,000.

Most hotels and houseboats are empty, taxi companies have virtually no business and shops are shut.

She said it is wrong to project the entire 70 lakh population of the Valley as pro-militants when intelligence figures show that there are only about 200-300 home grown militants.

"You talk about the 200 militants but dont talk about the thousands of Kashmiris in the Indian Army, she said. But she did not deny that there is a sense of alienation among Kashmiri youth, and even children as young as eight, because of severe security crackdowns that follow stone pelting incidents.

However, the recent statements from highest level are an opportunity to build peace and give Kashmiris back their dignity, Mehbooba said. "All that is required now is to hold their (people of Kashmir) fingers with dignity intact," she said.

Mehbooba, who is the first woman chief minister of the restive border state, said her government is in favour of holding talks with everyone as has been enshrined in the

Agenda of Alliance between the PDP and the BJP.

She indicated that she is in favour of the peace talks strategy employed by the Vajpayee government in the early 2000s when Kashmiri separatist leaders were allowed to talk to Pakistan as part of peace building efforts, while New Delhi and Islamabad were also simultaneously engaged.

"There is a need to take the bull by its horns and finding a way out for bringing in a 'permanent' peace in the state," she said, adding that she is in regular contact with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, whom she described as "very supportive".

She noted that Ram Madhav, the BJP general secretary, also has a clear understanding of Kashmir and has been extremely supportive of the alliance government. "I am sure together, we will be able to steer the state to new heights."

Mehbooba said Modis singling out 18-year-old Bilal Dar in "Mann Ki Baat" had sent a wave of pride among the young residents of the Valley.

"These steps have a tremendous impact on the psyche of the younger generation and their hope for recognition at national level is rekindled. They are not seen or labelled as mere stone pelters," she said.

Seventeen months into office, Mehbooba also feels that talks between India and Pakistan should begin at the earliest but she holds Islamabad responsible for the present tension.

"The Prime Minister made a wonderful gesture by stopping at Islamabad and meeting the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But what happened after that? It was followed by attack at Pathankot and increased terror activities in the state," she said.

"However, there is a need to bring Pakistan to the negotiating table once again. After all, the relations between India and Pakistan have a direct bearing on Jammu and Kashmir.

"Smooth relations between the two countries have always seen better life for people in the state," she said.

The chief minister blamed the Congress-led UPA for not carrying forwarding the "gains" from the peace process of the Vajpayee-era.

"I mean they were there for 10 years but could not make any headway. It was an opportunity that was never cashed in by them," she said.
New Delhi: While discussing ways to deepen defence ties along key issues, India ruled out contributing its troops to add to the US military presence in Afghanistan.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US counterpart James Mattis held comprehensive talks covering the entire gamut of the bilateral defence partnership.

"The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth.

There is growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue," Sitharaman said at a joint press conference.

She said both sides recognise the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism.

On his part, Mattis said there can be "no tolerance to terrorism safe havens".

He also welcomed India's contribution in war-torn Afghanistan.

India, one of the largest contributors in Afghanistan where it in involved in several development projects, however, has ruled out troops contribution amidst the US emphasis for a greater participation by the country in the conflict-ridden Islamic nation.

"We have made it clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground (Afghan)," Sitharaman said while responding to a query on whether India will contribute troops in Afghanistan.

Sitharaman also said that Mattis has assured her that he will raise with Pakistan the issue of terrorism emanating from there.

(With PTI inputs)
OICL AO Prelims Admit Card 2017 has been made available for download by the Oriental Insurance Company Ltd (OICL) on its official website - orientalinsurance.org.in. OICL had earlier issued a recruitment advertisement to hire 300 Scale-I Administrative Officers for its various branches across India. The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd will conduct the first phase of recruitment through Prelims written examination which is scheduled for 22nd October 2017. Candidates who had applied for OICL AO Prelims can download the Admit Card by following the instructions given below:

How to Download OICL AO Prelims Admit Card 2017?

Step 1: Visit the official website - orientalinsurance.org.in

Step 2: Click on Recruitments

Step 3: Click on Download Administrative (AO) Prelims Admit Card 2017

Step 4: Select language, enter Registration or Roll Number, Password, Security Code and Submit

Step 5: Download the Admit Card and take a Print Out

Direct Link: http://ibps.sifyitest.com/oiclaos1may17/cloea_sep17/login.php?appid=599720a09d5bbd0d6de6b42206e02b2d

Candidates must carry the Admit Card to the exam venue on the exam date as mentioned above. The Admit card will bear various details like the exam centre and examination roll number etc. Candidates must carry a valid photo id proof like Aadhaar Card.

The OICL AO Prelims Admit Card 2017 will be available for download on the link provided above till 22nd October 2017 i.e. the exam day, however, candidates must download it as soon as possible and in case of any discrepancy like missing photograph or any wrong details, they must contact the OICL to avoid last minute hassles.

Incorporated in 1947, the Oriental Insurance Company Ltd was formed as a subsidiary of Life Insurance Corporation of India from 1956 to 1973. In the year 2003, all OICL shares held by the General Insurance Corporation of India were transferred to the Central Government.
New Delhi: Just hours after police registered FIRs against 1000 students for arson in Banaras Hindu University violence, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on Monday said there was heavy political interference on campuses around the country.

Speaking to CNN News18, Nagesh Thakur, ABVPs national president said, Political parties are interfering on campus and are provoking students. The parties that have faced defeat through the democratic system in the country, are trying to use campuses for their motives. This political interference is wrong.

The ABVP protested at the ministry of human resource development in New Delhi demanding justice for BHU girls, formation of fact finding committee, and action against those in the administration for not paying heed to the girls complaint.

Thakur wasnt the only one who questioned political parties  Congress and Left  for exploiting the situation for their ulterior motives.

The National Organizing Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Sunil Ambekar told CNN News18, Congress has lost ground, and Left has lost the moral ground; hence the two are using our campuses for politics. For past three years, they have used the universities for playing politics, and in doing that they have allowed the anti-national forces to play on campuses. That is a big issue, he said.

The parties, he added, must give students the freedom to pursue their careers and address their issues without any political drama.

If Congress and Left want to fight the BJP, they should. Why use universities? If the parties want to regain their political momentum, then they should work on the ground to perform better. Not get politics into university campuses, said Ambekar.

Voicing his opinion was Saket Bahuguna, national media convener of ABVP, who took to Twitter, Students of BHU understand very well how some communist elements are trying to take political mileage out of this protest.

Ambekar further said that the BHU administration had made mistakes in handling the situation, and ABVP was demanding an inquiry into the incident. The BHU administration should call a delegation of girls, and discuss the problem. It was a simple issue that can be addressed and can still be, he said.

When quizzed on the losses faced by ABVP in a few student elections, Ambekar said it was not a matter of concern. ABVP lost student elections in JNU, DU and Hyderabada fact Ambekar said did not affect the bodys chances in future elections. After the defeat in Hyderabads central university polls, Mayawati had called the string of defeats an auspicious omen.

In Hyderabad, we were not the front runners, but we have come to the point that we lost the president post by just a few votes. It is not our base area yet after such venom and campaign, we have gained in Hyderabad University polls, he said.

Why have NSUI and Left not won in Rajasthan University elections? There, an independent candidate, who is an ABVP karyakarta, won the polls? Why are you not asking, why NSUI did not win in JNU or Left in DU or Rajasthan? ABVP is above all this, he added.
New Delhi: Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) has written to the Union Health Minister alleging mass-scale corruption in the appointment of senior resident doctors and assistant professors at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, requesting a high-level inquiry.

According to reports, over 100 senior resident doctors were recruited at the hospital without conducting any written examination, which is in direct violation of the ministry order.

These doctors have claimed that walk-in interviews were conducted at the government-run Safdarjung Hospital for the post of senior residents on September 11, for which the notification was issued only on September 4, asking doctors from all over India to appear.

According to the letter, a copy of which is with News18, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare order was also approved by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS).

The ministry order clearly asked for a written examination to be conducted for the post of senior residents at Safdarjung Hospital, which is a practice followed by All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospitals, Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) and other associated hospitals.

However, Dr Balvinder Singh ex-RDA president Safdarjung and currently a member of the governing council of FORDA told News18 that Safdarjung Hospital flouted the ministry order and did not conduct any written examination for these posts.
Beijing: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs speech in the UN calling out Pakistans lies on harbouring terrorists has been termed as arrogant by the Chinese state media but it admitted that there is indeed terrorism in Pakistan.

India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT

superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?", Swaraj had said in her speech at the UN General Assembly.

Sushmas speech riled up Pakistans all-weather friend of China. The Chinese state media termed it as bigotry.

There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the countrys national policy? What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money or honour, said an editorial in the state-run daily Global Times.

With smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China," said the editorial titled Indias bigotry no match for its ambition'.

India takes for granted that it should be feared by neighbours and wooed by the US and Europe. If smart enough, India should befriend China and respect Pakistan, preventing disputes from spilling over, it said.

The editorial also talked about Sushmas veiled dig at China for blocking international efforts toblacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar.

The Global Times editorial also made references to the 73-day standoff between India and China at Doklam in the Sikkim section which ended on August 28.

India also seems to assess Chinas strategic hostility with its own logic: Chinas sound relations with Pakistan are to counter India. Chinas road construction in Doklam is to threaten the security of its Siliguri Corridor and Chinas Belt and Road initiative operates programmes with Pakistan and other South Asian countries to encircle India. In any case, Indias interests always reside at the epicenter of this logic, it said.
#suitcase murder suspect Justice minister orders extradition of 'suitcase' murder suspect to New Zealand South Korea's justice minister on Monday ordered the extradition of a woman believed to be the mother of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases in New Zealand in August,...

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Varanasi: The Uttar Pradesh government has finally intervened in the Banaras Hindu University case, a day after both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah asked the UP chief minister about the Saturday night incident.

The Varanasi district magistrate has written to the BHU Registrar asking him to take immediate steps to address the concerns of the female students. Meanwhile, it is being said that the university V-Cs chair is now at risk, after he failed to handle the situation.

On Saturday night, police resorted to lathicharging hundreds of girls outside the BHU campus, where they were protesting against the molestation of a fellow student, university authorities who ended up victim shaming her and a general lack of security on campus. The protests turned violent when some miscreants tried to burn a few properties and police used force to quell the agitation.

The DM has asked the university authorities to constitute committees according to the Supreme Court guidelines, to ensure safety of women on campus, ensure security and increase facilities at the girls hostel.

While V-C Girish Chandra Tripathis first term comes to an end in November, he may be eased out of office even before that. The government is clearly not happy with the handling of the situation in a critical constituency, that too when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in town.

On the sidelines of BJP national executive on Monday, PM Modi and Amit Shah had a talk with UP CM Yogi Adityanath on the student protest in Varanasi.

The BHU Commissioner has meanwhile sent an interim probe report to the chief secretary. While the details of the report were not shared, sources say it questions the role of the university administration and top government officials, in dealing with students protest.

Tripathi, who is considered close to RSS Joint General Secretary Dr Krishna Gopal, was one of the first appointments cleared by the HRD Ministry to a central university, when NDA came to power in 2014.

"His term ends in November, why is there a need to take action now anyway," a source in the HRD Ministry told News18.

Tripathi, it is said, is also in the reckoning for the post of the Universities Grants Commission (UGC) chief. The developments in BHU in the past one week may have an impact on his chances for the plum UGC post. The vice-chancellor has also been very vocal about his association with the RSS.
Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the Banaras Hindu University campus.

A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incidents, UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said.

He was speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Sharma, however, did not elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or sitting judge.

Earlier in the day, the Varanasi district magistrate has written to the BHU Registrar asking him to take immediate steps to address the concerns of the female students. It is also being said that the university V-Cs chair is now at risk, after he failed to handle the situation.

The UP government has finally intervened in the BHU case, a day after both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah asked the UP chief minister about the Saturday night incident.

On Saturday night, police resorted to lathicharging hundreds of girls outside the BHU campus, where they were protesting against the molestation of a fellow student, university authorities who ended up victim shaming her and a general lack of security on campus.

The protests turned violent when some miscreants tried to burn a few properties and police used force to quell the agitation.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah spoke to the CM and

asked him to address the issue at the earliest.

Sharma said the government wanted that there should be communication with the students by the local administration, vice chancellor and other university officials. Sharma accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.

If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses, he said.

On lathicharge on girl students sitting on dharna against the alleged eve-teasting on the campus, he said, "We are identifying those 'outsiders' who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathicharge."

(with PTI inputs)
Lucknow: A Cabinet meeting of the Adityanath government has decided to make qualifying in written tests a must, apart from clearing the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET), to become an assistant professor.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath convened the meeting on Shiksha Mitras in Lucknow.

So far, the recruitment process for assistant teachers in government schools was done on a merit basis of those candidates who had cleared the TET.

However, now they will have to take another written test along with the TET and the marks of this will be added before the final evaluation of a candidate.

Government spokesperson and state Power Minister, Shrikant Sharma, said the proposal on Shiksha Mitras has been approved by the cabinet.

He said, To become an assistant teacher in state primary school, a written test will be compulsory now. This test will be conducted after one qualifies the TET. The marks of the written examination will also be added to the TET.

Now, the basic teachers will be recruited through written examinations in UP. For this, the written exam will be of 60 marks and academics would carry 40 marks. Only TET candidates will be able to take this examination, Sharma said.

The minister further added that the government will follow the instructions of the Supreme Court on Shiksha Mitras.

Moreover, the proposal for marks distribution in the new system of Shiksha Mitra recruitment has also been approved by the cabinet.

Regarding permanent appointment of teachers, Shiksha Mitars will get weightage in marks, like 25 marks weightage for a maximum of 10 years. They will also get two and a half points based on their experience per year.
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor was on Monday announced brand ambassador of Reebok India at an event here. He is joining Bollywood's "Queen" Kangana Ranaut -- his co-star from "Rangoon" -- to endorse it.

Shahid, along with Silvia Tallon, Senior Marketing Director, Reebok India, inaugurated a new store of the brand at Brigade Road here.

"Bangalore (Bengaluru) has a great electrifying vibe and it is always amazing to be back here. I am thrilled to associate with Reebok India as their brand ambassador and join them here today for the launch of their flagship store," Shahid said in a statement.

"I think my synergies with Reebok match as we both understand and endorse the need to be fit -- physically, socially and mentally. I can tell you all from my experience that that fitness is not a one-time thing, it's a lifelong commitment to yourself and your body," he added.

The actor captivated audiences through his performance, which consisted of high-energy fitness routines and some engagement with the crowd present.

According to Tallon, Shahid makes a perfect fit to endorse the brand as he "is someone who truly understands the meaning and importance of fitness in one's life".

"His commitment to fitness is unmatched and he is an inspiration to one and all," he added.
The ninth season of the India Runway Week will be held here from October 6-8.

The three-day fashion gala will be held at DLF Place Mall in Saket, read a statement from the organizers, who have decided to shift the venue from Thyagaraj Stadium this time.

Talking about the shift in venue, Avinash Pathania, Founder at IFFD said: "We're looking forward to reintroducing the industry to a showcase of young and emerging creative talent, style, and innovation that made the India Runway Week famous."

"Part of this showcase involves staying close to inspirational hubs for fashion, art, and music, and we've found a great new home for that in DLF Place Mall," added Kiran Kheva, Fashion Director, India Runway Week.

IRW's trade event will also have Pop-up shops of designers where buyers can interact directly with the designers.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju on Tuesday contradicted the claim of two his cabinet colleagues that no one was allowed to see late chief minister J Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation last year.

"All the ministers met her," he told reporters when asked if he had met Jayalalithaa during her 75 days of hospitalisation from September 22 last year.

Raju, however, refused to elaborate and said the death of 'Amma (Jayalalithaa)' was a huge loss. The cooperation minister said he was not prepared to say anything more on the issue.

"You must only ask the minister who had expressed that opinion," he said when pressed further on the claim by Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan that AIADMK leaders had "lied" about the health condition of Jayalalithaa and none of them had seen her in hospital.

Srinivasan's comments have triggered a renewed demand by the DMK and other opposition parties for a thorough probe into the death of Jayalalithaa.

Addressing a public meeting in Madurai, Srinivasan had on September 23 apologised to the people, saying they had lied about Jayalalithaa's health.

He said no one was allowed to meet Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation and all those came were told by her close aide V K Sasikala's relatives that she was "all right".

Srinivasan had said that afraid of Sasikala, party leaders lied so that people believed that Jayalalithaa was improving.

He had said that their claim of 'Amma' eating idli and tea was based on information given to them by Sasikala.

Endorsing his views, Commercial Taxes Minister K C Veeramani on Monday said the ministers were not able to see the late chief minister even one day.

At a public meeting in Vellore District, Veeramani, without naming Sasikala or her family, said, "Out of fear of this family... we would tell what we were told (by Sasikala's kin)..that Amma had two idlis, she spoke and that she is fine."

On the differing views of his colleagues, Revenue Minister R B Udhaya Kumar today said it was their individual opinion based on their experience.

Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals here on September 22, 2016, passed away on December 5.

The state government yesterday named retired judge of Madras High Court A Arumughaswamy as head of the inquiry commission to probe the death of Jayalalithaa.

A judicial probe was one of the pre-conditions of O Panneerselvam, the present deputy chief minister, for the merger of factions led by him and Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

After Palaniswami announced on August 17 that an inquiry commission would be constituted, the two factions merged on August 21.
Chandigarh: The BJP on Monday alleged that the Amarinder Singh government's failure to implement the promised farm debt waiver has led to a "steep" rise in the number of farmer suicides in Punjab.

BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh accused the chief minister and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal of ensnaring farmers by promising loan waivers.

But the Congress reneged on its promise after people voted it to power, he said.

"Farmers are feeling cheated and there is a steep rise in the number of suicides," Chugh alleged and added the people were in no mood to forgive the Congress in the upcoming Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll.

He said the state cabinet's decision to notify the debt waiver scheme was a "farce" and the ruling party was "playing games" with farmers.

No one is going to believe them now. The Congres promised a complete loan waiver and now it talks of waiving Rs 10,000 crore of farm debt only, he claimed.
Patna: Amid infighting and talks of split in the Bihar unit of the Congress, party president Sonia Gandhi removed state chief Ashok Chaudhary from his post on Tuesday.

Gandhi also dissolved the state congress committee. Kaukab Qadri has been appointed acting president.

CP Joshi, In charge of party affairs in the state, told News18 that a full-time president would be elected with organisational elections in November.

When asked about the reason for change barely a month before scheduled elections, He said, "There must have been some reasons behind this. I will not comment further but have confidence that Qadri will steer the party very well till the next elections."

Before his elevation, Qadri was vice president in the state unit and he is considered very close to Akhilesh Singh, who belongs to the rival camp of Ashok Chaudhary. Singh and others had reportedly complained to the party high command about functioning style of Chaudhary.

Senior Congress leader Prem Chandra Mishra and party spokesman VK Thakur welcomed the decision taken by the party high command and hoped the party will strive to gain the lost ground in Bihar under the new leadership.

Chaudhary, who is close to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, allegedly took signatures of a few party legislatures to effect a split in the party but he was not able to garner the enough support from MLAs to defy the anti-defection law. Congress has 27 MLAs in the Bihar assembly.

Alerted, the high command summoned all party MLAs to Delhi where vice president Rahul Gandhi himself held one on one meeting with them. Ashok Chaudhary abstained from that interaction and adopting a defiant stance alleged that some senior leaders of the AICC were engineering split in the party and conspiring against him.

Now when a decision of his removal has been taken, Ashok Chuadhary might take a final call on leaving the party as he has been indicating to News18. When contacted, his office informed that he would announce his next of course of action tomorrow.
Ahmedabad: Months before Gujarat goes to polls, the BJP-led government in the state on Tuesday announced the formation of a commission to explore the possibility of reservation for those belonging to non-reserved categories. Though, moments later, Hardik Patel, the supposed face of the Patidar movement in Gujarat, said: "Meeting was a farce", with no outcome.

The government also said that it will consider withdrawing cases filed against Patidars in the wake of the statewide violent protests that erupted in 2015.

After a meeting with six leading Patidar organisations, including the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) headed by Hardik Patel, the government also announced that it will set up an inquiry committee to investigate alleged excesses against Patidars by the police during the reservation stir.

PAAS leader Hardik Patel said that the state government was attempting to divide the Patidar community and the agitation will continue until the demand for reservation were met. "There has been no favorable outcome of today's meeting. The state government did not give us any assurance on the reservation for Patidars. We will wait for the state government to set up the commission and take necessary action, but until then, the agitation will continue," Hardik Patel said, after the meeting.

The government's outreach to the Patel community at this juncture is being seen as a measure to keep its faith intact in the ruling party.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who is heading the deliberations on behalf of the Government of Gujarat, said, "The state government scheme to address all the issues raised by the party 10 as far as reservation is concerned we will set up a Commission to explore the possibility of reservation to those who are not under reservation." He added that two crucial demands of withdrawing cases against Patidar and inquiring into alleged excesses against members of the Patidar community have been addressed by the state government.

Over the past two decades, the Patidar community has emerged as a strong vote bank for the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, this support has eroded to some extent after the state government's handling of the Patidar reservation agitation. Twelve Patidar youth lost their lives in police firing during the agitation that lasted several months beginning mid-2015.

Meanwhile, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who is on a road-tour in Saurashtra as part of his Navsarjan Yatra, raked up the Patidar agitation issue, saying, "To the Patidar community, I am saying this. The BJP showered bullets on Patidar youth. This is not the way the Congress works. Our method is that of love."
New Delhi: BJP MP Varun Gandhis pitch for providing shelter to Rohingya refugees invited the Centres ire on Tuesday, with Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir saying national interest should come first.

In an opinion piece for Hindi daily Navbharat Times, Varun Gandhi said India should continue to shelter Rohingya Muslims who are fleeing persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.

India should formulate a national refugee policy to help distinguish between those fleeing persecution and those fleeing poverty, Gandhi said in the piece. He also talked about the discrimination Afghani and Myanmar immigrants face in Delhi while hunting for houses and jobs.

The view is in stark contrast to what the BJP-led Centre has submitted in the Supreme Court. In an affidavit submitted to the top court, the Centre has called Rohingya a security threat.

Rohingya are not refugees, nor have they taken asylum. They are illegal immigrants, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said last week.

In a confidential report, which has been accessed by News18, the Centre has also alleged Rohingya links with the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.

Hitting back at Gandhi, MoS Home Hansraj Ahir told reporters, "Jo desh ke hith mein sochenga, woh is tarah ke bayan nahi dega (anyone with national interest in mind won't make such statements)."

Its not about my opinion or acceptance. What the government had decided is in national interest. No one should go against the governments decision on Rohingya, Ahir told CNN-News18.

Agreeing with Ahir, BJP leader Shaina NC told CNN-News18, The government is going its job. Modi government is very competent to handle this situation. If someone is raising the humanitarian angle, he should study the issue better.

Defending his stand, Varun Gandhi tweeted that he was calling for empathy through the article and that each refugee should be vetted to address national security concerns.

My recent piece focused primarily on defining India's asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how we would accept refugees. Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) September 26, 2017

As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns. Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) September 26, 2017

The BJP, in its national executive on Monday, adopted a resolution supporting the government's stand on the Rohingya issue, saying it fulfilled its responsibilities by providing humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees while ensuring that internal security was not compromised for its 125 crore citizens.
Dwarka: He rode a bullock cart, hopped off his air-conditioned bus and walked in the middle of a huge crowd, while his security personnel scampered to guard him. Congress scion Rahul Gandhi then sat on a charpoy and lend a patient ear to the farmers. This was not the usual Gandhi-style of campaigning.

The Congress vice-president even sat down with the villagers, had tea and listened to women who complained of non-availability of potable water.

In a drastic shift from the usual campaign style, Gandhi started his Gujarat campaign with a three-day road tour of the Saurashtra region. His first stop was at the Dwarakadheesh Temple on the shores of the Arabian Sea in Dwarka, seeking the blessings of Lord Krishna.

Not just the Dwarka temple, Rahul Gandhi will also visit the Khodal Dham, the seat of Leuva Patidars and the Chamunda Mata temple at Chotila, all during his road show. Flagging off a yatra from famous religious sites was until today, a trademark style of the BJP.

Although Gandhi was not a big crowd-puller on Monday, it was a beginning well made. A sizeable crowd not only greeted Rahul Gandhi, but hundreds of men, women and children also interacted with him and shook hands.

I sense an undercurrent against the BJP in Gujarat. There is a feeling of anger among people that they have been cheated. They trusted the BJP and voted it to power. Congress now needs to give a vision and take the people forward, reflected Rahul Gandhi at the end of the day in which, he travelled by road from Dwarka to Jamnagar meeting people all along the way.

As expected, the Vikas Has Gone Crazy slogan featured in his speech at Khambaliya town of Dwarka district, when he asked the crowd "What has happened to Vikas in Gujarat? Pat came the reply and the crowd said It has gone Crazy.

Flagging off his Navsarjan Yatra with a visit to the Dwarka temple was also a well thought out move.

"Rahulji has started this yatra with the blessing of Lord Krishna and a visit to Shaktipeeth. God is with us now," said Ashok Gehlot, Congress' Gujarat in-charge.
Kolkata:Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJM) Chief Bimal Gurung on Tuesday announced that his group was calling off the strike in the Hills on the request of Home Minister Rajnath Singh from Wednesday onward. The strike for a separate Gorkhaland which began on June 15 this year lasted 104 days.

In an audio message, Gurung said that the group had decided to suspend the strike, welcoming Rajnath Singh's initiative for a tripartite meeting.

The Ministry of Home Affairs also issued a statement on Tuesday evening, saying, "Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked the Union Home Secretary to convene an official level meeting in the Ministry of Home Affairs within a fortnight to discuss all related issues.

"I also appeal to the GJM and its leader Shri Bimal Gurung to withdraw the ongoing bandh and to help create a conducive atmosphere for allowing normalcy to return to the area, particularly in view of the festive season, the MHA statement reads.

On the call of GJM, an indefinite strike is currently on in the Darjeeling Hills since June 12, 2017. Eleven precious lives have been lost so far, several have been injured and the entire people of Darjeeling hills have suffered a lot since the strike. I have been pained immensely by what has happened in Darjeeling hills. In a democracy, the dialogue is the only way out to resolve any problem. Solutions can be found through restraint, mutual dialogue and within the legal ambit, it reads.

On September 20, in a major setback to Bimal Gurung, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had formed a new body called Board of Administrators for Darjeeling Hills (BoA) till the scheduled election of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), and appointed rebel GJM leader Binay Tamang as its Chairman to look into the Hills Affairs in Darjeeling.

Another GJM rebel leader Anit Thapa was made the vice-chairman of BoA. The other key members in the BoA are State Chief Secretary Malay Kumar De, LB Rai (TMC), Mann Ghising (GNLF), Sanchari Subba (GJM), Jaitoon Khatun.

While addressing the media persons, Mamata said, All of them were appointed to supervise the administration in the hills in absence of GTA. The Board will govern the areas that fall under GTA. The initiative has been taken for the development of the Hills.
Vatican City: Several dozen tradition-minded Roman Catholic theologians, priests and academics have formally accused Pope Francis of spreading heresy with his 2016 opening to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.

In a 25-page letter delivered to Francis last month and provided Saturday to The Associated Press, the 62 signatories issued a "filial correction" to the pope  a measure they said hadn't been employed since the 14th century.

The letter accused Francis of propagating seven heretical positions concerning marriage, moral life and the sacraments with his 2016 document "The Joy of Love" and subsequent "acts, words and omissions."

The initiative follows another formal act by four tradition-minded cardinals who wrote Francis last year asking him to clarify a series of questions, or "dubbia," they had about his 2016 text.

Francis hasn't responded to either initiative. The Vatican spokesman didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment late Saturday.

None of the signatories of the new letter is a cardinal, and the highest-ranking churchman listed is actually someone whose organisation has no legal standing in the Catholic Church: Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the breakaway Society of St. Pius X. Several other signatories are well-known admirers of the old Latin Mass which Fellay's followers celebrate.

But organisers said the initiative was nevertheless significant and a sign of the concern among a certain contingent of academics and pastors over Francis' positions, which they said posed a danger to the faithful.

"There is a role for theologians and philosophers to explain to people the church's teaching, to correct misunderstandings," said Joseph Shaw, a spokesman for the initiative, signatory of the correction and senior research fellow in moral philosophy at Oxford University.

When it was released in April 2016, "The Joy of Love" immediately sparked controversy because it opened the door to letting civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion. Church teaching holds that unless these Catholics obtain an annulment  a church decree that their first marriage was invalid  they cannot receive the sacraments, since they are seen as committing adultery.

Francis didn't create a church-wide pass for these Catholics, but suggested  in vague terms and strategically placed footnotes  that bishops and priests could do so on a case-by-case basis after accompanying them on a spiritual journey of discernment. Subsequent comments and writings have made clear he intended such wiggle room, part of his belief that God's mercy extends in particular to sinners and that the Eucharist isn't a prize for the perfect but nourishment for the weak.

Shaw said none of the four cardinals involved in the initial "dubbia" letter, nor any other cardinal, was involved in the "filial correction."

Organisers said the last time such a correction was issued was to Pope John XXII in 1333 for errors which he later recanted.
London: Tehran vowed on Tuesday to stand alongside Baghdad and Ankara against the outcome of an independence referendum staged by Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq, a day after thousands of Iranian Kurds marched in support of the vote.

State media also quoted an army commander as saying that new missile systems were installed on Tuesday, a day after the referendum, in western provinces that border Iraqi Kurdish areas to "firmly respond to any invasion".

Iran, Iraq and Turkey - countries with Kurdish minorities - have all denounced the referendum as a threat to the stability of a region already beset by conflict, while the United States has expressed similar disquiet.

Ali Akbar Velayati, the top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stepped up the pressure as the Iraqi government ruled out talks on possible secession for Kurdish-held northern Iraq and Turkey threatened sanctions.

"The Iraqi people won't stand silent. Iran and Turkey and other regional countries won't stand silent and will stand against this abhorrent deviation," Velayati was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency. "The Muslim nations will not allow the creation of a second Israel."

Velayati did not say what action Iran had in mind. However, the country's media have compared the Kurds' desire for a homeland with the 1948 creation of Israel. The Islamic republic regards the Jewish state as its greatest enemy along with the United States.

Initial referendum results indicated 72 percent of eligible voters had taken part and an overwhelming majority, possibly over 90 percent, had said "yes", Kurdish TV channel Rudaw said. Final results are expected by Wednesday.

Undaunted by years of official suppression of dissent, residents in a number of mainly Kurdish cities in northwestern Iran danced in circles as night fell on Monday, chanting slogans praising Kurdish nationalist movements.

Videos posted on social media showed drivers beeping their car horns in celebration and people clapping in the cities of Marivan and Baneh. Many wore masks so as not to be identified by the security forces.

About 30 million ethnic Kurds are scattered across the region but have no country of their own. With 8 to 10 million living in Iran, Tehran fears pressure for secession will grow among a minority which has a long history of struggle for its political rights.

A strong police presence tried to control the celebrating crowd. There were reports of clashes between the demonstrators and security forces in the cities of Mahabad and Sanandaj.

In Sanandaj the crowd waved the flag of Kurdistan, a banned symbol for the Kurds' desire for independence.

"This referendum will encourage Iranian Kurds to be more determined to seek their rights," said Zaribar, a Marivan resident and member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, a secular armed group which launches periodic attacks in Iran.

"This referendum was not a threat to Iraq's neighbours, but it's a starting point to resolve the issues of Kurds, especially in Iran," added Zaribar, who declined to give his full name.

Tehran announced a ban on direct flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan on Sunday at the request of the central government in Baghdad and called for a land blockade of the autonomous region by all neighbouring countries.

Media gave no further details of the newly-installed missile systems. However, Iranian fighter jets flew in a show of force over western provinces of Iran as part of a military drill, including the Kurdish cities of Sardasht and Oshnavieh.

BUMPY ROAD

Although many Iranian Kurds would like to copy the referendum model, the road to autonomy or independence would be more difficult under the Islamic Republic's theocratic rule and its military might.

The Revolutionary Guards have put down unrest in Kurdish areas for decades, and the hardline judiciary has sentenced many activists to long jail terms or death.

Iran sent Guards Commander Qassem Soleimani to northern Iraq last week in a failed final effort to persuade the Kurdistan regional government from holding the referendum.

One Kurd from Baneh, who gave his name as Arbaba, said he was exhilarated "from the bottom of my heart for victory in the referendum". However, he was worried it would increase pressure on Iranian Kurds to prevent them from going down the same path. "The Iranian regime will militarise the Kurdish areas even more," Arbaba said.

For the Iranian state the referendum of the Kurds' demand for state of their own was a "Zionist plot" aimed at bringing instability to the region.

"This view that a wandering scattered nation would only find peace if they find a homeland, was the core philosophy for creation of Israel," wrote the Kayhan, a hardline newspaper closely associated with Supreme Leader.

Israel has backed Kurdish independence. It has maintained discreet military, intelligence and business ties with Kurds since the 1960s, viewing the minority as a buffer against shared adversaries.
Jerusalem: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday that Israel was concerned over a rise in anti-Semitism, after a right-wing nationalist party won seats in Berlin's parliament.

"Israel is concerned over the rise of anti-Semitism in recent years among political elements from the right and left, as well as from Islamist elements," Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying in a phone call with the German leader.

While Netanyahu seemed to be referring to the results of the Sunday general German election, the Israeli leader stopped short of naming the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which won about 13 percent of the general vote -- the best showing for a nationalist force since World War II.

In his conversation with Merkel, Netanyahu "called on the new government that would be formed to act to strengthen the forces in Germany that accept the historic responsibility" of the Holocaust, his office said.

"Israel rejects any attempt to deny the Holocaust," Netanyahu said, noting that Germany also remained responsible for the historic event.

"There are two things -- Holocaust denial, and denial of the responsibility," he said.

Key members of AfD have challenged Germany's culture of atonement over World War II and the slaughter of six million Jews in the Holocaust.

More than 70 years after the Holocaust the killing of European Jews still runs deep in relations between Israel and Germany, one of its strongest EU supporters.
Seoul: North Korea has been moving airplanes and boosting defences on its east coast after the United States dispatched B-1B bombers to the Korean peninsula over the weekend, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing the country's spy agency.

The United States seemed to have disclosed the flight route of the bombers intentionally because North Korea seemed to be unaware, the report said.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service was unable to confirm the report immediately.

North Korea's foreign minister said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump had declared war on North Korea and that Pyongyang reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers even if they are not in its air space.
New York/Seoul: North Koreas foreign minister has said that US President Donald Trump had declared war on North Korea and that Pyongyang reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down US bombers even if they are not in its air space.

Ri Yong Ho said a Twitter message by Trump on Saturday, in which the president warned that the minister and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wont be around much longer if they acted on their threats, amounted to a declaration of war.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders on Monday denied the United States had declared war, calling the suggestion absurd.

Speaking earlier in New York, where he had been attending the annual UN General Assembly, Ri told reporters: The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country.

Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.

The question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then, Ri added.

On Saturday, US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew east of North Koreain a show of force after a heated exchange of rhetoric between Trump and Kim over North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes.

That operation was conducted in international airspace, over international waters, so we have the right to fly, sail and operate where legally permissible around the globe, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning said on Monday.

North Korea, which has remained technically at war with the United States since the 1950-53Korean War ended in a truce and not a peace treaty, has been working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the US mainland and conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test this month.

FEARS OF MISCALCULATION

Pyongyang, which has pursued its missile and nuclear programs in defiance of international sanctions, accuses the United States of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies.

However, recent rhetoric from both sides has been unusually harsh, raising fears of miscalculation that could have massive repercussions, even though US officials have repeatedly stressed the administration prefers a negotiated solution.

The latest round of heavy verbal salvoes began when Trump threatened in his maiden UN address last Tuesday to totally destroy North Korea, a country of 26 million people, if it threatened the United States or its allies.

In an unprecedented direct statement on Friday, Kim called Trump a mentally deranged US dotard he would tame with fire.

Kim said North Korea would consider the highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history against the United States and that Trump's comments had confirmed Pyongyangs nuclear programme was the correct path.

Ri told the UN General Assembly on Saturday targeting the U.S. mainland with its rockets was inevitable after Mr Evil President Trump called Kim a rocket man on a suicide mission.

On Twitter late Saturday, Trump replied: Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer!

On Monday, White House National Security Adviser HR McMaster defended Trumps rhetoric, saying he agreed with the US president that the risk was that Kim Jong Un might fail to realise the danger he and his country were facing.

McMaster voiced confidence that the United States could, for example, impose a military blockade if it chose, perhaps even as a part of a multinational effort. But he acknowledged risks of escalation with any US military option.

We dont think theres an easy military solution to this problem. Theres not a precision strike that solves the problem. Theres not a military blockade that can solve the problem, he said, adding that ultimately it would come down to an international effort.

Still, McMaster told a conference hosted by the Institute for the Study of War, Washington was concerned a nuclear-armed North Korea capable of hitting the United States was likely to engage in nuclear blackmail, for instance to try to achieve its goal of getting US troops off the Korean peninsula.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said it was vital Seoul and the United States handle the situation with astuteness and steadfastness ... to prevent a further escalation of tension or any kind of accidental military clashes in the region which can quickly spiral out of control.

There cannot be another outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula; the consequences would be devastating, she told Washingtons Center for Strategic and International Studies.

CALLS FOR RESTRAINT

Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the most senior serving U.S. official ever to visit Pyongyang, said it was important to lower the temperature of rhetoric. Im kind of concerned about accidents of some kind that might happen, she said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the only solution to the crisis was a political one. Fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

China, North Koreas neighbour and main ally, which has nevertheless backed UN sanctions over Pyongyangs nuclear programme, called for restraint on all sides.

We want things to calm down. Its getting too dangerous and its in nobodys interest, Chinas UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi told Reuters.

We certainly hope (the United States and North Korea) will see that there is no other way than negotiations to solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula ... The alternative is a disaster.

Chinas said it was vital that everyone implement all North Korea-related UN resolutions, which call for both tighter sanctions and efforts to resume dialogue.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking to British Prime Minister Theresa May by telephone, said he hoped Britain could play a constructive role in achieving a peaceful solution via talks, Chinese state media said.

Defence experts said North Korea would have difficulty shooting down a US bomber with missiles or fighter planes given its limited capabilities, and if it tried and failed, would appear weak.

It is unlikely to take such a risk, said Bruce Bennett of the Rand Corp think tank. So this sounds like another attempt by North Korea to 'deter by bluster' US actions the regime does not like.

Ri warned on Friday North Korea might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean, in what would be North Koreas first atmospheric nuclear test. Experts said such a move, while perhaps not imminent, would be proof of North Korea's ability to successfully deliver a nuclear warhead on a missile.
Donald Trump boasted in 2000 he would have had slept with Princess Diana "without hesitation" if he had the chance, fresh transcript of an interview recorded three years after her death revealed.

In the interview with radio host Howard Stern, Trump, then a TV star and a real estate moghul, said Lady Diana was "really beautiful, supermodel beautiful".

"She had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin... the whole thing. She's magnificent," Trump had then said, before adding, "She was crazy, but these are minor details."

In an earlier 1997 interview, Stern and Trump had talked about the business tycoon asking women to get HIV tests before he had sex with them.

The audio and transcripts were anonymously sent to the website Factbase.

Stern followed the question up this time around and claimed that Trump "could have nailed" Princess Diana. A statement that he reiterated a few sentences later.

The radio jockey then went on to act out a scene where the business tycoon tells Diana to get tested before sleeping with her. Hey Lady Di, would you go to the doctor? Stern mockingly asks. Trump then gets in on the joke, imagining the conversation with the British royal. Go back over to my Lexus, because I have a new doctor, he says as if addressing her. We wanna give you a little checkup.

The current US President was on the radio show in the year 2000 to discuss his top ten hottest women list. Princess Diana was third on his list, after ex-wife Ivanna in second and now-First Lady Melania in first.

A regular on Stern's show during the 1990's, Trump was allegedly at one point obsessed with Diana.

In his book, The Art Of The Comeback, published in November 1997, three months after her death: 'I couldn't help but notice how she moved people. She lit up the room. Her charm. Her presence. She was a genuine princess  a dream lady.'

The pair met on a number of occasions, including at a charity dinner for some of New York's most powerful at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan in 1995, where fate had placed Donald Trump on the princess's table - although his second wife Marla was also present.

TV presenter Selina Scott previously claimed Trump pursued Diana to the point of "stalking" her, saying he gave the late princess "the creeps".

Writing in the Sunday Times in 2015, Scott said: "He bombarded Diana at Kensington Palace with massive bouquets, each worth hundreds of pounds."

"Trump clearly saw Diana as the ultimate trophy wife. As the roses and orchids piled up at her apartment she became increasingly concerned about what she should do."

According to Scott, Diana had started to feel that she was being stalked by Donald Trump.

"When she died in the tragic accident in Paris in 1997 Trump told friends his biggest regret was that they hadnt dated."

"He said that he always thought he had a chance of romance and would have had a 'shot' with her," said Selina Scott.
Update, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: Ryan Ray, president of Ray and Associates, said a misunderstanding caused the search firms regional director Michael Rush to prevent The News & Advance from covering a public meeting Monday night at E.C. Glass High School.

At the meeting, representatives from the firm intended to solicit feedback from community members about what characteristics they desired in a new superintendent for Lynchburg City Schools. Simultaneous meetings occurred in the cafeteria at Sandusky Middle School and the Civic Auditorium at E.C. Glass High School.

Dale Caldwell, an associate with Ray and Associates, did not deny entrance to The News & Advance at Sandusky Middle School, where he was the only person present after one community member who had come by to speak with him left. At E.C. Glass, there were four community members present at 7:20 p.m., and The News & Advance was denied access. No other media was present.

On Tuesday morning, LCS Interim Superintendent Larry Massie released a statement that said the meeting was a public affair that was advertised as such, and the media was invited and should have been granted access.

The Lynchburg City School Board regrets the decision made by Ray and Associates to bar the media from the meeting in question. Lynchburg City Schools has contacted Ray and Associates to ensure that future meetings involving the superintendent search are conducted according to the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, the statement concludes.

Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said because Ray and Associates is a private company, it can set whatever rules it wants to have a public meeting. She added she believes it is wrongheaded to say youre gathering public input and then exclude members of the public.

Not even in a representational way  reporters do not stop being members of the public just because they work for a newspaper, she said. She advised the school board to let the search firm know how it expected them to hold public meetings in the future.

School board chair Michael Nilles did not return phone calls Monday night and Tuesday morning, instead responding by email to say he is out of town until Sept. 30. In an email, school board Vice Chairman James Coleman referred to Massies statement in lieu of commenting.

Derek Polley, a school board member representing District 1, responded to a phone call Tuesday morning. He said he was not in attendance at the meeting but added to my knowledge, all the meetings were supposed to be open to the public. When asked if he meant they were supposed to be open to the media by extension, he said he was not under any other impression.

Reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, Ray said Ray and Associates always has had great relationships with the media in every search we do. He added, In 43 years of media coverage and working with the media, weve never had a situation like this.

When asked how this situation could have occurred, Ray said he wasnt at the meeting and reiterated he thinks there was a misunderstanding.

So I cant really comment on it, he said.

Update, 10:42 a.m. Tuesday: Lynchburg City Schools Acting Superintendent Larry Massie said in a statement this morning the school board "regrets the decision" by a consulting firm to bar a News & Advance reporter from a community meeting Monday night.

The firm, Ray and Associates, held meetings at E.C. Glass High School and Sandusky Middle School to gather public input as school officials search for the next permanent superintendent to replace Scott Brabrand, who left in June to head Fairfax County Public Schools.

Michael Rush, regional director of Ray and Associates, denied a News & Advance reporter access to the E.C. Glass meeting, saying he didnt want the media to publish the community members comments before the school board had a chance to review them.

Below is the full statement from Massie:

"I have researched a question that arose regarding media access to the meeting last night at E. C. Glass High School conducted by Ray and Associates. The purpose of the meeting was to seek input regarding the characteristics the Lynchburg community is seeking in a new school superintendent.

"The meeting was a public affair that was advertised as such by the Lynchburg City Schools in a press release Tuesday, September 19, 2017. The media was invited and should have been granted access.

"The Lynchburg City School Board enjoys its relationship with The News & Advance and is committed to abiding by the spirit and letter of the Freedom of Information Act of the Code of Virginia. It is the clear intent of the Lynchburg City School Board that the media be granted access to all public meetings sponsored by the board.

"The Lynchburg City School Board regrets the decision made by Ray and Associates to bar the media from the meeting in question. Lynchburg City Schools has contacted Ray and Associates to ensure that future public meetings involving in the superintendent search are conducted according to the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act."

Earlier: The search firm hired to help Lynchburg City Schools find its next superintendent hosted two public meetings Monday night to learn what characteristics residents desire in the divisions next leader, but despite the meetings being open to the public, The News & Advance was denied access to the gathering at E.C. Glass High School Civic Auditorium.

Ray and Associates  which school board Chairman Michael Nilles said in August is being paid a base fee of $16,000  is tasked with soliciting input from the community and identifying qualified candidates for a new superintendent.

Speaking from E.C. Glass on Monday, Michael Rush, regional director of Ray and Associates, said he didnt want the media to publish the community members comments before the school board had a chance to review them. At about 7:20 p.m. Monday, four community members were present for the meeting at E.C. Glass.

When asked if it was common practice for Ray and Associates to deny media access to public meetings, Rush said, I didnt say what was common practice, I said what we needed to do because its unfair for you guys to know before the board knows whats happening. They have no idea who may have said what, so thats why we do that.

Reached Monday night, Lynchburg City Schools spokesperson Cindy Babb, who notified media of the meeting last week, was taken aback when she heard about The News & Advances dismissal; no other media was in attendance. On Sept. 19, Babb issued a news release, which stated Members of the community are invited to meet with a representative from Ray and Associates on September 25, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting was not advertised as being private or closed to media.

Reached by phone Monday night to find out why a meeting seeking input about the qualities residents desire in Lynchburg City Schools next superintendent would not be open to the media, Larry Massie, interim Lynchburg City School superintendent, said he would have to research to see whats going on with that before he could comment. Im sorry, Im not versed on this, he said.

Nilles and school board members James Coleman, Robert Brennan, Kimberly Sinha, Katie Snyder, and Derek Polley did not return phone calls to each seeking comment Monday night.

Caroline Glickman, managing editor of The News & Advance, said, We are disappointed a News & Advance reporter was prevented from attending a community meeting tonight about the city's next schools' superintendent. We can think of few current matters more pressing than the selection of Lynchburg City Schools' next leader. The newspaper long has represented the community in our reporting on public meetings; we look forward to continuing to fulfill that commitment in our coverage of this important story.

At a second meeting held in the Sandusky Middle School cafeteria Monday night, where dozens of chairs sat empty, a Ray and Associates official was the only person present from about 6:45 to 7:10 p.m., and The News & Advance was not denied access. Dale Caldwell, of Ray and Associates, said one community member had come by earlier to speak with him.

Caldwell said he felt there was sufficient advertising for the event, adding we were pretty thorough in the people we interviewed.

Caldwell said in smaller groups earlier in the day, he had spoken with at least 70 community members along with members of Lynchburg City Council. He said the community members he spoke with desired longevity in a superintendent and not someone who would use the position as a stepping stone. Caldwell also said community members want a superintendent who is experienced with urban areas and poverty and also is a great communicator for when he interacts with City Council and the media.

In a phone interview later Monday night, Rush threatened to stop speaking with the media when he was asked to explain his policy to not admit the media to the meeting and would not reveal how many residents attended Mondays meeting at E.C. Glass, but he did explain what residents want in their next superintendent.

He said they want the best superintendent; it wasnt a race thing, it was that we want the best person who can move to the next level.

When asked to expand on what he meant, Rush said, When we ask the questions, some of the qualities that youre looking for in a superintendent, they all basically said the same thing, were looking for the best person, it could be an African-American, it could be white, it could be Latino  so theyre not looking at race as an issue; theyre looking at the best person who can move the district forward and make a difference in the lives of kids.

Caldwell said Ray and Associates hopes to finish their search by mid-December. The previous LCS superintendent, Scott Brabrand, left in June to head Fairfax County Public Schools.




He was facing charges of contravening the National Registration Act, which prohibits forging identity documents. Bridges was represented by Mr Admire Rubaya and was remanded in custody to today when the court will consider his application for bail.

The prosecutor, Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that Bridges was an American who came to Zimbabwe in 2009 after committing a series of offences in his country.

It is alleged that on July 13, 2010 he fraudulently obtained a birth certificate entry number SBY 1040/ 71 using an American certificate of live birth (birth record) issued in the City of Georgia.



He allegedly indicated that he was born on June 25, 1970 to Zimbabwean parents. Bridges wanted to regularise his Zimbabwean citizenship, the court heard. It is alleged that on June 16, 2009, he fraudulently obtained a Zimbabwean national identity card registration number 70-036916 G00 using the name Brandon Lee Jones. It is alleged that in obtaining the ID, he used birth entry number LOM 102/ 17 purporting that it was issued by the Registrar Generals Office in Chinhoyi.



The court heard that ID number 70-036916 G00 belongs to Asiwell Nyakarota, a Zimbabwean born on August 25, 1955. Bridges allegedly obtained another fraudulent ID number 13-023672 P00 using the name Carlton Sloan Bridges.



The court heard that the ID number belonged to Mtisi Lilli, a female born in Mashevedze village, Chief Mapungwana in Chipinge on October 10, 1953. It is alleged that on August 16, 2012 Bridges went to the Registrar-Generals Office in Bindura with the forged ID and birth certificate entry number SBY 1040/ 71. He applied for a passport and was granted passport number CN945755. Bridges allegedly used the passport to travel around the world. herald An American appeared before a Harare magistrate yesterday for allegedly forging identity documents and illegally staying in the country since 2009. Carlton Sloan Bridges alias Brandon Lee Jones (47) appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Josephine Sande.He was facing charges of contravening the National Registration Act, which prohibits forging identity documents. Bridges was represented by Mr Admire Rubaya and was remanded in custody to today when the court will consider his application for bail.The prosecutor, Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that Bridges was an American who came to Zimbabwe in 2009 after committing a series of offences in his country.It is alleged that on July 13, 2010 he fraudulently obtained a birth certificate entry number SBY 1040/ 71 using an American certificate of live birth (birth record) issued in the City of Georgia.He allegedly indicated that he was born on June 25, 1970 to Zimbabwean parents. Bridges wanted to regularise his Zimbabwean citizenship, the court heard. It is alleged that on June 16, 2009, he fraudulently obtained a Zimbabwean national identity card registration number 70-036916 G00 using the name Brandon Lee Jones. It is alleged that in obtaining the ID, he used birth entry number LOM 102/ 17 purporting that it was issued by the Registrar Generals Office in Chinhoyi.The court heard that ID number 70-036916 G00 belongs to Asiwell Nyakarota, a Zimbabwean born on August 25, 1955. Bridges allegedly obtained another fraudulent ID number 13-023672 P00 using the name Carlton Sloan Bridges.The court heard that the ID number belonged to Mtisi Lilli, a female born in Mashevedze village, Chief Mapungwana in Chipinge on October 10, 1953. It is alleged that on August 16, 2012 Bridges went to the Registrar-Generals Office in Bindura with the forged ID and birth certificate entry number SBY 1040/ 71. He applied for a passport and was granted passport number CN945755. Bridges allegedly used the passport to travel around the world. herald
The Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe led by Bishop Johannes Ndanga has been hit by a mass exodus of members that are joining the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Churches Council whose patron is Zanu-PF Central Committee member Cde Jimayi Muduvuri.



Yesterday, some of the churches that dumped ACCZ represented by their associations, met in Harare to prepare for a meeting of church bishops to be held in the capital next month.



Some of the church organisations represented at yesterdays meeting included the Federation of Indigenous Churches of Zimbabwe, Association of Apostolic Churches of Zimbabwe, Union for the Development of the Apostolic Churches and the Zimbabwe Christian Development Forum.





Yesterday, Bishop Ndanga could not be reached for a comment, but last week he refused to comment on issues relating to Cde Muduvuris patronship of the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Christian Council saying he was focusing on ACCZ congress. I dont want to comment on (Cde) Muduvuri issue. We are busy preparing for our congress to be held in Bulawayo next month, he said.





At the workshop, former secretary general of the ACCZ Reverend Mathias Tsine, who now heads the Federation of Indigenous Churches of Zimbabwe accused Bishop Ndanga of running a one-man show at the organisation. When we realised that there was a leadership crisis at ACCZ since the beginning of this year, we resolved to leave, he said.





Problems in ACCZ started long back and now it is almost like a one-man band. On the board that we used to have, I think Bishop Ndanga is the only person who is still sitting there and the rest are no longer ACCZ members. The fact that the organisation can be personalised and even the constitution can be changed to suit an individual was so glaring. If you assume powers that everyone in the organisation should tow your line, then there will be need to part ways.





Rev Tsine said Bishop Ndanga had no legal basis to attack Cde Muduvuri as patron of the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Christian Council because he does not belong to his organisation. We feel it helps us to be associated with a patron like Cde Muduvuri for various reasons, he said.





A patron does not necessarily have to be one of us and him being a politician is not an issue to us. We know if we have a patron, its a conduit for us to have a relationship with the Government. We are pleased to have him on board. We are so disturbed when we hear that there are certain individuals who are fighting him as our patron. As far as we know, ACCZ (led by Bishop Ndanga) has their patron who is Dr Joice Mujuru, so they have no right to fight our patron.

I am referring to the president of ACCZ who attacked Cde Muduvuri on radio (Star FM) and that is inappropriate because ACCZ is not a member of the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Churches Council and Cde Muduvuri is not a patron of ACCZ. Maybe Bishop Ndanga is fighting to ensure that other umbrella bodies come under the patronship of Dr Mujuru and we are saying we cannot do that. Herald
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has urged the public not to panic and crowd district voter registration centres, as more centres will be established closer to them next month.



This was said by ZEC acting director for voter registration, Mr Collins Munetsi, at a media training workshop in Darwendale, organised by ZEC in conjunction with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa.



The Biometric Voter Registration will come closer to the people, he said. There is no need for people to crowd Remembrance (in Harare) for registration.





People should not crowd district offices as the blitz will come and serve them. We will have centres opened in every ward. People have no reason for incurring expenses travelling to districts. The centres will be published.





ZEC is targeting to register 80 percent of the people eligible to vote.

We will have 2 600 (BVR) kits coming in October, but they may come earlier than this, said Mr Munetsi. The blitz will come and serve them. The blitz will take two and half months.





Mr Munetsi said the registration would be done in four phases, with each phase taking 16 days per centre and two days of movement.





The media training workshop was meant to provide an overview of the Electoral Legal Framework governing ZEC mandate, including the electoral cycle and processes, electoral regulations and Biometric Voter Registration as provided for in the constitution of Zimbabwe and Acts of Parliament.

The workshop is also meant to establish a common understanding of how election related issues should be covered, ensuring media personnel understand electoral technicalities and encouraging objectivity and responsible journalism.





ZEC deputy chairperson, Mr Emanuel Magade, urged the media to be responsible when reporting on elections and the BVR process.





For us to conduct efficient transparent and verifiable elections, your role as media can never be over emphasized, he said. Media was hijacked by a few powerful individuals to the detriment of the majority. For example, the genocide in Rwanda and Burundi in the 1990s was aided and abated by the media. Equally, the media has done good things by exposing corruption perfidy and non observance of the law in many countries. herald
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Missouri prisons have been ordered to eliminate smoking after an asthmatic inmate serving a life sentence for two murders won a court judgment, per the AP. The Kansas City Star reports Missouri has been ordered to go smoke-free by April 1 because of the lawsuit Ecclesiastical Denzel Washington filed. Missouri already bans smoking inside prison buildings, but it allowed it in designated areas outside. The evidence at trial showed that inmates are commonly written up for smoking in their cells. Attorney Phillip Zeeck, who helped represent Washington, says the ruling may save Missouri taxpayers money because of the cost of treating smoking-related illnesses for the state's more than 30,000 inmates.

Washington, 53, sued the state because he said he kept getting paired in a cell with a heavy smoker despite doctor's orders that he be held in a smoke-free area. The case has been working its way through the federal courts for a decade. Washington, who used to be known as Willie Simmons, was sentenced to death in 1989 for the murders of two St. Louis women. His sentence was later reduced to life in prison. "This is a win ultimately for the people who work and live in Missouri's correctional facilities," Zeeck notes. State officials haven't announced details of their plan to eliminate smoking at 21 correctional facilities. (Read more Missouri stories.)
Several dozen tradition-minded Roman Catholic theologians, priests, and academics have formally accused Pope Francis of spreading heresy with his 2016 opening to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. In a 25-page letter delivered to Francis last month and provided Saturday to the AP, the 62 signatories issued a "filial correction" to the popea measure they said hadn't been employed since the 14th century. The letter accused Francis of propagating seven heretical positions concerning marriage, moral life and the sacraments with his 2016 document "The Joy of Love" and subsequent "acts, words, and omissions." The initiative follows another formal act by four tradition-minded cardinals who wrote Francis last year asking him to clarify a series of questions, or "dubbia," they had about his 2016 text.

Francis hasn't responded to either initiative. The Vatican spokesman didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. None of the signatories of the new letter is a cardinal, and the highest-ranking churchman listed is actually someone whose organization has no legal standing in the Catholic Church: Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior of the breakaway Society of St. Pius X. Several other signatories are well-known admirers of the old Latin Mass which Fellay's followers celebrate. But organizers said the initiative was nevertheless significant and a sign of the concern among a certain contingent of academics and pastors over Francis' positions, which they said posed a danger to the faithful. Joseph Shaw, a spokesman for the initiative, signatory of the correction, and senior research fellow in moral philosophy at Oxford University, said none of the four cardinals involved in the initial "dubbia" letter, nor any other cardinal, was involved in the "filial correction." Organizers said the last time such a correction was issued was to Pope John XXII in 1333 for errors which he later recanted. (Read more Pope Francis stories.)
Chelsea Manning says Canada has "permanently banned" herbut she's planning to appeal the decision. Manning tweeted a photo Monday of a letter from Canadian authorities describing her as "inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality" because of her conviction under the US Espionage Act, the CBC reports. The letter states that the offense Manning was convicted of in the US "would equate to an indictable offense, namely treason" in Canada, which would be punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Canadian law bars foreign nationals who've been convicted of offenses that would get them more than 10 years in prison in Canada, reports the National Post.

Manning, who tried to enter Quebec at a border crossing in upstate New York last week, was detained overnight by the Canadians before being returned to the US, reports the Guardian. She had been planning to visit Montreal and Vancouver. Supporters say Manning, who was convicted of passing military documents to WikiLeaks, was a whistleblower, not a traitor, and that will form the basis of her appeal against the Canadian decision. Canadian authorities have declined to comment on specifics, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, when asked about the case Monday, said he's looking forward to seeing more information. (Manning says getting involved with WikiLeaks was an "ethical decision.")
An American oil worker has reportedly been kidnapped in Yemen. The wife of 63-year-old Danny Burch, an employee of Yemeni-owned oil company Safer, says five armed men driving a pickup truck without license plates took him from his car on a busy street in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Saturday, per the New York Times. The kidnapping took place "in broad daylight in front of everyone," says Nadia Forsa, who later found her husband's car parked on the side of the road. A Yemeni security official and two of Burch's colleagues confirmed the account. The US State Department says it is aware of the report, per the AP.

No group has claimed responsibility, but Reuters reports two of Burch's colleagues blamed the Houthi rebels who occupy Sanaa. The Times notes the Houthis are known to abduct foreigners for ransom or because they believe them to be spies. Burch was born in Louisiana and spent years working on oil rigs in Texas before taking a job in Yemen in 1994. He moved there permanently in 2005 when he fell in love with Forsa, a Yemeni woman, his brother tells the Longview News-Journal. The pair went on to have three children, aged 7, 9, and 12. Burch also has three children from a previous marriage. (Read more Yemen stories.)
Twitter for the first time is explaining why President Trump's tweets don't get pulled when they seem to at least skirt the site's rules. Short version: It's because he's the president. In a blog post and series of tweets, the company said that it considers "a number of factors" in deciding whether a tweet violates the rules, including "'newsworthiness and whether a Tweet is of public interest." Given that Trump is, in fact, president and that everything he tweets could thus be considered newsworthy, that would seem to provide blanket protection for all his tweets, notes Recode. Co-founder Biz Stone said the company had gotten a lot of questions in particular about Trump's weekend tweet in which he warned that North Korea's leader might not "be around much longer."

North Korea considered it a declaration of war and Trump's critics thought it at least violated Twitter's rules prohibiting tweets that include "threats of violence or (that) promote violence." The company did not elaborate on whether the tweet would have been out of bounds had it come from someone who isn't the president, but it promised to clarify its public rules soon. "We need to do better on this, and we will." This is the first time Twitter has mentioned "newsworthiness" and the "public interest" as part of the calculus it uses to judge tweets, notes Mashable. "By doing so, Twitter's admitting it exercises at least some degree of editorial judgment and acts more like a media company, a label most social platforms have long tried to avoid," writes Patrick Kulp. (Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to discuss the NFL, specifically the Cowboys.)
Royally messed up, they did. A senior education official and others in Saudi Arabia have been fired after a government textbook included a photo of King Faisal seated next to Yoda, everyone's favorite Jedi Master from Star Wars. The doctored black-and-white photo showing Yoda on King Faisal's right as he signed the United Nations charter in 1945 was accidentally included in a high school social studies book published by the Saudi Ministry of Education, report Reuters and the Telegraph. Though it isn't clear how it came to be included in the book, the photo had been one of several doctored by Saudi artist Abdullah al-Shehri as part of a 2013 series designed to make Arab history more "fun," reports the New York Times.

Al-Shehri's photos showing Yoda, Darth Vader, and Captain America present for iconic moments in Arab history were previously shown at galleries in the US and Middle East, but al-Shehri never expected to find one in a textbook, which is where his mother spotted the one of King Faisal and Yoda. Saudi Education Minister Ahmed al-Eissa says the textbooks are being replaced with corrected versions and a legal committee has formed "to determine the source of the error and to take appropriate action." According to Reuters, however, al-Eissa has already fired the undersecretary of the Curriculum and Educational Programs Department and others in charge of reviewing textbooks. (This Indian textbook told kids to suffocate cats.)
The promised countermeasures to President Trump's supposed "declaration of war" on North Korea may already be in the works. A South Korean lawmaker briefed by the country's spy agency says North Korea is moving aircraft to its east coast in an effort to bolster its defenses, per Reuters. The revelation comes days after US bombers flew in international airspace east of North Korea, prompting Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho to warn the North would shoot down US planes "even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country." Adding to the tension: a recent propaganda video released by the North Korean regimeusing photos and simple animationshows US warplanes and an aircraft carrier under attack, reports the AP.

Despite that, military analysts don't believe there's any real risk to US planes. For one thing, South Korean intelligence suggests North Korean radar missed Sunday's flights by US planes. For another, it isn't clear if North Korea has the technological capabilities to bring down planes outside its airspace. According to some analysts, North Korea might simply be blowing smoke in an effort to divert attention away from its nuclear weapons program. The country might also be trying to save face. "The most obvious reason Ri made those comments was because North Korea simply can't tolerate such high-profile insults to its supreme leadership," Du Hyeogn Cha of Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies tells the AP. (Read more North Korea stories.)
Three controversial pieces at the Guggenheim, all part of a larger exhibit due to open Oct. 6, have been pulled. The "Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World" showing, which will feature about 150 works from Chinese artists, came under fire for a handful of pieces that included live animals or insects, infuriating animal rights activists. Per the New York Times, the NYC museum decided Monday to yank those three works after protests and an online petition, with the museum noting in a statement the removals were necessary "out of concern for the safety of its staff, visitors, and participating artists" due to "explicit and repeated threats of violence." The exhibit with the most pushback: "Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other," a piece by husband-and-wife team Sun Yuan and Peng Yu that included video of pit bulls trying to charge each other (but not being allowed to make contact).

Also yanked: "A Case Study of Transference," which would've shown video of two pigs having sex, and "Theater of the World," which had planned to showcase live insects and reptiles skittering about under a lamp. The museum was initially steadfast about keeping the works, but public outcry escalated, with the Guardian noting even celebrities like Ricky Gervais and Richard Marx were decrying the pieces as cruel to animals. Huang Yong Ping, the artist behind "Theater of the World," tells the Times he hadn't been aware his piece was being pulled until the paper informed him (he had no comment), and Peng simply said, "I don't want to talk about this anymore" when the paper reached her. The museum says it's "dismayed" it had to remove the works. "Freedom of expression has always been and will remain a paramount value of the Guggenheim," its statement notes. (Read more Guggenheim stories.)
If anyone is feeling sympathetic toward North Korea as its war of words with the US ramps up, Otto Warmbier's family has a message: "North Korea is not a victim. They're terrorists." In their first lengthy comments since Warmbier's death days after the 22-year-old University of Virginia student was released by North Korea in June, Fred and Cindy Warmbier lashed out at the North Korean regime in an interview with Fox & Friends on Tuesday. They described their first sight of Warmbier on a stretcher inside the plane that brought him to the US. He was blind, deaf, and "jerking violently, making these inhuman sounds," said Fred, who also said "it looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth."

There were other injuries, too, including a large scar on his right foot, the couple says. Warmbierwhom doctors believe suffered brain damage consistent with cardiopulmonary arrestdied less than a week later, per the Washington Post. A North Korean Foreign Ministry rep at the time said only that Warmbier had fallen into a coma linked to botulism during his 17-month imprisonment for subversion, but that his death was "a mystery." In reality, "they kidnapped Otto. They tortured him" and "they destroyed him," his parents told Fox & Friends, asking that North Korea be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism. President Trump referred to the "great" interview in a tweet Tuesday, noting "Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea." (Read more Otto Warmbier stories.)
Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone said Tuesday he's "aware of no evidence whatsoever" that Trump's campaign coordinated with Russians during the 2016 election. Stone spoke to the House intelligence committee for more than three hours as part of the panel's probe into Russian interference in the election, the AP reports. Afterward, he told reporters that the majority of lawmakers' questions focused on his communications with Guccifer 2.0, the unnamed hacker who has taken credit for breaking into Democratic National Committee email servers. He said questions also focused on communications he had through an intermediary with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Stone has long denied that he worked with Russian officials to influence the presidential election.

Stone, a Republican strategist who has known Trump for many years and informally advised him during the 2016 campaign, has denied that he had advance knowledge of the leak of former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails and says he never colluded with Assange, who released Podesta's emails on his website. "While some may label me a dirty trickster, the members of this committee could not point to any tactic that is outside the accepted norms of what political strategists and consultants do today. I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support," he wrote in a statement. Speaking to reporters after Stone, California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, said there was "one area" where Stone refused to cooperate and the committee may have to subpoena him. He didn't say what area that was. (Read more Roger Stone stories.)
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New Delhi :

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), is set to increase fare as a part of implementation of the second phase of fare hike. Earlier the base fare was increased from Rs 8 to Rs 10 and the upper limit was increased from Rs 30 to Rs 50.

Delhi metro has witnessed a significant decline in passenger since the last fare increase in May. According to estimates the fall is 1,50,000 passengers (per day) so it could be anticipated that there could be a further dip.

It is worthy to note that when metro service started the minimum fare was Rs 4 and the maximum was Rs 8.

The revised fare hike in fares be as follows:

For less than 2 kms there will be no change in fares. Between 2 and 5 kms the fare will be hiked by Rs 5 (from Rs 15 to Rs 20).

For all other zones fares will increase at a flat rate of Rs 10

Increase in electricity and maintenance charges coupled with salary hike of staff members are the prime reason for the fare hike, said DMRC.

It is learnt that the Metro board of directors had repeatedly turned down the request of the DMRC the proposal to increase the fare.There will be no increase in fare of Airport Express Link.
New Dlehi:

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday taking suo motu cognizance of media reports issued notices to Uttar Pradesh government and asked the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Vice-Chancellor for explanation over the police lathicharge on female students.

The NHRC has asked for a detailed report over the eve-teasing complaint and harsh police action against students.

An NHRC member said, Suo motu cognizance has been taken in subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by the UP police.

Notices have been issued to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary, DGP and BHU Vice Chancellor.

Also read| BHU violence: Yogi Adityanath government orders judicial probe



BHU university students mostly girls were cane-charged by police in the early hours of Sunday while they were protesting the university administrations alleged inaction over a reported molestation of a student by bike-borne miscreants within the varsity campus. Several students, police personnel were reportedly injured in the clash.

Agitation in BHU was instigated by a handful of BHU female students seeking proper security in the 100-year-old BHU campus on Thursday, now has turned into a stir against the Uttar Pradesh administration after police forces mended batons on the protesting students.

BHU Vice-Chancellor GC Tripathi said that an inquiry will be headed by retired Allahabad high court judge VK Dikshit.

Earlier, the Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn submitted a report to the state chief secretary Rajiv Kumar.

Also read| Banaras Hindu University: Students continue protest; Rahul Gandhi asks PM Modi to apologise; 1000



The district administration in the report blamed the varsity.

According to a senior UP administrative official, BHU administration did not deal with a complaint on a sensitive issue lodged by a female student which led to the chaotic situation.

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New Delhi :

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday agreed to take up anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, who is wanted by the Haryana Police in connection with Panchkula violence following conviction of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar questioned Honeypreet s counsel over request of urgent hearing, saying that why they are "super- excited now".

"You must be anticipating this," the bench asked advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya, who sought three weeks transit anticipatory bail for Honeypreet.

The bench, however, listed the matter for today after the counsel pressed for hearing the petition on an urgent basis.

Arya informed the court that even the DGP Haryana has gone on record to say that there is "danger" to her life.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Ram Rahim was convicted by the special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, following which violence and arson had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa districts of Haryana which had left 41 people dead and several others injured.

In her application in Delhi HC, Honeypreet has alleged that she is facing life threats from the drug syndicate of Punjab and Haryana.  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

The CBI court on August 28 had sentenced Ram Rahim to 20 years in prison for raping two of his disciples in 2002.

Honeypreet had accompanied the Dera head when he had come to the special CBI court on August 25. She had also travelled along with him in the special chopper which ferried them to Rohtak from Panchkula after the conviction.

In #Honeypreet's bail application,it's mentioned she is a single woman with clean antecedents,is law abiding&willing to join investigation  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

The controversial sect head is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district of Haryana.

Also Read: Panchkula Police conducts raids in Delhi for Honeypreet Insan

Several teams of Haryana Police have travelled across the country, including the Indo-Nepal border, to trace Honeypreet. (with PTI Inputs)

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New Delhi :

A militant was killed on Tuesday as the Indian Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.

"An infiltration bid has been eliminated in general areaZorawar of Uri sector. One terrorist has been killed," an Army official said.

He said a weapon has been recovered from the site of the encounter. The operation is on and further details areawaited, the official added.

On Monday, security forces resumed the anti-militancy operation, which was launched , following information about presence of more militants in the area.

"We have recovered body of another militant, which takes the number of militants killed in the operation to four," an Army official had said.

"The operation resumed this morning after there were reports of more militants hiding in the area," the official had said.

Also Read | J&K: Security forces resume anti-militancy operations in Uri

He said the area of operation was expanded to ensure that no militants get away from the security forces' cordon.

Three Pakistani militants were killed in the gunbattle with security forces in Kalgai area of Uri on Sunday. Three civilians and a soldier were injured in the operation.

Also Read: Army guns down two terrorists to foil infiltration bid along LoC in J-K's Machil sector

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News:

After BJPs Sultanpur MP Varun Gandhi, in an article, advocated asylum for Rohingya Muslims escaping violence in Myanmar  a view contradicting his own partys stand on deporting the refugee  was slammed by a senior minister from the Narendra Modi cabinet, stating "the statement is against national interest."

The lawmaker in his column for Navbharat Times had asked the government to consider granting refugee status to the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

Hansraj Ahir, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Hansraj commenting on Varuns article said, No nationalist would ever give such a statement.

He said, Rohingyas have created trouble for Myanmar and worked against the government. If Myanmar has rejected them, why should we accept them?"

Also read: Private bill in Lok Sabha to recall MPs, MLAs for non-performance



Ahir added that the Modi government is using full force to stop the Rohingya from settling in India since they are a security threat.

Gandhi in his opinion piece published in Navbharat Times had said that India has rich tradition of helping refugees.

He also suggested the the government to form a national refugee policy, which differentiated between people fleeing a country following persecution as opposed to those fleeing poverty.

Gandhis column asking the government to consider granting refugee status to the Rohingya refugee has not gone down well with the ruling BJP government.

According to government figures around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in India.

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New Delhi:

Newly elected Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday ruled out any troop contribution in Afghanistan and said it will continue to provide development assistance to the war-torn country.

Sitharaman said this after talks with her US counterpart James Mattis during which they discussed key bilateral, regional and international issues, including terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

The two sides also deliberated the ways to deepen maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region while discussing the rising tensions due to the recent missile tests by North Korea and growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea.

India and US had a useful interaction on how the two countries could strengthen cooperation bilaterally as well as with the Afghan government in pursuit of the common objective of a peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, Sitharaman said.

She further added that India has built dams, hospitals and it will continue providing development assistance to Afghanistan.

We give them facilities in our hospitals both for those who are wounded on field and for civilians. Those assistances for medical help will continue...We shall expand if necessary. However, of course, we have made it clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground, she said.

The Defence Minister said that while replying to a question during a joint press briefing with the US counterpart on whether India will contribute troops in Afghanistan.

ALSO READ: Nirmala Sitharaman, US Defence Secretary discuss terror havens

The US wants greater participation by India to contribute more in the war-torn nation.

We applaud Indias invaluable contribution to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote its democracy, stability and security, Mattis said.

The issue was discussed in depth, Sitharaman said this while referring to Indias concerns over cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.

The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth. There is a growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue, Sitharaman said.

The Defence Minister said she has also urged Mattis to take up the issue of terrorism whenever he visits Pakistan.

She said both sides recognise the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism.

On his part, Mattis said there can be no tolerance to terrorism safe havens.

Our two countries recognise the stress the global terrorism poses to people throughout the world. There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens. As global leaders, India and the US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge, Mattis said.

Contending that defence partnership is one of the key strategic pillars between India and US, the two sides also focused on sharing cutting-edge technologies and platforms and exploring additional specialised military drills between the two countries.

In this context, we agreed that the full implementation of the understanding reached following the announcement by the US last year recognising India as a Major Defence Partner will provide further energy and momentum to our collaboration on defence technology and manufacturing, Sitharaman said.

Mattis said India and the US are two strategic partners and their defence cooperation has steadily expanded in recent years underpinned by a strategic convergence between the two countries based on common objectives and goals in the region.

This cooperation will benefit both economies by reducing trust issues between our two democracies, he said but did not elaborate on the nature of the issues.

The armies of the two countries are currently participating in the joint military drill Yudh Abyas 2017 and the navies recently concluded the 2017 edition of Malabar, a trilateral exercise between India, the US and Japan.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: US Defence Secretary James Mattis reaches India, talks likely on new defence projects

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New Dlehi:

A day after Indias Army chief Bipin Rawat warned Pakistan of another surgical strike if the neighbouring country does not behave, a section of Border Action Team (BAT) of Pakistani Army on Tuesday crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and attacked an Indian Army post in Jammu and Kashmirs Kupwara.

The Indian Army personnel deployed at the post in Keran sector near the LoC retaliated with full force and thwarted the attack by Pakistani troops around 1 pm.

Army sources said that around a section (8 to 12) of Pakistans BAT infiltrated in Kupwara district and attacked the Indian Army post.

Also read: Indian Army foils Uri-like attack in Baramulla; four terrorist killed, Pak marked weapons recovered



The Pakistani intruders fired at Indian posts using light weapons, an army official said.

He added the Pakistani Rangers infiltration was supported by heavy mortar shelling by the regular Pakistan Army.

The officer added that no injuries have been reported from both the sides and a cordon operation has been launched in the region.

Army chief's stern message to Pakistan: 'Infiltrators will be buried two-and-a-half feet under



The Indian Army jawans retaliated with full forces forcing the intruders to retreat, added the officer.

Early in the morning Indian Army gunned down a militant trying to infiltrate into India in Uri sector of north Kashmirs Baramulla district.

An army official said that a weapon has been recovered from the encounter site.

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New Delhi :

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Gujarat government, saying the state government should run from state not Delhi.

aThe Gujarat government is being operated by remote control from Delhi,a he said.

The Congress vice-president, who is on a 3-day tour of poll-bound Gujarat, was addressing a public gathering on the second day of his tour in Jamnagar.

On Monday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the latter is not pro-poor and his policies are only for capitalists. He had said the BJP government has failed to provide employment to the youth.

State government should run from Gujarat and not Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat's Khijadiya a ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

While addressing a gathering in Saurashtra region, Rahul had said the Prime Minister has shoved the Indian economy in a bad state of affairs without taking consent from anyone.

Aajkal Gujarat ki sarkar remote control se chalti hai, Delhi se chalti hai: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat pic.twitter.com/WSa26ydGPP a ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

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New Delhi:

Terming Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhis Gujarat visit dramatic and laughable, BJP on Monday said that his campaign in the state will boomerang on the Congress and ensure another victory for the BJP.

Gandhi began his three-day visit to Gujarat on Monday and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Day 1 on various issues including GST, demonetisation and Gujarat model.

The BJP counterattacked Gandhi saying his visit would defeat his own party.

State BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya in a release said, The Congress has lost elections wherever Rahul Gandhi had campaigned for the party. Under his leadership that party has lost 28 elections.

Talking to journalists on his arrival in Jamnagar for a road show, the Congress vice president earlier said there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat.

Gandhis visit this time, like his previous three visits, is dramatic as well as laughable...It will only benefit the BJP, Pandya said while taking a dig at Gandhis statement that people want change and that the Congress will come to power in Modis home state.

ALSO READ: Banaras Hindu University: Students continue protest; Rahul Gandhi asks PM Modi to apologise; 1000 FIRs lodged

Moreover, the BJP spokesperson said that Gandhis allegations against PM Modi are baseless.

Why Rahul Gandhi doesnt reply to the injustice meted out to people of Gujarat when the Congress was ruling the Centre? Why did Congress oppose the Narmada Dam project which deprived farmers and women (in dry regions of the state) of water? he asked.

Pandya accused the Congress of harbouring a bias against two top leaders from GujaratSardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Morarji Desai.

The Congress delayed conferring Bharat Ratna on Patel by over four decades whereas it unceremoniously removed Desai from the post of prime minister, the BJP leader said.

Claiming that no member of the Gandhi family ever visited the famous Somnath temple in the state, Pandya said even the Congress vice president preferred to launch his tour by offering prayers at Lord Krishna temple in Dwarka.

The Somnath temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Patel had envisioned the temples reconstruction which was completed in the 1950s.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: Rahul slams PM Modi, says BJP govt has failed to provide employment to youth

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New Delhi :

Former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadavs lawyer on Tuesday reached CBI office and sought two weeks time in Railway hotel tender case.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav also sought two weeks to appear before the CBI for questioning in connection with a case of alleged graft in giving the maintenance contract for two IRCTC hotels to a private firm, sources had said.

The contracts were given when Yadav was railway minister. Yadav, who was summoned by the CBI for the second time to appear before the investigating team, sent his lawyer who submitted the request seeking two weeks time for questioning, the CBI sources had said.

They had said the agency was processing the request and would take a call on future course of action.

The lawyer did not say anything about Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD leaders son and former deputy chief minister of Bihar, who is summoned in the case on Tuesday , they had said.

Tejashwi Yadav's lawyer reached CBI office & sought 2 weeks time. CBI had summoned Tejashwi Yadav to appear today  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017

They had been called on September 11 and 12. Lalu Yadav did not turn up, citing an ongoing court case in Ranchi where his presence was required, while Tejashwi claimed he had political commitments to take care of.

Also Read | Benami assets case: I-T issues final attachment order to Lalu and family

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New Dlehi:

Security forces gunned down a wanted terrorist active in Kashmir for the last 17 years in an encounter along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmirs Baramulla district on Tuesday.

The killed terrorist has been identified as Abdul Qayoom Najar. The 43-year-old militant, a resident of Sopore area of Baramulla district, carried Rs 10 lakh bounty on his head.

According to police Najar was wanted for more than 50 killings including policeman in Hygman are of Sopore.

Imtiyaz Hussain, Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), said, Najar was killed by security forces foiling an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC on Tuesday morning.

Also read| Army chief's stern message to Pakistan: 'Infiltrators will be buried two-and-a-half feet under the ground'



Another police official said that Najar was trying to infiltrate into Kashmir from Pakistan side.

SSP further said, Najar had joined the militancy at the age of 18. He was arrested in 1992 but later released. Najar joined the militant ranks again after being released in 1995.

Also read: Indian Army foils Uri-like attack in Baramulla; four terrorist killed, Pak marked weapons recovered



The officer further said Najar was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers in 2015. Najar recently broke away from Hizbul Mujahideen and had formed his own outfit Lashkar-e-Islam which has carried out a series of attacks on cellphone towers.

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News:

Tamil Nadu administration on Monday ordered a Madurai temple to allow the young girls who are worshipped as Goddesses to wear clothes to cover their bodies.



According to locals, young girls live bare-chested, covered only with jewellery at the Madurai temple. This tradition has been followed since ancient times. According to a local priest, the seven girls spend 15 days in the care of a male priest and are worshipped as Goddesses.



The locals further added that only girls who havent reached puberty are sent to the temple and more than 60 children participate in the ritual.



Mudurai collector K Veera Raghava Rao has passed an order to the Madurai temple and formed a committee to ensure the girls are dressed during the rituals.



Rao told the media, It is an ancient custom. Parents send their girls voluntarily.



He added, We have asked the villagers to properly clothe the girls and adorn them with jewellery over their clothes.



The Madurai collector also added that a team was formed to investigate if minors were being abused in the temple.



The team in their report has said that the girls in the temple campus are worshipped as Goddesses and no child abuse was found, said Rao.

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New Delhi:

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday afternoon.

PM Modi recalled his wide-ranging, candid, and fruitful discussions with President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States in June this year. Both sides had reaffirmed their resolve to further develop their strong strategic partnership.

Secretary Mattis briefed Prime Minister Modi on the progress in advancing the bilateral agenda and implementing the decisions taken during that visit.

They also discussed enhanced cooperation, regionally and globally, in pursuing shared priorities for peace, stability, and combating terrorism.

Prime Minister Modi appreciated the close engagement between the two countries on regional and global issues of mutual concern.

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Lucknow:

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU).



A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathi-charge by the police in BHU where a protest on Saturday night against an alleged eve-teasing incident turned violent.



"A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the incidents," UP government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma said in Lucknow.



He was speaking to media persons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.



Sharma, however, did not elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or sitting judge.



The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence.



As opposition parties targeted the BJP over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on Monday spoke to the Chief Minister and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.



Sharma said the government wanted that there should be communication with the students by the local administration, vice chancellor, and other university officials.



Sharma accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.



"If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses," he said.



On lathi-charge on girl students sitting on dharna against the alleged eve-teasing on the campus, he said, "We are identifying those 'outsiders' who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathicharge."



He said the government has asked the local administration to strengthen the security on the campus.



"It has been decided to install CCTV on the campus," he added.

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Washington:

US President Donald Trump has said that America is atotally prepareda for a amilitary optiona on North Korea but warned that would be adevastatinga, in a further escalation of tensions between the two nations.

The strong reaction from the US president came a day after North Korea said that it was ready to defend itself by shooting down US bombers.

North Koreaas foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, who was in New York early this week, had accused Trump of declaring war against his country.

aWe are totally prepared for the second (military) option. Not a preferred option, but if we take that option, it will be devastatingaI can tell you thatadevastating for North Korea. Thatas called the military option. If we have to take it, we will,a Trump told reporters yesterday in a joint news conference with the visiting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Responding to a question, Trump said that the North Korean leader (Kim Jong Un) is aacting very badlya. Heas saying things that should anever, evera be said, alleged the US President.

aWe are replying to those things, but itas a reply. Itas not an original statement, itas a reply. But the things that heas said over the last yearaand if you look back to things that heas said to past administrationsaNorth Korea is a situation that should have been handled 25 years ago, 20 years ago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago, and five years ago, and it could have been handled much more easily,a he said.

ALSO READ | Venezuela: Donald Trump acted like 'the world's emperor' at UN

Various administrations left a mess for him (Trump) and he will fix the mess. aSo weall see what happens with North Korea,a Trump said.

He said that North Korean nuclear weapons and missile development threaten the entire world with unthinkable loss of life. As such all nations must act now to ensure the regimeas complete denuclearisation.

aIt is time for all responsible nations to join forces, to isolate the North Korean menace,a Trump said as he appreciated the United Nations Security Council voting twice, unanimously, 15 to nothing, to adopt hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea.

aI have recently issued tough new sanctions against those who do business with this outlaw regime. And I applaud Chinaas latest action to restrict its trade with North Korea,a he said and applauded China for breaking off all banking relationships with North Korea. This is something that people would have thought unthinkable even two months ago, he said.

aI want to thank President Xi,a he said. Responding to a question, Rajoy said no one wishes for there to be a war anywhere in the world.

aBut itas true that the recent events in North Korea, with the implications in the neighbouring countriesavery important countries, means that we will have to be forceful, and those of us who defend the values of democracy, freedom and human rights have to let North Korea know that it isnat going anywhere in that direction,a Rajoy said.

aFor the time being, sanctions have been adopted. Spain will support any political decision which will contribute to putting an end to this situation, which has nothing to do with the principles and values most of Western and global democracies defend,a he said.

ALSO READ: North Korea accuses US President Donald Trump of declaring war

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New Delhi :

In a bid to restrict internet access of citizens, The People's Republic of China has reportedly blocked several features of Facebook owned instant messaging mobile platform Whatsapp.

Chinese citizens who use the instant messaging mobile application found that they could not access the services first on September 19 and 23. This attempt is pegged to have been taken by the Chinese government ahead of the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Paris based crytographer Nadim Kobeissi told the New York Times that the this is not the usual way of blocking attempt by the Chinese government. Kobeissi is of the view that the Chinese must have invented some software that is interfering with the encryption technology of Whatsapp.

Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg have expressed deep concern over the news of blocking of services by the Chinese authority since it has been his constant attempt to explore the Chinese market as Whatsapp is the only product that was still allowed.

In this case it should be noted that Facebook as a social media paltform has been blocked in China since 2009. Other US based internet platforms that are blocked in China are Google and Twitter.







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New Delhi:

A resolution was introduced by two influential Democratic lawmakers, including an Indian-American, on Tuesday in the US House supporting Indias permanent membership to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Ami Bera, Vice Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the longest-serving Indian-American in Congress introduced the resolution. He was supported by Frank Pallone, the founder of Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Introduction of this resolution in the House would officially put Indias bid for the membership.

Currently, the UNSC has seven original cosponsors.

While talking about the historic move, Bera said, As the worlds oldest democracy and the worlds largest democracy, the United States and India share common values and a growing partnership on many fronts, especially defence cooperation.

India plays a critical role as a strategic partner for the United States and is a pillar of stability in South Asia. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council reflect the world as it was 60 years ago, and its time we recognise Indias role increasing global prosperity, he added.

Securing a permanent spot for India on the UN Security Council would strengthen democracy around the world, Bera said.

ALSO READ | Afghan foreign min at UNSC: Pakistan has been exporting terrorism across border for decades

Pallone also supported Indias bid for UNSC membership and said, At a time when international relations are being redefined, we should acknowledge and empower those nations that share our enduring core values.

Pallone said it was in the interests of the US and the world to have a UN Security Council whose members combine military strength with respect for democracy and pluralism, and an appreciation of the dangers posed by rouge states and terrorist groups.

India belongs to the UN Security Council and it is imperative that Congress makes this clear to the Trump administration and the world, he said.

The UN Security Council still reflects the world as it was in 1945 when the United Nations was created, a Congressional statement said.

Despite the fact that the UN has grown from 51 member nations at its inception to nearly 200, the Security Council has not grown to reflect these changes. There are currently five permanent members of the council, including the US, the UK, Russia, China and France.

The bill was introduced on the last day of the UN General Assembly session in New York.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: India calls for 'early comprehensive' reform of UN including Security Council

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New Delhi:

Afghanistan came down heavily on Monday on Pakistan for exporting terrorism since several decades.



"Scourge of terrorism affecting Afghanistan is a product of long-standing policy by a neighbouring state to keep Afghanistan unstable," Afghanistan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said in United Nations Security Council.



Rabbani told UNSC that Pakistan has 'menaced Afghanistan for several decades now, with its roots located in terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens outside Afghanistan'.



India and United States have been lambasting Pakistan for its terror activities at ongoing UNGA session. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj termed Pakistan as 'global exporter of terrorism' in her speech.

Read | Sushma Swaraj at UNGA: India produced scholars, scientists, Pakistan created terrorists



"Pakistan has so far failed to respond positively at its own cost, particularly in relation to its global reputation and standing," Rabbani said.



Rabbani added that despite being on receiving-end of provocative actions, Afghanistan has maintained a principled position in seeking to resolve differences through dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful means. "It's particularly true in case of Pakistan," Afghan foreign minister said.

Read | Militancy in J&K - 41,000 lives lost since 1990; casualties increased under Modi Govt: Report

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Passes allowing foreign tourists unlimited travel on major expressway networks across the country will go on sale in mid-October, in hopes of luring more visitors to regional areas, the transport ministry said Tuesday.

Holders of foreign passports will be able to buy a Japan Express Pass valid for seven consecutive days for 20,000 (about $180), and a 14-day pass for 34,000, at 275 rental car shops across the country from Oct. 13, according to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry.

The new passes are not valid for use by foreign nationals residing in Japan.

The pass will allow travel on 10,000 kilometers of expressway networks, covering most parts of the country.

But expressways in Hokkaido, as well as those in metropolitan areas around Tokyo and Osaka, are excluded, the ministry said.

Hokkaido already has an expressway discount system, while making heavily-used expressways in Tokyo and Osaka free for foreign tourists could stir controversy.

Under the new plan, only drivers of standard-sized cars equipped with an electronic toll collection (ETC) device will be able to use the passes.

The ministry said it will coordinate steps with tourism-related entities nationwide to promote the campaign overseas.

Existing regional passes that allow foreign visitors unlimited expressway travel for up to 14 days in areas such as Hokkaido, Tohoku and Kyushu will continue to be available with prices ranging from 1,500 to 16,000, according to the ministry.
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It was the closest weve ever come to global nuclear war.

Those frightening days in October 1962, when President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev seemed willing to risk war over the placement of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Kennedy believed the idea of Cuba having weapons of mass destruction 90 miles away from Florida was an unacceptable threat to our security. Khrushchev thought nukes in Cuba were an appropriate response to the American missile sites in Turkey and Italy that could reach targets in the Soviet Union within minutes.

The crisis 55 years ago has become scarily relevant again with the news from North Korea that the dictatorship is developing weaponized missiles that will be capable of hitting targets in the United States. Local public radio station WSHU is presenting a dramatic reading of a play, The Letterbox: The Cuban Missile Crisis, on Oct. 2 that will be followed by a discussion led by veteran National Public Radio journalist Corey Flintoff.

The script by Laura Kutnick was developed two years ago with Weston actor-director James Naughton, who will be narrating and directing the new reading.

There were lots of ways that situation could have gone south, Naughton says of the tense negotiations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union  communication that was hampered by the fact there were no direct telephone lines between Moscow and Washington, D.C., in 1962. Much of the play is made up of the letters transmitted back and forth between the two leaders, some of which took as long as 10 hours to reach one or the other.

It was as a result of this encounter that the red phone came in, Naughton says of the hotline that would connect Kennedy and Khrushchev after the crisis.

Flintoff is the perfect guest for the Westport event because he spent four years covering Russia for NPR. The journalist agrees the play shows Khrushchev in a new light, as a global leader who was as determined to avoid nuclear war as his American counterpart.

Hes not given credit for what he did during the missile crisis at all, Flintoff says, adding with the passage of time we can see (Khrushchev) had very good reasons for doing what he did (in Cuba). There were American missiles in Italy and Turkey.

Naughton agrees the letters from Khrushchev to Kennedy are revelatory. He comes across as a considered, intelligent, caring partner to JFK, not the guy we remember banging his shoe at the United Nations ... and he was up against his own guys who wanted to go to war just as JFK was.

The correspondence also makes it clear JFK was lying in some of his comments about the Cuban Bay of Pigs invasion fiasco a year earlier. In the letters, the president tried to minimize his involvement in the attempted overthow of Castro planned during the Eisenhower administration, but approved and carried out under Kennedy three months after his January 1961 inauguration.

The play is not a cold analysis. Its about two men who had a struggle between their rational parts and their hearts, Naughton says.

Ironically, the long time lags in the communication between the U.S. and the Soviet Union might have helped to keep a lid on the crisis.

There is something to be said for stopping and thinking before you respond to someone. I believe thats true in the way we use social media now, the actor-director says.

Flintoff agrees that, in some ways, North Koreas development of nuclear missiles is even more frightening than the events of 1962. He thinks it is possible Russian leader Vladimir Putin has aided North Korea with its weapons technology.

Somebody helped Kim (Jong-un) with the rapid miniaturization of warheads. I dont think it was China. Who else has the expertise? the journalist wonders.

Khrushchev, unlike Putin, was what Flintoff calls a strategic politician ... a hard-nosed Soviet guy who survived the Revolution and Stalins death and came out on top.

The Soviet leader was guided by a genuine belief in the superiority of communism over capitalism, and the idea that his countrys philosophy would eventually prevail.

Kim and Putin do not have that (kind of) outlook, Flintoff says of the way they differ from Khrushchev. Essentially both of them are criminals protecting criminal enterprises.

Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court. Monday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. $20. 203-227-4177, wshu.org

jmeyers@hearstmediact.com;

Twitter: @joesview
A group of UK food and drink makers returned from China on Monday after marketing British-made delicacies there, including clotted cream from Cornwall and gin and juice from Devon.

Nine food and drink manufacturers, drawn mainly from Southwest England, participated in the weeklong trade mission. The trip was organized and funded by the firms' bank, Santander Corporate & Commercial, and supported by the United Kingdoms Department for International Trade.

David Shalliday, a regional director at Santander Corporate & Commercial said: "It has become increasingly important for UK SMEs to look overseas for growth opportunities. Companies are stronger and more resilient to economic downturns when they are diversified and have commercial activity with different economies."

Representatives from beer and ale producer Skinner Brewing and dairy company Rodder's, both from Cornwall, made the journey. Rodder's is the UK's largest producer of Cornish clotted cream, a thick cream typically spread on scones at tea time.

Three Devon-based companies were part of the mission, including gin maker Salcombe Distilling Company, and juice makers Luscombe Drinks and Frobisher's Juices.

Two Bristol companies, gin distillery Bramley& Gage and jam maker Stute, made the trip, as did Shropshire firm The Granola Girls and Lincolnshire-based confectioners Jakemans, which is known for its cough drops.

The companies were joined by two UK food export management enterprises, Christie International and Tudor Rose International.

Delegates met representatives from six large Chinese buyers at an event held at the home of the British consul general in Beijing. And representatives from the companies toured online platform JD.com's headquarters in Shanghai, and visited three supermarket chains that specialize in imported goods.

The British businesses also attended a briefing at the Bank of Shanghai, where they received information about IP protection in China and gaining access to JD.com, China's largest e-commerce company by revenue. Santander and JD.com signed a memorandum of understanding last year to allow the bank's UK customers to join the platform.

"Santander believes that China is a prime market for food and drink SMEs to consider, with its growing economy and strong interest in British-produced products," Shalliday said.

In the first half of this year, UK food and drink exports to China grew by 35 percent, compared to the same period last year, totaling 274 million pounds ($368 million).

A growing taste for meat, dairy, beer and "afternoon tea" products among Chinese consumers contributed to a 51 percent increase in British food and drink exports to China in 2016, making it the UK's fastest-growing market.
/ submitted photo

DANBURY - An Immaculate High School student was named a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Competition, and three classmates were recognized, the school said in a release.

John Palladino was named a semifinalist in a competition that included 16,000 students nationwide, including 220 students from Connecticut.
FAIRHOPE, Ala. (AP)  Sen. Luther Strange and firebrand jurist Roy Moore faced off Tuesday in the GOP primary runoff for an Alabama U.S. Senate seat in a race where Moore ended his last full day of campaigning by whipping out a handgun as he lashed out at attack ads run against him.

The contest to fill the remainder of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' Senate term has pitted President Trump against his former strategist, Steve Bannon. Trump supported Strange with a Tweet sent before voting began Tuesday morning: "Luther Strange has been shooting up in the Alabama polls since my endorsement. Finish the job - vote for 'Big Luther.'"

The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Doug Jones, a lawyer and former U.S. attorney during the Clinton administration, in December.

Trailing in the polls, Strange has looked to the White House to help make up ground against Moore, the former Alabama chief justice who is best known for defiant stands against gay marriage and for the public display of the Ten Commandments. Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Strange in Birmingham, Alabama, while Bannon, speaking at a Moore rally, argued Moore is a better fit for Trump's "populist" movement.

"All of Washington is watching to see what Alabama does," Moore said at a south Alabama rally attended by Bannon, Brexit leader Nigel Farage, and "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson.

Wearing a white cowboy hat and leather vest at the rally Monday night, Moore repeated the conservative Christian themes he has used his entire public career. He also lashed out at attack ads run against him in the race, including one suggesting he was weak on gun rights. "I believe in the Second Amendment," Moore said, pulling a handgun from his pocket.

Poll workers in the heavily Republican Birmingham suburbs of Helena and Pelham said voter turnout was steady, with short lines at two places when doors opened Tuesday.

Strange supporter Hayden Lee, who works in insurance sales, said she didn't have an opinion of Moore but voted for the incumbent solely because Trump endorsed him.

"I'm just trying to make everything work," Lee said after voting in Pelham. "I think you've got to get along with the president to make it work."

A super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has pumped millions of dollars into the Alabama race on behalf of Strange. "Mitch McConnell needs to be replaced and your vote tomorrow may determine that," Moore said in a line that garnered some of his loudest applause of the night.

Bannon told the crowd that Alabama can show the world "that this populist, nationalist, conservative movement is on the rise."

Propelled by his support from evangelical voters, Moore led Strange by about 25,000 votes in the crowded August primary and runoff polls have shown him leading, or in a dead heat with, Strange.

Trump on Monday continued his push for Strange. Speaking to several hundred supporters at an airplane hangar in Birmingham, Pence said Strange had been a "real friend" to the Trump administration.

"I'm here tonight to say I stand with Luther. I stand with President Donald Trump  and I will always stand for our national anthem," Pence said in a nod to Trump's criticisms of athletes who kneel in protest during the national anthem.

Trump called into a popular Alabama radio show on Monday morning to urge Republicans to pick Strange.

"Luther Strange is going to be a great senator. He already has, and he has already helped me," Trump said on the "Rick & Bubba" radio show. Trump predicted that Moore, whom he mistakenly called "Ray," would have a "hard time" in the general election against the Democratic candidate. Jones is perhaps best known for prosecuting Ku Klux Klansmen responsible for killing four black girls in the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church.

"Tomorrow, there's a lot on the line," Strange said, speaking in front of a large American flag in the rally with Pence. "For the vice president and the president of the United States to come here on my behalf means more than I can possibly say."

In addition to the national backdrop, a number of state factors are at play in the race. Moore's loyal following is able to pack a greater punch in the low-turnout special election. Strange also has been dogged by criticisms for accepting the interim Senate appointment from a scandal-battered governor when Strange's office was in charge of public corruption investigations.

Walking into the humid hangar to hear Pence, 57-year-old Randy Beasley of Springville said he had been undecided in the race but was swayed to vote for Strange because of his backing from the National Rifle Association. Beasley said he also had concerns that the twice-ousted chief justice "might have more of a negative image for the state."

Although Trump has endorsed Strange, many in the crowd at the Moore rally wore Trump T-shirts or "Make America Great Again" hats.

Chu Green, 71, of Mobile said she arrived five hours early to snag a front row spot just feet from the speaker's microphone. She held up a sign reading: "Mr. President and Mr. V.P. I love you but you are wrong! America needs Judge Moore."

"It's how I feel in my heart," Green said. "I think (Trump) knows he made a mistake. He had an obligation to Strange."
Connecticut is in a financial crisis.

Yes, I realize the painful obviousness of that fact and how often we say it, but everyone must remember this unpleasant fact when discussing the state budget. Keeping that fact in mind also helps put into context many of the decisions made in the Republican budget that passed both chambers of the General Assembly recently with bipartisan support.

The breaking point in the budget process followed months of discussion between Gov. Malloy and majority Democrats about how to collect sufficient revenue to pay Connecticuts bills. The solutions they tossed around included a combination of new taxes and transferring state costs onto municipalities and property taxpayers. Throughout the summer, we heard about a new tax on cell phone bills, sales tax hikes, taxes on seasonal homes, cigarette taxes, and hospital taxes. That would all have coincided with an implementation of the governors desire to shift teacher pension costs onto cities and towns, which would have led to local property tax increases.

Five Democrats in the House and three in the Senate took the unprecedented step of joining with all legislative Republicans last week to pass a budget because repeated attempts to resolve our financial crisis with record tax increases and funding cuts failed. The Republican budget operates with the knowledge that many Connecticut families and businesses would struggle to afford more taxes, and so it eliminates the deficit without relying on new revenue, and prioritizes funding for municipal aid, education funding, and programs serving our most vulnerable citizens.

The Republican budget also makes difficult choices that force state government to live within its means while our economy recovers from the damage caused by irresponsible budgeting in the past. Recently, people have shared their concerns with me over some of the cuts in the budget and I would like to address them here.

Unfortunately, the ongoing financial crisis necessitated making touch choices about prioritizing our extremely limited resources. To those criticizing funding cuts in our budget, I would ask you to juxtapose those concerns against several core government services that were on the chopping block, but were preserved in the Republican budget. Programs like Care4Kids, which helps low-income families afford child care, faced budget cuts. Only the Republican budget fully funds Meals on Wheels and drug rehabilitation centers. Prioritizing services for the IDD community was also deemed far more critical than funding political campaigns.

Since the budget passed last week, those Democrats who voted against it, along with their union supporters, have waged a full-scale attack against the budget, as they are accustomed to giving state employee unions everything they ask for while paying for it with tax increases for everyone else. That has all led to some very disingenuous claims, distortions, and outright lies about what the budget actually does and does not do.

I believe in the importance of being completely honest about what this budget does. For example, I do not dispute the fact that this budget grants UConn only $1 billion (down from $1.2 billion) and eliminates the Citizens Election Program. I can justify both of those by stating my priorities lie with protecting the most vulnerable among us right now, and then trying to reform faulty programs like CEP later. To higher education advocates, I say, families in my district have had to make sacrifices as a result of the budget crisis, and now those programs have to as well.

I dont celebrate it, but it has to be done.

In our third month of the fiscal year without a budget, it is now crunch time. As the budget heads to the governors desk, keep in mind families and businesses across this state have already felt the effects of our states budget crisis as we are all in this together.

Ultimately, this budget chooses to prioritize taxpayers, senior citizens, programs for at-risk citizens, and better budgeting in the future. I believe that if the governor signs this budget into law, we can be much more confident in our future and the potential for this state to be as successful as it once was.

State Rep. Richard Smith, a Republican, represents the 108th district, which emcompasses parts of Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford and Sherman.
The ongoing exhibition at Beijing's Poly Art Museum showcases 80 works by Russian contemporary artist Lavrenty Bruni. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A celebrated Russian artist uses flowers, ballerinas to build bridges among cultures. Ren Qi and Pan Mengqi report.

On a 2-meter high, 5-meter wide canvas, flower petals are painted densely with thick oil colors. If you look at the painting from farther away, the petalspainted in different shades of blueform an exquisite scene of waves on the sea.

The painting, entitled Flower Wave, is one of the best-known works by Russian contemporary artist Lavrenty Bruni.

Bruni's paintings are being exhibited in China for the first time through Friday. With the theme Ballet and Blossom: Road to China, the two-week exhibition at Beijing's Poly Art Museum is displaying around 80 of Bruni's works, including oil paintings, watercolors, charcoals and sketches.

"Art does not need to be translated because painting is a common language," George Zinoviev, minister-counselor at the Russian embassy, said at the opening ceremony.

"In recent years Russian art has become more popular in China," he says. "This exhibition can increase mutual understanding and strengthen the cultural basis of bilateral cooperation."

Zhang Xi, head of the Poly Arts Museum, agrees with Zinoviev, saying that art is a bridge linking Western and Asian culture.

"The theme 'Road to China' is in line with China's Belt and Road Initiative, which promotes cultural connection among Eurasian countries," he says.

Born into a family of artists, Bruni is the 19th generation of his family. The Brunis have been prominent in northern Italy and Switzerland since the 16th century.

Although he graduated from Moscow State Academic Art Institute, a prestigious art school in Russia, Bruni says the decisive stage of his career was when he attended private studio classes with well-known master of drawing Yunus Karimov, now a professor at a private academy of design and graphics in Hennef, Germany.
OTTAWA, Sept. 25, 2017 /CNW/ - Bloomberg will host a Sustainable Business Summit in Toronto this week to discuss Canada's transformation to renewable energy. The one day conference will look at the challenges that our energy sector is facing, how these challenges are being addressed and how industry can work with government to achieve mutually beneficial objectives.

Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) President Dr. John Barrett, is one of the energy leaders that has been invited to speak at the event. Dr. Barrett will discuss Canada's current infrastructure needs and what investments will be required to meet these needs while ensuring sustainable infrastructure development into the future.

"I am honoured to be part of the Bloomberg Summit and to discuss the importance of investing in sustainable infrastructure today to ensure a prosperous and clean tomorrow," said CNA President Dr. John Barrett.

"Nuclear energy is a key part of both Ontario and New Brunswick's long-term, sustainable, clean energy future," he added. "In Ontario, three nuclear generating stations provide power to over 60% of the province and in New Brunswick nuclear makes up one-third of the energy grid. Our contributions support intermittent renewable options and help to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of providing clean, affordable energy to everyone. It's time to start thinking about building on these energy infrastructure contributions with new reactors to meet the clean electrification needs of urban, rural, and remotely located Canadians and industrial operations."

In fact, thanks to nuclear science and technology, Canada's vision of a sustainable future is one step closer to being realized. Canada's nuclear industry meets nine of the United Nations 17 SDGs, providing significant contributions to the areas of climate, health and water security.

The Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit in Toronto will take place on Wednesday September 27th, 2017 from 1pm-6pm.

https://www.bna.com/Sustainable-Business-Summit/

About the CNA:

Since 1960, the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) has been the national voice of the Canadian nuclear industry. Working alongside our members and all communities of interest, the CNA promotes the industry nationally and internationally, works with governments on policies affecting the sector and works to increase awareness and understanding of the value nuclear technology brings to the environment, economy and the daily life of Canadians.

Our members are actively involved and are leaders in Canada's production of uranium and nuclear power and are taking leadership roles in the research, design, construction, operation and support to nuclear facilities and technologies.

www.cna.ca

SOURCE Canadian Nuclear Association

For further information: Paul Hebert, Director, Communications, Canadian Nuclear Association, Email: [email protected], 613-237-4262 x106

Related Links

http://www.cna.ca


NEWMARKET, ON, Sept. 26, 2017 /CNW/ - Registered Nurses (RNs) at Southlake Regional Health Centre say that RN understaffing in the hospital's Emergency Department has been so serious that patient care and safety have been compromised. Tomorrow, an expert nursing panel will begin a three-day examination of RN staffing, workplace violence and professional practice concerns in Southlake's Emergency Department.

"Southlake Regional is the third-busiest Emergency Department in the province," notes Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) First Vice-President Vicki McKenna, RN. "Patient volumes have reached levels that exceed the hospital's capacity  forcing Registered Nurses to care for patients in hallways and other spaces."

She notes that of the 111,347 Emergency Department patients seen in 2016/17, almost 70,000 required treatment for complex illnesses and injuries, making the need for highly trained and specialty skilled Registered Nurses imperative. "Nurses know that high-quality, safe care is being compromised, and the lack of RN staffing has put patient safety at risk."

McKenna says that Southlake Emergency Department Registered Nurses have documented professional practice issues that identify the lack of care for their patients and support the case for increased RN staffing. The panel will hear from both ONA and hospital representatives.

"This examination is the last resort for ONA members," said McKenna. "ONA has tried to work with management for more than a year to resolve patient care and workplace violence issues, to no avail. Now, the nursing experts will hear the on-the-ground realities of patient care and make recommendations.

"Safe, quality patient care is always the number-one priority for our RNs," says McKenna. "We cannot stand by silently as patients suffer. Our patients are simply too important."

ONA is the union representing 64,000 Registered Nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 16,000 nursing student affiliates providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; www.Twitter.com/OntarioNurses

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

For further information: Ontario Nurses' Association: Sheree Bond, (416) 964-8833, ext. 2430; cell: (416) 986-8240; [email protected]; Melanie Levenson, (416) 964-8833, ext. 2369; [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.ona.org


VANCOUVER, Sept. 25, 2017 /CNW/ - Lupaka Gold Corp. ("Lupaka Gold" or the "Company") (TSXV:LPK, FRA:LQP) is pleased to announce that the Company has appointed Mr. William (Will) Ansley as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a Director of the Company.

Mr. Ansley was a member of two teams that placed six mines into production over an eight year period in Sudbury and Timmins, Ontario; Mr. Ansley was the Director of Business Development for FNX Mining Company Inc. and the Vice President of Corporate Planning & Strategy for Lake Shore Gold Corp., Will was also the Chief Operating Officer of Mineral Streams Inc. where he helped orchestrate its successful sale to AuRico Metals Inc. in 2015. Most recently, Will was President and Chief Executive Officer of Satori Resources Inc., where he led a successful upgrade in Mineral Resources at the Tartan Lake Gold Mine Project. Will has over 12 years of senior mining and corporate development experience and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA).

Mr. Gordon Ellis will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

"Mr. Ansley's appointment is an important step in the evolution of Lupaka Gold into a potential gold producer," stated Mr. Ellis, Chairman of the Company. "Will brings a strong set of skills and experience to lead the Company and guide the Invicta Gold Development Project potentially towards a cash-flow generating mine. He has helped successfully build underground mines, managed public companies, and over the years, has built extensive networks in capital markets and in mining."

"I am honored to join Lupaka Gold and very excited to lead the Company in reaching its long-term growth potential," said Mr. Ansley. "My vision is to transform the well-funded Invicta Gold Development Project into a cash-flow generating asset in short order and unlock the potential of Lupaka Gold's extensive exploration portfolio to drive organic growth in the long-term. With the recently secured permits and project debt financing in place for Invicta, my first order of business will focus on procuring and developing a Peru based operating team capable of overseeing and managing the necessary site upgrades, mining contractor, and our contracted toll processing facility. As the Company transitions from the permitting phase to one where Lupaka Gold can focus on building, commissioning and marketing, and given that we are funded to production, we are excited about the re-rating potential of our Company."

Effective September 22, 2017, the Company has granted to Mr. Ansley, pursuant to its 2010 Incentive Stock Option Plan, incentive stock options to purchase of 1,000,000 shares in the capital stock of the Company. The options vest over 18 months from the date of grant and are exercisable on or before September 22, 2022, at a price of $0.15.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this news release.

About Lupaka Gold

Lupaka Gold is a Peru-focused gold explorer and developer with geographic diversification and balance through its interest in asset-based resource projects spread across three regions of Peru.

Invicta Gold Development Project - the Company's 100%-owned Invicta Gold Development Project is a well-developed, poly-metallic gold-copper underground deposit located approximately 120 kilometres by road north of Lima. Management expects to commence production in 2018 by using third-party mining contractors and utilizing the adit and workings completed by previous owners.

Extraction of mineralized rock would be focused on accessing Invicta's Measured and Indicated resource estimates, which are comprised of:

Measured - 131,000 tonnes grading 6.65 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold equivalent for 28,000 contained ounces ("ozs") of gold, from: 18,000 ozs Au grading at 4.29 g/t, 133,000 ozs Ag grading at 31.71 g/t, 2,119k lbs Cu grading at 0.73%, 1,110k lbs Pb grading at 0.39% and 1,105k lbs of Zn grading at 0.38%.

Indicated - 8,513,000 tonnes grading 3.43 g/t gold equivalent for 939,000 contained ozs of gold, from: 573,000 ozs Au grading at 2.09 g/t, 4,285,000 ozs Ag grading at 15.65 g/t, 79,048k lbs Cu grading at 0.42%, 45,171k lbs Pb grading at 0.24% and 53,482k lbs of Zn grading at 0.21%.

An Inferred resource estimate of 2,534,000 tonnes grading 2.90 g/t gold equivalent for 236,000 contained ozs of gold has also been established.

The resources are stated at a 1.30 g/t gold equivalent cutoff. Metal prices assumed for the gold equivalent calculation are US$1,500/oz for gold, US$32.50/oz for silver, US$3.90/lb for copper, US$1.05/lb for lead and US$1.00/lb for zinc. The gold equivalent calculation assumes 100% metallurgical recovery, and does not account for any smelting, transportation or refining charges. See further disclosure regarding the calculated gold equivalent cut-off grade, as below.

Invicta's approved EIA allows for mine production of 1,000 tpd, although the current mining plan is limited to 400 tpd.

Cautionary Note Regarding the Invicta Production Decision

The decision to commence production at the Invicta Gold Project and the Company's plans for a mining operation as referenced herein (the "Production Decision and Plans") were based on economic models prepared by the Company in conjunction with management's knowledge of the property and the existing estimate of measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources on the property. The Production Decision and Plans were not based on a preliminary economic assessment, a pre-feasibility study or a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with the Production Decision and Plans, in particular the risk that mineral grades will be lower than expected, the risk that construction or ongoing mining operations are more difficult or more expensive than expected, the risk that the Company will not be able to transport or sell the mineralized rock it produces to local custom toll mills on the terms it expects, or at all; production and economic variables may vary considerably, due to the absence of a detailed economic and technical analysis according to and in accordance with NI 43-101.

Josnitoro Gold Project  the Company holds an option to earn a 65% interest on this project from Hochschild Mining PLC. The project is located approximately 600 kilometres by road southeast of Lima in the Department of Apurimac, southern Peru, within the Andahuaylas-Yaury Belt, in which the Las Bambas mine (MMG Limited) and the Constancia mine (HudBay Minerals) are located. Historical work on the disseminated gold zones includes over 170 shallow drill holes and extensive surface trenching, as well as artisanal mining.

Crucero Gold Project  the Company holds a 100% interest in the Crucero Gold Project located in southern Peru. As announced on September 19, 2017 the Company has agreed to sell the Crucero Gold Project to GoldMining Inc. (TSXV: GOLD) for 3,500,000 common shares of GoldMining and $750,000 in cash.

Crucero has an Indicated mineral resource estimate of 1,003,041 ozs Au contained in 30,919,873 tonnes at 1.02 g/t gold (capped) and an Inferred mineral resource estimate of 1,027,806 ozs Au contained in 31,201,648 tonnes at 1.03 g/t gold (capped). These mineral resource estimates have been constrained by a conceptual pit shell in order to support reasonable prospects of economic extraction as set out in the CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves and NI 43-101.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this document has been reviewed and approved by Julio Castaneda Mondragon, MAIG, the President of Lupaka Gold Peru S.A.C., a Peruvian subsidiary of the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Castaneda has verified the scientific and technical information, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information or opinions contained in this news release.

The Invicta Gold Project resource estimates referred to in this news release are disclosed in the technical report dated April 16, 2012, titled "Technical Report on Resources, Invicta Gold Project, Huaura Province, Peru" (the "Invicta Technical Report"), and prepared by SRK Consulting (U.S.) Inc., which is available at www.sedar.com under Lupaka Gold Corp's profile. The metal prices used to calculate the gold equivalent cut-off grade in the Invicta Technical Report are based on prices at the time. Investors are cautioned that current metal prices are now lower and as a result, the above-referenced cut-off grade could be materially affected based on current prices. Investors are further cautioned that the prices of precious metals can fluctuate in wide ranges over short periods of time.

The Crucero A-1 mineral resource estimates referred to in this news release are disclosed in the technical report with effective date January 17, 2013, amended and re-stated October 22, 2013, titled "Technical Report for the Crucero Property, Carabaya Province, Peru", and prepared by Tetra Tech WEI Inc. and SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. The Technical Report is available at www.sedar.com under Lupaka Gold's profile.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release relative to anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to the receipt of and anticipated use of proceeds of the PLI financing, the Company's plans and intentions for Invicta, mineral resource estimates, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made that the Company believes are reasonable, including: that the repayment of the PLI financing is consummated on the anticipated terms, that the supplies, equipment, personnel, permits, and local community approvals required to conduct the Company's planned pre-production and development activities will be available on reasonable terms, that the Company will be able to comply with the delivery and other obligations in the PLI financing agreement, that results of exploration activities will be consistent with management's expectations and that the Company will not experience any material accident, labour dispute, or failure of equipment and with respect to the planned mining operations at Invicta; that pre-production mine development can be completed in the time and for the cost projected; that the Company will be able to obtain funding for planned production expenses; that mineralization at Invicta will be of the grades and in the locations expected; that the Company will be able to extract and transport mineralized rock efficiently and sell the mineralized rock at the prices and in the manner and quantities expected; that permits will be received on the terms and timeline expected and that other regulatory or permitting issues will not arise; that mining methods can be employed in the manner and at the costs expected and that such methods yield the results the Company expects them to. However, forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others: all of the risks described in this news release; failure of the PLI financing to complete on the proposed terms or at all, including due to the Company's inability to complete the conditions precedent, the risk that actual results of exploration and development activities will be different than anticipated; that the Company will not be able to comply with the delivery or other obligations in the PLI financing agreement and the risk that PLI will enforce its security over the Company's assets, including its mineral properties; that cost of labour, equipment or materials will increase more than expected; that the future price of gold will decline; that the Canadian dollar will strengthen against the U.S. dollar; that mineral resources are not as estimated; unexpected variations in mineral resources, grade or recovery rates; risks related to shipping mineralized rock; the risk that local mills cannot or will not buy or process mineralized rock from the planned production for the prices expected or at all; risk of accidents, labour disputes and other risks generally associated with mineral exploration; unanticipated delays in obtaining or failure to obtain community, governmental or regulatory approvals or financing; and all of the risks generally associated with the development of mining facilities and the operation of a producing mine, as well as the risks described in the Company's annual information form, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Lupaka Gold does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Lupaka Gold Corp.

For further information: PLEASE CONTACT: Will Ansley, President & C.E.O., [email protected], Tel: (604) 681-5900; or visit the Company's profile at www.sedar.com or its website at www.lupakagold.com
OTTAWA, Sept. 26, 2017 /CNW/ - Tree Canada, the nation's leading national tree planting charity, is celebrating its 25th anniversary on National Tree Day this September 27th by planting its 82 millionth tree in Canada.

Over the past twenty years, Tree Canada has engaged communities, governments, corporations and individuals in the pursuit of a greener and healthier living environment, and provides Canadians with education, technical expertise, and resources to plant and care for urban and rural trees. In the midst of its most impactful year to date, in 2017, Tree Canada announced a more than $1 million investment to restore the forests destroyed by the devastating Fort McMurray wildfires last year.

As the largest urban forest organization in the country, Tree Canada also celebrated the 150th anniversary of Confederation with 150 tree-planting initiatives in communities in every province and territory across the country.

Tree Canada has been a driving force behind the establishment of a National Tree Day in Canada. It falls on the third week of September, which is recognized as National Forest Week across the country. Until October 1st, Canadians can take The National Tree Day Challenge at nationaltreeday.ca for their chance to win a trip to Banff, Alberta.

On National Tree Day, Tree Canada will mark its 25th anniversary with a ceremonial tree planting near the Bytown Museum at 1 Canal Lane, just below Parliament Hill. The event gets under way at 12:15 p.m. and will feature special guests including The Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources, The Honourable Joyce Murray, MP Vancouver Quadra and Ottawa City Councillor Catherine McKenney.

Quotes:

"Throughout Canada's history, our trees and forests have helped to define us as a nation and shape us as a people. On this day  National Tree Day  I would like to commend Tree Canada for the remarkable work they have done for 25 years to promote our nation's forests."

-Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources Canada

"Growing in size every year, National Tree Day helps remind Canadians of the importance of trees  how they beautify our communities, naturally cool our cities in the summer, and combat climate change, and help improve human health," said Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada. "As Tree Canada celebrates our 25th year of growing greener, healthier places for Canadians to live, we look forward to 25 more years of playing a leading role in the preservation of Canada's urban forest across the country."

-Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada

About Tree Canada:

Tree Canada is a non-profit charity dedicated to improving the lives of Canadians by planting and nurturing trees. Since 1992, we've planted more than 80 million trees, greened more than 600 schoolyards, helped restore places hit by natural disasters and brought together urban forestry experts greening cities all across Canada. Get involved or learn more about us at treecanada.ca.

SOURCE Tree Canada

For further information: Paul Jorgenson, Manager of Communications and Marketing, Tree Canada, [email protected], 819-208-8230 (cellular); Shannon Murphy, High Road on behalf of Tree Canada, [email protected], 613-688-6691 (office); Steve Dominey, High Road on behalf of Tree Canada, [email protected], 613-688-1188 (office)
The new Polaroid Originals instant film camera launched earlier this month. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese smartphone users tapping away to take photos on their devices has become a common sight across the country.

Instant photography pioneer Polaroid is now aiming to tap that huge digital market by working with Chinese fashion brand JNBY and artists.

The photography brand is sporting a new name, Polaroid Originals, after its purchase by the Impossible Project company in May. It announced the rebranding with the launch of a new instant film camera in New York on Sept 13.

Oskar Smolokowski, CEO of Polaroid Originals, says he is confident of reviving the popularity of instant photography because people have spent too much time in the virtual world and they want to connect more with the real one. That includes taking physical photos.

"People take thousands of photos with smartphones or digital cameras. They seldom see them again. But they do value the physical ones taken on important days," says Smolokowski, 28. A fan of instant cameras himself, Smolokowski started taking instant film photos at the age of 13. He still loves to use it to record important occasions with families, friends and even pets.

Smolokowski admits that China's economic power makes it a potential market for Polaroid and he does get that feeling from the young Chinese consumers, usually aged between 20 and 30.

The market has been developing rapidly in the past few years, fueling annual growth rates of about 20 percent, he says.
Limos and nannies drop off 3- and 4-year-olds every weekday morning at New York City's most exclusive preschools. Tuition is more than $30,000 a year. The schools boast that young kids learn French, Chinese, violin, yoga and robotics - all before kindergarten.

Just a few subway stops away in the Bronx, home to one of America's poorest congressional districts, there's a very different morning drop-off routine going on. Many working parents leave their children with a relative or at the home of a lady down the street. They can't afford formal preschool or day care, which now averages almost $10,000 a year, according to the Care Index.

Inequality in America is apparent by age 3: Most rich kids are in school, while most poor kids are not, according to a new book, "Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality."

Only 55 percent of America's 3 and 4-year-olds attend a formal preschool, a rate far below China, Germany and other power players on the global stage.

It's a problem for the kids left behind - and for the U.S. economy. Companies are already complaining they can't find enough skilled workers. It's only expected to get worse if the United States doesn't do a better job educating its youth.

"Early care and education in the United States is in a crisis," education scholars Ajay Chaudry, Taryn Morrissey, Christina Weiland and Hirokazu Yoshikawa conclude in the book.

Parents who can't afford preschool typically leave their kids with a grandparent or someone nearby. Some of these informal child-care providers do offer rigorous educational activities, but others just leave kids in front of the television. The quality is more haphazard, and there's a higher risk the option won't work out. The book chronicles the awful experience of one low-income family in New York City that had to make 25 different child-care arrangements for their daughter by her fifth birthday.

The inequality that begins before kindergarten lasts a lifetime. Children who don't get formal schooling until kindergarten start off a year behind in math and verbal skills and they never catch up, according to the authors, who cite a growing body of research that's been following children since the 1940s. In fact, the gap between rich and poor kids' math and reading skills has been growing since the 1970s. The "left behind" kids are also more likely to end up in lower-paying jobs.

"The earliest years are the most promising for brain and skill development, yet it is when the U.S. invests the least," says Yoshikawa, an education professor at New York University.

The United States spends an average of $12,400 a year on each child in K-12 education. In contrast, the United States only averages $1,350 a year per child in pre-K, including both federal and state dollars.

America, once a global educational leader, has fallen behind its rivals, at least in this area. When it comes to educating kids under 5, the United States spends one of the lowest amounts of any developed nation in the world, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

"There's near-universal attendance by age 3 in formal preschool in most countries," says Yoshikawa. In China, 75 percent of toddlers are in school, and more than 90 percent of kids in Germany and Britain are learning letters and numbers at a formal child-care center.

The United States currently spends $30 billion a year in government money on early-childhood education and care. The authors make the case for raising that to $100 billion, an amount that would be about 0.6 percent of GDP, on par with what many other developed nations spend.

The additional spending would allow the United States to make preschool available for every child start at age 3. It would also be enough to establish a paid parental leave program, offer more aid for affordable child care and do a "reimagined" Head Start that begins working with poor families as soon as a child is born.

Many of these initiatives have support across the political spectrum. President Donald Trump's first budget includes a proposal to start America's first paid parental leave program. On the campaign trail, Trump also pushed the idea of expanding the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to help make it more affordable for families to put their kids in quality preschool and childcare programs.

"Childcare is a major expense for American working families. This Admin. is focused on creating policy solutions to enable them to thrive!" Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, tweeted on Inauguration Day.

Military and business leaders are some of the most vocal champions of pre-K funding because they want better-educated graduates and a stronger economy. Thirty-six percent of small business owners say lack of access to child care was a major barrier to starting a business, according to a survey of 500 randomly selected small business owners published Monday by Small Business Majority, an advocacy group.

Criminal-justice reformers also make the case repeatedly for expanding pre-K to all families.

"If I could fund one single program, it would be early-childhood education," said John Wetzel, the longtime head of Pennsylvania's Department of Corrections who has served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, in May.

There's optimism the moment has finally come to make pre-K a reality for all in the United States. The authors of "Cradle to Kindergarten" have been asked to speak in cities from San Francisco to Cincinnati.

The District is the only place that currently educates all 3-year-olds, although New York City has a plan in place to do it in the next four years.

"I think it's a question of when we'll get there on universal pre-K and paid family leave," says Jane Waldfogel, a professor at Columbia University's School of Social Work and an expert on children and youth problems.

But for the 3- and 4-year-olds left spending their days in front of the TV right now, there will never be another chance.
NEW HAVEN  The Knights of Columbus has raised more than $2.8 million for its outreach efforts in the wake of recent natural disasters that have plagued the southern U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, according to a press release from the Knights.

The effort began after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Houston on Aug. 25 and has continued with the most recent gifts of $100,000 to Puerto Rico for victims of Hurricane Maria and an additional $100,000 to Mexico in the wake of the earthquake that struck a week ago, the release said.

In addition to the organizations financial support, many Knights have helped to rescue stranded neighbors and provide assistance, which has included the distribution of more than $720,000 in food, water and other necessities, the release said.

To help the Knights continue their relief efforts, the public may send donations by check or money order to: Knights of Columbus Charities, P.O. Box 1966, New Haven, CT 06509-1966 with "United Disaster Relief" in the memo portion of the check. To send aid specifically for the Mexican earthquake, write "International Disaster" in the memo portion. Gifts can also be made or by calling 1-800-694-5713 or online at kofc.org/flood. Click on "United States Disaster Relief" or, for Mexico, click on "See More Charities" and select the "International Disaster" donate option. Donations to the Knights are tax deductible to the extend allowed by law.

Also, Catholic Charities Centro San Jose, 290 Grand Avenue, has announced that it was awarded a $20,000 grant from the United Way of Greater New Haven, according to a Catholic Charities Centro press release.

The grant will help support Centro San Joses comprehensive educational and enrichment program for New Haven youth. Centro San Jose provides at-risk youth with help to address the multiple, complex barriers to succeeding in school and becoming prepared for college/work, the release said. The program helps youth build resilience, develop skills that help them cope, recover from hardships and be prepared for future challenges, the agency said.

Catholic Charities is one of the largest non-governmental providers of in the state and has been the licensed, accredited, social service arm of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Hartford for more than 90 years. The agency serves 21,000 people of all faiths annually from 30 locations throughout Connecticut and is an employer of more than 450 social service professionals. For more information on Catholic Charities, please visit www.ccaoh.org.

The United Way of Greater New focuses on education, income and health to help advance a good quality of life for all. United Way recruits people and organizations with the passion, expertise and resources to get things done. For more information on the United Way of Greater New Haven, please visit www.uwgnh.org.
NEW HAVEN  The ownership of one of the citys newest mixed-use complexes has changed.

The Novella, which opened on the corner of Chapel and Howe streets in October 2015, has been sold for $39.6 million, officials with Institutional Property Advisors, the commercial real estate firm that brokered the deal, said Monday. The sale of the property comes just five months after after Fairfield County-based developer Randy Salvatore announced he was putting the property on the market.

The property was purchased by a limited liability company, 1245 Chapel Street. A search of the Secretary of the States Offices online directory of registered businesses lists 1245 Chapel Street LLCs business address at the same location as Twining Properties, a New York City-based company.

Twining Properties specializes in managing mixed-use properties located near transportation hubs along the Northeast Corridor from Washington, D.C. to Boston.

Novella is fully amenitized with ultra-modern luxury finishes, Victor Nolletti, senior managing director for IPAs Northeast and Florida team, said in a written statement. It is a unique legacy asset that will outperform the market.

The acquisition of The Novella appears to be Twining Properties first foray into Connecticuts mixed-use real estate market. The portfolio of properties listed on the companys web site includes mixed-use properties in Washington, New Jersey, New York State and Boston.

The Novella includes 136-units of upscale studio, junior one-bedroom, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. The ground floor includes the 1,135-square-foot Chapel Street Pharmacy as well as 3,380 square feet of retail space that is still for lease, and along with 85 gated, on-site parking spaces.

Matthew Nemerson, New Havens economic development administrator, said the sale of The Novella by Salvatore represents what he called the circle of life of commercial real estate.

Developers develop and then they sell what theyve built to somebody else, Nemerson said. It serves as a confirmation that there is continued interest in properties being developed and shows that the market likes the level of construction here. Its all good.

Salavtores latest project is building an extended stay hotel at Crown and High streets in the city. Nemerson said Salvatore is about to break ground on that project.

luther.turmelle@

hearstmediact.com
State Rep. Robyn Porter, who represents portions of New Haven and Hamden, shared a statement Tuesday (by email and online) delineating views on a $40.68 billion spending package proposed by Republicans in the legislature.

Here is her message in full:

Dear Neighbors,

The legislatures leading responsibility is to adopt a budget that puts Connecticut residents first and reflects our top priorities as a state.

The Republican budget that was narrowly passed in the state Senate and House of Representatives Sept. 16 goes against the fundamental values Connecticut was founded on.

The Republicans two-year $40.68 billion spending package decreases funding to municipalities that need it most and increases aid to affluent suburban towns. If adopted, this budget would hinder New Haven's and Hamden's abilities to be the economic engines Connecticut needs to drive its economy, and attract young professionals and new businesses to our region.

Under the Republicans plan, the disparity between social classes will continue to grow, and many of our children will be robbed of their right to dream if the proposed reductions to higher education become a reality.

The Republican budget would:

Cut city and town funding;

Repeal the Municipal Revenue Sharing Account program, which would prevent future regional sales tax from being diverted to offset local property taxes;

Diminish funding to our state and local independent colleges such as our flagship facility, the University of Connecticut, and Gateway Community College;

Increase property taxes on motor vehicles by eliminating the town reimbursement program;

Eliminate our nationally-recognized Citizens Election Program and open the door to dirty money that buys elections;

Triple the cut to the earned income tax credit, hurting the working poor;

Decimate the many social service, workforce development and youth services programs our residents rely on;

Cause a hike in business taxes by eliminating the Angel Investor Tax Credit;

The Republicans budget would have devastating effects on New Haven and Hamden.

Now more than ever, it is time for legislators to work together to adopt a bipartisan budget that prioritizes Connecticut residents needs, lends a helping hand to small businesses, addresses the achievement gap present in our school systems, and steadies the states financial footing.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns at Robyn.Porter@cga.ct.gov or 860-240-1371.

Sincerely,

Robyn Porter
SEEC homepage

The $40.7 billion Republican budget eliminates the Citizens Election Program, which amounts to fifty-eight thousandths of the two-year budget.

The State Elections Enforcement Commission, which oversees the program, sent a letter to Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Friday asking him to veto the budget because elimination of the clean election program is not a budget issue.
Immigrant advocates have always said that Dreamers deserve to have a voice in their own fate.

I definitely see the value in that  now that a group of these undocumented young people have used their voices to shout down Nancy Pelosi.

Angry Dreamers called out the House Minority Leader Monday in her own back yard of San Francisco for meeting in private with President Trump and allegedly working out a deal to protect them from deportation. In exchange, Democrats would support something they have long voted for: border security, as long as a wall is off the table.

Early Tuesday morning, my cellphone rang. My father had been reading the newspaper when he came across an article about Pelosis nightmare run-in with the Dreamers. As a lifelong Democrat, he was confused.

If Pelosi is trying to protect them and find a way for them to stay, why are they protesting her? he asked.

I bet a lot of people  in both parties  are asking the same question.

Ill tell you what I told my father. When you watch a video of the confrontation, its pretty clear that the Dreamers are worried that Pelosi  who was visibly shaken by the incident  is getting ready to sell them out in one of those back-room deals for which Washington is famous. They think she is a phony who doesnt care one way or another what happens to them. They call her a liar, and they accuse her of not doing enough to give them legal status when she had the gavel.

Pelosi served as House speaker from 2007 to 2011, and intentionally kept comprehensive immigration reform off the agenda with an assist from her top lieutenant, Rahm Emanuel, a member of Congress until 2009 and now mayor of Chicago.

All the Dreamers know is that Pelosi and the Democratic Party betrayed them, and that they are now papering over that betrayal by using Trump as a boogeyman. They know that Pelosi could have spared them the frightening moment theyre facing now that Trump has rescinded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and left them vulnerable to deportation. They also know that the Democratic leader has no credibility on deportations, since she did nothing while the Obama administration racked up a record number of removals as the deporter in chief.

You have to hand it to these kids. They may not be legal U.S. residents, but they have proved to be excellent judges of character. Because of their precarious legal status, they also pay close attention to the immigration debate. So in this legislative version of Three-Card Monte, theyre not fooled by the Democrats sleight of hand and always seem to know where the target card is.

These young people have figured out something that still eludes many partisans on the pro-immigrant left: Democrats have not done right by the Dreamers. This was no oversight. Its not that Democrats lacked the votes or had other legislative priorities. Instead, this was a deliberate calculation by the Democratic Party that it couldnt afford to adopt the Dreamers and get branded the amnesty party. Put simply, Democrats could have led on immigration but they didnt have the guts.

And its not just Pelosi and Emanuel who are guilty of playing games with this delicate issue. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer all failed the leadership test.

After I explained all this to my dad, he had a new appreciation for Dreamers. These rabble-rousers have a healthy skepticism that his generation of Latino Democrats lacked.

So what youre saying is that theyre smart, he said.

Yes, thats what Im saying. Thats another reason to do everything we can to keep them in this country, the only home they have ever known. Its also pretty solid evidence that conservatives are wrong if they think the Dreamers are Democrats in waiting. Theyre up for grabs.

Ornery. Outspoken. Strong-willed. Independent-minded. With just a touch of entitlement.

What do they call people like that? Answer: Americans.

ruben@rubennavarrette.com
Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis (L) and European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier talk to the media, ahead of Brexit talks in Brussels, Belgium September 25, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

BRUSSELS  The European Union ramped up pressure on Britain at a new round of Brexit talks Monday as it ruled out broadening the negotiations any time soon and warned that time is running out for Prime Minister Theresa May to clinch a deal.

Chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said he was "keen and eager" to hear how his British counterparts would translate May's Brexit speech last week into concrete proposals. But he said he had no mandate to discuss the two-year transition period that May has proposed to help ease Britain out of the EU.

"What counts now is that the government of the United Kingdom translates the entirety of the declarations of Theresa May into precise negotiating positions," Barnier, a former French government minister, told reporters. "It's time for clarity."On the proposed transition period, he said: "This point is not in my mandate at the moment." Barnier also warned that EU rules would apply if he is told to negotiate a phase-in period for after Britain's split becomes official in March 2019.

"The Union must decide whether this transition period is in its interests," Barnier said, suggesting that more delays are likely as EU leaders would have to decide when and how Barnier should handle any discussion of the issue.

EU leaders are scheduled to meet Oct 19-20 to assess whether Britain has made "sufficient progress" on the terms of the divorce arrangements for negotiations to move on to its future relations and trade with the bloc.

Britain says all issues are intertwined and should be discussed together.

"The UK will honor commitments we have made during the period of our membership, but it is obvious that reaching a conclusion on this issue can only be done in the context of an in accordance with a new deep and special partnership with the European Union," British negotiator David Davis said, as four days of talks got underway.

Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, but any deal must be sealed by October 2018 to leave time for parliaments to endorse it.

The Europeans are pessimistic about expanding the talks as little headway has been made on the key issues of Britain's financial settlement, the status of the Ireland-Northern Ireland border and the rights of EU citizens living in Britain.

Estonian deputy EU affairs minister Matti Maasikas, whose country holds the bloc's rotating presidency, also warned that time is running out.

"There has been some progress in the negotiations, but clear divergences remain in all the key issues," Maasikas said after chairing talks between European affairs and foreign ministers that Barnier attended Monday. "There is a lot of work to do, and time is of the essence."Raf Casert in Brussels contributed.

AP
Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio has debunked the allegations that he donated N1.4 billion to a commercial bank.

Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio has debunked the allegations that he donated N1.4 billion to a commercial bank.

Akpabio was reacting to recent claims by Chief Edet Nkpubre, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress that he was being shielded from probe by Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel.





He described it as baseless, infantile and an attempt to ridicule him and his successor.





Former commissioner for Information and Communications in Akpabios administration, Elder Aniekan Umanah, who spoke on behalf of the governor described Nkpubres allegations as laughable.

Said Umanah: I was part and parcel of that administration and I also had the privilege of serving in the two administrations. Whatever I say on this matter is verifiable.





The purported N1.4 billion alleged to have been a donation by the former governor is total falsehood, with no iota of truth whatsoever.





It was laughable that somebody of Nkpubres age could embark on a mischievous call, that the former governor should be investigated, based on a mere allegation, knowing full well that no sane government would donate state funds to a commercial bank, when in real practise, it should be the other way round.





I know where Nkpubre, former vice chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (South South) is coming from and why he is all out to drag the name of the former governor into the mud. Because he failed to secure the support and endorsement of the former governor, on his ill-fated ambition of becoming the deputy national chairman of the party, at the national convention, he must, therefore, bring Akpabio down at all costs.
Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has challenged his successor, Chief Willie Obiano to tell Anambrarians how he spent N75bn h...

Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has challenged his successor, Chief Willie Obiano to tell Anambrarians how he spent N75bn he left behind in office.

Obi said the governor should tell the people of Anambra State what he had done for them in almost four years, rather than using the non-existent demand for N7 billion as an excuse to hide his gross incompetence.





Valentine Obienyem, the Special Adviser to the former governor said that now was campaign time, but rather than tell the people of the state what he had done for them, Obiano was busy sponsoring people on different media to say he demanded N7 billion from him, which was entirely false.





He said, now that he has accepted that he did not give the N7 billion to anybody, he should go ahead and tell Anambra people what he used their money to do, bearing in mind that major projects in the state such as roads, Awka and Nnewi malls as well as Onitsha and Agulu Hotels, among others remain abandoned.





We know the governor has many questions to answer and cannot run away from them through blackmail. For instance, on the issue of the N75 billion Obi left for him, he tried to deny it by saying he met near cash, we went on and published the banks and account numbers where the money were and the bank certified statement of accounts, but they tactically kept quiet.





To refresh our minds, Obi left N2,139,951,400 billion in First Bank (Acc no. 2018779464) for Oko erosion; N4,909,576,925.98 billion in Sure-P Diamond account (0026290200); 1,782,568,032 billion in UBEC 1 Diamond account(0023484282); N2,101,864,766 billion UBEC 2 Diamond Account (0031151473); over N4 billion in many MDG accounts one of which was the N3,048,355,196 billion in Fidelity Bank (5030047097); over 35 billion Naira cash (set aside funds added) in all the banks.





Obi also left $156 million in Fidelity Bank ($56 million); Diamond Bank ($50 million); and Access Bank ($50 million).





If left as Anambras Future Growth Funds as conceived by Obi, the money with interest and accruals would have been about 200 billion Naira, but Gov. Obiano has sold all of them. In fact, it was one of the disagreements about the sale that led Mr. Oseloka Obaze to resign. Obiano should be busy telling us the status of these moneys rather than his current blackmail.





Now is also the time for Obiano to justify before Anambra people why he takes 1.2 billion Naira as security votes, which is biggest in Nigeria relative to income.





The statement said that what was curious was that within his first 6 months in office, he vired all the money in MDG account, with which schools and hospitals get monetary and development support to his security vote.





The statement further said that now was the time for Obiano to clear so many lies his administration has been dishing out to the people of the state, with the phantom $5 million ugu export as an example.





As a seasonal vegetable, at least ugu would be exported once every year, but now, going to two years, we do not hear about it again.





He recently told us that Anambra got the order to export 10 million tubers of yam, maybe he did not even realize that over 80% of yam consumed in Anambra State come from Benue and Taraba States.





He also said that Anambra is now producing over 200 metric tons of rice, when even Stines company sources rice from Ebonyi State, the statement added.
Jose Eduardo dos Santos's 38-year reign over Angola finally came to an end Tuesday when his hand-picked successor Joao Lourenco was inaugurated as president at a ceremony in Luanda.Lourenco read an oath in which he vowed "on my honour to devote myself" to the role of president, as he took power after the ruling MPLA party won last month's election.Dos Santos, who was at the ceremony but is reportedly in poor health, surprised many by announcing his retirement earlier this year, saying he would not be a candidate in the election.The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) has governed since Angola's hard-fought independence from Portugal in 1975, with Dos Santos taking power in 1979.The party won 61% of the vote in August, a sharp drop in support from the previous election in 2012 as the country suffers an economic crisis triggered by the fall in oil prices.Lourenco, until recently defence minister, has vowed to attract more foreign investment and said he wants to be recognised as a leader who brought an "economic miracle" to the southern African country.Though seldom seen in public, Dos Santos has been a looming presence in daily life for as long as most Angolans can remember, maintaining fierce control over the country throughout its devastating civil war and a short-lived oil boom.
A Chief Magistrates Court sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, has ordered the detention of 60 members of the Indigenous People o...

A Chief Magistrates Court sitting in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, has ordered the detention of 60 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) at the Afara Federal Prisons on Aba Road.The Nation gathered that the magistrate gave the order when their lawyer challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter, following the reading of the charges against them.The magistrate, who directed that the case file be transferred to the Department for Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice, adjourned the matter till October 25 for compliance and possible transfer to a High Court.By law, a high court has the jurisdiction to entertain the charges against the suspects.The IPOB members were among those arrested by security agents in Umuahia, Isiala Ngwa and other parts of the state capital during the clash between the Army and members of the separatist group.Police spokesman Geoffrey Ogbonna, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the IPOB members were arraigned on eight-count charges of conspiracy, terrorism, attempted murder, unlawful society and rioting.A chief magistrates court sitting in Aba North Local Government Area, presided over by Ogbonna Adiele, had ordered the remand of seven suspected IPOB members at the Aba Prison for a similar crime.The trial judge ordered that the case file be transferred to the DPP for advice.The matter will come up on September 27 for compliance to the courts directives.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Redeemers University, Ede, Prof. Zacheus Adeyewa, has said that the Federal Government is owing the institution the sum of $375,000, said to have been spent on research aimed at preventing the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the country in 2014.The VC said this at a pre-convocation press conference held to announce the ninth convocation ceremony of the university on Monday in Ede, Osun State.Adeyewa said it was unfair that private universities were not benefitting from the Tertiary Education Fund despite their contributions to the body of knowledge and the well-being of humanity.He said, We spent $375,000 during the Ebola crisis and the government has not returned the money to us. They say we are a private university, but they have not answered the question whether Ebola, Yellow fever and other infectious diseases are private.Why did they cheat us with this public, private dichotomy? Please, help us to tell them to refund our money. Our African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases has become the best rated among its peers in Africa through its profound research outputs, innovation and manpower development for the continent.We have become a continental powerhouse in the prevention, control and elimination of infectious diseases, such as Ebola and Lassa fever. Our team is not only the toast, but also the pacesetter for the other African Centers of Excellence. In this regard and to the glory of God, the World Bank has rated us as the university with the best research facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa.We have developed Rapid Test Kits that could detect Ebola and Lassa fever viruses within 10 minutes. Our Ebola Rapid Diagnostic test kit has been approved for use by the United States Food and a drug Administration and World Health Organisation.The vice chancellor said that 22 students of the university graduated with first class honours, while 145 made second class upper division and 203 made second class lower division out of 465 produced by the university.As part of the events lined up for the convocation, Adeyewa said the university would award a honorary Doctor of Management Science degress to Felix Ohiwerei in recognition of his significant contributions to corporate Nigeria through his exemplary leadership qualities.He added that a renowned historian, Prof. Toyin Falola, would also be conferred with another Doctor of Letters degress in recognition of his immense and unparalleled contributions to scholarship and transformation of the African continent.
The Biafra Zionists Federation, BZF, Tuesday, vowed that Nigerias Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Defence Staff,...

The Biafra Zionists Federation, BZF, Tuesday, vowed that Nigerias Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Minister of information, Lai Mohammed will end up in prison over the recent deployment of troops to Abia State.

The Army exercise code-named Operation Python Dance led to a confrontation between the military and the pro-Biafra agitators, resulting to reported death of some youths.





Speaking on the developments, the BZF leader, Barr. Benjamin Igwe Onwuka, who had earlier declared himself President of Biafra, said all the people involved in the deployment of troops to Aba and Umuahia will pay a heavy price over the deaths.





He equally scolded Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria, who he said was sabotaging the Biafra project, warning that if he did not retrace his steps, he would be chased out of Biafra land.





Onwuka, however, maintained that banning IPOB will not affect restoration of Biafra. It is a waste of time; IPOB just a group, Biafra is a country. You cannot ban a nation which came into being in May 1957. So, banning IPOB is just simple waste of their political time.





I said this because Biafra has already been recognized by the international community.





We all saw what happened at the just concluded UN General Assembly on September 22, where Biafrans were allowed to protest by the New York Government, but such was not the case with the Nigerian Government. Their rented protesters were denied access. So, this confirms our earlier statement that the US has since recognized Biafra, far back in 2013 by then President Barrack Obama.





On the army invasion of Abia State, the zionists said it is clearly a tragedy. It is clearly a military invasion; it has nothing to do with IPOB or Nnamdi Kanu. This is the North invading the East because of Biafra. I want to deeply condemn that act.





The attack on Biafran soil is an attack on all of us. The army is not supposed to be interfere in the internal security situation of the nation; they are not supposed to get involved in domestic security of the country. So, sending the army to Aba and Umuahia was with an ulterior motive.





Using Nnamdi Kanu and the IPOB to as a pretext to kill young men and women in in Abia and other parts of Igbo land, the North will have to pay for it. So, I condemn in totality the brutality of the army in the name f Operation Python Dance.





We, therefore, state clearly today that all those involved, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff and the Minister of information, will pay for these killings, They will all end up in ICC and then in prison.





Any one involved in this military force against un-armed agitators will never go scot-free. We are not only going to take them to the ICC but prosecute the matter to the end until they are made to pay dearly for it. This time around, they will not escape justice. They did it in 1967-1970 and went away with it but it wont happen this time. Britain and Saudi Arabia will not even save them.





For Lai Mohammed, can you see the lopsidedness in his argument? How can someone compare IPOB with herdsmen? These herdsmen have been killing people in their hundreds unhindered and that is why I insist that some Northern leaders are behind Boko Haram and herdsmen.





So, the statement from Lai Mohammed is rubbish and I am telling him today that he will face ICC over the killings in Abia.





We are as well calling on the Northern religious leaders, the Sultan of Sokoto and the Emir of Kano to call President Buhari and the Army Chiefs to order.





They should order them to withdraw these troops and rampaging herdsmen from Biafra land, he added.





On Fr. Mbaka, he said it is regrettable that our Church leaders, notable ones, instead of supporting Biafra, they are busy using words that do not in any way reflect what is happening. Look at the killings in Abia, have they said anything.





Go to South-Africa, Desmond Tutu, an ArchBishop was in in the vanguard fighting for the liberation of the people, but here in Biafra, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka and ArchBishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, and several others are campaigning against the overall interest of the Biafran people.





They cannot be supporting our opponents openly here in Biafra land. If they dont want to support Biafra, let them mind their business, let them face their duty of preaching the word of God, but involving themselves in attacking the people is very tragic.





The Zionists are are warning Ejike Mbaka that he is putting his adoration ministry on the line. All the clerics supporting these killings will be sent away from here by the Biafra government and we will take over that his adoration ground.





Attacking us and calling us names is unacceptable. People are being killed everyday, has any of them come out to speak against it? We have marked Mbaka as enemy of Biafra.
A former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, who is being tried for an alleged fraud of N4.9bn, has lost the bid to have the case transferred from Lagos to Abuja.The trial judge, Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Lagos, in a ruling on Tuesday, dismissed Fani-Kayodes application, seeking transfer, for lacking in merit.Contrary to arguments by Fani-Kayodes lawyer, Mr. Norrison Quakers (SAN), that the cause of action leading to the case took place in Abuja, the judge observed that parts of the alleged illegal transactions by Fani-Kayode leading to the charge took place in Lagos.Justice Aikawa noted, for instance, the allegation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that Fani-Kayode paid N30m cash to a printer, Olusegun Idowu, whose office is at Igbosere on Lagos Island.Besides, the judge noted that based on Fani-Kayodes request, the immediate-past Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, had earlier transferred the case from Justice Muslim Hassan of the same court, who was hearing it earlier, to the present judge, who is also in Lagos.Justice Aikawa held that if the CJ had found merit in the request to transfer the case from Lagos to Abuja, he would have done it after Justice Hassan withdrew from the case rather than transfer it to another judge in Lagos.In the final analysis, Justice Aikawa held, I am of the view that based on the facts and circumstances of this case, there is no justification for the transfer of this case to Abuja. The application lacks merit and is hereby dismissed.Fani-Kayodes lawyer, Quakers, had argued that the facts of the case showed that all the transactions, which his client carried out as the Director of Media and Publicity of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, for which he was charged, took place in Abuja.Besides, Quakers said Fani-Kayode was based in Abuja and had another fraud trial there, urging the court to transfer the case to Abuja for convenience.But in opposition to Quakers, the EFCC lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, had maintained that Fani-Kayode should be tried in Lagos because the instruments of the alleged illegal transactions for which he was being tried, including cheques and receipts, were recovered in Lagos.The financial institutions used in the transactions have their head offices in Lagos, Oyedepo said.He also pointed out to the judge that 13 out of the prosecutions 17 witnesses live in Lagos, adding that Fani-Kayodes application was a mere ploy to frustrate the case.Oyedepo informed Justice Aikawa that Fani-Kayode had earlier raised the same issue before Justice Hassan, to whom the case was first assigned.He said after Justice Hassan withdrew from the case based Fani-Kayode's claim that he would not get justice before the judge, the then CJ, Justice Auta, did not transfer the case to Abuja but re-assigned it to Justice Aikawa of the same court.The consequence of the alleged offence of money laundering is not limited to Abuja, but to the entire federation, Oyedepo had said.Justice Aikawa, in his ruling on Tuesday, upheld the arguments of the EFCC lawyer.In another ruling, the judge also admitted in evidence the receipts issued to the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation by the printer, Idowu, for a cash transaction of N30m.The case was adjourned till Wednesday for continuation of trial.Fani-Kayode is standing trial for the alleged N4.9bn fraud alongside former Minister of State for Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman; who was listed as the one defendant in the charge, one Danjuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Dimensions Limited.The 17 counts pressed against them border on conspiracy, unlawful retention of proceeds of theft and money laundering.Fani-Kayode, who was the Director of Publicity of ex-President Goodluck Jonathans presidential campaign organisation for the 2015 election, was accused of conspiring with the others to, directly and indirectly, retain various sums, which the EFCC claimed they ought to have reasonably known were proceeds of crime.In one of the counts, the defendants were accused of conspiring among themselves to indirectly retain the sum of N1,500, 000,000.00 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.The four were also accused of indirectly retaining N300m, N400m and N800m, all proceeds of corruption, according to EFCC.EFCC said they allegedly committed the offence between January 8 and March 25, 2015, ahead of the 2015 general election.
Oil prices hit a more than two-year high yesterday after major producers said the global market was on its way toward rebalancing, while ...

Oil prices hit a more than two-year high yesterday after major producers said the global market was on its way toward rebalancing, while Turkey threatened to cut oil flows from Iraqs Kurdistan region toward its ports.The November Brent crude futures contract was up $1.51, or 2.5 per cent, at $58.37 a barrel, its highest since July, 2015.United States (U.S.) West Texas Intermediate crude for November delivery rose $1.02, or two percent, to $51.68 a barrel, close to highs last seen in May.Its all driven by the idea that the production cut is starting to work and the rebalance is underway, said Gene McGillian, director of market research at Tradition Energy in New York.Even as both contracts rallied, concerns about U.S. production growth weighed on WTI, widening the spread between the two, he said.The discount of the WTI to Brent futures widened to $6.61, the widest since August 2015.The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia and several other producers have cut production by about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) since the begining of this year, helping to lift oil prices by about 15 per cent in the past three months.Meanwhile, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), yesterday said it was working to grow its equity production from180,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 300,000 bpd by 2018 and 400,000 bpd and 500,000 bpd in 2019 and 2020 respectively.NPDC is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).Its Managing Director, Mr. Yusuf Matashi, who set this targets in Benin, said the planned increase in production was due to ongoing transformation in the firm.Mr. Matashi said having attained the position of fifth largest exploration and production (E&P) firm in the Nigeria, the NPDC was poised to efficiently manage its portfolios to achieve the new target.The NPDC has 55 per cent equity in nine blocks of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 4, 26, 30, 34, 38, 40, 41, 42 and 55; Non-equity operations in three blocks of selected NNPC Joint Venture fields; 60 per cent participatory interest in four blocks of OMLs 60, 61, 62 and 63 and 100 per cent ownership of seven blocks of OMLs 11, 13, 64, 65, 66, 111 and 119. In a nutshell, the Company is involved in 29 concessions which comprises 22 OMLs and seven Oil Prospecting Leases, General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division at NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, quoted Matashi as saying in a statement yesterday.He said the oil firm had varied interests in seven deepwater concessions and successfully executed a Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) with communities in OMLs 30 and 34, adding that NPDC achieved a major feat by successfully drilling and completing five horizontal wells in nine months in OML 26, leading to production of an additional 7, 000 bpd.The MD said NPDC had successfully turnaround OML 40 asset from 0 bpd to 12, 000 bpd which underlined the companys rising profile as the seventh largest owner and operator of Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) in Nigeria, with FPSO Mystra having 1.03 million of crude producibility.Mr. Matashi added that NPDC also carried out some intervention activities which led to the peak production of approximately 10,000 bpd in OML 65 in June, 2017.He said the NPDC was the biggest and largest gas producer in the country and was also the highest supplier of gas to the domestic market.NPDC aggressive gas pursuit since 2009 has also raised the companys profile as the highest single supplier of gas to the domestic market with an average of 700 million standard cubic feet per day. The Utorogu Non-Associated Gas 11 plant was also completed recently adding 150 mmscfd; the Oredo 2 gas plant also adds 100 mmscfd and the successful re-entry of Odidi which led to an addition of 40 mmscfd of gas indeed represents a major achievement for the company and a step forward to achieving NPDCs aspiration to become a serious global player in the E & P industry, Mr. Matashi averred.The MD maintained that the NPDC as a responsible and responsive company had awarded scholarship to over 6,000 indigent members of its host communities which traversed host states, renovated and built block of classrooms, provided classroom furnitureTurkey has said it could cut off a pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the global market, putting more pressure on the Kurdish autonomous region over its independence referendum.The Iraqi government does not recognise the referendum and has called on foreign countries to stop importing Kurdish crude oil.If this boycott call proves successful, a good 500,000 fewer barrels of crude oil per day would reach the market, Commerzbank said in a note.Kuwaiti Oil Minister Essam al-Marzouq, who chaired Fridays meeting in Vienna of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, said output curbs were helping to cut global crude inventories to their five-year average, OPECs stated target.Russias energy minister said no decision on extending output curbs beyond the end of March was expected before January, although other ministers suggested such a decision could be taken before the end of this year.Iran expects to maintain overall crude and condensate exports at around 2.6 million bpd for the rest of this year, a senior official from the countrys state oil company said.The energy minister from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said the countrys compliance with OPECs supply cuts was 100 per cent.Nigeria is pumping below its agreed output cap, its oil minister, Ibe Kachikwu said.
The Plateau state Government House was on Tuesday thrown into mourning following the death of Dr. Wummen Tsenba Bako, Governor Simon Lalongs younger brother.Although details of his death were still sketchy, the deceased was a senior lecturer in the Department of Management and Accounting at the University of Jos.The deceased was also said to be a Fellow of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.A family source who did not want to be quoted confirmed the death of Bako, saying he died last night in Jos after a protracted illness; he has been sick for more than one year and had been on leave of absence at UNIJOS.Bako was said to be a member of Plateau State Economic and Financial Advisory Team before falling ill.When contacted, Lalongs Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity), Mark Longyen, told our correspondent to await official statement from Government House.However, the chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (UNIJOS chapter), Dr. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the death saying, Yes, His Excellency, the governor lost his brother. I just spoke with our (ASUU) representative in his Faculty. May his soul rest in peace.Also, the Plateau State chapter of All Progressives Congress Youth Forum in a condolence message by its chairman, Pius Tongmann, said it received the news of Bakos death with shock and dismay.He said, How can our hearts be at rest when a pillar of hope to so many passed on without saying goodbye? The leadership and entire members of APC Youth Forum wish to commiserate and convey its heartfelt condolence to Plateau state governor, Simon Bako Lalong, the entire Bako family, Goemai nation, staff members of UNIJOS, members of ANAN and ICAN, friends and well-wishers of the deceased.We pray that God Almighty will comfort you all in His special way. Take heart and find solace in Him alone. May his soul rest in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ, until we meet to part no more.
Around 50 experts and scholars from universities, research institutes, think tanks, and government institutions in China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy have attended the Governance Modernization Seminar in London.

The event, which was co-hosted by Beijing Normal University's China Academy of Social Management and by the China Institute within the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies, carried the theme "Social Governance Modernization: New Trends and New Responses".

Delegates discussed theoretical and practical issues and topics included the Belt and Road Initiative, the internet community, population aging, government decision-making, and public service, all in relation to social governance.

Wei Liqun, a former director of the Research Office of the State Council and dean of the China Academy of Social Management, delivered the keynote speech, in which he said human society is faced with many serious challenges and risks, in particular, from the potential changes that will be brought about by "informationization" and "internet plus".

"Strengthening and innovating social governance, and improving the scientific and modern level of social governance are urgent tasks for human society and all countries in the world," he said.

Jin Xu, a minister counselor at China's UK embassy, said this year marks the 45th anniversary of ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations and the fifth anniversary of the high-level cultural exchange mechanism between China and the UK.

"In such context, it is of vital importance to deepen high-level academic exchanges in economic and social areas between the two," Jin said. "Such institutionalized exchanges and cooperation have now gone beyond pure academic exchanges, but have forged a diverse open platform."

During the latest Sino-UK People-to-People Dialogue, high-level officials from both countries agreed that social equity would be a new theme of cooperation under the new global partnership.

Christ Pallet, research analyst at the Asia Pacific Directorate within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said the conference was one of the first steps in taking this forward.
The Ondo State Police Command on Sunday at about 2pm arrested a wanted Boko Haram Terrorist, Idris Ibrahim Babawo.The terrorist, 42, is also known as Idoko and Nagada.He is believed to be on serial number 165 on the wanted Boko Haram terrorist's list.He was handed over to the 32 Brigade, 2 Division, Nigerian Army at about 2pm on Monday by the police.Preliminary investigation, according to the Nigerian Army, showed that the terrorist kingpin hails from Chinade village, Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State.Babawo, according to available information, escaped from the North East due to military onslaught on the terrorists with a view to evade arrest and prosecution.
The states in the North controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday, at the public hearing organised by the party on the restructuring in the country, agreed that there was the need for states and local government areas to have more powers.According to them, this is necessary because the two constituent units are the closest to the people, adding that there was the need for devolution of power.However, the states disagreed on the restructuring of the country, with some saying it is not necessary.North-WestThe All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, on Monday, agreed to support devolution of power in the country, saying the Federal Government should transfer some aspects of health, transport, fire service, among others, to the states while it focuses on defence, foreign affairs, security and currency.This was their position at the APC North-West zonal public hearing held in Sokoto, the Sokoto State capital, on Monday.Sokoto delegates position, as presented by former deputy governor, Chiso Abdullahi, rejected the creation of new states, saying many states in the country at the moment are not viable.They advocated that the presidential system and fiscal federalism should be maintained as enshrined in the constitution while power rotation and zoning should be maintained to foster national unity.They also canvassed for a unicameral legislature while traditional institutions should be given advisory role in the constitution.They also stated that revenue allocation should be shared on the basis of 43 per cent for the Federal Government, 35 per cent for states and 23 per cent for local government councils.Kebbi State, on the other hand, rejected the creation of new states and bicameral legislature while insisting that zoning should be practised betweenNorth and SouthKebbi also advocated a revenue-sharing formula with Federal Government having 40 per cent, states 40 per cent and local government areas, 20 per cent.It also canvassed for devolution of powers whereby the Federal Government should transfer some aspects that will be better handled by the states.Zamfara State APC, at the meeting, insisted that the status quo should be maintained on issues of state creation, derivation, devolution of power, presidential system of government and land tenure system.Speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of the APC Restructuring Committee for North-west and Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong, said all the views collated would be taken back to the APC national headquarters.At the end of the exercise, all the views collated will be analysed and this will form the opinion of the APC and the Federal Government, he said.In his remarks, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, said the aim of the public hearing was to collate views of the people on how the country should be restructured and governed.He said this would enable the party to have better-informed position on the issue whenever it is making its presentation.Tambuwal commended the APC for its moves to get feedback from the people on the way the country should be governed.Also speaking, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State said the North would not be stampeded into accepting other peoples agenda but would only be guided by reason.He described the meeting as apt, saying APC was committed to true federalism as enshrined in the manifesto of the party.The Zamfara State governor, Abdulazeez Yari, who was represented by the deputy governor, Ibrahim Wakala, said the state would always be in support the unity of Nigeria.North-EastHowever, three governors of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the North- East region have expressed diverse views over the current agitation for restructuring of the country.The governors are those of Bauchi, Borno and Yobe States who spoke at the public hearing on true federalism organised by the National Secretariat of the APC for the North-East held in Bauchi, on Monday.While the Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, stressed the need for a national consensus on restructuring in order to meet the yearning and aspirations of Nigerians, the Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, was of the view that there is no need for restructuring but a harder stance on the ongoing fight against corruption and injustice in the country.The Yobe State governor, Ibrahim Geidam, on his part, called for amendment of the 1999 Constitution by National Assembly.Governor Abubakar, represented by his deputy, Nuhu Gidado, states that we believe in one united Nigeria because we do not subscribe to breakup, it is better to remain as one country. Also, any position to be taken on restructuring must be in tandem with the peoples views in line with APC manifesto and our change agenda.The Bauchi State governor further called for devolution of power from the exclusive list by the Federal Government to the states and local government in the areas of agriculture and education.As for Governor Shetima, Nigeria needs honest leaders who are interested in the plight of the people in fighting corruption, adding that my opinion and the opinion of Borno State government is that the present federalism be maintained and build strong institutions that will stand a test of time.Shetima, who was also represented by the Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Abdukarim Lawal, said that the current restructuring agitation was awoken by the injustice and corrupt practices of the previous Peoples Democratic Party led administration which ruled the country for 16 years.He commended President Mohammed Buhari for his fight against corruption, saying that it would go a long way in the restructuring of the country.Also, the Yobe State governor, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Government House, Damaturu, Lawal Hassan, said that agitation of restructuring revolved around constitution amendment.He said all we need in Nigeria is good governance, hence the need for National Assembly to amend our constitution.In his remarks, the leader of the public hearing in the North-East, Professor Oseirhemen Osunbor, said that the policy of the party in resolving issues on restructuring is to listen to the people and engage them in the debates.Osumbor, a one-time Edo State governor, said that the key issues to be address at the public hearing are creation/merger of states, derivation principle, devolution of power and federation units.Other issues include fiscal federalism and revenue allocation, form of government, independent candidacy, land tenure system, local government autonomy, power sharing and rotation, resource control and type of legislature.North-CentralDevolution of power in favour of states of the federation formed the highest point of aggregated views among stakeholders at the North-Central zonal public meeting on true federalism.Stakeholders at the meeting in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Monday, made up of traditional rulers, members of organised labour unions, the business community, religious and ethnic groups, were led by a member of the committee, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State.Aside all other issues such as fiscal federalism, local government autonomy, power-sharing, land tenure, creation of states and independent candidacy, raised by the people, the speakers at the meeting agreed that power at the centre should be decentralised.The agreement was that states and local governments were closer to the people, thus more responsibility should be given to the states and local government areas of the country for effective delivery of democratic dividends.They also said that the present 52 per cent of the revenue allocation being enjoyed by the Federal Government should be reduced to either 40 and 30 pet cent in favour both states and local government that were expected to get more.Another common view was that the countrys democracy was ripe for independent candidacy, while majority of the speakers said that there was no need for creation of more states.Speaking at the meeting, the Niger APC chairman, Mr. Jubril Imam, said that financial cost of maintaining federal legislature was too much, suggesting that remuneration of legislators should be on sitting arrangement.In his speech, Governor Aregbesola said that the public meeting on true federalism was the first conscious effort by any political party in the country aimed to aggregate views on how Nigerians should live together.The governor, who called on people to support the APC programme, said that it would be wrong to impose views on Nigerians stressing that freedom to chart own course was very important.Also speaking, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State called for special focus on the political economy in the quest for true federalism in Nigeria in order to ensure class elevation and egalitarianism.The governor, who said that the core of the current agitation for true federalism or restructuring was a drive towards redistributing resources in an equitable manner.This dialogue should explore ways of ensuring the greatest good for the greatest number of our people. That, to me, is what we must address our minds to work within the context of our federation or any other structure that we may come up with.Governor Ahmed said that any structure that meets the economic and political aspirations of the majority of citizens would be welcomed.
The leadership of the organised labour in Kogi State have alleged of threats to their lives over the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by civil servants in the state.This was contained in a statement signed by secretaries of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Olakunle Faniyi; Trade Union Congress (TUC); Comrade Kolawole James and their Joint Public Services Negotiating Council (JPSNC) counterpart, Comrade Isah Abubakar.The statement alleged that agents of the State Government made up of armed thugs and some overzealous security agents had been on their trail.The missions of these agents are either to maim or cause bodily harm on the leaders for their role in the successful strike action that has brought government business to a halt through the State, the statement added.It pointed out that the Government cannot be underrated when it comes to staging state violence based on the recent activities of sponsored thugs that attacked the State House of Assembly when honorable members of the House were beaten black and blue under the full glare of security agents who looked the other way.The statement drew the attention of the State commissioner of Police and the Director, Department of State Services, to take steps that would forestall their operatives being used as pawn in the hands of the State Government to molest innocent and law abiding citizens of the State.On the fake stories trending on some national dailies, the strike called by the organised labour has recorded 100% success wondering how some national dailies would publish fake stories circulated by Government agents that the workers defied the directives of the Union to embark on strike, it noted.The statement commended workers in the State for their 100% compliance with the strike directive as it urged them to ignore such propaganda machine of the State Government and any form of intimidation.We call on workers to remain prayerful, law abiding and wait for further directives from organised labour, the almighty God that has been sustaining many of our members without salaries for 21 month would still protect us through this turbulent period, they added.
Edinson Cavani asked Neymar if he thought he was Lionel Messi, when the Brazilian walked into Paris Saint-Germains dressing room for the first time, emerging report has revealed.Cavani and the Brazilian dont see eye-to-eye, after their recent squabble over penalty and free-kick taking responsibilities. But it seems their first exchange wasnt much better either.According to Spanish newspaper, El Pais, the Uruguay striker talked down on Neymar, following his world-record transfer from Barcelona.And who is this? Do you think youre (Lionel) Messi?, the striker reportedly asked, when Neymar first entered the dressing room.Whether Cavani was joking or was intending to insult the new arrival remains unclear, especially since Neymar was seemingly left Camp Nou, to escape the shadow of Messi.
MONMOUTH COUNTY -- Add Fort Monmouth to the list of places throwing its hat into the crowded ring vying for Amazon's planned second headquarters and the potential for 50,000 jobs.

Though Fort Monmouth has already leased half of its available 1,100 acres, officials there say it has room in Oceanport and Tinton Falls to house the e-commerce giant, according to a report on APP.com.

Amazon wants to build a second headquarters -- known as HQ2 -- to complement its original location in Seattle.

Fort Monmouth's chances are slim as about 50 cities have expressed interest in submitting a bid to Amazon by the Oct. 19 deadline.

Its odds of even being New Jersey's candidate are not that great either. The New Jersey Partnership for Action is handling the state's bid after getting feedback from all 21 counties. The partnership is comprised of business groups and state agencies.

Officials in Bayonne, Salem County and Mercer County among other spots all say they'd be the ideal spot.

Amazon says it would require up to 500,000 square-feet of space. In time, the company says the lucky location could grow to 8 million square feet beyond 2027.

Amazon said it expects eventually to invest as much as $5 billion in whichever location it chooses. The company said it wants to be in an urban or suburban location with access to mass transit as well as enjoy proximity to an international airport and universities.

Fort Monmouth closed in 2011, shifting more than 5,400 jobs to Maryland.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- A 31-year-old Irvington man was sentenced to 4 years in prison Monday, after admitting he shared pictures of children engaged in sex acts, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced.

Kevin Jones-Ward had pleaded guilty to a single count of endangering the welfare of a child on July 26, after investigators determined he had shared more than 25 images depicting the sexual exploitation of children, Laurino said.

Jones-Ward was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Michael A. Petrolle in Newark.

Jones-Ward was arrested on June 22, 2016, following an investigation by the prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit and the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Laurino said.

The investigation focused on file-sharing programs used to distribute sexually explicit images of children. Laurino said officers executed a search warrant at Jones-Ward's home, seizing several devices later found to contain illicit files.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Jones-Ward will be placed on lifetime parole supervision and must register as a sex offender under Megan's Law, Laurino said.

A woman who answered the phone at Jones-Ward's home said she had no comment on his sentencing and hung up. A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office did not have the name of Jones-Ward's lawyer.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- A Staten Island man on Tuesday admitted to his scheme to distribute more than $2.5 million in counterfeit UGG brand boots that were shipped to the Port of Newark, federal officials said.

Shi Wei Zheng, 42, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to one count of trafficking counterfeit goods, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Between September 2016 and February 2017, Zheng received shipping container numbers from someone in another country that specified at least three containers loaded with the knock-off UGG boots, court documents and authorities said.

Zheng told his workers to remove the containers before they could be checked by customs officers and ordered the goods be distributed to others, who would peddle the merchandise in New Jersey and other areas, according to court papers.

Authorities intercepted the containers and discovered the counterfeit footwear, prosecutors said. Zheng was not authorized to import real or fake UGG merchandise.

Documents in the case show Zheng trafficked more than 15,000 pairs of the phony UGG boots and he was paid more than $50,000 for delivering the containers.

Zheng faces a maximum possible 10-year prison term and a $2 million fine when he is sentenced early next year.

In a statement, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey William E. Fitzpatrick credited agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations branch for the probe.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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By Karen Yi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Abi de la Paz de la Cruz, 3, holds a gas can as she waits in line with her family, to get fuel from a gas station, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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NEWARK - They each shared stories of a family member they hadn't heard from, a relative who lost property or drove 40 minutes to find a small pocket of cell phone reception.

For the city of Newark, Hurricane Maria's devastation on Puerto Rico was personal. On Monday, Newark's elected leaders joined forces with community organizations and the American Red Cross promising to help rebuild the island and its people.

"There's a lot of anxiousness around where our family members and friends are," North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said, adding that he had not been able to speak to two of his uncles on the island. "The city of Newark has the largest representation of Puerto Ricans in the entire state of New Jersey. We're together in times of crisis, we're together when it matters. We're going to be together to ensure that Puerto Rico gets the support it needs."

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Nearly one week after hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico, residents are still trying to get the basics of food, water, gas, and money from banks. Much of the damage done was to electrical wires, fallen trees, and flattened vegetation, in addition to home wooden roofs torn off. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Two back-to-back events will be held in Newark next weekend to raise funds and collect donations for Puerto Rico.

On Oct. 7, there will be a benefit concert from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 870 Mount Prospect Ave. On Oct. 8, the city will host a fundraiser with the American Red Cross from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Flamboyan Manor at 147 Verona Avenue. The goal is to raise $100,000.

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"When one of us hurt, all of us hurt," Mayor Ras Baraka said during Monday's press conference at City Hall to announce the collaboration. "It is our duty, our responsibility, our job to make sure that our family, our neighbors, our city is OK."

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, and Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura also addressed the crowd of community groups and supporters.

"Newark, Essex County and the state of New Jersey stand alongside every single pueblo, every single family that's lost their home, every singe school that may be closed," Ruiz said. "When one community bleeds, we all bleed and when one person needs to rise, we all rise behind him."

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Hundreds of San Juan residents have taken shelter at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, until Hurricane Maria passes. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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Hurricane Maria to brush N.C. coast before sharp turn out to sea

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After five hours in line, we got gas. Good thing because they close at 6:30 and the curfew begins at 7. pic.twitter.com/B1GjxUwEJ5  Justin E. Auciello (@auciello) September 25, 2017

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Schools Superintendent Christopher Cerf announced all 64 public schools would serve as clothing drop-off centers.

"This is part of education, we want our students to feel that they are part of a world community," he said.

The city's firehouses and police precinct will also serve as donation drop-off centers.

"Rest assured that resources will go directly to hurricane relief efforts," Baraka said.

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A damaged home is seen as people deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria on September 25, 2017 in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. Maria left widespread damage across Puerto Rico, with virtually the whole island without power or cell service. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Hurricane Maria wiped out power to the entire island of 3.5 million people. Power is not expected to be restored for months. The storm ripped off roofs, brought torrents of rain and flooding and cut off communication to most parts of the island. Recovery is just beginning.

"Whether we agree or disagree with each other, we are coming together because it is important," said Councilman-At-Large Luis Quintana, who had an aunt evacuated from her home and a sister whom he struggled to communicate with in the wake of the storm.

For more information on Saturday's benefit concert call 973-991-4508. Suggested donations include: toiletries, medical supplies, food and water supplies and baby and senior-specific items. Checks can be made to La Liga Roberto Clemente specifying the donation is for the Hurricane Maria Relief Fund.

At Sunday's fundraiser, all checks can be made payable to American Red Cross/Hurricane Maria/Puerto Rico.

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Jose Garcia Vicente walks through rubble of his destroyed home, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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In this Sept. 24, 2017, photo, National Guard Soldiers arrive at Barrio Obrero in Santurce to distribute water and food among those affected by the passage of Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Federal aid is racing to stem a growing humanitarian crisis in towns left without fresh water, fuel, electricity or phone service by the hurricane. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

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Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.
UPDATE: Nursing home employee killed outside work in a hit and run

NORTH BERGEN -- Authorities are looking for a driver who struck and killed a woman at a bus stop in front of Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center on Tuesday morning.

The SUV hit the woman around 6:30 a.m. along River Road and fled, authorities said. Traffic is being detoured around the scene.

The driver abandoned the SUV and fled the scene. The Hudson County Sheriff's Office, North Bergen Police Department and the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor are investigating.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
September 26, 2017 President Trump's Blast at Iran in His U.N. Speech Was Welcome, But Will He Back It with Action? Dear Friend of FLAME: Before we consider the President's remarks about Iran in his U.N. speech last week, let me take a moment to wish you a Shanah Tovaha happy Jewish New Year. In the face of formidable challenges currently confronting the United States and Israel, may this coming year be a blessing to you, your family, America, and the Jewish State. In Mr. Trump's U.N. speech, we at FLAME were encouraged by his deservedly harsh criticism of the Islamic Republic as a nation that "speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room." Of the Iran Nuclear Deal, the President vowed that "we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program "which the deal specifically does. He capped these comments calling the deal "an embarrassment." Finally, President Trump said "Iran's government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people, and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors ." This rhetoric is a refreshing change from the last administration, which tolerated Iran's aggression in missile development and its building of terrorist military infrastructure in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, all for the sake of doing the Nuclear Deal essentially an approved pathway for Iran to acquire nuclear arms in 10 or so years. The question now is, what will the Trump administration do concretely to blunt the negative effects of the Nuclear Deal and restrain Iran's headlong dash to military hegemony in the Middle East Israel's neighborhood-and beyond? It won't be easy or cheapand it most likely won't be popular with a lot of our European allies. In recent FLAME Hotline issues, we've highlighted the imminent danger Iran poses to Israel as the Islamic Republic continues building a "land bridge" from its national territory in the east, through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to the Mediterranean Seabringing the world's most belligerent state sponsor of terrorism right to Israel's northern borders . In this week's Hotline (below), we feature a short, but pithy opinion piece by the editorial board of the Washington Postwritten a few days before the U.N. General assemblywhich praises Israel's devastating attack several weeks ago on a Syrian weapons depot used to manufacture chemical and other weapons. The Post expresses hope that Israel's bold, definitive use of force will inspire President Trump to consider similar measures to halt Iran's march west through sovereignthough unstablenations, in its effort to colonize a broad swath of the region. The op-ed calls on Mr. Trump to recognize the huge threat Iranian schemes in Syria pose to the U.S . . . and to Israel. We couldn't agree more. ISIS is a dramatically lesser and daily decreasingproblem in the Middle East compared with the burly, well-funded, expansionist Iran. We hope the Post editorialand the support of FLAME and voters like youhelp fortify the President for difficult steps he must take against Iran in the coming months. I hope you'll also quickly review the P.S. immediately below, which describes FLAME's long-running hasbarah campaign to stop the U.S. Congress from funding Palestinian terrorism. If you haven't yet, please email and call your U.S. Senators to encourage their vote for the Taylor Force Act. Go right now to the U.S. Senate directory and choose your state: Your Senators, as well as their email address and phone numbers will appear. Please use bothit's one thing you can do to support Israel today. Best regards, Jim Sinkinson

President, Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME) P.S. Did you know: By subsidizing the corrupt Palestinian Authority (P.A.) with aid of some $450 million taxpayer dollars a year, the U.S. is also funding the P.A.'s program of paying salaries to Palestinian terrorists who have killed innocent Americans and Israelis? In order to make Americansespecially college and university studentsaware of this Palestinian practice of rewarding jihadi assailants and murderers with U.S. funds, FLAME has recently been publishing a new position paper: "U.S. Funds Palestinian Terrorism" This paid editorial has appeared in magazines and newspapers, including college newspapers, with a combined readership of some 10 million people. In addition, it is being sent to every member of the U.S. Congress and President Trump. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel's behalf is critical, I urge you to support us. Remember: FLAME's powerful ability to influence public opinionand U.S. support of Israelcomes from individuals like you, one by one. I hope you'll consider giving a donation now, as you're ablewith $500, $250, $100, or even $18. (Remember, your donation to FLAME is tax deductible.) To donate online, just go to donate now. Now more than ever we need your support to ensure that the American people and the U.S. Congress end our support of blatantly anti-Semitic, global jihadist organizations. As of today, more than 15,000 Israel supporters receive the FLAME Hotline at no charge every week. If you're not yet a subscriber, won't you join us in receiving these timely updates, so you can more effectively tell the truth about Israel ? Just go to free subscription Israel's strike in Syria should be a wake-up call for Trump By Editorial Board , Washington Post, September 14, 2017

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu says he's looking forward to meeting "my friend" President Trump next week at the United Nations. But the warm feelings might not be wholehearted. Israel's leaders are deeply disturbed these days by what they see as a mounting threat from Iran and its proxies in Syriaand by the reluctance of the Trump administration to do anything about it. The gulf between the two allies was made clear last week when, on the same day Israel carried out an audacious bombing raid on a Syrian military facility, Mr. Trump declared at a news conference that "we have very little to do with Syria other than killing ISIS." From Mr. Netanyahu's point of view, that's exactly the problem. The Israeli leader has spoken out in recent weeks against Iran's steps toward "turning Syria into a base of military entrenchment," including the construction of sites to build sophisticated guided missiles for possible use against Israel and its attempt to consolidate control over a land corridor stretching across Syria to Lebanon. He has objected to a cease-fire brokered by Russia and the United States in southern Syria that, Israel says, allows Iranian-backed forces to hold on to positions too close to Israel's border. And he has said that the international deal limiting Iran's nuclear activities should be scrapped or revised. Throughout the Syrian civil war, Israel has quietly carried out strikes to stop Iran's principal proxy in the region, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, from acquiring advanced weapons and to prevent Iran's forces from advancing too far south. According to Israel's Air Force chief, there have been close to 100 such missions. But the Sept. 7 attack was something new. It targeted not a warehouse or convoy but one of the Syrian missile production facilities Mr. Netanyahu referred to, on a base that also was reportedly used for the manufacture of chemical weapons and the barrel bombs used by the regime of Bashar al-Assad against civilians. If it slows the production of those deadly weapons, Israel's attack will have done a service for humanity as well as itself. It also should have served as a wake-up call for the Trump administration. Mr. Trump has been slow to recognize that the United States has vital interests in Syria beyond eliminating the Islamic Stateand that those interests don't coincide with those of Russia, which has been working in tandem with Iran. By expanding into Syria, Iran is escalating what is already a major threat to Israel. Since the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, Tehran has supplied its client with an arsenal of up to 150,000 rockets, according to Israeli sources. Adding precision missiles to that, as well as a new front along the Golan Heights, could make another war inevitableone that could become a direct conflict between Israel and Iran. We don't believe the Trump administration should rupture the nuclear deal, which has restrained Iran's dangerous stockpiling of enriched uranium. But the United States should be taking its own steps to block the Iranian "entrenchment" in Syria that Mr. Netanyahu spoke of. Diplomacy might achieve some of that, but military steps should not be ruled out.

HOME SUBSCRIBE DONATE PR FOR ISRAEL HOTLINE ARCHIVE ABOUT CONTACT US THIS MONTH'S AD APPEARED IN PUBLICATIONS REACHING 10 MILLION READERS IF YOU SUPPORT PUBLISHING FLAME'S BOLD PR MESSAGES, PLEASE HELP US!! FLAME is the only organization that defends Israel with paid editorial hasbarah messages placed in media nationwide every month: The dire threats from Iran, Hamas and Hizbollah, the injustice of BDS, Palestinian anti-Semitism and more. If you support a bold voice that tells the truth about Israel in American media, please donate now. FLAME'S WEEKLY HOTLINE E-NEWSLETTER FLAME's Hotline e-newsletter keeps you up to date on the most important pro-Israel advocacy issues and features our choice of the week's most informative and thought-provoking article on Israel and the Middle East. If you only subscribe to one pro-Israel news service, make it the FLAME Hotline.
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The study looks at two smaller-scale projects that are in some ways predecessors to the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, the $2 billion plan to slow land loss erasing Louisiana's coast. Construction on that project could begin as early as next year, while a similar one on the opposite side of the river known as the Mid-Breton Diversion could follow.
Deer harvested last year in southeast Nebraska tested positive for chronic wasting disease, meaning the illness is likely to be found in southwest Iowa herds as well.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is holding three additional meetings in October for deer hunters in western Iowa to learn about the disease. These are being added to previously scheduled meetings this week, according to a DNR press release.

Hunters should plan to attend one of the following sessions:

 Today, 6:30 p.m.  Missouri Valley Public Library, 420 E. Huron St., Missouri Valley

 Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m.  AHSTW High School cafeteria, 768 S. Maple St., Avoca

 Oct. 10, 2 p.m.  United Faith Church, 1975 Highway 275, Sidney.

 Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m.  Bass Pro Shops Green Room, 2901 Bass Pro Drive, Council Bluffs

The meetings will be coordinated by Terry Haindfield, a DNR wildlife biologist, who drew crowds of up to 300 people in meetings last year in northeast Iowa.

We want people to come to these meetings, ask their questions, hear the concerns from other hunters, Haindfield said in the release. Deer hunting is an important tradition and, for some, a large part of their identity. It is also important to us and we need to work together to combat this disease. Our goal is to provide quality deer hunting for future generations.

The DNR has increased surveillance sampling of deers from Fremont to Woodbury Counties. At the meetings, the department will share information on chronic wasting disease and ask deer hunters for help in providing sample tissue during the upcoming fall and winter deer seasons.

The disease was first found in wild deer in Iowas Allamakee County in 2013. The DNR said in a release that its worked to determine the extent of the disease. So far this year, 18 deer have tested positive in northeast Iowa, primarily in Allamakee County.

Haindfield said hunters can help to stop or slow the spread of chronic wasting disease by providing samples of hunter-harvested deer to the DNR, which has a goal of collecting 4,500 samples.

The release said the DNR has been testing in Pottawattamie, Cerro Gordo and Davis Counties following positive tests from captive facilities. The disease has been found in every state around Iowa as well, with testing efforts focused in northeast and eastern Iowa near Wisconsin and Illinois as well as south-central Iowa near Missouri.

Chronic wasting disease is part of the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. (The bovine form of spongiform encephalopathies is often called Mad Cow Disease, and in sheep and goats its called scrapie.)

The disease attacks the brain of infected deer and elk, causing the animal to lose weight, display abnormal behavior, lose bodily functions and die. Its always fatal to infected animals.
WASHINGTON  Conservative Sen. Rand Paul remained opposed Monday to the Republican bill repealing the Obama health care law despite fresh revisions, darkening White House and GOP leaders' fading hopes of staving off defeat in a Senate showdown this week.

Angry, yelling demonstrators forced the Republican-led Senate Finance Committee to briefly delay the chamber's first and only hearing on the controversial issue. Police carried some protesters out of the hearing room and rolled out others in wheelchairs as scores chanted, "No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty."

"If you want a hearing, you better shut up," panel Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, as the noise erupted.

Top Republicans had amended their measure overnight, adding billions of extra dollars for states and easing coverage requirements under President Barack Obama's statute to win over wavering GOP senators. Paul, R-Ky., had opposed the earlier version of the bill, saying it spent too much money.

Asked Monday if Paul's position had changed, spokesman Sergio Gor provided a document listing three demands. It said the "primary" one was a "significant" reduction in $1 trillion in spending under Obama's 2010 overhaul. Paul also wants elimination of requirements that insurers cover specified medical services and other coverage mandates, and establishment of "association" health plans consumers could join to pay lower prices.

"That's the only way he gets to a yes," Gor said in an email.

Paul's opposition doused the hopes of White House officials who'd privately expressed optimism Paul might come aboard. They said Trump and his advisers have been in regular touch with the Kentucky senator.

Facing solid Democratic opposition and a slender 52-48 Senate majority, Republicans will lose if three GOP senators stray from the bill.

GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona has said he's an opponent and Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday he was against it. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins seems likely to do the same. Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski is undecided but had opposed earlier GOP bills dismantling Obama's statute that the Senate rejected in July.

A vote must occur this week for Republicans to have any chance of prevailing with their narrow margin. Next Sunday, protections expire against a Democratic filibuster, bill-killing delays that Republicans lack the votes to overcome.

President Donald Trump blistered McCain for his decisive July vote killing an earlier Republican effort to erase the 2010 law in his latest attack on fellow Republicans over the party's sputtering health care drive. McCain returned to the Senate from a brain cancer diagnosis and in a dramatic post-midnight roll call cast a stunning, third GOP vote against that measure.

Trump called that "a tremendous slap in the face of the Republican party" in a call to the "Rick & Bubba Show," an Alabama-based talk radio program.

"Without John McCain, we already have the health care," Trump said.

Republicans have pinned their last hopes on a measure by GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and South Carolina's Lindsey Graham.

It would eliminate Obama's expansion of Medicaid and subsidies the law provides millions to reduce their insurance costs. Instead, block grants would be given to states with few strings on how the money would be spent.

The updated measure would add $14.5 billion and mean added funds for the home states of Murkowski, McCain, Paul, Collins and Cruz.

The revamped proposal gives states more freedom to charge higher premiums for older and seriously ill people and to sell skimpy, lower-cost policies. The initial version, required federal approval for such action.

It would also let states raise limits Obama's law has placed on consumers' out-of-pocket costs.

Such changes might appeal to the conservative Cruz. He's said the bill needed added steps to drive down premiums.

The Congressional Budget Office was expected to release its analysis of the legislation early this week.

But the CBO, which is lawmakers' nonpartisan fiscal analyst, has said that it doesn't have time to determine the bill's impact on coverage and premiums, major factors for some lawmakers deciding their votes. Instead, the office is expected to only detail its estimates of the measure's effect on federal deficits.

According to GOP figures, the legislation's grants would provide 14 percent more money for Arizona than under Obama's law; 4 percent more for Kentucky; 49 percent more for Texas; 3 percent more for Alaska and 43 percent more for Maine. Some extra money is specifically directed at sparsely populated states.

The numbers are misleading, partly because they omit GOP Medicaid cuts from clamping per-person spending caps on the program, said Matt House, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. In a statement, Schumer said the measure would "throw our health insurance system into chaos."

___

Associated Press Washington bureau chief Julie Pace, reporters Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey contributed to this report.
PANAMA  A Panama woman was found dead after a house fire early Monday.

Norine Mahlberg, 87, was pronounced dead by paramedics inside the residence at at 201 S. Second St. in Panama.

According to the Shelby County Sheriffs Office, the fire was seen by a deputy at 2:38 a.m. Fire departments from Panama, Portsmouth, Earling, Westphalia and Medivac services arrived on scene.

The State Fire Marshals Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
GARY  The Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority on Monday approved three projects totaling nearly $150,000 to paint the airfield, resurface a parking lot and install new security lighting.

Traffic Control Specialists will repaint airfield markings for just under $75,000; Walsh and Kelly will repave a parking lot near the future Customs and Border Protection facility for no more than $35,200, and Midwestern Electric will replace six outdoor lights for just under $37,000.

The Customs and Border Protection office will be in a building adjoining the Airport Rescue and Firefighting and near the Gary Jet Center terminal currently under construction.

Airport Executive Director Dan Vicari said the airport had plans to repave and stripe the parking lot as part of the customs facility project. Airport officials are currently reviewing proposals from six potential construction managers for that project, which they hope to complete next year.

The six lights will serve an airport entrance area that serves airport tenants NIPSCO, White Lodging and Gary Jet Center. The project also calls for new foundations and poles for the lights, which will be LED lights expected to last 40 to 50 years.

Also Monday, John Lucas of AECOM, the engineering firm for the airport runway extension, told the airport board that the teardown of the old EJ&E railroad bridge over Airport Road was completed last week after three days' work. The $265,000 project also includes removal of abutments and landscaping work. It is being done in conjunction with the ongoing rehabilitation of Airport Road.

The runway extension was completed in 2015, but work on related projects continues. The railroad bridge was abandoned with the move of railroad tracks to accommodate the extended runway.

The bridge was originally built in the late 1920s, Lucas said.
A fire broke out in a control room for one of the shear lines of the 160-inch plate mill at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, shutting down the rolling mill and shearing line.

No one was injured, officials said.

"There was a minor fire at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor Plates 160-inch plate mill on Friday, Sept. 22 just before midnight," spokeswoman Mary Beth Holdford said. "As a precaution, mutual aid from five area fire departments responded."

Paramedics checked out two steelworkers at the scene to make sure they didn't suffer from smoke inhalation. Holdford said no signs of smoke inhalation were found.

ArcelorMittal expects to bring the rolling mill back online Tuesday. Getting the shearing line back online will require more time because repairs are needed.

"The incident remains under investigation by the company," Holdford said. "We will be in close communication with any affected customers and anticipate only minimal, if any, impact on our ability to meet customer demand."

ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor employs nearly 3,400 workers on a 1,986-acre swath along Lake Michigan in Porter County, where it's one of the largest employers.
Manufacturers hope to dispel stubborn perceptions that factories are dirty, dangerous places that are routinely shuttered so the jobs can be outsourced to cheaper countries overseas.

Each year, the National Association of Manufacturers celebrates Manufacturing Day on the first Friday in October. Factories across the country throw their doors open to students or visit their high schools to try to interest them in careers in the increasingly high-tech sector, which has been transformed by automation and requires better educated workers.

Locally, Carmeuse Lime and Stone in Gary, Apex Exhaust in Gary, and CalPipe Industries in Hobart all plan to give students plant tours so they can learn about career opportunities on or around Oct. 6. ArcelorMittal plans to make a presentation about its Steelworker for the Future job training program at Merrillville High School.

The Starke County Economic Development Foundation plans to introduce more than 500 students to area employers such as Callisons, Elkay Manufacturing, Gary Poppins, J.W. Hicks, Knox Fertilizer, Kruz, Inc., MPI, Outstanding Tradeshow Exhibit Services, Inc., Selected Furniture, Thermo Products, Toll Integrated Systems, Traffic Control Specialists, WestRock, and White Flyer.

We are excited to have this opportunity to showcase our local industries," said Charles W. Weaver, foundation executive director. "We hope this event will make what they do here more readily apparent to people in the county, and in this case, especially to the 7th graders and seniors who will someday be working for these companies.
MICHIGAN CITY  LaPorte County police are investigating how a Hammond man sustained severe head injuries before he was found unconscious at a gas station early Saturday.

Raymond Lane, 54, was airlifted to a South Bend hospital with a skull fracture and bleeding on the brain.

According to police, Lane said he was gathering logs in a wooded area in Gary with a man who struck him on the head.

Gloria Murphy, 54, who identified herself as Lanes wife, told police she was with her husband at the time, waiting in the car. She said her husband was acting "messed up" when he got back into the car, and chased the man's truck but failed to catch him, according to police.

Lane and Murphy were lost when they ended up near Michigan City, police said.

Police said Lane had been drinking but was not legally intoxicated.

Gary police were contacted to investigate Lanes claim of being physically assaulted there, police said.

Murphy, when reached Monday, said she didnt know for sure what happened, but after surgery her husband was talking and wanting to sleep a lot.

"Were all trying to figure this out," she said.
Shirley Heinze Land Trust will host an educational bus tour of its nature preserves from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 14. During the ride, staff, board members and guest speakers  including Indiana University Northwest geosciences professor Dr. Erin Argyilan and Dan Plath, Chief of Resource Management at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and co-founder of the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association  will provide insights on land conservation and the ecology, geology and history of Northwest Indiana.

Twelve of the organizations nature preserves are included on the tour through Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. The bus will make brief stops at four preserves.

The bus will depart promptly at 8 a.m. from the Meadowbrook Conservation Center and Nature Preserve located at 109 W. County Road 700 N. in Valparaiso. It will pass by John Merle Coulter Nature Preserve in Portage on the way to Seidner Dune & Swale in Hammond. The group will be met by Paul Labus, Northwest Indiana project director for The Nature Conservancy, who will speak briefly about restoration work at this preserve, which contains globally-rare dune and swale habitat.

The bus will then travel to the Hobart Marsh project area. On the way it will pass Hidden Prairie/Ivory Wetlands located west of Interstate 65, and then drive by Bur Oak Woods and Gordon & Faith Greiner Nature Preserve. The tour will continue on to Cressmoor Prairie for a short stop to see and hear about restoration efforts. The bus will stop for lunch at Meadowbrook Conservation Center and Nature Preserve, with food provided by Third Coast Spice Cafe.

The afternoon portion of the tour will focus on preserves in Porter and LaPorte counties. Along the way, participants will hear about the Little Calumet Conservation Corridor project and the restoration and public access improvements being performed at preserves along the river. The bus will drive past Wykes-Plampin Nature Preserve in Chesterton, and make a brief stop at the 165-acre Dale B. Engquist Nature Preserve, located along the Little Calumet River adjacent to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshores Heron Rookery. From there, the bus will head to the Ambler Flatwoods project area in Michigan City and will pass by Meer Woods, a recent 19-acre addition.

On the final leg of the tour, the bus will drive through the Great Marsh in Beverly Shores and a make a brief stop at the Great Marsh Trail. Herons, egrets and sandhill cranes can often be seen at this wetland restoration area. The tour will return to Meadowbrook at 3:30 p.m.

The cost for the tour is $40 per person. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 219-242-8558. The deadline for reservations is Oct. 9. Payment must be made in advance. Seating is limited, so early reservations are advised. The bus is restroom-equipped.
VALPARAISO  Councilman Robert Cotton, D-2nd, believes action taken Monday night by his fellow council people will put a "worn-out perception" of his city in the past.

The council unanimously approved a resolution condemning white supremacists, neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and "any other group that espouses hate and seeks to undermine the very ideals of who we are as Americans."

Cotton and the nearly 100 others who crowded into the council chambers, however, were surprised at how quickly the council acted. They voted with little discussion on the resolution that some, just two weeks ago, objected to being placed on the agenda.

The vote came with a round of applause and a standing ovation from most of those in the audience.

Valparaiso's action came after other Northwest Indiana communities addressed similar issues. Gary City Council approved a welcoming ordinance in May. Both Lake Station and East Chicago officials have discussed a similar ordinance, which is directed at maintaining rights for immigrants.

The Hammond City Council in June amended its human relations ordinance to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the powers of its Human Relations Commission.

"It was never an objection to the content," councilwoman Lenore Hoffman, R-4th, said. "It was just whether it should or not come before the council."

"I've been saying for a lot of years about how wonderful the city of Valparaiso is," Cotton said before the vote. "I have always been thrilled to find my space in Valparaiso."

However, Cotton added, he has been troubled by some people's enduring perceptions of the city because of its history.

Passing the resolution in solidarity, Cotton said, would lift some of that stigma. He said Valparaiso and Charlottesville, Virginia, are similar in demographics and size, adding both are university towns. Charlottesville, Virginia, is where a woman was killed this summer after two groups clashed.

"Unambiguously stated by our City Council, it plays well for us," Cotton said.

Resident Liz Wuerffel was surprised at how quickly the council acted after some members' hesitation to place it on the agenda earlier this month.

"But how do you say no to something like that," she said of the message of the resolution.

The resolution condemned the acts in Charlottesville as "domestic terrorism." It also condemned those "who seek to spread hate and division while attacking the foundational values of our city, state and nation."
When asked about filing his income taxes in 1944, Albert Einstein reportedly said, This is a question too difficult for a mathematician. It should be asked of a philosopher.

And it certainly hasnt gotten easier. At roughly 4 million words long, the U.S. tax code is chock full of confusion. For the average American, Tax Day brings an annual headache.

We fork over a good portion of our paycheck, knowing Washington will likely waste it on pet projects and generous taxpayer giveaways  $100 billion per year  to the politically well-connected who employed an army of lobbyists to win those tax breaks in the first place.

Then a lot of us pay a healthy sum to tax preparers to make sure we dont run afoul of the dreaded IRS.

But our tax code is so convoluted even the professionals have trouble navigating it.

In 2014, government investigators sent the same information to 19 different tax preparers and asked them to prepare a return. Only two calculated the right refund amount. A national taxpayer advocate at the IRS said our system has devolved into the Wild Wild West of tax return preparation and urged greater regulation of tax preparers.

Thats Washington logic. My Hoosier logic draws a different conclusion: The tax code is far too complicated and must be simplified.

Even worse, it takes too much of what we worked so hard to earn.

Last year, as tens of thousands of Hoosiers struggled to make ends meet, federal taxes gobbled up nearly 17 percent of Indianas GDP.

I have no doubt we would spend that money far more responsibly ourselves than Washington does. Many would spend it on everyday needs or put it toward savings to buy a home or pursue a college education.

And our local businesses would grow and create jobs, which would bring greater financial security to our communities.

For years, lawmakers have been talking about genuine tax reform. But now, for the first time in a generation, they have an opportunity to achieve it.

They can start by simplifying the system, making it flatter with fewer brackets and lower rates to lessen our tax burden and make it easier for taxpayers to file our own taxes. Then Washington also must reduce deductions and eliminate the lobby-secured loopholes that benefit the power players.

Americans deserve a system where everyone pays his fair share, and we all know what that means  no special treatment, no back-scratching giveaways.

Proving that some in Washington are serious about genuinely reforming our tax code, both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are coming to Indiana to urge our federal lawmakers to get on board.

History shows that reforms like those the administration and others are discussing have added millions of jobs and boosted take-home pay for the average taxpayer by $2,000. We all could use that.

Hopefully, Sen. Joe Donnelly will join the effort. In the past, he has acknowledged that the tax code is antiquated and agreed undoubtedly, comprehensive tax reform is needed.

And he has urged both parties to work together ... to close tax loopholes.

Now, when it counts, we need him to turn his bipartisan words into action. Hardworking Indiana taxpayers are depending on him to do so.

We need all of our representatives in Washington to finally tackle tax reform.

It shouldnt require a tax professional, a mathematician, a philosopher, an Einstein or a headache to complete our taxes  just a pen and a calculator.
The New York University Office of Sustainabilitys semi-annual speaker series event Fall 2017 will feature comic storyteller and LGBTQ activist Peterson Toscano, Wednesday, October 11, 2017, 6:30pm, at New York University Barasch Theater Jeffrey S. Gould Welcome Center, at 50 West 4th Street, 1st Floor, Shimkin Hall, NYC. Traveling to the past and the future, Toscano talks about global warming in a fresh new way, revealing both the seriousness of climate change with positive and possible visions of the future. Audience members will find themselves thinking in fresh new ways and considering their roles on this new planet.

Free and open to the public; first come. first served seating. Additional information can be found at NYUs Office of Sustainability webpage. Refreshments will be served.

WHO: Toscano's unique personal journey led him into performance art. After spending 17 years attempting to de-gay himself through gay conversion therapy, he came to his senses and came out a quirky queer Quaker concerned with human rights and comedy. Toscano is on a mission to connect with his audiences in deeply personal ways stirring up hope and purpose in a rapidly changing world. He has been featured in the New York Times, People Magazine and has appeared on the Tyra Banks Show and NPRs Morning Edition. Toscano is a regular contributor to Huffington Post and The Porch magazine. His essay, Transgender Gender During Passover, appears in the Lambda Award-winning anthology, Gender OutlawsThe Next Generation. Toscano is the host of Citizens Climate Radio and the curator of ClimateStew.com. His film, TransfigurationsTransgressing Gender in the Bible, is currently moving through film festival process in North America, Europe, and Africa. He lives in Central Pennsylvania with his husband, Glen Retief. www.petersontoscano.com

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, October 11, 2017, 6:30pm, at New York University Barasch Theater Jeffrey S. Gould Welcome Center, at 50 West 4th Street, 1st Floor, Shimkin Hall, NYC. [Subways A/C/E/B/D/F/M to West 4th Street; 6 line to Astor Place; R train to 8th Street.]

About the NYU Office of Sustainability--NYU launched its sustainability efforts in 2006 with the creation of Sustainability Task Force formed by faculty, students, staff and administration to galvanize NYU community to plan and take action towards sustainability in the way we live, operate, educate and innovate. The Office of Sustainability implements infrastructure projects, communication and engagement campaigns, and innovative programs to empower, inspire and guide the NYU community to achieve our goals for sustainable practices and culture.
Media Advisory - Education conference puts spotlight on coalition talks

26 September 2017

As the parties work to negotiate a coalition deal, educators and politicians from around the country will be descending on Rotorua to discuss how to put public education and the needs of children centre stage in the next government.

Primary and ECE teachers, principals, support staff, Local MPs and MPs with an education focus will be attending NZEI Te Riu Roas Annual Conference, which will be held at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre from 1-4 October.

NZEI President Lynda Stuart said the timing of the conference was ideal, as it enabled educators to highlight the importance of having policies that would put the best interests of children at the heart of any coalition deal.

Were really optimistic of major progress on the funding and quality of education in the next Government, she said.

"New Zealand First is likely to have a significant influence on the shape of any future Government. It has campaigned strongly on many policies that NZEI members also want progress on, and we're fully expecting NZ First to take these policies to the bargaining table.

Media are welcome to attend most parts of the conference, including key speeches from NZEI President Lynda Stuart; PPTA President Jack Boyle; author of Disobedient Teaching, Welby Ings; the Federal President of the Australian Education Union, Correna Haythorpe, and more.

What: NZEI Te Riu Roa Annual Conference

Where: Rotorua Energy Events Centre

When: 1pm Sunday October 1 to 10.30am Wednesday October 4
Parliament reconvenes today after it was prematurely adjourned by deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah. Today's plenary is expected to be presided over by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.

Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi's motion on amending of the age limit is expected to be tabled today much as it is missing on the order paper.

Refresh for the latest updates

19:32: House adjourned to 2pm tomorrow. "They think they have numbers, they think they have the army. But we have showed them that we can defeat them with music", said Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine. While Aruu county MP Odonga Otto said they are not scared of being suspended from the House. They say they will return tomorrow with new strategy.

MPs in support of the age limit have once again interrupted plenary and the House has been adjourned to tomorrow 2pm #AgeLimit ?@bamulanzeki pic.twitter.com/6wHs0uW8H6  The Observer (@observerug) September 26, 2017

19:26: Singing continues. No debate in the House at the moment. Speaker Rebecca Kadaga writing down names of all MPs involved in the endless singing of the anthem. Ruling party MPs can only look on, they seem powerless at the moment. All microphones pulled to the opposition side.

19:18: Chaos back on in the House. MPs now singing the national anthem. Speaker Kadaga calls for order threatening to suspend MPs. MPs continue to defy speaker Kadaga.

19:10: MP Theodore Ssekikubo says their motion was brought in 4 days before the Magyezi motion. Says Hon. Patrick Nsamba's motion calling for a Constitutional Review Commission was filed on September 18 and Magyezi's on September 22. Kadaga says bills take precedence. Ssekikubo reminds her that at this stage they are all still motions.

19:07: Age limit motion next up for debate. MP Medard Sseggona raises a Point of Procedure that Raphael Magyezi's motion was not the first to be presented and MPs are supposed to be presented with the Order Paper at least 3 hours prior. Kadaga says that the presiding officer then deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah informed MPs that the motions had been filed, so MPs were put on notice.



16:18: MP Ssemujju Nganda moves a motion without notice to suspend consideration of minister Irene Muloni's statement. Says African countries even with all the resources they have, have remained poor countries because they had failed to sort out their internal democracies. Says MPs need to debate oil under an environment without any intimidation because right now security are beating up people allover the country.

16:00: Minister of Energy and Minerals Irene Muloni briefing the House on the state of oil production in Uganda.

15:55: Plenary back on. Speaker Kadaga has ordered that plenary resumes after all 'suspected areas' were searched and no gun found.

15:45: Search for guns on. Parliament security is now searching all MPs including ministers for guns. Speaker Rebecca Kadaga ordered the search.



15:39: We want the gun, MPs chant. Opposition MPs are chanting "we want the gun, we want the gun"

15:30: MPs facing death today. MP Ssemujju Nganda has said that today fellow MP Ronald Kibuule warned him that today he is going to face death. He says parliamentary cameras can prove his allegations. Ssemujju says he is concerned. Kadaga promises to get the evidence and asks MPs to take back their seats.

Chaos in the House with some MPs seen carrying their shoes in their

15:14: MPs' safety is not guaranteed says MP Medard Sseggona. The Busiro East MP said they are concerned that there are people who are armed in the House. Chairs flying in the chamber. MPs are particularly concerned with MP Kibuule who they say is armed. He removed his jacket and showed his waistline to prove that he's not.

Boda boda riders peer into a restaurant to follow today's plenary. Photo: @micoh

15:05: Chaos in the House over armed security personnel. MPs have raised a point of concern over some armed security personnel in the House. A fist fight almost broke out between MPs Allan Ssewanyana and Ronald Kibuule.

15:00: Don't question powers of the speaker, Kadaga tells Leader of Opposition Winnie Kiiza. LOP Winnie Kiiza pointed it to the speaker that as per the last ruling on the matter, it was said that government was to bring an omnibus bill but Kadaga asked if she wants to usurp the powers of the speaker.

14:45: Kadaga says order paper will be amended. Speaker Rebecca has said the order paper shall be amended to include private members' bills including Raphael Magyezi's motion on age limit and Sam Lyomoki's.

"For a long time, we have been asking government to bring constitutional amendments in vain. I will now allow members to move for the amendments", she said.

14:39: Speaker Rebecca Kadaga enters House. She ordered MPs opposed to lifting the age limit to remove their red ribbons.

MPs opposed to lifting the age limit entering plenary

13:20: Order Paper amended, age limit motion added? There are conflicting reports that the order paper has been amended and Raphael Magyezi's motion added on.

13:15: Opposition doyen Kizza Besigye, Makerere University Guild President Paul Kato and Democratic Party vice president Mukasa Mbidde all arrested.



13:03: Teargas, canes at Kyambogo University. The earlier arrests of their colleagues did not deter others to join in the protests, as such police is firing teargas and beating up anyone in sight at the university.

Kyambogo University students in running battles with police

12:54: We are patient says NRM's Ibrahim Abiriga. The Arua municipality MP has said even though MP Raphael Magyezi's motion is not on today's order paper, NRM is patient and will wait until is eventually tabled. On whether he had consulted his constituents, Abiriga said that was sorted by the reelection of President Yoweri Museveni in last year's presidential elections.

12:20: Makerere University students in running battles with police. At Makerere it has become a game of cat and mouse. When police comes, the students take off and once they leave the students come back.

Makerere University students are in running battles with the Police

Students of Kyambogo arrested over age limit protests

12:10: MPs defy red ribbon ban. It seemed like a futile attempt right from the go. Police had yesterday intimidated that they would arrest anyone wearing a red ribbon. It seems the message had been passed on to security officers at Parliament who tried to 'confiscate' the red ribbons from some MPs. Inside the House, more MPs were seen donning the red ribbons.

MPs opposed to lifting of the age limit wearing their red ribbons in the Leader of Opposition's boardroom

12:00: Teargas and live bullets in Mbarara.

11:30am: Kabale University, Kyambogo University students join age limit protests. Just like their colleagues at Makerere University in Wandegeya, students of Kabale and Kyambogo universities also joined in the protests, wearing red ribbons on their heads and arms. They also held placards with inscriptions saying "we want to be the leaders of tomorrow".

Security officers surrounding a student who was arrested at Makerere University

11:15am: MPs insist on red ribbons. Red ribbons are a symbol to MPs resistance to amending the Constitution to lift the presidential age limits, said Leader of Opposition Winnie Kiiza. Whoever wants peaceful transfer of power in this country should associate with the red ribbons. She said the red ribbons are not an opposition matter like people in government are making it seem.

11:00am: MP Odonga Otto 'overpowers' Parliament security. The Aruu county MP barged into the House, overpowering the police officers manning the entrance who were trying to remove his red ribbons off his head and arm. He ran upstairs only to find even more security officers. "I can even come in a g-string (underwear) like Hon [Evelyn] Anite", he said. I fought my way to here, just cite for me a law which bars MPs from wearing red ribbons?", he said. Without a ready answer, the officers left him to join his other colleagues.

Hon Odonga Otto overpowers parliament security to enter with the red ribbons #AgeLimit #togikwatako @observerug pic.twitter.com/miyEHgNThK  nicholas Bamulanzeki (@bamulanzeki) September 26, 2017

10am: No debate today MP Allan Ssewanyana declares. The Makindye West MP, Allan Ssewanyana declared that his colleague Emmanuel Ssempala Kigozi, the MP for Makindye-Ssabagabo had been arrested. "I want to tell Ugandans that Parliament will not sit today because an attack on any one of us is an attack on all of us", he said.

9:30am: Scuffle at Parliament over red ribbons. After he outsmarted police, Bobi Wine made it to Parliament but he was blocked from entering by Head of security, Annabella Nyiramahoro who insisted that the MP had to take off his red ribbon because it is a symbol of demonstrations. She said demonstrations are not allowed at Parliament.

MP Bobi Wine blocked from accessing Parliament by Head of security, Annabella Nyiramahoro because he was wearing a red ribbon

9am: MP Robert Kyagulanyi outsmarts police. The Kyadondo East MP also known as Bobi Wine claims he did not sleep at his home in Magere. He says his home was surrounded by police overnight. He slept in Kamwokya but police still got wind of his presence and when they tried to arrest him, police was overwhelmed by the ghetto youths.

While over seven police officers surrounded his car that was parked at Club Cassablanca, Bobi Wine jumped on a boda boda to Parliament.

Bobi Wine's car tightly guarded by over seven police officers

8am: Teargas at Makerere University. As early as 2am, Makerere University students were already up demonstrating against the lifting of the age limit. That was enough invitation for the police to fire teargas and arrest some of the students.
Crayton Webb

Crayton Webb, a Dallas TV journalist turned PR pro who led corporate social responsibility and corporate communications efforts for beauty products direct marketing giant Mary Kay, has acquired Dallas-based PR and public affairs firm Sunwest Communications.

Terms of the acquisition were not publicly disclosed.

Webb joined Mary Kay in 2005, initially managing government relations before being named director of CSR & corporate communications and later, leading the companys global media relations, reputation management, PR and crisis communications efforts as vice president.

He was previously chief of staff to Dallas Mayor Laura Miller (2002-05) and communications director for the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas after 10 years in TV news, including investigative reporter for KTVT (CBS) 11 in Dallas.

Webb, who now assumes the role of Sunwest CEO, said there will be no changes to the companys name, address or account teams as a result of the transition. Outgoing CEO Andy Stern will remain involved with the firm in a new senior counsel role.

Sunwest, which was founded in 1982, provides marketing communications, community relations, corporation communications, corporate philanthropy/CSR, creative services, crisis communications, financial PR, media relations, public affairs, social media strategy, special event planning and spokesperson training to clients in the real estate, finance, tech, education and consumer sectors.

Sunwest has a 35-year legacy of helping clients build trust, increase visibility and tell meaningful stories, Webb told ODwyers. Its reputation, team and client base are extraordinary, thanks to Andy Sterns leadership and vision over the past three decades. When I considered what the next phase of my career might look like, the opportunity to build upon the foundation set by Andy at Sunwest is one that I couldnt pass up. Im excited and honored to continue Sunwests legacy and help write its next chapter.
Offaly TD Carol Nolan, who is Sinn Fein spokesperson on Community and Rural Development has called on the Government to make a commitment to implement the recommendations of the Report on the Future of the Post Office Network in full.

The local TD raised the matter today under the Order of Business in the Dail.

She pointed out that the Programme for Government makes a commitment that the new Government will act swiftly on the recommendations of the Post Office Business Development Group.



We saw over the summer that the Irish Postmasters Union has withdrawn from talks with An Post and have refused to implement the new smart account, Deputy Nolan said.



Pointing to reports that An Post is considering closing as many as 600 post offices, many in rural areas, Deputy Nolan said that the action by the Irish Postmasters is borne out of huge frustration at the lack of interest by this Government in securing the post office network.



I am asking the Taoiseach - what action has been taken by this Government to address the concerns of the postmasters? What action has been taken to implement the Kerr Report?, Deputy Nolan said.



I am calling on this Government to address the concerns of postmasters by establishing a comprehensive five year plan for the development of the post office network and to make a firm commitment to implement all the recommendations of the Kerr Report.
273,000 in funding has been allocated for Local Improvement Schemes in Offaly according to Offaly Fine Gael TD, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy.

The funding will allow for the repair and improvement of small roads and laneways leading to local peoples homes and businesses that are not under the normal maintenance of the Local Authorities.

The Offaly TD commented, I am delighted to announce that 273,000 in funding has been secured for Local Improvement Schemes here in Offaly. I have been in constant communication with my Ministerial colleagues on the importance of the Local Improvement Scheme for people who live in rural Ireland.

Deputy Corcoran Kennedy said the Government hadnt been in a position to adequately fund the LIS scheme for the last number of years, but had made a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government that we would reinstate the scheme.

I am delighted to now be in a positon to honour that commitment. The scheme will be funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and will be delivered through the Local Authority. For people who live in rural areas like Offaly, road connectivity is hugely important," she remarked

The ability of people to access their own premises, a farmyard or a neighbour's house is compromised when roads are in a bad state of repair. For emergency services, too, bad road surfaces can lead to delays in accessing sites and can damage their vehicles. An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar along with Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring have announced the Government is providing a total of 10 million to fund this scheme across the country," she added.

The Offaly TD noted it would be combined with a small contribution from householders (10-15% of total costs) and Local Authorities, and will allow for the maintenance and improvement of many local roads all over Ireland.

The re-introduction of the LIS is an important part of the delivery of the Government's Action Plan for Rural Development. One of the Pillars of the Action Plan focuses on improving rural infrastructure and connectivity.

The Government's vision for rural Ireland is very simple when it comes down to it  We want rural Ireland to be a better place in which to live and work by creating new opportunities, improving connectivity between rural and urban areas, and by protecting and enhancing services in the community.

We want to offer the opportunity for young people to have access to good-quality jobs so that they can continue to live in rural Ireland if they so choose. And the Action Plan for Rural Development provides the framework to achieve this, she concluded.
Agricultural News

Silly Billy Frozen Yogurt Wins FAPC's Product Development Contest Designed to Foster Innovation

Goat milk frozen yogurt, insect protein bars and ethnic pudding were unveiled during Oklahoma State University's Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center's first-ever Food & Beverage Product Development Competition.







The Sept. 12 competition challenged college students to share their creative and innovative ideas for new food and beverage products to help foster creative research, idea development, product and process development, and commercialization potential and evaluation, said Dani Bellmer, FAPC food process engineer.







"The goal of the competition was to provide students with an opportunity to take on the role of a food scientist and develop a new product," Bellmer said. "By participating in the competition, students gained an understanding and appreciation of the various stages of product development."







Helena Hollins of Langston University won first place with her new product: Silly Billy Frozen Yogurt, soft served frozen yogurt, crafted from locally sources and non-hormonal goat's milk.







Hollins said her goal is to promote an alternative dessert to traditional products made from cow's milk.







"Goat's milk caters to individuals with sensitivity to lactose and contains a list of essential nutrients," she said. "Yogurt also has its share of health benefits and helps with lactose sensitivity. My objective is to combine these two concepts into a high-quality product that the whole family can enjoy."







A team of OSU entomology students, including Michael Caballero, Molly Drakeley, Haley Hahn and Thomas Hess, won second place with their creation: The Arthrobar, an individually wrapped protein bar made with insect protein.







"Our target customer is a young individual who is health and environmentally conscious," Drakeley said. "They not only see the nutritional benefit of insect-based food with high-protein, low-carbohydrate and fat ratios, but also understand the global impact they can make with insect-based foods."







Team FAPC Fab Four, consisting of Manish Aryal, Sabra Barnett, Audrey Boeken and Joyjit Saha, won third place with the idea of Ethos Pudding, made with exotic flavors and rare ingredients.







"Ethos Pudding is prepared from some of the finest and rarest ingredients handpicked from around the world," Saha said. "Saffron, housed from the fields in the East, is used along with the more westernized cinnamon, pistachios and soymilk, crafting a rich new taste and aroma."







Student competitors displayed a storyboard or poster and provided product samples for tasting. In addition, participants delivered a 3- to 5-minute presentation in FAPC's Kerr Auditorium, and answered questions from the judges and audience members.







Entries were judged on both oral presentation quality and product characteristics and evaluated for consumer appeal and market potential; clarity and organization of presentation; product and process description; product appearance, texture and taste; creativity and uniqueness; and commercial process description.







Representatives from the food and beverage industry served as judges, including Rashaun Robinson, Billy Goat Ice Cream; Victor Gramillo, Fresh Creative Foods; Will West, House of Webster; and Jeff Ragan, KiZE Concepts. First-, second- and third-place winners received $500, $250 and $100, respectively.







Sponsors of the event included OSU's Riata Center for Entrepreneurship, platinum level; Institute for Food Technologists - Oklahoma Section and Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, silver level; and Fresh Creative Foods, BlendTech, Billy Goat Ice Cream Co. and Over the Fence Farms, bronze level.







"We greatly appreciate the willingness of the sponsors to help make this event a success for students to share their ideas and network with food industry professionals," said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC business and marketing relations manager. "The sponsors understand and support FAPC's vision of fostering innovation and growth and preparing students for careers in the food industry."







Because of the success of the product development competition, FAPC is making plans for next year's event, which will take place Nov. 8, 2018.







FAPC, a part of OSU's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in 2017. Since its inception in January 1997, the center's research laboratories, pilot-processing facilities, educational programs and seminars have kept food and agricultural processors and entrepreneurs on the forefront of cutting-edge value-added processing and technology.







Source - Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center













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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  The Iowa National Guard is sending 24 members to help civilian law enforcement in Puerto Rico as the island recovers from Hurricane Maria.

Col. Greg Hapgood said 16 members of the 132nd Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard and eight members of the 185th Air Refueling Wing are taking a KC-135R Stratotanker from Des Moines. Because theres no power for runway lights in Puerto Rico, Hapgood said, the airmen were to remain in Iowa on Monday night before heading to Puerto Rico on Tuesday.
Former State Sen. Bill Kintner apparently isnt done with politics.

Kintner, who resigned from the Legislature under pressure from his fellow senators, appears to be running for Sarpy County assessor.

He has obtained the state certification needed to serve in the office, and a state-registered political committee is circulating a flyer on his behalf.

For his part, Kinter indicated that he hasnt fully decided.

I have been approached by many taxpayers about running for Sarpy County assessor, he said Monday. I am seriously considering it. I am talking to and listening to people on their doorsteps.

A campaign flyer circulated by Citizens for Kintner said he would care about your hard-earned money by taking the time to carefully assess each parcel of property while giving the benefit of the doubt to the taxpayer whenever legally possible.

Kintner resigned in January after four years in the Legislature. He admitted last year to using a state laptop to engage in cybersex with a woman he met online.

The pressure for his resignation intensified in January when he retweeted a post that appeared to make light of sexual assault. Kintner resigned at a press conference less than an hour before the Legislature was set to vote on expelling him.

Sarpy County Assessor Dan Pittman is running to keep his job. He was first elected in 1998 and is running for his sixth term, citing the success of his office at valuing a rapidly growing property tax base.

Pittman said he's not aware of any qualifications Kintner has for the job beyond the required certificate the former state senator recently received from the state.

"This is a person who was asked to step down from the Legislature a short time ago because of his behavior in office," Pittman said. "And yet he wants to come back and hold a public office this soon; makes no sense to me."

"I don't know who would be supportive of that at this time," he said. "It's just too soon."

Pittman said the assessor's job in Sarpy County is important given the rate of growth in the county. With ongoing training and technology, the Sarpy County Assessors Office is lined up to manage its growing responsibilities well into the future, Pittman said.

The primary election is May 15.
Few countries have ever been so closely associated with a single politician as Myanmar, whose public face, for many decades, was the brave and brilliant dissident Aung San Suu Kyi.

I remember her appearance  via a prerecorded videocassette, smuggled out of the country  at the international womens conference in Beijing in 1995. Aung San Suu Kyi had just been released from house arrest, but her speech was not about Myanmar. Instead she used language designed to appeal to a diverse audience, ranging from Indian activists and German feminists to Saudi women.

Even today, that speech is inspirational. Aung San Suu Kyi declared that genuine tolerance requires an active effort to try to understand the point of view of others; it implies broad-mindedness and vision, as well as confidence in ones own ability to meet new challenges without resorting to intransigence or violence.

In later years, she stuck to that nonviolent message, even when she was placed back under house arrest and even when her political party was banned and persecuted.

But Aung San Suu Kyi is not a dissident anymore. In late 2010, the Myanmar military junta (known by the acronym SLORC) launched a democratic transition that eventually gave a victory to her party. She is no longer an activist but the de facto leader. She no longer speaks in generalities to an international audience, but in specifics to the Burmese.

She is also the most visible politician in a state whose public institutions and popular mentality were formed by many years of autocracy and dictatorship. It is a state where the military and police, though now further back in the shadows, still hold an enormous amount of economic and political power, controlling companies and land as well as ministries and armies.

In this sense, she has much in common with other politicians and activists who led authoritarian or totalitarian countries during a transition to democracy: Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Lech Walesa in Poland, Boris Yeltsin in Russia, Patricio Aylwin in Chile, Vaclav Havel in Czechoslovakia, Corazon Aquino in the Philippines, to name a few.

Though very different, all of them faced the same structural problem: how to instill tolerance for democratic debate, freedom of speech and the press, respect for judicial independence and the rule of law in countries that were unused to these things or had never had them. All of them had rocky moments or faced coup attempts or corruption scandals.

Some of them had some success. Others failed, and no wonder: Democratic values can take generations to instill  or can, as we have seen in the United States, grow rapidly weaker even in countries that have had them for generations.

All of those democratic heroes  with the possible exception of Mandela, who retired early  wound up with vastly diminished reputations. Aung San Suu Kyi now joins their number.

For several years, as violence increased between the Burmese Buddhist majority and the Rohingya, a Muslim minority ethnic group whom many dont consider to be citizens, she kept silent. In August, a Rohingya insurgent group attacked Burmese police posts; the Burmese army responded by burning villages and chasing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya civilians over the border into Bangladesh.

In response, Aung San Suu Kyi condemned all human rights violations and unlawful violence but refused to criticize her own generals or admit any errors  a response that seems to have been popular among her constituents in Myanmar but has produced enormous disappointment among her former admirers around the world.

What happened to broad-mindedness and vision, or the refusal to bend to intransigence or violence? Perhaps Aung San Suu Kyi sympathizes with the popular view of the Rohingya as unwanted foreigners; more likely, she doesnt control the army, she knows it could still overthrow her government and she doesnt want to risk a breach with the generals.

In truth, the real difference between Aung San Suu Kyi in 1995 and 2017 is the difference between theory and practice, opposition and power, the language of an international conference and the language of a country with an autocratic past.

The story of her fall from the pedestal is an old story, it repeats itself regularly, and yet every time we are surprised.

In any case, it is pointless to call for her Nobel Prize to be withdrawn: This isnt a game of symbols anymore. Those worried by the violence and the strange echo it is having in Muslim countries around the world should use real political tools to affect the situation.

Governments with influence in Myanmar should seek contact with the army  bypassing Aung San Suu Kyi if necessary  offer to mediate, organize aid for the refugees and document the tragedy.

Above all, they should try to reach Aung San Suu Kyi with political arguments, not pleas from old friends. This isnt a debate about ideals or symbols; its a power struggle.
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Jerusalem Post 13 Aug 2020

Passive immunization is when you are given antibodies formed by another patient who got the disease and developed them.
Jerusalem Post 09 May 2022

If convicted after a trial and any judicial appeals, should two men who hacked three Israelis to death with axes, in an act of..
Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia:

Hedge funds are on track to deliver solid returns this September on the back of the recovery of global macro managers and the satisfactory performance of the remaining strategies, Lyxor Asset Management said in its Weekly Briefing.

The Lyxor Hedge Fund Index was slightly up with 0.1% returns from 12 September to 19 (+0.9% YTD), with CTAs weighing on the overall performance. CTAs were hit by rising bond yields and the appreciation of the GBP. Long positions on gold added to losses as higher Treasury yields posed headwinds to precious metals.

"So far this month, most hedge fund strategies are in positive territory. Fixed income arbitrage, event-driven and L/S equity strategies are up in excess of 1%," stated Philippe Ferreira, senior strategist at Lyxor AM. He added, "It is noteworthy that the Lyxor Event-Driven broad index is up 7% year to date, with a balanced contribution from merger arbitrage and special situations strategies."

He added that the fixed income strategy was the primary winner of rising bond yields, up 0.7%. The remaining strategies delivered positive returns, except market neutral L/S strategies, which were down during the week.

On the merger side, Ferreira said that positions in the health care sector contributed to gains during the week. On a negative note, CTAs gave back some gains and stand in the red month to date as a result of trend reversals in most asset ......................

To view our full article Click here
Opalesque Industry Update - Over 50% of fund managers surveyed by BarclayHedge say that they are either taking a wait-and-see approach or have no interest in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). The survey also found that 20% already utilize AI and ML while an additional 16% are actively researching its utility. "Given the common perception that AI and machine learning are going to shape the future, the results of the survey may look surprising on the surface," says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge. "But change is going to come slowly to alternative management because there's still a learning curve that needs to be mastered, regardless of whether it's a machine or human doing the learning." Following the success of firms such as Renaissance Technologies and Two Sigma, many large hedge funds have increased their interest and participation in AI and ML. Industry stalwart Man Group Plc recently announced that they were expanding the use of AI in a number of funds which manage a total of over $12 billion and Protege Partners launched MOV37, which will invest solely in start-up investment funds that employ artificial intelligence. From outside of the industry, Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google's parent, Alphabet, recently told a group of hedge fund managers that in 50 years no trading will be done without computer assistance. "Artificial intelligence and machine learning may be the way of the future but the reality on the ground right now is different," says Waksman, "All types of businesses, from taxis to hotels to music, have been disrupted by technology and there's a common perception that investing and trading will also be affected. That may be true but it's going to take time for the shift to occur."
Taxis to Hell  and Back  Into the Jaws of Death, by Robert F. Sargent, via Wikimedia Commons

In the mid-20th century, theorists like Roland Barthes and Pierre Bourdieu exploded naive notions of photography as a perfectly realistic and objective recording of the visible world a natural language, as Bourdieu wrote in Photography: A Middlebrow Art. Bourdieu himself wielded a camera during his ethnographic work in Algeria, taking dozens of conventional and unconventional photographs of the nations struggle for independence from France in the 50s. Yet he urged us to see photography as formally mediating social reality rather than transparently representing the truth.

We have been trained to interpret the perspectives most photographs adopt as objective views, when in fact they are perfectly in keeping with the representation of the world which has dominated Europe since the Quattrocento. Photography, in other words, tends to give us art imitating Renaissance art. It can be difficult to bear this in mind when we look at individual photographswhat Barthes calls the This.









Whether they document our own family histories or such momentous events as the Normandy Invasion that began on D-Day, June 6th, 1944, photographs elicit powerful emotional reactions that defy aesthetic categories.

At the Flickr account PhotosNormandie, you can browse and search over 4,300 high resolution photographs from the pivotal Normandy campaign, From iconic images like Into the Jaws of Death by Robert F. Sargent, My Modern Met writes, to troops interacting with locals as they liberate areas of Normandy. The photos are deeply affecting, often awe-inspiring. When we look with a critical eye, well find ourselves asking certain questions about them.

The skewed perspective and ominous sky in Sargents Into the Jaws of Death, for example, at the top of the post, might make us think of the Sturm und Drang of many a dramatic shipwreck painting from the Romantic period. Was Sargent aware of the similarity when he looked through the lens? Did he position himself to heighten the effect? In photos like that further up, of a French home displaying a pro-U.S. sign on July 11th, 1944, we might wonder whether the residents made the sign or whether it was given to them, perhaps for this very photo op. As always, were justified in asking about the role of the photographer in staging or framing a particular scene.

For example, the photo of a German soldier surrendering to American G.I.s, above, looks staged. But what exactly these soldiers are doing remains a mystery. How much do these external details matter? Photography is unique among other visual arts in that the Photograph, Barthes writes, reproduces to infinity what has occurred only once. It is the meeting of infinity with only once that engages us in more existential explorations. All of these soldiers and civilians, sharing their joy and anguish, most of them now passed into history. Who were these people? What did these moments mean to them? What do they mean to us 70 years later?

The bombed-out cathedrals and defeated tanks make us ponder the fragility of our own built environment, though the destructive forces threatening to undo the modern world now seem as likely to be natural as man-madeor rather some new, frightening combination of the two. In the faces of the wounded and the displaced, we see specific manifestations of the same tragic invasions and migrations that reach back to Thucydides and forward to the present moment in world history, in which some 60 million people displaced by war and hardship seek sanctuary.

The images draw us away into general observations as they draw us back to the unrepeatable moment. This project began on the 60th anniversary of D-Day as a way, My Modern Met explains, to crowdsource descriptions of images on the now defunct Archives Normandie, 1939-1945. Thus, users are encouraged to comment on photos if they are able to improve descriptions, locations, and identifications. History may rhyme with the presentas one famous quote attributed to Mark Twain has itbut it never exactly repeats. The photograph, Barthes wrote, mechanically repeats what could never be repeated existentially. Moments forever lost to time, transmuted into timelessness by the cameras eye. Enter the PhotosNormandie gallery here.

via My Modern Met

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Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness
Vapors from butane hash oil - a marijuana extract commonly heated, vaporized and inhaled- could produce significant amounts of carcinogens when heated to high temperatures, according to a Portland State University study published Monday.

The study, led by PSU chemistry professor Robert Strongin, showed that oils present in the extract release potentially cancer-causing chemicals when heated to temperatures above 750 degrees. When heated above 932 degrees, the oils released benzene, a known carcinogen.

"The higher temperatures go, the more risk that (users) will be inhaling things that could be harmful," Strongin said.

Butane hash oil can be dangerous to manufacture. Three people in Oregon died from injuries related to butane hash oil production this year. Two men died in Portland after an illegal butane hash oil lab caused an explosion in July.

Hash oil is commonly consumed by dabbing, when a small amount of oil is placed on a heated metal or glass compartment known as a nail, turning the oil into vapors that the consumer inhales. It can also be used in vape pens or electronic cigarettes.

The study simulated dabbing by vaporizing terpenes, naturally occurring oils in marijuana that are present in hash oil.

Strongin and his team found that the terpenes did not release high levels of dangerous chemicals at low temperatures. But when they were heated above about 750 degrees, they released methacrolein, a chemical similar to the carcinogen acrolein.

At about 932 degrees, the terpenes began to release significant levels of benzene, Strongin said. Though the levels were not as high as those found in cigarettes, they were far greater than levels found in the air, Strongin said.

"It's not a huge amount of benzene, but any benzene ingestion is concerning," he said.

This could expose hash oil users to risk if they are not carefully regulating the temperature of the dab rig's nail, Strongin said. Typically, users posting online report heating the nail to about 700 degrees, though some prefer to keep temperatures lower to preserve the oil's flavor, according to the study.

But it's common for people to use a creme brulee torch, Strongin said, which has no temperature control and can make the nail much hotter.

That's where the concern is, Strongin said.

"At the upper range of what people are doing, you'll start to see benzene," he said.

Previous studies have shown terpenes in electronic cigarettes can also release toxic chemicals when used at high temperatures. But Strongin said it's less likely that electronic cigarette and vape pens users will be exposed to carcinogens because the devices don't get as hot.

Patricia Rodriguez, who works at the medical marijuana dispensary CannaSource and has used hash oil since 2011, isn't concerned about the results of the study, she said Monday.

Rodriguez uses hash oil to treat chronic pain from multiple surgeries. She typically dabs using an electronically-controlled nail or "e-nail," which keeps the temperature low and controlled. Most people she knows don't typically heat hash oil using temperatures above 700 degrees, she said.

It's good for people to be aware of the risks that come with using high temperatures to dab, she said. But, she said, she hopes the study doesn't add to stigma around hash oil.

"As long as they use carefully, like anything else, there shouldn't be an issue," she said.

Strongin echoed that sentiment. The takeaway from his study, he said, should be that users can minimize risk if they keep temperatures low. As long as users are careful to regulate temperatures when dabbing, they should not be in danger of exposure to carcinogens, he said.

"We don't want to say things like this are just bad," he said. "It really depends on the user."

-- Samantha Matsumoto
A Colorado man plunged to his death after he fell from a bluff near Brookings on Monday, Oregon State Police said.

Jeremy Tilton of Leadville was rock climbing with friends on top of a steep embankment at Mill Beach when he suddenly slipped and tumbled around 7 p.m., police said. The 27-year-old fell roughly 50 feet and landed on a pile of rocks jutting from the ocean.

The Brookings Fire Department rushed to the scene and pulled Tilton from the surf, police said. Rescuers attempted to resuscitate the young man, but were unsuccessful. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter also assisted with the recovery.

Tilton's friends are cooperating with the investigation, authorities said. Police do not suspect foul play.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

skavanaugh@oregonian.com

503-294-7632 II @shanedkavanaugh
Public lands occupier Ken Medenbach, who called the Bundys his heroes on the witness stand last fall, is urging a judge to allow him to attend their federal criminal trial in Nevada next month.

Medenbach's probation officer already rejected the request. On Tuesday, Medenbach's defense lawyer filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane to overrule the denial.

Medenbach is on probation after a 2016 conviction for illegal camping in Josephine County, a federal misdemeanor. He was acquitted last year of all federal charges stemming from his participation in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon.

Attorney Matthew Schindler argues that no justification exists to bar Medenbach from exercising his fundamental right to attend a public trial in a highly secure federal court. Medenbach poses no threat to public safety, he said.

"Because of Mr. Medenbach's personal and spiritual relationship with the Bundy family,'' Schindler wrote, "he believes it is a moral imperative to be there providing support.''

Medenbach, Schindler noted, isn't some random person who wants to attend a trial, but someone who spent months in jail with Cliven Bundy's sons, Ammon Bundy and Ryan Bundy, in early 2016. He described them as Medenbach's "friends and brothers.''

Medenbach was on trial last fall in Portland with Ammon Bundy and Ryan Bundy. Medenbach was acquitted of conspiracy and theft of government property charges in the 41-day refuge occupation. The Bundy brothers also were acquitted of conspiracy and weapons charges in the armed takeover.

Jury selection is scheduled to start Oct. 10 in the federal trial in Las Vegas against Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, accused of conspiring to thwart the government's roundup of roughly 1,000 cows from public land near Bunkerville, Nevada, in April 2014. Ryan Bundy and Ammon Bundy, as well as Ryan Payne and Pete Santilli, are also set to go to trial next month in Nevada.

The five are accused of leading a conspiracy to enlist self-styled militia members to prevent federal agents from enforcing court orders to remove the Bundy cattle from what is now Gold Butte National Monument. They each face 15 charges including conspiracy, assault and threats against federal officers, firearms counts, obstruction and extortion.

Two other co-defendants in the Bunkerville case will also be on trial.

"The Nevada federal criminal trial and the events at Bunkerville are deeply personal to Mr. Medenbach,'' Schindler wrote. "Because hundreds of people who had no connection to him supported him during his crucible in Portland, he felt a powerful responsibility to attend the trials in Nevada.''

Medenbach is appealing his April 2016 conviction and sentence for occupying federal land in Josephine County as part of a mining protest. He set up an illegal cabin on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property near Galice and was sentenced to six months in jail, time served, plus five years of probation. As a condition of probation, he must seek permission before traveling out of state.

Earlier this year, he asked a probation officer for permission to attend the Nevada trial of other Bundy co-defendants but was denied. Medenbach went anyway and was arrested April 12 outside the federal courthouse in Las Vegas.

Medenbach spent a week in custody in Nevada before McShane ordered his release on May 4 over prosecutors' objections. He was placed on electronic monitoring once he returned to Oregon. In May, the judge also ordered Medenbach to remain on home detention and electronic monitoring for another two months at his home in Crescent.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
Multnomah County Republicans are hoping to raise money to pay rent and support candidates in a way that has worked for them before: an AR-15 "Rifle Raffle."

"It's the most popular one that people buy tickets for," Frank Martin, who runs the raffle for the group, said over the phone Tuesday morning.

Martin said the party has tried to do fundraiser raffles with other guns, including pistols and a "defense shotgun," but none has inspired so many people to donate as the raffles they do for the popular assault-style civilian rifle, the AR-15.

Though the drawing isn't until Dec. 4, Martin said he's already started selling tickets. The gun is with the dealer that the party purchased the weapon from, and the winner will need to be at least 21 years old and pass a background check.

"I would not allow a weapon to go to a person that wasn't qualified to buy it," Martin said.

The party will sell a maximum of 500 tickets.

"We do support the second amendment," Martin added, "and it's just one of the tools we use to raise money."

During the 2016 Presidential Election, Multnomah County was the bluest county in the Oregon. Hillary Clinton won 73.7 percent of the county's votes.

AR-15 raffles are a controversial and sometimes quite successful way to raise money. In the summer of 2016, a Lake Oswego pastor spent $3,000 to win a raffle for a similar weapon put on by a softball league. His goal was to buy the weapon, a style frequently associated with mass shootings, and keep it off the streets.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker
A horse-drawn carriage crash marred her wedding day four years ago, and Jaclyn Stevenson still doesn't want to talk about it.

"It's emotionally troubling for her to relive the events of the day of her wedding," Albany attorney James Nelson said last week, in explaining why Stevenson -- who was ejected from the carriage and injured shortly before she exchanged marriage vows with her husband, Brandon -- declined an interview request for this story.

Nelson now represents the Stevensons in a $155,450 lawsuit filed last week in Lane County Circuit Court.

The suit revolves around the bizarre incident that tarnished the Linn County couple's nuptials, but it doesn't take aim at the company they hired to provide a horse-drawn carriage for their Sept. 21, 2013, wedding in Corvallis.

Instead, the complaint names as the defendant the Eugene lawyer who initially took the Stevensons' personal injury case but then allegedly failed to file a settlement demand or lawsuit for them before a two-year statute of limitations expired.

That failure, the suit asserts, left the couple with no shot at seeking damages from the carriage company in court and amounts to legal malpractice.

Now, the Stevensons are using longtime Eugene attorney Donald E. Johnson's own words against him -- seeking from him the exact amount in noneconomic damages that he allegedly told them they could expect to receive in a settlement with the company.

Johnson, a member of the Oregon State Bar since 1986, did not return telephone and email messages seeking comment on the suit. He has not yet filed a formal response in court.

The lawsuit penned by Nelson includes several excerpts from a claim-settlement letter that Johnson allegedly drafted for the Stevensons in June 2015.

One section of the letter asserts that after Jaclyn Stevenson and others "boarded the carriage, the horses bolted and ran out of control. The carriage driver was unable to control the horses or the carriage. The carriage hit several objects over a course of a significant distance and ultimately turned over. The passengers were ejected ... As a result, Mrs. Stevenson and her other passengers and guests were injured. Her wedding dress was damaged."

Another excerpt states that the pre-wedding crash "ruined the day in every way." The Stevensons went ahead with the ceremony but "were unable to enjoy the festivities," the suit says, again quoting Johnson's letter.

Under Oregon law, a person has two years from the date of an injury to file a lawsuit.

The Stevensons, according to their suit, didn't consult Johnson until November 2014, some 14 months after the carriage wreck.

Johnson drafted the ultimately unsent claim-settlement letter in June 2015, but he never sent it to the law firm representing the carriage company, the suit says. It does not identify the company.

The lawsuit says Jaclyn Stevenson made "frequent calls" to Johnson's office regarding the status of the claim, and she finally learned in late December 2015 that Johnson had not filed suit on their behalf.

By then, it was too late for the Stevensons to take legal action against the carriage company.

The Stevensons are suing Johnson for $150,000 in noneconomic damages, to cover Jaclyn Stevenson's unspecified physical injuries, the "emotional trauma of having her 'dream wedding' ruined" by the crash and "ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder that ruined (the couple's) honeymoon" and also led her to seek counseling, the suit says.

The suit also seeks $1,800 in reimbursement for counseling expenses, $1,500 for the damaged wedding dress, $2,000 for the wedding photos that "are diminished in value to (Jaclyn Stevenson) as a result of the trauma of the runaway carriage crash" and $150 for the deposit paid to the carriage company.

--Jack Moran, The Register Guard/Associated Press
A contest unique to the Auburn-Williams Lions Club is offering local 15-21 year olds an opportunity to win cash prizes for international travel.

District 11-D1, as part of its Lions Youth Exchange Program, is sponsoring an essay contest in which three young student winners will emerge with a chance for a four- to six-week overseas cultural experience with a Lions-approved family.

"We have had this travel opportunity for at least 20 years, but it is the best-kept secret," said Debra VanTol, District 11-D1 chair for the LYEP. "We're the only district in the state or country that is offering this contest."

Contestants are asked to submit a 500-word essay that explains the following:

 How does the community benefit from volunteers?

 How would you represent Lions and American people in a foreign country?

 How are your values similar to the values of Lionism?

Entrants must reside in Bay, Genesee, Saginaw or Tuscola Counties. The first place winner will receive up to $3,000, second place $2,000 and third $1,000.

"This is a great opportunity for our young adults," VanTol said. "The prizes are substantial, supporting the fact that the Lions are happy to help in the development of global understanding in three young people."

Some 20 countries that cooperate with Michigan LYEP are potential destinations for contest winners. They include Japan, Australia, Spain, Italy, Germany, England and New Zealand. Most of the participating nations offer a LYEP camp for one or two weeks of the four- to six-week visit. There, LYEP Youth Ambassadors from the United States share a camp experience, under the supervision of Lions, with youth from other countries.

"The Michigan Lions youth will be staying with a host family for part of the time as well," VanTol said. "Command of the language of the country is not always required but is helpful. Often someone in the household speaks English."

According to the Lions national website, each year this program gives thousands of young people the opportunity to experience life in other cultures and gain new understanding of the world through travel abroad. Unlike some youth exchange programs, LYEP does not involve academic study or employment. Instead, participants are encouraged to use this travel opportunity to represent their home countries, share their own culture, embrace and learn a new one all the while becoming young ambassadors for peace and international understanding.

"Lions know that youth are our future and the key to future world harmony," VanTol said. "Lions support and promote this travel opportunity because they understand that world peace involves understanding different cultures. What better way to learn a culture than to be immersed in a culture for four to six weeks with a Lions-approved family?"

Another feature of the program is that contest winners have an opportunity (not required) to host a foreign student in their home either before or after their travel and not necessarily in the same year, VanTol added.

The deadline for the student essays is Nov. 30. Winners will be determined by Dec. 30. They must be 16-20 years old to travel in the summer of 2018. Winners that are 15 can defer the trip to 2019 to meet the age requirement.

The entrants, said VanTol, do not have to be affiliated with a Lions club. For entries or additional information, contact district11-d1@gmail.com
JDFR One Walk, a local walk to raise money for type I diabetes research, is scheduled for Oct. 1 at The Tridge/Midland Area Farmers Market in downtown Midland.

Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. with the walk at 9:30 a.m.

Every year more than 200 walks bring together almost a million people.

Participants can register at walk.jdrf.org or at the event. JDRF is an organization dedicated to funding type 1 diabetes research. For more information, visit www.michiganeast.jdrf.org
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Kelly Dame.

Sunday, Sept. 24

12:50 a.m. -- A Gladwin man, 28, was stopped in Midland for defective equipment and arrested on a warrant. He was issued a warning for the equipment violation.

1:51 a.m. -- A Mount Pleasant man, 27, was arrested for drunken driving after he was stopped for speeding in Greendale Township.

1:58 a.m. -- A motorist was arrested at Jerome and West Buttles street for drunken driving.

1:58 a.m. -- A deputy was sent to a Lincoln Township roadway for a report of a Sanford man, 51, who was riding a bicycle when a person in a vehicle yelled obscenities at him. The vehicle was not found.

2:41 a.m. -- A motorist was arrested at West Wackerly Street and Sturgeon Road for drunken driving.

4:17 a.m. -- A Midland woman, 57, was arrested in Jerome Township for second-offense drunken driving.

5:14 a.m. -- A 23-year-old inmate broke a sprinkler head in his cell at the Midland County Jail, resulting in the cell flooding. Charges are being sought.

12:54 p.m. -- A deputy investigated a report of a breaking and entering at a Jerome Township home. A door was damaged, but the home was not entered.

1:05 p.m. -- Police responded to a report of a dog left in a car in the 6900 block of Eastman Avenue.

2:32 p.m. -- Officers were sent to a domestic assault at a Bay City Road home.

6:28 p.m. -- Police investigated a hit and run traffic crash in the 4400 block of Campus Ridge Drive.

8:06 p.m. -- A deputy was called to a suspicious situation in Ingersoll Township, and the information is being turned over to BAYANET.

9:21 p.m. -- Deputies were sent to a Hope Township home for a case of domestic assault involving a man and woman, ages 28 and 41. A report is being sent to the prosecutor.

Saturday, Sept. 23

1:18 a.m. -- A deputy was sent to Midland Township for a report of an injured owl. The owl was delivered to a veterinarian.

2:21 a.m. -- Deputies were called to Jerome Township for a domestic assault. The suspect left before deputies arrived. A report is being sent to the prosecutor's office.

3:01 p.m. -- A bicycle was reported stolen from a Greendale Township home. A report is being sent to the prosecutor's office for review.

7:52 p.m. -- A 36-year-old man was arrested for driving while his license was revoked after he was stopped for speeding on his four-wheeler in Hope Township. The man was given a warning for speeding.

8:36 p.m. -- A Jerome Township woman, 21, was arrested on a warrant after deputies were called to a report of a loose dog. The woman was given a verbal warning about the loose dog.

9:06 p.m. -- A 47-year-old man was arrested for domestic assault in the Village of Sanford. The victims suffered minor injuries and the Department of Human Services was contacted.

11:24 p.m. -- A deputy assisted Coleman Police with a traffic stop in Warren Township.

Friday, Sept. 22

12:46 a.m. -- A Jerome Township home was broken into, and $240 and a set of house keys were stolen. The case is being investigated.

1:49 a.m. -- A Sanford man, 50, was arrested in Lincoln Township for second-offense drunken driving. He was stopped after he was seen weaving across the centerline.

2:19 a.m. -- A deputy was sent to Greendale Township for a report of a drunken driver. The driver was stopped and was found to be sober.

2:34 a.m. -- A deputy was flagged down by a person walking along Saginaw Road. The person was lost and asked for a ride to the Open Door.

2:47 a.m. -- First responders were sent to Lincoln Township for a report of a person passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle in a parking lot. The person was asleep and first responders were called off.

3:23 a.m. -- A Flint man, 29, was arrested in Midland for driving without a license. He was stopped for speeding.

12:09 p.m. -- A deputy investigated a hit and run in Mills Township that occurred when a vehicle struck a chain link fence. The driver was found and cited for careless driving, and arrangements were made to repair the fence.

1:39 p.m. -- A deputy assisted a Child Protective Services worker at a Jerome Township home.

2:11 p.m. -- A deputy assisted a Child Protective Services worker at a Hope Township home.

4:42 p.m. -- A deputy assisted Midland Police with a traffic stop for drunken driving.

5:57 p.m. -- A Mount Haley Township home was broken into and items were damaged. The suspect is unknown.

9:13 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to Lee Township for a report of an intoxicated driver. The vehicle was stopped and the driver was found to be sober.

10:01 a.m. -- Deputies were sent to a Greendale Township home to pick up a 15-year-old boy who ran away from home. The boy was taken to the Midland County Juvenile Care Center.

11:19 p.m. -- Someone attempted to enter a Larkin Township home while the owner was away. The suspect was unable to get inside. Nothing was missing.
Devin Allen grew up near Sandtown-Winchester, the neighborhood that Freddie Gray called home before he was arrested and killed in a police van in at the young age of 25 in 2015. Allen was already an experienced protestor, and was getting his feet wet as a photographer after discovering that he not only had a passion for it, but an uncanny eye for striking images that told far more than a thousand words stories.

Gray was a year younger than Allen when he died, and the photographer suddenly found himself, like so many residents of Baltimore, surrounded by protests and a community enraged by another young life taken without consequence. He did what he had learned to do in these - and all - situations, and picked up his camera and took to the streets. He soon captured an image that ended up on the cover of TIME, making him one of three non-professional photographers to land that spot in the magazine's nearly 100-year history. He soon found himself, like Baltimore itself, on a global stage, as his photo was shared by BBC, CNN and even Rihanna - putting millions of eyes on his work.

Now Allen has a new book out, A Beautiful Ghetto, which pulls together 100-black-and-white photographs he took of both the uprising and of his hometown. We caught up with Allen to talk about his book, outreach program in his community (Through Their Eyes), and what it means to be a photographer capturing one's own history.

PAPER: I read that you're self-taught. When did you really feel like photography was going to be something you wanted to dedicate yourself to?



Devin Allen: I think the sign was after I got my camera. Losing both my best friends in one weekend, that kind of pushed me to take it more seriously.

PAPER: You lost both of your friends in one weekend?

DA: Yeah, one was killed Friday and another was killed Saturday. The only reason why I wasn't with them is because I was somewhere taking pictures. When I got into art, I performed first and I did that for a year or two. I didn't like performing so photography allowed me to show my work without saying anything. In 2013 - that's when I got my first camera.

In January, my friends were murdered. When I found out my friend was shot Friday, I was in the house actually editing pictures. Then the second day I went to go see his mother and everything. After that my other best friend was with me and after I left, he was shot in the head around the corner. It's heartbreaking, but it inspired me. It inspired me to take this seriously and dive into it while maxing out a couple of credit cards.

PAPER: And two years later, it was Freddie Gray and the uprising.

DA: Yeah it was two years later when everything happened in Baltimore.

PAPER: How did that experience affect your relationship with photography?

DA: It actually made me understand not just my role, my gift. Photography is not just my gift, but it's actually what I'm good at. I'm good at creating a conversation. A lot of people call me a journalist, but I'm not really a journalist because I push images to create a conversation. That's what I did documenting Freddie Gray and the uprising. You don't really understand how powerful it really is and how important it is to move it forward. Also, just documenting and making sure that the stories are told correctly. We're in a day and age where we don't believe anything in the media if it's not told correctly. That's something that has been happening for a long time.

PAPER: Could you talk a little bit more about creating images? How do you do that? What do you look for?

DA: It's all about how it connects to people. There's no such thing as a bad photograph I believe. When I create images I just make sure that it's not about how sharp or how clear the image is, it's about 'how can I connect?' That's the only goal, is to make someone feel something. If I could make you feel happy, sad, angry, then my job is done. It's about creating through my perspective. So when I'm shooting I always make sure that I love what I shoot, or that I have some type of connection to it. The subjects that I shoot, I can connect to. For me, creating images is all about how am I portraying it while documenting it.

PAPER: What was it like to be in the thick of those protests? It was your city and your people, but you were there as a photographer. What did that feel like?

DA: The crazy thing is when I'm there, I'm not just a photographer. I'm also protesting. Sometimes I just put my camera down and I get involved in the chants and everything else.

Just being in the uprising was kind of like a movie. You watch these documentaries about civil rights and see the things that happened in between protestors and police officers. It feels unreal. It makes you feel like how far have we come to be thrown into moments like that. It feels like things have settled for a while just to erupt again.

PAPER: What was it like to have such an enormous reaction to your work?

DA: Unbelievable. Coming from a small city like Baltimore, I've never expected it to be anything like this. Just to be having the cover on TIME Magazine, it's inspirational. That's probably the biggest thing -- that the kids are inspired by what I'm doing.

PAPER: I wanted to ask you about your travels. Your favorite places you've been. Other places you would like to go and photograph. What it was like to get perspective on Baltimore when you went away for the first couple of times.

DA: I'd never traveled prior or been overseas. The furthest I'd traveled was to North Carolina, and I've been to New York a couple of times, and I've been to Miami. I never really traveled too much, I was always in Baltimore. Mid 2015, Under Armour reached out to me. They were like "Hey you're on a shoot with Steph Curry." I was scared. I never left the country before and they put me on a sixteen-hour flight to Tokyo. The first time I left the country, I went to Tokyo. That was my first real job. I really got paid. It was amazing.

PAPER: What's the "Through Their Eyes" project?

DA: I've been working with the youth. The same year that I got the TIME cover and while I had all of that media attention, I wanted to give back immediately. I wanted to turn that unfortunate situation into a positive. I wanted to teach inner city kids photography because I just felt that would be a different perspective of the world and it should be shared. I felt photography helped me through all of this pain. I'm still learning photography, but I know the basics. I started a Go Fund Me and got a good response. Even the guy who started Go Fund Me liked the work and he donated a thousand dollars.

Russell Simmons was looking for me and wanted to help. He took care of everything that I needed. He gave me a twenty-thousand-dollar grant which allowed me to buy cameras and give them out. I also started working with kids over the summer who have disabilities.

If someone comes to me and says, "my child is into photography and can't afford a camera," I can give them a camera. So I work directly with kids, and some kids I give them my number and my email so that they can reach out. I've given out not just fifty cameras alone in Baltimore, I've also donated 18 film cameras.

PAPER: What's it like to see kids discovering photography for the first time?

DA: It's cool because a lot of kids are on Instagram and Twitter all day taking selfies. They have an eye for photography, so let's develop that eye. Just to see when they first learn, they have no idea what they're doing. But they think they know everything. I just like the interaction and teaching them. In Baltimore growing up there were drug dealers around me. I looked up to drug dealers because that's what was around me. I didn't know any lawyers or doctors. I know how hard life can be. I've been through things growing up. I want to help them more and be great also. Working with the youth is something I really want to do, because they are the future.





Splash photo by Adrian O. Walker


With the Paris shows underway, it is hardly business as usuellement in the City of Lights (and thank goodness) what with a handful of designer debuts at some big houses worth noting. Riccardo Tisci's departure from Givenchy last spring set off a shuffle game that will manifest in the next few days with eagerly anticipated results. Though his sublimely gothic presence will be missed on the calendar, his exit made possible a fresh gust into Chloe, where Brit Clare Waight Keller departed to take Tisci's spot at Givenchy, and was replaced by Nicolas Ghesquiere's right hand, Natasha Ramsay-Levi. Also unrelated, Serge Ruffieux, late of Dior interregnum (with Lucie Meir who now does Jil Sander with her husband, Luke), will do his first runway for advanced contemporary brand, Carven. Got all that? Let's unpack:

Clare Waight Keller at Givenchy

Image via Getty

The British-born Keller is a much-beloved industry vet who started her career at Calvin Klein of all places then moved onto stints at Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford's Gucci, Pringle of Scotland and then finally Chloe in 2011. The 47-year-old mother of three is credited with reviving Chloe after a string of creative directors were unable to continue the success of Phoebe Philo who left in 2006 (honestly who could?). Her great success at Chloe was mostly due to a deep understanding of the brand  no small feat for a Brit  and thoughtful reevaluation of easy, slightly boho, French style. Literally every feature of "Do X like a French Girl" of which there are legion, includes some piece or influence of Keller's Chloe. At Givenchy, she is replacing one of the most revered and influential voices in fashion, Ricardo Tisci. His reimagination of the brand in 2005 was one of the greatest success stories of the decade where he went from being the darling of insiders like Carine Roitfeld and the late Franca Sozzani, to an institution and global industry bellwether (he can be credited with making sneakers a high fashion must-have and popularizing the "fashion sweatshirt"). What Keller may lack in the cool factor of Tisci she more than makes up for with a proven track record of bottom line success and deft ship-steering of a beloved French brand. She will also be in charge of Givenchy menswear which, under Tisci, developed a fiercely loyal following who clamoured for his sports-inspired luxe activewear, backpacks and trainers.

Natacha Ramsay-Levi at Chloe

Image via BFA

Unlike her predecessor, Ramsay-Levi did not arrive at Chloe with a passel of designer names on her professional belt but just one very important one: Nicolas Ghesquiere. For the last 15 years, she has been a part of Ghesquiere's studio at Balenciaga and most recently at Louis Vuitton. At LV, Ramsay-Levi was second in command, relaying his vision to the atelier and design staff to execute the actual pieces, acting as a crucial go-between. If Central Casting were looking for a French Woman, they would do well to study Ramsay-Levi. She runs in tres Parisenne circles (she has a child with Zelig-like editor and photographer, Olivier Zahm), has a robust Instagram account and comes across as louche and totally together all at once (you don't survive with NG for that long without having your act together). A relative unknown outside the industry, she will be the first actual French woman to run the brand since Martine Sitbon in the early 90s. Given that her pedigree is for challenging and ambitious fashion (NG-era Balenciaga is arguably yet to be topped for excitement and relevance), expect a dynamic new direction for Chloe in contrast to Keller's soft, respectful touch.

Serge Ruffieux at Carven

Image via Getty

Perhaps the least known of this trio, the Swiss-born Serge Ruffieux has been at the center of one of fashion's biggest stories in the last few years: the saga of Dior. After more than a decade at the storied house  which included John Galliano's catastrophic departure, Bill Gaytten's brief tenure, and Raf Simons' whirlwind three years  Ruffieux along with Lucie Meier (now installed at Jil Sander) acted as creative directors after Simons left for Calvin Klein and before Maria Grazia Chiuri took the helm. During this Dior interregnum, he and Meier were commended for their dutiful stewardship of the brand and even rumored to take over the brand permanently. But last winter, he was announced as the new creative director of contemporary label Carven, replacing ousted deisgners Alexis Martial and Adrien Caillaudaud. Founded in 1945 by Madame Carven, the brand as of late has benefitted from a spirited update, making it a favorite among street style and IG stars, drawn to its pastel colors and coquettish lean. With all of his couture experience chez Dior, it would be interesting to see how Ruffieux could apply that haute training to a younger (and less expensive) brand. He was on board for the brand's latest resort collection, but this week's show will be the official runway debut. Nous verrons!




Italians really can do it better, and this Milan Fashion Week was no exception. From Gucci's mad genius to juicy front row gossip, it was a glam and action-packed few days in the city that Miuccia built. Lets take a look at the molto molto moments as Fashion Month heads into the Paris homestretch, but not saying Basta! just yet.

Viva Versace!

Venturelli / Getty

Major? Iconic? Legendary? Those words may be fatigued , but they are the only way to describe what happened last Friday night at Versace's show. After a collection paying ebullient tribute to some of founder Gianni Versace's hit collections of the 90s, supermodels Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen, closed the show in a jaw dropping, surprise reveal. To the strains of George Michael's Freedom 90, they stomped the runway with an emotional Donatella Versace in a moment that became a legend in real time.

Prada's Comic Con

Estrop / Getty

For Spring 2018, Miuccia Prada headed to Ghost World and took her woman with her, in what was a surreal comic book fantasia. With a clash of prints and 2-D charcoal drawing motifs, there was a decided 80s bent for next season, which we weren't mad at.

The Jil Sander Debut

Victor Boyko / Getty

Jil Sander, the teutonic-tinged minimalist brand known for suiting and perfect white shirts, has experienced perhaps the most jarring case of designer revolving-door syndrome in the last half decade. After Raf Simons left in 2012, there were no less than three designers in the intervening years (including Ms. Sander herself) leading, not surprisingly, to stagnation and confusion . This past weekend, Lucie and Luke Meier, her late of Dior interregnum and he of cult brand OAMC, made their debut at the helm of Jil and the results were strong. It felt fresh and straightforward, recalling Sander's original austerity but with a lightness. Lets hope it sticks!

It's Not Even Leath-ah!

Estrop / Getty

Gucci was a wild ride as per usz, but our favorite moment was this pre-makeover Working Girl Melanie Griffith moment (daughter Dakota Johnson sat front row). Alessandro Michele doesn't take just one or two references a season but 10 or 20, and this was so perfect. In the words of Tess McGill: "You want to be taken seriously? You need serious hair."

The B*tch is Back!

Estrop / Getty

It was kind of a big week for Elton John in Milan. Not only did his likeness appear on the reissue of Versace's "My Friend Elton" looks but he was a significant inspiration for Alessandro Michele's magpie mashup at Gucci, with his iconic glam rock costumes, platforms and shades popping up just about everywhere. On top of that, he was unwittingly at the center of the escalating Twitter war-of-our-nightmares, with President Trump calling Kim Jong Un "Rocket Man" (is that really an insult?) regarding the escalation of their nuclear arsenal. How chill! Anyway, strange, but very glam, days!

The (Miracle of) Life of Kylie

Billy Farrell / BFA

Leave it to Kylie Jenner to dominate front row chatter at Milan fashion week without setting foot in the city. The leaked news of her pregnancy was the buzz of shows and a nice breather from the possibility of nuclear winter. Kris Jenner neither confirmed nor denied the rumours in the front row at Bottega Veneta, but what a fun way to commemorate the 10th anniversary of KUWTK, by adding, a no doubt adorable, new addition to the clan.

A Family Affair

Estrop / Getty

Speaking of fabulous offspring, the models Gerber continued to make the runway rounds at just about every top show in Milan. With their mom, Cindy Crawford, in town for the epic Versace show, it was hard to tell if it was take your mom to work day or vice-versa.

Cate The Great

Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho / Getty

Cate Blanchett has been bringing Armani to us unwashed masses as a brand ambassador for almost a decade now, but any sighting of her, even an expected one at the Giorgio Armani show, feels like a blessing from on high. In a smart suit and fabulous sunnies, she was the picture of easy Hollywood (or Cinecitta) glamour.

Friends Forever

Venturelli / Getty

It is so heartwarming to see designers at each other's shows, and for Versace last week, Anthony Vaccarello (Saint Laurent), Alessandro Michele (Gucci), and Pierpaolo Piccioli (Valentino) were sat front row together in what would be a once-in-a-lifetime fashion extravaganza. Donatella is the queen of Italian fashion and it's only right to pay homage at her (Medusa-printed) altar. Those Italian designers, thick as thieves!

Red Carpet Italian Style

David M. Benett / Getty

Or green rather Livia Furth's Green Carpet initiative gave its first awards ceremony at the iconic Teatro Alla Scala and all of fashion came in their eco-friendly best. Among the earth-minded attendees were Gisele (who won the Vogue Eco Laureate Award), Dakota Johnson, Andrew Garfield, and pretty much every major name in Italian fashion, because remember: the chicest carbon footprint is the smallest one.


The research wing of Digitimes reports today that to date "Google has been regarded as the leading force for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology thanks to its AlphaGo AI computer program. While Google still holds the advantage in the cloud-AI sector, Apple appears to have outraced Google in the development of on-device AI products with the launch of its iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices.

The built-in dual-core neural engine chip incorporated within the A11 processors, which power the iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices, integrates functionality such as machine learning, inference model and related algorithm to perform as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip for image recognition and achieve hardware acceleration."

According to Apple, "A neural engine is hardware that's purpose-built for machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence that enables computers to learn from observation. It's capable of incredibly fast computations needed by neural networks while also being incredibly efficient." You can learn more about the new Neural Engine here.

The research report further noted that "The face ID application allows iPhone X users to actually experience on-device AI applications. Through the use of the TrueDepth camera, users can build up a depth map of face and the neural engine can identify and confirm the face and unlock the iPhone.

With regard to AR development, although Google has rolled out its Tango AR platform and also cooperated with hardware vendors such as Lenovo and Asustek Computer to launch AR-enabled smartphones, these AR-enabled smartphones have failed to wage an AR campaign because their prices are too high due to the adoption of high-priced components such as depth measuring sensors, and the number of users of Tango-based AR phones is scarce due to limited cooperation smartphone partners, as well as immature integration between related AR software and hardware.

In comparison, Apple's ARKit supports current and previous iOS-based devices launched up to two years ago through upgrades. Without using hardware components to build a 3D mode, the ARKit can utilize software algorithm to stack up AR scenes and objects to enable users to ride on AR experiences.

To compete effectively with ARKit, Google launched ARCore at the end of August, using a technology similar to that of ARKit. However, since hardware devices supporting ARCore are still limited to only Android 7.0 and above smartphones such as Google's Pixel and Pixel XL, and Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S8, the number of ARCore-based devices will lag far behind those of ARKit-based products, according to the report."

Supporting the position that Apple has now flipped the tables of many in the AI arena such as Google and Samsung, is the fact that Samsung is racing to jump in the race. Knowing that Apple has now taken a massive lead over them in AI for smartphones and beyond. Whiny Android fans who are currently spouting off that the iPhone 8 and X are years behind Samsung and other modern smartphones are obviously off-course.

Yesterday we learned that Samsung's next big shift is to integrate AI chips to empower devices. A new Korean tech report noted that "A new, urgent task of Samsung, the world's unrivaled memory chip provider, seems to be developing chips for artificial intelligence applications on devices, including the company's Bixby on smartphones and connected home appliances.

The South Korean tech behemoth has embarked on research and development of so-called 'AI chips' with a goal of commercialization in the next few years, according to industry sources.

Samsung sources state that "In the next three years or so, smartphones will have designated chips that will improve the processing of AI features by 50 percent from today. A kind of an accelerator can be applied to empower AI devices."

To make it sound like Samsung will be a leader in the AI chip business, a Samsung partner told the Korean publication that "Samsung is in the middle of developing several types of chips that will be capable of processing massive data from AI applications on devices, eliminating the need to communicate with cloud servers."

Yet in the next couple of years TSMC has already stated back in June that 7nm and 5nm processors to handle AI, AR, VR, Context Aware Computing and Deep Learning. TSMC is Apple's main processor supplier and so if Samsung wants to bang the drum for AI processors, Apple is obviously working on more advanced chips than their new neural engine. So Samsung's talk isn't all that impressive.

I'm not downplaying Samsung's ability of being a fierce competitor, but that they're late to the party with Bixby which is still struggling as a digital assistant and now their work on AI chips for smartphones only conveniently came to light after Apple's revelation of the A11 Bionic with its Neural Engine back on September 12.

In the end, the critics were saying that Apple was far behind in the AI game and now Digitimes research report says that Apple has leap frogged Google. That completely screws up Google's own narrative on the subject that Patently Apple covered last year in a report about The Google Manifesto; Google's presentation laying out the vision that they're the ones that are leading the next wave of technology, the AI revolution.

So expect Google to come out swinging on October 4th trying to convince the world that they're the ones destined to be the gods of AI, with Apple miserably behind and that they're the ones that now own the Matrix (Neo move over).

Yes, interesting times are ahead in the area of advancing AI and underestimating Apple's ability to be one of the top leaders in this area would be a classis miscalculation on any competitors part and especially the media (like a Forbes contributor) that wrote Apple off very early on.

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A Franciscan Monk Preaching (anonymous: Italy: between 1500-1525) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]

***

This is a reply to some key portions of atheist Neil Carters article, Apologetics: Preaching to the Choir (5-14-17). His words will be in blue.

*****

Ive been actively studying and sharing Christian apologetics for 36 years and have been a full-time Catholic apologist since 2001, so I think I have a few insights to add to this discussion. Neil begins by stating:

Apologetics isnt for the lost, its for the already saved.

Generally speaking, apologetics books and articles are written by Christians and for Christians, no matter who their authors claim are the target audience of their work.

I wholeheartedly agree (which might surprise Neil). We apologists already know this. Our purpose is mostly to show Christians that their faith is rational, is not inimical to rationality or science or good philosophy, is cogent and logical, and can withstand challenges from all quarters. This makes them more confident and aware that Christianity is not fideism (blind faith), and that the notion of a harmonious faith and reason is not an oxymoron. We often explain our work as removing roadblocks.

The only people who are ever impressed with the arguments therein are people who are already within the fold. I virtually never hear of people actually coming to the faith through work of an apologist.

This is often true, but not totally. In my own work alone, I have received several hundred letters telling me that my work helped folks move from Protestantism to Catholicism (a change within Christianity, but still a conversion and move from one religious worldview to another). Sometimes they even move from atheism or religious nominalism (the latter was my own background) to Christianity and/or Catholic Christianity. So it happens. But (in agreement generally with your remarks) I am usually writing to and for Christians, because those are the ones overwhelmingly likely to be convinced of anything I am arguing for.

Apologetics isnt about outreach, its about retention. It is an attempt to reduce the attrition rate within an embattled religious tradition increasingly assailed . . .

I essentially agree with this, too (I cut out the last part of the sentence that I mostly do not agree with). I would go on to turn the tables, though, and note that the same exact state of affairs occurs within atheist rationales and polemics. Very few Christians read or care about those (most Christians who venture onto atheist venues are roundly insulted and made fun of), and they are written mostly to and for the atheist community: to make everyone feel like they have comrades who have experienced the same thing they have (empathy).

This makes them feel less isolated in the surrounding (still barely, nominally Christian) culture. It provides moral support. One atheist can read anothers deconversion story, find common ground, and think, see! Im not the only one who thought that! Im not an oddball after all.

Pretty much, adoption of worldviews are social phenomena (see Thomas Kuhn and Michael Polanyi), and we are what we eat. If we hang around mostly Christians, chances are we will think and be like them. If we hang around atheists and start exclusively reading that material, we will (surprise!) start to think in that fashion.

As an apologist, I encounter all sorts of worldviews, and I would contend that the apologist is in a good place to decide where truth lies, since we see, through debate, the strengths and weakness and relative plausibility of competing views. Were not simply in the bubble of one view, where we dont have to grapple with other ones.

Apologetics is ultimately about self-defense. Its not about achieving a meeting of the minds with people who dont already agree with you. Nor is the goal to think very deeply about the questions outsiders have about your faith, as if you felt it were a real possibility that your belief system could be untrue. It is assumed true from the outset.

Yes; the particular religious belief is usually arrived at by various other means besides apologetics (faith, experience, Bible-reading, personal tragedy, being struck by the example of a friend, etc.). Again, this is true about atheists as well (minus faith and the Bible!). Neils presentation is not so much an observation about only Christians, as it is an observation about belief-systems and how people arrive at and justify them in general. I see all this in atheists (whom I have interacted with and debated many scores of times for 35 years), just as much as among Christians.

Ironically, Neil himself confirms the analogy I am making, between atheist polemics and Christian apologetics, in the Comment Policy post for his blog, Godless in Dixie:

Please note that Godless in Dixie is written by a former Christian, is moderated by former Christians, and is directed for the most part toward former Christians, atheists, or people that want to gain a better understanding of former Christians or atheists.

***

. . . discussions on apologetics arent usually about searching for the truth, which is the occupation of the skeptic. They are about protecting what one believes from outside assault.

This is not exclusive to Christians, either. All of us who think seriously at all about life and what is true and untrue, come to conclusions that we hold to be true. We continue to hold them unless and until we are confronted with facts or reasoning that overthrows our beliefs: in particular or as a whole. If we are subjected to enough of these anomalies then we may undergo a Kuhnian paradigm shift and change our worldview.

I did this twice in my own life, in religious matters: converting from practical atheism to evangelicalism in 1977 and then to Catholicism in 1990. I have also undergone major changes in various moral and political views. That is, if we are intellectually honest, we may very well come across perspectives that cause us to change our minds. But if we become prideful and think we can never learn anything, then we will be impervious to any such influences. That applies just as much to atheists as it does to Christians, because it has to do with human stubbornness and pride.

Im not interested in the articles critique of a piece by Protestant apologist Greg Koukl. He may have done a good or a bad job, and there are better and worse techniques and schools of apologetics. Im interested in the general point I am highlighting, and in showing that, sociologically, Christians and atheists (both being human beings) are very much alike in this regard.

My chief purpose in writing my review was to show that the usual injunctions which Christians find so persuasive just arent very meaningful to us. Theyre not effective. They may work on believers but they dont work on us.

Thats right, and it is the same in the other direction. Ive wrangled with atheists on a number of topics, and have been uniformly unimpressed by their arguments. The worst of all are atheist attempts at biblical exegesis. Its so patently obvious that they have no idea what they are talking about, yet they are unaware of it, and casually assume that they are the experts on the Bible and its interpretation, while those of us, like myself, who have intensely studied it for 40 years are out to sea (so they tell us).

I habitually try to truly take atheist concerns seriously enough to interact and engage them in depth, but atheists almost always arent interested, as soon as disagreement occurs. Theyd rather (my frequent impression, anyway) deal with ignorant Christians, so they can pretend that they represent all of Christianity, which they can then dismiss, as if the worst representatives of a viewpoint accurately convey it. In logic, we call that a straw man.

Id love to have an ongoing discussion  in mutual respect, and hopefully within an eventual friendship  with an atheist who is interested in serious, honest, probing, civil dialogue with a Christian. I keep hoping.
This is from dialogues taking place on my Facebook page today, from four who basically agree with my position, two who dont. It occurred underneath a link to Fr. Dwight Longeneckers article, Why Doesnt the Pope Answer His Critics? Participants will be identified by name and/or color of text.

*****

I continue to believe that he should, for the good of the Church. People (whether theyre wrong in asking or in substance or not) have questions. There are divisions. Hes the shepherd.

Faith Flaherty:

Whether its right or not, there is growing division and scandal in the Church. Only the pope can rectify that. We need answers for the sake of unity. Actually, all or most of the efforts to get answers were made in private, and the pope ignored them, so they were made public. Ive been advocating private discussion about it all along. Im with you on that. But the popes continued refusal to deal at all with all this stuff actually makes it more and more of a public matter. Im here writing about it now because of that, whereas I have said nothing for the previous eight months. What good comes out of what we have now in the Church? If the pope answered (assuming the answer is orthodox!), I think it would do a great deal of good.

Byron E. Aguilar:

Im glad you brought that up. He didnt clarify when He knew (knowing everything) that His questioners were cynical and already opposed to Him. But He did answer and explain to His own disciples, who talked to Him privately. He would explain the parables to them, but not to the Pharisees.

No, he doesnt have to in some strict canonical sense. But my argument is that he should voluntarily do so, so as to provide answers in a crisis situation. Only he can do it; its better that he does (in my humble opinion)  things can hardly be worse than they are now , therefore, he should do it.

Robert Salazar:

Yes! But he knew that doing that (clarify), some of them would have accepted his teaching.

Exactly. Of all the many thousands who have asked questions (not just this recent thing), certainly many would accept the teaching. Any further understanding and lesser amount of doubt and confusion is a good thing. Its a mess now. What do we have to lose, in other words, if the pope clarifies?

Jesus explained to Peter that He was the Messiah. The same night (I believe), Peter told Jesus that He couldnt or shouldnt go to Jerusalem, for fear of what might happen, and Jesus told him, Get behind me Satan! So He knew Peter wouldnt fully understand, even though He had just proclaimed him the Rock and first pope. But Peter had a good heart: just like many millions who are confused now.

Youre not and wont. Im not and wont. Many millions are, and might. And theological liberals / dissidents / modernists / heterodox [choose your term] are already exploiting the confusion big-time, precisely as they did with Vatican II, which they deliberately distorted beyond recognition. We never learn from history.

Kathy Court Thomas:

Eric Wendle:

Alan Phipps:

And where that isnt possible, it would seem to be that there should at least be some level of alignment about that. I dont understand why this ever needed to reach the level it did as folks have now divided interpretations among ideological camps.

I agree 100%. Resolve the thing and move on. It reminds me of how when there is a scandal, the cover-up is far more momentous even than what the scandal was in the first place. This almost seems as if the behavior of utterly ignoring repeated pleas is causing far more confusion and creating a scandal, even if in fact there was nothing there in the first place. I believe Amoris Laetitia is orthodox. Its the differential implementation that is causing problems. And that is exactly what only the pope can definitively settle.

So the question is: why in the world doesnt he do so? I think Fr. Longenecker provides a theory as plausible as perhaps any other. Be that as it may, the problem remains the same and has to be dealt with.

*****

Photo credit: Image by geralt (10-14-14) [Pixabay / CC0 Creative Commons license]

***
Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari, on the day when his boss and party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav skipped his appearance before a CBI team in Delhi by obtaining a two-week extension to prepare his case involving amassing of properties valued in crores allegedly through illegal means, said that India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was undergoing the worst economic crisis that the nation had not seen before.

Speaking at a press conference in Patna on Monday, Tiwari said that the country had come to a virtual standstill since Modi became the Prime Minister of India.

"The initial honeymoon is over for the Prime Minister. He peaked his approval rating quite fast and now it is only downhill from here. The economy is in shamble as people struggle to buy essential items like petrol and vegetables while girl students are being beaten up by cops at college campuses," Tiwari said referring to the lathi charge on protesting girl students in Banaras Hindu University.

"Prime Minister Modi was not too far from the campus when the police rained batons on the student and yet he decided not to meet with the victims," he said.

Tiwari, who was brought from retirement by Lalu Prasad Yadav in the aftermath of the collapse of the Grand Alliance government in Bihar, said that Modi was full of hot air and had nothing to show for that would indicate he was a successful Prime Minister.

"All his talks are in the air. He cannot fool the public for too long. He has failed to create jobs for our youths and has also failed to improve the condition of our farmers. According to noted economist Subramanian Swamy, India has not seen such economic disaster in decades," the RJD leader who was kicked out by the JD-U in 2013 leading to his flirting with political retirement, said.
Patna: With the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ship showing signs in troubled water with the CBI closing in on the party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and a number of his family members, several of the minor cast of characters ditched RJD and joined the Janata Dal  U at a simple function in Patna on Monday.

Among those jumping the ship included former mayor of Munger Kumkum Devi and over half a dozen office bearers from various districts.

JD-U MP RCP Singh and state Education Minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma welcomed the new members saying their presence will further strengthen the party in the post Grand Alliance political landscape in Bihar.

Legislator Sanjay Kumar Singh, Dr. Navin Kumar Arya, and Anil Kumar were also present at the occasion.

Slamming Sharad Yadav for engaging in anti-Nitish propaganda while hobnobbing with the RJD leaders, the MP said that the former party President should look around himself to see who he is standing with.

"He is standing with corrupt leaders who have been convicted in corrupt cases. Nearly the whole family is under CBI scrutiny so before talking about Nitish Kumar who has an unblemished record, Sharad Yadav should question his own record and integrity," Singh said.

Adding Yadav had zero base in Bihar, the MP said that the former President has a habit of latching on to a party in Bihar to further his political aspirations.

"Sometimes he comes to Bihar on the back of JD-U, the other time on the back of RJD. He has no identity of his own in Bihar where JD-U was practically carrying him around for years. I don't think he even understands what GST is. When he was asked to speak on GST in the Rajya Sabha, he had 18 minutes to talk but he finished his speech in less than two minutes," Singh said.
Iranian Miners' Call for Justice Echoes in Social Media

09/26/17

Source: Radio Zamaneh

In December of 2015 miners of Agh Dareh gold mines staged a number of protests which earned many miners imprisonment, flogging and hefty fines. Some of the miners described their treatment in a 59 second video where one of the Agh Dareh residents stresses that miners were imprisoned, flogged and fined simply because they wanted to work and earn a living.

The video went viral in Iranian social media highlighting the importance of recounting acts of state cruelty against Iranian workers for the public.



The miners were arrested and sentenced following complaints filed by the mine's ownership. They were charged with impeding business, vandalism and disorderly behaviour.

Watch the video

Media reflection of the events triggered a parliamentary probe which issued its report last August confirming that the charges had no foundation. According to the report, the miners had not engaged in impeding business and disturbing public safety and order. They were merely protesting their mas lay off and wanted to meet with management to talk matters over.



In early December 2015 Pouya Zarkan Company laid off 350 workers who had been working in the Agh Dareh mines for over ten years. The workers called for a meeting with the management but were refused.



The miners then proceeded to stage demonstrations in the company premises during which three of the miners, under stress of their job loss, attempted suicide but were rescued. The employer then proceeded to lay charges against the miners and 17 of the miners were sentenced for their participation in the protests.



Flogging of workers in Iran

Nine of the miners who were sentenced to imprisonment, 30 lashes and fines were released on bail after the complainant withdrew the charges against them.



Last June however the flogging sentence against 8 miners and a local resident was carried out triggering widespread outrage.



International Trade Union Confederation reported the incident to the International Labour Organization which added it to the complaint file against the Islamic Republic.

Head of Western Azerbaijan Labour Ministry was fired for denying any knowledge of the events; however, head of the province's Justice Department defended the proceedings saying the punishment was not meted out for labour protests but for "disturbing public safety and order".



Head of Takab Justice Department, where the sentences were carried out, also stood by the legality of the floggings and threatened the media with legal action. Counsel for the miners had reportedly managed to reach a settlement with the management who had withdrawn their complaint but the prosecutor had apparently pressed charges on the state's behalf and proceeded to execute the sentences.



The parliamentary probe reveals widespread illegal handouts from the mining company to various security and administrative offices of the municipality of Takab aimed at tax evasion as well as avoiding environmental regulations.

Agh Dareh mines are located 40 kilometres outside Takab and their workers are mainly from local Kurdish residents who make their living through agriculture, stock farming and carpet weaving. The development of mining in the area in the past twenty years has provided employment for the residents however its extraction practices have rendered the region's soil inadequate for farming. It has also polluted the air increasing the incidence of skin disease as well as lung and throat cancer. Additionally, it has increased mercury and cyanide levels in the local water supply and had adverse effects on the wildlife in the region.



The workers who were sentenced will face greater obstacles in finding work elsewhere since they now have a police record marking them as disturbers of public safety and security.



Currently from the 17 charged workers only six remain in Agh Dareh and the rest have migrated to other parts of the country in search of employment. Those who have remained are making do with odd jobs or have to rely on their spouse's carpet weaving income.



However there may be a silver lining in these events. Once communicated across the web, the flogging of the miners of Agh Dareh became a symbol of the injustices borne by Iranian workers all across the country. Its reflection in social media and the outrage it engendered forced the hand of the state. It was pivotal in getting the miners released and in preventing such treatments from becoming the order of the day. A mighty feat for a simple 59 second video.
Iran-Armenia joint production "Yeva" premieres in Yerevan

09/26/17

Source: Tehran Times

"Yeva", a co-production between Iran's Farabi Cinema Foundation and the National Cinema Center of Armenia, premiered at the Moscow Cinema in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Saturday. Directed by Iranian-Armenian filmmaker Anahid Abad, the film tells the story of Yeva, a young woman who escapes her influential in-laws with her daughter Nareh, after her husband's tragic death, and takes refuge in one of the villages of Karabakh, Armenia.

Farabi director Alireza Tabesh and National Cinema Center of Armenia director Shushanik Mirzakhanyan also attended the screening of the film.



Before the screening, Tabesh said that Iran is ready to collaborate with neighboring countries on joint film productions.



"The cinema of Iran can pave the ground for cinematic growth based on morality through joint productions not only with Armenia but also with the neighboring countries with shared commonalities," he added.



Tabesh expressed his hope that the ideal conditions for expanding relations on cinema between Iran and Armenia are created. He also announced Iran's readiness to organize mutual film weeks.



On her part, Abad expressed thanks to her Iranian colleagues, especially producer Taqi Aliqolizadeh, and said that the film shows the high potential of Iranian cinema and Armenia artists.



The film, which is on screen at three movie theaters in Yerevan with Persian subtitles, will later go on screen in other Armenian cities: Gyumri, Ashtarak and Goris.



In addition, in a meeting held on Monday at the Armenia Ministry of Culture, Tabesh and Mirzakhanyan signed an agreement to expand ties in cinematic fields.
Mr Isaac Oware-Aboagye, the Public-Private Partnership Coordinator at the Ministry of Finance, has said a study conducted in 2016 indicated that Government needed 7.3 billion dollars to improve infrastructure deficit in the country.



Therefore, he said, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement had become necessary so that Government would leverage on the private sector to support the implementation of projects.



Currently, he said, the Government did not have financial resources to undertake infrastructural development due to other pressing national needs.



Mr Oware-Aboagye made this known at the Ghana Public Private Partnership Upgrading of the Accra-Tema Motorway Initial Market Sounding, in Accra.



The progamme aimed at appraising the interest of the private sector in partnering with the Government to undertake the proposed project.



The event brought together project financiers, investor analysts, construction consultants, civil engineers, legal practitioners, officials from the Ghana Highways Authority, the Ministry of Roads and Highways, the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund.



Highlighting the Accra-Tema Motorway Project (ATMP), Mr Oware-Aboagye said, there would be the extension of the Tema Roundabout towards Afrenya, Tetteh Quarshie Interchange through Apenkwa to Achimota and Nsawam.



He said the total stretch of the ATMP extension would cover about 62 kilometres with a six carriageway.



He said the ATMP was vital because it carried high volumes of international traffic due to its location along the Trans-West African Coastal Highway.



He said the road carried traffic to and from neighbouring Togo, and Cote dIvoire as well as north bound traffic to landlocked countries Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.



Mr Oware-Aboagye noted that the road would contribute immensely to the economies of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), by improving the share of intra-regional trade.



Mr Victor Owusu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Highway Authority, said the ATMP, which was constructed in 1964 had chalked an estimated 500 million axles, with more than 100 million trucks having plied the route.



He said the upgrading of the road would enhance free flow of vehicular traffic from Tema to Accra and boost the economic fortunes of the country.



Mr Owusu said, over the years, a number of investors had expressed interest in constructing the road, therefore, the Market Sounding Programme had opened the way for interested investors to come forward with their proposals.



However, he said, government would adopt international best practices in the upgrading of the road to ensure value for money.



The World Bank is supporting the implementation of PPP projects in Ghana.



In 2011, a National Policy on PPP Policy was developed to guide the implementation of projects.



The purpose of the PPP arrangement is to provide clear and consistent guidance for all aspects of the PPP project development and implementation, including project identification, project preparation, procurement processes, evaluation and selection and contracting with a successful private partner.



The Policy would ensure compliance and safeguards at the work place, risk sharing and allocation, affordability and sustainability.



Under PPP arrangement, there would be transparency and fairness, while relevant procurement procedures would be followed.



The PPP policy would enable the Government to leverage on the private sector financial resources for infrastructural development.



The PPP programme would have the Project Development Facility, which would enable the funding agencies to have access to funds and the Viability of the Project, which requires job creation and open-up of the country to the international community.

Source: GNA









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About 200 members of the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange Phone Dealers and Shoe Sellers Associations and others on Monday demonstrated against WB Impex, Managers of VVIP Transport Service for making arrangements to eject them.



Robert Tang, CEO of WB Impex has made moves to get the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to eject us from the land which shares common boundaries with the VVIP terminal, claiming he owns the place as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the assembly, the leaders of the traders, Jackson Amponsah and Daniel Osei told the media.



As early as 7am, the traders assembled at the Circle interchange, popularly referred to as Dubai.



Clad in red arm bands, they shouted Ghana must stay, China must go to express their displeasure.



They claimed Mr Tang took the matter to court last year but his suit was dismissed for lack of merit.



We are surprised that he cannot remain within his area but wants to lay claim to the area allocated to us by the AMA.



They called on the AMA to bring Mr Robert Tang and his group to order, saying any group of persons trying to push this dirty deal in the name of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) should accordingly advise themselves.



Why will a foreigner claim that he owns a parcel of land belonging to government and make moves to champion a cause that will jeopardize the future of our children and us as home-makers, they declared.



The Head of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) of the AMA at Circle, Moses Abor gave assurance that efforts will be made to ensure that both parties live amicably.



He equally urged Mr Robert Tang to be content with his present location as any moves to eject the traders would not succeed.



Osei Agyemang, Chairman of the Circle-Tip Toe Lane Traders Association, wondered why a Ghanaian will front for foreigners to oppress his own people and called for investigations into the matter.



The chairman, who is also an Executive Member of Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), called on the demonstrators to remain calm for their concerns to be addressed.



DAILY GUIDEs visit to the area showed clear demarcations in the area.

Source: Daily Guide









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Ghana in 2016 reportedly lost a substantial amount of revenue as a result of alleged non-repatriation of export proceeds from a whopping amount of $2.5 billion worth of gold exported through the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC).



This was made known by the newly-appointed Managing Director (MD) of PMMC, Dr Kwadwo Opare-Hammond to BUSINESS GUIDE.



Dr. Opare-Hammond alleged that PMMC incurred a questionable GH50 million under the leadership of ex-President John Mahamas darling boy, George Abradu-Otoo, from 2013 to January 2017 when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration was voted out of power.



According to Dr Opare-Hammond, Through the non-repatriation of the proceeds, Ghana lost heavily but individuals, especially foreigners made money.



$2.3 billion of gold was exported through PMMC in 2016, but not a single dollar was repatriated back to the country as required by the law, Dr. Opare-Hammond said.



Earlier at the inauguration of a new board of PMMC by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Barbara Gyasi, Dr Opare-Hammond said that the company we are taking over can best be described as one that is in comatose.



Members of the new board include Samuel Ashong-Narh, Kofi Dametia, Lawyer Komla Onny, Nana Kwesi Awuah, Emefa Obro-Adibo, Mavis Nkansah Boadu, Alhaji Musah Fuseini Cudjoe and Dr Opare-Hammond.



How can a company sell gold and diamonds and make losses whereas individuals have been doing well as precious minerals traders? according to him.



Dr. Opare-Hammonds assertions appears to be in line with this papers independent investigations in 2016, which revealed that foreigners, especially Indians and Chinese, had allegedly formed a syndicate at PMMC with their Ghanaian counterparts to export gold through PMMC under the watch of Mr Abradu-Otoo without repatriating the proceeds to Ghana as required by law.



BUSINESS GUIDEs earlier investigations revealed that there was a smuggling syndicate in the sector which allegedly had links with Mr. Abradu-Otoo at the time and were reportedly exporting through PMMC without repatriating the funds.



A certain Indian man in Ghana, according to unconfirmed reports at the time, was allegedly making nearly $23 million monthly from such fraudulent and questionable deals at the expense of the state.



The Association of Gold Exporters of Ghana (AGEG), an umbrella body of local small-scale gold exporters, called on President Akufo-Addo earlier this year to probe the alleged rot at PMMC



AGEGE said there were unfair trade practices and wanton money laundering by Indians, Chinese, other expatriates and some management members of the PMMC under the previous board.



PMMC is exporting gold on behalf of third parties and these guys are not bringing the money back and this is creating a huge vacuum within the sector. PMMC, no matter how much they ship they dont repatriate one percent, Mr. Asante Asare said.



Dubious activities



The paper gathered that the foreigners usually ship the gold first to India or China and then change the documentation of the goods to make their origin rather India or China instead of Ghana before transporting them to Dubai for sale at world market price.



Reaction from former MD



Meanwhile, when DAILY GUIDE contacted Mr. Abradu-Otoo to comment on the alleged $2.5 billion scandal, he described the allegations as nonsense, saying if you want any information go to Minerals Commission, Bank of Ghana, Security and Exchange Commission and PMMC itself.



Making reference to the alleged GH50 million dubious debt incurred by PMMC during his tenure, Mr. Abradu-Otoo quizzed how can such an amount be missing all this while without the knowledge of the internal audit, our external auditors (PKF and Inte)?

Source: Daily Guide









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An Accra Central District Court has remanded 22 persons suspected to have participated in the gruesome murder of Major Maxwell Adams Mahama at Denkyira-Obuase in the Central Region, into prison custody. The suspects are facing charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.



They were hauled before the court, presided over by Joshua Caleb Abaidoo, yesterday.



A state prosecutor, DSP George Amega, prayed the court to discharge two of the latest suspects  Bismarck Abanga and Solomon Fodjour  of murder and conspiracy to commit murder so that their charges could be consolidated with the charges of the other 20 suspects.



He said the prosecution had amended its charges and prayed the court to adjourn the case to October 10, 2017 while they awaited advice from the Attorney Generals Department.



The judge upheld the plea of the prosecution and remanded the 22 into prison custody while adjourning the case to October 10, 2017.



The police are still hunting for 11 people who are also suspected to have participated in the lynching of the military officer.



Facts Of The Case



The facts of the case as presented by the prosecution, are that Major Mahama was killed by the 22 suspects and others who are still at large at Denkyira-Obuasi, where he was on detachment duties.



He said the deceased army captain was on a 20-kilometre walk when he was reportedly mistaken for a thief by some women from whom he stopped to buy snails.



The women, who thought he was an armed robber after spotting his official pistol, called the assembly man in the area to raise an alarm.



The assembly man then quickly organised people in the town to lynch the soldier and later burnt parts of his body.



Suspects



The 22 suspects are William Baah aka Misky, teacher/assemblyman; Yaw Annor aka Agahowa, mason; Akwasi Baah aka Baya, farmer; Kwame Tuffour aka Asowonan, driver; Akwasi Asante, farmer; Joseph Appiah Kubi aka Kum Dede, driver; Kwadwo Animah, mason; Philip Badu, prisons assistant; Kofi Nyame aka Abortion, farmer and Michel Anim aka Nana Anim.



The others are Bernard Asamoah aka Daddy, drivers apprentice; Ebenezer Appiah aka Akwesi Adjei; Charles Quainin aka Kwesi Boah, vulcanizer; Anthony Amoah aka Kwaku Manu/Amis, okada operator; Bismark Donkor aka Dada, farmer; Kwame Agyei, farmer; Solomon Sackey, carpenter; John Bosie aka Abodie, drivers apprentice and Vivian Sahene aka Mafia, unemployed.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The organizers of the Ghana Maritime & Shipping Awards, Ninetyeightz Events, have congratulated the government of Ghana for winning the three-year-long maritime dispute between the country and Cote dIvoire.



In a statement issued in Accra, the chief executive officer of the Ninetyeightz Media, Bergis Kojo Frimpong said Although the ruling favoured Ghana, we believe the victory is for both countries and West Africa in general.



He commended Ghana and Cote dlvoire for the peaceful and cooperative process they committed themselves to in settling the dispute.



He said his outfit is very happy that the two countries have been able to diffuse such a complicated security and economic threat with calm and maturity, and through cooperation and legal means, without animosity.



He therefore, congratulated Ghana and Cote dIvoire for a shared victory, and commended them for showcasing the true meaning of diplomacy and good neighbourliness.



While it congratulated judges of the Special Chamber and the legal and technical teams of both countries for bringing an end to the matter, the CEO of Nightyeightz Media also paid glowing tributes to the government of Ghana for the various roles it played towards the victory.



Last Saturday September 23, the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), in a unanimous decision ruled that there has not been any violation on the part of Ghana on Cote dIvoires maritime boundary.



The Special Chamber in its ruling also rejected Cote dIvoires argument that Ghanas coastal lines were unstable. It also ruled that Ghana has not violated Cote dIvoires sovereign rights with its oil exploration in the disputed basin.



The dispute started since Ghanas discovery of oil in 2007 which Ivory Coast laid claims to. Series of failed negotiations led Ghana to file a case at the ITLOS in 2014 to rule on the delimitation of the maritime boundary between the two countries.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Popular Kumasi-based NDC serial caller, 'Appiah Stadium' is in deep hot waters after allegedly likening the first gentleman of the land, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to an ape in an audio which has surfaced online.



The acerbic-tongued supporter of ex-President John Dramani Mahama is now pleading for mercy after he was exposed by a top NPP guru, Richard Adjei Mensah Ofori-Atta aka Tomtom.



Tomtom, who was part of Ghanas delegation to the US, stated on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie, that he would make sure Appiah Stadium is dealt with by the law.



Appiah Insults Nana



Appiah Stadium was captured in an audio circulating pouring sickening invectives on President Nana Addo during his recent visit to the United States.



The popular serial caller tagged the president a wee smoker and later likened him to a monkey.



Appiah Stadium was believed to have sent the recorded verbal abuse to some NDC platforms which was allegedly later leaked by his own group members - where it had since gone viral.



Tomtoms Anger



Tomtom, who was furious by the insults told NEAT FMs morning show host, Kwesi Aboagye that he will drag the Appiah Stadium to court; and subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the security agencies.



The NPP guru wants Appiah Stadium to prove in court if indeed the president smokes Wee.



He also wants the court to severely punish Appiah Stadium for likening the president to an animal; specifically a monkey.



It is now all over the world that Ghana president smokes Wee and if your president smokes Wee, what will you as a citizen also smoke?



Ghanaians that will travel to abroad will be monitored or properly checked at the airport to see if he/she is not hiding any narcotics in his/her luggage.



This unfortunate development has occurred because Appiah Stadium has labeled our cherished president as a Wee smoker, he complained bitterly.



Appiah begs Nana Addo



But Appiah Stadium is now pleading for forgiveness after admitting he erred by ranting such unpalatable insults on the president without any provocation.



I have no justification for this. I am begging the president for forgiveness. The little I have heard from the BNI is enough for me to beg him for forgiveness. Tomtom should please accept my apology. This is really unfortunate an apologetic-sounding Appiah Stadium stated on NEAT FM.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Ambrose_wash









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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An NDC activist and avowed loyalist of former President John Mahama, Kweku Appiah aka Appiah Stadium, says hes ceased to be the vociferous defender of ex President that hes been in the past years.



According to him, after a diligent self introspection, hes come to the realization that it is not worth sacrificing his life and in the process creating a bad image and name for himself to further the former leaders political ambition.



Appiah Stadiums voice is heard on several radio stations across the country almost on a daily basis brazenly defending ex President Mahama whenever he feels the latter is being attacked, and counters such attacks by raining praises on him espousing his achievements as President.



Appiah Stadium whos eloquent and articulate in the twi dialect has publicly stated in the past that hell do everything possible within his might to ensure ex President John Mahama is elected again as the NDCs Flagbearer for the 2020 election as he believes the latter is the partys best bet to ensure victory at the polls.



Just last week, NDC member and Editor of the Informer Newspaper, Andy Kankam urged ex President Mahama to publicly distance himself from Appiah Stadiums consistent insults against the NDC Founder and Ex President Rawlings if he [Mahama] is not behind the reprehensible act.



But Appiah Stadium who denied playing any role in the organization of a demonstration by some Ghanaians in the US against President Akufo Addo while attending the UN General Meeting last week, surprised many on Neat FM Monday when he said hes turned on a new leaf and begged for forgiveness from anyone hes insulted in his politicking.



Ive learnt my lessons, whoever Ive offended in politics should forgive me. My father John Mahama whom Im fighting for is yet to be elected as the Flagbearer of the NDC. So why should I create a bad image for myself simply because I want him to be President? if I do that then Im mistaken. Even when he was the President, I was not given any appointment so why should I go on fighting for his second term bid. If Im not careful someone will just kill me and say Ive been killed by operatives of the NPP government but that may not be the case. I beg President Akufo Addo and any other person Ive offended in politics to forgive me.



I know what Ive gone through in the past four days, what Ive experienced is enough, I dont want anymore of it. Im sure that even if ex President John Mahama is my brother, whatever he gets when he comes back to power hell not share with me.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









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A social democratic-leaning group, Coalition for Democratic Governance (CDG), has commended government for putting the country first in the run-up to the victory chalked at International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).



According to the Coalition, it is commendable that the Akufo-Addo government that over from the Mahama-led administration did not alter the case the country had made in court.



The ITLOS, on Saturday, resolved the three-year-long dispute between Ghana and Ivory Coast over the Cape Three Points oil and gas fields and the surrounding fields in favour of Ghana at the Tribunals final sitting on the matter, brought by Ghana.



The group admits this resounding victory as a clear manifestation that Ghana can surmount its complex problems of socio-economic development if all our technical and professional expertise is harnessed in a non-partisan spirit



CDG insists that even though the country has won, it is necessary to hail Former President Mahama for the risk he took in sending the matter to court.



The Group believes that Mahamas commitment to the case despite the tough times he was facing as a President should be enough basis for Ghanaians to give much credit to him.



Whilst enjoying the positive outcome of this verdict, we should also ponder on the risk factor born by incompetent ex-President John Dramani Mahama. He sustained the intractable bilateral negotiations with Cote dIvoire and after years of stalemate opted out to pursue the maritime boundary conflict at the ITLOS. If the outcome had been negative, there would have been by now a sea of criticism and condemnation of ex-President Mahama, at best, attributable to his youthful exuberance. CDG asserted



Below is the full details of the Press Statement by the Coalition:



25 September 2017



Dear Editor,



PRESS RELEASE



ITLOS verdict on the Maritime Boundary Dispute between Ghana and Cote dIvoire



Ghana, our beloved country, is in a state of great relief and joy for the favourable judgement by the special chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), on the maritime boundary dispute between Ghana and Cote dIvoire. The Coalition for Democratic Governance (CDG), a non-partisan voluntary association of individuals who adhere to social democratic principles, fully share the satisfaction and joy of the verdict. Most members of CDG followed live the judgement process with moments of apprehension and palpitations, as the verdicts were being unveiled with mostly incomprehensible technical details.



The Special Chamber of ITLOS, in its Judgment on the 23 September2017, unanimously decided as follows:



1. that it has jurisdiction to delimit the maritime boundary between the Parties in the territorial sea, in the exclusive economic zone and on the continental shelf, both within and beyond 200 nautical miles (200nm):



2. that there is no tacit agreement between the Parties to delimit their territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf both within and beyond 200 nm, and rejects Ghanas claim that Cote dIvoire is stopped from objecting to the customary equidistance boundary;



3. Decides that the single maritime boundary for the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf within and beyond 200 nm starts at BP 55+ with determined coordinates as a geodetic datum and is defined by identified turning points with established coordinates and connected by geodetic lines;



4. That it has jurisdiction to decide on the claim of Cote dIvoire against Ghana on the alleged international responsibility of Ghana. Then came the moment of relief and cautious optimism when the special chamber continued with the following findings:



5. That Ghana did not violate the sovereign rights of Cote dIvoire;



6. That Ghana did not violate article 83, paragraphs 1 and 3, of the Convention;



7. That Ghana did not violate the provisional measures prescribed by the Special Chamber in its Order of 25 April 2015.



It is heartening to note that, in the spirit of good neighbourliness and Pan Africanism, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire have jointly agreed to abide by the decision of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) as contained in their joint communique, inter alia:



Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana seize the opportunity to reiterate the mutual commitment of the two countries to abide by the terms of this decision from the Special Chamber and to fully collaborate for its implementation. The two countries affirm the strong will to work together to strengthen and intensify their brotherly relationships of cooperation and good neighbourliness.



Furthermore, the CDG has learnt with pleasure that from the preliminary plotting of the new boundary, starting from the new coastal point established by the court, there is a slight deviation into the east up to where the Tano field is. It then follows Ghanas customary boundary line southwards, through to the 200 nm point and beyond, thus preserving the TEIN and Hess fields. Apart from the expected boom for investments in the oil industry, the net gain to Ghana from the coast to the outer continental shelf is about 80.5 sq. km.



Whilst enjoying the positive outcome of this verdict, we should also ponder on the risk factor born by incompetent ex-President John Dramani Mahama. He sustained the intractable bilateral negotiations with Cote dIvoire and after years of stalemate opted out to pursue the maritime boundary conflict at the ITLOS. If the outcome had been negative, there would have been by now a sea of criticism and condemnation of ex-President Mahama, at best, attributable to his youthful exuberance.



The Coalition for Democratic Governance also expresses its appreciation to the current government for not choosing the path of least resistance, by discontinuing the case but sought the collaboration of the former Attorney General Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong alongside the current Attorney General Ms Gloria Akufo.



8. The CDG considers this resounding victory as a clear manifestation that Ghana can surmount its complex problems of socio-economic development if all our technical and professional expertise is harnessed in a non-partisan spirit.



The CDG, therefore, calls on the government to resource and empower the permanent Maritime Border Secretariat, established by the late President Prof Attah Mills to unreservedly ascertain our maritime boundary with Togo and also the land boundary with Burkina Faso.



SIGNED



Dr. E. K. Hayford



(Chief Convener)









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Following Ghanas historic victory over the weekend in the maritime boundary dispute with neighboring Cote dIvoire, Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament, Kobina Tahir Hammond, has been speaking to Citi FM about the behind-the-scenes-roles he played in the eventual Executive decision that took the stand-off with the Ivoirians to the International Tribunal on The Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in 2014.



In his interview with Citi FM, Mr. Hammond also used the opportunity to explain how his behind-the-scenes-involvement somewhat caused colleague New Patriotic Party top members to wrongly accuse him of being in bed with the Mahama government.



I went to the Flagstaff House to see President John Mahama on this matter that has now become the success that the whole country is celebrating today, Mr. Hammond said.



He added, I have followed this matter from my days when I was at the Ministry of Energy to when I was in opposition as Ranking Member and thereafter and I can confidently say that the outcome has been worth the pursuit.



On Saturday, ITLOS resolved in Hamburg, Germany, the three-year-long dispute between the two West African neighbors over the Cape Three Points oil and gas fields [and the surrounding fields] in favor of Ghana at the Tribunals final sitting on the matter, brought by Ghana.



The judgment came as huge relief to both the government of Ghana and the major oil and gas companies whose investments in the disputed territory were, prior to Saturdays decision, precariously at stake.



For instance, in April 2015, ITLOS ordered a number of provisional measures which forced Ghana to suspend the drilling of new oil and gas wells in the disputed territory, pending the outcome of the litigation.



That decision caused Ghanas TEN field to begin production with 11 of the planned 24 wells, as no new wells could be drilled until the dispute was settled.



Again, Ghanas public purse  which has so far raked in over 3 billion dollars since the country began commercial oil production in 2009  would have taken a devastating hit had the ITLOS judgment found Ghana in breach of the territorial waters of her western neighbor, Cote dIvoire, and the consequences would have been grave.



For instance, if the ITLOS decision had gone against Ghana, the Ghanaian governments Free Senior High School policy, which took off early this month with an ambitious plan to educate some 400,000 qualified Junior High School leavers for free in its first year of implementation alone, would have suffocated.



This is because the Nana Addo administration has said revenue from oil and gas, as well as earnings from other mineral resources, will go into funding the policy, which is expected to eat up some 400 million Ghana cedis in its first year of implementation.



As Ranking Member on Energy, Mr. Hammond, was a full-time critic of the John Mahama administration, often slamming the government for its management of Ghanas oil and gas resources.



He was also a religious critic of the Mahama governments handling of the nations most recent power sector crisis that crippled many businesses.



Mr. Hammond tells Citi News that in the course of his work as Minority Spokesperson on Energy, he stumbled on a very disturbing allegation that made him panic.



He said credible local and international sources had told him that the government in Accra was negotiating possible settlement of the maritime dispute in a way that could see the government in Abidjan walk home with a significant portion of disputed oil-and-gas-rich territory.



The former Deputy Energy said upon hearing the claims he immediately sought audience with President Mahama in order to ascertain the veracity of the allegations.



He stated that in what was his first and last visit to the Flag Staff House during John Mahamas tenure, he advised the President strongly against taking any decision to settle the dispute out of court.



It was at that meeting that the President told me that he will take steps to have the dispute with Ivory Coast referred to the ITLOS for settlement, Mr. Hammond said on the phone from London, from where he monitored Saturdays judgment.



My mission to the Flagstaff House was clear. Tell the President what I knew about the dispute and to, as Ranking Member, counsel him not to settle for anything that could make us worse-off.



Under pressure to disclose further details of what the President Mahama said to him about the allegations, Mr. Hammond pleaded what he called Presidential Privilege, saying it barred him from making additional disclosures.



Mr. Hammond said that true to the Presidents assurances to him at the closed-door-meeting, he was informed days later that Ghana had indeed dragged Ivory Coast before the ITLOS over the maritime dispute.



Asked if he felt vindicated by the outcome of the litigation, the Adansi Asokwa MP said, I wont call it vindication. Ill say I have always known  based on the work we did during President John Kufours era  that the oil is ours. I knew, having worked under President Kufuor as a Deputy Minister for Energy, that there was no way Cote dIvoire was going to take away what is rightfully ours.



According to Mr. Hammond the outcome of the ITLOS decision should be a devastating shame to all those NPP people who have used his meeting with President Mahama as evidence that he was in bed with the governing NDC at the time.



As an outspoken Ranking Member, Mr. Hammond was seen by many as a natural future Energy Minister in the event of Nana Addos victory at the 2016 polls.



However, eight months after the NPP won the elections, Mr. Hammond remains an ordinary Member of Parliament without any ministerial appointment.



Sources say his exclusion from Nana Addos government stems from accusations he was in bed with President Mahamas government, claims he vehemently denies.



So all those who think I was mixing up with John Mahama and his people must be ashamed by now. All those people who were moving from one place to the other with all kinds of gossip about must be embarrassed by the decision. They ought to have known that I was working for Ghana.



He added, I just could not comprehend that the Ivoirians, considering all we knew about them, the work we were doing, so belatedly, were laying claim to Ghanas oil.



Former President Mahama was not immediately available to comment on Mr. Hammonds claims, although he issued a statement on Saturday in which he named a number of prominent people who, he said, played significant roles in the ITLOS victory. Mr. Hammond was not mentioned in the statement.



I am proud of the results and salute my brother President Alassane Ouatarra that we did not allow this litigation to mar the cordial relations that exists between Ghana and La Cote DIvoire.



Ghana owes a debt of gratitude to the following- former Attorney General & Minister for Justice Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, Deputy Attorney General Dominic Ayine, Solicitor General Helen Ziwu; International Counsels Professor Philippe Sands Q.C. and Paul Reichler; Fui Tsikata and team from Reindorf Chambers; Hanna S. Tetteh, Kofi Buah, Nii Osah Mills, Jane Ahetor and Dr. Joseph Kwadwo Asensuo; Theo Ahwireng and team from Petroleum Commission; Thomas Manu and team from the GNPC; Kojo Efunam and officials of the EPA; Kwame Mfodwo & Professor Martin Tsamenyi from the Maritime Boundary Secretariat; Alex Tait of International Mapping Associates; members of the former Cabinet who endorsed my decision to proceed to ITLOS, and others too many to mention, John Mahamas statement said.



The Special Chamber of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) ruled in favor of Ghana in the three-year-long maritime dispute between the country and Cote dIvoire on Saturday.



In a unanimous decision, the Tribunal found that contrary to the claims of the government in Abidjan, Ghana did not violate Cote dIvoires maritime boundary in anyway.



The Chamber also rejected Cote dIvoires legal argument that Ghanas coastal lines were unstable. The panel also found that Ghanas oil and gas exploration activities in the disputed basin did not violate Cote dIvoires sovereign rights.

Source: citifmonline.com









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General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress [NDC], Johnson Asiedu Nketia whos affectionately called General Mosquito says popular Kumasi-based NDC serial caller, 'Appiah Stadium' needs to be patted on the back for describing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a Monkey.



According to him, Appiah Stadium who is a supporter of ex-President John Dramani Mahama must be commended rather than condemnedn.



Insulting a president is not anything new in this country. That is the stock-in-trade of the NPP, they are well noted for casting aspersions and pouring invectives on presidents; so its a payback time for them.



The government must rather commend and protect Appiah Stadium for insulting [Likening the president to a Monkey and a wee smoker] the president the NDC Chief Scribe said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show dubbed Ghana Montie.



Appiah Stadium was captured in an audio circulating pouring sickening invectives on President Nana Addo during his recent visit to the United States.



The popular serial caller who tagged the president a wee smoker and later likened him to a monkey is now pleading for forgiveness.



But his General Secretary apparently sees him as a hero in the NDC and maintained that he has done no wrong.



According to Mr. Asiedu Nketia, the president can pray the court for justification if he [President Nana Addo] feels offended.



Nana Addo [President] is one person who fought against criminal libel law. He created the freedom for everyone to insult presidents. So why is he worried if people are utilizing it?



This same NPP people subjected late President Atta Mills to insults. President Mahama wasnt left out, they insulted them anyhow. So why are they complaining now when they are being paid back in their ow coin? he rhetorically quizzed.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Ambrose_wash









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After working largely out of the spotlight for decades, America's thousands of credit reporting companies found themselves in trouble in the late 1960s as lawmakers grew concerned about the massive troves of sensitive information the firms had collected on private citizens.

The target of many of these complaints was one company, Atlanta-based Retail Credit Co. - now known as Equifax.

Among the company's critics was an insurance executive named James Baker, who told a Senate committee in 1968 that he was having trouble finding a job after the company put a derogatory note in his file, alleging he had been fired for breaking the rules at his former employer. The note was incorrect, but the company refused to change it, Baker told the committee, according to media reports at the time.

The backlash against the industry led to landmark legislation, the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970, that now governs the way credit rating agencies operate. But it did little to restrain Equifax's ambition.

Nearly 50 years later, the company has grown into a data mining behemoth that uses artificial intelligence and other sophisticated tools to help companies determine whether to extend credit to nearly 1 billion people around the world. It is a leader among a number of information giants that play a critical role in financial markets, operating largely behind the scenes.

"Look at them as sleeping giants. They make the financial industry tick," said Keith Snyder, an industry analyst at CFRA Research. "They're the rails that the financial train runs on. Without them everything would grind to a halt."

That role is suddenly in question again over the company's handling of personal data. Earlier this month, Equifax announced that a massive data breach had exposed to hackers sensitive information, including Social Securitity numbers, of 143 million people to hackers, setting off complaints it has grown too big and waited too long to alert consumers.

Equifax has apologized and said it moved as quickly as it could once it understood the severity of the problem. But the scrutiny comes at a time when credit rating companies had hoped the Trump administration would roll back regulations, including limiting the powers one of its major watchdogs, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Instead, the industry is facing its biggest challenge in decades.

---

Equifax traces its roots to 1899 when two Atlanta grocery store owners, Cator and Guy Woolford, started what was then known as Retail Credit Co. by going door-to-door to collect information about people in their community. Their $25 book, "The Merchant's Guide," noted who in the neighborhood typically paid promptly or who shouldn't be trusted with credit.

The book served as a key reference to local businesses that were grappling with rapid urbanization, said Josh Lauer, associate professor media studies at the University of New Hampshire. Traditionally, local owners knew their customers, but as people flooded into the city that had become more difficult, he said. "They were providing a service, trying to make lending safer," he said.

But it also set up an adversarial relationship with consumers that survives even today. "Their whole history is about skepticism toward consumers, believing that consumers are trying to get over on the local businesses," argued Lauer, author of "Creditworthy: A History of Consumer Surveillance and Financial Identity in America."

Over time, credit bureaus, such as Retail Credit, would often align themselves with law enforcement, Lauer said. Some had desks set aside in their offices for the Internal Revenue Service or Federal Bureau of Investigation, he said. "There was no firewall, no protection for consumers at all."

By the late 1960s, the country's thousands of credit bureaus were under scrutiny by Congress. The public was beginning to become aware of the massive amounts of data they housed and many questioned the accuracy of the information.

Retail Credit drew particular scrutiny because of its history of working with health and life insurance companies. When building reports about whether someone should be extended policies, the company would collect information from neighbors and family members about their person's health, reputation, and even sometimes note if they were homosexual, Lauer said.

"Credit worthiness was tied to character," he said. "To determine whether you were a good insurance risk, they wanted to know if they took care of themselves, were upright citizens."

After a series of congressional hearings, lawmakers adopted the Fair Credit Reporting Act, giving consumers access to their reports for the first time and requiring the companies to change incorrect data.

But even after the legislation, Retail Credit continued to see itself portrayed as a villain on Capitol Hill and in the media. In 1974, four former employees of the company told a Senate subcommittee that they were forced to falsify credit reports and meet unrealistic goals to keep their jobs, including ensuring there was adverse information about 6 percent to 10 percent of consumers to prove to their business customers they were being thorough. The same year, a woman sued for invasion of privacy after her auto insurance company canceled her policy because Retail Credit reported that she was living with a man "without benefit of wedlock."

In 1976, in the wake of the controversy, the company changed its name to Equifax.

"They changed their name because they needed a fresh start and Equifax sounds equitable and factual," Lauer said.

---

Fifty years later, Equifax is one of the world's largest data providers. Instead of simply selling credit reports to the business community it has branched into new markets, using artificial intelligence, machine learning and other tactics to unearth information, even sweeping up Facebook, Twitter data on consumers to help companies decide who to lend money to.

"We manage massive amounts of unique data, we have data on approaching a billion people. We have data on approaching 100 million companies around the world. the data assets are so large, so unique," Richard Smith, the company's longtime chief executive, said at speech at the University of Georgia business school in August.

"You think about the largest library in the world . . . the Library of Congress, we manage almost 1,200 times that amount of content every day, around the world."

The hard-charging CEO took over the company in 2005 after spending 22 years at General Electric under Jack Welch. In his time at the helm of Equifax, the company's stock price has soared 200 percent. It's market value has jumped from $3 billion to about $20 billion. Instead of focusing solely on the United States, Smith has pushed Equifax into 24 countries.

Smith "has done a lot of great things with Equifax. He took the company and made it the leader it is today," said Snyder of CFRA Research.

That has included collecting a lot more data on people. Early in this tenure, Smith made a risky bet to jump into a new market, buying Talx, which housed the world's largest repository of employment data.

"Every time an employee was paid, it creates 50 data attributes," including how much a person earns and how much was comprised of a bonus, Smith said in an August talk. The company could combine that information with data it already had on customers to create new products, he said.

Equifax looked at the billions pieces of information it was collecting and decided it could use it to make money in other ways, said Snyder. "They said, hey, we have all this great data on consumers how else can we slice and dice it and make more money from the data we already have."

As part of expansion - the company creates 50 to 75 products a year - Equifax also pitches itself to companies concerned about becoming the victim of a data breach, offering services of the "Equifax Data Breach Response Team."

"In addition to extensive experience, Equifax has the most comprehensive set of identity theft products and customer service coverage in the market," the company says on its website. "You'll feel safer with Equifax."

And Smith has set some ambitious new goals for the company: Doubling its revenue from $4 billion to $8 billion within five years.

Those ambitions may be derailed by the company's handling of a massive data breach that exposed to sensitive information of millions of people. On Sept. 7, Equifax announced that hackers had gained access to sensitive personal data - Social Security numbers, birth dates and home addresses - for up to 143 million Americans by exploiting a "website application vulnerability."

The disclosure has sparked reviews by the company's regulators, the Consumer Financial Protrection Bureau and Federal Trade Commission, as well as the FBI. "We apologize to everyone affected. This is the most humbling moment in our 118-year history," Smith said in a USA Today column after the breach.

Still, the company has outraged consumers by bungling key parts of its response. For several days, the company's Twitter account directed consumers in search of help to a fake site pretending to be Equifax. It initially required companies to agree not to join a class-action lawsuit to get some forms of help.

"Their game plan is fairly aggressive, so obviously this might put a damper on their aspirations," Snyder said.

Now, Smith is facing potentially the biggest challenge of his career when he testifies before a House committee next week. Lawmakers have criticized the company for waiting six weeks after learning of the breach to tell the public and some have called for a shake up of the company's management.

"It is the company's best chance to change the narrative and steal momentum from" its critics, Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with Cowen and Co.'s Washington Research Group, said in a recent report. "If the company underperforms, the risk is high that it will . . . be constantly dragged back into the spotlight in the coming years."
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Supermarkets are gradually re-opening in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, but the situation is far from normal and many customers are going home disappointed.

Most food stores and restaurants remain closed. That is largely because power is out for most of the island and few have generators or enough diesel to power them.

The shops that were open Monday had long lines outside and vast empty shelves where they once held milk, meat and other perishables. Drinking water was nowhere to be found.

Mercedes Caro shook her head in frustration as she emerged from the SuperMax in the Condado neighborhood of San Juan with a loaf of white bread, cheese and bananas.

"There is no water and practically no food," she said. "Not even spaghetti."

The fact that some stores and restaurants have re-opened for the first time since Category 4 Hurricane Maria roared across the island Sept. 20 is welcome in a place where nearly everyone has no power and more than half the people don't have water.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello and other Puerto Rican officials said some ports have been cleared by the Coast Guard to resume accepting ships, which should allow businesses to restock.

People also described helping neighbors, and there are no signs of widespread hunger, at least not yet. "There is a tradition here of people helping each other especially during disasters," Doris Anglero said as she looked for what was available in an Old San Juan supermarket.

The Trump administration is under pressure to speed up recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There is intensifying fear that the worst of the crisis is yet to come.

The administration Monday, however, said its response has been robust. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which coordinates the recovery effort, said 10,000 federal employees have been deployed to the Caribbean. The Coast Guard has sent in 13 ships known as cutters. Commercial barges are arriving with relief supplies. The National Guard is being housed on barges and on a cruise ship that arrived this weekend.

However, officials leading the response and recovery admit they're facing serious logistical challenges, starting with damage to the ports and airports. Many of those facilities have been reopened just within the past day or two, but only for daytime operations, because of safety concerns. Radar and control tower capabilities are low, limiting the pace of incoming flights.

The death toll was unlikely to remain at 16 as residents confronted sweltering heat and continued scarcities. Lines -- for gasoline, for propane, for food, for water, for cash -- stretched for blocks, sometimes miles. Some people skipped the lines and looted what they could.

"What we're now seeing is that the aftermath is almost more horrific than the actual passing of the hurricane itself," said San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz. "The death toll is rising. People have still not communicated. And in San Juan, you're seeing what I'm calling 'urban refugees.' "

"We're doing our damnedest to get to them, especially the elderly that are left locked up in their buildings with no food, no electricity, no medication, no medical attention," she said. "We're canvassing them one by one."

Cellphone service is coming back in some places, but it is spotty. The lack of information, and the inability to travel on interior roads blocked by debris and fallen trees, has meant ongoing fear for the well-being of loved ones in inaccessible places.

In the small town of Morovis, Soraida Sierra Matias looked over the remnants of her wooden home, ripped to pieces by the storm. She had heard nothing, nor received any help, from local or federal officials. What she really needs, she said, is some canned food, and perhaps a little gas stove so she can cook and camp out in what was once her home.

"People are going crazy," her husband, Wilfredo Cruz, said.

Amid news reports of horrific conditions in the U.S. island territories, President Donald Trump Monday night reeled off a series of tweets that called attention to the infrastructure problems in Puerto Rico predating the arrival of Maria.

Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

...It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well. #FEMA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

Thank you to Carmen Yulin Cruz, the Mayor of San Juan, for your kind words on FEMA etc.We are working hard. Much food and water there/on way  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

Federal officials say there's no way aid can reach the islands as quickly as it reached Texas or Florida after they were slammed with hurricanes in recent weeks.

"Puerto Rico is an island a thousand miles away from Miami, so help just can't physically arrive as fast it did to Florida after Hurricane Irma," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Peter Brown said. "We simply can't drive thousands of power trucks to Puerto Rico to help on power restoration."

Adm. Paul Zukunft, the Coast Guard commandant, told reporters Monday on a flight to Puerto Rico that, because of the inability to reach the islands except by air or sea, the situation is "much worse than Harvey, much worse than Irma."

He said he understands why people feel forgotten.

"They feel isolated, and they're probably getting a sense of betrayal, of well, 'Where is the cavalry?'" Zukunft said.

He acknowledged that conditions could become yet more trying for those who live on the islands.

"We're not even a week into this without power. It's hot. People don't have roofs over their heads," he said. "I think there is a sense of desperation, and I think with that comes a certain amount of depression."

From The Washington Post and The Associated Press
Dangerous oceanic conditions and unguarded beaches resulted in at least 150 rescues and three fatalities in Jersey Shore over the weekend.

NJ.com reports that rescue crews and the Coast Guard were pressed into extensive service along the Shore as bathers ignored warnings of rough surf and quickly found themselves overcome by the waves.

In Long Beach alone, there were 39 rescues and one fatality, according to the report. Another 35 rescues were reported in Belmar, and Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long told NJ.com there were "a couple dozen saves" along the shore in the borough over the weekend.

A 44-year-old woman died on Sunday in Seaside Park after she was pulled from the ocean, and a 60-year-old man died on Sunday after he was pulled from the ocean off Jenkinson's Beach, officials told NJ.com
A Harrisburg man who pleaded guilty to aiding ISIS online is a lonely, isolated, uneducated and naive pawn who bought into the terror group's murderous "fantasies," his lawyers are contending.

So, 20-year-old Jalil Aziz doesn't deserve a punishment that would force him to spend decades in federal prison, defense attorneys William Fulton and Bernard S. Grimm argued in a sentencing memorandum filed Tuesday in U.S. Middle District Court.

"Mr. Aziz's internet fantasies simply offered moments of escape from an incredibly isolated life, and the more outrageous his posts were, the more internet followers he would experience and the more a part of something he could feel," they wrote.

Fulton and Grimm made those assertions a month before Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner is to sentence Aziz on his guilty pleas to charges of conspiring to aid the terror group and transmitting a communication containing a threat.

Aziz pleaded guilty to those counts in January. He has no deal with federal prosecutors regarding his punishment.

Fulton and Grimm are asking Conner to sentence their client to no more than 51 to 63 months in prison. They claim a job with a construction firm awaits Aziz when he is freed and that his brother, who founded an agency that helps "deradicalize" young people, will be there to help him.

Aziz has been behind bars since heavily-armed federal agents swooped down on his parents' Fulton Street home in December 2015. They had been monitoring his online activity for months.

Investigators said Aziz forwarded lists of information regarding U.S. military personnel and their families that ISIS leaders wanted their followers to attack. He also provided information to ISIS recruits who were trying to reach the group's now-defunct "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq.

Aziz's online chats also included boasts about buying women ISIS - also known as ISIL - had enslaved.

Fulton and Grimm claim Aziz's online actions were a farce and that he never helped the terror group in any useful way. "It is hard to imagine how he could have acted on any of these fantasies if he had wanted to," they wrote.

"Mr. Aziz has not successfully completed a grade in school since the eighth grade," they added. "He has always lived in his parents' house...He has never had a driver's license, a passport, a credit card, nor a bank account...He does not leave the house without his parents' permission."

Also, Aziz has asthma severe enough to require him to always carry an inhaler, his lawyers said.

His frailty - Aziz is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds -guarantees he would be a punching bag for bigger, hard-core inmates if he receives a long prison sentence, they claim.

The picture Fulton and Grimm painted of Aziz's home life sounds a lot like prison.

They said Aziz was bullied when he was in school before his mother, a former principal, pulled him out to supposedly home-school him. They portrayed his mother as domineering and demeaning. She would call him stupid, they said.

"In his parents' house, he had no access to television, radio nor newspapers and could only use the house telephone with permission," Fulton and Grimm wrote. "He had no friends and he had no job."

Aziz was allowed to read only Islamic books, they added, and was permitted to ride his bicycle in the neighborhood if he promised not to stop and talk to anyone.

His sister, a prison corrections officer, gave him the cell phone when he was 17 "that became Mr. Aziz's window into ISIL propaganda," although she didn't know her brother was using it for that purpose, Fulton and Grimm said.

"Unfortunately, as Mr. Aziz increasingly encountered that propaganda...he had neither the educational or social filter necessary to evaluate it or appreciate how he was perpetuating trauma and hate," they wrote.

They urged Conner not to sentence Aziz "for all of the post-9/11 traumas that continue today."

Prosecutors have not yet filed a sentencing recommendation.
Frustration over municipal authorities' failure to adequately address water and sewer customers' complaints has led a Bucks County representative to call for the Public Utility Commission to regulate them.

If this legislation became law, PUC Chairwoman Gladys Brown told the House Consumer Affairs Committee on Monday it would result in one of the most profound expansions of the commission's responsibilities in its 80-year history.

However, it was suggested during the committee's hearing that the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Tina Davis, D-Bucks County, may be seen as a shot across the bow and lead authorities to improve customer service to avoid this drastic step.

The PUC currently regulates 134 water and sewer systems, which serve 1.3 million Pennsylvanians. Most of those customers are served by privately owned utilities such as Pennsylvania American Water and Aqua Pennsylvania.

This legislation, as the PUC understands it, would increase the commission's jurisdiction to include 1,245 municipal authorities that serve 3.75 million customers.

This 800 percent increase in the commission's work load would require hiring more than 100 full-time staff and increase its budget, which is funded through fees charged to regulated utilities, by at least $10 million, Brown said. And it would have to be done in stages over time.

Where that would leave authorities is looking to the PUC for approval when it wants to raise rates. The commission also would have the responsibility of rehabilitating utilities with service reliability, administrative and financial troubles. And it would provide customers of these authorities the opportunity to use the commission's complaint process to resolve concerns.

Currently, disgruntled water and sewer customers take their complaints to the authority. If that doesn't produce a satisfactory result, their next step is to file a lawsuit in county court. But Davis said that can be an expensive proposition for customers, many of whom instead turn to their state lawmakers to complain.

Since joining the state House seven years ago, she said authority complaints have been among the top issues constituents bring to her. She hears complaints about minimum service charges to a single senior citizen who is billed the same as a large family because the authority wants to keep the rates uniform.

Davis also shared an anecdote about a sewer backup in one part of a neighborhood in her legislative district that caused raw sewage to flow into three homes in another part of the neighborhood. She said those homeowners were stuck footing the $30,000-plus bill for the cleanup.

"The local authority refused to do anything," she said. "After much pressure from even the local council, myself, the neighbors, they didn't do anything because they don't have to."

While the PUC took a neutral position on the proposal, a panel of officials representing municipal governments and authorities urged lawmakers to consider the unintended consequences that this bill would have.

This chart compares the rates charged by private water companies as well as some large publicly owned water authorities in Pennsylvania. Representatives of local governments say allowing the Public Utility Commission to regulate local authorities could lead to higher water and sewer rates.

It could force more community-owned systems to selling off their systems to private companies, which charge rates that average about 55 percent higher, warned John Brosious, deputy director of the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association, and Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors assistant executive director Elam Herr.

They noted another consequence of giving PUC jurisdiction over the local authorities would be the increased cost that authorities would face when filing with the PUC for a rate increase. They said that could run between $200,000 and $400,000 once all the engineering and attorney fees are added in and the PUC's rate approval process can take months if not more than a year.

In addition, the rate-setting hearings are usually held in Harrisburg which they said could prove inconvenient for citizens who want to testify from places that are hours away,

"There are better solutions; let's work together," said Joseph McMahon III, manager of Whitehall Township Authority in Lehigh County, in his testimony.

Rep. Thomas Caltagirone of Berks County, the ranking Democrat on the committee, suggested the panel urge local authorities to designate an employee to handle and investigate complaints. He said the Reading Area Water Authority does that and "99.9 percent of the time it gets resolved because we a point person from the water authority that handles all complaints."

Rep. Warren Kampf, R-Chester County, suggested perhaps county courts could set up a dispute resolution process to handle water and sewer customer complaints.

After the hearing, Davis said she introduced her bill to shed light on the problem that is plaguing her and other lawmakers who are powerless to address complaints that arise from these authorities.

"The authorities are self-monitoring," she said. "There needs to be separate entities or what was suggested today that consumers can go to and complain and not have to go to court. Most people walk away from it because they don't have the money and then we hear from these irate constituents."
In this Wednesday, April 26, 2017, photo, pedestrians walk past a store on Miami Beach, Florida's Lincoln Road. American consumers feel a bit less confident in September 2017, their spirits pulled down by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, according to consumer confidence index information released Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, by the Conference Board. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
A man walks by a Freshii restaurant in Toronto on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. The Freshii restaurant chain says its growth has been slower than expected, resulting in the closure of some stores and a reduced target for net openings this year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
Driving a car covered with photos of missing women, Gladys Radek, left, is overcome with emotion as she leads a group of family members and advocates of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls upon arrival in Smithers, B.C., after walking along the so-called Highway of Tears, on Monday September 25, 2017. Radek organized the walk along the notorious stretch of Highway 16 where dozens have disappeared or been killed in honour of the 12th anniversary of the disappearance of her niece, Tamara Lynn Chipman. The walk began in Prince Rupert and ended in Smithers where the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is holding hearings beginning Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
This March 1, 2010, file photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a greater sage grouse male strutting to attract a mate at a mating ground, near Bridgeport, Calif. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jeannie Stafford/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP, File
Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland leads the NAFTA council in discussion on the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement, in Toronto on September 22, 2017. Canada is pushing for the inclusion of enforceable, progressive labour standards in a rewritten North American Free Trade Agreement, aimed at compelling Mexico to pay workers higher wages and do away with so-called "yellow" unions that represent employers rather than employees. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
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This combination of images made on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, from propaganda video released by North Korea state-run media shows a simulation of a B-1B bomber being hit by a missile. Military analysts say North Korea doesn't have the capability or intent to attack U.S. bombers and fighter jets, despite the country's top diplomat saying it has the right do so. They view the remark by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and a recent propaganda video simulating such an attack as responses to fiery rhetoric by U.S. President Donald Trump and his hardening stance against the North's nuclear weapons program. Words say "Those who dare try to harm the Great Nation of Mount Paektu would never escape the fate of becoming a wandering ghost." (DPRK Today via AP)
In this image made from video, an Israeli security officer mans at the scene where a Palestinian attacker opened fire, in Jerusalem Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. A Palestinian attacker opened fire early Tuesday at the entrance to a settlement outside Jerusalem, killing three Israeli men in one of the deadliest attacks in a two-year spate of violence. (AP Photo)
The former Reading Railroad rail yard and Cramp shipyard site in Port Richmond, whose 155 acres could be developed for Amazons HQ2. Read more

As the city puts together a pitch to entice Amazon to locate its second headquarters  and up to 50,000 jobs  to Philadelphia, one massive potential site doesn't appear to be getting much respect.

Once home to the world's largest privately owned port, the former Reading Rail Yard and the former Cramp shipyard sprawl across more than 260 acres along the Delaware River. Across I-95 from the city's Port Richmond neighborhood, these vast, scrubby parcels extend south to Fishtown and are largely open and unoccupied.

Its a clean slate, said Gregory Iannarelli, senior director of business development for the Port of Philadelphia. And its large enough so that it could serve as both HQ2 and warehousing for distribution and movement of cargo. Thats a double benefit.

The properties have unparalleled access to I-95, and it's a 10-minute drive to Center City and a straight shot down the interstate to Philadelphia International Airport, said at-large Councilman Allan Domb, who is also a major city property owner. "There's the waterfront for shipping. You have your own port."

The rail yard comes with three jetties on a recently dredged waterway and is still served by Conrail, its current landlord.

"You could easily imagine putting a large corporate player there," said Adam Glaser, a Philadelphia architect and urban designer, whose clients have included Penn State, Pfizer, and Amgen. "It's a fascinating site. That's one of the most interesting things about this city. There are so many large parcels of land that lay fallow, and most people don't know they're there."

The Navy Yard and another property near 30th Street Station dubbed the Schuylkill Yards are considered to be the most likely parcels that Philadelphia will pitch to Amazon for its $5 billion campus. But more than a dozen locations reportedly are under consideration, according to Lauren Cox, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Commerce Department. She would not identify the properties.

"Nothing is finalized or off the table," said Cox, "until we submit the proposal."

A history of industrial might

The largely forgotten Port Richmond rail yard is now best known for its Graffiti Pier, a hipster mecca often called the most Instagrammed monument in the city. Officially known as Pier 18, it's 500 feet of riotous color, a three-story structure housing a psychedelic tunnel of arches that draws videographers and curious day-trippers from all over the world.

Graffiti Pier is one of the few remaining artifacts of what had been the engine of Philadelphia's 19th-century industrial might.

Hundreds of men once labored on the wharves of the Port Richmond yard, which Conrail's chief legal officer, Jonathan Broder, said remained the largest industrial property in Philadelphia. In the late 1800s, the yard was the terminus for coal from financier Stephen Girard's Schuylkill County mines.

By 1893, the railroad monopolized the production and transportation of anthracite coal. There were 85 miles of track in the yard. It could handle up to three million tons of anthracite a year. The railroad itself employed 100,000 people, owned 63 coal mines, and was transporting 22 million passengers a year, Broder said.

Interest in the property  which has spectacular views of the city skyline  has waxed and waned since 1976, when the bankrupt Reading Railroad ceded the yard to Conrail. A total of 155 acres along the riverfront could be developed: 95 acres of the rail yard and 60 acres of the abutting former shipyard, which is owned by the James J. Anderson Construction Co.

"There's space enough there for an entire neighborhood," said Dan Martino, a Port Richmond civic leader and activist, whose family settled there in 1898 to work on the docks. "So your guess is as good as mine why nothing has happened yet."

Anderson Construction leases a portion of the rail yard as a staging ground for its $350 million project rebuilding a 1.5-mile swath of I-95. Near Allegheny Avenue, Conrail runs a "pocket yard" that serves the Philadelphia Belt Line along the waterfront and carries freight to the Tioga Marine Terminal. The remaining property is strewn with weeds, saplings, and random piles of illegally dumped debris. A small copse of trees screens the piers from the highway.

A few development proposals have washed up, only to be scuttled. Four years ago, Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn optioned the old shipyard, calling it a "delicious piece of real estate," with plans for a huge gaming complex. Earlier, Fastship Inc. optioned the rail yard with a scheme to transport freight in three days from Philadelphia to France  but went bankrupt in 2012.

"There are no specific plans for it right now," Conrail's Broder said. The railroad is not actively marketing the land to anyone. "Our focus has been on the other parts of our operation because rail traffic has increased significantly. But if we could find the right user, ideally a rail customer, this would be a great opportunity."

Echoes of Seattle

The rail yard's status as a brownfield "could be a big blemish" said Domb, who considers the Navy Yard the city's leading contender. But the last environmental investigation, conducted in 2007, found that industrial contamination of the soil and groundwater was "relatively mild," Broder said. "We don't think there's anything insurmountable there."

Glaser, the architect, said that when Amazon chose the South Lake Union neighborhood in Seattle for HQ1, "it was just as off the radar back then as some of the Philadelphia sites are right now."

Scoring the behemoth's corporate campus would be transformational, said Glaser, also chief design officer of Benjamin's Desk, a hothouse for start-ups. But if Amazon passes over Philadelphia, pitching the town's more obscure properties, including the Port Richmond rail yard, will have been a valuable exercise.

"It almost feels like the scene in Cinderella. She leaves the slipper behind, and everyone wants to fit it," Glaser said. "Win or lose, why don't we keep this dialogue going? Have everyone keep thinking about their cities and where things could go. It's made people realize this is such an extraordinary city, and there are all these fantastic places."
People gather at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for an event honoring murder victims in Philadelphia. Read more

What's it going to take?

As I sit on the top of the Art Museum steps, a welcome breeze cuts through the day's heat while a small group wraps up an event marking National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.

There were lots of familiar sights, oversized pictures of mostly young black men whose lives were cut short. T-shirts that bore photos of men and women, frozen in time. Loved ones in different stages of grief. Barbara May, whose 23-year-old son Amir was killed in July, collapsed in front of the photos of Philadelphia murder victims stacked on the steps.

So far this year, 222 people have been killed in Philadelphia.

And yet, from the size of the group here, you would never know there has been that much loss in this year alone.

Aleida Garcia, of the National Homicide Justice Alliance, said she was glad to see those who had come.

Families of the victims. Police officers, including Homicide Capt. John Ryan. People who have made fighting gun violence more of a calling than a job, including Scott Charles, Temple University Hospital's trauma outreach coordinator who has long provided gun locks, no questions asked.

They were all part of the puzzle of solving gun violence, Garcia said.

She was right. But there remained a huge part of the puzzle that was missing: The citizens of this city, the ones who, whether they realize it or not, are impacted by the gun violence that the city declared a public health epidemic just a couple of days ago.

As I write this, the sun has gone down and I can barely make out the group just steps away. But I can clearly hear them when they shout, "We remember!"  half declaration, half prayer that someone says will be carried across Philadelphia in the wind.

The people gathered here do remember. They have to.

But I wonder when the rest of Philadelphia will remember.
A lot of Americans don't know  or at least didn't know until they met a Category 4 hurricane named Maria  that 3.4 million people living in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens. Far fewer know about the arguably underhanded way this all went down.

More than 100 years ago, in March 1917, Congress and President Woodrow Wilson enacted the Jones-Shafroth Act which granted full U.S. citizenship to anyone born on the island beginning in 1898, the year America claimed the Caribbean island in the Spanish-American War. That meant young Puerto Rican men could enlist in the U.S. military  although, not surprisingly, few did.

What Wilson didn't say in signing the measure was that he was already moving to enter the United States in World War I  the declaration came one month later  and that he was instituting a military draft which, of course, now included the 18- and 19-year-old American citizens in Puerto Rico. Ultimately, an estimated 18,000 island natives fought "Over There" in Europe, risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives for a nation they barely knew, whose language many of them did not speak.

That episode manages to sum up the century-old, incredibly complicated relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland  a relationship that shows that "second-class citizenship" isn't always just a cliche, and that is now facing its greatest test amid the post-hurricane ruins.

As most people who are not named President Donald John Trump are aware, Puerto Rico is in extremely dire straights now. The 130 m.p.h. gusts of Maria  the strongest tropical storm to make a direct hit on the island since 1932  shredded the power grid, which was already suffering from decades of poverty and a Wall Street-addled fiscal crisis, raising the prospect that an area similar in population to Philadelphia and its immediate suburbs won't have electricity for months. Streets are still flooded from the massive storm surge, and much of the island's lush green vegetation is in ruins. So is 80 percent of Puerto Rico's farmland, raising the specter of long-term food shortages. The island's governor told American TV viewers Monday night that perhaps 60 percent of citizens lack potable water.

Meanwhile, a record heat wave has descended on the island, testing the elderly and the infirm. Desperation is clearly mounting in isolated towns lacking life's fundamentals. "They are not giving us anything, not even hope," 43-year-old Cannabis Angel Nebot, told the New York Times, speaking from a coastal town where residents are trying to collect rainwater in the absence of trucks delivering bottled water. "At least come around and give us hope, even if it's a lie."

Arguably, what Trump and the U.S. Congress have done so far is worse than that low bar.

The president spent most of the weekend on Twitter, seeking to rile up his political base against black athletes who protest for social justice, needlessly ratcheting up tensions with a nuclear North Korea, and reacting to "fake news" on the Fox News Channel  suggesting that what he's not doing is holding urgent meetings on how to address the biggest humanitarian crisis of his presidency so far. When he did finally tweet about Puerto Rico on Monday night, he did so with all the apparent empathy of a deer tick  reminding the island's starving people that they need to pay back his friends on Wall Street.

And yet the grossly insensitive tweets could almost be tolerated if the massive federal bureaucracy  which should be able to function even with this dotard at the control panel  were responding adequately to the crisis. So far, it's not. FEMA and the National Guard are present, but the nation needs to kick this up several notches, to reopen airspace for supply missions and deploy aircraft carriers (as was done in Katrina) and other assets of the world's most powerful military. Meanwhile, the administration says it plans to submit a request for a Puerto Rican aid package sometime in mid-October. No rush, apparently. The U.S. Senate is spending most of its time on a (thankfully) futile effort to take health insurance away from 32 million Americans while Puerto Ricans are sticking out their tongues trying to catch a few raindrops. For once, the cliche is actually right on the money: This is Trump's Katrina.

"These 3.4 million American people are U.S. citizens, and yet they have not received the same attention as Florida and Texas, and the president's tweets did not help," Philadelphia Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, who was born on the island before moving to Hunting Park as a child, told me Tuesday morning. Like many in the local Puerto Rican community, Quinones-Sanchez is growing angry at both the lackadaisical response from Washington and the banks-first, people-later attitude from Trump.

"He needs to go there," the councilwoman said, minutes before the White House announced that Trump will travel there next week. Meanwhile, Quinones-Sanchez, like most of the 5.1 million Puerto Ricans who live on the U.S. mainland, has struggled to connect with her family members. Most have been reached and are OK  so far, about 16 deaths have been reported  but she said partial restoration of phone service on Monday has meant that local Puerto Ricans are now learning of the deprivation on the island, triggering a new wave of anxiety.

It shouldn't be this way. America needs a laserlike focus on an all-out humanitarian intervention, and when life is finally stabilized, we need to make sure our brothers and sisters on Puerto Rico are treated like full-fledged citizens, and not serfs in a 19th-century-style colony. Indeed, the United Nations has repeatedly lambasted the United States over the years for its archaic colonial rule of the island  an idea that doesn't seem to register in a place where people didn't even know Puerto Ricans are citizens.

It's complicated. There are some advantages to the current arrangement  for the 5.1 million of the island's diaspora who were able to use their American passports to move to the mainland and, in many cases, escape crushing poverty, and also on April 15, as under the current bizarre hodgepodge of laws, Puerto Ricans do not pay federal income tax. But the island's residents get an even rawer deal on health care than mainlanders do, with a grossly unfair funding formula for Medicare and Medicaid that has created a multibillion-dollar shortfall. And it gets worse: Remember the 1917 law that made Puerto Ricans citizens? It also restricted the island from international trade, all but mandating that goods arrive only on American ships  thus hammering its economy in an era of globalization.

It all came to a head in the fiscal crisis in which the board overseeing Puerto Rico's recovery is larded with representatives from Wall Street, not the island's citizens, and which is causing even higher taxes and other austerity hardships to make sure that hedge-fund millionaires and billionaires who speculated on the island's debts get their money back  the whip that Trump and other Republicans continue to crack. Now, 3.4 million Americans are pleading for their lives to a president they were not allowed to vote for and praying for an aid package from a Congress where they are denied representation. That's a human rights abuse about which we on the mainland should no longer remain silent.

When Trump finally touches down in San Juan, I hope he brings not just a big check but also a promise: That in the 21st century, the rest of America will stop treating Puerto Rico as a colony. We owe it to our fellow Americans not just to help them get back on their feet but  once that work is completed  to finally hold a full-blown, binding referendum on their future, either as America's 51st state (an option that a large number of island residents prefer), as a commonwealth with a much better deal, or even (though unlikely) as an independent nation. And it's a damn shame that it takes a deadly hurricane for folks to realize that 100 years of second-class citizenship is way too long.
Erika Martin has left her former position as weekend weather person at NBC10. Read more

After about a year with the station, weather person Erika Martin has left NBC10.

Formerly the station's weekend weather person for 6 and 11 p.m. broadcasts, Martin announced her departure via social media last week, writing that she "learned so much" during her time there. Meteorologist Steven Sosna, who joined the station's First Alert Weather Team earlier this month, will take over weekend evenings, a spokesperson said.

Martin also thanked fans for watching, and warned one local viewer to look out for Philly winters up through 2019:

Where Martin is heading for her next gig isn't exactly clear, but she told fans on Twitter that she has something lined up that she will be announcing "soon." Judging by her social media, that next location is somewhere down south with lots of palm trees:

However, Martin will first go north, where she says she plans to visit family and complete graduate school research project in New Hampshire:

Martin joined NBC10 in Sept. 2016 after holding freelance weather gigs at New York City stations WCBS and WPIX. A Hartford, Conn., native with a meteorology degree from Mississippi State University, Martin has also worked on the weather staff at stations in San Francisco, Springfield, Mass., and New Haven, Conn.

"Seeing how quickly severe weather can change your life is what inspires and motivates me," Martin said after joining NBC10 last year. "My goal is to get the most accurate and reliable information to our viewers as quickly as possible."

"Erika Martin worked at NBC10 while completing her graduate meteorology studies. She was mentored by our station news leaders and worked in a top notch weather department," NBC10 said via a statement. "Erika left our station as a more experienced meteorologist and we wish her the best in her future endeavors."
The B in the LGBT community often comes as an afterthought.

There are fewer groups and resources dedicated to bisexual individuals than to gay, lesbian and transgender individuals. The 40th annual LGBT Funders Report, which tracked funding to LGBT organizations from 1970 to 2010, found that, of the $487 million that went to programs and organizations that serve the overall LGBT population, a mere $84,000 went to groups that specifically serve bisexuals.

Bisexual folks are in desperate need of resources and support. In the past decade, there has been a slew of research consistently finding that bisexual individuals have worse health outcomes than the general population and are worse off when compared with the LGBT community as a whole.

Bisexual individuals have higher rates of depression and anxiety and are at a higher risk for suicidethan gay and lesbian folks. They also report more experiences of physical pain than their gay and lesbian peers.

I spoke to three bisexuality researchers to help understand why bisexual individuals are experiencing more mental and physical problems than the rest of the population, as well as how to address these poorer health outcomes.

Double discrimination from both heterosexual and homosexual communities was a common theme mentioned by all three researchers. Sabra L. Katz-Wise, an assistant professor at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, mentioned that bisexuals are "often experiencing discrimination from both heterosexual and sexual minority communities, where the same may not be true for lesbian and gay individuals."

Ethan Mereish, a licensed psychologist and associate professor at American University, said that this double discrimination can lead to negative health outcomes.

"We know that bisexual people are often invisible, invalidated and stigmatized  experiencing multiple forms of discrimination from the heterosexual community and lesbian and gay community," Mereish said. "This creates pressure to conceal their identity as well as internalize these stigma[s]. . . . These types of stressors and double discrimination are related to increased feelings of loneliness, and it's these feelings of loneliness that heavily contributed to experiencing depression, anxiety and suicidality."

Perceptions of gay and lesbian individuals have improved drastically over the past two decades, and stigma has lessened. But Brian Dodge, associate professor at Indiana University's School of Public Health, noted that members of the bisexual community haven't seen such large improvements. In a 2016 study, Dodge and his fellow researchers "we only saw a little shift" in attitudes toward bisexual men and women. "The only other study similar to ours was conducted in 1999," Dodge said, "and people in that study rated bisexual people more negatively than any other group except injecting drug users. So we moved up a little bit, from rock bottom, but still, attitudes [toward bisexuals] are ambivalent at best."

The question then becomes: How can we address these negative health disparities? How can both the LGBT community and straight allies help decrease the feelings of loneliness plaguing bisexual individuals, create more bisexual-specific support groups, dispel negative bisexual stigmas and, lastly, shift perception of bisexual people from ambivalent to positive?

The first step, both Katz-Wise and Dodge noted, is through altering health-care practices to address the specific needs of bisexual individuals. "We need to address the assumptions that providers are making about their patients regarding bisexuality, as well as [change] how questions are asked of their patients to be inclusive of bisexual orientation," Katz-Wise said.

Dodge mentioned that while he would love for more bisexual men to come out to their doctors, to increase visibility in the medical field, he acknowledges that we need to be realistic. "That's going to require a context where the doctor isn't engaging in implicit forms of biphobia, like giving a strange look [when a patient discloses being bisexual], or the doctor assuming you're straight because you're dating a woman and you don't need an STI test," Dodge said, adding, "While they seem like small things, cumulatively, they build over time. I think this does take a toll on mental health and contributes to why we see these health disparities."

Dodge said he finds that men do want to talk about their bisexuality, but often don't know how. "They might not have had anyone in their lives say to them: 'It's okay to be bisexual,' " Dodge noted. "Additionally, the social context is challenging. If you know that your partner is going to break up with you, or we've even heard stories where guys are afraid to tell their partner about their sexuality because of threats of violence, then you're not likely to disclose."

Thus, the second step, as Mereish noted, is "having support groups and spaces where bisexual people can connect with other bisexual people who've had similar experiences." While also addressing the stigma and biphobia that exists at systemic levels. "We want to accurately and positively depict bisexual individuals in the media [in order] to debunk bi myths."
Ken Camp, a retired helicopter pilot, is a comedian and newspaper publisher in rural South Jersey. He talks in his home-office, surrounded by memorabilia and mounted hunting trophies. Every month, he sends out 20,000 copies of his South Jersey Devil-er, the self-proclaimed best newspaper in the world. It's full of jokes, many off color, and lots of motivational quotes and lots of ads for taxidermists and fishing stores. Camp says no one ever complains, but if they do, he publishes the complaints too. He said he's one of only about 12 "funny papers" that publish in the country including The Onion. His recent headlines included: Hillary Clinton considering becoming a preachers and tons of corny jokes. He's been publishing for 16 years. Read more

The pen his pitchfork, his wife the censor, part-time comedian Ken Camp said he's found the secret to a successful newspaper.

"Light comedy in the front, centerfolds and more risque stuff in the middle, and the dirty stuff goes in the back," Camp, 69, said last week in his tiny office across from a horse farm in Elmer, Salem County.

Camp's South Jersey DEVILer, a free "funny paper" with a monthly circulation of 20,000 in the area, was first published in March 2001 with some fake news about Air Force One crashing in South Jersey, and it's been a hit ever since, he said, with about 700 subscribers from as far away as Maine and Alaska paying $24 a year.

Camp said he's not as political as the Onion, the best-known "funny" paper, but the DEVILer does claim to be "voted the best newspaper in these here United States of America!"

Some think the DEVILer is a welcome relief from real news.

"Any time you can make a fart joke and people laugh at it, you've got an audience," said Jeffrey Tirante, an artist who's been rebuilding a bizarre roadside attraction called the Palace of Depression in nearby Vineland for nearly a decade. "I don't mean that in a bad way, either. Welcome to South Jersey, I guess."

The top headline in the September DEVILer is, surprisingly, real news: "Hillary Clinton considering becoming a preacher!" Camp goes on to wonder what her sermons might sound like. Clinton has taken a lot of hits in the DEVILer, but Camp swears he'll make fun of anyone. Caitlyn Jenner is featured in a fake movie ad this month, too. The rest is mostly jokes and letters.

"I get negative feedback all the time, and I don't care," he said. "Any feedback is good."

Camp's circuitous route to becoming a publisher began in Vietnam after one year in college in Minnesota. He flew in "hunter-killer" helicopter teams in Vietnam after he was drafted and went to flight school. He spent 1,000 hours flying scout helicopters to look for enemies and draw fire ahead of more heavily-armed attack teams.

"I had the most dangerous job," he said. "We got shot at two or three times a day."

In August 1970, Camp was training a new pilot when his helicopter took fire over thick jungle near the Cambodia border. He had bad vibes, then a rocket-propelled grenade struck their tail boom, spinning them down to the canopy.

"This all happened in seconds," he said. "I thought that I was in a car wreck here in Elmer. I was all messed up."

Camp said he nearly lost his nose and had to have several operations on his wrist. He was medically discharged from the Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 2 and declared 50 percent disabled as a result of his crash. He still has trouble breathing through both nostrils despite numerous surgeries, and sometimes he can't taste or smell.

After Vietnam, Camp sold cars and insurance before he was cleared to fly again, and he headed south to transport workers back and forth to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, where employees often ragged on one another in an underground newspaper. He later flew lawyers, executives, and sometimes even prostitutes to and from Atlantic City casinos. When he finally gave up flying, Camp opened a sporting goods store near his home and began writing little stories he'd leave around the cash register.

Print news was far less dangerous than flying, Camp said, and surprisingly profitable for a part-time job. He said he's never been in the red.

Camp likes to keep the monthly scantily-clad centerfolds local, but he's been known to publish a buddy or two, like Buzzy, the guy from the VFW.

"He weighed about 115 pounds, but he had a lot of money. People still talk about that centerfold," Camp said. "Some of the photos I get are just unbelievable. I mean, get a professional photographer."

Camp used to make fake advertisements, but now he has a handful of part-time, paid salesmen securing ads for rodeos, duck decoy shows and septic services with mascots straight from the toilet. Camp will localize jokes, turning "a man walks into a bar" into "a man walks into a bar on Buck Road," and there are some positive affirmations sprinkled in.

"In a country where you can be anything, be kind," one of them reads.

Comedy is Camp's true love these days  he has a hippie character and a Vietnam veteran character  and he organizes open mics, emcees shows, and organizes benefits all over South Jersey. Camp cut the paper from 20 pages to 16 and said he'd like to sell the operation, if he could, to get behind the mic more. He estimated it's worth just under six figures.

"This was my retirement, but it turned into a a full-time job in the beginning," he said. "It used to be seven days a week. Now, mostly I get up and write jokes."

When all the content and ads are in, Camp said he can lay out the paper in 12 hours.

Melissa DeCastro, a Salem County freeholder, prefaced her comments about the DEVILer by saying she subscribes to several local and national newspapers, including the Inquirer. Everybody needs a break, though, she said.

"There's a lot of sad news out there, and he's really found a niche," DeCastro said. "There's a lot of hard parts of the day. Sometimes you just want to be entertained."

Camp's wife, Kathy, reads over the jokes each month, marking "OK" on most with a blue marker, with a few question marks mixed in when the punchline doesn't work.

"I can pretty much get away with everything," Camp said. "I'm getting better all the time."
From the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sept. 26, 1976, coverage of the trial of Andre Martin. Read more

On Feb. 25, 1976, Police Officer John Trettin was called to the Wilson Park housing project in South Philadelphia to investigate reported gunshots. Then, a shot echoed from a high window. Andre Martin, who was just 15, had fired a bullet through Trettin's skull.

With that teenage act, two lives ended. Trettin died in Methodist Hospital four days later. Martin was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Now, in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that mandatory life-without-parole sentences are unconstitutional for juveniles, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara McDermott will decide whether Martin is due a second chance.

The District Attorney's Office, which initially planned to seek life without parole, has offered a deal for 60 years to life; that would still be the longest sentence yet handed down for a juvenile lifer in Philadelphia. In an emotional resentencing hearing that began Tuesday, Martin's attorney, Louis Natali, argued that a sentence of 35 years to life, the deal offered to most of Philadelphia's 300 other juvenile lifers, was consistent with current state law. That would make Martin, who has already served 41 years, immediately eligible for parole.

In a letter read aloud in court by a District Attorney's Office staffer, Trettin's brother David said that would be an injustice.

"We live this nightmare every day. This is a life sentence for us. Andre Martin gave us this life sentence," he wrote, adding, "I just cannot accept saying it's OK to take another person's life, and that person goes free."

The case, high-profile in its time, involves a shooting of a white officer by a young black male, evoking issues of race and community-police relations that still reverberate through the city today.

Natali did not dispute the facts laid out by prosecutors: A few months before the crime, Martin had even told two police officers he planned to kill a cop in revenge for the death of a friend at the hands of an officer. He and two friends obtained a gun and were shooting it out a window. The friends testified in 1976 that they told him not to shoot at the police, but that after they left the room, he carried out the plan.

Both sides of the courtroom were packed. On the left, benches were filled with Trettin's friends and family: his children, Wendy, Tracey, and John; former and current police officers; and Mummers in the Quaker City String Band, whose membership included John and now includes John Jr. Across the aisle were Martin's extended family, childhood friends, and several of the other juvenile lifers who spent decades in prison alongside him, who describe him as a decent and kind person.

Assistant District Attorney Laurie Moore said the crime did not reflect the youthful impulsivity and susceptibility to peer pressure seen in many juvenile cases. "This is the antithesis" of what the Supreme Court decision stands for, "which is groupthink."

But Natali emphasized Martin's young age and chaotic childhood. Over the next two days, he intends to call witnesses who will speak to how Martin, now 57, has matured: corrections officers who trusted him enough to let him clean the warden's office, an expert psychologist who believes he's no danger to society, a fellow inmate whom Martin dissuaded from suicide, a brother who still looks to Martin as a role model, and an extended family that has remained close with him over four decades apart.

"He has accepted responsibility for what he's done," Natali said.

"That was 1976. It's been 41 years. What we want to talk about is what's happened in those 41 years."

Still, Trettin's family made it clear that 1976 feels like yesterday for them.

Trettin was 6-foot-8, a kidder, a gifted banjo player, a loving father. At holidays, he was the one shooting footage for home movies.

His older daughter, Tracey Hamilton, who was 6 when he died, said when she learned about Easter in school, she was overjoyed: She believed her father would rise again, and was crushed to learn he would not. His younger daughter, Wendy Callan, was just 4. She said that even to this day, at weddings, she breaks down during the father-daughter dance.

His wife, Claire, died of cancer in 2009. Her sister, Lorraine Crozier, said that after his death, "time stopped."

"She never remarried. No one could fill the hole in her heart," said Roseanne Gleeson, who was a juvenile aide officer at the time and became a close family friend. "The image of a 10-month-old little boy, leaning against his playpen waiting for his father to come home, and two little girls lying on the sofa will be forever imprinted in my mind. Unfortunately, he would never see his father again."

Throughout the morning, police officers stopped by, including now-Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood, who was a detective on the scene and a friend of Trettin's. Chitwood said that for those in service, the stakes in this case were extremely high:

"Whether it's 41 years ago or it's today, when one of your own is killed, it has a tremendous impact."
Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Richard Mills (right) presented a statue of the Marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima to World War II combat veteran Louis Rittelmann. Read more

Louis Rittelmann was a 21-year-old Marine private when he fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima, the World War II conflict in February and March 1945 that cost 6,800 American lives and left 19,200 wounded.

He was on Mount Suribachi at the southwest end of the Pacific island when the Marines defeated the Japanese and raised the American flag in what remains an iconic image of U.S. military courage.

Rittelmann is 93 now, living at the Phoenixville Care and Rehabilitation Center, receiving daily help from Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care. Some memories have faded, but he clearly remembers Iwo Jima and expresses pride that he fought for his country as a Marine.

So Rittelmann was overcome with emotion on Monday when a three-star Marine Corps general arrived to salute him, chat with him as if the two were old war buddies, and present him with a pin honoring his service with the corps.

Lt. Gen. Richard Mills, who retired in 2015 after a 40-year military career, leaned in close to the amazed Rittelmann, who was sitting in his wheelchair, wearing his "Iwo Jima Survivor" cap.

"Semper Fi," Mills said.

"Semper Fi," Rittelmann replied.

"How are you doing?" the general asked.

"I'm doing great, except for the shoulder," Rittelmann said.

"You look great," Mills said. "I might take you back with me."

"I might go back," Rittelmann said, smiling. "This is the first time I ever shook hands with a general."

"Are they taking good care of you?" Mills asked. "Chow's all right? Lots of pretty girls around?"

Rittelmann just looked deeply into the general's eyes and beamed. He said he joined the Marines at 18 and trained at Parris Island. "They made a man out of me," he said.

Mills, who served as a Marine commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, said, "I'll never forget my drill sergeant. I know he's shaking his head that I ever made general."

They laughed together, but soon, it was time for tears.

Rittelmann rose from his wheelchair and stood to sing the national anthem with the general and family members, accompanied on guitar by hospice music therapist Liesel Fraser. Then they sang the Marines' Hymn.

Before Mills pinned a Marine service pin on Rittelmann, he said, "As a general, I get to pin a lot of things on a lot of people. Very, very seldom do I get to pin a hero."

Then the general gave Rittelmann a sculpture of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima.

"They said it was an island that couldn't be taken," Mills said. Thousands of Japanese soldiers fired down on the Marines, exacting "horrible casualties," he said.

Mills looked at Rittelmann with admiration. "For me to give this to a Marine who was there is the highlight of my career," he said.

Rittelmann's daughter, Mary Lou Oswald of Bechtelsville, Berks County, hugged her father as both of them broke down in tears.

Privately, she said that for decades, her father hadn't talked about Iwo Jima. Recently, he opened up a little.

"He calls it his hell on earth," Oswald said. "He says the only way he survived and got off that island was because his sister was a nun, and she had the whole convent praying for him."

Oswald said her dad still has nightmares about combat with Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima. "He wrestles them in his sleep," she said. "A couple of times, he fell out of bed. He still has those dreams to this day. How many years ago was that? More than 70?"

She said Rittelmann still remembers how many Marines died, trying to take the hill under heavy fire. "His commander told him to go and get more ammunition from down the hill and across a field," Oswald said. "When he was going down there, the only thing he can remember is there were piles and piles of dead soldiers, one stacked on top of another. He had to walk past them to get the ammunition."

Oswald said that her husband, Douglas, a retired geography teacher, told his best friend Ron Jameson, a retired history teacher, both from Boyertown Area Junior High, about her dad's military service. Soon, Jameson, a battlefield buff, started taking Rittelmann out of the nursing home for ice cream and conversation every couple of weeks.

Rittelmann was a milk delivery man in the Pittsburgh area after the war and lived in the area most of his life. He and his wife, Mary Jane, had one daughter, Oswald, and a son, Jack, who is deceased. Rittelmann and his wife moved to the Boyertown area several years ago to be near their daughter. The Rittelmanns were married for 70 years when his wife died in 2013 at the age of 92. Two years ago, he entered the nursing home.

Jameson met Mills when the two were seated together in Gettysburg during a luncheon meeting of the Civil War Trust, a nonprofit organization they belong to that saves and preserves historically significant battlefields.

Jameson told the general about Rittelmann, which led to Monday's visit. Mills explained why he traveled from his Virginia home to honor Rittelmann.

"He's a Marine, and he's an Iwo Jima veteran," Mills said. "Anybody who went through what he went through on that island ," he said, his voice trailing off.

"There aren't many of these Marines left," he said. "That's why I came."
The Food and Drug Administration has suspended experiments on the effects of nicotine in squirrel monkeys, research aimed at better understanding one of the most pernicious of addictions.

Two weeks ago, British primatologist Jane Goodall wrote to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, urging an end to what she called "cruel and unnecessary" and "shameful" research.

On Monday, he responded, saying that he had put a hold on the study this month "after learning of concerns related to the study you referenced." He also said he has sent a medical team of primate experts to the FDA facility  the National Center for Toxicological Research in Arkansas  "to evaluate the safety and well-being of the monkeys and to understand whether there are additional precautions needed."

The research involved training adolescent and adult squirrel monkeys to press a lever to give themselves infusions of nicotine. Four monkeys in the studies, which began in 2014, have died, according to people close to the situation. The deaths are still being investigated, but nicotine overdose isn't seen as the likely cause.

Gottlieb also told Goodall that he has appointed an FDA team, including senior career officials and guided by primate veterinarians, to assess the "science and integrity" of the animal research process for the study and whether the research should be resumed. If the study is terminated, he said, the monkeys will be sent to an alternative location that can provide appropriate long-term care.

An FDA spokeswoman said the agency is also considering creating a wider-ranging "function that would provide for even greater oversight of the care of animals in the agency's possession."

The FDA actions represent the latest change in how the federal government treats research animals. In 2015, the National Institutes of Health said it would no longer support biomedical research on chimpanzees. The Department of Veterans Affairs said Monday that it would step up its oversight of experiments on dogs after an investigation found canine deaths at a Virginia research facility, USA Today reported.

Goodall was enlisted in the fight against the monkey tests by the White Coat Waste Project, an advocacy group that says its goal is to publicize and end taxpayer-funded animal experiments. In January, the organization obtained 64 pages of documents on the nicotine-addiction research from the FDA under the Freedom of Information Act. It is suing the agency to get more information on the research's costs, as well as veterinary records and photographs and videos of the experiments.

Based on a brief description on the agency's website and the FOIA documents, the experiments appeared to involve 12 adolescent and 12 adult monkeys. The goal was "to examine behavioral and biological effects of nicotine in squirrel monkeys," comparing the two age groups, the website said. The idea seemed to be to get the monkeys addicted to nicotine and then to see how they reacted to decreasing levels of the drug.

"Characterizing the effects of decreasing doses of nicotine on rates of self-administration in a nonhuman primate species will provide valuable information to inform what we might expect in human users when nicotine levels in tobacco products are lowered," said one of the documents obtained by the White Coat Waste Project. Another document noted that "further information regarding the role of nicotine dose in the onset and maintenance of tobacco product use, particularly during adolescence, would be useful."

Under federal law, the FDA has the authority to lower nicotine in cigarettes, and officials have long talked about it. In July, Gottlieb said he wanted to curb smoking by lowering the nicotine level in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels.

On Monday, in writing to Goodall, Gottlieb noted that he was committed to reducing the agency's reliance on animal studies through the increased used of "in vitro" tests and computer models.

Both the Jane Goodall Institute and the White Coat Waste Project praised his suspension of the experiments. The institute, based in Vienna, Va., called the action "a profoundly positive development" and praised Gottlieb's stated commitment to "alternative and more efficient approaches replacing invasive animal testing for this and many other kinds of research."

Justin Goodman, vice president for advocacy and public policy at White Coat Waste Project, lauded Gottlieb "for taking swift and decisive action to suspend and scrutinize this wasteful and secretive project."

But the FDA, whose animal research involves not only monkeys but also mice, rats, frogs and fish, is unlikely to abandon animal research, which is used to support its regulatory decisions. In his letter, Gottlieb noted that "currently there are some areas for which non-animal testing is not yet a scientifically valid and available option."

For example, nonhuman primates are the "most appropriate animal model" for studies on the bacteria responsible for whooping cough because of the biological similarities to humans, officials said. Monkeys also are used in research on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare, degenerative brain disorder.

Some scientists took issue with Goodall's criticism of the FDA monkey research. In an open letter on the website speakingofresearch.com, scientists from institutions such as the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Wake Forest School of Medicine disputed her assertions that "the results of smoking are well-known in humans" and that the same research could be conducted in people rather than monkeys.

With more than 440,000 people in the United States dying from tobacco use each year, the scientists said, "clearly nicotine addiction remains a significant public health problem and it is quite evident that we do not understand this disorder well enough to eradicate it." They added, "Addiction is a major public health issue worldwide, and requires and deserves close scientific scrutiny, some of which will require the use of animals."
Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty posted this photo on Twitter of one of the 35 ocean rescues in his Shore town over the weekend. Read more

The body of a man was found floating in the ocean about a mile off Long Beach Island, authorities said Tuesday.

The discovery Monday morning followed a weekend during which three people drowned at northern Jersey Shore beaches and scores of others had to be rescued from rough surf and dangerous rip currents.

The man was identified Tuesday as Christopher Lucin, 30, of Belmar, who was last seen Sept. 19.

A Coast Guard boat found the body about 8:45 a.m. Monday and secured it until New Jersey state police could recover it and begin an investigation.

A state police spokesman, Lt. Theodore Schafer, said investigators were trying to determine how Lucin ended up in the water and were awaiting autopsy results.

At least 15 people have drowned at the Shore since Memorial Day, many of them victims of rip currents.

The National Weather Service has been warning of a high risk for rip currents for more than a week and says the danger will persist for some days to come. It also is warning of high surf Tuesday night through Wednesday night as Hurricane Maria moves northward in the Atlantic.

This story has been changed to correct the date the family last saw Lucin.
A photo of parishioners laying protesting outside Our Lady of Good Counsel on May 3, 1933. It would officially merge with St. Pauls Church at midnight. Read more

Prayers went unanswered, and the parishioners were losing faith.

Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty's orders were being carried out: Our Lady of Good Counsel at 816 Christian St., a predominantly Italian-speaking church serving a loyal base of working-class immigrants, was to merge with the traditionally Irish- and English-speaking St. Paul's Church, one block away.

Despite its loyal congregation, the Augustinian church was an easy target. It was built in 1899 to serve the large influx of Italian immigrants. But by the 1930s, Good Counsel had the smallest footprint in a cluster of five Catholic churches around the Italian Market. The Italian population in the area was shrinking. And the Great Depression left the church struggling financially.

But to parishioners, it was more than a church. It was a community keystone. And they were losing not only their church, but also its religious order, with diocesan authority being imposed instead.

So thousands gathered outside on May 3, 1933, the eve of Good Counsel's closure. The throng paraded through South Philadelphia. A band played as people marched and stopped traffic.

"We want our Augustinian fathers," banners proclaimed in Italian and English.

The pastor explained that the decision was out of their hands. Protesters reportedly threatened his life, claiming he was betraying his congregation. "We'll kill him!" members of the crowd reportedly shouted.

The church's five priests had been ordered to temporarily join St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church on Ninth Street near Morris. They were supposed to go there at midnight, when the merger became effective.

Four managed to leave through a rear door while police attracted the crowd's attention to the front entrance.

One did not.

The crowd pushed its way into the church. The Inquirer reported that the group tolled the bell until it cracked. Another group carried a 12-foot crucifix from an altar to the street. They asked Pope Pius XI to intercede.

They found the Rev. Simpliciano Gatt, and surrounded him.

A statement from a protest spokesperson said:

"Father Gatt is here and we love him and we will not let him leave  he is our prisoner."

The siege

The next day, "husky" bodyguards kept Gatt under constant surveillance, holding him in captivity in a cell-like office on the church's third floor as the protest continued outside, the Inquirer reported.

"We are going to keep up this protest until Doomsday," one man told the crowd. "And from now until we win, every day in our church is a Holy Day. The church will be open at all hours, and we want everybody in it day and night."

Gatt, pale-faced but gentle, led worshippers in prayers and hymns, and concluded with a blessing. The Inquirer noted that protesters had half-ordered, half-requested the priest to do so, and he complied.

"Not only is he a prisoner," a protest spokesperson told the newspaper. "But he will continue as a prisoner indefinitely  that is, until from the standpoint of the parishioners, the order evacuating Our Lady of Good Counsel, and the transfer of the Augustinian fathers to St. Nicholas of Tolentino, is rescinded."

The police were careful to say that if Gatt wanted to get out, they would get him out. But officers didn't want to use violence, which would escalate the situation further, potentially leave many injured, and desecrate a sanctuary. Police were instructed not to use force against the mob, which at times ballooned to between 4,000 and 5,000 people.

The Inquirer described Gatt as a pathetic figure trapped in his tiny office, but understanding, even sympathetic, toward his captors.

"I understand these people," the priest told the newspaper. "They are my friends. They are not going to harm me. I do not fear them. But I have been ordered to leave, but "

He spread his arms wide in an eloquent gesture. "I cannot. I am  yes, I am what you would call a prisoner."

Assimilation

On Oct. 24, 1933, nearly five months after Gatt was taken hostage, he was released and sent to Vineland, N.J.

He was set free after parishioners learned that the priest might be suspended from the order if he remained unable to conform to some of its regulations. In Vineland, he became assistant rector of St. Mary's Catholic Church.

But the parishioners refused to surrender the property. Leaders of the resistance still occupied the building.

They went to court, but lost. The church closed the building.

According to Beyond History  The Times and Peoples of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, 1843 to 1993, by Celeste Anne Morello, Dougherty ordered Good Counsel's congregation to go to either St. Paul's or Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 10th and Dickinson Streets, both English-speaking parishes.

"This was probably the underlying reason for Good Counsel's closing: the people needed to break with the Italian-speaking church," Morello wrote. "After all, Good Counsel's parishioners were living in this 'isolation' for over thirty years: it was time to assimilate with the rest of Philadelphia."

Most joined St. Paul's, but there was not complete acceptance. Morello wrote that coffins with embalmed bodies were shoved through the doors of St. Paul's rectory, and abandoned in the hallways and on the front steps.

They were sending a message: "Do a funeral," Morello wrote.

Before it was demolished, eventually becoming the driveway that is there now, the Good Counsel building was part of Southeast Catholic High School (later known as St. John Neumann High School) and converted into a study hall, she wrote.

Years later, Morello added, men and women would still come to the site to genuflect and pray, in what was still their place of worship.

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The Radnor Township Board of Commissioners convened for its bimonthly meeting Monday evening without President Philip Ahr. Read more

The Radnor Township Board of Commissioners convened Monday for its regularly scheduled meeting, but it met with President Philip Ahr absent and his name plaque missing from the board's crescent desk.

The meeting was the first since the Delaware County District Attorney's Office announced Friday that Ahr, a Democrat, was being investigated by the county's Criminal Investigations Division for undisclosed reasons. It began with a statement by Commissioners Vice President Elaine Schaefer.

"While the investigation continues, this board will focus on conducting the business of this township and serving the members of our community," Schaefer said. "When developments occur with the criminal investigation, we will address them as appropriate. However, until that time, Radnor Township will be making no further comment."

After that, the board continued with its agenda.

But when the meeting was turned over for public comment about 15 minutes later, Wayne resident Dan Sherry Jr., who attends most township meetings, assailed board members for their silence, bringing up past controversies involving Schaefer, Commissioner James Higgins, and former Commissioner Bill Spingler  who in June was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 103-year-old woman.

"Phil Ahr is president of the Board of Commissioners, serves as this board's representative on the Ethics Board, an ethics board that is actively investigating the vice president of this board," Sherry said. "Is Phil Ahr being investigated for something financial, Commissioner Schaefer? No comment. Is it something violence-related? No comment. Is it something sexual-related? No comment.

"This board, again, is in the reputational business around our township, among other responsibilities," Sherry said.

After that, the board continued with its business.

Calls made to the District Attorney's Office on Monday to discuss the investigation were not returned.

Earlier Monday, knocks went unanswered at Ahr's two-story twin gray stucco home. A Sheriff's Department car was parked across the one-way street, though it was unclear whether the cruiser was there in connection to the investigation.

Ahr, 66, who represents the Seventh Ward, has lived in the Main Line township he represents for the last 22 years.

He became a commissioner in January 2016 and was elevated to the board president post in April of that year, in a 4-3 vote along party lines, after James Higgins stepped down amid controversy over $979,749 he inserted into a budget for storm-water management. The budget had already been passed without the inclusion of the funds. Higgins apologized for a "mistake" and remains on the board as a commissioner.

Staff writer Erin McCarthy contributed to this article.
WASHINGTON  Bill Cassidy of Louisiana walked down a hallway flanked by three members of the Capitol Police, each ready to ward off protesters who might confront him about his health-care bill.

It was an unusual day for the little-known Republican senator, spent shuttling from interview to interview, then to the Senate Finance Committee, where he would pitch his approach to dismantling Obamacare to his colleagues, and finally to a CNN stage where he subjected himself to a nationally televised, one-hour debate despite his bill's collapse hours earlier.

Was he still hoping to bring the measure back from almost certain defeat?

Hard to say.

The Cassidy-Graham proposal is unpopular with voters. It is opposed by the medical establishment to which Cassidy, a physician-turned-politician, once belonged. Experts estimated that it would kick tens of millions off their health-care plans. Even some members of Cassidy's own party are skeptical.

At what point does a quixotic effort become masochistic? And what would make Cassidy, or anyone for that matter, want to remain its public face?

One clue emerged in an interview with the Washington Post on Monday: Cassidy is determined. Relentlessly, strangely determined.

"Keep plugging, keep plugging and never quit," he said. "Two years ago, people thought I was Don Quixote. A month ago, people thought things were dead. Two weeks ago, people smiled. And now folks say, 'Wow, they may still pull it off.' If you keep your head down and keep plugging, good things happen, and that's my goal."

In the committee, Cassidy had hoped to revive a bill that had hovered near collapse for four days. He had revised the text to appeal to holdout senators. He would try to win approval from the heavyweights on the panel, where he is the most junior member. He didn't have much to work with.

"I was sent here to work," he said at one point. "If this [the bill] is the only means by which I can do so, I shall."

At another moment: "For three years, I went around to Democratic colleagues and met with you and asked, 'Can we please work together?' For three years, I was basically told, 'Nice try.' "

As the hearing began, the bill was holding onto a slim chance of success. Cassidy would find out before the committee adjourned, five hours later, that this chance was all but gone.

The first-term senator cuts an unusual figure in the upper chamber. He stands out at over 6 feet tall, with strong features and a shock of gray hair. Described as friendly but without close friends, he ranges around the Capitol with his headphones in, avoiding small talk. Before the health-care debate, he was not known for a signature issue  nor for a calling card among his colleagues.

That all changed in May after Cassidy's encounter with Jimmy Kimmel.

Cassidy had not even been part of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's official working group on health care early this year, despite his stated interest in the issue and his medical degree. He partnered with Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) on an Affordable Care Act replacement bill, but the legislation had aroused little interest.

He finally managed to join the debate after coming up with a standard for judging Republican legislation to replace the ACA. He would call it the "Jimmy Kimmel test"  an outgrowth of the late-night comic's plea to Congress to protect the ACA, which began after his baby son was born with a heart defect. Cassidy declared, after Kimmel's advocacy made headlines, that he would not support a bill that failed to guarantee that patients like the Kimmel baby would receive health coverage regardless of income.

Cassidy initially won praise from liberal advocates. But by mid-September, he had opted to become a lead sponsor of a new proposal offering dramatic cuts to Medicaid and leaving many coverage decisions to states.

Cassidy claimed that his position had not changed since May.

"My patients had terrible diseases and multiple chronic conditions, and my life's work was how to care for these fellow Americans," he said in a video posted on Twitter over the weekend, referring to his work with Louisiana's uninsured patients. "[Cassidy-Graham] accomplishes this by other means."

Kimmel  and many others  concluded otherwise.

"This guy, Bill Cassidy, just lied right to my face," Kimmel said on his program, Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Cassidy claimed after Kimmel's riff that the comedian didn't understand his proposal. But the legislation is arguably more extreme than the bills Republicans considered this summer. It goes further in its cuts to federal health-care spending, aims those cuts more directly at states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA and allows states to use waivers to opt out of the law's consumer protections.

Mistaking disagreement for misunderstanding is typical for the awkward, slightly nerdish Cassidy, 59, who invokes his background in medicine at just about every opportunity,

A liver specialist by training, Cassidy helped create a free clinic for Baton Rouge's working poor and turned an abandoned Kmart into a makeshift medical facility after Hurricane Katrina.

Some in Louisiana Republican politics have speculated that it would be Cassidy's wife, Laura, a retired breast-cancer surgeon, who ultimately made the run for office. The two met during their medical residencies in the 1980s. He calls her his closest adviser.

"On health care, she has very much lived what I've lived," Cassidy said.

"She was in a publicly run system and noticed the resources always lagged behind those of a private hospital. . . . She understands the needs for coverage as do I, having patients who for whatever reason were uninsured and their breast cancer was delayed, both diagnosis and treatment, sometimes with terrible results. So she shares my passion."

When Cassidy sat down to testify at Monday's 2 p.m. hearing, the math for his bill was already difficult. With 52 seats and the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence, Republicans could lose only two GOP votes to pass most legislation. Sens. John McCain (R., Ariz.) and Rand Paul (R., Ky.) had already come out against the bill. That left Sens. Susan Collins (R., Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska), whom Cassidy had tried to lure with extra funds for their states in a new version of the bill released Monday.

Dressed in a dark suit, sky-blue shirt and navy-blue-and-pink striped tie, Cassidy entered the hearing room as protesters in the hallway audibly chanted, "No cuts to Medicaid!"

The next five hours passed slowly, as Cassidy entered the weeds of health-care policy to defend his bill, clause by clause. At one point, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, referred to him as "Dr. Kennedy," mistaking Cassidy for Louisiana's junior senator.

After one particularly heated exchange, Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) called for the panel's Democrats to ease up on Cassidy.

"He's a doctor, and he understands this probably better than anybody in this room," Hatch said. "Let's show some respect for Senator Cassidy. This is not easy for him."

Hours later, news broke that Collins was a firm no on the bill. Cassidy continued to implore Democrats to support the legislation, bringing out color-coded maps to make his points.

Hatch said he would suspend the hearing after another round of questions.

"Let's face it," he said. "We're not getting anywhere."
The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee and its top Democrat asked the Trump administration Monday for more information about the use of personal email accounts by senior officials  a day after it was revealed that Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, acknowledged using such an account for official business.

The letters, sent from Chairman Trey Gowdy (R., S.C.) to White House counsel Don McGahn and the leaders of two dozen federal departments and agencies, demand answers to inquiries about the use of nonofficial email and other messaging accounts to conduct official business. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D., Md.), the ranking Democrat on the panel, also joined the request.

The letters represent some of the most aggressive oversight of the Trump administration from Gowdy, who took over the reins of the Oversight Committee in June after Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) announced plans to resign his congressional seat. They come after the Republicans on the committee repeatedly questioned Democrat Hillary Clinton's use of private email, hosted on a personal server, during her tenure as secretary of state.

Kushner used his personal account to correspond dozens of times with White House colleagues, according to a statement from his attorney, Abbe Lowell. The emails, Lowell said, were forwarded to Kushner's official White House address and thus preserved in accordance with government policies. But the report has created an uncomfortable picture for Trump, who railed against Clinton's use of private email throughout the campaign, calling at times for her to be jailed, and has continued to criticize her during his presidency.

The letters signed Monday by Gowdy and Cummings cite a Sunday report by Politico, which first reported Kushner's use of the private account. They ask the addressees to share the names of any "non-career official" who has used a personal account to conduct official business or used an "alias" account  that is, an official account that does not use the person's actual name  to do so. They also request the names of any officials who use " text messages, phone-based message applications, or encryption software" to do their jobs.

The requests, they explain, are necessary to examine whether the Trump administration is adhering to federal laws pertaining to records retention. The Federal Records Act, for one, requires government officials and agencies to create systems and practices so that they preserve all records, memos, correspondence and other documents that detail their government work.

The use of personal email to conduct government business potentially puts those messages beyond the reach of congressional investigators and the media requesting public information. Private accounts can also open security risks if the email service used is lax on password security or doesn't regularly patch its software  weaknesses that hackers can exploit to gain access.

While Kushner's use of a personal account invited comparisons to Clinton's behavior, there are key differences. Kushner appears not to have used a private server as Clinton did, but rather used a commercially available email service, and there is no evidence Kushner discussed classified information on his personal account, as Clinton was found to have done.
BERN, Switzerland  North Korean government officials have been quietly trying to arrange talks with Republican-linked analysts in Washington, in an apparent attempt to make sense of President Donald Trump and his confusing messages to Kim Jong Un's regime.

The outreach began before the current eruption of threats between the two leaders, but will likely become only more urgent as Trump and Kim have descended into name-calling that, many analysts worry, sharply increases the chances of potentially catastrophic misunderstandings.

"Their No. 1 concern is Trump. They can't figure him out," said one person with direct knowledge of North Korea's approach to Asia experts with Republican connections.

There is no suggestion that the North Koreans are interested in negotiations about their nuclear program  they instead seem to want forums for insisting on being recognized as a nuclear state  and the Trump administration has made clear it is not interested in talking right now.

At a multilateral meeting here in Switzerland earlier this month, North Korea's representatives were adamant about being recognized as a nuclear weapons state and showed no willingness to even talk about denuclearization.

But to get a better understanding of American intentions, in the absence official diplomatic talks with the U.S. government, North Korea's mission to the United Nations invited Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst who is now the Heritage Foundation's top expert on North Korea, to visit Pyongyang for meetings.

Trump has close ties to Heritage, a conservative think-tank which has influenced the president on everything from travel restrictions to defense spending, although not to Klingner personally.

"They're on a new binge of reaching out to American scholars and ex-officials," said Klingner, who declined the North Korean invitation. "While such meetings are useful, if the regime wants to send a clear message, it should reach out directly to the U.S. government."

North Korean intermediaries have also approached Douglas Paal, who served as an Asia expert on the national security councils of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and is now vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

They wanted Paal to arrange talks between North Korean officials and American experts with Republican ties in a neutral place such as Switzerland. He also declined the North Korean request.

"The North Koreans are clearly eager to deliver a message. But I think they're only interested in getting some travel, in getting out of the country for a bit," Paal said.

North Korea currently has about seven such invitations out to organizations that have hosted previous talks  a surprising number of requests for a country that is threatening to launch a nuclear strike on the United States.

Over the past two years in particular, Pyongyang has sent officials from its foreign ministry to hold meetings with Americans  usually former diplomats and think-tankers  in neutral places such as Geneva, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

They are referred to as "Track 1.5" talks because they are official (Track 1) on the North Korean side but unofficial (Track 2) on the American side, although the U.S. government is kept informed of the talks.

But since Trump's election in November, the North Korean representatives have been predominantly interested in figuring out the unconventional president's strategy, according to almost a dozen people involved in the discussions. All asked for anonymity to talk about the sensitive meetings.

Early in Trump's term, the North Koreans had been asking broad questions: Is Trump serious about closing American military bases in South Korea and Japan, as he said on the campaign trail? Might he really send American nuclear weapons back to the southern half of the Korean Peninsula?

But the questions have since become more specific. Why, for instance, are Trump's top officials, notably Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, directly contradicting the president so often?

"The North Koreans are reaching out through various channels and through various counterparts," said Evans Revere, a former State Department official dealing with North Korea who is a frequent participant in such talks. There are a number of theories about why North Korea is doing this.

"My own guess is that they are somewhat puzzled as to the direction in which the U.S. is going, so they're trying to open up channels to take the pulse in Washington," Revere said. "They haven't seen the U.S. act like this before."

Revere attended a multilateral meeting with North Korean officials in the picturesque Swiss village of Glion earlier this month, together with Ralph Cossa, chairman of the Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and another frequent interlocutor with Pyongyang's representatives.

The meeting is an annual event organized by the Geneva Center for Security Policy, a government linked think-tank. But it took on extra significance this year due to the sudden rise in tensions between North Korea and the United States.

All the countries involved in the now-defunct six-party denuclearization talks  the U.S., China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas  were represented, as were Mongolia, the Swiss government and the European Union. The Swiss invited the U.S. government to send an official, but it did not.

The North Koreans at the meeting displayed an "encyclopedic" knowledge of Trump's tweets, to the extent that they were able to quote them back to the Americans present.

Pyongyang's delegation was headed by Choe Kang Il, deputy director of the Americas division in the foreign ministry, and he was accompanied by three officials in their late 20s who wowed the other participants with their intellectual analysis and their perfect, American-accented English. One even explained to the other delegates how the U.S. Congress works.

"They were as self-confident as I've ever seen them," said Cossa. Revere added: "They may be puzzled about our intentions but they have a very clear set of intentions of their own."

The participants declined to divulge the contents of the discussions as they were off the record.

But others familiar with the talks said the North Koreans completely ruled out the "freeze for freeze" idea being promoted by China and Russia, in which Pyongyang would freeze its nuclear and missile activities if the United States stopped conducting military exercises in South Korea. The United States, Japan and South Korea also outright reject the idea.

Participants left the day-and-a-half-long meeting with little hope for any improvement any time soon.

"I'm very pessimistic," said Shin Beom-chul, a North Korea expert at the South's Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, after participating in the meeting in Glion. "They want to keep their nuclear weapons and they will only return to dialogue after the United States nullifies its 'hostile policy.' They want the U.S. to stop all military exercises and lift all sanctions on them."

Ken Jimbo, who teaches at Keio University in Japan and was also at the meeting, said that North Korea may still be interested in dialogue, but it on terms that are unacceptable to the other side.

"North Korea wants to be recognized as a nuclear weapons state," Jimbo said. "But when is North Korea ready for talks? This is what I kept asking the North Koreans: How much is enough?"
The batch of more than 3,000 Russian-bought ads that Facebook is preparing to turn over to Congress shows a deep understanding of social divides in American society, with some ads promoting African American rights groups including Black Lives Matter and others suggesting that these same groups pose a rising political threat, say people familiar with the covert influence campaign.

The Russian campaign  taking advantage of Facebook's ability to simultaneously send contrary messages to different groups of users based on their political and demographic characteristics  also sought to sow discord among religious groups. Other ads highlighted support for Democrat Hillary Clinton among Muslim women.

These targeted messages, along with others that have surfaced in recent days, highlight the sophistication of an influence campaign slickly crafted to mimic and infiltrate U.S. political discourse while also seeking to heighten tensions between groups already wary of one another.

The nature and detail of these ads has troubled investigators at Facebook, on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Justice Department, say people familiar with the advertisements who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share matters still under investigation.

The House and Senate Intelligence committees plan to begin reviewing the Facebook ads in coming weeks as they attempt to untangle the operation and other matters related to Russia's bid to help elect Trump in 2016.

"Their aim was to sow chaos," said Sen. Mark R. Warner (D., Va.), vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee. "In many cases, it was more about voter suppression rather than increasing turnout."

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, said he hoped the public would be able to review the ad campaign.

"I think the American people should see a representative sample of these ads to see how cynical the Russian were using these ads to sow division within our society," he said, noting that he had not yet seen the ads but had been briefed on them, including the ones mentioning "things like Black Lives Matter."

The ads that Facebook found raise troubling questions for a social networking and advertising platform that reaches two billion people each month and offer a rare window into how Russian operatives carried out their information operations during an especially tumultuous period in U.S. politics.

Investigators at Facebook discovered the Russian ads in recent weeks, the company has said, after months of trying in vain to trace disinformation efforts back to Russia. The company has said it had identified at least $100,000 in ads purchased through 470 phony Facebook pages and accounts. Facebook has said this spending represented a tiny fraction of the political advertising on the platform.
Wilfredo Cruzs wooden home, in the small town of Morovis, sits ripped to pieces by the storm. He and his wife have heard nothing, nor received any help, from local or federal officials, they said. People are going crazy, Cruz said. Read more

The Trump administration is under pressure to speed up recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where conditions in the wake of Hurricane Maria have become raw and primitive amid an intensifying fear that the worst of the crisis is yet to come.

Prominent Democrats, while not directly criticizing the Trump administration, offered pointed advice. Hillary Clinton on Twitter urged the to send in the relief ship USNS Comfort  which instead is docked in Norfolk, sidelined because the Navy does not believe the compromised ports in the islands can handle the big ship right now.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said the administration "must act immediately to make available additional Department of Defense resources for search-and-rescue operations, law enforcement and transportation needs."

The administration Monday said its response has been robust. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which coordinates the recovery effort, said 10,000 federal employees have been deployed to the Caribbean. The Coast Guard has sent in 13 ships known as cutters. Commercial barges are arriving with relief supplies. The National Guard is being housed on barges and on a cruise ship that arrived this weekend.

However, officials leading the response and recovery admit they're facing serious logistical challenges, starting with damage to the ports and airports. Many of those facilities have been reopened just within the past day or two, but only for daytime operations, because of safety concerns. Radar and control tower capabilities are low, limiting the pace of incoming flights.

For people on the islands, help is arriving glacially. In interviews, some have questioned why there's so little sign, or no sign at all, of government agencies.

Cellphone service is coming back in some places, but it is spotty. The lack of information, and the inability to travel on interior roads blocked by debris and fallen trees, has meant ongoing fear for the well-being of loved ones in inaccessible places.

"How are we supposed to receive help if no one knows we are here?" said Lisandra Alicea, tearing up as she carried a grocery bag filled with juice, crackers, toilet paper and batteries, hoping to make it through the debris-clogged roads to visit her mother in the small mountain barrio of Hayales. She hadn't heard from her mother since communications failed as Maria blew in on Wednesday.

"Please, you have to tell people that we are here, that we exist," she told a reporter. "We are like the forgotten community."

In the small town of Morovis, Soraida Sierra Matias looked over the remnants of her wooden home, ripped to pieces by the storm. She had heard nothing, nor received any help, from local or federal officials. What she really needs, she said, is some canned food, and perhaps a little gas stove so she can cook and camp out in what was once her home.

"People are going crazy," her husband, Wilfredo Cruz, said.

Amid news reports of horrific conditions in the U.S. island territories, President Donald Trump Monday night reeled off a series of tweets that called attention to the infrastructure problems in Puerto Rico predating the arrival of Maria.

Federal officials say there's no way aid can reach the islands as quickly as it reached Texas or Florida after they were slammed with hurricanes in recent weeks.

"Puerto Rico is an island a thousand miles away from Miami, so help just can't physically arrive as fast it did to Florida after Hurricane Irma," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Peter Brown said. "We simply can't drive thousands of power trucks to Puerto Rico to help on power restoration."

Adm. Paul Zukunft, the Coast Guard commandant, told reporters Monday on a flight to Puerto Rico that, because of the inability to reach the islands except by air or sea, the situation is "much worse than Harvey, much worse than Irma."

He said he understands why people feel forgotten.

"They feel isolated and they're probably getting a sense of betrayal, of well, 'Where is the cavalry?' " Zukunft said.

He acknowledged that conditions could become yet more trying for those who live on the islands.

"We're not even a week into this without power. It's hot. People don't have roofs over their heads," he said. "I think there is a sense of desperation, and I think with that comes a certain amount of depression."

Federal officials say reopening of ports is key to disaster recovery because ships can carry far more cargo than aircraft. Adm. Brown said air relief often has a more dramatic appearance, but ships are necessary for this scale of a humanitarian crisis.

"An island like Puerto Rico, or St. Thomas, is fed and supplied by the sea. Ultimately the mass of response is going to come by sea, and getting the ports open is the single best thing the Coast Guard can do to get Puerto Rico back on its feet," said Brown, who as Seventh District Commander oversees operations in the islands.

The lack of electrical power is undermining much of the response and leading to cascading effects, including disabled water and sewer systems. The electric grid was "catastrophically damaged," including 80 percent of the transmission lines that form the grid's high-voltage backbone, Ken Buell, director of emergency response and recovery for the Department of Energy, told the Washington Post.

He said the generating stations, which are largely on the south side of the island, fared relatively well during the hurricane. But only the underground lines remain functioning on the transmission system, and the distribution system  carrying power to homes and businesses  is 100 percent dysfunctional, Buell said.

To repair the grid, he said, will cost "billions of dollars."

William "Brock" Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Monday as he traveled to the Caribbean islands that the U.S. territories are getting the same treatment as any other place in the United States after a disaster.

"The response standard is the same for the islands as it is for anywhere else in the country," Long said. "We will not spare any effort to support survivors of this storm."

The military defended its deployment decisions to date. The Navy so far has three amphibious ships working on relief efforts in the islands: the USS Kearsarge, the USS Oak Hill and the USS Wasp. That's a modest fleet given the scale of the crisis. Conspicuously absent is the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that can house more sailors, planes and helicopters.

The Lincoln had been deployed to the Florida Keys in response to Hurricane Irma, and it served as a powerful symbol of an active military response to the Category 4 storm that hit the lower Keys before traveling up the state of Florida.

But the Lincoln turned over responsibilities to smaller ships and returned to port in Norfolk last week  at roughly the same time that Maria intensified, becoming a major storm that threatened Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands.

Thomas LaCrosse, the Pentagon's director of defense support to civil authorities, said U.S. officials discussed deploying the USNS Comfort to Puerto Rico over the weekend, but decided that it should stay in Norfolk because it could not get close enough to any port to avoid using helicopter support to get patients to and from the ship. It made more sense, he said, to bring medical support into Puerto Rico by U.S. military aircraft, such as C-17 cargo jets.

Pressed on why the Comfort and Lincoln were not sent, LaCrosse said that the Puerto Rican government did not request them.

"We have great capability, but we cannot send it unless the state  or in this case territorial  government asks for it," he said.

In San Juan, Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), who had taken an aerial tour of the devastation, said the U.S. government has to ensure that the response to the hurricane is "the same as it would be in any other territory or state in this nation." Puerto Rico has now been hit, he said, by three storms: "Irma, Maria and the fiscal crisis that it's had to confront." The U.S. territory is struggling with its debt-ridden finances.

Four lawmakers  Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D., N.Y.), who represents parts of Brooklyn but was born in Puerto Rico; Puerto Rico's nonvoting representative, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, a Republican; Rep. Jose Serrano (D., N.Y.); and Darren Soto (D., Fla.)  on Monday called on the Trump administration to establish a new federal entity to address the island's unique situation. The lawmakers also want the administration to provide relief from the pressing economic issues facing the island's government.

Senior congressional aides in both parties said Sunday that FEMA isn't expected to ask Congress for more money to replenish its federal Disaster Relief Fund until mid-October, signaling that agency officials believe they have the cash and equipment needed right now to respond to the island's devastation in addition to ongoing recovery efforts on the mainland.

Regardless, lawmakers without direct ties to the island, but who have states with growing Puerto Rican populations, were also clamoring for a faster response.

Sen. Christopher Murphy (D., Conn.), who represents a state with growing Puerto Rican voting blocs in such cities as New London, New Haven and Hartford, said Monday that the economic crisis in Puerto Rico "has officially devolved into a humanitarian disaster."

"For decades, Washington has neglected our obligations to the island. We've denied Puerto Rico's residents  American citizens  vital human services and adequate health care funding, and there's no doubt in my mind that our negligence made the devastation in Puerto Rico even worse," Murphy said.

Monday night, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., issued one of the sharpest criticisms yet of the administration's disaster response in Puerto Rico, calling it "wholly inadequate."

"A territory of 3.5 million American citizens is almost completely without power, water, food, and telephone service, and we have a handful of helicopters involved in DOD's response. It's a disgrace," Smith said.
Pennsylvanias election officials say Russian hackers were likely targeting voter registration information, rather than voting machines. Pictured above are voting machines in Philadelphia during the 2016 election. JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer Read more

HARRISBURG  Pennsylvania's top election official said Monday that he believes Russian hackers were targeting the state's voter registration data before last year's presidential election, an action which, if successful, could have enabled them to cause chaos at the polls.

Secretary of State Pedro Cortes said that based on limited information last week from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the hackers tried to "scan" the state's election computer system to see whether there was a way into it. He said voting machines were not a likely target because they are not connected to the internet and are not "penetrable."

The state was not told when precisely the attempts were made, or how many times the hackers probed the system for points of access, but federal officials told Cortes they had no evidence of a breach. In theory, altering registration information could sow confusion among voters and election officials, potentially depressing the number of ballots cast.

"We were told, 'You're it;' Russia tried to scan our system looking for vulnerabilities; there was no evidence of intrusion," Cortes said in an interview with the Inquirer and Daily News and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He said the telephone briefing lasted from three to four minutes.

During last week's call, Pennsylvania was told it was one of 21 states targeted by Russians. The disclosure came as a special counsel is probing whether there was any coordination between Russia and associates of President Trump during the 2016 presidential election.

It was not clear why federal authorities, who have known about the attempted hacks for months, waited so long to share the information with individual states.

Cortes said that the news came as a surprise to Pennsylvania, and that federal officials did not give any guidance on whether additional safety measures were needed. As it learns more, the state will decide on what steps to take to reinforce security in its election systems, he said.

J.J. Abbott, spokesman for Gov. Wolf, said that to his knowledge no one from the federal government had previously contacted state officials about the problem, and no one working for the commonwealth had independently stumbled upon evidence of Russian hacking.

Though Cortes appeared confident there was no data breach, he acknowledged that he could not say with certainty that there was none.

Hacking attempts are more common than people think, Cortes said. Indeed, state officials believe that in 2016 there were some 90 billion attempts to probe computer systems across all departments and agencies.

Finding evidence of an attack by another nation can be extremely difficult, in part because their hackers often are persistent and might break into a system months or years in advance of their actual goal, said Dan Wallach, a professor at Rice University in Texas who has examined voting systems.

"It's exceptionally difficult to prove a negative," he said. "The apt hacker people who know what they're doing make it their business not to be seen."

Wallach also said that assuming voting equipment wasn't targeted solely because it's not connected to the internet could be a dangerous mistake. Experts say the code that controls voting machines could be poorly written or manipulated by wrongdoers with tech skills, for example.

"It's just a bogus argument," Wallach said. "You might as well argue the Earth is flat."
Attorney General Josh Shapiro is working with other attorneys general to investigate the Equifax data breach. Read more

Americans and Pennsylvanians just experienced the largest data breach in our country's history. The Equifax data breach, affecting the personal, financial information of 143 million Americans and 5.4 million Pennsylvanians, is an outrageous display of corporate malfeasance. I'm leading a coalition of state attorneys general to get to the bottom of it, protect consumers, and force change in corporate behavior.

The day after Equifax disclosed this massive breach, I directed my Bureau of Consumer Protection to open an investigation and invite other attorneys general to join our probe. That investigation has grown to include 47 state attorneys general from both parties plus the District of Columbia. We've issued subpoenas and are working together to peel back the multiple layers of Equifax's malfeasance and misconduct. Those layers include:

Delaying notification of the breach. Equifax initially claimed it learned about the breach in July, but delayed notifying the public until Sept. 7  a six-week, unexplained time lag. In recent days, it's become clear Equifax was alerted by its software vendor as early as March to irregularities in its data system  but it did nothing to fix them or notify the public. Those delays are a key subject of our investigation.

Stock sales. During the six-week delay between when Equifax claims it learned of the breach and when it disclosed it, several of its executives sold $1.8 million in company stock. That conduct is under federal investigation, as it should be.

Duping consumers to waive their rights. As consumers went to Equifax's website to find out if their data was compromised, they were encouraged to sign up for identity theft protection, but there was a hidden catch: consumers unwittingly waived their rights to file legal claims against Equifax. As soon as my fellow attorneys generals and I learned of this shameful tactic, we demanded the company stop it. They did.

Profiteering off the breach. After the breach, Equifax offered consumers two kinds of protection  one free, and another "premier" service that cost a fee. It was confusing for consumers and inappropriate for Equifax to try to make a buck off anxious consumers. My attorneys general colleagues and I forced Equifax to end that practice too.

Reimbursing consumers. Equifax is no longer charging consumers who want to freeze their credit, but other reporting agencies still are. Another demand we've made on Equifax: Reimburse consumers for any costs they incur in freezing their credit.

In recent months, my fellow attorneys general and I have settled data breach cases with Target, Nationwide and Lenovo. Those settlements have impacted millions of Americans and required the companies to change how they protect our data. What's disturbing about the Equifax case is it happened at a large credit-reporting agency, with unique access to our most sensitive data  Social Security numbers, credit cards, work and personal histories  and the company's lax security allowed this massive breach to happen anyway. Understanding how that occurred is a central focus of our investigation.

Our investigation has three main goals: Making Equifax answer for the breach, protecting consumers' data and obtaining restitution, and changing corporate behavior so it doesn't happen again. Some of the changes following recent data breach cases include:

Companies must be transparent with consumers about what they are doing with their data. They should maintain appropriate security practices, like limiting internal access to customer data and encryption policies. Companies must keep their software up to date. Companies should regularly consult with independent, third-party security experts to get objective advice about their technology and data-management practices. Lastly they should have an executive responsible for security of customers' data.

Notification laws need to change, and Congress should act to require companies to disclose data breaches to consumers within a certain time frame. Currently, each state has its own laws on notifications. A federal law would provide uniformity and better protect consumers.

Companies should not need a law on the books to force them to alert consumers when data breaches occur.

Unfortunately, our corporate culture has swung so far in the direction of valuing profits above people that Equifax's behavior, while appalling, is not surprising. Every data breach violates the public's trust, and I'm working with my colleagues to force corporations to change their behavior and prevent them moving forward.

Josh Shapiro is the attorney general of Pennsylvania.
Mark it on your calendar: Oct. 1 is the day that Philly's incredible wine culture starts to die.

That's because on that date, your favorite restaurants will have an even harder time getting your preferred wines from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB).

The change has been about a year in the making, but it made headlines only last week, when the PLCB announced a new rule that requires restaurants to jump through even more convoluted hoops to put wine in your glass.

In August 2016, Gov. Wolf signed Act 39, a law he called "historic," that famously allowed grocery stores to sell bottles of wine. Also part of Act 39, the markup the PLCB was allowed to charge on special liquor orders was dramatically reduced. Though this might sound good in theory, it entails some seriously scary implications.

Most every restaurant in Pennsylvania  especially in cities like Philly and Pittsburgh  creates its wine programs through these special orders. But from the PLCB's perspective, special-order wines are dead weight on their already sinking ship. Historically, such orders account for only around 4 percent of the PLCB's total sales each year, yet processing and implementing them costs the agency a lot in terms of overhead.

Because profitability on special-order items was slashed so dramatically by Act 39, the PLCB is now trying to cut costs on that program any way it can. Under the new rules, restaurants must pay for special orders before distributors are even allowed to ship. That means it might take five or six days from the time the restaurant pays for an order for it to even arrive at the store  and then it could be a day or two more before the restaurant is able to send someone to the store, pick it up, bring it back, and serve it so it can make money. For restaurants, many of which are already running on thin margins on wine because of the PLCB's arcane pricing, this new rule could cause big financial problems.

I've sold wine in many other markets, and I've never heard of anyhing like this. In other states, cash-on-delivery sales are what happen to restaurants who don't pay their bills on time. In Pennsylvania, it's even worse than COD; it's CBD  cash before delivery.

By forcing this change on special-order wines, the PLCB is trying to make restaurants use whatever wine is already on the shelves in its stores because that is more profitable. That would effectively kill most of the wine programs at Philly's best restaurants.

I already know of one wine distributor that's pulling out of Pennsylvania because it can't afford to comply with these new changes. Distributors are seeing that it's really not worth selling in Pennsylvania anymore because it's too much of a headache. The PLCB forces restaurants to prepay for their wine, yet the PLCB still pays its vendors with net 60-day terms. It hardly seems fair.

New restaurants will also be discouraged from opening here. It was just announced that Jean-Georges Vongerichten is opening a restaurant in Philadelphia. Do you think he wants to be limited to serving his guests whatever the PLCB feels like stocking?

All of this hurts choice for consumers. Imagine going to a restaurant for a fancy meal and your only red-wine choices are Yellow Tail merlot, Yellow Tail cabernet, and Yellow Tail malbec.

This is bad news for Philadelphia, where the wine culture has really evolved into something incredible over the last few years despite the hardships the PLCB places on us all.

A lot of distributors and restaurants are afraid there will be backlash if they question the PLCB's authority. I'm a willing to take the risk, because I believe this is important  not just to my business and the business of the restaurants I work with, but to the culture of Philadelphia as one of America's great wine-drinking cities.

Jason Malumed is a partner in MFW, an importer and distributor of wine.
One of the first things you notice about Ingrid Lorentzen is her laughthe Norwegian National Ballet director exudes warmth. Its obvious why, in 2012, she was appointed for the job, despite the fact that she was a leading dancer at NNB with little management experience. But Lorentzen knew it wouldnt all be smooth sailing. I started my first speech by telling the company: Im going to disappoint you all,  she remembers with a chuckle.

That lucidity, along with her open-minded philosophy, has contributed to lifting the profile of Norways national company, founded in 1958. As director, Lorentzen has challenged her 65 dancers with boundary-pushing new productions, from Alexander Ekmans water-filled A Swan Lake to ballets based on Scandinavian plays. Programmers have taken notice: This creative vibe and NNBs close relationship with Jirri Kylian have led to a series of international engagements.

Kylians Falling Angels. Photo by Erik Berg, Courtesy NNB.

Lorentzen has drawn diverse talent, from Cuban stars Yolanda Correa and Osiel Gouneo to American standouts like Melissa Hough and Whitney Jensen. When I first spoke to Ingrid, I was astonished at how personable she was, says Hough.

The 45-year-old director was a maverick from a young age. Born in a small Norwegian town, she didnt go into pre-professional training until the age of 16. Less than a year later, she told the director of Oslos National Academy of the Arts that the classical training wasnt strong enoughand moved to the Royal Swedish Ballet School.

After an apprenticeship with the Norwegian National Ballet, Lorentzen went freelance, performing in theater projects and ultimately joining a Swedish contemporary company, Skanes Dansteater. It shaped my philosophy: I want dancers who can stand out but be part of a collective, says Lorentzen.

Later, she auditioned for NNB four times before she was hired. They werent sure about my height, my age. But in three years, she was promoted to the top rank, soloist.

When company director Espen Giljane left in 2012, the general director of the Norwegian Opera urged Lorentzen to apply. By then, shed taken a seat on the Arts Council Norway, which implements cultural policy. I said no originally, she remembers. The search committee insisted, and Lorentzens status as a former-outsider-turned-team-player worked in her favor. Ive seen the company from the inside, but also from the other side, having danced in other theaters.

Ingrid Lorentzen. Photo by Erik Berg, Courtesy NNB.

Lorentzen accepted, hung up her pointe shoes and set out to find a balance between three pillars in the repertoire: the classics, especially traditional full-lengths; international masters, like Kylian; and creations.

As she had warned her company, there were bumps in the road. Her first program in 2013 was five world premieres inspired by Michel Fokine. It was a huge success, says Lorentzen, but thats the moment the dancers said, We have no confidence in you.  The boundary-pushing program fazed them. They werent happy.

Lorentzens response was more communication. In Norway, you have to get the company with you, because you cant fire anyone, she explains. Social protection is very high: Dancers are on permanent contracts, and retire with a pension at 41. Benefits such as maternity leave are generous. Here I began thinking about my life as a whole, not just as my dancer self, says Hough, who previously danced with Boston Ballet and Houston Ballet.

To balance out that security, Lorentzen believes in a degree of artistic insecurity. There are only two ranks, corps and soloist, and all dancers have to audition for parts.

Norwegian National Ballets Nutcracker. Photo by Erik Berg, Courtesy NNB.

New evening-length narrative ballets, a particular focus for Lorentzen, have ranged from Liam Scarletts Carmen to an adaptation of Henrik Ibsens play Hedda Gabler by theater director Marit Moum Aune, premiering September 28.

Lorentzen has also commissioned company dancers, including Hough, who was part of Sleepless Beauty, an evening of creations by women. Last season, 8 out of the 17 choreographers featured were female. The lack of balance is so depressing, Lorentzen says. I thought, Lets stop talking, lets just do.

With stable government funding and a new opera house, opened in 2008, the future is bright. In 2015, Lorentzen launched the Norwegian National Ballet 2, which also affords its dancers full salaries. More than a third of the main company members hail from Norway, and Lorentzen is building closer ties with the affiliated National Academy.

Now with the full confidence of her company, her contract has been extended through 2022. Hough pays tribute to Lorentzens positive management style. Ingrid has taught me I can be honest without fear, she says. I have learned to own who I am as an artist and person.

Ibsens Ghost. Photo by Erik Berg, Courtesy NNB.

At a Glance

Norwegian National Ballet

Number of dancers: 65

Length of contract: Year-round, permanent

Starting salary: Around $56,000 ($49,000 for NNB2)

Performances per year: Around 100

Website: operaen.no/en

Audition Advice

Open auditions are currently only held for Norwegian National Ballet 2. In addition to one in Norway every year, Lorentzen takes part in the Grand Audition, the multi-company audition held in Barcelona (the next one is scheduled for February 67, 2018). I like athletic classical dancers, with very strong footwork and articulation, she says. But its also about the feeling I get from them, who I think can adapt to the Norwegian way. Shell occasionally invite applicants for the main company to take class.
After extensive testing the Department of National Defense of the Republic of the Philippines has declared the Glock 17 Gen4 as the winner of its solicitations to buy new service pistols for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Glock has won this solicitation against international competition. As a result of the contract Glock will deliver 74,861 pistols and the same quantity of Glock safety holsters.

Together with other recently won international solicitations this will make Glock Inc. the biggest exporter of pistols from the United States, according to the company.

With a quantity of 74,861 Glock safety holsters, this is the biggest holster contract in Glock's company history.

For more information, visit http://us.Glock.com/.
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In Monday nights debate on the all-but-dead Graham-Cassidy healthcare plan, Bernie Sanders called the Republican plan a disaster  and he did it while standing right next to Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy.

Sanders correctly told his Republican colleagues that every major health organization in America opposes their inhumane bill.

Video:

Bernie Sanders Calls Graham-Cassidy Healthcare Plan Disaster Right To Their Faces #HealthCareDebate pic.twitter.com/ErtPWdcADO  Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) September 26, 2017

Sanders said:

Every major health organization in this country, whether it is the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, American Cancer Society, the Alzheimers Society  every single major medical organization in this country  thinks that their proposal is a disaster. So our job now is to defeat this disastrous proposal, get back to the drawing board, see if we can work together for some short-term fixes. Long term, in my view, I speak only for myself, this country has to join the rest of the industrialized world, guarantee health care as a right of all people.

Despite the fact that the Graham-Cassidy plan is essentially dead, as Maine Sen. Susan Collins came out against it today, Sens. Graham and Cassidy are still working at this late hour to save it.

But, as Sanders said in Mondays debate  right to their faces  it is a disastrous plan that would hurt millions of people. Everybody with a casual understanding of Americas health care system agrees with the Vermont senator.

With another piece of GOP repeal legislation being hurled into the scrapheap of history, the only way forward is to finally stop the GOP effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, improve the laws shortcomings, and continue working to create a system in which every man, woman and child has access to affordable and comprehensive coverage.
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By Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  Republican senators struggled to gather more support for a last-ditch attempt to repeal Obamacare on Monday despite revising funding provisions of their bill to make it more attractive to a handful of undecided lawmakers.

The outcome remained in doubt with several senators in the party voicing concerns in recent days about the legislation to dismantle Democratic former President Barack Obamas signature healthcare law.

An economic assessment by Standard & Poors Global Ratings threw more cold water on the bill. If enacted, it would result in 580,000 lost jobs and $240 billion in lost economic activity by 2027, keeping GDP growth stuck in low gear of around 2 percent at best.

In hopes of finding more backing, Republican senators leading the effort released a changed version of their bill that included a table showing some states where senators have been undecided, such as Alaska and Maine, would get more money.

For seven years, Republicans have hammered Obamacare, which extended health insurance to some 20 million Americans, as an unwarranted and costly government intrusion into healthcare, while also opposing taxes it imposed on the wealthy.

President Donald Trump made repealing Obamacare one of his top campaign promises in 2016. Democrats have fiercely defended it.

A Senate Finance Committee hearing on the healthcare legislation on Monday was disrupted by protesters chanting No cuts for Medicaid, save our liberty. Capitol Hill police removed the protesters, many in wheelchairs, from the hearing room.

A total of three Republican defections would kill off the latest anti-Obamacare effort. Republican Senators John McCain, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have said in recent days they would vote no. Other senators such as Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have also voiced reservations.

A spokesman for Paul said on Monday the senator still opposes the latest version despite the tweaks. A Cruz aide said the Texas conservative is not currently a yes on this bill, but we continue to work toward lowering premiums.

SLIM MARGIN

Trump said there was little room for Republican wavering on healthcare.

We have 52 senators, so you lose two, youre out, he told the Alabama-based Rick and Bubba radio program on Monday. We dont have much a margin. We dont have any margin.

Democratic leaders roundly rejected the revised draft of the repeal legislation as a sleight of hand to gain support.

Once the protests on Capitol Hill had died down, Teresa Miller, acting secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, told the Senate hearing that states would not be able to sustain the deep cuts projected under the latest healthcare legislation.

Ive been thinking a lot over the past few days about what we would do in Pennsylvania if this bill passes and becomes law, she said. And honestly, I struggle to figure out how we would respond. We would have two years to completely revamp our healthcare system.

The last attempt to repeal Obamacare fell one vote short in July, in a humiliating setback for Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The new bill, originally introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, would take federal money spent on the Medicaid program for the poor and disabled, as well as subsidies to help Americans buy private insurance, and divvy it up to the states in block grants. Advocates say that would give states more discretion to manage their own healthcare schemes.

Opponents fear undoing Obamacare will mean millions lose healthcare, including some with pre-existing medical conditions.

The two largest health insurer lobbying groups on Monday renewed their criticism of the bill, sending testimony to the Senate that it would destabilize the individual health insurance market and hurt consumers.

U.S. hospital stocks were down across the board on Monday morning, in broadly bearish trading marketwide. Shares of HCA Healthcare Inc and Tenet Healthcare Corp were hit particularly hard, falling 2.8 percent and 5 percent, respectively, in afternoon trading.

PAUL WANTS SIGNIFICANT REASSESSMENT

Paul, from Kentucky, said the Graham-Cassidy plan was still too similar to Obamacare. My promise to the voters was to repeal Obamacare  not block grants and keep Obamacare, Paul said in a statement. Only a significant reassessment of the trillion-dollar spending regime would get his support, he said.

Collins, a moderate from Maine, said on Sunday it was difficult to envision a scenario where I would end up voting for this bill. She worried about cuts to Medicaid benefits to the poor and disabled.

Graham suggested Republicans could have another shot at repealing Obamacare, even if they do not do it this week, if Senate leadership were to attach a repeal bill to a planned tax reform package.

That package was expected to be designated in 2018 for the once-per-year procedural advantage of being handled under the Senates 50-vote reconciliation process. Trying to combine the two would be highly unusual.

If we fall short, then you just continue the effort in putting taxes and reconciliation together, Graham told Reuters. I think Congress can do two things at once.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is expected to produce as early as Monday a preliminary analysis of the bill that would assess its impact on budget deficits.

More time is likely needed for the CBO to gauge how the bill could affect Americans access to health insurance.

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Philip Stewart, Makini Brice Alistair Bell and Timothy Gardner in Washington and Caroline Humer in New York; Editing by Bill Trott and Mary Milliken)
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Donald Trumps tough talk on North Korea may appeal to the small fraction of the country that still supports him, but the majority of Americans are afraid hes recklessly leading the United States toward an unnecessary nuclear war.

According to a new CBS News poll, 53 percent of the country believes Trump is on the verge of plunging America into an unintended war with North Korea.

More from CBS News:

CBS NEWS POLL: Only 39% of Americans approve of Trumps handling of North Korea; 53% are concerned he might start an unnecessary war. pic.twitter.com/6PgxtBUIFB  CBS News (@CBSNews) September 25, 2017

The same CBS poll noted that just 39 percent  about the same number of people who approve of his job performance  believe Trump is doing a good job managing the growing threat North Korea poses.

Overall, the survey found that just 35 percent of the country believes Trump is doing a good job.

The poor approval numbers with respect to North Korea come as the president has spent weeks ignoring the advice of all foreign policy experts  and even his own advisers  to tone down his rhetoric.

The reckless and unstable commander-in-chief has done just the opposite, using a speech to the United Nations to say he will totally destroy North Korea and again refer to Kim Jong-un as rocket man.

On Monday, the North Koreans said Trumps remarks in that speech amounted to a declaration of war on their country, and they will shoot down U.S. bombers, even if theyre not in North Koreas airspace.

The situation in North Korea is fragile and complicated, and there is certainly no easy or quick solution, but one thing is clear: the loose cannon in the White House is making matters worse, not better.
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The President Of The United States revealed on Tuesday that his administration is struggling to get assistance to Puerto Rico because Trump thinks that the island is located in the Carribean Sea.

Video:

Trump on delivering aid to Puerto Rico: "This is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. Its a big ocean, its a very big ocean." pic.twitter.com/d3zkbKmQxr  BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) September 26, 2017

Trump said, Its very tough because its an island. In Texas, we can ship the trucks right out there. And you know, weve gotten A-pluses on Texas and on Florida, and we will also on Puerto Rico. But the difference is, this is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. And its a big ocean; its a very big ocean. And were doing a really good job.

Here is a map:

It is like somebody told Trump that he is going there, and that it is an island, and that it is surrounded by a lot of water because the White House staffer didnt want to have to try to explain the Carribean Sea to the President.

The country has got to realize that these statements are not accidents. This is not some presidential word salad of the George W. Bush level. The United States of America is being run by a man who knows nothing. Trumps boasts are a cover for his ignorance. The President continues to explain things with a tone of wonder and astonishment that the rest of the country already knows.

Puerto Ricans need serious help, but instead, they are getting a visit from a guy who probably couldnt find their island on a map.
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Yikes.

Its been a given, even reportedly by Manaforts lawyers, that he is going to be indicted. But Politico reported on Tuesday that an indictment is virtually certain against Mike Flynn, too.

Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort are almost sure to be indicted as a result of Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal told Politico.

Im about 99 percent sure there will be some criminal charges from this investigation, said Blumenthal, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. However, he is less certain, according to Politico, that Trump will face charges as a result of Muellers investigation.

Ranking Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee Sen. Mark Warner told CNNs Brian Stelter that the million-dollar question is how the Russians knew who to target on Facebook with ads, and that there seems to be an awful lot of connections between the Russians and the Trump campaign, which suggests that collusion is on the table.
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The White House refused to answer when asked if Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump leaked classified information by using private email.

Video:

Kristen Welker of NBC News reported, The White House is not commenting on what type of emails these are, the nature of the emails. Of course, they are quick to say do not try to draw a comparison to this and Hillary Clinton using a private email server. Of course, Hillary Clinton exclusively used a private email server. That was what was at issue. There were a few emails that did contain some classified information. When I pressed the White House though on whether any of these emails contained classified information, no response yet.

This is nothing like the Hillary Clinton email scandal. What the Trump White House did was worse. Republicans invented the Hillary Clinton email scandal, and she was found to have committed no crime. Trumps White House is systematically violating the Presidential Records Act. They wouldnt answer whether Kushner and Ivanka Trump leaked classified information either because they dont know, or the answer will cause this White House even more problems.

After they made such a big deal over Hillary Clintons email, the Trump White House only had one simple rule to follow. Dont use private email for government business. However, this administration is so lawless and entitled that they feel that laws dont apply to them.

The Trump White House is drowning in a sea of their own ineptitude and corruption.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Thunder possible. Low 52F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Thunder possible. Low 52F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Minnesota's clean energy industry continues to surge.

A report released Sept. 7 by Clean Energy Economy Minnesota found clean energy jobs grew nearly four times faster than overall state job growth since last year  adding 2,893 jobs to the economy.

Thirty percent of the state's roughly 57,000 clean energy jobs are found in greater Minnesota, the report found. Roughly 5,800 of those jobs are located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, which covers Rochester and Southeast Minnesota.

Curt Shellum, owner of Solar Connection , a Rochester solar installer, spoke with the Post Bulletin on Friday about Southeast Minnesota's clean energy industry growth.

What changes have you seen in southeast Minnesota's clean energy industry during the last year?

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It's kind of a gradual process where there's just more and more awareness. We noticed that people that come to us expressing an interest in solar, whether they'd be a farm, or business or home, know a little bit more. They're just more aware of it, and more aware of the technology. That's a good thing. In the last few years, we've definitely seen a growth in the number of companies that are installing clean energy and solar.

What about your company? What have you seen as clean energy jobs have come more to the forefront in Minnesota?

We have grown each year. I would say that, probably by an average of 30 percent, 20 to 30 percent more projects each year. Staff hasn't quite grown at that same rate, but we have about 14 people now. We are a contractor, so as we install more, the people downstream and other related professions also add jobs.

You were talking about how you've done more development during the last year. How is the demand for clean energy in southeast Minnesota right now?

It's been gradual for us anyway, in our experience. A few more calls, a few more inquiries, a few more installations. When I say a few more, it's 20 to 30 percent, but not like double, triple, quadruple each year. But it's been good, it's been a steady increase in number of people  choosing to install solar. It's kind of a combination of reasons: more awareness and also prices have dropped. So as solar has grown, prices have come down, and it makes it more affordable, better payback each year.

Where do you see the demand for clean energy in Minnesota in 10 years?

I think it will just continue to grow at this rate, or even greater, as long as we can find policies that work for everyone. We have to find ways where it's a win-win for the utilities and for customers of the utilities so they can continue to add solar and also works well for the utilities.

In terms of the quality of the product, solar is a very simple, rugged, robust technology that lasts a long time.

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If you drive down the street, you see a lot of prime, open, south-facing roofs without solar. And I really suspect that you'll see  a lot more of those homes and businesses choosing to produce their own energy. There's an estimate that almost half the energy in the United States could be provided by just simply rooftop solar. There's plenty of room for growth.

If the industry keeps growing as it is, how much of a boost do you think it can give to the state's overall economy in terms of jobs?

Right now, it's like 57,000 jobs supposedly in Minnesota. In the United States, solar is almost doubling each year. I don't know if Minnesota is or not, but if we're on the same trend  I anticipate that this 50,000 will soon be, 70, 80, 100 (thousand jobs). It's likely to continue to grow. Maybe not at the same rate, I'm not sure, but it will grow.
An investigation into claims of bias and defamation against the former Rochester Area Chamber of Commercepresident might take twice as long as previously expected.

At the end of August, former president Rob Millerresigned after facing allegations of bullying, age discrimination, bias against women and defamation from popular, long-term membership director Judy Braatz.

Miller, who had been with the chamber for three years, had pushed Braatz to resign, she contends. She responded by sending the chamber board a list of allegations about Miller. This dispute wrapped up a contentious summer, where two other high-profile chamber employees left abruptly within one week.

Before Miller's resignation, Rochester's Dunlap & Seeger, representing the chamber, hired the Twin Cities firm of Robins Kaplan LLPto investigate Braatz's claims. Robins Kaplan initially said they expected the investigation into Miller to take about 30 days, which ends this week.

Dunal & Seeger also contracted with Paul Omodt, of Minneapolis-based Omodt & Associates Critical Communicationsand assigned him to work with the investigator.

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On Monday, Omodt said it might take double the original estimated time to conclude the investigation, when asked where things stood.

"I checked in with the investigator  keep in mind, our role is to let them do their thing and only give them logistical support  and they said their work is continuing," He wrote. "We originally estimated 30 days at the soonest and about 60 at the longest, so we are still in that window."

On Aug. 31 and Sept. 2, Omodt issued public statements that the investigation would take a total of about 30 days.

While many of the chamber's 1,500 members are calling for Braatz to be given her job back, that does not seem likely at this point. Braatz has hired an attorney to represent her, and is not responding to requests for comment.
Rochester has always been the crossroads of three major motorways, two of which used Second Street Southwest as their main route.

Not long after World War I, enterprising folks started to build automobile filling stations along that same route.

In the mid-1920s, the Rochester Oil Company erected a filling station at 1330 Second St. SW. A few years later, Rochester Oil along with the Second Street station sold out to the Shell Petroleum Company.

Shortly after World War II, the original station was torn down and replaced with a modern "ice cream box" style station. It became known as Rehling's Shell Service, operated by Ben Rehling.

By 1950, Rochester had no fewer than 50 gas stations, and Rehling's was one of 10 stations located on the brick-paved street leading from Broadway past Saint Marys Hospital.

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Due to the ever-expanding hospital, the station and surrounding homes were razed in the early 1960s.
The photos and headlines can tug at people's heartstrings. The destruction left in the wake of two hurricanes can compel people to act.

"It's a great thing to help," said Dave Wedekind, director of the Rochester Convention of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Ministry. "But by helping too early or without enough knowledge, you can become a victim."

He advised going with a group that can offer training and making sure to never go too soon.

"It's also better to donate money," he said. "Food and clothes can become a burden. By sending money, we give them freedom to buy exactly what's needed."

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Ministry is the third-largest relief agency in the United States, with 400 trained volunteers in the Minnesota-Wisconsin region and thousands more across the country. The ministry often partners with the Red Cross and the Salvation Army to provide on-the-ground support and financial contributions during times of disasters.

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Currently, they have split their network  with all ministries east of the Mississippi River providing support to victims of Hurricane Irma and all ministries to the West providing support to victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Wedekind used to live in south Florida and began to volunteer, though not with the ministry, after Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992. He helped write an evacuation plan for his county and led teams from his church in relief efforts. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he joined the Ministry.

He has led the ministry's disaster relief branch in Rochester for 12 years and has taken teams to more than 30 disasters domestically, He has also led teams for recent international efforts, such as the Nepalese earthquake of 2015 and the Syrian refugee crisis in Greece. Closer to home, he's been involved in relief efforts after a tornado in Wisconsin as well as flooding in Steele County.

The ministry trains volunteers for specific teams.

 Feeding teams: Work on the ground, cooking food for families who have nothing left.

 Recovery units: Assess damage and address the most pressing concerns.

 Shower and laundry unit: Volunteers man showers and laundry sets for volunteers and sometimes families and chaplaincy teams who provide moral support and spiritual comfort.

To donate, go to mwbc.org and click the "Donate" button. All proceeds will go to Hurricane Harvey relief. For more ways you can help, check out nvoad.org
KELLOGG  It was December when it really dawned on people, said Tim Hermann.

"We were at the fireman's Christmas party, and all of the girls were sitting there, drinking their water and pop," he said. "That's when it became obvious."

"It" was a baby boom: An incredible seven babies, born to six volunteer firefighters with the Kellogg Fire Department, in about five months.

As the pregnancies were announced last winter, one after the other, "it was, holy cow, we're going to have all these new kids in town," Hermann said. "Like, who's next?"

He and wife Jada are parents of the final baby of the bunch; Harper, their first child, was born July 13, about five weeks early.

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Both Jada and Harper are doing "awesome," Hermann said.

Ben and Kari VanLoon were the first parents to add to the tiny Wabasha County town with a (prior) population of 456.

Daughter Brielle was born Feb. 9.

Also first-time parents, Ben VanLoon said he and his wife were "talking about how to tell people we were going to have a baby, but as soon as we started to let people know, then it was the next one (couple), then the next one, then the next one."

He and Hermann both said the 30 members of KFD are good friends, so the advice of veteran firefighters  and fathers  is a welcome prospect.

"Our department is fairly young," VanLoon said, "but the older guys, we need their knowledge and we need their wisdom."

Still, parenting is "a whole new experience for us," he said. "We've all got to talk to each other and figure out how to do this. All of us guys on the fire department, we all get along, we can joke about it at trainings. It's funny how it all worked out, all (born) within five months, and Tim McDonough ended up with twins."

Theodore and Izabell are the fourth and fifth children in the McDonough family, born less than two weeks after Brielle.

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"It was mind-blowing, to say the least," said McDonough, who's been a firefighter for 19 years, the last three as assistant chief. "We'd almost given up" on having more children when his wife, Tasha, said she was pregnant.

Their son weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces; his sister weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces when they were born Feb. 20.

"She's still holding her two-pound advantage," McDonough said, and "they are exact opposites. She's laid back, relaxed, but it honestly makes it easier, because we're always chasing him."

Two days after the McDonough twins were born, Allen and Kim Schmitz welcomed their son, Samuel.

The stork had a two-month hiatus before heading back to Kellogg with Hailey Tentis, daughter of Seth and Tara Tentis.

Millie Riester, daughter of Anthony and Jessica Riester, was the sixth baby, arriving June 16.

"As close as all of us are on the department  a couple of us have been in each other's wedding  we get together and do what we can, even outside of the fire department," VanLoon said, "but it'll be about playdates" soon enough.

"As a whole, I think the fire department comes together," McDonough said. "If there's any questions, it's brought up as a group; it's just giving the free advice when you can."

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Those get-togethers with other dads, Hermann said, are helpful.

"They understand what you're going through, too, and can give you a little advice," he said. "Or you brag a little bit, because your baby is sleeping a little more ... "

The opportunity to brag in front of the entire town came in early September, when Kellogg's annual Watermelon Fest brought back its kiddie parade.

"The (babies') moms were talking about it, and I can't let anything go calmly," VanLoon said. "So I got my trailer and wrapped it like a fire truck, made it look like a ladder truck. A few of the guys came over and helped."

Sue McNallan, Hermann's mother-in-law, made turn-out skirts for the little girls and turn-out pants for the little boys, and the babies and their dads rode in the parade.

Before the babies were born, she'd seen a similar story about a small fire department in Iowa that had six babies born to six firefighters in seven months.

"We beat 'em by a baby, and we beat 'em by two months," McDonough laughed.

"Everybody thought it was a really neat idea," he said. "They're blown away, that that many firemen had that many babies, in a town of 456 people. It's phenomenal."

Their wives have talked about recreating the photo from the parade, "maybe every couple of years at Watermelon Fest or something," Hermann said.

It's bound to be the first of many times the fire department kids get together, the men agreed.

"I think it'll be fun to watch them all grow up together," Hermann said, and hopefully, be friends.

"It's one of those things, you grow up in a small town, you know everybody," McDonough said. "They'll be in the same grade, so it's the friendships, plus the fire department."

The jokes about the future are already starting.

"I told somebody, 'there's five girls, so there might be some fights, but we'll still be friends as dads,'" Hermann said.

VanLoon said he and his wife are "almost afraid to have a second, because our baby is so good to us."

Still, he said, "we joke now that since ours was first, I'll call them and let them know when we're thinking of having a second, so we can start planning again."

--------------------

The babies:

Brielle VanLoon, Feb. 9, 2017

Theodore and Izabell McDonough, Feb. 20, 2017

Samuel Schmitz, Feb. 22, 2017

Hailey Tentis, April 25, 2017

Millie Riester, June 16, 2017

Harper Hermann, July 13, 2017
WINONA  When deciding the best way to get home to Chicago for a wedding, Rochester resident Jacqueline Komada settled on taking the train.

"It was the easiest option. It's a five-hour or longer drive back to Chicago. The train is really simple," Komada said.

She joined a crowd of travelers dragging rolling suitcases who were lining up to board the train on a recent weekday morning. Efforts are underway to add a second Twin Cities-to-Chicago train with stops in Red Wing and Winona. But to keep the project chugging along, lawmakers need to approve $1 million next year for the second phase of the study. Getting those dollars will likely be a challenge given legislators are already faced with more than $3 billion in requests for construction projects across the state.

But backers of the train remain undeterred. Red Wing Mayor Sean Dowse said a second train would be a boost for the Mississippi River town  especially if it came at a time that would allow Twin Cities and Winona travelers to hop aboard for a quick Red Wing day trip.

"Bottom line, I think it would be helpful to us both economically and as a benefit of living in Red Wing," he said.

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Second train basics

Amtrak's Empire Builder route offers once daily round-trip service from the Twin Cities to Chicago. The Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of transportation teamed up in 2015 to do a feasibility study of a second route. That report concluded there was enough demand to support a second train traveling from St. Paul's Union Depot to Chicago. The report estimates a second train would attract 155,000 riders per year and generate more than $6.8 million in annual revenue.

The train would travel at conventional speeds, reaching a maximum speed of 79 miles per hour. It would take a little over 6 hours to get from St. Paul to Chicago.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has continued work on the proposal. Praveena Pidaparthi, planning director for MnDOT's Passenger Rail Office, said the state is in the midst of a Phase 1 study of the route. That work includes putting together detailed estimates about how much it will cost to upgrade the route to accommodate a second train. Some upgrades to the rail line are needed to minimize congestion on the route, which has a significant amount of freight traffic. The study is expected to be completed within the next couple of months. The second phase requires additional funding and would involve an environmental analysis of the route and a service development plan.

MnDOT recently sponsored informational meetings about the second train in LaCrosse and St. Paul. Pidaparthi said there was plenty of interest in the idea.

"We have seen a lot of support for adding the second train. It basically provides more travel options to the public," she said.

If planning efforts continue to be funded, a second passenger train could be operational beginning in 2022.

Will lawmakers support the train?

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The big question is whether Minnesota lawmakers will be willing to get on board with the proposal. Preliminary cost estimates for adding the second St. Paul to Chicago train are upwards of $95 million. The feasibility study also estimates that the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois would be responsible for a total of $6.6 million in annual operating and maintenance costs.

The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority has requested $1 million from the state to help fund the project. Rep. Barb Haley, R-Red Wing, sponsored a bill seeking the funding for the study after being asked to do it. But Haley said she no longer plans to push the proposal because she needs to gather more information from constituents to make sure they support the project.

"I want to do what's right for my district, and that's going to take more study," Haley said.

Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, is sponsoring a similar bill in the Senate. Senate Capital Investment Committee Chairman Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, is a co-sponsor of the measure. Senjem said he is open to the idea of funding the second train study but is concerned about the $1 million cost.

"The idea of a study seemed reasonable," Senjem said. "I would say whether or not it takes $1 million to study or not is open for question. It seems like an awful lot of money."
Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, has acknowledged using a personal email account for official White House business. As a result, Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has asked the Trump administration Monday for more information about the use of personal email accounts by senior officials.

It has been reported that Kushner is not alone among such officials and former officials in using personal accounts for official business. Others said to have done so include Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, Gary Cohn, and Stephen Miller

What to make of this? First, given Hillary Clintons email scandal and the role it played in the 2016 election, Kushner was tone-deaf to have conducted his emailing this way. At a minimum, the news will embarrass the White House.

But second, Kushners conduct differs in important respects from Clintons. As the Washington Post explains, Kushner appears not to have used a private server as Clinton did, but rather used a commercially available email service. In addition, there is no evidence (at least not yet) that Kushner discussed classified information on his personal account, as Clinton did.

According to Kushners attorney, on the dozens of occasions when Kushner used his private account, the emails were forwarded to Kushners official White House address and thus preserved in accordance with government policies. If true, this takes Kushners conduct well out of the realm of Clintons, though he remains vulnerable to superficial claims that he behaved similarly.

The key question is whether Kushner violated some law, regulation, or policy. If his lawyer is to believed, it seems like he complied with the broad contours of federal record keeping requirements. However, its possible that he tripped up over this or that technical requirement.

Furthermore, using a private account can entail security risks. For example, the email service used may be lax on password security.

In sum, the Kushner affair, from all that appears, is not really analogous to the Clinton email scandal. Nonetheless, Trey Gowdy seems justified in probing the use of private email accounts by Trump administration officials, and Trump administration officials would be well-advised to discontinue the practice.
We have written a number of times about the U.S.s rapidly increasing violent crime rate, which dates to the Ferguson fiasco and the rise of Black Lives Matter. Liberals, meanwhile, assure us that it is all a coincidence.

The Associated Press admits that violent crime has spiked:

Violent crime in America rose in 2016 for the second straight year, driven by a spike in killings in some major cities, but remained near historically low levels, according to FBI data released Monday.

***

Still, the FBI said it was the first time violent crime rose in consecutive years in more than a decade. Violent crimes such as shootings and robberies rose 4.1 percent in 2016 from the year before, with homicides climbing 8.6 percent, according to the figures. Violence increased 3.9 percent in 2015, while killings jumped by more than 10 percent.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says that we shouldnt accept these higher crime rates as the new normal. The AP supplies charts which show the otherwise-inexplicable rise in violent crime coinciding with the Democrats anti-police movement:

Nevertheless, the AP wouldnt want us to think that the Lefts attack on policing has anything to do with rising crime:

Sessions has also been a proponent of the theory that crime has risen as scrutiny of local police has intensified and hurt morale, causing officers to be less aggressive on the streets. As such, he has worked to support the interests of some of the nations largest police unions [sic]. But experts remain divided about what caused the rise and about how to respond. Some criminologists believe community distrust in police has made residents less likely to cooperate in investigations, driving up crime.

***

Despite the increase, the violent crime rate in 2016 was still down significantly from several years ago. It dropped 18 percent from 2007, and the murder rate was 6 percent lower than it was the same year, according to the data. And it was far from the levels of the 1980s and 1990s, during the height of the drug war, when Sessions was a federal prosecutor in Mobile, Alabama.

In other words, the crime rate had been dropping significantly for some years, until that decline was suddenly reversed after 2014. (Michael Brown attacked officer Darren Wilson in August 2014.) As for the relevance of AG Sessions having been a U.S. Attorney from 1981 until 1993, your guess is as good as mine. Any way you look at it, it is hard to spin a 20% increase in the homicide rate in just two years.
At the end of todays column I mention two very interesting current sights. But the majority of the column is about what some local residents who traveled got to see Aug. 21 in places such as Tennessee and Wyoming. Im referring, of course, to their sights of the most awesome of all predictable natural phenomena: a total eclipse of the sun.

Local observers who traveled to Tennessee for the total solar eclipse

Those of us who stayed home in New Jersey that day had fascinating, memorable observations of a large partial eclipse. But they were nothing like the staggering experience of the total eclipse. In an approximately 70-mile-wide band from Oregon to South Carolina, daylight became a million times dimmer  mostly in a matter of seconds  and people witnessed the incredible wonders of totality.

Three members of the South Jersey Astronomy Club  Paul Ostwald, Dennis Abriola and David Rossi  journeyed to Tennessee, where they gathered with a crowd of 6,000 to 8,000 people at a park on the south side of the town of Madisonville.

Rossi was interviewed by a Knoxville TV station and took video that was among the first included in the footage of the Eclipse Megamovie Project, an attempt to film the total eclipse in one continuous sequence all the way from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

Ostwald was accompanied by no fewer than four carloads of family. He was impressed by the strange quality of the lighting just before totality. Ostwald also noted the rapid, huge fall to darkness in the final seconds was like sliding down the light dimmer in a room  only across the outdoors. Then, the crown of the suns pale outer gases  the corona  swelled out, appearing larger than he thought it would.

The corona can only be seen during a total eclipse of the sun, and though its thin gases shine only about as bright as the full moon, it is tens of times hotter than anything else the human eye can ever behold  about 1 to 2 million degrees hot. Ostwald scanned the pearly white streamers of the corona with binoculars, seeing tremendous detail and, like many other people using binoculars, was able to spot the bright star Regulus, heart of Leo the Lion, nestled within the corona.

Other visitors to this park in Tennessee who journeyed there from South Jersey were Stan Malcolm and his sons. Malcolm called the eclipse incredible. He also wrote me that though he and his two sons were in the car for 32 of the 60 hours they were gone, they all agreed the trip was well worth it.

Local observers who went to South Carolina and Wyoming

South Jersey residents Michael Gille and Mike Keith chose other locations to catch the total eclipse. Gille observed from inland South Carolina and beheld the mystical moving shadow bands just before and after totality. Keith drove to Wyoming, a round trip of about 4,000 miles, where he shot some fantastic photos and beheld with binoculars the arc of vivid pink chromosphere along the suns edge.

Shadow approach and temperature drop

An observer in North Carolina saw the approaching moon shadow hit a mountain range 40 miles away, then 20 miles away, then it was enveloped in darkness. In South Carolina the eclipse dip in temperature that hot day was about 11 degrees Fahrenheit. But out in Wyoming one site measured a plunge from 94 to 69 degrees in the hour or so it took for the moon to cover the sun.

I have more to tell about the day an eclipse brought all of America together in wonder. But it will have to wait for a future column.

Saturn by the moon and harvest moon

This evening, a nearly half-lit moon shines just to the upper right of a bright point of light  the planet Saturn. Next week, the moon puts on a special show by rising around nightfall for several days about the date of full moon  Oct. 5. Its an unusually late occurrence of the wonderful harvest moon.
HAMMONTON  While millions of U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico still lacked adequate food, water, fuel and electricity Tuesday  nearly a week after Hurricane Maria hit the island as a Category 4 storm  relief efforts have begun on the mainland.

The Puerto Rican Civic Association of Hammonton is collecting food and goods to send a shipment to Puerto Rico in mid-October or early November, member Edwin Negroni said.

The Press of Atlantic City and Catamaran Media Group are accepting donations on behalf of the civic association to provide support to those affected in Puerto Rico.

Donations can be dropped off at The Press from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at 1000 W. Washington Ave., Pleasantville.

The association is focusing on infants and the elderly but will not turn anything away, Negroni said.

A lot of hygiene. Thats the main thing, said the 53-year-old Hammonton resident. If we can keep hygiene up, we can keep the diseases down.

In addition to hygiene products, the association is looking specifically for clothing, diapers, powdered milk, over-the-counter medications, asthma inhalers, batteries and generators, among other items.

Summer just ended here, but in Puerto Rico its summer all year round, Negronis wife, Evelyn, said in Spanish. Were looking for summer clothes, even if its used.

Evelyn Negroni is one of the many people who still havent heard from relatives in Puerto Rico after the storm made landfall Sept. 20.

The storm knocked out the entire power grid across the U.S. territory of 3.4 million, leaving many without electricity and with no way to contact family on the mainland.

Edwin and a civic association volunteer have not heard personally from their families on the island, but said they know they are OK.

We believe everybody is fine, but we havent had the chance of hearing them communicate, Edwin Negroni said.

Negroni hopes to use the Boy Scouts of America and the Puerto Rico Council of Boy Scouts of America to communicate and help distribute items once a delivery is made.

He has made calls to them, as well as the Civil Air Patrol, but has yet to hear back.

The civic association hosts many events and will honor the contracts of those who already booked the hall, but will not take on any new ones due to the anticipated amount of items donated, Negroni said.

Jose G. Rivera, of JGR Trucking in Hammonton, is donating an empty trailer to use as storage, and will bring as many as the civic association needs, Negroni said.

Negroni hopes to set up a bank account for any funds donated to cover the cost of shipping, he said.

From 5 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, the civic association is collecting donations at its hall, 367 Old Forks Road, Hammonton. Negroni hopes to add local churches of all denominations as donation points. The association also is collecting donations Oct. 7 at Egg Harbor Citys Latino Parade and Festival.

If nobody is present at the associations hall to collect and organize items, a donation box is outside. Donors also can call volunteer Hector Quinones at 609-214-8306.

Ill be here, said Quinones. Im retired, and I have all the time in the world.
Hi!

My name is Joe Martucci and I am the new meteorologist for The Press of Atlantic City.

In just a minute, Ill give you the forecast, but I feel I should tell you a few things about myself, since yesterday was my first day.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a meteorologist. Whether it was watching The Weather Channel or plotting my own hurricane maps  as in my own storms, not just tracking the actual ones weather has always been a part of me. I took that passion to college, attending Rutgers University, where I graduated with a bachelor of science degree in meteorology.

For me, New Jersey is everything. It is where I was born and raised, where Ive worked, lived and played. I am sure New Jersey means a lot to you as well, and that the weather plays a big role in your lives.

So thats a little about me. Heres the weather.

Tuesday will be another summery day as high pressure continues to sit overhead. However, with Hurricane Maria off the North Carolina coast, clouds will move in and thicken throughout the day. Easterly winds will try to draw in some moisture from the storm, but it should bring nothing more than isolated sprinkles/showers.

Maria will then turn to the northeast Wednesday, just enough to spare South Jersey from a wind-swept rain. Cloudy and breezy weather is expected. A few showers are possible near the shore, but inland should be dry.

Maria will pull out even farther offshore Thursday. A Canadian high pressure will then rush in, and the sun should break through during the afternoon.

Autumn weather arrives Friday. Temperatures will fall into the low 70s, seasonable for this time of year. There may be enough moisture and unstable air to spark a few afternoon showers, but dont cancel your outdoor plans just yet.

The weekend will then be beautiful with crisp, fall air firmly in place. Highs will hover around 70 degrees, with great sleeping weather.

I am excited to meet you in the coming days, months and years.
BARCELONA, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The aviation industry jets to Barcelona this week for one of the biggest events of the year-the World Routes 2017-which will include a spotlight session on Asia, including China, as a key player in the future of aviation. As that outlook shifts to the East, Guangzhou, southern China's biggest city, is becoming an integral international air hub that is creating more connectivity and commerce opportunities between Spain, China and the rest of the world.

On September 26th, representatives from the Guangzhou Municipal Government and the Guangdong Airport Authority (GAA) will participate in a ceremony to handover the Flag of World Routes at Fira Gran Via, as this burgeoning aviation authority officially welcomes the world's biggest industry stakeholders to World Routes 2018 to be held in Guangzhou next year.

"By bringing together this impressive roster of industry leaders and stakeholders we can engage in open, productive discussions about the future of the aviation industry-which is at the heart of Guangzhou's development initiatives and is a matter of global-reaching impact," said Diao Ailin, Deputy Secretary General of Guangzhou municipal government. "Guangzhou is at a turning point in our own aviation development as we become a steadily more international transportation and logistics hub, and by hosting next year's World Routes conference we can continue to help foster sound, innovative growth and development that benefits stakeholders industry-wide."

As part of these development efforts, Guangdong Province has sped up the formation of its "5+4" airport pattern, and the transport volume, cargo throughput, networks and industry economy surrounding the Baiyun Airport have continued to see substantial forward movement. The Baiyun Airport has also become the first portal hub for travel between China, Southeast Asia and Oceania, and its global and regional network continues to blossom to cover a growing expanse of Europe, the United States and beyond.

Furthermore, the 116-square-kilometer Guangzhou Airport Economic Zone (GAEZ) aims to build the world's most advanced aviation maintenance industry cluster, and has initiated a number of major projects and developments including the FedEx Asia Pacific trans-shipment center. The GAEZ is working closely alongside large multinational enterprises and groups, including a number of Fortune Global 500 and renowned international companies like SIEMENS, United Technologies Company, Airbus and Vailog S.r.l. to support and foster their investment and on-going development in the region.

"As China continues its opening up to the world, Spain is becoming an increasingly key partner to the city of Guangzhou, and this panel gave us a great opportunity to discuss key topics of mutual interest," said Diao Ailin, Deputy Secretary General of Guangzhou municipal government.

By the end of July, Spain had set up 46 enterprises in the city of Guangzhou, achieving a 900 percent year-on-year growth of cumulative contractual foreign investment in the region, and actual foreign investment of USD $65.37million. Between January and July of 2017, the total export-import volume between Guangzhou and Spain reached $607million, with exports from Guangzhou to Spain growing 25.6 percent and imports from Spain growing more than 22 percent.

"As we strive to build new bridges in the air, the World Routes to be held in Guangzhou serves as a way to build even more bridges between leaders and executives in Spain and Guangzhou," said Diao Ailin.

Guangzhou Aviation Fast Facts



From 2012 to 2016, annual take-offs and landings at the Baiyun Airport increased from 373,000 to 435,000.

Annual passenger throughput increased from 48.31million passengers to 59.78 million over the same four-year period.

from 48.31million passengers to 59.78 over the same four-year period. Annual cargo throughput increased from 1.25million metric tons to 1.65million between 2012 and 2016.

from 1.25million metric tons to between 2012 and 2016. Guangzhou's Baiyun Airport ranked 3rd amongst its peers in China for cargo throughput.

Baiyun Airport amongst its peers in for cargo throughput. By 2025, cargo throughput will reach 3 Mt/a - making it one of China's leading aviation logistics centers and one of the world's leading airport logistics bases.

and one of the airport logistics bases. The Baiyun Airport network covered 219 destinations worldwide as of June 2017 , with 86 international and regional destinations.

, with 77 airlines , including 50 foreign and regional airlines, operate out of the airport.

, including and regional airlines, operate out of the airport. There were 122 million outbound Chinese tourists in 2016, with Guangzhou representing a top four "door" to the outside world.

SOURCE Guangzhou News Center
Global experts, entrepreneurs, and academics will convene at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain on the 27th and 28th of September for the Innovation Forum, an event that will highlight the latest trends in state of the art and disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, financial technology, autonomous driving, and cloud computing.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561902/Innovation_Forum.jpg )



The event, which is organized by the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab, in partnership with Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) and Investcorp , a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products, will bring together over 500 entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers, along with CEOs, CTOs and CIOs from the world's leading tech companies as well as policy makers and the media.

Keynote talks on artificial intelligence by Denis Batalov, Senior Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services, and Wendell Wallach, consultant, ethicist, and scholar at Yale University, will demonstrate the latest advances in the field and shed light on the challenges that this new technology poses respectively.

Cybersecurity experts Ghareeb Saad, Kaspersky, and Najwa Aaraj, DarkMatter, will expose the latest online threats and counter measures, while panels on autonomous cars and fintech will explore the future of transportation and the future evolution of asset management respectively. Other notable speakers include John Defterios, CNN's Emerging Markets Editor, Amira Rashad, Co-Founder & CEO at BulkWhiz, and Paul Papadimitriou, CEO and Founder at Intelligencr.

Hala Fadel, Chairperson of the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab highlighted the vision of this forum, which is to shed light on technologies that carry the biggest potential for disruption, saying, "The forum will focus on state of the art technologies and will bring together global experts as well as stakeholders from local startup communities. We want to foster the exchange of knowledge and expertise to help propel the regional entrepreneurs to a new level of innovation and creativity and maximizing their impact."

Also, commenting on this partnership and the Innovation Forum, H.E. Khalid Al Rumaihi, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) said, "Innovation is a special tool that has the ability to empower people. In Bahrain, both the government and private sector have worked hard to create an ecosystem that will allow innovation to thrive. With its open and forward-thinking approach, the Kingdom has proven to be an ideal testing ground for the introduction of new technologies to the region."

"We are pleased to be part of the Innovation Forum, as it's an ideal platform to exchange ideas, share expertise and attract entrepreneurs looking to expand in the region to consider Bahrain as their perfect operation base."

Investcorp's Co-CEO Mohammed Al-Shroogi said: "Investcorp holds a strong belief in the power of innovation and creativity in driving economic and social development. Our partnership with the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab and Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is just another testament to our ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of innovative collaboration in Bahrain and the wider Arab region. We are pleased to sit alongside some of the world's innovation and entrepreneurship leaders to discuss the latest on disruptive technology, and understand the impact of emerging trends like FinTech and cyber security on the regional business landscape."



To register for the Innovation Forum, taking place in Bahrain, potential participants must register online on the following link .

About MITEF Pan Arab:

Founded in 2005, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (http://www.mitefarab.org) is one of the 28 worldwide chapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum Global, an avid promoter of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. The MIT Enterprise Forum- Pan Arab has a proven record in promoting MIT-style entrepreneurship by organizing each year the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition targeting 21 countries of the Arab region and attracting over 12,000 entrepreneurs a year.

About the Bahrain Economic Development Board

The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is an investment promotion agency with overall responsibility for attracting investment into the Kingdom and supporting initiatives that enhance the investment climate.

The EDB works with the government and both current and prospective investors, in order to ensure that Bahrain's investment climate is attractive, to communicate the key strengths, and to identify where opportunities exist for further economic growth through investment.

The EDB focuses on several economic sectors that capitalise on Bahrain's competitive advantages and provide significant investment opportunities. These sectors include financial services, manufacturing, ICT, tourism, logistics and transport. The financial services sector is particularly strong in Bahrain and the EDB works to support the continued growth of the banking industry and key sub-sectors, including Islamic finance.

For more information on the Bahrain EDB visit http://www.bahrainedb.com; for information about Bahrain visit www.bahrain.com .

About Investcorp:

A leading provider and manager of alternative investment products and is publicly traded on the Bahrain Bourse (INVCORP). Investcorp focuses on generating investor and shareholder value through a disciplined investment approach in four lines of business: corporate investment, real estate, alternative investment solutions (formerly known as hedge funds), together with the recently added credit management business. Investcorp employs approximately 390n people across its offices in New York, London, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Singapore.

Contact details: Maggie El Eid 01-973030 ext.3124

SOURCE MITEF Pan Arab
Leading 3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker announced their new software strategy at the TCT Show in Birmingham, UK. Already known worldwide for producing the most reliable and user-friendly 3D printers available, Ultimaker will put software at the heart of its strategy by releasing regular software upgrades that continuously enhance the existing hardware over time. This will make Ultimaker a future-ready solution that continues to deliver better results for users and businesses. The first two key software updates will be Ultimaker Cura and Cura Connect.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561889/Ultimaker_Software_Strategy.jpg )

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561891/Ultimaker_Logo.jpg )





Ultimaker Cura

The release of Ultimaker Cura is scheduled for release on October 17th and offers a powerful, no-hassle solution to prepare files for digital fabrication.

The key benefits of Ultimaker Cura include:

Expanding the Ultimaker ecosystem by offering software upgrades that improve the possibilities of the hardware.

Integration with leading design and engineering software means businesses can create new workflows tailored to their needs

Providing seamless workflow integration between industry-standard CAD applications such as SolidWorks and Siemens NX.

Cura Connect

Cura Connect will be released in Ultimaker Cura on November 7th 2017. Cura Connect enables users to manage an array of Ultimaker 3D printers, creating an accessible solution for prototyping, tooling and small-scale production. This pioneering industry solution allows users to schedule, queue and monitor print jobs for maximize the efficiency of Ultimaker 3D printers.

Paul Heiden, Senior VP of Product Management at Ultimaker explains: "Even customers that bought the very first Ultimaker 3 can benefit from the new software solutions provided in Ultimaker Cura, now, and in the future. We are proud to be providing future-ready solutions. Ultimaker Cura opens up the possibility of third party plugin development that ensures seamless workflow integration with industry-standard CAD software to make 3D printing even more accessible."

Siert Wijnia, founder of Ultimaker continues: "Furthermore, we will continuously develop new applications for our 3D printers, creating an even more integrated solution for our one million Cura users, including professional designers, engineers, researchers, and manufacturers. This will help users get the most out of their Ultimaker 3D printer."

About Ultimaker

Ultimaker has been in operation since 2011, and over the years has grown to become a market-leader; creating powerful, professional and accessible desktop 3D printers. With offices in the Netherlands, New York, and Boston, plus production facilities in Europe and the US, Ultimaker's team of over 300 employees continually strives to offer the highest-quality 3D printers, software, and materials on the market.



SOURCE Ultimaker
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150730/250177LOGO )

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/562287/Routes_handover.jpg )

World Routes brings together airlines, airports and destinations to plan and negotiate future air services. Guangzhou, an economic hub on the Pearl River in Guangdong Province, South China, will provide the perfect platform for the event in 2018.

Guangzhou has been an important trade centre for 2,000 years due to its strategic position near the South China Sea. Its economic strength has helped Guangdong to maintain its status as the richest province in China for the last three decades.

The colourful Canton Tower and Cantonese cuisine has made Guangzhou a popular choice with international tourists. Other attractions include the asymmetrical Guangzhou Opera House, the Five Rams Statue in Yuexiu Park, a variety of Buddhist temples and Baiyun 'White Clouds' Mountain.

World Routes 2018 will be hosted by Guangdong Airport Authority, the owner of Baiyun International Airport. Baiyun is China's third busiest airport and the 15th busiest in the world, handling nearly 60 million passengers in 2016. A second terminal will be able to handle up to 80 million passengers a year when it opens in early 2018.

The growth is set to continue into the next decade as Baiyun's expansion projects are completed. The airport will be transformed into a five-runway, three-terminal operation that can handle 62,000 flights, 100 million passengers and three million tons of cargo a year by 2025.

Steven Small, brand director of Routes said: "Baiyun International Airport's development plans reflect Guangzhou's economic strength. China is due to become the world's largest aviation market in the next seven years and Baiyun will take a leading role in this growth."

International route development professionals from 270 airlines, 600 airports and 80 tourism authorities attended World Routes 2017 in Barcelona, and Guangzhou can expect similar numbers next year.

Mr Kejian Zhang, Chairman of the Board of Guangdong Airport Authority said: "It's a great honour to win the right to host World Routes 2018. I believe it will be an excellent opportunity to showcase Guangzhou City and Guangdong Province to the world.

"We're looking forward to meeting all of the friends of this great event. We'll be meeting them with our best service and full enthusiasm."

More information about World Routes can be found at routesonline.com

World Routes 2018, 15-18 September 2018, Canton Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China.

Notes to Editors

Routes events are unique forums dedicated to the development of new air services. They revolve around pre-scheduled meetings, an exhibition and a conference. Four 'regional' route development forums are held between February and June in the Americas, Asia , Europe and Africa , with the flagship World Routes event taking place in September.

, and , with the flagship World Routes event taking place in September. Routes events are organised by UBM plc. UBM is the largest B2B event organiser in the world. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors. Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed. Please visit www.ubm.com for the latest news and information about UBM.

For further information contact:



Karen O'Neill

Communications & Content Marketing Manager

Routes, UBM EMEA

T: +44(0)161-234-2721

M: +44(0)796-6405-105

E: Karen.ONeill@ubm.com



SOURCE Routes
HOUSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, September 19, the 2017 Best Pick Reports guides began arriving in Houston mailboxes throughout the city and were distributed to Dallas homes earlier this fall. The free guides, identifiable by their characteristic blue-and-white covers, promote A-rated home service companies certified annually by EBSCO Research's in-house research team. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey's devastation, the company hopes its guides will help equip Houston homeowners with the information they need when hiring a quality home service provider.

EBSCO Research knows that choosing a home service provider can be difficult, especially following a natural disaster, when disreputable companies endeavor to take advantage of an increased demand for home services. In keeping with their mission to help homeowners make informed decisions, the company offers the following advice for hiring a contractor with confidence:

Use a trusted source . Inclusion in the Best Pick Reports guide is by invitation alone, extended only if a company has met strict qualifying criteria. Every year, their in-house research team interviews thousands of homeowners and records their recent experiences. Each Certified Best Pick must achieve an overall A grade based on homeowner reviews as well as carry the necessary state-required licenses and insurance. Other services advertise similar methods; always double-check their claims.

. Inclusion in the Best Pick Reports guide is by invitation alone, extended only if a company has met strict qualifying criteria. Every year, their in-house research team interviews thousands of homeowners and records their recent experiences. Each Certified Best Pick must achieve an overall A grade based on homeowner reviews as well as carry the necessary state-required licenses and insurance. Other services advertise similar methods; always double-check their claims. Interview potential companies . Contact several companies to discuss the specifics of a project. The contractor should be able to provide project details, an estimated timeline for completion, and a cost breakdown. While price is important to the decision-making process, do not choose a service company on price alone, as a low priced-contractor could mean sacrificing quality and reliability. Additionally, understand that home service companies are extremely busy after a natural disaster; do not settle for a subpar company because of better availability.

. Contact several companies to discuss the specifics of a project. The contractor should be able to provide project details, an estimated timeline for completion, and a cost breakdown. While price is important to the decision-making process, do not choose a service company on price alone, as a low priced-contractor could mean sacrificing quality and reliability. Additionally, understand that home service companies are extremely busy after a natural disaster; do not settle for a subpar company because of better availability. Check for licenses and insurance . Verify that any company that you're considering is properly licensed and insured. Services like plumbing, electrical, and HVAC must be licensed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Other common services, like roofing and tree work, do not require trade licensing, but these companies must hold a current business license. Finally, make sure any company that comes to your property holds general liability insurance. Companies recommended in Best Pick Reports are all properly licensed and insured.

. Verify that any company that you're considering is properly licensed and insured. Services like plumbing, electrical, and HVAC must be licensed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Other common services, like roofing and tree work, do not require trade licensing, but these companies must hold a current business license. Finally, make sure any company that comes to your property holds general liability insurance. Companies recommended in Best Pick Reports are all properly licensed and insured. Look for red flags. Warning signs of a disreputable contractor include: aggressive sales maneuvers, including scare tactics; unrealistically low estimates; requesting full payment up front; discounts for cash payments; unwillingness to sign a contract; and inability to provide evidence of the proper licensing and insurance. A trustworthy contractor will always allow potential customers the time to conduct research on and receive bids from other home service companies.

For more information about Best Pick Reports and the companies promoted in the guides, or to request a 2017 guide, visit www.bestpickreports.com.

About Best Pick Reports: Best Pick Reports is produced by EBSCO Research, a research firm operating out of Atlanta, GA, that recommends home service companies based on customer research and strict qualifying criteria. Established in 1997, the company celebrates 20 years of connecting homeowners with top-quality home service providers.

SOURCE Best Pick Reports

Related Links

http://www.bestpickreports.com


"Through a sustainable process, we isolate natural, multifunctional ingredients from oilseeds that enhance the performance of personal care products," said James Szarko, President & CEO of Botaneco.

Ingredients are sourced from sustainable safflower crops and have not been altered or chemically modified, offering natural options from natural processes for personal care and cosmetic formulations.

"We are enthusiastic about our partnership with a company that shares our passion for sustainability and natural ingredients," commented Jeff Kenton, President of Acme-Hardesty. "Our mutual culture of integrity and innovation make Botaneco a perfect partner for Acme-Hardesty."

"Both companies are working on the premise that formulators and marketers will further utilize sustainable ingredients in personal care if they are proven to deliver extra performance and functionality in skin, sun and hair care formulas," added Szarko, "As partners, Botaneco and Acme-Hardesty will work together to educate and demonstrate how certain components of sustainable seed oils, such as oleosomes, help to advance the performance and functionality of formulations, often far beyond the expectations of formulators."

To learn more about Acme-Hardesty, visit www.acme-hardesty.com . For more information about Botaneco, visit www.botaneco.com.

About Acme-Hardesty

A division of Jacob Stern & Sons, Inc., Acme-Hardesty is one of the largest North American distributors of castor oil and derivatives, oleochemical derivatives, bio-based products, preservatives and surfactants, as well as a full range of renewable palm-based glycerine, fatty acids, fatty alcohols and specialty esters. A member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Acme-Hardesty champions the use of sustainable, renewable products and the development of bio-based solutions for real-world applications in the future. For more information, visit www.acme-hardesty.com.

About Botaneco

Botaneco Inc. is an innovative, solutions-focused natural ingredient manufacturer with novel plant-based separation and purification technology within the personal care industry. From our head office and production facility in Calgary, Alberta our reach extends currently to safflower and canola fields to research and testing labs, and into products of leading health and beauty brands the world over. Botaneco is committed to innovating solutions to improve the natural performance of personal care products. For more information, visit www.botaneco.com.

SOURCE Acme-Hardesty

Related Links

http://www.acme-hardesty.com


DORAL, Fla., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from Ray Fernandez, Owner of Advanced Radio Systems:

No power, no regular telephone and my cell phone was just too busy, "all circuits are busy now, please try your call later," the animated voice would say, but my Motorola CP200D two way radio from Advanced Radio Systems, kept on going. In situations like this, where short-distance communications are necessary, nothing beats Motorola radios.

It's a lot more efficient trying to have conversations with someone downstairs looking for extra batteries for your flashlight with a two-way radio, then trying to compete with the howling wind and the sound of extremely loud rain hitting your windows, then trying to scream over the storms many commotions.

For a few short moments, I forgot what going through a hurricane feels like, but the memory of hurricane Andrew, almost 26 years ago quickly resurfaced. These Motorola radios were a lifesaver, not to mention still keeping my voice and vocal cords intact for the many tasks that would come later.



The benefit of these professional walkie-talkies, as many people often refer to them, just makes life easier, especially in a life-threatening situation. The CP200D radios that we were using also gave us the ability to instigate alerts, from one radio to the other, a feature that we found very useful when trying to get someone's attention.



Every person in my home that rides out a hurricane, has a Motorola two-way radio. Simple things like knowing who is where and in what room of the house, is priceless, if not lifesaving. Although it is not my intention, nor do I look forward to the next hurricane, my business will probably increase because of this, but this is not the way I like to increase my sales.



The wonders of the small devices that gives one the ability to expand the reach of your voice, it's just truly amazing, especially in extreme life-threatening situations. I am extremely happy that my profession as an Authorized Motorola Radio Dealer, helps others, hopefully get back to normal life sooner, not to mention the lives of so many people and of course the many helpless animals, which somehow don't seem to get much attention.



As I sit in my living room and enjoy the luxury of having power, to run my air conditioner down here in Florida, we still have over 3 million households and businesses without power. I also am aware that just a week away we have hurricane Maria that we might have to deal with.

Across the street from my business, we have been maintaining and supporting a cat colony for over 15 years. We tried to grab as many as we could, so they could ride out the storm in our office, but unfortunately we were unsuccessful, we were able to grab two. After the storm, we relied on our Motorola radios to try to find as many cats as we could. The sound of so many volunteers, whose voices would come through the radio saying, we found "Berlin", he's alive, we found "Socks", she's alive, was just absolutely wonderful. One of those moments, I guess that you would have to be there to appreciate it.



Needless to say, all the cats survived, now were trying to make sure that they are properly hydrated, since hurricane Irma blew all the leaves from the trees, and there just is no shade for them to take refuge from the hot sun. It's over 105 degrees outside, so were doing our best to keep them safe.



Well with hurricane Maria just around the corner, I guess it's time to prepare and make sure that I have extra batteries fully charged and ready for whatever occurs. I will wipe off the dirt and dust that hurricane Irma left behind on our current radios, so they are nice and clean, in the event they have to face another hurricane.



Having a fully charge flashlight by your side, is my number one choice to ride out a hurricane, having a two-way radio, especially those that can take a beating like those from Motorola, are an extremely close second.

For those waiting for the next storm, please call us, we're here to help. Be safe, and please don't forget your fellow neighbors and of course any animals that you can help.



Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12666543



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Advanced Radio Systems
Advantage Midstream was founded to provide producers and processers with gathering, processing and conversion solutions for natural gas and natural gas liquids that might be lacking proper infrastructure or that are geographically constrained. Advantage and Greyrock work together to deploy the industry-leading Direct Fuel Production gas conversion systems that create road-ready, low-environmental impact motor fuels from natural gas, natural gas liquids, and waste gas.

John Stephenson, Chief Executive Officer of Advantage Midstream said, "Castlelake funds' sponsorship and our partnership with Greyrock Energy Inc. provide Advantage with resources and access that will enhance our ability to meet the needs of producers and processors. Through the combination of traditional energy infrastructure, proprietary gas conversion technologies and a customer-centric approach, Advantage Midstream is poised to unlock significant value and increase returns for its customers from down hole to downstream."

"By sponsoring Advantage Midstream, Castlelake funds' are able to invest in oil and gas infrastructure through innovative gas-to-liquids conversion systems," said Evan Carruthers, Managing Partner at Castlelake. "This investment aligns with our focus on asset-rich, scalable opportunities within niche markets, and we believe that the Advantage team's expertise and unique systems position it to be a reliable midstream platform for producers and processers across market cycles."

""Greyrock is excited about our partnership with Advantage and its capital sponsor Castlelake, which will facilitate the deployment of Greyrock Direct Fuel Production systems and the production of next generation, premium fuels." said Robert Schuetzle, Chief Executive Officer of Greyrock.

Advantage Midstream is currently focused on opportunities in the Permian Basin, Appalachia, Rockies, Bakken Shale, Mid-Continent and Gulf of Mexico, as well as other producing basins. The company offers a variety of services, including natural gas conversion, natural gas gathering, processing, treating and compression; crude oil and condensate gathering, transportation and marketing; freshwater delivery and produced water disposal; and other oil and gas midstream services.

Advantage Midstream's management team is comprised of three founding partners: Chief Executive Officer John Stephenson, Chief Operating Officer Kevin Beasley and Chief Commercial Officer Charles Nelson. As CEO, John Stephenson leads the management team and oversees the execution of its strategic vision.

Investments in oil and gas assets made by Castlelake funds are executed and managed by Castlelake's Dislocated Industries and Special Situations team. The team is comprised of professionals with expertise in identifying cyclical industries in need of liquidity and acting quickly to provide capital solutions. Contact Castlelake's Dislocated Industries team by emailing [email protected].

About Advantage Midstream

Advantage Midstream, based in Dallas, Texas, is a midstream and marketing company focused on the production of liquid fuels from gas resources across North America. Advantage offers producers and processors tailored solutions for natural gas and natural gas liquids that are lacking proper infrastructure or geographically constrained. For more information, visit www.advantagemidstream.com.

About Castlelake

Castlelake, L.P. is a global private investment firm focused on investments in alternative assets, sub-performing loans, dislocated industries and special situations, and is an experienced leader in aircraft ownership and servicing. Castlelake's team comprises more than 110 professionals, located in Minneapolis and London. Castlelake manages private funds and debt vehicles with more than $10 billion in assets, on behalf of endowments, foundations, public and private pension plans, private funds, family offices, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds. For more information, visit www.castlelake.com.

About Greyrock

Greyrock works to solve environmental and energy challenges through application of innovative technical solutions. Greyrock's industry leading Direct Fuel Production systems produce premium, cleaner burning liquid fuels from alternative and waste resources including flare gas, natural gas, carbon dioxide, and other materials. More information is available at www.greyrock.com.

SOURCE Advantage Midstream, LLC; Castlelake, L.P.; Greyrock Energy Inc.

Related Links

http://www.advantagemidstream.com


June 2, 2007

by Charley Reese I didn't watch any of the Memorial Day events on television. Memorial Day, it seems to me, should be only for the families of the dead. It's really impossible to remember someone we never knew.

Of course, these days Memorial Day gets larded with politics and pseudo-patriotism. It's nauseating to watch a bunch of actors, entertainers and politicians who never heard a gun fired in anger put on a maudlin performance as if they really gave a rat's toenail for the dead.

The fact is, war is started by old men who never go near the war, and wars are always fought by the young. The king of Belgium once noted that it takes 20 years of peace to produce a man and 20 seconds of war to destroy him. Think about that. All that a young human being is  intelligence, health, youth, education, knowledge, potential accomplishments  reduced to a bloody pile of broken bones and guts in an instant. They are strangers killing and being killed by strangers.

War is mass murder, and no doubt part of the degradation of the human species is the fact that starting with the War Between the States, the human toll of war has increased exponentially. It's ironic that wars take the healthiest and bravest, while the unhealthy and the cowardly manage to evade them.

Look at all the draft dodgers of the Vietnam Era who suddenly became war hawks as soon as they were too old to go. I've said it before: If I had children of war age, I would do everything in my power to dissuade them from joining the military.

The present war is a bad war. It is not being fought to protect freedom, let alone the American people. Poor Cindy Sheehan, who bravely protested the war, finally gave up. She felt betrayed by the Democrats, by the antiwar movement, but the saddest thing of all, she said, was that she finally faced the fact her son died for nothing.

And sad as it is to say, it's true. The politicians and some of the media chicken hawks like to fork the fertilizer talking about sacrifices for freedom (sacrifices most of them studiously avoid ever making), but it's just fertilizer.

Why did we go to war in Iraq? Because the president hated Saddam Hussein; because the Israeli lobby wanted us to; because the crazy neoconservatives had the insane idea that the Middle East could be democratized at the point of a gun; because oil companies and other corporations lusted for profit.

Missing is any threat to the safety and freedom of the United States, a threat no Iraqi ever made or ever had the capability of carrying out. So, if you don't want to say the kids are dying for nothing, you can say they are dying for Halliburton, for ExxonMobil, for the president's ego, for a cockamamie theory of a bunch of academics, for Israel, for money or for oil. What you cannot truthfully say is that they are dying for freedom.

The "global war on terror" is just a bad metaphor that doesn't have any connection to reality. How long are the American people going to allow liars to lull them into sacrificing the most precious treasure the country has  its youth  in a futile, lie-ridden, corruption-pocked war?

In my dreams, I see the American people rising like a roaring lion and ripping the guilty politicians out of their offices, but that is only a dream. The kind of people with the courage to do that lie moldering in millions of graves around the world
STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PASSUR Aerospace, Inc. (OTC: PSSR), a business intelligence, predictive analytics, and big data company, and Air France announced that they have formalized a partnership to develop in Europe several core modules of PASSUR Integrated Traffic Management (PITM), designed to increase flight predictability and minimize delays and disruptions by addressing costly and complex air traffic constraints.

Air France Operational Control Center is addressing several critical operational and business objectives, including:

Supporting flight crews with actionable, predictive information regarding the ATC situation at the destination before and during the flight

Predicting risks of diversion

Managing diversions

Limiting delays

Reducing fuel burn (consumption and emissions)

In developing the European version of PITM with PASSUR Aerospace, Air France is staking out a leading role among European airlines in advanced network management at the system operations level, adapting air traffic management solutions proven with leading North American airlines and airports, to the specific requirements of the European airspace.

The initial deployment of PASSUR solutions and Air France will be at its Operations Control Center, and focus on optimizing operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Paris Orly (ORY), Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), London Heathrow (LHR), and Istanbul Ataturk (IST) airports.

PITM targets key constraints throughout the entire flight trajectory, gate-to-gate, to optimize fuel costs and emissions, schedule integrity, and the passenger experience. The global direct cost of flight disruptions is estimated at $30B annually. PITM:

Predicts how the airspace will operate  every aircraft trajectory and constraint

how the airspace will operate  every aircraft trajectory and constraint Alert s to future constraints and disruptions

to future constraints and disruptions Advises how to eliminate, avoid, or minimize the constraints and disruptions

how to eliminate, avoid, or minimize the constraints and disruptions Enables proactive steps to address complex air traffic management conditions

PITM includes modules for diversion management, airport capacity management, flight trajectory prediction, surface optimization, and collaborative airport information and field condition reporting.

Air France is the launch customer for PASSUR's Global Air Traffic Initiatives, led by Dan Smiley, SVP Global Air Traffic Management (ATM) Solutions. Prior to joining PASSUR, Dan was Vice President of System Operations Services for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

About PASSUR Aerospace, Inc.

PASSUR Aerospace (OTC: PSSR) is a leading business intelligence company, providing predictive analytics and decision support technology for the aviation industry primarily to improve the operational performance and cash flow of airlines and the airports where they operate. PASSUR Aerospace's information solutions are used by the five largest North American airlines, more than 60 airport customers, (including the top 30 North American airports), hundreds of business aviation customers, and the U.S. government. PASSUR owns and operates the largest commercial passive radar network in the world that provides aircraft position updates every 1 to 4.6 seconds, powering a proprietary database that is accessible in real-time and delivers timely and accurate information and solutions via PASSUR's industry leading algorithms and business logic included in its products. Visit PASSUR Aerospace's website at www.passur.com for updated products, solutions, and news.

PASSUR, Airwayz, NextGen2 and NextGen3 are trademarks or registered trademarks of PASSUR Aerospace, Inc. in the U.S. All other companies and product names of those companies contained herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.

About Air France

Air France, a global airline of French inspiration, with high standards and a caring attitude, turns the flight into a moment of real pleasure on all its daily operations in France, Europe and worldwide.

Air France-KLM is the leading Group in terms of international traffic on departure from Europe. In 2017, it offers its customers access to a network covering 328 destinations in 118 countries thanks to its four brands Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Transavia and HOP! Air France. With a fleet of 534 aircraft in operation and 93.4 million passengers carried in 2016, Air France-KLM operates up to 2,300 daily flights, mainly from its hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol.

Its Flying Blue frequent flyer programme is one of the leaders in Europe with over 27 million members.

Air France-KLM and its partners Delta Air Lines and Alitalia operate the biggest trans-Atlantic joint-venture with over 270 daily flights.

Air France-KLM is also a member of the SkyTeam alliance which has 20 member airlines, offering customers access to a global network of over 17,000 daily flights to more than 1,060 destinations in 177 countries.

corporate.airfrance.com

@AFNewsroom

SOURCE PASSUR Aerospace, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.passur.com


BRANTFORD, Canada, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Amalia Gil, process engineer for GreenMantra Technologies, received the Young Leader Award, and the company was recognized for its innovative green technology with a Sustainability Award, at the annual Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) awards program September 19.

Amalia Gil

The Young Leader Award presented to Gil is designed to showcase a young professional who demonstrates leadership in plastics innovation, technology and sustainability and serves as a positive role model for other young professionals. GreenMantra received the Sustainability Award for its innovative, patented technology that converts waste plastics into high value specialty polymers and wax products.

Gil, 27, joined GreenMantra in 2012, and was part of the core team that led the design, construction and commissioning of the company's initial demonstration plant for conversion of waste plastic to synthetic wax. Later, Gil was an integral member of the engineering team tasked with design and construction of its 5,000 metric ton commercial manufacturing facility. Gil is a lead contributor to the company's environmental, health and safety programs and serves as a mentor to other associates. In the community, she oversees the company's engineering co-op programs with local universities and serves as "engineer in residence" for elementary schools in her community.

"Amalia is deserving of this important industry recognition based upon her outstanding contributions to our company, our industry and our community," said GreenMantra President and CEO Kousay Said. "She has played a key role in our company's growth and success and serves as a role model to others in our industry."

GreenMantra was also recognized by the CPIA with the Sustainability Award for its patented technology and proprietary process that converts polyolefin waste plastics into high-value polyethylene and polypropylene waxes and other specialty polymers. These materials are used in various applications in asphalt paving and roofing, plastics processing, adhesives and coatings, and other industries. The company recently announced it has developed allied technology that converts waste polystyrene, the least recycled plastic, into styrenic polymers with potential applications in inks, insulation and other end uses. The company is at the forefront of helping to create a circular economy for plastics where waste plastics are not discarded but recycled and reused in higher value applications.

About GreenMantra

Based in Brantford, Ontario, GreenMantra Technologies utilizes a proprietary thermo-catalytic system and patented process to cost-effectively convert and "up-cycle" waste plastics, including hard-to-recycle materials such as grocery bags and film, into high-value specialty chemicals. These materials have a broad range of applications in the coatings, plastics processing, adhesives, roofing and paving industries. More information on the company, its products and its innovative technology can be found at www.greenmantra.ca

Contact

Mike Freeman

Freeman Communications

(513) 733-1800

[email protected]

SOURCE GreenMantra Technologies

Related Links

http://greenmantra.ca


AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- American Homes 4 Rent ("American Homes 4 Rent" or the "Company", NYSE: AMH), announced today an update on the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

David Singelyn, Chief Executive Officer of American Homes 4 Rent said, "We continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of our employees and residents who were affected by these storms, and are maintaining continuing contact with them to provide assistance where needed."

The Company has completed its initial assessment of the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The Company owns approximately 9,000 homes in areas impacted by these hurricanes. The Company's current assessment is that approximately 150 homes have sustained major damage and approximately 30 percent of all homes in the affected areas incurred minor damage consisting primarily of downed trees and damaged roofs and fences.

The Company's property and casualty insurance policies provide coverage for wind and flood damage, as well as business interruption costs, during the period of remediation and repairs, subject to deductibles and limits. The Company estimates that the total amount the Company will be responsible to pay as a result of the hurricanes is approximately $10 million.

About American Homes 4 Rent

American Homes 4 Rent is a leader in the single-family home rental industry and "American Homes 4 Rent" is fast becoming a nationally recognized brand for rental homes, known for high quality, good value and tenant satisfaction. We are an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust, or REIT, focused on acquiring, renovating, leasing, and operating attractive, single-family homes as rental properties. As of June 30, 2017, we owned 48,982 single-family properties in selected submarkets in 22 states.

Additional information about American Homes 4 Rent is available on our website at www.americanhomes4rent.com.

Contact:

American Homes 4 Rent

Investor Relations

Phone: (855) 794-2447

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE American Homes 4 Rent

Related Links

https://www.americanhomes4rent.com


ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As Puerto Rico deals with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) is urging the public to consider the particular needs of the 5,600 dialysis patients who live in that U.S. territory.

"Our hearts are with all of the people of Puerto Rico who have lost their homes and who are living without electricity and without running water," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF president and CEO. "We are extremely concerned for those who also have kidney failure and can't survive without dialysis three times each week, and who also must have access to prescription medications and renal-friendly foods."

AKF's rapid-response Disaster Relief Program has so far sent $379,000 in emergency aid to nearly 1,800 dialysis patients in the continental United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands devastated by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. AKF anticipates that it will receive a great number of assistance requests from Puerto Rico patients in the coming weeks.

As requests for aid pour in each day, AKF continues to fundraise for disaster relief while processing all disaster relief grant requests within one business day, and has sent a small team to affected areas to assess patient needs. AKF's Disaster Relief Program is the nation's only rapid-response charitable assistance program that is dedicated to quickly and effectively meeting the needs of dialysis patients who experience natural disasters. Charity Navigator has included AKF on its list of highly rated charities that are providing aid to survivors of Harvey and Irma, and AKF has been cited by National Public Radio, the New York Times and USA Today as a trusted source of disaster relief for dialysis patients.

"We have already sent patients every penny we've raised for disaster relief, and we continue to ask the public for donations to ensure we can provide rapid-response grants to all of the dialysis patients who are in great need," said Burton.

In the aftermath of Maria, the entire renal community is collaborating to care for affected patients. The Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition (KCER) has mobilized to evacuate some patients from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to locations in the United States where they can have dialysis treatment. Efforts are underway to get desperately needed water and fuel to dialysis clinics in Puerto Rico so that the clinics can run generators and also may deliver supplies to patients who are on peritoneal dialysis.

AKF's program plays a vital role in that effort by offering grants to patients who need to pay for a variety of needs such as medications, food, emergency housing, clothing and transportation to dialysis. AKF is working with KCER to monitor and assess patient needs.

AKF has so far raised a total of $287,000 from the generosity of the general public, corporations, associations and employee/member giving campaigns, and has also invested from its own resources to support the growing need. Major support has been provided by:

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc.

Alliant Health Solutions

Amgen Foundation

American Renal Associates

American Medical Technologists

American Society of Nephrology

American Society of Pediatric Nephrology

DaVita Healthcare Partners

Dialysis Clinic, Inc.

Fresenius Medical Care

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals

National Renal Administrators Association

OPKO Renal

Relypsa, Inc.

U.S. Renal Care

Patients are using AKF disaster assistance in different ways, depending whether they were affected by flooding and other storm damage or by power outages. About 54 percent of patients affected by Hurricane Harvey have used AKF assistance to replace clothing and household items lost to flooding. Twenty-six percent are using the funding for transportation to dialysis and emergency housing. Another 20 percent are using AKF funding to pay for food and medicine. Of those patients affected by Hurricane Irma, 70 percent are using AKF's assistance to replace renal-friendly food lost to power outages.

Individuals wishing to contribute to AKF's Disaster Relief Program may visit kidneyfund.org/hurricane, where they may designate whether their contribution should go to relief for Harvey, Irma, Maria, or the area of greatest need. One hundred percent of contributions are going to dialysis patients affected by the hurricanes.

Any dialysis patient affected by the recent hurricanes who needs emergency assistance may speak to the social worker at their dialysis clinic for information on how to apply for help from AKF, or may call AKF at 1.800.795.3226 for information.

AKF's website is providing information resources for dialysis patients in the aftermath of the storms, including a list of dialysis clinic hotlines; links to FEMA and Red Cross resources; and information about finding open pharmacies and other resources. Patients may find this information at www.kidneyfund.org/disaster-relief-resources.

About the American Kidney Fund

As the nation's leading nonprofit working on behalf of the 30 million Americans with kidney disease, the American Kidney Fund is dedicated to ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. AKF provides a complete spectrum of programs and services: prevention outreach, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance enabling 1 in 5 U.S. dialysis patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation. AKF's Disaster Relief Program has been a lifeline of critically needed assistance for dialysis patients for many years, helping people in the aftermath of the nation's most devastating disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, Sandy, Matthew and many more.

AKF holds the highest ratings from the nation's charity watchdog groups, including Charity Navigator, which includes AKF on its "top 10" list of nonprofits with the longest track records of outstanding stewardship of the donated dollar.

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE American Kidney Fund

Related Links

http://www.kidneyfund.org


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AppDirect, the company transforming the way the world buys and sells business software, today announced the integration of new products and functionality to its Cloud Commerce Platform. For software vendors, AppDirect's latest enhancements make it possible to quickly launch reseller partner programs to expand sales footprint and drive more revenue. For service providers, AppDirect's new capabilities enable their SMB business users to manage and leverage their software more effectively.

Analysts project the B2B eCommerce market will reach $1.3 trillion in the U.S. alone by 2021. With a market primed for growth, AppDirect continues to invest in its platform to provide opportunities for all stakeholders in the cloud commerce ecosystem.

AppReseller

AppReseller allows software vendors to monetize their partner relationships. Companies can enable channel partners to spin up customer accounts and place orders in real time. These commerce-related features make selling, fulfilling, and billing through indirect partners frictionless. Instead of facing the obstacles that can come with legacy software distribution, AppReseller makes it easy to grow channel programs quickly and on a global scale.

AppReseller makes it possible for software vendors to:

Streamline end-to-end channel sales process  Reduce friction of doing business with channel partners with a portal to rapidly onboard and effortlessly manage partners.

 Reduce friction of doing business with channel partners with a portal to rapidly onboard and effortlessly manage partners. Easily monitor health of partnerships  Quickly and efficiently access a deeper and more advanced look at the data on the status of partnerships, including leads, pipeline, influenced revenue and attributed revenue.

 Quickly and efficiently access a deeper and more advanced look at the data on the status of partnerships, including leads, pipeline, influenced revenue and attributed revenue. Measure the impact on goals  Comprehensive reporting within a single dashboard enables software vendors to easily track, improve and share the impact against business goals with a view of sales, costs and revenue across a partner ecosystem.

 Comprehensive reporting within a single dashboard enables software vendors to easily track, improve and share the impact against business goals with a view of sales, costs and revenue across a partner ecosystem. Automate payments and reconciliations  Manage wholesale pricing, custom quotes and orders between your organization and network of partners and reconciled, reported and collected from your reseller network.

Cloud Management Suite - Value Added Services for SMB Cloud Management

Software providers can now offer new tools that have been added to the AppDirect Cloud Management Suite to deliver significantly more value to end users, including:

New centralized data hub experience for AppDirect and connected apps

New home feeds that offer timely, relevant updates.



New universal search across AppDirect and connected apps.



Data visualization for business intelligence across all your apps.

New identity management capabilities

AppIdentity now enables single sign on and access management across all apps, including those purchased elsewhere.

New data integration options in the AppDirect Developer Center

Developers can push content to AppWise search indexing and feeds.



Developers can push data to AppInsights for visualization and dashboards.

"These enhancements further solidify our commitment to transforming cloud commerce. We have taken the technology we've acquired and coupled it with our own in-house development to build the foundation for this holistic platform. We are really proud of the result. It is powerful and pervasive and ready for primetime," said Daniel Saks, President and Co-CEO of AppDirect. "We will continue to build and maintain our focus on the goal of providing a competitive advantage for those who utilize all the platform has to offer. We understand that quality experience is critical to everyone in the cloud commerce ecosystem and we've never been in a better position to provide it."

About AppDirect

AppDirect is the leading platform for selling, distributing, and managing cloud-based products and services. Its flexible, modular technology enables organizations of all sizes to get to market quickly and cost effectively with an offering that meets their individual business needs. AppDirect-powered marketplaces, billing, distribution, reselling, and premium technical support services help providers, including Comcast, ADP, Deutsche Telekom and othersconnect more than 35 million businesses to solutions from Microsoft, Google, GoDaddy, and more. AppDirect is headquartered in San Francisco with offices around the globe.

Contact: Linda Walsh, [email protected], or Emily Holt, [email protected]

SOURCE AppDirect

Related Links

https://www.appdirect.com/


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AppDirect, the company transforming the way the world buys and sells business software, today announced that it is now a two-tier distribution partner with Google Cloud. AppDirect channel partners will now have the ability to resell Google's suite of cloud service products without having to sign a direct contract with Google.

"Our expanded collaboration is a testament to the trust we've built with Google over the years by building an integrated platform that supports an innovative distribution model. Together we're bringing the opportunity for tremendous growth to AppDirect channel partners," said Daniel Saks, President and Co-CEO of AppDirect. "Our goal is to help businesses embrace digital transformation and create growth opportunities by giving them access to the best cloud applications on the market."

Additional benefits of this new partnership include:

Channel partners can now place orders for G Suite through the same simple checkout flow they use to sell all of their cloud services.

AppDirect will provide free training and support services to help AppDirect Core Distribution Channel Partners effectively sell Google's products and services.

AppDirect can integrate the Google sales experience with any in-house services used by channel partners to help them leverage their existing processes.

As more Google SKUs become available, AppDirect will continue to update the API so channel partners have access to the most up-to-date products by Google.

"AppDirect provides channel partners with a streamlined, intuitive and convenient experience for selling Google products and services to their business customers," said John Foong, Director of Scaled Partnerships and Programs, Google Cloud. "Bringing AppDirect on board as a distributor is not only beneficial to Google Cloud's expanding ecosystem, but also creates new opportunities for our valued reseller partners."

Cloud service providers interested in selling G Suite and more to their business customers can find more information here.

About AppDirect

AppDirect is the cloud service commerce leader, making software and products accessible to businesses globally. The AppDirect cloud service commerce platform unites providers, developers, and business consumers into a single ecosystem for buying, selling and managing cloud services, ultimately helping businesses gain access to the services they need to thrive. AppDirect-powered marketplaces, billing and distribution, and reselling services help providers  including Comcast, ADP, Zendesk, Deutsche Telekom and others  connect more than 30 million businesses to solutions from Microsoft, Google, GoDaddy, and more. AppDirect is headquartered in San Francisco with 13 global offices.

Contact: Linda Walsh, [email protected], or Emily Holt, [email protected]

SOURCE AppDirect

Related Links

http://www.appdirect.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ArborCrowd, an online commercial real estate company, announced the opportunity for investors to own equity interests in a multifamily property with tremendous upside potential. Quarry Station Apartments (the "Property") is located in San Antonio, Texas in the desirable neighborhood of Alamo Heights.

Watch the property tour video here.

The total capitalization of the deal is $40.8 million, and ArborCrowd is raising $3.2 million in equity. The Property has a targeted 16 percent to 19 percent Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and a projected hold period of two to four years. The business strategy for Quarry Station is to increase effective rents and the overall value of the Property in order to quickly turnaround and sell to a potential buyer.

ArborCrowd's leadership team has established long-term relationships with a network of institutional real estate sponsors. This is one key factor for how ArborCrowd is able to source quality deals for investors.

"There are very few opportunities for investors to get access to institutional-quality deals," said Ivan Kaufman, Co-founder and CEO, ArborCrowd. "Every deal we offer  including Quarry Station  is measured against the standards and benchmarks of what a real estate institution would expect. That's the difference in what we offer compared to other crowdfunding platforms."

"Quarry Station has significant potential that our Sponsors know how to unlock  that is the key to a successful deal," said Adam Kaufman, Co-founder and Managing Director, ArborCrowd. "ArborCrowd's sweetspot is finding multifamily assets that need physical and operational improvements, and turning them around at a profit. For the past 30 years, we've proven our ability to be successful at this time and time again."

ArborCrowd's investment model is unlike other crowdfunding platforms  the quality of the real estate is at the core of the business. Other models pool investors' money into funds that are blindly allocated to different assets. ArborCrowd created a better way to invest by providing investors the transparency and knowledge to choose what deals their money goes into. As a result of this unique business model, all of ArborCrowd's deals have quickly subscribed with the most recent deal  Lago Paradiso  raising $4.2 million in less than two months.

Quarry Station Apartment Highlights

Built in 1993, Quarry Station has 18 buildings with a total of 306 units. The prior owners of Quarry Station mismanaged the property, resulting in long-term maintenance issues, declining reputation of the apartment complex and units leased at below value. Unable to resolve these issues, the previous owners listed the Property.

The Sponsor purchased the Property in June 2017 because of the significant upside potential. In only a few months, the Sponsor has made significant progress on the repositioning strategy, which includes:

Fixing mismanaged operations by the previous owners; Performing property upgrades and neglected maintenance; and Conducting full gut-renovations to approximately 20 units as a proof-of-concept to an eventual buyer of how to unlock even more potential revenue.

To access the full business plan for Quarry Station, go to: https://www.arborcrowd.com/offerings/.

Follow @ArborCrowd on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About ArborCrowd

ArborCrowd breaks down the barrier of entry into real estate investing. By allowing people to co-invest with successful real estate deal-makers in the industry, ArborCrowd enables millions of investors to maximize their financial returns. At every step of the deal process, ArborCrowd stays alongside investors and takes the weight of managing properties off their shoulders.

ArborCrowd is part of the Arbor family of companies that includes Arbor Realty Trust, Arbor Commercial Mortgage and AMAC.

Media Contact

Kara Yi

+1 (646) 695-0659

[email protected]

SOURCE ArborCrowd
CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Arete Wealth recently announced a new addition to their team, further solidifying their position as a leading broker-dealer partner and wealth management firm.

The role, new to the organization, provides Arete with top-tier experience in registered investment advisor operations and fund administration to bolster an already impressive compliance team.

To fill this role, Linda Gerstman has joined Arete to serve as Associate General Counsel. She brings over 20 years of experience in securities law in both the private sector and as a government prosecutor. She most recently served as Senior Investigation Counsel in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Serving in the Asset Management Unit, she received specialized training and focused her investigations on investment advisors, investment companies, hedge funds and private equity funds. For nearly a decade previous to that, she was a Branch Chief in the Midwest Regional Office, supervising a team of attorneys in the investigation and prosecution of hundreds of matters involving a wide variety of securities law violations.

Prior to her service at the SEC, Gerstman was at Sidley Austin where she worked on commercial disputes, including those involving securities and commodities fraud and internal corporate investigations. A seasoned litigator, she is admitted to the Illinois bar as well as the Northern District of Illinois, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Eastern District of Michigan, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Linda embodies our serious commitment to compliance and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with her," stated Arete Wealth CEO Josh Rogers. "In this market, someone with Linda's experience is inaccessible except to those willing to pay substantial legal fees. Now we've brought that expertise in-house at Arete. That's the commitment we're willing to make to protect our investors and advisors."

Gerstman's role is based in Chicago at Arete Wealth's headquarters.

About Arete

Arete Wealth Management is the financial investment entity within the Arete family of companies. Arete is a full-service Broker-Dealer, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and Insurance firm. The company offers wealth management for high-net worth individuals and institutions, alternative investment access, venture capital and private equity programs. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm's financial management products and services are offered through more than 25 offices and over 100 advisors nationwide.

Media Contact

Nate Moster, Chief Marketing Officer

Arete Wealth Management

513.240.9241

[email protected]

SOURCE Arete Wealth
"This year's CIFF connected members throughout the industrial chain to mark the event's 20th anniversary," the CIFF committee staff said, "Moving forward, CIFF will continue to improve our capabilities and work to create ever-more business opportunities for exhibitors and buyers by offering innovative functions, improving product quality and optimizing service."

New Product Launches and Promising Trade Opportunities

The 400,000-square meter main exhibition hall created numerous business opportunities for both exhibitors and visitors. Daily traffic per booth reached 4,800 during the fair with an average of 9 visitors at each booth every second during the event's peak.

More than 90 percent of exhibitors have come to the fair with their latest products, with some of them hosting new product release events on-site, covering home furniture, and home decor, as well as outdoor & leisure, office, commercial and hotel furniture, furniture machinery and raw materials.

Focus on Design: Promoting Creativity in the Furniture Industry

CIFF (Shanghai) 2017 hosted more than 30 speeches, forums and events in various fields including:

A speech by Dr. Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum

Award ceremony for the first Asia-Pacific Pinnacle Awards (the Pinnacles)

"Witness the Pinnacle" Design Forum highlighting Jonathan Adler , top U.S designer, Masayuki Kurokawa , pioneer Japanese architect and industrial designer, and Alex Shuford III , president and CEO of Century Furniture Company

About CIFF

Launched in 1998, the China International Furniture Fair's two annual fairs in Guangzhou and Shanghai have connected the Chinese furniture industry with buyers and sellers at home and abroad. The mega tradeshow has featured home decor, home textiles, furniture machinery, and raw materials, as well as outdoor, office, commercial and hotel furniture at every fair and became one of the four major furniture fairs globally.

For more information: http://www.ciff-sh.com/en

SOURCE China International Furniture Fair

Related Links

http://www.ciff-sh.com/en


MIAMI, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Azamara Club Cruises, the upmarket cruise line subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., announced today that it has entered into an agreement to purchase a sister ship to Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, with delivery taking place in March 2018.

"We are pleased to expand our portfolio by 50%, allowing us to visit even more regions of the world through the acquisition of this sister ship," said Larry Pimentel, President and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises. "Our loyal guests and travel partners have asked for this expansion for a long time; we are very pleased to deliver this to them."

The new addition, the Azamara Pursuit, is comparable in size to the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest. As such, it will also allow visits to unique ports that larger ships are unable to reach. Together, the three ships will support the brand's commitment to enrich destination immersion around the world, by staying longer in port to allow guests to experience more.

The ship's decor will be updated to match the brand's upmarket position. These updates will be similar to the renovations recently introduced on the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, bringing guests the experience of a boutique hotel at sea.

Information about deployment and itineraries for Azamara Pursuit will be available in October. For additional information please visit www.azamara.com/pursuit.

About Azamara Club Cruises

Azamara Club Cruises is a boutique upmarket cruise line. Azamara's wide selection of Destination Immersion signature programming offers guests the opportunity to Stay Longer and Experience More, delivering guests authentic cultural experiences across the globe. In 2018, Azamara will take guests to more than 200 ports, in 70 countries, including 170 late night stays and 114 overnights. Azamara's commitment to Destination Immersion coupled with exceptional onboard service offers a unique cruise vacation experience.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Azamara Club Cruises is a brand of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL), which is a global cruise vacation company that owns and operates three global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. We are a 50 percent joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises, a 49 percent shareholder in the Spanish brand Pullmantur and a minority shareholder in SkySea cruises. Together, these brands operate a combined total of 49 ships with an additional twelve on order. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 535 destinations on all seven continents. Additional information can be found on www.rclcorporate.com.

Media Contacts:

Kelly McKenna / Suzanne Joyella

[email protected]

SOURCE Azamara Club Cruises

Related Links

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com


OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Computer Science Schools has released a new ranking of the 50 Best Master's in Computer Science Degrees for 2017. Best Computer Science Schools is a leading authority on computer science, tech education, and college rankings.

http://www.bestcomputerscienceschools.net/best-masters-in-computer-science-degrees/

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the computer science industry is projected to grow much faster than other industries over the next 10 years. From smartphones and smart cars, to the technology used in hospitals and universities, computer science is an industry that forces us to continue looking towards the future.

"Universities around the world are now offering extremely competitive Master's degrees in Computer Science for those who are looking to make an impact and change the world," Editor Jordan Biltmore said. "From traditional research- and coursework-based degrees, to degrees paired with journalism and psychology courses, the opportunities are endless."

Best Computer Science Schools developed this ranking according to its standard methodology. This methodology aggregates data from Payscale, U.S. News and World Report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as information from the schools as well. It measures institutional strength, return on tuition investment, and student happiness.

The ranking of the 50 Best Master's in Computer Science Degrees lists Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the top, Stanford University in second place, and University of California-Berkeley holding the third spot.

Alphabetically listed, the following schools appear in the ranking:

Brown University, Providence, RI

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Columbia University, New York, NY

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Duke University, Durham, NC

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

New York University, New York, NY

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Rice University, Houston, TX

Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Stony Brook University-SUNY, Stony Brook, NY

Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

University of California Davis, Davis, CA

University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA

University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA

University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL

University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD

University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Dedicated to the exciting world of tech and computer science, Best Computer Science Schools is the publication that helps students find the right school for their needs and equips them to succeed in college and in the workplace.

Contact:

Jordan Biltmore, Editor, Best Computer Science Schools

Web: http://www.bestcomputerscienceschools.net/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (541) 255-3801

SOURCE Best Computer Science Schools
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackford Capital is excited to announce Aaron Day as Chief Executive Officer of Dickinson and its parent company, "Printing Consolidation Company" (PCC). Dickinson is the first company within PCC, specializing in the religious book printing services industry.

After acquiring Dickinson in 2015, Blackford Capital realized it would need an industry seasoned CEO to run the company and continue its acquisitions efforts. "With the addition of Aaron Day as CEO of Dickinson and PCC, we are poised to recruit industry leading talent and complete acquisitions in our core Book Printing segment," said Stephen Parker, Chairman of Dickinson. "We are pursuing companies with a focus in the book industry and with Aaron's leadership background over the past 25 years, we now have the experience to accelerate our M&A growth strategy," said James Cook, Associate at Blackford Capital.

Before joining the company, Day served as CEO of Trend Offset Printing, a commercial printing company, headquartered in Los Alamitos, California. After securing Aaron Day as CEO, Blackford Capital hired John Ruther as Chief Financial Officer. Ruther joins after leading The Ruther Group, an international management consulting firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ruther brings decades of experience leading large manufacturing companies in a financial and operational capacity.

"We have all been impressed with John's leadership thus far and are confident that he is the ideal fit for this position," said Chairman Steve Parker. "Aaron and John will elevate Dickinson as the company enters its next chapter and we are excited to see their passion as the new leadership team of Dickinson and PCC."

Blackford Capital, a national private equity firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan invested in Dickinson in August of 2015, the fifth investment in the firm's Michigan Prosperity Fund. The fund is focused on investing in lower middle-market businesses in Michigan.

"Aaron has spent decades as a leader and innovator in the printing industry, leading and growing businesses, while increasing profitability. His impressive track record is bringing a wave of development and progress to Dickinson," said Martin Stein, Blackford Capital's Founder and Managing Director. "We are excited to welcome Aaron, and know that he is the right person to lead this great company."

Further Background Information

Prior to leading Trend Offset Printing, Day held major roles as Vice President of Sales at Creel Printing LLC and Director of Technology at Creo Products Inc. revitalizing both companies through technological improvements and sales development. While at Creel Printing, Day reorganized underperforming groups, focusing on innovation and key markets. As the Director of Technology at Creo Products, Day targeted the development of disruptive technologies, leading to its acquisition by Kodak. Day holds Bachelor Degrees in International Relations and Political Science from Wake Forest University.

Before forming The Ruther Group, John Ruther held positions including Director of Finance for Motus Integrated Technologies, a portfolio company of Atlas Holdings, leading ERP transitions and consolidations between international locations. Ruther developed his skill set through his tenure at Univar USA (formerly CHEMCENTRAL Corp.) as he guided strategic planning in a multitude of roles, culminating in his position as CIO, prior to the company's acquisition by Univar in 2007. Ruther holds an MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from Central Michigan University.

About Dickinson

Founded in 1884, Dickinson is a leading full-service book manufacturer and printing service provider offering a variety of capabilities including sheet-fed lithographic printing, heat-set web lithographic printing, digital printing, and services such as warehouse and fulfillment services, and perfect binding. The company produces various books and printed materials such as Bibles, dictionaries, reference books, children's books, and a variety of other printed literature for the religious, business, education, and other end markets. For more information, visit www.dickinsonpress.com.

About Blackford Capital

Blackford Capital is a private equity firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that acquires, manages and builds family-owned, lower middle-market manufacturing, distribution, and service companies. Founded by Martin Stein, the 2016 M&A Advisor Private Equity Professional of the Year, Blackford currently has 11 portfolio companies located across the United States and has been recognized with numerous awards, including the M&A Advisor Deal of the Year in 2015 and as one of America's fastest growing private companies by Inc. 5000 in 2016 and 2017. For more information, visit www.blackfordcapital.com.

Contact:

Eric Kamstra

Blackford Capital

616.233.3160

[email protected]

SOURCE Blackford Capital

Related Links

http://www.blackfordcapital.com


ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Law today announced the introduction of Points of Law, a revolutionary new solution that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to dramatically accelerate case law research. The new feature allows attorneys to quickly find language critical to a court's reasoning to support their legal arguments. Points of Law, as with all enhancements to functionality and content on the integrated Bloomberg Law legal research and business intelligence platform, is available to current customers at no additional cost. To learn more about Points of Law, visit http://on.bna.com/QJBe30fpmub.

Bloomberg Law Launches Artificial Intelligence Solution to Deliver Faster, Smarter Case Law Research

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8062531-bloomberg-law/

Through the application of machine learning to a comprehensive database of 13 million published and unpublished state and federal court opinions, the Bloomberg Law platform features one million points of law and is updated throughout the day. The innovative solution highlights the essential language expressed by a court, enabling attorneys to shorten their research time and quickly identify the best language to strengthen legal arguments.

From a case, users can navigate seamlessly among points of law and can also augment their research with related points of law and with relevant citing cases shown as a list or an interactive timeline via the Citation Map feature. The Citation Map enables legal professionals to view the most cited cases, relationships among key cases, and changes over time for the point of law at issue. For ease of use, Bloomberg Law also supports a keyword search of the database so that users can search across all case law or specific jurisdictions to more easily find the point of law most relevant to their query.

"By enabling litigators to quickly identify the statements of law within a court opinion and then see the most cited, most relevant, and most recent cases related to those statements, Points of Law enhances the ability to understand all sides of a legal issue," said Douglas Smith, Partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and a member of the Bloomberg Law Litigation Innovation Board.

"Points of Law is another example of our commitment to continuous innovation and ongoing investment in data and technology to empower attorneys to more effectively and efficiently advise their clients," said Scott Mozarsky, President, Bloomberg Law. "With Points of Law, we have streamlined and improved the legal research process using machine learning and data visualization to reveal previously undiscoverable patterns and insights. As a result of our focus on continuously enhancing the tools and content on Bloomberg Law, legal professionals are in an even stronger position to be successful in both the practice of law and the business of law."

To demonstrate the power of Points of Law in conducting case law research on complex, evolving issues, Bloomberg Law developed a new white paper, examining the antitrust law implications of pharmaceutical industry patent disputes. To download the report, visit http://on.bna.com/ywrF30foY4t.

About Bloomberg BNA

Bloomberg BNA provides legal, tax, compliance, government affairs and government contracting professionals with critical information, practical guidance, and workflow solutions. We leverage leading technology and a global network of experts to deliver a unique combination of news and authoritative analysis, comprehensive research solutions, innovative practice tools, and proprietary business data and analytics. Bloomberg BNA is an affiliate of Bloomberg L.P., the global business, financial information and news leader. For more information, visit www.bna.com.

About Bloomberg Law

Bloomberg Law helps legal professionals provide world-class counsel with access to actionable legal intelligence in a business context. Bloomberg Law delivers a unique combination of practical guidance, comprehensive primary and secondary source material, trusted content from Bloomberg BNA, news, time-saving practice tools, market data and business intelligence. For more information, visit www.bna.com/bloomberglaw.

SOURCE Bloomberg BNA

Related Links

http://www.bna.com


CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Brilliant, an award-winning search, staffing and management resources firm specializing in accounting, finance and information technology, awarded two accountancy students from Northern Illinois University (NIU) a Brilliant Financial Search (a division of Brilliant) scholarship for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Chad Nolte and Will Unseth, both upper-level accountancy majors at NIU in DeKalb, Illinois, were selected as recipients of the annual scholarship awardreceiving $2,000 each for the school year.

"I am extremely honored to have been selected as a recipient of the Brilliant Financial Search scholarship. This award allows me to focus on my classes and extracurricular activities in order to reach my goal of becoming an internal auditor when I graduate. Thank you, Brilliant, for the generous gift and continued support of NIU's Accounting program," says Nolte.

Unseth adds, "I cannot thank Brilliant enough for the scholarship that was awarded to me. It makes me feel great that my hard work in and out of the classroom has been seen and rewarded."

The scholarships were presented on Sept. 6, 2017, at the Beta Alpha Psi/Accountancy Alumni Awards Banquet in the Holmes Student Center on NIU's campus.

NIU alum and Brilliant CEO Jim Wong, CPA (Inactive) says, "It's a privilege to award these individuals with resources to support their accountancy studies. More than 25 years ago, I received the same award from the NIU Accountancy Program. I'm happy to be able to give back to the university who helped my career by paying it forward to these future accounting professionals."

The scholarship recipients are selected by the NIU Accountancy Department Awards Committee based off various academic criteria.

To learn more, visit the Brilliant Website.

About Brilliant | Connecting People and Opportunities

Brilliant is an award-winning search, staffing and management resources firm specializing in accounting, finance and information technology for the greater Chicago and south Florida labor markets. The firm represents high-quality accounting, finance and information technology talent and matches them with hiring companies throughout various industries including manufacturing, distribution, health care, professional services, retail, legal, technology, real estate, nonprofit organizations, software and hospitality, among others. Many of Brilliant's team members include former hiring managers, and accounting and finance professionals from the Big 4 accounting firms, as well as other leading professionals in the industry. Since its inception in 2009, Brilliant has been recognized on many prestigious lists including being ranked No. 6 on Forbes' 2017 America's Best Professional Recruiting Firms and No. 25 on Forbes 2017 America's Best Executive Recruiting Firmsnot to mention Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50 for three straight years including No. 1 in 2015, Staffing Industry Analysts Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms in the United States for three straight years including No. 2 in 2015, Inavero's Best of Staffing Talent for North America two years in a row, Inc. 5000 for three straight years, Best Places to Work South Florida, 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For for four straight years, and others. To learn more about Brilliant, visit www.brilliantfs.com, call 312.582.1800 or follow @BrilliantFS on social media.

Media Contact: Laurie Canning, Marketing Director, Brilliant, 312.582.1812, [email protected]

SOURCE Brilliant

Related Links

http://www.brilliantfs.com


LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc . (NYSE: BR) announced the appointment of Michael Tae to Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy. Tae will serve on the Executive Committee reporting to CEO Rich Daly and will lead the strategy, acquisitions, partnerships, and other growth-related activities that will help propel Broadridge forward as the company continues to evolve and help clients get ahead of challenges.

Tae began his career at McKinsey & Company where he provided consulting services to clients in the financial services industry before moving to Merrill Lynch where he was the Vice President of their Financial Institutions Group. In 2009, at the height of the financial crisis, Tae moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked in the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Financial Stability as Director of Investments and Senior Policy Advisor. There, working alongside the Chief Investment Officer of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), he leveraged his strategic acumen and technical knowledge to handle financial deal structures for several well-known companies including GM/Chrysler, CitiBank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and AIG. Most recently, Tae was the Senior Executive Vice President of Worldwide Services for Microstrategy, where he successfully developed and implemented a strategy that helped the company achieve profitability.

"Michael has a deep financial services background and a proven track for delivering for clients, from his consulting career at McKinsey to his recent role at Microstrategy," said Richard Daly, CEO of Broadridge. "We are excited to have him on board as we continue to expand our product set and extend the value we provide to our global client base."

"I am excited to join the Broadridge team with its world class capabilities and expertise," said Tae. "I am looking forward to leading the strategy, acquisitions, partnerships and other initiatives that will ensure Broadridge will be ready for new challenges and opportunities on the global stage."

Tae received his M.B.A. from Columbia University and earned his B.A. in Asian Studies and Economics from Williams College. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship where he studied in South Korea. While at McKinsey, he started a non-profit that provides humanitarian aid to Korea which is still operating today.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR), a $4 billion global fintech leader, provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for broker-dealers, banks, mutual funds and corporate issuers globally. Broadridge's investor communications, securities processing and managed services solutions help clients reduce their capital investments in operations infrastructure, allowing them to increase their focus on core business activities. With over 50 years of experience, Broadridge's infrastructure underpins proxy voting services for over 90 percent of public companies and mutual funds in North America, and processes more than $5 trillion in fixed income and equity trades per day. Broadridge employs approximately 10,000 full-time associates in 16 countries. For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Media Contacts:

Tina Wadhwa

Corporate Communications

+1 212-973-6164

[email protected]

Brett Philbin

Edelman

+1 212-704-8263

[email protected]

Hannah James

Cognito, EMEA

+44 (0) 20 74269428

[email protected]

Peggy Wu

Teneo Strategy, APAC

+65 6876 5785

[email protected]

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

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BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Caresyntax Inc., a surgical analytics and integration services company, announced today an investment of $11.9 million in funding by Norgine Ventures, a Luxembourg-based investor supporting innovative healthcare solutions. Caresyntax will use the investment round to accelerate product development and open its new North American headquarters in Boston, building upon its established U.S business through longstanding partnerships with GE, Medtronic and Siemens.

Caresyntax helps hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers identify and manage risk, automate workflows, enhance knowledge sharing and reduce surgical variability.

"Caresyntax is spearheading the future of operating room (OR) integration by culling data from individual clinical events to drive improvements in performance and health system investments," said Dennis Kogan, caresyntax CEO. "Hospitals and health systems are exploring ways to use resources more effectively toward delivering quality improvements and favorable patient outcomes. Norgine Ventures is the ideal partner to help us assist our key constituents to drive these changes."

The caresyntax platform aggregates structured and unstructured data from OR devices, and blends it with EHR (Electronic Health Records) and other data sources to discern actionable insights. With a granular focus unique to today's data analytics products, caresyntax deciphers the causes of surgical variations and makes recommendations for fixing them, resulting in reduced readmissions, improved patient safety and better clinical workflows.

Added Kogan: "The surgical integration business is moving beyond just honing workflows to delivering real-time data metrics to reduce surgical variability."

Peter Stein, Managing Director at Norgine Ventures, said: "With our investment in caresyntax, we are supporting a rapidly growing healthcare technology company, which brings true innovation to digital operating room integration, and a tangible clinical and economic value to hospitals. Caresyntax solutions enhance productivity and efficiency in the operating room, and improve utilization and safety, ultimately leading to better clinical outcomes. This investment furthers our commitment to funding innovating businesses with the potential to transform the healthcare sector and provide economic value to patients, healthcare professionals and payers."

Used by Chiefs of Surgery, OR Managers and Quality Management officials, the vendor-neutral caresyntax platform consists of PRIME365 OR integration and qvident surgical performance management software. It addresses surgical outcomes variability, automates workflow processes, improves training protocols, and safeguards reimbursement. Usability, easy reporting and workflow automation are hallmarks of the platform.

Caresyntax will establish its first full-time U.S. operations and headquarters in downtown Boston in October with plans to add more than 10 employees by the end of 2017. The move is a bit of a homecoming for caresyntax Co-founders Kogan and Bjoern von Siemens, who lived in the Boston area while at Harvard. Recognizing the leadership of the medical and biotechnology community of Greater Boston, caresyntax decided to bring its U.S. headquarters operations to the hub.

About Norgine and Norgine Ventures

Norgine is a leading European specialist pharmaceutical company with a direct commercial presence in all major European markets. In 2016, Norgine's total revenue was EUR 368 million. Norgine employs over 1,000 people across its commercial, development and manufacturing operations and manages all aspects of product development, production, marketing, sale and supply. Norgine specialises in gastroenterology, hepatology, cancer and supportive care.

Norgine is headquartered in the Netherlands. Norgine owns an R&D site in Hengoed, Wales and two manufacturing sites in Hengoed, Wales and Dreux, France.

For more information, please visit www.norgine.com.

In 2012, Norgine established a complementary business, Norgine Ventures, supporting innovative healthcare companies through the provision of debt-like financing in Europe and the U.S. For more information, please visit www.norgineventures.com.

NORGINE and the sail logo are trademarks of the Norgine group of companies.

About caresyntax

Caresyntax, a surgical analytics and integration services company with North American headquarters in Boston, helps hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers identify and manage risk, automate workflows, enhance knowledge sharing, and reduce surgical variability.

Converging IoT technology and surgical analytics, the caresyntax platform is used in nearly 6,000 operating rooms worldwide, transforming unstructured clinical and operational data into actionable, real-time insights. Clinical teams, as a result, enhance performance, control surgical variation and improve patient outcomes.

Partnering with GE, Medtronic and Siemens in the U.S., caresyntax is a sister company of Berlin-based S-CAPE GmbH, a global operating room integration specialist with 25 years of successful installations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.caresyntax.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Philip Anast

Amendola Communications (for caresyntax)

312-576-6990

[email protected]

SOURCE caresyntax

Related Links

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GENEVA, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry is celebrating World Environmental Health Day by urging the nations of the Minamata Convention on Mercury to make dental amalgam history!

At the first conference of the parties (COP1), the World Alliance launched its new "Make Dental Amalgam History" campaign, a step-by-step plan to phase out the use of dental amalgam. It complements the theme of the parties to the Convention, which is "Make mercury history."

In its opening statement  presented by the group's president, Charlie Brown of the United States  the World Alliance specifically called on nations to take the first step:

"When you return to your home nations, please do as the European Union has done: phase out amalgam for children now. For one simple reason: The children of your nation are equally important to the children of Europe."

Dominique Bally of Cote d'Ivoire, the World Alliance's vice president for Africa, reports that "The African region is ready to end amalgam use in children, but developed countries continue to dump amalgam into our region. Sending amalgam for use in African children (and other vulnerable populations) is not charity  it's an environmental health disaster."

As Dr. Graeme Munro-Hall of the United Kingdom, the World Alliance's chief dental advisor explains, "There is just no reason to use amalgam in children's milk teeth  these teeth are less complex, they don't last long, and there are so many mercury-free fillings available for them."

Maria Carcamo of Uruguay, the World Alliance's vice president for Latin America, adds "No child should be subjected to an utterly unnecessary dose of mercury exposure from amalgam."

The African nation of Mauritius already has a policy of no amalgam for children.[i] The European Union, with 28 member nations, bans amalgam as of 1 July 2018 for children, and for pregnant and nursing women.[ii] The Scandinavian nations go much further, effectively having ended amalgam use.[iii]

"Many children in developed countries are being protected from amalgam," says Dr. Shahriar Hossain of Bangladesh, the World Alliance's executive vice president. "Now it is time to protect all children from the dental industry's mercury, including children in developing countries, children in low-income areas of developed countries, and indigenous peoples' children."

Dental amalgam, a tooth filling material that is 50% mercury, accounts for 21% of global mercury consumption.[iv] Much of this dental mercury eventually enters the environment via many unsound pathways, polluting (1) air via cremation, dental clinic emissions, and sludge incineration; (2) water via dental clinic releases and human waste; and (3) soil via landfills, burials, and fertilizer.[v] As a result, many children around the world are exposed to a double dose of amalgam's mercury: first when it is implanted in their teeth and a second time when it contaminates their environment.

For more information, contact Charles G. Brown at [email protected] or 202-544-6333.

[i] Inventory of Mercury Releases in Mauritania (2014), p. 19

[ii] European Parliament legislative resolution (14 March 2017)

[iii] World Health Organization, Future Use of Materials for Dental Restoration (2011), p.21

[iv] UNEP/AMAP, Technical Background Report to the Global Atmospheric Mercury Assessment (2013), p.103.

[v] Concorde East West, The Real Cost of Dental Mercury (March 2012)

SOURCE The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry
HOUSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CEMEX USA announced Monday the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) recognized 24 CEMEX USA facilities for environmental and safety excellence with two operations earning the 2017 Environmental Excellence Gold Award.

FEC Quarry in Miami, Fla., and Center Hill Mine in Center Hill, Fla., both received the NSSGA's 2017 Environmental Excellence Gold Award during a ceremony in front of legislators and industry experts at the NSSGA's Legislative & Policy Forum/Fall Board Meeting Monday in Washington, D.C. The annual NSSGA awards honor aggregate operations for commitment to safety and safe environmental practices.

NSSGA also recognized CEMEX USA's Center Hill Mine with its Stars of Excellence for earning the Gold Award multiple times in five years. 474 Sand Mine in Clermont, Fla., and SCL Quarry in Miami, both received the NSSGA's 2017 Environmental Excellence Silver Award. Nine other CEMEX facilities won bronze.

2017 NSSGA Environmental Excellence Awards

Gold FEC Quarry, Center Hill Mine



Silver 474 Sand Mine, SCL Quarry



Bronze Lake Wales, Davenport, Deerfield, Gator, Union & Palmdale Sand Mines

St. Catherine Mine

Krome Quarry and Brooksville Quarry

Eleven CEMEX USA locations also were recognized by the NSSGA, achieving the 2017 NSSGA Safety Excellence Award, for their ongoing commitment to safety.

2017 NSSGA Safety Excellence Awards

Bronze Center Hill Mine, Lake Wales, Inglis Quarry, St. Catherine Mine, Union Sand Mine and Deerfield Sand Mine



Certificate Lytle Creek Quarry

Davenport, Gator, Palmdale and 474 Sand Mines

"We are honored the NSSGA recognized so many CEMEX facilities for their ongoing dedication to the environment and safety," CEMEX USA President Ignacio Madridejos said. "Respecting the environment and living up to high safety standards are two principles CEMEX follows every day. These facilities serve as shining examples in the industry and make us very proud."

"It is a pleasure to congratulate the outstanding men and women of these operations for their commitment to safety and environmental stewardship," said Michael W. Johnson, NSSGA president and CEO. "Sharing these recognitions with our elected officials helps to educate Congress on the value that our operations have to communities across the country."

CEMEX is a global building materials company that provides high quality products and reliable service to customers and communities in more than 50 countries throughout the world. Its U.S. network includes 11 cement plants, 43 strategically located distribution terminals, 57 aggregate quarries and more than 270 ready-mix concrete plants.

SOURCE CEMEX USA
CHENGDU, China, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Chengdu-Czech General Aviation Enterprises Matchmaking Meeting was held in Prague, capital of Czech on September 19. Through on-site business negotiations, over 20 general aviation enterprises from China and Czech have achieved positive results.

Heinz Kohut, Counselor to the President of Czech and Chairman of New Silk Road Institute Prague, Fan Ruiping, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Secretary of Chengdu Municipal Party Committee as well as Guo Xiaolin, Counselor of Scientific and Technological Affairs of Embassy of China in Czech delivered speeches respectively and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding for cooperation between Chengdu Municipal Government and the New Silk Road Institute Prague.

The relevant official from Chengdu Investment Promotion Commission introduced the status quo and investment environment of Chengdu general aviation industry at the meeting. Thereafter, Chengdu International Railway Service Co., LTD, Prague Metrans Company and Sichuan Changhong Minsheng Logistics Co., LTD signed a letter of intent on cooperation.

The Matchmaking Meeting was jointly hosted by the Chengdu Municipal Government and the New Silk Road Institute Prague and organized by China-Czech Aerospace Industries Association. In February 2016, Sichuan Airlines launched the Chengdu-Prague direct flight, which is the first direct flight from Western China to Central Europe.

SOURCE Chengdu Municipal Government
NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Paterson, New Jersey ("Paterson") has retained international class action law firm Scott+Scott, Attorneys at Law, LLP ("Scott+Scott") to represent it in litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors whose culpable conduct has proximately caused and fueled the opioid epidemic. Paterson has thereby joined the ranks of dozens of governmental entities suing companies over the marketing of opioid painkillers that greatly downplayed the addictive risks of opioids while overstating the treatment benefits.

Paterson, like many other communities throughout New Jersey and the country, has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Through its impending lawsuit, Paterson seeks to recoup the crippling cost that opioid addiction has caused the local government. It has strained social service and human service budgets, and required substantial increases to the budgets of police, fire and other first responders to protect public safety.

Scott+Scott is headquartered in Connecticut, with additional offices in New York, Ohio, California and London, England, and is one of the nation's premier law firms, recovering billions of dollars for its clients in securities fraud, antitrust/competition and consumer fraud litigation. Scott+Scott has enlisted the support of the Goldsmith & Goldsmith law firm, which is a highly regarded medical malpractice law firm, headed by Lee Goldsmith, a physician and lawyer, who was part of the team representing the State of New Jersey in the 1998 tobacco litigation. Goldsmith & Goldsmith is of counsel to the long-established and well-respected firm Cohn, Lifland, Pearlman, Herrmann & Knopf LLP. The complex litigation expertise, financial resources, and technological capabilities of Scott+Scott, combined with the medical and legal knowledge and close familiarity with New Jersey courts of Goldsmith & Goldsmith and Cohn, Lifland, will deliver to Paterson legal services of the scope and volume that this important litigation against pharmaceutical conglomerates requires.

"The retainer agreement with Scott+Scott entitles the firm to fees only if the City wins or settles this litigation," said Paterson Corporation Counsel Domenick Stampone. "So this lawsuit can only inure to the benefit of Paterson and will not cost Paterson taxpayers anything."

CONTACT:

Judy Scolnick

Scott+Scott, Attorneys at Law, LLP

(212) 223-6444

[email protected]

SOURCE Scott+Scott, Attorneys at Law, LLP

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SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CleanSpark, Inc. (OTC: CLSK), a microgrid company with advanced engineering, software and controls for innovative distributed energy resource management systems, today announced Larry McNeill, who has served as a director of the company since January 5, 2015, has been appointed as the new CleanSpark Chairman of the Board.

Mr. McNeill succeeds S. Matthew Schultz who served as interim Chairman of the Board from July 11, 2017 to September 14, 2017 following the resignation of Bruce Lybbert. Mr. Schultz continues in his role as Chief Executive Officer and director.

Matthew Schultz, Chief Executive Officer of CleanSpark, Inc., commented, "Larry is a highly successful and accomplished business executive, and I am delighted he has chosen to increase his involvement with CleanSpark to serve as our next Chairman. His history with the company and understanding of our industry will be a tremendous asset as we continue our efforts to expand our business in the high-growth microgrid market."

"On behalf of the entire team at CleanSpark, I would like to thank Bruce for his leadership and support," continued Schultz. "His guidance and insightful observations contributed significantly to the traction we are gaining in the critical, renewable energy space."

Mr. McNeill brings a breadth of business experience with a proven track record of accomplishments gained from various roles in real estate, finance, research, legal, management and business strategies across multiple industries. Most recently, he served as the chief financial officer of Theater Candy Corporation and Videolocity, Inc. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Safeway Grocery Stores, Inc.'s Consumer, Sales, and Store Location research departments where he was responsible for the expansion of Safeway in the United States, Australia and Canada. Mr. McNeill also served as the Director of Market Research for A&P where he was responsible for the company's store location program and expansion into Saudi Arabia and was with Smith's Food & Drug Centers for 17 years, most recently serving as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Development overseeing the Research, Real Estate, and Legal Departments. Mr. McNeill retired from Smith's Food & Drug Centers after the Fred Meyer merger was complete.

Mr. McNeill holds an MBA from Armstrong College, a BA in Business Administration, Economics, and Russian language from Minnesota State University.

About CleanSpark, Inc.

CleanSpark provides advanced energy software and control technology that enables a plug-and-play enterprise solution to modern energy challenges. Our services consist of intelligent solar monitoring solutions, microgrid design and engineering, project development consulting services, system installation and consulting, and turn-key microgrid implementation services. We also combine our microgrid services with a revolutionary and patented stratified downdraft gasifier. The gasifier was developed with partners such as Petersen, Inc., Combustion Resources and others to create a logical solution for profitably handling MSW, Coal, Plastics, Municipal Sewage and many other feedstocks. By integrating new and existing energy generation and storage assets with advanced load management capacities, CleanSpark's software allows energy generated locally to be shared with other interconnected microgrids. This unique capability enables microgrids to be scaled and widely adopted for commercial, industrial, military, municipal, and remote community deployment.

For more information on CleanSpark, please visit http://www.cleanspark.com.

Contact - Investor Relations:

Brett Maas

Managing Partner, Hayden IR

(646) 536-7331

[email protected]

SOURCE CleanSpark, Inc.

Related Links

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CLIFTON, N.J., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Comodo, a global innovator and developer of cybersecurity solutions and the worldwide leader in digital certificates, today announced the availability of a new PKI platform for IoT devices and networks. The Comodo IoT Security Platform will allow device manufacturers and network providers to issue and manage PKI and SSL certificates for private ecosystems.

Recent headlines point to attacks by hackers using IoT devices with no security embedded and exposed vulnerabilities. The new Comodo PKI certificate platform directly addresses this problem by enabling trusted, third-party, mutual authentication of devices to networks. This secure identification and connection is essential for the health and safety of both end-user devices and the networks to which they connect.

"Too many devices are coming to market with weak or no security pre-installed," said Damon Kachur, head of IoT Solutions at Comodo. "Comodo's platform will help to ensure that only authenticated and approved devices are connecting to the correct, corresponding and private network. This reduces the risk that IoT devices can be compromised and endanger people's lives or privacy, or be used in DDoS or hacking attacks."

PKI is a legacy technology that has been used in IT for more than 20 years, and as encryption strengths grow, it remains a trusted method for authenticating people, devices and network access, and preventing the attack of secure devices. Comodo is expanding the traditional use of PKI to offer an automated platform that will allow PKI certificates to be managed throughout the entire lifecycle at volumes that can scale to the level required for the IoT market.

"IoT is a developing technology use case that demands strong security. There are already billions of devices connected to the global internet, and some researchers are predicting 50 billion by 2020. Enterprises using IoT devices should look to companies like Comodo that can help secure connections to their private networks in a thorough and simple way," said Jon Oltsik, senior principal analyst at ESG. "IoT security is often looked at as a 'one-and-done' approach. Comodo can offer the ability to change out a PKI certificate at any time, throughout a connected device's full lifecycle, adding a new level of consistent security that we just haven't seen before in this space."

The new platform also brings a significant innovation to the industry by allowing key rotation to occur on devices, rather than the historic process of issuing one PKI certificate to a device for its entire life.

According to Kachur, "Vulnerabilities are being exposed every day, and an ecosystem or organization needs to be able to react quickly by updating certificates to protect their devices and/or mitigate an attack."

Comodo is extending the utility and completeness of its IoT certificate solution through an active partner program. The company has already teamed up with Device Authority, a leader in IoT security, for the automated provisioning and management of PKI certificates.

"We are delighted that Comodo has selected KeyScaler to integrate with its IoT PKI security platform," said Darron Antill, CEO of Device Authority. "The industry will benefit tremendously from the automation and management features that Device Authority and Comodo are bringing to market."

Utilizing existing technologies and partnerships, Comodo will continue to invest in the new platform. Slated for the second half of 2018, Comodo plans to integrate Comodo's cWatch technology into the PKI platform. This action will allow for devices accessing the network or receiving updates to run through Comodo's web-based scanning engines to check for any potential virus or malware, adding additional layers of protection for devices and networks.

Today, Comodo is the industry's leading SSL certificate authority worldwide, with a market share of 41 percent, and is used by 15 percent of all SSL websites, according to research from W3Techs.

More information about Comodo's SSL Certificate Webhost Reseller Program is available online.

About Comodo

The Comodo organization is a global innovator of cybersecurity solutions, protecting critical information across the digital landscape. Building on its unique position as the world's largest certificate authority, Comodo authenticates, validates and secures networks and infrastructures from individuals to mid-sized companies to the world's largest enterprises. Comodo provides complete end-to-end security solutions across the boundary, internal network and endpoint with innovative technologies solving the most advanced malware threats, both known and unknown. With global headquarters in Clifton, New Jersey, and offices in Silicon Valley, Comodo has international offices in China, India, the Philippines, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit comodo.com.

Comodo and the Comodo brand are trademarks of the Comodo Group Inc. or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. The current list of Comodo trademarks and patents is available at comodo.com/repository.

Keep up to date with the latest Comodo News from the Comodo blog at https://blog.comodo.com/ and on Twitter @ComodoNews.

Contact

Deb Montner

Montner Tech PR

[email protected]

203-226-9290

SOURCE Comodo

Related Links

http//www.comodo.com


ALPHARETTA, Ga., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Concept Software continues its strides in education by graduating its first batch of Workforce Atlanta (WIOA) students. Over 25 students who successfully completed their training in Bigdata development (SDLC), QA testing (STLC), Network A+/Net+ and Office Administration courses were presented graduation certificates. This event was attended by over 60 people at Hyatt Place Northpoint parkway. The graduation event was graced by several industry leaders from Accenture, SAP America's, McKesson Change Health and Coca-Cola Corporation, who shared their wisdom on different topics including network security, opportunities in SAP, use of Agile methodologies in McKesson and BI tools used at Coca-Cola. The event was concluded by an inspiring speech from Concept's President and CEO Ravindra Bhave who talked about five things that made him successful in life and business.

Industry Leaders Graduating Students

"This event helped us to present our graduates to the industry leaders who could guide them in their future path for jobs," said Uday Gupte VP Concept Software.

"We at Concept Software are looking to provide training to more students and help them in their Path to Employment," stated Padma Putta  Manager Operations.

About the Company: Concept Software is a 19-year young company based out of Alpharetta, GA with several training locations in Norcross and Athens GA. Concept software provides several IT solutions, including niche IT Staffing, IT Training, Custom Software development and consultation in Robotic Process Automation, BI tools and setting up Delivery Centers. Concept Software values education and believes that tomorrow's better America can only be created by training young Americans and placing them in mainstream IT jobs. Concept is a MBE Company, and an approved training school by Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia Vocational Rehab Association, and continues its approval for Georgia Veterans.

Emily Nicholson

Organization Concept Software & Services, Inc.

Phone Number 770 300 9486

Email: [email protected]

http://www.concept-inc.com

SOURCE Concept Software & Services, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.concept-inc.com


NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2017 Spirits International Prestige (SIP) Awards hosted its largest blind tasting competition to date with 673 spirit brands and 118 consumer judges. Taking place at the upscale Hyatt Regency at Newport Beach, CA, the competition gave domestic and international spirit brands the rare opportunity to be distinguished solely on the merits of taste, aroma, and finish by unbiased consumers.

Two *consumer judges evaluate spirits in a blind tasting at the 2017 SIP Awards As the only consumer judged, international spirits competition, the SIP Awards has garnered the attention of brands and consumers alike.

The urgent need to receive exposure and direct consumer insight on a level playing field is apparent. Participation from new spirit brands has grown exponentially and consistently since the first SIP Awards competition in 2009. At the same time, premier brands return annually to show that they have what it takes to remain at the top of their respective categories despite rising competition. Brands that can place two or more years in a row are rewarded with the exclusive Consumer Choice Award.

"Spirit brands driven by the pursuit of quality exist to serve their consumers, but honest and unbiased feedback straight from those very people is hard to come by," says SIP Awards founder Paul Hashemi. "We foster a controlled and professional environment for spirit brands to not only get in front an audience with zero industry entanglements but also receive feedback straight from their taste buds."

To ensure spirits are served optimal conditions for blind tasting, the SIP Awards implements a patented delivery system that presents undiluted and chilled spirit samples in unmarked Neat glasses designed to elevate the tasting experience.

Additionally, all judges are carefully vetted to ensure that they do not bear affiliation with any spirit brands, distributors, or marketers. This standard was strictly enforced even though the over 30% jump in brand entries this year called for a proportional increase in the number of judges.

Going one step further to guarantee reliable results, the SIP Awards uses an algorithm to account for variability in palate consistency. Every judge was served 4-9% of samples twice. The scores from judges who evaluated both samples consistently were weighed heavier than those who varied in their responses.

Each spirit across all the categories were graded on aroma, taste, and finish.

For a complete list of the categories, winners, and photos from the event, visit: https://sipawards.com

About the SIP Awards

The SIP Awards provides a unique judging competition for spirit brands to gain exposure, feedback, and recognition from unbiased consumers. As the only blind tasting competition of its kind, the SIP Awards offer a fair platform for top brands to showcase their products to their most discerning audience. To learn more about the SIP Awards beverage competition, venue partnerships, or for a complete list of 2017 winners, visit https://sipawards.com/.

Media contact info:

Cher Holmes

949.420.0033

SOURCE SIP Awards

Related Links

https://sipawards.com


BRISTOL, Tenn., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Contura Energy, Inc., a leading U.S. coal supplier, today announced that it has commenced a modified "Dutch Auction" tender offer to repurchase up to $31.8 million of its common stock.

"The decision to proceed with a tender offer at this time reflects both Contura's strong balance sheet and the Board's confidence in the business and commitment to optimally deploy capital," said Chairman Neale Trangucci.

Contura stockholders may tender all or a portion of their shares (1) at a price specified by the tendering stockholder of not less than $58.00 per share and not more than $64.00 per share or (2) without specifying a purchase price, in which case their shares will be purchased at the purchase price determined in accordance with the tender offer. When the tender offer expires, Contura will determine the lowest price within the range of prices specified above that allows it to purchase up to an aggregate of $31.8 million of its common stock.

Stockholders will receive the purchase price in cash, subject to applicable withholding and without interest. The stockholders' shares must have been tendered at prices equal to or less than the purchase price determined after the tender offer window closes, subject to conditions of the offer. These conditions include provisions related to proration, "odd lot" priority and conditional tenders in the case that the total cost to purchase all of the shares tendered at or below the purchase price is more than $31.8 million.

Contura will fund the tender offer with existing cash on its balance sheet.

The full provisions of the tender offer are described in the "Offer to Purchase" and the "Letter of Transmittal," which can be obtained as described below. Contura also reserves the right to purchase up to an additional two percent of its shares outstanding without extending the tender offer. All shares purchased by Contura will be purchased at the same price. All shares tendered at prices higher than the purchase price will be promptly returned to stockholders at Contura's expense.

The tender offer will not be conditioned on any minimum number of shares being tendered; however, the tender offer will be subject to a number of other terms and conditions specified in the Offer to Purchase. The tender offer and withdrawal rights will expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on October 24, 2017, unless extended or terminated by Contura.

Tenders of shares must be made prior to the expiration of the tender offer and may be withdrawn at any time prior to the expiration of the tender offer. Stockholders wishing to tender their shares but who are unable to deliver them physically or by "book-entry transfer" prior to the expiration of the tender offer, or who are unable to make delivery of all required documents to the depositary prior to the expiration of the tender offer, may tender their shares by complying with the procedures set forth in the Offer to Purchase for tendering by notice of guaranteed delivery. D.F. King & Co., Inc. is serving as information agent for the tender offer. Jefferies LLC and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated are acting as dealer managers. Computershare Trust Company, N.A. is acting as the depositary for the tender offer.

In addition, Contura announced today that on September 15, 2017 it repurchased 309,310 shares of its common stock issued pursuant to awards under its Management Incentive Plan for a total purchase amount of $17.4 million, or $56.40 per share. The participants in the Management Incentive Plan will not participate in the tender offer.

Contura's board of directors has authorized the tender offer. However, none of Contura, its board of directors, the dealer managers, the information agent, the depositary or any of their affiliates makes any recommendation to stockholders as to whether to tender or refrain from tendering their shares or as to the price or prices at which stockholders may choose to tender their shares. No person is authorized to make any such recommendation. Stockholders must make their own decision as to whether to tender their shares and, if so, how many shares to tender and the price or prices at which their shares should be tendered. In doing so, stockholders should read carefully the information in, or incorporated by reference in, the Offer to Purchase and the Letter of Transmittal (as they may be amended or supplemented), including the purposes and effects of the offer. Stockholders are urged to discuss their decisions with their own tax advisors, financial advisors and/or brokers.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Contura's expectations and beliefs concerning future events and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. These factors are difficult to predict accurately and may be beyond Contura's control. You should also review the risk factors and other information contained in, or incorporated by reference in, the Offer to Purchase. Forward-looking statements in this news release or elsewhere speak only as of the date made. New uncertainties and risks arise from time to time, and it is impossible for Contura to predict these events or how they may affect Contura. Except as required by law, Contura has no duty to, and does not intend to, update or revise the forward-looking statements in this news release or elsewhere after the date this release is issued. In light of these risks and uncertainties, investors should keep in mind that results, events or developments discussed in any forward-looking statement made in this news release may not occur.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR INVESTORS

This communication is for informational purposes only, is not a recommendation to buy or sell Contura common stock, and does not constitute an offer to buy or the solicitation to sell shares of Contura common stock. The tender offer will be made only pursuant to the Offer to Purchase, Letter of Transmittal and related materials. STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO CAREFULLY READ THE OFFER TO PURCHASE, LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND RELATED MATERIALS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE VARIOUS TERMS OF, AND CONDITIONS TO, THE TENDER OFFER, THAT STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING TENDERING THEIR SHARES. Stockholders will be able to obtain a free copy of the Offer to Purchase (including the information incorporated by reference), Letter of Transmittal and other related documents for free by contacting Contura at 340 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Bristol, Tennessee, 37620, Attn: Investor Relations, or D.F. King & Co., Inc., the information agent for the tender offer, at 48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor, New York, New York 10005, (212) 269-5550 (banks and brokers) or (800) 309-2984 (toll free) or Jefferies at (877) 547-6340.

ABOUT CONTURA ENERGY

Contura Energy is a private, Tennessee-based, diversified coal supplier with affiliate mining operations across multiple major coal basins in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. With customers across the globe, high-quality reserves and significant port capacity, Contura Energy reliably supplies both metallurgical coal to produce steel and thermal coal to generate power. For more information, visit www.conturaenergy.com.

INVESTOR CONTACT

[email protected]

Alex Rotonen

423.573.0396

MEDIA CONTACTS

[email protected]

Rick Axthelm

423.573.0304

Emily O'Quinn

423.573.0369

SOURCE Contura Energy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.conturaenergy.com


PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCK) will release its earnings for the third quarter ended September 30, 2017 after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. The Company will hold a conference call to discuss these results at 9:00 a.m. (EDT) on Thursday, October 19, 2017.

The dial-in numbers for the conference call are (630) 395-0227 or toll-free (888) 606-8412 and the access password is "packaging". A replay of the conference call will be available for a one-week period ending at midnight on October 26, 2017. The telephone numbers for the replay are (203) 369-1991 or toll free (866) 513-9300. A live webcast of the call will be made available to the public on the internet at the Company's website, www.crowncork.com.

Crown Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a leading supplier of packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world. World headquarters are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

For more information, contact Corporate Communications at (215) 698-5351.

SOURCE Crown Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.crowncork.com


The catalyst for this transformation is the Cucalorus Connect Conference, an exploration of the digital transformation that is changing the way we live, work and play. Michele Holbrook from Corning will deliver the opening keynote and will be joined by executives from GE Hitachi Nuclear, ESPN, CBS Sports, SAS, Microsoft, K4Connect and more. Entrepreneur George Taylor, who has been instrumental in building the ecosystem for startups in North Carolina, will make a special announcement about his work to launch a brewery run by active gang members during the closing keynote.

Headlining Thursday's schedule, Onur Tukel returns to Wilmington for the Southern US Premiere of his latest film "The Misogynists" - a devastatingly satirical comedy about two Trump supporters celebrating in a hotel room on election night. Cucalorus is proud to host the World Premiere of Canadian filmmakers Hannah Cheesman and Mackenzie Donaldson's "The Definites" - a tightly crafted drama about a woman who leaves her husband-to-be and dives into her own wild desires during a libidinous, party-filled weekend at Art Basel in Miami. Rounding out the premieres at the festival are Dan Mirvish's "Bernard and Huey," Jordan Canning's "Ordinary Days," Jennifer Morrison's "Sun Dogs," and Bob Byington's "Infinity Baby." The full lineup of over 200 features and shorts will be announced next week and will include special curated programs from Toronto International Film Festival's Lisa Haller and Lisa Vandever from Cinekink.

The festival's Works-in-Progress program, a workshop-style review of top social documentaries in-the-making from African American filmmakers, includes Unapologetic by Ashley Mills, Seeds of Struggle by Dennis Terry, Woody Shaw: Beyond All Limits by Woody Shaw III, Time of the Phoenix: The First Rainbow Coalition by Ray Santisteban, You Only Live Once by Terrance Pitts, and While I Breathe, I Hope by Emily Harrold.

The newest branch of the festival family is the Cucalorus Stage program, built on the success of performance-focused events like Dance-a-lorus, the Bus to Lumberton, and Visual/Sound/Walls. The Cucalorus Stage Experience includes more than 40 performers working in dance, music, theatre, comedy and performance. Alexandra Tatarsky returns to the festival with "Americana Psychobabble" - a delirious anti-narrative of American emptiness, violence and nonsense -- part exorcism and part enema! Returning to the fest after her buzz-worthy debut, Shirley Gnome will share her new show "Taking it up the Notch." Dram Tree Shakespeare, Pineapple-Shaped Lamps and a host of other cutting edge performers round out the lineup while the David Lynch-inspired Bus to Lumberton installation is being created by award-winning alum Josephine Decker.

Stay tuned for more details about Cucalorus Film, Stage and Connect events. Daily updates can be found on the festival website. View selections and purchase festival tickets and passes at www.cucalorus.org. The complete schedule will be announced in the coming weeks, featuring over 150 events over the course of 5 days.

Media Contact: Becca Ederer

[email protected] / 910.343.5995

SOURCE Cucalorus Festival

Related Links

http://www.cucalorus.org


WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP has been named by the American Small Business League (ASBL) as lead attorneys in its civil case against the Department of Defense (DOD) and its contractor Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky). ASBL alleges DOD and Sikorsky wrongfully withheld documents from the public on a sole source contract for helicopters. A trial is scheduled for December 11 in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

"This rare Freedom of Information Act trial will test the government's claim that the central facts underlying a sole source contract for which there are no competitors are proprietary," said Jonathan W. Cuneo, partner of Washington, DC based Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP. "This is a simple conflict between secrecy and openness on the part of a Fortune 500 contractor who has received billions of dollars from taxpayers for 30 years."

The American Small Business League, a Sonoma, CA based small business advocacy group, filed the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in 2013. Following the refusal of DOD and Sikorsky, owned by Lockheed Martin Corporation, to fully disclose documents claimed to be proprietary, the lawsuit was filed in federal court in 2014. Although the court ruled in ASBL's favor, the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court reversed that decision and sent the suit back to the lower court for discovery and trial.

"Citizens should not have to go through time consuming and costly litigation to obtain information not involving national security to which they are entitled," Mr. Cuneo added.

"We filed the FOIA lawsuit to force the Pentagon and its contractors to be more transparent on how, and to whom, subcontracts are awarded under the controversial Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program (CSPTP) ostensibly designed to promote the awarding of subcontracts to small businesses," explained Lloyd Chapman, ASBL's founder and president. "We believe the requested documents will show that required small business subcontracting may have occurred only on a sham basis, if small business subcontracting occurred at all."

The ASBL has calculated that the Pentagon may have unwittingly deprived small businesses of many hundreds of billions of dollars since the CSPTP began in 1989 as a temporary, test program. Now in its 28th year, the "test" program reduces the specificity and transparency of large contractor reporting of asserted small business subcontracting. This enables Pentagon prime contractors to cheat legitimate small businesses, ASBL says.

"Under the Small Business Act, 23 percent of all federal contracts must be awarded to small businesses," Mr. Chapman continued. "Since the Pentagon is the largest federal contractor and small businesses make up 98 percent of America's companies, the outcome of our case could have a meaningful, positive impact on the U.S. economy if it leads to real reform of the subcontracting process."

With its principal office in Washington, DC, Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP represents clients in a range of civil justice and legislative matters including civil and human rights, antitrust, consumer protection, product liability and securities and intellectual property.

SOURCE Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP

Related Links

www.cuneolaw.com


BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RISI, the leading price assessments and information provider for the global forest products industry, has announced the appointment of Daniel Klein as Chief Executive Officer of the company and sister company FOEX Indexes Ltd. Klein will be responsible for the strategic management and growth of the companies, which are part of the Price Reporting and Analytics Division of Euromoney Institutional Investor, PLC.

Klein brings over twenty years of experience in the information market. Prior to joining RISI and FOEX, Klein spent fifteen years at Forrester Research, Inc. and has held roles in business development, product management, strategy, and consulting.

"Dan is a very client-focused, analytical, and strategic leader," said Raju Daswani, CEO of Euromoney's Price Reporting and Analytics Division. "We are excited to have someone of his caliber join the team. Dan's abilities and experience as a leader will strengthen our already robust pricing, information and analytics offering."

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 using detailed market price assessments and analysis.

Headquartered in Boston, MA, RISI operates additional offices throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.

About FOEX Indexes Ltd (www.foex.fi)

FOEX is a market reference price index provider based in Helsinki, Finland. FOEX produces PIX price indices for the pulp, paper, paperboard, and forest-based bioenergy industries. Together with RISI , FOEX was acquired by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC in 2017.

About Euromoney's Price Reporting & Analytics Division ( www.euromoneyplc.com )

Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 250 share index. It is an international business-to-business information group focused primarily on asset management, pricing, data and market intelligence, and banking and finance.

RISI is part of Euromoney's cross-commodity price reporting and market intelligence business, incorporating RISI and the Metal Bulletin Group  a price reporting agency serving the metals, minerals, and mining markets. This commodities pricing and analytics unit within Euromoney provides data for over 4,400 commodity prices, forecasts, and market analysis, supported by a team of over 360 employees located around the globe.

For Press Enquiries, please contact:

Alan Petrillo

Marketing Communications

O: 781-778-7592

E: [email protected]

SOURCE RISI and FOEX

Related Links

http://www.risiinfo.com


HERNDON, Va., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology and a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), today announced that Datagroup, the leading Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) provider in Ukraine, has selected the iDirect platform and its new series of DVB-S2X remotes, the iQ Series, to offer new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) services to their substantial customer base. The company will leverage the iDirect network to offer high-speed connectivity to a wide range of enterprise markets, enabling cost-effective deployment of large-scale networks.

Datagroup has purchased capacity from Eutelsat 16A and Eutelsat 12West B. Long-term plans call for Datagroup to license an additional transponder of HTS capacity to support networks that can sale up to 50,000 sites.

iDirect's DVB-S2X technology delivers revolutionary gains in performance and efficiencies and will enable Datagroup to scale their network based on a significantly lower cost model. The iQ Series of remotes are designed to meet the needs of both fixed and mobility networks within a wide range of performance scenarios and software licensing features, based on a future-proof software-upgradeable design.

"Datagroup is the leading VSAT provider within Ukraine with over 83% market share. Our partnership with iDirect and the selection of their leading-edge DVB-S2X platform, along with the new iQ Series remote is a critical step in growing our leadership and delivering the high-quality services our customers rely on," said Mikhail Shelemba, CEO, Datagroup.

"Datagroup is an important example of how to leverage HTS to meet current demand, while setting the stage for continued growth," said David Harrower, Senior Vice President, Global Sales at VT iDirect. "By deploying our latest DVB-S2X technology and iQ remotes, Datagroup gains greater performance and efficiencies to meet their escalating user demands and will realize lower business costs that enables them to maintain their leading market position."

VT iDirect, a subsidiary of VT Systems, is a global leader in IP-based satellite communications providing technology and solutions that enable our partners worldwide to optimize their networks, differentiate their services and profitably expand their businesses. For more than 20 years, the VT iDirect organization has focused on meeting the economic and technology challenges across the satellite industry. Today, the product portfolio, branded under the name iDirect, sets new standards in performance and efficiency, making it possible to deliver voice, video and data connectivity anywhere in the world. VT iDirect is the world's largest TDMA enterprise VSAT manufacturer and is the leader in key industries including mobility, military/government and cellular backhaul. In 2007, iDirect Government was formed to better serve the U.S. government and defense communities. For more information please visit www.iDirect.net.

VT Systems is an engineering company providing integrated solutions to the commercial and government markets in the aerospace, electronics, land systems and marine sectors. VT Systems' innovative solutions, products and services include aircraft maintenance, repair and modification; software solutions in training and simulation; satellite-based IP communications technology; network solutions that integrate data, voice and video; rugged computers and computer peripheral equipment; specialized truck bodies and trailers; weapons and munitions systems; road construction equipment; and ship design and shipbuilding. Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., VT Systems operates globally and is a wholly owned subsidiary of ST Engineering. Please visit www.vt-systems.com.

Datagroup is a leading telecommunication services provider with a nation-wide coverage. Datagroup provides its business customers with a wide-range professional telecommunications services including secured data transmission channels and Internet connection, Cloud solutions, digital telephony, radio and satellite communications.

The Company is one of the first telecommunication operators to offer wide-range security solutions to protect clients' business.

SOURCE iDirect

Related Links

http://www.idirect.net


SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Datrium, the leading provider of Open Converged Infrastructure for hybrid clouds, today announced it has been named an Oracle Gold Partner. The company also announced qualification of Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) on Datrium DVX, extending the administrative simplicity, robust availability and integrated backup benefits of its Open Convergence approach to customer's Oracle RAC deployments.

As IT organizations seek alternatives to expensive and inflexible array infrastructure for mission critical Oracle RAC deployments, they encounter three main challenges with hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). When organizations need to roll out a small 2-node RAC deployment, HCI cannot offer a 2-node cluster. In order to provide the highest level of availability, the minimum cluster size for HCI is 5-nodes, which is subject to more than twice the Oracle licensing costs. There is also an availability mismatch between HCI and Oracle RAC. For example, RAC's built-in availability architecture ensures that a 4-node RAC deployment will continue to run even if three of the four nodes fail; whereas with HCI, should more than 2 nodes fail, the entire cluster fails. Finally, many HCI systems do not have the built-in copy data management to clone production databases for test/dev purposes with zero performance impact.

Simplifying Oracle RAC Deployments

That's all changing with Datrium's announced support for virtualizing Oracle RAC on its industry-leading Open Convergence platform, Datrium DVX. This new breed of converged infrastructure combines compute, flash-based primary storage, and integrated backup--now with support for Oracle RAC. With Datrium, customers can deploy mixed production application workloads and test/development workloads in one platform while maintaining isolation for optimal service levels. This unique approach to convergence addresses issues with Oracle RAC on HCI and gives customers a more compatible server-powered option for their deployments.

"At Neovera, we have built our reputation on addressing the unique needs of our customers with unmatched customer service. We were looking to move off our legacy array infrastructure to a modern convergence solution for our Oracle RAC infrastructure that combined VM-level administration with robust availability and bare-metal performance," said Scott Weinberg, CEO and founder. "With Datrium, we got that and more, including end-to-end data security and an integrated backup platform which saves us a ton of time and money."

With Datrium's support of Oracle RAC, scaling is configuration-free. Data services such as erasure coding, global deduplication and compression are always-on and there is no need to selectively configure performance versus efficiency for a given workloadwith Datrium you get both. Adding another Oracle RAC node is as simple as cloning a virtual machine in VMware vCenter. And performance remains high with automatic alignment of I/O with the most active Oracle RAC node and VMware host, eliminating network reads and maintaining high performance.

Robust Availability, Data Integrity and Security

With Datrium DVX, servers remain stateless so where there are N servers, N-1 servers can fail and the DVX remains available. This is well-matched with Oracle RAC which is architected with the same availability model.

In addition to high availability, Datrium DVX provides end-to-end data integrity checking for Oracle RAC, meaning the data written to the RAC node will always match the data written to both flash and secondary storage. Finally, DVX provides end-to-end data security by encrypting Oracle RAC data on host, in-flight across the network, and at rest on the DVX Data Node.

Datrium DVX also provides Oracle RAC customers with powerful real-time VM analytics, providing instant insights at the database VM level, improving visibility, saving time and speeding results.

Integrated Data Management for Oracle RAC

Datrium DVX provides near instant recovery for Oracle RAC by providing consistent local and remote snapshot backups of RAC VMs across all VMware hosts, complimenting Oracle RMAN and Data Guard. Backups are cost effectively maintained on Datrium's Data Nodes, which store both hot and cold data in compressed and globally deduplicated form on secondary storage. Backups can also be archived to Amazon Web Services and managed from a single pane of glass within the DVX console.

In addition to integrated backup, Datrium also accelerates development cycles for Oracle RAC developers with advanced copy data management functionality. Cloned copies of production databases are immediately available to software developers or QA engineers, speeding design, development and testing.

"While HCI clusters are replacing some types of arrays, they are not a good match for the gold standard in enterprise data availability, Oracle RAC," said Brian Biles, Founder and CEO of Datrium. "Datrium's Open Convergence approach was designed for scalable host isolation and efficient cloud data management, so RAC is a great fit, and we're thrilled to be named an Oracle Gold Partner."

Oracle Gold Partner Status

Datrium has been awarded Oracle Gold Partner status, gaining access to extensive partner training, development and demonstration licenses, and other technical resources. With its Gold-level status, Datrium and Oracle can now collaborate effectively to provide joint customers with the best possible solution experience.

[WEBSITE] Oracle Solution Page

[SOLUTION BRIEF] Oracle Solution Brief

Pricing and Availability

Oracle RAC support is provided at no charge in the next DVX software release, available next quarter. Single instance Oracle is available on DVX today.

Industry Recognition

Gartner, Cool Vendors in Storage Technologies, 2016, April 2016 - A Cool Vendor

About Datrium

Datrium is the leader in Open Converged Infrastructure for hybrid clouds, a new breed of converged infrastructure beyond hyperconvergence. Datrium converges compute, primary and secondary storage, and archive to cloud for vastly simpler administration, performance and protection of private and hybrid cloud infrastructure. The company is led by the CTOs and founders from Data Domain and early principal engineers from VMware. For more information, visit www.datrium.com and follow @datrium on Twitter.

SOURCE Datrium

Related Links

http://www.datrium.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Report Introduction

Customers worldwide are increasingly opting for aesthetic procedures and treatments to look younger than their age suggests. The proliferation of qualified plastic surgeons and their well-established networks play a major role in the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05115124







Future Market Insights has released a new report titled 'Dermal Fillers and Botulinum Toxin Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012-2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017-2027' that is an exhaustive analysis of the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market on the basis of key parameters such as Y-o-Y growth, CAGR, and absolute dollar opportunity.



The global dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market has been studied on the basis of seven key geographic regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, and MEA. The dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market report devotes an equal amount of attention to both developed and emerging regions by focussing on the drivers, restraints, opportunities and threats that exist in the regional dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market.



The historical market size of the largest countries in every region has been compared and contrasted with the anticipated future growth so that key stakeholders in the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market can gain a clear understanding. The market attractiveness analysis on the basis of the taxonomy concludes this section of the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market report.



The dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market report begins with the executive summary that is concise and comprehensive. The section includes an overview comprising macroeconomic factors, important facts, and the revenue share by both product type and application.



Our experts have analysed the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market extensively and made their recommendations that you would be highly recommended to take into consideration while devising your long-term market strategies. The recommendations take the form of an overall market approach, segment and region to target with a differentiating strategy to race past your competition in the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market.



The dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market introduction chapter follows the executive summary and should ideally be read in tandem with it. This section gives readers a grassroots level understanding of the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market by way of the definition as well as the taxonomy of the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market.



Dermal Fillers and Botulinum Toxin Market: Taxonomy

The pressure to look younger and fitter has never been more acute than in the 21st century. Key players actively involved in the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market are more than willing to cater to this demand and are offering a diverse suite of products and services. As a new entrant seeking to enter the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market or an incumbent who wishes to change your go-to- market strategy, you would do well to understand what your immediate rivals are planning in the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market.



The competition dashboard features some of the companies operating in the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market by highlighting the key financials, revenue growth, operating and net margin, key ratios, and industry classification codes. A SWOT analysis, recent developments and a broad company strategy outline are highlighted in this section.



Research Methodology

The research methodology adopted by Future Market Insights is considered to be a benchmark in the industry. Our team of diverse and knowledgeable experts have years of experience and they put this to good use during their primary and secondary research in the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market. They prepare a questionnaire that enables them to gather all the relevant information pertaining to the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market.



The facts are thoroughly scrutinised with the help of the triangulation method and the report data is finally validated using advanced company tools to deliver the required insights pertaining to the dermal fillers and botulinum toxin market.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05115124



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



https://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


NORWALK, Conn., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Working Mother magazine today recognized Diageo North America as one of the 2017 Working Mother 100 Best Companies for its strong leadership in creating progressive programs for its workforce in the areas of advancement of women, flexibility, childcare and paid parental leave. This is the ninth consecutive year Diageo has received this honor. The 100 Best Companies are featured in the October/November issue of Working Mother and on workingmother.com.

In addition, Working Mother named Diageo's Ginette Van Waes, Finance Director for the company's Supply North America organization, in its "2017 Mothers of the Year" list. Working Mother awards this honor to employees who demonstrate outstanding work ethic, leadership, resilience and passion.

"Working mothers are an integral part of our workforce. It is an honor to be recognized for our work to create a more equitable workplace where working mothers can contribute their best," said Alessandra Ginante, Executive Vice President of Human Resources, Diageo North America. "On behalf of all of our employees we will celebrate this achievement together and commit to continuing our efforts to drive a more inclusive environment for everyone to grow their career at Diageo."

Working Mother Editor-in-Chief Meredith Bodgas said, "This year's winning companies know the value of keeping their employee moms engaged and supported. They use schedule flexibility, paid parental leave and family benefits to ensure that parents can develop meaningful careers while leading satisfying home lives."

Subha Barry, senior vice president & managing director of Working Mother Media, said, "As our 32nd year of recognizing the best companies begins, we are happy to see that the next generation, coupled with technology, have shown us how employees can be efficient, productive, effective and impactful no matter where they work. The 2017 Working Mother 100 Best Companies' policies and programs have built loyalty among their employees that cannot be underestimated."

The complete list of the 2017 Working Mother 100 Best Companies can be found here.

Here are highlights from the "Best vs. Rest"* data from Working Mother Media:

100% of the 2017 100 Best Companies offer paid maternity leave vs. 30% on a national scale; 97% offer paid paternity leave vs. 24% of U.S. companies.*

A full 100% of the 100 Best Companies offer flextime for employees vs. 57% nationally.

* Source: Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) report 2017 Employee Benefits.

The recognition from Working Mother is part of a growing list of awards Diageo has earned for its commitment to inclusion and diversity. Additional recent honors include:

Diversity MBA's 2017 "50 Out Front for Diversity Leadership" list of the best places in the country for women and diverse managers to work for the sixth consecutive year.

Ranked 19 th overall Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality for the 10th consecutive year by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation.

overall Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality for the 10th consecutive year by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation. Best Places to Work for New Dads Report by Fatherly (2016)

Top 50 Companies for Executive Women by National Association of Female Executives (NAFE): (2010, 2012-2017)

Fortune and Great Place to Work Top 25 Best Global Companies to Work For (2014-2016)

In addition to inclusion and diversity, social responsibility and environmental sustainability are core to Diageo's values. Diageo cares passionately about people enjoying its brands responsibly, and reducing alcohol related harm in society through its own Alcohol in Society programs and collaborative partnerships. Diageo is recognized as a global leader in environmental sustainability and its progress and commitments to tackle climate change have been independently recognized around the world.

About Diageo

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan's and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (LSE:DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:DEO). For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

About Working Mother Media

Working Mother Media (WMM), a division of Bonnier Corporation (bonniercorp.com), publishes Working Mother magazine and its companion website, workingmother.com. The Working Mother Research Institute (workingmother.com/wmri), the National Association for Female Executives (nafe.com) and Diversity Best Practices (diversitybestpractices.com) are also units within WMM. WMM's mission is to serve as a champion of culture change. Working Mother magazine is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest.

SOURCE Diageo

Related Links

http://www.diageo.com


DENVER, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dogtopia, the nation's fastest growing dog daycare, boarding and spa franchise, is targeting the greater Denver area for development. With two existing stores in Lafayette and Highlands Ranch, the national franchise has announced plans to open 12 more locations through strategic franchise partnerships over the next three years, bringing more than 250 jobs to the area.

Already finding success in the market is Dogtopia Chairman Peter Thomas, who is also the franchisee and owner of the Highlands Ranch location.

"A huge dog-loving community, Denver has proven to be an ideal market for Dogtopia," stated Thomas. "Dogtopia has already cemented itself as the top dog daycare choice by providing first-class services for pet parents and their dogs. I've watched the brand grow and continue to implement initiatives to ensure the dogs in our care experience the most exciting day ever in a safe environment. I'm eager to see Dogtopia expand its footprint throughout the market."

Dogtopia pups enjoy an open layout where each playroom offers fun for dogs of similar size and temperament. Each playroom also has compressed rubberized flooring to ease joints, prevent slipping and promote safer play, as well as a powerful HVAC system funneling air out of the building to ensure clean, fresh air. Every area is cleaned solely with dog-safe products. Dogtopia's fees are all-inclusive  meals are prepared according to each pet parent's request at no extra charge, or pet parents can bring their own food.

"The greater Denver region is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country, with one of the largest populations of pet owners," said Alex Samios, Vice President of Franchise Development for Dogtopia. "With unrivaled demand for our services, we're excited to continue our current momentum by attracting strong franchise partners to further spread the Dogtopia brand to new communities."

This development strategy comes alongside the debut of Dogtopia's new model, Dogtopia Lite. The smallest footprint facility is 3,000 square feet, compared to the 5,000 to 10,000 square feet facilities currently offered. The quality services provided in these smaller facilities make them perfect for providing care to urban markets like Denver, and while being more affordable for perspective franchise owners.

Anticipating expansion beyond 400 units within the next five years, Dogtopia's impressive growth has been noticed by Franchise Times magazine, who recently ranked Dogtopia on its 2016 Top 200+ list for the first time. Dogtopia offers a proven franchise opportunity with multiple revenue channels for daycare, boarding, spa, grooming, retail and training. resulting in a validated and exciting business model. The franchise seeks both individuals and multi-unit franchise partners looking for a fun and flexible lifestyle.

For more information on Dogtopia franchising opportunities, visit www.dogtopia.com/franchising.

About Dogtopia

Founded in 2002, Dogtopia is an early pioneer and innovator in the pet services industry, offering an experience focused on safety and transparency in the market. With an emphasis on education, exercise and safe socialization for dogs, pet parents have the assurance of leaving their beloved furry family members in the hands of trained professionals in an environment created with the safety of dogs in mind. Each facility averages between 3,000 10,000 square feet and is specially designed to provide dogs and pet parents with the best experience by reducing odors, noise level, illness and accidents. With more than 50 locations across North America and more than 120 new units sold and in development, the brand is one of the leading providers of specialty daycare and will continue expansion by franchising with successful entrepreneurs. For more information, visit www.dogtopia.com or www.dogtopia.com/franchising.

Media Contact: Toni Lewin, Fishman Public Relations, 847-945-1300 or [email protected]

SOURCE Dogtopia

Related Links

http://www.dogtopia.com


"There are many things to consider during the college planning processfrom the financial expenditure, to the academic offerings, to whether a particular school is a good fit for the student," said Paula Craw, vice president of student success and outreach at ECMC. "ECMC provides several resources that help guide families through the process to help ensure they make the best choice."

ECMC offers the following free resources for students applying to college and families supporting their goals:

Opportunities books offer a step-by-step workbook that features a variety of worksheets covering a myriad of topics, such as understanding the application process, choosing the right school and navigating the financial aid process. The books are available for free download.





books offer a step-by-step workbook that features a variety of worksheets covering a myriad of topics, such as understanding the application process, choosing the right school and navigating the financial aid process. The books are available for free download. College Abacus/Abaco and Pell Abacus/Abaco are online tools that enable students and families to easily and seamlessly compare the entire cost of the college experience, not just tuition. Visit www.collegeabacus.org and www.pellabacus.org to learn more.





The College Place access centers provide help with the college planning process. ECMC currently has six locations around the U.S. in California , Virginia , Connecticut and Oregon , with two additional centers coming soon.



ECMC also has tips for FAFSA filing season to help families as they begin the process:

FFine Print: Be aware that awards may "frontload" scholarships, offering generous freshman-year packages that don't necessarily carry over to sophomore year and beyond. You should be vigilant about reading the fine print in financial aid letters to determine the exact terms and duration of what's being offered.

AAid vs. Loans: The FAFSA will determine how much federal aid you qualify for and will be used by colleges that accept you to determine your award package. But be awaresome award letters lump together grants and loans to shrink your Cost of Attendance (COA). Loans must be repaid (with interest); grants, scholarships and fellowships do not have to be repaid.

FFinancial Considerations: Most students apply to at least five colleges, so identifying schools that are a good financial fit at the beginning will save you money on application feeswhich can range from $40-$90down the road. If you are Pell Grant-eligible, ask for an application fee waiver.

SStart Early: Many students don't realize that most financial aid is first-come, first-served. So don't waitfile your FAFSA as close to the Oct. 1 start date as possible. If you need assistance filing, check with your local high school and colleges for FAFSA completion events in your area.

AAssess Aid Options: Choosing a college is a big decision. By starting early, you'll have more time to fully understand your financial aid options before school and state admission deadlines. Use this time to your advantage by paying close attention to Pell Grants and other aid sources. Cost comparison tools like College Abacus and Pell Abacus (also available in Spanish) can help you identify colleges offering the best value for your unique financial situation.

For more information, visit www.ecmc.org/students.

About ECMC

Established in 1994, Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) is a nonprofit company, operating under a Charter with the U.S. Department of Education, that provides support for the administration of the Federal Family Education Loan Program as a student loan guaranty agency. In our guarantor role, ECMC sponsors programs to help students and families plan and pay for college. We work with schools and loan servicers to lower student loan default rates, promote financial literacy and provide resources to support student loan borrowers to successfully repay their loans. For more information, go to www.ecmc.org.

SOURCE ECMC

Related Links

http://www.ecmc.org


NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eldridge Industries, which operates a portfolio of diversified businesses across several different industries, has acquired a controlling interest in Film Expo Group, producer of the successful film-industry trade shows CineEurope, CineAsia, and ShowEast, and publisher of Film Journal International. Previously a part of Mediabistro Holdings, which is also controlled by Eldridge Industries, Film Expo Group will now operate independently.

Film Expo Group will continue to be led by its existing management team, out of its offices in New York, with former president Robert Sunshine taking the reins as chairman. Andrew Sunshine, who had been vice president, will become president of the new group. "We are extremely excited to join the Eldridge family," the two executives said in a joint statement. "This new configuration positions Film Expo Group for continued success, opening the door to longer-term investment that will allow us to expand our core properties."

Film Expo Group's management team will be bolstered by the addition of Theo Kingma, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. "I am truly honored to work with the Film Expo Group team," said Mr. Kingma. "I look forward to exploring and adding new and exciting opportunities." Mr. Kingma will be based on the West Coast, working out of Eldridge Industries' Beverly Hills office.

"Film Expo Group is a substantial business on its own, and presents a strategic opportunity for Eldridge," said Todd Boehly, chairman and CEO of Eldridge Industries. "We hope to work collaboratively to grow with Eldridge's other subsidiaries."

About Film Expo Group

The Film Expo Group is the premier organizer of events in the motion picture industry. The Film Expo Group produces ShowEast, held in Miami; CineEurope, held in Barcelona; and CineAsia, held in Hong Kong. Additionally, the group publishes, Film Journal International, a leading international trade magazine and website covering the motion picture industry with a special emphasis on theatrical exhibition.

About Eldridge Industries

Eldridge Industries is a private investment firm that strategically manages its capital across a diversified portfolio of companies in several different industries including insurance, finance, media, and real estate. Headquartered in Greenwich, CT, Eldridge works with proven management teams that have demonstrated leadership of human capital, and the perspective and experience to scale an enterprise.

SOURCE Eldridge Industries
NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Online retailer EnviLDN has announced that during the month of October, they will be donating 5 percent of their profits towards breast cancer research in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"We want to support women in every way possible," says the Founder of EnviLDN.com. "We achieve this by developing products tailored to women of all backgrounds. In October, we are proudly supporting women and Breast Cancer Awareness Month by giving towards breast cancer research. We feel that our actions could inspire others to do the same."

"A woman's curves are what makes her unique," explains the Founder. "Our new fashion collection allows women to emphasize the most important part of their bodies, which gives them the right amount of confidence, regardless of their shape, size or height. We pride ourselves on giving all women the comfort and confidence they desire by shaping, smoothing and supporting their curves."

Since the company officially launched last year, EnviLDN has made an unprecedented name for themselves within the fashion industry. They provide competitive prices and a memorable online shopping experience. Based in New York, NY, EnviLDN has a dedicated customer service team and is consistently aiming to grow their business.

To find out more information about EnviLDN and to join the brand in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit their website directly.

Valerie Kramer

99 Hudson Street,

5th Floor,

New York, NY 10013

(347)-763-6549

Related Links

Company Website

SOURCE EnviLDN

Related Links

https://envildn.com


AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, announced today the 'Customer of the Year' winners in its second annual Epicor Customer Excellence Global Awards program. The awards recognize innovative organizations that have successfully transformed operations by deploying Epicor solutions and services to achieve excellence in business efficiency, customer experience, and overall performance.

Epicor Customer Excellence Awards programs are run in the Americas, Asia Pacific, the United Kingdom, Middle East, India and Africa, with regional program winners automatically considered as finalists in the global categories for overall 'Customer of the Year' recognition.

The judging panel for this year's global awards program welcomed Eric Kimberling, founder and managing partner of Panorama Consulting, a leader in the independent ERP consulting industry. "It can be easy to focus on short-term technology objectives at the expense of longer-term, strategic ones," said Kimberling. "What sets the Epicor Customer Excellence Award winners apart from their peers is their unwavering commitment to be at the forefront of their industry by leveraging technology to manage business growth."

The following companies are the 2017 Epicor Customer Excellence Award 'Customer of the Year' global winners:

Birmingham Fasteners is the Business Transformation global winner, a Prophet 21 customer chosen for increasing revenue per employee by 32% and overcoming key hurdles that often set back ERP implementations.

global winner, a Prophet 21 customer chosen for increasing revenue per employee by 32% and overcoming key hurdles that often set back ERP implementations. Metal Tech Partners leveraged Epicor Cloud ERP to eliminate multiple in-house systems and free IT employees to focus on enterprise goals instead of ongoing on-premises day-to-day issues and is the global winner in the Cloud Deployment category.

category. The Customer Experience category global award winner is Fixfast, a customer with a keen eye on the "future state" of its business and who takes proactive steps using analytics from its Epicor ERP data to adapt accordingly.

category global award winner is Fixfast, a customer with a keen eye on the "future state" of its business and who takes proactive steps using analytics from its Epicor ERP data to adapt accordingly. In the Rapid Time to Value category, Epicor ERP customer Russel Finex Ltd took home the global award by tapping into its culture of continuous improvement and cross-department collaboration to maintain impressive project on-time delivery times in addition to keeping up with growth goals, which allowed IT staff to focus on customer-centric activities.

category, Epicor ERP customer Russel Finex Ltd took home the global award by tapping into its culture of continuous improvement and cross-department collaboration to maintain impressive project on-time delivery times in addition to keeping up with growth goals, which allowed IT staff to focus on customer-centric activities. The global winner in the Technology Innovator category is Epicor ERP customer Re:Sound Music Licensing Company, selected for simplifying business processes by leveraging technology and demonstrating the value of the investment in the form of reducing administration costs by 28% as well as being able to generate more royalties revenue to its member organizations.

Criteria used to evaluate nominations included customer, employee and business impact, process improvements, and positive changes gained within the organization to demonstrate benefits and impact of the technology on the customers' business. Project complexity, business objectives, and results achieved were also weighed in the final decisions. For more information on the 2018 Epicor Customer Excellence Awards programs visit the Epicor website.

About Epicor Software Corporation

Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed around the needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 40 years of experience with our customers' unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solutionin the cloud, hosted, or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions manage complexity, increase efficiency, and free up resources so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visit www.epicor.com.

Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation.

Contact: Andre Lenartowicz

Manager, Public Relations, Americas

Epicor Software Corporation

+1 512 278 5265

[email protected]

SOURCE Epicor Software Corporation

Related Links

http://www.epicor.com


AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has recognized the Epicor Partner Network in its 2017 Cloud Partner Program Guide, a list of leading technology vendors with cloud-related partner programs that enable and accelerate the growth of solution providers' cloud initiatives.

We are honored to be featured in CRNs 2017 Cloud Computing Partner Program Guidebeing listed in this guide is a testament to our goal to build a strong collaborative relationship that offers partners significant opportunities to grow their businesses, said Lisa Pope, Executive Vice President of Sales, Americas, Epicor Software.

The Epicor Partner Networkcomprised of over 400 reseller, solutions, services, and consulting partners worldwidedelivers cloud commercial selling and implementation training to its global partner ecosystem. The Epicor enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform is architected for both on premises and cloud environments, providing partners maximum flexibility to meet the deployment preferences of their customers.

"In a saturated cloud market, it can be difficult for solution providers to differentiate among cloud vendors and find the right ones to partner with," said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. "CRN's Cloud Partner Program Guide simplifies this painstaking process by identifying the cloud partner programs with a compelling combination of resources, support, training, and financial incentives. Our 2017 guide features a strong lineup of cutting-edge companies with proven track records of helping partners meet and exceed their customers' needs."

The CRN 2017 Cloud Partner Program Guide serves as a valuable resource for solution providers navigating the booming cloud marketplace, helping them to identify technology suppliers with innovative cloud offerings and partner programs. To qualify for participation in the Cloud Partner Program Guide, technology vendors must have a unique set of partner program benefits for solution providers that deliver cloud infrastructure or applications.

"Epicor has differentiated itself from other cloud vendors by empowering partners with critical resources for success and delivering a true freedom of choice," said Lisa Pope, executive vice president of sales, Americas, Epicor Software. "We are honored to be featured in CRN's 2017 Cloud Computing Partner Program Guidebeing listed in this guide is a testament to our goal to build a strong collaborative relationship that offers partners significant opportunities to grow their businesses."

The Cloud Partner Program Guide will be featured in the October issue of CRN and can be viewed online at www.crn.com/cloud-ppg.

About the Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com

About Epicor Software Corporation

Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed around the needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 40 years of experience with our customers' unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solutionin the cloud or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions manage complexity, increase efficiency, and free up resources so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visit www.epicor.com.

Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation.

Contact: Lindsay Ortega

Senior Specialist, Public Relations

Epicor Software Corporation

+1 952 417 5022

[email protected]

SOURCE Epicor Software Corporation

Related Links

http://www.epicor.com


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pedro Martinez, Co-owner and Bar Tender of the Bluebird Bar in Paris, has won the European Regional Final of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2018 competing against a highly talented field of Bar Tenders who each had won their own National or Sub-regional finals to take their place at the European event.

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561729/Angostura__1.jpg

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561730/Angostura__2.jpg

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561731/Angostura_3.jpg

Held on the impressive aft deck of the Yacht Club of Greece in Athens on Monday evening (18 September 2017), overlooking the historic military port of ancient Athens and the Saronic Gulf, Pedro's winning Rum Cocktail  the "Jumbled Jamboree" and winning Amaro Cocktail - the "Runaway Toast" impressed the acclaimed Judging panel to take home the European title. Pedro's prize sees him take the winning ticket to represent Europe at the Global Finals which will be held in Trinidad and Tobago on 11 February 2018, just ahead of Carnival. As part of the prize, Pedro will also join the select team of Angostura's Brand Ambassadors at Bar Convent Berlin in early October, where guest bar tending shifts are being run on the stand there.

The event was organised by Angostura's local Distribution partner Beverage World with support of wider Agency partner for EMEAA, Artisan Spirits which brought together seven winning Bar Tenders who had each won Sub-Regional finals in the Nordics& Baltics, Eastern Europe, Central Europe and national finals from France, Greece, Spain and Russia.

Pedro Martinez's experience includes being Head Bar Tender at the respected Moonshiner Bar in Paris before becoming Co-owner and Bar Tender and the Bluebird Bar in Paris - recently voted by Timeout as one of the coolest Parisian bar openings of 2017 so far.

The road to the European Finals this week, saw Bar Tenders from over 20 European markets participate, all submitting their initial applications On-line before being judged on-line and at live events  a new evolution of the bi-annual event. Next up sees the Middle East Regional Finals take place in Cape Town on 23 October and the Asian Regional Finals the week later, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Contact:

Vitra Deonarine

Phone: 623-1841 ext 290

SOURCE House of Angostura

Related Links

http://www.angostura.com


BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Florida Atlantic University's College of Business will host the 26th annual Business Leader of the Year breakfast on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018 at 8 a.m., at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 East Camino Real, in Boca Raton. This year's program celebrates the accomplishments of Colin Brown, chairman and chief executive officer of JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

"JM Family has been a key business in South Florida for many years and has established an exceptional reputation with its customers, business partners and the community as a whole," said Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., dean of FAU's College of Business. "Colin Brown exemplifies the kind of leadership characteristics that FAU celebrates with our Business Leader of the Year Award."

JM Family Enterprises, Inc. is a diversified automotive corporation ranked No. 21 on Forbes' list of "America's Largest Private Companies." As CEO, Brown leads the entire organization, including JM Family's Executive Management Team, which oversees the development and implementation of the company's objectives and strategies for future growth. Brown also serves as chairman of the company's board of directors.

Brown directs all of JM Family's businesses, including Southeast Toyota Distributors, the world's largest independent distributor of Toyota vehicles; JM&A Group, one of the leading independent providers of finance and insurance products in the automotive industry; World Omni Financial Corp., a diversified financial services company; and JM Lexus.

Brown joined the family-owned business in 1992 as vice president and general counsel. He was appointed chief operating officer in 1997 and president in 2000. Brown was named CEO in January 2003, becoming the first non-family member to hold the titles of first president and then CEO. In 2017, Brown was appointed chairman of the board while retaining the title of CEO.

Since 2005, Brown has served on United Way of Broward County's Board of Directors. As chairman and CEO of JM Family, Brown leads the company's annual United Way giving campaign. Additionally, Brown has led the company's support of the Habitat for Humanity of Broward through both corporate contributions and volunteerism.

Founded by Jim Moran in 1968, JM Family is a $14.9 billion company ranked No. 55 by FORTUNE as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.

Tickets are available online at business.fau.edu/bloy.

SOURCE Florida Atlantic University College of Business

Related Links

http://fau.edu


AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The FCA Foundation, the charitable arm of North American automaker FCA US LLC, today announced six grants, totaling nearly $900,000, to support academic and nonprofit organizations across the United States that help students  pre-K through post-secondary  build the skills and competencies that support student achievement. Many of these collaborations focus particularly on programs designed to expand science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills and opportunities among youth.

"At FCA, we believe that education is an essential element in creating strong and sustainable communities," said Shane Karr, Head of External Affairs, FCA  North America and President, FCA Foundation. "These grants will help students overcome obstacles, improve academic performance and gain practical skills that will help them succeed and mature into resilient, responsible members of the community."

The FCA Foundation provided grants to the following organizations:

$250,000: Communities In Schools (CIS): Working directly in more than 2,300 low-income schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia, CIS' model of Integrated Student Supports is proven to keep the most vulnerable students in school and on the path to graduation. To do this, CIS' school-based staff work hand-in-hand with teachers, school leaders, community partners and families to identify those students' unique needs and to surround them with a caring network of support.

$25,000: Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP): DAPCEP seeks to increase student interest in STEM topics and assist in the academic preparation needed to graduate from high school and succeed in a university-level STEM curriculum. Through its engagement with numerous corporations, public, charter and private schools, and eight colleges and universities, DAPCEP anticipates that its weekend, in-school, after-school and summer programs will reach nearly 8,000 pre-K to 12th grade students.

$265,000: FIRST in Michigan: Grants will support 76 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST Lego League (FLL) teams across the United States, helping students offset the costs of competing, including registration fees, parts and materials and team apparel. Additionally, FCA US employees often donate their time and skills to help mentor students and serve as competition coordinators.

$200,000: National College Access Network (NCAN): NCAN works to promote best practices and to build capacity for college access and success through its support of organizations that help underrepresented middle and high school students aspire to, apply to, enter and succeed in college. Focused on connecting with educational institutions, nonprofits, government and businesses within the "high school to college pipeline" and identifying best practices, including targeted advising on academic, career choices, college admissions and financial aid, NCAN touches the lives of 2 million students and families each year.

$50,000: Winning Futures: Through its Life Skills & Career Readiness Mentoring Program, Winning Futures matches at-risk and disadvantaged students with mentors from the metro Detroit business community whom then help teach the life skills necessary to become successful, productive citizens. This year alone, Winning Futures anticipates serving more than 1,700 students at 11 schools throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

$50,000: Women of Tomorrow: Through a unique mentoring program with highly accomplished professional women and scholarship opportunities, Women of Tomorrow helps at-risk young women (grades 9-12) in Michigan successfully navigate the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Accordingly, the program emphasizes sustained mentoring and supportive peer relationships that extend over three or four years, through each young woman's entire high school career. Women of Tomorrow currently serves over 1,200 mentees in 53 public high schools throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.

Consistent with its charitable giving pillars, such as youth development, support for veterans and their families, education and service, the FCA Foundation will provide more than $4 million in funding this year to charitable organizations and initiatives across the United States.

In addition to the FCA Foundation's monetary contributions, FCA US employees are given 18 hours of paid time off each year to volunteer their time and skills to help build strong, resilient communities. These relationships and partnerships provide a vital connection between FCA US employees and the communities where they live and work.

About the FCA Foundation

The FCA Foundation is committed to rebalancing inequalities to promote the full realization of every human being. We seek to support outcomes in our communities that ensure people can enjoy equality and dignity. The FCA Foundation directs its resources toward the following areas of focus:

Youth Development  helping young people develop the leadership qualities and resiliency necessary to succeed in school, at work, and in life.

 helping young people develop the leadership qualities and resiliency necessary to succeed in school, at work, and in life. Education  building the skills and competencies that lead to achievement and support educational access and success.

 building the skills and competencies that lead to achievement and support educational access and success. Military/Veterans  ensuring veterans successfully transition to civilian life and that the needs of military service members and their families are supported.

 ensuring veterans successfully transition to civilian life and that the needs of military service members and their families are supported. Service  leveraging the talents and contributions of all members of the community.

SOURCE FCA US LLC

Related Links

http://www.fcanorthamerica.com


SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixteen finalists have been selected in the second annual Sacramento Region Innovation Awards, presented by Stoel Rives LLP, Moss Adams LLP and the Sacramento Business Journal. The awards program recognizes recent business innovations in six categories, honoring the people and organizations that advance new products, services and processes from the regional economy. Winners will be revealed during an awards luncheon on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at the Hilton Sacramento Arden West. For the full list of finalists, visit the Stoel Rives website.

The program also will recognize University of California, Davis as the 2017 "Innovation of the Year" honoree, spotlighting the university's role as a champion of regional innovation and entrepreneurship. Chancellor Gary S. May will accept the award on behalf of the university and provide keynote remarks. "It's an honor to accept the Innovation of the Year award on behalf of UC Davis," Chancellor May said. "We thank Sacramento area leaders for recognizing how a top public research university like ours contributes to a thriving region. We look forward to enhancing our ties with the region's business and technology communities."

The program's selection committee reviewed more than 75 nominations submitted online through the Sacramento Business Journal between June 1 and July 31, 2017. Committee members were drawn from the area's civic, business, academic and technology sectors, and include representatives from MedStart, CleanStart, UC Davis' Venture Catalyst, and Greater Sacramento Economic Council, among others. Last year's category winners were also invited to serve as judges this year. Moss Adams tabulated ballots and certified results using a new online voting system developed through Qualtrics.

About the Innovation Awards: Stoel Rives has celebrated innovative companies and their accomplishments since hosting the first Innovation Awards in Salt Lake City in 2002. Each consecutive year, the law firm has honored groundbreaking advancements from emerging to established businesses. In its commitment to foster the innovation ecosystem across its footprint, Stoel Rives has since expanded its Innovation Awards program to Boise, Idaho (2006) and Sacramento, California (2016). In 2017, the firm partnered with the Puget Sound Business Journal as a presenting sponsor of the publication's inaugural innovation awards program in Seattle, Washington. www.stoel.com/innovation

Contact Stoel Rives LLP: Jasmine Trillos-Decarie, Chief Business Development Officer, 206.386.7637

SOURCE Stoel Rives LLP

Related Links

http://www.stoel.com


CARMEL, Ind., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Outdoor Distinctions LLC, launches the new Acadia Fire Pit Kit to add warmth to any gathering. The wood burning outdoor fire pit kit is lightweight, assembles in minutes, and comes complete with twenty-four decorative blocks, bowl insert, ember screen, grate, and fire poker.

Outdoor Distinctions LLC, launches the new 42" Acadia Lightweight Fire Pit Kit

"What makes the fire pit unique is our cast stone blocks are reinforced with fiber strands making them much lighter than traditional concrete blocks for easy installation," says Brian Schroeder, Director of Operations for Outdoor Distinctions. "Best of all, no tools or adhesive is required as the fire pit was designed to complete a round profile with blocks that stack easily, creating a custom look."

"Research concluded that precast concrete blocks are heavy and susceptible to cracking during freeze and thaw cycles which is why we created a custom cellular concrete block mixture ratio," says Jake Meredith, Director of Marketing for Outdoor Distinctions. "The outdoor fire pit kit was developed to have mass appeal for various backyard settings to share special moments with friends and family."

For more product information about the Acadia 42" Lightweight Fire Pit Kit visit our website for details and product videos. Product is available at most online retailers including Amazon, Wayfair, eBay and www.outdoordistinctions.com.

About Outdoor Distinctions LLC

Outdoor Distinctions LLC manufactures and markets high-end outdoor structures and accessories that include pergolas, arbors, planter boxes, fire pits, and mailbox accessories. Our product lines are supported with manufacturing in the USA and Mexico, Midwest warehousing, and distribution across North America. We are a privately held company headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.

Outdoor Distinctions was launched in 2016 to capitalize on outdoor living trends and consumer needs for low-maintenance products with a high-end design. For more information on Outdoor Distinctions LLC, visit the company's website at https://outdoordistinctions.com.

Contact:

Jake Meredith, Director of Marketing

Outdoor Distinctions LLC

844-345-2424

[email protected]

Related Files

Acadia 42 in Fire Pit - ebrochure.pdf

Use and Care ACADIA FIRE PIT 01 2017 - English.pdf

Related Images

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New - Fire Pit Kit

image2.jpg

42" Acadia Lightweight Fire Pit Kit

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Fire Pit Kit Powder Coated Metal Insert

Related Links

Outdoor Distinctions, LLC

Acadia Fire Pit Kit

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjpXPnUijW8

SOURCE Outdoor Distinctions, LLC
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Availity, the nation's largest real-time health information network, announced today that it has received a significant growth equity investment led by Francisco Partners, a leading technology-focused private equity firm, with additional investment from Availity's existing investor group.

"Availity is excited to welcome Francisco Partners as an investor and member of the Availity team," said Russ Thomas, CEO of Availity. "Our expansive network of deeply integrated healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare technology firms interact through Availity nearly four billion times annually. This new investment uniquely positions us to enable a 21st century healthcare system and fuels Availity to rapidly deliver on inorganic and organic growth opportunities."

Availity is the leading healthcare engagement platform for synthesizing and sharing critical health information in the real-time daily workflow of its customers. The company enables transparency of administrative, financial, and clinical information with rich insights, automation and standardization. Availity is driving systematic change and standardization as the designated nexus of communication between 1.2 million active providers and a network of national and regional health plans across the country.

"Availity is one of the few healthcare technology entities that can be called a true platform," said Chris Adams, partner with Francisco Partners. "By operating at the intersection of payers and providers, Availity is able to innovate to reduce waste, cut inefficiency, and solve some of the most difficult problems in healthcare."

Availity's existing investors are some of the nation's largest health plans, including Anthem, Florida Blue, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. "The Availity investor group is delighted to have Francisco Partners join the team," said John Jesser, Chairman of the Availity Board of Managers and Vice President, Anthem. "Through a thoughtful deliberation process, the Board concluded that Francisco Partners is an excellent strategic partner as we develop and acquire solutions that fundamentally reinvent the way payers and providers collaborate, share information, and draw actionable insights to foster more meaningful, patient-centered care."

In addition to this substantial equity investment, in July Availity secured a new $200 million revolving credit facility to develop and acquire high-quality assets within the company's payer and provider segments.

Piper Jaffray served as exclusive financial advisor to Availity and its outside corporate counsel, Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP served as legal advisor. Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal advisor to Francisco Partners.

About Availity

As an industry-leading, HITRUST-certified health care information technology company, Availity serves an extensive network of health plans, providers, and technology partners nationwide through a suite of dynamic products built on a powerful, intelligent platform. Availity integrates and manages the clinical, administrative, and financial data needed to fuel real-time coordination between providers, health plans, and patients in a growing value-based care environment. Facilitating over 10 million transactions daily, Availity's ability to provide accurate, timely, and relevant information is vital to the financial success of its clients. For more information, including an online demonstration, please visit www.availity.com or call 1.800.AVAILITY (282.4548).

About Francisco Partners

Francisco Partners is a leading global private equity firm that specializes in investments in technology businesses. Since its launch over 17 years ago, Francisco Partners has raised over $10 billion in capital and invested in more than 200 technology companies, making it one of the most active and longstanding investors in the technology industry. The firm invests in opportunities where its deep knowledge and operational expertise can help companies realize their full potential.

Contact:

Matt Schlossberg

Amendola Communications for Availity

[email protected]

630-935-9136

John Moore

[email protected]

215-657-4971

SOURCE Availity

Related Links

http://www.availity.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the smart irrigation industry, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Hortau with the 2017 North America New Product Innovation Award for its proprietary soil tensiometer field monitoring stations. Hortau, a North American company with headquarters in California and Quebec, designs and manufactures precision irrigation management systems for agriculture. Its patented system based on irrigation management software, automation technology, and weather monitoring helps farmers manage crop stress and ensure optimal production while simultaneously reducing water use, energy consumption, and overall environmental impact.

One of the most important global environmental challenges is achieving a balance between the utilization of fresh water for agriculture and meeting the domestic and industrial water requirements of an exponentially increasing population. The contribution of smart irrigation systems to simultaneously benefit food production and decrease water consumption is significant. However, several challenges remain, including:

Improper scheduling, which over a prolonged period of time can cause crop damage and affect crop yield;

Conventional systems' inability to accurately define real-time crop stress based on limited inputs from the direct chemical measurement of soil tension;

Inconsistent regional water regulations and frameworks; and

Minimal access to data-driven, predictive algorithms for increasing the yield per acre.

"For companies in this field, the key to success resides in a solution's ability to help farmers automate their irrigation scheduling to increase crop yield with minimal water consumption and near-zero fertilizer leaching," said Thirumalai. "The ability to measure soil tension and plant stress and transmit that information in real time helps farmers identify the optimal growing environment and design optimal irrigation schedules."

Hortau's proprietary soil tensiometer field monitoring stations measure soil tension and plant stress via several built-in sensors, allowing crops to communicate in real time with cloud-based software. The system includes weather stations that collect temperature, rainfall, wind, relative humidity, and other real-time data, all of which is accessible via growers' personal computers or mobile devices. Hortau's automation technology helps growers establish ideal irrigation schedules by prescribing precise watering times, locations, and amounts based on sensors' soil tension readings. The company's proprietary technology is also a proactive solution. Farmers receive up-to-the-minute soil tension and plant stress data for a comprehensive picture of the amount of water the crop actually takes in for efficient growth. With that data, farmers can also use Hortau's app to forecast irrigation times or even use their personal devices to start irrigation in response to specific sensor readings.

"Hortau's soil tensiometer monitoring stations allow growers to use real-time data from the sensor-based monitoring stations to immediately remedy plant stress and optimize growing conditions," said Frost & Sullivan Analyst Sharath Thirumalai. "In comparison, most competitors' systems react to weather parameters and the measurement of water volume in the soil, regardless of the crops' actual needs."

Hortau's soil tensiometer monitoring stations offers complete automation of water supply management with the help of satellite imagery from third-party data sources. Its autonomous control of all pumps, valves, filters, and fertilizer injectors required for efficient irrigation takes into account individual farming operations and pumping capacities. In addition, the artificial intelligence-based management system features a simple dashboard that gives farmers information about land, crops, and day-to-day operations for efficient zonal monitoring. Hortau's smart irrigation solution for growers provides the ability to optimize irrigation scheduling, accurately measure crop stress, and gain sensor-captured data for immediate use. For these reasons, Hortau has earned Frost & Sullivan's 2017 North America New Product Innovation Award.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed an innovative element in a product by leverage leading-edge technologies. The award recognizes the value-added features/benefits of the product and the increased ROI it gives customers, which in turn raises customer acquisition and overall market penetration potential.

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 Hortau

Hortau, a global leader in wireless, web-based irrigation management systems, was founded in 2002 by two agriculturally minded entrepreneurs, Dr. Jean Caron, agronomist, Ph.D in Soil Physics, and Jocelyn Boudreau, agricultural engineer, M.Sc. in Soil Physics.

Hortau's patented, irrigation management solutions help growers detect plant stress, ensuring optimal crop growth while reducing water and energy use as well as eliminating the environmental impacts of crop production.

Hortau has offices, representatives and technicians throughout the U.S. and Canada. Learn more at Hortau.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. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Estefany Ariza

P: 210.477.8469

F: 210.348.1003

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

http://www.frost.com


Along the way, the drivers saw convoy after convoy of utility trucks and tree-cutting crews heading there too. At the peak of Hurricane Irma, 15 million people were without power. Fuel trucks were sent to help support the utility vehicles traveling to some of the worst hit areas of Florida.

One of the Burke trucks was assigned to meet up with utility trucks from Texas, and traveled with them through the night, fueling their trucks and equipment as they worked their way down to a staging area in the Orlando area. Support was pouring in from around the country, and their vehicles needed fueling too.

About 27,000 utility workers were working their way across Florida to restore power. That's not including the tree-trimming crews that worked alongside the utility workers.

The utility crews and tree-cutting crews stayed overnight at 20 staging areas across the state. At these staging areas, trucks and equipment were fueled while they were parked and out-of-service. Each of these sites provided fuel, food, water, showers, and a place to sleep for about 1,000 workers.

Power has been restored in most areas, except in areas where there was extensive flooding or tornado damage. Clean up continues, and for many storm-ravaged neighborhoods, the long road to rebuilding has begun.

"We're so proud of our drivers helping with storm recovery," said Dan Hill, director of operation for Dennis K. Burke, Inc. "They worked hard and under difficult conditions for many days. We look forward to welcoming them home."

SOURCE Dennis K. Burke, Inc.
While at LeadFirst, both have advised investors, boards of directors, and corporate executive leaders on issues of human capital deployment, culture formation, team performance and effective leadership strategies for more than three decades. Their mission has been the improvement of business results through people.

Gerard F. McDonough developed the proprietary Human Equity Value methodology and has expertise in the disciplines of enterprise-level culture shaping, organizational design, merger and acquisition integration, change execution, and executive-level leadership and team development. Before founding LeadFirst, Mr. McDonough was senior vice president of customer value analytics for Bank of America. Earlier in his career, he was founder and managing principal of Booth Morgan Consulting, a customer-value strategy consulting firm. He also held senior positions with two successful leadership development and culture change companies, as the vice president of the business intelligence division at The Atlanta Consulting Group, and as the mid-Atlantic regional director of strategic services for Zenger-Miller, Inc.

David M. Lynn's career includes experience as an executive in the professional services, technology, and consulting industries and includes developing and leading strategic initiatives with some of the world's most recognized brands and most widely respected organizations. He has been responsible for many of LeadFirst's strategic client engagements including enterprise-wide business strategy, culture shaping, and executive development initiatives.

Ankura Co-President Kevin Lavin commented, "Gerry and David's proprietary methodologies, including value-driven human capital models, will greatly broaden our ability to assist clients with meaningful insights, and improved profitability. We are very excited about Gerry and David joining Ankura. "

Mr. McDonough stated, "Clearly, Ankura is committed to assembling a talent force of world-class professionals within a highly collaborative culture capable of bringing breakthrough results to its clients. Our human capital expertise through LeadFirst's processes and technologies fits in very well with Ankura's existing service offerings. We are very enthusiastic to be part of this dynamic, growing firm."

About Ankura Consulting

Ankura Consulting, an independent business advisory and expert services firm, is defined by a culture of collaboration and focused on delivering unrivaled depths of knowledge to clients, addressing important opportunities and critical choices every day. Our Cybersecurity & Geopolitical, Investigations & Accounting Advisory, Litigation & Disputes, Regulatory & Contractual Compliance, and Turnaround & Restructuring professionals are proven cross-disciplinary and cross-industry experts who create the diverse and dynamic solutions required to navigate today's complicated world. At Ankura, we know that collaboration drives results.

SOURCE Ankura Consulting

Related Links

http://www.ankuraconsulting.com


Prior to joining GIACT, Petersen held a variety of sales and sales management positions at Thomson Reuters where he led teams serving the legal and compliance markets and helped grow his division to over $50 million annual revenue. He was a founding member of the Corporate Investigative Division that provided KYC, AML, Fraud, and Due Diligence SaaS, Batch, and API solutions to a wide array of companies and financial institutions throughout the U.S. At GIACT, he will be building a team of sales professionals that will provide the most comprehensive suite of business and consumer real-time data solutions in the industry. He attended Colorado State University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing and has advanced studies at the Carlson School of Management and ACAMS.

"I'm very excited about joining GIACT during this time of unprecedented growth and product innovation," said Petersen. "GIACT's EPIC Platform is unmatched in the industry and I look forward to working with the exceptional team that GIACT has built to bring EPIC to market."

"Brett has a long track record of success at building high-performing sales organizations," said Melissa Townsley, co-founder and CEO of GIACT. "His leadership and expertise will be essential to helping GIACT reach the next level during this period of rapid growth and client acquisition."

About GIACT

GIACT has been helping companies verify valued customers since 2004. From financial to insurance, to retail, to solutions for your industry, GIACT offers customer intelligence for complete payment confidence. As the leader in providing real-time data to help companies mitigate payment risk and fraud, our OFAC screening, ID verification, account verification and authentication, and mobile verification solutions enable you to focus on providing unmatched customer experiences. Since our founding, we've processed billions of transactions for our more than 1,000 customers. For more information, visit www.giact.com or call 1-866-918-2409. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE GIACT

Related Links

http://www.giact.com


COLOGNE, Germany, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 4Stop (FourStop GmbH) a leading fraud prevention provider, today announced that it has completed the integration of its proprietary risk management technology with MiFinity.

"We are pleased to be working in close partnership with 4Stop. The 4Stop solution will service all our KYC, compliance, anti-fraud and regulatory requirements. This integration will enhance and protect our payment product," says MiFinity CEO Paul Kavanagh.

Access to the 4Stop solution is via a single integration. Its unique real-time cascading KYC verification technology performs like no other in the risk management industry. The 4Stop solution collates a multitude of KYC data sources to create the largest KYC database which is supported via its advanced proprietary fraud prevention engine and technology.

"Our goal is to be the market leader in the online payments space and this integration will enhance our existing solution and support our eWallet," says MiFinity CEO Paul Kavanagh.

"It's great to know that considerable investment in our product has strengthened our presence in the digital payment eco-system. Our value proposition has always been centered in solving businesses' KYC, regulatory obligations and fraud prevention. From a customer experience perspective, our core objective is to remove complexities and the need for multiple integrations which only serve to place increased demand on IT resources and create work around solutions. We're very excited for the future because our technology is not only relevant for today but will support businesses in their future," says 4Stop CEO Ingo Ernst.

ABOUT MIFINITY

MiFinity, a global payments provider, offers a range of cost-effective and efficient end-to-end payment solutions. It has more than 15 years of experience in the online payments space with a growing network of global partner relationships and a best-in-class, highly secure and regulated technology platform. MiFinity Payments has evolved into a true 'omni-channel' payment provider to the global online payment market. MiFinity enables customers to conduct financial transactions on terms that best fit their unique business needs. For more information please visit, http://www.mifinity.com.

ABOUT 4STOP

4Stop, based in Germany and founded in 2016, is a global KYC, compliance and anti-fraud risk management company. Through a single API, companies can access 400+ global premium KYC data sources to manage compliance requirements on a global scale. This is achieved with 4Stop's proprietary anti-fraud technology, real-time intelligent monitoring and data aggregation analysis. 4Stop's in-depth knowledge of the customer journey to mitigate risk, in conjunction with global regulatory requirements within markets, allows companies to design their technology to be a one-stop solution to future-proof businesses. For more information please visit, https://www.4stop.com.

For more information please contact,

Chantel Meeley

[email protected]

[email protected]

Related Links

MiFinity site

4Stop site

SOURCE 4Stop
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, government watchdog group Campaign for Accountability (CfA) filed a complaint with the Travis County District Attorney requesting an investigation into whether the Heidi Group, an anti-abortion nonprofit based in Texas, violated state criminal law by misappropriating taxpayer funds. CfA reviewed thousands of pages of documents and discovered the Heidi Group failed to perform in accordance with its state contracts. In addition, CfA filed a complaint against the organization with the IRS alleging excessive lobbying and possible prohibited political activities.

CfA Legal Counsel Katie O'Connor said, "The Heidi Group was barely solvent before the State of Texas appropriated $7 million to fund it and has received little if anything to show for the money. Texas taxpayers deserve to know where their hard-earned money has gone."

Between 2016 and 2017, Texas Health and Human Services signed two contracts with the Heidi Group's Executive Director, Carol Everett, designating nearly $7 million in state funds for the nonprofit, purportedly to help subcontractors expand family planning and reproductive health care services offered to low income Texans.

CfA's six-month investigation reveals a record of mismanagement and neglect. CfA found the Heidi Group provided almost no work for its $1.6 million contract through the Healthy Texas Women program, or for its $5.1 million contract through the Family Planning Program. In March 2017, Everett admitted to a staffer in the governor's office, "No, we don't look good, and no, we're not doing what I planned to do, and no, we're not doing what I wanted to do," according to a voicemail obtained by CfA through an open records request.

CfA has asked the Travis County D.A. to investigate whether Everett and the Heidi Group misappropriated money in violation of Texas's theft statute, as well as whether the group engaged in deceptive business practices.

Separately, CfA called on the IRS to investigate whether the Heidi Group violated its nonprofit tax status by lobbying and endorsing political candidates.

CfA is nonprofit watchdog organization using research, litigation, and aggressive communications to expose misconduct and malfeasance in public life and hold those who act at the expense of the public good accountable.

Contact: Daniel Stevens, [email protected], 202.780.5750

SOURCE Campaign for Accountability
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AVACEN Medical, Inc. (AVACEN) announced that its AVACEN 100 Class ll medical device previously licensed for treating joint pain associated with arthritis and offering drug-free muscular relaxation in Canada is now licensed for treating the widespread pain associated with fibromyalgia.

Prior to the AVACEN 100, the only way to systemically treat the widespread pain associated with fibromyalgia was to use drugs such as Lyrica, Cymbalta or Savella.

AVACEN 100

The AVACEN 100 has been successfully helping those with widespread pain associated with fibromyalgia in the European Union. Fibromyalgia diagnosed Amanda in Essex, England commented, "I had difficulty driving, getting dressed and washing my hair, experiencing no sleep at all, tremendous pain, with every movement sending my body in painful spasm I cannot recommend [the AVACEN 100] enough, how this has and is helping me the physio will be amazed with my progress."

Fibromyalgia has recently been thrust into the spotlight by Lady Gaga revealing she has been living with the disorder, which is characterized by chronic widespread pain. Per the National Fibromyalgia Association, fibromyalgia affects an estimated 10 million people in the U.S. and an estimated 3-6% of the world population. The incidence rises with age, so that by age 80, approximately 8% of adults meet the American College of Rheumatology classification of fibromyalgia. It has a devastating impact on those who suffer from the disease and their personal support systems. In addition, it imposes a large economic burden on public and private healthcare providers.

The AVACEN 100 is a Class II medical device that uses the AVACEN Treatment Method. It recently received CE (Conformite Europeenne) Mark approval to treat widespread pain associated with fibromyalgia. The CE Mark allows AVACEN to market the AVACEN 100 to the European Union's 28 member countries where many prescription drugs available in the U.S. have been rejected by regulatory officials for treating fibromyalgia pain.

The AVACEN Treatment Method is an entirely new concept in chronic pain treatment that noninvasively and safely infuses heat into the circulatory system to create muscular relaxation while increasing microcirculation throughout the body. Unlike other medical devices providing local pain relief, the AVACEN 100's unique mechanism of action offers widespread pain relief.

AVACEN Medical CEO Thomas Muehlbauer described the AVACEN 100 as "the only medical device on the market today able to provide non-invasive, rapid whole-body treatment, using a single point of contact. It is the ideal drug-free and safe alternative for relief of muscle and joint pain." Muehlbauer added, "Our newly published and peer-reviewed research shows 100% positive results were recorded for the full therapeutic treatment group."

The AVACEN 22-person fibromyalgia study was conducted under a Cooperative Research Development Agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at the University of California San Diego Center for Pain Medicine, Perlman Medical Center and the VA Medical Center, San Diego.

The 28-day AVACEN follow-up study produced a statistically significant reduction of over 40% in the widespread pain index and a reduction in average tender point counts from approximately 15 to 9 (11 is used for clinical assessment). Study details can be found at https://www.avacen.com/fms and are also published on the National Institutes of Health  ClinicalTrials.gov website.

About AVACEN 100 Patents

The US Patent Office has issued 4 Patents to AVACEN. The patents cover innovations embodied in the AVACEN 100 system, which is expected to allow multiple therapeutic uses to alleviate symptoms associated with a circulatory, neurological, lymphatic, or endocrinal dysfunction, or any combination thereof.

Patents have also been issued for China, Australia, Japan, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Canada. Patents are pending in other countries.

About AVACEN Medical

AVACEN Medical is dedicated to the innovation and design of safe, easy to use, noninvasive drug-free alternatives for the management of pain associated with numerous chronic and acute conditions including the temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain and stiffness associated with arthritis and potentially other conditions that can cause joint pain, such as CRPS, Reynaud's, and Lyme Disease. Founded in 2009, AVACEN Medical is headquartered in San Diego. Contact: Ryan Jeffcoat at (888) 428-2236 x 711 or [email protected] .

SOURCE AVACEN Medical
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- City Attorney Dennis Herrera today filed a lawsuit against credit reporting company Equifax for failing to protect the personal data of more than 15 million Californians.

San Francisco is the first city in the country to sue Equifax over the massive data breach that compromised the personal information of 143 million U.S. consumers. The company disclosed the breach on Sept. 7, 2017, six weeks after it learned its system had been compromised.

"Equifax's incompetence would be comical if the subject matter weren't so serious," Herrera said. "This company fell asleep at the switch and upended the lives of millions of people. The information that Equifax failed to safeguard is what people need to open a bank account, buy a home or rent an apartment. Now Californians have been put at risk of identity theft for years to come."

According to the lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court on behalf of the people of the State of California, Equifax violated state law governing unlawful, unfair or fraudulent business practices by:

failing to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices

failing to provide timely notice of the data breach to affected California consumers

consumers when it finally provided notice, failing to provide complete, plain and clear information

The lawsuit seeks restitution for California consumers who purchased credit monitoring services from Equifax prior to Sept. 7, 2017, civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation of the law, and a court order requiring Equifax to implement and maintain appropriate security procedures for the highly sensitive information it handles.

Equifax collects names, phone numbers, addresses, social security numbers, dates of birth, financial account information and other data for 820 million consumers worldwide.

However, it uses an open-source software called Apache Struts on its website. Equifax didn't install a freely available "patch" to fix a vulnerability with the software after that security problem was detected and publicly announced on March 7, 2017 by various organizations. Equifax could have prevented the data breach by implementing the free patches and fixes provided by the Apache Software Foundation in March 2017.

"When you're dealing with highly sensitive information, keeping your software up to date is such a basic step," Herrera said. "Equifax also could have encrypted this information or segmented the data in separate databases to prevent hackers from being able to access all of a person's information at once. Equifax did none of that."

Instead, from May 13, 2017 to July 30, 2017 someone hacked into Equifax's computer system using the vulnerability and stole data impacting 143 million people, or roughly 44 percent of the U.S. population. Equifax discovered the data breach on July 29, 2017 but didn't alert customers to the problem until it posted a notice on its website on Sept. 7, 2017, six weeks later.

"Equifax made a bad situation worse," Herrera said. "Their delay prevented more than 15 million California consumers from taking immediate action to protect themselves from the risk of identity theft and fraud."

California law requires entities that do business in the state to notify the owner or licensee of the information about a data breach "immediately following discovery, if the personal information was, or is reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person."

The notice that Equifax finally posted contained confusing and misleading information and didn't include information required under California law.

The case is: People of the State of California v. Equifax, Inc., San Francisco Superior Court Case No. CGC-17- 561529, filed Sept. 26, 2017. More information is available on our website at www.sfcityattorney.org.

SOURCE San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera

Related Links

http://www.sfcityattorney.org


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HubSpot, a leading CRM, marketing, sales, and customer experience platform, announced today a new integration with Shopify, the leading multi-channel commerce platform. The native integration allows shared customers to seamlessly bring Shopify and its data, including customers, orders, and products, into the HubSpot platform.

"In an era when almost every business sells something on its website, Shopify has been an invaluable partner to HubSpot. With this new integration, we're taking that relationship to the next level," said Brad Coffey, Chief Strategy Officer at HubSpot. "The combined power of Shopify and HubSpot gives our shared customers the tools they need to deliver even more sophisticated ecommerce marketing."

The new Shopify integration makes it easier than ever to bring HubSpot's power and insights to online merchants. Customers can see online sales in HubSpot as deals, organize and analyze purchasing patterns, and measure customer lifetime value. The new integration also helps ecommerce marketers complete specific ecommerce tasks, like sending transactional emails and building workflows around shopping carts.

"We're looking forward to deepening our relationship with HubSpot in pursuit of our shared mission to give all companies, big or small, access to the tools they need to start up and scale up," said Tobias Lutke, founder and CEO of Shopify.

Both the Shopify integration and Ecommerce Bridge are currently available in limited beta, and will roll out more widely in the coming months.

To request an invite for these products or learn more about all of the announcements HubSpot made at #INBOUND17, please visit hubspot.com/new.

About HubSpot

HubSpot (NYSE: HUBS) is a leading CRM, marketing, sales, and customer experience platform. Since 2006, HubSpot has been on a mission to make the world more inbound. Today, over 34,000 customers in more than 90 countries use HubSpot's award-winning software, services, and support to transform the way they attract, engage, and delight customers. The HubSpot Growth Stack, built on a powerful, free CRM and comprised of the Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and soon to be released Customer Hub, gives companies all the tools they need to manage the entire customer experience from awareness to advocacy.

HubSpot has been named a top place to work by Glassdoor, Fortune, The Boston Globe, and The Boston Business Journal. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, MA with offices in Dublin, Ireland (EMEA HQ); Singapore; Sydney, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; Berlin, Germany; and Portsmouth, NH.

SOURCE HubSpot

Related Links

http://hubspot.com


NEWPORT, R.I., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hydroid, Inc. teamed with L3 Aerospace Systems, Sparton Corporation and AeroVironment, Inc. to successfully demonstrate the latest unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) capabilities, including the launch of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), at ANTX in Newport, RI last month.

Outfitted with L3's Rio Nino signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection payload and a Sparton Hammerhead canister containing an AeroVironment Blackwing UAV, the Hydroid REMUS 600 (also known as the MK18 Mod 2 and Littoral Battlespace Sensing - AUV) conducted a threat mission scenario. The fully-integrated vehicle demonstrated the clandestine insertion of above water intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), including the real-time collection of information, and the launch of a UAV covertly from depth.

"ANTX is an excellent opportunity for companies like ours to demonstrate the latest concepts and capabilities. With our partners, we were able to prove that UUVs are cross domain systems," said Tom Reynolds, Hydroid's vice president of U.S. Government Business. "These technologies were very easy to integrate and we look forward to building on what we have learned from this demonstration."

ANTX is an advanced naval technology exercise that features live demonstrations, above and below water, of the latest technology capabilities.

About Hydroid, Inc.

Located in the U.S. and a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime, Hydroid is the world's most trusted manufacturer of advanced, field proven Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Our REMUS AUVs and marine robotics systems provide innovative and reliable full-picture solutions for the marine research, defense, hydrographic and offshore/energy markets.

Developed by a veteran team of engineers, Hydroid products provide a safe and reliable answer to the challenges that have hampered ocean exploration and security. For more information on our technologies, please visit www.hydroid.com.

Media Contact

Kaitlyn Rhue

Hydroid, Inc.

[email protected]

SOURCE Hydroid, Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hyperledger, an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies, announced today that 10 new organizations have joined the project. As a multi-project, multi-stakeholder effort, Hyperledger incubates eight business blockchain and distributed ledger technologies including Hyperledger Fabric, Hyperledger Iroha, Hyperledger Indy, Hyperledger Burrow, Hyperledger Sawtooth, among others.

"The immense growth we've seen this year signifies an acceptance and understanding of Hyperledger blockchain solutions for business," said Brian Behlendorf, Executive Director, Hyperledger. "These new diverse members have agreed to contribute their leadership and energy to the Hyperledger community. We thank them for their support and validation as we drive towards more PoCs, pilots and production uses cases of Hyperledger technologies in the enterprise."

Hyperledger aims to enable organizations to build robust, industry-specific applications, platforms and hardware systems to support their individual business transactions by creating an enterprise grade, open source distributed ledger framework and code base. It is a global collaboration including leaders in finance, banking, IoT, supply chain, manufacturing and technology. The latest General members include: AMIHAN, ChongQin Xichain Technologies, DLT Labs, GameCredits, Gibraltar Stock Exchange (GSX), Medicalchain, and ScanTrust.

Hyperledger supports an open community that values contributions and participation from various entities. As such, pre-approved non-profits, open source projects and government entities can join Hyperledger at no cost as Associate members. Several Associate members joined this month including Mercy Corps, Taiwan Fintech Association and Zhejiang University.

New member quotes:

AMIHAN

"Amihan is proud to be the first Filipino company to join Hyperledger," said Winston Damarillo, Chairman of Amihan Global Strategies. "We believe that blockchain and smart contracts are the key to preparing Southeast Asia for the digital age, and we are committed to working with the Hyperledger community to push the limits of blockchain technology. We look forward to working with our clients - some of the largest enterprises in ASEAN - to transform finance, healthcare, retail, and customer loyalty in one of the fastest-growing regions of the world."

DLT Labs

"At DLT Labs, our corporate purpose is to create, integrate, and support dynamic distributed ledger solutions that equip our clients with the tools to capitalize on unrealized potential within their businesses," said Loudon Owen, Chairman and CEO of DLT Labs. "With over 30 dedicated in-house Blockchain developers and over 20 proprietary enterprise products, DLT Labs has formed globe-spanning partnerships with leading edge consultancies, manufacturers, financial institution and innovative service providers. Our global presence spans the United States, the United Kingdom, China, India, Canada and Singapore. DLT is excited at the opportunity to join Hyperledger's nexus of leaders, creators, and dreamers, and looks forward to forming long-lasting relationships with the forefront of blockchain innovators."

GameCredits

"We are excited to join the company of industry leaders in Hyperledger," said Alex Migitko, COO, GameCredits. "GameCredits is focused on a unique blockchain use case, catering to the $100 billion gaming industry and its massive audience of almost every third person on earth, governed by complex relations between various stakeholders. Our solutions will be of immense interest to adjacent industries and we believe we will be able to make a unique contribution to the alliance."

Gibraltar Stock Exchange (GSX)

"We are today at the beginning of the blockchain revolution, witnessing in real time an explosion of ideas, experiments and projects that aim to completely redesign global capital markets for the new era," said Nick Cowan, CEO, Gibraltar Stock Exchange. "The Gibraltar Stock Exchange's membership in Hyperledger provides us with an exciting opportunity to connect, share ideas and collaborate with like minded innovators and industry leaders, without boundaries, with the aim of building consensus for the new global framework."

Medicalchain

"Medicalchain puts health records back into the hands of patients, and that's not possible without the secure storage and transfer of data. Using Hyperledger, Medicalchain will allow patients to control permissions to their health records  who gets access to them, what information they get access to and for how long," said Dr. Albeyatti, co-founder of Medicalchain. "We are thrilled to join the Hyperledger community and will continue working to bring blockchain technology to the healthcare industry."

ScanTrust

"Today's connected consumers are demanding more transparency and with global supply chains becoming more complex, achieving this a challenging task," said Nathan Anderson, CEO and Co-Founder, ScanTrust. "ScanTrust secure identifiers connect physical goods to the internet for enhanced supply chain security; by adding open blockchain technology to this foundation, brands will be able to protect and track their products using mobile phone authentication. We look forward to collaborating with the Hyperledger community to develop a scalable, enterprise-grade blockchain framework."

To see a full list of member companies, visit: https://www.hyperledger.org/about/members. If you're interested in joining Hyperledger as a member company, please visit: https://www.hyperledger.org/about/join

About Hyperledger

Hyperledger is an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies. It is a global collaboration including leaders in finance, banking, Internet of Things, supply chains, manufacturing and Technology. The Linux Foundation hosts Hyperledger under the foundation. To learn more, visit: https://www.hyperledger.org/.

Contact:

Jessica Rampen

The Linux Foundation/Hyperledger

[email protected]

650.787.3548

SOURCE Hyperledger

Related Links

https://www.hyperledger.org


The Y3.2 has clean, minimalist lines and easy to distinguish push buttons to prepare either espresso or filter coffee. Within illy's wide range of espresso and coffee machines, the Y3.2 is the entry level machine for home, office, dorm room, or gift with a price starting at $149.00 in color black. The Y3.2 is currently available for sale at www.illy.com, illy Caffe coffee bars and shops, and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Built for the illy Iperespresso capsule system, the Y3.2 features a water tank that holds 25.4 ounces of water, utilizes a power save function when not in use, and has an adjustable cup shelf.

illy Iperespresso is a technological innovation protected by five patents entirely conceived and developed for home espresso brewing at the illycaffe Research & Innovation labs in Trieste, Italy. Unlike the traditional preparation process in which the espresso is brewed all at once through percolation, in the Iperespresso capsule, the coffee is extracted in two phases: first infusion, then emulsion. This two-stage process ensures the optimal extraction of the coffee's aromas, making it possible to brew espresso that has a smooth and full-bodied aroma with a rich, velvety, and long-lasting crema. With Iperespresso, the coffee never comes into contact with any part of the machine. illy Iperespresso and coffee capsules are available at www.illy.com and other retailers starting at $19 (21ct tin of espresso) or $16.50 (18 ct cube for drip capsules).

Contact:

Alison Brod Marketing + Communications

Joanna Cella Dunphy

[email protected]

212-230-1800

About illycaffe

illycaffe is an Italian family business, founded in Trieste in 1933 and committed to offering the greatest coffee to the world. illy is the world's most global coffee brand, producing the unique illy 100% Arabica blend made of 9 of the world 's best selections of Arabica; each day more than 7 million cups are served in over 140 countries in the finest cafes, restaurants, hotels and in offices and homes. illy has become the standard forerunner of espresso, and thanks to three critical innovations, is considered the leader in the science and technology of coffee. With the bestowing of the first "Ernesto Illy Award for quality espresso coffee" in 1991 in Brazil, illy also pioneered direct sourcing, sharing know-how and paying a premium price for the best quality, based on partnerships underwritten by the principles of sustainable development. The company also founded the University of Coffee with the aim of fostering and spreading its culture, providing comprehensive academic and hands-on training for coffee growers, baristas and coffee lovers in order to cover every aspect of the product. Everything 'made in illy' is enhanced by beauty & art, which represent founding values of the brand, starting from its logo  designed by an artist, James Rosenquist  and including the renowned illy Art Collection, comprised of over 100 cups designed by international artists. In 2016 the company was employing 1,269 people, and posted consolidated revenues of 460 million. There are approximately 230 stores and mono-brand illy shops in 43 countries.

SOURCE illycaffe
BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Indigo Ag, Inc., a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, announces the first closing of $156 million in its Series D financing, doubling the company's total capital raised to over $300 million. New investors, including Baillie Gifford and Activant Capital, join the company's founder and first investor, Flagship Pioneering, and existing investor, the Alaska Permanent Fund, in this closing. J.P. Morgan acted as sole placement agent to Indigo on this transaction. This latest round will support Indigo's commitment to building a new kind of agriculture company  one that is focused on improving farmer profitability, environmental sustainability, and consumer health.

"At Indigo, we're working to connect agricultural practice to consumer preference," said David Perry, President and CEO of Indigo. "This essential connection will dramatically accelerate the adoption of new sustainable technologies in agriculture, allowing for healthier people and a healthier planet."

Last month, Indigo announced its intention to contract with leading farmers to produce 10.5 million bushels of Indigo Wheat for a 43 cent per bushel premium. This significant premium represents buyer willingness to pay more for high-quality and transparently sourced wheat. In addition to the premium price, growers can also expect yield improvements of up to 16 percent based on recently announced data.

"As consumer-focused brands and retailers seek out ways to meet their sustainability goals and produce premium goods, Indigo provides a source of agricultural products that meets those needs," continued Perry.

Indigo is a leader in the study and application of the plant microbiome in agriculture. Identifying beneficial microbes that naturally reside within plants, Indigo applies these to modern seeds to increase crop productivity and resilience in the face of stress. While Indigo's initial work focused on water stress, the company is building out a broad product portfolio to address a range of environmental stresses, as well as pests and disease. Addressing nitrogen use is a top priority for Indigo research and development. Harnessing natural microbes and leveraging data-based agronomic practices, Indigo is working to improve nitrogen uptake and efficiency in row crops, with the goal of dramatically reducing nitrogen use in agriculture.

Indigo's cutting edge microbiology, combined with its data-based agronomic support, benefits growers by allowing them to sustainably increase production while decreasing input costs  getting them more for every bushel. In the coming months, Indigo will begin production of Indigo Corn and Indigo Soybeans across the United States. With these crops, Indigo will also provide growers a premium at harvest.

"With climate change an active threat, consumers are calling for a new environmental standard in the agriculture industry and beyond," said Dr. Mehmood Khan, Indigo's Board Director. "Indigo is responding to this call by developing a paradigm in which growers are able to respond to these consumer demands while increasing their profits."

Adding to Indigo's momentum, the company has recently opened its first international offices in Argentina and Australia. As growers around the world increasingly turn to Indigo's seed treatments and digital technologies, the company intends to establish itself in key agricultural regions, acting as an in-market resource. In the coming months, Indigo will grow these teams, developing local expertise and accelerating overseas business.

"Together with growers across the globe, we have the potential to not only impact an industry, but to fulfill a larger vision of a world where nutritious food is transparently sourced and resources are conserved for future generations," said Perry. "Indigo's offer to growers is key to our path forward because it focuses on their own profitability, the foundation on which this vision rests."

About Indigo

Indigo is a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. With a vision of creating a world where farming is an economically desirable and accessible profession, Indigo works alongside its growers to apply natural approaches, conserve resources for future generations, and grow healthy food for all. Utilizing beneficial plant microbes to improve crop health and productivity, Indigo's portfolio is focused on cotton, wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans. The company, founded by Flagship Pioneering, is headquartered in Boston, MA, with commercial and customer service based in Memphis, TN. www.indigoag.com

Media Contacts





Indigo Kwittken for Indigo Lauren Ashbrook [email protected] [email protected] +1 (212)-352-4651 + 1 (844) 828-0240



SOURCE Indigo Ag, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.indigoag.com


SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's first test-tube baby, was born in July of 1978. Since then, countless efforts have been made to mimic, in a laboratory setting, the ideal environment present in the female's uterus for effective egg and sperm fertilization. In the last 40 years, success rates of achieving a live birth with IVF have increased from 1 in 12 to approximately 1 in 2 attempts. There is no debating that the science of fertility has come a long wayultimately improving a couple's odds of conceiving and making the dream of a family become a magnificent reality.

Unfortunately, even with the advancements in fertility care, fertility doctors, scientists, and the IVF industry have not been able to make these services universally affordable. The price tag is substantial: investments for an IVF cycle range from $12,000 to $20,000. Most women who fail to receive adequate fertility care are burdened by financial constraints of traditional IVF.

Fortunately, for these women their luck is changing thanks to the invention of the intravaginal chamber device, INVOCell. The technology associated with INVOCell is substantially more accessible to patients; and costs for many candidates will drop by as much as 50-70% from the original price. Rather than relying on expensive and sophisticated machinery in an attempt to replicate a woman's internal conditions, INVOCell allows the patient to act as her own incubator capitalizing on the fact that she has the right environmental conditions. Cycles using the INVOCell device also include less monitoring appointments and blood draws.

During an INVOCell cycle we perform a gentle egg stimulation with medications that allow us to mature and obtain anywhere between 4 and 10 eggs while the patient is under sedation. The INVOCell device is used as a meeting place for the sperm and egg. The device is then placed transvaginally. Finally, after a few days we remove the device and identify the best embryo to transfer inside the uterus. Our experience at Reproductive Medicine Associates (RMA) of Texas and SMART IVF has yielded the same encouraging results as FDA studies have. For the appropriate patient, the clinical pregnancy rate is around 45% after the first attempt. For example, patients that have had previous tubal ligation and are looking to have cumbersome and expensive surgery to reconnect their tubes now can use INVOCell in a more simple and inexpensive manner. While not every couple is a candidate for this innovative system, and IVF will continue to be the gold standard for difficult cases, many scientists are very excited about the opportunities for providing the marvel of parenthood for couples who were previously unable to afford it. INVOCell is certainly the right step towards more accessible fertility treatments and helping individuals achieve the dream of having a family. Dr. Francisco Arredondo, founder and CEO of RMA of Texas and SMART IVF is pleased to offer this innovative technology to patients at his facilities in San Antonio, Austin and McAllen, TX.

SOURCE RMA of Texas

Related Links

http://rmatx.com


MINOT, N.D., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IRET (NYSE: IRET) (the "Company") today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 4,000,000 of its 6.625% Series C Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares (Liquidation Preference $25.00 per Share), no par value per share (the "Series C Preferred Shares"), at a public offering price of $25.00 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $100.0 million, before deducting the underwriting discount and other estimated offering-related costs. In connection with the offering, the Company has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 600,000 Series C Preferred Shares.

The Company has applied to list the Series C Preferred Shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "IRET PRC." The offering is expected to close on October 2, 2017, and is subject to customary closing conditions.

The Company will contribute the net proceeds from the offering to its operating partnership, which will use the net proceeds to redeem the Company's outstanding 7.95% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares (the "Series B Preferred Shares") with an aggregate liquidation preference of approximately $115.0 million, plus accrued but unpaid dividends payable therewith. Pending the redemption of the Series B Preferred Shares, the operating partnership will use the net proceeds from the offering to reduce amounts outstanding under its unsecured revolving, multi-bank line of credit. To the extent that the net proceeds from the offering are insufficient to redeem all of the outstanding Series B Preferred Shares, the operating partnership plans to fund the deficiency with additional borrowings from its line of credit.

BMO Capital Markets Corp. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. are the joint book-running managers of the offering. Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, D.A. Davidson & Co., Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, LLC and PNC Capital Markets LLC are acting as co-managers.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of or any solicitation of an offer to buy, these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

The offering will be made pursuant to the Company's existing shelf registration statement. The offering of these securities will be made only by means of a prospectus and a related prospectus supplement, a copy of which may be obtained from: BMO Capital Markets Corp., Attention: Syndicate Department, 3 Times Square, 25th Floor, New York, New York 10036 or by calling (800) 414-3627, or by email at [email protected]; or Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Attention: Equity Syndicate, 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716, or by calling (800) 248-8863, or by email at [email protected].

About IRET

IRET is a multifamily real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily communities located primarily in select growth markets. As of July 31, 2017, IRET owned interests in 130 properties that were held for investment, including 88 multifamily properties consisting of 13,076 units and 42 commercial properties, which includes 29 healthcare properties, containing a total of approximately 2.6 million square feet of leasable space.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's expectations, but these statements are not guaranteed to occur. Investors should not place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements. These statements relate to the Company's securities offering and the anticipated use of the net proceeds. No assurance can be given that the securities offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described, or at all, or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Completion of the securities offering on the terms described, and the application of net proceeds, are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, without limitation, general economic conditions, market conditions and other factors, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's periodic reports and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Copies are available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements after the date of this release.

Contact Information

Matthew Volpano

Senior Vice President  Capital Markets

Phone: 701-837-7104

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE IRET

Related Links

http://www.iret.com


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Senator Ben Allen (D  Santa Monica) has named Jacqueline Caster as the 2017 Woman of the Year for Senate District 26. Tuesday night, Jacqueline Caster was honored at a reception hosted by Senator Ben Allen at the Santa Monica Bay Woman's Club.

The Honorable Michael Nash, Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Office of Child Protection, spoke of Caster's significant role in improving Los Angeles County's juvenile court system. Other speakers included Elizabeth Lopez, a Loyola Marymount student who had benefited as a youth from Everychild's grant to Mar Vista Family Center where she attended after-school programs. Players from "Get Lit", the arts enrichment program, also performed very moving personal stories.

Caster is the Founder and President of the Everychild Foundation, whose over 200 women members award an annual $1 million grant to nonprofit agencies serving vulnerable local children. Its mission is to "ease the suffering of children in the Greater Los Angeles area." To date, grants from the Everychild Foundation total close to $16 million and have served over 1 million children.

Ms. Caster sits on the Los Angeles County Probation Commission with her most recent advocacy efforts being focused on alternatives to incarceration for juveniles. Caster is a graduate of Pomona College, holds a Master's in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and her Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law.

"I am deeply honored to receive this award from Senator Allen recognizing women making a difference. The foundation has demonstrated the tremendous power women can have when they work together efficiently and strategically, and I thank Senator Allen for this great honor," said Caster.

California State Senator Ben Allen represents the 26th Senate District, which consists of the Westside, Hollywood and coastal South Bay communities of Los Angeles County, including Catalina Island.

Media Contact:

Ballantines PR

Danyelle Simpkins

[email protected]

Tel: 310-454-3080

http://www.ballantinespr.com

SOURCE Senator Ben Allen
TITUSVILLE, N.J., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the recipients of the inaugural HealtheVoices Impact Fund grants, supporting innovative efforts by online health advocates to serve and assist patient communities. The HealtheVoices Impact Fund is a new offering that stems from Janssen's annual HealtheVoices Conference, a first-of-its-kind event that brings together online health advocates from a wide range of communities to learn, share and connect. The selected HealtheVoices Impact Fund projects align with this goal and the Janssen charitable giving mission to advance healing for patients.

"Online health advocates have a significant impact on patient communities; their voices have the ability to educate, motivate and inspire people living with chronic or life-changing diseases," said Caroline Pavis, Communications Leader, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "We are excited to see the innovative ideas of the four recipients of the HealtheVoices Impact Fund come to life in the year ahead in support of people living with chronic health conditions."

This year's grant recipients are Khafre Kujichagulia Abif, Mariah Leach, Kati Morton and Dakota Rosenfelt:

FACE US: Not Our Status, But Our Story ( Khafre Kujichagulia Abif , Atlanta, GA )  The FACE US: Not Our Status, But Our Story project will create a coffee table book by collecting portraits and stories of 250 people living with HIV. Stories will be collected via a call for submissions on existing social media platforms tied to conferences aimed at empowering people living with HIV, as well as new social media accounts created by the project. The intent of the project is to educate the public about HIV and reduce stigma in southern states most impacted by HIV.



 The FACE US: Not Our Status, But Our Story project will create a coffee table book by collecting portraits and stories of 250 people living with HIV. Stories will be collected via a call for submissions on existing social media platforms tied to conferences aimed at empowering people living with HIV, as well as new social media accounts created by the project. The intent of the project is to educate the public about HIV and reduce stigma in southern states most impacted by HIV. Mamas Facing Forward ( Mariah Leach , Louisville, CO )  Mamas Facing Forward will be a "one-stop-shop" website dedicated to women living with chronic illnesses who are or intend to be mothers. While the private Facebook group of the same name has grown and been a valuable resource and community for these women, a website will help organize the topics that are discussed, generate new resources where gaps exist and serve as a comprehensive foundation for much-needed information.



 Mamas Facing Forward will be a "one-stop-shop" website dedicated to women living with chronic illnesses who are or intend to be mothers. While the private Facebook group of the same name has grown and been a valuable resource and community for these women, a website will help organize the topics that are discussed, generate new resources where gaps exist and serve as a comprehensive foundation for much-needed information. Mental Health Initiative for the Deaf ( Kati Morton , Santa Monica, CA )  As a licensed therapist, Kati has created more than 900 free videos to share information and reduce stigma about mental illness, and advocate for mental health services. This project will utilize a closed captioning service to make approximately 300 of her most popular videos accessible to the more than 360 million people worldwide who are deaf or hearing impaired.



 As a licensed therapist, Kati has created more than 900 free videos to share information and reduce stigma about mental illness, and advocate for mental health services. This project will utilize a closed captioning service to make approximately 300 of her most popular videos accessible to the more than 360 million people worldwide who are deaf or hearing impaired. HemoTool ( Dakota Rosenfelt , Cleveland, MO )  HemoTool is a crowdsourced mobile application for people living with a bleeding disorder to help them independently manage their care. The project will consist of an app update to improve the user experience and add enhanced features to drive medication compliance and further empower and support people with bleeding disorders.

The recipients were selected by the Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ) after receiving input from the HealtheVoices Impact Fund Advisory Committee of experienced online patient and caregiver advocates. Specifically, CFNJ and the Advisory Committee were looking for projects that proposed innovative ways to engage, inform and empower patients, bringing together and strengthening the online advocate community to target underserved populations or healthcare disparities and address high unmet areas of need or those with a large scope of impact.

The HealtheVoices Impact Fund was launched in April 2017 at Janssen's annual HealtheVoices Conference where online health advocates have an opportunity to network and learn from each other and experts in social media and health advocacy. Funding recipients will be invited to share updates on their projects at the fourth annual HealtheVoices Conference in Chicago next year.

About the HealtheVoices Impact Fund Selection Process

Applicants must be based in the United States and were required to outline in their application a proposed project that supports a patient community. Grants were given to new, innovative ideas and were not given to support existing or ongoing advocate activities.

The review, evaluation and selection of the recipients, as well as funding distribution, was handled by CFNJ with input from the HealtheVoices Impact Fund Advisory Committee. Janssen was not involved in the application review or selection process.

About the Community Foundation of New Jersey

Since 1979, individuals and businesses have opened charitable funds at the Community Foundation of New Jersey to fulfill their charitable goals and craft their philanthropic legacies. These Legacy Funds and Donor Advised Funds have granted tens of millions of dollars each year, and enabled the Foundation to launch its own Changemaker Projects that are improving New Jersey and its dynamic communities. The Foundation's funds currently hold over $400 million in charitable assets and made over 5,000 grants last year to charitable work in New Jersey and around the world. Visit www.cfnj.org.

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us. We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science. We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at @JanssenUS.

Media Contacts:

Caroline Pavis

610-357-3121

[email protected]

SOURCE Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.janssen.com


ST. LOUIS and DALLAS, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ansira, a leading data-driven, technology-enabled marketing solutions provider, specializing in the integration of local and national marketing programs through marketing automation, data analytics, CRM and performance media, announced today that industry leader Jim Lyski will be joining the company's Board of Directors, effective August 1st, 2017.

"We are delighted that Jim has agreed to join Ansira's Board of Directors," said James Warner, Chairman of Ansira's Board of Directors. "At a time when we are constantly looking for opportunities to expand, Jim's best-in-class marketing and brand management experience makes him a valuable addition to our Board. Due to the expected growth for Ansira, Jim has been added to the Director's Board to assist with increasing the company's success. We look forward to welcoming him to our Board and into the Ansira family."

Jim Lyski has more than 20 years experience in brand management, marketing strategy and enterprise analytics for national consumer and B2B brands. With a focus on product development and innovation, he has successfully led several companies through digital transformation initiatives. Currently, Mr. Lyski is Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of CarMax, the nation's largest retailer of used cars, and leads the company's product and marketing functions. Prior to joining CarMax, he served as CMO for The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, as well as CMO for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. He has also held marketing leadership positions at Cigna Healthcare Inc. and FedEx Corporation.

"It is a pleasure to be working with the rest of the Board to help the management team at Ansira execute the company's growth strategy," said Jim Lyski. "Their strong focus on data and the unprecedented results they provide to their clients have made them a leader in the digital-marketing industry. Ansira is a company with a history of success and is well-positioned for growth in the still-fragmented marketing industry. I am positive that my experience in marketing strategy will provide additional value while positioning the company for continuous success."

Ansira is majority owned by Advent International, one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors. Over the past five years, Ansira has grown revenue and EBITDA by 59% and 68%, respectively. The company expects to continue this growth trajectory with the added support of Advent, which acquired the business in December 2016. Ansira continues to be the leader in modeling and activating 1st, 2nd & 3rd party data, delivering results for world-class brands, including 25+ Fortune 500 brands. Additionally, Ansira has achieved a 96% client retention rate throughout its history.

"Jim is an accomplished and experienced leader in the marketing industry," said Nick Pike, a Vice President at Advent International and a member of the Ansira Board of Directors. "We believe he will help to support Ansira's management team as it identifies attractive growth opportunities and works to build upon its positive momentum. Advent and Ansira are thrilled to welcome him as a member of our Board of Directors and are confident we will benefit from his insight and expertise."

Ansira's talented management team and advanced technological capabilities have enabled the agency to continue to serve customers, grow consistently and take a leadership role in the consolidation of the marketing solutions industry.

Jim received his MBA in Marketing and B.S. in Journalism and Advertising from the University of Oregon and serves as a trustee for the Wexner Center Foundation.

ABOUT ADVENT INTERNATIONAL:

Founded in 1984, Advent International is one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors. The firm has invested in over 325 private equity transactions in 41 countries and as of March 31, 2017, had $39 billion in assets under management. With offices on four continents, Advent has established a globally integrated team of 190 investment professionals across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on investments in five core sectors, including business and financial services; healthcare; industrial; retail, consumer and leisure; and technology, media and telecom. After more than 30 years dedicated to international investing, Advent remains committed to partnering with management teams to deliver sustained revenue and earnings growth for its portfolio companies. For more information, visit: www.adventinternational.com

ABOUT ANSIRA:

Ansira is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled marketing solutions provider, specializing in the integration of local and national marketing programs through marketing automation, data analytics, CRM, and performance media. Ansira leverages superior marketing intelligence to build deeper, more effective relationships with consumers and the retail channel partners that engage them on the local level. Marketing intelligence is infused across all disciplines and executed through digital, direct, social, mobile, media, traditional and creative campaigns, marketing automation, and trade promotion programs. Ansira is among the 3 largest independently owned CRM and direct marketing agencies and among the 10 largest independent digital agencies in the U.S. and enjoys long-term client relationships with Fortune 500 companies spanning a broad range of industries, including automotive, dining, retail, consumer packaged goods, technology and specialty services. For more information, visit: https://ansira.com/

Media Contact: North 6th Agency, Inc. (For Ansira)

212.334.9753 ext. 145, [email protected]

SOURCE Ansira

Related Links

https://ansira.com/


BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock today launched a new indexed universal life (IUL) portfolio with lower premiums, improved income potential, and policy management tools designed to help policyholders achieve their financial goals. John Hancock's IUL policyholders can also earn significant savings and rewards for living healthy through the John Hancock Vitality Program, available with the IUL product series.

John Hancock's broad IUL portfolio is designed to meet a wide array of financial planning needs. The product series includes single-person as well as survivorship ("two-person") coverage, and has a simple, straightforward design that provides life insurance protection, along with the opportunity to increase cash value by linking to the performance of a diverse range of indexed account options  without risking market loss. The new product series also features:

Greater income potential on Accumulation IUL to help consumers meet financial goals, including supplementing their retirement income or paying for college.

Lower premiums on Protection IUL and Protection SIUL to give more consumers affordable lifelong coverage and a solution to meet their estate and legacy planning needs. In addition, policyholders now have access to international markets with the Capped Hang Seng and Plus Capped Indexed Accounts.

"As one of the fastest growing and highly competitive segments in the market, IUL provides an attractive life insurance solution for consumers at every age and life stage," said Brooks Tingle, senior vice president, Marketing and Strategy at John Hancock Insurance. "At John Hancock, we are committed to giving more Americans the financial protection and retirement solutions they depend on, while also motivating and rewarding them for living healthy through the John Hancock Vitality Program."

With the John Hancock Vitality Program, IUL policyholders have the opportunity to earn significant premium savings and valuable rewards for the everyday things they do to stay healthy like walking, eating well and getting regular check-ups. In fact, the healthier their lifestyle, the greater their rewards, including $600 in savings on healthy food purchases1, as well as the opportunity to earn an Apple Watch2 by exercising regularly.

John Hancock's IUL portfolio offers additional attractive features to help customers and advisors manage their policies. LifeTrack, John Hancock's quick, easy and dynamic billing solution is designed to ensure life insurance policies meet their intended insurance goals. The Annual Performance Summary report, available on Accumulation IUL policies, provides a snapshot of the policy's actual performance to help advisors ensure that their clients stay on track to meet their long-term goals.

About John Hancock and Manulife

John Hancock is a division of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were over $1 trillion (US$780 billion) as of June 30, 2017. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com.

One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports approximately 10 million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, college savings plans, and certain forms of business insurance. We also offer advice through Signator, a network of independent financial advisors. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

1. HealthyFood savings are based on qualifying purchases and may vary based on the terms of the John Hancock Vitality program.

2. Apple Watch Series 2 can be ordered for an initial payment of $25 plus tax and over the next two years, monthly payments are based on the number of workouts completed. An iPhone 5 or later is required to use Apple Watch Series 2. The Retail Installment Agreement with the Vitality Group will need to be signed electronically at checkout. Apple is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion. Apple Watch is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Please note: Apple Watch Series 2 program is not available in New York.

Hang Seng Index is a trademark of Hang Seng Data Services Limited and has been licensed for use by John Hancock. The product is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the licensor of the index and they make no representation regarding the advisability of purchasing the Product. You cannot invest directly in the Index.

The policy does not directly participate in any stock or equity investments.

Insurance policies and/or associated riders and features may not be available in all states. Some riders may have additional fees and expenses associated with them.

Loans and withdrawals will reduce the death benefit, cash surrender value, and may cause the policy to lapse. Lapse or surrender of a policy with a loan may cause the recognition of taxable income. Policies classified as modified endowment contracts may be subject to tax when a loan or withdrawal is made. A federal tax penalty of 10% may also apply if the loan or withdrawal is taken prior to age 59 1/2.

Vitality is the provider of the John Hancock Vitality Program in connection with the life insurance policy and Healthy Engagement Rider.

John Hancock Vitality Program rewards and discounts are only available to the person insured under the eligible life insurance policy.

Rewards and discounts are subject to change and are not guaranteed to remain the same for the life of the policy.

Insurance products are issued by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA 02210 (not licensed in New York) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, NY 10595. MLINY091417096

PR-2017-63

SOURCE John Hancock Insurance
BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Investments announced today that it is building on its substantial business success of the past five years and investing further in its sales organization to better support a growing number of advisor relationships across geographies and channels. Against a backdrop of industry consolidation, the firm is adding new staff and implementing an innovative approach built around three core tenets:

More intensive wholesaler coverage with channel specialization in key metro areas

More extensive coverage in rural geographies through focused, multichannel distribution

Increased digital engagement across a broader audience that prefers a digital-first approach

"Our rapid growth in recent years means we're now supporting a greater number of advisors nationwide, and we intend to uphold our heritage of exceptional service," said Jeffrey O. Duckworth, president of intermediary distribution at John Hancock Investments. "Wholesalers will have smaller territory footprints on average in order to maximize advisor coverage, and while channel specialization has helped us achieve much success over the years, we believe a greater number of multi-channel territories outside of the major metro areas will help us do a better job of supporting those advisors."

The enhanced coverage model is enabling the firm to be more strategic in its territory design, resulting in fewer territories but an incremental increase in sales support personnel overall. The move comes on the heels of Hancock's decision in 2016 to open a 50-person Tempe, Arizona, office dedicated to serving advisors in the western United Statesas well as the expansion of its team of DCIO, ETF, and portfolio consulting specialists. To more effectively manage resources for each territory, the firm is adding the following newly created positions:

1 business intelligence expert, responsible for targeting distribution opportunities within each territory

4 new business associates tasked with helping broaden the firm's reach by connecting with and serving advisors who prefer to interact with John Hancock Investments via their digital properties.

10 business development associates, responsible for building deeper relationships with advisors at Hancock's largest distributors

The firm's enhanced coverage model leverages a major investment in technology made over the past few years. "We're finding that more advisors are open to using technology as a way to engage with us, and we're pleased to be able to help them better manage their time in this way," said Mr. Duckworth. "Different advisors want to do business in different ways," he added. "Our goal is to better align our firm with our clients' needs so that we can support them in the way they want to be supported."

With sales growing at a 16% CAGR over the past 5 years (versus an industry average of 5.7%), John Hancock Investments maintains active relationships with more than 122,500 advisors nationwide and has over 910 selling agreements with firms across channels. The firm had more than $144 billion in assets under management across asset classes, with 46 funds rated 4 or 5 stars by Morningstar at the highest-rated share class.1

About John Hancock Investments

John Hancock has helped individuals and institutions build and protect wealth since 1862. Today, we are one of the strongest and most-recognized financial brands. We serve investors globally through a unique multimanager approach: We search the world to find proven portfolio teams with specialized expertise for every strategy we offer, then we apply robust investment oversight to ensure they continue to meet our uncompromising standards and serve the best interests of our shareholders. Our approach to asset management has led to a diverse set of investments deeply rooted in investor needs, along with strong risk-adjusted returns across asset classes.

About John Hancock and Manulife

John Hancock is a division of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were over $1 trillion (US$780 billion) as of June 30, 2017. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com.

One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports approximately 10 million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, college savings plans, and certain forms of business insurance. We also offer advice through Signator, a network of independent financial advisors. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

1. Data as of June 30, 2017.

MF398728 9/17

SOURCE John Hancock Investments

Related Links

http://johnhancock.com


RENO, Nev., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Biggest Little City, Reno, Nevada, hosts the sixth annual Reno Bites Week Oct. 9-15 as chefs present their culinary creations citywide. This year, the event celebrates the great American road trip with local restaurants presenting their chefs' individual takes on road trip food memories.

The 2017 edition, presented by Sysco Corporation, features over 20 local restaurants, each presenting a unique and competitively priced prix fixe menu. Each evening features a distinctive event culminating with the Chef Showdown, sponsored by Czyz's Appliance and Sierra Meat & Seafood, as eight of the city's top chefs go head to head in a culinary cookoff with the winning chef taking home a Williams-Sonoma gift card and the all-important bragging rights.

Reno Bites Week co-founder and celebrity chef Clint Jolly said he is thrilled with the reception this event has received in the community.

"All these chefs and restaurants coming together year after year for this event is an exciting adventure for Reno," he said. "This year, our Road Trip theme evokes memories of family vacations and I can't wait to see how each restaurant creates a menu on this theme."

Signature events during Reno Bites Week include a kickoff dinner at Roundabout Grill, the Downtown Walkabite progressive dinner, Road Trip dinner events and the perennial favorite Chef Showdown. The Reno Bites Week Passport returns in 2017, sponsored by and available at Whole Foods Market, providing culinarians a pocket-sized guide for all events and serving as the end-of-week contest entry for a Whole Foods shopping spree.

This year Reno Bites Week partners with TravelNevada, Nevada's Division of Tourism, for the Reno Bites Road Trip promoting food-themed travel throughout the region. Foodies who post pictures with the hashtags #RenoBitesRoadTrip, #DFMI and #TravelNevada will be entered into a drawing to win a spot on the judging panel for the Chef Showdown and a dinner for two.

More information about the special events, participating restaurants, and a complete schedule are available at www.RenoBitesWeek.com and by following social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Reno Bites Week

Reno's first and only restaurant week is now in its sixth year. Featuring over 20 restaurants throughout the city, Reno's top chefs and restaurants participate in creating exciting prix fixe menus for patrons to enjoy during the week. The event culminates with the Chef Showdown  a head-to-head cooking challenge for bragging rights as the Showdown Champion. For more information, visit www.RenoBitesWeek.com.

Media Contact:

Ira M. Gostin

120 West Strategic Communications

775-525-9371

[email protected]

Related Links

Website

Instagram

SOURCE Reno Bites Week

Related Links

http://www.RenoBitesWeek.com


Presented by CITI and The Grove, attendees will enjoy a gourmet buffet lunch catered by The District: a Hannah An Restaurant, a Sprinkles Cupcakes decorating station, a live auction featuring one-of-a-kind items, live concert performances, video game truck, photo station and engage in other carnival activities while raising funds for cancer research.

The honorees for L.A. Family Day include Greg Thompson, President of Maverick, Amy Howe, COO of Ticketmaster and her family and Dr. Robert Seeger, Principle Investigator, Cancer Research Program Director, Cancer Research Program 1989-2017, at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In addition to the honorees and sponsors, the Foundation's co-chairs Ken Bunt, President of Disney Music Group and David Schachter, Vice President of UBS Financial Services, Inc. will also be in attendance.

Hollywood Records artist Jordan Fisher is set to release his new single, "Mess" on October 6, 2017. Co-written by Fisher along with Dewain Whitmore, Patrick "J-Que" Smith and Mike Sabath, "Mess" marks the first new music from the triple threat artist since the release of his self-titled EP in August 2016 which featured the top 40 hit, "All About Us."

Earlier this year, Jordan took a turn starring in the Broadway smash, HAMILTON, playing the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton and was featured on the platinum-selling Moana soundtrack, performing a version of "You're Welcome" with Lin Manual Miranda.

"In Real Life," another Hollywood Records band is comprised of the final five boys who received America's vote on ABC's hit show "Boy Band." In Real Life released their first single, "Eyes Closed," following their debut performance of the song on the show's final episode. "Eyes Closed" was written by Justin Tranter, Brandon Skeie, Jussi Karvinen and Wes Period, and produced by JUSSIFER. The five "Boy Band" finalists that make up In Real Life were culled from 30 original contestants, hailing from across the United States, who performed week after week for the chance to become a part of America's next great boy band. Since the show's debut on June 22, the boys have established a devoted fan following, both across social media and at the live performance shows. "Boy Band" also featured host, Rita Ora; and architects Emma Bunton, Nick Carter and Timbaland.

For more information on T.J. Martell Foundation and L.A. Family Day, visit www.tjmartell.org.

Stay Connected with T.J. Martell Foundation: www.facebook.com/tjmartellfoundation

www.twitter.com/tjmartell

www.pinterest.com/tjmartellfndn

www.instagram.com/tjmartellfoundation

About T.J. Martell Foundation:

The T.J. Martell Foundation is the music industry's leading foundation dedicated to funding innovative medical research focused on finding treatments and cures for cancer. The Foundation was founded in 1975 by music industry executive Tony Martell and his colleagues in loving memory of his son T.J., who died of leukemia. The Foundation has provided more than $280 million for research at seven flagship hospitals in the United States. For more information on the T.J. Martell Foundation visit www.tjmartell.org.

Media Contact:

Christina Garvin

Sundari PR

805.229.1612

[email protected]

SOURCE T.J. Martell Foundation

Related Links

http://www.tjmartell.org


GREENWICH, Conn., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global asset manager Axiom Investors announces that Jose Gerardo Morales has been named co-portfolio manager of the Axiom Emerging Markets Equity Strategy and the Axiom Emerging Markets World Equity Strategy. Morales assumes full co-portfolio manager responsibilities. The existing portfolio management teams, including lead portfolio managers Christopher Lively, CFA, and Andrew Jacobson, CFA, of the Emerging Markets and Emerging Markets World Equity Strategies respectively, remain the same.

"Jose's addition reinforces the leadership of our already successful emerging market strategies with his complementary expertise. The entire investment team is excited to work with Jose and values the depth of his emerging market knowledge, as well as his record of investment success. His expertise integrates perfectly into our time tested dynamic growth philosophy, and highly collaborative investment process." Kurt Polk, CFA, Axiom Investors' president added, "Jose is passionate about emerging market investing and skilled at communicating the nuances of building portfolios."

With over 20 years of investing experience, Morales joins Axiom Investors following a nine year tenure at Mirae Asset Global Investments in New York and London. He served in multiple capacities as both the head of emerging markets for Latin America and EMEA as portfolio manager/CIO of emerging markets and global equities. Morales helped launch multiple successful emerging markets portfolios and had oversight of over $2.5 billion in assets under management at the firm. He was previously head of emerging European equities at Pictet Asset Management and held similar positions at WestLB Mellon Asset Management and HSBC Asset Management. Morales holds an MBA from Georgetown University with a focus on investment analysis and international business, and a bachelor's degree in finance from George Mason University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

ABOUT AXIOM INVESTORS

Headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, and employee owned, Axiom manages global, international, emerging markets, international small cap and US small cap equities with a single guiding philosophy and consistent, disciplined investment process. Axiom cultivates a culture of excellence and renews our uncompromising effort daily to serve our clients around the world in an open, accessible and responsive manner. For more information, visit, https://axiom-investors.com.

SOURCE Axiom Investors

Related Links

http://www.axiom-investors.com


REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle announced today that KIK, one of North America's largest independent manufacturer of consumer packaged goods, has adopted Oracle Human Capital Management (HCM) Cloud to better serve its growing employee base while updating outdated HR systems and technologies. With Oracle HCM Cloud, KIK has the insights and flexibility to streamline HR processes and gain a unified employee experience across 20 different locations in North America.

Doubling its workforce in just three years, KIK's HR department quickly realized it could no longer keep up with the pace and demand of recruiting, hiring, and managing employees. Outdated systems coupled with manual processes slowed down mission-critical HR functions. Disjointed technologies from multiple vendors lacked the integrated insights necessary for today's global business environment. Yet KIK wanted to maintain the flexibility and customization to quickly adjust to the needs of its employees and business goals. After evaluating several solutions, including Workday, KIK ultimately opted for Oracle HCM Cloud for its flexibility, functionality, and robust offering.

"As a manufacturing partner to the world's largest retailers and brands such as Top Job, Greased Lightning, Prestone, Clorox Pool Products and Bullfrog, KIK prides itself on the quality we deliver to each of our customers. However, the HR and payroll system in place could no longer support the very employees that contributed to the company's incredible success," said Julie Sereney, vice president, HR Shared Services at KIK. "With Oracle HCM Cloud we will gain global insights to ensure the success of our employees while core HR responsibilities like payroll, talent management, and employee benefits are streamlined under one umbrella."

KIK needed a solution to quickly bring its 15-year-old legacy system up-to-date. While multiple vendors offered complex payroll systems, the company was seeking a service that could centralize several areas of HR into a single, comprehensive system.

"Oracle HCM Cloud offers businesses the chance to learn more about its biggest investment  its employees, with a unified view into everything from employee productivity to payroll," said Gretchen Alarcon, group vice president, HCM Product Strategy at Oracle. "Oracle HCM Cloud delivers a simple, holistic platform that offers the robust HR and payroll solutions that KIK needs as a growing global business."

KIK plans to implement Oracle HCM Cloud in two phases; the first focused on payroll, core HR capabilities, and employee benefits, and the second focused on performance, talent management, and recruiting.

About KIK

As one of North America's largest independent manufacturers of consumer packaged goods ("CPG"), KIK helps a large portfolio of brands and retailers bring their products to life. With leading positions in the multibillion dollar household and personal care ("HPC"), over-the-counter ("OTC"), pool additives and automotive aftermarket categories, we serve over 100 CPG companies and several major North American HPC and automotive aftermarket retailers, including many of the leading players in their respective categories. We have full-service capabilities covering end-to-end contract manufacturing, including project management, innovation and R&D, sourcing and procurement, blending and compounding, filling and packaging, supply chain and distribution, and quality control. Our manufacturing model is highly flexible and we consistently add value to our customers by leveraging our range of services and expertise.

About Oracle

|The Oracle Cloud offers complete SaaS application suites for ERP, HCM and CX, plus best-in-class database Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) from data centers throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Oracle

Related Links

http://www.oracle.com


KING GEORGE, Va., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- King George County has joined a growing number of Virginia localities in selecting the secure, reliable Verity Voting system from Hart InterCivic to replace outmoded election technology. The County's voters will cast their November ballots on the new system.

"Verity is easy to set up and easy to learn. We've supported counties in Virginia for more than 15 years, and we know what King George and other jurisdictions need to make a smooth, timely transition," said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic.

The Verity Voting system is simple to set up on Election Day and saves on storage space the rest of the year. (PRNewsFoto/Hart InterCivic)

"We serve Prince William, Essex, Westmoreland and other nearby counties, and King George officials know they can rely on our service and reputation."

The only all-new paper-based digital scanning system certified for use in Virginia, Verity technology introduces the innovative Verity Scan digital scanning device, allowing voters to scan their paper ballots in the polling place, and the accessible Verity Touch Writer ballot marking device. The two devices share the same secure, compact hardware platform as well as an easy-to-use interface.

Verity receives high marks from voters and poll workers as being easy to learn and easy to use. The system's portable, briefcase style and collapsible ballot box simplify transport, setup and storage.

"Hart's experience in helping counties transition to new voting technology is paying off as upgrades roll out across Virginia," said Braithwaite. "We welcome King George County and expect more announcements soon."

For more information on the Verity Voting system, please visit www.hartintercivic.com/verityoverview.

About Hart InterCivic, Inc.

Austin-based Hart InterCivic is a full-service election solutions innovator, partnering with state and local governments to deliver secure, accurate and reliable elections. Working side-by-side with election professionals for more than 100 years, Hart is committed to helping advance democracy one election at a time. Hart's mission fuels its passionate customer focus and a continuous drive for technological innovation. The company's new Verity Voting system makes voting more straightforward, equitable and accessibleand makes managing elections more transparent, more efficient and easier.

SOURCE Hart InterCivic, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.hartintercivic.com


WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced today that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued a Decree authorizing the issuance of drivers' licenses for women in the Kingdom. The Decree will take effect June 2018 for the issuance of drivers' licenses to women. During the preparatory period until June of 2018, the relevant agencies in the Kingdom are instructed to make all the necessary changes to the current rules and regulations to implement the order. This also includes developing the infrastructure and institutional capacity, such as expanded licensing facilities and driver education programs, to accommodate millions of new drivers.

His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States, said, "Saudi Arabia is changing. We have dynamic leadership. We are implementing our Vision2030 initiative through which we are empowering women and youth to play a greater role in the Saudi economy and take better advantage of the increasing opportunities that result from the Kingdom's modernization and economic reform initiatives."

Ambassador Khalid added, "The issue of women driving was never a religious or a cultural issue. In fact, the majority of the members of the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom agree that Islam does not ban women from driving. This was a societal issue. Today, we have a young and vibrant society and the time had come to make this move.

Over the course of our 87-year history as a nation, change and progress has been a constant. And today, through Vision2030, that change is moving at an even greater pace, in line with our religion and values, as we pursue our vision for a vibrant society with strong roots, a thriving economy less dependent on oil and an ambitious nation that can responsibly contribute to the security and prosperity of the world around us."

SOURCE Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Information Office
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE) and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) have announced that Clean Water Act: Law and Regulation will be held on December 4 - 5, 2017, in Washington, D.C. This singular program combines advanced issues in water law and analyzes them in an integrated manner by examining them within a larger context.

The Clean Water Act: Law and Regulation program will provide in-depth legal analyses, policy perspectives, and insights on the state of water law today, highlighting the increase in state regulatory and enforcement action as well as the anticipated rise in citizen suits. This year's national faculty is comprised of senior public officials from federal and state/local regulators and enforcement agencies, private practitioners, scientists, and public interest advocates, and includes a keynote address from LaJuana Wilcher, a nationally known environmental attorney who has served in top-level environmental policy positions in federal and state government.

Other topics to be address at the conference include:

The evolving definition of WOTUS

The developing challenges of Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting

Impaired waters and effluent standards

Emerging issues in Clean Water Act work: Pollutants in municipal wastewater plants; invasive species in water systems; and setting water quality standards based on fish consumption rates

"While the Clean Water Act was passed more than 40 years ago with the laudable goal of protecting our nation's waters, the law is anything but settled," said Planning Co-Chair, Rachel Jean-Baptiste. "A strong understanding of the Act and the latest regulatory developments is therefore a 'must have' for today's environmental attorneys and clean water professionals. This course aims to do just that."

To learn more about this program and to register for the in-person course or webcast, click here.

About American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education

American Law Institute CLE is the continuing legal education division of the American Law Institute. American Law Institute CLE, a non-profit organization, is committed to the work of promoting continuing professional education for lawyers throughout the United States and to creating standards to ensure quality and relevance in CLE programs. American Law Institute CLE is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the legal profession, furthering a tradition of unparalleled service to lawyers. Follow the latest announcements and news at https://www.ali-cle.org/Press-Releases and on Twitter @ALI_CLE.

For press and media related inquiries please send us an email at [email protected].

CONTACT: Ian Shumard

ALI CLE (215) 243-1662

SOURCE American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education

Related Links

http://www.ali-cle.org


DUBLIN, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Power Rental Market: Latin America 2017" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

Latin American Power Generation Rental market research report includes market size, growth rates, vertical end-user split, competitive market share data and revenue forecasts from 2016-2023 for the Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and the Rest of Latin America (Chile, Peru, Colombia).

The study is a comprehensive analysis including market share splits by fuel type (diesel, natural gas others), output power, application, end-user group and rental provider. Furthermore, profiles of key companies, growth drivers, restraints, challenges, and quotations from industry participants are also included in this analysis of the temporary power opportunity.

The Latin American Power Rental Market is mature and competitive with the presence of regional and national market participants trying to get a strong foothold in the market. The market is projected to experience moderate growth during the next seven years driven by economic growth, an increase in infrastructure, demand from events, and the continuing shift from ownership to rental.



This study aims to provide a detailed analysis of the Latin American Power Rental Market along with competitive intelligence for the year 2016.



The market numbers included in this report represent revenues generated by companies operating in the Latin American Power Rental Market by country (Argentina, Mexico and Brazil). The base year for the study is 2016 and the forecast period is from 2016 until 2023.



This study captures the following information on Latin American Power Rental Market:

Market Size, Growth Rate, Revenue Forecasts (2016-2023)

Growth Drivers & Restraints

Market Data

Quotes by Key Industry Participants

Market Share Analysis

Market Trends

Key Topics Covered:



I. Scope of Research



II. Quotes



III. Market Definitions and Segmentation



IV. Methodology



V. Executive Summary



VI. Market Drivers

a) Population and Urbanization Growth

b) Increasing Energy Demand

c) Economic Expansion

d) Demand from Events

e) Continues ship from ownership to rental

f) Impact Analysis of Market Drivers



VII. Market Restraints

a) Lower oil & gas Prices

b) Decreased Prices of Metals

c) Intense Competition

d) Economic Instability

e) Explosive Growth of Renewable Energy

f) Impact Analysis of Market Restraints



VIII. Competitive Advantages



IX. Market Trends



X. Opportunities



XI. Latin America Market Data

a. Regional Analysis

b. Revenue Forecast

c. Revenue Share By Fuel

d. Revenue Share by Power Output

e. Revenue Share by Applications

f. Revenue Share by End User



XII. Market Share by Revenues



XIII. Argentinian Power Rental Market

a) Country Information

b) Market Drivers

c) Market Restraints

d) Revenue Forecast

e) Enarsa's Mobile Power Generator Units

f) Market Share by Revenues



XIV. Brazilian Power Rental Market

a) Country Information

b) Market Drivers

c) Market Restraints

d) Revenue Forecast

a) Market Share by Revenues



XV. Mexican Power Rental Market

a) Country Information

b) Market Drivers

c) Market Restraints

d) Revenue Forecast

a) Market Share by Revenues



XIV. Rest of Latin America

a) Chile

b) Peru

c) Colombia

d) Revenue Forecast



Companies Mentioned



Aggreko

Aggreko plc

Caterpillar Inc.

Cummins Inc.

Herc Equipment Rentals

Sunbelt Rentals

United Rentals

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dxx4qx/power_rental

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NerdWallet, the go-to personal finance resource, today announced that Laura Onopchenko is joining the company as its first-ever chief financial officer. Onopchenko will lead financial operations and will work closely with CEO and co-founder Tim Chen to set the strategic direction of the company. NerdWallet provides free tools and expert advice to help consumers navigate all of life's financial decisions.

"Being part of a growing, mission-driven company is extremely important to me. NerdWallet is both of those things," said Onopchenko. "Helping NerdWallet expand its business means reaching more consumers and empowering them to make solid financial decisions. I'm incredibly excited to play a role in advancing such a worthwhile undertaking and can't wait to dive in."

Onopchenko brings more than 20 years of finance experience in a variety of leadership positions. Her experience includes leading high-performing teams, building the multifunctional capabilities required to enable growth, and partnering to develop and implement thoughtful strategic, financial, and operating plans. She will be responsible for preparing the company for its next phase of expansion while bringing new perspective as NerdWallet continues to evolve.

"Laura is the strategic leader NerdWallet needs to guide us through our next phase of growth," said Tim Chen, NerdWallet's CEO and co-founder. "She thrives in fast-paced environments, and has helped companies achieve amazing financial results. Laura is known by those who've worked with her as a 'hands-on, people-oriented' leader. I'm thrilled to have her as my thought partner and know she'll play a crucial role in helping us better serve the 100 million consumers that visit us every year."

Prior to joining NerdWallet, Onopchenko served as vice president of finance at DaVita Rx, the pharmacy division at DaVita, a Fortune 500 company. During her five-year tenure, the business quadrupled to more than $1 billion in annual revenue and fulfilled millions of prescriptions. Earlier in her career, Onopchenko was an early-stage tech venture capitalist, leveraging her previous investment banking and corporate experience to help several portfolio companies achieve successful exits.

About NerdWallet

NerdWallet offers consumers clarity for all of life's financial decisions. Whether it's regarding credit cards, insurance, loans or investing, people lack the clear, unbiased information they need to make the best choice. With NerdWallet, consumers have free access to user-friendly tools and advice that save time and money, and give them the freedom to do more. NerdWallet is based in San Francisco and employs more than 400 Nerds. For more information, visit nerdwallet.com.

"NerdWallet" is a trademark of NerdWallet Inc. All rights reserved. Other names and trademarks used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.



Contact

Keely Spillane

[email protected]

925-200-2215

SOURCE NerdWallet

Related Links

http://www.nerdwallet.com


KYIV, Ukraine, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Ukrainian NGO "Ukrainian Rule of Law Institute" demands the Ukrainian authorities follow the rule of law and respect human rights in case of the former Minister of Justice of Ukraine Oleksandr Lavrynovych.

Oleksandr Lavrynovych was detained on September 15 by Kyiv Pechersk District Court of Ukraine. The Prosecutors have accused him of forcible seizure of government, while the Court had ordered his arrest for "an illegal change of the constitutional order".

The charge refers to the events of 2010, when the Constitutional Court of Ukraine restored the Constitution of 1996, which increased the powers of the President Viktor Yanukovych.

Lavrynovych's attorneys have called his charges unfounded. He is accused of publishing the decision of the Constitutional Court in the official press and further implementing it, together with all other Ministries and public authorities. One of the grounds for immediate arrest by the state prosecutor was the possibility of Lavrynovych influencing general public by providing false information to mass-media.

Oleksandr Lavrynovych is currently detained in a remand centre waiting to appeal his detention on September 27. In case they cannot find a solution in the Ukrainian courts, attorneys plan to apply to the European Court of Human Rights. Notably, ECHR has a history of dismissing the necessity of detention of people who were not involved in violent crimes and do not pose any threats to the society.

Lavrynovych claims the prosecutors offered him freedom in exchange for perjury against himself, the judges of the Constitutional Court and the former President.

Ukraine's constitutional order has gone through an important transformation since 1996. Originally established as a presidential republic, in 2004 Ukraine was transformed into a parliamentary-presidential republic as a result of the Orange Revolution. The powers of the then President Viktor Yushchenko were significantly reduced and redistributed between the Government and the Parliament. However, in 2010 the Constitutional Court overruled the amendments of 2004.

Oleksandr Lavrynovych is a well-known Ukrainian lawyer and academic. He was one of the activists for the Ukrainian Independence in 1991 and a co-author of the first Ukrainian Constitution in 1996. He served as a Minister of Justice for several Ukrainian governments, as well as previously serving as the First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Parliament.

SOURCE Ukrainian Rule of Law Institute
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the success of the Love Army for Somalia campaign, YouTube stars Juanpa Zurita and Jerome Jarre, along with the Love Army team, have launched a "Love Army Mexico" GoFundMe to help on-the-ground relief after last week's devastating earthquake struck central Mexico. A native of Mexico, Juanpa is joined by Ben Stiller, German Garmendia, Lele Pons, and others in rallying their social media audiences to support this fundraising effort. Previously, these social media stars worked together to raise over $2.7 million for Somali famine relief.

In the campaign, Juanpa writes, "We've decided to use our platforms to show the rest of the world the true heart of Mexico. We've started this GoFundMe, and we're going to get as many of our friends around the world to donate and share it. We want to create a bridge between the heroes on the ground and people around the world who want to help but aren't sure how."

In one day, the Love Army Mexico campaign has raised half of its goal.

To learn more and donate to Love Army Mexico, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/lovearmymexico

YouTube video about the campaign (in Spanish with English subtitles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxoVx6tgHmc

About GoFundMe

Launched in 2010, GoFundMe is the world's largest social fundraising platform, with over $4 billion raised so far. With a community of more than 40 million donors, GoFundMe is changing the way the world gives. Find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

CONTACT: Maggie Shepherd, [email protected]

SOURCE GoFundMe

Related Links

https://www.gofundme.com


FENTON, Mich., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Shareholders:

We write to you about matters related to Productivity Technologies Corp. (PTC) and to enlist your support.

Consistent with history, we believe PTC's sole tangible asset today is its ownership of the Membership Interests of Atlas Technologies LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

Some of you are long time shareholders. You may recognize me as a long serving director of PTC. I also serve as PTC's Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President and CFO. I also served Atlas for many years as a director and officer.

I co-founded PTC and was the PTC officer in 1995 who first learned about Fenton, Michigan based Atlas. My history with PTC goes back to inception and the origination of the Atlas purchase for PTC. My father and I are collectively large shareholders. We have owned shares since PTC went public in 1994. We also purchased a considerable number of PTC shares since then on the open market.

Regrettably, today I write as a dissident director and large shareholder who believes PTC is not acting in the best interests of shareholders. We are in litigation with PTC and Atlas and also in an unfortunate family dispute with my uncle, Samuel N. Seidman, who is PTC Chairman. We believe these disputes are hurting the value of your shares and ours. Information on the litigation is available at:

US Federal Court, Eastern Michigan District:

https://ecf.mied.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl

Cases 2:16-cv-13085 and 2:16-cv-13088

The above requires an account with Pacer, the Court's document system. Shareholders also may contact our attorney's office (RJ Landau Partners) for the public litigation documents at the following phone number or email: 734-865-1585 or [email protected]

In addition to these disputes, we believe the value of PTC has been seriously degraded by PTC's controlling directors. Through this letter, we make a plain request. In the next few months we will seek your support of our efforts to see PTC and Atlas change course.

The future support we seek may include asking for your written proxy. We may also consider making a tender offer to shareholders. However, we currently do not have enough information to make a well-considered tender offer. We have requested PTC's financial statements. Shareholders who own at least 1% of PTC can request information about PTC and Atlas and review these financial statements. There is a form you are required to fill out. Our attorney's office (see contact information above) can assist you.

If we are able to carry out our business plan for the Company, we believe the amount you could receive per share may meaningfully exceed the current PTC price per share. In contrast, we believe PTC's current business path has little hope to provide long term dividends and a reasonable return on shareholder equity.

We believe the first step toward obtaining a return of funds to shareholders is to hire a competent and reputable third party investment banker to assess and value PTC and Atlas as ongoing concerns. Also, we think the investment banker should consider the following steps to optimize the value for your and our shares:

Sell the entirety of Atlas (as PTC's sole tangible asset) in one transaction to a strategic buyer. Merge PTC's net operating loss (NOL) carryforward with an investor able to utilize the NOL. Sell all other intangible assets to a strategic buyer, including customer lists, Atlas' installed base, and machinery designs. This could include changing the direction of Atlas by de-emphasizing low margin and episodic sales and turning instead to higher margin products. For reasons we can discuss, we believe we can introduce such higher margin products to Atlas. Separately assess the spare parts department. On a dollar for dollar basis, spare parts are usually more profitable compared to custom equipment sales. Sell the factory, including all cranes and production equipment, on an arm's length basis to a real estate investor or third-party buyer which could be the same or different than buyers for the above options.

The key point is to see PTC and Atlas promptly begin an orderly process to consider all reasonable ways to return funds and increase value for PTC shareholders, whether as a going concern or as the sum of its parts. We seek your involvement to help us change PTC's and Atlas' course and provide a return for shareholders.

If it is ultimately decided that PTC does not sell Atlas in the entirety, then in addition to a one time substantial dividend at the completion of one or more options above, PTC should begin paying quarterly dividends to shareholders. PTC's board has never provided a dividend. We believe the time to do so is long overdue.

We look forward to discussing these matters with shareholders.

Note: The above may include predictions or other information that might be considered forward-looking. While these statements represent our current judgments on what the future may hold, these are subject to risks and uncertainties and actual future results could differ materially. You are cautioned to not unduly rely on forward-looking statements, which reflect our opinions only as of today's date. While we will make reasonable efforts to do so, please keep in mind we are not obligating ourselves to revise or publicly release revisions to these forward-looking statements due to new information or future events.

JESSE LEVINE

248-219-5500

SOURCE Jesse Levine
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leviton announced today the opening of its new, state-of-the-art Innovation Center in the heart of New Orleans to enable and inspire advanced engineering in the city's up-and-coming tech hub. Located on Fulton Street in the Warehouse District, just a short walking distance from the Leviton LIVE experience center in the Central Business District, the new facilities are dedicated to furthering Leviton's technology development and elevating the home and business automation industry.

At the new facilities, Leviton will employ its processes for ideation and innovation to create, design and promote new, exciting products. These include secure cloud services, apps, embedded firmware and hardware for the company's new Internet of Things products  many of which are developed in New Orleans. The Leviton Energy Management, Controls & Automation team in the current New Orleans east facility will be moving into the new space to join all activities together in one location, providing a platform for collaborative efforts throughout the company.

"We are always seeking new opportunities for advancement of our product development processes to continue growing and expanding our business," explained Daryoush Larizadeh, Leviton's president and chief operating officer. "With the new Innovation Center in the Warehouse District of New Orleans, we are empowering leading edge engineering teams and inspiring fresh, cutting-edge creativity backed by Leviton's 111-year history of stability and quality."

New Orleans has been the central location of the Leviton home and business automation activities since 2012 following the company's acquisition of Home Automation, Inc. Leviton has continued to propel its automation offerings for residential and commercial environments by creating lighting solutions that provide elegance, security and energy savings with the convenience of app and voice based control.

Leviton recently introduced the award-winning Decora Smart lighting controls with Wi-Fi Technology, Z-Wave Plus Technology and Apple HomeKit compatibility. Consumers enjoy the freedom of controlling light switches, table lamps, small appliances and more using a smartphone or tablet from anywhere. Create time-based schedules to automate the home without any interaction, or use voice commands to control your home when paired with Amazon Echo, Google Assistant, or Siri from Apple.

The new Innovation Center is located at 865 Fulton Street, New Orleans, LA 70130.

About Leviton

Leviton is the smart choice, delivering the most comprehensive range of solutions to meet the needs of today's residential, commercial and industrial customers in more than 90 countries across the globe. From simple switches and receptacles, to networking systems and smart home automation, Leviton exceeds market needs by delivering innovative products to create sustainable, intelligent environments through its electrical wiring devices, network and data center connectivity solutions, LED lighting and lighting energy management systems, and security and automation applications. For Leviton, it is clear the FUTURE IS ON. For more information, visit www.leviton.com, www.facebook.com/leviton, www.twitter.com/leviton or www.youtube.com/Levitonmfg.

SOURCE Leviton

Related Links

http://www.leviton.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lionbridge Technologies, Inc., the world's most trusted global digital communications company, today announced that it is sponsoring the 6th Annual AI Summit, which is being held this week at the Regency Center in San Francisco, California. The AI Summit is the world's foremost event covering the practical implications of Artificial Intelligence for enterprise organizations and solutions that are transforming business productivity. This year more than 2,000 business CxOs are attending alongside AI start-up innovators, press/media and acclaimed researchers.

Lionbridge is also hosting a panel discussion, "What makes an AI business project successful." The panel discussion will include a comprehensive debate on what success means in AI for business, including strategy, planning, vendor engagement and global delivery to drive measurable ROI.

Panel: What Makes an AI business Project Successful?

Date/Time: September 28, 2:25 PM

Location: Regency Center, San Francisco, California

Panelists: Jane Nemcova, VP & GM, Global Services for Machine Intelligence, Lionbridge; Jan Neumann, Director, Technical Research and Development, Comcast; Andy Peart, CSMO, Artificial Solutions; Jordi Torras, Founder and CEO, Inbenta and Daniel Tapias, CEO and Founder, Sigma Technologies. The panel will be chaired by Larry Lefkowitz, Chief Scientist, AI Practice, Sapient Consulting.

"AI is being implemented by leading organizations in a broad range of industries and we are very excited to host Lionbridge GSMI alongside key Industry Partners that include Amazon Web Services, DRYiCE, Facebook, Genpact, Google Cloud Platforms, IBM Watson, Microsoft, PwC, Sapient Razorfish, NVIDIA, Intel Saffron and Automation Anywhere,'' underlines Daniel Pitchford, Commercial Director, The AI Summit.

Lionbridge Global Services for Machine Intelligence (GSMI), provides the human component to complement and augment clients' AI efforts by providing scalable and complete global coverage. As organizations move quickly to adopt AI and solve data problems, global leaders rely on Lionbridge to provide the program management and operational requirements to execute successfully in local markets worldwide. With more than a decade of exceptional performance managing highly-sensitive client programs, Lionbridge Machine Intelligence aligns fully with clients' organizational structures, processes and drives measureable results for the world's most demanding global brands.

"AI is already here. It's happening in many, if not most industries; its application in the business environment is growing fast. On many estimates, over the next 10 years, enterprise spending on AI technology will increase from $200m to over $50billion," said AI Summit Event Director, George Kipouros. "AI will drive business growth, and rather than detract from human contribution it will release workers to complete more creative and valuable tasks. The AI Summit San Francisco showcases the world's top technology innovators and end-users spearheading the fourth industrial revolution.''

A number of leading organizations spanning finance, law, healthcare, manufacturing, transport, energy, education and many more are looking to implement the technologies or have already started. The AI Summit, which has an emphasis on networking between delegates and solution providers, provides unique content with speakers offering exclusive insights into the future world of AI-empowered businesses.

"We are delighted to sponsor this event. While we've been working on the human side of machine learning for 10 years, our GSMI service offering has more than quadrupled this year alone," said Jane Nemcova, VP & GM, Global Services for Machine Intelligence, Lionbridge. "This is a reflection of the value that human data plays. Our team has earned the trust of our customers as we continuously deliver flexible solutions that meet our clients ever-changing data needs globally. The AI Summit is a valuable opportunity to engage and collaborate with our customers and colleagues who are among the best and brightest in this field."

To find out more please visit: https://theaisummit.com/sanfrancisco/

About Lionbridge

Lionbridge enables more than 800 world-leading brands. Using innovative cloud technology platforms and global crowd of more than 100,000 professional cloud workers, Lionbridge provide detail-critical business processes, including translation, online marketing, global content management and application testing solutions that ensure global brand consistency, local relevancy and technical usability across all touch points of the customer lifecycle. To learn more, visit www.lionbridge.com.

Media Contacts:

For Press & Media Enquiries on The AI Summit please contact

Anil Karwal

Head of Marketing & Communications

E: [email protected]

For Press & Media Enquiries on Lionbridge and its Global Services for Machine Intelligence Services please contact:

Aimee Jen Text100

[email protected]

+1-415-593-8402

SOURCE Lionbridge Technologies, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.lionbridge.com


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys for Live Action, a leading pro-life organization, have demanded that Twitter Inc. reverse its discriminatory and unprecedented decision to prohibit the group from advertising on the social-media site.

The Washington Post reported that Twitter refused to allow Live Action to resume advertising unless it deleted content from its own website  content that is at the core of its message.

Many of the same ads blocked by Twitter have appeared on Facebook and other popular social media sites, The Post reported.

Lila Rose, the founder and president of Live Action, said Twitter's ban is unfair and shows extreme bias, considering that the group for many years has accepted advertising from Planned Parenthood, which receives most of its funding from the federal government and commits more than 328,000 abortions a year.

"This wasn't about a single issue with one ad. This was about the entirety of our pro-life message, from ultrasound images of life in the womb to criticism of abortion facilities," Ms. Rose told the Washington Post.

"Twitter's self-stated purpose is to 'give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers,'" said Rose, quoting the company's mission statement. "They are completely violating that."

"Twitter should lift the ban, or be honest with the public and their users: There are certain messages they don't agree with that they won't run."

Most troubling, Live Action attorney Patricia L. Glaser said, was a demand by Twitter that Live Action remove "sensitive" content from the nonprofit group's own website before it could apply to have its advertising privileges reinstated. Among the content that Twitter objected to was a petition calling for a ban against federal funding of Planned Parenthood, the nation's leading abortion provider.

"Twitter's decision to condition any resumption in Live Action's advertising on the restriction of content posted on Live Action's own website runs afoul of Twitter's own express policies, in addition to certain precepts of California and federal law," Ms. Glaser said in a letter to Twitter.

When Live Action sought an explanation about the advertising ban, a Twitter executive said in a May 2017 email that the group must "remove current and past sensitive content from your website" in order to regain its advertising privileges.

In an email explaining its position, Twitter directed Live Action to a link that addressed "hateful content in advertising."

"Needless to say, Live Action expressly disputes that any aspect of its life-affirming message or news coverage is hateful," Ms. Glaser said.

Live Action, through its attorneys, urged Twitter to lift the ban and allow the organization to promptly resume its advertising.

About Live Action

Live Action is a 501c(3) human rights nonprofit dedicated to ending abortion and inspiring a culture that respects and protects life. Live Action's groundbreaking news coverage and compelling videos reach several million people weekly, with millions of supporters and volunteers throughout the United States. Join the movement at liveaction.org

SOURCE Live Action
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical Marijuana, Inc. (MJNA), the first publicly traded cannabis company in the United States, today announced that its subsidiary HempMeds Brasil is proud to sponsor the 8th Brazilian Academy of Neurology/Association of Neurology of the State of Rio de Janeiro (ABN-RJ/ANERJ) Congress Workshops taking place from September 28-30 at the Windsor Barra Convention Center in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

The 8th ABN-RJ/ANERJ Congress aims to bring together professionals working in Neurology/Neurosciences and related fields to deepen the scientific debate and the development of knowledge in leading areas such as neurogenetics, neuroimaging, neuroimmunology, translational neurology, among others.

"We are proud to sponsor this neurological-focused event that we believe will focus attention toward improving the quality of treatment for people with neurological disorders," said Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s CEO Dr. Stuart Titus. "With its neuroprotective, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, cannabidiol (CBD) is making new inroads into neurological research. Given potential neuro-regenerative effects, CBD further holds the potential to revolutionize neurological medicine. By showing great promise for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy - we continue to be excited about research opportunities throughout Latin America. We are further encouraged by the Brazilian medical community's interest in new treatment solutions that cannabis and CBD may offer to improve the quality of patient's lives."

HempMeds Brasil is the first company to offer legal medicinal cannabis products to Brazil after receiving import approval to those suffering from specific medical conditions. Most recently in February 2017, for the filling of a prescription for the first time for the Company's hemp CBD oil product RSHO to treat patients in the Country suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Additionally, doctors in Brazil can prescribe RSHO for any condition and HempMeds Brasil has worked with several cases including patients suffering from:

Epilepsy

Psoriasis

Pain

Cancer

Parkinson's

Alzheimer's

Migraine

Diabetes

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

About Medical Marijuana, Inc.

Our mission is to be the premier cannabis and hemp industry innovators, leveraging our team of professionals to source, evaluate and purchase value-added companies and products, while allowing them to keep their integrity and entrepreneurial spirit. We strive to create awareness within our industry, develop environmentally-friendly, economically-sustainable businesses, while increasing shareholder value. For details on Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s portfolio and investment companies, visit www.medicalmarijuanainc.com.

About HempMeds Brasil

HempMeds Brasil currently has three cannabis products approved for importation into Brazil as a prescription medication for multiple conditions including; Epilepsy, Parkinson's, Chronic Pain, Psoriasis, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Diabetes, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis and Migraines. The company had the first-ever cannabis product allowed for import into Brazil and its products are currently subsidized by the Brazilian government, under their health care system, for all three medical indications listed above. HempMeds Brasil is working on additional approvals for multiple indications.

FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER AND DISCLOSURES.

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties. The statements in this press release have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. The Company does not sell or distribute any products that are in violation of the United States Controlled Substances Act. The Company does sell and distribute hemp-based products.

CONTACT:

Public Relations Contact:

Andrew Hard

Chief Executive Officer

CMW Media

P: 888-829-0070

[email protected]

www.cmwmedia.com

SOURCE Medical Marijuana, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com


"This new campaign is an invitation to immerse yourself in everything that is Mexico," stated Hector Flores Santana, Mexico Tourism Board's CEO. "We feel the name says it all: Mexico is truly 'A World of Its Own'. We constantly hear visitors tell us that Mexico is unlike anything they have experienced. They have shared their marvel that in just one day they can relax at one of the world's top beaches, stroll through colorful markets, hear the Maya language still spoken, visit a crystal blue water cenote hidden in the jungle and, finally, savor a mix of modern and ancient flavors at dinner. Throughout their journey they are greeted with the warm smiles of the Mexican people while enjoying the quality service of Mexico's world-famous hospitality. This new campaign seeks to capture this positive overwhelming feeling of sensations and discovery."

By telling rich stories about these diverse, vibrant experiences Mexico offers across its destinations to a wide variety of travelers, the campaign will build upon Mexico's recognized positioning as a mega-destination. It is a country that beckons travelers again and again, for even longer visits each time, in order to fully explore the richness and diversity found everywhere. In this sense, the campaign highlights that the question for travelers is not 'should you visit Mexico?' but instead 'how far will you go?'

"A World of Its Own" will also highlight the colorful, magical and even surreal aspect of Mexico which has attracted explorers, artists and philosophers for thousands of years. This is what Salvador Dali, the acclaimed and eccentric Spanish artist, sarcastically claimed about Mexico: "There is no way I am going back to Mexico, I can't stand to be in a country that is more surreal than my paintings." Nothing captures this surrealism more so than the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Travelers can be immersed in this beautiful, joyous tradition that has evolved over thousands of years where Mexican families and friends honor and remember their departed loved ones with altars, food, flowers, colorful decorations, and public and private festivities that symbolize how the dead still dance and celebrate among us.

The multi-faceted global marketing campaign will begin to roll out immediately, with its first phases focused on the visitmexico.com website refresh, digital and social media programs, and public relations efforts. Advertising, promotions and events in partnership with the tourism industry, and Mexico's many destinations, will begin rolling out across global markets in October. A new digital platform will launch in December, allowing for interaction with the "World Of its Own" video, with 360-degree views of Mexico experiences and a Mexico bucket-list building tool for consumers. The campaign content and messages have also been designed to be customized by market, consumer segments and according to Mexico's tourism products including sun and beach, romance, adventure and nature, medical and wellness, LGBT, cruises, culture, high-impact events, luxury, sustainability and gastronomy.

The Mexico Tourism Board's Chief Marketing Officer, Emmanuel Rey, added, "It's time for Mexico to connect with travelers on a more personal level, now more than ever. 'A World of Its Own' will both engage consumers by sharing the breadth of experiences Mexico has to offer and, more importantly, challenge travelers to live life to the fullest, awaken their drive to imagine and ensure travel is an important part of how they discover the world and themselves."

For more information about Mexico, please go to https://www.visitmexico.com/en.

Press inquiries: Melanie Garvey, [email protected]

SOURCE Mexico Tourism Board
TYSONS CORNER, Va., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 21st, MicroTech was notified it had been awarded a Field Communications Multiple-Award, Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract by the Department of the Interior (DOI)/Interior Business Center, Acquisition Services Directorate. The addition of this $3 billion ID/IQ contract further advances MicroTech's business strategy to expand its communication offerings to the U.S. Government.

Through the Field Communications contract MicroTech will provide Government customers a full array of field communications commodity products and professional services. MicroTech will be engaged with the customer through the full lifecycle of field communications, including the planning, designing, implementation, maintenance and decommissioning of their systems.

"MicroTech is looking forward to bringing our unique technical solutions to the DOI and other government customers under this contract to support their critical communications requirements," says Tony Jimenez, Founder, President and CEO of MicroTech. "This award builds on our already successful business in the communications market, and allows us to better leverage our strengths in solving our customer's challenges," Mr. Jimenez added.

This contract allows MicroTech to offer services in any of the 50 states and the territories, and be available to the DOI and other federal agencies including but not limited to the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, United States Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy.

MicroTech now holds 26 multiple-award type contracts with dozens of Federal State and Local Government Agencies through which MicroTech provides a broad range of innovative technologies and state of the art Professional Services and Solutions.

About MicroTech: MicroTech, a Certified and Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certified by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), has had noteworthy success since its inception in 2004. Under Tony Jimenez's leadership, the privately-owned company has experienced exponential growth and is repeatedly recognized as a business success story by the Veteran, Small Business and Hispanic Communities. Described as the "hottest Hispanic business in the nation," MicroTech was ranked as the #1 Fastest Growing Hispanic Company in the Nation for three consecutive years by Hispanic Business Magazine and has been repeatedly listed on Washington Technology's annual list of the Top 100 Government Contractors.

MicroTech provides Telecommunications Services, Solutions & Integration, Cyber Security Solutions, Cloud Computing, Technology and Professional Services, Network Systems Integration, R&D, and Financial Services to the public sector, as well as commercial enterprises -- managing more than a quarter of a million technology users daily.

Contact: Jennifer Berman, 703-637-3235, [email protected]

SOURCE MicroTech

Related Links

http://www.microtech.net


MONTCLAIR, N.J., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, October 22, zombies will gather at Dioguardi Field at Montclair State University for the university's inaugural "2K Walking Dead for Life" run to raise money for the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center. The event is also a zombie costume competition, which will be judged by Tony Award winning costume designer Linda Cho.

The event is being produced by the university's Public Relations Student Society of America, a professional organization affiliated with the Public Relations Society of America. The MSU/PRSSA is part of the Public Relations program in the School of Communication and Media. The chapter president Sabrina Araullo explains the significance of the event. "This will take place during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and my members and I are proud to be able to help the John Theurer Cancer Center in its fight to save the lives of so many women who battle breast cancer each year. So, we hope a lot of people of all ages come on down on October 22."

Those who have pre-registered online are asked to arrive around 11:30 in costume. If you don't have make up, please arrive at 11am so makeup artists who will be on hand can help transform you from a normal person into a zombie for the day. Those who want to register on the day of the event are also asked to arrive at 11am.

Costume winners will be announced after the run portion has ended around 2pm. They will be selected from four age categories  14 and under, 14-18, 18-25, and 25 and up. The winners will receive tickets to Broadway shows.

Cho won her Tony in 2014 for her costume designs for "Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder." She was also nominated for a 2017 Tony for "Anastasia." In addition, noted film costume designers Amit Gajwani and Carisa Kelly will also be in attendance as judges.

The minimum pledge or registration is $7 for all students (prior to the event), and $10 for adults. Entrants may also pledge $3 per additional lap beyond the 2k distance. Registration will be $10 for the minimum pledge for all attendants on the day of the event.

To register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2k-walking-dead-for-life-tickets-37853822803?aff=es2. If you have questions about the event, please email: [email protected].

SOURCE Montclair State Public Relations Student Society of America
Energizing Impact for Travelers and Community Members With over 30 daily flights that connect travelers to destinations across the globe, MRY serves nearly 400,000 commercial passengers every year. In the summer of 2016, the MRY Board of Directors continued exploring ways to keep energy costs down while ensuring smooth operations for its growing number of passengers.

Monterey Regional Airport leaders collaborated with a San Jose and Salinas-based team of OpTerra engineers to develop the 826 kW solar program that will produce 1.5 million kWh of clean energy annually, the equivalent to providing enough electricity to power 111 homes a year. Airport leaders supported the opportunity to upgrade their energy profile to generate a positive environmental change, while also benefiting regional community members through stimulation of the local economy with an estimated 42 local jobs created by the total economic impact of the project.

Maximizing Technology Solutions for Safety and Savings

Over the quick, four-month implementation process of installing the solar in the summer of 2017, OpTerra prioritized designing around the issue of reflectivity, or glare, which is a serious consideration in any airport-proximate installation. OpTerra's previous energy partnerships with other regional airports, including Salinas Municipal Airport and Yuba County Airport, underline the team's expertise in complying with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and navigating other industry nuances during the solar installation process.

Because aircrafts may fly near the project area and potentially be exposed to glint and glare from solar operations, OpTerra has conducted and submitted three FAA-approved glare studies that show the compatibility of similar PV electricity generation arrays with airport functions. The installation is not only sensitive to not interfering with flights, but is also California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)-compliant, ensuring the organic regeneration of the federally protected endemic vegetation on site as well.

As part of the installation, OpTerra coordinated Net Energy Metering (NEM) and Net Generation Output Meter (NGOM) technology implementation with regional utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). The ground-mounted solar system that was activated last week was designed to track the movement of the sun throughout the day, ensuring maximum renewable energy production and streamlined costs using the proven tracking technology. By installing the system under NEM, the District will receive full compensation from PG&E for all the electricity generated by the solar projects at any time.

Demonstrating Leadership for Regional Airports

During last Thursday's site energization celebration, Bryan Early, California Energy Commission Special Advisor to Commissioner Andrew McAllister recognized Monterey Regional Airport for its leadership in sustainable energy. Early commented, "City, county and state officials today celebrate efforts to save energy and help achieve the state's ambitious energy goals. Because of the tremendous financial savings that these types of projects can generate, partners  like the Monterey Regional Airport  demonstrate that we can aspire to achieve sustainable outcomes while also improving community resources."

Airport Executive Director Michael La Pier echoed, "With this comprehensive solar installation, Monterey Regional Airport is paving the way for other mid-size airports looking to upgrade their operations and establish on-site energy generation. Our partnership with OpTerra and the California Energy Commission is helping us realize our long-term sustainability and energy efficiency goals without compromising our vision for upholding high standards of safety and customer service at all times. We sincerely appreciate the help and assistance of Assemblymember Mark Stone and his staff in this effort. Without their help, this project would have been extremely difficult to complete."

About the Monterey Regional Airport:

For more information about the Monterey Regional Airport, visit https://montereyairport.com or contact Jennifer Fahselt, Communications & Community Outreach Coordinator, at 831-648-7000, extension 200.

About OpTerra Energy Services:

OpTerra Energy Services is a national energy company that works with education, local government, commercial, industrial, and institutional organizations to implement efficiency and sustainable energy solutions that save money, enhance safety, improve assets, and protect the environment. As a subsidiary of ENGIE, the number one energy efficiency services provider in the world, OpTerra Energy Services provides a unique and extensive set of energy and sustainability management services to thousands of customers across the U.S. The company has provided more than $2 billion in energy savings for its customers over the past 40 years. For more information, please visit www.opterraenergy.com or contact Lani Wild, Communications Manager, at 415-735-9080.

SOURCE OpTerra Energy Services

Related Links

http://www.opterraenergy.com


ATLANTA, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of employers reporting that automation benefits their hiring efforts jumped six percent in the past year. But, in five key industry sectors, a growing number of employers worry that digital transformation is moving too fast, according to Talent Trends Quarterly, which reports findings from an international survey of C-suite and human capital leaders by global talent solutions firm Randstad Sourceright.

Globally, 67 percent of the executives surveyed agreed that increasing automation will shift their talent needs to highly skilled roles. In the U.S., more than 72 percent said automation will shift their talent needs to more high skilled roles.

Across industry sectors, however, more than 71 percent of respondents agreed that "technology helps them make smarter hiring decisions" and reduces risks in talent acquisition. In sectors that have automated more recently, like IT & Technology and Life Sciences & Healthcare, moreover, survey respondents were more likely to feel that they are not keeping up with rapid technological changes.

"Our Talent Trends research discovered a kind of automation angst within the sectors that have adopted innovations in robotics or artificial intelligence most recently, versus those sectors with a longer history of integrating technology," said Randstad Sourceright CEO Rebecca Henderson. "The transition to a more automated workplace puts added pressure on employers to find high-skilled talent, and to look for candidates in talent pools that may be unfamiliar to them or may not have even existed 10 years ago."

Employers in the Automotive & Manufacturing industries, which automated earlier than other sectors, had the lowest percentage of respondents (47%) that felt digital transformation is moving too fast. These industries also had the smallest increase (7%) in the number of respondents reporting that they felt their company is not keeping up with technological shifts.

In contrast, in the IT & Technology sector, where technological change has been more recent and rapid, 61 percent of respondents said digital transformation is moving too fast, an increase of 39 percent since 2016, and one of the largest jumps of all sectors.

"Technological change can be overwhelming, but employers should not be relying on technology alone," Henderson noted. "Human intelligence is not only required to make technology work, it is essential to turn data into meaningful business insights."

Despite being the sectors that felt most overwhelmed by technological transformation, Randstad Sourceright's survey data revealed that IT & Technology and Life Sciences & Healthcare were also the sectors most likely to feel optimistic about the future of workplace automation. For example, while the IT & Technology sector had the highest percentage of respondents that felt digital transformation is moving too fast (61%), it also was the sector reporting the largest jump in the number of respondents that felt that AI and robotics will have a positive impact on their workplaces in the near future.

Randstad Sourceright's findings also revealed a growth in positive sentiment about the recruitment benefits of technology, particularly within industries with advanced experience designing and working with automated machines. The Consumer Goods and Automotive & Manufacturing sectors, for example, reported both the highest percentage of respondents that feel technology helps them make smarter hiring decisions (76% and 75%, respectively), as well as the largest jump (10%) in the number of respondents that felt that way since Randstad Sourceright's last survey in 2016.

"Adopting workplace technology requires more highly skilled talent, which is already in greater demand," Henderson added. "But it also helps companies attract, engage and retain the workers needed to meet that demand. For example, digitalization of the recruitment process and innovative workforce analytics are helping employers more easily identify and engage candidates they may never have found or considered without these technologies."

More findings from the survey are available at Randstad Sourceright's Talent Trends Quarterly digital hub.

Reported impacts of technology, by sector

All* Automotive &

Manufacturing Banking &

Financial

Services Consumer

Goods IT &

Technology Life Sciences &

Healthcare+

2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 2017 digital transformation is moving too fast and we are not keeping up with these shifts. 48% 51% 44% 47% 50% 55% 59% 64% 44% 61% 36% 62% technology helps us make smarter hiring decisions. 67% 71% 68% 75% 64% 71% 68% 76% 71% 75% 59% 66% technology reduces risks in hiring decisions. 59% 65% 56% 69% 64% 71% 73% 82% 74% 68% 59% 66% AI or robotics will have a somewhat positive or very positive impact in my workplace in the next 3 to 5 years. 65% 77% 65% 85% 59% 80% 65% 84% 54% 88% 68% 74%

* Total represents all industry sectors surveyed, including several in addition to the five key sectors shown.

+ The Life Sciences & Healthcare sector data may be somewhat of an outlier. Randstad Sourceright's TTQ Q3 2017 industry sector report notes that the technology the Life Sciences and Healthcare sector adopts and how it is used is subject to very strict governmental regulation, which may contribute to the sector's less optimistic view on technology.

About Randstad Sourceright

Randstad Sourceright is a global talent solutions leader, driving the talent acquisition and human capital management strategies of some of the world's most successful employers. We help these companies discover and develop their "Human Intelligence Advantage" by quantifying the true impact of their talent strategies.

As an operating company of Randstad Holding  a 20.7 billion global provider of HR services  Randstad Sourceright's subject matter experts and thought leaders around the world continuously build and evolve our solutions across recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), managed services programs (MSP) and integrated talent solutions. Read more at www.randstadsourceright.com

SOURCE Randstad Sourceright

Related Links

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MYM Nutraceuticals Inc., (CSE: MYM) (OTC: MYMMF) (the "Company" or "MYM") is pleased to announce that it has finalized the lease agreement on building space for expansion into Phase B of the Laval, QC project.

Effective October 1, 2017 MYM will take possession of additional facility space adjacent to the currently leased, Phase A facility. The addition of the new lease increases the total facility space of the Laval, QC project from 10,000 square feet to 26,000 square feet. The expansion will triple the total production capacity of the Laval facility.

Engineering plans for Phase B will be submitted to the Government of Laval by November 1, 2017. Expansion plans will subsequently be submitted to Health Canada to include the Phase B facility under the Phase A license that is currently under consideration.

"Finalizing the lease on additional space located adjacent to the existing Phase A facility enables MYM to substantially increase potential growing space of the Laval project," said Rob Gietl, CEO of MYM. "We are confident that Health Canada will consider the additional space in our current license application."

The Company also announces the approval and adoption of its Advance Notice Policy, by shareholders, at its Special Meeting held on September 13, 2017. The full text of the Policy is available at the Company's website (www.mymarijuana.ca).

About MYM

MYM Nutraceuticals Inc. is an innovative company focused on acquiring Health Canada licenses to produce and sell high-end organic medicinal cannabis supplements and topical products. To ensure a strong presence and growth potential within the industry, MYM is actively looking to acquire complementary businesses and assets in the technology, nutraceuticals and CBD sectors. MYM shares trade in Canada, Germany and the USA under the following symbols: (CSE: MYM) (OTC:MYMMF) (FRA:0MY) (DEU:0MY) (MUN:0MY) (STU:0MY).

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Rob Gietl, CEO

MYM Nutraceuticals Inc.

www.mymarijuana.ca

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results. Such statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to revise or update such statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE or CNSX Markets), nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE), accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

Contact:

Investor Relations:

+1-855-696-2261



SOURCE MYM Nutraceuticals Inc.

Related Links

http://www.mymarijuana.ca


In under one year, My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is seeing tremendous nationwide growth with a commitment to revolutionize the snack space one mochi ice cream bite at a time. Within Wegmans Food Markets, My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream will be offered in the freezer aisle and in their own self-serve My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream Bars within the bakery. Through its placement in the freezer aisles and prepared meals areas, My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream offers snackers a colorful and flavorful, new way to chew their ice cream.

"We're excited to have My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream available at such a well-known and respected business leader," shares Russell Barnett, CMO of My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream. "We're succeeding in breaking the barriers in the snack category and we'll continue to answer consumers' demands for availability in their favorite stores."

My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is now available in Wegmans grocery stores throughout the Northeast regions in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The announcement comes on the heels of recent retail availability in Kroger and Publix stores in August.

My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is available nationwide in retail packs of 6 and in bulk through its signature self-serve My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream Bars. Made with a scoop of premium ice cream wrapped in delectably, sweet rice mochi dough, My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream offers a fun, portable, hand-held eating experience. Each bite-sized snack contains 110 calories and it is available in seven flavors including Sweet Mango, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cookies & Cream, Double Chocolate, Green Tea, Vanilla Bean, and Ripe Strawberry. To access the full store locator, please visit http://www.mymomochi.com/find-a-store/. Like My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream on Facebook here and follow on Instagram @MyMoMochiIceCream

About My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream

My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is a fusion of fan favorite flavors of premium ice cream wrapped in traditional sweet rice mochi dough, giving snackers a colorful and flavorful new way to experience ice cream. The brand's fun, poppable and delicious mochi ice cream is made from the very best ingredients and is only 110 calories per serving. For more information on My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream, please visit www.mymomochi.com.

SOURCE My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream

Related Links

http://www.mymomochi.com


IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Netwrix Corporation, provider of a visibility platform for user behavior analysis and risk mitigation in hybrid environments, today announced the release of its 2017 IT Risks In-Depth Report. The announcement was made at Microsoft Ignite, which is being held September 2529 in Orlando, FL.

The 2017 IT Risks In-Depth Report continues and complements Netwrix 2017 IT Risks Report released earlier this year. It is based on the feedback of 723 respondents, collected between March 15 and April 15, 2017. The report reveals how organizations of various sizes, operating in various industries and regions, have dealt with IT risks over the past year and what they plan to do to mitigate them in the future.

The key findings include:

The focus of security initiatives differs for SMBs and large enterprises: 65% of large enterprises claim to have complete visibility into user activity and IT changes in databases, while the majority of SMBs (60%) have been prioritizing endpoint protection.

90% of technology companies do not use software for information security governance or risk management. 68% of technology and IT companies do not have dedicated cyber-security personnel.

50% of manufacturing companies have zero visibility into mobile devices, and 45% lack visibility into BYOD, despite the wide use of mobile devices for work purposes.

49% of educational institutions prioritize protection against data breach and fraud.

Only 56% of healthcare organizations are fully aware of what is happening in their databases, despite the high interest of adversaries in healthcare records and tight compliance requirements.

100% of government entities see employees as the main threat to the cyber security, yet few have visibility into user activity across their IT infrastructures.

More than a third (36%) of financial organizations do not have a separate cyber-security function  and this is the best result among all the industries surveyed.

Only 30% of North-American organizations, 19% of European organizations and 14% of Asian-Pacific businesses consider themselves to be well-prepared for cyber threats.

"Clearly, approaches to cyber risk mitigation vary depending on an organization's specific characteristics. Unfortunately, this survey reveals that organizations of all types are failing to keep up with modern threats, which now affect everybody. Many of them are struggling to establish control over the cloud and portable devices. Moreover, the IT infrastructure's borders are disappearing and the attack surface is expanding. The only way to deal with this new reality is to gain visibility into user activity across the entire IT infrastructure. Organizations understand this very well and are inching toward better visibility and control, despite the many obstacles they have on the way," said Michael Fimin, CEO and co-founder of Netwrix.

To learn more about the IT risks organizations of various sizes, industries and regions face today, please visit: www.netwrix.com/2017itrisks_in-depth_report.html.

About Netwrix Corporation

Netwrix Corporation was the first vendor to introduce a visibility and governance platform for hybrid cloud security. More than 160,000 IT departments worldwide rely on Netwrix to detect insider threats on premises and in the cloud, pass compliance audits with less effort and expense, and increase productivity of IT security and operations teams. Founded in 2006, Netwrix has earned more than 100 industry awards and been named to both the Inc. 5000 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. For more information, visit www.netwrix.com

CONTACT:

Erin Jones

Avista PR for Netwrix

P: 704.664.2170

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Netwrix Corporation

Related Links

http://www.netwrix.com


LAS VEGAS, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study released today at the 2017 SupplySide West conference confirms millennials' pivotal role in upending long-standing "truths" within the food, beverage and supplement categories. Conducted by CBD Marketing in Chicago, the research analyzed 12.5 million social media posts and other online commentary specific to the three product groups from U.S. millennials, ages 18 to 35. The study covered a one-year period ending August 2017. Women created 62 percent of the content; men 38 percent. More than 80 percent of the content and posts appeared on social media platforms.

"Consumer products companies are obsessed with millennials and with good reason," said CBD Marketing's Co-CEO Lori Colman. "They are one-fourth of the population and represent $10 trillion in lifetime buying power. Millennials share their opinions and buying habits online via social media platforms and on other sites. Businesses and brands that mine this treasure trove of online data will be the ones that market their products successfully."

Millennials and Food (based on analyzing 8.6 million online posts and comments)

Want healthy, natural food; like to cook and prep meals; support alternative food distribution via meal delivery and meal services.

Buy from environmentally conscious manufacturers and purveyors; want transparency.

Love smoothies; breakfast is important; gravitate to cultural flavors and foods like Scandinavian and Indian.

Not interested in dieting or fat-free foods, TV dinners or other "helper" convenience foods, snack foods or foods that satisfy "cravings," steak and potatoes.

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are in; Wal-Mart and multi-purpose grocery stores are out.

Millennials and Beverages (based on analyzing 2.2 million online posts and comments)

Thumbs up to flavored, sparkling and plain water, "better-for-you" drinks promoting energy, immunity, digestive health; alternative juices like aloe, coconut.

Big on plant-based milks, green teas and fermented beverage like kombucha, cold brew.

"No thank you" to soda and pop (average annual consumption has dropped to 38 gallons per person in 2016 from 54 gallons per person in 1998), diet shakes and fruit juices like apple, cranberry and orange.

Not interested in dairy milk (average annual consumption has dropped to 18 gallons per person in 2016 from 30 gallons per person in 1976) or plain old coffee.

Millennials and Supplements (based on analyzing 1.7 million online posts and comments)

Protein and powders (close to 800,000 mentions) are important, as is clean label.

Losing interest in pills, weight-loss products, impure ingredients, whey.

Colman added that further segmenting this tech-savvy millennial population can provide deeper insights. For example, people at the young end of the millennial spectrum are often still living at home or are in college. At the older end, they are working and starting families. Those differences can impact preferences.

"Once a food, beverage or supplement company has a sightline into these demographic and psychographic differences, they can be addressed with highly targeted social marketing, SEO/SEM and relevant content. Having research tools of the type CBD utilizes creates the foundational knowledge that informs smart business and product marketing decision-making," she concluded.

View the complete presentation made at SupplySide West here.

About CBD Marketing:

CBD Marketing (CBD) is an award-winning, creative, integrated marketing agency located in Chicago. National and global clients in food, food ingredients, beverages, foodservice, manufacturing, energy, appliances, building products, education, retail and other industries count on CBD to Market What's Meaningful, building more intimate and profitable relationships in emotional and rational ways. CBD's research and proprietary online data monitoring is leveraged by major national and global consumer and B2B brands.

Contact:

Jean Ban

CBD Marketing

[email protected]

312-661-1050 (O)

SOURCE CBD Marketing

Related Links

http://www.cbdmarketing.com


CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Laughing Cow has introduced two new flavors to its portable, individually portioned snack line  Cheese Dippers. The new Cheese Dippers flavors now include Creamy Swiss Garlic & Herb and Creamy White Cheddar cheeses. The deliciously rich, creamy cheese is now paired with new crunchy whole grain breadsticks, making this on-the-go snack a great choice to enjoy any time, anywhere.

"Cheese Dippers has been a successful addition to The Laughing Cow line of cheese snacks. Bringing more of our most popular flavors of The Laughing Cow's rich, creamy cheese to this line is the next step to growing our brand," said Francis Perrin, chief marketing officer at Bel Brands USA, parent company to The Laughing Cow. "We want consumers to take our Cheese Dippers wherever they go  whether it's in a school lunchbox, during a family weekend trip to the zoo, or in the car on the way home from a big game."

Each serving provides an excellent source of calcium, delivers 4 grams of protein, and contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. These benefit factors combined with the great taste and convenience make Cheese Dippers the ideal snack choice to savor on-the-go.

The new flavors are currently rolling out in stores and will join the existing flavors of Cheese Dippers  Creamy Swiss with Classic Breadsticks and Creamy Swiss with Tomato & Herb Breadsticks. Cheese Dippers will be sold as both individual single-serve packs and five-pack boxes.

About The Laughing Cow and Bel Brands USA:

Part of the Bel Brands USA family, The Laughing Cow Cheese Dippers and Spreadable Cheese Wedges are deliciously rich and creamy snacks. In addition to The Laughing Cow, the Chicago-based Bel Brands USA also manufactures and markets Mini Babybel Cheese along with a number spreadable cheeses including Boursin, Kaukauna, Merkts and Price's label. Bel Brands USA is the U.S. subsidiary of Fromageries Bel, a world leader in branded cheeses, based in Paris, France.

Press Contact:

Porter Novelli

Erica Baldwin

212-601-8032

[email protected]

SOURCE The Laughing Cow
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cal Jet Elite Airways nonstop service between Carlsbad and Las Vegas takes off Thursday morning at 9am with its inaugural flight from McClellan-Palomar Airport to McCarran International Airport. The inaugural flight will feature a water cannon salute starting at 8am as part of the lift off ceremony. "We're delighted that North County residents can now say good-bye to the I-5 when flying to Las Vegas," said George Wozniak President of Cal Jet Air. "Dealing with traffic to get to the airport downtown is a gamble our passengers don't have to take anymore." He added that the newly renovated, smaller airport in Carlsbad offers benefits like faster check-in, shorter lines, and $5 daily parking. In turn, Las Vegas residents who come to San Diego can now fly direct to visit North County destinations like Legoland and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park can start enjoying these attractions soon after landing in Carlsbad.

Though Cal Jet Elite offers premium luxury service, it is committed to keeping its pricing competitive with budget airlines. Its two daily flights between Carlsbad and Las Vegas begin at $69 each way. There are no reservation fees, no charges for the first checked bag, and complimentary beverages and snacks served to passengers seated in the 62 all-leather seats of the Bombardier CRJ-700 jet aircraft.

Cal Jet Elite is offering San Diego residents a chance to try their luck in winning a round trip flight to Las Vegas for just $21 each way. "In celebration of this momentous day, we're giving travel vouchers to the first 500 people who come to the Cal Jet Elite Airways ticket counter starting at 8am at Palomar Airport on Thursday," said Wozniak. But even those who don't hit the jackpot with the travel vouchers will enjoy the festivities of the day. "Elvis" will make an appearance in his red convertible in Carlsbad posing for pictures and entertaining the crowd.

The mission of Cal Jet by Elite Airways is to provide business and leisure travelers with high-quality, convenient jet service between North San Diego County and Las Vegas. The airline, which maintains an impeccable safety record, plans to announce their expansion into to new markets in the future.

All Cal Jet by Elite Airways flights are operated by Elite Airways, LLC. *Starting fare for a one-way ticket. All prices are quoted in U.S. Dollars (USD) unless otherwise specified. **For Cal Jet by Elite Airways flights, the first checked bag and carry-on will be free, $50.00 for a second checked bag, and $75.00 for the third checked bag per person. All fares are quoted in U.S. Dollars ($USD) unless otherwise specified. Visit CalJetElite.com for more details on our standard baggage service fee schedule. Dates of the advertised flights are subject to change in accordance with regulatory requirements. See the TSA website for a list of prohibited items.

Contact Info

Marleen Earll Ex. VP

Cal Jet Elite Air

(612) 272-5026

SOURCE Cal Jet Elite Airways
"The NPR Wine Club puts a fresh, fun spin on wine clubs  creating a totally unique experience of global wine exploration for NPR listeners, while simultaneously supporting public radio," said Howard Jackowitz, Co-Founder of Wines That Rock, LLC. "NPR has a tradition of producing and distributing programs that meet the highest standards of public service in journalism and cultural expression. Now the NPR Wine Club will extend that tradition by bringing together a formidable team of wine experts to guide its members on a journey of discovery through the world of wine."

From France to New Zealand, and Chile to California's Central Coast, each wine is hand selected by a team of globetrotting experts, who taste over 40,000 wines a year and choose less than two percent for the NPR Wine Club. NPR listeners can engage in the wine club in one of two ways, with a portion of proceeds directly supporting NPR:

As a member of the NPR Wine Club, the consumer will receive a fully customized case of wine, shipped to the address of their choice every three months. As part of the introductory offer, new members will receive the inaugural releases of three NPR-Inspired Wines: All Grapes Considered Malbec, Weekend Edition Cabernet Sauvignon and NPR Uncorked Merlot .



Each quarter thereafter, club members will receive a curated case of 12 premium wines from around the world, featuring detailed stories, background notes on each selection as well as

new NPR-inspired wines  taking consumers on an international journey of wine discovery.





. Each quarter thereafter, club members will receive a curated case of 12 premium wines from around the world, featuring detailed stories, background notes on each selection as well as new NPR-inspired wines  taking consumers on an international journey of wine discovery. Alternatively, consumers can shop from a range of hundreds of different wines  and purchase in any quantity they wish (based on their taste and preferences) directly from the NPR Wine Club at NPRWineClub.org.

"For over 47 years, NPR has created countless driveway moments thanks to its compelling reporting and engaging programming," says NPR Director of Consumer Products and E-Commerce, Barbara Sopato. "We're looking forward to engaging our supporters and their palates as we discover new wines and the stories behind them."

The club is fully customizable, with future selections tailored to each member's personal taste and preferences, so members only ever pay for wines they love.

For more information and to view a special offer for the first quarter shipment, please visit NPRWineClub.org.

About NPR: NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connect with millions of Americans everydayon the air, online, and in person. NPR strives to create a more informed publicone challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and 17 international bureaus, NPR and its Member Stations are never far from where a story is unfolding. Listeners consider public radio an enriching and enlightening companion; they trust NPR as a daily source of unbiased independent news, and inspiring insights on life and the arts. Learn more at npr.org/about or by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Direct Wines, Inc.

Direct Wines, Inc. (Direct Wines) is the leading service provider in the direct-to-consumer wine industry. Its mission is to work with licensed wineries, wholesalers and retailers to help consumers discover wines they will really enjoy. Direct Wines provides a range of services to wine retailers including access to national brands such as Virgin Wines and Laithwaite's Wine. Services also include marketing planning and execution, logistics support for distribution management, customer service support and regulatory compliance. Direct Wines offers scalability and economies that individual licensed retailers would struggle to deliver alone. www.directwinesinc.com

About Wines That Rock, LLC: The founders of Wines That Rock, LLC have been at the forefront of bringing pop culture wine to fans for decades. Originally born out of a passion for music and wine, Wines That Rock, LLC launched its namesake collection of classic wines influenced by the spirit of Rock 'n' Roll. Further bridging the gap between the arts and wine, Wines That Rock, LLC has launched the highly acclaimed Fifty Shades of Grey Wine and Downton Abbey Wine collections. Working together with brand owners such as NBC Universal, The Rolling Stones and many others, Wines That Rock specializes in bringing new and exciting wines to market. With over 35 years of Rock 'n' Roll experience, Wines That Rock, LLC promotes, produces and markets their one of a kind wines to a global marketplace. http://www.winesthatrock.com/

SOURCE NPR

Related Links

http://www.nprwineclub.com


LUBBOCK, Texas, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NTS Communications, Inc., ("NTS") a leading provider of fiber-based communications solutions, announced the launch of its Hosted PBX service. This new service strengthens NTS' current portfolio by providing business customers with a new phone system solution that delivers more functionality and less maintenance than traditional PBX systems, and comes with low up-front costs and predictable monthly expenses.

Cyrus Driver, President & CEO of NTS, stated, "We are very excited to announce the launch of NTS Hosted PBX. Our Hosted PBX solution will provide our business customers with all the benefits of traditional PBX systems, but with lower overall costs, more efficient system scalability, and wider integration across multiple devices using NTS' private, secure cloud platform."

NTS Hosted PBX is a highly scalable business phone solution that increases productivity, lowers overall costs, and increases long-term return on investment for businesses of all sizes. NTS Hosted PBX includes over 50 features including auto attendant, a full featured web portal, and unified communication features like instant messaging, video chat and presence status that seamlessly integrates across desktop computers, cell phones and tablets. NTS offers multiple phone models to choose from including Yealink and Polycom who are the industry leaders for IP handsets and offer a broad portfolio of devices to support any need.

The NTS Hosted PBX service comes with access to a full suite of business solutions including Internet, video, voice, and managed services. For more information on NTS Communications, please visit www.ntscom.com .

ABOUT NTS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

NTS Communications provides managed telecommunications cloud services and is the leading provider of fiber-based communications solutions for both residential and business customers across Texas and Louisiana. NTS delivers one of the fastest Internet connections available over a true fiber to the premise network. For the Company's website, please visit: www.ntscom.com.

CONTACTS

Kelley Harber

NTS Communications, Inc.

806-776-4195

[email protected]

SOURCE NTS Communications

Related Links

http://www.ntscom.com


ST. LOUIS and DALLAS, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Making its debut at the ASIS International's 63rd Annual Seminar & Exhibits, Omnigo Software brings together two leading companies in the security spaceReport Exec and ITI. By combining, the entities more effectively arm protectors with a full suite of tools for seeing a bigger picture of security, putting powerful data at their fingertips and equipping them to make quicker, more informed decisions.

The company recently launched Blert! which empowers college students to instantly and anonymously report incidents from their mobile phonesvia text, photo, or videoas easily as sending a text message or sharing a Snapchat video. The Blert! dashboard allows campus safety directors to monitor reports and instantly communicate with students who initiate a report.

"Our mission is to help ensure a world with safer tomorrows by giving security professionals the tools they need to prevent threats from becoming incidents," said Bobby Robertson, a member of the Omnigo Software executive team. "This new offering delivers on that promise by combining some of the best software tools available."

Omnigo Software serves law enforcement, education, healthcare and other enterprises. The suite includes more than 25 tools to manage incidents and prevent future onesincluding special modules for detection, response, reporting, remediation and prevention:

RECORDS MANAGEMENT for easier data entry and increased productivity.

RISK MANAGEMENT for reducing compliance risk with OSHA and other agencies.

ANALYTICS: a real-time reporting dashboard for quicker and more informed decision making.

About Omnigo Software

Omnigo Software is a leading provider of public safety, incident and security management solutions for law enforcement, education, healthcare and other enterprises. We offer easy-to-use and flexible applications that provide actionable insight for making more informed decisions. We provide law enforcement and security professionals with increased staff productivity by up to 25%, reduced compliance risk, and a measured improvement in safety and security. Founded by law enforcement professionals, Omnigo can be found online at www.omnigo.com.

SOURCE Omnigo Software

Related Links

http://www.reportexec.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TreasuryXpress, the global leader in frictionless and on-demand treasury management solutions today announced the appointment of Tracy Kantrowitz as vice president of marketing and corporate development. A proven Fintech market strategist, Kantrowitz will oversee the firm's global marketing and corporate strategy. The role will also apply a key focus on market development for the Americas as TreasuryXpress continues its rapid growth trajectory in the region.

"The treasury industry is at the threshold of transformation as the trend towards on-demand solutions continues to accelerate," says Anis Rahal, CEO and co-founder of TreasuryXpress. "With our market potential and swift pace of growth, we are thrilled to have Tracy on board to spearhead brand awareness and demand for TreasuryXpress' solutions. As we continue expansion into new markets, particularly in the US where we have experienced triple-digit growth, her deep understanding of the industry and overall sales and business acumen are essential to our success."

TreasuryXpress is today the proven leader in on-demand treasury management solutions worldwide. With the largest portfolio of on-demand treasury products and APIs, TreasuryXpress has removed the barriers of automation for over 125+ treasuries of all sizes by economizing and de-cluttering resource-intensive operations. Additionally, TreasuryXpress supports 140+ self-service clients of their fintech products and APIs available in their online store. The modular, rapid-implementation solution experience uniquely delivered by the firm allows clients to perform at higher, more scalable levels. Recognized for innovation and performance by trusted industry outlets such as Adam Smith and CIO Review to name a few, TreasuryXpress continues to impact and innovate the global treasury stage.

"I am thrilled to be joining such an exciting and innovative company in a now rapidly evolving industry," said Tracy Kantrowitz. "At TreasuryXpress, we have phenomenal track record of delivering creative, affordable, and relevant treasury solutions for companies of every size in any market around the world. I am very much looking forward to continuing to build upon Anis' vision for bringing high-value, frictionless TMS experiences to our current and future clients."

Prior to joining TreasuryXpress, Kantrowitz was most recently President and Founder of Salt 5 Marketing where she led and launched brand and market development strategies for fintech phenom AimBrain and other tech startups and veterans such as, Gleanin, AtlasFX, and Fides to name a few. Before launching Salt 5, Kantrowitz was the Vice President of Global Marketing at Reval responsible for the overall brand UX and global demand generation strategy.

ABOUT TREASURYXPRESS

TreasuryXpress, a global FinTech provider, was created with one simple aim  to give all companies powerful, cost-effective, and easy-to-implement Treasury Management capabilities that empower them to be able to work smarter!

At TreasuryXpress, we specialize in delivering innovative solutions that work for treasury  making it easy to achieve 100% bank visibility, consolidate cash information, manage end-to-end payment processing, and distribute useful and critical reports to all internal stakeholders automatically and efficiently.

Our solutions centralize more than 10,000 bank accounts daily and process electronic payments for over 7 billion USD each year. Our rapid time-to-market and diverse hosting options make it easy for treasuries to do business with us. From solution development to delivery and service, our teams actively engage with customers regularly and proactively.

Visit us at www.treasuryxpress.com or email [email protected] for more info.

Press Contact:

Tracy Kantrowitz

TreasuryXpress

Phone: +1.347.920.1673 | Email: [email protected]

SOURCE TreasuryXpress, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.treasuryxpress.com


COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nationwide's latest Health of Housing Markets Report (HoHM Report) found that entry-level homebuyers could be the most affected by growing affordability concerns as unsustainable price gains are more severe for homes in the lowest price tier.

According to analysis from Nationwide, the average price of a lowest-tier home nationally has increased by 56 percent over the last five years. By comparison, the value of a home in the highest tier has increased by 33 percent over the same period.

"The U.S. housing market is, overall, healthy and maintains a positive outlook," said David Berson, Nationwide senior vice president and chief economist. "However, we can't ignore that price gains are weighing on affordability, and it's worth keeping an eye on how the price environment will impact those looking to purchase a home for the first time."

The market experienced similar price gaps between the lowest- and highest-tiers in both 1987 and 2005. House price growth slowed significantly in subsequent years in each case.

Berson, however, does not see the same warning signs in 2017.

"The lending environment today is very different than in both those times. Lenders are more cautious today, likely because they have changed lending practices since the housing market crash. Consumers are in more solid financial standing today, too, as they are less levered overall."

Reno, Nev., at 73.7 percent, has the highest price-gain spread in the U.S. over the past five years between a lowest- and highest-tier home.

Notable price-gain spreads between the lowest- and highest-tier homes in the largest MSAs in the U.S. are: Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif. (48.2 percent); Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. (47.9 percent); Denver (46.9 percent); Atlanta (42.5 percent); Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. (39.0 percent); Los Angeles (28.4 percent); Minneapolis (28.2 percent); San Diego (26.5 percent); Dallas (25.8 percent); and Chicago (24.7 percent).

Despite concerns about housing affordability and an unexpected slowdown in household formation, Nationwide's forward-looking barometer of the U.S. housing market health found that the outlook remains positive due to homebuyer demand.

"Demand continues to be the primary driver of today's market expansion," said Berson. "While affordability is a growing concern, we don't see a demand slowdown as inventory turnover continues apace and new home building lags household growth."

Three of the top-performing metro areas are in Oklahoma. The 10 top metro areas in the index are, in order: Lawton, Okla.; Philadelphia, PA; Springfield, Ill.; Tulsa, Okla.; Morgantown, W.Va.; Sumter, S.C.; Akron, Ohio; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa; and Gadsden, Ala.

Half of the bottom 10 MSAs are in Texas. In order, the bottom 10 are: Anchorage, Alaska; Victoria, Texas1; Waco, Texas; Rapid City, S.D.; Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas; Bismarck, N.D.; San Angelo, Texas; Houma-Thibodaux, La.; New Orleans-Metairie, La.; and Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas.

More information about the HoHM Report, including the methodology used, can be found at blog.nationwide.com/housing. The HoHM Report is released on a quarterly basis online and in print.

About Nationwide

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, commercial, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; banking and mortgages; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.

Nationwide, Nationwide is on your side and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

1Note that this ranking does not include any impact from Harvey.

NFM-16930AO

Contact:

Ryan Ankrom

(614) 249-5145

[email protected]

Jordan Fisher

(312) 240-2951

[email protected]

SOURCE Nationwide

Related Links

http://www.nationwide.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Union International, Inc. is expanding its leadership team to welcome highly respected real estate industry leader Teresa Howe. Howe will direct the brokerage's corporate business-development outreach and strengthen Pacific Union's position as the fastest-growing real estate brokerage in California, delivering projected 2017 sales volume in excess of $15 billion.

Teresa Howe moves to Pacific Union International as vice president of business development.

Howe takes the role of vice president of business development for Pacific Union on Sept. 25, 2017. She will assume responsibility for the company's corporate services, including relocation, referral activities, lead management, affinity programs, and concierge services. Howe will report to Jill Silvas, Vice President of Corporate Services.

The employment markets in Northern and Southern California are very vibrant. Both start-ups and Fortune 500 companies are challenged with onboarding new employees and sourcing housing in a supply constrained market. Pacific Union intends to make this easier for employers and employees.

"Having known and worked with Teresa as a competitor and colleague, I admire her business acumen and have appreciated her friendship for over 20 years," says Silvas. "She will be an amazing asset to our Corporate Services team."

Howe joins Pacific Union from her most recent position as vice president of the client development group of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage's Southwest region, where she broadened the company's client base working with corporations, relocation firms, asset-management companies, Internet sources, and affinity groups. In her work for Coldwell Banker, Howe facilitated more than 10,000 incoming relocation buyer and seller referrals annually and closed over $1.35 billion dollars in real estate sales volume in 2016.

"We are fortune to welcome Teresa to our team at Pacific Union, John Aaroe Group, and Partners Trust," CEO Mark A. McLaughlin says. "She brings an exceptional record of performance to our industry, and we look forward to her contributions to our growth in Northern and Southern California."

About Pacific Union International

Founded in San Francisco in 1975, Pacific Union International, Inc. is the West Coast's premier luxury real estate brand with 2016 sales volume of $12.61 billion. In 2016, real estate industry leaders RISMedia and REAL Trends rank Pacific Union as the eighth-largest brokerage in the U.S. Through its 2015 acquisition of The Mark Company, the nation's leading sales and marketing firm for new urban luxury developments, Pacific Union expanded its brand to development projects from San Diego to Seattle. In 2016, Pacific Union merged with Los Angeles-based brokerage John Aaroe Group. In 2017, the company merged with Partners Trust, also based in Los Angeles, extending the Pacific Union brand to become the preeminent leader and ultimate California real estate company. The strategic alliance of these four powerhouses supports over 1,400 elite real estate professionals in 47 offices throughout the West Coast. Northern California markets include San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa, and Sonoma counties; Silicon Valley; and the Lake Tahoe region. Greater Los Angeles markets include Beverly Hills, Downtown, the Westside, and the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. To extend Pacific Union's international reach, in 2013 the brokerage established an award-winning, Beijing-based China Concierge program that fully supports its Chinese investors on the mainland. Additionally, Pacific Union offers a full range of personal and commercial real estate services, including buying, selling, and relocation in addition to operating joint-venture businesses that provide rental and commercial property management and insurance services. Locally owned, Pacific Union executes with a vision for the future, an entrepreneurial mindset, and an unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional service and expertise. For more information, visit: www.pacificunion.com.

SOURCE Pacific Union International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pacificunion.com


SAN FRANCISCO and MONROVIA, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Parasoft, the leading provider of automated software testing solutions, announced today the newest release of Parasoft Jtest, including the next-generation Unit Test Assistant (UTA) for Java, which empowers software developers to more efficiently create and maintain meaningful and robust JUnit unit tests with guided test creation.

The release also includes expanded capabilities for Spring Developers, with support for Spring Boot along with annotation and xml based Spring configurations. In addition, mocking support has been extended to include PowerMock (in addition to Mockito), enabling more flexibility when isolating the code under test. Parasoft will be demonstrating the new features at Java One in San Francisco at Booth #6142.

UTA, which was released earlier this year, assists developers with the extremely tedious task of creating, maintaining, and scaling new and existing JUnit unit tests, enabling teams to reduce the time and learning curve required to create and maintain effective test suites.

In this release, new features and enhancements to UTA include: Extended support for Spring developers:

Spring Boot support

support

XML + annotation based Spring configurations

Extended mocking support with PowerMock for mocking static invocations and constructors

Support for the latest version of Eclipse and Oxygen

"With this release of Jtest, we continue to move forward in a new era of guided test creation, to help developers accelerate unit testing of complex Java applications, while saving some headaches along the way," said Mark Lambert, VP of Products at Parasoft. "Parasoft has been a pioneer in supporting developers since the early days of Java, and we are committed to continue to innovate within the Jtest product as the language and community evolves."

The new release of Parasoft Jtest is currently available. A live webinar to showcase these exciting additions to the product will take place on September 28th at 11am EDT. To learn more about UTA, read Lambert's recent blog post, or simply request a demo.

SOURCE Parasoft

Related Links

https://www.parasoft.com


In addition to Husic's executive honor, Centric Bank was also awarded a Top Teams ranking for the second consecutive year, one of five teams receiving this prestigious award. Both recognitions showcase Centric Bank's culture of inclusion, collaboration, and inspiration exclamation points t o a year of double-digit growth for the ten-year-old bank.

"It's an honor to be recognized with some of the most respected names in banking and finance," says Husic. "Smart, influential, and innovative women are changing the future of banking and attracting a new generation of customers and leaders. The theme this year of 'Expand the Circle. Influence the Future.' is the playbook of aspiring women who are determined to blaze paths to leadership."

"While continuing with impressive growth, Centric Bank is working to make a difference in local communities in ways that go beyond what you typically see from a bank. One example is its initiative to get more female employeesand other women in the communityinto board seats," says Bonnie McGeer, the executive editor of American Banker and chair of its Most Powerful Women in Banking program. "Centric will host Centric Women: Prepared to Lead to support and encourage women who aspire to leadership roles. Patti said she was motivated to do this in part by statistics showing that over the last ten years, the number of women on Fortune 1000 boards has not changed significantly. She told us: 'Our response to the lack of board diversity and women in the C-suite is to be part of the solution.'"

Husic's belief that Centric Bank could make a difference in the lives of its customers and employees was prescient; and she is in rare air as one of only 11 female bank CEOs in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and one of only 13 female bank CEO/CFO duos in the United States.

Understanding her role as a community champion, Husic looks for opportunities to help small businesses grow. "As my leadership and influence expand, I use my microphone to shine a light on regulatory reform. We never take our eyes off small business owners, because we understand how critical they are to the fabric of our economies. Small business is big at Centric Bank, and in many ways we have become their voice," says Husic. "Our community impact and reputation for being a Difference Maker is possible because of our incredibly dedicated team. I'm in awe of the passion and purpose demonstrated by the leadership team67% of whom are female."

The complete rankings can be viewed at American Banker's website and are featured in the October 2017 issue of American Banker Magazine.

ABOUT THE MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN BANKING

American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Banking recognizes the professional achievements and influence of the top-performing female executives in banking and financial services. The annual program, now in its 15th year, encompasses four lists: the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking, the 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance, the 25 Women to Watch, and the Top Teams in Banking. Rankings and details about the awards dinner are available at americanbanker.com/women-in-banking.

ABOUT CENTRIC BANK

A three-time Best Places to Work and named a Top 50 Fastest-Growing Companies for five years, Centric Bank is headquartered in south central Pennsylvania with assets of $525 million and remains the leader in organic loan growth in central Pennsylvania. A locally owned, locally loaned community bank, Centric Bank provides highly competitive and pro-growth financial services to businesses, professionals, individuals, families, and the health care and agricultural industries. Centric Bank was named a Top 100 SBA 7(a) Lender in the United States in 2016 and ranks #2 in approved SBA 7(a) loans in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.



Founded in 2007, Pennsylvania-based Centric Bank has financial centers located in Harrisburg, Hershey, Mechanicsburg, and Camp Hill, and loan production offices in Lancaster and suburban Philadelphia. To learn more about Centric Bank, call 717.657.7727 or visit CentricBank.com. Connect with them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Contact: Anne Deeter Gallaher

Tel. 717.580.4856

[email protected]

SOURCE Centric Financial Corporation, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.centricbank.com


HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), the Department of Agriculture, and the Pennsylvania Winery Association (PWA) will kick off Pennsylvania Wine Month on Monday, October 2, by hosting meet-the-winemaker events at Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection stores in Clarks Summit, Lackawanna County; Easton, Northampton County; Lewisburg, Union County; and York.

Each event will be held from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM and will feature winemaker-led tastings and an opportunity for attendees to interact with winemakers.

Meet John Skrip III, owner of Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery, at the Clarks Summit Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection store, 222 Northern Blvd., Clarks Summit, PA 18411

John Skrip and his wife Pat founded Clover Hill. John, a civil engineer, and Pat, a teacher, had a fondness for wine and committed themselves to pursue their passion as an occupation. In the early 1970s, they began planting grapes as a hobby at their home in Breinigsville, Lehigh County. They were impressed with the quality of the grapes, and it encouraged them to establish a full-time vineyard and winery business. In September 1985, the Skrips proudly opened the doors of Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery to the public. Over the years, the winery has grown, and they have been joined by two of their children who share the passion of Clover Hill Winery. John Skrip III joined Clover Hill in the early 1990s after studying enology at Fresno State University in California.

"We are very proud that Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery continues to produce premium Pennsylvania products, as it has for the past 32 years," said John Skrip III. "It is exciting to be part of a growing industry and one of the pioneers in PA wine business."

Meet Franklin Hill Vineyards Head Winemaker Bonnie Pysher at the Easton Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection store, Northampton Crossings, 3718 Easton-Nazareth Highway, Easton, PA 18045

Bonnie Pysher started with Franklin Hill in 1982. After beginning in the wine business as a young mother of twins with no experience in winemaking or viticulture, she has grown to be one of the area's top winemakers. She's heading into her 36th harvest this year and is still every bit as passionate about what she does as she was on day one. Her approach to wine is simple  drink what you like. Pysher is a pioneer in the industry. As one of the first women winemakers in Pennsylvania, she has been an integral part of Franklin Hill Vineyards' success.

"I love making wine and teaching the consumer what goes into making their bottle of wine," says Bonnie Pysher. "If given the opportunity, I will give the consumer some hands-on experience while they are visiting the winery."

Meet Fero Vineyards & Winery owner Chuck Zaleski at the Lewisburg Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection store, Penn House Commons, 310 N. 10th St., Lewisburg, PA 17837

Chuck and Daneen Zaleski, owners of Fero Vineyards & Winery, produce wines from their 13-acre Viniferia Vineyard in Lewisburg. The Zaleskis produce dry and sweet wines to serve all palates. They have been producing wine since 2010 and are always working to make their grapes the best they can be. In return, this allows them to offer interesting, well-balanced, and enjoyable wines.

Chuck Zaleski says, "One day in the near future, Pennsylvania vineyards will be known as the home of premium wine in the eastern U.S. Come visit our wineries and grow with us."

Meet Allegro Winery owner Carl Helrich at the York Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection store, York Marketplace, 2547 E. Market St., York, PA 17402

One can take many different paths to becoming a winemaker. Helrich's path started when he was helping his father bottle homebrewed beer in the 1970s. After a variety of disparate career choices, Helrich eventually landed a job at a local winery. This sparked an epiphany for him  he could combine his skills with his desire for new tastes and aromas for the creative outlet he had always sought. He and his wife Kris purchased Allegro in 2001 and have been there ever since, growing grapes and a family of four.

"My life's work is to find and express the true voice of our soils through our wines in this emerging wine region," Carl Helrich says, "and to help bring Pennsylvania wines to the world of wine and share them with our neighbors."

In celebration of Pennsylvania Wine Month, all Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection stores will feature Pennsylvania wines at their regularly scheduled in-store wine tastings the weekend of Oct. 6 through Oct. 8. Additionally, wine specialists at Premium Collection stores will add Pennsylvania wines to other regularly scheduled tastings throughout October.

The Pennsylvania Winery Association, a trade association representing more than 100 member wineries and advocating on behalf of the state's growing multi-billion-dollar wine industry, is also making available at select Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores a touring guide featuring a list of Pennsylvania wineries and a map. With some of the most fertile grape-growing land on the East Coast, Pennsylvania ranks fifth nationally in grape production, seventh in wine production, and seventh in the number of licensed wineries.

The Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Program is administered by the state Department of Agriculture, which works with Pennsylvania's wine and grape industry to realize its vision as the premium East Coast wine region. The program promotes an increase in the quality, profitability and consumer awareness of Pennsylvania wines through educational programs, research and marketing efforts.

Dozens of events celebrating Pennsylvania wines and wineries will be held across the commonwealth in October, including farm and vineyard tours; festivals featuring music and celebrations of the fall harvest; and tasting and food pairing opportunities. Pennsylvania Wines will be available to the public on happy hour menus across neighborhoods in Philadelphia, including Tria Cafe Rittenhouse, Tria Cafe Washington Square West, Vintage, Panorama, and Jet Wine Bar. More information is available at pawinemonth.com.

New this year, four Fine Wine & Good Spirits wine specialists from across Pennsylvania  Pittsburgh, Northeast Pennsylvania, Southcentral Pennsylvania, and the greater Philadelphia area  will contribute to Pennsylvania Wine Month festivities by offering blog posts, tips, and recommendations at pawinemonth.com on how to select Pennsylvania wines and how to "buy local" at Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores.

Last fiscal year, Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores stocked 221 different Pennsylvania wines, generating nearly $7.8 million in sales, which represented a 20 percent sales increase over the prior year. These figures do not account for Pennsylvania wine sold at local wineries, at festivals, or at restaurants and other licensees that buy directly from the wineries.

For more ways to get involved with Pennsylvania Wine Month, find Pennsylvania Wines on Facebook, follow @PAWines on Twitter and Instagram, visit pawinemonth.com and use the hashtag #PAWineMonth.

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide and licenses more than 20,000 beverage alcohol producers and retailers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups and licensees. Taxes and store profits  totaling $15.1 billion since the agency's inception  are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania's schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit lcb.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACTS: PLCB: Elizabeth Brassell, 717.783.8864

Department of Agriculture: Bonnie McCann, 717.783.0133

PA Wines: Esha Dev, [email protected], 858.401.3203

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board; Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture; Pennsylvania Winery Association

Related Links

http://www.lcb.pa.gov


HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today announced it won Best Retail Innovation in the 2017 StateWays Control States Best Practices Awards for its rapid response to the retail changes brought about by Act 39 of 2016.

In presenting the award, StateWays recognized the PLCB for quickly and efficiently expanding Fine Wine & Good Spirits store hours on Sundays and holidays, as well as implementing sales of Pennsylvania Lottery tickets.

Prior to Act 39, Pennsylvania law limited both the number of stores that could be open on Sundays and the hours stores may operate on Sundays. The weekend after Act 39 took effect, the 188 stores that had already been open on Sundays saw store hours expanded by three additional hours. Between early August, when the new law took effect, and late September, more than 300 stores were open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores were also open for the first time last year on holidays including Martin Luther King Jr., Day, President's Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, offering consumers additional convenience.

Act 39 of 2016 also lifted restrictions prohibiting Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores from selling Pennsylvania Lottery tickets. Two days after the act went into effect on Aug. 8, 2016, 24 stores were selling lottery tickets through convenient self-service, touchscreen terminals. By October 2016, more than 300 stores had Lottery machines installed and operational. As Act 39 marked its one-year anniversary in August, 318 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores were selling Lottery tickets and had collectively generated more than $10 million in Lottery sales.

StateWays recognized the work the PLCB did to implement those changes in a short two-month timeframe.

"Act 39 of 2016 brought about dramatic changes to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, but we embraced the challenge and worked hard to bring additional conveniences to our customers as quickly as possible. Receiving this award from a national publication confirms our team did an outstanding job," said Board Chairman Tim Holden. "We are pleased and proud to share this recognition with our employees, and with the people of Pennsylvania who benefit from these retail improvements."

StateWays, the only national magazine devoted to the issues and subjects affecting control state systems, established its Control State Best Practices Awards in 2015 to recognize control state agencies that are leading the industry in innovation, education and enforcement. Winners, including the PLCB as the winner of the Best Retail Innovation award, are featured in the September/October issue of StateWays.

The PLCB was named Overall Winner in the 2016 StateWays Control States Best Practices Awards, an honor that recognized Pennsylvania as a leader in the beverage alcohol industry for its innovations in retail, wholesale operations, alcohol education, technology, and regulatory affairs.

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits  totaling $15.1 billion since the agency's inception  are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania's schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACTS: PLCB - Elizabeth Brassell, 717.783.886

StateWays  Jeremy Nedelka, 203.855.8499 extension 2213

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board

Related Links

http://www.lcb.state.pa.us


"After 14 fruitful years, it's time for a changing of the guard," says Joseph Marash. "Jacob has been an officer in the company for seven years, so this isn't new territory for him. I'm sure he will do a great job and take the company to the next level."

Jacob will continue advancing the company's goal of being the leading designer and manufacturer of simple-to-install and user-friendly high-end audio for conferencing. "I am thrilled to be taking on this new role in the company," says Jacob Marash. "As CEO, my first priority is to lead the company in accordance with our mission statement. We believe that you don't have to be an audio engineer to have great audio in your conference rooms. This concept will be at the core of all future initiatives. We want to make sure that our customers enjoy using our products and that we provide a seamless audio experience in a world that keeps advancing technologically."

Mr. Marash moves into the position after more than nine years at Phoenix Audio, most recently as the Chief Operating Officer. As the new CEO, Jacob plans to expand company growth and development by bringing the technology side and sales side of Phoenix Audio closer together. This initiative aims to encourage group collaboration in order to enhance the product design process and perfect the end user's experience.

"I look forward to future successes with the Phoenix Audio team. Together, we will continue to create innovative products for our community of users. I also want to take this opportunity to recognize Joseph Marash for his innumerable contributions to the company. His continued support will be a critical element in the great things that are to come."

About Jacob Marash

In 2006, Jacob completed his role in the Israeli Defense Forces at the rank of First Lieutenant. After his service as an officer in the Givati Infantry Brigade of the IDF, Jacob returned to his home state of New York where he studied Computer Science at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU. After transferring to California, he completed his BS in Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine. Jacob has been working at Phoenix Audio Technologies since 2008, starting on the technical side and then moving into operational roles. After getting his BS in 2010, he assumed the position of COO and opened Phoenix Audio's first West Coast office, which today acts as the corporate headquarters. In 2015, Jacob began the Executive MBA program at the UCLA Anderson School of Business and recently graduated with a Master's Degree in Business Administration.

About Phoenix Audio Technologies

Based in Southern California, Phoenix Audio Technologies is an innovator of audio communication solutions. The company strives to provide audio and video conferencing environments with simple-to-install, easy-to-use, high quality audio. Phoenix Audio's proprietary audio algorithms aim to improve the communication experience and enable people to speak freely and naturally when collaborating. To learn more, visit www.phnxaudio.com.

Contact

Phoenix Audio Technologies

Laura Miller (818) 937.4774

[email protected]

SOURCE Phoenix Audio Technologies

Related Links

http://phnxaudio.com


WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA National) has named Burns & Wilcox as the recipient of its 2017 Managing General Agency (MGA) of the Year Award. The presentation was made on September 15, 2017 at a gala ceremony held in conjunction with PIA's Board of Directors meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"Burns & Wilcoxa flagship of H.W. Kaufman Groupis a leading global wholesale insurance broker and underwriting manager and has been a pillar of the insurance community for many years," said PIA National Secretary and Assistant Treasurer Dennis Kuhnke, in presenting the award. "Burns & Wilcox serves retail brokers and agents of all sizesand with no retail operations, it never competes against brokers and agents. Importantly, Burns & Wilcox is a privately-owned company that does not have to answer to Wall Street or private equity firms."

"Its standards of service, speed, depth of market relationships, and outstanding talent are unsurpassed in the specialty insurance sector," Kuhnke said.

The PIA National MGA of the Year Award recognizes outstanding achievement in furthering the interests of agents, a commitment to the agency system, and successful efforts to create a better business environment for professional insurance agents.



"For nearly 50 years, Burns & Wilcox has consistently grown year-over-year based on a strategic mindset that relationships and service are the most important elements of insurance," said Alan Jay Kaufman, Chairman, President, and CEO, Burns & Wilcox, a subsidiary of H.W. Kaufman Group. "The excellent service standards, expertise, competitive drive, and leadership of each member of our team is invigorating, and it is a point of pride to have these talents recognized by The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents."

For additional background on Burns & Wilcox visit them at www.burnsandwilcox.com.

About Burns & Wilcox and H.W. Kaufman Group

Burns & Wilcox is the industry's leading wholesale insurance broker and underwriting manager internationally recognized for its expertise in commercial and professional liability, property, marine and personal insurance.

Burns & Wilcox is a member of H.W. Kaufman Group, which has over 60 offices across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and employs more than 2,000 professionals. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Metro Detroit, H.W. Kaufman Financial Group also includes: Burns & Wilcox Brokerage, Burns & Wilcox Canada, Burns & Wilcox Re, Atain Insurance Companies, Afirm, Global Excess Partners, R.B. Jones, Royal Premium, Minuteman Adjusters, and London-based, Chesterfield Insurance Brokers, Lochain Patrick, and Cranbrook Underwriting. More information can be found at www.burnsandwilcox.com or www.kaufmanfinancialgroup.com.

About PIA

Founded in 1931, PIA is a national trade association that represents member insurance agents and their employees who sell and service all kinds of insurance, but specialize in coverage of automobiles, homes and businesses. PIA members are Local Agents Serving Main Street America SM. PIA's web address is www.pianet.com.

SOURCE National Association of Professional Insurance Agents

Related Links

http://www.pianet.com/


MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The disruptive new PI.EXCHANGE app enables average individuals to create a free personal data bank vault. The vault has data constantly streamed into it from the sources users select and stores them in a form that is fully owned by the user. PI.EXCHANGE then uses this data to produce more valuable insights profiles that can be enjoyed by the user or anonymously sold to businesses, earning the user a royalty.

The app has already earned critical acclaim from social trendsetters:

The app that puts the power of data-driven investment and personal insights all into a few easily accessible screens.

"Got to visit PI.EXCHANGE HQ a few weeks ago and thoroughly impressed with their great work." - Austin Levine , professional Social Media Influencer and Fashion Model (known as @officialtinno).

- "Big things ahead!! PI.EXCHANGE is launching this sick app soon. Amazing to have the chance to sample it early. This app really does it all!" - Shiloh Magnolia Savage , professional Social Media Influencer, Fashion Model and Pilates/ Fitness instructor.

The premise of the app is simple at its core - every human being generates a ton of valuable data every day but never gets to benefit from it. PI.EXCHANGE created an app that allows people to safely store, enjoy and soon earn from all their data at no cost and with no effort.

The PI.EXCHANGE apps global beta is currently available on the Apple App Store with an Android version soon to follow.

With a fan base growing daily, PI.EXCHANGE encourages those that share its vision to improve the world through data by helping to spread the word about this new economy they are building. For more details please contact us at [email protected].

PI.EXCHANGE is a company that specializes in ethically extracting insights from personal data to empower individuals, businesses and the planet as a whole. The organization is heavily focused on unlocking barriers for innovation using human-based insights and sees the creation of a personal data economy as a crucial part of enabling trust and collaboration between businesses and consumers in an increasingly data-driven world.

Media Contact:

Hersh Bhatt

Phone: +61 431699429

Email: [email protected]

Related Images

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The world's first personal data bank

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Justin Bieber Personality Analytics

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SILICON SLOPES, Utah, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pluralsight, the enterprise technology learning platform, today announced through its newly formed Pluralsight One social impact initiative, a $10 million commitment over the next five years to support K-12 computer science education in the United States. Pluralsight One's commitment is part of today's announcement by the Internet Association to provide more than $300 million in support of K-12 computer science programs.

This initiative is designed to expand opportunities in computer science and work toward a future where every child has the chance to learn these important skills. According to Code.org, there are more than 500,000 open computing jobs in sectors as diverse as agriculture and banking today, but only 50,000 computer science graduates each year. Also according to Code.org, less than half of schools in the U.S. offer computer science courses, yet 90 percent of parents want them in their schools.

"My father taught me to code when I was eight years old, and I believe every child should have that same opportunity. Educating our youth is one of the most important actions we can take as a nation," said Aaron Skonnard, co-founder and CEO of Pluralsight. "Pluralsight One is proud to help support K-12 computer science education across America and we applaud the leadership of the Internet Association to build computer science into the fabric of our education system nationally."

Pluralsight announced Pluralsight One on September 21, 2017. As one of its first steps to developing its social impact program, Pluralsight One is conducting a significant needs assessment of the nonprofit sector using Directed Discovery, the product development framework pioneered by Pluralsight's Chief Experience Officer, Nate Walkingshaw.

The data and insight gathered throughout the Directed Discovery process will empower Pluralsight One to better design a robust offering in response to the complex needs of the social sector. Pluralsight One plans to work closely with organizations, including Code.org, International Rescue Committee, NetHope, Samasource, STEM Action Center, TechSoup, and other global nonprofits to co-create programs that will have high impact and deep relevance. Pluralsight is also asking nonprofit organizations to share their insights and needs at www.pluralsight.com/one#get-involved.

To learn more about Pluralsight One, visit pluralsightone.org.

About Pluralsight

Pluralsight is an enterprise technology learning platform that delivers a unified, end-to-end learning experience for businesses across the globe. Through a subscription service, companies are empowered to move at the speed of technology, increasing proficiency, innovation and efficiency. Founded in 2004 and trusted by Fortune 500 companies, Pluralsight provides members with on-demand access to a digital ecosystem of learning tools, including adaptive skill tests, directed learning paths, expert-authored courses, interactive labs, and live mentoring. For more information, visit pluralsight.com.

Media Contacts

Pluralsight PR

DJ Anderson

VP, Communications

[email protected]

for Pluralsight:

Victor White

[email protected]

SOURCE Pluralsight

Related Links

http://www.pluralsight.com


NEEDHAM, Mass., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Promisec, a pioneer in endpoint detection and response, today announced a partnership with Preventia Services to offer agentless endpoint detection and remediation solutions to the UK market.

Under the partnership, Promisec will help Preventia Service's customers improve operational efficiency when it comes to managing and controlling the security and compliance of endpoints, including workstations and servers.

Geoff Phillips, Sales Director at Preventia Services, said, "We are excited to welcome Promisec to our ecosystem of Cyber Security solutions and services. Their solution complements our existing portfolio of security solution offerings well, enabling us to help our customers gain immediate and complete visibility across all endpoints, and the tools to achieve holistic, agentless endpoint security and compliance. The agreement signed with Promisec forms part of our development strategy to bring new and/or innovative security products to the UK market."

Promisec's solutions offer a variety of features that provide network visibility and remediation for all endpoints. The company offers a patented agentless solution to rapidly control endpoints within a network to detect, analyse and correct anomalies and security gaps. It is designed to run at any time on every corporate network without hindering performance or affecting user experience.

"In today's complex threat environment, security protection is useful, but detection of complex security threats is critical as danger often comes from within a company," said Noel Slane, VP Global Sales at Promisec. "We live in an environment where businesses are regularly compromised, which makes it important to invest in detection capabilities that provide continuous monitoring of systems and process to respond quickly to threats. Through this partnership, Promisec will provide the most accurate view into endpoint threats and risks, and give companies the expertise they need to help remediate these threats."

"We are very pleased to form this partnership with Preventia Services, as we continue to build out our network of Channel Resellers, Integrators and MSPs," added Slane. "Our ambition is to recruit new partners to increase brand visibility within the UK market for companies of all sizes. We are excited to partner with Preventia Service's and look forward to leveraging our complementary expertise to help our mutual customers strengthen their security infrastructure."

About Preventia Services

Preventia Services are a trusted provider of IT and Cyber Security Solutions and Services. Our leading-edge technologies help our customers detect, prevent and respond to modern security threats and challenges. Through our Partner Ecosystem we provide a range of Security Consultancy Services, from CHECK and CREST accredited Penetration Testing, to PCI-DSS, GDRP and DPA Consultancy, Incident Response and Forensic services. Visit www.preventiaservices.co.uk for further details.

About Promisec

Promisec is a pioneer in endpoint visibility and remediation and a leader in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) market defined by Gartner, empowering organizations to avoid threats and disarm attacks that can lead to unwanted headlines and penalties. Promisec's patented, agentless technology assures users that their endpoints are secure, audits are clean, regulations are met and vulnerabilities are addressed proactively to ensure the integrity of enterprise IT. More globally recognized companies trust in Promisec to stay secure, compliant and operationally efficient. Visit www.promisec.com for more information.

PR Contact:

Michael Gallo for Promisec

212-239-8594

[email protected]

SOURCE Promisec

Related Links

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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- goBalto, Inc., the leading provider of cloud-based clinical study startup (SSU) solutions, announced today that PSI CRO has chosen goBalto's complete suite of SSU applications for all studies on a worldwide basis to further bolster their clinical study startup process.

PSI CRO is a leading, full-service clinical research organization (CRO) that has been in business for over 20 years with one of the strongest track records in the industry. Recently ranked the number one global CRO by CenterWatch, over 90 percent of PSI's business comes from repeat customers who rely on their high performing teams that operate at some of the lowest turnover rates in the industry.

PSI CRO is using goBalto's Select to assist with site identification, feasibility assessment and selection of investigative sites. Identifying high-performing investigative sites is one of the most critical decisions made by a sponsor or CRO, it is a key driver in ensuring recruitment is completed on time and that the data is delivered in a timely manner with excellent quality. Select goes beyond simple aggregation of site data, providing a data driven approach to weighing selection and performance variables to aid in the identification of sites and target populations ideally suited to studies.

Study sites will then be seamlessly initiated for subject enrollment using goBalto's flagship product, Activate, which enhances real-time oversight to clinical operations management by tracking milestones on the critical path, and providing document workflow management capabilities in a transparent, regulatory-compliant, and user-friendly way. PSI CRO will leverage the advanced and comprehensive reporting capabilities of goBalto Analyze to provide real-time visibility into SSU activities across multiple studies and regions, making it easier to quantify team performance and discover meaningful patterns in study data.

Kirill Soldatov, Director of Process Improvement at PSI CRO stated, "The adoption of innovative technology to move into new markets and therapeutic areas and empower process improvements that lead to compress timelines is a core tenant of the PSI business strategy. The goBalto SSU platform is pivotal to these efforts."

"PSI recognizes the importance of being at the forefront of the technology adoption curve as a way to deliver efficiencies to clients. Ultimately, sponsors and CROs that capitalize on effective new technologies, will improve their stakeholder relations and thereby drastically increase the overall success of both their clinical trials and market position," said Jae Chung, goBalto's founder and president.

About PSI CRO

PSI is a privately-owned, www.psi-cro.com clinical research organization (CRO), operating globally. PSI's reputation on the market place is that of a no-nonsense CRO, capable of saving pharmaceutical sponsors millions of development dollars by consistently meeting clinical trial timelines. PSI's global reach supports the operations of clinical trials across multiple countries and continents. PSI is known to be highly selective about the work that they pursue. PSI has exceptionally high repeat and referral business rates, while maintaining minimal staff turnover indicative of its commitment to be the best CRO in the world as measured by its customers and its employees. Global headquarters are located in Zug (Zurich), Switzerland at 113a Baarerstrasse 6300. www.psi-cro.com

About goBalto

goBalto is the industry leader in cloud-based study startup software for the global life sciences industry, offering the only complete end-to-end platform for starting clinical trials, from site identification, feasibility assessment and selection through to activation, with comprehensive metrics to track adherence to timelines and budget. Committed to accelerating clinical trials through innovation, product excellence, and customer success, goBalto works with four of the top five CROs and more than two-thirds of the top 25 pharmas. Our customers include: Allergan, Covance, CMIC HOLDINGS, Genentech Roche, ICON, INC Research, Novartis, and PSI CRO. goBalto is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Philadelphia and Singapore. For more information, visit www.gobalto.com.

Press contact:

Craig Morgan

415.671.4372

[email protected]

SOURCE goBalto, Inc.

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AUSTIN, Texas, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Purple and the Miami HEAT have partnered to deliver a cloud-based Wi-Fi analytics solution for the upcoming guest Wi-Fi at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Purple solution, installed by Acuative, will provide Wi-Fi Marketing capabilities to enhance the venue experience. Purple will enable collection of valuable guest data and provide relevant, real-time, and contextually aware information to fans.

The AmericanAirlines Arena hosts 1.5 to 2 million visitors annually across HEAT games, concerts, family shows and other events. Purple was selected following a comprehensive RFP for the venue's Wi-Fi Analytics needs and came out on top as the leading captive portal and marketing tool on the market. The platform's emphasis on the fan user experience made Purple the franchise's choice to interact with new and returning guests.

Purple allows Wi-Fi users to log in via social media which provides insights into visitor demographics and behavior such as the frequency of their visits and how they move around the venue. All of this enables venues to target Wi-Fi users with relevant information such as event announcements, game results, and exclusive in-venue promotions.

"The HEAT App is in high demand with fans at Arena events," said Matthew Jafarian, VP, Digital Strategy & Innovation at the Miami HEAT. "To accommodate the growth in usage, we are deploying a brand-new Wi-Fi network across AmericanAirlines Arena, and investing not only in the hardware and network capabilities, but in the fan experience as well. In particular, we're really excited about Purple's customizable captive portal, fan segmentation capabilities, and features that provide fans with relevant information and offers."

Gavin Wheeldon, CEO at Purple, added: "AmericanAirlines Arena is the perfect example of a venue that can and should be investing in technology that delivers a true return on their Wi-Fi investment, in terms of visitor engagement, via an easy to use portal. We look forward to seeing the team at The HEAT Group utilize the tools we've developed, which we believe will quickly produce a measurable commercial benefit to the venue."

Contact: Anna Simpkins, +281-707-9644, [email protected]

SOURCE Purple
Mason City will hold two public forums concerning the River City Renaissance Project at the high school's FEMA Room.

The forums, which will occur Sept. 28 from 6:30-8 p.m. and Oct. 7 from 10:30 a.m.-noon, will allow residents to find out about the project, including a proposed 100-room hotel, multi-purpose arena, new Meredith Willson Museum and other components.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority has provisionally approved $7.1 million in funding for the project, and the city is seeking up to $10 million in total funding.

City officials will present details at the beginning of the forums, and Q&A sessions will follow.
"One of Quaker's founding principles is that life's circumstances should never be a barrier to good nutrition. We have spent 140 years finding new ways of helping people benefit from the nutrition power of the oat, and we are taking that to a new level with this campaign," said Jessica Spaulding, senior marketing director for Quaker Foods North America. "The fact that oats can serve as a simple, wholesome ingredient in helping to reduce food waste is a testament to their sustained relevance for more than a century."

The Culinary Connection

Quaker teamed up with the James Beard Foundation for this initiative because of the organization's culinary approach to helping transform the way people eat. In particular, JBF's Impact Programs have taken on food waste reduction as a key issue since launching in 2016 and saw the opportunity to work with a national nutrition brand like Quaker as a way to advance the conversation and bring this important topic to a larger constituency across America.

"The chefs supporting our JBF Impact Programs have taken on the issue of food waste because it is inherent in a chef's DNA to minimize waste in their restaurants," said Kris Moon, vice president of the James Beard Foundation. "They are not only advocates for promoting a more sustainable food system. They have the knowledge and creativity around shopping, storing, and full utilization of food that allows them to turn seemingly ordinary foods into extraordinary dishes which we hope will inspire consumers across the country."

One of the most visible chefs championing this movement is Chef Marco Canora, the winner of the 2017 James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef: New York City." He has put his expertise to work for "More Taste, Less Waste" with three oat-based recipes that rescue foods in a unique way: Beet "RisOATo," Oat and Apple Pancakes and Savory Oat Granola with Tomato Raisins.

"As a chef, I am very passionate about inspiring people to eat better, live healthier and still find enjoyment in their food through cooking," said Chef Marco Canora. "At a very young age, the concept of not wasting food was instilled in me by my mother and it's something that has been at the center of my career, which is why I'm excited to be working with Quaker on this impactful campaign. Together, we are working to show people simple, every day steps they can take to reduce the food they waste while discovering creative new eating experiences in the process."

More Taste, Less Waste Chef Contest

The James Beard Foundation, in collaboration with Quaker, hosted a national contest challenging its network of culinary professionals to create recipes using Quaker Oats as a nutritious foundation for recovered foods.

Recipes chosen by Quaker and the James Beard Foundation are now featured on the foundation's website, where consumers have the opportunity to vote for their favorite  for the chance to win a trip for two to New York City for the James Beard Foundation's annual gala. The winning chef will receive a $5,000 donation from Quaker to the non-profit food charity of their choice.

So that people can be inspired to cook with oats and rescued foods, the contest recipes will all be featured in the "More Taste, Less Waste" Pinterest cookbook, along with recipes from Chef Canora and many more food and nutrition influencers.

Power of the Oat

In addition to encouraging consumers to #JustAddOats to help combat food waste, Quaker wants to remind people of the other benefits of cooking with oats, a nutrition powerhouse brought to America's tables by Quaker 140 years ago.

Oats, the mighty supergrain, have a unique nutrition profile and deliver on a variety of health and nutrition benefits. The fiber found in oats may help reduce the risk of heart disease and support a healthy digestive system. Plus, the complex carbohydrates are digested slowly to help provide lasting energy. Oats are also naturally low in fat and sodium, as well as a good source of important vitamins and minerals.

To learn more about the campaign and to vote for the winning recipe, please visit jamesbeard.org/moretastelesswaste. For inspiring "More Taste, Less Waste" recipes, check out Quaker's Pinterest page.

About The Quaker Oats Company

The Quaker Oats Company, headquartered in Chicago, is a unit of PepsiCo, Inc., one of the world's largest consumer packaged goods companies. For 140 years, Quaker's brands have served as symbols of quality, great taste and nutrition. Quaker Oats, Quaker Rice Cakes and Quaker Chewy Granola Bars are consumer favorites. For more information, please visit www.QuakerOats.com, www.Facebook.com/Quaker or follow us on Twitter @Quaker.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated approximately $63 billion in net revenue in 2016, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose  our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

About The James Beard Foundation

Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City's Greenwich Village as a "performance space" for visiting chefs. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. Get food news, recipes, and more at the James Beard Foundation's blog, or subscribe to the free digital newsletter Beard Bites. Follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Watch the James Beard House Kitchen Cam, James Beard Awards, and more on the Foundation's Livestream channel. Find more JBF-related video on the Foundation's YouTube channels.

About Marco Canora

As a James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur and cookbook author, Marco Canora has earned critical acclaim for his delicious fare and commitment to simple, clean food at Hearth, Brodo and Zadie's Oyster Room. In 2017, Marco won the James Beard Award for "Best Chef: NYC". In January 2016, Marco reinvented the 12-year-old Hearth with a fresh new look and sharpened commitment to ingredient transparency and nutrient-dense, delicious food. With a newfound dedication to mindful, nutritious eating, Marco opened his takeout window, Brodo, in November 2014. Adjacent to Hearth in the East Village, Brodo serves nourishing, sip-able bone broths out of coffee cups with customizable add-ins. Marco is the author of three cookbooks: Salt to Taste (2010), A Good Food Day (2014) and Brodo: a bone broth cookbook (2015).

1 United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2016). America's Food Waste Problem

SOURCE The Quaker Oats Company

Related Links

http://www.QuakerOats.com


The new CR1000 and CR3000 HMIs are available in a broad range of sizes, from 4.3 inches up to 15 inches and feature a wide array of connectivity options to address the real-world challenges of today's multi-vendor manufacturing environments. These HMIs provide customers with the ability to quickly interconnect devices from a variety of leading manufacturers thanks to the built-in and ever-expanding library of more than 300 industrial protocols available with Crimson 3.1. Updated and expanded symbol libraries and primitives with anti-aliased rendering, as well as the ability to support 16M colors, provide designers with added options for creating interfaces that deliver greater visual effectiveness with a more natural appearance, resulting in screens that accelerate operator learning and enable greater comprehension of on-screen information, symbols and messaging.

Crimson 3.1 also incorporates new features and shortcuts that make the development process simpler than ever. "Red Lion's Crimson software is well known for its ease-of-use, but we have taken that even further with the release of Crimson 3.1 and these new HMIs," said Paul Bunnell, Director of Product Management, Automation at Red Lion Controls. "Integrators now have even more features that speed up the creation of databases. From rearranging the order of primitives within libraries to make the most commonly used items easier to find, to giving users the ability to create a custom favorites list, we continue to look for ways to make the user experience intuitive and effortless."

With a built-in web server, the CR3000 allows users to securely monitor and control their application via PCs, tablets or smartphones. SMS text messaging and email alerts provide early warning of process issues, which helps to avoid costly downtime. Additionally, the CR3000 provides data logging, critical for both troubleshooting and meeting regulatory requirements. "Real-time data logging allows for ongoing process improvements as well as immediate troubleshooting," said Jeff Thornton, Product Manager, Indication & Interface at Red Lion Controls. "Users are now able to better access trend data directly from the screen with more tools to narrow or widen the scope of inquiry with simple, intuitive button controls."

The new HMIs are housed in a rugged polycarbonate enclosure and address the challenges of the manufacturing environment with wide operating temperatures of -10C - +50C, high shock and vibration tolerance and an IP66 rating. They are ideal for industries such as manufacturing, packaging, food and beverage, and plastics.

For more information about Red Lion and its new CR HMIs, please visit here.

About Red Lion Controls

As the global experts in communication, monitoring and control for industrial automation and networking, Red Lion has been delivering innovative solutions for over forty years. Our automation, Ethernet and cellular M2M technology enables companies worldwide to gain real-time data visibility that drives productivity. Product brands include Red Lion, N-Tron and Sixnet. With headquarters in York, Pennsylvania, the company has offices across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Red Lion is part of Spectris plc, the productivity-enhancing instrumentation and controls company. For more information, please visit www.redlion.net.

2017 Red Lion Controls, Inc. All rights reserved. Red Lion, the Red Lion logo, and Crimson are registered trademarks of Red Lion Controls, Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contacts: Rebecca Cressler

Red Lion Controls

+1 (717) 767-6961 x6904

[email protected]





Stephen Oakes

LEWIS

+1 (781) 418-2472

[email protected]

www.redlion.net

SOURCE Red Lion Controls

Related Links

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LONDON, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

RedCloud Technologies, the world's first open banking platform, today announced a partnership with Nigeria's KongaPay; the payment system which aims to facilitate the initiation and completion of transactions in a seamless manner to accelerate distributed banking through a new payment ecosystem that allows unbanked customers to pay online.

Through the Banking as a Platform model, a first for Nigeria, KongaPay will use RedCloud technology to enable the banks to offer innovative digital financial services via its rapidly growing merchant network, with merchants benefiting from increased footfall and resulting bottom-line revenues.

Justin Floyd, CEO at RedCloud comments: "We believe Nigeria will realise its considerable untapped potential from this new kind of technology platform as it enables banks, retailer and agents to work together to deliver financial services at scale. Konga is a company we have admired for some time and who have a proven record in e-commerce. We are delighted to partner with them to offer a new technology model: one platform connecting all stakeholders in the financial ecosystem."

RedCloud One redefines the customer experience and opens access to new personalised financial products (digital payments, loans, insurance) and new types of products/services through mobile and digital channels. It's a highly secure technology that allows quick configurability for a faster time-to-market.

Speaking about the partnership Olayemi Jinadu VP, Payment Products and Digital Goods said "KongaPay payment solution's partnership with RedCloud attests to our drive to make Nigerians and Africans at large experience the best of service at their convenience. This means we constantly evolve to be more relevant to customers and society. KongaPay is designed to be fast, reliable, secure, flexible and above all provides a best-in-class financial solution to Nigerians and Africa at large."

You can read more about RedCloud agent banking solution here.

About RedCloud

RedCloud Technologies is a global technology company changing the way in which financial services can be accessed in the new digital economy. We help banks and corporates to accelerate their digital strategy.

To learn more, visit https://redcloudtechnology.com/

About Konga.com

Konga.com is Nigeria's largest online mall. The company launched in July 2012 with a mission, 'To Become the Engine of Commerce and Trade in Africa'. The company has recorded very rapid growth and in just 5 years, konga.com has built an operation that leads the market in customer satisfaction, merchandise shipped and innovation.

See more details on konga.com.

SOURCE RedCloud Technologies
CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has named Richard E. Hawkins, MD as it new President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Hawkins was selected by the ABMS Board of Directors following an extensive national search. He succeeds current President and Chief Executive Officer Lois Margaret Nora, MD, JD, MBA whose term will end in December of this year.

"We are excited to have Dr. Hawkins join ABMS and serve as the new leader of the Boards Community," stated ABMS Board of Directors Chair, John Moorhead, MD. "We selected Dr. Hawkins based on his outstanding qualifications, his vision for board certification, and his longstanding commitment to professional self-regulation. We believe Dr. Hawkins has the leadership expertise and the passion to lead the ABMS Boards Community."

Dr. Hawkins brings more than 35 years of professional expertise ranging from his service in the United States Navy as an officer in the Medical Corps to leadership positions at national medical professional associations. Most recently, Dr. Hawkins was the Vice President, Medical Education Outcomes at the American Medical Association (AMA), providing leadership for the Association's Accelerating Change in Medical Education Initiative, a $13.5 million grant program supporting 32 medical schools who are transforming their educational programs to allow their students to succeed in our evolving health care systems. He also provides senior staff leadership to the AMA's Council on Medical Education and Academic Physician Section.

Prior to joining the AMA in 2012, Dr. Hawkins was the Senior Vice President, Professional and Scientific Affairs at ABMS. In this role, he led education, assessment and international initiatives. Previously, Dr. Hawkins had been the Deputy Vice President and Vice President, Assessment Programs for the National Board of Medical Examiners, a role he assumed following his various academic appointments in the Naval Medical Corps, receiving numerous commendations for his service.

A well-respected leader in the fields of physician assessment and education, Dr. Hawkins has made more than 80 presentations, conducted 30+ courses and workshops and published more than 70 articles, books and book chapters. Dr. Hawkins is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and is participating in Maintenance of Certification.

"I am honored to be selected to lead this extraordinary organization and the transformation of continuing certification," said Dr. Hawkins. "I look forward to working with the ABMS Boards Community, physicians and the professional community to enhance the value of Board Certification and continuing certification to physicians and the public."

About ABMS

Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) continues to be the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. ABMS establishes the standards its 24 Member Boards use to develop and implement educational and professional evaluation, assessment, and certification of physician specialists. More than 880,000 physicians are certified in one or more of the approved 39 specialties and 86 subspecialties offered by the ABMS Member Boards. For more information about ABMS, visit abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

SOURCE American Board of Medical Specialties

Related Links

http://www.abms.org


Hatsune Miku is an extremely popular digital persona voiced by a singing synthesizer application, with a loyal following in Japan and around the world.

The Ricoh Theta SC Type Hatsune Miku, which incorporates the same tech specs as the regular Theta SC version, features an illustration of Hatsune Miku on a blue-green-colored camera bodyher signature color schemeas well as a pink-illuminated power button. When the shutter button is pressed to capture a 360-degree image, the camera emits a custom Hatsune Miku sound, developed by Crypton Future Media. With the dedicated Ricoh Theta Type Hatsune Miku application for iOS and Android devices, users can overlay a three-dimensional image of Hatsune Miku on their 360-degree photos. The app includes 55 different poses, including Snow Miku, a winter character whose outfits are determined by annual design competitions.

The Ricoh Theta Hatsune Miku exclusive editing application can only be used with this Theta model.

The Ricoh Theta SC Type Hatsune Miku package includes a dog-tag key holder printed with the camera serial number (up to 3,939), and blue-green colored 100-percent wool case by Japanese artisan crafts company, Abitax. Both the dog-tag key holder and packaging feature an exclusive illustration of Hatsune Miku created by well-known Japanese artist, fuzichoco.

Additional information about the camera can be found at http://miku.ricoh/en/ and on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XEToCiJG7Q&feature=youtu.be (open transcript for English translation).

| Price and Availability |

Ricoh Theta SC Type Hatsune Miku is available today for $299.95 at www.us.ricoh-imaging.com.

| About Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation |

Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., a global technology company specializing in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in about 200 countries and regions.

The company now known as Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation was originally founded in 1919, under the name Asahi Optical Joint Stock Co. and launched its first SLR camera in the 1950s under the PENTAX name. Today, Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation continues to produce the heritage-rich, award-winning line of PENTAX DSLR cameras, lenses and sport optics equipment as well as Ricoh's offering of stylish and compact digital cameras, known for their wide-ranging, rich set of features.

For further information, please visit www.us.ricoh-imaging.com.

 2017 Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies.

For More Information, Contact:

Barbara Hagin

Breakaway Communications for Ricoh

(408) 832-7626 - mobile

[email protected]

SOURCE Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation

Related Links

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TULSA, Okla., Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ronald Fleming is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Professional Member in recognitions of his contributions to the Art field.

Fleming's professional title is Artist and Owner at Hearthstone Studios, which specializes in artistry, sculpting and wood turning. He brings over 60 years of career experience, as well as expertise in the areas of illustrations, mixed media, public art, painting, crafting, art direction, art history, exhibit design, fine art photography, abstraction, pottery, logo design, graphics, curating, murals and art administration, to his role.

As part of his body of work, Fleming began his career working as a Draftsman for the State Bridge Department in 1959. He has also worked on jobs for Douglas Aircraft, and worked on a famous project titled Dragon Dance, a turned and carved vessel.

"I can manipulate wood so as to emulate images," Fleming told American Woodturner. "It is never my intention to copy nature exactly, but to give my interpretation of what I see."

Fleming attended Putnam High School and Oklahoma City University, where he studied Civil and Mechanical Engineering. He attended for one semester and eventually decided that his passion lied in the area of art. He participated in art-related activities and the Annual Report Group as a student.

In addition to his for-profit work in business, Fleming produced a great deal of advertising material for nonprofit organizations from 1961  1996 through the Graphic Association, Inc.

To further his professional development, Fleming is a member of the American Association of Woodturners, the Graphic Association, Inc., the Center for Art in Wood, AAW and NEOWA. He has also been featured in numerous art-related publications.

In recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the field, Fleming was awarded the 1991 American Crafts Award, and has been honored by the White House Collection of American Crafts as well as the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In looking to the future, Fleming hopes to continue his wood carving business as well as his airbrush illustrations.

When not working, Fleming enjoys spending time in nature. He dedicates this recognition o the loving memory of his wife, Patti.

Contact: KatherineGreen, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


SYDNEY, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighty-three percent of consumers globally rate transparency and ethical behaviour as vital to building trust, according to SAI Global's inaugural Consumer Trust Index. Topping the list at 88 percent is a reputation for good quality products and services.

For the full multimedia release, click here: http://www.prnasia.com/mnr/saiglobal_20170925.shtml

The global risk management firm surveyed 3,035 consumers globally between November 2016-January 2017, to help businesses understand what trust means to them -- how it is built, protected, lost and restored.

Peter Granat, CEO of SAI Global, said taking an intelligent approach to dealing with organisational risk is critically important for businesses to ensure continued success.

"With technology rapidly altering and expanding public access to information, understanding consumer trust and knowing how to protect it is imperative," said Mr Granat. "Trust is a powerful, valuable and fragile business asset -- once lost, it can be difficult to win back."

The Consumer Trust Index indicates that 43 percent of customers would never return to a company following a data breach. Poor customer experience (31 percent) and poor treatment of employees (29 percent) would also keep customers away.

The report highlights three key areas that can help businesses minimise the loss of trust and protect it going forward.

1) Handle failure well

Forty-seven percent of consumers strongly believe that trust can be won back if responsibility for a failure is acknowledged, systems to prevent repeat errors are established and quality service is ongoing. Companies that are vigilant in their response to crises and use a risk management framework to prepare and guide them through, are more likely to win back the trust of their customers.

2) Embed a risk-aware culture

Eighty-two percent of consumers believe excellent customer service and providing quality goods and services are signs of trustworthiness. The use of quality management systems that embed a risk-aware culture are essential for companies to deliver a positive customer experience and build trust.

3) Take an Intelligent Risk approach

Taking an Intelligent Risk approach -- identifying, managing and optimising risks -- will help organisations minimise consumer trust issues. This enables organisations to focus on strategic goals, understand their risk appetite and allow them to take advantage of opportunities -- all while building trust with their customers.

"Today's consumers wield enormous power in the trust relationship, which is why it's so important to understand and protect their trust -- particularly during times of crisis," said Mr Granat.

For more information on how to manage risk intelligently to protect consumer trust, visit the full report: 'The Consumer Trust Index: What your company needs to know about trust.'

To find out more about SAI Global click here.

Bria Lamberton

SAI Global

M: +61 (0) 428 009 117

E: [email protected]

SOURCE SAI Global
SAN FRANCISCO and DETROIT, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the global leader in CRM, today committed $50 million and one million volunteer hours over five years to expand K-12 computer science education in the U.S. in an effort to prepare students for jobs in the digital economy.

Salesforce.org, the company's philanthropic arm, will also offer every eligible public K-12 school in the nation ten free Salesforce software subscriptions to enable schools and districts to connect and engage with staff, teachers, parents and students in a whole new way. Additionally, Salesforce.org is granting Code.org $1 million to expand access and teacher training for K-12 computer science.

Comments on the news:

"Nothing is more important than educating our nation's students and preparing them for the jobs of tomorrow," said Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO, Salesforce. "Through our longstanding partnerships with San Francisco Bay Area school districts, we've seen a big impact from our investmentsnot only in dollars, but employee time and expertise. I encourage every CEO, every organization and every individual to contribute to educating our youth and providing them access to computer science skills."

"Salesforce has been a key Code.org partner as we work to achieve our mission of expanding access to computer science throughout the U.S.," said Hadi Partovi, CEO, Code.org. "Through the 1-1-1 model, we've seen how Salesforce's combination of employee time, financial resources and product can create incredible impact for students across the country."

Building on Salesforce's Long-Term Commitment to Advance Computer Science Education in Public Schools

Salesforce has a long history of supporting computer science initiatives through Salesforce.org. To date, Salesforce and Salesforce.org have granted $65 million to expand opportunities for studentswith a focus on computer science curriculum. Salesforce employees have spent more than 175,000 volunteer hours in K-12 classrooms since 1999.

Since 2013, Salesforce.org has granted nearly $35 million and Salesforce employees have volunteered more than 22,000 hours to advance computer science education in San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). As a result of the partnership, San Francisco was the first school district in the United States to offer computer science curriculum in every grade. In SFUSD, enrollment of girls in computer science has increased 2,000 percent, and enrollment of underrepresented groups in computer science has increased 6,600 percent.

$1 Million Grant to Code.org Expands Opportunities for Students to Learn to Code

Salesforce.org is also announcing a new, $1 million grant to Code.org to increase access to K-12 computer science. Since partnering with Code.org in 2013, Salesforce.org's funds have helped reach more than 50 million students through the Hour of Code campaign globally.

Salesforce.org's mission to provide computer science education opportunities to every student also includes deep and strategic partnerships with organizations including Code.org as well as Girls Who Code, CoderDojo and Iridescent.

Salesforce 1-1-1 Model

Salesforce pioneered the 1-1-1 model of integrated philanthropy when it was founded in 1999, dedicating 1 percent of equity, 1 percent of employee time and 1 percent of product back into its communities. Thus far, Salesforce and Salesforce.org have given $168 million in grants, Salesforce employees have volunteered 2.3 million hours and 32,000 nonprofits and higher education institutions use Salesforce for free or at a discount. Through Pledge 1%, a corporate philanthropy movement dedicated to making the community a key stakeholder in every business, more than 3,000 companies have followed Salesforce's lead by adopting the 1-1-1 model.

Business and Government Leaders Come Together for Computer Science Education

Salesforce's latest commitment is part of the Internet Association's initiative of private sector commitments of more than $300 million dedicated to funding K-12 computer science programs. For more information, please visit: https://internetassociation.org/internet-association-members-businesses-individuals-commit-300-million-k-12-computer-science-education-programs/

Additional Information:

To watch the Internet Association's #CSforKids event live, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OScNCg5UGfM

To learn more about Salesforce's 1-1-1 model of integrated philanthropy, visit: https://www.salesforce.com/company/salesforceorg/

To learn more about Salesforce.org's education programs, visit: http://www.salesforce.org/grants/stem-education/

Like Salesforce on Facebook:http://facebook.com/salesforce

Follow @salesforce on Twitter:http://twitter.com/salesforce

Read the Salesforce blog:http://blogs.salesforce.com/

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

SOURCE Salesforce

Related Links

http://www.salesforce.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first year of performance results on the new SAT, released today in the 2017 SAT Suite Program Results, sets the baseline for SAT performance going forward. The first two years of PSAT-related assessment results, also released today, show an increase in student performance across nearly all demographics and grade levels. Between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years, average Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores increased, and a greater percentage of students were on track for college and career readiness.

The SAT Suite of Assessmentsincluding the new SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9was first administered during the 2015-16 school year. The Suite measures what students are learning in class that is important for them to know to be ready for college-level courses.

"Many more students from all backgrounds are taking advantage of the opportunities these assessments provide," says David Coleman, president and CEO of the College Board. "With free, personalized practice and the ability to track their own progress throughout high school, these tests empower students to own their future and prepare for success in college and careers."

The number of students taking advantage of the Suite continues to rise.

More than 7.3 million test takers completed the SAT or a PSAT-related assessment in the 2016-17 school year, an increase of nearly 10% since last year.

The class of 2017 is the largest cohort in SAT history. More than 1.8 million students took the old or new SAT at least once during high school; 1.7 million (93%) have taken the new SAT.

Nearly 4.3 million students took the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 in the 2016-17 school year, an increase of more than 46,000 students compared to 2015-16.

A record 1.3 million students took the PSAT 8/9 in 2016-17, an increase of more than 417,000 students (47%) compared to 2015-16.

Between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years, mean scores on PSAT-related assessments increased across all grades and nearly all demographics. For example, mean total scores for 11th graders who took the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 increased from 1009 in 2015-16 to 1018 in 2016-17. By race/ethnicity:

Mean scores for Asian students increased from 1130 to 1148.

Mean scores for black/African American students increased from 885 to 894.

Mean scores for Hispanic/Latino students increased from 925 to 932.

Mean scores for white students increased from 1064 to 1075.

"It is both rare and encouraging to see this kind of positive improvement across the board. I'm inspired by the swift embrace of the PSAT-related assessments, and even more by the progress we are seeing," says Cyndie Schmeiser, senior advisor to the president, the College Board.

In addition, more students who were off track when they took one assessment in the SAT Suite are getting on track for college readiness when they take a second assessment as they progress through high school. For example, of students who took the PSAT/NMSQT as 11th graders and then took the new SAT, 12% who were initially off track got on track for college readiness by the time they took the SAT.

Expanding Access to SAT School Day for All Schools

SAT School Day allows juniors and seniors to take the SAT in their own school, during the school day. This program gives more students the chance to show colleges they're ready. When students have the opportunity to take the SAT at their own school, they're more likely to take the test and go on to college.

For the first time ever, beginning in December 2017, SAT School Day will be available to all schools, regardless of their size.

"Now, even students from the most isolated rural communities to the suburbs, and students from small schools, independent schools, and religious schools can access the benefits of the SAT on a school day, which could propel them into college. One daya school daycan make a world of difference for a student," says Jane Dapkus, vice president, College Readiness Assessments.

The number of students who took the SAT during the school day has increased significantly since 2014. More than 800,000 students participated in SAT School Day during the 2016-17 school year, up from more than 458,000 in 2015-16 and nearly 219,500 in 2014-15. Nine states, the District of Columbia, and more than 250 school districts now offer SAT School Day, including some of the nation's largest, such as Chicago Public Schools.

"The SAT Suite and Official SAT Practice gave Chicago educators the tools to improve day-to-day instruction and successfully increase student performance, which translates into real changes in students' outcomes," says Peter Leonard, director of student assessment at Chicago Public Schools.

Additional Highlights from This Year's Report

SAT Results

In the class of 2017, 46% of students who took the new SAT met or exceeded the new College and Career Readiness benchmarks, showing they are likely ready to take and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing college courses. The mean total score for students in the class of 2017 who took the new SAT was 1060. The mean score for the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section was 533 and the mean score for the Math section was 527.

The new SAT was first administered in March 2016. The class of 2017 was the first graduating class in which the majority of test takers93% of the cohorttook the new SAT. While these performance results cannot be compared to previous years', they serve as the baseline for the new SAT for future year-to-year comparisons.

Productive Practice

Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy creates a personalized SAT study plan for each student. Since its launch in June 2015, more than 4 million students have used Official SAT Practice, and nearly 40% of all test takers reported using Official SAT Practice, making it the number one tool for SAT preparation.

More than 400,000 students in the class of 2017the first graduating class to have access to Official SAT Practicelinked their College Board and Khan Academy accounts to receive a free, personalized SAT study plan. The numbers continue to increase for future graduating classes, with more than 650,000 in the class of 2018 already linked and the number in the class of 2019 growing.

Data released earlier this year link Official SAT Practice to substantial score gains on the new SAT. Studying for the SAT for 20 hours on free Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy is associated with an average score gain of 115 points between the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT, nearly double the average score gain of students who don't use it. Results showed practice advanced students regardless of gender, race, income, and high school GPA. These results show what's possible when practice bridges assessment and instruction to help students on their road to college and beyond. Khan Academy and the College Board, through a two-year partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, will continue to work with educators to support students' SAT practice.

For more information about the College Board's SAT Suite Results visit: www.collegeboard.org/program-results

About the College Board

The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world's leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college successincluding the SAT and the Advanced Placement Program. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit collegeboard.org.

SOURCE The College Board

Related Links

http://www.advocacy.collegeboard.org


SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Seegene, a world's leading developer of multiplex molecular technologies and assays, announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hamilton Company, a global leader in the design and manufacture of precision measurement devices, automated liquid handling workstations, and sample management systems. Through this strategic agreement, Seegene and Hamilton will form a robust partnership to develop the Seegene Random Access System.

Steve Hamilton, CEO of Hamilton, said, "We are proud to help enable great companies with innovative technologies such as Seegene's. We look forward to supporting the promise and excitement of this collaboration."

The Seegene Random Access System is an innovative molecular diagnostics solution that provides order-to-report on the same day. This capability is enabled by integrating simultaneous and high multiplex real-time PCR testing on Hamilton's automated liquid handling platforms, regardless of specimen and assay type.

Through the collaboration, Seegene expects to accelerate the development of the Random Access System and to complete the Digitalized Development System, which enables the automation of whole development process from reagent development, clinical studies, manufacturing to quality control.

Dr. Jong Yoon Chun, CEO and founder of Seegene, said "To achieve the Seegene Random Access System, the integration of technologies applied in reagent, instrument and software is necessary. Through our collaboration, we will be able to accelerate the accomplishment of 'Seegene Random Access System'." He also emphasized, "Molecular diagnostics testing is currently limited to large hospitals or clinical laboratories; however, with the completion of the system, molecular diagnostics utilization will greatly increase as order-to-report on the same day allows hospitals to conduct molecular diagnosis and this will lead to a breakthrough in achieving on-time customized patient care."

About Seegene

Seegene(KQ : 096530) is a world's leading developer of multiplex molecular technologies and multiplex clinical molecular diagnostics (M-MoDx). Seegene's core enabling technologies - DPO, TOCE, and MuDT - are the foundation for M-MoDx tests that can simultaneously detect multiple targets with high sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility. Seegene's products detect multi-pathogens with great reliability and throughput, ultimately providing the most economical basis for saving time, labor and cost. Seegene's mission is to maintain leadership in molecular diagnostics for infectious diseases, genetics, pharmacogenetics, and oncology using innovative proprietary technologies. For more information, please visit www.seegene.com.

About Hamilton

Hamilton Company is a global enterprise with affiliates in Reno, Nevada; Franklin, Massachusetts (both USA); and Bonaduz, Switzerland and sales offices throughout the world. Hamilton Company and its affiliated entities are an industry leader in the design and manufacture of liquid handling, process analytics, robotics and automated storage solutions. For more than 60 years, Hamilton Company has been satisfying customer needs by combining quality materials with skilled workmanship to ensure the highest level of performance. Hamilton Company's lifelong commitment to precision and quality has earned us global ISO 9001 Certification. For more information, visit www.hamiltoncompany.com/robotics

Contact Information

Yoon Chung ([email protected], Tel: 82-2-2240-4082)

Tyler Kim ([email protected], Tel: 82-2-2240-4025)

SOURCE Seegene

Related Links

http://www.seegene.com


BOSTON, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon Gelman, M.D., Ph.D., FANZ CA, is recognized by Continental Who's Who as one of the Most Trusted Names in Anesthesiology.

Dr. Gelman serves as a Distinguished Professor of Anesthesiology of at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He has worked in the field for over 50 years, and brings extensive expertise in the specific specialty of Anesthesiology to his role.



"Boston Brigham and Women's Hospital is an international leader in virtually every area of medicine and has been the site of pioneering breakthroughs that have improved lives around the world," the hospital's website states.



Additionally, "Brigham and Women's Hospital is an internationally-known referral center for the most complex cases in nearly all areas of medicine," the website continues. "In fact, U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks us a top hospital and among the best in specialty areas including cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, gynecology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and rheumatology."



Dr. Gelman was born and grew up in the Soviet Union and emigrated to Israel in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War. In 1976, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, then to Birmingham, Alabama in 1978, where he completed a residency in anesthesiology in 1979, and then became the Chairman of the department at Brigham and Women's Hospital.



"I originally thought surgery would be my career in medicine," Dr. Gelman said. "Then I discovered anesthesiology. But my inspiration to become a doctor came after reading the novel Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis." Dr. Gelman earned his Medical degree from St. Petersburg State Medical School.



He then went on to complete his residency in University Hospitals at Case Western Reserve University, following his immigration to the United States in 1976. He holds a Massachusetts State Medical License and is Board Certified in Anesthesiology by the American Board of Anesthesiology.



In addition to his work in practice, Dr. Gelman has served as an editor of major anesthesiology journals. Some of his published works include: 'Is norepinephrine infusion during intraoperative period justified?' (Gelman, S.; Anesthesiology. 2014 Jul 23.), and; 'Hypotension during gradual blood loss: waveform variables response and absence of tachycardia.' (Pizov R, Eden A, Bystritski D, Kalina E, Tamir A, Gelman S; Br J Anaesth. 2012-12-01.)



He has more than 130 visiting professorships and more than 200 publications, as well as a fellowship, a named lecture at Brigham and Women's Hospital and two endowed chairs in his name, one through the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and the other through Harvard Medical School.



Dr. Gelman claims that the key to success is, "stubborness", "tenaciousness," and to like what you are doing. He adds that his role model was his father, for his photography. Additionally, he dedicates this recognition to his wife, Maria; to his two sons; and six grandchildren.

For more information, visit www.brighamandwomens.org.



Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634 [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


In this role, Mezzabotta will be responsible for leading and overseeing the vision, strategy and operations of the Bridgestone Americas Information Technology (BSA IT) department throughout North and South America. He will provide strategic IT leadership and direction for all Bridgestone Americas business units and functions and deliver technology solutions that help power our businesses and drive innovation and operational excellence throughout the organization. Rob Olds, who has concurrently served as Acting CIO since October 2016, will return to his role as Executive Director of IT Business Strategy and Governance for Bridgestone Americas.

"Stefano and his team will play a fundamental role in continuing to grow our brands and businesses in a world of rapidly changing technology," said Thompson. "His global perspective, leadership and vision will be critical in helping us achieve our goal of becoming a truly global company, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Bridgestone Americas."

Mezzabotta is a global technology executive with nearly 30 years of experience. He joins Bridgestone most recently from Procter & Gamble, where served as Director, Global Business Units  Global Shared Services and Information Technology, leading IT and Shared Services for four Global Business Sectors across 17 different product categories. Prior to his move to the U.S. in 2007, Stefano had been the CIO for Procter & Gamble Western Europe, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mezzabotta earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Ancona, Italy. Additionally, he was a member of the Naval Academy in Livorno, Italy where he served as a Navy Officer.

For more company news, visit BridgestoneAmericas.com.

About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.:

Nashville, Tennessee-based Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM) is the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, the world's largest tire and rubber company. BSAM and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers, and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies are also engaged in retreading operations throughout the Western Hemisphere and produce air springs, roofing materials, and industrial fibers and textiles. The BSAM family of companies also operates the world's largest chain of automotive tire and service centers. Guided by its One Team, One Planet message, the company is dedicated to achieving a positive environmental impact in all of the communities it calls home.

SOURCE Bridgestone Americas, Inc.
Sun Life Financial among industry first to offer Workplace to employees across the globe

TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX: SLF) (NYSE: SLF) today announced it has launched Workplace by Facebook ("Workplace"), a communications platform that connects the global enterprise with familiar tools to increase collaboration and productivity. Workplace is currently being used by Sun Life employees in Canada, the U.S., and Asia and is expected to be rolled-out to all employees across its global operations by July 2018.

Sun Life Financial recently moved its global headquarters to Toronto's dynamic south core and reaffirmed its commitment to digital innovation, sustainability and providing an agile work environment for all employees. With operations in markets around the world, Sun Life Financial will leverage Workplace to:

Increase collaboration across time zones and space.

Enhance video capability and the ability to host team meetings around the world.

Grow mobile solutions for employees.

Attract and retain top talent, supporting the company's high performance culture.

Reduce the amount of email.

"We are proud to be among the first financial services companies to offer Workplace to our employees," said Mark Saunders, Executive Vice-President & Chief Information Officer, Sun Life Financial. "At Sun Life, we're always looking for new ways to work more efficiently and collaborate more effectively to deliver for our Clients. As we continue on our digital transformation journey, Workplace will help us connect more easily and share information, best practices and ideas regardless of where people are located or what language they speak."

To date, approximately 6000 Sun Life employees are using Workplace with more being added each day. Workplace is contributing to Sun Life's high performance culture by providing employees with a collaborative space to share news and updates on company strategy, highlight articles of interest related to the business including its commitment to community and sustainable practices, reward and recognize employees, and celebrate key project milestones.

"No matter the work style, Workplace is giving our employees an easy way to engage, communicate, and collaborate with each other," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., President, Sun Life Financial U.S. "Workplace is easy to navigate and we've made it available to our employees on any desktop or mobile device so they can access it in a way that is most convenient for them."

This new technology is the latest move by Sun Life Financial as it continues to transform its business by advancing the company's digital strategy.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individuals and corporate Clients. Sun Life Financial has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2017, Sun Life Financial had total assets under management of $944 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Media Relations Contact:

Alessandra Nigro

Director, Corporate Communications

Sun Life Financial

T. 416-979-4884

[email protected]

SOURCE Sun Life Financial Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sunlife.com


ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Teens nationwide are invited to join the Seat Belts Save Challenge, a competition to encourage seat belt usage by teens and their families. Initiated by the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), schools can win a $1,500 prize from The National Road Safety Foundation for executing local campaigns to increase seat belt use.

The Seat Belts Save Challenge was designed to encourage increased seat belt usage among young people who are at heightened risk from death or injury in traffic crashes because of their low belt usage rate. In 2016, more than half of teen drivers killed in crashes and more than 60% of teen passengers killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts.

NOYS and its partners invite high schools throughout the country to develop a local campaign to increase belt usage. The Seat Belts Save Challenge is documented by an unannounced seat belt check before a school's campaign, followed by another unannounced check after the school's two-week education and awareness campaign.

The Seat Belts Save Challenge has three winning categories: best overall campaign, greatest improvement in seat belt usage, and highest seat belt use rate. The deadline for schools to register is Oct 15th, and seat belt checks and local education campaigns must be completed by Nov 15th. Registration information and rules are available at https://noys.org/about-us/our-programs/seat-belts-save/. Winners will be announced during Global Youth Traffic Safety Month in May of 2018.

"Getting young people to buckle up consistently is an ongoing safety issue," said April Rai, Interim Executive Director of NOYS. "The Seat Belts Save Challenge empowers high school students to share the importance of seat belt use with their peers and in their own community."

"Over the past 4 years, the Seat Belts Save Challenge has encouraged students at schools all over the country to participate enthusiastically in developing creative ways to spread the important seat belt message to their peers," said Michelle Anderson, NRSF Director of Operations.

One of last year's winners was Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Miami, where students created an effective campaign that increased seat belt usage among students by 10 percent, bringing the student body's overall seat belt usage rate to 97.5 percent. The school won a $1,500 cash prize for hosting the most creative and innovative campaign. Two additional schools also won $1,500 prizes: the FCCLA Chapter at Lake Geneva  Genoa City Union High in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, which won the highest seat belt rate category, achieving an almost-perfect usage rate of 97.8 percent; and the SADD Chapter at Crisfield Academy and High School in Crisfield, Maryland, which won for the greatest seat belt use increase, jumping by 19.1 percent.

The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) is a coalition of national non-profit and youth serving organizations, government agencies, and for-profit businesses working together toward the common goal of addressing critical safety issues that affect youth in the United States. NOYS builds partnerships to save lives, prevent injuries, and promote safe and healthy lifestyles among all youth while encouraging youth empowerment and leadership. For more information, visit www.NOYS.org.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 and is dedicated to achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety. It works daily to help prevent crashes and their attendant costs, both human and financial. NHTSA's mission is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, through education, research, safety standards and enforcement activity. For more information, visit www.nhtsa.gov and www.safercar.gov.

The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc. (NRSF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded more than 50 years ago, produces traffic safety programs on distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving, driver proficiency, pedestrian safety, and a host of other safety issues. It distributes free programs to schools, police, and traffic safety advocates, community groups and individuals. NRSF also sponsors contests to engage teens in promoting safe driving to their peers and their communities. For more information or to download free programs, visit www.nrsf.org or www.teenlane.org.

Media Contact:

David Reich

212 573-6000

[email protected]

SOURCE The National Road Safety Foundation

Related Links

http://www.nrsf.org


FRISCO, Texas, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Texans, Matthew McConaughey and Marcus & Morgan Luttrell, join an all-star lineup for the Red River Celebrity Softball Game to be held October 12th at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas. The fundraising event to benefit The Lone Survivor Foundation will include University of Texas Alumni battling it out with Oklahoma University alumni. Both teams will include combat veterans representing the various military branches. Click here for photos

"Tickets are selling out fast," stated Jeff Cheney, Mayor of Frisco and UT Alumni player. "We are so grateful to our alumni celebrities and combat veterans for donating their time to help us bring awareness to the issues faced by our veterans and to be able to provide financial support and services."

Enjoy the event in style by entering to win two VIP tickets that include suite accommodations, food, beverages, an autographed poster and photo opportunities. Click here to enter to win.

For more information, to purchase tickets or to reserve a suite please visit www.rrcsg.org.

For more information on the Lone Survivor Foundation, please visit www.lonesurvivorfoundation.org.

Media Contact:

Margaret McKoin, The Time Group

[email protected]

817-403-0866

SOURCE Lone Survivor Foundation

Related Links

http://www.lonesurvivorfoundation.org


NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EMRG Media is excited to announce it's hosting the fifth year of the Event Planner Expo, a premier events and hospitality tradeshow. This year its speaker lineup is more impressive than ever and will take place on October 4, 2017, at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

"We're thrilled to celebrate our five-year anniversary of the Event Planner Expo," Jessica Stewart, vice president, marketing, EMRG Media, says. "This is one of the best places for New York City event planners and corporate decision makers to network and to make long-lasting connections and partnerships. We've got the best in the business in attendance. It's going to be an extraordinary event."

The Event Planner Expo connects corporate and independent event planners with key decision makers, vendors, venues and top hospitality professionals. More than 2,500 attendees and 150 vendors will have the opportunity to build strategic partnerships, get inspired by cutting-edge trends and close deals for the coming year.

Some of the top vendors in the event planning industry such as Espace, Marriot, Five Senses Catering, Statue of Liberty and Shiro of Japan will all be there. And, this year's Event Planner Expo even has an exclusive VIP networking lounge where people can form partnerships and take their business to the next level. To access, a VIP ticket or speaker series ticket is necessary. Building a killer contact list has never been easier.

Finally, keynote speaker, Martha Stewart, will share industry insights and additional speakers Colin Cowie, a well-known lifestyle guru and television personality, and Randi Zuckerberg, CEO of Zuckerberg Media and former Marketing Director at Facebook, will also share their experiences.

Admission tickets range in price from $49 for general admission to $499 for the All Access Pass. For more information: http://www.theeventplannerexpo.com/.

About EMRG Media;

EMRG Media (http://www.EMRGMedia.com/) is a premier, full-service marketing, event planning and publishing firm based in Manhattan. Over the last 16 years, it's garnered public acclaim and recognition as an innovative, corporate event marketer with an impressive roster of clients. Its exclusive corporate client base includes names such as Casio, Barclays, Ruder Finn, Conde Nast Publications and the Alzheimer's Foundation.

LOGO: Send2Press.com/300dpi/17-0918s2p-evplanexpo-300dpi.jpg

This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

SOURCE EMRG Media

Related Links

http://www.EMRGMedia.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Greater Bay Area chapter will host the Pacific Union Leukemia Cup Regatta on Oct. 21-22, 2017 at the Corinthian Yacht Club and the San Francisco Yacht Club in Tiburon, California.

The 2017 Bay Area Pacific Union Leukemia Cup Regatta with guest speaker, healthcare leader, Dr. Dean Ornish, launches on Oct. 21-22, 2017

The Leukemia Cup Regatta VIP Gala, presented by Hannig Law, will take place on Oct. 21 with special guest speaker Dr. Dean Ornish. The fundraiser will continue on Oct. 22 with the Pacific Union Leukemia Cup Regatta sailing competition and festivities at the San Francisco Yacht Club. Celebrating its 12th year, the Bay Area event has raised more than $7 million to support LLS's mission to find a cure for blood cancers and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

With the support of Pacific Union and other sponsors, sailors from around the Bay Area will raise more than sails to honor local blood cancer patients and survivors, who will be recognized as "honorary skippers," and sailors all of levels are encouraged to fundraise, participate, and attend the two-day event. This year's honorary skippers include, Robert Groenke, Douglas Holmes, Drake Jensen, Steve Johnson, Chris Kostanecki, Rhett Krawitt, Brit Lacey, Christopher Laub, and Lynn Spiller. This year's campaign kicked off on April 26, 2017 at the SFYC with guest speaker Dr. Babis Andreadis, hematologist at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.

Also joining the lineup of honorary skippers is lifestyle blogger and actress, Brittany Daniel, best known for her role in the television series "Sweet Valley High" and the film, "Joe Dirt." Daniel is a cancer survivor of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, and a first-time participant in the regatta. Daniel will be joined by her husband, Pacific Union real estate professional, Adam Touni.

On Oct. 21, the third annual Perkins Challenge will launch from the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco at 12 p.m. A sailing competition among prominent Bay Area companies to show united support in seeking a cure for blood cancers, the event will feature corporate teams of four competing on J/22 class sailboats to win the Perkins Trophy, named after the late Honorary Chairman Thomas Perkins. The trophy will be presented to the winning team at the VIP Gala that evening at the Corinthian Yacht Club.

On Oct. 22, the Pacific Union Leukemia Cup Regatta will begin with a sponsor breakfast at 10 a.m. at the SFYC, and boats will board at 11:30 a.m. This year, the event will feature a Poker Run event for nonracing powerboats, which will tour seven yacht clubs around the Bay to collect the best poker hand. The participating yacht clubs are Encinal, Golden Gate, Oakland, St. Francis, Sausalito, Corinthian, and San Francisco. Also, honorary skippers, spectators, and sponsors will watch the races from a beautiful yacht. All guests are invited to return to SFYC for the awards celebration and a barbecue at 4 p.m.

Registration and tickets for the 2017 Pacific Union Leukemia Cup Regatta are now available at http://www.SFLCR.org. Tickets are $125 for sailboats, $200 for Poker Run participants, and $150 for spectators. VIP Gala seats may also be purchased for $1,000 per person by calling 415-625-1139. Fundraisers may qualify for seats if they raise at least $2,500 per seat with a two-seat maximum. You may view the list of 2017 local sponsors here.

For questions, contact Jennifer Daly at 415-625-1139 or [email protected]. For more information on the Pacific Union Leukemia Cup Regatta, visit www.sflcr.org

About the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission; Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improve the life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services for patients and their loved ones.

Major LLS fundraising campaigns include Team In Training, Light the Night Walk, School & Youth, Man & Woman of the Year and Leukemia Cup Regatta. To reach the widest possible audience, LLS partners with national and regional level companies and brands, including Nike, Disney, Burlington and others.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, New York, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients and caregivers should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

About Pacific Union International

Founded in San Francisco in 1975, Pacific Union International, Inc. is the West Coast's premier luxury real estate brand with 2016 sales volume of $12.61 billion. In 2016, real estate industry leaders RISMedia and REAL Trends rank Pacific Union as the eighth-largest brokerage in the U.S. Through its 2015 acquisition of The Mark Company, the nation's leading sales and marketing firm for new urban luxury developments, Pacific Union expanded its brand to development projects from San Diego to Seattle. In 2016 Pacific Union merged with Los Angeles-based brokerage John Aaroe Group, followed in 2017 with a merger with Partners Trust also based in Los Angeles, extending the Pacific Union brand to become the preeminent leader and ultimate California real estate company. The strategic alliance of these four powerhouses supports over 1,400 elite real estate professionals in 47 offices throughout the West Coast. Northern California markets include San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa, and Sonoma counties, Silicon Valley, and the Lake Tahoe region. Greater Los Angeles markets include Beverly Hills, Downtown, the Westside, and the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. To extend Pacific Union's international reach, in 2013 the brokerage established an award-winning, Beijing-based China Concierge program that fully supports its Chinese investors on the mainland. Additionally Pacific Union offers a full range of personal and commercial real estate services, including buying, selling, and relocation in addition to operating joint-venture businesses that provide rental and commercial property management and insurance services. Locally owned, Pacific Union executes with a vision for the future, an entrepreneurial mindset, and an unwavering commitment to deliver exceptional service and expertise. For more information, visit: www.pacificunion.com.

SOURCE Pacific Union

Related Links

http://www.pacunion.com


PELLA, Iowa, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TheBestSchools.org, a leading online publication for ranking schools and degree programs, has now published its ranking of "The 50 Best Online MBA Programs for 2017-18."

https://thebestschools.org/rankings/best-online-mba-programs/

This list recognizes the outstanding achievements of faculty and administrators at colleges and universities across America, educators who have dedicated themselves making an online MBA feasible, affordable, and excellent for its distance learners.

"Online education has become more and more mainstream throughout America's colleges and universities. Yet doubts continue about its effectiveness in training students for practical fields such as business," notes James Barham, General Editor for TheBestSchools.org. "This ranking of America's 50 best online MBA programs gives the lie to that worry. Online business education, as this ranking shows, has come a long way, with online MBAs proving every bit as competitive in the business world as on-campus MBAs."

The MBA, or Master of Business Administration, is as practical degree as one can find. The skills gained from an MBA program serve one well throughout business, industry, and government. Covering a broad array of fields, including entrepreneurship, marketing, organization, finance, and accounting, an MBA prepares graduates to assume important leadership roles in the business world. The MBA is a terrific springboard for taking a career to the next level, and surveys indicate that most graduates with this degree are glad they got it.

TheBestSchools.org selected the degree programs for this ranking based on academic rigor, range of courses provided, faculty strength as well as school awards, reputation, and a proven track record of being able to deliver full-fledged online instruction. Because the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International) is committed to holding business programs at both the graduate and undergraduate level to the highest standards, all the schools in this ranking are accredited by the AACSB.

The schools with online MBA programs recognized in this ranking are listed alphabetically as follows:

Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ

Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR

Auburn University, Auburn, AL

Ball State University, Muncie, IN

Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI

Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY

Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Drexel, University, Philadelphia, PA

Florida International University, University Park, FL

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

George Washington University, Washington, DC

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY

Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS

Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, MO

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Northeastern University, Boston, MA

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

Penn State World Campus, State College, PA

Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA

Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT

Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL

Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

University of Louisiana, Monroe, LA

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND

University of North Texas, Denton, TX

University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD

University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL

University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN

University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX

University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, WI

University System of Georgia, GA

Washington State University, Pullman, WA

West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX

TheBestSchools.org is delighted to spotlight the achievement of these schools in setting the standard for online business education, especially at the MBA level.

TheBestSchools.org is a leader in school rankings - K thru 12, college, post graduate, online and on-campus -- providing millions of prospective students with the information they need to find the right school for them. TheBestSchools.org is an independent educational website whose staff and advisory board believe learning transforms lives for the better and should be a lifelong pursuit.

Contact:

Dan Edelen, Director of Marketing

Web: https://thebestschools.org

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (513) 601-8202

SOURCE TheBestSchools.org
NEW YORK and BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Exiger, the global regulatory, financial crime, risk, and compliance company, has named Thomas Anthony the Deputy Head of its Immigration, Citizenship & Visa (ICV) due diligence practice and Director, Financial Crime Compliance, for the Caribbean Region.

Mr. Anthony joins Exiger from the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) of Antigua & Barbuda, where he was Deputy Chief Executive Officer. In that role, Mr. Anthony managed the daily operations of the CIU, helping to transform it into one of the largest, most efficient, and fastest growing programs in the world. Before this, Mr. Anthony spent more than 26 years in the banking sector  in both commercial and investment banking  in Antigua, St. Lucia, and Miami.

"Thomas's expertise in banking, combined with his deep local knowledge, makes him uniquely qualified to advise the CIUs and the regional banks on how to most effectively address one of the most important issues facing the industry today: the pressure placed on global banks to comply with stringent AML regulations, causing them to 'de-risk' smaller, regional correspondent banking relationships," said Michael Beber, Exiger's President and CEO. "We are thrilled to welcome Thomas to Exiger, where he will work with both our due diligence and banking experts to assist in evolving standards in the industry and ensure the sustainability of citizenship by investment programs throughout the region."

Exiger's ICV Due Diligence Practice is a global leader in work related to citizenship by investment programs. The business is part of Exiger Diligence, which provides global public records research and investigative due diligence to global financial institutions, multinational corporations, and governmental agencies.

"Thomas has been, and will continue to be, a trusted advisor in the Caribbean region," said Kim Marsh, Exiger Diligence's Vice Chairman and Global Head of the ICV Practice. "His combination of extensive first-hand experience with citizenship by investment programs and deep knowledge of the banking sector will make him a tremendous asset to Exiger's ICV practice, the Caribbean banks, and CIUs."

"Exiger is the gold standard for due diligence and compliance," said Mr. Anthony. "Exiger's industry-leading, technology-based, due diligence tools including DDIQ and Insight 3PM, will enable clients to conduct effective pre-screening, continuous monitoring and automated lookbacks. This will greatly enhance the quality, efficiency, and security of the CIUs' due diligence process. I look forward to working with the entire Exiger team to provide enhanced services, advice, and support to the banks and CIUs operating across the Caribbean region."

Mr. Anthony holds a degree in banking and finance from City Banking College and a degree in business administration and management from West London College.

About Exiger

Exiger is a global regulatory and financial crime, risk and compliance company. Exiger arms financial institutions, multinational corporations and governmental agencies with the practical advice and technology solutions they need to prevent compliance breaches, respond to risk, remediate major issues and monitor ongoing business activities. Exiger works with clients worldwide to assist them in effectively managing their critical challenges while developing and implementing the policies, procedures and programs needed to create a sustainable compliance environment. A global authority on regulatory compliance, the company also oversees some of the world's most complex court-appointed and voluntary monitorships in the private and public sectors, including the monitorship of HSBC. Exiger has four principal business units being: Exiger Advisory; Exiger Analytics, including DDIQ, the groundbreaking cognitive computing and intelligent search platform; Exiger Diligence and Exiger Insight 3PM. Exiger operates through offices in New York City, Silver Spring (DC Metro), Miami, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Contacts:

U.S.

John Roderick

[email protected]

631-584-2200

Europe

James Rossiter

[email protected]

44 0203 195 3240

SOURCE Exiger

Related Links

http://www.exiger.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TuneCore, the leading digital music distribution and publishing administration provider, today announced an expansion of its partnership with award-winning, industry leading audio company, Aftermaster. Since April 2016, Aftermaster has been TuneCore's exclusive professional hands-on custom mastering service, led by legendary mastering engineer, Pete Doell. The newly expanded partnership gives TuneCore members access to the groundbreaking Promaster by Aftermaster instant mastering service, offering audio mastering of unparalleled quality at the click of a button, without breaking the bank.

TuneCore Expands Partnership With Aftermaster To Offer Independent Artists Revolutionary Instant Mastering Technology

The latest addition to TuneCore's comprehensive array of artist tools and resources, Promaster is unlike any other product on the market in that it was wholly developed by artists, producers and audio engineers to streamline the mastering and storage process without compromising quality or creative intent.

With Promaster's state-of-the-art proprietary algorithms, artists will receive four CD quality mastered versions of their track, including "Powerful," "Radio Ready," "Bass Enhanced," and "Vocal Enhanced." Artists can preview 90 seconds of each version before deciding to purchase. As an added bonus, TuneCore artists have access to exclusive pricing on the Promaster pay-as-you-go instant mastering, as well as unlimited monthly and annual subscriptions.

"At TuneCore, we are constantly driving the independent music industry forward by continually offering artists best-in-class services and support," says Scott Ackerman, CEO at TuneCore. "Partnering with state-of-the-art technology like Promaster ensures our artists can easily access world-class, studio quality instant mastering that is consistent, professional and affordable."

The team behind Promaster has produced, engineered and mastered more hit music than any audio company in the world. No matter the style of music, Promaster delivers unparalleled clarity, depth, fullness and volume throughout the entire frequency range without distortion or loss of dynamic range.

"I can tell time and thought was put into this service, just as Aftermaster's engineers have always taken the proper steps to make sure my completed tracks sound great to them," says TuneCore Artist Reco 'Ty1TLM' Jackson, "Whether you're using 'Powerful', 'Radio Ready', 'Bass Enhanced' or 'Vocal Enhanced', the levels are where they need to be. Having used Aftermaster's professional engineering services for past projects, I'm thrilled to be able to use their latest instant mastering product!"

The union between TuneCore and Aftermaster levels the playing field for artists by empowering them with never-before-heard quality of sound and disrupting the independent artist industry with cutting-edge tools and resources.

"TuneCore is the ultimate launchpad for artists in the 21st century," says Larry Ryckman, Principal and Founder at Aftermaster. "They've become a hub for tomorrow's future superstars, enabling them to deliver their music to the masses and reach the biggest audiences possible. We want to help empower those artists with access to audio quality that immediately resonates and that hasn't been within reach until Promaster."

Unlock the power of Promaster by Aftermaster now on TuneCore at aftermaster.tunecore.com.

About TuneCore:

TuneCore brings more music to more people, while helping musicians and songwriters increase money-earning opportunities and take charge of their own careers. The company has one of the highest artist revenue-generating music catalogs in the world, earning TuneCore Artists $938 million from over 80.4 billion downloads and streams since inception. TuneCore Music Distribution services help artists, labels and managers sell their music through iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play and other major download and streaming sites while retaining 100 percent of their sales revenue and rights for a low annual flat fee. TuneCore Music Publishing Administration assists songwriters by administering their compositions through licensing, registration, world-wide royalty collections, and placement opportunities in film, TV, commercials, video games and more. The TuneCore Artist Services portal offers a suite of tools and services that enable artists to promote their craft, connect with fans, and get their music heard. TuneCore, part of Believe Distribution Services, operates as an independent company and is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY with offices in Burbank, CA, Nashville, TN, New Orleans, LA, Atlanta, GA and Austin, TX, and global expansions in the UK, Australia, Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Italy. For additional information about TuneCore, please visit www.tunecore.com

About Aftermaster:

Aftermaster (OTCQB: AFTM) is a groundbreaking audio technology originally developed for the mastering, re-mastering and processing of audio through Aftermaster HD Audio Labs, Inc. Aftermaster's executive team includes music and audio technology leaders Justin Timberlake, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Shelly Yakus, Pete Doell, Andrew Wuepper and Larry Ryckman. Aftermaster delivers an unparalleled clarity, depth and fullness to audio recordings, while delivering a significant increase in volume without increased distortion or loss of dynamic range. The technology has been utilized by a number of leading musicians seeking to create a fuller and richer sound quality than otherwise available in digital audio.

SOURCE TuneCore

Related Links

http://www.tunecore.com


The rolling fields of Iowa. Dotted with farmhouses, and bales of hay. Crisscrossed with streams. Lush with wetlands that teem with water fowl. The picturesque, postcard image of our beautiful state, Iowa. An image, a land, we as Iowans have hoped to pass down as our legacy, generation to generation.

Things have changed over rapidly over the years, particularly in the last 30 years, with the expansion of industrial agriculture. Farm houses have been supplanted by long steel buildings, where livestock are herded by the hundreds or thousands. Our once beautiful streams, now a toxic soup of pesticide and manure runoff. With the industrialization of agriculture, has come cheap pork, chicken, dairy, and eggs; but at what cost?

As big ag continues to conglomerate and monopolize markets and family and independent farms are being forced out of business, lobbyists gain more power in the statehouse, stripping environmental protections, and barring further regulations. More and more of our prairies and wetlands are falling to the combine, as demand for ethanol and cheap feed pressures farmers into tilling every available inch of land.

The trend toward industrialization has left 750 Iowa waterways impaired, a result of runoff from over 20 million hogs, and the excessive use of hazardous agricultural chemicals. Many Iowans seem on board with this trend. Ever hungry for cheaper meat, and desperate for the promise of jobs, the people of Iowa have elected to unshoulder the burden of environmental stewardship. In an economy where too few are doing well and too many are barely above water, who could blame them?

But perhaps it is time for those Iowans to ask themselves a few questions: How much is too much? How much more can we take? What are we losing, in exchange for growth? What is the cost of our right to eat meat with every meal? It is important for all of us, each person in this state, on this planet, to realize the finite nature of the resources this world has to offer. We can only take so much. Infinite growth, is impossible, on a finite planet.

Its not too late to take on the forces of big ag. Our state is still beautiful, we can still preserve the natural legacy of our land, and protect the family farmer from bankruptcy and conglomeration. It starts with each of us, taking a stand against ag lobbyists, and voting in a legislature which will write anti-trust and environmental regulations.

Next time youre driving into Iowa from out of state, take a look at that "Welcome to Iowa" sign, take in the golden fields, the running streams, and the flocks of waterfowl flying south for the winter. Eye the old farm house with its chipped whitewash and rusty silos, because those images, those pictures of our great Iowa, are not guaranteed.

Unless we have the strength to get off this road of industrialization and consumption, then within our lifetime, those farmhouses, those fields, those clean streams, may all be gone; and the next time you find yourself driving into Iowa, that old border sign may seem a little different, perhaps a little dingier, or just a little older. Youll pull over to get a better look, and stepping out into the stinking air, youll look up in disbelief, at a sign that now reads:

Welcome, to the Wasteland.
Ultimaker Cura The release of Ultimaker Cura is scheduled for release on October 17th and offers a powerful, no-hassle solution to prepare files for digital fabrication.

The key benefits of Ultimaker Cura include:

Expanding the Ultimaker ecosystem by offering software upgrades that improve the possibilities of the hardware.

Integration with leading design and engineering software means businesses can create new workflows tailored to their needs

Providing seamless workflow integration between industry-standard CAD applications such as SolidWorks and Siemens NX.

Cura Connect

Cura Connect will be released in Ultimaker Cura on November 7th 2017. Cura Connect enables users to manage an array of Ultimaker 3D printers, creating an accessible solution for prototyping, tooling and small-scale production. This pioneering industry solution allows users to schedule, queue and monitor print jobs for maximize the efficiency of Ultimaker 3D printers.

Paul Heiden, Senior VP of Product Management at Ultimaker explains: "Even customers that bought the very first Ultimaker 3 can benefit from the new software solutions provided in Ultimaker Cura, now, and in the future. We are proud to be providing future-ready solutions. Ultimaker Cura opens up the possibility of third party plugin development that ensures seamless workflow integration with industry-standard CAD software to make 3D printing even more accessible."

Siert Wijnia, founder of Ultimaker continues: "Furthermore, we will continuously develop new applications for our 3D printers, creating an even more integrated solution for our one million Cura users, including professional designers, engineers, researchers, and manufacturers. This will help users get the most out of their Ultimaker 3D printer."

About Ultimaker

Ultimaker has been in operation since 2011, and over the years has grown to become a market-leader; creating powerful, professional and accessible desktop 3D printers. With offices in the Netherlands, New York, and Boston, plus production facilities in Europe and the US, Ultimaker's team of over 300 employees continually strives to offer the highest-quality 3D printers, software, and materials on the market.

Media Contact:

Emily Adams

(617) 779 1891

[email protected]

SOURCE Ultimaker

Related Links

http://www.ultimaker.com


ORLANDO, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Unimax, a leading provider of Unified Communications (UC) Management Software, announced today at Microsoft Ignite in Orlando, Florida, that it has launched a new product called MigrationPro. It was developed to help Microsoft partners and system integrators save significant time and effort, reduce errors, and automate the extreme complexity associated with Skype for Business migrations.

MigrationPro is a software tool that migrates an organization's legacy UC, telecom, and voicemail systems to Skype for Business. It is fully compliant with the Microsoft Skype Operations Framework, and automates the Planning and Delivery phases of the framework. Functions include gathering the legacy system source data, matching the data, finding data exceptions, cleansing the data, finding functional gaps in the destination system, dealing with highly complex interdependencies, creating complicated move groups, cleansing the data or configuring the source data, migrating the groups, and then testing the groups for assurance, and more.

"Microsoft's partner and system integrator community have been waiting for a product to automate Skype for Business migrations for years," said Phil Moen, Unimax President and CEO. "We are pleased to answer the call with MigrationPro. We have worked very closely with Microsoft and the Skype for Business product team to make MigrationPro a reality. Today, we can report that MigrationPro is the only product to have completed Microsoft's IT Pro Tools testing for Skype for Business migrations. This is a great milestone for Unimax, Microsoft, and its partner and customer communities. Microsoft partners and system integrators that have customers migrating from legacy UC, PBX, and voicemail systems to Skype for Business can use MigrationPro to cut the time and effort of their migration projects in half."

MigrationPro is available exclusively to Microsoft partners and system integrators. End-user organizations interested in MigrationPro's benefits can contact Unimax for a Microsoft partner or system integrator reference.

About Unimax

Unimax believes that managing and administering UC, PBX and voice messaging systems can be far less complex and costly, while delivering better internal service levels. Unimax provides a UC Management Software Suite with tools for provisioning, employee self service moves, adds, changes, and deletes (MACDs), help desk agent MACDs, automation (e.g. automated provisioning/de-provisioning), phone number and DID management, system migrations (between Cisco, Skype for Business, Avaya/Nortel, etc.), unified MACD administration and more for single and multi-vendor communication environments.

The company has been a leading innovator of UC and voice system management tools for over 25 years. Its UC Management Software Suite is used by an extensive list of marquee enterprise, mid-market and SMB companies, educational institutions, governmental entities and managed service providers around the globe.

Unimax is a privately held corporation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more information, please call (800) 886-0390 or visit www.unimax.com.

Unimax, Unimax Systems Corporation, and the Unimax logo are trademarks of Unimax Systems Corporation. All other trademarks herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Unimax

Related Links

https://unimax.com/


Collision between US Army Black Hawk helicopter and rogue drone in New York

Multiple recent incidents involving drones and aircraft at airports globally

Pace of incidents accelerating

Senator O'Sullivan quoted as saying "Catastrophe waiting to happen"

Incidents underscore need for drone detection and mitigation

DroneShield's DroneSentinel, DroneSentry and DroneGun solve the problem

DroneShield leading the charge, together with proactive civil infrastructure market leaders

SYDNEY, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO), a global provider of drone detection and mitigation products, notes a September 22, 2017 New York Post report on a collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and a rogue drone over Staten Island in New York. The Army helicopter is understood to have conducted an emergency landing following the collision, and the authorities are investigating the incident.

The number of incidents involving drones and aircraft has been rapidly increasing. Recent incidents included Apache and Puma helicopters in the UK, multiple incidents in Melbourne, Australia, drone inference with firefighting planes in California, as well as incidents at Gatwick, Dubai and other airports.

The Australian Financial Review has recently quoted the Australian Senator O'Sullivan, an air crash investigator of 20 years, as saying "My personal view is that this is a catastrophe waiting to happen". DroneShield agrees with that view. Sadly, given the proliferation of drones and their propensity for careless or even nefarious/rogue use, a loss of life in an aircraft and drone collision is just a matter of time.

To minimise drone risks, airports today adopt the strategy of halting traffic when a drone is identified in their airspace. This is typically initiated based on casual human observation of a drone at the airspace, without reliable automated detection procedures in place. Once a traffic halt is in place, the airport loses hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the duration of the halt.

DroneShield's DroneSentinel drone detection system provides early warning of an incoming drone, including the location of the drone and the pilot. The system includes passive radiofrequency, as well as radar, acoustic, thermal and optical sensors. DroneSentinel can be optionally combined with a jammer (in the DroneSentry product) to neutralise the incoming drone threat, following the detection. Additionally, DroneShield's DroneGun is capable of mobile deployment to intercept rogue drones, as a tactical gun-like jammer.

Because of the risk of loss of life and the costs associated with drone collisions, major airports are expected to adopt counter-drone systems. Several discussions are presently underway between DroneShield and airport authorities. DroneShield is proud to be leading the drone mitigation effort, in partnership with proactive rather than reactive infrastructure industry market leaders around the world.

SOURCE DroneShield Limited
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Vice President Mike Pence offered his thanks Monday to employees working on NASA's human spaceflight programs during a tour of the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Vice President saw the progress being made on NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), the world's most powerful deep space rocket, that will send astronauts on missions around the Moon and ultimately to Mars. He also visited Marshall's Payload Operations Integration Center, where the agency manages all research aboard the International Space Station.

Vice President Mike Pence, right, and Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., talk with Expedition 53 crew members Joe Acaba, screen left, Randy Bresnik, screen center, and Mark Vande Hei onboard the International Space Station from the Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 in Huntsville, Alabama.

"Today, I met pioneers who are helping America travel into the unknown and expand our knowledge for the benefit of the nation," said Vice President Pence. "I'm inspired by the people at Marshall, and NASA as a whole, who are passionate and dedicated to space exploration. The massive hardware and innovative technologies we are building will propel us far beyond our home planet and allow America to lead in space again."

From Marshall's science command center, Vice President Pence called the NASA astronauts aboard the space station and spoke with Expedition 53 commander Randy Bresnik, and flight engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba. This is the first White House-level call to the International Space Station from Marshall. He also met with the ground controllers that provide around-the-clock support of the crew's scientific activities on the orbiting laboratory, paving the way for future deep space exploration missions.

"The work underway today at Marshall, supporting station science and with SLS, is integral to ensuring this nation's incredible global leadership in human exploration," said acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot. "Vice President Pence now has personally visited three NASA centers in the last four months, and I deeply appreciate the Vice President's strong commitment to our space exploration mission."

The Vice President toured the SLS engineering facility where the engine section of the rocket's massive core stage is undergoing a major stress test. The rocket's four RS-25 engines and the two solid rocket boosters that attach to the SLS engine section will produce more than 8 million pounds of thrust to launch the Orion spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit. More than 3,000 measurements using sensors installed on the test section will help ensure the core stage for all SLS missions can withstand the extreme forces of flight.

"The work we are doing today is paving the way for a new generation of astronauts to travel farther into space than humans have ever ventured before," said Marshall Center Director Todd May, who hosted the visit. "This next chapter in the story of our national space program is being written by the men and women of Marshall, who keep us on the leading edge of spaceflight and truly make this the Rocket City."

The Vice President concluded his visit with a tour of U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center for briefs from Army leaders on current missile defense projects and Army initiatives. Redstone Arsenal, where Marshall is located, is an Army installation with a workforce of around 41,000 active duty military, government civilians, and contractors. The arsenal is a federal center of excellence hosting components of more than 70 government organizations, including NASA, Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency, FBI, and Department of Justice.

For more information about NASA's missions and activities, including video and images of Vice President Pence's tour of the Marshall Space Flight Center, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/marshall

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The mental health watchdog group Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) International warned that a drug being used to treat the opioid crisis in the United States could be like "switching seats on the Titanic." A prescription drug, buprenorphine-naloxone, described as the gold standard treatment for opioid addiction, carries a warning in its Medication Guide that it contains "an opioid that can cause physical dependence."[1] A Florida psychiatrist warns using this drug could be trading one addiction for another and that it is estimated to be 25 to 40 times more potent than morphine.[2]

Watchdog Warns About Replacing Opioid Epidemic With a Psychotropic One?"Like Switching Seats on the Titanic," CCHR says

Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he is awarding nearly $20 million in federal grants to help law enforcement and public health agencies address prescription drug and opioid abuse. He is also assigning a dozen prosecutors to target opioid-related healthcare fraud.[3] But CCHR says this must include investigating the drugs being prescribed to treat this epidemic.

It is estimated that more than two million Americans are dependent on opioids.[4] On the other hand, in 2016, an article warned that buprenorphine-naloxone abuse is now an epidemic, based on 2013 statistics reported in The New York Times.[5] Between 2009 and March 2013, an estimated three million Americans were treated with the drug.[6] A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)found a ten-fold increase in the number of emergency room visits involving buprenorphine. Over half of the 30,000 hospitalizations in one year were for non-medical use of the drug.[7] Approved to treat opioid addiction in 2002, it now sells illicitly on the streets for anywhere from $5 to $35 a pill.[8] Long-term users of buprenorphine-naloxone say it is more difficult to get off than painkillers or heroin because, unlike an intensely painful five to seven or even fourteen day detox from opiates, a buprenorphine-naloxone detox can last weeks or even months.

Dr. Steven R. Scanlan, board certified in general psychiatry and addiction medicine, says psychiatrists and doctors that prescribe the drug can charge $200 to $300 monthly, per patient, for a 5-to-10 minute checkup to renew a prescription. He warned that the lucrative nature of the drug "on a maintenance basis creates a disincentive to tapering the drug and its income-generating potential," according to Bloomberg News. Withdrawal can cost $5,000 because it may take "four to five months, incorporating about 10 different drugs to detox the patient successfully," he said.[9]

Cessation of the drug can cause the taker to "become sick with uncomfortable withdrawal signs and symptoms because your body has become used to this medicine," according to the Medication Guide. Further, it "can cause serious and life-threatening breathing problems." Further, "overdose and death can happen if you take benzodiazepines, sedatives, tranquilizers [which are addictive], antidepressants, or alcohol while using" the drug.[10] In 2011, buprenorphine-naloxone was also associated with at least 27 deaths in just one state.[11]

The opioid epidemic begets another lucrative business, CCHR says. Bloomberg News reported that by the mid-2000s, opioid abuse was expanding the need for treatment. Then two laws made it easier to get it. The first, in 2008, put mental disorders on par with other medical treatment for large group insurance  the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Two years later, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) made mental health and substance abuse treatment mandatory in the individual market and expanded Medicaid coverage.

Between 2009 and March 2013, it was estimated that buprenorphine-naloxone generated more than $1 billion in annual sales, or 20 percent of its manufacturer's profit base. In February 2015, a full-year's sales were reported at $1.1 billion.

As Bloomberg News pointed out under a section titled "Buying Binge," "Americans' addiction to drugs spelled opportunity for private equity from the moment the Affordable Care Act was signed seven years ago. The swelling numbers of people with insurance and the law's insistence that mental health and drug abuse be covered by it spurred a surge in acquisitions."[12]

Consider that one U.S. private for-profit behavioral hospital company expanded its facilities from six in 2011 to about 600 in 2017, including 105 centers for so-called "medication-assisted treatment for opiate abuse"an almost 10,000 percent increase. The "large book of business in treating the opioid addiction" a company representative said, accounted for about 40 percent of its U.S. revenue.

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act also contributed to mental health and substance abuse spending doubling between 2003 and 2014, to roughly $240 billion.[13] In 2016, spending was reported as having more than doubled over the past 12 years and now represents a $250 billion market in the United States.[14]

On July 13, 2017,former U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak (MI), writing in The Hill, pointed out that with any Affordable Health Care Act reform, the "waste, fraud and abuse of government funds associated with the treatment of opioid addiction" must be addressed. In particular, he cited several for-profit behavioral hospital chains profiting from this.[15]

Law enforcement is already facing prescribers abusing the systemadding weight to AG Session's approach to tackling the opioid problem. In 2013, The New York Times reported, "Nationally, at least 1,350 of 12,780 buprenorphine doctors have been sanctioned for offenses that include excessive narcotics prescribing, insurance fraud, sexual misconduct and practicing medicine while impaired. Some have been suspended or arrested...."[16] Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted three doctors that sold prescriptions for buprenorphine-naloxone and clonazepam in exchange for cash payments. None of the defendants conducted medical or mental health examinations as required by law in order to prescribe these controlled substances, a felony.[17] A psychiatrist, who ran an "anti-withdrawal drug empire" prescribing buprenorphine, was found guilty of nine counts of improper administration of controlled substances. Selling the drug for between $3 and $5 per pill, he made an annual profit of $280,000 on that drug alone. He claimed to be using buprenorphine to wean hundreds of patients from heroin and other addictions but prosecutors alleged he was merely getting them hooked on the anti-addiction drugs themselves. He was sentenced to 11-22 years in prison.

In addition to laws impacting the substance abuse treatment market, in 2013, the Substance Use Disorders Working Group for the American Psychiatric Associations' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM5) broadened the symptoms of substance abuse,[18] thereby widening the potential for more patients. A professor of psychiatry involved with the working group, disclosed he advises the manufacturer of buprenorphine-naloxone on tracking abuse. He has also been a consultant for the manufacturer of another drug, naltrexone that reportedly combats alcohol and heroin addiction by preventing craving. And he has helped develop several new drugs to treat addiction.[19]

The psychiatrist admitted that DSM5 would lead to more use of psychoactive drugs for drug dependence. To many of those prescribed these mind-altering and potentially addictive drugs, the term "switching seats on the Titanic" originally attributed to replacing heroin with methadone" rings true.

CCHR applauds AG Sessions for tackling the opioid epidemic, the overall topic of drug overdoses, and the over-prescription of painkillers. It implores him to also look at the Medicaid and Medicare expenditures on and abuse of prescription psychotropic drugs, especially high prescribers of the drugs under Medicare Part D.

CCHR is a mental health industry watchdog organization that works for patient protections and encourages the public to take action against mental health abuse. In the course of its 48 years it has helped obtain more than 180 laws that implement legal rights and informed consent procedures. It maintains an easily-searchable online psychiatric drugs side effects databasefor consumers to learn about adverse psychotropic drug effects reported to the FDA. As a nonprofit, CCHR relies on memberships and donations to carry out its mission and actions. Click here to support the cause.

Contact: Amber Rauscher at [email protected] or (323) 467-4242.

References:

[1] "Addicted to a Treatment for Addiction," The New York Times, 28 May 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/opinion/sunday/addicted-to-a-treatment-for-addiction.html; https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2010/022410s000lbl.pdf.

[2] Steven R. Scanlan, MD website, 1 Nov. 2010, http://www.addictionpro.com/article/suboxone-concerns-behind-miracle.

[3] "Sessions: $20M in Federal Grants Will Help Address Opioid Crisis," Townhall, 22 Sept. 2017, https://townhall.com/tipsheet/micahrate/2017/09/22/sessions-20m-in-federal-grants-will-help-address-opioid-crisis-n2385198.

[4] "Drug Deaths in America Are Rising Faster Than Ever," The New York Times, 5 June 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/05/upshot/opioid-epidemic-drug-overdose-deaths-are-rising-faster-than-ever.html?mcubz=0.

[5] "How Big Pharma Is Cashing in on Addiction to Alcohol and Illicit Drugs," AlterNet, 18 Mar. 2016, http://www.alternet.org/drugs/how-big-pharma-cashing-addiction-alcohol-and-illicit-drugs.

[6] Christopher Moraff, "Suboxone Creator's Shocking Scheme to Profit Off of Heroin Addicts," Daily Beast, 5 Oct. 2016, http://www.thedailybeast.com/suboxone-creators-shocking-scheme-to-profit-off-of-heroin-addicts.

[7] http://nationalpainreport.com/suboxone-new-drug-epidemic-8821747.html.

[8] "The 'bupe' fix Promoted by the U.S. as a treatment for opiate addiction, buprenorphine has become one more item for sale in the illegal drug market," Baltimore Sun, 16 Dec. 2007, http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/355282-The-bupe-fix; Laura Krantz, "Special Report: State spends millions on addiction-fighting drug that is diverted for street sale," VTDigger, 11 Feb 2014, https://vtdigger.org/2014/02/11/special-report-state-spends-millions-addiction-fighting-drug-diverted-street-sale/#.WclTvbKGPcs.

[9] Op cit., Steven R. Scanlan, MD website, 1 Nov. 2010.

[10] https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2010/022410s000lbl.pdf.

[11] "Suboxone Sales Estimated to Reach $1.4 Billion  More Than Viagra or Adderall," A Weekly FAX from the Center for Substance Abuse Research, Vol. 21, Issue 49, 10 Dec. 2012, http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/cesarfax/vol21/21-49.pdf.

[12] "Private Equity Sees No End to the Drug and Mental-Health Gold Rush," Bloomberg News, 30 Mar. 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-30/private-equity-rehab-romance-rages-amid-health-law-turmoil.

[13] Lauren Silva Laughlin, "Acadia Healthcare grows as mental health treatment soars," Fortune, 29 Oct. 2015, http://fortune.com/2015/10/29/acadia-healthcare-growth-mental-illness-addiction-spending.

[14] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2-ways-invest-11-billion-183000979.html.

[15] Fmr Rep. Bart Stupak, "Eliminating fraud is key to adequate funding for opioid treatment," The Hill, 13 July 2017, http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/341913-eliminating-fraud-is-key-to-adequate-funding-for-opioid; http://archynewsy.com/eliminating-fraud-is-key-to-adequate-funding-for-opioid-treatment-the-hill-blog.

[16] Deborah Sontag, "Addiction Treatment With a Dark Side," The New York Times, 16 Nov 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/health/in-demand-in-clinics-and-on-the-street-bupe-can-be-savior-or-menace.html?_r=0.

[17] https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/three-doctors-indicted-illegally-selling-prescriptions-suboxone-and-klonopin.

[18] Michael Dhar, "Psychiatry's Contested Bible: How the New DSM Treats Addiction," Pacific Standard Magazine, 8 May 2013, http://www.psmag.com/health/psychiatry-contested-bible-dsm-addiction-56953.

[19] Michael Dhar, "Psychiatry's Contested Bible: How the New DSM Treats Addiction," Pacific Standard Magazine, May 2, 2013, http://www.psmag.com/health/psychiatry-contested-bible-dsm-addiction-56953.

Related Links

CCHR's Psychiatric Drug Side Effects Search Engine

SOURCE Citizens Commission on Human Rights International
CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Opioid-related deaths are a leading national and community concern. Unfortunately, reports of opioid-related deaths occur with astonishing regularity in our daily news feeds.

"Though much of the attention on opioid-related harm is centered on the improper use of opioids in the community (misuse, diversion, etc), the truth is that opioid harm exists across a continuum of care," says Michael Wong, JD (Founder and Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety), "which begins with the safe use of opioid analgesics in the hospital setting and the prescription of opioids upon discharge of the patient from a healthcare facility. We must first and foremost make sure that opioids provided to patients are done so in a safe manner both during administration and upon discharge."

In a recent article, Mr. Wong outlines 5 key steps to a more balanced approach to the prescribing of opioids:

Recognize the critical role of physicians in the lives of patients and the impact that they can play in the opioid epidemic. Answer the call by clinicians to provide them with the necessary tools and information they need to make informed and safe treatment recommendations. Advocate for a more balanced approach by considering other pain management alternatives before immediately prescribing an opioid. Monitor all patients receiving pain medications, and particularly opioids, to ensure that these patients are safe. Make sure that patients understand physician-recommended treatments.

To read the full article, please click go to the PPAHS blog.

The attention given to the opioid epidemic has resulted in a negative-opioid prescribing environment. However, it must be remembered that there are some patients and medical procedures that require the use of opioids and that when this happens we need to make sure that these patients receiving opioids are adequately monitored to ensure their safety. The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety recommends that all patients receiving opioids should be monitored with pulse oximetry for oxygenation and with capnography for adequacy of ventilation.

About Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety

Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety is a non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to promote safer clinical practices and standards for patients through collaboration among healthcare experts, professionals, scientific researchers, and others, in order to improve healthcare delivery. For more information, please go to www.ppahs.org.

SOURCE Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE: WCC), a leading provider of electrical, industrial, and communications MRO and OEM products, construction materials, and advanced supply chain management and logistics services, released its 2017 Sustainability Report, outlining key programs and progress made in advancing economic, environmental and social performance priorities.

Highlights from the 2017 Sustainability Report include:

WESCO achieved its five-year improvement goals for waste, energy, emissions, and fuel efficiency through 2015 and established new five-year goals.



Silver-level recognition by EcoVadis for WESCO's commitment to corporate social responsibility, placing it in the top 30 percent of companies evaluated.



WESCO's U.S. operations are six times safer than the U.S. industry average, according to the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors' survey of 2016 total recordable incident rates at U.S. peer companies with over $1 billion in sales.



in sales. The report also contains many examples in which customers have leveraged WESCO's service offerings, technical expertise, and sustainable products to enhance their productivity, improve safety, reduce costs, minimize water usage and emissions, boost energy efficiency, and achieve positive bottom-line results.

In addition, WESCO formally announced that it has signed the United Nations Global Compact, the world's leading voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. WESCO joins more than 12,000 signatories in 170 countries who, according to the organization, work to align their strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals.

Mr. John J. Engel, WESCO's Chairman, President and CEO, commented, "Sustainability is a strategic priority at WESCO International. We strive for continuous improvement in our economic, environmental, and social performance, while maintaining a clear focus on running safe and reliable distribution operations. We enable our customers to further embed sustainability into their own operations through our products and value-added services. And, finally, we collaborate with our suppliers to ensure their approaches to sustainability are in alignment with ours."

To learn more about WESCO's sustainability initiatives, and to view the entire report, visit www.wesco.com/sustainability.

WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE: WCC), a publicly traded Fortune 500 holding company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a leading provider of electrical, industrial, and communications maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) products, construction materials, and advanced supply chain management and logistic services. 2016 annual sales were approximately $7.3 billion. The company employs approximately 9,000 people, maintains relationships with over 25,000 suppliers, and serves approximately 75,000 active customers worldwide. Customers include commercial and industrial businesses, contractors, government agencies, institutions, telecommunications providers, and utilities. WESCO operates ten fully automated distribution centers and approximately 500 full-service branches in North America and international markets, providing a local presence for customers and a global network to serve multi-location businesses and multi-national corporations.

The matters discussed herein may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. Certain of these risks are set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, as well as the Company's other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE WESCO International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.wesco.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America  a new documentary from Academy Award nominee Rory Kennedy and Verizon  focuses on the deep inequalities in America's education system that are keeping millions of students in digital darkness. The film, narrated by Academy and Grammy Award winner Jamie Foxx, and premiering on National Geographic at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 26th, spotlights the 'haves' and 'have nots' as it relates to technology in classrooms and presents the emotional and economic impact on students who lack access.

The film presents in-depth interviews with students, parents, educators, administrators and learning experts across the U.S., especially those from disadvantaged areas, and the frustrations, anxieties and challenges of trying to create a modern, tech-focused learning environment to ensure students are prepared to join the global digital workforce. Education experts weigh in on the serious inequalities in access and funding, as well as the need for multi-faceted solutions to close the technology gap.

"In today's world, lack of technology skills is similar to not knowing how to read or write, especially when you consider that the majority of jobs in the future will be technology-based," said Diego Scotti, Chief Marketing Officer, Verizon. "Partnering with Rory Kennedy to bring this documentary to life made sense because she's been at the forefront of social issues for decades. Our hope is that this documentary will bring awareness and spark dialogue on this serious issue that is impacting the success of kids in rural, suburban and urban communities across the U.S."

"I was inspired to make 'Without a Net' because the stories of these students, parents and teachers need to be seen and heard, and most people don't realize this is happening right in their backyards," said Rory Kennedy, Producer and Director, Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America. "Through the making of this film, I became encouraged by the work that both not-for-profits and private corporations, like Verizon, have been doing over the last decade to get technology education and resources in middle schools across the U.S. to help close the digital divide. But the reality is that this crisis demands broader support and the documentary conveys the profound need for more people to get engaged across different sectors."

Verizon has a longstanding commitment to helping close the digital divide, having committed more than $160 million over five years to bringing free technology, free access, and immersive, hands-on learning to schools in disadvantaged areas across the U.S. Earlier this year, Verizon launched #weneedmore  a campaign to raise awareness of the inequalities in the digital divide and to underscore that "we need more kids to see the world of possibilities waiting for them. The company also tackles the digital divide with its recently released podcast series, 'Up to Speed: A Verizon Podcast.'

After premiering on National Geographic on September 26, the film will screen at the New York Film Festival on October 3rd and at events in Washington, DC and Columbus, Ohio this fall. Consumers can take action at digitaldivide.com where they can learn more about the issue, access a toolkit that helps them host a screening in their community and donate to a charity that works to close the digital divide. Go to digitaldivide.com for more information.

Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America is produced by Moxie Firecracker Films in partnership with Verizon and directed by Rory Kennedy. Executive producers from Verizon include Diego Scotti, Chief Marketing Officer and Rose Kirk, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer.

Verizon Innovative Learning

Verizon Innovative Learning, the education initiative of the Verizon Foundation, brings technology and hands-on learning opportunities to middle and high school students in underserved schools and communities. We not only fund the programs, but we also create and administer them in partnership with leading nonprofits. We diligently measure the impact of our work and refine our programs to ensure we're making a difference. We've reached more than 300,000 students so far  and we're just getting started. For more information about Verizon's philanthropic work, visit www.verizon.com/about/responsibility; or for regular updates, visit Facebook (www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/VZFoundation).

About National Geographic Partners LLC

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 128 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers  and reaching over 730 million people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the non-profit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Moxie Firecracker Films

Founded in 1998, Moxie Firecracker Films has produced highly respected, award-winning documentaries for broadcast and cable networks, including HBO, PBS, A&E, National Geographic, Showtime, Discovery Channel, MTV, TLC, Lifetime Television, the Oxygen Network, Court TV, Channel 4 UK, and the Sundance Channel, as well as for educational foundations and philanthropic organizations. Their past films include Last Days in Vietnam; What Happened, Miss Simone; Take Every Wave; Ethel; and Ghosts of Abu Ghraib. Often focusing on human rights issues, broad social ills, and extraordinary individuals, Moxie Firecracker's films have won multiple Emmy Awards, IDA Awards, and numerous film-festival accolades in addition to receiving Academy Award and Independent Spirit Award nominations. In 2010, the company's founders, Rory Kennedy and Liz Garbus, were honored with the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Career Award. Both Kennedy and Garbus serve on the executive committee of the Documentary Branch at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where Kennedy is also a member of the board of governors.

Media contact:

Sanette Chao

347-949-0179

[email protected]

Related Links



http://www.verizon.com/

https://www.verizonwireless.com/

http://www.verizonenterprise.com/

http://www.verizon.com/about/



SOURCE Verizon

Related Links

http://www.verizon.com


COLUMBIA, S.C., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 1, 2017, a Beaufort city husband and wife team comprised of Bernie and April Hester begin the journey of a lifetime as they embark on a five hundred mile hike on South Carolina's Palmetto Trail in their fundraising efforts for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Traversing over mountains, trails, cities and roadways, April, who suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), is hoping that her efforts dubbed the "Finish MS Hike" will bring much-needed awareness to multiple sclerosis and that their goal of raising $100,000 dollars can help and inspire others afflicted with this incurable disease.

Woman With Multiple Sclerosis Will Be Trekking Five-Hundred Miles With Her Husband To Raise Funds And Awareness For The National Multiple Sclerosis Society And They Want To Bring You Along With Them

It's important to note that April is not alone. Hers is just one of the approximately 200 new cases of multiple sclerosis diagnosed each week, contributing to the more than 400,000 people in the United States and about 2.5 million people around the world living with this disabling neurological condition. While most individuals are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, multiple sclerosis can be developed at any age.

According to Suzette Anderson of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation (PCF), although thousands of individuals hike the Palmetto Trail each year, very few attempt to thru-hike the trail. This valiant effort combined with the debilitating physical effects of multiple sclerosis are a few reasons why April and her husband Bernie have been recognized as Trail Ambassadors by the PCF.

"Bernie and April are an inspiration as they tackle a thru-hike while raising critical awareness for MS. Their personal story will inspire others facing life challenges and is a story of overcoming obstacles," stated Natalie Cappuccio Britt, Executive Director for PCF. "A thru-hike is always an incredible adventure and is no easy feat. We wish April and Bernie all the best as they take on this new adventure and encourage others to get outside and take a few steps with them for such an important cause."

For those interested, the couple is encouraging others to donate to their cause and follow them on their adventure. They have established a website www.trailjournals.com/OurPTAdventure and an Instagram @Mule_Inchworm that will allow people to read about their journey and gain insight as they face and conquer challenges. In fact, the couple has already begun providing entries to keep their audience informed.

"While hiking 500 miles would be a challenge for anyone, April will face many physical challenges throughout because MS affects the central nervous system. To complete this will be such an accomplishment and without a doubt, shows the fighter in April and what an inspiration she is, especially to those living with MS," said Carly Arnold, Coordinator of Fundraising Support for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

She continued, "The fundraising efforts by April and Bernie are incredibly appreciated because every dollar raised will help accelerate breakthroughs that will change lives and end MS forever. Fundraising dollars go toward research for a cure, treatment, therapies, support and resources for those living with MS, and will help those living with MS live their best lives."

To learn more about April and Bernie Hester's journey or to donate to this worthwhile cause, please visit http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/OurPTAdventure.

About The National Multiple Sclerosis Society

The Society mobilizes people and resources so that everyone affected by MS can live their best lives as we stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever. To fulfill this mission, the Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education, collaborates with MS organizations around the world, and provides programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. The Society has invested $54 million to advance more than 380 research projects around the world. Through its comprehensive nation-wide network of services, the Society also invested $122.2 million to help more than one million individuals affected by MS connect to the people, information and resources needed to live their best lives. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Learn more at: www.nationalMSsociety.org.

About The Palmetto Conservation Foundation

The mission of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation (PCF) is to conserve South Carolina's natural and cultural resources, preserve historic landmarks, and promote outdoor recreation through trails and greenways. Founded in 1989, PCF is a statewide nonprofit organization with offices in Columbia and Glendale in Spartanburg County. PCF's best-known project is the mountains-to-sea Palmetto Trail. With about 360 Trail miles completed and another 140 planned, the Palmetto Trail is the state's longest hiking-biking trail and largest trail construction project. Supporting Trail use is the Glendale Outdoor Leadership School, a PCF program. GOLS teaches courses in wilderness medicine (certified first aid and first responder) and active recreational sports, including rock climbing, mountain biking and kayaking. To learn more about PCF, the Palmetto Trail and GOLS, visit www.palmettoconservation.org or call 803-771-0870.

Contact:

Bernie Hester

[email protected]

843-473-0183

Instagram @Mule_Inchworm

http://www.trailjournals.com/OurPTAdventure

SOURCE Bernie Hester

Related Links

http://www.trailjournals.com/OurPTAdventure


Speaking about the release, the New York trio said, "A friend of a friend kept asking if we were ever gonna put Fever To Tell out on vinyl as it hasn't been on vinyl in 10 years. That's not right. So here it is on vinyl for the first time in 10 years plus a time capsule of photos, demos (1 st ever recorded,) a mini film documenting our near downfall and other fun memorabilia, from the turn of the century NYC, made with love + the usual blood, sweat + tears of Yeah Yeah Yeahs."

One of the finest debut albums of recent times, Fever To Tell was released in 2003 and was influential in shaping the sound of the early aughts and beyond. Prior to its release, Karen O, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase had already established themselves as a ferocious live force; Fever To Tell introduced a band who could play thrilling and frenetic rock'n'roll one minute and captivating, hushed ballads the next. Its meld of scuzzy riffs, angular grooves and hypnotic hooks set a template that was often imitated over the next decade but the album's rare chemistry isn't easily replicated. It's a snapshot of an era that sounds just as mesmerizing as it enters its 15th anniversary in 2018.

In celebration of and in addition to the reissue, the band has announced shows in Los Angeles (The Fonda Theatre, October 25) and Brooklyn (Kings Theatre, November 7). These two exclusive underplays join the two previously announced 2017 festival appearances, full list of dates below. Tickets for Los Angeles and Brooklyn dates go on pre sale with the vinyl pre order September 26th, and general on-sale September 29th. More info and ticket links at yeahyeahyeahs.com

Oct 25 Los Angeles, CA The Fonda Theatre Oct 28 Long Beach, CA Growlers 6 Festival Nov 7 Brooklyn, NY Kings Theatre Nov 10 Austin, TX Sound on Sound Festival

Fever To Tell will be released on two physical formats:

DELUXE BOX  the Deluxe Box will be signed and numbered and limited to 2,000 copies worldwide. It contains the original album newly remastered on 2LPs, with nine unreleased demos, eight B-sides and rarities, and five newspaper lyric posters. It also comes with a 164-page hardbound photo book of Nick Zinner's personal photos and includes pages from Karen O's personal notebox, an embroidered iron-on patch, sticker, one photo card from Nick Zinner's personal collection that all three members will sign and a custom champagne cork 8GB USB stick that includes over ninety minutes of video content as well as the twenty-nine audio tracks on the vinyl. To top it all off, all boxes will be wrapped in red fishnet stockings. The first 500 Deluxe Box buyers will receive a bonus cassette with 4 additional exclusive, unreleased demo bonus tracks with handwritten labels by the band.

LP + NEWSPRINT  this version contains the original album newly remastered by Stephen Marcussen on black 180g audiophile vinyl for the first time ever and five newspaper lyric posters with exclusive photos by Nick Zinner, Spike Jonze, Lance Bangs, Julian Gross, Patrick Daughters and Cintamani Calise.

DELUXE BOX

Limited Edition, Signed & Numbered / 2,000 Worldwide

2LPs  180g audiophile black vinyl for the first time ever

Original album newly remastered by Stephen Marcussen

29 Audio Tracks

9 unreleased four-track recorded demos

8 B-sides/Rarities  2 previously unreleased "Shake It" and "Boogers"

5 newspaper lyric posters with exclusive photos by Nick Zinner , Spike Jonze, Lance Bangs , Julian Gross , Patrick Daughters and Cintamani Calise

, Spike Jonze, , , and Cintamani Calise Deluxe Box Exclusives:

164-page hardbound photo book of Nick Zinner's personal photos plus 16 pages from Karen O's personal notebook

personal photos plus 16 pages from Karen O's personal notebook

Embroidered Iron-on Patch



Collectable Sticker



Champagne Cork 8GB USB Stick includes:



29 Audio Tracks





90+ minutes of video content including 26 mins of unreleased, unseen behind-the-scenes footage from 2003 UK tour, live performances, 2 fan films and 4 music videos



Photo Card  each box will feature 1 of 10 various photos hand selected by Nick Zinner from his personal photos that will be signed by all 3 members of the band

from his personal photos that will be signed by all 3 members of the band

Fishnet stockings will wrap the outside of the box

First 500 Deluxe Box buyers will receive a bonus cassette with 4 additional exclusive, unreleased demo

TRACKLISTING:

LP 1 / Side A

Original Album Newly Remastered

1. Rich

2. Date With The Night

3. Man

4. Tick

5. Black Tongue

6. Pin

7. Cold Light

LP 1 / Side B

1. No No No

2. Maps

3. Y Control

4. Modern Romance

LP 2 / Side A

Previously Unreleased

1. Date With The Night (Four Track Demo)

2. Black Tongue (Four Track Demo)

3. Pin (Four Track Demo)

4. Maps (Early Four Track Demo)

5. Poor Song (Four Track Demo)

6. Tick (Four Track Demo)

7. Shot Down (Four Track Demo)

8. Ooh Ooh Ooh (Four Track Demo)

9. Maps (Four Track Demo)

LP 2 / Side B

B-sides & Rarities

1. Shake It  Previously Unreleased

2. Machine

3. Modern Things

4. Graveyard

5. Shot Down

6. Yeah! New York

7. Boogers  Previously Unreleased

8. Countdown

VIDEO

1. There Is No Modern Romance (Tour Documentary by Patrick Daughters & Stephen Berger) 26 mins of unreleased, unseen behind-the-scenes video of the band on their 2003 UK tour

2. Fukuoka Nagoya Osaka Tokyo (Japan Tour Behind The Scenes)

3. They Don't Love Like I Love You (Interviews by Lance Bangs & Spike Jonze)

4. Maps (Official Video)

5. Date With The Night (Official Video)

6. Y Control (Official Video)

7. Pin (Official Video)

8. Y-Control (Live at Fillmore San Francisco)

9. Black Tongue (Live at Fillmore San Francisco)

10. Maps (Live at Fillmore San Francisco)

11. Rich (Live at Fillmore San Francisco)

12. Miles Away (Live at Fillmore San Francisco)

13. Poor Song (Live at Fillmore San Francisco)

CASSETTE (Limited to first 500 Deluxe Box Customers)

1. Phone Jam

2. Art Star (Four Track Demo)

3. Bang (Four Track Demo)

4. Our Time (Four Track Demo)



LP + NEWSPRINT

Original album newly remastered by Stephen Marcussen on black 180g audiophile vinyl for the first time ever

on black 180g audiophile vinyl for the first time ever 5 newspaper lyric posters with exclusive photos by Nick Zinner , Spike Jonze, Lance Bangs , Julian Gross , Patrick Daughters and Cintamani Calise

Side A

Original Album Newly Remastered

1. Rich

2. Date With The Night

3. Man

4. Tick

5. Black Tongue

6. Pin

7. Cold Light

Side B

1. No No No

2. Maps

3. Y Control

4. Modern Romance

SOURCE UMe

Related Links

http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com


English Norwegian

The acquisition by Hydro of Orkla's 50% interest in Sapa has received all competition approvals required before closing. Consequently, Hydro and Orkla expect to close the transaction on or about October 2, 2017.

Investor contact

Contact Stian Hasle

Cellular +47 97736022

E-mail Stian.Hasle@hydro.com





Press contact

Contact Halvor Molland

Cellular +47 92979797

E-mail Halvor.Molland@hydro.com
AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Zebra Imaging Inc, the world leader in 3D Holographic Printing, announced today that it finalized the sale of the firm's 3D Holographic Imagers and print business to HoloTech Switzerland Ag, a European print company. Zebra Imaging's digital holographic print technology creates realistic, three-dimensional experiences unlike any other. Zebra's digital print techniques set new standards for precision and accuracy, allowing viewers to see 3D images without cumbersome glasses or viewing aids.

"We are very excited today to match the cutting-edge technology that Zebra has perfected with the disciplined operational talent behind HoloTech, AG. This technology is extremely valuable in medical, military, retail and other commercial efforts, and was brought to the consumer market through Zebra's partnership with LucasFilms and the Star Wars Franchise," said Chuck Scullion, Zebra Imaging's CEO. "Bringing everyday brilliant 3D to the traditionally 2D print industry is exactly what is needed to bring growth back to the industry. Adding this technology to a team with deep experience in large scale commercial print operations at HoloTech creates a significant global player. We congratulate HoloTech AG on this move and look forward to seeing great long-term success."

"I have been investigating 3D Holographic Printing for several years," stated HoloTech AG CEO, Imre Lakatos, "having purchased a monochrome imager from Zebra in 2014, and I could not be more excited about the prospects. The market demand we have seen in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia, is strong and we look forward to building on the legacy built by the Zebra team. We are very pleased to add this technology and product set to our portfolio and look forward to growing the business."

About HoloTech Switzerland AG

With Locations in Switzerland and Hungary, HoloTech Switzerland AG has become the leading large format holographic print company in the world. Through the purchase of Zebra Imaging's proven, award-winning holographic visualization technology, HoloTech makes a significant leap forward in the art and science of 3D imaging. HoloTech can provide customers with autostereoscopic, full-parallax 3D digital holograms - requiring no glasses or viewing aids. 3D Digital holography provides real-world viewing and uses of 3D data, establishing the science as the future of 3D for many research, construction and consumer projects.

Contact

For more information visit holotech3d.com or email Kristof Fekete (kfekete @ holotech3d.com).

SOURCE Zebra Imaging
This press release is also available in Francais (pdf) and Deutsch (pdf)

.......................................

Vevey, September 26, 2017

Nestle details value creation plans at annual investor seminar

Confirms mid-single digit organic growth target for 2020

Sets underlying trading operating profit margin target of 17.5% to 18.5% by 2020

Affirms strategic focus on food and beverages, with consumer healthcare as additional growth platform

At its investor seminar today in London, Nestle will present its strategy for sustainable value creation. The company will detail how it will reach its mid-single digit organic growth target by 2020, and will announce an underlying trading operating profit margin target of 17.5% to 18.5% by 2020, up from 16.0% in 2016.

Nestle will describe its plans to accelerate organic sales growth, building on its industry-leading volume growth, by capitalizing on recent key consumer trends in categories and markets around the world. Food and beverages remain core to the company's strategy, with a continued focus on nutrition, health and wellness enabling the company to meet changing consumer demands. Nestle's strategy balances growth with increased cost discipline and margin expansion as well as improved capital efficiency.

Mark Schneider, Nestle CEO: "Nestle has a strong foundation, a clear path forward and a bright future. We have a proven track record of delivering sustainable, industry-leading performance. In line with today's accelerating pace of change, we are intensifying our focus on innovation, operational efficiency, and portfolio management. We will grow by remaining at the forefront of consumer trends and offering the brands and products to meet people's changing needs, especially their demand for a better, healthier life."

Nestle will continue to pursue a value creation model that balances growth in earnings per share, competitive shareholder returns, flexibility for external growth, and access to financial markets. The company will increasingly focus capital spending on advancing the high-growth food and beverage categories of coffee, petcare, infant nutrition and bottled water. It will also build on its strong position in emerging markets and pursue growth opportunities in consumer healthcare.

Nestle will pursue external growth opportunities that fit within targeted categories and geographies, deliver attractive returns, and build on the company's leadership positions. Nestle is actively adjusting its product portfolio in line with this strategy, as shown by the recent investments in Blue Bottle Coffee, Sweet Earth, and Freshly, as well as the decision to explore strategic options for its U.S. confectionery business.

Nestle will also provide an update to the previously announced capital structure review. In June 2017, the company announced its intention to make an additional CHF 20 billion available for M&A and share buybacks over the next three years. In light of its strong cash generation, Nestle intends to accelerate buybacks by spreading them evenly over three years. The buyback will augment Nestle's previous return of over CHF 100 billion to its shareholders over the last 10 years, including CHF 43 billion as share buybacks.

Today's investor seminar will be webcast live and will be available for replay, along with the slides of the presentations on Nestle website.

Contacts

Media: Robin Tickle Tel.: +41 21 924 22 00

Investors: Steffen Kindler Tel.: +41 21 924 3509
Ocean View, Delaware, Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



Window and Door Frame Market is expected to exceed USD 130 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. A key factor contributing towards the high adoption of window and door frame market is the increasing focus on eco-friendly, recyclable products such as uPVC. The material is lightweight, corrosion-resistant and highly durable as compared to its wooden and aluminum counterparts. In tropical countries, the usage of wooden materials can result in trapping heat inside the commercial and residential building, leading to higher energy consumptions of cooling technologies. Owing to this the government in various economies, such as China, has initiated stringent regulations to minimize the usage of wooden products.

The dilapidating and old building structure pose a health and safety risk to the occupants. The buildings can develop fault lines and structural damage over time that can cause large walls and ceilings to collapse. As a result, the existing structure requires renovations at regular intervals of time fueling demand for the window and door frame market.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/244

Rapid industrialization and global economic growth is fueling the construction of new buildings and facilitating the growth of the window and door frame market. Several government bodies are funding the development of smart residential and commercial structures. Commercial consumers operating in sectors such as retail outlets and healthcare facilities demand such products that have electronic components encased into the material. For instance, automatic doors in retail stores are fitted with sensor technology to monitor human movement. Furthermore, government facilities have automated locking technologies installed in the door and window frame to ensure that intruders do not have access into certain locations. Additionally, automatic doors are increasingly penetrating the residential market as they allow the geriatric and the mobility impaired population ease of access without compromising on security driving window and door frame market.

The presence of government regulations in various economies for the usage of ecofriendly materials is fueling the demand of the wood window and door frame market. There are several types of wood allowing the customer ample choices. Furthermore, it requires low maintenance and are more resistant to air and wind as compared to their steel counterparts. However, the demand for this material segment is anticipated to gradually decline as they can be affected by termites and moisture and offer much lower protection against break-ins and robberies as opposed to automated doors and windows.

Browse key industry insights spread across 315 pages with 386 market data tables & 16 figures & charts from this 2017 report Window And Door Frame Market in detail along with the table of contents at:

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/window-and-door-market

The residential window and door frame market is anticipated to exhibit approximately 5% growth in the forecast timespan. This is largely attributed to the development of smart cities and advanced infrastructures in countries such as Singapore and India. Features such as low maintenance and high durability of steel frames, have led to high adoption rates in residential sectors. Increasing rate of remodeling and replacement will also contribute to the growth in residential applications.

Rapid industrialization in Asia Pacific is a major factor contributing to high growth of the window and door frame market. There is a high requirement for durable structure that can withstand long-term usage and provide features such as noise absorption. Additionally, the industrial sector in the region is rapidly growing leading to the large-scale construction of offices and factories. For instance, Yamazaki Mazak in China have announced the development of smart factories spanning more than 500,000 Sq. Ft. This will provide opportunities to the players for the supply of high quality equipment.

Players operating in the global window and door frame market include Croft, LLC, Chelsea Building Products, Deceuninck NV, Pella Corporation, Drew Industries Incorporated, Fortune Brands Home & Security, Royal Group Technologies, Soft-Lite LLC, Corialis Group, Masco Corporation, etc. The industry is characterized by a large number of mergers and acquisitions undertaken by the existing players to sustain market growth. For instance, in July 2016, Pella Corporation acquired Reilly Windows & Doors. This acquisition will benefit Pella to enhance its luxury portfolio with integration of Reilly to serve builders and architects better.

Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/244



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About Global Market Insights

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.

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Beijing, Sep 21 : China will donate $147,000 to help restore peace and stability in Myanmar's Rakhine state where a military offensive has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas, a Muslim minority community.

China's Ambassador to Myanmar Hong Liang said Beijing will continue to support Myanmar in the peace process in Rakhine, reported the state-run Global Times on Thursday.

The announcement comes shortly after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the violence in Rakhine as unacceptable and said it was "imperative to reduce tensions, avoid harming innocent people, prevent the spread of the humanitarian crisis".

According to the UN, at least 422,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh since August 25, after the Myanmar Army launched a military offensive following attacks on multiple government posts by Rohingya rebels.
New Delhi, Sep 22 : The CBI on Friday said that it has issued fresh summons to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav to appear before it for questioning regarding alleged irregularities in issuing contracts for two IRCTC hotels in 2006 to a private company.

"We have issued fresh summons to Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi to appear before the agency on 25 and 26 of this month," a CBI official told IANS.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and his son, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, on September 7 to report at its headquarters in Lodhi Road area of south Delhi for questioning on September 11 and 12.

The CBI had on July 5 filed a corruption case against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav for alleged irregularities when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009.

The contracts for two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels at Ranchi and Puri were handed over to Sujata Hotels company owned by Vijay and Vinay Kochhar in lieu of a bribe in the form of a plot of prime land in Bihar.

According to the CBI, Lalu Prasad allegedly granted illegal favours to Sujata Hotels through the IRCTC, and the tender process for the development, maintenance, and operation of the two hotels was manipulated in exchange for the three-acre plot in Patna where a mall is coming up.

The CBI, which registered the case on July 5 under Sections 420 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 13 and 13(1)B of the Prevention of Corruption Act, claimed that the kickbacks were paid through a 'benami' company owned by Sarala Gupta, wife of RJD MP Prem Chand Gupta.

The CBI FIR alleged that Vinay Kochhar sold three acres of land in Patna through 10 sale deeds on February 25, 2005, for Rs 1.47 crore to Delight Marketing Company in which Sarla Gupta was a Director.

The FIR alleged that the land was sold at a price below circle and market rates and was falsely shown as agricultural land to evade substantial stamp duty.

During the CBI's preliminary inquiry, the agency purportedly found that the said land was sold by the Kochhars to Delight Marketing and payment was arranged through Ahluwalia Contractors and its promoter Bikramjeet Singh Ahluwalia.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate, which is also probing the financial irregularities in the case, questioned Ahluwalia in connection with the case and also summoned Sujatha Hotels owners for questioning.

The ED had, on July 27, registered a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following the CBI FIR and is probing allegations against Lalu Prasad and others for alleged transaction of money through shell companies.
Thiruvananthapuram, September 23 : Congress Kerala unit president M M Hassan has called for chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to expel embattled transport minister and NCP leader Thomas Chandy from the cabinet.

Referring to the preliminary report filed by Alappuzha district collector T V Anupama the other day reportedly confirming the veracity of the allegations of encroachment against the transport minister, Hassan said that Thomas Chandys continuance as minister had become untenable.

Now that it has become clear that Thomas Chandy has indulged in corruption, the chief minister should expel the minister from the cabinet, he said.

The chief minister had told the opposition in the assembly that a probe would be conducted into the charges against Mr. Chandy. The revenue minister had said he would comment on the issue after getting the district collectors report. Now that it has become clear from the collectors report that Chandy committed illegalities, we can confirm abuse of power on the part of the minister. The chief minister should ask Chandy to step down, Hassan said.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) veteran and administrative reforms commission (ARC) chairperson V S Achuthanandan took a swipe at the ruling dispensation for keeping Thomas Chandy in the cabinet.

It may be a matter of pride for some people to carry around those facing corruption charges. These important people might be the reason Thomas Chandy is still in the cabinet, he said.

On whether Chandy would continue in the cabinet, Achuthanandan sarcastically replied that it was for the important people in the cabinet to decide that.

Transport minister Thomas Chandy is in the eye of a storm following allegations of encroachment of backwaters and abuse of power against him.

Spelling more trouble for Chandy, Alappuzha district collector T V Anupama submitted a preliminary report to revenue minister E Chandrasekharan on Friday reportedly confirming the veracity of the allegations against him.
Chandigarh, Sep 23 : Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu said on Saturday that an international alert has been sounded for three top Dera Sacha Sauda sect functionaries -- Honeypreet, Pawan Insan and Aditya Insan -- and raids were being conducted to nab them.

The Haryana Police has booked all three, who are considered close aides of rape-convicted sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, on charges of sedition, inciting violence and criminal conspiracy.

The DGP said there was no pressure on the police and the investigation into the matter is being done independently.

"Private properties of Honeypreet, Pawan Insan and Aditya Insan would be attached," he said.

Sandhu said that investigations into the August 25 violence that took place after the verdict of the CBI court on the Dera chief are heading in the right direction.

"Arrests are being made on the basis of evidence. As many as 1,100 persons have so far been arrested, including 44 from Sirsa, whose involvement was confirmed," the DGP told media in Sirsa town, 260 km from here.

He said that the police have released a list of 43 persons who were involved in the violence that took place in Panchkula.

"Search operation is under way to nab three most wanted, including Honeypreet, Pawan Insan and Aditya Insan. International alert has been issued on them and teams are conducting raids to nab them," he said.

There were reports that Honeypreet could have escaped to Nepal and could try to flee to another country.

Aditya Insan, chief spokesman of the Dera and a close aide of the sect chief, has been absconding since August 25. On Ram Rahim Singh being quizzed by the police regarding Honeypreet, Sandhu did not give a direct reply.

"Police investigation is heading in the right direction, and whosoever required, would be interrogated," he pointed out.

Asked why Honeypreet was not arrested earlier as she had accompanied Ram Rahim to Panchkula and later to the Rohtak jail, the DGP said: "Until August 25, no case was registered against Honeypreet. But after the arrest of Surender Dhiman, Honeypreet was found to be accused of provoking violence. Therefore, a case was registered against her and search was on to nab her."

Sandhu said the police had information that after the violence in Panchkula, Honeypreet came to the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. He said that as per the Punjab and Haryana High Court orders, a search operation was carried out in the Dera headquarters campus under supervision of the court commissioner who would submit his report to the court on September 27. One copy of the report would be given to the Haryana government.

"Further action will be taken according to the court orders," he added. Referring to the revelations of Honeypreet's ex-husband Vishwas Gupta on the relationship between the Dera chief and Honeypreet, the DGP said that Gupta had met the Panchkula Police Commissioner, but he had not given any complaint in writing. If any written complaint is received, police would include it in the investigations, the DGP said.

Convicted by the CBI court in Panchkula on two counts of rape of female disciples in 1999, Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by the CBI court, and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several other places in Punjab.
Varanasi, Sep 24 : Tension prevailed at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus here on Sunday after an agitation by woman students, protesting molestation of a student, turned violent late on Saturday when police used force to disperse the protesters.

Additional police force has been deployed at the campus as a precautionary measure after police carried out a baton-charge and fired in the air on Saturday night and the students threw stones in retaliation.

The University has been shut till October 2 and there were reports that protesting women students had been told to vacate their hostel rooms.

On Sunday morning, the students took out a silent rally in protest of Saturday night's violence. As the students reached Lakshman Das Guest House, some policemen signalled them to stay back. This infuriated the women who started the protest again.

However, when some University workers took out a silent march in support of the administration, police provided security to them. Now thousands of students want to take out a silent rally but have been denied permission.

The students are asking if the workers can be provided with security, why can't they.

With the University being shut, hundreds of students have left for home. The university campus has become a police encampment with a large contingent of Provincial Armed Constabulary deployed there.

The students of BHU's Triveni hostel have been protesting at a university gate since Friday against the university administration's inaction after a student alleged she was molested on the campus on Thursday.

The students have been demanding to meet Vice Chancellor G.C. Tripathi. The VC's office agreed that he could meet four-five of the women but the protesters wanted everyone to meet him, leading to no dialogue.

On Saturday evening, the VC, instead of visiting the protest site, went to meet another group of women, who have left the agitation, in Triveni hostel. As soon as the word got out, the protesters shifted their agitation to the VC's office and started shouting slogans.

The security personnel tried to stop the them but the women got into a heated argument with them till around 1 a.m. on Sunday. As the news spread, male students from other hostels came out to support the women students and in some time the agitation turned violent.

The over 1,500 police personnel in the area carried out a baton-charge on the students and even fired some rounds in the air. In response, students threw stones and burnt a police motorcycle.

On getting the information about the clashes, Inspector General of Police Prem Prakash and Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn and some other officials reached the campus with a large police contingent to make an assessment of the situation.

At the incident spot, Chief Proctor O.N. Singh said efforts to convince the students are on and action would be taken against the guily men students.

Gokarn said that a report of the incident would be submitted to the state government.
Dwarka (Gujarat), Sep 25 : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will begin his three-day campaign for the Gujarat Assembly elections on Monday from the crucial Saurashtra region with the state [olice refusing him permission to hold an open-jeep road show, but leaving him with a consolation to take out a bullock cart yatra.

Over a fortnight after he held a lively interaction with thousands of party workers at Ahmedabad Sabarmati Riverfront, the 47-year-old Congress scion is going out on a whirlwind tour of the Saurashtra region, which sends one-third of the legislators in the 182-member State Assemly, from the famous religious town of Dwarka.

He will begin his day by offering prayers at the Dwarkadheesh Krishna temple, from where he is expected to drive down to Jamnagar, interacting with locals at various educational institutions, women and businessmen.

With the police refusing him permission to cover the 135 km stretch from Dwarka to Jamnagar by an open jeep and stage roadshows citing security reasons, Gandhi would now be taking a specially done up luxury bus for him equipped with CCTV cameras. The open-jeep connect with the people might not be possible for now.

However, this does not seem to have dampened the spirits of the Congress workers, for instance, in Hanjrapar village some 25 km from Dwarka, Gandhi will enter in a traditionally decked up bullock-cart.

"Not only his welcome, but we have also made all sitting arrangements for everyone here, including that of Rahulji, in typical Saurashtra cultural style," Palbhai Ambaliya told IANS on Sunday night.

There are three levels of seating, says Ambaliya, who is also the party's ticket aspirant to the Dwarka Assembly seat represented at present by the Congress' Meraaman Ahir.

"The first level is people sitting on the ground, just like the beginning of our civilisation when there were no cots or chairs.

"Then at the next level are the traditional cots, just as our civilisation progressed. The last level of the seating for the people will be chairs, as is the modern world. For Rahulji, we have this special traditional cot when he interacts with us," Ambaliya said.

From the village of Hanjrapar which has a voter population of 1,107 from the Ahir caste, the Congress Vice President is scheduled to meet bullion traders and representatives of Jamnagar's widely known brass parts industry.

After a night halt at Jamnagar, on Tuesday morning he will drive down to Rajkot, the hometown of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and also the key nerve centre of the Saurashtra region.

Gandhi would also offer prayers at the Khodaldham Temple, the deity of Patidar community.

On Wednesday, the Congress leader will reach Surendranagar. Here, he is expected to climb the long-winding stone stairs to the popular hilltop Chotila Temple.

He will wrap up his tour at Viramgam on the entry to Ahmedabad district, which incidentally happens to be the native home town of the young Patidar (or Patel) agitation spearhead Hardik Patel.

The Saurashtra region has been electorally tough for the Congress for the last two decades and it won only 12 of the 52 seats here in the 2012 assembly elections.

This time the party is looking at significantly improving the tally given the Patidar sentiment against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the overall farmer distress owing to various issues.

Congress hopes that Rahul Gandhi's staying put in the region for the first time for three days at a stretch will pep up the party cadres and energize them to work for victory sinking all their differences.

The Congress Vice President is also scheduled to make similar appearances in north, central and south Gujarat regions before the December elections.
Islamabad, Sep 25 : Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan from London on Monday, a month after he went to the UK to be with his wife Kulsoom Nawaz, who is undergoing cancer treatment.

Sharif arrived at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport here at 7.30 a.m. where he was received by senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party leaders, Dawn news reported.

The ousted Prime Minister is expected to hold an informal meeting with the PML-N leadership for consultations on his appearance before the accountability court.

Speaking to the media before departing for Islamabad on Sunday night, Sharif said he came to London to inquire after the health of his wife.

In his remarks, Sharif continued to question the court's decision to disqualify him.

"We did not commit any corruption. If this was about Panama (Papers), then why was I disqualified for holding an Iqama (work permit for UAE)?"

Expressing dissatisfaction over the Supreme Court's handling of his review petitions, Sharif said he had never thought of not returning to Pakistan.

But the ruling party's rivals, particularly the PakAisAtan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leadership, had been claiming that the disqualified Prime Minister had left to escape accountability in the references filed against him.

Sharif has been summoned on Tuesday in three corruption references, filed by the National AccountAability Bureau (NAB), reports Dawn news.

No one from his side, family member or legal counsel, appeared before the accountability court in Islamabad during the hearing of the case on September 19.

Taking to Twitter to express herself, Maryam Nawaz Sharif termed her father's decision to return home a courageous step in the face of the "biased" accountability process that awaits him.

"It takes great amount of courage and valour to be willing to pay the price for challenging what needs to be changed. Not everyone can do that."
Mumbai, Sep 25 : Days after actress Deepika Padukone's royal look from "Padmavati" was unveiled, the makers of the upcoming film have shared an image of actor Shahid Kapoor, who looks every inch of a warrior king in the poster.

Shahid will be seen playing the role of MahaRawal Ratan Singh, husband of Deepika's character in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial.

In the poster shared on Monday morning, Shahid, whose face is slashed with battle scars, is seen sporting a heavy bearded look, twirled moustache, kohl filled eyes, a red 'tika' on his forehead and pearl jewellery adding to his royal look.

Another poster features the actor sporting a bloodied white angarkha standing in battle field holding a sword. In the background several soldiers are seen fighting in the war field.

Sharing the posters, Deepika, Shahid and actor Ranveer Singh, who will be playing the role of Alauddin Khilji tweeted: "Saahas, samarthya aur samman ka prateek."

"Padmavati", which will release on December 1, tells the story of Alauddin Khilji, the medieval-era Delhi ruler who fell in love with Rajput queen Padmavati.

The movie's shoot went through a lot of difficulties.

In January, activists of Shri Rajput Karni Sena had assaulted Bhansali and vandalised the movie's Jaipur set over alleged distortions in the film's script.

After Bhansalimoved the film's shoot to Maharashtra, an outdoor set of the historic period drama in Kohlapur was burnt down after two dozen unidentified persons torched it in March.
H1 2017 operating income from ISCOs revenue generating subsidiaries demonstrated an increase of 51% compared to its income in H1 2016, while H1 2017 revenue was $3.8 million.



Edison Investment Research target price for ISCO shares is $6.62 per share*

CARLSBAD, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB:ISCO) (www.internationalstemcell.com) ("ISCO" or "the Company"), a California-based clinical stage biotechnology company that develops novel stem cell-based therapies and biomedical products, announced today that ISCOs wholly owned subsidiaries Lifeline Cell Technology (LCT) and Lifeline Skin Care (LSC) expanded their manufacturing operations, OEM business, and product lines.

ISCO was one of the first stem cell biotech companies to build a business model in which revenue-generating subsidiaries operate under a parent R&D company. This not only decreases cash burn while conducting our Parkinsons disease clinical trial, but gives us more confidence in ISCOs future, commented Russell Kern, PhD, Executive VP and Chief Scientific Officer of ISCO.

Lifeline Cell Technology LLC, a research products business which develops, manufactures, and commercializes human cell culture products, expanded and improved its media manufacturing operation by doubling the size of clean rooms, as well as the cell culture media production capacity. LCT has expanded its catalog by launching cardiac fibroblasts and skeletal muscle cell culture system, which includes differentiation media. Also, while working on bringing more international distributors, LCT expanded its domestic sales force together with OEM business. In their catalog, LCT currently has 60 different cell types and 115 media products, which is comprised of 34 kits for growing the different cell types, 24 different cell culture media, and 57 growth factors/cytokines.

Lifeline Skin Care Inc., a leader in stem cell skin care anti-aging solutions, expanded its marketing operations and sales force, and will be launching a new product in October 2017, Intense Moisture Serum, a high-tech serum that combines advanced stem cell technology with powerful concentrations of moisturizers. The current consumer products line features 16 products, while the professional line features 12.

Backed by years of intensive research and development, Lifeline Skin Care has developed a unique and advanced skin care line using cutting-edge technologies that improves the skin's overall appearance. It is definitely one of my top 'Go To' skin care lines, commented Dr. Paul E. Chasan, MD, FACS.

LSC's products are distributed worldwide through its company website (www.lifelineskincare.com) and domestically through a network of dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and spas, including The Woodhouse Day Spa, a national luxury day spa franchise.

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of human pluripotent stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available at www.internationalstemcell.com.

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Safe harbor statement

Statements pertaining to anticipated developments, expected results clinical studies, progress of research and development initiatives, growth expectations and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates,") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements.

* The research report is available on Edisons website http://www.edisoninvestmentresearch.com/research/company/international-stem-cell

Please note that ISCO has paid Edison Investment Research to prepare the report.

International Stem Cell Corporation

Dr. Russell Kern

EVP, Chief Scientific Officer

(760)940-6383

ir@intlstemcell.com




Mumbai, Sep 25 : Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan says she is waiting excitedly to join the team of her next movie "Fanney Khan".

Aishwarya is a part of "Fanney Khan", an upcoming musical comedy film directed by Atul Manjrekar, with Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao.

At the Vogue Women of the Year Awards here on Sunday night, the actress was honoured with the Vogue Influencer Of The Decade Award.

Looking gorgeous in a black gown, she spoke about joining the set of "Fanney Khan" soon.

"Good luck to the entire team of 'Fanney Khan'. I am looking forward to joining the team and enjoying the process of filmmaking. I would talk more about the film in the course of time," she said at the red carpet.

"Fanney Khan" is the Hindi adaptation of the Dutch film "Everybody's Famous". Produced by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the film is scheduled for a worldwide release on April 13.

Aishwarya also spoke about instilling the same qualities in her daughter Aaradhya as the actress got from her mother.

"My mother, I'd say, is the most important woman in my life. Your relationship with your mother is the most real, impactful, the most personal and intimate.

"I love my mother, I respect her immensely. I am who I am because of my mother and I naturally pass that down to my daughter Aaradhyaa," added Aishwarya.
New Delhi, Sep 25 : RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Monday again skipped questioning by the CBI, the second time in a month, in a case against him and his son Tejashwi Yadav over alleged irregularities in issuing contracts for two IRCTC hotels in 2006 to a private company.

Lalu Prasad's advocate, through a letter, informed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday afternoon that his client would not be able to join the investigation in response to the summons issued on September 22 seeking his presence at the CBI headquarters here.

"His advocate submitted a letter to us on behalf of the leader seeking two weeks' time to appear before the investigators in the IRCTC case," a CBI official said.

The CBI on September 22 issued fresh summons to Lalu Prasad and his son to appear before the agency on September 25 and 26.

Earlier, the CBI summoned the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and his son, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, on September 7 to report at its headquarters in Lodhi Road area of south Delhi for questioning on September 11 and 12.

The CBI had on July 5 filed a corruption case against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav for alleged irregularities when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009.

The contracts for two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels at Ranchi and Puri were handed over to Sujata Hotels company owned by Vijay and Vinay Kochhar in lieu of an alleged bribe in the form of a plot of prime land in Bihar, the CBI said.

According to the CBI, Lalu Prasad allegedly granted illegal favours to Sujata Hotels through the IRCTC, and the tender process for the development, maintenance, and operation of the two hotels was manipulated in exchange for the three-acre plot in Patna where a mall is coming up.

The CBI, which registered the case under charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating under the Indian Penal Code and sections of Prevention of the Corruption Act, claimed that the kickbacks were paid through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of RJD MP Prem Chand Gupta.

The CBI FIR alleged that Vinay Kochhar sold three acres of land in Patna through 10 sale deeds on February 25, 2005, for Rs 1.47 crore to Delight Marketing Company in which Sarla Gupta was a Director.

The FIR alleged that the land was sold at a price below circle and market rates and was falsely shown as agricultural land to evade substantial stamp duty.

During the CBI's preliminary inquiry, the agency purportedly found that the said land was sold by the Kochhars to Delight Marketing, and payment was arranged through Ahluwalia Contractors and its promoter Bikramjeet Singh Ahluwalia.

The Enforcement Directorate, which is also probing the financial irregularities in the case, have questioned Ahluwalia and also summoned Sujata Hotels owners for questioning.

The ED had, on July 27, registered a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following the CBI FIR and is probing allegations against Lalu Prasad and others for alleged transaction of money through shell companies.
Haugue, Sep 26 : Weakened mainly because of a far-right surge in German federal election, Angela Merkel will face serious challenges in promoting deeper European integration with French President Emmanuel Macron, experts have said.

"Merkel has secured a fourth term as chancellor, but emerged weakened, facing difficult coalition talks and reduced chances to proceed with a compromising attitude towards Macron's demands for a more integrated Europe," Xinhua quoted Adriaan Schout, coordinator of European Union (EU) affairs at Clingendael, as saying on Monday.

European Union (EU) affairs at Clingendael is a Hague-based institute for international relations.

"Germany's liberals, who are most likely to become coalition partners, have a critical attitude towards a more integrated European Union, making it difficult for Merkel to support such plans," Schout noted.

In Sunday's election, Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party along with its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) recorded its worst election result since after the Second World War, winning only 239 seats (33 per cent) in the 598-seat Bundestag, down from 311 seats, according to preliminary results.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by former European Parliament president Martin Schulz, came second, gaining around 21 per cent of the vote. But following the result, Schulz pledged to abandon the so-called "grand coalition" with the conservatives, which has governed Germany over eight of the past 12 years.

The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) came third, gaining about 13 per cent of the vote, above what pre-election polls had predicted. It is the first time after World War II that a far-right party has entered the German parliament.

The result points to the direction of more internal tensions and more polarization within Germany, making it more difficult for Merkel to mesh with Macron's demands for reforms to deepen the EU and the eurozone, explained Schout.

"The result of the German vote reduces the chances of major reforms as French President Macron has pledged," said Zsolt Darvas, senior fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.

The French president, who has pledged to bring about a "radical reform" of Europe, is expected to fully develop his ideas in a speech at Sorbonne University in Paris on Tuesday.

He has made calls for a eurozone budget that would finance investments and stabilize the European economy during crises, as well as a eurozone finance minister and parliament.

"Emmanuel Macron has a long list of reform ideas, but I'm afraid little progress will be made. The idea of a permanent Eurogroup president might be enhanced, but the position will not have the scope the French president has pledged," said Darvas.

As far as the prospect of a eurozone budget, Darvas called it a "no-go idea."

"Even before the elections, Merkel was sceptical about the idea of a common budget, referring only to the possibility of a small budget," he said.

If the FDP becomes a coalition partner, it will be difficult for Merkel to realize such a move, said Darvas.
Fort Lauderdale (Florida) : Fort Lauderdale (Florida) Sep 26 (IANS) With a $200 million commitment, an Indian American doctor couple has teamed up with a Florida university to bring world class medical education to India and potentially transform healthcare in the country.

With Zambia-born India-educated cardiologist Kiran Patel and his paediatrician wife Pallavi Patel's gift, the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) located in picturesque Fort Lauderdale, near Miami, will open a new campus in Tampa, 400 km away.

In addition to the donation, Patel said that he was committed to spend $200 million by 2019 to set up a 40 hectare campus near Vadodara in Gujarat with Nova willing to expand their operations to India.

Lectures will be beamed to classes in Tampa with live interaction with professors from here. Later the same concept will be used for the proposed college in India, the Patels told IANS in an interview.

American professors would be positioned in India and Indian professors brought here to sort of train the trainers to academically produce students of the same calibre as those graduating in the US.

Going a step further the college will be accredited with American bodies to start residency in India, Kiran Patel said.

Indian students coming to the US will know how a world class institution works and Indian doctors will get an exposure to modern healthcare.

"By that you'll be solving the crisis of paucity of healthcare in India," he said, noting that students, residents and post-graduates will start providing services when the college opens.

As under US law, a medical college must wait for five years to expand, the medical college in India will open in 2024.

Meanwhile, Kiram Patel said he was negotiating with an Indian partner to start a private university in India offering courses in arts, sciences and medicine.

To be named Kiran and Pallavi Patel University, it will start offering Indian degrees, while the American college operating from the same campus in India will offer American degrees possibly from 2020.

With the renamed Nova institutions in the US producing 500 graduates and India providing another 300, Kiran Patel said he looked forward to the idea of thousands of doctors coming out from the university to serve in an increasingly borderless world.

In India, a medical college is required to set up a 12.5 hectare campus with a 700 bed hospital.

Kiran Patel said he was also trying to sell a new concept where places of education just hold classes and instead of patients coming to a hospital doctors would be sent to various locations where needed like they do in the US.

He visualised a system where an american school in India will provide American degrees, while the indian school will offer indian degrees.

While there would be two types of degrees and two types of fees, the two institutions operating from one campus will offer same quality of education. In the next stage the concept could possibly expanded to Africa Kiran Patel said his gift to Nova was the first step to realise his dream of enhancing healthcare in India.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
New Delhi/Chandigarh, Sep 26 : The Haryana Police on Tuesday conducted raids in the national capital, including at a house in Greater Kailash, in a bid to arrest fugitive Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, close aides of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

"Panchkula police came with an arrest warrant for Honeypreet at A-9 Greater Kailash Enclave. The place was raided at 7.30 a.m., but she was not found there," Deputy Commissioner of Police south-east Delhi Romil Baaniya said.

The officer said the house was a Dera Sacha Sauda asset and a person identified as R.K. Malhotra was the caretaker.

The DCP said "no one was found" at the property.

The move came a day after Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja, moved the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory transit bail.

A court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, on Monday issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan.

All three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after his conviction by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999.

The Haryana Police had sounded an international alert against all three.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s, has been the closest aide of Ram Rahim since 2009. The police has been on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted in Nepal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His rape conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several other places in Punjab.
United Nations, Sep 26 : The US has made clear its new policy on Afghanistan looks to the whole region to bring stability to that nation in a move away from relying mostly on Pakistan as Washington has during the 16 years it has been mired there.

"A central tenet of our new South Asia strategy is the recognition that Afghanistan's security and stability are tied to the security and stability of the entire region," Michele Sison, the US Deputy Permanent Representative, told the Security Council on Monday during a debate on Afghanistan.

Unveiling the new US policy on Afghanistan last month, US President Donald Trump said a "critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India".

He added that he wanted India "to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development".

The very use of "South Asia" by Trump as well as by US diplomats to describe the new strategy and policy that primarily about Afghanistan underscores the new approach.

Sison also set out firmly the other key element of the new Afghanistan policy: a commitment to a political settlement that could include the Taliban.

"The United States' new regional strategy for South Asia is also well-timed and makes clear that, ultimately, the US and the UN share the same overarching goal in Afghanistan: a durable political settlement that leads to lasting peace.

"We call on all regional governments to support the Afghan government and to do what they can to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table," she added.

Sison, however, declared: "Our message to the Taliban and their supporters is clear: you cannot win on the battlefield. The only path to peace is through negotiations. You must abandon violence, cut ties with international terrorism, and accept the Afghan constitution."

Trump in his policy speech had warned Islamabad that "it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists".

Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani welcomed the new the new strategy saying it "has generated new hope among our people across the country" and Afghans are optimistic that "that finally the threats of terrorism and extremism in Afghanistan and the wider region will be tackled appropriately".

He said: "The prospect of peace with the Taliban is dependent on genuine and constructive regional engagement in support of an Afghan-led process."

In a reference to the possible outcome from a stern stand of the US against supporting terrorism, Rabbani said: "In this regard, we believe a paradigm shift could profoundly impact peace efforts with the Taliban in a positive way."

But he also accused the Taliban of cooperating with the Islamic State in the massacre in Mirza Ulang village in Sar-e-Pul province and the attacks on mosques in Kabul and Herat.

Rabbani said that Afghanistan had been "on the receiving-end of provocative actions, including continuous violations across the Durand Line" by Pakistan.

Asked after the Council meeting about Trump's new policy, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's Special Representative for Afghan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, told reporters that the US gave "clarity" to the peace process in "seeking a political solution".

Time is right for a political solution, he added.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
New Delhi : It is almost a certainty that the Indian economy will receive a fiscal stimulus soon on account of the government's desperate attempt to reverse the country's dipping growth rates.

Throughout history, the Keynesian solution of taking the fiscal route to stimulate the economy when the monetary one is exhausted has proved to be quite effective. It is indisputable that the idea had an indispensable role to play in extricating the global economy out of the Great Depression of the 1930s and also the more recent crisis of 2008. In the latter case, there was a part of the developed world, such as the UK and the Netherlands, which tried the opposite by practising austerity, but the countries that intentionally ran large fiscal deficits like the US and China managed to weather the crisis better.

There is now a consensus among post-crisis empirical studies that fiscal stimulus has a positive effect on the economy. Therefore, the Indian government might also find some reprieve from adopting a similar approach. However, there are quite a few issues that should be kept in mind before going ahead with the move.

First and the most obvious concern is of deviating from the path of fiscal consolidation. India has had the widest budget deficit in Asia and the government has done a good job of committing itself to pre-decided goals of reducing this each year. In fact, achieving macro-economic stability has been one of the biggest achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. However, this year's budgeted deficit is 3.2 percent and the government has already exhausted 92 percent of the annual target in the first four months (April-July) of the current fiscal.

Even though Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has promised to find a balance between fiscal prudence and spending, any stimulus package that the government announces needs to be introduced with commensurate revenue streams or risk breaching the fiscal commitments. Any deviation from the fiscal consolidation roadmap will have serious long-term repercussions that will be costlier for the country than a gain of a few percentage points over the course of the year.

There also exists the risk of a loss of credibility of the government's commitments. A lack of trust among economic agents simply escalates the costs of economic transactions and makes public policy harder to implement. Then, India will run the risk of being downgraded by international credit rating agencies if it fails to meet its fiscal commitments. Global investor sentiment will also be hurt in such a scenario and due to a combination of the last two factors, foreign inflows of money will be negatively impacted. Therefore, sacrificing fiscal consolidation at the altar of growth might end up hurting growth itself in the long run.

The second issue that needs to be taken into account is the impact of the newly-implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST). For instance, as GST tax credit claims escalate, government finances would be drastically affected. Since the full impact of the GST's implementation is still unclear, a margin of error should be allowed in the fiscal calculations so that there is no shortfall towards the end of the year.

Third, the US Federal Reserve has signalled its intention to unwind its massive bond-buying programme and India needs to brace itself for its impact. Although India has sufficient reserves to manage any large-scale outflow of money due to the Fed's decision, uncertainty will still reign supreme and giving up fiscal restraint at the moment will be quite irresponsible.

Thus, although a fiscal stimulus might be a good idea, abandoning the practice of fiscal consolidation is not. Also, the quality of the fiscal stimulus matters quite significantly. Running deficits without creating productive assets only burdens future generations with higher debts. On the other hand, high-return public investments more than pay for themselves and improve the well-being of future generations. So, apart from ensuring that the fiscal targets are met despite the stimulus package, its quality also needs to be ensured.

As pointed out in last week's column, the banking system should be the first line of attack of the fiscal arsenal. Boosting the credit offtake of the economy will go a long way in kickstarting lending activities and hence private investment. Since desperate times call for desperate measures, recapitalisation of banks can be a possible option to consider.

Next, in the spirit of leaving future generations with lucrative assets along with handholding the economy out of the current mess, the fiscal stimulus can have a heavy focus on infrastructure spending. This can also help in mitigating the unemployment problem that is also ailing the economy.

Finally, along with these short-term measures to revive the economy, the government should not shy away from long-term structural reforms, especially in land, labour and agricultural markets. The slowdown is popularly blamed on demonetisation and GST, but the growth figures clearly show that the trend had set in much earlier. This points to a deep-seated problem within the Indian economy that goes beyond the temporary shocks that it has received. Considering all these factors, the government is in a completely unenviable position currently. In Shakespeare's wise words, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. It remains to be seen how well it manages to handle the crown.

(Amit Kapoor is chair, Institute for Competitiveness, India. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at amit.kapoor@competitiveness.in and tweets @kautiliya. Chirag Yadav, senior researcher, Institute for Competitiveness has contributed to the article.)
Kolkata, Sep 26 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wished former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his birthday on Tuesday.

"Birthday wishes and warm regards to Manmohan Singhji," Banerjee tweeted.

Singh, who turned 85 on Tuesday, was the Prime Minister between 2004 and 2014 during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.

His political career began in 1991 when he was appointed the country's Finance Minister under late Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao.

It was the same year during which he helped usher in "liberalisation and privatisation" in the Indian economy.
San Francisco, Sep 26 : Google Assistant has received a small but useful update that allows users to search specific information or service through a search bar.

"Whether you check the list by tapping the blue icon on the top right after launching Assistant, or by browsing in the Google Home app, you can see a new search bar on top. That lets you search through all the possible Assistant integrations," Android Police reported late on Monday.

The new search bar in Google Assistant replaces the previous scrolling through (feature) a list in the app to try to find the right integration.

Upon tapping the top right blue icon to bring up that list, the search bar appears and can be used to type in to find several first and third-party integrations that are available.

The same search bar also now appears in the official Google Home app for the smart speaker.

The update to Google standalone assistant is likely to be rolled out to all supported devices soon.

Earlier this year, Google said its voice-powered digital assistant is available on more than 100 million devices.
New Delhi : Title: Hit Refresh; Author: Satya Nadella; Publisher: Harper Collins; Pages: 272; Price: Rs 599 When you hit "Refresh" in a web browser by clicking the little arrow -- or press the "F5" function key -- it quickly updates the web page, without wiping out anything but opening the page afresh.

For India-born Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, hitting refresh in life is something any person or organisation looking to make a sustained impact over a long period of time must learn to do and implement.

Some people and organisations have one major "hit refresh" moment and others hit refresh often.

In "Hit Refresh" -- while taking the readers through his personal journey from Hyderabad to the company's ongoing transformation at Redmond, Washington State, in the US -- Nadella is confident that the knowledge he inherited in India is helping him write new codes of life for Microsoft's global audience: Be it Cloud, Microsoft 365, Windows 10 and the emerging disruptive technologies.

"Looking back, I have been influenced by both my father's enthusiasm for intellectual engagement and my mother's dream of a balanced life for me," he writes.

After attending schools in Srikakulam and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, Mussoorie, Delhi and Hyderabad -- and later flunking an IIT entrance exam -- Nadella landed in the US.

There was no master plan but a call from Microsoft, for him, "was time to hit refresh again".

Today, Microsoft is at the leading edge of Cloud-based technologies as it infuses capital into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for an inclusive, democratic "Intelligent Cloud" architecture.

For Nadella, the future belongs to AI-based computing and Microsoft is building the world's most powerful AI supercomputer and making the infrastructure available to everyone.

On Monday, during his keynote address at the ongoing "Microsoft Ignite" event in Orlando, Florida, Nadella said Microsoft has been working to invent a universal, programmable quantum computer and to identify revolutionary applications that will run on it.

In the book, Nadella sheds light on the ongoing activities and future plans to build new computational methods for programming the quantum computer.

"Through quantum computing, we can unlock solutions to problems in areas such as AI, clean energy, global warming, materials design and much more," Nadella told the packed house at "Microsoft Ignite".

At "Station Q", writes Nadella, Microsoft researchers and collaborators are working days and nights to overcome challenges in the path towards universal quantum computing.

"At Microsoft, we're on the cusp of empowering a quantum revolution with our unique, topological approach," he told the gathering at the Orlando event, hoping that "quantum computing will make AI even more intelligent".

Bill Gates, who has known Nadella for more than 20 years, writes in the Foreword: "Satya has charted a course for making the most of the opportunities created by technology while also facing up to the hard questions."

"Ideas excite me," Nadella explains. "Empathy grounds and centres me."

In his latest blog on the book, Nadella wrote: "Books are so often written by leaders looking back on their tenures, not while they're in the fog of war. What if we could share the journey together, the meditations of a sitting CEO in the midst of a massive transformation?"

"Hit Refresh" is about individual change, about the transformation happening inside Microsoft and the technology that will soon impact all of our lives: AI, Mixed Reality and quantum computing.

The book is "about how people, organisations and societies can and must transform and 'hit refresh' in their persistent quest for new energy, new ideas and continued relevance and renewal".

"We should be optimistic about what's to come. The world is getting better, and progress is coming faster than ever. This book is a thoughtful guide to an exciting, challenging future," Gates writes.

Don't just buy the book to know who Nadella is. Instead, buy it to hit the refresh button in your life from "a principled, deliberative leader searching for improvement -- for himself, for a storied company, and for society".

(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)
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Guwahati, Sep 26 : Assam's Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia on Tuesday slammed the state government for arresting RTI activist Akhil Gogoi under the National security Act (NSA) and said it is not a healthy trend for democracy.

"The police has rearrested the RTI activist on Monday for some old cases and charged him under the NSA," Saikia said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"Akhil Gogoi was only protesting against the BJP government's failure to fulfil the poll promises it had made before the 2016 polls in Assam."

The Assam Police had on September 13 arrested Gogoi, a farmers' rights and Right to Information Act activist, for instigating people to take up arms against the government at a public rally in Assam's Dibrugarh.

On Monday, when Gogoi was supposed to be presented in court, the Chief Judicial Magistrate Dibrugarh received a letter from the Nagaon Deputy Commissioner saying that Gogoi has been charged under the NSA as 12 out of 33 cases registered against him merit the invoking of NSA.

"There have been several protests against the Congress when the party was in power in Assam for last 15 years. However, none of the agitators are arrested under NSA. It is not expected from the BJP government," said Saikia.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party government wants to silence whoever speaks against it or opposes it. "This is not a healthy trend for democracy."

Saikia also condemned the recent incidents of violence during some students' union elections in the state and claimed the violence is taking place at the behest of certain forces and the government is a silent spectator to the incidents.
Agartala, Sep 26 : The Tripura government on Tuesday decided to constitute an SIT headed by a senior IPS officer to probe the brutal murder of local television journalist Santanu Bhowmik and to give Rs 10 lakh to the bereaved family, a Minister said.

The Press Council of India has already sent a team to Tripura to inquire into the last week's killing.

The Cabinet discussed the murder and decided to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a senior Indian Police Service officer to probe it," Information and Finance Minister Bhanulal Saha told reporters after the cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who also holds the home portfolio.

"As his mother is a government employee and his younger sister is still studying, the government, despite its willingness, is unable to offer a government job to Santanu's family," Saha added.

About a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation or a High Court Judge, as demanded by journalists' organisations and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress, the Minister said the SIT probe had been decided on after a review of the progress of the probe in the case.

"People must keep faith in police's ability in handling such cases. We hope the police will be able to provide justice to the victim's family," he added.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Southern Range) Arindam Nath told IANS that so far three people, including main accused Sachin Debbarma, have been arrested for the killing of the journalist.

Sachin, a surrendered militant of National Liberation Front of Tripura and currently a member of tribal outfit Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), was involved in crime in Mandai area in western Tripura where the journalist was killed, police said.

Meanwhile, the situation returned to normal on Tuesday in most parts of west Tripura and Khowai districts where IPFT supporters have allegedly carried out a series of attacks since September 19, including the one in which the 28-year-old journalist was killed.

However, police said, 29-year-old driver Jiban Debnath of a private vehicle was still missing since September 20 and a search was on for him.

A journalist of a Delhi-based newspaper had hired the private vehicle to visit Khumulwng along with a local guide. IPFT members attacked them and burnt the vehicle. While the journalist and his guide reported to the police on September 21, the driver remains missing.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : Honeypreet Insan, the "adopted daughter" of the now jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, on Tuesday moved an anticipatory bail plea in the Delhi High Court apprehending threat to her life in Haryana.

Her advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya told Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal that she is willing to join investigation but wants protection from arrest.

He requested the court to grant her three weeks transit anticipatory bail so that she can move the Punjab and Haryana High Court for anticipatory bail as soon as situation calms down there.

She cannot join investigation as the atmosphere is not good in Haryana and even intelligence report revealed that there is a threat to her life. He also noted that a Deputy Inspector General of Police in Haryana has also expressed that there is threat to Honeypreet's life.

Appearing for Delhi Police, advocate Rahul Mehra said that the city police will take care of her protection, if she surrenders. However, he raised the issue if she was a Delhi resident, saying she had not submitted her actual address in her bail plea.

The counsel representing Haryana Police opposed the plea, saying her anticipatory bail plea is only maintainable in a state court as she is a permanent resident of Sirsa.

At this, Arya argued that she stayed in Greater Kailash whenever she visits Delhi and currently she is unsafe in Haryana.

The court asked counsel whether she can surrender herself here or before Haryana Police and reserved its order.

Early in the morning, Arya mentioned her bail plea before a bench headed by the high court's Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal for early hearing.

The matter was then transferred to single judge bench of Justice Sehgal.

The Haryana Police on Tuesday morning conducted raids in the national capital in a bid to arrest Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, another close aide of the Dera chief.

A court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, had on Monday issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet, Aditya and Pawan Insan after all three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court convicted him on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s and the Dera chief's closest aide since 2009, is on the run since August 25, hours after Ram Rahim was convicted. Police is on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana as well as Nepal.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His conviction led to violence in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several places in Punjab.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : Demonetisation affected the country's growth rate negatively, which led to GDP dipping to 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2017-18, while the Goods and Services Tax (GST) did not have much role in the decline, economist Surjit Bhalla said on Tuesday.

Bhalla has been chosen as a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), that was constituted on Monday, to analyse economic issues and advise Narendra Modi on them.

"Demonetisation did have a negative effect. According to me, it may have contributed to 0.4 percentage decline. But GST, may be, caused only 0.1 per cent decline," he told BTVi in an interview.

He said that India's growth potential stood at 8 per cent and it was important to analyse what factors resulted in about two percentage points decline in the GDP in the first quarter.

"It is important to understand why GDP growth is where it is. There is universal agreement that the potential growth rate for India is close to 8 per cent. Anything short of that, or short of 7.5 per cent, is problematic. If GDP comes out at 5.7 per cent, that's more than two percentage points below potential," he said.

"We have a question to address, why did this happen? The first immediate response that many people have is that it was because of demonetisation because that's the most proximate cause. We know demonetisation happened in November of last year and we know that some economists said that it will lead to two percentage points decline in GDP. But that's a straight line assumption," he added.

Bhalla said that the veracity of how much demonetisation was responsible for the decline in GDP would have to be examined.

"If it was demonetisation then we can go ahead and see how long will it take to recover from it. How long will be the impact of demonetisation? But if it wasn't demonetisation, we should try and identify the causes," he added.

The economist also noted that the country's growth had started declining in 2016, well before demonetisation.

On GST, he said that its negative impact, if any, would last only for six months.

"Besides demonetisation, we have GST, which is very major and new. It will go down as the biggest reform ever taken. For short term -- six months -- there may be some decline due to GST," he said.

"The GDP of the first quarter refers to data till June. GST came in July. We can't use GST to assess what happened in April-June. Though, there was de-stocking and some part of GDP can be ascribed to GST. But going forward, GST will begin to have a positive effect," he added.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : The Kandla Port Trust has been renamed Deendayal Port Trust, the Shipping Ministry announced on Tuesday.

A notification was issued on Monday on the occasion of the closing of the year-long centenary celebrations of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, a statement said.

Kandla Port, located on the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, is one of the 12 major ports in India.

While inaugurating various projects at Kandla Port in May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested renaming the Kandla Port after Upadhyay "who stood up for the upliftment of the poor and weaker sections of society".
Barcelona, Sep 26 : Spanish security operations to thwart a controversial secession referendum in the northeastern region of Catalonia were continuing on Tuesday as online operations rendered over 140 pro-independence web pages inaccessible.

Sources from the ongoing investigation into the referendum bid told Efe news that among the sites seized by police was that of the Catalonian National Assembly (ANC), an organisation that promotes the region's independence from Spain which later confirmed, however, that its web page was still accessible through its European Union domain name (.eu).

Other websites were replaced by a message from Spain's militarised police, the Guardia Civil, which read: "This domain has been seized and will be brought before a judge."

Acting on judge's orders, the Guardia Civil has been tasked with confiscating all referendum-related material in Catalonia, including websites deemed to incite the separatist poll.

The referendum has already been suspended as unconstitutional by the highest rung of Spanish judiciary, the Constitutional Court.

Despite legal action orchestrated by Madrid, Spain's capital and seat of power, separatist officials in Catalonia, including regional president Carles Puigdemont, have pushed ahead with plans to hold the referendum on October 1.

Madrid has begun buffering Guardia Civil numbers in Catalonia amid rising tensions in the affluent region.

A group of residents in Algeciras, a port city in the south of Spain, came out to show their support and waved Spanish flags for a unit of Guardia Civil officers leaving their station en route to Catalonia.
Ghaziabad, Sep 26 : A 75-year-old cloth merchant was found dead inside his shop here on Tuesday morning, police said.

Foul play is suspected since the body had a head injury, suggesting he was hit with a heavy object, police said.

According to police, Rajendra Kumar, who had been staying in the house of his married daughter after his wife died a year ago, had on Monday morning left for his showroom in the Maliwara market.

When he did not return in the evening, his daughter and other relatives looked for him but failed to trace him. They came to the shop on Tuesday and then found his body on the staircase leading to first floor.

"On the complaint of his daughter, a case has been registered against unidentified criminals and investigation has been initiated," said Ghaziabad Senior Superintendent of Police H.N. Singh.
Morbi (Gujarat), Sep 26 : On the second day of his Navsarjan Yatra in Saurashtra region, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the people of Gujarat, including farmers, small traders and labourers work hard but the benefits are reaped by five-10 industrialists and this "Modi Model" has to be changed.

Addressing a gathering here, Gandhi took pot shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said a government run by "remote control" will not work in the state.

"If we want to change Gujarat, we have to make a government of Gujarat. Government by remote control will not work," he said.

Gandhi said if Congress is voted to power, it will generate employment, help farmers and waive off loans.

"People who do not have houses, we will provide them houses. It will be a government of the poor and the weak. We have to bring it back on the rails," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said the story of Gujarat has been that of benefit of a few individuals.

"Work is done by the farmer, small trader, labourer, youth and benefits are reaped by 5-10 industrialists. This is the story of Gujarat, Modiji's model. We have to change this," Gandhi said.

Gandhi began the second day of his visit to Gujarat on Tuesday by meeting trading community representatives in Jamnagar. They shared their concerns with him.

Gandhi, who also addressed a gathering in Dhrol in Jamnagar, hit out at Modi over police firing during the Patidar agitation.

"Patidars had to face bullets under Modi government. But Congress wants to move forward with love and in spirit of brotherhood," he said.

Gandhi also tweeted his remarks.

"I want to tell the Patidar community that people of BJP were responsible for firing on you. This is not the Congress way. We work with affection and brotherhood."

"You cannot run Gujarat through remote control. Gujarat will be run by its farmers, labourers and small traders," he said.

Gandhi had on Monday started his party's campaign for the assembly election later this year with a visit to Dwarkadhish temple in Dwarka.

During his three-day visit to Gujarat, Gandhi is meeting people in villages across Saurashtra region which had witnessed agitation by the Patidar community for quotas in jobs and education.
Mumbai, Sep 26 : Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani on Tuesday said the telecom sector is under stress and banks are not extending any credit.

"The Reserve Bank of India in April asked all banks to be cautious on telecom. Banks are now not extending any credit," Ambani told the Reliance Communications (RCOM) annual general meeting here.

"The sector has transformed India as per late Dhirubhai Ambani's vision... The sector has brought mobility to a billion people, with only one winner - the customer," he added.

He, however, said there was a sharp erosion in the competitive landscape now and that some overseas operators have left the country.

"Over the last year, operator after operator has seen value erosion and large losses. I call this creative destruction of a sector, normally passed off as a disruptive factor," Ambani added.

He said the telecom sector needed a minimum of Rs 100,000 crore a year to expand and maintain quality of service.

"Telecom sector is moving towards a monopoly, oligopoly: Is that what the customers want? As far as RCOM is concerned, we have a transformation programme in place and running."
New Delhi, Sep 26 : Contradicting his party and government line, BJP MP Varun Gandhi has stoked a controversy by advocating asylum to Rohingya Muslims who have fled persecution in Myanmar and are at the verge of being thrown out of India on security concerns.

The MP from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh and son of Union Minister Maneka Gandhi wrote an article in Hindi daily Navbharat Times, asking the BJP government to keep in mind "the rich Indian tradition" of helping refugees before deporting Rohingyas to Myanmar.

"Four crore people have sought refuge in India since independence," Gandhi wrote in the newspaper and shared a link on Twitter.

"India should formulate a national refugee policy to help distinguish between those fleeing persecution and those fleeing poverty," said Gandhi.

In his article, the BJP MP noted the "discrimination" Afghan and Myanmar immigrants face in Delhi in finding jobs and houses.

The views are in stark contradiction of the government's stand. Home Minister Rajnath Singh last week said Rohingyas were illegal immigrants and should not be mistaken as refugees.

The government has told the Supreme Court that they posed a threat to India's national security as some of the were allegedly found to have links with Islamist militant organisations like Islamic State and Al Qaeda.

Gandhi's contrarian views drew an angry reaction from Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir, who said any person concerned about the security of the country would not have written such an article.

"Anybody who has national interest in mind will not make such a statement. It's not about my opinion or acceptance. What the government had decided is in national interest. No one should go against the government's decision on Rohingyas," Ahir told reporters here.

Ahir said the government won't let the Rohingyas settle in India because "they are a security threat".

"Rohingyas created trouble for Myanmar and worked against the government. If Myanmar has rejected them, why should we accept them," Ahir asked.

Following the reaction from the Minister, Gandhi took to Twitter to defend his views, saying he only called for empathy for the refugees.

"As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns," Gandhi tweeted.

"My recent piece focused primarily on defining India's asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how we would accept refugees."
The first thing I learned in prison was that I was nobody. Any day could be my last. I needed to be small, but strong. I needed to be humble, but brave.

I also needed to read a lot, work out and get a job in the law library. I needed a squad of two or three select comrades to eat, play cards and walk around the yard with. I needed to avoid drugs, gambling and sex  all sources of potential conflict. I needed to be smart, think ahead and plan. If backed in a corner, I needed to stand tall. Overall, I needed to love my mutilated life, to be hopeful and not fear death.

I learned these and other lessons during almost 13 years in prison for manslaughter, before being paroled in 2003. Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former Congressman and mayoral candidate who has been sentenced to prison himself for sexting a 15 year-old girl, would be wise to keep this advice in mind as he contemplates how to survive and become a better human being  or at least not a worse one.

It isnt easy, but it can be done.

Jeffrey Deskovic, 43, spent 16 years in prison for a murder he didnt commit. Today, Deskovic runs a foundation in his name that seeks to exonerate wrongly convicted prisoners. To date, the foundation has freed six wrongfully convicted men.

If I was to give advice to Anthony Weiner, I would tell him to talk to the other prisoners who come from different social-economic backgrounds, Deskovic says. As he hears their stories, while simultaneously experiencing prison for himself, maybe that will open his eyes and he can try to change some things when he gets out.

When I was released, I enrolled in NYU. In 2006, after graduating with a bachelors degree, I found steady work as a news photographer. The gig gave me a front-row seat to Weiners slow-motion self-destruction, beginning with the 2008 Democratic National Convention, when I photographed him for the first time.

He and I were standing backstage as Hillary Clinton addressed the delegates, conceding her loss to Barack Obama. Weiner, I figured, was waiting for Huma Abedin  Hillarys long-time, loyal assistant  because that spring they started dating.

When Clinton finished speaking, two young campaign staffers came running out, in tears. Huma followed, but her face was placid as she scanned the crowd for Weiner. I had my camera in my hands, ready to capture what I envisioned would be a touching, tender moment. I expected Weiner to hug her, and whisper some comforting or comical words in her ear.

Instead, Weiner turned his back and walked away.

I was at a press conference in 2011 when Weiner cried and confessed to sexting a college student but refused to resign from Congress. Ten days later, he did just that.

I was there in 2013, when he promised to have put his compulsive sexting habit behind him, and announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City, and I took his picture a few months later as he announced he was exiting the campaign because he had been caught sexting yet another woman.

This past May, Weiner pleaded guilty to federal obscenity charges. He admitted to engaging in obscene communications with a 15 year-old girl, knowing she was 15. According to federal prosecutors, he used graphic and obscene language to ask the Minor Victim to display her naked body and touch herself, which she did.



Anthony Weiner sobbed during his sentencing (Courtroom sketch by Jane Rosenberg)

While most non-violent federal offenders who received light sentences such as Weiners go to so-called minimum security "Club Fed" Federal prison camps, Weiner's crime could be classified as a sex crime, according to Larry Levine, a former federal prisoner who operates Wall Street Prison Consultants, a service that advises people headed to federal prison on how best to survive.

He will never see a minimum security camp," Levine says. Hes going to an FCI, or Federal Correctional Institute. Its gonna be like culture shock to him.

FCIs, Levine says, are significantly more dangerous than a minimum security camp. You got people serving a lot of time, things get rough, things get violent. Every FCI I was at, people were getting their asses kicked. People get stabbed with broom handles. People get brutally beat with folding chairs.

Weiners lawyers, in fact, anticipated their client being sent to an FCI instead of a camp. They asked the judge who sentenced Weiner to send him to FCI Schuylkill, in Pennsylvania, but the decision will ultimately be up to the Bureau of Prisons.

Levine is not optimistic about Weiners chances: He cried in the courtroom. Inmates get this information. The inmate population will view him as a whiney, cry-baby bitch. He showed a sign of weakness and thats gonna hurt him. Hes gonna have hard time."

If I was to give him advice, Levine says, Id tell him to show a lot of respect and keep his fucking mouth shut. Do not be a know-it-all. Dont get involved in drama and especially dont get involved in politics. Maybe, hell get out in one piece."

When I was away, or Up North as we called it in New York, we called sex-offenders tree jumpers or rape-os. Pedophiles were baby rapers. There were also booty bandits  men who preyed on weaker men for sex, usually by promising to protect them from other prisoners.

But the lowest form of prison life are snitches. A sex-offender might be able to convincingly explain what happened, but there was no accepted excuse for snitching.

In June the Wall Street Journal reported that roughly 700 government witnesses and informants had been threatened or wounded in prisons over the last three years, with 61 of them being murdered.

When I was a prisoner, some inmates shared sensitive legal documents, including pre-sentencing reports and police reports to prove they did not snitch, or that they were or weren't part of a specific gang, or that they did not commit a particular crime. It's a practice that the Wall Street Journal report says is still common.

Weiner should make copies of his paperwork and hand it out, especially given that federal prosecutors noted that the 15-year-old victim in his case approached Weiner to somehow to influence the U.S. presidential election, in addition to securing personal profit. The victim sold her story to the Daily Mail for $30,000, and to Inside Edition for $10,000, and is currently shopping it to publishers, according to the federal government.

After reading the documents, many prisoners, at least those who lived lives on the street, may take a more nuanced view of Weiners case.

To maximize his safety, Deskovic added, Weiner should not carry himself as if hes entitled or better than anybody else.

Leyla Martinez, 42, believes that this might be a good opportunity for Weiner to learn about the struggles and adversities of others less fortunate than himself.

Martinez served two years in prison. She is currently attending Columbia University, where she launched a petition to Ban the Box asking college applicants about criminal records.

Martinez adds that rich white men like Anthony Weiner are the ones who make laws that impact people of color who live in underserved communities.

They never take the time to learn from us, she says. This will be his chance to do so and maybe share his knowledge with his friends and relatives when he is released.

Chandra Bozelko, 45 was the first incarcerated American to have a regular newspaper column, in the New Haven Independent. She served more than six years in Connecticuts prisons. Today, she is a freelance editorialist and reporter focused on incarceration and other criminal justice issues.

When upper-middle class, educated, white people head to prison, theyre usually too focused on what other people will think about their downfall to notice whats really happening around them, Bozelko says. If you dont emerge from prison more grateful for the experience and the knowledge, then you werent paying attention.
Neemuch/Surat, Sep 26 : There is no age for choosing to renounce the world, says the family of Madhya Pradesh businessman couple Sumit Rathore and his wife Anamika who have become Jain ascetics, leaving behind their around three year-old daughter.

Ignoring protests by the family, Anamika followed the footsteps of her husband Sumit, the son of a millionaire businessman in Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch district, and embraced monkhood at a ceremony in Surat, Gujarat, on Monday.

According to the Jain society in Neemuch, when the couple resolved to become ascetics questions were raised as to who would take care of their two years 10-month-old daughter Ibhya, who has been given for adoption to Anamika's brother and sister-in-law.

The couple was supposed to embrace monkhood together on September 23 but Anamika could not do so after news about their daughter came to the notice of the Rajasthan Human Rights Commission. The husband became a monk that day and took on the new name of Sumit Muni.

According to people of Jain society, Anamika returned from Surat on September 23 and completed the process of her daughter's adoption. She embraced monkhood at a ceremony in Surat on September 25. Anamika's in-laws reside in Kapasan in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district.

Those who participated in Monday's ceremony said that Anamika took her vows of becoming a Jain nun, after which her head was shaven and she was made to wear white clothes. She was given a new name Sadhvi Anakar Shrijee.

Sumit's uncle Sushil told IANS on Tuesday that Sumit did his MBA in foreign trade from London, while Anamika did her engineering from the same place.

To a question on why the couple, who are in their early 30s, chose to become ascetics, he said that "One cannot define when the feeling to renounce the world will manifest in an individual. There is no age for becoming an ascetic."
Beijing, Sep 26 : Chinese-funded enterprises doing business in Pakistan should avoid flaunting economic and technical superiority and instead value the common interests of both countries, Chinese experts have said.

Wu Menglin, an associate researcher, and Liang Haiming, chairman and chief economist with China Silk Road iValley Research Institute, said in a state-run Global Times article that the Chinese-funded enterprises need to watch while investing in Pakistan.

The article came amid persistent Pakistani media reports that Chinese investments in Pakistan related to the Belt and Road initiative "do not simply reflect the Sino-Pakistan friendship or represent pure assistance to Pakistan but are instead driven by China's interests".

The experts said that Chinese-funded enterprises should hire more local workers and gradually export technology to Pakistan.

The companies were also told to take the initiative to learn and master the local system and culture, positively interact with the local community and never ignore issues related to labour welfare, security and environmental protection.

In addition, Chinese enterprises were advised to cooperate with local private companies.

"Only then can these investments gradually be approved and accepted by the local people, allowing Chinese-funded enterprises to develop more smoothly and quickly."

Wu and Liang also advised Chinese-funded enterprises to "avoid flaunting economic and technical superiority in any context or situation".

"Chinese companies should avoid superior behaviour and instead communicate with the people of Pakistan in an equal, friendly and cooperative manner.

"Doing so will give China a better image and help build harmonious coexistence for Chinese-funded enterprises investing in Pakistan," the article said.
Mumbai, Sep 26 : Infrastructure major Reliance Infrastructure on Tuesday said it will participate in the "very ambitious" Rs 1 lakh crore bullet train project of the Indian Railways.

"We are deeply engaged and involved with a number of Japanese companies through JVs (joint ventures) and we will participate in this very ambitious Rs 1 lakh crore project," Reliance Infrastructure's Chairman Anil D. Ambani said while addressing the company's shareholders at the 88th annual general meeting (AGM).

According to Ambani, the company is focusing on the EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) segment.

"In Mumbai, we are short-listed as bidder for Bandra-Versova Sea Link, coastal road project, and we also have LoIs (letter of intent) for metro orders," Ambani said.

"Besides, we have also qualified for the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway project. We will go through the process and compete."

Ambani further said that government is expected to shortly award contract for manufacture of six submarines worth Rs 50,000 crore.

"With the acquisition of Pipavav, we are one of the only two companies in India strategically positioned to participate in government of India's strategic partnership programme to build submarines. For the first time in India, private sector company will be actually building a submarine,"

"We believe very strongly that Defence is a sunrise sector. 90 per cent of country's defence requirements are imported."
New Delhi, Sep 26 : India and the US on Tuesday discussed deepening defence ties and enhancing trade and technology cooperation, with Washington expressing interest in expanding maritime security engagement amid China's growing aggression in South China sea.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis, the first high-ranking official of the Trump Administration to visit India, met Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and held talks with her in the South Block.

Later, the two addressed a joint media conference where Mattis said the focus was on enhancing the defence relations between the two countries, with the US viewing India as a regional stabilizer.

In an apparent reference to China, which has disputes with its maritime neighbours in the South China sea, both India and the US favoured maintaining an "open, just and rules-based order".

"A peaceful and prosperous future in the Indo-Pacific region is based on a strong rules-based international order and a shared commitment to international law, peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for territorial integrity," Mattis said.

Sharing his concerns, Sitharaman said: "We also believe that disputes should be resolved through peaceful means and in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law. I am happy to note that Secretary Mattis reaffirmed the US position in support of these principles.

"I also welcome his reiteration of the US commitment to work with India in ensuring maritime security in the lndo-Pacific and as first responder to HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) situations," she said.

She said the two discussed issues relating to maritime security in the Indian Ocean and the broader Asia-Pacific Region as well as regional connectivity. "India supports the freedom of navigation, over-flight and unimpeded lawful commerce."

Their statements came amid China's growing aggression in the South China sea and its growing presence in the Indian Ocean.

Mattis said the US valued India's leadership across the Indo-Pacific.

"India has vital role to play in supporting South East Asia's Regional Institutions - particularly ASEAN - and in building partner capacity across the region. We appreciate India's leadership in the Indian Ocean and we seek to work together to build a resilient regional architecture," Mattis said.

Declaring that expanding maritime engagement was one of his top priorities, the Defence Secretary said the US-India Malabar naval exercise with Japan was an example of the deepening cooperation.

"I look forward to opportunities to increase our engagements based on shared maritime objectives and explore new exercises," he said.

The US expressed interest in deepening the trade and technology collaborations under the Make in India framework.

Sitharaman said India and the US have "agreed that the full implementation of the understanding reached following the announcement by the US last year recognizing India as a Major Defence Partner".

She said India and the US have agreed they need to expand on the progress already made by encouraging co-production and co-development efforts.

"I reiterated India's deep interest in enhancing defence manufacturing in India under Prime Minister's Make-in-India programme," she said.

Mattis said the US looked forward to sharing "some of our most advanced defence technologies through the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI)".

He said the aim of his visit was to promote "pragmatic progress" between the two countries.

"US-India defence cooperation has steadily expanded in recent years, underpinned by a strategic convergence between our two countries based on common objectives and goals in the region," he said.

On Pyongyang, Mattis appreciated India's effort along with the international community to increase pressure against North Korea over its "dangerous and destabilising behaviour".

Answering a question, Mattis said US wanted to resolve the North Korea issue through diplomatic means.
Ankara, Sep 26 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said Iraqi Kurds could go hungry as a result of the punitive measures it is considering after a referendum on independence for Iraq's Kurdistan region.

Erdogan accused the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of "treachery" for pressing ahead with the vote despite international opposition. "All military and economic options are now on the table," the Turkish President was quoted as saying by Hurriyet Daily News.

Erdogan called on the KRG leadership "to come to its senses".

"All possibilities, from economic sanctions to military options, are on the table... I hope that the northern Iraqi leadership will come to its senses before any of these are necessary, abandoning this adventure which will only end in darkness," he said.

He had previously threatened to cut a vital Kurdish oil export pipeline and stop lorries crossing Turkey's border.

Turkey fears that the emergence of an independent Kurdish state on its border will stoke separatist feeling in its own Kurdish minority.

On Monday, large numbers of people took part in the vote on independence for Iraq's Kurdistan region amid growing opposition both at home and abroad. The polls were rejected by the Iraqi central government, the UN, the EU, the US and regional powers Turkey and Iran.

Votes were still being counted, with a big victory for "yes" expected, BBC reported.

Kurdish leaders said that would not automatically trigger a declaration of independence, but rather give them a mandate to start negotiations on secession with the central government in Baghdad and with neighbouring countries.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ruled out any such talks. "We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional," he said in a speech on Monday night.

The US State Department said it was "deeply disappointed" that the vote went ahead. "We believe this step will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

UN Secretary General AntAnio Guterres expressed concern about the "potentially destabilising effects" of the vote.

Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.
Gadag (Karnataka), Sep 26 : Stating that the number of Indians defecating in the open has come down from 60 crore in 2014 to 30 crore in 2017, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the government is committed to achieving "Clean India" by October 2, 2019.

"Mahatma Gandhi accorded highest priority to sanitation and cleanliness and had said 'sanitation is more important than political freedom'. Every Indian should become part of this movement so that Clean India is achieved by October 2, 2019 -- the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi," Naidu said.

"Over 5 crore toilets have been constructed in rural and urban areas. There is some distance to cover, and we are all committed to achieving a clean and open defecation-free (ODF) India by October 2019," the Vice President said during his visit to the state.

Naidu was speaking at the inauguration of "Swacchta Hi Seva", a sanitation campaign, and the state government's "Shouchalayakkagi Samara" (crusade for toilets) programme in Konnur village in Gadag district of Karnataka, located about 400 km to the north of the state capital.

During his visit to Konnur, the Vice President had declared Naragund Taluk of Gadag district open defecation free.

The number of Indians defecating in the open in rural and urban areas was estimated to have come down to 30 crore, from about 60 crore in 2014, he said.

Over 2,45,000 villages, 1,300 cities, 200 districts and five states had already been declared open defecation free, the Vice President said.

Commending the state government's initiatives towards sanitation, Naidu said Karnataka had shown "remarkable" progress in declaring nearly 12,000 villages and seven districts open defecation free.

Quoting a United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) study, Naidu said good sanitation could save up to Rs 50,000 per family per year.

"A World Bank report has said that lack of sanitation costs over 6 per cent of our country's Gross Domestic Product," he said.

"Over 100,000 children in India die each year due to diarrhoea, which is caused by contaminated water and food, and many children face physical and cognitive stunting," Naidu said.

"Women and girls face a serious threat to their safety when they resort to open defecation. These are all serious issues and can no longer be ignored," he added.

"The dream of the Father of the Nation could be realised through Swachh Bharat Abhiyan if everyone from celebrities to common man selflessly participates in it, rather than treating it as a government-driven campaign," Naidu stated.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or the Clean India Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014 to eliminate open defecation in the country.

State Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Jigajinagi, Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj H.K. Patil and other state officials were present at the public gathering.
Srinagar, Sep 26 : Jammu and Kashmir's longest surviving militant commander, Qayoom Nazar, was killed on Tuesday by security forces when he was trying to sneak into India from Pakistan.

Syed Imtiyaz Hussain, the Senior Superintendent of Police in Baramulla, confirmed to IANS Nazir's killing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector.

Giving details about the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant commander's death, Hussain said Nazar was baptized into militancy in 1999 when he killed Abdul Majid Dar, the then estranged operational commander of the group.

"He belonged to Batapora in Sopore town. He himself was estranged with HM for sometime. That was the reason he was called to HM's base camp in Pakistan to meet Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin.

"After sorting out issues with him, Sallahuddin had sent him back to take over the command of the outfit in Kashmir.

"It was during his bid to infiltrate back into the Valley (on Tuesday) that he was killed."

BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav was the first to tweet that Nazar had been killed.
Chennai, Sep 26 : Superstar Mahesh Babu, whose Telugu-Tamil spy thriller "Spyder" is releasing on Wednesday, says he has never liked the idea of remaking a film.

"I am not into remakes. I never liked that idea and my dream was always that a Telugu film should be made in Telugu and then everybody should talk about it," Babu said in an interview to CNN-News18.

"Mr S.S. Rajamouli achieved my dream, so I know that you can dream. That's how I am and now with 'Spyder', I am coming closer to my dream," he added.

On being asked about the issue of nepotism, Mahesh, son of veteran Telugu actor Krishna, said: "It will only help for the first film, like for your launch it might help. But then after that you are on your own.

"Only talent can succeed. Like for me, I would say there was a huge pressure on me. My first film ('Raja Kumarudu') definitely was a big hit. (It was) because of my father's fans supporting it that I got this opening, but my second, third, fourth film just fell flat on its face and I had to prove myself with the films. So, it all gets down to your talent."

Mahesh says he is ready to star in a Bollywood film, but it "depends on the project and the director when somebody approaches with an exciting idea."

Talking about "Spyder", which has been directed by A.R. Murugadoss, Mahesh said: "I wouldn't say it's a typical James Bond kind of spy thriller. But, it's got its elements. It is a typical A.R. Murugadoss film, where the audience would be sitting on the edge of their seat."
Dhaka, Sep 26 : The UN office in Bangladesh on Tuesday said 480,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority have crossed into the country from Myanmar over the last month.

The Inter-Sectoral Coordination Group said in its report that the number had grown by 50,000 over the last two days, Efe news reported.

It said the increase was due to the addition of 35,000 people who had not been included in the previous report's count, as well as new arrivals in recent hours.

Despite the decrease in arrivals recorded between September 21-24, it was once again observed that many hundreds of people crossed into the country between September 25-26, the report added.

The Rohingya refugees began fleeing Myanmar from August 25 when Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) rebels attacked police checkposts and killed 12 security personnel, triggering a military crackdown.

Myanmar has said its military operations in Rakhine state were in response to the August attack and that the military was battling terrorists.

Nonprofits have denounced human rights violations and the international community has increased pressure on the Myanmar government over the military operation.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : India on Tuesday made it clear to the US that it won't deploy troops in war-torn Afghanistan even as New Delhi and Washington pledged to eradicate the "scourge" of terrorism and to hold to account those who use it as an instrument of state policy, an apparent reference to Pakistan.

"There shall not be boots from India on the ground (in Afghanistan)," Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at a joint media conference after talks with visiting US Defence Secretary James Mattis.

She was replying to a question about India's contribution in Afghanistan and whether it would deploy its troops there.

Mattis is the first high ranking official of the Trump administration to visit India amidst expectation from the US that India could change its stand on a possible military presence in Afghanistan.

US President Donald Trump, while unveiling his new policy on Afghanistan last month, asked India to help more with the troubled country, battling decades of Islamist insurgency.

Sitharaman said India's contribution to Afghanistan had been there for a very long time in development activities like building dams, schools, hospitals, roads and any institution which the country may require.

"We are also at the moment training their officials in good governance... India's contribution has been there and we shall expand if necessary," she said.

"We also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth. There is growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue. We both recognise the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism," Sitharaman said.

She said India welcomed Trump's new Afghan strategy and added she had "useful discussions" with Mattis on "how we can strengthen our cooperation bilaterally as well as with the government of Afghanistan in pursuit of our common objective of a peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan".

Mattis lauded India's efforts in Afghanistan.

"In particular, we applaud India's invaluable contributions to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote Afghanistan's democracy, stability and security. We seek to expand our cooperation in building partnership across the region."

He said the two countries recognized the threat global terrorism posed to people throughout the world. "There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens. As global leaders, India and the US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge."

The Defence Secretary said both India and the US had suffered losses due to terrorism and "one aspect of this is universally shared by all responsible nations that there shall be no safe havens for terror".

He did not name Pakistan but Sitharaman minced no words in saying that terror attacks in Mumbai or in New York originated from Pakistan.

"The very same forces which did find safe haven in Pakistan were the forces that hit New York as well as Mumbai," she said.

She urged the US Defence Secretary to "speak out and raise this issue" on his next visit to Pakistan.

Replying to a question, Mattis appreciated India's efforts for increasing pressure on North Korea over nuclear activities.

India and the US also discussed maritime security in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region where China has become increasingly aggressive in the South China Sea.
Mumbai, Sep 26 : The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retd), one of the prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, on grounds of parity.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Ranjit More and Justice Sadhna Jadhav granted him bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 100,000 and two sureties.

National Investigating Agency (NIA) counsel Sandesh Patil opposed the bail plea, but the court said it had no options in view of Supreme Court directions on parity since other prime accused in the case have been enlarged on bail.

On whether Upadhyay was liable for the charge of "waging war against the nation" and if his role in the blast was bigger than that of another prime accused, Lt Col Prasad S. Purohit, who was released last month on bail, Upadhyay's lawyer Sudeep Pasbola denied it.

Pasbola contended that the apex court has recently given bail to Purohit while a Special MCOCA Court in Mumbai had last week granted bail to other accused -- Sudhakar Dwivedi alias Dayanand Pandey and Sudhakar Chaturvedi -- and hence Upadhyay also was entitled to bail on grounds of parity.

Upadhyay was arrested prior to Purohit in the case wherein a blast in a Muslim locality of Malegaon in Nashik district left seven dead and over 100 injured.

He was accused of joining various meetings organised by right-wing organisation Abhinav Bharat, reportedly founded by Purohit.

Pasbola said the organisation was not banned and the blast proposal was given by Purohit and others as they had planned to wage a guerrilla war, as per the charge sheet filed against them.

In its charge sheet, the NIA has detailed transcripts of telephonic conversations between Purohit and Upadhyay as prime evidence against the latter.

Upadhyay is the 10th accused to get bail in the case, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur who was released last year.

In May 2016, a Special MCOCA Court had dropped the charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against 11 accused in the Malegaon case.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : A court here on Tuesday asked the police why, despite the court's order, it has not unsealed a room in Hotel Leela Palace where former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in 2014.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh asked a senior police officer to appear before it and explain why its order to unseal room number 345 that has remained locked since January 17, 2014, has not been followed.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on October 6.

Delhi Police sought more time to keep the room locked, arguing that a forensic report on samples collected from the spot was still awaited.

The court said the room was had been locked for over three years which caused huge financial loss to the hotel.

On July 21 this year, the court ordered its unsealing, saying the hotel cannot be made to suffer merely because the investigating team cannot ascertain the cause of Pushkar's death. On September 12, the court again ordered to unseal the room.

The hotel's management told the court that as the room had been lying locked for a long time, termites, bugs and other pests had spoilt it and even the adjoining area.

It said investigators would be allowed to take whatever they wanted as evidence from the room, pointing out that no investigating agency official had visited it for the past one year.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : Terror outfits like Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) have failed to find roots in India, thanks to the unity exuded by every section of Indian society, including Muslims, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said here on Tuesday.

The minister's observation came during a meeting with the Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr Eddine Hassoun, who led a delegation that called on Naqvi at his office here.

One of the sons of Grand Mufti Hassoun was shot dead by IS militants.

Naqvi said: "India's culture and tradition is filled with peace, brotherhood and human values. Hajrat Imam Hussain (A.S) gave a strong message against terrorism and atrocities at Karbala. That message will remain relevant forever."

"India is a country of different religions and languages. But our culture of brotherhood, tolerance, communal harmony and democratic values has maintained unity in diversity. This strength of India has defeated all evil forces who are trying to disturb peace and harmony," the minister said.

"Secularism is India's commitment and culture," he added.

Naqvi said India was playing a major role in worldwide efforts against terrorism and had adopted a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, adding that the world had now realised that terrorism was not a problem of any particular country but that of the entire humanity.

The Grand Mufti said India's cultural harmony, brotherhood, unity and culture of tolerance was an example and a source of inspiration for the entire world.

He said that Islam has given a strong message against terrorism and all other forms of violence. "Islam has given message of human values, brotherhood and communal harmony," he added.
Rabat, Sep 26 : The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is helping to further increase financing to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Morocco by providing 217 million dirhams (up to 20 million euros) in local currency loans.

The loan will be provided in two equal tranches to CaixaBank Branch in Morocco (CBM) for on-lending to SMEs, EBRD said in a statement on Tuesday.

Alain Pilloux, the EBRD Vice President for Banking, said: "We are pleased to partner with CaixaBank, to provide this much-needed funding in local currency. SMEs are the backbone of the Moroccan economy and supporting them will increase employment in the country and contribute to economic growth."

"We are extremely glad to sign this loan agreement with the EBRD and we expect a long lasting cooperation between our institutions," said Ignacio Pino, Country Manager of CBM in Morocco.

Morocco is a founding member of the EBRD and became a country of operations in 2012. To date, the bank has invested about 1.2 billion euros in 30 projects in the country.

CaixaBank Branch in Morocco (CBM) was established in July 2009. It is an international branch of CaixaBank SA (CBS), the third-largest lender in Spain.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 26 : Driving licenses valid in Sharjah to be issued in Kerala for those going to the UAE, an Arabic Study Centre in Kerala -- are among the recommendations accepted in principle by the visiting Supreme Council Member and ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, said a joint communique issued by Sharjah and the Kerala government on Tuesday night.

As a token of the state's appreciation for the visiting dignitary Kerala has decided to give land to construct the UAE Consulate, which is currently housed in a rented building in the capital city.

Besides the above two proposals, the Sharjah government has also decided to consider very seriously the demand that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had put before him on Monday - to construct a family city and a Kerala cultural centre over 20 acres of land in Sharjah.

Of the 20 acres, 10 acres would be to set up a family centre containing apartment blocks besides a state-of-the-art hospital.

The proposed cultural centre would showcase various cultural aspects of Kerala and be a permanent venue for conducting cultural programmes and also an Ayurveda centre.

In order to see that the initiatives become a reality, a joint high power committee of officials from Kerala and Sharjah will be soon set up.

The Sharjah ruler, is in Kerala since Sunday, has held two rounds of meetings with Vijayan. On Monday night the state government hosted a dinner in his honour which was attended by the cream of the society.

On Wednesday, he will be in Kochi to attend a private function being organised by the Middle East business honcho M.A. Yusuf Ali, and on Thursday he will leave for Jaipur.

Indians in the UAE comprise the largest chunk of the population, at over two million and are mostly from Kerala and other south Indian states. Indian migrants form over 17 per cent of the total population of the UAE.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : The CBI on Tuesday issued fresh summons -- third in this month -- to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav in the ongoing probe into alleged irregularities in IRCTC hotels' contract case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) asked both to visit its headquarters on Lodhi Road in south Delhi on October 3 and 4, respectively, to join investigation in the case, an official said.

The CBI's latest move comes after Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi skipped two earlier summons.

On September 22, the CBI issued summons to the two Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders for September 25 and 26, respectively, for questioning, but they, by a written letter through their advocates, sought two weeks' time.

The CBI had summoned the former Bihar Chief Minister and son Tejashwi, who is a former Deputy Chief Minister, on September 7 as well for questioning on September 11 and 12.

The CBI had, on July 5, filed a corruption case against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav for alleged irregularities in the allotment of contracts for Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels at Ranchi and Puri in 2006 to a private company when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009.

The contracts were allegedly handed over to Sujata Hotels company owned by Vijay and Vinay Kochhar in lieu of a bribe in the form of a plot of prime land in Bihar, the CBI said.

According to the CBI, Lalu Prasad allegedly granted illegal favours to Sujata Hotels.

The CBI, which registered the case under charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and the Prevention of Corruption Act, claimed that the kickbacks were paid through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of RJD MP Prem Chand Gupta.

The CBI preliminary inquiry allegedly found that the said land was sold by the Kochhars to Delight Marketing, and payment was arranged through Ahluwalia Contractors and its promoter Bikramjeet Singh Ahluwalia.

The Enforcement Directorate, which is also probing the financial irregularities in the case, has questioned Ahluwalia and also summoned Sujata Hotels owners for questioning.

The ED had, on July 27, registered a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following the CBI FIR and was probing allegations against Lalu Prasad and others for alleged transaction of money through shell companies.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, the "adopted daughter" of the now jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

"The plea is without merit. Honeypreet has been evading arrest in Haryana," ruled Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal on the plea moved earlier in the day by Honeypreet, who apprehended a threat to her life in Haryana.

Her advocate Pradeep Kumar Arya told the bench that she is willing to join investigation but wants protection from arrest.
Bhubaneswar, Sep 26 : A court here on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of BJD legislator Pravat Biswal, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with Seashore chit fund scam in Odisha.

The Khurda District and Sessions Court rejected the bail application, which was moved on the ground of Pravat's health condition.

Earlier, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court had rejected the bail application of the BJD MLA and sent him to Jharpada jail.

Biswal, who was admitted to Capital Hospital here after he complained about health, has been shifted to SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack following the recommendation of doctors.

The CBI arrested Biswal from Cuttack on September 19 in connection with a land deal with Seashore Group CMD Prashant Das, who is accused of duping about Rs 500 crore by floating various schemes in the state.

The investigating agency also said the BJD legislator was allegedly paid to protect business interest of Seashore Group.

Meanwhile, some civil society activists held a demonstration in front of the CBI office here demanding a speedy probe into the chit fund scam.

They also demanded that the politicians and senior officials involved in the scam be booked at the earliest.
Bhubaneswar, Sep 26 : Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi on Tuesday said sexual exploitation of children has spread like an epidemic in the country and called upon people to fight against the evil.

"Our children are not safe either in homes, schools or in the market or anywhere. This is a moral epidemic haunting our country. We have to protect our India. The nation will be safe when our children are safe," said Satyarthi flagging off the Bharat Yatra campaign here.

He said the aim of Bharat Yatra is to protect the country from all evils and make it safe for children.

Condemning the two incidences of alleged sexual abuse in Ryan International School, Gurugram, and in Tagore Public School, Delhi, the Nobel Peace laureate said schools in India are not safe for children anymore.

"We have to change the situation. We have to fight against the evil to make safer places for our children," said Satyarthi.

Declaring a war against crimes like sexual abuse and child trafficking, he hoped the Bharat Yatra campaign will make India safe again for children.

He also called upon the parliamentarians to pass a stringent law against human trafficking, including child trafficking.

Bharat Yatra, a nationwide march against child sexual abuse and human trafficking, was flagged-off from Bhubaneswar to other destinations. It would cover 11,000 km in 35 days across 22 states.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : Demanding a probe into the BHU violence by an all-party panel of senior MPs, the Congress on Tuesday in a personal dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he "doesn't understand the role of a father" to empathise with the problems of the protesting women at the university, "who were like his daughters".

The party also said the Vice Chancellor of BHU (Girish Chandra Tripathi) must be immediately removed from his post and termed the "Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao" scheme of the government as 'Beti Padhao aur Beti Pitwao (Teach the girls and beat them up).

"I don't know if there was Prime Minister's (Modi) programme in Varanasi, but its MP was present there. It is his duty.. The lathicharge on students and girls took place on September 24, which is also the Daughters' day.

"The manner in which the PM gets off his car to wave at the crowds when he is welcomed..Even when he goes to his party (BJP) office, he gets off his car and starts walking towards it..

"Had he once approached the protesting students walking, I am sure the girls of the country seeing their PM coming towards them, would have felt he is like their father.

"But he doesn't understand the role of a father..The MP did not want to play the role of a father..Therefore not coming forward as a father, he (Modi) ran away through the lanes of Varanasi. Had he not been the PM, I would have said he ran away like a bhagora (deserter)," said Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar. Modi is Lok Sabha MP from Varanasi.

Modi's route through the BHU gate, during his visit to the city last week, was changed as students were protesting there against eve teasing in the campus.

The Congress also said the preliminary report of the probe by the Commissioner of Varanasi in the BHU incident blamed the university administration.

"The report, which was sent to the chief secretary Rajiv Kumar, said BHU administration did not handle the complaint of the victims in the correct manner, nor did it bring the situation under control. That's why such a big incident happened," said Babbar.

"The three agencies which are responsible for the violence on the students at BHU are the university administration, Zila administration and police administration," he added.

Babbar said: "The manner in which the VC defended himself and gave false statements, it is very shameful.

Babbar said the VC said that the students were trying to damage the statue of Madan Mohan Malviya. "That's why police took action. This is an after-thought report. This was written after three days," he added.

"The VC also said that there was no lathicharge. There are videos which testifty the lathicharge. For the first time an FIR was lodged against 1,000 unknown students of a university," he added.

"The VC even told some people that 'if we pay attention to the complaint of one student, then how can we run the university'. Nothing can be a more insensitive statement," said Babbar.

"We demand that an all-party senior MPs committee should go there and probe the matter. It is not a small incident. After probing they should submit the report to the central government. The VC should be removed till the probe is on.

"The manner in which the Vice Chancellor told white lies, gave false statements, he should not be allowed to enter any other university," he added.

Babbar also said as long as the VC is there, the probe can't be impartial.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, the "adopted daughter" of the now jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

"The plea is without merit. Honeypreet has been evading arrest in Haryana," ruled Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal on the plea moved earlier in the day by Honeypreet, who apprehended a threat to her life in Haryana.

"Keeping in the view the facts and circumstances of the case that the applicant (Honeypreet) till now has evaded arrest, discretionary relief should not be granted," the court said.

"It appears that the application is not bona fide and has been filed with a view to gain time."

The court said that the prayer of Honeypreet's counsel Pradeep Kumar Arya that protection be granted to her so that she may apprpach the Punjab and Haryana High Court is without merit as Honeypreet had liberty to avail the remedy before the competent court.

Arya had told the bench that she is willing to join investigation but wants protection from arrest, requesting his client be granted three weeks transit anticipatory bail so that she can move the high court for anticipatory bail as soon as situation calms down there.

She cannot join investigation as the atmosphere is not good in Haryana and even intelligence report revealed that there is a threat to her life. He also noted that a Deputy Inspector General of Police in Haryana has also expressed that there is threat to Honeypreet's life.

Appearing for Delhi Police, advocate Rahul Mehra said that the city police will take care of her protection, if she surrenders. However, he raised the issue if she was a Delhi resident, saying she had not submitted her actual address in her bail plea.

The counsel representing Haryana Police opposed the plea, saying her anticipatory bail plea is only maintainable in a state court as she is a permanent resident of Sirsa.

At this, Arya argued that she stayed in Greater Kailash whenever she visits Delhi and currently she is unsafe in Haryana.

The court asked counsel whether she can surrender herself here or before Haryana Police and then reserved its order.

Early in the morning, Arya mentioned her bail plea before a bench headed by the high court's Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal for early hearing. The matter was then transferred to single judge bench of Justice Sehgal.

The Haryana Police on Tuesday morning conducted raids in the national capital in a bid to arrest Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, another close aide of the Dera chief.

A court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, had on Monday issued arrest warrants against Honeypreet, Aditya and Pawan Insan after all three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court convicted him on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s and the Dera chief's closest aide since 2009, is on the run since August 25, hours after Ram Rahim was convicted. Police is on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana as well as Nepal.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband, Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His conviction led to violence in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several places in Punjab.
Gandhinagar, Sep 26 : The much-awaited talks over the vexed Patel reservation issue initiated by the Gujarat government with the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti ended in a whimper, with the former glossing over the key quota issue while promising to consider forming a commission for the welfare of non-reserved castes.

"We had a discussion with the government but there was no result. The agitation is for reservation to the Patidars in educational institutions and government jobs under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category," firebrand Patidar leader Hardik Patel told IANS hours after the meeting.

"The agitation will continue till our key demand is met. If the government agrees to consider other demands and makes an announcement after two days as it said, we welcome it.

"It should, however, be clear that these demands have spawned from the government's own doing," he asserted.

Represented by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, the government assured the Patidar leaders from six organisations that it would consider setting up an autonomous commission or a Special Investigation Team for the welfare of the Patidars.

However, the announcement to this effect would come only after Wednesday's meeting of the state cabinet.

Similarly, Nitin Patel agreed to consider the demands of the Patidars to withdraw legal cases slapped on the community leaders during the agitation.

About action against police officials for "atrocities committed on the Patidars in August 2015" leading to the death of 14 Patel youngsters, Nitin Patel said the government would consider setting up a commission headed by a retired high court judge, according to an official press communique.

But even this would be formally announced after the cabinet meeting.

Hardik Patel and his team agreed to attend the meeting only after Gujarat BJP President Jitubhai Vaghani was asked to leave the venue.

"Our meeting was with the state government and not a political party," the Patidar leader said.

As for the compensation to the families of those Patidar youth who were killed in police action during the agitation, this responsibility has been entrusted to "leaders of the Patidar religious organisations while they would also look for jobs for their kin".

"The meeting was a sham. We were made to hear lecturing by the government instead of speaking about solutions. So some of us got angry over this drama," a Patidar leader present during the negotiations told IANS, requesting anonymity.
Jaipur, Sep 26 : Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajpati Raju on Tuesday launched Delhi-Bikaner-Delhi flight under the central government's regional air connectivity scheme.

Raju and Minister of State in Ministry of Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghal, who is also the MP from Bikaner, and some of the other prominent personalities boarded the flight.

Hundreds of people gathered as for the first time, Alliance Air ATR-72 landed at Nal Airport in Bikaner. People clapped and danced to the drum beats.

Raju, by lighting a lamp, launched the flight from Bikaner to Delhi after which the aircraft took off around 4 p.m. from Bikaner to Delhi.

"The flight will operate daily," R.S. Meena, Airport Director, Bikaner told IANS.

Talking to media, Raju said "with the launch of the flight, Bikaner has been connected not only with Delhi but with rest of the world".

He said that central government is committed to increase and improve regional connectivity.

"This will give a boost to industries and tourism in Bikaner," he added.

Raju, in a tweet said: "Alliance Air UDAN flight to Bikaner takes wings today. With our youngest passenger, 27 days old who goes to Bikaner for his naming ceremony."

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje tweeted: "The air travel options within the state will boost tourism and economy. These efforts are a step towards the New Rajasthan we envisioned."
Islamabad, Sep 26 : Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday once again slammed the judiciary for rejecting his appeal against his disqualification from office and reaffirmed he would fight a legal battle to clear his name.

His comments came as an anti-corruption court announced that Sharif will be indicted on October 2 in three graft cases filed against him, Geo News reported.

Addressing a press conference here after making his first appearance before the accountability court to face corruption charges, Sharif claimed he was targetd in the so-called Panama Papers case. "I know for what reasons I am being punished," he said.

Sharif returned to Pakistan from London on Monday where he travelled to see his ailing wife, Kulsoom, who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer in the British capital.

He claimed that "when they could not find proof (of his wrongdoing), they made a joint investigation team. The same courts and judges announced the decision and told NAB to open references."

"Then the same court took control of NAB," he said. "If necessary, this same court will listen to my last appeal as well."

"Is this how justice works?" he asked. "Is this what we call the rule of law? Does Article 10 (of the Constitution) say this - is this what it means by a fair trial?"

"This is the first case that the weight of the law was placed with the petitioner, and the rights of the defence were not implemented," he said.

The former premier said that he was ousted despite the failure of the prosecution to prove wrongdoing by him or his family. "No accusation was proved - they were not able to prove any corruption. But they had to disqualify me and so the iqama (his work permit with the UAE-based company) was used," Sharif said.

Sharif was disqualified by the apex court on July 28 for not declaring income from his son's company in the United Arab Emirates. He said at least the court should have told the people that no allegation of corruption had been proved against him.

"When legal experts themselves did not accept the decision, what could I do? These decisions were passed, punishments were given - but they were not accepted."

Sharif said he would stay in Pakistan to face courts despite strong reservations. He also announced that he would wage a struggle for democracy and sanctity of vote.

"I am the victim of a case based on lies, and I am bearing the punishments for it. I have been fighting false cases and being punished but I have decided to fight the case of rights of people to rule...sanctity of vote. I believe people would win in the long run," he said.

The National Accountability Board court also issued bailable arrest warrants for the ousted premier's children Hassan, Hussain and Maryam Nawaz and his son-in-law Mohammad Safdar ahead of the indictment.

The bail amount was fixed at 1 million rupees ($9,490) for each.

Khawaja Haris, the lawyer of the Sharifs, argued that Sharif's children could not appear before the court as they were in London with their mother. The Sharifs had been summoned before the court on September 15.
Mumbai, Sep 26 : The Maharashtra government and South Korea signed a MoU for cooperation in construction major infra projects in the state including the upcoming 706 km Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, an official said here on Tuesday.

The MoU was inked in the presence of visiting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and South Korea's Minister for Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mee in Seoul on Tuesday.

Detailing various projects, Fadnavis informed Kim that Maharashtra leads in the industrial development in India and has attracted 50 per cent of all foreign direct investments in this country.

As per the MoU, South Korea is expected to support or participate with the state on other major projects like Smart Cities, roads and highways, airports and metrorail coming up in different parts of Maharashtra.

The developments came on the first day of the three-day visit by a high-power delegation led by Fadnavis to South Korea. The delegation will later visit Singapore for a couple of days before returning home on September 29.

Earlier, the state government had signed a MoU with the South Korean Land & Housing Corporation to take up land development, town planning and housing projects along the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway and set up 'agro-prosperity centres' for boosting agro-based industries and generating employment, officials said.

During his stay, Fadnavis is scheduled to meet top representatives of global giants like Hyundai Heavy Engineering, LG Electronics, Hyosung Corporation, Samsung and others with focus on attracting South Korean FDI for the state.

The delegation included Additional Chief Secretaries Sunil Porwal, Pravin Pardeshi, Principal Secretary Ashish Kumar Singh, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Vice-Chairman and MD Bhushan Gagrani and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation Chief Executive Sanjay Sethi.
Morena/Bhopal, Sep 26 : An RTI activist, Mukesh Dubey, was found beaten to death on Tuesday morning in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, police said.

Police said a body with injury marks was found in Matkaura village in Sumawali police station area. The deceased was identified as Mukesh Dubey of Morena from an identify card found on him.

Bamore Sub-Divisional Police Officer Atmaram Sharma said several cases were registered against Mukesh, adding that police was investigating.

Right to Information activist Ajay Dubey wrote to the state Chief Information Commissioner to demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the murder.

RTI activist Aishwarya Pandey said Mukesh was done to death for his attempts to expose corruption in rural local bodies.
Chennai, Sep 26 : DMK President M. Karunanidhi is doing well, his son and party leader M.K. Stalin said here on Tuesday.

Stalin spoke to the media after calling on Karunanidhi amid rumours that the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's health had deteriorated.

Several DMK leaders including General Secretary K. Anbazhagan and former Minister Arcot N. Veerasamy visited Karunanidhi at his residence at Gopalapuram.
Lucknow/Varanasi, Sep 26 : A report by the Varanasi Commissioner on the violence in the BHU, submitted on Tuesday, has blamed the varsity administration for Saturday's violence and baton-charge on protesting students.

The opposition subsequently demanded the Vice Chancellor be sacked.

In his report sent to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn has said that Banaras Hindu University (BHU) did not deal with the victim's complaint in a sensitive manner and failed to handle the situation on time.

According to the report, the biggest fault in this case is that of the administration and such a controversy would not have taken place had they handled the matter appropriately.

Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati said that due to wrong policies and indifference of the state's BJP government, the BHU is bearing the brunt of police excesses, violence and arson.

In a statement, she also accused Vice Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi of behaving in an "arrogant and dictatorial manner" and blamed him for the situation.

State Congress President Raj Babbar, who is staying in Varanasi, demanded Tripathi's resignation.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan of 'Beti padhao, beti bachao' has changed to 'Beti padhao, beti pitwao' in Uttar Pradesh. The VC should be immediately removed as impartial investigation cannot be done if he continue sit the chair," Babbar said.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) workers staged a dharna in front of Gandhi statue in Lucknow's GPO park, shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and demanded removal of guilty police officers as well as the Vice Chancellor.

However, Tripathi has denied that the students were baton-charged in the campus. He said that action was taken against those who hurled petrol bombs and pelted stones, and attempted to burn the university's property.

He said that he met with the victim and her friends twice.

The BHU administration has decided to conduct a judicial inquiry into the incident.

The investigation would be conducted by a team headed by V.K. Dixit, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court.

In Lucknow, state Power Minister and government's spokesman Shrikant Tripathi, after emerging from a Cabinet meet, said that the government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incidents.

However, seconds later, he retracted and said that the local officials would only conduct an inquiry into the incident. He also blamed "outside elements" for the violence.

"Some people are trying to vitiate BHU's atmosphere. The government will not let such people succeed and anti-social elements would be strictly dealt with. The police has started identifying such people and there would be strict action against them soon," Sharma said.

In Delhi, Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha, who is an alumnus of BHU, said that a baton charge on students, especially female students, is totally unacceptable and strong action would be taken against those involved in the BHU incident.

"Lathicharge on any student, especially girl students, is not permissible. Strong action will be taken against those involved in this incident," said Sinha, who studied in IIT-BHU and and a Lok Sabha Member from the adjoining Ghazipur constituency, on the sidelines of an event here.

Officials linked to the BHU administration said that 65 more sensitive areas on the campus have been identified where CCTV cameras would be installed. In the first phase, the CCTV cameras would be installed at the entrance of the campus and outside the women's hostel. Women are also being included in security.

Arrangements would be made for preventing the entry of vehicles on the routes surrounding the women's hostel. The street lights would be fixed and new street lights installed on the campus.
New Delhi/Chandigarh, Sep 26 : Embarrassed by the fact that fugitive Honeypreet, a close aide of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, had emerged in Delhi and sought anticipatory transit bail from the Delhi High Court, the Haryana Police on Tuesday conducted raids in and around Delhi.

Haryana Police sources said one raid was carried out at a house in Delhi's Greater Kailash to arrest fugitive Honeypreet and Aditya Insan, both close aides of the disgraced sect chief. A couple of other places were also raided in and around the national capital but officials did not disclose details.

"Panchkula police came with an arrest warrant for Honeypreet at A-9, Greater Kailash Enclave, Delhi. The place was raided at 7.30 a.m, but she was not found there," Romil Baaniya, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South-East Delhi said.

The officer said the house was a Dera Sacha Sauda asset and a person identified as R.K. Malhotra was the caretaker. The DCP said "no one was found" at the property.

The move came a day after Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja, moved the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory transit bail.

The High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea.

A court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, on Monday issued arrest warrants against top Dera functionaries Honeypreet, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan.

All three were booked by the Haryana Police on charges of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in the conspiracy to help the Dera chief escape after his conviction by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on August 25 on two counts of raping female disciples in 1999.

The Haryana Police had sounded an international alert against all three.

Honeypreet, in her mid-30s, has been the closest aide of Ram Rahim since 2009. The police has been on her trail for nearly a month and raids have been conducted in Nepal, Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana.

Honeypreet, who used to claim that she was Ram Rahim's "adopted daughter", starred as the main heroine in five films he directed, produced and acted in, in three years.

Last week, Honeypreet's former husband Vishwas Gupta accused her and Ram Rahim of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers.

Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh.

His rape conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several other places in Punjab.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : Students of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) staged a sit-in here on Tuesday demanding resignation of BHU Vice Chancellor G.C. Tripathi.

Students from the Punjab University, Delhi University and the Jawaharlal Nehru University also joined the protest, along with other student group members.

The protesters accused Tripathi of being anti-women, alleging that he did not bother to take any action even when a student was molested inside the campus.

"We want his removal from the post. We want CCTV cameras installed on the campus and proper lighting at certain places," Shantanu, a BHU student, told IANS.

He said that the Saturday's police action was preceded by a similar baton-wielding the same day by the "internal security guards", resulting from a proctorial order to disperse the crowd.

"They used the alibi of turbulence that followed after the security guards' attack on us, to tell police a completely fabricated story of petrol bombs being used by the 'outside elements'," Shantanu said.

The police action by a large number of its personnel was the result of a protest being staged outside the VC's office. At least two women students were reported injured in the lathi-charge.

Hundreds of women students of the university were forced to protest outside the VC's office when, they alleged, the authorities refused to take any action in an incident of molestation which occurred on the campus on September 21.

The students also accused their VC of using media selectively to spread an articulated version favouring the administration.

When asked why the victim did not approach the internal complaints committee against sexual harassment mandated at all universities, Shantanu told IANS that BHU's committee is "all male" and they are wont to "victim blaming just like the rest".

Making no attempt to conceal their target, one woman student told IANS that although BHU did not have a student union or any political groups, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would conduct "Shakha" classes there every morning.

Since the fracas, the entire campus has been shut down and hostellers have left for their homes.

The Uttar Pradesh government has asked for a detailed report in the matter from the BHU administration.
New Delhi, Sep 26 : A 17-year-old youth and a young man have been arrested for fatally shooting an Assistant Security Officer of APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) in north-west Delhi earlier this month, police said on Tuesday.

Sumer Singh was found dead in the APMC complex in Azadpur in the early hours of September 13.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Milind Mahadeo Dumbere said the teenager and his accomplice Labbu, 19, shot dead Singh a day after he denied the teenager entry into the market. Both accused are school dropouts.

The DCP said an analysis of closed-circuit television footage led to arrest of Labbu and subsequently of the teenager. Police seized a countrymade pistol used in the murder.

Police said the teenager's father sells eatables in the Azadpur fruit market.

On September 12, the teenager approached the market but was denied entry from the wrong side, leading to a heated argument between him and the security official. Singh slapped him and shooed him away. Dumbere said Labbu and teenager shot Singh the next day.
Rome, Sep 27 : Khalifa Haftar, the powerful military strongman whose forces control nearly half of turmoil-wracked Libya, was in Rome on Tuesday for talks with top Italian officials including its Chief of Defence Staff Claudio Graziano and Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti.

During his meeting with Graziano at the Defence Ministry, Haftar is believed to have discussed the situation in Libya, including migration, security, the training of Libyan Coastguard by Italy's navy and the role of Italian soldiers in running a field hospital in the northwest coastal city of Misrata.

His visit to Rome is a radical change of policy for Italy, which previously shunned Haftar and viewed him as a major obstacle to stability in the region due to his refusal to recognise the government of UN-backed Libyan Prime Minister, Fayez al-Sarraj, based in Tripoli.

Despite allegation of human rights abuses against Haftar and his Libyan National Army, the support Haftar enjoys and his unbreakable hold on the east of country including a string of towns known as the oil crescent, European leaders and diplomats increasingly see him as part of his country's future.

UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame last week set out a new a plan under which Libya could hold elections within a year, and Haftar is widely seen as a candidate who would stand for President.

In August, Salame said it would be "unrealistic" to exclude Haftar from attempts to stabilise Libya.

"Haftar has an impact on a part of Libya and supporters among the Libyan people," Salame told journalists in Rome after a meeting with Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano aimed at ending Libya's political crisis.

"He could have political as well as military ambitions. So it would be unrealistic for the UN special envoy to ignore such a force in that part of the country," said Salame, a former Lebanese Culture Minister.
Paris, Sep 27 : Unesco on Tuesday deplored the killing in Istanbul of Syrian opposition activist, writer, journalist and filmmaker Orouba Barakat and her daughter Hala Barakat, who was also a journalist.

"I condemn the murder of Orouba Barakat and Hala Barakat," said Unesco Director General Irina Bokova.

Turkish police found the mother and daughter stabbed to death in their flat on September 21 but investigators believe they were slain several days earlier.

Family members said the women had received threats days before they were murdered.

"I call on the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime be brought to justice," Bokova said.

"Criminals must not be allowed to suppress the inalienable human right of freedom of expression, which is essential for democracy, good governance and rule of law."

Orouba Barakat, 60, a Syrian exile since the 1980s, was a well-known and outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a member of the Syrian National Coalition Opposition group and had written extensively on torture in government prisons.

American-born Halla Barakat, worked as an editor for Dubai-based Orient News, owned by Syrian opposition figures Ghassan Aboud, and was previously a reporter for Turkey's TRT World Service.

The Syrian National Coalition Opposition demanded a swift investigation of the murders. "The hand of terrorism and tyranny is the prime suspect of this heinous crime of assassination," the group said in a statement.

The Syrian Journalists Association and the Committee to Protect Journalists urged protection for Syrian journalists living in Turkey and also called on Turkish authorities to bring the Barakats' killers to justice.

At least four other Syrian journalists have been murdered in Turkey since 2015, after fleeing there, according to CPJ research.
Washington, Sep 27 : The US Department of Treasury on Tuesday issued sanctions on eight banks and 26 individuals linked to North Korea's financial networks in response to the country's ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction.

The individuals sanctioned are North Korean nationals operating in some foreign countries who act as representatives of DPRK banks, Xinhua quoted a statement issued by the US Treasury Department.

As a result of the action, any property or interests of the designated persons in the US will be blocked.

"We are targeting North Korean (DPRK) banks and financial facilitators acting as representatives for North Korean banks across the globe," said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearised Korean peninsula. This action is also consistent with UN Security Council Resolutions," Mnuchin added.

The US Treasury Department said sanctions are being taken to complement the UN Security Council resolution adopted on September 11. The resolution imposed fresh sanctions on the DPRK over its nuclear test on September 3, targeting oil imports and textile exports.

The sanctions came as DPRK and the US leaders were escalating their war of words.

US President Donald Trump tweeted over the weekend that North Korea's top leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer," which was interpreted by Pyongyang as a declaration of war.

The White House later clarified the US had no intention of entering into armed conflict on the peninsula.

The row between the US United States and North Korea began earlier at the UN General Assembly when Trump said that the US would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the DPRK unless Pyongyang refrains from its nuclear tests and missile launches. DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho responded by calling Trump "mentally deranged."

North Korea conducted another medium-range ballistic missile test on September 15, just days after the council imposed fresh sanctions on the country over its nuclear test on September 3.
New York Institute of Career Development NYICDs online Medical Transcription Course prepares students to take the Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) exam administered by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).

The New York Institute of Career Development (NYICD) is proud to announce the launch of its online Medical Transcription Course.

Healthcare is the fastest growing industry in the United States, responsible for 1 in every 4 new jobs created in the next ten years. A career in medical transcription can be yours with the New York Institute of Career Developments Medical Transcription Course. The Medical Transcription Certification program was developed by practicing professionals who know what it takes to excel in the field. In this easy-to-follow course, youll learn to effectively transcribe all types of necessary healthcare documents with a focus on transcription technology, standard practices, and healthcare record-keeping.

NYICDs online Medical Transcription Course prepares students to take the Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) exam administered by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI). RHDS certification is nationally recognized and will demonstrate to employers your expertise in transcribing, proofreading, and editing medical dictation. The cost of the certification exam is included in the course tuition.

Like all of NYICDs programs, the Medical Transcription Course is self-paced, available online anywhere, anytime. Students will have access to a network of advisors by phone and email for academic support and career assistance. They will be able to earn their Medical Transcription Certification in a matter of months from a nationally-accredited institution.

Learn more by visiting https://www.nyicd.com/career-courses/medical-transcription.

About New York Institute of Career Development

The New York Institute of Career Development is a leading provider of online career training programs. Our mission is to offer trusted career education that is convenient, affordable, and focused on results. NYICDs slate of online healthcare courses currently include Pharmacy Technician, Veterinary Assistant, Medical Billing and Coding, Medical Transcription, and Sterile Processing.
Ta'Vie Logo

TaVie, a one-of-a-kind boutique, has recently opened in the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. The locally-owned boutique offers contemporary looks for women at reasonable prices. TaVie focuses on offering high-quality brands that are not yet offered anywhere else in Knoxville.

When I made the decision to open TaVie, I wanted the environment to be comfortable and engaging for an ease of social shopping. Finding the right balance of comfort and merchandising was key in designing the boutique, said owner Trisha Condra-Harris. Many of the brands have never before been seen in Knoxville, including Cupcakes and Cashmere, MAAC London, Dex, Unpublished Jeans, and more.

TaVie means your life in French and journey in Japanese. The name TaVie resonated with me because of its dual meaning. I believe that style is personal, and as we change, so does our style. So in essence, we have on our own style journey, added Condra-Harris.

TaVie celebrated its grand opening on August 12th, and is excited to share its unique shopping experience with the fashion-forward women of Knoxville. TaVie features a carefully-curated collection of apparel, handbags, jewelry, accessories, sunglasses, books, and more, to help women continue their personal style journey. TaVie is now open seven days a week at its location in Bearden.

TaVie is an upscale womens boutique offering contemporary and affordably-priced apparel, accessories, and gifts in Knoxville, Tennessee.
This conference is a great opportunity to discuss pressing issues in the data center industry and connect with other leaders in the tech world.

Kevin Rubin, president and COO of Stratosphere Networks, will speak at the Data Center Investment Conference & Expo (DICE) Midwest on Thursday, September 28 at the Loews Chicago Hotel. Rubin will join executives from three other tech companies to discuss the cloud during a session titled The Cloud Revolution: From Fiber to Cyber.

The session will run from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m. and cover topics including cloud innovations, what managed service customers want, and where the cloud is headed in the future, among others. Rubin will be one of more than 30 experts speaking at Bisnows first Midwest Data Center Conference. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. and the event runs until 5 p.m.

In addition to the shift to the cloud, the conference will address trends and topics like data center investment and capital markets, pressure to consolidate, cybersecurity, big data, artificial intelligence, and more.

Im honored that the conference organizers selected me to speak at DICE Midwest, Rubin said. This conference is a great opportunity to discuss pressing issues in the data center industry and connect with other leaders in the tech world.

Stratosphere Networks provides comprehensive IT support and services to businesses of all sizes and across all industries nationwide. The companys fully staffed network operations center (NOC) provides full maintenance services and support, including proactive monitoring, remote and on-site support, disaster recovery, desktop support, and business continuity.

To learn more and/or register to attend DICE Midwest, visit Bisnows website.

About Stratosphere Networks

Stratosphere Networks is a Chicago-based multifaceted IT managed service provider focused on delivering comprehensive technology services and solutions to meet and exceed the always-changing, diverse business needs. Since 2003, Stratosphere Networks has grown exponentially and continues to provide the best-in-class and cost-effective solutions to businesses in all industries. Visit http://www.stratospherenetworks.com for more information.

For more information contact:

Lori Leonardo

847-440-8608

LoriL(at)stratospherenetworks.com
Our analytics-based approach to sales enablement strikes a chord with a growing number of enterprise sales and marketing organizations

Accent, the leader in sales enablement software solutions, announced new additions to their executive team today. The leadership expansion coincides with the companys unprecedented growth in revenue and product innovation.

Sean Callahan joins Accent as their first Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), in which he oversees team processes and performance. He brings extensive leadership and consulting experience to Accent based on 26 years as an infantry officer and 7 years in corporate management positions. Prior to Accent, Sean was a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton.

Additionally, Andy Quintana is the companys new Senior Vice President of Business Development, in which he manages all aspects of sales and sales operations. With an extensive background in onboarding, training and developing sales teams, Andy brings over 12 years of experience in various sales management roles at IBM.

Our analytics-based approach to sales enablement strikes a chord with a growing number of enterprise sales and marketing organizations, said Pete McChrystal, President and CEO.

Today, leaders want more value from their partners and tech stack. Beyond our popular Accent Connect content management offering, our newest product Accelerate acts like a smart assistant. It brings great visibility to sales situations and suggests where to prioritize, and what to do next. It guides reps to be better reps and helps managers to be better managers. The response from the market has been incredible, driving extraordinary growth for Accent. In turn, weve brought Sean and Andy onboard to usher this growth and our continued innovation, he continued.

About Accent

Accent Technologies is the global leader in sales enablement technology. The SaaS company is focused on helping organizations streamline sales execution and increase productivity. Accents sales enablement software combines traditional sales enablement of delivering the right content at the right time, with sales performance management capabilities that deliver prescriptive guidance to sales reps. Accents platform is used by companies in more than 100 countries around the globe. Theyre headquartered in the heart of the Space Coast high tech hotbed, Melbourne, FL. Learn more at https://accent-technologies.com.
In an ongoing, seventeen-month-long case alleging promotion discrimination based on race, gender and age; as well as retaliation for filing a prior discrimination complaint, Vernon OGarra, an employee for nearly 13 years at Long Island Jewish Hospital located in New Hyde Park, New York, alleged in his court documents that his employer failed to promote him and other African-American employees to management positions even though they were more qualified than the non-African-American employees promoted.

According to the allegations of the federal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York, Northwell Health violated OGarras civil rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination Act of 1967. The complaint alleges that the hiring managers intentionally overlooked his superior paper qualifications and experience as an Access Services Representative to hire an employee with less qualifications and experience in the position.

According to court documents he applied for promotions between 2006 and 2008 and was denied each time. The document further states that these denials prompted OGarra to file a discrimination complaint at the New York State Division of Human Rights (NYSDHR). According to allegations in the complaint, even after the NYSDHR determined that the investigation supported OGarras claim of unlawful discriminatory practices, LIJ continued to deny him several more promotions in the same department he worked for 13 years. OGarra further alleged in the complaint that he was more qualified than the employees that were promoted and he alleged that LIJ passed him over for those jobs in retaliation for receiving a financial settlement for his prior filing with the NYSDHR.

OGarra alleged in his court documents that LIJs promotion decisions were unlawful and blames Northwell Health, Inc. for his decision to resort to seeking employment outside of Northwell rather than continuing his employment at LIJ. OGarra wrote in his federal complaint that subsequent to his resignation, OGarra was hired at another company as a Supervisor of Patient Access Services, the same position he claims he previously applied at Northwell Health, Inc.

OGarra is litigating this discrimination case in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of New York, Docketed as 16 cv 2191 and is represented by Jerry Graves of J. Graves Associates, 212 361-9399.
The signing of this Master Procurement Agreement, along with receiving the Textron Aviation process and facility qualifications, is a major achievement for Unitech," Wayne Exton, CEO Unitech Aerospace

Unitech Composites, a Unitech Aerospace company and leading supplier of complex composite laminates, components and assemblies for the commercial aerospace and defense industry, announced today that it has signed a multi-year Master Procurement Agreement with Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company. The statement of work covered under this agreement includes multiple composite parts for the acclaimed Cessna Citation CJ3 and CJ4 light jet platforms.

We are excited to begin this new relationship with Textron Aviation as they are a proven leader within the general aviation industry, said Wayne Exton, CEO of Unitech Aerospace. The signing of this Master Procurement Agreement, along with receiving the Textron Aviation process and facility qualifications, is a major achievement for Unitech as it reaffirms our strong position in the industry in terms of on-time delivery, our trusted quality and excellent customer service.

The execution of this agreement will allow Unitech Composites to become Textron Aviation qualified for non-critical composites, composite ducting and interior composites.

About Unitech Composites

Unitech Composites, established in 1979 and located in Hayden, Idaho, are industry experts in complex laminates and components and assemblies, multi-axis machining, close tolerance fabrication and automated hand layup. Unitech Composites is a Unitech Aerospace company.

About Unitech Aerospace

Unitech Aerospace provides the aerospace, marine, medical, defense, nuclear and rail industries with composite and metallic structures and components that meet demanding and complex requirements. The companys growing global footprint is currently comprised of strategically located sites providing local and immediate support to customers. Integrated solutions range from early stage design, rate production, to full-term sustainment making Unitech Aerospace the industrys trusted lifecycle partner.
Mushrooms leading automation and WAN management capabilities were the top reasons we selected Mushroom Networks

Mushroom Networks, an innovator in Broadband-Bonding and Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) platforms, today announced that leading IT services firm CV-Networks, has selected Mushroom Networks as a critical technology partner. CV-Networks provides network management, network performance, and complete IT services to Small- and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs). Leveraging Mushrooms Truffle broadband bonding platform, CV-Networks is able to deliver high-performing, reliable Internet access to firms without an option to upgrade their broadband infrastructure.

Mushrooms leading automation and WAN management capabilities were the top reasons we selected Mushroom Networks, said Chris Bachman, founder of CV-Networks.

This technology is definitely top of the line, added Matt Stephens, CV-Networks staff engineer. With Mushroom Networks Truffle platform, I can easily improve any of our clients speed, reliability very cost effectively. I can check whenever something is wrong with the network without the issue becoming an emergency, thanks to Mushrooms ability to intelligently work around network problems.

CV-Networks leverages the Truffle SD-WAN Orchestration and Broadband Bonding appliance, which enables cost-effective and self-healing Internet access for businesses, enterprise branch offices, hotels and other multi-tenant buildings. Truffle load balances and intelligently orchestrates up to four (or optionally as many as eight or twelve) Internet lines to increase performance and up-time of applications and services that run over the Internet. Several T-1, DSL, cable modem, MPLS, metro-Ethernet, fiber or 3G/4G/LTE services from different ISPs can be aggregated to provide increased bandwidth. Truffle provides a quick Return on Investment (ROI) and lower operating expenses. The payback period on the investment is often less than a few months.

Cahit Akin, CEO of Mushroom Networks, said, Truffle is an industry leading example of how SD-WAN technology can provide more efficient and cost-effective solutions to todays IT departments, as well as the channel providers that serve them.

As businesses begin to recognize the WAN as the primary performance bottleneck for cloud services and Internet connectivity, there has been a shift away from carrier-managed private networks like MPLS as the sole connectivity resource, due to hosted applications as well as lower cost and higher bandwidth availability. More and more businesses are looking to Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and distributors/VARs for solutions that enable them to remotely and easily manage multiple locations with disparate connectivity. Mushrooms channel partner programs include a wide range of SD-WAN and Broadband Bonding solutions for various vertical markets and are available for qualified resellers and service providers worldwide.

###

About Mushroom Networks

Mushroom Networks, Inc., is a privately held company based in San Diego, CA, providing patent pending Broadband Bonding solutions to a range of Internet connection applications. The companys flagship product line serves SMBs, enterprises, multi-tenant buildings, and broadband service providers and bonds dissimilar broadband access technologies forming a single highly reliable broadband pipe that can easily scale based on needs. Mushroom Networks was the winner of the 2015 Most Innovative Product award by CONNECT, finalist for the coveted 2012 San Diego Business Journal Innovation Award, winner of the XCHANGE Tech Innovators Xcellence Award, and winner of the 2008 CONNECT Most Innovative New Product award, Network Worlds "top technology trend of 2008" award. For more information, please visit https://www.mushroomnetworks.com or call (858) 366-9255.

Media Contact:

Jay Akin

Mushroom Networks, Inc.

press@mushroomnetworks.com

Tel: (858) 366-9255 ext 6039
Cecilia Flombaum, Director, One Commercial Partner at Microsoft Corp. said, "Were pleased to see Lead Liaison's support and integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Marketing and sales solution provider, Lead Liaison, announced an integration this week with Microsoft, giving users on both platforms the ability to incorporate Microsoft Dynamics 365 with Lead Liaisons marketing automation platform.

I am delighted to announce this integration, says Jen Worsham, Director of Marketing and Client Relations at Lead Liaison. Its exactly what our Microsoft Dynamics 365 users have been asking for and were very happy to deliver. We also look forward to partnering with other Dynamics 365 users to provide them with first-class marketing and sales solutions.

Cecilia Flombaum, Director, One Commercial Partner at Microsoft Corp. said, "Were pleased to see Lead Liaison's support and integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365. Dynamics 365 benefits Lead Liaison with an adaptable solution that helps customers more efficiently manage their business development activities.

Through Lead Liaison's Dynamics 365 integration, marketing automation and customer relationship management (CRM) are in perfect sync. Users can either manually push Prospects from Lead Liaison into Dynamics 365, or use powerful automation actions to create new qualified Leads for sales teams.

Marketers can build sophisticated omni-channel marketing campaigns on behalf of sales, deploy prospect/customer nurturing, and much more with a complementary Sync to MSD automation action to create new, warm Leads or update existing Leads/Contacts in Dynamics 365. Sales reps can use a manual sync button to push Lead Liaison Prospects into Dynamics 365.

Lead Liaison fully synchronizes Leads, Contacts, and Accounts from Dynamics 365 with Lead Liaison Prospects. System communication is near real-time, with bidirectional syncing of standard and custom fields.

Accessing the integration requires a Lead Liaison Lead Management Automation (LMA) license, as well as an active Dynamics 365 account. Lead Liaison is an official Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Partner to Microsoft.

About Lead Liaison

Lead Liaison provides cloud-based sales and marketing automation solutions that helps businesses accelerate revenue by attracting, converting, closing and retaining more prospects. Filling a void in the small pool of marketing automation providers that focus on marketing-centric functionality, Lead Liaison gives equal focus to sales providing sophisticated visitor tracking and additional website engagement tools to boost sales effectiveness. Lead Liaison blends ease-of-use, a flexible business model, deep external integration, marketing across social, web, mobile, email and offline channels and powerful functionality, all specifically tailored for mid-sized businesses, into a single platform, called Revenue Generation Software. Lead Liaison is headquartered in Allen, Texas, near Dallas. For more information, visit http://www.leadliaison.com or call 1-800-89-LEADS (895-3237).
Our decision to expand our presence in the Middle Nashville area is a logical step in our expansion and growth plan, said Jaqueline Tiso, Chief Executive Officer for JMT Consulting.

JMT Consulting, a leader in providing financial management solutions exclusively to nonprofits, today announces the expansion of their Nashville, TN office to a larger location. The demand for JMTs consulting services to the nonprofit sector including ERP and financial software solutions necessitated the opening of a new office.

The new Nashville location is strategically located to serve the growing base of nonprofit organizations in and around the Middle Tennessee area. Close to Providence Marketplace and less than 15 minutes from the Nashville airport, the new JMT office will be fully staffed by January 2018. The Nashville office will join existing locations in Patterson, NY and Austin, TX.

Our decision to expand our presence in the Middle Nashville area is a logical step in our expansion and growth plan, said Jaqueline Tiso, Chief Executive Officer for JMT Consulting. The new office will not only increase our ability to service current and future organizations, but also provide a great working environment for our local employee base.

With over 25 years in the business, JMT helps deliver the finance, development, and productivity solutions that nonprofits require to meet their goals of sustainability and mission effectiveness. JMT partners with multiple software vendors such as Sage Intacct and Abila MIP to integrate solutions that are perfectly matched to each organizations unique needs.

For more information, go to: http://www.jmtconsulting.com.

About JMT Consulting Group

JMT Consulting Group (http://jmtconsulting.com) is a leading national provider of software and consulting services to charter schools, community healthcare organizations, nonprofits and governmental organizations. JMT Consulting Group offers a variety of services including hosting, business process improvement, implementation, system selection and system integration as well as a broad portfolio of software solutions.
Cerno Bioscience, a leader in the application of modern mathematical techniques to mass spectrometry, announced today that Steve Best has joined the company in the role of Director of Sales, North America. Steve will oversee all direct and channel sales efforts in North America to push the continued adoption of its novel, patented technologies for improving the quality, accuracy, and reliability of MS analysis.

Supporting the analytical laboratory with instrumentation and software in sales, technical management and business development roles, Steve previously served in key positions at both small and large instrumentation companies and has extensive experience with workstation and enterprise chromatography and MS software. Steve previously served in sales, technical management and business development roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific for the informatics group. Steve also has held sales positions at Thru-Put Systems, a start-up chromatography software company that Thermo Fisher purchased, and at Agilent Technologies in the chemical analysis instrumentation and laboratory data systems division.

Cernos innovative software technology is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition in the mass spec market, Best notes. This is software based on sound fundamental principles which can make a dramatic impact on improving the quality and efficiency of any mass spectrometer.

Steve brings a unique combination of business, marketing, and sales skills to our company, said Yongdong Wang, founder and president of Cerno Bioscience. His hire fills a key role in the Cerno team and we are confident he will help us continue to expand the reach of our growing family of mass spec software products.

About Cerno Bioscience

Founded and staffed by a team with many years of experience in the fields of instrumentation, mathematical data processing, and analytical software development for real world applications to problem solving, Cerno has developed unique, patented technologies that can expand, enhance and greatly extend the utility of mass spectrometry. Evolving application areas range from impurity identification, contaminant analysis, de-formulation, process development, natural product chemistry, organic synthesis, labelled isotope analysis, metabolomics to biologics modification, identification and proteomics, both for qualitative as well as quantitative analysis. For more information, visit http://www.cernobioscience.com.
The new 'China Districts 2017 - Beyond Cities' report, published by the Hong Kong based Real Estate Foresight (http://www.realestateforesight.com), explores the dynamics of the housing markets in China across 203 districts in 21 major cities.

This third annual special report on China Districts presents districts that stand out on multiple-criteria rankings for performance on growth in average house prices and gross floor area (GFA) volumes, with latest data for July 2017, focused on the year-to-date year-on-year changes.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE REPORT:

1. Chongqing Districts Outperform

Three of the best performers on a combined price and volume growth are in Chongqing  Yubei, Banan and

Beibei, along with Jiangdong (Ningbo) and Hannan (Wuhan). Policy tightening in Chongqing has not been as

restrictive as in other cities, supporting the strength of the market.

2. Suburban Areas Do Very Well

Non-central areas are some of the most interesting districts on both price growth and especially the volume

growth. This reflects large price differential to core districts, cities expansion beyond core areas, combined

with infrastructure (metro, high speed rail) and likely policy impact.

3. Overall Trends: Higher Prices, Lower Volumes, Greater Dispersion

Compared to the study results in 2016 and 2015, 2017 shows the prices have gone up but the volumes declined,

while the spread of performance among districts widened, even though there were fewer outliers compared to

last year.

Predictive Powers Of Data Driven Analysis?

"The results match our earlier forecasts. Participants of our 5th annual China Property Outlook conference in January this year would recall how we presented back then Chongqing as the single city highlight for 2017, and it shows our analytical framework can be highly predictive", comments Robert Ciemniak, the Founder-CEO of Real Estate Foresight.

Why do we look at districts? Ciemniak adds, Sizes of Chinese districts are large, making many look like what elsewhere would be considered a standalone city. The performance of districts with manufacturing plants or high-tech zones may be entirely dependent on the performance and outlook for the industries and supply chains operating there, and driving demand for local housing. City-level analysis does not capture that."

ABOUT REAL ESTATE FORESIGHT

Real Estate Foresight is a leading China-focused independent real estate analytics, research and financial technology firm based in Hong Kong and established in 2012. Combining data science and technology with primary research, Real Estate Foresight helps foreign investors and fund managers assess opportunities in real estate markets through the most granular research on China's housing markets.

Services include the flagship China Forecast monthly research program, as well as bespoke market studies for due diligence and operational project decisions. Real Estate Foresight provides independent views as the company is not involved in any brokerage, trading or fund business.

For more information about Real Estate Foresight:

-visit http://www.realestateforesight.com

-stay connected @reforesight onTwitter (https://twitter.com/reforesight)

-check the recent media mentions about Real Estate Foresight (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-investment-asia-data-analysis/asia-investors-boost-use-of-unorthodox-data-sources-in-battle-to-beat-benchmarks-idUSKBN17R32L, http://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/2110686/chinas-property-market-risks-are-rising-says-data-expert)

Real Estate Foresight is also present on Bloomberg (page REFC), Thomson Reuters, and Smartkarma research platforms.

Contact: research(at)realestateforesight(dot)com
Ostendio and PhysIQ Team Members We have been very impressed with everything that PhysIQ has accomplished over the past year. They have consistently demonstrated their commitment to maintaining an effective cybersecurity program. - Grant Elliott, CEO, Ostendio

Ostendio, a leading provider of cybersecurity and information management solutions, proudly announced today that PhysIQ has been selected as the winner of the 2017 MyVCM Trust Network Awards. PhysIQ, a pioneer in developing solutions that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to empower digital health for ambulatory patient monitoring and clinical trial support, showed exemplary dedication to information security and risk management. Throughout the year, PhysIQ has demonstrated their dedication to maintaining high levels of security and has consistently ranked in the top five of the monthly MyVCM Awards.

Protecting data is extremely important to us, and we take it seriously. The MyVCM platform allows the entire company to work together to ensure all around security. I am proud that our commitment to information security has been recognized with this award, said Matt Pipke, CTO, Director and Founder of PhysIQ.

PhysIQ is focused on transforming real-world physiology data into actionable insight using machine learning. Their portfolio of technologies and solutions provides everything required to capture, transport, store, and analyze continuous telemetry from wearable sensors and present personalized physiology analytics for their customers in health care, wellness and clinical trials markets.

We have been very impressed with everything that PhysIQ has accomplished over the past year. They have consistently demonstrated their commitment to maintaining an effective cybersecurity program. We are proud to work with a company like PhysIQ, who develop ground-breaking solutions, while also building and maintaining their security and compliance programs, said Grant Elliott, CEO of Ostendio.

The MyVCM Trust Network Awards

The MyVCM Trust Network Awards recognize innovative companies that demonstrate excellence managing their information security, risk management, and compliance programs. Each month Ostendio reports the top three leading companies based on their overall Compliance Score, across the entire MyVCM Trust Network. In the month of August 2017, there were nearly 10,000 individual transactions on the MyVCM Trust Network. The dramatic growth in the program last year reflects the growing awareness around the need for healthcare cybersecurity. For more information visit http://ostendio.com/myvcm-trust-network/

About Ostendio

Ostendio's award-winning MyVCM Cybersecurity and Information Management platform provides organizations with an enterprise view of their cybersecurity program. MyVCM uses behavioral analytics to drive employee and vendor engagement. For more information, please visit http://www.ostendio.com

About PhysIQ

PhysIQ is a company dedicated to enabling proactive care delivery models through its Personalized Physiology Analytics (PPA) and highly scalable cloud-based platform. The FDA 510k-cleared data analytics platform is designed to process multiple vital signs from wearable sensors to create a personalized dynamic baseline for each individual. By mapping vital sign relationships this way, PhysIQs analytics detect subtle deviations that may be a precursor to disease exacerbation or change in health and warrant clinical attention. With applications in both healthcare delivery and clinical trial support, PhysIQ is transforming continuous physiological data into insight for providers, health systems, payers, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies. For more information, please visit http://www.physiq.com.
The Minister and the Consensus Team at the Ceremony in Bogota, Colombia. In todays business environment, for SMBs to survive and grow, it is imperative to take full advantage of leading technologies that will make them as efficient and effective as possible. This is what we do at Consensus

The Colombian Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, Mr. David Luna, honored Consensus with the Merit Medal Manuel Murillo Toro for its commitment to the growth of Small and Medium Size Companies through technology implementation in Colombia and the US and its contribution to the Industry.

Consensus was established by a group of experienced consultants 27 years ago, and provides strategic technology consulting and implementation to Small and Medium Size Companies to grow their revenue and profits.

Mr. David Luna highlighted how Consensus has been instrumental in hundreds of growth projects in the SMB sector and how its own success story sets an example of entrepreneurship. It is possible to start from zero and build a Company with care, love, commitment and trust. Their story, that is why these Companies are here today, and one of the reasons we give this awards is to show others how great companies are built, said Luna.

At the ceremony, the Minister reviewed Consensus success in the US with Andres Castrillon, President of Consensus International, headquartered in Miami, Florida. We love this business because we become a strategic partner to our customers, we enjoy to see them grow and scale up, and we have been able to replicate it in several states across the country, said Castrillon. In todays business environment, for SMBs to survive and grow, it is imperative to take full advantage of leading technologies that will make them as efficient and effective as possible. This is what we do at Consensus.

Earlier this year Consensus was also the recipient of the SAP North America Excellence Award 2017 for SAP Business One, for its outstanding contributions to driving SAP customers digital transformation, helping companies adopt innovation easily, gain results rapidly, grow sustainably and run more simply with SAP solutions.

Mauricio Castrillon, Vice-President at Consensus said, These two awards in 2017 reflect the evolution of our organization throughout the last 27 years and are a result of a team of professionals that honor our principles and values.

Consensus success comes from our people, our main partner SAP, and of course our great customers, which we value and love to serve," said Andres Castrillon. These Awards feel like winning the Oscar in our line of Business and its an achievement from the whole team: marketing and sales, administration, support, consulting and customizations. Its what you get when you have people focused on serving our customers in the best possible way.

About Consensus:

Consensus was founded in 1990 in Colombia. In 1996 they began selling Macola software, and in 2006 they became a SAP Business One reseller. One year later they opened their first US based office in Miami, FL. Consensus has now offices in Boston, MA, Austin, TX, Atlanta GA and Santa Ana, CA. To date Consensus has partnered with over 650 small to medium sized business that were determined to scale up and have successfully reached their business and growth goals. Customers obtained a typical payback time of 9 months and a ROI that ranges between 50% and 120% after investing in Consensus consulting and SAP Business One, the number one business software in the world.
Arl Van Moore Jr, MD, FACR Chair and CEO, Strategic Radiology Machine learning is here, and we want to be central to understanding how this important new tool can be leveraged to improve quality and value in radiology.

Thirty radiologists from seven of Strategic Radiologys 26 member practices will contribute to work undertaken by the Watson Health Medical Imaging Collaborative to advance natural language processing capabilities used in future cognitive medical imaging solutions. The radiologists will provide expert annotation of de-identified medical images that will be used by IBM to train Watson to recognize various medical imaging terms that would be found in a patients electronic medical record (EMR), as well as providing feedback on solution design.

Machine learning is here, and we want to be central to understanding how this important new tool can be leveraged to improve quality and value in radiology, said Arl Van Moore Jr, MD, FACR, chair and CEO of Strategic Radiology. We look forward to working with IBM to develop a role for artificial intelligence in medical imaging.

Just as search engines categorize information in order to index and rank content, Watson is being trained by radiologists to review patient records that include a radiology report and categorize the relevant text from those records into groupings. For example, if Watson can be taught to recognize relevant clinical information in free text notes, a time-consuming task could be performed by Watson and provided in advance to the interpreting radiologist.

Strategic Radiology is a member of Watson Healths medical imaging collaborative, a global initiative comprised of leading health systems, academic medical centers, private radiology practices, ambulatory radiology providers, and imaging technology companies that are finding ways to use medical imaging to identify and predict the risk of cancer, diabetes, and diseases of the eye, brain and heart and related conditions.

Watson is a cloud-based system that analyzes high volumes of data, understands complex questions in basic language, and proposes evidence-based answers. Watson can continuously learn, gaining knowledge over time from previous interactions. Strategic Radiologys work as part of the medical imaging collaborative is vital to Watsons ongoing training and the development of cognitive imaging solutions to address the worlds pressing health challenges, said Steve Tolle, vice president of strategy for Watson Healths Imaging unit.

About Strategic Radiology

Strategic Radiology is a national coalition of 26 private radiology practices representing more than 1,600 radiologists across the United States. Its goal is to achieve higher quality patient care and more cost-efficient medical imaging through shared data, clinical expertise, and sharing certain practice expenses.

About IBM Watson Health

Watson is the first commercially available cognitive computing capability representing a new era in computing. The system, delivered through the cloud, analyzes high volumes of data, understands complex questions posed in natural language, and proposes evidence-based answers. Watson continuously learns, gaining in value and knowledge over time, from previous interactions. In April 2015, the company launched IBM Watson Health and the Watson Health Cloud platform. IBM Watson Health is helping to improve the ability of doctors, researchers and insurers to innovate by surfacing insights from the massive amount of personal health data being created and shared daily. For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/watson. For more information on IBM Watson Health, visit: ibm.com/watsonhealth.

SR Core Members:



Advanced Radiology Services; Grand Rapids, MI

Austin Radiological Association; Austin, TX

Central Illinois Radiological Associates; Peoria, IL

Charlotte Radiology; Charlotte, NC

Diversified Radiology; Denver, CO

Huron Valley Radiology; Ann Arbor, MI

Integra Imaging; Washington State (Inland Imaging and Seattle Radiologists)

Jefferson Radiology; Hartford, CT

Mountain Medical Physician Specialists; Salt Lake City, UT

Northwest Radiology; Indianapolis, IN

Quantum Radiology; Atlanta, GA

Radiant Imaging, Inc.; Pasadena, CA including The Hill Medical Corporation

and Arcadia Radiology Medical Group divisions



Radiology Associates of North Texas; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX

Radiology Associates of South Florida; Miami, FL

Radiology Ltd.; Tucson, AZ

Southwest Diagnostic Imaging; Phoenix, AZ and affiliates EDVI Medical Imaging

and Scottsdale Medical Imaging and Valley Radiologists



University Radiology; East Brunswick, NJ

SR Affiliate Members::


McElroy, Sullivan, Miller, Weber & Olmstead, LLP (MSMWO) is excited to announce its new web presence that launched on September 25, 2017. The 35+ year old firm maintains its focus on energy, environmental and water matters but is embracing a fresh new look to help convey its breadth of expertise.

The new website for the Texas-based firm features imagery captured across the state to embody its three main practice areas  Energy, Environmental and Water. Site visitors will be able to browse Professional Services and a Professionals directory to help meet their needs.

For more information about McElroy, Sullivan, Miller, Weber & Olmstead, LLP and to view their new website, please visit http://www.msmtx.com.

About McElroy, Sullivan, Miller, Weber & Olmstead, LLP

McElroy, Sullivan, Miller, Weber & Olmstead, LLP was founded over 35 years ago. We represent clients in a wide range of matters involving oil and gas, natural resources, water, and environmental law. Our attorneys practice in state and federal trial and appellate courts and before numerous state and federal agencies including the Railroad Commission of Texas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas General Land Office and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Our attorneys bring a unique blend of courtroom and agency experience and technical knowledge to assist our clients in all aspects of their energy, environmental and water law matters. Our attorneys have handled civil trials and appeals helping to shape Texas oil and gas case law. All of our lawyers are driven to achieve the best result in the shortest time possible. We work hard to find creative, efficient and inexpensive solutions to our clients complex legal issues.

The firm has developed one of the largest energy practices in the State of Texas providing our clients with years of knowledge and experience in regulatory proceedings, applications and contested cases. Several of our lawyers have worked at the agencies where we represent clients. Five of our lawyers also have engineering degrees which allows the firm to take on technically challenging cases.

Our clients span from multi-national and Fortune 500 companies, to local governmental entities, environmental non-profits and landowners. Providing legal counsel across a wide spectrum of clientele allows our attorneys to evaluate cases from differing perspectives. We are dedicated to providing our clients with the best representation possible.

Release Issued by Audience Generation, LLC

Audience Generation is a forward-thinking agency at the forefront of the digital revolution and is a nationally and internationally recognized provider of integrated marketing, advertising, and technology services and solutions that offer a new way to find, generate, and engage live, online, social, and mobile audiences where they exist on demand.



Audience Generation is known for its creative strategy, actionable solutions and measurable approach to transforming the ways brands interact with their target audience, whether they exist in person, online, via social networks, or on their mobile devices.



Audience Generation has produced winning traditional, online, e-commerce, social and mobile campaigns including mobile application solutions for Fortune 500, small and medium businesses, not-for-profit organizations, national and international associations and societies, and venture-backed start-up companies across a variety of industry verticals around the world.

To learn how Audience Generation can find your ideal customer, reach them where they exist, build your brand, and grow your bottom line, please call us at 512-708-4678 or email us at mwayne(at)audiencegeneration(dot)com or visit us at http://www.audiencegeneration.com.
TX360 is an integral part of Allied Universals GSOC as a Service platform. Recent disasters have underscored the importance of forward-looking situational awareness and threat intelligence as a risk mitigation solution to enhance response. This can save lives and property."

Swan Island Networks, a leading Situation Awareness provider, and Allied Universal, the largest security and facility services company in North America, are partnering to deliver next-generation threat monitoring capabilities to Allied Universals customers. This partnership incorporates TX360 into Allied Universals Monitoring and Response Center (MaRC). Based in Richardson, Tex., the service will serve as a primary platform in Allied Universals Global Security Operations Center as a Service (GSOCaaS) capability.

TX360 is an integral part of Allied Universals GSOC as a Service platform. Recent disasters have underscored the importance of forward-looking situational awareness and threat intelligence as a risk mitigation solution to enhance response. This can save lives and property, said Ty Richmond, President, Allied Universal Integrated Security Solutions and Technology. Supported by Allied Universals professional analysts, TX360 will bring a next generation capability to the entire range of our customers.

TX360 helps security and operations teams identify, prioritize, and respond to the most critical emerging risks and threats with a full suite of cloud-based situational intelligence management tools. Featuring over 1000 Intelligence Channels, and the ability to create new Channels from a variety of web, internal and social media sources, TX360 offers a powerful engine for delivering highly targeted intelligence to clients through Dashboards and Smart Alerts. Proximity alerting for geolocated assets is also enabled.

SAAS platforms provide security, scalability, redundancy, and enable a distributed approach to the real-time processing of threat information, said Pete ODell, CEO of Swan Island Networks. TX360 is easy to deploy and use; and its Microsoft Azure environment makes it highly reliable and scalable worldwide.

The TX360 platform provides real-time support for crisis events, as well as day-to-day value, enabling corporate security and operations teams to:



Speed up response to threats via proactive, continuous threat monitoring.

Streamline operations and cover more ground through aggregation and filtering of multiple information sources.

Deliver world-class situational awareness and threat monitoring capabilities to clients  in hours, not weeks or months.

With over a decade of experience in delivering security intelligence to global intelligence and security teams, Swan Island Networks has long been at the forefront of innovating affordable, scalable, cloud-based, rapidly deployed intelligence tools. TX360 offers 1000+ pre-built Channels, and a variety of templates for building new, custom Channels from news, internal sources, propriety sources and social media. The platform enables a host of options for filtering and visualizing data streams  ensuring that clients can view and receive just the data they want, whether through text and email alerts, or on Dashboards with multiple layers of geospatial content.

As an easy to use, highly scalable solution, TX360 can be configured to fit the needs of any size organization, from a small business needing proximity alerting around a single locale or Asset  to a multi-national enterprise with locations around the world, needing global alerting, brand monitoring and surge response resources. Now integrated into Allied Universals GSOC service, TX360 combines real-time monitoring by both smart machine systems and human analysts, as part of a single powerful service.

The TX360 platform also powers the NYU/INTERCEPs Metropolitan Resilience Network (MRN), a public/private alliance championed by the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, delivering situational awareness to hundreds of organizations across the NY Metro Region.

About Swan Island Networks

Swan Island Networks, Inc. is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that has developed innovative software platforms that deliver trusted situational awareness and threat intelligence services. Since 2002, Swan Island Networks has been at the forefront in providing real-time situational awareness and intelligence solutions for enterprise and public sector customers. Swan Islands TX360 service is a highly secure cloud-based platform for managing the integration, display and sharing of critical real-time information, supporting virtual Global Security Operations Centers (GSOC as a Service) and security and operations teams around the world. For more information, please visit swanislandnetworks.com.

About Allied Universal

Allied Universal, a leading facility services company and the largest security force in North America with over 150,000 employees, provides unparalleled security services and solutions. With headquarters in Santa Ana, Calif., and Conshohocken, Pa., Allied Universal combines people and technology to deliver evolving, tailored solutions that allow our clients to focus on their core business. An unrelenting focus on clients success creates partnerships rooted in quality and value, and is supported by experience gained from being in business for over 60 years. Through our people and leading services, systems and solutionsAllied Universal is there for you. For more information, please visit http://www.AUS.com

Contact: Juli Morse

Phone: 503-796-7926 Email: info(at)swanisland.net
The collaborative partnership between these institutions provides unique opportunities to support Florida talent pipeline at scale.

The Florida Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities a collaborative partnership between Florida International University (FIU), University of Central Florida (UCF), and University of South Florida (USF) has jointly created a host of powerful resources that align to the states talent needs; including career fairs, workshops, labor market sessions, curriculum re-alignment, joint research programs, and community engagement events like the upcoming College to Career Employability Summit during the Florida Chamber of Commerces Future of Florida Forum. The forthcoming summit will be devoted to addressing the talent and workforce needs in the Sunshine State by connecting higher education to industry leaders.

Also noteworthy FIU, UCF and USF switched to a cloud-based Career Management System called Handshake. Russ Coughenour, Assistant Vice President of Career Services at the USF says Handshake takes the guesswork out of using a major as a part of an overall recruitment strategy for an employer. However, I think the best part of all, is that its free for students and businesses to sign-up and use. Employers can use Handshakes robust search tools to identify and view resumes. They can also write one job or internship posting and quickly make it available to candidates at all three universities and more. This ease of use and exposure to a wider base of talent is beneficial for businesses with large comprehensive human resources departments or SMEs with limited recruiting budget, said Lynn Hansen, Executive Director of Career Services at UCF.

Florida continues to enjoy robust job growth across sectors and especially in the creation of small and medium enterprises (SME). According to the US Small Business Administration 42% or about 3 million employees in Florida are employed within SMEs. The collaborative partnership between these institutions provides unique opportunities to support Florida talent pipeline at scale. Together, FIU, UCF, and USF account for about half of college enrollment and over thirty thousand college graduates in the State University System of Florida. Our joint efforts are designed to deliver high impact to the state given our large diverse student populations and footprint within large metropolitan cities, said Fernando Figueredo, Executive Director of the Career Services and Talent Development at FIU.
arivis, Inc., a provider of clinical and regulatory technology and services to the global pharmaceutical industry, has certified against Privacy Shield EU-US. This milestone assures clients using arivis Clireo technologies that their data is being managed under the guidelines required by the program. Existing and prospective arivis clients can more assuredly operate their clinical and regulatory processes within Clireo, the cloud-based eClinical solution from arivis hosted in the Microsoft Azure Cloud.

We are proud to make this announcement as our team has worked very hard to achieve this goal of certification. Remarked Dirk Beth, Managing Director of arivis. Weve always had a solid reputation for excellent, easy-to-use and very cost effective products. With the Privacy Shield certification we continue to show our commitment to data security for the international biotech and pharmaceutical community.

Due to arivis increasing global presence and the Privacy Shield certification, arivis welcomes new clients to the Clireo family from the U.K., Germany, and Australia. The clinical trials being conducted by these clients represent investigators in a dozen additional countries. These companies must comply with global and regional requirements, making a standards based system such as Clireo a solid choice for health authority compliance. Satisfying both ICH and 21 CFR Part 11 is core to Clireos capabilities.

Clireo is recognized as a safe and cost effective alternative for managing clinical and regulatory data. Through apps such as Clireo eTMF for clinical trial master file documentation and Clireo eDMS for regulatory documents with a connected submission management system called Clireo eCTD, clients can achieve compliance and improve quality much faster than with other, more complex systems.

To find out more about the Privacy Shield Framework, please visit https://www.privacyshield.gov

About arivis

arivis specializes in big image data and compliance software for the life, health, and material sciences. Its software enables users to visualize, analyze, distribute, and manage multi-terabyte sized files and multi-dimensional (2D, 3D, 4D, 5D) image datasets that are created by microscopes or scanners. arivis software solutions also help customers to meet regulatory, quality, and compliance requirements in research, clinical trials, approval, and maintenance of medical devices and medicinal products. arivis serves the global life science research communities from their headquarters in Munich, Germany, as well as their United States subsidiary in Phoenix, Arizona, and their Washington, D.C., office.
Beacon technology is a major functional enhancement to our P3 Technology Platform(SM)

U.S. Security Associates (USA), the market leading wholly-owned American Security Solutions provider, is pleased to announce the addition of beacon technology to their next-generation P3 Technology Platform (SM). With this new capability, P3 more quickly and accurately captures precise real-time location information on officer activity and incident reports to give clients the most complete intelligence insights and awarenesseven indoors where GPS reception is often poor.

Richard L. Wyckoff, President and CEO of U.S. Security Associates, commented, Beacon technology is a major functional enhancement to our P3 Technology Platform (SM). It provides more accurate real-time location positioning to help Security Officers Prepare. Predict. Prevent. (SM) potential threats. Simply stated, more data is helping to drive better intelligence which enables our Officers to make more timely and informed decisions to create better outcomes for our clients.

Were using beacons to support customized location-aware workflow, said U.S. Security Associates Chief Information Officer Mark Mullison. They also improve compliance and data accuracy, because unlike a bar code which requires the Officer to scan to know that he or she was there, beacons guarantee data capture of Officers entering and leaving an area. This data makes our proprietary DataForce (SM) attribute model even smarter and more robust.

Beacons are just one of the many tools that USA uses to provide better outcomes to clients. While beacons have the benefit of Bluetooth low-energy wireless technology that affords them an active life of two years, they can be combined with other tools supported by P3 such as bar codes, RFID technology and GPS to make security personnel more efficient and effective.

ABOUT U.S. SECURITY ASSOCIATES

U.S. Security Associates (USA) is the market-leading, wholly-owned, American, full-service safety and security solutions provider. With over 160 locally-responsive offices, international locations and over 50,000 dedicated professionals, they offer the most complete array of physical security, remote surveillance, and global consulting and investigations to ensure better outcomes for thousands of clients and a range of industries. Innovative applications of leading-edge, proprietary technology enable USA to rank annually among the world's best training companies, sustain the highest standards of quality, and underscore world-class customer service with unparalleled accountability. USA's rise as one of the largest innovative security solutions leaders is a natural byproduct of these differentiators and enables the company to provide the most Safe. Secure. Friendly. environments for people, assets, and brands. For more information, visit http://www.ussecurityassociates.com.
Capital Insurance Group (CIG), the leading regional Property and Casualty (P&C) insurer serving the Western United States, announced today that it is has released new payment processing features with One, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based software and digital engagement solutions. For this initial phase, CIG has successfully deployed ProcessOne, ContactOne and PortalOne tools, to help improve usability and security.

Effective today, CIG policyholders now have the ability to make one-time credit card payments on the CIG Mobile App. With One, Inc.s industry-leading software, more payment options will be available in the coming months including recurring payments, the ability to check balances and pay by phone. More communication channels will also be offered, including text message alerts and social media notifications.

This successful deployment reinforces our commitment to providing the best technology solutions to our agents and policyholders, said John Halberstadt, VP of Technology & Chief Information Officer of Capital Insurance Group. Digital billing is a huge piece of that equation, and we believe One, Inc. will help us accomplish just that. With their partnership, we will provide our policyholders with faster, convenient payment methods and improve overall security. We look forward to unveiling more enhancements in the coming months.

By implementing software from One, Inc., CIG policyholders will benefit from:



New billing and payment options, including recurring credit card payments, mobile app payments, push notifications and pay-by-phone

Ability to submit payments across multiple channels, including interactive voice response (IVR) with the ability to take a payment over the phone without the need of customer service assistance

More digital communication options, including short message service (SMS) text messages, social media notifications and other innovative communication alerts

Improved technology and security, as the cloud-based software was designed for the insurance industry and has leading-edge technology to safeguard personal information

We congratulate Capital Insurance Group on its successful implementation, said Christopher W. Ewing, CEO, One, Inc. We are proud to work with an innovative carrier like CIG who is leveraging new digital payment and communication alternatives and thrilled they chose One, Inc. as their digital engagement partner.

Headquartered in Monterey, Calif., CIG employs nearly 500 people across five states (Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona) with six satellite offices throughout their footprint. The company is known for providing trusted insurance products for the personal, commercial, and agricultural business segments, with an emphasis on property related exposures.

For more information on CIG, please visit http://www.CIGInsurance.com.

About Capital Insurance Group

Capital Insurance Group (CIG) is the leading regional property and casualty insurer serving the Western U.S. since 1898. The company is known for providing trusted insurance products for the personal, commercial, and agricultural business segments, with an emphasis on property related exposures. CIGs suite of insurance offerings include coverage for, but not limited to: personal and commercial automobile; home and condo owners; rental and seasonal dwellings; farm owners and commercial agriculture operations; and commercial real estate business focused on habitational, office, lessors risk, and other property related exposures. The more than 119 year-old company is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, the independent financial monitor of the insurance industry. The company also celebrates an average claims satisfaction rate of 96%. CIG manages personal, business, and agriculture risks underwritten by its affiliate companies: California Capital Insurance Company, Eagle West Insurance Company, Nevada Capital Insurance Company, and Monterey Insurance Company. For more information, please visit http://www.CIGinsurance.com.

About One, Inc.

One, Inc. provides an integrated cloud-based digital platform designed to transform the way insurance companies interact with their customers. One, Inc.s technology platform combines core insurance software functions including policy administration, rating and billing with data analytics, CRM, payment processing and agency managementall in one solutionto enable insurance companies to modernize their operations and offer superior solutions and service to their customers. For more information, please visit http://www.oneincsystems.com.
"I'm thrilled that we're collaborating with a group of passionate, experienced leaders."-Ajay Pattani, CEO & Founder

Perfect Search Media is excited to introduce the Perfect Search Board of Advisors. The boards formation marks a new chapter in the search and social agencys growth.

Im thrilled that were collaborating with a group of passionate, experienced leaders. Each advisor brings a wealth of knowledge that will help guide our growth as an agency and as experts in the education and e-commerce industries, said Ajay Pattani, Perfect Searchs CEO and Founder.

Elaine Richards, George Vukotich, and Michael Bedell serve on the Perfect Search Board of Advisors.

Elaine Richards is the President at Rubicon Global. Before joining Rubicon Global, Richards worked at Cars.com for seven years, most recently as the Executive Vice President of Business Operations. Richards also devotes herself to several volunteering initiatives. She is on the leadership council for A Better Chicago, an organization that aims to improve educational opportunities for low-income Chicagoans, and has served as an Account Director for the Taproot Foundation, which connects nonprofits with volunteers who provide pro bono expertise. Richards is known as a strategic operator and a pragmatic go-to leader who drives growth and operational excellence.

George Vukotich is a Managing Partner at FinTank. Hes passionate about sharing his expertise and advising entrepreneurs, startups, and incubators. Vukotich is also a Founding Venture Partner of 1000 Angels in Chicago, a digital, invitation-only investor network, and he served as the Senior Vice President of Programming for 1871, Chicagos premier high-tech incubator. Vukotich is a skilled executive strategist, educator, and author whos committed to helping business leaders grow their organizations through leveraging human resources and technology.

Michael Bedell, Ph.D. is the Dean and Professor of Management in the College of Business and Management at Northeastern Illinois University. Previously he was a Professor of Management and MBA Program Director at California State University, Bakersfield. Bedells involvement in the business community includes the board of the Illinois CPA Society and the board of the Peterson Pulaski Business and Industrial Council, a non-profit economic development organization that helps businesses on the Northwest side of Chicago. Prior board roles include an advisory role for PeopleSofts on-campus program.

Richards, Vukotich, and Bedell are all-stars in the Chicago community. Im looking forward to working with and learning from them as we continue to grow. Their passion for helping others is important to me personally and to our organization as a whole, said Pattani.

Perfect Search is continuing to grow their board of advisors. If youre interested in the opportunity, contact Laura Cain, Director of Business Operations, at laura@perfectsearchmedia.com.

About Perfect Search Media

Perfect Search is the premier search and social agency in Chicago, Illinois. The agency provides paid search, social media advertising, SEO, conversion rate optimization, design, and content services. Perfect Search specializes in digital marketing for higher education and e-commerce; they work with clients like Columbia University, New York Film Academy, Dylans Candy Bar, and Stage Stores. Their emphasis on transparent client relationships, constant testing, and personal and professional growth sets them apart from other agencies. Learn more at perfectsearchmedia.com.
Every year, thousands of pounds of excess Halloween candy are dumped into the trash after the holiday is over. From kids collecting more than they can eat to parents having more candy than trick-or-treaters, soon after the fun is over, the candy ends up in the garbage.

This year, instead of filling your trash can, consider donating your excess candy to the Soldiers Angels Treats for Troops Halloween Candy drive! Through this great annual initiative, the national nonprofit collects excess candy and ships it to deployed service members in care packages for a sweet taste of home. The organization also uses their vast network of volunteers to hand out the candy to veterans in VA Hospitals across the country.

For our deployed service members, especially those who may be deployed to a remote area, something as simple as a box full of candy can be a huge morale booster, said Amy Palmer, President and CEO of Soldiers Angels. Its not just about the tasty treats, but it is the thought that Americans came together to show they were thinking of them during the holiday.

Businesses across the country are encouraged to participate by becoming an official drop-off site for the Soldiers Angels Treats for Troops Program. Participating businesses will not only be serving their local communities by removing excess candy from landfills and the mouths of children, but they will also be giving back to our service members, wounded heroes, and veterans. To get started, visit http://www.SoldiersAngels.org/TreatsforTroops and register your business today!

For those parents looking to drop off their extra candy after the holidayyou can search for a drop-off site at http://www.SoldiersAngels.org/TreatsforTroops. Enter your zip code and preferred radius to find the location closest to you. New locations are added daily. If there is no location close to you, there are instructions on the site to contact Soldiers Angels for an address where you can ship your candy.

This year Soldiers Angels hopes to collect 17,000 pounds of candy for our troops and veterans.

For more information on the Treats for Troops program, visit the Soldiers Angels website at http://www.SoldiersAngels.org/TreatsforTroops or email inkind(at)soldiersangels.org.

About Soldiers Angels: Soldiers' Angels is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, their families, and a growing veteran population. Founded in 2003 by the mother of two American soldiers, hundreds of thousands of Soldiers' Angels "Angel" volunteers assist veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of unique and effective ways. (Tax ID# 20-0583415). Learn more at http://www.soldiersangels.org
For the fourth consecutive year, Pariveda Solutions impressed the Dallas Business Journal with its exceptional work environment, commendable company culture, and high employee satisfaction. Rigorous evaluations of workplace policies, practices, and demographics contributed to the ranking, positioning the organization on the list nine times in the past ten years. With the competitive workplace culture in the Dallas area, the title of one of the Best Places to Work in Dallas highlights companies that go beyond the basics in inspiring employees.

As each year presents the company with new opportunities for growth, learning, and adaptation, Pariveda Solutions dedicates itself to helping employees and clients meet and exceed their personal and business goals. The organizations focus on empathy, understanding, and integration serves to develop profound relationships with both internal team members and clients.

Pariveda founder and CEO, Bruce Ballengee, said of the award, Receiving this distinction is an honor, and it is an accurate and meaningful reflection of our dedication to an influential and inspirational organizational culture. We are thrilled, humbled, and proud of our people!

Building relationships is a fundamental component of our industry, Susan Paul, Dallas Office Managing Vice President, noted. Trust forms the basis of our working relationships, and with that comes recognizing and adapting to diverse needs. Were passionate about providing creative environments that promote meaningful work, and that means tending to our people first so that they can succeed in fulfilling the companys mission.

More than 85% of Parivedas business arrives via referral and repeat clients, further cementing the organizations position as an altruistic and compassionate firm. However, it is also a company that invests time and resources in maintaining meaningful internal and external connections.

Long-term relationships are the focal point of Pariveda Solutions, requiring employees to decipher how others feel, what they need, and how they think. Rather than focusing on figures and returns, connecting on a personal level enables Pariveda to cultivate both value and mutual respect.

Pariveda looks toward the future of consulting with dedication and a steadfast commitment to the core values that continue to earn the approval of both employees and customers.

More information about Pariveda Solutions is available on the company's website, http://www.parivedasolutions.com/.

About Pariveda Solutions

Pariveda Solutions, Inc. is a leading management consulting firm specializing in improving our clients performance. We are complex problem solvers who provide strategic consulting services and custom application development solutions for mobility, cloud computing, data, portals and collaboration, CRM, custom software, enterprise integration and user experience needs of our clients.

Pariveda Solutions and The Business of IT are trademarks of Pariveda Solutions, Inc., Dallas, Texas, USA.
The ability to quickly test features will enable us to confidently release the right ones while improving or cutting the ones that dont work

Apptimize, a leader in mobile product innovation, announced today that Virgin Mobile UAE, a mobile brand recently launched and operated by Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC, has signed a license of Apptimizes mobile A/B testing and release management platform. The brand will use Apptimizes mobile software development kit (SDK) to enhance user experience for its fast-growing app, leading to happier mobile subscribers. This decision is part of Virgin Mobiles broader strategy to give customers an all-around amazing user experience. The companys apps are the primary channel for their customers to choose plans and handle other service needs.

Nancy Hua, CEO of Apptimize, commented, We are seeing an increasing number of organizations using mobile apps as a primary interaction channel. This shift is a win-win for both consumers and corporations. Consumers now expect each interaction, such as topping-up prepaid plans, to seamlessly fit into their lives. Meanwhile, for corporations, apps not only provide instant and personalized access to their customers, but when executed correctly, can generate significant cost-savings if consumers choose to interact via digital channels rather than through stores or call centers. The best way to create apps that consumers love is by rapidly trying ideas with real users, learning what works, and iterating based on measured real-world behavior.

Gustavo Smidt, Head of Product at Virgin Mobile UAE, discussed the decision to license the Apptimize platform. At Virgin Mobile, we are focused on delivering products to our customers that exceed their expectations. With the rapid growth we are seeing in our subscriber base, we know that it is critical to make the right app development decisions. The ability to quickly test features will enable us to confidently release the right ones while improving or cutting the ones that dont work. Smidt continued, We chose Apptimize because it is clearly the best A/B testing solution for mobile product teams. We believe this new capability will be a critical component of our growth strategy.

About Apptimize

Apptimize enables organizations to enhance their native iOS and Android apps to create amazing user experiences, improving acquisition, engagement, and retention. We do this with a platform that empowers product teams to efficiently run A/B tests, make instant updates, and personalize user experiences through staged and segmented rollouts. Apptimize, based in San Francisco, is backed by US Venture Partners, Google Ventures, Y Combinator, and others. Top apps including The Wall Street Journal, Vevo, HotelTonight, and Strava use Apptimize to continuously drive mobile growth. Visit apptimize.com to learn more.
Mark Pettus MD, AMI Study's Principle Investigator This research study will examine the efficacy of AMI Meditation for the relief of stress and burnout in healthcare professionals --- Beth Netter MD

The American Meditation Institute (AMI) announced today that it has received IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval through the Berkshire Medical Center to conduct a research study that will examine the impact of a basic daily mantra-based AMI meditation practice on the symptoms of burnout, compassion fatigue and stress in healthcare providers. The first participants in this study will be among those who receive their training in Yoga Science as holistic mind/body medicine at AMIs ninth annual Heart and Science of Yoga CME conference October 24-28, 2017 at the Cranwell Resort and Spa in Lenox, Massachusetts.

The principal investigator of the study is Mark Pettus MD, Director of Medical Education and Population Health, Berkshire Health Systems, and the co-principal investigator is Beth Netter MD, Chair of The American Meditation Institutes Department of Medical Education. According to Dr. Netter, The study will evaluate how a daily AMI Meditation practice can help to provide healthcare professionals a happier, healthier life along with relief from burnout symptoms and an enhanced work/life balance.

Although there are a number of systems and organizational factors contributing to burnout in the healthcare arena (including increases in computerization of practice, bureaucratic tasks, hours at work), AMI founder Leonard Perlmutter claims that, It is how we respond to those stressors that effects our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. While organizational changes are being recognized and implemented, healthcare providers desperately need self-care support so that they may work and live with greater health and well-being.

At this years American Meditation Institute Heart and Science of Yoga conference, attendees will receive 30 category 1 CME credits through lectures and practicums on: AMI meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, easy-gentle yoga, Yoga psychology, meditation and neuroplasticity, PTSD, trauma, resilience, chakra system therapy, mind function optimization, epigenomics, Ayurveda, nutrition, and lymph system detoxification. According to last years conference attendee Janine Pardo MD, Board Certified in Internal Medicine from Weston, Massachusetts, This was my second time attending. This conference has been the most influential factor in transforming my life and medical practice. It should be a medical school requirement.

Noted physicians Mehmet Oz (Dr. Oz), Dean Ornish, Bernie Siegel and Larry Dossey have endorsed Mr. Perlmutters The Heart and Science of Yoga treatise, which serves as the primary curriculum for the AMI research study and CME accredited conference.

About the American Meditation Institute

The American Meditation Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization devoted to the teaching and practice of Yoga Science, meditation and its allied disciplines as mind/body medicine. In its holistic approach to wellness, AMI combines the healing arts of the East with the practicality of modern Western science. The American Meditation Institute offers a wide variety of classes, retreats, and teacher training programs. AMI also publishes Transformation a bi-monthly journal of meditation as holistic mind/body medicine. Call 518.674.8714 for a mail or email subscription.

Media Contact:

Robert Washington

60 Garner Road

Averill Park, NY 12018

Tel: 518-674-8714

Fax: 518-674-8714
Everyone, who sings up and activates with NECTARs affiliate program within 10 days, will receive double the standard commission...

Seven months into the programs launch, NECTAR  "The Most Comfortable Bed"  became the best-performing mattress affiliate program, and one of the top programs in the world overall, jumping past over 4,500 competing programs on ShareASale affiliate network.

NECTAR program's EPC (or affiliate earnings per 100 clicks) is the highest out of the top 3 programs on ShareASale, with affiliates earning around $700.00 on every 100 clicks referred to NECTAR.

AM Navigator, voted Rakuten Marketing's Agency of the Year, is NECTAR's exclusive affiliate agency partner whose dedicated team takes care of NECTARs affiliate needs on a daily basis.

Geno Prussakov, CEO of AM Navigator, says: "To celebrate our newest milestone, we would like to offer new affiliates an unparalleled activation incentive: everyone, who sings up and activates with NECTARs affiliate program within the 10 days of this press release date, will receive double the standard commission for 30 days from activation. We look forward to growing your businesses as you help us grow NECTAR's."

Craig Schmeizer, co-founder of NECTAR, which is employee owned adds, "It is remarkable and exciting serving consumers who are ready for a Better Bed at the Best Price. We worked tirelessly to design "The Most Comfortable Mattress," and to now be approaching our 50,000th customer is such a terrific reflection of our teams focus on unmatched quality and service for our customers. The whole team was incredibly proud to learn we achieved the Top 3 spot on ShareaSale."

"My co-founders, our team, and I want to thank the team at AM Navigator. Also, our customers and partners should know that we have exciting next seven months in store, with expansion of our production and service teams, launches of new products and three new country openings upcoming, plus establishment of our New York and Tel Aviv hubs. We literally receive requests for NECTAR from places as far afield as Mongolia and Saudi Arabia. Plus we have a very big surprise in store we think it is revolutionary."

To learn more about this affiliate program or to join, visit http://shareasale.com/join/Nectar

About NECTAR:

Rated #1 by reviewers and called perhaps the best mattress money can buy, NECTAR  The Most Comfortable Mattress, is a better bed at the best price. NECTAR was developed for every type of sleeper and arrives backed by NECTARSs Full Comfort Guarantee and Forever Warranty. NECTARs super-premium materials and construction hold exclusive Certi-Pur and Oeko-Tek certification and make NECTAR a healthier sleep. Awards, thousands of customers, and over 20 mattress review sites think NECTAR is truly, The Most Comfortable Mattress.

To learn more about NECTAR and their products, visit their website at http://nectarsleep.com/

About AM Navigator:

Founded and led by Geno Prussakov  a University of Cambridge graduate and an acclaimed digital marketing thought leader  AM Navigator is one of the worlds leading affiliate marketing agencies. In more than 15 years in business, the company has contributed to the online marketing successes of such top brands as Forbes, Nokia, Hallmark, Warner Music, Skype, and hundreds of small businesses. In 2017 Rakuten Marketing acknowledged AM Navigator as the Agency of the Year. To learn more about the company and about their online marketing services, visit their website at http://www.amnavigator.com
The competition is extremely tough and we are thrilled to see a number of new names recognized for their tremendous efforts, McAuley said. Its fantastic to also see the diversity of the companies that entered the awards this year.

Zifam Pinnacle was recently named a finalist for the Manufacturing Award at the Premiers 55th NSW Export Awards.

The awards are run by the Premier of NSW as a government initiative to award excellence of business within the state of NSW. This year, more than 800 applicants applied for the various 12-award categories, creating an extremely tough platform for the finals.

Zifam Pinnacle, which offers more than 80 health and wellness products in the worldwide marketplace, was officially named a finalist for the Manufacturing Award at a presentation on Sept. 20, hosted by the Export Council of Australia. Lisa McAuley, CEO of the Export Council of Australia, congratulated Zifam Pinnacle on being nominated in a letter to the company, also noting the high level of competition it will be up against for the award.

The competition is extremely tough and we are thrilled to see a number of new names recognized for their tremendous efforts, McAuley said. Its fantastic to also see the diversity of the companies that entered the awards this year. To acknowledge and celebrate the success of NSW companies is an important part of encouraging more companies to think global. We congratulate you on being named a finalist in the 55th Premiers NSW Export.

Zifam Pinnacle Marketing General Manager Adam Mortley said being nominated is a reflection of the hard work of the companys staff.

Zifam welcomes the acknowledgment of the hard work that has been undertaken by all its valued staff, in the pivotal roles that are undertaken, ensuring the continued high level of excellence that has made Zifam a trusted name in more than 20 countries around the world, Mortley said.

The awards ceremony is Oct. 25. Premiers NSW Export Awards winners from the 12 industry categories automatically progress as finalists to the Australian Export Awards. The Australian Export Awards is a national program where industry winners from all states and territories compete for an Australian industry award, including the coveted Australian Exporter of the Year.

For more information on Zifam Pinnacle products, visit http://www.zifampinnacle.com, and visit http://www.exportaward.com.au for more information on the Premiers 55th NSW Export Awards.
Two national nonprofits, Innovate+Educate (I+E) and Hope Street Group, today announced the launch of the Innovative Business Hiring Council 2020 (IBHC2020). This effort will build on the already strong relationship between the two organizations as well as their unified vision around shifting employer hiring, training and advancement strategies to focus on skills and competencies.

The IBHC2020 will be a unique, employer-driven Council of companies across industries who are focused on shifting their talent acquisition and development models, with an emphasis on implementing competency-based solutions, sharing their findings with others, and receiving technical assistance from like-minded corporate partners. The Council will work with companies across the services (retail, hospitality, food service), healthcare, IT, cybersecurity and financial sectors to identify effective competency-based talent sourcing models and support these companies in shifting their practices.

The Council and our partnership with Hope Street Group is very exciting for Innovate+Educate, stated Jamai Blivin, CEO of Innovate+Educate. We know that competency-based hiring and advancement approaches filter in talent for companies, rather than filter out. Together with Hope Street Group, we can provide the framework, solutions and technical assistance to employers to enable this shift in talent strategies.

The impetus for IBHC2020 is the sustainability portion of a grant to I+E in 2016 from the Rockefeller Foundation. The grant was to support a community of employers around a framework assess, hire, train, advance. Innovate+Educate launched the IBHC in February 2017, which was comprised of business leaders who were responsible for developing and implementing the people strategy in top companies across industries. At the time, the group focused on identifying and leveraging innovative, competency-based learning and hiring solutions to improve economic mobility for candidates and incumbents and increase the hiring/selection ROI for employers. Several organizations that were a part of that first IBHC have agreed to continue their leadership roles and bring new companies to the Council, continuing the focus on hiring and talent development based on skills and competencies. The companies will continue to promote the strategies and outcomes that promote a more diverse workforce and positively impacts their people ROI. IBHC 2020 will consist of top Fortune 500 companies from retail, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, technology (IT) and financial services

As we look at effective ways to better match the skills needs of employers with a workforce that can meet those needs, this shift to competency-based talent sourcing is critical and gaining momentum, said Martin Scaglione, President and CEO of Hope Street Group. This partnership with Innovate+Educate provides a transformational opportunity to bring employers to the table to consider and advocate for competency-based approaches that are succeeding in meeting skills needs, strengthening workforce diversity and creating a career path for workers that offers greater economic opportunity for themselves and their families.

*********************

About Innovate+Educate:

I+E is a national nonprofit implementing evidence-based, employer-led strategies to drive competency- based training and hiring for in-demand jobs. Their vision is to create multiple pathways to employment, and their focus is on industry driven solutions to education and employment. http://www.Innovate-Educate.org.

About Hope Street Group:

Hope Street Group is a national non-profit focused on ensuring every American has access to economic opportunity through education, training and a career path that offers advancement and income growth. Hope Street Groups Sync Our Signals is changing the way companies and organizations source and hire talent by improving the signaling between employers, education and workers on the skills and competencies needed for success and career advancement.
"By incorporating SAFe into their solution offering, Blueprint is enabling the worlds largest organizations to become more Agile in the marketplace and more competitive in their industries, says Dean Leffingwell.

Blueprint, a leading provider of business-IT alignment solutions, today announced that it has joined the Scaled Agile Partner Network.

Members of the Scaled Agile Partner Network are recognized as being able to help facilitate and accelerate business results using the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), the worlds leading framework for enterprise agility. SAFe has proven to help businesses address the significant challenges of developing and delivering high-quality software and systems in the shortest sustainable lead time.

Storyteller, Blueprints Agile planning platform, designed for large scale, enterprise Agile adoption, is the only solution that bridges the gap of aligning business stakeholders throughout the Scaled Agile IT delivery process. Storyteller uniquely supports SAFe Value Streams by ensuring that business objectives are accurately defined, tracked, and delivered as they flow through Agile Release Trains. Storyteller enables the decomposition of these objectives into features, from value streams down through program increments and iterations.

Supporting digital transformation at an enterprise scale requires a synergy of process, people, and technology. As it stands, SAFe addresses processes in the form of its exceptional enterprise agility framework - and people, through their ecosystem of services partners. The addition of Blueprint to this ecosystem now addresses technology needs via best-of-breed enterprise Agile products like Storyteller.

Working with best-in-class partners like Blueprint represents our commitment to helping software and systems-dependent enterprises improve time-to-market, quality, and employee engagement, says Dean Leffingwell, creator of SAFe and cofounder of Scaled Agile, Inc. By incorporating SAFe into their solution offering, Blueprint is enabling the worlds largest organizations to become more Agile in the marketplace and more competitive in their industries.

Large organizations continue to struggle with implementing Agile practices at scale across the enterprise, says Martin Saipe, Chief Operating Officer at Blueprint. "Blueprint technology combined with the Scaled Agile methodology provides a market leading solution for organizations implementing Agile at scale while dramatically improving overall business-IT alignment.

Storyteller at 2017 SAFe Summit

Blueprint will be demoing Storyteller at the 2017 SAFe Summit in San Antonio in October. Visit Blueprint at booth 11 to see the potential of this new partnership in shaping enterprise transformation.

Free Trial Available

Download a free trial of Storyteller today to realize the value Storyteller can bring to your SAFe implementation.

About Scaled Agile, Inc., provider of SAFe

Scaled Agile, Inc. helps enterprises build better systems, increase employee engagement, and improve business outcomes through adoption of Lean-Agile principles and practices based on the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). The Boulder-based organization supports over 130,000 practitioners of the Framework through training, certification, services, and a global partner network that reaches over 35 countries. For more information on Scaled Agile and SAFe, visit scaledagile.com.

About Blueprint

Blueprint provides industry-leading solutions that accelerate and de-risk the digital transformation of large organizations. Our products  Blueprint Storyteller and Blueprint Regulatory Compliance Manager  resolve many of the time-consuming, costly, and error-prone functions that challenge IT organizations. Our products sit at the front of the toolchain, ensuring alignment of business and IT stakeholders. Weve created closed loop solutions that drive innovation and collaboration, ensure regulatory compliance, and protect the business value of products from definition to delivery.

More than half of all Fortune 100 companies across the globe have chosen Blueprint to automate their most complex digital transformation challenges.

For more information, please visit blueprintsys.com.
Grand Rapids Ophthalmologys (GRO) newest location, Lakeshore Eye, is now open. This officelocated at 717 Bagley, East Grand Rapidsis part of GROs growing commitment to providing West Michigan a broad spectrum of high quality, state-of-the-art eye care products and services with 12 locations to provide patients convenience and flexibility.

This office is an exciting addition for our organization, says Bill Hughson, GROs CEO. It is within walking distance to many of our patients homes, and the new optical boutique is a welcomed addition to the amenities Gas Light Village already provides residents and visitors.

Lakeshore Eyes fully remodeled interior offers a wide range of eyeglasses for adults and children, including sporty styles from Oakley and Smith, stylish looks from Marc Jacobs, colorful Lilly Pulitzer and Cole Haan, and updated classics from John Varvatos and Tommy Hilfiger. A generous assortment of sunglasses, including Maui Jim and Ray-Ban, are available with or without a prescription. William Schultz, OD, who has been providing eye health care in East Grand Rapids for the past 21 years, will continue to see his patients at this newly renovated officehe is also accepting new patients.

About Grand Rapids Ophthalmology (GRO)

Founded in 1982, Grand Rapids Ophthalmology is the largest fully-integrated eye care medical group in West Michigan. It offers a full suite of eye care services from routine eye exams, contact lenses and glasses, to the most advanced medical and surgical treatments such as LASIK, cataract, cornea, retina, glaucoma, oculoplastics, pediatric, and both cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery. GRO employs the largest number of eye care specialists and professionals in the region: 11 ophthalmologists, 19 optometrists, 40 certified opticians, and 300 support staff in 12 locations throughout West Michigan. For more information, visit: http://www.seeitclear.com.

About Sterling Partners

Sterling Partners is a private equity firm with a distinct point of view on how to build great companies. Founded in 1983, Sterling is guided by its stated purpose, INSPIRED GROWTH, which describes Sterling's approach to investing in differentiated businesses and growing them in inspired ways. Sterling focuses on investing growth capital in middle-market companies in the healthcare services and business services industries. Sterling provides valuable support to the management teams of the companies in which the firm invests through a deep and dedicated team of professionals, including a strong network of outside directors and advisors. The people at Sterling believe in ideas and ideals, in people and in partnerships that drive long-term success. For more information, visit: http://www.sterlingpartners.com.
This flat concrete heating blanket started it all. The AME assessment team highlighted Powerblankets great culture throughout the company. The team also commended Powerblankets improvements and impressive turnaround, especially for only being three years into its lean journey.

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) today announced four recipients of the AME 2017 Excellence Award. The AME Excellence Award primarily recognizes North American manufacturing plants that have demonstrated excellence in manufacturing and business. The award acknowledges continuous improvement, best practices, creativity and innovation. Recognized among those four recipients is Powerblanket, the smallest company ever to receive this award.

Powerblanket  Salt Lake City, Utah

The leader in total temperature control, Powerblanket designs and manufactures high technology smart controls and monitoring devices, heating blankets, and chilling products that solve a wide range of temperature problems in industries such as oil and gas, construction, industrial, mining, and railroad. The AME assessment team highlighted Powerblankets great culture throughout the company. The team also commended Powerblankets improvements and impressive turnaround, especially for only being three years into its lean journey. The award presentation will take place on Oct. 25, 2017.

Powerblanket is a great example of problem solving and innovation in industry. A concrete worker in Salt Lake City, UT wanted to work more efficiently year-round. He worked with an engineering professor at the University of Utah to create an efficient heating technology that would cure concrete quickly and with maximum strength. They developed an innovative concrete heating product and founded Powerblanket, which soon became a leading manufacturer in the concrete industry. This technology proved to solve many temperature problems for applications across many different industries, and they began wrapping barrels, buckets, pipes, and tanks. From there they developed an expertise in temperature control, built a world-class custom design team, created control devices, and entered the industrial cooling industry with a new line of chillers and cooling blankets.

What started as a solution to a common construction problem, has turned into an industry-leading company that engineers and manufactures temperature control solutions for many different industries all over the world.

The AME Excellence Award has a rigorous selection process that begins when a company submits an extensive achievement report based on the AME Excellence Award evaluation criteria. Achievement reports are evaluated by the AME award assessment team. For companies that score high enough in this achievement report review, an intensive site visit is completed, during which a volunteer team of manufacturing practitioners validates the submitted achievement report. Recipients of the Excellence Award are selected based on the combined results of the achievement report review and site visit feedback.

The AME Excellence Award is not something that can be achieved by one person or one company leader. It takes all team members working together to achieve the level of enterprise excellence that the AME Excellence Award recognizes. With that in mind, AME representatives will visit award recipients facilities to present awards in person so that everyone working in these facilities can participate in the celebration.

Recipients will also be honored at the AME 2017 International Conference, taking place Oct. 9-13 in Boston, Mass. Recipients will share their best practices with other lean and continuous improvement practitioners in attendance.

To learn more about the Excellence Award and the 2017 recipients Click Here.
Concerns about compromised security and data breaches have officially escalated to the boardroom as companies realize how critical a strong defense is to the survivability of every business." - Jim Masterson, LightEdge Chief Executive Officer

LightEdge Solutions is expanding their Virtual Security Operations Center (vSOC) solution set to include the added the power of IBMs QRadar Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) platform through a new partnership with CarbonHelix. IBMs 5-year #1 Gartner ranked SIEM has never been available in such an easy to deploy, managed model for small, medium, and enterprise-size businesses to tap into.

LightEdges vSOC powered by QRadar is a 24x7x365 complete security solution enabling customers to outsource components of their network security to the industrys top analysts and experts. QRadar, expertly deployed and operated by elite professionals with cybersecurity military backgrounds and high-level government clearance, will analyze log and network flow, monitor vulnerabilities, and track user and asset data though a single, integrated architecture.

vSOC powered by QRadar works as an overlay to the clients existing security environment and aggregates log data and network activity for any number of device types or brands. With the added benefits that QRadar brings, the vSOC experts at CarbonHelix can now correlate this data in real time with global threat feeds to identify any anomalies and events that indicate potential intrusion, malware, or suspicious upload and download activity.

Concerns about compromised security and data breaches have officially escalated to the boardroom as companies realize how critical a strong defense is to the survivability of every business, says Jim Masterson, LightEdge Chief Executive Officer. Even the most skilled IT teams do not have the resources to effectively monitor security systems around the clock, while also keeping a pulse on global threats. Our team at LightEdge understands how real these risks are, and are constantly evolving our security portfolio to keep our customers and their vital information secure.

The LightEdge vSOC powered by QRadar is a 24x7x365 complete security solution enabling customers to outsource components of their network security to the industrys top analysts and experts. QRadar, expertly deployed and operated by elite professionals with cybersecurity military backgrounds and high-level government clearance, will analyze log and network flow, monitor vulnerabilities, and track user and asset data though a single, integrated architecture.

LightEdge is providing industry-leading network security solutions to our customers, while connecting them to the top global correlation services available, said Jake Gibson, LightEdge Chief Security Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. Not only will clients benefit from QRadars worldwide intelligence and monitoring, but LightEdge will remain a trusted partner to offer local support and consulting services for a complete security package.

The LightEdge vSOC powered by QRadar offers a powerful security solution for the majority of businesses that do not have the around the clock IT resources to effectively provide to-the minute-threat intelligence and insight.

Deployed and supported locally, LightEdge vSOC powered by QRadar offers:



24/7/ log and event monitoring, threat analysis and security coverage

Secure, real-time communication with elite, military cleared security analysts

Cognitive event correlation and analysis to prioritize probability of threats

Effective tools and reporting for regulatory compliance

Worldwide threat visibility

Reduction of false-positive incidents and increase in meaningful investigation

Board-level awareness of security risks to the business

For more information on the LightEdge vSOC powered by QRadar, visit http://www.lightedge.com.

About LightEdge Solutions

LightEdge Solutions is an experienced and proven leader in data center, Enterprise IT cloud solutions and network integration, providing businesses with reliable access to Fortune 100-level infrastructure that quickly adapts and scales to meet changing business requirements. LightEdge, which is owned by The Anschutz Corporation, was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. LightEdge serves both Midwestern and national companies from its five regional office locations with scalable and customized IT solutions that leverage a fully redundant network backbone connecting all carrier-neutral data centers, as well as, an experienced team of engineers.
Lake Norman Grand Opening for Engel & Volkers

Engel & Volkers Lake Norman announced today that Danae Caulfield, local leader and real estate expert, will join their newly opened office in Birkdale Village as Broker-in-Charge.

I am happy to announce the addition of Danae [Caulfield] to our team, stated Owner, Yuriy Vaynshteyn. Her knowledge of the Lake Norman market and fine-tuned leadership skills will allow us to grow while advancing the careers of our existing advisors.

Caulfields real estate career spans over 20 years in both residential and commercial markets and she currently holds her Senior Residential Specialist (SRES) designation and is a member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing (ILHM). Before starting her career in real estate, Caulfield proudly served in the U.S. Air Force and worked for IBM in their Research and Development Operations. In addition, she served as the Town Commissioner for Huntersville, was a candidate for the NC House District 92 seat, and has served on many boards for local government and the Realtor Association.

I strongly believe in community service and I have the passion to make a positive difference in the lives of others, states Caulfield. I am thrilled to join this organization because we do not just specialize in luxury real estate and fine homes. We take luxury service to a whole new level, regardless of price point.

Caulfield joins the existing leadership team at Engel & Volkers Charlotte which is comprised of Owner, Yuriy Vaynshteyn; Executive Vice President, Frances Bryant; Vice President, Sue Fessler; and Vice President and Broker-in-Charge, Laurie Knudsen. The team has led the expansion of the brand in the Charlotte market over the past two years and has seen a tremendous amount of growth. Engel & Volkers Charlottes second location in Uptown Charlotte launched in March 2017 to complement the existing Ballantyne location. The firm opened its Lake Norman shop in Birkdale Village just last month.

About Engel & Volkers

Since its beginning in 1977 as a specialty boutique providing exclusive, high-end real estate services in Hamburg, Germany, Engel & Volkers has become one of the worlds leading companies specializing in the sale and lease of premium residential and commercial property, yachts and private aviation. Engel & Volkers currently operates a global network of over 8,500 real estate advisors in more than 750 brokerages spanning 32 countries across five continents, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services. It established Engel & Volkers North America in 2007 and assembled a team of the industrys top leaders, performers and real estate innovators to expand operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and tools; multiple platforms for mobile, social and web; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Engel & Volkers is an active supporter of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated.
The 2017 Wisconsin Stars of Life. High-res version available at http://bit.ly/17starsWI for print. Photo credit: Logan Sechler, Sechler Photography This years Wisconsin Stars represent the very best of EMS, and we are proud to gather here in Green Bay to celebrate their contributions to the communities they serve.

The Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin last night celebrated EMS excellence at the Wisconsin Stars of Life banquet. At this years event, 29 healthcare providers from across the state were honored as the 2017 Wisconsin Stars of Life.

The Wisconsin Stars of Life program celebrates the contributions of ambulance professionals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to their communities and the EMS profession. Stars of Life recognizes the dedication of these heroes while shining light on the critical role EMS plays in our health care infrastructure.

PAAW President Patrick Ryan noted, This years Wisconsin Stars represent the very best of EMS, and we are proud to gather here in Green Bay to celebrate their contributions to the communities they serve.

In both a pinning ceremony and the formal medal and plaque presentation, stories of the heroism and selflessness of the Stars were shared with their employers, colleagues, and fellow attendees of the co-located Paramedic Systems of Wisconsin Conference.

To close the evening, one Wisconsin Star, David Mike, was selected to represent PAAW at the American Ambulance Associations national Stars of Life in Washington, DC in June 2018. During his time in Washington, Mr. Mike, accompanied by executive hosts from Paratech, will meet with members of Congress and congressional aides to discuss legislative issues critical to emergency medical services.

This years distinguished recipients are:



Amanda Holtz, Orange Cross Ambulance

Angela Gonzalez, Palmyra Public Safety Department

Benjamin Waldera, Divine Savior Healthcare EMS

Bob Kelter, Baraboo EMS

Bob Sternhagen (posthumous), Gold Cross Ambulance

Brian Randall, Gold Cross Ambulance

Chris Cuddy, Gold Cross Ambulance

Christopher Dallas, Valders Ambulance

Dan Morth, Ellsworth Area Ambulance

David Krueger, Grant EMS

David Mike, Paratech Ambulance (selected as AAA Star of Life)

Dr. Suzanne Martens, Valders Ambulance

Elizabeth Ferger-Olsen, Paratech Ambulance Service

Jeri Schiffman, Tri-State Regional Ambulance

Jon Hagen, Flight For Life

Kenny Monteith, Tri-State Regional Ambulance

Lori McConochie, Cambria Community Ambulance Service

Mark Willer, Baraboo EMS

Mary LaPorte, Riverside Fire District

Patrick Donoghue, Bell Ambulance

Paul Harrison, Ryan Brothers Ambulance

Robert Whitton, Paratech Ambulance Service

Russell Schafer, Lodi Area EMS

Ryan Janus, Bell Ambulance

Sandra Steenweg, Pickerel Rescue Squad

Steve Hensley, Tri-State Ambulance

Tami Aerts, County Rescue Services

Tom Pasch, Ryan Brothers Ambulance

Tyler Miller, Tri-State Ambulance

To learn more about each Star, please review the evenings program book at http://bit.ly/17starsWIbooklet. It contains biographies for each award recipient. Congratulations to the 2017 Wisconsin Stars!

About the Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin

The Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin (PAAW) was founded in 2005 to represent the interests of ambulance services in the state of Wisconsin. In addition, PAAW works to create and promote opportunities for collaboration and networking between ambulance service executives, directors, and managers. PAAW serves as an EMS stakeholder group to promote excellence and quality in the ambulance industry in Wisconsin. http://www.paaw.us
Families pull together in time of need, said Vista College CEO Jim Tolbert when Hurricane Harvey hit Beaumont, Texas, affecting many students and staff of the campus. Tolbert immediately rallied the support of all eight of Vista Colleges campuses to begin raising funds and collecting items that could be delivered to Vistas Beaumont location to serve students, staff, alumni, and the community. Renting a 26ft. U-HAUL truck, Tolbert rallied the campuses throughout Texas, Arkansas, and New Mexico to central meeting points in Texas, where he picked up the items of food, toiletries, water, diapers and clothing. Once the donations were loaded, he drove the truck to College Station where, on Wednesday, September 6, a team of program directors drove them to the Beaumont Vista College Campus.

Many of Vistas Beaumont students were a part of a mandatory evacuation issued by the city due to rising water, and some are still living in shelters or hotels throughout Texas. Several were rescued by the National Guard or the Cajun Navy and transported to shelters for safety.

One of our staff members, who evacuated, lost her entire home due to rising waters, said Stephanie Ross, campus director, Vista College Beaumont. She is living with family and friends until her home is repaired, which will likely take several months. Many of the local Vista staff and faculty have rallied together to assist in the cleanup and repair of her home. She, along with the students and community members we served, were so appreciative of the donations and especially grateful for the emotional support they received during this unbelievable devastation.

The outpouring of appreciation from the recipients has just been incredible, said Tolbert. We thank each and every campus and the community members who donated to this incredible cause. Unfortunately, our work is not over. Many of our students are displaced, dont have transportation, or are dealing with many other devastating issues. It is my understanding that all items have now been distributed, but we continue to collect funds to support these residents of Beaumont.

Vista College has raised over $10,000, and continues to collect to help those in need via paypal. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=MJN9A74SBUQZL

We are working to determine how best to utilize these funds, and the Beaumont campus is conducting a survey to assess needs of the students, said Tolbert. "We may buy needed items, provide meals or provide gift cards. One thing is certain  Beaumont is going to take a long time to recover from this. I have encouraged our Vista campus communities to continue to raise funds to help our family in Beaumont.

The Beaumont Vista College Campus, located at 3871 Stagg Dr. #194, served over 300 people and partnered with Antioch Baptist Church as an extension of their donation distribution center.

I think I speak for the all of Vistas campuses when I say what an inspiration our CEO Jim Tolbert has been throughout this devastating time in so many peoples lives, said Stephanie Ross, campus director, Vista College Beaumont. His hands-on approach in coordinating the donation efforts among all the campuses and his journey across the state with a loaded 26ft. U-Haul, filled to capacity, is appreciated by everyone. We are so grateful to those who donated so many wonderful items  so many that Mr. Tolbert experienced a couple of flat tires along the way! The need here is devastating, and it will take Beaumont a long time to recover, but we feel blessed to have so many people reaching out and helping each other.

Classes resumed at Vista College Beaumont on Monday, September 18.

We hope to bring back some sort of normalcy to our students lives with the start of classes, and we will continue to help our campus family in every way we can, added Ross. On behalf of the students and staff here in Beaumont, we want to express our most heartfelt thanks to our friends, colleagues, family, and business associates who welcomed the chance to help those in need and continue to support those whose lives have been turned upside down.

# # #

Vista College is a network of private, post-secondary career colleges offering a variety of training programs. These include healthcare, business, cosmetology, legal, technology and trades. Vista College offers online programs and has on-ground campuses in Texas (Beaumont, College Station, El Paso, Killeen, Longview and Lubbock), and campuses in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Fort Smith, Arkansas. Vista College is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education located at 7840 Roswell Road, Building 300, Suite 325, Atlanta, GA 30350. Call (770) 396-3839. Vista College also has a separate Online campus accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Consumer information may be viewed at http://www.vistacollege.edu.
Our members are some of the most passionate and knowledgeable wine consumers in the world. Matter of Taste is the perfect opportunity to share with our members a world-class wine experience theyll cherish forever, enthuses Lisa Perrotti-Brown.

Robert Parkers Wine Advocate (RobertParker.com), the leading authority on wine, announces the return of its international Matter Of Taste tour to San Francisco on Saturday November 4, 2017 at The City Club San Francisco.

On the heels of the sold-out events in Zurich and London earlier this year, the San Francisco Matter Of Taste tour continues the global series of exclusive events for RobertParker.com members, non-members and guests. The signature event, the Grand Walkabout Tasting, will feature over 150 outstanding wines, each rated 90 or more points by Robert Parkers Wine Advocate. This years themes will be Right-Bank Varieties and Global Sparkling.

The roster of events will include a VIP preview hour, the Grand Walkabout Tasting, and exclusive rare wine Master Classes. A progression of exceptional wine dinners will take place throughout San Francisco the week of October 30, 2017, including a very special Verite Winery Retrospective & Dinner on November 3, 2017, hosted by Lisa Perroti-Brown MW and Verite Winery's Helene Seillan at Spruce restaurant. The La Paulee Grande Finale Dinner, The Ultimate Hedonists BYOB Dinner, November 4, 2017, will conclude this extraordinary week, with guests invited to bring up to three bottles of their favorite 90 RP points or above wines to share with fellow subscribers and members of the Robert Parker Wine Advocate review team. Set in the 12th floor Penthouse of the City Club San Francisco, a sumptuous sit-down, four course haute-cuisine menu will make this an extravagant feast not to miss. Seats are limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. This is a rare chance to participate in a true Hedonists Gazette dinner with incredible vintner hosts and reviewers Neal Martin, Monica Larner, and Lisa Perrotti Brown MW.

The Grand Walkabout Tasting, 12:00 p.m.  5:00 p.m., will include some of the worlds most prized wines, encompassing a range of varietals, regions and styles. Well-regarded winemakers will be pouring their wines, including iconic wineries Abremundos, Cheval des Andes, Lagarde and Marcello (Argentina); Chateau Valandrad, Clos de Sarpe, Fleur Cardinale, Haut Bailly and Charles Heidsieck (France); Hickonbotham, Penley Estate, Giant Steps and Cullen (Australia); Feudi di San Gregorio, Ca del Bosco, Le Macchiole and Petrolo (Italy); Cono Sur, Calyptra and Leyda (Chile); Craggy Range, Te Mata Estate and Giesen (New Zealand); Dominio de la Vega (Spain); Prats & Symington (Portugal); Tokara (South Africa); Cadence, JM Cellars and Northstar (Washington); and Daou, La Jota and Peter Michael Winery (California).

In addition to the Grand Walkabout Tasting, six exclusive Master Classes are offered. Wine Advocate Editor-in-Chief reviewer Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW will be hosting Washington and a Global view of Merlot  a blind tasting of Washington and new world Merlots including 2013 Blackbird Vineyards Illustration Proprietary Red, 2013 Buty Winery Merlot, Cabernet Franc Conner Lee Vineyard, 2013 Kapcsandy Family Winery Merlot Robertas Reserve, 2013 Verite La Muse, 2014 Cadence Bel Canto, 2014 Craggy Range Sophia Proprietary Red, 2014 Hickinbotham The Revivalist Merlot, 2014 Leonetti Cellar Walla Walla Merlot, 2014 Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot, 2014 Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah, and 2014 Woodward Canyon Estate Reserve.

Wine Advocate reviewer Neal Martin will be hosting The Best of the Best: South Africa, focusing on the very best wines of South Africa. The tasting will focus on the artisan South African winemakers, including rare and coveted wines from renowned growers such as Eben Sadie, Chris and Andrea Mullineux, and Bruwer Raats. In addition, Martin will be leading Right Bank Legends: Rive Droite 2009, 2010, and 2015. This tasting will examine three exemplary estates from some of the finest terroirs on the Right Bank: Belair-Monange in Saint Emilion, and La Fleur-Petrus and Trotanoy in Pomerol. Attendees will have the opportunity to compare each one from some of the finest vintages of the last 20 years: 2009, 2010 and a preview of 2015. Christian Moueix and Tod Mostero, Winemaker, Dominus Estates, will be in attendance offering insights into these wines and vintages.

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate reviewer, will lead Italian Cabernet Franc: The Mighty French Grape Finds an Ideal Home in Italy, where Cabernet Franc expresses its inner Italiano in this fascinating collection of wines. This stubborn grape from France finds a perfect home in the laid-back and sun-drenched vineyards of Italy, discovering its secret soul along the way. Find out why Italy and Cabernet Franc are a match made in heaven. Larner will also lead, with proprietor Luca Sanjust, A Retrospective of Petrolos Galatrona: An Iconic Merlot from the Heart of Tuscany, a tasting of the 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 vintages. In addition, Larner will host, with proprietor Antonio Capaldo, A Retrospective of Feudi San Gregorios Patrimo: The Wine that put Southern Italy on the World Wine Map, a tasting of the 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2015 vintages. For a complete list of featured wines as well as tickets for the Grand Walkabout Tasting and all six Master Classes and dinners, please visit http://www.a-matter-of-taste.com.

Our members are some of the most passionate and knowledgeable wine consumers in the world. Matter of Taste is the perfect opportunity to share with our members a world-class wine experience theyll cherish forever, enthuses Perrotti-Brown.

The Matter of Taste wine experiences began in 2014 and have been in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, London, Chicago, Macau, Miami, Manila, Jakarta, Napa, New York, and San Francisco. Matter of Taste moves to New York on December 3, 2017.

Annual members of RobertParker.com are entitled to discounted tickets ($120 through October 21, 2017) to the Matter of Taste Grand Walkabout Tasting. Non-member discounted tickets ($180 through October 21, 2017) include a one-year membership to RobertParker.com and access to over 500,000 professional wine reviews and articles. A limited number of early entry VIP passes are available for an additional $100. All Master Class prices vary between $100 and $250 depending on the class. Further details and booking information are available at http://www.a-matter-of-taste.com.
Beam logo We created industry-leading dot-com, digital acquisition and CRM experiences for Mini."

With MINI USA announcing their new digital agency partners today, we wanted to say thank you to our friends at MINI for a beautiful and enduring relationship, said Dave Batista, CCO and partner at BEAM. Sixteen years ago, we set out to redefine the experience of shopping for and owning a car. And we did just that, helping to create one of the most successful brand launches in US history.

The performance of BEAMs work has never flagged. We created industry-leading dot-com, digital acquisition and CRM experiences, as well as a marketing ecosystem that to this day has enabled us to continually better our already high online channel conversion-to-sale rate in a time of reduced demand for smaller cars. And were proud that MINI was named one of 2017s Best Global Brands by Interbrand, added Batista.

Moving forward, BEAMs ongoing innovation in the areas of personalized outreach and engagement, delightful experience design and omni-channel analytics leaves the agency well positioned to drive even greater success in a category thats transforming rapidly. The agency is currently exploring opportunities with other automakers.

----------------

About BEAM: BEAM is a Boston-based experience design and digital marketing agency dedicated to making the most frictionless, fantastic and effective businesses in the world. Their core competencies are experience strategy and design, personalized acquisition marketing, CRM, marketing infrastructure development and omni-channel analytics. Clients include AMG (Affiliated Managers Group), The Boston Consulting Group, Fidelity Investments, Aruba Tourism Authority, ASICS, Fanatics and IoT pioneer Living PlanIt. Their work has been recognized by organizations including Webby, The Cannes Lions, The New York Times, Washington Post, The Centre Pompidou and Harvard Business School.

END

Contact marita.stapleton(at)beamland(dot)com

617-523-0500
The LCR-Reader-MP offers a large variety of features, 0.1% basic accuracy, and now has NIST Traceable Calibration certificates and FCC compliance.

Waterloo, Ontario based Siborg Systems Inc. is now offering a new digital multimeter, the LCR-Reader-MP. In contrast to other previously introduced tweezer-like meters, such as Smart Tweezers and its successors, LCR-Reader MP offers a variety of new features very important for PCB debugging, and a high basic accuracy of 0.1%.

The new device has been recently tested by Navair Technologies, confirming the claimed high basic accuracy. Besides, two new calibration fixtures have been created and calibrated by Navair Technologies allowing to provide NIST Traceable Calibration Certificates with every LCR-Reader-MP.

In addition FCC compliance test was performed by MPB Technologies Inc from Alberta, Canada and FCC part 15.109 has been granted.

LCR-Reader-MP is a multipurpose LCR- and ESR-meter with various features including diode/LED testing, AC/DC voltage testing, oscilloscope, frequency measurements, signal generation and more. One of the most important features include the ability to test at 100 kHz test frequency which allows for 1 nH resolution for inductance measurements and 0.01 pF for capacitance.

This device has been proven especially helpful for measuring large capacitances up to 680 mF. While using the Large Capacitance test mode, LCR-Reader-MP automatically reduces the test frequency to 25 Hertz, allowing for measurements with reasonable accuracy. Electrolytic capacitors are measured at 120 Hertz with the ESR values measured at 100 kHz according to regular electrolytic capacitor test conditions. Along with these other features, the LCR-Reader-MP offers a wide range of test frequencies: 25, 100, 120 Hz, 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, and 100 kHz.

The oscilloscope mode is able to analyze waveforms with frequencies up to 100 kHz on active circuit boards. This mode is especially useful when used with the LCR-Reader Kelvin Probe Connector as a full probe station, able to check waveforms at various nodes on the PCB.

The LCR-Reader family of multimeters has become easy to recognize with the combination of a set of gold-plated tweezers and a lightweight multimeter. Unlike other models, LCR-Reader MP is twice as heavy at 2 oz. The larger size allowed for a larger, back-lit screen to be implemented in the device which has larger text and icons that are easier to read. The device is controlled using a jog-wheel; basic functions can be changed from the measurement screen and more extensive menus can be accessed by pressing the jog-wheel down and turning it clockwise and counter clockwise.

Some downsides include a high test signal source resistance of 1 kOhm and a moderate test signal level of 0.65 Vrms which is higher than that of the original LCR-Reader but lower than 1 Vrms offered in Smart Tweezers. This test signal level may read lower than actual capacitance values and may not be reliable enough while testing some ceramic capacitors.

Features on LCR-Reader-MP:



Automatic and manual LCR, ESR, LED/Diode measurements

0.1% basic accuracy

AC/DC Voltage measurement up to 15 V

Current measurement

Oscilloscope Transient Voltage display for up to 100 kHz

Measurements of Frequency, Pulse Period, Duty Cycle up to 400 kHz

Diode/LED and Continuity testing

Signal Generator: Sine, Rectangle, Triangle pulse shapes up to 100 kHz

Easy Short/Open calibration and offset removal

Two Test Signal levels; Automatic test signal reduction to 0.1V for in-circuit measurements

Displays active and reactive impedance components

Measures components to a 0201 size (0.3mm)

2 oz. weight

Li-Ion battery with micro-USB charging

Backlit LCD display

Jog-wheel navigation

Siborg has sent the LCR-Reader-MP to Navair Technologies in Toronto, Ontario for testing. Upon receiving their results, Siborg is able to issue NIST Traceable Calibration Certificates for each device. This is a deciding factor for companies that require annual calibration of their test equipment. The LCR-Reader-MP was granted FCC Certification in Airdrie, Alberta, Canada by MPB Technologies Inc.

The LCR-Reader-MP is now available and can be ordered for the introductory price of US$388.99 in the LCR-Reader Store.

Other devices are available from the online store, such as Smart Tweezers with Bluetooth connectivity, LCR-Reader, Smart LED Test Tweezers and Smart Tweezers Kelvin Multi-function Probe connector as well as a variety of accessories for either LCR-Reader or Smart Tweezers LCR-meters.

Most products from Siborg Systems Inc are available worldwide in the company's Amazon stores i the USA, Canada and Europe.
We have been looking for a distribution partner in the United States that understands the market and is well-established, and we found that partner in SyncDog.

SyncDog, Inc., the leading ISV for mobile application security, today announced a distributor partnership with Cologne-based consultancy and software house EBF GmbH. Since 1994, EBF has been successfully realizing IT projects and developments in business across all industries, and this agreement enables SyncDog to distribute EBF Migrator product in the U.S. and Canada.

The EBF Migrator solution is designed to increase efficiency for migrations between enterprise EMM vendors, reducing IT department burden, downtimes, and costs that typically accompany mass mobile software migrations. The product is compatible with source systems such as BlackBerry Enterprise Server, VMWare AirWatch, Citrix XenMobile and more.

We have been looking for a distribution partner in the United States that understands the market and is well-established, and we found that partner in SyncDog, said Thomas Steinmetz, vice president of the Americas for EBF, Inc. EMM migration is gaining momentum in the Americas, and the EBF Migrator makes it easier and quicker to migrate mass quantities of mobile licenses than most IT departments would believe is possible.

EBF is a game-changer for organizations who would like to change EMM providers, but are reluctant to switch solutions due to the cost, time, and resources needed to accompany migrations, said Jonas Gyllensvaan, CEO and founder of SyncDog. Were proud to partner with them and offer their product to a market that is looking for a bridge to fast migration.

Secure.Systems Workspace Demonstration at Microsoft Ignite

SyncDog will be at Microsoft Ignite this week (September 25-29), hosting live demonstrations of the Secure.Systems Workspace throughout expo hours at booth #2254. The Secure.Systems Workspace is hosted on Microsoft Azure to maximize the performance of your secure Office 365 experience. More product information is available below.

Ignite Conference details:



Where: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida

When: September 25-29, 2017

SyncDog Booth: #2254, South Exhibit Hall

Event Information: Link

Registration: Link

The Secure.Systems Workspace

The Secure.Systems Workspace (https://secure.systems) provides a secure application platform that encrypts and transports data between the enterprise and secure, sandboxed applications running on employees mobile devices. The workspace delivers a highly functional and easy app experience for users, and protects client enterprise networks with a secure, partitioned FIPS 140-2 certified* container on both iOS and Android devices. Secure.Systems secures data both on the device and in transit using AES 256-bit encryption. A full suite of mobile-enabled productivity applications is available in the defense-grade container, including SharePoint, Enterprise Chat, Geo-location Services, DropBox, a Personal Information Management (PIM) suite, Office Suite, Office 365, File Sync, and Secure Mobile App Management & Development functions.

About EBF GmbH

EBF is a success story made in Germany: the consultation and software company founded by Marco Follmer and Markus Adolph has been successfully realizing IT projects and developments in businesses from all industries since 1994.

EBF is Germanys Mobile Competence Center with business connections to the leading international solution providers. EBF has been awarded the IBM Lotus Award for its innovative in-house developments.

The owner-managed business focuses on continuous growth of its turnover and employee numbers, as well as on cooperation with renowned service partners, long-term service and future-proof consultation. The high satisfaction of its international clients is proving EBF right.

With the strategic takeover of OSConsult in Duisburg in March 2006, EBF has consolidated the division of mobile business integration. Over the last few years the turnover in this segment has continuously increased and the portfolio of benefit-oriented industry and software solutions for BlackBerry has been extended. For more information, visit http://ebf.de.

About SyncDog, Inc.

SyncDog is the leading ISV for building Containerized and Collaborative (C2) mobile IT frameworks that extend app functionality to devices while securing networks from mobile-endpoint threat. SyncDog SentinelSecure delivers an unimpeded, fully-functional mobile app experience that supports OneDrive, Office 365, Skype for Business, and other Microsoft collaboration apps within a FIPS 140-2 workspace. The C2 Workspace is ideal for organizations that want to deliver a rich mobile app experience across BYOD, CYOD, or other device policy. SentinelSecure can be deployed as managed service at https://secure.systems or as on-premise solution. For more information about SyncDog, please visit https://syncdog.com.
Samantha Steele, loan officer with MidAtlantic Farm Credit I am very excited to join the Farm Credit family and for the opportunity to work with local farmers.

MidAtlantic Farm Credit recently announced the hiring of Samantha Steele as a loan officer. She will be based in the associations Denton, Maryland office.

Were happy to have Samantha join our sales team, says Wayne Richard, regional lending manager for MidAtlantic Farm Credit. Her background in agriculture is extensive, and we look forward to her working with our members and helping them plan for financial success.

As a loan officer, Steele will work with both current and prospective customers to help them reach their financial goals. I am very excited to join the Farm Credit family and for the opportunity to work with local farmers, says Steele. It is incredibly rewarding to witness the passion they have for their jobs, and I look forward to helping them grow and ensure their operations will be around for generations to come.

Prior to joining Farm Credit, Steele was a crop insurance agent with Weller & Associates. She graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in agribusiness management and rural development. Steele is originally from and currently resides in Milford, Delaware.

About MidAtlantic Farm Credit

MidAtlantic Farm Credit is an agricultural lending cooperative owned by its memberborrowers. It provides farm loans for land, equipment, livestock and production; crop insurance; and rural home mortgages. The co-op has over 11,300 members and over $2.68 billion in loans outstanding. MidAtlantic has branches serving Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It is part of the national Farm Credit System, a network of financial cooperatives established in 1916 to provide a dependable source of credit to farmers and rural America.
Jason Moss, CEO of the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance As we reflect on our 3rd Quarter results for 2017, we attribute our success to the members and sponsors who have partnered with us on our mission of supporting Georgias manufacturing community, stated Mr. Moss at the GMA Advisory Board Meeting on September 19th.

The Georgia Manufacturing Alliance(GMA) experienced continued growth for the 3rd Quarter adding over 85 new members this year and launching several additional resources for the manufacturing community. The Georgia Manufacturing Alliance provides monthly plant tours, educational sessions, and networking opportunities and is the fastest growing community of manufacturing professionals in the state.

As we reflect on our 3rd Quarter results for 2017, we attribute our success to the members and sponsors who have partnered with us on our mission of supporting Georgias manufacturing community, stated Mr. Moss at the GMA Advisory Board Meeting on September 19th. Our main objective is to provide our manufacturers, suppliers, and service industries the resources they need to make connections and to grow their profitability.

Some of the Georgia Manufacturing Alliances 3rd Quarter highlights include:



80 plant tours, educational workshops, and networking events

1,600 attendees at GMA events

Membership Coordinator/Executive Assistant added to GMA Staff

85 New Members including top manufacturers from across the state

Launch of a Military & Veterans support initiative

Launch of an International Manufacturing Group

3rd Edition of the Amazon Best Selling Georgia Manufacturing Directory

4th Annual Georgia Manufacturing Summit, October 25th, at the Cobb Galleria

Our registrations for the Georgia Manufacturing Summit are double over last year, and we anticipate our largest event ever, said Mr. Moss. We are fortunate to have top Keynote Speakers, who are the V.P.s of Supply Chain for Chick-fil-A and Coke North America, along with 20 leading industry experts addressing the Trends to Track as we head into 2018.

About the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance:

The Georgia Manufacturing Alliance (GMA) is a membership-based industry organization founded in 2008 to support Georgias manufacturing community. GMA provides monthly plant tours, educational sessions, tradeshows, and unique networking opportunities designed to help make profitable business connections for its members. The Georgia Manufacturing Directory, Georgia Manufacturing Summit, and Georgia Manufacturing Calendar are additional resources produced by GMA. To learn more about the organization, membership, and upcoming events, please call 770-338-0051 or visit their website http://www.GeorgiaManufacturingAlliance.com
Healthcare workers looking to further their careers are drawn to online options as a way to fit training into a busy schedule. Convenience and flexibility are significant drivers to this format, but there are tradeoffs to consider when choosing online over live, instructor-led learning opportunities, according to industry leader Practice Management Institute (PMI).

Many people associate online learning with greater accessibility and cost savings. But even in the Internet age, there are still benefits to live training that cant be ignored. Some research shows that people who take courses onlineincluding classes intended to advance job knowledge and skillsare more likely to drop the course or get a lower grade compared to those taking the same course in a classroom setting.(1,2)

For healthcare administrators and managers, instructor-led training sessions in medical practice management edge out certain online offerings by offering specific advantages. Medical coding classes and medical billing classes cover a variety of complex topics, and course participants attending live classes report increased focus on presentations and question and answer sessions. Also, there are typically more opportunities to practice new skills before implementing them in the work environment, and personal attention from instructors simply isnt available for similar types of online courses.(2)

Instructor-led class participants can also gain interpersonal relationship skills that enhance their careers. In live classes, attendees meet people from other departments and facilities, and build working relationships that complement and strengthen their own skills and knowledge. Personal networks are expanded, and informal interactions among students can often lead to a firmer grasp of the course materials, as well as a greater appreciation for the knowledge gained.

David Womack, CEO of PMI, says, Online learning is tremendously beneficial for many people looking to enhance their skill set, but instructor-led training still has benefits that an online forum cant match. Live courses are easily adaptable to fit the unique needs of the students, and instructors can offer personalized attention to those who need a little extra help. With topics such as medical billing and coding, this is especially important, since these are complicated topics and a firm grasp of the material is essential for success.

While PMI offers learners several online options, the company also provides a variety of instructor-led courses and conferences to fit the medical practice training needs of healthcare organizations nationwide. PMIs 2017 National Conference, held November 810 in Las Vegas, gives attendees the chance to network, enhance practice management skill sets, and earn continuing education credits. The conference features several keynote speakers and presenters, all of whom offer unique knowledge and insights into the world of medical practice management. Conference attendees will boost their own expertise, which will benefit not only themselves, but also the healthcare organizations for which they work.

About Practice Management Institute (PMI):

For more than 30 years, the Practice Management Institute (PMI) has helped physicians, hospital systems, medical societies, and educational institutions provide comprehensive education and training to medical office staff nationwide. By offering a variety of educational programs and professional certifications, PMI helps to build competency, compliancy and effectiveness that assures the continued success of its clients.

Since PMIs formation in 1983, more than 20,000 individuals have earned certification in one more areas of expertise. PMI is recognized by both the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Labor for training in medical coding, third-party billing, office management, and compliance. PMI training helps ease the burden of running a successful medical practice by way of thorough education and up-to-date training for non-clinical staff, allowing physicians to focus on patient care to improve the experience of the patient. For more information, visit http://www.pmiMD.com.

About David Womack:

David Womack, president and CEO of the Practice Management Institute, has been instrumental in PMIs continued success since 1991. He has helped PMI transition into a cutting-edge leader in medical office staff education and training while developing key relationships with healthcare organizations, hospitals, colleges, and medical societies across the country. His commitment to excellence has helped PMI become an industry leader recognized by both governmental organizations and healthcare systems across the country.

Sources:

1. Online vs. In-Class Success. Training. https://trainingmag.com/trgmag-article/online-vs-class-success

2. Twelve Advantages of Instructor-Led Classroom Training. Max Technical Training and Solutions. https://maxtrain.com/blog-post/twelve-advantages-instructor-led-classroom-training/
We are looking forward to discussing the trends and ideas that will shape the future of eCommerce as panelists at the Texas eCommerce Summit and to showcase the newest version of the Broadleaf framework.

Broadleaf Commerce, an Inc. 5000 enterprise eCommerce platform provider, will sponsor the Texas eCommerce Summit 2017 in Dallas, Texas. The conference will take place on October 26th at the Hilton Anatole.

In addition to sponsoring the event, Broadleaf COO Brad Buhl will present as a panelist for the The Next Big Ideas in eCommerce: Challenges and Opportunities panel, and Broadleaf CEO Brian Polster will be serving as a panelist for the B2B eCommerce panel. These sessions will prompt panelists and attendees to actively engage in new ideas for customer engagement, new technologies, and the trends to come in eCommerce.

Members of Broadleafs executive team will be on site to meet with attendees to discuss their current eCommerce challenges and to introduce them to the Broadleaf framework, and how it is meeting the complex needs of current clients. Interested retailers may contact Broadleaf to schedule a one-on-one private demonstration for a deeper discussion of Broadleafs core functionalities.

We are looking forward to discussing the trends and ideas that will shape the future of eCommerce as panelists at the Texas eCommerce Summit and to showcase the newest version of the Broadleaf framework, stated Brian Polster, CEO of Broadleaf Commerce. Our clients from multiple industries continue to reaffirm us as the best commerce framework for building complex or highly customized solutions.

Broadleaf Commerce provides robust, black-box free B2C, B2B, Multi-Site, Marketplace, Multi-Tenant Enablement, and API Commerce solutions to support leading retail brands, including OReilly Auto Parts, The Container Store, and ICON Health & Fitness. For more information about the Broadleaf Commerce platform, visit: http://www.broadleafcommerce.com.

About Broadleaf Commerce, LLC

Broadleaf Commerce, an Inc. 5000 company, provides B2B and B2C eCommerce platform solutions to simplify the complexities of multi-channel commerce and digital experience management. As the market-leading choice for enterprise organizations requiring tailored, highly scalable commerce systems, Broadleaf is fully customizable and extensible. Trusted by Fortune 500 corporations, Broadleaf provides the framework for leading brands, including Pep Boys, The Container Store, and OReilly Auto Parts. For more information visit: http://www.broadleafcommerce.com/.
The organizers of Commercial UAV Expo Europe, the pan-European exhibition and conference focused on UAS integration and operation for large enterprise industrial applications, announced that the 2018 event will be held 10-12 June 2018 at the RAI Amsterdam in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The inaugural edition of Commercial UAV Expo Europe took place 20-22 June 2017 at the SQUARE Brussels Exhibition Centre in Brussels, Belgium and was enormously successful, with more than 500 attendees from 50 countries and 52 exhibiting companies. Taking place at the event was the European drone cluster EUKAs Drone Hero Contest, which recognized outstanding innovation in the drone space.

Lisa Murray, Director of Commercial UAV Expo Europe, shared that 95% of attendees and 100% of exhibitors surveyed at the 2017 event said there is a need for a Pan-European commercial UAV event. In fact, 75% of exhibitors at the 2017 event booked space for the 2018 during the 2017 edition. There are numerous small country-wide events, but not before Commercial UAV Expo Europe was there a pan-European event that brought together the commercial drone ecosystem from throughout Europe to advance this ground-breaking technology. We are proud to have brought this event to Europe and excited to now hold it in Amsterdam. The city is easily accessible from throughout Europe and the RAI Amsterdam is known globally as an excellent facility. The move to a larger facility and the date shift to April make sense for this event and the industry. She expressed gratitude to the SQUARE Brussels Meeting Centre and the City of Brussels for their cooperation during the events launch year.

The European event is similar in format to its sister show, Commercial UAV Expo Americas, which is taking place for the third year October 24-26, 2017 in Las Vegas, USA. Weve seen exponential growth at our Americas event, which will reach 2,500 attendees and 200 booths this year, said Ms. Murray. We expect the European event to follow a similar growth trajectory. Were pleased to be viewed as a resource globally for solutions providers to showcase their technology, as well as for users to discover that technology and get vital education that will put them on path to success.

The 2018 European event will again feature an education program with vertical market tracks in which industry experts share best practices, case studies and challenges. Keynotes and plenary sessions will focus on universal themes including systems selection, workflow integration, legal considerations, regulatory issues, harmonization of standards and more. Global technology innovators representing growth segments for drone use will gain critical insights from fellow users as well as hear from drone experts about the road ahead for UAV/UAS integration in Europe.

>> Registration for Commercial UAV Expo Europe will open in January 2018. To be notified when registration is open, please complete a visitor inquiry form.

>> Companies interested in exhibiting are invited to contact Katherine Dow at kdow(at)divcom.com or at +1.207.842.5497 or Casey Reynolds at creynolds(at)divcom.com or +1.207.842.5624 or complete an exhibitor inquiry form.

>> A free report Exploring Commercial Drone Opportunities and Regulation Across Europe in 2017 by Commercial UAV News Executive Editor Jeremiah Karpowicz is available for download here.

About Commercial UAV Expo

Commercial UAV Expo, presented by Commercial UAV News, is a conference and exhibition exclusively focused on the commercial drone market covering industries including Surveying & Mapping; Civil Infrastructure; Aggregates & Mining; Construction; Process, Power & Utilities; Precision Agriculture; Law Enforcement, Emergency Response and Search & Rescue (SAR). The European event will take place April 10-12, 2018 at the RAI Amsterdam in Amsterdam the Netherlands. The North American event is taking place October 24-26, 2015 at the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. For more information, visit http://www.expouav.com and http://www.expouav.com/europe.

About Commercial UAV News

Commercial UAV News is a leading source of news, insight and analysis for the commercial drone market, focusing on Surveying & Mapping; Civil Infrastructure; Aggregates & Mining; Construction; Process, Power & Utilities; Precision Agriculture; Law Enforcement, Emergency Response and Search & Rescue (SAR). In addition to daily news and a weekly newsletter, the site features exclusive industry-specific reports about how drones are being used in various markets. Jeremiah Karpowicz is the Executive Editor. http://www.commercialuavnews.com

Commercial UAV Expo is organized by Diversified Communications, a leading organizer of conferences and trade shows with 15 years in the geospatial arena, including Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Commercial UAV Europe, SPAR 3D Expo & Conference and International LiDAR Mapping Forum. http://www.divcom.com

CONTACT:

Lee Corkhill, Diversified Communications

lcorkhill(at)divcom.com; 1-207-842-5520
Realty Executives 2017 Top Franchise Brands ranking

Realty Executives has been recognized as a top franchise brand by Entrepreneur magazines 2017 Top Franchise Brands list. Entrepreneur set out to discover which franchises have done the best job of building themselves up as beloved, recognizable, robust brands, noting that factors such as social media followers, system size, number of years in business, number of years franchising, and overall reputation were taken into account.

"We are the experts and have been for 50 years. Our brand equity is built on a culture of excellence, agent productivity, entrepreneurial freedom, and fair pricing that is unmatched, says David Tedesco, CEO of Realty Executives International.

We will continue to innovate, having set the tone at our founding by establishing the first 100% commission pricing model, weve reinvented mobile technology for our Executives, their teams, and our Brokers. As a result, were attracting and creating even more productive agents  now 47% more productive than the industry average."

Realty Executives ranked No. 177 on the Top Franchise Brands list, scoring highest in the Cost and Fees, Financial Strength, Size and Growth, and Support categories.

These scores also reflect the fact that we are a totally debt-free company, and the success of our Concierge Services team, which provides support to our network across multiple channels 2.7 times faster than the industry average, explains Tedesco.

The 2017 Top Franchise Brands list is based on data submitted for Entrepreneurs 2017 Franchise 500 ranking.

About Realty Executives Intl. Svcs. LLC

Established in 1965, Realty Executives International is one of the largest and most established real estate franchise systems in the world, with over 8,000 agents and 500 offices globally. The company offers disruptive pricing models particularly attractive to top performing agents. Its unrivaled mobile technology, business tools, training and concierge service are coupled with protected territories and financing for qualified franchisees. The Scottsdale-based, privately held company has been ranked as a leader in the real estate industry by publications like Entrepreneur, Success and Inc. magazines. For additional company information visit http://www.RealtyExecutives.com.
Industry Leader in Cloud-Based Dental Practice Management The demand for our Denticon software continues to exceed even our highest expectations.

Planet DDS (PDDS), the nations leading provider of cloud-based enterprise dental practice management software, was recently ranked as one of Orange Countys fastest-growing private companies for the third year running.

Every year, the Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ) ranks privately-held companies in the region, publishing a list of the fastest-growing among them based on year-over-year growth. Now for the third year in a row, PDDS joins some of the most dynamic companies in Southern California.

In 2017, Planet DDS also made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States.

Were thrilled to make the OCBJ list again this year, noted PDDS President Blake Rice. As more and more dental organizations recognize the need for a true enterprise platform in the face of increased competition in a consolidating industry, the demand for our Denticon software continues to exceed even our highest expectations.

Founded over a decade ago, PDDS built Denticon specifically to handle the unique needs of multi-location dental groups in the cloud. Denticon allows dental organizations to increase operational efficiency while reducing IT costs and hardware footprint.

The dental industrys shift to the cloud keeps accelerating, which is what is driving so much of our growth, said PDDS CEO Eric Giesecke. Offering the only enterprise-capable cloud solution in Denticon puts us in a unique position to help Denticon users navigate a changing landscape and remain competitive.

Denticon by Planet DDS is a powerful, flexible, cloud-based practice management software platform trusted by thousands of dental professionals across the country. Solo practices and large dental groups alike operate with far greater efficiency in the Denticon cloud than they could with cumbersome desktop software. Planet DDS also offers outsourced business services to dental offices. Learn more about Denticon at http://www.planetdds.com.
Authentic Human Proteins from Human Cells IFN gamma is the latest in a series of new, high-quality HEK293-expressed recombinant cytokines. Our recombinant human interferon offering now includes IFN gamma, IFN beta, IFN alpha 2a, and IFN alpha 2b.

HumanZyme Inc., a leading supplier of novel recombinant human proteins and growth factors expressed in human cells, today announced the launch of HumanKine Interferon gamma (IFN gamma) expressed from HEK293 cells. IFN gamma, also known as Type II interferon, protects against bacterial, viral and protozoan infections, and is produced by TH-1 or NK cells. Important research is underway on the immunomodulatory activity of IFN gamma, including stimulation of cell-based immunity and cytotoxicity. IFN gamma has been evaluated for use in a variety of clinical applications including as an anti-cancer biotherapeutic, and is FDA approved for the treatment chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and severe, malignant osteoporosis.

According to Scott Coleridge, CEO at HumanZyme, Recombinant human IFN-beta is the latest offering in a series of new, high-quality, HEK293-expressed cytokines that are difficult to manufacture. Using our proprietary HEK293 expression system, we are proud to be one of only a few commercial suppliers to offer tag-free recombinant human Interferon gamma expressed in human cells for research purposes. The new IFN gamma further expands our recombinant human interferon product offering to include IFN alpha 2a, IFN alpha 2b, IFN beta, and now IFN gamma.

IFN gamma has two N-linked glycosylation sites, Asn-25 and Asn-97, on the surface of the dimer, and glycosylation is essential to its half-life in human serum and its full biological activity. Producing IFN gamma in HEK293 cells assures native human processing, glycosylation and folding of the purified protein compared to non-human bacterial and mammalian cell lines, or insect cell expression systems. HumanZymes HumanKine proteins are high quality, are animal-derived product free, xeno-free and carrier-free, and are available in bulk.

For more information, see our Interferon gamma product page.

About HumanZyme, Inc.

HumanZyme, Inc. is the global leader in providing highly authentic recombinant human proteins from human cells. Our process is cost-effective and scalable making our proteins suitable for the research, diagnostic, drug discovery and biopharmaceutical markets. HumanZyme leverages its proprietary engineered human cells, expression vector, and cell culture media to ensure high-yield production of recombinant proteins with native human post-translational modifications. We are a leading provider of cytokines and growth factors and a preferred outsourcing supplier of human protein production. Our products and services support a broad range of customers worldwidefrom academic and government research institutions to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
R. Paul Schaudies, Ph.D. has joined the ExcitePCR Advisory Board These highly regarded industry experts will help us accelerate our commercialization efforts and go-to-market strategies at ExcitePCR.

ExcitePCR today announced it has formed a Board of Advisors, with Dr. R. Paul Schaudies, Charles Pick and Anilrudh Venugopal, MD accepting advisory roles with the company.

Industry expertise for these advisors stretches from agricultural genomics to biodefense and from molecular diagnostics to infectious diseases.

These highly regarded industry experts will help us accelerate our commercialization efforts and go-to-market strategies at ExcitePCR, said Lyle L. Probst, CEO, President and Founder of ExcitePCR. I believe their relevant experience, insights and relationships enhance our ability to execute our FireflyDX plans as we look to help save lives and lower costs in the healthcare, first responder, agricultural and food industries.

About Paul Schaudies, Ph.D.

R. Paul Schaudies, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert in biodefense, biotechnology and nanotechnology, and he is the CEO and Co-founder of GenArraytion, a molecular diagnostics company. Dr. Schaudies was the science advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) On-Scene Coordinator, as well as the Incident Commander of the 2001 anthrax incident in Washington, D.C. As a U.S. Army Officer, he supported the United Nations as an UNSCOM inspector in Iraq. Dr. Schaudies was also an AVP and Division Manager for Biological and Chemical Defense at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) for nine years, and he spent 13 years as an active duty U.S. Army officer before he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. In addition, Dr. Schaudies was the Program Manager for Biological and Chemical Defense Research in the Central MASINT Office at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and he served as a Senior Researcher at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research where he authored over 25 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

About Charles Pick

Charles Pick has over 25 years of experience in the agriculture and biotechnology industries and is the President of seqID, a firm that specializes in agricultural genomic technologies. Pick received a bachelors degree in Immunology at the University of Toronto and an MBA degree from the Smith School of Business at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. He began his career in the seed industry becoming VP of Canadian turf operations at the Pickseed Companies Group before serving as head of business development for BASFs agricultural genomics division (DNA LandMarks) for 11 years. Pick launched seqID in 2014 with the aim of bringing the latest genomic technologies and services to the agricultural sector.

About Anilrudh Venugopal, MD

Anilrudh Venugopal, MD is a board-certified Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine physician with over 15 years of clinical experience. He previously held academic faculty appointments at the Wayne State School of Medicine and the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Venugopal has a strong research background and has authored numerous publications and presentations on MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) infections. He also consults with pharmaceutical and medical device companies to assess the potential impact of their products and helps develop strategy to target and bring products to market.

Last month ExcitePCR announced its FireflyDX family of portable pathogen detection systems, led by its FireflyDX-Portable, a rechargeable bookbag-sized realtime pathogen detection system the company says will be commercially available in summer 2018. Key among the benefits of the FireflyDX-Portable is its ability to provide highly accurate, PCR-based pathogen identification in 30 minutes or less anywhere on the planet at the Point-of-Care/Point-of-Need (POC/PON), including sample preparation time.

About ExcitePCR

Headquartered in Pleasanton, California, ExcitePCR Corporation is developing portable pathogen detection systems based upon superior sample preparation and realtime PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) methodologies. Its FireflyDX technologies will deliver rapid automated Point-of-Care/Point-of-Care (POC/PON) sample preparation and highly accurate biohazard identification in a fraction of the time currently possible using existing PCR-based solutions.

ExcitePCR, FireflyDX and FireflyDX-Portable are each trademarks of ExcitePCR Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: David Politis, dpolitis(at)excitepcr(dot)com, C: 801-556-8184
Dutch Bros Coffee Celebrates National Coffee Day 2017 with Buck for Kids There is no better way for Dutch Bros to celebrate National Coffee Day than to give back to local youth organizations.

On Friday, Sept. 29, Dutch Bros will celebrate National Coffee Day by donating $1 from every drink sold to local youth organizations for the companys annual Buck for Kids day.

Dutch Bros wants to disrupt the coffee industry's approach to this national day and shift the focus to coffee lovers' support for youth in our communities. On Friday, all 292 Dutch Bros locations throughout the seven states in which the company operates will donate $1 from every drink sold to support local youth organizations. Every Dutch Bros location is locally operated, enabling each local team to select a nonprofit that betters the lives of local youth in their community.

National Coffee Day allows us to showcase what we do best - putting people first, said Travis Boersma, Co-founder Dutch Bros Coffee. We love coffee but there is nothing more important than our kids. We are stoked to support our local communities and outstanding youth programs.

Dutch Bros celebrates National Coffee Day by positively impacting the communities Dutch Bros employees are grateful to call home. Through Buck for Kids, Dutch Bros partners with local youth organizations doing great work. Proceeds from this day further support nonprofits as they continue to positively mentor, support and, ultimately better the lives of youth throughout the area.

To date, Dutch Bros Buck for Kids has raised over $1.28 million for local youth organizations with gifts totaling $401,212 last year alone. By partnering with local coffee lovers, Dutch Bros hopes to surpass that total this year. The companys philosophy is that our youth are the future. Together we can make strides to positively impact their lives and create a better world.

To learn the organization being supported near you, click here.

About Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros Coffee is the countrys largest privately held, drive-thru coffee company, with over 290 locations and over 7,500 employees in seven states.

Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas and a private-label Dutch Bros Blue Rebel energy drink.

The rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish. Every ingredient is measured, every process timed, and every cup perfected.

With a mission to serve as a role model in the community and commitment to doing the right thing, Dutch Bros donates over $2 million annually to nonprofit organizations and local causes selected by local owner-operators.

Dutch Bros Coffee is headquartered in Grants Pass, Ore., where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma, brothers of Dutch descent.

To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit http://www.dutchbros.com, like Dutch Bros Coffee on Facebook or follow @DutchBros on Twitter.
The World posts a letter to the FCC and US Congress The Internet is a shared world marketplace and forum that calls for international cooperation and diplomacy.

A growing network of international businesses and organizations are warning the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that a rollback of Title II net neutrality rules could create significant social and economic harms. Earlier this year, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced plans to roll back these rules that currently require US Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to treat all Internet traffic equally  even traffic that originates from overseas.

Businesses and organizations that operate from outside the US, including European Digital Rights (EDRi), Access Now, Reporters Without Borders and Dutch privacy search engine StartPage.com are expressing their concerns over the rollback plans in a new letter addressed to Pai and the US Congress.

Over 200 have already signed onto the letter and additional signatures are being added on a rolling basis.

While Pai has seemingly ignored overwhelming support for Title II in the over 20 million net neutrality comments filed by his countrys own citizens, it hasnt deterred StartPage.com CEO Robert Beens from weighing in.

The Internet is a shared world marketplace and forum that calls for international cooperation and diplomacy, said Beens. The US should solicit input from all parties that could be affected. Its simply the right thing to do, and we hope that Chairman Pai will give our concerns serious consideration.

If the US repeals net neutrality rules, signatories warn in the letter, it could harm or destroy global businesses and organizations by allowing US ISPs to decide what their US customers can see and do online while using their services, even discriminating against international traffic. ISPs would have the power to block sites and apps, and even force websites to pay expensive prioritization fees just to reach customers. Of course, this would have serious implications for freedom of information.

The group has released its letter to Pai and the US Congress in time for the September 26 FCC open meeting. It is available online at theworldfornetneutrality.com.
Furia Rubel Communications is celebrating its 15th anniversary by unveiling a new brand and launching an engaging, content-rich, new website.

The marketing and public relations agency is thrilled to announce its new brand: dynamic, engaging, and reimagined to reflect the client-focused, data-driven strategic counsel that characterizes its work. The agencys new brand is the product of a year-long study of its mission, vision, and differentiators, and an in-depth analysis of the market perception of Furia Rubel. Feedback from clients and business partners was instrumental in shaping the new brand.

It was June 2002 when Gina F. Rubel launched Furia Rubel Communications, Inc., positioning the agency at the intersection of the legal profession, marketing and public relations. In the 15 years since, Furia Rubel has grown steadily from a niche consultancy focused on public relations for lawyers to one of the countrys leading integrated marketing and PR boutique agencies for professional services.

Headquartered in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Furia Rubel is ranked by the Philadelphia Business Journal among the regions top 50 largest women-owned businesses. The agency employs 10 people, up from just two a decade ago. The agency also partners with strategic consultants around the country in order to expand client service teams when needed.

The clients the agency serves similarly have evolved. Once populated solely by Philadelphia-area lawyers and law firms, Furia Rubels client roster has expanded to include Am Law 200 firms nationwide, as well as mid-size accounting firms, banks, biotech companies, commercial developers, educational organizations, municipal governments, nonprofits, and more.

That Furia Rubel has not just survived, but has thrived, for 15 years is due, in part, to our willingness to embrace the electrifying pace of change today. Business operates much differently now than it did in 2002, and those who are unwilling to keep pace dont last long, said Rubel, the agencys founder and CEO. Our success also is due to the unflagging support of our incredible clients. With every contract and with every project, Furia Rubel clients express their confidence in the agencys counsel. We are grateful for that trust, honored to serve as their strategic partner, and look forward to many more years of working in concert with them to develop their businesses and meet their communications goals.

To learn more about Furia Rubel, visit http://www.furiarubel.com.

About Furia Rubel Marketing and Public Relations: Furia Rubel Marketing and Public Relations is an integrated and strategic marketing and public relations agency based in Bucks County, Pa. The certified woman-owned agency provides strategic planning, marketing, public relations, media relations, graphic design, website design, content marketing, blog production and social media services to a wide array of professional clients. Furia Rubel represents law firms, financial services organizations, technology companies, educational institutions, accounting firms, nonprofits, municipalities, manufacturing, behavioral health and elder care organizations. Furia Rubel understands business objectives, defines strategies and delivers results. For more information, visit http://www.furiarubel.com.

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Following last years brand transformation, Tony Romas has seen an incredible response from prospective and existing domestic and international franchisees

September 26, 2017  Romacorp, Inc., the parent company of Tony Romas, announces the signing of a new development agreement with experienced restauranteur Bruce Rahmani and Colorado Hospitality Services, Inc., bringing Tony Romas world-famous baby back ribs to fans in Colorado and Idaho. This new development agreement, the third major USA agreement for Tony Romas in 2017, is for 8 new restaurants and continues the strong momentum the brand has experienced since the October 2016 grand opening of Tony Romas new global prototype restaurant in Orlando, Florida. With a complete overhaul of the restaurant atmosphere, service platform and menu following extensive consumer research, the Tony Romas brand transformation satisfies the demands of todays consumer.

Following last years brand transformation, Tony Romas has seen an incredible response from prospective and existing domestic and international franchisees, said Bradley Scher, President and Chief Executive Officer of Romacorp, Inc. This development agreement shows the continued relevance and the resilience of a brand that prides itself on delivering a one-of-a-kind experience for its fans, both internationally and here in the United States. We are excited to work with Bruce Rahmani in bringing the iconic Tony Romas brand to fans in Colorado and Idaho, and believe this important deal is a strong indicator of more positive news to come.

This latest news comes on the heels of new Tony Romas development and franchise agreements announced this year in the USA, Canada, Spain, Bolivia and Nicaragua. In April 2017, the brand announced the signing of its first new USA franchisees since 2011 with agreements for Tennessee and West Palm Beach, Florida. Additional new domestic and international development agreements are in the works and will be announced in the near future.

Having been in the hotel and restaurant business for more than 40 years, with more than 50 different franchises under my belt, I am constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of my businesses, said Bruce Rahmani, President of Colorado Hospitality Services, Inc. I was thrilled to hear of Tony Romas renewed US franchising, and Im excited to be part of a brand that evokes great memories in the minds of consumers. The Tony Romas team has been one of the most knowledgeable and easy to work with, and Im really looking forward to becoming part of the organization and owning many of their restaurants in the coming months.

This string of landmark growth announcements come as Tony Romas celebrates its 45th birthday, an incredible milestone unmatched by any American casual dining restaurant chain. Since first opening its doors in Miami, Florida in 1972, Tony Romas has become one of the most globally recognized brands in the restaurant industry. With restaurants in more than 30 countries around the world, Tony Romas continued growth has established the brand as the largest casual dining chain in the world specializing in ribs.

About Romacorp, Inc.

Romacorp, Inc., is the parent company of Tony Roma's restaurants, the world's largest casual dining concept specializing in ribs. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Romacorp, Inc. has nearly 150 restaurant locations in more than 30 countries and is one of the most globally recognizable names in the industry. The first Tony Roma's restaurant opened 45 years ago in North Miami, Florida. Tony Roma's is also proud to partner with the Make-A-Wish Foundation (http://www.cnfl.wish.org), one of the world's leading children's charities, in an effort to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses across Central and Northern Florida.

For more information about Romacorp, Inc. and Tony Roma's, visit http://www.tonyromas.com.

Please visit http://www.tonyromasfranchise.com or call (866) 981-0586 for information about Tony Roma's franchising opportunities.
Inaugural SalesLoft Atlanta User Meetup Im proud to bring the SalesLoft team to the Regions Plaza and give them a wonderful space to make our customers succeed.

SalesLoft, the leading sales engagement platform for the modern sales organization, will host a ribbon-cutting for their new midtown Atlanta headquarters at 8 a.m. on Friday, September 29. It will take place in the new office space at 1180 West Peachtree Street NW.

The move begins with SalesLofts current 150 employees, with a plan to grow to 200 by March 2018. By the end of 2020, SalesLoft expects to grow to 500 people across the 27,000 square foot space.

Im proud to bring the SalesLoft team to the Regions Plaza and give them a wonderful space to make our customers succeed, said Kyle Porter, CEO of SalesLoft. Were growing rapidly with an amazing, selfless culture, and we want our people to have the best possible location to do so.

Congratulations to SalesLoft on the opening of their new headquarters in Midtown Atlanta, said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. Atlantas exceptional technology scene, paired with the brightest minds in the nation provide SalesLoft with top resources to support their growth in Georgia.

Metro Atlantas innovation ecosystem is truly thriving across the region, said David Hartnett, Chief Economic Development Officer for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Were pleased to welcome SalesLoft as one of the latest companies driving innovation and to watch them expand our talent pipeline with new jobs over the next couple of years.

About SalesLoft

Helping transform companies into modern sales organizations, the SalesLoft platform is helping sales professionals believe - in the process theyre following, in the product theyre selling, and in themselves - in delivering a modern sales experience to their prospects and customers.

Find more at http://www.salesloft.com.
Slick 64 is laying down the grooves from the heart of France sharing with listeners a fresh feel to his Hip Hop Musical Creations. The French Hip Hop Artist/Producer/Audio Engineer has recently released his latest project "Year Later." The album can currently be streamed through Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes as well as all major streaming sites. Fans can also visit his official website to purchase the album along with the deluxe package which includes 8 Tracks, the PDF Booklet and 3 Bonus Tracks.

Slick 64, who splits his time between France and New York, is currently studying Music Business and Technology at Berklee Online. After Working as a Producer and Audio Engineer with teams in Germany and France he went Solo in 2014 and released his first EP entitled 8. His music has been aired on international radio stations and Paris, Frances #1 Hip Hop Station Generations 88.2, as well other local French and US Radio Stations. Slick has performed at numerous competitions such as the FranceO Follies Selections and has won second place at the first Coast2Coast LIVE edition in Paris. After releasing his album and finishing his studies Slick plans to tour through Europe and the Unites States.

To stay up to date on all the latest music and news from Slick 64, fans can visit his ofiicial website.

About Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes:

Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes are the most widely distributed mixtapes in the world, with over 100 million downloads/plays generated by over 300 volumes officially hosted by major artists. Coast 2 Coast has a solid reach in the new music industry with a digital magazine, DJ coalition, industry tips blog, yearly convention, and more. Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes represents a unique opportunity for artists of all urban genres, from major to indie. For more information, visit http://www.coast2coastmixtapes.com
Contact (888)687-6877

Gilbert, Arizona: Aegis Electronic Group, Inc. is now allowing consumers to purchase TruVu monitors through the website. TruVu monitors are highly regarded for their LCD Displays that feature crystal clear images and screen options including, anti-glare, anti-reflective, optical bonding, water proofing, and sunlight readable monitors. Tru-Vus SXOB-55-XTR-P 55 Monitor features an internal cooling systems that allows for optimal operating temperatures in extreme viewing conditions. TruVu offers healthy monitoring choices for any situation. If you need something small and effective the VL-5K, 5" Battery-Powered Portable Monitor is available online as is the Full HD VMH-55 Series 55" High-Bright LCD Monitor. The ability to purchase TruVu monitors directly from the website benefits customers who know what they need and want the product immediately.

Why Shop Online with Aegis?



Convenience, Customers can shop at their convenience.

Saving Time, Saving time is important to everyone. Deadlines and or work-related pressures may call for instant access to customizable displays.

Support, Customers still receive Aegiss stellar service and support. Have questions about seamlessly integrating your new LCD Display?

The Customer is in Charge, Remain in charge of your own shopping experience knowing potential questions are a message or phone call away.

Why TruVu Monitors?

Boating/Fishing Monitors

Customizable Displays

Digital Signage

Industrial Monitors

LCD Displays

Mobile Monitors

Outdoor Displays

Panel Mount Monitors

Rackmount Monitors

Sunlight Readable Monitors

Touchscreen Displays

Ultra-Bright Monitors

About Aegis Electronic Group, Inc: Aegis Electronic Group, Inc. is a leading global industrial camera solutions company, founded in 1989, that provides innovative imaging technology, innovative products, services, and solutions to our partners and customers. We serve our customers by helping them make a difference in their markets. http://bit.ly/2wBu6Df
DayOne Baby helps parents of infants to navigate and survive the specific issues related to caring for babies in disaster areas.

For nearly 20 years, DayOne Baby (dayonebaby.com) has been the go-to resource for lactation and early parenting consulting, products and advice. In response to the recent hurricanes, DayOne Baby has created an easy-to-access video to support parents of infants and lactating mothers to navigate and survive the specific issues related to caring for babies in disaster areas. There is also a section on the website that answers additional questions from parents, related to a wide variety of topics.

Esther Kestenbaum, CEO, DayOne Baby said, At DayOne Baby, we work with individuals, families, corporations and hospitals to provide the very best in counseling and products for new mothers and babies. We are devastated by the news coming to us from storm-ravaged areas and we want to share our knowledge with parents and children who find themselves in disaster zones.

Video Topics include:



Do I need to do anything differently if I'm breastfeeding?

How do I clean my breast pump parts?

How do I pump breast milk without electricity?

How would I store breast milk without electricity and how long is it viable?

What if my baby is just using formula?

What if my resources are limited?

What's the best way to respond to my baby's needs?

What about mom's needs?

Word of encouragement - babies are resilient!

About DayOne Baby:

For nearly 20 years, DayOne Baby has been the go-to resource for lactation and early parenting consulting, education, support, products and advice. DayOne Baby provides turn-key services to consumers, hospitals and HR departments (for employees and mothers lounges). In light of the unprecedented natural disasters across our country, DayOne Baby has created an easy to access video with a lactation consultant who is highly experienced with disaster conditions. This video was created to support parents of infants and lactating mothers to navigate and survive the specific issues related to caring for babies in disaster areas. There is also a section on the website where questions from parents are addressed, along with an email hotline, where parents can send their questions: http://www.dayonebaby.com.
On February 5-7, the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Annual Conference will co-locate with the International LIDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF) in Denver. In anticipation of this unique gathering, organizers are excited to announce the first-ever LIDAR Leaders award program in cooperation with LIDAR Magazine. The inaugural ceremony will address three distinct categories:

Outstanding Personal Achievement in LIDAR



Eligible individuals must have made significant impact to their organization, local or national community, involving technical excellence, professional development or innovation within the realm of geospatial LIDAR technology,

Outstanding Team Achievement in LIDAR

Eligible teams must demonstrate unique achievement in the area of service, project management, product development or other specialty accomplishment within the realm of geospatial LIDAR technology. Open to private and government organizations, teams of 2-99 members.

Outstanding Enterprise Achievement in LIDAR

Eligible organizations must demonstrate exceptional achievement as a group of 100 members or more, in the area of service, project management or product development within the realm of geospatial LIDAR technology. Open to private and government organizations.

For some time, weve wanted to formally recognize personal and group achievement in geospatial LIDAR and what better place to announce the winners than at the first ever colocation of ILMF and ASPRS Annual Conference. We developed these awards in cooperation with LIDAR Magazine and our Advisory Board in the hope this will become something attendees look forward to on an annual basis, moving forward said Lisa Murray, Event Director.

Spatial Medias LIDAR Magazine (http://www.lidarmag.com) will assist the program by encouraging nominations and publishing pre and post-show analysis of finalists. Managing Editor Dr. Stewart Walker will assist a distinguished conference panel that will review and judge submissions on a variety of criteria.

Dr. Walker remarked: We can all learn from the successes of others, especially in the complex, demanding and disparate world of LIDAR projects. Our goal is to bring their stories and formulae to the magazine, in attempt to aid readers in their own planning and decision-making.

The deadline for submissions is December 15th, 2017. For further information, including nomination recommendations and details, visit http://www.lidarmap.org/lidar-leader-awards

####

Contact:

Loren Lachapelle, Diversified Communications

llachapelle(at)divcom.com; +1 (207) 842-5655

Allen Cheves, LIDAR Magazine

publisher(at)spatialmedia.us; +1 (301) 748-2114
Zero Emissions Summit Global warming has exceeded 1.1 C or 1.3 if the Arctic areas are taken into account.

Sustainable Westchester, a non-profit consortium of 41 Westchester County local governments, co-hosted the Zero Emissions Summit on the Citizens Role for Mitigating Climate Change on September 21, 2017 at the Scandinavia House in Manhattan. The summit coincided with the UN General Assembly and provided a platform for international business, government, and civil society leaders to highlight and continue the momentum of driving global climate action forward.

The Zero Emissions Summit took place during Climate Week NYC, launched in 2009 as a collaborative space for climate-related events in support of the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Co-organizers of the Zero Emissions Summit included Sustainable Westchester Inc., Scandinavia House, and Global Crisis Information Network, Inc., with the support of the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC), Stormwarning Association, the Climate Leadership Council in Finland and the Foundation for Global Governance and Sustainability in Brussels.

Based on recent studies conducted in Finland, which has a long tradition of promoting sustainable development through interaction and broad-based participation, the choices of citizens are crucial in achieving at least half of the necessary emission reductions. Global warming has exceeded 1.1 C or 1.3 if the Arctic areas are taken into account, said Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization. Economic losses have increased 50-fold since the 1950s. The recent hurricanes have broken single event records and the trend continues.

Opening remarks were given by Chris Burdick, town supervisor for Bedford, N.Y. and chairman of the board for Sustainable Westchester, and Tapio Kanninen, president of co-host Global Crisis Information Network, Inc. Citizen involvement is at the very heart of developing solutions and moving the needle. Every decision that citizens make matters, said Burdick.

President Saul Niinisto of the Republic of Finland said, Building a sustainable future is more important than ever. As individuals, we can and must make a difference. During his keynote speech, President Niinisto stated that experts have calculated that if 100 million citizens reduced their carbon footprint by half, the emission reductions could potentially amount to one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. If these citizens also offset unavoidable emissions, the monetary value could be $500 million per year.

Keynote speaker Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and a leading force in the zero emissions movement, emphasized the urgent need to follow through on implementation of the Paris Agreement as being critical to sound environmental and economic policy.

Individuals looking to reduce their carbon footprint and achieve the biggest impact can do so by changing their consumption patterns. Choices include: how we live, how we travel, what we eat, and purchasing sustainable products and services. Sustainable Westchester has been committed to creating action locally. The non-profit and its electric vehicle consultant, Earthkind Energy, recently partnered with BMW of North America, LLC and Nissan to offer a special discount incentive on new electric vehicles. Other initiatives have included The Mid-Hudson Street Light Consortium to create a more affordable pathway to LED street light conversion, and the launch of New York states first community choice aggregation program, Westchester Power.

For a full list of speakers and topics discussed, visit the summit website: http://www.globalcrisisnow.org/zeroemissionssummit2017/

About Sustainable Westchester

Sustainable Westchester is a 501(c) (3) non-profit consortium of forty-one (41) Westchester County local governments, representing 800,000 county residents. It was formed to improve the health and welfare of communities in New York State by coordinating and implementing energy efficiency, conservation, and sustainability efforts by and among residents and local governments in Westchester County, New York. The action group is designed to turn environmental challenges into opportunities to create more healthy, vibrant and attractive communities, now and in the future. For more information, visit http://www.sustainablewestchester.org.

About Global Crisis Information Network

Global Crisis Information Network (GCINET) is a non-profit organization based in the United States but with Finnish roots. Our mission is to make sense of the complex issue of climate change, and to let the public know how serious an issue climate change is. Our goal is to present the current facts on climate change simply, and to imagine what the world might look like one day if we do not act on climate change soon. We also hope to encourage the public to find innovative solutions to our global crisis. For more information, visit http://www.globalcrisisnow.org.
Getting this grant is really difficult; the product is examined by the highest consultants of the EU. Of over 2,000 products submitted, only 30 got funding, and we are really proud of this achievement.

Clairy is a smart flowerpot that uses real plants to fight against indoor pollution. It has a technology unit with sensors that measure indoor pollution, and it can be connected to smartphones to communicate real-time data. Clairy was created by three Italians: Paolo Ganis, Alessio DAndrea and Vincenzo Vitiello, and it found incredible success on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, raising over $370,000.

The product was first shown at CES 2016, and after a three-month period in Silicon Valley with one of the biggest accelerators in the US, Plug and Play ventures, the team then went back to Italy since the product is proudly handmade in Venetian Ceramic. Clairy also won a European Product Design Award, and Clairys CEO, Paolo Ganis, was called at the G20 in Germany as a finalist of the Global Youth Entrepreneur Award.

After all of these incredible accomplishments, the European Union decided to invest in this company and its technology with a grant of almost two million Euro. This incredible result comes after over a year of tough work, comments Ganis. Getting this grant is really difficult; the product is examined by the highest consultants of the EU. Of over 2,000 products submitted, only 30 got funding, and we are really proud of this achievement.

Now, the startup is working on new products and is expanding the team. The funds will be used mainly for research and development and to hire the best talent. The Clairy team is hoping to launch a new Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign by the end of March 2018. Our crowdfunding campaign was the key of our success; we were helped by the PR firm Enventys Partners who really made the best out of it. We now hope to do another, even bigger, successful campaign next time! concludes Ganis.

For more information on Clairy, visit http://www.clairy.co.
There is a critical need for 21st Century technical leaders who can improve productivity and efficiency for enterprises in industry and government. Leaders in these enterprises are seeking engineers with analytical skills and a strong systems perspective. To help fill that need, Stevens Institute of Technology has launched a new undergraduate Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) program to prepare students with a broad-based engineering foundation, a systems thinking perspective and strong data analysis skills to improve existing systems and build new modern, efficient systems.

Enterprises in business and government want to do things better: increase customer satisfaction, improve efficiencies, decrease costs and more, says Dr. Kathryn Abel, industry associate professor at Stevens and ISE program lead. ISEs are engineering professionals with capability in systems thinking and data analytics, and they are trained to be productivity and quality improvement specialists, where they examine the entire system to make sure that people and things move together as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The job outlook for industrial and systems engineers (ISEs) is expected to grow steadily over the next decade based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Typical roles Stevens ISE graduates are well-positioned to pursue after graduation include industrial engineer, systems engineer, systems integration engineer, quality engineer, project engineer, sales and marketing engineer, and more.

The Stevens ISE program emphasizes cross-disciplinary systems perspectives and complex data analysis in its core curriculum. The aim of the program is to teach students to think about the ways in which technology can help organizations accomplish goals through the application of data science to define engineering solutions.

Today, optimization in information and service systems is becoming increasingly important, says Dr. Abel, placing emphasis on the systems thinking and data science core of the new Stevens ISE program.

Another unique component of the Stevens ISE program is that students will have varied opportunities to interact with well-known systems engineering researchers at Stevens, which is home to state-of-the-art research centers: the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) and the Center for Complex Systems and Enterprises (CCSE). Through these centers, faculty, and undergraduate and graduate researchers, collaborate with interdisciplinary academic and industry partners to understand and address the increasing complexity of the worlds systems.

The undergraduate ISE program was developed by Stevens faculty who are industry practitioners, researchers and academics in the field of systems engineering. The program leverages the faculty and expertise of the systems engineering graduate program at the Stevens School of Systems and Enterprises (SSE), which is ranked amongst the top 35 graduate programs in systems engineering by US News and World Report. SSE provides a world-class, practice-based and research-supported education to empower 21st century technical leaders.

With the launch of the ISE program, Stevens strengthens its leadership in preparing next generation systems engineers to solve relevant, real world problems.

Interested applicants can learn more about the ISE program at Stevens by visiting the program webpage.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Stevens Institute of Technology is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, New Jersey overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation has always been the hallmark and legacy of Stevens education and research. Within the universitys three schools and one college, 6,600 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate closely with faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment. A range of academic and research programming spanning business, computing, engineering, the arts and other fields actively advances the frontiers of science and leverages technology to confront our most pressing global challenges. The university is consistently ranked among the nations elite for return on tuition investment, career services and the mid-career salaries of alumni. Stevens is home to three national research centers of excellence as well as interdisciplinary research programs in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity; data science and information systems; complex systems and networks; financial systems and technologies; biomedical engineering, healthcare and life sciences; and resilience and sustainability. Stevens is currently in the midst of executing a 10-year strategic plan, The Future. Ours to Create., which is growing and transforming the university, further extending the Stevens legacy to create a forward-looking, far-reaching institution with global impact.
Mismatched FAM trips are an unfortunate reality for this industry, said Chisholm. PR professionals need to fill their trips with quality content creators who have relevant assignments, and journalists need a destination and angle that meets their editors needs. Were helping meet both goals."

Travel Talker, a new tool that connects hosts with journalists and content creators covering travel, hospitality and tourism, announced today a new program aimed at attracting hosts to its platform.

Beginning September 26, hosts, including public relations agency and resort/destination communications professionals, can try the new tool free for two months with a rate code, to test the tool and its capabilities.

Travel Talker functions like an online dating site but is geared specifically toward resorts, properties and destinations and the journalists who write about them. FAM trips have long been the bread and butter of travel and hospitality public relations, as a writer needs to visit and experience a destination or property first-hand to cover a story, but with that model comes challenges. Travel Talker addresses these challenges, whether through group or individual trips.

Chad Chisholm, founder of Travel Talker and a freelance writer and photographer himself for more than a decade, understands the pain points associated with the FAM trip process and launched Travel Talker to help both PR professionals and journalists.

Mismatched FAM trips are an unfortunate reality for this industry, said Chisholm. PR professionals need to fill their trips with quality content creators who have solid, relevant assignments, and journalists need a destination and angle that meets their editors needs. With Travel Talker, were helping both parties meet their goals.

Travel Talker offers a free entry membership for journalists or content creators and encourages them to build a detailed profile, then apply for trips. Hosts, who sign up for the service at one of three levels based on user volume within their office, can then review applicants and select the content creators that best fit their destination and their goals for coverage. Travel Talker allows hosts to list details like travel itineraries and media rates, and upcoming, a searchable press room for releases.

PR professionals interested in trying Travel Talker with a free two-month trial can do so by utilizing rate code TRIAL when signing up.

For more information about Travel Talker or to sign up as a host or content creator, visit http://www.traveltalker.com/

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About Travel Talker

Travel Talker is a connecting service for content creators and hosts in travel, tourism and hospitality and in particular for hosting and attending familiarization (FAM) trips. The tool pairs professionals with one another to help elevate industry standards and maintain the integrity of responsible journalism and coverage of the industry. For more information visit http://www.traveltalker.com or follow Travel Talker on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/traveltalkerllc), Twitter (@traveltalkerllc) and Instagram (@traveltalker).
Many people would love to have cosmetic surgery with a top plastic surgeon, but they fear many aspects of the process of consulting, being under the knife, and then recovering. As he nears his 20 year anniversary in practice, Dr. Speron has decided to gift all face lift consultations with free transportation and spa massage. The dread and fear of consultation have been greatly eased with my new offering, according to plastic surgeon Sam Speron, M.D.  No longer does anyone have to worry about getting to and from my office on the day of consultation. Not only that, but the certificate for a free massage works wonders on stress.

After surgery, Dr. Sperons patients return to the medical spa for a unique post-operative program - all free of charge. Highlights of the post-operative program include therapeutic massage treatments and scar treatments. It is believed that no other plastic surgeon in the United States treats patients to such a comprehensive post-operative regimen. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Sperons patients have given him glowing feedback.



For further information or to have a consultation at Dr. Sperons office, call 847 696 9900 or email info(at)prplastic(dot)com or visit http://www.chicagofaceliftsurgeon.com.



Dr. Speron is the founder and medical director of Dr. Speron Plastic Surgery, the Park Ridge Medical Spa and the Park Ridge Lab. He is board certified with the American Board of Plastic Surgery and an active member of both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS).
SignatureCare Emergency Centers are freestanding emergency rooms with multiple locations throughout Texas, Including, Houston, Austin and College Station. With recent scrutiny over freestanding emergency rooms and billing issues, SignatureCare worked to ensure they not only provide excellent patient care, but also worked with patients and billing issues. Medical billing is a complex practice and SignatureCare Emergency Center employs a billing company, RoundTable Medical Consultants who are experienced in medical billing practices.

SignatureCare's freestanding emergency rooms were one of the few that remained open during the recent Hurricane Harvey. Having a freestanding emergency room, located in communities and some suburban areas proved to be a commodity during the recent hurricane. Many of the hospitals were forced to close and evacuate during the massive flooding which left people with emergencies little to no choice for help. "Being able to remain open was not as easy task, given the flooding, staff limitations, and accessibility to get to our facility for those that needed an ER", said Aaron Braun, SignatureCare's Chief Medical Officer. "We were able to remain open and treat patients because of the wonderful team we have and we are very proud of them." Braun continued to say.

SignatureCare as well as many other freestanding ERs have been under negative public attack recently when it comes to medical billing. Having these Freestanding emergency rooms have proven to be a necessity for local communities, especially during the Hurricane Harvey catastrophe. Freestanding emergency room typically are not affiliated with a hospital and therefore cannot accept Medicaid or Medicare. There is still a long way to go for them to be able to accept these forms of insurance.

Our patients are billed the same way they would be billed if they visited a hospital emergency room Said Braun. We do not charge any more than a traditional hospital. The only difference is that our patients do not have the long waits of the hospital. And we can perform just about all the same tests as the hospitals do. Braun continued to say.

Controversy will continue for Freestanding emergency rooms VS hospitals and the billing aspects, but one import fact to remember is that Freestanding emergency rooms are more conveniently located and have a much shorter wait.

About SignatureCare Emergency Center

Licensed by the Texas Department of Health Services, SignatureCare Emergency Centers are freestanding emergency rooms that are always open. SignatureCare has multiple locations in the Houston, Austin and College Station areas with each offering state-of-the art medical imaging, and X-rays. All our emergency rooms are fully staffed with medical professionals, including board-certified physicians, licensed nurses, radiology technicians, and emergency-trained ancillary staff. All SignatureCare Emergency Centers are open 24/7- 365 days a year.

For more information on SignatureCare Emergency Center and its locations visit https://ercare24.com.
A Helena man is accused of threatening a police officer with a knife after yelling "shoot me, shoot me."

Eric Mitchell Jordan, 25, is jailed on a felony charge of assault with a weapon.

On Saturday, authorities received a report of a man holding a knife to his throat near the intersection of Prospect Avenue and Montana Avenue. The suspect, Jordan, also was seen walking into traffic, court documents state.

A responding officer recognized Jordan and attempted to speak with him. Documents say Jordan yelled at police to shoot him and then rode away on his bicycle.

Officers followed Jordan, who refused to stop. After several blocks, Jordan stopped his bike and put the knife to this throat again.

"During the altercation, (Jordan) made verbal threats of harming others and then pointed the knife at another officer and moved toward that officer," a police officer noted in court documents.

Following substantial negotiations, officers took Jordan to the ground. Jordan is accused of fighting with the officers, attempting to kick them.

In addition to the felony charge, Jordan faces misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and obstructing a peace officer.
NAPCO LTD Our team has been methodically working over the last year to continue to innovate products that can be released in 2018. The conference was the perfect place to let others know about our new product plans. Past News Releases RSS NAPCO Ltd. Expands Training Program...

NAPCO Enters Kitchen Refinishing...

NAPCO (North American Polymer Co.)...

NAPCO, Ltd., a leading national supplier of bathtub and countertop refinishing products and supplies, announced plans while at the Coatings Trends & Technologies conference in Lombard, IL to release more than five new products to enhance its bath and kitchen refinishing product offerings. The announcement came with an indication from NAPCO leadership that more exciting news from the company is yet to come.

We appreciated the content focus on best practices for active project management presented at the Coatings Trends and Technology conference. The business of innovation takes strategy and planning, explained Dani Nichols, vice president of NAPCO. Our team has been methodically working over the last year to continue to innovate products that can be released in 2018. The conference was the perfect place to let others know about our new product plans, she added.

A panel discussion, Technology Transfer: Using the Want, Find, Get, Manage Model to Commercialize Technology, was presented by industry experts at the Coating Trends and Technologies conference. A business model, developed by Dr. Gene Slowinski of Rutgers University, the process outlines how to successfully discover and implement innovation within a business. The topic resonated with NAPCO executives, as the company finalizes plans to launch more than five new products in both its bath and new kitchen refinishing product line in 2018.

Learning about data-driven case studies and new coating technologies helps us remain competitive, noted Steve Zamborsky, creative director of NAPCO. Continuous learning and improvement is a core value for NAPCO. Having the chance to collaborate and test the waters on new products with other industry pioneers allows our team continue to evolve and respond to the needs of our customers, he added.

About NAPCO, Ltd.

Since 1979, NAPCO, Ltd.(North American Polymer Company) has provided products, supplies, and training to professional bathroom and kitchen refinishers. NAPCO is headquartered just outside of Chicago, in Skokie, IL and services all 50 states and 5 foreign countries. If you are interested in refinishing your tub, tile, or counter top instead of replacing, call 1-800-888-1081 or visit http://www.napcoltd.com today.
$1.00 donated per glass or bottle purchased to Purple Heart Foundation "For every glass of Purple Heart Wine served or bottle purchased across the country, we are donating $1.00 to the Purple Heart Foundation," says Bryan McGinness, CEO of WineStyles.

WineStyles Tasting Station is proud to announce a national fundraising collaboration with Purple Heart Wines (http://www.purpleheartwines.com) benefiting the Purple Heart Foundation (http://www.purpleheartfoundation.org), an organization which supports veterans in need.

Were honored to help raise awareness and funds benefiting American heroes and their families, says Bryan McGinness, CEO of WineStyles Tasting Station. For every glass of Purple Heart Wine served or bottle purchased across the country, we are donating $1.00 to the Purple Heart Foundation. Our fundraising efforts will culminate with a nationwide tasting event on Veterans Day, November 11th at 6:00pm  8:00pm.

For 50 years, the Purple Heart Foundation has been supporting and honoring the sacrifice military veterans have made for our country. Last year alone, they have helped over 19,000 veterans and secured over $300 million dollars in VA benefits.

We hope our local communities will join us in supporting this important cause. Its a great opportunity to enjoy a wonderful wine, while supporting our military heroes at the same time, commented Andrea McGinness, COO of WineStyles Tasting Station.

C. Mondavi & Family wines of Napa Valley, producer of Purple Heart Wines, makes an annual contribution of up to $50,000 to the Purple Heart Foundation, which has been used to support U.S. military servicemen and women and their families with services like job-training, counseling and more.

The head winemaker for Purple Heart Wines is John Moynier, who served in the military during the Vietnam war from 1968-1972. Working with a brand that combines my passions for winemaking and military service is the perfect finale to a long career in winemaking in Napa, commented Moynier.

About WineStyles Tasting Station

Wine shop by day, wine bar by night. WineStyles Tasting Station demystifies wine and craft beers by categorizing bottles by style and taste, rather than by varietal or region. Each store features regional craft beers and hundreds of rotating wines from around the world, most priced $10 - $30 per bottle with an If You Insist category for premium wines. Guests can also Taste, Learn and Enjoy the best in artisanal cheeses, handmade chocolates, craft beers, and other gourmet items. Headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, WineStyles Tasting Station currently operates 16 locations across the country. WineStyles Tasting Station encourages all customers to drink wine and beer responsibly. For more information visit http://www.winefranchise.com or http://www.winestyles.com

About Purple Heart Wines

Purple Heart Wines launched its proprietary label, Purple Heart, in 2016  created to honor the determination, bravery and commitment of Americas military heroes. Moved by its namesake, it is this noble medal that led to the creation of the Purple Heart wine  a worthy tribute to the nations servicemen and women. Produced in the United States greatest wine region  California, it is an uncompromising wine crafted under the close stewardship of C. Mondavi & Family, whose patriarch, the late Peter Mondavi Sr., was a proud veteran of World War II. Purple Heart serves as a testament to the integrity and virtue of the Purple Heart Foundation, and aims to help further the organizations cause through both awareness and fundraising. To support these efforts, an annual donation will be given to the Purple Heart Foundation. Learn more about Purple Heart Wines at purpleheartwines.com.

About the Purple Heart Foundation and the Military Order of the Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is a congressional military decoration, awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy. Founded in 1958, the Military Order of the Purple Heart is a congressionally chartered veterans organization, dedicated to assisting the needs of U.S. military servicemen and women and their families. More information is available at http://www.purpleheartfoundation.org.
My father passed away without life insurance, and my mother, two younger sisters and I were barely getting by. I will be forever grateful to the organizations that gave us the boost we needed, and which also helped me get the grants and loans I needed to go to college.

Your World Insurance Services, a long-time Redlands insurance and financial services firm, gained a new agent in February 2017 and began fulfilling a life-long wish of owner Stacy Boyle to give back to the many charitable organizations that help families in surrounding communities. I was a recipient of help when I was in high school, said Ms. Boyle. My father passed away without life insurance, and my mother, two younger sisters and I were barely getting by. I will be forever grateful to the organizations that gave us the boost we needed, and which also helped me get the grants and loans I needed to go to college.

Previous charities supported and funds raised by the agency include June  Helping Hands Pantry, $5,000; July  Redlands Police Officers Foundation, $250; and August  Micah House After School Programs, $1,000.

In September, Your World Insurance Services supported the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House Classic Car Event at the Loma Linda house. Classic cars and their owners came together Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, to fund housing for the families of critically ill children at Loma Linda Hospital. Your World Insurance Services was one of a dozen booths on-hand to cater to the event attendees. Booth visitors had the opportunity to win prizes and learn more about Classic Car insurance, as well as contribute to fundraising for the IERMHC.

In 2016, additions to the Ronald McDonald house were made that allows the house to now host 54 families every night! Last year the house helped 982 families, with the help of over 7,000 volunteer hours, said executive director Mike Kovack. Loma Linda University Medical Center is world-renowned, and people travel from around the globe for care, especially for cancer treatment and the care of prematurely born babies.

As one of the agencys Community Cause partners, the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House also qualified for a $1,000 project grant. It was a fun day for a very worthy cause, and Your World Insurance Services plans on participating again at the annual event.

Upcoming for the month of October is the agencys support of the Purple Purse Foundation, with the goal of raising $5000! The Purple Purse Foundation is aimed at creating long-term safety and security for survivors of domestic abuse through financial empowerment - making the invisible visible. Since 2005, the Foundation has been working to bring financial abuse out of the shadows so victims can get the healing and support they deserve. The program ignites fundraising for hundreds of organizations, and Your World Insurance Services will be supporting the House of Ruth in Claremont. Funds raised will go toward life-changing financial empowerment services to help domestic violence survivors build safer lives for themselves and their families.

To read more about the charitable partners of Your World Insurance Services and to support its Community Cause Campaigns, either through direct donations or by taking part in their innovative program of making recommendations to the agency, readers may visit http://yourworldinsuranceservices.com/community/.

About Your World Insurance Services

Serving California families and businesses from offices in Redlands, Your World Insurance Services is committed to bringing local people an agency which understands their needs. Stacy Boyle enjoys educating others and loves helping her clients understand the risks they face and how her agency can help protect them against lifes unexpected harms. Boyle and her team of dedicated professionals work with carriers to assemble a variety of products and services which will ensure their clients peace of mind. From all of the products a typical consumer needs (home, auto, boat, ATV, etc.) to financial planning services, Your World Insurance delivers consistently superior service. The agency has made an ongoing commitment to positively impact the communities they serve by seeking out and supporting new local causes every two to three months. More information on the agency and the Agents of Change movement may be found at http://yourworldinsuranceservices.com/. Stacy and her caring experts may be reached by calling 909-793-3243.
This is a spectacular, elevated lot thats privately located on the cul-de-sac of Sea View Close, in the highly sought-after Cooper Jack Marina area

RE/MAX Real Estate Group Turks & Caicos Islands is pleased to announce that one of its newest listings, a one-acre ocean view lot overlooking Cooper Jack Bay on Provos south-central coastline, is being featured on Viviun.com, an international real estate website. The asking price for this property is USD $599,000.

This is a spectacular, elevated lot thats privately located on the cul-de-sac of Sea View Close, in the highly sought-after Cooper Jack Marina area, says Blair MacPherson, broker and co-owner of RE/MAX Real Estate Group Turks & Caicos and a member of the Turks and Caicos Real Estate Association (TCREA). The views of the bay from this homesite, being on a hillside, are simply breathtaking. The lot is a covered with lush, natural vegetation, and has easy access to the crystal clear, turquoise waters below. There couldnt be a more perfect setting to build the Caribbean home of your dreams.

To see this Cooper Jack lot on the Viviun website, please visit http://www.viviun.com/AD-220876. For additional information about the property, or to schedule a time to see it in person, contact Blair MacPherson, owner/broker of the RE/MAX Real Estate Group Turks and Caicos, by phone at 1-800-941-0465 or 1-649-432-5677, or by email at blair@blairmacpherson.com.

About RE/MAX Real Estate Group Turks & Caicos Islands:

The RE/MAX Real Estate Group Turks & Caicos offers unique, luxury real estate opportunities on the islands that are home to Grace Bay Beach, which has been named one of the world's best beaches numerous times. With breathtaking views, world-class spas and resorts, fine dining, local culture, and the awe-inspiring coral reefs, the Turks and Caicos Islands offer unique investment opportunities in that they are located in a tax-free jurisdiction. For more information, please visit http://www.remax-realestategroup-tci.com.
[Tokyo, Japan, September 26, 2017]

transcosmos inc. has expanded its BPO/Call center services in the European region. In December 2016, transcosmos has expanded its center in Hungary (Debrecen). New centers were opened in Romania (Cluj) and Poland (Warsaw) in January and June 2017 respectively. Cooperating with the companys existing center in the Philippines (Manila), the new centers will accelerate transcosmoss multi-language BPO and call center services for both Western and Asian companies. transcosmos aims to expand the number of workstations of its European BPO and call centers from approximately 750 today to 2,000 by 2020.

 New operational center in Poland to deliver customer support in the American and European market for a leading mobile device manufacturer.

On June 1, 2017, transcosmos opened a new operational center in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, with approximately 100 workstations. Its services for a mobile device manufacturer went live late June. Starting by providing customer support services for consumers in Poland, transcosmos aims to eventually service Germany and other Eastern and Western European countries in their native languages.

 Helps Asian businesses venture into the European market and vice versa

transcosmos helps Asian companies make inroads into the U.S. and European market, in addition to providing support in Asia through leveraging its operational bases located across 12 countries in Asia, including China, South Korea and ASEAN countries. The company will further strengthen its sales capability in order to support global companies based in Europe in their home market, whilst helping their market entry in Asia.

 Leveraging near-shore/off-shore bases in Eastern Europe and the Philippines, helps clients save costs

One of the challenges in providing services in Europe is to build a cost-effective operational model. Although simply categorized as Europe, the language differs per country in the region. Therefore, it is critical for businesses to prepare operators who can support the customers in their respective local language. transcosmos is ready to support 13 European languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Dutch, in addition to English. Going forward, transcosmos endeavors to deliver services in English, European and other multiple-languages through closely connecting the near-shore/off-shore bases in three Eastern European countries and the Philippines, whilst enhancing the services building on Chat-bot, RPA, AI, auto-translation and other technologies in order to support digitalized customer touchpoints as well as to improve cost effectiveness.

transcosmos has formed a business and capital alliance with Merlin Information Systems Group Limited, a British BPO company in December 2011. In April 2016, the company has become one of transcosmoss subsidiaries and changed the company name to transcosmos Information Systems Limited. As part of transcosmos family, the company offers multi-language BPO and call center services for global clients covering English and European-language speaking countries from its operational bases located in the U.K., U.S., Hungary, Rumania, Poland and in the Philippines. In November 2014, transcosmos has established TRANSCOSMOS(UK) LIMITED in London, U.K., a base for sales and business development. Working closely with transcosmos Information System Limited, TRANSCOMOS(UK) LIMITED offers its diverse services across Europe.



transcosmos is a trademark or registered trademark of transcosmos inc. in Japan and other countries.

Other company names and product or service names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies.

About transcosmos inc.

transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then, we have combined superior people with up-to-date technology to enhance the competitive strength of our clients by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers services that support clients business processes focusing on both sales expansion and cost reduction through our 176 locations across 33 countries with a focus in Asia, while continuously pursuing Operational Excellence. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce Services to deliver our clients' excellent products and services to consumers in 49 countries around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the Global Digital Transformation Partner of our clients, supporting the clients transformation by leveraging digital technology, responding to the ever changing business environment.
In some African countries, traditional empires have been constitutionally recognized as state institutions.

Don't be totally shell-shocked to see some African monarchs living lavishly with lots of privileges, including state protection, a generous monthly salary and allowances, and a motorcade of luxury vehicles.

Yes, they are living large.

Here's a compilation of top four wealthiest kings in Africa. Enjoy!

Mohammed VI

Pulse Ghana

King Mohammed VI, Morocco

Estimated net worth: $2 billion

Source: Investments

First on our list is the inviting Mohammed VI. Apparently, he is still reigning. He was born on August 1963 and climbed the monarch in July 1999 after the death of his father, King Hassan II. Mohammed VI is considered the wealthiest African king, controlling Moroccan investment holding company Societe Nationale dInvestissement, whose assets are estimated to be worth more than $10 billion. The King also owns one of the worlds largest phosphate reserves and has investments in the financial, mining, telecommunications, and distribution sectors.

Fredrick Obateru Akinrutan, Nigeria

Pulse Ghana

Oba Obateru Akinrutan, Ugbo Land, Nigeria

Estimated net worth: $300 million

Source: Oil

The Oil land can just not boast of the richest man in Africa but also some filthy rich kings. The 1950 born king Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan is estimated to be worth $300 million. He is the traditional ruler and king of Ugbo Kingdom. His investments in the oil industry are somewhat remarkable. King Akinrutan owns Obat Oil, one of the largest private oil companies in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Palm wine is the nectar of the tropics the world must know about

King Akinrutan really lives large. In 2014, he was quoted by a local newspaper saying that he wears a $1 million watch.

King Mswati III

Pulse Ghana

King Mswati III, Swaziland

Estimated net worth: At least $50 million

Source: Investments

King Mswati III was born in April 1968 in Manzini, Swaziland. He is the current King of Swaziland and head of the Swazi Royal Family. He was crowned king in April 1986 at the age of 18. He rules the small south African country as the absolute monarch.

King Mswati III has often been criticized for his lavish lifestyle, with many local and international media outlets accusing him of living an extravagant life, while his people languish in poverty. In the 2014 national budget, the countrys national assembly allocated $61 million for the Kings annual household budget. King Mswati is estimated to be worth $200 million.

King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

Pulse Ghana

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Ashanti, Ghana

Estimated net worth: $10 million

Source: Mining Equipment, Property, Jewelry

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the 16th King of Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana. A very powerful kingdom in Ghana. He was born in May 1950 and ascended the throne in April 1999. Apparently, he is also the absolute monarch and head of the Ashanti royal house of Oyoko.

READ ALSO:The Ghanaian illustrator who practiced with mosquito blood as a boy is breaking boundaries as a man
But ISIS has held on to pockets of territory in Iraq.

On August 19, Iraqi forces launched an assault on ISIS in Tal Afar, a town west of Mosul. By the end of the month, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was again declaring victory.

While the town of Tal Afar is much smaller than Mosul, they were both urban environments. The pockets of ISIS-held territory that remain  around Hawija in north-central Iraq and in western Anbar province  are more rural areas.

Iraqi forces started operations against Hawija on September 21. The town and surrounding area have been a hotbed for Sunni Arab insurgents since the US invaded the country in 2003. It was captured by ISIS in June 2014, when the group swept over much of northern and western Iraq.

Iraqi forces cut Hawija off from ISIS-held areas about a year ago, and the US-led coalition has estimated there are 800 to 1,500 ISIS fighters still there. But back roads in the Hamrin Mountains, which stretch through northeast Iraq, have provided smuggling routes for years, allowing some freedom of movement and making it hard to lock down the area.

Fighting in the rural expanse of the Hawija pocket was expected to differ greatly from the close-quarters fighting of Mosul, Sofge said  though, he noted, operations in both areas would share some features.

Iraqi Joint Operations Command field commander Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah echoed that assessment a few days later, saying government troops had been supported by the Popular Mobilization Forces, which are mainly Shiite militias. Iraqi commanders said over 200 militants had been killed in the offensive in the area.

"So at the initial stages ... these offensive operations in Anbar and also in Hawija, they have already shown success" and look "very promising," Dillon told reporters.
The longstanding policy had been widely criticized worldwide. In recent years it became seen as a human rights violation, as women began to get behind the wheel as a form of protest.

Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where a woman could go to jail for driving, before the new policy.

As one activist recounted to The New York Times earlier this year, recent protests to give women the right to drive were largely unaware of a history of women drivers going back to 1990  as those first activists became social outcasts.

The new driving policy may be linked to the rise of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, a 32-year-old who is rapidly gaining power and influence in the kingdom.

The New York Times' Ben Hubbard highlighted the various ways Saudi Arabia has tried to justify the ban:

The new rule will not take effect immediately.
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said her move follows the acute water shortages being experienced in the Western Cape. The situation in the region has worsened recently because of a drought.

"I shower briefly once every three days and for the rest wash in the hand basin. I used to wash my hair every day but now only when I shower with visibly negative consequences," Ms Zille wrote in a column.

"However I regard oily hair in a drought to be as much of a status symbol as a dusty car."

Ms Zille, the founder of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), has, however, shocked many with the revelations of her showering schedule.

Here are some of the comments on social media:
Eligibility requirements for the contest demanded that candidates should have a height of at least 1,78 m, be between 17 and 27 years old, have a harmonious face and body, have a college degree or an education equivalent to their age, speak English, have a valid passport, and not be a stripper.

However, it appears those requirements were just too hard for the contestants to meet. Few days prior to the contest, organizers had only selected 6 candidates.

But eventually, they equally fell below the requirements of agencys beauty standards, leaving it with no alternative, but to cancel the entire event for this year.

In a statement, the agency said The National Organization of Mr. Model Mexico regrets to inform you that the Mr. Model Tabasco 2017 event has been canceled until further notice, due to the candidates not meeting the physical requirements established by the organization.

It further stated that, Mr. Model Tabasco will continue to work hard to find the perfect example of masculine beauty in the state.

Lots of preparations had gone into organising the event, including conducting several photo shoots with the initially accepted contestants, promoting the event on TV and online, and at one point rebranding it as the best national and international male modeling event. However, the organisers did not hesitate to take the shocking decision.

Some people were of the view that the requirements were too limiting, considering the fact that Mexicans are not exactly known for being tall.

Some of the shocking fans of the pageantry resorted to social media to -express their displeasure.

One Ivan Cervera Ojeda asked on the Mr. Model Tabasco Facebook page Do you want a representative of Tabasco or a European?

Another man also asked Why not have a Mr. Model contest for guys around 1,60 m? Or are we too ugly for being midgets?
The convict, Samuel Aryee was charged with defilement to which he pleaded guilty, after medical report of the victim indicated that she was two months pregnant.

He made the work easier for the Court presided over by Mrs Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye who convicted Aryee on his own plea.

When given the opportunity to say something if he had any before sentence was pronounced, Samuel Aryee admitted that his action was in violation of the law and vowed not to repeat the act.

He further prayed the court to tamper justice with mercy, emphasising I will not do that again.

Bound by the law, the court could not exercise any discretion to mitigate the jail term. It took into consideration the age of the convict, noting that the he was young, but could hardly help. Mrs Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye therefore pronounced that, the offence of defilement was a serious one and the minimum sentence was seven years. I therefore sentence you to seven years imprisonment in hard labour.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Agnes Boafo told the court that the complainant is a businessman and father of the victim who resides at Kwadaso Estate in Kumasi.

She said the victim lives with her mother at Dansoman in Accra, whilst the convict resides at Korle Gonno, all suburbs of Accra.

The prosecutor said, Aryee went to Riches in Glory School, Dansoman in June this year to perform a dance. He then saw the victim and gave her his phone number.

The convict lured the victim to his house where she stayed with the him for four days without the knowledge of her parents. During their stay together, Aryee had sexual intercourse with the victim.

According to ASP Agnes Boafo, shortly after her Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the convict invited the victim again and she spent another four days with him.

She said the victims mother later suspected the victim was pregnant and when asked, she mentioned the convict as the one responsible.

The complainant was informed about the situation and he reported the matter to the Police at Dansoman, where a medical form was issued to him for the victims examination.
The convict pleaded not guilty to the charge, but the Circuit Court presided over by Mr. Abdul Yussif Osei Asibey held a different view and consequently convicted him.

He committed the act at Woraso in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of the Eastern region.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Thomas Zodanu disclosed to the court that the convict was the class teacher of the victim.

According to him, in February this year, he enticed the girl with the gift of a mobile phone and had sexual intercourse with her.

The prosecution further said that, the mother of the victim queried her on seeing her with the phone, knowing well her daughter could not afford a it.

It said the young girl then revealed to her mother that the phone was given to her by Mr. Asante, her teacher in exchange for sex.
Navy veteran and longtime Helena resident Louis William Moran died on Sept. 20 in Billings at age 98.

In 2011, the former sailor sat down with the Independent Record to talk about one of the most infamous days of WWII: the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The bombing would bring the U.S. into the war and shape the course of world history.

***

Remembering day of infamy

SANJAY TALWANI

Independent Record

This story was originally published on Dec. 7, 2011.

Louis Moran, then a 23-year-old kid from Conrad, was a sailor on the crew of the USS Honolulu, which was in port at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Another guy and I were walking from the shop to the recreation center, and we had just gone around the corner of the building and this airplane went by, Moran said.

It was not quite 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

A second plane came, flying just above the trees, but Moran knew after seeing the first one that the base was under attack. America had entered the war in the Pacific with, as Moran put it, little to go on.

They got a rude awakening, he said of soldiers waking up that fateful morning. Them battleships caught hell.

The War in the Pacific had begun for America. For thousands of young men, it meant spending the next four or five years on massive, ships in the Pacific, dodging enemy fire and communicating only minimally with the folks back home.

At Pearl Harbor, the battleships were lined up in twos, and were easy targets for the 353 Japanese attack planes, which damaged eight battleships, numerous other ships and 182 aircraft while 2,402 Americans were killed.

Morans crew was luckier than most. A bomb blew up underwater just off the port side of the Honolulu, causing minimal damage, and no one on the ship was killed or injured that day.

Moran spent much of the day at his usual duty station, the engine room, a place he described as full of whistles and whines and where smoking was prohibited.

Among the thousands who died that day, many were consumed by the water itself. With all the ships in port, the water had an oily sheen on it, making it almost impossible to swim, Moran said.

As many as 84,000 uniformed military personnel were on the island of Oahu when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Today only about 8,000 remain, and only a handful live in Montana.

One national association of Pearl Harbor survivors is shutting down at the end of the year.

At least six men from the Helena area were in the attack, and all are now deceased.

One of them, Jerry Dullum of East Helena (after whom the Cory-Dullum VFW Post in East Helena is partially named), was the first area man killed in World War II, perishing along with 1,176 others aboard the USS Arizona.

The Honolulu took barely a month to complete repairs and head back to San Francisco, then on to Australia with a load of soldiers and equipment. It made runs of soldiers across the Pacific and spent much of the summer of 1942 around Alaska.

In November, it survived the Battle of Tassafaronga, one of the Navys worst defeats in World War II.

In July 1943, it took another torpedo to the hull at the battle of Kolombanagara.

Moran, now 93, has a couple of framed prints of the Honolulu after it was heavily damaged in 1943. In the photo, men stand on the edge of a section of the deck bent into a right angle downward.

He keeps several official Navy photos of his ship, called a light cruiser with massive 6-inch guns.

Theres a photo of a group of sailors, including Moran, in uniform in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a flag flown above the USS Arizona four years ago, on the 66th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

In October 1944, the Honolulu took its last torpedo as it prepared for the invasion of Leyte, an island in the Philippines. That was part of one of the most pivotal events of the Pacific War, ultimately costing more than 3,500 American lives.

The torpedo was aimed at someone else.

The day we landed, (Gen. Douglas) MacArthur, he walked ashore, got his boots wet, said Moran. The ship he was on, was baby-sitting him I guess, was very much like ours. And an airplane come over the treetops and dropped his torpedo and got us. And that was the end of the war as far as we were (concerned), because we had to go quite a ways to get repaired.
He was then accosted by custom officials and it was found that the man been carrying approximately a kilogram (2.2 lb) of gold hoarded in his rectum.

Colombian customs spokesman, Sunil Jayarathne told Reuters that customs officials noticed the suspicious movements of the man headed for India. It then came to light that the suspect was carrying 904.77 grams of gold worth 4.5 million rupees ($29,577).

The man was however set free after he was made to pay 100,000 rupees.

The custom spokesperson who described the methods of smuggling as not unusual, said this is not the first such detection and this is a common method of smuggling.
"To anyone who has been affected by reproductive coercion, we are sorry," begins a statement released by the couple on Saturday via Nikki's Twitter account. "This is an extremely serious issue, and women's rights is something that is incredibly important to us." (According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, reproductive coercion is when a person strips their partner of the ability to control their own reproductive system, including sabotaging birth control methods.)

However, the couple took issue with allegations that their story counted as reproductive coercion. "We never expected a lighthearted interview we did poking fun at EACH OTHER and how WE chose together to get pregnant...to turn into something representing a very serious narrative," they wrote. And while they write that they are "grateful" that their interview seemed to raise awareness of the very serious issue, they emphasize that they should not be faces of that topic. "We are two happily married people who chose TOGETHER to have a baby. The end."

Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder welcomed their first child, a daughter named Bodhi, in late July. While blissed-out Instagram posts from both Ian and Nikki indicate the couple couldn't be more thrilled to be new parents, Nikki recently revealed some news about their decision to conceive that made us do a double take.

"[He] threw out all my birth control pills," Nikki said during a recent interview on Dr. Berlin's Informed Pregnancy podcast. (Nikki laughed about it, but) Ian chimed in to explain himself. "We decided that we wanted to have children together, and it was just time. But unbeknownst to poor Nikki, she didn't realize that I was going to go in her purse and take out her birth control," he said. "By the way, it was the beginning of the pack, so I had to pop all those suckers out."

Ian says he has a six-minute video of Nikki "freaking out" as he flushed the pills down the toilet. "Actually, now thinking about it, I guess I kind of decided [to start a family]," he said.

Now let's take a minute to unpack that: Having a child should be a decision that you and your partner make together, and it sounds like Nikki and Ian did just that. But, even then, the timeline of when you'll actually begin trying to conceive should be something that you both agree on.

When it comes to birth control pills, it should be a womans choice when she decides to take them or stop taking them. While Nikki and Ian seem to find the whole thing funny now, Ian flushing her pills without her consent is kind of messed up. Just sayin'.

During the podcast, Nikki also revealed she struggled with whether she wanted to give birth at home or in a hospital. "The birth that I always wanted was a home birth with no lights, no one talking, no intervention of any kind," she said. "I wanted to be peaceful, quiet, alone." But ultimately, she ended up deciding to have Bodhi in a hospital.
And they're packed with healthy fats and vitamins(although a little goes a long way with these guys since they are fairly calorie-dense). But they are surprisingly tricky to cut, namely because of the giant pit in the center.

It's slippery on the outside, tough on the insidea combination that leads many amateur avocado eaters to accidentally cut themselves when trying to remove said pit.

We talked with Emily Hankey, a Whole Foods produce butcher, on how to slice up avocado while avoiding the dreaded avocado hand. Here's her step-by-step:

1. Using a chef's knife, slice into your avocado until you hit the pit in the center. Then, rotate the fruit so you cut all the way around the pit.

2. Hold the avocado, and twist with your hand to separate the two halves.

3. Take the half with the pit, and flip it over so that the cut side is facing down. Carefully cut around the pit again.

4. Twist the pieces apart to separate, then simply pull out the pit.

5. Peel away the skin from the flesh with a spoon. Begin where you see the green avocado meeting the hard skin, and scoop from there (you don't want to leave any deliciousness behind!).

6. Slice the peeled sections of avocado.

If you want to prevent browning, Hankey recommends squeezing a little lemon or lime juice on your cut pieces.
He said: a bank that can mobilize adequate resources and finance big-ticket transactions is crucial in being able to deliver that transformation and this is why we are emphasizing the strength of the capital of the banks.

So yes, if you think that you are operating in a niche market that does not require that you should have a 400 million level of capitalization you can choose to go for a savings and loan license, Dr Addison added.

Dr Addison further indicated that some banks have begun talks to merge or be acquired.

He explained that this is based on some formal communication with the Central Bank as some banks strategise to meet the minimum requirement.

The Governor, however, believed that the recapitalisation of these banks should be market driven rather than being forced by the regulator.
Houses were submerged leaving residents in a hopeless state.

The displaced residents were left with no option, but to spend the night with friends and relatives after the devastation.

No casualties have been recorded in relation to the flooding, but residents have called on the city authorities to strictly enforce building regulations to avoid recurrence of the incident.

READ MORE: Couple who had sex in a pizza shop found guilty of outraging public decency

One of the residents said People build in waterways dumping garbage into water bodies, blocking the path of the river. The KMA has to be serious and stop giving permits to people to build in these areas.

Another one also thought lack of enforcement of the bye laws has emboldened indigenes to build on waterways recklessly.

No life has been lost yet. But so many buildings have been submerged in the water. That house there belongs to the NDC youth organizer. The building always floods but he will not stop building. This flooding will stop if we change our insanitary behavior. NADMO officials have always been here to assess the situation.

The over 200 affected resident lamented how the situation has been a drawback for them, as the water level rose to neck level.

It took the help of officials of the Ghana National Fire Service to rescue those trapped in their homes.
Mr George Bernard Shaw said Baah did not take part in the alleged lynching of the military officer.

The assembly member did not conspire with the other accused persons to cause Major Mahamas death. The facts of the case, as presented by the prosecution, do not reflect what exactly happened, he said.

He made the claim during the hearing of the case at the Accra Central District court on Monday.

He subsequently rejected the charge of conspiracy to commit murder levelled against the accused, describing it as improper charge.

The presiding magistrate, Mr Joshua Caleb Abaidoo however, stopped the lawyer from advancing his line of argument, saying that the court was still awaiting the the Attorney-Generals (A-Gs) advice on the case.

The judge told counsel that the accused had not been officially charged, adding: I dont really see where this is coming from.

The prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr George Amegah, had earlier pleaded with the court to stop counsel from going into the merits of the case.

We have come before this court for committal and, therefore, counsel should not go into the merits until the trial because if we allege, we must prove, he said.

Meanwhile, at the hearing, the prosecution, with the permission of the court, amended the charge sheet to accommodate the two new accused persons, Bismarck Abanga and Emmanuel Baidoo, who were arrested recently.

All the accused persons have been provisionally charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
His call was in relation to the amazing performance of inmates of the Nsawam prison in the last Basic Education Certificate Examination.

According to the prisons service, five candidates presented by the Nsawam Medium Prison for this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) passed out successfully.

It said one candidate passed with distinction while the four others obtained between aggregates 10-15.

However, despite the splendid performance, the prison service said the inmates cannot progress with their education while they remain in the prison, because the services educational facilities only end at the Junior High level.

Public Relation Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service, DSP Vitalis Aryee said until they finish their prison terms, the brilliant inmates education ends at the BECE.

He said The Bostal Institute is not a prison but a correctional facility and the kids there are not up to 18 years. They dont have a record after they have done their time.

DSP Aryee further explained that, They are day students and they go to the schools that they were placed and they come back in the evening.

Speaking on Accra-based Joy Fm, Jonathan Osei Owusu advocated for establishment of a senior high school at the prisons to enable the inmates proceed with their education.

This is important so that when they come out they will not go back to the same crime to cut down on the recidivism. Regarding the way forward, I will put the call at the doorstep of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and government.

For that matter getting one senior high school in the prisons to give access to those who have passed will benefit the state and improve its security.

Mr. Osei believes the nation will stand to benefit in several ways if much more attention is given to improving the prisons in order to enhance reformation of the inmates.

One good thing that will help if we are able to do this is that the inmates have lots of time on their hands and when they are engaged they will be useful to society.
According to reports, he is currently at the Kumasi Central Police Station assisting with investigations.

Appiah Stadium has been transferred to Criminal Investigations Department at the police headquarters in Accra.

The Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Juliana Obeng confirmed this in an interview on Accra-based Neat FM Tuesday.

She said the motive for the arrest, she noted will be will be determined by the CID in Accra.

Allegations

READ MORE: Appiah Stadium snubs Mahama for elections 2020

Appiah Stadium who was supposed to be part of the "Save Mahama Campaign" and a street demonstration in the United States of America was refused a visa by the embassy.

The demonstration, however, came off without him.

Scores of Ghanaians in New York, USA on Thursday, September 21, demonstrated against President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

According to the demonstrators, cost of living has risen sharply under the NPP administration making life unbearable for Ghanaians.

Appiah Stadium registering his disappointment for not being part of the protest said he would have wrapped a substance, puffed the smoke through his nostrils to show that Nana Addo smokes if he had had the opportunity.

He alleged that "It is sad I was denied a visa, I would have wrapped a substance and smoked in front of the president and his entourage and show them that he smokes."

Apology

However, he has rendered an unqualified apology to the President.

According to him, the allegation was baseless and borne out of malice thus the President should not punish him.

"I know I have erred and have insulted the President. In fact, I have known no peace ever since I made those comments and I dont want to go through such experience again. I will silly so they should forgive me especially Nana Addo," he pleaded.

Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia has said he still believes President Akufo-Addo smokes marijuana.
According to him, he will not campaign for Mahama if he contests in election 2020.

Appiah Stadium who was supposed to be part of the "Save Mahama Campaign" and a street demonstration in the United States of America was refused a visa by the embassy.

The demonstration, however, came off without him.

Scores of Ghanaians in New York, USA on Thursday, September 21, demonstrated against President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

According to the demonstrators, cost of living has risen sharply under the NPP administration making life unbearable for Ghanaians.

Appiah Stadium registering his disappointment for not being part of the protest said he would have wrapped a substance, puffed the smoke through his nostrils to show that Nana Addo smokes if he had had the opportunity.

He alleged that "It is sad I was denied a visa, I would have wrapped a substance and smoked infront of the president and his entourage and show them that he smokes."

But the NDC serial caller after the allegations against the President [Nana Addo] said the NDC and Mahama did not save him.

In an interview on Accra-based Neat FM, he said "Ive learnt my lessons, whoever Ive offended in politics should forgive me. My father John Mahama whom Im fighting for is yet to be elected as the Flagbearer of the NDC. So why should I create a bad image for myself simply because I want him to be President? if I do that then Im mistaken. Even when he was the President, I was not given any appointment so why should I go on fighting for his second term bid. If Im not careful someone will just kill me and say Ive been killed by operatives of the NPP government but that may not be the case. I beg President Akufo Addo and any other person Ive offended in politics to forgive me.

"I know what Ive gone through in the past four days, what Ive experienced is enough, I dont want anymore of it. Im sure that even if ex President John Mahama is my brother, whatever he gets when he comes back to power hell not share with me."

Meanwhile, Deputy National Security Coordinator in Charge of Airports, Hopeson Adorye has hinted that Appiah Stadium will be arrested to substantiate his claims.

READ MORE: Nana Addo appoints NPP national chairman aspirant to Bui Power Authority Board
The opposition lawmakers in a statement said that the government should have sought parliamentary approval before the highly-enriched uranium was flown out of Ghana.

Their comment follows a revelation made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the United Nations 72 General Assembly on Thursday that: "Three weeks ago, highly-enriched uranium was flown out of Ghana back to China, signalling the end of the removal of all such material from the country. Our nuclear reactor has, subsequently, been converted to use low-enriched fuel for power generation. A world free of nuclear weapons must be in all our collective interest.

But a statement released and signed by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ranking Member on Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday said that the government must submit to Parliament, the full details and true nature of the agreement with the Chinese and the Americans, who appear to have funded the operation.

Below is the full statement:

Minority Statement on the handing over of Ghana's Highly-Enriched Uranium to China

President Akufo-Addo revealed during his address to the United Nations 72nd General Assembly on Thursday the 21st of September, 2017 that: "Three weeks ago, highly-enriched uranium was flown out of Ghana back to China, signaling the end of the removal of all such material from the country. Our nuclear reactor has, subsequently, been converted to use low-enriched fuel for power generation. A world, free of nuclear weapons, must be in all our collective interest.

Considering the recent Supreme Court decision in the GITMO 2 case when interpreting Article 75 of the Constitution of Ghana, it is clear that this arrangement which has been shrouded in utmost secrecy ought to have received Parliamentary ratification at the very least before handing over our highly-enriched uranium to the Chinese if that is the path we consider to be in our strategic national interest.

The Minority in Parliament is, therefore, requesting that the Government of Ghana submits to Parliament the full details and true nature of the agreement with the Chinese and the Americans who appear to have funded the operation.

While reminding Government of its obligations to several other agreements yet to be ratified by Parliament, the Minority shall be pursuing this very important development in the spirit of transparency and good governance consistent with the view taken by the apex court of the land.

Signed,

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP)
DISCLAIMERMy attention has been drawn to a publication circulating on social media referring to me as the planner of a demonstration against the President of the Republic of Ghana during his recent visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.I hereby state categorically that I never participated in the planning or organization of the demonstration, neither do I have any knowledge of any person who planned or organized the demonstration.I am a patriotic citizen of the Republic of Ghana and will not under any circumstances involve myself in any action that would dent the reputation of my country.I take serious exception to the unfounded sinister allegations and have instructed my lawyers to take the necessary steps to deal with any persons who are part of this nauseating agenda.I advise all to disregard the publication.SignedKojo Bonsu
According to him, the former president, John Mahama failed to make an impact on the lives of Ghanaians and hence no electorate will trust a northerner to deliver.

Akpaloo was speaking with Abusua FM on the back of names that have popped up in the opposition National Democratic Congress for the flagbearship position ahead of the 2020 elections.

Former president Mahama, Alban Bagbin and Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu are some of the names that have emerged.

But Akpaloo believes that those names have no chance as they are all from the northern part of the country.

He said, Kwame, no northerner will become president again..at least not in the immediate future or the next twenty to thirty years.

This is a very bitter truth, but I have said it now. John Mahama got the chance to make a case for the Northerners yet he scattered it with corruption and incompetence.

I met Alban Bagbin in Ireland where he delivered a paper on politics and governanceKwame, Bagbins presentation was a total indictment on Ghanaians and to some extent Africans and I immediately said to myself this man can never be a president with such a mentality, he revealed.

This goes to the NPP and any other political party in Ghana. They should be careful fielding a candidate from the north because Mahama has damaged their chances and this will take many years in the very far future before northern politicians can make an attempt for the presidency, he added.
This follows their failure to attend court in a contempt case against him.

The MP and others were cited for contempt of court after using land guards to unlawfully develop a piece of land at Dome Pillar 2 which has been the subject of a pending court case.

According to the facts of the case, the MP and Majima Shaibu Mohammed are parties to case [suit no. LD/0332/2016, titled Jibril Mahama versus Akwesi Mensah].

READ ALSO: NDC serial caller snubs Mahama for elections 2020

The High Court last Tuesday issued an order that the MP, Dr Kwabena Twum Nuamah and his accomplice, Majima Shaibu Mohammed be arraigned on Wednesday September 27, 2017, to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for contempt.
Cage has campaigned since 2003 on behalf of people who have allegedly suffered abuses in the United States' fight against terrorism.

Rabbani told the court he wanted to protect a Qatari client.

"It was a case involving the US against an individual who was allegedly tortured over the course of 12 or 13 years in US custody," he said.

"There were around 30,000 (documents) which I was especially uncomfortable handling and I felt an enormous responsibility to try and discharge the trust that was given to me," he said.

But the court dismissed Rabbani's arguments and handed him a 12-month conditional discharge, meaning no further action would be taken unless he commits a further offence.

Rabbani, 36, was also ordered to pay a fine of 620 ($835, 705 euros) and police have seized his phone and laptop.

Speaking outside court, Rabbani said the law amounted to a "digital strip search" and called for the legislation to be changed.

"I took the decision not to raise the details of an important torture case before my arrest and ultimately I have been convicted of protecting the confidentiality of my client," he said.

"If privacy and confidentiality are crimes, then the law stands condemned."

The head of London's counter-terrorism command, Dean Haydon, said the law under which Rabbani was convicted was crucial "to help keep the public safe".

"Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is a vital tool in the fight against terrorism and we are committed to ensuring the power is used appropriately and proportionately, as it was in this case," he said in a statement.

Schedule 7 was also used in 2013 against the partner of Glenn Greenwald, the US journalist behind the Edward Snowden intelligence leaks.
The law states that starting in September 2020, students will be taught exclusively in Ukrainian from the fifth grade onwards, though they can still learn their native languages as a separate subject.

But Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said the bill "drastically limits" the access of minorities to education in their native language, and cancelled a planned trip to Kiev this month.

The legislation has also raised hackles in Ukraine's sizable Hungarian and Polish minorities.

A statement issues by the presidency said Poroshenko "especially stressed that the law raises the role of Ukrainian as a state language in the education process."

"The law ensures equal opportunities for all," it added.

"It guarantees every graduate strong language skills essential for a successful career in Ukraine."

But ethnic Russians account for Ukraine's biggest minority and the language issue has further inflamed Moscow's relations with Kiev.

Several Ukrainian regions, especially those in the east, are mainly Russian-speaking, and the Kremlin claims the Ukrainian authorities are seeking to sideline the Russian language and its people.

But Poroshenko said his county was abiding by all international norms.
"I am proud of this officer and those in her class," Marine Corps commandant General Robert Neller said.

"Marines expect and rightfully deserve competent and capable leaders, and these (Infantry Officer Course) graduates met every training requirement as they prepare for the next challenge of leading infantry Marines; ultimately, in combat," Neller added.

As an infantry officer, the woman, a lieutenant, will be assigned to lead a platoon of around 40 Marines. She will join the 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, California, the Marines said.

A total of 131 Marines started the infantry officer training course in July and 88 graduated on Monday in Quantico, Virginia, the Marine Corps said.

Three dozen female Marine Corps officers had previously signed up for the infantry training program but failed to finish, according to the Marine Corps Times.

On its Twitter feed, the Marine Corps released a video showing the woman taking part in exercises in the mountains alongside male infantry officer candidates.

Women make up about 15 percent of the nearly 1.4 million active duty troops in the US armed forces.

Former president Barack Obama opened up all military positions to women, including combat units, in March 2016.

Women were previously technically barred from combat, but thousands of American servicewomen saw fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq nonetheless.

The Marines have been seen as the branch of the US military that has been the least accepting of women in combat roles and the infantry plays a special role in the lore of the Corps.

Earlier this year, the Marine Corps was rocked by the revelation of a secret Facebook group called "Marines United" where nude pictures of female Marines were posted without their consent.

In 2015, two women became the first to graduate from the US Army's elite Ranger School.
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Khosrowshahi, the former CEO of travel website Expedia, replaced Uber founder Travis Kalanick as CEO just three weeks ago and he's got several major diplomatic battles to fight all over the world.

Multiple sources, including Mark MacGann, who previously headed Ubers European policy team, told the FT that it would be in Uber's best interests for Khosrowshahi to visit London and meet regulators at Transport for London (TfL). Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"I think Dara can't not go," MacGann reportedly said on the topic of the London trip. "He will want to go show his brand of leadership ... sending anyone else would be viewed as the 'old, arrogant Uber.'"

Transport for London (TfL) announced last Friday that Uber would not be issued with a private hire operator's licence once its current licence is up on 30 September.

TfL said Uber was not "fit and proper" to hold a licence, adding that the firm's approach to reporting serious driver offences, approach to driver medical and safety checks, and use of its secret "Greyball" software to dodge transport officials all contributed to its decision.

Uber said it would challenge TfL's the decision in court. The company has also launched a petition calling on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to reverse TfL's decision. The petition had received over 634,000 signatures on Sunday.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan welcomed an apology from Khosrowshahi on Monday. The apology was made in an open letter to Londoners. But he also invited Khosrowshahi to meet with TfL. "Even though there is a legal process in place, I have asked TfL to make themselves available to meet with him," said Khan.
The 29-year-old Nigerian, Dasuki gratefully announced his resumption to work as a senior lecturer of Information Systems yesterday, Monday, September 25 on Twitter.

He made the announcement with the following words:

"By Allah's grace, not only am I the youngest, I resume teaching as a senior lecturer of computing at Sheffield Hallam University, UK"

Dasuki in another tweet says he was an assistant professor at the age of 24 when he was in Nigeria for five years.

Dasuki also has a brilliant academic records in foreign universities. He graduated with a first class degree in Information Technology from Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), North Cyprus at 21. He went further to have his Masters degree at Brunel University, UK and bagged his PhD in the same university in 2012. At this time, he was reportedly the youngest PhD holder in the Northern Nigeria.

ALSO READ: ASUU declares UNILORIN a terrorist organization

Since he tweeted his new academic status, Nigerians have been praising and congratulating the young academic on his achievement. Even the Spokesperson to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mallam Garba Shehu was so impressed that he retweeted Dasuki's tweet.

In 2016, Dasuki was among the 100 Arewa's people of the year due to his academic records.

Nigerians abroad are doing well academically and StudentsPulse is bent on celebrating Nigerian academic giants all over the world.
According to Escobar's brother, Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, Netflix used Escobar's name and story without their permission.

In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 71-year-old Gaviria said they were suing Netflix for intellectual property violations.

"Right now, we are in discussions with them through our attorneys Browne George Ross LLP to obtain our $1 billion payment. If we don't receive it, we will close their little show," he said.

Gaviria made his first contact with Netflix in 2016, after which he filed a lawsuit via his company Escobar Inc., which owns the trademarks for Narcos.

"At the end of the day, if we don't take a deal, then we own the trademarks. They would have to rebrand their entire show," Olof Gustafsson, the CEO of Escobar Inc said.

"They know this. This is why they're talking to us. Otherwise, they would never entertain any discussions with a drug cartel family."

This comes after a "Narcos" location scout was recently killed on the job in North Mexico.

When asked if Escobar Inc., is aware of what happened to the late crew member of "Narcos," Olof Gustafsson said: No comment on that. But Escobar Inc. cooperates with all law enforcement.

Carlos Munoz Portal, 37, was found dead in his car after he had been scouting locations for the shows fourth series.
Roc Nation Afrobeats artiste, Young Paris has faulted Mr Eazis inability to differentiate between Afrobeat and Afrobeats. The US musician in a brief Instagram post said Mr Eazi was wilding and saying a lot of sh*t.

Young Paris who has worked with Mavin Records artistes Tiwa Savage and Reekado Banks claims there is a difference between Afrobeat and Afrobeats and that difference is very important for the culture.

He said Afrobeat should only be referred to as music made by the genre pioneer Fela, which still remains as his legacy. While Afrobeats is any music done by any contemporary African artistes, which has sub-genres like, Afro-house, Afropop, Afrofusion, Afrotrap etc.
1. Atela - 'My Life' ft Temity

Squeeze Records present once again, Atela with a new single featureing Temity, a songwriter and vocalist.Download

2. Tega - 'Need Me'

Great music from Tega, who pushes through with some vocals and some heart-warming melody.Download.

3. Bad Bridge - 'Ja ma lo' ft King Zamir

Enjoy this fusion of styles from Bad Bridge and King Zamir. It's Trap music redefined.Download.

4. Oma Mahmud - 'Truth' ft Barelyanyhook

Here is a new single by Oma Mahmud titled , featuring BarelyAnyHook.

On this song, Oma and Barely vent about uncertainty in a relationship, over a live recorded saxophone performance by Adeboyega, mixed in with virtual instruments arranged and selected by Oma himself.Download.

5. Sute Iwar - 'Girl like you'

We all know Sute, but Girl Like You is something different though. The rapper is putting all his mind on that girl, and no love poem could be delivered more consciously.Download.

6. DJ Yin - 'Kilimanjaro' ft Bankyondbeatz

'Kilimanjaro' by DJ Yin which features and produced by music genius Bankyondbeatz is a song about her journey with depression, she explains that she released the song in order to help other depressed people out there, the song stars popular radio OAP Kemi Smallz, artistes like Fasina, Odunsi (The Engine), Nova, popular Producer Benie Macaulay as well as Poet Ayo Wright, with an up tempo beat produced by the one and only BankyondBeatz, the song doesnt make you feel depressed but brings you into a lighter mood.Download.

7. Jay More, L.A.X - 'You know'

Jay Moore and L.A.X team up on a new song titled 'You Know'. The single, which comes on the heels of Jay Moore's release 'For Real' precedes future collaborations from both artistes. This is definitely a match to watch out for.Download.

8. Shimon - 'Her'

Shimon is an upcoming independent artist born in Lagos, Nigeria where he spent most of his life before moving to the UK. His songs tell stories of love lost and love found in a way that the listener finds both humorous and heart breaking. 'Her' is Shimons latest single, which takes inspiration from the hit 'Yahooze' by Nigeria's very own Olu Maintain. Shimon samples this hit and adds his gentle vocals over a rollicking beat creating his own unique twist.Download.

9. Tipsy - 'Fargin' (Teni cover)

Nigerian Rapper Tipsy decides to drop s cover of Teni's '' Which Was Originally produced by Mystro.Download.

10. Phizbarz, Devin Di Dakata, Razor B, Black Mattic - 'Rewind'
The victim who has been identified as Clement Ofoma, a native of Obosi in Anambra State, was allegedly beaten to death by the police who arrested him at his residence in Johannesburg on the allegation that he was a drug dealer.

Even after his house was searched and no drug was found, the police still took him to their station where he was tortured to death.

The South African Police, in its usual way, however, refuted claims that Ofoma was tortured to death and that he was a drug dealer who resisted arrest and even fought with officers when they went to arrest him.

But a friend of the late Ofoma, Star Boy Nino Brown, who shared the sad news on his Facebook wall, insisted that he was beaten to death and was not even given the chance to defend himself of the allegations leveled against him by the Metro Police.

Brown who lives in Johannesburg, wrote on his wall:

"A Nigerian guy was beaten to death by Metro Police in Bee Mandela in Johannesburg. They covered his face with plastic and after much beating, he passed on and Naija guys went to police station to know why they kill the guy and look @ what happens.

This is so unfair. aka , my guy, may your soul rest in perfect peace, Amen."

This is not the first time Nigerians living and doing their businesses in South Africa would be targeted and killed by both the police and other residents who see Nigerians as a threat, criminals, and drug barons while the Nigerian government has continued to pay lip service to protect its citizens.
Punch reports that Igwe was angry that the victim identified as Chimobi, had misplaced his trousers and could not produce it when his aunt demanded them and out of anger, she brutalized him, poured kerosene on him and set him ablaze.

The young boy who has been taken into protective custody by the Lagos State Government, according to neighbours was a victim of serial abuse by Igwe who maltreated him at the slightest provocation.

It was gathered that the Ishielu, Ebonyi State-born indigene, was arrested after residents of the community reported her to the police when they heard the cries of the victim and managed to put out the fire during which he reportedly passed out.

Chimobi was subsequently rushed to the Ikorodu General Hospital, Ikorodu, while police from the Igbogbo division were said to have arrested the suspect.

A source said that the child was brought to Lagos in 2016 by the uncle to start living with his family but all through his stay, his aunt never saw anything good in him and brutalized him at will.

A police source said that the matter came to a head when Igwe set the boy on fire on Wednesday, September 6, 2017.

He is the younger brother of the man who is a security guard in a firm. He was not enrolled in any school after he was brought from the village.

The brother wanted him to be assisting the wife, who had a baby about a year ago, with house chores and other things.

The woman has been abusing him for some time now. There are marks of past floggings on his body. He also has sores.

People in the community could no longer keep quiet when the last incident happened on Wednesday, September 6. She poured kerosene on the boy and lit him with a matchstick.

The victim who spoke with Punch correspondent on his hospital bed, said he was in a primary school in their hometown before he was brought to Lagos from Ebonyi.

He explained that his uncle and his wife had refused to enroll him in a school since he started living with them.

I misplaced my trousers and mummy poured kerosene on me and used a matchstick to light fire. People came to help me. I have not been going to school since they brought me from the village, he said.

The State Police Public Relations Officer [PPRO], ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole who confirmed the incident, said that Igwe had been granted bail because of her child, saying she was mandated to be reporting at the police station daily.

We gathered that the boy was accused of misplacing something and because of that, she got kerosene and set him ablaze. Some Good Samaritans put out the fire. The boy is recuperating.

When our attention was called to the case, we ensured the prompt treatment of the boy at the Ikorodu General Hospital. We also involved other government agencies, including a human right group working with the police in that area. The suspect was arrested and interrogated.

She is a nursing mother; she has a child that is less than two years old. She has been admitted to bail with instruction to be reporting daily to the Investigating Police Officer and the Office of the Public Defender, pending the conclusion of an investigation.
According to Ayo Atitebi who posted the sad incident on his Twitter handle, the deceased identified only as Chris, could have been saved if the five hospitals he was rushed to had Oxygen to give him.

Expressing shock at the incident, Atibebi narrated that the young man who was very ill and needed Oxygen to keep him alive, died because all the hospitals he was taken to complained that they did not have the capacity to provide the Oxygen.

This is what Atitebi posted:

So 5 hospitals didnt have oxygen and we lost you, Chris! 5 goddamned hospitals! Loving this country is HARD!!! Nigeria sucks

This is coming on the heels of the incessant strikes embarked by doctors and other medical workers in the country owing to a backlog of salaries, unimproved working conditions, and other sundry matters.

Many keep wondering how the country got so bad that providing basic amenities for the masses have continued to be a Herculean task while the political elites fly abroad for their medical care instead of fixing the medical sector in the nation.

May the soul of the young man rest in peace, Amen.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
The commission says it just can't lay its hands on Diezani, hard as it has tried.

Diezani left Nigeria in 2015 as soon as Muhammadu Buhari won that years presidential election. Shes been haunted at home and abroad for a slew of financial crimes and alleged corruption since that time.

Diezani has also refused to return home.

According to the anti-graft agency, Diezani stole Nigeria dry through accomplices Jide Omokore and Kola Alukotwo men who were involved in oil swap deals with the Nigerian government between 2011 and 2015.

The EFCC has preferred a nine count charge of criminal diversion of about $1.6B against Diezanis accomplices, even as it tries to rein in the lady herself.

She was involved in various corrupt practices, money laundering, stealing of public funds and illegal acquisition of properties within and outside Nigeria, a detective with the EFCC, Rufai Zaki, deposed in a counter affidavit.

The EFCC said at the tail end of Diezanis tenure as Minister of Petroleum Resources, the commission received a lot of complaints and intelligence reports against her.

Investigations had commenced in respect of her various nefarious illegal financial activities while she was the Minister of Petroleum Resources. But Diezani absconded from Nigeria in order to escape the investigation and prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Upon realising that Diezani is in the United Kingdom, we made efforts to schedule a meeting with her in order to interview her in respect of her involvement in the activities leading to this charge and many other alleged financial crimes linked to her but up till now, she had always avoided having any meeting with members of our team.

The EFCC also says Diezanis lawyer in the UK, John Binns of BCL Solicitors, has frustrated all attempts by the anti-graft commission to meet with Diezani in the UK and bring her home for trial.

ALSO READ:

According to the anti-graft agency; "Diezanis lawyer in the United Kingdom, one John Binns of BCL Solicitors, informed the members of the team of investigators headed by when they visited the United Kingdom in March, 2017, that the team would not be permitted to meet Diezani for any interview in view of the fact that she is not within the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

While in the United Kingdom, Diezani had been invited by the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating her for several other financial crimes.

She has been released on bail in the United Kingdom but could not leave the United Kingdom as their investigations have reached advanced stages.
Victor-Ben popularly known as General Boyloaf spoke on Tuesday at a peace rally to mark the day agitators willingly dropped their arms at the Yenagoa Peace Park.

The ex-agitator said that the presidents decision to continue with the amnesty programme on assumption of office in 2015 was a demonstration of his good intentions for youths of the Niger Delta region.

Victor-Ben applauded the pioneering role of former Governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva and other Ijaw leaders which culminated in the eventual proclamation of amnesty for repentant militants in the Niger Delta region.

Victor-Ben recalled how the late President Shehu Musa Yaradua contacted him through ex-governor Sylva to discuss the amnesty deal.

According to him, the reason which led to militancy in the Niger Delta was for economic emancipation of the people of the region to have a fair share out of the resources from the region that produces over 90 per cent of the national wealth.

He said that it was regrettable that prior to the programme, the Niger Delta region had nothing to show for its oil endowments because of the insensitivity of previous administrations in the country.

He called on self seeking politicians to stop distracting the president from carrying out good plans for the Niger Delta.

The former MEND leader said he had faith in the present administration adding that he looked forward to more policies targeted at the region.
Fani-Kayode, who was also Chairman, Media and Publicity, of the 2015 PDP Campaign Organisation, in the suit, is charged alongside a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman.

Also joined as defenfants are a former National Chairman of the Association of Local Government in Nigeria (ALGON) Yusuf Danjuma, and a company, Jointrust Dimensions Ltd.

The accused are charged by The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 17- count of alleged N4.6billion money laundering charge.

In the charge, the accused peron were alleged to have committed the offences between January and March 2015.

In counts one to seven, they were alleged to have unlawfully retained over N3.8 billion which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act of stealing and corruption.

In counts eight to 14, the accused were alleged to have unlawfully used over N970 million which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of an unlawful act of corruption.

Meanwhile, in counts 15 to 17 Fani-Kayode and one Olubode Oke, who is said to be at large, were alleged to have made cash payments of about N30 million, in excess of the amount allowed by law, without going through a financial institution.

Besides, Fani-Kayode was alleged to have made payments to one Paste Poster Co (PPC) of No 125 Lewis St., Lagos, in excess of amounts allowed by law.

EFCC alleged the offences contravened the provisions of sections 15 (3) (4), 16 (2) (b), and 16 (5) of the Money laundering (prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

The accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The accused were first arraigned on June 28, 2016 before Justice Muslim Hassan of the same court, but the judge withdrew from the suit on March 16, (this year) following an application by Fani-Kayode, citing likely bias by the judge.

The case was thereafter, re-assigned to Justice Mohammed Aikawa and the accused were re-arraigned on the same charges.

At the last adjourned date on June 21, defence counsel, Mr Norrisson Quakers, SAN, had prayed the court to transfer the case to its Abuja division, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate on the matter.

Quakers argued that the facts of the case showed that all the transactions carried out by the accused as Director of Media and Publicity of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, took place in Abuja.

Besides, he had argued that the accused resides in Abuja and had another ongoing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

But EFCCs lawyer, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, opposed the application and urged the court to refuse it on the grounds that the transactions as well as cheques and receipts in furtherance of same, were done in Lagos.

Oyedepo thereafter urged the court to dismiss the application for transfer and described it as a mere waste of the courts time.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Justice Aikawa, in his ruling, held that some of the authorities cited by defence counsel, were delivered before the enactment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which he noted had provided exceptions to the issues of venue of court.

In the case before me, the prosecution avers in its counter affidavit that the sum of N30 million was paid to PW1 (Olusegun Idowu) of Paste Posters Company Ltd, who has his office in Lagos.

This, in my view shows that all facts leading to the transaction was done in Lagos, and only evidence will prove otherwise."

In the light of all these, it is clear that the facts and circumstances of this case falls into the exceptions of the law regarding criminal trials."

There is no justification to warrant a transfer of this case to Abuja; the interest of justice requires that the trial of this case continues in this court."

This application hereby fails and is accordingly dismissed, he ruled.

The court also ruled on an application for objection raised by defence counsel on the last adjourned date, challenging the tendering of photocopies of payment receipts by PW1, who began giving testminony on June 7.

Aikawa held that it was not the business of the court to concern itself with whether or not a document is original, so long as the document sought to be tendered, is duly certified.

The court accordingly, dismissed the objections, admitted the receipts in evidence and marked same as exhibits 3 and 3A respectively.

The court then called on prosecution to continue with the examination of his first witness.

Meanwhile, defence counsel, Quakers, sought for an adjournment to enable him study the exhibits and prepare his cross examination.
Its spokesman, Mr Suleiman Mustapha, who confirmed the arrest, alleged that Umar killed his friend, 22-year-old Mustapha Muhammad, in an uncompleted building along Kalgo road in Kebbi.

We have arrested the suspect; he is currently being investigated and will soon be charged to court, he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.

A family source told NAN that the victim had invited the suspect, who was his friend, to help in the rearing of cows given to him by a relation.

Mustapha wanted to concentrate on rearing goats given to him by the same man, and invited his friend, Umar, to tend the cows.

Umar, however, sold one of the cows without the consent of his friend, which resulted into a hot argument between them last Thursday.

After the quarrel, Mustapha threatened to report Umar to the owner of the cows because it was not the first time he (Umar) had sold out cows without the consent of the owner, the source said.

The source further told NAN that the suspect, who was angry over Mustaphas threat, trailed him to an uncompleted building along Kalgo road on Friday last week, and attacked him with an axe.

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`The suspect trailed Mustapha to the uncompleted where they usually relax, and cut off his head.

Mustapha was attacked while resting beside the tree, the source told NAN.

The source said that the suspect thereafter returned home that Friday, without his friend.

When we asked him of his friend, he told us that he left him in the bush.

We started searching through the bush until we found the decomposing body in the uncompleted building.
President of the NGO, Ms Roselyn Dressman, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Yenagoa while presenting the Niger Delta job-creation Master Plan to the state deputy governor Rear Adm. John Jonah (rtd).

Dressman, who led a 10-member team from ATU, said the group was out to find solutions against human trafficking in collaboration with Bayelsa government.

According to her, the partnership is aimed at creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the state as part of solutions to the Niger Delta crisis.

Also speaking, ATUs Youth Ambassador, Ms Tarilaya Weber, said the master plan entitled, Reduce Migration, Activate Returnees (Red-Mas) was developed to stop desperate youths from migrating from the Niger Delta to Europe.

She said the union worked for five years to package the plan aimed at reducing frustration among the youths and create comfort in their area.

Weber said the union was worried with the increasing numbers of desperate migrants heading to Europe.

She said that 70 per cent of the 600,000 Nigerians smuggled into Europe last year hail from Niger Delta region.

She said that if implemented, the master plan would create series of activities and projects, including Handcraft Centre where the youths would be taught vocational skills to enable them become employers of labour.

Weber said: Migration is not good for the Niger Delta region; it is draining your human resources as minority and marginalised group.

If you dont wake up from your marginalisation by yourselves, you will never come out if it.

I employ everybody to join in this vision to find jobs for our youths. We have to make them comfortable in their own soil.

In Germany or anywhere in the shores of Europe, there is nothing to take there. Things are not like the old times.

Finding your feet in Germany is very difficult, especially when the youths are not educated.

I can show you disheartening pictures of youths trying to cross the Sahara Desert. People die while crossing the desert and the sea.

Apart from that, they enslave themselves. Just imagine the old story of slavery coming back.

Many of our children are out there in Mali, Libya wishing to come back home but they cant come back because there is no means for them to come back.

Some of them are used for sex slavery; that is why we should together look into how we can stop our children from embarking on this dangerous journey.

In his remarks, Jonah said the government was excited at the partnership since its motive was to engage the youths in meaningful ventures.

He expressed concern with the dangers faced by youths while trying to cross into Europe through illegal routes through Mediterranean.

The deputy governor said that it was time to build confidence among the youths in the region.

Some of these migrants end in Libya; they couldnt cross, others venture into the Mediterranean and in most cases they dont get across.

The statistics is very frightening. They are so desperate at times that they dont know about the risk, they just want to go.

There are also agencies that exploit their vulnerability, expose them to these dangers.

I am happy with Red-Mas. This is one of the opportunities you are creating for people to return back, he said.

Jonah appealed to the youths to embrace the opportunity offered by the partnership, adding that people must embrace the attitude of hard work.

He said that part of the problems was the neglect of the vocational skill components of the 6-3-3-4 educational system by the government.

The 6-3-3-4 system clearly on paper specified what should be done to overcome deficiency in the educational system.

But for one reason or the other we havent been able to follow it through.

This could be a very good example for others to follow so that vocational training is given to our youths so that when they finish they will become employers of labour.
Eshiowu who currently serves in one of the Catholic churches in Pennsylvania, the United States of America, said that only Nigerians could genuinely develop their country.

The religious leader told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that if Nigerians should begin to invest in their country, that would encourage many foreign investors to follow suit.

Eshiowu said this after the presentation of his book, Integrity Campaign, Antidote to Corruption at the Artistes Village, Iganmu in Lagos State.

But if Nigerians in the Diaspora continue to run away from investing in Nigeria, it will be difficult for the government to woo foreign investors into investing their funds in Nigeria."

 If you run away from your home, you will still come back one day, he said.

He said that his books focus was to encourage Nigerians abroad to uphold integrity in whatever they were doing rather than pursuing corrupt tendencies.

It was also to encourage Nigerians to invest in their country rather than continually being emigrants abroad where they were developing through their sky scrapers.

The cleric said that Nigerians were emigrants in foreign land, and they would one day eventually abandon their structures abroad for the citizens of their host countries to inherit.

The priest also advised Nigerians in the Diaspora to make integrity their watchword while acquiring their wealth in foreign land.

He said that was the only way they could combat corruption and other vices back home.

Eshiowu also advised the media to always celebrate people who had exhibited patriotic values and integrity and had impacted positively on the society.

The media should stop projecting people suspected to have been involved in criminal activities and were corrupt.

According to him, the media has an important role to play in either making or destroying a nation by the news stories they published or transmitted to the outside world.

The media should concentrate more on celebrating those who make positive impacts on the society, and reduce how they publicise criminals and others involved in corrupt practices.

 Through that, the criminals will stop feeling important or seeing themselves as stars.

Once they are paraded, stories about them should be given less prominence, he said.

The cleric also appealed to rulers to promote integrity in their style of governance.
The Ebonyi state Governor also said that the South-East Governors have no apologies for proscribing IPOB.

Umahi said he understands the agitations of the Igbos, adding that things can be resolved through dialogue and prayers.

He also said The issue of proscribing Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, a lot of people were sending test messages to me. Some were commending us whereas others were condemning and abusing us and that is leadership for you.

Our people must know that the issue of insulting the leaders of the Igbos, it is not issue of the sitting President, is not about abusing other tribes.

The issue of agitation and marginalization should not degenerate into self help and as governors of the south east, We make all efforts to bring peace. We meet as the 5 governors of the south east and proscribed IPOB.

We did that to save the lives of 12 millions of igbos that are living in the northern Nigeria and other parts of this country. We did that and we have no apologies for saving the lives of not only the , but the lives of other ethnic groups within the south east zone.

We need another state and local government to be like others in the other geopolitical zones. We must use dialogue approach and prayers to get what we need. We cannot allow our place to be a place for kidnappers and armed robbers.

Our governors are committed to our youths, we have all agreed that our youths who have been misled by IPOB ideology to be re-absorbed and reintegrated and keep them busy doing something with their hands.

And to this effect, I ask the ministry of youths empowerment to open up a register for some of our youths who are mislead into this agitation and by my words, we are going to rehabilitate them and reintegrate them into meaningful venture in Ebonyi state.

Recently, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted Federal Government an interim injunction proscribing activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The President returned to Nigeria on Monday, September 25, 2017 after a brief stop-over in London for a medical check-up, reports say.

Buhari went to London after attending the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

Mohammed said although the government of Nigeria is paying for Buharis treatment, Nigerians should respect the Presidents privacy.

He said Its not strange at all for a sitting president to be ill and its not strange either for the state to take care of his medical bill.

I think theres so much speculation as to what hes been treated for.

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I think we would rather respect his privacy. If Mr President feels like telling the world his ailment, so be it. I dont think hes under an obligation to tell anyone.
According to a report by The Punch, the anti-graft agency is challenging Governor Tambuwal's power to pardon the politicians that include Alhaji Tukur Alkali, the Commissioner for Animal Health and Fisheries Development, Isa Achida, Commissioner for Home Affair; the Chairman, Governing Board, National Commission for Colleges of Education, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi; the member representing Isa constituency at the House of Assembly, Alhaji Habibu Modachi; and a Permanent Secretary, Isah Bello.

It was reported that all the pardoned officials cum politicians, who are now serving under the current Tambuwal administration, were arraigned in 2009 alongside a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, for an alleged N15bn fraud.

The politicians were said to have also served under Bafarawa between 2002 and 2007.

It was further reported that only those who are currently serving under Tambuwal were pardoned while others, including ex-Gov Bafarawa were left to their fate.

ALSO READ: EFCC arrests Attahiru Bafarawa, son in connection to alleged arms deal fraud

In the same vein, EFCC took to its Facebook account to announce that it had filed an appeal and would ensure that the five pardoned persons do not escape justice.

The EFCC said, The EFCC, on September 25, 2017 filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, challenging the judgment delivered by the Sokoto State High in respect of pardon granted by the Governor of Sokoto, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to five accused persons who were charged alongside former governor Attahiru Bafarawa.

It would be recalled that on June 29, 2017, the Sokoto State High Court presided over by Justice Bello Abbas delivered a judgment discharging five accused persons, Alhaji Tukur Alkali, Bello Isah, Alhaji Isah Sadiq, Alhaji Habibu Modachi and Alhaji Muhammadu Dingyadi.

The ruling was sequel to a motion filed by the respondents seeking to be discharged from further criminal proceedings based on a pardon granted to them by the Sokoto State Government.
Osinbajo stated this while receiving a delegation of Nigerian human nutritionists led by the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to Osinbajo, the Federal Government would be ready to collaborate with States where nutrition issues are most urgent in prioritising the implementation of the school feeding programme.

Already, 14 States are benefiting across the country, with almost 3 million pupils being fed daily.

He, however, urged the experts to come up with an action plan to effectively address the malnutrition challenges in the country.

Abubakar, who came with leaders of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, had detailed the concerns of Nigerian professional human nutritionists on malnutrition challenges, and how Nigeria was faring regarding the global nutrition targets.

The delegation urged the Federal Government to inaugurate a National Council on Nutrition to address the situation.

Meanwhile, a release from the Vice Presidential Spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, indicated that no fewer than 19,000 schools in 14 states were benefiting from the school feeding programme.

Akande stated that 2,918,842 school children from 19,881 schools in the 14 pilot states had so far benefited from the school feeding programme, which is part of President Muhammadu Buhari administrations N500 billion Social Investment Programmes.

He noted that a total of N6,643,432,789 billion had been disbursed by the Federal Government since the school feeding programme began late last year.

With 3,325 schools, Kaduna State has the highest number of schools so far covered under the programme, as well as the highest number of school children (835,508) being fed.

He said that with the commencement of a new academic session in September, it was expected that more schools would benefit from the programme, as more states would be added to the list.
In a statement made available to Pulse by Emma Okah who is the Commissioner for Information and Communications in Governor Nyesom Wike's cabinet, the government says the APC will "instigate the students of tertiary institutions in the State to embark on protest against non payment of bursary and in the process, a few will be shot by the police to give the State Government a bad name and label the State as unsafe".

The statement also added that "this plot is part of the orchestrated plan by the opposition and some police officers to continue to create crisis in the state, create fear in the minds of people, discourage inflow of investments and give the impression that the Governor is not competent".

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The statement warned students to stay away from any planned protest as the State Government will not be held responsible if any harm befalls any of them.

"While we recognize the right of any citizen to assemble and carry out peaceful protests within the law, the present planned protest by the students is politically motivated and laced with huge danger as nobody knows who may be killed in the process," the statement read.

It added that; "the protest is premature as there are several unexplored avenues for students' grievances to be addressed and resolved.
Walaa -- named by the authorities as Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah A. -- will appear before a court in the northern German city of Celle alongside four co-defendants accused of supporting IS.

The five created a "pan-regional Salafist-jihadist network" in which Walaa "took on the leading role as the representative of the so-called Islamic State in Germany," prosecutors said in their indictment.

"The goal of the network was to send people to IS in Syria or Iraq."

The closely-watched terror trial will take place under heavy security and is expected to run until early 2018.

"For a long time little has been known about the backroom men, those who seduce and incite to jihad," Der Spiegel news weekly wrote.

"The proceedings against Abu Walaa promise to give deep insights into these mechanisms, which makes this one of the most interesting Islamist trials in recent years."

If found guilty, the accused face up to 10 years in prison, according to DPA news agency.

'Number one'

A shadowy figure who long evaded capture, Walaa has been linked to some of Germany's most high profile jihadist attacks since arriving in the country in 2001.

After setting up his base in Hildesheim, a northern town seen as a hotbed of Islamic radicalism, he made a name for himself delivering extremist sermons at the notorious DIK mosque, which has since been shut down.

Walaa, who has two wives and several children, also gave seminars across the country calling for jihad. He notably spoke at a Berlin mosque frequented by Anis Amri, who drove a truck through a crowded Christmas market last December, killing 12 people.

German intelligence services took pictures of Amri in Hildesheim some 10 months earlier, prompting speculation he had ties to the network. Amri was shot dead by police in Italy days after his rampage.

Walaa's four accomplices -- a Turkish national, a German, a German-Serbian and a Cameroonian, aged between 27 and 51 -- are likewise accused of indoctrinating young men with jihadist ideology.

German media reported that among their "students" was at least one of the three teenage boys who last year set off a home-made bomb at an Indian wedding, badly wounding a Sikh priest.

Much of the prosecution's case rests on evidence collected by an unidentified informant who infiltrated the network for months.

But the key witness is not expected to testify at the trial after Walaa urged his followers to kill the mole.

Walaa and his co-accused have not been charged with planning any attacks in Germany.

But according to the indictment, they provided logistical and financial support to smuggle at least eight fighters into IS-held territory.

Among them were German twins Mark and Kevin K., who blew themselves up in separate suicide blasts targeting Iraqi security forces. Together, they killed more than 150 soldiers.

Another recruit was Anil O. who joined IS in Syria but fled after becoming disgusted with the terror group's tactics.

He returned to Germany, where he was arrested in September 2016.

According to Spiegel, he turned on Walaa and provided crucial information in return for a reduced sentence.

Walaa's lawyer Peter Krieger has dismissed the former fighter's testimony as "lies".

Germany's security services estimate there are around 10,300 radical Islamists in the country, compared to some 3,800 in 2011.
Nicknamed "the faceless preacher" for showing his back to the camera in propaganda videos, the 33-year-old Iraqi was arrested last November on suspicion of being the "central figure" in an IS recruitment ring.

Walaa -- named by the authorities as Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah Abdullah -- appeared before a court in the northern German city of Celle alongside four co-defendants accused of supporting IS.

The five created a "pan-regional Salafist-jihadist network" in which Walaa "took on the leading role as the representative of the so-called Islamic State in Germany," prosecutors said in their indictment.

"The goal of the network was to send people to IS in Syria or Iraq."

The closely-watched terror trial, expected to run until early 2018, opened under heavy security with armed police on patrol outside the courthouse.

"For a long time little has been known about the backroom men, those who seduce and incite to jihad," Der Spiegel news weekly wrote.

"The proceedings against Abu Walaa promise to give deep insights into these mechanisms, which makes this one of the most interesting Islamist trials in recent years."

If found guilty, the accused face up to 10 years in prison, according to DPA news agency.

Deadly attacks

A shadowy figure who long evaded capture, Walaa has been linked to some of Germany's most high profile jihadist attacks since arriving in the country in 2001.

After setting up his base in Hildesheim, a northern town seen as a hotbed of Islamic radicalism, he made a name for himself delivering extremist sermons at the notorious DIK mosque, which has since been shut down.

Walaa, who has two wives and several children, also gave seminars across the country calling for jihad. He notably spoke at a Berlin mosque frequented by Anis Amri, who drove a truck through a crowded Christmas market last December, killing 12 people.

German intelligence services took pictures of Amri in Hildesheim some 10 months earlier, prompting speculation he had ties to the network. Amri was shot dead by police in Italy days after his rampage.

Walaa's four accomplices -- a Turkish national, a German, a German-Serbian and a Cameroonian, aged between 27 and 51 -- are likewise accused of indoctrinating young men with jihadist ideology.

German media reported that among their "students" was at least one of the three teenage boys who last year set off a home-made bomb at an Indian wedding, badly wounding a Sikh priest.

Much of the prosecution's case rests on evidence collected by an unidentified informant who infiltrated the network for months.

But the witness is not expected to testify at the trial after Walaa urged his followers to kill the mole.

Walaa and his co-accused have not been charged with planning any attacks in Germany.

But according to the indictment, they provided logistical and financial support to smuggle at least eight fighters into IS-held territory.

Among them were German twins Mark and Kevin K., who blew themselves up in separate suicide blasts targeting Iraqi security forces. Together, they killed more than 150 soldiers.

Another recruit was Anil O. who joined IS in Syria but fled after becoming disgusted with the terror group's tactics.

He returned to Germany, where he was arrested in September 2016.

According to Spiegel, he turned on Walaa and provided crucial information in return for a reduced sentence.

Walaa's lawyer Peter Krieger has dismissed the former fighter's testimony as "lies".

Germany's security services estimate there are around 10,300 radical Islamists in the country, compared to some 3,800 in 2011.
Brussels insists that the scheme was a success which eased intolerable pressure on frontline Mediterranean states from the biggest migration crisis to hit Europe since World War II.

Europe's asylum rules -- which state that an asylum-seeker's application must be dealt with by the country where the person first arrives in the EU -- will now return to normal from one minute past midnight on Wednesday (2201 GMT Tuesday).

"From our point of view, the relocation programme has been a success," a spokeswoman for the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, said this week.

A total of 29,000 people have been relocated from Italy and Greece over the past two years under the quotas, which initially set out a compulsory number of Syrians, Iraqis and Eritreans that each EU state must take.

While no more new arrivals will be relocated, another 10,000 who have already made it to Greece and Italy before Tuesday's cut-off date are still eligible.

'Much smaller' than expected

The figure is however a far cry from the original plan to relocate 160,000 asylum-seekers in a first phase of compulsory quotas -- against a total of 1.5 million migrants and refugees who arrived in Europe by sea since the start of 2015.

EU officials say that is partly because arrivals dropped drastically after a 2016 deal with Turkey, while most of those arriving in Italy come from African countries or others that do not qualify for the relocation scheme.

"The number of people eligible for relocation has turned out to be much smaller" than initially believed in September 2015, EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said.

"That explanation holds," said Yves Pascouau, a migration expert at Nantes university in France.

But he added that many of those who would have been eligible carried on from Greece in the great sweep of migrants up through Europe to the north in late 2015, he said.

"They sort of relocated themselves, so from this perspective, you can't talk of success."

East-West split

The migration row has deepened a rift between the bloc's newer eastern states and the older western members.

The quota scheme was born in acrimony, with the EU pushing the quotas through in September 2015 despite four eastern European countries voting against them.

Since then Poland, Hungary and the Czechs have refused to take any asylum seekers at all under the programme, prompting the European Commission to take legal action against them earlier this year.

"We don't want to become a country of immigration," Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Obran said last week.

The migration issue has also fuelled the rise of populism in the bloc, as seen in Germany's recent election.

Germany pushed for the relocation scheme after taking in one million migrants from Syria, but Angela Merkel has paid the political price for that with the hard right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surging in Sunday's election.

The issue has split the EU at its core, too.

Jean-Claude Juncker's European Commission pushed the quotas hard, insisting that the benefits of EU membership also brings responsibilities.

But European Council President Donald Tusk, the former Polish premier whose institution represents the 28 member states, has warned that this issue more than any other has the potential to drive voters towards populism.

As a result the bloc is unlikely to take on any similarly ambitious scheme again, contenting itself to tinker with the "Dublin" rules on asylum for the forseeable future.
Experts said the problems began on Sunday, but text messaging, voice calls and video calls appeared to be working again on Tuesday, though voice messages and photos were not going through.

WhatsApp provides message encryption technology that likely does not please Chinese authorities, which closely monitor and restrict cyberspace through their "Great Firewall".

China has tightened online policing this year, enacting new rules that require tech companies to store user data inside the country as well as restrictions on what is permissible content.

Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and a slew of foreign media have been blocked for years.

The WhatsApp troubles emerged ahead of the Communist Party congress on October 18, when President Xi Jinping is expected to be given a second five-year term as the party's general secretary.

"It smells like Party congress pre-emptive blocking," said Jason Ng, who researches China's internet at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto.

China usually steps up surveillance around major events, Ng said.

'Extreme censorship'

While the WeChat messaging app owned by China's Tencent company is more widely used in the country, many WhatsApp users complained about the disruptions.

Many Chinese activists prefer to use Whatsapp because of its end-to-end encryption.

"As we get closer to the Party congress, I think authorities will use more extreme censorship measures. The public knows that WeChat isn't safe," prominent Beijing-based activist Hu Jia told AFP.

"Me and other dissidents use WhatsApp to communicate 70 percent of the time. For the few days WhatsApp was completely inaccessible, we didn't talk at all," Hu said.

Other users in China noted that the disruptions would make it difficult to work with clients abroad.

"Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Viber were blocked before. Now even WhatsApp is blocked? Without good messaging tools, it will reduce the efficiency of the foreign trade industry," wrote one person on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media website.

"I can live without the others (applications), but blocking WhatsApp is driving me crazy," said another.

WhatsApp declined to comment.

The Open Observatory of Network Interference, a global censorship detection group, said China started blocking WhatsApp on Sunday.

Growing firewall

To operate in China, some foreign tech companies have complied with local regulations. But others such as Google have chosen to pull out completely from mainland China.

In July, Apple removed software allowing internet users to skirt China's "Great Firewall" from its app store in the country, drawing criticism that it was bowing to Beijing's ever-growing web censorship.

Such software, called virtual private networks (VPN), allow people in China to access any website, even those that are blocked.
At least 21 Americans and five Canadian families have been hurt since last year in what Tillerson has described as "health attacks" and which US officials think may have come from an "acoustic device."

But last week, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla told the UN General Assembly that his country had found no evidence to link the symptoms to any outside assault.

On Wednesday, the top diplomats were to meet behind closed doors at the State Department to try to resolve the worst crisis in US-Cuba relations since ties were restored in 2015.

"The most recent medically-confirmed incident occurred in August," a US official told AFP ahead of the meeting.

"We cannot rule out additional new cases as medical professionals continue to evaluate members of the embassy community. We do not have definitive answers on the source or cause of the incidents."

Tillerson said last week that the United States is considering whether to close its embassy in Cuba following the alleged attacks, which US authorities say began last year and continued to at least last month.

According to a union representing US overseas staff, the victims have suffered a variety of symptoms and injuries, including in some cases brain trauma and hearing loss.

Washington has not accused Cuba of being behind the attacks, but has repeatedly warned that Havana is responsible for the safety of foreign envoys on its soil, and in May two Cuban diplomats were expelled from the US.

"Cuba has never perpetrated nor will it ever perpetrate actions of this sort. Cuba has never allowed nor will it ever allow its territory to be used by third parties with that purpose," Parrilla said.
Some 1,000 public security officials and political leaders will discuss terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime at the four-day gathering.

Interpol eases the exchange of information between police forces from 190 countries and is therefore a crucial tool for China, whose President Xi Jinping has led an intensive crackdown on corruption that has extended beyond his country's borders.

Xi called for "global security governance" as he addressed the assembly.

"Countries should adopt a concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and jointly respond to security challenges," he said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Since 2014 Beijing has pursued its citizens abroad in what it calls "Operation Fox Hunt", seeking to repatriate allegedly corrupt officials who have fled.

Authorities say at least 2,500 nationals suspected of economic crimes have already been brought back.

Most Western countries including the United States do not have extradition treaties with China, where courts are overseen by the Communist Party and the use of force by police to extract confessions is believed to be common.

But at the request of member states, Interpol, which is based in the French city of Lyon, issues "red notices" -- non-binding notifications of arrest warrants.

Human rights groups have raised concerns since Chinese public security vice minister Meng Hongwei was chosen as Interpol president last year.

"Interpol needs to explain how it will avoid becoming an arm of the Chinese government abroad, using red notices against dissidents and forcing people back to torture in China," said Human Rights Watch's China director Sophie Richardson, adding that the organisation's "credibility is on the line".

The dissident Wei Jingcheng, exiled in the US since 1997, said he feared that Beijing would use the international police institution to "repatriate political opponents".

The Chinese foreign ministry rejected such concerns as "unfounded".
US President Donald Trump decided to remove Sudan from the list just days ahead of an October 12 decision when he is to decide whether to permanently lift decades-old US sanctions on Khartoum.

It was a result of a "clear and long dialogue" and growing cooperation between the two countries in regional and international issues, the ministry said.

"The government of Sudan will carry out more efforts to remove all obstacles to a full normalisation of relations with the American administration," it said.

Sudan was one of six Muslim-majority countries on the original list, and Trump on Sunday ordered it to be dropped as he issued a new list under which eight nations now have complete or partial blocks on travel to the United States.

Full travel bans were placed on nationals from North Korea and Chad, while restrictions for Venezuela were limited to officials from a long list of government agencies and their families.

Other countries included in the ban were Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

Sudan said it will monitor travellers heading to the United States from its airports.

"Sudanese authorities are professional and qualified enough to monitor who is travelling through Sudanese airports," the ministry said.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue University received the top ranking among 20 institutions for its multidisciplinary work in the area of cybersecurity.

Facets of the universitys work, in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute Department of Computer and Information Technology and the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS), were cited in the ranking.

Eugene H. Spafford, a computer science professor and founder and director emeritus of CERIAS, complimented the rankings for fleshing out each of Purdues various departments that study cybersecurity.

Were not an individual program in a computer science department, he said. Too often, rankings just look at a department and were much more than that.

Weve been defining the field for 20 years now. It is very gratifying that its visible, Spafford added.

CyberDegrees.org, a Washington, D.C.-based publisher of informational websites on higher education, issued the rankings. The list assessed the qualities of schools from a variety of angles, including subject expertise, scholarship opportunities and designation as a national security agency national center of academic excellence in cyber defense.

In the ranking, Purdues cybersecurity was termed a land of opportunity for graduate students, offering a number of solid programs as well a variety of research and initiatives.

The rankings are available at http://www.cyberdegrees.org/listings/top-schools/#Best_Cyber_Security.

Marcus Rogers, head of the Polytechnic Institutes Department of Computer and Information Technology, said the ranking solidifies the assurance of quality graduates that both the department and program stand behind.

With the rankings, we also see an uptick in companies that are wanting more access to our students, Rogers added. We also see an increase in universities and colleges that are new to this and ask for advice on how we got started. We dont see them as competitors, we see that as complimentary. Were more than happy to do it.

Dongyan Xu, interim director of CERIAS, said Purdue partners with industry leaders to create hands-on training opportunities for students to bolster their education.

By going through our cybersecurity education programs, students not only learn about theory or ideas from text books, but they actually get exposed to challenges coming from the real world, he said.

Through this opportunity, students can be identified by companies as a potential target for hire or recruiting even before they graduate.

Its a win-win situation, Xu said.

Writer: Brian L. Huchel, 765-494-2084, bhuchel@purdue.edu

Sources: Eugene Spafford, 765-494-7825, spaf@purdue.edu

Dongyan Xu, 765-494-6182, dxu@cs.purdue.edu

Marcus Rogers, 765-496-1072, rogersmk@purdue.edu
ROCK ISLAND -- County administrator Dave Ross has submitted his resignation, effective immediately.

In a letter dated Tuesday and addressed to county board chairman Ken "Moose" Maranda and vice chairman Richard Brunk, Mr. Ross wrote, "The county has been on notice since Aug. 25 that I will probably be leaving soon. I am comfortable with a de-facto six-week notice because of my commitment to having ensured multiple major projects were completed before I left."

Mr. Ross, 46, has accepted a job as city manager of Stuart, Fla. He was chosen from a field of 88 candidates, making it into the final five in August. He will begin his new job Monday, Oct. 2.

In his letter, Mr. Ross recommended that Kurt Davis, the county's information-technology director, be named interim administrator, and that he be paid a 20 percent stipend on top of his current salary.

"Taking care of the county was, and still is, a priority," Mr. Ross said. "It is my hope that this county board continues with the excellent work they've done these past few years."

Mr. Ross said his accomplishments here have included saving the county hundreds of thousands of dollars in renegotiated vendor contracts and collective-bargaining agreements, and negotiating a deal with Exelon that will bring in $7 million in additional tax revenue to the county.

"Everything related to next year's budget is done, including the risk-management plan, the five-year capital-improvement plan, and the Exelon negotiations," Mr Ross said.

Mr. Ross left his personal cellphone number with board members in case anyone has questions after his departure.

Mr. Ross' employment contract was scheduled to be approved during the Sept. 11 meeting of the Stuart City Council, but that meeting was delayed by Hurricane Irma. The contract was unanimously approved by Stuart city commissioners Monday night.

Mr. Maranda said Mr. Ross kept him informed about his intent to seek employment elsewhere.

"I was not surprised. None of us were caught off guard by the resignation," Mr. Maranda said. "He told everybody at the last committee of the whole (meeting) that his time was short here. I just assumed it would be when the (Stuart) contract was signed."

Mr. Maranda said board members will begin recruiting candidates to fill the administrator position by posting ads on the websites of the Illinois Municipal League and the International City and County Management Association.

"I'm tickled to death for him," Mr. Maranda said. "He's done a great job for us, and we've learned some stuff. We'll proceed with the next recruitment."

The county's first professional administrator, Mr. Ross was hired in May 2015. He was paid a base salary of $135,000 with full-time benefits and four weeks of paid vacation.

According to his employment contract with the city of Stuart, Mr. Ross will be paid an annual salary of $177,000 with five weeks of paid time off. He also will receive $10,000 in moving expenses reimbursement, which he will have to pay back if he leaves his job with Stuart before Oct. 31, 2018.

Other benefits include $14,000 deposited annually into a retirement savings account selected by Mr. Ross, which is in addition to other pension plans provided by the city; $5,400 annually for vehicle maintenance; mileage reimbursement for job duties that are more than 50 miles outside Stuart; and an annual cellphone stipend of $1,380.

Stuart Mayor Troy McDonald said one of Mr. Ross' first responsibilities will be to deal with claims relating to damage caused by Hurricane Irma.

"We came through virtually unscathed," Mayor McDonald said. "Some docks had damage, and there is overtime with police officers. I say it's minor, but docks are expensive."

Mayor McDonald said he received a text message from Mr. Ross Monday night.

"I understand he's got a moving van full of stuff moving south," he said.

After hurricane-related claims are settled with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Ross will tackle other issues such as economic development, organizational structure of the city, and working with the fire service, Mayor McDonald said.

"One big issue facing our city is our Florida Legislature is very intent on taking away our ability to have home rule. (Mr. Ross) will be working with the Florida League of Cities on issues that come up during the winter (session).

"We are very blessed to have a wonderful city that is thriving," Mayor McDonald said. "In our process down here, the city manager gets very involved in development issues. (Mr. Ross) is a very impressive individual. We had a lot of very strong candidates. After hearing him speak on different issues, I learned he is very well versed and very capable."
Celebrating Our Service Members

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Transit Equity Starts With QueensLink

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Lancashire County Council has already committed 4.32m to develop the business case for a new station at Headbolt Lane in Knowsley and a branch running north to Skelmersdale town centre.

The project would involve reconnecting the lines to Liverpool and Wigan at Kirkby, where Merseyrail and Northern services currently terminate. Skelmersdale would then become the new interchange for services from Liverpool and Wigan.

Merseytravel says the delivery of new Stadler trains for the Merseyrail network from 2020, and trials to run them beyond the 750V dc third rail network, could help inform the specification for the Skelmersdale scheme, potentially meaning electrification may not be required. Merseytravel says that while these trains will all be supplied as EMUs it will be possible to configure the sets as IPEMUs for operation on non-electrified lines.

Merseytravel says that the project, which has an estimated pricetag of around 300m, could be completed within 10 years if it develops a strong business case and secures the necessary funding.

The project is part of Liverpool City Regions 30-year vision for the rail network in Merseyside, which was published in August 2014.
The president of Kazakhstan, Mr Nursultan Nazarbayev, and the president of Uzbekistan, Mr Shavkat Mirziyoyev, signed the strategic cooperative agreement between the two railways during the Kazakh-Uzbek Business Forum held in Tashkent on September 16.

The document aims to achieve further long-term cooperation in order to increase the competitiveness of international transport routes passing through the two countries.

The total value of the contracts is estimated at more than $US 320m.
Former Surface Transportation Board (STB) chairman and now STB member Dan Elliott announced Sept. 25 he is resigning Sept. 30 to join, in early October, the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm, Connors & Winters, whose specialization is employee compensation, health and benefit plans, and employment law.

A former rail union attorney, Elliott was nominated as a Democrat to the STB in 2009 by President Obama, with strong support from a second-cousin, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who was the swing vote on the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

Upon his Senate confirmation in August 2009, Elliott was named by Obama as the STBs permanent chairman. As often occurs with those who attempt to stake out middle ground, Elliott quickly found himself the subject of criticism by railroads and shippers and was left dangling by the White House for almost a year before renomination to a second term.

When the Senate failed to act on that renomination, it was returned to the White House in December 2014. Speculation was that then-Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), a captive shipper advocate, was sending a message to Elliott that he was a disappointment.

Absent Senate confirmation, Elliott was forced to depart the STB Dec. 31, 2014, during which time fellow Democrat Deb Miller served as acting chairman. When again renominated, by Obama in January 2015, and subsequently Senate-confirmed to a second term that extends through Dec. 31, 2018, Obama again designated Elliott the STB chairman. Upon President Trumps election in January 2017, Trump designated Republican Ann Begeman as acting chairman, owing to her desire not to be a permanent chairman.

Begeman, currently the STBs lone Republican, remains acting chairman, and Miller will become the lone Democrat. While the 2015 Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act created two new seats to make the STB a five-person agency, there have been no White House nominations under Obama or Trump to fill the vacancies.

As a majority of the STBs seats can be controlled by the political party in power, Republican nominees will have the opportunity to fill the existing two vacancies. Elliotts departure at months end will create an opening for a second Democrat to join Miller, whose own term expires Dec. 31. By statute, she may remain (held over) for up to 12 months beyond her term expirationor must step aside if Trump nominates, and the Senate confirms, another Democrat in her place. Legally, the agency could function with three Republicans and no Democrats, but Senate Democrats are procedurally unlikely to allow that to occur.

There is no quorum requirement for voting at the STB, meaning Begeman and Miller may continue to decide cases, with a voting tie considered a negative result. In fact, former STB Chairman Roger Nober served as his own majority for many months in 2004 when STB membership dwindled to one.

There has been a hint of the late and former Republican Chairman Reese Taylor in Elliott. Taylor, who served as President Reagans choice as chairman of the STB predecessor Interstate Commerce Commission during implementation of the 1980 Staggers Rail Act (1981-1985), found himself in disfavor with railroads for allegedly slowing the pace of the laws intended regulatory reform. Taylor likened his approach to that of a deep-sea diver, rising to the surface slowly to avoid potentially fatal decompression sickness (the bends).

While Taylor led the implementation of the Staggers Rail Acts provisions that intended, through partial deregulation, to restore railroads to financial self-sufficiency, the law also intended a brake on rate freedoms once railroads achieved revenue adequacy (return on investment at least equal to the cost of capital).

Elliott, in the manner of Taylors deep-sea diver, said he wanted to avoid drastic action on determining if and when those brakes should be applied, preferring an incremental approach. In fact, he has not been alone. All three current members agreed informally in 2016 to delay voting on sensitive issues pending nomination and confirmation of two new Board members.

Those cases include evaluating what constitutes revenue adequacy and its influence in attracting capital for new investment in plant and equipment; whether to limit rail rate increases when railroads meet the STB revenue adequacy test; setting standards under which railroads may impose fuel surcharges; and whether and how to allow so-called competitive switching at certain sole-served facilities that would allow shippers a second railroad choice.

During Elliotts years as chairman, Begeman wrote a record number of dissents, and Miller frequently withheld a second vote pending revisions to Elliotts initial draft decisions (STB chairmen typically write the draft decisions). Begeman and Miller publicly expressed displeasure with Elliotts failure to invite their input or review of two Elliott-ordered consultancy studies.

During a Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing into the STB, Begeman said, I have had many frustrations. I certainly was aware of the Boards reputation for its sometimes glacial pace  but to experience it first-hand, in a position from which I expected to positively influence that pace through collaboration with my fellow members, I was in for a big surprise. I strongly disagree with the chairmans stated view that he alone is the person responsible for moving the docket forward. I want to embrace the functioning of the agency, not embrace the status quo.

Miller said at that Senate oversight hearing, Unilateral actions [by Chairman Elliott] are contrary to the reason Congress established a multi-member Board.

Elliott, considered an attentive listener, exceptionally bright and typically a quick study, had minimal public policy and commerce law experience prior to his arrival at the STB, having been involved primarily in labor relations issues as an attorney at the United Transportation Union (now the Transportation Division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Union).

By contrast, few rail regulators in modern history are as well-equipped as is Begeman. For two decades, she advised Senate Republicans on transportation policy. Miller, meanwhile, is a former Kansas transportation secretary under governors of both political parties, is well respected among state rail planners, and has experience in transportation consulting.

All seems forgiven now that Elliott is departing.

During the six years I have worked with Dan, I have always appreciated his genuine dedication and commitment to the Boards work and to the transportation communityboth shippers and railroads alike, Begeman said in a STB prepared press release.

In that same press release, Miller said, When I first came to the Board, the agency was in the midst of several difficult issues, and as the chairman at the time, Dan helped me quickly transition into my new role. Since then, the Board has undertaken a number of important regulatory initiatives in which he was instrumental. Dan will be missed.

Said Elliott in a prepared statement:

It has been an honor to serve the United States at the Surface Transportation Board. My tenure as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the agency has brought both rewards and challenges, but most of all an appreciation for the sophisticated rail transportation industry and its shippers that serve as the backbone of our nations economy.

A lot has occurred since I first joined the Board  But one thing has remained constant, and that is the distinguished group of professionals and good people at the agency that I have had the privilege of working with for the past eight years, Elliott said.
Track projects this summer in northern Idaho are expanding capacity on a busy segment of BNSFs Northern Corridor, and upgrading conditions on Union Pacifics route to the Canadian border.

UP announced in June that it was boosting safety and efficiency with an approximately $34.1 million infrastructure investment in Idaho this year. In northern Idaho, that investment has involved $13.3 million to replace 29 miles of rail (particularly in curves) from Athol northward to Eastport (where UP interchanges with Canadian Pacific), $9.9 million to clean and replace ballast between Athol and Naples, and $1.8 million to replace 8,265 ties between Athol and Eastport.

Over the past three years, UP has also added Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) to the south end of its Spokane-Eastport line. Dispatcher-controlled switches entered service on a siding at Trentwood, Wash., in 2014, and continuous CTC went live from CP Lee Street in Spokane, Wash., to CP035 in Garwood, Idaho, in 2016. The remaining 104 miles from Garwood up the Idaho panhandle to Eastport is currently dark (un-signaled) track warrant territory, with the exception of signals protecting movement over a BNSF at-grade crossing in Sandpoint and a slide fence zone north of Bonners Ferry. UP plans to extend CTC northward from Garwood and install two new sidings (one at Garwood, one near Meadow Creek) in the near future.

BNSF has spent much of 2017 widening capacity between Spokane and Sandpoint, an area that some refer to as The Funnel because it channels multiple main lines from the west and east onto a single corridor. Previous expansion was performed here in the late 1990s when BNSF created nearly 40 miles of dual main line on what had previously been a mostly single-track railroad with sidings, followed by the opening of BNSFs run-through refueling facility at Hauser Yard in 2004.

Director-Public Affairs Gus Melonas says, BNSF is making significant investments in 2017 to reconfigure and add main line trackage with improved train efficiency across the panhandle as the goal. Those investments include adding three miles of second main track between Athol and East Ramsey and nearly six miles of second main track between West Ramsey and Rathdrum, with the siding at Ramsey being upgraded to main line condition. In the photo, BNSF rolls international containers westward between Athol and Ramsey, past the newly-laid second main.

Meanwhile, for the east end of Hauser Yard, Melonas reports that BNSF employees are converting an existing yard track into a third main line into the Hauser fueling area, which is expected to be complete by the end of September. New switches have been installed, and a lead track for the refueling facility has been extended eastward. Trains arriving or departing either the fuel pad or the yard had to previously share a common turnout off the main line, but there will now be more capacity for independent, simultaneous train movements in and out of East Hauser.

Completion of these projects will leave BNSFs 68-mile Spokane-Sandpoint Funnel with three short segments of single track totaling less than ten miles. Melonas says, Future plans (date not determined officially) could include adding double track from West Algoma to Cocolalla, Idaho. A second bridge at Sandpoint will also be constructed across Lake Pend Oreille, which will allow for additional operations flexibility with the convergence of the BNSF Hi Line and Montana Rail Link lines.
Its official: Siemens AG and Alstom SA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding granting exclusivity to combine mobility businesses in a merger of equals. The combination is largely viewed as a move to remain competitive in a global market in which Chinese rolling stock manufacturers have gained considerable market share. Based on how the merged company, Siemens Alstom, will be structured and named, Siemens is the lead company, with 6 of 11 board members.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the two companies were in merger talks on Sept. 23. This followed numerous reports in the French press on Sept. 21 and 22, most (correctly) suggesting a deal would be announced on Sept. 26, according to International Railway Journal Senior Editor Keith Barrow. Alstom finally came clean in a statement issued on Friday evening, Sept. 22 (Paris time) that it was in talks with Siemens, which IRJ reported.

At the time, Siemens had been in talks with Canadas Bombardier, Inc. about merging their railway businesses. Siemens did not comment on whether its discussions with Alstom meant talks with Bombardier had stalled. But according to reports, there will be no further discussions with Bombardier. That development, plus preliminary import duties the U.S. Commerce Department levied on Bombardiers C Series jetliner, caused the companys stock to drop the most in almost two years.

Bombardier Transportation announced on Sept. 25 that the companys Management and General Works Council signed a general company agreement formalizing the transformation strategy for its German sites that will result in 2,200 job losses.

Following is the official announcement from Siemens and Alstom, released Sept. 26 at 3:55 EDT:

Today, Siemens and Alstom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine Siemens mobility business including its rail traction drives business, with Alstom. The transaction brings together two innovative players of the railway market with unique customer value and operational potential. The two businesses are largely complementary in terms of activities and geographies. Siemens will receive newly issued shares in the combined company representing 50% of Alstoms share capital on a fully diluted basis and warrants allowing it to acquire Alstom shares representing two percentage points of its share capital.

This Franco-German merger of equals sends a strong signal in many ways. We put the European idea to work and together with our friends at Alstom, we are creating a new European champion in the rail industry for the long term. This will give our customers around the world a more innovative and more competitive portfolio, said Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG. The global marketplace has changed significantly over the past few years. A dominant player in Asia has changed global market dynamics, and digitalization will impact the future of mobility. Together, we can offer more choices and will be driving this transformation for our customers, employees and shareholders in a responsible and sustainable way, Kaeser added.

Today is a key moment in Alstoms history, confirming its position as the platform for the rail sector consolidation. Mobility is at the heart of todays world challenges. Future modes of transportation are bound to be clean and competitive. Thanks to its global reach across all continents, its scale, its technological know-how and its unique positioning on digital transportation, the combination of Alstom and Siemens Mobility will bring to its customers and ultimately to all citizens smarter and more efficient systems to meet mobility challenges of cities and countries. By combining Siemens Mobilitys experienced teams, complementary geographies and innovative expertise with ours, the new entity will create value for customers, employees and shareholders, said Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alstom SA. I am particularly proud to lead the creation of such a group that will undoubtedly shape the future of mobility.

The new entity will benefit from an order backlog of 61.2 billion, revenue of 15.3 billion, an adjusted EBIT of 1.2 billion and an adjusted EBIT-margin of 8.0%, based on information extracted from the last annual financial statements of Alstom and Siemens. In a combined setup, Siemens and Alstom expect to generate annual synergies of 470 million latest in year four post-closing and targets net-cash at closing between 0.5  1.0 billion. Global headquarters as well as the management team for rolling stock will be located in Paris area and the combined entity will remain listed in France. Headquarters for the Mobility Solutions business will be located in Berlin, Germany. In total, the new entity will have 62,300 employees in over 60 countries.

As part of the combination, Alstom existing shareholders at the close of the day preceding the closing date, will receive two special dividends: a control premium of 4.00 per share (in total = 0.9 billion) to be paid shortly after closing of the transaction and an extraordinary dividend of up to 4.00 per share (in total = 0.9 billion) to be paid out of the proceeds of Alstoms put options for the General Electric joint ventures of approximately 2.5 billion subject to the cash position of Alstom.

The businesses of the two companies are largely complementary. The combined entity will offer a significantly increased range of diversified product and solution offerings to meet multi-facetted, customer-specific needs, from cost-efficient mass-market platforms to high-end technologies. The global footprint enables the merged company to access growth markets in Middle East and Africa, India, and Middle and South America where Alstom is present, and China, the United States and Russia, where Siemens is present. Customers will significantly benefit from a well-balanced larger geographic footprint, a comprehensive portfolio offering and significant investment into digital services. The combination of know-how and innovation power of both companies will drive crucial innovations, cost efficiency and faster response, which will allow the combined entity to better address customer needs.

The Board of Directors of the combined group will consist of 11 members and will be comprised of 6 directors designated by Siemens, one of whom being the Chairman; 4 independent directors; and the CEO. In order to ensure management continuity, Henri Poupart-Lafarge will continue to lead the company as CEO and will be a board member. Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Mobility, shall assume an important responsibility in the merged entity. The corporate name of the combined group will be Siemens Alstom.

The envisaged transaction is unanimously supported by Alstoms board (further to a review process of the preparation of the transaction by the Audit Committee acting as an ad hoc committee) and Siemenss supervisory board. Bouygues fully supports the transaction and will vote in favor of the transaction at Alstoms board of directors meeting and at the extraordinary general meeting deciding on the transaction to be held before July 31, 2018, in line with Alstom board of director decision. The French State also supports the transaction based on undertakings by Siemens, including a standstill at 50.5% of Alstoms share capital for four years after closing and certain governance and organizational and employment protections. The French State confirms that the loan of Alstom shares from Bouygues SA will be terminated in accordance with its terms no later than 17 October 2017 and that it will not exercise the options granted by Bouygues. Bouygues has committed to keep its shares until the earlier of the extraordinary general meeting deciding on the transaction and July 31, 2018.

In France, Alstom and Siemens will initiate Works Councils information and consultation procedure according to French law prior to the signing of the transaction documents. If Alstom were not to pursue the transaction, it would have to pay a 140 million break fee. The transaction will take the form of a contribution in kind of the Siemens Mobility business including its rail traction drives business to Alstom for newly issued shares of Alstom and will be subject to Alstoms shareholders approval, including for purposes of cancelling the double voting rights, anticipated to be held in the second quarter of 2018. The transaction is also subject to clearance from relevant regulatory authorities, including foreign investment clearance in France and anti-trust authorities as well as the confirmation by the French capital market authority (AMF) that no mandatory takeover offer has to be launched by Siemens following completion of the contribution. Closing is expected at the end of calendar year 2018. The transaction was prepared under the review of an ad-hoc committee.
Canadian Pacific is hoping its annual back-to-school safety message finds students, parents and caregivers before a train does.

The crossing safety program is administered by the Canadian Pacific Police Service (CPPS) and serves as a reminder that the safe route to school does not include trespassing on railway property.

CPPS from Sept. 24-30 is conducting its annual Back to School Rail Safety Campaign across Canada. Officers will be paying extra attention to public railway crossings and railway rights-of-way in and around school zones.

Education is critical to preventing tragedies on the tracks, said Canadian Pacific Police Service Chief and Operation Lifesaver board member, Ken Marchant. The CP RailSense program, through education and targeted communications and outreach, asks [people] to be situationally aware around the railway. Any shortcut to school that involves railway rights-of-way is unsafe. We aim to create safe navigation habits with children at a young age, and reinforce this message as students grow into adulthood and tend to take more risks.

No matter what age, parents want their children to come home safely every day, and we want the same thing. Thats why its so important that parents, teachers, caregivers and peers discuss this important issue, Marchant said.

The railroad quoted Transportation Safety Board statistics that showed across Canada in 2016, the number of trespasser incidents increased 38% to 69 in 2016 from 50 in 2015, resulting in 46 deaths. There also were 133 vehicle/train incidents in Canada in 2016, with 19 fatalities.

More information is at www.cpr.ca/railsense.
A slice of data released in a survey earlier this month shows surprising support for an underappreciated approach to education reform: providing students with more wraparound school services like therapy and medical care.

More than 85 percent of all Americans believe schools should provide mental health service, according to the latest PDK poll, a survey of the publics attitudes about the nations schools.

Whats more, 79 percent think schools should provide general health services to students who need them, according to the survey. Support for wraparound services was even high across party lines, with 68 percent of Republicansand 65 percent of strong conservatives agreeing that schools should provide them.

Wraparound services are a critical but often overlooked component of school reform. The past decade of education reform rightly focused on setting standards for what students should know and designing systems to hold teachers, schools and districts accountable for students meeting expectations.

But this traditional policy framework often neglected some of the out-of-school factors that impact student learning. Poverty presents serious challenges for learning and education. Children who grow up in poverty are more likely to have been exposed to lead, for example, which can negatively affect their development. Poor communities also have higher incidents of childhood asthma. And low-income children are more likely to have undiagnosed and untreated eyesight problems and are more likely to eat food that is not nutritious.

These types of out-of-school factors put low-income students at huge disadvantages before they even start school, and studies show that such achievements gaps only grow over time.

Wraparound services, like counseling or food support, help address issues of poverty, and when these services are in place, student achievement often soars.

A comprehensive study of 7,900 students who attended schools that connected families to support services makes this clear. These students started with low grades but had much higher outcomes at the end of fifth grade than students who attended other schools. The achievement gap between English Language Learners and native speakers was also eliminated by third grade. Students who received services attended school more and dropped out of high school at half the rate of students who did not.

But simply providing students with serviceslike eye screening or health careis just the floor. Some innovative schools have taken steps to fuse academics with wraparound supports. Known as community schools, these institutions aim to serve as neighborhood hubs that educate students and provide families with whatever additional services they may need.

Geoffrey Canada is well-known for founding the Harlem Childrens Zone. The organization consists of multiple charter schools and a pipeline of programs that provide students and families with support from a childs cradle to college continuum. Today, the Zone serves 12,000 students and families across ninety-seven city blocks.

The success of the Harlem Children Zone inspired President Obamas campaign proposal for the Promise Zone initiative, which sought to replicate Mr. Canadas success in cities across the country. Several planning and implementation grants have been awarded, but the initiative has not enjoyed the necessary funding or political support from Congress.

To be sure, wraparound services are not a substitute for a classroom of well-trained teachers and challenging curriculum in a fairly-funded school. These other components of school reform remain important. Community schools can also be pricey; the Promise Zone grants awarded in 2016 ranged from $2 to $6 million.

But research shows how impactful wraparound services can be, and now we have evidence that the public deeply supports these schools too. Lawmakers should take note by increasing investments in the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers in Title IV of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Put more exactly, the majority of Americans believe that the next phase of education reform must help improve student supports and other forms of wraparound services.

Abel McDaniels is a research assistant for K-12 Education at the Center for American Progress.
Twenty-one years ago, a Wall Street Journal reporter and a popular academic pundit issued a stark warning: The proliferation of opposition research in U.S. political campaigns was debasing American elections.

The alarm came in the form of a 339-page book, Dirty Little Secrets: The Persistence of Corruption in American Politics. The journalist was Glenn R. Simpson, a respected investigative reporter; the professor was University of Virginia political scientist Larry J. Sabato. Their book detailed the dirty tricks that, in the two decades since, have put Americas two major political parties at each others throats and led to widespread disillusionment among voters.

The book on C-SPAN back then.

Railing against sleaze in campaigns, political consultancies, and Washington journalism, the authors deplored opposition research as a gateway to acts that are not just offensive but duplicitous and sometimes illegal. The proliferation of mud-slinging, they wrote, had turned campaigns once fought over real issues into a debate over irrelevancies -- and led to blackmail and other crimes.

These dark arts may not be noble, but they are lucrative. By the next decade, Glenn Simpson would leave journalism to become one of Washingtons most notorious collectors and peddlers of the type of sleaze he once decried. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Simpson commissioned and shopped around the lurid Trump-Russia dossier now central to investigations of President Trumps ties to Russia.

The dossier pulled Simpson into the Washington spotlight last month, when he testified in a 10-hour closed-door session with the Senate Judiciary Committee about the activities of his firm, Fusion GPS. Questions about who hired Simpsons firm, how a range of scurrilous charges found their way into the dossier and the FBIs involvement have swirled through Washington investigations of Russias role in the 2016 election.

Trump loyalists and Republicans suggest the establishment media have given Fusion GPS a pass for its role in the Trump-Russia affair. And the forgotten Dirty Little Secrets scarcely figures, if at all, in that coverage, although it has been hiding in plain sight on Amazon, selling recently for as little as $1.89.

Larry J. Sabato

Insight into how the co-author of a good-government tome could become the snoop who shopped the Trump dossier around Washington is not easy to come by. Journalist associates of Simpson contacted by RealClearInvestigations claimed not to have spoken with him in years. Christopher Steele, the ex-British spy who produced the dossier for GPS, downplayed it as raw and unsolicited intelligence in a United Kingdom court proceeding. A think tank affiliated with Simpson has quietly removed evidence of his fellowship. A former Wall Street Journal colleague who co-founded a consultancy with Simpson wont discuss him at all. Sabato, not known for his reticence, is reluctant to discuss his writing partner.

He has had no contact with Glenn Simpson since their book was released and promoted in 1996, Geoffrey Skelley, associate editor of Sabatos Crystal Ball, wrote in response to requests for comment from Sabato. He didn't even know where Simpson was located or what he was working on until this controversy arose. He has nothing to add that is vaguely relevant.

Alan Murray, the former Washington bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal who, in his foreword for "Dirty Little Secrets," called Simpson "one of the most respected investigative journalists in Washington," declined to comment through a spokeswoman for Time Inc., where he is currently chief content officer.

Dirty Little Secrets is a substantial piece of work, boasting more than 200 interviews and delving deeply into the shenanigans of Clinton-era political figures  activities that seem almost quaint in light of the accusations against Fusion GPS. The books tone is relentlessly strait-laced, taking particular umbrage at the then-nascent industry of opposition research and other efforts to spread lies, rumors and innuendo about candidates.

Most opposition researchers claim to pay attention mostly to legislative votes and floor statements to see if their opponents words jibe with his or her record, Simpson and Sabato wrote. Without question, many abide strictly by this unwritten code. Yet many of their brethren also examine highly personal information, with the result that issues often surface that are only marginally related, or even completely unrelated, to the office being contested.

More than 70 pages are devoted to painting then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich as a House-wrecker whose operations represent a low point in hardball politics. This section is liberally salted with quotes from Leon Trotsky, apparently aimed at likening Gingrich to the early Soviet revolutionary. Several chapters argue that oppo research, push-polling, and other forms of negative campaigning prevent effective governing. A full chapter is devoted to vote fraud, a problem widely minimized on the left today; a subchapter on California is titled "The Golden State for Vote Fraud."

Ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich is portrayed as a "House-wrecker" in "Dirty Little Secrets," Glenn Simpson's book about dark political arts in the 1990's, which now seem tame in comparison with his firm's Trump-Russia dossier.

The actions decried in Dirty Little Secrets seem pretty tame compared to what its co-author did after hanging out his own oppo research shingle. Fusion GPS was reportedly first retained by a Never Trump Republican to gather compromising Russia-related dirt on candidate Trump. After Trump sewed up the Republican presidential nomination, that donor source dried up. However, the lucrative funding was reportedly continued by Democratic interests, whom Simpson refuses to identify. While the GOP primaries wound down, Fusion GPS retained the British consultancy Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd. in June 2016, according to former spy Steeles testimony to the British court. It was Steele who procured the documents most sensational claims about Trump  involving kinky sex with prostitutes in a Moscow hotel room.

Old associates, who unanimously praised Simpsons work for the Journal, were at a loss to explain how this high-minded journalist ended up where he is today. But investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson tags Simpson as representative of a trend in her new book, The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote. She places Simpson among a cadre of former reporters who have transferred their skills from the cash-strapped world of journalism to the lucrative vocation of political skullduggery.

In her 2016 book, The Intimidation Game, Simpsons former Wall Street Journal colleague Kimberley Strassel reported that Simpson participated in what she described as Obama campaign efforts in 2012 to retaliate against and tar a donor to Mitt Romneys presidential campaign.

Strassel, a conservative opinion columnist, more recently has voiced suspicions that Democratic senators investigating the Trump-Russia affair are protecting Fusion GPS to keep the publics focus on Russia and not their own party, noting that Mr. Simpson is tight with Democrats.

Peter Fritsch, co-founder of Fusion GPS.

In his previous profession, the meticulous Simpson would have sneered at the Russian dossier, which failed to stand up to even cursory scrutiny. It asserted that Trump lawyer Michael Cohen met with Kremlin officials in Prague last August. But Cohen produced credible evidence hed never been to Prague in his life. The documents repeated misspelling of the name of the largest privately owned commercial bank in Russia hardly inspired confidence in the dossiers unsubstantiated claim that Igor Sechin, the CEO of Russia's state oil company, offered illegal cash payoffs to Trump associates. Implausible too is the claim that Trump had been offered nearly 20 percent of a multi-billion-dollar Russian company.

In promoting the dossier, Fusion GPS appears to have gone through the roster of reputable publications before settling on BuzzFeed, which published it in full in January.

Nevertheless, the dossier has contributed to the collusion cloud that hangs over Trump, prompting the Justice Departments appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel as well as Senate and House inquiries. The House Intelligence Committee this month subpoenaed the Federal Bureau of Investigation over documents related to the dossier. The FBI has been criticized by conservative media for its reported use of the dossiers claims and sources.

Simpson did not respond directly to inquiries, and Fusion GPS is not located at the Washington address listed for the company. A call to one of Simpsons home phone numbers went unanswered and another ended with someone on the other end of the line hanging up. A company spokeswoman declined to comment but sent a link to a favorable assessment of the dossier published at justsecurity.org. That article does not mention Simpson or Fusion GPS by name. Simpson attorney Joshua A. Levy also had no comment.

Simpsons journalistic career ended in 2009, when he and Wall Street Journal colleague Sue Schmidt, with considerable fanfare, left the paper to form a company called SNS Global, whose clients included a deposed prince of the United Arab Emirates. According to Schmidt, the company dissolved in 2010, and she refused to discuss Simpson.

I am not part of this story, Schmidt said. I dont want you to drag me into it.

Simpson went on to found Fusion GPS with partners Peter Fritsch and Thomas Catan, who did not respond to inquiries. That firm had greater success  the Russian dossier reportedly brought a million-dollar payday for Fusion GPS  but its methods have brought condemnation.

William Browder, investor in Russia.

I havent read his book, but Glenn Simpson is the definition of sleazy opposition research, said William Browder, a hedge fund manager who campaigns for the Global Magnitsky Act, a sanctions law aimed at certain Russians after the 2009 death in custody of his lawyer Sergey Magnitsky.

Browder testified publicly to the Senate Judiciary Committee in July that Simpson was hired by Russian opponents of the law to smear Browder and his associates. Simpson used a variety of weapons, Browder said in an interview, including making stuff up. In their campaign against us, they werent able to find any compromising materials, he said, so they invented claims.

The episode suggests Fusions adaptability to its paying clients -- whether Russian interests advancing the Kremlins aims, or Democrats willing to finance smears portraying Russia as a malign force.

Like the Russian dossier, Fusion GPSs campaign to overturn or weaken the Magnitsky Act has yielded minimal results. The act was signed into law in 2012, and President Trump announced stronger sanctions under the law earlier this month. Browder testified about Simpson before Sen. Chuck Grassleys Judiciary Committee in July. So did Thor Halvorssen, president and CEO of New York-based Human Rights Foundation, who said he came into Simpsons sights when he pursued a power plant swindle involving a Barbados-based company and the Venezuelan government.

The bulk of Glenn Simpsons clients are criminal entities, Halvorssen told RealClearInvestigations. Fusion GPS is hired to destroy whistle-blowers and to block law enforcement by tampering with potential witnesses.

Political consultants quoted in Dirty Little Secrets are not much more complimentary.

Simpson apparently reached serious conclusions based on leads or conjecture  he got involved with dirt I have stayed away from, said Gary Maloney, president of Virginia-based consulting firm Jackson-Alvarez Group. That doesnt mean I dont listen when somebody has a story to tell. But what Simpson seems to have done, at such a high level, is very dangerous.

Maloney gave an interview for the 1996 book, but he came in for heavy criticism in Dirty Little Secrets as a hired gun who deserved censure for what now looks like some pretty mild opposition research: At the request of a campaign manager, he called the ex-wife of a candidates business partner to verify an allegation of heavy drinking by the opponent.

Thor Halvorssen, president and CEO of the Human Rights Foundation.

Thats the most celebrated nothing event in my career, Maloney said. If anything, my reputation was enhanced by those attacks  and the opponent ended up hiring me after the primary!

Another consultant interviewed by Sabato and Simpson speculated that the change has occurred in the political climate rather than in Simpson himself.

Often theres no filter, said Thomas Doc Sweitzer, a Democratic consultant and founder of the Campaign Group in Philadelphia. A lot of people in the business of getting people elected have crazy ideas. If you can match a crazy idea with money, you can find an operative or consultant and get something done. People will do a lot of crazy things for a million dollars.

Halvorssen dismissed the idea that there is any contradiction between the sleaze described in the book and Simpsons current line of work.

This all makes perfect sense, Halvorssen said. Glenn Simpson was involved in writing the book about all the things that are wrong with the system, then he set about perfecting those things and becoming a millionaire as a result. He has put skills learned at the Wall Street Journal at the use of thieves, criminals, knaves and fraudsters all over the world.

Verbatim: Excerpts From 'Dirty Little Secrets'
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ST. LOUIS - About 300 protesters gathered briefly at Busch Stadium on Monday night as the crowd inside watched the Cardinals-Cubs game, then blocked a downtown intersection to hear speeches by two mothers of young men killed by police.

Barricades kept the demonstrators from getting any closer to the ballpark than Eighth and Clark streets. They stood and chanted for about 10 minutes before moving downtown to effectively take over the intersection at Tucker Boulevard and Market Street.

There were no reports of violence.

The 11th day of protests since the Sept. 15 acquittal of a white former St. Louis police officer in the shooting death of a black suspect began downtown earlier Monday. About 400 people marched to police headquarters wearing tape over their mouths to protest police silence about alleged police violence against minorities.

Demonstrators are protesting the not-guilty verdict in the bench trial of former St. Louis patrolman Jason Stockley, who had been charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting death of drug suspect Anthony Lamar Smith. Stockley is white and Smith was black.

The verdict sparked days of sometimes-violent protests in downtown St. Louis and other areas in and around the city, causing the cancellation of concerts and other events.

In contrast to the chanting that had accompanied protests last week, Monday's march started with a theme of silence, with many demonstrators wearing blue tape over their mouths. Some carried signs that read, "Blue Silence is Violence."

Missouri state Rep. Bruce Franks, D-St. Louis, who was among the leaders of the march, said the "blue silence" theme refers to what he claims is refusal by police to release information related to two other instances of alleged violence by officers against minorities. In addressing Monday's crowd, Franks demanded the resignation of acting Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole, whose department has faced criticism for its tactics in the past week of protests.

Later Monday, several hundred demonstrators had moved to 10th and Clark, closer to the ballpark, as the Cardinals-Cubs game was in progress. Some briefly attempted to get onto Interstate 64 at the 10th street ramp but were stopped by police stationed there.

Protesters then moved to Tucker and Market and listened to speakers who included Gina Torres, mother of Isaiah Hammett, who was killed earlier this year by police. Officials claim Hammett fired on them as they attempted to serve a warrant, an allegation his family disputes.

Also at the rally was Bridgette Perkins, mother of Isiah Perkins, killed by police in July near Creve Coeur, after police say he ran from a stolen vehicle with a gun and attempts to use a Taser to subdue him were unsuccessful.

Joe Holleman and Kevin McDermott of the Post-Dispatch staff contributed to this report.
A lot goes on around campus, and sometimes it's hard to keep up. From electric buses to history making volleyball players, The Red & Black complied five of the top stories not to miss this week.
Both bands have been playing with Young the Giant on its Home of the Strange Tour, but just the two of them will be sharing the stage Monday night.
A minor fix in tax laws can make start-ups bloom, says Ajit Balakrishnan.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com.

Last weekend a group of serious-faced men came to see me. When they called me, theyd said they needed some tips to make their venture to assist Indian start-ups successful, and I was only too happy to meet them.

As soon as they came in, they eyed my dining table and, once there, spread out a large sheet of paper on which was a perspective drawing of a three-storeyed building with a grand entrance.

This is a building which can house several dozen start-ups, said one of them.

How will this help start-ups? I asked.

Once this building is finished we will be able to provide low-cost office space to many dozens of start-ups, he said. As you know, finding low-cost space for their office is the most important ingredient for a start-up.

I was struggling to find words polite enough to tell them that what they were attempting was to do a real-estate play on the current enthusiasm about start-ups in India, when a series of images flashed through my mind: Political leaders of every hue and every level posing for press photos with youthful start-up founders; a Government of India website, startupindia.gov.in, dedicated to start-ups, spelling out that they need not worry too much about things like labour laws and environmental laws, describing how a portion of government procurement is going to be reserved for them, and so on.

Whats brought on this sudden twist in policy making, where de-regulation and reform as buzzwords have been replaced by start-ups?

At one level, it is easy to understand this twist.

India is not creating enough jobs for its young people. Industries that were the fountainhead of jobs -- textiles, leather, metals, automobiles, gems & jewellery, transport, IT/BPO -- are hiring very little or even cutting down on their manpower in a struggle to stay alive.

And whats worrying policymakers even more is that even in industries that are seeing growth, jobs dont seem to be growing at the same pace.

Since start-ups seem to be the shining light in the distance that will solve the job problem in our country, its worth our while to understand this new animal in our landscape, the start-up.

Wikipedia, a great source of definitions that everyone has agreed upon, defines a start-up as an entrepreneurial venture which is typically a newly emerged, fast-growing business that aims to meet a marketplace need by developingan innovative product, service, process or a platform.

In one sense, then, a start-up, as distinct from the many other mom-and-pop businesses that exist, bases its future on innovation (= an innovation using internet-based technology) to solve a market need.

Experience (and scholarly research) has established that a start-up goes through certain defined stages.

In its first stage, the primary risk is whether the start-up can actually build a prototype of the product or service at a cost and with the features that it set out to build and whether a few early customers are ecstatic about it. This is the Product Risk stage.

Once a start-up gets past this first stage, the next risk it faces is whether sufficient numbers of customers exist to make the business viable. This is the Market Risk stage.

Once a start-up gets past this stage, life, even if stressful, is relatively easy to negotiate -- the founders can hire people experienced in operations and they can help them scale up their business, take it public, and so on.

What level of investment and what type of investors are needed at these two stages?

My estimate is that in India start-ups need about Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore over a period of about nine months to a year to get past the Product Risk phase.

To get past the next Market Risk stage, start-ups need another Rs 1-3 crore and another six months.

If a start-up finds a successful path through these two stages, venture capitalists and others will rush to fund it. So, the real issue is getting past these first two stages.

Well-meaning people have proposed incubators to help entrepreneurs past these two stages -- the current start-up policy, for example, has set aside very generous funding for such incubators in IITs, NITs, IIMs, and so on.

In addition, practically every state government has some incubator project under way.

All these efforts will help to some degree but a crucial element will still be missing.

At the micro-level, the start-up entrepreneur needs two or three people who will put in Rs 25 lakh each. These are called angel investors.

Ideally, they should be people who are a little older and wiser than the entrepreneur himself, but, more importantly, respect his product vision and understand enough about the technology space that the business is in.

At the next stage, the Market Risk stage, the same angels, or some additional others, need to be able to put in another Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh each, and, more important than money, help by introducing the young entrepreneur to prospectively scale up customers or help him hire people of the right kind to scale up skills.

This means that the right angel investor is likely to be an experienced professional with deep skills and experience in the industries that the start-up is getting ready to disrupt.

Whats a smart way to encourage the right type of angel investors to step up? We have put one crucial piece in place, the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), which came to life in India in 2008.

An LLP is a corporate and legal entity separate from its partners. An angel investor, who may be an experienced corporate executive, can, thus, invest in an LLP, and not worry that the enterprises liabilities become his.

At the same time, an LLP is governed by the partnerships deed and does not have to deal with our byzantine Indian Companies Act.

What we need to do is to go one step further: Amend the Income Tax Act such that the losses that the start-up LLP incurs in its early stage can be set off by each LLP partner against his other income.

This means that the LLP investor will get tax savings as his return even during the initial stages when the start-up is losing money.

If the start-up does not go past the initial stages, no harm is done -- the angel investor would have got his return. This will bring in a flood of high-quality angel investors who are vitally needed to kickstart our start-up dream.

And thats the crucial missing piece today.

Ajit Balakrishnan, chairman and founder of Rediff.com, is the author of The Wave Rider, A Chronicle of the Information Age. You can write to him at ajitb@rediffmail.com.
'The drive against shell companies will not scare businesses. Rather, it will boost ease of doing business.'

'Chartered accountants are primarily auditors who report a company's finances. This is why it is important for us to monitor them.'

'Restriction on subsidiaries would ensure that multiple layers of companies are not used for money laundering.'

Illustration: Uttam ghosh/Rediff.com

P P Chaudhary, bottom, left, the newly-appointed minister of state for corporate affairs, is monitoring and coordinating actions against shell companies.

He tells Veena Mani & Indivjal Dhasmana that the government is trying to find the beneficiaries of the 209,0000 companies that have not filed statutory returns. Chaudhary says there may be cases where even domestic help could be part of the board of directors. Excerpts:

This government has initiated action against shell companies on a bigger scale than the previous governments. What was the trigger?

Misuse of the corporate structure by unscrupulous persons has been a matter of concern. The Prime Ministers Office (PMO) took a call that such misuse should not be allowed and all possible actions be taken to wipe out such shell companies.

The PMO constituted a task force, co-chaired by the secretaries of the departments of corporate affairs and revenue, to monitor and devise ways to fight the menace of shell companies.

Although there is no formal definition, a simple concept of a shell company may be stated as a non-trading company used as a vehicle for various financial manoeuvres or kept dormant for future use in some other capacity.

Accordingly, such suspect companies are continuously being identified for action in accordance with the Companies Act by our ministry, along with other departments, for concerted action.

How serious is the problem of shell companies? Is it widespread?

We had 1.6 million companies registered with the ROC (Registrar of Companies). Of those, only 1.1 million are active.

Some of them are limited liability partnerships and the rest non-compliant companies. These have not been complying with the Companies Act in one way or the other. They might be involved in money-laundering or terror funding.

We had issued notices to 290,000 such companies and 60,000 of these complied and gave us an update. They have filed their returns.

Now, 209,000 companies have been struck off because they have not responded. Directors involved with these companies cannot be reappointed as directors in other firms.

What other steps are being initiated to tackle the menace?

Finance ministry officials have been instructed to check with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs before clearing a companys cheque. They need to check if the company is active or not. We are trying to find out who the beneficiaries (owners) of such companies are. For that, we are mining various sorts of data.

What kind of data are you mining?

There may be some genuine companies. We dont want to target them. That is why we are planning to use artificial intelligence to track companies and their financials.

There could be as many as 400 companies in one location. We are investigating and trying to get more data. We have disqualified the directors we had identified.

Now, we are investigating their connection with the companies. Are they part of other companies? There may be cases where even the domestic help could be part of the board of directors.

Will the drive against shell companies scare businesses?

The drive against shell companies will not scare businesses. Rather, it will boost ease of doing business. Only those who are involved with shell companies need to be scared.

How are you monitoring the action taken against chartered accountants, cost accountants, and company secretaries involved with shell companies through their respective institutions?

Chartered accountants are primarily auditors who report a company's finances. This is why it is important for us to monitor them.

Periodic reports are being sought from the ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) for the action being taken against CAs on the basis of complaints filed by government agencies. Further, periodic review meetings are also held.

To tighten the noose on shell companies, there were plans to limit the number of subsidiaries a company can have. By when is this likely to be implemented?

The Rajya Sabha will take up the Bill (Companies Amendment) on bringing down the number of subsidiaries a company can be allowed. This is, again, a move to eradicate the menace of black money.

It is felt that the restriction would ensure that multiple layers of companies are not used for money laundering, siphoning off funds or other illegal activities, and firms are used only for legitimate purposes.

Care has been taken to ensure that genuine businesses are not affected, and the restrictions on layers are proposed to be applied prospectively.

How is the government planning to increase the wherewithal of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) as more and more cases are going to be filed, particularly after the RBI-advised cases are referred to the tribunal?

The selection process is going on for 16 members. Of the approved 62 seats, 22 have been filled.

The ministry has also approved a proposal from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for implementing e-courts and other e-governance solutions in the NCLT, which is at an advanced stage.

Individual insolvency or bankruptcy is an integral part of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). What is the progress in notifying these rules?

A working group has been constituted for recommending the rules of the bankruptcy provisions (individual insolvency) in accordance with the IBC with respect to guarantors, corporate debtors, and individuals.

The working group has submitted its report. The Department of Financial Services (DFS) has also been requested to strengthen the Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs).
The forthcoming Budget, the last full one before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is expected to contain a number of sops and feel-good announcements, especially regarding social sector schemes.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

The 2018-19 Union Budget, the first one since the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST), could have a markedly altered structure than the ones before.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to table the Budget and present his speech in Parliament on February 1, 2018.

Part B of the speech, which contains tax announcements, is expected to be the shortest till date. This section covers direct and indirect taxes. But, GST has subsumed almost all indirect taxes, leaving only basic Customs duty in the governments hand.

The reins of the new indirect tax regime are with the GST Council, whose decisions from now till the Budget will have a bearing on the Centres tax revenue budgeted estimates for 2018-19.

Within a few years, the GST rates will be stabilised. But for now, there are many corrections and tweaks to be done for various items and goods.

"Hence, the revenue department will keep track of all that before projecting its central GST (CGST) estimates for the Budget, a senior government official told Business Standard.

Essentially, GST Council meetings held before the Budget documents go for printing, in the finance ministrys underground press, could have some bearing on the CGST projections.

Sources said there are some 150 items in what is called the fitment list. These are the items in which officials might recommend the GST Council to tweak or correct rates.

Officials said a shorter Part B in the speech could leave room for a bigger Part A if the finance minister and his Budget team decide.

Part A deals with schemes, expenditure, programmes, sops, infrastructure, social sector, macroeconomic trends, fiscal forecasts, banking and capital markets.

The new Budget will be the last full one before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Hence it is expected to contain a number of sops and feel-good announcements, especially regarding social sector schemes.

Another official said it could lay down Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision beyond 2019 as well.

While Budget preparations have just begun, the second official conceded a longer Part A could provide room for a number of announcements on the rural and agricultural sectors, lower middle class, education, health care, and other such issues.

The ministry had last week issued a circular to begin the process of drafting the Budget for 2018-19.

While no date was given as to when Jaitley would table the Budget in Parliament, the document stated the final estimates for schemes and other expenditures should be decided by January 15, 2018. This suggests the Budget might be presented on February 1.

The circular stated that the advance gross domestic product estimates from the chief statisticians office were expected by January 6, and the demand for grants was expected to be finalised by January 25.

Pre-Budget meetings with various central government ministries and departments, as well as industry bodies and civil society interest groups, might start from October.

The 2018-19 Budget will be the second one after Railway Budget and Union Budget were merged, and spending classification changed to revenue and capital expenditure from the erstwhile Plan and Non-Plan expenditure.
Domestic airports across the country are bursting at the seams. And new ones are stuck.

Surajeet Das Gupta takes stock.

A milestone is seen outside the Jaisalmer Airport in Rajasthan in August 2015. Two-and-a-half years after the completion of the multi-million dollar terminal building, the airport stood empty. Not a single passenger had passed through the gates of the airport big enough to handle more than 300,000 travellers a year, with parking bays for three 180-seater narrow-body jets.

In 2017, it is yet to open.

Inside the ghost airport that haunts Modi's infrastructure dreams.

Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee.

Delayed take-off > 25 of the 126 airports operated by AAI have reached saturation point. In two to three years, at least another seven airports, which include Varanasi, Raipur, and Indore, will reach peak capacity. > AAI expects passenger traffic (excluding joint ventures) to grow 75 per cent from 2018-19 to 223 million in 2022-23. > Both Chennai and Kolkata will require a second airport for which the respective state governments have been asked to identify land. > In Delhi, peak-time hourly traffic at 72 flights will go up only after the expansion plan is completed after 3 years. > In Mumbai, airlines say there are no slots available during peak time. > Domestic aircraft movement in April-June 2017 fell by 1 per cent in Mumbai and 3.1 per cent in Bangalore but increased in regional airports like Jodhpur by 61 per cent, Surat by 281 per cent and Amritsar by 61 per cent.

A senior executive of a leading Indian carrier complains that his airline has not been granted a single additional slot to fly during peak hours in Mumbai in the last 12 months.

"We can easily grow traffic by 15 per cent a year from the city, but we have no choice but to wait for five or six years till the new airport comes up," he says, predicting that such capacity constraints will force air fares to hit the stratosphere.

Mumbai, the country's second-busiest airport, is no outlier. In Delhi airport, the busiest, additional slots during peak hour traffic have all but dried up -- this year's summer schedule saw no additional flight slot allotted between 7 am and 10 pm.

Domestic airports across the country are bursting at the seams.

Consider the predicament of State-owned Airport Authority of India (AAI): 25 of the 126 airports that it operates have reached saturation point. These airports together are already handling 7 million more passengers a year from their stated maximum capacity, which explains the teeming crowds at check-in counters and growing flight delays.

In Chennai, the domestic terminal was built for 10 million passengers a year; it now handles 13.15 million passengers a year.

Capacity constraints are one problem.

Airports like Delhi and Mumbai, which together account for 35 per cent of domestic passenger traffic, lack enough runways to accommodate the unprecedented increase in aircraft and demand for new flights.

The crunch is especially severe during peak hours (6-8 am and 5-7 pm) when most corporate travellers, who constitute 70 per cent of air traffic, fly.

A spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said peak-hour handling capacity at the airport has gone up by only one flight to 46 in 2017, over the last year. She added that efforts are being made to handle more flights, but didn't give any deadline.

AAI data shows that the airport, with a capacity of 45.2 million, saw the number of aircraft movements fall 1 per cent in the April-June period this year.

For airlines, the looming crisis could not have come at a more inopportune time.

With global aviation turbine fuel prices dropping dramatically making flying more affordable, domestic air traffic grew 23 per cent in 2016 to hit 100 million. Now analysts reckon that the lack of airport infrastructure will crimp growth to around 15 per cent in 2017.

And with Indian airlines having ordered over 500 new aircraft, about 50 new planes are being added annually to the overall domestic fleet (currently pegged at 300).

Passengers wait at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai, in February, 2017.

Airports like Delhi and Mumbai, which together account for 35 per cent of domestic passenger traffic, lack enough runways to accommodate the unprecedented increase in aircraft and demand for new flights.

Inside Mumbai's swanky T2 terminal.

Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters .

This demand-supply mismatch appears to have caught state and central governments unawares.

"Airports need to be planned and constructed much in advance of the existing airport getting saturated. The oil price crash in early 2015 did catch everyone by surprise but that's not a good excuse why airport expansion projects were delayed," says Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence at global consultancy KPMG.

As he points out, the 12th Plan released in early 2012 predicted airport throughput in FY17 at 270 million.

"The actual number was tantalisingly close, at 264 million," he says, adding, "For the next five years, we will lose a part of the growth that could have happened if we had built capacity in advance of the projected demand."

Any new capacity will only be on stream in two or five years in the most optimistic scenario. Most of the them are in various stages of finalisation and construction is yet to begin.

As many as 12 new airports are awaiting land acquisition by the respective state governments.

So, why are airports in a mess?

One key reason is the inordinate delay in acquisition of land.

"Land acquisition laws have made the process highly restrictive and costly. The other challenge is that the authorities involved in land acquisition face unpopularity and sometimes violent protests, whereas the kudos go to the ones who inaugurate the airport six to eight years down the line," says Dubey.

This apart, paying compensation for farmers remains a sticking point.

"The problem is how do you compensate farmers who have lost land, but see prices of the neighbouring land go through the roof when the airport is built. So, they baulk and get into legal wrangling" says a senior state government official who has dealt with the issue.

The classic case is the Navi Mumbai airport, which was conceived nearly two decades ago, but was stuck because of huge problems in land acquisition, multiple legal cases and controversies over environmental clearances.

The latest deadline for the airport is 2019, but everybody knows this is wishful thinking as Hyderabad-based GVK, which won the bid a few months ago, has still not been given the letter of award.

The lack of airport infrastructure has almost stymied the government's high-profile UDAN programme to enhance regional connectivity.

"There are problems in the revival of non-AAI airports because state governments, public sector corporation owners like SAIL and private airports like Mithapur or Raigarh are not confident about how fast they can get their airports up and running," says AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra.

AAI hopes to help them open in the next two or three months, but this is unlikely to alleviate the shortage of airport capacity quickly.

For instance, Air Odisha, which won routes connecting smaller cities with Delhi and other state capitals, nine of the 32 airports for which it received permission to fly under UDAN are not ready.

"Worse, we have flights from smaller cities to Delhi, but Delhi International Airport [DIAL] has not given us the three slots we require as they have no space. So, what do we do?" said an airline source.

The Navi Mumbai airport, which was conceived nearly two decades ago is a classic example of what's wrong with the system. It was stuck because of huge problems in land acquisition, multiple legal cases and controversies over environmental clearances.

The latest deadline for this airport is 2019, but everybody knows it is wishful thinking.

Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters.

Ironically, airport infrastructure shortages hinder the roll-out of new technology that would reduce congestion.

Low-cost airline IndiGo, for instance, has over one quarter of its passengers using the self-help kiosks to check in. But a request to increase the number of kiosks in some key airports has been shelved for lack of space, said an airline source.

Airlines also blame AAI for the way it operates.

"There is no transparency about its growth plans for various airports or how they fix peak traffic handling capacity. For instance, why should Jaipur airport handle only 12 flights an hour and not more? We are never told," a senior executive of a leading airline points out.

AAI, however, says that it has put up a capex plan of 17,500 crore for airport infrastructure in the next five years.

It is also spending 300 crore to operationalise the 31 unserved airports under the UDAN scheme and would require another 2,000 crore to upgrade them in the long run.

Many in the aviation business say it is unfair to blame AAI since it is dependent on state governments identifying and giving them land in many airports.

As for private airport developers, airlines argue that they are interesting in flogging their existing assets to make money and have no incentive to using their cash flows to expand, since that would entail taking on more debt.

DIAL, for instance, has made 586 crore in profit after tax in FY 2017 on the back of substantial increases in airport charges, and its new expansion project would require taking some debt. But with the regulator reducing the charges once again, analysts say DIAL's profit will fall dramatically.

Sources in DIAL say that the airport's peak capacity is 72 flights an hour, which might go up a little bit after the ATC is upgraded.

But an exponential increase in capacity will be possible only once the expansion is completed in three or four years.

A proposal for a second airport for the National Capital Region in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, might take years to fructify; it will be considered by the state government this financial year.

"DIAL's tariffs are set by the regulator; its returns are also fixed. And expansion has to be done in tandem with the government. Can we blame them for the delays?" says a senior executive who works closely with private airport developers.

One positive unintended consequence of the choking in airports is a focus on regional connectivity as a serious business.

IndiGo, for instance, has announced orders for 50 ATRs to run on less crowded regional routes, marking a change from its earlier plan to have only a one plane configuration.

The government and the airports are looking at some interim measures to partly resolve the looming crises. One is to ask airlines to put in larger aircraft in airports like Mumbai and Delhi to increase passenger capacity (Jet Airways and Air India have started using Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft).

The aviation ministry has also mooted a proposal to ease the pressure on Delhi airport by opening up the Air Force-controlled Hindon for civilian flights.

In Bangalore and Chennai, construction of rapid exit taxiways is helping increase the hourly peak flight handling capacity (in Bangalore it has gone up from 34 to 38).

But these are minor solutions to a major problem. Harried passengers will have to live with snaking check-in queues and chaos at baggage handling for more years to come.
'Even if Rahul doesn't emerge with flying colours -- at least initially -- during the jousts with the media, he will at least be posing a kind of challenge which will not be to Modi's liking,' feels Amulya Ganguli.

Now that the 'reluctant' and 'stupid' Rahul Gandhi -- to quote the Congress vice-president himself on how he is projected by the BJP trolls -- has demonstrated in the US that he can hold his own in the interactions with the media, it will be advisable for him to meet the press more often.

In doing so, he will be highlighting the difference between him and Narendra D Modi considering that the latter studiously avoids the 'presstitudes', to use a term coined by the Hindutva camp, except for a few and far between choreographed one-to-one and mainly one-sided conversations with 'dependable' media persons.

If, by way of presenting a contrast, Rahul holds large, televised and wide-ranging press conferences of the kind which then prime minister Manmohan Singh held twice during his tenure, he will come through as someone to whom the freedom of the press is not a mere phrase but a lived reality.

The advantages of such interactions will be not only the presentation and clarification of the Congress's position on various issues, but also to take the battle with the party's principal adversary to a field which the otherwise voluble prime minister is unwilling to enter.

The press conferences will also bring to light the temperamental differences between Rahul and Modi, who may well square off against each other in 2019 if the Congress leader keeps his promise of being his party's prime ministerial candidate which he made in the US, subject, of course, to the party's approval.

Hauteur is believed to be the main reason why Modi stays away from the media and likes addressing only large public gatherings where no questions are asked.

He even avoided the customary exchanges with the media in the US after the joint statement by him and President Donald J Trump was issued.

Another reason is that ever since Modi found himself on the back foot during and after the Gujarat riots, he has convinced himself that the press is an enemy to be shunned and excoriated.

As is known, he even once famously walked out of a television studio on being asked questions which he did not like -- one of the few occasions when a public figure has shown such petulance.

There are also far too many things going wrong for Modi at the moment -- the economic downturn, farmers's distress, cow vigilantism -- for him to expose himself to probing scrutiny.

Rahul doesn't suffer from any of these disadvantages if only because he is in the Opposition.

That doesn't mean, however, that he is not vulnerable.

His weak points relate to the reasons for the Congress's decline.

Is it due to the popular aversion to an arrogant dynasty which functions like a feudal family of landlords, or the party's hankering for the outdated Nehruvian socialism, or an unthinking pandering to minority sentiments (which was noted by A K Antony, the former Union minister) which has given a bad name to secularism?

It is obvious that unless Rahul comes to grips with these issues, he can be easily wrong-footed.

In the US, he did concede that the Congress had become arrogant towards the end of Manmohan Singh's tenure and lost touch with the people.

But he never explained the reason for the haughtiness.

For most people, there was no reason for the party to feel uppity when it was enmeshed in sleaze.

Moreover, Rahul's belief that India's economic salvation lies in small and medium industries means that the country cannot ever aspire to make ships, submarines, aeroplanes, artillery guns and so on.

Evidently, he needs lessons in economics before facing questioning newsmen.

But if he intends to replicate Modi's 24/7 style by shedding his 'reluctance', there is no option for him except to plunge into the deep end.

There is also no escape from these vital questions at a time when 2019 is seemingly approaching the political class at an ever faster pace.

But even if Rahul doesn't emerge with flying colours -- at least initially -- during the jousts with the media, he will at least be posing a kind of challenge which will not be to Modi's liking.

In this respect, Rahul will be one up on Modi unlike the past when he was playing catch up with the prime minister setting the terms.

Amulya Ganguli is a writer on current affairs.

IMAGE: Rahul Gandhi at an interaction at Princeton University. Photograph: Kind courtesy: OfficeofRG/Twitter
'When there are two hostile armies operating in close proximity, moral ascendancy is very important -- and that is something, I think, we achieved.'

'What is important is the will and determination of a country.'

'That you are willing to do something about terror that is coming from across the border and that is the message that was sent out.'

IMAGE: Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Bar), was the Northern Army Commander from 2014 to 2016.

The surgical strikes were among the most difficult operations under his watch.

Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com

As the highest ranking officer in Jammu and Kashmir during the September 28-29, 2016 surgical strikes, the buck literally stopped with Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda.

General Hooda was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command, in charge of the planning and execution of the top secret operation across the Line of Control.

Most officers and soldiers in the Northern Command -- responsible for the security of J&K and Line of Control -- were not aware of the strikes being planned.

As the general monitored the progress of his men as they crossed the Line of Control, their safe return was at the top of his mind.

According to the just released book India's Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes, Indian soldiers spent two nights and a day in "enemy territory". It was one of the most difficult operations under his watch, the general recalls.

Now retired, the former officer of the Gorkha Rifles with over four decades in the army, relives those unforgettable hours with Rediff.com's Archana Masih.

A year ago at this time, you had the plan in place for the surgical strikes. Do you find yourself going back and thinking about those days?

It was a successful operation. It was well done. Its scale and scope was pretty large.

You do think back on those days. How the whole planning was done. How we went about it.

The joy when everyone came back safe.

In your long military career, what have been some of the achievements that you look back with satisfaction? Where would the surgical strikes feature in that roster of military memories?

It has been wonderful primarily because you work with a highly motivated group of officers, very well trained officers.

There have been difficult times. One very difficult time for us was the earthquake of 2005.

I was the brigade commander in Uri and 95 per cent of the garrison had come crashing down.

We had to look after our own casualties, and carry out rescue, relief operations for the civilians.

The spirit of the soldier is such that it weathers through tough times.

Where do the surgical strikes figure in my book?

I would definitely say it was a very challenging operation and perhaps one of the most difficult on my watch.

What was your biggest concern in those hours after the men crossed the LOC and till the time they returned?

Of course, the biggest concern was the safety of each and every man who was crossing in what I call 'enemy territory' at that time.

We were also very confident that we had done everything by way of planning, preparation, empowering the soldiers, equipping them, giving them everything they needed.

In that sense we were fairly confident.

Honestly, after the soldiers crossed the Line of Control, I had little control.

It was for the officers and men to successfully carry out the operation.

Sitting in Udhampur (the Northern Command headquarters), there was really little we could do except watch.

What was the conversation you had with your men before they left?

What was your parting line to them before they set out for this daring military task -- beyond enemy lines as they say?

We sit with the team leaders, the commanding officers and discuss every aspect of the plan.

We make sure every contingency that can arrive is catered for.

It happens only in the movies that the general stands in front of all the soldiers and gives them a parting pep talk. It really didn't happen like that (laughs).

It was a very secret operation and we did not assemble everyone together.

But I am sure the team leaders would have constantly spoken and motivated their men.

My interaction was with the officers and commanding officers.

IMAGE: Nine soldiers of the Special Forces who took part in the surgical strikes were awarded gallantry medals. Photograph: Kind courtesy @NorthernComd_IA/Twitter

In hindsight and because we have that luxury to ponder over that because it was a successful operation, did you ever feel what would happen if the operation failed?

We had prepared well and we were quite confident of success, but obviously, you can't say that you are going to 100 per cent succeed.

The risk of failure does weigh heavily on you.

If we had failed, obviously the consequences would not have been pleasant.

What consequences could those have been -- and for you?

I was at the fag end of my military career. I had two months left to go before my retirement.

It wasn't so much what other people would think or say. It was more about how you would look back and see whether you have done well or badly.

So the consequences were more in my head.

But it was a high for you. You were going to retire in couple of months and you went out in a blaze of glory, isn't it?

It was a high. But it wasn't something I did myself.

There was a contribution of all those who sat and planned it -- we had a small planning team, army headquarters, the directorate of military planning -- most importantly, the soldiers who went across.

If they hadn't done as well as they did, we would not feel the way we do.

Everyone contributed to its success.

The Northern Army Commander is in charge of J&K and the LoC. He shoulders enormous responsibility. What was your tenure like?

It was fairly challenging. I took over in 2014. The situation along the borders was deteriorating.

A large number of ceasefire violations were taking place. Internally, there were a number of issues like the floods in September 2014.

In 2015, the internal situation was not looking good. We had some attacks on our camps.

In July 2016, we had massive unrest (after Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani's death) and then we had the Uri attack.

It was challenging. There were times when we thought we could have done better.

I think every challenge was handled well and I relied on my commanders, officers and men to do the right thing.

IMAGE: A soldier participates in a war exercise. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

What impact have the surgical strikes had on the soldiers in areas of conflict and in the rest of the armed forces?

One of the big intangible positives was the impact on our own soldiers.

Just prior to the surgical strikes, we had Uri which was one of the worst strikes on our garrisons in a number of years. We had 19 casualties.

One message was that the sacrifice of soldiers would not go unavenged.

Once information on the strikes came in, it was not only a morale booster for soldiers in J&K, but across the country.

It uplifted the morale of the Indian Army.

In the immediate aftermath, can you pinpoint to some of the changes that you saw in the soldiers?

After Uri, obviously, questions were being asked about 'What are you going to do?'

'What are your preparation levels?'

'How can people just come in and do this?'

'Are you going to be totally defensive as it generally happens?'

'Are we going to do something about it?'

Most of the people in my headquarters were also not aware that the strikes were going to happen.

After the strikes one could notice that shoulders were straighter, smiles on the faces (laughs). It had a huge effect on them.

How did it play out among the Pakistan armed forces and security establishment?

What are some of the direct consequences of the strikes on Pakistan and in its response subsequently?

In June 2015 we had the Myanmar operation.

Immediately, the Pakistan interior minister, military spokesperson made statements saying this can't happen in Pakistan. Pakistan is not Myanmar. Any Indian adventurism will have a befitting response.

I think they were completely shocked with the strikes. They had little idea how to respond.

They literally buried their head in the sand as if nothing had happened.

When there are two hostile armies operating in close proximity, moral ascendancy is very important -- and that is something, I think, we achieved.

Among the soldiers that were deployed on the other side, their leave was cancelled, they were told to be careful because the Indian Army could strike anywhere. We saw such changes in the Pakistan army along the border.

At the UN General Assembly Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Abbasi accused India of indulging in terror activities against his country and of 'war crimes' in Kashmir.

He warned of a 'matching response' if India 'ventures across the LoC'.

We have heard these words before. Pakistan has complained of war crimes in Kashmir. It has said that India poses an existential threat to Pakistan.

More than statements it is the attitude that the country has towards India.

Unless that changes, relations will continue to remain hostile. It is something for them to think about.

IMAGE: General Hooda pays tributes at the Kargil war memorial at Drass in Jammu and Kashmir, July 26, 2016. Photograph: PTI

How did the open acknowledgment and declaration of the surgical strikes by the government alter India's position and response to its handling of terror from across the border?

A lot of people question the acknowledgement, but I think it was right.

If you are a strong, determined, nation, you should be able to show your capability.

One thing we showed is that our response to terrorist attacks will not only be defensive; it will not only be on our side, but we will also go across the border.

Internationally also, it made a big statement. Among the various response options we have, this (surgical strikes) was one more added.

It showed one major response we have in how we respond to terror.

What according to you has been the biggest purpose the strikes achieved? How has it made the LOC and India more secure?

We were quite clear in the military that one surgical strike is not going to end all terrorism in Kashmir or that it will stop cross border infiltration.

After all, Osama bin Laden's killing has not finished Al Qaeda or sorted out the problem in Afghanistan.

What is important is the will and determination of a country. That you are willing to do something about terror that is coming from across the border and that is the message that was sent out.

It really wasn't so much about finishing terrorism in Kashmir. That was not even remotely our objective.

Surgical strikes is one of the options we have in our response to terror -- and it is an option we can employ in the future too if need be, right?

I am not saying a surgical strike is the answer to each and every terrorist attack or problem that we have, but as I said it is has definitely added to our response option.

If required, it can be done.

Would you be able to say how many camps were destroyed and how many terrorists were killed? Is there a number?

No. I can't talk about the number of targets struck. It is classified.

As far as casualties are concerned, frankly, nobody was waiting around to start counting.

There have been occasions in the past when Indian forces have gone across the LOC in similar, albeit in smaller ops? Is that right?

Yes, that is right.

You had said as Northern Army Commander that it is going to be a long war in Kashmir. At what stage have we reached in the course of this long war?

It is very difficult to say. I say it is a long war because it needs a long term strategy to deal with it.

Sometimes, unfortunately, we go from here to here and say 2017 is better than 2016 because then more terrorists were killed or 2015 was better than 2016.

This year on year comparison is not fair and we are making a mistake.

Yes, there is a problem in J&K, there is also the issue of Pakistan's support, there is also the issue of growing radicalisation, the issue of economic development.

All these require a long term strategy.

Therefore, I say it is a long war. You have to have patience. You have to move towards the direction you want to go.

Unfortunately, some of it hasn't happened so fast.

When things were peaceful, we just said ok, we said fine. That is why we have these cycles of violence.

This year we saw many incidents of stone pelting, where the Kashmir valley seemed to be spiraling out of control. What is the situation now?

As I said, if we just look at current indicators and say this is our definition of things getting better -- that in March-April-May there were more incidents of stone pelting than now, hence things are better...

But have we looked at the root causes and tried to address them? I think this is where we need to do some thinking.

What do you think of the Pakistan army chief's statement that it will continue supporting the Kashmiri right to self determination and wanting more army interaction with Pakistan's parliament? How is he different from his predecessor?

As an institution the Pak army has been used to being in power. Now they want power without any responsibility.

I don't think any chief can be different. They have grown up in the same system.

IMAGE: Then army chief General Dalbir Singh with then Northern Army Commander General Hooda in Srinagar. Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com

On a personal note, did your wife and family sense that you were bearing the weight of such a military task? What was it like when you finally got home in Udhampur after the ops ended?

When the going gets tough you cannot show your emotions (at work) or your frustration because immediately panic strikes.

When you get home, you can lower your barrier and take off your frustration.

It always helps to have a calm wife (laughs).

The army has a very supportive family.

What did you say to the men when you met them after they returned?

A day after the operation was over all the officers that took part in the operation and planning came home in the evening.

We shared many joyous moments. It was very good to meet them.

I was happy that they had returned safely.

How is retired life? Does a soldier ever retire?

What you miss on a daily basis is the very motivated bunch of men and women of the army. But everyone's time gets over. That is the reality.

New people have to come in and they come in with new ideas.

I generally spend my time reading. I love reading. I write a little, then people like you keep me busy with some interviews (laughs).
Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju on Tuesday contradicted the claim of two his cabinet colleagues that no one was allowed to see late chief minister J Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation last year.

"All the ministers met her," he told reporters when asked if he had met Jayalalithaa during her 75 days of hospitalisation from September 22 last year.

Raju, however, refused to elaborate, and said the death of Amma was a huge loss. The cooperation minister said he was not prepared to say anything more on the issue.

"You must only ask the minister who had expressed that opinion," he said when pressed further on the claim by Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan that All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders had "lied" on the health condition of Jayalalithaa and none of them had seen her in hospital.

Srinivasan's comments have triggered a renewed demand by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and other opposition parties for a thorough probe into the death of Jayalalithaa.

Addressing a public meeting in Madurai, Srinivasan had on September 23 apologised to the people, saying they had lied about Jayalalithaa's health.

He said no one was allowed to meet Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation and all those came were told by her close aide V K Sasikala's relatives that she was "all right".

Srinivasan had said that, afraid of Sasikala, party leaders lied so that people believed that Jayalalithaa was improving.

He had said that their claim of 'Amma' eating idli and tea was based on information given to them by Sasikala.

Endorsing his views, Commercial Taxes Minister K C Veeramani on Monday said the ministers were not able to see the late chief minister even one day.

At a public meeting in Vellore District, Veeramani, without naming Sasikala or her family, said, "Out of fear of this family... we would tell what we were told (by Sasikala's kin)..that Amma had two idlis, she spoke and that she is fine."

On the differing views of his colleagues, Revenue Minister R B Udhaya Kumar said it was their individual opinion based on their experience.

Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai on September 22, 2016, passed away on December 5.

The state government on Monday named retired judge of Madras high court A Arumughaswamy as head of the inquiry commission to probe the death of Jayalalithaa.

A judicial probe was one of the pre-conditions of O Panneerselvam, the present deputy chief minister, for the merger of factions led by him and Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

After Palaniswami announced on August 17 that an inquiry commission would be constituted, the two factions merged on August 21.
The White House has rejected claims that the United States has declared war on North Korea, asserting that any suggestion in this regard is 'absurd', even as the two nuclear powers engaged in a war of words again.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was responding to questions in this regard at her daily press conference.

"Not at all. We've not declared war on North Korea. And frankly, the suggestion of that is absurd," she said.

North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho, who was in New York on Monday, accused US President Donald Trump of declaring war against his country. He also said that Pyongyang was ready to defend itself by shooting down US bombers.

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country," Ho told reporters in New York.

The top North Korean diplomat is in New York to attend the annual General Assembly Session of the United Nations.

North Korea does not have a diplomatic relationship with the United States.

"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country," Ho said.

Sanders said it is never appropriate for a country to shoot down another country's aircraft when it's over international waters.

"Our goal is still the same: We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearising of the Korean Peninsula -- that's our focus -- doing that through both the maximum economic and diplomatic pressures as possible at this point," the White House Press Secretary said in response to a question.

Later in the day, the US House of Representative passed the North Korea Human Rights Reauthorisation Act by 415-0 votes, reflecting the overwhelming bipartisan support to it.

The bill reauthorises US programs that promote human rights, democracy, and freedom of information in North Korea.

Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said the bill enacts important updates to freedom-of-information authorities, to reflect technological advances beyond radio broadcasting, including USB drives, mobile devices, and other promising tools.

"It also renews the obligations of the Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights. Finally, the bill enhances congressional oversight tools, to help ensure that our investments stand the best chance of paying dividends in freedom for North Korea, and greater security for the rest of the world," he said on the floor of the House.

"The world is rightly focused on the threat that North Korea poses to global security. Their nuclear detonations, missile launches, forward-deployed artillery, and a history of deadly provocations all underscore a simple, jarring fact: The Kim regime wants to pose a mortal threat to the United States, and to our democratic, treaty allies: South Korea and Japan," he said.

"But in facing this reality, we cannot afford to forget the regime's greatest victim and longest-held hostage: The North Korean people themselves. Remembering this is not just a moral imperative, but it's a strategic one, too. If Kim had to answer to the North Korean people, he would pose far less danger to us," Royce said.

Appearing on MSNBC, Democratic Leader Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, alleged that the US President Donald Trump is giving a platform to Kim Jong-un.

"It's really -- [Kim Jong-un] is so beneath the dignity of this discussion, about the safety of the world," she said.

"I'm one of the few people in Congress who has been to Pyongyang. What I'm concerned about is the following. I think Kim Jong-un is a bully. I don't think he's going to ever do any of these things. Anything he does has a return address. He must know that it's bad news for his people -- should he do anything," Pelosi said.

IMAGE: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a daily briefing. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
While BHU vice chancellor said that he had ordered an inquiry headed by a retired high court judge, the Uttar Pradesh maintained it was a magisterial probe.

IMAGE: IMAGE: Heavy police force deployed outside the Banaras Hindu University as Samajwadi Party workers protest over the police lati-charge on the female students of the university, in Varanasi on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo



An inquiry has been ordered into the violence in Banaras Hindu University last week, the vice chancellor and the Uttar Pradesh government said on Tuesday.

Several students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a lathicharge by police inside the university during a protest following a woman student's complaint that she was harassed.

While BHU vice chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi said he had ordered an inquiry headed by a retired high court judge, state government spokesperson and minister Srikant Sharma maintained it was a magisterial probe. It was not clear whether there was one inquiry or two.

"I have ordered an inquiry into the incident. Retired Allahabad high court judge B S Dixit will head the panel," Tripathi said.

However, Sharma said, "The BHU authorities have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incidents."

Earlier, speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow, he had said a "judicial inquiry" had been ordered.

"By mistake, I had said earlier that it will be a judicial inquiry. It is in fact a magisterial inquiry," Sharma clarified later.

He also said the government had on its part ordered a separate probe by the Varanasi commissioner and the additional director general of police.

Tripathi, who was in the national capital for the university's executive council meeting, said the violence was fanned by "rumour mongering" and "outsiders".

He claimed the council's meeting was scheduled long back and the violence did not figure on its agenda.

He also brushed aside allegations of gender bias in the central university, suggesting the perception may have to do with the fact that authorities were "more concerned" about the security of women than men.

Tripathi said he had been keeping Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar updated on the issue from the very beginning.

"We have the footage in which outsiders can be clearly seen at the protest. Rumour mongering escalated the protests. Rumours were spread that girls have been asked to vacate the hostels and those who were not involved in the protests also joined it," he said.

The trigger was a woman student of the Arts faculty alleging harassment by three men on a motorcycle inside the campus while she was returning to her hostel.

The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the vice chancellor at his residence.

As opposition parties targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Adityanath and asked him to address the issue at the earliest.

Sharma said the chief minister had taken the matter "very seriously".

He accused the opposition parties of trying to vitiate the academic atmosphere.

"If they wish to do politics, they should do it with us and not with students. They should keep away from holding agitations in campuses," he said.

Referring to the lathicharge on women students sitting on dharna, he said, "We are identifying those outsiders who are using the students to do politics and also identifying those who indulged in lathicharge."

Sharma said the government had asked the local administration to strengthen security on the campus.

"It has been decided to install CCTV on the campus," he added.
An accountability court on Tuesday decided to indict Nawaz Sharif on October 2 after the ousted prime minister for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges filed against him in the Panama Papers scandal.

The court also issued fresh arrest warrants against his children and son-in-law.

Sharif, 67, appeared before the court located in the judicial complex in Islamabad, a day after he returned from London where he was with his ailing wife.

During the brief hearing, Sharif informed accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir that his wife was unwell and he needed to attend her. He was then allowed to leave the court.

The court then adjourned for 10 minutes before continuing with the normal case proceedings.

The appearance was just a formality to ensure that the accused was ready to face the trial. Sharif stayed at the court for about 10 minutes.

He was accompanied by his lawyer Khawaja Harris who would represent him as a counsel in the corruption cases.

The court had last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt Safdar (retd) to appear before it on September 26. It is pertinent to mention that the Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on September 19.

When the hearing started again, the judge asked about Maryam, Hussain and Hasan, and Sharif's son-in-law Safdar who were also ordered to appear on Tuesday.

Sharif's lawyer Harris contended that they were in London to take care of their ailing mother but the court rejected the argument and ordered them to appear before it on October 2.

The court also issued fresh bailable arrest warrants against Maryam, Hussain, Hasan and Safdar.

Harris asked the court that Sharif needed to take care of his wife in London so he would be allowed to skip personal appearance in the court.

The court refused by saying that he should first appear on the day of indictment and the issue of skipping personal appearance will be deiced later on.

Sharifs legal aide Barrister Zafarullah Khan told media that the court should have given more time for indictment.

"The court cannot indict until all accused appear in the court. It should give us more time to prepare out case," he said.

He said that Sharif would appear in the court if all went well during the period before next hearing and health of his wife remains stable.

Independent law expert Shehzad Akbar said that court was not bound to delay indictment of an accused if his accomplices are not present or refuse to appear before the court.

"The accountability courts have vast powers. They can indict the accused who has presented himself in the court, while it can convict others for non-compliance and failing to appear," he said.

Hundreds of Sharifs supporters, including Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, lawyers, lawmakers and several ministers were present in the court premises. Heavy security arrangement were made around the judicial complex.

Earlier, Sharif left the Punjab House in Islamabad at about 8.30 am to appear before the court. It took him about 15 minutes to reach the court.

More than 35 vehicles were part of Sharifs convoy which safely reached Punjab House after his appearance in the court.

Sharif is expected to hold some important meetings with aides and to address media in the evening, according PML-N sources.

Sharif was in London from August 31 to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

He decided to return to Pakistan after consultations with senior party leaders including his younger brother and Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in London.

Sharif stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons -- Hassan and Hussain, daughter -- Maryam, son-in-law -- Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Sharif's family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated. Rest of his family is still in London.
India on Tuesday ruled out any troop contribution in Afghanistan and said it will continue to provide development assistance to the war-torn country.

IMAGE: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses a joint press conference with US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis (unseen) at South Block in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/ PTI Photo

This was stated by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after her talks with her United States counterpart James Mattis during which they discussed key bilateral, regional and international issues, including terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Amid the rising tensions due to the recent missile tests by North Korea and growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, the two sides also deliberated upon ways to deepen maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Referring to their discussion on Afghanistan, Sitharaman said they had a useful interaction on how the two countries could strengthen cooperation bilaterally as well as with the Afghan government in pursuit of the common objective of a peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.

IMAGE: Sitharaman speak to the media as Mattis looks on during their joint press conference. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/ PTI Photo

She said India has built dams, hospitals and it will continue providing development assistance to the war-torn country.

"We give them facilities in our hospitals both for those who are wounded on field and for civilians. Those assistances for medical help will continue...We shall expand if necessary. However, of course, we have made it clear that there shall not be boots from India on the ground," she said.

Sitharaman made the remarks while replying to a question during a joint press briefing with Mattis on whether India will contribute troops in Afghanistan.

IMAGE: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman receives US Defence Secretary James Mattis outside South Block in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photograph: Kind courtesy @DefenceMinIndia/Twitter

India's position assumes significance given that under the new Trump policy, the US wants greater participation by India to contribute more in the war-torn nation.

On his part, Mattis said, "We applaud India's invaluable contribution to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote its democracy, stability and security."

Referring to India's concerns over cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, Sitharaman said the issue was discussed "in depth".

IMAGE: Mattis lays a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate. Photograph: Press Information Bureau of India

"The situation in our neighbourhood and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism were discussed in depth. There is a growing convergence in the approaches of both our countries on this issue," she said.

The defence minister said she has also urged Mattis to take up the issue of terrorism whenever he visits Pakistan.

She said both sides recognise the importance of holding those who use terrorism as an instrument of state policy to account and to dismantle the infrastructure that supports terrorism.

On his part, Mattis said there can be "no tolerance to terrorism safe havens".

IMAGE: He also inspected the Tri-Services Guard of Honour. Photograph: Press Information Bureau of India

"Our two countries recognise the stress the global terrorism poses to people throughout the world. There can be no tolerance of terrorist safe havens. As global leaders, India and the US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge," Mattis said.

Contending that defence partnership is one of the "key strategic pillars" between India and US, the two sides also focused on sharing cutting-edge technologies and platforms and exploring additional specialised military drills between the two countries.

"In this context, we agreed that the full implementation of the understanding reached following the announcement by the US last year recognising India as a Major Defence Partner will provide further energy and momentum to our collaboration on defence technology and manufacturing," Sitharaman said.

IMAGE: Sitharaman welcomes Mattis before the comprehensive talks on Tuesday. Photograph: Press Information Bureau of India

Mattis said India and the US are two "strategic partners" and their defence cooperation has steadily expanded in recent years underpinned by a strategic convergence between the two countries based on common objectives and goals in the region.

"This cooperation will benefit both economies by reducing trust issues between our two democracies," he said but did not elaborate on the nature of the issues.

The armies of the two countries are currently participating in the joint military drill Yudh Abyas 2017 and the navies recently concluded the 2017 edition of Malabar, a trilateral exercise between India, the US and Japan.
DRDO to develop army version of the medium range surface-to-air missile.

IAF and naval versions of MR-SAM already exist.

This makes these missile platforms the first tri-service weapon in service with India's military, notes Ajai Shukla.

A year ago, the army was planning 'surgical strikes' across the India-Pakistan Line of Control to avenge the killing of 19 Indian soldiers near Uri, on September 18.

But Pakistani retaliation was anticipated and a key Indian Air Force base, protected only by aging Soviet-era missiles, was vulnerable to Pakistani air strikes.

There was only one option.

In Hyderabad, Bharat Dynamics Ltd was putting the finishing touches on a potent new missile -- the eponymous Medium Range Surface to Air Missile, or MR-SAM -- which the Defence Research and Development Organisation has just developed.

The die was cast. Without fanfare, the IAF's first MR-SAM squadron was airlifted to the vulnerable base -- a vote of confidence based on recent firing trials.

When Indian commandos crossed on LoC on the night of September 28, 2016, the brand new missile was ready for operational use.

On Monday, September 25, 2017, the army signalled its confidence in the MR-SAM, signing a contract in Hyderabad that requires the DRDO to develop an army version of the MR-SAM and BDL to build and supply it.

A defence ministry release stated, 'The contract was signed for production, deliveries and product support of MR-SAM system for the Indian Army.'

The MR-SAM and its naval version, called the LR-SAM (Long-Range Surface to Air Missile), were developed by DRDO in partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries.

DRDO developed about 30 per cent of these missile platforms while IAI developed the bulk of it.

This makes these missile platforms the first tri-service weapon in service with India's military.

There are only minor differences: The naval LR-SAM is fired from sealed canisters below warship decks that protect the missile from the corrosive marine environment.

The LR-SAM primarily targets sea-skimming, anti-ship missiles.

The IAF version of the MR-SAM is mounted on trailers, and is fired from the open at enemy fighters screaming in to attack air bases.

The army version, which provides protection against enemy ground attack aircraft, will be mounted on high-mobility vehicles that can keep up with tank columns moving cross-country.

The missiles are the same for all versions, except for the software that controls their 'self-destruct' function.

The LR-SAM, which is a sea-skimming missile, self-destructs simply by pitching its nose down and plunging into the sea.

The MR-SAM, which would be mainly used over land, is required to 'pitch up' before it self-destructs, so that the debris are scattered.

DRDO sources claim the cost of Rs 6 crore (Rs 60 million) per missile is cheap, given that it shoots down sophisticated fighters costing hundreds of crore; and protects warships that cost thousands of crore.

All three versions of the missile have a sophisticated central radar -- called the Multi-function and Search and Track Alert Radar (MF-STAR).

This detects incoming enemy aircraft and missiles that are well over a hundred kilometres away, and then guides the missile to the target, intercepting it at ranges out to 70 kilometres.

The MR-SAM contract was signed in 2009, but complex technological challenges have caused delays.

In May 2016, Parliament's standing committee on defence said in a report that the MR-SAM project has been delayed by four years.

In another report dated March 2017, the standing committee stated the MR-SAM project cost a total of Rs 10,076 crore (Rs 100.76 billion).

Of this, DRDO's share, which constituted the development cost, added up to Rs 1,680 crore (Rs 16.80 billion).

The remaining amount, which amounted to Rs 8,396 crore (Rs 83.96 billion), was committed by the IAF towards the guaranteed purchase of missiles and other systems.

IMAGE: A surface-to-air missile launcher firing a missile during an Indian Air Force fire power demonstration exercise. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was on Tuesday killed in a gunbattle with security forces near the Line of Control in Uri sector in Baramulla as he was trying to sneak into the valley to take charge of the outfit, a senior police officer said.

It was a major success for the security forces as Najar was wanted for his alleged involvement in more than 50 killings, including that of four policemen in Hygam area of Sopore, in the past 17 years, Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police Imtiyaz Hussain said.

He was also involved in attacks on telecommunications towers across the valley in 2015, the SSP said.

"Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid near Zorawar post in Lachipora area along the LoC this morning. He was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen in the wake of elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces," he said.

Najar, a resident of Sopore township, was "one of the most dreaded terrorists" in Kashmir in the recent times, he said.

"He has killed a lot of civilians, policemen and security forces. He was involved in a lot of IED explosions because he was an IED expert. While he was trying to infiltrate into this side, he was carrying IED material with him.

"So, it is a big success, big achievement, for all of us especially because had he been alive and had he successfully infiltrated into this side, it would have been a big problem for us. Neutralising him would have been very difficult as he was already heading a huge network in Sopore, Palhallan, Pattan, Handwara areas of Bandipora and Baramulla. We should be thankful to our Army," the SSP said.

He said Najar had joined militancy with the killing of Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar in 2003.

The officer said Najar was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers in 2015 after he fell out with the Hizb and separatist leaderships.

"To sort out those misunderstandings, he was called back to the base camp in Muzaffarabad... He stayed with (Hizb supremo) Syed Salahuddin," he said, adding that Najar was sent back to Kashmir after the killings of the outfit's north Kashmir commander Parvez Wani and south Kashmir commander Yasin Yatto.

Najar was tasked with reviving the outfit in Kashmir in the wake of elimination of top militants, he said.

"Hizbul Mujahideen has almost been wiped out from north Kashmir. So, had this gentleman made entry into north Kashmir, it would have been a problem for us. That way it is a big relief to us and a big relief to all victims of his activities.

"He was one of the smartest militants I have known in my 18 years of service. Very very smart, extremely smart, he would not trust anybody, not even his wife or his brother," the police officer added.

hotograph: Umar Ganie/Rediff.com
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi has backed giving asylum to Rohingya Muslims in India after security vetting, evoking a sharp reaction from Union minister Hansraj Ahir, who said those who have national interest in mind should not make such statements.

Ahir's criticism came after Varun expressed his views in an article in a Hindi daily.

Following the MoS Home Affair's remarks, Varun tweeted on Tuesday that his article focused primarily on defining India's asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how "we would accept refugees".

"As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns (sic)," he tweeted.

Ahir, while criticising Varun's stand, told reporters that, "Jo desh ke hith mein sochenga woh is tarah ke bayan nahi dega (Anyone who has national interest in mind, won't make such statements)."

Varun's remarks were at variance with the government's stand on the issue.

Terming the Rohingya refugees as "illegal" immigrants, the government had recently told the Supreme Court that some of them were part of a "sinister" design of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and terror groups such as the Islamic State, whose presence in the country will pose a "serious" national security threat.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also last week said Rohingyas were not refugees who have applied for asylum in India but illegal immigrants who "will be deported".

The BJP, in its national executive yesterday, adopted a resolution supporting the government's stand on the Rohingya issue, saying it fulfilled its responsibilities by providing humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees while ensuring that internal security was not compromised for its 125 crore citizens.
Two years short of scoring a century, Raj Kumar Vaishya has majored in economics to know why China suddenly devalued its currency, how to provide relief to people from rising prices and why the country has failed to solve problems like poverty and joblessness.

M I Khan from Patna tells his inspiring story.

IMAGE: These days, Vaishya is writing a book on how to reduce poverty. He says after earning the post-graduate degree, he now feels more confident. Photograph: M I Khan.

'Aging is a matter of mind. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter'. You must have heard or read this quote several times, often attributed to Mark Twain, though its original source remains unknown.

But whoever coined the phrase would have had someone like 98-year-old Raj Kumar Vaishya in mind.

Vaishya -- who retired in 1980 as general manager of a mica firm in Koderma, Jharkhand, after serving for over three decades -- has just cleared his Masters in Economics from Nalanda Open University with 50 per cent marks.

Born in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, in 1920, Vaidya had to quit studies after completing his LLB in 1940 because of increasing family pressure to start earning a living. He had graduated from Agra University in 1938 and wanted to pursue his post-graduation.

"I have fulfilled my dream. I got the masters degree. I am really happy as it was not easy to make it," said a cheerful Vaishya.

Asked why he chose to study Economics, Vaishya said, "I wanted to study economics to understand why China has suddenly devalued its currency, how to provide relief to people from rising prices and why the country has failed to solve big problems like poverty and joblessness."

Vaishya is currently writing a book on how to reduce poverty, based on his experience. He now feels more confident about doing it after earning a degree in economics.

"With a masters degree in hand now, I will complete my book soon," Vaishya said.

S P Singh, an official of Patna-based NOU, said Vaidya set a record by clearing the MA exam at such an old age.

"It is a record in itself. At this old age, Raj Kumar Vaishya surprised all of us by passing the MA examination with 50 per cent marks," Singh said.

Earlier, perhaps the oldest NOU student was 84-year-old retired professor Ram Chandra Mishra Madhup, who registered himself for a PhD.

Other NOU officials said that it was a matter of pride for the university that a 98-year-old man has set an example for others to follow.

"We salute his zeal. He has become an inspiration for all. His achievement will send a positive message in society, particularly among senior citizens," Singh said.

Vaishya had enrolled in the course in 2015. According to varsity officials, Vaishya appeared in his first year and final year exams as a regular student.

Unlike most of his fellow students one fourth his age, Vaishya chose English as a medium of exams.

Vaishya, who always has a smile on his face, has been living with his son and daughter-in-law in an apartment in the posh Rajendra Nagar colony in Patna for the past 10 years.

When his wife passed away, Vaishya shifted to Patna from Bareilly.

Both his son and daughter-in-law are retirees. His son Santosh Kumar, in his early 70s, worked at the National Institute of Technology, Patna, while his daughter-in-law Bharti S Kumar, in her early 60s, retired as a professor from Patna University. Vaishya's younger son lives in Delhi after working abroad for several years.

Asked if his old age poses any health problems and hinder his studies, a confident and upbeat Vaishya said, "I can read without spectacle and write fluently in Hindi and English. I only use a walker to walk because a few years ago I suffered a fracture in my back. Apart from that, I don't have any persisting health problems. I am free from diabetes, high blood pressure and other age-related weaknesses."
'It is not possible to survive in jail unless you are part of a group.'

'They cover your back as you do theirs.'

IMAGE: The IT graduate spent seven days in police custody and 38 days in Arthur Road prison.

His time in prison, he says, was nightmarish and the only thing that kept him going was his belief in God and the adage 'this too shall pass'. Photograph: Reimaging by Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com.

The Supreme Court last week issued a range of directions on prison reforms, including asking state governments to appoint counsellors and support personnel to counsel prisoners, especially first-timer offenders.

The apex court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed in 2013 on the inhuman conditions prevailing in the 1,382 prisons across the country.

Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta directed all states to go into the availability of medical assistance provided to prisoners and take whatever steps are needed to remedy the situation.

As the spotlight returns to the conditions of our prisons, Rediff.com's Swarupa Dutt speaks to a young IT graduate jailed for visa fraud committed by his agent, to get an insider's view of life in jail for undertrials.

The young man, in his early twenties, did not want his name revealed or photograph used, since only his immediate family is aware of his time in jail.

The man -- we shall call him John -- said he was in a hurry to go to Portugal as his family had severe financial problems with several outstanding loans after his sister's marriage.

He had a younger brother in college and elderly parents.

Under Portuguese law, those born in Goa before 1961, when the state was liberated, continue to be Portuguese, provided their births are registered in Portugal.

Their descendants are also eligible for Portuguese passports and holding a Portuguese passport means entry to the European Union.

However, the agent who was tasked with getting John's documentation prepared fake documents.

"One document said I owned a chicken farm. I told the agent it wasn't true, why were the documents fake? He said that's how people go and it was standard operating procedure," John said.

John said he should have stopped the agent, but he was desperate to go to Portugal and start a new life.

"I am a computer graduate, but I did not use my mind. I repent. I don't know why I agreed. My mind wasn't working," John said.

John spent seven days in police custody and 38 days in jail.

He is now out on bail, but is barred from leaving the country till his case comes up for hearing again.

This then, is an account of that experience.

POLICE CUSTODY

AZAD MAIDAN POLICE STATION

APRIL 25-MAY 1

On the third day, April 27, I wanted to commit suicide.

I didn't because there was nothing I could use to kill myself.

No bedsheet, no sharp instrument, no shard of glass, no fan.

The lock-up inside the Azad Maidan police station was a bare room, probably 10x10 feet, maybe more.

People have often asked me the size of the lock-up, but the size really depends on the number of inmates.

Sometimes I was alone inside, sometimes there were five others. At times 10. That's when it is particularly small and oppressive.

The lock-up shares space with a toilet. The stench is fresh in my nostrils even now.

Anyone who is arrested will say they are innocent. I have never ever done anything remotely illegal, let alone criminal.

This was my first offence. The cops told me I was in jail only because of my agent and my stupidity.

The cell had a small window near the ceiling that allowed no view, but at least I knew if it was day or night.

The floor looked like it had never been swept. The cops gave me newspapers to sleep on.

My cousin came to meet me on the third day and the police told me I would be released when my case came up for hearing next week.

I could handle a week in the lock-up, but I would get rattled when the cops would tell me I would be jailed for three years.

In retrospect, I know they said it without any basis, but I believed them. I had no reason not to.

So I left it to God. I told Him, you have to take care of me.

I didn't have a change of clothes. I wore the same jeans and T-shirt, I had worn to the consulate from where I was taken into custody, for the next seven days.

I'd bathe, wipe myself down with the same clothes and wear them.

Possibly the worst punishment is not having fresh underwear. And no fan when it's April.

I had to pay for breakfast, but lunch and dinner is on the house. I had to deposit the money I had on me with the police station before I was put inside the lock-up.

I was carrying Rs 500, so I bought breakfast with the money, and a toothbrush, toothpaste and soap.

Lunch is generally rice, chapati or puri and a watery dal.

There is no fixed time for meals, you are fed when the cops decide it's meal time.

On the seventh day in custody, my lawyer and the cops told me I would have to go to jail for a day and would then be released.

I was still not worried because again there was a deadline.

JUDICIAL CUSTODY

ARTHUR ROAD JAIL

MAY 1-JUNE 7

The police took me to Arthur Road jail in a Tata Sumo.

I entered the gate and in a room just inside the gate, they strip-searched me to ensure I wasn't carrying contraband or weapons.

Then they took my fingerprints, mug shot and gave me an ID card.

Prisoners who are in jail for a day or so are taken to the after barrack.

For longer stays, prisoners are taken to the main barrack.

I entered the after barrack at 7.30 pm.

It was overwhelming, the people, the barrack, the reality of being in jail. I wasn't worried since I was to get bail the next day.

Next morning, no bail papers, no bail.

I was taken to the main building.

There are four barracks to a building; each barrack has approximately 200 prisoners. Maybe. I didn't really sit and count.

It just seemed like a whole lot of people. Very crowded.

I had to carry the ID card around everywhere, even in the toilet, except when I was having a bath.

The card had my name, photograph, the Indian Penal Code sections under which I was held, my enrolment number, the inspector's signature and my barrack number -- #7.

They gave me a bar of soap. It was pink and came in a pink cover that had the word 'jail' printed on it.

It wasn't branded soap that you get in a shop. And a plastic plate and bowl.

Since I was an undertrial I could keep my own clothes.

At that point I did think it would be nice to wear jail clothes. I hadn't changed my clothes for a week.

I think what unsettled me the most was the sense of complete isolation.

For the first four days, I had no information from the world outside -- neither from my family nor my lawyer.

Why has no one come to meet me?

Do they even know I'm in jail?

How long would I be here?

What was the next step?

No answers.

Nobody to help you.

You are on your own.

You can use postcards to write to your relatives.

During the first few days in jail with no information coming in, the police told me I could send a postcard.

My family got it after 20 days.

I had sent another postcard, which reached my family in Goa so late that I was at home to collect it.

I held onto the belief that God was with me and He would help me. And that helped me.

In jail, every morning I went for the bulava.

If you have a visitor, the jail officials call out your name and you can meet your visitors in a separate building.

Your name is called out twice, if you don't hear or are not in the room, nobody will tell you because the other prisoners don't know your name and anyway couldn't be bothered to help.

Your visitors will go away without meeting you. You can get visitors once a week.

On the fourth day I got a bulava. My cousin had come to meet me and he said the hearing would be next week.

He gave me a fresh set of clothes.

Again, the belief that I would be out in a week helped me get by.

You can get used to anything if you tell yourself 'This too shall pass'.

But next week I was told the judge was on leave.

Every week my family would come to meet me and every week it was the same story -- the judge was not there.

The last few weeks in jail were the best.

I had repaired a computer in the office in the jail and the jail officials asked me to work with them keying in bail applications.

I would go in to the office and work the whole day till the lock-in time of 6 pm. They were nice to me.

One day as I was working in their office, the jail officials told me my papers had arrived from the lawyer and I had got 20 years in jail.

If you spend a couple of weeks in jail, you get a hang of things, and by then I knew my offence would not warrant that sentence. I knew they were joking.

But I had got bail. I can't describe what I felt.

The bail papers are kept in a box, if your name appears in the box you get bail.

I had lost hope of getting bail because my case never made it to court most of the time.

Either the chargesheet had not been filed, or the advocate wasn't there or the judge was absent and one time the steno wasn't there or the dates kept getting postponed.

Prayers work.

If you are an undertrial, your day is spent eating, sleeping, and using the toilet.

There is literally nothing to do. The boredom is frightening. But first, survival.

IMAGE: 'I had to sleep near the toilet for the first two days,' says John.

'It was stinking so much I couldn't sleep. You can pay to get a better place to sleep, but I didn't bother.'

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

I never spoke to anyone initially. I was scared.

They were all tapori types and I've never known people like that.

But in the first few days, a guy came up to me and struck up a conversation.

Why was I in jail, when would I get out etc.

He then asked me if I was Goan and said I could join his group. Groups are called handis.

It is not possible to survive in jail unless you are part of a group.

They cover your back as you do theirs and you split the tasks.

As undertrials none of us had to do any work, so when I say tasks, it means the basic tasks needed to survive.

We were four. I would stand in the queue and get food for the rest.

The others guarded our clothes while we had a bath or went to the toilet or left the barrack.

Or others would listen in to the bulava if you weren't present, or break you into the jail rules and steer you clear of trouble.

It's the difference between waking up each morning after an uneventful night or being beaten up by other inmates and jail officials.

Each person is allowed to get spending money of Rs 2,500 per month.

You have to ask your family to send you a money order for it.

I had the remainder of the Rs 500 I had carried with me when I was sent to police custody.

You can use the money to get food from the canteen like biscuits, pickle, wafers, jam, chivda.

Some of the older prisoners use the money and give it to a group, which then does all their work for them -- wash clothes, get food, give them a massage, wash their plates.

They work like slaves.

I was tasked with getting food for my group and washing the utensils, which means standing in the queue for four hours every day.

I would eat my meals with the group, but not fraternise.

My family had told me to keep my distance and not share details about my life outside jail with anybody.

I'm not in touch with any of them. The Goan guy called me once when he got bail, but that's about it.

I don't want to keep in touch with any of them.

I never got involved in any fights. I just kept to myself.

The Goan guy told me people will come up to you and try to pick a fight.

He told me don't ever say anything. Just agree with whatever they say.

When fights take place, the police beat up both sides.

They take you out of the barrack, make you lie down and hit you with bamboo sticks.

They tie both your hands and legs and hit you on the thigh, calves and hands till prisoners beg for mercy.

The barrack is a rectangular, large room.

Around 200 inmates sleep here. Some were undertrials, some prisoners.

The four corners are the best places and are reserved for those who have been in jail for a while.

One side of the barrack adjoins a row of toilet cubicles.

So this is how it works.

First, the older inmates take their places in the night and then you fit into the spaces in between.

Like the way bikes are parked in a car park.

There are people sleeping all around you, inches away.

You have to sleep with your arms on your sides.

If you toss or turn or flay around in your sleep and hit people lying next to you by mistake they will yell at you.

There is no fixed place for sleeping.

The prisoner in charge of the barrack gives you a new place every day.

New prisoners like me would get to sleep in the middle, which means it's next to impossible to get up in the night and use the toilet because you will most certainly trip over people.

Lights are on 24X7 for security reasons.

I had to sleep near the toilet for the first two days.

It was stinking so much I couldn't sleep.

You can pay to get a better place to sleep, but I didn't bother.

Once you finish six months in jail you can write an application on a postcard to the jail Investigative Officer for a bedsheet and a pillow.

It was extremely hot. There are fans high up on the ceiling.

You can see the fans rotate slowly, but there is simply no breeze wafting down.

The prisoners told me Sanjay Dutt (jailed under the Arms Act in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case) was responsible for getting fans in the jail.

I also heard lots of people had committed suicide in the barrack and it was haunted.

But frankly, all this didn't bother me because being in jail itself is a nightmare.

There is a small Hindu shrine in one corner of the room and a copy of the Quran is kept in another corner.

The Muslim prisoners offer namaz five times a day. The first namaz is at 5 am.

They generally sleep near the Quran and that part of the room is called Mullah galli.

Once, by mistake, I stepped on the bed sheet they were sitting on while offering namaz. I don't think anyone has yelled at me so much. Ever.

There are bedbugs, rats, cockroaches everywhere.

Pest control is carried out every month, but it is clearly not enough.

There are two cement pools or water tanks with four taps for each barrack of 200 people.

This water is used for drinking, washing clothes, ablutions and a bath.

I used to have a bath at 5 am, an hour before the wake-up call, so I could skip the rush to after breakfast. (See the schedule alongside).

Routine in jail 6 am: The jail officials come to each barrack and bang on a plate with a stick to wake you up. Then you sit in a queue and attendance is taken.

7 am: Breakfast. Tea and poha or sheera.

7 to 10 am: Bath

You can have a bath immediately after breakfast.

9.30 to 11.30 am: Lunch is served.

By 12 noon you are done.

Each barrack has one TV. Between 7.30 am and 8.30 am you can listen to FM radio. From 12 noon to 1.30 pm you can see Doordarshan.

1.30 to 3 pm: Siesta or walk around. But the barrack is so congested that there is really no place to walk.

3 pm: The building gates are open.

3.30 pm: Tea.

You can walk around or continue sleeping.

4 to 6 pm: Wash your clothes or have a bath.

6 pm: Gates of the building are shut and you go back inside your barrack. Attendance is taken.

Dinner:7 pm

7.30 to 9.30 pm: Free time.

9.30 pm: You are allotted your place to sleep.

Early in the morning, the water is fresh. But once people start having a bath, the tank gets dirty with soap water.

The bath is hurried because there are hundreds of people waiting in line.

The water timing is between 7 and 10 in the morning and 4 and 6 in the evening. Then the tap is closed.

There is a barrel of water for people who have a bath early in the morning like I did.

The toilets are all Indian style and filthy.

Again, you have to wait in a queue to use them. There is no running water, so you have take a lota inside.

People are very dirty. They defecate and just get up and leave. So if you're up next, it isn't very pleasant.

There around 50 toilets to a barrack, apart from 10 toilets inside the barrack.

Once they close the gates you can't go outside so you use the 10 toilets inside.

There are no latches in the toilets and some are permanently closed.

IMAGE: An IT graduate, John was part of a group which, according to him, is essential for surviving prison life.

His task in the group was to stand in line for food for all the members.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

There are fights for food all the time. I would get food for all four of us.

They begin serving lunch from 9.30 am. Rice is served first.

It's not like a buffet where everything is served at the same time.

Dal is served an hour after rice, followed by rotis.

The food is brought inside the barrack from the kitchen and doled out with a bowl.

If you eat breakfast at 7 am you will get hungry by 11.30 and anyway there is nothing to do except eat and sleep.

Each queue takes you 15 to 20 minutes and you have to go thrice.

The rotis are dry and hard. Unpalatable. Everyone gets two rotis each. I used to get eight rotis for the group.

You can't lie and take more since the people who serve you are prisoners too and they know which group you belong to.

These people get paid. There are weevils in the rice. I've had food poisoning and loose motions very often in jail.

I am back home in Goa cherishing my time with my family.

Just enjoying the freedom of eating or sleeping or bathing or talking when you want to. No regimentation.

The joy of being around people who care about you.

The freedom from fear and the real hope that a better life is possible.

My passport is still with the police.

I am going to clear my name.

I am going be a successful person.

I will go to Portugal with every single document in place.

I will continue to trust in God.
Telangana is on Amit Shah's radar.

Radhika Ramaseshan reports.

The Bharatiya Janata Party celebrated 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' in Telangana with greater gusto than in the past.

It hopes this event, marked by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's presence, will help it outrival the Congress as principal opponent of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

This slice of history goes back to 1947-1948, when the Razakars, a private militia headed by Syed Qasim Razvi, then president of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, helped the Nizam resist Hyderabad's integration with the Indian Union.

It has since been vested with contemporary resonances in sync with the BJP's core ideology.

Qasim Razvi failed but the Majlis survives, essentially as a sectarian entity under Asaduddin Owaisi, a Lok Sabha member.

The TRS, the Centre's friend in need and deed during critical junctures in Parliament, opposed the 'liberation day' idea.

The charge helped the BJP frame the debate unapologetically.

A central leader monitoring the southern states said, "The TRS is our ideological adversary because like the Congress, it's a Muslim appeasement party. The chief minister has equated Muslims with the anti-national Nizam."

For G Kishan Reddy, the BJP's floor leader in the state legislature, the Majlis' presence was a 'reminder of the torture that Hindus suffered at the Razakars' hands... Every village has a Razakar story; we have to keep the memories alive'.

BJP Spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao's reasoning for adopting the tactic was, "We have never been in power in united Andhra Pradesh or Telangana, for 37 years. If we survived, it's because our ideology protected the cadre."

Of the three southern states of Telangana, Andhra and Tamil Nadu, the BJP considered the first politically 'fertile'.

Unlike Kerala, where the leadership believes the party is on the 'brink of a breakthrough', despite its indifferent showing in the assembly polls, and Karnataka that it has ruled, success eluded it in the others.

Telangana is on BJP President Amit Shah's radar. He has asked central leaders to address rallies in the districts from October.

Rao explained Telangana's significance. The Telugu Desam Party, he claimed, had all but disappeared.

"We have five legislators, the TDP only two. We have four corporators (in the Hyderabad municipal corporation), the TDP only one. The TDP has lost ground even in the cities," he emphasised, stating the BJP wanted to 'discard the liability of the alliance legacy'.

Telangana's neighbour, Andhra, was another tune.

Everyone spoken to in the BJP conceded that an alliance here with the TDP is 'necessary' because of 'mutual dependence'.

However, the BJP hopes to call the shots this time by dangling the option of going with the Jaganmohan Reddy-led Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress.

A central leader said, "We will assess our strength closer to 2019 and based on that, rework the alliance terms. Our space and strength won't be the same as in 2014. We have to negotiate for ourselves a position that requires skilful and tactical articulation."

For K Hari Babu, the Visakhapatnam MP and Andhra BJP president, the TDP remains the 'biggest hurdle' in the BJP's growth.

"People are confused. We are propagating the Centre's schemes, but people can't decide who the credit should go to. The Ujjwala scheme (for cooking gas connections) is a hit, but Deepam, a similar one from the state government, is also actively implemented," Babu rued.

The BJP is also bereft of regional leaders in these states, with central personas like M Venkaiah Naidu having towered for decades but leaving the party 'stagnant'.

In Tamil Nadu, factionalism in the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam after supremo J Jayalalithaa's death drew the BJP into the vortex.

A Chennai political observer's take was contrary to the BJP's contention of 'remaining passive' -- its ideologues and strategists principally brought about the truce between Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and now Deputy CM O Panneerselvam, and stemmed V K Sasikala's throttlehold, he said.

"The BJP's concern was that an enervated AIADMK would help the DMK(Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam)-Congress," says the observer.

On the ground, the BJP is up against 'several hurdles', acknowledges Vanathi Srinivasan, the Tamil Nadu party vice-president.

As in Andhra, Vanathi said, the party communicated the Centre's programmes to people.

"Still, there's a widespread perception that the BJP ignores fishermen, will cause harm with the (Neduvasal) hydrocarbon enterprise, Hindi imposition, and NEET (national medical college entrance test) implementation, and sides with Karnataka on Cauvery water sharing," she conceded.

The potential damage from the Opposition's discourse was 'partially offset' when the Modi government amended the 2011 central notification and allowed the jallikattu bull-taming spectacle during the Pongal festival.

However, a central functionary stressed, despite the 'perceptional misunderstandings', Tamil Nadu was not a no-go.

"The regional parties are leaderless for the first time since 1967. Modi's appeal is huge; he has always been emotionally attached to Tamil issues. He addressed Sri Lanka's Tamils in the country's north zone and the plantations," he said.

Among the prospective allies, he added, Rajnikanth was the 'best bet' if the film star floated a party close to the next Lok Sabha polls.

Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Armenian Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Ashot Manukyan and visiting Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the Kazakh National Geological Exploration Company KazGeology Eldar Tagash discussed possibilities of cooperation in the field of mineral resources.

Tagash presented to the Minister the spheres of activity of KazGeology and its cooperation with various foreign companies. The Minister expressed his readiness to implement joint projects.
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 Greek Government on the visits to Greece carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 13 to 18 April and 19 to 25 July 2016

Publication Date 26 September 2017

Country Greece

Citation / Document Symbol CPT/Inf (2017) 26

Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Report to the Greek Government on the visits to Greece carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 13 to 18 April and 19 to 25 July 2016, 26 September 2017, CPT/Inf (2017) 26, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca3ca34.html [accessed 14 November 2022]
The joint Armenian-Iraqi intergovernmental commission, co-chaired by the Minister of Territorial Administration Davit Lokyan from the Armenian side and the Iraqi Minister of Agriculture Falah Hassan Zaidan, concluded its fourth session by signing a protocol on economic, commercial, scientific and technical cooperation.

The co-chairs stated many areas of bilateral cooperation - trade, investment, banking and oil sector, agriculture, tourism, culture, energy, education, healthcare, information technology, youth, diplomacy, etc. The parties agreed to encourage businessmen of the two countries to create joint ventures in all areas of investments.

Minister Lokyan highlighted the mutual benefits of Armenia-Iraq relationships and opportunities in both countries, putting an accent on the commercial cooperation.

Iraqi Co-Chair Falah Hassan Zaidan said, "This session is very important for all of us. We have signed a comprehensive document. I hope that the reached agreements will be implemented in the near future. I emphasize the economic and financial cooperation between our central and private banks and the development of a common mechanism. Weve agreed to activate cultural and touristic cooperation. Well encourage Iraqi tourists to visit Armenia and quickly settle the issue of air and land transportation."
Development deficit feeds Boko Haram in northern Cameroon

Publisher IRIN Author Mbom Sixtus Publication Date 6 September 2017 Cite as IRIN, Development deficit feeds Boko Haram in northern Cameroon, 6 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca41654.html [accessed 14 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.

One of the main reasons Boko Haram has been able to gain a foothold and recruit thousands of young people in the Far North Region of Cameroon is its relative lack of development and employment opportunities.

Since Boko Haram began to launch attacks in northern Cameroon in 2014, more than 2,000 people have been killed and at least 155,000 forced to flee their homes.

While the Far North Region has always been poorer than most of the rest of the country, it until recently boasted a vibrant cross-border livestock trade and a burgeoning tourism industry. The onset of conflict led to the closure of the Nigerian border, slashed the price of cattle in half, scared tourists off, and, because of large-scale displacement, badly affected agricultural productivity.

The government's failure to make good on promises to boost development as a way to deter people from joining the insurgency risks perpetuating instability in the north, experts say.

"People are disappointed," a researcher at the University of Maroua, the main town in the Far North Region, told IRIN, referring to the glacial pace of change. He asked not to be identified by name for fear of repercussions resulting from criticising the government.

Projects supposedly underway include: a 78.9 billion CFA franc ($143 million) territorial development programme announced in 2014 for the three regions in the north of the country; a three-year national emergency plan unveiled in 2015 with a budget of 925 billion CFA francs of which just 42 billion francs was earmarked for the Far North Region; a 5.3 billion CFA franc plan to rebuild schools and hospitals in the region, also unveiled in 2015; and a 102 billion CFA franc project targeting young people across the country, announced by President Paul Biya in December 2016.

Aside from a few new classrooms, feasibility studies, surveys and some construction material for road projects, and the arrival in Maroua of several contractors, there's little evidence of progress.

"Sometimes people just say things to calm things down," the researcher said. "In the long term, this can only radicalise people - as they understand that the promises were just tricks - not necessarily to [join] Boko Haram but to oppose the government."

Boko Haram had already established logistics bases and begun recruiting in the Far North Region in 2011, gathering "support among disaffected youth through the use of ideological indoctrination, socio-economic incentives and coercion," the International Crisis Group said in a report published last November.

While the government has enjoyed significant military successes against Boko Haram, "the weak point of Cameroon's response remains the lack of commitment to development initiatives" as well as a lack of counter- and de-radicalisation programmes, the report said.

"Poverty, low levels of literacy and school attendance pushed people to join Boko Haram. They became easy prey. It was just a like a job for them," Ariel Ngnitedem, an economist and lecturer at the University of Yaounde II Soa, told IRIN, adding that young will remain vulnerable to recruitment if the government fails to deliver.

"[The] government has been promising to offer more than Boko Haram," Ngnitedem said. "If it fails, the youth will likely join any other radical groups that may emerge after Boko Haram is conquered. The youth fighting for Boko Haram have no political agenda."

Stalled projects

According to a recent evaluation conducted by a monitoring committee, local contractors in the Far North Region failed to deliver 50 construction projects awarded to them in 2016 and in the first quarter of 2017.

"Projects are awarded through tenders," explained the university researcher. But "the bidding process is not often transparent and projects are awarded to companies that lack the capabilities to execute them."

The follow-up committee, headed by a local MP, Zondol Hersesse, met in July and found that 80 percent of the projects scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2017 had yet to be delivered. Some hadn't been done at all or were poorly executed, while others had been completely abandoned.

According to a document prepared in 2016 by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, the far north's Diamare division had 15 undelivered projects, Mayo-Sava had 12, Mayo-Tsanaga nine, Mayo-Kani seven, Logone-et-Chari four, and Mayo-Danay three. These projects included rural electrification, building and maintenance of schools, rural roads, multimedia centres, hospitals, and infrastructure for other social amenities.

Bouakary Hamadou, a civil society activist, pointed the finger at the region's local elected officials.

"They take public offices for banquets," he said. "They are not accountable. Why do we have abandoned projects when the mayors are supposed to follow up public works?"

Another bone of contention, according to Hersesse, the MP on the monitoring committee, is that contracts worth a reported half trillion CFA francs ($900 million) have been awarded to Chadian companies on the grounds that local Cameroonian firms lack the requisite expertise.

"Those companies would return to Chad with money which would have been used to develop the economy of this region," he said.

The committee's report recommended setting up a capacity building workshop for contractors and mayors, and called on smaller local companies to join forces in order to be able to win and properly execute public contracts.

Boko Haram still a threat

In his New Year's Eve address to the nation, President Biya sounded triumphant.

"I can safely say that in 2016, this terrorist group was driven to the wall. There seems to be hope that this shady terrorist group may not recover from the setbacks it has suffered. However, there is a need to remain vigilant; the possibility of isolated suicide attacks, like that of December 25 cannot be ruled out," he said.

It was therefore time, he added, to ramp up internal security, reconstruct, organise the return of displaced persons, and revive the local economy.

"To that end, the state will do its utmost, while counting on the dynamism of the people and support from development partners." he said.

But since that speech, Boko Haram has carried out attacks, often using suicide bombers, almost on a daily basis. In one recent incident, on 24 August, some 16 people were killed in Gakara, a village near the Nigerian border.

Two days previously, nine people were killed and 11 injured in an attack on the town of Amchide.

Job opportunities

While the government drags its feet over its development projects, outside agencies have been active in the far north, notably financing large-scale manual labour schemes for the construction of wells and minor rural roads.

Agencies involved in such projects include the UN Development Programme, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ).

AFD, for example, works together with the Cameroonian government in 11 local council areas in the Far North Region to provide work for 1,000 marginalised people. One third of each participant's salary is lodged in a savings account at a microfinance institution, allowing them to build up capital lost during the conflict.

CARE International, meanwhile, helps participants with vocational projects designed to ease their economic reintegration.

Ten million euros from the EU's Emergency Trust Fund aims to allow such schemes to expand and give work to 3,500 young people in the region.

"Employing the youth prevents them from getting into prostitution, stealing, and other bad things," Ahmadou Yahyah, who runs a small tailor's business in Maroua thanks to a GIZ-funded initiative, told IRIN. "Without a job, I could have become a burglar. Now I am busy. I can't join Boko Haram or any gang."
New aid plan needed for South Sudan

Publisher IRIN Author Samuel Oakford Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as IRIN, New aid plan needed for South Sudan, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca42814.html [accessed 14 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.

Intense frustration is building across the aid community that despite its best efforts it has been unable to dent the catastrophic levels of suffering in South Sudan, worsened by war and a political class that doesn't seem to care.

"Every year we gather and we hold this meeting on South Sudan," International Organization for Migration chief William Swing said at UN headquarters last week. "The conclusion is always the same: It cannot get any worse. And each year we come back  in fact it has gotten worse."

The stock taking, part of a high-level meeting on South Sudan's crisis held on the sidelines of the UN's General Assembly gathering, was so awful that some aid officials are exploring alternative ways to alleviate the misery.

"I think we all feel that we are making far greater efforts to support, feed, look after the people of South Sudan than their government and their own leaders," said one Western diplomat. "I think the frustration played out throughout the entire week."

The metrics of suffering in South Sudan are shocking. Around 7.5 million people, or 60 percent of the entire country, are in urgent need of aid  1.4 million more than a year ago.

The number of people displaced by the conflict between President Salva Kiir and his former vice-president Riek Machar has surpassed four million, including two million who have fled the country.

Mark Lowcock, the newly-installed chief of OCHA, the UN's office for emergency aid coordination, said famine has been narrowly averted in northern Unity State, but "the conflict has caused the number of people, just one step away from famine, to increase from one million to at least 1.7 million since February."

And then there is a cholera outbreak  South Sudan's worst ever, which particularly impacts the displaced.

"There is a recognition that something must change, and we can't find ourselves in a year from now in the same place," Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam USA, told IRIN.

The challenges

As the civil war splinters the country into armed militia fiefdoms, it makes the task of humanitarian delivery far more complicated and dangerous.

Aid convoys travelling from Juba to Yambio in the southwest of the country have to negotiate with "12 different groups" along the road, said David Shearer, chief of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS.

UNMISS is overstretched and has proved unwilling to challenge government or rebel soldiers blocking humanitarian access. On several occasions it has also failed to effectively protect civilians sheltering in UN camps.

Fewer than 700 of what was meant to be a more robust 4,000-strong Regional Protection Force, authorised by the UN Security Council a year ago, have arrived.

They are sorely needed. One of the most disturbing figures is the number of humanitarian workers who have been killed. Eighteen have so far lost their lives this year, bringing the total since the outbreak of the civil war in December 2013 to at least 85, said Lowcock.

South Sudan's First Vice President Taban Deng Gai suggested at the UN last week that aid organisations were putting themselves at risk by not asking the government for protection.

However, diplomats are sceptical.

"All armed actors must stop violent attacks on aid workers," said Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende. "It is just terrible that people that really come to South Sudan... and really try to support people in dire need [are] killed."

But in his next breath, Brende added: "the international community has to continue its humanitarian support."

Therein lies the dilemma: how to continue assisting the millions of South Sudanese in need, while having only limited leverage over the warlords pursuing the war.

There is a long history of aid and donor money being pilfered and skimmed by the country's elite. In May, the government increased NGO registration fees six-fold to $3,500.

"Arbitrary and exorbitant taxes, burdensome regulations, and outright egregious rent-seeking behavior towards NGOs slows the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarians in South Sudan," said Rob Jenkins, acting assistant administrator at USAID.

What can be done?

South Sudan was ushered into existence in 2011 with a large push from Washington. The United States remains the top humanitarian donor, spending over $700 million this year. Efforts to reform the aid system would therefore need Washington's support.

There seems to be willingness to at least explore options. In early September, USAID Administrator Mark Green told Kiir the US would be "undertaking a complete review of our policy towards South Sudan," according to an interview with the Washington Post.

"It's not a binary choice. There are some pretty significant downsides  politically and in terms of delivery itself  with the current approach to humanitarian assistance," said Payton Knopf, coordinator of the South Sudan Senior Working Group at the US Institute of Peace, and former head of the UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan.

"That does not mean, however, that the answer is to stop humanitarian operations. There are alternatives," he told IRIN.

Knopf recognised that "by far and away the preponderance of violence in the country, and the preponderance of obstruction, is being committed by the government."

So, "there needs to be far more reflection on conditionality and taking a much stronger, more unified line towards the government," he said.

But is the political will really there to, for example, divert assistance through a friendlier third country?

Bypassing Juba

Some aid officials in New York cited the example of Operation Lifeline Sudan, a massive relief operation into southern Sudan run through Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda in the 1990s, as a potential alternative model of aid delivery.

A similar approach now would mean bypassing Juba in the flow of aid and money to the needy.

But OLS had a logistical imperative and was founded on a negotiated agreement between Khartoum, the then-rebel SPLA, and the aid community. Circumstances are different now.

The government in South Sudan jealously guards its sovereignty, and already accuses the UN system of siding with the rebels.

"I don't see any real appetite for cutting or shifting humanitarian aid," said a regional analyst who asked not to be named due to their work with a Western donor.

The fear is that there could be retaliation by the government if conditionalities over access were introduced.

"The difficulty with conditionality is that it's got to work on the basis that the people on the other side of the table care," said the Western diplomat.

"The South Sudanese authorities seem to feel immune to conditionality because they seem to think if you don't feed our people that's fine."
Vote violence in flashpoint city signals long road to Iraqi Kurdistan

Publisher IRIN Author Tom Westcott Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as IRIN, Vote violence in flashpoint city signals long road to Iraqi Kurdistan, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca43ed4.html [accessed 14 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 residents on the Sunni Muslim side of Tuz Khurmatu cast their ballots on the question of independence for Iraqi Kurdistan on Monday, dozens of locals gathered opposite, armed with machine guns, RPG launchers, and pistols, preparing to fight against the city's Shia population.

Half an hour earlier, a minibus carrying Kurdish peshmerga soldiers came under fire from the other side of the small city, almost exclusively populated by Shia Turkmen. The driver - a civilian and ironically a Shia himself - was killed instantly and one of his peshmerga passengers shot in the leg.

Referendum day here was drastically different than in some parts of northern Iraq, where Kurdish nationalism ran high and voting was marked by cheerful optimism and flag-waving.

This troubled city, where a wall divides residents by their adherence to Sunni or Shia Islam, may be the exception rather than the rule on this historic day for Iraqi Kurds, but it hints at the challenges that lie ahead, particularly in border areas claimed by both Kurdistan and Iraq.

It also remains to be seen how Monday's referendum will impact growing regional and international tensions. The vote was opposed by Iraq's central government, neighbours of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including Turkey and Iran, as well as by the United Nations, the United States and Britain. Voting had barely ended before the federal government in Baghdad had urged the international community to boycott crude oil exports from the KRG, and Turkey had declared the vote "null and void".

Violence had been expected in Tuz Khurmatu in Salah al-Din province, one of the most volatile areas in a fault line of disputed territories.

Frequent clashes between opposing sides have become so dangerous that, for over a year, a wall has separated the two. Residents told IRIN that many locals from both sides fled ahead of Monday's vote, fearing the bloodshed that inevitably came.

A city divided

Tuz Khurmatu's residents - a mixture of Sunni Kurds, Sunni Arabs, and Shia Turkmen - lived in relative harmony for decades. But the emergence of the so-called Islamic State, which at one point held territory just two kilometres from Tuz Khurmatu, enhanced religious divisions.

Fearing the threat of IS, the city's Shia Turkmen affiliated with Iraq's predominantly Shia Hashd al-Shaabi forces. Known in English as Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU), these groups welcomed Iraqi volunteers of any faith or ethnicity willing to take on IS. The Kurdish and Arab Sunnis of Tuz Khurmatu, meanwhile, looked to the KRG's peshmerga fighters for support.

Iraq's battle against IS enabled the KRG to considerably expand its reach into disputed areas but local journalist Hunar Ahmed told IRIN that when PMU forces arrived in the area to fight IS, they also took control of territory nearby, adding: "Then they never left."

"There were no such problems here before but, after they destroyed Daesh (IS), the Hashd and the peshmerga started fighting each other," he said.

Growing violence led the local branch of Jalal Talibani's Kurdish PUK party, which holds sway here, to authorise the construction of the wall a year ago, separating the town's Shia Turkmen, who account for around 60 percent of the city's population, from local Sunni Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen.

Parts of the city had already been divided since 2010 by barriers erected to reduce attacks by al-Qaeda and other extremist groups, according to Tuz Khurmatu Governor Shalal Abdul, himself a Kurd.

The governor told IRIN that the wall was extended last year as the city became fully segregated - even though elsewhere in Iraq, including just 30 kilometres outside Tuz Khurmatu, the PMU and the peshmerga share front lines and fight IS together.

Abdul attributed the recent escalation in tensions to the referendum but said a change in local PMU leadership had also compromised a long-standing agreement between the two sides. "There is no trust but, despite this, we are working hard to calm things down now," he said.

"Tell them we will arrest any civilian carrying weapons," he barked down the phone late Monday afternoon, issuing orders for the armed Kurdish civilians to stand down to prevent the day ending in a major gunfight.

A bloody referendum day

His clothes and hands smeared with blood, passenger Rami Abass told IRIN how the driver of the ill-fated minibus had stopped for tea from a temporary refreshment stall, erected as part Shia observances of the holy month of Muharram and in preparation for the religious pilgrimage of Arbaeen.

"Our military bags were piled on top of the bus, and when the Hashd saw those they knew we were peshmerga and opened fire with machine guns," he explained.

The birthday of the dead man, named as Wahaj Fuad, was Tuesday. He would have been 30. The peshmerga on the bus had been heading for their hometown of Khanaqin to cast their ballots when shots rang out, Abass said.

Just an hour before the shooting, local Kurds had boasted to IRIN that a several-hundred strong force of armed Sunni locals had patrolled the sreets the night before the election. "The Shia did nothing because they are very scared of us," one said proudly.

After the shooting, it was the city's Kurds who were looking nervous.

"We're making preparations because we are afraid the Iranian army will attack us," one Kurdish civilian fighter told IRIN near a polling station, referring to the Iranian-backed PMU. He alleged that another peshmerga had been shot and critically injured by a sniper as he went to vote.

As more armed civilians arrived on motorbikes or piled into the back of battered 4x4s, and unloaded mortar rounds in the street, an explosion shook the ground.

"A mortar," the man said quietly. "The Hashd offensive against the peshmerga has begun."

Tense build-up

Trouble had been brewing in Tuz Kharmatu long before referendum day.

A week before the vote, as Kurdish anthems, songs, and speeches from a rally in support of the referendum echoed out across the city, IRIN crossed one of the walls and found local Turkmen fighters and peshmerga units in a tense and silent stand-off, holding rival positions just 200 metres from one another.

"Our orders are to be ready at all times to fight," said peshmerga soldier Dolan. There hasn't been a serious battle for half a year, "but we are always ready. As soon as we hear an explosion or a gunshot, we will start fighting."

Less than 200 metres away, a large Shia flag was pinned to a wall, with another flying on top of a makeshift tower beneath which three young men kept a constant watch over the streets. Within one minute, armed Turkmen appeared on street corners, some wearing balaclavas.

While the conflict here predates the independence referendum, Turkmen living in Kurdistan were the largest ethnic minority demographic to take a public stance against the vote. Eight Turkmen political parties made a joint announcement pledging allegiance to Baghdad and calling on all Turkmen in the region to boycott the ballot.

Iran and leaders of the PMU also came out against the vote.

Determined voters

Voters, unperturbed by the fighting, still dribbled into the polling station in the city centre, past the growing group of men and guns, amongst whom a little girl wearing a dress made from Kurdish flags cycled cheerfully.

Volunteer Kharwan Khabat, responsible for welcoming voters and explaining procedure, told IRIN that more than half of the 4,000 registered at that spot had cast their ballots: "People haven't been too afraid of violence to vote and, so far, things have been very good here."

While the armed men dispersed after receiving orders from the governor - who was frantically negotiating a temporary peace settlement -- voting stations closed their doors and started emptying the ballot boxes.

"There are two 'no' votes here. Look!" said one of the election volunteers, holding up the two papers. "And I know exactly who cast those two votes." Another ballot paper, where the voter had crossed both the yes and no boxes, would be declared void, she explained.

At a voting centre in the city's predominantly Arab and Turkmen Sunni district where votes were being counted, lawyer and election observer Juma Hussein said 5,000 of the 6,500 people registered had voted. All those registered at that polling station, he said, were displaced from their villages by IS and have still been unable to return to their destroyed villages, which are now in PMU-controlled territory. Of those, 3,000 were Sunni Arabs and Turkmen, and 2,000 were Kurds.

Across the KRG and other disputed territories, turnout was said to be as high as 72 percent.

Some of these displaced Arabs live unhappily sandwiched between the city's indigenous (and occasionally warring) Sunni and Shia residents.

"We have no problem with Kurdish people or Turkmen," said 45 year-old Mariam desperately, gesturing towards the wall, under the shadow of which she has lived with her six children for three years. "We just don't want any more bloodletting or war. We have had too much fighting and we hate war. We just want a balanced and peaceful life."

If an independent Kurdish state is to emerge after the referendum, it is in ethnically mixed and politically divided areas like Tuz Khurmatu, with a history of sectarian conflict, where the future looks most uncertain.
Hong Kong: Freedom of expression under attack as scores of peaceful protesters face "chilling" prosecutions

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Hong Kong: Freedom of expression under attack as scores of peaceful protesters face "chilling" prosecutions, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca46214.html [accessed 14 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 Hong Kong government must drop prosecutions aimed at having a chilling effect on freedom of expression in the city, Amnesty International said ahead of the third anniversary of the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement.

Three years on from the start of the unprecedented 79-day protest in late 2014, scores of protesters, who were arrested for their involvement in the largely peaceful protests, remain in legal limbo, uncertain if they will face charges.

"Three years since the Umbrella Movement protests, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over Hong Kong. The government's stance is having a chilling effect on peaceful assembly and freedom of expression," said Mabel Au, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong.

"The government must drop prosecutions which have the effect of deterring people from participating in peaceful protests, particularly on sensitive issues such as Hong Kong's autonomy and democracy. The authorities' continued obfuscation has left protesters in legal limbo and is detrimental to human rights in Hong Kong."

Chilling effect

According to government figures, 955 people were arrested during the Umbrella Movement. After the protests, the government further arrested 48 people, mostly key individuals involved in the pro-democracy demonstrations. They were arrested for a range of offences including "unlawful assembly" and "unauthorized assembly".

Many of them were released after their arrest, but police notified them that criminal investigations were still ongoing and they would be re-arrested and charged, should there be sufficient evidence to prosecute them.

Among the 48 prominent activists who were arrested after the Umbrella Movement protests were Associate Professor Benny Tai, Rev. Chu Yiu-ming and Chan Kin-man, arrested for "unlawful assembly" in 2015. In March this year, the charges were changed to "public nuisance", ambiguous charges with a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International wrote to Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice, Rimsky Yuen, to ask for clarification on the legal situation of all those arrested. In its reply, the Department of Justice, stated that as of 31 August, 225 people who were arrested have or are undergoing judicial proceedings.

The Department of Justice also stressed that in two cases those prosecuted for "unlawful assembly" "were not peaceful butinvolved violence." While Amnesty International acknowledges there were isolated incidents of small-scale violence, the protests were overwhelmingly peaceful. The presence of smaller groups of people within a public assembly who use violence is not a sufficient reason for the police to restrict, prohibit or disperse the whole assembly.

Many of the charges against activists are for actions in largely peaceful protests that are protected under international human rights law and that are supposed to be protected under Hong Kong law.

Vague charges

The charge of "unlawful assembly" and other vague provisions in Hong Kong's Public Order Ordinance and their implementation have been repeatedly criticized by the UN Human Rights Committee for failing to fully meet international human rights law on the right to peaceful assembly.

In August, student leaders Joshua Wong, Alex Chow and Nathan Law, were handed jail terms between six to eight months after being convicted under these vague offences for their roles in a demonstration that helped spark the Umbrella Movement. The court originally ordered community service or suspended sentences but prosecutors successfully appealed, seeking harsher penalties.

"The arbitrary arrests and prosecutions of Umbrella Movement participants using vague and broad charges reeks of political motivation, aimed at silencing those promoting democracy in Hong Kong," said Mabel Au.

Background

The UN Human Rights Committee monitors compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, an international treaty binding on Hong Kong and enshrined in its Basic Law.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Lesotho: Prime Minister's first 100 days fails to tackle past human rights violations

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Lesotho: Prime Minister's first 100 days fails to tackle past human rights violations, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca46754.html [accessed 14 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.

Prime Minister Thomas Thabane's first 100 days in office have fallen far short in tackling the deeply entrenched culture of impunity for past human rights violations, Amnesty International said today.

After more than three months of his premiership, there is no clear progress in a series of cases involving killings by Lesotho's security forces and the attempted murder of a journalist in the country.

"Prime Minister Thabane's government has missed an opportunity in these 100 days to demonstrate a clear break from the past to ensure accountability for past human rights violations," said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Regional Director for Southern Africa.

"He must live up to the promise he made at his inauguration to create a more stable and lawful country."

There has been no demonstrable progress in the criminal investigation into the killing of Lt. General Maaparankoe Mahao, who was killed by members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) in June 2015, despite recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

More than a year after the shooting of Lesotho Times editor, Lloyd Mutungamiri, by unknown gunmen, he is yet to see justice for the crime that nearly took his life. In a chilling attack on the right to freedom of expression, he was attacked outside his home in Maseru, Lesotho, on 9 July 2016. The Lesotho Times is an investigative newspaper that had published politically sensitive stories about corruption within the police and military.

It is also unclear how far criminal investigations into the killing of Prime Minister Thabane's estranged wife have progressed. Lipolelo Thabane was shot dead by unknown assailants on 14 June 2017, on the eve of his inauguration.

Earlier this month, on 5 September 2017, LDF commander Khoantle Motsomotso was shot dead in his office at the LDF headquarters in Maseru. Two other LDF members, Brigadier Bulane Sechele and Colonel Tefo Hashatsi, also died in the ensuing shoot out. Prime Minister Thabane announced that investigations are underway.

"Prime Minister Thomas Thabane must seize the opportunity to open a new chapter for Lesotho by urgently tackling the culture of impunity that has fuelled human rights violations for decades," said Deprose Muchena.

"Failing to address historic abuses simply creates a culture whereby more abuses occur."

Background

Prime Minister Thomas Thabane took office on 16 June after an election on 3 June 2017 following a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili on 1 March 2017.

A coalition of four political parties, made up of the All Basotho Convention (ABC), the Monyane Moleleki-led Alliance of Democrats (AD), Basotho National Party (BNP) and the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) formed a ruling coalition after combining their 63 parliamentary seats.

Lesotho has been characterized by a political and security crisis since 2014, resulting in a spike in human rights violations.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Egypt: Former presidential candidate given jail term in bid to stop him running in 2018 election

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Egypt: Former presidential candidate given jail term in bid to stop him running in 2018 election, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca47304.html [accessed 14 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.

Today's conviction of Khalid Ali, a former presidential candidate and prominent human rights lawyer who is widely viewed as President Abdelfattah al-Sisi's top contender for the 2018 presidential elections, is politically motivated, said Amnesty International.

Khaled Ali was sentenced to three months in prison which would prevent him from standing in the 2018 presidential elections if the verdict is confirmed on appeal. The court found him guilty of "violating public decency" in relation to a photograph showing him celebrating a court victory after successfully reversing a controversial Egyptian government decision to hand over control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. He was released on a bail of 1000 Egyptian pounds pending appeal.

"Khaled Ali's politically motivated conviction today is a clear signal that the Egyptian authorities are intent on eliminating any rival who could stand in the way of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's victory in next year's elections. It also illustrates the government's ruthless determination to crush dissent to consolidate its power," said Najia Bounaim, Amnesty International's Head of North Africa Campaigns.

"It beggars belief that Khaled Ali, a prominent human rights lawyer and political activist, has been given a jail term simply for celebrating his victory in a court case. His conviction on this absurd charge must be quashed."

The trial in Khaled Ali's case was also riddled with flaws; the court issued its decision without hearing the defence lawyers' final pleadings or allowing them to cross-examine witnesses for the prosecution about disputed video evidence submitted against Khaled Ali, which his defence lawyers argued was fabricated.

Earlier this year Amnesty International warned that the Egyptian authorities have intensified their crackdown on opposition activists ahead of the 2018 presidential election by rounding up activists from opposition parties.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Burma: Military Commits Crimes Against Humanity

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Burma: Military Commits Crimes Against Humanity, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca49194.html [accessed 14 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.

Burmese security forces are committing crimes against humanity against the Rohingya population in Burma, Human Rights Watch said today. The military has committed forced deportation, murder, rape, and persecution against Rohingya Muslims in northern Rakhine State, resulting in countless deaths and mass displacement.

The United Nations Security Council and concerned countries should urgently impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the Burmese military to stop further crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said. The Security Council should demand that Burma allow aid agencies access to people in need, permit entry to a UN fact-finding mission to investigate abuses, and ensure the safe and voluntary return of those displaced. The council should also discuss measures to bring those responsible for crimes against humanity to justice, including before the International Criminal Court.

"The Burmese military is brutally expelling the Rohingya from northern Rakhine State," said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch. "The massacres of villagers and mass arson driving people from their homes are all crimes against humanity."

Crimes against humanity are defined under international law as specified criminal acts "committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack." Burmese military attacks on the Rohingya have been widespread and systematic. Statements by Burmese military and government officials have indicated an intent to attack this population, Human Rights Watch said.

Crimes against humanity are crimes that fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and are crimes of universal jurisdiction, meaning they may be prosecuted before national courts in countries outside of Burma, even though neither victim nor perpetrator is a national of that country.

Research by Human Rights Watch in the area supported by analysis of satellite imagery has found crimes of deportation and forced population transfers, murder and attempted murder, rape and other sexual assault, and persecution. "Persecution" is defined as "the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights contrary to international law by reason of the identity of the group or collectivity." The abuses being committed also amount to ethnic cleansing, a term not defined under international law.

Since August 25, 2017, when the armed group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked about 30 police outposts in northern Rakhine State, Burmese security forces have carried out mass arson, killing, rape, and looting, destroying hundreds of villages and forcing more than 400,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. Human Rights Watch has, since 2012, found that the Burmese government has committed crimes against humanity against the Rohingya population in Rakhine State.

"Attaching a legal label to the ghastly crimes being committed by the Burmese military against Rohingya families may seem inconsequential," Ross said. "But global recognition that crimes against humanity are taking place should stir the UN and concerned governments to action against the Burmese military to bring these crimes to an end."

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Crimes against Humanity by Burmese Security Forces Against the Rohingya Muslim Population in Northern Rakhine State since August 25, 2017

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Crimes against Humanity by Burmese Security Forces Against the Rohingya Muslim Population in Northern Rakhine State since August 25, 2017, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca4a1f4.html [accessed 14 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 has found that serious violations committed by members of Burma's state security forces against the Rohingya Muslim population in northern Rakhine State since August 25, 2017, amount to crimes against humanity under international law. The crimes against humanity alleged include: a) forced population transfers and deportation, b) murder, c) rape and other sexual violence, and d) persecution as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the ad hoc international criminal courts.

Human Rights Watch previously determined that the Burmese government was responsible for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya in 2012 and 2016 when Buddhist monks and ethnic Rakhine villagers carried out killings with help from the state security forces.[1]

According to the ICC Statute, crimes against humanity are specified criminal acts "committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack."[2] The attack must also be part of a state or organizational policy.[3] International legal jurisprudence requires that the attack be widespread or systematic, but need not be both.[4] "Widespread" refers to the scale of the acts or number of victims and a "systematic" attack indicates "a pattern or methodical plan."[5]

The "attack" does not necessarily need to be a military attack as defined under international humanitarian law.[6] Because crimes against humanity may be committed "inside or outside the context of an armed conflict,  the term civilian must be understood within the context of war as well as relative peace."[7] Furthermore, "the term 'population' does not require that crimes against humanity be directed against the entire population of a geographical territory or area."[8]

Crimes against humanity are crimes that fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and are crimes of universal jurisdiction, meaning they may be prosecuted before national courts in countries outside of Burma, even though neither victim nor the perpetrator is a national of that country.

A. Burmese military attacks on the Rohingya population have been widespread and systematic

The Burmese military's campaign against the Rohingya population was sparked by an August 25, 2017 attack by militants belonging to the armed group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which targeted about 30 police posts and an army base. The military's attacks, which include mass burning, killings, and other abuses, have caused more than 400,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. Tens of thousands more are internally displaced within Rakhine State. An additional 21,000 mainly ethnic Rakhine and other non-Muslims are also displaced in Rakhine State, as a result of ARSA attacks or the Burmese military operations.[9]

Early satellite imagery showed the overall area in which burnings were found to be spread along an approximately 100-kilometer long stretch of Rakhine State, which is substantially larger than the approximately 20-kilometer long stretch in which burnings by Burmese security forces occurred from October to November 2016.[10]

Maps of the damage seen in satellite imagery analyzed by Human Rights Watch show near-total destruction of 284 villages, with more than 90 percent of the structures in each village damaged.[11] Detailed satellite images show the destruction of tens of thousands of homes across Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships.[12] Accounts taken from eyewitnesses, including video obtained and verified by Human Rights Watch researchers, place the blame for the vast majority of these burnings squarely on the Burmese security forces and vigilante groups acting in concert with the security forces.

B. Burmese military and government statements have indicated an intent to attack the Rohingya population

On September 16, the Burmese army commander, Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, linked Rohingya demands to be recognized as an ethnic group under Burmese law with the army's actions.[13] Using "Bengali," a Burmese ethnic slur for Rohingya, he stated in a Facebook post that, "They have demanded recognition as Rohingya, which has never been an ethnic group in Myanmar. [The] Bengali issue is a national cause and we need to be united in establishing the truth."[14] He described the ongoing operations against the Rohingya as "unfinished business" dating back to World War II.[15]

On September 15, the Burmese Government Information Committee of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi's office, stated that, "Those who fled the villages made their way to the other country [Bangladesh] for fear of being arrested as they got involved in the violent attacks" - implying that the several hundred thousand people who fled Burma were responsible for the militant attacks against the government.[16]

On September 21, Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing referred to restoring destroyed villages of the "national races," a reference to the official list of recognized indigenous ethnic groups - a list that does not include the Rohingya: "Regarding the rehabilitation of villages of our national races, for the national races [largely ethnic Rakhine] who fled their homes, first of all they must go back to their places. ...The important thing is to have our people in the region. It's necessary to have control of our region with our national races. We can't do anything if there are no people from our national races  that is their rightful place."[17]

Alleged criminal acts amounting to crimes against humanity

A. Crime of deportation and forced population transfers

Since August 25, the Burmese military has subjected Rohingya to both deportation and forced population transfers.

Deportation is recognized as a crime against humanity in each of the major international criminal instruments prior to the ICC.[18] Deportation and forcible transfer of population are distinguished by whether or not the victim was forced across an international border:

Both deportation and forcible transfer relate to the involuntary and unlawful evacuation of individuals from the territory in which they reside. Yet, the two are not synonymous in customary international law. Deportation presumes transfer beyond State borders, whereas forcible transfer relates to displacements within a State.[19]

The crime of forcible transfer of populations includes "the full range of coercive pressures on people to flee their homes, including death threats, destruction of their homes, and other acts of persecution such as depriving members of a group of employment, denying them access to schools, and forcing them to wear a symbol of their religious identity."[20]

The requisite elements of the crime against humanity of deportation or forcible transfer consist of coercing movement to another location of people lawfully in the area with the intent of permanently relocating them.[21]

As noted, since late August, more than 400,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, and tens of thousands have been forcibly displaced within Burma, along with members of other ethnic groups. In early September, Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 50 Rohingya refugees who had fled across the border to Bangladesh and obtained detailed accounts from about a dozen people. The Rohingya told Human Rights Watch that Burmese government security forces had carried out armed attacks on villagers, inflicting bullet and shrapnel injuries, and burned down their homes. They described the military's use of small arms, mortars, and armed helicopters in the attacks.

Satellite images corroborate accounts gathered by Human Right Watch from refugees who have described abuses by the Burmese military, police, and ethnic Rakhine mobs to force them to leave their homes.[22]

The Burmese military alleges that ARSA militants and Rohingya villagers have burned down their own homes but has provided no evidence to substantiate this claim. The scale, scope, and timing of the burnings, many of which occurred after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya had already fled, is inconsistent with this claim. The pattern of burnings over time suggests government responsibility for the destruction.[23]

B. Crime of Murder

Murder is recognized as one of the prohibited acts that may constitute a crime against humanity in the ICC statute and in the ad hoc criminal courts.[24] It has been defined as "the death of the victim which results from an act or omission by the accused, committed with the intent either to kill or to cause serious bodily harm with the reasonable knowledge that it would likely lead to death."[25]

Human Rights Watch interviewed [a number of] Rohingya refugees who had described the murder of relatives and neighbors by the Burmese military.

Momena, a 32-year-old Rohingya woman from Maungdaw Township, said that she fled to Bangladesh on August 26, a day after security forces attacked her village. She first hid with her children when the soldiers arrived, but upon returning to the village she saw 40 to 50 villagers dead, including some children and elderly people: "All had knife wounds or bullet wounds, some had both. My father was among the dead; his neck had been cut open. I was unable to do last rites for my father - I just fled."

Usman Goni, 20, said that he and five friends were in the hills outside their village, tending cattle, when they were attacked. He saw a helicopter flying overhead and then something fall out of it. He later realized he had been hit by whatever the helicopter dropped. Four of his friends died from fragment injuries while villagers transported Goni to Bangladesh for treatment.

Hasina, a 20-year-old Rohingya woman, said that the Burmese army attacked her village of Tu Lar To Li in late August. The villagers ran when the soldiers came, but some were trapped on a riverbank and she saw dozens murdered on the beach. She said the soldiers forced her and many other women to stand waist-deep in water and watch while soldiers dug a pit to burn the bodies of those they had killed. She tried to hide her infant daughter under her shawl, but a soldier noticed the baby, snatched her away and tossed her into the fire.

Hasina said that several hours later the soldiers took her, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, and three other relatives, all children, to a nearby house. The soldiers tried to rape the women, knifing her mother-in-law to death when she resisted and beating Hasina and her sister-in-law unconscious. They beat the young children to death with spades. She said the soldiers tried to burn her and her sister-in-law alive in the house; they managed to escape the flames, but with serious burns.[26]

Witnesses described dozens of killings in the village of Maung Nu in Buthidaung Township at a single house. One man said he saw soldiers kill three men; one of them while handcuffed and in their custody. He also saw soldiers beat two children to death with the butts of rifles after they were taken from their mothers.

Another man said that while hiding in an adjacent building, he saw two soldiers execute his elder brother, shooting him in the back and then cutting his neck with a long knife.

A woman said that a soldier entered the house she was hiding in, tore her 10-year-old nephew out of her hands, dragged him into the next room, and shot the boy in the head with a rifle, killing him instantly.

Witness accounts, independent reporting, and photo and video recordings also described Burmese soldiers in recent weeks deliberately laying antipersonnel landmines at key crossing points along the Burma-Bangladesh border that are used by the fleeing Rohingya population. Witnesses also told Human Rights Watch that Burmese military personnel also planted mines on roads inside northern Rakhine State prior to their attacks on predominantly Rohingya villages.[27]

C. Crime of Rape and Other Sexual Violence

Rape and other acts of sexual violence are recognized as prohibited acts that may be prosecuted as crimes against humanity, including in the ICC statute.[28] There are many reports of the military carrying out rapes, including gang rapes, of Rohingya women during the security crackdown in Burma in recent weeks, as well as in 2016.[29]

UN and other health workers said that after this most recent August 2017 military crackdown, they treated dozens of Rohingya women and girls who had escaped to Bangladesh for injuries consistent with violent sexual attacks.[30]

One woman told Human Rights Watch that she and four other women were taken to a hut, slashed with knives, and sexually assaulted. The soldiers then set the hut on fire. She is the only one to escape alive. Another woman who was raped still has injuries from the machete attack and beatings that accompanied the rape, and said she also barely managed to escape from a burning house.

One man told Human Rights Watch that he witnessed an army soldier rape three women in Maung Nu village. Two other woman from the same village told Human Rights Watch that soldiers stripped them and several other women who were hiding from the military naked and that they were "touched everywhere."

D. Crime of Persecution

Persecution is recognized as among the offenses that can constitute a crime against humanity.[31] The ICC statute defines persecution as "the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights contrary to international law by reason of the identity of the group or collectivity."[32] The crime of persecution consists of an act or omission that 1) entails actual discrimination and denies a fundamental human right, and 2) was carried out deliberately with the intention of discriminating on one of the recognized grounds.[33] These include for political, national, ethnic, and religious reasons.[34] Persecutory acts have been found to include murder, sexual assault, beatings, destruction of livelihood, and deportation and forced transfer, among others.[35]

Acts of violence, restrictions on fundamental rights, and other discriminatory actions - such as depriving members of the population access to their livelihoods or to food - might be considered acts of persecution that amount to crimes against humanity.

Evidence of government intent to commit the crime of persecution against the Rohingya can be found in both the actions and inaction of state security forces, combined with the longtime discriminatory state practices against them, such as restrictions on freedom of movement, marriage, childbirth, education, and employment.

For decades, the Burmese government has considered the Rohingya, most of whom live in northern Rakhine State, to be foreign nationals from Bangladesh. Just over one million Rohingya lived in Burma before August 2017, and they make up a large portion of the country's relatively small Muslim population. The Rohingya have long faced systematic discrimination in Burma based on their exclusion from citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law. As a result, the Rohingya are one of the largest stateless populations in the world.

Since the Rohingya lack citizenship, Burmese police, border guards, and local officials systematically subject them to numerous rights-abusing restrictions. Government laws, policies, and practices prevent Rohingya from freedom of movement to leave their villages; restrict their right to livelihoods; interfere with their privacy rights to marry and have children; and obstruct them from access to basic health services and education.

Official restrictions and recurrent military operations against Rohingya communities have left the Rohingya highly dependent on food and other aid distributed by United Nations agencies and humanitarian aid organizations.

Hostility against aid agencies has grown following government accusations that international aid workers supported the Rohingya militants because some high-energy biscuits distributed by the World Food Program were found in an alleged militant camp in July 2017.[36] Some supply warehouses of international aid groups were reported looted in September, while national and international staff of the UN and international aid organizations have faced intimidation, according to the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.

[1] Human Rights Watch, "All You Can Do is Pray;" Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma's Arakan State, April 22, 2013, https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/04/22/all-you-can-do-pray/crimes-against-humanity-and-ethnic-cleansing-rohingya-muslims; Human Rights Watch, "Burma: Rohingya Recount Killings, Rape, and Arson; Video Testimony Matches Satellite Images of Attacks," December 21, 2016, https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/12/21/burma-rohingya-recount-killings-rape-and-arson.

[2] Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC Statute), 2187 U.N.T.S. 3, entered into force July 1, 2002, art. 7, http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/Rome_Statute_ICC/romestatute.html . The Rome Statute entered into force on April 11, 2002 and the ICC has the authority to prosecute the most serious international crimes since July 1, 2002. Burma is not a party to the Rome Statute.

[3] ICC Statute, art. 7(2)(a), http://untreaty.un.org/cod/icc/statute/99_corr/cstatute.htm.

[4] Ibid., art. 7(1); Prosecutor v. Dusko Tadic, ICTY, Case No. IT-94-1-T, Opinion and Judgment (Trial Chamber), May 7, 1997, para. 646, http://www.icty.org/x/cases/tadic/tjug/en/tad-tsj70507JT2-e.pdf.

[5] See Prosecutor v. Akayesu, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Case No. ICTR-96-4-T, Judgement (Trial Chamber I), September 2, 1998, para. 579. In Akayesu the Trial Chamber defined widespread as "massive, frequent, large scale action, carried out collectively with considerable seriousness and directed against a multiplicity of victims." http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/ICTR/AKAYESU_ICTR-96-4/Judgment_ICTR-96-4-T.html ; see also Prosecutor v. Kordic and Cerkez, ICTY, Case No. IT-92-14/2, Judgement (Trial Chamber III), February 26, 2001, para. 179; Prosecutor v. Kayishema and Ruzindana, ICTR, Case No. ICTR-95-1-T, Judgement (Trial Chamber II), May 21, 1999, para. 123; Prosecutor v. Dusko Tadic, ICTY, Case No. IT-94-1-T, Opinion and Judgment (Trial Chamber), May 7, 1997, para. 648. See also Prosecutor v. Kunarac, Kovac and Vokovic, ICTY, Case No. IT-96-23 and IT-96-23-1A, Judgement (Appeals Chamber), June 12, 2002, para. 94. In Kunarac the Appeals Chamber stated that "patterns of crimes - that is the non-accidental repetition of similar criminal conduct on a regular basis - are a common expression of [a] systematic occurrence."

[6] Rodney Dixon in Otto Triffterer (ed.), Commentary on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 1999), p. 124.

[7] ICTR, Kayishema and Ruzindana, (Trial Chamber), May 21, 1999, paras. 127-29.

[8] ICTR, Bisengimana, (Trial Chamber), April 13, 2006, para. 50.

[9] UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Myanmar: Humanitarian Bulletin, Issue 2 2017 | June - 22 September, September 22, 2017, https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-humanitarian-bulletin-issue-2-2017-june-22-september ; Jurawee Kittisilpa, "Myanmar army chief urges internally displaced to return to Rakhine," Reuters, September 21, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-commander/myanmar-army-chief-urges-internally-displaced-to-return-to-rakhine-idUSKCN1BW1HD "Nearly 400 Die in Rakhine State As Myanmar Army Steps Up Crackdown on Militants," Reuters, September 1, 2017, https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/nearly-400-die-rakhine-state-myanmar-army-steps-crackdown-militants.html.

[10] Human Rights Watch, "Burma: Military Burned Villages in Rakhine State," December 13, 2016,

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/12/13/burma-military-burned-villages-rakhine-state.

[11] Human Rights Watch, "Burma: Satellite Imagery Shows Mass Destruction," September 19, 2017, https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/19/burma-satellite-imagery-shows-mass-destruction

[12] Human Rights Watch, "Satellite Imagery: Myar Zin village," September 18, 2017, https://www.hrw.org/video-photos/satellite-imagery/2017/09/18/satellite-imagery-myar-zin-village; Human Rights Watch, "Satellite Imagery: Nwar Yon Taung village," September 18, 2017, https://www.hrw.org/video-photos/satellite-imagery/2017/09/18/satellite-imagery-nwar-yon-taung-village.

[13] Min Aung Hlaing urges unity over Rakhine crisis, AFP, September 17, 2017, https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/min-aung-hlaing-urges-unity-over-rakhine-crisis.

[14] Ibid.

[15] James Hookway, "Myanmar Says Clearing of Rohingya Is Unfinished Business From WWII," September 2, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/myanmar-army-chief-defends-clearing-rohingya-villages-1504410530.

[16] Ministry of Information, "Local people arrive back home in peace," MOI Webportal Myanmar, September 17, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/MOIWebportalMyanmar/posts/1311640255630504.

[17] Jurawee Kittisilpa, "Myanmar army chief urges internally displaced to return to Rakhine," Reuters, September 21, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-commander/myanmar-army-chief-urges-internally-displaced-to-return-to-rakhine-idUSKCN1BW1HD.

[18] These included the Nuremberg Charter, the Tokyo Charter, the Allied Control Council Law No. 10, and the statutes of the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR). See Roy Lee (ed.), The International Criminal Court: Elements of Crimes and Rules of Procedure and Evidence (Ardsley, NY: Transnational Publishers, 2001), p. 86; M. Cherif Bassiouni and Peter Manikas, The Law of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (New York: Transnational Publishers, 1996), pp. 627-38 (arguing that the crime of "deportation" under the Nuremberg Charter included "all unjustified transfers [including] internal displacement.").

[19] Prosecutor v. Krstic, (Trial Judgment) IT-98-33-T (2 August 2001), para. 521.

[20] Christopher K. Hall in Otto Triffterer (ed.), Commentary on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 1999), p. 162.

[21] See Prosecutor v. Milomir Stakic, Case No. IT-97-24-T, ICTY, Appeals Chamber, Judgment, paras. 686-87.

[22] Human Rights Watch, "Burma: Military Torches Homes Near Border," September 15, 2017, https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/15/burma-military-torches-homes-near-border.

[23] Human Rights Watch, "Arson Attacks on Villages in Rakhine State, Burma," December 12, 2016, https://www.hrw.org/video-photos/interactive/2016/12/12/arson-attacks-villages-rakhine-state-burma.

[24] ICC Statute, art. 7(1)(g).

[25] See e.g., Blagojevic and Jokic (ICTY Trial Chamber), January 17, 2005, para. 556.

[26] Peter Bouckaert, "Witness to Carnage in Burma's Rakhine State," Human Rights Watch, September 22, 2017, https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/22/witness-carnage-burmas-rakhine-state.

[27] Human Rights Watch, "Burma: Landmines Deadly for Fleeing Rohingya," September 23, 2017, https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/23/burma-landmines-deadly-fleeing-rohingya.

[28] See ICC Statute, art. 7(1)(g)

[29] Claire Cozens, "Gang rape horrors haunt Rohingya refugees," AFP, September 24, 2017, https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/37204578/gang-rape-horrors-haunt-rohingya-refugees/?cmp=st ; Human Rights Watch, "Burma: Security Forces Raped Rohingya Women, Girls," February 6, 2017, https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/02/06/burma-security-forces-raped-rohingya-women-girls.

[30] Simon Lewis, Tommy Wilkes, "U.N. medics see evidence of rape in Myanmar army 'cleansing' campaign," Reuters, September 24, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-rape-insight/u-n-medics-see-evidence-of-rape-in-myanmar-army-cleansing-campaign-idUSKCN1BZ06X

[31] See ICC Statute, art. 7(1)(h); Nadhimana, Barayagwiza and Ngeze, ICTR Appeals Chamber, November 28, 2007, para. 985.

[32] ICC Statute, art. 7(2)(g).

[33] Prosecutor v. Krnojelac, ICTY judgment, IT-97-25T, March 15, 2002, sec. 431.

[34] ICC statute, art. 7(1)(h).

[35] See Antonio Cassese, ed. The Oxford Companion to International Criminal Justice, (Oxforcd: Oxford University Press, 2009) p. 454.

[36] World Food Program, "World Food Programme Statement, August 29, 2017, https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000022211/download/?_ga=2.166720382.1774434364.1504902633-504753397.1504902633

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DR Congo: Free Rights Activists

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, DR Congo: Free Rights Activists, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca4aca1f.html [accessed 14 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.

Democratic Republic of Congo authorities should immediately and unconditionally release nine Congolese human rights and pro-democracy activists wrongfully detained for their participation in peaceful activities, 45 Congolese and international human rights organizations said today. Four activists were arrested on July 14 and 15, 2017 in Mbuji-Mayi and five others on July 31 in Lubumbashi.

"The Congolese authorities have thrown activists in jail for joining peaceful protests calling for elections and for Congo's constitution to be respected," said Ida Sawyer, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The government should release them immediately and ensure that all Congolese have the right to peacefully demonstrate and express their political views."

The nine activists are among hundreds arrested since 2015 as part of the Congolese government's widespread crackdown on people who have opposed President Joseph Kabila's effort to remain in power beyond his constitutionally mandated two-term limit, which ended in December 2016. In addition to human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists, the government has targeted political opposition leaders and supporters, journalists, and people suspected of having links to the political opposition. Many have been held for weeks or months in secret detention, without charge and without access to families or lawyers. Some allege that they were mistreated or tortured and some are suffering serious health complications. Many were put on trial on trumped-up charges.

The four activists detained in Lubumbashi had participated in a peaceful protest on July 31 against the national electoral commission's failure to publish an electoral calendar, what many considered to be a critical step to ensuring that elections will be held by the end of 2017, as called for in a power-sharing agreement mediated by the Catholic Church in late 2016. Authorities arrested at least 128 people in nine cities during protests across the country that day, including 11 journalists.

Authorities released several of those arrested in Lubumbashi after a few hours, but five were transferred to the prosecutor's office and accused of "provocation" and "inciting disrespect for public authorities": Timothee Mbuya, president of Justicia, one of Lubumbashi's main human rights organizations; Jean Mulenda, activist from the citizens' movement Struggle for Change (LUCHA); Jean-Pierre Tshibitshabu, an activist and journalist at Radio Tele Kabekas (RTKA); Patrick Mbuya, a human rights activist and a member of l'Amicale des Jeunes Congolais Bomoko (AJC BOMOKO); and Erick Omari, who said he was a bystander.

They were transferred to Kasapa, Lubumbashi's central prison, the same day. All except Timothee Mbuya were convicted on August 29 and sentenced to eight months in prison. As a lawyer, Mbuya was first heard by two courts with higher jurisdiction; he is now being prosecuted by the same court that convicted the four others. His trial is ongoing.

"Peacefully demonstrating to call for the publication of an electoral calendar is part of the exercise of rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Congolese constitution," said Patrick Ilunga, public relations director at Justicia. "The Congolese judiciary should not serve as instruments of repression, but instead uphold the constitution and end any politically motivated prosecutions."

The LUCHA activists arrested in Mbuji-Mayi, in southern Congo, on July 14 and 15 are: Nicolas Mbiya Kabeya, Josue Cibuabua Kalonda, Kabongo Kadima, and Mamie Ndaya. They were first held by the National Intelligence Agency (ANR), without access to families or lawyers, then transferred on July 20 to Mbuji-Mayi's prosecutor's office, and later to Mbuji-Mayi's central prison, where they are still detained.

These pro-democracy activists had been investigating transparency in the voter registration process in Kasai Oriental province. They were accused of disclosing personal information people provided to the national electoral commission during voter registration, charges that appear to be politically motivated, the organizations said. On September 15, the prosecutor's office sought five-month prison terms for the four. The Mbuji-Mayi High Court will deliver its judgment on September 26.

"Congolese authorities should immediately put an end to their crackdown on the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression," said Evie Francq, Congo researcher at Amnesty International. "They should immediately and unconditionally release all the human rights defenders and activists wrongfully detained in Mbuji-Mayi and Lubumbashi."

Signatories

International organizations:

Amnesty International FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Human Rights Watch Never Again Coalition World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

Congolese organizations

Les Amis de Nelson MANDELA pour la defense des Droits Humains (ANMDH) Action contre l'impunite pour les droits humains (ACIDH) Association congolaise pour l'acces a la justice (ACAJ) Association des femmes pour le developpement communautaire (AFEMDECO) Action chretienne contre la torture et la peine de mort, section du Haut-Lomami (ACAT/Haut-Lomami) Action pour la justice et le developpement (AJD) Action rapide de developpement (ARD) Alliance pour la revolution de la conscience (ARPC) Association africaine de defense des droits de l'homme, section du Katanga (ASADHO/Kat) Comite de suivi pour la contribution des communautes et eglises a la transformation humaine (COSCET) Congres pour le renouveau syndical (CORES) Centre pour les droits humains et le droit humanitaire (CDH) Centre international de promotion et developpement et des droits humains (CEIPEDHO) Centre pour la justice et la reconciliation (CJR) Debout jeunesse congolaise (DJEC) Femme d'action pour le reveil (FAR) Federation des droits de l'homme (FDH) Filimbi Institut africain de formation en droits humains (INAFDH) Human rescue (HR) Heritiers d'Afrique (HA) Humanisme et droits humains (HDH) Generation determinee (GD) Groupe d'action non violente evangelique (GANVE) Justicia asbl Libertas Ligue contre la fraude et la corruption (LICOF) Ligue internationale des conseillers (LIC) Ligue des droits des malades (LIDDM) Ligue nationale paysanne des droits de l'homme (LINAPEDHO) Ligue pour la zone Afrique des droits des eleves (LEZADEL) Lutte pour le changement (LUCHA) Mama ni mama (MM) Mobilisation, encadrement, ecologie et defense des droits humains par les amis des familles demunies (MEEDAF) Nouvelle Dynamique Syndicale (NDS) Nouvelle dynamique de la societe civile (NDSCI) uvre chretienne pour la femme (OCF) Reseau des communicateurs humanitaires (RCH) La Voix des Sans Voix pour les Droits de l'Homme (VSV) Voix du savoir (VS)

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UN envoy condemns killing of Israeli security personnel by Palestinian in West Bank

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN envoy condemns killing of Israeli security personnel by Palestinian in West Bank, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca5bc54.html [accessed 14 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 United Nations envoy for the Israel-Palestine peace efforts has condemned today's fatal shooting attack by a Palestinian perpetrator against Israeli security personnel in the West Bank, deploring that such an incident undermines the prospect of a peaceful future for both sides.

According to preliminary reports, one Israeli policeman and two security guards were killed, and another was seriously injured in the attack that took place this morning in the Har Adar settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory.

It is deplorable that Hamas and others continue to glorify such attacks, which undermine the possibility of a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis. I urge all to condemn violence and stand up to terror, said UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, in a statement.

He expressed condolences to the families and friends of all victims and wished the wounded a full and speedy recovery.
Parties to Afghan conflict show renewed interest in political engagement, UN envoy says

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Parties to Afghan conflict show renewed interest in political engagement, UN envoy says, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca5c374.html [accessed 14 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.

Although efforts over the past few years to reach a political solution to the Afghan conflict have led to little progress, the top United Nations envoy in the country today reported a renewed interest in political engagements for peace.

"I am convinced that a political settlement is possible," Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, told the UN Security Council in his latest briefing, citing progress, still daunting challenges, and opportunities for political engagement.

"We should not let another fighting season begin without progress towards substantive negotiations. Opportunities will be lost, with the cost paid in thousands of Afghan lives and at tremendous financial cost.

"I appeal to the countries in the region to conduct a profound reassessment of their strategic interest and renew work towards a viable peace process leading to an Afghan-owned solution to the conflict. If requested, the United Nations stands ready to assist all parties to achieve this goal."

Mr. Yamamoto said the United States announcement in August of a continuing, conditions-based commitment has removed some uncertainties, while regional countries and key States are actively seeking to promote regional engagements for peace, adding that preparations leading to a peace process are complex and efforts must be pragmatic and flexible.

"The security situation continues to be a major concern," he stressed, citing the persistence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or Da'esh) in the east of the country, with new Da'esh activity reported in the north as well as in Kabul, the capital, making the situation more complex.

"The human cost of this violence is high, disproportionately impacting women and children," he said, noting that current Afghan security planning foresees that by 2020 Afghan forces will reach sufficient strength to reverse recent Taliban gains, while the Taliban continue to resist appeals to negotiate with the Afghan Government.

At the current rate of deaths due to conflict, by 2020 tens of thousands more Afghans will have been killed.

Mr. Yamamoto, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), reported some progress on key reforms, with the battle against corruption beginning to bear results after many years in which this debilitating issue was ignored.

There has also been progress on the organization of parliamentary and district council elections scheduled for next July. "It is imperative that we hold the elections according to the plan," he stated, noting that timely elections will enhance the credibility of the political system.
Top UN envoy to Somalia welcomes parliamentary review of media law

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Top UN envoy to Somalia welcomes parliamentary review of media law, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca5c944.html [accessed 14 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 top United Nations envoy to Somalia today welcomed the recent introduction of legislation that would amend the 2016 media law, and urged lawmakers to give due consideration to the concerns raised by prominent members of Somalia's news media about the existing law and the proposed amendments.

According to a press release from the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo's cabinet approved a package of amendments to the media law in July that fulfilled a commitment he made to Somalia's leading media associations within weeks of taking office.

The amendments drew criticism from those media associations and some international human rights groups for their limited scope and the introduction of new restrictions on existing press freedoms, the Mission noted.

"A free and independent news media is essential for accountability and democracy," said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia and head of UNSOM, Michael Keating.

"Some provisions of the current media law do not appear to comply with international standards of media legislation and regulation. A careful and comprehensive review of the law and the proposed amendments will allow all key stakeholders to present their views.

"I hope the outcome of such a legislative process will promote a better environment for Somali journalists to practice their profession without fear."

The proposed changes to the media law will be taken up by the Federal Parliament in the coming weeks.
UN chief voices concern over 'potentially destabilizing effects' of Kurdish referendum

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN chief voices concern over 'potentially destabilizing effects' of Kurdish referendum, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca5d0a4.html [accessed 14 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.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern about the "potentially destabilizing effects" of today's referendum in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

"The Secretary-General respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and considers that all outstanding issues between the federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government should be resolved through structured dialogue and constructive compromise," his Spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General expects that United Nations-mandated activities across Iraq, including in the Kurdistan region, will be allowed to continue unhindered."

Last week, both Mr. Guterres and the Security Council voiced their concern that the referendum was scheduled to be held amid ongoing operations to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) - in which Kurdish forces have played a critical role.

The referendum could also detract from efforts to ensure the safe, voluntary return of over three million refugees and internally displaced persons, they noted.
Ongoing settlement activities undermining Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, warns UN envoy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Ongoing settlement activities undermining Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, warns UN envoy, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca5dd74.html [accessed 14 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.

Continuing settlement expansion, most notably in occupied East Jerusalem, is making the two-State solution increasingly unattainable and undermining Palestinian belief in the international peace efforts, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.

"In addition to illegal settlements, the practice of demolishing Palestinian structures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and displacing Palestinians undermines the prospects of peace," said Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

Briefing the 15-member body on the latest developments, Mr. Mladenov reported that since June, Israel's illegal settlement activities have continued at a "high rate," a consistent pattern over the course of this year. Activity during this period was concentrated primarily in occupied East Jerusalem, where plans were advanced for over 2,300 housing units in July, 30 per cent more than for the whole of 2016.

The reporting period witnessed the eviction of a Palestinian family in Sheikh Jarrah, residents for over 50 years, after a protracted legal battle. The building is located in a section of the neighbourhood in which several settlement plans were among those promoted in July.

"The United Nations considers all settlement activities to be illegal under international law and an impediment to peace," the Special Coordinator stated.

He went on to note that violence persisted as one of the main obstacles to resolving the conflict. Although the reporting period was characterized by relatively low levels of fatalities, a number of incidents occurred, resulting in the deaths of 19 Palestinians and eight Israelis. Settler-related violence and punitive demolitions of Palestinians homes by the Israeli authorities also continued.

"Continued violence against civilians and incitement perpetuate mutual fear and suspicion, while impeding any efforts to bridge the gaps between the two sides," said Mr. Mladenov.

"I once again urge both Palestinians and Israelis to demonstrate their commitment to rejecting violence, inflammatory rhetoric and provocative actions."
In Bangladesh, UN refugee chief warns influx of Rohingya outpaces capacities to respond

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as UN News Service, In Bangladesh, UN refugee chief warns influx of Rohingya outpaces capacities to respond, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca609e4.html [accessed 14 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 United Nations refugee chief today called for ramped-up support for an estimated 436,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar in the last month, warning that the massive influx of people seeking safety far outpaces capacities to respond.

"Their situation remains desperate, and we risk a dramatic deterioration if aid is not rapidly stepped up," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a press release, following a visit yesterday to Kutupalong refugee camp and other areas along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border where people have made their own shelters on tiny slivers of land.

"Despite every effort by those on the ground, the massive influx of people seeking safety rapidly outpaced capacities to respond, and the situation has still not stabilised. More is needed, and fast, if we are to avoid further deterioration," Mr. Grandi said.

UNHCR has now airlifted three planes loaded with relief items into the country, and is distributing emergency shelter kits, kitchen sets and solar lamps.

Its experts are working closely with the Government of Bangladesh to set up an organised site with water, sanitation and other facilities, and to register the new arrivals. Other international agencies and civil society partners are also on the ground.

Mr. Grandi arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday to see conditions for himself. He spoke with families living in the camp near Cox's Bazar.

"They had seen villages burned down, families shot or hacked to death, women and girls brutalized. Many of the refugees said they would like to go home, but there needs to be an end to violence, and a restoration of rights inside Myanmar," Mr. Grandi said.

"Solutions to this crisis lie within Myanmar. But for now, our immediate focus has to be to dramatically increase support to those who are so desperately in need," Mr. Grandi said, stressing the importance of a proper registration system that could help ensure everyone is eventually able to exercise the right to return.

In the country's capital, Dhaka, Mr. Grandi was scheduled to meet several senior officials, including the foreign minister as well as the ministers for home affairs and disaster management and relief.

Mr. Grandi thanked Bangladesh for keeping the border open. "In today's world, that is something that cannot be taken for granted and should be appreciated."

Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said yesterday that a consignment of its emergency supplies for hundreds of thousands of refugee Rohingya children and their families has arrived in Dhaka.

The cargo plane arrived from Copenhagen with 100 tons of supplies comprising water purifying tablets, family hygiene kits, sanitary materials, plastic tarpaulins, recreational kits for children and other items.

"Safe water for drinking and washing is absolutely essential in order to protect them against diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases," said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh, warning that this is "a very real threat" especially amid the current heavy rains.

Other consignments - consisting of school bags, tents, early childhood development kits, family hygiene and dignity kits, tarpaulin and nutrition materials - were also on their way to Bangladesh.
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Under the bright Coliseum lights, I learned the value of hard work, humility, and friendship. I have seen myself grow in my knowledge and love of the dairy cow. I have also met some of my closest friends there.

My favorite memory from Expo is pictured above. I will always cherish this photo of my siblings and me walking to the ring with the best cow we had the opportunity to raise and show, Busy Bee Syndicate Jasper. Placing well with Jasper was definitely an amazing part of our family trips to Expo; however, this picture is a moment I will always remember. The anticipation, joy, excitement, and laughs we have shared over the years on these walks to the ring are worth more than the ribbons to me.

Passing by the willow trees on the way to the showring, eating the well-known Expo grilled cheeses, and spending time with friends ringside whom I see at Expo each year are other fond memories. This year I will add a new memory of judging in the Intercollegiate Dairy Judging Contest, something that Ive been looking forward to since I first started attending.

What are your favorite memories of Expo? The countdown is on as the 2017 show is only a week away! As we anticipate what this years show will entail for the dairy industry and which prestigious cows will be crowned champions, reminisce on your favorite moments so far.
Nine years on, still no progress on human rights commitments at UN review

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Nine years on, still no progress on human rights commitments at UN review, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca649f4.html [accessed 14 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 Indonesian government has failed to make progress on human rights commitments at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), FIDH and its Indonesian member organization KontraS said today.

During the outcome of Indonesia's third UPR, held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 21 September 2017, the Indonesian government accepted 167 of the 225 recommendations it received from other UN member states on 3 May 2017.

Despite accepting nearly three quarters of the recommendations, the government did not go far enough to show its genuine and unequivocal commitment to address the serious human rights challenges that Indonesia faces, particularly with regard to discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals, the abolition of the death penalty, the rights of religious minorities, and the resolution of past human rights violations.

The government failed to accept 10 recommendations that called on the authorities to end any form of discrimination - including at the legislative level - on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and for an end to the criminalization of same-sex relations among consenting adults.

With regard to the death penalty, the government failed to accept 11 recommendations that called for the abolition of capital punishment, including for drug-related offenses, the establishment of a moratorium on all executions, and the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (OP2-ICCPR).

With regard to the right to freedom of religion and belief, the government did not accept recommendations that called on the authorities to uphold and protect this right and to guarantee the rights of religious minorities. In addition, the government refused to repeal Article 156 of the Criminal Code ('blasphemy') and end prosecutions under this provision.

The government also did not accept a crucial recommendation that called for thorough and transparent investigations into past human rights abuses. This contradicts the pledge made by President Widodo before he was elected in 2014 to resolve all past cases of human rights violations. The government only agreed to "finalize" the investigation into all cases of human rights violations in Papua Province.

Concerning the ratification of international human rights instruments, the government refused to commit to ratify the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Optional Protocol to the ICCPR.

Finally, the government decided not to extend an open invitation to all United Nations (UN) special procedures, including the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.

FIDH and KontraS reject the government's justifications that the above-mentioned issues "are not a priority in the national human rights agenda" and that the related recommendations are "factually incorrect or unclear" and "difficult to be translated into policies." The two organizations urge the government to immediately commence the process of implementing the recommendations that the government did not accept and that are consistent with Indonesia's human rights obligations under international law.
Uganda: Authorities attempt to silence human rights organisations ahead of constitutional amendment

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 25 September 2017 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Uganda: Authorities attempt to silence human rights organisations ahead of constitutional amendment, 25 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca65934.html [accessed 14 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 Parliament of Uganda discusses the constitutional amendment to lift presidential age limit, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT), FHRI and Chapter Four Uganda call upon authorities to refrain from further hindering the right to freedom of speech, association and peaceful assembly.

On September 20, 2017, police raided the premises of ActionAid Uganda (AAU) and Great Lakes Institute for Strategic Studies (GLISS) in Kampala as well as the house of GLISS Executive Director, Mr. Godbar Tumushabe. ActionAid Uganda works to foster human rights and fight poverty in the country. GLISS is an independent policy think tank actively involved in regional public policy and human rights issues in the Great Lakes sub-region.

Search warrants included allegations of "illicit transfer of funds for funding unlawful activities". ActionAid Uganda premises have since been sealed off and several documents, electronic equipment and bank related documents were seized from both organisations. Searches were carried out overnight until the next day at both organisations and were supposed to resume at ActionAid Uganda premises on September 25, 2017 at 10:00 am.

Our organisations believe that the raid of the two NGOs merely aim at sanctioning their human rights activities. Moreover, both organisations have been critical of the constitutional amendment to lift presidential age limit to allow President Yoweri Museveni, 73, to run for another term in 2021.

"Ugandan authorities are using preventive arrests and detention to stifle critical voices and intimidate human rights defenders. Authorities must put an end to any form of harassment, including at the judicial level, against civil society organisations and ensure that they are able to carry out their human rights activities without fear of retaliation", said our organisations.

The Observatory, FHRI and Chapter Four Uganda urge Ugandan authorities to uphold their international obligations and ensure full respect for freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

Context:

Several demonstrations planned in Kampala on September 21, 2017, as the motion was supposed to be discussed in Parliament, were contained by police forces who arrested several protesters. On that day, 28 youths were arrested at Makerere University and later detained in Wandegeya and Central police stations. 27 of them were released on bond the next day. One of them remained in detention at Central police station until September 25, 2017, on allegations of assault.

The same day, Mr. Erias Lukwago, Lord Mayor of Kampala, was briefly arrested on suspicion that he was going to lead a protest to Parliament. Earlier on, on September 18, 2017, the police fired teargas to disperse a group of youth activists protesting the constitutional amendment in front of the Parliament.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this program is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
Free Rights Activists

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Free Rights Activists, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca65c14.html [accessed 14 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.

Democratic Republic of Congo authorities should immediately and unconditionally release nine Congolese human rights and pro-democracy activists wrongfully detained for their participation in peaceful activities, 45 Congolese and international human rights organizations said today. Four activists were arrested on July 14 and 15, 2017 in Mbuji-Mayi and five others on July 31 in Lubumbashi.

The nine activists are among hundreds arrested since 2015 as part of the Congolese government's widespread crackdown on people who have opposed President Joseph Kabila's effort to remain in power beyond his constitutionally mandated two-term limit, which ended in December 2016. In addition to human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists, the government has targeted political opposition leaders and supporters, journalists, and people suspected of having links to the political opposition. Many have been held for weeks or months in secret detention, without charge and without access to families or lawyers. Some allege that they were mistreated or tortured and some are suffering serious health complications. Many were put on trial on trumped-up charges.

The four activists detained in Lubumbashi had participated in a peaceful protest on July 31 against the national electoral commission's failure to publish an electoral calendar, what many considered to be a critical step to ensuring that elections will be held by the end of 2017, as called for in a power-sharing agreement mediated by the Catholic Church in late 2016. Authorities arrested at least 128 people in nine cities during protests across the country that day, including 11 journalists.

Authorities released several of those arrested in Lubumbashi after a few hours, but five were transferred to the prosecutor's office and accused of "provocation" and "inciting disrespect for public authorities": Timothee Mbuya, president of Justicia, one of Lubumbashi's main human rights organizations; Jean Mulenda, activist from the citizens' movement Struggle for Change (LUCHA); Jean-Pierre Tshibitshabu, an activist and journalist at Radio Tele Kabekas (RTKA); Patrick Mbuya, a human rights activist and a member of l'Amicale des Jeunes Congolais Bomoko (AJC BOMOKO); and Erick Omari, who said he was a bystander.

They were transferred to Kasapa, Lubumbashi's central prison, the same day. All except Timothee Mbuya were convicted on August 29 and sentenced to eight months in prison. As a lawyer, Mbuya was first heard by two courts with higher jurisdiction; he is now being prosecuted by the same court that convicted the four others. His trial is ongoing.

The LUCHA activists arrested in Mbuji-Mayi, in southern Congo, on July 14 and 15 are: Nicolas Mbiya Kabeya, Josue Cibuabua Kalonda, Kabongo Kadima, and Mamie Ndaya. They were first held by the National Intelligence Agency (ANR), without access to families or lawyers, then transferred on July 20 to Mbuji-Mayi's prosecutor's office, and later to Mbuji-Mayi's central prison, where they are still detained.

These pro-democracy activists had been investigating transparency in the voter registration process in Kasai Oriental province. They were accused of disclosing personal information people provided to the national electoral commission during voter registration, charges that appear to be politically motivated, the organizations said. On September 15, the prosecutor's office sought five-month prison terms for the four. The Mbuji-Mayi High Court will deliver its judgment on September 26.
UNHCR calls for redoubling of humanitarian efforts in Bangladesh

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 26 September 2017 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNHCR calls for redoubling of humanitarian efforts in Bangladesh, 26 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca66684.html [accessed 14 November 2022]

UNHCR is calling for a redoubling of the international humanitarian response in Bangladesh. This is in light of concerns that conditions for an estimated 436,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar in the last month could still deteriorate.

As part of its contribution to the response led by the Bangladeshi authorities, this morning UNHCR has flown in its fourth humanitarian airlift. The UNHCR-chartered Boeing 777 cargo jet, loaded with 100 metric tonnes of aid, landed in Dhaka at 12.30hrs today. As shelter needs in south-eastern Bangladesh are acute, this flight has been loaded with shelter materials only. Two more aid flights are being scheduled.

Despite every effort by those on the ground, the massive influx of people seeking safety has been outpacing capacities to respond, and the situation for these refugees has still not stabilized. Many of those who have arrived recently are deeply traumatized. Despite having found refuge in Bangladesh, they are still exposed to enormous hardship.

At the request of the Bangladesh authorities, UNHCR and our partners have scaled up protection and life-saving support to the new arrivals in Kutupalong and Nayapara camps, and extended this support to the informal settlements surrounding these camps. UNHCR is also distributing emergency shelter kits, kitchen sets, jerry cans, sleeping mats, solar lamps, and other non-food items.

We continue to identify and support the most vulnerable refugees such as unaccompanied children, women, the elderly and disabled, who are in urgent need of shelter, food, water, and healthcare. In the last week, we and partners distributed hygiene kits to some 1,900 women, while each day an average of 9,900 people received meals through community kitchens, 2,600 received other hot meals, and 4,700 received high energy biscuits.

As the population in the Kutupalong and Nyapara camps have now doubled, so have the needs for clean drinking water. In the last few weeks, we've constructed additional seven deep tube-wells, 13 shallow tube-wells, and 116 latrine chambers in the two camps to help deal with this increase.

During his visit to Bangladesh this past weekend, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi discussed the importance of working towards solutions with Bangladeshi authorities, but emphasized that for now, the immediate focus has to remain on fast, efficient and substantial increase of support to those who are so desperately in need.
Tanzania: Newspaper MwanaHalisi banned for sedition

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 22 September 2017 Cite as Article 19, Tanzania: Newspaper MwanaHalisi banned for sedition, 22 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca69474.html [accessed 14 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.

ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned over the decision to ban weekly MwanaHalisi for two years, starting from 19 September 2017, on allegations of 'unethical reporting' and 'endangering national security', regarding a published story asking, 'whom should Tanzanians pray for, the President or Tundu Lissu, a Tanzanian lawyer and opposition politician.'

The article called for prayers for Mr Lissu who had been shot several times by unidentified assailants in his stomach and legs on 8 September 2017. He has been arrested six times in 2017, including most recently in August 2017, for 'insulting the President.' The newspaper has been targetted by the government previously, and in 2012 was shut down indefinitely by the government on similar grounds under the Newspapers Act, which was replaced in 2016 by the Media Services Act. The latest ban is under Section 50 of the Media Services Act, which gives officials powers to shut down media organizations that publish 'seditious publications'.

Announcing the ban, the state-run Tanzania Information Services reported "The government has suspended publication and circulation of the weekly MwanaHalisi newspaper for 24 months ... due to repeated unethical reporting, publishing fabricated and inciting articles and endangering national security."

"It is worrying that the Tanzanian government has for the second time in 2017 used the Media Services Act of 2016 to silence any criticism of government. We call for the immediate repeal of this law and reversal of these unjustified and disproportinate bans," said Henry Maina, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa Director.

In June 2017, Mawio, a privately owned weekly newspaper was banned for two years under Section 59 of the Media Services Act, which allows authorities to "prohibit or otherwise sanction the publication of any content that jeopardizes national security or public safety."

Tanzania has regularly closed media outlets perceived to be publishing stories that are "anti-government". Since September 2016 at least eight media outlets have been the targets of harassment or closure and at least 25 journalists were either arrested or harassed by the government and security forces for publishing articles perceived to be anti-government.

Henry Maina added, "The series of recent closures of media outlets, along with the specific targetting of MwanaHalisi over the years, amounts to a clear agenda of intimidation of independent media and silencing of dissent. A free and independent media is critical to democracy and the free flow of information, and the banning of entire media outlets on such a regular basis shows an alarming disregard for the right to freedom of expression."

ARTICLE 19 urges the government to reverse its crackdown on independent media, and to respect and uphold media freedom and the right to freedom of expression and information, as set out in the Tanzanian Constitution, as well as in international law. We call for facilitation of an enabling environment for the Tanzanian media to perform its critical role as a public watchdog, including through the immediate reform of the Media Services Act to bring it into line with international standards. The Tanzanian government must not see diverse public and media discourse as a threat to the country's security, but instead as a vital element of a healthy democracy.

For more information, please contact Henry Maina, Director of ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa at [email protected] or call on +254 727 862230

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Tunisia: Progress on freedom of expression stalls

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 22 September 2017 Cite as Article 19, Tunisia: Progress on freedom of expression stalls, 22 September 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59ca69874.html [accessed 14 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 following statement was delivered by ARTICLE 19 at the 36th Session of the Human Rights Council, as part of the Item 6 debate on the adoption Tunisia's third cycle UPR.

ARTICLE 19 commends the Government of Tunisia's efforts to enhance protection of the rights to freedom of expression and access to information, in particular through the 2014 adoption of the new Constitution.

Whilst taking note of their commitment to harmonising legislation with these protections, we are concerned that progress has now stalled. We call on the government to speed up their efforts, to ensure democratic freedoms are able to further flourish in the country.

Over a year since the adoption of the progressive Access to Information Law, we call on the government to urgently introduce the necessary implementing legislation to ensure its effective operation, and for a commitment that appointees to the Access to Information Authority will be politically independent.

Legislation protecting media freedoms must be strengthened to fully uphold constitutional protections: Decree Laws 115 on Freedom of the Press, Printing and Publishing and 116 on the Independent Press Council should be repealed, and replaced with organic laws, drafted with the full and effective participation of civil society.

Urgent reforms are required of the Penal Code and Military Justice Code, which are used to target journalists, lawyers and civil society activists. Provisions criminalising defamation (Articles 128, 245, 247 of the Penal Code), false allegations against members of an administrative or judicial authority (Article 248 of the Penal Code), and insult of the flag, army, or attacks against the "dignity, reputation or morale of the army" (Article 91 of the Military Justice Code) do not conform with international law and must be repealed. We recommend that reforms in this field follow the guidance of the OHCHR-backed Rabat Plan of Action, and HRC resolution 16/18.

We call on the government to immediately drop all outstanding charges against and quash the convictions of those targeted for their expression:

Lawyer and human rights defender Najet Laabidi, sentenced to six months for insulting the judiciary, in May 2017

Journalist Jamel Arfaoui, currently facing charges by the military prosecutor for allegedly impugning the reputation of the army

We further urge the government to send a clear signal that attacks against journalists and human rights defenders will not be tolerated: prompt and thorough investigations into such abuses are vital to prevent their repetition.

We ask the government if it will commit to investigating yesterday's attack by police against radio reporter, Hamdi Souissi, who was covering a demonstration at a school in Sfax? Souissi was physically assaulted by police, his equipment confiscated, and subject to a two-hour interrogation.

Thank you.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
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The Torrington Police Department reported the following arrests:

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING: Sara A. Mansfield, 23, of no certain address, Torrington, was arrested Sept. 25 and charged with violation of protective order and first-degree criminal trespassing. She was held in lieu of a $1,000 surety bond and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Sept. 25.

FAILURE TO APPEAR: Robert L. Harden, 23, of 57 Broad St., first-floor apartment, Torrington, was arrested Sept. 24 and charged with second-degree failure to appear. He was held in lieu of $1,000 court-set surety bond.

EVADING RESPONSIBILITY: Roger Abreu, 24, of 330 Bishop St., Waterbury, was arrested Sept. 21 and charged with improper turn/stop - no signal and evading responsibility - motor vehicle. He was released on a promise to appear and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Oct. 2.

BREACH OF PEACE: Jeffrey M. Gladding. 51, of 50 Ridge Road, Torrington, was arrested Sept. 24 and charged with second-degree breach of peace. He was given $500 bond and scheduled to appear in court Sept. 25.

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING: Jeffrey R. Kielczewski, 34, of 64 Washington Ave., second-floor apartment, Torrington, was arrested Sept. 24 and charged with first-degree criminal trespassing and violation of a protective order. He was given a $2,500 surety bond and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Sept. 25.

BREACH OF PEACE: Sabrina L. Mattie, 18, of 266 Albrecht Road, Torrington, was arrested Sept. 23 and charged with second-degree breach of peace and possession of a controlled substance or less than a half-ounce of marijuana. She was released on a $500 non-surety bond and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Sept. 25.

POSSESSION: Martin Hayre, 53, of 125 Torringford West St., Torrington, was arrested Sept. 24 and charged with illegal possession of controlled substance and dispensing controlled substance. He was released on a $500 non-surety bond and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Oct. 2.

BREACH OF PEACE: Joel Marrero, 26, of 107 South Main St., Apartment 1, Torrington, was arrested Sept. 23 and charged with second-degree breach of peace. He was released on a $500 non-surety bond and scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Torrington Sept. 25.
Dallas, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/26/2017 --Homeowners or commercial place owners in search of a company that offers garage door installation in Sachse and Rockwell, Texas can rely on Complete Overhead Door Inc. This one company has been around for many years living up to the expectations of their clients in fulfilling all problems related to garage doors, garage door openers and commercial roll up doors in Wylie and Mesquite, Texas. They are the one stop solution providing for garage door issues. With years of experience in the industry and the expertise to work on different garage doors, commercial overhead doors and garage door openers, it is easy for the technicians to rectify the problem within the shortest possible time. Clients' too are aware that there is no other company around that can come up with the solution within the shortest time frame and the quality that Complete Overhead Door Inc, showcases.



Complete Overhead Door believes in following transparent business methods. That means when it comes to pricing, they have got nothing to hide from their clients'. The professionals at Complete Overhead Door do it all without trip charges or any hidden fees. Whether they are attending a broken spring that is in need of a repair, a door opener that needs to be replaced quickly or any other issue with the garage door, Complete Overhead Door will be at one's doorstep looking into the problem and offering a quick solution.



As a leading name in garage door installation in Sachse and Rockwell, Texas, Complete Overhead Door Inc., is ready and prepared for assisting one with their needs on major brands of garage doors and openers. They are of the opinion that a great overhead door, garage door, or storefront roll up door can add beauty, increase the property value, provide additional security, project a professional image, and add value to the rental property. They are all solution providers with whom clients' just need to get in touch with quickly.



Call 817-482-1957 (Fort Worth Area) or 972-412-6069 (Dallas Metroplex Area) or visit http://www.completeoverhead.com/ for more details.



About Complete Overhead Door Inc.

Complete Overhead Door Inc. is one of the leading providers for garage door installation in Sachse and Rockwell, Texas. They also offer repairs and servicing of garage door openers and commercial roll up doors in Wylie and Mesquite, Texas.
Tulsa, OK -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/26/2017 --For those who are planning to file for divorce, it is strongly recommended that one hires an experienced divorce or family law lawyer. The experts handle matters that pertain to families such as divorce, adoption, child support, and others. Family law attorneys are experts at dealing with full range of legal matters such as legal separation, prenuptial and post nuptial agreements, a division of marital assets and such. With excellent mediation skills, they can serve one a lot of trouble over the long haul. Doing it on one's own might lead to frustration and messy divorce. Engaging a great divorce lawyer in Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma will be the best move, as they can provide one with compassionate, high quality, and experienced representation.



Keesling Law Group, a reputable boutique law firm, is focused on helping one's clients removing the hassles in their lives and businesses, whether they are litigation or transactional or non-litigation matters, with clarity, certainty, and confidence. They have a broad range of solutions and high-quality services to offer their clients.



In words of one of the expert lawyers of the firm, 'In the last 10 years, almost 50 percent of marriages in the USA ended up in dissolution. Sometimes, it is due to the disparity in culture and taste between couples, and sometimes it is plainly due to the conflicts in opinions. However, when it comes to a mutual divorce, a lot of paperwork is involved. Possessions are of course a part of the equation, but the most important consideration is children. The divorce attorneys are experienced, and they have seen it all.'



With years of knowledge and experience, they have seen divorces that are worse than what one's going through right now. When one has a great lawyer, all the little details that go along with the divorce process will be taken care of, such as the documents and paperwork that needs to be filed out.



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About Keesling Law Group

Keesling Law Group is a highly successful, boutique law firm that is focused on helping their clients navigate the complexities in their lives and businesses, whether they are litigation or transactional or non-litigation matters, with clarity, certainty and confidence. They have a broad range of solutions and high quality services to offer their clients.
Tulsa, OK -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/26/2017 --Divorce is never easy, especially when it happens out of trivialities. Unfortunately, 50 percent of marriages in America end in dissolution. This is a disheartening statistic. There are indeed multiple factors responsible for the divorce.



Trying to come to terms and develop compatibility only after the wedding often leads to self-indulgent behavior that ends in divorce. However, it is better to stay alone than to be in the wrong marriage, especially when there are slim chances of reconciliation.



This is where Keesling Law Group comes into the picture. At Keesling Law Group, the expert divorce lawyers in Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma can effectively present one's case in court. Upon determining that one should separate from one's spouse and should contact an attorney right away. The expert attorney can also be of assistance while discussing issues such as child support and custody.



They can give one of their clients' certain options if their case is contested. Sometimes, parties refuse to sign paperwork when they are presented. For example, one of the spouse's may not agree to the proceeding and want to hold on to them in some way, or simply refuse to sign out of spite. In some cases, both parties agree to end the marriage, but they cannot come to an agreement on other issues. In all such cases, Keesling Law Group plays a vital role in representing the case in the best possible manner. The lawyers are all experts and experienced. They can request orders that will last until the case is over.



For more information on a family law attorney in Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, visit http://www.klgattorneys.com/.



About Keesling Law Group

Keesling Law Group is a highly successful, boutique law firm that is focused on helping their clients navigate the complexities in their lives and businesses, whether they are litigation or transactional and non-litigation matters, with clarity, certainty and confidence. They have a broad range of solutions and high quality services to offer their clients.
Cambodias Appeals Court denied opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) chief Kem Sokha bail in absentia Tuesday as he awaits a trial on charges of treason, prompting his legal team to boycott the proceedings in protest.



Kem Sokha was arrested without a warrant in the capital Phnom Penh on Sept. 3 and accused of trying to topple the government with backing from Washington, in a move critics say shows Prime Minister Hun Sen is intensifying his attacks on political opponents ahead of national elections scheduled for 2018. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.



In the lead up to the hearing, the Ministry of Interior had said Kem Sokha would not be brought to the court from Trapeang Phlong Prison in Tbong Khmum province due to security concerns, after it learned that provocateurs might incite crowds planning to gather at the building.



On Tuesday, hundreds of armed security personnel were deployed on the streets surrounding the Appeals Court ahead of the hearing, which was closed to the media and the public, while dozens of opposition lawmakers and around 100 supporters stood outside calling for Kem Sokhas release.



When authorities confirmed that the opposition leader would not be allowed to attend his hearing, Kem Sokhas lawyers boycotted the proceedings, saying the decision was made in violation of their clients rights. The court went ahead with the hearing and upheld Kem Sokhas provisional detention, according to an earlier ruling by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.



Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service after the ruling, one of Kem Sokhas lawyers, Chan Chen, said there was no precedent in which the Appeals Court had barred an appellant from their own hearing, adding that the court had acted against the standards of both local and international law.



The courts claim that it was acting in the interest of Kem Sokhas security was merely an excuse to prevent him from attending the proceedings, the lawyer said.



If we appeared at the hearing, it would have seriously impacted our clients rights, which is unacceptable, he said.



We are just lawyers, so we are not party to this matter. Kem Sokha was the only person that needed to appear before the court.



In a statement in response to the boycott, the Appeals Court said Kem Sokhas presence was unnecessary because the hearing was not evidentiary, adding that by refusing to attend, his lawyers were hurting his case. No date has been set for his trial.



Following the ruling, senior CNRP lawmaker Son Chhay said that his party has no plans to hold mass demonstrations calling for Kem Sokhas release, but vowed to stand outside of the opposition leaders prison every Monday in protest of the charges against him until he is freed.



Son Chhay added that the CNRP will continue to request visits with Kem Sokha after being refused access to the party chief twice on orders by the investigating judge that only his family members and lawyers may see him before his trial.



On Monday, the opposition party launched an advocacy campaign for the release of its leader by hanging posters bearing Kem Sokhas image and a call for his immediate and unconditional release would be posted at CNRP offices throughout the country.



UN protest



Also on Tuesday, more than 300 members of the Cambodian diaspora held a protest in front of the United Nations Human Rights Council headquarters in Geneva demanding that the group pressure Cambodias government to release Kem Sokha, end human rights violations, and respect the principles of democracy by allowing for free and fair elections in 2018.



The protest was the latest by overseas Cambodians to call for Kem Sokhas immediate and unconditional release following others held in the U.S., France, Canada, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, and South Korea.

It came a day after French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Cambodia to resume a pluralistic democracy and to respect human rights and freedom during a meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhon in Paris.



Le Drian raised serious concerns about a political crisis in Cambodia following Kem Sokhas arrest and a recent crackdown on voices critical of the government ahead of next years election.



Since late August, the government has expelled U.S.-funded NGO the National Democratic Institute (NDI), suspended some 20 radio stations that aired content by U.S. broadcasters Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, and targeted the English-language Cambodia Daily with a hefty tax bill, leading to the newspapers closure.



Search suspended



Meanwhile, Pol Saroeun, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Research and Exploration Commission on Tuesday ordered provincial and municipal governments throughout Cambodia to suspend activities related to the search for the remains of missing American soldiers in the country, following accusations that the U.S. was assisting the opposition in a plot to overthrow Hun Sen.



The evidence presented against Kem Sokha so far is a video recorded in 2013 in which he discusses a strategy to win power with the help of U.S. experts, though the U.S. embassy has rejected any suggestion that Washington is interfering in Cambodian politics.



While Hun Sen first mentioned a suspension of search activities on Sept. 15, Cambodias Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue any official diplomatic to the U.S. government about the decision.



Government-aligned media outlet Fresh News has cited Hun Sen as saying the suspension of cooperation with U.S. military-led teams on search activities was a response to Washingtons halt on the issuing of most visas to senior foreign ministry officials and their families, as well as several other issues.



According to the U.S. government, the remains of 48 American soldiers killed during the Vietnam War have yet to be located in Cambodia.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sarada Taing. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
China's internet censors appeared on Tuesday to have blocked or disrupted the main functions of the WhatsApp social media app, amid a nationwide clampdown on social media in the run-up to a five-yearly congress of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.



WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook and offers end-to-end encryption, isn't as popular as its homegrown counterpart WeChat among China's more than 730 million internet users, but has been more resistant to government censorship until now.



Technology news site TechCrunch said it has received reports that while many users lost access beginning Sunday night, some in mainland China can still send and receive WhatsApp messages, adding that WhatsApp declined to comment on the blockage.



WhatsApps ability to send videos, photos, and files was blocked in China in July following the death in police custody of jailed Nobel peace laureate and prisoner of conscience Liu Xiaobo. However, the blocks were lifted a few weeks later.



The site said Skype and FaceTime, which are allowed to operate in China, don't have WhatsApp's strong encryption features, and that the authorities fear encrypted messaging could be used by political dissidents organizing against the government.



An attempt by RFA to connect with a WhatsApp user by voice call surnamed Yu on Tuesday resulted in an intermittent connection.



"I can't send out text messages [via WhatsApp] now, and some of them I don't see," Yu told RFA. "A lot of people are complaining on the group chats, including commercial groups and rights activist groups."



"I am only able to call you right now if I use circumvention tools, but that takes quite a bit more effort."



Overseas software



A Hunan-based service user surnamed Ou said the app appeared to be blocked without the use of circumvention tools to get around the complex system of blocks, filters, and human censorship known collectively as the Great Firewall.



"My friends are telling me that it's acting up, but I use circumvention tools, so I haven't experienced that," Ou said. "They are saying they haven't been able to use it for a few days now."



"Some are saying it's intermittent, while others are saying that nothing has gotten through for days."



Ou said he believes WhatsApp is being targeted because it is an overseas app.



"I think that they are blocking WhatsApp because it's overseas communications software, so the Chinese Communist Party has no control over its servers," he said. "That's why they have to shut it down."



A technology researcher surnamed You said he had had a similar experience with the app since the start of the week, indicating that the authorities had the power to interfere with its operation.



He said government censors are also in full control of homegrown circumvention tools, such as virtual private networks, or VPNs.



"Some free circumvention tools are actually supplied by the government, so that it is very easy for them to switch them off after you have come to rely on them," You said.



"Technology opens up all manner of possibilities, such as speeding up information flows, but there are always weaknesses," he said.



Allegations of corruption



Guangdong-based service user surnamed Zeng said he believes the government particularly fears WhatsApp because of exiled billionaire Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Kwok, who has repeatedly made allegations of corruption among the highest echelons of China's leadership via social media.



"I think they want to [stop] Guo Wengui's podcasts and videos from making their way back to mainland China," Zeng said. "The power struggle ahead of the 19th Party Congress is particularly fierce, and now Guo Wengui is blowing the whistle, which could prompt a split in the Chinese Communist Party."



"That's why they are suppressing information about him even more strictly than they do with [the] June 4, [1989 massacre]."



The interference with WhatsApp comes after China's powerful Cyberspace Agency fined Tencent, Baidu, and Twitter-like Weibo the maximum penalty under the countrys new cybersecurity law for hosting fake news, porn, and other "illegal content."



Tencents messaging app WeChat, the homegrown version of WhatsApp, was slapped with the fine after it "failed to fulfill its management duty" in stopping users from posting banned content, Shanghai-based news website The Paper reported.



Baidus online forum and Weibo were similarly sanctioned for "failing to prevent the spread of harmful information," it said.



Veteran Hebei-based journalist Zhu Xinxin said the aim of the ongoing social media crackdown is to stifle any form of public dissent ahead of the Communist Party congress which opens in Beijing on Oct. 18.



"The Chinese Communist Party wants to make sure the population is too frightened to utter a word of dissent or disseminate any information ahead of the 19th Party Congress," Zhu said.



"They see an increase in the number of so-called unstable factors in society."



Reported by Xin Lin and Lin Ping for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Thousands of Tibetan monks coming from monasteries across northwestern Chinas Qinghai province have gathered this week in Rebgong county to take part in a traditional period of teachings and debates, according to a local source.



The Jang Gunchoe or Winter Teachingthe 24th to be held in the Domey, or Amdo, regionbegan on Sept. 22 and will run for nine days at Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) countys Rongwo monastery, a resident of the area told RFAs Tibetan Service.



Monks from Ragya, Chakyung, Tsang, Treldzong, Kangtsa, and many other monasteries are all taking part, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Religious debates and other activities will be held each day for different groups and classes, RFAs source said.



Kalden Gyatso, Rongwos senior monk, has called on participants to work hard to improve the quality of instruction at the gathering, the source said. He has also emphasized that the monks should maintain their moral discipline, protect their vows, and thoroughly study the major Buddhist texts.



Many learned lamas have been invited to give talks, and they are advising their followers to spread the Buddhist teachings and the younger generation to learn the Tibetan language, the source said, adding that Chinese authorities in the area have raised no objection to the gathering being held.



The assembly at Rongwo follows similar Winter Teaching gatherings recently held in other Tibetan-populated regions of China.



Public assemblies at monasteries in Tibetan regions of China have greatly increased in size in recent years, observers and participants say, as tens of thousands of Tibetans gather to assert their national and cultural identity in the face of Chinese domination.



Chinese security forces, fearful of sudden protests by Tibetan opposed to Beijings rule, often monitor and sometimes close down events involving large crowds, sources say.



Reported by Lhuboom for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.




About a dozen Chesterfield County residents got a glimpse Monday of a new plan that would unite the currently split Matoaca Middle School campuses in southern Chesterfield and build a new Matoaca Elementary School on the old Matoaca Middle West campus.

School Board member Rob Thompson, who represents the Matoaca District, told the audience that the plan that came together in the past several months would save millions of dollars.

After looking at 38 sites and three failed negotiations for a new Matoaca Elementary site, officials landed on the current plan. One of the negotiations that nearly led to a sealed contract, Thompson said, fell apart after running into environmental problems.

The proposed plan calls for a new wing to be built onto the current Matoaca Middle East campus, adding approximately 30 classrooms and space for Matoaca Middle students from the west campus. School leaders hope to open the consolidated middle school by September 2020 at the latest, with bids going out this year or next, and construction beginning in 2019.

As the wing is being constructed, a replacement Matoaca Elementary would be built on the middle schools west campus. The new, 750-student school is also projected to open in September 2020 at the latest, with construction starting in 2019.

Thompson said a consolidated school would be more efficient. Currently, Matoaca Middle eighth-graders and Center Based Gifted Program students attend the east campus, while sixth- and seventh-graders go to the west campus.

Thompson said the school district is currently spending money to transport students between the two campuses, and he added that there are also efficiency problems with teachers shuffling materials between the campuses. Furthermore, he said, theres an issue with uniting the culture among the students of the middle school that was built in the 1970s. At one point, he said, the saying among students on the west campus was West is the best, and we like east the least.

The project is part of the referendum passed by county voters in 2013 in which residents approved using bond revenue to complete projects aimed at renovating or replacing older school facilities .

But money for this project wouldnt come from bond revenue. Instead, school leaders plan to pull from different pools of money, such as capital reserves and operations, Thompson said. In total, both projects would cost approximately $46 million, with the new elementary school alone costing approximately $31 million.

Officials received only two questions Monday from residents, who wondered about the utility lines, which would already be in place for the new elementary school, and the new schools playground.

Part of the focus of Mondays meeting was also to let residents know they will have another time to voice opinions on the project.

That will happen in late October before the countys Planning Commission, which will decide whether the new elementary school falls within the countys Comprehensive Plan guidelines in a process known as substantial accord. The Board of Supervisors will later decide if they want to uphold the commissioners decision.

When you switch levels from a middle school to an elementary school level, the attorneys determined that according to state law, we needed substantial accord, Planning Commissioner Edgar Wallin told residents.

The new school is expected to have a 600-seat auditorium, an 800-seat gym and a 400-seat cafeteria.

Thompson said Matoaca Elementarys population will also increase with upcoming reassigning of school district boundaries in a process known as redistricting.
Consider this the mic drop of Richmond's cocktail scene: Mattias Hagglund and Thomas "T" Leggett are opening The Jasper - a new bar in Carytown later this year.

If you don't know Hagglund and Leggett's names (don't worry about whether you can pronounce them), you haven't been paying attention to anything happening in the Richmond craft cocktail scene in at least the last five years.

The two helmed the bars at Heritage (Hagglund) and The Roosevelt (Leggett) since the restaurants opened (though Hagglund left Heritage last year) and have been mentioned in nearly every article written about Richmond's cocktail culture ever. Of course they also have awards. Lots of awards: (The South's Top 10 Bars (Southern Living, 2017), Cocktail Program of the Year (Elbys 2014, 2017), Best Cocktail Menu (Richmond Magazine, 2017), Best Bartender (Richmond Magazine 2016), Best Bars in America (Esquire 2014), Best Mixologist (Virginia Living Magazine 2013)(Style Weekly 2013), The Souths Best New Bars (Southern Living, 2014).

Basically, they're extremely locally famous barmen - and now the two are realizing their dream of opening their own cocktail bar - right in the heart of Carytown.

"T and I have been talking forever about doing something together and opening a place," Hagglund said. "We even met with a potential investor (years ago). "After I sold Heritage last fall - this opportunity came about nearly a year ago when my friend Kevin (Liu) reached out to me."

Liu is no slouch when it comes to cocktails - or Richmond dining.

Lui is the co-owner of Tin Pan restaurant and music venue in western Henrico County and in 2016 bought Carytown Cupcakes at 3111 W. Cary St.

Lui is now also a partner in The Jasper, which is adjacent to Carytown Cupcakes.

"I wanted to partner with Mattias and T because they're awesome people/awesome bartenders," Liu said. "I've been friendly with both for a long time, and when I heard that Mattias left Heritage, we started having conversations about what's next. Mattias has daydreamed about opening something with T for a long time. Then the 3113 space became available, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity."

Restaurant ownership isn't Liu's only connection to the cocktail culture. He's a regular contributor to the web publication Serious Eats and is the author of "Craft Cocktails at Home: Offbeat Techniques, Contemporary Crowd-Pleasers, and Classics Hacked with Science."

"Kevin is one of the least-known cocktail bad-asses in town," Hagglund said.

And now the three of them - Liu, Hagglund and Leggett are coming together to make something of a super bar with The Jasper, which will be at 3113 W. Cary St. in the space that formerly housed Carey Burke Carpets.

The focus at The Jasper will be drinks - all kinds of drinks. Certainly the three will focus on cocktails, but Hagglund is quick to add that there will also be plenty of cheap, canned beer (and fancy beer) - and a fantastic and affordable wine selection.

"We are looking to surprise and please anyone who walks in the door," he said.

Of course there will also be food (this is Virginia after all; bars are still illegal). The menu will include small plates designed to complement the drinks, but the folks behind The Jasper want it to be a place where guests can nosh as opposed to dine.

"We are people who are passionate about all things food and drink  but especially drink," Hagglund said. "We want to be something to enhance your overall night."

Hagglund also noted that the bars at many restaurants in town serve as overflow seating for dinner guests, so there's a need for a place where diners can enjoy an informal bite and drink - even at dinnertime.

The name - The Jasper - is an homage to Richmond's cocktail roots. It's named for Jasper Crouch, a circa 1800s Richmond barman.

"We wanted to honor Richmonds bartending history," he said.

But overall, Hagglund hopes that The Jasper will add to Richmond's cocktail and dining scene.

"It just keeps getting better and better," he said. Weve moved out of the initial discovery phase. Not its legit a community. Its a great time for a drinker."
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We wont stem the cycle of poverty in metro Richmond until we address the cycle of housing segregation.

The foreword of a new report, Confronting School and Housing Segregation in the Richmond Region, contains a startling finding: The black and white populations of Richmond today are more separated than during the first half of the 19th century.

It asks the question: Can we learn and live together?

School segregation flows from residential segregation  especially when proximity drives student assignment policy, the report says.

And as long as todays exclusionary housing policies prevent working-class families from moving into wealthier communities, those communities  and schools  will remain out of reach, says the report by authors from Housing Opportunities Made Equal, the University of Richmonds School of Professional and Continuing Studies, and Virginia Commonwealth Universitys School of Education.

Housing is on the minds of city officials as Richmond prepares for a housing summit on Oct. 31. And the issues of housing, poverty and public education are joined at the hip.

Richmond officials, academics and housing officials are far from alone in engaging these topics.

Richard Rothstein, author of the recently released book The Color of Law, indicts local, state and federal governments for their role in creating housing segregation. Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, has called for an Economic Fair Housing Act to combat exclusionary zoning practices  such as the barring of town houses and apartments  that reduce affordable housing options. He cites Montgomery County, Md., and Mount Laurel, N.J., as successful examples of jurisdictions whose inclusive housing policies have reduced socio-economic segregation.

Our region could use more inclusive housing policies. Richmond, with its high concentration of public housing, is home to a disproportionate share of the regions poverty within its 62 square miles.

Even within our suburban jurisdictions, the politics of school zoning and development plays out in a way that promotes economic segregation.

Plans for the River Mill development along the Chickahominy River in northern Henrico County appeared to hinge on whether its students would be zoned into Hungary Creek Middle and Glen Allen High schools. A clearly less appealing option was Hermitage High, whose relative affluence was siphoned off when Glen Allen opened seven years ago.

We tried during the early 1970s to work around residential segregation and white suburban flight with a plan to consolidate the school districts of Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield and Henrico. But that plan by U.S. District Judge Robert R. Merhige Jr. went down in flames at the U.S. Supreme Court. Milliken v. Bradley, a subsequent court decision that killed a city-suburban desegregation plan in Detroit, had an even more devastating long-term effect on consolidation efforts.

Metro Richmond looks different today than the largely black-white binary of the 1970s.

The citys surrounding counties are increasingly diverse, with substantial numbers of African-American, Asian and Hispanic students. Henricos school district is majority-minority.

According to the school and housing segregation report, Asians made up more than 27 percent of new residents in Henrico. In Chesterfield, 27 percent of new residents were Hispanics. The suburbs are increasingly browner and more impoverished; Richmond, whiter.

Paradoxically, school segregation by race and poverty remains entrenched amid the regions growing diversity.

In 2014, white students made up 48 percent of the regions enrollment, but a typical white student attended a school that was 64 percent white. Black and Hispanic students also attend school disproportionately with schoolmates of the same race, with the isolation of Hispanic students increasing, according to the report.

Black and Hispanic students remain concentrated in communities with the lowest opportunity, while white and Asian students are more likely to live in high- or very high-opportunity communities, according to the report. Low-opportunity communities tend to surround low-opportunity schools.

None of this happened by accident. Richmonds public housing communities did not build themselves. Richmond, as the report points out, has a history of mandated racial exclusion dating back to 1911, when Richmond became the second city in the U.S. to zone neighborhoods as black or white.

That law was struck down by the Supreme Court six years later, but city, state and federal governments, banks and the real estate industry  through laws, restrictive covenants, red-lining and highway construction  would perpetuate segregation. This legacy of intentional segregation will not abate without intentional strategies to combat it.

On this front, the region has lacked will. One of the remedies prescribed in the report  inclusionary housing policies in the suburbs that would require that a percentage of affordable housing be set aside in new developments  has been a non-starter.

The city is focused on the reinvention of public housing communities as mixed-income developments. But the desegregation of housing  like the amelioration of poverty and, I fear, the enhancement of public education in Richmond  has little chance of success without a regional approach.
The Virginia Supreme Court wants to hear from both sides in a DNA-based innocence claim filed by a Chesapeake man who pleaded guilty to a rape that happened 40 years ago.

In a brief two-sentence order, the court placed the already unusual and long-running case on its January docket to apparently hear arguments and/or ask questions in the case of Roy L. Watford III, 58, convicted of the Sept. 14, 1977, rape in Portsmouth of a then-12-year-old girl.

DNA testing in recent years failed to identify the genetic profile of Watford or his brothers who were also charged with the crime. Watford, an 18-year-old high school student at the time, said he pleaded guilty on the advice of his grandfather to win a plea deal that meant no jail time.

In exchange for the plea, authorities dropped a sodomy charge and he was given a 10-year suspended sentence for rape so he did not miss any classes at Woodrow Wilson High School, said his lawyer, Jon Sheldon of Fairfax.

Sheldon filed a petition for a writ of actual innocence with the Supreme Court on behalf of Watford in August 2016. The Virginia attorney generals office is opposing the petition, saying that while aspects of the case are unsettling, the DNA evidence is not strong enough to meet the burden for winning a writ under the law.

DNA testing in June 2016 found that Watfords DNA did not match the genetic profile identified in sperm recovered from the victim and her jeans and two other genetic profiles found in sperm from two mattress stains.

Testing in 2010 also failed to match the DNA profiles of his two younger brothers with any of three suspect DNA profiles identified by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science. The attorney generals office says only that the profile identified from a vaginal swab taken from the victim can confidently be associated with the crime.

Among other things, Gregory M. Pomije, who prosecuted Watford in 1978 as an assistant commonwealths attorney and who later became Portsmouths commonwealths attorney, said in a declaration that he supported Watfords petition.

However, many questions about the crime and trial remain unanswered because it happened so long ago and, since Watford pleaded guilty, there is not a detailed trial record.

After pleadings were filed by both sides in the case, the justices had 17 questions they wanted answered and ordered an evidentiary hearing that was held in April in Portsmouth Circuit Court.

The victim testified at the hearing that when she entered the vacant house where the attack occurred, she saw one of Watfords brothers and other men inside. However, she said a blanket was thrown over her head, so she did not see her assailants.

She said she could not recall seeing or hearing Watford  whom she knew  at the scene or recall telling police that he was among her assailants.

The attorney generals office does not comment on pending petitions. Reached by telephone Tuesday, Sheldon speculated that the justices put the case on their docket because there is disagreement on the court over the petition.

When writs have been approved by the high court in the past in cases where both sides agreed, the court has acted relatively soon after written pleadings were filed.

They have never, to my knowledge, granted one where it has been opposed by the office of the attorney general, said Sheldon. Sheldon contends that the DNA, the testimony of the victim and other witnesses at Aprils hearing makes Watfords innocence claim conclusive.

He asked, Whats the narrow sliver of possibility that he participated in this rape? Where is it? And that narrow sliver is big enough to prevent the issuance of a writ? I cant believe it.
A mammoth Confederate flag that greets travelers along Interstate 95 in Stafford County is an illegal sign that should come down, according to a zoning complaint filed by a Garrisonville lawyer.

The complaint was sent to Stafford's zoning department on Sept. 19, the same day the county attorney publicly stated that officials could not legally force the property owners to take down the flag. The flag, which went up in 2014 near the intersection of I-95 and U.S. 17, is on private property.

I have concluded, without equivocation, this county has no legal authority to require the removal of that Confederate flag from that private property, Charles Shumate said during a Board of Supervisors meeting Sept. 19.

Shumates remarks came after members of the public spoke out against the Confederate battle flag for the third time in as many board meetings. Although a few residents supported the flag, most people who addressed the board wanted it to come down.

Shumate said the Confederate flag is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech. Any new laws the board might pass to limit the height and size of flags in the future would not affect the one already flying high above I-95.

The flag pole would be grandfathered," he said.

The zoning complaint, which was sent to The Free LanceStar this week, disputes neither of Shumates statements. Instead, it argues that the flag, by the countys own definition, is actually a sign. And signs in the zoning district where the flag flies can be no more than six feet in height, according to the complaint. The pole in question stands 80 feet tall.

Our firm suggests that this structure is an illegal sign, because it exceeds the maximum height limitations for such signage, states the document filed by Patricia Healy, a partner in the Stafford law firm of Leming and Healy.

Fred Presley, Stafford's deputy county administrator, said the county has received the complaint.

Zoning complaints are reviewed administratively, he said, a process that could include a site visit and usually takes no more than a few weeks, although that can vary depending on the complexity of the case.

If the county validates a complaint, it will let the property owners know and they will have a chance to respond.

Hubert and Debra Cash own the 1-1/2 acre property on Beagle Road in Falmouth where the flagpole stands. But the flag space is leased by the Virginia Flaggers, an organization that bills itself as a protest group against "those who would desecrate our Confederate monuments and memorials," according to the group's website.

"Virginia Flaggers have raised 26 roadside Confederate battle flag memorials on roadways and interstates in the commonwealth," states the group's Facebook page.

The complaint states that the Virginia Flaggers "is actively engaged in erecting Confederate flags across the commonwealth and raising money to fund its activities elsewhere in the commonwealth" and asks for donations on its website, blog and Facebook page.

"This flagpole is designed and used to communicate information to the public: specifically to promote services, beliefs, events and activities of Virginia Flaggers," according to the complaint.

A sign by the county's definition is "any object, device, display, or structure" that can be seen from a public place or public right-of-way and "is designed and used to attract attention to an institution, organization, business, product, service, event or location."

That can include "words, letters, figures, designs, symbols, fixtures, logos, colors, illuminations or projected images," it continues, but does not prohibit "flags of any nation, state, or other geopolitical entity not related to a commercial business, product or service."

Healy argues that "an entity that sought to establish existence over 150 years ago and does not exist today cannot be defined as any nation, state or other geopolitical entity."

Reached by phone, Healy said only that the complaint speaks for itself.
The proposed express lanes extension in Stafford County marks the fifth leg of a suite of projects along the Interstate 95 corridor.

Work has already started on some of the projects, which add up to about $850 million in infrastructure work along the busy interstate corridor.

The express lanes extension projects preliminary designs call for using flyovers and slip ramps at numerous access points along the 10-mile addition of the tolled lanes in the median to the U.S. 17 area in Stafford, Michelle Shropshire told a crowd Monday night at Stafford High School. More than 70 residents turned out to see the designs for the extended express lanes.

Shropshire, with the Virginia Department of Transportation, said the five projects would bring substantial improvement to the corridor, at times one of the most congested stretches of the interstate.

Meanwhile, the first express lanes extension project in the area of State Route 610 is nearing completion. Those new ramps could be open by the end of the year.

The plans for the longer toll lane extension call for the express lanes to meet up with the additional lanes that will be added to the interstate as part of the southbound Rappahannock River crossing project. The crossing project will add three lanes in the median from U.S. 17 to State Route 3.

Work on the $125 million crossing project is expected to start in the summer of 2018 and be completed in 2022.

The 10-mile express lanes extension also could be completed in 2022.

Another aspect of the second extension project design calls for new access ramps and flyovers to be added in the area of the U.S. 17 and State Route 630 interchanges. The plans also propose adding an access point at exit 148, which connects with Russell Road near the Marine Corps Base Quantico.

The preliminary plans will have to gain federal approval, and additional funding.

The extension has an estimated $450 million price tag.

The state has dedicated $115 million toward the project using funds from the federal Atlantic Gateway program. The rest of the funding will come from private sources.
A judge on Monday denied bond to a Georgia man charged with taking part in an Aug. 12 assault that left a black Charlottesville man with staples in his scalp.

Judge Robert H. Downer ordered Alex Michael Ramos, 33, of Jackson, Ga., held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail until his Oct. 12 preliminary hearing.

Ramos is charged with felonious assault in the beating of Deandre Harris after the Unite the Right rally in Emancipation Park last month.

Harris, who was protesting the rallys white nationalist message, ran into the Market Street parking garage after a scuffle and was beaten by several rallygoers, according to prosecutors. Ramos, they said, came into the garage when Harris was on the ground and punched and kicked him.

Ramos shuffled into the Charlottesville General District Court on Monday morning wearing shackles and handcuffs. His attorney, John Joyce, asked Downer to release Ramos on bond, noting that Ramos did not have a prior criminal record.

The judge declined, saying: Mr. Ramos is innocent until proven guilty, but hitting a person who is down like that is a very serious assault, if its true.
A federal judge recently dismissed a feminist groups lawsuit claiming that the University of Mary Washington ignored a sexually hostile environment on the Fredericksburg campus.

The federal suit arose from anonymous threats and insults directed at five of the plaintiffs, then UMW students and members of Feminists United, in 2014-15 on a social media platform called Yik Yak. Feminists United asked UMW to disable Yik Yak on campus and ban it on the schools wireless network, but administrators declined because of First Amendment concerns, court papers show.

U.S. District Judge John Gibney, who dismissed the suit with prejudice last week, acknowledged that cyber bulling had become a national problem, especially when bullies can hide behind the cloak of anonymity. But violating the First Amendment is not the solution, he wrote in his opinion.

Solutions are not easy or obvious to anyone, Gibney wrote. In seeking solutions, however, schools cannot ignore other rights vital to this country, such as the right to free speech.

Five former UMW students, along with Feminists United and its national affiliate, the Feminist Majority Foundation, filed the lawsuit in May in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. They also submitted a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights in May 2015, but withdrew it in favor of the suit.

The suit said the plaintiffs suffered psychological harm after UMW permitted "violent, hateful sex-based harassment to go unchecked."

But the federal judge dismissed the former students allegations of sex discrimination and retaliation, in addition to their claim that UMW violated the Constitutions Equal Protection Clause.

UMW had little, if any, control over the anonymous postings on Yik Yak, which has since shut down, the judge wrote. Still, he added, the school attempted to take action by holding sharing circles to discuss cyber bullying and assigning a university police officer to some on-campus meetings after a Feminists United member said she felt unsafe.

In addition, the judge wrote that a June 2015 letter by then-UMW President Rick Hurley, who is listed as a defendant, did not constitute illegal retaliation. The letter simply responded to the [Office of Civil Rights] complaint, he wrote.

Hurley, who shared the letter with The Free Lance-Star and other news outlets, called some of the students accusations demonstrably false. An op-ed by then-Feminists United President Paige McKinsey fueled most of the Yik Yak comments, he wrote.

In her op-ed, McKinsey wrote that there was an "insidious misogyny and hatred very much alive at UMW." She referenced a misogynistic chant by the UMW mens rugby team at an off-campus party.

Some of the Yik Yak comments were certainly offensive and appear alarming in isolation, but must be placed in context, Hurley wrote. In particular, two of the comments highlighted in the complaintare a direct quote fromthe comedy group Whitest Kids U Know and a paraphrase of dialogue by a character on the television show American Horror Story: Freak Show.

Hurley also criticized the students for trying to connect the Yik Yak comments to the April 2015 murder of UMW student and Feminists United member Grace Mann. Manns roommate, Steven Vander Briel, was convicted of murder after his attorneys say he snapped during a schizophrenia-induced delusion.

The lawsuit said Hurley's "retaliatory" letter "minimized the severity of Yik Yak threats involving rape and murder" and spurred more hostile comments on the social media app.
A Virginia Tech professor is accused of defrauding the United States government and the university in a case that involves grant funding in excess of $1 million.

Yiheng Percival Zhang, 46, is charged with wire fraud, making criminal false claims and making false statements to the detriment of the United States Governments innovation and development programs, according to a federal affidavit filed in the U.S. Western District Court of Virginia.

He was arrested last week and was still in Roanoke jail as of Monday evening, according to court records. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately return messages seeking comment on the case Monday.

Zhangs lawyer, Scott Austin, said that Dr. Zhang maintains his innocence and intends to vigorously fight the charges.

Zhang is a biological systems engineering professor. His expertise is in protein engineering, synthetic biology and biofuels.

Zhang, along with Tech graduate Zhiguang Zhu and postdoctoral researcher Chun You, are alleged to have defrauded the university, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy by withholding grant funds between January 2014 and May 2016, according to the complaint.

Zhu and You currently work for the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology in China, according to court documentation and their LinkedIn profiles.

The complaint alleges that Zhang filed for grants to get federal money to pay for work that had already been completed in China.

It also states that as part of grant stipulations , Zhang owed Tech 30 percent of his grant money received from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

A university representative interviewed by law enforcement said the school only received about 18 percent, according to the complaint.

It also alleges that there are potential violations of federal law in two additional grants that arent included in the initial filing last week.

Zhang is accused of not being truthful on reporting what he did with grant money on forms filed through federal agencies that gave him awards in excess of the $1 million.

He was still an employee of Virginia Tech on Monday, according to university spokesman Mark Owczarski.

His annual salary was $113,772 in 2015-16, according to a state salary database maintained by The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Zhang is also being sued by a former employee of his startup Cell-Free Bioinnovations, Inc.

According to filings in the Charlottesville division of the U.S. District Court of Virginia, the former employee started a new company called Bonumose Biochem LLC in Charlottesville.

That lawsuit alleges that confidential trade-related information the former employee helped to develop with Cell-Free Bioinnovations was used by Chun You, the former student under Zhang, to benefit a Chinese government-owned companys work.

That civil case is set to go to trial in 2018, according to online court records.

Zhang has been teaching at Virginia Tech since 2005 and became a U.S. citizen in 2011.

In May of 2014, he received national attention when he developed a method to turn wood chips into edible starches. He has since been featured by national news outlets and has been the recipient of several awards during his Virginia Tech tenure.

In 2015, Zhang and his family settled with Carilion Clinic for a $1.8 million payout from a malpractice lawsuit after his infant daughter was permanently damaged by a procedure by doctors at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in 2012.
If the devastation Hurricane Maria inflicted on Puerto Rico seems less noticeable than the devastation Harvey inflicted on Houston, that is only an indication of how much worse it actually is. Far fewer images have come out of Puerto Rico because vast swaths of the territory still lack electricity, cellphone service, or even land-line telephone service. A meeting of 50 Puerto Rican mayors took place on Saturday. One mayor learned about it when a courier ran to his office carrying a note.

Hospitals might not regain power for three weeks. The rest of the island could have to wait as long as six months. Looting has broken out at night as supplies of food, water, and prescription drugs dwindle. There is horror in the streets, says San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz. Total disaster, says Juana Diaz Mayor Ramon Hernandez Torres.
Over the past few months, readers of The Times-Dispatch have shared their thoughts about the citys Confederate monuments. Leave them as they are? Add context? Move them? Destroy them? Keep discussing?

We reprint here a sampling of what our readers have told us:

Tearing down the monuments seems the comfortable solution. But its a quick fix that only invites greater emotional angst and further divides people....

In lieu of tearing down monuments, I suggest Virginia  Richmond, especially  commission numerous statues to celebrate the countless prominent slaves and abolitionists who contributed to the demise of slavery.

A symbolic, universal asterisk, such as the shaking of hands between a black and a white man, should be placed upon every statue acknowledging our pasts flaws yet representing our renewed commitment going forward to liberty and justice for all.

John McDonald.

Manakin-Sabot.

***

With the handwriting on the wall for the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue, it will not be long before we need to have a discussion about what should replace those statues that ultimately come down.

I would like to see Richmond emphasize truly historic figures with strong ties to our city. Its not as if we lack strong candidates.

To kick off that discussion, I would nominate (1) John Marshall, and (2) a joint monument to Spottswood Robinson, Oliver Hill and Samuel Tucker. Had we not just dedicated a statue to Maggie Walker at another location, she would also make a fine candidate....

Brad Marrs.

Richmond.

***

As a Southern girl I never had much thought about Confederate monuments. That is until the recent controversies concerning them. I never realized the depth of feelings of many regarding the symbolic nature of these monuments. However, since reading recent articles about how and why African-Americans feel as they do, I have changed my mind regarding removal of the monuments.

Why do we Caucasians want to keep symbols in such prominent, public places that are so hurtful to fellow Americans and are a rallying point for extremists? There are other options. People can change their minds. I did. Whats more important? My mindset or a communitys unity?

Josie Cuffe.

Chester.

***

Removing reminders of the Confederacy might demonstrate respect for the millions who suffered under slavery, but it is also an act of self-mutilation which denies both history and the recognition that there is pain in our past.

Instead of the enormous expense and trauma of removing the statues, add monuments. To Douglas Wilder, to Rosa Parks, to the Spirit of Africa  a tribute to all who came from that continent. Perhaps one of these monuments could be a fountain, a civic amenity of which there are never too many.

Ted Williams.

Bronx, N.Y.

***

Although it is decades late, The Times-Dispatch is right in calling for the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue on Monument Avenue, along with its pretentious column. The semi-circular structure could remain as the frame for an informational display to explain Richmonds history through four eras: (1) from settlement to secession, involving institutionalized slavery and challenges to it; (2) the Civil War; (3) Reconstruction; (4) the Jim Crow period and the Civil Rights movement.

The existing plaques could remain in place, but they would be contextualized by others explaining how their deceptive claims about states rights masked the core Confederate cause of preserving and extending slavery.

Gary Shapiro.

Richmond.

***

Richmond has a unique history and as such it sits on a tourism gold mine....

Two of the first things visitors want to see is our historic State Capitol and Monument Avenue. Paris has the Champs-Elysees and Richmond has beautiful Monument Avenue.

Arthur and Fay Nunnally.

Glen Allen.

***

Poll after poll shows the vast majority of Americans want the statues to stay  and yet here we are. The mayor of Richmond tried to do the right thing, but the far left has taken his spine....

This will be even worse in Richmond, because people come to the city to see our statues. If you tear them down, you will see the catastrophe that is New Orleans. The blacks are just as poor, violence is worse, and the whites have checked out. Theyre done with the city and I dont care to return, either.

Whitewashing history and destroying historical landmarks for the extremists isnt going to make the moderate middle happy. This is no way to govern or to treat historical landmarks.

Shannon Deason.

San Antonio.

***

My youngest son is not white, but his great-great-great grandfather served in the Confederate army. That is Americas reality today....

There are racists of all sorts in the world who likely view my son as odious because he is not white. That thought makes my blood run cold. Perhaps such people honor Confederate monuments for reasons very different from mine. Those Confederate monuments are mine; they are my sons, too. More than that, they are everyones. Whatever happens, I suggest we start the conversation with that in mind.

Kevin Streit.

Mechanicsville.

***

When the Confederate statues come down from the monuments and memorials, as they most likely will, please do not add insult to injury by replacing them with public art. Someones idea of art always turns out to be an affront to somebody else.

Please allow the bare pillars, posts, and pedestals to remain where they are, unadorned, as a monument to our intolerance of one another. Let viewers add their own context.

Judith A. Cranford.

Chesterfield.

***

Anti-racism activists shouldnt fight to remove the statues just as their symbolic power is beginning to make people uncomfortable about the legacy of racism. They should instead harness their prominence to drive conversations on outstanding racial issues from affirmative action to justice reform and reparations.

We must never forget that there was a time in our history when white men would rather die than see black people set free. Like the concentration camps of the Nazis, these statues must be preserved as the odious symbols of hate that they are and put to use to educate society against the evils of tribalism and prejudice.

Wyatt Gordon.

Chester.

***

After reading Josie Cuffes letter supporting the removal of Richmonds Confederate monuments, I thought, you know, maybe they should go. Maybe Richmond does not deserve these monuments. Maybe Stonewall Jackson would look better on Henry Hill in the Manassas Battlefield Park. Or General Lee at the entrance to the Cold Harbor Battlefield or at Chickahominy Bluff Park, where he stood overlooking the Mechanicsville battlefield in 1862....

So yes, take them away from the city that no longer wants them. They deserve better.

Jim Peace.

Henrico.

***

If viewing a combination of metal and stone prompts a sense of memories of a warm, salubrious way of life and a genteel culture, or if the view inspires a bitter cultural memory of cruelty and abuse, it is a matter of personal perception. The statue has no soul, no consciousness. Its all in the viewers interpretation. Get over it and move on....

Monument Avenue may be a bit kitschy but it has charms independent of historical, political, or moral associations.

Timothy Goodman.

Richmond.

***

I truly believe that now, in 2017, Lee would want any statues of him moved rather than cause the injury, death, or imprisonment of any American citizen. Perhaps we can join now to find a neutral site simply to tell of our history  using documents, old statues, uniforms, weapons, diaries, etc.

We cant change history, but we need to acknowledge our past and build a better Virginia  and U.S.  for all of our descendants. God bless America  what it is and what it will be.

E.M. Cary.

Portsmouth.

***

There is a narrative to the avenue in Richmond famous for its monuments of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Finis Davis and Arthur Ashe. Its a narrative with a fitting ending. Would it add context to diminish or forget that narrative? The continued growth of Richmond (whether cultural, demographic, economic, or social) may depend on the answer to that question. One may hope.

Thomas J. Meeks.

Richmond.

***

What 12 years of progressive education and decades of political correctness could not do, the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville have accomplished. I would rather take down statues to men like Lee and Jackson and other admirable Confederates than see them used as icons for what was evil in them and in the Confederacy. Hatred of our brothers and racial injustice is too high a price to pay, and those qualities have become fixed in the public mind rather than the noble qualities I admired.

I heartily endorse removal of all memorials to Confederates.

Richard L. Trumbo.

Chester.

***

The statues on Monument Avenue should not be torn down; we cannot change history. Where will it end?...

This is dividing people even further. It would be a shame to see another Charlottesville  or even worse  in Richmond.

Delores Orange.

Richmond.

***

So how about those statues? To glorify the leaders of the Confederacy is blatantly, hatefully racist. That was true the day they went up, and it will continue to be true until they come down. Sorry, Richmond, but Capital of the Confederacy is no longer something to brag about, if indeed it ever was.

Hank and Madeline Roberts.

Chesterfield.

***

As the son of a Black Panther, I may be the most pro-black person youll meet. That being said, the statues on Monument Ave should remain in place. Richmond, as the former capital of the Confederacy, has a history that no other city in this country does....

The statues should stay because they serve as a reminder to us of the racial and economical divide that rules this city. Taking them down wont change anything. That divide was created by these people and the blood of their ideals still permeates the soil. Our children should learn the history of the city in which they live.

Willie Hilliard.

Richmond.

***

Let the property owners on Monument Avenue decide whether the statues stay or go. They purchased their properties for various reasons: the aesthetic beauty of the tree-lined avenue, the wide median, or the statues. Those who are offended by their decision can drive an alternate route other than Monument Avenue.

And never again erect statues or name buildings, streets, or whatever after any person. Surely 100 years later, someone will be offended.

Carlton Marshall.

Henrico.

***

Take the statues of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Jeb Stuart, and Thomas Stonewall Jackson (with their horses) off their pedestals and plant them on street level, alongside their monuments.

I think an unoccupied monument is powerful context; and a cost-effective, time-effective way to get a long overdue message across.

Fay Chelmow.

Midlothian.

***

The line is drawn very clearly. Men like Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart actively fought a bloody war specifically to preserve the peculiar institution of slavery.

The statues exist solely to glorify the ideals of those men in pursuit of their lost cause. No one is advocating eliminating them from the history books. On the contrary, we need to make sure our children understand the wrongheadedness of the Civil War and why in our more enlightened times we choose to no longer glorify that legacy as a part of Southern pride. It whitewashes history to have such elegant pieces of art represent such an inelegant part of our nations story.

John Winn III.

Richmond.

***

As Richmond comes to terms on what to do with Confederate memorials on Monument Avenue, we must learn the often painful history of America, warts and all. Simply removing statues offers no foreseeable end to the most important issue to address - the lack of public spaces and established education curriculum in Richmond dedicated to African heritage.

As my Richmond grandmother, born in 1882, would remind me as a young boy, Slavery is how we got here, but it tells you little as to who we are as a people. Richmond has the opportunity to come together and tell the story of a people.

Keith W. Stokes.
When swastikas appear, Madison cries, 'They shall not pass!'
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Rockbridge County authorities are searching for a man in connection to an armed robbery of a bank Monday afternoon.

Deputies went to the CornerStone Bank along Lee Highway in the East Lexington area of the county at 1:03 p.m. for a report of an armed robbery in progress, according to the sheriffs office. The bank reported the suspect stole about $10,000 in cash.

The suspect is described as a middle-aged white man , about 5 foot 8 inches, last wearing a blue plaid shirt, a pantyhose mask, a greenish ball cap, light-colored pants, white shoes, and sunglasses. Authorities say he is believed to have fled the area in a hidden getaway car.

The Lexington Police Department, Buena Vista Police Department, Buena Vista Sheriffs Office, Virginia Conservation Police and Virginia State Police assisted in the search, which included dogs and a helicopter.

No injuries were reported.

Anyone with information can call the Rockbridge County Sheriffs Office at 463-7329.
Editorial: Community health centers need our help right now
RICHMOND  For the next 100 days, a coalition of business and higher education leaders will push an aggressive agenda for state funding of public colleges and universities, with an eye toward programs that prepare students for jobs that industry needs filled and help restore the state's diminished business ranking.

Their target is the Virginia General Assembly, which will convene in early January with the top job of acting on a two-year budget proposed by the departing governor while working with the spending priorities of a new governor whom voters will choose in November.

Growth4VA, an initiative launched on Monday by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council and pushed by McGuireWoods Consulting, has four goals: produce talent for the work force, foster innovation and entrepreneurs, improve people's lives through education, and expand affordable access to higher education at every level.

"Today is about collaboration, collaboration between higher education and the business community," said Jean Giddens, dean of the School of Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University, where the initiative held its kickoff ceremony.

The initiative also is about state funding for higher education, both new and redirected at economic priorities, after a long decline since the beginning of the millennium that has been mirrored by a rise in tuition and student debt the state has been working to reverse.

"We do need more money," said Dennis H. Treacy, a member of business council who also serves as chairman of the Virginia Chamber, rector of Virginia Tech, and president of the Smithfield Foundation. "We need level and stable funding, and we need it focused on what the employers say really matters."

For the chamber, the path back to a top five ranking among states for business leads through higher education, Treacy said. "Higher education is at the epicenter of what the chamber is trying to do."

Higher education also is central to a number of other business-led initiatives the state has endorsed - including funding for collaborative research that can translate to new technologies and businesses; GO Virginia, a regionally focused economic development model that relies on the state's community colleges as a pipeline for trained workers; and refocused work-force development programs .

All of those initiatives will be looking for renewed or expanded funding in the budget that Gov. Terry McAuliffe will propose in December and the legislature will begin reviewing the next month. While business leaders are pleased by Virginia's ranking in producing the second-highest number of college graduates, they also worry about the effects of a 45 percent decrease in state funding for higher education from 2000 through 2015.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia also is concerned about the funding trend, which it estimated last month would require an additional $660 million to fully reverse and ease the pressure on tuition, now accounting for 53 percent of the cost of higher education at public institutions.

However, the 15-year decline does not reflect additional funding the state included in the current two-year budget - more than $167 million, even after cuts of about $64 million to make up for a revenue shortfall that emerged in mid-2016. This year, the state added $18.4 million to help higher education institutions pay a 3-percent raise for faculty.

In return, lawmakers have pressured the institutions to restrain increases in tuition.

In addition to seeking more state funding, Growth4VA also could generate legislation for the General Assembly to consider next year, including the possible creation of a higher education reserve fund to help cushion against declines in revenue, an incentive fund to moderate rise in tuition, and a plan to give each institution more "managerial flexibility" in return for producing measurable results.

Similarly, the initiative will seek funding and business partnerships to improve job placement and advising at higher education institutions, and provide internships and other pathways into the work force. In return, the state would require colleges and universities to provide more transparency to prospective students in what their education would cost and the likely return on investment.

"It's not just new money but a better focus on the resources that institutions already have," said Donald J. Finley, president of the business council and a former state secretary of education.
RACINE COUNTY  With the Foxconn Technology Group set to begin building a massive facility to produce liquid crystal display screens for Apple products, details about its location and local impact arent widely known.

The legislature passed a $2.85 billion incentive package, signed Monday into law by Gov. Scott Walker, that provides tax credits to Foxconn if the company meets certain benchmarks.

The Journal Times asked local legislators state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine; Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester; and state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, about what will happen locally once Foxconn arrives.

The responses are listed in alphabetical order. State Rep. Tom Weatherston, R-Caledonia, declined to participate.

What will happen if some owners of property Foxconn needs refuse to sell?

Mason: Foxconn has stated it needs more than 1,000 acres to build their campus. Some people will be willing to sell; others will not. It will be up to Foxconn to acquire the land for their campus.

Vos: Nothing in the Foxconn legislation alters current law dealing with eminent domain. Local governments have the ability to work with property owners to come to an agreement.

Wanggaard: Nothing, although those property owners may end up on an island. Foxconn has been working with local landowners for several months. There is nothing in the bill that expands eminent domain, or anything similar. Whether or not individual property owners sell their property to Foxconn is their decision alone.

What portion of the jobs do you think will be filled by Racine County residents? What is being done to incentivize local hiring?

Mason: The number of jobs that will be held by people from Racine largely depends on how quickly we can prepare our workforce. We must take advantage of the more than $15 million set aside in the Foxconn bill for worker training.

Vos: In the Foxconn legislation, lawmakers provided $20 million to help train Wisconsin workers for these careers. Our workers will stand to benefit due to the proximity to the project alone and from the training that will be available, which our technical colleges and universities are going to provide.

Wanggaard: I suspect that a good portion of Foxconns employees will come from Racine County, and probably an equal number from Kenosha County. As with other large employers, I also believe that many Foxconn employees, regardless of where they live now, will relocate to the immediate area once they begin working at Foxconn.

The Racine area has a well-known job skills gap. How will that be overcome so residents here can get and keep jobs with Foxconn?

Mason: Foxconn coming to the area means a much-needed increase in funding for apprenticeships and technical degrees. Gateway Technical College and UW-Parkside will be critical partners in educating engineers and computer science professionals.

Vos: The legislation that was signed into law provides $20 million to help train Wisconsin workers for these careers. I am pleased that our technical colleges and universities are working to provide the necessary training for these types of positions.

Wanggaard: The skills gap is not just a Foxconn issue  it is an issue for employers across the state. Were constantly looking to close that gap and matching skills to jobs. I know Foxconn is already working with Gateway Technical College, UW-Parkside and Community Action Programs to fill their needs.

What environmental protections/oversight will be in place, and how will that situation be monitored?

Mason: The environmental exemptions given to Foxconn in the incentives bill are just lousy. However, all the environmental protections around the operation of the plant under state and federal law remain in place for water, discharge, and air quality. We must be dogged in ensuring that the environment is not destroyed in the process of Foxconn coming here.

Vos: No environmental laws are changed. These are the same protections and oversight of our natural resources as the rest of the state. The Legislature also reinforced the DNR oversight while eliminating any duplicative processes.

Wanggaard: No environmental standards or enforcement mechanisms are changed for Foxconn. All current environmental protections remain in place. As with any project, the DNR, EPA, OSHA, and Army Corps of Engineers, along with others, will be monitoring the project for compliant with current law.

After Interstate 94 is widened, will that be enough to handle commuters to 13,000 new direct Foxconn jobs and 22,000 predicted indirect jobs?

Mason: If I-94 is widened, it will easily handle any incoming workforce. If we do the necessary work to skill up our people, the workforce wont need to commute; they will come from right here.

Vos: I am pleased to see that the needed improvements to the I-94 North/South were included in the project. Hopefully, the reconstruction of the Interstate will also help attract new businesses and allow current ones to grow.

Wanggaard: We know that the current roadway on I-94 is not able handle the amount of traffic currently. The expansion of I-94 is designed for the future, however. Once a location is announced, I suspect DOT will need to re-evaluate specific interchanges and roadways that surround the facility.

Are you concerned about continuing discord on the Mount Pleasant Village Board when Foxconn appears likely to locate in that village?

Mason: I believe the Mount Pleasant Board will step up to the plate for the people of this region.

Vos: It has been great working with the state and local officials on the Foxconn project. I know a massive opportunity like this one also may present challenges.

Wanggaard: The situation on the Mount Pleasant Village Board is concerning because of the impact it is having on the community, not just Foxconn. It is unfortunate that some members of the community cannot get past the last election. I look forward to a special election being held to fill the vacancy.

If Foxconn shut down its plant at some point, how could a 1,000-acre, 20 million-square-foot complex be redeveloped into another use? Would Foxconn be held responsible for selling or maintaining the structures?

Mason: I hope and expect Foxconn will be an employer in the area for many years. If they were to shut down their plant, reusable industrial and warehouse space near an interstate between Milwaukee and Chicago would be prime for redevelopment.

Vos: Our initial conversations with Foxconn officials focused on constructing a campus of buildings. The company, like any other in the state, must maintain the property in accordance to state and local laws. Its my hope that the contract with state addresses the concern posed in the question.

Wanggaard: First, I do not believe this will be an issue. However, in the unlikely event that scenario comes true, the possibilities are limited only by the limits of creativity. Other employers could use the facility. The facility could be used by multiple companies for multiple purposes.
Why isnt the economy in this part of the state growing faster?

And what can we do to make it grow faster?

A recent report prepared by Virginia Tech as part of the GO Virginia economic development initiative lays out the answer in a 68-page report chock full of charts and graphs. Its a solid report, one that ought to be studied by local officials throughout the region it covers, from Appomattox County to Pulaski County. Or, if youre not into reading, you could just go look in the mirror.

The report spells out a lot of obvious things we need  bigger sites for economic development, more redevelopment of existing buildings, more investment capital, so forth and so on.

However, theres one overriding theme that runs throughout the report: We need better workers. Thats not really a revelation to those who work in economic development, but might be to lots of others. Its much more satisfying to blame incompetent politicians, or lazy bureaucrats, or greedy corporations, or high taxes or whatever your favorite scapegoat may be.

The reality, though, is we the workers are a big part of the problem. That might seem a blame the victim approach, but it also happens to be true. This report verily screams: Talent matters. In the old economy, jobs were tied to immovable natural resources  mines, farms, ports. In the new economy, jobs are tied to talent  and because talent is mobile, so are jobs. If we want more jobs here, the report says over and over, we need a more talented workforce. This is a point the report says applies no matter what sector of the economy were talking about

n Manufacturing companies in the region have trouble filling middle-skill jobs and managerial positions because they simply cant find enough qualified people. Its not just white-collar positions, either. Many manufacturing companies also have trouble hiring (and keeping) line workers because so many lack the so-called soft skills  described as timeliness, dependability and problem-solving skills. Think about that for a moment. In our biggest industry cluster, we have trouble growing because too many of our workers simply cant be trusted to show up on time. Or at all. Thats pretty damning.

n The life sciences cluster has great potential to become a strong economic driver in the region, except for one thing: Too many people lack basic STEM-skills, particularly mathematics to hold even the most basic jobs in the field. (STEM is industry lingo for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.) This skill gap will hamper the growth of a life science cluster as well, the report says. For every PhD researcher, the industry will also need multiple technicians and support staff capable of basic mathematics and lab testing. Not advanced mathematics, mind you, just basic mathematics. So even for jobs where only a high school diploma is sufficient, we dont have enough people who know basic mathematics. This is as damning as saying we have too many factory workers who simply cant be bothered to show up.

The report goes on to cite a similar lack of skills even in the food and beverage sector, another sector where the region has the potential for growing jobs: Although there may always be a need for entry-level manufacturers and commercial drivers, the cluster will incredibly need talent skilled in food sciences, mechatronics and other technical skills . . .

In all, the report cites four major gaps between the workers we have and the jobs that could be created here:

1. The talent gap: Employers struggle to attract skilled talent.

2. The skills gap: Job applicants lack the required skills to succeed in available jobs.

3. The interest gap: There is a lack of interest in obtaining certifications and degrees required for in-demand technical occupations.

4. The affordability gap: Degree and certification programs are costly both in terms of tuition and opportunity cost, lost wages in pursuit of a degree.

We cant blame this on Richmond, or Washington, or some shadowy global cabal. This is completely on us, even the affordability part. We simply need workers with more skills. Thats easy to say, harder to fix  because there is no one single fix, and some of those fixes might be pretty expensive. In Franklin County, the cost of building a new career technical and education center is now estimated at $68.4 million. Until that happens, the county is forced to turn away twice as many students as it can accept for many in-demand programs  thats one place the skills gap and talent gap begins.

The interest gap is more elusive; that may be a marketing function. However, even the affordability gap is fixable. An individual student may not be able to fix that on their own, but collectively, communities can. Three of the four community colleges in the region (Central Virginia in Lynchburg is the exception) have scholarship programs aimed at getting more students to further their education. Those programs  funded by a mix of local governments and private fund-raising  seemed like good ideas anyway. This report makes them sound even more imperative.

This would be a good time for Central Virginia to start the kind of program that Virginia Western, New River and Dabney S. Lancaster already have  and for those schools to make anew the business case for local governments, businesses and foundations to maintain, and increase, their support.

The devil is always in the details: Right now, three localities dont pay to participate. In Pulaski County, theres a fundraising campaign underway to cover that county. Students in Floyd and Franklin are currently paid for through the states tobacco commission, but that funding is set to go away, which means students there are out of luck  unless leaders in those counties step up and figure out a way to do what other localities have already done.

The point is, this report says we dont have the talent we need to compete in the new economy. Thats a problem we can fix. Every local government in the region  indeed, every civic group  ought to be reading this report at http://bit.ly/2ws9BI8, and asking itself what it can do to be part of the solution. Otherwise, we really cant complain if the new economy simply passes us by.
Angela at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.

A PLUCKY paramedic has really hit the heights with her fundraising efforts.

Angela Ord (46), of Maryhill Close in Treeton, has just conquered Africas tallest peak.

She climbed Mount Kilimanjaro after months of gruelling training to raise money for the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust.

Angela has sent photographic evidence from Tanzania to show that she has reached the summit.

Her father died after suffering a bleed on the brain when she was eight, and she herself suffered a bleed when she was 33 although tests showed it was coincidental rather than hereditary.

A delighted Angela said: I smashed Kili!

To donate to Angela, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/angelaord-kilimanjaro or text ANGO71 10 (or the amount of donation you wish to give) to 70070.
Petra Diamonds said it received a notice from the National Union of Mineworkers ("NUM") indicating the intention to strike at the Koffiefontein mine in South Africa.

The union started an industrial action at the mine last Friday.

Labour disruptions were also currently being experienced at the Finsch and Kimberley Ekapa Mining JV operations.

The situation remains the same that while underground mining has been affected, plant treatment is continuing at near normal capacity at both operations, treating surface material and available stockpiles, to ensure the least possible impact on group production, it said.

The Cullinan mine has not been impacted by labour disruption and production continues there as normal.

Operations at its 75 percent-owned Williamson in Tanzania resumed recently after a four-day stoppage.

However, a parcel of diamonds (71,654 carats) seized by the Tanzanian government were not released for export.

Petra said it would continue negotiating with NUM to resolve the situation.

Petras full year production jumped 8 percent to 4.0 million carats compared with 3.7 million carats produced the previous year.

Its full-year revenue also leaped 11 percent to $477.0 million from $430.9 million, a year earlier, due to an increase in volumes sold, offset by lower sales from exceptional diamonds during the year, contributing only $10.9 million.

However, the companys adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) slowed 4 percent to $157.2 million from last years $164.3 million.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




(glava.sakha.gov.ru) - The Supervisory Board of ALROSA chaired by Anton Siluanov, the Russian Federation Minister of Finance, who is also the head of the companys Supervisory Board, reviewed the implementation of the program aimed to provide jobs for the workers of the Mir Mine at its meeting held on September 23, 2017 in Mirny, according to a report released by the Press Service of the Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

According to Sergey Ivanov, President of ALROSA, currently "more than 400 workers have been promptly employed at other divisions of the company, while about 600 people are still temporarily idle." The workers on downtime started to fill vacant jobs in the first days after the accident at the mine.





The head of the company added that every worker will be treated individually regarding his or her further employment. So, if there are vacancies at the company, such workers will be offered jobs at ALROSA and if this will not be possible, the company will discuss their retraining for other specialties. "Every worker, every person will be approached individually," Sergey Ivanov stressed.

The head of Yakutia, Yegor Borisov, noted that ALROSA is a socially oriented company, which among other things is paying attention to creating comfortable conditions for its workers.

Igor Sobolev, the companys First Vice President and Executive Director recalled that the workers of the Mir Mine, who are so far not employed, receive wages in the amount of their average monthly earnings, while the rest of the mines employees - at a rate of 2/3 of their average monthly salaries.
Chris Drosner Chris Drosner writes the Beer Baron column for the Wisconsin State Journal. Follow Chris Drosner Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

It has been a busy year for out-of-state breweries opening distribution in Wisconsin.

Time was, these were infrequent enough that I had a chance to profile most of the more significant breweries that began sending their beer to the Badger State. Shorts, from Michigan? Exciting! Coronado from California? Sure, I suppose! Harpoon, even, from Massachusetts? Um, OK!

Then, there was a beer building boom across the nation, with gleaming stainless steel tanks boosting hundreds of breweries production capacities seemingly all at once. Many that were once maxed out trying to meet demand close to home suddenly had beer to spare for new, more distant markets.

That dynamic wasnt the main driver for all of the breweries to debut in Wisconsin this year, but it certainly has been a busy year for distributors expanding their portfolios.

Early this year it was two Illinois breweries, Tighthead and Half Acre Beer. This spring it was Boulevard from Kansas City, Maui Brewing from Hawaii, Funkwerks from Colorado and (the return of) Solemn Oath from metro Chicago.

This summer we met War Pigs, a Three Floyds-Mikkeler joint venture that makes some of its beer at Wisconsin Brewing in Verona. This month Madison saw its first regular drop of beer from three relatively mature Midwestern breweries: Odd Side Ales of Grand Haven, Michigan; Lift Bridge Brewing of Stillwater, Minnesota; and Indeed Brewing of Minneapolis.

And announced just last week was Moody Tongue, a Chicago brewer that specializes in culinary-inspired beers. Moody Tongue will be sending north its four core beers: Smoked Applewood Gold, Sliced Nectarine IPA, Steeped Emperors Lemon Saison and the intriguing Caramelized Chocolate Churro Baltic Porter.

The truth is, not all of these are newsworthy because many are not winning significant space on Wisconsins increasingly crowded shelves. The big regional players Half Acre and Boulevard earned write-ups, but most of these Wisconsin debuts  including some very solid breweries ones (ahem, Solemn Oath)  got lost in the wash.

But Indeed is one new arrival that I will not ignore; Ive been looking forward to having its cans in my fridge for quite some time. It feels like its been more than five years since I had my first Indeed beer  surely a Day Tripper pale ale  but, indeed, Indeed was founded only in 2012.

I think it feels like longer because Indeed has been at Madisons Great Taste of the Midwest festival since 2013. Some of the beers that made Indeed a frequent Great Taste standout  Rum King rum barrel-aged imperial stout, for one  will see only limited distribution, if any, in Wisconsin, but many of its core and seasonal beers match the beauty and artistry of the intricate line art on their cans.

Day Tripper is an obvious highlight. This bright, citrusy pale ale with just enough bitterness and hop complexity and just enough malt weight is a worthy competitor in whats becoming a very crowded market for great, hop-forward pale ales. Also in the year-round lineup is Lucy, a 4.2 percent ABV session sour ale named after head brewer Josh Bischoffs sour, sassy, and unpredictable daughter.

Autumn brings a well-regarded Indeed seasonal, Yamma Jamma, with sweet potato and the spice mix common among pumpkin beers to an amber ale. Its also the tail end of a seasonal run for Mexican Honey Imperial Lager, a big but smooth golden lager with floral and earthy touches from its namesake ingredient and a gentle fruity kiss of Amarillo hops.

But my pilsner craving has not abated with the (somewhat) cooler weather, and with Indeeds Wisconsin launch I was happy to discover an excellent new year-round option to scratch that persistent itch.

B-Side Pils

Style: German pilsner

Brewed by: Indeed Brewing, 711 15th Ave. NE in Northeast Minneapolis.

What its like: B-Side is a fresh, modern take on pils that drinks light and breezy not unlike  hm, should I mention it for the 100th time this year? Yeah, lets do it  Ale Asylums 12 Oz Curl.

Where, how much: Indeeds six-packs of cans run about $10 in the Madison area.

The beer: B-Side pours a very pale gold that one might mistake for a macro light lager before a sip or sniff  the aroma is intricate and a first reminder that this is a German pilsner, the more hop-forward variant of the style. The Mandarina Bavaria hops shine here, with a clear, citrusy note that plays very nicely with the floral, slightly spicy character of Hallertauer Mittelfruh, a traditional pils hop. B-Side drinks as a pils should: easy, but with a payoff in complexity if you pay close attention, as well. Theres all that character from the aroma, along with a nice malt note in the middle of the sip before a moderate bitterness cleans up the just-dry-enough finish.

Booze factor: The relatively low 5.1 percent ABV makes B-Side a nice option for extended play.

The buzz: Indeed makes good beers, well presented, at fair prices. The question I continue to grapple with is what sets these solid out-of-state breweries apart from the rest, or more importantly apart from closer-to-home breweries that are on par, quality-wise and style-wise.

B-Side or Half Acre Pony or 12 Oz. Curl or Capital Special Pilsner? Day Tripper or Toppling Goliath PseudoSue or New Glarus Moon Man or Good City Motto or Karben4 Dragon Flute? The answer is all of them, probably, but it points up the challenge any brewery has trying to get established and hold onto those sales in todays beer landscape.

One thing that put me off of Indeeds Wisconsins launch  initially, at least  was the date code on the bottom of its cans from the first drop. Best by Aug. 30, 2017, my B-Side can said. Well, Indeeds beer first hit shelves in Wisconsin in September, so  thats not great, sending already dusty beer to a new market. Fortunately the B-Side reviewed for this column aged just fine, and Id have no hesitation pushing the date on that beer again. My Day Tripper had a best-by date of Oct. 11 and was still very good.

Bottom line: 4 stars (out of five)
Botswana is drafting a bill that seeks to amend its Precious and Semi-Precious Stones Act to give the government the first option to buy diamonds that are unusually large or have other unusual features found in its mines.

The bill did not give a precise definition of unusual, according to Reuters.

Chief minerals officer in the Mineral Resources Ministry, Moses Tshetlhane, was quoted as saying that the amendment was motivated by the recovery of Lesedi La Rona, or Our Light, the largest diamond uncovered in over a century.

The stone was found in November 2015 at Lucara Diamond Corps mine in Botswana and the company was struggling to find a buyer.

These outliers carry special features and any producer would celebrate such or even have them in museums as national treasures. So it is not unusual for governments to have options in such unusual diamonds, he said.

The price to be paid by government for a rough or uncut precious stone offered for sale by the producer shall be agreed between the parties in accordance with the current market price of the rough or uncut precious stone, the bill says.

Meanwhile, Lucara said in a statement Tuesday that it was in agreement with the policy as a way for both the government and the company to achieve sustainable revenue at market prices for the sale of its diamonds.

It said the policy would not have an impact on its financial position as the price to be paid by government for a rough or uncut precious stone offered for sale by the producer shall be agreed by the parties in accordance with the current market price.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




The 7th edition of the India International Jewellery Week (IIJW 2017) saw some spectacular presentations by well-known names from the jewellery industry, CaratLane, Azva and PC Jewellers. The event, held on September 23-24, 2017 at St. Regis, Mumbai, was presented by The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), powered by the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA); and co-partnered by Forevermark and Platinum Guild International.Speaking at the event, Praveenshankar Pandya, Chairman, GJEPC, said, In sync with the Prime Ministers vision of showcasing the best of Indian creativity and craftsmanship to global customers, IIJW is an initiative to showcase the finest in indigenous Make In India jewellery. IIJW is an extravaganza, a celebration and a bonanza for jewellery lovers who can get a sneak preview of the most extraordinary, exquisite and extravagant collections for this festive season.Day One of the IIJW featured the special Inaugural Show presented by Nakshatra World, followed by CaratLane presentation of the crisp, well-edited line of jewellery called Bombay Deco. PC Jeweller Ltd. closed the day with a grand final show with its wedding collection, as well as a presentation of a unique detachable jewellery brand for youthful trendsetters.A number of stunning jewellery collections presented in regal style took centre stage on the second and final day by six fresh talented designers from the Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery, Mumbai.At the Laksh Pahuja jewellery show, presented by Gemma and HRD Antwerp, under the theme Patriotism, Peace and Passion, the designer showcased eleven specially created pieces that were unbelievable visions of beauty inspired by icons in India including Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Lata Mangeshkar, Vishwanathan Anand, R K Laxman, Mary Kom and others.
The Swiss stock market ended the first day of the new trading week with a very slight gain. After a weak start, the market pared its early losses and turned positive around midday. Despite a pullback in late trade, the market managed to cling to a small increase.

Investors were in a cautious mood due to the results of the German election over the weekend. German Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term in office on Sunday, but will have to govern with a far less stable coalition. French President Emmanuel Macron also suffered a defeat at the Senate elections on Sunday.

The Swiss Market Index increased by 0.04 percent Monday and finished at 9,140.47. The Swiss Leader Index dropped 0.30 percent, but the Swiss Performance Index rose 0.04 percent.

Aryzta was the top gainer of the session, with an increase of 4.8 percent. The bakery group reported full year figures.

The index heavyweights all finished in the green Monday. Roche climbed 0.8 percent and Novartis added 0.5 percent. Shares of Nestle also finished higher by 0.7 percent.

Vifor advanced 1.4 percent and Swisscom rose 1.0 percent. An investor meeting will be held at Vifor on Wednesday.

ABB ended the session unchanged after General Electric Co agreed to sell its industrial solutions unit to the Swiss engineering firm in a deal valued at $2.6 billion.

LafargeHolcim was among the weakest performing stocks of the session, falling 4.6 percent. Credit Suisse and UBS dropped 1.3 percent and 0.9 percent respectively.

Logitech weakened by 2.4 percent, Swiss Life declined 1.3 percent and Clariant lost 1.0 percent.

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Market Analysis
For the second year in a row, support from the city of Fitchburg for the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County is proving contentious, as the citys new mayor proposes to zero out funding for the nonprofit in 2018.

Jason Gonzalez, elected in April over incumbent Steve Arnold, said city finances will be too tight next year to afford $50,000 for the club, as the city has provided annually for about the past four years.

That was never a guarantee, Gonzalez said Monday about the citys support for the club, which provides countywide youth services including tutoring, meals, transportation and field trips.

Fitchburgs $50,000 to the club has helped cover the costs of providing after-school transportation and meals for area children at the clubs Allied Drive-area youth center at 4619 Jenewein Road.

Boys and Girls Club CEO Michael Johnson said 60 percent of those children come from Fitchburg, putting a moral onus on the city to continue contributing.

Im not going to just roll over and allow this to happen  cutting programs for the most vulnerable kids and families in Fitchburg, Johnson said, adding hed already contacted all eight members of the Fitchburg Common Council to ask that they restore the clubs funding.

He also planned to be a vocal opponent and bring plenty of supporters to public meetings on the proposed budget  much like he did the last time club funding was under threat. On Nov. 1, Johnson and more than 250 supporters jammed the council chambers to beat back a push by three council members to direct the clubs $50,000 to a pot of money to be distributed by the citys Community and Economic Development Authority, which meant the club would have had to apply for it with other agencies.

I know (Johnson) is trying to intimidate us into putting the money in, but his credibility is running out, Gonzalez charged. My duty is to the taxpayers of Fitchburg.

Gonzalez said the other nonprofits he has proposed eliminating funding for next year  including $10,000 for a food pantry run by Badger Prairie Needs Network and $15,000 for a Healthy Neighborhoods initiative  understood the city had a tight budget this year and just asked to be considered for renewed support in 2019.

(Johnsons) response was, I will make sure you and anyone on your council who supports you never gets re-elected again, Gonzalez said, adding he also didnt believe 60 percent of children served at the Jenewein Road center were from Fitchburg.

Johnson said the citys $50,000 covers about 19 percent of operational costs at the center, one of the clubs several locations around the county. He said it provided a valuable service for Fitchburg, which has struggled to provide youth services.

Theres no other community center in Fitchburg that serves the number of kids that we do, feeds the number of kids we do, Johnson said. (Gonzalez) really has no real justification to pull those resources away.

Overall, Gonzalezs $20 million budget proposal for 2018 is up about 4 percent, or $787,000, from the current year, mostly for 2 percent cost-of-living increases for city employees who have not seen raises in three years, Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said residents told him during his campaign that they didnt want him using taxpayer money to support nonprofits, preferring to support charities on their own and of their own choosing.

Funds also will be tight because the city will see an expected $650,000 cut in shared revenue from the state next year in a delayed effect tied to higher-than-usual local spending in 2015, Gonzalez and city Finance Director Misty Dodge said.

At the same time, the city is facing increased costs in 2018 and 2019, including debt service on a new West Fire Station and ladder truck, operations funding for the new station and staffing for a new ambulance of seven full-time, union paramedics.

Were pulling back across the board for 2018, 4th District Ald. Tony Hartmann said.

Overall, the Boys and Girls Club gets about 80 percent of its funds from individual and foundation grants, Johnson said, far eclipsing government funding.

The citys finance committee will take up the proposed budget on Oct. 3-4, with a public hearing Oct. 10 and a Nov. 14 full council vote, Gonzalez said.
Canadian stocks continued to push higher Monday, once again withstanding weakness in U.S. thanks to higher oil prices and optimism over corporate earnings.

It was a bleak day for struggling Bombardier (BBD.B.TO) amid reports that Germany's Siemen will choose Alstom over Bomberdier for a massive rail merger.

Still, the TSX Composite jumped 62 points to 15,516, the highest since June.

Energy stocks jumped another 1.7%. WTI light sweet crude jumped 3% to $52.22 a barrel.

Cenovus Energy Inc. (CVE.TO) says it has reached an agreement to sell its Suffield crude oil and natural gas operations in southern Alberta to International Petroleum Corporation for $512 million in cash. The stock was up 1.6%.

Gold shares also rallied, gaining 2%. Bolstered by safe haven demand, December gold added $14 to $1311.50 an ounce, the highest since last Monday.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho claimed recent comments by U.S.A. President Donald Trump represent a "declaration of war."

Outside of Canada, traders were in a cautious mood after German Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term in office on Sunday. Merkel will have to govern with a far less stable coalition. Investors were also disappointed after a report showed that Germany's confidence weakened in September.

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Market Analysis
(Agencia CMA Latam) - The Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru have reaffirmed the Lima Declaration, in which they pledge to joint efforts to solve the political crisis in Venezuela. The decision came at a meeting in New York last week.

In a statement released by the Mexican Foreign Ministry, the signatories regretted that Venezuela maintains "the breach of the democratic order, since its government violates constitutional norms, the will of the people and inter-American values, crackdown political dissent, hold prisoners and violates human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals."

They also expressed "support and solidarity to the democratically elected National Assembly, as well as their commitment to enforce non-recognition of the acts of the National Constituent Assembly (ANC), and to continue the implementation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter to Venezuela."

by Agencia CMA Latam

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Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
(Agencia CMA Latam) - Colombia's state-owned oil company Ecopetrol president Felipe Bayon signed in Mexico City the contracts for the exploration of shallow waters blocks awarded last June. The Colombian company will explore and produce hydrocarbons in Mexico through joint-ventures with the local Pemex and Malaysia's Petronas.

The first of the contracts signed in Mexico involves the so-called "Area 6," in which Ecopetrol is associated with PC Carigali Mexico, a Petronas' subsidiary, and "Area 8," in association with Pemex.

"We are very pleased to be here in Mexico, This is a new milestone in Ecopetrol' history, which is part of our strategy to strengthen and diversify exploration and production activities in Colombia and abroad, aiming at increasing reserves of hydrocarbons," Bayon said.

by Agencia CMA Latam

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Baidu Inc.'s (BIDU) iQiyi is targeting a U.S. initial public offering as soon as in 2018, which could value at more than $8 billion, the Bloomberg reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

The company controlled by Baidu is about to kick off negotiations with banks and deal arrangers and is shooting for a valuation of as much as $10 billion, the report stated.

Baidu wants to continue holding a controlling stake in iQiyi upon the IPO via dual-class shares, the report added.

The report noted that the IPO process however is in its early stages and the final valuation could change.

Baidu declined to comment on Tuesday.

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Business News
Indian shares opened little changed on Tuesday, tracking muted global cues as tensions rose on the Korean Peninsula.

The benchmark BSE Sensex was down 10 points in early trade while the broader Nifty index was down 5 points at 9,867.

Among the prominent decliners, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, HDFC, Asian Paints, Hindustan Unilever and BPCL lost 1-2 percent.

ONGC shares rallied 3 percent following media reports that the state-run oil explorer will acquire the government's 51.11 percent stake in HPCL through a bulk or block deal some time in November or December.

Dena Bank gained over 1 percent after LIC increased its stake in the bank.

BHEL climbed 1.3 percent on receiving approval from shareholders for a bonus issue.

Jaiprakash Associates edged up half a percent on fund raising reports.

Pharma major Novartis India was little changed after its board approved a share buyback.

Tata Motors rose 1 percent on a Bloomberg report that Jaguar Land Rover is scouting for luxury brand acquisitions.

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Market Analysis
Business confidence from France is due on Tuesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news.

At 2.00 am ET, Destatis is scheduled to issue Germany's import prices for August. Economists forecast import prices to rise 2.1 percent annually in August, faster than the 1.9 percent increase in July.

In the meantime, Finland's unemployment data is due for August. The jobless rate stood at 7.5 percent in July.

At 2.45 am ET, the French statistical office Insee is set to issue manufacturing confidence data. The sentiment index is forecast to remain unchanged at 111.0 in September.

At 3.30 am ET, Statistics Sweden is scheduled to release producer prices for August. Prices had increased 5.7 percent on year in July.

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China has largely blocked instant messaging service WhatsApp, the media reported. The disruption is said to be the latest step to tighten censorship as the country prepares for the Communist Party's congress in Beijing, which starts October 18.

The internet service providers in the country started blocking access to WhatsApp on September 23, according to the Open Observatory of Network Interference or OONI, an observation network for detecting censorship, surveillance and traffic manipulation.

Chinese users in recent days have reported widespread disruptions to the service, the reports said. WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, is yet to make an official announcement on the development.

Chinese authorities, which closely monitor and restrict cyberspace through their "Great Firewall", usually tighten surveillance around major events. As per reports, many Chinese activists use WhatsApp over local messaging apps for its end-to-end encryption function.

The country has already blocked access to a number of internet companies, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google.

In recent years, China has closed many churches and jailed large numbers of human rights activists, lawyers and advocates for ethnic minorities.

Meanwhile, Chinese cyberspace regulators reportedly said Monday that they have given maximum fines on major Chinese tech firms Baidu and Tencent for allowing the publication of banned material on their social media platforms.

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Business News
U.K. shares extended losses from the previous session on Tuesday as geopolitical tensions persisted and the pound hit its highest level since July against the euro following the inconclusive election result in Germany.

The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 11 points or 0.16 percent at 7,289 in late opening deals after closing 0.1 percent lower the previous day.

Carnival and Burberry Group fell over 1 percent each on concerns that pound strength can hurt their revenue and earnings.

Banks were broadly lower after the Bank of England warned that U.K. banks are underestimating risks from a surge in consumer borrowing. Lloyds Banking Group lost 1.5 percent and Barclays shed 0.6 percent.

Travel firm Thomas Cook Group fell over 1 percent after replacing its CFO.

Tesco was little changed as the jury selection commenced in the UK for the trial of three former executives over charges of fraud and false accounting.

EasyJet shares rallied nearly 2 percent. Insolvent airline Air Berlin said it expects to conclude talks with EasyJet and Lufthansa about a possible sale by the middle of next month.

Premier Oil advanced 1.7 percent. Gas infrastructure firm Cats Management said it would invest 135m to build the infrastructure for Premier Oil's Tolmount gas field in the North Sea.

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Market Analysis
Axovant Sciences Ltd. (AXON) announced announced Tuesday negative topline results of Intepirdine Phase 3 MINDSET trial in Alzheimer's Disease.

In pre-market activity, Axovant shares were losing 70.7 percent to $7.10.

The company noted that the Phase 3 MINDSET clinical trial of its investigational drug intepirdine in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease or AD who were receiving background donepezil therapy did not meet its co-primary efficacy endpoints.

The global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 MINDSET trial evaluated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of intepirdine in patients with mild to moderate AD on donepezil therapy over 24 weeks.

At 24 weeks, patients treated with 35 mg of intepirdine did not experience improvement in cognition or in measures of activities of daily living, compared to patients treated with placebo. In the study, intepirdine was generally well tolerated.

After 24 weeks of treatment, change from baseline in cognition was non-significantly improved in the intepirdine arm versus the placebo arm. In addition, there was essentially no difference between the intepirdine and placebo arms in change from baseline in activities of daily living.

According to the firm, the only endpoint in which any significant improvement was seen in the intepirdine arm versus the placebo arm was in the first key secondary endpoint, the Clinician Interview-Based Impression of Change plus caregiver interview, or CIBIC+.

The company said it will work with investigators to conclude the MINDSET open-label extension study.

David Hung, M.D., chief executive officer of Axovant, said, "While we are deeply disappointed by these trial results, we also are saddened for the millions of patients and families impacted by Alzheimer's disease. However, we believe that the fight against Alzheimer's and other important areas of unmet need in neurology is too important to be derailed by this setback."

The HEADWAY trial studying intepirdine in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies remains on track to report topline results at the end of 2017.

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Business News
A report released by the Conference Board on Tuesday showed a deterioration in U.S. consumer confidence in the month of September.

The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index dropped to 199.8 in September from a revised 120.4 in August. Economists had expected the index to slide to 120.2 from the 122.9 originally reported for the previous month.

"Consumer confidence decreased slightly in September after a marginal improvement in August," said Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. "Confidence in Texas and Florida, however, decreased considerably, as these two states were the most severely impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma."

She added, "Despite the slight downtick in confidence, consumers' assessment of current conditions remains quite favorable and their expectations for the short-term suggest the will continue expanding at its current pace."

The report said the present situation index fell to 146.1 in September from 148.4 in August, as consumers saying conditions are "good" decreased to 33.9 percent from 34.5 percent and those saying business conditions are "bad" increased to 13.8 percent from 13.2 percent.

On the other hand, the expectations index rose to 102.2 in September from 101.7 in August, with the percentage of consumers expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months inching up to 20.2 percent from 19.8 percent.

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Forex News
The Republican Governors Association  chaired by Wisconsins own Gov. Scott Walker  got into trouble last week with that shrinking sector of American media consumers who still care about sourcing, transparency and other long-standing standards for gathering and reporting the news.

The Associated Press reported that the RGA had launched an online news publication, The Free Telegraph, without initially revealing it was controlled by the RGA.

Just as interesting is that a political party whose members continually complain about alleged liberal bias in the mainstream media decided to spread its message with a website designed to look like the mainstream media.

State and national Republican officials werent interested in telling me why, specifically, they decided to spend their money on the Telegraph.

Republican Party of Wisconsin spokesman Alec Zimmerman, who is usually more than willing to defend Walker, thanked me for my inquiries and referred me to the RGA. RGA spokesman Jon Thompson said the Telegraph is simply another outlet that helps share the many positive policy results from Republican governors across the country.

The locals, though, were more talkative.

The issue that many Republicans have with mainstream media isnt with how their websites look, said Scott Grabins, chairman of the Republican Party of Dane County. I dont see any difference in the information and opinion that this website shares versus other organizations, whether its One Wisconsin Now, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or even the Cap Times.

It is important that people are able to recognize who the organization presenting the information is and can factor that into whatever weight they choose to give to it, he said, but called it a minor quibble that the RGAs site isnt as upfront about its backers as it could be.

Madison-based conservative blogger David Blaska said he was disappointed the RGA didnt reveal itself at first, but added: It is dishonest in the same way that various past Democratic operatives get hired as news reporters.

While its bad the The Free Telegraph waited until the AP started asking questions before identifying itself as a shill for the GOP, neglecting to tack on the obligatory paid for line also seems tame compared with some of todays political discourse.

This is an age when a foreign government buys Facebook ads to sway an American election, real news outlets have to knock down fake news from both the left and the right, the president co-opts the fake news moniker for use in describing the real news and a White House official refers to alternative facts as if they were real things.

Id like to think that the mainstream medias reputation is still respected enough that the RGAs Telegraph was just trying to trade on our good name. Although with polls this year showing a majority of respondents, especially Republican respondents, lack confidence in the MSM, that seems unlikely.

More likely is that fake news has proven valuable in winning real elections, and it was only a matter of time before politicians started reporting it themselves.
(Agencia CMA Latam) - The Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) are moving ahead with the reactivation of 300 wells in the Orinoco Oil Belt and the rehabilitation of 500 additional wells in the province of Anzoategui, aiming at increasing oil production by 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the short term.

The bilateral decision was made as part of a meeting between PDVSA President Nelson Martinez and CNPC America President Ye Xiandeng to discuss details of these projects. Also, "it allowed, in turn, to strengthen strategic ties between both companies and ratify the provision in the evaluation of new opportunities," the statement said.

PDVSA and CNPC have joint investments of US$ 10 billion that develop oil production projects in the country, in addition to the development of the construction of the Nanhai Refinery in China's Guangdong Province.

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A former Sauk City investment broker, who promised clients a 6 percent return on nearly $1 million that he was supposed to invest for them, pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud and money laundering, and now faces a lengthy federal prison sentence.

James Kolf, 64, admitted in U.S. District Court that from 2011 to 2016 he collected money from clients to invest in something he made up called the SFN Financial Network but instead used the money for personal expenses, including the purchase of a home.

Kolf will be sentenced on Dec. 12 by U.S. District Judge William Conley. The charges to which he pleaded guilty carry combined sentences of 30 years in prison, but its unlikely under advisory federal sentencing guidelines that Kolf would get a sentence even close to that.

An indictment issued in March charged Kolf with 16 counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. It states that Kolf worked as a broker-dealer and an investment adviser in Middleton and Madison, and starting in 2011, began to solicit clients to invest in SFN Financial Network.

Most of those counts will be formally dismissed at Kolfs sentencing hearing.

In all, the scheme netted $905,077, which Kolf agreed to pay back under a plea agreement.

In court Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner said that Kolf had been a broker since 1981, working for companies such as New England Securities and New York Life. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service received information from Park Bank about suspicious activity in Kolfs SFN account, which launched the investigation.

Wegner said that Kolf solicited customers for investments in SFN, which he said would invest in energy companies, returning 6 percent on the investment. Between 2011 and 2016, Wegner said, Kolf made 19 deposits into the SFN account totaling $905,077, which Kolf ultimately admitted was never invested but used for personal expenses.

One customer, Wegner said, wrote in the memo line of her $115,000 check for Kolf, For investment.

In 2014, Wegner said, Kolf used about $285,000 of the money in his SFN account to buy a house on Mulberry Street in Sauk City, after adding four checks worth $259,577 to money already in the account.

The indictment states that Kolf gave fictitious account statements to investors showing profits and portfolio balances, and made payments to some investors, telling them that the payments were interest earned by their accounts, when no investments were ever actually made.
Janesville man found guilty; stole 18 guns

The Janesville man who was the subject of a nationwide manhunt last April was found guilty in federal court Tuesday of stealing guns and illegally possessing them.

A jury of 10 men and two women deliberated for about 1 hour and 45 minutes before finding Joseph Jakubowski, 33, guilty of stealing 18 firearms and two silencers from a Janesville gun shop and illegally possessing guns because he is a felon. His trial in U.S. District Court of the Western District of Wisconsin began Monday.

Jakubowski, who did not show any emotion during the announcement of the guilty verdicts, admitted on the witness stand Monday afternoon and on the day of his arrest to stealing the guns from Armageddon Supplies. Police say he stole the guns, burned his vehicle and disappeared on April 4 after sending a 161-page anti-government manifesto to President Donald Trump. He was captured without incident 10 days later on private land in Vernon County.

It is not particularly common that individuals confess and then go to trial and confess at trial, said Acting U.S. Attorney Jeff Anderson. However, everybody is entitled to their day in court. We gave him his day in court and the jury found him guilty on both counts.

Jakubowski will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William Conley on Dec. 20. The maximum combined sentence for both charges is 20 years.

Conley told Jakubowski after the verdict was read that he appreciated the respect he showed to the jury during the trial. At court hearings at the state and federal levels prior to this trial, Jakubowski did not stand for the judge entering the courtroom, and he did it sparingly Monday and Tuesday as well. But he always stood for the jury.

Although he had pleaded not guilty to the theft, Jakubowski never denied stealing the weapons. He told the Wisconsin State Journal earlier this month he was planning to tell the jury he needed guns to defend himself from a corrupt U.S. government, which would not let him possess them because of a felony conviction.

He also said he burned his Dodge Durango truck that he loved because he had to pay license fees to the government to drive it.

So the government owned it, not me, he said in the Sept. 14 interview. It would be his last act in Janesville before disappearing in his attempt to escape the law, get off the grid and live without money or people around.

But the jury never heard his story because Conley granted a prosecutors motion excluding testimony or any other evidence in which Jakubowski might assert a necessity for committing the crime.

The judge will listen

Now, Jakubowski plans to use the sentence hearing to address what motivated him to steal the weapons, write the manifesto, burn his vehicle and disappear, his attorney, Joe Bugni, said.

I dont know what hell do (at the sentence hearing), but I know the judge will listen, Bugni said. Everybody wants to know (his motivations). The judge wants to know.

Whats most important to Jakubowski is having an opportunity to apologize to Scott Kuhl, the owner of Armaggedon Supplies, Bugni said. Jakubowski wrote an apology letter to Kuhl and told the State Journal that the only person he believes he has to answer to for the gun thefts is Kuhl.

It was the first time I stole anything in my life. I hate thieves, Jakubowski said in his earlier interview at the Dane County Jail. I didnt want to steal, but how do you get back your gun rights without stealing? You cant.

But apologizing for stealing the guns is one thing; telling Kuhl or law enforcement officials where they are located is another. Jakubowski, who has contended since his arrest that he buried the guns, also said he has no plans to tell Kuhl or anyone else where the guns are located.

I cant give them back because I wont help government, he said. Its like a game of chess. I had no choice in doing this.

Anderson did not want to say if the prosecution will ask for the maximum sentence for Jakubowski. But he said prosecutors could entice Jakubowski with a promise of a lesser sentence for the location of the 12 stolen firearms that prosecutors say are still missing.

There is a provision within the statute that an individual can get consideration if he assists in the prosecution of others. So I guess there is that possibility, Anderson said. Its really hard to say. This is mostly speculation.

After prosecutors rested their case in a little more than two hours Monday afternoon, Jakubowski took the stand and answered just a few questions asked by Bugni. Jakubowski calmly testified that he broke into Armageddon Supplies on April 4 and took guns, magazines and bullets.

When asked what he did next, he said in a low voice, I took off northwest.

Bugni then asked Jakubowski if he was in court to tell the truth and he answered, Yes I am.

Prior to Jakubowskis in-court confession, prosecutors laid out a strong case for the jury that included video of Jakubowski telling investigators shortly after his arrest how he broke into Armageddon Supplies and stole the guns.

In the video, Jakubowski was still recovering from his 10 days in the wild. As he ate some snacks, a disheveled and dirty Jakubowski told investigators that he had checked out the gun shop twice before he burglarized it and that the theft was as easy as it gets.

Jakubowskis story matched what the jury saw on a gunshop surveillance video, which showed a person wearing a hooded sweatshirt breaking into and stealing guns from the store.

Also, a DNA expert from the State Crime Lab testified that blood found at the gun shop matched blood taken from Jakubowski, and photos taken by federal agents were shown of the campsite where Jakubowski was captured and of five guns and a silencer found in the tent. Federal agents testified the weapons matched those stolen from Armageddon Supplies..
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Sep-26-2017 15:58 TweetFollow @OregonNews Oregon Expects Large Revenues in Marijuana Industry Over the Next Two Years Marijuana (cannabis) is more "mainstream" every day, which means big bucks for business.

Portland, Oregon aka Rip City has a long, grass-roots history with cannabis production and use.

(SALEM, Ore.) - It seems as though the marijuana industry may act as somewhat of a windfall for the state of Oregon over the next couple of years. With state taxes set at 17% of retail sale price, and the option for counties and cities to add a local tax of up to 3%, the revenue from taxes is expected to reach around $142 million over the next two years. While these are numbers worth getting excited about, there are still plenty of hurdles and obstacles to overcome in the growing industry. Looking to Other States Because the industry is still so new in Oregon, those in the industry and in the government are looking towards other states as examples. Massachusetts legalized marijuana back in November 2016 for recreational and medical use, which means its been legal for almost a full year at this point. There has been a lot of attention and coverage on the industry, and it will be probably the same in the next future. Other states that are acting as examples are Washington and Colorado, where sales prices have actually fallen by 20% annually since marijuana was legalized. Obviously if sales fall, so do the tax revenues, which is something Oregon may end up facing too. Experts believe the falling sales can be attributed to bottlenecks happening in the product testing and licensing chain, and regulatory changes that affect the production cycle. These factors are hard to predict since you dont know when they may pop up or how long they will last. On the flip side of things, marijuana may become more socially acceptable and mainstream, which could end up resulting in a big boost to sales. Its an industry that is just very difficult to predict. Other Determining Factors Of course, there will be other determining factors that will play into how big or small the tax revenues are. The government could decide to increase or decrease the tax, there could be other products that come into the industry such as accessories, equipment, and other products that will be under the same taxation umbrella. It's also quite difficult to determine just how many people are currently employed in the industry. Currently the average salary for someone working in the legal cannabis industry as of 2016 was just $25,340. Clearly this is something that could also change, and then attract more people to the industry. How Technology is Affecting the Industry As for the outlook for the industry, thanks to technology produces are able to start harvesting much faster and more efficiently. Take a look at the autoflowering cannabis plants. These seeds make it possible to flower based on the age of the plant rather than worry about the light cycles. What this means is that you can produce a much faster harvest. With these seeds, a harvest can take as little as 55 days. Obviously, this could drastically speed up how fast the product gets into the hands of customers, which will affect sales. _________________________________________

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Articles for September 26, 2017 | Articles for September 27, 2017
History was made in Apia last week with the endorsement of a proposal to work with Pacific islands on restricting or banning asbestos.

The proposal, championed by Cook Islands and co-sponsored by Tonga and Australia, was endorsed by representatives of the 21 Pacific island and five metropolitan members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (S.P.R.E.P) at its Twenty-eighth Meeting of Officials.

Speaking on behalf of Cook Islands, Director of the Cook Islands National Environment Service, Joseph Brider, expressed delight at the positive outcome:

The Cook Islands is extremely pleased with the decision of the S.P.R.E.P Meeting. We believe that it reaffirms that the Pacific islands are truly united in our shared stewardship of the region and our commitment towards a sustainable future.

The proposal was co-sponsored by Tonga and Australia, and received strong support from the majority of S.P.R.E.P Member countries and territories.

Paula Mau, Chief Executive Officer of Tongas Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications, said that the move to ban asbestos in the Pacific is particularly important given the repeated failure of the Rotterdam Convention to reach consensus on the listing of chrysotile asbestos on Annex III of the Convention:

Tonga is very pleased to have been able to co-sponsor the proposal from Cook Islands for a Pacific regional ban on asbestos. Planning the details of the ban will be important as it will need to allow for the importation of asbestos waste for disposal, as some Pacific islands have limited capacity to safely dispose of legacy asbestos stockpiles.

Information about the extent of asbestos in the Pacific region was very limited until the European Union-funded PacWaste project undertook a Pacific regional asbestos baseline survey in 2014.

PacWaste is a 7.85 million project funded by the European Union and implemented by SPREP to improve regional hazardous waste management across the Pacific.

The survey found more than 187,000 square metres of confirmed non-residential asbestos across 11 Pacific island countries, 78% of which was classified as either high or moderate risk. The survey also found evidence of new asbestos containing building materials being imported into the region.

At last years S.P.R.E.P Meeting of Officials in Niue, S.P.R.E.P and PacWaste sought support for a similar ban on asbestos. While the proposal received strong support there was apprehension from Members as to how the implementation of such a ban would be resourced.

S.P.R.E.Ps Director General, Leota Kosi Latu, explains that these concerns around resourcing, capacity, and monitoring for a Pacific-wide asbestos ban have since been alleviated, thanks partly to the announcement of new funding from the European Union for a follow-up project called PacWaste Plus:

This direction from our members to work with them on banning or restricting the importation, re-use and re-sale of products and wastes containing abestos through PacWaste Plus, will make great inroads into ensuring the safety of future generations from the harmful effects of asbestos.

Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation for the Pacific, Christoph Wagner, noted the leadership shown by Pacific island countries to progress with the Pacific-wide ban:

We welcome this decision from Pacific Island nations to work towards joining 59 other countries, including all member states of the European Union, to ban asbestos. Its a fantastic outcome for the health and wellbeing of communities across the Pacific region, and a pleasing endorsement of the work undertaken through PacWaste and planned for PacWaste Plus.
Amidst the excitement and chaos of some local and global developments of the past couple of weeks, a very interesting issue flew by the radar.

The issue is of national significance, which is why we believe it is worth revisiting with the idea that the government needs to clarify the parameters so that all is clear in terms of moving forward.

We are referring to Cabinets decision to deny the application by the former Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efis request for the continual use of their diplomatic passport.

The development surfaced a few weeks ago and as any responsible news organization would do, we asked the government for a comment.

At the time, the Head of Immigration and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Agafili Shem Leo, would not confirm or deny the reports.

But he explained the process that governs the issuance and usage of such passports.

I am responding in accordance to policies and regulations in place for government officials when it comes to this issue, Agafili told the Samoa Observer.

The C.E.O. went on to explain that diplomatic passports are made available to relevant government officials including the Head of State, Members of the Council of Deputies, Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers and the Prime Minister while they are in office.

There are regulations which govern the issuance of diplomatic passport that are mainly for government officials, he said.

For example, the Head of States, Council of Deputies, Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers and the Prime Minister. From the beginning, it is policy that once the official no longer holds the position, the government cancels the diplomatic passport.

The reason the passport is cancelled is that it goes together with the designation. This same practice applies to the official passports for the C.E.O. position.

Once you are no longer the C.E.O. the official passport will also be cancelled. This is the normal practice; once the official title is cancelled its likewise for the diplomatic passports.

This however does not apply to the regular passports, once the official passport is cancelled the regular passport is still valid which he or she can use anywhere in the world.

Okay then.

But we certainly hope they would reconsider.

We say this because Tui Atua is not just a former Head of State. He is a former Prime Minister and we know as a holder of such a position, there are privileges he is entitled to. A diplomatic passport for life should be one of them.

The issue here is this. Who has been issued a diplomatic passport in the past? And who holds one now?

There should be some clarity and transparency around this area. To do that, if we know who held a diplomatic passport in the past and who has one now, that should help us a great deal.

You see, as far as we are concerned, the issue with Tui Atuas request is quite simple. Is he entitled to a diplomatic passport? Yes or no?

Who is responsible for the determination of who is entitled and under what condition?

And if Tui Atua is entitled, why then was his application denied?

Is there more to it than meets the eye?

These are questions members of the public want answered.

Why is it significant?

Now that weve reached a point in the history of our country where we will soon have multiple former Heads of State, we need to set the ground rules to avoid a similar embarrassing situation in the future.

In other words, the issue is far more than Tui Atua as a person. It is about the privileges of the office that he held, in this case the offices he held which includes the Head of State and Prime Ministership. If he is entitled to it, why make things difficult?

In a few years time, this issue will be more than just Tui Atua. We have a new Head of State who might not be the Head of State for life. What will happen to him when his term is up? What about Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi? Will he still be entitled to a diplomatic passport when he decides to hang up his political gloves?

The point is that we need to set the parameters today so that our work tomorrow is a lot clearer, easier and transparent. Isnt that what accountability and good governance is all about anyway?

Write and share your thoughts with us. In the meantime, have a wonderful Wednesday Samoa, God bless!
Dr. Mark Schroeder, a longtime anesthesiologist at UW Health, has surrendered his license after the state launched an investigation into a complaint about his behavior.

Schroeder, 64, of Madison, likes to be at the bottom of the bed and see parts of patients that he does not need to see, according to a summary of a complaint in July from nurses and anesthesiology assistants.

He worked at UW Health from 1984 until August, spokeswoman Lisa Brunette said. The hospital had reprimanded him for inappropriate interactions with employees and patients, the state Department of Safety and Professional Services said.

Schroeder told the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board that he planned to stop practicing medicine. The medical board accepted the surrender of his license last week.
Dear Editor

We are full of admiration for the feisty Pacific peoples movements standing up for West Papua. It was great to see the reports of the colourful demonstration in Samoa at the time of the Pacific Island Forum meeting.

Now several Pacific Governments are taking up the cause at the UN, shaming our Government for its inaction.

It was disappointing to see the comments of Indonesian Government representatives, especially the unfair comments of Franz Albert Joku who accused Pacific nations for not taking up the cause of West Papuan freedom back in the 1950s and 1960s.

Did he forget that most Pacific nations were still under colonial control themselves at that time and did not have a seat at the UN?

Joku also overlooks the fact that Pacific politicians and Pacific people did try to make their voices heard when western nations were selling out the West Papuan people to Indonesia.

In April 1961 Malietoa Tanumafili II was a member of the New Zealand delegation, which attended the inauguration ceremony for the New Guinea Council.

This was a significant moment in the Dutch plans to give the West Papuan people a greater say in their own governance.

In August 1962 Nicolaas Jouwe and other members of the New Guinea Council submitted an appeal to the United Nations and listed the Pacific leaders from Tonga, Nauru, Guam, New Hebrides/Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea who had endorsed it.

The new Prime Minister of Western Samoa, Fiame Mataafa Faumuina Mulinuu II headed the list. The appeal asked the United Nations to respect Papuan rights, in accordance with the UN Charter. A few months later as the UN was approving the New York Agreement that facilitated the Indonesian take-over of West Papua, several members of the Fiji Legislative Council expressed their fears that their neighbours in West New Guinea (West Papua) were being threatened with domination by an alien power. They asked if the British Crown had a similar fate in mind for them.

Papua New Guinea was still under Australian rule, but local politicians also condemned Australia and the US for giving in to President Sukarno. John Guise, (later to become PNGs Governor-General) organised a petition to the United Nations.

A Port Moresby correspondent to the Sydney Morning Herald wrote bitterly that the United Nations was a deceptive society of cheats, who traded off the Papuan people like cattle. He said the dividing line between the two halves of New Guinea was only a line on map and recalled the time when Papuans were not animals but fuzzy wuzzy angels, but that was long ago when the Americans and Australians were fighting Asians and needed our help...

West Papua should have achieved its independence decades ago. That this did not happen is not the fault of Pacific people, who have much to be proud of, both in their history and in their current support for West Papua.

Yours sincerely,

Maire Leadbeater

West Papua Action Auckland

*The historic information referred to in this letter was sourced from NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs documents in the NZ National Archives.
The Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration (M.J.C.A) is willing to entertain the call for foreigners who are convicted of serious crimes in Samoa to be fined hefty amounts and deported.

This is according to the M.J.C.As Chief Executive Officer, Papalii J.P. Taimalelagi.

He was responding to questions from the Samoa Observer on the back of comments from the Minister of Prisons and Correction Services, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt.

Last month, he said the Court should consider sentencing foreigners with significant monetary fines. Upon payment, they should be deported to their home countries.

Tialavea said that Samoa is currently looking after these foreign criminals.

We are feeding them, housing them and giving them medical care, when necessary, and yet they should be sent back to where they came from, said Tialavea.

The C.E.O of Justice said they are considering the matter.

This is a great idea, Papalii told the Samoa Observer.

We need to amend the law to allow this because this makes sense.

We should not be paying to care and provide healthcare for them, they should be fined and sent back to their homeland.

But we just have to make sure that they will never return to Samoa.

The C.E.O told the Samoa Observer that the idea is feasible for the government.

The only problem is that it has to be included in our laws in order for us to enforce it, said Papalii.

In July, Tialavea told the Samoa Observer that as the Minister of Prisons, he was alarmed by the growing number of foreigners convicted of serious crime in Samoa.

These people come from different backgrounds, they dont eat the same food as Samoans do, he said.

And there are so many reasons that I think these people should be sent back to their home countries. I dont think its logical to house them together with our people.

The Minister understands that deterrence is a must.

However, these foreigners have learned their lesson just being around people they are not familiar with and I can say with confidence they will be a walking deterrence.

They will inform others that Samoa does not tolerate criminals.

According to the Minister, the suggestion came after assessments of the inmates and how these foreigners are different from the Samoans on so many levels.

They come from a totally different culture, they have ways of doing things their own way. But one thing for sure is that we will not make any changes at the prison to accommodate these inmates.

I think this is what the Judiciary arm should consider when handing down sentencing on these cases.

Also these people have no family to go home to when they are eligible for weekend parole, because part of the requirement is that inmates have to be accepted by their family to return home.

Otherwise, they will be housed at the prison until such a time when they have served their full sentence.

So what is his solution?

I think they should pay a fine that should compensate their time in jail. And instead of sending them to jail, they should be sent back to their countries.

The government should consider this seriously.

Asked if there are issues pertaining to the foreigners, hence the suggestion to deport them back home, the Minister said no.

I feel these people dont belong here in our country, he said. They violated our laws and they should pay a fine and then deport them.

We can allocate these funds to assist the prison with so many rehabilitation projects that we currently have.
Samoa Stationery and Books (S.S.A.B) and Sleepwell NZ are set to begin operations in Samoa in January 2018.

This was confirmed by, Aumua Ming Leung Wai, in response to questions from the Samoa Observer.

Our Government through the National Provident Fund has agreed for Sleepwell International Ltd to lease Building No.2 amongst other assets that were previously used by Yazaki at Vaitele, said Aumua.

Negotiations over the details of the lease are underway with the hope for the lease to be signed in December 2017.

At this stage, machinery and materials for the bed and furniture factory are due to arrive in two months time.

He went on to say that applications for jobs on the floor closed on 17 September 2017.

Sleepwell is now going through the applications before interviews are conducted, he said.

Advertisements for a General Manager and other managerial positions for example Marketing Manager will commence in a week's time.

Sleepwell is grateful to the Government of Samoa and relevant officials for the assistance rendered to date.

Last month President of S.S.A.B. Fiti Leung Wai said in her presentation at the Yazaki Samoa before the official closing that the factory would start with 50 people.

For your information the factory will start off with employing of 50 people but our aim is to offer more than 200 work opportunities for the people of Samoa in the next 2-3 years, she said.

It will also help with our export markets by exporting to neighbouring Pacific Islands as well as Australia and New Zealand.

They also offered a relatively attractive salary package for local standards.

We will provide a salary that is above the minimum wage so the starting rate is $4 and your pay will also be based on good references, she said.

There will also be bonuses on special occasions but depending on your sales.

Part of their offer will be the provision of light breakfast and lunch, a recreation area as well as a sick bay.

There will be a prayer room because we believe that if we put God in the center of all that we do we will succeed, she said.

And the work environment will be guided by Christian principles and the Samoan culture.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (F.A.O) Subregional Office has a new Natural Resources Management/Climate Change Officer, Anna Tiraa.

A national from the Cook Islands, Ms. Tiraa will lead technical work and partnership building on climate change and natural resources management within the Pacific Subregion, particularly with proposal preparations and negotiations related to the Green Climate Fund (C.G.F).

She brings over 20 years conservation/environmental/climate change work experience in the Cook Islands and the Pacific.

She has undertaken sustainable development related work for government, National and international N.G.Os, communities, development partners, private sector and inter-governmental regional organizations.

I have served as the Director of Climate Change, Office of the Prime Minster of the Cook Islands. In my role as the Director, I covered budgetary and planning processes, policy setting, advisory services, U.N.F.C.C.C negotiation, resource mobilization, communication and capacity development, she said.

She has been involved in preparing readiness proposals for the Cook Islands. Cook Islands was the first S.I.D.S to obtain direct access to Readiness Support.

Furthermore, she worked on establishing and implementing the G.C.F No-Objection Procedure for the Cook Islands. She has also led the Cook Islands delegation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations.

I look forward to working with Pacific member nations and partners in addressing climate change impacts, especially on food security. At the end of the day getting healthy, nutritious and affordable food on the table is paramount. We all need to ensure that food and nutrition security for the Pacific Islands are not compromised in the face of climate change.

What is the Green Climate Fund?

Established in 2010, the Green Climate Fund (G.C.F) finances climate change projects and programmes that help developing countries adapt to climate impacts and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

G.C.F has approved USD 2.2 billion for 43 projects and programmes to date.

The Pacific region has already made strong progress, with seven projects totaling more than US250 million approved for the Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

These projects will involve building the regions resilience to climate impacts and tapping the potential for renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions.
Research on a drug for cocaine and nicotine addiction has attracted a $10.8 million federal grant to ready it for human clinical testing.

Nicholas Cosford, a professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, leads the project. The potential drug shows signs of effectiveness in rat models of addiction, Cosford said.

The grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse funds three years of preclinical work. This will include toxicity testing, scaling up drug synthesis and other steps needed before the drug can be tested in people, Cosford said.

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In a nutshell, the grant is meant to bridge the gap between basic scientific research and the business end of drug development. With research-focused institutes at one end of the spectrum and product-focused drug companies at the other end, navigating the middle ground can be tricky.

Our institute is very good at doing basic biology, Cosford said. Over the last few years we also have developed the ability to do very early-stage drug discovery that gets to the in vivo (live animals) proof of concept stage. What we dont have is the ability to move things from the in vivo concept into the clinic, he said.

So the grant includes assistance from a San Diego drug company, Camino Pharma, Cosford said. Caminos job is to keep all the required activities properly coordinated.

The work focuses on a compound called SBP-0069330, Cosford said. In case that compound fails, other potential backups are available, he said.

The compound regulates receptors, molecular portals on cell surfaces. In this case, it regulates certain receptors on brain cells for the neurotransmitter glutamate. These receptors are disproportionately present in brain regions involved with addiction.

Glutamate regulates receptors for the ultimate target, the neurotransmitter dopamine. Cosford said this indirect approach is more selective than targeting all dopamine receptors, which can cause unwanted side effects.

For example, Cosford said drugs that increase dopamine production in Parkinsonss disease, a movement disorder caused by deficient dopamine, also cause uncontrollable movements.

Assuming the work is successful, the next step will be to find money and a partner to test the drug in people, he said. That could be an alliance with a drug company, with National Institute on Drug Abuse itself or possibly with venture capital investors.

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

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Uber is looking to build goodwill with drivers through adjustments to UberPool that are designed to address driver concerns and pay them more for making multiple stops.

Tuesday, the company announced several fundamental changes to Pool, its carpool service. The most significant update is that drivers will be compensated for each additional passenger they pick up (after the first one) on the same trip.

UberPool, available in San Diego since April of 2016, is the ride-hail companys cheapest option for riders. Riders can use Pool to get paired up with other travelers headed in the same direction. Its a popular option in San Diego, accounting for more than 25 percent of Ubers trips in the region.

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But drivers have complained that Pool rides require extra work: more stops, more stress locating passengers and confused riders  with no extra pay.

Prior to Tuesdays change, Pool drivers were paid a base fare, plus funds based on the time and distance of the trip. With the new formula, drivers will earn an extra flat fare for each additional pickup, meaning theyll make more money when stopping for a second or third passenger on the same route.

Rates vary in each of the 13 U.S. markets where UberPool is offered. In San Diego, drivers will make 60 cents per additional pickup.

Drivers say (these extra pickups) are the most stressful and challenging part of the experience, said Aaron Schildkrout, head of driver product for the ride-hail company. Uber is shouldering a meaningful portion of the cost for multiple pickup fares via a reduction in our service fee.

Beyond the change in pay, Pool drivers can hope for more informed riders. Uber plans to use its mobile app to tell riders to meet drivers at suggested pickup spots, and it promises to make riders aware that they should expect other people in the car.

Thats because riders have been a major source of stress for UberPool drivers, Schildkrout said.

Its not that riders want to make a difficult experience for drivers, obviously. Its just that many riders do not fully understand how Pool works, and its on us to make sure that they do.

The Pool updates, a part of Ubers 180 Days of Change promise to drivers, also include improvements to the apps routing system, which should result in up to 20 percent fewer turns. Drivers can also leave feedback for carpool riders they rate with fewer than five stars, with the company using that info to provide tips back to the poorly rated riders.

About halfway through the 180 Days of Change initiative, Ubers multi-pronged campaign seeks to give its independent contractors more reasons to drive for the company  and not its primary competitor, Lyft. The pledge started with the addition of in-app tipping in late June. The company followed with driver-support features, as well as new options that give drivers more flexibility over the trips they accept.

According to Uber, the median driver in Seattle makes between $19 and $21 per hour before expenses, and the typical expense range is between $2.94 and $6.46 per hour. The company did not provide similar figures for San Diego area drivers.

The latest crop of changes comes as Uber attempts to fix its reputation with both disgruntled drivers and the broader public. Earlier this year, highly publicized controversial company practices and culture problems led to the exit of CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick.

In late August, the ride-hail behemoth appointed Dara Khosrowshahi, the previous CEO of travel-booking site Expedia, as its new chief executive.

We know we have a ton of work to do, said Rachel Holt, Ubers vice president of business operations. At the end of the day, 180 Days of Change is a sign of where were going as a company, putting people first, in this case our amazing driver community.

Tuesdays updates to UberPool wont affect the pricing for riders, the company said.

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jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin
San Diego tourism and business leaders are working aggressively on a renewed effort to finance a convention center expansion with a hike in the hotel room tax that would be put before voters next June.

The prospect of getting what would be a citizens initiative on the ballot will depend heavily on the willingness of organized labor and community groups, including advocates for the homeless, to sign on to the effort.

The measure being considered would include funding for both an expansion of the bayfront center, as well as homeless services. It is also possible that money for road improvements would be covered but no firm decisions have been made.

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Among the local stakeholders represented in multiple meetings are hotel industry executives, San Diego Building & Construction Trades Council, the hotel workers union, the San Diego Downtown Partnership and groups advocating for the homeless and social justice.

Although the measure is being pushed as a citizens initiative, a staffer with Mayor Kevin Faulconers office has been present in at least one meeting, although a mayoral spokeswoman said that any staffer who participates is doing so using personal vacation leave.

Mayor Faulconer included homeless funding in his 2017 ballot measure because he recognized that San Diego needs more funding now to help tackle our homeless crisis, said a statement Monday from the mayors office. Unfortunately, the past several months have proven the mayor to be right.

Earlier this year, Faulconer tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade the City Council to hold a special election this November to consider a hotel room tax increase. His proposal would have boosted the tax by 1 to 3 percentage points, with nearly two-thirds of the $5 billion raised over 40 years going toward financing an expanded convention center costing as much as $685 million. The balance of the tax revenues were to be split evenly between funding programs to reduce homelessness and tackling street repairs.

At the time, that proposal generated considerable opposition from homeless advocates who argued far too little money was set aside for a problem that had reached crisis proportions.

Not only are hoteliers and tourism leaders facing a tight timeline for qualifying a measure for the June ballot, but they are also having to overcome some resistance from community advocacy groups, such as Alliance San Diego and the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA).

In the last two days, the two nonprofits have issued sharply worded statements condemning efforts that they say do not properly address the mushrooming homeless crisis.

The Mayor and the tourism industry clearly understand that they need substantial community support for a new tax to expand the convention center, reads a statement posted late Monday on PANAs website. What they do not understand is that PANA will not sell out its members and constituents with half-baked promises and weak assurances of financial resources to address the real crisis.

Alliance San Diego earlier in the day posted an equally harsh condemnation of the current initiative efforts.

Every time the mayor ties a homelessness response to the convention center, he belies his true priorities and fails to lead, the group said. The homelessness crisis requires an immediate response that is focused and meaningful, and is not tied to an election on an issue that has nothing to do with the crisis.

Alliance San Diego also pointed to Measure L, passed by voters last year, that requires citizens initiatives and referendums to be voted on in higher turnout elections in November. The City Council, though, has the latitude to override that.

Still, backers of a June ballot measure feel buoyed by a recent state Supreme Court ruling that appears to make it easier to pass tax increases for special purposes. Ordinarily, such measures would require a two-thirds majority vote, but the court ruling concluded that a super majority requirement does not apply to citizens initiatives.

While it is still not entirely clear whether only a simple majority is needed to pass a citizens initiative seeking a tax increase, backers of the expansion believe it gives them a narrow window for advancing a June measure.

Those participating in current talks have been unwilling to speak on the record about their negotiations for a June measure, which they say has still not been hammered out.

Laura Fink, a spokeswoman for the group, issued a statement reinforcing the collaborative nature of the meetings.

Community, business and labor coming together in conversation is a great thing for San Diego, Fink said. The hope of everyone involved is to find common ground and work together.

Joe Terzi, CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority and a big booster for a convention center expansion, said he has been briefed on talks and remains hopeful that backers can qualify an initiative in time for the June ballot. The lodging industry will get a fuller briefing on Tuesday, he said.

Im just very encouraged as to where we are, he said. Its a collaborative discussion and this is the first time in a while where people who have a stake in this are at the table working collaboratively. There are some very intensive discussions taking place, and everyone has their own issues, but I think youll see that will coalesce around getting the initiative on the June ballot.

Gil Cabrera, vice chairman of the San Diego Convention Center Corp. board, said he,too, is aware of ongoing discussions about a citizens initiative and believes there are still points of contention being worked out around the allocation of funding for the homeless, as well as bringing labor on board.

There is also a fundamental discussion about whether you should put an expansion on the same ballot as homeless funding, he said. The advocates would rather have their own initiative standing alone.

No matter what happens, backers of a convention center expansion still face another major hurdle. The site where the expansion would go is controlled by longtime Port of San Diego tenants Ray Carpenter and Art Engel, who are processing plans to build a $300 million hotel project on their leasehold.

Were watching this closely and depending on how they proceed will determine how we react to a project that has no real estate, said Carpenter. I think this is a self-serving move by the hoteliers to eliminate competition.

Terzi noted that if an initiative is drafted, the hotel owners and operators have committed to help fund most of the costs of a signature-gathering campaign, which could amount to as much as $400,000, he said.

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lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
Since the passage last November of a measure that opened the door for medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in La Mesa, some residents have become increasingly anxious about their presence.

No dispensaries have received a permit to operate, but the city acknowledges that shops selling cannabis products are now conducting business illegally within its boundaries. And the community has been calling for them to be shut down, Mayor Mark Arapostathis said.

Looking to explain what the city can and cannot legally do as well as allay some of its residents fears, the La Mesa City Council will hear an update at Tuesdays 6 p.m. meeting on the state of medical marijuana in the city.

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In 2016, La Mesa voters passed Proposition U, which requires the city to update its municipal codes and create a permit process. The measure authorizes and regulates dispensaries, and the cultivating and manufacturing of medical marijuana.

Lemon Grove voters passed a similar measure in November for their city. So far, no legal medical marijuana dispensary has opened in Lemon Grove, but there are at least two that are making their way through that citys permitting process.

In La Mesa, at least a dozen medical marijuana dispensaries that the city is aware of currently operate without a license. That has raised alarm in the city of nearly 59,000, Arapostathis said.

People want to know why we cant just go in, seize the illegal marijuana, arrest (the proprietors) and close them down, Arapostathis said.

The mayor said that in July he asked City Attorney Glenn Sabine and city staff to develop a presentation to inform the public on what the city is doing to enforce laws regarding medical marijuana dispensaries.

And also what were doing to close down illegal shops, Araposthatis said.

Sabine and staff members will also talk about recreational marijuana in La Mesa and how it relates to current and future state laws.

California voters last year approved Prop. 64, making the recreational use of marijuana by those 21 and older legal.

The state Legislature in June passed a bill that essentially connects the rules for medicinal marijuana with recreational use, giving the state one set of regulations instead of two.

La Mesa city staff members are recommending that the city update its laws to expressly prohibit commercial and personal, non-medical marijuana use to the extent the city is able.

The City Council meets at La Mesa City Hall, 8130 Allison Ave.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
During his visit to La Jolla last summer to give an art lecture at UC San Diego, multimedia artist Kota Ezawa visited the Salk Institute and was struck by the Louis Kahn-designed architecture.

It left an impression on me, he said.

Just over a year after that visit, Ezawas La Jolla-inspired work can be seen as the latest in the Murals of La Jolla public art program. His piece, Once Upon a Time in the West, went up at 7905 Herschel Ave. last week on the Citibank Building. It replaces at sea by Ann Hamilton.

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The image is of Kahn, pensively looking up, superimposed with the Salk Institute plaza.

When I think about La Jolla, what sticks out to me was that visit to the Salk Institute, he said. Im a visual artist, not an architect. But it is well known that the institute is one of Kahns most important buildings. I wanted to have him in the piece also. To me, its an homage to La Jolla and Salk. The image was drawn on a computer and printed out.

Murals of La Jolla curator Lynda Forsha said it is a welcomed addition.

Many make a pilgrimage to La Jolla to see this remarkable building and Kota is reminding us that its right here in our backyard, she said. When I saw his proposal, I thought, Aha, what a brilliant observation and not surprising that it takes an astute artist from outside our community to see it so clearly. And as Kotas title suggests, its something that happened a long time ago and, unfortunately, major artistic collaborations like this dont happen often enough.

The Art Advisory Committee for Murals of La Jolla has been following Kotas work for some time and we were thrilled that he was willing to participate in the project. Typically, his work references images from popular culture or history, which he distills to focus our attention on significant moments in time. We were excited to see what he would come up with for this very important site in La Jolla.

Typically a video artist, Ezawa has only recently delved into public art, but said he has yet to create a piece of this magnitude.

I love doing public art because it broadens the conversation. In a gallery, you dialogue with experts and educated viewers and students. But if you put something out in the public, you are in conversation with everyone, he said. A piece like this one takes on a life of its own. Maybe someone will pass by and ask who it is, and that will lead them to the Salk Institute, which I think is a magical place. Even if people just like the colors, that is a great reaction. Or if they dont like it, thats good, too. At least they are talking.

He was born and raised in Germany (with a mix of German and Japanese ethnicity). Every kid loves to make art, but I was into drawing from a child-age on. I was never going to launch a career as a scientist or serious academic. I played in rock and punk bands doing electronic music. At some point, you choose what you want to sink your teeth into. For me it was art, he explained. In the 1990s, when I was a student, video was a really new thing. Now everyone has video on their phones. He has also explored sculpture.

Ezawa came to the United States as an undergrad in 1994 to study art in San Francisco. While he intended to stay for a year-and-a-half, a job at a local gallery and meeting his now wife prompted him to stay.

Currently at home in California, he has other pieces in the works, including some statues for public spaces in the Bay Area and a mural for the San Francisco International Airport.

I feel very lucky that I get to do what I do, and especially lucky that I get to participate in the Murals of La Jolla program, he said. Ive seen the others works on display, and I feel great to have my work shown alongside them.

For more on the history of the Murals of La Jolla program, visit muralsoflajolla.com

A free, guided walking tour of the collection is slated for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, from the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St. RSVP: (858) 454-5872.

Mackin writes for the La Jolla Light, part of the Union-Tribune Community Press.
Passed over for higher command, U.S. Navy Adm. Scott Swift on Monday announced his unexpected retirement as commander of the Pacific Fleet.

I have been informed by the Chief of Naval Operations that I will not be his nominee to replace Adm. (Harry) Harris as the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, Swift wrote in a prepared statement to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

In keeping with tradition and in loyalty to the Navy, I have submitted my request to retire. I do so with great appreciation and gratitude for the honor of having served so many sailors and their families for what will be 40 years in January.

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Traditionally, the Hawaii-based Pacific Fleet commander takes the helm of Pacific Command upon the retirement of its commander, but its not always the case. Adm. Samuel Jones Locklear III, the PACOM commander from 2012 to 2015, had led naval forces in Europe and Africa.

The Pacific Fleet is the jewel of Navy commands, boasting 60 percent of the services warships. It includes the San Diego-based Third Fleet and the Seventh Fleet, headquartered in Japan, plus all Navy aircraft and submarines in the Pacific Rim and shore commands in Korea and the Marianas.

Swift, 60, indicated that he tendered his retirement now out of an abundance of respect and admiration for Adm. John M. Richardson, the chief of naval operations.

His retirement also aids Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary James Mattis as they face the challenge of selecting someone to step into the leadership role Adm. Harris has filled with such distinction over the last three years, he wrote.

I have not requested a retirement date as there is much work to be done here in the Pacific area of responsibility, Swift wrote. Whether my timeline of remaining service is six weeks or six months, I will fill that time with the energy of an ensign and the wisdom drawn from the 140,000 sailors who report for duty every morning in the Pacific Fleet.

His announcement came a week after news broke that Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, the Navys head of surface forces, had requested an early retirement from Richardson.

Rowden told the Union-Tribune that his departure would give Richardson a head start to pick a new surface-warfare boss to work alongside Swift to continue safety and seamanship reforms they launched in response to a spate of warship collisions in the Western Pacific.

On Jan. 31, the cruiser Antietam ran aground on a Japanese shoal. Less than five months later, the cruiser Lake Champlain bashed a South Korean fishing boat. Then came the June 17 destroyer Fitzgerald crash with a merchant vessel and, on Aug. 21, the collision of an oil tanker with the destroyer John S. McCain east of Singapore.

The Fitzgerald and McCain crashes claimed the lives of 17 sailors and tolled hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to the guided-missile destroyers.

Swift and Rowden had proposed a series of reforms to revamp a Navy culture that put the tempo of operations ahead of proper maintenance and training of sailors plying the busy sea lanes of Asian waters.

Called the Naval Surface Group Western Pacific, the initiative will be run by a staff of 30 to 50 experts in maritime engineering, safety, maintenance, seamanship and training.

Seizing on the urgency of the situation, the programs director will report directly to Swift, while he remains at his post. Its modeled on similar past and present detachments used by the Navy in the Philippines, Hawaii and Bahrain.

On May 27, 2015, Swift was promoted to admiral and became the 35th commander since the Pacific Fleet was established in 1941. He previously had been assigned to the Pentagon as the director of Navy staff.

A San Diegan who graduated from San Diego State University, Swift received his Navy commission in 1979.

A career aviator, he rose to command the Warhawks of Strike Fighter Attack Squadron 97, Carrier Air Wing 14, Carrier Strike Group 9, the Seventh Fleet and Naval Air Forces.

A recipient of the Air Medal with a Combat V for valor designation, Swift deployed to battle against Iran in 1988 and later for Iraq and Afghanistan.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
An Edgerton man was killed Monday night when he crashed his motorcycle into a car near Janesville, and the motorcycle exploded.

It happened at about 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of highways 14 and 51, the Rock County Sheriffs Office said.

The 32-year-old motorcycle rider was being pulled over by a Janesville officer for speeding, but the rider kept going north on Highway 51 from Black Bridge Road, continuing at a high rate of speed.

The officer didnt pursue, and moments later the motorcycle crashed into another vehicle, the Sheriffs Office report said.

The motorcycle rider failed to stop at a red light at the intersection with Highway 14, crashing into the driver side of a westbound car, driven by a 65-year-old Edgerton man.

The crash pushed the car into another westbound car in the right lane on Highway 14, driven by a 22-year-old Brodhead woman.

The cars continued westbound until they stopped just west of the intersection, while the motorcycle stopped on impact and exploded into flames, the report said.

The motorcycle rider, whose name had not been released, died at the scene.

The driver of the first car hit and the passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver and passenger in the second car were not injured.

The name of the motorcycle driver will be released following notification of family.
The first steps in what President Donald Trump hopes will be a new era in border security began Tuesday when construction crews broke ground on prototype designs for a border wall, starting a 30-day sprint to construct eight examples in a fenced-off area on Otay Mesa.

Amid heavy security from state, local and federal agents wary of potential large-scale protests against the controversial project that have not materialized, four of the six private companies that won a national competition to build the designs began work in the morning.

San Diego police officers and county sheriffs deputies were out in force at intersections and along streets near the entrance to the construction site. Customs and Border Protection officers, Border Patrol agents, the Federal Protection Service and California Highway Patrol were also seen in the area.

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Occasionally a flatbed truck with a piece of heavy machinery lumbered down Enrico Fermi Road, swung east and crept slowly down one of the dirt roads that stitch the mesa to the building site. But work at the site on the first day was slow, with only a few trucks and workers there.

Water tankers went in and out of the entrance to the building site, where work was already underway kicking up dust clouds, even with water dousing the dry and dusty location.

Authorities have been preparing the area for weeks, erecting chain-link fences, blocking road access with concrete barriers, installing security cameras and marking designated parking zones. Despite the preparations, authorities would not say when work would be starting, until now.

Despite the concerns of police there were no protests or demonstrators Tuesday. Agent Roy Villareal, the acting chief agent for the Border Patrol in San Diego, said at an afternoon news conference that protests dont seem imminent.

There is nothing that is indicative that a protest is about to occur, he said. He added that the agency has spoken with local groups that we anticipate may have an opposing view of the border wall, and didnt get any feedback that protests were planned.

That echoes what a spokesman for the advocacy groups Alliance San Diego told The San Diego Union-Tribune Monday. Hiram Soto said his organization and others were not mounting a protest because that wall was political theater that had no chance of ever being fully built out, as Trump has promised, because of Congressional opposition and no funding.

Villareal said a free speech area for any protests that may occur would be set up nearby, but the exact location was not confirmed by sheriffs officials. The location identified by federal officials Tuesday is a dusty, unshaded, weed-choked lot overlooking Otay Mesa and more than 1.5 miles away from construction.

The potential for demonstrations also prompted the county Board of Supervisors Tuesday to pass an ordinance to give the county the power to create special zones where knives, sticks, bats, pepper spray, bricks, and other possible weapons are temporarily prohibited.

The ordinance, which takes effect immediately, allows the countys chief administrative officer or designee to create Temporary Area Restrictions in unincorporated areas of the county where items that could be used as weapons are prohibited. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor.

The ordinance is intended to protect First Amendment rights while keeping people safe, Supervisor Greg Cox said.

I think our role is to make sure we provide an area where they can demonstrate if they choose, he said. Obviously we want to make sure its a peaceful demonstration.

The law is necessary in the often tense political climate, Supervisor Dianne Jacob said.

This is a divisive time in our nations history. And frankly, we already have a border fence in San Diego so I am not sure why we were targeted to do the prototypes here in San Diego. I think Texas would have been more appropriate, but it is what it is today, Jacob said.

The city of San Diego has a similar ordinance, and the American Civil Liberties Union said its lawful for governments to, in certain circumstances, restrict the size or type of sign displayed if the ability to wave a sign isnt restricted.

ACLUs San Diego chapter said on its website that a city may prohibit the use of metal stakes, clubs, and pipes at rallies, parades, or demonstrations, and it may require that any wooden stakes used for signs must be  inch or less in thickness and 2 inches or less in width. But a city may not entirely prohibit the carrying of signs attached to any wooden or plastic handles.

Four of the prototypes will be made of concrete while the other four will be made of alternate materials. All of the models will be between 18 to 30 feet high and 30 feet long.

The construction site is about 1.5 miles east of Enrico Fermi Drive on open land that is a mixture of public and private ownership. It is several miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in a spot where the existing mesh secondary fence ends and a single barrier continues into the desert.

1 / 27 An excavator dug a foundation on one of the competition plots as seen through an opening in the old primary fence. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 27 An aerial view looking to the west of the construction site and the neighborhood just to the south. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 27 View looking west from a hill to the east of the construction site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 27 An aerial view looking down at the project from south of the border fence. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 27 A grader worked at the competition site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 27 An aerial view looking northeast at the construction site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 27 Six San Diego County Sheriffs patrol vehicles come out tot he construction site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 27 Six San Diego County Sheriffs patrol vehicles come out tot he construction site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 27 View looking west from a hill to the east of the construction site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 27 View looking west from a hill to the east of the construction site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 27 View looking west from a hill to the east of the construction site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 27 A grader worked at the competition site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 27 A look back to the west from the construction site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 27 An excavator dug a foundation on one of the competition plots. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 27 One group of competitors worked at their site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 27 Mexican Federal Police were on the scene just south of the area where the construction was going on. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 27 Mexican Federal Police were on the scene just south of the area where the construction was going on. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 27 An excavator moved dirt from one of the competitors site. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 27 A Federal Protection Police unit rolled through the construction site (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 27 Using horses to check the area, Border Patrol checks the area not far from where the prototype border walls will be constructed along the U.S. Mexico border. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 21 / 27 Using horses to check the area, Border Patrol checks the area not far from where the prototype border walls will be constructed along the U.S. Mexico border. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 27 Added law enforcement presence at the corner of Enrico Fermi Drive and Via De La Amistad for the construction entrance where the prototype border walls will be constructed. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 23 / 27 Heavy construction equipment haul in water then leave to refill just outside the entrance (road way below the over pass) on the corner of Enrico Fermi Drive and Via De La Amistad that leads to where the prototype border walls will be constructed along the U.S. Mexico border. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 24 / 27 Added law enforcement presence at the corner of Enrico Fermi Drive and Via De La Amistad for the construction entrance where the prototype border walls will be constructed. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 25 / 27 At the corner of Enrico Fermi Drive and Via De La Amistad everyone entering the border wall construction for the prototype walls is checked before entering. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 26 / 27 Heavy construction equipment is trailered in at the entrance on the corner of Enrico Fermi Drive and Via De La Amistad that leads to where the prototype border walls will be constructed along the U.S. Mexico border. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 27 / 27 Looking southeast towards the construction site of where the prototype border walls will be constructed. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)

The contractors for the concrete prototypes are: Caddell Construction Co., Montgomery, Ala.; Fisher Sand & Gravel Co., Tempe, Ariz.; Texas Sterling Construction Co., Houston, Texas; and W. G. Yates & Sons Construction Company, Philadelphia, Miss.

Both Caddell and W.G. Yates are also constructing walls made of other materials, alongside KWR Construction, Inc., Sierra Vista, Ariz., and ELTA North America Inc., Annapolis Junction, Md.

Their bids ranged between $300,000 to $500,000.

Once completed, CBP will select a winning design. The project is underway despite the lack of congressional funding for President Donald Trumps promised wall, which would be constructed along portions of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Staff writer Joshua Stewart contributed to this story.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
A man who broke into a National City apartment last year and killed a 92-year-old woman who lived there was sentenced Monday to 31 years to life in prison.

Peter Thao, 27, pleaded guilty in June to first-degree murder and residential burglary in the death of Maria Consuelo Rivera, who was well known in her citys Filipino-American community.

He was scheduled to be sentenced in August, but that was postponed when a defense attorney notified a judge that Thao wanted to withdraw his guilty plea. The defendant also said he wanted to serve as his own lawyer.

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Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Ana Espana granted Thaos request to represent himself.

On Monday, however, the judge denied the defendants request to withdraw his guilty plea. She then sentenced Thao to 25 years to life in prison for the murder charge, plus six years for burglary.

Thao, who had lived in Mira Mesa, was arrested in November, a few weeks after Riveras body was found in an apartment she shared with her daughter on D Street near East Plaza Boulevard.

The daughter, Cecilia Rivera Aguilar, arrived home from work Oct. 22 and made the grisly discovery.

National City police have said the victim died as a result of blunt-force trauma. Its not clear whether a weapon was used or what items, if any, were taken from the home.

Maria Rivera raised her five children in the Philippines city of Baguio, where she launched several businesses including a beauty parlor and a laundering service.

She came to the United States about 40 years ago and moved into her National City apartment shortly after arriving. She didnt have the money to start a business here, so she went to work as a housekeeper at a nearby hotel.

Relatives said at a previous court appearance that Rivera  a modest woman who lived a modest life  was known in the community for her generosity, honesty and independence. They said she gave whatever she could to help those in need, often babysitting her neighbors children and cooking for friends and family.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
Federal, state and local law enforcement continued to prepare for the start of construction of prototypes for President Donald Trumps long-sought border wall in Otay Mesa, though agencies remained tight-lipped about when work will begin.

Miles of temporary chain-link fencing surround a huge section of the mesa, essentially blocking foot access from the north and west.

Over the weekend, signs designating no-parking zones were placed along roads and streets in business parks that crowd the border area. The signs, posted by the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, ban parking around the clock starting Tuesday.

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The countys parking ban extends to Nov. 10, and the city prohibition ends Nov. 1.

Despite the preparations, which have been going on for weeks, Customs and Border Protection declined to say when construction would begin. Mark Endicott, a spokesman for the Border Patrol, said Monday that construction is expected to begin in the near future.

We currently dont have anything to release regarding the start of construction, he said.

There are expectations it will start this week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday, the day the parking ban goes into effect. That is also the date that construction was scheduled to begin, according to a security briefing memo issued this month to local law enforcement discussing the possibility of protests over the project.

A spokesman for the sheriff also did not say when work would begin or provide details on a discussed free-speech zone where any protesters demonstrating against the month-long project would be confined.

The no-parking zone blankets the closest developed area that could provide access to the site where the prototypes are to be built, about 1.5 miles east from Enrico Fermi Drive on the mesa. The area is open land stitched with trails and private roads, and is a checkerboard of public and private land ownership.

Over the past month, miles of chain-link fencing have been erected on the open mesa, blocking off individual parcels of land. The fencing bars access to the mesa from runs from a dirt road east off the end of Enrico Fermi Drive north, near Alta Road.

On Monday, vehicles from Customs and Border Protection and the Sheriffs Department were seen driving the dirt roads on the mesa. At one point, the Border Patrols mounted unit of eight agents on horseback patrolled the mesas roads and paths.

Other contractor crews were placing concrete barrier walls at some intersections, closing off access to roads. At least three mobile security cameras have also been placed at points overlooking the broad mesa.

The fencing and barriers and other apparent security measures might be for naught. The security memo that identified Tuesday as the start date for construction sent by the Department of Homeland Security also said the project could attract large-scale protests, perhaps similar to the weeks-long encampment of opponents protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline project.

There was no sign of any nascent protests on Monday. Hiram Soto, a spokesman for the activist group Alliance San Diego, said his group is not planning any demonstrations.

Its just political theater, he said of the wall prototypes project. There is no funding for it in Congress.  He said he did not know of any other local groups that were planning to demonstrate against the project.

Law enforcement seems to be planning for protests, but to our knowledge, none are planned, he said.

All the work is in perpetration for six companies to construct eight prototypes of new border walls. The companies were winners in a competition that solicited designs for a new wall for the southwest border  something that Trump made a centerpiece of his campaign for president.

Four of the walls will be made of concrete; four will be made of other materials. Contracts for the companies ranged between $300,000 and $500,000. Two companies will build both a concrete and non-concrete wall.

Each wall will be 18 feet to 30 feet high and 30 feet long. They will be constructed on a piece of government land, where the existing steel mesh secondary fence ends, a spot several miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

The site sits right across from the hardscrabble Tijuana neighborhood Las Torres. Construction is supposed to take 30 days, and after that CBP will select a winning design.

But prospects for allocating the billions of dollars it would take to construct a wall across portions of the border are uncertain. Congressional opposition from Democrats and some Republicans makes it unlikely that funds for the project would be allocated.

The administration has also wavered. A potential deal with Democrats over the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients would include money for border security  but not the wall.

After immigration hardliners pushed back against that deal, Trump has insisted the wall will be built. But earlier this month he said that it will be funded a little bit later.

Twitter: @gregmoran

greg.moran@sduniontribune.com
A man was killed and a woman wounded in a stabbing at a homeless encampment in City Heights Monday night, San Diego police said.

The 29-year-old homeless man was identified as Sonny Ray Gonzalez.

His companion, a woman in her late 30s, ran up Manzanita Canyon, yelling for someone to call 911 after the stabbing, said homicide Lt. Todd Griffin. A resident on Manzanita Drive, a windy residential street that runs along the canyon, heard the womans screams, went outside and called police about 9:25 p.m.

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Officers found the victim lying about 50 feet down a trail, suffering from a stab wound to his upper body, Griffin said. They started CPR on the man until medics arrived and took him to a hospital, where he died.

His companion also was taken to a hospital with a stab wound to her upper torso. She was expected to survive, Griffin said.

The woman told police a confrontation led up to the stabbing, but detectives were still investigating her account of what transpired, Griffin said.

Four people in the canyon were detained as possible witnesses and would also be interviewed by homicide detectives, Griffin said.

Police did not have a detailed description of the male assailant. He was seen running from the canyon, accompanied by a female. Officers scoured the area but did not locate a suspect.

Breaking News

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez

UPDATES:

5 p.m. Sept. 27: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 10:10 p.m. Sept. 25.

1 a.m. Sept. 26: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 10:10 p.m. Sept. 25.
When it comes to murder, San Diego continues to be the safest big city in the nation.

For the fifth year in a row, San Diego had the lowest murder rate among the countrys 10 largest cities, at 3.6 killings per 100,000 people, according to FBI data released Monday. New York came in second, followed by San Jose.

But it wasnt just the city of San Diego. The region as a whole was one of the safest large counties in the United States last year, with less violent crime and property crime than all but four of the largest metropolitan areas.

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Nationwide, violent crime  which includes murder and robbery  increased for a second consecutive year, rising 4.1 percent between 2015 and 2016. Property crimes like burglary and vandalism decreased for the 14th year in a row, dropping 1.3 percent, according to the data.

In the San Diego region, rates for both violent crime and property crime fell, although only slightly. The FBI statistics show the countys violent crime rate was 3.3 offenses per 1,000 people, about 1 percent lower than in 2015. The property crime rate of 18.5 offenses per 1,000 people was about 4 percent lower than the previous year.

The overall numbers gave the county its second-lowest crime rate in 37 years, according to a local analysis by the San Diego Association of Governments. And of the 25 largest metropolitan areas across the country, only four had lower rates for violent and property crimes.

Achieving and maintaining historically low crime rates requires constant effort and innovative law enforcement practices, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said in a statement. Deputies and analysts work together on a daily basis to identify the root causes of crime trends and create effective solutions. The strong relationship we have with the people of San Diego County allows us to communicate effectively with the individual communities we serve to identify their needs and priorities.

At three killings per 100,000 people, the regions murder rate was lower than the national average of 5.3 homicides per 100,000, which is the highest it has been since 2008.

But homicides in the county increased for the third consecutive year from 85 in 2015 to 101 in 2016, a jump of 20 percent.

Its the highest total the county has seen since 2012, when 110 people were slain.

The Trump administration has repeatedly warned of an increase in violent crime across the nation. In a news release that also contained a statement from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Justice Department said the most recent statistics reaffirm that the worrying violent crime increase that began in 2015 after many years of decline was not an isolated incident.

Some criminologists have contested that conclusion, saying that rates for overall crime and violent crime are still much lower today than they were several decades ago. In 1991, for example, the national violent crime rate was 716 offenses per 100,000 people.

Although violent crime rates increased last year, overall crime decreased 1.4 percent.

The FBIs data show trends similar to what weve found for crime, murder, and violence in 2016, said Ames Grawert, a counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York. Crime remains near historic lows, with an uptick in murder and violence driven in part by problems in some of our nations largest cities. At the same time, other cities like New York are keeping crime down.

The Crime in the United States report is produced annually by the FBI and is a compilation of offense, arrest and police employment data submitted to the federal agency by more than 16,500 law enforcement agencies across the country.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
Nearly a dozen firefighters may have been exposed to Hepatitis A while battling a brush fire in a Spring Valley homeless encampment early Sunday, a fire official said.

The blaze sparked behind a condominium complex on Spring Canyon Drive about 1:30 a.m. Initially, firefighters thought the area was simply wet from water from the fire hose and a natural spring nearby.

It wasnt until they doused the 1-acre blaze that firefighters noticed the pungent smell of feces, said San Miguel Fire Protection District spokesman Stephen Moran.

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The crews were focused on the fire but once they put it out, they realized the smell around them was from human waste, Moran said.

They soon realized their boots, uniforms and equipment had been soiled.

One firefighter accidentally stepped into a 5-gallon bucket filled with feces while walking toward the fire. He ended up falling down a hill and was taken to a hospital with a minor back injury.

As a precaution, fire officials contacted the countys Hazardous Materials team that recommended firefighters wash their gear and equipment with soap and water before returning to the station.

A stretch of hose that was buried in the mess was left in the canyon. Moran said they didnt want to chance exposing anyone else to Hepatitis A, but that they plan to retrieve it at some point.

Moran said its routine for fire officials to contact the county or other professionals if a firefighter is potentially exposed to an illness, and that they would have reached out even if San Diego had not been in the midst of a hepatitis outbreak.

On Monday, 11 firefighters were checked by medical professionals and given booster shots to combat potential infection. Firefighters are regularly vaccinated against a variety of illnesses, but Moran didnt know if the men who responded had received Hepatitis A vaccines.

He said firefighters usually take precautions if they are going to be exposed to potentially ill people, but they didnt know beforehand that the fire had sparked in an encampment.

Its unclear if there was a public restroom in the area, which is east of state Route 125 and Quarry Trail.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
A Hillcrest smoke shop that illegally sold the powerful synthetic drug spice was ordered to pay about $52,000 in penalties, the City Attorneys Office said Monday.

Andys Smoke Shop also was ordered by San Diego Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal to stop selling spice.

Often referred to as synthetic marijuana, the drug creates a similar kind of high, only stronger. It led to a sharp increase in drug overdoses in San Diego in the fall of 2015.

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A city ordinance enacted in June 2016 banned the possession and sale of synthetic drugs. In the weeks that followed, police said, Andys Smoke Shop was notified of the ordinance in a letter from the Police Department and also served with a court order prohibiting the store from selling spice.

The store, however, didnt stop selling the drug. On three occasions in July 2016, undercover detectives with the narcotics unit bought spice from the University Avenue shop. A month later, police returned with a search warrant and raided the store, seizing two pounds of the drug in bulk and small packages for sale, police said.

The investigation led to a criminal complaint, filed by the City Attorneys Office, against the owner of the shop. Ossam Saba pleaded guilty in February to possession of spice for sale and sentenced to two days in jail, three years on probation and 28 days of community service, the City Attorneys Office said.

Last month, Becal found the shop, Saba and the stores manager, Ghada Shaba, liable for selling spice. Bacals decision was filed in court Friday, the City Attorneys Office said.

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Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
Finger-pointing started Monday over what appears to be a delayed response to the deadly hepatitis A outbreak ravaging San Diego County, as public records to and from city and county officials began to be released.

In one email from June, an officer at St. Vincent de Pauls charity told county leaders that the city flatly refused to install portable toilets and sinks to help control the spread of the virus, which has infected nearly 450 people in recent months and killed 16.

From my understanding, the city of San Diego has declined an opportunity to put portable toilets/wash stations around the city because it wasnt so long ago they were fighting other kinds of outbreaks by virtue of the availability of portable toilets, Ruth Bruland wrote June 30.

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The city has a long history of warnings by the grand jury and others over the need for restrooms downtown, where a growing homeless population has had to use other means to relieve themselves  contributing to the current sanitation and health crisis. A concern that restrooms attract drugs and prostitution has been one impediment.

The St. Vincent de Paul email was released by county spokesman Michael Workman after The San Diego Union-Tribune asked him to respond to a batch of other emails released by the city under a California Public Records Act request.

Those communications, hundreds of exchanges to and from city and county public officials, show the two agencies discussing a multitude of responses to the public health threat and not implementing them broadly for months  even as the death toll mounted.

Bruland did not immediately respond to questions about her email to county officials. According to Workman, city officials early in the crisis did not act on certain matters as the preventable outbreak of the liver infection hepatitis A grew more deadly by the month.

Many of the measures proposed involved better hygiene to avoid spread of the disease, which can occur when tiny amounts of fecal matter are transmitted and ingested.

May 4 we proposed the wash stations and city said no, Workman said Monday. Two weeks later we offered to pay for them, still no.

June 28 they said theyll consider a permit process but want us to pilot first on our properties, he said. (We) placed one in July at Rosecrans, where the county has offices for the Health and Human Services Agency.

Greg Block, a spokesman for Mayor Kevin Faulconer, said the city did not turn away wash stations.

We never had any issues with the installation of hand washing stations, except they had to be self-contained and in compliance with (permits), he said.

Block said the city deferred in responding to the outbreak because the county has public-health experience the city lacks.

The county is our public health agency, Block said. They have the expertise on public health matters that the city does not. As a result, we take our direction on public health issues from them.

Block said the citys reluctance to embrace new bathrooms downtown and in other areas where the outbreak is most concentrated stems from previous experiences with public restrooms that have been well-documented.

We have had issues with vandalism and illegal activities, causing complaints from residents and business owners, leading many of them to be removed, Block said. The restrooms we have installed recently all have 24 hour security.

The city and county installed 40 or more temporary sinks in at-risk communities earlier this month. Records show discussion of the measure started as far back as June.

We are waiting for the final description of what you envision the handwashing stations will look like (e.g. specifications) and locations that you may want to utilize, Stacey LoMedico, the citys assistant chief operating officer, wrote to Deputy Public Health Officer Sayone Thihalolipavan in late June.

I have our development services department staff on standby so they can provide us the requirements (e.g. permit(s)) that may be needed to install in the public (right-of-way), she added.

Thihalolipavan replied just 10 minutes later, saying the idea was still in development.

It is only in planning phase right now and once we get with the contractor and get those details we can definitely pass them along of course, the county public health official wrote back.

In another email exchange this spring, city officials were asked for information about suspected hepatitis A patients treated by San Diego Fire-Rescue teams but held off until the county could provide a list of specific names.

I wanted to check on status of the request from (county Health and Human Services Agency) re: EMS patients who may have contracted hepatitis A, Dr. James Dunford, the city emergency medical services director, wrote to two fire officials May 31. Were we able to provide a report to Dr. (Wilma) Wooten?

Deputy Fire Chief Gina La Mantia replied three hours later, telling Dunford that another city worker was awaiting the list from the county of specific patients the county was seeking data about.

Block said Monday that the city responded to and acted on all directives from the county immediately.

On May 23 fire department staff reached out to county health letting them know they needed (specific) patient information, Block said. The info was provided to the fire department on June 5. We responded on June 6.

Top officials from the city and county also spent weeks discussing something as simple as posters for a public-awareness campaign.

The outbreak was identified in March, the posters were first discussed in June and they werent deployed until August.

By that time, 10 people were dead and more than 200 had been hospitalized.

The ad campaign started this week and we have some posters printed, Thihalolipavan informed LoMedico on Aug. 17. Im bringing some today to regional task force meeting where Im presenting.

The county public health official asked how many posters the city wanted and where they should be delivered.

The city official wrote back suggesting 150 posters to start. She said the city would display them at city recreation centers, libraries and other public spaces.

I believe it is the same poster/flyer that was shared with me a few weeks ago, LoMedico said, referencing the time that had passed since the project began.

By late August, as hepatitis A cases began generating more headlines, the city and county committed to installing 40 or more temporary sinks in places where at-risk people congregate. There was further discussion of where they would be placed and who would be responsible for maintaining them.

Please attach Exhibits A and B to the document and have it executed (see attached), San Diego engineering official Greg Hopkins told the county Aug. 30. Please make sure to add the additional sheet to Exhibit A that indicates the maintenance criteria and send it back to me.

The next day, Wooten, the county public health officer, told LoMedico that the list of places where the sinks were scheduled to be installed had been completed but that some changes may still be made.

Teams went out to assess the sites, some locations will be removed and others will be added, Wooten wrote. We will provide you a full list tomorrow morning after our Hep A meeting.

LoMedico alerted a number of city officials, including Gerry Braun and Mary Nuesca from the City Attorneys Office, which apparently was asked to sign off on the specific placements on city property.

Making sure you are aware of the change of plans by county, LoMedico wrote. Gerry/ Mary - you are on here as we discussed that we need a letter/ approval for them to put into the parks/ city property asap. I have yet to hear back on that request.

Hepatitis A is being spread person-to-person, county health officials said, in large part due to the lack of bathrooms and proper sanitation among the homeless community that lives in makeshift shelters on the streets and alleys downtown.

The San Diego outbreak is easily the worst in the United States since the 1990s.

Thats when a newly developed vaccine helped drive down the number of reported cases from tens of thousands a year to fewer than 1,300 in 2015, the most recent year for which federal statistics are available.

Watchdog Videos On Now Sexual misconduct accusers worry deputy is being protected 6:16 On Now City funded $2-million waterfront bathroom 1:26 On Now Public water district charges customer for legal work, response to records request On Now Video: Tiny homes won't be reused amid housing, homeless crisis On Now Attorney General seeks documentation for Miss Middle East On Now Rep. Hunter probe covers possible fraud On Now Video: SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants On Now Video: Former San Diego Junior Theatre teacher sentenced for sex with teen girl 0:24 On Now Video: Shelter volunteers believe they were fired for finding a dog a home 0:49 On Now McKamey Manor is leaving San Diego 3:35

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
When Rahm Emanuel, now Chicagos mayor, was President-elect Barack Obamas chief of staff in 2008, he famously observed, You never want a serious crisis to go to waste ... its an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.

It was in this vein that Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego, introduced Assembly Bill 805 after a scandal at the San Diego Association of Governments in which the agency withheld crucial facts from voters about a November ballot measure. While the bill does include some oversight provisions, its main effect is to rob small cities of their influence over SANDAG. The agency now needs two affirmative votes to approve key decisions  one weighted by the populations of local government members and one in which each of the 21 voting directors has the same power. The rule promotes regional planning. AB 805 would let the weighted vote supersede the straight tally, specifying that as few as four jurisdictions could impose decisions on all the others. lt would also give taxing authority to the North County Transit District and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System.

Whats driving the power grab is the belief that SANDAG hasnt done enough to promote transit. But the rationale is irrelevant. This decision should not be imposed on San Diegans by Sacramento. Given Gov. Jerry Browns belief in subsidiarity  a fancy term for local control of government  vetoing AB 805 should be an obvious decision.

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Regarding California sues Trump administration over border wall (Sept. 21): So now the California attorney general is suing President Trump over the border wall construction and he is quick to quote that No one gets to ignore the law, not even the president of the United States. In California, we make every effort to follow the rules.

I find his statement(s) quite comical and most hypocritical  because Xavier Becerra is a huge supporter of the states desire (along with cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles) to remain sanctuaries for illegal aliens, which is in complete defiance of federal law.

My question to him as a member of the judiciary is, does he really just get to pick and choose which laws he decides to uphold and enforce? I think the U.S. Constitution states, unequivocally, no. Or, except maybe when it suits his political purposes and hes playing to his base, as they constantly accuse President Trump of doing?

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Richard Hamilton

Oceanside

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I am Kerry Burgess. This is what I think.
Rohingya Crisis: Questions

How is Save the Children responding to the Rohingya crisis?

How did the Rohingya crisis start?

Where is the Rohingya crisis?

Who are the Rohingya refugees?

How many refugees have fled Myanmar?

How many Rohingya refugees are in Bangladesh?

What are camp conditions like for Rohingya children and families?

Whats life like for Rohingya refugee children?

How is Save the Children responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Cox's Bazar?

What is Save the Childrens history of working in Bangladesh?

What is Save the Childrens history of working in Myanmar?

How is Save the Children responding to the Rohingya crisis?

Through the support of our donors, Save the Children has been providing essential services to around 600,000 refugees and the local community since 2017.

Over the last three years, donor support has created enough learning spaces to serve 13,800 children. Together, we've built safe spaces to enable children to learn and play. Weve integrated health and hygiene activities into education and trained teachers on how to support childrens mental health and psychological well-being.

We've ensured nearly 470,000 refugees here, including almost 280,000 children, get staple food like rice, lentils and cooking oil on a regular basis.

Most recently our donors have helped to build a major COVID-19 treatment centre  allowing children and their families to get the care they need at this crucial time.

How did the Rohingya crisis start?

In 1982, Myanmar passed a citizenship law that denied Rohingya people nationality and left them stateless. Over the years, the Rohingya people experienced continuous violence and persecution and were denied rights granted to Myanmar citizens.

On August 25, 2017, following a series of attacks on Myanmar police and border guard posts by a loosely organized Rohingya armed group, the Myanmar security forces began a systematic campaign of violence against the Rohingya population in northern Rakhine State.

Almost 300,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh over the next two weeks as disturbing reports surfaced of hundreds of people, including children, being killed. In just a short amount of time, over 700,000 people  half of them children  had fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

In and around Coxs Bazar, a Bangladeshi district near the Myanmar border, thousands of Rohingya families including children were forced to sleep out in the open or by a roadside because they didn't have anywhere else to go. Lacking enough food or clean drinking water, the risk of children being exploited, abused or even trafficked was of grave concern.

The scale of the influx of Rohingya arriving in Coxs Bazar was unprecedented and put huge stress on host communities and humanitarian agencies. Today, three years on and amid a global pandemic, nearly one million people remain stranded in the largest refugee camp in the world.

Where is the Rohingya crisis?

The mass displacement of Rohingya people followed an alarming escalation of violence in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Bangladeshs southern district of Coxs Bazar, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas have fled, is now home to the largest refugee camp in the world.

Who are the Rohingya refugees?

The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority who reside in Myanmar.

Faced with decades of systematic discrimination and targeted violence in Rakhine State, the Rohingya fled in a mass exodus on August 25, 2017.

"The process of returning Rohingya refugees cannot begin until it is guaranteed that they will be safe in Myanmars Rakhine State with a clear process in place to ensure justice and accountability for the serious human rights abuses they have suffered" ; Save the Children warned at the onset of the crisis.

For more information on refugees, read our page What is a refugee?.

How many refugees have fled Myanmar?

Since 2017, more than one million Rohingya refugees, half of whom are children, have lived in cramped camps after being violently forced from their homes across the border in Myanmar to escape unimaginable violence.

How many Rohingya refugees are in Bangladesh?

Over 450,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are children.

Three years on from the beginning of this crisis, hundreds of thousands of children remain stranded on the steep hillsides of Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh.

What are camp conditions like for Rohingya children and families?

While safe from the brutal violence that forced them to leave Myanmar, the camps in Bangladesh are no place for a child.

Access to education and other essential services is limited, and children are at risk of violence, exploitation and abuse. To make matters worse, the camps are now facing the prospect of a COVID-19 outbreak, with potentially devastating consequences.

Put simply, despite the relentless efforts of humanitarian communities, a refugee camp is no place for a child to grow up," said Save the Children's Country Director in Bangladesh Onno van Manen.

Whats life like for Rohingya refugee children?

Rohingya children have witnessed and suffered from some of the worst human rights abuses of the 21st century. They have faced a ruthless campaign of military violence that has been systematic, targeted and deliberate.

Many children arrived alone in Bangladesh, severely traumatized, having seen their parents, relatives and friends killed right in front of them. Now, three years on, Rohingya refugees are still living in makeshift settlements in one of the most densely populated places in the world.

These are some of the shocking realities for Rohingya refugee children:

Over 450,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are children.

An estimated 75% of babies are born in the unsafe and unsanitary bamboo shelters.

Almost 1/3 children under five have had their growth stunted by lack of food.

Only 13% of boys and 2% of girls aged 15-18 are in school.

40% of children are scared of dying or losing a family member to COVID-19

Rohingya children are some of the most marginalized on the planet. "Children stuck in the camps in Coxs Bazar face a bleak future with little freedom of movement, inadequate access to education, poverty, serious protection risks and abuse including child marriage," said Onno van Manen."

How is Save the Children responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Cox's Bazar?

As the coronavirus continues to impact children, families and communities, our teams are working around the clock to deliver vital health services. Our new isolation and treatment centre has 60 beds to care for COVID-19 patients. The centre is open 24/7 and staffed by 80 health and support workers, including our highly experienced Emergency Health Unit.

Our community volunteers are providing information to families about how they can protect themselves from the virus.

What is Save the Childrens history of working in Bangladesh?

Save the Children has sustained a presence in Bangladesh for nearly 50 years, since 1970. Since 2012, we have addressed education, protection and water/sanitation needs of refugee Rohingya children from Myanmar. We are now working around the clock to alleviate the urgent needs created by the massive exodus of Rohingya children and adults who have fled atrocities and horrors in Myanmar since late August of 2017.

Save the Children is committed to conducting humanitarian relief for as long as Rohingya remain in Bangladesh and require aid.

What is Save the Childrens history of working in Myanmar?

Save the Children has worked in Myanmar since 1995. Our staff are experienced in humanitarian relief after disasters and for those displaced by conflict and are prepared to deploy flood relief if needed. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, our teams have helped over 350,000 children since the start of the crisis.
Bethlehem, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/26/2017 -- ATOPALM is the Korean skincare secret for healthy, beautiful skin and it is based on the St. John Formula with Maltese Cross. The historic Maltese Cross molecule is named for the symbol of the healing order of the Knights of Malta. Moreover, the brand has been the number one choice for skincare in Korea for the past eleven years. In order to make this solution for sensitive skin available for the whole world, the brand is now seeking community support on Indiegogo.



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Portland, OR -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/25/2017 -- Emergence of big data in Japan has helped enterprises there achieve, real results with its approach, and are observed expanding their attempts to encompass huge data and models. Furthermore, big data technologies such as Hadoop as well as cloud analytics offer substantial cost benefits. On the other hand, large companies looking for faster and quality decisions with the technology, are now finding it possible. Driven by the momentum of Hadoop and other analytical tools, company researchers are now focused on speeding up their present decision. Today, the most interesting function of big data analytics is to develop cutting- edge products and solution for end users.



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The university is accredited by the Medical Council of India and other renowned organizations such as WHO, World Federation of Medical Education, Educational Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates and Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research. It also ranks 1st in Georgia with a world ranking of 134. Education Consultancy offers all the assistance that the students need right from registration to processing of visa. Students can now realize their dreams of becoming doctors that too from prestigious universities in Georgia.



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About http://www.educationconsultancy.co.in/

Education Consultancy, http://www.educationconsultancy.co.in/ based at Vadodara in Gujarat, India is a consultancy firm that helps students with admissions in different universities in India and abroad in all kinds of education streams.



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Address: Kapadiya House, Beside Amrapali Complex, Karelibaugh, Vadodara 390018

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Website: http://www.educationconsultancy.co.in/
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/25/2017 -- This comprehensive report on the TD-LTE Ecosystem Market provides a detailed and professional assessment of the dynamics of the demand, supply, and sales of Enterprise Search and have been compiled by market experts. It also offers the most significant details of this market, gained by using a number of efficient analytical methods.



This report studies the TD-LTE Ecosystem market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the TD-LTE Ecosystem market by product type and applications/end industries.



The global TD-LTE Ecosystem market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.



The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.



Request For Sample Copy Of Report : https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/1217133



North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of TD-LTE Ecosystem. United States plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of XX.



Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share (%) and growth Rate (%) of TD-LTE Ecosystem in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering

United States

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

South America

Middle East and Africa



The major players in global and United States TD-LTE Ecosystem market, including Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Telefonaktiebolaget L. M. Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent S.A., Datang Telecom Technology & Industry Group, Fiberhome Networks Co. Ltd, Nokia Networks B.V., Potevio Company, Samsung Group, ZTE Corporation, MediaTek.



The On the basis of product, the TD-LTE Ecosystem market is primarily split into

Downlink biased services

Uplink biased services

Specific scenario services



On the basis on the end users/applications, this report covers

Enterprises

Healthcare

Retail

Personal

Education



Send An Enquiry : https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/enquiry/1217133



Table of Contents



2017-2022 TD-LTE Ecosystem Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications

1 Methodology and Data Source

1.1 Methodology/Research Approach

1.1.1 Research Programs/Design

1.1.2 Market Size Estimation

1.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation

1.2 Data Source

2.1.1 Secondary Sources

2.1.2 Primary Sources

1.3 Disclaimer

2 TD-LTE Ecosystem Market Overview

2.1 TD-LTE Ecosystem Product Overview

2.2 TD-LTE Ecosystem Market Segment by Type

2.2.1 Downlink biased services

2.2.2 Uplink biased services

2.2.3 Specific scenario services

2.3 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Product Segment by Type

2.3.1 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and Growth (%) by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)

2.3.2 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)

2.3.3 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)

2.3.4 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)

2.4 United States TD-LTE Ecosystem Product Segment by Type

2.4.1 United States TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and Growth by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)

2.4.2 United States TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)

2.4.3 United States TD-LTE Ecosystem Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)

2.4.4 United States TD-LTE Ecosystem Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)



3 TD-LTE Ecosystem Application/End Users

3.1 TD-LTE Ecosystem Segment by Application/End Users

3.1.1 Enterprises

3.1.2 Healthcare

3.1.3 Retail

3.1.4 Personal

3.1.5 Education

3.2 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Product Segment by Application

3.2.1 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)

3.2.2 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)

3.3 United States TD-LTE Ecosystem Product Segment by Application

3.3.1 United States TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)

3.3.2 United States TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)



Browse More Related Reports : https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/category/63



4 TD-LTE Ecosystem Market Status and Outlook by Regions

4.1 Global Market Status and Outlook by Regions

4.1.1 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Market Size and CAGR by Regions (2012, 2016 and 2022)

4.1.2 North America

4.1.3 Asia-Pacific

4.1.4 Europe

4.1.5 South America

4.1.6 Middle East and Africa

4.1.7 United States

4.2 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales and Revenue by Regions

4.2.1 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)

4.2.2 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)

4.2.3 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)

4.2.4 North America TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)

4.2.5 Europe TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)

4.2.6 Asia-Pacific TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)

4.2.7 South America TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (2012-2017)

4.2.8 Middle East and Africa TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)

4.2.9 United States TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (2012-2017)



5 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers

5.1 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Players (2012-2017)

5.2 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Revenue (Million USD) and Share by Players (2012-2017)

5.3 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Average Price (USD/Unit) by Players (2012-2017)

5.4 Players TD-LTE Ecosystem Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types

5.5 TD-LTE Ecosystem Market Competitive Situation and Trends

5.5.1 TD-LTE Ecosystem Market Concentration Rate

5.5.2 Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Market Share (%) of Top 3 and Top 5 Players

5.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion
FLORENCE, S.C.  After rain damaged it in the last two years, this looks to be a bumper year for the South Carolina cotton crop, just as a Clemson University economist predicted before planting even began.

Cotton, peanut and soybean producers in South Carolina will soon have aldicarb to use in their fight against insects and nematodes.

Mike Jones, South Carolina cotton specialist housed at the Clemson Pee Dee Research and Education Center, said 250,000 acres of cotton were planted in the state this year, up from 190,000 last year. Jones said this years crop could produce record yields if the weather holds out.

Right now, were predicting 960 pounds per acre, said Jones during the Clemson Pee Dee REC Field Day. Ive been driving around and talking with (Clemson) county agents in the cotton-growing counties. I havent seen nor heard of a bad crop in the state this year.

Jones credits this years bumper crop to the weather.

Summer temperatures were more moderate, Jones said. Weve also gotten good, timely rainfall most of the growing season. Moderate temperatures and adequate rainfall, combined, have resulted in favorable conditions for an outstanding cotton crop in South Carolina this year.

The states cotton crop dodged Hurricane Irma for the most part and just suffered minimal damage, Jones said.

During the South Carolina Cotton Growers annual meeting in January, Nathan Smith, an Extension professor and economist at the Clemson Sandhill Research and Education Center, predicted the South Carolina cotton crop would increase this year.

Prior to 2017, the highest-yielding cotton crop in South Carolina was 955 pounds per acre in 2012. Other high-yielding years were 2014 with 912 pounds per acre, 2010 with 898 pounds per acre, 2008 with 896 pounds per acre and 2004 with 875 pounds per acre. The USDA rates the South Carolina cotton crop at 98 percent good to excellent, which has never happened in South Carolina.

About 80 percent of the South Carolina cotton crop is planted the first week in May. Cotton harvest begins in late September. A report from the United States Department of Agricultures Agricultural Marketing Service shows 63 percent of cotton bolls opened as of Sept. 18. Some South Carolina fields have already been picked and filled with modules to be taken to gin yards. Harvesting and ginning are expected to be in full force in the next two weeks.
"The terminal operating agreements were signed by ICTSIs PNG subsidiaries, Motukea International Terminal Limited (MITL) and South Pacific International Container Terminal Limited (SPICTL), with the PNG state-owned enterprise, PNG Ports Corp Limited (PNGPCL) for the operation, management and development of the two ports, the port operator said.

MITL will deploy cranes, berth and yard equipment for the Port of Motukea located near Port Moresby, which is set to replace the facilities at the main city.SPICT will provide cranes, berth and yard equipment for operations at the Port of Lae, the PNG's largest container handling facility.

No financial details of the deals were disclosed.
RasGas has inked a contract with Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Corporation (Petrobangla) to LNG to supply 2.5m tonnes a year of LNG for its FSRU near Moheshkhali Island, Bangladesh.

Reliable access to energy plays a vital role in driving socio-economic growth, and RasGas has fulfilled our promise to safely and reliably provide this access for more than two decades, said Al Muhannadi. Bangladesh has very ambitious growth plans and this landmark partnership between our two countries will support Bangladesh as it strives to achieve its 2021 and 2040 development goals.

Petrobangla chairman, Abdul Mansur Md Faizullah, commented: LNG would play a vital role in the growth of the Bangladesh economy, and we are happy to enter into this historic partnership with Qatar, a long-trusted friend.
Press Release

September 26, 2017 Sen. Bam urges fraternity to aid police investigation, not allow suspects to flee Sen. Bam Aquino urged the Aegis Juris fraternity, especially John Paul Solano, to name names and cooperate in the police investigation on the death of first-year University of Santo Tomas law student Horacio Castillo III. "Makukuha ang hustisya kung maibibigay niyo ang impormasyon as soon as possible. The sooner that you're able to provide this, the sooner the PNP can find the suspects, the sooner the Castillos will find justice," Sen. Bam told the fraternity during the hearing of the Committee on Public Order on Castillo's death. Sen. Bam urged Solano and his lawyer to give the names of the people who accompanied him when he brought Castillo to the Chinese General Hospital so the PNP can pursue them. The son of the owner of one of the vehicles has already fled the country "Habang nagtatagal tayo, habang iniimbestigahan pa ng PNP ang mga numero ng alumni. We're hoping that you can provide the information as soon as you can para makuha na ng mga Castillo ang hinihingi nilang hustisya at makulong ang mga sangkot dito," said Sen. Bam. It was also learned that members of the Aegis Juris officials learned of Castillo's death even before his parents, Sen. Bam urged the fraternity to provide names. "If the alumni truly want to cooperate, they should be willing to tell us kung saan nanggaling ang mga impormasyon na iyan so the PNP can trace it back," said Sen. Bam. During the hearing, Castillo's parents told Sen. Bam that he first learned of his son's death only on Monday morning. Nilo Divina, dean of the UST Faculty of Civil Law, informed the senator that he found out about the death Sunday afternoon. According to Divina, he received a call from the faculty secretary, lawyer Arthur Capili, on Sunday afternoon about an unconfirmed report on the death of a neophyte member of the fraternity. Divina said he received another call from Capili around 6 p.m., confirming Castillo's death. Capili, for his part, said he received the call from a person, whose name he revealed to the PNP following Sen. Bam's prodding. Meanwhile, Sen. Bam expects all senators to come in unison in amending and improving the Anti-Hazing Law, saying that these senseless and needless deaths should be stopped and no other young life should be wasted on the barbaric, cruel and heartless practice of hazing.
Press Release

September 26, 2017 Heed humanitarian crisis in Marawi, De Lima urges gov't Senator Leila M. de Lima has urged the Duterte administration to address the humanitarian crisis brought about by the violent conflict between the government troops and Maute terror group that displaced thousands of civilians in Marawi City. De Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 512 urging the appropriate Senate committee to look into the government's response to the humanitarian crisis in Marawi, especially among the sick, elderly, disabled, women and children. "While the continued pursuit of military action is important in order to neutralize the terrorists in Marawi City and, ultimately, to restore peace and order to the locality, the government must not lose sight of its duty to address the plight of the civilians adversely affected by the military operations," she said. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has estimated that there are 359,680 internally-displaced persons (IDPs) or 78,466 families housed in the evacuation centers alone in 16 municipalities across Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur. In its report last Aug. 22, UNHCR noted how the basic humanitarian assistance received by both home-based and evacuation center-based IDPs has been reduced since Task Force Bangon Marawi took over the government's humanitarian response. UNHCR also noted the increasing number of host families of IDPs who are asking for humanitarian support due to the depletion of resources and the impact of protracted armed confrontation in Marawi City. The protracted armed conflict, UNHCR pointed out, has caused severe food shortage and constriction of economic activity even in nearby municipalities causing residents to be displaced and relocated. The Senator from Bicol also cited that persons with special needs (PWSN), such as pregnant and lactating mothers, elderly persons, children with special needs, persons with disabilities are not being provided with decent living conditions. Some of them are sleeping on cartons or plastic sheets, making these PWSN more vulnerable to health risks, she noted. De Lima said the Senate needs to look into how efforts of concerned government agencies as well as from private and foreign donors are being applied to rehabilitate abd rebuild the lives and property of these IDP families. "There is need to investigate the actual living conditions of the IDPs, whether home-based or evacuation center-based, and to make sure that they are not being neglected, in spite of any political developments in our country," she said. De Lima said the government's humanitarian response should heed not only the physical and psychological requirements but also the spiritual and cultural needs of those IDPs to ensure that they can successfully reintegrate into the society. "It is in how we treat our fellow Filipinos who cannot help or protect themselves can we prove our patriotism and establish the true path to lasting peace," she said.
Press Release

September 26, 2017 HONTIVEROS CALLS ON SCHOOLS TO IMPROVE RISK MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES VS HAZING AND OTHER FRAT-RELATED VIOLENCE Following the fatal hazing of University of Santo Tomas (UST) law student Horacio Castillo, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday called on school administrations to improve their risk management capabilities to eliminate hazing and other forms of violence and abuse from fraternities. Hontiveros said that schools should be pro-active in investigating and addressing "under the radar" cases of violence before they escalate into an incident wherein a student is seriously injured or worse, killed. The Senator also urged schools to be on the lookout for cases of fraternity-related sexual assault and/or harassment. "Madaling mag-imbestiga or even crack down on erring fraternities when somebody's already severely hurt or killed. Schools must be vigilant in monitoring patterns of violence and abuse that might lead to greater harm," Hontiveros said. Hontiveros also called on schools to recognize all legitimate fraternities so they can be easily subjected to school regulations and "remove the shroud of secrecy surrounding their initiation rites." "Fraternities are not bad per se. Many are established to promote the principles of excellence, leadership, friendship & service. In fact, the revolutionary Katipunan was organized along fraternal lines. What we need to eliminate is the culture of violence, abuse & impunity that is embedded in many fraternities," Hontiveros explained. The Senator also wants to revise the country's Anti-hazing Law by pushing for an amendment calling for a total ban against all forms of hazing. "The letter and spirit of the existing law doesn't explicitly ban hazing. It is wishy-washy on the said practice. In fact, it recognizes the violent practice as long as the organization performing the hazing rites has sent a written notice to the school administration," Hontiveros said. Hontiveros also called for a revision of Section 4 of the law which penalizes the inflicting of physical injuries arising from hazing. "Hazing is not only physical abuse but any form of initiation that subjects the neophytes or pledgees to undignified and inhumane situations, including mental and psychological stressors that may have adverse impacts on the mental health of the abused," she said.
Press Release

September 26, 2017 HONTIVEROS PUSHES FOR UNIVERSALITY OF P19-B SOCIAL PENSION FOR "MOST SENIOR" OF SENIOR CITIZENS At the Senate hearing of the proposed 2018 budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros pushed for the "universality" of social pension for all senior citizens and immediately for the "most senior" and indigent among them. Hontiveros said that there should be universality of social pension for senior citizens, particularly the most senior and those who are not covered by any of the pension packages in existence such as the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Savings and Loan Association Inc. (AFPSLAI). "While the most ideal is to cover all senior citizens, but given the limitations of the proposed 2018 budget, in the meantime, it is fiscally prudent for the government to target the universality of social pension to cover the more senior among the senior citizens, who we believe are the most 'in-need'. This even as we work to craft a budget in the succeeding years that will cover the entirety of all senior citizens," Hontiveros said. "Alagaan natin ang ating mga senior citizens, lalo na ang pinaka-senior sa kanila," Hontiveros added. Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) 2010 census-based estimate, projected population by age group, for the year 2018, segment of population aged 60 up to 80 and above would be around 8.7M Filipinos. Hontiveros asked the DSWD what is the percentage of the coverage of the target indigent senior citizens vis-a-vis the total number of indigent senior citizens in the proposed 2018 allocation. According to Hontiveros, citing DSWD data, there are 2,809,542 target validated senior citizens beneficiaries in the 2017 budget. However, there are 842,471 senior citizens who were validated but waitlisted. To date, there are 3,652,013 indigent senior citizens. "There are approximately 3.6M validated indigent senior citizens, yet, in the proposed 2018 budget, only 3 million are fully funded. This means that more than six hundred thousand indigent senior citizens will be left behind," Hontiveros said. "It is incumbent upon the government to cover the entire segment of senior citizens, indigent and without existing insurance coverage, for them to be able to avail of the government's social pension package by increasing the allocation for the program," Hontiveros ended. The proposed 2018 budget for the DSWD's social pension for indigent senior citizens amounts to P19.2 Billion.
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Using a broad definition for counting, the main aid group for street youth in Santa Clara County said more than a third of community college students in the county, as well as 17 percent of high school students, are so unstably housed they should be considered homeless.

The culprit for the high numbers, the organization said, is skyrocketing housing prices coupled with poverty that has been persistent despite Silicon Valleys tech-industry boom that makes median income there one of the highest in the nation.

This shows there are a lot more kids who are actually homeless than most people realize, said Sparky Harlan, head of the nonprofit Bill Wilson Center in the city of Santa Clara, which compiled the statistics. Its a crisis.

Harlans center conducted the survey of students in the 2016-17 academic year by polling nearly 4,000 young people in six high schools, including one private school, and two community colleges. The report was released Tuesday.

Now Playing: A San Jose High School is rallying behind one of their students, an 18-year-old who despite spending most of his life homeless got accepted into his dream college. Video: Brandpoint

Harlan said the survey came to its high numbers by tallying kids who are couch surfing away from their families, hiding out of sight in cars or staying temporarily with friends or acquaintances  all categories that arent typically counted fully or at all in studies of the homeless.

The center, which handed out surveys on the campuses, not only asked students where they lived, but whether they knew others who were in such transient conditions. If they said they knew a person in similar straits, the student was asked to give the initials of the other person, in an effort to avoid double-counting.

Those who answered the surveys at the community colleges indicated 44 percent were transient in one form or another.

More Bay Area news Oakland hills grass fire threatened homes, led to evacuations

Calling a kid sleeping on a couch simply unstably housed, which is the usual practice, does a disservice to everyone, Harlan said. They are homeless, and not calling them homeless is wrong.

A similar tally in Connecticut in 2015, conducted by the survey firm YouthCatalytics, found that 17 percent of high school students there were homeless or unstably housed. Also, a 2010 study in a Colorado school district by University of Colorado researchers found 22 percent of high school students had been likewise transient during the school year.

Crescensia, a 30-year-old case worker at the center who goes by the one name, wound up couch surfing with a friend when her family lost its home in Sunnyvale while she was in high school. She said at a news conference Tuesday in San Jose, where the survey was released, that she was never counted as homeless and wound up in foster care.

Looking back, I dont think they (the family with whom she couch surfed) thought it was anything other than a long-term sleepover, Crescensia said. Couch surfing has a really nice sound to it. It sounds fun  but its not. Couch surfing is homelessness.

Dave Cortese, president of the county Board of Supervisors, called the statistics shocking and said he hopes the survey will bolster the countys efforts to fund more affordable housing and end homelessness.

The San Francisco Unified School District reports that of its 58,000 students in all grades, 2,100 are homeless or unstably housed. That represents about 4 percent of the total, which is smaller than the estimate in the South Bay but still too much, said district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe.

Its been pretty unfortunately consistent, Blythe said.

San Francisco officials, with major donations from people including Salesforce head Marc Benioff, started a $30 million effort last year to end family homelessness in the city by 2019.

Santa Clara Countys overall biennial homeless count  conducted in January, like many other counties including San Francisco  showed that the countys population of street youth had more than doubled since 2015, from 883 to 2,530.

That survey didnt include the couch surfers. It was a one-day tally, taken visually by workers and volunteers who walked streets and went to places homeless people are known to be, such as shelters.

The new survey would indicate the point-in-time count missed a lot of people. There are more than 70,000 high school students and more than 80,000 community college students in Santa Clara County.

Santa Clara County has a median household income of $93,500, according to the Demographic International Housing Affordability Survey, which in July called that figure the highest in the nation. The real estate website Zillow lists the median price of a single family home in the county at just over $1 million.

Harlan intends to use the survey to bolster a campaign her group plans to roll out in October called A Couch is Not a Home, which will encourage adults in schools and other parts of the community to reach out to homeless youth and encourage them to call the Bill Wilson Center for help.

We want to reach 1,000 kids in October, she said.

The center on Tuesday also released a study it commissioned by researchers from the University of Southern California, who in January polled more than 200 homeless youths in San Jose, asking them why they were on the street.

That survey found that 45 percent had been kicked out of their family homes, 18 percent were part of a homeless family before they hit the street themselves, and 58 percent had been in a gang at some point.

Mike Pritchard, who counsels troubled and homeless youth across the nation, did his latest group seminar in Santa Clara County this month and said he is not surprised by the new figures.

This is what I see all over the Bay Area and in many parts of this country, said Pritchard. People are being forced out of their situations, rents are being jacked up. Its getting worse, everywhere.
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued Equifax on Tuesday, accusing the credit-reporting giant of putting more than 15 million Californians at risk of identity theft by failing to adequately safeguard their personal information.

The lawsuit makes San Francisco the first city to take legal action against Equifax after an enormous data breach that compromised the personal data  names, Social Security numbers and information on financial accounts  of about 143 million U.S. consumers.

More than 20 private lawsuits have been filed against Equifax nationwide in connection with the breach, which has rattled the company.

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On Tuesday, Equifax announced that its CEO and board chairman, Richard Smith, was stepping down immediately. Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., most recently president of Equifaxs Asia-Pacific region, has been appointed interim chief executive as the company searches for a permanent replacement.

The company named board member Mark Fielder as Equifaxs nonexecutive chairman.

Speaking for everyone on the board, I sincerely apologize, Fielder said in a statement referring to the data breach.

Equifax announced on Sept. 7 its computer systems had been compromised, six weeks after it had first detected a problem, on July 29. The company said it acted immediately to stop the intrusion once it was discovered, but the decision to wait more than a month to notify the public made a bad situation worse, Herrera said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

Their delay prevented more than 15 million California consumers from taking immediate action to protect themselves from the risk of identity theft and fraud, Herrera said.

A subsequent investigation conducted by the cybersecurity firm Mandiant revealed that the companys systems had been infiltrated between May 13 and July 30.

Herreras suit, brought on behalf of the people of California, also accuses Equifax of failing to update its computer systems with a critical software patch that Herrera alleges could have prevented the breach. The patch was made freely available in March 2017, months before the hack occurred.

When youre dealing with highly sensitive information, keeping your software up to date is such a basic step, Herrera said.

Equifax spokeswoman Ines Gutzmer said the company would not comment on pending litigation, but encouraged consumers to sign up for a years worth of free credit monitoring services at www.equifaxsecurity2017.com that can detect potentially fraudulent activity.

Gutzmer added that Equifax wanted to reassure consumers that we are remaining focused on helping them navigate the situation and providing the best customer support possible.

Consumer privacy experts have also recommended that consumers monitor their credit reports and bank records to spot improper transactions or the creation of fraudulent accounts. Consumers are also being urged to place fraud monitors on existing bank and credit card accounts, if their financial institution offers them.

In addition to restitution for Californians who purchased Equifax credit monitoring services prior to Sept. 7, when the breached was disclosed, the suit seeks civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation of state law and a court order requiring Equifax to maintain appropriate security measures in the future.

The case has just started, and were still in the process of assessing all of Equifaxs unlawful conduct, said John Cote, a spokesman for the city attorneys office. There are 15 million victims in California, and this case could involve many millions of dollars.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is looking at three potential sites to set up camps accommodating up to 40 homeless people each  except that instead of living in tents, theyll be living in Tuff Sheds.

Our goal is to get these established in time for the rainy season, Schaaf said Tuesday.

The Oakland City Council has allocated more than $550,000 for the first of three of what Schaaf described as outdoor Navigation Centers, which in addition to the 20 prefab Tuff Sheds, would include toilets, fencing, security and daytime staff managers.

The plan, however, will need private help as well.

Oakland has seen a mushrooming of homeless encampments in the past year, some spilling into the streets with clutter and debris.

Schaaf said the goal was to get the camps off the sidewalks and its residents into safety and services.

The sites under consideration are:

A city-owned lot at 3831 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in West Oakland.

A city-owned parcel at East 12th Street and 23rd Avenue near the Fruitvale District that is already the site of a homeless encampment.

And a parcel on the border of West Oakland and Jack London Square that Caltrans recently sold to a developer. The site has already have been leased to Pacific Gas and Electric Co., and its unclear if the utility would be willing to share it with homeless people.

Schaaf said she needs private donors and organizations to help pick up the tab  including paying for the sheds, which cost about $3,300 each. Residents would live two to a shed and be limited to stays of six months.

The city is also considering enlisting volunteers to help manage the centers, similar to an arrangement at the short-lived Village Encampment in Grove Shafter Park earlier this year.

While relying on volunteers isnt ideal, Schaaf said, We have a crisis, and we are moving as quickly as we can in a way thats responsible and compassionate.

The Tuff Shed shelter plan would be similar in many respects to San Francisco Navigation Centers, where homeless people are placed in sheltered dorms while getting services aimed at getting them into permanent housing.

San Franciscos program has encountered resistance from neighbors, and Schaaf said she fully expects the same legitimate concerns from Oakland neighbors as well.

But she said the three initial sites already have homeless camps on them or a camp nearby, and the idea is to reclaim the sidewalks for the public and provide a safer and healthier environment for everyone.

At the same time, Schaaf said the city is removing hazardous street encampments. Three camps were removed last month, including one known as the Living Room at 85th Street and International Boulevard in East Oakland, where children on their way to school were forced to walk in the street to get around the camp. The other two camps were on 29th and 30th streets between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Telegraph Avenue, and on MLK Way near Grand Avenue and San Pablo Avenue.

The new Navigation Centers would follow other models the city has tested, including the Compassionate Communities program, which ran a sanctioned camp with portable toilets, wash stations and regular garbage pickup near 35th and Peralta streets, and under Interstate 580.

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.

That camp was eventually ordered shut down after a dozen tents caught fire and neighbors complained repeatedly.

Schaaf said the city would continue providing portable toilets and other sanitary services at other camps to avoid a hepatitis A outbreak like the one that has hit homeless sites in San Diego County. That outbreak has killed 16 people and sickened hundreds more since November.

A recent countywide survey found 2,761 homeless people live in Oakland encampments, up about 25 percent in the past two year. Dozens of encampments have popped up throughout the city, including around the citys rejuvenated Lake Merritt.

As a result, Schaaf, who faces re-election next year, has been walking a fine line between city residents demanding that City Hall clean up the streets and those calling for greater compassion.

In her latest budget, the mayor has proposed spending $185 million over the next two years on homelessness, though most of that money is intended for affordable housing and keeping people from losing their homes.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Before the words begin, before even the title page, theres a photograph at the beginning of Brontez Purnells new novel Since I Laid My Burden Down. Its a blurry, black-and-white image, the horizon tilted. A little black boy, dressed in white, is being helped into a creek by two men, one on either side, holding both his arms and those of a preacher who stands behind him. The three men have their heads wrapped in white bandannas. The water moves out and away from them in rings.

The boy in the photograph is Purnell. But in the next few pages, Brontez goes on to describe this scene in detail as it happens to a different little boy, one named DeShawn. He writes about the one-legged preacher behind the boy, the uncles beside him. He talks about Sister Pearls singing voice (It wasnt pretty  it was real) and about the preacher pushing him under the water. DeShawns little soul popped right back up out of the water, feeling cold and wet and not as new as he thought it would.

The scene is the first of a series of interwoven flashbacks through which Purnell takes the reader as we follow DeShawn, a queer black punk living in Oakland who returns home to Alabama for his uncles funeral. There, DeShawn cant help but get pulled into the past  all these goddamn memories  as he examines a life full of women who often held it down, and men (lovers, f buddies, fathers, uncles) who were dead and buried, and other men (who) were not, but the memory of them seemed just as buried and far away.

In the backyard of his Oakland home, Purnell says that DeShawn isnt him but that their lives do overlap. The book is fiction, but its roots are tangled up in his life and cant really be separated.

Its a squiggly line that zigs and zags all through it, he says. It zigs and zags so much that I actually could not give you a percentage. Theres no way to quantify it because its really hard, and I dont think it would help you understand any more.

So he wont say whether he, like DeShawn, once woke up on the floor of his kitchen next to a half-eaten stick of butter. But he will say that while DeShawns default is optimism, his is not. I do not have faith in the world. Not right now. Im like: Were so dead.

At one recent reading, he says, a woman in the audience got mad when he gave his zigzag answer. She wanted a hard percentage number of what was real and what was false. He guesses that has something to do with our reality TV world, but adds I also think thats bull because I think all memoirs are fiction, essentially.

I think fiction is really powerful. And it also protects the wicked. Namely me.

Purnell is brash and unfiltered. His writing is a lot the same. You should write pretending like youve had a couple, and youre holding court with your friends. When he tells a story or answers a question, he keeps it short and to the point.

Hell complain about how he hates having his photograph taken in the backyard of the house where he rents his room  an overgrown place, littered with broken bikes, rusted chairs and a grill that doesnt look as if its been used in a while  because it makes him look poor.

But as soon as the photographer says its time to take a portrait, hell ask for a minute, run upstairs, change out of his black polo and black shorts and into a pair of short overalls, no shirt underneath, and throw on a gold chain. Then hell light a joint, just to play it all up.

I mean, I had to, he says, then laughs. (Hell also insist that you include the fact that, at a book release party held in the Los Angeles home of riot grrrl icon Kathleen Hannas mother, Kim Gordon told him, Congratulations.)

Purnell has been a fixture of the Bay Area queer-punk-art scene for more than a decade. He has his own dance company. Hes played in various bands and fronts his own, the Younger Lovers. Hes starred in videos that frequently blur the line between art and pornography. Hes put out zines and chapbooks and an illustrated book about cruising in Oakland during the aughts. Now hes working on a childrens book.

Still, Since I Laid My Burden Down feels like some sort of first for Purnell. Its a true novel, chaptered and bound, that not only holds its own as queer literature, with its unapologetically misanthropic narrative, but also expands upon it. Part of that has to do with the intersection of identities his book explores without ever being so heavy handed as to use that sort of language while doing so. Another part has to do with his decision to examine a distant past, rather than a near past concerned only with partying and hookups.

The past is something I always think about. Almost every day. Theres not a day where I dont kind of look back, Purnell says, then adds, I have a weird thing about how much can you write about partying if youre a gay person. You dont just want to be a Cathy cartoon.

Some of the relationships with men that Purnell examines last a few paragraphs; others surface throughout the novel, like one with a teenager named Jatius McClansy. He molests DeShawn when DeShawn is 11. Part of going home for DeShawn means coming to terms with that and visiting Jatius mother, Edna.

Purnell describes her home in Chattanooga, Tenn.: filled with Glade PlugIns smells, candles, black Jesus painting and figurines and plastic-wrapped furniture. It was spotless, dustless, and immaculate. He could smell fish frying and his mouth started watering.

Purnells writing is, by turns, blunt, lyrical, funny, insightful  and almost always spare. The same could be said for the book hes written. Theres no big arc, exactly. No extended, flowery metaphor. Purnell writes about life the way it really happens, a series of experiences that sometimes, in retrospect, might add up to something if you look at them in a certain way.

If theres any sort of pat ending for DeShawn, it comes just as hes leaving behind another lover, a younger guy named Andre, and catches himself thinking, This young man doesnt know himself very well.

DeShawn immediately realizes hes projecting.

DeShawn looked in the mirror and all he saw was a man who had been absent from himself. All the hookups and anonymous sex have left him with a feeling that his sexual self was, more often than not, on autopilot, Purnell writes. Experience is the only teacher, really, and one can rack up an enormous bill along the way.

So really, the ending isnt much of an ending, so much as a realization that everything keeps on, but sometimes your perspective changes.

In his backyard full of broken things, Purnell stabs out his joint. He tells a couple more stories  one about fielding calls from all the aunts after one read the book and kicked up trouble, and another about going on tour and getting blackout drunk in front of a bunch of prominent, white neoliberals from upstate New York. It was awesome  before considering the lesson he left for DeShawn.

I feel like everybody has to get to that point where you just look in the mirror and say, OK. The problem is me. It helps sometimes to be like, I have control in this. I have choices and agency.

Even if he wont say, you get the feeling this is a lesson that belongs to him just as much as it belongs to DeShawn.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com
Bowing to persistent complaints, Uber announced Tuesday that it will pay drivers more for additional riders they pick up on a shared trip.

UberPool, which uses the same car to carry multiple passengers who have overlapping routes, has faced resistance from Uber drivers who consider it extra work for little or no additional money.

Drivers also say Pool riders, who may not like the other passengers with whom they are paired, give them lower performance ratings. Online driver forums often feature rants against the program, with the writers urging their fellow drivers not to accept Pool rides.

In response, Uber will now give drivers extra money for each pickup on a Pool trip. Compensation will vary among the 13 U.S. cities where Pool is offered. In San Francisco, drivers will receive $1 for each additional pickup after the first rider is on board.

Thats really our key here, earning more and stressing less, said Aaron Schildkrout, Ubers head of driver product, on a conference call with reporters. Our hope is that our drivers will begin to look forward to the next pickup on UberPool.

Harry Campbell, an Uber and Lyft driver in Los Angeles and author of the Rideshare Guy blog, said the extra money represented an improvement in a program many drivers try to avoid.

Its tough for me to say if its going to be worth it until I get out there and drive and see how it works, said Campbell. But it definitely shows that Uber understands that extra pickups and drop-offs are more work.

Lyft, which also offers shared rides it calls Lyft Line, increased its pay for drivers in July so shared rides match the rate paid for regular rides. Previously, drivers earned a lower rate for Lyft Line rides.

On Uber and Lyft, shared rides give passengers a discount in exchange for sharing the trip. Both companies  and many transportation experts  see shared rides as essential for reducing gridlock in increasingly dense and crowded cities.

But making extra stops in a trip adds complexity for the driver and time for the rider. Riders also have no control over who else shares the car. And they may not appreciate that passengers who are picked up after them may get dropped off first.

So Uber, based in San Francisco, is tweaking the Pool system in several ways.

The company will put more effort into educating riders on how Pool works, including reminding them to be at their pickup spot before the car arrives. Riders requesting a pickup in the middle of a block may also receive a suggestion from their app to wait instead at a nearby street corner to speed up the ride.

Uber has updated its software to create straighter routes. The improvements can cut the number of turns made during a trip by up to 20 percent, according to the company.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

If a Pool rider gives the driver low ratings and points to things the driver cant easily control  like an obnoxious fellow passenger or a trip with too many riders  it will not count against that drivers total rating.

The changes to Pool are part of the companys 180 Days of Change campaign, an effort to improve the driving and riding experience and help repair Ubers battered image. Other steps taken so far have included enabling tipping.

That image took another hit Tuesday, as lawyers representing a 44-year-old London woman said the company failed to provide female drivers with sufficient security. Uber said its app offered protections to drivers and didnt require them to take trips they dont want to.

Londons transport regulator has moved to ban the service from the city because of concerns about passenger safety, and a British employment tribunal appeal will start probing pay and vacation time for drivers Wednesday.

Bloomberg News contributed to this report.

David R. Baker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dbaker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DavidBakerSF
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Every year the California Department of Justice takes a long look at homicides, and the latest report offers mixed news. Killings around the state jumped 3.7 percent from 2015 to 2016, but were down 14.5 percent from a decade ago.

Overall, 1,930 people were slain last year, translating to 4.9 victims per 100,000 state residents. The new report contained some insight into who killed whom  and why. Among the findings:

Guns do the job:

Seventy-two percent of 2016 killings in which the weapon was known were done with a firearm, typically a handgun.

Disputes unseat gangs as top motive:

Thirty-two percent of killings with a known motive were traced to an unspecified argument; 31 percent were seen as gang-related; 8 percent were a result of domestic violence; and 7 percent stemmed from robberies, rapes or burglaries. Gangs had been cited as the top motivator for homicides in 2015.

Men dominate the booking logs:

Eighty-nine percent of those arrested for murder were male. Nearly 52 percent of those arrested were ages 18 to 29.

Most victims are male and nonwhite:

More than 83 percent of those killed were male. In cases where a victims race was known, 43 percent were Latino, while 30 percent were black and 19 percent were white.

Age varies:

Latino and black victims tended to be younger, with more than 45 percent between 18 and 29. White victims were older, on average, with 56 percent over 40.

Domestic violence cuts along gender lines:

Males (39 percent) were more likely than females (14 percent) to be killed by a stranger. But women were far more likely than men to be slain by a spouse (21 percent for women, compared with less than 1 percent for men). While 49 percent of female victims were killed in their own home, the biggest proportion of male victims (43 percent) lost their lives on a street or sidewalk.

When women are killed in California, domestic violence is the leading cause by far. At least 80 women were slain by domestic abusers in 2016, accounting for 38 percent of the killings of women in which the motive was known. For male victims, the number was 1.6 percent.

BY THE NUMBERS: Violent crime up in CA, according to FBI reports

Death Row grows:

Executions have been on hold in California since 2006, but people are still being given the death penalty. In 2016, there were nine such sentences, after 14 the year before. All of the defendants were men and three-quarters of them were sentenced in Southern California. The high year for death sentences was 1999, with 42.

Just one death penalty was handed down in the Bay Area last year. The defendant was Darnell Williams Jr., who killed 8-year-old Alaysha Carradine in 2013 by spraying bullets into a sleepover party in Oaklands Dimond neighborhood and then gunned down a 22-year-old man during a robbery two months later in Berkeley.

Six officers were killed:

Six police officers, five men and one woman, were slain in the line of duty last year in California, the highest number in at least a decade. All were killed with guns. In the last 10 years, 37 officers in the state have been killed violently on the job.

Police killings:

The Department of Justice reported that police killed 102 people statewide in 2015, down from 130 the year before, suggesting that a national focus on such cases might be making a difference, at least in California. All but three of those killed were men. Forty-six percent were Latino, 30 percent were white and 19 percent were black.

The state figures, however, do not appear to be comprehensive: A national database created by the Washington Post identified 138 people who were shot to death by California police in 2016, down from the newspapers count of 188 the year before.

 Demian Bulwa, dbulwa@sfchronicle.com

Homicide in California

To read the state Department of Justice report on killings in 2016: https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/resources/publications
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Walking to the Haight Street Market for the Saturday, Sept. 23, candlelight vigil for Gus Vardakastanis, who founded the market and was killed by a hit-and-run driver early Friday morning, I made my way past families of tourists, looking curious and bright-eyed, and clots of street people, looking haggard and used up.

But a block and a half west, in front of the market, a gathering of another kind was growing. First the mini-park in front of the market filled up. Then the sidewalk overflowed, and the crowd surged onto Haight Street. Mourners arrived with boxes of candles they distributed. There were piles of flowers at the front entrance to the store, and Post-it notes affixed to a wall near the entrance. You will be missed, Gus. Your smile was infectious! Love, SFFD Station 12, one read.

The market was open, so there were people inside shopping. Emerging from the store carrying bags brimming with food, shoppers had to navigate through the crowd gathered to remember Gus. His wife, Georgia, was surrounded by neighbors hugging her and offering condolences.

Two large fire trucks pulled up on Haight Street and rang their bells solemnly. Candles went out, and neighbors leaned close to share their flames and relight them. A sign was unfurled outside the store: Fly High, Gus, We Love You.

A microphone was set up on the sidewalk, but I was on my way to another gathering and couldnt stay through all the speeches. Gus embraced our neighborhood, said Calvin Welch of the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council, and helped make it a community. Men and women pressed close, many with tears streaming down their cheeks.

A half-hour later, on a viewing platform overlooking the site of what will someday be the Presidio Tunnel Tops Park Lands and Trails, homage was being paid to nature. The occasion was the 15th annual Trails Forever dinner, a fundraiser for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. As though to say thanks for the Conservancys favor  of building trails and overlooks and sites from which our natural treasures can be savored  nature was putting on a gloriously pink, purple and peach sunset for its supporters.

Dinner was in a tent nearby, and as always, it had been designated an informal affair, at which participants could wear jeans and Western wear. But make no mistake, this casual wear had nothing to do with the tattered casual wear of the Haight Street gang. Supporters of the Conservancy unlock its treasures  they have created 185 miles of paths in 15 years  and invite all to share, free of charge; but that takes money. The attendees are well heeled, and also open pocketed. By the end of the evening, $1.67 million had been raised.

The Tunnel Tops project will take $90 million; $55 million of it had already been donated. Mark Buell, who was the auctioneer, predicted at dinner that the project will be the biggest for 40 years (going back 20 and ahead another 20) in a U.S.national park. We joked about whether someone with a big enough contribution could manage to replace the jaunty Tunnel Tops designation with a persons name.

Its about community, said the Conservancys Greg Moore from the podium, addressing donors sitting at banquet tables bearing floral centerpieces. Gus had helped make it a community, Welch had said earlier in the evening.

It was a night when the city seemed like a village.

As to the word dotard (an old person, especially one who has become weak or senile, says my dictionary, and why should that be an insult?) flung by Kim Jong Un at President Trump last week after Trump called the North Korean leader rocket man, perhaps its time to lower the level of threats and raise the level of discourse.

If theres an impulse to trade insults, perhaps the world leaders can turn to a diplomatic version of Mad Libs, which would include the sentence: And furthermore, because that guy with the strange hair is a (nasty noun), I will (retaliatory act).

Suggestions for nasty noun: Meanie, bully, bad dresser/dancer, crackpot, sicko, knave, ruffian, rascal, bozo.

Suggestions for retaliatory act: Give him a noogie, seize him by the back of the collar, tickle him until he cries uncle, cuff him about the head, cane him, give him a wedgie, throw a pie in his face.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

Woman No. 1: I think I want to get a dog.

Woman No. 2: What kind would you get?

Woman No. 1: Im not sure. Something not in earth tones.

Conversation outside Ritual coffee on Valencia, overheard by William Salit
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Rarely does a restaurant like Waxmans  a place backed by a celebrity chef and located on a historic piece of San Francisco property  close abruptly and somehow do so cleanly. This looks to be the case for Jonathan Waxmans eponymous Ghirardelli Square restaurant, which closed last month.

According to documents obtained by The Chronicle, the New York chef allegedly left town with at least $116,000 in unpaid bills, stemming to back-owed rent and unpaid cleaning bills. (Waxman has not yet responded to inquires.)

A rent-related notice of default was present on the door of the Waxmans space over the weekend. It was from Jamestown Premier GHRSQ, the proprietors of Ghirardelli Square property, and was addressed to Waxmans.

According to the notice, Waxmans owed an estimated $71,480.83 in rent to Jamestown, as of Sept. 19.

The failure to pay these amounts owed constitutes a default breach of the Lease if not cured within (3) days of the date of this Notice, the document reads.

The restaurant, under the LLC of ATLSFO, is also being sued by San Francisco restaurant janitorial services outfit Cable Car Cleaning for $45,117.97.

In an Aug. 1 filing with the Superior Court of San Francisco, the company alleges that Waxmans breached a contract that required the restaurant pay $5,500 per month for cleaning services.

Waxmans contract with Cable Car began in April 2016 and was renewed automatically in April 2017. The suit alleges the contract was breached by Waxmans one month later in May 2017.

Though Waxmans quick exit left more questions than answers, the celebrity chefs project was envisioned to be an anchor tenant at Ghirardelli Square and a way to breathe new life into one of the citys most recognizable locations.

But a lot can change in two years.

In August, Waxmans entered a renovation phase from which it never returned. Its short-lived spinoff J Bird unexpectedly opened next door in August, but was reportedly shuttered by Labor Day.

Updates as warranted.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
Victoria and Abdul is about a lot of interesting things. Its about Judi Dench, who has never seemed young, now getting older. Its about a piece of history being repressed and the reasons for its repression. And its about the strange and resilient capacity for human beings to forge friendships, even in the face of arbitrary but formidable obstacles such as race, culture and class.

To start with Dame Judi, at this point watching her play Queen Victoria is a little like watching Bette Davis play an actress in All About Eve. Victoria and Abdul is no commentary on a career, but an exploration of a state of mind and a stage of life, about what its like to be great, but also to be old and frail, and to have to maintain a facade of composure and fearlessness, more for the sake of others than for oneself. Imprinted on Dench/Victorias face is the resignation of knowing she can never really be understood, that shes going to have to take her secrets and her feelings with her.

The story told in Victoria and Abdul is so far-fetched that it really helps to know that it is, in its broad outlines, true. In the 1880s, Abdul Karim was a clerk living in colonial India, who was brought to London to present a medal to the queen. For some reason, she liked him and kept him on, first as a servant, then as a teacher and member of the royal household. She traveled with him everywhere and granted him land and honors, which created lots of jealousy among the royal courtiers.

The movie compresses 15 years into what seems like two or three. Director Stephen Frears switches between comedy and drama, but the transitions are smooth enough. Many of the details are made up  there was no one taking notes during Victoria and Abduls private conversations, and re-creating those conversations is further hampered by the almost complete burning of their correspondence by the subsequent king, Edward VII. But based on what remains  such as Abduls diary, discovered just this decade  it does seem true that Victoria made a constant and strenuous effort to defend Abdul against a lot of race-based hostility underneath her own roof.

Denchs portrait is that of a lonely woman, who doesnt know a single person who remembers what she was like when she could still be a human being. All her confidants are dead, and she cant take any new favorites from among the assortment at court, because she cant trust them. Theyre all jockeying for advantage. So she sees in Abdul (Ali Fazal), who is openhearted and not part of the palace culture, someone with whom she can bond.

Fazal is so handsome and radiates such a pureness of spirit that he compensates for the movies one missing piece: What was in it for Abdul? Was he working an angle? Perhaps he loved the queen as a mother figure, spontaneously and sincerely. Yet hed have to have had the soul of a slave (or a saint) not to resent the condescending British officers occupying his country. In all likelihood, Abduls motives were a mix of things  genuine affection, with an element of calculation and a recognition of advantage.

But Victoria and Abdul doesnt play a mix of motives, but rather presents Abdul as Victoria must have seen him. This has the disadvantage of rendering something complex as simple, but it intensifies the movies emotional impact. Keeping the motives simple, for example, reinforces (or, if you want to be cynical about it, manufactures) a sense of outrage each time this impossibly sweet man is condescended to by some strutting officer or functionary. In Victoria and Abdul, every English stuffed shirt talks in a loud, confident voice, sounding something like Field Marshal Montgomery addressing his troops during World War II.

In any case, the movie ultimately all comes down to Dench, and the film becomes a frame of her performance. Its a great performance. Its her equivalent of Emmanuelle Rivas work in Amour, a dress rehearsal for the abyss. Frears lingers on every line and seam on Denchs face, but this is not exploitation, but a 76-year-old director and an 82-year-old actress in a common cause. This is life, theyre saying. This is age. This is us, standing at the edge. You could be empress of India, or one of the greatest actresses in the English language. It still comes down to this, and were looking at it. And youre looking with us.

Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. Email: mlasalle@

sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MickLaSalle

Victoria and Abdul

Comedy-Drama. Starring Judi Dench and Ali Fazal. Directed by Stephen Frears. (PG-13. 112 minutes.)
President Trump has lost nearly every round of the court cases challenging his ban on U.S. entry from selected nations with overwhelmingly Muslim populations. But on Monday he may have won the battle, or taken a big step toward winning it, by running out the clock.

A day after Trump issued a new order indefinitely restricting travel from eight countries  replacing the six-nation, 90-day ban that expired Sunday  the Supreme Court canceled its Oct. 10 hearing on the legality of the last order and asked for brief written arguments by Oct. 5 on whether the case is now moot.

Or, in other words, whether nine months of legal arguments by states, civil rights groups and refugee organizations have ended without a ruling by the nations highest court, which meanwhile has allowed the government to enforce portions of Trumps order excluding thousands of immigrants, visitors and refugees.

And although opponents contend the presidents new decree has the same flaws they challenged in earlier orders, some legal analysts say the administration has now offered rationales that courts will be reluctant to question.

Trumps first order, in January, and its successor, in March, solely targeted nations with populations that were more than 90 percent Muslim; followed an election campaign in which he had called for a ban on Muslim immigration to the United States; and stated little justification other than a need to combat terrorism. Federal courts had little difficulty finding those orders discriminatory, either by religion or by nationality.

But Sundays order added three countries to the list: Chad, which is mostly Muslim, along with Venezuela  where the ban is limited to officials of the leftist government and their families  and North Korea, the target of much of Trumps overseas wrath. The other nations are Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, which were on the previous list, while Sudan has been dropped.

Perhaps more significantly, the new order also said the Trump administration had asked the worlds nations for details of their review procedures for travelers abroad, and applied the travel ban only to nations that failed to meet U.S. standards  a counter to opponents argument that the nations were chosen for their religious composition.

I think a court is more likely to hold that this version of the travel ban is legal, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor of immigration law at Cornell University and co-author of a leading reference book on the subject.

Trumps order, Yale-Loehr said, goes into depth about how the administration conducted its survey of other countries identity-management and information-sharing procedures, a narrative to which courts commonly defer. The order is not all-inclusive, in that it exempts holders of U.S. visas, for example, and allows students and employees from the targeted countries to remain in the U.S. And, he noted, the new list includes two non-Muslim nations.

The administrations more detailed record of the justifications makes it more likely that the court will find a distinction between the new order and its predecessors, said Michael McConnell, a Stanford law professor and former federal appeals court judge.

Jesse Choper, a professor of constitutional law at UC Berkeley, said the addition of North Korea, in particular, would counter opponents allegations that the order is a Muslim ban. He also noted that that courts traditionally give the president considerable authority over immigration and national security.

Theyve got a hard row to hoe, Choper said, referring to plaintiffs in the court cases. On this issue, he said, Supreme Court justices have signaled, in their orders thus far, that the less they decide, the better, and they are likely to send the dispute back to lower courts, even though theyre going to have to decide it sooner or later.

Sooner would be better, said another UC Berkeley law professor, Leti Volpp.

The new order could be challenged on the same grounds as the previous versions, Volpp said. She described the additions of three nations as cosmetic, saying U.S. immigration from North Korea and Chad is minuscule.

Advocacy groups made the same point more vehemently.

President Trumps original sin of targeting Muslims cannot be cured by throwing other countries onto his enemies list, said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents migrants and refugees in one of the cases before the court.

The new order, and the courts response, shed no light on the status of refugees, those fleeing violence and hardship in their homelands. Trumps last order barred all U.S. admission of refugees for 120 days, a period set to expire Oct. 24. The court, without explanation, allowed enforcement of most of that part of the ban in June, denying admission to 24,000 refugees who had been screened by U.S. consular officials and had gained sponsorship from government-approved resettlement agencies.

Sundays order did not mention refugees. But Trump, who reduced total U.S. admission of refugees from the 110,000 approved by former President Barack Obama to 50,000 for the year ending Sept. 30, is reportedly considering further reductions for the next 12 months, an action that would be virtually immune from court review under federal law because it falls within presidential authority.

The administration has created complicated and detrimental scenarios for people already living in a perilous state, said Hardy Vieux, legal director of the nonprofit Human Rights First and a refugee advocate. It calls into question our time-honored values.

Bill Hing, an immigration law professor at the University of San Francisco, said the Supreme Court was partly responsible for the uncertainty surrounding the case.

This has always been a moving target, given the White Houses fits and starts, he said. In view of the earlier orders expiration date, he said, the Supreme Court should have heard it sooner, and now theres going to be a tough challenge for the plaintiffs to get the court to rule.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @egelko
Berkeley police arrested three people after several fist fights broke out between liberals and conservatives when dozens of people gathered for a short time at Sproul Plaza Tuesday afternoon.

Members of a conservative group called Patriot Prayer arrived near Sproul Plaza around 2 p.m. and were met by protesters, including representatives of the leftist activist group By Any Means Necessary. Neither of the groups are student groups, and students and faculty  busy with midterms  did not appear to get involved in the rally or protest.

After the two groups scuffled inside an empathy tent, set up on campus to offer a calm space in what has been an area of violent clashes, they marched to Peoples Park in Berkeley.

UC police and law enforcement agencies monitored the event, advising the public to stay clear of the area as the crowd swelled to about 200.

Police said Yvette Felarca, 47, of Oakland, was arrested for battery and resisting arrest; Ricky Joseph Monzon, 20, of Las Vegas, was arrested for carrying a banned weapon; and Eddy Robinson, 47, of Oakland, was arrested on charges of participating in a riot and resisting arrest.

At Peoples Park, Patriot Prayer speakers, including Kyle Stickman Chapman, decried what he called a war on whites and said the ongoing demonstrations are a battle for Berkeley.

Chapman was arrested during a March protest and was charged in August with possession of a lead-filled stick. He faces eight years in prison, because of a previous violent felony conviction in Texas. He initially emerged as a hero for white supremacists, but later said he wasnt a racist because he has an Asian wife.

Afterward, the Patriot Prayer group walked through the campus, chanting and posing for group photos. Some students stopped to take photos or look at the crowd.

Cal officials said they were prepared for any protests or unofficial events even after student organizers canceled Free Speech Week, a four-day event for conservative activists to speak on campus, costing an estimated $800,000 to provide unprecedented security and support from local law enforcement agencies.

Jill Tucker, Kimberly Veklerov and Lizzie Johnson are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com, ljohnson@sfchronicle.com and kveklerov@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @jilltucker, @lizziejohnsonnn and @kveklerov.
Theres bad news brewing for coffee lovers in North Beach.

After 20 years in the neighborhood, Caffe Roma will shutter its 526 Columbus Ave. coffeehouse. An employee at the cafe told Inside Scoop the final day of service will be Saturday, Sept. 30. Hoodline was first to report the news.

Caffe Romas operations outside of the Columbus Avenue space will not be affected. Coffee will still be sold through its website, and the doors to the Bryant Street (885 Bryant St.) and Millbrae spaces (143 S. El Camino Real) will remain open.

Anthony and Sergio Azzollini founded the cafe and coffee roaster in 1989 but didnt open the Columbus Street space until 1997. And like North Beachs Rose Pistola, which came up in the same business generation, Caffe Roma was buoyed by the tight-knit neighborhoods faithful audience. There was stability in the North Beach food scene.

But that was then. Times have changed and so has the coffee landscape in San Francisco. Irene Azzollini, one of the cafes owners, told Hoodline the operation was shutting down in part because of a rent increase. She also said the rent hikes would probably keep Caffe Roma from looking for an alternative location in that neighborhood.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Sky-high rents or not, buildings dont seem to languish without an occupant for long in North Beach. Rose Pistola, for example, closed in February after 21 years. It was in the hands of new owners less than a month later. Pantarei, also on Columbus Avenue, closed this month after 12 years. Francesco Covucci and Peter Fazio of nearby Il Casaro have already snatched it up.

The same will probably happen to Caffe Romas longtime home. Well provide updates once we know who is next in line.

UPDATE 9/26: Well, that didn't take long.

Developer Jason Talbot has already purchased the Caffe Roma property and plans to reopen it later this year as the "Gypset Cafe." Talbot is also behind The Bazaar, a food market taking shape in the vacant Big Apple space at 1650 Polk St.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Details as warranted.

Caffe Roma: 526 Columbus Ave.; closing Sept. 30

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
A fast-moving fire raged though dry brush and grass in the Oakland hills on Tuesday afternoon, forcing dozens of residents to flee as firefighters scrambled to protect homes while battling the fierce wall of flames, officials said.

Aircraft dropped fire retardant and water on the blaze as crews on the ground attacked the burning vegetation in a former rock quarry turned residential neighborhood below Campus Drive and just south of Merritt College.

The blaze, named the Edwards Fire after nearby Edwards Avenue, was first reported around 12:15 p.m. and took off in the rugged and exposed hillside surrounded by homes in the Caballo Hills neighborhood, officials said.

Hot temperatures, low humidity and blustery winds kicked the fire into an inferno that grew to 10 acres within minutes, firefighters said.

The intense flames turned to white smoke, signaling crews had gotten a handle on the fire around 1:30 p.m. Firefighters worked their way down the charred hillside, cutting away brush as the flames died down and immediate threats decreased.

The fire was at 22 acres and 60 percent contained 6 p.m., said Acting Deputy Chief Melinda Drayton of the Oakland Fire Department . She said firefighters expected to stay at the scene overnight, putting out hot spots and mopping up.

Homes were evacuated on Bayview and Skyview drives down the hill from the fire. More houses uphill on the 13650 block of Campus Drive and on Ridgemont and Viewcrest drives were also evacuated.

By 4 p.m., many evacuees were being allowed back into their homes.

Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris lives in the evacuated area. He was at work when he got word of the fire and raced home.

I had my hose and sprinklers and was making preparations, he said. I thought, Im going to fight this bad boy if it comes my way.

Fortunately for Burris, and his neighbors, including Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, no homes burned.

Classes at Merritt College were canceled and the school was evacuated as a precaution.

There were no immediate reports of damage to any homes and no reported injuries.

Mike Erickson lives on the 6200 block of Viewcrest Drive and scrambled to throw his paperwork, pictures and laptops into the trunk of his car when he got the call to evacuate.

Im not worried, he said amid the chaos in his neighborhood Tuesday. Youve got to keep your cool, and it looks like the wind is shifting the right way.

Joel Weiner lives near Viewcrest Drive and Viewcrest Court, about two blocks from the fire.

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He heard helicopters shortly after noon.

I thought they were chasing bad guys, he said.

When Kenneth Frith got the call to flee, he grabbed his shih tzu, Murphy, and ran.

Murphys life came first, he said. You can always get another computer.

Crews with Cal Fire and the Alameda County Fire Department were helping the Oakland Fire Department fight the fire.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

The fire stirred up memories for some residents of the Oakland hills fire in October 1991 that destroyed 3,500 homes and killed 25 people.

That firestorm  Californias all-time most destructive wildfire  burned about 8 miles to the north of Mondays fire in a neighborhood near Highway 24 below Grizzly Peak Boulevard.

Steve Rubenstein and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com
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This is the time of year when Californians with a vested interest in particular pieces of legislation wring their hands and wait. Hundreds of bills now sit on the notoriously unpredictable Gov. Jerry Browns desk for a signature that will turn them into law, or a big fat veto.

Mark Snyder is watching one in particular. It would make California the first state to legally recognize nonbinary people  those who dont consider themselves male or female  on all state-issued identification. In June, Oregon changed its drivers licenses so residents there can choose M for male, F for female or X for neither, but Californias would extend that option to birth certificates and other pieces of state ID.

Were certainly on our way out of the shadows now, said the 34-year-old Snyder, a San Francisco resident who identifies as nonbinary and works as the director of communications for Equality Federation, a national LGBTQ civil rights organization.

The bill would also make it easier for transgender people to change their names and genders on state documents because

they no longer would have to appear in court with a doctors signature verifying that theyve received appropriate medical treatment. In addition, the bill would allow those under 18 to change their gender designations, which currently is prohibited.

Its the kind of proposal that makes certain Americans look to California and sneer in disgust. The conservative California Family Council, for example, opposes the bill because it advances a lie  that being male or female or no gender at all is a choice each person has the right to make.

Why anybody would care whether other people are allowed to use X on their drivers licenses is beyond me. The bill is the kind of proposal that sets California apart as a forward-thinking state that tries to do right by all its residents, not just those with whom we happen to agree. Gov. Brown sure could ruffle President Trumps feathered hair with a mere stroke of the pen on this one.

The president is trying to rev up his base by scapegoating transgender people, so it is very important for California to go in the other direction, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who introduced SB179 with state Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego. When you make it easy for people to simply be who they are, theyre going to be happier, healthier and more productive members of society.

Wiener acknowledged the idea might seem weird to other parts of the country. He added, Then in 10 or 15 years, theyll be doing the same thing.

Thats what Snyder hopes. They live in a studio high up in Mid-Markets Fox Plaza Apartments with a front-row seat to the gentrification of the neighborhood. (They is Snyder and many nonbinary peoples preferred pronoun.)

Snyder explained that as a kid in rural Pennsylvania, they knew early on that they werent male or female. Snyder is openly gay, but not transgender, and never felt like theyd been born in the wrong body.

I never had that feeling of wanting to grow up to be a man or a woman. I always felt somewhere else  somewhere in between, Snyder said. I think one of the life lessons that Ive learned from being nonbinary is being able to hold more than one truth at the same time or see the world with more color.

Snyder was often mistaken for a girl as a child and faced extreme bullying in high school. They didnt learn the term gender nonbinary until attending Emerson College in Boston. Snyder moved to San Francisco in 2009 and said even in this anything-goes, liberal bastion, they still get stares and muttered comments.

I take it in stride, Snyder said. I pretend that Im famous.

Snyder has the closely cropped hair of a stereotypical man, but often wears makeup, nail polish, feminine jewelry and womens clothing. Snyder said that as a white person with a mans body, they have a lot more privilege than other nonbinary people. But even so, having an identification card that matches their gender would feel like a relief.

Having an ID that reflects who I really am would make me feel even more proud to be a Californian, Snyder said.

There are so many reasons to be proud of our state already. Heres hoping the governor makes it one more.

We all know the torture that finding San Francisco housing is for teachers, artists, nonprofit workers and others in the not-so-highly paid category. But the excruciating housing hunt in this insane real estate market extends to CEOs and presidents, too.

Karen Hanrahan, the new president of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church, said shes been shocked by the housing prices here since relocating from Washington, D.C., where she worked as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Obama administration.

She said Glides board warned her about housing prices during the interview process, but it didnt sink in until she moved here in August. Shes looked at buying and renting, but hasnt had any luck so far.

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For now, shes staying in a hotel in the Tenderloin near Glide. And her husband, Dean Wagner, a former master sergeant with the U.S. Armys Special Forces who lost a hand in the Iraq war, is staying home in D.C. with their two young children.

My husband is going to be a stay-at-home dad for a while, Hanrahan said. How do we do that in this city? How do I move here with a family and take care of them?

Hanrahan made it clear she knows how fortunate her family is. And shes certainly not griping, since its obvious by taking at look at Glides congregation and the larger population in the Tenderloin that shes got it good.

Given who I work with, I feel ridiculous complaining about the cost of housing, she said, adding that shes also been shocked by the income inequality in the city. The contrast here is so stark.

If anybody can relate to Hanrahans housing shock, its Tallia Hart. As I told you in May, even the new CEO of the Chamber of Commerce was striking out in her housing hunt. Well, there was that $7,650-per-month one-bedroom apartment she was offered  it even came with towels.

It took more than six months of searching, but Hart finally closed on a house in San Rafael in July. It was literally a miracle, she said.

Now, her husband and daughter have finally moved north from their previous home in Orange County and the family is together again. Best wishes for a real estate miracle for Hanrahan and her family, too.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
BERN, Switzerland - North Korean government officials have been quietly trying to arrange talks with Republican-linked analysts in Washington, in an apparent attempt to make sense of President Donald Trump and his confusing messages to Kim Jong Un's regime.

The outreach began before the current eruption of threats between the two leaders, but will likely become only more urgent as Trump and Kim have descended into name-calling that, many analysts worry, sharply increases the chances of potentially catastrophic misunderstandings.

"Their No. 1 concern is Trump. They can't figure him out," said one person with direct knowledge of North Korea's approach to Asia experts with Republican connections.

There is no suggestion that the North Koreans are interested in negotiations about their nuclear program - they instead seem to want forums for insisting on being recognized as a nuclear state - and the Trump administration has made clear it is not interested in talking right now.

At a multilateral meeting here in Switzerland earlier this month, North Korea's representatives were adamant about being recognized as a nuclear weapons state and showed no willingness to even talk about denuclearization.

But to get a better understanding of American intentions, in the absence official diplomatic talks with the U.S. government, North Korea's mission to the United Nations invited Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst who is now the Heritage Foundation's top expert on North Korea, to visit Pyongyang for meetings.

Trump has close ties to Heritage, a conservative think-tank which has influenced the president on everything from travel restrictions to defense spending, although not to Klingner personally.

"They're on a new binge of reaching out to American scholars and ex-officials," said Klingner, who declined the North Korean invitation. "While such meetings are useful, if the regime wants to send a clear message, it should reach out directly to the U.S. government."

North Korean intermediaries have also approached Douglas Paal, who served as an Asia expert on the national security councils of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and is now vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

They wanted Paal to arrange talks between North Korean officials and American experts with Republican ties in a neutral place such as Switzerland. He also declined the North Korean request.

"The North Koreans are clearly eager to deliver a message. But I think they're only interested in getting some travel, in getting out of the country for a bit," Paal said.

North Korea currently has about seven such invitations out to organizations that have hosted previous talks - a surprising number of requests for a country that is threatening to launch a nuclear strike on the United States.

Over the past two years in particular, Pyongyang has sent officials from its foreign ministry to hold meetings with Americans - usually former diplomats and think-tankers - in neutral places such as Geneva, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

They are referred to as "Track 1.5" talks because they are official (Track 1) on the North Korean side but unofficial (Track 2) on the American side, although the U.S. government is kept informed of the talks.

But since Trump's election in November, the North Korean representatives have been predominantly interested in figuring out the unconventional president's strategy, according to almost a dozen people involved in the discussions. All asked for anonymity to talk about the sensitive meetings.

Early in Trump's term, the North Koreans had been asking broad questions: Is Trump serious about closing American military bases in South Korea and Japan, as he said on the campaign trail? Might he really send American nuclear weapons back to the southern half of the Korean Peninsula?

But the questions have since become more specific. Why, for instance, are Trump's top officials, notably Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, directly contradicting the president so often?

"The North Koreans are reaching out through various channels and through various counterparts," said Evans Revere, a former State Department official dealing with North Korea who is a frequent participant in such talks. There are a number of theories about why North Korea is doing this.

"My own guess is that they are somewhat puzzled as to the direction in which the U.S. is going, so they're trying to open up channels to take the pulse in Washington," Revere said. "They haven't seen the U.S. act like this before."

Revere attended a multilateral meeting with North Korean officials in the picturesque Swiss village of Glion earlier this month, together with Ralph Cossa, chairman of the Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and another frequent interlocutor with Pyongyang's representatives.

The meeting is an annual event organized by the Geneva Center for Security Policy, a government linked think-tank. But it took on extra significance this year due to the sudden rise in tensions between North Korea and the United States.

All the countries involved in the now-defunct six-party denuclearization talks - the U.S., China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas - were represented, as were Mongolia, the Swiss government and the European Union. The Swiss invited the U.S. government to send an official, but it did not.

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The North Koreans at the meeting displayed an "encyclopedic" knowledge of Trump's tweets, to the extent that they were able to quote them back to the Americans present.

Pyongyang's delegation was headed by Choe Kang Il, deputy director of the Americas division in the foreign ministry, and he was accompanied by three officials in their late 20s who wowed the other participants with their intellectual analysis and their perfect, American-accented English. One even explained to the other delegates how the U.S. Congress works.

"They were as self-confident as I've ever seen them," said Cossa. Revere added: "They may be puzzled about our intentions but they have a very clear set of intentions of their own."

The participants declined to divulge the contents of the discussions as they were off the record.

But others familiar with the talks said the North Koreans completely ruled out the "freeze for freeze" idea being promoted by China and Russia, in which Pyongyang would freeze its nuclear and missile activities if the United States stopped conducting military exercises in South Korea. The United States, Japan and South Korea also outright reject the idea.

Participants left the day-and-a-half-long meeting with little hope for any improvement any time soon.

"I'm very pessimistic," said Shin Beom-chul, a North Korea expert at the South's Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, after participating in the meeting in Glion. "They want to keep their nuclear weapons and they will only return to dialogue after the United States nullifies its 'hostile policy.' They want the U.S. to stop all military exercises and lift all sanctions on them."

Ken Jimbo, who teaches at Keio University in Japan and was also at the meeting, said that North Korea may still be interested in dialogue, but it on terms that are unacceptable to the other side.

"North Korea wants to be recognized as a nuclear weapons state," Jimbo said. "But when is North Korea ready for talks? This is what I kept asking the North Koreans: How much is enough?"
Dont cry for Mitch and Paul. The truth is they never served you ...

These Republican swamp dwellers only serve their own interests, which theyve hitched to the wagon of the Washington establishment. To join this club, members of both parties must take an oath never to put public service or doing the right thing ahead of more important things such as getting re-elected, taking care of the powerful and maintaining the status quo.

Now that Donald Trump has forged alliances with Democrats on disaster cleanup, immigration and possibly even tax reform, its tough to muster sympathy for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

You might think some compassion would be in order. The Republican congressional leaders look painfully weak and pathetic, like a couple of teenage boys home on Saturday night because their girlfriends took other dates to the prom.

But from the sound of the public discourse, not many Americans are bothered that McConnell and Ryan have been left out in the cold. In fact, in a rare example of bipartisan agreement, elements of both parties insist that they had it coming.

As you would expect, the folks on the left have no use for these GOP leaders, other than as election-year foils. After all, my liberal friends say, McConnell and Ryan knew well before ballots were cast that they were getting behind a flawed and divisive figure with a knack for doing and saying the wrong thing. They also knew that their partys standard-bearer had a long history of supporting Democrats and espousing liberal views. But, once Trump became the nominee, they supported him anyway. Even after the release of the Access Hollywood videotape revealed Trump to be a truly despicable human being, and some Republicans called for party leaders to pull their support, McConnell and Ryan stuck by the GOP nominee.

So, as far as many Democrats are concerned, Republican leaders dug their own graves. McConnell and Ryan helped normalize Trump, and thus they empowered him. There may have been a time  in the beginning of his campaign  when the billionaire businessman needed their help and would have appreciated their support. But those days are gone. If there is one thing that Trump learned on the campaign trail, its that he could get as much mileage from working against the party establishment as he would from working with it.

Regarding all this civil warfare across the aisle, the Democrats couldnt be happier. But, as is usually the case in politics, there is a catch: There are those on the left who would rather not see Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi get cozy with Trump as they work out backroom deals. Some seem to be worried that Trump will get the best of the Democratic leaders.

Those nervous liberals neednt be concerned about that. The opposite is more likely to happen. Trump will be lucky to leave any negotiation without being fleeced by these lifelong politicians.

Meanwhile, whats much more surprising is what is happening on the right and how Trump voters are reacting to all this political horse trading.

Theyre not loyal to McConnell and Ryan in the least. If Trump wants to work with Democrats to address pressing issues, thats fine by them. They trust him, and they certainly cant say that about the GOP establishment.

They also seem extremely pragmatic in that theyre interested in solutions over ideology. They dont seem to care who gets the credit, as long as problems get fixed and their concerns get addressed.

This makes sense. It fits the profile of the Trump voters. Having thrown their support behind a renegade and bomb-thrower who few people expected to win, theyre not big on party loyalty. As such, theyre the ultimate political free agents.

Suddenly, its McConnell and Ryan who find themselves without a constituency. And it all started when they held their noses and backed Trump in the first place, without getting anything in return or modifying his behavior in any way.

Why would these two leaders humiliate themselves like that? Thats easy. Because they wanted their party to win the White House at all costs.

Well, now that McConnell and Ryan are the odd men out, you have to wonder: Are they tired of winning yet?

 2017

Washington Post Writers Group

Email: ruben@rubennavarrette.com
When Nery Estrada Margos walked into the Santa Rosa Police Department on Aug. 18 to turn himself in, he told officers he believed he had killed his girlfriend, Veronica Cabrera Ramirez. Two weeks earlier, Estrada Margos had been arrested on charges of felony domestic battery against Cabrera Ramirez and booked into the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa. During that process, Estrada Margos fingerprints triggered an alert to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because he had been deported to Guatemala in 2008 and was in the United States illegally. ICE immediately filed with the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office a detainer  a formal request that we be alerted 48 hours before law enforcement releases a deportable alien  so that ICE could take custody of Estrada Margos and remove him to his home country.

Unfortunately, the Sheriffs Office did not honor our detainer and released Estrada Margos after he posted bail. ICE deportation officers in San Francisco  more than 50 miles from Santa Rosa  were notified just minutes before his release. The Sheriffs Office was fully aware that our officers could not possibly be in Santa Rosa before Estrada Margos was back on the street.

Had we been given enough time to take custody of this deportable alien, Cabrera Ramirez might be alive today. By refusing to cooperate, the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office allowed an alleged abuser to walk free.

Within days, Cabrera Ramirez was dead.

Too often, rather than working together to strengthen our communities and uphold public safety, local jurisdictions are quick to transfer blame elsewhere. Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano told KTVU-TV that sometimes they pick up, sometimes they dont, insinuating that ICE made a mistake and is at fault for this tragedy. His statement is disturbing and disingenuous.

There was no mistake in this case. Estrada Margos release was the result of a clear policy choice made by the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office and the Board of Supervisors, and the tragic and preventable death of Cabrera Ramirez was the result. Almost every other county in California, and many others across the country, has chosen to prohibit acting on such detainers unless ICE provides a warrant. Recognizing the limitations placed on local law enforcement by such decrees, ICE updated its detainer policy earlier this year to require that each detainer be accompanied by an administrative arrest warrant issued by ICE, which is the lawful framework established by Congress for the enforcement of immigration violations.

Its about to get even worse.

In a tragic coincidence, the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office had announced that a new policy of noncooperation with ICE would start Aug. 18  the same day Cabrera Ramirez was killed.

Under the countys new plan, the Sheriffs Office will respond to ICE only for people with prior convictions of serious crimes. Unfortunately, the policy is vague with regard to which felony convictions and which misdemeanor convictions would cause the county to cooperate with ICE and help us remove a known criminal alien from the country.

In other words, some crimes committed by removable aliens have been deemed acceptable by the Sheriffs Office and the Board of Supervisors. They apparently believe that, with few exceptions, helping illegal aliens evade the rule of law is a greater priority than public safety.

Under this new policy, an illegal alien arrested for  but not yet convicted of  a serious crime, who is nonetheless removable by virtue of his or her illegal status alone, may be released by the sheriff instead of being transferred to ICE. This is a gamble the community cannot afford, and it is a gamble that the entire state of California now faces with SB54  legislation passed Friday that deliberately obstructs our countrys immigration laws and shelters serious criminal alien offenders.

If signed into law by the governor, SB54 will make California a sanctuary state for illegal aliens at the expense of public safety.

By preventing state and local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE, the bill makes it harder to prevent tragedies like the one that occurred in Sonoma County. At a time when law enforcement officers at every level should be looking for ways to improve collaboration and work together, politicians in Sonoma County and in Sacramento are working hard to do just the opposite.

Giordano owes the San Francisco ICE officers and my agency an apology. More important, he and the Board of Supervisors owe the Cabrera Ramirez family an apology. Although our immigration system is complex, ICE seeks straightforward cooperation with all sheriffs and local elected officials. Noncooperation policies like those in Sonoma County are endangering lives, and enshrining them into law only makes a bad situation far more dangerous.

Thomas D. Homan is the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Heres an old joke that you hear every September if you teach at an American university as I do. Its not that funny, really, but youll get the point.

Q: Whats the difference between a college freshman and a high school senior?

A: Three months of summer vacation.

Our students come to us after 12 or more years of education, which varies enormously in content and quality. We try to build on what they know, and to compensate for what they dont. But if theres something very big that our students didnt get before they got here, we might not be able to provide it in the four short years we have them.

Thats what I thought as I read The Chronicles Sept. 22 interview with UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol T. Christ, who said all the right things about the planned Free Speech Week on her campus. Amid reports of planned appearances by right-wing provocateurs Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter, Christ condemned their opinions but upheld their right  indeed, everyones right  to say what they think. (Only Yiannopoulos spoke on campus, and just briefly, after the sponsoring campus organization, Berkeley Patriot, canceled the events.)

But she was also refreshingly candid about the skepticism toward free speech among many college students, who are warned about the evils of offending others from the earliest ages. That also makes them inclined to restrict controversial speech, Christ noted, which they see as threatening to emotional health and well-being.

According to a survey of 1,500 American undergraduate students last August by Brookings Institution scholar John Villasenor, nearly half believe  erroneously  that the First Amendment does not protect hate speech. Over half say that it is OK for students to shout down controversial speakers on campus. And, most alarmingly, 1 in 5 students think its acceptable to use violence to prevent such speakers from expressing themselves.

Theres only so much our colleges can do  on their own  to counter these trends. Real change will require us to start much earlier, in our elementary, middle and high schools, where children must learn how to speak across their differences with mutual tolerance, civility and respect. Alas, for most of our history, our schools have avoided controversial issues instead of addressing them.

The leading figure in the creation of state school systems, Horace Mann, warned that any controversy in schools would turn parents  and taxpayers  against them. If the day ever arrives when the school room shall become a cauldron for the fermentation of all the hot and virulent opinions, in politics and religion, that now agitate our community, Mann wrote in 1844, the fate of our glorious school system will be sealed, and speedy ruin will overwhelm it.

Schools allowed a bit more controversy during the Progressive Era of the early 20th century, which witnessed the birth of the current events lesson: each student would bring in a newspaper clipping, then present it to the class. But anything remotely critical of national leaders or foreign policy got squelched after the United States entered World War I in 1917, when teachers were dismissed for questioning Americas role in the conflict.

Teachers received more leeway during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but were muzzled again during World War II and the Cold War. By the mid-1950s, a teacher nearly lost her job for telling her class that the Soviet Union had the largest land mass of any country on earth. There was only one problem with the statement: It was true.

In the 1960s and 1970s, some classrooms staged debates about Americas war in Vietnam and the civil rights struggle at home. But discussion dipped again in the 1980s, when the Back to Basics movement triggered new state tests that emphasized rote information over exploration and analysis. The trend culminated in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which enshrined high-stakes tests as the gold standard of school quality and progress.

Nominally, hundreds of school districts have policies protecting or even promoting the discussion of divisive issues. But who has the time  or the will  to make that happen? Although we talk a good game about preparing citizens, our classrooms still tend to go quiet at times of loud national controversy.

So when Michael Brown was gunned down on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., in 2014, several nearby school districts instructed their teachers to steer clear of the topic. And when Donald J. Trump ascended to the White House two years later, many schools avoided or downplayed the election for fear of injuring immigrant and minority students.

But these kids already know that theyre targets. We dont do them any favors when we try to insulate their allegedly delicate psyches from controversial topics, which patronizes young people in the guise of protecting them.

Nor do they learn how to discuss controversial questions, as one African American high school student in Missouri complained after the Ferguson episode. Blacks and whites often had different perceptions of the incident, the student noted. But thanks to restrictions on classroom discussion, she added, students dont have a chance to talk about race and policing with others who may not share their views.

Should we be surprised, then, that many students arrive at college unable  or unwilling  to engage in debate across their differences? Of course we should try to develop those skills, just as we provide remedial instruction in reading and math, but we also need to be realistic about what we can accomplish in college. Chancellor Christ is a great champion of free speech and exchange, but shes not a miracle worker. And nothing much happens during the summer between high school and college.

Jonathan Zimmerman teaches education and history at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author (with Emily Robertson) of The Case for Contention: Teaching Controversial Issues in American Schools (University of Chicago Press).
CNN held a prime-time debate Monday about something that has essentially already been decided: the GOPs health care overhaul proposal.

But knowing that the Senate GOP plan appears to be dead before an expected vote this week freed the four senators participating Monday to grasp at something rarely seen in Washington these days: common ground.

In a civil, congenial tone not seen during televised political debates over the past two years, the senators  on opposite sides of the issue  talked about how to move forward in the likely event that the GOP bill known as Graham-Cassidy fails. They addressed each other by their first names, not by senator or with juvenile insults, as was common in the GOP primary debates.

This wasnt how Mondays 90-minute debate was promoted. For days, CNN teased the program as if it was a prize fight. In one corner were the Republican authors of Graham-Cassidy: Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La. In the other were Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent -Vt., who supports a single-payer, Medicare-for-all plan, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who prefers to shore up the Affordable Care Act.

However, it was Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who delivered a technical knockout to the debates relevance when she said hours before the program that she would vote no on the bill. With three Republicans  Collins, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.  joining all of the the Democrats and independent senators in opposing the bill, Graham-Cassidy does not have the votes it needs to pass.

Graham appeared to allude to this reality several times during the debate, saying, Its OK to vote. Its OK to fall short.

Later, when asked about McCain, his close friend in the Senate, opposing the bill because it was rushed through with only one hearing and an incomplete analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, Graham addressed his friend watching at home, saying, John, if we fall short, well try to have a better process next time. Graham said he wanted to take the process forward because Obamacare is failing.

What Im not going to do is continue the same old crap and tell you its fine, he said. The biggest winner under Obamacare was insurance companies, and I intend to change that.

That prompted Sanders to pop up out of his seat and congratulate him.

Lindsey is right, Sanders said. This system is designed to make billions in profits for the insurance industry.

In that vein of tentative agreement, Mondays debate often took on a tone of whats next? as the senators found general agreement on two items: that the ACA needs to be repaired and the cost of pharmaceutical drugs is too high.

But they differed on how to make those changes.

Sanders, who this month introduced a 94-page plan modeled on the single-payer health care found in other countries, called for making it easier to import prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.

He wants Medicare officials to use their bargaining power to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for better prices, a practice that is currently banned. Sanders noted that President Trump has called out pharmaceutical companies for price gouging. Trump was right on that, he said.

Klobuchar called for loosening the rules on allowing lower-priced generic drugs into the marketplace. Several times she referred to a bipartisan group of senators  led by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.  who were working together to make fixes to Obamacare. However, that work stalled as Republicans pulled the plug while they focused on Graham-Cassidy.

Cassidy, a physician, more ardently kept trying to prop up his bill, which would eliminate federal marketplace subsidies for people to buy insurance under the ACA and replace them with block grants to the states. States would have two years to set up their own health care systems to replace the current law.

I trust governors to make better decisions about health care than faceless bureaucrats in Washington, Cassidy said. When you bring power to the person in the state, good things happen.

But the congeniality could go only so far. Sanders and Klobuchar derided the Republicans for trying to rush through their legislation with little public scrutiny  only one hearing and no deep analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office about its long-term impacts. An early report Monday from the CBO found that millions fewer Americans would have health care.

It appears, however, that Graham-Cassidy will not be around long enough for that analysis to occur.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
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An ordinance to end the timeworn practice of donating to a public officials pet cause in exchange for a political favor stalled at the San Francisco Ethics Commission Monday, failing to get the four votes needed to move ahead.

Commissioners Daina Chiu and Yvonne Lee voted against the anticorruption and accountability ordinance, which had vigorous support from Commissioners Peter Keane, Paul Renne and Quentin Kopp. It will now go back to the commissions staff for revision.

The proposal would ban city officials from asking wealthy donors to contribute to a charitable cause when that donor has a contract up for approval or a land-use decision pending before the city.

Critics from the nonprofit community noted that such arrangements  like the Heading Home campaign that San Francisco launched with the Giants and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff  have generated massive amounts of money to house the homeless, bolster public schools and build hospitals.

This would cut out a large swath of potential donors who could not be solicited for funds, said Debbi Lerman of the San Francisco Human Services Network, an association of 110 community-based nonprofits. She cited Heading Home and Zuckerberg General Hospital as examples of collaborations that would not be allowed under the ordinance.

Other opponents pointed out that city officials would not be able to ask for charitable donations from the Golden State Warriors, who are getting approvals for their new arena in Mission Bay.

Some nonprofit representatives raised concerns about another part of the ordinance that would allow anyone to bring a civil action against an organization for allegedly violating city campaign finance laws. If that action resulted in a judgment and fine, the plaintiff would get some of the money.

Some, including Jennifer Fieber of the San Francisco Tenants Union, worried this would reward people for filing frivolous legal complaints. She noted that her organization has an operating budget of only $200,000, and that there are people who want to sue us out of existence.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
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It would take quite a voyage to find more despised vessels than these in San Franciscos seafaring history.

While in The Chronicles archive looking through photos of Aquatic Park, I noticed a large, distinctive boat docked near the pier in most of the 1950s images. Digging a bit deeper, I learned about the history of the Fort Sutter, a retired riverboat that entrepreneur Barney Gould planned to turn into a floating restaurant and theater showcase. This ships fate ended in flames, and it wasnt the businessmans only nautical folly.

Goulds first showboat candidate  called the Port of Stockton  got its initial shot at fame through the typewriter strikes of none other than The Chronicles Herb Caen. Gould bought the vessel in 1947 and planned to name it the Emperor Norton, after the famed San Francisco resident who in the mid-19th century proclaimed himself emperor of the United States.

A few weeks after Caen mentioned the ship in his column, Gould was quoted in the Aug. 24, 1947, edition of The Chronicle saying it would take a $100,000 investment to convert the Port of Stockton into a place for dining, dancing and old-time American dramas.

This bay-borne dream, however, was never meant to be.

It took Gould more than four years to gain approval for his plan from the citys Recreation and Park Department, and when the boat was going through repairs near China Basin in March 1952, it sank in a storm.

This setback didnt discourage Gould from chasing his dream, though. He went out and purchased another riverboat, the aforementioned Fort Sutter, and with the help of a couple of tugboats tried to tow it to Aquatic Park in February 1953.

The mission, as should have been expected, had its share of bumps.

On the first try, the former Sacramento River boat got stuck on a bar 10 feet short of the beach. Gould and his crew went at it again at high tide the next day, but the ship and the bay would not cooperate. Finally, a few days later and through a lot of sweat and effort, the Fort Sutter made it to its dock.

For years, Gould squabbled with partners, investors and the Recreation and Park Department. Things got excessively testy in August 1956 when the city gave Gould a three-month deadline to do something about the Fort Sutter, which was rotting away at Aquatic Park. Mayor George Christopher, sick of the situation, was quoted in The Chronicle as saying: If he doesnt (do something), Ill go down there with a hand ax and attack the boat myself.

Meanwhile, Gould was still getting flak from the San Francisco Port Authority about his first ship, the Port of Stockton, which two years after sinking was still blocking a shipping channel. It sat waterlogged until 1956, when tow truck operator John Haran, under a contract with the city, tried to demolish the ship using a giant tow truck crane. He failed.

Two years later, the boat was smashed to pieces by Sherman Crane Service after the city stipulated in July 1958: No pay until the job is done.

San Francisco was then down to only one of Goulds maritime messes.

The Fort Sutters end, at long last, came on May 1, 1959. A dock watchmen, John R. Murphy, saw four young men run up a gang plank to the boat. Before Murphy could stop them, they poured gasoline on the deck and set the vessel ablaze.

San Francisco Fire Chief William Murray arrived at the scene with the second-alarm responders. Well let er burn, he said. The city will save money on it.

When Gould arrived, he let his opinion be known: Sabotage! he shouted.

Portals of the Past columnist and author Gary Kamiya, writing about Aquatic Park in 2015, provided insight on the Fort Sutter arson, whose flames could be seen in Berkeley.

The four men were said to be members of the South End club, he wrote. No one was ever punished. A member of the South End club told Kamiya, We all know the guys who did it. We named a boat after them.

Bill Van Niekerken is the library director of The San Francisco Chronicle, where he has worked since 1985. In his weekly column, From the Archive, he explores the depths of The Chronicles vast photography archive in search of interesting historical tales related to the city by the bay.
Political events in the Bay Area

Voter registration: Volunteers help new U.S. citizens register to vote after swearing-in ceremony. Sponsored by Democracy Action, which works to advance Democratic candidates. 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday outside the Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. https://demaction.us

Coffee with Jerry Hill: Java with Jerry, constituent event with state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo. Coffee is free. 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Il Piccolo Caffe, 1219 Broadway Ave., Burlingame.

D.A. candidates: Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley and 2018 challenger Pamela Price hold a town hall, sponsored by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and Starbucks. 5 to 7 p.m. at the Merritt College student lounge, 12500 Campus Drive, Oakland. http://bit.ly/2xkrDvH

Food stamps: Alameda County Community Food Bank hosts an event to raise awareness about SNAP (food stamps) and urge Congress not to cut antihunger programs. Free. 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at 7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland. www.accfb.org

Conservation and cannabis: A discussion of the effects of legalized marijuana cultivation on Bay Area public and private lands, sponsored by the Bay Area Open Space Council. 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley. Tickets are $30 for nonmembers. Information and tickets: http://bit.ly/2w3dTm4

Challenge to Pelosi: House candidates Barry Hermanson and Stephen Jaffe speak about their challenges to Rep. Nancy Pelosi in 2018. 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin St., San Francisco.

Veg fest: The 18th World Veg Fest promotes health, social justice and sustainability through vegetarian eating. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the San Francisco County Fair Building, 1199 Ninth Ave. at Lincoln in Golden Gate Park. Tickets are $5 to $25, children 12 and under admitted free. http://bit.ly/2xgD7A9

Politics and media: Longtime San Francisco journalist Tim Redmond discusses media coverage and the Trump administration. Event begins at 2 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Richmond Meeting Room of the Sen. Milton Marks Branch Library, 351 Ninth Ave., San Francisco. http://bit.ly/2wJub72

Black Panther history: Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin Jr., authors of Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party, discuss their book at the San Francisco Main Librarys Koret Auditorium at 1 p.m. Oct. 29. Information about this event and others noting the books selection in the One City One Book program: http://bit.ly/2eTr1mz

To list an event, email Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com.
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Mitchell Caverns, a trio of geological delights in the Mojave Desert, will reopen after more than six years.

The journey to the Nov. 3 reopening of the caverns  the only limestone caves in the California park system  has been long and full of pitfalls. It began with crumbling infrastructure, including a failed water line and busted septic system, and ended with budget cuts. When the two rangers who patrolled the site retired in tandem, funds to fill their positions evaporated.

After the rangers left at the end of 2010, vandals moved in, scarring the walls with graffiti and stripping the caverns of generators, flashlights, signage and thousands of feet of copper wire. They even pillaged the visitor center.

The vandals' rein of terror ended in arrests in January 2011, but they did over $100,000 worth of damage to the ancient caves, built by the slow drip of groundwater approximately 30-4o million years ago.

That was but a blip in an 84-year-old attraction's long history, says Russ Dingman, superintendent of the state parks' Tehachapi District.

"This place is a capsule, frozen in time," he said of the caverns, opened over eight decades ago by Jack Mitchell as a Route 66 tourist attraction. "You see things here you don't normally see."

Indeed, a species of pseudoscorpions and the tawny-hued Niptus beetle are found only within the depths of the caverns. Hundreds of years ago, the darkness-dwelling creatures kept the company of Native American tribes, who believed the stone cathedrals sacred.

Dingman says modern-day visitors will view the same sites as those who came before, only better.

Two hundred LEDs illuminate the caverns' foot-long stalactites and their grounded sisters, stalagmites, and improved signage means you'll know what you're looking at.

Visitors should have an easier time getting there, too, says Dingman, with the construction of a new pedestrian bridge and repairs to the main entrance.

"We hope it could have been open sooner," Dingman said, referencing the seven years it took to secure funds to repair the park's damage. "But we are expecting good things and good crowds."

Mitchell Caverns reopens Nov. 3, with guided tours held twice a day Friday through Sunday. The campgrounds in Providence Mountains State Recreation Area will remain closed for six to seven months. The closest campground is Hole-in-the-Wall, about 30 miles northeast.

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
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A 25-year-old San Jose resident was arrested Friday for vandalizing a statue of Christopher Columbus in San Jose City Hall, police said.

According to a police summary of the incident, Gina Darlene Gonzales walked into the City Hall lobby with "paint on [her] hands" and proceeded to rub the substance on the stone Columbus. Gonzales left the building without apprehension. The statue, said city spokesperson Cheryl Wessling, stands outside the line-of-sight of the lobby receptionist.

A day later, San Jose police arrested the suspect at Martin Luther King Library after a City Hall security officer recognized Gonzalez from surveillance footage. Upon viewing the footage and confirming the identity of the suspect, officers issued Gonzalez a criminal citation for vandalism and released her.

Wessling said the paint left no permanent damage and was cleaned in "an hour or two."

"It was a matter of staff wiping away the paint," she said. "It was not a high-cost activity."

As of late, the Columbus statue has stood at the center of a heated debate in San Jose, inspired by recent discussions in the South surrounding Confederate monuments and their places in modern cities.

In August, the San Jose Brown Berets began circulating a petition calling for the relocation of the statue, which had garnered nearly 1,950 signatures as of Monday evening.

More for you House Speaker Straus calls for removal of Confederate plaque from Capitol

According to the petition's authors, the statue "perpetuates the false claims that North America was discovered and founded by Columbus" and "is obscene and offensive to the native community whose ancestry has suffered years of oppression, rape, and genocide at the hands of the figure that now stands at our city hall."

Shortly thereafter, the Italian American Heritage Foundation drafted a counter-petition, which has nearly 1,870 signatures.

The foundation demands the statue stay in its present location as it "depicts a brave explorer who found a new route to the Americas" and "used the technology and scientific advancements of his age to forge a new path and discover a world yet unknown to others."

On Wednesday, San Jose lawmakers discussed a proposal, put forth by Councilman Raul Peralez, to relocate the statue. The council thereby agreed to open the debate to community members by holding a public conversation, scheduled for October at San Jose State University.

In the meantime, Wessling says facilities staff are "more closely monitoring the statue."

This isn't the first time San Jose's Columbus has made headlines. In 2001, a man smashed the Columbus doppleganger with a hammer, resulting in a $60,000 two-year-long repair. Wessling said the vandal paid for the cost of the repairs and was sentenced to 10 months in jail.

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
The regions economy grew by 5.2 percent in 2016, nearly three times faster than the national rate, according to a report released Monday by the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.

The Bay Areas gross domestic product was $781 billion in 2016, making the region larger than the economy of the Netherlands.

The San Jose metro area, which is home to large tech companies such as Cisco and Apple, had the strongest year-over-year growth in the state at 5.9 percent. The state of California grew 2.9 percent in 2016.

Gains in the San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area, which ranked second in California to the San Jose area, were also driven by the tech and finance industry.

While jobs continue to spread across the state to areas previously lagging behind  including Inland Empire, Butte County and some parts of the San Joaquin Valley  job growth in the Bay Area and California has slowed down in 2017.

It is very likely that GDP growth in the state and many regions in 2017 will be below the 2015 and (2016) levels, the reports authors wrote.

 Trisha Thadani

Stocks

IPhone fears hit

Apple partners

Apple Inc.s latest products are getting a thumbs down, at least by investors in the companys Asian suppliers. Thats especially bad news for Taiwan equities.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., which assembles the iPhone and other Apple devices, has fallen 10 percent in Taipei since Apple unveiled its collection of new gadgets for the holidays this month. Other suppliers across the region, including Taiwans Pegatron Corp. and South Koreas LG Innotek Co. have plunged more than 13 percent.

Taiwans $1.1 trillion equity market is particularly exposed to the swinging fortunes of Apple products, due to the dominance of parts manufacturers.

Hon Hai and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Apples main chip-maker, together make up a quarter of the Taiex total weighting, while exports account for more than half of the islands gross domestic product.

Orders of the new iPhone have disappointed the market and foreign investors may continue net selling Taiwan stocks, said Alan Tseng, vice president at Capital Investment Management in Taipei. The retreat of Apple suppliers has pulled down the benchmark index and could drag the index even lower in the coming month.

Acquisitions

Gigya OKs deal

to be sold to SAP

Gigya, a maker of customer identity software, announced it has agreed to by acquired by SAP SE, Europes largest technology company, to become part of SAP Hybris.

The Mountain View companys software allows businesses to manage customers profiles, preferences and consent settings  and gives customers control of their data.

Customers can opt in and register to manage privacy settings, allowing the company to create a consent-based approach to personalization of sales, service and marketing.

Gigya has more than 300 employees and says it currently manages 1.3 billion customer identities. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wall Street

Switch sets sights on big tech IPO

Switch Inc. aims to raise as much as $500 million in its initial public offering, which would make it the third-biggest U.S. technology listing of the year.

The data center company intends to sell 31.25 million shares at $14 to $16 apiece, according to a filing Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. At the high end of the range, the IPO would value the Las Vegas company at about $4 billion.

Switch could trail only Snap Inc.s $3.9 billion IPO and Altice USA Inc.s $2.2 billion share sale for biggest tech and communications deals this year.

Switch designs, constructs and operates data centers and has been profitable for at least the past four years.

Communications

New trans-Atlantic cable celebrated

Lawmakers and tech industry leaders have announced the completion of a new high-speed data cable that stretches across the Atlantic Ocean.

Representatives from Facebook and Microsoft joined with Virginias governor and two senators in Williamsburg to celebrate the cables completion on Friday morning.

The 4,000-mile cable runs from Bilbao, Spain, to Virginia Beach. It can transmit 160 terabits of data per second.

Thats 16 million times faster than the average home Internet connection. Put another way, it could stream 71 million high-definition videos at once.

The cable is named Marea, which is Spanish for tide. Its a joint project between Microsoft, Facebook and global telecommunication company Telxius. The cable will help to meet growing demand for internet infrastructure across the globe.

Stocks

Tech billionaires

lose $16 billion

Technology tycoons lost $15.5 billion from their fortunes on Monday as a sell-off of the sectors most valuable companies intensified. Facebook Inc.s Mark Zuckerberg saw the biggest drop in net worth of $3.2 billion, followed by a $1.3 billion decline for Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.s Jack Ma and a $1.2 billion wipeout for Amazon.com Inc.s Jeff Bezos. The 59 tech moguls on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index control $942 billion, more than any other industry in the ranking.

Chronicle News Services
The White House on Monday announced plans to spend $200 million a year on grants meant to boost science, tech, engineering and math education in an effort to close a widening skills gap that, some say, has left Americans out of the running for scientific and technical jobs.

Bay Area powerhouses Facebook, Google and Salesforce have committed $50 million apiece to support these efforts  making up about half the $300 million commitment from the private sector.

It was not immediately clear where the $200 million in federal dollars would come from, though the Trump administration emphasized that it would not be new funding, but rather existing money that would be redirected.

For tech companies like Salesforce, however, the monetary commitment is a new one.

Salesforce  whose philanthropic arm, Salesforce.org, also committed 1 million employee volunteer hours over the next five years to expand K-12 computer science education in the U.S.  has contributed $65 million to school districts since 1999.

The additional commitment would broaden the companys efforts, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, not replace them.

Nothing is more important than educating our nations students and preparing them for the jobs of tomorrow, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said in a statement Tuesday. Through our longstanding partnerships with San Francisco Bay Area school districts, weve seen a big impact from our investments  not only in dollars, but employee time and expertise. I encourage every CEO, every organization and every individual to contribute to educating our youth and providing them access to computer science skills.

Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter and senior adviser, has been a driving force behind the push for greater technical education initiatives  especially for girls, who have also been the target of numerous Silicon Valley programs aimed at increasing the number of women in tech.

The funneling of federal funds into education and technical skills is nothing new.

President Barack Obama had made such education  called STEM for science, technology, engineering and math  a priority for his administration and pledged in 2011 to prepare 100,000 new math and science teachers by 2021 and secure $1 billion in private investments to further it.

Race to the Top, a competitive grant program created by the Obama administration, has awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to low-performing schools aiming to improve and emphasize technical education.

The Trump administration inherited other similarly focused grant programs like the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program, which awards colleges and universities money to increase the flow of underrepresented ethnic minorities, particularly minority women, into science and engineering careers.

Over the summer, Ivanka Trump reportedly began seeking input on technical education and ways to improve it from Silicon Valley executives including Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has directly asked the president to require coding classes in American public schools, and Laurene Powell Jobs, who chairs the board of XQ: The Super School Project, a nonprofit aimed at rethinking how high school works.

Though Apple is not among the companies pledging financial backing for the Trump administrations new effort, the company offered praise to the administrations initiative.

Several experts said giving schools money to support these kinds of programs is an effective way to create lasting change.

With the impending explosion of new 5G technologies, the Internet of Things, and other innovations like autonomous vehicles, the U.S. must ramp up investments to ensure that the youth of today are prepared to innovate for our economy tomorrow, Tom Ferree, CEO of Connected Nation Inc., a nonprofit that promotes Internet access and tech literacy for all, said in an email Tuesday. We applaud the White House for prioritizing STEM education  and coding specifically  to ensure that the U.S. continues to lead the world in building a more connected society.

In July, the president announced that he was donating his salary for the second quarter of the year to the Department of Education. The $100,000 donation from Trump will be used to help fund a camp for students to explore science and math careers. But the announcement was met with anger by some education advocates, who found the charitable donation insulting while Trump was also seeking a $9 billion cut to the agency in his budget request.

Marissa Lang and Trisha Thadani are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com, tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae, @TrishaThadani
In a quest to end cookie-cutter health care, researchers are getting ready to recruit more than 1 million people for an unprecedented study to learn how our genes, environments and lifestyles interact  and to finally develop custom ways to prevent and treat disease.

Why does one sibling get sick but not another? Why does a drug cure one patient but only cause nasty side effects in the next?

Finding out is a tall order. Today, diseases typically are treated based on what worked best in short studies of a few hundred or thousand patients.

We depend on the average, the one-size-fits-all approach because its the best weve got, said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

The NIHs All Of Us project will push whats called precision medicine, using traits that make us unique in learning to forecast health and treat disease. Partly its genetics. What genes do you harbor that raise your risk of, say, heart disease or Type 2 diabetes or various cancers?

But other factors affect that genetic risk: what you eat, how you sleep, whether you grew up in smog or fresh air, whether you sit at a desk all day or bike around town, whether your blood pressure is fine at a checkup but soars on the job, what medications you take.

Not to mention differences based on age, gender, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomics.

Layering that information in whats expected to be the largest database of its kind could help scientists spot patterns, combinations of factors that drive or prevent certain diseases  and eventually, researchers hope, lead to better care.

The DNA is almost the easiest part, Collins said. Its challenging to figure out how to put all that together to allow somebody to have a more precise sense of future risk of illness and what they might do about it.

A pilot project is under way with more than 2,500 people. More than 50 sites around the country are enrolling people in this invitation-only phase.

If that goes well, NIH plans to open the study next spring to just about any U.S. adult whos interested, with signup as easy as going online.

Its a commitment. The study is scheduled to run for at least 10 years.

The goal is to enroll people from all walks of life, specifically minorities who have been underrepresented in scientific research.

And unusual for observational research, volunteers will get results of their tests, which they can share with their own doctors.

Anything to get more information I can pass on to my children, Im all for it, said Erricka Hager, 29, as she signed up last month at the University of Pittsburgh, the projects first site. A usually healthy mother of two, she hopes the study can reveal why she experienced high blood pressure and gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

Heading the giant project is a former Intel executive who brings a special passion for widening access to the precision medicine that saved his life.

In college, Eric Dishman developed a form of kidney cancer so rare that doctors had no idea how to treat him, and predicted he had months to live. Only two studies of that particular cancer had ever been done, on people in their 70s and 80s.

Theyd never seen a 19-year-old with this disease, said Dishman.

Yet he survived for two decades, trying one treatment after another. Then, as he was running out of options, a chance encounter with a genetics researcher led to mapping Dishmans DNA  and the stunning discovery that his kidney cancer was genetically more like pancreatic cancer. A pancreatic cancer drug attacked his tumors so he could get a kidney transplant.

Im healthier now at 49 than I was at 19, said Dishman. I was lucky twice over, really, that he was offered an uncommon kind of testing and that it found something treatable.

Precision medicine is used most widely in cancer, as more drugs are developed that target tumors with specific molecular characteristics. Beyond cancer, one of the University of Pittsburghs hospitals tests every patient receiving a heart stent  looking for a genetic variant that tells whether theyll respond well to a particular blood thinner or will need an alternative.

The goal is to expand precision medicine.

Why me? is the question cancer patients always ask, said Dr. Mounzer Agha, an oncologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Unfortunately, I dont have answers for them today, said Agha, who says it will take the million-person study to finally get some answers. Its going to help them understand what are the factors that led to their disease, and its going to help us understand how to treat it better.

And Collins expects surprises. Maybe, he speculates, Type 2 diabetes will turn out to be a collection of genetic subtypes that require varied treatments.

This looks at individual responses to treatment in a way we couldnt do previously with smaller studies.

Volunteers will get standard health checks, answer periodic questionnaires about their health, background and habits, and turn over electronic health records. They give a blood sample that, if they agree, will undergo DNA testing next year.

Eventually, researchers will ask some participants to wear sensors that may measure blood pressure while people move around all day, or measure environmental exposures, Collins said.

Lauran Neergaard is an Associated Press writer.
Uber is testing out a new conciliatory tone in London, where officials said they wouldnt renew the ride-hailing services operating license. Its going to have ample opportunity to see if that approach will work in the U.S.

San Franciscos city attorney is investigating whether Uber is a public nuisance. In New York, officials are mulling ways to tighten controls on ride-hailing, including requiring that a quarter of all trips come with wheelchair-accessible vehicles. And Seattle has passed an ordinance to make it easier for Uber drivers to join a union.

Uber is at a turning point with big-city governments, Jon Orcutt, director of communications and advocacy for the TransitCenter, a New York advocacy group, said of Uber and other ride-sharing companies. Londons action ... really could turn the corner in a more normal regulatory situation for Uber.

London officials said Friday the city would not renew Ubers operating license, which is set to expire Sept. 30, because it isnt fit and proper to hold a private hire operator license. The city cited a failure to do sufficient background checks on drivers, report crimes and a program called Greyball used to avoid regulators.

In response, newly minted Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi released an open letter Monday apologizing for the mistakes weve made and acknowledging that the company got things wrong along the way during its rapid growth.

London is a critical global market for Uber, which could encourage the company to make regulatory concessions to remain on the streets, Orcutt said. That stands in contrast with the companys sharp-elbowed approach under co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick.

Uber ruffled feathers in city halls in several major U.S. cities that struggled to corral the company during its growth. It raised the ire of officials and taxi drivers by compiling a track record of skirting traditional taxi-industry regulations and refusing to share trip data and other records sought by city officials.

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has requested court orders for Uber and competitor Lyft to hand over years worth of records after the companies refused to comply with an earlier subpoena for the records. Herreras office is investigating whether the companies and their estimated 45,000 drivers in the city are creating a public nuisance, a finding that could subject the companies to civil monetary penalties and expose them to court injunctions restricting their operations in the city.

The status quo is not working, Herrera said in a July 21 statement. Theres no question that Uber and Lyft offer convenience. But convenience for some cannot trump the rights of every San Francisco resident and visitor.

Uber has also come under pressure to produce driver activity records from New York City. The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has proposed a new rule that wheelchair-accessible vehicles eventually account for 25 percent of all trips dispatched by for-hire vehicles, including Uber and Lyft. That would add a new regulatory burden on those companies, putting their costs more in line with traditional taxi companies.

That followed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios failed bid in 2015 to limit the number of new drivers that could join ride-hailing companies each year out of concern that the companies were exacerbating road congestion. He ultimately backed down after an intense backlash encouraged by the company.

But the City Council is considering a six-month study of Ubers impact on the traditional yellow cab business, where the value of medallions  licenses to operate taxis  has dropped by 90 percent in the past four years.

Conflict has flared elsewhere. Last month, a federal judge dismissed a challenge to Seattles collective bargaining ordinance, which is now on hold amid an appeal. A Pennsylvania state judge ordered Uber to stop offering its UberX ride service in Philadelphia last October, though the decision was overturned on appeal.

Uber has also made it clear that it calls its own shots sometimes. On Tuesday, Uber said it will pull out of Quebec on Oct. 14 if the regional government sticks to new rules that would increase training hours and subject drivers to background checks by police. Uber has been operating on a government pilot program for the past year in Quebec, and last week the Transportation Minister proposed to extend the project under revised rules designed to put Uber in line with traditional taxis. Last year, Uber pulled out of Austin, Texas, in protest of fingerprinting requirements.

Not everything about Ubers response to London is different. Like it did in addressing New Yorks driver limit, Uber enlisted riders to join its opposition to losing its license in London. An online petition posted by the company had garnered nearly 775,000 signatures as of Monday.

In his statement, Khosrowshahi said that while the company will appeal the decision, its doing so with the knowledge that we must also change and closed by committing to work with London to make things right.

To Orcutt, with TransitCenter, that approach portends a new tone.

Uber exploded onto the scene and very deliberately tried to ignore or flout regulations, he said. I think it means you can get in a room and have a conversation as opposed to a battle.

Ryan Beene is a Bloomberg writer. Email: rbeene@bloomberg.net
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Violent crime climbed in California and around the country in 2016, the second straight year of increases that have been driven by spikes in big cities like Chicago and have reversed longer-term trends toward safer cities and towns, the FBI reported Monday.

The per capita rate of homicides, robberies, assaults and rapes went up 4.1 percent nationally last year when compared with 2015. Killings alone were up 5.3 percent and reached a level last seen in 2008.

But the recent jumps, while prompting concern and a search for causes, do not reflect a picture of spiraling lawlessness suggested by some observers, criminologists said. President Trump earlier this year falsely claimed the U.S. murder rate had surged to its highest level in nearly 50 years.

Violent crime and property crime rates, instead, were uneven across the Bay Area and the country, with some local jurisdictions reporting falling numbers year-to-year, and nearly all of them seeing crime rates that are well off the historical highs of decades ago.

Property crime  burglaries, thefts and boosted cars  declined 1.3 percent across the country last year, the FBI said, the 14th consecutive drop.

In California, those crimes decreased 2.9 percent in 2016 after ticking up 6.6 percent the year before. The statewide property crime rate is down 63 percent since 1980. Meanwhile, California and U.S. homicide rates remained near their low point in the past half century.

In California, 1,930 people were slain last year, an increase of 3.7 percent that came on the heels of a rise of 9.7 percent the previous year. But the 2016 rate  4.9 victims for every 100,000 population  is relatively low compared with the rate 10 years earlier (6.9) and far lower than the rate in 1980 (14.4).

The overall picture is that homicide and violent crime rates went up dramatically in the 1970s and 80s and 90s, and then underwent a dramatic drop in the last 20 years, and leveled off, said Robert Weisberg, a Stanford University criminal law professor and co-director of the schools Criminal Justice Center.

The FBIs 2016 numbers, he said, are not inconsistent with that.

Still, Bay Area law enforcement officials have expressed concern about the recent trend, opening up a debate over whether crime has gone up due to several factors, including the effort to reduce jail and prison populations and a struggle in some places to recruit and retain officers.

The FBIs Crime in the United States report compiled statistics from 16,782 towns, cities and other jurisdictions and is used to gauge crime priorities locally and nationally.

In California, violent crime went up from 2015 to 2016 in major cities, including Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Jose, contributing to an overall increase of 4.1 percent. The state had seen an 8.4 percent jump the year before. However, California was coming off historic lows in 2014.

Nationally, the violent crime numbers were driven by year-to-year surges in cities like Chicago, Baltimore and Phoenix. Chicago, home to 2.7 million people, suffered 765 homicides in 2016, compared with 478 the year before.

The apparent majority of the uptick is due to some really troubled places where the rate is catastrophically high, Weisberg said.

The Bay Areas figures reveal some contours of a region undergoing great transformation, while continuing to grapple with deep-rooted crime problems.

San Francisco, which is in the middle of a car-burglary epidemic, actually saw a decrease of 11 percent in property crimes last year. But the trend isnt expected to last, as vehicle break-ins were up 28 percent this year through the end of July, according to the Police Department.

Last year, Oakland continued to have the regions highest rate of violent crime. Killings in Oakland remained level, at 85, from 2015 to 2016, while the violent-crime rate dropped 1 percent.

The property-crime rate in Oakland  also the highest in the Bay Area, narrowly edging San Francisco  fell almost 4 percent over the same period, according to the FBI.

To the south, Fremont, with a population of 236,000, provided more evidence of its emergence as one of the safest big cities in the nation, with not a single homicide in 2016.

In the regions largest city, San Jose, violent crime went up 13 percent from 2015 to 2016 and homicides rose from 30 to 47. San Jose, though, remains relatively safe among big cities.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
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Oakland police are seeking a thief who broke into a car Monday and stole a pair of handguns belonging to a police officer who had driven 300 miles from Kern County to help UC Berkeley handle protests this weekend.

The Oakland Police Department understands the seriousness of the items that were taken in this auto burglary, Officer Johnna Watson said in a statement.

The officer whose guns were stolen was one of five who drove up from the tiny city of Taft to join hundreds of officers from 10 jurisdictions to help prevent violence Sunday when ultraconservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos visited the left-leaning campus. He stayed for about 15 minutes, costing the university and the city of Berkeley about $800,000 in security costs, UC Berkeley officials said.

Now Playing: Comparison of 2016's violent crime stats from major Bay Area cities Video: Ted Andersen, SFGATE

The officers from Taft were driving home on Monday when they stopped for a bite to eat at a diner in the 400 block of Hegenberger Road in Oakland, Sgt. Robert Gomes of the Taft Police Department told The Chronicle.

After the meal they discovered a window broken out of their unmarked police vehicle, Gomes said.

Two handguns and a backpack belonging to one of the officers were gone.

Gomes said none of the other officers guns were taken, but he said he did not know whether they had been left in the car.

He said the Taft Police Departments policy on gun storage in vehicles covers only rifles and shotguns, which must be contained in a locking device.

It sounds like the Oakland Police Department is working diligently to resolve this as soon as possible, Gomes said.

Oakland Police are asking anyone with information on the theft to call their burglary unit at (510) 238-3951.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
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A suspected drunken driver crashed into the back of a San Jose Police Department patrol car on a city road Tuesday morning, police said.

A San Jose Police officer in a marked patrol car was stopped in the southbound lane of Camden Avenue at Union Avenue about 2:50 a.m. when he was rear-ended, said Sgt. Enrique Garcia, a San Jose Police Department spokesman,
A Sonoma County woman was arrested and charged with felony vehicular manslaughter more than a year after her two young daughters were killed when she lost control of her car and plummeted into the Petaluma River, officials said Tuesday.

Alejandra Hernandez-Ruiz, 27, of Rohnert Park was arrested Friday and booked into the main adult detention facility in Santa Rosa, according to the California Highway Patrol. She also faces a felony charge of child endangerment with enhancements for great bodily injury and one misdemeanor count of driving without a valid license.

It was a complex investigation, said Officer Jonathan Sloat, a CHP spokesman. He said that the totality of the circumstances warranted the arrest of the mother.

The fatal crash occurred on the morning of Aug. 31, 2016, as Hernandez-Ruiz was driving her daughters, 9-year-old Delilah Gonzalez and 7-year-old Sayra Gonzalez, to a Rohnert Park elementary school.

ALSO Accused killer of Madyson Middleton could get freedom in 5 years

She had just dropped off her boyfriend in Petaluma and was speeding and possibly weaving through traffic as she headed north on Petaluma Boulevard North near Gossage Avenue, according to the CHP. She lost control of the car, hit a dirt center median, then went down a wooden embankment when she overcorrected. The car hit trees and ultimately ended up in the river, officials said.

Hernandez-Ruiz managed to escape from the overturned car and yelled for help. She and a passerby tried in vain to rescue her daughters, who were trapped in the vehicle that was submerged in 6-feet of water, police said.

First responders pulled the daughters out of the car 25 minutes after the crash and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation before they were rushed to a Petaluma Valley Hospital and pronounced dead.

The investigation of the wreck found that no child safety seats had been installed in the car, a requirement for children younger than 8 years old or less than 4 feet 9 inches tall, Sloat said.

About a week before the incident, a pair of sisters, ages 4 and 6, died in the Russian River south of Jenner after their mother lost control of a pickup truck while also driving them to school and overturned in the water. Sloat said an investigation of the circumstances found that crash did not warrant charges being filed.

Hernandez-Ruiz was being held at Sonoma County Jail on $500,000 bail.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
The Indian summer is in full effect in San Francisco.

It's only going to get worse, with the National Weather Service forecasting a high of 89 degrees for parts of the city Wednesday.

To ease the pain, the city of San Francisco is making most of its public pools free for select hours Tuesday through Thursday.

HEAT WAVE: Bay Area warm-up to send SF temperatures into the mid-80s

Every city pool except Balboa and Salva will be free from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, according to the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. A single swim usually costs $6 for adults and $1 for children under age 17.

You can take a dip and cool off for free this week at these city pools:

Coffman Pool, 1700 Visitacion Ave.

Hamilton Pool and Recreation Center, 1900 Geary Blvd.

Garfield Pool, 1271 Treat Ave.

Martin Luther King Pool, 5701 3rd St.

North Beach Pool, 661 Lombard St.

Mission Pool, 1 Linda St.

Rossi Pool, 600 Arguello Blvd.

The Department of Emergency Management has also opened several cooling centers around the city. You can find their locations and more information here.

CAN'T HANDLE THE HEAT? Best Bay Area day trips to escape the heat wave

This is the second time this September that the department has had to respond to a heat wave. San Francisco broke its all-time heat record when it hit 106 degrees on Sept. 1. The previous record was set back in 1874.

Temperatures are forecast to return to the high 60s in San Francisco by Friday.
Playing Mahlers symphonies can be made to seem easy enough in the right hands, but the truth is that these are pretty difficult undertakings for any orchestra. The technical challenges in the composers intricate instrumental writing are steep enough, and the interpretive problems  as the tone swings from irony to sentimentality and back again  are harder still.

All honor, then, to Donato Cabrera and the musicians of the California Symphony, who tackled the composers Fourth Symphony at the orchestras season-opening concert in Walnut Creeks Lesher Center for the Arts on Sunday afternoon. This was the orchestras first Mahlerian outing in nearly 20 years, and if the results were a bit rough-and-ready at times, the performance did serve as a testament to the ensembles growing ambition.

The Fourth is the most intimately scaled of the composers symphonies, a Mozartean chamber work that shines a clear and potentially pitiless spotlight on the performers. It abounds with opportunities to cast a translucent emotional spell, and also to stumble and fall in plain view.

On Sunday, the stumbles were concentrated largely in the expansive first movement, in which Cabrera and the players often struggled to do justice to Mahlers rich instrumental counterpoint and to negotiate the subtle shifts in tempo that make the movement work.

But things improved thereafter, with an account of the tart second movement that was simultaneously biting and lyrical  concertmaster Jennifer Cho contributed several eloquently shaped violin solos  and a luxuriant, sometimes radiantly beautiful rendition of the expansive slow movement.

Soprano Maria Valdes, a recent Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera who has gone on to make a number of impressive appearances on local stages, popped in to deliver the solo in the movements finale. Its a shimmery evocation of the joys of the heavenly afterlife (with the saints and evangelists doing duty as household staff) and Valdes sang it with unruffled sweetness.

There was a similar vein of tender sentiment in her earlier appearance, opening the program with Samuel Barbers memory piece Knoxville: Summer of 1915. With its lilting, cradle-like accompaniments and a misty prose-poetic text by James Agee, Knoxville is a work that always teeters close to bathos, but in a performance as pliant and sympathetic as Valdes and the orchestra gave it, the music has a way of sneaking around the listeners resistance.

In between came a new work from San Francisco composer Nathaniel Stookey. The title, YTTE (Yield to Total Elation) is drawn from the work of the Bay Area outsider artist Achilles Gildo Rizzoli, who used it as a broad rubric for creative expression; in addition to the orchestra, the piece calls for an electro-acoustic instrument called an OOVE, the invention of Oliver DiCicco.

Stookey used the OOVE, which apparently causes strings to vibrate using electrical pulses, to create a vague harmonic web at the start of the piece, and the transition from swirling, rumbling potential to actual notes (after the manner of Beethovens Ninth or Wagners Das Rheingold) made a compelling opening gesture.

But there didnt turn out to be much more to the 25-minute piece after that  a slow-moving series of harmonies, invaded at the halfway point by a terse, chirpy melodic figure in the strings. A burst of stark and almost scary drama rears its head at the very end, as the orchestra and the OOVE get into a bare-knuckles fight about which key to finish up in, but it was a bit late by then.

Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicles music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman
. To do so, first type the original number into the text box. Then click on the "Scientific Notation" option located at the top of the floating window. Finally, click on the "Standard" button found beneath the text box to display your result. This program is useful for scientists and engineers working with decimal-based numbers. It provides easy access to those who need to convert those numbers into more compact forms without having to do heavy math calculations first.

Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers. It is used in physics, chemistry and other fields where large numbers are common. Those numbers are written as a power of 10 followed by a number with an exponent. For example, 1,000,000 (one million) is written as 1  103. The exponent shows how many zeros are after the first digit. For example, 1,000,001 is written as 1  102. Scientific notation is a useful tool for making calculations easier. You can use it to write down very big or very small numbers in one step instead of writing out both the large and small numbers separately. You can also use it to express large or small numbers in terms of other units like centimeters or millimeters.

Scientific notation solver is an online tool that can be used to convert any number into scientific notation. Simply enter any number to the left of the decimal point and it will automatically convert it into a scientific notation equivalent. This web tool can be very helpful when you need to convert a large number into scientific notation. However, please note that this online tool can only convert numbers that are in scientific format. For example, it cannot convert a non-scientific number like "1,085" into a scientific notation equivalent. It is also important to keep in mind that this web tool only works when converting numbers from one particular format to another. For example, if you want to change a non-scientific number like "1,085" into standard format, then you will have to use another online tool like NumberFormatting.com.
Q: I recently was scheduled to fly from Toronto to Washington, D.C., on Porter Airlines. The flight had been canceled when I arrived at the airport. Porter proposed rescheduling me on a flight two days later. A representative said the airline would put me up in a hotel for two nights and provide meal vouchers.

But I needed to be in Washington before that. The counter agent implied that I would be reimbursed if I bought a ticket on another airline, so I did. I arranged for Porter to fly me to Boston, and then I took a Southwest Airlines flight to Baltimore for $167.

The Southwest flight was my only expense. I believe I should be reimbursed, since it actually cost the airline less than two nights at a hotel, meals and transportation to and from the airport. Porter does not respond to my requests, so I am turning to you. Can you help?

Evelyn Morton, Potomac, Md.

A: If a Porter Airlines representative promised you a refund for your flight back to Baltimore, the airline should have forked it over. But if an agent only implied that the airline would cover your expenses, thats another matter.

Whats Porter required to do? Under its conditions of carriage  the legal agreement between you and the airline  nothing, really. Section 8 of the contract only says that the carrier will undertake its best efforts to carry you and your baggage with reasonable dispatch.

Times shown in timetables or elsewhere are not guaranteed and form no part of this contract, it adds. Schedules are subject to change without notice.

Typically, an airline will offer to pay for your hotel, meals and transportation expenses when a flight is canceled. But a flight on a different carrier? Youd need to get a promise like that in writing, or, better yet, persuade the airline to pay it on the spot. Airlines can rebook you on another airline  its called endorsing your ticket. But theres no rule that an airline must endorse your ticket when a flight is canceled.

Your math seemed to make sense. Wouldnt it cost Porter more for a hotel and meals than the Southwest flight? Maybe, maybe not. Airlines negotiate special contracts with hotels, so it might have cost Porter less to keep you in a hotel than to pay for a flight on another airline.

I list the executive contacts for Porter Airlines on my consumer-advocacy website: www.elliott.org/company-contacts/porter-airlines. You could have reached out to them if the airline continued to ignore you.

But that proved unnecessary. I contacted Porter on your behalf, and it agreed with your reasoning. It refunded the $167 for your flight.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Find travel tips at www.elliott.org. Email: chris@elliott.org Twitter: @elliottdotorg
Sue Berkeley and Eli Bob, an Australian couple with a real love for buying things in bulk, tied the knot on Saturday at a place the bride calls "a place that I love": their local Costco.

The store, in the Sydney suburb of Casula, was a natural choice for the couple's venue, because as the pair say, they spend a lot of time shopping there.
Alejandro Cegarra/Bloomberg

MEXICO CITY  Mexican officials are tallying up the economic losses of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that caused widespread damage in the capital, as the number of buildings that may need to be pulled down or need major repairs rose to 500.

The death toll in the quake rose to 333, with 194 of those deaths in Mexico City. Authorities pledged a return to normality, but many streets in the capital were still blocked by construction equipment and recovery teams looking to extract the last remaining bodies from the rubble. Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said 40 to 50 people are still considered missing.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. militarys top general told Senate lawmakers Tuesday that despite North Koreas escalating threat to attack the United States with nuclear weapons, there is no indication that Pyongyang has mobilized the forces to do so.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee seeking confirmation for his next two-year appointment as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His nomination is not expected to encounter resistance.
The share price of accommodation operator Mantra Group (ASX, MTR) has picked up over the past few months, and despite some well documented strength in the Australian dollar, which is now above 80 cents versus the greenback. Sentiment has been boosted by a strong full year result, along with further acquisitions to drive growth.

The fact of the matter is though that currency strength in the A$ versus the currencies of two of the companys (and Australias) most important visitor markets (Japan and China) has been relatively constrained.

Whats new?

Mantra Groups result at the end of August was a reasonable one in our view, Group revenues rose by 13.7 percent to $689 million during the year, bolstered by the purchase of six hotels. Underlying net profit after tax rose 14.2 percent to $47.2 million. The number though was below February guidance of $48.5 million to $52.5 million, and saw the shares close down 2 percent on results day, and after falling as much as 6 percent during the session.

Pre-tax earnings of $101.2 million were at the bottom end of guidance, but we believe that investors have since appreciated that given several headwinds (the Dreamworld catastrophe and Cyclone Debbie) the numbers were positive on a number of levels.

A number of key metrics displayed positivity, with occupancy, average room rates, and average revenue per available room (RevPAR) increasing 1.8 percent, 3.6 percent, and 5.5 percent respectively. Should momentum here be maintained, this bodes very well for future earnings gains.

At the segment level, the resorts segment was a standout performer with a 29.5 percent gain in revenues to $316.2 million. Earnings here leapt 31 percent to $45.6 million. CBD turnover was more static in comparison, up 1.6 percent to $316.6 million, with strength in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, offsetting weakness in the more resource concentric cities.

The strong performance in the resorts unit was also encouraging given the disruption caused by the Dreamworld accident, and Cyclone Debbie. A host of metrics turned in strong performances, with a lift in occupancy, average room rates, and RevPAR. The latter was also positive across all key regions.

The Gold Coast will be a key market for the company medium-term, with the Commonwealth Games in April next year. The region accounts for almost a quarter of the companys 16,500 hotel keys under management, and as CEO Bob East notes will be pivotal to Mantra delivering operating earnings in the current financial year at the higher end of its forecasts of $107 million to $115 million. Game on!

With respect to the CBD unit, there are certainly some pockets of weakness, and notably the likes of Perth, Brisbane and Darwin, although again, if we are right on the resource sector turning around, these regions should improve. Encouragingly, margins have nonetheless been maintained at 14.8 percent.

Outlook

We also think that Mantra will benefit from a robust development and acquisition pipeline. The company is focussed on further expansion in Australasia, and in August acquired more than 1000 rooms with the Art Series hotels for $52.5 million. There is also the potential to acquire any new hotel developments under the Art Series brand.

The companys acquisition of the 1176-room Ala Moana hotel in Hawaii also looks to have been a good call, with the asset performing strongly. Occupancy has improved by 5.7 percent since Mantra took control.

Management are not resting on their laurels, with a strong pipeline of property additions having either been scheduled or targeted. The company also has the financial firepower to support this ambition. Cash and cash equivalents at 30 June 2017 totalled $62.9 million, with net/long-term underlying earnings of 0.7 times. Interest cover was more than 20 times at 30 June 2017.

Price

Sentiment has also improved on the price charts, with Mantra having broken above both the 50 and 200 day moving averages. In order for the long-term technical outlook to improve further, a decisive break above resistance situated at the July high of $3.22 is required. Should this scenario unfold, then the formation of an uptrend would be deemed to have evolved, and bring prices above $3.60 into play.

Worth buying?

A strong full year result, and indeed a rise in average room prices in the resorts segment in our view provides further evidence that the threat of disruptors (such as Airbnb) is overstated. The ability to display pricing power also underlines Mantras high quality, differentiated offering and strong brand.

We believe that the stock offers excellent leverage to robust tourism markets. With strong growth on offer, the FY18 earnings multiple of 17 times (dropping to 16 times in FY19) is undemanding in our view. The stock also comes up with a 4 percent dividend yield.

Disclosure: Interests associated with Fat Prophets declare a holding in Mantra.

Greg Smith is the Head of Research at investment research and funds management house Fat Prophets. To receive a recent Fat Prophets Report, CLICK HERE

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Topshop and Topman in Auckland and Wellington will close by Sunday after receivers couldn't find a buyer for the retailer.

Top Retail, which operates New Zealand's two Topshop and Topman branded stores, was tipped into receivership on Sept. 7 due to the prospect of mounting losses. The Australian Topshop operations were placed into voluntary administration in May.

Conor McElhinney and Kare Johnstone of McGrathNicol said in a statement that "after conducting a detailed assessment of the business and following conclusion of a sale process for the business and assets in whole or in part", the stores would close after Oct. 1, but could close earlier if they run out of stock.

"It is with regret that we have had to inform staff today that the business is unable to continue trading and that Topshop and Topman will no longer have a presence in New Zealand from Sunday," the receivers said. "We would like to thank the directors of Top Retail for their support, which has enabled gift cards to be redeemed during the receivership trading period, and staff for their commitment since our appointment."

Top Retail launched the popular UK brand in New Zealand in 2014, with Kiwi clothing firm Barkers, Christchurch property investor Philip Carter and fashion designer Karen Walker taking the rights to own, develop and operate the brand locally. It opened a store on Auckland's Queen St and one on Wellington's Lambton Quay, and had signalled plans to add two more along with an online store later this year.

(BusinessDesk)

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Westpac New Zealand is suing the ex-wife of convicted Lane Walker Rudkin fraudster Ken Anderson for being a party to the fraud and is seeking damages of $50.8 million.

The lender claims Patricia Anderson either defrauded it, or was part of a conspiracy to defraud it, by signing documents she knew were false in securing a $2.5 million letter of credit facility, which masked the financial strain the clothing manufacturer was under.

She sought a number of interlocutory orders for the lender to amend its claim for further and better particulars. Associate Judge Rob Osborne granted some of Anderson's requests and dismissed others in a recently published Sept. 12 judgment in the High Court in Christchurch.

Westpac was left out of pocket since it tipped Lane Walker Rudkin into receivership in April 2009, recovering $41 million of the $130 million owed at the time. It first served the claim on Anderson in mid-2016, the judgment shows.

Patricia and Ken Anderson were signatories and guarantors to the lender's offer of credit for Lane Walker Rudkin in 2001, and Westpac claims they said they were accountants, the judgment said. The couple split up in 2005, and a year later her guarantee from the original offer of credit expired.

Westpac claims Lane Walker Rudkin began facing financial problems from 2004 and had a shortfall in working capital which managers and Patricia Anderson tried to bridge with the letter of credit facility, which the judgment dubs the LOC fraud. The bank claims the use of the facility was dishonest because "invoices for fictitious stock were created to enable funds to be drawn down" and that Anderson was executing documents she knew were false, the judgment said.

"The plaintiff alleges that if it had been aware of the financial difficulties, the fact that the Andersons were not accountants and the LOC fraud, it would neither have released the defendant from her guarantee nor increased its lending to LWRI (Lane Walker Rudkin Industries) and the LWR Group," the judgment said. "Further, as a result of the LOC fraud, its losses amount to approximately $50.8 million."

If Patricia Anderson didn't deceive the bank, it claims that she conspired and combined with management to perpetrate the fraud, leading to the $50.8 million of losses.

Lane Walker Rudkin's former owner Ken Anderson pleaded guilty to four fraud charges in 2013, where he made false statements to secure lending from Westpac, and sentenced to six years imprisonment. He was granted parole in January last year.

The Serious Fraud Office initially laid 82 charges against Ken Anderson in 2011 before his guilty plea, saying at the time the fraud "had a profound effect on the region, with LWR having employed many staff and enjoyed an international reputation".

(BusinessDesk)

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The United Negro College Fund Makes Itself Known at Shaw on HBCU Tour

As a United Negro College Fund scholarship recipient, Shaw University sophomore Zain Abid knows firsthand how important funding from the philanthropic organization can be for college students on HBCU campuses. That's why, as a Resident Assistant in Shaws Fleming Kee Living and Learning Center, Abid, 19, has made it his mission to post UNCF fliers and plan information sessions in the honors dorm to be sure other students have access to tap into UNCF's resources. "This is the best opportunity for students at HBCUs," said Abid, who received a $5,000 scholarship from the Foot Locker Foundation, Inc., through UNCF. "The money is right there, but we have to apply for it."

Abid got some help recently when the UNCF HBCU Tour stopped at Shaw, giving students a day of face-to-face access to UNCF representative, Marques Reed, the Washington, DC-based organizations Program Coordinator for Scholarships and Programs. Reed is among three UNCF representatives spending several months this year visiting each of its 37 member institutions, including Shaw. The goal: Boost the number of students who receive scholarships and internships by boosting the number of students who start  and actually complete  the applications.

"They (UNCF) are thirsty to give you money, but you're not thirsty enough to apply, Reed told a group of about 40 UNCF scholarship and internship recipients, other internship recipients, and student organization leaders during a 90-minute Lunch and Learn session. Not only did Reed outline various scholarship and internship opportunities during the roundtable, he also answered questions and offered solutions, one-on-one. The money is there, he repeatedly told the students. "Y'all are just leaving it on the table."

Shaw UNCF Liaison Doris Bullock said UNCFs visit during Shaws UNCF Scholarship and Internship Day was time well spent, providing not only crucial scholarship and internship information to encourage student success, but also because students got that information in an "up close and personal environment" intended for greater impact. Several Shaw students also predict it will make a difference in student understanding and confidence in seeking UNCF funding.

"It's a blessing and amazing theyd come out to show us they want students to dip into what they have to offer, said Briona May, a senior serving as Miss Shaw for the 2017-18 academic year. I hope students actually take the information and use it, added May, who is attending Shaw on a full scholarship. "There are big opportunities for students to get money for school, and that's a big need in today's society."

UNCFs day at Shaw began in the Thomas J. Boyd Chapel with a morning session for about 180 high school students from five Wake County schools and the Word of God Christian Academy. The focus: College readiness and an introduction to UNCF as a resource for scholarships and internships once in college.

"I thought this would be helpful, and introduce me to a new world; new ideas about how I want to grasp my future, said Kevin Allen, 16, a junior at Enloe High School still contemplating whether hell choose college or another path after high school graduation. Being here has really been very helpful.

Following a session with UNCFs Reed, the high school students toured the Shaw campus. Afterwards, Brenda Elliott, Wake Countys Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services, chatted with the students about going to college and seeking funds to pay for it, and she sought their ideas about how to better serve them. Elliott also answered their questions, ranging from whether to focus on the SAT or the ACT, and how to prepare for each test, to school start-times and the need for stronger communication between students and school officials.

"Young people dont dream about opportunities they dont know about," she said, emphasizing the need for students to be proactive in applying for colleges and identifying the scholarships that will help them pay the costs of higher education. "There are wonderful possibilities that are within your reach," she said, and then added, hard work beats talent when hard work works hard."

After sharing an informational report of comparisons in student participation across the country in UNCF scholarship and internship offerings with the university administrators, Reed took his message to the entire student body. The two-hour session emphasized the importance of students seeking, applying for, and completing scholarship and internship applications. He also shared application tips and strategies on how to land internships.



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By PTI: Hyderabad, Sep 26 (PTI) The Hyderabad Police today arrested three more Oman nationals along with two locals including a chief Qazi in connection with the alleged trafficking of minor girls from the city under the guise of contract marriages with elderly men from Gulf countries.

Omani national Al Sheyadi Sulaiman, 70 years, who claimed before police that he came to the city for medical treatment, was found to have actually come here for his marriage and was looking for minor girls, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Zone) V Satyanarayana told reporters here.

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A broker from Oman identified as Al Shayadi Mohammed Khalfan had brought Sulaiman here to perform his marriage and investigation is underway to find out other victims who were trapped by him and trafficked to Oman and other Gulf countries, the DCP said.

The third Omani national Al Awdi Yasir, who married a city woman, had brought one visually challenged 75-year-old Oman national Abdullah Mubarak, who had already married ten times before for another marriage, the senior police official said.

Along with the three Omani nationals, police also arrested chief Qazi Ali Abudullah Rifai, who allegedly provided girls to foreign nationals by maintaining a network of brokers including women to search girls from poor families of the city, Satyanarayana said.

He added, they also arrested one local person Nayab Ibrahim, who assisted Rifai in performing the marriages of Arab nationals.

All the three Omani nationals were in touch with Rifai, he said.

Police have also initiated measures to deport two other Oman nationals -- Abdullah Mubarak and Al Shayadi Sulaiman Khamis Mohammed, son of 70-year old Al Sheyadi Sulaiman, for want of evidence, the official said.

Mubarak, who works as an Imam in Oman, is visually challenged and a chronic kidney patient undergoing dialysis thrice a week, said the official.

He had come to Hyderabad under the guise of treatment, the DCP said, adding investigation revealed he was already married ten times before to young girls from the city, but most of them either have shifted their residences while others have requested that their names should not be revealed.

"As victims are not preferring complaints against him and due to lack of sufficient evidence to book him in a criminal case police have decided to deport him along with Khamis Mohammed, who had come to the city for performing his father Sulaimans marriage," Satyanarayana said.

Police teams are continuing searches of middlemen who are facilitating marriages of minor girls and luring them with false promises of bright future in foreign countries, he said.

On September 20, police had busted the contract marriage (short-term marriage) racket, and arrested 20 persons including five Oman and three Qatar nationals, who attempted to marry the girls.

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Police foiled attempts by eight Sheikhs from Oman and Qatar to marry local girls and rescued two minor girls.

They also arrested three qazis (people who conduct the marriage), including Farid Ahmed Khan, a Chief Qazi of Mumbai, four lodge owners and five brokers/agents who mediated to get such marriages solemnised.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahendar Reddy had then said that they have identified 35 brokers including 25 women and unearthed the network spread from Hyderabad to Oman and other Gulf countries.

The Hyderabad Police had in the past also busted several contract marriage rackets in the Old City area wherein such marriages were performed aided by fabricated documents. PTI VVK RMT DV

--- ENDS ---
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The revolving door at embattled McGrath real estate group has done another revolution with the departure of its finance director, Paul Hauenschild.

An 11 year veteran at the agency, Hauenschild was one of the architects of its disastrous 2015 float where investors took stock at $2.10 and have seen the price plummet to 65 cents.

He will be replaced by Glyn Wright, who was previously at lingerie group Bras N Things, and before that, from Woolworths, where he was head of Finance Transformation. Lets hope he can help transform the group.

Its been a role call of departures since the group went public, with more than half of the senior management jumping ship.
Melbourne developer Steller has snapped up one of the few remaining large warehouses in South Melbourne for $23.4 million.

The property at 200 Well Street sold with a development permit for a 20-level apartment building with 174 units and ground floor retail spaces.

An artist's impression of the development permitted for 200 Wells Street in South Melbourne.

Lemon Baxter agents Chris Curtain, Nick Bade and Paul O'Sullivan negotiated the deal.

The property was owned by former associates of the Lemon Baxter agency, which still occupies the second floor of the premises.
Alan Garde of Balmain sees a double cross: "Firstly, it's bad form by Frank Malcolm (C8) to give direct answers to crossword clues on the same day. Hints are OK. I haven't even looked at yesterday's crossword as I print it out and attempt it on the bus/train the next day. Secondly, we've all been 'Rick-rolled'  an internet trick where you send someone a interesting looking link and when it is opened it is a clip of Rick Astley singing Never Going to Give You up. Better just roll with it."

George Manojlovic of Mangerton writes: "Ian Podmore, I've no idea what you are going to do with your amphibian squatter (C8), but to stop any further invasions you should install a ribbit-proof fence."

Chris Patten of Roseville on the return of the pips on ABC Radio Sydney: "Generally people believe that all new technology is an improvement especially if it is digital. However, digital technology delays a signal through its system. The ABC pips are a time signal and they have to be accurate, which they cannot be if delivered by a digital system. If you want to hear the digital transmission delay in Sydney, tune one analogue (AM) radio to ABC Radio Sydney and another analogue (AM) radio to ABC Radio National and then listen to the news."

Still on the pips, Les Shearman of Darlington writes: "Good to see C8 is a Gladys Knight fan, but he is giving me the pip! He should be on the stage; the next stage outta town!" Clearly, we've gone to seed.

Peter Skinner's search for a parking app (C8) is over: "There is already an app. It's called a steering wheel," writes Cyril Allen of Mudgee.
Margaret McMahon Newcastle If we don't want to impose a tariff on our gas exports to places like Singapore, why don't we just import the cheap gas we are exporting there, filling up the otherwise empty tankers for the return journey? Robin Hutcheon Randwick Amid all this talk of gas pricing and gas supply, let us not lose sight of the negative impacts coal seam gas has on farm land. The NSW chief scientist categorically stated in her review of the industry that regulation was not sufficient to prevent unintended consequences to water resources; resources our farmers cannot do without. If we have a shortage of gas, it makes more sense to divert gas exports back onshore for domestic use, rather than risking the productivity of our farms and quality of our water with the Santos coal seam gas project on the fertile soils of the Liverpool Plains around Narrabri. Sally Kennedy Longueville

Norway has just announced that its Oil Fund, set up to preserve some of the revenue from its finite oil resources for future generations, has topped $1 trillion. Yet tonight's news tells us our Prime Minister is begging gas exporters to let us have some of our own gas. Who were the government negotiators who "gave away" our coal, iron ore, oil and gas resources over decades? The most charitable description of the "negotiators" is incompetent, yet we have seen the same former ministers taking up advisory/consultancy positions in these industries immediately after leaving office. God help our kids, because this  and the past bunch of overseers  haven't. Ted Wilson Middle Cove I understand more gas deposits have been found in Point Piper, in the eastern suburbs. Let the fracking begin. Don Genford Granville Speech called for

Julie Bishop should be instructed to request that the UN make available to her a short time to make a statement on behalf of the Australian government. In that address, Bishop should make it clear that as a close ally of America we are completely unaware that the US has made, or is even considering making, a declaration of war on North Korea. She should further state (regardless of probable misgivings at the White House) that Australia is well aware there exists a high degree of personal animosity and name-calling between the two leaders, but that fact alone should not represent an opportunity, by North Korea in particular, to bring on open military hostilities, with the dreadful consequences that would ensue. Indeed, for both leaders to back away from personal insults could only be helpful. Stan Fildes Mona Vale Elected members should put aside views of euthanasia I understood that our parliamentarians were our elected representatives, and as such had a duty to take steps to determine the will of the members of their electorate and vote accordingly ("Foley's tweet on assisted dying offends", September 26). This seldom happens in modern politics. I urge the NSW Opposition Leader to ignore his personal view that euthanasia is state-sanctioned killing akin to capital punishment and start dialogue with those whom he represents and whose opinions he should be championing. The decision to end one's life is a serious and most personal decision. Everyone should have a legal right to control their life. The proposed euthanasia laws have the world's most stringent safeguards but more than that, they are not compulsory. No one will be forced to end their life, by the state or others. Each person is entitled to their views, but they do not have a right to force these views on others in the community. Every person should have the right to live and end their life in a way they choose, as long as it is lawful. Having other people take away this freedom should not be tolerated in our community. Keith Woodward Avalon Beach

How disrespectful of the views of a majority of the community, and wilfully ignorant of the evidence from overseas that assisted dying laws are safe and effective. The tentacles of the Catholic Church still cling tightly around the Labor Party in NSW. Penny Hackett Willoughby Cost-cutting caused chaos at airport Yesterday's debacle at Sydney Airport has pulled the veil back on another Commonwealth agency to reveal vulnerabilities created by a decade of cost-cutting, outsourcing and so-called reform ("Inquiry into flight chaos caused by outage", September 26). The risk of single string failure of air traffic displays bringing down the whole air traffic network should have been predictable to those tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the safe passage of millions of airline users every year. In my decade of military service in the air command and control systems environment, it was a basic operational principle that every critical control system must have 24/7 100 per cent redundancy (no chance of failure). That Sydney Airport, the busiest by far in the Australian aviation industry, has no such redundancy should be of great concern to every airline pilot and passenger in this country. I am afraid our leaders have again allowed "return to shareholders" and "efficiency dividends" to trump operational safety and common sense, and if there is not an independent review of aviation safety and the management practices of Air Services Australia, then we can't rule out a tragedy in Australian skies. Richard Bryce Shellharbour

Elections concern A relative ran for the SPD in Sachsen (eastern Germany) in the recent election ("Reassurance in German and NZ polls", September 26). The family were subjected to so much intimidation and violence, the police were constantly called to the house. The children were considered to be in danger. The family is contemplating moving to another state. "Every third person voted for the AfD - NAZIs" how can that be reassuring Ingrid Strewe Bronte It would seem that the reassuring message in the NZ election is that it is OK to lie to discredit your opposition. The adverts concerning a fictional $11 billion deficit by the National Party in Jacinda Ardern's budget did the work on the electorate. It was a campaign so untruthful that it was ''awful'', according to NZ's equivalent of Anthony Green. Annette Kent Hunters Hill

Overseas police an issue The federal government is proposing to allow Chinese police to interview so-called Chinese criminals in Australia ("Ground rules set for China's fox hunting", September 26). Will the Australian police be granted the same reciprocal rights in China ? Paul Duncan Leura Holding back the tide Kasey Edwards is more than likely right about care around spelling not having a direct correlation to intelligence ("Spelling has nothing to do with intelligence", September 26). However, someone with peerless spelling at least has taken the time to ensure the job application they've written has been approached with diligence, care and thought about the impact their words on the page/screen will have as they hit the eye reading them. At a time when the written word has never been under more threat, primarily due to the digital publishing tsunami sweeping aside prioritising accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation of copy in the face of the need for speed of getting content published, we grammar pedants must stand tall and protect spelling.

Paul Bugeja Newtown Fishy business I stopped eating salmon after the upsetting publicity about the Macquarie Harbour fish farms ("Are we eating too much salmon?", September 26). So annoying, because I thought it was health-giving. Pen Layton-Caisley Marrickville White elephant's big moment

Kids play in the sprinklers at Yarraville Gardens Credit:Jason South Our water usage has spiked dramatically in recent days but surely that's not a problem ("Water use spikes as Sydney sprinkles", September 26). We simply have to switch on that expensive white elephant, the desalination plant. Naturally I assume it's been kept in pristine condition and is ready to replenish any water shortages. Denis Suttling Newport Beach In the dark (light) ages Carol Button (Letters, September 26) who bemoans daylight saving. Come up to the Gold Coast and live in the Victorian era where you can enjoy your cuppa at 4.30 in the morning as the sun blazes down. I wish we had daylight saving.

Darryle Knowles Gold Coast, QLD City losing its soul New business architecture is taking the soul out of Sydney city (Letters, September 26). Frequently I notice yet another new structure that looks so unlike anything else in its environment that I am starting to feel alienated. It makes me wonder whether Sydney soon will be nothing more than just another big city in the world, without a personality to define it. Then I look at the harbour and see the Opera House, the amazing bridge and those beautiful, charming old ferries that take me to Circular Quay and back, as they have done for years. I know where I am again. There is no place like it. Marny Blom Mosman The threatened extinction of the Lady Class ferries on Sydney Harbour will be another act of vandalism by our civic leaders. People have fought over the years to save what little of old Sydney remains and are we not grateful to them? These picturesque, beautifully made boats that drift gracefully over the water are in stark contrast to the smelly, noisy, ugly craft that they will be replaced by. And why, so the punter can access Wi-Fi. Really so sad.

Lyndall Nelson Cremorne Sweden shows way on female quotas Quotas have worked in Sweden, so why not introduce them here? Women hold 47 per cent of jobs and 32 per cent of listed board positions there ("Top companies may be forced to take women onto boards", September 26). In Australia, we have a similar proportion of jobs but only 19 per cent of ASX200 board positions. Research shows companies with more female directors outperform others. Ingrid Radford Waverton Earth to Coalition

Our government can't even build a world-class broadband network; how on earth are they going to create a decent space agency? Perhaps the fireworks shops in Fyshwick will supply the rockets? Tony Heathwood Kiama Downs Let's hope that Monday's announcement of an Australian space agency isn't just the start of another Groundhog Day. Plans from 1993 failed on the launch pad under the Howard government. Perhaps this new vehicle will achieve earth orbit. Jonathan Mobbs Malua Bay

NSW' earthly works So Australia wants to develop a space industry ("Outback to outer space, we're back", September 26). With the NSW government full steam ahead on 20th-century roads and tunnels that clog and pollute, 19th-century trams that stop at red lights, heavy rail networks that are incompatible with new "metro" rail, and an airport in Sydney that fails to perform too many times for spurious reasons, I'd suggest that the capital-input decision makers look outside the Premier State if they want to be in the 21st century. John Kingsmill Fairlight Head protection I, too, pedalled to school on winter mornings Peter Jeffery (Letters, September 26). Also without a helmet. But then, nothing could have protected you from the Christian Brothers.
Hizbul Mujahideen commander Abdul Qayoom Najar was today killed in an encounter near the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu, Ashraf Wani: In another boost for the security forces, Hizbul Mujahideen commander Abdul Qayoom Najar was today killed in an encounter near the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector.

Najar, 39, who had been an active part of terror operations since 1999, was killed near Zorawar Post of Lachiproa in Uri.

He was a resident of Baramulla district and was one of the longest surviving Kashmiri militant commanders carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh rupees on his head.

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The incident took place as Najar was trying to sneak back into the Valley to take control of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, Najar was sent to the Kashmir Valley by United Jehad Council Commander Syed Salahuddin to revive the Hizbul outfit which had suffered many blows of late with its top commanders being eliminated one after the other in the past few months.

MANY HIZBUL COMMANDERS ELIMINATED OF LATE

Hizbul commanders Pervaiz Wani alias Mubashir of South Kashmir and Yasin Itoo were killed recently.

The police recovered arms and ammunition, apart from Pakistan currency notes near Najar's body. The terrorist's family confirmed that he had been killed in the encounter.

Najar had unleashed several attacks on civilians, police and the security forces. He rose through the ranks of terrorists after 2003 following the killing of the then Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Commander Abdul Majid Dar, who had entered into a dialogue process with the Government of India.

He was also involved in a number of IED blasts carried out by Hizbul Mujahideen in north Kashmir in Sopore, Pattan, Handwara and Baramulla.

He briefly fell out with the Hizbul and the Hurriyat leadership in 2015 when he orchestrated multiple attacks on mobile towers and killed some civilians affiliated with the Hurriyat. He was reportedly recalled to the base camp in Muzaffarabad in PoK to sort out differences.

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | On first anniversary of surgical strikes, Pakistan planning retaliatory attack with over 750 terrorists

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Sea ice around Antarctica has shrunk about 2 million square kilometres in just three years, swinging from a record large maximum area covered to a record low, in a shift that could have implications for the global climate.

While a late burst in ice cover this spring cannot be ruled out, it appears the sea ice around Antarctica has peaked for the sea at about 18.013 million square kilometres, the smallest maximum extent in the 30-plus years of satellite readings, Jan Lieser, from the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC, said.

"It looks like we have passed the peak," Dr Lieser told Fairfax Media, adding the sea ice "is being attacked from two sides", from above and below.

For Antarctica, the lowest maximum extent, recorded on September 12, follows a record low minimum sea ice coverage recorded on March 1 after the summer thaw, he said.
The Federal governments announcement that it will create an Australian national space agency is the first sensible thing to come out of Canberra in a long time. However, if Australia is to go into the space industry, the journey has to start in Queensland.

Thats not Queensland parochialism talking; it is good old-fashioned science. The simple fact is that for a geostationary orbit - and most of the satellites Australia needs are geostationary ones - the closer you are to the equator, the heavier the payload you can lift because you harness the rotation of the Earth to boost the speed of the rocket. The further you are away from the equator, the smaller the payload you will be able to achieve .

Far north Queensland is the perfect launch location for geostationary satellites. Credit:AFP Photo/NASA

All of this makes Cape York, or maybe Thursday Island, the ideal Australian launch pad. Not only are they close to the equator, but there are no populated areas downrange, to the east, in the event of a rocket failure.

Michael Trout, who was the MP for Barron River, and whose family has strong ties to Cape York, is one person who knows how important Queensland can be.
One of Australia's most senior energy advisers has pleaded with the Turnbull government to end its paralysis over a clean energy target, saying the lack of clarity is hurting consumers already hit by soaring power prices.

"At least the states have a plan," said Chloe Munro, chairwoman of the national energy market operator's expert advisory panel.

Speaking at a symposium on energy futures, she said that while other countries were grappling with the transition towards clean energy, Australia was leaving it to the market, with potentially negative consequences for the community.

She said states were setting renewable energy targets in a time of unstable supply, rapidly rising wholesale prices and a lack of direction from Canberra.
The Turnbull government has clawed back $4 billion from the budget deficit by making billions of dollars in savings from payments to disabled people, students and the unemployed.

The figures from Tuesday's final budget outcome show the government saved $1.1 billion on payments for services for disabled Australians between July 2016 and July 2017.

"On the spending side the largest item in terms of less-than-expected expenditure is lower than anticipated payments to the National Disability Insurance Scheme reflecting a more gradual transition of participants," Treasurer Scott Morrison said in Sydney on Tuesday.

The government says the saving is also a result of fewer people being dependent on government support.
It will come as no surprise that the first official family member to confirm Kylie Jenner's rumoured pregnancy is Caitlyn Jenner.

Rather than allow her youngest daughter, 20, to spread her own news, a representative for Caitlyn, a well-known lover of the spotlight, responded to The Sun's queries for information.

When asked when she found out about the pending addition to the ever-expanding Karjenner brood, the Olympian's representative told the British tabloid: "All I can tell you is that it was some time ago."

Fans - and media - have been waiting with bated breath for any sliver of information, while pictures of Kylie with a bump and/or in baggy clothing are selling like gold dust.
Ladies and poor, beleaguered gentlemen, we live in dark times. Because as the old proverb goes, "Y'all don't know what it's like, being male, middle class and white".

The latest victims of the nefarious feminasty agenda are the fractured souls sitting on piles of money in San Francisco's Silicon Valley. An article in the New York Times outlined the plight of these poor fellows, saddled as they are with the enormous responsibility of dictating our technological futures and being forced to do so alongside women. The article's title? "Push for Gender Equality in Tech? Some Men Say It's Gone Too Far".

Once upon a time, heterosexual white men were afforded a basic level of supremacy in our society. It was a time characterised by great advancements (for men and their bank accounts), the celebration of rich history narratives (about men and their achievements) and the embrace of exciting literature (usually about men and their sexual conquests).

It was a time where people knew what was what. Where people understood that men and women were "different". That the dubious science of evolutionary biology was to be revered, not dismissed as bunk designed to maintain the structures of patriarchal superiority and male leadership.
Australian troops occupy trenches and shell holes won from the enemy at Polygon Wood in the Ypres sector. Credit:Australian War Memorial The first brunt of this attack bore heavily on the troops on the Australian flank, and bent in the line slightly. Towards midday the Germans were flung again into the attack against the Australians on the southern slope of the crest of Polygon Wood, but though the fighting was as hard as ever known the Victorians there held the line still intact at midday; and the Germans held off with very heavy losses. A portion of the line about this time was assailed with the tremendous fire of German machine guns, a perfect nest of them being turned on from a position directly on the flank, to which the Germans pushed. Herald journalist Charles Bean standing on top of the Pyramid of Cheops at Giza, before the Gallipoli invasion. 01-01-1915. Credit:Phillip Schuler/Australian War Memorial After holding on, the line here was pushed slightly back, but about 2 o'clock the Victorians, with Scottish and English troops on their flank, counter-attacked and drove back the enemy to his old line. The Germans still persisted. All day troops were moving in bushes along the road from Menin. About half-past 5 the Germans appeared, massing again immediately before the same part of the line. The troops on the flank were again driven in. At 8 o'clock this evening the Victorians were being tremendously attacked, but were holding on with their flank exposed.

The roar of heavy artillery is still coming from that part of the front. Whatever the issue of the day may be, the fight of the Victorians in Polygon Wood will be one of the most famous of many terrible struggles which history will associate with that name. One can only know for certain that if success is humanly possible these wonderful troops - English, Scottish, and Australian - will carry it through. Wednesday, 26th of September Despite tremendous fighting in Polygon Wood and Reutelbeck Valley throughout yesterday and during the night, the British guns just broke out in a barrage as overwhelming as that which preceded last Thursday's battle: and British and Australian troops at this moment have gone forward behind it. The weather has been magnificent throughout the battle, but the carrying out of this attack in the face of yesterday's struggle on the right was one of the boldest moves within recollection. One can only know for certain that if success is humanly possible these wonderful troops - English, Scottish, and Australian - will carry it through.

Thursday, 27th of September Despite terribly heavy fighting on the southern slopes of Polygon Ridge yesterday, the British and Australian attack went over this morning punctual to the second. The Australian flank yesterday held on, even through the fierce fighting in the afternoon, and the Victorians with their reinforcements moved out for an attack this morning, from the precise position which they had held all these days. A little before six our barrage descended like a wall. The troops moved out behind it. On the left everything went like clockwork. The Western Australians and the troops of all the other States, like good Australians, were hugging the barrage, where it was only half safe to venture, and surrounding the Germans before they had time to put out their noses. The New South Welshmen worked steadily behind the barrage in the centre. Control of the battle passed out of the hands of the generals to those of the platoon officers and sergeants - newly-promoted boys. Those behind could only sit and wait with intense anxiety for news of the fight, while the Victorians and the British had a terribly trying task, advancing over the scene of yesterday's counter-attack, where the line was still partly unrestored. At noon the Germans began to come out against the Australians beyond the mound in Polygon Wood, but were seen and easily repulsed. Later in the afternoon they attacked the Australians further north, but the attack broke down under the barrage which descended. Loading German planes were flying very low yesterday, but Australian machine guns brought down two. The Australians must have taken more than 600 prisoners, and at least 20 machine guns, of which many were used against the Germans. On September 20 at least 30 machine guns were captured, and over 600 prisoners, including a battalion commander.
Patients in NSW public hospitals have higher rates of complications and longer wait times for some of the most common surgeries compared to comparative health systems internationally, a new independent analysis shows.

Australia's most populous state outperformed its international peers on a range of health system measures, but fell down when it came to adverse events, readmissions as well as inappropriate or delayed surgeries, according to the Bureau of Health Information's 'Healthcare in Focus' report.

NSW outperformed its international peers on a range of health system measures, but fell down when it came to adverse events, readmissions as well as inappropriate or delayed surgeries. Credit:Glenn Hunt

NSW was the worst among eight comparator countries for hip fracture surgeries performed on time, with more than one in four patients waiting more than two days for their operations.

The state's surgeons are still performing a huge amount of inappropriate surgeries, with 70 per cent of knee arthroscopies performed on people aged over 55 with osteoarthritis, despite evidence showing it is of little benefit in these patients.
Some secrecy provisions concealing the identities of the two women attacked by Roman Heinze at Salt Creek last year have been lifted.

The changes clear the way for one of the victims, German woman Lena Rabente, to be named but continue to protect the identity of her Brazillian travelling companion.

In the Supreme Court of South Australia on Tuesday, Justice Trish Kelly revoked a suppression order concealing the identities of the two backpackers who were attacked at a remote beach, south of Adelaide.

The women had applied to the court to have the order lifted.
A so-called damning error on a pension application form was made by a public servant not by a bouncer now accused of murdering his wife 20 years ago, a Sydney jury has been told.

Soon after his teenage wife disappeared, Steve Frank Fesus initially ticked the "no" box on the form when asked if she was still living, according to the prosecution at his NSW Supreme Court trial.

Steve Fesus. Credit:Andy Zakeli

But in closing submissions on Tuesday, his barrister Keith Chapple SC said "apart from the unlikelihood of a murderer making a mistake like that" the defence submitted that the circular marking was an example of the public servant's marking on other documents.

Fesus, 46, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jodie Fesus, 18, between 9pm on August 11 and 5 am on August 12, 1997 at their Shellharbour home, on the NSW south coast,
Bhaiyyaji Joshi tell the BJP chief to take a serious note of left's violence as well as Muslim appeasements in Kerala and West Bengal respectively

By Kiran Tare: BJP president Amit Shah's indoor meeting with RSS General Secretary Suresh aka Bhaiyyaji Joshi on Tuesday here led to speculation over possible reshuffle in the BJP's organisation. A source in RSS, however, told INDIA TODAY that the key issue in the meeting was drafting a strategy to take on two "errant" Chief Ministers, Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal and Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala.

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Shah arrived in Mumbai on Monday late night after attending the BJP national executive meeting in Delhi. He held a closed door meeting with Joshi at the RSS office in Dadar for one and half hour. The source said that Joshi has instructed Shah to contain the left organisations as "they are creating unrest in the country." Joshi was in Mumbai to attend a function organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, a RSS oriented think tank.

Joshi explained to Shah that the violence by the left parties in Kerala is on the top of RSS agenda. Most of the organisations Sangh Parivar such as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have launched agitations across the country against the left violence. Joshi asked Shah to back them. He also caught Shah's attention towards Banerjee's Muslim appeasement politics. "Bhaiyyaji told Amitbhai that divisive politics is getting stronger in Bengal. BJP should take the issue seriously," the source said.

Joshi told reports that the meeting was just a courtesy call. "We are friends. He wanted to discuss some of the things that happened at the BJP's national executive meet and hence we met," Joshi said. "Some discussions are very private in nature and can't be discussed in public."

Joshi declined to comment on questions on political developments in the country as well as Maharashtra.

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Four men have been arrested after more than two kilograms of cocaine with a street value of $1 million was allegedly been found hidden in a car on Sydney's northern beaches.

Officers arrested a 35-year-old Ryde man in Queenscliff on Monday after searching his Honda Jazz.

They allegedly found 50 grams of cocaine on him and 2.5 kilograms in five shopping bags hidden in a secret compartment of the car.

He was charged with large commercial drug supply and appeared at Manly Local Court on Tuesday.
A Sydney man accused of murdering his mother last week is mentally incapable of consenting to a police application for a forensic sample, a magistrate has been told.

Joel Woszatka, 25, is charged with the stabbing murder of Lanell Chris Latta, 50, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm upon her partner, Geoff Robson-Scott, on September 18 in their northern beaches home.

In Central Local Court on Tuesday, Woszatka's lawyer Sophie Coulson, said her client was considered to be "incapable" of giving consent and the police application was set down for hearing on October 27.

She said police had obtained an interim order, meaning they have taken a sample but cannot test it, and are now seeking a final order.
Brisbane councillors and employees have made more than 80 claims for overseas travel in the past six years, costing ratepayers more than $450,000.

Brisbane City Councils 2016-17 annual report revealed $82,602 was spent on overseas travel, an increase of 63 per cent on the previous financial year.

A council spokesman said the disparity between the overseas travel costs could be attributed to the 2016 Lord Mayors Business Mission, which was not done in 2015.

A review of the past six annual reports revealed council staff went on a business mission in all years except 2015 and 2011.
Country pubs are more than just a place to have a beer - they are a community meeting place, a lifeline, the wake venue, tourist information bureaus, domestic violence shelters, internet hubs, the post office and meteorology readers.

And now the Queensland Parliament has moved closer to slashing their licence fees, so pubs in often drought-stricken tiny outback towns are not slugged thousands of dollars, like hotels in the Brisbane CBD.

Hotels in very remote areas, such as the famous Birdsville Hotel, are a social hub, Robbie Katter says.

Member for Mount Isa Robbie Katter introduced a bill to create a concessional commercial hotel licence fee for hotels in very remote Queensland.

It would reduce the base fee from $3630 to about $360 for about 110 hotels, and cost the Queensland government about $300,000 in lost revenue.
James Dyson, the billionaire inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner and bladeless fan, is building an electric car that will launch by 2020, the latest firm to challenge traditional carmakers in a burgeoning market.

Tesla has already shaken up the sector around the world and Dyson said it would now spend $3.4 billion on solid-state battery technology and vehicle design.

The announcement could stoke debate in Australia over the subsidisation and slow adoption of electric cars. Australian drivers lag behind developed markets in their transition to green vehicles.

On a rare visit to Australia in June, Renault Nissan Alliance chairman Carlos Ghson told Fairfax Media that electric cars will not be a success in Australia until governments are willing to subsidise their use.
It would have cost the "yes" campaign for same-sex marriage at least $620,000 to send its bulk text message to all 31 million mobile phone subscribers at the weekend, Fairfax Media can reveal.

Depending on the deal it struck with its bulk SMS supplier, it could have cost even as much as $4.65 million or more, given that messages were sent to potentially more numbers than exist or are currently in use.

In June 2015, there were an estimated 31.01 million mobile phones subscribers in Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The figure is more than Australia's population given that many people have more than one phone (for work and personal use).

Given that the "yes" messages were sent by randomly generating Australian mobile numbers (read: not using a distribution list), and that the cheapest rate for sending more than 1 million texts in bulk in Australia is 2 cents a message, the texts would have cost at least $620,000 if they were to hit the 31.01 million subscribers that exists, making one Australian bulk SMS supplier a neat fortune.
La Porchetta is one of the nation's most recognisable restaurant brands. Credit:Angela Wylie Since it was transplanted by Calabrian immigrants in the early 20th century, the Honoured Society had been "protecting"  and preying  on Australia's ethnic Italian community from strongholds in Melbourne, Sydney and Griffith, NSW. The organisation has established deep connections in both legitimate and criminal enterprises, including drug trafficking and extortion rackets in the agriculture and hospitality industries. Alphonse Gangitano. Credit:Joe Armao Gangitano was warned off, and in 1998, he would be gunned down for unknown reasons, although he had no shortage of enemies.

But Pantaleo would never be free of the consequences of his decision. Tony Madafferi. Credit:Jason South The La Porchetta system Today, the La Porchetta brand is synonymous with its founder's rags-to-riches immigrant story, a successful modern franchise business still in touch with its roots. Pantaleo and fellow Italian immigrant Felice Nania had opened the first La Porchetta in Carlton North in 1985 and the brand had thrived as franchised outlets sprung up across the country.

Convicted drug trafficker Frank Madafferi. Credit:Paul Rovere "La Porchetta's family traditions play a role in every aspect of the business: the preparation of our authentic recipes, the warm welcome shown to each customer and the respect given to every employee," marketing materials say. There are now 38 outlets in Australia and New Zealand owned by hardworking franchisees, often recent immigrants themselves, who have paid handsomely to buy into one of the nation's most recognisable restaurant brands. Tony Madafferi in his fruit and veg store.. That is the public face of the franchising business.

Behind the corporate facade is La Porchetta Holdings Pty Ltd, which has been part-owned since 2010 by investment companies controlled by families that police allege include senior organised crime figures linked to the Honoured Society. Rocco Pantaleo's funeral service in April 2010. The company owns La Porchetta's franchise licensing and distribution businesses, as well as the trademarked motto: "Eat Live Love  Italian". Prominent among the owners is Antonio "Tony" Madafferi, the Calabrian-born grocer at the centre of the lobster dinner affair involving Opposition Leader Matthew Guy. Victoria Police allege Mr Madafferi has "substantial and close involvement with serious criminal conduct, including drug importation, murder and extortion", according to court documents.

Mr Madafferi is a "known associate of prominent criminal entities and persons who have a history of significant criminal conduct that includes money laundering and drug trafficking," a sworn affidavit from Detective Superintendent Peter Brigham says. These alleged associations led to Mr Madafferi being banned from Crown Casino and Victorian racing venues. Mr Madafferi has never been convicted of a crime and denies any wrongdoing or association with organised crime. A Madafferi family company owns a 5 per cent share in La Porchetta Holdings Pty.

The same-sized stake is held by the family of Mr Madafferi's brother, Francesco, the man who warned off Gangitano. Francesco Madafferi is currently serving a 10-year sentence for his role trafficking 77,000 ecstasy pills in co-operation with a wider criminal syndicate involving Melbourne and Griffith-based cells of the Honoured Society and the 'Ndrangheta in Italy. This group was responsible for what was then the world's largest ecstasy bust in 2007, more than four tonnes of pills worth $440 million that were smuggled to Melbourne inside cans of tomatoes. The man nicknamed "Mad Frank", who is attempting to have his 2014 drug conviction overturned on the grounds of mental incapacity, has a legendary temper and convictions in Italy for "Mafia conspiracy", attempted murder, kidnapping, extortion, weapons and drug offences. While awaiting trial on the trafficking charges, Frank bashed an associate on the street for badmouthing him, spitting on his victim as a sign of contempt.

Police also suspect he ordered drive-by shootings of businesses belonging to those seen to oppose or disrespect him. Another co-owner linked to the Honoured Society is Michael Manariti, a butcher and former La Porchetta franchisee who was sentenced to more than nine years jail in 2010 for trafficking ecstasy, cocaine and methamphetamine. Manariti transferred his shareholding to his father in 2014. The three families  two branches of the Madafferis and the Manaritis  currently account for a 15 per cent stake in La Porchetta Holdings Pty.

How this came to be leads back to Rocco Pantaleo's decision to call on the Honoured Society for help. New partners By the time of Gangitano's extortion bid in the mid-1990s, La Porchetta had grown from a shop front in Carlton North into a network of more than a dozen restaurants. Pantaleo was realising plans to make the chain a national and then international player, a period of aggressive expansion that saw dozens of legitimate restaurateurs flock to join the group. While most of the franchises have been owned by hard-working families, Pantaleo also opened the door to infiltration by criminal entities.

Frank Madafferi initially received protection payments for turning away Gangitano, money Pantaleo handed over on the sly. But other underworld-linked players and their relatives also became La Porchetta franchisees, like Michael Manariti. They also invested in properties used by the chain as restaurant locations in Melbourne and Sydney. (Fairfax Media has not named the outlets because many have been taken over by unrelated operators). "Rocco always had connections in that world, but his decision to invite them in made him beholden," an underworld source says.

"Rocco was the boss on paper and the face of La Porchetta, but he didn't call all the shots, not when it came to the interests of those who were part of the crew." And some learned that crossing these interests could have disturbing consequences. One restaurant operator was sent pictures of his children anonymously during a bitter financial dispute with Pantaleo. No direct threat was made, but the message was clear. Pantaleo also hinted at his connections. "Rocky would start to talk about something, but I said I don't want to know anything please," a former restaurateur says. "Partly it was bragging, partly it was preparing to push you around, partly it was his huge ego. Rocky was bigger than life, like you were in the presence of a big star."

Pantaleo was certainly no angel, infamous for a volatile temper and an arrogant disregard for personal and professional boundaries. One source says Pantaleo was tied to a chair and beaten bloody for disrespecting a mafia-linked associate whose property he damaged in a fit of rage. In 1996, Pantaleo shot and killed a man who had bashed the restaurateur for sexually assaulting a teenage waitress. Pantaleo was fined $10,000 for indecent assault for the incident in 1996, but he walked free over the shooting after claiming self defence.

So it's not surprising Pantaleo's personal judgment was rated poorly, and for some who worked with him, Pantaleo's business decisions seemed downright bizarre. Franchise operations are often required to source supplies from headquarters, a strategy that ensures consistency and quality across the chain. Pantaleo enforced the rule even though it was a major burden for some interstate outlets, which had to transport food and alcohol up to 2000 kilometres from Melbourne. "It made absolutely no sense. [They] had to spend hundreds of dollars to ship stock that could have been purchased from suppliers in the same city," a source close to Pantaleo says. Despite the growing pains, by 2010 Pantaleo had turned La Porchetta into an 80-outlet chain in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

Then, in March that year, the 53-year-old was killed in a traffic collision. His death would spark a major restructuring inside the La Porchetta business and, ultimately, if inadvertently, reveal its alleged connections to organised crime. New owners At the time he died, the La Porchetta trademark, franchise licensing and distribution businesses were owned by Pantaleo and Mr Nania, his founding partner. Sara Pantaleo, Rocco's sister, became chief executive after the accident.

But behind the scenes a major change began when a new company, La Porchetta Holdings Pty, took control of the business in a deal worth at least $4.61 million, according to corporate records. The Pantaleo and Nania families retained a 70 per cent ownership in the company; the rest was split among six other entities, including a 15 per cent shareholding to the Manariti family and two branches of the Madafferi family. At this stage, Michael Manariti had been convicted of drug trafficking but would remain a shareholder for another three years. Frank Madafferi was awaiting trial, but had transferred control of his investment company to his wife in 2009 after being arrested. The reality that families of major suspected and convicted criminals now part-owned one of the country's most recognisable restaurant chains simply passed without public notice.

But 2014 would prove to be a watershed year, one that could have delivered a windfall to the La Porchetta group but ended in the exposure of damaging information. In August 2014, ASX-listed Retail Food Group, which owns franchise chains Crust, Gloria Jean's and Brumby's, announced it would buy La Porchetta's franchising system for $16.3 million. The mooted deal entered what is known as the "due-diligence" process, where La Porchetta's records were opened to the buyers for analysis. RFG pulled out of the deal three months later, providing scant detail on what went wrong. "RFG advises that the foregoing condition (satisfactory completion of due diligence) has not been satisfied," it announced to the ASX.

RFG has not responded to requests to explain why the deal collapsed. However, La Porchetta had been under pressure from a host of new competitors in the pizza business, with the franchise network contracting from more than 90 outlets at its peak to fewer than 40 today. In March 2014, the alleged link between La Porchetta and the Honoured Society also finally made headlines. Fairfax Media journalists Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker began publishing a series of stories based on confidential police reports that revealed the extent of influence wielded by the Honoured Society and naming its suspected head Tony Madafferi and his involvement in La Porchetta. Mr Madafferi, who refused to comment for this story, has previously sued Fairfax Media for defamation and tried, unsuccessfully, to obtain the identity of the journalists' sources.

He is now fighting a legal battle to have his ban from the casino overturned, maintaining he is a businessman unfairly slandered by the police and media. La Porchetta chief executive Sara Pantaleo did not respond to a request for comment when contacted this week. . In 2014, in the wake of the original news stories, lawyers for the chain denied Mr Madafferi had "any interest in La Porchetta that could amount to 'ownership' of our clients' business". It was a strange claim given the shareholding is detailed in documents filed with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. It costs a lot to become part of the La Porchetta brand. Franchisees spend $600,000 to buy an outlet and pay another $60,000 in marketing, management, and product supply fees to headquarters each year.
A plan to ban the homeless from camping in Melbourne's CBD has been abandoned over fears the move could leave the council open to lengthy legal challenges.

Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle revealed on Tuesday he had received advice repeating what legal and homelessness experts had been telling the council for months: that the ban could infringe on people's human rights.

Law firm Maddocks found outlawing camping could restrict people's right to move freely in Victoria and also "conceivably" result in cruel or degrading treatment or punishment.

Cr Doyle said this advice meant it was far from assured that the proposed bylaw would be compatible with Victoria's Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.
First oBike spotting, now oBike fishing.

The yellow shared bikes are again attracting attention for the wrong reason - this time because of the sheer numbers of them at the bottom of the Yarra.

Contractors working for oBike fished out 42 cycles from the Yarra within four hours on Tuesday.

The haul comes a month after Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle said he would run the bikes out of town unless the Singaporean parent company could control its wayward fleet.
A body of a man found in bushland east of Perth is believed to be 52-year-old carpenter Shaun Black, who went missing in April this year.

Police say they believe they have located the body of Mr Black with his vehicle in a bush area near Woottating on Thursday September 21.

Shaun Black went missing in April. Credit:WA Police

Mr Black was last seen on CCTV footage leaving his parents' Gosnells home.

He left the home in his white Ford Ranger utility and headed to his home in Southern Cross in order to finalise a land sale.
Three men accused of molesting, filming a girl and then circulating the video have been arrested in Andhra Pradesh.

By Ashish Pandey: A video of three youth molesting a girl in Andhra Pradesh has surfaced. The video shot in August 2017, shows a man trying to molest and rape a girl while his friends shoot the incident.

The three accused who tried molesting , filming the girl and then circulating the video have been arrested by the Prakasam police.

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According to the police, the girl was in a relationship with the main accused identified as Sai. However, recently the girl started avoiding his advances and she refused to continue the relationship. That's when Sai made a plan and called his friends to molest her and "teach her a lesson".

The three men told the girl that they all were going to a temple but instead took her to a deserted place to molest her. But she was not alone with the men, there was another girl present who tried stopping the accused but failed. The victim can be seen begging and crying in the video which led to Kanigiri police registering a suo-motu case.

After identifying the victim, the police officers got in touch with the girl and persuaded her and her family to lodge a complaint.

The main accuse Sai is pursuing Bsc in Agriculture, another accuse Karthik is doing Btech and the third accuse Pawan is a son of a police constable. All of them have been booked under relevant sections of the Nirbhaya Act.

"We learnt about the incident three days ago after which we registered the case and arrested the accused. We request parents, teachers to keep a watch on the activities of their children", said the Prakasam police.

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Camping at Rotto is set to get a little bit glamorous with a new beachfront eco-resort at WA's most popular holiday destination.

From late 2018, holiday-goers heading to Rottnest Island will be able to stay in one of 86 eco tents, ranging from $100 to $350 a night, at Pinky's Beach just west of the popular swimming area, The Basin.

An artist's impression of what the 'glamping' accommodation would look like on Rotto.

The new 'glamping' accommodation will be accompanied by a beach club comprising a bar, cafe, restaurant and wedding function area.

And these are not your usual tents as they include a bathroom, lounge, beds, a private outdoor entertaining area and fridge facilities.
Union president George Tilbury said on Tuesday: "We are furious that the government has shown absolutely no goodwill towards police officers, demonstrating a clear lack of understanding about the difficult and dangerous work they do."

Chris Dawson speaks on his first day in the job Credit:Phil Hickey

"Government (have) also failed to recognise that police are unique and unlike any other public sector worker.

"Suggestions put forward to resolve this impasse included a number of items, such as additional allowances, improved conditions and delayed implementation. However, this has all fallen on deaf ears.

WA Police Union president George Tilbury. Credit:ABC News

"Incidents may be upgraded if circumstances change, necessitating immediate police attendance for what would otherwise be a low priority job.
Bogota: Colombian prosecutors were scheduled to begin presenting their evidence against accused Australian drug courier Cassandra Sainsbury in the early hours of Wednesday morning, AEST time.

With her plea deal now in tatters after a court appearance in early August, the 22-year-old South Australian enters into the next phase of her legal saga amid a cloud of speculation - centred around a series of revelations from her appearance on Australian television on Sunday.

There was one revelation in particular that has not been entered into court record: Ms Sainsbury claimed that a series of WhatsApp photos and messages stored on her mobile phone would provide hard evidence of her innocence, if only she could remember the pattern-code used to lock the phone.

Speaking to Fairfax Media more than a day after the airing of the 60 Minutes piece, Ms Sainsbury's Colombian lawyer, Orlando Herran, said that the defence team had been aware of the issue of the phone and the key role it may play, but had not been able to find a solution.
Bangkok: Military-ruled Thailand says its navy will push Rohingya refugees back out to sea as fears grow of a new wave of boat people across Asia's waters.

Human rights groups describe the policy announced by Thailand's Internal Security Operation Command as "inhumane".

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslim Syed Noor rests inside his brother's shelter in Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh. Credit:AP

"Rather than sympathy and support for those at risk, Thailand is preparing with the back of its hand," said Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Analysts expect many of 436,000 Rohingya who have fled Myanmar's northern Rakhine state since August to be recruited by people-smugglers and take to the seas in unsafe boats to try to reach Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and eventually Australia.
ST. JOHNS, Antigua:--- LIAT will continue Relief flights out of Dominica, Tortola and St. Maarten from Monday 25th to Saturday 30th September: This schedule will be updated weekly on Sundays as long as Relief flights continue.

The schedule is as follows:

At this time LIAT is unable to carry commercial passengers into Dominica and St. Maarten.

For paid passengers who have tickets from Dominica, they will have priority on flights out of Dominica. All other passengers can call Reservations and be listed on a standby basis. LIAT will not accept payments for tickets on the day of travel.

LIAT is now able to take limited passengers into Tortola. To enter Tortola, the passenger must be a resident or citizen of the British Virgin Islands. Only persons with proof of residency or citizenship will be allowed to connect. At this time, we will not accept persons with work permits until there has been a clear directive from the Government of the British Virgin Islands.

Persons are asked to contact our Reservations Department for more information and to make bookings on these flights.

LIAT will carry only relief supplies as cargo into these destinations. Relief supplies destined to Tortola and Dominica must be addressed to the Government of the BVI and the Commonwealth of Dominica.

For further information please contact LIAT Cargo. Please note that all rules relating to the carriage of cargo including dangerous goods must be strictly complied with.

LIAT Press Release
Fast-Loading AMP Pages Dominate Googles First Page Results for Media and News Searches

Seachmetrics releases Google Ranking Factors Study for the Online Media Sector highlighting the importance of a good user experience

San Mateo, September 26, 2017  News and information publishers who enable fast-loading Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)[1] for Google searches now overwhelmingly top mobile search results, suggesting holdouts are increasingly likely to lose readership and advertising revenue, new Searchmetrics research finds.

Some 78% of news-related results on the first page of mobile screens are AMP-enabled, according to Searchmetrics latest study, Ranking Factors for the Media Industry. In desktop Google searches too, the data suggests high-ranking content from online media and publishers will prioritize the user experience. High-ranking content is significantly more relevant to the search query, uses more words in the text to cover topics more comprehensively, and includes more links to direct searchers to related information on other sites.

This study is designed to provide advice and observations to web publications, company blogs, online news sites and other publishers who are all competing for traffic and revenue as sources of news and topical information, said Marcus Tober, CTO and founder of Searchmetrics.

Online media and publishing is a highly competitive field, relying mainly on advertising for revenue. In an era of so-called fake news, relevance to the search query is becoming even more important for success.

The research analyzed desktop search results on Google.com for 6,000 keyword terms relevant to the media industry (examples include Kim Kardashian, Science News, Net Neutrality and Weather NYC). The findings were compared with the companys separate, benchmark Google ranking factors study which tracked the results from 10,000 general, high search volume keywords that apply across all industries.

Four interesting takeaways from the study are:

1) Fast-loading AMP pages comprise majority of Googles first page for media and news searches

To analyze the popularity of AMP, Searchmetrics undertook a special investigation that tracked the mobile search results for 50 search queries that were trending on Google News. About 78% of the corresponding Google.com page one results were found to be AMP-enabled, positioned either in the standard organic search results (the familiar blue links) or in the Top stories news boxes and carousels that Google uses to display news content more prominently in mobile results.

With so many people now consuming news and information round the clock on mobile devices, its becoming more and more important for media sites to ensure an easy online experience, allowing readers to click and scroll through content quickly, Tober said. Thats why AMP  which displays a stripped-down, faster-loading version of web pages  was introduced and is now a growing presence in news and topical searches on mobile.

2) Link to external sites by all means

Pages that appear in the top 20 desktop results on Google for media and news-related searches have on average 30.7 links to content on other sites. This is more than the mean rate of external links found across all industries that Searchmetrics analyzed in its benchmark study. So content creators for the various types of online media and publishers should understand that their rankings are unlikely to suffer just because they have linked to other sites. The links should add to the user experience by directing readers to credible related content or to reference sources for example.

3) Get wordy if it adds value

Pages from online media sites that rank in the top ten desktop results on Google have on average 16% more text (around 260 additional words) than results in Searchmetrics wider benchmark study. Where the additional text is relevant and helps to satisfy searchers needs, content creators on media sites should be confident about using more words.

4) Look for ways to boost content relevance

Pages for media related results have a content relevance score[2] which is 30% higher than in the most relevant content found in Searchmetrics benchmark study.

Content relevance[2] here was measured using Big Data computing to compare the semantic relationship between the words entered in search queries and the text that appears in the pages listed in the results.

The advice for media and publishers: ensure your content is highly relevant to the searchers queries. This should include updating articles and stories that are already published to keep them fresh and relevant in order to maintain a high search position.

To download Ranking Factors for the Media Industry visit: http://www.searchmetrics.com/knowledge-base/ranking-factors-media/

This is the latest in a series of Searchmetrics industry-specific ranking factors studies focusing on individual verticals. Other vertical studies can be downloaded here: http://www.searchmetrics.com/knowledge-base/ranking-factors-industry/

[1] The Accelerated Mobile Pages, is the brainchild of Google, Twitter and other tech giants. It is a set of open-source standards that enable the creation of web pages that load faster than traditional web pages for mobile devices.

[2] Content Relevance is based on measurement methods which use linguistic corpora and the conceptualization of semantic relationships between words as distances in the form of vectors. For the semantic evaluation of a text, this makes it possible to analyze the keyword and the content separately from one another. Searchmetrics can calculate a content relevance score for a complete text on a certain keyword or topic. The higher the relevance score, the more relevant the content of the analyzed landing page for the given search query. To make Content Relevance more meaningful, its calculation actually excludes instances of simple keyword matches between search queries and search results

About the study

Searchmetrics analyzed the top 20 desktop search results on Google.com for over 6,000 industry-specific keywords that are relevant to the online media and publishing sector. It identified the common factors that are present in these results to help identify elements that are associated with a high Google ranking. The findings were then compared with Searchmetrics separate benchmark study of Google ranking factors which analyzed the results for a general set of 10,000 keywords across all industries.

To track AMP in mobile searches, Searchmetrics analyzed the mobile search results on the first page of Google.com for 50 trending keywords on Google news.
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By PTI: Srinagar,Sep 26 (PTI) Army today foiled an attack by Pakistani Border Action Team (BAT), comprising terrorists and soldiers, near the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran Sector of Kashmir

The attackers were forced to retreat to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir without causing any damage on the Indian side, an Army source said.

"A BAT action was attempted by seven to eight armed intruders (from PoK side)today at 1.00 pm in the area of Keran Sector (Kupwara). The armed intruders came near own posts," the source said.

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He said the BAT intruders were supported by nearby Pakistani posts with mortar shelling and small arms firing.

"The BAT action was aimed at causing damage to our post but it was effectively thwarted and the armed intruders were forced to retreat," the source said.

"Fire assault towards enemy positions was underway," the source added.

Earlier, an army official here saidthe Pakistani troops targeted Indian posts by firing lightweapons in Keran sector. PTI MIJ AKK AKK

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Bengaluru, Sep 26 (PTI) A 17-year-old NCC cadet drowned in a temple tank in Karnatakas Ramanagar district while his friends were engrossed in clicking a group selfie that captured him struggling to stay afloat.

G Vishwas was part of a group of 25 NCC cadets that went trekking on Sunday to Ravagondlu Betta, about 40 km from here.

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As the others were taking selfies at the steps of the Gundanjaneya temple tank, Vishwas slipped and fell into the water. His companions did not immediately notice him struggling in the water even though it was captured in their selfie.

By the time they realised he was missing, the teen was nowhere to be seen. The cadets ran for help but found no one who could.

An hour later, the college boys body was fished out of the 300-year-old tank.

"Yes, there are pictures of his drowning. The drowning happened when the pictures were taken," said Ramanagar SP Ramesh Bhanot.

Vishwass father Govindaraju, an autorickshaw driver, has lodged a police complaint accusing the college management of being negligent and causing his sons death, said the police.

"We have registered a case of unnatural death. Investigations are on. We have to see whether there is any negligence on the part of those leading the team," Bhanot said. PTI GMS RA RC BSA

--- ENDS ---
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By Rajat Rai: The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) administration that ordered a closure of the university till October 2, has extended it till October 5, just after a day it witnessed on-campus disturbances and violence. Three additional city magistrates of Varanasi and two police officers were on Monday removed in connection with the lathicharge on students in the university and a high-level probe was ordered into the incident that has spiralled into a major controversy.

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VC SPEAKS UP

Several students, mostly girls, besides outsiders were injured in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday when the police resorted to a lathi charge when hundreds of youths tried to barge in the V-C's house to put forward their demand. "Our hostels are located at secluded place on the campus and the roads are also open for public movement. We cannot move outside hostels after sunset and incidents like eve teasing and molestation are routine ," Nivedita Kumari said. Another girl added: "The V-C avoids meeting students. We do not remember when we saw him last. We demand his removal."

MODI SPEAKS WITH YOGI

The V-C later on Sunday however had confronted the media and accepted loop holes. "We accept that we did not reach on time. The trouble makers were mostly outsiders and it was a bid to tarnish the image of the varsity," V-C GC Tripathi said.

As opposition parties targeted BJP over the police action on the campus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah spoke to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and asked him to address the issue at the earliest. "An FIR has been filed against unidentified policemen in connection with the lathicharge on Saturday night. A case has also been registered against over 1,000 students in this connection," a police official said.

A press release from Varanasi's District Information office said additional city magistrates, Manoj Kumar Singh, Sushil Kumar Gaund and Jagdamma Prasad Singh have been removed. Circle officer of Bhelupur, Nivesh Katiyar has also been removed and has been replaced by circle officer of Kotwali, Ayodhya Prasad Singh, cops said. Station officer of Lanka police station, Rajiv Singh has been removed and sent to police lines.

Station officer of Jaitpura police station, Sanjiv Mishra has been posted in his place, officials added. A committee has been constituted under the chief secretary. Necessary action will be taken on the basis of its report. "The committee will see as to how the police had behaved and examine other aspects," governor Ram Naik said in Lucknow on Monday.

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Governments Must Plan Today for Flexibility Tomorrow in Space







McLean VA (SPX) Sep 25, 2017





The future of satellite communications is all about flexibility. Innovations are already enabling commercial customers to use satellite for new applications and to achieve business agility. In order to remain preeminent in space, the U.S. government should follow suit and take advantage of the commercial space industry's continual technological development. The time to plan is now. If the FY 2018 defense budget is any indication, the U.S. government is aware of the need for more flexible, protecte ... read more
By PTI: Thane, Sep 26 (PTI) The police in adjoining Palghar district have seized a large stock of banned drug Ephedrine and arrested three persons, including a Nigerian national, an official said today.

Acting on a tip-off, the police yesterday kept a watch near a housing society in Manickpur area under Palghars Vasai division where they spotted two persons waiting in a suspicious manner in a car.

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Later, the Nigerian national came there and joined them.

Subsequently, the police nabbed the three men and seized 21.7 kgs of the contraband from their possession, Superintendent of Police Majunath Shinge said.

The seized drug is valued at around Rs 21.7 lakh, he said.

The police also seized the high-end car, worth around Rs 30 lakh, in which the three men were sitting, he said.

Those arrested were identified as Sohel Memon (36), Sarfaraz Memon (30), both residents of Vasai, and the Nigerian national, Uchhena Ukapabi (32).

The Manickpur police registered offences against them under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the SP said.

The three accused were later produced before a local magistrate who remanded them in police custody till October 7.

In one of the biggest drug hauls in the state, the Thane police had last year seized 18.5 tonne of ephedrine, valued at around Rs 2,000 crore, from the Solapur facility of a pharmaceutical company.

According to police, the drug was being diverted from the company to a Kenya-based drug cartel headed by Vicky Goswami where it was used to make party-drug methamphetamine.

A special court in Thane had in June this year declared Goswami and his partner and former Bollywood actor Mamta Kulkarni as proclaimed offenders in the drug haul case and directed attachment of their properties.

The police had arrested over 12 people in the case.

Ephedrine, the sale of which is banned in India, is popularly used overseas to treat asthma and bronchitis. Its abuse is known to cause euphoria, hypertension and nausea. It is also used to produce the narcotic methamphetamine.PTI COR GK DV

--- ENDS ---
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But why?

Ramona B. says she couldn't make up her mind for a long time, until she saw a photo on television shortly before the election. It showed a blonde woman allegedly being cornered by dark-skinned men at the new year's eve celebrations in Cologne in 2015, when dozens of women were sexually harassed and some raped. The same TV report, however, pointed out that the image was a photoshopped montage. "Still," she says, "something did happen in Cologne!" She says she has nothing against foreigners, "but when they get the upper hand, it's not good for the country."

A Mistake

The conversation quickly turns to immigration when you ask people in Wilsdruff about the AfD's victory in the region. Not far from the clothing store, a stocky, 64-year-old man with a brown buzzcut turns into a side-street. He, too, voted for the AfD, he says, as did most of his friends and acquaintances.
By PTI: youth

New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat today urged the youth of Assam to become engineers and doctors to serve the villages in their state, and cautioned them against taking up arms.

He was interacting with 20 Assamese school students, all boys ageing 14 to 16, who met him at his office in South Block as part of a National Integration Tour.

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"Do you wonder why the part of India you live in is not as developed as other parts? Why schools in your cities are not like those in Delhi? What is the message you are going to take back when you return home?" Rawat asked.

The Army chief, during his interaction also asked the class 8-10 students, all hailing from Chirang district, "how many of them aspired to join the armed forces?"

"So, do hard work, become doctors, engineers and then go back and serve your villages. But do not think of taking up arms. (Hathiyar nahin uthana hai). And, if anyone carries weapons, in six months you will be finished," he said, making a reference to the history of insurgency in the state.

The students, accompanied by two teachers and an army official from the Sikh Light Infantry (SIKHLI), are currently visiting Delhi.

"We left Assam on September 24. All the students boarded a flight for the first time in their life. About half of them have just been out to Guwahati. All 20 students stepped out of Assam for the first time as part of this tour," the army official accompanying them, said.

"They met President Ram Nath Kovind and visited Qutub Minar. During our Delhi stay, they will also go see Red Fort and take a ride in Delhi Metro. Later, we will go to Rajasthan and then return to Assam," he said.

One of the teachers accompanying them said the students speak Assamese, Bengali and Bodo languages, and a few of them speak English also. PTI KND GVS GVS

--- ENDS ---
The debate is likely to be a lot tougher than it was in the legislature period that just ended. And after this election result, no one within the leadership ranks of the CDU and CSU still believes that Merkel will seek yet another term after this. The focus now will be on determining the direction the conservatives will take after Merkel leaves office -- and, of course, who her successor will be.

Both sides -- the conservatives and those who support Merkel -- already began delineating their positions on the night of the election. Even during the election campaign, criticism of the close relationship between CSU party chief Seehofer and Merkel had already grown loud in Bavaria. Now, for reasons of sheer self-preservation, Seehofer will be forced to steer a course to the right again. "We will be very, very adamant in asserting our positions," he says. Meanwhile, Helge Braun, a senior CDU official in the chancellery, says with a sigh, "Dealing with the CSU is not going to get any easier."

At the moment, Merkel herself is not in danger of being deposed. The CDU isn't the kind of party that would topple its chancellor during negotiations to create a coalition government. Besides, who is supposed to replace her? Particularly when it comes to the prospects of the "Jamaica coalition" that is currently the most, or indeed only, scenario, there is no other person in question to lead the party. This is at least true of the right wing of the party. The coalition is so named because the colors associated with the parties in question -- the conservatives (Black), the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP, yellow) and the Green Party -- also happen to match those on the Jamaican national flag.

The Shadow Hanging over Merkel

But Merkel's leadership during the next legislature period is likely to be overshadowed by the question of who will succeed the chancellor. Within the right wing of the party, Jens Spahn, who is also a senior official in the Finance Ministry, is positioning himself. But Merkel herself would prefer to see Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen one day become the guardian of her political legacy.

One reason that it had been difficult to challenge Merkel for so long was that the conservatives' leftward turn had also attracted many new voters to the party. But that changed dramatically with Sunday's vote. The conservatives failed to attract any significant votes from the left camp. Meanwhile, the CDU and CSU lost around 1.3 million votes to the FDP, who now return to parliament after a four-year absence, and around 1.1 million votes to the AfD. But this wasn't a vote in favor of the AfD -- it was a vote against Angela Merkel. Sixty percent of AfD voters stated that they did not cast their ballots for the party out of conviction -- it was out of disappointment. Over 90 percent said they worried about the loss of German culture.

Merkel, to be sure, spent much of 2016 walking back many of her refugee policies, but in the campaign, she acted as though she had never actually changed her approach. "I don't totally understand why you would change your policies to correct errors you have identified but then communicate the impression that nothing has changed," Bundestag President Norbert Lammert of the CDU recently told a small group.

Initially, it looked as though Merkel's strategy would be successful. The CDU surprisingly won state elections in Saarland, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig Holstein earlier this year. CDU General Secretary Peter Tauber tied the voter mobilization largely to the door-to-door campaign he had organized. A handful of skeptics pointed out that SPD mistakes were primarily to thank for the CDU's victory in all three states, but they were discounted as bellyachers.

It was only three weeks before the general election that CDU campaign strategists realized they had misread the national mood. In the televised debate with her challenger, the differences between the chancellor and the SPD were insufficiently clear. And the AfD was profiting handsomely from the perception held by many that all signs pointed toward a repeat of the grand coalition.

Merkel recognized the danger, but she didn't know how to respond. The plans developed by CDU party headquarters envisioned a smooth path to victory for the chancellor and they weren't prepared for surprises. Making matters worse, Seehofer lost his cool.

In mid-September, Bavaria's state interior minister, CSU-member Joachim Herrmann, presented select figures from a set of preliminary crime statistics to the Bavarian state government cabinet. He had intended to go before the press afterward to remark on the reduction in apartment break-ins. But CSU party chief and Governor Seehofer's attention was grabbed by other numbers in the report: an apparent 48 percent rise in the number of rapes in the state, and a seeming 90 percent increase in the number of rapes thought to have been committed by foreigners. Seehofer ordered Herrmann to prioritize those statistics. The problem, though, was that the numbers were quickly criticized by experts as being misleading.

A few days later, Herrmann revisited the statistics, saying the number of "assault-style rapes by single perpetrators" had only risen by a total of 4.4 percent, or three cases. But his correction came too late to eliminate the impression that refugees were responsible for a wave of rapes crashing across Bavaria. Seehofer had unwittingly boosted the AfD's campaign.

The Poisoned Chalice of Jamaica

But there is still hope within the CSU that the poisoned chalice of a Jamaica coalition could still pass the party by. Before the election, Merkel's people had made no secret of the fact that the chancellor's preference was a grand coalition. She is not known for liking experiments. The Germans, too, were skeptical: According to polls, less than a quarter of them are in favor of a Jamaica coalition.

Still Merkel has no other option than to sound out a potential governing coalition with the Greens and the FDP. And in doing so, the weakened chancellor will find herself faced with two self-confident partners. Contrary to expectations and despite an uninspiring campaign, the Greens were able to retain the same share of votes the party received four year ago. And the FDP has managed a triumphant re-entry into the Bundestag behind party head Christian Lindner.

The atmosphere at FDP party headquarters in Berlin was appropriately boisterous when Lindner climbed onto the stage on Sunday evening. There was loud applause and chanting and almost every sentence of the party leader was interrupted by cheers.

Lindner, who already staked his claim to the position of parliamentary group leader on election night, conveyed two messages. First of all: The FDP is back. Second: It has learned from the mistakes of the past, from the bitter defeat four years ago and from the triumph of 2009, which then-party leader Guido Westerwelle quickly gambled away in coalition negotiations and in the first months of the party's partnership with the CDU. For Lindner, the lesson is restraint.

The SPD's decision to move back into the opposition doesn't help the FDP. It makes a Jamaica coalition practically a certainty and limits the party's leverage. "That is irresponsible," complained FDP deputy head Wolfgang Kubicki on Sunday evening.

"The SPD cannot pass the buck to us in terms of responsibility," agreed FDP Treasurer Hermann Otto Solms, one of the experienced parliamentarians now returning to the Bundestag. The FDP, he said, will take its time. "We will not allow ourselves to be conned," he said of the upcoming negotiations with the CDU.

Conservatives likewise don't have the fondest memories of the four years they spent in a coalition with the FDP between 2009 and 2013. Leading Christian Democrats recall with horror the ineptness displayed by Westerwelle and his party. The Chancellery, too, is wary of a repeat.

Inexperienced FDP Lawmakers

Although Merkel respects Lindner's achievement of leading the party back into parliament after four years, there are few things she hates more than disloyalty. She has not forgotten that Lindner threw in the towel as the party's secretary general in 2011 at the height of the FDP crisis. Since then, she has been unsure of how dependable Lindner is when the going gets rough. Given the small majority a Jamaica coalition would have, the CDU leadership isn't eager to be dependent on so many inexperienced FDP lawmakers.

Over at the Green Party, the leadership duo of Katrin Goring-Eckardt and Cem Ozdemir feel unexpectedly vindicated. Goring-Eckhardt already rhetorically paved the way for a coalition with Merkel's conservatives and the FDP on the night of the election: She repeatedly brought up the party's sense of "responsibility" while she and Ozdemir limited their focus to two issues where they hoped to make a significant difference within a Jamaica government: climate protection and social justice. They apparently wanted to set the bar low.

For the left wing of the party, that isn't enough. On election night, left-wing leader Anton Hofreiter unexpectedly took the stage shortly before 8 p.m. The basis for coalition talks, he said, is the "10-point plan we all agreed on together." Then he listed all the points in the plan. "If we reach agreement on the issues, then it will work, and if we don't, then it won't happen!" That is the bar set by the left wing for the party's more practically minded leadership. The next few weeks won't be easy for the Greens.

The potential coalition partners are especially at odds when it comes to domestic security. The CSU, facing a 2018 Bavarian state election, is hoping to use this issue to solidify its bona fides. CSU head Seehofer has indicated that his party will demand the Interior Ministry portfolio. Joachim Herrmann, the state interior minister in Bavaria, was the party's lead candidate for the general election and he already made an appearance at CDU headquarters on election night to start the conversation. The CSU stance, in combination with Lindner's request to once again begin deporting people to "stable regions," even in Syria, will be hard for the Greens to accept. After all, they drew a red line at their most recent party conference: "With us in the government, there will be no deportations into crisis regions that are as unsafe as, for example, Afghanistan is right now."

The diesel motor scandal had also created distance between the potential coalition partners. The Social Democrats weren't particularly interested in weakening Volkswagen and the other automobile companies through drastic punishments or strict conditions. For the Greens, though, the fight against the internal combustion engine is a vitally important issue central to the party's very identity.

But the differences aren't unbridgeable. When it comes to domestic security, several state governments in which the Greens are governing charted a pragmatic course during the refugee crisis. And the disputed question of whether the Maghreb states should be declared secure countries of origin isn't especially pressing at the moment, because the number of asylum-seekers from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco are comparatively low. With a relatively skillful distribution of roles, all three coalition partners could use the issue to enhance their profiles.

Reconciling Their Differences

When it comes to other issues, it may be even easier -- for Merkel, at least -- to govern in a three-party coalition. The chancellor, for example, is interested in accommodating French President Emmanuel Macron's request for the establishment of a eurozone finance minister position and a budget for the common currency area. So far, FDP head Lindner is strictly against doing so. The fact that the Greens support Merkel's position, though, could help soften the FDP's stance.

It could ultimately be decisive whether the Greens and FDP will be able to reconcile their differences after an election campaign in which they fought each other tooth and nail. They have some common goals: Both want a new law regulating immigration, both are pushing for more investment in education and both want a dedicated digital ministry and improved support for startups. They also have the same goals when it comes to data protection and LGBT rights.

Even when it comes to cabinet positions, the desires of the Greens and FDP could be compatible. The FDP is hoping for the Finance Ministry, which Kubicki is apparently supposed to head given that Lindner will lead the parliamentary group in the Bundestag. But the name Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, currently a member of the European Parliament, is also circulating as candidate for the Foreign Ministry, though the FDP would hardly be in the position to lay a claim to both ministries. If the party doesn't get the Finance Ministry, it will push for Kubicki as justice minister. Behind the scenes, people are saying that the FDP would still need to include some women. With Nicola Beer, by all accounts, performing well as the party's secretary general and given her lack of sufficient experience to head a ministry, focus has begun shifting to Katja Suding, a prominent figure in the FDP's state chapter in Hamburg.

The Greens are also interested in claiming the prestigious Foreign Ministry, to be led by Katrin Goring-Eckhardt. Since she is part of the party's pragmatic wing, and because a representative of the left wing of the party also needs to become a minister, the Greens have identified Anton Hofreiter as either transport or environment minister. If there are to be three ministerial positions for the Greens, another woman would be included, potentially Claudia Roth as development minister. Party sources say that Cem Ozdemir would then become head of the parliamentary group in the Bundestag.

An Opposition Like None other Seen in Germany

Whatever happens, though, the new government will face an opposition, the likes of which Germany has never seen before. The AfD will not view Merkel's coalition merely as a political adversary, but as an enemy to be fought with all means necessary. When deputy AfD-head Beatrix von Storch took the stage late in the evening at the AfD election party, she said her party would now finally ensure a turn to normalcy: "The saying 'refugees welcome' will once again be turned back into what it once was: a saying by left-wing radical crackpots."

Left-wing radicals, crackpots, oath-breakers: Such is the language used by the AfD on the campaign trail in recent months. It was an grating, crude tone that had nothing to do with the AfD that was originally founded by economists in opposition to the European common currency. It was once even known as the "party of professors." Now, though, party functionaries describe Justice Minister Heiko Maas as "the product of Saarland inbreeding," and Angela Merkel as an "old shrew" or "IM Erika," a reference to unproven allegations that Merkel worked as an informant for the Stasi in East Germany. The new AfD chartered buses to haul its supporters to anti-Merkel protests, where they chanted and whistled in opposition to the "dictator."

Such radicalism wasn't just to be found in the party's grassroots, but also among party leaders and senior AfD positions, who insisted to supporters that Germany's very survival was at stake in the election.

The Righward Shift

The party consciously drove the rightward shift: Many leading AfD politicians were around four years ago as well, while lead candidate Alexander Gauland and (still) party co-leader Frauke Petry were part of the party's executive then as now.

Today, the euro issue -- once the party's raison d'etre -- is now only accommodated out of a sense of duty. The party of 2017 wants nothing less than a cultural revolution. It depicts itself as the savior of the constitutional state -- "Take Back Your Country" was a slogan on many election posters -- and as the only group that gives "everything for Germany." It is a sentence that was once engraved on the daggers of the Nazi's SA troops.
But in the case of the AfD, the second-largest force in Schwerin, many believe this is the wrong approach. "Whether I like it or not, the AfD represents relevant segments of the population, and as a democrat, I acknowledge this," says Thomas Kruger, leader of the SPD parliamentary group in Schwerin. As a result, a 70-year-old AfD member, as the oldest lawmaker in the state parliament, opened its constituent meeting. During the G-20 summit in Hamburg, she publicly mused on Facebook over whether looters should be shot on the spot.

Lawmakers from the other parties hope that the AfD will reveal its true colors with statements like this, or that it will quickly exhaust itself in everyday parliamentary life.

Concerns About Classified Information

Lawmakers in Saxony were spared having their constituent meeting opened by the oldest member, an AfD politician. The candidate was forced to relinquish the position after his connections to right-wing extremist groups were exposed. In Saxony-Anhalt, the first session of the state parliament headed by an AfD vice-president had to be ended after seven minutes. The lawmaker, who was clearly out of his element, had repeatedly had to ask the administration about parliamentary procedures. He was so unnerved by the incident that he later stepped down from the position.

Of the 25 AfD members who originally entered the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, three have since resigned. The same number have stepped down in Thuringia, while two AfD members have abandoned their seats in Baden-Wurttemberg.

The right-wing populists have brought a new, cruder tone into state parliaments. In Baden-Wurttemberg, an AfD representative insulted his colleagues by accusing them of treason. In Rhineland-Palatinate, AfD lawmakers shouted the words "child abuse" at a Green Party state minister in an apparent reference to a very old debate about pedophilia in the party.

German security agencies face completely different concerns. They fear that AfD parliamentarians could pass on secret information from the Parliamentary Control Committee (PCC), which supervises the work of intelligence agencies, to right-wing media organizations like the far-right magazine Compact or even to members of the Russian government.

It would be easy for the established parties to keep the AfD out of committees that have access to intelligence information. There is no mention of party proportionality in the law governing the PCC, each member of which must be confirmed by the Bundestag in a secret vote. "We will see whether the AfD candidates will get a majority to support them for such sensitive positions," says Green Party lawmaker Konstantin von Notz.

But excluding the AfD from these types of positions would only enable it to play the martyr role, warns current PCC Chairman Clemens Binninger of the CDU. "Each member of this committee has a special responsibility. AfD members will also have to live up to that responsibility."

If the AfD is excluded, the other smaller parties will probably have to be excluded, too, says Burkhard Lischka, the domestic policy spokesperson for the SPD Bundestag parliamentary group. "That would be taking parliamentary control to absurd lengths." The current members of the PCC assume that the security agencies will exercise more restraint when reporting to the committee in the future.

Other institutions, like the Hardship Case Committee of the Hamburg state parliament, are also reorganizing themselves because of the AfD. The committee decides whether foreigners and their families should be permitted to remain in Germany after their applications have been denied by the courts. A unanimous vote is required to allow the candidates to remain in Germany. In theory, this could only happen with the consent of the representative nominated by the AfD after the 2015 state election. "We wanted to prevent that," says Antje Moller, who represents the Green Party on the Hardship Case Committee.

To confront the problem, the committee members changed the rules, so that only a two-thirds majority is now required to approve a residency request. Nevertheless, the committee still lacks a regular AfD member. The other parties have used majority votes to prevent all AfD candidates from joining the committee. "They are bending the law all over the place to keep us out," says Alexander Wolf, the deputy state chairman of the AfD in Hamburg. Now Wolf and his fellow party members are taking the matter to court. They have announced that they intend to bring an action before an administrative court in the next few days.

By Laura Backes, Matthias Bartsch, Lukas Eberle, Jan Friedmann, Annette Grobongardt, Martin Knobbe, Fidelius Schmid, Wolf Wiedmann-Schmidt and Steffen Winter
New York, Sep 25, 2017 (SPS) - East Timor called Monday on the United Nations to urgently organise the self-determination referendum in Western Sahara.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, The new Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste to the United Nations, Ms. Maria Helena Pires, called for the exercise by of the people of Western Sahara to their right to self-determination.

She also called for dialogue between the Kingdom of Morocco and the legitimate representative of the Saharawi people, the Polisario Front. (SPS)

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Brussels (Belgium), Sept 26, 2017 (SPS) - The Greens parliamentary group in the European Union Parliament denounced yesterday the renegotiation of the EU-Morocco association agreement, considering that it is contrary to the ruling of the European Court of Justice and a violation of international law.

European lawmakers clarified that the renegotiation of the agreement with Morocco aims to "normalize the occupation of Western Sahara," and that neither the United Nations nor any EU country recognizes the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over Western Sahara.

On the other hand, the Greens denounce the fact that the EU has given up its contribution to the peace process and, next to part of the conflict, Morocco. And that European diplomats resort to denying the reality that the Western Sahara was illegally annexed by Morocco, so, the matter is a process of decolonization.

As for the looting of the natural resources of the occupied Western Sahara, MEPs say that "the complicit silence of the EU regarding the plunder of the Saharawi people's natural resources is condemned, immoral and contradicts the judicial decisions of the European Court.

The Greens also demanded a solution to the conflict that "guarantees the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination," and "this avoids a conflict that has damaged geo-strategic relations in the Euro-Mediterranean zone."

Finally, the deputies warned about the semantic maneuvers that are intended to mix the settlers who constitute the majority of the inhabitants of the territory and the Saharawi people, adding that the European Court demanded the consent of the Saharawi people when carrying out activities on their natural resources . SPS

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Geneva, Switzerland, Sept 26, 2017 (SPS) - A debate on "human rights defenders" was facilitated by the Saharawi delegation participating in the 36th session of the UN Human Rights Council from which an appeal was made to the international community to protect Saharawi human rights defenders in occupied Western Sahara.

According to media sources, Saharawi activist Soukeina Jed Ahlou urged the human rights organizations participating in the conference "to lift the injustice inflicted on the Saharawi people", denouncing "the harassment exercised by the Moroccan security forces against the Sahrawi human rights defenders to prevent them from disclosing human rights violations against Saharawi civilians in the occupied part of Western Sahara. "

Activist Soukeina Jed Ahlou recalled the inhuman practices she suffered during her abduction, which lasted 12 years in secret places.

The peaceful demonstrations organized in the occupied territories of Western Sahara to claim the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination are violently repressed by the Moroccan occupation authorities.

For his part, human rights activist Hassanna Alia spoke about the harassment suffered by Sahrawi human rights activists in occupied Western Sahara, university campuses and cities in southern Morocco.

He denounced the practices exercised by the Moroccan State against the Sahrawi militants who languished in the prisons, recalling the case of the Saharawi missing estimated at more than 500.

The conference convened by the Liberation organization in the presence of Saharawi activists and a number of human rights NGOs around the world, in addition to representatives of certain embassies and diplomatic missions accredited to the Council of Humans Rights of the United Nations. SPS

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Girish Chandra Tripathi, the VC of Banaras Hindu University, feels that the protests were "politically motivated" and the whole event was just a "simple incident of eve-teasing".

By India Today Web Desk: The vice chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has made headlines after labelling an alleged sexual harassment case a "simple incident of eve-teasing".

VC Girish Chandra Tripathi believes that the incident was "deliberately staged" a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his constituency.

The students resorted to protest after a female student was molested and a security guard refused to help her. Hundreds of female students of BHU are protesting and demanding assurance from the administration about their safety inside the campus in Varanasi.

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According to VC Tripathi, the protest was politically motivated and "some people with vested interests and ulterior motives have triggered this incident". He also said that the molestation was done to trigger this fiasco before the PM Modi's visit.

The female students have claimed that there is no girl in the university who has not been harassed or molested on the campus. But VC Girish Chandra Tripathi has a different story to tell. In an interview, he made these statements:

"Sometimes issues are there and some issues are created. This issue was created. I think this issue was created by outsiders and the shape it took is what is more unfortunate than the initial incident itself." "First of all, it is not an incident of molestation, it is one of eve-teasing." "The students stood for something that was made to look like the truth but was a lie." "If force was used on girls, I have no idea." "This is such a big campus, anything can happen anywhere. We cannot assign a guard to every student." "The use of force was against criminals not girl students. It was such a situation that force had to be used." "If we are going to listen to every demand of every girl we won't be able to run the university." "It is good that the curfew timings for MMV and Triveni girls' hostels is 8 pm, in one other girls' hostel, it is 6 pm." "Professor Tripathi, however, says the student protests are over a minor incident." "Security for boys and girls can never be at par".

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A report submitted by the Varanasi divisional commissioner has faulted the Banaras Hindu University over the incidents of violent protests that took place on the university campus even as the vice-chancellor of the institution came under fire for reportedly saying that it was just a 'simple' matter of eve-teasing.

Security at the BHU campus that saw violent protests over the weekend (PTI photo)

By India Today Web Desk: In a report to Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, Varanasi's Divisional Commissioner Nitin Gokarn has blamed the university administration for the Saturday night violence inside the prestigious Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus.

Meanwhile, BHU Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi has said, in at least two interviews, that the sexual harassment of a female student at campus - an allegation that led to the massive unrest - was a case of "eve teasing".

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HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

In his preliminary report submitted today, Gokarn has said, "The BHU did not deal with the victim's complaint properly. It is a sensitive matter. The situation was not handled on time by the university administration." Hundreds of girls were out in protest demanding assurance from the administration about their safety inside the university premises, and action against alleged molesters and security guard who refused to help a student, who was molested on Thursday evening. The protest began Thursday midnight after three men riding a motorbike molested a student of the Bachelor of Fine Arts course of the Mahila Mahavidyala of the BHU. One viral video filmed on a mobile phone showed police beating a young woman lying on the ground with sticks. Several students, mostly girls, besides outsiders were injured in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday when the police resorted to lathi-charge, when over a hundred people tried to barge into Vice-Chancellor GC Tripathi's house to put forward their demand. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked for a report from the Varanasi Police Commissioner regarding the incident. The BHU administration, which in a controversial order had closed the university till October 2, has now extended the lockdown to October 5. Meanwhile, a defiant Tripathi said the molestation was actually a "simple case of eve-teasing". In his interviews to NDTV and The Indian Express on Monday, the V-C tried to brush off the incident as a conspiracy during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. "This was not a case of molestation, this was a simple case of eve teasing that was deliberately staged a day before the Prime Minister's visit," Tripathi told NDTV. He said similar things to The Indian Express: "First of all, it is not an incident of molestation, it is one of eve-teasing. They are those who are not committed to the nation but work only for their individual selves. They don't care about the nation or its institutions. Unke liye niji hit hi sab kuch hai. Prime Minister aane waale the, isiliye mujhe lagta hai yeh sab kuch karaya gaya tha (For them, personal benefit is everything. The Prime Minister was to visit and that's why, I feel, all this was done). The molestation was done to trigger this fiasco is what I feel." Criticising Modi for his silence on the BHU violence, the Congress on Monday demanded sacking of the Vice Chancellor and an enquiry by a sitting High Court judge. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said that while Modi is vocal on almost all issues, his silence over the violence on girls in his own parliamentary constituency Varanasi is questionable. The Varanasi district administration has also asked the BHU to change the uniform of their security guards - which is similar to the state police's uniform - in order to avoid any confusion.

WATCH | BHU protest: Five key questions about the unrest

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By PTI: Chandigarh, Sep 26 (PTI) Schoolgirls across Punjab will be administered a life saving vaccine as part of an ambitious campaign to tackle cervical cancer among women in the state, a senior minister said today.

Punjabs department of health and family welfare will initiate this ambitious campaign, he said. Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer afflicting women in the country.

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Chairing a meeting of the technical expert group on Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination here today, Health and Family Welfare minister Brahm Mohindra said the state government is committed to providing health care and treatment facilities to those suffering from cancer.

Soon school going girls across the state will be administered a life saving vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, he said in a release here. PTI CHS ADS

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A cannibal couple was recently arrested for killing 30 people and eating them after a dismembered body was obtained from their Krasnodar home.

By India Today Web Desk: A cannibal couple was recently arrested in Russian city of Krasnodar for killing 30 people.

Dmitry Baksheev (35) and his wife Natalia (42) were arrested after a dismembered body was obtained from their home located inside a military base.

Police confirmed a number of food and meat items discovered at their home were now being tested for human DNA.

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Baksheev and his wife were busted when a road construction worker found his mobile phone having graphic images of dismembered body parts. There was also an image of Baksheev holding a body part in his mouth while posing for the picture. The horrified worker then, went to the police station and showed the police the pictures.

According to RT, the couple has been killing and eating their victims since 1999.

The police detained the couple and even found meat parts from their house. The police is now verifying whether the meat obtained is human meat or not.

The cannibal couple had been living in the area since a long time and even had acquaintances.

A shopkeeper, who knows the couple since 10 years, told RT "The husband has a "smell" to him and the woman "likes to drink."

The shopkeeper went on and added, "The wife likes to drink. However, he is a hard-working man,"

The shopkeeper also said that Baksheev always behaved like a friendly man and would often greet people with 'hello' and 'goodbye'.

The shopkeeper described his wife as a woman who didn't work at all and just drank alcohol. She also said that Baksheev used to stink with a different 'smell', which the woman thought might be because of his cat or household habits.

"He was always wearing work clothes, carrying around tools and building materials. When I heard about what had happened, I was shocked."

The couple has been booked under murder charges for killing a 35-year-old woman as well, the same woman whose dismembered body was obtained from their home. The police department is currently investigating the case further.

Watch: Woman shopkeeper talks about the cannibal couple:

Video courtesy: Ruptly/Youtube

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According to an arrest affidavit, Scottsbluff Police were called to Regional West Medical Center, where two nurses told an officer they had been assaulted.

The nurses told police that they were changing Eagle Roads clothing when he grabbed the buttocks, and then the breast, of a certified nursing assistant. After another nurse told him that it was not appropriate that he had touched the nurse, Eagle Road allegedly swore at the nurse and punched her three times in the chest. A witness observed Eagle Road hit the nurse.
GERING  The Department of Insurance will be in Gering on Oct. 4 at the Gering Civic Center from 5-7 p.m. to discuss and listen to Nebraskans' concerns regarding health and property and casualty insurance.

Recently, there has been a lot of news coming out of Washington, D.C., regarding health insurance. Many Nebraskans may be left wondering about the current state of health insurance and how it will affect them. The Department of Insurance will hold listening sessions across the state to answer these questions and listen to Nebraskans concerns about the Affordable Care Act and health insurance. The Department will also discuss property and casualty topics that may be of interest to consumers.

Bruce Ramge, director of the Nebraska Department of Insurance, wants to remind individuals that open enrollment dates have changed this year and that the plan they had last year may no longer exist.

The open enrollment dates for the 2018 plan year begin on Nov. 1 and end Dec. 15. With these dates being different, along with the other significant changes to the Nebraska insurance market, I encourage individuals to come to the sessions and ask any questions they may have, said Ramge.

The Department of Insurance plans to share their expertise on health and property and casualty insurance. Individuals will also learn how to appeal a denied health care claim and the steps necessary to ensure the appeal is done correctly.

The listening sessions will consist of a brief discussion on the following topics:

 The current status of the Affordable Care Act and what to expect in the future

 The health insurance market and 2018 premiums

 Preventative care coverage

 Mental health parity

 Property and casualty insurance

 The appeals process for denied health claims and external review

The Department of Insurance will offer free continuing education credit to insurance producers and brokers who attend the sessions.

Department staff will be available to answer questions following the presentations.

Chadron will also host a session: Thursday, Oct. 5, 5-7 p.m., Chadron State College, Reta E King Library, Room 108, downstairs, 300 E. 12th St.

Anyone with questions can contact the Department of Insurance at 402-471-4648 or email martin.swanson@nebraska.gov.
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with Jaitleys quotes

New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram today hit out at BJP for its resolution supporting implementation of GST and demonetisation, saying it was "utter contempt of public opinion".

"BJP national executive supported implementation of GST. They should talk to traders & businessmen in their own party," he said in a tweet.

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Chidambaram also said the BJP national executives support to demonetisation is "utter contempt of public opinion".

In its national executive, the BJP adopted a six-point agenda, including one on praising the roll out of the GST which led to "one nation, one tax".

It claimed the NDA government had "delivered" on its promise on corruption and black money, adding that demonetisation, a move which invited sharp criticism from opposition, "broke the backbone of black market as well as the black money hoarders".

Later, replying to an question on the ED raids, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said this is a legal process and it works as per the law. PTI ACB JTR ZMN

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Recently, the Health and Human Services Committee of the Nebraska Legislature held a round table discussion on the topic of massage therapy. At issue were the requirements needed to become a licensed massage therapist in the State. Specifically, legislators want to know if the requirements and the costs are too high. If the requirements and the associated costs are too high, they may discourage individuals from pursuing a career in massage therapy or from practicing massage therapy in our state.

Currently, Nebraska state statutes require a minimum of 1,000 hours of in-class instruction and training. These 1,000 hours are broken down into 100 hours of instruction in each of the following seven subject areas: anatomy, health service management, hydrotherapy, hygiene and practical demonstrations, massage, pathology and physiology. The remaining 300 hours are devoted to subject areas related to the clinical practice of massage therapy.

The American Massage Therapy Association only recommends a minimum of 500 hours of supervised, in-class massage therapy instruction and training in four subject areas: anatomy, physiology, theory and practice, and elective subjects. Consequently, South Dakota, Colorado and Missouri only require 500 hours of in-class training. Iowa requires 600 hours. Because Nebraska requires 1,000 hours of instruction and training, our massage therapists have acquired an excellent reputation for competence and expertise in the field.

Those who have been licensed in another state and who wish to practice massage therapy in Nebraska must still meet the 1,000 hours requirement. However, there are various ways they can meet the requirement. For instance, 50-60 minutes of in-class instruction or training at a college or university equals one hour toward the requirement, and one full semester of instruction or training equals 15 hours toward the requirement. Applicants can also obtain up to 100 hours toward the requirement for each year of full-time practice as a massage therapist, and an additional 100 hours may be obtained through continuing education programs. Finally, all applicants must pass a national board examination with a minimum score of 75 percent.

Many massage therapists in Nebraska have found it difficult to make a living working in the field of massage therapy. It is common for students to acquire student loan indebtedness ranging from $10,000 - $17,000. Maintaining an office, tables and supplies add to the cost of doing business. Moreover, those working in rural areas often have to travel to where their clients live, and current laws forbid mobile units from operating in the State.

Besides lowering the requirements, I believe there are two things legislators can do to lower the cost for those seeking a career in massage therapy and to help them succeed in their businesses. First, when students enter into the practicum component of their training, they work on real clients. However, they do not get paid for the work they do. Instead, all fees collected go to the massage therapy school. Making matters even worse, students pay tuition to work on these clients. This would be like a farmer making his laborers pay to harvest his corn. Therefore, I will support legislation that allows these students to get paid and/or tipped for the work they do with clients. Second, I will support legislation that allows for mobile units to operate in our state.
A white University of Kentucky student accused of physically assaulting a Black student worker while repeatedly using racial slurs says she will withdraw from the school. The decision announced Tuesday by a lawyer for 22-year-old Sophia Rosing came after hundreds of students rallied on campus the night before. News outlets report the students called for unity and for the university to quickly address the situation. Officials say Rosing has been charged with assault, public intoxication and disorderly conduct. She pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday afternoon. The altercation at Boyd Hall was captured on video and posted to multiple social media platforms.
By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com Westover and Smith roads, on the far western edge of the county, will get paving priority for 2023. Country commissioners and Scott Schmieder, county road and bridge foreman, decided at last Thursdays commission meeting to go ahead and seal up that corner of the county. That way, graders will not have
By PTI: Toronto, Sep 26 (PTI) Children who suffer severe abuse experience changes in the neural structures in specific areas of the brains, scientists have found for the first time.

Difficulties linked with severe childhood abuse include increased risks of psychiatric disorders such as depression, as well as high levels of impulsivity, aggressivity, anxiety, more frequent substance abuse, and suicide.

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For the optimal function and organisation of the brain, electrical signals used by neurons may need to travel over long distances to communicate with cells in other regions.

The longer axons of this kind are generally covered by a fatty coating called myelin. Myelin sheaths protect the axons and help them to conduct electrical signals more efficiently.

Myelin builds up progressively - in a process known as myelination - mainly during childhood, and then continue to mature until early adulthood.

Earlier studies had shown significant abnormalities in the white matter in the brains of people who had experienced child abuse.

However, because these observations were made by looking at the brains of living people using MRI, it was impossible to gain a clear picture of the white matter cells and molecules that were affected.

Researchers McGill University in Canada compared post- mortem brain samples from three different groups of adults - people who had committed suicide due to depression and had a history of severe childhood abuse (27 individuals); people with depression who had committed suicide but had no history childhood abuse (25 individuals); and people who had neither psychiatric illnesses nor a history of child abuse (26 people).

The researchers discovered that the thickness of the myelin coating of a significant proportion of the nerve fibres was reduced only in the brains of those who had suffered from child abuse.

They also found underlying molecular alterations that selectively affect the cells that are responsible for myelin generation and maintenance.

The researchers concluded that adversity in early life may lastingly disrupt a range of neural functions in the anterior cingulate cortex. PTI MHN SAR MHN

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Updated at 4:43 p.m.

NEW YORK  Embattled Equifax CEO Richard Smith stepped down Tuesday, less than three weeks after the credit reporting agency disclosed a disastrous hack to its computer system that exposed the sensitive personal information of 143 million Americans.

His departure follows those of two other high-ranking executives who left in the wake of the hack, which exploited a software flaw that the company did not fix to expose Social Security numbers, birthdates and other personal data that provide the keys to identify theft.

Smith, who had been CEO since 2005, will also leave the chairman post. Equifax called his departure a retirement, but he will not receive his annual bonus and other potential retirement-related benefits until the company's board concludes an independent review of the data breach.

Even if the review does find Smith at fault, he could walk away with a retirement package of at least $18.4 million, along with the value of the stock and options he was paid out over his 12-year tenure.

There is a possibility the board could "claw back" any cash or stock bonuses he may have received, but corporations typically set high thresholds for that type of action.

The 57-year-old executive, who made almost $15 million in salary, bonuses and stock last year, would also be able to stay on the company's health plan for life.

Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., most recently president of the Asia Pacific region, was named interim CEO. Board member Mark Feidler was appointed non-executive chairman. Equifax said it will look both inside and outside the company for a permanent CEO.

Even with the departures of three top executives, Equifax is still facing several state and federal inquiries and a myriad of class-action lawsuits, including congressional investigations, queries by the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and probes by several state attorneys general. On Tuesday, the city of San Francisco became the first municipality to sue Equifax for exposing its residents to identity theft. The state of Massachusetts sued Equifax last week.

Three other executives were found to have sold stock for a combined $1.8 million before Equifax disclosed the breach, though the company says they were unaware of it at the time.

Although Wall Street analysts had previously applauded Equifax's performance under Smith, he and his management team came under fire for lax security and their response to the breach. Confusion over the terms of credit-monitoring protection and jammed phone lines added to public's ire. The company's stock has lost a third of its value  a $5.5 billion setback.

Equifax's board clearly needed to dump Smith, not only as a public show of penance for the breach but also for the company's bungling since informing consumers their identities are in danger of being stolen, said Bart Friedman, a lawyer specializing in corporate governance issues for Cahill Gordon and Reindel.

"This was like a five-alarm fire, and the lack of an appropriate response by management just poured gasoline on that fire," Friedman said. "If you are sitting on that board, I don't know how you could have permitted him to stay in his role. I have rarely seen such a botched response to an existential threat."

Equifax tried to appease incensed lawmakers, consumers and investors by announcing the unceremonious retirement of its chief security officer and chief information officer last week, who were responsible for managing and protecting the company's technology. But that wasn't enough, with lawmakers drawing up bills that would impose sweeping reforms on Equifax and its two main rivals, Experian and TransUnion.

Smith had been scheduled to appear at two congressional hearings next week that would likely have turned into a public lambasting. The House Energy and Commerce committee said in a tweet that it still plans to hold its hearing Oct. 3. A spokeswoman for the Senate Banking Committee said that panel's Oct. 4 hearing remains scheduled as planned.

Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, said Smith's departure just days before he was to appear before Congress was "an abdication of his responsibility." He said he expected Smith to testify before the Banking Committee "regardless of the timing of his retirement."

The data breach might not have happened if Equifax had responded promptly to a March warning about a known security weakness in a piece of open-source software called Apache Struts. Even though a repair was released, Equifax did not immediately install it. Digital burglars used the crack in Equifax's computer systems to break in from May 13 through July 30, according to the company's accounting.

Equifax said it did not fathom the breadth of information that had been stolen until shortly before issuing a public alert on Sept. 7, triggering the wave of withering condemnations that led to Smith's departure.

The jobs of other Equifax executives could still be in jeopardy. The three executives who sold shares, including Equifax's chief financial officer, are under scrutiny.

In a hearing Tuesday, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton, refused to comment when asked by lawmakers if executives at Equifax engaged in insider trading when they sold their shares. He did not confirm or deny that the SEC was investigating the issue.

However, he opened the door to potentially forcing the executives to return the proceeds of the stock sales, if the company's six-week delay in disclosing the breach is found to be improper.

Liedtke contributed from San Francisco. Chris Rugaber contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.
Nestle plans to switch in or out of businesses with combined sales of almost 10 billion francs ($10 billion) as Chief Executive Officer Mark Schneider focuses on coffee, bottled water and pet care to prioritize profitability over scale.

Selective acquisitions and divestments could affect about 10 percent of total revenue, Schneider said as he unveiled his new strategy to investors at a conference in London on Tuesday. Nestle is already trying to sell its U.S. chocolate business, its first major retreat from sugary snacks, as it embarks on its biggest revamp in at least a decade.

"We'll need to trade out of some product areas and into others," Schneider said. "We'll act decisively, and the U.S. confectionery is a good example of that."

For the first time, the Swiss owner of Nespresso coffee and Perrier water set a fixed profitability target, aiming for an underlying trading margin in 2020 that's as much as 2.5 percentage points higher than what it achieved last year. That's still shy of the level sought by activist investor Dan Loeb, whose hedge fund firm Third Point bought a $3.5 billion stake in Nestle earlier this year.

Loeb, who was attending the London presentation, declined to comment on Nestle's plans.

"The target is certainly attainable," said Jean-Philippe Bertschy, an analyst at Bank Vontobel. "While it will please some investors, others  like Loeb  may be a bit disappointed."

The adoption of a profit target by Nestle, which has about 90 billion francs in sales, marks a broader shift among the world's biggest food companies. With many mass-market brands facing skepticism from consumers seeking healthier and hipper alternatives, sales growth is slowing and consumer-goods giants are under pressure from investors to cut costs and to move into more profitable niches.

The CEO already announced a share buyback worth as much as 20 billion francs ($21 billion), the planned disposal of Nestle's U.S. confectionery unit and acquisitions of coffee and fresh-food businesses. The company has also been cutting jobs at its skincare unit.

Schneider said Nestle isn't immediately changing its stance on its stake in French cosmetics maker L'Oreal, which he described as a "fabulous" investment, contributing 9 percent of the Swiss company's earnings per share over the past decade. The death of L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt last week prompted speculation about the future of Nestle's 23 percent holding in the French cosmetics company.

Nestle plans to keep its U.S. frozen unit, and the ailing skin-health business has a strategic fit, according to the CEO. He also said the company is trying to revamp its Gerber baby nutrition division in the U.S. and Yinlu food in China.

Nestle has faced calls for a shakeup from Third Point, whose stake is equal to about 1 percent, while rival Unilever fended off a takeover bid earlier this year from Kraft Heinz Co., backed by buyout firm 3G Capital Partners.

Unilever is targeting an underlying operating margin of 20 percent by 2020, while Danone aims to exceed 16 percent that year. That compares with Nestle's new goal for an underlying trading margin of 17.5 percent to 18.5 percent by 2020.

Last year Nestle announced plans to improve its margin by at least 2 percentage points by 2019 or 2020 through cost savings. The Nescafe maker's unadjusted trading operating margin has hovered between 15 percent and 15.3 percent during the past six years.

In July, Schneider said Nestle may expand restructuring beyond its original plan. The company, which had 328,000 employees in 2016, has forecast reorganization costs will rise about 67 percent to 500 million francs this year.

"Virtually all of you underestimate the will to win at this company," Schneider said. "It's hellbent on not losing its leadership position."

Nestle Purina PetCare is based in St. Louis.
Doctors say an Egyptian once known as "the world's heaviest woman" has died in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates. She was 37.

Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi said that Eman Abdul Atti died at 4:35 a.m. on Monday.

Doctors described her death as being due to complications from her weight, including heart disease and kidney dysfunction.

The hospital said: "Our prayers and heartfelt condolences go out to her family."

At one point, Abdul Atti reportedly weighed around 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds). Doctors blamed her weight on a thyroid condition.

Abdul Atti arrived in the UAE in May, receiving care from a team of 20 doctors at Burjeel Hospital. She earlier received medical treatment in India and underwent surgery that saw her lose some 300 kilograms (660 pounds).
By PTI: By K J M Varma

Beijing, Sep 26 (PTI) Pakistans patience and confidence in cooperating with China will "ebb" if Chinese enterprises act in a short-sighted manner and flaunt their economic and technical superiority, a state-run daily warned today.

Pakistan media reports have alleged that Chinese investments do not reflect the Sino-Pakistan friendship or represent pure assistance to Pakistan, but are instead driven by Chinas interests.

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China is investing heavily in Pakistan, including the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

"If Chinese-funded enterprises in Pakistan act in a short-sighted manner and show little interest in the local benefits, Pakistans patience and confidence in cooperating with China will ebb," according to an article in the state-run Global Times.

"Chinese-funded companies must shoulder responsibility and show more tolerance when seeking profits. To respect customs in other cities and value the common interests are good ways of doing business abroad," it said.

Noting that Pakistan has enjoyed a firm relationship with China for more than 60 years, the report said "however, in terms of bilateral cooperation related to the Belt and Road (B&R) initiative, many Pakistani media reports have alleged that these investments do not simply reflect the Sino-Pakistan friendship or represent pure assistance to Pakistan, but are instead driven by Chinas interests".

The requirements for Chinese-funded enterprises included they should hire more local workers and gradually export technology to Pakistan, it said.

In addition to participating in government projects, Chinese enterprises can also strive harder to cooperate with local private companies and they should avoid flaunting economic and technical superiority in any context or situation, it added.

"Pakistan lags behind China in science and technology, economics and other areas, but Chinese companies should avoid superior behaviour and instead communicate with the people of Pakistan in an equal, friendly and cooperative manner," the report said.

Doing so will give China a better image and build harmonious coexistence for Chinese-funded enterprises investing in Pakistan, it said. PTI KJV UZM

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ST. LOUIS  Members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Tuesday questioned a deputy commander on the St. Louis Police Departments use of force policies, but inquiries about recent interactions between police and protesters went largely unanswered.

Maj. Mary Warnecke, deputy commander of the Bureau of Professional Standards, did not address officers use of a technique called kettling during a recent protest over the acquittal of former St. Louis police Officer Jason Stockley, citing an ongoing investigation of the incident.

That tactic was used last Sunday to box in 100 people  including a Post-Dispatch reporter, an Air Force lieutenant who wasnt participating and an undercover cop  at a busy downtown intersection and arrest them for failing to disperse.

Those involved said police officers hit them, kicked them and sprayed pepper spray in their faces while their hands were already tied behind their backs, among other allegations.

We are doing a review of recent events, of course, Warnecke said.

The boards public safety committee invited Warnecke to appear this week as members begin to review when St. Louis police are authorized to use force and how those interactions are later investigated.

Earlier this month, Stockley, who is white, was cleared of first-degree murder charges for the 2011 shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith, who was black. Stockley argued he acted in self-defense, shooting a drug suspect after a high-speed car chase. Prosecutors said he carried out a premeditated murder of Smith and planted a gun in his car to justify the killing.

The verdict has spurred protests throughout the city and complaints of heavy-handed tactics being used by law enforcement tasked with containing the unrest.

Several members of the committee had questions based upon what weve seen going on, and phone calls, and communications with various constituents, said 18th Ward Alderman Terry Kennedy, who chairs the committee.

Warnecke was asked what the department has learned since the events in Ferguson, and how use of force procedures were adapted based on recommendations from groups such as the Ferguson Commission. She said officers have since come to recognize the need to provide an avenue for demonstrators to express their First Amendment rights.

We have tried to share that we recognize that. And I think weve demonstrated that on a lot of these nightly events where they take over streets ... not necessarily lawfully, but ... we want to make it as peaceful as we possibly can, she said.

Warnecke said the department has given consistent orders to disperse, and has learned to issue warnings before using chemical ammunition when possible.

We have to give folks the means to leave if it is an unlawful protest and it is an unlawful gathering that has turned violent and criminal, then we need to make announcements, Warnecke said.

But that might not always be possible, she qualified, if the situation escalates to a point where objects are thrown at police or officers are being injured.

Additionally, Warnecke answered questions about how the department responds to uses of deadly force.

Under that policy, she said, St. Louis police officers can use deadly force to protect themselves or others from what is reasonably believed to be an immediate threat of death or serious physical harm, or to prevent the escape of a person under certain conditions.

Every month, officers have to pass a test to make sure they are up to speed on the police departments special order outlining when to use force, Warnecke said.

A unit tasked with investigating officer-involved shootings within the department is made up of one lieutenant and four detectives. So far in 2017, there have been 15 officer-involved shootings and ensuing investigations in the city, she said, three involving officers who were shot and one involving an officer who was stabbed.

When an officer uses deadly force, the officer is asked to give a preliminary statement but then is allowed two sleep cycles before being asked to give a more extensive interview, per department policy, she said.

How does the public trust the fidelity of the process if we investigate ourselves? 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd asked.

Warnecke said there are checks and balances through the circuit attorneys office, which also investigates the incidents. The public safety committee will hold a similar public questioning with Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner in the coming weeks, Kennedy said.

Editors note: A previous version of this story misspelled Major Mary Warneckes name.
ST. LOUIS  The citys Civil Service Commission voted Tuesday to reinstate a St. Louis police captain who was fired after a controversial burglary investigation, giving him instead a written reprimand in the matter.

Then-Police Chief Sam Dotson put Capt. Ryan Cousins on forced leave in February 2016 after the burglary investigation. He was fired in May 2016.

Cousins, who is black, sued the department in March, claiming other officers, many of them white, blamed him to cover up their own offenses in the burglary investigation. At the time, Cousins attorney Lynette Petruska called it race-based scapegoating.

Petruska confirmed Tuesday that the commission had reinstated her client with a written reprimand but declined to make her client available for questions. Cousins will get back pay. She said she and her client would speak about the ruling during a news conference Wednesday.

Koran Addo, spokesman for Mayor Lyda Krewson, said the city would not comment on the decision because all the events in question occurred during a previous administration. But Addo confirmed the vote by the three-member Civil Service Commission was unanimous.

Cousins firing centered on a burglary call in January 2016 at a home in the 8800 block of Lowell Street.

The 20-year police veteran was accused of ordering officers to alter reports and release a felon suspected of shooting at would-be burglars at a home there. Police put the man in handcuffs after discovering he was a felon; possession of a firearm by a felon is illegal.

Cousins, who was commander of the Sixth District, allegedly arrived and ordered officers to take the handcuffs off the man, return the gun to the mans wife, omit from reports any mention of shots being fired, and not process shell casings found at the scene as evidence.

But Cousins gives a different account in his lawsuit. He said white officers handcuffed the man, who is black, and searched the home without a warrant. Two officers, one white and one black, questioned the man without reading him his Miranda rights, the lawsuit said.

Because their home had been burglarized twice within a short period of time, officers assumed that they were criminals instead of victims, according to the lawsuit.

To cover up their actions and keep Cousins from finding out what they had done, the officers claimed that Cousins told them to file a false police report and not to seize evidence at the scene, the suit claimed.

The lawsuit also claims that officers regularly violate rights of African-American residents in the city because they know they will be protected (not disciplined) when they engage in such misconduct.

City attorney Michael Garvin declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit at the time, but said then, In order to believe Mr. Cousins claims of racism, you have to believe that seven to eight officers are lying and conspiring to get him fired. Well have to see if the Civil Service Commission believes that and now, a jury. We do not.

Brian Millikan, who represents most of the officers who testified against Cousins, said Tuesday he had not seen the ruling and could not comment.

The Ethical Society of Police, which represents interests of black officers, and former Alderman Dionne Flowers have defended Cousins. The police groups president, Sgt. Heather Taylor, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Flowers, who now heads the citys office of the register, said that Cousins was a responsible officer in her ward in the citys Sixth District, and that his reinstatement gives us hope. She said he is ready to go back to work.

I have so many emotions right now. How people didnt believe in him. How hard we, his family and community, had to fight to be heard, to fight for a man we felt had our communitys interest in his heart, Flowers said in a statement.
WASHINGTON  Small regional banks could get relief from regulations - and Missouri's Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and Republican Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer are joining in the effort.

McCaskill will introduce a companion bill to one written by Luetkemeyer that previous won House approval, despite heavy Democratic opposition.

McCaskill, who is up for re-election in 2018, had not previously signed onto the legislation. She now says she will introduce it in the Senate because the conditions are more favorable for relief for small banks from regulations, commonly referred to as Dodd-Frank, that were passed in the wake of the financial meltdown of 2008.

She is trying to round up Republican co-sponsors of legislation, virtually identical to the one Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, is offering in the House.

Luetkemeyer has been trying to ease restrictions on banks with less than $50 billion in assets, and his legislation passed the House in the previous Congress, 254-161, with 20 Democrats voting for it. But the Senate never seriously considered it, and it faced a potential veto from then President Barack Obama had it been passed.

I welcome Sen. McCaskill's support of the Senate companion of my  legislation, Luetkemeyer said in a statement. I have championed this issue in the House of Representatives for four years. As a result, last Congress, the House passed my legislation with strong bipartisan support. I hope Senator McCaskill can educate and bring other members of the Senate Democratic Conference to support this bill that will bring economic growth throughout our state and the country."

McCaskill spokesman John LaBombard said Tuesday the senator decided to push the legislation in the Senate because Missourians dont care whether an idea comes from a Democrat, or a Republican, or an independent and that the time seems promising in the Senate because the new Banking Committee chair  Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho  has a record of working across the aisle.

LaBombard said that there are real negotiations happening in the Senate and real possibilities that well get something done, a reference to early discussions about immigration and tax reform, among other things, that have begun even as the Senate has been bitterly divided over health care reform.

McCaskill is constantly listed as one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats in 2018, but she has spent much of this year highlighting her work with Republicans on issues ranging from sex trafficking to cutting taxpayer-funded portraits of government officials. The senator held several dozen town hall meetings in rural Missouri this summer, areas that were heavily carried by Republican President Donald Trump in 2016 on his way to a landslide in Missouri.

McCaskill voted for Dodd-Frank in 2010. Missouris other senator at the time, Republican Kit Bond, voted no.

Luetkemeyer has argued for years that Dodd-Franks attempts to more stringently regulate big banks whose very size and connectedness to other financial institutions could threaten the entire economy if they failed have also hurt community banks ability to loan money and conduct other business.

These regulations have rolled downhill to small, mid-sized banks  unintended, but they are a consequence, he told the Post-Dispatch in December.

When it passed the House last year, Democrats attacked Luetkemeyers legislation as a walk-back to a more lax regulatory environment that led to the 2008 meltdown in the first place.

We will live to regret this vote, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, said.
Naresh Kumar's neighbours say that he is an alcoholic and a wife-beater, who recently broke his mother-in-law's nose in fury.

By Chayyanika Nigam: A city cab driver, who allegedly raped and killed a female puppy, has now been accused of hitting his mother-in-law and breaking her nose. Naresh Kumar, 34, was arrested for assault but was later released on bail. Mail Today was the first to report the gruesome incident that allegedly took place last month in west Delhi's Naraina area when Naresh purportedly sexually assaulted the puppy, leading to its death .

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According to experts, attacks as well as cases of cruelty against canines are on the rise in the country.

A chilling CCTV footage emerged last month, showing a group of young men savagely pummelling a stray dog to death with bricks in a south Delhi alley and then stealing the carcass. Two of the accused were arrested and they claimed to have eaten the animal. Similarly, a psychopath, Nakul Mishra, was found stabbing dogs to death at the Green Park Metro Station in Delhi, and an unemployed Dwarka resident chopped off the hind legs of a puppy with a hacksaw when it scratched him last year.

In October 2016, Hyderabad police arrested a man for killing and raping a female dog.

'HE IS A PERVERT'

Naresh also allegedly thrashed his wife and fractured her arm when she told this reporter that her husband, who is a father of two, is a pervert. But despite an FIR, Naresh was not arrested then. Locals blame cops for inaction, saying his arrest earlier could have averted this incident. Since then, his wife, who works in an anganwadi, stopped going out and started staying inside her one-room home.

"Every day after consuming alcohol, Naresh used to beat her in front of their two school-going daughters. He also used to create ruckus in the locality with his abusive language, and knock on the doors of neighbours early in the morning," said locals. Sources say last week, an inebriated Naresh became violent and beat up his wife again.

At that time, his mother-in-law was also present and, when she intervened, he punched her on the nose, leaving her bleeding. Naresh managed to escape and didn't return that night, locals said. Naresh's mother-in-law was rushed to the hospital where doctors told that her nose was broken.

She underwent treatment before she was discharged. When locals pressured Naresh's wife to report the matter to the cops, she then made a call to the police control room and filed a complaint. Police confirmed that an FIR has been registered. Naresh was arrested and was released on bail.

Speaking to Mail Today, Naresh's wife said that since the puppy rape incident coming to light, he had become more violent. She repeated her previous statement that Naresh is a pervert. "I have left him now... I cannot put my daughters lives at risk time and again as he can attack them anytime. I want him behind bars. I will live with my parents and start working more to provide education to my children," she said. Deputy commissioner of police (west) Vijay Kumar refused to comment on the matter. Animal rights activists criticised the police for not arresting Naresh even when the post-mortem report of the canine confirmed rape and death due to excessive bleeding from private parts and shock. Naresh had allegedly stuffed the puppy's body in a jute bag before chucking it near a garbage dumping site.

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By PTI: Patna, Sep 26 (PTI) States like Bihar are the worst victims of climate change as it frequently faces floods and drought affecting development, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said here today.

Bihar faced major floods in the year 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2017 causing loss of life and property, damage to crops, roads and other infrastructure, Modi said.

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For this years flood, 514 people died and the state government paid Rs 1788 crore as ex-gratia to 30 lakh affected families, he said at a symposium on climate change.

"This is the magnitude of the damage caused by floods in one year alone.... The frequency of natural disasters has been rising due to climate change," Modi said.

A very huge amount of money is spent to deal with disaster related incidents, he said adding that the state government has made a provision of Rs 68,000 crore in 2016-17 for its 10 departments to deal with natural disasters.

The deputy chief minister said it would be difficult to combat the issue of climate change until and unless every individual of the country moderate his/her life-style.

"Affluent sections of the society will have to take initiative to reduce carbon footprint. There is a need for creating awareness among the people as how to moderate ones life-style," the senior BJP leader said.

He also advised people to avoid packaged food items, plastic bottles and bags and grow the habit of switching off lights, fans and water taps when not in use.

In the symposium, state Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav highlighted the necessity of a detailed study on the impact of climate change in Bihar. PTI AR NN

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Philip Seccombe.

POLICE and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe has pressed the case for fairer funding for Warwickshire Police in a meeting with the government minister responsible for policing in Westminster this week.

At Mondays meeting with Nick Hurd MP, Mr Seccombe was joined by Warwickshire Police Chief Constable Martin Jelley. Together they outlined the current challenges operationally and financially on the forces and made the case for a greater investment for policing, ahead of the Governments November budget.

After the meeting, Mr Seccombe said: "We had a positive and constructive meeting and the Minister listened carefully to what we had to say. We explained the current Medium Term Financial Plan and put across the operational and financial challenges we face, while also highlighting that Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police have led the way on policing collaboration, delivering 36 million in savings already.

"Since taking office my focus has been to support officers as they do their jobs by equipping them to be more efficient and effective, against a backdrop of increasing demand on their services. However, as a smaller rural force we are having to face this challenge with proportionately fewer resources than other areas; we gave the example that the number of officers we have per thousand people is considerably below the national average, which of course has an impact on the service we can give to the public. Inevitably, this places pressure on officers and staff and means that we do not have a level playing field when compared with other forces.

"Overall, I pressed the case for a fairer system of funding for policing, with less top slicing of budgets and greater flexibility for Police and Crime Commissioners to determine their budgets locally to reflect the priorities of their local communities. I think the Minister fully took on board what we were saying and will be pressing the case with the Treasury for police funding to be reflective of the current and future challenges. In the meantime, I will continue to do all I can to ensure that our resources are used effectively, with the protection of frontline policing an absolute priority."

Warwickshire Police Chief Constable Martin Jelley said: I met with Policing Minister Nick Hurd for a constructive discussion about policing demands funding. The Minister was receptive to the case that we made for a fairer share of national funding for our force. Our officers and staff are hugely dedicated and professional, but their numbers have diminished in recent years, causing stress and strain on the quality of the service that they are able to provide to the communities we serve.

Nationally and locally there needs to be a reinvestment in policing. It is only right that our case is made in the strongest terms possible in a time of increasing demands and pressures on the front line. We believe our position and message was fully understood by the Minister, who is responsible for making the case to the Treasury.
Virtual Reality, Real Medicine: Treating Brain Injuries With VR

For some people, virtual reality is anything but a game. For some traumatic brain injury patients, its a means to living a normal life.

Meet Dr. Denise Krch, a research scientist and one of the leaders in virtual reality (VR) applications for sufferers of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Krch has won grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research and from the Department of Defense (DOD) for her promising research, and works with the DOD to help impaired soldiers.

Krch doesnt ask a patient to strap on an Oculus Rift or an HTC Vive. In fact, her VR doesnt use headsets at all. That surround experience is called immersive VR. What Krch uses is non-immersive. Her VR is shown on a computer monitor and is more like a video game in which a player uses a joystick and mouse to manage real-world situations.

For TBI sufferers, distractions and the need to juggle multiple tasks can make the typical workplace impossible to navigate. They find their thoughts batted around by each new interruption, and are unable to focus on one task for long. Its frustrating and frightening. Krchs VR applications dont transport patients to far-off worlds; they put patients in the middle of an office, one that grows more distracting as they progress.

Krch is based in East Hanover, N.J., at a division of the Kessler Foundation, a nonprofit that assists people with physical disabilities, and she is affiliated with Rutgers Universitys New Jersey Medical School, but she owes her interest in VR to a guest from the West. Seven years back, Albert Skip Rizzo, the director for medical virtual reality at the University of Southern Californias Institute for Creative Technologies, visited the Kessler Foundation to share his research in VR as a treatment Krch was impressed with the role VR can play in rehabilitation and rebuilding cognitive functions that are difficult to improve.

She was so impressed, in fact, that she began working with Sebastian Koenig, then a post doctorate student and researcher in Rizzos lab, on a new trial.

Krchs work deals with the cognitive area called executive function, which includes our ability to organize, plan, and shift attention from one task to another or keep two things in mind at once. Impairments in this area are difficult to measure in neuropsychological assessments. The first challenge Krch and Koenig tried to solve was measuring executive function performance. They wanted to use VR to determine which patients were having trouble multitasking or switching attention in real world situations.

To do that, they created software that put the test subjects in a virtual environment where they were challenged to perform tasks while distracted or where they were forced to shift focus. The researchers ran their tests with a healthy control population and with patients they suspected of having impairments. Some of these patients had TBI, while others had multiple sclerosis (MS).

The VR environment put subjects in an office where they were seated at a desk and charged to pay attention to different messages coming through their computer. Some messages were spam, which they had to learn to ignore. Other emails required a response. Many included real estate offers, and the subjects had to decide whether to accept offers or decline them.

Besides making financial decisions, subjects had to keep watch on an office projector. That projector wasnt visible from where they were seated, but was in a nearby conference room. Told that the projectors light was on the fritz, they needed to turn and check on it frequently while managing their other tasks.

We found that indeed our patient populations were actually seemingly intact or normal on our traditional neuropsych measures, but they were performing in the very impaired range when we looked at them using VR, Krch says.

To understand why this video-game-like experience is called VR, its necessary to understand presencethe feeling of how much believability an immersive situation offers. For a test to be effective, patients need to feel like theyre in a believable scenario. Krch and Koenigs simulation proved to be extremely believable, stressing out TBI patients in no time with competing stimuli. While creating actual physical spaces could test the same functions, that isnt practical, and bringing patients into stores or similar real-world locations can lead to safety issues. Using VR better helps researchers control the experience: They can precisely monitor stimuli and responses while generating clinical data.

In a virtual environment, you have complete control over whether the environment was fairly sterile and limited in distraction. As they were able to build to tolerating more distraction, you could add. So really thats the biggest advantage of having a virtual environment, Krch explains.

That trial successfully tested for a variety of impairments in attention and executive function. It showed impairments in the ability to remember to remember, called prospective memory, in turning to check the projector. Responding to emails tested selective attention where the subject chooses to focus on one thing and not another. Determining whether or not to accept the real estate offers tested problem solving. TBI and MS patients who didnt show problems on standard neuropsych tests showed problems across the board when using VR.

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Police has unearthed several illegal transactions made through hawala and benami properties during the probe. The investigators are also probing whether Dawood received money from India through hawala network.

By Divyesh Singh, Munish Pandey, Virendrasingh Ghunawat: Trouble seems to be mounting for underworld don and India's most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar, who is currently in Thane Police custody after Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated probe against him.

"The ED has filed an ECIR against four persons including Iqbal Kaskar, Israr Z Saiyyad, Mumtaz Shaikh and others for extortion and illegal transfer of property under Section 3 and 4 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)", said the agency.

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Police has unearthed several illegal transactions made through hawala and benami properties during the probe. The investigators are also probing whether Dawood received money from India through hawala network. Sources in Thane Police have told India Today that details of several hawala operators obtained indicate that money from India to Pakistan was sent to Dawood.

"In addition, the agency would also shortlist the properties of Iqbal Kaskar and his associates in Mumbai and would get ready with its action-plan to attach it. Also, letter rogatory (LR) would be issued to concerned countries to establish the money trail outside India", the source said.

Since the day Kaksar was arrested, the ED officials were in touch with Thane police on day to day basis. Even now, as the investigation would be progressing in Thane, the ED would be recording statements of every individual involved in this case, irrespective of their profile.

Iqbal Kaskar, during interrogation also told the police that Dawood is in Pakistan and has also provided few addresses of him in Pakistan. Iqbal also confirmed that Dawood is in good health and visits Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi for medical treatment.

Thane's Anti-Extortion Cell led by former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma had arrested Iqbal Kaskar on September 19.

Kaskar, who confessed speaking to Dawood at least four times on phone calls in the recent past also told the investigators that the dreaded don is scared of calling family members on phone as his phone might be tapped.

Kaskar is currently arrested for threatening builders on behalf of his brother to extort money. Police says that some of the builders had already paid huge sums of money to Kaskar.

WATCH | Ace cop Pradeep Sharma reveals how he nabbed Iqbal Kaskar

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have agreed to nominate Shah Mehmood Qureshi as next Opposition Leader in National Assembly.

Both parties expressed reservations on Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Khurshid Shah as leader of the opposition. Addressing to a joint press conference in Karachi, MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar said the party shares the same opinion on several national issues with PTI.

He thanked the group of PTI leaders for their arrival and welcomed them. Leaders of PTI and MQM-P held discussion on various political issues.

Talking about the meeting, Farooq Sattar stressed that his party is in favour of mutual consent on national agenda. "Mandate of Pakistan is divided. Only one party cannot save the people from problems," he stated.

The MQM-P leader went on to claim that Sindh government led by PPP didn t perform at all in the province, adding that the party never talked about authority and powers. He accused PPP of playing the role of friendly opposition in the lower house. "Accountability of all should be done without discrimination," he said.

On the other hand, Shah Mehmood Qureshi thanked MQM-P for their support and stressed that an effective local government is essential for the progress. He raised the issue of transparent elections and hoped for an election commission which stood credible for all the political parties. Qureshi urged the parties to discuss the appointment of new NAB chairman and caretaker government.

PTI has also planned to hold talks with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamshed Dasti for the same purpose, he told.
Gujaratis who are in Gujarat will run the state government, which will not be controlled from New Delhi via a remote control, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Day 2 of his visit to the poll-bound state.

By India Today Web Desk: Gujarat's government will be by Gujaratis in Gujarat, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said today in a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

Gandhi, speaking from a campaign bus in Gujarat, worded his sentence carefully, perhaps to avoid criticism linked to the fact that PM Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah are both Gujaratis.

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However, that Modi and Shah were the target of Gandhi's message was made clear when the Congress vice-president said that Gujarat's government, under his party, would not be run by New Delhi by a 'remote control'.

Rahul Gandhi on Monday kicked off the Congress's poll campaign in Gujarat by attacking PM Modi over note ban, GST, farm policies and 'Gujarat model' of development.

Talking to journalists on arrival in Jamnagar for a road show on the first day of his three-day tour of Gujarat, Gandhi said people are regretting having voted for the BJP.

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"There is a strong undercurrent in favour of Congress in Gujarat. People want change and Congress will definitely come to power this time. People of Gujarat are unhappy with the ruling party as they feel cheated after giving their votes to the BJP," said Gandhi, adding that Congress will help Gujarat develop.

The Congress is out of power in Gujarat for over two decades. The 47-year-old Congress leader, who started the day by offering prayers at the famous Dwarkadhish Temple in Dwarka, interacted with people during his trip from the holy city to Jamnagar, passing through Saurashtra region.

In his short speeches at various places, Gandhi assailed Modi over demonetisation and a host of other issues. Traveling in a especially-designed bus, he interacted with villagers at many places.

Gandhi came down heavily on Gujarat's BJP government on the issue of privatisation. "Privatisation is happening in every sector under this government, be it education or health sector. Due to this policy of the BJP government, poor people are not getting education or health services," Gandhi said.

He promised free medicines and medical treatment if the Congress is voted to power in Gujarat. Accusing the BJP government of being "anti-farmer", Gandhi also demanded that the government announce complete farm loan waiver in Gujarat.

(With PTI inputs)

"If the government can waive loans given to businessmen, why not farmers? The Indian government gave away Rs 1.30 lakh crore to 15 large business houses while Rs 7 lakh crore in loans were not returned to banks. They (businessmen) will get all the benefits, while you (farmers) will be jailed for not repaying loans," Gandhi said.

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WATCH | Rahul renews attack on Modi govt in Berkeley, says note ban caused tremendous damage

--- ENDS ---
The Delhi High Court today rejected the transit anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, facing charges of sedition and inciting violence after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim in twin rape cases.

By Press Trust of India: The Delhi High Court today rejected the transit anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, facing charges of sedition and inciting violence after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim in twin rape cases.

The court said she was not entitled to any "discretionary relief" as she has been evading arrest since the violence that had erupted after the conviction of the Dera chief on August 25, claiming 41 lives and leaving scores injured.

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Transit anticipatory bail application is meant to seek protection against arrest. In this case, Honeypreet had sought protection from arrest during her transit from Delhi to Haryana to join the probe in the sedition case.

Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said the application of Honeypreet, the alleged accomplice and adopted daughter of Ram Rahim, was "not bonafide and has been filed with a view to gain time" and delay the proceedings going on in a Panchkula court in Haryana.

The court noted that Honeypreet, who has been on the run since the conviction of Ram Rahim, has remained non-committal in joining the probe or surrendering. Her plea for protection to enable her to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the relief was "without merit".

Despite a lookout notice against her, the efforts of the police to apprehend her have not yielded results, it said.

The judge also observed that the grant of anticipatory bail was a judicial discretion which has to be exercised on circumspection, and the court has to satisfy that the bail application has been made on bonafide grounds and there is no manipulation and manoeuvering on the part of the applicant for artificially creating jurisdiction for the court.

Further, the court said, whenever an application for anticipatory bail is made before a court, where an FIR has been lodged elsewhere that is out of the territorial jurisdiction, the court is duty-bound to consider whether the applicant is a regular or bonafide resident of a place within the local limits of that court and is "not a camouflage to evade the process of law."

"Noticing the above and keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case that the applicant till now has evaded arrest, discretionary relief should not be granted to the applicant.

"It appears that the application is not bonafide and has been filed with a view to gain time. The prayer of the counsel for the applicant that protection be granted to him so that he may approach the High Court of Punjab and Haryana is without merit as the applicant had the liberty to avail the remedy before the competent court," the judge said while dismissing the plea.

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Earlier in the day, the high court had reserved the order on the bail plea of the 37-year-old woman after hearing the arguments of her counsel and those of the Delhi and Haryana Police.

During the hearing, the high court had questioned Honeypreet for filing an anticipatory bail plea before it even though she was a permanent resident of Haryana and told her "the easiest way out is that you surrender".

Her plea was vehemently opposed by the counsel for Delhi and Haryana Police who said it was "a ploy to do forum shopping" and, by giving a wrong address of a Delhi property, she was "hoodwinking" the court.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons wanted by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahims conviction in the rape cases.

Ram Rahim was convicted by the special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, following which violence and arson had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa districts of Haryana which had claimed 41 lives and left several others injured.

--- ENDS ---

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In an exclusive chat with India Today, many Hindu Rohingya women revealed that they were harassed, forced to remove sindoor, break bangles among other things in Bangladesh relief camps.

By Manogya Loiwal : Hindu Rohingyas living in Bangladesh relief camps have purportedly become a soft target for Muslim Rohingyas in the country. Both have taken shelter after coming from Myanmar but the difference is in the numbers, and that is the key.

Hindu Rohingya women say they were forced to remove sindoor, break bangles and even tie the Puja calls herself Rabia now- the change happened this month. She is a Hindu Rohingya who left Myanmar in hope of a refuge.

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But circumstances turned her life upside down. Puja, now Rabia, lost her husband to violence in the last week of August in Myanmar. She says he was not killed by the Army but by men clad in black with their faces hidden, who were abusing in the name of religion. Theoman says her husband and entire family were shot in front of her but she was left alive to live as a captive.

"They took us to the forest and said I would have to read namaz or they would release me... My sindoor was removed and my religious shakha pola bangles broken. I was told I would be allowed to live only if I changed my religion. I was made to wear burqa and stay with them to learn their traditions for almost three weeks. I was made to read namaz... I had to say Allah, but my heart was beating for Bhagwan... My co-dwellers started searching for me and came to know that I was living in a Muslim camp."

The red saree is the only one she has now and her three-year-old son has no clothes at all. This reporter met many more such women in the Hindu Rohingya camp in Kotupalong area of Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh.

WE HAVE NO IDEA: GOVT SOURCES

If Puja became Rabia, Rica was being turned into Sadia. Twenty-eight-year-old Rica Dhar adjusted her orange saree to feed her year-old son as she narrated a similar tragic tale.

"On Friday (August 25) they entered all the Hindu residences and attacked. First the mobile phones were taken away and then men were tied and beaten brutally. My husband worked as a goldsmith. They took away all my jewellery and began beating me. All Hindus were identified and taken to a nearby hill. They were then killed in a row. Only eight women were allowed to stay among them mostly young and beautiful. They were told 'You will have to turn Muslim and marry us' We had no option but to surrender and go with them... We were taken to the forest and left without food to weaken us mentally also. Then we were brought to a camp in Bangladesh... Once my Hindu relatives heard about it they brought me to this place."

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Both Rica and Puja say there were six more women besides them who shared their fate. After they could not be traced anywhere in Myanmar or Bangladesh, they were identified at the Kotupalong Rohingya camp where they were kept under close watch by those who were allegedly executing this forcible conversion.

The government officials were clueless about what was going on till India Today Group brought this to their notice. "We do not have any such information," said Md. Ali Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of Cox's Bazar. "If it has occurred, we will take necessary action." Men hailing from the same Rakhine state went out in search of these women and allegedly faced torture themselves.

Vijay Ram Pal says he was assaulted during his quest. "We are victims of Burma army and now we are being tortured here also. Eight women who were here from Myanmar they were forcibly taken to another camp and were asked to convert to Islam. Thankfully, a person here in the camp came to know about this saved them," he said.

Puja alias Rabia can now breathe easy. "I am back in the Hindu camp for the past three days after being rescued by my some women," she says. Around five lakh Rohingyas have entered Bangladeshi territory and are scattered in different parts of this district.

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Among them, a significant number is of Hindus. When this reporter apprised Bangladesh's information minister Hasanul Haq Inu about the situation, he promised action. "The news is very bad and astounding... we have taken all measures to put Rohingya Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Buddhist families in separate camps," he said. "We will be investigating this and we will be very tough."

--- ENDS ---
Sustainable tourism: New profit for businesses By Dr. Ajith C. S. Perera World Tourism Day falls on Sept 27 View(s): View(s):

World Tourism Day has been celebrated since 1980 on September 27, the day on which the Statutes of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) entered into force.

Official celebrations of World Tourism Day 2017 will be held in Qatar. The UN General Assembly declared the year ahead as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development with the emphasis on Tourism as a driver of economic growth.

Sustainable tourism is all about economic growth with cultural preservation and social inclusiveness  accessibility being an indispensable element.

It is defined as: Tourism that respects both local people and the traveller  their needs and expectations, cultural heritage and the environment. It seeks to benefit the people of the host country. It should take full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental positive impacts.

Open your eyes!

World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary-General Taleb Rifai in his official message stated: Last year alone, 1.2 billion travellers crossed international borders in one single year.

In just 12 years  by 2030  this number will increase by 50% to become 1.8 billion. The question, as we celebrate World Tourism Day 2017, is how we can enable this powerful global transformative force  these 1.8 billion opportunities  to contribute to make this world ACCESSIBLE to all of them with safety and dignity and thereby to advance sustainable development.

Ageing is inevitable for everyone and sets new needs that shape travel decisions.

People over 65 years are those who have the time, desire and purchasing power to travel. It is estimated that they make up at least 16% of the world travelling population.

Globally, it is estimated that there are near 1 billion persons with restricted mobility, as well as another 2 billion people, such as spouses, children and caregivers of such persons, those temporarily immobile, representing almost a third of the worlds population, who are directly affected by dis-Ability.

This signifies a huge potential market for travel and tourism. But, it still remains vastly under-served due to inaccessible travel and tourism facilities and services, and discriminatory policies and practices.

Accessible tourism for all

The world of travel and tourism is a people-oriented fast growing industry. The ACCESS and SAFETY needs of world touring population are diverse. But every human has the right to enjoy leisure and tourism without obstacles.

Failure to provide safe and equal access to a facility or equal treatment in a service  such as in tourism  constitutes discrimination.

Planning for as broad a range of travellers as possible implies planning for people with varying physical and sensory abilities. It will enable them to take an active part in travel and tourism with minimal risk of injury.

Enabling that to happen is an indispensable lucrative business opportunity providing rich dividends for companies and destinations.

Also, businesses have a moral duty, social responsibility and a legal obligation to make their facilities accessible equally to everyone.

Accessibility in tourism promoting universal accessibility was the international theme for the year ended.

It is about the commitment, endeavour and creation of tourist destinations to ensure that built environments and facilities, products and services are accessible and cater for the needs of the widest possible range of travellers with safety, regardless of their physical limitations or age.

Then United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, last year in his official message, concluded even with modern technologies, those with visual, hearing, mobility or cognitive impairments are being marginalised or left behind in many tourism destinations.

Five goals Sri Lanka is yet missing

Last year at the Worlds Tourism day held in Bangkok, the following goals were recognised for Accessible Tourism to include:

(i). Hotels and guest houses that can cater for the essential facilities and safety needs of everyone, focusing the principles of universal design.

(ii). Clearer, precise, more accessible and reliable information on accessibility and safety of tourism facilities, products and services for these sectors.

(iii). Adequate overall training for tourism professionals at all levels.

(iv). Accessibility standards and guidelines throughout the tourism sector.

(v). Independent assessments by truly competent accessibility experts to evaluate these provisions against internationally accepted design standards.

Where exactly are we today?

Sri Lanka Tourism is yet to get off the ground with Accessible Tourism. The travelling population with physical and sensory impairments remains an overlooked growth market.

Their high spending potential remains untapped due to lack of right facilities, failure of staff to acquire the skills necessary to attract and serve them knowledgably, and absence of marketing skills to earn their business.

Bits and pieces of facilities here and there cannot systemically target them to serve the purpose well enough nor bring the advantages Accessible Tourism can bring us.

None of these five goals identified last year is yet recognised by Sri Lanka tourism.

No wonder, importantly, increasing numbers of travellers complain that the facilities and accessibility needs they booked are not the ones they truly find on arrival here.

Assessments and evaluation by independent accessibility experts for compliance with minimum standards and access regulations are completely overlooked in awarding certificates of conformity and assigning 4 or 5 or 6 star grades.

Toilets and wash facilities at most 5 and even newly given 6 star hotels remain safety hazards even for the ambulant. Often they are inaccessible for independent travellers using wheelchairs.

Basic safety features are either missing or wrongly positioned.

Most restaurants and ballrooms do not even have a single accessible table or a nearby accessible toilet, causing much embarrassment to seniors attending weddings.

Emergency alarms are unheard of even by most city hotels.

There are several reputed hotels awarded 5-stars without even a single room with proper essential access facilities!

Although the ruling given by the apex court of the country in April 2011, and the accessibility regulations that are in force approved unanimously by the Parliament of Sri Lanka on March 20 2007, state the minimum number of rooms that must comply with design standards, they are never taken into any serious consideration in granting star statuses in the classification of hotels.

Even after 10 years, these court rulings and laws are yet not incorporated into UDA Building regulations.

We also have ratified in 2016 a UN Convention of 2006 to assure the world that immediate steps will be taken to ensure that the people with limited ability in Sri Lanka shall start enjoying their inherent rights.

This is just another Convention Sri Lanka is failing to honour as promised. We cannot fool all the people always!

Accessibility experts  our missing link

Accessibility experts perform a highly responsible specialised job, involving money, time and effort concerning precious human life.

It requires a good in-depth understanding of intricacies, adequate practical experience and thorough working knowledge that goes beyond text-book knowledge.

It is not one where standards and specifications can just be read and applied in vital tasks.

Politicians and decision makers here still believe that the architects and engineers in the building construction industry are alone competent enough to break barriers and establish a just society inclusive to all.

Looking at reality proves that absence of the services of experienced accessibility experts is a very costly blunder that fuels social exclusion and loss of business opportunities and good name.

This adverse trend is reversible.

Proposed plan of action

The Justice Ministry on high priority must take immediate steps to ensure laws and court orders of which failure to implement thereby are affecting the lives of the LARGEST MINORITY of Sri Lanka estimated at 20% of our population are enforced enabling to enjoy their Inherent Right to Access public facilities with dignity and without marginalisation, regardless of their degree of ability.

The goal the Justice Ministry should achieve here is: all facilities at up-coming cities, towns, basic urban infrastructures and; services under new Megapolis agenda, the hotel industry in particular, that the public will use in daily life, shall comply with court orders and accessibility regulations.

As UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai concludes, you should be the change you want to see and may you be an ambassador and activist to bring these changes for Sri Lanka to become the tourism destination of choice soon.

(Dr. Ajith C. S. Perera  a former senior manager in industry  was left instantly a Paraplegic for life by a fallen way side tree in 1992. Undeterred by this personal adversity he has bounced back to serve humanity as a fervent advocate of design for inclusion  most importantly as a widely experienced and highly competent accessibility advisor and accessor  as has been befittingly recognised by reputed bodies overseas. Since 2004 he has been the pioneer campaigner for Accessible Tourism for all in Sri Lanka. For further information see http://goo.gl/3FWyW)
Delhi High Court has rejected the bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, foster daughter of jailed Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is facing charges of sedition and inciting violence.

By India Today Web Desk: The Delhi High Court has rejected the bail plea of Honeypreet Insan , foster daughter of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Honeypreet is facing charges of sedition and inciting violence after the conviction of the godman in twin rape cases.

The court said she was not entitled to any "discretionary relief" as she has been evading arrest since the violence that had erupted after the conviction of the Dera chief on August 25, claiming 41 lives and leaving scores injured.

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Her lawyer Pradeep Kumar Arya, while responding to the HC order, said, "We are examining the order. We will see what can be done."

Earlier today, Arya filed an application for a three-week transit anticipatory bail for Honeypreet in the Delhi High Court. The high court had reserved the order on the bail plea of the 37-year-old woman after hearing the arguments of her counsel and those of the Delhi and Haryana Police.

The High Court questioned on what grounds Honeypreet was filing the anticipatory bail before it, even though she was a permanent resident of Haryana.

The court asked the counsel for Honeypreet, who claims to be the adopted daughter of Ram Rahim, to show any document that a property in Delhi belonged to her or anyone connected to her.

'SURRENDER EASIEST WAY OUT FOR YOU'

"The easiest way out is that you surrender", Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said, while asking why the 36-year-old woman was seeking transit anticipatory bail for three weeks.

Justice Sehgal said the application of Honeypreet, alleged accomplice and adopted daughter of Ram Rahim, was "not bonafide and has been filed with a view to gain time" and delay the proceedings going on in a Panchkula court in Haryana.

The court noted that Honeypreet, who has been on the run since the conviction of Ram Rahim, has remained non-committal in joining the probe or surrendering. Her plea for protection to enable her to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the relief was "without merit".

Despite a lookout notice against her, the efforts of the police to apprehend her have not yielded results, it said.

The judge also observed that the grant of anticipatory bail was a judicial discretion which had to be exercised on circumspection, and the court had to satisfy that the bail application has been made on bonafide grounds and there is no manipulation and manoeuvering on the part of the applicant for artificially creating jurisdiction for the court.

Further, the court said, whenever an application for anticipatory bail is made before a court, where an FIR has been lodged elsewhere that is out of the territorial jurisdiction, the court is duty-bound to consider whether the applicant is a regular or bonafide resident of a place within the local limits of that court and is "not a camouflage to evade the process of law."

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"Noticing the above and keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case that the applicant till now has evaded arrest, discretionary relief should not be granted to the applicant.

"It appears that the application is not bonafide and has been filed with a view to gain time. The prayer of the counsel for the applicant that protection be granted to him so that he may approach the High Court of Punjab and Haryana is without merit as the applicant had the liberty to avail the remedy before the competent court," the judge said while dismissing the plea.

HONEYPREET TOPS 'WANTED' LIST OF HARYANA POLICE

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet tops the list of 43 people wanted by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

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Ram Rahim was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, following which violence broke out in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa districts that claimed 41 lives and left many others injured.

The court asked Honeypreet's counsel to convince it as to how its territorial jurisdiction could be invoked and said it would take care of her rights only after that.

"First you come on jurisdiction. Why has the plea been moved here? You surrender in Delhi and we will take care", the judge said.

WHAT IS A TRANSIT ANTICIPATORY BAIL?

Transit anticipatory bail application is meant to seek protection against arrest. Honeypreet had sought protection from arrest during her transit from Delhi to Haryana to join the investigation in the sedition case.

Honeypreet's advocate sought the relief saying she was a lady, who was not running away and was ready to join the investigation if protected by this court.

"It is to humiliate me. I am not required for custodial interrogation. If I am given protection from here, I will move the Panchkula court or the Punjab and Haryana High Court for anticipatory bail. I am not even named in the FIR. What kind of sedition charges can be there against me", advocate Arya, who represented Honeypreet, said.

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He said Honeypreet was apprehending arrest in Delhi and the police had raided her house here on Tuesday morning.

The plea was vehemently opposed by the counsel for Delhi and Haryana Police, who said it was "a ploy to do 'forum shopping'" and, by giving a wrong address of a Delhi property, she was "hoodwinking" the court.

(WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | Saw Honeypreet and Gurmeet naked in bed, says her ex-husband Vishwas Gupta

--- ENDS ---
Honeypreet Insan was in New Delhi as recently as Monday when she visited her lawyer at his Lajpat Nagar officer ahead of her bail plea hearing at the Delhi High Court. Cops raided a location in New Delhi in order to arrest her but failed to find her at the property.

By Shalini Lobo, Manjeet Sehgal, Chirag Gothi: Honeypreet Insan, the elusive foster daughter and supposed companion of jailed Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was in Delhi as recently as Monday.

Honeypreet, who is wanted in cases relating to sedition and inciting violence, visited the officer of her advocate Pradeep Kyumar Arya on Monday in order to sign a transit bail application.

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Based on this information, Haryana Police, which issued an arrest warrant in Honeypreet's name, raided a location in New Delhi. Cops from Haryana's Police's Panchkula unit raided a property registered under Dera Sacha Sauda's name and located in Greater Kailash II.

However, the police returned empty handed after not finding Honeypreet or the other two Dera members - Dr Aditya Insan and Pawan Insaan - they were looking for. All three Dera followers are accused of inciting violence and hatching a conspiracy to free Gurmeet Ram Rahim after he was convicted of rape by a Panckhula CBI court on August 25.

Cops were at the Greater Kailash II property for more than an hour, but they did not find anything, or anyone, except a caretaker, who confirmed that the property belongs to the Dera Sacha Sauda.

Haryana Police has said that if the Honeypreet, Aditya and Pawan aren't arrested by the end of October, then the three Dera members will be declared proclaimed absconders.

HONEYPREET SEEKS PROTECTION

Meanwhile, Honeypreet on Monday moved the Delhi High Court seeking protection from arrest. Honeypreet's has been admitted by the Delhi High Court and will be heard today afternoon.

Ever since August 25, when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of rape, Honeypreet has proved to be elusive for Haryana Police, which earlier issued a lookout notice against her. There were reports that she was sighted at various places in Rajasthan and even Nepal.

On Monday, however, she was New Delhi, her lawyer Pradeep Kumar Arya confirmed. Arya said that Honeypreet visited his Lajpat Nagar, signed her transit bail application form and left for an unknown destination.

Reacting to the lawyer's claim, Haryana Police chief B S Sandhu said that his force is on the lookout and that if Honeypreet, who tops the list of the most-wanted Dera Sacha Sauda members, is in New Delhi, she will be arrested soon.

"A number of teams are already on the job and if Honeypreet is in New Delhi... she will be arrested soon. Our offices are already in touch with New Delhi Police," Sandhu said.

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WATCH | Honeypreet Insan's early days: A ground report from her hometown

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It started with a mat-time story about a whale and her baby, and turned into three elaborate murals for the Community Kindy in Welcome Bay.

Community Kindy The Bay had three murals designed by Auckland mural and graffiti artist Jonny 4 higher, which was funded by BestStart.

The murals are inspired by the local Maori legend The Three Whales that was told by the kaumatua of Nga Potiki at the kindy.

The Three Whales tells the story of a whale and her baby swimming through the Tauranga harbour and stopping at Karikari on the eastern shore of Rangataua.

The whales are then enticed by a sacred spring, which turns them into a small hill beside Mangatawa on the Papamoa side.

The father, looking for his family, endures the same fate and turns into a mountain south of Mangatawa called Kopukairoa.

Community Kindy The Bay manager Jayne Vuglar says the children love the new murals and enjoyed learning about how the mountains came to be.

When I saw that we had a few blank fences I thought it would be quite nice to brighten up our kindy, she says.

She says she thought the legend would be perfect as it represents the area and the children could learn about Taurangas legends.

"We wanted something unique in our kindy environment that represented and respected our local area".

The kindergarten had a special ceremony to unveil the three new murals, where family and two members from Nga Potiki and Ngati Puukenga Colin Reeder and John Ohia joined to tell the legend and give a blessing.

The children also sang some kapa haka songs and had a shared kai.
The consolidation within the banking industry seems to lead to globally acting financial groups. Although there is no blueprint for the successful election of an ideal private banking partner, Christoph Mauchle, Member of the Group Executive Management and Head Client Business at Liechtenstein-based private bank VP Bank, is convinced that anyone looking for personalised solutions and a long-term partnership will hit the bull's eye with a boutique-style private bank.

While market consolidation leads to the growing importance of large banking groups, an increasing number of private banking clients is looking for exactly the opposite  a relationship with a smaller financial institution. How do you explain this contradiction?

Private Banking is a relationship business that builds on the professional skills and social competence of the client advisors involved. The combination of these capabilities enables advisors to comprehensively identify and understand individual client requirements. To convert these into a personalised service offering is a decisive strength of successful private banks.

What is VP Banks formula for success?

We focus on our key competencies and a more personal approach. We are pleased to note that a growing number of clients are looking for smaller private banks with a boutique approach.

How do you assess certain presumed advantages of larger banks, for example economies of scale, networks or global presence?

For us, the decisive factor is not how many locations an institute has world-wide, but rather at which locations it is present. VP Bank Group relies on established financial centres such as Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the British Virgin Islands, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia. In addition, we have a global partnership network that supports our client advisors with excellent international know-how. VP Bank is thus large enough to be able to provide the desired services with first-class quality, yet small enough to maintain personal, relationship-oriented dialogue with our clients.

How does the client relationship of a smaller bank differ from that of large financial groups?

Demanding clients are looking for specialists who focus on selected areas and thus offer convincing expertise. Boutique-style private banks, such as VP Bank, offer tailor-made solutions and first-class personal service and are able to provide significantly more personalised services. Being very flexible and agile, smaller private banks can quickly adapt to changing client needs or new developments in the business or regulatory environment. At the same time, we face fewer potential conflicts of interest. As an independent market player, we have access to a product universe that is not only on a par with the offering of major players, but superior in many respects. Thanks to the worldwide co-operation with renowned partners, our clients receive solutions that fit their needs perfectly.

Is there any special VP Bank philosophy regarding your client relationship?

For us, the advisory process basically comprises four steps: Understanding  Consulting  Implementing  Accompanying. Along these four steps we are working with our clients to successfully implement their investment objectives. Each step requires attention, endurance, and emotional intelligence of our advisors. At VP Bank, we are aware of this and place more emphasis on combining the individual and special features of every client with our tailor-made solutions for asset management, investment consulting and wealth planning.

Clients nowadays expect digital access to their bank and automated banking solutions. How do you connect the online and offline world?

Probably one of the biggest mistakes banks can commit is glorifying the digitisation. Of course, VP Bank has recognised the signs of the times and is investing in specific digital solutions that make the lives of our clients easier. At the same time, we are working intensively on linking digital platforms and personal advice. We are convinced that the success model of the future will be a combination of automated services and personal advice. This so-called "hybrid advisory" combines the advantages of digital solutions with the experience and the knowledge of our human client advisors.

What is the motivation that makes boutique banks employees go the extra mile to satisfy demanding clients needs?

The strong focus on client needs across all organisational and hierarchical levels is undoubtedly one of the greatest strengths of the boutique approach: All our employees are fully committed and act in the same vein. This is also reflected in the design of the work environment and the working climate, characterised by a familiar atmosphere as well as a high degree of individuality and freedom of choice. Communication in the company and teamwork are important success factors. And finally, we work within an entrepreneurially-minded framework featuring flat hierarchies, short decision-making processes and proximity to top management.

In view of the ongoing consolidation process, stability is a success factor. One of the questions to be asked when choosing a private banking partner is: Will the bank still be there in the future?

Indeed, this is an important consideration, especially for those clients who are looking for a long-term partner. It is the smaller private banks in particular that are convincing in terms of stability and financial strength. Take VP Bank as an example: For more than 60 years, we have been a reliable banking partner for clients who are looking for individuality and value security. Our impressive financial strength has formed the necessary foundation for our exciting development.

VP Bank claims to be Safely ahead. Can you specify what is meant by this?

In short, VP Bank is what clients today expect from their banking partners: Being large, where it helps, but small and agile, where it counts. This approach is reflected in our core message "Safely ahead, which condenses the bank's position in two words. We keep an eye on the changes as they emerge and use them to our best advantage.
The Hyderabad police has arrested more people in the contract marriage racket that came to limelight earlier this month. A Qazi who is reportedly the main accused has been arrested along with 3 people.

Hyderabad police has arrested 4 people including a Qazi and has filed suspect sheet for 48 others.

By Ashish Pandey: Continuing its crackdown on a contract marriage racket the Hyderabad police on Tuesday has arrested 4 persons including a Qazi. Recently, cases of foreigners coming to India, especially from Gulf countries, to marry minor girls were reported.

Qazi Ali Abdullah Rifai aka Volta Rifai is said to be the kingpin of the racket which was busted on 20th of this month. Eight foreign nationals from Oman and Qatar were arrested for trying to marry minor girls. Among those arrested was a 70-year-old Oman national.

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Abdullah who suffers from partial blindness, kidney failure is trying to marry for the 11th time.

In an earlier crackdown police has also arrested three Qazis including Chief Qazi of Mumbai for performing illegal marriages. According to police, brokers who work in Gulf in association with Sheikhs trap poor families in Hyderabad by offering to marry their young daughters (as young as 13 year old) on temporary basis and offering money in return.

The brokers segregate their clients in three categories - Auto-wala, Ambassador car-wala and Innova car-wala.

The third category is the richest category in which the foreigners who stay in upscale hotels are included.

The brokers then arrange for visas, fake documents like birth certificate, passport etc for the girl who is selected by Sheikhs after a "selection parade".

The investigators have identified a total of 15 brokers from Oman and Qatar. Meanwhile, 35 Indian brokers including 25 women have been identified for their involvement in the crime.

The police has also filed suspect sheets against 48 people including local brokers, lodge owners and other Qazis. The police is monitoring their activities and they are being geo-tagged with coordinates.

--- ENDS ---
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Marcellus father whose 2014 marijuana-related crash nearly killed his daughter is facing charges that he sold cocaine, police said.

Bryan Tanner, 28, sold the drug to undercover detectives in Marcellus more than once, said Sgt. Jon Seeber, a spokesman for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

Bryan Tanner

Tanner was arrested and charged on Sept. 11 with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all felonies.

The charges were lodged more than a year after Tanner was released from jail for his role in a marijuana-fueled crash that nearly killed his daughter, Peyton Bean, who was 4 at the time.

Peyton's head collided with a tree when Tanner spun off Interstate 90 on his way home to Canandaigua three years ago. Tanner had just picked up Peyton from a Clay daycare center where her mother worked for a court-ordered visit.

Peyton's skull was fractured and her leg was broken in the 2014 crash. A Rochester hospital deemed her a "Miracle Kid" for the incredible recovery she made. Doctors mended the shattered bones in her face with sugar-based compounds.

Tanner admitted to being high on marijuana and causing the crash. Investigators suspected he smoked marijuana with the girl in the vehicle. A first responder who happened to witness the crash told police the car reeked of a fresh marijuana odor and he saw a pipe sticking out of Tanner's pocket.

Still, family court officials were reluctant to strip Tanner of time with his daughter.

Tanner waged a year-long battle with the girl's mother, Taylor Decker of Clay, to have access to the girl.

The fight showed how much criminal behavior the court system would tolerate to make sure a child knows both birth parents.

Awaiting jail time, officials granted Tanner weekly, supervised visits with Peyton. During his nine-month stint in jail, he was allowed to call, write and Skype with Peyton.

Upon his release over a year ago, Tanner had to complete parenting classes and drug treatment to resume the weekly, supervised visits with Peyton.

He told Syracuse.com in 2015 he'd "jump through all the hoops" -- drug testing, rehab, counseling -- to continue visits with Peyton.

According to the family court agreement, those visits would be suspended if he was charged with another crime.

Tanner was remanded to the Onondaga County Justice Center pending his next court appearance. He is being held without bail on violation of probation charge.

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers federal courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992
SOLVAY, N.Y. -- Solvay Police Lt. Derek Osbeck Tuesday commended Solvay High School students for reporting a threat made by a fellow student on social media.

Students who received a SnapChat from the student on Sunday evening told high school administrators on Monday morning, police said.

Osbeck, who held a news conference on Tuesday, said it was brave of these students to come forward.

"It was absolutely the right thing to do," Osbeck said.

The student, Arun Siwakoti, 17, of 218 Snyder Ave., Salina, was charged Monday with making a terroristic threat. Police said they recovered an Airsoft gun, a replica weapon used in Airsoft sports, from Siwakoti's home.

Siwakoti was also charged with petit larceny, according to Onondaga County Sheriff's spokesperson Jon Seeber.

The teen is accused of stealing a UPS package from a neighbor's doorstep, Seeber said. The package contained an Airsoft gun believed to be the same one deputies recovered Monday from Siwakoti's home, he said.

Siwakoti sent out a SnapChat message at 9 p.m. Sunday that showed him holding what appeared to be a handgun, police said. The caption said "who wants to be first." Several students questioned Siwakoti and asked if he was serious, police said

"Which he replied several times: 'just wait till tomorrow,'" Osbeck said.

Students alerted the school's vice principal at 7:25 a.m. Monday about the SnapChat. Solvay police were notified and staff confirmed that Siwakoti was not in his classroom and did ride the bus that morning. A lockdown was put into place.

As police interviewed students Monday morning, Siwakoti sent another SnapChat picture with the gun that said: "So which one of u have problems with me?"

Osbeck said Siwakoti was home when he sent the message.

Osbeck said Siwakoti was never at the school Monday morning and rumors that a student brought a gun to school were false. No gun was brought to school, Osbeck said.

"There was a large number of rumors," Osbeck said.

Osbeck also said rumors that Siwakoti had a "hit list" were also false.

"We have no indication that there was a hit list," Osbeck said. "We believe that a lot that was put out yesterday was simply through the rumor mill."

Siwakoti was arraigned in Solvay Village Court and sent to the Onondaga County Justice Center in Syracuse on $10,000 bail.

Osbeck said he wants to make sure students report this type of behavior. Osbeck said he was proud of the students in this incident for coming forward, even if it was hours later.

"Those individuals that came forward should be credited because they did take the necessary steps," he said. "If you see something, say something."
To the Editor:



Spasms of self-righteous iconoclasm have dotted human history. In the 16th century, rigorous Biblical interpretations took root, as certain reformist groups destroyed religious statuary as an interpretation of the commandment about having "false gods and graven images." In France, revolutionary mobs decapitated the statues at The Notre Dame Cathedral thinking they represented the French kings rather than the biblical kings. We know that laudable motivations have made for some terrible destruction and strange bedfellows.

Certainly, none of us want to see statues celebrating racism, bigotry, or hatred that are implicit in some of the formal Civil War statuary that had boom periods in American history.



Statues of Confederate leaders were in vogue from about 1910 to 1925 celebrating the rise of the new Ku Klux Klan, the Jim Crow oppression to intimidate African-Americans and a recall of distorted white privilege. New statuary in the civil rights era from the late 1950s and early '60s sought to immortalize "the lost cause" ideology, which endorsed slavery and racism under the guise of Southern culture.

In a similar vein, statues of explorers like Christopher Columbus were erected for many reasons in our history, but likewise often celebrated the superiority of European culture over that of indigenous peoples. This seems to have been both conscious and unconscious glorification, but the implication was that the better one triumphed. This needs to be repudiated as much as the corollary arguments that have given us centuries of unacknowledged "white privilege."



Certainly for whatever credit the "Great Admiral" deserves for bravery in exploration, he deserved some like condemnation for the attitude and actions with indigenous peoples that he personified and parts of the legacy for which he was the precursor in colonization and exploitation.



Yet I believe that it is a mistake to tear down his statues or rename streets, squares or cities because of the morality of this European explorer of the Americas.

It is better that we creatively host seminars and opportunities to understand the oppression and malicious remnants of the Columbian era; we must look for the repudiation from religious and juridical bodies of the damnable "Doctrine of Discovery" that determined much of our nation's "manifest destiny" exploitation of indigenous people. These conversations will do more over time than simply moving or destroying statues.

What we can do is rebrand Columbus Day as "Indigenous Peoples Day." This would be a worthwhile and complementary exercise that we can do here in Onondaga County because of its rich Haudenosaunee history, and would utlimately prompt some healthy discussion that may benefit us all. Phoenix, Denver and other major cities have done so and celebrated an interchange.

This is a "teachable moment" for many and we must take advantage of it through painstaking education rather than simple destruction.

David Pasinski

Fayetteville
Pakistan and Afghanistan trading accusations at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. The Afghan envoy criticised Pakistan for using an incorrect photo while accusing India of rights violation in Kashmir.

By Geeta Mohan: On a day when India ripped apart Pakistan in the United Nations General Assembly, Afghanistan joined the chorus against Islamabad at a separate forum at UN. On Monday, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, a meeting where the Pakistani and Afghan envoys clashed over the issue of terrorism.

Afghanistan also used the meeting to sound out the use of "fake images" and "changed narratives" by Pakistan to suit itself, reiterating what India's First Secretary in the Permanent Mission to the UN, Paulomi Tripathi had said in the General Assembly when India exercised its 'Right of Reply' to expose Pakistan's lies.

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Afghan foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani who attended the forum said that Pakistan has been exporting terrorism across border for decades.

"The scourge of terrorism and violent extremism affecting Afghanistan is the product of a long-standing policy of a neighboring state to keep Afghanistan unstable. It has menaced Afghanistan for several decades now with its roots in terror sanctuaries and safe havens located outside of my country", he said.

He also alluded to the fact that Pakistan has lost its reputation with its continued support to terror organisations. Minister Rabbani said, "Pakistan has so far failed to respond positively at its own cost, particularly in relation to its global reputation and standing."

Pakistan's envoy to UN Maleeha Lodhi in her statement responded to the Afghan Foreign Minister's charges by rejecting them outright and saying that the insecurities in Afghanistan lies "within" rather than "outside".

Lodhi, who had earlier tried to pass off a Palestinian as a girl injured in Kashmir, said, "The Afghan government would therefore be better advised to focus more seriously on its persisting challenges and embark on a course correction rather than blaming others".

India also hit out at Pakistan on the issue of terrorism at the UNSC meeting, urging the world to ensure that "forces of terrorism and extremism" do not find "sanctuaries" and "safe havens" anywhere.

India's Ambassador to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin said, "We must not differentiate between good and bad terrorists, or play one group against the other. The Taliban, Haqqani Network, Al-Qaeda, Daesh, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and others of their ilk are all terror organizations, many of them proscribed by the UN. They should be treated like terrorist organizations with no justifications offered for their activities."

Following India's statement, both Afghanistan and Pakistan spoke again, exercising their respective 'Rights of Reply'. The Afghan Permanent Representative to UN Mahmoud Saikal took a jibe at Lodhi's photo faux pas and said told Islamabad that its policy of "deception" has no future.

"We hope to see a constructive engagement rather than a continuation of the all familiar plausible deniability and attempts of different kinds to change narrative through fake and distorted facts and figures and images. This kind of behavior will bear no fruit for peace," Saikal said.

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The Pakistani diplomat then responded to Afghan envoy's RoR to reject the claims made by Saikal. "We regret that the Afghan Permanent Representative has yet again chosen to criticise Pakistan for its internal problems. We reject such insinuations, he said, adding, "Pakistan is not prepared to be a scapegoat for other countries' failures."

This was yet another forum that witnessed a bitter war of words between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the issue of support that Pkaistan as a state provides to terrorist networks. Earlier, the international body witnessed many in member nations of South Asia including Bangladesh raise the same issue.

WATCH | India hits back at Pakistan after Maleeha Lodhi's lie, tells world about Lt Fayyaz

--- ENDS ---
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The partisan battle over the country's health care system will "certainly continue," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday. But he stopped short of saying whether the chamber will vote on the latest Republican plan repealing the Obama health care law, which seems virtually certain to be rejected.

The Kentucky Republican made his comment a day after another Republican, moderate Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, said she would oppose the GOP bill in a showdown this week. She is the fourth Republican to say they're against the measure -- exceeding the two GOP votes party leaders can lose and still push the measure through the Senate.

McConnell criticized a proposal by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to create a national system of government-run health insurance, which he said would "rip" coverage from many.

He contrasted that with the latest Republican measure repealing much of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. That bill would transform much of "Obamacare's" spending into grants states could spend on health programs with few constraints.

"It's an important debate for our country. It's one that we'll certainly continue," McConnell said.

McConnell must decide whether to satisfy conservatives insistent on fighting to the bitter end against a law they despise or other Republicans who see little point in yet another defeat on the issue.

The collapse of the repeal effort in the Senate has once again frustrated Republicans in the House, who approved their version of the legislation in May after initial failures.

"The House is committed to doing something about Obamacare and let's see what the Senate throws us," said Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas. "Something's better than nothing and right now we've got nothing."

Sanders' plan has won backing from many Democrats but been treated with caution by others who see it as an easy political target.

"Democrats support a whole bunch of different ideas," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday.

In the Senate, even GOP leaders concede their latest repeal effort has little chance.

"It's going to be a heavy lift," South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 3 GOP Senate leader, said Monday.

"We don't have the support for it," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

The collapse marks a replay of the embarrassing loss President Donald Trump and party leaders suffered in July, when the Senate rejected three attempts to pass legislation erasing Obama's 2010 statute. The GOP has made promises to scrap the law a high-profile vow for years, and its failure to deliver despite controlling the White House and Congress has infuriated conservatives whose votes Republican candidates need.

To resuscitate their push, Republicans would need to change opposing senators' minds, which they've tried unsuccessfully to do for months. Collins told reporters that she made her decision despite a phone call from Trump, who's been futilely trying to press unhappy GOP senators to back the measure.

GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Texas' Ted Cruz have said they oppose the measure, though Cruz aides said he was seeking changes that would let him vote yes.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, remains undecided. Murkowski, who voted against the failed GOP bills in July, has said she's analyzing the measure's impact on her state, where medical costs are high.

This was the last week Republicans had any chance of prevailing with their narrow 52-48 Senate margin. Next Sunday, protections expire against a Democratic filibuster, bill-killing delays that Republicans lack the votes to overcome.

Republicans had pinned their last hopes on a measure by GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and South Carolina's Lindsey Graham. It would end Obama's Medicaid expansion and subsidies for consumers and ship the money -- $1.2 trillion through 2026 -- to states to use on health services with few constraints.

Collins announced her decision shortly after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said "millions" of Americans would lose coverage under the bill and projected it would impose $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts through 2026.

The Maine moderate said in a statement that the legislation would make "devastating" cuts in the Medicaid program for poor and disabled people, drive up premiums for millions and weaken protections Obama's law gives people with pre-existing medical conditions.

GOP leaders revised the measure several times, adding money late Sunday for Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Kentucky and Texas in a clear pitch for Republican holdouts. They also gave states the ability -- without federal permission -- to permit insurers to charge people with serious illnesses higher premiums and to sell low-premium policies with big coverage gaps and high deductibles.
Quantico, Va. -- A Marine Corps officer made history this week by becoming the first woman to graduate from the service's grueling infantry officer course.

The 13-week course is considered some of the toughest training in the military, according to The Washington Post. About a quarter of the students who enroll don't finish it.

The woman, a lieutenant, is the first to finish the course out of three dozen women who have tried, the Post said. She is expected to lead an infantry platoon of about 40 Marines.

The Marines said in a press release that the woman asked to keep her identity private.

Proud of this officer & her fellow leaders. Now they focus on what's important: preparing to lead Marines in combat https://t.co/rwWjXKOAf9 pic.twitter.com/RvzTAkuLLI  Robert B. Neller (@GenRobertNeller) September 25, 2017

The course requires proficiency in the field and the strength and stamina to carry equipment weighing up to 152 pounds, according to the Post. The school begins with a daylong combat endurance test that includes rigorous hikes, an obstacle course and assessments of skills like weapons assembly and land navigation.

About 10 percent of students who attempt the course fail on the very first day, the Post said.

The Marines initially opposed opening combat roles to women, according to Time. And the Post noted that the service has been criticized for fostering a misogynistic culture.

Earlier this year, over 1,000 current Marines and veterans were investigated as part of an online network that shared, critiqued and ridiculed photos of nude female colleagues, the Post said.

And a 2012 survey found that three-quarters of active-duty Marine infantrymen were opposed to full gender integration.

Corps leaders say those feelings have changed since then. Gen. Robert B. Neller, the service's top officer, has asked Marines to be respectful to women in the ranks and noted that female Marines have already died in combat.

"I need you to ask yourselves," Neller said earlier this year. "How much more do the females of our corps have to do to be accepted?"

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Google + | 315-454-2112
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration spent months hashing out new travel restrictions on more than a half-dozen countries, determined to avoid the chaos that accompanied President Donald Trump's first travel ban. But critics say it's a mystery why some countries are included and they believe Venezuela and North Korea were added to provide legal and political cover for what they say remains a "Muslim ban."

The new restrictions covering citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen -- and some Venezuelan government officials and their families -- are to go into effect Oct. 18.

As for the previous version, which expired on Sunday, the Supreme Court on Monday announced it would cancel arguments scheduled for next month to give both sides time to consider the implications of the new one. They have until Oct. 5 to weigh in.

Trump's efforts to restrict entry into the U.S. have been the subject of lawsuits almost since the moment he announced the first travel ban in January, and the latest version is sure to attract new legal challenges -- though experts are divided on how they might fare.

Avideh Moussavian, senior policy attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, said she saw little difference between the earlier bans and the new policy, despite the addition of two non-Muslim countries.

"What remains the same is the discriminatory core of these bans which were always designed to exclude Muslims from the United States," Moussavian said.

But Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration expert at Cornell University, said the latest version is narrower and better explained, including about how the government decided which countries to target.

"The third time may be the charm for President Trump's immigration travel ban," Yale-Loehr said.

Administration officials have stressed the latest version is the result of a lengthy process, and based on an objective assessment of each country's security situation and willingness to share information with the U.S.

The restrictions are based on new baseline factors such as whether countries issue electronic passports with biometric information to prevent fraud and report information about potential terror threats. That baseline was shared with countries across the globe, and they were given 50 days to comply.

Those that failed to satisfy the "objective process of measuring whether countries met the baseline" are now subject to new restrictions.

The countries that ultimately were included on the list fall into three basic categories, officials said.

-- Some, like Iran and Syria, pose legitimate national security threats to the U.S. and refuse to cooperate with U.S. consular investigations.

-- Another category includes countries like Yemen and Libya, where local authorities have sought to be as cooperative as possible but lack full control over their territory and the basic ability to provide the information the U.S. wants. In those cases, officials said, the U.S. tried to stress that inclusion on the list wasn't an indictment of those nations' commitment to fighting terrorism.

-- The final category includes countries like North Korea and Venezuela whose citizens don't necessarily pose a major threat to the U.S. but where the administration wanted to send a message that the government's broader actions are unacceptable.

Critics said the inclusion of some countries appeared to be largely symbolic and intended to combat perceptions that the ban is targeting Muslims.

The new visa sanctions on Venezuela, for instance, apply only to officials from five government security agencies and their immediate families. Still, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro labeled the move a form of "political and psychological terrorism."

The restrictions on North Korea will have little impact because so few of its citizens visit the United States. North Korea's authoritarian government doesn't allow most of its 24 million people to travel abroad, except in special cases such as for jobs that bring in foreign currency or for participation in sporting events.

Indeed, according the State Department, in 2016 the U.S. issued just nine immigrant visas and 52 non-immigrant visas to citizens of North Korea.

David Heyman, who served as a Homeland Security official in the Obama administration, said that relative to Trump's first two travel ban attempts, the latest order "seems much more rigorous and with the greater review and interest in an interagency policy." But he said the most pressing threat remains home-grown extremists.

"If we're looking to protect America from the terrorist threat, which is the motive behind this order, this continues to miss the point," Heyman said.

The American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement: "President Trump's original sin of targeting Muslims cannot be cured by throwing other countries onto his enemies list."

The inclusion of Chad, which has been a major player in the fight against Boko Haram, raised eyebrows. In its proclamation, the administration said that while Chad is "an important and valuable counterterrorism partner," its government does not adequately share public safety and terrorism-related information. It also noted several terrorists groups are active in the country.

Chad's government said it learned "with astonishment" of the U.S. government's decision and could not understand the "official reasons for this decision which contrasts with Chad's constant efforts and commitments in the fight against terrorism at regional and global levels."

The Homeland Security Department largely left it up to U.S. embassies in potentially affected areas to gather information about whether their host countries were supplying needed information and cooperating enough with authorities to enable the U.S. to properly vet citizens.

Some embassies pushed back to try to get their host countries removed from the list, concerned that inclusion would negatively affect relations between the U.S. and those countries, administration officials said. In some cases, the embassies sought to explain to Homeland Security that the host country was already cooperating and providing the information the administration said it needed. The officials who commented weren't authorized to discuss the deliberations with reporters and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Turkey was one of the countries that the administration considered adding to the list, but ultimately decided against, one U.S. official said.
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Models stomped down the runway in flowing red-and-white cloth that both obscure and reveal their bodies at this years New York Fashion Week: a suffragettes outfit here, cushions sewn onto the front of a dress there. Based on Hulus adaptation of Margaret Atwoods novel The Handmaids Tale, Vaqueras show took visuals from the television series and reimagined them as a collection, bringing Atwoods chilling dystopia into the context of modern political and societal issues. The source material is, at first glance, jarring in its duality, leaving me wondering what exactly makes clothing empowering as opposed to objectifying? This is part of a far wider discussion of womanhood and sexuality.

When I look at the way fashion has developed over the last few years one thing becomes apparent: whether we are aware of it or not, we are choosing to dress more modestly  and following fashion by doing so. High necklines, palazzo pants, maxi and midi hemlines, boyfriend styles have all become stylish choices as opposed to the body-con fashions of the past. Now, the word modest itself draws up unpleasant connotations of feminine worth based on sexuality and the amount of skin a womans clothes reveal. The question of religion is another aspect to this discussion, with controversial bans of full face-veils in effect in some European countries. Modest dressing might be imposed on women as a way of control, yet it might also be a personal and immensely comforting decision to take control of how much of your body you want to show. This is not a straightforward debate.

Isnt this a re-appropriation of what was meant to oppress: finding sexiness in clothing that might once have been seen as frumpy, even constraining? Isnt it a conscious, personal decision to hide the body from view or, conversely, present it? And yet I am still confronted by the pesky thought that a more modest style of dress might be an internalised equation of feminine worth with sexual purity. But, on the other hand, putting the feminine body on view might be done to the benefit of others, at the expense of personal comfort. This is the dilemma that Vaquera addresses with the Handmaids dress and the one that we as women encounter in our day-to-day lives.

Ultimately, these questions relate to how women are viewed in society and how their clothing is an integral part of that discussion. Vaquera was not alone at fashion week in pushing the boundaries of what fashion stands for and how it may add to the wider discussion of femininity, gender, and sexuality. Eckhaus Latta featured pregnant model Maia Ruth Lee in their show, her baby bump the focal point. This created a place for pregnancy in the context of high fashion.

The Handmaids dresses from the television series were a powerful choice because of what they stand for. Dresses that, in the series, had the purpose of classifying and oppressing women in the final stage of tyrannical patriarchy were reclaimed: their symbolic meaning subverted. And while their use as a protest tool is, on the one hand, a warning of what the world may be moving towards, it is, on the other, a firm assertion of female agency, a banner to rally to.
By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) India today raised the issue of market access and regulatory barriers that its companies are facing in Indonesia in sectors such as pharma, dairy and bovine meat, the commerce ministry said today.

The issues were discussed during a meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu and his Indonesian counterpart Enggartiasto Lukita here.

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The ministry in a statement said that the Indonesian side has agreed to conduct inspection visits for registering dairy products, fresh food of plant origin and meat processing facilities.

"The issue of market access to automotive and auto components manufactured in India was raised, along with the greater investment opportunities for joint ventures, textile machinery manufacturing, textile parks and Special Economic Zones," it said. It added that the ministers agreed to deepen economic cooperation by having greater cooperation of stakeholders, including government, business and entrepreneurs.

Both the ministers "agreed to hold a meeting of regulators to resolve issues concerning the pharma and health sectors, it said.

Further the ministers agreed for convening early meeting of the working groups on trade and investment; and trade facilitation and remedies to address the issues impeding trade.

"These working groups will also look into facilitation of services and areas of mutual interest between both the countries," it said. "We agreed to promote business on both sides which will benefit our citizens. We also agreed to explore new areas of cooperation," Prabhu said in a tweet.

Talking to reporters, he said both the sides agreed to work together to promote business, exports and imports.

"We have already identified areas where there are certain issues ... so we have decided to set up working groups to address those issues immediately," he said.

Lukita said that he had a frank and open meeting with the Indian trade minister.

He said that working groups can discuss issues over video calls. If there is anything to resolve at ministers level, "we can call each other also," he added.

The bilateral trade between the countries increased to USD 16.92 billion in 2016-17 from USD 15.95 billion in the previous fiscal. The trade is highly in the favour of Indonesia. PTI RR MR

--- ENDS ---
Nvidia unveils AI acceleration software, partners with server makers Huawei and Lenovo, and cloud providers Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent in China push

Nvidia targets China with hardware and unveils software to slash AI costs

Editor's note:

This article was not sponsored or supported by a third party.
There are no good outcomes of an electronic data system breach. At best, companies dealing with e-commerce technologies face the formidable task and the resulting cost of repairs.

In addition having to fix information technology systems, companies suffering breaches may be increasingly vulnerable to legal action taken by customers whose personal data was affected. A federal appeals court decision handed down earlier this month underscores the potential legal leverage available to consumers whose electronic records are hacked.

Taken together, the recent decision and similar rulings by other courts significantly expand the circumstances under which consumers may pursue class actions against companies victimized by hackers who access highly sensitive personal information, commented Edward McAndrew, a partner at Ballard Spahr.

The case involves the hacking of nearly 1 million customer records maintained by health insurance company CareFirst. The company suffered the attack in July 2014 but only detected the breach in April 2015. The company notified customers in May of 2015. Shortly thereafter, several customers filed a class action suit against CareFirst, attributing the breach to the companys carelessness, and alleging that customers suffered an increased risk of identity theft as a result of the hack.

Appeal Decision Favors Consumers

CareFirst won the first round. A federal district court dismissed the complaint by ruling that the class action plaintiffs failed to provide adequate support for their claim that the breach caused any substantial harm to customers. The court characterized the assertion of harm as speculative.

However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia earlier this month reversed the district courts decision. The customers allegation of harm was correct, the appeals court said, because the district court had misread the complaint as to the nature of the data involved in the case, and that the plaintiffs had established that personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI) and sensitive information had been hacked.

These categories include Social Security and credit card data, the Chantal Attias v. CareFirst appellate ruling notes.

The appeals court then connected the dots between the type of data involved in the hack and the subsequent potential for identity theft, and determined that the customers had established plausible grounds for suffering harm as a result of the breach.

Nobody doubts that identity theft, should it befall one of these plaintiffs, would constitute a concrete and particularized injury, appeals court judge Thomas Griffith wrote.

The plaintiffs had established that any harm resulting from the breach would be fairly traceable to CareFirst, according to the ruling.

In its submission to the appeals court, CareFirst contended that the customers had failed to show that the risk of harm is certainly impending or has a substantial risk of occurring.

CareFirst, through spokesperson Sarah Wolf, declined to comment for this story.

Companies Face Massive Settlements

The impact on e-commerce could be substantial if customers are allowed to file suit against companies that have experienced breaches without sufficiently establishing harm, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The organization supported CareFirst in the appeals court litigation.

If plaintiffs are permitted to pursue cases like the one against CareFirst, the Chambers members will be mired in lawsuits over breaches that have not caused any actual or imminent harm to the plaintiffs  and yet those cases threaten to extract massive settlements from businesses that were victimized by hackers or thieves, the Chamber of Commerce argued in an amicus brief.

We have nothing to add here, so well let the brief speak for itself, spokesperson Lindsay Bembenek told the E-Commerce Times in response to our query about the decision.

Companies experiencing hacks likely will be unhappy with the results of two other recent cases that reinforce consumers rights in situations similar to the CareFirst incident.

The Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals earlier this year ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a suit filed against Horizon Healthcare Services regarding a breach of records, in which the court upheld the assertion of harm. The Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in a 2015 case decided in favor of the plaintiffs in a suit against Neiman Marcus, citing grounds similar to those in the CareFirst and Horizon cases.

However, in contrast to the CareFirst and Horizon decisions, the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals this spring ruled against the plaintiff in Whalen v. Michaels Stores, finding that the plaintiff had failed to establish a concrete injury sufficient to bring a suit related to a breach of private data.

Establishing the element of harm or injury is essential for affected customers to achieve legal standing for filing suits.

Ultimately, whether data breach plaintiffs can survive a motion to dismiss for lack of standing will continue to be a key issue. The split in the circuit courts will heighten the cost of litigation for all and increases the potential risk of liability for companies facing class action suits based on allegations of increased risk of identity theft after a data breach, wrote Sidley Austin attorneys Edward McNicholas and Grady Nye.

The differences among appeals court decisions in such data breach cases could bring the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court.

I think there is a strong possibility that the Supreme Court will eventually weigh in on how standing doctrine should apply where individuals sue companies that suffer data breaches involving sensitive personal information, Ballard Spahrs McAndrews told the E-Commerce Times.

However, the Supreme Court may wait until a variety of associated legal issues play out in lower courts, he said.

In the meantime, commercial companies must be more vigilant than ever  not only regarding technical issues, but also concerning the legal implications associated with data breaches.

Companies Must Up Their Cybersecurity Game

The D.C. Circuit decision and others like it are likely to lead to an increase in the types and numbers of civil cases filed against organizations that suffer data breaches of personal information. First, and foremost, organizations must develop a track record  provable in a courtroom  of reasonable actions to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, McAndrew noted.

Companies need to create and implement a sound cybersecurity program  including appropriate administrative, technical and physical controls and documentation. Then they must actually follow that program and the policies and procedures that govern it, he said.

In addition, organizations must conduct cyberincident response and internal investigations while anticipating litigation, McAndrew advised.

Litigation invariably involves not only why a breach occurred but also on how an organization responded to the incident.

Not understanding and managing the legal risk related to a cyberincident during the response and investigation phases is one of the biggest mistakes I see organizations of all types make. Too often, incident response activity remains at the information technology and security or compliance levels of organizations, being conducted by individuals with no expertise or experience in how the developing evidence is likely to be used in litigation that follows, McAndrew pointed out.

Bringing the lawyers in later does not work, he said. Unless lawyers are helping to lead cyberincident responses, the die of liability will likely be cast well before the incident response process ends.
Microsoft and Red Hat this week expanded their nearly 2-year-old alliance to bridge the gap between Windows and open source computing with the launch of several new initiatives to help enterprise customers more easily adopt container solutions.

Through the new collaboration, customers will gain access to native support for Windows Server containers operating on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated on Microsoft Azure, and SQL Server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and OpenShift.

Microsoft and Red Hat are aligned in our commitment to bring enterprise customers the hybrid cloud solutions they need to modernize their businesses as they shift to operate in a cloud-native world, said John Gossman, lead Azure architect at Microsoft.

Native Support

The announcement bolsters an alliance that began in 2015, when Microsoft began offering Red Hat Enterprise Linux as the preferred choice for enterprise Linux workloads on Microsoft Azure.

Since then, the companies have expanded their collaborative efforts to offer integrated support across hybrid Microsoft and Red Hat environments.

The two also announced a collaboration on .Net this week, making .Net 2.0 available as a container in OpenShift. The companies also will bring SQL Server for Linux to Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat OpenShift.

These efforts alone have had a positive impact on our customers and we think the overall enterprise IT landscape, Mike Ferris, vice president for cloud strategy at Red Hat, told LinuxInsider.

Companies often want to run mission-critical applications on containers, but most IT organizations are not equipped to run on a single infrastructure stack, according to Microsoft. Therefore, when they run Windows and Linux platforms, the applications are siloed.

With the new collaboration, however, Windows Server containers will be supported natively on Red Hat OpenShift  a container application platform that brings Docker and Kubernetes to the enterprise. Docker is the technology for creating and using Linux containers, and Kubernetes is an open source platform for automating Linux.

Red Hat OpenShift will be the first container application platform built from open source Kubernetes to support Linux and Windows Server container workloads in a single platform across multiple environments of the hybrid cloud, the companies said.

Deepening Partnership

Microsoft wants to help enterprises more easily adopt containers and cloud-native apps on Azure, said Paul Teich, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

My read is that this deeper Red Hat alliance is part of Microsofts bigger Azure Stack infrastructure picture, he told LinuxInsider. Its not about open source as much as it is about microservices architecture.

As enterprises buy into the private cloud, they will consider modernizing the way they write their business logic, Teich said.

Azure Stack looks like a safe way for enterprises to move on-premises operations to a private cloud, and it scales very well to Azures public cloud, he pointed out.

Microsoft really sees an embrace of open source computing as the future of the company, and it increasingly will depend on integrating these platforms as cloud computing becomes the main focus for its enterprise business, suggested Gary Chen, research manager for software defined compute at IDC.

The reality today is that open source is a huge factor in cloud and next-gen platforms like containers, he told LinuxInsider. You cant be competitive without engaging in those communities, and Microsoft has done a very good job in doing so.
Olivia Duane Adams is chief customer officer and cofounder of Alteryx.

Alteryx Chief CustomerOfficerOlivia Duane Adams

In this exclusive interview, Adams speaks with TechNewsWorld about her passion for analytics, and the role of women in an analytics-driven future.

TechNewsWorld: Can you give me some background on Alteryx? What prompted you to start the company?

Olivia Duane Adams:

We founded the company because we thought that analytics needed to be easier for people to understand and consume. Today, our technology is a leading platform for self-service analytics. Anybody in a company is able to use Alteryx to find data and analyze it, and theyre able to do it in a repeatable workflow.

A lot of times, analysts get asked the same questions, and repeatability saves them a lot of time. Data needs to be delivered at the time a question is asked. Its got to be delivered in a matter of minutes, hours or days, and thats what our technology allows our user community to do. Its an exciting time to be in this analytic space.

TNW: Why do you have a passion for analytics?

Adams:

Its about having a sense of curiosity  the ability to look at data and say, what is it telling me? I define analytics as the ability to ingest any and all relevant sources of data that might help answer a question being asked.

Analytics is the ability to use all the data you have to answer a question, or at least to drive insight to get to a better answer. Analytics is everywhere, and thats because data is everywhere. When you think about data as an asset, that asset is going to drive answers, and hopefully action. That action could be to start doing, or to stop doing, or to modify what youre already doing.

Analytics impacts every department in every company, and if they want to become smarter, all they have to do is become data-aware. If you think about the data you have, youre able to move seamlessly forward in this world of analytics.

TNW: What challenges have you faced in your career as a woman in tech?

Adams:

There is a perception that women are more approachable. This can be a challenge, because people will use me as a sounding board. What do you think? How would you handle this? What do you think? And so I always turn those into opportunities to help people understand where theyre coming from, and what change they want to make.

TNW: How can womens participation in STEM fields  and specifically analytics  be supported and promoted?

Adams:

I see such huge opportunity, because I believe that women do think differently. Well always look at things differently, and thats of huge value to the departments and teams and companies we work for, since it gives another perspective on how to approach a problem, how to solve a problem.

I see huge opportunities for women in STEM fields, and I would like to see more colleges and universities and K-12 grades motivating everyone, including women, to understand the opportunities and to demystify them for women. Sometimes theres a disconnect, where undergraduate students think the real world is so far away. How do we help them see the reality of these careers, and how they can have an impact in them?

Id love to see colleges and universities putting students in the real world, so theyre ready to take these jobs when they graduate. One program that we have is the Alteryx for Good program. Were giving our technology to universities that want to teach analytics in their courses. Its free for the university when its being taught in the classroom.

It puts the students in a position to use technology thats very employable when they graduate, and it gives them a taste of what its like to use this technology in a real-world situation. It gives them a sense of what it feels like to be in the real world. Our passion is to make sure that those students are using state-of-the-art technology.

We hear great feedback about the technology, and they love using it in their courses. At one university, for instance, theyre using Alteryx in their journalism program, because when youre a journalist, you need to be able to quote facts. Where do you find those facts? In the data thats available.

TNW: Whats in the future for the field of analytics, and for Alteryx? How are things evolving?

Adams:

As we talk to senior leaders from organizations around the world, we continuously hear them say that their companies need to be more analytic. Data is everywhere, and companies are becoming data-aware. As data continues to grow, organizations are asking tougher questions that they need to be able to answer in a timely manner.
By India Today Web Desk: Media Friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Evening!

I am delighted to be present at THE STATE OF THE STATE CONCLAVE in Bengaluru today. I specially congratulate the India Today Group for hostingthis prestigious conclave in our State. With its progressive and enterprising ethos, Karnataka is the natural destination for ideas, innovation and impact.

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Over the past four and a half years, the state has achieved national excellence across key sectors, while also ensuring that every hitherto excluded person becomes an empowered shareholder in Karnataka's development story. Our development philosophy in Karnataka is greatly shaped by the teachings of Basaveshwara, Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. The ideals of Kayaka and Dasoha, propounded by Basavanna, have deeply influenced our style of governance, as we continue to walk in his path towards an equitable and casteless society.

Babasaheb believed that we cannot have political democracy unless we have social and economic democracy. In his commitment to social justice, we find our own intellectual strength. The father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi championed Gram Swaraj, inspiring our journey towards true decentralisation of power and empowerment of villages. While their integrated wisdom has guided our development agenda in the State, I have often borrowed from my own learnings and life experiences in the formulation of schemes.

During my formative years, I have seen hunger and suffering; poor access to education, healthcare and nutrition, and the shackles of low income and unemployment. I have grown up seeing the results of unequal access to resources and life opportunities. These experiences have defined my politics, shaped my personality and my vision for Karnataka, and they continue to guide me each time I sit to draft the State Budget.

It has been my personal belief that the best of growth targets are achieved not in the data charts of experts, but in the hearts of people. In Karnataka, what guides our policies is this belief - that the impact of development should truly reflect in the lives of people.

While on the one hand our Government is battling hunger and inequity on a war footing through a range of targeted schemes, we are also incentivizing ideas, innovation and enterprise among the youth. This is the new Karnataka Model of Development, where we balance investment in human capital, with investment in infrastructure; where we pursue inclusion and innovation, empowerment and decentralisation with equal vigour. Here, we place each citizen at the centre of our governance model. We believe, it is only in empowering all our citizens that Karnataka truly moves ahead, to its rightful place as a national leader.

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Since 2013, our Government has been committed to build a Karnataka free of hunger and undernourishment. Within the first hour of coming to power, we announced the Anna Bhagya Scheme. This scheme today provides 7 kg rice or wheat per person per month free of cost. Over 4 crore citizens benefit from this scheme.

Towards better early nourishment, our Government is providing milk 5 days a week to over 1 crore children under Ksheera Bhagya, and eggs twice a week to Anganwadi children. Come October 2nd this year, the Mathrupoorna Scheme will be launched to provide hot nutritious meals to over 12 lakh pregnant women and lactating mothers at Anganwadis across Karnataka. Along with nutritional supplements, counselling, and other maternity benefits, this scheme forms a key component in the life cycle approach to nutritional health.

To battle the menace of urban hunger, our Government recently launched Indira Canteens in 198 wards of Bengaluru, offering affordable, hygienic and nutritious meals three times a day. This ambitious project will now be replicated across every district headquarter and every taluk of the State.

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True to Ambedkar's ideals, the Government of Karnataka views development as empowerment. Since poverty is intimately linked to social deprivation, we know it cannot be eradicated by economic measures alone.

Towards this, we promulgated the Karnataka Scheduled Castes Sub Plan and Tribal Sub Plan Act-in 2013, making Karnataka the second and one of only two States in the country to do so. This Act legislatively mandates the compulsory earmarking of 24.1 percent of all development resources for the development and welfare of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. During the period from 2013-14 to 2016-17, an amount of Rs. 60,350 Crore has been earmarked under this Act.

Empowerment, we know, is not possible without providing people opportunities and preparing them to make use of those opportunities, through adequate investment in education and healthcare. It has been our motto to provide quality education to all students without any discrimination. Besides mid-day meals with milk to 60 lakh students across Karnataka, our government has been providing free textbooks, uniforms and shoes to all students.

We also provide bicycles to students of class 8. This year we have decided to provide free laptops to 1.5 lakh deserving degree students, to enable better information access. Under our flagship Vidyasiri, we are giving an incentive to over 2.7 lakh students, who do not find hostel accommodation, to cover their boarding expenses and ensure better access to educational facilities.

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Globally renowned for a talented and skilled workforce, Karnataka in the last four years has been heralding a Skill Revolution. We have created a separate Department for Skill Development; established 100 new ITIs; and launched Kaushalya Karnataka with an aim to provide demand driven and market oriented skills training to 5 lakh youth each year.

Fulfilling our commitment of Health for All, our Government recently announced Universal Health Coverage, making Karnataka the first state in the country to do so. A comprehensive Arogya Bhagya Scheme will be rolled out in November this year, slated to benefit all 1.4 crore households in the state, with priority households to avail benefits free of cost.

With a vision of dignified living for all citizens, we have built 12 lakh houses for the poor; we have also promulgated the historic Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Ordinance to convert over 50,000 habitations into revenue villages and grant ownership rights to the residents.

While on the one hand Karnataka has made significant strides across key development sectors; over the past four years, our vibrant industrial ecosystem has also scripted several firsts. Despite a slowdown nationally, Karnataka's industry friendly policies ensure that the state leads the country in industrial investment.

In the last 18 months, we have received investment proposals worth Rs. 1,54,173 crores. Over the past four years, Karnataka has created over 15 lakh jobs, bringing the state's unemployment rate to 2 per cent, compared to the national average of 3.7 per cent. According to a recent ASSOCHAM report, Karnataka tops the country in Manufacturing Excellence, with 32 percent of the manufacturing sector's share in investments being attracted by Karnataka.

Since innovation is integral to the ethos of this land, our Government has been committed to harness the spirit and enterprise of young Karnataka, through a host of policy initiatives. Home to 30 per cent of India's start-ups, Karnataka is the first state to launch a Multi Sector Start Up policy; a policy for animations and visual effects and a policy for electric vehicle manufacturing.

In another first, our Government recently launched the Elevate 100 programme, whereby 100 top innovations were chosen to receive Government funding and support. We are also the first State to have an industrial park dedicated solely for women. Our progressive policies have gained us the distinction of being the Most Supportive State Government for encouraging entrepreneurship among women.

Adaptability to the growing technology driven global economy is a key differentiator among emerging cities today. Renowned for its skilled workforce, competitive start-up eco-system and cosmopolitan culture, it came as no surprise when Namma Bengaluru was adjudged the most Dynamic City in the world.

Bengaluru also found a place among the world's top 25 hi-tech cities. These distinctions are testament to the State's dynamic eco-system, supported ably by our Government's policies. Karnataka has long been a pioneer in harnessing technology and transforming governance.

Our Government was the first in the country to introduce online trading in agro-markets and adopt a Unified Market Platform; enabling farmers in Karnataka to realize 38 per cent more income for their produce. The Government of India has now recommended that all States adopt Karnataka's model.

Karnataka was also the first state to transfer input subsidies through an online platform called Parihara, whereby Rs. 1459.1 crore has been directly transferred to Aadhar-linked bank accounts of 21.90 lakh farmers.

Karnataka has also been a pioneer in taking digital technologies to rural areas. The flagship Bhoomi made digital land records available to villages more than a decade ago. Now, we are leading the digital push to Panchayats through provision of WiFi, with 2500 Gram Panchayats across the state set to be digitally connected to the world.

Our Government has also won consecutive e-Puraskar awards for the best performance in e-empowering Panchayats. The range of our e-governance platforms are not only testament to the technological drive of the people, but also a reflection of the growth story and progressive development of the State.

When our Government came to power in May 2013, we made a promise to serve the people of Karnataka. That day, I also made a promise to myself - to abide by all promises made to our people. I have always believed that Rajadharma dictates we stand by our public assurances.

Of the 165 promises made in our Election Manifesto 2013, we have fulfilled over 155 so far, and are committed to implement the rest. While the Manifesto guides our journey, it is the people of Karnataka who give us the strength to walk the distance. I look to them to guide us on our collective journey to Build a New Karnataka.

I have always dreamt of a Karnataka free of hunger, homelessness and disparity. Today, I am happy to note that our Government has been dedicatedly building this New Karnataka on the principles of equity, opportunity and social justice. Taking this commitment further, only last evening, we launched a unique participative and consultative vision building exercise - Nava Karnataka 2025.

As part of this process, the Government will go to every district across the state, hold public consultations, meetings with experts and all stakeholders - in order to collectively draft a comprehensive Vision Document. This Document will reflect the cumulative and collective aspirations of the people of Karnataka. We invite all your ideas and opinions as we embark on this exciting journey.

While we continue to build this new Karnataka for all our citizens, we also commit to foster the progressive ethos of our great land, and reassert the secular ideals that define us as a people.

In July this year, Karnataka was proud to host The B R Ambedkar International Conference 2017, and launch a historic people's blueprint - The Bengaluru Declaration - framed as an alliance of progressive forces to safeguard the very idea of India.

I believe the time today is ripe for us to recognise the Constitutional path we chose 70 years ago, and rededicate ourselves to our inclusive national legacy. It is only fitting that Basavanna's Karnataka lead the path towards an equitable, progressive and socially just India.

--- ENDS ---
Federal agencies have begun using an emerging information technology tool to manage the huge amount of data the United States government generates and stores. Federal IT managers recently have embraced the concept of convergence, which has been gaining traction in the private sector. Agencies also have indicated that the approach may be useful for other federal IT applications.

Spurred by several rounds of IT reform directives from the U.S. Congress and the White House Office of Management and Budget, agencies have begun seeking innovative methods to improve data storage. These efforts include shedding outdated legacy technologies in favor of more efficient and effective IT upgrades.

Converged systems have moved into the top echelon of these innovative options, according to a recent report from MeriTalk. Just over 70 percent of federal IT managers surveyed believed converged infrastructures would become the central housing mechanism for data center needs.

As agencies hit a crossroads of multiple mandates and legislative initiatives to reduce legacy systems, the conversation on optimization is moving to the next level, said Steve OKeeffe, founder of MeriTalk.

Converged infrastructure is the next step and gives agencies a way to meet the requirements of multiple mandates while saving money and modernizing federal IT systems, he said.

Providers Boost Trend

Vendors serving the federal market that have observed the convergence trend have been encouraging agencies to embrace the concept.

IT convergence requires integrating various components of the data management chain. For the MeriTalk study, we defined converged as a multivendor solution consisting of, at a minimum, servers, storage, networking and management layers managed through a single pane of glass, said Milo Speranzo, director of strategy and compliance at Tech Data.

That definition is consistent with the scope of elements in IDCs description of converged solutions: pre-integrated, vendor-certified systems containing server hardware, disk storage systems, networking equipment, and basic element and systems management software.

In addition to meeting federal IT mandates, agencies recently have become motivated to seek improved data management technologies simply due to the enormity of the task.

Seventy-three percent of survey respondents said that workloads had increased over the last three years, MeriTalk reported. Data volume increased substantially during that time frame, nearly 80 percent of respondents said. Almost 75 percent of respondents reported that user volume also had grown. Almost 60 percent of federal IT managers said their agencies were struggling to keep up with such workloads.

The report, which was based on a survey of 150 federal IT managers, was underwritten by Cisco, NetApp and Tech Data. MeriTalk released it last month.

The indications that federal agencies saw value in converged technologies were relatively strong, considering the frequently conservative posture of agencies toward innovation. For example, 59 percent of respondents said that converged infrastructure solutions were part of their agencys data center strategy, while 23 percent reported they had multiple convergence solutions in place.

Adoption has conformed with the federal Data Center Optimization Initiative issued just a year ago, with 60 percent of respondents reporting that convergence solutions were being used to replace working data centers. Fifty-seven percent said the technology was being used to replace end-of-life data centers, and 35 percent said their agencies were moving to converged solutions to establish new centers.

A Link to the Cloud

IT vendors who see convergence either as a good option or as an essential strategy for government agencies have been positioning themselves to respond to federal interest in the technology. Marketing strategies include making sure agencies are well aware of the convergence option, and developing products geared to federal requirements.

In addition, IT providers have been linking the use of convergence technologies to federal agencies growing demand for cloud technologies.

The data consolidation initiative is driving the majority of the opportunities for converged systems, Tech Datas Speranzo told the E-Commerce Times.

Federal IT managers appeared to struggle soon after a government data consolidation directive was released in 2010, because agencies then did not have access to repeatable and consumable converged solutions, he noted.

That has all changed, with our vendor community focused on filling this need, almost every end user we work with has converged solutions specified in their requirements to reach the goals established by OMB, Speranzo said.

The future of government IT, and the industry in general, will be a multicloud world. While many agencies will leverage the capabilities of the major cloud providers, many workloads are still best suited for private cloud deployments, said Nick Michaelides, vice president of federal sales at Cisco.

Convergence provides a common, scalable and flexible infrastructure platform that can be used as the foundation of a private cloud, or as an extension of a public cloud  such as Microsofts Azure Stack, he told the E-Commerce Times. Ultimately, true customer success will be gained from vendors who can provide both vertical stack integration, as well as horizontal integration across clouds.

Participants in the survey revealed the range of deployment strategies, with 55 percent of respondents reporting they were using convergence solutions with internal data centers; 53 percent were using them with private clouds; 39 percent with hybrid clouds; and 33 percent with public clouds.

Market Emerges but Challenges Remain

As with most innovations, the path to federal agencies adoption of convergence solutions will not be smooth  the situation needs to be addressed by vendors and agencies alike.

Security is one of the challenges the MeriTalk survey revealed. Forty-four percent of respondents were concerned about security. Other potential problems include limited funding, as noted by 39 percent of respondents; interoperability (24 percent); forced updates (23 percent) and vendor lock-in (21 percent).

The road to an integrated IT system should not be a daunting one, said Rob Stein, vice president for the U.S. public sector at NetApp.

Most of todays data centers and related systems cannot keep up with the growing amount of data within federal agencies. Integrating all the pieces of the data center together radically simplifies data management, especially in the new hybrid cloud world, he said.

Other IT vendors are aware of the potential market for converged solutions at the federal level. Merlin International and HyTrust earlier this year joined with NetApp to issue a report on federal agencies use of converged solutions, including a focus on security.

More than 90 percent of respondents to a Dell EMC survey of federal agencies considered mobility and converged infrastructure as key elements for future IT management, the company reported late last year.

That future could provide vendors with significant opportunities.

Respondents to the MeriTalk survey indicated that they saw potential for convergence not only for data storage but also for a variety of other purposes, including big data analytics, workforce productivity, agency-specific applications, business processing and virtual desktop infrastructure.
Google appears to be planning a Pixel-branded Chromebook and a downsized version of its Home smart speaker, following in the steps of Microsoft and Amazon respectively.

Along with two expected new Pixel phones, Google this fall will unveil a Pixel-branded Chromebook and smaller, lower-priced version of its Home smart speaker, Android Police reported Monday, citing a source familiar with the companys plans.

Chromebooks typically have been popular with budget-conscious schools and penny-pinching consumers, but the Pixel laptop may be setting it sights on a segment of the market thats willing to spend more, the Android Police report suggests.

If so, it wont be Googles first effort to sell a premium Chromebook. It first introduced a Pixel Chromebook in 2013, and it offered an upgrade with a base model price of US$999 in 2015. Neither captured much market share.

If Google should decide to continue its Chromebook line, price could be a big factor in its success.

Chromebooks have never sold as high-end notebooks, said Bob ODonnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research.

For them to try to do something in the premium area would be challenging, he told TechNewsWorld. That has never been a product category where Chromebooks have sold well.

Benchmark for Others

Sales may be a secondary consideration for Google in the Chromebook market, though. Like Microsoft with its Surface tablet and laptop products, Google likely wants to show other Chromebook makers the platforms potential.

What theyre trying to do is establish a benchmark product that shows the market what the technology can do, and hope the other guys follow suit, noted Jack E. Gold, principal analyst at J.Gold Associates.

I dont think Google is going to play the low-end price game, he told TechNewsWorld. Theyre going to try and show more capabilities and encourage OEMs to get more creative with their Chromebooks.

The impetus behind a new Pixel Chromebook is the same as always, noted Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

It allows Google to demonstrate just how robust and great a Chromebook can be, he told TechNewsWorld.

A high-end Chromebook also could prove the value of the ChromeOS to Googles partners by opening a premium market to them.

Its partners have been reluctant to push the price opportunity for Chromebooks above $400, said Stephen Baker, an analyst with the NPD Group.

To be a viable alternative to Windows, Google has to offer its device partners a path to better revenue and profits with Chromebook, he told TechNewsWorld.

The Pixel Chromebook will be designed to help create a viable more premium market, which the partners want, Baker said, but they cant take the financial risk that Google can in building it.

Bison Spinoff?

Because the Pixel Chromebook likely will be a premium product, it wont be stepping on the sales of existing Chromebook makers, said Rhoda Alexander, director of tablet and notebook research at IHS Markit.

I dont see this offering serious competition to their hardware partners, she told TechNewsWorld. Its Google taking a leadership role, showing how things can be done, rather than a volume-hardware play.

Although details were sparse, it seems likely the new Pixel Chromebook will spring from Project Bison, a Google project veiled in secrecy and originally scheduled for release in this years third quarter, the Android Police report suggested.

Bison was intended as a serious competitor to Apples MacBook and Microsofts Surface Pro, according to the report. It was to have a 12.3-inch screen, 32 or 128 gigabytes of storage, 8 or 16 gigabytes of RAM, and an optional Wacom stylus that would be sold separately.

The biggest rumor about the Pixel Chromebook concerns Google integrating support for Android apps, which would be a large, significant step forward, Pund-ITs King said.

It also seems possible that the company could add support for features tied to its Home devices or emerging technologies like Cardboard, he added.

Homes Little Brother

Googles introduction of a little brother for its Home smart speaker is a much-expected move, said Brad Russell, a research analyst at Parks Associates.

They need a low-cost entry point for consumers that arent already in the space, he told TechNewsWorld.

One of the goals of these product lines is ubiquity in the home, Russell pointed out.

The reason Amazons Dot has been so successful is not just because its cheap  its because you can afford to put one in every room if you choose to, he said.

Offering a range of devices enhances a vendors prospects for appealing to a wider audience, noted Jonathan Collins, a research director at ABI Research.

While the idea is to expand the number of devices in the home, vendors ambitions reach beyond the devices.

In the long term, each vendor wants to get their voice assistant platform in the smart home, Collins told TechNewsWorld.

These speakers have become a Trojan horse for the digital assistants, said Technalysis ODonnell.

People are using these speakers to get access to personal assistants more than theyre even using them on their phones, he said, so if Google wants to have more people use Google Assistant, they have to sell more smart speakers.
Vfx and post house Coffee & TV has announced two appointments to its CG and production departments.

Josh George, a long time Coffee & TV freelancer, will take up a staff role as Senior 3D Artist while producer, Lydia Evitt, will join production.



Josh George started his career at Clear Post Production holding senior CG and animation positions at the company. During his career, he has worked on features including 28 days Later, 28 Weeks Later and Millions with Danny Boyle as well as storyboarding campaigns for Kelloggs, Honda, Tennents Lager, and IRN-BRU. He was also responsible for the design and development of the Tiddlytubbies for the BBC and he built a series of robots in Zbrush for IBMs Watson campaign, starring Carrie Fisher.



At Coffee & TV, hes worked on the Benecol Squirrel ad, Chinese National TV award-winning idents and a collection of character hot air balloons for this summers campaign for Sky Cinema.



Lydia Evitt began her post career at Smoke and Mirrors. After starting on reception she advanced in the business over five years; initially in grading production before covering all aspects of post. Most recently, she was producer at MPC. She has worked with directors including Emil Nava, Francois Rousselet and RSAs Brett Foraker and has produced campaigns for brands including Rimmel, Mitsubishi, Diesel and Walkers.



Derek Moore, MD Coffee & TV said: To have someone of Joshs calibre join our studio is testament to the outstandingly talented group of artists we have in our team. Hes been an asset to the company and complemented our artists strengths on a series of major projects, so we wanted to offer him a full-time role in order to ensure we can always share his exceptional creative talents with our clients. Where there is a gifted CG artist, there is always a great producer, so Lydia was the perfect choice. Shes got an excellent diverse range of experience and a calm professionalism that will benefit all areas of our business.



Josh George, Senior 3D Artist said: After working with the guys for years at different post houses, joining the ranks at Coffee & TV feels like coming home. Its an amazing company with a fantastic culture, so Im really looking forward to being a fully fledged member of the team.



Lydia Evitt, Producer, said: Ive always respected and admired the team and work produced at Coffee & TV, so I jumped at the opportunity to join production. Im looking forward to starting at a very exciting time for the company as it continues to grow.

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Framestores London-based colourist Edwin Metternich has relocated to the companys newly-opened Chicago office.

Metternich joined Framestore as a runner in 2007, moving quickly into the Colour team as an assistant and progressing into grading after two years.

He has worked on various projects including Framestores first video game vfx job Guitar Hero Live, The Eye for Audi and frequent collaborations with award-winning agencies and production companies. He was named by Little Black Book as a Top Colourist to Watch in 2015 and nominated for the Kinsale Sharks Best Colourist in a Short Film in 2016 and Best Colourist in a Music Video in 2017.

His has also worked on independent film projects including Blood Cells for British directing duo Joseph Bull and Luke Seomore, Jangbar with turner-nominated artist Zarina Bhimji, and BAFTA award-winning British Short Film, Operator. His client base includes brands such as Speedo, Absolut, Barclays, and Microsoft.

Finding a talented Colorist to help launch a new office and represent a brand like Framestore is certainly a tall order. The goal was to find someone who speaks the unique language of color and possesses both the skillset and the personality to communicate effectively with clients. Someone who brings a level of talent that would attract people to our Framestore offering and most importantly  someone who would continue to inspire and lead our team internally as we grew. To say we lucked out to have Edwin officially join us is an understatement, said Krystina Wilson, Executive Producer

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Lens maker Fujifilm is reorganising its European operation by moving its optical devices [professional lenses] arm into its German headquarters.

Fujifilm Corporation and Fujifilm Europe B.V in Tilburg (Netherlands) will move its European Optical Devices division into the German office in Kleve from October.

The management of Fujifilm Optical Devices Europe GmbH is being taken over by the existing Senior Vice President, Homare Kai, and Christopher Brawley, managing director of Fujifilm Electronic Imaging Europe GmbH. The new structure enables Fujifilm to respond more efficiently to the requirements in this market segment. A high speed and flexible adaptation to market requirements are required for success in this demanding field of business, said Christopher Brawley.

Since 2012, the optical business and the electronic imaging business have been carried out in the Fujifilm company headquarters in Japan by a single business area. These two business areas are now concentrated at the Kleve site in Europe too.

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The Indian Army has foiled an infiltration bid by Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) in Jammu and Kashmir's Keran sector.

By Manjeet Negi, Gaurav C Sawant: The Indian Army has foiled an infiltration bid by Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) in Jammu and Kashmir's Keran sector.

Pakistan's BAT tried to infiltrate 7 to 8 armed intruders around 1 pm in Kupwara district today and attacked an Indian post there.

No casualty has been reported so far. The Indian Army retaliated with full force and thwarted the infiltration attempt, forcing the intruders to retreat.

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The BAT's infiltration bid was supported by mortal shelling and firing of small arms from nearby Pakistan posts.

Exchange of firing from both sides of the border is underway.

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | Surgical strikes were a message, Pakistan understood it, says Army Chief General Rawat

--- ENDS ---
The vote organised by Kurdish authorities is expected to deliver a comfortable "yes" for independence, but is not binding.

Children holding Kurdish flags run on the streets of the disputed city of Kirkuk on Monday. (Photo: AP)

By Reuters: Kurds voted in large numbers in an independence referendum in northern Iraq on Monday, ignoring pressure from Baghdad, threats from Turkey and Iran, and international warnings that the vote may ignite yet more regional conflict.

The vote organised by Kurdish authorities is expected to deliver a comfortable "yes" for independence, but is not binding. It is designed to give Masoud Barzani, who heads the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a mandate to negotiate the secession of the oil-producing region.

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Turnout among 5.2 million eligible voters was 78 per cent, the Kurdish Rudaw TV station said, and vote-counting had started. Final results are expected within 72 hours.

Voters were asked to say 'yes' or 'no' to the question: "Do you want the Kurdistan Region and Kurdistani areas outside the (Kurdistan) Region to become an independent country?"

For Iraqi Kurds, part of the largest ethnic group left stateless when the Ottoman empire collapsed a century ago, the referendum offered a historic opportunity despite intense international pressure to call it off.

ALSO READ | Turkey mandate gives sweeping powers to President Tayyip Erdogan

"We have seen worse, we have seen injustice, killings and blockades," said Talat, waiting to vote in the regional capital, of Erbil, as a group of smiling women in colourful Kurdish dress emerged from the school showing their fingers stained with ink, a sign they had cast their ballots.

At Sheikh Amir village, near the Peshmerga front lines west of Erbil, long lines of Kurdish fighters waited to vote at a former school. Most emerged smiling, holding up ink-marked fingers.

In the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, Kurds sang and danced as they flocked to polling stations.

Opposition to the vote simmered among the Arabs and Turkmen who live alongside the Kurds in the northern Iraqi city and there were rumours the vote would not take place in mixed areas. Officials later ordered an overnight curfew.

WILL NOT ACCEPT RESULT: IRAQ PM

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered security services "to protect citizens being threatened and coerced" in the Kurdish region, after unconfirmed reports that Arabs in a small town in eastern Iraq were compelled to vote yes. Kurdish officials said no such coercion happened.

Speaking on state television, the prime minister called the referendum "unconstitutional" and said, "The referendum took place without any international recognition, we will not accept its result nor will the international community or any other party."

The Kurds say the vote also acknowledges their contribution in confronting Islamic State after it overwhelmed the Iraqi army in 2014 and seized control of a third of Iraq.

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But with 30 million ethnic Kurds scattered across the region, mainly in Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria, Tehran and Ankara fear the spread of separatism to their own Kurdish populations.

President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world, piling more pressure on the Kurds.

"After this, let's see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it," Erdogan said in Istanbul. "We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it's done."

ALSO READ | Iraq announces 'victory' over Islamic State in Mosul

The Iraqi army started "major manoeuvres" with the Turkish army at the border, the Iraqi defence ministry said, outlining coordinated measures by the two countries against the Kurds in retaliation for the referendum.

Turkey later took the Rudaw TV channel off its satellite service TurkSat, a Turkish broadcasting official told Reuters.

The US State Department said in a statement it was "deeply disappointed" the KRG decided to conduct the referendum but added that the United States' "historic relationship" with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region would not change.

Asked about the referendum, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Monday, "We hope for a unified Iraq to annihilate ISIS and certainly a unified Iraq to push back on Iran."

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The referendum was held not only in the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq, but in areas in the north of the country where Kurdish forces have advanced against Islamic State. Those areas also have large non-Kurdish populations.

Turkey said it did not recognise the referendum and would view its outcome as null and void, adding that the Iraqi Kurdish government was threatening the peace and stability of Iraq and the whole region.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his government was evaluating possible punitive steps regarding its border with northern Iraq and air space in response to the vote.

Erdogan said traffic was only being allowed to cross from the Turkish side of the border into Kurdish areas of Iraq.

Ankara's forces are again fighting a Kurdish insurgency in Turkey following the collapse of a peace process.

FLIGHT BAN

Iran announced a ban on direct flights to and from Kurdistan on Sunday, while Baghdad asked foreign countries to stop direct oil trading with the Kurdish region and demanded that the KRG hand over control of its international airports and border posts with Iran, Turkey and Syria.

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Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military adviser to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran regarded the referendum as "treason" against the Iraqi Kurds.

"Iran has blocked air traffic to this region but we are hopeful that the four neighbouring countries will block the land borders with Iraq too," he was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

Tehran supports Shi'ite Muslim groups that have been ruling or holding security and government positions in Iraq since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

ALSO READ | Missing Indians in Iraq: India to relaunch search operations

Syria, embroiled in a devastating civil war and whose Kurds are pressing ahead with their own self-determination, rejected the referendum.

Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said he hoped to maintain good relations with Turkey and the referendum was not a threat to Ankara.

"The referendum does not mean independence will happen tomorrow, nor are we redrawing borders," he said in Erbil. "If the 'yes' vote wins, we will resolve our issues with Baghdad peacefully."

Opposition to the vote emerged among non-Kurdish populations in areas disputed by the KRG and Baghdad, mainly the oil-rich region of Kirkuk.

"Iraq is against the Kurds, so are the Turks, the Iranians, the whole Arab region and Europe. They are going to live in a cage," said Mohammed Mahdi al-Bayati, a Shi'ite Turkmen and a local leader of the Iranian-backed Badr Organisation paramilitary group in Tuz Khurmato, south of Kirkuk.

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By PTI: Ahmedabad, Sep 26 (PTI) An affluent Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh has adopted monkhood after renouncing property worth an estimated Rs 100 crore and leaving their toddler daughter in the care of her grandparents, as they set out on the journey for salvation.

While Sumit Rathore (35), a businessman, was ordained in the Shwetambar (white-clad) order of Jainism at a ceremony in Surat on September 23, his wife Anamika (34) embraced monkhood yesterday after submitting an affidavit, as asked by the authorities, stating their three-year-old daughter Ibhya would remain with her maternal grandparents.

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Sumit and Anamika, who hail from Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh, were granted "deeksha" by Sadhumargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj.

However, the couples journey to monkhood was not without hiccups, especially over the future of Ibhya.

A Neemuch-based activist had sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to stop the initiation ceremony in the interest of the minor daughter of the couple.

A day before Sumit became monk, the Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) had sought a report from the civil and police administration about the steps taken by the couple to secure the future of Ibhya, who will now have no relation with her parents as monks are not allowed to keep family ties and have to sever all forms of worldly attachments.

The GSCPCR forwarded the matter to the Surat Police, who then approached the couple and their relatives to check on the steps taken by them to secure their daughters future, Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said today.

"The matter was referred to us after someone filed a petition with the child rights panel about the guardianship of the couples daughter. The couple submitted an affidavit that they have taken ample steps to secure her future," he said.

As per the affidavit, Ibhya will be looked after by Anamikas parents.

The police commissioner said a relative is also learnt to have expressed readiness to adopt the child. Sharma said police will submit its report to the commission (GSCPCR) soon.

Sumit had worked in London before managing his family business in Neemuch, while his engineer wife Anamika was earlier employed with a mining major.

His cousin Sandip Rathore had claimed that before deciding to adopt a life of asceticism Sumit owned property worth Rs 100 crore.

Sandip had expressed reservations over the couples move to become monks.

However, Anamikas father Ashok Chandaliya, a former Neemuch district president of the BJP, had last week said that he would take care of his granddaughter. "I am not against my daughter Anamika becoming a nun," he had said.

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Rajendra Singh, Sumits father, who runs a factory manufacturing gunny bags for packaging cement, had also echoed a similar view.

Sumit and Anamika were married for four years.

Sumit had announced his decision to take the vow of monkhood at a function attended by Acharya Ramlal at Surat last month.

"However, the pontiff asked him to seek Anamikas permission. She not only gave her consent but also expressed desire to become a nun. Their families asked them to rethink, but the couple stood their ground," Sandip said.

As per the Shwetambar tradition, the monks initiated into the order shave their heads and dress in white robes for their entire life.

The monks also start wearing a mouth covering so they do not swallow any living creature even by accident while talking. PTI PJT PD NSK SK

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A Baker man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in the 2015 drug-related slaying of a Baton Rouge teenager at BREC's Airline Highway Park.

Ronald T. Lockett Jr., 21, was scheduled to stand trial Monday on a second-degree murder charge in the killing of 17-year-old Sajaray Franklin Jr. but instead pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the drug deal gone bad.

Attempted armed robbery charges remain against two other men in the case: Bodrick Tremaine Tuggle, 19, of Baton Rouge, and Christopher Lamonte Gray, 21, of Prairieville.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office has said Franklin and Tuggle met with Lockett in the parking lot of Airline Highway Park on June 23, 2015, intending to rob Lockett of $1,500 during a marijuana sale. Franklin and Tuggle were friends.

Gray was not present during the crime but set up the meeting, according to an affidavit.

State District Judge Beau Higginbotham sentenced Lockett to 20 years behind bars under a plea deal.
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By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley along with Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah will inaugurate an India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show Passage to Prosperity here tomorrow.

The three-day event, sponsored by the US, will focus on better regional integration by strengthening economic ties between Afghanistan and India.

The event will highlight recently signed agreements, showcase Afghan companies and Indian innovation, and launch a forthcoming single-sector event series.

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Special Charge d affaires Afghanistan Ambassadr Hugo Llorens and Charge d affaires US Embassy Mary Kay Carlson will also be present at the inauguration.

The show will feature Afghan entities from the economic growth, agriculture, health, education, gender and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India, along with CEOs from major Indian and US companies. Consumer goods from Afghanistan like carpets, gemstones, marble, saffron, dried fruits and nuts will also be on display.

A senior US official said over 800 Indian companies have confirmed their participation in the trade and investment show, apart from around 240 Afghanistan vendors.

The official confirmed that the Passage to Prosperity show was a deliverable from the Heart of Asia conference and "certainly the relationship between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as PM Modis trip to Washington with President Donald Trump".

He informed that diversified American conglomerate General Electric has "expressed interest in pursuing some ideas or atleast exploring opportunities in Afghanistan".

The sixth edition of Heart of Asia conference, an annual regional gathering of Asian and other countries, was held in Amritsar in December last year.

"There has always been a natural trade partnership with India and Afghanistan. This is an opportunity to help Afghanistans private sector grow a bit... Unlike the other trade shows we have had in the past, this is not just a one- off event. We hope to gain some momentum and use this as a platform to work long term," the US official said.

He said the US was exploring making the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show an annual event and looking at Mumbai as the host next year, and confirmed that seven trade shows with Afghanistan have been held in India since 2014.

"Afghanistan is working very hard as a government to bring in investors as much as possible to make it a better marketplace and certainly a more desirable place for their trade partners around the region," the official said, adding that although security in Afghanistan has been an issue, it has not hampered entrepreneurs interested in the nation to reach out and forge partnerships. Besides, the US official said "certain airlines or air cargo companies in India who are looking to go to Kabul to bring back carpets or food" and about 20 flights have run till now under the India-Afghanistan Direct Air Freight Corridor established on June 19. PTI RSN MKJ

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James Carville: The Reveille has stood the tests of time and must continue to provide fair and accurate reporting
WASHINGTON  Admitting the votes simply werent there to pass the latest Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Senate leaders on Tuesday officially pulled the plug on the last-minute effort, spearhead by Sens. Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, and Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina.

Opposition from three key Republican Senate colleagues  John McCain, of Arizona; Rand Paul, of Kentucky; and Susan Collins, of Maine  doomed Cassidy and Grahams bill to almost certain failure despite years of Republican campaign promises to gut the 2010 health care law, also known as "Obamacare."

But Cassidy remained largely undeterred by the setback. He pledged to continue working on a conservative alternative to the health care law and, like Graham, his co-author, expressed optimism their concept could be revived in coming months. Leadership made the decision not to hold a vote just days before a Saturday deadline to pass the bill on a party-line, simple-majority vote through a process known as reconciliation.

We made the decision that, if we dont have the votes, well postpone that vote, Cassidy said at the Senate Republican leaderships weekly news conference.

Cassidy went on to rattle off a series of statistics about climbing insurance premiums, citing the stiff price tags for some families health policies as a central failing of the Affordable Care Act.

"Am I disappointed? Absolutely, Cassidy said.

Opponents of the bill, however, celebrated its defeat without a vote. Democrats, activists and a range of organizations representing stakeholders in the health care system  including doctors groups, insurance companies and hospital associations  had come out against it.

The bill wouldve repackaged much of the funding for insurance subsidies and expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act into flexible block grants for states. But those block grants wouldve been accompanied by cuts in funding for the states that did expand Medicaid  something Cassidy and Graham pitched as equity but opponents panned as cynical, given that Republican leaders in those states blocked expansion.

It also wouldve phased in a cap on federal spending on the traditional Medicaid program, which covers low-income and disabled Americans and is currently structured as an open-ended entitlement, meaning federal dollars increase when more patients enroll in the program. Under Cassidy-Graham, future growth in funding instead wouldve been capped by a per-capita formula.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said millions would lose health insurance coverage under the plan, though the CBO added that its analysts didnt have sufficient time to more thoroughly vet the bill, the first version of which was publicly released less than two weeks ago.

Louisiana wouldve seen its federal health care funding drop significantly under the formula, though analyses by outside groups varied in their assessment of just how much. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, an arm of President Donald Trump's administration, pegged the total reduction at $2.4 billion, a figure that didn't factor in the impact of caps on traditional Medicaid funding.

Cassidy and Graham have argued repeatedly that the current rate of growth in federal Medicaid spending is wildly unsustainable, with Cassidy labeling the program as a black hole for tax dollars in an address at the Baton Rouge Press Club in August. The caps, they argued, were necessary to put the program on more solid fiscal footing.

Patient groups, however, raised the alarm about what a number of critics and health-policy experts deemed the most fundamentally radical Republican health care proposal yet. Protests briefly postponed a committee hearing for the Cassidy-Graham plan on Monday, its lone public vetting, and about a dozen more protesters were arrested by Capitol police Tuesday after they staged a die-in to block underground corridors connecting a Senate office building with the U.S. Capitol.

Graham refused to declare the bill dead on Tuesday, instead predicting it would eventually be passed by the Senate. Both he and Cassidy said the rushed timeframe  which allowed little time to debate the bills merits or analyze its effects, much less substantially amend it  was its undoing.

There are 50 votes for the substance (of Cassidy-Graham), just not 50 votes for the process, Graham said, referring to the number of Republican senators needed to pass the bill. "Obamacare is not working. But weve had a hard time articulating what were for  until now. Now we have something that makes sense.

Were coming back to this after taxes, Graham added, referring to a tax-code overhaul that now moves to the top spot on Capitol Hill Republicans list of priorities. The reconciliation process, under which Republicans can push through legislation with a 50-vote simple majority instead of the chambers usual 60-vote threshold, only comes around at distinct points on the legislative calendar. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, has said they plan to use the next process, at the end of the year, to push through tax cuts.

It remained premature to discuss when exactly Republicans might revisit health care, Cassidy said. And the Louisiana senator added that he also didnt yet know how he might revise his proposal to shore up votes.

In the meantime, Senate Democrats urged their Republican colleagues to return to bipartisan talks aimed at shoring up the health care law's individual insurance exchanges, which have seen rising premiums and a dwindling number of insurers offering plans. Talks led by Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, and Patty Murray, D-Washington, appeared to collapse last week amid the last-minute Republican push to pass Cassidy-Graham.

Cassidy said he wasnt playing a direct role in those talks but didnt rule out voting for potential fixes, either, though he added that he thought theyd likely come up short on votes as well. But he also suggested he had little interest in propping up the Affordable Care Acts marketplaces with an infusion of money.

"I think we need to work to lower premiums  but I think we need to do more than just throw money at the status quo, Cassidy said. "Throwing money at the status quo doesnt solve the problems.
The insurance industry is hardly the pin-up sector for diversity and inclusion, but it is working to change things, says Lloyd's general representative in Australia, Chris Mackinnon.

However, the biggest shift in addressing unconscious bias needs to come from women themselves.

"Sometimes, it's their [women's] own unconscious bias  where they're not applying for positions or putting themselves forward," he said.

Men were more likely to challenge for jobs, he said, even when their expertise was not a direct match. He encouraged women to do the same, and for men in positions of power to rethink the way they hired.
Treasurer Scott Morrison has put more pressure on states to lift their gas bans.

It comes on the back of new reports forecasting a gas shortage three times larger than originally predicted.

Speaking in Canberra on Tuesday, Mr Morrison said while the gas industry is working towards ensuring a domestic supply, "the even better outcome is the moratoriums on both conventional and indeed unconventional [gas], where it is appropriate, can be lifted".

He outlined the impact it will have on Australian business, and the need to "remove the artificial constraints on gas supply in this country, particularly in the south, in New South Wales and in Victoria".
Critics of One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts like to tease him with the not-so-affectionate nickname "Mr 77": a reference to the number of first preference votes he attracted at last year's election.

"Mr 77" could soon be replaced by "Mr 19".

With Roberts tipped to be disqualified from Parliament next month for failing to renounce his British citizenship, his job looks likely to go to Queensland hotelier Fraser Anning - whose personal vote was even smaller than Roberts' modest number.

So who is Fraser Anning? And how likely is it that section 44 of the constitution will also claim him as a victim?
Acting Queensland Premier Curtis Pitt has cautioned the federal government against capping gas exports, as concerns over local supplies deepen.

Prime Minister Turnbull has singled out Queensland for rare praise over its decision to develop its gas industry compared with NSW and Victoria but has threatened to trigger export controls if gas companies fail to make more domestic supply available.

Queensland's Treasurer repeated the call for the Commonwealth to support an east coast gas pipeline to distribute gas more easily from Queensland to the southern states. Credit:Brendan Esposito

Mr Pitt said that would have a detrimental impact on jobs in the Queensland LNG industry, and the state shouldn't be punished for other states' shortcomings.

"I think Malcolm Turnbull is thinking too small. He's talking about trying to quarantine existing gas use, when he should be looking at how we can export and tap into more gas overall," Mr Pitt told reporters.
"If you wouldn't eat it, why would you put it on your skin?" asks Vanessa Megan, an organic skincare advocate with her own product line. We might respond that ingesting something is not the same as absorbing it. That surely she does not suggest we dine on her lotions? Or that one of the skin's functions is to perform as a shield against the surrounding environment. Nevertheless, she has a point. Our skin is our largest organ  and we have a collective blind spot when it comes to slathering it in synthetic chemicals.

Organic alternatives are increasingly popular. In the UK, the organic beauty and wellbeing market grew by 13 per cent last year. In the US, 37 per cent of consumers agree that they bought more natural and organic personal care products in 2016 than the previous year. The latest Australian Organic Market Report confirms Australia follows this global trend. Yet certified organic products account for only a small fraction of the massive global market.

The story of which chemicals we should avoid and which are supposedly proven to be safe is a complex one. Credit:Stocksy

"I meet many people who eat organic food and care about a healthy lifestyle but haven't yet extended that thinking to their beauty regimes," says Megan, whose Vanessa Megan brand offers products made in Australia from certified organic ingredients and no synthetic chemicals. "I compare it to taking a yoga class then going for McDonalds. Or following a jog with a cigarette. Some people might be up for that, but it doesn't seem sensible to me."

Confession: I am that person. If I smoked, I'd think a jog bought me credits. I freak out about pesticides on fruit and veg, while merrily using red lipstick that contains lead. (Looking for an alternative? Try Aussie organic brand Nudus.)
The Defence Minister, however, added that India has contributed consistently to Afghanistan by building dams, schools and providing medical assistance and training to its people.

By Sudhi Ranjan Sen: A categorical Nirmala Sitharaman told her United States counterpart James Mattis today that there will be no Indian troops in Afghanistan."There shall not be any (Indian) boots on the ground in Afghanistan," the Defence Minister told reporters after talks with the visiting US Defence Secretary.

The Defence Minister, however, added that India has contributed consistently to Afghanistan by building dams, schools and providing medical assistance and training to its people.

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"These will continue. These engagements will continue," Sitharaman told Mattis, but "there shall be no boots on the ground in Afghanistan". She also said that she has raised the issue of US military aid to Pakistan in her talks with Mattis.

She said there was a growing convergence between India and the US over the issue of terrorism in the region and condemnation of those who use terror as an instrument of state policy.

Sitharaman underlined India's strong relations with the US. She said the two countries "share a strong and vibrant strategic partnership as the world's largest democracies". "We also share fundamental values and interests," she said.

Mattis said the US values India's "invaluable contribution to Afghanistan" and welcomes further efforts to promote democracy, safety and security there.

Both New Delhi and Washington have shared concerns about Afghanistan. Trump has also cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops in the war-torn country. Washington has urged India to increase its stake in Afghanistan. India has, however, ruled out deploying troops in Afghanistan.

Nonetheless, training of the Afghan National Army and supply of more hardware and weapons platforms to the Afghan security forces by India cannot be ruled out.

On the table will be the all crucial cooperation and sharing of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR). India and the US have strong cooperation in this area. However, encrypted messaging platforms used by terrorists continues to be a cause of concern for Indian law enforcement agencies.

MATTIS FIRST HIGH-PROFILE TRUMP MAN TO VISIT INDIA

James Mattis is the first high-profile cabinet minister of the Trump administration to visit India. He will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later today towards making India-US relations "shock-proof".

Often India-US relations have suffered because of external factors like India's dealings with Russia or US cutting down on visa for software professionals. The idea is to take US-India relations to a different level and make it "shock-proof."

The US has indicated as much. General Mattis told reporters in Washington that the "strengthening of strategic relationship with India is not at the expense of others".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump met in June this year. Later, Trump called out Islamabad for supporting terror groups and "agents of chaos".

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CHINA BRINGS INDIA, US CLOSER

An aggressive China has brought US and Japan closer. In June this year the three countries conducted one of the biggest joint exercises in the Bay of Bengal. As aircraft and helicopters carriers of India and US and Japan steamed through Indian Ocean Region along with stealth a warships and subamirne the signal to Beijing was loud and clear.

India and US will stress on freedom of navigation through the disputed South China Sea.

Sources indicated that India and US could decide to conduct a joint Humanitarian Disaster Relief (HADR) Operation including helicopter-borne operations. "Joint exercises allow us to know and understand each better," source said.

Both sides are also expected to discuss and broader the scope of Defence Technology Trade Initiative (DTTI). The DDTI was the brain-child of Obama administration and although the Modi Government has pursued it vigorously none of the projects have matured. Sources said the DTTI will be expended to Air and Naval system.

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Ireland's prime minister has announced a referendum on whether to repeal the country's ban on abortion in nearly all cases, with the vote due to take place just a few weeks before a visit from the Pope. Leo Varadkar said the controversial referendum, which is likely to divide the largely Catholic country, would be held in May or June of 2018.

The following August the pontiff will travel to Dublin to attend the World Meeting of Families, in what will be the first papal visit to the country since 1978.

Demonstrators take part in a protest to urge the Irish Government to repeal the 8th amendment to the constitution, which enforces strict limitations to a woman's right to an abortion, in Dublin. Credit:Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Under the Irish constitution's eighth amendment, abortion is illegal unless there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother. Mr Varadkar has previously criticised the amendment as "too restrictive," though he is personally opposed to legalising abortions on demand.

Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland but was inserted into the constitution in 1983 following a referendum in which 67 per cent of voters were in favour and 33 per cent were against.
Homicide squad detectives have released an image of a man they wish to speak to over a fatal shooting on a suburban street in Roxburgh Park.

Police are still investigating the murder of Anwar Teriaki, who was shot and killed about 12.35am on Wednesday, August 9, only metres from his family's home on Hayfield Road.

It is believed the 21-year-old had arrived home shortly before the shooting.

Last week, detectives release frightening CCTV footage showing a silver-coloured sedan pulling up to the house shortly after Mr Teriaki had arrived home.
Bogota: Cassandra Sainsbury is no closer to the resolution of her case as her court date was postponed again.

The delay came because the accused Australian drug courier was not granted permission to leave the prison by Colombian prison authorities.

The scene in the courtroom on Tuesday morning Colombian time was very different from Ms Sainsbury's last hearing: there were no big TV cameras doing live crosses, no family members attended and the press pack was only three strong, down from over a dozen last time - and without Ms Sainsbury herself.

The judge said that it was not possible to continue the hearing without the accused.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
In an interview to the Times of India, Kamal Haasan said there was no untouchability in politics and if the need arises, he would not be averse to working with BJP.

Kamal Hassan announced that he is ready to join hands with the BJP if need be.

By India Today Web Desk: Tamil megastar Kamal Haasan has announced that he is ready to join hands with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if the need be.

In an interview to the Times of India, Kamal Haasan said there was no untouchability in politics and if the need arises, he would not be averse to working with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the interests of the people.

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Kamal Haasan also said that he doesn't know if his ideology is not compatible with BJP's ideology but his upcoming party and BJP can collaborate if ideology didn't come in the way of welfare and administration.

Kamal Haasan, a self-declared left-leaning centrist, is poised to launch his own political outfit and contest in Tamil Nadu elections. He is in the process of finalising the symbol, flag and name of the proposed party.

In an interview to India Today , he had said he could announce his political entry as soon as before the end of the year.

He has not thought about quitting acting for good but has said that he would if required.

ALSO WATCH | Politics is a crown of thorns, but I am willing to wear it: Kamal Haasan on joining politics

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An object that exploded on a Tube train at the Tower Hill station in London triggered panic among the commuters, leaving to the evacuation of the station.

By India Today Web Desk: An object that exploded on a Tube train at the Tower Hill station in London triggered panic among the commuters, leaving to the evacuation of the station.

Visuals from the site showed an item in flames lying on the floor of the train, according to a report published in the Express.co.uk.

The police are of the view that the incident was caused by a mobile phone charger getting overheated and subsequently exploding. They added that there was nothing to suggest anything suspicious.

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The incident sparked off panic among the passengers who tried to escape in different directions, leading to injury to one of them in the rush.

The cops have sealed the station and an investigation into the case has been ordered. The staff at the station were busy preventing passengers from getting inside with the message 'emergency - do not enter' flashing at the top.

Eyewitnesses took to social networking site Twitter to describe the melee in which the passengers escaped for safety.

EYEWITNESSES TAKE TO TWITTER

One post was quoted as saying, "Not sure what just happened but on the Underground at Tower Hill and someone there something on the train with it on fire."

Another person tweeted saying that her friend had been injured running from the train.

Authorities said they were called after a fire alert at around 12.30 pm this lunchtime.

A senior officer of the British Transport Police (BTP) said, "The incident at the Tower Hill station is not suspicious. Fire is believed to have been caused by overheating of the mobile phone charger."

The station has been closed around 12.35 pm after the fire alert was issued.

Earlier this month, 22 people were injured in a blast at the Parsons Green station of the London Tube - the underground metro rail service. Two people were arrested in connection with the attack in early September . People are tense regarding availing facilities of the public transport system in the wake of these two attacks.

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | London Tube explosion: Scores injured in underground train blast, police probes terror angle

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Upadhyay is accused of participating in various meetings organised by an outfit called Abhinav Bharat which was floated by Purohit.

By Vidya : Bombay High Court today granted bail to retired Army Major Ramesh Upadhyay in the 2008 Malegaon blast case on the grounds of parity. Upadhyay, co-accused in the case with Leiutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, has already been granted bail by the Supreme Court. Purohit was arrested after Upadhyay, in the deadly blast which took place in a Muslim-dominated district of Malegaon, in Maharashtra, which left seven people dead and over 100 injured.

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The division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Sadhna Jadhav asked if Upadhya's role in the blast was bigger than Colonel Purohit. Major Upadhyay's lawyer Sudip Pasbola and the lawyer for investigating agency NIA Sandesh Patil both said "lesser". However, Patil wanted to argue against Upadhyay being granted bail by stating his exact role in the case, but justice More said, "our hands are tied in the light of Supreme Court's order."

Upadhyay is accused of participating in various meetings organised by an outfit called Abhinav Bharat which was floated by Purohit. "The organisation is not banned and the group wanted to make a Hindu Rashtra Karyarat, which will have its own constitution. The proposal of blast was given by Purohit and others and they planned for a guerrilla war according to the chargesheet," said Pasbola.

Justice More asked if the Section (IPC) of waging war against the nation was liable against Upadhyay, to which Pasbola replied in a negative.

Upadhyay will now have to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh, 2 solvent sureties, and will have to appear in trial court as and when required. He is the 10th accused in the case to get bail. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is already out on bail since last year. Two accused, Sameer Kulkarni and Rakesh Dhawde have not decided as yet if they want to file for bail application.

Watch Video: Purohit was falsely implicated, says ex-top military intelligence officer

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By PTI: (Eds: With additional inputs, courts observations)

Mumbai, Sep 26 (PTI) The Bombay High Court today granted bail to retired Army Major Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, on the ground of parity.

Since the other prime accused in the case have been granted bail by the high court and the apex court, a bench of justices Ranjit More and Sadhna Jadhav granted Upadhyay bail against a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties each of the same amount.

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While the National Investigating Agencys (NIA) counsel Sandesh Patil opposed the bail plea, the bench said that its hands were tied in view of the apex courts directions on the grounds of parity.

The court also asked if Upadhyays role in the blast was larger than that of prime accused Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit, who was granted bail by the apex court in August.

Upadhyays counsel denied it and told the court of Purohit having been granted bail.

He also told the court that on September 19, a trial court had granted bail to two other accused persons in the case - Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi - on grounds of parity.

"Upadhyay played a role in hatching the conspiracy for the blasts. He attended several meetings of the Abhinav Bharat group and we have video recordings to prove his presence in some of such meetings," Patil said.

"However, while the high court recorded our opposition to the bail plea, it took cognisance of the fact that several other accused persons were already out on bail," he said.

Last November, the trial court had denied bail to Upadhyay following which he had filed an appeal in the high court challenging the order.

Upadhyay was booked by the NIA for his role in hatching the conspiracy for the blasts along with Purohit.

In its charge sheet, the NIA claimed that Upadhyay was a member of the right wing group Abhinav Bharat and that he had attended the conspiracy meetings in which the blast was planned.

Upadhyay, in his plea, however, argued that the recordings of these meetings merely showed discussions on Abhinav Bharat and nothing on the blast.

In April, another bench led by Justice More had granted bail to prime accused in the case, sadhvi Pragya Thakur, after the NIA claimed before the court that it had no objection to Thakur being let out on bail.

The bench, however, also said at the time that prima facie, there existed "more than sufficient material on record against" Purohit and thus, rejected his bail plea.

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It had said at the time that on going through the transcripts of the various conspiracy meetings and Purohits phone calls both before and after the blasts, it was clear that he was dissatisfied with the Constitution and instead, envisaged a Hindu Rashtra.

He thus, founded Abhinav Bharat, collected money for the group, and propagated "guerrilla war against the jihadi activities of Muslims".

The apex court, however, accepted Purohits plea challenging the above order, and granted him bail.

Six persons were killed and 100 others injured in the blast that took place in Malegaon on September 29, 2008. PTI AYA RMT ZMN

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Disaronno wears Missoni

For the fifth consecutive year, the Italian liqueur from Illva Saronno is presented in an exquisite limited edition bottle, this time designed by famous Italian fashion house Missoni.

The zig-zag design sleeve envelops the bottle and turns it into a collector's item, a perfect gift for those who are fashion savvy and love Disaronno. The collaboration between Disaronno and Missoni also sees the creation of six limited edition mini bottles, available in packs of three.

The Disaronno Icon editions are proven success stories in travel retail and the Missoni version has already been listed with retailers across the Americas, Europe and the Gulf, including Heinemann, LS Travel Retail, Paradies Lagardere, Dubai Duty Free and various cruise lines including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Holland America and Disney (on-premise). The limited edition bottle will be supported by high visibility merchandising, and exciting in store activations.

Domenico Toni, international sales director Illva Saronno, comments: All the Disaronno icon bottles have proved phenomenally successful in travel retail and were confident that the new Missoni version will be equally well received. Weve secured some key airport listings already, particularly in the USA - including JFK, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Newark, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale  as well as numerous cruise and ferry lines including the Navi Costa and P&O Ferries. Were looking forward to receiving both existing and new customers on our wonderful new terrace in Cannes where they can see the new bottle and join us for signature cocktails throughout the week.

The Icon project celebrates its fifth anniversary, and once again sees Disaronno paired with an Italian fashion brand. After its previous editions with Moschino, Versace, Cavalli and Etro, the project continues to support the charity Fashion for Development, sponsored by the United Nations. This year, Illva Saronno will donate part of the proceeds of sales to assist in providing a tangible contribution to the development of the numerous humanitarian efforts in Africa.

The exclusive limited edition will be on sale worldwide from October and can be seen at TFWA World Exhibition & Conference on Illva Saronnos new stand Bay Village B19. Guests at the Frontier Awards can also enjoy Disaronno cocktails at its sponsored pop-up bar.

Created for the limited edition, the Disaronno Wears Missoni Sour cocktail mixes the distinctive taste of Disaronno with lemon, grenadine and blue curacao.

26 September 2017 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor-in-chief
Santa Teresa 1796 arrives in travel retail

Bacardi Global Travel Retail has announced the global launch in travel retail of the multi-award winning Santa Teresa 1796 single estate rum. A one-litre format is offered especially for travel retail, with Lagardere stores at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport as the first airport locations to offer this super-premium, single estate rum from Venezuela.

Bacardi took on the global distribution (outside of Venezuela) of the family-owned Ron Santa Teresa portfolio in January 2017. Santa Teresa 1796 is a bold and elegant rum that strengthens Bacardis ambition to use its category expertise to accelerate the significant commercial opportunity for super-premium rum in Travel Retail.

From the sugar cane to bottle, Santa Teresa 1796 is grown, harvested, aged and each bottle is hand-sealed, as a single estate rum using the complex, artisanal Solera method  where no barrel is fully emptied, the most recent blends mixing and ageing with the oldest. The blend is a combination of rums, aged from four to 35 years.

Mike Birch, managing director of Bacardi GTR comments: There is strong potential in travel retail for a super-premium rum like this, especially in terms of its age and craft, appealing to shoppers at the second stage of luxury whose key purchase motivations are for aged spirits and the discovery of something rare and out of the main-stream. For the same reasons, we also see an opportunity to recruit new rum shoppers from the whisky category.

This is an exceptional craft rum with a long and unique heritage, which also looks to the future, where its story is interesting and purposeful. The Vollmer family-run distillery has a big heart, and they are committed to making a positive impact in their community, bringing employment opportunities and rugby together in Proyecto Alcatraz, an inspirational project, transforming lives in the local community.

The artisanal Solera method takes sugar cane grown on the Santa Teresa state and juices it to extract the molasses, which are then taken to the estate distillery. Water used in the rum production comes from natural wells deep in the estate land. Continuous fermentation and distillation in pots stills is followed by long ageing in French oak barrels with refinement in oak vats, before hand blending by the Maestro Ronero, with every bottle wax-sealed by hand.

Santa Teresa 1796, 40% ABV, is available in GTR in 1 litre bottles, RRP US$60.

26 September 2017 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor-in-chief
Faculty and students from Texas A&M Universitys Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning are using their expertise to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Interim department head and professor Shannon Van Zandt said although the work itself isnt new to those affiliated with the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A&M  a group specializing in disaster recovery and mitigation  it has been galvanized by the impacts of the recent storm.

Van Zandt said the group of nearly 10 faculty members and more than 30 students involved with the center have recommitted to the importance of their chosen field and the effects it can have on the lives of everyday people.

I think Houstons experience with Harvey is a very clear example of why urban planning matters, Van Zandt said. As were recovering from one disaster, we should be preparing for the next one so that, hopefully, were improving our resilience over time and not just going back to the way things were before.

Among the projects being pursued by members of the center are a FEMA-funded examination of the relative strengths and weakness of the natural hazard plans of various communities; the collections of water samples in the Manchester and Sunnyside neighborhoods of Houston; research into the connection between natural disasters and disruption of U.S. energy, water, food distribution and transportation networks; the continued development of flood resilience projects; and community-sourced data on area drainage.

Van Zandt said in addition to using the knowledge and skills of the

departments faculty and researchers, real-world projects are an opportunity for students to deepen both their understanding and interest in a crucial field.

Its exciting for us to be able to involve students, Van Zandt said. The nature of our discipline, urban planning, is really applied to begin with, so our educational approach with the students is to work on real projects with real clients in real communities. ... [The students] are chomping at the bit to get out there. They want to see whats going on and they want to be involved in trying to make it better.

She said there are plans to take students to Rockport this semester to visit with officials and evaluate how the resiliency plans in place held up against Harvey.

For many of the students who are able to participate in projects in the field, Van Zandt said she has seen them go on to work in communities and organizations that deal with the kind of dangers posed by weather events such as this.

It helps us to produce people who are better able to handle these kind of events, she said.

Weather events like Hurricane Harvey are certainly hazards, she said, but they do not become disasters until they adversely interact with human structures  leaving the loss of life and property in their wake.

While the destruction of Harvey left many along the Texas coast stunned, Van Zandt said the possibility of a storm causing this kind of damage has been a source of concern in recent years.

Despite the warnings, she said, areas  Houston, in particular  continued to build out developments and ignore calls for the preservation of wetlands for just this purpose.

Planners have been talking about the sprawl of Houston, the lack of development controls and the decimation of the wetlands and the environmental services they provide for years, she said. Its about having the political will to make the changes necessary to address those concerns.

Van Zandt cautioned, however, that although there is support for making changes to the way high-risk areas in Houston and its surrounding communities are designed, it wont last forever.

Disasters present this opportunity to make changes, and people tend to be more open to those kinds of changes after one occurs because theyve seen what the consequences are of not having done it beforehand, she said. It tends to be a temporary opportunity  people will forget, and their memories are really short. We dont know how long that willingness will be there to do things a little bit differently. It gives kind of an urgency to it.
PM Modi took to Twitter to wish Manmohan Singh on his birthday.

By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today greeted predecessor Manmohan Singh on his birthday and wished him a long and healthy life.

Warm birthday wishes to our former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. May he lead a long life filled with good health.&; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 26, 2017

Wishes also poured in from the Congress party.

Wishing our former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh a very happy birthday. May he continue to inspire us for many years to come! pic.twitter.com/Yk4oCnBO12- Congress (@INCIndia) September 26, 2017

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Singh, the architect of economic reforms that led to years of rapid growth, was born in 1932 in Gah village of Jhelum district in what is now Pakistan's Punjab province.

Singh, who turned 85 on Tuesday, was the Prime Minister between 2004 and 2014 during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.

His political career began in 1991 when he was appointed as the country's Finance Minister under late Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao.

It was the same year during which he helped usher in "liberalisation and privatisation" to the Indian economy.

(With inputs from IANS)

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By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: The Congress today took out protest march in Jaipur, against price rise during BJP rule. The protest march was led by senior leader and Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Sachin Pilot. Scores of Congress workers marched from the Youth Congress office till PCC.

"One tax will be applied in entire country. Today, six taxes of GST are there and around 80 lakhs small shopkeepers, traders come under GST. You have brought GST without any preparation. Congress is in favour of GST, we never opposed it. But the new form of GST is not benefiting anyone. It's a burden on people. Small shopkeepers are suffering today."

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"After demonetisation, shopkeepers' dealings has reduced. On top of that, one has to file returns three times in a month. After three and a half years, Economic Advisory Council has been formed today. If you would have heard people's economic advice, then you would not have gone with demonetisation.", PCC Chief and senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot stated.

The unique thing about the march was the use of bullock carts, horses, camel carts, and cycle rickshaws. This was to emphasise upon the increase in fuel prices.

"In India we import 88% oil from outside. When import prices have gone down, then there is no need for the oil prices to skyrocket. Also, various states have voiced their displeasure over it.", Pilot said.

Also Watch : Mood of the youth: What do they feel about Modi, Rahul? Who will they vote for in 2019?

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BISMARCK, N.D. -- It has no automatic tellers or drive-up windows, doesn't issue credit cards, and tends only a few thousand checking and savings accounts. Its only location is a glass, steamboat-shaped headquarters near the Missouri River, where the business moved from its original 1919 home in a former auto assembly plant.

The Bank of North Dakota -- the nation's only state-owned bank -- might seem to be a relic. It was the brainchild of a failed flax farmer and one-time Socialist Party organizer during World War I.

But now officials in other states are wondering whether it is helping North Dakota sail through the national recession.

Gubernatorial candidates in Florida and Oregon and a Washington legislator are advocating the creation of state-owned banks in those states. A report prepared for a Vermont House committee last month said the idea had "considerable merit." Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore promotes the bank on his Web site.

"There's a lot of hurt out there, a lot of states that are in trouble, and they're tying the Bank of North Dakota together with this economic success that we're having right now," said the bank's president, Eric Hardmeyer.

Hardmeyer says he's gotten "tons" of inquiries about the bank's workings, including questions from officials in California, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Washington state. North Dakota has the nation's lowest unemployment rate at 4.4 percent, soaring oil production and a robust state budget surplus -- but Hardmeyer says the bank isn't responsible for the prosperity.

"We are a catalyst, perhaps, or maybe a part of it," he said. "To put this at our feet is flattering, but it frankly isn't true."

The Bank of North Dakota serves as an economic development agency and "banker's bank" that lessens the loan risks of private banks and helps them finance larger projects. It offers cheap loans to farmers, students and businesses.

The bank had nearly $4 billion in assets and a $2.67 billion loan portfolio at the end of last year, according to its most recent quarterly financial report. It made $58.1 million in profits in 2009, setting a record for the sixth straight year. During the past decade, the bank funneled nearly $300 million in profits to North Dakota's treasury.

The bank has the advantage of being the repository for most state funds, which can be used for loans and occasional relief for private banks that need a jolt of cash during sluggish credit markets.

"We think of ourselves as kind of a little mini-Federal Reserve," Hardmeyer said.

The state earns roughly 0.25 percent less interest than state agencies would get from a commercial institution. The bank also pays no state or federal taxes and has no deposit insurance; North Dakota taxpayers are on the hook for any losses.

The Bank of North Dakota was a cornerstone of the agenda of the Nonpartisan League, a farmers' political insurgency spawned by anger about outside control of North Dakota's credit and grain markets.

Founded in 1915 by A.C. Townley, who became a Socialist Party organizer after he went broke raising flax in western North Dakota, the Nonpartisan League advocated state-owned banks to provide low-interest farm loans, along with state flour mills, grain elevators, meatpacking houses and hail insurance.

Supporters gained control of the legislature and the governorship within five years. The movement's power quickly waned, but two of its state-owned businesses survived -- the Bank of North Dakota and a state flour mill and grain elevator in Grand Forks.

From the 1940s until the early 1960s, the bank served mostly as a public funds depository and municipal bond buyer, said Rozanne Enerson Junker, author of a 1989 history of the bank. Its economic development activity has greatly expanded since.

Gary Petersen, president of the Lakeside State Bank of New Town, a community on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in northwestern North Dakota, said the state bank often is willing to take a stake in local development projects.

"In my experience, you make a contact with the (Bank of North Dakota), and their question is, `How do we get this done?' " Petersen said. "They're not looking at ways to knock it down."

Alerus Financial, a Grand Forks bank, has sold about $115 million of its $600 million loan portfolio to the Bank of North Dakota, to spread its risk and provide itself with additional loan money, said Karl Bollingberg, Alerus' director of banking services.

"If you're left to find other participating banks, that can be very challenging," he said. "They don't have the same interest that the Bank of North Dakota has in helping you to do deals."

Mauro Guillen, a professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, said it is unlikely other states would open similar banks, in part because "the political culture here is very much against that kind of a thing."

Some state and federal agencies, such as the Small Business Administration, have economic development programs similar to those at the Bank of North Dakota, Guillen said.

Bollingberg said the idea of other state-owned banks also would likely rouse opposition from private banks that wanted to keep their share of state deposits. "Because the (Bank of North Dakota) has been here so long, no banks know what it was like to have those deposits," he said.

Hardmeyer said he, too, was always doubtful others would take up North Dakota's model, but now he's not so sure.

"When I see what's going on around the country, it's not quite as far a leap as I thought it once was," he said.
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Maybe you're tired of writing your landlord a $2,000-plus check every month for your one-bedroom apartment in Stamford.

Or perhaps you're a baby boomer putting off retirement because you never managed to save as much as you intended.

Or maybe you're just fed up with the daily, soul-crushing traffic crawl through the I-95 corridor.

Time to pull up stakes?

Here's an option: Flee the country altogether.

Sure, it's significantly cheaper to live in Bellingham than Greenwich or Stamford, but the savings pale compared to those you'd enjoy in some Central American or South American cities. Bargains can be found even in Europe.

Now Playing: The Galapagos Islands, in Ecuador, offer wildlife and landscapes found nowhere else on earth. Video: Brandpoint

Of course, becoming an expatriate holds more appeal for the retired. In some cases, you won't even need to tap into your 401(k) to pay the bills; a Social Security check goes a long way in, say, Panama City.

Younger folks who are able to make a living by telecommuting, consulting or other nontraditional jobs might also be tempted by the lure of a low cost of living  possibly so low that you barely need to work, if at all.

Here are the cheapest places overseas in which to live well, according to International Living. The monthly magazine and website scours the planet for the best deals for people looking for opportunities beyond their own shores. As its lists for "Best Places to Retire" and "Cheapest Places to Live" overlapped, we've made a mashup from both.

International Living's ratings are not scientific but are based on anecdotal information from the site's more than 200 correspondents living in other countries. However, a number of its choices show up on similar lists by Forbes, LifeBuzz and Tim Leffel's Cheapest Destinations.

With each city (or country) in the above gallery, we've included some of the testimonials of International Living's correspondents in the captions, and noted perks specific to the area.
NORWALK  Paul G. Saviano, a lifelong Norwalk resident, avid boater, inventor and the citys newly appointed deputy harbormaster, died Saturday with his family by his side. He was 63.

Saviano died of complications following heart surgery in early June. He had been looking forward to start his new job on the Norwalk Harbor.

We spent every summer on the water, said Carrie Saviano, his wife of 38 years. Thats where he was happiest, on the water, and he knew all the Norwalk Islands, all the little idiosyncrasies of the water.

In April, Saviano was appointed by Gov. Dannel Malloy to serve as Norwalks deputy harbormaster. Norwalk Police Sgt. Gregg Scully was appointed harbormaster. Both were selected based upon recommendations of the Norwalk Harbor Management Commission, which reviewed numerous applications.

He was very active in the harbor. He was a (harbor) commissioner many years ago, said harbor commission Chairman Anthony Mobilia. He was the logical choice to be the deputy harbormaster. He was really one of our good stewards of the harbor.

Geoffrey Steadman, planning consultant for the harbor commission, said Saviano was looking forward to working with the agency again and being involved in the daily workings of Norwalk Harbor.

Saviano expressed his interested in serving on the commission in a 1993 letter to Mayor Frank Esposito. The future commissioner wrote that he had always been part of a boating family.

Now as a family, we spend much of our free time in and around Norwalk waters, Saviano wrote. Landlubbers would probably consider us assiduous boaters.

A member of the South Norwalk Boat Club, Saviano held a U.S. Coast Guard captain's license and was the former chairman of the Mayor's Water Quality Committee. He was a vocal supporter of the recent renovations of Norwalk's boat-launching ramps.

A retired engineer from Perkin-Elmer, where he worked for 26 years, he held several patents and regularly applied his inventive skills outside work. They included building a super-insulated house and later installing solar and geothermal energy systems, according to his wife.

He never gave up on his dreams, on people, on anything, said Carrie Saviano. He was a really good man that enjoyed the things in life that were important. For Norwalk, he would do anything for the city.

A 1972 graduate of Norwalk High School, Saviano was an active member and former president of the schools alumni association.

In addition to his wife Carrie, Saviano is survived by their children Leora, Jamesen and Danen as well as his daughters-in-law Jennifer and Rouby. His first grandchild, a boy, is due this November. He was predeceased by an infant daughter.

His family will receive friends Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the Magner Funeral Home, 12 Mott Ave. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Jerome Church, 23 Half Mile Road. Memorial donations may be made to the charity or cause of the donor's choice. For directions or to leave an online condolence, please go to: www.Magnerfunerhome.com
Controversy surrounds the story of John Sullivans life. Yet he is among the representative Americans of his timegenerous to a fault, jealous of his personal honor, optimistic, gregarious, ambitious, and larger than life.

John Sullivan (1740-1795), lawyer, entrepreneur, soldier, and political leader of New Hampshire during and after the American Revolution. Both a commercial and a military Federalist, who had learned in the Continental Congress and in the American army to loathe everything in state and national government that was disorganized and diffuse. A proud, fierce, and pompous man, driven (according to his modern biographer) by an ambition that soared beyond his abilities: a desire to be an even greater man than he was. Born in the town of Somersworth, New Hampshire, in the township of Rollinsford, just across the Salmon Falls River from Berwick, Maine. Son of John (Owen) Sullivan of County Limerick, Ireland, and of Margery Browne Sullivan of County Cork, who came to New England as redemptioners. As reported in family tradition, grandson of Major Philip OSullivan of Ardea, a Jacobite officer who died in the service of James II. Educated by his father, a schoolmaster, and in the chambers of Samuel Livermore. By 1760 married and established in Durham, New Hampshire. A great success, worth (according to John Adams) at least 10,000 by 1774, with six mills (for grist, batting, fulling, and grinding of scythes), a fine house, and a number of slaves to row his personal barge. But in the midst of a pattern of contention and abuse even in these early years, litigious and hated by many for his prosecutions for debt. Twice almost killed by mobs determined to take either his life or his papers. The target of a petition to the General Court of the colony which charged that he conducted his business with a view of making his Fortune out of the Ruin of the poor harmless people. Nevertheless, a respected, often popular figure, a leader of the New Hampshire bar and major in the colonial militia. Always a conservative, but a Whiga violent Irish Protestant, with no inherited reverence for English authority. Elected by Durham to be a member of New Hampshires First Provincial Congress, which met at Exeter on July 21, 1774. Chosen by that body to be one of the two delegates from his commonwealth to the First Continental Congress, where he quickly aligned himself with John and Samuel Adams, the most prominent advocates of national independence. Propelled by these events to play a large role on the national stagea role to which he gave himself without reservation.

John Sullivan, his eyes opened to the meaning of the rapidly unfolding conflict with England by his experience in the Congress, returned to New Hampshire and, upon receipt of a warning that British troops were on their way, led a raid on Fort William and Mary in Portsmouth harbor in December of 1774. Powder and guns were carried away for concealment in the countrysideand the authority of the royal governor, John Wentworth, forever destroyed. The Second Provincial Congress of New Hampshire returned John Sullivan to be their representative in the Continental Congress. They signed the Association recommended to them as the reflection of a new national will and were proud when the Second Continental Congress, on June 22, 1775, appointed their spokesman to be a brigadier-general in the newly organized American army besieging the British garrison in Boston.

Sullivan threw himself into his new military responsibilities as if he had been a soldier all of his life. After good service in a number of minor actions around Boston and brief duty in organizing the defenses of Portsmouth, he was dispatched to Canada, where, following the death of General John Thomas, he assumed command. Sullivan did a fine job in retiring before a stronger British force but was relieved by Horatio Gates in July, 1776. Here his disposition to be sensitive to slights and to take offense at criticism took over. He attempted to resign but was dissuaded by the leaders of the Congress and promoted to the rank of major-general. In the Long Island campaign of that summer, Sullivans command, on Washingtons left, was overrun, and the New Hampshire general captured; isolated in a cornfield by Hessians, brought to bay with a pistol in each hand.

Sullivan was treated with respect by his enemies and an exchange with a British officer was soon arranged. But first Lord Howe attempted to use his American prisoner to open negotiations with the Congress. After this brief venture in diplomacy, Sullivan returned to the field for the final stages of the New York campaign, participated in the retreat across New Jersey and then distinguished himself for valor and leadership under fire at Trenton and Princeton. In the opinion of contemporaries he seemed brave almost to the extent of folly but possessed by a certain arrogant manner which led him to take on duties which tact would have left in other hands. Hence, he was frequently involved in quarrels concerning rank and precedence and was a target of censure for those members of Congress who were uneasy at the prospect of military rule.

General Sullivan, after an interlude in New Hampshire (where he influenced the formation of a viable state government), led an expedition against British posts on Staten Island. The results of this raid were indeterminate and a military inquiry into the conduct of its commander was demanded by political critics such as Thomas Burke of North Carolina. But before this investigation could be arranged, the American army had to face an invasion of Pennsylvania and major battles with Lord Howe at Brandywine and Germantown. Sullivan had an important part in both of these engagements. He was almost killed in the first when his division, caught while moving, collapsed around him and his horse was shot from under him while he rallied green troops. In the second he commanded the American spearhead in an eastward thrust against Howes camp outside Philadelphia. Fog disorganized the assault and Sullivan was forced to withdraw and regroup. But not before he had been at the center of more furious fighting for which he was commended by soldiers on both sides of the line. Exoneration before a military court followed Germantown. But the pressures of months of bickering with his critics had disoriented the excitable and mercurial soldier from New England. In the words of William Plumer, John Sullivan was as greedy of flattery as any man he had ever known. He was not only vain of his person, but also moody; and, when in distress, fond of the bottle. He required more praise and less censure. Therefore, in the spring and summer, fall and winter of 1777, Sullivan drank, suffered from his ulcer, and poured out his sorrows in letters of complaint to his commander. Washington replied, No other officer of rank, in the whole army, has so often conceived himself to be neglected, slighted and ill-treated, as you have done, and none I am sure had had less cause than yourself to entertain such ideas.

In the spring of 1778, General Sullivan was given an independent command in Rhode Island with orders to cooperate with a French expedition under the Comte dEstaing in driving the British from the state. Because a storm damaged the French fleet, Sullivan was exposed near Newport but fought the British garrison of the island to a standstill while they attempted to take advantage of their numerical superiority. Frustrated, Sullivan then withdrew in good order. His reflections on the conduct of his allies produced another chapter in the turbulent history of his struggle against disappointment and injustice. But before this tension could develop into a drama of its own, John Sullivan was once again transferred, this time to fight the Iroquois and their Tory allies in Pennsylvania and Western New York. This independent campaign was a success. Sullivans troops defeated the Indians near what is now Elmira, burned all of their towns and their food supplies. However, once the campaign was over, there was the usual carping from Sullivans political enemiestalk of how he moved his troops as slowly as the Duke de Sully, and of the self-serving fustian of his reports to Congress. Moreover, the General made some attacks of his own, particularly on the Board of War, which was supposed to supply his legions in the field. Words flew back and forth. Sullivan fell ill. On November 9, 1779, he offered to resign. To his surprise, this time the offer was accepted. His military career had been honorable, but exasperating. It had also shaped his political thought.

Major-General John Sullivan returned to New Hampshire a military hero to his own people. His presence brought celebrations and an honorary M.A. from Harvard. Predictably, adulation drew him back to the public life. His original plan was to practice law and renovate his mills. But the elders of the commonwealth insisted that a figure of stature was needed to represent it in the controversy over Vermont. Sullivan played an influential role during his 1780-1781 tenure in the Continental Congress. He prevented the annexation of Vermont by New York, prevented action by Congress to judge claims of authority in the disputed territories and then moved the acceptance of the organized community west of the Connnecticut River as an independent state. Sullivan as a member of Congress made friends in the Vermont Grantsconnections which sustained him in the rest of his career. And he also cooperated with the French minister, the Chevalier de la Luzerne, in preventing foolish innovations in American foreign policy. He even accepted a small loan from the French diplomata gratuity which greatly injured his reputation. Sullivan grew to be more and more contemptuous of his colleagues in the national government during this period of service. He called the Congress a Body with power & the States the Several Component parts of a Monster with Thirteen Heads. In this spirit, he was to support the Constitution of 1787 and foster its ratification in New Hampshire.

In 1782, Sullivan returned to his state to serve in its constitutional convention and to begin a four-year term as its Attorney General. In the latter office, he reconciled the western counties on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River to the authority of the state government by traveling through their communities. Sullivan represented his state in a jurisdictional dispute with admiralty courts established by the Congress. He commanded the state militia, attending musters throughout New Hampshire and displaying the very image of legitimate authority in his resplendent uniform (on the general theory that if we mean to keep our neighbors sword in its scabbard, we must whet our own). His law practice flourished. He stuffed a moose for Jeffersons French friends. He promoted domestic manufactures. And he was chosen to be Speaker of the House and one of the five councilors to the chief magistrate of his state. But the climax of his career was yet to comehis three terms as President of New Hampshire: terms in office during which his state experienced a crisis in its political character and achieved stability within the Union.

New Hampshire politics in the years 1785-1790 was, at the top, a rivalry between General Sullivan and John Langdon, the states spokesman in the Great Convention. Their struggle was serious but factional, not philosophical. The most important issues of these years of economic distress were paper money and debt relief. On these issues Langdon and Sullivan were agreedin the negative. The latter was first elected President in 1786, after a vigorous canvass of the state and a newspaper war. Langdon had been victorious in 1785 and won again in 1788. Sullivan was re-elected in 1787 and returned for a third term in 1789. In September of 1789, he was appointed United States District Judge for New Hampshire, a post in which he continued until his death. This appointment removed him from the arena of state politics. But not before he had put down a rebellion which threatened the future of his state and managed the campaign for the adoption of the U.S. Constitution by his people.

In Sullivans first term as President, during the summer of 1786, petitions from the towns poured down upon the General Court. Conventions were assembled, demanding (in whole or in part) paper moneyequal distribution of propertythe annihilation of debts, freedom from taxes, the abolition of lawyers, the destruction of the Inferior Courts [and repeal of the law] authorizing the return of the [Tory] Refugees. Plumers summary of the temper of the mob of hundreds which brought this message to an Exeter meeting of the legislature on September 20, 1786, was that they were against law and government. Sullivan endured the armed siege of the Meeting House where the General Court was assembled and, once outside the hall, called up the militia, arrested, and tried the miscreants under military circumstances and then paraded through the state asserting legitimate authority. With New Hampshire headed toward its own version of Shays Rebellion and its experiment in self-rule almost at an end, its warrior patriot dealt summarily with the insurrection. In the words of a contemporary who undervalued the service of John Sullivan in this crisis, we could not have had a better military governor. Unfortunately, a military governor was what his state needed at the time. There would be no mutiny under John Sullivans flamboyant hand. And no breaking of the ranks. Neither would levelers be condoned where he was of the company.

In the spirit of such a commitment against whatever seemed disorganized or diffuse, President Sullivan presided over the first session of New Hampshires ratification convention at Exeter, February 13-February 22, 1788, and supported his successor, John Langdon, in the second session at Concord, June 18-June 21 of the same year. The Constitution was a check upon anarchy and popular excessdeserving of energetic support, even of a popular variety. Sullivan urged approval upon his neighbors. The Constitution was the best that could be devised. He answered Joshua Atherton on the provision for judicial authority in Article III, Section 2, that Congress had the power necessary to limit the jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court. He supported the move for adjournment when (in February) it was clear that the Federalists were in a minority. Moreover, his reputation in Western New Hampshire helped sway some delegates from that region to consider voting to ratify, calmed in them the fear of remote authority which the Revolution had engendered in all Americans. Finally, in Concord in the second session, Sullivan is credited with arranging alcoholic civilities which kept a few Antifederalists away from the hall. And with other political arts that gathered a vote here and a vote there. That New Hampshire (with a recommendation of subsequent amendments) accepted the Constitution was due chiefly to the exertions of John Sullivan, Samuel Livermore, Josiah Bartlett, John Langdon and the brothers, John Taylor, and Nicholas Gilman. The explanation of their actions lies chiefly in New Hampshire state politics, not in broad theories concerning the national destiny.

In his last term as President of New Hampshire, John Sullivan had the pleasure of entertaining the President of the United States, George Washington, in a great ball at Portsmouth. He was honored with a Doctor of Laws degree from Dartmouth. Thereafter, decline came swiftly. The Generals mills burned. He fell under a burden of debt, was forced to sell his property, and had to endure undeserved calumny from the children of former friends. In 1795, he rapidly deteriorated into senility brought on by a nervous disease. To the end his enemies pursued him, even to the brink of his grave, as General Cilley with a brace of pistols had to protect his burial from interference by creditors. To this day controversy surrounds the story of his life. Yet he is among the representative Americans of his timegenerous to a fault, jealous of his personal honor, optimistic, gregarious, a gifted politician, ambitious, venturesome and (though never so often as he would have liked) larger than life.

Republished with gracious permission from The Intercollegiate Review (Spring 1981).

The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politicswe approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.

Note:

See Charles P. Whittemore, A General of the Revolution: John Sullivan of New Hampshire [N.Y.: Columbia University Press, 1961]; Jere R. Daniell, Experiment in Republicanism: New Hampshire Politics and the American Revolution, 1741-1794 [Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1970]; Otis G. Hammond, ed., The Letters and the Papers of Major General John Sullivan, 3 vols. [Concord: New Hampshire Historical Society Collections, XIII-XV, 1930-1939]; Thomas C. Amory, The Military Services and Public Life of Major-General John Sullivan of the American Revolutionary Army [Boston: Wiggin and Lunt, 1868]; Everett S. Stackpole, History of New Hampshire, 2 vols. [New York: The American Historical Soci ety, 1916]; Thomas C. Amory, General Sullivan Not a Pensioner of Luzerne [Boston: A. Williams and Co., 1875]; William Plumer, John Sullivan, pp. 818-826, Early State Papers of New Hampshire, XXI, ed. Albert S. Batchellor [Concord, N.H.: Ira C. Evans, 1892]; Clifford K. Shipton, John Sullivan, Sibleys Harvard Graduates, XIV: Biographical Sketches of Those Who Attended Harvard College in the Classes of 1756-1760 [Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1968], pp. 318-338; Nathaniel Joseph Eiseman, The Ratification of the Federal Constitution by the State of New Hampshire, M.A. thesis, Columbia University, 1937; Nancy Elaine Briggs Oliver, Keystone of the Federal Arch: New Hampshires Ratification of the United States Constitution, Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1972.

The featured image of Major General John Sullivan is provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Originally, I thought of this book as a collection of meditations from a CEO in the midst of transformation. As someone both navigating a corporate transformation and creating transformational technologies, my aim was to share these experiences in real time rather than look back on them years later. The Microsoft transformation, of course, is ongoing. In the face of global economic and technological uncertainty, we reset our mission, reprioritised our culture, and built or rebuilt strategic partnerships in order to solidify the foundation of our business. We also needed to hasten our innovative spirit and place new, bold bets. This is what has made Microsoft a trusted tech brand for more than 40 years.

Hit Refresh: The Quest to rediscover Microsoft's soul and imagine a better future for everyone

We looked beyond the PC and the server to drive success in the cloud. But we also had to look beyond the cloud. Forecasting technology trends can be perilous. It's been said we tend to overestimate what we can achieve in the short run, but underestimate what can be achieved in the long run. But we are investing to lead in three key technologies that will shape our industry and others in the years to come-mixed reality, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. These technologies will inevitably lead to massive shifts in our economy and society.Here is one way to think about the convergence of these coming technology shifts. With mixed reality, we are building the ultimate computing experience, one in which your field of view becomes a computing surface and the digital world and your physical world become one. The data, apps, and even the colleagues and friends you think of as being on your phone or tablet, are now available anywhere you want to access them-while you're working in your office, visiting a customer, or collaborating with colleagues in a conference room. Artificial intelligence powers every experience, augmenting human capability with insights and predictive power that would be impossible to achieve on our own. Finally, quantum computing will allow us to go beyond the bounds of Moore's Law-the observation that the number of transistors in a computer chip doubles roughly every two years-by changing the very physics of computing as we know it today, providing the computational power to solve the world's biggest and most complex problems. Mixed reality (MR), artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing (QC) may be independent threads today, but they are going to come together. We're betting on it.

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A technology company that misses multiple trends like these will inevitably fall behind. At the same time, of course, it's dangerous to chase untested future technologies while neglecting the core of the current business. That's the classic innovator's dilemma-to risk existing success while pursuing new opportunities. Historically, Microsoft has struggled at times to get this balance right. We actually had a tablet before the iPad; we were well along the path toward an e-reader before the Kindle. But in some cases our software was ahead of the key components required for success, such as touchscreen hardware or broadband connectivity. In other cases, we lacked end-to-end design thinking to bring a complete solution to market. We also got a bit overconfident in our ability to fast-follow a competitor, forgetting that there is inherent risk in such a strategy. We were perhaps timid in disrupting our own highly successful business models. We've learned from all this. There is no formula to inventing the future. A company has to have a complete vision for what it can uniquely do, and then back it up with conviction and the capability to make it happen.

To avoid being trapped by the innovator's dilemma-and to move from always focusing on the urgency of today to considering the important things for tomorrow-we decided to look at our investment strategy across three growth horizons: first, grow today's core businesses and technologies; second, incubate new ideas and products for the future; and third, invest in long-term breakthroughs.

THE NEW MIXED REALITY NATIVES

Our industry is full of eureka moments of discovery. My most startling moment arrived, surprisingly, on the surface of planet Mars-standing in the basement of Microsoft's Building 92. It was there that I first slipped on a HoloLens device, a small head-mounted computer that is completely self-contained. Suddenly HoloLens transported me-virtually, of course-onto the surface of the Red Planet, 250 million miles away, thanks to a feed from NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity. Through HoloLens, I could see my two street shoes walking, in the most convincing and baffling way, on the dusty Martian plain near a rocky waypoint called Kimberley along the rover's journey to Murray Buttes. HoloLens made it possible for me both to walk around the actual room-to see a desk and to interact with people around me-and to inspect rocks on Mars' surface. That's the amazing, unprecedented nature of what we call mixed reality. The experience was so inspiring, so moving, that one member of my leadership team cried during that virtual excursion.

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What I saw and experienced that day was a glimpse of Microsoft's future. Perhaps this particular moment will be remembered as the advent of a mixed reality revolution, one in which everyone works and plays in an immersive environment that blends the real world and a virtual world. Will there one day be mixed reality natives-young people who expect all of their computer experiences to be immersive blends of the real and the virtual-just as today we recognise digital natives, those for whom the Internet has always been there?

Companies are taking different approaches with head-mounted computers. Virtual reality, as provided by our Windows 10 MR devices or Facebook's Oculus Rift, largely blocks out the real world, immersing the user in a completely digital world. Google Glass, for example, projects information onto your eyeglasses. Snapchat Spectacles let you augment what you see with relevant content and filters. HoloLens provides access to mixed reality in which the users can navigate both their current location-interact with people in the same room-and a remote environment while also manipulating holograms and other digital objects. Analysts at Gartner Inc., the technology research firm, have made an art from the study of the hype cycles and arcs followed by new technologies as they move from invention to widespread adoption (or demise), and believe virtual reality technologies are likely five to ten years away from mainstream adoption.

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AI's BREATHTAKING POTENTIAL

A confluence of three breakthroughs-Big Data, massive computing power, and sophisticated algorithms-is accelerating AI from sci-fi to reality. At astonishing rates, data is being gathered and made available thanks to the exponential growth of cameras and sensors in our everyday life. AI needs data to learn. The cloud has made tremendous computing power available to everyone, and complex algorithms can now be written to discern insights and intelligence from the mountains of data.

AI today is some ways away from becoming what's known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), the point at which a computer matches or even surpasses human intellectual capabilities. Like human intelligence, artificial intelligence can be categorised by layer. The bottom layer is simple pattern recognition. The middle layer is perception, sensing more and more complex scenes. It's estimated that 99 per cent of human perception is through speech and vision. Finally, the highest level of intelligence is cognition-deep understanding of human language.

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I believe that in ten years AI speech and visual recognition will be better than a human's. But just because a machine can see and hear doesn't mean it can truly learn and understand.

Natural language understanding, the interaction between computers and humans, is the next frontier. And so how will AI ever live up to its hype? How will AI scale to benefit everyone? Again, the answer is layered:

Bespoke. Today we are very much on the ground floor of AI. It is bespoke, customised. Tech companies with privileged access to data, computing power and algorithms handcraft an AI product and make it available to the world. Only a few can make AI for the many. This is where most AI is today.

Democratised. Democratising AI means enabling every person and every organisation to dream about and create amazing AI solutions that serve their specific needs. It's analogous to the democratisation that movable type and the printing press created. And so our vision is to build tools that have true artificial intelligence infused across agents, applications, services and infrastructure.

Learn to Learn. Ultimately, state of the art is when computers learn to learn-when computers generate their own programs. Like humans, computers will go beyond mimicking what people do and will invent new, better solutions to problems. Deep neural networks and transfer learning are leading to breakthroughs today, but AI is like a ladder and we are just on the first step of that ladder.

MIND-BLOWING QUANTUM COMPUTING

If the potential for this AI work is breathtaking, the potential for quantum computing is mind-blowing. Defining quantum computing is no simple feat. Originating in the 1980s, quantum computing leverages certain quantum physics properties of atoms or nuclei that allow them to work together as quantum bits, or qubits, to be the computer's processor and memory. By interacting with each other while being isolated from our environment, qubits can perform certain calculations exponentially faster than conventional, or classical, computers.

Photosynthesis, bird migration and even human consciousness are studied as quantum processes. In today's classical computing world, our brain thinks and our thoughts are typed or spoken into a computer that in turn provides feedback on a screen. In a quantum world, some researchers speculate that there will be no barrier between our brains and computing. It's a long way off, but might consciousness one day merge with computation?

Among those racing to understand it are Microsoft, Intel, Google and IBM as well as startups like D-Wave and even governments with hefty national defence budgets. The shared hope is that quantum computing will utterly transform the physics of computing itself. Of course, if building a quantum computer were easy, it would have been done by now. While classical computing is bound by its binary code and the laws of physics, quantum computing advances every kind of calculation-math, science, and engineering-from the linear world of bits to the multidimensional universe of qubits.

Today, we have an urgent need to solve problems that would tie up classical computers for centuries, but that could be solved by a quantum computer in a few minutes or hours. For example, the speed and accuracy with which quantum computing could break today's highest levels of encryption is mind-boggling. It would take a classical computer 1 billion years to break today's RSA-2048 encryption, but a quantum computer could crack it in about a hundred seconds, or less than two minutes. Fortunately, quantum computing will also revolutionise classical computing encryption, leading to ever more secure computing.

The search for a quantum computer has become something of an arms race. Needing to move more quickly and to be more efficient and outcome-oriented, we have set a goal and timeline to build a quantum computer that can do something useful, something classical computers can't, and that will require thousands of qubits. To get there, we've pressed for greater collaboration. We brought together some of the greatest minds in the world and asked them to work together on an equal basis and to approach problems together with openness and humility. So far, we've had more than 30 patents issued, but the finish line remains distant. While the race for the cloud, artificial intelligence and mixed reality has been loud and well-publicised, the quantum computing race has gone largely unnoticed, in part because of its complexity and secrecy.

The quantum hardware architecture that could ultimately lead to scalability will require today's computer scientists, physicists, mathematicians and engineers to work together to overcome challenges on the path toward universal quantum computing. At Microsoft, we are betting that quantum computing will make artificial intelligence more intelligent and mixed reality an even more immersive experience.

--- ENDS ---
When I finished The Conservative Mind for the first time, I remember thinking quite clearly that Russell Kirk had gotten so close to truth, but, then, just when he had the chance, he failed to promote freedomthe proper answer to every single thing.

I often look at, hold, and peruse my first (first to me, that is) copy of The Conservative Mind. Sometime in 1989, I ended up with a brand-new hardback copy of the Regnery Seventh edition, revised, complete with a really hideous industrial-green dust jacket. It was the same shade of green that once adorned my public grade-school walls back in Hutchinson, Kansas. I write was because I long ago ripped away and threw away that cover. I normally keep my dust jackets, but this one deserved a death long ago. Whether it was death by simple discard or burning, I remember not. Whatever the case, it is long gone.

I do not even remember how I came by the book. I grew up in what can only be described as a Barry Goldwater household (though long after Goldwaters presidential run), and I had been reading Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Robert Ringer, and Henry Hazlitt since ninth grade, but I had never read anyone associated with a Kirkian type of conservatism. To my mind, conservatives were allies, but they were certainly only secondary thinkers compared to great men such as Milton Friedman.

If Im remembering correctly, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute must have sent me this gratis copy of The Conservative Mind sometime in 1988 or 1989. I would guess that they did so when I signed up to receive Campus magazine, the Intercollegiate Review, and Modern Age. I couldnt testify to the absolute truth of this memory, but I do believe it correct.

The Conservative Mind, regardless, came into my possession and here it remains. And, it remains in fairly good shape despite the million moves and billion readings since 1989. Okay, I exaggerate, but not by much. Opening the book and perusing it never fails to give me a sense of nostalgia as my marginalia have now created layers upon layers of notes in the book. My first marginalia are hilarious, tangible evidence of a bright, but not-so-bright, twenty-one-year old libertarian struggling mightily to argue with Kirk. I also circled every word that I did not know and had to look up in the dictionary. As you might imagine, there are a lot of circled wordsalmost always with an arrow leading to a definition hastily written in the margins: neoterist, meliorism, antipodes, energumen, saprophyte, chthonian, surcease, and others. As I look at this essay, as Im typing it, I see that Microsoft is not so happy with the words either. Maybe the Intercollegiate Studies Institute should have sent Bill Gates a copy of The Conservative Mind back in 1989 as well. Out of pride, however, I must note that none of these words gives me pause now, but Im assuming this is only because I absorbed them when first reading Kirk.

The date I first encountered this book and read it is important as well: 1989. As Hungary opened its borders, as Poland abolished its communist party, and as the Berlin Wall was about to come down, I was reading and intensely studying Kirks patrimony and lineage of conservatives in the Anglo-American world, Burke to Kirk. Somewhere in Zahm Hall at the University of Notre Dame, I was devouring The Conservative Mind while millions of dissident allies across the Atlantic and on the other side of the soon-to-be-gone Iron Curtain were non-violently and rather romantically claiming victory against their oppressors. Heady stuff.

My opening note from 1989 tells me that I considered the book a hagiography, something I still believe twenty-eight years later. Other marginalia run from the profound to the absurd. Generally, if Im reading my twenty-one-year-old self correctly, I was trying to find a common ground between Kirk and Friedman. Given that my frame of reference then was either toward libertarianism or science fiction, these reactions make sense. When Kirk, later in the book, explains that the power to tax is the power to destroy, I have big circles and exclamation points with words such as yes!!! written next to it. When Kirk, however, proclaims that mans first instinct is to be sinful, I have not disbelieving question marks but hesitant ones written in the margins. Sure, men sin, but is this really the default position of human existence? In 2017, I agree completely, but, in 1989, I was rather uncertain. I was and remain quite taken with Kirks repeated insistence, however, that man was not made for uniformity or conformity.

When I finished The Conservative Mind for the first time in that fateful year of 1989, I was both intrigued and repulsed by it. I remember thinking quite clearly that Kirk had gotten so close to truth, but, then, just when he had had the chance, he had failed to promote freedomthe proper answer to every single thing. At least I thought so then. I ended up writing a lengthy response to Kirk on three of four sheets of yellow legal-pad paper, explaining exactly where I thought he was wrong and what he could do to fix the eighth edition of the book. How very much like the Brad of 1989, and how utterly sophomoric, presumptuous, and stupid. To this day, I both regret and dont regret having not sent that letter. What would Kirk have said to this stupid but interested undergraduate libertarian who knew exactly how to fix the world? Now that I have had the chance to study Kirk in depth, I would assume he would have been gracious to me, inviting me to Mecosta for a program or two.

My own libertarianism, however, became even more entrenched during the following years, and even bordered on anarchism. Not until I read a foundational piece on the Kirkian understanding of culture by Gleaves Whitney in late December 1991 did I finally realize what Kirk had been trying to state and what I had failed to understand two years earlier. I would be dishonest in claiming that any of that libertarianism or even anarchism of my high school and college years is gone from my mind or soul, even in 2017. But, theres also no doubt that Kirk deepened my understanding of the human person, of human societies and cultures, and of God greatly back in 1989, even if it took me several more years to realize.

As I look back at my original edition of The Conservative Mind, I do find an intriguing piece of marginalia from my first reading of the book. On page 480, I had written: Maybe I am a conservative. At least in history. I can even remember exactly what I was thinking when I wrote this in 1989. I was more than satisfied with libertarianism when it came to explaining the problems of modern America. Yet, even then, I was unsatisfied with the way libertarians had written history. There seemed to be too much wishful thinking regarding those of the past. Some libertarians, for example, praised the enlightened despotism of the eighteenth century; others called for supporting all revolutions in history as anti-authoritarian; and still others despised men such as Alexander Hamilton. From my own perspective, none of this seemed fair or made sense. I did not want an enlightened despotism, I wanted a republic. I certainly did not think the French Revolution morally equivalent to the American Revolution. And, whatever his failings, I thought (and still think) Hamilton an amazing and critical figure, a patriot, even if misguided on this or that belief.

Well, whatever I thought of Kirk in 1989, he stayed with me, and stayed, and stayed, and stayed. Now, in 2017, I cant but thank God for everything Russell Kirk wrote and did. Certainly, he and his books changed my life dramatically and, lets hope, for the better. When I die, and if I make it to Heaven, I hope to meet Kirk. And, I also hope he will approve of my own intellectual trajectory.

The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politicswe approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.
Heartland United Way has taken on a bold challenge this year, reducing childhood poverty in the four counties it serves.

It has issued a call to action to everyone in Hall, Hamilton, Howard and Merrick counties.

United Way President Karen Rathke called the task daunting in announcing the agencys focus on childhood poverty at its annual meeting last March.

But if not now, then when? If not us, then who? Rathke said.

So the United Way is trying to be a facilitator in getting schools, businesses, nonprofits, medical providers, neighborhoods, volunteers, law enforcement and faith-based communities to work together with this goal at heart.

A big step in the initiative was taken last week when the United Way hosted three brainstorming sessions to gather ideas that will be discussed further at a Poverty Summit on Nov. 3.

An independent mediator asked a series of questions at each session to get people thinking about what could be done to lessen childhood poverty right here in Central Nebraska.

Rathke has been bringing up the idea of making a dent in the communitys major problem with childhood hunger every chance she gets. She has said that in the Heartland United Ways four-county area, one in five children live in poverty and 4,340 children are food insecure. That term means they dont know where their next meal is coming from.

This was certainly evident last Saturday as Trinity United Methodist Churchs Loaves and Fishes ministry conducted the monthly mobile food pantry at the church. More than 400 family units, many of them with several children to feed, were provided food through the Food Bank for the Heartland.

Programs such as this seek to make sure that children who are receiving free breakfasts and lunches at school will have something to eat when they get home and on the weekends. Feeding their parents and grandparents is also important as it makes it a little easier for the adults to work to improve their familys situation if theyre not worried about getting enough to eat.

Rathke has called education the single most important factor in the determination of a persons poverty status.

In Hall County, 18 percent of adults 25 and older have less than a high school diploma, 32 percent are high school graduates or have a GED, 33 percent have some college classes or work toward an advanced degree and 17 percent are college graduates.

Grand Island Public Schools Superintendent Tawana Grover said at the United Way campaign kickoff that poverty makes it more difficult for children to succeed in school. A major focus of the school district is making sure that all its children have a positive experience in school.

The Imagination Library program was Heartland United Ways first effort to give children a head start in learning, seeking to provide all children under the age of 5 with a library of their own and encouraging parents to be their childrens first teacher.

Housing is another priority for the agency as it has worked to restructure the 211 number to double as a housing resource hotline.

With Rathkes leadership, the agency is being restructured to be more responsive to peoples needs and continually looking to establish new partnerships to address issues as a community.

Thats what it will take to make an impact in Central Nebraskas extensive childhood poverty. All of us must do whatever we can to help this initiative be successful.
Nine members of Emily Apontes family, displaced by the flooding in Puerto Rico, are coming to Grand Island. For their move to turn out well for everyone, they need a lot of help.

Aponte spent $1,217 on plane tickets for the group. But she doesnt have much money herself. And the people coming have a great need for clothing, disposable diapers and other necessities.

The group includes a 2-year-old and two babies who are two months old.

Aponte, 41, has avoided paying her bills to pay the airfare. A man gave her $20 to buy gasoline to drive to Omaha Wednesday to pick up the first three members of the group. The other six will fly into Omaha Oct. 3. She needs gas money for two vehicles to make that trip.

Floods in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria wrecked the lives of Apontes relatives.

They lost their house. They lost everything. They dont have clothes, shoes  nothing, she said.

Like much of Puerto Rico, they dont have electricity.

Aponte is hoping that Grand Islanders will donate clothes and food  for both babies and adults. The group is in need of No. 1 and No. 4 disposable diapers. Aponte would also like a crib, blankets and coats. Temperatures in Puerto Rico are warm. But in Nebraska, winter is coming.

The Puerto Ricans also need a place to stay.

Everyone who can help me  I really, really appreciate it, she said.

Donations for Apontes family are being accepted at St. Leos Catholic Church, 2410 Blaine St.

The people coming to Grand Island  probably permanently  are leaving homes behind in Canovanas, Puerto Rico.

Wednesday night in Omaha, Aponte will pick up her 21-year-old son, Wilfredo Rivera, his wife, Lia, 16, and their son, Jedyn, who was born July 24.

On Oct. 3, Aponte will welcome her 19-year-old daughter, Magda, her husband, Carlos Ayala, and their two children. Julian is 2 years old and his sister, Emilianys, was born July 25. Also coming are Apontes daughter, Rose, and her husband, Jose Filomino.

So far, Aponte has received $100 donations from two Grand Island restaurants  Tommys and Mariscos Villarreal. Shes also gotten clothing from St. Marys Cathedral.

Four of the adults want to get jobs in Grand Island, Aponte said. Donna Douglass at St. Leos has a lead on a job for Apontes son.

Aponte has lived in Grand Island since April 2016. Also living in Grand Island are her daughter, Katia Marquez, and her two children.

In addition to preparing to welcome people bound for Grand Island, Aponte is busy sending items to relatives still in Puerto Rico. That includes her 70-year-old mother, who has diabetes.

The people in Puerto Rico need batteries for fans and flashlights, food, mosquito repellent and other items. She also sends her mother diabetes medication.

On the news Aponte saw that one person shot another for gasoline.

So its very dangerous to be in Puerto Rico, she said.

Aponte receives Social Security disability benefits because she has scoliosis, sciatica, diabetes and high blood-pressure. She cant take in many of her relatives because she lives in Section 8 housing. She also receives SNAP assistance.

Aponte is not looking for monetary donations, but is worried about her bills. Because of her relatives needs, she has put off paying for her rent, electricity and cable.

Apontes phone number is (308) 383-5176.
HASTINGS  The trial in a lawsuit against a Hastings businessman began on Monday in Adams County District Court. Marvin Butch Hughes and his wife Kathleen Bonnell are being sued by three former tenants of the old Hastings middle school, who claim Hughes didnt keep his promise of them becoming part owners of the building.

Koos Enterprises, Treehouse Studios and My Sisters Closet are suing Hughes and asking for damages totaling $117,000. The damages are from the improvements, such as flooring, heating, air conditioning and new windows, that they paid for.

The tenants were to pay Hughes a monthly Homestead Act payment for five years and make building improvements, according to the contract they signed with him. The contract allegedly states that the tenants would get a deed and become part owners of the building at the end of the five years.

The trial lasted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and seven witnesses were called to the stand. Hughes represented himself while the plaintiffs were represented by Galen Stehlik of Grand Island.

Stehlik opened his argument by stating that the proper occupancy permits were never filed for the property by Hughes, leading to the business owners in the space to not be able to obtain their building permits. The plaintiffs signed their contracts around 2011. According to court documents, Hughes tried to change ownership of the building to Bonnell, then to an Indian tribe in Mexico. Hughes previously filed a motion claiming that Adams County didnt have jurisdiction because the tribe was in Mexico, but that was later overruled. Stehlik addressed that aspect of the entire case on Monday.

Evidence will show that this so-called Indian tribe is completely bogus, Stehlik said. It doesnt exist.

Stehlik said his clients were damaged because they put money into the building space to improve it while expecting to become owners one day.

My clients paid for this out of their own pocket, Stehlik said, adding that his clients were then told they couldnt own the building because Hughes didnt have the right permits.

Attorney David Fisher, who helped write the contract, was the first witness. When questioned, Fisher said he wasnt aware of any master deed being prepared for the building.

Mark Evans, City of Hastings building inspector, was second. He said an occupancy permit is required on historic buildings and that Hughes never applied. Hughes argued that because the old middle school building was eligible to be a historic building, the rules for historic buildings still apply to it. David Ptak, Hastings city attorney, was next. He was questioned because a notice was put on the building previously for occupants to vacate because the inspector deemed many problems with the building not meeting code. Hughes questioned Ptaks credibility of being an attorney and questioned his authority of putting the notice up.

Diane Koos of Koos Enterprises was fourth. Shes a plaintiff in the case and was the owner of Curves in Hastings. She outlined the improvements she made, including putting in a new furnace and bathroom ceiling to her suite space.

Mr. Hughes said he could not give us a deed or a title, Koos said of when she expected ownership after the five years.

Linda Kube of My Sisters Closet and her sister Kay Evans of Treehouse Studios were also questioned. Kube said she wouldnt have made improvements to the building if she knew she wasnt going to gain ownership. Evans said when she got the notice from the city to leave the space, she was concerned because she didnt want to be prosecuted (as the notice warned her of if she didnt leave). Hughes questioned why Evans didnt fight that notice and hire an attorney.

The trial will continue Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Adams County District Court.
MK Stalin said, "My father is fine and healthy. Rumours about his death or ill health are completety baseless".

By India Today Web Desk: Rubbishing rumours of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's death, party's working president MK Stalin has assured that his father's health condition is fine and that he was doing well.

"My father is fine and healthy. Rumours about his death or ill health are completety baseless", he said while speaking to reporters. Other DMK leaders TR Baalu, K Anbazhagan and Arcot Veerasamy also echoed Stalin's view.

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"Our leader is well. There is nothing wrong with him", TR Baalu said. Baalu, Anbazhagan and Arcot Veerasamy went and met the 93-year-old DMK patriarch.

MK Stalin and other DMK leaders enquiring about Karunanidhi's well-being.

With rumours of Karunanidhi's demise spreading, there was a sharp rise in the number of searches online of his health status on Tuesday.

Karunanidhi had been hospitalised last month after suffering from respiratory problems. He had been discharged after undergoing an operation. Leaders across party lines had visited the hospital to enquire about his well-being.

In the last few years, Karunanidhi has only made a few public appearances due to his old age.

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | Jayalalithaa's death row: DMK leader MK Stalin demands CBI probe

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Sagara Kusuma (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 10:22 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2205094 4 Art & Culture art-and-culture,painting-exhibition,Indonesia,Singapore Free

The 50 years of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Singapore has culminated in a celebration in the form of a month-long art exhibition at the World Trade Centre 2 Building in Central Jakarta.

Combining prominent and emerging artists the exhibition titled Rising 50: The Contemporary Art of Singapore and Indonesia sees Singapores Chua Ek Kay, Kumari Nahappan and Robert Zhao team up alongside Putu Sutawijaya, Kinez Riza, Irfan Hendrian, Naufal Abshar and Kendra Ahimsa.

Together they illustrate the importance of artistic exchanges between nations, showcasing their own styles and stories using a diverse range of mediums to create the seventeen works on display.

Besides traditional oil on canvas, they also play with materials and styles such as pop art, digital illustration and shredded paper collages.

Read also: Cross-cultural aesthetic dialogue

We have selected great artists with their own identities and stories [their work] is instantly recognizable curator Deborah Iskandar said.

Collaboration piece between Chua Ek Kay and Putu Sutawijaya ( 2006 ) by Chua Ek Kay and Putu Sutawijaya. (JP/Seto Wardhana)

This is certainly true of the centerpiece selected for the exhibition, Collaboration piece between Chua Ek Kay and Putu Sutawijaya ( 2006 ).

Chua was a pillar of Singapores abstract expressionist movement and is often called the great bridge between Eastern and Western art for his utilization of traditional ink painting techniques in Western abstract styles. He died in 2008 of cancer, making the artwork his final collaborative piece.

Singaporean artists Nahappan and Zhao used Indonesia as a source of inspiration for their works. Meanwhile, three Indonesian artists, Naufal Abshar, Kendra Ahimsa, and Irfan Hendrian, already had an early connection with the neighboring country as they all studied at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore.

Through The Looking Glass (self portrait) (2017) by Naufal Abshar (JP/Seto Wardhana)

Naufal is an award winning artist that draws on his own life experiences to make commentaries on the places and things he is exposed to, in this case it was Singapore.

In Merlion, he looks back on his youth spent in Singapore and paints a satirical, but lighthearted, commentary on the very essence of Singaporeaness using their iconic Lion. Visitors cant help but share a smile with the laughing Lion as his close-eyed super-wide grin exposes a whimsical side of the usually stoic and dead-eyed figure.

Naufals iconic HAHAH letters also appear on both his Merlion and Golden Age artworks.

Read also: Three local artists to look out for at the Indonesia-Singapore 'Rising 50' exhibition

Golden Age is a message of love and partnership. Showing that theres no such thing as coincidence [] its fate and destiny that this connection exists. he told The Jakarta Post, adding that the artwork fits perfectly with the theme of 50 years of friendship.

Prelude II (2015) by Kinez Riza (JP/Seto Wardhana)

The Singapore Tourism Board and PT Jakarta Land partnered together to express the friendship between the two countries, which President Jokowi described as neighbors by Gods will [but] good neighbors and close friends by choice, during his latest state visit to Singapore.

Looking beyond economics and politics, the ISA Art Advisory curated the exhibition to highlight the more intimate people-to-people interactions between the two countries that are often overlooked.

These crucial people-to-people connections between Indonesia and Singapore have never stopped, even during political ups and downs [] this exhibit is a great example of this, Singaporean

Ambassador Anil Kumar said.

The exhibitions opening was also attended by socialites and CEOs as well as foreign dignitaries.

From the Ambassador to Georgia to the headmistress of a local school, many were curious to see how Indonesia and Singapores history would translate into art.

___________________________________________

Rising 50: The Contemporary Art of Singapore and Indonesia Exhibition

Sept.12 -- Oct.12

World Trade Centre (WTC) 2 Building

Jl Jend Sudirman Kav 29-31 Central Jakarta

***

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin A. Kurniawan Ulung (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 10:44 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2206c63 4 Art & Culture contemporary-art,justice,Museum-MACAN Free

Arahmaiani, one of Indonesias most seminal and respected contemporary artists, was silent when asked to compare the countrys problems before and after the fall of the authoritarian New Order regime in 1998.

Until today, she still feels the pain of when she was forced to drop out of the Bandung Institute of Technology as a consequence of her poem about a just life, which was misunderstood as a challenge to the second president, Soeharto.

In 1983, she was arrested and interrogated for over a month. I was brought to a place named Sumatra 37. In the Soeharto era, everyone who was sent to Sumatra 37 usually went missing, she said.

I was freed after signing a letter stating that I was mentally unhealthy, the 56-year-old added while laughing.

After Soeharto stepped down, freedom of expression was allowed, yet injustices still prevail in different forms. This has recently been manifested in cases of religious intolerance, such as the recent demand for the demolition of religious statues, including a statue of the God of War Kongco Kwan Sing Tee Koen at the Kwan Sing Bio Chinese temple in Tuban, East Java.

[In West Nusa Tenggara] they even disputed the statues which exist under the sea, that are not visible [from above], she said.

Arahmaiani cannot be silenced. During the 2nd First Sight program at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN), she performed Handle without Care to highlight instances of injustice, including religious intolerance.

Xu Zhen's In the Blink of an Eye (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)

At Indonesias first world-class modern and contemporary museum, five other artists also participated. They were Duto Hardono and Mella Jaarsma from Indonesia, Xu Zhen from China, Justin Shoulder from Australia and Heman Chong from Singapore.

Previously performed in New York in 2008, Handle without Care is one of Arahmaianis most important works. She has held 21 solo exhibitions and has taken part in 96 group exhibitions around the world since 1980.

Handle without Care begins with Arahmaiani walking slowly while holding incense, with a pair of sunglasses inserted on her kemben (breast cloth), and a toy gun and traffic stick tucked into her waist.

Clad in a yellow Balinese dress, she heads to a flour-covered circle with her kris at the edge of the circle and a Coca-Cola bottle in the center.

Read also: Arahmaiani stays true to herself

After arriving, she walks around the circle many times while performing different actions, ranging from dancing, sowing flowers, swinging her kris, playing with her traffic stick to shooting the Coca-Cola bottle with her toy gun.

According to Arahmaiani, the Coca-Cola bottle is the symbol of capitalism, which she says is an unfair economic system that benefits rich people while destroying local culture and the environment. Meanwhile, the white flour, which is the ingredient of instant noodles, represents consumerism.

Now, you can see that floods and landslides happen everywhere, she said.

She walks outside the circle to represent marginalized people, who she says are the victims of capitalism. She uses the toy gun to symbolize non-violent methods, in which to encourage people to stop committing violence with things that they disagree with in life.

Promoting peace is a long-lasting mission of Arahmaiani, who recently professed mixed feeling of anger and sadness after a man was burned to death by a mob after being accused of stealing three amplifiers from a mosque in Bekasi, West Java.

Even if he was truly stealing, did he deserve to be burned? How much is those amplifiers, she asked, questioning the mobs conscience.

During her show, she alternately recites sacred utterance in Hinduism and Buddhism, Orthodox Christian prayers and Quranic verses in a bid to show the harmony of diverse religions and faiths in Indonesia.

Mella Jaarsma's Dogwalk (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)

Like Arahmaiani, Mella Jaarsma also spoke up regarding injustice through her performance, Dogwalk.

The Yogyakarta-based artist criticized injustices caused by power relations, which she observed existed not only among fellow human beings, but also among animals, and in the relations between humans and animals.

Wearing costumes made of cowhide, lambskin and goatskin, 12 people pretended to be cows, lambs and goats. They performed with red leashes that connected to one another.

Read also: Six artists present stunning works at Museum MACAN

Those skins come from animals who were sacrificed during Idul Adha [Day of Sacrifice], she said.

The lashes, she said, were the symbol of power used by humans to control one another or animals.

This is about a humans perceptions of animals. [Due to those perceptions] there are animals that can be killed, animals that are considered sacred, and animals that can be protected, etc. It is always humans who makes the rules.

Why do we love a certain animal, but hate another? This animal is holy, but another is not. Dogs, for example. Thats hypocrisy, she added.

Carrion: Episode 1 by Justin Shoulder (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)

In his performance Carrion: Episode 1, Justin Shoulder played Carrion, an imaginary figure portraying his ancestral Filipino culture.

Made of handcrafted costumes and prostheses, Carrion has the ability to shapeshift into multiple forms and speak multiple languages

Through the actions of Carrion, Shoulder criticizes the condition when laws of nature rapidly change due to the destructive influence of humans.

Carrion: Episode 1, which contains nudity, strobe and smoke effects, draws on queer and bicultural ancestral mythologies with an aim to transport the audience into a place where the distant past collides with the far future.

Before opening its doors to the public on Nov. 4, Museum MACAN held art performances because they had the potential to encourage artists and their audiences to communicate ideas in a very direct way, according to Aaron Seeto, the Australian director of the museum.

Art performance is an integral part of the development of contemporary art here in Indonesia and elsewhere, he said. Especially here in Indonesia, which is multicultural and multi-religious, art allows us to be tolerant.

Founded by businessman and renowned collector Haryanto Adikoesoemo, Museum MACAN is home to over 800 works of modern and contemporary art. Around 50 percent of them are from Indonesia, 25 percent from the United States and Europe and 25 percent from the greater Asian region.

This museum is about Indonesian culture, but we want to be an important bridge between Indonesia and the world, he said.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Manila  Tue, September 26, 2017 09:50 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22041b4 2 Lifestyle high-heels,#shoes,shoes,Philippines,#Philippines,Women,#women,health,#health Free

The Philippines has banned companies from compelling women to wear high heels to work under a government order hailed by a labor group Monday as a victory against sexism and pain.

The labor department order took effect on Sunday as the government took up the cudgels for long-suffering shopping mall clerks, hotel receptionists and flight attendants.

Employers should implement the use of "practical and comfortable footwear" to improve the health of workers who stand for long periods, said the order, which applies to heels measuring 2.54-centimeters (one inch) or higher unless the employee chooses to wear them.

"It's a form of torture. It's a form of oppression and slavery. Imagine having to endure that pain for eight to 10 hours a day," Alan Tanjusay, spokesman for the Associated Labor Unions, told AFP.

"It's also a form of sexism because culturally employers say women wearing high heels look taller and sexier and are then more attractive, more effective in selling products. They don't know the women are suffering."

The department order said female sales clerks and security guards who had been compelled to work in high heels suffered from sore feet, aching muscles and "hazardous" pressure on joints.

Read also: North Jakarta to revamp sidewalks for women in high heels, disabled

"These (work shoes) should not pinch the feet or toes; are well-fitted and non-slipping; provide adequate cushion and support to the arch of the feet; either flat or with low heels that must be wide-based or wedge type," it said.

The labor department also ordered companies to give these workers rest periods or seats to reduce the time they spend standing or walking.

Tanjusay said unions lobbied the labor department last month following complaints from saleswomen, hotel receptionists and flight attendants.

Malls are a mainstay in the Southeast Asian nation, mainly employing women as sales clerks, cashiers and so-called "promo girls".

Most of these women are short-term contract workers, Tanjusay said.

Under the department order female workers can still wear high heels if they prefer them, Tanjusay added.
By PTI: London, Sep 26 (PTI) A 35-year-old man, who had been in a vegetative state for 15 years after a car accident, has shown signs of consciousness after a nerve stimulator was implanted into his chest, according to a case study.

The case, published in the journal Current Biology, shows that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) - a treatment already in use for epilepsy and depression - can help to restore consciousness even after many years in a vegetative state.

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The outcome challenges the general belief that disorders of consciousness that persist for longer than 12 months are irreversible, the researchers said.

"By stimulating the vagus nerve, we show that it is possible to improve a patients presence in the world," said Angela Sirigu, from the Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod in France.

The vagus nerve connects the brain to many other parts of the body, including the gut. It is known to be important in waking, alertness, and many other essential functions.

To test the ability of VNS to restore consciousness, the researchers wanted to select a difficult case to ensure that any improvements could not be explained by chance.

They looked to a patient who had been lying in a vegetative state for more than a decade with no sign of improvement.

After one month of vagal nerve stimulation, the patients attention, movements and brain activity significantly improved. The man began responding to simple orders that had been impossible before.

For example, he could follow an object with his eyes and turn his head upon request. He also showed an improved ability to stay awake when listening to his therapist reading a book.

After stimulation, the researchers also observed responses to "threat" that had been absent.

For instance, when the examiners head suddenly approached the patients face, he reacted with surprise by opening his eyes wide. After many years in a vegetative state, he had entered a state of minimal consciousness.

Recordings of brain activity also showed major changes. The theta EEG signal - important for distinguishing between a vegetative and minimally conscious state - increased significantly in areas of the brain involved in movement, sensation, and awareness.

VNS also increased the brains functional connectivity. A PET scan showed increases in metabolic activity in both cortical and subcortical regions of the brain, too.

The findings show that the right intervention can yield changes in consciousness even in the most severe clinical cases.

"Brain plasticity and brain repair are still possible even when hope seems to have vanished," Sirigu said.

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The researchers are now planning a large collaborative study to confirm and extend the therapeutic potential of VNS for patients in a vegetative or minimally conscious state. PTI MHN SAR MHN

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin News Desk (The Japan News/Asia News Network) Kitakyushu, Japan  Tue, September 26, 2017 10:29 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a220624c 2 Science & Tech robot,#robot,robot-dog,#technology,technology Free

Worried about having stinky feet? A robot dog named Hana-chan can sniff them and make the call.

The robot dog, developed by start-up Next Technology, LLC., can check for foot odor.

Next Technology is based at the National Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu College in Kitakyushu.

It aims to market the 15-centimeter-long stuffed robot next spring at a price tag of between 100,000 (US$896) and 200,000.

Read also: Face scans, robot baggage handlers - airports of the future

Hana-chan has an odor-detection sensor in its nose. The robot reacts in three different ways according to the degree of a detected odor. If the odor is weak, the robot nestles up to you; if the odor is moderate, the robot barks; and if the odor is strong, the robot faints.

The robot dog, developed by start-up Next Technology, LLC., can check for foot odor. (The Japan News /File)

Next Technology set the level at which Hana-chan faints using socks that had been worn for two days straight. The company plans to add a deodorant-spraying function to the robot in the future.

Next Technology President Takashi Takimoto, who is also an associate professor at Kitakyushu College, and others visited the Kitakyushu city government office on Sept. 7 to introduce Hana-chan to Mayor Kenji Kitahashi.

Hana-chan sniffed the mayors feet and nestled up to him.

Its a great idea for interacting with robots in our daily lives, Kitahashi said.

Topics :

This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 07:00 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2200253 1 City Depok,prison,marriage Free

Drug prisoner Shadat Tino, 23, has just passed the most important part of his life by marrying his girlfriend, Lidya, 23, at the Limo Police station in Depok, West Java.

The wedding was held on Saturday. Shadat has been detained at the police station since early this month after being found in possession of a kilogram of marijuana.

Limo Police chief Adj. Comr. Muhamad Iskandar said prisoners were allowed to marry due to humanitarian reasons.

Based on the principle of humanity, and a request from the suspects family, we allowed the couple to get married at the police station, Muhamad said on Monday according to kompas.com.

He added that the wedding was attended by the couples family and friends.

We hope that the suspect becomes a better person when he is released from prison, Muhamad said. (vny)

Topics : Depok prison marriage
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 06:30 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a21fffaf 1 City contract-worker,civil-servants,civil-servant-status Free

The Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry assured protesting contract workers from Jakarta city agencies on Monday it would discuss their demand to be appointed as permanent employees.

We appreciate their aspirations. As a follow up, we will invite the Jakarta Employment Agency [to discuss this issue], maybe next week, the ministrys spokesperson Herman Suriatman said.

We cannot make any decision without supporting data and comprehensive mapping. We will evaluate [this matter] thoroughly, Herman said as quoted by kompas.com, arguing that aspects like the citys fiscal burden and officials workload should be taken into account when deciding whether to permanently hire the workers.

Hundreds of contract employees of the Jakarta Transportation Agency and the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) staged a demonstration near the ministry in South Jakarta on Monday. The coordinator of the protest, Heri, said 1,620 Satpol PP officers and 180 workers of the Transportation Agency had not been appointed as permanent employees.

Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat had previously proposed the appointment of the workers as civil servants through proposal letter No. 595/082.71 to the ministry. However, the ministry rejected the proposal and extended the workers contracts instead. (vny)
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Linkedin Rachmadea Aisyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 11:44 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2209416 1 Business tourism,Wonderful-Indonesia,meeting,events Free

Tourism Minister Arief Yahaya said on Tuesday that his ministry would organize about 100 international-scale events to boost foreign tourist arrivals next year.

"We want to have at least 100 international-scale events in 2018 to boost the number of tourists. Each region needs motivation to create its own international events as part of the Wonderful Indonesia 2018 campaign," Arief said when opening a national coordination meeting on tourism.

Participants of the meeting, which will take place in Jakarta from Tuesday to Wednesday, will discuss strategies to attract 17 million foreign tourists and 270 million local tourists in 2018 through the Wonderful Indonesia program.

This year, the government has targeted 15 million foreign tourists and 265 million local tourists. As of July, the ministry had recorded 7.81 foreign tourist arrivals, mainly from China, Australia and Singapore.

The government currently relies on internationally-acclaimed annual events such as the Jember Fashion Carnival in East Java, the Java Jazz Festival and Jakarta Fashion Week.

Indonesia is also slated to host the 2018 Asian Games and the IMF-World Bank meeting next year. The events, said Arief, were expected to further boost next year's tourism potential.

"These events will provide a boast to the three most important aspects; attractions, amenities and accessibility," he said. (bbn)
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Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 18:18 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2221438 1 Politics #KPK,KPK,KPK-chairman-Agus-Rahardjo,#corruption,corruption,#HouseOfRepresentatives,house-of-representatives,#KPKInquiry Free

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Agus Rahardjo said that all political parties at the House of Representatives had members that were implicated in graft cases investigated by the antigraft body, as he responded to an accusation about the KPK's lack of impartiality leveled by lawmakers.

We dont exercise partiality in implementing our policies, Agus told the Houses Commission III overseeing legal affairs in a House hearing on Tuesday. I believe all parties have [members being investigated in graft cases].

The accusation that the KPK has been selectively targeting certain political parties when carrying out its sting operations was raised by Commission III members, for example, Democratic Party lawmaker Benny Kabur Harman, during the hearing.

Read also: Soccer clubs under scrutiny following Cilegon graft case

Over the years, lawmakers and regional councilors have represented the largest number of individuals investigated by the KPK, with 134 in total.

All 10 parties at the House have had at least one member involved in various graft cases since the KPK was established in 2003, most of whom have either been sent to jail or named suspects by KPK investigators.

At least four party leaders have also been implicated in various KPK investigations, with the latest being Setya Novanto, the Golkar Party chairman who has been named a suspect in the e-ID graft case. (ipa)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Daily Star/ANN) Dhaka  Tue, September 26, 2017 14:15 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22108f9 2 World #Bangladesh,#Myanmar,#Rohingya,#RohingyaCrisis,#China Free

China on Monday said it wanted to play a constructive role in resolving the Rohingya crisis as soon as possible.

We sincerely hope this issue will be settled as soon as possible. China is willing to play a constructive role towards this, Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Ma Mingqiang said.

He was addressing a reception at the Chinese embassy marking the 68th founding anniversary of China, reports UNB.

The diplomat said some 150 tons of relief materials from China for the Rohingyas would reach Chittagong within a couple of days.

According to an official, the relief goods are likely to reach the port city on Thursday.

The ambassador highly appreciated Bangladesh's humanitarian assistance to the Rohingyas. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the large number of refugees in Cox's Bazar.

He said Bangladesh and China are developing countries with large populations and the two countries have many things in common.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu attended the function as the chief guest. He stressed the need for further strengthening Bangladesh-China relations.

Cabinet members, prime minister's advisers, diplomats, political leaders, senior journalists and civil society members were present.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Monday assured Bangladesh of convincing the Myanmar government to resolve the Rohingya problem permanently, reports BSS.

The assurance came during a meeting in Beijing between the CPC and visiting 18-member Awami League delegation, led by presidium member Faruk Khan.

China will convince the Myanmar government to hold talks with Bangladesh as we think a permanent solution to the Rohingya problem is a must for ensuring peace in the rejoin, said Li Jun, vice-minister of the International Liaison Department of the CPC.

AL Deputy Office Secretary Biplab Barua, also a delegation member, informed the BSS about the meeting over the phone.

AL Joint General Secretary Dipu Moni described the torture inflicted on Rohingyas and sought an effective role of the Chinese government in solving the Rohingya problem.

In reply, Lee June said, We are well aware of the Rohingya crisis and we have already talked with the Myanmar government about the matter to find a peaceful and permanent solution to the problem.

The CPC leader said his country would play a positive role in the international arena to ensure repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.

We are respectful to the Awami League government's humanitarian gesture towards the Rohingyas. We will send relief, including blankets and tents, on Sept. 27 in response to the initiative of the prime minister of Bangladesh [for Rohingyas].

The AL delegation included Cultural Affairs Secretary Ashim Kumar Ukil, Information and Research Secretary Afzal Hossain, Legal Affairs Secretary SM Rezaul Karim, Forest and Environment Affairs Secretary Delwar Hossain, International Affairs Secretary Shammi Ahmed, Remon Areng, lawmaker Habibe Millat and central committee members Nazibullah Hiru, Riazul Kabir Kawsar and Dipankar Talukder.

Topics :

This article appeared on The Daily Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 19:25 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2222436 1 City Bekasi,Fraud Free

The Bekasi administration in West Java has created a dedicated channel on its official website bekasikota.go.id to enable its citizens to report any suspicious online activities, a senior official has said.

The move follows the Jakarta Police's investigation into nikahsirri.com, which has been accused of being a prostitution site under the guise of a matchmaking website, Bekasi deputy mayor Ahmad Syaikhu said.

"We expect the city's Communication and Information Agency to intensively collect reports from citizens [about alleged cybercrime] through the dedicated channel," he said on Monday as quoted by Antara news agency, adding that the reports received would then be forwarded to the Communications and Information Ministry.

He said that the matchmaking site, which offered virgin brides for auction, had degraded human dignity and caused anxiety among residents. He expected to detect and prevent similar occurrences in the future.

The police have arrested Aris Wahyudi, 49, founder of nikahsirri.com, and charged him under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law and the Pornography Law.

Aris developed the site in his rented house in Jatimekar, Jatiasih district, which is under the jurisdiction of the Bekasi city administration. (fac)

Topics : Bekasi Fraud
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Linkedin Theresia Sufa (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java  Tue, September 26, 2017 10:57 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2207967 1 City bogor,Bogor-Police,gladiator-like-fight,fatal-fight,Hilarius-Christian-Event-Raharjo,investigation Free

The events of a brutal gladiator-like fight that led to the death of senior high school SMA Budi Mulia student Hilarius Christian Event Raharjo have been reconstructed as part of the Bogor Polices investigation into the case.

Fourteen witnesses and four suspects were involved in the reconstruction, which took place over two hours at the Palupuh field behind SMA 7 Bogor, West Java, on Monday afternoon.

The polices criminal investigation unit head Comr. Ahmad Choirudin said investigators had reconstructed 14 scenes, discovering that Hilarius' death occurred in the 12th. The 17-year-old collapsed after being hit and kicked in his stomach and face, he explained.

After he collapsed, he was reportedly still breathing. He was then carried to a hospital. However, he died before arriving at the hospital, said Ahmad.

(Read also: Bogor Police arrest 4 in Bogor gladiator fight case)

He said the one-on-one fight that took place in January 2016 was planned as there had been a meeting before the fight was held. The police are still pursuing another suspect, identified only as FR, who remains at large.

Hilarius remains were exhumed on Sept.19 for an autopsy to discover the cause of his death. From the results of the autopsy performed by the West Java Polices forensic team, it was discovered that Hilarius body showed signs of physical harm caused by blunt objects, including a fatal injury to his abdomen.

Bogor Police chief Sr. .Comr. Ulung Sampurna Jaya said previously that the four suspects, HK, TB, BV and MS, were arrested separately in three different locations last Wednesday. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 16:31 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2217c92 1 Business BPJS-Kesehatan,deficit,government,assistance Free

The Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) has announced that the companys deficit is projected to reach Rp 9 trillion (US$673.75 million) by the end of this year, BPJS Kesehatan legal and communication director Bayu Wahyudi has said.

He explained the premium paid by the government for 92.4 million low income participants, referred to as contribution assistance recipients (PBI), was only Rp 23,000 for each participant -- which was far less than the normal premium of Rp 36,000.

So, the difference is Rp 13,000. Imagine Rp 13,000 multiplied by 92.4 million people, he said as reported by kompas.com on Monday.

Meanwhile, each participant of the non-wage recipients (BPU) scheme is only required to pay a Rp 25,000 premium for the third class service, and Rp 51,000 for the second class service, although the normal premiums are Rp 53,000 and Rp 68,000, he added.

He said so far the deficit was covered by the government using the state fund because Law No. 24/2011 stipulated that BPJS income must come from participant premiums and government assistance.

From 2013 to 2016, government assistance for the BPJS Kesehatan program reached Rp 18.84 trillion.

Meanwhile, the BPJS Kesehatan deficit last year reached Rp 9.7 trillion. (bbn)
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Linkedin Anthony Q. Esguerra (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Manila  Tue, September 26, 2017 13:48 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a220e620 2 World #Canada,#Philippines,#NorthKorea,#Trudeau,#JustinTrudeau,#Duterte,#KimJongUn Free

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first captured the hearts of Filipinos when he visited the Philippines for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila in 2015.

Trudeau, who was dubbed APEC hottie, was once again praised by pro-Duterte netizens over the weekend for supposedly defending President Rodrigo Duterte before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.

Sharing a viral article from a known fake news website, many lauded Trudeau for expressing soft stance on Dutertes government and his war on drugs and for urging world leaders to stop engaging in unnecessary criticisms.

Trudeau was quoted in a fake Al Jazeera website: Why is the world fighting the Philippine government under president Duterte instead of focusing on the real threat from N. Koreas Kim from his nuclear program?

But the Canadian leader did not say that.

The Canadian Embassy in Manila on Monday confirmed to INQUIRER.net that the viral story quoting Trudeau was fake.

The website aljazeeranew-tv.com wrongly attributed a quote to Canadas Prime Minister in his address to the United Nations General Assembly of Thursday, September 21, 2017, the embassy told INQUIRER.net in an email it sent after being asked for a reaction.

The quote in question was not included in any of the official transcript from speeches made by Trudeau published in the prime ministers office website.

Known for spreading fake news, aljazeeranew-tv.com is a website that imitates the website of Qatar-based multimedia company Al Jazeera.

It also recently published a fake news story claiming that United States Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley defended Duterte before the UN General Assembly.

The US Embassy refuted the statement on Sunday, urging the public to check official transcripts posted in their website.

The fake Al Jazeera websites articles trended on social media after the President supporters and blogs with thousands if not millions of followers spread it on social media.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
By PTI: Mumbai, Sep 26 (PTI) "Newton" had come under the scanner for allegedly being a rip-off of "Secret Ballot" but the director of the 2001 Iranian film, Babak Payami, has confirmed that there is no sign of plagiarism in the Amit Masurkar- directed movie.

Payami, in an interview with Cinestaan, said he watched the film and did not find any "specific stylistic or structural similarities" in "Newton", which was recently selected as Indias official entry to the Oscars.

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"I saw the film and there is no sign of plagiarism. These are completely different films. Any similarities between the two films are broad and I dont see any specific stylistic or structural similarities between the two films. These are two different films on a common theme," he said in the interview.

Amid reports that the film has striking similarities with "Secret Ballot", director-producer Anurag Kashyap came forward in support of Masurkar and reached out to Payami and films producer Marco Muller to get their opinion.

He shared a screenshot of the then yet-to-be published interview with Payami on Facebook, where the Iranian filmmaker said he was happy for the selection of "Newton" at the Oscars and had no issue with the thematic similarities between the two films.

Kashyap had also sent the link of "Newton" to Muller, who after watching the film, told the director that "Newton" was "definitely no rip-off from our Secret Ballot (even if the general concept is the same)."

"Newton" revolves around a government employees struggle to conduct a free and fair election in a conflict-hit area of Chhattisgarh, while "Secret Ballot" focuses on a woman ballot officer, who visits a desolate place in Iran to convince people to cast their vote. PTI RDS BK BK

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26 2017

Hundreds of contract employees of the Jakarta Transportation Agency and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) staged a demonstration on Monday, demanding the government appoint them as permanent workers.

The coordinator of the protest, Heri, said 1,620 Satpol PP officers and 180 workers at the Transportation Agency had not been appointed as permanent employees.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 19:13 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2221dea 1 City Pulogebang-low-cost-apartments,attack Free

M. Nasoem Sulaiman, also known as Joker, whose violent act of dispersing a Christian childrens service at a low-cost apartment in Pulogebang, East Jakarta, was captured in a video that went viral recently, was reportedly attacked by a group of men on Sunday.

The management head of the apartment, Ageng Darminto, said on Tuesday that Joker had been beaten by a group consisting of four to five men.

As reported by kompas.com, the incident happened after Joker attended a mediation meeting with the apartment management and the police during which he apologized for dispersing the service.

Joker was taken to the hospital after the attack.

East Jakarta Police are investigating the case to find the perpetrators.

Previously, video footage showed Joker carrying sharp weapons and shouting at a group of children and their parents attending Sabtu Ceria (Saturday service) at the apartment. The man, who claimed to be the coordinator of the compound, also spoke ill of former Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama.

Joker, who is a handyman in the compound, later apologized and wrote a letter stating he regretted his act and pledged to not repeat it.

He claimed that his fury had been prompted by his exhaustion after working on the building. (cal)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 16:56 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a221bb0d 1 Politics TNI,Gatot-Nurmantyo,weapon,House Free

The House of Representatives plans to summon Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo to give clarification regarding his statement on the possible illegal shipment of firearms for the National Police and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).

Member of House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs Supiandi Aries Putra said lawmakers planned to summon Gatot together with BIN chief Gen. Budi Gunawan.

"This has become a hot-button issue and that's why Commission I made the plan to summon TNI chief and the head of BIN," Supiandi said as quoted by tempo.co on Tuesday.

He said although Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto had given clarification regarding Gatot's allegation, the House needed information directly from the TNI chief.

In a statement made during a meeting with retired TNI personnel, Gatot said a plan had been in place to import 5,000 firearms without the approval of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Wiranto said on Sunday that there had been miscommunication regarding a plan to import firearms for educational purposes.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 14:41 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2213071 1 National #radicalism,radicalism,#university,university,Jokowi,#Jokowi Free

Speaking before representatives of universities from across the country who had gathered in Bali on Tuesday, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has called upon all universities to take a firm stance against ideologies that aimed to replace Pancasila, amid concerns of rising intolerance on campuses.

"Social media is very open, that we are unaware of the infiltration [of anti-Pancasila] ideologies. They appear in soft and up-to-date ways, which can easily attract our attention and make us forget that we already have Pancasila, Jokowi said in a press statement released by the Research and Technology and Higher Education Ministry.

Citing radicalism as an example of the dangers posed by such views, Jokowi also applauded the universities' commitment to tackling radicalism.

Around 2,000 rectors and lecturers from public and private universities around the country had gathered on Monday in Nusa Dua for a two-day event to denounce radicalism and declare their support for Pancasila.

"I am so proud that leaders of Indonesian universities have declared their commitment to maintaining the unity of Indonesia, said Jokowi.

At the event, the President also called on university rectors to promote Pancasila in their curricula and extracurricular activities, and to campaign for the state ideology in places of worship on campuses. (msa/ipa)
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Linkedin N.Adri (The Jakarta Post) Balikpapan, East Kalimantan  Tue, September 26, 2017 22:20 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a222423c 1 National Kutai-Kartanegara,Rita-Widyasari,regent,KPK,corruption,corruption-eradication-commission,graft,graft-suspect Free

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named the regent of Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, Rita Widyasari a suspect for allegedly receiving unlawful gifts.

The antigraft body also named Ritas colleague, Media Bangun Bersama commissioner Khairudin, who is also the head of the Kutai Kartanegara chapter of the National Committee of Indonesian Youth (KNPI).

KPK deputy chairman Laode M. Syarif confirmed the regents suspect status. She has been named a suspect as a result of an ordinary case development, she was not caught red-handed, he said at the House of Representatives complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, a KPK team searched the Kutai Kartanegara regents office complex on Jl. Wolter Monginsidi, Tenggarong. From 10 a.m. local time, a number of investigators wearing vests emblazoned with KPK logos on the back removed documents from several offices in the complex.

We prepared what had been requested, the Kutai Kartanegara administrations public relations division head Dafip Haryanto said. He did not provide further details on what documents had been requested by the KPK team.

Dafip said Rita was not in Tenggarong as she was attending an event in Jakarta. In her short text message as quoted by tribunkaltim.com, Rita said she had not been arrested. (ebf)
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Linkedin Theresia Sufa (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java  Tue, September 26, 2017 12:47 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a220c8a6 1 City Bima-Arya,Bogor-mayor-Bima-Arya,gladiator-like-fight,Bogor-Police,Hilarius-Christian-Event-Raharjo,fighting,fatal-fight Free

Bogor Mayor Bima Arya has called on all related parties to share responsibility for the gladiator-like fight that killed senior high school SMA Budi Mulia student Hilarius Christian Event Raharjo, saying reforms should be made to the education system in the school.

He said the fight that involved students from SMA Budi Mulia and SMA Mardi Yuana must be jointly responded to.

Legally, the management of SMA is no longer the authority of the Bogor City administration, but the West Java provincial administration. However, that doesnt mean we can wash our hands of the problem, Bima said during a discussion with SMA Budi Mulias headmaster and teachers.

Its important for us to examine the case. We are collecting information to see whether this [gladiator-like] fight has become a tradition at the school. If so, this tradition must be ended, Bima added.

(Read also: Bogor Police reconstruct fatal Bogor gladiator fight)

At the same time, SMA Budi Mulia headmaster Henrica said the incident took place outside the school. Still, we have moral responsibilities, starting with providing him [Hilarius] with necessary treatment in hospital to holding prayers until 1,000 days have passed since his death. We hope this problem can be solved, she said.

Henrica claimed she and other parties at the school did not know anything about the gladiator-like fight, locally known as bom-boman.

Fourteen witnesses and four suspects were involved in a reconstruction of the events surrounding Hilarius' death, which took place over two hours at the Palupuh field behind SMA 7 Bogor, West Java, on Monday afternoon. (ebf)

Under investigation: In a reconstruction on Sept.25, suspect TB (center, masked) reenacts an event where he gave a briefing on a gladiator-like fight. (JP/Theresia Sufa)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 15:26 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22145f3 1 City Mitra-Keluarga,MitraKeluargaHospital,Mitra-Keluarga-Hospital,Jakarta-Health-Agency,Tiara-Deborah-Simanjorang Free

The Jakarta Health Agency has imposed sanctions on the management of Mitra Keluarga Hospital in Kalideres, West Jakarta, after it was found guilty in a negligence case that led to the death of its patient, Tiara Deborah Simanjorang, a four-month-old baby.

As part of the first sanction, the hospital must change the composition of its management, including its top officials.

[...] has decided to impose a sanction on PT Ragam Sehat Multifita, as the owner of Mitra Keluarga Hospital in Kalideres to restructure its management, including its leadership components, along with its competence standards within one month at the latest after the issuance of this decree, Jakarta Health Agency head Koesmedi Priharto said as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Monday.

(Read also: Private hospitals reluctance hurts JKN)

Mitra Keluarga Hospital must also pass an accreditation test within six months at the latest after the issuance of the letter.

Koesmedi said every hospital must get an accreditation letter once every two years. Mitra Keluarga Hospital should have carried out an accreditation test in June.

Koesmedi said Mitra Keluarga Hospital was now in the process getting an accreditation letter and partnering with the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS). These two processes must be completed by the hospital within the set time frame.

If Mitra Keluarga Hospital refuses to implement the first and second points of the sanctions, the Jakarta Health Agency will stop the operation of the hospital, said Koesmedi.

The hospital must also continually improve the competence of its medical workers and health and non-health workers and submit a regular report on its operations to the Jakarta Health Agency. (yon/ebf)
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Linkedin Anwar Iqbal and Masood Haider (The Dawn/ANN) United Nations, New York  Tue, September 26, 2017 19:36 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22236d7 2 World #Pakistan,#India,#Kashmir,#KashmirViolence,#UN,#UNGA,#UNGeneralAssembly,#GeneralAssembly Free

A human blunder embarrassed Pakistan when its envoy displayed the picture of a Palestinian girl inside the UN General Assembly as a Kashmiri victim of Indian pellet guns and officials on Monday tried to determine how this happened.

The picture that Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi displayed on Saturday, while responding to a speech by the Indian foreign minister, was of 17-year-old Rawya Abu Joma who was injured during Israeli air strikes on her apartment in Gaza in 2014. The photo was taken by American photographer Heidi Levine.

By Sunday, Lodhis photo holding aloft the picture became a rage on social media, as hundreds of thousands of people reproduced it on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

But by the evening, the mistake was exposed as researchers traced the picture back to Levines collection. Now, millions more reproduced the picture, highlighting the mistake. Indian media too went berserk as Indian television channels devoted one talk-show after another to underlining the blunder.

An Indian diplomat used the right of reply to criticise Pakistan, saying Islamabad was using false pictures to accuse Indian security forces of committing atrocities in India-held Kashmir. The diplomat claimed that since India was not committing any atrocities, Pakistan was forced to use a fake picture.

Officials at the Pakistan Mission in New York, as well as those at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, are now trying to determine how a wrong picture was passed on to Ambassador Lodhi.

While its still being determined how this blunder happened, Pakistan once again used the right of reply to respond to Indian allegations.

Tipu Usman, a senior Pakistani diplomat, told the UN General Assembly that Indias attempt to rake up a debate about the wrong picture had backfired.

The controversy brought more international coverage to Indias use of pellet guns against Kashmiris, said Usman while responding to a statement by an Indian diplomat.

The Pakistani community in the US had initially praised Lodhi for exposing the face of Indias democracy, but the mistake embarrassed them too as the Indian-American community used this mistake to ridicule them.

The Pakistani diplomat, however, pointed out that Indias attempt to hide its atrocities under a picture had further highlighted what India has been doing in held Kashmir.

Pictures of pelleted Kashmiris were tweeted extensively on Sunday night under the hashtag #MaleehaBlastedIndia. This hashtag reached around 3.3 million hits that analysts called a solid reminder to the Indians about the atrocities they are carrying out against the people of Kashmir, Usman said.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Dawn newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 20:00 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2223bbc 1 Business shareholders-meeting,PermataBank,NPL Free

Publicly listed lender PermataBank will continue to keep its non-performing loans (NPL) at less than 5 percent, the limit set by the Financial Services Authority (OJK), said PermataBanks financial director Lea Setianti Kusumawijaya on Tuesday.

Lea also said as of June, gross non-performing loans (NPL) reached 4.8 percent, down from the 6.4 percent recorded in March.

PermataBank posted a net profit of Rp 621 billion (US$ 46.52 million) in the first half of this year, compared to the loss of Rp 836 billion during the corresponding period last year.

The banks rights issue managed to collect Rp 3 trillion. The shares were bought by its two main shareholders, diversified conglomerate PT Astra International and British lender Standard Chartered Bank, as well as the public.

The rights issue managed to strengthen PermataBanks capital adequacy ratio (CAR) to 18.9 percent in June. The bank also held a rights issue last year, collecting Rp 5.5 trillion.

Following the extraordinary general shareholders meeting (RUPSLB) on Tuesday, PermataBank announced several changes to its board of commissioners.

The private lenders shareholders agreed to appoint Haryanto Sahari and Zulkifli Zaini as independent commissioners replacing I. Supomo and Tony Prasetiantono.

Haryanto Sahari is a partner of consulting firm PricewaterhouseCooper Indonesia, while Zulkifli was previously president director at the state-owned lender Bank Mandiri.

PermataBank president director Ridha DM Wirakusumah welcomed the appointment of Haryanto and Zulkifli, saying that their experience in the financial sector would strengthen PermataBanks position. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 18:04 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2220c72 1 City Berlin-Wall,artwork,kalijodo Free

Four pieces of the Berlin Wall to be used for an art installation entitled Patung Menembus Batas (a sculpture that breaks down barriers), arrived at Kalijodo park in North Jakarta on Tuesday morning.

The wall pieces, which recently received media attention when they were donated to the Jakarta administration, were taken from Depok, West Java, to the park with four large flat trucks.

While previously the artwork was scheduled to be installed on Friday, artist Teguh Ostenrik, who donated the pieces to the administration, said the artwork would be installed earlier than scheduled.

The project should begin soon because the Jakarta administration was set to inaugurate the installation on Oct. 3, he said.

There may not be enough time if we start installing the pieces on Sept. 29.

Therefore, we are starting it now, Teguh said on Tuesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

A worker on the installation, Yustinus Indrawan, said the artwork would be completed with attractive lighting.

We will arrange the lighting on the next day, Yustinus said.

Teguh said earlier that the artwork was intended to remind residents about the importance of maintaining unity despite differences.

The artwork will include the four pieces of the Berlin Wall surrounded by thirteen human statues made of iron.

The human statues will be made of iron because it symbolizes the human spirit - as hard as steel but still able to break down the walls that arise from our differences and separate people from each other. (cal)
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford maintained that the United States defence establishment should prepare itself in light of North Korea's escalating war rhetoric.

By Santosh Chaubey: A top US General has said that in a very short time North Korea would be able to attack the US mainland with its nuclear weapons.

During a Congressional hearing of the Armed Services Committee of the US Senate, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford said that North Korea is now capable of launching a nuclear attack on the United States.

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"It is the US military's judgement that it is a matter of a "very short time" before North Korea is able to attack the US", a report quoted him saying. Dunford informed the Congress that as North Korea has ratcheted up its war rhetoric to unprecedented levels, the US should plan accordingly.

Dunford, who is a Marine Corps General, added that the US Defence establishment is deploying 21 more missile interceptors in addition to 44 already in place and has spruced up intelligence on North Korea. While saying so, Dunford said that despite escalating its war rhetoric, North Korea has not changed its military posturing and the US forces are watching it closely.

While speaking at the UNGA on September 19, Trump warned that if the United States was forced to defend itself or its allies, it would have no choice but to totally annihilate North Korea adding that the Rocket Man was on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

ROCKET-MAN WHO?

Trump invented the term 'Rocket Man' to describe Kim Jong-Un after a series of missile and nuclear tests by North Korea under his watch.

In response to Trump's warning, Kim described him as a gangster fond of playing with fire and displaying an unprecedented rude nonsense one had never heard from any of his predecessors.

He further said that Trump was a mentally deranged dotard, a frightened dog who barked louder and North Korea knew how to tame him. Kim concluded his statement by saying that the North Korean fire would surely and definitely tame Donald Trump. The country later also warned that it may soon detonate its most powerful hydrogen bomb yet over the Pacific.

This prompted Trump to term Kim a madman. He said that Kim Jong-Un was a madman who didn't mind starving or killing his own people and for his acts he would be tested and punished like never before. Trump further added that de-nuclearisation was the only acceptable future of North Korea and later on signed an Executive Order imposing more sanctions on the nation.

Earlier this month, on September 3, North Korea had detonated a hydrogen bomb in its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date and Pyongyang had warned of more 'gift packages' for Washington which came true when it test fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on September 15.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 14:31 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a221257e 1 City marijuana,Jakarta-police,narcotics,drugs Free

Personnel of the Jakarta Polices traffic division have foiled an attempt to smuggle marijuana using a pick-up truck. The vehicle was stopped by the officers as it passed along Jl. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta, on Monday evening.

It was apprehended by our traffic officers. They suspected the vehicle so they stopped it. When they checked it, they found that the truck was carrying marijuana, said Adj.Sr. Comr. Doni Alexander, an official with the Jakarta Polices narcotics division, as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Monday evening.

Doni said the marijuana packages were hidden under baskets of oranges. The perpetrators put the packages under stacks of oranges to cover them up , he said.

Based on information, the black pick-up truck was carrying 24 baskets of oranges to cover the marijuana. The police found 119 packages of marijuana. The total weight of the packages is not yet known.

The police arrested the driver, identified as AS, for questioning. They have not yet discovered where the packages came from or where they were being delivered to.

The marijuana packages have been taken to the Jakarta Polices narcotics unit for further investigation. (dis/ebf)
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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 10:47 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2207723 1 Business Greater-Jakarta,LRT,financing,BCA,CIMB-Niaga Free

Coordinating Maritime Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has revealed that several private banks have agreed to disburse loans for the Greater Jakarta light rail transit (LRT) project that will link the capital to its neighboring cities in West Java.

The transportation project will link the cities of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok and Bekasi.

He said that among the private lenders that had agreed to take part in the project were Bank Central Asia (BCA), the biggest private bank in terms of assets, and Malaysian-controlled Bank CIMB Niaga.

With private banks stepping in, the loan proportion from state-owned banks will decline. The composition is not final yet, but this is an indication of a positive lending structure, Luhut said.

The project is estimated to cost Rp 27 trillion (US$2 billion) with Rp 9 trillion coming from the government in the form of capital injection (PMN), while the remaining Rp 18 trillion is expected to come from bank loans.

Initially, the public transportation project relied on loans from state-owned banks  Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), Bank Mandiri and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI)  before the private lenders expressed interest in financing the project.

The Transportation Ministry claimed the infrastructure construction of the project had reached 50 percent completion as of last week.

The government aims to see disbursement of the loans in November.

State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI) is acting as a leading company to coordinate the loans, while state-owned construction firm PT Adhi Karya is the developer of the project. (bbn)
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Linkedin Nethy Dharma Somba (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura, Papua  Tue, September 26, 2017 23:50 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a222471b 1 National Yahukimo,Papua,deaths,health,health-care,HealthcareServices,health-facilities Free

Thirty eight residents in Semenage district, Yahukimo, Papua, were reported to have died during the May-August period due to sickness and poor access to healthcare services.

They died after falling ill. They suffered from various symptoms including coughing, diarrhoea, headaches and abdominal pain. I think they only had mild illnesses, which they could have recovered from if they had received medicine. But instead their illnesses led to death because of the absence of health workers and a lack of medicine, said John Jonga, a Catholic reverend who serves in Yahukimo.

The religious leader, who won the Yap Thiam Hien Award in 2011, said he was informed by the local people that there had been deaths caused by poor access to healthcare services, after which he deployed a team to investigate the reports.

I have reported it to the Yahukimo regent [Abock Busup] and the head of the Yahukimo Health Agency. They are ready to deliver 100 kilograms of medicine to Semenage. The medicine will be brought to the district by health volunteer Habel Lokon, said John.

He explained that in 2013, 61 Semenage residents of various ages died of illnesses that were getting worse after they were unable to get proper healthcare services.

Semenage has only one sub-community health center [Pustu] and a medical aide who serves nine villages. Its a very difficult task [...], John said. He hoped that local authorities could dispatch a team to Semenage to directly see the living and health condition of the residents in the district. (ebf)

Challenging task: A member of the army provides health care to local residents in a village in Papua. Poor access to healthcare services in Papua's remote areas remains unresolved. (Pendam XVIII/Cenderawasih/File)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 13:46 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a220e178 1 City Sandiaga-Uno,OK-OCE,Instagram,tourism Free

Deputy governor-elect Sandiaga Uno has said he has plans to turn Jakarta into a scenic city so it could inspire residents to snap more pictures for popular photo-sharing app Instagram.

Sandiaga said that today, people had difficulties finding spots where they could take Instagram-worthy photos.

"I have to ask you, what are places in Jakarta that could be made Instagram-ready? People today like to find beautiful locations for their Instagram updates," Sandiaga said as quoted by kompas.com.

Sandiaga said he planned to build public transportation systems that would make it easy for tourists to reach historical sites including Istiqlal Mosque and Jl. Proklamasi in Central Jakarta.

He said these were spots that tourists could use as backgrounds in their Instagram shots.

"Istiqlal mosque is beautiful but people have problems finding the best angles as it is covered by shrubs and fences," he said.

On the campaign trail last year, Sandiaga often made headlines for proposing a program called One District, One Center of Entrepreneurship (OK OCE).

Jakarta Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Trade Agency has set aside Rp 1.2 billion (US$90,000) to pay for the OK-OCE program.
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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 14:29 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22117cb 1 Business sugar,auction,program,delay Free

The Trade Ministry announced on Tuesday that there would be a further delay of the industrial sugar auction to Jan. 8, 2018 in a bid to attract more micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and cooperatives to become buyers in the program.

The number of MSMEs buyers should be increased because the goal of the auction is to guarantee [fair-priced] supplies for MSMEs, said Futures Exchange Supervisory Board (Bappebti) head Bachrul Chairi in a statement issued Tuesday.

He said the government would carry out dissemination activities to attract more MSMEs to take part in the auction program. As of Sept. 26, 310 MSMEs and cooperatives and 150 big firms, mostly food and beverage (F&B) makers, had registered as buyers.

The delay is a result of a coordination meeting between Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita and Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution last Friday.

This is the second postponement after the auction was initially delayed to October from June after rising objections from big F&B firms.

Big F&B firms think the auction will add to sugar procurement costs as it uses a third party or auction operator, compared to existing direct business to business (B2B) transactions.

Previously, the Indonesia Food and Beverages Producers Association (Gapmmi) and Trade Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) after businesspeople agreed with the auction system as long as it did not add to the length of the procedure.

Under the MOU, businesspeople are allowed to conduct direct B2B transactions as long as the transactions are reported to the ministry. (bbn)

Topics : sugar auction program delay
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Linkedin News Desk (AFP) United Nations, United States  Tue, September 26, 2017 07:32 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2201ae7 2 World Myanmar,Rakhine,Rakhine-state,Rohingya,Rohingya-Muslims,Rohingya-people,Security-Council,UN,United-Nations Free

The UN Security Council will meet Thursday to discuss the violence in Myanmar and hear a briefing from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the crisis, diplomats said.

Britain, France, the United States and four other countries requested the meeting after more than 430,000 people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, fled an army campaign in Myanmar in recent weeks and crossed into Bangladesh.

The United Nations has described the military operation as "ethnic cleansing" and French President Emmanuel Macron last week went further, calling it "genocide."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has denounced the plight of the Rohingya, accused Myanmar of waging a "Buddhist terror" against the Muslim minority and also denounced the "genocide."

The military operation was sparked by attacks carried out by Rohingya militants on police posts on August 25.

The meeting was also requested by Egypt, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Sweden, which are non-permanent council members.

Council members will also get an update on the situation in Myanmar on Tuesday, ahead of the formal briefing by the UN chief, which will be held in an open session.

The Security Council earlier this month called for "immediate steps" to end the violence, following a closed-door meeting.

The 1.1-million strong Rohingya have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship even though many have longstanding roots in the country.

In early September, Guterres took the rare step of sending a letter to the council to express concern about the "humanitarian catastrophe" unfolding, raising fears that it could have "implications for peace and security" beyond Myanmar's borders.

Rights groups are pushing the council to threaten sanctions against Myanmar's government and urging countries to review military cooperation.

Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has disappointed human rights groups who had campaigned for her freedom during the Nobel Peace Prize winner's 15 years under house arrest by a military junta.

Suu Kyi failed to quell outrage over the plight of the Rohingya when she delivered a nationwide address last week in which she appealed for patience. (**)
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Linkedin Rachmadea Aisyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 15:37 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2216041 1 Business Whitesky,helicopter,service,tourism,jakarta,West-Jakarta Free

Air charter operator PT Whitesky Aviation has announced its plan to launch Helicity, a helicopter charter service for tourists around Jakarta and West Java.

The service will be packaged as sightseeing tours to nearby spots such as Thousand Islands in Jakarta, Cirebon and Sukabumi in West Java, as well as for transporting tourists who want to travel around the areas, said Whitesky Aviation president director Denon Prawiraatmadja in Jakarta on Tuesday.

As many as 173 helipads in Jakarta and 50 in Bandung are available for this new service," Denon told reporters, adding that the service would start on Dec. 4, with each trip costing Rp 12 million (US$900) to Rp 14 million for four to six passengers, depending on the type of the helicopter.

"We have purchased more than 30 helicopters for this new feature," he said. "Since unveiling the information [about the new service], we have received at least 60 calls a month from people who were interested."

The company has invested around $66.5 million to purchase the helicopters, which will be delivered between the end of this year and next year, said Denon.

After Greater Jakarta and West Java, the service will be expanded to Bali and Bintan in Riau Islands, with operations in the latter reaching out to tourists from Singapore, he added. (bbn)
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Manila, Philippines  Tue, September 26, 2017 12:32 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a220bc1a 2 SE Asia duterte,Philippines,shooting-incident,report Free

A shooting incident took place within the presidential compound of the Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte and is being investigated, his spokesman said Tuesday.

The incident occurred at an elite security force camp within the sprawling presidential grounds, which include a house where Duterte resides, said spokesman Ernesto Abella.

He declined to say if the president was in the area when it occurred, or give further details.

"It's being investigated and the nature of the situation needs to be clarified," he told reporters.

"We don't know the exact nature of this incident," he added.

Asked where Duterte was when the shooting occurred, Abella said "we don't have any information regarding that."

The presidential security group separately said they would release a statement later.

Duterte, who hails from the southern city of Davao, has said he dislikes staying in the presidential compound and often returns to his home city on weekends.

Duterte was elected in a landslide last year on a vow to eradicate illegal drugs in society by killing up to 100,000 traffickers and addicts.

Since he assumed office 15 months ago police have reported killing more than 3,800 people in anti-drug operations with many more killed in mysterious circumstances.

Despite criticism from human rights groups, he still enjoys widespread support among Filipinos who see him as a charismatic, anti-establishment politician who is their best chance to quell crime and corruption.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Tue, September 26, 2017 12:16 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a220adc5 2 SE Asia Thailand,junta-government,trump,visit,Washington Free

US President Donald Trump will host Thai junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha at the White House next Tuesday, in a personal coup for a Thai autocrat who was shunned by Barack Obama's administration for his regime's poor rights record.

Ties between the long-time allies were strained by Prayut's 2014 coup, which ushered in Thailand's most authoritarian government in a generation.

But Trump's administration has started to reset relations with the junta government. Since he took office Washington has dispatched high-level US diplomats, including the secretary of state, whose predecessors under Obama had noticeably avoided the kingdom since the coup.

"President Trump looks forward to reaffirming the relationship between the United States and a key partner and longstanding ally in Asia, the Kingdom of Thailand," the White House said in a statement late Monday.

"They will discuss economic trade and investment, and also exchange views on the regional situation," said junta spokesman Major General Werachon Sukondhapatipak on Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch lambasted the October 3 visit, which follows an invitation Trump extended during an April phone call, as the latest sign that the US president's White House has "shamelessly thrown human rights considerations out the window."

"Doubtless Trump fails to realize that this propaganda victory for Prayut and the junta will come at the expense of the people of Thailand who will pay for it in the form of intensified repression and human rights abuses when the general gets home," said HRW's Asia Director Brad Adams.

Thailand's military has suspended democracy for more than three years, outlawing street protests, jailing dissidents and ramping up prosecutions under the kingdom's draconian royal defamation law.

In response, the US trimmed back military aid and distanced itself from the regime, though Prayut did meet President Barack Obama during a ASEAN-US summit in California last February with other regional leaders.
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 15:01 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2213815 2 News Arief-Yahya,Tourism-Ministry,Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia Free

Tourism minister Arief Yahya has instructed all employees of the first, second and third echelons to come in a traditional outfit for the Tourism National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) III 2017 that will be held in Jakarta on September 26 -27.

This is to show a diverse Indonesia as diversity is one of this countrys biggest forces in the tourism industry, said Arief.

This is not the first time for the minister to ask his colleagues to wear traditional costumes to an official event. At this years Independence Day celebration Arief also required all attendees to don traditional costumes.

Instead of calling the dress code "national costume", Arief preferred to use the term "archipelago costume".

Read also: Returning to kebaya as Indonesia's fashion icon

[National costume] means uniformity whilst our environment is very diverse, he added.

The third Rakornas will discuss the Calendar of Events 2018 in order to achieve next years target of 17 million international tourists and 270 million domestic tourists.

The synergy for Wonderful Indonesia Calendar of Events 2018 is very important because we want to have more than 100 international-scale premium events to increase tourist visits in 2018. Thats why each region should be encouraged to come up with international events that will be included in the Calendar of Events, told Arief. (asw)
The commandos, who were tight-lipped about the drill, confirmed that a terror attack was simulated to see the response of the counter-terrorism task force.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Fifteen years after the horrific terror attack at a religious site was unleashed by two heavily armed terrorists on September 24, 2002, the NSG black cats conducted a mock drill at the Akshardham Temple complex at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The commandos, who were tight-lipped about the drill, confirmed that a terror attack was simulated to see the response of the counter-terrorism task force. The commandos were rushed from Ahmedabad, the newest regional hub of NSG.

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At least 30 people were killed and 80 were wounded in the terror attack, in which terrorist indulged in a blood bath using automatic weapons and hand grenades. Six accused were later arrested by Gujarat Police. In May 2014, a Supreme Court bench acquitted all the six of all charges and pulled up the Gujarat Police for shoddy investigation in the case.

WHY THE MOCK DRILL?

NSG could only intervene the siege the next day, killing both the militants. Each of them belonged to the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad terror groups . A source said that DG Sudhir Pratap Singh and top officers of NSG had flown to see the black cats perform the mock drill. Sources added that "The idea is to find out the actual time taken to respond - right from launching the team, preparing the force, mobilisation of forces up to the intervention and then the action - including neutralising the targets."

The NSG personnel conducted the drill keeping in mind the safety of hostages and property . Different teams were formed to deal with the situation. A crack team of counter-terror NSG commandos has been permanently based at its newest hub in Gujarat by the central government. The new hub - operationalised recently near state capital Gandhinagar - has been tasked with securing the entire western flank of the country from Gujarat to Rajasthan. About 100 commandos of the counter-terror and counter-hijack squads of the NSG have been based at the hub. The response time taken by the commando force for countering the Akshardham terror attack and Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 had come under criticism and therefore the government had decided to station the commandos at various locations so that crucial time was not lost in the transit.

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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, September 26, 2017 16:04 1875 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2216ebb 2 News Tourism-Ministry,Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Wonderful-Indonesia Free

The tourism ministry is working hard in order to achieve its target of 290,000 French tourists by the end of this year.

One of the ministrys efforts is by taking part in IFTM Top Resa tourism trade fair that is being held from Sept. 26 - 29 at Parc des Expositions Porte de Versailles in Paris, France.

A total of 14 tourism practitioners from Indonesia have been chosen by the ministry to represent the country at the event, consisting of nine tour operators and five hotels from Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, Jakarta and Raja Ampat.

These representatives will do business transactions with buyers whom mostly are tour operators, high-level managers and owners of hotels and other tourism establishments in Paris and beyond, explained the ministry's deputy minister for Overseas Promotion, I Gde Pitana.

To lure visitors, the Indonesian booth serves traditional coffee and showcases a performance of traditional dance.

The effort to promote Indonesian destinations to the people of France wont stop here, we are pursuing other means too such as promoting the Wonderful Indonesia brand in Paris and participating in the upcoming ILTM Cannes, a global luxury travel community event, that will be held on Dec. 4  7, added the ministry's deputy assistant for Europe, the United States, Middle East and Africa tourism promotion, Nia Niscaya.

Read also: Why window seats are better for long-haul flights

Currently, the Wonderful Indonesia tourism brand is being promoted on 16 open tour buses in Paris, France. The campaign runs from September 12 until October 9 and features beautiful Indonesian destinations such as Borobudur Temple, Bali, Komodo Island, Lake Toba and Raja Ampat.

Within the months of January until July this year, there were 144,676 French tourists who visited Indonesia, a 7.20 percent increase from the same period last year that had 134,965 visitors.

The number has been increasing ever since the implementation of free-visa policy for 30 days.

Moreover, Indonesia is among the top-five list of countries that French tourists love to go to while the people of France are on the top-three list of European tourists who visit Indonesia the most.

On average, 40 percent [of French tourists] go to Bali, 30 percent go to Jakarta, 20 percent go to Riau islands and the rest 10 percent go to other regions [] 60 percent of French tourists who come to Indonesia actually live outside of France, said tourism minister Arief Yahya. (asw)
The ABC News program Nightline is revisiting an unsolved Lower East Side murder case from 15 years ago.

On Tuesday, Oct. 3, A Murder on Orchard Street will debut in what ABC is calling a multi-platform docu-series. The seven-part online production, with a companion podcast, focuses on the story of 25-year-old Burke OBrien. The aspiring banker had just arrived in New York City when he was shot and killed outside 75 Orchard St. in the early morning hours of Jan. 12, 2003.

According to a press release, the series, features unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the NYPDs investigation, from the first moments after the homicide of OBrien in 2003 to present day. The network is touting a potential new clue in the investigation after all of these years:

In A Murder on Orchard Street, ABC News producer and reporter Christina Kiely, who covered the OBrien case moment-to-moment in 2003, joins ex-NYC detective Kenny Silvia in a renewed effort to solve the crime and bring the murderer(s) to justice. While reviewing original case footage, Kiely stumbles upon a possible new lead that could change the course of the case completely. The series features nearly every player involved in the case  both then and now  including the detectives, the victims family and the people who were there in those fateful final moments. Taking a fresh look at a captivating case like this one allows us an opportunity to creatively showcase our rich archive in a new and dynamic way, said Roxanna Sherwood, Executive Producer of the series. My hope is that the story will engage the public to help unravel new details and clues that could mean the difference for a family waiting so long to see justice done.

OBrien had been staying with a former college roommate who lived in an apartment on Orchard Street. After a night of partying with friends, they returned to the apartment at around 4 a.m. After handing over $12, OBrien quarreled with the robbers and was fatally shot. The friend was wrongly accused of the murder before cops realized theyd made a mistake, and charges were dropped. Its not the first time ABC has focused on the case. The murder was the subject of the program NYPD 24/7 in 2004.

The first five episodes will be available next Tuesday online at ABCNews.com, and on streaming platforms, including Roku, Apple TV, Hulu and Xbox One. The accompanying podcast will also be accessible via Apple and on other podcast services.
In this era of rampant real estate development, locals are becoming a lot more aware of the comings and goings of construction crews. When a few guys showed up yesterday morning to begin geotechnical tests at the Grand Street Guild apartments, tenant leaders were on the case. In fact, they called the police  and a short time later the team from Craig Drilling (a New Jersey-based firm) picked up and went home.

As we reported back in February, members of the tenant association strongly suspect that the property owner, the Archdiocese of New York, has big plans for their Section 8 complex. While the owners management company has insisted that no decisions have been made about future development, the tenants are convinced that at least one new residential tower is is in-the-works. Geotechnical testing is often one of the first signs that a big new project is on the way.

After a notice about the drilling went up over the weekend in building lobbies, tenant activist Dashia Imperiale fired off an email to other tenant leaders and local elected officials. She renewed calls made months ago for more transparency from the Archdiocese about its plans.

Imperiale and newly elected District Leader Daisy Paez (until recently tenant president) were on the scene yesterday morning, asking workers to see Buildings Department permits. We showed up a few minutes later to talk with Imperiale, Paez and tenant association president Sandra Strother. The police officers were gone, and the crew from Craig Drilling had stopped their work.

Last night, we spoke with Mark Benoit of Geto & de Milly, a PR and lobbying firm working for the property owner. He said no work permit was required for the testing that was being undertaken. Benoit added, however, that the owners were committed to communicating more effectively with residents about whats happening. He said theres nothing new to report regarding the owners plans for possible future development at Grand Street Guild. The testing, Benoit explained, would be rescheduled for a later date.

Paez plans to speak today with Benoit and Samuel Ortiz, community and social services manager of Catholic Charities/Grand Street Guild. Staff members in the offices of State Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou and City Council member Margaret Chin tell us they are continuing to press local and federal agencies for details about any possible Grand Street Guild plans.
An India Today ground report reveals the realities of the Swachh Bharat-Open Defecation-Free project in Rajasthan, finding tales of half-constructed toilets and cash rewards being doled out without any verification.

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: In Rajasthan's Baadi gram panchayat area of Dholpur district, scores of men and women go about the business of relieving themselves in their usual manner.

That is, out there in the fields under the open sky.

The story is the same in Bharatpur district's Rerah gram panchayat. Villagers, bottles of water in their hands, begin their day in Rerah with a trip to the fields to relieve themselves as they always have.

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The irony, however, is that Rerah was the first village in Bharatpur to be declared open-defecation free by the government.

Ask the villagers, either in Dholpur or Bharatpur, about the Open Defecation-Free scheme being run under the aegis of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and they display a surprising amount of knowledge about the project.

In fact, the villagers aren't just aware of the ODF and SBM goals, but have been recipients of monetary 'rewards' that the Rajasthan government has doled out in order to promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dreams of an open defecation-free India.

For every toilet constructed, the government gives a 'reward' of Rs 12,000. In Rajasthan, the Vasundhara Raje administration has, so far, rewarded more than 55 lakh villagers.

Or, in monetary terms, an impressive Rs 6,600 crore has been paid as 'reward' to people for building toilets in their homes and, presumably, help India inch closer to the goal of becoming open defecation-free.

Dholpur and Bharatpur together account for a little over Rs 330 crore of these rewards. The same Dholpur and Bharatpur where villagers still defecate out in the open, where toilets are half-constructed and, in some cases, are used as storerooms.

What is happening?

India Today visited villages in both Bharatpur and Dholpur in a ground check that revealed tales of cash rewards being doled out without verification and which pointed to officials being more concerned with showing the success of the ambitious Swachh Bharat's ODF scheme, but just on paper.

This is the first story in a three-part series on the realities of Swachh Bharat's Open Defecation-Free project in Rajasthan.

A TOILET WITHOUT WALLS

In a Dholpur village, Puran Devi's two daughters-in-law have to go out in the open to defecate despite the names of two people in their household showing up as beneficiaries under the SBM-ODF scheme's rewards system.

Why? The 'toilets' built at Puran Devi's home have no septic tanks, and so, have no means to ensure that the faecal matter passes through. Apart from problematic plumbing, one 'toilet' has a wall missing on one side.

A woman in Kanchanpur village gestures towards a broken toilet (Photo: Nikhil Sharma) Click here to Enlarge A woman in Kanchanpur village gestures towards a broken toilet (Photo: Nikhil Sharma)

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Yet, Puran Devi's family, like scores of others, was rewarded a total of Rs 24,000 for the two non-operational 'toilets'.

Speaking to India Today, Puran Devi admitted that she received Rs 24,000 in her bank account, but adds that her daughters-in-law have to go out when it's dark in order to relieve themselves.

Her two daughters-in-law, Phoolvati and Saroj, initially remained inside the house when India Today visited the family, but opened up when their mother-in-law was not around. "The wall has broken now. [We] are going in the fields now [to relieve ourselves]," Saroj says.

ONE TOILET, FOUR PRIZES

Umashanker is another villager in Dholpur. He, his two brothers and their father figure on the list of people rewarded by the Rajasthan government. They have received Rs 48,000 for the construction of four toilets.

However, visit their home and you will find just one operational toilet. One of the other so-called toilets was being used to store wheat, while another one was not operational as it was missing a crucial aspect of a toilet - the seat.

Umashanker, however, defended himself against accusations that his family had received more money than what they should have been got. He said that the family had to start storing wheat in one latrine as a lot of people from the village had started coming to their house to use the toilet.

Click here to Enlarge Toilets in Rajasthan are being built, but only on paper: In Dholpur, toilets lack basic facilities or end up getting used as sotrage centers

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The cases of Umashanker and Puran Devi's homes are seemingly the norm.

India Today visited Dholpur's Kanchanpur and Pabesura gram panchayats and came across several such instances of toilets being built without septic tanks or even seats. In some cases, the toilets lacked water supply.

WHERE IS THE MONEY?

In Ramvilas' case, however, the situation is the opposite. The Dholpur villager claimed that two of his family members are on the list of people who were rewarded under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Open Defecation Free rewards scheme.

Ramvilas said that he had been shown on paper that his family has been rewarded for two toilets that they have built. However, Ramvilas said, he got only Rs 12,000 instead of the Rs 48,000 that he should have received.

"For both (the toilets, the money has been paid on papers) but [I] have received [money] for only one. Do not know what has happened..." Ramvilas said.

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FAKE ADDRESS, FAKE PHOTOS

In some cases, sheer ingenuity has helped villagers get the Rs 12,000 reward without actually building a toilet.

Siya, a villager, is one example. After initially being apprehensive to talk to India Today, she admitted that she was able to get Rs 12,000 for a toilet that was actually built at her brother-in-law's home.

In her application, she gave an incorrect address - her own - but her papers were cleared and she got the complete reward. "Got it [the toilet] made in brother-in-law's home... I did not get [toilet] made. Yes, got complete 12,000," Siya said.

Other villagers use morphed or deceptive photos to trick the system.

Click here to Enlarge Kanchanpur in Dholpur is among the villages where money has been paid for toilet construction but residents still go out in the open to defecate (Photo: Nikhil Sharma)

Meera, a villager, told India Today how she applied for the Swachh Bharat Mission reward scheme by submitting a photo of a makeshift toilet.

Once the payment was made, the toilet seat was removed and a kitchen was built in its place. And, Meera's family members continue to go out in the open to defecate.

Interestingly, Meera tells India Today that the family plans to construct a toilet now. She, however, remains mum when asked whether the family will once again apply for the Rs 12,000 cash reward for the new toilet.

TOILET CONVERTED INTO BATHROOM

Rambir has a practical problem - though he was rewarded for (partially) constructing a toilet, he did not have enough money to make it fully operational.

The Rs 12,000, Rambir said, was not enough to install a tank or a tap. So, he decided to remove the seat and turn the toilet into a bathing area.

"We are poor people," Rambir said. "Rs 12,000 is not enough to construct a latrine."

NO MONEY, NO TOILET

In Bharatpur's, Rerah Gram, the district's first supposed open defecation-free village, some residents have no choice but to relieve themselves in the open.

One of the female villagers explains that they do not have the money to build a toilet nor have they received any government help. "[A toilet] cannot be made in less than 20,000. We did not get anything. Even our name is not there [on the rewards lists]," she said.

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | Toilet Ek Prem Katha's real life heroine told her in-laws: No loo, no Priyanka

--- ENDS ---
Despite the government advising her against it, she believes she could intervene in the destabilising marriage plans and takes the royal court across the Channel.The concern comes from a belief that Louis wants to create a French Empire in Europe through marriage, and this marriage would affect not only trade but crucially, British access to India - which is very much against their interests.He's described as wily and not easily deflected, but Victoria believes a self-appointed king will be helped by an anointed one - even though the government warns her Louis may think there is a Coburg conspiracy underfoot. Upon arrival, she realises very early on that she will have to be on alert to make him take her seriously after he describes her as "adorable, small, like a doll." She also seems to be alone in her endeavours as Albert (Tom Hughes) remains distant, and still very much affected by the news Uncle Leopold gave him about his parentage. The prince also despairs over the behaviour of the French court, as does the Duchess of Buccleuch (Diana Rigg), who announces her disgust towards France throughout the episode, exclaiming after Louis greets Victoria - "Kissed on both cheeks! As if she was a washerwoman!" - referring to France as Sodom and Gomorrah and even trying to get out of the trip to the "godless" country altogether.After receiving judgement from the ladies of the court ("A dog on the clutch bag, can you imagine?"), there is a cute scene between Skerrett (Nell Hudson) and Victoria as she asks Skerrett to find her something to "enhance [her] complexion, to make her look "worldly", before emerging into the party that night with rouged cheeks. Complimented by those who see her (except for Albert), she tries to discuss the marriage with Louis who reminds her that they do not mix business with pleasure in France.That night, when Victoria is talking about the evening Albert says he "does not wish to do any of it again". Concerned, she asks what he means and they talk about how he isn't comfortable in a place "of artifice and deceit", with vulgar Louis and impure court ladies. He asks why she would feel the need to paint her face, not understanding why she wants to look like the court ladies, asking her never to do it again because they "have to be different" than the French.After we see Louis calling Victoria delicate and mignon, but Boudicca inside, and implying that Albert "snapped" her up as he talks about the Coburg's going around and marrying everyone in Europe, we see Albert going on a walk in the forest. He finds a waterfall and lake, and decides to go skinny dipping as he's finally found "something real". He's joined by his guides, and overlooked by Victoria and her companions, who call them "some peasants" who like to bathe there, before realising who's swimming. A light-hearted moment in an episode dealing with some vaguely heavy issues, this scene was much appreciated.Albert returns to an extremely frosty Victoria asking if he enjoyed his swim. She asks what possessed such conduct before running to hug him, wishing aloud that he would smile more and doesn't understand why they can't stay in bed just a little bit longer in the mornings. He lifts her onto the bed as they kiss, and Victoria makes some lusty efforts to cheer him up - efforts of which are overheard by the servants. Ooo er.Later we see them looking serious, as Albert tells Victoria the news from when he was last in Coburg - that Leopold (Alex Jennings) thinks he's his father - because he "cannot bear this alone". Victoria comforts him, telling him anyone would want to believe they were his father, as he calls himself an imposter and a bastard and that their whole marriage has been built on deceit. She tells him all that matters to her is that he's standing by her side; that she knows who he is even if he doesn't. Seeing their heart to heart and the amount of love they had for each other made my heart melt. As she tells him they're going downstairs to do what they came to do, we're immediately transported back to the foreign relations matter, reminded that they need to address the Isabella situation.Downstairs they thank Louis for his hospitality. Both are at odds with each other - the English government sees Louis' desired marriage outcome as an act of war, while the French government see a Coburg marriage as an aggressive act; an impasse. Following a grape/vicious dog metaphor from Albert, it's suggested nothing is done. Louis is worried he will look weak, but Victoria suggests that surely he has the authority to present a fait accompli - the understanding of one sovereign to another. With a new understanding between the two of them, they celebrate with champagne, the situation seemingly resolved with "mutual neutrality".Back in England, everyone toasts Albert as Victoria insists he was the one who convinced Louis. As she relaxes outside the next day, Albert storms up to her and reveals the situation was not resolved at all - Louis' son is engaged to Isabella. Naively, Victoria insists that he gave them his word, but Albert tells her that he was just using them, destroying the feeling Albert previously had of achieving something good. Despite the failed negotiations, they lament on how it's brought them closer and how they have no more secrets... that is, until Victoria places his hand on her stomach - 3 children down, 6 more to go!It's nice to see Victoria slowly dealing with more pertinent issues and the performances by Coleman and Hughes continue to impress.
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By PTI: Kolkata, Sep 25 (PTI) Visitors to 16 crowd puller Durga pujas in Kolkata and Howrah would be able to flip through pages of books of various genres published by the Oxford University Press (OUP).

The publishing house has set up stalls in 16 major Durga Puja pandals and the visitors would have a chance to leaf through the collection of titles for every age group between September 23 and 29.

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The titles would cover childrens books, general reads, grammar, atlases, dictionaries, special titles etc, the OUP said in a statement today.

The 16 puja pandals are Mudiali Club, Shibmandir, Maddox Square, Ballygunge Cultural, Ekdalia Evergreen Club, Jodhpur Park, Naktala Udayan Sangha, Badamtala Ashar Sangha, Bakul Bagan Sarbojonin, Behala Nutan Dal, Md. Ali Park, Bharat Chakra (Dum Dum Park), AJ Block Salt Lake, Baghbazar Sarbojonin and Mandirtala (Howrah), Shivaji Sangh (Howrah). PTI SUS NN

--- ENDS ---
With temperatures reaching near 90 degrees Monday and Tuesday, officials at Gabriel Richard Catholic High School in Riverview shut its doors early to beat the peak of the heat.

The announcement of half-day sessions on those days was made Friday by Principal Joseph Whalen after the forecast showed just how uncomfortable staff and students were going to be during that stretch of heat.

Gabriel Richard followed its regular half-day schedule with dismissal at 11:43 a.m. both days. The air conditioned cafeteria was open to anyone who had to wait for a ride.

Fran Gosen, director of admissions, said Monday that Whalen made the decision early so word of the partial closures could reach students and prepare them for a Chrome@home Day. That means students would shift to doing their school work at home via structured lessons through teachers on the computer.

Gosen said the decision reflects how students and staff were feeling last week during the unseasonably warm weather.

He didnt feel this was a good learning environment for the kids, Gosen said.

She said the school is being cautious, keeping in mind the health of staff and students.

The second floor of the high school gets particularly warm taking in the most direct sunlight.

The kids are drained and probably the staff, as well, Gosen said.

Students had a Chrome@home Day once last year due to the heat.

Whalen posted a notice about the half day on the schools Facebook page, saying in part that: Fall is here and the weather is as predictable as always in Michigan. Unseasonably hot temperatures are making our building uncomfortable and not conducive to learning.

Many applauded the school for taking the action, saying it was admirable that the school had the wellbeing of students in mind.

One post under the name of Bobby Steele said he begged for heat days in school and said Gabriel Richard, Respects the learning environment for the students to excel.

Another poster under the name of Nancy Lagrandeur said she was totally impressed with the schools common sense approach.

Salute to administrators of Gabriel Richard School, Lagrandeurs post said.

On the other hand, at least one person questioned whether the action needed to be taken.

Ecorse Public Schools operated on a half-day schedule Monday and Tuesday, as well, dismissing students at 11:15 a.m.

River Rouge Schools held classes Monday, but were closed Tuesday due to the heat.

Temperatures are expected to be much cooler on Wednesday when regular school hours resume.
By PTI: (EDS: Updating with more details)

By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Sep 26 (PTI) An accountability court today decided to indict Nawaz Sharif on October 2 after the ousted prime minister for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges filed against him in the Panama Papers scandal.

The court also issued fresh arrest warrants against his children and son-in-law.

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Sharif, 67, appeared before the court located in the judicial complex here, a day after he returned from London where he was with his ailing wife.

During the brief hearing, Sharif informed accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir that his wife was unwell and he needed to attend her. He was then allowed to leave the court.

The court then adjourned for 10 minutes before continuing with the normal case proceedings.

The appearance was just a formality to ensure that the accused was ready to face the trial. Sharif stayed at the court for about 10 minutes.

He was accompanied by his lawyer Khawaja Harris who would represent him as a counsel in the corruption cases.

The court had last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law capt (retd) Safdar to appear before it on September 26. It is pertinent to mention that the Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on September 19.

When the hearing started again, the judge asked about Maryam, Hussain and Hasan, and Sharifs son-in-law Safdar who were also ordered to appear today.

Sharifs lawyer Harris contended that they were in London to take care of their ailing mother but the court rejected the argument and ordered them to appear before it on October 2.

The court also issued fresh bailable arrest warrants against Maryam, Hussain, Hasan and Safdar.

Harris asked the court that Sharif needed to take care of his wife in London so he would be allowed to skip personal appearance in the court.

The court refused by saying that he should first appear on the day of indictment and the issue of skipping personal appearance will be deiced later on.

Sharif?s legal aide Barrister Zafarullah Khan told media that the court should have given more time for indictment.

"The court cannot indict until all accused appear in the court. It should give us more time to prepare out case," he said.

He said that Sharif would appear in the court if all went well during the period before next hearing and health of his wife remains stable.

Independent law expert Shehzad Akbar said that court was not bound to delay indictment of an accused if his accomplices are not present or refuse to appear before the court.

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"The accountability courts have vast powers. They can indict the accused who has presented himself in the court, while it can convict others for non-compliance and failing to appear," he said.

Hundreds of Sharif?s supporters, including Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, lawyers, lawmakers and several ministers were present in the court premises. Heavy security arrangement were made around the judicial complex.

Earlier, Sharif left the Punjab House in Islamabad at about 8.30 am to appear before the court. It took him about 15 minutes to reach the court.

More than 35 vehicles were part of Sharif?s convoy which safely reached Punjab House after his appearance in the court.

Sharif is expected to hold some important meetings with aides and to address media in the evening, according PML-N sources.

Sharif was in London from August 31 to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

He decided to return to Pakistan after consultations with senior party leaders including his younger brother and Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in London.

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Sharif stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons -- Hassan and Hussain, daughter -- Maryam, son-in-law -- Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Sharifs family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated. Rest of his family is still in London. PTI SH ZH AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: United Nations, Sep 25 (PTI) India today slammed Pakistan for using a "fake picture" in the UN General Assembly to "push a completely fake" narrative, a day after its Permanent Representative presented an image of a girl from Gaza as a victim of pellet guns in Kashmir.

Exercising her right to reply hours after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj blasted Pakistan for its support to terrorism, Pakistans Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi, in a major goof-up, held up a photograph of a woman whose face was peppered with alleged pellet gun wounds.

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"This is the face of Indian democracy," Lodhi said of the picture which had no connection with Kashmir.

The picture of 17-year-old Rawya abu Jomaa of Gaza, an alleged victim of an Israeli attack was actually taken by award-winning American photo journalist Heidi Levine in July, 2014.

"The Permanent Representative of Pakistan misled this Assembly by displaying this picture to spread falsehood about India. A fake picture to push a completely false narrative," said Paulomi Tripathi, a junior most Indian diplomat at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations.

Tripathi took the floor of the General Assembly to exercise Indias right to reply to the blistering attack by Lodhi.

"The Permanent Representative of Pakistan, in her statement, yet again sought to divert attention from Pakistans role as the hub of global terrorism. She did so by callously holding up a picture of an injured girl," Tripathi said.

"The picture was taken on 22 July 2014 by an American photographer Heidi Levine. This photograph was published by New York Times on March 24, 2015 under the caption Conflict, Courage and Healing in Gaza," she said.

"In view of this cynical and misleading attempt by Pakistan, we are constrained to show this Assembly, a photograph that reflects the real picture of pain inflicted by the nefarious designs of Pakistan on India," she said showing a picture of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz.

22-year Umar, who was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifle, was picked up from his house at Harmein in Kulgam in May. The body of the young officer was later found three kilometres from his house.

"This is a real and not a fake picture of Lt Umar Fayaz. A young officer from the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. Umar Fayaz was kidnapped at a wedding celebration. He was brutally tortured and killed by Pakistan supported terrorists in May 2017," Tripathi said showing the picture.

"This is a true picture. It portrays a harsh and tragic reality. A picture of terrorism emanating from across our borders that the people of India, especially in the state of Jammu and Kashmir have to struggle with, every day.

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"This is the reality which the Permanent Representative of Pakistan sought to obfuscate. The true face of Pakistan is not hidden from anyone," Tripathi said as she displayed the two pictures again to the international community.

Pakistan, meanwhile, continued with its fake narrative against India.

Speaking on behalf of Pakistan, Tipu Usman, counselor at Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN, claimed, "Kashmiris want freedom form brutal Indian occupation".

They will continue to rise again and again and again, he said.

"Kashmiris will take bullet after bullet; pallet after pallet but will never give up. The real issue is of human life, of human eyes, of children and infants blinded forever," he said.

Usman alleged that Indias diversionary tactics will not change the situation on ground.

"It is the situation on ground that India has to answer for. It is the call for legality, morality and conscience that it has to answer for," he said. PTI LKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By Harinder Mishra

Jerusalem, Sep 26 (PTI) A Palestinian gunman opened fire at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Har Adar, killing three Israelis and injuring another before being shot dead.

The break in the recent lull in violence comes on a day when US President Donald Trumps Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, arrived in Jerusalem to try to revive the deadlocked Israel-Palestinian peace talks.

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Greenblatts visit comes just days after US President met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York and reiterated Washingtons commitment to work towards a comprehensive peace agreement.

The Palestinian gunman, identified in Israeli media as Nimer Jamal, a 37-year-old from a nearby village, was shot by Israeli security and died later.

Netanyahu blamed the attack on Palestinian incitement and demanded that Abbas condemn the attack unequivocally.

"This is a difficult morning with three Israelis murdered by a miscreant. On behalf of the government and the entire people of Israel, my condolences go out to the families of the deceased, and I also wish a speedy recovery to the settlements military security coordinator who was also injured. The attack and its ramifications are still under investigation," the Israeli Prime Minister said.

"What we can say now, however, is that the terrorists home will be demolished, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) has already encircled his village and the work permits of his extended family will be revoked," he said in line with Israels policy to deter Palestinians from carrying out such attacks.

"This murderous attack is a result of methodical incitement by the Palestinian Authority and other entities, and I expect Mahmoud Abbas to denounce the attacking rather than attempt to justify it. Security forces will continue working against the incitement and terrorism as they do every day, and we will conclude the inquiry into the specifics of this attack," Netanyahu asserted.

The White House has tried to lay the groundwork for a resumption of negotiations since Donald Trump took office in January, but there has been no sign of progress.

Peace talks between the two sides broke down in April 2014 and all attempts to revive it since then have been futile with a wave of stabbing, shooting and car ramming attacks further fueling tensions between the two sides.

Israeli Police said that the Palestinian gunman struck after he raised suspicions of security personnel at a rear gate at Har Adar settlement.

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He shot his victims, two security guards and a border policeman, at close range, and seriously injured another person, before being shot by Israeli security forces.

Jamal had an Israeli permit to work in Jewish settlements along the boundary of the West Bank. He came from the near by village of Beit Surik, about a mile east of Har Adar.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack, although Gaza based Palestinian militant organisations Hamas and Islamic Jihad welcomed the attack.

"The Jerusalem attack is a new chapter in the Al-Quds intifada. It underlines the fact any attempts to Judaize (the city) have failed on the ground. Jerusalem is Arab-Muslim. Its residents and youth will spare no effort to redeem it with their spirit and blood," Ynetnews quoted Hamas as saying after the attack.

Some 50 Israelis, five foreign nationals and around 300 Palestinians are said to have been killed in stabbing, shooting and car ramming attacks since late 2015. PTI HM PMS

--- ENDS ---
In the midst of the current 2017 elections season, I have read many flippant remarks about the imminent peaceful transfer of presidential power as a first in Liberian history. No doubt the memory of the bulk of the present youth bulge generation is conveniently limited to the recent past. But then I read an interview by the celebrated author Helene Cooper that went like this:

Interviewer: Sirleaf is stepping down this year. How does it feel to see her presidency ending?



Coopers reply: What is weird is this has never happened before  weve never had a post-president in Liberia, somebody who voluntarily left at the end of their term.

I thought it appropriate not only to attempt to correct the error but to use the opportunity as a teachable moment especially for the benefit of our youth. Often correctly cited, as the last time Liberia experienced a peaceful transfer of power is the Edwin Barclay to William V.S. Tubman transfer in January 1944. Tubman who served for 27 years died in office in July 1971 and was succeeded by his vice president, William R. Tolbert, Jr. After some nine years in office the deluge happened with his assassination and the bloody overthrow of Tolbert and with him the perennial True Whig Party hegemony. While President Samuel Doe and President Charles Taylor were each democratically elected, the 1980 political violence placed Liberia on a path of instability and war that effectively ended only with the 2005 election which brought to power President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

But Tubmans excessively long tenure of 27 years may have been the spark that lit the flame of political turmoil. This point has been made well in at least two books, Tuan Wrehs behind the scenes account, THE LOVE OF LIBERTYTHE RULE OF PRESIDENT WILLIAM V.S. TUBMAN IN LIBERIA, (1976) and David Chieh Srs NEEDLES, BULLETS AND KNIVES, THE ASSASSINATION OF THREE LIBERIAN PRESIDENTS --MEMOIRS OF A PUBLIC SERVANT (2011), another behind the scenes eye witness account. The men -- and they were all men, -- who ruled Liberia from 1847 State independence to 1944 exercised power, almost all of them with restraint and a sense of proportion. Presidents were seldom perceived as all-powerful, and as I narrate later some felt the pressure to resign the presidency, some were defeated in their quests and most left office in accordance with constitutional dictates.

Roberts to Benson Succession

Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first president was elected in 1847 and inaugurated the following year. His vice president was Nathaniel Brander. The pair served a first two-year term when Brander was replaced in the second term by A.D. Williams as vice president. During his last term Roberts again changed his vice president, replacing Williams with Stephen Allen Benson. Roberts Republican or True Liberian Party government did not seek re-election after four two-year terms in office. It is remarkable that the peaceful transfer of power from Roberts to Benson was marked, at the inaugural ceremonies by a valedictory address by outgoing President Roberts, an address that preceded President Bensons inaugural address.



Benson to Warner Succession

Vice President Benson won the presidency in the elections of 1855 with Benjamin Yates as his vice president. In his third term in 1860 Benson dropped Vice President Yates, replacing him with Daniel B. Warner. A Whig Party had emerged but did not then threaten the ruling Republicans.

Warner to Payne Succession

The Republicans nominated Vice President Warner as president at their convention in 1862. James Priest was his vice president. Benson transferred power to Warner at the latters inauguration in 1864. The Warner-Priest team was re-elected in 1865 in a hotly contested election, which saw a growing strength of the Whig Party. James S. Payne defeated Warner in the election of 1867. Paynes vice president was Joseph T. Gibson. The nomination and election of the pair incurred such political bitterness that it led to a weakening and eventual defeat of the Republican Party. The defeated Warner transferred power to Payne at the latters inauguration in 1868.

Payne to Roye Succession

The Republicans re-nominated Payne and Gibson in 1869. Meanwhile the former Old Whigs had re-organized as the True Whig Party in Clay-Ashland under the leadership of John Good. Edward James Roye and James S. Smith were the presidential and vice presidential candidates for the TWP. A bitter campaign ensued in part reportedly over the question of skin tone (mullato vs. ebony black), though some have suggested that President Benson was not mullato. Former President Warner joined forces with the Whigs having rankled over his partys failure to give him a third term as they had done for Roberts and Benson. The True Whig Party candidates were elected in May 1869. Though Roye and Smith were inaugurated in January 1870, some suggest the Republican bitterness over their defeat engendered what is know as the Roye Episode in Liberian history which involved two issues instigated by his Republican opponents: the loan of 1870/71, and extension of presidential tenure from two to four years. Charged with misuse of loan funds and with unconstitutional action regarding extension of the presidential term, Roye was forcibly removed from office and assassinated. The atmosphere that prevailed in the aftermath of Royes overthrow was almost identical to what obtained in the aftermath of Tolberts overthrow 109 years later.

Roye to Smith Succession

This was not a smooth transfer of power. President Roye was violently removed from office as result of the Republican Party revolt against his regime. The Republicans established a committee to exercise executive power until the vice president could be brought to the Capital from his Grand Bassa County home. It took fully three months before Vice President Smith was by the Legislature sworn into office as president. As President James Smith completed Royes unexpired term in December 1871 the Legislature by a Joint Convention elected former President Joseph Jenkins Roberts as president.

Smith to Roberts Succession

Roberts thus came to office a second time with his induction in January 1872. A year later he was re-elected by the Republicans (TWP not even contesting in aftermath of the Roye overthrow. The second overthrow suffered by the TWP came 109 years later with the overthrow of President Tolbert in 1980) with Anthony W. Gardiner as his vice president. The pair was installed in office in 1874.

Roberts to Payne Succession

The now old and feeble Roberts apparently did not seek another term, and so the Republicans turned to former President Payne, who along with running mate Charles Harmon won the elections of 1875. The Payne-Harmon ticket was inaugurated in January 1876. Former President Roberts died February 24, 1876.

Payne to Gardiner Succession

The Republicans re-nominated Payne for another term. The TWP having sufficiently recovered from the events of 1871 fielded Gardiner and Alfred F. Russell. Gardiner won the election and together with his vice president was inaugurated in January 1878. Gardiner was re-elected in 1881, no Republican contesting. After serving only a year in his second term Gardiner resigned because of the humiliating loss of the Gallinas territory to the British coupled with his ill health, and Vice President Russell succeeded him.

Russell to Johnson Succession

Early in 1883 the TWP decided to pass over President Russell because of his association with Gardiner in loss of the western territory, and nominate H.R.W. Johnson and James Thompson as candidates respectively for the presidency and the vice presidency. Curiously the Republican Party also nominated the pair. At his inauguration in 1884, Johnson apparently had to choose a party and he opted for the TWP. This first president born on Liberian soil inaugurated effectively the beginning of TWP hegemony, which was not broken before the 1980 coup, some 96 years later.

Johnson to Cheeseman Succession

Johnson went on to serve four terms (1884 through 1892). He stepped down gracefully and Joseph J. Cheeseman was nominated to replace him with William D. Coleman as vice president. A new Republican Party nominated former Vice President Anthony D. Williams as its candidate. Cheeseman and Coleman won the election and were inaugurated January 1892. The TWP nominated again the Cheeseman-Coleman ticket. A.D. Williams contested once again in opposition. President Cheeseman and his vice president served three terms, the last of which began in January 1896. On November 15, 1896 President Cheeseman suddenly died in office.

Cheeseman to Coleman Succession

Cheesemans vice president succeeded him. The TWP re-nominated President Coleman in 1899 with J.J. Ross as vice president. A new opposition party, the National Union Party nominated A.D. Williams for the presidency. Ross was also endorsed by the NUP. The TWP ticket won. Vice President Ross died October 1899.

Coleman to Gibson Succession

President Coleman was inaugurated January 1900 with no vice president. On December 11, 1900 Coleman resigned the presidency because of his inability to contain infighting among Gola-Liberians as he attempted extension of the States writ. The office of vice president being vacant, Secretary of State G.W. Gibson, then next in the constitutional line of succession, was sworn in as president.

Gibson to Arthur Barclay

In the ensuing election of 1901, Gibson and running mate, Joseph D. Summerville, were nominated by the TWP. A new opposition party, the Peoples Party nominated former President Coleman and James H. Dennis as his vice president. The victorious Gibson was inaugurated January 1902, standing down after a single term.

Arthur Barclay to Howard



In the 1902 election Arthur Barclay and J.D. Summerville constituted the TWP ticket. There was no opposition. In the election that followed a new party, the Old Whig emerged. Former President Coleman with John Hilary Tubman as his running mate was the candidate of the Old Whig. The incumbent Barclay and Summerville of TWP won, and Barclay was first inaugurated January 1904. Barclay went on to serve three terms despite opposition from The Other Whig Party which fielded a ticket in 1905. Vice President Summerville died in July 1905, and was succeeded by J.J. Dossen at the 1907 convention of the TWP. At the 1907 convention a constitutional amendment increasing the presidential term from two to four years was approved and successfully submitted to referendum. Barclay thus began his third term in January 1908, serving to January 1912. Arthur Barclay transferred power to the elected TWP candidates Daniel E. Howard, the president-elect and S.G. Harmon, his running mate. The pair was inaugurated January 1912. President Howard served two four-year terms.

Howard to King Succession

At the TWP convention in 1919 C.D.B. King and former Vice President Dossen contested. King and his running mate, Samuel A Ross won, and Howard transferred power to King on inauguration day, January 5, 1920. The Peoples Party led by former President Howard in 1922 contested the election in 1923. The opposition candidates were former Vice President S.G. Harmon for president and T.J.R. Faulkner his running mate. King won, though he dropped his vice president and carried perhaps the first indigenous/Grebo-Liberian vice president, Henry Too Wesley as his running mate. The King-Too Wesley team won.

Four years later, King again contested under the banner of the TWP and won, though he dropped Vice President Too Wesley and replaced him with Allen N. Yancy reportedly because Too Wesley was sympathetic to the oppositions opposition to a third term. Though the opposing Peoples Party led by Faulkner strenuously campaigned against a third term, invoking even then the gathering storm of the Fernando Po forced labor crisis, King won his third term and was inaugurated with Vice President Yancy on January 2, 1928. This was to be his last inauguration for he did not complete his term. He was forced to resign his office on March 3, 1930, his vice president having preceded him in resigning his own office a day earlier.

King to Edwin Barclay Succession

As in 1900 when Secretary of State Garretson Gibson succeeded to the presidency upon the resignation of President Coleman and with a vacant vice presidency, Secretary of State Edwin Barclay was sworn in as president. By then the forced labor crisis was raging. Barclay contested the 1931 election in his own right and won. He was inaugurated in 1932 and served his first four-year term during which the constitution was amended to provide for a single eight-year term. Amidst mounting internal opposition and external disdain Barclay won his single eight-year term, which ended when his successor, William V.S. Tubman was inaugurated in January 1944.

Edwin Barclay to Tubman

And now to the succession many Liberians seemingly can recall, Edwin Barclay to Tubman. In January 1944 another peaceful transfer of power from Edwin Barclay to Tubman occurred, the latter having won the nomination of the TWP against opposition from James Francis Coopers Democratic Party.

Tubman served his first eight-year term and then maneuvered a constitutional amendment for an indefinite succession of four-year terms. That way he remained as president until he died in office in July 1971 not completing his fifth term though elected to the sixth.

Presidential Successions Going Forward

Peaceful transfers of presidential power ended with Vice President Tolbert constitutionally succeeding the deceased President Tubman. Tolbert would himself be overthrown in a bloody coup detat in April 1980 after completing his predecessors four-year term (1972-1975) and five years into his own eight-year term, the latter made possible through another constitutional amendment. Following a military interregnum, 1980 to 1986, Samuel K. Doe was inaugurated the 21st president of Liberia. He was assassinated on September 9, 1990, two years shy of his first six-year term of office. Liberia descended into civil war, which raged on until 1997 when Charles Taylor won an election and was inaugurated president. He too was soon forced to resign and in August 2003 he went into forced exile. His vice president, Moses Blah succeeded constitutionally but voluntarily relinquished his mandate to an interim leader, Charles Gyude Bryant, in facilitation of a peace agreement. Bryant assured the interim until elections were held in 2005, which brought to power President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her running mate Vice President Joseph N. Boakai. The pair is completing its second and constitutional last term. It is this development that explains the current political campaign, which will determine who succeeds President Sirleaf and be inaugurated the 25th President of Liberia in January 2018.

This brief account of presidential power transfer points to a rarity in the transfer of power from an incumbent political party to an opposition party. The 1870 transfer of incumbent Republican Payne to opposition TWP Roye was the only clear such transfer. Less clear was the transfer from Republican Russell to H.R.W. Johnson who had the luxury of not declaring party affiliation (both parties supporting him) until after the election when he declared for the TWP. It will be of some interest to see whether the impending October 2017 elections will witness power transfer within the ruling party or from the ruling Unity Party to one of the scores of contesting opposition parties.

Lucy Feldman, What American Women Can Learn from Liberias Female President, an online interview, Time Magazine, April 14, 2017 Tuan Wren, The Love of Liberty The Rule of President William V.S. Tubman, 1944-1971, C. Hurst & Company, London, 1976, 138pp. & David Dueh Chieh, Sr. Needles, Bullets, and Knives: The Assassinations of Three Liberian Presidents, Memoirs of a Public Servant. Printed in the USA by Lulu.com, 2011, 186pp. It may be useful to add that rumblings for serious political reform and change began in the aftermath of African independence in the 1960s. Such rumblings found expression in the 1968 trial for treason of Ambassador Henry B. Fahnbulleh, Sr., a trial that Jeune Afrique dobbed Liberia on Trial (Le Liberia fait son process). Momentum for change in the 1970s was set in motion in many ways by President Tolbert himself, but when the forces for change (both within and outside the government) and those of the status quo were joined, national leadership was wanting and so the political melee degenerated in political violence first with the Demonstrations of April 14, 1979, and then the coup detat a year later which led to the calamity of civil war. Unpublished Manuscript, C. Abayomi Cassell, Liberia: History of the First African Republic, volume II, pp191-198 (Dunns Archives) The question arises as to why the constitutional succession by Speaker Robert H. Marshall was overruled by the Legislature in favor of the next in line of succession, namely, Secretary of State Gibson. First the 1847 Constitution then extant says in Art.III Sec. 2: The legislature may by law provide for the cases of removal, death, resignation, or inability of both the president and vice president, declaring what officer shall then act as president and such officer shall act accordingly until the disability be removed, or a president shall be elected. The enabling Act of the legislature was: In the event of the death, resignation, or other disability of both the president and vice president, the speaker of the house shall act as president until the disability be removed.



According to Dr. Jallah Barbu (whom I consulted), the Legislature apparently determined that the speaker was not well suited for the job. The Legislature therefore repealed the act and instead brought in Secretary of State Gibson. Barbus opinion is that the speaker was not contemplated by the framers to succeed since in fact the speaker would only be acting and would therefore revert to his position when election of the president took place; this means then that giving the speaker the right to act as done in the act of the legislature would be a gross violation of the separation of powers. So, the decision to move the secretary of state in to office was for the [good of the] rule of law and sanctity of the separation of powers doctrine. Here was a case where both the president and vice president had resigned. Some historical accounts have it that Speaker J.N. Lewis was distant in Sinoe County as the events unfolded in Monrovia and so the Legislature had Secretary of State Barclay sworn in as president. Apparently, the Legislature used primarily the same reasoning as in the case of the Gibson succession in Dec. 1900. Barbu opines: Clearly the repeal at the time of Speaker Marshall had not been reinstated or any act taken otherwise (that I know of) nor had the constitution been amended to state otherwise. So, I can say arguably that the law was that the secretary of state assumed office in such cases. One might conclude that the same reasoning that led the Legislature to act in 1900 was operational thirty years later in the King to Barclay succession.



Our current Constitution of 1986 is explicit on the matter of lines of succession, reserving to the Speaker the right of succession in case of death or disability of both president and vice president.

Presidents who defeated incumbents are Payne (defeated Warner in 1867), and Roye (defeated Payne in 1869). Assassination was the fate of Roye (1871), Tolbert (1980) and Doe (1990). Cheeseman and Tubman died in office. Gardiner, Coleman, King, and Taylor resigned the presidency.



It may be useful to recall here the presidential eight-year term phenomenon. Barclay was the first to cause a constitutional amendment instituting an eight-year term after he completed Kings unexpired term in 1931 and served his own four-year term. Tubman served first his eight-year term as inherited, but then proceeded to amend the constitution for an indefinite succession of four-year terms. Upon completing Tubmans unexpired term as well as servicing the full four-year term to which Tubman had been elected, Tolbert borrowed a page from Barclay and caused another constitutional amendment for the reinstitution of a single eight-year term which he then began serving in January 1976.



What is your take? Please post your comments below:


Scientists have discovered sizable chunks of plastic near the Arctic Ocean - one of the most northerly sightings of such debris in the worlds seas.

By Press Trust of India: Scientists have discovered sizeable chunks of plastic near the Arctic Ocean - one of the most northerly sightings of such debris in the world's seas.

A team of scientists drawn from the United States, Norway and Hong Kong and headed by marine biologist Tim Gordon of Exeter University in the UK found polystyrene chunks 1,609 kilometers from the North Pole in the area that was previously inaccessible because of sea ice.

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They found two large pieces on the edge of ice flows between 77 degree and 80 degree north, in the middle of the international waters of the central Arctic Ocean.

It is one of the most northerly sightings of such debris in the world's oceans, which are increasingly polluted by plastics and confirm just how far plastic pollution has spread, The Guardian reported.

The finding has prompted fears that as the ice melts, because of climate change, plastic that has long been trapped in it is flowing into the Arctic.

"Finding pieces of rubbish like this is a worrying sign that melting ice may be allowing high levels of pollution to drift into these areas", said Gordon.

'PLASTIC DANGEROUS FOR ARCTIC's WILDLIFE'

"This is potentially very dangerous for the Arctic's wildlife," he said.

More than five trillion pieces of plastic are estimated floating on the surface of the world's oceans. It has been claimed that there is now enough plastic to form a permanent layer in the fossil record.

A significant concern is that large plastic pieces can break down into "micro plastics" or tiny particles that are accidentally consumed by filter-feeding animals.

The particles remain in animals bodies and are passed up the food chain, threatening wildlife at all levels from zooplankton to apex predators such as polar bears, researchers said.

"Many rivers that are often a source of plastic pollution lead into the Arctic Ocean, but plastic pollution has been literally trapped into the ice. Now the ice is melting. We believe microplastics are being released into the Arctic", said Ceri Lewis from the University of Exeter.

Some projections indicate that the entire Arctic Ocean will be ice-free in summer by 2050, allowing human exploitation such as commercial fishing, shipping and industry of the newly-opened waters.

ALSO WATCH VIDEO

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Interestingly, Al Quasimi deviated from his speech and said there were prisoners of many other nationalities in the Sharjah jails, not just India, or Kerala.

By India Today Web Desk: Indian inmates along with other nationals serving jail term in Sharjah for non-serious offences would be released, Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Quasimi, visiting sovereign ruler of Emirates said today.

Al Quasimi made the announcement at a function in response to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requesting release of Keralite prisoners who had completed three years of jail term.

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Vijayan made the plea while participating at a function in the Raj Bhavan where Al Quasimi was conferred the honorary doctorate D'lit of the Calicut University.

Interestingly, Al Quasimi deviated from his speech and said there were prisoners of many other nationalities in the Sharjah jails, not just India, or Kerala.

"Those who have not committed serious crimes, but indulged in minor offences like quarrels, will all be released," he said.

Earlier, Vijayan mentioned about his meeting with Al Quasimi at his official residence Cliff House here on Tuesday morning and said he made the plea for release of Keralaite prisoners in the emirate who have not committed any serious crimes and completed three years behind bars.

The chief minister also said he requested that those accused in check bouncing and civil cases should be released.

"I made an appeal during the meeting that those who completed three years in jail should be sent back to Kerala," Vijayan said.

"Why should they go back to their home, they can stay in Sharjah itself," Vijayan quoted Quasimi as having said.

Governor Justice P Sathasivam, the Chancellor of the university, presented the honorary degree to Quasimi, who is on a five-day visit to the state since September 24.

Also Watch : Gauri Lankesh murder: Another voice of dissent silenced?

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With a median age of 29, India is set to be the youngest nation in the world by 2020. And by 2025, it is estimated that 70 per cent of the population will be in the working age group. Will be there be enough jobs for all of them?

According to a National Skill Development Corporation report 109.73 skilled workforces will be needed by 2022. But Indias situation is ironic. On the one hand, economic growth has created huge employment demands and job opportunities, on the other shortage of skills is making more people unemployable. The growing disconnects between higher education and industry requirement is a matter of grave concern.

Even as graduates after graduates pass out universities and aspire for a good job, their lack of requisite skills stands in the way of getting a good break. With our over-emphasis on academic performance, universities and academic institutions are producing youngsters with degrees but not employability and the gap between the two gets wider. One of the biggest challenges hiring managers face today is finding candidates with the right skill sets. Being educationally qualified is one thing, being job-ready quite another.

So how do we bridge the gap? Vocational and skill development training, if delivered in a balanced and well-defined manner, can help bring talent to industry. In this context, private vocational training institutes can play a vital role in helping the government with skill development, especially in the field of technology. Recruiters test you on various parameters like knowledge of core subjects, reasoning aptitude, adaptability and soft skills and most importantly your technology knowhow. It is the job of placement institutes to make students aware of the various avenues and build on their employability skills.

Here are some important aspects that educational, vocational training and placement institutes should focus on to ensure that their students get job-oriented education and training. Internalise knowledge by assimilating contents designed with the aid of 3D technology, augmented reality and virtual reality. M

ore scientific assessment aimed at finding and bridging knowledge gap and improving learning instead of filtering and ranking students. These will not only improve student quality, but also save time by automating the assessment process with latest image recognition technology. The devices are also modest which is just a web camera attached to teachers computer or laptop. Labs are no more the prerogative of science students at +2 levels. With the advent of technology, modern day classrooms are undergoing various changes.

Many schools have classrooms where focus is on learning by doing and EdTEch companies are working in this area. The government is slowly taking cognizance of the power of learning by doing at early stage of a students school years.

With a vision to cultivate one million children in India as Neoteric Innovators, Atal Innovation Mission is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories in schools. The objective is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing, etc. This will provide grant-in-aid that includes a one-time establishment and operational expenses.

Learning can be greatly reinforced by practice. Gamification in education makes practice fun and leads to greater retention of knowledge and learning. Massive Open Online Course and Learning Management Systems coupled with advances in smartphones are making learning personalised and flexible. Classroombased distance learning is becoming popular among working professionals but a lot of catching up is required in this area. Although, we are witnessing exponential changes in the way the education is delivered, one thing that remains constant is the presence of a human educator.

he role of this person needs to change from an enforcer to enabler. Emerging economies like India, carrying a colonial legacy of education system, are still hesitant to adopt technology. At present, nearly 80 per cent of new entrants to the countrys workforce get little or no opportunity for skills education. Merely 2.5 per cent is exposed to formal vocational training. Enrolling in such institute or hands-on skill course can be of great help to candidates looking out for employment opportunities. A number of government agencies and private institutes are imparting skill education, but there is little coordination between them.

Companies are partnering with various departments in offering skill building programmes for the countrys potential workforce in diverse sectors including agriculture, IT-ITES, retail, telecom, banking and accounting, among others. Private vocational institutes can give the government a big helping hand in skilling India and providing industry with job-ready candidates.

(The writer is the founder chairman, ICA Edu Skills Pvt Ltd)
India has asked the UN Security Council to use its power of imposing sanctions as a weapon against terrorists in Afghanistan and to give the peace process an impetus.

The Security Council must act on the funds which the terrorists in Afghanistan are generating through their illicit activities, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said on Monday.

He said India wanted the Council to also consider how sanctions can be a leverage for progress in the peace process.

The sanctions that can be imposed under resolution known as 1988 adopted in 2011 by the Council against the Taliban and those connected to it are significant instruments and must be utilised to their full capacity, he added.

The string of crises that have been inflicted on Afghanistan and the instability have made it attractive for criminal and terrorist groups, who are well connected to international terror and crime networks.

These groups are stealing the resources of Afghanistan which ought to belong to the people of the country, Akbaruddin said.

No distinction should be made between terrorist organisations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, which primarily operate against India, and the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Al Qaeda, the Islamic State that operate internationally.

They should be treated like terrorist organisations with no justifications offered for their activities, he added.
Assams Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia on Tuesday slammed the state government for arresting RTI activist Akhil Gogoi under the National security Act (NSA) and said it is not a healthy trend for democracy.

The police has rearrested the RTI activist on Monday for some old cases and charged him under the NSA, Saikia said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Akhil Gogoi was only protesting against the BJP governments failure to fulfil the poll promises it had made before the 2016 polls in Assam.

The Assam Police had on September 13 arrested Gogoi, a farmers rights and Right to Information Act activist, for instigating people to take up arms against the government at a public rally in Assams Dibrugarh.

On Monday, when Gogoi was supposed to be presented in court, the Chief Judicial Magistrate Dibrugarh received a letter from the Nagaon Deputy Commissioner saying that Gogoi has been charged under the NSA as 12 out of 33 cases registered against him merit the invoking of NSA.

There have been several protests against the Congress when the party was in power in Assam for last 15 years. However, none of the agitators are arrested under NSA. It is not expected from the BJP government, said Saikia.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party government wants to silence whoever speaks against it or opposes it. This is not a healthy trend for democracy.

Saikia also condemned the recent incidents of violence during some students union elections in the state and claimed the violence is taking place at the behest of certain forces and the government is a silent spectator to the incidents.
By India Today Web Desk: Rajkummar Rao and the entire team of Newton is on cloud nine after their film became India's official entry to Oscars this year . And interestingly, the great news was announced on the same day when Newton hit the screens in India. While the entire nation is lauding Rao and his team for making it to Oscars , there is one person who is a little disappointed.

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Hopes of Priyanka Chopra's Marathi film Ventilator dashed as Newton was selected as India's entry to Oscars. And if a report in DNA is to be believed, Priyanka had high hopes of Ventilator making it to Oscars.

Rajesh Mhapuskar, director of Ventilator told the daily, "I guess, Priyanka must be even more disappointed because she was always ambitious about the film. Had it been selected, she would have ensured that it was the most-talked-about film in the run to the Oscars, especially since she is already an established name there. Ventilator was always the favourite baby of their banner."

The filmmaker revealed that the entire team was eagerly awaiting the result on September 22. He recalled how Priyanka's mom Madhu Chopra was excitement when she called him up the night before the verdict was announced, "I told her not to worry, assuring her that only the best film would make it. We were a bit disappointed when we learnt about the verdict, the next day."

Ventilator was among the 26 entries in the race to the Oscars.

ALSO WATCH: Rajkummar Rao's Newton is India's official entry to Oscars

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today embarked on a three-day tour of South Korea and Singapore where he will visit infrastructure projects and hold meetings for investments.

The chief minister is scheduled to meet several business leaders in South Korea and discuss the prospect of investment in states flagship projects.

On day one of the tour, he will meet representatives of global giants such as Samsung, Hyundai Heavy Engineering, LG Electronics and Hyosung.

The interactions will focus on getting FDI for the state, a statement from the chief ministers office said.

It, however, did not elaborate on Fadnaviss engagements in the latter part of the visit.

When contacted, an official from the CMO said details will be shared once the engagements are through.
Hyderabad Police arrested three more Omani nationals and two qazis in the Sheikh marriage racket on Tuesday.

The police arrested the three Omani citizens on the information provided by the chief qazi of Hyderabad Ali Abdullah Rafi, who is in the custody of the police. An assistant qazi was also arrested.

The qazi reportedly informed the police that the three Omani nationals were in the city to marry minor girls.

Deputy Commissioner of Police V Satyanarayana told media that the police have also initiated proceedings to deport two Qatari nationals.

One of them was identified as 75-year-old Baloshi Abdullah Mubarak Abdullah, a blind man who has a pacemaker and is undergoing dialysis thrice a week. The police official claimed that he married 10 times and was in the city for his 11th marriage.

However, since no evidence was found against him and since he is a chronic patient, authorities contacted the Oman embassy for his deportation. Another Omani national Qamees Mohammed will also be deported.

The DCP said the racket of contract marriages and international trafficking of minor girls was not confined to Hyderabad but spread to Mumbai, parts of Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal.

We are trying to reach to the roots of this racket. There will be zero tolerance for this kind of activities, he said..

The DCP said a list of such people will be prepared and submitted to the countries concerned for suitable action against them.

Satyanarayana said they had so far identified 35 victims including 22 minors. Some of them were married for 15 to 30 days under what is called contract marriage. Some victims were taken to Arab countries on domestic servant visas.

The official said in most of the cases 50-70 year olds married 15-17 year old girls.

Five Omani and three Qatari nationals along with three qazis were arrested after an Arab marriage racket, involving minor girls, was busted by Hyderabad police on 20 September.

Charges under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 420 (cheating and dishonest), 370 (exploitation), rape and POCSO Act have been filed against them.

The racket was busted after a woman complained to the police that her husband with the help of some brokers sold their minor daughter to a 70-year-old Omani national Ahmed Abdullah.

The girl is stuck in Oman.

The police chief said efforts were underway to rescue the girl from Oman.

(With agency inputs)
Kriti Sanon is proud that her Bareilly Ki Barfi co-star Rajkummar Raos latest Newton is Indias official selection for the Oscars and says the actors success is well deserved.

In the black comedy, currently in theatres, Rajkummar plays the role of an honest government clerk, who tries to run a free and fair election in a conflict area in Chhattisgarh.

I congratulated him. I am really happy and proud. I think he is a fantastic actor. He is super talented I am so happy he is getting everything he deserves, Kriti told reporters here last night.

She was speaking at Vogue Women of the Year Awards.

Post Bareilly Ki Barfi, Rajkummar had Newton and his other co-star from the film, Ayushmann Khurrana had Shubh Mangal Saavdhan as their next releases.

While there is speculation about Kritis next from doing Raj & DKs Farzi to being a part of Vishal Bhardwajs forthcoming production opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui the actor is tight lipped about her future project.

I have signed a film but unfortunately I cant speak anything about it. I can only say its a script that I have genuinely loved. I have never ever played anything close to that character and the look is also going to be very different from what I have done so far, she said.

All those films that are being speculated about, its none of them. Its different, the actor added.
How is a persons identity constructed? Does it owe to the place people hail from, or the place they are in or end up in? Does the language in which they articulate their ideas define them, or are their choices that make them what they are or what they have become?

The protagonist in In a Foreign Land, By Chance, a Bengali woman poet living in London, struggles with some of these questions as she faces the existential crisis of being far away from her home, her people and her language  given that she writes in English. And they pop up all the more when she visits an East Bloc nation for a literary meet.

How did Bipasha even end up where she is? That is the basis of this evocative story by Nabaneeta Dev Sen, set in the 1970s, and drawing some parallels between the police state that West Bengal had become in response to the Maoists (who were no democrats either) and the repressive Gustav Husak regime in Czechoslovakia, in the wake of the abortive Prague Spring.

But above all, it focuses on the human quest for home, belonging, handling loss and nostalgia  and making our future.

Bipasha is a privileged, status-quoist Bengali who falls in love with a red activist. But when he is caught and jailed, she escapes West Bengal to end up in London. She is looking for many things apart from closure. But will she find any of them there or during her stint in Czechoslovakia?

Apart from some closure, Bipasha does find comfort of sorts in the communist nation, the same communism she had hated in her country and had run away from.

Many things in East Europe reminded Bipasha of her country. After about five years in the West, she suddenly felt as though she had come closer to home. Yet, she couldnt put a finger on exactly where the similarity lay.

Told in the third person, the narrative goes back and forth as everything reminds Bipasha of lost love and questions left unanswered, of unsaid goodbyes and loss of identity.

Though the character of Bipasha feels a bit of a pushover at times, dependent on her wealthy father and easily surrendering to her familys demands, she is a feminist in her own way. She stands her ground in a foreign land. Though sometimes guilty, she is not afraid to enjoy her newly-found sexual liberation or to question the way of life of the people she finds herself in the midst of.

In this pensive novella, Sen, who was once married to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, gives an insight into life in communist Czechoslovakia, where the Stalinist regimes of Klement Gottwald and Antonin Novotny had eased briefly under Aleksandr Dubcek before Warsaw Pact armies intervened to reinstate a totalitarian system, making most people live in fear of the secret police, afraid of everything.

While not exactly a critique of communism, the work does show its dark side  how it oppresses and represses the same people it claims to stand up for  while drawing on similarities between Soviet-style communism in satellite nations and communism in India.

It also talks about the power and politics of language. And the fact that Sen chose to write the novel in Bengali, her mother tongue, is perhaps the strongest statement.

Language! Of course. Wasnt that the primary weapon of imperialism? Forceful introduction into a different culture and thought path through the medium of language. Else, how would the brainwash be possible? Now Bipasha understood what the argument was all about and why.

Translated by Soma Das many decades later, this still feels as fresh and relevant as was the original in 1977, and will strike a deeper chord given the increasing strength of the diaspora.

We travel for various reasons, but some places give us more than we take from them. This book by Nabaneeta Dev Sen shows one of them.
Students of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) staged a sit-in here on Tuesday demanding resignation of BHU Vice Chancellor G.C. Tripathi.

Students from the Punjab University, Delhi University and the Jawaharlal Nehru University also joined the protest, along with other student group members.

The protesters accused Tripathi of being anti-women, alleging that he did not bother to take any action even when a student was molested inside the campus.

We want his removal from the post. We want CCTV cameras installed on the campus and proper lighting at certain places, Shantanu, a BHU student, told IANS.

He said that the Saturdays police action was preceded by a similar baton-wielding the same day by the internal security guards, resulting from a proctorial order to disperse the crowd.

They used the alibi of turbulence that followed after the security guards attack on us, to tell police a completely fabricated story of petrol bombs being used by the outside elements, Shantanu said.

The police action by a large number of its personnel was the result of a protest being staged outside the VCs office. At least two women students were reported injured in the lathi-charge.

Hundreds of women students of the university were forced to protest outside the VCs office when, they alleged, the authorities refused to take any action in an incident of molestation which occurred on the campus on September 21.

The students also accused their VC of using media selectively to spread an articulated version favouring the administration.

When asked why the victim did not approach the internal complaints committee against sexual harassment mandated at all universities, Shantanu told IANS that BHUs committee is all male and they are wont to victim blaming just like the rest.

Making no attempt to conceal their target, one woman student told IANS that although BHU did not have a student union or any political groups, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would conduct Shakha classes there every morning.

Since the fracas, the entire campus has been shut down and hostellers have left for their homes.

The Uttar Pradesh government has asked for a detailed report in the matter from the BHU administration.
Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn on Tuesday submitted a report in connection with Saturdays lathicharge on protesting students in BHU and blamed the university administration for the violence.

Gokarn has in the report, sent to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, said that Banaras Hindu University (BHU) did not deal with the victims complaint in a sensitive manner and did not handle the situation on time, said a senior administrative official.

The report also said that if the matter had been settled on time then there would not have been such a big controversy.

According to the report, the biggest fault in this case is that of the administration and such a controversy would not have taken place had they handled the matter appropriately.

Meanwhile, BHU Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi has denied that the students were lathicharged in the campus.

He said that action was taken against those who hurled petrol bombs and pelted stones, and attempted to burn the universitys property.

Tripathi said that action was not taken against any student, adding there is no evidence to back it.

When I was going to the Triveni hostel to meet the students at around 8.30 p.m. on September 23, some unruly elements stopped me and began pelting stones, he said.

Tripathi said that he met with the victim and her friends twice. The students told the Vice-Chancellor that the protests were being organised by some unwanted elements who appeared to be outsiders.

They kept the victim in captivity and forced her to sit at the protest venue, he said, adding the police used force only to ensure that such elements are moved out of the campus.

In the meantime, the BHU administration has decided to conduct a judicial inquiry into the incident.

The investigation would be conducted by a team headed by V.K. Dixit, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court.

Tension prevailed at the BHU campus here on Sunday after an agitation by woman students, protesting molestation of a student, turned violent late on Saturday when police used force to disperse the protesters.

Additional police force was deployed at the campus as a precautionary measure after police carried out a baton-charge and fired in the air on Saturday night and the students threw stones in retaliation.

Officials linked to the BHU administration said that 65 more sensitive areas on the campus have been identified where CCTV cameras would be installed. In the first phase, the CCTV cameras would be installed at the entrance of the campus and outside the womens hostel. Women are also being included in security.

Arrangements would be made for preventing the entry of vehicles on the routes surrounding the womens hostel. The street lights would be fixed and new street lights installed on the campus.

A well organised security plan is being formulated in which the senior students would be included for suggestions. It has been decided to include the representatives of female students in it.
Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah will be on a three-day visit to India, starting tomorrow, the Ministry of External Affairs said today.

He will inaugurate the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show, it said.

During his visit, Abdullah will call on President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also meet the official.

Abdullah would also inaugurate the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show along with Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) and the Minister of Civil Aviation (Ashok Gajapathi Raju) on September 27, 2017, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

The show will feature Afghan entities from economy, agriculture, health, education, gender and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India, along with the CEOs of major Indian and US companies.

Popular consumer goods from Afghanistan like carpets, gemstones, marble, saffron, dried fruits and nuts will also be on display.

Abudllahs visit follows the recently concluded second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council which was co- chaired by Swaraj and her Afghan counterpart.
A Chinese daily has slammed Indias Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj for her strong criticism of Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, saying it is politically imbecilic and unsophisticated to think that Islamabad exports terrorism.

The editorial in state-run Global Times defending Pakistan against its failure to flush out terrorists is not surprising as China has always lavished praise on its all-weather ally for being at the forefront of tackling terrorism.

The newspaper, run by the Communist Party, said Sushma Swarajs speech at the UN reflected Indias arrogance and bigotry towards Pakistan.

Sushma in her address last week at the UN General Assembly tore into Pakistan for sheltering terrorists.

Why is it that today India is a recognized IT superpower in the world and Pakistan is recognized only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror? she had said.

The newspaper asked what makes Sushma Swaraj believe that Pakistan exports terrorism and India is an IT superpower?

There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the countrys national policy? What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money or honour? Is India really an IT superpower that produces engineers and doctors when it is hell-bent on believing Pakistan is evil?

It is politically imbecilic and unsophisticated for Indian elites to conclude that Pakistan exports terrorism. They should have seen the efforts and sacrifice that Pakistan has made to rid the world of terrorism and refrain from mixing disputes over terrorism with their own historical disputes, the editorial said.

China has steadfastly shielded Pakistan from criticism from India, the US or any other country, and told them not to single out Islamabad on terror.

In fact, China has repeatedly blocked Indias resolution at the UN to declare Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist.

The newspaper also mentioned that the Minister in her speech took a dig at China for blocking international efforts to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar.

By trumpeting Indias justice and grandeur while rebuking its neighbours foolishness and ugliness, the minister (Swaraj) seems to have moved herself and the whole country.

But it is a grave disaster when Indians are confident in their rightness and their neighbours wrongs while super-proud of Indias capabilities in cultivating engineers and doctors. A country that despises others can hardly seek agreement over conflicts.

Indias bigotry toward Pakistan doesnt match its much-vaunted ambition to be a world power. By inflaming nationalism in the Indian public, Indians become more determined to make India first than even US President Donald Trumps America First.

With the smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China.

It takes for granted that it should be feared by neighbors and wooed by the US and Europe. If smart enough, India should befriend China and respect Pakistan, preventing disputes from spilling over, it said.
Karnataka High Courts most senior judge Jayant Patel, who had ordered a CBI investigation in the controversial fake Ishrat Jahan encounter case in Gujarat, on Monday resigned reportedly for not being elevated as Chief Justice.

Patel, the senior-most puisne judge of the Karnataka High Court after the chief justice, sent his resignation letter to Chief Justice SK Mukherjee.

It is believed Justice Patel, who was Acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court before being posted to Bengaluru, resigned in a huff over his transfer to the Allahabad High Court, where he would be the third most senior judge.

In fact, the Gujarat High Court Bar Association had even raised the non-appointment of Justice Patel with the Collegium and called it shocking. This was when he was transferred as a judge in the Karnataka High Court after being an Acting Chief Justice.

Justice Patel had not only ordered a CBI investigation in the controversial fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan but had also monitored the probe, which included looking into the role of officials of Intelligence Bureau.

He was sworn in as a judge of Karnataka High Court on February 13 last year, while he was appointed the Acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on August 13, 2015.
BJP MP Varun Gandhi  Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhis first cousin  has batted for asylum to Rohingya Muslims who have fled persecution in Myanmar, sparking ire from a junior minister over national security concerns.

The MP from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh wrote an article in Hindi daily Navbharat Times, asking the BJP government to keep in mind the rich Indian tradition of helping refugees before deporting Rohingyas to Myanmar.

Four crore people have sought refuge in India since independence, Gandhi wrote in the newspaper and shared a link on Twitter.

India should formulate a national refugee policy to help distinguish between those fleeing persecution and those fleeing poverty, said Gandhi.

In his article, the BJP MP noted the discrimination Afghan and Myanmar immigrants face in Delhi in finding jobs and houses.

The views are in stark contradiction to the governments stand that Rohingyas pose a threat to national security because some of them were allegedly found to have links with Islamist militant organisations like Islamic State and Al Qaeda.

Gandhis views drew an angry reaction from Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir, who said any person concerned about the security of the country would not have written such an article.

Anybody who has the national interest in mind will not make such a statement. Its not about my opinion or acceptance. What the government had decided is in national interest. No one should go against the governments decision on Rohingyas, Ahir told reporters here.

Ahir said the government wont let the Rohingyas settle in India because they are a security threat.

Rohingyas created trouble for Myanmar and worked against the government. If Myanmar has rejected them, why should we accept them? Ahir asked.

Following the reaction from the Minister, Gandhi took to Twitter to defend his views, saying he only called for empathy for the refugees.

As for the Rohingyas, Ive called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns, Gandhi tweeted.

My recent piece focused primarily on defining Indias asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how we would accept refugees.
A python slithered up from a toilet bowl in a Singapore store when an employee went to use the restroom.

By India Today Web Desk: A reticulated python was spotted in the toilets at a Upper Thomson road store in Singapore, not once but twice in recent weeks.

Jimmy Lim, the manager of Scotts Motors said that the employees saw a snake inside the toilet bowl. The snake was spotted again on a separate occasion.

According to the owner of the store, an employee went inside the toilet to use it when the python slithered up from the toilet bowl.

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The python did not leave for about 30 minutes.

Lim's daughter, took a video of the horrific situation, and posted it on her Facebook page. The video quickly went viral online has been viewed for over 5,000 times.

The employees did not inform animal authorities as they thought the serpent will go away but when it came back again, the employees freaked out.

"I wasn't scared of it because I always go jungle trekking," Lim told Straitstimes. "I saw only the head. Judging from the size of the head, it could be up to 2m long", said the 60-year-old.

Although, this is not the first case from Singapore, as reticulated pythons are quite common there as told by Anbarasi Boopal, the deputy chief executive, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres).

Kalai Vanan, deputy chief officer acres also said, "We are not certain why this happens, but our storm drainage networks are home to wild animals like snakes," he said. "Once in a while, snakes like pythons manage to find their way into the sewer system."

The snakes often barge into the sewer lines in Singapore because their storm drainage networks attract wild animals.

According to Acres, one should leave the toilet lid up, close toilet windows and doors and should call them for help. They also added that snakes do not attack anyone and are calm. But, handling them should be left to animal services.

Watch: Reticulated python comes out of toilet bowl

--- ENDS ---
Mocking the Narendra Modi governments Make in India programme, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said it was shameful that Sardar Patels iconic statue in the state was being made in China.

Sardar Patels statue is also being made in China. It is written `Made in China behind it. This is shameful, Gandhi said at a rally here.

Modi had last week visited the site of Statue of Unity on Sunday to review the construction.

According to reports, the company contracted by the Gujarat government to built the 182-metre statue has subleased its bronze cladding to a firm in China. Modi, who had launched the project, had sought farm tools from all parts of the country for the statue of unity.

Gandhi termed Gujarat model as model of lies and said there was an undercurrent in favour of the Congress ahead of the assembly polls later this year.

Attacking the BJP-led Central government, he said: They lied so much. They promised to give jobs to 2 crore youth (in the country), deposit Rs 15 lakh in every bank account, give right price to farmers.

I am happy that in Gujarat there is an undercurrent..People are angry and they have understood that Narendra Modi has cheated the people of Gujarat. They are not openly saying this, they are whispering it in my ears, because they are a bit scared, he added.

Gandhi said a storm will emerge before the elections and Congress will come to power.

In his speeches, he also hit out at the Modi government over the police firing at Patidars during their agitation for quotas and said it was not the Congress way.

We function with love and brotherhood, he said.
A militant was gunned down on Tuesday as security forces thwarted an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to reports, the incident took place early morning in general area Zorawar of Uri and a weapon was discovered by the Army. The operation is till on.

This is the second infiltration bid in two days. On Monday, the Army shot dead four terrorists in the Uri sector foiling terrorists plans to carry out a 2016-like attack on an Army base.

Security forces launched the anti-militancy operation on Sunday following information about presence of militants in the area.
US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis on Tuesday arrived in India for his two-day visit that is expected to boost Indo-US defence ties, officials said.

With security situation in the South Asian region including Afghanistan and terrorism, and high ticket defence deals on top of the agenda, Mattis will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as part of his visit that will conclude on 28 September.

This is the first Cabinet-level visit to India under the Trump administration and would also be the first major interaction for Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with a foreign counterpart after taking charge of the crucial portfolio.

Mattis will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at India Gate, meet Sitharaman, followed by PM Modi.

His visit comes after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New York last week on how their two countries can jointly fight terrorism and promote security in the Indo-Pacific region.

This follows President Donald Trumps announcement last month that strategic partnership with India would be a critical part of the South Asia strategy for America, placing those issues high on the bilateral agenda.

The two discussed regional issues, with a focus of Pakistan, Afghanistan and terrorism and reviewed all aspects all the bilateral relationship, including expanding our trade and investment relations.
A great model is someone who is a perfect combination of poise and personality, believes supermodel-actor Milind Soman, who will be co-judging Indias Next Top Model Season-3 on MTV along with celebrity photographer Dabboo Ratnani and actress Malaika Arora.

A great model expresses herself effortlessly with poise despite being subjected to any tough situation, Milind says in a statement.

And its not just a pretty face that matters in modelling. It also calls for sheer dedication, the actor says.

Dedication plays a key role and in Indias Next Top Model that will be a major trait on which I will be judging the girls. I want all the aspiring models out there to know that its definitely not just a pretty face that matters!

Malaika too echoes Milinds view.

We are not looking for a pretty face, but a face that embodies the essence of human expression, Malaika says in a statement.

The Indian modelling industry has evolved rapidly over the years and the models are setting international trends in the fashion world today.

It amazes me on how things have evolved in the Indian modelling industry, Milind says, adding In fact we are almost at par with the International modelling industry and the fact that Indian models have been setting international runways and fashion pages on fire is great to see.

The show is an adaptation of Americas Next Top Model.
The Rohingya issue has begun taking a political turn with leaders cutting across party lines projecting their views that are in many ways contrary to that of the government and against the national interest. Omar Abdullah stated that there were no reports of Rohingya being a security threat till 2014, when he was the Chief Minister.

Mamata Banerjee, through whose state most Rohingya transit, stated that some may be security risks, not all. Muslim leaders are threatening violence in Bengal, if deportation takes place. The Congress has demanded that the opposition be taken into confidence, before the government finalises its decisions. It even went on to state that India should accept illegal immigrants, especially if they come from a troubled region. It is surprising that those political parties which accepted illegals throughout their time in power only to garner votes, continue with the same policy with similar intentions.

The Congress paid no heed when millions of Bangladeshis illegally migrated to Assam, changing its demography. General S K Sinha (retired), then Governor of Assam, even wrote to the President in November 1998, Large scale illegal migration from East Pakistan/Bangladesh over several decades has been altering the demographic complexion of this state. It poses a grave threat both to the identity of the Assamese people and to our national security. There was no reaction from the Centre.

The Congress formulated the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) (IMDT) act in 1983, which was skewed in favour of illegal migrants. It was the Supreme Court which finally struck the act down in 2005. However, the act gave birth to a horde of militant groups in Assam, seeking removal of illegals. It never bothered the Congress when thousands died during militancy, which continues to dog the state.

In Bengal, all border districts pose major law and order issues, solely because of a skewed demography created by massive influx of Bangladeshi illegal migrants. There are regular reports of anti-national activities including bomb and weapon manufacturing units. Since they support the ruling party, there is no action being taken to declare them as illegal migrants. Reports of violence which are a regular feature in this region are suppressed and on such occasions visits by the media and other political parties are banned.

Omar Abdullah never objected when the Rohingya came and settled around Jammu. He has never once stated that they would change the demography of the region and hence should be moved to the valley. The fact that the demography is rapidly changing around Jammu and the Rohingyas remain a security threat has no relevance to him, because if they stay his vote bank increases. If he was to even suggest their move to the valley, he would never be accepted there. This is a clear case of religion-supported vote bank politics.

The government rightly stated in the Supreme Court, India is already saddled with a very serious problem of illegal migrants. It added that it is attempting to address this problem keeping national resources of the country, requirements of our own population and national security in mind. Reports of involvement of the ISI and LeT in training the Rohingya militancy and seeking to lure illegal Rohingya migrants into their fold are making news.

Pakistani agents have been arrested while on these missions. The question we need to ask our politicians is whether votes and winning elections are more important than national security. India cannot afford to accept illegal migrants, when its own nationals are unable to gain the benefits of its development and resources. While India grows economically, the benefits should belong to the Indian citizen, not illegal migrants. This is an era of realpolitik; no longer can India remain a nation of pacifists, accepting all and sundry who find entry into the country by illegal means.

We need to consider our own nationals first, irrespective of religion, caste or creed, before considering illegal migrants. The world over nations refuse entry to illegals. Europe has turned away most migrants from the wartorn zones of Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Border fencing has for the first time been visible within the EU. Nations have refused the EU diktat to accept illegal migrants. Europe has begun deporting many back to their homelands, still locked in conflict; after all its own population matters more.

Terror strikes in Europe are often the handiwork of illegal migrants. Australia has set up detention camps on Manus islands of Papua New Guinea, clear that none would enter. Not a single Muslim nation, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran, are willing to accept any Rohingya migrant. Why should we? We are not the providers of home to all who face persecution. It is surprising that most lawyers representing the Rohingya against deportation are those from the opposition, seeking to challenge government directions. Is this the India that we are looking at, home to all who seek shelter, denying our own the facilities and services which remain in short supply?

Should vote banks and countering every government decision be the sole job of the opposition? Why cannot national political parties follow the concept of nation first? Internationally India cannot be criticised for its decision. It is neither a signatory to the 1951 Refugee convention nor its 1967 protocol. It has also not ratified the UN convention against torture, though it signed it in 1997. It is only our own who seek to let our nationals down.

They did it in Assam and Bengal and are willing to do it in other parts of the country. National security has no meaning before political ambitions. It is time the influential educated masses of the nation opened their eyes and insisted that political parties look at the nation first. This is not the responsibility of the government alone, but of all concerned citizens. Let responsibility for the nation and its citizens, reign above politics and religion, for once.

(The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army)
Disgruntled NITI Aayog Member and economist Bibek Debroy has got his way and been bumped up into a stellar role as chairman of the prestigious Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council. Debroy was upset over the appointment of rival economist Rajiv Kumar as chairman of NITI Aayog and had been seeking an honourable exit.

Well, what he has got is much more than a facesaver. Speculation is rife in government corridors that the constitution of the PMEAC may lead to the downgrading of NITI Aayog whose role in government policy making remains undefined even after three years. The twists and turns of fate are so unpredictable that if the buzz is to be believed, Debroys voice may turn out to be stronger than Kumars on the economy with this appointment.

These are early days and it will be interesting to see the dynamics that develop in the triangular relationship between the finance ministry, NITI Aayog and PMEAC. Another significant development is that PMEAC will have another key NITI Aayog official as member secretary, Ratan Watal. This too is being interpreted as a blow to NITI Aayog.

Where then does NITI Aayog fit into the scheme of things? NITI Aayogs earlier avatar, Planning Commission, had a structured role that was crafted over 60 years. So there was no conflict between the Planning Commission and PMEAC.

Womens reservation

Sonia Gandhis recent letter to Narendra Modi urging him to pass the womens reservation bill marks the start of a battle between the Congress and the BJP to take credit for gender justice in Parliament. Mind you, there are many hurdles to cross before the controversial bill providing for 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament becomes law.

But that hasnt stopped the Congress-BJP fight for one-upmanship. Both are obviously trying to woo the women vote through this. Sonias letter on the womens reservation issue came as a surprise. After all, the matter has been dormant for the past three years. So why has she chosen to flag the issue now? It seems the Congress has got wind of a BJP plan to push the reservation bill before the 2019 general election.

The buzz in political circles is that Modi may even introduce the bill for passage in the Lok Sabha in the upcoming winter session so that the logistics for getting more women in Parliament are in place before 2019. Sonias letter is an attempt to preempt Modi from taking credit for something she had hoped would be her legacy. The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha during UPA rule after ugly scenes on the floor of the House.

It now needs a stamp of approval from the Lok Sabha to become law. But the Manmohan Singh government didnt have the courage to take it to Lok Sabha after the fracas in the Rajya Sabha. BJP circles believe that Modi hopes to kill two birds with this one bill just before the next general election. He feels that it will attract the woman vote by strengthening his narrative about gender empowerment.

It will also give him a ready excuse to drop 33 per cent of sitting MPs and introduce fresh faces for the next election. He has already warned his MPs during the monsoon session that they are all are under watch and nonperformers will not get a ticket next time.

Rahuls takeover

Officially, there is a date for Rahul Gandhi to take over as the next Congress president. The party has set October 15 as polling day for the election of the president. Yet, doubts persist that it may not happen. Rahul may chicken out at the last moment, although he announced during his interaction at Berkeley University in the US that he was ready to lead the Congress. Party circles are holding their breath and waiting for nominations to begin for the election.

Will Sonia Gandhi file nomination papers or will Rahul file? Thats the million dollar question waiting to be answered. Speculation has started because the Congress has not yet announced details of the polling schedule. Given that October 15 is just three weeks away, party workers are puzzled about the delay.

Its given the impression that the family has not yet decided whether the time is right for Rahul to become party president and may delay the election yet again. The Election Commission has set a deadline of 31 December 2017 for the Congress to finish its internal organisational elections including the election of the president.

So time is running out for Sonia and Rahul to make up their minds on which of the two will lead the party into the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Apart from a robust, almost defiant, demonstration of its nuclear prowess, the testing by Iran of a new medium-range ballistic missile ~ with a range of 2,000 km ~ has for now accorded short shrift to US pressure to halt its advanced weapons programme.

Through the prism of geopolitics, the defiance of America extends from the North Korean peninsula to West Asia. Ostensibly, the missile test marked the anniversary of Irans war with Iraq close to 40 years ago.

Beyond that domestic compulsion, the timing of the Khoramshahr missile test is profoundly significant ~ shortly after President Trump attacked the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in a speech at the UN General Assembly.

Iran has let it be known that it will increase its missile capabilities after Trumps provocative speech while addressing the comity of nations. President Hasan Rouhani has even debunked Trumps threat to abrogate Americas nuclear deal with Iran.

The development is bound to exacerbate tension between the two countries not least because Tehran has been explicit on its intent.

The authorities have been less explicit, however, on the timing and the location of the test. The video from an on-board camera is said to have shown the detachment of the cone that carries multiple warheads. If the version of the state television is any indication, the Khoramshahr missiles warhead weighs 1800 kg, making it Irans most powerful missile for defence and retaliation against any aggressive enemy. The warning to the White House is as swift as it is severe.

In the span of a week, both North Korea and Iran have beefed up their mechanism of self-defence. The missile test can also be contextualised with sanctions that have unilaterally been imposed by the US on Iran. The tests do violate a UN resolution which calls on Tehran not to undertake activities related to technology that is capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

While Tehran has denied any such plans, the latest missile was first displayed at a military parade last Friday, where President Rouhani utilised the grandstanding to assert that Iran would strengthen its missile capabilities. The missile has a forbidding range, a testament to Irans technological development. It is capable of reaching much of the Middle East, including Israel, and was, according to Mr Rouhani, being developed as a deterrent. In contrast to Kim Jong-un, the Iranian President has stopped short of boasting the possible targets of the missile.

The countrys Defence Minister, Gen Amir Hatami, has outlined its potential ~ The ability to evade the enemys air defence line and to be guided from the moment of launch until the target is hit turns Khoramshahr into a tactical missile.

For now, President Rouhani has reinforced his barb against President Trump ~ A rogue newcomer to international politics. From Pyongyang to Tehran, the missile is a symbol of the raging geostrategic ferment. Both countries have tangibly countered Trumps bluster.
The outcome of Sundays election in Germany was never in doubt; yet the fourth consecutive term that has been awarded to Chancellor Angela Merkel has been greeted with a distinct lack of euphoria.

There is an unmistakable degree of astonishment, even cynicism, over the first-ever entry of the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) to parliament. Having won 13 per cent of the vote, a decidedly xenophobic and rabidly antiEuropean movement will be represented in the Bundestag. Whether or not the Chancellors sympathetic policy towards accommodating the migrants has caused a psephological swing can only be speculated upon.

Indeed, the AfD is second in the overall rankings, arguably of a piece with the nationalist surge in Europe and Donald Trumps America. Not that there has been a decline in Ms Merkels popularity, yet her centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will have to contend with a lower percentage of votes than in 2013.

Markedly, her principal opponent, the Social Democrats (SPD), failed to pose a convincing challenge. Its leader, Martin Schulz, has promptly announced that he will not renew the grand coalition with Ms Merkel. In the net, politics in Germany is in a flux and the Chancellor is likely to forge an intrinsically fragile coalition with the pro-business FDP liberal grouping, which has won ten per cent of the vote, and the Greens (9 per cent).

Whatever the contours of governance that might eventually take shape, there is little doubt that Europes most powerful leader has reaffirmed her political resilience. Mrs Merkels political longevity has largely been attributed to what they call her strategy of asymmetric demobilisation. She has co-opted many of her mainstream adversaries policies, whether on nuclear energy, minimum wage, or gay marriage.

Thus was she able to make a dent in the support base of her opponents. In point of fact, there was little space for her opponents during the campaign trail. Whatever space was opened up was for the benefit of the extremist, nationalist fringe.

By securing 13 per cent of the vote, the Alternative fur Deutschland has emerged stronger than many had anticipated during the campaign. It is pretty obvious that the AfD has exploited the anxieties embedded in the refugee crisis, and on anti-establishment sentiment.

The AfD will be in parliament, but not in government ~ a sharp distinction between the legislative and executive construct. Its surge is suggestive of increasing political fragmentation. A measure of polarisation has thus been introduced in a nation noted for its liberal democracy.

From a fringe group in 2013, the AfD is now a key Opposition force in the Bundestag. The farright cannot be a victim of condescension. Ms Merkels victory will hopefully strengthen the bonding within the European Union.
A little boy sits in the shadow of a crumbling wall, hands folded on his lap, his feet touching each other. His eyes gaze solemnly into the future. He is a contemplative child; his dark eyes are serious, brooding. The wooden door shut behind his back, the corrugated sheets that roof his home, the decrepit walls that frame his being, the evening shadows that fall in long sideward sweeps make him think, perhaps about the life being lived.

Life has caught up with him early; he does not have open doors and waiting parents to run to. He sits in silence and thought. But with a sense of calm and tranquility with which only a child can look into an uncertain future from a closed past. Our little boy seems to transcend the tragedy of his own lost boyhood in his communication with his environment, in the accepting silence with which he seems to listen to the still, and music of humanity.

The child does not consciously think; he does not look at his situation as a problem; but his whole personality reflects his situation, his look, the slack folding of his limbs, the composed but also resigned posture in which he sits. He is thus more truly evocative of the dimness and hopelessness that evades the experienced mind which fragments a position into problems which may then be solved. The fact of the matter is that all the solutions of experts have not alleviated the tragedy of deprived childhood.

Nations have united to form organisations for children. Nineteen hundred and seventy nine  the Year of the Child  passed with much fanfare but our child and millions like him continued to sit on steps with nowhere to turn to; doors are padlocked behind them; they gaze blankly into an empty future.

One began to wonder, is this the unalterable truth of naked reality  are all our conceptions and myths about the innocent children themselves an exploitation by the conscious, experienced adults? Do we take for granted the innocent affection and simple love of which only a child is capable as our birthright  do those to whom we give birth have no right?

Children have not denied us the fulfillment they can offer; they continue to reassure us of the existence of a future, while we can only stand for that which is past. They justify for us the debility and helplessness of old age as being symbolic of the stage of life when the old man transformed acquires a new simplicity  as Nietzsche implied in Thus Spake Zarathustra when dealing with the three transformations.

It is adults who, strengthened by the new awakening force that children provide, can make their lives meaningful by looking on them as symbolic of the mystic centre. Do adults have the right to be psychologically and emotionally supported by children when they lock the gates of a dignified life to them, when they place them on doorsteps under declining shadows?

In Christian iconography children often appear as angels. Paintings abound with the soft figures of little ones, draped over the larger bodies of grown up human beings. In almost all cases the little angels with soft limbs and cherubic faces stand for undefiled beauty and unfallen perfection. In art, they frame with elegance and innocence the central passion of evil and destruction which are enacted by the central figures of adults.

They stand for the ideals of happiness and harmony. Their psychological impact is on the soul; they symbolise formative forces of an unconscious, beneficial and protective kind. It is not ironical that adults should derive psychological protection from beings to whom they do not care to offer even material protection? The mythology of many major religions conceives of the entrance of god into this world as a troubled child.

When Christ was born the Massacre of the Innocents destroyed thousand of little children. The Christ-child survived by escaping to the Land of the Jews, but even there was no room for him in the manger. The birth of Lord Krishna amidst the tumult of storm and tempest and the fiery wrath of King Kansa is also well-known. When god as a child survived human cruelty he stood for a future awakening. Even today when one dreams of a child the interpretation is that some great spiritual change is about to take place. One also thinks of the mystical child who solves riddles and teaches wisdom, the child that is father of man.

But men forget that at least on the physical level they owe a responsibility to children who sustain them so well mentally and spiritually. On the mythic plane of the general and the collective, one thinks of the heroic child who liberates the world from monsters. The youthful activities of Lord Krishna are the Indian contribution to this universal concept of the child as deliverer. In alchemy the child wearing a crown or regal garments is a symbol of the philosophers stone, that is, of the supreme realisation of mystic identification of the god within us with the eternal.

However, cruelty to children is not a new phenomenon and in our country we should be quite used to the brutal treatment that is meted out to children in terms of abuse, rape, beatings and hard labour. Yet we were all shell-shocked by the thought and the sheer optics of the horrific killing of a 7-year-old boy inside the school premises of a Gurgaon school by a bus conductor for allegedly resisting sexual assault. Soon followed the case of a 5-year-old girl allegedly raped by a peon inside the premises of a private school in Shahdara. A large number of cases come to light when corporal punishment seems to verge on sadism.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the child which India ratified in 1992 requires member states to take affirmative action in protecting children from all forms of sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, torture or any form of cruelty. Almost all countries have legislation to protect children. The United Kingdom (Sexual Offences Act, 2003 dealing extensively with the rights of children), the United States, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia, among other nations, have adopted a child rights approach, under which, any transgression of a childs right, violence or other forms of physical and mental torture, isd a punishable offence.

In India, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Posco) Act, 2012  in effect since 14 November 2012 and designed to protect children against sexual and penetrative sexual assault, sexual harassment, pornography  is a well-framed, comprehensive law. However, under Section 17 of the Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (CPRC) Act, 2005, all states and Union Territories are required to have a child rights commission. This state commission is supposed to monitor the implementation of the Posco Act.

Sometimes it is alleged that most state commissions are either not fully equipped or not fully functional. The Centre, at times, advises the state governments for vigorous enforcement of existing legislation such as Prohibition of Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000, Child Marriage Prohibition Act 2006, Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956, Information Technology Act 2000. Apart from sensitising enforcement machinery, state governments have been advised to incorporate the issue relating to crime against children in syllabus of various police academies.

In order to ensure that there is no delay in registration of FIRs and arrest of the accused, a crime against children desk has to be set up in all police stations. Children go to school in search of learning, not to be killed at the hands of mentally unstable teachers and principals and outside perpetrators.

Let us remember that only if children are immunised from adult prejudices, there lies hope. If we were to just sit and think we would soon realise that we are the receivers and little children the givers.

It is they who radiate the calm of spirit even while they sit among the ruins we have provided them. They do not ask questions; they continue to provide us with hope for the future, with love and affection. When will we realise that we owe them not merely a duty but a debt?

(The writer is a Former Associate Professor, Dept. of English, Gurudas College, Kolkata)
As is customary, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj used her visit to the UN General Assembly to present some of the important preoccupations of the government and to seek international support and sympathy for what it was trying to achieve. She spoke of the strategy for economic advancement and mentioned several of the programmes to alleviate poverty that the government has initiated.

Among broader issues of global significance she made specific mention of climate change, which has become one of the important issues before the government. No less customary was the Indian ministers reference to the need to reform the UN and enlarge the Security Council, which is a cause that has been actively promoted for a few decades by India and a few other like-minded nations. Currently UN reform does not have a high profile either at the UN, where other issues command greater salience, or in Indias foreign policy goals where other considerations are more prominent. Re-statement of established foreign policy purposes like UN reform was therefore a useful reminder of Indias goals and targets in this field.

What made the headlines, however, was not reiteration of established and traditional directions of policy but the vigour of the Ministers remarks aimed at Pakistan. She drew a pointed contrast between Indias success in establishing major institutions of learning like its IIMs and IITs, while Pakistan had only set up instruments like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e Mohammed. This was a strong rebuke, all the more striking for being essentially correct in contrasting what the two countries had been able to achieve.

She had a good deal more to say on terrorism, on which India has repeatedly tried to rally international opinion and encourage concerted international action to curb the menace. Ms. Swaraj spoke of the long-pending convention on international terrorism that lies before the UN but is yet to achieve consensus, and called for agreement on defining the issue more concretely so that joint action can become more attainable.

Speaking in Hindi, as she did also a year ago, she made her points effectively and also replied to what the Pak Prime Minister had said about India the previous day. The UN grants the right of reply and the Pak Permanent Representative spoke on behalf of her country in response to the Indian Minister.

This did not go quite as might have been intended, for in her speech she showed a photograph of a young woman injured by pellet shots that were wrongly said to have been fired by Indian security forces in Kashmir though the picture was of an incident in Palestine. This embarrassment to Pakistan should not obscure the deterioration in relations that the exchanges at the UN showed. The Indian Minister referred to the repeated efforts by her Prime Minister to reach out and be in touch with Pakistan which did not get very far owing to lack of reciprocity.

At the UN, Pakistan kept repeating its demand for discussion on Kashmir if comprehensive dialogue was to recommence while India did not see a way forward without unconditional effort to bring a halt to terrorism.

These are familiar positions of the two sides and the exchanges at the UN only showed how wide is the gap between them. To add to the matter, there were several incidents along the Line of Control instigated from the Pakistani side even while the diplomatic procedures of the UN were in train. As so often in the past, the spoilers were active and tried to ensure that there should be no drawing closer, which in any case seems a remote possibility in current circumstances. The exchanges at the UN have become highly ritualized and are important more for what they show of the current state of relations than for any expectation of change.

The domestic audience will expect their representatives to put their case effectively as was done in New York, and speaking in Hindi, as has now become the norm, means more immediate communication with the domestic audience at home. The hard boiled delegates to the UN are unlikely to be swayed by rhetorical flourishes and would be more likely to wish to assess the speeches for what they reveal of possible innovation and policy shifts.

There was not much of that to observe when the Indian Minister and the Pak PM before her spoke. While these events from the subcontinent were occupying the stage, rather more insistent and dangerous matters were also being talked about, relating to North Korea and the USA. India and Pakistan had sharp words for each other but what hey had to say pales in comparison with the rhetorical blows exchanged between Pyongyang and Washington.

Not since the darkest days of the Cold War has the General Assembly chamber resounded to the sort of disdainful, personalized insults that were to be heard from these two countries. The Heads of the two States were personally involved in the exchanges, which is unusual, for indulgence in rhetorical excess is usually left to less prominent spokespersons. This fiery, toplevel name-calling was tinged with uncertainty about where it might be leading. North Korea has perhaps deliberately created an image of unpredictability, and has built up its armed strength after breaking through to the level of a nuclear power with formidable missile capacity.

The recent tests it has conducted have given some sort of substance to its taunts against the unassailable super power USA, which in turn has not been slow with threats of its own. India may not be in the direct line of fire but it is bound to be uncomfortable with these developments and their regional ramifications. Indias Act East policy is an important initiative, the recent visit of Japanese Prime Minister Abe underlines the growing importance of Indias eastward links, so it is very much in Indian interest that matters in the Far East should calm down and not become a constraint on its emerging policy.

Events having developed as they did, India can take satisfaction from how matters went in New York. The exchanges with Pakistan were sometimes fierce and there was no letup in the hostile arguments, but still neither engaged in warlike rhetoric ~ the contrast with the give-andtake between the USA and North Korea speaks for itself.

Speeches at the UN can sometimes magnify differences between countries because leaders are customarily speaking to their domestic audiences who often demand tough talk from their representatives. Beneath the smooth exterior of its diplomats the UN has been described as a dangerous place, and some of its dangers were to be seen during the engrossing recent events involving our own and other senior world leaders.

(The writer is Indias former Foreign Secretary)
By India Today Web Desk: Rajeev Gowda, Congress Rajya Sabha MP in conversation with Vikram Kirloskar, Chairman and Managing Director, Kirloskar Systems Limited.

Vikram Kirloskar elaborated on the advantages and disadvantages of investment in Karnataka. "It is different from a lot of states as successive governments have supported the same policies," he said while calling it the world's fastest growing state that adds more office space every day.

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Talking about the bringing Toyota to Karnataka, he emphasized that the intellectual infrastructure and entrepreneurial spirit went a long way in convincing them to setup plant in Karnataka.

Rajeev Gowda addressed the issue of a lot of Karnataka's GDP coming out of Bengaluru. "In the next few years, we will look farther from Bengaluru. Belgaum has a good scope for growth, but for this connectivity has to improve. But, like anything else it is a chicken and egg story. I think it is really about the will at the end of the day," said Kirloskar.

Kirloskar mentioned Tirupur as an example of an industrial hub and also spoke about his experience in setting up in Bidadi. "In Bidadi, water and electricity lines were done by the government much sooner than committed," he said. The conversation veered towards the city's infrastructure and Kirloskar summed it up with an example, saying, "In 1983, we were stuck in traffic jams in Tokyo for 3 hours, that has changed. Infrastructure can change.

The synergy between industry and academia and the lack of resources for the two coming together was discussed. Both agreed that the state and private industry had a long way to go in tapping that potential.

--- ENDS ---
Aadhaars identity system rivals the growth of other platform innovations like Windows, Android or Facebook, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said.

Nadella, in his book Hit Refresh that was released during the ongoing Microsoft Ignite 2017 conference, has praised Indias leap forward in the digital and technological arena.

Aadhaar now has scaled to over one billion people, rivalling the growth of other platform innovations such as Windows, Android or Facebook, the 50-year-old wrote in his book that hit the book stores on Tuesday.

He praised the creation of the new digital ecosystem IndiaStack.

IndiaStack is a set of APIs (application programming interface) that allows governments, businesses, startups and developers to utilise an unique digital Infrastructure to solve Indias hard problems towards presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery.

China strategically used the global supply chain and their own domestic market to amplify their comparative advantage and bootstrap their economic growth, the India-born CEO noted.

The combination of industrial policy, public sector investment, and entrepreneurial energy is what many other countries will also look to replicate from Chinas success. I see the beginnings of this in India with the creation of the new digital ecosystem known as IndiaStack, Nadella said.

India is leapfrogging from once being an infrastructure-poor country to now leading in digital technology. IndiaStack ushers in a presence-less, cashless, paperless economy for all its citizens, said the Indian-American chief executive of Microsoft.

In his book, Nadella wrote that on a trip to Bengaluru he engaged in a conversation with Nandan Nilekani about IndiaStack and its future road map.

Nandan is the legendary founder of Infosys, who went on to create a new startup working with the Indian government  Aadhaar, the identity system that is at the centre of IndiaStack, he said.

Nadella has also mentioned about Enlightiks, a startup that was acquired by Practo, a leading e-health company in India.

I met the founder of Enlightiks on the same trip to Bengaluru. They are using the latest cloud technology and AI from Microsoft to create a state-of-the-art healthcare diagnostics service that can, for example, detect an Atrial fibrillation event before it happens because of the rich data going from the personal device of the patient directly to the cloud, he said.

In turn, this cloud service can be made available to hospitals in Smaller towns or rural areas in India. Enlightiks also has plans to take advantage of IndiaStack to authenticate the user, accept payment, create portal medical records, and much more. This Indian innovation is now looking to expand in the US, Africa and everywhere else, he wrote.

According to Nadella, this dynamic is not unique to China or India.

I saw this across Chile, Indonesia, and Poland, and also in France, Germany, and Japan. Reflecting on my earlier visit to Egypt, its clear they are investing in human capital, he said.
Wherever you go in India, celebration is in the air as the nine-day Navratri festival heralds the festive season of the year in the Hindu lunar calendar. And Navratri is observed here in this Maoist-hit region Bastar with grand celebrations and religious fervour.

If you are familiar with the festivals in the cities, and looking to witness something unique this time, head to Bastar-Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh.

The celebration here doesnt end with nine days of Navratri. The unique celebration is spread over 75 days. Bastar celebrates the festive season by worshiping Devi Maoli, a local goddess and her sisters during Navratri.

Thousands of devotees, carrying different deities, throng Danteshwari Temple in Jagdalpur during Navratri. The devotees and priests carry the local deities on chariots in a holy procession between Bastar and Jagdalpur.

Another special feature that marks the celebration here is the chariot used in the holy procession. The chariots are prepared by the local artisans using traditional tools and carved to perfection with dedication and festive fervour.

The Navratri festival sets off Dussehra and Durga Puja festivals. The Dussehra festival here is devoted to Ma Danteshwai. Thousands of local people gather here to worship the goddess.

Apart from Bastar, there are many spiritual places to witness the festive joy and celebration in Chhattisgarh. Situated in idyllic locations in the lap of nature and surrounded by beautiful landscapes, the temples in the state are a must-visit, especially during festival time.

Temples of celebration in Chhattisgarh:-

Mahamaya temple in Ratanpur

Bamleshwari temple in Dongargarh

Banjari Mata Temple, Raipur:

Chandrahansini Mata Temple, Chandrapur

Danteshwari Mata Temple, Dantewada

Ganga Maiya Temple, Jhalmala

Chandi Mata Temple, Kurud

Maa Mahisha Sur Mardagni Chaiturgarh

Jai maa Telin Shakti Mandir, Keshkal
A first group of refugees left Australias remote Pacific detention camps for the United States today to be resettled under a deal that angered President Donald Trump.

Twenty-four asylum-seekers held on Manus Island off mainland Papua New Guinea flew to Manila en route to an undisclosed American location, the US embassy in Port Moresby said.

Theyre the first group that have been approved, that have gone through the extreme vetting process and have met all the requirements for resettlement, said the embassys public affairs officer Beverly Thacker.

About another 30 refugees held on Nauru in the Pacific will head to the US in the coming days, she added.

Canberra sends asylum-seekers who try to enter the country by boat to processing facilities on Nauru and Manus Island, with those found to be refugees barred from resettling in Australia.

Conditions in the camps have been widely condemned by rights groups and medical professionals.

Thacker did not provide the nationality of the those being transferred and it is not clear how many of those still remaining will qualify for US resettlement.

We expect that other refugees will be resettled in the coming months. They will all proceed with different time frames, depending on how fast they will get through the process, she said.

Nearly 800 men are held on Manus, and 371 men, women and children are detained on Nauru, according to Australian immigration data as of July 31.

The government has tried with little success to relocate the detainees to third countries like Cambodia, or settle them elsewhere in PNG.

When former president Barack Obama was in office, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made a pact with him to accept an unspecified number of the refugees.

Trump blasted it as a dumb deal after assuming the presidency, before begrudgingly agreeing to honour it.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said the refugees were departing with mixed emotions.

It is with some optimism that they are leaving, but they are very concerned that they could get no answers from the US officials when other people  their friends  would be able to leave Nauru or Manus island, he said.

There are indications that there will be further uplifts of people to the US but it is very unclear when that will be.
An accountability court today decided to indict Nawaz Sharif on October 2 after the ousted prime minister for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges filed against him in the Panama Papers scandal.

The court also issued fresh arrest warrants against his children and son-in-law.

Sharif, 67, appeared before the court located in the judicial complex here, a day after he returned from London where he was with his ailing wife.

During the brief hearing, Sharif informed accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir that his wife was unwell and he needed to attend her. He was then allowed to leave the court.

The court then adjourned for 10 minutes before continuing with the normal case proceedings.

The appearance was just a formality to ensure that the accused was ready to face the trial. Sharif stayed at the court for about 10 minutes.

He was accompanied by his lawyer Khawaja Harris who would represent him as a counsel in the corruption cases.

The court had last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law capt (retd) Safdar to appear before it on September 26. It is pertinent to mention that the Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on September 19.

When the hearing started again, the judge asked about Maryam, Hussain and Hasan, and Sharifs son-in-law Safdar who were also ordered to appear today.

Sharifs lawyer Harris contended that they were in London to take care of their ailing mother but the court rejected the argument and ordered them to appear before it on October 2.

The court also issued fresh bailable arrest warrants against Maryam, Hussain, Hasan and Safdar.

Harris asked the court that Sharif needed to take care of his wife in London so he would be allowed to skip personal appearance in the court.

The court refused by saying that he should first appear on the day of indictment and the issue of skipping personal appearance will be deiced later on.

Sharifs legal aide Barrister Zafarullah Khan told media that the court should have given more time for indictment.

The court cannot indict until all accused appear in the court. It should give us more time to prepare out case, he said.

He said that Sharif would appear in the court if all went well during the period before next hearing and health of his wife remains stable.

Independent law expert Shehzad Akbar said that court was not bound to delay indictment of an accused if his accomplices are not present or refuse to appear before the court.

The accountability courts have vast powers. They can indict the accused who has presented himself in the court, while it can convict others for non-compliance and failing to appear, he said.

Hundreds of Sharifs supporters, including Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, lawyers, lawmakers and several ministers were present in the court premises. Heavy security arrangement were made around the judicial complex.

Earlier, Sharif left the Punjab House in Islamabad at about 8.30 am to appear before the court. It took him about 15 minutes to reach the court.

More than 35 vehicles were part of Sharifs convoy which safely reached Punjab House after his appearance in the court.

Sharif is expected to hold some important meetings with aides and to address media in the evening, according PML-N sources.

Sharif was in London from August 31 to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

He decided to return to Pakistan after consultations with senior party leaders including his younger brother and Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in London.

Sharif stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons  Hassan and Hussain, daughter  Maryam, son-in-law  Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Sharifs family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated. Rest of his family is still in London.
Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir on Tuesday said daughter of rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Honeypreet Singh must be arrested by police.

Asked about the Honeypreets anticipatory bail plea filed in Delhi High Court, Ahir, without taking her name said: A criminal is a criminal, he/she will make efforts to escape the law. But they also have the right to approach the court and it is our duty to arrest them I think police should be successful in making the arrest (her).

A team of Panchkula Police on Tuesday raided a house in the national capital intensifying the search operation for Honeypreet Singh, even though, she managed to evade arrest.

The raid was conducted at house number A-9 in south Delhis posh Greater Kailash locality. Honeypreet has applied for a transit anticipatory bail plea in Delhi High Court.

According to reports, the raid began at 6am and the police were also looking for Aditya Insan, the public relations officer of Dera Sacha Sauda.

Facing sedition charges, Honeypreet, who has been on the run following Ram Rahims conviction in two rape cases on Monday approached the court seeking transit anticipatory bail.

Earlier, a lookout notice was issued against Honeypreet by the police.

Ram Rahim was convicted by the special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, following which violence and arson had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa districts of Haryana which had left 41 people dead and several others injured.

The CBI court on August 28 had sentenced Ram Rahim to 20 years in prison for raping two of his disciples in 2002.
US President Donald Trump will host Thai junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha at the White House on October 3 as the pair seek to enhance warming ties and cooperation.

Ties between the countries had been strained following a coup orchestrated by former Thai army chief Prayut three years ago, although he met Trumps predecessor Barack Obama during a ASEAN-US summit in California last February.

President Trump looks forward to reaffirming the relationship between the United States and a key partner and longstanding ally in Asia, the Kingdom of Thailand, the White House said in a statement.

Thailands military has jailed dissidents, banned protests and ramped up prosecutions under the kingdoms draconian lese majeste law since toppling the government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014.

But the generals who now run Thailand  a former staunch US ally that has moved closer to Beijing since the coup  are now less likely to be berated for their rights record under Trump.

During Prayuts visit, which follows an invitation Trump extended during an April phone call, the pair will discuss ways to strengthen and broaden bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement added.
The Taiwanese government on Tuesday banned all trade with North Korea, complying with various UN resolutions despite Taipei not being a member of the organisation.

The ban will have a limited impact on North Korea due to its relatively insignificant bilateral trade with Taiwan, reports Efe news.

During the first seven months in 2017, North Korean imports to Taiwan, mostly ginseng and textiles, amounted to only $ 1.25 million, and Taipei exported only $36,575 worth of goods, according to a statement released by the government.

Taiwan joins a long list of countries which have urged North Korea to suspend any activity that harms or threatens peace in the Asia Pacific region, and has pledged to abide by UN Security Council Resolution No. 2375 adopted on September 11.
The UN office in Bangladesh on Tuesday said 480,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority have crossed into the country from Myanmar over the last month.

The Inter-Sectoral Coordination Group said in its report that the number had grown by 50,000 over the last two days, Efe news reported.

It said the increase was due to the addition of 35,000 people who had not been included in the previous reports count, as well as new arrivals in recent hours.

Despite the decrease in arrivals recorded between September 21-24, it was once again observed that many hundreds of people crossed into the country between September 25-26, the report added.

The Rohingya refugees began fleeing Myanmar from August 25 when Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) rebels attacked police checkposts and killed 12 security personnel, triggering a military crackdown.

Myanmar has said its military operations in Rakhine state were in response to the August attack and that the military was battling terrorists.

Nonprofits have denounced human rights violations and the international community has increased pressure on the Myanmar government over the military operation.
North Korea reserves the right to shoot down US warplanes flying outside its airspace, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said on Monday.

Since the US declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, Efe quoted Ri as saying.

Those measures, the North Korean minister said, include the right to shoot down US strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country.

The declaration was made by the Northeast Asian regime two days after the Pentagon announced that military aircraft had flown near North Koreas coast with the aim of sending a clear message to Pyongyang.

The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country, Ri said.

The foreign minister said that North Korea drew this conclusion from the speech US President Donald Trump delivered before the United Nations General Assembly last week.

In that address, Trump said that although the US has great strength and patience, if it is forced to defend itself and its allies we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

Ri said that those words were clearly a declaration of war against Pyongyang, and he noted that the UN Charter authorises the international bodys member states to defend themselves.

He said specifically that all measures were on the table for North Korea to defend itself.

On Saturday, during his participation in the top-level debates in the General Assembly, Ri announced that North Korea is in the final phase of developing its nuclear arsenal, including ballistic missiles that could potentially deliver nuclear warheads to US territory.

He said, however, that Pyongyang will use atomic weapons only as a last resort, adding that North Korea has no intention of using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against any country that remains aloof from US military action.

Tensions have been steadily rising since Trumps UN speech, which was delivered in the wake of North Korean missile and nuclear tests, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a rare television appearance calling Trump mentally deranged, whereupon Trump responded by once again mockingly calling Kim Rocket man.
The most moderate of Republican senators joined John McCain and Rand Paul in rejecting the bill to end Obamacare.

By Reuters: US Senator Susan Collins rebuffed intense lobbying from fellow Republicans and the promise of money for her state in deciding on Monday to oppose and likely doom her party's last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare.

The most moderate of Republican senators joined John McCain and Rand Paul in rejecting the bill to end Obamacare. It was a major blow for President Donald Trump who has made undoing Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law a top priority since the 2016 campaign and who pressured Collins in a call on Monday.

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The bill's sweeping cut in funding to Medicaid which is a program for low income citizens and disabled children was her top reason for opposing the bill, said Collins, from the state of Maine where 20 percent of the population depend on the program.

"To take a program that has been law for more than 50 years, and make those kinds of fundamental structural changes, and to do so without having in depth hearings to evaluate the impact on our most vulnerable citizens was unacceptable," Collins said outside the Senate chambers.

She also opposed the bill for weakening protections for people with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma, cancer and diabetes.

Collins' decision came even after the sponsors of the bill, Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, offered a boost in federal health care funds of 43 percent for Maine and benefits for states with other undecided senators.

Republicans have vowed to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, since it was passed in 2010. While it extended health insurance to some 20 million Americans, they believe it is an unwarranted and costly government intrusion into healthcare, while also opposing taxes it imposed on the wealthy.

Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate and are up against a tight September 30 deadline to pass a bill with a simple majority, instead of the 60-vote threshold needed for most measures. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wanted to hold a vote this week, but it is not clear he will do so now that three senators have said they will cast "no" votes.

Graham dismissed notions that the bill was the last chance for Republicans to get rid of Obamacare and pledged to keep working on the legislation.

$1 TRILLION CUT TO MEDICAID

Democrats kept up their pressure for killing the bill. In an evening speech on the Senate floor, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said, "The Trumpcare bill would gut Medicaid, would cause millions to lose coverage, cause chaos in the marketplace."

Schumer said once repeal of Obamacare is off the table, Democrats want to work with Republicans "to find a compromise that stabilizes markets, that lowers premiums."

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Collins and McCain, who voted against the last major repeal effort in July, have both advocated for a bipartisan solution to fixing the parts of Obamacare that do not function well.

US hospital stocks were down across the board as the bill struggled. Shares of HCA Healthcare Inc and Tenet Healthcare Corp were hit particularly hard, falling 2.5 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively, on Monday.

"The Graham-Cassidy bill is looking to reduce funding for Medicaid in the longer term," said Jefferies analyst Brian Tanquilut. "That is a benefit that we have seen improve the earnings outlooks for these hospitals."

Collins announced her opposition shortly after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said that the number of people with health insurance covering high-cost medical events would be slashed by millions if it were to become law.

CBO also found that federal spending on Medicaid would be cut by about $1 trillion from 2017 to 2026 under the Graham-Cassidy proposal, and that millions of people would lose their coverage in the program, mainly from a repeal of federal funding for Obamacare's Medicaid expansion.

The Trump administration, including Health Secretary Tom Price had lobbied her hard in recent days, Collins said.

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"The president called me today, the vice president called me in Maine over the weekend, Secretary Price has called me, it would probably be a shorter list of who hasn't called me about this bill," she said.

Trump had not called Collins before the vote in July.

PROTESTERS IN WHEELCHAIRS

The Senate held its first hearing all year on the proposed Obamacare repeal on Monday, but it was immediately disrupted by protesters who forced Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch to postpone its start by about 15 minutes.

Police arrested 181 demonstrators, including 15 in the hearing room. The protesters, mainly from a disability rights group and many of whom were in wheelchairs, were forcibly removed one-by-one from the hearing room as they yelled, "No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty." The hearing eventually proceeded for about five hours, but protests could be heard outside for more than an hour.

Television talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who had become part of the debate on US healthcare legislation in May after discussing his newborn son's heart surgery, had taken aim at the bill in recent days. On Monday he tweeted: "Thank you @SenatorCollins for putting people ahead of party. We are all in your debt."

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A new CBS poll released on Monday said that a majority of Americans, or 52 percent, disapprove of the Graham-Cassidy bill, while 20 percent approve. The poll was taken between Sept. 21 and 24.

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From left: Genevieve Goyer-Ouimette, Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky, Curator of Quebec and Canadian Contemporary Art, MMFA; Fanny Caron-Roy, recipient; Michel de la Cheneliere, President, Fondation Cheneliere; Emily Falvey, recipient; Nicole Dubreuil, Honorary Professor, Departement dhistoire de lart et detudes cinematographiques, Universite de Montreal; and Thomas Bastien, Interim Director of Education and Wellness, MMFA.


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The last days of the Newfie Pride

There were many nights he didnt sleep. The numbers and scenarios turned over and over in his mind, making rest impossible. Id get up two, three oclock in the morning, night after night, come out to the kitchen table and work the numbers every ...
In his column, Gandhi asked government to keep in mind not just international agreements India is a signatory to, but also "the rich Indian tradition" of helping refugees.

By India Today Web Desk: Shortly after BJP's Lok Sabha MP Varun Gandhi wrote a piece in a national newspaper slamming the government's policy of deporting the Rohingya refugees, a senior minister from the Narendra Modi cabinet hit back, saying the statement is against national interest.

In his column, Gandhi, a Member of Parliament from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh, has asked the government to keep in mind not just international agreements India is a signatory to, but also "the rich Indian tradition" of helping refugees.

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Gandhi said India must give asylum to Rohingyas but before that analysis of genuine security concerns should be done. "Four crore people have sought refuge in India since independence," he wrote in Navbharat Times today and later shared the piece with his 56,000-plus followers on Twitter.

VARUN vs AHIR ON ROHINGYA

Gandhi also called for a national refugee policy, which differentiates between people fleeing a country following persecution as opposed to those fleeing poverty.

The government, which has decided to deport nearly 40,000 Rohingya Muslims, is furious. "Anybody who has the national interest in mind will not make such a statement," Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said.

Ahir added that the government is using full force to stop the Rohingya from settling in India since they are a security threat.

After Ahir's comments, Varun said his recent piece focused primarily on defining India's asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how "we would accept refugees".

"As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns (sic)," he tweeted.

ROHINGYA MUSLIMS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: GOVT

The Supreme Court is hearing multiple petitions both in favour of and against deporting Rohingya Muslims, who have been fleeing Myanmar following its army's crackdown in the Rakhine state.

Terming the Rohingya refugees as "illegal" immigrants, the government recently told the Supreme Court that some of them were part of a "sinister" design of Pakistan's ISI and terror groups such as the ISIS, whose presence in the country will pose a "serious" national security threat.

Nearly 40,000 Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in India in the last five years, with most of them settling in Jammu, New Delhi, Punjab, and Rajasthan.

However, the latest exodus of the Muslim minority Rohingyas began on August 25, when the Myanmar army launched fresh offensive in Rakhine, following an attack by Rohingya rebels on multiple government posts.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called the Myanmar army operation in Rakhine a "textbook case of ethnic cleansing".

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ALSO WATCH | Aung San Suu Kyi has not recognised the core issue of Rohingya crisis: Syed Moazzam Ali

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By PTI: New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) Members of UGC-appointed Saksham Taskforce for ensuring gender sensitisation in universities, today questioned the Jawaharlal Nehru Universitys decision to disband Gender Sensitisation Committee against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH).

In an open letter to the JNU administration, the taskforce committee said, "We are consequently at a loss to understand why a well functioning body in JNU needed to be disbanded. Had we missed some important aspect that we need to know about"?

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Anjali Bhardwaj, Janaki Abraham, Kulwinder Kaur, Mary E John, Meenakshi Gopinath, Sanjay Srivastava, Susie Tharu and Uma Chakravarti are the members of the taskforce.

The JNU administration, which replaced GSCASH with Internal Complaints Committee(ICC), on September 18 in it 269th executive council meeting , was extensively criticised by its students and teacher bodies, apart from womens rights organisations.

The administration attributed the dissolution of GSCASH to the UGCs (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Education Institutions Regulations 2015), which was formed based on Saksham task force committee report.

A section of students even approached the Delhi High Court which directed the administration to maintain status quo on the sealing of GSCASH office and sought a reply on the plea.

"Our report made it clear that our proposals for the composition of anti-sexual harassment committees were intended for campuses where ICCs were not in existence or were not Vishakha-compliant ? they were never intended to replace or supersede committees like those of JNU?s GSCASH which we had found to be fully Vishakha-compliant," the letter further said.

The members of the task force also questioned the varsitys decision in making the newly-formed ICC a nominated body.

"The report had specifically advised that ICC members must be representatives and that such representation must not be directly nominated by the employer, rather, transparency and a principled basis for membership on the ICC should be arrived at after involving all sections of the HEI community," the letter said.

Meanwhile, GSCASH student election committee has decided to go ahead with its polls to elect four representatives despite resistance from the varsity.

JNU chief proctor in a letter said disciplinary action would be taken against Bhagat Singh Saini, chairperson of the disbanded GSCASH Students Election Committee, if he continued to conduct the elections.

In another letter that was issued today, varsity Registrar Pramod Kumar said there were efforts to hold "illegal elections to a non-existing body and ICC was the only body responsible to handle sexual harassment complaints".

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"Appropriate action will be taken against all indulging in illegal activities in JNU," he said.

Reacting to the registrars letter, JNUTA president Ayesha Kidwai said the former had no business issuing notices about ICC jurisdiction. PTI CPB SRY

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Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn on Tuesday submitted a report in connection with Saturday's lathicharge on protesting students in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and blamed the university administration for the violence.

Gokarn has in the report, sent to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, said that BHU did not deal with the victim's complaint in a sensitive manner and did not handle the situation on time, said a senior administrative official.

The report also said that if the matter had been settled on time then there would not have been such a big controversy.

According to the report, the biggest fault in this case is that of the administration and such a controversy would not have taken place had they handled the matter appropriately.

Meanwhile, BHU Vice Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi has denied that the students were lathicharged in the campus.

He said action was taken against those who hurled petrol bombs and pelted stones, and attempted to burn the university's property. Tripathi said action was not taken against any student, adding there is no evidence to back it.

"When I was going to the Triveni hostel to meet the students at around 8.30 p.m. on September 23, some unruly elements stopped me and began pelting stones," he said. Tripathi said that he met with the victim and her friends twice. The students told the vice chancellor that the protests were being organised by some unwanted elements who appeared to be outsiders.

They kept the victim in captivity and forced her to sit at the protest venue, he said, adding the police used force only to ensure that such elements are moved out of the campus.

In the meantime, the BHU administration has decided to conduct a judicial inquiry into the incident.

The investigation would be conducted by a team headed by V.K. Dixit, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court.

Tension prevailed at the BHU campus here on Sunday after an agitation by woman students, protesting molestation of a student, turned violent late on Saturday when police used force to disperse the protesters.

Additional police force was deployed at the campus as a precautionary measure after police carried out a baton-charge and fired in the air on Saturday night and the students threw stones in retaliation.

Officials linked to the BHU administration said that 65 more sensitive areas on the campus have been identified where CCTV cameras would be installed. In the first phase, the CCTV cameras would be installed at the entrance of the campus and outside the women's hostel. Women are also being included in security.

Arrangements would be made for preventing the entry of vehicles on the routes surrounding the women's hostel. The street lights would be fixed and new street lights installed on the campus.

A well organised security plan is being formulated in which the senior students would be included for suggestions. It has been decided to include the representatives of female students in it.
The two-day national executive meeting of the BJP concluded yesterday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address. The meeting was attended by over 2,000 delegates at the Talkatora Stadium where BJP president Amit Shah delivered the inaugural speech.

The following are the resolutions passed and discussions that took place at the national executive meeting in Talkatora Stadium:

Foundation for a transparent economy

The BJP said the Centre has delivered on its promise made to the people regarding corruption and black money. The overwhelming public support for demonetisation needs to be underscored. This one major decision has broken the backbone of the black market as well as the black money hoarders. This one major decision has secured unprecedented success in paving the way for strengthening the foundations of a transparent economy, the leading party said.

Goods and Services Tax (GST)One Nation, One Tax

The party said the longstanding demand of the country for "One Nation-One Tax" has been flailed by the BJP-led government at the Centre. "After demonetisation, this is the second historic step in the direction of reforms in the indirect taxes regime. Implementation of GST has increased ease of doing business in the country by resolving the problems faced by the trader community, BJP said.

They added that besides bringing in ease of business, the burden of taxes on items of day-to-day use has been considerably reduced.

Tough stand against terrorism and separatism

The party said the prime minister had adopted the tough policy of zero tolerance policy towards terrorism and separatism.

In the last six months, many terrorists have been neutralised, which has led to the downfall of terrorists' morale. The exemplary sensitivity demonstrated by security forces is worth mentioning and deserves compliment, the party said.

Enhancing women's dignity and equality

The party, emphasizing on women centric schemes, said, The women centric schemes of the government like Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana and the Ujjwala Yojana have directly benefited more than three crore women. The national executive also welcomed the progressive stand taken by the government in the issue of triple talaq. Practices like triple talaq were responsible for gender injustice as well as violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution, they said.

Governments initiative for welfare of farmers

The government has given the prominent message of doubling the income of the farmers right up to the grassroots level. Schemes like soil health card and crop insurance have successfully improved the agricultural production and brought down the inherent uncertainties in the farming sector, national executive members said. They also asserted that to ensure comprehensive coverage of maximum farmers in distress, the government has kept crop insurance premiums very low and more drought-prone areas have been covered.

Youth development for nation-building

The party said to enable the youth to be part of nation-building, the government has started a comprehensive dialogue on a new education policy but is also exploring new avenues and opportunities for self employment.

Peaceful resolution of Doklam

The national executive congratulated the government for the peaceful resolution of the Doklam standoff aroused between India and China in June this year through diplomatic channels. This is a sip of mature politics and diplomatic victory of the government. The skill, patience and firmness shown by the leadership while dealing with the Doklam dispute has not only strengthened the security concerns of the nation but also enhanced the prestige of India in the world. During the Doklam crisis, constant communication and coordination with Bhutan has demonstrated India's sensitivity towards the interest of our friendly neighbors and the governments 'neighbourhood first' policy, the party asserted.

A strong India in BRICS

Prime Minister Narendra Modis 10-point agenda to tackle global challenges untidily at the BRICS Summit is a constructive initiative, the national executive committee said. They also said the nations in the world have welcomed Modis initiative as a positive step towards the concept of development.

National executive also welcomes the fruitful dialogue between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping at the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China. It is significant that both the leaders have reiterated their stand at Astana, Kazakhstan, that good relations between India and China are important for maintaining world peace, the party added.

Primacy of sensibility in international diplomacy

The BJP government, by displaying a humane and sensitive approach towards diplomacy, has improved and strengthened bilateral relations. This was visible during instances like Nepal earthquake, water crisis in Maldives, floods in Sri Lanka and swine flu in Myanmar, where India earnestly swung into action to help the neighbours, the national executive committee said.

It further said the government duly fulfilled its responsibilities when it provided humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees while ensuring that internal security was not compromised for its 125 crore citizens.

Strengthening basic infrastructure development

The national executive congratulated the BJP-led government for taking infrastructure development in India to a new horizon and also finishing up the old projects. In this process, final phase of the Sardar Sarovar project on the river Narmada has been completed and commissioned, they asserted.

They also congratulated the prime minister for laying foundation to the "bullet train" project.

Political violencecurse of democracy

The national executive welcomed the assurance given by the prime minister to the public to keep the ideological violence and narrow-mindedness in check, the party said. They also said violence against karyakartas by opposition party workers in Tripura, Kerala and West Bengal are disheartening.

Commitment towards constitutional rights of backward classes

The party said that their government has a clear vision of achieving the objectives of Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas. In this direction, there was a long-pending demand for the constitutional recognition of socially and educationally backward classes, they asserted.

Mission of Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay's birth centenary year

The BJP celebrated the birth centenary year (25 September 2016- 25 September 2017) of Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay as the year of uplifting the downtrodden. BJP-led governments at the Centre as well in the states have further empowered the exploited and the weaker sections economically through various schemes for welfare of the downtrodden, the party said.

New IndiaSankalp se Siddhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the mission for building a New India by 2022, when India completes 75 years of its independence, the national executive committee said. It further asserted that Sankalp se Sidhi programme will forward the country to a New India by 2022. The national executive committee thanked the prime minister and requested the citizens of India to walk hand in hand to realise the vision of New India.
US Defence Secretary James Mattis's visit to India is loaded with anticipation on both sides. The US and India are testing their new friendship in a new world, where old orders are crumbling. This is the first cabinet level visit to India under the Trump administration and will be followed by the visit of Trump's daughter, Ivanka, to Hyderabad in November for the India US Entrepreneur Summit.

Both visits, while different in scope and focus, form part of the multi-level bilateral engagement that both countries are striving to maximise. Mattis's visit also comes on the heels of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's tour to the US for the UNGC meet and her interaction with US secretary of state Rexx Tillerson.

A visit of this stature, at a time when the ghost of Doklam still casts a spell over the continent, is significant. It acts upon the US's stated commitment of taking forward Indo-US defence cooperation and making it an effective tool for achieving peace and stability in South Asia and Indo Pacific.

Mattis has some selling to do. Will he be able to take forward the Trump administration offer of the Sea Guardians and marine reconnaissance drones? The US has offered 22 at a cost of two billion dollars. If the sale comes through, it will be the first such to a non-NATO partner. While the acquisition will no doubt strengthen India's maritime surveillance, India's requirement is for combat drones, which the US has not even put on offer.

The other hard-sell is the F 16 and F 18 fighter craft, which the US has been trying to get India to buy. India is resisting, it needs more modern technology. But will Mattis be able to get Modi to manufacture these craft in India itself, under Modi's pet Make in India initiative?

Although no announcements on either are expected at this stage, Mattis could take forward the discussions.

Day 1 of his official tour began on Tuesday. He is scheduled to meet with Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and NSA Ajit Doval. "The secretary will emphasise that the United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia. The secretary will also express US appreciation for India's important contributions towards Afghanistan's stability, prosperity and security,'' said a statement from the US Department of Defence.
DMK leader M. Karunanidhi is fine, said Rajya Sabha MP and DMK leader Kanimozhi after rumours of his death began making rounds in the state on Tuesday afternoon. Kanimozhi appealed to the people of the state and the party men not to believe in such rumours.

He is doing well and there is no reason to worry about his health, she said. DMK leader M. Karunanidhi has been ailing since December last year and is under treatment. Later in the day, DMK General Secretary K. Anbazhagan reportedly called on Karunanidhi at the latters Gopalapuram residence to enquire about his health.

The 94-year-old leader was in December admitted to the Kauvery Hospital in Chennai for over a month owing to breathing difficulties due to throat and lung infection. It was on December 1, 2016, that he was rushed to the hospital for optimisation of nutrition and hydration.

In August this year, he was again taken to the hospital for a few hours for replacing the PEG tube. The nonagenarian underwent a tracheostomy in December. The hospital bulletin then said that a hole was made in the windpipe to remove the fluid congestions caused by a bacterial infection and administer oxygen.

Apparently Karunanidhi has not been seen in public for more than 10 months now after he developed a drug allergy on October 25, 2016.
Twenty-six-year old litigation fought in the Gwalior Sessions Court by the successors of the Scindia dynasty had an unusual climax yesterday when judge Sachin Sharma asked the feuding parties, including Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and his two auntsRajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh minister Yashodhara Raje, to reach an amicable solution out of the court to set an example for the masses.

Additional sessions judge Sachin Sharma told all the counsels of the contesting parties that according to section 89 of Civil Procedure Code (CPC), it would be in the interest of everybody that all the challenging parties reach an amicable solution. All your clients are highly educated individuals and hold prominent positions in public life. They should set an example for rest of the society by agreeing to a solution that is basically a dispute of succession, Judge Sharma told the counsels. Refusing to give another extension of date for the, the court asked the aggrieved parties to be present before it latest by October 6.

Jyotiraditya, the titular head of erstwhile Gwalior state, and his two aunts are locked in several disputes for properties spread all over the country. Jyotiraditya's grandmother Rajmata Scindia, who is also one of the founding members of the BJP, was not at good terms with her son Madhavrao (Jyotiraditya's father) and declared that all her property should go to her daughters instead of son. Jyotiraditya had filed a suit in the Gwalior court 26 years ago contesting his grandmother's will citing that as per succession rules of the state, he is the heir to entire property.

The feud among the family was so bitter that Madhavrao even had to pay a symbolic rent to live in the Jaivilas Palace built by his grandfather in 1874. The battle among the family members became so worse that in 1990, young Jyotiraditya had to file a petition in court prohibiting his father and grandmother from selling the ancestral properties. According to rough estimates, property worth over Rs 1 lakh crore are with the Scindias in prime locations all over the country.

Family sources say among the properties in litigation are a huge palace and buildings in Gwalior, precious Vasundhara building on Mumbai's Peddar Road, 32-acre Scindia Villa in prime Sarojini Nagar area of Delhi and Padma Vilas Palace in Pune. Apart from these, the family owns Madhav Vilas Palace and George Castle in Shivpuri, Kaliadeh Palace in Ujjain, Gwalior House on Rajpur Road in Delhi, Scindia Ghat in Varanasi and Vithoba Temple in Goa. Most of the properties are in litigation just because of Rajmata's will.

Another prominent property Usha Kiran Palace has been converted to a heritage hotel. Presently, the Taj group manages the property which is the only star hotel in Gwalior.

Though nobody speaks of the investments and other businesses of the family, it is believed that at the time of independence, the family owned shares in more than eight dozen companies, including a major share in Bombay Dyeing.

According to election affidavit, Jyotiraditya and his family members have assets worth crores of rupees. His family owns shares in several companies, including Greaves Cotton, Ingersoll Rand, KEC International, Merck, RPG Life Sciences, Sintex Industries, Texmaco Rail and Engineering, Scindia Investments Pvt Ltd, ARS Trustee Company, MJS Trustee Company, PRS Trustee Company, Ananya Raje Tavern, Mahanaaryaman Resort, Priyadarshini Raje Resort, Earth Financial Advisors, Moonrise Financial Advisors and Shivali Financial Advisors.
Hackers breached the US Securities and Exchange Commissions computer system last year by taking advantage of companies that used authentic financial data when they were testing the agencys corporate filing system, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Secret Service have since launched an investigation into a 2016 hack into the SECS EDGAR system, several of those people said.

The sources spoke anonymously because it is not a public investigation.

The SECs EDGAR system is a crucial network used by companies to file earnings reports and other material information.

Spokesmen for the FBI, the Secret Service and the SEC all declined to comment, saying they could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.

The breach occurred in October 2016 and was detected that same month. The attack appeared to have been routed through a server in Eastern Europe, according to an internal government memo describing the incident, which was seen by Reuters.

There was no evidence at the time that data had been improperly retrieved, according to one source familiar with the matter, and the issue was handled internally by the SECs Office of Information Technology.

Only after the SECs Enforcement Division detected a pattern of suspicious trading ahead of company public disclosures did officials go back to the agencys technology staff and ask if some companies were using authentic data when they were testing the EDGAR system, one of the people said.

The person said that not many companies had submitted real data that is believed to have been hacked.

The test process is for people to submit test filings to ensure that they format correctly and dont have submission errors, the person said.

They normally use that right before they file their normal reports. They are supposed to use dummy data, the person said. However, it is still supposed to be protected the same way in case they do something stupid. A couple companies did, and it wasnt protected properly.

SEC chair to confirm probe

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton will confirm the enforcement divisions ongoing investigation when he testifies Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee, according to prepared testimony reviewed by Reuters.

He has also asked the SECs Office of Inspector General to investigate the intrusion itself, the scope of non-public information that was stolen and how the SEC responded to the incident, which he said was properly reported to the Department of Homeland Securitys Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

The FBIs investigation, which is being led out of New Jersey, is focussing specifically on the trading activity in connection with the breach, according to several sources.

One possibility the FBI is considering is that the SEC breach was connected to a group of hackers that intercepted electronic corporate press releases in a previous case which the FBI in New Jersey helped investigate, several of the sources said.

In that case, federal prosecutors in the New York borough of Brooklyn and New Jersey, as well as the SEC, charged an alliance of stock traders and suspected computer hackers based in the United States and Ukraine.

Clayton, who was installed as chairman in May, only laernt of the 2016 breach in August through the enforcement investigation. SEC Commissioners Kara Stein and Mike Piwowar, who are the only other two sitting members of the agency at the moment, also only learnt of it recently.

Some SEC enforcement attorneys not involved in the matter learnt about it when they read it in the newspaper, sources said.

The delay in disclosing the hack and the months-long gap between uncovering it and discovering the potential insider trading are particularly embarrassing for an agency that has pushed companies to bolster their cyber capabilities and which investigates companies for failing to disclose breaches to investors faster.

While no company has ever been charged for flawed disclosures, the SEC has previously brought charges against brokerage firms over poor cyber security practices.

The SEC has experienced other cyber incidents in recent months.

Between October 2016 and April 2017, the SEC documented a variety of various cyber security incidents, according to one source familiar with the matter.

Reuters was not immediately able to ascertain the nature of all of the incidents, though the source said several involved EDGAR.

In one other case that was not related to EDGAR, a server being set up for SEC use had not been updated to fix known vulnerabilities, one person familiar with the matter said.

The SEC detected unauthorised communications from it. The FBI watched the traffic, which was early signalling or beaconing rather than the export of important information, and the hole was closed. In that case, the signal from the beacon was sent to a server in Ukraine, the person added.

The SEC has been criticized for its cyber defences. The US Department of Homeland Security detected 5 critical vulnerabilities that needed to be fixed when it scanned a sample of the agencys computers and devices the week of Jan. 23.

- Reuters
Saudi King Salman lifted the ban on women for driving cars in the country, while adding that it is the right time for this development as Saudi Arabia is fast becoming a dynamic and an open society.

By Reuters: Saudi King Salman on Tuesday ordered that women be allowed to drive cars, ending a conservative tradition seen by rights activists as an emblem of the Islamic kingdom's repression of women.

The kingdom has been widely criticised for being the only country in the world that bans women from driving, despite gradual improvement on some women's issues in recent years and ambitious government targets to increase their public role, especially in the workforce.

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The royal decree ordered the formation of a ministerial body to give advice within 30 days and then implement the order by June 24, 2018, according to state news agency SPA.

It stipulated that the move must "apply and adhere to the necessary Sharia standards", referring to Islamic law. It gave no details but said a majority of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars, Saudi Arabia's top clerical body, had approved its permissibility.

Saudi ambassador to Washington Prince Khaled bin Salman said it was "an historic and big day in our kingdom".

'RIGHT TIME FOR IT'

"Our leadership thinks that this is the right time to do this change because currently in Saudi Arabia we have a young, dynamic, open society," he told reporters. "There's no wrong time to do the right thing."

Positive reactions quickly poured in from inside the kingdom and around the world, with the US State Department welcoming the move as "a great step in the right direction".

For more than 25 years, women activists have campaigned to be allowed to drive, defiantly taking to the road, petitioning the king and posting videos of themselves behind the wheel on social media. The protests brought them arrest and harassment.

Activist Manal al-Sherif, who was arrested in 2011 after a driving protest, took to Twitter following the king's announcement to express her relief. "Today, the last country on earth to allow women to drive... we did it", she wrote.

Latifa al-Shaalan, a member of the Shura Council, an advisory body, said the decision would strengthen women's employment in the private sector.

"This is an historic day and I cannot find the words to express my feelings and the feelings of thousands of Saudi women," she said on Arabiya TV.

CONSERVATIVE PUSHBACK

In Saudi Arabia, a top Arab ally of the United States, women are legally subject to a male guardian, who must give approval to basic decisions they make in fields including education, employment, marriage, travel plans and even medical treatment.

Women in the kingdom are also bound by law to wear long robes and a headscarf and require the consent of a male guardian for most legal actions.

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Prince Khaled, the ambassador, said women would not need permission from their guardians to get a license or have a guardian in the car and would be allowed to drive anywhere in the kingdom, including the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Women with a license from any of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries would be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, he added.

The position of Saudi women gradually improved under late King Abdullah and since King Salman took over in 2015, the kingdom has been opening more areas for women through the government's modernising reforms.

That has sparked tensions with influential clerics upon whose support the ruling family relies.

Some reactions to Tuesday's announcement reflected that. Critics took to Twitter to denounce the decision, accusing the government of "bending the verses of Sharia".

"As far as I remember, Sharia scholars have said it was haram (forbidden) for women to drive. How come it has suddenly become halal (permissible)?" another user wrote.

Some leading members of the country's powerful and austere Sunni Muslim clergy have argued against women being allowed to drive, which they say could lead to them mingling with unrelated men, thereby breaching strict gender segregation rules.

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The decision could also have broad economic impacts, making it possible for women to get to work without a driver but also curbing the popularity of car hailing apps like Uber and Careem.

Prince Khaled, a son of the king, said the decision was as much about economic reform as social change.

His older brother, 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed, has become the face of reform in the kingdom in the past few years.

Many younger Saudis regard his ascent as evidence that their generation is taking a central place in running a country whose patriarchal traditions have for decades made power the province of the old and blocked women's progress.

"Oh my God, this is amazing. Ever since Mohammed bin Salman's rise, he has fast-tracked all the changes that are needed for our country," said Marwa Afandi, a 35-year-old event planner in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

--- ENDS ---
It was past midnight. Krishna Devi was working by the window at her Chandigarh home when, she claims, she saw a levitating alien entity right outside. Terrified, she watched as the greyish alien figure, about four feet tall, moved around the house and appeared near the front door. And then it vanished. About 15 years down the line, her son Hitesh K. Yadav is a UFO enthusiast.

Taking his passion one step ahead, the engineering student launched UFO Magazine India, a bimonthly e-magazine in January this year. I started this magazine to create awareness and clear misconceptions, says Hitesh, 20. He has also developed a ufology app and founded Disclosure Indiaa team of 200 members that investigates alien sightings and encounters.

Unlike in the west, stories of alleged alien encounters and UFO sightings are not widely reported in the Indian media. This, however, should not mean alien entities have not been visiting India, says Hitesh. There is a general lack of awareness in India. When they experience something, most people associate it with superstitions or paranormal activity, he says. Even if they identify it as an extraterrestrial activity, people do not know where to report or how to go about it. The most recent report of alien activity in India was from Karnataka. In July, some villagers in Gadag district found unusually huge footprints which they said were caused by aliens. Forest officials dismissed the claim, though they could not explain the footprints.

Hitesh K. Yadav

Unexplained occurrences such as these set off an adrenaline rush in Ramkrishan Vaishnav who likes to identify himself as an inventor, entrepreneur and ufologist. An electrical engineer, Ramkrishan, 28, runs two companies in Naguar in Rajasthan. In 2008 he founded The Other Planet (TOP) research group for ufologists across India and set off on an investigation of a UFO sighting in Banwara village, where villagers had seen bright lights and a strange flying object. After scanning the area, we found a spot where the UFO could have landed and also recovered a light-emitting crystal-like object, he says.

Kamal Pant, 36, is no investigator or abduction theorist; he is a communicator. When I look upwards, the open sky attracts me, says the computer science lecturer from Dehradun. I am just preparing to upgrade myself to hear those messages, those that they want to tell me. He was lured into the world of ufology when he was five. No, it was not a helicopter or aircraft. It made no sound, he reaffirms as he recalls seeing bright red and blue beams of light in the night sky outside his home.

In a bid to bond with the beings out there, Kamal specialises in a different realmCE5 or close encounters of the fifth kind. These are encounters in which alien entities communicate with humans, mostly through telepathy. It could remind one of the random flashes of visions experienced by Louise, the protagonist in Arrival (2016), during her communication with alien heptapods.

Kamal Pant (left) and Ramkrishan Vaishnav

Kamal refuses to believe in alien abductions, assault or implants. They are a very advanced civilisation and all they want is to help us, not hurt us, he says. Extraterrestrials are no new phenomenon; they have been here for thousands of years, he says, urging us to look deeper into Indian mythology for proof. Ufology is a mix of Vedas and science, he concludes.
Somabhai Raval was barely seven when prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone for the Sardar Sarovar Project at Kevadia Colony in Gujarat on April 5, 1961. A resident of Fatehpura village in Patan district of north Gujarat, Raval is not well educated. Till seven years ago, when construction of a minor canal near his field began, he had not heard that the government was harnessing the Narmada waters for the Sardar Sarovar Project.

The canal near his field was completed two years ago, but Ravals 44 acres remain parched as ever. Where will the water come from? he asks, pointing to a kilometre-long furrow bordering his field. The furrow has not been joined to the canal and is filled with trash. There is no flow now, he says. I will clear the trash when the water comes. For now, he and his family of 10 depend on water from a borewell, which costs them one-third of their income.

On September 17, on the occasion of his 67th birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a plaque dedicating the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation, saying Gujarat would soon witness a green revolution. But farmers like Raval, who have been waiting decades for irrigation projects to bear fruit, do not expect any change in the near future.

The BJP has for long been criticising the opposition Congress for its alleged failure to increase the dam height when it was in power. But, in the past 22 years, during which it was in power, the party has done little to complete the network of canals. The Gujarat government had been getting funds from the Centre under accelerated development schemes for irrigation, says Himanshu Upadhyaya, an expert on public finance and water policy. But the money was not used to build canals.

Medha Patkar, whose Narmada Bachao Andolan opposes the project, had been claiming that the Narmada waters would never reach the parched areas of Gujarat. Considering what Raval and farmers like him are saying now, she seems to have been right, at least to some extent. The state governments own records say that 25,000 kilometres of canals need to be built.

The project is yet to benefit far-flung areas like Kutch, Saurashtra and north Gujarat. In fact, even canals in relatively nearby areassuch as in Hansalpur, 87 kilometres from Ahmedabadremain unfinished. We used to draw water from a small pond using pumps, says Bhikhabhai Bharwad, a 65-year-old farmer in Hansalpur. Now the pond is part of the upcoming Maruti Suzuki plant.

Like Raval, Bharwad, too, now depends on a borewell for water. He says that, even though the government has not completed the canal network to supply water to farmers, it has laid an underground pipeline from Modhera, about 15 kilometres from Hansalpur, to the Maruti plant.

Over the years, the state government has largely focused on supplying water to industries and urban areas. Newer regions have been added as beneficiaries of existing projects. A classic example is Sabarmati Riverfront, an infrastructure project on the banks of the river Sabarmati in Ahmedabad. The water for the project is drawn not from the Sabarmati, but from the Narmada.

BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya, however, maintains there is nothing wrong in diverting water from the Narmada for the benefit of housing societies in Ahmedabad. He said it had resulted in saving electricity, which would otherwise have been spent for drawing water from other sources. According to Pandya, it was the Congresss mistake that it did not think of the plan earlier.

Experts, however, disagree. Planned priority work is not happening, says Himanshu Thakkar of the NGO South Asia Network of Dams, Rivers and People. Neither Ahmedabad nor central Gujarat was the priority. And, if water tables had to be increased or electricity bills had to be reduced, there was no need to build such a large dam. There are other options available.

Former chief minister Suresh Mehta says the state government is guilty of criminal negligence, and it reduced the length of the canal network from around 90,000 kilometres to 70,000 kilometres without consulting the Narmada Control Authority, as was mandatory. According to him, the network is still incomplete because the government did not follow the tried and tested vertical integration approach, wherein minor and sub-minor canals are constructed simultaneously.

In the run-up to the assembly polls, the BJP would have to field tough questions regarding the project. Like, for instance, why there is no increase in the area irrigated despite the government having spent crores. The governments own records show that the total land irrigated remained unchanged at 2,07,057 hectares in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Also, sources say as much as 40 per cent of the water in existing canals are illegally diverted. At Asjol in north Gujarat, for instance, farmers allegedly divert water from the Narmada Main Canal to neighbouring fields. This has been going on for years, says Poonambhai Solanki, a resident of a village near Asjol. People do not get water in their fields and hence they have to resort to such tactics.
This week, the Israel Innovation Authority launched a new competitive tender to open its second biotech incubator. The Authoritys technological start-up incubators have proven themselves as an important tool for creating innovative companies in a variety of fields. This additional biotech incubator will serve as a gateway for multinational pharmaceutical companies and specialist investment funds to support Israeli start-ups.

Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, Eli Cohen, said, We attribute great importance to understanding the needs of the hi-tech industry, adapting programs to these needs, and developing technology. Our job is first and foremost to serve the industry and enable it to develop and receive the optimal support needed to succeed. This is another part of the ongoing Northern Plan which will reach NIS 920 million by the end of 2018.

Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, said, In Israels northern region, research infrastructure, relevant services and a vast potential of human capital are emerging. These basic assets  together with a biotech incubator that will help establish new startups will make it possible to create an important ecosystem in the field and to strengthen the pharmaceutical industry in Israel.

Following the governments decision that the Authority examine the possibility of establishing a biotech incubator in the north, the board of the Israel Innovation Authority decided to initiate a new competitive tender to establish a second biotechnological incubator, following the success of the previous tender won by FutuRX. The goal of the biotech incubator is to help build the pharmaceutical industry in Israel by connecting investors and strategic partners who can help identify innovative technological projects and help transform them into new companies. The program is undergoing an approval process as mandated by law.

The first tender brought two multinational corporations to Israel: Johnson & Johnson from the US and Takeda from Japan, together with the long-established venture capital fund OrbiMed. The FutuRx incubator has already invested in establishing 10 startups, and the complementary capabilities of multinational corporations along with a venture capital fund have already proven to bring great value to startups  both within the incubator and after the companies leave.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
By PTI: Mumbai, Sep 26 (PTI) Siemens Gamesa today said it has bagged a contract to develop a large commercial level renewable wind solar hybrid project in Karnataka.

The wind solar hybrid project constitutes the hybridisation of an existing 50 MW wind farm with 28.8 MW solar power plant, the company said in a statement issued here.

As part of the contract, Siemens Gamesa will provide a complete turnkey EPC solution that includes engineering and design of the solar farm, supply of inverters, erection and commissioning of the 28.8 MW photovoltaic solar farm in hybrid with the existing wind farm.

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The project is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year.

"As the first large commercial level hybrid project in the country, we have initiated this new phase of renewable energy which ensures optimal harnessing of both wind and solar energy technologies.

"This integrated approach will certainly place renewable energy in a new light thus ensuring maximum advantage for its investors," Siemens Gamesa chairman and managing director Ramesh Kymal said.

With the potential of hybrid at around 15000 MW in India, it will be the perfect techno-commercial solution for ensuring the best optimal outcome of renewable energy systems, companys executive vice president of solar business unit K V Sajay said.

"We are seeing growing interest among the customers in adopting this form of integrated renewable energy system to complement their energy needs. This trend is certainly boosting our confidence as we are seen as a trusted energy partner for their end to end energy solutions," he added. PTI PSK ARS BAS

--- ENDS ---
In June 1967, IDF paratroopers liberated the Kosel from Jordanian occupation while other IDF forces miraculously liberated all of Yehuda and Shomron. An official event marking the 50th anniversary of the event is set to take place in Gush Etzion on Wednesday, 7 Tishrei, a most fitting venue for such an event. Invitations have been sent out to local, national and diplomatic officials.

European Union Ambassador to Israel Emanuele Giaufrethas announced he will not attend, preferring to use his absence to stage a formal protest to the venue of the event, over the Green Line.

Deputy Minister Dr. Michael Oren (Kulanu), who served as a former Israeli Ambassador to Washington, called on Giaufret to reconsider. Others, including Minister of Sport & Culture (Likud) Miri Regev, called the decision ridiculous. She stated the EU ambassador is simply ignorant of Jewish history and the Jewish Peoples heritage and ties to the land.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Israels prime minister has congratulated Chancellor Angela Merkel on securing a fourth term while not mentioning the rise of a far-right party in Germanys election.

Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Merkels win on Monday in a toast for the Jewish New Year.

He made no mention of Alternative for Germany, or AfD, winning seats in parliament. Major Jewish groups have expressed alarm and dismay over the rise of the nationalist party.

Israel was established in 1948 on the ashes of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were systematically killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II.

The countries only established diplomatic relations in 1965.

Today, Germany is a key Israeli ally in Europe, and assumes responsibility for the atrocities committed during the Holocaust.

Congratulations to Angela #Merkel , a true friend of Israel, on her re-election as Chancellor of Germany.  Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) September 24, 2017

(AP)
Thomas Cook expects the cost of holidays to popular destinations like Spain to rise next year as the pound is set to remain weak.

The travel giant said it expects Spanish holiday costs to rise between 5 to 10 per cent, also as a result of a loss of appetite for regions now deemed less safe.

However it said Turkey and Egypt, which have been affected by a period of political turmoil and terrorism, have seen demand pick up again in recent months.

Pain in Spain: Thomas Cook expects Spanish holiday costs to rise between 5 to 10% next year

Elsewhere, strong demand for holidays in Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus gave Thomas Cook a boost, despite last months operational challenges, when it had to take care of hundreds of thousands of customers impacted by Hurricane Irma.

The travel giant reported an 8 per cent rise in UK bookings over the summer, with total booking up 11 per cent and average selling prices 1 per cent higher.

Along with its pre-closing trading update, Thomas Cook announced the retirement of its chief financial officer Michael Healy and a strategic partnership with LMEY investments, a Swiss-based hotel property development company, to develop and grow its own-brand hotel portfolio.

As part of the deal Thomas Cook has acquired a 42 per cent stake the German tour operator Aldiana, a company which Thomas Cook sold off in two chunks in 2005 and 2012.

Thomas Cook and LMEY will also work together to create a joint hotel investment platform, starting with hotel assets worth around 150million, which will be used to develop Thomas Cooks own brand hotels.

The new partnership comes hot on the heels of a deal struck with Expedia, announced earlier this month, under which Expedia will become Thomas Cooks preferred hotel provider for city breaks, and Thomas Cook will be able to sell its package holidays on Expedias global website.

New deal: Thomas Cook announced a partnership with a Swiss-based hotel property development company that will help it develop and grow its own-brand hotel portfolio

Peter Frankhauser said he was delighted of the groups strategic process and said: The alliance with Expedia announced earlier this month will allow us to cut the complexity in our business and focus on our core holiday offering.

'In addition, our new partnership with hotel property investor LMEY, announced this morning, gives us a stake in the popular German premium club brand Aldiana, and a platform from which to accelerate the growth of our own-brand hotels business.

Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: Aldiana means the place where the happy ones live in Senegalese, we are told, and Thomas Cook will be hoping it lives up to its name.

He added: Fankhauser has previously said he wants the travel company to walk in its customers flip flops, and the deal with LMEY will allow Thomas Cook to strengthen its own brand offering where it can exert greater influence over the holiday experience.

Thomas Cook also said it had provided support and took care of 22,000 of its customers in destinations impacted by devastating Hurricane Irma.

It said it was forced to evacuate thousands of customers in The Cayos in Cuba, which were the group's worst hit resorts, while it also had 10,000 customers in Florida and 4,500 in the Dominican Republic. Around 15,500 of those customers affected were from the UK, it said.

The group reiterated that it expects full year operating profit to be in line with current market expectations. Shares fell by 0.9 per cent, or 1.1p, to 119.9p in morning trading.

Helal Miah, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, said: 'The groups update does not seem to suggest that consumers were putting off their holidays in the face of falling real incomes and, looking ahead, consumers are still making bookings as winter bookings are up 6%.'
Spanish holidays will be more expensive next year, Thomas Cook has warned.

Increased demand because of renewed safety fears at other destinations had driven prices higher, the travel operator said.

The company expects prices to rise by another 5 per cent to 10 per cent  having previously anticipated a smaller increase.

Peter Fankhauser, chief executive, said: We dont have enough beds for all the demand.

Hot spot: Thomas Cook says the price of Spanish holidays is likely to rise by another 5 per cent to 10 per cent

He added that Spanish hoteliers were taking a bit of an advantage of the increased demand, but were also investing their higher profits to improve their facilities.

Despite rising costs in Spain, the travel giant said it had seen a rise in customers returning to Egypt and Turkey after a spate of terrorist attacks had kept tourists at bay.

Thomas Cook restarted selling holidays to Tunisia last month following the murder of 38 people in Sousse in 2015.

WHERE WE'RE GOING Spain  Costa Brava, Majorca and Menorca

Canary Islands  Tenerife

Greece  mainland, Rhodes and Kos

Turkey  Marmaris and Side

Cyprus  Paphos and Ayia Napa

Egypt  Hurghada and Marsa Alam on the Red Sea

Bulgaria  Sunny Beach on the Black Sea

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office previously advised holidaymakers to avoid the region.

Fankhauser said the firm has tried to inform customers as best we can about the potential risks and let them make up their own minds about whether they wanted to go.

Thomas Cook revealed that UK bookings have risen 8 per cent over the summer  despite a highly competitive market in the country as customers flocked to Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus.

Total summer 2017 bookings were 11 per cent higher across the group. Its winter programme is 37 per cent sold, with bookings 5 per cent higher across the UK and prices up 3 per cent.

The company added that strong demand in the UK and northern Europe was helping drive a solid start to summer 2018.

Thomas Cook also announced a strategic partnership, with Swiss-based hotel property development company LMEY Investments, which has seen the group buy a 42 per cent stake in German tour operator Aldiana from LMEY.

Aldiana operates eight club resorts in Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Tunisia and Austria. Thomas Cook also struck a deal with travel website Expedia earlier this month to bolster its city break business.

Under the agreement, Expedia will act as the preferred hotel provider for Thomas Cooks complementary city and domestic holiday arm  giving customers access to its 60,000 hotels which can be booked on their own or as part of a package holiday.

Meanwhile, in a separate announcement, Thomas Cook revealed that the companys chief financial officer, Michael Healy, has decided to retire.

Healy, who has been at the firm for five years, will be replaced by Bill Scott, currently director of financial reporting, at the beginning of the year.
Lloyds is moving employees in its Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical teams

Lloyds has been attacked for betraying staff over plans to shift 1,000 pension workers to an outsourcing business.

The bank is moving employees in its Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical teams to Peterborough-based TCS Diligenta, which is owned by Indian conglomerate Tata.

Bosses say Diligenta already looks after more than 11m British life and pension policies, and that the deal will make life simpler and more efficient for customers.

But unions have attacked the proposals and warned it is only a matter of time before mass sackings begin.

Unite national officer Rob MacGregor said: The wholesale transfer is nothing short of a betrayal of these workers.

Unite is calling on Lloyds to reconsider this shameful deal and do the right thing by its staff who have worked hard to ensure the business is the success it is today.

The plans affect workers in Bristol and Edinburgh offices.

Shares fell 1.3 per cent, or 0.88p, to 64.99p yesterday.
MBABANE - If you know that you have got what it takes to compete with other beautiful girls from across Africa, then dont let this opportunity pass you by.



It is time to make a submission to partake in this years Miss One World Heritage Beauty Pageant. Swaziland has been included in the list of countries that can attend.

This initiative is African and now an international event which was founded by One World Networks None Profit Institution of Afrasian arts, culture based in Southern Africa.



Hosted



The Miss One World Heritage finals will be held on October 28, 2017 in Meydan Hotel, Dubai (United Emirates Arab) and the Awards Night will be hosted in Mbabane Swaziland in December 16, 2017.



This event will be held in the following categories-pre Juniors 7yrs-9yrs boys and girls. Juniors 10yrs-14yrs boys and girls, teens 15yrs-18yrs girls only, seniors 19yrs-25yrs girls only.



The One World Networks Non Profit Institution of Afrasian arts and culture is inviting all interested models to enter this pageant and represent their respective countries and cultures.

The event is held to promote cultural heritage, fashion and tourism of each nationality.



Among the other events held of this calibre the main focus will be on traditional attires of every nation and the neutrality of styles promoted in each tribe.
Sir,



Please allow me to voice my concerns about the bad treatment that we receive from the Swaziland College of Technology (SCOT), especially for part-time programmes.

I took the initiative to enrol for a part-time course, as I would lose time and resources to go full-time, since I am a busy adult with solid commitments. However, what I find out is disappointing in as far as the management of the institution, its operation and treatment of students is concerned. I noted the following challenges, which SCOT and the relevant authorities, like the Ministry of Education and Training, need to address to ensure that this institution fits the average college standards, for authenticity of the institution of higher learning.



First, the courses offered on the part-time arrangement are poorly managed and organised, to say the least. Students have to beg to register, with the bursar demanding 60 per cent of the tuition fees up-front.

Mind you, we are part-time students, with no scholarship so we pay for ourselves. A deposit is understandable, but the high percentage demand is unrealistic.



Secondly, a good negotiating student can register after paying at least a 50 per cent tuition fee, after numerous begging visits to the Administration Department and the Bursar. Now, one would expect to get all the necessary documentation for the training programme you enrol for, like the course outline, module booklets/notes/guides, etc, only to be disappointed after being instructed by lecturers and administration that as a student one has to scout for modules, notes, including the course outline itself. Unbelievable!



Finally, the very bad thing the institution makes is to change the fees mid-term willy-nilly, without informing the students in time, with no reasons given. When you apply for a training programme you receive an information pack, listing all the fees and the courses you will be undertaking. However, once you register you automatically become a cash-cow for the institution; you will be told about the escalation of tuition fees abruptly, and you have to pay the increase with immediate effect.



With this experience it is clear why the dream of upgrading the college to a university will remain a dream. Even the word college does not match what one observes and receives from this institution. It is now obvious why the Vaal University pulled out of the University of Technology dream, and it shows that as students we will always be beggars to the SCOT administration and lecturers for the duration of the training.

If it was not that I pay for myself, I would have withdrawn from this institution due to the bad attitude, bad leadership, bad organisation and bad communication. I doubt if there is any institution that accredits SCOT, based on international standards of a college of technology.

It is a challenge to learn in an environment not learner-friendly like this. If there is anybody governing the operations of this college, we would appreciate to see some monitoring of the operations here, for us as students to get the necessary support, information and quality training.



Disappointed part-time student
By PTI: Kisanganj (Bihar), Sep 26 (PTI) Security forces today seized heroin valued at Rs 9.50 crore in the International market near Mohanmari village of Bihars Kisanganj district.

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and narcotics unit of Bihar police also arrested two persons for allegedly possessing the 1.90 kg heroin near Mohanmari village, SSB officials said.

The two arrested persons are from West Bengal.

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The heroin being smuggled from Bangladesh was to be delivered to someone in Kisanganj, the officials added. PTI CORR SNS NN

--- ENDS ---
MBABANE  It was a tale of two cities for census enumerators as some of them smiled all the way to the bank while others were left red faced.



This was after the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development yesterday finally started rolling out the payment of the officers who were supposed to have been paid in June 2017.

However, not all were paid.



A classic example occurred at Emvimbeko High School under Ntondozi Inkhundla where only nine of the enumerators were paid.

About 40 of the staffers, mainly youths had come eagerly expecting their much awaited cheques only to be told to that there were none for them.



A proper explanation was not forwarded to them and instead the three male officers who had come with the nine cheques told them that they would investigate what had happened to their payment.



We are livid because once again some of us borrowed money for transport, instead we are now being faced with more debts, complained one of them.



The ministry, through the Statistics office, had issued a list of all the centres where they would be making payments starting yesterday until Friday, September 29, 2017.

The enumerators further said those who received payment were disappointed by the amount of money they received as it was far less than what they were initially promised.
QOMINTABA  There is no reason why a person should see his appointment as a leader of a community as a ticket to show arrogance to the people.



This was a strong warning given to Lavumisa Chief Prince Gasa WaNgwane during his Sibhimbi on Saturday. Addressing the recently sworn-in traditional leader was Indvuna Lomapotapota Mkhabela, who is also Nhlangano Kings Liaison Officer.



What was notable was that the words of guidance from the indvuna came in the backdrop of simmering discontent against the chiefs rule in the chiefdom, which has often resulted in demonstrations staged especially by the youth at the chiefs royal kraal.



He told the chief to be careful when leading people and avoid falling into the pit of arrogance. He said the chief should be approachable by the people he leads, and especially members of his immediate family (the Lavumisa royal family) who, after all, elevated him to the role of chieftaincy.



Mkhabela stressed that the chief was obligated to serve the Lavumisa ruling household, and most importantly, the people of the chiefdom.

He said humility on the part of the chief would ensure a healthy relationship between him and the people of Lavumisa. The staunch traditionalist observed that the demonstration of respect in a chiefs discharge of his duties was imperative.

You have not been appointed to find yourself as being a better person than others. You should put respect first, just as your forefathers were respectful, Mkhabela stressed.

He conceded that being appointed to the role of community leader was a huge challenge.

He said in order for a chief to avoid upsetting people, he should listen to what they have to say.

Prince Gasa WaNgwane on Saturday officially assumed the chieftaincy role in the Lavumisa Chiefdom during a traditional ceremony which was attended by traditionalists, high ranking government officials and representatives from the royal family.
PIGGS PEAK  Gruesome details of the last moments that led to the death of the 18-year-old Mhlatane High School pupil, who was bludgeoned to death, have been revealed.



The pupil, Mlandvo Lindani Dlamini, was allegedly beaten using a tap rod all over his body and head several times.

His attacker, Wandile Ndlela, has already appeared before the Piggs Peak Magistrates Court. According to the charge sheet, Mlandvo was assaulted using the tap rod all over his body and head several times, resulting in his death. Ndlela has been charged with murder.

Mlandvo is said to have been doing Form V at Mhlatane High School. The school is expected to hold its Speech and Prize Giving Day this coming Saturday.

Ndlela appeared before Magistrate Simangele Mbatha on Sunday where he was remanded in custody pending trial at the High Court. He was also advised that he could apply for bail at the High Court.



Mlandvo was allegedly fatally assaulted after being found at Ndlelas home with the suspects wife. On the night of the assault, it is alleged that Ndlela was supposed to be at Mhlume where he is employed.



The wife was allegedly unaware that her husband was in fact not at Mhlume on the night when the fatal incident occurred. Ndlela is said to have arrived unexpectedly, only to discover that Mlandvo was with his wife at their house.



That is when Ndlela allegedly assaulted the teenager. After allegedly killing the 18-year-old pupil, Ndlela then called the police to inform them about what he had done.
MANZINI  Three warders were rushed to hospital; two of them with serious injuries, after they were stabbed by a violent inmate who is a member of the notorious 28 gang.



The inmate used a broken glass window pane to stab the officers.

It was gathered that the inmate, who was locked in solitary confinement, which is widely known as an isolated cell, had targeted to stab the officer in charge at Bhalekane Correctional Services facility where the incident took place.



The incident, which left the safety of His Majestys Correction Services (HMCS) officers in a questionable state, took place on Thursday.

A well-placed source inside the facility said the inmate made a special request to see the facilitys officer in charge and permission was duly granted.



He said the inmate was considered to be violent because he was put in isolation together with two others after they allegedly assaulted and almost plucked out an eye of another prisoner who was leaving the gang.



The source said an officer was assigned to escort him from the solitary confinement but when they reached the officer in charges office, they found that he was out and busy with other duties.

He said the officer explained to the inmate that he could not see the officer in charge at the moment as he was out office and engaged in other duties.



The source said the explanation did not sit well with the inmate as he resisted when the officer ordered him to go back to his isolated cell until further notice.
HLATIKHULU  A schoolboy suffered permanent damage to his eye after he was allegedly struck by a stick in class.



Following the incident, the Grade VII pupil had to be rushed to hospital, where he underwent surgery and the eye was removed.

The boys eye apparently got injured while a male temporary teacher was meting out corporal punishment to his classmates at Ekuphakameni Community Primary School in the outskirts of Hlatikhulu on Thursday.



Information gathered was that the teacher was only a relief teacher, who is standing in for a female teacher who is on maternity leave.

The 11-year-old boy reportedly told his parents he was sitting behind his desk when he was struck in the eye by a splinter from a stick which broke while his teacher was beating some pupils in his class.



The youngster said he was not among the pupils who were being punished for urinating outside the school toilets. Instead, he said he got injured in the eye when the stick the teacher was using broke, with the broken piece flying straight into his eyeball.



He said it just hit him straight in his right eye, and blood oozed immediately. Reports were that the boy instantaneously rolled on the floor in agony. Other teachers who heard the commotion are said to have rushed to the scene and the injured boy was rushed to hospital.

The schoolboys father said his son was first taken to Hlatikhulu Government Hospital, where it was unfortunately discovered that most of the vital parts of the eye were seriously damaged.



He said at the hospital they learnt that nothing could be done to save the eye and he was transferred to the Mbabane Government Hospital where he was eventually operated on.
MANZINI  Out of the norm, over 30 pupils almost turned Mvimbeko High School into a maternity camp.



This came about after it transpired that 31 pupils from the school were pregnant.

The number of the pregnant teenagers is said to have been huge for the first time in history this year so much that it raised concerns as to why they were not sent home.



According to a source, when the school authorities were quizzed on this, the response was that they were bound by a directive from the ministry of Education and Training, which stated that pregnant pupils should not be expelled from school.

This resulted in the mammoth statistics of soon-to-be teen mothers roaming the school premises without shame or remorse of their actions.



According to a concerned citizen, this has been ongoing for some time until recently when the pupils were sent home after the school authorities engaged their parents.

In addition, the source said the pupils conceived a little before winter or during the cold season because all along, they were not showing any signs of pregnancy due to that they wore jerseys and a lot of clothes underneath their uniforms.



However, most of them began visible after they resumed school for the third term. The source said the number of pregnant learners at the school excluded those who voluntarily dropped out before they were even noticed by teachers.

What is puzzling is why the pupils were allowed to continue with classes when they were heavily pregnant because this had negative effects on other scholars who wanted to learn, wondered one resident, who is also a parent at the school.



Another one chipped in and said it was better now that the expectant pupils were sent home and told to return for their examinations.

Even though they were not expelled, it is better that they experience pregnancy related sicknesses away from the other children, she said.
India Today Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa kicked of the State of States: Karnataka, offering a glimpse into what day-long the event has to offer.

By India Today Web Desk: Good morning everyone, Mr RV Deshpande, Karnataka's Minister of Large and Medium Industries, KG George, Minister of Bengaluru Planning and Development, Mohandas Pai, Chairman Manipal Global Education, distinguished speakers, bureaucrats, officers, Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the India Today Group, it is a great pleasure to welcome you all to the first State of the State Conclave and Report on Karnataka being organised by India Today magazine.

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For me this is a home-coming of sorts and city and state full of memories - I first came to Bengaluru in 1960 and then went on to do schooling and college in Christ College and Bangalore University - then went on to start a local newspaper, before joining India Today in 1981 and apart from heading the bureau covered the Southern states till 1986. So I have seen Karnataka grow into one of the most progressive states in the country.

And this is the reason why we decided to focus on doing a state of the state report on Karnataka.

Since 2003, when India Today initiated the State of the States Report, the magazine has been ranking Indian states based on the business environment and quality of life. This has now come to be recognised as the gold standard for evaluating the social and economic health of Indian States.

Among the many requests that came in after we came out with these national state of the state awards, particularly from Chief Ministers was that India Today should also examine individual states more closely and help them understand how they could improve their performance. This became all the more important because states have now become the key drivers to India's economic development.

So we decided to begin what we call the State of the State Report as the next logical step. The concept is to have experts do an X-ray of the state by conducting a micro-analysis at the district level. We initiated the process in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan. So overall this our fifth State of the State report. We intend to cover all the Indian states in the next five years.

The State of the State (SOTS) today has become the touchstone for competition among districts within each state. The India Today State of the State (SOTS) report on Karnataka is a pioneering study since it has analysed all the 30 districts for the first time for around 10 categories of development for the last decade.

The crucial categories are education, health, Infrastructure, agriculture, industry, services, water and sanitation, law and order, prosperity, overall. The winners are 20 districts in each of the 10 categories, 10 best level of development, 10 best improved in the last 10 years.Recognised that the districts are drivers of change - not Delhi or even the state capitals.

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The SOTS is not a survey ie study of people's perceptions, which can predict wrongly. It is a serious study of actual objective data from official sources like Census, NSS, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), etc combined with ground reports from the districts. The India Today research team and the reportial team got together with well known data agency Nielsen to produce a serious, indepth study of the state analysing district level data.

By doing this, India Today is now the pioneer of such district studies. We do face problems since district level data is not very well gathered, or maintained or simply not available, yet we are making tremendous efforts to gather them across all the states in India.

SO WHY KARNATAKA?

Karnataka is rich in cultural and administrative traditions traceable to the great Vijayanagara kingdom - whose Hampi ruins are still a magnificent epitaph of that glorious empire.

In more modern times, Karnataka growth has been closely linked with its industrialisation. And there were three distinctions phases:

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Firstly, it set up the country's first hydro-electric power station way back in 1902. And became home to both Indian Institute of Science and country's first engineering college. It then became a leader in financial services, with one district alone Dakshina Kannada being the birthplace of five major commercial banks;

In the second phase, it became the centre for high technology manufacturing industries after independence in areas such as machine tools, defence electronics, aerospace, telecommunications, and earth-moving equipment;

Then in the third phases it spawned the Information Technology boom that made it Bengaluru the top ten tech towns in the world and the moniker of the Silicon Valley of India. Today it accounts for close to 40% of the software exports from India.

Karnataka's favourable policies have encouraged industries to set up their research and development (R&D) centres in the state. The state has about 401 R&D centres, the most in India. Around 400 of the Fortune Global 500 companies outsource their IT services to firms in Bengaluru. It is now home to the fourth largest technology cluster in the world.

It is now one of the fastest growing states of the country. The endeavour now is how can Karnataka be the number one state of the country. We have lined up a range of outstanding speakers and panels throughout the day to discuss how Karnataka can achieve the goal. Later in the evening we are honoured that the Chief Minister of Karnataka will deliver the keynote address and distribute the prizes to the winning districts. So we have a rewarding day ahead of us.

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A Global Times editorial admitted that there indeed is terrorism in Pakistan as it accused India of being bigoted towards Islamabad and suggested that Sushma Swaraj was arrogant in her speech at the UN General Assembly.

By India Today Web Desk: There is terrorism in Pakistan, an editorial in the hawkish Global Times grudgingly admitted even as it suggested that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's speech at the United Nations General Assembly was arrogant and aimed at inflaming nationalism in India.

The Global Times seemingly compared Swaraj's tone at the UNGA to US President Donald Trump and his nationalistic outlook. "By inflaming nationalism in the Indian public, Indians become more determined to make India first than even US President Donald Trump's 'America First,'" the paper said.

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Swaraj's "rebuking [Pakistan's] foolishness and ugliness" may have "moved herself and the whole country," the editorial also said. "But it is a grave disaster when Indians are confident in their rightness and their neighbors' [sic] wrongs while super-proud of India's capabilities in cultivating engineers and doctors. A country that despises others can hardly seek agreement over conflicts."

The Global Times, which is the same paper that maintained an unceasing barrage of rhetoric targeting New Delhi during the Doklam standoff, also accused India of "bigotry toward Pakistan".

However, the editorial admitted that terror groups indeed operate from Pakistani soil, but suggested that terrorism may not be Islamabad's national policy. "There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the country's national policy?"

"What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money or honor? Is India really an IT superpower that produces engineers and doctors when it is hell-bent on believing Pakistan is evil?" the paper continued.

Going on to advise India to "befriend China and respect Pakistan", the Global Times editorial added, "With smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China."

The editorial also repeated what has been a standard Beijing stand - that everybody should see "the efforts and sacrifice that Pakistan has made to rid the world of terrorism and refrain from mixing disputes over terrorism with their own historical disputes."

'EXPORTING TERROR'

On Saturday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tore in Pakistan in a statement that will perhaps be best remembered for her saying that while India has produce premier institutes of engineering (IITs) and management (IIMs), Pakistan has produced terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

"Why is it that today India is a recognized IT superpower in the world and Pakistan is recognized only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?" Swaraj questioned at the UNGA hall in New York.

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Swaraj's hard-hitting speech at the United Nations was met with Islamabad fielding a top-level diplomat to counter the accusations. Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's representative to the United Nations, exercised her country's right of reply to say that India, and not Pakistan, was the 'mother of terrorism' in south Asia.

Lodhi, however, was caught in an embarrassing gaffe when she confidently waved around a photo of a girl she suggested had been injured by pellet gun fire in Jammu and Kashmir. That photo, it turned out, was that of a Palestinian woman injured in air strikes in Gaza.

India on Monday shamed Islamabad for the lie, with a junior Indian diplomat - Paolomi Tripathi - telling the UNGA, "The Permanent Representative of Pakistan misled this Assembly by displaying this picture to spread falsehoods about India. A fake picture to push a completely false narrative."

Tripathi went on to hold up a picture of Lt. Ummer Fayaz, who was killed by militants in Kashmir, and said, "This is a real picture, of Lt Ummer Fayaz, a young officer from Jammu and Kashmir. He was brutally tortured and killed by Pakistan-supported terrorists."

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WATCH | India hits back at Maleeha Lodhi at UN

--- ENDS ---
His statement even led to DMK's Deputy Chief MK Stalin demanding a CBI probe and the state announcing a probe headed by a retired judge.

By Pramod Madhav: Dindigul Srinivasan, the Environment and Forests Minister of Tamil Nadu, raised a storm last week by claiming that he and others lied about Jayalalitha's death when she was admitted in Apollo Hospital, and that no minister had met her and apologised for lying to the public. He even raised allegation that had anyone met with her, Jayalalithaa would have talked about her suffering.

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His statement even led to DMK's Deputy Chief MK Stalin demanding a CBI probe and the state announcing a probe headed by a retired judge.

However, on Tuesday morning, Co-operatives Minister, Sellur Raju, refuted the claim. "All ministers did meet with Jayalalithaa when she was in Apollo," he stated. Sellur Raju became emotional while speaking about Jayalalithaa and even said that he doesn't want to talk about any conspiracy over her death as that would diminish her legacy.

Nilofer Kafeel, the Labout Minister also took a stand against Dindigul Srinivasan's speech claiming that she too met Jayalalithaa inside the hospital but did not interact as she was being moved between wards.

Even Chief Minister E Palaniswamy, who is raising claims about Jayalalithaa's death, stayed silent for nearly 7 months after her death. Such varying speech and stance taken by CM EPS' ministers had totally made them lose their face with the public.

"Now you know why Jayalalithaa never let her ministers and MLAs speak or interact with the public", smiled a senior AIADMK leader.

--- ENDS ---
Did you vote in the midterm elections as if your countrys existence depended on it?
The Journalism department HOD was stabbed at least 6 times by a guest lecturer for not approving his job extension.

By Pramod Madhav: Panic gripped Madurai's Kamaraj University after a woman lecturer was found lying unconscious in a pool of blood inside the campus today morning.

Jenefa, HOD of journalism department, was found unconscious with multiple stab wounds by the students. She was rushed to a hospital and doctors claim Jenefa was stabbed at least 6 times.

Meanwhile, another group of students apprehended Jothi Murugan, a guest lecturer, who later confessed to committing the crime. Irked by the incident, the students attacked Murugan.

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The guest faculty said that he attacked Jenefa because she allegedly did not approve of his job extension at the university.

Jenefa's condition is slated to be critical.

--- ENDS ---
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ALBANY  The corruption convictions of former state Senate Republican Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos and his son Adam B. Skelos were overturned by a federal appellate court on Tuesday in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that retooled the definition of an "official act" as it relates to public corruption.

The decision vacating the convictions of Skelos and his son was handed down less than three months after former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver saw his corruption conviction overturned in a similar appellate ruling.

"Sen. Skelos is grateful for the court's careful consideration of the issues and looks forward to the next steps," Dean Skelos' attorney Alexandra Shapiro said in a statement. "We believe that as events unfold it is going to become clear that this is a case that never should have been brought."

Federal prosecutors have vowed to promptly pursue retrials of both the Skeloses and Silver. Still, the appellate rulings may mark a setback in the legacy of former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of Manhattan, who, before his firing by President Donald Trump earlier this year, had aggressively pursued a series of public corruption prosecutions against high-level state government figures in New York.

Skelos and his son were found guilty in December 2015 of swapping official favors in exchange for jobs and other benefits received by Adam Skelos.

In May 2016, Dean Skelos was sentenced to five years in prison, and Adam Skelos to more than six years. But they have remained free pending the outcome of their appeal.

In a statement following Tuesday's ruling, federal prosecutors in New York's Southern District said they will seek a second trial "where we will have another opportunity to present overwhelming evidence of Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos's guilt and again give the public the justice it deserves."

The decision from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals was sparked by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the case of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, whose conviction was overturned by the nation's highest court in a ruling that narrowed the definition of the types of official acts that could be considered as part of quid pro quo arrangements. The SCOTUS decision was handed down after Skelos and his son were convicted.

In Tuesday's ruling, the court found that the jury instructions defining an official act were flawed based on the McDonnell decision.

In July, a similar decision vacating the conviction of Silver also cited the McDonnel decision. As prosecutors move to seek a re-trial in that case, Silver has asked for a review by the Supreme Court. It's unclear whether the Supreme Court will review his case.

Joon Kim, who was Bharara's deputy U.S. Attorney, has been running the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan since March, when Bharara was fired by Trump.

"Cleaning up corruption is never easy, and that is certainly true for corruption in New York state government," Kim said in a statement. "But we are as committed as ever to doing everything we can to keep our government honest. That is what we will do in this prosecution as well."

Bharara tweeted that "SCOTUS made it harder to punish corruption, but justice should prevail here."

The Skelos case revolved around the senator's efforts to secure income and benefits for Adam Skelos from politically connected businesses.

The indictment accused Skelos of wielding his considerable political influence as the Senate's top member to benefit environmental technology company AbTech, which landed a $12 million contract for a stormwater-remediation system in Skelos' home base of Nassau County, and Glenwood Management, a prominent New York real estate development company with ties to AbTech.

In return, prosecutors alleged, Adam Skelos received more than $200,000 in payments and Dean Skelos and his Republicans earned hefty political donations from Glenwood.

Two additional charges of extortion and solicitation of bribes related to Adam Skelos' no-show job with a Long Island medical malpractice insurance company were later added. That job was secured at the behest of Dean Skelos.

Executives and lobbyists for Glenwood and AbTech received non-prosecution agreements in exchange for their cooperation with prosecutors.

Evidence in the case included wiretapped phone conversations between the father and son and lobbyists, business executives and lawmakers. In one conversation between the father and son played in court during their trial, Adam Skelos complained to his father that he couldn't give him "real advice" on the AbTech deal because "you can't talk normal because it's like (expletive) Preet Bharara is listening to every (expletive) phone call. It's just (expletive) frustrating."

"It is," Dean Skelos replied.

The Skeloses appealed not only on the grounds that the jury instructions were improper, but they also challenged the sufficiency of some evidence and witness testimony. Largely, those other challenges were rejected by the appellate panel.

On the challenges related to the sufficiency of the evidence supporting an official act, but the court found that it "lacks merit because the evidence shows far more than Dean Skelos's setting up a meeting for AbTech representatives with the New York Department of Health."

"Using one's influence as a high ranking state official to push through county legislation and to bestow a county-issued contract are indisputably formal exercises of governmental power constituting official acts under McDonnell," the decisions states. "Similarly, evidence of Dean Skelos's efforts to pass state legislation to fund various projects benefitting AbTech also supports a reasonable jury finding of legally cognizable official acts."

Skelos was first elected to the Legislature in 1980, representing a slice of Long Island in the Assembly. He won election to the Senate in 1984.

He was picked as Majority Leader Joseph Bruno's deputy in 1995 and eventually succeeded the Brunswick Republican in 2008 when Bruno stepped down in the face of an FBI investigation that resulted in his own indictment on bribery and corruption charges. Bruno was convicted at his first trial in Albany but appealed on the basis of a Supreme Court decision that narrowed the federal honest services statute. He was acquitted at a second trial.

After Bruno's departure, Skelos was relegated to the minority party following the 2008 elections and was part of the infamous 2009 Senate coup that put him in charge of the chamber by luring two renegade Democratic senators to back the GOP.

Though the coup was short-lived, by 2011 Skelos was back as the full-time majority leader after Republicans regained majority control. Heading into the 2013 legislative session, Skelos forged a co-leadership agreement with Sen. Jeff Klein, a Bronx Democrat who leads the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference, that kept Republicans from losing control of the chamber.

Under the weight of his May 2015 arrest and chaos that followed, Skelos decided to step down as GOP leader days after he was charged. Though he remained in the Senate until his conviction months later, John Flanagan, a fellow Long Island Republican, was elevated to the leader post, which he maintains today.

A Flanagan spokesman did not immediately comment Tuesday.
New York State Police

An 85-year-old Ghent woman was killed after being hit by a truck in a Philmont parking lot on Monday. State Troopers responded to a report of a hit and run on Main Street involving a serious injury at the parking lot of Family Dollar.

State Police said that Jennifer McGrath-Jennings, 24, of Philmont, was backing up the truck she was driving when she struck Carol Milligan. Milligan was taken to Albany Medical Center for treatment where she died.
A plan to store hundreds of unused railroad cars on a line in the Adirondack Park is drawing fire from conservation groups and has Warren County officials checking a lease that controls the only way into the line.

Chicago-based Iowa Pacific Holdings is preparing to have cars brought in for indefinite storage on the Saratoga and North Creek rail line that runs from a former iron mine in Tahawus in Essex County south to North Creek in Warren County.

Iowa Pacific owns that section of the line, and leases the remainder, which runs south from North Creek to Saratoga Springs, in Saratoga County, from Warren County and the town of Corinth. Any incoming rail cars would have to pass over the leased lines first on the journey north.

Two years ago, the rail company abandoned plans to store unused oil tanker cars on the line amidst opposition from the state and local officials. Now, the Adirondack Council and Protect the Adirondacks are both against the revived plan and urging the state to step in.

"The state needs to step in," said Peter Bauer, of Protect the Adirondacks. He said the plan indicates the railroad, which has a longstanding but still unrealized plan to ship mine tailings south on the line for use downstate, is not financially viable.

The railroad also faces a lawsuit claiming it owes $3 million in a naming dispute over its popular Polar Express holiday trains.

County officials renewed the Iowa Pacific lease last spring, but that lease has no restrictions that would bar the rail company from bringing in cars for storage, said Horicon Supervisor Matt Simpson, chairman of the public works committee for the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

"There are some concerns over the storage of rails cars. But we have no authority over their property. What they would use for storage is their property, not ours," he said.

Simpson added that the company has missed its monthly rent payments on the leased tracks for July, August and September. Continued non-payment could jeopardize the lease, he added.

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"The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will closely evaluate any proposal for the storage of railcars, but has not received any such proposal," DEC spokeswoman Erica Ringewald said Tuesday afternoon. "Storing such cars in the Forest Preserve is concerning and may have environmental impacts that must be carefully analyzed."

Ed Ellis, president of Iowa Pacific, said he did promise Warren County, prior to having the lease renewed, that the company would not store "hazardous" rail cars on its lines. He said oil tankers are hazardous, and thus, wouldn't be stored there.

He said the storage plan was "good news" because it would provide additional revenue to the company, which it can use to maintain more than 100 miles of track. He said no decisions have been made on how many cars might be stored.

"The scenic beauty of the Adirondack Forest Preserve and the success of the Adirondack Park as a tourism destination are threatened by this outrageous proposal," said Adirondack Council Executive Director William Janeway.

He added, "The Governor has invested many millions of dollars into promoting the park as a world-class wilderness experience for visitors, and as a place where pure waters will be protected. Dumping hundreds of worn-out rail cars here would degrade the park's beauty and could lead to water pollution in the Hudson River."
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Albany

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and a host of Democratic elected officials came out Tuesday in support of unionized workers at the Hilton Albany hotel in a labor contract dispute with its Long Island-based owners.

Speaking to a rally of several hundred union members in front of the hotel's Lodge Street entrance, Sheehan recalled supporting a city tax break package for the hotel, worth more than $1 million a year, and said hotel owners United Capital Corp. had "broken their promises" by failing to reach a contract with the Hotel Trades Council, which represents about 140 workers at the hotel.

Union officials have said that United Capital, of Great Neck. L.I., which is negotiating its first contract with the union since buying the hotel in 2015, wants to replace the pension with a 10-cent an hour match to a 401(k) plan. Other company demands include cutting paid bereavement days from five to three, loss of a week of paid vacation time, and reduction of minimum guaranteed pay for workers called in on their days off. The current contract, signed before the company bought the hotel, expired in April.

"You are not giving back," said Sheehan. "We are going to stand with you." She was joined by other prominent area Democrats, including County Executive Dan McCoy, state Sen. Neil Breslin, and assembly members Pat Fahy and Phil Steck. "We need strong unions," said Steck. "We need Americans of all backgrounds to be successful ... you should not have your pensions stolen from you by your employer."

Last week, the union filed a lengthy complaint with the city and with the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration that alleged numerous health and safety code violations at the hotel after an inspection by union officials last month.

Alleged violations included exposed electrical wiring, potential vermin in kitchen areas, unsafe food storage, and inoperable or uninspected fire extinguishers, and unsafe fire doors in the laundry room.

City inspectors visited the hotel on Sept. 22 and issued citations that included an order to "address all issues" identified in the union report. The city also ordered updates to the fire sprinkler system and to laundry room doors.

City Director of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance Robert Magee said city inspectors have issued several violations to hotel owners earlier this year, for water damage to the swimming pool support structure and for water damage to the fire alarm system.

The union represents about 140 people at the Hilton, who work as room attendants, bell staff, engineers, front desk staff, bartenders, cooks and food service workers. The union's labor contract expired in April.

Statewide, the union represents about 35,000 hospitality workers, including about 600 workers at the new Rivers Casino in Schenectady.

Calls to United Capital Corp. for comment this week were not returned.

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Other groups present at the union rally included the Communications Workers of America, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 106, Capital District Green Party, the Capital Region Building and Construction Trades Council, and Citizen Action.

The union is urging a boycott of the hotel until the contract is settled. That effort is online at boycottalbanyhilton.com.

The 385-room, 17-story hotel first opened in 1980 as the Albany Hilton and its workers have long been unionized. It later became an Omni and then a Crowne Plaza, before returning as a Hilton under owners from Texas.

United Capital Corp. operates seven other hotels in six states under franchise pacts with DoubleTree by Hilton and Radisson.

This is not the first time that United Capital has clashed with local unions. In December 2015, the Capital Region Building and Construction Trades Council urged a boycott over the company's use of nonunion workers during a $16 million renovation project.
Is your community distressed? A new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Economic Innovation Group attempts to answer that question.

Pollution sites tended to be in distressed areas, while those residents with advanced degrees were likely to live in the most prosperous communities. Distressed areas had more housing vacancies and fewer new businesses. In short, they've been left behind.

The study released Tuesday quantified this, looking at several components  adults without a high school diploma, poverty rate, prime-age adults not working, housing vacancy rates, median income ratios, change in employment  to calculate the Distressed Communities Index.

Scores were calculated for zip codes, cities, counties and Congressional districts, and placed in one of five categories, ranging from distressed (the weakest quintile) to prosperous (the best performing quintile).

Nationally, the study found that one in six people lives in an economically distressed zip code, but that the prosperous zip codes also have the largest share of population, with 84.8 million residents.

In New York, 11.8 percent of residents live in distressed zip codes, while 25.8 percent are in prosperous zip codes.

The most prosperous zip codes locally included 12019 (Ballston Lake), 12020 (Ballston Spa), 12148 (Rexford), 12065 (Clifton Park), 12831 (Gansevoort), 12028 (Buskirk), 12159 (Slingerlands), 12196 (West Sand Lake), 12067 (Feura Bush) and 12158 (Selkirk).

The least prosperous included 12305 and 12308 (Schenectady), and 12202 and 12207 (Albany).

The weakest zip codes nationally continued to see job losses and a decline in business establishments even as the national recovery took hold following the Great Recession. Most of the distressed zip codes had fewer jobs and businesses than in 2000.

They also contained more than a third of the nation's brownfield sites, and nearly six in 10 adults had no post-high school education.

Meanwhile, 45 percent of those with advanced degrees lived in prosperous zip codes, a figure that was greater than those in the bottom three quintiles of zip codes combined, the report found.

"The Great Recession gravely impacted distressed communities, and the subsequent recovery has done little to help them rebound," the report said.

The study found that distressed areas were typically urban in the Northeast and rural in the South, that the most prosperous cities were likely to be either in the West or hubs of technology, or both.

Finally, counties with fewer than 100,000 residents were 11 times more likely to be distressed than those with populations over 100,000.

The Capital Region's counties fared well, with Saratoga County at the prosperous end of the distribution and Albany and Rensselaer counties in the comfortable quintile. Schenectady and Schoharie counties ranked in the mid-tier quintile.

The report may be found at eig.org.
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San Juan, Puerto Rico

Every night since Hurricane Maria hit, Miguel Martinez and his family have slept on mattresses on the porch to escape the heat inside their dark, stifling home. But it's nearly impossible to sleep with temperatures in the mid-80s.

At least once a night they climb to the roof to catch a hint of breeze. Then the 51-year-old construction worker, his three children and one grandchild climb back down again.

"It's a heat from hell," Martinez said. "We don't have a generator or a fan. We have nothing. The children get desperate. You want just a little bit of cold water, but there's none."

The power is still out across nearly all of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria smashed poles, snarled power lines and flooded electricity-generating plants last Wednesday, knocking out a grid that was already considered antiquated compared to the U.S. mainland. Generators are providing power to the fortunate few who have them, but nearly all the island's 1.6 million electricity customers were still without power Monday and facing many, many hot days and dark nights to come.

Power had been restored to a handful of hospitals and surrounding areas by Monday afternoon but Public Affairs Secretary Ramon Rosario said it will take months to fully restore power to the island.

Authorities are still figuring out the extent of the damage, let alone beginning to repair it.

Utility workers from New York have arrived to help assess the damage, while airplanes and barges are bringing in more generators.

Getting the power back isn't just a matter of comfort. A long delay will mean even more pain for a Puerto Rican economy that's already reeling from a decade-long recession. With no power, even more people will leave the island to find better opportunities on the mainland and further drain its workforce. The downed power system is also damaging the tourism industry, which contributed 8 percent to Puerto Rico's economy last year.

The overwhelming smell of rotting garbage wafted through a working-class part of the Santurce section of San Juan, where 46-year-old construction worker Rafael Santana spent the night in front of a single fan thanks to a neighbor with a generator who was kind enough to throw over a cable so he could have power from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.

By 8 a.m., Santana's forehead was beaded with sweat as he left home to seek out some shade nearby.

Roberto Ruiz, a 50-year-old handyman, handed a chilled bottle of water that his daughter brought home from her job, which has power, to a neighbor seeking something to drink.
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WATERVLIET -- A tip and surveillance video led to the arrest of a 58-year-old Waterford man who had sexual contact with two children, ages 5 and 7, in the McDonald's dining room, city police said Tuesday.

Kelley Z. Tremblay was arrested at his home after a investigation by police of an incident that took place Aug. 26 in the downtown restaurant, police said.

"We received an anonymous tip on it. We reviewed surveillance tape," Chief Mark Spain said.

Tremblay was charged with felony counts of predatory sexual assault and sex abuse. Tremblay was sent to the Albany County Jail without bail.

Tremblay's alleged acts took place in a section of the dining area, Spain said. "We didn't see a lot of people take notice."

State Police at Brunswick said they also charged Tremblay in connection with an incident that took place in Grafton. In that case, Tremblay was charged with sexual abuse and child endangerment for victimizing a 7-year-old child, troopers said.

Troopers said the investigation of Tremblay is not over and other charges may be filed.

The cases involving Tremblay have been turned over to the Albany County and Rensselaer County district attorney's offices. In Albany County, the case was to have been presented to a county grand jury. In Rensselaer County, a district attorney's spokesman said the case is pending as an unindicted felony arrest.

Both the Watervliet police and the State Police continue to investigate. Anyone with additional information can call the Brunswick State Police at 518-279-4427 or the Watervliet Police Department at 518-270-3891.
Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Police Department

SELKIRK - A Selkirk man is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after crashing his van into a tree and leaving the scene of the accident with a child, Bethlehem Police said Monday.

Sharifabdul Ali, 48, was charged with felony aggravated DWI with a child in the vehicle and five misdemeanor charges including endangering the welfare of a child, police said. Ali also was ticketed for several traffic violations.
New York

He lost his seat in Congress, his audacious bid to resurrect his career as mayor of New York City and his high-profile marriage. And he undermined Hillary Clinton's shot at the presidency in the closing days of the tumultuous 2016 campaign.

On Monday, Anthony Weiner, sobbing as the judge spoke, learned the final cost of his seemingly uncontrollable habit of exchanging lewd texts and pictures with women: 21 months in prison.

Weiner, 53, was the essence of the brash politician fueled by relentless work and unbridled swagger. Until now, he was the beneficiary of multiple second chances, amid earnest vows that he had learned his lesson.

But this time, there would be no second chance for Weiner, who pleaded guilty in May to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor, and had faced up to 10 years in prison. The government had recommended a sentence of 21 to 27 months.

His texting habit fueled his long and tortuous downfall. But it was his most recent exchanges with a 15-year-old girl that were the most personally ruinous: his wife filed for divorce, he pleaded guilty and now faces imprisonment.

Before the sentence was pronounced, Weiner did not so much ask for leniency as try to make a case that he had accepted full responsibility for his crime, and that he was a changed man.

"I acted not only unlawfully but immorally, and if I had done the right thing, I would not be standing before you today," he said, crying as he addressed the judge. "The prosecutors are skeptical that I have truly changed and I don't blame them. I repeatedly acted in an obviously destructive way when I was caught."

Reports of the federal investigation that led to Weiner being charged in the case first surfaced after the 15-year-old victim's story was told in a DailyMail.com expose last September.

It was during that investigation that the FBI discovered on Weiner's laptop a trove of emails belonging to his wife, Huma Abedin, a senior aide to Clinton. That led to an announcement in late October by James Comey, then the FBI director, that the bureau had opened a new inquiry into Clinton's handling of official email. The inquiry ended two days before the election; Clinton has blamed Comey in part for her defeat.

The judge, Denise L. Cote of U.S. District Court in Manhattan, told Weiner that his offense was "a serious crime that deserves serious punishment."

She said that there was a uniform opinion among those who had examined him that he had "a disease that involves sexual compulsivity; some call it a sex addiction."

The judge said Weiner was finally receiving "effective treatment for this disease," including attending group therapy and Sex Addicts Anonymous. "I find he is making an enormous contribution to others who are suffering from that same disease," she added.

"But the difficulty here," the judge said, "is that this is a very strong compulsion, so strong," she continued, that "despite two very public disclosures and the destruction of his career on two occasions, he continued with the activity."

She cited Weiner's illegal exchanges with the girl on Skype, Snapchat and a site called Confide in early 2016. Prosecutors had said in their sentencing memo that during some of these communications, Weiner "used graphic and obscene language to ask the victim to display her naked body and touch herself, which she did."

"The defendant knew this young woman was in high school and getting her learner's permit," Cote said.

After the judge left the bench, Weiner remained seated at the defense table between his lawyers, Arlo Devlin-Brown and Erin Monju. He was bent deeply forward in his chair, sobbing, his face in his hands.

The judge also fined Weiner, who must surrender by Nov. 6, $10,000. She said he would also have to register as a sex offender.

During the hearing, Weiner looked tense and serious, sometimes clenching his jaw. At times, he blinked rapidly, his lips pursed and his nostrils flared. He sipped from a water bottle on the table before him.

When Cote asked if he wanted to speak, he rose and began reading from a statement he had carried with him.

His first words were strong and clear; by his third sentence, however, his voice began to break, and he paused often to clear his throat.

"I was a very sick man for a very long time," he said, his voice growing higher-pitched and weaker.

"I have a disease but I have no excuse," he continued. "I accept complete and total responsibility for my crime. I was the adult."

Later, when the judge announced the sentence, Weiner, who let out a small cry, immediately slumped forward, his hands braced on the table for support. He then lifted his left hand to his face, cradling it, his eyes fixed on the table.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  There are parts of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's epic documentary series "The Vietnam War" that Jean-Marie Crocker can't bear to watch, especially the images of ambushes and bombings, and the heavy casualties left behind.

"I don't like watching so much bloodshed  it's hard for anyone to tolerate," she said.

And then there are other parts of two-week PBS broadcast when she'll listen to one particular interview subject and think, "Oh, that poor woman."

Then she realizes that the woman is Crocker herself. Speaking of the unbearable loss of her son Denton more than a half-century ago. Recalling his insistence at enlisting in the Army. Describing the day he died. Explaining her selection of Arlington Cemetery as his final resting place because she feared that if he had been buried closer to home, she would claw her way into his grave to once again "feel his warmth."

The months leading up to Denton "Mogie" Crocker's death in 1966 remain fresh in her memory. That clarity made her the ideal Gold Star mother for the acclaimed 10-episode, 18-hour documentary, which concludes Thursday and airs locally in WMHT.

Jean-Marie Crocker, along with her daughter Carol Crocker, are two of 80 interviews featured in the chronicle. Burns ("The Civil War") and Novick put faces to the war's toll in an attempt to break the decades of relative silence that surround a conflict that killed more than 50,000 American soldiers and more than 3 million Vietnamese.

Since her family's story began airing last week, Crocker has received emails and phone calls from people appreciative of her candor. Some are members of the tragic fellowship of those who have lost a child to war, or to other causes.

Crocker said it was an emotional struggle to revisit those days, but felt that talking about her son could help others trying to cope with loss.

"Denton was a great student of history and the highest scorer on the Regents," Crocker said during an interview Tuesday in her Saratoga Springs home. "As soon as he began to read, he would read history. ... He felt that it wasn't fair that people who couldn't afford to go to college would be the ones to go to war. (His decision to enlist) really came from caring for people and a certain desire for adventure  to test himself."

The Saratoga Springs High School student, who had enough credits to graduate in January of his senior year, insisted on signing up for service. When his parents said no, he ran away. They hired a detective to find him, to no avail. Three months later, he called home and made his parents promise to allow him to enlist.

"We were so happy to have him home again after all that worry," Crocker said. "My husband felt honor-bound by the agreement. Denton was so very enthused."

He left for South Vietnam in the fall of 1965. Too young to join the Special Forces, he was "thrilled" to be accepted into the 101st Airborne, an outfit that had played a key role in the D-Day invasion two decades earlier.

But Carol Crocker remembers her brother's hesitation before he shipped out.



"He said he didn't want to go," his sister said. "I asked him if he had to go. I was surprised to see this vulnerable moment, because he had a sense of mission. I think he had fears that surprised him, too."

Jean-Marie Crocker first heard of her son's hesitation while watching the documentary. She recalls a different Denton: happy, using his high school French to speak with the South Vietnamese.

But by February 1966, his enthusiasm for the American effort was flagging. "He quoted a saying in one of his letters: 'In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king,'" she said.

She said Denton was impressed by the beauty of Vietnam, but he was distraught by so many starving children. He urged his parents to give to a Marine charity that was feeding them. Then for about two months, they heard nothing.

When he finally wrote again, Crocker said she could tell something had changed, but he was vague. He only said told his parents he wanted to take a leave to Japan to "keep from cracking up."

Then on June 4, 1966, he was killed in Kon Tum Province. He was the point man on a mission to sneak up a hillside at night so the American forces could hold the high ground in the morning. He died the day after his 19th birthday.

In the documentary, Crocker recalls the day as sunny. Candy, her youngest child, had gone to a birthday party. Then two men in uniforms and their priest from Bethesda Episcopal Church, Father Ben Holmes, arrived at the house.

Carol Crocker remembers hearing her mother screaming for her father.

"It was an existential moment," she said. "There was an aloneness and a feeling that our world and culture were falling apart. When your family is blown apart by an event like this, everyone scrambles to pull out ways to cope."

For Jean-Marie Crocker, that required maintaining a routine: family dinners and plenty of school and club activities for her surviving children Carol, Randy and Candy. Even so, "I can't remember a lot about the first couple of years," she said.

While trying to maintain a calm, she poured her heart out in a book she titled "Son of the Cold War."

"It helped me, because my husband couldn't speak about Denton," Jean-Marie Crocker said. " ... There was a hush and we were heartbroken. To write was comforting."

Unable to find a publisher, she donated a typewritten copy to the Library of Congress. That's how Novick, the documentary's co-producer, found the Crockers.

Crocker was initially hesitant.

"When you have this kind of loss, most people don't feel comfortable talking about it. You carry it alone," she said. "The producers were very persuasive by telling me what they hoped to accomplish that people will finally talk about the war."
Lloyds Banking Group has told 1,000 staff in its insurance division that they will be moving to Diligenta, a subsidiary of India's Tata Consultancy Services.

By Reuters: Lloyds Banking Group on Tuesday told about 1,000 staff in its insurance division that they will be moving to Diligenta, a subsidiary of India's Tata Consultancy Services, in a move criticised by trade union Unite.

Unite said that the staff at Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical in Edinburgh and Bristol will be transferred to the new company. No time frame for the move was given.

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"The bank's 'sale' of its committed Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical staff represents contempt for long serving and skilled employees," Rob MacGregor, a Unite national officer, said in a statement.

"The message from Lloyds Banking Group is loud and clear and appears to be 'so long, thanks for your efforts, you work for them now'."

Lloyds in a statement confirmed the transfer of jobs and said the new arrangements "will make managing heritage products simpler and more efficient for the bank's customers."

Tata Consultancy Services, India's biggest software services exporter, is the most profitable company in the nation's largest conglomerate.

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | High drama in TCS boardroom meet, Mistry supporters and protesters face off

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United Nations

North Korea's top diplomat said Monday that a weekend tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump was a "declaration of war" and North Korea has the right to retaliate by shooting down U.S. bombers, even in international airspace.

It was the latest escalation in a week of undiplomatic exchanges between North Korea and the U.S. during the U.N. General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting.

Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that the United Nations and the international community have said in recent days that they didn't want "the war of words" to turn into "real action."

But he said that by tweeting that North Korea's leadership led by Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer," Trump "declared the war on our country."

Under the U.N. Charter, Ri said, North Korea has the right to self-defense and "every right" to take countermeasures, "including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers even when they're not yet inside the airspace border of our country."

Hours later, the White House pushed back on Ri's claim, saying: "We have not declared war on North Korea." The Trump administration, referring to the tweet, stressed that the U.S. is not seeking to overthrow North Korea's government.

U.S. Cabinet officials, particularly Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have insisted that the U.S.-led campaign of diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea is focused on eliminating the pariah state's nuclear weapons program, not its totalitarian government.

But the more Trump muddies the picture, the tougher it may become to maintain cooperation with China and Russia, which seek a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis and not a new U.S. ally suddenly popping up on their borders. It also risks snuffing out hopes of persuading Kim's government to enter negotiations when its survival isn't assured.

Trump tweeted Saturday: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" Trump also used the derisive "Rocket Man" reference to Kim in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 19, but this time he added the word "little."
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HUDSON  Two men were arrested after attempting to steal a wallet and stealing an iPhone during an incident around 10:30 a.m. Sunday on Union Street, Hudson police said.

Enoch Durham, 41, was charged with felony robbery, and Michael Chowka, 19, was charged with felony robbery with a weapon, police said.
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[September 26, 2017] Innovation Forum by MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab to Kick Off on September 27

MANAMA, Bahrain and BEIRUT, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with Bahrain EDB & Investcorp

Forum to feature an international lineup of experts in disruptive technologies

Global experts, entrepreneurs, and academics will convene at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bahrain on the 27th and 28th of September for the Innovation Forum, an event that will highlight the latest trends in state of the art and disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, financial technology, autonomous driving, and cloud computing. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/561902/Innovation_Forum.jpg )

The event, which is organized by the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab, in partnership with Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) and Investcorp , a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products, will bring together over 500 entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers, along with CEOs, CTOs and CIOs from the world's leading tech companies as well as policy makers and the media. Keynote talks on artificial intelligence by Denis Batalov, Senior Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services, and Wendell Wallach, consultant, ethicist, and scholar at Yale University, will demonstrate the latest advances in the field and shed light on the challenges that this new technology poses respectively. Cybersecurity experts Ghareeb Saad, Kaspersky, and Najwa Aaraj, DarkMatter, will expose the latest online threats and counter measures, while panels on autonomous cars and fintech will explore the future of transportation and the future evolution of asset management respectively. Other notable speakers include John Defterios, CNN's Emerging Markets Editor, Amira Rashad, Co-Founder & CEO at BulkWhiz, and Paul Papadimitriou, CEO and Founder at Intelligencr. Hala Fadel, Chairperson of the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab highlighted the vision of this forum, which is to she light on technologies that carry the biggest potential for disruption, saying, "The forum will focus on state of the art technologies and will bring together global experts as well as stakeholders from local startup communities. We want to foster the exchange of knowledge and expertise to help propel the regional entrepreneurs to a new level of innovation and creativity and maximizing their impact."



Also, commenting on this partnership and the Innovation Forum, H.E. Khalid Al Rumaihi, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) said, "Innovation is a special tool that has the ability to empower people. In Bahrain, both the government and private sector have worked hard to create an ecosystem that will allow innovation to thrive. With its open and forward-thinking approach, the Kingdom has proven to be an ideal testing ground for the introduction of new technologies to the region." "We are pleased to be part of the Innovation Forum, as it's an ideal platform to exchange ideas, share expertise and attract entrepreneurs looking to expand in the region to consider Bahrain as their perfect operation base."

Investcorp's Co-CEO Mohammed Al-Shroogi said: "Investcorp holds a strong belief in the power of innovation and creativity in driving economic and social development. Our partnership with the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab and Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is just another testament to our ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of innovative collaboration in Bahrain and the wider Arab region. We are pleased to sit alongside some of the world's innovation and entrepreneurship leaders to discuss the latest on disruptive technology, and understand the impact of emerging trends like FinTech and cyber security on the regional business landscape."

To register for the Innovation Forum, taking place in Bahrain, potential participants must register online on the following link . About MITEF Pan Arab: Founded in 2005, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region (http://www.mitefarab.org) is one of the 28 worldwide chapters of the MIT Enterprise Forum Global, an avid promoter of entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. The MIT Enterprise Forum- Pan Arab has a proven record in promoting MIT-style entrepreneurship by organizing each year the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition targeting 21 countries of the Arab region and attracting over 12,000 entrepreneurs a year. About the Bahrain Economic Development Board The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is an investment promotion agency with overall responsibility for attracting investment into the Kingdom and supporting initiatives that enhance the investment climate. The EDB works with the government and both current and prospective investors, in order to ensure that Bahrain's investment climate is attractive, to communicate the key strengths, and to identify where opportunities exist for further economic growth through investment. The EDB focuses on several economic sectors that capitalise on Bahrain's competitive advantages and provide significant investment opportunities. These sectors include financial services, manufacturing, ICT, tourism, logistics and transport. The financial services sector is particularly strong in Bahrain and the EDB works to support the continued growth of the banking industry and key sub-sectors, including Islamic finance. For more information on the Bahrain EDB visit http://www.bahrainedb.com; for information about Bahrain visit www.bahrain.com . About Investcorp: A leading provider and manager of alternative investment products and is publicly traded on the Bahrain Bourse (INVCORP). Investcorp focuses on generating investor and shareholder value through a disciplined investment approach in four lines of business: corporate investment, real estate, alternative investment solutions (formerly known as hedge funds), together with the recently added credit management business. Investcorp employs approximately 390n people across its offices in New York, London, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Singapore. Contact details: Maggie El Eid 01-973030 ext.3124

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[September 26, 2017] Rivada to Testify at Pennsylvania Senate & House Joint Public Hearing on FirstNet

The Pennsylvania Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness and the Senate Committee on Communications & Technology announced they will host a Joint Public Hearing at 0900 am on Thursday, October 19, 2017 in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building to review FirstNet in Pennsylvania. The hearing will focus on construction and interoperability of the Commonwealth Public Safety Broadband Network (CPSBN) through the federal FirstNet legislation passed in 2012. On the agenda will be how Pennsylvania can (1) maximize potential revenues and keep those revenues in state, (2) maintain absolute control of its first responder and emergency communications, (3) dictate how CPSBN revenues are invested in state, (4) prevent the devaluation of its multi-billion dollar investment in first responder networks, and (5) uphold constitutional duties, mandates and responsibilities, including, the Governor's role as commander-in-chief of the military forces of the Commonwealth. Under the FirstNet legislation, when Pennsylvania receives all required information from Washington, Governor Tom Wolf will have 90 days to make an executive decision that impacts Pennsylvanians, their state budget and public safety communications for the next 25 years. Governor Wolf will make a choice between two sharply divergent options for Pennsylvani's public safety, law enforcement and first responder communications.



Opt-In: Pennsylvania gives up 20MHz of prime public safety spectrum to AT&T (News - Alert). First Responders that want to use that spectrum must pay to subscribe to AT&T. The Commonwealth has no control over, or responsibility for, the network. All revenue generated by the network in Pennsylvania goes to AT&T and FirstNet. Opt-Out: The Commonwealth designs, builds and operates its own interoperable public-safety broadband radio access network in the state through a public-private partnership with a contractor of its choice. Revenue generated by the network stays in state to be used "for constructing, maintaining, operating, or improving the radio access network of the State" as required in FirstNet's enabling legislation.

The divergent economic impacts of these two options are extraordinary. With the Opt-In plan, AT&T will receive Pennsylvania's share of the federal grant money. Opting In cedes fiscal authority, responsibility, and oversight to AT&T and FirstNet. Should Pennsylvania opt out, Rivada has offered to deploy a purpose-built, dedicated and statewide network for the Commonwealth's first responders at no cost to the state, and to offer subscriptions to first responders beginning at $0.01 per month. Revenue produced by the network would be shared with the state, and can be used to maintain and improve the network over time. Joe Euteneuer, co-CEO of Rivada Networks, said: "We're looking forward to presenting the substantial financial and network advantages of opting out at the October 19th joint public hearing. The Opt-Out advantages for Pennsylvania are truly significant and we are delighted to have the opportunity to answer questions and share information with members of the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives." About Rivada Networks Rivada Networks is a leading designer, integrator and operator of wireless, interoperable communications networks. Its patented technology creates more efficient utilization of LTE (News - Alert) networks, enabling both mission-critical-reliability for First Responders and new business models for commercial wireless services (i.e., wholesale, machine-to-machine, Internet of Things, etc.). View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005498/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Youth Homelessness Surges to Jaw-Dropping Levels in Santa Clara County

Youth experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County has reached alarming numbers according to an upcoming study from Bill Wilson Center. While the 2017 Point-In-Time Count revealed that thousands of youth were sleeping on the streets and in shelters every night, BWC's school survey shows there are thousands more students couch surfing with no permanent home. High school students, from public and private schools throughout Santa Clara County, are experiencing homelessness. Results of the study, "Count Me! Youth and Young Adult Homelessness, Santa Clara County, California" will be announced at a press summit hosted by Bill Wilson Center along with a discussion around the issues and recommendations on how to address youth homelessness.







WHAT: Bill Wilson Center Press Summit on Youth Homelessness in Santa Clara County WHEN: Tuesday, September 26, 9 a.m. WHERE: County Board of Supervisors Offices 70 West Hedding Street, Room 157, San Jose, CA (News - Alert) 95110 SPEAKERS: -- Sparky Harlan, CEO, Bill Wilson Center -- Dave Cortese, President, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors: -- Cindy Chavez, Board of Supervisors -- Eric Masten, Director of Public Policy, National Network for Youth RSVP: Please contact: Chris McManus for more information or to make arrangements to attend the Summit. Email: [email protected] Phone (News - Alert): 917-324-0808

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005001/en/

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IMPORTANT INVESTOR ALERT: Lundin Law PC Announces an Investigation of SCANA Corporation

Lundin Law PC, a shareholder rights firm, announces that it is investigating claims against SCANA Corporation ("SCANA" or the "Company") (NYSE: SCG) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws.

To get more information about this investigation, please contact Brian Lundin, Esquire, of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or by email at [email protected].







On July 31, 2017, SCANA's subsidiary South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. ("SCE&G") and Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, announced that they would abandon construction of two nuclear power plants in South Carolina due to rising construction costs. On August 11, 2017, The Post and Courier of Charleston reported that the Company's CEO Kevin Marsh advised state lawmakers that SCE&G might not resume construction on the nuclear power plants even if a new partner for the project was found. Upon release of this information, SCANA's stock price fell.

Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding shareholders' rights.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170925006488/en/
By PTI: of unity in diversity: Naqvi

New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) Terrorist outfits such as al- Qaida and ISIS have failed to succeed in India because of the strength of unity shown by every section of the society, including Muslims, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today.

According to a statement, the minority affairs minister also stressed that secularism is Indias commitment and culture.

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He lauded Indias role in world-wide efforts against terrorism.

The minister made the remarks during his meeting with a delegation led by the grand mufti of the Syrian Republic, Ahmad Badr Eddine Hassoun, at Antyodaya Bhawan here.

Terming terrorism as the "biggest" threat to the world, Hassoun said Indias unity and culture of tolerance are an example and a source of inspiration for the entire world, the statement said.

"Terrorist organisations like al-Qaida and ISIS have failed to succeed in India in their nefarious designs only because of strength of unity shown by every section of the society, including Muslims," the statement quoted the minister as saying.

"Indias culture and tradition is filled with peace, brotherhood and human values," he added.

Naqvi further said that those "evil" elements who were misusing Islam as their "safety cover" were the "enemy" of both the religion and entire humanity.

Lauding Indias role, Naqvi said it has been playing a major role in world-wide efforts against terrorism.

"India has adopted zero tolerance policy against terrorism," he said.

Noting that entire world has realised that terrorism is a threat not limited to any particular country, Naqvi said all the countries should give priority to defeating elements spreading it.

On the Centres priorities, Naqvi said it has been working with "development with dignity" commitment.

Hassoun said Indias cultural harmony, brotherhood, unity and culture of tolerance RE an "example and a source of inspiration for the entire world", the statement said.

"Terrorism is the biggest threat to the entire world. India has always played a major role in global efforts against terrorism," he added.

The grand mufti of Syria also said that Islam has given a strong message against terrorism and all other form of violence.

Hassoun also praised the ongoing development works carried out by the Modi government, the statement said. PTI ENM SMN

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[September 25, 2017] EVERTEC Increases Hurricane Relief Donation to $1 Million

EVERTEC, Inc. (NYSE: EVTC) ("Evertec" or the "Company") today announced the Company will donate a total of $1 million for hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico. In addition, Evertec continues to process ATM and POS transactions. As financial institutions and merchants start re-establishing power and telecommunications services, Evertec will support their processing needs. Mac Schuessler, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated "Hurricane Maria is an unprecedented natural disaster in Puerto Rico and our hearts go out to those affected. I am proud of our colleagues and their efforts to respond to the challenges. We remain deeply committed to supporting our clients and consumers as Puerto Rico recovers." About EVERTEC EVRTEC, Inc. (NYSE: EVTC) is a leading full-service transaction processing business in Latin America, providing a broad range of merchant acquiring, payment processing and business solutions services. The Company manages a system of electronic payment networks that process more than two billion transactions annually, and offers a comprehensive suite of services for core bank processing, cash processing and technology outsourcing. In addition, EVERTEC owns and operates the ATH network, one of the leading personal identification number ("PIN") debit networks in Latin America. Based in Puerto Rico, the Company operates in 26 Latin American countries and serves a diversified customer base of leading financial institutions, merchants, corporations and government agencies with "mission-critical" technology solutions. For more information, visit www.evertecinc.com.



View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170925006495/en/



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[September 25, 2017] College fashionista Expands Digital Platform And Introduces A New Fellowship Program For College Students

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- College fashionista, a Clique Media Group owned global community and platform for collegiate Style Gurus to share their passion for the latest styles and happenings on campus, announced its Fellowship Program, a new digital educational platform first available to students for the fall 2017 semester. The program seeks to reinvent the digital education model and gives students the opportunity to specialize their education path with over 20 semester-long programs in coding, marketing, public relations, social media, editorial, graphic design, and more. Courses on the platform are taught by industry experts from Clique, WGSN, Kelia and Luca, and more, and are free for college fashionista's 4700+ Style Gurus to participate. During these interactive classes, students will receive feedback on all assignments and share in open brainstorm forums to collaborate with their peers. Fellows will also gain hands-on experience, acting as content creators for college fashionista's editorial and social channels, and will leave the semester with an expansive digital portfolio. To celebrate this new program, college fashionista has redesigned its overall brand aesthetic with an updated website and logo and a partnership with fashion photographer Tory Rust to create a video that highlights Style Gurus' passion for the brand. The video highlights the journey of real Style Gurus who met online and connected in real life. This unique bond is what founder Amy Levin credits with fueling the college fashionista brand to innovate. "As technology and education cntinue to evolve, so does college fashionista. Our strong community of Style Gurus is made up of career-driven students who are committed to learning new skills and crave hands-on experience," says Amy Levin, founder and creative partnerships director. "Our Fellowship Program not only gives young women and men access to a formal education, but it provides an alternative path for students who are looking for hands-on experience outside of the classroom."



In the last year alone, college fashionista's community of Style Gurus has grown by 53% with its collective social power reaching over 6.2 million. For more information about college fashionista's new offerings, please visit www.collegefashionista.com.

About college fashionista:

College fashionista is a global, digital community of thousands of college-aged fashion and beauty influencers ("Style Gurus"), sharing their insights while learning real-life skills from industry insiders to help propel their future careers today. The concept  introduce college-age students to the inner workings of the fashion and beauty industries by giving them exclusive behind-the-scenes access as well as a medium through which they can experience, engage and share their cunning eyes for self-expression. Explore college fashionista, where style is our major. About Clique Media Group:

Recently named to Fast Company's list for the World's Most Innovative Companies in 2017, Clique is a global media, marketing, and consumer brands company. Through its brandsWho What Wear, MyDomaine, Byrdie, college fashionista, The Thirty, and ObsesseeClique combines the power of data science with its expert editorial team to create content and products that millennial women and Gen Z girls crave. Clique's two key marketing offerings, Clique Studios (an in-house creative agency) and INF Network (representing 55+ top bloggers and influencers), deliver integrated and native advertising programs, all while inspiring consumers to discover and shop. In early 2016, Clique launched its first clothing, shoes, and accessories line exclusively with Target under the Who What Wear brand, and it continues to be a top performer for the mega-retailer. Contact:

Elizabeth Conway

Sr. Director of Corporate Communications

Clique Media Group

[email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/college-fashionista-expands-digital-platform-and-introduces-a-new-fellowship-program-for-college-students-300525460.html SOURCE college fashionista

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[September 25, 2017] Children's Hospital Los Angeles Names Alexandra Carter Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer

After a national search, Children's Hospital Los Angeles has named Alexandra Carter, MBA, CFRE, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer effective September 25. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170925006532/en/ Alexandra Carter has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. (Photo: Business Wire) Carter will direct the hospital's fundraising and development programs, providing strategic leadership to support CHLA's mission and to leverage philanthropy to enhance the hospital's capacity to innovate and transform pediatric medicine. Carter will also support the Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees, which determines fundraising priorities for the hospital. "Alexandra will be an incredible asset to CHLA," says Children's Hospital Los Angeles President and CEO Paul S. Viviano. "Her experience as a leader with nonprofit organizations, combined with her impressive accomplishments as a fundraiser, will allow her to provide strategic guidance to our Foundation department to support CHLA's stature as a top-ranked pediatric academic medical center." Carter most recently served as a fundraising advisor to Verity Health System, Albertina Kerr Centers and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles. Previous to her consulting for these nonprofit organizations, she served as Chief Development Officer, Academic Institutes, for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center during a $600 million campaign. She oversaw frontline fundraising teams including major gifts, planned giving and foundation and corporate relations, and served on the institution's leadership eam for its partnership with the Women's Heart Alliance, a national advocacy organization.



Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Carter served as Vice President of Public Affairs and Development at John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. She has also held leadership roles at Pepperdine University and at the American Red Cross in Santa Barbara, California. Carter earned a bachelor's degree in Communication and Linguistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master's degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University. She currently serves on the Executive Council for the Women's Leadership Network of Jewish Vocational Services in Los Angeles and recently completed her term as a member of the Board of Directors at the National Association of Cancer Center Development Officers. Carter also served on the Board of Directors for the literacy and service charity Milk+Bookies, and has volunteered in support of dog rescue initiatives.

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been ranked the top children's hospital in California and sixth in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. CHLA is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children's Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932. For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram, and visit our child health blog (www.WeTreatKidsBetter.org) and our research blog (www.ResearCHLABlog.org). View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170925006532/en/

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[September 26, 2017] NetSuite Expands Business Operations in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG and SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle NetSuite, one of the world's leading providers of cloud-based financials / ERP, HR, Professional Services Automation (PSA) and omnichannel commerce software suites, today announced the expansion of business operations in South Africa. With the support of Oracle's global resources behind it, NetSuite has added a dedicated sales team and new leadership; new solution provider partners to strengthen its existing partner ecosystem; and new customers such as Jasco and ElectroMechanica on NetSuite OneWorld. This expansion is in response to the increasing demand for cloud ERP in the region from fast growing, innovative and emerging international businesses. "South Africa and the region, as a whole, represent the next great opportunity for NetSuite," said Mark Woodhams, Oracle NetSuite Vice President EMEA. "Today's announcement is further proof that, with the global resources of Oracle behind us, we can now scale rapidly and better serve the needs of the region." NetSuite Bolsters Direct Sales Team and Leadership NetSuite is extending its focus in South Africa and in the surrounding region with the addition of a dedicated sales team and country manager. The dedicated sales office will be led by Khaled Ismail, Vice President, Oracle Digital Application Business, East, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (ECEMEA), who will manage sales and marketing strategy for the region. In this role, Ismail will manage an organization of 250 sales professionals with almost 20 managers and directors. He will also be directly responsible for all the supporting functions working for ECEMEA OD from pre-sales, sales development, marketing and customer success. NetSuite will also recruit local implementation partners with experience in ERP to support continued growth in the region. "The South African market is uniquely positioned for this expanded investment in the region," Ismail said. "Companies here are realizing the value, flexibility and scalability of the cloud and are beginning to understand that their aging, legacy on-premise systems are no longer meeting their needs in this digital age." Stronger Partner Ecosystem As part of its expansion strategy, in addition to its existing partner in the region, BlueBridge One, NetSuite added four new implementation partners operating in South Africa, including Business Connexion, EOH Mthombo, Dimension Data, and XZQ Services. BlueBridge One has been a NetSuite Solution Provider partner since 2004 (when it was named Miraculum Cloud Computing Services) and an exclusive NetSuite partner since 2009. The company has received global 5-Star status for the past three years and is also a Commerce Agency Partner and SuiteCloud Developer Networ Partner. Its head office is based out of the United Kingdom with local offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and now Cape Town. BlueBridge One is focused on customer success in the midmarket with a significant international experience implementing NetSuite OneWorld for local and global customers seeking to enter the African market and beyond.



"NetSuite's continued investment in South Africa comes at a time when local, growing midmarket businesses are in need of a comprehensive, cloud-based business management solution and international businesses are coming here to get a foothold on the continent," said Channing McDonald, Managing Director at BlueBridge One, South Africa. "We look forward to continuing to work with NetSuite to expand the use of cloud computing here and across Africa." Jasco, ElectroMechanica Thrive with NetSuite OneWorld

Jasco (www.jasco.co.za ), a solution provider across the telecommunications, IT, energy industries and more, turned to NetSuite OneWorld to merge several independent businesses into one organization after determining that its existing system could not provide the unified view of the business it needed. Jasco is implementing NetSuite OneWorld in a phased approach. It started with CRM for its support desk and has rolled out financials, CRM, Services Resource Planning (SRP), and inventory management to six subsidiaries with several more to come. NetSuite OneWorld provides Jasco with multi-currency management for the South African rand, US and Canadian dollars, Kenya shilling, UAE dirham, English pound and the Euro. "We thoroughly evaluated the business management software packages on the market and NetSuite OneWorld was the clear winner," said Anneke Grond, Managing Director for Jasco Enterprise. "It gives us a scalable, flexible system to manage all of our businesses from one unified platform." ElectroMechanica (www.em.co.za), a distributor of switchgear brands with four branches across South Africa, went live on NetSuite OneWorld in April 2017. ElectroMechanica selected NetSuite OneWorld for its modern user interface and cloud-based architecture. NetSuite OneWorld provides mission-critical functionality across financials, CRM, inventory management for 11,000 SKUs and a B2B ecommerce website. "We were looking for a modern, cloud-based system that could keep up with our growth," said Muhammed Osman, Operations Director at ElectroMechanica. "NetSuite OneWorld was an obvious fit allowing us to expand as our business continues to grow." NetSuite OneWorld, a Game-Changer for South African Businesses Businesses, like Jasco and ElectroMechanica seeking to gain efficiency, grow revenues, expand globally and enter new markets often find themselves held back by software systems siloed by department, geography or legal entity structures, leaving them unable to deliver an optimal customer experience and gain insights into their operations. These disparate software systems not only cannot scale with business growth, but also introduce excessive costs and potential errors, while also restricting businesses' ability to respond to their changing markets and the needs of their customers. On-premise ERP software such as Syspro, SAP or Sage require costly maintenance and disrupts the business with every product upgrade, forcing companies to remain locked on outdated versions. The agility, flexibility and scalability that NetSuite OneWorld provides is difficult to achieve by businesses running legacy on-premise software. Meanwhile, other available cloud financial software solutions only offer basic product functionality that cannot scale and support changing business needs, growth and international expansion. With more dedicated resources in the region NetSuite OneWorld will provide a unified and cloud-based suite of software that is flexible enough to meet the needs of the diverse business models, legal structures and geographies in the South African region. NetSuite OneWorld supports 190 currencies, more than 20 languages, automated tax calculation and reporting in more than 100 countries, and customer transactions in more than 200 countries. Further, to help today's B2B and B2C businesses with omnichannel commerce, NetSuite OneWorld delivers commerce-ready capabilities that can help both B2B and B2C commerce businesses to move from siloed online, in-store and phone consumer shopping channels to an integrated commerce solution, connecting ecommerce and in-store POS to order management, inventory, merchandising, marketing, financials and customer service, while delivering a seamless brand experience and exceeding customer expectations. About Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit

Oracle NetSuite pioneered the Cloud Computing revolution in 1998, establishing the world's first company dedicated to delivering business applications over the internet. Today, Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit provides a suite of cloud-based financials / Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), HR and omnichannel commerce software that runs the business of companies in more than 100 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.netsuite.com. Follow Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit's Cloud blog, Facebook page and @NetSuite Twitter handle for real-time updates. About Oracle The Oracle Cloud offers complete SaaS application suites for ERP, HCM and CX, plus best-in-class database Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) from data centers throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com. Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netsuite-expands-business-operations-in-south-africa-300525488.html SOURCE Oracle NetSuite

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[September 26, 2017] Kazakhstan to Continue Promoting the Future Energy Concept as EXPO 2017 Legacy

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the International Specialized Exhibition Astana EXPO 2017, Kazakhstan intends to continue the transition to clean energy. Despite enormous natural resources including hydrocarbons, Kazakhstan will stimulate the development of renewable and alternative energy sources. The theme of the International Specialized Exhibition Astana EXPO 2017 "Future Energy" became a unique opportunity for the country to make a contribution to the development of green energy worldwide. Astana is starting to summarize the results of the exhibition and look at ways of using the EXPO facilities now when the event has come to a close. The exhibition became, most importantly, an international platform for discussing current policy in the sphere of energy, problems and prospects for developing alternative energy sources and energy efficiency. Astana EXPO 2017 was attended by more than 50 heads of states and governments, as well as the world's leading scientists, inventors and expert in new energy technologies. These people included Bertrand Piccard, a pilot of Solar Impulse - the first solar airplane, Jas Thandi, a member of Bloodhound SSC, and many others.



EXPO in Astana enabled 115 countries to demonstrate their approaches in solving energy and environmental problems to the whole world. A total of 153 energy-saving inventions and technologies which are already in use were presented at the exhibition. The EXPO business program included 12 conferences of the Future Energy Forum. As a result, the Astana EXPO 2017 Manifesto of Values and Principles has been signed, which is the main intellectual legacy of the exhibition. It contains recommendations for ensuring the sustainable development of the planet, including the transition to low-carbon and carbon-free energy sources.

In addition, Astana exhibition facilities which are to become new global places of interest will form an integral part of EXPO's legacy. According to the President Nursultan Nazarbayev's initiative, the exhibition complex will continue to promote innovative sustainable development. The Astana International Financial Center (AIFC), International Center for the Development of Green Technologies and Investment Projects under the auspices of the UN and the IT Startups International Technopark will be created using EXPO 2017 infrastructure. About Astana EXPO 2017

The International Specialized Exhibition Astana EXPO 2017 dedicated to Future Energy was an expositional and recreational event that took place between 10 June and 10 September 2017 in the capital of Kazakhstan. The exhibition lasted 93 days and became one of the most spectacular cultural venues in 2017. Overall, 115 countries and 22 international organizations took part in the event. As part of Astana EXPO 2017, global policy documents were drafted in order to promote an energy-efficient lifestyle and wide use of renewable energy sources. Contact:

Natalia Kostikova

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[September 26, 2017] Dr. Mohamed Mostafa from Microdrones presents at Intergeo 2017 in Berlin

BERLIN, Sept. 26, 2017 /CNW/ -- Dr. Mohamed Mostafa, Director of mdSolutions at Microdrones will present this Wednesday at Intergeo 2017. His presentation will provide practical application of his extensive research and field work. Geospatial professionals interested in using drones for surveying and mapping work should plan to attend. Dr. Mohamed Mostafa, Director of Microdrones mdSolutions Team, at the Microdrones Booth, Intergeo Hall 6.1, IAS.A050 Titled Professional Grade Lidar/Imaging Systems for Unmanned Airborne Mapping Applications, the presentation will help attendees to: Clearly define a professional grade mapping system that integrates a sensor assembly, focusing on engineering the components to provide the best possible mapping quality.



that integrates a sensor assembly, focusing on engineering the components to provide the best possible mapping quality. Define a workflow that results in an industry standard mapping product, along with its associated industry accepted staistical measures.







that results in an industry standard mapping product, along with its associated industry accepted staistical measures. Assess the geometric quality of the final mapping product. The presentation will take place at 2PM CET at Intergeo, in the IAS INNOVATIONS FORUM, HALL 6.1 In addition to this presentation, Dr. Mostafa will also participate as a panelist in a Podium discussion titled, How Drones Change Industries, which will occur at 11:30 CET in the IAS INNOVATIONS FORUM, HALL 6.1

About Dr. Mostafa Dr. Mostafa has a Ph.D. in Geomatics Engineering from the University of Calgary and more than 18 years of experience in system design, development, integration, calibration, and quality control. He has managed and delivered projects in the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and has contributed to more than 160 technical publications, including the Manual of Photogrammetry 5th edition and the DEM User Manual. He served as Vice President of Commission 1 (sensors and platforms) for the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) and as the Chair of the Direct Georeferencing Committee of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). Currently he serves as the Chair of the ASPRS Precision Mapping by UAS Committee. He won 11 international awards over the last 26 years. To learn more about the professional mapping solutions offered by Microdrones visit: https://www.microdrones.com/en/mdsolutions/ View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dr-mohamed-mostafa-from-microdrones-presents-at-intergeo-2017-in-berlin-300525674.html SOURCE Microdrones

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[September 26, 2017] Therapure Biopharma Inc. Ranks No. 115 on the 2017 PROFIT 500 - its 4th Consecutive Year on the List

Canadian Business and PROFIT recently ranked Therapure Biopharma Inc. ("Therapure" or the "Company") No. 115 on the 29th annual PROFIT 500, the definitive ranking of Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies. Published in the October issue of Maclean's magazine and at CanadianBusiness.com, the PROFIT 500 ranks Canadian businesses by their five-year revenue growth. Therapure made the 2017 PROFIT 500 list with a five-year revenue growth of 613%. Of the manufacturing companies on the list with more than 100 employees, Therapure ranked Third by five-year revenue growth, and

Third largest employer in Canada. Therapure is a fully integrated Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) whose people have the scientific and technical expertise to successfully deliver at every stage of product development (preclinical, clinical and commercial). "It is never easy to earn a spot on the PROFIT 500, but this year's applicant pool was the most competitive yet," says Deborah Aarts, PROFIT 500 program manager. "This year's winners demonstrate the resilience, innovation and sheer management smarts it takes to build a thriving business today. Canada-and the world-needs more entrepreneurial success stories like these." "Therapure is honoured to be in the PROFIT 500 ranking for a fourth consecutive year," says President and CEO Nick Green. "This achievement reflects on our people's passion, responsiveness and commitment to developing and manufacturing biotherapeutics that improve patient care. Further, with the strategic acquisition of our CDMO business, Therapure is now in a stronger position to grow here in Canada." Therapure was also the recipient of the CMO Leadership Individual ttribute Awards in March 2017.



About the PROFIT 500 For 29 years, the PROFIT 500 has been Canada's most respectable and influential ranking of entrepreneurial achievement. Developed by PROFIT and now published in Maclean's magazine and at CanadianBusiness.com, the PROFIT 500 ranks Canadian companies on five-year revenue growth. For more information on the ranking visit PROFIT500.com or CanadianBusiness.com. About Canadian Business

Founded in 1928, Canadian Business is the longest-serving and most-trusted business publication in the country. It is the country's premier media brand for executives and senior 5 business leaders. It fuels the success of Canada's business elite with a focus on the things that matter most: leadership, innovation, business strategy and management tactics. Learn more at CanadianBusiness.com.

About Therapure Biopharma Inc.

Therapure Biopharma Inc. is an integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on complex biological therapeutics and technologies that can provide new options for patient care. Therapure Biopharma Inc. has two divisions: Therapure Biomanufacturing and its product division comprised of Therapure Biologics (plasma derived product) and Therapure Innovations (drug discovery and product development). Therapure Biopharma Inc. operates out of two facilities located in Mississauga, Ontario: a 130,000-square foot cGMP facility that includes biomanufacturing, research and quality control laboratories and is built to meet FDA (US), HPFB (Canada), EMA (News - Alert) (Europe) and MHRA (UK) standards, and a new 43,000 square foot facility housing 30,000 square feet of cGMP warehouse. For more information on Therapure Biopharma Inc., please visit www.therapurebio.com. About Therapure Biomanufacturing

Therapure Biomanufacturing is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) offering integrated services for developing, manufacturing, purifying and packaging complex biological therapeutics. Its scientific and manufacturing expertise, as well as its flexible state-of-the-art cGMP facility, provide clients with optimal biomanufacturing solutions to advance their biotherapeutics from discovery to market. For more information on Therapure Biomanufacturing, please visit www.therapurebio.com/CDMO. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005037/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Transformer Market to Cross $70bn by 2024: Global Market Insights, Inc.

OCEAN VIEW, Delaware, September 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The industry analysis report "Transformer Market Size By Core (Closed, Shell, Berry), By Product (Distribution Transformer, Power Transformer, Instrument Transformer {Current, Potential}), By Winding (Two Winding, Auto-Transformer), By Installation (Outdoor, Indoor), By Cooling (Dry Type {Self-Air, Air Blast}, Oil Immersed {Self Cooled, Water Cooled, Forced Oil}), By Insulation (Gas, Oil, Solid, Air), By Phase (Three, Single), By Rating (= 10 MVA, 11 To 60 MVA, 61 To 600 MVA, > 600 MVA), By Mounting (Pad, Pole, PC/PCB), By Application (Residential & Commercial {Hotels, Hospitals, Apartments}, Utility, Industrial {Railways, Cement, Power, Oil & Gas}), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Russia, UK, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Argentina), Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017 - 2024", by Global Market Insights, Inc. says Transformer Market share will reach over USD 70 billion by 2024. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160418/799556-a )

Rising security of supply concerns along with global inclination towards energy conservation will foster the transformer market size. Energy efficiency propositions favored by expeditious expansion of smart-grid networks will further stimulate the product penetration. In 2017, Sweden, Italy, UK, Germany and France, entered a smart grid agreement. The concord lays investment provisions worth USD 133.7 billion to cater the expansion of smart grid technologies across Europe. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2100 Increasing infrastructural expenditure subject to widespread residential and commercial establishments across developing regions will stimulate the transformer market share. Rising demand for the refurbishment of grid infrastructure coupled with rapid adoption of smart transmission & distribution equipment will further complement the industry outlook. In 2017, East Spring Investments, proposed an investment worth USD 500 million towards the structuring of infrastructure debt across developing economies. China transformer market in 2016, accounted for an annual installation of over 15 '000 units. Ongoing reforms in line with the establishment of a sustainable grid infrastructure will positively influence the product landscape. Stringent norms toward the replacement of fossil fuels with clan energy resources supported by renewable integration target will embellish the business growth.



The > 600 MVA in 2016, accounted over 30% of the global transformer market share. Rapid deployment of high voltage networks to cater the rising electricity demand from industries across Asia Pacific and Africa will embellish the business growth. Ongoing expansion of utility infrastructure along with retrofitting of existing transmission infrastructure will further stimulate the product demand. Browse key industry insights spread across 800 pages with 1530 market data tables & 17 figures & charts from this 2017 report Transformer Market in detail along with the table of contents at:

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/transformer-market Soaring energy security concerns along with exponential rise in energy consumption will substantially augment the global transformer market size. Increasing complexity of grid infrastructure on account of expanding electricity networks and increasing demand for energy, obligate the adoption of sustainable T&D equipment. In addition, increasing consumer awareness towards the integration of effective energy mix favored by perpetual electrification programs will further complement the industry outlook. The U.S. transformer market will witness sustainable growth owing to rising investments toward the replacement and upgradation of conventional grid networks across the nation. Expeditious expansion of rail-road infrastructure propositions backed by the peninsula corridor electrification program will positively influence the product demand. In 2017, the U.S. Federal Transit Administration allocated funds over USD 100 million to reinforce the expansion of electrical networks to cater the rail infrastructure in California. Middle East & Africa transformer market is projected to witness steep progression subject to the rapid expansion of micro-grid networks coupled with the ongoing adoption of decentralized generation technologies. Soaring investments from financial institutions including the African Development Bank (ADB), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), toward electrification across the nation will further nourish the business landscape. In 2017, The African Development Bank proposed investments worth USD 12 billion to cater the soaring power sector across Africa. Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2100 Notable participants in the transformer market include General Electric, ABB, EATON, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Crompton Greaves, Mitsubishi Electric, Hyundai Electric, Hyosung, Toshiba Corp., Daihen, BHEL, Kirloskar, SPX Transformer, Ormazabal, Ruhstrat, and Celme. Browse Related Reports: Power Transmission Components Market Forecast, 2016 - 2024 Power Transmission Components Market size was over USD 20 billion in 2015 and is predicted to grow at over 6% by 2024. Increasing demand for safe and reliable power coupled with rising urban population will drive the global power transmission components market size. Utilities are working aggressively towards development of new and improved transmission network to meet the growing electricity demand. https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/power-transmission-components-market Middle East Distribution Transformer Market Forecast, 2016 - 2024 Middle East Distribution Transformer Market size was over USD 2.75 billion in 2015, and is anticipated to grow at 3.9% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. Growing demand for alternative energy and rising cost of generating electricity has led to transformation of conventional electric grid to smart grid. These products are a hub for collection and distribution of energy and a key component of successful transition to smart grid. There exists increased focus on renewable power sources such as solar and wind energy owing to limited availability of non-renewable sources. https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/middle-east-distribution-transformer-market About Global Market Insights Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.

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Global Market Insights, Inc.

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[September 26, 2017] Butter.ai Launches First AI Slack App That Saves Seven Minutes Per Document Search

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Butter.ai today emerged from stealth mode to unveil an ingenious AI-powered Slack app that makes finding documents on cloud services like DropBox, Google Drive and Evernote as smooth and easy as its namesake, solving a significant productivity problem in the workplace. "With the average enterprise now having over 1000 cloud apps, searching for your documents is costing companies thousands of dollars per day in lost productivity," said Jack Hirsch, CEO and co-founder of Butter.ai. "Knowledge workers are wasting up to $30,000 in time each year searching for documents and information across cloud apps. We're solving a common work dilemma elegantly and securely." In an era of constant disruption and information overload, the problem will only grow worse. Google Drive now hosts more than 2 trillion files, and 500 million users on Dropbox are uploading 1.2 billion files daily. The current alternatives to Butter.ai can be as disruptive as physically tapping someone on the shoulder or messaging them on Slack, interrupting valuable team workflow. "Our research shows that the cost of a single disruption is at least seven minutes of work time, once the total work distraction is accounted for. What should be a simple action is seding ripples across an enterprise. The financial costs add up quickly and nobody's paying attention," Hirsch said.



To end this problem, teams can install Butter.ai on Slack starting today, where it serves as an always-available bot assistant that uses natural language processing and machine learning to find what you're looking for across your work apps. For instance, if you need to find the latest copy of your logo, you could ask, "Where's our latest logo for print?" The bot would instantly find the correct version. Butter.ai integrates with Google Drive, GMail, Confluence, Dropbox, Evernote, Trello and Slack. When relevant files are found, Butter.ai can facilitate file access if the permissions are not already in place. To ensure the privacy of its users, Butter.ai is HIPAA compliant at launch.

"Before Butter, I spent too much time tracking things down," said Reed Boehringer, a marketing operations analyst at Flexport, a company that helps businesses organize their shipping efforts. "Simple tasks, like locating the correct folder in Google Drive or finding the most up-to-date policy details in Confluence, was unnecessarily difficult. With Butter, I no longer need to bug my colleagues on Slack with banal questions. Butter.ai enables me to spend my time more effectively. The more I use it, the better it gets." For teams under 20 people, the time-saving app is $4.99 per user per month, with a free trial. The company also offers an enterprise version for larger teams. Try Butter.ai today by visiting http://butter.ai. About Butter.ai

Butter.ai is a Slack tool that makes all of your team's work documents searchable in one place. By creating an easy way for anyone to find that elusive file, Butter.ai eliminates the distraction of file requests, allowing you to stay in the zone. Butter.ai is based in San Francisco and is a member of All Turtles, an AI startup studio. To date, Butter.ai has raised $3 million from General Catalyst, Slack, Jason Calacanis and others. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/butterai-launches-first-ai-slack-app-that-saves-seven-minutes-per-document-search-300525507.html SOURCE Butter.ai

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[September 26, 2017] Caresyntax Raises $11.9 Million In Funding From Norgine Ventures

BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Caresyntax Inc., a surgical analytics and integration services company, announced today an investment of $11.9 million in funding by Norgine Ventures, a Luxembourg-based investor supporting innovative healthcare solutions. Caresyntax will use the investment round to accelerate product development and open its new North American headquarters in Boston, building upon its established U.S business through longstanding partnerships with GE, Medtronic and Siemens. Caresyntax helps hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers identify and manage risk, automate workflows, enhance knowledge sharing and reduce surgical variability. "Caresyntax is spearheading the future of operating room (OR) integration by culling data from individual clinical events to drive improvements in performance and health system investments," said Dennis Kogan, caresyntax CEO. "Hospitals and health systems are exploring ways to use resources more effectively toward delivering quality improvements and favorable patient outcomes. Norgine Ventures is the ideal partner to help us assist our key constituents to drive these changes." The caresyntax platform aggregates structured and unstructured data from OR devices, and blends it with EHR (Electronic Health Records) and other data sources to discern actionable insight. With a granular focus unique to today's data analytics products, caresyntax deciphers the causes of surgical variations and makes recommendations for fixing them, resulting in reduced readmissions, improved patient safety and better clinical workflows.



Added Kogan: "The surgical integration business is moving beyond just honing workflows to delivering real-time data metrics to reduce surgical variability." Peter Stein, Managing Director at Norgine Ventures, said: "With our investment in caresyntax, we are supporting a rapidly growing healthcare technology company, which brings true innovation to digital operating room integration, and a tangible clinical and economic value to hospitals. Caresyntax solutions enhance productivity and efficiency in the operating room, and improve utilization and safety, ultimately leading to better clinical outcomes. This investment furthers our commitment to funding innovating businesses with the potential to transform the healthcare sector and provide economic value to patients, healthcare professionals and payers."

Used by Chiefs of Surgery, OR Managers and Quality Management officials, the vendor-neutral caresyntax platform consists of PRIME365 OR integration and qvident surgical performance management software. It addresses surgical outcomes variability, automates workflow processes, improves training protocols, and safeguards reimbursement. Usability, easy reporting and workflow automation are hallmarks of the platform. Caresyntax will establish its first full-time U.S. operations and headquarters in downtown Boston in October with plans to add more than 10 employees by the end of 2017. The move is a bit of a homecoming for caresyntax Co-founders Kogan and Bjoern von Siemens, who lived in the Boston area while at Harvard. Recognizing the leadership of the medical and biotechnology community of Greater Boston, caresyntax decided to bring its U.S. headquarters operations to the hub. About Norgine and Norgine Ventures Norgine is a leading European specialist pharmaceutical company with a direct commercial presence in all major European markets. In 2016, Norgine's total revenue was EUR 368 million. Norgine employs over 1,000 people across its commercial, development and manufacturing operations and manages all aspects of product development, production, marketing, sale and supply. Norgine specialises in gastroenterology, hepatology, cancer and supportive care. Norgine is headquartered in the Netherlands. Norgine owns an R&D site in Hengoed, Wales and two manufacturing sites in Hengoed, Wales and Dreux, France. For more information, please visit www.norgine.com. In 2012, Norgine established a complementary business, Norgine Ventures, supporting innovative healthcare companies through the provision of debt-like financing in Europe and the U.S. For more information, please visit www.norgineventures.com. NORGINE and the sail logo are trademarks of the Norgine group of companies. About caresyntax Caresyntax, a surgical analytics and integration services company with North American headquarters in Boston, helps hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers identify and manage risk, automate workflows, enhance knowledge sharing, and reduce surgical variability. Converging IoT technology and surgical analytics, the caresyntax platform is used in nearly 6,000 operating rooms worldwide, transforming unstructured clinical and operational data into actionable, real-time insights. Clinical teams, as a result, enhance performance, control surgical variation and improve patient outcomes. Partnering with GE, Medtronic and Siemens in the U.S., caresyntax is a sister company of Berlin-based S-CAPE GmbH, a global operating room integration specialist with 25 years of successful installations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.caresyntax.com. MEDIA CONTACT:

Philip Anast

Amendola Communications (for caresyntax)

312-576-6990

[email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/caresyntax-raises-119-million-in-funding-from-norgine-ventures-300525358.html SOURCE caresyntax

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What could be better than enjoying your vacation by paying as less as possible?

By India Today Web Desk: Thai Lion Air, an associate company of Jakarta-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Lion Air, has brought you one of the choicest gifts of the year.

September 27 onward, the airline will start flight services between Mumbai and Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport.

The flight will operate twice a week and from October 29, plying thrice a week, according to Conde Nast Traveller.

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Don Mueang International Airport is a hub to other LCCs like Nok Air, New Gen Airways, NokScoot, R Airlines, Siam Air, Thai AirAsia and Thai AirAsia X. And so, with this new connectivity, people travelling from Mumbai can expect budget-friendly onward connections to destinations like Phuket, Singapore, Jakarta, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Krabi, Ko Samui, Ho Chi Minh and Chiang Mai.

Also Read: This airline is now offering Mumbai-Bangkok return trip for Rs 13,000 only

Although the promotional fare of tickets, for the period between October 14 and October 21, has already been sold out, Mumbai-Bangkok return Economy tickets are still available at IDR 2,663,000 (Rs 13,000), for the period between November 22 and November 29.

New Year's Eve fare, worth IDR 3,685,700 (Rs 18,000) are also available for travel period between December 27 and January 3, 2018.

The fare also includes the cost of the baggage, up to 20 kgs, excluding food.

--- ENDS ---
[September 26, 2017] Peak 10 + ViaWest Launches 100 Gigabit Network Connectivity Across US

CHARLOTTE, N.C. and DENVER, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Peak 10 + ViaWest, a leading hybrid IT infrastructure provider offering colocation, interconnection, cloud, managed solutions and professional services, today announced a new core network backbone featuring 100 Gigabit (Gb) connectivity across nine of its data center and cloud node locations spanning the United States. Peak 10 + ViaWest is one of the only data center providers in the world to offer a 100Gbps backbone that enables its 4,200 customers across its portfolio of 40 data centers with diverse and significant network federation capabilities. This 100Gb backbone increases the company's network capacity by five times and provides customers with network options and interconnection capabilities that extend to hundreds of global carrier offerings. Customers can select the network capacity that best fits their needs today, knowing that the network is readily scalable to 400Gb based on their business needs and growth. This flexibility and the understanding that one size does not fit all is core to the customer-centric approach at Peak 10 + ViaWest. The 100Gb connectivity now connects nine locations, including data centers and cloud nodes in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas, and Portland, Ore., and points of presence (POPs) in key carriers hotels in Chicago, New York and Ashburn, Va. In a growing number of its markets, Peak 10 + ViaWest also has 40Gb connectivity among intercity data centers that is aggregated and routed via the netwrk backbone. Later this fall, the 100Gb network backbone will be extended to data centers in Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., and Louisville, Ky.



"As we continue to come together as one entity, our combined resources and network offerings will help our customers grow their businesses and manage increasingly complex network requirements," said Chris Downie, CEO of Peak 10 + ViaWest. "Our 100 Gigabit network is truly differentiated, highly redundant and designed for 100% uptime. Customers can use it to connect to more than 80 direct carrier or peering infrastructures within our data centers, as well as gain access to hundreds of carriers and hyperscale cloud providers like AWS, Azure and Google, among others." Peak 10 + ViaWest's private and secure network backbone is connected into key carrier hotels and peering exchanges in five major markets, with extensions to London and Amsterdam, Netherlands, broadening customer access for national and global network requirements. It is supported by a dedicated backbone engineering team, advanced monitoring and alerting tools, and 24/7/365 support staff.

This latest network enhancement further validates Peak 10 + ViaWest's continuous commitment to providing customers with the most comprehensive set of connectivity services in the industry. In June 2017, the company announced access to the New Cross Pacific (NCP) subsea cable, the fastest low-latency fiber optic cable between the United States and Asia, which directly terminates in its Hillsboro, Ore. data center. The NCP cable enables a direct route for companies to access to the high-growth region spanning China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. About Peak 10 + ViaWest

Peak 10 + ViaWest is a powerful combination that helps organizations optimize their journey of IT transformation while simultaneously balancing cost, scalability, compliance and security. Its 4,200 customers trust it to deliver hybrid IT infrastructure solutions spanning colocation, interconnection, cloud, managed solutions and professional services. Peak 10 + ViaWest's robust suite of assets span 20 domestic and international markets and is comprised of 40 highly-redundant data centers, 2.7 million square feet of data center space, 13 cloud nodes and more than 10,000 cross connects. These capabilities, coupled with over 1,000 dedicated employees, underlie the steadfast reliability of its solutions. For more information on Peak 10, please visit www.peak10.com. For more information on ViaWest, please visit www.viawest.com. Media Contact:

Pete Johnson

For Peak 10 + ViaWest

[email protected]

O: 971.245.4002 x 514

C: 415.806.7060 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/peak-10--viawest-launches-100-gigabit-network-connectivity-across-us-300525714.html SOURCE Peak 10 + ViaWest

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[September 26, 2017] Cambridge Semantics Launches Anzo Smart Data Lake 4.0 with Semantic Layers for Data Access and Analytics On-Demand

STRATA DATA 2017 -- Cambridge Semantics, the leading provider of big data management and analytics solutions, today announced the release of Anzo Smart Data Lake (ASDL) 4.0, its flagship platform product that builds a semantic layer at scale on all enterprise data and empowers users to extract powerful insights at record speed. Incorporating several new technical advancements designed to deliver a generational shift over current data lake, data management and data analytics offerings. ASDL 4.0 offers an end-to-end, enterprise-scale open platform that creates a single semantic layer of an organization's structured and unstructured data. The platform is designed to break down the IT barriers that can cost enterprises millions of dollars in lost opportunities by slowing down or blocking data access. "Semantic approaches are coming of age and providing the data context to enable insight that drives business executives toward meaningful action," said Michele Goetz, Principal Analyst for Enterprise Architecture at Forrester (News - Alert) Research. "Executed at enterprise scale across the best data lake and data fabric strategies is the future of the enterprise information fabric." ASDL 4.0 features include: Automated Rapid Ingestion that supports connectivity to both internal and external sources, including cloud environments and existing data lakes. It ingests both structured and unstructured data through horizontally scaled, automated ETL processes. Most structured sources may be ingested without manual mapping, while unstructured data is processed, indexed and on-boarded through configurable text analytics and NLP pipelines. As a result, valuable analyst or data steward's time can be refocused on higher value tasks.

that supports connectivity to both internal and external sources, including cloud environments and existing data lakes. It ingests both structured and unstructured data through horizontally scaled, automated ETL processes. Most structured sources may be ingested without manual mapping, while unstructured data is processed, indexed and on-boarded through configurable text analytics and NLP pipelines. As a result, valuable analyst or data steward's time can be refocused on higher value tasks. Data Catalog leverages graph models to describe the data in business contexts and capture all the di?erent types of data required, spanning all enterprise data sources and all data sets stored in ASDL. Users can easily browse and discover data sets of interest and understand their context in a secure and governed environment. The full data provenance and lineage of all data in the catalog is explorable in a user-friendly visual interface.

leverages graph models to describe the data in business contexts and capture all the di?erent types of data required, spanning all enterprise data sources and all data sets stored in ASDL. Users can easily browse and discover data sets of interest and understand their context in a secure and governed environment. The full data provenance and lineage of all data in the catalog is explorable in a user-friendly visual interface. Graphmarts connect the power of Cambridge Semantics' Anzo Graph Query Engine (AGQE) to data in ASDL, bringing together subsets of data on-demand for preparation, analysis and access. Graphmarts are collections of data sets that can be shared, discovered and enhanced collaboratively. ASDL automatically brings Graphmarts online into existing AGQE clusters, or can provision new clusters on-demand as business nees peak for agile deployment and cost-e?ective cloud resource utilization.

connect the power of Cambridge Semantics' Anzo Graph Query Engine (AGQE) to data in ASDL, bringing together subsets of data on-demand for preparation, analysis and access. Graphmarts are collections of data sets that can be shared, discovered and enhanced collaboratively. ASDL automatically brings Graphmarts online into existing AGQE clusters, or can provision new clusters on-demand as business nees peak for agile deployment and cost-e?ective cloud resource utilization. Users can add Data Layers to their Graphmarts for data cleansing, transformation, linking and access control - dynamically enhancing the in-memory graph in an iterative manner. Graphmarts apply Data Layers in stacked fashion for the ?exibility to easily turn layers on or o?, and remove, copy and create layers as needed. By storing data preparation tasks as individual layers, users enjoy dramatic improvements in data preparation productivity similarly to modern digital tools for editing images, video and sound.

to their Graphmarts for data cleansing, transformation, linking and access control - dynamically enhancing the in-memory graph in an iterative manner. Graphmarts apply Data Layers in stacked fashion for the ?exibility to easily turn layers on or o?, and remove, copy and create layers as needed. By storing data preparation tasks as individual layers, users enjoy dramatic improvements in data preparation productivity similarly to modern digital tools for editing images, video and sound. ASDL's Hi-Res Analytics provides an interactive and intuitive exploratory experience that allows citizen data scientists, analysts and business users to get data and answers to ad-hoc questions in real time encompassing the full breadth and complexity of all their information assets. With Hi-Res Analytics, users can truly have a conversation with their data - quickly and easily pivoting to take the analysis in new directions based on the answers to questions.



Cambridge Semantics will be demonstrating ASDL 4.0 at booth #441 at the Strata Data Conference in New York this week in the Javits Center.

The company is also hosting two in-booth speakers to discuss the significance of ASDL 4.0 to their businesses: Ali Yasin, managing director for consulting services giant PwC, will discuss the following two topics this Wednesday, Sept. 27: "Trade Surveillance - A Joint Solution between PwC and Cambridge Semantics" (11 a.m. ET), and "Case Study: Batch Process Optimization Using Graph Databases at UBS" (3:45 p.m. ET);

Joseph Friend, senior vice president of business development for Aitheras, a litigation support firm, will discuss "An Investigation and Litigation Analytics Platform Powered by Cambridge Semantics," at 11 a.m. this Thursday, Sept. 28. In addition, Ben Szekely, a member of the founding team and vice president of solution engineering at Cambridge Semantics, will speak on Launching a Breakthrough Data Lake Platform for the Enterprise Information Fabric from 2:05-2:45 p.m. ET this Wednesday in location IE 17 in the Javits. [Suggested Tweet] [email protected] launches breakthrough #bigdata #analytics product with #semantic layers @strataconf #stratadata Booth 441 About Cambridge Semantics

Cambridge Semantics Inc., The Smart Data Company, is an enterprise analytics and data management software company. Our software, the Anzo Smart Data Lake, allows IT departments and their business users to semantically link, analyze and manage diverse data whether internal or external, structured or unstructured, with speed, at big data scale and at the fraction of the implementation costs of using traditional approaches. Cambridge Semantics is based in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information visit www.cambridgesemantics.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (News - Alert): @CamSemantics. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005859/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Radian Announces Early Tender Results and Upsizing of its Previously Announced Cash Tender Offers for Certain Series of Notes

Radian (News - Alert) Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN) (the "Company") announced today the early tender results and upsizing of its previously announced cash tender offers (the "Tender Offers") for the debt securities in the table below (collectively, the "Notes"). The Company has amended the terms of the Tender Offers to increase the Maximum Series Tender Cap (as defined below) relating to the 7.00% Senior Notes due 2021 from $125 million to $175 million in aggregate consideration. All other terms of the Tender Offers remain unchanged. The "Maximum Series Tender Cap" refers to the aggregate consideration to be paid by the Company in respect of each series of Notes, excluding Accrued Interest (as defined below). The aggregate principal amount of Notes of each series that were validly tendered and not validly withdrawn as of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 25, 2017 (the "Early Participation Time"), as reported by the Depositary (as defined below), and the aggregate principal amount of each series of Notes that are expected to be accepted for purchase by the Company on September 26, 2017 (the "Early Settlement Date"), subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions to the Tender Offers set forth in the Offer to Purchase (defined below) are specified in the table below.







Notes



(CUSIP/ISIN) Outstanding

Principal

Amount Original

Maximum

Series

Tender

Cap Revised

Maximum

Series Tender

Cap Principal

Amount

Tendered Principal Amount

Expected to be

Accepted for

Purchase on

Early

Settlement Date Total

Consideration

(rounded) (1)(2) 5.50% Senior

Notes due 2019



(750236AR2/US

750236AR21) $300,000,000 $150,000,000 No change $231,835,000 $141,377,000 $149,999,583 5.25% Senior

Notes due 2020



(750236AS0/US

750236AS04) $350,000,000 $125,000,000 No change $277,852,000 $115,874,000 $124,999,078 7.00% Senior

Notes due 2021



(750236AT8/US

750236AT86) $350,000,000 $125,000,000 $175,000,000 $322,588,000 $152,339,000 $174,999,426

(1) Excludes Accrued Interest (as defined below), which will be paid by the Company. (2) Includes the Early Participation Premium (as defined below) of $30.00 per $1,000 principal amount of Notes. The terms and conditions of the Tender Offers are set forth in an Offer to Purchase dated September 12, 2017 (as amended hereby, the "Offer to Purchase"), which has been sent to holders of the Notes. Holders of the Notes are urged to read carefully the Offer to Purchase, as it contains important information regarding the Tender Offers. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Tender Offers, holders who validly tendered their Notes on or prior to the Early Participation Time and whose Notes are accepted for purchase will receive the applicable Total Consideration set forth in the table above for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes purchased pursuant to the Tender Offers, which includes an early participation premium of $30.00 per $1,000 principal amount of Notes (the "Early Participation Premium"), plus accrued and unpaid interest on such Notes from, and including, the applicable last interest payment date with respect to those Notes to, but not including, the Early Settlement Date ("Accrued Interest"). Withdrawal rights for the Notes expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 25, 2017. As the aggregate consideration to be paid by the Company in respect of each series of Notes that have been tendered would exceed the applicable Maximum Series Tender Caps, acceptance for tenders of each series of Notes has been prorated such that (i) of the $231,835,000 aggregate principal amount of the 5.50% Senior Notes due 2019 that were tendered as of the Early Participation Time, only $141,377,000 aggregate principal amount are expected to be accepted for purchase on the Early Settlement Date; (ii) of the $277,852,000 aggregate principal amount of the 5.25% Senior Notes due 2020 that were tendered as of the Early Participation Time, only $115,874,000 aggregate principal amount are expected to be accepted for purchase on the Early Settlement Date; and (iii) of the $322,588,000 aggregate principal amount of the 7.00% Senior Notes due 2021 that were tendered as of the Early Participation Time, only $152,339,000 aggregate principal amount are expected to be accepted for purchase on the Early Settlement Date. Because the Tender Offers have been fully subscribed as of the Early Participation Time, no Notes tendered after the Early Participation Time will be accepted for purchase in the Tender Offers. Any Notes tendered after the Early Participation Time, together with any Notes tendered at or prior to the Early Participation Time but not accepted by the Company, including Notes not accepted because of proration, will be returned to the holders thereof. The Tender Offers will expire at 11:59 p.m. New York City time, on October 10, 2017, unless extended or earlier terminated. The obligation of the Company to accept any Notes tendered and to pay the consideration therefor is subject to, and conditioned upon, the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, including the consummation of an offering of senior debt securities, which the Company commenced concurrently with the Tender Offers, the net proceeds of which, together with other available cash, will fund the Tender Offers (the "Debt Financing"). The Debt Financing is expected to close on September 26, 2017, subject to customary closing conditions. The dealer manager for the Tender Offers is RBC Capital Markets, LLC (the "Dealer Manager"). The information agent and the depositary for the Tender Offers is Global Bondholder Services Corporation (the "Depositary"). Any questions regarding the terms of the Tender Offers should be directed to the Dealer Manager at (toll-free) (877) 381-2099 or (212) 618-7822. Any questions regarding procedures for tendering Notes should be directed to the information agent at (toll-free) (866) 873-6300 or (for banks and brokers) (212) 430-3774) or 65 Broadway, Suite 404, New York, NY 10006. This news release shall not be construed as an offer to purchase or sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase or sell any of the Notes or any other securities. The Company, subject to applicable law, may amend, extend or terminate any or all of the Tender Offers and may postpone the acceptance for purchase of, and payment for, the Notes so tendered. The Tender Offers are not being made in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. None of the Company, the Dealer Manager, the information agent or the Depositary makes any recommendations as to whether holders of the Notes should tender their Notes pursuant to the Tender Offers. Nothing contained herein shall constitute an offer of the debt securities that are the subject of the Debt Financing. About Radian Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN), headquartered in Philadelphia, provides private mortgage insurance, risk management products and real estate services to financial institutions. Radian offers products and services through two business segments: Mortgage Insurance , through its principal mortgage insurance subsidiary Radian Guaranty Inc. This private mortgage insurance protects lenders from default-related losses, facilitates the sale of low-downpayment mortgages in the secondary market and enables homebuyers to purchase homes more quickly with downpayments less than 20%.

, through its principal mortgage insurance subsidiary Radian Guaranty Inc. This private mortgage insurance protects lenders from default-related losses, facilitates the sale of low-downpayment mortgages in the secondary market and enables homebuyers to purchase homes more quickly with downpayments less than 20%. Mortgage and Real Estate Services, through its principal services subsidiary Clayton, as well as Green River Capital, Red Bell Real Estate and ValuAmerica. These solutions include information and services that financial institutions, investors and government entities use to evaluate, acquire, securitize, service and monitor loans and asset-backed securities. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005972/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Faction Appoints New President & COO to Support Rapid Growth

DENVER, Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Faction, a leading provider of next-generation cloud infrastructure, headquartered in Denver, CO, announced today that David Scholtz has joined the company as its President and Chief Operating Officer. As President & COO, Mr. Scholtz will be responsible for driving growth initiatives while scaling business operations to support Factions rapid expansion in the cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS) market.

Due to tremendous traction with our new product lines, we require additional executive resources to continue expanding our culture of innovation that got us to this point while at the same time ensuring we stay aligned with our customer-first mission, said Luke Norris, CEO at Faction. With Daves impressive record of proven leadership in the technology industry, I am excited to have him on board to execute upon our strategic initiatives with key industry partners as well as to drive growth and scale across our business. Faction is well positioned to increasingly add unique value in an enormous market, as enterprises continue their evolution to the cloud and adopt and implement hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, said David Scholtz. Faction has a proven track record as an innovative IaaS provider, as evidenced by its patented connectivity technolog, unique cloud-attached storage offerings, and deep industry partnerships. I am thrilled to join Luke and the team at this exciting time and contribute to further Factions rapid growth.



This new position follows last month's news of Factions recent strategic partnerships with VMware for VMware Cloud on AWS, CoreSite to expand multi-cloud storage and networking solutions, and NetApp for Cloud Control Volumes. All are evidence of Factions growing position as an innovator and leader in the cloud IaaS market, which Gartner, Forrester, IDC and others estimate to continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16% to 19% over the next 10 years and spending on cloud computing expected to grow more than 6x the rate of IT spending through 2020. Prior to Faction, Scholtz was CEO of Damballa, a leader in automated breach detection, and led the company through its acquisition by Core Security. At Damballa, Scholtz re-built a leadership team and redesigned the companys go-to-market strategy, personnel and positioning, which resulted in the delivery of record revenues and consecutive years ranked on Deloittes Technology Fast 500 List.

Scholtz has almost 30 years of experience in the technology industry and a proven track record of leadership at some of the industrys most successful companies. During Scholtz's time as SVP of Global Alliances at McAfee, the company grew revenues from $1 billion to over $2.1 billion and was acquired by Intel for $7.7 billion. Before McAfee, Scholtz was VP of Worldwide Alliances & Channels at HP Software, which he joined via its $4.5 billion acquisition of Mercury Interactive. While at Mercury, where he was VP of Americas Alliances and Channels, Scholtz contributed to the company's revenue growth from $150 million to nearly $1 billion. About Faction

Faction is an enterprise-class IaaS cloud provider offering private, public and hybrid cloud solutions. Faction has SOC 1 & 2, HIPAA compliant and PCI capable cloud nodes in 8 geographies in North America. It provides services directly to enterprise customers and through channel partners. Faction offers both Cisco UCS and Open Compute platforms, is a Platinum-level NetApp Service Provider, and a member of the VMware Cloud Provider Program (VCPP). Follow us on Twitter (@FactionInc) and LinkedIn. For more information, please visit www.factioninc.com For Faction media inquiries, please contact:

Brittany Gunter

720.442.9696

[email protected]

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[September 26, 2017] Efinix Completes $9.5M Funding Round

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EfinixTM, an innovator in programmable product platforms and technology, today announced the completion of a $9.5 million funding round. The investment will accelerate the market deployment of the companys Quantum programmable technology with a focus on deep learning and compute acceleration.

The investment was led by leading provider of All Programmable semiconductor products, Xilinx, and Hong Kong X Technology Fund (HKX), a leading investment fund supported by Sequoia Capital China and focusing on fast-growing technology companies. In addition, Samsung Ventures Investment Corporation, Samsung Electronics investment arm, also joined the funding round, as well as Hong Kong Inno Capital and Brizan Investments. High-voume applications and markets are prime targets for our Quantum-accelerated products, said Sammy Cheung, co-founder, CEO, and president of Efinix. Combining our Quantum programmable technology and Efinity Integrated Design Environment, we will be launching a number of joint development projects and a new line of silicon product platforms in the coming months thanks to the funding announced today.



Efinixs Quantum programmable technology delivers a 4X Power-Performance-Area advantage over traditional programmable technologies. This disruptive advantage enables products accelerated by the Quantum technology to compete in high-growth markets such as custom logic, deep learning and compute acceleration. Efinixs solution can address a wide variety of applications that are typically not served by todays FPGAs, said Salil Raje, senior vice president of Software and IP Products Group at Xilinx. We are excited to be an investor and look forward to working with them.

We are thrilled to support Efinixs growth as it accumulates design wins and grows its customer base, said Prof. Guanhua Chen, co-founder of HKX. The truly disruptive Quantum programmable technology addresses needs in many markets especially mobile devices and artificial intelligence. Efinixs Quantum programmable technology brings opportunity for diverse range of applications, said representative from Samsung Ventures. We envision many applications that feature Quantum technology embedded inside ASICs, ASSPs, or FPGAs. About Efinix Efinix is an innovator in programmable products platforms and technologies. The companys Quantum programmable technology enables advanced programmable silicon products in the ASIC, ASSP, and FPGA segments. With Quantums Power-Performance-Area advantage, Efinix products address the needs of high-volume, low-power, and small form-factor products for applications in custom logic, compute acceleration, and deep learning. Efinixs joint development activities, which focus on infrastructure, data centers, and advanced silicon processes, further amplify the companys leadership in the programmable industry. For more information, visit http://www.efinixinc.com. Contact: Steve Stratz Relevanz Public Relations for Efinix 206.300.9134 [email protected]

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[September 26, 2017] Libelium Improves MySignals' Performance Adding New Sensors to Ease the Development of eHealth and IoT Medical Solutions

NEW PRESS RELEASE unboxing



Libelium Improves MySignals' Performance Adding New Sensors to Ease the Development of eHealth and IoT Medical Solutions Libelium delivers new Cloud Storage Plans for MySignals' customers facing up the strategic shift of the company to provide solutions for the whole IoT value chain, from hardware devices to cloud services. Zaragoza (Spain), 26 September 2017 Libelium releases a new improved version of MySignals, the most complete eHealth development platform now equipped with 17 different sensors that measure the most important biometric parameters. The platform allows real time visualization of the data gathered and also to be stored on the MySignals' Cloud where the information is sent encrypted enabling to manage different user profiles. MySignals is the Libelium's IoT eHealth Platform meant to be a portable hospital, with the size of a book and 100 times cheaper than current market solutions. This innovation integrates in a small suitcase all the sensors and monitoring tools that can be found in an Emergency Observation Room of a Hospital. The new version of MySignals improves usability and navigation speed thanks to a more powerful and larger TFT touchscreen, creating a new user experience and allowing to have the system up and running in seconds. "MySignals is the perfect development tool for new medical IoT devices and eHealth cloud services that need to be tested with rel biometric values", David Gascon, Libelium's CTO states.



With the new MySignals' version, users can choose from 17 different biometric sensors to measure the most important body parameters such as pulse, breath rate, oxygen in blood, temperature, electrocardiogram signals, blood pressure, muscle electromyographic signals, glucose levels, galvanic skin response, lung capacity, snore waves, patient position, airflow and body scale parameters. An alarm button has also been included to connect the user with emergency services.

Twenty step-by-step video tutorials with settings and instructions enable a quick test of the platform in just a few minutes. "We wanted our clients to be using MySignals in minutes from scratch, so we decided to create 20 step-by step tutorials that would make the process quick and easy", David Gascon says. MySignals improves the future of health services to cover one of the main challenges of the century: enhancing the universal accessibility to a healthcare system for more than 2 billion people worldwide that lives in rural areas with very limited access to hospitals. Moreover, a recent trial on tele health in Australia revealed that self health care monitoring technology could save $3 billion yearly to public health services in avoidable admissions to hospital, reduced length of stay and fewer demands on primary care. "MySignals includes everything needed to bring together a service as necessary for the population as remote medical assistance", David Gascon affirms. MySignals' improvements in detail: New plans, for users and developers, allowing data storage and visualization will start operating in November 2017: User Cloud Plans are meant to be used to test the performance of MySignals. In this case all the data is sent to the Libelium Cloud, so users do not need to set up their own servers . Cloud Developer Plans are the best option for users who want to store the data gathered by MySignals in their own servers. This type of plans allows to use the Cloud API to read the information from the Libelium Cloud and write it in their own Cloud platforms.

A bigger TFT screen with a 30% longer screen diagonal (3.5" vs 2.4"), which means an increase of 100% of the real touch surface area, making the gathered data easier to read.

with a 30% longer screen diagonal (3.5" vs 2.4"), which means an increase of 100% of the real touch surface area, making the gathered data easier to read. Two new Bluetooth sensors (BLE): one to measure body temperature and an alert button to connect with emergency services when urgent assistance is needed.

(BLE): one to measure and an to connect with emergency services when urgent assistance is needed. Two security layers implemented to send the information: payload encryption with AES 256 + HTTPS for server communications.

to send the information: payload encryption with AES 256 + HTTPS for server communications. Twenty new video tutorials with step-by-step settings and instructions to allow a quick test of the platform in just a few minutes. The video tutorials show how to use all the sensors in stand alone mode along with the usage of the Bluetooth and WiFi modes to send the information from MySignals to the Cloud. MySignals platform includes CE, FCC and IC certifications. More information: http://www.libelium.com/libelium-improves-mysignals-performance-adding-new-sensors-to-ease-the-development-of-ehealth-and-iot-medical-solutions/ Visit the official website of MySignals to know all the details of the platform. More information at: MySignals Technical Guide. Try a demo of MySignals' Cloud! Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6f40afa9-1c64-4dd4-ae06-2a35ad86fe62

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[September 26, 2017]

Alight Mining Solutions To Speak At Mines & Technology 2017 In Toronto

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alight Mining Solutions, a division of Alight, Inc., will be a featured presenter at this year's Mines & Technology conference and host the opening night gala.

Hear and see the Alight Mining Solutions team at these key events at Mines and Technology, October 2-4, Delta Hotel, Toronto.

Monday, October 2nd



See Alight Mining Solutions' Product Manager Brandon Gill give a keynote on

"Improving Financial Performance by Exploiting Operational and Historical Data for Better Decision-Making"

4:20 pm

Join Alight as e host the Opening Night Networking Reception  enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on the Alight Mining Solutions team.









5:30 pm

Tuesday, October 3

Join Alight's CEO, Michele McGovern and our customer, Saad Hameed from ArcelorMittal, along with Rick Howes, CEO, Dundee Precious Metals and Joe Carr of Inmarsat to discuss

"The Critical Role of Digital Technologies to Support the Large-Scale Technology Revolution of Operations"

5:30 pm

Learn More: Click here to learn how Alight helped one of the world's top iron ore producers.

About Alight

Alight is a fast-growing provider of industry-specific, cloud-based applications that change the way businesses are run. Alight's applications let executives Manage the Future by showing the financial ripple effects of potential decisions across the enterprise. Alight works with firms in dynamic and complex industries, including mortgage mining and mortgage banking. For more information: alightinc.com.

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SOURCE Alight, Inc.
[September 26, 2017] Simulation-driven Innovation: Altair Technology Conference to Showcase Optimization-driven Design, Evolution of the User Experience, and the Impact of Disruptive Trends on Simulation

TROY, Mich., Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Keynoted by industry thought leaders, attended by hundreds of engineers examining new techniques and ideas, the Altair Technology Conference (ATC) East will be held in Detroit, Michigan, from October 9-10, 2017. This 2-day event features Altairs innovations in simulation technology, highlighting advanced optimization-driven design methods, the evolution of the user experience, and the impact of disruptive trends on simulation. The Altair Difference: James R. Scapa, Altairs Founder, Chairman and CEO, presenting at ATC West, Los Angeles



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6f9298cb-7888-4457-9d1-f9508c0151d3



"With a unique forum for learning opportunities, the global ATC conference series aims to support the professional community in keeping them abreast of new trends and technology in industry," said Altairs Jason Napolitano, Senior Vice President, Americas. "The Detroit ATC will offer rich, impressive thought leadership insights into the impact of Simulation-driven Innovation on disruptive trends." Impressive presentations from innovators and industry leaders will include how simulation-driven design has impacted their business operations, and how it continues to be driven by current trends such as additive manufacturing, e-mobility, big data and the internet of things. Altair C-Level and other keynote presentations will include:

Phil Guys , CTO, American Axle & Manufacturing

, CTO, American Axle & Manufacturing Dr. Darrell Socie , Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois

, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois Randy Frank , Chief Engineer - Virtual Verification & CAE, Ford Motor Company

, Chief Engineer - Virtual Verification & CAE, Ford Motor Company Iain Percy , Team Leader, Artemis Racing

, Team Leader, Artemis Racing Vance Strader , Chief Engineer - Systems Group, Harley-Davidson Motor Company

, Chief Engineer - Systems Group, Harley-Davidson Motor Company James Truskin , Technical Fellow Body Architecture, FCA Group, LLC

, Technical Fellow Body Architecture, FCA Group, LLC Mark Meili , R&D Director of Modeling & Simulation, P&G

, R&D Director of Modeling & Simulation, P&G Chris Borroni-Bird, VP Strategic Development, Qualcomm Over 30 technical session presenters have been confirmed and organized into seven tracks: Automotive Advanced Simulation, Math & Modeling Systems, Electromagnetics, Design Exploration, Lightweighting, The Future of Simulation, and Manufacturing Solutions. Presentations for the tracks will include representation from American Axle and Manufacturing, Boeing, Bruel & Kjaer, Cast Connex, ElectroScience Lab -Ohio State University, FCA Group, LLC, Ford Motor Company, GT2Energia, Michigan State University, Phoenix Integration, Pratt & Miller, Roush Industries, STMicroelectronics, Thumb & Tool Engineering, XLDyn, and Ziegler Instruments. Complimentary online registration is open now. About ALTAIR Altair is focused on the development and broad 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 and operates 68 offices throughout 24 countries. Today, Altair serves more than 5,000 corporate clients across broad industry segments. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com. Media Contacts Altair:

Corporate / Americas/ Asia Pacific

Biba A. Bedi

+1.757.224.0548 x 406

[email protected] Altair Europe/ The Middle East/Africa

Evelyn Gebhardt

+49 6421 9684351

[email protected]

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[September 26, 2017] Promisec Partners with Preventia Services to Expand Global Reach

NEEDHAM, Mass., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Promisec, a pioneer in endpoint detection and response, today announced a partnership with Preventia Services to offer agentless endpoint detection and remediation solutions to the UK market. Under the partnership, Promisec will help Preventia Service's customers improve operational efficiency when it comes to managing and controlling the security and compliance of endpoints, including workstations and servers. Geoff Phillips, Sales Director at Preventia Services, said, "We are excited to welcome Promisec to our ecosystem of Cyber Security solutions and services. Their solution complements our existing portfolio of security solution offerings well, enabling us to help our customers gain immediate and complete visibility across all endpoints, and the tools to achieve holistic, agentless endpoint security and compliance. The agreement signed with Promisec forms part of our development strategy to bring new and/or innovative security products to the UK market." Promisec's solutions offer a variety of features that provide network visibility and remediation for all endpoints. The company offers a patented agentless solution to rapidly control endpoints within a network to detect, analyse and correct anomalies and security gaps. It is designed to run at any time on every corporate network without hindering performance or affecting user experence.



"In today's complex threat environment, security protection is useful, but detection of complex security threats is critical as danger often comes from within a company," said Noel Slane, VP Global Sales at Promisec. "We live in an environment where businesses are regularly compromised, which makes it important to invest in detection capabilities that provide continuous monitoring of systems and process to respond quickly to threats. Through this partnership, Promisec will provide the most accurate view into endpoint threats and risks, and give companies the expertise they need to help remediate these threats." "We are very pleased to form this partnership with Preventia Services, as we continue to build out our network of Channel Resellers, Integrators and MSPs," added Slane. "Our ambition is to recruit new partners to increase brand visibility within the UK market for companies of all sizes. We are excited to partner with Preventia Service's and look forward to leveraging our complementary expertise to help our mutual customers strengthen their security infrastructure."

About Preventia Services Preventia Services are a trusted provider of IT and Cyber Security Solutions and Services. Our leading-edge technologies help our customers detect, prevent and respond to modern security threats and challenges. Through our Partner Ecosystem we provide a range of Security Consultancy Services, from CHECK and CREST accredited Penetration Testing, to PCI-DSS, GDRP and DPA Consultancy, Incident Response and Forensic services. Visit www.preventiaservices.co.uk for further details. About Promisec Promisec is a pioneer in endpoint visibility and remediation and a leader in the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) market defined by Gartner, empowering organizations to avoid threats and disarm attacks that can lead to unwanted headlines and penalties. Promisec's patented, agentless technology assures users that their endpoints are secure, audits are clean, regulations are met and vulnerabilities are addressed proactively to ensure the integrity of enterprise IT. More globally recognized companies trust in Promisec to stay secure, compliant and operationally efficient. Visit www.promisec.com for more information. PR Contact: Michael Gallo for Promisec

212-239-8594

[email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/promisec-partners-with-preventia-services-to-expand-global-reach-300525874.html SOURCE Promisec

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[September 26, 2017] It's Never 2 Late Set to Release Personal Engagement Tablet for LTC Communities

DENVER, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It's Never 2 Late, the leader in providing person-centered digital engagement, today announced that more than 20 assisted living and long-term care (LTC) communities have pre-ordered iN2L Focus, a new tablet device scaled to meet the needs of seniors, regardless of their physical and cognitive abilities. View a preview of Focus here. iN2L Focus re-imagines everyday tablet technology to incorporate the core dimensions of wellness, as well as choice, dignity, respect, self-determination and purposeful living. The tablet's engagement and communication features offer residents, their loved ones and caregivers a single, intuitive tool to support: Social connection

Intellectual curiosity

Spiritual and emotional support

Personal interests The iN2L Focus tablet includes programming for education, spirituality, music, games, exercise and more, all launched with applications designed with senior user experience in mind. Content programing is selected per each resident's interests and needs from iN2l's continually updated content. In addition, iN2L Focus features video chat, photo sharing, text and e-mail, enabling residents and their loved ones to easily communicate and socialize. Front Porch retirement, active adult living and afforable housing communities were early beta testers of the Focus tablets and the first adopters of them. Data indicates that in 2017, Front Porch residents and staff have logged more than 30,000 hours using various iN2L formats.



"iN2L Focus promotes social connectedness, as well as cognitive activity, among all of our residents, enhancing the way we deliver meaningful care," said Davis Park, director of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing, a program that promotes technology innovations to empower the lives of Front Porch residents and the older adult population at-large. "The versatility of iN2L Focus allows it to be used one-to-one with caregivers and residents, in small groups or independently by residents," said iN2L president and co-founder Jack York. "In addition, it provides LTC staff opportunities to interact and engage with the people they care for in ways that are unique and personalized."

iN2L Focus also provides staff with a mobile digital tool to aid in care workflow and increase resident engagement. With seamless implementation, caregivers can easily send announcements and notifications, and configure device settings for each resident per their clinical needs and demographic interests. "We found that caregivers from any department could pick up iN2L Focus and use it easily to engage a resident one-on-one," said Cameo Rogers, life enrichment coordinator for Vetter Health Services. "It has been a positive relationship building tool." Research suggests that digital engagement technology may slow the progression of dementia, reduce reliance on antidepressant medication, and mitigate cognitive decline associated with loneliness, depression and boredom. Nearly 50 percent of LTC residents experience mild to chronic depression, which can often be mistaken for dementia. An estimated 900,000 residents take one or more antidepressant medications, which makes them susceptible to a host of negative side effects. "iN2L Focus could not have come at a better time," said York. "By 2050, nearly 84 million Americans will be 65 and over. They will be living longer and experiencing a number of physical and cognitive health issues. At the same time, there will be a serious shortage of skilled care providers to manage the needs of this population. Now is the time to leverage solutions that will meaningfully help both seniors and the people caring for them respond to the challenges ahead." Focus officially launches in October, and will be demonstrated at ACHA | NCAL 68th Annual Convention & Expo, Oct. 15-19, in Las Vegas, and the Leading Age Annual Meeting & Expo, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, in New Orleans. About It's Never 2 Late It's Never 2 Late (iN2L) is an award-winning developer of digital engagement technology for senior living community residents, with over 2,500 installations in the United States and Canada. The company's picture-based, touchscreen interface provides easy connectivity to the Internet, including video chat and e-mail, regardless of users' physical and cognitive abilities. Additionally, iN2L's media library offers more than 4,000 social, educational and spiritual content options, as well as games developed specifically for individuals with cognitive challenges. Residents can realize the full benefits of interactive technology while reducing isolation, increasing cognitive stimulation and enhancing independence. For more information about iN2L, visit their website. Access case studies, research, testimonials, and our blog on our Ideas & Insights page. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Contact: Matt Schlossberg

Amendola Communications for iN2L

[email protected]

630-935-9136 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/its-never-2-late-set-to-release-personal-engagement-tablet-for-ltc-communities-300525929.html SOURCE iN2L

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By PTI: Srinagar, Sep 26 (PTI) Top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was today killed in a gunbattle with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector as he was trying to sneak into the valley to take charge of the outfit, a senior police officer said.

It was a major success for the security forces as Najar was wanted for his alleged involvement in more than 50 killings, including that of policemen in Hygam area of Sopore, in the past 17 years.

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Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain said, "Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC this morning."

"He was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen in the wake of elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces," he told PTI.

"Najar started his career as a terrorist with the killing of Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar in 2003," he said.

The officer said Najar was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers in 2015 after he fell out with the Hizb leadership.

"He was now tasked with reviving the outfit in Kashmir in the wake of elimination of top militants," he said. PTI MIJ SMN

--- ENDS ---
[September 26, 2017] Abattis regains 100% ownership in Northern Vine to focus and expand on Lab and Extraction strategy

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. (the "Company" or "Abattis") (CSE:ATT) (OTC:ATTBF) is pleased to announce it has signed a settlement agreement returning 100% ownership in its laboratory subsidiary, Northern Vine Canada Inc. (Northern Vine).

Abattis has signed a subsidiary share swap agreement with Experion Biotechnologies Inc. (Experion) wherein Experion regains 100% ownership of its company and Abattis regains 100% ownership of Northern Vine. Regaining full 100% ownership control of Northern Vine puts Abattis in a much stronger strategic position allowing us to seek out exciting new partnerships that better align with our vision for our labs and extraction, said Rob Abenante, President and CEO of Abattis and Northern Vine. Abattis plans to leverage the labs capabilities by focusing research and development goals at Northern Vine towards genetics, analysis, processing, and Abattis proprietary extraction technology. Northern Vine continues to play a strong role in Abattis full downstream service plan to test, analyze, formulate, provide regulatory expertise, and assist in branding and selling downstream products from the cannabis cultivation industry. We intend for Northern Vine to be the first of many laboratories which we plan to roll out with strategic partners. Since labs are scarce, the value of the dealers license is going up, and we believe we have a very unique commercial lab in Northern Vine, added Mr. Abenante. With the agreement, Abattis has officially regained full ownership control over Northern Vine which includes its operational testing facility in Langley, B.C. Northern Vine. "The swap agreement with Experion will allow both companies to focus on their core competencies and operate in a more efficient and effective manner. As a new director of Abattis, I see this as a very positive step forward for Abattis's subsidiary, Northern Vine. We wish Experion success with their cultivation business and look to forming more synergistic strategic partnerships in the near future, said Peter Gordon, director of Abattis. The Company is executing on its plan to become the premier testing formulating facility to better serve the national canabis industry.



As well, Abattis and Northern Vine have commenced setting up prototype extraction installations with local licensed facilities to highlight the extraction capabilities of the proprietary extraction technology and machinery. So far, six machines have landed in Canada, of which some will be installed at Northern Vines lab, while others will be demonstrated for strategic partners that Abattis is working with. The landed machines are capable of processing 72 kgs per day of raw material.

About Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. Abattis is a life sciences and biotechnology company which aggregates, integrates, and invests in cannabis technologies and biotechnology services for the legal cannabis industry developing in Canada. The Company has successfully developed and licensed natural health products, medicines, extractions, and ingredients for the biologics, nutraceutical, bioceutical, and cosmetic markets. The Company is also seeking to acquire exclusive intellectual property rights to agricultural technologies to be employed in extraction and processing of botanical ingredients and compounds. The Company follows strict standard operating protocols, and adheres to the applicable laws of Canada and foreign jurisdictions. About Northern Vine Canada Inc. Northern Vine Labs is licensed by Health Canada (Dealers License) for the possession of Cannabis and related active ingredients, as well as the production of extracts for the purpose of analysis. Northern Vine Labs product certification and quality assurances programs incorporate global best practices and procedures for application in the legal Canadian cannabis market. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

ABATTIS BIOCEUTICALS CORP., Rob Abenante"

Robert Abenante, President & CEO For more information, please visit the Company's website at: www.abattis.com or www.northernvinelabs.com For inquiries, please contact the Company at (604) 336-0881 or at [email protected] FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", intends, "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the expected stronger strategic position and ability to attract stronger partners, the production capabilities of the Companys machines, the ability to leverage the labs capabilities, for research, development, extraction and product formulation. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including that Northern Vine will continue to play a strong role in Abattis full downstream service plan to test, analyze, formulate, provide regulatory expertise, and assist in branding and selling downstream products from the cannabis cultivation industry; that Northern Vine will be first of many laboratories to be rolled out with strategic partners; that the value of the dealers license may increase; the ability of the swap agreement to allow both companies to focus on their core competencies and operate in a more effective manner; the Company being able to execute on their business plan and become one of the premier testing services to the cannabis industry; that that the Company may not be able to execute its proposed business plan in the time required or at all due to regulatory, financial or other issues, the Companys competitors may develop competing technologies, changes in regulatory requirements and other factors beyond the Companys control. Additional risk factors are included in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis, available under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements are made as at the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, where as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

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[September 26, 2017] Millions of Consumers May Have Been Impacted by Equifax Breach, says Parker Waichman

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Waichman LLP, a national personal injury law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of victims injured by data breaches and other types of consumer fraud notes that, according to a September 10, 2017 NBC News Report, that the massive Equifax cyber breach impacting at least 143 million consumers, may have exposed about half of the U.S. population. Equifax is one of the largest United States reporting agencies. (https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/massive-equifax-data-breach-could-impact-half-u-s-population-n799686) The breach was discovered on July 29, 2017 and is believed to involve sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, birthdays, addresses, and driver's license numbers. Approximately 209,000 credit card numbers were exposed, which includes consumers residing in Canada and the United Kingdom as well, according to NBC News. Also, three of Equifax's top executives sold Equifax shares just following the breach; however, the information concerning the breach was ot disclosed publically until more than six weeks later. John Gamble, chief financial officer (CFO); Joseph Loughran, president of U.S. information security; and Rodolfo Ploder, president of workforce solutions sold shares within days after the company knew about the breach, according to Security Exchange Commission (SEC). According to NBC News, Bloomberg, which broke the news, estimated that approximately $1.8 million shares were sold, NBC News reported.



NBC News notes that Equifax is an agency that consumers use to protect themselves and their finance and credit against identity theft. With all of this private information now possessed by cyber thieves, customers are being placed in a challenging position. "Equifax is tasked with actually protecting this information in the form of identity theft protection and here we are with almost half of the country's population being affected," Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, told NBC News. "We are displeased to hear that Equifax not only permitted such a breach, but did not immediately release this information to consumers," said Keith Gitman, Managing Attorney at national law firm, Parker Waichman LLP. "The firm is also disappointed that Equifax is leaving the hard work of untangling this breach to consumers, who are already in a vulnerable position," Mr. Gitman added.

Filing a Cyber Breach Injury Lawsuit Parker Waichman has years of experience representing clients in cyber breach injury and loss lawsuits. If you or someone you know is interested in filing an Equifax breach lawsuit, please contact one of our experienced cyber expert lawyers today. Our firm offers free, no-obligation case evaluations. For more information, visit our YourLawyer.com page or call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529). (http://www.yourlawyer.com) View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/millions-of-consumers-may-have-been-impacted-by-equifax-breach-says-parker-waichman-300525990.html SOURCE Parker Waichman LLP

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[September 26, 2017] DiscoverOrg Recognized as One of the Nation's Top Training Organizations

VANCOUVER, Wash., Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DiscoverOrg, the worlds leading sales and marketing intelligence provider, has been doubly honored by ELearning Magazine! and CallidusCloud as one of the nations top training organizations. ELearning Magazine! recognized the company as a 2017 Top 100 Learning Organization, and CallidusCloud named DiscoverOrg the top training program and team among all of its Litmos customers.

In both cases, DiscoverOrg was specifically recognized for developing a learning culture that extends internally and externally. The results are award-winning employee engagement and extraordinary ROI for customers. In fact, research completed in 2016 demonstrated that customers who participate in DiscoverOrgs comprehensive onboarding programs saw an ROI 600% higher than customers that did not. Weve worked hard to create a culture of continuous learning and development - it is literally the foundation of our approach every day, said Henry Schuck, DiscoverOrg CEO. Im incredibly proud that both CallidusCloud and ELearning Magazine! have recognized the value that DiscoverOrgs deep ommitment to training brings to both our customers and our employees.



Since 2016, DiscoverOrg has increased investment in its customer and employee training programs, including the launch of: A new onboarding and training program for all customers

TiLT, a unique customer training program designed to teach sales development teams the art of selling

Department-specific bootcamps and training programs for all employees

A new Employee Professional Development Certification program with certifications in Communication, Leadership, Supervision/Management, Product Management, & Selling

A comprehensive library of videos and eLearnings available to employees and customers Results of this relentless focus on learning are embedded in other recognitions as well. In 2017, DiscoverOrg has been named to the Inc. 5000 list for the seventh consecutive year, earned a spot on the Inc. Top 50 Best Workplaces in the U.S., and was certified as a great workplace by the independent analysts at Great Place to Work. For more information, visit www.discoverorg.com

About DiscoverOrg DiscoverOrg is the leading global sales and marketing intelligence tool used by 4,000 of the world's fastest growing companies to accelerate growth. The company itself has been named an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company seven times. DiscoverOrg's award-winning solutions provide a stream of accurate and actionable company, contact, and buying intelligence that can be used to find, connect with, and sell to target buyers more effectively - all integrated into the leading CRM, SDR, and Marketing Automation Tools in the market. DiscoverOrg's team of over 250 researchers refreshes every data point at minimum every 60 days - ensuring customers reach the right buyers with the right message at the right time. PR Contact

Katie Bullard

[email protected]

800-914-1220

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[September 26, 2017] Urban Future Lab Competition To Showcase World's Top Smart City, Smart Grid, and Smart Mobility Technology Startups

NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Urban Future Lab, New York City's hub for smart cities, smart grid, and clean energy at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, announced the launch of its 2017 Urban Future Competition during today's NY REV Future 2017 conference. Sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Urban Future Competition debuts the world's most revolutionary smart city, smart grid, and smart mobility technologies by bringing the brightest entrepreneurs together with mission-driven investors, policy leaders, and corporate sponsors for a prestigious pitch competition in New York City. The winner in each of three categories will get $50,000 cash and the opportunity to grow his or her business into a successful venture in one of New York State's most successful and longest-running cleantech business incubation programs, ACRE, housed in the Urban Future Lab in Downtown Brooklyn. "Startup Genome's 2017 Global Startup Ecosystem Report identified New York City as the second largest startup ecosystem in the world. The Urban Future Lab is that ecosystem's hub for all things smart city, smart grid, and clean energy," said Pat Sapinsley, managing director of cleantech initiatives at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. "We are fortunate to be at the intersection of New York's supportive state and municipal policies and in a city whose massive size and diverse population makes it the ideal laboratory for creating and testing solutions to the world's most pressing challenges pertaining to sustainable urban development. Winners of the 2017 competition will join our vibrant community of change agents building a smarter, cleaner future for cities around the world." Non-dilutive, non-equity, cash prizes of $50,000 will be awarded to the top company in each of the competition's three categories: the Smart City track, the Smart Grid track, and the Smart Mobility track. Aplications for the Smart Mobility track could pertain to electric vehicles (EVs) and EV infrastructure solutions, high performance and low carbon vehicle materials, autonomous vehicle technology and mobility artificial intelligence (AI), digital tools for more connected mobility, alternative fuel technologies and infrastructure, or freight and logistics optimization solutions. Applications for the Smart City track could pertain to urban infrastructure and resiliency, Internet of Things, sensor networks, analytics, or related themes. Applications for the Smart Grid track could pertain to renewable energy, energy efficiency, grid modernization, distributed generation, microgrids, and more.



"Since winning the 2016 competition and joining the ACRE incubator program at the Urban Future Lab, Fentrend has received $5.5 million in client projects, established a strategic partnership with the largest window contracting company in New York City, and has seen a 45 percent increase in revenue," said Andy Huh, co-founder of Fentrend. ACRE is one of six cleantech incubators sponsored by NYSERDA. Additional NYSERDA incubators are located at academic institutions and venture development organizations in Long Island, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany.

In joining the ACRE incubator at the Urban Future Lab, winners gain unprecedented access to the competition's strategic partners and corporate sponsors. They also benefit from networking events, workshops and skills enhancement boot camps, and share experiences, challenges, solutions, and contacts with fellow entrepreneurs. Alicia Barton, president and CEO at NYSERDA said, "The State's clean energy incubators are playing a vital role in advancing innovative companies and business models that will help New York meet Governor Cuomo's nation-leading energy goals. I look forward to congratulating the winner of the competition and watching the company become part of New York's energized clean energy community." Applications to the Urban Future Competition are now open until December 1, 2017. For more information and to apply, visit urbanfuturecompetition.com. About the NYU Urban Future Lab and ACRE

The Urban Future Lab (UFL) at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering is New York City's premier innovation hub for smart cities, the smart grid, and clean energy. The UFL is home to programs focused on policy, education, and market solutions for the green economy. ACRE, the UFL's flagship program, is a business incubator that supports the growth of high-impact early-stage venture companies addressing climate change. ACRE incubator companies receive 24/7 access to desk space and conference rooms at an office in Downtown Brooklyn, in addition to professional business advisory and support services (legal, accounting, design) and introductions to ACRE's network of market partners, investors, mentors, and startup resources. The UFL and all its programs are supported by NYSERDA, National Grid, Wells Fargo, Empire State Development Corporation, Daikin, and Orrick. More at ufl.nyc. About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly). A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within NYU, the country's largest private research university, and is closely connected to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates Future Labs focused on start-up businesses in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu. www.facebook.com/nyutandon

@nyutandon View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/urban-future-lab-competition-to-showcase-worlds-top-smart-city-smart-grid-and-smart-mobility-technology-startups-300526011.html SOURCE NYU Tandon School of Engineering

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[September 26, 2017] Sun Life Financial takes next step in digital journey with launch of Workplace by Facebook

Sun Life Financial among industry first to offer Workplace to employees across the globe TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2017 /CNW/ - Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX: SLF) (NYSE: SLF) today announced it has launched Workplace by Facebook ("Workplace"), a communications platform that connects the global enterprise with familiar tools to increase collaboration and productivity. Workplace is currently being used by Sun Life employees in Canada, the U.S., and Asia and is expected to be rolled-out to all employees across its global operations by July 2018. Sun Life Financial recently moved its global headquarters to Toronto's dynamic south core and reaffirmed its commitment to digital innovation, sustainability and providing an agile ork environment for all employees. With operations in markets around the world, Sun Life Financial will leverage Workplace to:



Increase collaboration across time zones and space.

Enhance video capability and the ability to host team meetings around the world.

Grow mobile solutions for employees.

Attract and retain top talent, supporting the company's high performance culture.

Reduce the amount of email. "We are proud to be among the first financial services companies to offer Workplace to our employees," said Mark Saunders, Executive Vice-President & Chief Information Officer, Sun Life Financial. "At Sun Life, we're always looking for new ways to work more efficiently and collaborate more effectively to deliver for our Clients. As we continue on our digital transformation journey, Workplace will help us connect more easily and share information, best practices and ideas regardless of where people are located or what language they speak." To date, approximately 6000 Sun Life employees are using Workplace with more being added each day. Workplace is contributing to Sun Life's high performance culture by providing employees with a collaborative space to share news and updates on company strategy, highlight articles of interest related to the business including its commitment to community and sustainable practices, reward and recognize employees, and celebrate key project milestones.

"No matter the work style, Workplace is giving our employees an easy way to engage, communicate, and collaborate with each other," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., President, Sun Life Financial U.S. "Workplace is easy to navigate and we've made it available to our employees on any desktop or mobile device so they can access it in a way that is most convenient for them." This new technology is the latest move by Sun Life Financial as it continues to transform its business by advancing the company's digital strategy. About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individuals and corporate Clients. Sun Life Financial has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2017, Sun Life Financial had total assets under management of $944 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF. Media Relations Contact:

Alessandra Nigro

Director, Corporate Communications

Sun Life Financial

T. 416-979-4884

[email protected] SOURCE Sun Life Financial Inc.

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[September 26, 2017] SAP Announces First Co-Innovation Customers, Partners in Blockchain Initiative for Internet of Things

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced the initial companies participating in its blockchain co-innovation initiative and plans to make the digital ledger system an integrated part of Internet of Things (IoT), manufacturing and digital supply chain solutions using the SAP Cloud Platform Blockchain service. Companies including Capgemini, Deloitte, GrainCorp, HCL Technologies, HERE Technologies, Moog Inc., Natura Cosmeticos S.A., NetApp and PeerNova are collaborating with SAP to validate use cases and business models for blockchain usage for product and asset lifecycle management solutions from SAP. This announcement was made at the SAP TechEd conference taking place September 2529 in Las Vegas. "In the digital economy, an iterative, fast-paced approach in close collaboration with our customers and partners is imperative," said Dr. Juergen Mueller, chief innovation officer, SAP. "With the blockchain service as part of the SAP Leonardo digital innovation system we are enabling an open collaboration around distributed business processes in peer-to-peer networks." The SAP Leonardo Blockchain Co-Innovation program gives SAP customers and partners the opportunity to explore applications including registering events to blockchain from product inception and design to manufacturing and logistics phases for product track and trace. The program also addresses parts serialization and order validation for inventory management and for product providence and authenticity. SAP is also exploring digital supply chain scenarios where different suppliers submit offers directly to blockchain to improve effectiveness across their business networks. "At Moog, we can see that distributed ledger technology will be a key enabler for more digital, connected and leaner workflows within the industrial, medical and aerospace businesses," said George Small, chief technology officer, Moog Inc. "We believe that shared, distributed legers are all about collaboration and openness. Our collaboration with SAP will accelrate the development of distributed ledger tools and infrastructure needed to realize our vision of the future."



SAP also opened registration for the SAP Leonardo Blockchain Early Access program, which provides customers and partners access to standard SAP products that have been enhanced and augmented with blockchain functionality. Participants can gain first-hand knowledge about how SAP Leonardo Blockchain capabilities can enable companies and their business partners to access the same information without the need for central control and management. The early access program is open for customers and partners to register until early Q1 2018. Customers can learn more about the program and how to participate by visiting SAP's blockchain website. "Our increasingly connected and automated world relies on the flow of secure and validated data across parties," said Leon van de Pas, head of IoT at HERE Technologies. "The data expertise of SAP, particularly on blockchain as an innovative data security technology, and the unique perspective HERE provides as a location data company serving customers across all industries will be a very strong combination to enable the autonomous world."

In its early access blockchain program, SAP is focusing on industries including automotive, aerospace and defense, discrete manufacturing and utilities, with additional participation across the broader supply chain and business networks, including logistics network providers. SAP is collaborating with multiple system integrator companies to help ensure the accelerated adoption and rollout of blockchain-enabled IoT and digital supply chain solutions from SAP, running on SAP Cloud Platform Blockchain. "Blockchain is a transformative technology that can simplify multiparty transactions and open new possibilities for digital innovation in many industries," said Dr. Tanja Rueckert, president of IoT & Digital Supply Chain at SAP. "Our early access customers and partners can join SAP to get a first-mover advantage innovating and scaling blockchain as a core part of their Internet of Things strategies." For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP Leonardo IoT capabilities on Twitter at @SAPLeonardo and follow SAP at @sapnews. About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device  SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable approximately 355,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com. Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.  2017 SAP SE. All rights reserved.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices. For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24

United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727) For more information, press only:

Jim Dever, SAP, +1 (610) 661-2161, [email protected], PDT

Kathrin Eiermann, SAP, +49 6227 767029, [email protected], CET

SAP News Center press room; [email protected]

Kyle Tildsley, PAN Communications, +1 (617) 502-4300, [email protected], EDT View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sap-announces-first-co-innovation-customers-partners-in-blockchain-initiative-for-internet-of-things-300525583.html SOURCE SAP SE

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[September 26, 2017] Bell Integrator Automates Unistream Business Application Testing

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bell Integrator, a global consulting and technology services company, helps Unistream, an international money transfer company, to automate business application testing process. This project became an important milestone in accelerating global time to market for Unistreams products and services.

Considering the development of the industry and the quickly changing competitive environment, Unistream is improving its primary banking and payment systems. In order to quickly and properly launch products and services on the market, Unistream uses DevOps technology for its testing and operation cycles. The growing number of products in development and being introduced has created a need to speed up the testing process, which is one of the most important parts of taking a business idea from concept to implementation. This process used to be extremely labor- and time-consuming. Unistream chose Bell Integrator to solve this problem. We are happy to be participating in this project because we have extensive experience optimizing processes improving our customers' time to market while introducing new features, products or services for financial institutions. We are happy with the results thus far. I believe the application of our streamlined processes with the right mix of technolog enables our customer to scale and introduce new services at the right speed and the right time, said Aleksei Ananiev, Bell Integrators Business Development Director.



In the past few months, Bell Integrator has streamlined the manual testing process and has accelerated the transformation towards complete automation. As a result, time spent preparing and releasing new versions of Unistreams software suite has already been reduced to one fourth of the original time. Thanks to innovative techniques and technologies, automated methods and eliminating the human factor, we have managed to significantly increase the quality of their software. As part of this project, we are finishing up another stage of improving Unistream Banks infrastructure. In accordance with the DevOps methodology adopted by the bank, we continue to steadily improve the performance and quality indicators of the software and hardware suite, as well as significantly increase accessibility and IT system fail-safety indicators. By the end of 2017, we are planning to have automated all of Unistream money transfer system functions, and by the end of the first quarter of 2018, finish this process by also covering the Automated Banking System and a number of associated banking software complexes, said Aleksei Emelyanov, Unistreams CIO.

About Bell Integrator Bell Integrator is a global consulting and technology services provider driving innovation and enabling digital transformation within the finance, telecom, retail, and automotive industries. Customers include Ericsson, Cisco, Century Link, Juniper, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, and Societe Generale. For more information, visit www.bellintegrator.com. About Unistream

Unistream is a leading payment system operator and processing center in Russian and CIS. Today, in addition to its traditional money transfer business, Unistream offers customers a large number of convenient and reliable payment solutions designed to satisfy the daily needs of its customers, both individuals and companies. Unistream's international money transfer system works in 200 countries at 280,000 service locations, including self-service. The system has partnered up with 400 financial institutions around the world. Contact: Inna Proshkina [email protected]

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[September 26, 2017] Augmenix Announces Positive Clinical Trial Results Demonstrating Efficacy of SpaceOAR Hydrogel in Patients Undergoing Dose-Escalated Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Augmenix, Inc., a medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells proprietary absorbable hydrogels that separate and protect organs at risk during radiotherapy, today announced positive results from the first prospective clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of its SpaceOAR System in protecting the rectum in men undergoing high dose stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT*) for the treatment of low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Results from the multi-institutional Phase 2 study were presented today as a late-breaking clinical trial at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO 2017) in San Diego. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006498/en/ SpaceOAR hydrogel separates the prostate and rectum during radiation treatment (Graphic: Business Wire). Researchers have long known that higher radiation doses (dose escalation) are more effective at killing tumors. However, the amount of radiation safely delivered to the prostate is limited by the rectum proximity, and concerns of creating long-term rectal injury and associated side effects. Physicians at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center recently evaluated 44 men receiving SpaceOAR Hydrogel followed by dose-escalated (45 Gray) SBRT. The data show that SpaceOAR Hydrogel significantly reduces rectal injury in men undergoing high-dose SBRT for prostate cancer. Specifically, 13.6 percent of treated men had rectal mucosal injury in the study, all of which were mildly symptomatic and completely healed within six months following treatment. These findings are significant, as prior clinical research found that 90 percent of non-SpaceOAR Hydrogel patients treated with the same SBRT regimen experienced similar radiation-induced mucosal injury due to higher rectal wall radiation doses. None of the patients exhibited signs of biochemical cancer recurrence in the 12-month follow up period. "Hypofractionated approaches are gaining momentum in the treatment of prostate cancer, and in our experience, high-dose regimens have provided exceptionally high rates of biochemical control, but at the cost of an increased risk of rectal complications associated with the rectal wall dose," said Michael Folkert, MD, radiation oncologist and brachytherap specialist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "Our new study demonstrates that use of the perirectal hydrogel spacer gets us the 'room' we need to safely deliver the most potent therapeutic doses to patients, which may ultimately lead to the optimal cancer control while significantly reducing the risk of treatment related complications."



As the first and only prostate cancer spacing device to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance, SpaceOAR Hydrogel is placed between the prostate and rectum, protecting the rectum and surrounding tissue from high-dose radiation exposure. Long-term clinical data has shown that at both three and five years post-radiation therapy (using Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy), patients treated with SpaceOAR Hydrogel demonstrated significant bowel, urinary and sexual function benefits.1-3 "We are excited by the successful results from this study, as it is the first time we've evaluated SpaceOAR Hydrogel in prostate cancer patients treated with high-dose SBRT, and the findings confirm a significant clinical benefit," said John Pedersen, CEO, Augmenix. "As this robust data indicates - along with the other positive data on our hydrogel spacing technology presented this week at ASTRO - we remain steadfast in our vision to develop disruptive medical technology that improves the lives of patients receiving radiation therapy."

Prior SpaceOAR Hydrogel clinical studies have demonstrated significant reductions in long-term radiation side effects, and improvements in patient quality of life following the delivery of standard prostate radiation doses. This recent study was designed to see if SpaceOAR Hydrogel allows for safe prostate dose escalation, which if proven safe in other studies, has the potential to reduce cancer recurrence rates following prostate radiotherapy. For more information on SpaceOAR Hydrogel, visit www.SpaceOAR.com. ABOUT SPACEOAR HYDROGEL

Radiation therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer can cause unintended radiation injury to adjacent healthy tissue (organs at risk). This injury can lead to a range of bowel, urinary and sexual symptoms that can affect patient health and quality of life during radiotherapy, and for years afterward. In recent years, radiation oncologists have considered use of "spacing" techniques to reduce the risk of radiation injury to surrounding tissue during radiotherapy. SpaceOAR Hydrogel is intended to temporarily position the anterior rectal wall away from the prostate during radiotherapy for prostate cancer and in creating this space it is the intent of SpaceOAR Hydrogel to reduce the radiation dose delivered to the anterior rectum. The SpaceOAR Hydrogel is injected as a liquid into the space between the prostate and rectum where it pushes the structures apart and then solidifies into a soft hydrogel. The hydrogel remains stable for three months during radiation therapy then liquefies and is completely absorbed by the body. See the Instructions for Use for complete information on potential risks, warnings and precautions. ABOUT AUGMENIX, INC.

Augmenix, Inc. is a privately held U.S. company based in the Boston, Massachusetts area focused on the development and commercialization of radiation oncology products using its proprietary hydrogel technology. Focusing initially on protection during prostate radiation therapy, Augmenix next-generation products will address spacing and marking applications throughout the body to improve radiotherapy and interventional oncology procedure outcomes. The company's lead product, SpaceOAR System, is FDA cleared and is currently being used in the majority of leading cancer centers in the United States. It is also CE marked, approved in Australia and Japan and licensed in Canada. SpaceOAR is a registered trademark of Augmenix, Inc. More information about Augmenix and the SpaceOAR Hydrogel can be found at http://www.Augmenix.com. * SBRT uses advanced imaging techniques to deliver precise, intense doses of radiation to a tumor while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue, and shortens the average treatment time from 9 weeks to 1 week. 1 Hamstra D, et al. Continued Benefit to Rectal Separation for Prostate RT: Final Results of a Phase III Trial. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys; 2017 Volume 97, Issue 5, Pages 976-985. 2 Hamstra D, et al. Evaluation of sexual function on a randomized trial of a prostate rectal spacer. J Clin Oncol 35, 2017 (suppl 6S; abstract 69). 3 Pinkawa M, et al. Quality of Life After Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer With a Hydrogel Spacer: 5-Year Results. Int J Radiation Oncol Biol Phys; 2017 Vol. 99, No. 2, pp. 374-377. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006498/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Wolters Kluwer and Vocera Arm Halifax Health with Rapid Sepsis Identification Solutions for Improved Patient Outcomes and Safety

Wolters Kluwer Health and Vocera Communications, Inc. (VCRA) have teamed to arm Halifax Health with a high-powered surveillance solution to advance its battle against sepsis. Linking the real-time clinical surveillance and analytics of the POC Advisor platform with Vocera's (News - Alert) hands-free communications technology and mobile app accelerates the diagnosis of sepsis and the timely delivery of patient-specific advice to nurses and other clinical staff at the point of care. "Time is the enemy when it comes to sepsis, with the likelihood of death increasing by 8 percent for each hour that passes without treatment," said Ginny Kwong, M.D., Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer for Halifax Health. "Complicating early diagnosis is the need to aggregate data scattered across multiple clinical systems before it can be analyzed, and the results communicated to the point of care in a meaningful way. "POC Advisor and Vocera integrate seamlessly into workflows to overcome these obstacles," she continued, "quickly alerting our clinicians to a potential sepsis case so they can make the proper diagnosis and begin appropriate life-saving treatment to patients at the earliest, most treatable stages." Halifax Health is a two-hospital, 678-bed health system that is the largest medical provider in East Central Florida. A safety net hospital, Halifax is also one of the state's busiest emergency departments, with more than 115,000 visits annually. Its goal in deploying a sepsis solution was to build upon the success of an internal campaign that resulted in a 33 percent improvement in mortality rates. They chose to implement POC Advisor because of its scientifically proven results, published patient outcomes and industry-leading precision and timeliness. Another key factor was interoperability with Halifax Health's existing Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Vocera technology, making it easy for staff to use. "At an average of nearly $19,000 per primary diagnosis, more than half of which is typically not reimbursed by Medicare, the financial cost of sepsis is staggering," said Sean Benson, Vice President and General Manager of Specialized Surveillance at Wolters Kluwer Health. "At Halifax, POC Advisor analyzes more than 300 data points within a patient's medical record to identify early signs of sepsis, warn caregivers of escalating risks and push evidence-based guidance to the point of care via the Vocera Badges and mobile apps that clinicians already use in their workflow. This results in faster diagnoses and treatment, which leads to reduced severity, decreased mortality and lower costs." POC Advisor is a clinical intelligence platform from Wolters Kluwer that aggregates, normalizes and analyzes patient data from disparate clinical systems to drive early detection with predictive accuracy. Real-time analytics leverage hundreds of rules built into the platform to account for possible comorbidities and medication abnormalities, enabling prescriptive alerts with unprecedented levels of sensitivity and specificity to warn clinicians of patient risks without alert fatigue. These findings, published in the Journal of American Medical Informatics Association, also revealed that POC Advisor cut sepsis mortality in half and reduced 30-day readmissions by 30 percent, while reducing length of stay.



The Vocera Badge is a hands-free, voice-controlled communication device that enables instant two-way and one-to-many conversations. It combines secure text messaging and alerting and enables voice calls with intelligent routing by name, role, group and availability. "Many applications, technologies and devices have been implemented within hospitals and health systems, but they are used in silos. Too often, key connection points between these systems are missed. The integration between Vocera, POC Advisor and the EHR is helping Halifax Health extract key knowledge from each system, leverage platform functionality and share valuable information with the right clinicians at the right time with intelligent alerting," said Rhonda Collins, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Vocera. "It is a comprehensive and potentially life-saving assessment, detection and communication workflow that unfolds in less than one minute."

For more information on POC Advisor, visit www.pocadvisor.com and follow @POC_Advisor on Twitter (News - Alert). About Vocera

The mission of Vocera Communications, Inc. is to simplify and improve the lives of healthcare professionals and patients, while enabling hospitals to enhance quality of care and operational efficiency. In 2000, when the company was founded, we began to forever change the way care teams communicate. Today, Vocera continues to offer the leading platform for clinical communication and workflow. More than 1,400 hospitals and health systems around the world have selected our solutions for care teams to text securely using smartphones or make calls with our hands-free, wearable Vocera Badge. Interoperability between Vocera and more than 120 clinical systems helps reduce alarm fatigue, speed up staff response times, and improve patient care, safety and experience. In addition to healthcare, Vocera is at home in luxury hotels, nuclear facilities, libraries, retail stores and more. Vocera makes a difference in any industry where workers are on the move and need to connect instantly with team members and access resources or information quickly. Learn more at www.vocera.com, and follow @VoceraComm on Twitter. About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer N.V. (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2016 annual revenues of 4.3 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries and employs 19,000 people worldwide. Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information and point of care solutions for the healthcare industry. For more information about our products and the organization, visit http://www.wolterskluwer.com/, follow @WKHealth or @Wolters_Kluwer on Twitter, like us on Facebook, follow us on LinkedIn, or follow WoltersKluwerComms on YouTube. For more information about Wolters Kluwer's solutions and organization, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006557/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Finalists Named For 2017 Collegiate Inventors Competition

NORTH CANTON, Ohio, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Collegiate Inventors Competition, an annual competition that rewards innovations, discoveries and research by college and university students and their faculty advisors, announced today its 2017 Finalists. This year's Finalists and their inventions provide a glimpse into the future of American innovation and emerging technological trends, from wearable power generation to water decontamination. Through their research, these college students have harnessed their inner inventor to make working prototypes that can positively change our world. Each year, individuals representing a broad cross-section of technological fields serve as first-round judges, evaluating entries based on originality of the idea, process, level of student initiative, and potential value and usefulness to society. The Finalists will travel to Alexandria, Va., to present their inventions to an esteemed panel of final-round judges composed of the most influential inventors and invention experts in the nation  National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) experts. "The USPTO is proud to host the 2017 Collegiate Inventors Competition  a program designed to allow undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their emerging ideas and inventions that will shape our future," said Joseph Matal, who performs the duties of Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. "We look forward to meeting these young innovators at this event, and encouraging their creativity and problem-solving skills to enable them to develop meaningful solutions to real-world challenges." Competition Finalists will showcase their inventions and interact with thousands of USPTO patent and trademark examiners, sponsors, media and the public at the Collegiate Inventors Competition Expo. The Expo is free and open to all in the community, and will be held on Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. in the USPTO Madison Building, Lower Atrium, with the Awards Ceremony immediately following at noon. "It is inspiring to meet the Collegiate Inventors Competition Finalists and to witness their accomplishments, idealism and motivation," said NIHF CEO Michael Oister. "By the time the competition at the United States Patent and Trademark Office is over, they have all benefitted greatly by developing stronger go-to-market strategies, creatively solving challenges and problems, and gaining a much greater understanding of our patent, trademark and intellectual property systems." Established in 1990, the Collegiate Inventors Competition is a program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and is sponsored by the USPTO, Arrow Electronics, Bridgestone Americas and Skild. Follow the National Inventors Hall of Fame on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for live updates, exclusive interviews with Finalists and Winners, and additional information. All Expo attendees are encouraged to post a comment, photo or video and tag #RoadtoCIC. UNDERGRADUATE FINALISTS AssistENT, Johns Hopkins University

Team Members: Clayton Andrews, Harrison Nguyen, Talia Kirschbaum, Pooja Nair; Advisor: Robert Allen

Easier Breathing Through the Nose: One in eight people experiences difficulty breathing through the nose. This can hinder sleep and affect aerobic endurance during exercise or daily activities. AssistENT has created a flexible yet stable device that is worn completely within the nose, and aids breathing by expanding nasal passages safely, comfortably and discreetly. This invention is intended as an alternative to current treatments such as external adhesive strips or invasive surgery. CerebroSense, Stevens Institute of Technology

Team Members: Maria V. De Abreu Pineda, Andrew Falcone, David Ferrara; Adisor: Vikki Hazelwood





Better Brain Monitoring: During open-brain surgeries, the brain's health is monitored by perhaps the world's first medical device  the finger. The surgeon or anesthesiologist physically touches the exposed brain to feel for changes in size that indicate swelling, decreased blood flow or other issues requiring action. CerebroSense uses ultrasonic sensing technology to provide safe, non-contact, real-time measurements that can help reduce complications during and after surgery. InMEDBio, University of Virginia

Team Members: Ashwinraj Karthikeyan, Paco Abiad; Advisor: Bala Mulloth

Healing Layers: The growing prevalence of diabetes around the world has brought on an increase in chronic wounds, especially on the feet. These wounds can take months to heal, and they are prone to infections and other life-threatening complications. The Phoenix-Aid is a five-layer bandage that meshes the ABCs of chronic wound care  Accelerate healing, Block pathogens and Comfort wound  into one cost-effective product that is ideal for patients in developing countries.

Oculogx, Georgia Institute of Technology

Team Members: Charu Thomas, Sarthak Srinivas; Advisor: Thad Starner

The New Warehouse Reality: The future of warehouses is mixed  mixed reality that is. Humans, not robots, are still the most capable at locating and handling items to fulfill the billions of retail orders placed each year. PickAR is a mixed-reality application used with a headset that combines barcode scanning for immediate inventory control with navigation that projects the optimal path through the warehouse to each item. It can increase work efficiency, and make the work more fun too! Stretchable Photovoltaics, University of Maryland

Team Members: Sabrina Michelle Curtis, Alexander Randolph, Gabriel Anfinrud, Haotian Wang; Advisors: Ray Phaneuf, Nathan Lazarus

Power Flex: Imagine wearing a traditional solar panel on your back. While useful for charging your smartphone, it's neither lightweight nor particularly comfortable. Now imagine a different kind of solar cell, one the thickness of a piece of paper and woven seamlessly into your clothing. This invention is a silicon solar cell with a unique serpentine structure able to stretch by 30 percent, just like human skin, opening a new era of wearable and renewable power generation. SwineTech, University of Iowa (Arrow Innovation Prize Winner)

Team Members: Matthew Rooda, Abraham Espinoza; Advisor: Thomas Hornbeck

Newborn Piglets are Safe by Sound: More than 116 million newborn piglets were accidentally crushed to death by their mothers on hog farms in 2016, resulting in billions of dollars lost. The SmartGuard system monitors the pitch, loudness and duration of squeals and determines whether a piglet is in distress or just squealing as piglets normally do. When a piglet is in distress, the device sends a vibration to a wearable patch on the mother, prompting her to stand and free her piglet. The SwineTech team is the winner of the Arrow Innovation Prize, chosen by a panel of judges from Arrow Electronics. This exclusive prize advances the team to the final round of judging (all expenses paid) at the November competition, and it includes a private networking opportunity with a group of innovators from Arrow Electronics  a Fortune 118 global technology-solutions provider. GRADUATE FINALISTS dAST, California Institute of Technology

Team Members: Nathan G. Schoepp, Travis S. Schlappi; Advisor: Rustem Ismagilov

More Effective Antibiotic Prescriptions: The unchecked use of antibiotics has threatened the efficacy of these life-saving drugs. The goal of this invention is to enable doctors to make more effective prescriptions where treatment happens: the doctor's office. This test only requires 30 minutes to determine if an infection can be successfully treated with an antibiotic, while traditional methods require multiple days. Having this knowledge improves patient outcomes, and it enables the preservation of these drugs by avoiding overprescribing. Elastic Biocompatible Inks, North Carolina State University

Team Member: Sangchul Roh; Advisor: Orlin Velev

The Sandcastle Solution: Unlike common plastics, silicone rubber cannot be melted and maintain its structural integrity, and therefore it cannot be used in common 3D printers. Elastic biocompatible inks, inspired by the force that holds sandcastles together, will change that. First, silicone microbeads are suspended in water. Then, a liquid silicone is added, forming capillary bridges to bind and connect the microbeads. The mixture is then printed and heated. The resulting forms are flexible, porous and biocompatible. Engineered Probiotics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Team Member: Ning Mao; Advisor: James Collins

Building Bacteria to Fight Cholera: Ning Mao has shown that a safe bacterium found in dairy products has the serendipitous benefit of inhibiting the progression of a cholera infection. Building on this discovery, she developed an engineered version that provides early detection of cholera and helps further contain the spread of the disease. This synthetic probiotic could control outbreaks and save lives. In addition, the technology could be adapted to fight other types of bacterial infections. NextGen Structural Rehab System, West Virginia University

Team Member: Praveen Kumar Reddy Majjigapu; Advisor: Hota GangaRao

Building New Life for Old Structures: Much of America's infrastructure is well past its intended lifespan, and repair costs number in the trillions. Structural joints, where at least two members meet, are the most crucial to the integrity of a building or bridge. This invention is a four-part system designed to fortify existing joints, extend their service lives, and improve the safety of a structure under extreme loads efficiently and economically. Tests have shown that renewed joints can withstand 500 percent more force than unfortified joints. Passive Anti-Frosting Surfaces, Virginia Tech

Team Members: S. Farzad Ahmadi, Grady Iliff, Saurabh Nath; Advisor: Jonathan Boreyko

Fighting Ice with Ice: Frost affects far more than just car windshields: frost growing on energy infrastructure, airplanes and naval systems is a multi-billion-dollar problem every year. This team created an anti-frosting surface by patterning ice stripes onto an array of micro-grooves. The low pressure of ice enables each ice stripe to siphon all nearby moisture from the air, to keep the intermediate surface area completely dry. The anti-frosting surface technology does not require any energy or chemicals. TX 2 0, Texas State University

Team Members: Archana Gujjari, Conor Brantley, Michael Opoku, Thi Nguyen; Advisor: Gary Beall

The Next Generation in Water Decontamination: Every barrel of oil produced from drilling operations creates at least seven barrels of wastewater. Cleaning this water for safe return to the environment costs the industry about $18 billion per year. The TX 2 O technology combines a water-treatment absorbent material to remove residual oil with a process to clean the wastewater and regenerate the absorbent by recovering the oil. This allows the absorbent to be reused  creating an Earth-friendly, cost-efficient solution to this challenge in oil production. About the Collegiate Inventors Competition

The Collegiate Inventors Competition encourages and drives innovation and entrepreneurship at the collegiate level. A program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, this Competition recognizes and rewards the research, innovations and discoveries by college students and their advisors for projects leading to inventions that have the potential of receiving patent protection. Introduced in 1990, the Competition has awarded more than $1 million to students for their innovative work and scientific achievement through the help of its sponsors. For more information, visit invent.org/challenge. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/finalists-named-for-2017-collegiate-inventors-competition-300526172.html SOURCE National Inventors Hall of Fame

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By PTI: (Eds: With additional quotes)

Srinagar, Sep 26 (PTI) Top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was today killed in a gunbattle with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector in Baramulla as he was trying to sneak into the valley to take charge of the outfit, a senior police officer said.

It was a major success for the security forces as Najar was wanted for his alleged involvement in more than 50 killings, including that of four policemen in Hygam area of Sopore, in the past 17 years, Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain said.

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He was also involved in attacks on telecommunications towers across the valley in 2015, the SSP said.

"Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid near Zorawar post in Lachipora area along the LoC this morning. He was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen in the wake of elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces," he told PTI.

Najar, a resident of Sopore township, was "one of the most dreaded terrorists" in Kashmir in the recent times, he said.

"He has killed a lot of civilians, policemen and security forces. He was involved in a lot of IED explosions because he was an IED expert. While he was trying to infiltrate into this side, he was carrying IED material with him.

"So, it is a big success, big achievement, for all of us especially because had he been alive and had he successfully infiltrated into this side, it would have been a big problem for us. Neutralising him would have been very difficult as he was already heading a huge network in Sopore, Palhallan, Pattan, Handwara areas of Bandipora and Baramulla. We should be thankful to our Army," the SSP said.

He said Najar had joined militancy with the killing of Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar in 2003.

The officer said Najar was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers in 2015 after he fell out with the Hizb and separatist leaderships.

"To sort out those misunderstandings, he was called back to the base camp in Muzaffarabad... He stayed with (Hizb supremo) Syed Salahuddin," he said, adding that Najar was sent back to Kashmir after the killings of the outfits north Kashmir commander Parvez Wani and south Kashmir commander Yasin Yatto.

Najar was tasked with reviving the outfit in Kashmir in the wake of elimination of top militants, he said.

"Hizbul Mujahideen has almost been wiped out from north Kashmir. So, had this gentleman made entry into north Kashmir, it would have been a problem for us. That way it is a big relief to us and a big relief to all victims of his activities.

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"He was one of the smartest militants I have known in my 18 years of service. Very very smart, extremely smart, he would not trust anybody, not even his wife or his brother," the police officer added. PTI SSB MIJ SMN SMN

--- ENDS ---
[September 26, 2017] Seahorse Goes Open Source! Data Analysts Can Get More from the Free BI Tool Powered by Apache Spark

PALO ALTO, California, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- deepsense.ai's visual framework for creating Apache Spark applications in a fast, simple and interactive way is going open-source as of September. The company is opening it up to the community and will now focus on further developing its other data science tool, Neptune. deepsense.ai is making its first product's code open after two years of development. Seahorse, the data analytics workbench, has become popular since its launch at the Spark Summit in San Francisco in 2015. It's deepense.ai's answer to the increasing interest in fast Big Data processing provided by Apache Spark, an open-source cluster-computing framework. Seahorse owes its success to the fresh visual approach it employs to coding, which frees data analysts from knowing Spark internals and makes their work even faster.



Piotr Niedzwiedz, deepsense.ai's CTO and co-founder, explains, "Seahorse hit 10,000 users this year and the number is still growing. From the beginning, we made the tool highly accessible for everyone, offering it at no cost and easy to download in two versions. Now we're ready to make it fully open." Niedzwiedz's company will now turn to its second major product, released exactly one year ago at Strata+Hadoop World in New York - Neptune, the Machine Learning Lab. He adds, "Building up Neptune has been in line with our development strategy centered around artificial intelligence. When our data science team started to run tons of machine learning and deep learning experiments for our clients daily, we needed a tool like Neptune to make their work easier and faster. So we created one. Now, Neptune is developing its own community and thanks to the constant feedback from our data scientists it grows with many new features every month."

About deepsense.ai deepsense.ai delivers AI solutions and supports organizations in unlocking their data potential at all stages. The company created Neptune, a Machine Learning Lab provided as a service for data scientists to speed up the development and productionization of machine learning models. The company has built up Seahorse, an open-source visual framework powered by Apache Spark that helps data scientists rapidly develop Spark applications. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seahorse-goes-open-source-data-analysts-can-get-more-from-the-free-bi-tool-powered-by-apache-spark-300526174.html SOURCE deepsense.ai

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[September 26, 2017] Klinger Insurance Group Receives the 2017 PIA National Excellence in Social Media Award

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Klinger Insurance Group of Germantown, Maryland has received the 2017 Excellence in Social Media Award from the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA). The award was presented September 15, 2017, at a gala ceremony held in conjunction with PIA's Board of Directors meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "One of the first groups to recognize the importance of social media in insurance agency marketing was PIA," said PIA National Vice President/Treasurer Keith Savino, in presenting the award. "In fact, PIA National was one of the first groups anywhere to bestow an award for excellence in social media, beginning in 2010." "This year, we recognize the Klinger Insurance Group for its mastery of social media marketing and brand-building," Savino said. Their social media strategy allows the firm to connect with individuals whose interests and hobbies can be insured through their agency. It demonstrates community involvement, support of small businesses, their diversity and their commitment to amazing customer service." That strategy connects the agency with individuals whose interests and hobbies can be insured through their agency. The technique produces results. Within the past yar, $740,000 in premium has been generated as a result of social media engagement.







"Social media is all about building a community and fostering relationships" states Robert Klinger, LUTCF, CPIA, President and CEO of Klinger Insurance Group. "Today, it is easier than ever for independent insurance agents to market to their communities informally, and on a daily basis. A modern marketing plan is not complete unless it places a high importance on social media outreach and advertising."

"Our Social Media presence allows us to build our brand on a daily basis by showing our community who we are, what we do, and what they can expect from working with our agency." Robert states. "We share our community involvement, our support of small businesses, our diversity, and our commitment to provide amazing service to our customers. The organizations that we follow, engage with, and share content from on social media are just as important as the content that we create and share. When our followers see who we interact with on a regular basis, they get a better idea of who we are and what organizations are important to us."



The 2017 PIA National Excellence in Social Media Award was sponsored by the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). Founded in 1931, PIA is a national trade association that represents member insurance agents and their employees who sell and service all kinds of insurance, but specialize in coverage of automobiles, homes and businesses. PIA members are Local Agents Serving Main Street AmericaSM. PIA's web address is www.pianet.com . This press release is available online at:

http://www.pianet.com/news/press-releases/2017/klingerinsurancegroup2017excellenceinsocialmediaaward092517 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/klinger-insurance-group-receives-the-2017-pia-national-excellence-in-social-media-award-300526177.html SOURCE National Association of Professional Insurance Agents

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[September 26, 2017]

King George County Switches to Verity Voting

KING GEORGE, Va., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- King George County has joined a growing number of Virginia localities in selecting the secure, reliable Verity Voting system from Hart InterCivic to replace outmoded election technology. The County's voters will cast their November ballots on the new system.

"Verity is easy to set up and easy to learn. We've supported counties in Virginia for more than 15 years, and we know what King George and other jurisdictions need to make a smooth, timely transition," said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic.

"We serve Prince William, Essex, Westmoreland and other nearby counties, and King George officials know they can rely on our service and reputation."

The only all-new pape-based digital scanning system certified for use in Virginia, Verity technology introduces the innovative Verity Scan digital scanning device, allowing voters to scan their paper ballots in the polling place, and the accessible Verity Touch Writer ballot marking device. The two devices share the same secure, compact hardware platform as well as an easy-to-use interface.







Verity receives high marks from voters and poll workers as being easy to learn and easy to use. The system's portable, briefcase style and collapsible ballot box simplify transport, setup and storage.

"Hart's experience in helping counties transition to new voting technology is paying off as upgrades roll out across Virginia," said Braithwaite. "We welcome King George County and expect more announcements soon."

For more information on the Verity Voting system, please visit www.hartintercivic.com/verityoverview.

About Hart InterCivic, Inc.

Austin-based Hart InterCivic is a full-service election solutions innovator, partnering with state and local governments to deliver secure, accurate and reliable elections. Working side-by-side with election professionals for more than 100 years, Hart is committed to helping advance democracy one election at a time. Hart's mission fuels its passionate customer focus and a continuous drive for technological innovation. The company's new Verity Voting system makes voting more straightforward, equitable and accessibleand makes managing elections more transparent, more efficient and easier.

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/king-george-county-switches-to-verity-voting-300526126.html

SOURCE Hart InterCivic, Inc.
[September 26, 2017] Carrier-1's Houston Business Continuity Customers Remained Online during Hurricane Harvey

Carrier-1 was happy to support Houston oil and gas pipeline companies during Hurricane Harvey. With the risk of refineries underwater, it was important for major oil and gas providers to avoid any risk of an IT outage as well. To keep their online operations running, Shell Oil Company proactively transitioned their data infrastructure to Carrier-1 in Dallas. Personnel identified as critical to operations from major business units including Gas Trading, Fuels Sales & Marketing, Human Resources, and Chemicals were able to keep working without skipping a beat, despite not being able to get to their offices in downtown Houston. More than 60 people from Houston were working in Carrier-1's facility. Clients' families were housed in local hotels. Carrier-1 responded by making everyone comfortable by hosting displaced family members for lunch and by creating a kid zone to keep the families busy. It's critical to keep communication systems online during natural disasters. Computer systems must stay operational to ensure that corporate business operations run smoothly. Travis Burgess, Building Services Manager of Shell Oil Company, Deer Park, Central Business District and Remote Sites, overses the diverse groups of departments. "We were relieved to have access to Carrier-1's office space during Hurricane Harvey. The proactive transition from our Houston headquarters to Carrier-1's Dallas site happened smoothly. Carrier-1 went above and beyond to support our business continuity solution, allowing us to keep our business groups running smoothly. Plus, they welcomed our families and made everyone comfortable."



The Dallas-Fort Worth area has been one of the top five U.S. markets for data center demand for many reasons. Companies want to establish a data footprint in Dallas, Texas, without the capital expenditures, liability or long lead time that comes with a build. Whether it's a primary site, a secondary location for disaster recovery, or a tertiary point to diversify their footprint, businesses typically want to turn up a data center solution quickly and cost efficiently. The Carrier-1 building is an SSAE 16 SOC 1 Type II audited facility and therefore supports compliant requirements including PCI (News - Alert), HIPPA, FedRAMP, FISMA and Sarbanes-Oxley. About Carrier-1 Data Centers

Carrier-1 owns and operates a 106,866 square foot data center building in Dallas, Texas. Customers may lease colocation space within the building to utilize the redundant infrastructure and environment controls to maintain 100% uptime while receiving access to over 95 network carriers. Multiple racks, Virtual-PODs, cages, private suites and powered shell space is available now with plenty of space for expansion. Carrier-1 is Colocation and Cloud Ready. Clients may also leverage Carrier-1's private data center suites for a private, dedicated suite within their colocation building. For more information www.carrier-1.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006693/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Palo Verde Irrigation District Files Lawsuit Against MWD of Southern California to Expose Scheme to Take Colorado River Water and Threaten Lands Classified by the State of California as Farmlands of Statewide Importance

On Sept. 20, 2017, Palo Verde Irrigation District (PVID) filed a lawsuit against Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) in Riverside County Superior Court. The suit details how MWD violated California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) laws by executing six farmland parcel leases, without an Environmental Impact Report, that include draconian water-use restrictions. MWD demanded the restrictions in an attempt to divert excess Colorado River water to Southern California's urban areas. This illegal scheme, the filing contends, would cause irreparable harm to the environment, economy and region in PVID's service area. "Palo Verde Irrigation District has taken action to protect the agricultural lands in its service area that sustain the local economy and feed so many families throughout the world," said Ned Hyduke, General Manager at Palo Verde Irrigation District. "To recognize MWD's scheme, one need only follow the money, which in this case is more than a quarter billion dollars to fund a land deal that closed in three weeks without any appraisal. The purchase, followed immediately by secretly negotiated farm leases, represents the most predatory water practices since MWD member agency Los Angeles Department of Water and Power drained the Owens Valley in the early 1900's." The 30-page legal filing details how MWD, a junior water rights holder in the Colorado River, engineered an extraordinary three-week purchase of nearly 13,000 acres in 2015 and then secretly negotiated leases with farmers that drastically limted agricultural water use. This was done to bypass PVID and other senior water rights holders to maximize the amount of excess Colorado River Water that could be available for urban regions MWD serves. MWD funded the purchase with $264 million in public funds, more than twice the estimated market value at the time, without a formal appraisal. This action constitutes an illegal gift of public funds of more than $125 million and violated the California Constitution and MWD's own Administrative Code.



BACKGROUND PVID and MWD entered into a Fallowing Agreement in 2004 that allowed landowners to save water and make it available for purchase by MWD. The Agreement prohibited more than 29 percent of PVID land from being fallowed to protect the agricultural and environmental resources within PVID's boundaries. The 2015 MWD purchase and subsequent farm leases violate terms of this long-standing partnership which, among other provisions, stated that land must be used to the mutual benefit of both agencies and remain compatible with agricultural operations in PVID.

PVID contends that any water saved through additional conservation requirements falls outside of the PVID Program and would not become MWD's. Further, PVID alleges that MWD did not disclose pertinent information to the public regarding the potential impacts of the new farm leases on the environment and is putting the agricultural character and environment of the PVID area at significant risk. PVID's boundaries include more than 131,000 acres, many of which are currently in agricultural production growing a range of feed and specialty crops. The water used to irrigate lands within PVID comes from the Colorado River, and PVID has first priority to use this water with respect to other California water districts. The action includes MWD's farm leases consisting of 20,435 total irrigable acres, and the additional 12,782 gross acres of farmland purchased in 2015. ABOUT PALO VERDE IRRIGATION DISTRICT Formed in 1923, the Palo Verde Irrigation District serves about 189 square miles of territory in Riverside and Imperial Counties in California. The District contains approximately 131,298 acres in the Palo Verde Valley and a portion of the Palo Verde Mesa. The Colorado River forms the eastern and southern boundaries of the District and provides irrigation water to the acreage within the District. The Palo Verde Valley, with its long, hot growing season is ideal for agriculture, allowing crops to be grown and harvested year-round. Mild winters, with minimal frost, permit cultivation of many crops not suitable for production in other areas. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006804/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Health Partners Plans Among 11 Medicaid Plans in Nation Awarded "Excellent" by NCQA

Health Partners Plans (HPP), a Pennsylvania-based managed care organization, announced that as of September 26, 2017, its Medicaid plan is among 11 Medicaid plans nationwide awarded an accreditation status of excellent. This is the highest status bestowed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). HPP is also the only Medicaid plan in Pennsylvania to have earned an excellent accreditation status by NCQA, the most widely-recognized accreditation program in the country. NCQA only awards its highest status of excellent to organizations with exceptional service and clinical quality programs that meet or exceed its rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement. Its evaluation process assesses the quality of health care provided to consumers, giving them the ability to make decisions about health plans based on extensive criteria that focus on demonstrated value. "It is partly a health plan's members that determine whether it earns NCQA's Excellent Accreditation status," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "Any plan that does so should be proud of its accomplishment. It is a sign that the plan's delivering great service and great care-it's met the toughest test in managed care." "We are extremely proud to receive this recognition from NCQA as one of just 11 Medicaid plans in the country to have achieved this milestone," said President and CEO William S. George. "Our excellent accreditation status affirms our continued commitment to Pennsylvanians to deliver high-quality care through innovative programs that improve health outcomes for our members." The excellent accreditation status also means HPP's Medicaid plan is among the highest in national performance for NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) and NCQA's Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS). HEDIS is the most widely used performance measurement in health care while CAHPS evaluates consumer satisfaction.



NCQA's Accreditation is the most comprehensive evaluation in the industry, satisfying not only regulatory demands but also consumer expectations. It is the only assessment that bases results on both clinical performance and consumer experience and evaluates how well a plan manages its physicians, hospitals, other providers and administrative services. For more information, visit www.ncqa.org. About National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes clinicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's HEDIS is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's Web site (www.ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. About Health Partners Plans Health Partners Plans, an innovative not-for-profit managed care organization, is the only Medicaid plan in Pennsylvania and is among just 11 Medicaid plans nationwide with an accreditation status of Excellent as of September 26, 2017. This is the highest status bestowed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Health Partners Plans serves more than 281,000 members in Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Lehigh/Capital region. It provides a broad range of health coverage options through Health Partners Medicare, Health Partners (Medicaid) and KidzPartners (Children's Health Insurance Program) plans. Founded more than 30 years ago, Health Partners Plans is one of the few hospital-owned health plans in the country. Learn more about how Health Partners Plans is doing it right at HealthPartnersPlans.com, twitter.com/HPPlans and facebook.com/healthpartnersplans. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006812/en/

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[September 26, 2017] NPL Re-Launches to Accelerate Low-Carbon Technology and Combat Climate Change

LONDON, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- New approach informed by government priorities, consultancy with industry, and a century of expertise NPL, the UK's National Measurement Institute, will re-launch this month to help the UK get more value from renewables and low-carbon technology and increase the understanding of emissions and pollution. This new approach will see NPL apply the latest advances in measurement to make every stage of energy generation and transport more efficient, safe and affordable and to improve the quality of data available on climate change and air pollution. The Paris Accord means that worldwide, there will be a greater emphasis on monitoring and mitigating the effects of climate change. Also, with a ban on the sale of diesel and petrol cars by 2040, announced this year, the UK's energy infrastructure will need to undergo a substantial shift, in order to meet demand and support economic growth. NPL has more than a century of expertise in providing underpinning measurement standards, skills and technologies based on those standards, to industry. NPL quality assures measurements of air pollution, operates a world-leading capability for detecting greenhouse gas emissions, and is the site of London's first new public access hydrogen refuelling station. Good measurement is crucial to assessing the performance of techologies and processes, to ensure those with the most potential can quickly get to market and be integrated effectively into the grid to provide energy security in the long-term.



NPL is re-launching in direct response to government policy, including the Industrial Strategy, as well as extensive consultancy with the energy industry. NPL is now unveiling a number of new programmes to pave the way to a greener future for the UK: Testing low - cost air quality sensors to increase their utility

Paving the way to a h ydrogen economy by helping to improve the viability and performance of fuel cells, electrolysers and hydrogen purity

Consulting with industry on future battery development to help im prove capacity and integration into the grid

New technologies to make nuclear decommissioning safer and quick er

Providing more confidence in satellite-derived climate data Jane Burston, Head of Energy & Environment at NPL said: "Without trustworthy data we can never be confident that the measures we take to minimise climate change are having the desired impact. We need to know that the information we gather on emissions, or air quality for example, is accurate and that people can use the data to make decisions. We also need to validate the performance of innovative new environmental technologies, to ensure that these new businesses can prove their claims to investors and customers. As the UK's National Measurement Institute, NPL is uniquely equipped to provide this validation and confidence."

Dr. Peter Thompson, CEO of NPL, said, "Many people are unaware of the scope, scale or quality of work that NPL delivers, or the part that it has played in some of the biggest discoveries in modern history. The effects of the science, technology and engineering that NPL delivers are felt by everyone, everywhere. After a century as the silent partner to industry, we are proud to re-launch NPL, to ensure it can further accelerate UK industry and deliver extraordinary impact on our economy and quality of life for many years to come." Alongside Energy & Environment, NPL is also focusing its activity in three other areas: Advanced Manufacturing, Digital, and Life Sciences & Health.

Contact: Alex Cloney, AprilSix Proof on behalf of NPL : +44-020-3141-2970, [email protected]

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Two bureaucrats and a young engineer-turned-agricultural-entrepreneur discussed what India and Karnataka needs to mitigate the farming crisis.

By India Today Web Desk: Two bureaucrats and a young engineer-turned-agricultural-entrepreneur discussed what India and Karnataka needs to mitigate the farming crisis.

Maheswar Rao, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Karnataka

Karnataka produces almost every crop produced in India except apple..

The government has taken up several measures to improve irrigation facilities across Karnataka, especially in northern Karnataka. For instance, in Bijapur we are trying to cover 25,000 hectares with drip irrigation.

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All agricultural markets have been connected in Karnataka, a concept taken up by Central government in the form of eNAM. It has given tremendous results in income growth of farmers in last three years.

Dr. Ashok Dalwai, Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture

"We need to shift our focus from production to post production. The approach should move from production orientation to income orientation. We need to find methods to produce more from the same amount of land with much lesser cost."

"Let's not focus too much on producing more food grains. We must produce the same amount of food grains that we produce now, in less land, and release the excess land for non-food production which will lead to increase in farmers' income."

"India is short of water. The country gets 5,000 cubic metres of water and 80 per cent of the total available water is used in agriculture. Science and technology is available to help farmers to produce more with lesser use of water. We must change the geometrical matrix of agriculture. In arid areas of Karnataka, we must not grow sugarcane or cotton but millets, pomegranate or mango."

"Karnataka has spent a lot on irrigation so much so that other infrastructure projects have suffered."

"We need to provide farmers more institutional credit. We must talk about increasing the net income of farmers. The farmers may be earning more but the net returns are not rising."

Madhu Chandan, Organic Agricultural Entrepreneur

"We talk about increasing farmers' income. But at the same time we must focus on reducing expenses of farmers. Earlier villagers produced 90 per cent of their essential commodities. Now they buy most of their products from cities. We need to change that."

--- ENDS ---
While Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev addressed the United Nations General Assembly and talked about how Armenia committed a genocide against Azerbaijanis, his 33-year-old daughter was posing for selfies with a shocked and surprised face.

By India Today Web Desk: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev was addressing the United Nations General Assembly and talking about how Armenia committed genocide against Azerbaijanis when his 33-year-old daughter was caught clicking selfies.

Leyla Aliyeva was sitting in the audience and recording her father address the UNGA when she posed for selfies with a shocked and surprised face.

#Azerbaijan leader Ilham Aliyev daughter takes selfies during father's# UN speech about genocide. pic.twitter.com/25HL2NAOB1- Hamosh (@Hamosh84) September 23, 2017

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Of course she did not realise that she was being recorded by another camera as well and kept recording herself and her father. Leyla recorded herself while she was sitting beside her 53-year-old mother Mehriban who is also the country's vice president.

President Ilham Aliyev was talking about the Armenian aggression during the Nagorno-Karabakh war of 1992 and how due to that more than one million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and internally displaced persons.

"Armenia committed genocide against Azerbaijanis in Khodjaly. The Khodjaly genocide is already officially recognized by more than 20 countries. On February 26, 1992, Armenia committed a war crime, killing 613 peaceful residents, including 106 women and 63 children", Azerbaijan president said.

President Aliyev also listed recent actions taken by Armenia against his country but Armenia's representative seemed to be apathetic to the charges.

--- ENDS ---
"As the Royals return home for likely postseason obscurity for the second time running  and the 30th time over the past 32 seasons, the team's attendance number at Kauffman Stadium is falling for the second consecutive year. As of Sunday, the team's attendance is down 12.4 percent in 2017 compared with last year . . ."

During World Series glory, so many longtime fans were ignored when they expressed their resentment of JoCo housewives and so many others jumping aboard the bandwagon.Now those disgruntled voices have been proven correct . . .Deets:Developing . . .
- She championed the Mayor's "Citizens Task Force Against Violence" and now the murder rate is reaching historic levels.





- She was caught in an ETHICAL CRISIS DURING NEW AIRPORT BIDDING and soured the deal for her corporate patrons.





- Westport violence has escalated while merchants are bitter because of her alleged "betrayal" of a promise for street privatization to help address the crisis.

could become the first openly LGBT Mayor of Kansas City

It's official.Or it will be very soon asHere's a look at campaign finance documentation for those who doubt courtesy ofwho have the brains to check this stuff:Still, Council Lady Justus has a lot to overcome if her Mayoral bit is going to be successful.And so, tomorrow this might qualify as "news" for MSMour blog community continues to debate the merits of a politico whodespite a questionable track record when it comes to the deets of her governing skill.You decide . . .
A 20-year-old Kansas City man has been charged in connection with a double shooting in Westport over the weekend. Kevon A. Powell has been charged with assault first degree and armed criminal action in connection with the incident. Court records show an off-duty officer saw Powell fire shots near Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue.
When we go through all the speeches, there's clearly a trend - how India first gives Pakistan a chance to mend its ways and then lambasts it for not doing it.

By Santosh Chaubey: The four speeches that the Narendra Modi government has delivered from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) clearly tell where it began on Pakistan and where it stands now.

The first one, in September 2014, was addressed to the UNGA by Narendra Modi while External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj delivered the other three, including the latest one on September 23, 2017.

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And when we go through them for the Pakistan specific portions, we can clearly see a trend - that how India first gave its rogue neighbour a chance to mend its ways and stop sponsoring terror into India - and then how it was compelled to take a tough, non-compromising position after seeing that Pakistan was beyond redemption.

In May 2014, when Narendra Modi invited Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with other SAARC leaders, he did try and give Pakistan several chances until the Pathankot air base terror attack in January 2016 happened. Though India cancelled secretary level talks in August 2014 over Pakistan's stubborn attitude to include Kashmir separatists in bilateral talks, India really never closed the doors until Pathankot happened.

Modi and Sharif met in November 2014 in Kathmandu during the SAARC Summit, then on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Ufa in July 2015, in Paris in November 2015 on the sidelines of the Climate Change Conference and in December 2015 when, in an unprecedented friendly gesture, Narendra Modi took a detour while en route to Delhi from Kabul and landed in Lahore to meet and greet Nawaz Sharif on his birthday on December 25.

TALKS AND TERROR CAN'T GO TOGETHER

And the language of Modi's UNGA speech on September 27, 2014 reflects that. The speech that mentioned Pakistan four times and terror 18 times said that "Modi was prepared to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue with Pakistan in a peaceful atmosphere, without the shadow of terrorism, to promote friendship and cooperation" adding that, "however, Pakistan must also take its responsibility seriously to create an appropriate atmosphere for bilateral dialogue."

India's 2015 speech at the UNGA though put Pakistan directly in the dock for sheltering terrorists and spoke forcefully of Pakistan's illegal occupation of Kashmir, it didn't mention Pakistan more than three times.

Addressed by Sushma Swaraj on October 1, 2015, the speech said that "India remained open to dialogue but talks and terror could not go together."

She added in speech where she mentioned terror 19 times, "Let us hold talks at the level of NSAs on all issues connected to terrorism and an early meeting of our Directors General of Military Operations to address the situation on the border. If the response is serious and credible, India is prepared to address all outstanding issues through a bilateral dialogue."

In spite of Narendra Modi's courageous step to heal India-Pakistan ties, it back-stabbed India when just after a week terrorists, suspected to be from the United Jihad Council and Jaish-e-Mohammed attacked Pathankot Air Force base on January 2, 2016.

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It has been a downward curve in India-Pakistan ties since then with relations coming to a freeze. Pakistan's nefarious designs did the same with the Pathankot attack probe like it did with 2008 Mumbai terror attacks probe - absolutely nothing. Instead, it instigated a new wave of unrest in Kashmir by declaring terrorist Burhan Wani a martyr and financially supporting separatists and terrorists.

'WHAT DID WE GET IN RESPONSE?'

In her 2016 UNGA speech, Sushma Swaraj on September mentioned Pakistan six times that bore the signs of frustration. The speech summed up India's efforts to reach out to Pakistan, like Modi's gestures, and how Pakistan back-stabbed - "And what did we get in return? Pathankot, Bahadur Ali, and Uri."

The speech also mentioned terror 18 times then warned Pakistan in no unclear terms, "My firm advice to Pakistan is: abandon this dream. Let me state unequivocally that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and will always remain so."

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And 2017 only builds on that realisation. Swaraj's address at the UNGA on September 23 in New York mentioned Pakistan 16 times and terror 20 times, "Pakistan seemed only engaged in fighting India."

--- ENDS ---
Greece's finances have stabilised, leading the Council to repeal its 2009 decision about the existence of an excessive deficit

The European Council announced that the closure of the excessive deficit procedure for Greece after eight years, in a decision adopted at a meeting of the General Affairs Council on Monday. According to the announcement, Greece's finances have stabilised, leading the Council to repeal its 2009 decision about the existence of an excessive deficit.

"The Council has closed the excessive deficit procedure for Greece. It confirmed that the country's deficit is now below 3% of GDP, the EU's reference value for government deficits. On 25 September 2017, the Council repealed its 2009 decision on the existence of an excessive deficit," the announcement noted.

Read full story here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Source: ANA-MPA
By PTI: Afghanistan: India

United Nations, Sep 26 (PTI) India has asked the UN Security Council to use sanctions regime as a weapon against terror funding in Afghanistan and support the strengthening of the war-torn countrys sovereignty and stability threatened by terrorist safe havens across the borders.

India also asked the international community to ensure that the forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe havens anywhere and at any level.

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"We must not differentiate between good and bad terrorists, or play one group against the other. The Taliban, Haqqani Network, AI-Qaeda, Daesh, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e- Mohammad and others of their ilk are all terror organisations, many of them proscribed by the UN," Syed Akbaruddin, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN, said.

"The international community cannot remain silent. It is the international communitys first and foremost duty to ensure that the forces of terrorism and extremism do not find sanctuaries and safe havens anywhere and at any level," he said in an apparent dig at Pakistan.

Participating in an open debate of the UN Security Council on Afghanistan, Akbaruddin said that these terrorist groups should be treated like terrorist organisations with no justifications offered for their activities.

Noting that the situation in Afghanistan has remained particularly painful and disturbing with security worsening and visible signs of withering away of the gains by the international community and Afghan people, the top Indian envoy said that the incessant attacks on hospitals, schools, funerals, or international development agencies, diplomatic missions are a matter of serious concern.

"The Security Council must act on the funds which the terrorists in Afghanistan are generating through their illicit activities. In this regard, we would like the Council to consider how the 1988 sanctions regime can be utilised and also leverage for progress in the peace process? These are significant instruments and must be utilised to their full capacity," he said.

"While making our collective efforts here at the UN or at other multilateral settings, we must be mindful to support the strengthening of Afghanistans sovereignty and stability, the two things anti-Government terrorist elements are trying to undermine from their safe havens across the borders of Afghanistan," he said.

He said the multiple crises that have been inflicted on Afghanistan had made the countrys territory attractive for criminal and terrorist groups, who are well connected to international terror and crime networks.

"These groups are stealing the resources of Afghanistan which ought to belong to the people of the country," he said.

Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani joined Akbaruddin in identifying terrorist safe havens across the border.

"The scourge of terrorism and violent extremism affecting Afghanistan is the product of a long-standing policy by a neighbouring State to keep Afghanistan unstable," he said.

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"It has menaced Afghanistan for several decades now, with its roots located in terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens outside of my country," Rabbani said, adding that the new strategy of the United States for South Asia has generated new hope among people across the country.

"In this connection, we welcome the fact that the new strategy recognises the critical need to address the lingering problem of terrorist safe-havens and sanctuaries in our region; and for more determined efforts to end political, logistical and financial support enjoyed by terrorist groups," he said.

"Furthermore, the strategys conditions based approach has addressed some uncertainties by reinforcing the right message that the international communitys engagement will endure until Afghanistan becomes stable and secure," Rabbani said. PTI LKJ ARK NSA AKJ NSA

--- ENDS ---
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 26

A constable of the Chandigarh Police, Anand Kumar, was today sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting his wife dead at the GMSH, Sector 16, three years ago. He will also pay a fine of Rs 10,000. After shooting his wife with his 9 mm service pistol, he attempted suicide, but survived.

Following a marital dispute, the then 41-year-old Kumar had shot his wife four times on July 25, 2014, inside the hospital. He had then fired at himself but was saved by doctors. His 36-year-old wife Dimple worked in the hospital as a Class IV employee and had died on the spot.

In all, seven shots were fired. While five shots were fired by him at his wife Dimple, four of which hit her, Kumar fired two shots at himself. One shot that missed Dimple accidentally hit a visitor, Savitri, who had come for her daughters treatment to the hospital.

The couple had been married for 10 years at the time and had nine-year-old twins, a girl and a boy. The couple was having strained relations and was living separately for the past two months. They had also filed for divorce. A complaint was filed by Dimple at the women cell and she was living with her parents at that time.

Kumar, who hails from UP, had joined the UT police in 2003. He was posted as a gunman with a High Court Judge. He was in his uniform on the fateful day and had later said that his wifes family was interfering in his married life.
Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 25

In yet another incident of stalking and a kidnapping bid, two car-borne miscreants allegedly stalked, abused and tried to kidnap two college students in Sector 36 last evening.

Sources said the two girls, both pursuing BA from a private college and staying as paying guests in Sector 36, had gone to the nearby market to purchase something.

While returning to the PG accommodation, the girls were followed by two middle-aged men in a black car bearing a Punjab registration number.

The sources said the accused, who were allegedly drunk, passed lewd comments at the victims. The victims ignored the accused and kept walking towards their PG accommodation.

The accused then stopped their car ahead of the victims and abused them. The accused asked the victims to sit in the car.

The victims somehow managed to escape from there and went to the Sector 36 police station to report the matter. The victims noted down the registration number of the car and gave it to the police. Since the victims were scared, they gave a complaint asking the police to issue a warning to the accused, the sources said.

Cops yet to verify car number

The number of the car was provided to the police on Sunday evening. However, even 24 hours later, the police are yet to verify the number. Investigating officer Sukwinder Singh said the victims wanted the accused to be called to the police station and reprimanded following which a case was not registered. He said they were yet to verify the registration number of the car provided by the victims.

Incidents on the rise
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Sep 26 (PTI) The goals of US military relationship with Pakistan are to improve the capacity of Islamabad to fight terrorist organisations and to enhance the security along its border with Afghanistan, a top American general told lawmakers today.

"Our mil-to-mil relations with Pakistan are characterised by maintaining lines of communication between our respective leaders, and conducting specific engagements and providing specific support where it serves US interests," he said in a written response to a question which were submitted to him before his confirmation hearing.

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"The goals of our mil-to-mil relationship with Pakistan are to improve their capacity to fight terrorist organisations and to enhance security along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, in order to help achieve stability in in this region," General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in his re-confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Dunford said US President Donald Trumps new Afghan strategy applies multi-faceted pressure on the Taliban to incentivise them to participate in a peace process that brings about political resolution of the conflict.

"I recommend continuing our relations along those broad lines, continually assessing our results and adjusting specific initiatives accordingly," he said.

The strategy has the objectives of enabling the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) to be able to conduct increased offencive operations and secure more of the population from Taliban influence and control, he said.

"The strategic objectives also envision more effective Afghan counter-corruption actions, reduction in Pakistani safe havens, and successful Afghan elections in 2018 and 2019. Indicators of progress longer-term include a decline in violence in Afghanistan, and the Taliban participation in peace talks," Dunford said.

He said the new Afghan strategy removes restrictions on military authorities and force levels in order to reinforce US relationship with Afghan forces in support of a peace process.

"Specifically, were shifting from a timeline to a condition-based approach, and we are adjusting our authorities to increase the effectives of our train, advise, and assist efforts with the Afghan forces," he said.

"Key military aspects of our new strategy that differ from previous efforts are the initiatives to enhance Afghan enablers such as the capabilities of the Afghan Air Force and Afghan Special Services Forces and broadening our train, advise and assist efforts," he added.

Dunford also warned Pakistan of continuing with its policy of providing safe heavens to terrorists.

"Its unacceptable that Pakistan provides sanctuary, and we ought to bring the full weight of the US government and our coalition partners on Pakistan to ensure that they do not provide the sanctuary that they have provided historically to groups like Haqqani and the Taliban," he said.

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During his reconfirmation hearing, Dunford was responding to a question on Pakistan asked by Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"Do you believe its possible for the United States to achieve its national security objectives in Afghanistan, as long as Pakistan provides support and sanctuary to groups such as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network?" McCain asked.

"I do not believe that we can attain our objectives in Afghanistan, Chairman, unless we materially change the behaviour of Pakistan," Dunford said.

"And have you got thoughts on how you do that?" McCain asked.

"While it will require a broad approach to do it, I think its unacceptable? that Pakistan provides sanctuary," Dunford responded. PTI LKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---
Sucha Singh Gill

Sucha Singh Gill

The decision of the Union government to shift its responsibility to states for doubling of farmers' income displays the betrayal of the distressed farm community and farming at the highest level in the country. During the Budget session of the Parliament on February 28, 2015, it was announced that farmers' income in the country will be doubled by 2022. This was taken seriously by the farmers, academicians and policymakers. Several seminars and discussions were organised by academic institutions and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) during 2016-17. NITI Aayog also took this matter seriously.

This had followed the Swaminathan Commission's Final Report (2006) which talked of raising the income of the farmers. The Swaminathan Commission had stated that "success in agricultural progress should be measured by the growth of farmers' income and not just by production figures."

Farming becoming unviable

It is well known that the share of agriculture in the GDP of the country has fallen from close to 30 per cent in 1990-91 to 14 per cent in the recent years (2014-15). This is the reason that income security of the farmers is being focused by many scholars in view of continued phenomenon of farmers' suicides in the last two decades. It is accepted by the Government of India through National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data that more than 3 lakh farmers have committed suicide in the country since 1997 when these figures began to be collected in the country. It was also brought out in the National Sample Survey (NSS) 66th round that more than 40 per cent of farmers had expressed their desire to leave agriculture as it was a non-viable occupation. It was also found that the majority of the cultivators in the country comprised small and marginal farmers. They constituted more than 4/5th of the total holdings that have become unviable. Their income was falling short of annual expenditure and it was pushing them to mounting debt traps and suicides.

Farmers hopes dashed

The idea of the doubling of the farmers' income seemed to be attractive to retain them in farming and protect national food security. Narendra Modi announced in the rallies for the 2014 parliamentary elections that the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations to pay farmers 50% over and above their cost of production as a measure to raise their income would be implemented. But after coming to power, the Modi government submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court that this recommendation cannot be put into practice, dashing the hope of the poor farmers.

If advisers of the Government of India believe that this is achievable target then suddenly why has the Union Agriculture Minister asked the states to prepare plans at their level to double farmers' income? This is because the announcements of the GOI are not matched by actions at the ground level. The area under irrigation is not increasing, the livestock economy has been derailed by cow vigilantes, diversification of crop process is ruined by crashing prices of new crops (fruits and vegetables, pulses) for want of price support, and demonetisation misadventure; non-farm employment is not picking up because jobs are eaten up by capital-intensive technologies.

The crippled agricultural research and extension services have not allowed to plug the gap between lab and land, leading to very slow improvement in agricultural productivity. The farmers' suicides and tragedy associated with them continue. The peasant unrest is spreading everywhere. The farmers are demanding better prices for the produce, loan waivers, price support system, friendly crop insurance schemes and minimum level of income.

Centre has shifted responsibility

As the Union Government has neither the will nor the capacity to act to affectively change the ground situation, it has thought to pass on this responsibility to the state governments. The state governments are crippled in terms of their capacity to provide loan waiver, make adequate resources for price and institutional support to the farmers and invest adequately in improving area under irrigation by increasing water efficiency. They can decide to pass on this buck to the village panchayats. It is strange that government which decided to dismantle the Planning Commission to replace it by NITI Aayog without any mandate to prepare plans is asking the state governments to prepare plans for doubling of farmers' income, that too without providing any additional funds to the states. The implementation of GST in the country without proper preparation has put most of the state government on the mat and added to the ongoing slowdown of economy. By shifting the onus of doubling farmers' income on the states, the GOI is putting salt on the wounds of the distressed farmers.

How to double farmers income

NITI Aayog has done some serious reflective thinking on doubling farmers income. Member (Agriculture) of the NITI Aayog made this issue a subject of his presidential address to the annual conference of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, on November 21, 2016 held at Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat (Assam). He argued during his address that doubling of farmers' real income was feasible to the extent of 75 per cent by 2022-23. This was possible by raising agricultural productivity (16.7 per cent), livestock value addition (10.8 per cent), crop intensity (3.4 per cent), crop diversification (5 per cent), better price realisation (9.1 per cent) and shift to non-farm allied agricultural occupations (13.4 per cent). This could raise the farmers' income by 66%. It was also projected that the income of farmers could be doubled by 2025-26. This could be achieved by development initiatives of GOI such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Soil Health Card, Pranparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana; technology initiatives through the network of ICAR; policy initiatives, such as pushing of the Model APMC Act by the states, and the introduction of farmer-producer organisations known as Farmers Producers Organisations (FPO) being promoted by NABARD.

The writer is on the faculty of CRRID, Chandigarh
Yogendra Yadav

Yogendra Yadav

BHAGAT SINGHS birth anniversary is marked with many a meaningless ritual: functions, tributes, garlands, speeches and what not. Just the kind of things the great revolutionary would have scoffed at. Over the years, Shaheed Bhagat Singh has been turned into an empty symbol: a radical nationalist, full of passion, but with no particular ideology. Just the kind of image Bhagat Singh did not wish to have.

His 110th birth anniversary is an occasion to remember him for what he was  a revolutionary with a vision for India and for the world. And the best way to remember him is not to turn to the past and tell tales about his life. The best way to remember a revolutionary is to ask a question about our present and the future: how can the youth reshape the future of India?

It is a good moment to ask this question. The unprecedented protest in Banaras Hindu University (BHU), led by women students, has once again drawn the attention to youth politics. The last two years have witnessed a number of protests across university campuses  FTII in Pune, Allahabad University, Jadavpur University in Kolkata, Central University of Hyderabad, JNU, University of Delhi and now BHU. Are these protests just a series of disconnected episodes? Or can we read a common thread here? If so, does it hold a promise for the future?

It would be easy to dodge this question. The stereotype of todays youth is that of an easy-going, career-oriented, fun-loving creature, more interested in social media than in social change. The trouble is that this is how every grey-haired generation has always viewed those younger than them. Every generation is full of those who seek success and glory within the given system. Every generation has a significant minority that defies and redefines the system. Todays youth is no different. From my own experience of public life, I can testify that this generation has no dearth of idealist youths who seek something bigger than personal career, who are willing to take risks in pursuit of their values. Their number is perhaps bigger today than it was in my youth. At any rate, this stereotype must not hold us for long.

There is another escape route. It would seem that the various incidents across university campuses have nothing in common. Their issues are different  FTII was a protest against an incompetent chairperson foisted on an institution of eminence, while the Hyderabad protest was triggered by the suicide of a student and the BHU protest is against gender discrimination and sexual harassment. In the case of JNU and the University of Delhi, the students reacted to some alleged anti-national incidents; in other places the protests were spontaneous. The politics of these protests is also very different. The protesting youth is Leftist in JNU and Ambedkarite in Hyderabad. But it would be hard to put any such label on student protests in the rest of the campuses that have seen unrest in recent past.

A closer look, however, shows one common thread that tie these diverse forms of youth protests. All these episodes of student protests represent resistance to a new order of things that the current regime seeks to impose on institutions of higher education. The usual label saffronisation is not a good description of this new order. More than saffronisation, what this regime is doing is plain degradation of higher education. More than reshaping the minds through new curricula, the regime is interested in a political capture of higher education institutions. Bereft of intellectual resources, the regime has resorted to regimentation.

This regimentation of higher education takes many forms. Appointment of loyal managers with dubious intellectual credentials to head the institutions of higher education was not unheard of earlier; it has become the norm now. The fig leaf of autonomy is done away with and these administrators are then used to capture university bodies and faculty positions. To be sure, previous regimes, including the Congress and the Left, were also guilty of all these sins. With the BJP, it touches a new low. Since the Sangh Parivar has never succeeded in attracting any first or even second-rung intellectual in the country, it leads to downgrading the already poor standards of the faculty and university administration.

For students, this regimentation often means infantilisation, as these adult citizens, especially women, are treated as if they are schoolchildren. This is accompanied by depoliticisation, as the university closes its doors to open debate, freedom of expression and, of course, student protest. Occasional and strategic use of physical coercion to intimidate any voice of dissent is a part of this strategy. All this takes place in the context of de facto privatisation of higher education and accentuation of the already existing vast inequalities of educational opportunity.

This is what the students are protesting against. They are protesting against this new order of higher education and its regimentation techniques. They are rebelling against the bureaucratic and authoritarian managers of higher education. They are refusing to gulp down the new ideology being prescribed for them. They are unwilling to be silenced.

What would this protest lead to? It is too soon to draw definite conclusions and one should resist the temptation to over-read. But one thing is clear: so far, the regime has not succeeded in bringing the youth under its thumb. The student union elections in various universities this year  JNU, University of Delhi, Guwahati University, Panjab University and the University of Hyderabad  confirm this trend. While the winners vary from place to place, the regime-sponsored Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is the loser everywhere. It is not a coincidence that much of this protest is led by women students and those from marginal social communities. Universities are thus becoming one of the key sites of resistance.

Will this resistance shape the future of the countrys politics? The answer to this question depends on how this resistance is channelised. Organisationally, will these protests be coordinated? Politically, will the protests within the campus be linked to the growing unrest among the youth outside the campus on issues of unequal education and stagnant employment opportunities? Ideologically, will these be linked to a new vision of India?

These are big question, the kind of questions Bhagat Singh taught us to ask. If he was around today, he would have surely asked these questions, while taking pride in the resistance of the BHU girls.

yogendra.yadav@gmail.com
THE one-page handwritten letter by girl hostellers is poignant in its simple expectation from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) authorities: relief from the incessant hounding from the lumpen crowd that had made their lives a living hell. Instead of a hearing, they got the knuckle-duster: bandaged limbs, calumnies and featuring in prime time news. Student agitations are not a novelty in democracy. Several Central Cabinet ministers, including Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad, have cut their teeth in student politics. So it was ingenious of the BHU VC to link the demand for relief from stalking with political activity and to blame leftists who have stood marginalised in UP universities for nearly two decades.

But the old formula to tar students of JNU, IITs and IIMs is not working, if it ever did in the first place, as the string of ABVP defeats in recent university elections testifies. It is bizarre on the part of the university authorities to suggest the paternalistic formula of one-size-fits-all. By claiming the Opposition had infiltrated the protest dharna is also well worn by now and predictably failed to make an impression.

In university after university, there has been a breakdown in communication because the quality of VCs is suspect. They have been rewarded for their political views rather than professional expertise. The problem is they have been exclusively handpicked from the Sangh Parivar school of thought. They are a mediocre bunch; academically suspect, administratively inept and intellectually uninspiring. Aware of their limitations and blessed with a limited world view, the VCs are unequal to the task of consultation and conciliation; instead they try to impose outmoded norms and customs. So instead of reaching out to the restive girls, the BHU VC opted for a sledge hammer approach. The impulse to coerce the students into submission was also driven by a misplaced sense of priority: the PM was in town and his optics must not be impaired. The Centres summoning of the VC to Delhi suggests trepidation has set in. After all, student unrest does not take much time to seep into the body politic.
Chandigarh, September 26

The Haryana Police on Tuesday conducted searches in Delhi to trace jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief's adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in connection with incidents of violence following Gurmeet Ram Rahim's conviction.

The police here said that searches were being conducted at various locations to trace Honeypreet and two other key Dera functionaries, though they did not specify the places where they were carrying out the search.

#Visuals Panchkula Police raided A-9 Greater Kailash with arrest warrant for #HoneyPreetInsan, but she was not found. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/swMgM1xOg6  ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2017



The Delhi Police said a team of the Panchkula Police had come with an arrest warrant for Honeypreet on a tip off that she was present in a house in A block in Greater Kailash in New Delhi.

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However, the raid did not yield anything, DCP Southeast Romil Baaniya said.

The raid was conducted at 7.30 am and only the caretaker was found. The house was registered in the name of the Dera Sacha Sauda, Baaniya said.

The police also said that any person giving any information leading to the arrest of the three and other 'wanted' accused in connection with the incidents of violence in Panchkula on August 25 will be suitably rewarded and his/her identity kept secret.

The Haryana Police today said that a court in Panchkula had yesterday issued arrest warrant against Honeypreet Insan, Dera spokesperson Aditya Insan, and Dera's top functionary Pawan Insan in connection with incidents of violence in Panchkula.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Haryana Police had moved an application before the court seeking arrest warrants of the three accused.

Accepting the SIT's application, the court has issued arrest warrants against them, DGP B S Sandhu said.

"If these three continue to evade arrest, then police will again move court with a plea to declare them as proclaimed offenders," Sandhu said.

Honeypreet Insan, who has been on the run following the conviction of Dera chief by a special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25 in two rape cases, has moved the Delhi High Court today seeking anticipatory bail.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases.

Honeypreet, against whom a lookout notice was issued by the Haryana Police, had been earlier booked at Sector 5 police station in Panchkula.

The police added her name in FIR number 345 as an accused in connection with the violence that took place in Panchkula on August 25.

Her name has been included in the same FIR in which other Dera functionaries Aditya Insan and Surinder Dhiman, among others, had been booked for allegedly inciting violence and arson, police had said earlier. The Haryana Police has also been questioning arrested Dera functionaries including Dilawar Insan and Pradeep Goyal to get concrete information about her place of hiding.

Dilawar Insan, a key member of the Dera was arrested from Sonipat while Pradeep, another Dera functionary was nabbed from Udaipur in Rajasthan by Haryana Police.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted by the special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, following which violence and arson had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa districts of Haryana which had left 41 people dead and several others injured.

Honeypreet had accompanied the Dera head when he had come to the special CBI court on August 25. She had also travelled along with him in the special chopper which ferried them to Rohtak from Panchkula after the conviction.

The sect head is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district of Haryana.

Several teams of the Haryana Police have travelled across the country, including the Indo-Nepal border, to trace Honeypreet. PTI
Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 26

Pressure built by Haryana Police on the family of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and conducting raids after obtaining arrest warrants for Honeypreet Insan helped force the Dera chiefs absconding adopted daughter appear, through her counsel for seeking anticipatory bail.

Commissioner of Police Arshinder Singh Chawla on Tuesday admitted that the immense pressure the Panchkula police had put on several fronts, including raids at several places, must have worked in forcing Honeypreet to approach the court, though he said moving application for anticipatory bail is every individuals right.

I feel that even if Honeypreets lawyer had approached the Panchkula police instead of the Delhi High Court, she would have got a fair deal, as they only wanted her to join investigation, Chawla added.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The Tribune has learnt that though Ram Rahims family, especially his elder daughter Charanpreet Kaur Insan, were already on the radar and she had been questioned on Honeypreets disappearance, the police increased pressure on them on Monday after their involvement became public.

In a news-item Honeypreet may be in captivity: Kin, The Tribune had revealed on Monday that Charanpreet had summoned Honeypreet from Hanumangarh, where she was staying at the residence of her brother Sahils in-laws, to Dera chiefs native village Gurusar Modia on the evening of August 29.

The next day, Charanpreet was alleged to have handed over Honeypreet to Rakesh Bai and Phoola, both trusted men of the Dera head. She was since missing.

The fact had come to the notice of an SIT of the Panchkula police when it raided Gurusar Modia on September 21.

Sources said the police increased pressure on Ram Rahims family on Monday asking them to either produce Honeypreet or be prepared to face the music.

Earlier, when Charanpreet had joined investigation, she admitted that Honeypreet came to Gurusar Modia on August 29 and left with Rakesh Bai and Phoola the next day, but had claimed that she did so of her own volition.

Sources said the twin action of increasing pressure on Ram Rahims family and intensifying efforts for Honeypreets arrest by obtaining her warrant seemed to have worked for the police.
Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Kullu, September 26

The administration is geared up for the week-long Dasehra festival which will kick start on September 30 and continue up to October 6 at the Dhalpur ground.

District Magistrate Yunus Khan today directed that Section 144 will be imposed in Kullu-Manali and Bhunter from September 28 up to October 20 in view of the security concern when influx of tourists remains heavy. These orders will not be applicable on police, Army, the SSB and the ITBP.

All panchayat representatives have been asked to alert people and inform the police if they notice any suspicious person in their area during that period.

To maintain smooth traffic during the event, no parking zones have been identified and people will be asked to park their vehicles in allotted areas only. The parking place has been earmarked at forest ground near OLS, Monal Cafe, college ground, vegetable market, Akhara Bazzar, Akhara Bazar Tapu Bridge, Vipasha market, Sarvari bank side market, front of HTRC bus stand near Nest hotel, DAV school Mohal and Police line Kullu.

Group dance Kullu Natti will be dedicated to girl child.

The DC stated that on October 1 a group dance Kullu Natti will be organized to lead the message of save and educate girl child, in which a large number of women are expected to join the event.

He said that the district administration had made adequate arrangements for active participation of women in which Bollywood actress Deepti Naval will take participation.
Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 26

Terming his son a young but politically mature, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh handed over the baton to his son and political successor Vikramaditya Singh (28) at the Congress Mahasammelan, organised by party workers in his Shimla (Rural) segment, here today.

The CMs appeal can be termed the first formal one to Congress workers to support and make state Youth Congress president Vikramaditya victorious as he prepares to make his electoral debut in the Assembly polls.

He might be young but he has zeal and political wisdom to be your representative, so not it is your responsibility to see him through, the father in Virbhadra appealed to the party workers and office-bearers. He said he was in favour of a young person being fielded from his segment and would talk to the high command. Though it is time for me to retire and lead a relaxed life, there are so many offers for me to contest from various parts, he said, indicating that he could contest from anywhere. He also added that he had no differences with anyone in the Congress and his only endeavour had been to ensure balanced and all-round development.

Adopting a cautious approach, Vikramaditya tried to strike an emotional chord with the party workers by stating that it was their responsibility to make the party nominee victorious, irrespective of who it was. The Block Congress Committee of Shimla (Rural) also passed a resolution to urge the party high command to give the ticket to Vikramaditya.

It is for the high command to decide who they will field but, if given an opportunity, I will serve the people of the segment, represented by my father, he said in his address.

He even went to the extent of saying that even if a person from Kangra came to this segment to contest, the party organisation must support him and ensure his victory. Elaborating on the numerous development works undertaken in this segment, he said projects worth Rs 1,150 crore had been inaugurated or were in the pipeline.

Vikramaditya had earlier announced that he was keen to contest from the Shimla (Rural) segment.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 26

A commander of the militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Baramulla's Uri on Tuesday, police said.

Indian Army said the gunabattle that killed the militant, identified as Abdul Qayoom Najar, ensued when they foiled an infiltration attempt in Zorawar Lachipira Uri, some 90 km from Srinagar, after they noticed some suspicious movement close to the Line of Control.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Najar, the longest surviving Hizbul commander, has been accused of having been involved in more than 50 killings, including that of policemen in Sopores Hygam, in the past 17 years. He is also believed to have killed Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar in 2003.

Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain said: "Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC this morning. He was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen in the wake of elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces," he said.

The officer said Najars handlers called him to Hizbul base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2015 after he fell out with the Hizbul leadership, the officer said.

"He was then tasked with reviving the outfit in Kashmir in the wake of elimination of top militants," he said.

The development comes amid a combing operation in Uri's Kalgi, where the Army on Sunday foiled a major plan of militants to carry a fidayeen attack on base by killing four militants. With agencies
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 26

Jammu city may boast of having a riverfront on the Tawi, on the lines of the one near Sabarmati in Ahmedabad.

Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday directed officials of the Ministry to include riverfront development as part of the Smart city plan being drawn for the winter capital of the state.

Puri said this during his talks with J&K Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh who sought central help in developing the 4.5-km stretch under the Smart City project, an official release said here.

The Minister also assured the state government of priority consideration and all possible assistance in all matters of urban development.

The Deputy Chief Minister also discussed various projects, progress and implementation of urban sector projects in the state.

Nirmal Singh also sought help for the completion of the sewerage project of Greater Jammu sanctioned under JNNURM earlier, inclusion of Katra and Udhampur under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for basic infrastructure development.

He informed Puri that the sewerage project of Srinagar, sanctioned under JNNURM, is progressing with additional central assistance released by the government.

Puri said that after further consultations with the state government on mobilisation of resources for the sewerage project in Jammu, including its financing under the ongoing urban missions, NBCC will be directed to resume the project works.

On the inclusion of two more cities under AMRUT, he said 500 cities had been included in this mission based on certain criteria and he would have the possibility in this regard considered.

Referring to the details of various projects sanctioned and investments approved for J&K under various new urban missions, the Union Minister urged the Deputy Chief Minister to speed up their implementation so that the intended outcomes were realised within the specified timeframes.

He referred to providing new water supply connections to 1.08 lakh households in the state under the Atal Mission.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 26

Almost a year after the Army carried out surgical strikes on militant launch pads along the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, militancy-related violence as well as infiltration attempts havent abated.

After the surgical strikes on September 29 morning, 78 security men (including 58 this year) have been killed in militant attacks or ceasefire violations in the region. At least 175 militants (24 last year) have also been killed in Kashmir during the same period.

On September 18, 2016, an Army base close to the LoC was stormed by a group of four fidayeen of the Lashkar-e-Toiba. The deadly attack, which claimed lives of 19 soldiers, was followed by the Army Special Forces launching surgical strikes on militant launch pads in PoK. After the strikes, the Army had claimed to have destroyed several launch pads of militants.

However, these launch pads, sources said, had become active again. After the strikes, militants havent stopped coming from across. While the infiltration attempts have been more this year, the Army has been able to eliminate 56 militants along the LoC since January. Last year, in the three months after the surgical strikes at least six militants were killed along the LoC while attempting to sneak into the Valley.

The intentions from across had become clear only days after the surgical strikes. On October 6, four militants were killed as the Army foiled an infiltration bid in the Nowgam sector  wherefrom the strikes were carried out. It was the first infiltration bid after the strikes.

The Army officers on the ground say that the surgical strikes were not aimed at finishing militancy, but it was aimed at conveying a strong message to Pakistan and to the world.

With surgical strikes we were able to achieve the aim at the geopolitical and strategic levels. A strong message was also conveyed to Pakistan. Yes, on a day-to-day basis probably it has not helped as the number of attempts from across to push militants has not reduced. It has also not deterred Pakistan on this front. But the other side has a clear message now that any action will have a reaction and that is what they had never thought, said an Army officer, wishing not to be named.

He said the number of fatalities was on rise as the security forces had been on an offensive after the last years unrest.

This year, policemen were targeted and with incidents like lynching in mind, they have hit back. With intelligence inputs, the police and forces have been jointly been able to kill a large number of militants, including top commanders, he added.

Another officer said there were high fatalities of the forces as operations against militants had been stepped up.

A section of police officers on the ground maintain that nothing has changed after the strikes. There is no change in the Pakistan policy on Kashmir. It continues to push in militants to keep the pot boiling in the Valley, a police officer of the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police said.

A strong message for Pakistan

Army officers on the ground say that the surgical strikes were not aimed at finishing militancy, but it was aimed at conveying a strong message to Pakistan and to the world

On a day-to-day basis probably it has not helped as the number of attempts from across to push militants has not reduced. But the other side has a clear message now that any action will have a reaction, said an Army officer

After surgical strikes

Militants killed 175 (73 locals, 102 foreigners)

Security men killed 78 (38 from Army 30 police, 7 CRPF, 2 BSF, 1 SSB)

2016 (Before surgical strikes)

Security forces killed 62

Militants killed 103

Entire 2016

Security men killed 88

Militants killed 165

2015

Security men killed 36

Militants killed 95

2014

Security men killed 40

Militants killed 101

2013

Security men killed 53

Militants killed 67

2012

Security men killed 17

Militants killed 84
Members of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on Tuesday met Thane police in connection with the Rs 2,000 crore drug haul case, in which former Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni is an accused.

By Divyesh Singh: Members of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on Tuesday met Thane police in connection with the Rs 2,000 crore drug haul case, in which former Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni is an accused.

US DEA Country Attache Mark Frederick and his team met Thane police officers regarding the case. The police in 2016 busted a factory in Solapur that was manufacturing Ephedrine.

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Kulkarni's husband Vicky Goswami is already in custody of DEA in the US.

A recently arrested druglord from London confirmed that the Solapur factory was the biggest drug manufacturing hub from where drug was smuggled to Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

DEA attache Frederick will be seeking the details of the factory and of those arrested in the case by Thane police. Frederick met Thane police commissioner Parambir Singh and officials from the anti-narcotics cell. He told Thane police officers that the busting of the Solapur factory was a huge blow to drug cartels operating in the Europe and the US and would help crack down on the drug menace to a large extent. The DEA will be with the Thane police for a few days to get more details of the cartel run by Mamta Kulkarni and Goswami.

Kulkarni is still on the run in the case and very soon a red corner notice will be issued by Interpol to arrest her. Her proprerties in India will be attached by the Thane police.

--- ENDS ---
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 26

School principals in the city have expressed concern over the sale of readymade projects going on unchecked at the stationery shops.

A few years ago, stationery shops in the winter capital had only one source of income i.e. through the sale of books to students of different streams. However, now shops in areas like Pacca Danga, Shastri Nagar, Parade and Kachi Chawni, which are the hub of stationery stores, are preparing models for college and school-going students with price ranging between Rs 200 and Rs 1,500.

A visit to some of the shops in the city was enough to gauge the situation. Even parents were seen spending big bucks to buy the readymade projects/models.

Rajeev Slathia, principal of Naveen Shiksha Kendra School, expressed concern over the lack of creativity among the students due to this growing culture. Homework is a time when parents get a chance to get involved in their childs activities and help them make their projects but, unfortunately, they just bother about grades, he added.

Similarly, KCS Mehta, principal, Army Public School, Akhnoor, said the students should be given projects in the class only. Nowadays, the projects are readily available at affordable prices from stationery shops. The students are losing creativity and learn nothing, Mehta added.

The buyers, mostly parents, are ready to pay anything for the projects, which start from Rs 400 for to Rs 1,500 for AC/DC dynamo. Mathematical models on symmetry, optical science projects and PowerPoint presentations are among the most-demanded items these days, said Sudhir, principal of a private school.

Meanwhile, Ritika, a graduate who is preparing models for a stationery shop in Shastri Nagar, said: Earlier, students hailing from different states pursuing BEd from private colleges in Jammu approached the stationery stores for preparing projects on education and teaching, etc. As far as charges are concerned, it depends on how big the project is. Generally, students need to pay between Rs 500 to Rs 1,500, depending on the type of project.

At present, there are not many BEd students available, but the business is still flourishing because schools, nowadays, are giving students, particularly those of Classes X and XII, so many projects/models to prepare. At times, even the stationery shops are unable to handle the pressure of preparing so many models, so they hire college students to help them. In return, they are paid commission for the part-time job, she added.

Rates charged
Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 26

Contrary to the statement of BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, the Centre will take the Sangh Parivar on board before initiating any meaningful dialogue on Kashmir. Instead of taking any hasty decision on talks, the Centre will look into all aspects before taking any step in the matter.

Ram Madhav, while addressing mediapersons at Srinagar on September 21, had announced that the Centre was ready for a dialogue with separatists without any pre-conditions. We are ready to talk to everybody who wants to come and have a dialogue without any pre-conditions, he had stated, adding that the Hurriyat was welcome to have a dialogue with the state government as well as the Centre. Sources said that during the BJP national executive committee meeting in New Delhi on September 24 and 25, Ram Madhav briefed the BJP leadership about the prevailing situation in the state. Instead of advocating dialogue with all stakeholders, including the Hurriyat Conference, he put the onus on the government to take a call in the matter, a source said, adding that a group within the party was of the opinion that the Hurriyat Conference and other separatist groups were seeking dialogue only due to pressure being mounted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after repeated raids to expose their financial irregularities. An opinion has emerged within a group of the BJP leadership that separatist leaders are asking for meaningful dialogue because the NIA has exposed their misdeeds and they want a way out, the source said.

The sources said the Sangh Parivar would be taken on board before any decision on Kashmir because some offshoots of the Parivar were working in the Valley. The feedback of these groups would be taken by the central leadership before setting up any agenda for dialogue on Kashmir, a source said.

The Kashmir situation would be thoroughly discussed in the forthcoming Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha meet of the RSS at Bhopal in the second week of October, the source asserted, adding that any decision on a dialogue would be taken only after the Pratinidhi Sabha meeting. The sources said that during the two-day national executive meeting which concluded on Monday, Ram Madhav had made it clear that the offensive against terror groups was yielding encouraging results. He said the security forces had been given a free hand to deal with those who had picked up the gun.

Feedback from Valley

The Sangh Parivar will be taken on board before any decision on Kashmir because some offshoots of the Parivar are working in the Valley. The feedback of these groups will be taken by the BJP top brass before setting up any agenda for dialogue on Kashmir, a source said
Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar September 24

Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar is issuing an advisory on media coverage of patients in the interest of their health care.

The decision to issue the advisory has come a day after the Medical Faculty Association (MFA) has asked the GMC authorities to ensure that the work of health professionals is not affected due to the disruption caused by journalists during restricted hours.

We are issuing an advisory in the next few days to ensure that journalists dont enter wards without permission and also block their way into the operation theatres, GMC Srinagar Principal Dr Samia Rashid told The Tribune.

The decision has been necessitated after some photojournalists wearing dirty shoes entered the operation theatre on Thursday to click pictures of injured people of south Kashmirs Tral sub-district.

Also, in a separate incident, she said a local journalist had entered the surgery ward on Friday without permission to interview the injured when a medical round was underway.

The entry of the journalist into the ward during the medical round irked the doctors, who asked her to leave immediately, triggering an exchange of words between the doctors and her, the GMC officials said.

The MFA, which criticised the malicious media campaign against a particular faculty member who got engaged in the exchange of words with the journalist, has also asked the media fraternity to keep away from restricted areas like operation theatres.

In fact, the faculty member had rightly objected to the presence of a junior journalist appearing in the ward without seeking permission when he was taking a round of the sick and serious patients, thus disrupting his professional duties, MFA president Dr Sajad Qazi said.

Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) president Dr GM Mir, while supporting the faculty member for blocking the entry of the journalist during the medical round, said it was not an unethical approach by the faculty member where he prioritised patient care over the media coverage.

Mir requested the journalists to seek proper permission when carrying out their duties in the restricted area of the hospital.
Four students of Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi (IIIT-Delhi) have received the Google Women Tech-makers Scholarship Asia-Pacific 2017. The prestigious scholarship, previously called Google Anita Borg Scholarship, encourages women to excel and become leaders in computing and technology. Candidates were picked up on the basis of their academic and leadership qualities. Selected students were invited to participate in the Google Scholars Retreat, held in Seoul earlier this year. All four recipients have displayed exceptional talent and potential.

Anannya Uberoiis a pre-final year B.Tech (CSE) student. She has developed SafeFirst a womens safety device which sends location alerts to emergency outstanding contacts.

The second recipient, Katyayani Singh, alsoa pre-final year B Tech (CSE) student, is interested in exploring Human Computer Interaction and Human-Centred Design and wants to use technology to solve real world problems. She interned at the UE-HCI Lab, IIT-Guwahati, designing augmented reality based kin aesthetic learning tools for children with special needs.

Simran Saxena, has a BTech (Honors) degree in CSE is now doing MTech. Her thesis is on Privacy, Security and Crowd sourcing.

Vahini Ummalaneni is the Institutes first ECE student to receive the Women Tech-makers Scholarship. She is interested in interested in radars, signal and image processing.

UK certification for Dr Sameer

The Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (UK), The Association of British Clinical Diabetologists and The Society for Endocrinology have certified that Dr Sameer Aggarwal, Associate Professor at Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences (UHS), Rohtak, has successfully achieved the Specialty Certificate in endocrinology and diabetes.

Dr Sameer Aggarwal, who did his DM (Endocrinology) from AIIMS, New Delhi, is one of the few endocrinologists from the country to have got this certification.

 Inputs Sunit Dhawan
Jasmine Singh

Bharat is convincing Ram Chandra to return to the palace with him, which he politely refuses; so Bharat takes Ram Chandras khadaun instead to worship. This episode of Ramayana, at the Ramlila in Sector-40, Chandigarh, sees a good audience that seems to be enjoying every bit of the episode!

The scene at various Ramlilas in tricity is more or less the same... artistes from theatre playing various characters; high-end technology (Hanuman flying in mid-air) gets standing ovation and hooting too. Whats different, however, is that UT police has given a set of instructions to the organisers, which mentions that no vulgar music should be played at Ramlila functions. They have also been asked to stick to the basic script that does not hurt the religious sentiments of people.

Word of caution

This new development has made the Ramlila organisers cautious, but at the same time it has also led them to study details of every episode of Ramayana, with no scope of improvisation whatsoever. Says Subash Chander, one of the members of the committee, The good part is that now most Ramlila artistes can be heard speaking shudh Hindi in their acts; not that earlier they wouldnt, but now it is more prevalent.

By the rule

According to the instructions, no vulgar or Bollywood songs are to be played at Ramlilas; as a practise, religious songs were superimposed on Bollywood tunes, which is to be avoided. Our musicians have become active now, Harish, playing Hanuman, shares a good laugh. Instead of pre-recorded songs, this time our musicians can be seen on stage, singing. In fact, theyve prepared some Sanskrit shlokas as well.

Young artistes

While the artistes are returning to the history texts, many young ones are being introduced to it as well. Child artistes also make their presence felt at Ramlilas. Nine-year-old Sandeep Singh is the youngest member of the vanar sena. He likes dressing up and jumping around, but more than this, he has learnt so much about Hanuman in the last few days. I want to be obedient like him, Sandeep blushes, expressing his wish to play Ram someday. I want to play Ram because I look like him. This naivety can be forgiven! There are others like Sandeep, who are making their acting debut with Ramlila. Mani Sharma (5), Himanshu Sangar (6 plus) and Neha Bhardwaj (7) cant stop fancying their bright dresses.

Another thing thats rather new is GST. It has created quite a lot of confusion in the committees. Suresh Dhiman, member of Jai Shri Ram Committee, is facing a problem in paying the artistes. A lot of paper-work needs to be done; the administration should also help Ramlila committees with this GST issue, so that our artistes get their money on time.

jasmine@tribunemail.com
Tribune News Service

New Delhi/ Lucknow, Sept 26

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Vice-Chancellor GC Tripathi today ordered a judicial inquiry by a retired Allahabad High Court Judge VK Dixit into the campus violence.

Addressing the media after the BHU executive council meeting in New Delhi, Tripathi claimed that students security was his highest priority. He said stern action would be taken after the inquiry report was submitted.

Earlier, Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn submitted his report on the BHU violence to state Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar. In his report, he blamed the university administration for not responding to the students demand in the sexual harassment case in time. It said the BHU did not deal with the victims complaint in a sensitive manner and did not handle the situation timely.

The report also said if the issue had been addressed sensitively and in time, there would not have been such a big controversy. The BHU administration has agreed to install CCTV camera in 65 more sensitive areas after the September 21 incident when girls staged protests following the sexual harassment of a student on the campus. It also decided to employ women security guards. Arrangements are also being made to prevent the entry of vehicles on the way to the girls hostel.
Manas Dasgupta

Rajkot, September 26

Continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling BJP, the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the second day of his first phase of election campaign in Gujarat attempted to woo the Patels and the farmers and targeted Vijay Rupani as a "remote controlled chief minister" in his home town of Rajkot.

Beginning the second day from Jamnagar where he spend the night after the first day's campaign yesterday which started from the famous temple town of Dwarka, Rahul ended the day at Rajkot holding meetings, mixing with the people and at several places ignored the security cordon to shake hands with the people.

In Rajkot, the home town of the Chief Minister, he also held a "road show" passing through several important thoroughfares to reach the public meeting venue. Rahul's terming the Vijay Rupani government as a remote-controlled one, evoked sharp reaction from the CM who drew the example of the UPA government and said everyone in the country knew that though Manmohan Singh was the PM, "the remote control of the government was in the hands of Sonia Gandhi."

In the Patel-dominated Tankara town near Rajkot, Rahul wore the symbolic cap of the "Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti" with the inscriptions "Jai Patidar, Jai Sardar," while in the farmer-dominated areas, he evoked the spirit of cooperatives like the Amul that have made significant contributions in the farm economy in the state.

The Congress vice-president candidly admitted his party's "weakness" vis-a-vis the strong points of the BJP and Modi which caused the defeat of the Congress-led UPA government. "The Congress government works a lot, take important decisions and implement, but we do not know the marketing strategy. This is our weakness and we must learn to market our works," Rahul said. In contrast, he said, Modi only knew "marketing well" through which he could impress the people "claiming others' works as his own."

At most of the meetings and exchanges with the people, he confined his address as "Congress versus BJP" enumerating the strong and weak points of the two parties. "Modi only can give good 'bhashan' (speeches), does good marketing but very little work," he said. The Congress, in contrast, is "good at work but poor at marketing," he said.

Encouraged in seeing a large gathering of people at his meeting venue at Tankara, Rahul, who lambasted Modi's "Gujarat model of development as nothing but looting the poor farmers and benefitting a handful of his friendly industrialists, said the "true Gujarat model is the Sardar Patel model, the Amul model which the women of Gujarat gave to create a white revolution, it is the kisan welfare model and it is the model of small and medium scale businessmen." But he lamented that this "old model" had been "completely dismantled now."

Rahul is due to conclude his first phase of campaign covering the Saurashtra region with a visit to Surendranagar district tomorrow.
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 26

India on Tuesday made it clear that it would not send its troops to be based in Afghanistan. There would be no Indian boots on the ground, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while addressing a joint press conference with US Defence Secretary James Mattis in New Delhi.

Boots on the ground in military parlance means putting troops on ground.

In the last week of August, US President Donald Trump had announced a new Afghanistan policy that articulated Washingtons desire that New Delhi does more for Kabul. India welcomed the policy while underscoring its contribution in capacity-building of the war-torn country.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Indian line of not sending troops to Afghanistan is consistent since 2001 when the US announced its war of terror post 9/11 strikes. Sitharaman was responding to a question posed by a US journalist accompanying Mattis.

When asked, The US is seeking more contribution from India. Do you rule out troops on the ground? Sitharaman said, We have built dams, hospitals and roads; that has been Indias contribution and that will continue.

Mattis is the first Cabinet-level visit from the US to India since Trump took over in January.

From New Delhis perspective, India is already part of the Russia-led six-nation group on consultations on reconciliation with Taliban. At the military level, New Delhi has trained more than 4,000 Afghan army officers and provided helicopters, small arms and is also examining a long wish list, that includes artillery guns, short-range missiles, military support vehicles and even the Russian built T-90 tanks.

Indian-built civilian projects include a large hydroelectric dam and a highway.

Earlier, in the joint statement, both sides, without naming any country, spoke about freedom of navigation and resolution of disputes within the rules-based global order. This was an obvious reference to the South China Sea and the ongoing dispute with China.

We have very substantive forward-looking talks. I am confident that this will deepen cooperation with the US, Sitharaman said, adding that she appreciated Secretary Mattiss willingness to share technology that would help meet security challenges.

When asked if India raised the issue of the US continuing its aid to Pakistan, Sitharaman said she had raised the matter with her US counterpart. The same forces that find havens in Pakistan hit at New York and Mumbai. My request is that Secretary Mattis speaks out when he visits Pakistan.
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 26

A month after the US unveiled its new Afghanistan policy and sought to rope in India for a wider role, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today categorically refused to deploy Indian troops in the war-ravaged country.

There shall not be boots from India on the ground (in Afghanistan), said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while addressing a joint press interaction with US Secretary of Defence James Mattis here. Sitharaman was responding to a question whether the US was seeking more contribution from India (in Afghanistan).

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Boots on the ground is a military euphemism for putting troops to battleground. India has a 14 lakh-strong Army with experience in mountain warfare. The Indian line of not sending troops to Afghanistan has been consistent since 2001, when the US announced its war on terror post the 9/11 attacks.

Sitharaman elaborated on how India had built dams, hospitals, schools, roads and the Parliament building in the war-torn country. Indias contribution shall continue, she asserted.

Mattis and his delegation is the first Cabinet-level visit from the US to India since Donald Trump took over as President in January.

Trump, speaking at a military event on August 21, had announced a new Afghanistan policy asking New Delhi to help more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.

From Indias perspective, it is already part of the Russia-led six-nation group on consultations on reconciliation with the Taliban. At the military level, New Delhi has trained more than 4,000 Afghan army officers and provided them with helicopters and small arms.

On Pakistan, Mattis buttressed Indias stance, saying there can be no tolerance of terror safe havens. As global leaders, India and the US have resolved to work together to eradicate this scourge, he said, without naming Pakistan.

Calling terrorism a common problem affecting both nations, Mattis, a retired General, said: Our countries recognise the threat that global terrorism poses to people throughout the world. A statement later stressed the need for the two nations to come together to combat the scourge of terrorism.

Earlier, without naming any country, both sides spoke about the freedom of navigation and resolution of disputes within the rules-based global order. This was in reference to the hydrocarbon-rich South China Sea and the ongoing dispute with China.

On whether India raised the issue of continued US aid to Pakistan, Sitharaman said she had taken up the matter with her counterpart. The same forces that find havens in Pakistan hit at New York and Mumbai. My request is that Secretary Mattis will be able to speak out when he visits Pakistan.

Secretary Mattis later called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him on the progress in advancing the bilateral agenda and implementing the decisions taken during Modi-Trump meeting in Washington this June.
Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 26



In a bid to boost economic rebuilding of war torn Afghanistan, the stage is set for the USAID sponsored India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show from September 27-30 in New Delhi. This will be followed by the consumer trade show on September 30.



Afghanistan CEO Dr.Abdullah Abdullah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Acting US Ambassador MaryKay Karlson will jointly inaugurate the show on Wednesday.



A senior USAID official said the event was in the making for the last six months to enhance job opportunities in Afghanistan and further support its regional integration.



This was one of the deliverables of the Heart of Asia conference last December. We have had almost seven trade shows in the past, in India, with an Afghan focus from 2014, on various sectors  like food, carpets and agriculture. But unlike the past, this will be a continuing effort, said the senior official.



The official hoped this event would expand on private sector participation particularly in the social sector, healthcare, education and clean energy .The subsequent editions of the fair will be held in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.



USAID hopes this trade show will be a catalyst for Afghan companies to find a greater platform in the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Summit end of November in Hyderabad, to be led by Ivanka Trump.



Around 250 Afghan vendors have signed up for the event , while some 800 companies and entities from Indian side have expressed interest.Some 40 letters of intent have been signed with companies like English Helper to GE. CEOs from major Indian and US companies will also participate and deliberate upon development solutions for Afghanistan.



The real focus is private sector partnerships with government. We are Looking for investments but not expecting a lot of deals right now. This is about building relationships, the official added.




By PTI: him

(EDS: Updating after rephrasing intro, minor edits)

New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) BJP MP Varun Gandhi has backed giving asylum to Rohingya Muslims in India after security vetting, evoking a sharp reaction from Union minister Hansraj Ahir, who said those who have national interest in mind should not make such statements.

Ahirs criticism came after Varun expressed his views in an article in a Hindi daily.

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Following the MoS Home Affairs remarks, Varun tweeted today that his article focused primarily on defining Indias asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how "we would accept refugees".

"As for the Rohingyas, Ive called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns (sic)," he tweeted.

Ahir, while criticising Varuns stand, told reporters here that, "Jo desh ke hith mein sochenga woh is tarah ke bayan nahi dega (Anyone who has national interest in mind, wont make such statements)."

Varuns remarks were at variance with the governments stand on the issue.

Terming the Rohingya refugees as "illegal" immigrants, the government had recently told the Supreme Court that some of them were part of a "sinister" design of Pakistans ISI and terror groups such as the ISIS, whose presence in the country will pose a "serious" national security threat.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also last week said Rohingyas were not refugees who have applied for asylum in India but illegal immigrants who "will be deported".

The BJP, in its national executive yesterday, adopted a resolution supporting the governments stand on the Rohingya issue, saying it fulfilled its responsibilities by providing humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees while ensuring that internal security was not compromised for its 125 crore citizens. PTI ACB ASK PYK ASK

--- ENDS ---
Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow/New Delhi, September 26

The Banaras Hindu University ordered a probe into recent campus protests that turned violent hours after the state government announced a judicial inquiry on Tuesday.

The universitys controversial vice-chancellor GS Tripathi, who has been accused of having failed to respond appropriately to the incident of sexual harassment that triggered the protest, said retired high court judge BS Dixit would head the panel.

Hours before, the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a judicial probe into the incident.

The development comes as the chorus for action against the police action taken on protesting students grow louder.

Opposition, academicians and activists have demanded suspension of Varanasi VP and DIG for the action.

In a signed letter addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind, who is the ex-officio Visitor of Universities, Varanasi MP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as state Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath, the letter demanded accountability of the BHU authorities as students are living and studying within the University premises and their safety has to be guaranteed by the head of the institution.

The letter deplores the reaction of the BHU Vice-Chancellor to the peaceful protest by forcibly shutting down all girls hostels till October 2.

By the action he is literally throwing the girls out. Hostel administrations have been instructed to call guardians of the girls to mention that the hostels are shut down and that anyone who stays back should do that at their own risk, and the University administration will not be responsible, points out the letter.

Following are the demands listed in the letter:

Ensure strict legal action against those responsible for the harassment faced by the student concerned

Make provisions of lighting up all the dark zones and spots of the University campus

Continuous patrolling of security guards

Gender sensitization of administrative staff and teaching faculty

Provision for hostels for girls

Abolition of curfew timings in girls hostels

Formation of Gender Sensitization and Sexual Harassment Committee

Recruitment of women security personnel

Inclusion of female functionaries in Proctorial board

Equality in food offered in hostels of boys and girls

Installation of CCTV cameras in prominent spots

The letter has been signed among others by Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh, (MKSS), Abha Bhaiya( Jagori) Kavita Srivastava, (PUCL), Arundhati Dhuru ( NAPM), Apoorvanand, Mukul Mangalik, Rajni Palriwala ,Satish Deshpande( Delhi University) Nivedita Menon, Ayesha Kidwai, Brinda Bose (Jawaharlal Nehru University) Shoba Ghosh( Mumbai University) Mary E John, Centre for Women Studies Harsh Mander. (With agencies)
Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 26

The longest-surviving militant commander, who once led a major revolt against the Pakistan-based militant leadership and founded a radical group Lashkar-e-Islam, was killed on Tuesday while he was infiltrating back into Kashmir valley, police said.

Qayoom Najar, 45, was killed close to the Line of Control in Uri sector of north Kashmirs Baramulla district, immediately after infiltrating back into the Valley, two senior police officials said.

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The security forces initially suspected that an unidentified foreign militant was killed in a routine infiltration attempt, but subsequent investigations found that the slain militant was Najar.

Inspector General of Police Kashmir Muneer Khan told The Tribune that Najar was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen, whose top commanders in the region were killed in recent months and which is facing an ideological challenge from its former commander Zakir Musa, who now leads Qaida-linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Islam.

Najar, a resident of north Kashmirs Sopore town, had joined Hizbul Mujahideen in the early part of 1990s and had topped the security forces list of most wanted militants in the region for almost a decade.

Najar, whose appearance remained anonymous for his entire militant life, carried a bounty of Rs 12.5 lakh and had fluctuating and fractured relations with his parent organisation Hizbul Mujahideen.

In October 2014, Najar had compiled a hit-list of alleged informers working for security forces, which included two high-profile members of the separatist group led by Syed Ali Geelani. The list was rejected by Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin, which caused friction between the two commanders.

Months later, in the summer of 2015, Najar led a major revolt against Hizbul Mujahideens Pakistan- based leadership and formed a radical new group called Lashkar-e-Islam. Salahuddin and Geelani initially claimed Lashkar-e-Islam was a creation of Indian intelligence agencies, but later Najar was publicly suspended from the membership of Hizbul Mujahideen.

During its revolt, Najars Lashkar-e-Islam had carried out attacks on the telecom sector as it blamed the widespread use of mobile phone communication for leaking information about the movement of militants.

His splinter group had also killed six individuals on accusations of working as informers for security agencies, which included former militants and members of Geelanis group.

Najar along with his Lashkar-e-Islam deputy commander Tariq Mir had also barged into Geelanis Srinagar residence and threatened him for interfering in militant operations.

Najar had reportedly reconciled with Hizbul, according to police sources, and had ex-filtrated to Pakistan from where he was returning to Kashmir valley.
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 26

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Major Gen Suresh Khajuria (retd) said here today that AAPs Majha zone incharge Kanwalpreet Singh Kaki had resigned after the party served a show-cause notice on him for anti-party activities.

He dismissed Kakis claims that the party leadership had ignored local leaders while finalising his candidature.

Calling himself a son of the soil, the Pathankot resident said Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar was an outsider who was contesting from Gurdaspur because voters of his own constituency (Abohar) had rejected him. He claimed that the Congress government had no achievement to boast of in the past six months.

Earlier, Khajuria paid obeisance at the Golden Temple.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 25

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said here today that his government was committed to improving infrastructure in the key sectors of health and education despite inheriting a poor fiscal condition from the previous rulers.

Addressing a select gathering of healthcare luminaries at the launch of The Tribune coffee table book, Doyens of Healthcare, Capt Amarinder expressed confidence that his government would succeed in bringing the state out of the mess.

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Even after 70 years of Independence, 24,000 primary schools in the state dont have basic amenities such as benches and toilets. Public health centres are also in bad shape, he said, adding that the government intended to rechristen health centres as primary healthcare centres to facilitate early scanning of ailments in children and a basic check-up of the people once or twice a year.

He said the government was striving to ensure that Punjabs education system came on a par with that of states such as Himachal Pradesh and healthcare rivalled that of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Capt Amarinder, who presented excellence awards to several healthcare experts, said the government was investing in the Patiala and Amritsar medical colleges, besides setting up a new one in Mohali to boost healthcare.

Stressing the need for a medical college in Malwa, the CM said his government was keen on setting up more high-end medical institutions.

Earlier, welcoming the CM, The Tribune Editor-in-Chief Harish Khare said the people of Punjab had reasonable expectations from Capt Amarinder. Khare said the criticism while reporting about the CM and his work often emanated from the hope that being a person with a sense of public responsibility and personal integrity, he would do something about it.

The Tribune General Manager Vinay Verma and senior members of the newspapers editorial and marketing sections were also present.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 26

Acting on a petition for discontinuing agricultural pumpset subsidy to rich farmers in Punjab, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice to the state, the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

As the petition, filed in public interest, came up for hearing before the Division Bench of Justice AK Mittal and Justice Amit Rawal, petitioner-advocate HC Arora submitted that rich farmers, including Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Manpreet Singh Badal, Capt Amarinder Singh and Kuljit Singh Nagra, were enjoying the concession of free power for tubewells

Arora stated that Punjab had been providing free electricity for tubewells to farmers for the past several years. The subsidy reimbursed to the PSPCL by the state government had touched Rs 6,113 crore during 2016-17.

The court was also told that one such rich farmer, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, had surrendered subsidy. No other MLA had given it up despite an appeal by Capt Amarinder, who himself had not done it so far, the petitioner claimed.

The petitioner pleaded that affluent farmers did not deserve such concessions, and that they should be excluded from the schemes purview. The amount so saved could be utilised for the redressal of grievances of small farmers who were committing suicide due to the debt burden.

Arora added that all IAS and IPS officers, MLAs, MPs and industrialists having farmland should be excluded from the benefit. He said the Punjab Government was facing a financial crunch, and was not having funds to make timely payment of salaries to its employees. As such, the government should not be permitted to indulge in such wasteful expenditure.

The petitioner pleaded that prosperous persons were excluded from the benefit of OBC reservation after putting them in the category of the creamy layer. Similarly, a creamy layer should be carved out in the case of agriculturists by determining a criterion.
Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 26

Protesting farmers today vowed non-cooperation with the government on all fronts till their demand for a complete debt waiver is met. The farmers burnt paddy stubble at the dharna site as a symbolic protest. They also took out a road show on tractors to mark the end to their five-day agitation day.

Farmers along with their families participated in the todays mega show at the Mehmadpur grain market that saw a gathering of more than 15,000. Union leaders announced that they would give the state government time till October 27, and if it failed to give them a solution, they would intensify their agitation.

Over 200 farmer leaders who were arrested last week ahead of the protest were honoured. The leaders said they would continue to take on the government despite the police crackdown against them.

We will not cooperate with the government till our demands are met. We have had enough of false assurances from the Congress in the run-up to the Assembly elections. Be it Congress or the Akali Dal, no one is bothered about us and the rising suicides, said BKU Ekta (Dhakaunda) leader Buta Singh Burjgill.

We will burn paddy stubble till the government gives us Rs200 per quintal bonus. We have no alternative to prepare our fields for the next crop, he said.

Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee, said: While hundreds of farmers in the state still await compensation for the crop loss due to the recent floods, seeking higher MSP is a far cry. The government and its machinery are not bothered to clear our compensation claims.

Farmers and their family members from across the state started reaching the grain market early in the morning. A community kitchen served breakfast and lunch to the gathering.
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 26

Even as Local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today announced a further delay in civic elections till December, arrangements have been made to give the commissioners all powers of civic bodies to restart development projects halted since the formation of the Congress government in the state.

Sidhu had earlier hoped to have the elections conducted by November after the completion of delimitation of municipal wards.

An order has now been passed by the Punjab Governor allowing commissioners to exercise all powers and perform all duties of the municipal corporations of Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar till the elections.

The Congress government after taking charge had blocked the release of funds for several works as Sidhu in May insisted on having financial and social audit conducted for all corporations. The minister, after scrutinising certain projects, had suspected financial irregularities and sub-standard execution.

The term of the Patiala Municipal Corporation ended on September 16, Amritsar on September 18, Ludhiana September 20, and Jalandhar on September 24. Besides these four corporations, the elections will also be held for 28 municipal councils. The civic bodies this year onwards will have 50 per cent reservation for women, the Bill for which was passed in June.

Addressing a press conference here, Sidhu said: The elections were delayed because of the process of fresh delimitation of wards. Except Ludhiana, we have completed the process for all other corporations. Each ward will have 11,000-13,000 votes.

He added: We could not have worked with the teams that were involved in scams. Now, the commissioners are being assigned specifics task in their areas. Works worth Rs 125 crore have been earmarked for Amritsar, and at least Rs 135 crore for Ludhiana. The tendering process has also been started.

However, Kamaljit Bhatia, who was senior deputy mayor in Jalandhar, said: There was no meeting for the last six months of the term. Even for the panel doing the delimitation work, the government picked only four Congress MLAs while ignoring the only SAD MLA from the city. The issue of execution of projects after the change of government needed to be debated in the Assembly. Under the present circumstances, the corporations remained idle for seven months.

Alleging that the Congress stopped the works because it did not want the SAD-BJP corporations to take any credit, outgoing mayor Amarinder Bajaj said: The government had stopped giving us any grants, which also affected work on basic amenities such as sewerage, sanitation and lighting.

Delimitation delayed civic elections

Local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhi has said the elections have been delayed because of the process of fresh delimitation of wards. Except Ludhiana, we have completed the process for all corporations. Each ward will have 11,000-13,000 votes, he said.

Department yet to get GST share

The Local Government Department has not received its share of taxes that it is supposed to get directly in its account, says Sidhu. "In the last financial year, at least Rs 1,200 crore was received as share in VAT. Following the introduction of GST, no money has been received.

Guv order empowers Commissioners

An order has been passed by the Punjab Governor allowing commissioners to exercise all powers of the municipal corporations of Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar till the elections.
WE believe that the majority of thoughtful and liberal-minded Europeans will help to carry out legitimate Indian reforms. Unfortunately some, however, have thought it fit to assume a hostile and, in some cases, a menacing attitude. Indians cannot but view this attitude with regret. The Calcutta Englishman has written a strongly worded article protesting against the acceptance of the ideal of self-government for India. Our contemporary imagines that it will injure European interests unless specially safeguarded. A public meeting is organised with the object of making a strong protest. A European correspondent writing to the Madras Mail says that "in anticipation of Mr. Montagu's ineffable action" he has made arrangements "to organise protest in Great Britain against a policy which has reduced Provincial Governments in India to utter impotence in face of dangerous agitation.
Dehradun, September 26

After many years, the country has got a stable government at the Centre which is a must for the all-round progress of the nation, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said as he exhorted the IAS officers to play a key role in Indias development agenda.

Addressing the officers at Mussoories prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration yesterday, he also said India can take advantange of its demographic dividend, the largest English speaking population and information technology in pursuit of its development goals.

After so many years, we have a stable government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Naidu, who had been invited by the academy at the inaugural session of the 11th round of a three-week mandatory mid-career training programme for senior IAS officers.

The Chief Minister told the officers that they have a key role to play in building a developed India and if they keep learning, then they can do wonders.

He said that he still considers himself as a student. Those who can learn continuously can do wonders...I learn from society, common man and administrators like you, Naidu added.

Highlighting how the use of technology can help in the countrys overall development, he presented the case study of Andhra Pradesh which has implemented various reforms with the use of technology in the state.

Through fibre grid, we want to reach the last mile by connecting every home in the state. Andhra Pradesh is leading with a steady growth rate.

In the first quarter, it has achieved 11.72 per cent growth rate while the countrys average is 5.6 per cent. We have selected 10 sectors as growth engines contributing the maximum growth of the state, he said.

Underscoring the importance of environment, the Chief Minister said that the state was aiming to achieve 50 per cent green cover by 2029. We are developing a smart water grid by conserving water and linking rivers, Naidu said.

Andhra Pradesh has achieved 100 per cent electrification and 24/7 power supply to every household. Now, we are going for smart power grid with the help of technology, he added.

I had the fortune of building a brownfield city, Cyberabad. Now, I am building a greenfield city, Amaravati. My state, Andhra Pradesh is a new state, only three years old. It is like a small child. I will nurture it carefully, the Chief Minister said.

Presenting his strategy for building the state so that it becomes the best in the country by 2029, he said that the state was implementing the latest technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, drones, sensors and geo- tagging to improve governance.

During his presentation, he showcased CM Core dashboard built to facilitate real-time governance where the state can monitor welfare schemes and other government services in real time.

To promote good governance, we are using CM Connect, Praishkara Vedika, Kaizala and People First applications to address public grievances. We want to ultimately achieve 80 per cent plus public satisfaction levels, he said.

One out of four IT professionals in the world is an Indian and out of every four Indian IT professionals, one is from Andhra Pradesh, he said. PTI
On the allegation of money diversion, Mallya has been quoted by one national newspaper, saying, "I reject all these wild, baseless and deliberately fabricated allegations."

By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: The enforcement directorate (ED) has replied back to disgraced beer baron Vijay Mallya saying, "No matter what Mallya is saying in his statements, we have a strong money laundering case against him."

On the allegation of money diversion, Mallya has been quoted by one national newspaper, saying, "I reject all these wild, baseless and deliberately fabricated allegations."

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While talking to Indiatoday.in, sources within the ED replied back to Mallya, strongly.

"Loan amount of 17 banks has been diverted by Mallya outside the country. Not the entire amount of Rs 6027 crore, but around Rs 3000 crore has been laundered by him in bank accounts of multi-layered shell companies, located abroad," a source said.

The ED is quite confident that the 5000 pages chargesheet (in IDBI Bank case) filed by them is strong enough to prosecute Mallya in the London court on December 4. Therefore, the agency is not in hurry to file its supplementary (second) chargesheet against Mallya by December.

"Let the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) file its second chargesheet. Later, ED would also file it. ED has no compulsion to file it by December. The supplementary chargesheet is based on the second FIR filed by State Bank of India", the source said. The State Bank of India (SBI) had a maximum exposure of Rs 1600 crore with now defunct-Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. While other public sector banks are Punjab National Bank with an exposure of Rs 800 crore, Bank of India with Rs 650 crore, Bank of Baroda with Rs 550 crore, Central Bank of India with Rs 410 crore, UCO Bank with Rs 320 crore, Corporation Bank with Rs 310 crore, State Bank of Mysore with Rs 150 crore, Indian Overseas Bank with Rs 140 crore and others.

Also Watch: Vijay Mallya ducks questions on return to India

--- ENDS ---
Kabul, September 26

Attacks in two neighboring provinces in Afghanistan killed at least five policemen, Afghan officials said on Tuesday, while a sixth policeman died in a gunbattle with the Taliban in another province.

In western Herat province, two police officers died in a roadside bombing while in neighboring Farah province, three were killed when a bombing targeted their checkpoint.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks but officials in both provinces blamed the Taliban.

Insurgents have been active in both Herat and Farah as the Taliban stepped up their attacks against Afghan security forces across the country this year.

Jelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Herat, said that along with the two who died in the attack there, three other officers were wounded.

The police were on a routine patrol in Ghoryan district when the bomb exploded on Tuesday, he added.

In Farah province, where the three officers were killed, Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said insurgents attacked the checkpoint and triggered a gunbattle that lasted for two hours.

And in yet another report, district police chief Rahmatullah Khan said that one policeman and six Taliban were killed in a gunbattle overnight in northern Takhar province, in Khoja Ghor district.

The Taliban claimed that their fighters had seized several checkpoints in the district, but Khan said security forces were able to push back the insurgents and regain control of the security checkpoints.  AP
Karangasem, Indonesia, Sept 26

Some tourists are having second thoughts about visiting the tropical Indonesian resort island of Bali after repeated warnings that its highest volcano could erupt any time, half a century after it killed more than 1,000 people.

Strong volcanic tremors rumbling underground and billowing white smoke over the scenic Mount Agung have raised alarm, prompting the evacuation of more than 75,000 people within 12 km.

Sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia has nearly 130 active volcanoes, more than any other country. Many Indonesians live near volcanoes because lava flows make the surrounding soil and land fertile for farming.

Several countries, including Australia, Singapore, and the US, have issued travel advisories alerting holidaymakers to the new risk. And a hotel operator in Bali said news of the volcano had caused cancellations.

Business is getting low since Mount Agungs alert status was raised to the highest level, said Ketut Purnawata, manager of Dasawana Resort, which is in the same district as the volcano, popular with tourists and hikers. Airlines in Australia and Singapore said they were preparing for any disruptions due to an eruption, but flights were running normally for now.

Virgin Australia and Jetstar, both of which fly to Bali from Australia, said they would carry extra fuel in case they needed to change course.

Singapore Airlines and its short-haul arm SilkAir said customers travelling to Bali until October 2 could rebook or request a refund, while AirAsia said flights were operating normally.

One Indonesian travel agency said it had seen some cancellations. There will definitely be an impact on (sales of) tour packages but we dont know the figures yet, said Agustinus Pake Seko of travel agency.

President Joko Widodo visited shelters near Mount Agung on Tuesday and urged residents to follow evacuation procedures after reports that some people were reluctant to leave their homes because nothing had happened.  Reuters
Islamabad, September 26

An accountability court on Tuesday decided to indict Nawaz Sharif on October 2 after the ousted prime minister for the first time appeared before it to face graft charges filed against him in the Panama Papers scandal.

The court also issued fresh arrest warrants against his children and son-in-law.

Sharif, 67, appeared before the court located in the judicial complex here, a day after he returned from London where he was with his ailing wife.

During the brief hearing, Sharif informed accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir that his wife was unwell and he needed to attend to her. He was then allowed to leave the court.

The court then adjourned for 10 minutes before continuing with the normal case proceedings.

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The appearance was just a formality to ensure that the accused was ready to face the trial. Sharif stayed at the court for about 10 minutes.

He was accompanied by his lawyer Khawaja Harris who would represent him as a counsel in the corruption cases.

The court had last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt Safdar (retd) to appear before it on September 26. The Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on September 19.

When the hearing started again, the judge asked about Maryam, Hussain and Hasan, and Sharifs son-in-law Safdar who were also ordered to appear on Tuesday.

Sharifs lawyer Harris contended that they were in London to take care of their ailing mother but the court rejected the argument and ordered them to appear before it on October 2.

The court also issued fresh bailable arrest warrants against Maryam, Hussain, Hasan and Safdar.

Harris asked the court that Sharif needed to take care of his wife in London so he would be allowed to skip personal appearance in the court.

The court refused by saying that he should first appear on the day of indictment and the issue of skipping personal appearance would be decided later on.

Sharifs legal aide Zafarullah Khan told media that the court should have given more time for indictment.

The court cannot indict until all accused appear in it. It should give us more time to prepare our case, he said.

He said Sharif would appear in the court if all went well during the period before the next hearing and the health of his wife remained stable.

Independent law expert Shehzad Akbar said the court was not bound to delay indictment of an accused if his accomplices were not present or refused to appear before the court.

The accountability courts have vast powers. They can indict the accused who has presented himself in the court, while it can convict others for non-compliance and failing to appear, he said.

Hundreds of Sharifs supporters, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, lawyers, lawmakers and several ministers were present on the court premises. Heavy security arrangements were made around the judicial complex.

Earlier, Sharif left the Punjab House in Islamabad at about 8.30 am to appear before the court. It took him about 15 minutes to reach the court.

More than 35 vehicles were part of Sharifs convoy which safely reached Punjab House after his appearance in the court.

Sharif is expected to hold some important meetings with aides and to address media in the evening, according to PML-N sources.

Sharif was in London from August 31 to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

He decided to return to Pakistan after consultations with senior party leaders, including his younger brother and Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, in London.

Sharif stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money-laundering against Sharif, his sons, Hassan and Hussain, daughter Maryam, son-in-law Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Sharifs family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated. Rest of his family is still in London. PTI
Jerusalem, September 26

Three Israelis shot dead by a Palestinian gunman at the entrance to a Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Tuesday, authorities said.

The gunman was also shot and died later but has not yet been Identified; the BBC quoted a police spokesman as saying.

The gunman had "arrived at the rear gate of Har Adar along with Palestinian labourers entering the settlement" before opening fire on Israeli police guards, the police said.

Four people were seriously injured.

The victims had sustained gunshot and stabbing wounds, the Israeli ambulance service said.  IANS
By PTI: By K J M Varma

Beijing, Sep 26 (PTI) President Xi Jinping today pledged to fully back Interpol in its efforts to combat terrorism and cyber crime, amid concerns over China using the global police body to target overseas political dissidents.

Kicking off the General Assembly meeting of Interpol, the international police agency, here, Xi promised Beijings full support to raise its profile under its first Chinese head, who is also Chinas top public security official.

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"Countries, while maintaining their own security, should take into account other countries security," Xi said.

"More and more people believe China is one of the most secure countries in the world, which is an important contribution China has made to the world," Xi said, inaugurating the 86th Interpol General Assembly here.

"China has actively participated in global law enforcement cooperation and global security governance, resolutely supported international fight against terrorism, joined global cooperation in combating cyber crimes, worked with other countries in fugitive repatriation, fighting against telecom fraud and other crimes," Xi said.

He vowed stronger support for Interpol in the next five years to raise its global influence and leadership.

The meeting is significant for the body as it is now headed by Meng Hongwei, Interpol president and vice minister of public security in China. He is the first Chinese official to head the agency.

Mengs election to head the organisation has raised concerns that the agency under his leadership may target overseas Chinese dissidents as well as overseas settled leaders from the restive Xinjiang province to get them deported back to China.

In his speech, Xi said China hopes to work closely with countries and international organisations on global security, and jointly build universal security for humankind. He spoke highly of Interpols important role in global law enforcement, security cooperation and combating crimes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Since becoming a member state of Interpol in 1984, China has been committed to developing cooperation with Interpol and other member states, and contributed to maintaining world security and stability, Xi said.

In order to beef up global law enforcement and security cooperation, Xi proposed enhanced reform and innovation, sticking to the rule of law and mutual benefits. "Countries should adopt a concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and jointly respond to security challenges," he said.

Xi urged promoting global security governance in a more fair, reasonable and effective way. "Countries and intergovernmental organisations should shoulder the main responsibilities of security governance, while non-governmental organisations, multinationals and civil society are encouraged to jointly work for it," he said. He called on countries to adhere to the UN charter and Interpol regulations, seriously fulfil conventions against transnational crimes and corruption, and improve related international regulations.

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Participants from 158 countries and regions gathered in Beijing for the conference, which lasts till Friday.

Headquartered in Lyon in France, the 190-member Interpol is the worlds second largest international organisation, behind the UN. PTI KJV KUN AKJ KUN

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A federal grand jury has indicted a convicted murderer as the alleged leader of drug trafficking ring that operated in northeast Oklahoma during 2015 and 2016.

The 25-count indictment, unsealed last week in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, alleges that Slint Kenneth Tate, while incarcerated at Oklahoma State Penitentiary, used smuggled cellphones to direct others to distribute methamphetamine for him in the Miami, Oklahoma, area in 2015 to 2016.

Tate, 35, is serving a life sentence for the 1999 shooting death of Vernie Milford Roberts, a Delaware County reserve sheriffs deputy.

The indictment also names six others in connection with the alleged conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine: Robin Tracy Zumwalt, also known as Robin Tate; Rachael Georgia Danley; Ashton Chase Manicom; Jeremy Dallas Mann; Matthew Stroud; and Todd Allen Pryer, also known as Toddy Pryor.

The indictment charges all seven with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

All with the exception of Tate were initially charged in state court in connection with the drug trafficking ring.

District Attorney Kenny Wright in May 2016 announced that investigators had uncovered a large methamphetamine drug ring that had been operating out of the Miami area.

Wright charged 28 individuals in connection with the investigation, which featured hundreds of hours of recordings and text messages that were gathered via a court-ordered wiretap of telephones smuggled to Tate.

Wright said he did not charge Tate in state court, in part because he was already serving a life-without-parole sentence.

The federal indictment alleges that Mann and two unindicted co-conspirators at the direction of Tate sold about 27 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover agent on Jan. 14, 2016.

The two unindicted co-conspirators and another unindicted co-conspirator, at Tates direction, sold about 113 grams of meth to an undercover agent on Jan. 26, 2016, authorities say.

On April 27, 2016, Tate directed another unindicted co-conspirator to transport about 444 grams of meth and 2,800 grams of marijuana from outside of Oklahoma and through Kansas for distribution in Oklahoma, according to the indictment.

The indictment claims Zumwalt stored drugs, paraphernalia, drug proceeds, guns and other property used in drug transactions on behalf of the drug trafficking organization.

Federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of property located in the 400 block of N.E. B.J. Tunnel Boulevard in Miami, as well as $200,000 from Tate and $50,000 from Zumwalt.

The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of 26 guns seized by authorities as well as Zumwalts vested interest in a retirement account that she has through a pizza restaurant.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, Tate faces 16 federal counts of using a cellphone to facilitate a drug trafficking felony and four counts of meth distribution.

Zumwalt also faces five counts of using a cellphone to facilitate a drug trafficking felony, two counts of maintaining a drug-involved premises and one count of possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun.

Mann also faces two counts of using a cellphone to facilitate a drug trafficking felony, two counts of meth distribution and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The remaining defendants have been charged with the following number of counts related to use of a cellphone to facilitate a drug trafficking felony: Manicom, seven counts; Danley, four counts; Pryer, two counts; and Stroud, one count.

All of the defendants except Tate have been arraigned. Manicom, Mann, Stroud and Pryer have been ordered detained. A judge approved bond for Zumwalt, records reflect.

The case drew attention earlier this month after Wright released copies of the wiretap communications to the media.

Wright said Jay attorney Winston Connor II was under criminal investigation regarding one of the recorded calls that Tate made to Connor in 2016.

Connor denied all allegations of wrongdoing and has filed a libel, slander and defamation lawsuit against Wright in response to the allegations.
A Tulsa couple pleaded guilty late last week to charges of child neglect that stemmed from allegations they fabricated their infant's symptoms during numerous hospital visits.

David Michael Dodson, 26, and Veronica Marie Reed, 30, each pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to a count of child neglect, according to court records. A Tulsa County judge sentenced both to eight-year sentences under the supervision of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Dodson and Reed were accused of taking their 1-year-old daughter to a Claremore hospital eight times between December 2015 and November 2016, according to a previous story.

The appearances increased in January as the couple would frequently try to admit the girl into multiple area hospital emergency rooms, sometimes on the same day.

The hospital visits stopped while the girl stayed with her grandmother from Feb. 2 to 27, during which time she did not need medical attention. A week after returning to her parents, she was taken to St. John Medical Center's emergency room.

Prosecutors charged the duo in June 2017 with child neglect based on the allegations.

Tulsa County Judge James Keeley ordered Reed to serve a deferred sentence. Keeley ordered Dodson to serve a suspended sentence. Reed and Dodson were ordered to obtain mental health evaluations and complete parenting classes, according to court records.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Senate Republicans on Monday proposed increasing the gasoline and diesel tax as one way of plugging the budget hole that brought lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session.

Lawmakers met briefly in separate chambers Monday for the start of a special session called by Gov. Mary Fallin after the Oklahoma Supreme Court said lawmakers had violated the law in passing a $1.50 cigarette tax as a fee during the regular session.

The loss of the money that would have raised created a $215 million budget hole. But coupled with a loss in federal matching dollars, the figure is closer to $500 million. The funds would have gone to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse services, the Department of Human Services and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the states Medicaid agency.

Senate Republicans caucused before releasing a proposal that calls for increasing the diesel and gasoline tax by 6 cents, an idea that was discussed during the regular session.

Such a move would generate $71 million in fiscal year 2018 and leave $67.45 million for appropriation.

Gasoline is taxed at 16 cents a gallon, while diesel is taxed at 13 cents a gallon. A 1-cent fee on both is also collected.

The last time gasoline and diesel taxes were increased was in 1987.

To become law, a tax increase proposal must start in the House and obtain supermajorities in both chambers or be approved by a vote of the people.

House Minority Leader Scott Inman, D-Del City, said increasing the motor fuel tax must be part of a larger package that includes measures such as increasing the income tax on higher earners and raising the gross production tax on the production of oil and gas.

The Senate Republican proposal also calls for raising the $1.03 cigarette tax by $1.50 per package to generate $128.9 million, of which $122.4 million could be appropriated.

It also would have to start in the House and obtain supermajorities in both chambers.

The measure failed to obtain the required votes last session.

Health care officials held a Capitol news conference on Monday to put pressure on legislators to approve the cigarette tax, saying it would save lives.

Without legislative action, Oklahomas health agencies will be forced to cut more than $500 million worth of services to needy Oklahomans, said Dr. Kevin Taubman, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association. This is about good health policy to improve the well-being of our citizens.

Tobacco remains the single greatest contributor to death and poor health outcomes in our state. Increasing the price is the single most effective way to both reduce the prevalence of smoking and also prevent new smoking.

House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said he again will ask the House to approve a cigarette tax increase. But McCall needs some Democrats as well as Republicans to get it done.

McCall said increasing the cigarette tax has widespread support from the public. Without passage, there likely will be cuts to state agencies, McCall said.

Gov. Mary Fallin has vowed to veto any measure that contains cuts.

House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, said a cigarette-tax vote likely will come on Wednesday or Thursday.

The Senate Republican plan also calls for ending the sales-tax exemption for wind manufacturers, to generate $10.97 million of which $9.87 million could be appropriated for fiscal year 2018. Removing an exemption takes a simple majority.

The proposal includes taking $15.2 million from the states rainy-day fund.

This plan not only addresses the immediate need of $215 million for critical health care agencies that was struck down in court, but it also provides recurring revenue streams to help us address the long-term stability of the budget and prevent further cuts to core government series, said Senate Pro Tem Mike Schulz, R-Altus.

McCall also said increasing teacher pay remains a priority for his caucus.

Fallins executive order calling for a special session includes consideration of a teacher pay raise.

Several bills to bring that about were filed during the regular session, but none came to fruition.
A man charged in a shooting death that occurred during an alleged drug deal outside a Broken Arrow grocery store has died in a hospital after being taken there from the Tulsa Jail.

Caleb Lee, 25, died Sunday after a medical episode, Tulsa County Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Casey Roebuck said Monday.

Lee was being held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder. Authorities say he shot Dylan Todd Parker, 27, during an exchange involving a small quantity of narcotics.

Tulsa County detention officers entered Lees cell Sunday morning in response to a medical emergency and found him lying on the floor, according to an incident report.

Medical staff attempted to take Lee from his cell to the jail medical unit for evaluation, but he resisted, the report says.

Officers came around to assist, at which time when officers placed their hands on his arms, he started to slump to the floor, Sheriffs Sgt. J. Barlow states in the report.

Lee started convulsing and foaming at the mouth when jail staff transported him to the medical unit, the report says.

Lee then was taken to a Tulsa hospital, where he died about 11:25 a.m. Sunday, according to the report.

Jail staff described the incident as serious injury to prisoner in the incident report.

Lee was accused of shooting Parker on Sept. 6 near the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 1300 E. Albany St. Parker died later at a hospital.

Lee was arrested Sept. 7 after officers spotted his vehicle at an apartment complex near the store. Tulsa County prosecutors charged Lee on Sept. 18.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP)  Chelsea Manning said Monday she was denied entry into Canada because of her criminal record in the United States.

The transgender woman was known as Bradley Manning, a native of Crescent, Oklahoma, when convicted in 2013 of leaking a trove of classified documents. She was released after serving seven years of a 35-year sentence, which was commuted by President Barack Obama in his final days in office.

On Monday, she posted a letter from Canadian immigration officials to her Twitter account that said she was not admitted because she was convicted of offenses deemed equivalent to treason in Canada. She had tried to cross at the official border office at Lacolle, Quebec, on Friday.

so, i guess canada has permanently banned me ?  @CitImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to "treason" offense  pic.twitter.com/xp0JOEEOGd  Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 25, 2017

Manning said she would challenge the decision.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale suggested Monday that he would think hard before overruling a border officer's decision.

"No such request has been made to me with respect to that matter," Goodale said. "And, when a Canada Border Services officer has exercised appropriately within their jurisdiction the judgment that they are called upon to make, I don't interfere in that process in any kind of a light or cavalier manner."

People whose criminal records make them ineligible to enter Canada aren't necessarily out of luck. They can apply for what is known as a "temporary residency permit," either before trying to enter the country or at the border. To be eligible, the person has to prove their need to enter or stay in Canada outweighs any risk they might pose to Canadian society.

Whether Manning attempted to apply for such a permit is unknown.

Immigration lawyer Peter Edelmann said either the minister of public safety or immigration could also step into allow her to enter Canada, perhaps on humanitarian grounds. "Both ministers could make an exception if they wanted," he said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined to comment on the case, saying he wanted further details.
Funnel cakes are the best fair food.

Add bacon to the classic powdered sugar-covered confection and youre sure to have a winner with fairgoers. At least that was what went through Steve Davis mind when he was thinking about ways to jazz up the popular fair dish.

Its one of those foods that is never as good when you cook it at home as it is when you get it at the fair, he said.

After serving the popular deep-fried treat for more than 20 years as owner of Carols Concessions with his brother-in-law, Tim Thrasher, he said it was time to add something new to the menu. Carols Concessions was the first food vendor to serve funnel cakes inside what was then the International Petroleum Expo in 1980, Davis said.

Davis dad, Bob, attended Chicagos Old Town Art Fair in the 1970s and witnessed lines of hungry patrons waiting to get their hands on this fried, sweet treat. He decided to bring the dish home to Tulsa by way of a concession stand he named after his wife, Carol.

After Bob and Carol retired from the business around 1995, it was handed down to Davis and Thrasher, who run the candy apple-red and fresh lemon-yellow trailer and its classic no-frills red-and-white signs that tell of the stands best-selling dish: funnel cake.

The stand is selling a new dish this year and theyve added it to the lighted sign board: bacon funnel dogs. After researching what could be added seamlessly to the operation, Davis said bacon fit the bill.

Sure enough, it seemed to be the most natural thing, Davis said.

The name is a play on one of the other most popular fair foods: corndogs. To make the mashup, they took a strip of bacon, skewered it and covered it in funnel cake batter. It looks a little like a corn dog, but instead of dressing it in ketchup or mustard, these bacon funnel dogs will get a healthy dose of powdered sugar and maple syrup.

Years ago, we wouldnt have ever thought about adding a new spin on the funnel cake. The lines were too long for just the regular funnel cake that we wouldnt have been able to keep up with orders for something like this, Davis said.

When Carols Concessions first opened, there were no concessions outside in the midway, he recalled. The Expo building was where all the people would flock for food, and each year, he said the lines would grow as people waited for their fried treat.

This year, next to Carols long-standing spot in the River Spirit Expo Center, upper level on the north side of the building, the family will be making room for the next generation of entrepreneurs.

We kinda had an identical experience as my grandfather but with popsicles, said Chris Davis, who co-owns The Pop House with his brother Robby. Its this sort of full-circle journey, and now were doing it together.

The younger Davises started their ice pop business after visiting a Dallas spot that made and served gourmet ice pops. They wanted to bring something like it to Tulsa, and they hatched The Pop House in 2016.

And like the entrepreneurial spirit of their grandfather, the brothers are bringing their pops to the Tulsa State Fair. While they have more than 40 rotating flavors of gourmet ice pops made with local ingredients and products, theyll have a smaller menu to serve alongside Carols Concessions inside the River Spirit Expo.

The Pop House will sell a variety of its best-selling flavors, including chocolate-dipped banana, chocolate-dipped cookies and cream, and Webers Root Beer float to name a few. The newest flavor  perfect for fair time  is state fair lemonade.

Its based in the lemonade recipe our grandfather served, Chris Davis said.

Having had to work Carols Concessions when they were younger, Chris and Robby said they developed the ice pops to deliver the same mouth-watering and lip-puckering taste that the classic lemonade packs. The two worked the concession stand when they entered their double digits, and theyll be showing the ropes to the next group of family members who will be working the concession stands starting Thursday night.

Similar to the tradition Bob and Carol started by bringing their children and grandchildren to the Tulsa State Fair to help work the concession stand, Steve Davis and Thrasher will have their own grandchildren ready to lend a helping hand filling orders for funnel cakes.

Its one of those foods thats only available during the fair. Some people come for the rides, and some people just come to eat  they already know what theyre gonna order, Steve Davis said. Lots of our customers came to Carols when they were children, and now, they remember us. They come to our red trailer to get a funnel cake.

New foods to try this year

Here is a list of the new foods available the Tulsa State Fair throughout the Midway and inside the River Spirit Expo.

Carols Concessions  River Spirit Expo Upper Level

 Bacon funnel dogs - Cooked bacon dipped in funnel cake batter, deep fried, sprinkled with powdered sugar and maple syrup; served on a skewer.

 Gourmet ice pops - Non-dairy and dairy flavored gourmet ice pops; chocolate-dipped strawberry, jalapeno, chocolate sea salt, peach tea, blueberry cheesecake and a fair-inspired lemonade.

Everything Bacon  Esplanade

 Deep-fried bacon wrapped caramel pecan pie - a caramel pecan pie wrapped in applewood smoked bacon that is fried to perfection and served with caramel sauce.

 Deep-fried bacon wrapped Twinkie - Cream filled cake wrapped in bacon and deep fried.

Original Minneapple Pie  Independent Midway West

 Deep fried chocolate pie - Deep fried chocolate pie dusted with powdered sugar served with vanilla ice cream.

Crown & Associates  River Spirit Expo Upper Level

 Maple bacon funnel cake parfait - Bits of fried funnel cake dressed with a maple syrup sauce, tons of crumbled bacon and topped with whipped cream.

BBQ Back Street Burgers  Esplanade

 Da Bacon Bomb.com burger - A -pound charbroiled burger topped with five kinds of bacon: bacon jam, bacon cheese, bacon fries, Baconaise, three pieces of Applewood smoked bacon all topped with lettuce and tomato.

Crown & Associates  Independent Midway

 Maple bacon funnel cake - Traditional, excellent, hot funnel cake, drizzled with maple flavored glaze, generously sprinkled with bacon crumbles then lightly dusted with powdered sugar.

Wesley Stevens Concessions  Independent Midway East

 Deep-fried Funfetti Oreos - Deep fried Oreos drizzled with a glazed frosting with sprinkles, served on a stick.

Kilharens Lodge, Freddies Mega Stand  River Spirit Expo Upper Level

 Succotash - Fried sweet corn, carrots, green beans, peppers, okra, potatoes and sausage or chicken in a large cast iron skillet.

Freddies  River Spirit Expo Lower Level

 Cinnamon roll sundae - Warm cinnamon roll served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream drizzled in caramel, topped with whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and a cherry on top.

German Specialties and Amish Cooking - Independent Midway West

 Bowl of Uber Potatoes - Sliced potatoes, onions, peppers, bacon, salt, pepper, paprika, sugar and sausage.

 Schnitzel sandwich and Schnitzel meal - Traditional schnitzel served with mashed or uber potatoes and a dinner roll.

Promotional days

Opening night Thursday: Ford Family Fun Night: Gate admission is only $1 with a coupon from your local Ford Dealer. Rides are only $2 each during Midway hours (does not include admission or Extreme Rides) Gate admission without Ford coupon is $5.

Friday, Sept. 29: Collectors Pin: The first 4,000 guests paying gate admission will receive a free 2016 Limited Edition Tulsa State Fair Lapel Pin, while supplies last.

Monday, Oct. 2: Mazzios Ride-A-Thon: Save $10 on a ride wristband by picking up a coupon at your local Mazzios (does not include admission or Extreme Rides). Price without Mazzios coupon is $40.

Monday, Oct. 2: Autism Awareness Night: Families affected by autism can enjoy free gate entrance from 5-6 p.m. at the Midway East Entrance only. Once inside, kids with autism will go over to the Sheriff's table and be given wristband IDs.

Tuesday, Oct. 3: Alltechs Family Fest: Gate admission is only $5 per person; children younger than 5 are free. Seniors 62 and older, and military are free until 2 p.m.; proper identification required at time of purchase.

Wednesday, Oct. 4: Arbys Ride-A-Thon: Save $10 on a ride wristband by picking up a coupon at your local Arbys (does not include admission or Extreme Rides). Price without Arbys coupon is $40.

Thursday, Oct. 5: Coca-Cola T-shirt Day: The first 2,000 guests paying gate admission will receive a free 2017 Tulsa State Fair T-shirt. One T-shirt per person, while supplies last.

Saturday, Oct. 8: Super Saturday: Ride all the rides you want for only $35 with an unlimited ride wristband. This offer will be available for purchase on the Midway (does not include Extreme Rides).

Sunday, Oct. 9: Mattress Firms Sunday Funday: Save $5 on a ride wristband by picking up a coupon at your local Mattress Firm (does not include Extreme Rides). Price without Mattress Firm coupon is $30; price includes gate admission.
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Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page?
| By Laura Lee

At a Sept. 21 visit to the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), Dr. Sir Rodney Williams, governor-general of Antigua and Barbuda, discussed the clean-up and rebuilding efforts taking place in the wake of Hurricane Irma in early September.

Antigua, with a population of 80,000, escaped the massive Category 5 storm relatively unscathed, but Barbuda, its smaller sister island, took a direct hit.

An image of Barbuda before Hurricane Irma shows green vegetation and after a dark brown. (Photo courtesy: NASA Earth Observatory)

Williams said 90 to 95 percent of the islands buildings were destroyed by sustained winds that reached 185 mph. He credited the islands preparation efforts with saving countless lives, saying they were the best Ive seen anywhere in the world.

Weeks after the storm, the question turns to rebuilding the devastated island, whose residents have evacuated to Antigua for the duration.

The challenge the government has is that the Barbudans want to go back to Barbuda tomorrow, Williams said.

He said recovery efforts will take longer than impatient residents, eager to get to their homes and belongings, want to wait. How do you go back to a country with no drinking water, without utilities, without electricity? What do you do at night? Williams said.

Although his visit to UMB was planned well before Hurricane Irma, the situation caused him to expand on the initial reason to visit the region: medical collaboration.

I am here with the view to developing a relationship with the University of Maryland and Antigua and Barbuda, he said. Our aim is to begin to strengthen the relationship so as to be able to improve the quality of health care for Antiguans and Barbudans.

Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MPA, chief accountability officer and vice president of operations and planning, said while there is not yet a distinct plan in place, UMB stands ready to assist Antigua and Barbuda in any way we can, especially as the country seeks to attend to the health care needs of its citizen in the wake of the devastation caused by the recent hurricane.

Williams hopes to set up an exchange in which University of Maryland doctors travel to Antigua and Barbuda to share their medical and technical expertise.

Medicine is changing. Technology is changing," he said. Technology is helping us to improve the quality of care that we get. And because we are a developing country and you are a developed country, there is much that we can learn.
Hamzatu Amodu Buba was expecting her brother-in-laws wedding to be a joyous occasion.

Instead, it almost ruined her life.

Insurgents from Boko Haram, who have brought turmoil to much of north-east Nigeria in recent years, had blocked the road between two villages. Her husband, Usman, a primary school teacher was pulled out of the car.

They asked him for ID, but he did not have it they just shot him dead. They took the car and drove off, leaving me and two wives of other brothers on the side of the road, she said.

It was baking hot, and we thought we might die.

Hamzatu was four months pregnant. It was baking hot, and we thought we might die. We were there for two hours with no water before a man on a motorcycle came by. He sped off to the next village and told them what had happened and they came and got us.

That was four years ago. June 6, 2013, she said, recalling the day her life changed forever in an instant.

Alive, but now widowed with four children, soon to be five, Hamzatu had faced a bleak future. With little formal education and limited access to funds, widows in Nigeria can face extremely challenging situations if the main breadwinner is suddenly removed. Finding a lifeline can be all but impossible.

Hamzatus deceased husbands relatives rallied around, but with their own families to take care of, there were limits to the support they could offer.

Usmans elder brother took care of me until I gave birth, but then he moved to Kano (capital of a neighbouring state), and we lost contact, she recounted. He moved ahead with his own life.

Hamzatu at the entrance of her home in Maiduguri.  UNHCR/Rahima Gambo

In time, Hamzatu made her way to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, where she had other relatives. Life was tough, but because her husband had been a state employee she initially received a small state pension. That dried up after six months.

It is all about lifelines  finding hope again.

Then, she heard through others in a similar situation of the Future Prowess Widows Cooperative Society, set up by Zannah Mustapha, the 2017 winner of UNHCRs prestigious Nansen Refugee Award. The association groups widows together, offering them support collectively and individually to start their lives again.

It was enough to find a place to live, and get started again, she explained.

In an interview with UNHCR, Mustapha explained the motives behind the organization. It is all about lifelines, that is what we aim to do  help people get a living again. Once they have that, they have hope again.

Hamzatas 10-year-old son, Aliyu Usman, was accepted at Mustaphas primary school, which takes diplaced orphans and vulnerable children created by the insurgency that began in the early 2000s but exploded into major violence in 2009. Some 2.3 million people have been displaced and more than 20,000 killed.

Thanks to the cooperative, Hamzatu also managed to apply for a grant from the ICRC which she used to set up a small vegetable juice business. She also makes the traditional hats worn by men in northern Nigeria.

Life is so much better. Life is still tough but I am hoping now to be able to save and in time afford my own shop where I can sell the products I make Mustapha has helped is all so much, he is so good, she said.

Mustapha will receive the award at a special ceremony in Geneva on Monday, October 2.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today urged EU Member States to promptly relocate all asylum-seekers eligible under the EUs emergency relocation scheme and for it to continue beyond the two years originally planned.

Although the relocation scheme has only partially met what was originally foreseen to be achieved, with 29,144 asylum-seekers relocated so far, it has proven to be of vital importance. It has helped ease the humanitarian situation in Greece, relieved some pressure from Italy, and improved the lives of many seeking protection. We hope this important gesture of solidarity can continue beyond the 26 September deadline, said Pascale Moreau, Director of UNHCRs Europe Bureau.

Until the Dublin reform is adopted and a more permanent model put in place, the need for such responsibility-sharing mechanisms remains acute, she said. UNHCR commends the efforts already undertaken by both the European Commission and States. However, solidarity must continue and expand. States should continue to pledge as long as there are eligible candidates, said Moreau.

Under current conditions, only asylum-seekers of nationalities with an average recognition rate of 75 per cent or higher at the EU level are considered eligible for relocation. UNHCR has previously called for a review of this criteria and for the threshold to be lowered. In a continuation of the scheme, this would allow for more people likely to be in need of international protection to be included.

Swift relocation, including fast registration and transfer of candidates, is particularly crucial for unaccompanied and separated children, who sometimes still are in poor living and security conditions in Greece and Italy.

In September 2015, EU Member States agreed to a two-year plan to relocate 160,000 asylum-seekers in total, including 106,000 from Greece and Italy, to other European countries to ease the pressure on frontline States.

Up to 22 September 2017, 47,905 places were formally pledged by States, with 20,066 asylum-seekers relocated from Greece and 9,078 from Italy. UNHCR will continue providing support for relocation from Greece and Italy.

UNHCR reiterates its call for a robust asylum system that ensures access to territory and efficient asylum procedures and which is capable of properly allocating responsibility for asylum-seekers among EU Member States, also in exceptional circumstances.

Media contacts:
A boy leans against UNHCR tarpaulin, waiting to be distributed at Kutupalong refugee camp.  UNHCR/Paula Bronstein

UNHCR is calling for a redoubling of the international humanitarian response in Bangladesh. This is in light of concerns that conditions for an estimated 436,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar in the last month could still deteriorate.

As part of its contribution to the response led by the Bangladeshi authorities, this morning UNHCR has flown in its fourth humanitarian airlift. The UNHCR-chartered Boeing 777 cargo jet, loaded with 100 metric tonnes of aid, landed in Dhaka at 12.30hrs today. As shelter needs in south-eastern Bangladesh are acute, this flight has been loaded with shelter materials only. Two more aid flights are being scheduled.

Despite every effort by those on the ground, the massive influx of people seeking safety has been outpacing capacities to respond, and the situation for these refugees has still not stabilized. Many of those who have arrived recently are deeply traumatized. Despite having found refuge in Bangladesh, they are still exposed to enormous hardship.

At the request of the Bangladesh authorities, UNHCR and our partners have scaled up protection and life-saving support to the new arrivals in Kutupalong and Nayapara camps, and extended this support to the informal settlements surrounding these camps. UNHCR is also distributing emergency shelter kits, kitchen sets, jerry cans, sleeping mats, solar lamps, and other non-food items.

We continue to identify and support the most vulnerable refugees such as unaccompanied children, women, the elderly and disabled, who are in urgent need of shelter, food, water, and healthcare. In the last week, we and partners distributed hygiene kits to some 1,900 women, while each day an average of 9,900 people received meals through community kitchens, 2,600 received other hot meals, and 4,700 received high energy biscuits.

As the population in the Kutupalong and Nyapara camps have now doubled, so have the needs for clean drinking water. In the last few weeks, we've constructed additional seven deep tube-wells, 13 shallow tube-wells, and 116 latrine chambers in the two camps to help deal with this increase.

During his visit to Bangladesh this past weekend, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi discussed the importance of working towards solutions with Bangladeshi authorities, but emphasized that for now, the immediate focus has to remain on fast, efficient and substantial increase of support to those who are so desperately in need.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Rohingya refugee Anu Mia (left), age 30, struggles to get clean water and sanitation in Kutupalong Refugee Camp Extension.  UNHCR/Roger Arnold

KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP EXTENSION, Bangladesh  It is about 10 steps from mother Khaleda Begums flimsy shack to the well where she pumps water for drinking, cooking and washing.

From there, it is another few steps to a fetid creek which has become a toilet for her and thousands of other refugee families crammed into this area adjacent to Kutupalong refugee camp in south-east Bangladesh.

We get all of our water from the well, and two of my children have diarrhoea, says Khaleda, 25, who knows full well what is causing it: We need clean, safe water and sanitation  and we need it now, she said.

Across the far side, amid a cluster of tightly packed bamboo and plastic roofed shacks, the story is the same.

We are all getting sick."

Anu Mia, a 30-year-old father of three, draws drinking water from the so-called tube well in a filthy plastic jug and mud-streaked water bottle, which he places on the dirt floor of his shelter, buzzing with flies. Both his sons are sick. Lala, seven, has diarrhoea, and Nor Kalim, eight, has a skin condition, producing angry welts.

We are all getting sick," he said while neighbours crowded into the shack nodded animatedly.

Khaleda and Anu, their families and neighbours are among the now estimated 480,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled the recent wave of violence in Myanmar. The vast majority now live in fragile and unsanitary conditions in informal camps and roadside settlements.

Since they began arriving in late August, Bangladesh authorities have reported 5,181 cases of diarrhoea, 10,846 cases of respiratory problems, and 3,422 cases of skin diseases among newly arrived refugees  although the real number seems likely far higher.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is very concerned that the lack of clean water and the unsanitary conditions that prevail in the vast tangle of informal camps and settlements could erupt at any time into a full-blown health crisis.

We are trying to prepare ourselves, but if not enough is done, and not done quickly enough, then there is a risk of a disaster within a disaster, says Herve Isambert, UNHCRs senior public health officer. An outbreak can start at any time.

UNHCR's Bangladeshi partners take sections of concrete pipe to build latrines into the camp extensions on bamboo poles.  UNHCR/Roger Arnold

Abdula Hakim stands next to the field latrines being set up near her shelter.  UNHCR/Roger Arnold

Khaleda Begum, 25, pulls water from the well in Kutupalong refugee camp extension.  UNHCR/Roger Arnold

Rohingya refugees Khaleda Begum (left), 25, and Anu Mia, 30, struggle to find clean water in Kutupalong refugee camp extension.  UNHCR/Roger Arnold

UNHCR appreciates the concerted effort led by Bangladeshi authorities and partners to provide much-needed vaccinations to prevent potential outbreaks of polio and highly contagious measles.

UNHCR has called for redoubling of international humanitarian response and has brought in its fourth humanitarian airlift. The UNHCR-chartered Boeing 777 cargo jet, loaded with 100 metric tonnes of aid, landed in Dhaka today (Sept 26). Given the dire shelter needs in south-eastern Bangladesh, this flight has been loaded with shelter materials only. Two more aid flights are being scheduled in the coming days.

During his visit to Bangladesh this weekend, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi discussed the importance of working towards solutions with Bangladeshi authorities, but emphasized that for now, the immediate focus has to remain on fast, efficient and substantial increase of support to those who are so desperately in need.

All the kids between six months and 15 years old are getting the vaccines, so this is one of the priorities that is on the way to being addressed, added Isambert, who is a medical doctor specializing in public health.

Water pump next to an open sewer highlights big public health risk to Rohingya in informal Bangladesh settlements. pic.twitter.com/e7YChKwQyG  Tim Gaynor (@timejgaynor) September 26, 2017

Preventing outbreak of diarrhoeal diseases, which is always a threat when sanitation and hygiene are so poor, now is a priority.

UNHCR is also working to provide clean water and sanitation in the 2,000-acre (809-hectare) Kutupalong refugee camp extension. So far it has added seven deep tube-wells, 13 shallow tube-wells, and 116 latrine chambers, and is working to add more, at the request of Bangladeshi authorities.

In the camp extension area this Monday (Sept 25), one of UNHCRs Bangladeshi partners carried latrine components  sections of concrete pipe  into the camp extension on bamboo poles. Once dug into the ground, they will be topped off with a footplate around an opening to create field latrines.

This met with the approval of Abdula Hakim, a refugee and mother of four whose shelter overlooks the site. So far she and her extended family of 10 have been going to the toilet under the open sky.

In the pop-up community facing huge challenges, the small addition of a latrine block is, she says, life changing.

Your support is urgently needed to help the children, women and men refuges in Bangladesh. Please give now.
Published: September 26, 2007

How to Find the Fun in Funding Panel at UT Oct. 3

On Tuesday, Oct. 3, The University of Tampa will host a diverse panel of bankers, investors and entrepreneurs who will discuss all of the funding opportunities available to todays entrepreneur at How to find the FUN in funding.



The event, which is sponsored USAmeriBank and hosted by the Sykes College of Business Lowth Entrepreneurship Center, begins at 4:30 p.m. with registration and light refreshments, followed by the panel discussion from 56:30 p.m. The evening will end with refreshments and beverages from 6:307:30 p.m.



It will be held in the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center Piatt Executive Seminar Room on the eighth floor of the Innovation and Collaboration Building, 820 W. North A. St.



Panelists will discuss topics such as debt funding, equity funding and alternative forms of funding. The panel will feature:

Sterling Birdsong, assistant vice president, SBA business development officer, USAmeriBank

Dario Loayza, vice president, relationship manager business banking, USAmeriBank

Saxon Baum, business development manager, Florida Funders

James McArthur, executive vice president, Aegis Business Credit

Nicholas Brunner, associate, Stonehenge Growth Equity Partners

Joy Randels, CEO, Citizinvestor

The panel will be moderated by Speros Margetis, UT professor of finance.



The event is free for UT students, faculty and staff. General admission is $15. To register, go to http://bit.ly/2jutSYu. For more information, contact ecenter@ut.edu.
Nazca Lines of Ancient Peru Topic of UWs Frison Lecture Sept. 28

Charles Stanish, director emeritus of the Cotsen Institute at UCLA, will give the 19th annual George C. Frison Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology Lecture Thursday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m. in the UW College of Agriculture Building auditorium. (Charles Stanish Photo)

New Insights on the Nazca Lines of Ancient Peru is the topic of the 19th annual George C. Frison Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology Lecture Thursday, Sept. 28, at the University of Wyoming.

Charles Stanish, director emeritus of the Cotsen Institute at UCLA, will give the Wyoming Archaeology Awareness Month-sponsored lecture at 4 p.m. in the UW College of Agriculture Building auditorium. A reception will follow in the Anthropology Building foyer. Both the lecture and reception are free and open to the public.

Stanish will discuss the famous geoglyphs of Nazca in Peru, which were carved into the desert more than 1,500 years ago. But, for almost 75 years, these enigmatic drawings have fascinated people from around the world.

The last five years, Stanish has been working in a valley north of Nazca called Chincha. He and his colleagues discovered a new set of lines in the valley that predate the Nazca ones by several centuries. Their excavations and analyses of the sites and lines in Chincha provide new insights into the social, political and economic function of the geoglyph complexes.

His talk will highlight the new discoveries and demonstrate the ingenious ways in which people in ancient Peru structured their social, economic and religious world.
FROM pipelines TO BALLOTS

The new energy on the ground in the Great Plains isnt stopping with opposition to pipelines. In states across the region, coalitions that formed to challenge the oil industry are now pushing to take local offices.

In Nebraska, battling pipelines has primed people around the state for a broader set of progressive ideas, while providing invaluable information about what works and what doesnt outside the more liberal Lincoln and Omaha.

One of the most public faces of the resistance against TransCanada in Nebraska now happens to run the states Democratic Party. Elected in June 2016, Jane Kleeb has spent the last several years driving around the Cornhusker State convincing farmers and ranchers, many of them Republicans, to join whats become one of this centurys biggest anti-corporate campaigns.

Jane Kleeb talks about the unlikely alliance of farmers and indigenous tribes that is taking on the oil industry and fighting for climate justice. (Video produced by BillMoyers.com)

Nebraska has had Republican governors since 1999. Since 1995, it has only once elected a Democrat to Congress. Kleeb founded the advocacy group Bold Nebraska in 2010, and knows what it means to organize uphill in a red state.

Generally, they hate big, Kleeb says of the landowners shes met through the course of the Keystone fight. Thats big government, but thats also big corporations that want to take their land through eminent domain, or big agriculture.

Keystone, Kleeb says, was the first issue that they saw up close and personal that the politicians in office werent representing their best interest and were turning their back on a fundamental principle of conservatism: protecting individual property rights. Nebraskas ruling GOP had been a consistent booster of the project. TransCanada spent nearly a million dollars lobbying in Nebraska over the course of their push to build Keystone XL.

An anti-establishment ethos is by no means new to Nebraska. In the early 1890s, the Peoples Partythe Populistsswept through the Great Plains and the Southern Black Belt. In 1892, the partys Omaha Platform included calls to nationalize the railroads, telegraph lines and phone lines, as well as for the then-utopian idea of an eight-hour workday. Nebraska was the epicenter of the Peoples Partys agrarian populism, electing two Populist governors and seven congressmen. Part of that wave was Democrat William Jennings Bryan, who rallied supporters against Eastern elites who made it harder for farmers to bring their crops to market through high-interest loans and monopoly control of the railroads.

Farming is the core of Nebraskan pride, and todays revived progressivism has been primed by increasing corporate domination over the agricultural sector. Thats also what has led several of the farmers who In These Times spoke with to opt out of contracts with the big growers that dominate the state, like Cargill and ConAgra.

Among them is Jim Knopik, a farmer who lives just west of Fullerton and has been deeply involved in the Keystone fight with Bold Nebraska.

Its the corporations versus individuals and small producers, Knopik says. You have your big operators who are running four to five thousand-acre farms now under one manager.

Nebraska farmer Rick Hammond built a solar- and wind-powered barn in the path of Keystone XL.

That TransCanada would mistreat farmers isnt all that surprising to those whove watched Big Ag take over their industry. Its also why Knopik and many other rural Nebraskans are fans of Bernie Sanders, who won the states Democratic Primary.

He thinks about people as a whole, not just a selected few, Knopik says. Thats what elected officials are supposed to do. His face lights up describing a campaign rally for Sanders he attended in Lincoln, where 1,500 people were turned away because one of the citys largest auditoriums hit capacity.

Kleeb notes one major challenge for the Nebraska Democratic Party (NDP) is the national partys disinvestment from red states and state parties in general. She says this not just as the leader of the NDP, but as a member of both the Democratic National Committees Unity Reform Commission and the board of directors for Our Revolution, which grew out of Sanders campaign.

Because we had president Obama in office for eight years, people got very comfortable with policies and culture and methods coming from the White House, Kleeb says. And it completely then starved all of the basic infrastructure that actually wins elections at the local level.

While the NDP is backing Democrat Jane Raybould in her challenge to incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer (R), much of the partys rebuilding efforts consist of running candidates for hyper-local offices, in many cases for the kinds of unsexy positions pipeline fighters have become well acquainted with. These include seats on the Nebraska Public Service Commission, now deliberating on Keystones fate. Virtually anyone whos been deeply involved in anti-Keystone efforts can rattle off intricate details about Nebraskas regulatory procedures. As the party attempts to regain lost ground, that knowledge could come in handy.

Ive been in politics now for 20 years, and this is the first time I feel like people are coming out of the woodwork to say, I want to run,  Kleeb says. One of the first things we tell new people is, lets look at Natural Resource District offices. Lets look at public power districts, which control Nebraskas electric utilities. Lets look at the Public Service Commission. Immediately people think of Congress, governor and state legislature. If you care about energy and climate change and water, though, its these bodies that have real power.

The NDP is looking to mount candidates for the two Public Service Commission seats up for grabs in 2018. While highly specialized, these positions are key to determining everything from water quality standards to where towns get their power.

Though Democrats seem to agree they need a 50-state strategy that operates between presidential election cycles, the realities of getting there are thornier. Kleeb laments, The mistake that Democrats and progressives have made over the last 20 years is that they have written off rural communities as racist and not progressive.

Following Trumps election, progressives have focused on building the resistance in solidly blue states like New York and California. This excitement tends to ignore the fact that tens of millions of potential progressive voters are scattered throughout so-called Trump country, toooften in places with legacies of anti-establishment politics that dont fit cleanly on the left-right spectrum of Beltway politicos. Indeed, the priorities of todays new strain of rural populism, such as rallying for property rights and against foreign corporations, might chafe against some variants of coastal leftism. In this context, any one-size-fits-all approach to beating the GOP may well be dead on arrival.

decolonizing government

Nebraska is one of just three states that has elected Native leadership to the Democratic National Committee. Veteran Winnabego activist Frank LaMere is second-in-command at the NDP, elected on the same slate as Kleeb.

Current Native Caucus chair Mechelle Sky Walker says the showdown at Standing Rock has been more of a galvanizing force in Native communities than the one over Keystone XL. It was totally different, Sky Walker says. Standing Rock was fully Native-based. It was one tribe standing up to an oil company, and they asked for help. She made two supply runs to the North Dakota encampment before water protectors were evicted from the site in February, and helped organize rallies in support at home in Lincoln.

Aside from the myriad structural barriers to voting on reservations, Native voters are understandably skeptical about electoral politics. Theres a lot of distrust with the state, Sky Walker says, relating her experience working for the Nebraska state government. If you look at historical trauma, theres no reason in hell why they should trust you. Key to overcoming that, she argues, is taking the time to actually build in-person relationships on reservations.

In South Dakota, veterans of the Standing Rock and Keystone XL fights are figuring out how to translate that energy into the ballot box. Chas Jewett, a Lakota woman and longtime climate organizer, has been working with Sanders delegate Allison Renville to found a PAC called Dakotas For America, aimed at increasing voter turnout in Indian Country and helping Native candidates run.

It wasnt just the most radical of us who protest everything [at Standing Rock]. It was institutional, it was professional people in our communities, she says. Jewett tells me shes seen a lot of interest in people running for office in the months since the eviction. Were trying to encourage our people to jump into races for local and statewide offices, not just tribal offices, she says. The ideas that have kept [Native people] alive for the last 500 years can help us all transition to a more earth-friendly nation.

For her, elections and voter turnout efforts are about much more than pipelines or specific policies. Theyre part of a larger push to upend centuries of brutal discrimination. She says, We can start to think about what running a decolonized nation in 2017 looks like.

I love America. I think what weve got here is something good and it has potential, but its not a reality. If youre comfortable in America, youre part of the problem, she told In These Times over the phone in mid-August. News had just broken that a counter-protester had been killed at the Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. We have two options: We can come together and see what justice looks like in America, and have a hard conversation. Or we continue as-is. In South Dakota, were trying to have a better conversation.

Kate Aronoff is a writing fellow at In These Times covering the politics of climate change, the White House transition and the resistance to Trumps agenda. Follow her on Twitter @katearonoff
Con ao plans to expand Co Ong Airport and its terminals to boost tourism. - VNA/VNS Photo

He said that other proposals include expansion of the electrical power system on Con ao Island and an increase in the number of boat trips from Vung Tau City to the sland.

The provincial Department of Planning and Investment has encouraged investors to promote tourism on Con ao with an emphasis on clean, renewable energy, energy recovery in waste treatment, and high-tech agriculture, among others.

Con ao has dozens of tourism projects, worth about US$33 million.
From now until August 16, 2018, users who register to buy international travel insurance products provided by MIC Ben Thanh via website www.gobear.com/vn/travel-insurance will be eligible for an instant fee discount of 45 per cent.

The international travel insurance products provided by MIC Ben Thanh are highly ranked on GoBear Vietnams website in terms of benefits and fee. As of this moment, users can search, compare and register to buy among four international travel insurance products provided by MIC Ben Thanh via website www.gobear.com/vn/travel-insurance to ensure protection throughout the trip and enjoy the special offer of fee discount.

Users of GoBear Vietnam can search, compare and register to buy international travel insurance products provided by MIC Ben Thanh to enjoy a fee discount of 45 per cent

Doan Tu Anh, GoBear Vietnam acting country director, said: The business collaboration agreement between GoBear Vietnam and MIC Ben Thanh is part of our strategy to add more benefits to users over time. By offering a discount for users who register to buy international insurance products via GoBear Vietnams website, we want to encourage Vietnamese users to form the good habit of buying travel insurance to protect themselves when travelling. In the future, GoBear Vietnam will continue to join hands with more partners to bring better benefits to users."

Since it officially went live in Vietnam in early December 2016, with three products  comparison of credit cards, personal loans and travel insurances, GoBear Vietnam has landed over 650,000 comparison hits on the website www.gobear.com/vn and became a trusted provider of search and compare services for financial products in Vietnam.

GoBear is Asias first and only metasearch engine in insurance and banking products. It was founded based on the simple premise that a consumer should find freedom and ease when making financial decisions related to insurance, credit cards and loans.

Headquartered in Singapore since early 2015, GoBear is also in Thailand and Malaysia the Philippines, Hong Kong and Vietnam. Just over two years into its operation, more than 15 million users have put their trust in GoBear to make comparison of financial products in a fast and personalised way. As one of the fastest growing fintech startups in Asia, GoBear is leading the way in democratising financial shopping experience with its unbiased and personalised comparison process.

GoBears user-oriented platform neither aggregate nor sell products. GoBear simply offers consumers a free and transparent comparison process based on their financial needs. The result is a user-friendly and informed experience that saves consumers both time and money.

GoBear to launch unsecured loan awareness page GoBear Vietnam is to launch unsecured loan awareness page on website gobear.com/vn/campaign/vaytienmat.

GoBear Vietnam gives 2-people Singapore tour to lucky website user In celebration of the upcoming launch of its travel insurance comparison product on its website gobear.com/vn, GoBear Vietnam will host a small online competition for users called Gau oi, minh i Sing nhe! (My dear Bear, go with me to Singapore), with the special prize being a 2-people Singapore tour worth of VND20 million ($880).
The fire broke out at the factory in Jharkhand state late Sunday after an explosion.

"The unit was being run illegally and there was a huge stock of fireworks in preparation for Diwali," district police superintendent Prabhat Kumar told AFP. "The fire started at 4.30 in the evening. Police and fire officials reached there soon. But intermittent explosions continued till midnight.

"Twelve workers were trapped out of which nine have died. Three of them were rescued and are being treated for injuries."

Authorities are investigating the incident but so far no arrests have been made.

Such accidents often occur ahead of Diwali, the annual festival of lights, which many celebrate by letting off fireworks.

In June, 25 workers died after an explosion at a firecracker factory in central Madhya Pradesh state, while a similar incident at a factory in Tamil Nadu last October left 20 workers dead.

Workplace accidents are common in India, where there are poor safety standards and lax enforcement of regulations.
FILE PHOTO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. Photo source: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

FILE PHOTO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2017. Photo source: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Abe, in power for five years, had been expected to call the election for next month to take advantage of improved support and disarray in the opposition camp.

"I'll demonstrate strong leadership and stand at the forefront to face a national crisis," Abe told reporters, mentioning Japan's fast-ageing population and North Korea.

"This is my responsibility as leader and my mission as prime minister."

Natsuo Yamaguchi, the head of Abe's junior coalition partner the Komeito party, said he understood the election would be on Oct. 22.

Abe said he would redirect some revenue from a planned sales tax hike in 2019 to child care and education rather than paying back public debt, although he added he would not abandon fiscal reform. Rebalancing the spending would offset the potential negative effect on consumption from the tax rise, he said.

"We will turn Japan's social security system into one that responds to all generations by boldly diverting policy resources to resolve the two major concerns - child rearing and (elderly) nursing care  that working generations confront," he said.

Abe rejected criticism that holding an election would create a political vacuum at a time of rising tension over North Korea's missile and nuclear arms programme. Pyongyang has fired ballistic missiles over Japan twice in the last month and conducted its sixth and biggest nuclear test on Sept. 3

"We must not give in to North Korea's threats. By gaining a mandate from the people with this election, I will forge ahead with strong diplomacy," Abe said, adding that now was the time to put more pressure on Pyongyang, not open dialogue.

Abe, whose ratings have risen to around 50 percent from around 30 percent in July, is gambling his ruling bloc can keep its lower house majority even if it loses the two-thirds "super majority" needed to achieve his long-held goal of revising the post-war pacifist constitution to clarify the military's role.

He said his goal was for his coalition to retain a majority in the chamber.

BIG GAMBLE?

A weekend survey by the Nikkei business daily showed 44 percent of voters planned to vote for Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) versus 8 percent for the main opposition Democratic Party and another 8 percent for a new party launched by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.

The Nikkei poll was more positive for Abe's prospects than a Kyodo news agency survey that showed his LDP garnering 27.7 percent support, with 42.2 percent undecided.

Abe's image as a strong leader has bolstered his ratings amid the North Korea crisis and overshadowed opposition criticism of the premier for suspected cronyism scandals that eroded his support earlier this year.

Given the results seen in other major developed countries, however, some political analysts are not ruling out the unexpected.

"Abe's big gamble could yield a big surprise," veteran independent political analyst Minoru Morita said.

The prime minister had been expected to face a grilling over the cronyism scandals during a session of parliament from Thursday and opposition party officials saw the move as a ploy to avoid difficult questions.

Abe on Monday asked his cabinet to compile a 2 trillion yen (13.19 billion pounds) economic package by year-end to focus on child care, education and encouraging corporate investment.

He told public broadcaster NHK that diverting sales tax revenue would make it "impossible" to meet the government's target of balancing Japan's budget - excluding debt servicing costs and bond sales - by the year beginning April 2020.

"But we are absolutely not lowering the flag of fiscal consolidation," he said.

He said he believed it was necessary to revise the constitution's pacifist article 9 to clarify the military's status but said the wording of a proposed change was up to his party.

The main opposition Democratic Party is struggling with single-digit ratings and much depends on whether it can cooperate with liberal opposition groups.

On Monday, just hours before Abe's election announcement, Tokyo Governor Koike said she would lead a new conservative, reform-minded "Party of Hope" to offer voters an alternative to the LDP.

"Our ideal is to proceed free of special interests," Koike, a former LDP member, told a news conference.

An LDP internal survey showed seats held by the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito could fall to 280 from the 323 they now hold, the Nikkei reported on Saturday. Reforms adopted last year will cut the number of lower house seats to 465 from 475.

(Additional reporting by Takashi Umekawa, Stanley White, Tim Kelly, Elaine Lies and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Michael Perry and Clarence Fernandez)
Packed: Crowds of eaters enjoy boiled snails in Ha Nois Old Quarters Dinh Liet Street.

A bowl of dipping sauce is almost always besides a Vietnamese meal. This is so different from the dishes of other nations, said culinary expert Le Kim Chi of Quan An Ngon Restaurant chain.

Chi said each kind of food had its own dipping sauce. For example, bun cha (fresh rice vermicelli and grilled pork slices), has its own delicious dipping sauce that US President Barack Obama said he enjoyed so much while visiting Viet Nam in 2016.

This sauce includes fish sauce, garlic, chili, sugar and pieces of kohlrabi and carrot.

Do Thu Ha, 62 , who sells boiled snails in Ha Noi Old Quarters Dinh Liet Street, said she could sell as much as 200kg of snails a day because her food had been praised as one of most tasty snacks in the capital. She said the appeal of the dish was largely due to the fresh sauce.

Asked about her secret ingredients, she said: I make my dipping sauce from fish sauce, which gives it its saltiness, kumquats which give it sourness, sugar for sweetness; all combined with the fragrance of ginger, garlic and lemon leaves, particularly peppery hot red chili. The recipe was handed down from my mother and existed for half of a century.

Food for a president: A bowl of bun cha dipping sauce.

Has daughter Pham Thu Trang, 34, said her mother was the first in the Old Quarters to think of how to use kumquat and citronella to create aromatic flavours for her dipping sauce.

Trang admitted that until now she could not learn how to make the sauce from her mother because she did all the processes, from cleaning the snails, boiling them - and cutting chili and lemon leaves.

My mother does not dare to let us do this work because she is afraid we could spoil the sauce, said Trang.

Each food should have its own dipping sauce. If a sauce is not good, the taste of the dish itself is also compromised.

Take your pick: Dipping sauces are essential at all daily meals. Photos amthucvietnam.com

Herbalist Nguyen Huu Vinh, from the National Hospital of Traditional Medicine, said boiled snails may cause colds in the stomach, so ginger and garlic in the dipping sauce helped stop any pain or diarhoea.

One of my overseas Vietnamese friends, Duong Quang Chan from the US, who is in Viet Nam for business, said he was interested in my frugal meal of boiled rau muong (morning glory) with a dipping sauce of garlic and chili soaked in vinegar and ca phao (salted baby eggplant).

The dipping sauce gives me a good appetite, said Chan, noting that he liked the sauces of traditional dishes, such as nem ran (fried spring roll -- minced pork and other ingredients wrapped up in thin rice paper), goi cuon (boiled pork, shrimp and fresh herbs wrapped up in rice paper) because both had their own characteristics.

I sometimes sip the sauce because I like its saltiness, sourness and peppery sweet taste. The sauces not only make overseas Vietnamese remember our homeland but also makes a lot of foreigners keen for the novel tastes," said Chan.

Culinary expert Chi said unlike Chinas plum sauce, or Japans wasabi or Italys tomato gravy, Vietnamese dipping sauces have special flavours help to express their philosophy of life.

She said apart from dipping sauce, aromatic herbs were also essential to Vietnamese dishes. The herbs such as coriandrum sativum, basil, marjoram, coriander and eryngium were eaten raw with certain foods.

For example, embryo duck egg should be eaten with thread-cut ginger (yang) and fragrant knotweed (yin) to prevent heat and diarrhoea or fried tofu with vermicelli should be eaten with mam tom (shrimp paste) and marjoram to make it more tasty and reduce bad smells.

Herbalist Vinh said these fresh herbs were also good antibiotics to treat many ailments such as fevers, colds, stomach-ache, head-ache or diarrhoea. They also helped to reduce obesity.
SINGAPORE: A 37-year-old Singaporean man has been fined S$2,000 for receiving a Rolex watch from his mother-in-law, who bought it duty-free in Singapore as a tourist.

In a news release on Monday (Sep 25), the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) said Song Mingqiang's mother-in-law, Jiang Xiuqing, bought the Rolex watch in Singapore as a gift for Song and his wife.

Using a one-way ticket from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Song entered the Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1 departure transit area on Feb 17 to help Jiang with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund application under the Electronic Tourist Refund Scheme (eTRS).

After the refund was approved, Jiang handed the watch and S$773 cash GST refund to Song and left Singapore.

Song had no intention to board the flight to Kuala Lumpur, and admitted that he was aware that only a tourist would be able to claim a GST refund on the watch, IRAS said.

He was arrested after airport police officers searched him in the departure transit area for suspected misuse of a boarding pass.

"IRAS takes a serious view of anyone who makes false declarations to seek GST refunds under the tourist refund scheme and abuses the scheme. IRAS works closely with the enforcement authorities to uncover any attempt to defraud GST," the authority said in the media release.

Under Singapore law, it is an offence to receive goods that one knows or has reason to believe a tourist has obtained approval for a refund under the Tourist Refund Scheme for.

Song could have been fined up to S$5,000 and in default of payment to up to six months in jail.
Workers produce plastic pipes at Binh Minh Plastic JSCs factory at Pho Noi A Industrial Zone in the northern province of Hung Yen. Shares of the company dropped 1.6 per cent on Monday. - VNA/VNS Photo Hong Ky

The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange inched down 0.19 per cent to close at 805.58 points, retreating from Fridays gain of 0.4 per cent.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX Index gained 0.77 per cent to end at 107.34 points, extending its positive direction for a fourth session with total growth of 2.5 per cent.

More than 213.4 million shares were traded on both stock markets, worth VND4.05 trillion (US$180 million).

Mondays trading numbers were down 21 per cent in trading volume and 18.6 per cent in trading value compared to the previous session.

The market breadth was negative as declining stocks outnumbered gaining ones by 269 to 191 while 108 others closed unchanged.

Large-cap stocks performed badly with 19 of the 30 largest stocks on the VN30 Index declining. The VN30 Index tracks the performance of the 30 largest listed companies by market capitalisation and liquidity.

Decliners on the VN30 Index included FLC Faros Construction (ROS), Thanh Thanh Cong Tay Ninh Sugar JSC (SBT), brewer Sabeco (SAB) and Binh Minh Plastic JSC (BMP).

Among those stocks, ROS, SBT and BMP were hit by investor selling after they had made strong gains in previous sessions.

ROS slumped 6.5 per cent after it had enjoyed a seven-day rally of total 12 per cent, SBT dropped 4.2 per cent following its two-day increase of 2 per cent and BMP fell 1.6 per cent.

Among speculative stocks, KLF Joint Venture Global Investment JSC (KLF) plunged 9.7 per cent after it posted strong growth last week. KLF had soared more than 52 per cent in the previous seven sessions.

On the positive side, gaining stocks included Sacombank (STB), consumer goods producer Masan Group (MSN) and DHG Pharmaceutical JSC (DHG).

MSN jumped 4.8 per cent to extend its gains for a second session after the company announced on Thursday that it would buy back maximum 10 per cent of the shares that are available on the stock market.

Bao Viet Securities Company (BVSC) said in its daily report that the benchmark VN Index is forecast to move narrowly around the level of 806 points in the next few sessions.

Investor sentiment was weak, proven by the trading liquidity that remained lower than the average of the previous 21 sessions while losing stocks continued to outnumber gaining ones, BVSC said, adding that investors were clearly cautious and were running out of patience with the markets prospects.
Many Vietnamese exporters are seeking new markets for tra (catfish) as they face high tariffs in the United States, long one of the biggest consumers of Vietnamese tra fish.  VNA/VNS Photo

The US has imposed high anti-dumping tariffs on Vietnamese tra exporters since 2014. Earlier this year, it also imposed a new requirement that foreign exporters demonstrate their food safety control system is equivalent to American regulations, creating a new hurdle for Vietnamese companies. Although prices in the US market are high and stable, the difficulties are spurring Vietnamese tra companies to seek new customers in Mexico, Canada and China.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), there are about 14 tra fish enterprises exporting to the US market. However, due to the high anti-dumping tax, only three companies -- Vinh Hoan Corporation, Hung Vuong JSC and Bien Dong Seafood Company Ltd -- are significant exporters to this market, while the remaining 11 export small quantities.

As the role of the US as an importer of tra declines, Vietnamese companies are working to increase demand for tra internationally. In the long run, the businesses say they need to develop branding and improve the image of tra fish in the world market.

About three years ago, Truong Giang Fisheries Joint Stock Company in the southern province of Dong Thap tried to export some containers of catfish to the US, but the high anti-dumping tax made the effort unprofitable. The company has no intention to try to export tra fish to the US again. Instead it is seeking other markets.

Hang Van, Deputy Director of Truong Giang Company, said that in the past few years, when the US imposed a high anti-dumping duty, many businesses have moved their exports to other markets.

Notably, in South Asia, Pakistan and India are quite potential markets for Vietnamese catfish, Van said. Pakistan currently accounts for about 10 per cent of the companys exports.

According to Van, tra exporters could focus on promoting exports to Indian market, the worlds second-largest in terms of population. The Indian consumers have initially accepted tra fish products.

"However, the import tax of tra fish in India is still too high, up to 70  80 per cent, so that importers do not dare to import much, said Van. In the coming time, if the two governments enhance trade co-operation and reduce import taxes, Viet Nams tra consumption market will be very large.

Song Tien Seafood JSC and Ngoc Xuan Seafood JSC in the southern province of Tien Giang are also seeking ways to export their products to non-US markets, including the EU, China and Middle East.

Nguyen Thi Anh, the head of both businesses mentioned above, said her companies this year accessed a number of new markets, such as the Middle East, South America and China.

As for the EU market, it has been still the strategic market of businesses for many years, accounting for about 60  70 per cent of the total exports, said Anh. To keep the stable volume of customers in this market, the company has focused on investment, ensuring product quality from raw materials to processing.

Therefore, although the company does not export tra fish to the US, its export turnover is stable and growing, Anh added.

Insiders also said that Vinh Hoanone of the three leading Vietnamese companies exporting tra fish to the USare focusing on exploiting newly-emerged markets.

Nguyen Ngo Vi Tam, General Director of Vinh Hoan Corporation, said the company had recently developed new markets. It is especially focusing on value-added products.

Tam said the company had installed a production line of grilled tra fish products marinated in teriyaki, a Japanese cooking technique, for export to Japan. After years of development efforts, Japanese consumers have started accepting freshwater fish products.

If businesses focus on product quality control, this will be a potential market for Viet Nams tra industry in Asia, just after China, said Tam.

Honorary President of VASEP Nguyen Thi Hong Minh said there were still many opportunities to develop the tra fish industry and change the worldview of Vietnamese tra fish. First of all, he said, Viet Nam needs a national-level tra fish product.

Minh proposed to make a line of tra fish fillet products that would be based on a common standard system. Meanwhile, the processing enterprises and exporters would jointly develop markets and branding.

"The main product must be fillet because it accounts for 80 per cent of Viet Nams export of tra fish. In addition, relevant agencies must also support the development of this product line, which needs to have logos and a brand name as well, said Minh.
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The referendum for the independence of Kurdistan is a fools game. The United States, which secretly supports it, claims in public to oppose it. France and the United Kingdom are doing the same, hoping that Washington will make their old dreams come true. Not to be outdone, Russia is hinting that although it is against any unilateral change, it might support independence as long as everyone accepts the independence of Crimea, which means accepting its attachment to Moscow.

The degree of hypocrisy of the permanent members of the UN Security Council is such that they have so far been unable to give a ruling on this question, despite their apparent unanimity. They have not adopted any resolution (in other words, a text with international force of law), nor Presidential declaration (in other words a position common to the members of the Council) - nothing except an insipid Press release during their meeting on 19 September [1].

Currently, there exist eight non-recognised States - Abkhazia, North Cyprus, Nagorno-Karabagh, Kosovo, Ossetia, Western Sahara, Somaliland and Trasnistria. Two European regions are also hoping for independence - Catalonia and Scotland. Any modification of the status of Iraqi Kurdistan will have consequences for these ten countries.

The independence of Iraqi Kurdistan would be a tour de force, insofar as it would mean displacing Kurdistan, as it was recognised by the Sevres Conference in 1920, from its current location on Turkish territory to Iraqi territory. Of course, everyone has become used to using the title Kurdistan to indicate this region, which, since 1991, has been subject to a slow and continual ethnic cleansing by London and Washington.

During  Desert Storm , this region was mainly inhabited by Iraqi Kurds. London and Washington made it a no-fly zone against President Hussein. They forced into power one of their collaborators from the Cold War, Massoud Barzani, who initiated the displacement of the non-Kurdish populations. The same Barzani, although he was twice re-elected since then, has maintained his grip on power for more than two years without a mandate. The National Assembly, which demanded his departure, has met only once since the end of his mandate to vote the principle of the referendum, but in the absence of Goran - a party which has continually denounced the feudal system of the Barzanis and the Talabanis, and the nepotism and the corruption which are the direct result. In fact, Massoud Barzani has been in power, without interruption, for the last 26 years.

From 1991 to 2003, the non-Kurds progressively left the no-fly zone, so that the region was proclaimed, with the defeat of President Hussein, as Iraqi Kurdistan.

On 1 June 2014, the secret services of Saudia Arabia, the United States, Israel, Jordan, the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, Qatar, the United Kingdom and Turkey organised, in Amman, (Jordan) a preparatory meeting for the invasion of Iraq by Daesh. We know of the existence of this meeting by the Turkish document that Ozgur Gundem published immediately [2]. This daily newspaper  with whom I collaborated  has since been shut down by the  sultan  Recep Tayyip Erdogan [3].

According to this document, it was agreed to coordinate Daesh and the region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The former launched a lightning offensive to capture Mosul, while the latter grabbed Kirkuk. Four days earlier, President Massoud Barzani had travelled to Jordan to talk to the participants of this meeting. He was careful not to take part in the meeting himself, but was represented by his son Masrour, the head of his own Intelligence services.

When Daesh invaded the part of Iraq that the United States had previously attributed to him, they profited from the occasion to imprison the Yezedis and bind them into slavery. Most of the Yezedis are Kurdish, but in conformity with the Amman agreement, the neighbouring Barzanis did not intervene, even when some of them fled into the Sinjar mountains. Those who fled were finally saved by the commandos of the Turkish PKK. The Turkish Kurds saved them all, whether they were Kurds or not. They used this victory to demand their recognition from the Western powers (who, since the Cold War, has viewed them as terrorists). The current revision of this affair by the Barzanis cannot erase their crime against their own people [4].

Another famous Kurd took part in the meeting in Amman  the Islamist Mullah Krekar. He was imprisoned in Norway, where he was serving a five-year sentence for having threatened, on TV, to kill Prime Minister Erna Solberg. He travelled to the Amman meeting in a NATO plane, and was taken back to his cell in the days that followed. He then revealed his allegiance to Daesh. He was not condemned for belonging to a terrorist organisation, but was offered a two-year remission of sentence and was freed. He then went on to direct Daesh in Europe, from Oslo, under the protection of NATO. Clearly, the Stay-behind network of the Atlantic Alliance is still operational [5]

Having annexed Kirkuk, the regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan extended to their zone the ethnic cleansing that its members had been perpetrating in the no-fly zone between 1991 and 2003.

The non-constitutional President Barzani has announced that all the populations of Iraqi Kurdistan and the annexed territories may participate in the referendum. Together, all these regions housed more than twelve million citizens in 2013. But today, three million non-Kurdish citizens have been forced to flee. So only a chosen number of electors are called to vote on the future not only of the place of the expelled legitimate inhabitants, but also that of all other Iraqis.

In order to participate in the referendum, one must -

 live in Kurdistan or the annexed regions ;

 be over 18 years old ;

 to have been registered before 7 September on the electoral lists ;

 and for those who are refugees abroad, to have been registered for the electronic vote  which supposes that they must first present their papers to the electoral authority of Kurdistan, from which they have been expelled.

As it happens, the Barzanis have a particular conception of the populations who are called to vote. In 1992, there were no more than 971,953 voters, but a decade later, in 2014, they suddenly numbered 2,129,846, and now 3,305,925, on September 25, 2017.

Independence will give the Barzani and Talabani clans further means with which to pursue their affairs. It will also offer Israel the possibility of implementing certain of its military objectives. Since the end of the 1990s and the development of missile weaponry, Tsahal has abandoned its strategy of occupying the  border regions , meaning the territories just outside its frontiers (Sinai, Golan, South Lebanon). On the contrary, it intends to neutralise Egypt, Syria and Lebanon by taking them from behind. This is why Tel-Aviv supported the creation of South Sudan, in 2011, in order to place missiles pointed at Egypt, and is today supporting the creation of Kurdistan in order to place missiles pointed at Syria.

According to Israel-Kurd, which is widely quoted by the Turkish Press, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Massoud Barzani to transfer 200,000 Israelis to the new state to  help  with its administration [6].

According to this logic, the ideal for Tsahal would be to extend the territory of Iraqi Kurdistan not only to Kirkuk, but to Northern Syria. This is the purpose of the YPG and its  Rojava . This self-proclaimed autonomous state is a long corridor which links Iraqi Kurdistan to the Mediterranean, and is occupied by US troops who are illegally installed in several military bases.

Eight months before the Amman meeting, a Pentagon researcher, Robin Wright, confirmed her countrys agreement with this project [7]. At that time, the Barzanis were still claiming that they defended all Kurds, including those who were living in Turkey and Iran. Mrs. Wright carefully explained that such a project was impossible, but published her map of  Sunnistan , attributed to Daesh, and  Kurdistan  attributed to the Barzanis in Iraq and Syria.

Incidentally, in August, the Pentagon published a call for tender for the buying and transfer of 500 million weapons and ammunition, mainly ex-Soviet [8]. The 200 first trucks were delivered to the YPG at Hasakah, on 11and 19 September, via Iraqi Kurdistan, without being attacked by the jihadistes [9]. The Russian Minister for Defence has just made public satellite photos of a camp of US special forces in the middle of Daesh territory, living quite comfortably with the Kurds and the jihadists [10].

So since we are told that this  independent Kurdistan  is a democratic Kurdish project, why would we doubt it?
On 24 September 2017, the Russian Defense Minister broadcast satellite images of US Special forces camping right in the centre of Daesh territory in Deir ez-Zor, a region in Syria.

The Turkish press agency, Anadolu, had already flagged up the existence of these bases on 17 June.

A number of sources confirm that there is a non-aggression agreement between the US Forces and Kurdish forces on the one hand, and Daesh on the other.

These photographs challenge the version that the United States and its Kurdish allies are fighting the Islamic State. Only States which have satellites positioned above Syria are able to verify the authenticity of these photos. It follows that this information is meant for them.
On 20 September, the day after President Trump presents a scenario of nuclear war in the United Nations, threatening to totally destroy North Korea, the Treaty on the Prohibition on Nuclear Weapons, opens for signature at the United Nations. Voted by a majority of 122 states, this treaty imposes on contracting states:

 A prohibition on manufacturing or possessing nuclear weapons;

 A prohibition on using or even threatening to use nuclear weapons; and

 A prohibition on transferring or receiving nuclear weapons either directly or indirectly.

The overriding aim of the treaty is to completely eliminate nuclear weapons. On the first day itself, the Treaty was signed by 50 states, including Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, the Philippines, the State of Palestine, South Africa, Nigeria, the Congo, Algeria, Austria, Ireland and the Holy See (which ratified it the same day). The Treaty will enter into force, once it has been ratified by 50 states.

But the day on which it opened for signature is the same day Nato resoundingly slammed it. The North Atlantic Council (composed of representatives of the 29 Nato member states)s declaration made on 20 September, maintains that:

a treaty that is not binding on any state possessing nuclear weapons, will not be effective, nor will it increase security or international peace, but will risk securing the opposite: the creation of divisions and divergences [1].

Thus without beating up the bush, Nato makes it clear that:

we will not accept any provision contained in the treaty.

Thus the North Atlantic Council robs the national parliaments of its member states of their role, depriving them of their sovereignty to reach an independent decision on whether to adhere to the UN Treaty on the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons. Furthermore, Nato announces that:

We will call our partners and all the countries inclined to support the treaty to seriously reflect on its implications (read: we will blackmail them to ensure they neither sign nor ratify the treaty).

The North Atlantic Council confirms that:

the fundamental aim of Natos nuclear capability is to preserve peace and to discourage aggression and that as long as there are nuclear weapons, Nato will remain a nuclear alliance.

But Nato ensures

Natos firm commitment for the full application of the Treaty on Non-Nuclear Proliferation.

Yet a fact among others that violates this treaty is that the US B-61 nuclear bombs are stationed in five non-nuclear countries: Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland and Turkey. The new nuclear bombs, B61-12, that from 2020 will replace the B61, are now in the final stages of their manufacturing. Once stationed, they will be able to be transported by heavy bombers and by airplanes with dual capacity (non-nuclear and nuclear).

In 2018, US spending on nuclear weapons sharply increases by 15% compared to 2017. On 18 September, the US Senate earmarked around 700 billion dollars for the Pentagons 2018 budget, 57 billion more than what the Trump Administration requested. This is thanks to the bipartisan vote. The Democrats that criticize the war-mongering tones of President Trump, have by-passed him when the issue is deciding military expenditure: in the Senate, 90% of the Democrat Representatives have voted with the Republicans to increase the Pentagons budget by more than Trump had requested. So, 700 billion was allocated. 640 billion will be used to purchase new arms  notably strategic arms for nuclear attack and to the increased costs of soldiers salaries; the remaining 60 billion will be used for military operations in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.

The escalation of US military expenditure drives increases in the other members of the US-led Nato. This includes Italy. Italys military expenditure should spike from the current figure of 70 million euro per day to 100 million euro per day. Democratically decided, as in the USA, by a bipartisan vote.
The University of Gibraltar and the Hunter Group Jointly Celebrate a Culinary Milestone

The University of Gibraltar has entered into a partnership with the Hunter Group through an agreement that sees the Hunter Group operate and develop the University restaurant. Bistro Point opened today, making its spectacular views available to those who wish to dine or simply pop in for a light meal at the University.

The Hunter Group will also work with the University to offer training programmes to support the local food & beverages industry. Courses will also be developed for more experienced chefs to assist with positioning Gibraltar as a world leader in hospitality.

We are delighted to have entered into partnership with a Group that understands, and is able to support, our ambitions in hospitality training and education. Our restaurant offers the best views in Gibraltar. It will undoubtedly prove popular with the locals and become a destination restaurant for visitors to the Rock. Prof Daniella Tilbury, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gibraltar explained.

Over the last twelve months, the University has expanded its events and conferencing portfolio. Its core culinary and catering services are now provided through the Bistro Point as a central outlet. The agreement with Hunter Group requires a wide range of hospitality offerings, with the University restaurant providing full culinary and catering packages for conferences and events including wedding celebrations.

Andy Hunter, spokesperson for the Hunter Group said: We are delighted to be working with the University of Gibraltar. We are passionate about providing fresh, tasty and nutritious food conducive to productivity. We will be working with the University to create a centre of excellence for both on-site and off-site catering. The Hunter Group management team brings to the table years of experience from across Europe including Michelin star restaurants. Andy and John Hunter have been operating in Gibraltar for nearly 30 years. They employ around 100 team members across 7 locations.

Initially, the restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch and high teas. It will open Monday to Friday between 9:00am - 6:00pm and will gradually extend its hours and weekend offerings during the approach to Christmas. Festive menus are already on offer and proving popular for groups, special occasions and for corporate dinners. Reservations may be made by calling +350 200 76588 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A still from Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other. Photo: Sun Yuan and Peng Yu

On October 6, the Guggenheims new exhibit, Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World, featuring the work of Chinese conceptual artists on nature and globalization, will open without its most controversial pieces. Following accusations that three of the works depict animal cruelty, the museum has released a statement saying that it has pulled them out of concern for the safety of its staff, visitors, and participating artists after receiving repeated threats of violence. Animal-rights activists had started a petition calling for the removal of pieces determined to employ cruel methods against animals; the petition now has close to 630,000 signatures.

The three-month exhibit was set to show Sun Yuan and Peng Yus Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other, a seven-minute video involving four pairs of pit bulls trained to fight charging at each other on nonmotorized treadmills but unable to touch. The dogs get wearier and wearier, their muscles more and more prominent, and their mouths increasingly salivate, according to the New York Times. The original performance filmed in 2003 in Beijing used live dogs; the Guggenheim had previously said it would show the video though the work may be upsetting.

A live exhibit, Huang Yong Pings 1993 Theater of the World, would have featured hundreds of insects and reptiles encased in a table under a bright light where audiences could observe their fight for survival. Some creatures will be devoured; others may die of fatigue. The big ones will survive, the Times said. From time to time, a New York City pet shop will replenish the menagerie with new bugs. (He previously withdrew a version of the piece from a 2007 Vancouver exhibit over similar complaints.) A video of Xu Bings 1994 A Case Study of Transference, which used two live pigs covered in stamps having sex in front of audiences, has also been pulled.

In its statement, the Guggenheim stressed free speech as vital to the arts. As an arts institution committed to presenting a multiplicity of voices, we are dismayed that we must withhold works of art, the museum said. Freedom of expression has always been and will remain a paramount value of the Guggenheim.
Photo: Getty Images

Spoilers ahead for season four of Transparent.

In their own life, Jill Soloway is comfortable with refusal, whether its rejecting the gender binary, or upending traditional modes of filmmaking and the male gaze. That journey has wound its way into the main narrative arc for the youngest Pfefferman, Ali, on the latest season of Transparent, released last Friday. Season four sends the Pfeffermans to Israel, using Ali as the means to enter the politics of the region. And instead of focusing on Maura Pfeffermans gender transition, Transparent shifts focus to Alis as a nonbinary person. Soloway sat down with Vulture to talk about the trouble with the gender binary, tackling Israel and Palestine, that DGA fine, and revisiting a debate over the male gaze with Jenji Kohan and Emily Nussbaum.

I want to start by asking you what gender pronoun you prefer?

Oh, I use the they/them pronouns. They, them, theirs.

Have you considered a name change?

I think about it, yeah, I have, but I havent really landed on anything yet. I entertain ideas. [Chuckles.]

How did it feel to shave your head for the first time?

It feels great! I mean, especially doing something like this [press junket], where I remember last year, and the year before, and the year before, and the amount of time I spent getting my hair and makeup done. These things started to add up to me just felt unfair. I was just like, How come Jay [Duplass] doesnt have any makeup on? Why do I have to? Because the word woman describes me?

So, slowly but surely losing all those things that go with being femme and then moving into a place where Im, Im not femme, Im butch, but then, there are still a lot of things about a butch woman that I dont really want. [Laughs.] Whatever a woman is. Now Im even noticing: Ill be invited to an event and women will be, Its all women. Theres no men here. Woo! We can relax, because were women. It is an excuse to otherize people. One persons boundary is another persons trigger. When you pull a group of people into a room and you say, Well, were all women here now so we can close the door and say X, what does that mean? I think by moving through the world nonbinary, I get to question that. Its a weird place for me, because I was probably somebody as recently as five years ago, who wouldve have been saying, womens group, womens meeting, womens event, all-women event. Then, you know, I think people move to things like women and non-gender-conforming people, and you just start to wonder what the word woman is for.

Right. What does the category contain?

Yeah. So for me, just being able to move into that nonbinary designation has allowed me to question these things and live in my body with the question, which is a very alive place to be.

And more liberating I would assume.

Yeah, it is liberating. And like, Amy Landecker loves the feeling of getting her hair and makeup done, and she loves looking in the mirror afterward and being like, Yes. Thats the thing that made me start to go, Well, maybe its not my politics about what women should or shouldnt do, and maybe its my gender. The fact that there is this third gender you can identify as was a beautiful relief.

Or multiple genders maybe.

I think its like both and neither, either/or, all the time. I prefer neither to both actually. Theres something about the word non at the beginning of nonbinary that sits right with me in a way that genderqueer never did. And agender never did.

Do you see it as a kind of refusal?

Yeah, theres something I really like about the negative start to the word. [Laughs.] Theres just like, Im not in. Im out here. It describes an otherness that feels comfortable and safe.

Do you think that we should get rid of gender categories for acting awards?

Theyre so crazy, right? I think gender categories are crazy for anything. If theyre going to do gender categories for acting awards, give us some gender categories for directing awards. Because then we can have a lot more women getting Emmys, you know? The gender categories just dont serve anybody, and all of the various awards organizations were set up to serve a particular idea.

I just dont want women not to be getting awards anymore.

Right. I understand the protective measure of it.

Yes. I wish they would protect women directors and women writers in the same way they protect women actors by saying, Hey, if we didnt give you your own category, wed live in such a patriarchal male-worshipping world, that only men would get these awards. A huge course correction would be necessary in society before any voting entity would be considered fair. Thered have to be a 100 years of women making television and then it might be fair in the middle. White supremacy and patriarchy  again these words are natural for us  but for other people, they read that and they go, Thats academia, and its like, No, its like naming the air. Its naming the water for the goldfish. We live in this.

On Transparent, Ali experiences a similar discomfort around identifying as female. Did these conversations inform her journey this season?

Yeah, but back and forth. We inform each other. We have a lot of gender-nonconforming people and people who identify as nonbinary. Its hard to tell when youre working on a show like Transparent what comes first, because its always rolling.

Do you feel like she is they?

Yeah, I mean we got close to giving them the they pronouns at the end when the family was talking about it, so maybe season five were going to start saying they for Ali. But we finished season four, and shes still using she pronouns. And she might have a name change.

Do you feel like shes a stand-in for you?

Sometimes, but really everybody is a stand-in for me. And were all stand-ins for each other. Theres this thing that I would do when I would talk about the way men stand. Thats Mario, you know what I mean? Like, sticking your stomach out and being like, Yeah, Im a guy.

I love Mario. [Editors note: Mario is an improv character that Judith Lights character, Shelly, creates.]

I love Mario! Yeah, and what it means for a woman who grew up with an anorexic psychological profile when we connect that with her feeling like a bad girl, like a wrong girl, and all of her shame. Then she feels like Mario, and then she can eat. I really relate to that horror of being a woman and growing up having to control your appetite to succeed at being a woman. I relate to Josh a lot, just in that he cant quite figure out how to love and he wants it so badly, but he feels so inept at what it really means to just literally care for somebody. Of course I relate to Ali.

How do you think celebrity has affected your own coming-out process?

I dont feel a huge amount of celebrity in my day-to-day life. I feel it occasionally and its always really lovely, because its always people who are like writers saying, Youre inspiring me to write. Its always queer people and trans people talking about their personal transformation. For the most part nobody knows who I am, and I dont have that feeling that the whole world knows Im in a relationship. When I was dating Eileen Myles, we liked to joke and pretend. I was going to tweet one day, like, you be Beyonce and Ill be Gertrude Stein, and a joke to us about how were neither of those people, but in our own minds we can pretend we matter to like 100 lesbians. [Laughs.]

[Laughs.] I mean, a lot more than that.

Okay, 215 lesbians care. I wish people cared more, actually. [Laughs.] Not for my own narcissism, which is real, but just for all the people who are queer out there in the world who dont really have queer people and culture to look to.

Like the symbolic value of it?

Yeah, the symbolic value. You would think we changed the world, and then you go and look at somebody like Ivanka having all of that power around her classic femininity performance, and how comforting that is for so many people. Thin, beautiful, blonde, masquerading as power.

Well, there is a power there, right?

In?

In her possession and performance.

Yeah, but its a performance, I guess. And thats the thing that feels so unfair to me. You look at somebody like Trump and you connect him to Mario. Trumps power is in his allowing. Hes letting go. Hes a big ol slob. And hes like, Hey, may the biggest slob win. Just look at the way I treat women. Look at the awful things I say about people. Hes so entitled about his right to lead using a kind of ugliness. Imagine women having access to that kind of gender performance. The bigger, the better. The louder, the better. The fatter, the better. The more convex, the better. Were all being shamed by this fascist, heteronormative, mostly male, mostly white government.

How did you decide on this narrative structure to think about Israel and Palestine this season?

We like to stay relevant. Especially after Trump is in office. That means taking huge risks and going, Yeah, were going to strap on and get in our flight suits and zoom right to the center of crazy controversy and stand there in that place and feel it like artists. For me, that meant putting the family all together, cause wed been facing them outwards. That was a creative challenge for me. Just wanting people facing each other, instead of outward.

And then, we facetiously wanted to take the lighthearted notion of the Brady Bunch Goes to Hawaii and be like, Well, the Pfeffermans, of course they go to Israel! We wanted to start with that facetious, lighthearted feeling, knowing that, when youre queer and Jewish, when youre trans and Jewish, its not so simple. And we really wanted the family and Ali to learn at the same rate that the average person would learn. Shockingly, there are tons of people who arent deeply aware of the conflict. There are a lot of Jewish people who will still talk about Israel as, like, our happy-go-lucky homeland. If youre involved in the queer community, if youre involved in the academic community, you know the word Israel means something else entirely, and we needed to slowly send these elements on a collision course. The tourist Israel, the academic Israel, the queer Israel. And Alis interest and understanding how the binary stops her from feeling whole just felt like a perfect map to laminate onto this region.

How did you cast the Palestinian actors?

We had great, amazing people. Obviously we spoke to people who were part of JVP [Jewish Voices for Peace] and people who were BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] activists. And we met Palestinian activists and we brought as many Palestinian actors into the scene as possible. Sometimes we had to cast people who werent Palestinian, but who were Muslim. Some of the people were actors; some of the people were activists. We had Palestinian activists with us there at the farm, because we shot that all here in L.A. We didnt actually go there.

So we had activists with us, helping to give birth to some of that conversation about checkpoints, about the intricacies of bureaucratic violence. A lot of people think about Israel and they think like, Gaza, uprising, violence. What we wanted to tell the story of was what it felt like to be Palestinian and living in Israel and just trying to live your life, having to go through the checkpoints and understanding the occupation, what its doing to people day-to-day.

Did you feel like theres a pedagogical intent in that?

I mean, always. I dont really try to shy away from that with feminism, with anything, because were learning. When people say, You dont want to be making propaganda, Im like, cis-hetero patriarchy has been making propaganda forever. I love the word propaganda. I had to grow up watching fucking white dudes act like women should be competing for them on the basis of their financial success  thats propaganda. So Im gonna make my propaganda until its all equal. And people just arent open about it, so Ive heard those criticisms before where they say like, Well, you dont want your art to become preachy and Im like, Beauty pageants are preachy. [Laughs.]

Were there any concerns about filtering the Palestinian experience through Ali?

We run into similar things with trans stories, where this is a story about a family, there are five characters, we want to tell Davinas story. Sometimes its told through Mauras point of view as Mauras roommate, and sometimes that feels like it works and sometimes it feels inappropriate. So we had to encounter Palestine in a way that the Pfeffermans would. And the way that Ali would, which was starting as a tourist, and like, Oh, I met this person. Oh, theyre an activist. Im interested in this person, now Im learning about the conflict. We actually kept Ali a little bit more innocent so that she could be a little bit more surprised. We had to play more within the confines of what would be realistic for this family than what we all knew and understood as activists.

What are your own views on Israel?

Theyre evolving every day. The simplest thing I can say  and this is true of America as well  is what were looking at is a fundamentalist, orthodox religious government. The Israeli government is being run by people who have very fundamentalist views about the binary: This is Judaism, this is Israel. A Jewish state is Israel. Israel must reflect a Jewish identity. Well, what is a Jewish identity? What theyre reflecting is an orthodox Jewish identity. I guess I want to hold space for the possibility of a reform or reconstructionist or revivalist or a reinvention of a Jewish identity that could also take up space in politics. In the same way that Trump is our president and will openly act like its his Christian mission to protect people against a Muslim threat. Hes using his Christian orthodoxy to inspire people to hatred. Theyre doing the same thing there in Israel.

One of the meaning of intersectionality is that even if I wanted to choose between my queerness and my Jewishness, I wouldnt, I couldnt. Because of that, I have to dream of this other thing, which is a place where I would be able to say I love Israel. I would be able to say, as a Jew I love the dream of Israel. But as an activist, I love the dream of peace even more, and I actually do believe that all the people who are on the left do actually have a spiritual belief in peace and love and tolerance and acceptance. But because were so used to religion being combined with orthodoxy and repression, the people on the left arent really saying, Hey, we stand for something too. We stand for peace. We stand for loving all people. We stand for accepting all people.

I wanted to revisit a lively conversation you had at the New Yorker Festival a couple of years ago with Jenji Kohan. I was curious how you view your philosophical differences around filmmaking and the male and female gaze?

Well, theres Emily Nussbaum, and theres Jenji Kohan. Emily is a huge fan of Jenjis, and Emily also has gone on record as saying, I dont believe in the female gaze. I met Jane Campion for the first time last week and she said, Oh my god, thank you for I Love Dick. You have given me explosive thoughts about art-making. I keep meeting actresses and filmmakers who tell me that they watched I Love Dick and that it changed their relationship to their process. So for me, saying theres no such thing as the female gaze and saying it so quickly from somebody like her, whos a cultural namer of things, that just feels so sad to me. Wow, so many women trying to claim subjectivity through naming, how it feels to break free from having been looked at and attempting to put that into writing, directing  its so filled up with so much excitement for me. But there are some people who dont actually see patriarchy. They havent felt harmed by patriarchy. Patriarchy means that men have a certain class, have access to things, and the women who perform well get their blessings. For people who have had access to that class and to those men, and have had the blessings of those men  white supremacy, patriarchy  those things arent obvious. You cant see them. I dont want to start a fight over whether or not cis people can write trans people, or white people can write black people. Of course they can, the question is, should they? And if you have privilege, shouldnt you use it to try to open up the ranks a little bit?

I think about how something like television or film is so relational: Its based on these relationships that you have with actors, crew members, writers, and directors. That inevitably creates a culture of its own that the work comes out of. Even if I do believe in principle that one person can write a different perspective from their own, if you have created a culture where there is only one group of people producing the work, then whats really produced?

And then thinking about what it means to create a culture, like a feeling on set, or a feeling in the writers room. Like, who do we become as we see ourselves reflected in each other? Who do we grow as when were surrounded by people where we can just be? As a queer person, as a nonbinary person, I find myself in a room with other queer people, other nonbinary people, and you begin to relax. Im not seen as that lesbian, you know? When you think about Donald Glovers writers room on Atlanta, what it felt like to have a room of all people of color, and what that does day in, day out to those writers to believe they dont have to look around the corner when the white person is coming to be like, Hold on a second, protect me! Protect my view of myself! So Im always going to be taking a stand for as much openness as people can tolerate.

Is this a conversation youre going to have to have with the DGA? [Editors note: Soloway was hit with a fine from the DGA after I Love Dick directors claimed they didnt receive credit for scenes they shot that ended up in other episodes.]

[Laughs.] Im trying to figure out how to, yeah, because theres a lot of group process going on. Theres a lot of group process going on, and scenes will move from episode to episode to episode. I can say that I find it fascinating that I Love Dick, which was a book that was meant to excite and antagonize patriarchy, would be the one show that is getting called out for doing this, and all shows do it. All showrunners go down to the set and say, How about this instead of that? All shows move scenes from episode to episode to episode.

So why is I Love Dick being the one thats like Jill Soloways I Love Dick gets huge fine? I think that has something more to do with the triggering component of the bombastic, proud, content female, insisting that theres such thing as the female gaze. Why is this the show thats causing controversy?

This interview has been edited and condensed.
Photo: CBS

Whether youre a fan or a detractor, you have to admit: Theres something bold about a character-erasing time jump. Monday nights season premiere of Kevin Can Wait not only pushed the shows timeline forward over a year, it also addressed the Erinn Hayessized elephant in the room: the conspicuous absence of Hayess character, Donna, erstwhile wife to Kevin and mother of the three Gable children. As reported this summer, season two features the demise of Donna, as Hayes has been written out of the show. However, as BuzzFeeds Jarett Wieselman pointed out, Donnas death is alluded to only very briefly and with regards to her still-standing gym membership (to be fair, those things are very hard to get out of). The conversation then ends with a kung fu coupon punch line. So, if you were looking for any concrete answers about how or why Donna died, well, Kevin Can, and Will, Make You Wait. Provided the show addresses it at all, of course.

#KevinCanWait killed off Kevin's wife tonight & spent less than one minute talking about her death in the whole ep https://t.co/GxvcdO0gnC pic.twitter.com/CexQHJEQ23  Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) September 26, 2017

Meanwhile, the news that Hayes would no longer appear on the series came at roughly the same time viewers got word that Kevin Jamess previous TV wife Leah Remini would become a series regular, in an apparent attempt to recapture that old King of Queens magic. After watching tonights episode, some fans did not refrain from letting the Scientology and the Aftermath host know they would not let Donna go gentle into that good night so easily.
Honestly, this season of The Real Housewives of Dallas has gotten so good. Theres a particular scene in this episode that I would gladly have devoted an entire recap to  its an all-time instant franchise classic. In a few short paragraphs, it will be my privilege and honor to tell you about it.

Tensions are still high between Mark and Cary. You know, its really bad when we only have sex once a day, she jokes in a confessional, which [Jennifer-Lawrence-saying-okay-with-a-thumbs-up GIF]. When she tells her husband slash boss she might duck out of the office early to pick up Zuri from school and do some yoga, he scowls at her, accusing his wife of fricking bailing on me again. Cant he understand that she just wants to do yoga with their sweet, small daughter while wearing matching mother-daughter leggings? Have you no heart? But Cary is unfazed. She explains that, when she was pregnant, Mark flipped out. We had this horrible fight because he was scared he was going to lose me to my daughter, she says. Mark is the doctor and the terrible husband from Waitress combined into one man.

Brandi drives LeeAnne to her boob job, to be performed by who other but her now-notorious vagina doctor. A triple board-certified vagina doctor, mind you. His name is Dr. True. While he seems perfectly nice, Dr. True is the kind of name I would expect a man who is not a doctor to give himself under the guise of poorly pretending to be a doctor, along with Dr. Medical or Dr. Definitely a Doctor. (Also, you guys, I just googled Dr. True and found this commercial featuring Ms. Locken herself, promoting a $3,995 breast-augmentation winter special. I love the internet and I would choose no other time in human history to be alive.)

After everyone takes a few moments to admire LeeAnnes unusually high, up-pointing nipples  Brandi calls them a statement piece on her body,  Dr. True leaves the two women alone in the room for a few minutes. Were outside the room, too, but with the camera fixed on the door handle, we can hear their conversation. Well, conversation isnt quite the right word. If youll permit me, I would like to reprint LeeAnnes monologue in full for posterity, so that future Real Housewives scholars will have a slightly easier time with their archival research (brackets mine):

You really think I want to get naked like this around Cary? How much fun do you think shes going to make of me then? [A whisper.] Why is it so fucking important to Cary to come for me all the time? Because Im gonna do something. Shes gonna come for me one day and it isnt going to be pretty. [An extremely scary whisper.] Her husband gets his dick sucked at the Round-Up. I know the boys who did it. I didnt grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. I grew up with a lot of things in my hands and theyre not knives. [What?] Theyre just hands. [What?!] But they work quite well. [Maam.]

Where to begin? This whole speech is so gloriously insane it gives me ASMR. Her husband gets his dick sucked at the Round-Up is my personal cellar door. (There is always something going on here! reads the tagline on the homepage of the Round-Up Saloon, a Dallas gay bar, which seems fitting.) And what were the things in LeeAnnes hands? Did she attack someone with a dart or a water gun from a midway game? Or are we back on the sandpaper incident?

RHOD verily drily cuts between LeeAnnes surgery (during which an IV stand gets knocked over and Dr. True praises his handiwork as pretty symmetrical) and a procedure conducted by the competent, if emotionally toxic, Mark-and-Cary plastic-surgery tag team. Once theyve wrapped up, Cary works up the nerve to tell her husband that this will be her last surgery for the foreseeable future  she wants to stay home with Zuri while shes still little. Mark takes this about as well as youd expect. I bet you come crawling back in six months, he tells her, with great compassion and extreme chillness. I mean, I cant picture you being a stay-at-home mom. I think youd blow your brains out.

Meanwhile, it occurs to Brandi that she should perhaps tell someone that LeeAnne more or less described killing Cary with her hands and/or with unspecified things in her hands. Stephanie encourages her to tell Cary directly  but shes out on a very Dallas double date with Mark, DAndra, and Jeremy at a gun range. Brandi calls her up via FaceTime, the most polite medium by which to tell a friend that someone has threatened their life. Given this alarming news, Mark suggests she stay home from the girls planned group trip to Mexico. Given that Mark is so terrible that I myself would take an eight-day cruise on a trash barge to get away from him, Cary decides to stick to her travel plans. And so does a still-recovering LeeAnne, despite the fact that her new and improved nipples are sore as hell. Another fun detail about Dr. True: He told LeeAnne to buy a makeup compact from a drug store and tape it to her boobs to keep the swelling down? (More on this developing story next week, I hope.)

And so the gang is off to Mexico, consuming an air-marshal-worrying amount of alcohol on the flight and then what looks like individual bottles of bubbly awaiting them in the van to the resort. It isnt long before everyone knows what LeeAnne said about Cary. The question is, when will LeeAnne find out that they know? (The second question is, what were the things in her hands?)
Ali and Maura are off to Israel for Mauras Gender and Judaism conference, and the experience can be summed up in what happens to them immediately after exiting the airport. Moved by the emotion of arriving, Maura and Ali kneel down to kiss the ground. Do you feel that? Israel. And then two men nearly run them over with their rolling suitcases. We get their reverence, and we get the joke of it being interrupted by these two rude men. We get the bigger frame of the trip they think theyre taking and the fact that this place is not going to just open itself to them. We get the humor and also the seriousness of it, and when it works, thats the best of Transparent.

They both arrive in Israel with a few preconceived ideas about whatll happen, and its fun to watch their expectations get shaken in big and small ways. It is a more familiar place than they expect: Maura compares it to L.A., and Ali says the cafe in Ramallah reminds her of Brooklyn. But after the initial impressions, both Pfeffermans end up swerving off course in Transparents two favorite directions. Ali, whos out on a sort-of date with minor internet celeb Lyfe, feels her world expanding outward as she sits and listens to all these attractive young people explain the lived realities of one of the oldest political conflicts on the planet. And Maura, who keeps getting derailed by people singing a commercial jingle for an air-conditioning salesman, finds herself being dragged backward through time, toward her long-lost, presumed dead father.

Alis experience is a magical fish-out-of-water day. First, she meets up with Lyfe, the person responsible for getting Mauras airport security video retweeted by Solange. Lyfe then informs her that they should do everything possible to comply with the boycott against spending money in Israel, so they cross the border into the West Bank, eventually ending up at a farmhouse outside Ramallah. Its lovely and enlightening, even if it also feels a bit like a well-known genre of reporting (I, an uninformed person, traveled to X to talk with people actually on the ground in Y situation, and heres what I learned). The dinner is illuminating in its details and also deeply familiar in its broad strokes: the boycott, the checkpoints, the travel prohibitions, the detentions, the weaponization of identity as a threat, the denial of citizenship rights. The oppression, the exhaustion, the sense of futility.

A few minutes in an episode of Transparent are not going to give anyone a well-rounded, complexly argued, comprehensive understanding of  well, anything, but especially not of something as complicated as the Israel-Palestine conflict. But it does deepen and extend our understanding of Ali, for whom this kind of experience is now a recognizable pattern. It happened when she sat in Leslie Mackinaws hot tub, trying to immerse herself in a culture of academia and lesbian intellectualism. It happened when she traveled with Maura and Sarah to the Idlewild festival, as she sat in front of the bonfire and absorbed the atmosphere. This feels like an extension of that: Once again, Ali sits with a rapt face, listening to ideas and ideologies shes never really considered before. Its admirable and even impressive as a fundamental character trait. But once again, its also Ali on the outside of something, never fully engaging or identifying. Nothing is ever quite her. She loves to be immersed in something new, but she can never seem to stay there.

Maura, meanwhile, is connecting with her birthright in a more literal way than she might have expected to on a trip to Israel. Before and after her keynote (subject: misogyny was the real source of the rage against Ethel Rosenberg), people keep singing a song from air-conditioner commercials, a song which Maura finally googles when she gets back to her hotel room. And then she video-chats with Bryna back in California, because there, to their astonishment, is the father whod abandoned their family and supposedly died some time decades earlier. There are a bunch of air conditioners stacked around him, and hes sitting next to two scantily clad women  because hes a cool guy, after all.

Back in California, Sarahs doing the most Sarah Pfefferman thing imaginable. First, she borrows a parenting technique she learned from her kids former teacher, a teacher she connected with at a sex addicts meeting and is now having sexual fantasies about. Second, the technique is basically an adaptation of sexual dominance play, wherein Sarah explores the efficacy of topping her children from the bottom. Sir, she asks her son, could I possibly put [your shoes] on for you? And third, after two very brief successes with this technique, Sarah decides to write a book on it. (Kids on Top, an upcoming parenting manual by Sarah Pfefferman.) I am sure this is going to go great.

In spite of Ali exploring the West Bank and Mauras shock about her father, the most wrenching story of Pinkwashing Machine is also the most mundane: Josh and Shelly finally come to blows about some of the most fundamental Pfefferman dysfunctions, spurred by some innocent observations from Joshs former pot doctor. (This episode has a few laugh-out-loud funny lines, but my favorite is from Retired Pot Doctor Steve, who admits he used to date Sarah. Was that before or after the lesbian thing? Shelly asks. I think it was during? he says.) Shelly has been thrown off by the experience of an improv class; she cant control the scene, and her entire personality is the negation of the yes, and perspective. She comes home, ignores Joshs simple requests, and he explodes. Youre a boundary pusher! he tells her. I have no idea what boundaries are! she yells back.

The fight escalates from there, with Shelly refusing to understand Joshs perspective and Josh insisting that even though hes yelling, he does care about her. (This IS caring!). Its yet another moment where youd hope they could figure out how to move beyond some of these achingly well-worn grooves in their relationship. Shellys performance at the end of season three felt like a monumental shift, ideally a shift that wouldve helped the family see Shelly more clearly, and also helped Shelly see herself.

There are glimpses of something like progress in these scenes. Even Joshs exclamation that he is caring for her feels like an important bit of growth. Plus, Steve is there offering some real wisdom about boundaries as crucial to any relationship, no matter how close: Boundaries, he says, are how people tell other people what they need. But none of this gets them anywhere. Shelly storms off, informing Josh that shes going to stay at the W Hotel. He finds her later, unconscious in her car, assuming shes killed herself. In the end, they both stagger back into the house where she was never invited and where he doesnt have the wherewithal to stand up for his autonomy. So they both go back into the same cycle, with little hope that anything will change anytime soon.

Its fascinating, really: In conjunction with characters who are congenitally incapable of moving forward in their relationships with one other  stuck forever in these horrible wrenching loops through guilt and attachment and repulsion and then back again  Transparent is also caught up with explorations of the past. And the Pfeffermans least interested with reckoning with the traumas and patterns that defined their ancestors and their own childhoods (Josh, Sarah, Shelly) are the ones most stuck in their patterns.

But there are also moments when it feels like Transparent is stuck in some of the same loops that keep recurring in the Pfeffermans lives. This show loves to fold back onto itself, returning to themes and patterns weve visited before, even when theyre now in new settings. Thats not necessarily a bad thing! Transparent is firmly, unquestionably itself. It just has the additional responsibility of figuring out how to make the familiar new again.
Photo: Peter Mountain/Focus Features

Will the people who walk out of Victoria & Abdul dabbing their tears and burbling that racism is oh-so-terrible and Judi Dench is oh-so-Best-Actress-y think theyve seen a good movie?

It bears a passing resemblance to a good one: The Victorian costumes and royal palaces look authentic and the soft, dispersed light conjures up a dying, fin de siecle mood. The story is partly true  and revelatory. An old woman  Victoria (Judi Dench), a queen who has lost the will to live  reaches out to a young man, Abdul (Ali Fazal), of a different hue, culture, and religion and is rejuvenated, while representatives of a bigoted, colonialist empire stand glowering with disapproval.

Until recently, historians had minimized the presence of Abdul Karim, who began as a sort of exchange servant (one of Victorias titles was Empress of India) before becoming her Munshi (teacher). The Queens household  and her son, Bertie (a.k.a. King Edward VII), viewed Karim as a sort of proto-Rasputin for insinuating himself into the Queens graces, presumably as a swift way to wealth and power. As the movie shows, Victoria was hardly in the ground before Bertie (played by Eddie Izzard) directs that photos and letters connected to Karim be burned, along with papers the queen had written in Urdu. (You read that correctly. Queen Victoria learned to read and write Urdu.)

The chief  though hardly the only  problem with Victoria & Abdul is that too much political correctness proves to be as bad for drama as too little. As conceived by screenwriter Lee Hall (who adapted a book by Shrabani Basu) and director Stephen Frears, Abdul is a hole in the screen: handsome but maddeningly unfilled-in.

Against stern orders, he locks his dark eyes on Victorias baby blues during her Jubilee and kisses her feet when presenting a gift. A short time later hes spinning yarns about his life and culture while Victoria drinks in his good looks. Karim is plainly eager to better his status, but what the filmmakers want you to register is that every time the queen tells an aghast lord or lady-in-waiting, I would like him by my side/in my office/in my palace/alone with me, its a blow to the ruling class. (I can take a Muslim wherever I like, she announces.) The people around Victoria represent the repressive white order, while the monarch herself is unprejudiced, curious, at times even healthily vulgar  the opposite of a snob. Shes meant as the very embodiment of noblesse oblige.

Its not that Victoria wasnt historically so pure (although she wasnt  she thought the prime minister at the time, Gladstone, was too soft compared to his predecessor, Disraeli), its that the story has been turned into a sort of Driving Queen Victoria. Everything Abdul does is supposed to enchant her  and us. Her doctor (Paul Higgins) does break the news to Victoria that Abdul  with his near 100 percent black-veiled wife and mother  is riddled with gonorrhea, but its as if the screenwriter then said, We cant go there. (Another possibility: Scenes illustrating Karims less savory side were cut.) After several years, the real Abdul worked relentlessly on Victoria to get himself a knighthood. But in the film, she introduces the idea herself to an appalled household, which triggers constant surveillance on Abdul and a nasty attempt to bribe (and, failing that, threaten) his ill friend, Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar). The change makes Abdul seem serenely passive  whatever Her Majesty wants  instead of ambitious and often self-serving. His shining-eyed nobility is, as my teenage daughter might put it, boring as fuck.

Its true that the real Abdul managed to alienate the queens household, but hes so much of a saint here the malignity seems either motiveless or the pure product of racism. (The actual household would have been less shocked by the presence of an Indian Indian servants, ambassadors, and officials were all over the place.) The top-flight supporting cast including Olivia Williams as Lady Churchill, Tim Pigott-Smith as Sir Henry Ponsonby, Fenella Woolgar as Miss Phipps, and Michael Gambon as Lord Salisbury  is left to pull frowny faces. (Higgins could have blown the movie open with one of his obscene Jamie MacDonald tirades from The Thick of It/In the Loop.) Only Akhtars interrogation scene hits home  his morbid satisfaction at Berties rage is superb.

Frears, now 76, went from making startlingly tough-minded British TV movies to even better films, among them My Beautiful Laundrette, Dangerous Liaisons, and The Queen. But in the last few years his touch has gotten heavier and more dodderingly tasteful. His Florence Foster Jenkins seemed edited for hard-of-hearing older audiences, and Victoria & Abdul is even more whacking. An early banquet sequence (whenever Victoria finishes a course, its whisked away, to the dismay of guests still eating) would have been perfection if it had been handled lightly.

Dame Judi, however, is every bit as good as youve heard  perhaps even better. You never catch her playing Victoria for laughs, only as a woman trapped in a failing body and longing either for death or transcendence. What the screenplay leaves blank, she fills in with her searching eyes, her mixture of curiosity with a lifetime of entitlement. And though she knows she will never have Abdul physically, a glance here and a gaze there let you know she most definitely has the Munshis.
[September 25, 2017] Australia - The National Broadband Network - Moving into 2018 - Research and Markets

The "Australia - The National Broadband Network - Moving into 2018" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering. This annual publication provides analysis on the National Broadband Network moving into 2018. It includes forecasts, overviews and discussions on: The NBN Company

Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) and Fibre-to-the-Basement

(FTTB) roll outs

Fibre-to-the-Node (FTTN) and VDSL

HFC Networks

Fixed Wireless and Satellite Networks

Statistics and Surveys

Overview of Major Contracts

Policies and Regulations

Other Market Analysis The Australian telecommunications market will change dramatically over the next ten years. Accelerated by government policies in relation to broadband infrastructure and the National Digital Economy Strategy these changes will drive the transformation of the telecom industry as well as a range of economic sectors dependent on telecom infrastructure. These developments will be further accelerated by a range of dependent sectors such as cloud computing, M2M and big data. The over-the-top (OTT) players are also becoming more and more prominent in the telecoms industry and this will start blurring some of the borders between infrastructure, IT and applications. In its original plan under the previous government, the nbn, the company overseeig Australia's National Broadband Network (News - Alert) (NBN) project, would connect 93% of homes, schools and workplaces to an optical fibre network (fibre-to-the-premises - FTTP), providing high-speed broadband services to Australians in urban and regional towns. The remaining 7% of premises would be connected to an LTE (News - Alert)-based fixed wireless network, and for those outside these footprints to a satellite network.



With the arrival of a new government, the new plan was estimated to cost $41 billion (which has since been increased to approximately $50 billion). It is a move away from a pure FTTP plan to a multi-technology-mix approach deploying FTTP, Fibre-to-the-Node (FTTN), Fibre-to-the-Basement (FTTB) and cable (HFC) in addition to fixed wireless and satellite. Key Developments:

14 NBN wholesale providers now offer a mix of backhaul and wholesale aggregation services to RSPs.

FTTP will connect 20% of premises by 2020, while a further 38% will be served by FTTN.

nbn is expected to operate services based on the DOCSIS3.1 at the end of 2018, capable of delivering data at 1Gb/s.

It is also actively looking at other cable networking advances such as full-duplex DOCSIS technology, which is capable of 10Gbps symmetrical speeds.

Fibre-to-the-curb will be deployed to a potential footprint of up to 700,000 premises across the country. Key Topics Covered: 1. Market analysis 2. The NBN Company 3. Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) and Fibre-to-the-Basement (FTTB) roll outs 4. Fibre-to-the-Node (FTTN) and VDSL 5. HFC networks 6. Fixed wireless and satellite networks 7. Other statistics and surveys 8. Overview of major contracts 9. Policies and regulations Companies Mentioned Active8me

Austar; Ericsson; Visionstream; Optus (News - Alert)

Bordernet

Clear Networks

CSIRO

Fibercorp

Harbour IT

iiNet

Internode

LBNCo

NBN

Neighbourhood Cable

OPENetworks

OptiComm

Optus

Pivit

Reachnet

RedTrain

Rivertel

SkyMesh

Space Systems/Loral

Telstra

TransACT

ViaSat (News - Alert) For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c7zsfr/australia_the View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170925006084/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Epson Launches the PowerLite 685W for Classroom SMART Presentation Displays

LONG BEACH, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson, the number-one selling projector brand worldwide, today announced the Epson PowerLite 685W Ultra Short-Throw Presentation Display for SMART. The new presentation display, which offers seamless integration with the SMART Extended Control Panel (ECP)1, is part of Epson's continued collaboration with SMART Technologies Inc. to bring amazing images to classrooms using the SMART Board M685 and 885 interactive whiteboards. "Through our longstanding partnership with SMART, Epson is able to provide industry leading display technology for K-12 classrooms," said Veronika Knight, product manager, Projectors, Epson America, Inc. "Epson PowerLite 685W for SMART's compatibility with the SMART Board M685 and 885 interactive whiteboards, as well as the presentation display's functionality takes collaboration and classroom learning to the next level." The PowerLite 685W for SMART leverages Epson's proprietary 3LCD technology which offers up to 3x higher color brightness than competitive models2. The presentation display delivers 3,500 lumens of color and white brightness3, WXGA resolution, and includes versatile connectivity to meet a variety of classroom needs. "SMART is committed to providing technology and software that ensure classrooms are collaborative and engaging," said Fraser Smith, Manager, Group Programs, SMART Technologies. "The new PowerLite 685W for SMART provides customers the ability to maintain an integrated SMART interactive whiteboard system, powered by SMART Learning Suite software, with top-of-the-line projection technology." Ideal for BYOD classrooms, the new PowerLite 685W for SMART offers wireless functionality to help students learn and collaborate. It enables instructors to share content between the big screen and wirelessly connected mobile devices for individualized learning. Students can wirelessly participate in discussions by displaying content from Chromebooks, PCs and Mac computers, as well as iOS and Android devices, with the Epson iProjection wireless display solution4. Up to 50 users can connect to the projector simultaneously when used in conjunction with Epson Multi-PC projection plus the Moderator device management software. Displaying content from as many as four students simultaneously, it's the perfect tool for showing a variety of content, or for comparing students' work side-by-side5. The PowerLite 685W for SMART also offers additional networking capabilities that allow schools to manage up to 1,024 Epson networked displays using the EasyMP Monitor software or Crestron RoomView. Teachers can also connect to an access point on the network to share their display with the entire class, without adding more cables. Additionally, using the Message Broadcasting plug-in for EasyMP Monitor, schools can send updates or announcements remotely to up to 1,024 Epson networked displays. More about Epson's new PowerLite 685W for SMART The PowerLite 685W for SMART provides amazing quality, flexibility and performance for classroom collaboration, with features including: Compatible  Specially designed to work with SMART Board M685 and 885 interactive whiteboards

 Specially designed to work with SMART Board M685 and 885 interactive whiteboards Seamless integration  Connect and control a display via the SMART Extended Control Panel (ECP) 1

 Connect and control a display via the SMART Extended Control Panel (ECP) Ultra Short-Throw Presentation Displays  Provides virtually no shadow interference from eight inches away

 Provides virtually no shadow interference from eight inches away Up to 3x Higher Color Brightness 2 , and Reliable Performance  Offers 3LCD, 3-chip technology

 Offers 3LCD, 3-chip technology Versatile Connectivity  3x HDMI  supports multiple high-definition A/V devices, with MHL  support 6

 3x HDMI supports multiple high-definition A/V devices, with MHL support Enhance Classroom Collaboration  Wireless display solution allows teachers to control personal device display and encourages students to participate 4

 Wireless display solution allows teachers to control personal device display and encourages students to participate Bright Display  High brightness along with 3LCD technology creates bright, colorful images

 High brightness along with 3LCD technology creates bright, colorful images Long-Life Lamps  Lasts up to 10,000 hours in ECO Mode 7

 Lasts up to 10,000 hours in ECO Mode Remote Management  Easy network connectivity with software included

 Easy network connectivity with software included Powerful Sound  Built-in 16W speaker and microphone input, or use external speakers, even in Standby Mode, for powerful sound to engage every student As a leader in innovation and partnership, Epson also offers the Brighter Futures program, a unique sales and support initiative available specifically for schools. Designed to help educators select and implement the best products for their classrooms while making the most of their budgets, Brighter Futures offers special pricing, extended Epson limited warranty coverage for a total of five years, dedicated education account managers, and toll-free technical support for all Epson projectors and associated accessories. Epson PowerLite 685W for SMART Specifications







Product Color Brightness3 White Brightness3 Resolution Display MSRP

Price PowerLite

685W for

SMART 3500 lumens 3500 lumens WXGA 87 inches from

8 inches $1,590

About Epson Education Products Designed with educator input, Epson's advanced presentation display and projector technologies make bright, collaborative learning environments a reality. Compatible with a wide range of devices and widely-used interactive software, Epson presentation displays make it easy for teachers to share content to engage students, no matter where they sit in the classroom. Epson's unmatched technology, service and support ensure educators are confident that vivid, bright images and multimedia are available in the classroom every day. Availability and Support The PowerLite 685W for SMART will be available in October 2017 through national resellers, pro audio/visual dealers, mail order, distribution, Epson.com, and the Brighter Futures program. Epson PowerLite presentation displays come with a two-year limited warranty (five years for Brighter Futures customers) that includes two elite technical support services  Epson PrivateLine phone support with direct access to an expedited support telephone line, and a Road Service replacement program that includes product exchange in one business day with paid shipping. For additional information, visit www.epson.com/education. About Epson Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. With a lineup that ranges from inkjet printers and digital printing systems to 3LCD projectors, smart glasses, sensing systems and industrial robots, the company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 72,000 employees in 88 companies around the world, and is proud of its contributions to the communities in which it operates and its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impacts. Epson America, Inc., based in Long Beach, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/EpsonAmerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica). 1 Existing SMART Board M685 and 885 installations require the SMART Cable Adapter Kit, sold separately. 2 Color brightness (color light output) in brightest mode, measured by a third-party lab in accordance with IDMS 15.4. Color brightness will vary depending on usage conditions. Top-selling Epson 3LCD projectors versus top-selling 1-chip DLP projectors based on PMA Research sales data for Dec. 2015 through Nov. 2016. 3 Color brightness (color light output) and white brightness (white light output) will vary depending on usage conditions. Color light output measured in accordance with IDMS 15.4; white light output measured in accordance with ISO 21118. 4 For wireless functionality, including via the Epson iProjection App, the projector must be configured on a network, either through the Ethernet port on the projector (check model specification for availability) or via a wireless connection. Check your owner's manual to determine if a wireless LAN module must be purchased separately to enable a wires connection. Not all Epson projector are able to be networked. The Epson iProjection App does not support all files and formats. See www.epson.com for details. 5 Moderator feature is part of EasyMP Multi-PC Projection software. 6 Includes one Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) HDMI port. 7 Normal Mode is up to 5,000 hours. Lamp life will vary depending upon mode selected, environmental conditions and usage. Lamp brightness decreases over time. Note: Epson, EasyMP and PowerLite are registered trademarks, EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark and Epson iProjection is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. Brighter Futures is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. Mac is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Google is a registered trademark and Android and Chromebook are trademarks of Google Inc. All other product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/epson-launches-the-powerlite-685w-for-classroom-smart-presentation-displays-300525604.html SOURCE Epson America, Inc.

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[September 26, 2017] Institute of Human Virology Marks National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Wednesday, September 27 as HIV/AIDS Increases in Baltimore's Youth

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine will host an event Wednesday, September 27 to raise awareness about the rise in HIV/AIDS among Maryland's youth ages 13-24, particularly among young black men. Of the 252 youth HIV diagnoses in 2015, 82.5 percent were male and 17.5 percent were female in Maryland while 82.1 percent of these new diagnoses were African American. The statistics are astounding considering the availability of prevention therapy. "During our Care and Support Access study, we found that HIV infection is not only disproportionately affecting young black gay men, but we found that these young men face significant personal challenges as they attempt to remain on treatment for HIV. Being on treatment reduces the risk of new infections and poor health," said Carla Alexander, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We co-founded the non-profit Baltimore Project to Save Lives to create a positive, safe place for Baltimore's young men to congregate to learn about prevention and treatment options in addition to providing resources for homelessness and other socio-economic conditions that impact self-care." "These data inspire us to do more to ensure that all those we serve at risk for HIV infection get engaged in our provider services, including PREP," said Robert Redfield, MD, The Robert C. Gallo, MD Endowed Professorship in Translational Medicine, Co-founder, Associate Director, Director, Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Today's event, and Dr. Alexander's non-profit, Baltimore Project to Save Lives, are terrific initiatives needed to effectively reach the hardest hit minorities in our community." The event will honor public servants, elected officials, and community physicians who are fighting this illness. The following events are hosted at G.A.Y. Lounge; 518 N Charles St; Baltimore 21201.







4-6 pm Paint Party for young Same-Gender-Loving Men: "Be Authentically YOU!!" 6-7 pm Awards Ceremony for HIV doctors, care providers and advocates Honorees include:  Lynda Dee: Director, AIDS Action Baltimore  Ronald Johnson: Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, AIDS United  Michael Levin, MD: Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine  Patrick Mutch, MPH: President and Chief Executive Officer, Chase Brexton Health Care  Frank Oldham Jr.: An openly gay, African American HIV-positive activist, who helped found National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, along with successfully living with HIV since the early epidemic  Robert Redfield, MD: The Robert C. Gallo, MD Endowed Professorship in Translational Medicine; Co-Founder, Associate Director, Director of the Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology; Associate Chair, Chairman's Office; Division Head, Infectious Diseases; Chief of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine; Vice Chair of Medicine for Clinical Affairs, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine 7-8 pm Reception

About the Institute of Human Virology Formed in 1996 as a partnership between the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, the University System of Maryland, and the University of Maryland Medical System, the IHV is an institute of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is home to some of the most globally-recognized and world-renowned experts in all of virology. The IHV combines the disciplines of basic research, epidemiology, and clinical research in a concerted effort to speed the discovery of diagnostics and therapeutics for a wide variety of chronic and deadly viral and immune disorders - most notably, HIV the virus that causes AIDS. For more information, visit www.ihv.org and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @IHVmaryland. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926005014/en/

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[September 26, 2017] Pexip to Deliver Video Tele-Conferencing (VTC) Interoperability for Microsoft Teams

Pexip announced today that it will develop and deliver standards-based Video Tele-Conferencing (VTC) interoperability for Microsoft (News - Alert) Teams. The solution will allow traditional videoconferencing users to join Microsoft Teams calls and meetings, with the full experience of video, audio and content sharing. Pexip already delivers a Microsoft-certified video interoperability solution for Skype (News - Alert) for Business Server in its Infinity Fusion gateway. The new solution will build on the Fusion platform, and provide video, audio and content-sharing between VTC and Microsoft Teams meetings. It allows companies to extend the Microsoft Teams meeting experience to legacy video meeting room solutions. "We are excited to collaborate with Microsoft to provide a VTC interoperability solution for Microsoft Teams, and to be an integral member of the Microsoft Teams eco system," says Asmund O. Fodstad, Pexip CEO. "Video-based communications are a fundamental component of the modern workplace and Microsoft Teams is set to be the next big thing in collaboration." Protecting and retaining the native user experience is fundamental to the Pexip solution. The Pexip gateway for Microsoft Teams is being designed to be completely transparent to the end-user, meaning VTC systems joining a Microsoft Teams meeting will be seen and managed just like any other Teams participant. Likewise, on the VTC side, the meeting will look, feel, and operate like a standard VTC meeting. The Pexip Infinity Fusio software is designed for any size organization, but with special focus on large companies and enterprises. It can accommodate any number of users and simultaneous meetings in any number of locations.



"We are very excited to further strengthen our relationship with Pexip and look forward to enabling our customers to use the Pexip Infinity Fusion gateway to allow their VTC users to join Microsoft Teams meetings," said Tiffany Wissner, senior director, Skype Partner Marketing for Microsoft Corp. Pexip Infinity Fusion for Microsoft Teams is currently under development. For more information, you can meet with Pexip at Microsoft Ignite in Orlando, Florida, Booth #1001 from September 25 - 29, or visit www.pexip.com.

About Pexip Founded in 2012 and privately held, Pexip enables enterprises and organizations to provide video-based communications and collaboration tools to all employees. The company's Infinity scalable software meeting platform enables seamless collaboration across traditionally incompatible video and audio technologies such as traditional videoconferencing, Microsoft Skype for Business, and WebRTC. It also provides industry-leading user scalability for large organizations, and can be deployed in an organization's data center, or in a private or public cloud such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (News - Alert). It can also be deployed in any hybrid combination. Pexip software is used by several Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries. Customers include Vodafone (News - Alert), The US Department of Veterans Affairs, Western Union, Statoil, Arup, and others leading in their fields. The technology powers a large number of the world's Videoconferencing as a Service (VCaaS) providers. The company was named Global Video Conferencing Technology Innovation Award winner by renowned analysts Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert) in 2016. Pexip is represented on all five continents, and has offices in Oslo, London, Sydney, and New York. Learn more at www.pexip.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170926006357/en/

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A biker under indictment in the May 2015 Twin Peaks shootout is seeking to disqualify McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reynas office, in part, on grounds that Reyna has a financial stake as a defendant in civil rights lawsuits and because he could be called as a witness in the case.

Austin attorney Millie Thompson, who represents Thomas Paul Landers, a founding member of the Escondido motorcycle group and an active motorcyclists rights advocate, filed a motion Friday asking 54th State District Judge Matt Johnson to disqualify Reynas office from prosecuting Landers case.

Attorneys for other bikers have tried to disqualify Reynas office on various grounds. Those efforts were rejected at the trial court level and upheld by an intermediate appellate court in Waco.

Johnson has a hearing set for Oct. 20 to consider Thompsons motion.

Reyna did not return a phone message left at his office Friday.

Another motion to disqualify Reyna is pending before Johnson, who is waiting to listen to a county jail telephone recording between Dallas attorney Clint Broden and his client, Matthew Clendennen, a former member of the Scimitars group, before ruling on the motion.

Clendennen alleges Reynas office should be disqualified because his attorney-client privilege was violated when his telephone calls were recorded at the jail.

Twin Peaks biker seeks DA disqualification over alleged attorney-client violation A Hewitt man indicted in the Twin Peaks shootout alleges his confidential relationship with 

Inmates are warned by a recording that their outgoing calls are routinely recorded. Attorneys can make special arrangements to call their clients without being recorded, jail officials said.

Prosecutor Michael Jarrett said members of the district attorneys office have not listened to the tapes.

Strother recused in 3 Twin Peaks biker cases A retired judge ruled Wednesday that 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother should be remo

Landers, who was part of a trio of bikers who got 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother recused from their cases last month, alleges in his motion that Reyna has a financial stake in the case because Landers and more than 100 other bikers have civil rights lawsuits pending against Reyna and others in a federal court in Austin.

A prosecutor should be disqualified from prosecuting a case when he is a witness that will be called at trial, and/or when a party demonstrates actual prejudice that stems from the prosecutors dual role as advocate-witness, Thompson wrote in the motion, citing a ruling by a Texas appeals courts in Corpus Christi.

The motion also alleges that Reyna:

Persuaded Strother in an improper ex parte communication to order bikers to report to court so the DAs office could execute DNA warrants

Engaged in ex parte communications with Strother to establish a trial lineup that benefits the states trial strategy

Deprived Landers of his speedy trial rights

Deprived Landers of due process by convincing Strother to bump Landers from his original trial slot

Deprived Landers of due process by preventing him from calling Reyna as a witness at a previous hearing

Deprived Landers, and all Twin Peaks defendants, of due process by issuing a press release that painted the 154 defendants as pedophiles by revealing the discovery of child pornography on certain cellphones confiscated from bikers

Deprived Landers of due process by withholding essential discovery from him

Flooded the defense with voluminous irrelevant discovery for the purpose of preventing the defense from properly preparing the case for trial and hiding the relevant discovery that the state has, or has not, provided.

Strother and Reyna both have denied at previous hearings that they participated in improper ex parte communications in which it is alleged they spoke about matters involving the case without defense counsel being present.

Thompson declined comment Friday on her motion.

Twin Peaks biker pushes for day in court, gets November trial setting A Georgetown biker, who was frustrated after his trial date was passed over last month in fa
CHARLESTON -- Eastern Illinois Universitys College of Arts and Humanities announces that applications for the Ruth and Vaughn Jaenike Access to the Arts Fund are now being accepted.

Activities in music, theater arts and the visual arts are eligible for Jaenike Fund support. The application deadline is Oct. 13 with notification in early November.

The Jaenike Access to the Arts Fund supports up to half of the overall budget costs of a project. The purpose of the fund it to encourage the presentation of arts performances, exhibitions, lecture/demonstrations, and related programs to new or underserved audiences. Application projects serving the East Central Illinois area (roughly within a 50-mile radius of Charleston) are given priority.

Grant requests will be accepted from schools, non-profit organizations, divisions of Lake Land College, Eastern Illinois University, as well as individual artists and ensembles. Activities supported by the Jaenike Fund must be directed to a primarily non-university audience, although university faculty and students may be included as audience members or as participants. Grants will not be awarded for the purchase of purchasing equipment or to individual artists to support the creation of works of art.

A second round of Jaenike Access to the Arts applications will take place during the spring semester with a deadline of Feb. 15. The fund is administered by the College of Arts and Humanities Deans Office at Eastern Illinois University.

Organizations and individuals interested in submitting a Jaenike Access to the Arts Fund application should contact Dan Crews at Easterns Doudna Fine Arts Center at 217-581-8513 or decrews@eiu.edu.
Bellmead police and U.S. marshals arrested a 41-year-old Hallsburg man Tuesday for the robbery last week of a Bellmead bank.

Brian Bradley Jackson was identified from surveillance video as the man who robbed the BBVA/Compass Bank at 4010 Bellmead Drive on Thursday.

Jackson remains in the McLennan County Jail on a second-degree felony robbery charge. No bail had been set Tuesday night.

Bellmead police Sgt. Kory Martin said Jackson was arrested Tuesday at a local hotel in the 400 block of Interstate 35.

Martin said Jackson entered the bank and approached a teller. He shook his pocket, leading the teller to think he may have a weapon, Martin said.

A witness heard Jackson say he had a gun and for the teller not to make him pull it out, Martin said. Jackson told the teller to give him all the money, and she emptied her bank drawer, giving him an undisclosed amount of money, Martin said.

Jackson left the scene on foot walking toward Loop 340, witnesses said.
Waco police are asking for the public's help to locate a missing teen who is believed to be in danger in the Waco area.

Police say Yessenia Almanza, 17, was reported missing in October 2016 and it was believed that she was in the Dallas area. Officials, however, received new information recently that led them to think she may be in the North Waco area, Waco police said.

Police spokesman Garen Bynum said investigators think she may be in danger.

Almanza is 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 170 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

Police ask those with information about Almanza to contact them at 750-7500.
Reevers Warbirds has commenced the move of their Douglas A-26C Invader from Archerfield Airport in Brisbane, Queensland to her new home at Parafield Airport in Adelaide, South Australia.

This Invader once flew with the US Army Air Force as 44-35898, and technically became a B-26C in 1948, along with the other Invaders remaining in the U.S. inventory, following the retirement of the Martin B-26 Marauder. She first joined the US civil registry in 1961, becoming N3328G under the ownership of Lear Inc. (of Learjet fame). John Lear, William Lears son, flew her during the 1968 Reno Air Races as Race 76, with an average track speed of 284mph. certainly not a world-beater for the day, but not bad for such a large aircraft! Air Spray Ltd. or Red Deer, Alberta bought the Invader in 1971 and converted the vintage attack aircraft into a fire-bomber. She received an all-over yellow paint scheme with black trim, the company colors, and a large number 2 on her tail. The Invader served faithfully in the fire-bomber role for the next three decades, with her last fire-fighting season being in 2004 at around the time when the company was winding down their prodigious fleet of A-26s (they owned 22 examples at one point!). Randall McFarlane, bought the aircraft in 2005 and had her flown to Australia in an epic, multi-stage flight in October, 2006. Sadly McFarlane did little with the aircraft once she arrived downunder, and she has been dormant ever since. Reevers bought the aircraft in 2014 adding her to their growing stable of fascinating projects.

Present work on moving the Invader involved removing the flight control surfaces, horizontal stabilizers and the nose section. These parts have already made the 1,200 mile journey to Adelaide. Next, the team will break down the wings and fuselage and transport these by road to her new home as well. The aircraft will initially go into storage while Reevers assesses what needs addressing to return her to flying condition, and how best to do it.

As already mentioned, Reevers has a fascinatingly eclectic collection of aircraft in their stable, and seem to have a penchant for apparently lost causes. First among these perhaps is B-25J Mitchell 44-31508, which sat forlornly outside in Franklin, Virginia for over a decade. She was in a terrible state when Reevers stepped in to rescue her. WarbirdsNews covered the recovery back in 2015 HERE. Reevers has made great progress with this aircraft, rolling her out for the public earlier this year following a lot of work to get the Mitchell presentable again. They aim to restore her to flying condition, which will likely take several more years of hard work.

Reevers also has a North American Yale project, and incredibly, a Republic P-43 Lancer in their sights as well, but more on that another time. WarbirdsNews will be bringing you more information as it arrives on these fascinating projects!

With much thanks to Phil Buckley for bringing us this story and providing a lot of information for the article, and to Reevers Warbirds for providing the images!
CHARLESTON -- Melissa McDaniel, director of Habitat for Humanity in Coles County, recently updated the Charleston Rotary Club about the organizations projects.

A native of Mattoon, McDaniel has been with Coles County Habitat for Humanity for a little more than a year.

Coles County currently has 36 families who have benefited from Habitat. Habitat is currently working on the 37th home and already are in the planning stages for home No. 38. It costs Habitat approximately $70,000-$80,000 to build a house  volunteers help to make this possible.

The qualifications to be eligible to become a Habitat homeowner are: be a resident in Coles County for at least one year; have a low debt to income ratio; demonstrate a need for housing; havent filed for bankruptcy in the last three years; agree to partner with Habitat and put in 225 hours of sweat equity; and meet income guidelines of between 30 percent and 80 percent of the area median income.

Habitat wants the homeowner to be successful in owning and keeping the home.

They dont give houses away  the homeowner must help with sweat equity and be responsible for the payments. Habitat does interest free loans and escrow accounts to allow the homeowner to have half of their payment go to the principal and the other half go to property taxes/ insurance.

The Habitat Re-Store in the old Charleston Walmart building, a related concern, is doing amazing, and is growing. The store operates by taking community donations and reselling the donated items. Volunteers also assist with this program. All net Re-Store income goes to support the Habitat mission.

Habitats annual fundraiser, Habitaste, is Thursday at Unique Suites. Tickets can be bought in advance for $15 or at the door for $20. For tickets or to learn about Habitat for Humanity volunteer opportunities, contact McDaniel at 217-348-7063.

McDaniel worked in affordable housing and small business development with a Chicago nonprofit before taking her current position.
Uber's chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, apologised in an open letter Monday for the company's "mistakes," after the transport authority for London said last week that it would not renew the ride-hailing service's license to operate in the city.

"While Uber has revolutionised the way people move in cities around the world, it's equally true that we've got things wrong along the way," Khosrowshahi wrote. "On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologise for the mistakes we've made."

The statement did not specify what, exactly, Uber was apologising for, but the conciliatory tone represented a stark change for a company that, under its previous chief executive, Travis Kalanick, was better known for its aggressive approach from the get-go.

Uber intends to appeal the decision made Friday by Transport for London, a move that would prevent the company from doing business in its biggest European market, and it will be allowed to continue to operate during the appeals process. The company says it has 40,000 drivers in London and 3.5 million customers who use the service at least once every three months.
Barnaby Joyce has been accused of a conflict of interest due to claims he could personally benefit from the Turnbull government's push to develop coal seam gas near land owned by the Deputy Prime Minister.

Mr Joyce, who is also the Resources Minister, missed a media event on Monday where the government demanded NSW accelerate approval of the Santos project at Narrabri, north-west of Sydney, to ease a looming gas shortage. He lists land at Gwabegar, west of Narrabri as part of his pecuniary interests.

While Mr Joyce said on Tuesday there is no prospect of gas being extracted on his land, local activists opposed to coal seam gas development say petroleum exploration licences all through the region depend on progress at Narrabri.

The Nationals leader bought two blocks of about 1000 hectares in "mongrel country" of poor economic value in 2006 and 2008 for a reported $572,000.
All seven politicians were referred to the High Court after discovering they held dual citizenship - which is forbidden under Section 44 of the constitution - over the last three months.

If the court agrees, it could pave the way for Ms Waters to return to Parliament immediately.

In its official submission to the High Court the government says the other five politicians - Nationals Barnaby Joyce, Fiona Nash and Matt Canavan; Queensland Green Larissa Waters; and crossbencher Nick Xenophon - should be cleared because they were ignorant of their status.

Of the seven federal MPs hauled before the High Court over their citizenship status, only One Nation's Malcolm Roberts and Greens senator Scott Ludlam were wrongfully elected, the Commonwealth contends.

Former Greens senator Scott Ludlam, whose surprise resignation sparked the crisis. Credit:Brendan Foster

The Commonwealth's submissions argue the court should find that only those who have "voluntarily obtained or retained" foreign citizenship should be disqualified. Anyone who "does not know that they are, or ever were, a foreign citizen" should not be ruled ineligible, the submission filed on Attorney-General George Brandis' behalf says.

"A person who becomes aware that he or she is a foreign citizen, or who becomes aware [ie subjectively appreciates] that there is a considerable, serious or sizeable prospect that he or she has that status, voluntarily retains that status unless he or she takes all reasonable steps to renounce it within a reasonable time of becoming so aware.

"Alternatively, where a person has no knowledge that they are, or ever were, a foreign citizen, the requirement to take 'all reasonable steps' to renounce that foreign citizenship does not require the person to take any steps. Taking no steps is reasonable in these circumstances," the submission said.

My Joyce  the deputy prime minister and Nationals leader  and Senators Nash, Canavan and Xenophon all argue they had no knowledge of their "citizenship by descent" status.



While Senator Waters has already quit Parliament over her Canadian heritage, she would be free to reclaim her seat if the court agreed with the Commonwealth's argument. The Greens would merely need to nominate her to replace the vacancy she left behind.
"Don't stuff it up and keep it going, it's a nice business to be in," was the advice Alister Haigh's father gave to him when he handed over control of Haigh's Chocolates to Alister and his brother Simon Haigh.

"At a company birthday he announced Simon and I were becoming joint managing directors with no prior discussion or anything else," says Alister Haigh.

Alister Haigh's father warned him not to stuff things up. Credit:Daniel Kalisz

Succession planning is much more structured these days at the iconic chocolate company which employs 500 staff and turns over $60 million a year.

Speaking at the Family Business Australia Conference in Hamilton Island last month, Alister Haigh and his daughter Emily Haigh, described the processes they have put in place to ensure a smooth handover when the time comes.
North Point surf break in Gracetown has been closed after a great white shark knocked a surfer off her board late on Monday afternoon.

The woman had been surfing at the popular break at around 5.50pm when the 3.5 metre shark is understood to have taken a small chunk out of her board.

The shark was said to be "acting aggressively" towards the surfer. Credit:Gian De Poloni - ABC South West WA

A member of the public reported the incident to Surf Life Saving WA, who worked with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to close the beach until 10am on Tuesday morning.

"A member of the public reported a 3.5m white shark was acting aggressively toward a surfer," a SharkSmart spokesman said.
Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is betting that he can crush a weak opposition in next month's election. The margin of victory may determine whether his ruling party replaces him in 2018.

Abe announced on Monday that he would dissolve Parliament later this week, more than a year before its term expires. He framed the election as a vote on his hard-line stance against North Korea and his plans to use revenue from an upcoming sales-tax hike to fund a $22billion economic package aimed at tackling the challenges of an aging society.

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe announced he'd dissolve parliament this week. Credit:Bloomberg

"An election in these circumstances will also be a test of confidence in me," Abe said. Voting will be set for October 22, according to three people with knowledge of his ruling coalition's plans.

Abe's approval ratings have climbed as North Korea has fired missiles over Japan, focusing the public on security issues instead of conflict-of-interest scandals that have damaged his image.
Pyongyang says it is ready to shoot down US military aircraft, such as this US Air Force B1-B Lancer. Credit:AP Trump, tweeting on Saturday evening: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" Ri, in a kerbside interview in New York on Monday morning: "It was the US who first declared war on our country...[so] we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers." Analysts say the US is unlikely to start a war without a direct attack from North Korea. Credit:Bloomberg Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, briefing reporters in Washington early on Monday afternoon: "We have not declared war on North Korea."

Hmmm  the weight of Trump's threats  "totally destroy" and "won't be around much longer"  doesn't sound like an invitation for tea and cucumber sandwiches at the White House. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has shown in his comments that he is just as bolshie as US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP And Kim is just as bolshie. Here's his response to Trump's threat of total destruction: "Now that Trump hasinsulted me and my countryand made the most ferocious declaration of a war in history that he would destroy the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea], we will consider with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hardline countermeasure in history." North Koreans gather at Kim Il Sung Square to attend a recent mass rally against America. Credit:AP

Some analysts say we all should take a deep breath, assuring us that history shapes the outcome of such crises  which is to say that the US is unlikely to start a war without a direct attack from North Korea; and that if Trump can continue winding up pressure on Pyongyang, without resort to arms, Kim most likely will cave at a time of his choosing. But history also confirms Pyongyang did take out a US aircraft in 1969, killing all 31 crew on a Lockheed EC-121 spy plane that the North claimed was deep into Pyongyang's airspace, but which the Pentagon insisted was 50 nautical miles off the North Korean coast. Last week's decision by Trump to have US aircraft fly close to the North Korean coast, north of the DMZ, was potentially an invitation for history to repeat itself. Credit:AP Then president Richard Nixon reportedly considered nuclear retaliation and the Pentagon was ready to strike  in 2010, former US fighter pilot Bruce Charles told NPR that he had been put on standby to strike the airfield from which the North Korean aircraft had taken off  and Charles' aircraft had been armed with a B61 nuclear bomb, with a 330 kilotons yield that made it 20 times more powerful than that dropped on Hiroshima. After several hours, Charles said, he was ordered to stand down.

Trump has been talking tough on North Korea. Credit:AP Nixon's problem was the same one Trump is being warned of today. As explained by George Washington University historian Robert Wampler: "The US did not have a very good menu of options when this happened, which sort of constrained them in their ability to pick and choose amongst something that would work, and also contain the situation." Nixon was congratulated for exercising restraint, as did former president Barack Obama when an international investigation concluded that a torpedo that sunk the South Korean Navy ship Cheonan, with the loss of 46 seamen, had been fired from a North Korean vessel. Obama moved ships and aircraft, but did not strike. In the current crisis, ripe as it is for miscalculation or bravura, can Trump be expected to respond with the same restraint? There's an argument that last week's decisions to have US aircraft fly close to the North Korean coast, north of the DMZ, was an invitation for history to repeat itself. Much of what Trump and Kim have to say is rhetoric  buried in their words are little noticed "ifs" that reduce their threats to the usual "all options are on the table" boilerplate that is being overly analysed.

Consider this from The New York Times: "But Mr. Trump's tweet over the weekend appeared to go further, suggesting that mere threats, rather than a military attack, could drive him to wipe out the country. Whether that was one of his characteristic outbursts or a strategic effort to intimidate North Korea was not clear  even to some of his advisers." Clearly what is different in this crisis is the key personalities  Trump and Kim. Former director of US national intelligence retired Admiral Dennis Blair explains a consistency, which he says, has governed North Korean policy for decades  "[Kim] basically is carrying on that policy, which is to provoke, take outrageous actions below the level of triggering a major conflict with the United States and South Korea". Blair told Politico: "This pattern of operating below the level of a major war, but sufficiently alarming to get the attention of other governments, is quite consistent, and he seems to have updated it, pursues it perhaps more vigorously than others, but I don't see a radical change in the North Korean game." Loading
Frontier Airlines has announced more flights and additional destinations from Omaha.

The Denver-based discount carrier said Tuesday it is adding flights at Omaha's Eppley Airfield to Las Vegas, Philadelphia and San Francisco starting next spring.

Last week, Frontier announced it would add seasonal service from Omaha to Fort Myers, Florida, starting Nov. 9.

The Las Vegas flight will start April 8 and depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Philadelphia flight, which will be Omaha's only non-stop flight to that city, will start April 9 and depart on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The San Francisco flight will start June 4 and will depart on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Also Tuesday, Allegiant Airlines announced it will start flying twice a week from Omaha to Punta Gorda, Florida, which is about 25 miles north of Fort Myers.

Those flights will depart Omaha on Sundays and Thursdays beginning Dec. 14. Allegiant said the service is seasonal, but it did not give an ending date.
Beirut, Lebanon, 18-21 September 2017

The World Customs Organization (WCO), in cooperation with the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and with the support of Lebanese Customs organized the first WCO Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Train-the-Trainer Session for Customs officers on the prevention of illicit trafficking of cultural objects.

This practical hands-on training, which was held from 18 to 21 September 2017 at the UNESCO Beirut Office, was a highly successful gathering of over 40 participants including Customs officers from thirteen countries in the region, namely Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia. The training was delivered by trainers from different institutions, including INTERPOL, Customs and law enforcement agencies, Ministries of Culture, and the Lebanese Directorate General of Antiquities and academia. This was the first opportunity for the deployment and piloting of the training curriculum for Customs officers which is being currently developed by the WCO.

This Train-the-Trainer Session comes as a tangible step towards the implementation of the WCO Resolution on the Role of Customs in Preventing Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Objects adopted by the Council in July 2016 which reaffirms the commitment of the international Customs community to deploy actions to grave threats posed by this form of illicit trade. It also serves as a follow-up of the first WCO MENA workshop on The role of Customs in security and development: the function of cultural heritage protection, organized by the WCO in Hammamet, Tunisia, in the end of April 2017, thus addressing some of the action points underlined in the Hammamet Recommendations.

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Joe Kreidi, UNESCO Beiruts Programme Officer for Culture, highlighted that UNESCO, whos priority is to protect heritage, supported all parties concerned with the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2347, which explicitly states that attacks against archaeological sites and buildings shall be considered a war crime under international law and urges Member States to take the necessary steps to prevent and combat the illicit trafficking in cultural property. Hence, the value of this regional workshop in providing support to local Customs authorities in the MENA region through practical training on how to combat cross-border illicit trafficking in cultural property.

Mr. Assaad Tfaily, President of the Lebanese Higher Council of Customs, also addressed participants and stated that: Being rich in cultural heritage and being labelled as the cradle of civilizations, it was Lebanons duty to protect heritage and prevent smuggling and illicit trafficking of cultural properties. He continued to reaffirm Lebanese Customs commitment to fight the illicit trafficking of cultural objects, highlighting the value of this workshop as a platform for the exchange of information, experiences and expertise among participants.

Ms. Michelle Medina and Ms. Mariya Polner from the WCO recalled the WCO Resolution adopted in July 2016 on the Role of Customs in Preventing Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Objects and emphasized the need to empower Customs officers with practical tools and knowledge to implement the WCO Resolution, and to support future joint operational activities.

During the four-day workshop participants learnt about the identification and handling of cultural objects and about dedicated tools and instruments, developed by the WCO, INTERPOL, International Council of Museums (ICOM) and other international partners. Specific expertise was provided on risk management and targeting of cultural objects including some identified trends and patterns as well as concealment methods. The Training Session also included a visit to the National Museum of Beirut as well as a hands-on exercise conducted at the archeological site where issues related to legal excavation, documentation, storage and handling of cultural objects were raised with specialists. The WCO concluded the training by reaffirming is commitment to work closely with its Members and key stakeholders to build the necessary capacities to protect cultural heritage.
A flier made its way around the internet Monday that said former state Sen. Bill Kintner will be a candidate for Sarpy County assessor, and asking for voters' support on May 15.

Kintner responded to a Journal Star question via text on whether he was a candidate this way: "I have been approached by many taxpayers about running for the Sarpy County assessor. I am seriously considering doing it."

Kintner said he is talking and listening to people as he goes door-to-door in the county.

The flyer that is circulating says "Kintner for Assessor" and that he is running. It is paid for by Citizens for Kintner, and gives his Papillion address.

It quotes him as saying, "If you entrust me with your vote on May 15th, I will insist that each employee of the assessor's office treat the taxpayers like the important and valuable customers that they are, rather than servants of big government."

It also quotes President Calvin Coolidge, saying, "Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery."

Sarpy County Assessor Dan Pittman, who will also be a candidate for the job in 2018, his 20th year in the position, said he knew only that Kintner took the assessor's exam.

"You've just got to assume when someone does that, that their intentions are to run for assessor," Pittman said.

Still, he said, it would surprise him.

"It was just a short time ago he was in the public trust and he was asked to leave. And now he's asking to hold another government office," he said. "It just surprised me."

Kintner resigned from the Legislature in January after years of complaints about his behavior in office, a cybersex scandal, and calls from many for him to resign, including from Gov. Pete Ricketts and Sarpy County politicians, which he resisted.

The last straw was his retweet of a California radio host's post mocking a photo of three women protesting Donald Trump's hot-mic moment from 2005, in which he joked about grabbing women. That caused one state senator after another to stand up on the legislative floor and pressure Kintner to quit.

Pittman said when Kintner was a senator he probably heard from a lot of unhappy agricultural land owners because of their land values. Pittman met with him once when he was a senator to discuss legislation.

Both men are Republicans.

The assessor is responsible for the valuation of property in each county, because local services rely on property taxes for funding. He or she follows state law on assessments and conveys those to the county board, which has the ultimate authority on interpretation on such things as exemptions.

"This is the place to be for an assessor 'cause it's the fastest-growing county in the state," Pittman said. "Development's just very robust."
With a broad proposal for income and property tax reduction locked down in the Legislature by a successful filibuster, attention turned Tuesday to proposed reduction or repeal of personal property taxes applied essentially to business machinery and equipment.

Those taxes impede investment, productivity and job creation, participants in a Platte Institute legislative forum said.

Nebraska's personal property taxes are "some of the highest in the region," Scott Drenkard, director of state projects at the Tax Foundation, told an audience that included a large number of state senators.

And that has a negative impact on Nebraska's rate of economic growth, he said.

Drenkard suggested that senators could consider exempting new property that fits the current definition of personal property, enacting a local option provision that leaves those taxing decisions to the counties, or simply decide to repeal the tax.

Personal property taxes represent 5.6 percent, or $217 million, of the total property taxes collected statewide. Rural Nebraskans pay the most on a per capita basis.

Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, chairman of the Legislature's Revenue Committee, and Sen. Curt Friesen of Henderson, vice chairman of the committee, quickly ruled out the local option suggestion during an ensuing panel discussion.

Smith said elimination or reduction of the tax would spark investment of capital, business expansion and job creation.

Both senators pointed to replacement of lost revenue as the biggest obstacle to overcome.

Property taxes represent the biggest tax challenge in Nebraska, especially in rural areas, Friesen said. Imposition of the current personal property tax means that farmers and rural businesses are "punished in a way for trying to become more efficient and be better for the environment," he said.

Smith said he sees potential for legislative agreement on personal property tax reform.

"We need to improve the business climate in the state," he said. "We need to do something (that) bridges the divide between rural and urban Nebraska."

Friesen said the biggest challenge is "how to fund K-12 education," which now is funded primarily by local property taxes.

Following the forum, Smith said he is continuing to meet with Gov. Pete Ricketts to consider changes in the big tax reform bill that currently is trapped on the floor of the Legislature by a filibuster.

Supporters fell six senators short of acquiring the 33 votes that were needed to break the filibuster last spring. The Legislature will reconvene in January.

"The governor and I continue to have conversations (in) looking for a way forward," Smith said. "We have not settled on anything specific so far."

Smith said he will sit down with Ricketts again next week.

Ricketts opened the Platte Institute forum pointing to his "No. 1 priority to control the (state) budget and taxes."

That is "critical (for us) to remain competitive in attracting companies" to the state and creating new jobs, the governor said.
Understanding condensed-matter physics cant be easy, but figuring out how to get people to care about the science has been challenging, too.

Funsize Physics, a website launched and curated by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, aims to reinvent how condensed-matter researchers communicate their work to the world at large.

Shireen Adenwalla, a UNL professor of physics and astronomy, said the website was conceived by a 2015 National Science Foundation workshop of condensed-matter physicists concerned their work was largely unknown to the general public.

They all wanted to reach out to the public, they just didnt know how, Adenwalla said.

Discussions between physicists coalesced into the idea of a website used by researchers to explain their work in easy-to-understand language, Adenwalla said, and that kernel grew into a proposal that earned National Science Foundation funding in 2015.

In February 2016, the website built by Lincoln-based marketing company Firespring launched with a handful of articles featured on colorful and inviting postcard-sized links complete with pictures, diagrams and videos.

Jocelyn Bosley, assistant director for education and outreach at the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, who curates the website, said Funsize Physics aims to cut out the middle man for condensed-matter researchers and those interested in science and engineering.

The unique niche weve sort of carved out is taking contributions written by the researchers themselves and making it available on a public forum, Bosley said.

To do that, Funsize Physics  which just received another round of funding through 2020  is striving to not only be accessible, but meaningful for its audience.

We always talk about making this accessible to the public, but I think that can have a negative connotation for researchers in a way, like they are subtracting something from their work rather than adding to it, Bosley explained.

Headlines such as The Turbulent Tangle of Quantum Vortices draw readers to research from the University of Maryland in which liquid helium is cooled to ultra-cold temperatures, causing microscopic tornadoes to form.

Unlike these large-scale events, we do not understand why quantum vortices form, writes Daniel Lathrop, a professor of physics at Maryland. Knowing why these interesting events occur, and how they work, could help us better understand other turbulent events.

Researcher Carolina Ilie at the State University of New York at Oswego describes in The Future of Solar Energy is ... An Inkjet, how perovskite solutions  a specialized crystal structure to convert sunlight into electricity  could be manufactured using a simple computer printer.

With Funsize Physics operating out of their own backyard, UNL researchers are contributing, too  more than any other university, according to Bosley  including practical materials research as well as fun looks into the world of condensed-matter physics.

Peter Dowben, a physics professor at UNL, recently contributed an article about The Adventures of Solar Neutrons, which described the attempts by researchers to build sensors capable of detecting neutron radiation signals on the International Space Station.

We hope that what we learn with this experiment will help to advance the development of small, effective neutron detectors for use on Earth and in space, Dowben wrote, possibly leading to a glimpse into the nuclear-fusion processes that fuel our sun!

Bosley said Funsize Physics has generated nearly 16,000 page views from more than 5,300 unique users since its launch.

Using the second round of funding from the National Science Foundation, Bosley said the website hopes to grow the stable of contributors.

Those who have written about their research, whether that's practical materials research or a mind-blowing natural phenomena, have become better science communicators, Bosley said.

Through a website like Funsize Physics, I think they are adding value to their work by making it intelligible to a general audience," she said. "And they are having a lot of fun, too."
WSUs Walker Institute Hosts Political Civility Forum as New Director Takes Helm

September 26, 2017

OGDEN, Utah  Weber State Universitys Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service has invited two of Utahs top legislative leaders to tackle the topic of civility in politics at the annual Haven J. Barlow Fall Civic Leadership Forum.

Utah Sen. Jim Debakis, D-Salt Lake City, and House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, will discuss Civility and Policy in Utah Politics on Oct. 9 at noon in the Shepherd Union Ballrooms. The event is open to all and includes a free lunch for anyone who RSVPs via email to walkerinstitute@weber.edu.

The forum marks the first event under the leadership of the new director of the Walker Institute, Robert Hunter.

The title of the Walker Institute includes the words public service, Hunter said. In my opinion, the best public service any politician or political institution can perform is to treat other politicians and other political institutions with civility and respect. The Walker Institutes goal is to create and build upon that atmosphere among the citizens and leaders of our community.

Hunter stepped into the role as Walker Institute director after 17 years as president and CEO of United Way of Northern Utah. Among many responsibilities, he is a member of the Utah advisory committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, chair of Weber Human Services and a Weber County Housing Authority commissioner. Hunter formerly served as Wasatch Front Regional Council of Governments chair, Weber County Commission chair and Ogden City manager.

Hunter is well known to the Wildcat community. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Art/Visual Communication-Design from Weber State in 1968. He has also taught as an adjunct professor for 24 years in the departments of political science and communication.

Hunter has spent many years in public service, promoting collaboration among government, nonprofit and business leadership. He says civility is the bedrock of collaboration and the best way to serve the community.

I believe in joining hands instead of waving fists, Hunter said. The skys the limit when you work that way.

Visit weber.edu/walkerinstitute for more news about the Walker Institute.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Dan Welch raises cattle and horses in the Sandhills.

He came to Lincoln Friday, along with a slew of other folks from the area, to tell the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee how he's doing.

"Well, this summer we had a drought, the hay crop's about half, we fought three range fires, cattle market's depressed, taxes are going out the roof," he told senators.

Add to that, the Sandhills are being invaded from the south by electric transmission lines and from the north by wind turbines, he said.

And that was the point of his testimony.

The committee met for more than four hours to hear testimony on a resolution (LR125) introduced by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Dan Hughes that studied public power in Nebraska, including the role of renewable energy in state economic development. And a number of people from entities such as the Southwest Power Pool testified.

But Hughes opened up the hearing after that for those who traveled hundreds of miles to tell their stories.

Welch said three years ago he got three letters from the Nebraska Public Power District saying it would give him 80 percent of his property value for his land and explaining eminent domain.

Now, he said, his land has been condemned, and he hoped senators would take action on a "recent problem that has dire consequences on the environment, tourism, property rights and the people of Nebraska."

It affects at least 189 families, he said.

"We understand today that NPPD has no one to answer to. But today, they're going to answer to the people in the Sandhills ... because we're tired. We're tired," he said.

NPPD is working on a $361 million transmission project, 345,000-volt line, called the R-Project, that would stretch from the southeast corner of Holt County west to Thedford, then south and west to the Gerald Gentleman Station. It would cross 423 properties requiring NPPD to get 644 easements from 185 owners.

NPPD has said the line would improve electric reliability for the region, relieve congested transmission systems and create opportunities for development of renewable energy generators like wind turbines.

It was conceived by the Southwest Power Pool, which oversees most of the electric grid and wholesale power market in 14 states.

NPPD used a comprehensive public involvement process during the siting of the transmission line, it said, with three rounds of public open house meetings and additional meetings for those interested. Eight public hearings were held in November 2014, and public input was encouraged throughout the entire process.

Stuart Scranton, who lives south of Thedford, has a 125-volt power line on his property that he said is not environmentally friendly. And he has concerns about the bigger lines NPPD wants to put into the area.

He constantly battles land erosion, he said, and this would make it worse.

He came to Lincoln to get state elected officials to open "dim eyes" and "deaf ears" to the landowners' concerns, he said. There are shorter routes, he said.

"It would be devastating to the eco of the land and with all the wildlife," Scranton said.

The burying beetles in the area put nutrients back in the land, he said, and could be disturbed by the project.

Vickie May, of northern Holt County, wanted to talk about the wind turbines on her property, the closest one a little more than a mile from her house, that have ruined the family's life.

"I don't know where to start," she said, her voice shaking.

"From our south corner we look at 72 wind turbines. It is like a jet plane revving up to take off, but the plane never leaves. That sound is constantly with you."

The family gets little sleep, and she has health problems she's never in her life experienced, May said.

"It breaks my heart to think that everything we have worked our whole life for we may have to abandon or we may have to sell out," she said.

Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon introduced a bill last session that calls for a two-year moratorium on wind energy projects and placement of turbines.

The 19,300-square-mile sand dune formation located in north-central Nebraska is one of the largest tracts of grassland remaining in the United States, Brewer said, and has 1 million acres of wetland. The Sandhills also recharges several extensive aquifers of the Ogallala Aquifer.

The sand dunes of the region provide habitat for more than 700 native plant species, 300 species of birds, 55 species of mammals, 75 of fish, and 27 of reptile and amphibians.

Eighty percent of the world's population of sandhills cranes migrate through the area every year.

He told the committee at the end of the hearing he didn't know how senators could listen for two hours to the landowners and not have a burning sadness about what is happening with the R-Project and wind energy "ripping apart the fabric of the Sandhills."

Committee member Bruce Bostelman of Brainard said he had personally fought the battle three years and had lived a lot their stories.

"We need to be smart about it. If we're going to use renewables (energy), fine. Let's do them in the right place, at the right time, with input from the people who live there," he said.
By WestKyStar & W Sep. 25, 2017 | 09:14 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Oktoberfest!

October 9, 6 pm

Kitchens Cafe, 905 Harrison Street in WKCTC Paducah School of Art and Design

2D and Graphic Design Building

Age: Adults Instructor: Chef Jessi Donaldson

Cost: $45

Couldn't make it to Munich this year? Make your own Oktoberfest! This evening, enjoy Flammenkuche: German style pizza, Gurkensalat: German Cucumber Salad and Schnitzel with Bavarian Bread Dumplins and Caraway Braised Cabbage.



One Night Intro to Cake Decorating Basics

October 12, 6 pm

WKCTC Emerging Technology Center Cyber Cafe

Age: Adults Instructor: Linda Mayes

Cost: $28.50

Learn how to make a great cake starting with the basics. Students will level, torte and ice cakes. They will also learn basic decorations such as star, shell, rosette, dot and more in only one class! Recommended for all skill levels. An additional cost for supplies - approximately $23. For a full list of class supplies, visit ws.kctcs.edu/westkentucky; click on Culinary Classes and select class.



Floral Design Offering

Basic Floral Design

October 12, 19, 26 and November 6, 6 - 8 pm

WKCTC Emerging Technology Center, Room 222

Age: Adults Instructor: Maryann Cain

Cost: $89

Maryann will introduce participants to the world of floral design. This class will focus on how to arrange fresh flowers and how to make bridal bouquets and boutonnieres, wreaths and holiday arrangements. Students will learn how to make bows and step by step floral design to create their own style and ultimately make their own arrangements. Class meets four times on three consecutive Thursday evenings and one Monday evening. Students will be responsible for some supplies.



For more information about the Community Education Catalog or upcoming offerings, contact Tina Clark at tina.clark@kctcs.edu or 270-534-3821.



West Kentucky Community and Technical College will offer a variety of community education courses in October including two new classes to learn the basics of sign language and artistic fiber arts weaving. Classes are listed as follows.Lifestyle, Fitness and Hobbies OfferingBeginning Sign Language - NEWOctober 2 - 16, 6 - 8 pmWKCTC Skilled Craft Training Center, Room 107 - Hickory, KYInstructor: Nancy StrongCost: $45This beginning class includes an introduction to the Deaf culture. Over 200 signs will be taught with classroom time utilized to practice these words and phrases. If you've ever wanted to learn sign language, this class is a good start. Class meets three consecutive Monday evenings.Paducah School of Art OfferingsPhotoshop - Digital ManipulationOctober 2, 9, 16, & 23, 6:30 - 9 pmWKCTC Paducah School of Art and Design2D and Graphic Design Building, 905 Harrison Street, Room 111Age: Adults Instructor: Alan JacksonCost: $115Participants will learn how to use Adobe Photoshop to manipulate images, create composite images and retouch photographs. Students must be computer literate. This course is a perfect introduction to the power of Photoshop for beginners or to add to basic skills with the software.Camera Phone 101October 7, 14, and 21, 9:30 am - noonWKCTC Paducah School of Art and Design2D and Graphic Design Building, 905 Harrison Street Paducah, Room 111Age: Adults Instructor: JP RheaCost: $109 (includes $10 fee for studio supplies)Learn how to take better photographs with a mobile device or smart phone. This class covers basic photographic considerations such as framing and the rule of thirds, lighting considerations such as the Golden Hour and using bounces and/or reflectors, as well as photo editing options using mobile apps (for Android and iPhone). Participants will also learn about output options for uploading to social media and printing hard copies of photographs.Introduction to Weaving - NEWOctober 7, 9:30 am - 3 pmWKCTC Paducah School of Art and Design2D and Graphic Design Building, 905 Harrison Street, Room 205Age: AdultsCost: Cost $109 (includes $10 fee for studio supplies)This fiber art workshop provides a basic introduction to weaving and its application to create art with or without any looms. The course will build concepts and skills toward more advanced projects using the looms. Student supply cost will depend upon choice of materials with which to work.Photographic Fundamentals 102October 10 - November 7, 6. - 8 p.m.WKCTC Emerging Technology Center Room 214Age: Adults Instructor: Jim EthridgeCost: $115Delve deeper into what it takes to produce great photographs. Hands-on exercise in class will push participants to experiment what is possible through photography. There is a review of the basics and in-class discussion of several photographic subjects. A local field trip is planned for the class. An understanding of basic terminology and camera operation is helpful. Class meets five consecutive Tuesday evenings. Please bring your own camera to class. Digital cameras are recommended for this class. (Not a point and shoot.)Oil Painting Fabric and Pattern from LifeOctober 14 and 21, 9:30 am - noonWKCTC Paducah School of Art and Design2D and Graphic Design Building, 905 Harrison Street, Room 201Age: Adults Instructor: Tanya NeitzkeDuring this workshop, students will learn how to mix colors from a limited palette and will be introduced to oil painting techniques to paint fabric from life. Participants will need to purchase and bring the following and wear appropriate clothing or bring an apron to class. For a full list of class supplies, visit ws.kctcs.edu/westkentucky; click on Paducah School of Art & Design and select class.Culinary Offerings
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By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 25, 2017 | 09:54 PM | FULTON, KY

Representative Steven Rudy (R-Paducah) was honored with a Friend of Kentucky Cities award Monday night at the City of Fulton Board of Commissioners meeting. The Friend of Kentucky Cities award is given by the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) to legislators who perform outstanding work in the legislature advocating for issues that impact cities across the state.

I am truly humbled to receive this award, said Rep. Steven Rudy. I want to thank the Kentucky League of Cities for this honor. Since our historic victory in November, the Republican majority in Frankfort has put a premium on job creation, fiscal responsibility, and disallowing bloated government from infringing on economic opportunity for Kentuckians. My colleagues and I share the same goal of serving our districts as well as we possibly can. I am motivated to do right by the people that I am honored to represent, and I will continue to work every day for the values and needs of the Jackson Purchase.

Representative Rudy has continued to show a willingness to work on behalf of Kentucky cities, said J.D. Chaney, KLC deputy executive director. In the 2017 legislative session Representative Rudy sponsored House Bill 337, which was a KLC initiative that modified reimbursement criteria for local law enforcement training. The new law helps cities bear the cost of training more equitably. Representative Rudy also carried Senate Bill 11 in the House to lift the moratorium on nuclear power plants in Kentucky.

Jonathan Steiner, executive director/CEO of the Kentucky League of Cities, also commended Representative Rudy: Representative Rudy has been a strong voice for Kentucky cities in Frankfort. He has consistently championed measures that support home rule. We appreciate his support and are pleased to have the opportunity to award his dedication to issues impacting municipalities.
It was an epoch-defining decision to place in Westminster Abbey, among statues of monarchs, priests and poets, a large one of James Watt, inventor of the separate-condenser steam engine.

The statue's inscription says Watt ranks among the world's benefactors because he "increased the power of man." The economist and historian Deirdre McCloskey believes this honor, conferred in 1834, signified society's endorsement of the dignity of practical people who apply science for human betterment.

The Great Enrichment is McCloskey's term for what, in a sense, started with steam and has been, she believes, the most important human development since the invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago. The development is the explosion of economic growth that began around 1800 and has, especially since reaching China and India, lifted billions of people from poverty.

Today, however, the Great Enrichment might be running out of steam in the United States, which for two centuries has given propulsive energy to it.

In 1800, McCloskey says, the world's economy was where Bangladesh's economy now is, with no expectation of change. Today, most of the jobs that existed just a century ago are gone. And we are delighted that this protracted disruption occurred.

Now, however, the Great Enrichment is being superseded by the Great Flinch, a recoil against the frictions and uncertainties -- the permanent revolution -- of economic dynamism. If this continues, the consequences, from increased distributional conflicts to decreased social mobility, are going to be unpleasant.

Although America is said to be -- and many Americans are -- seething about economic grievances, Tyler Cowen thinks a bigger problem is complacency. In his latest book, "The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream," Cowen, professor of almost everything (economics, law, literature) at George Mason University and co-author of the Marginal Revolution blog, argues that the complacent class, although a minority, is skillful at entrenching itself in ways detrimental to the majority.

For 40 years, Cowen believes, "we have been building toward stasis," with a diminishing "sense of urgency." Americans and American businesses are, on average, older than ever. Interstate migration -- a risk-taking investment in a hoped-for future -- has been declining since the mid-1980s.

Although there is much talk about job churning, the percentage of workers with five or more years on the job has increased in 20 years from 44 to more than 50. Declining labor mobility is partly the result of the domestic protectionism of occupational licensing. "In the 1950s," Cowen writes, "only about 5 percent of workers required a government-issued license to do their jobs, but by 2008, that figure had risen to about 29 percent."

There is "more pairing of like with like" (assortative mating, economically homogenous neighborhoods, segregation by educational status) and the nation is losing the capacity and will "to regenerate itself."

In the 19th century and much of the 20th century, travel speeds increased dramatically; since the 1970s, ground and air congestion has slowed travel. Fifty-two years ago, children's most common leisure activity was outdoor play; today, the average 9-year-old spends 50 hours a week staring at electronic screens.

Today, Cowen notes, campuses are one of society's segments "where the complacent class exercises its strongest influences," doing so to preserve, like flies in amber, its status and consensus, thereby slowing what the economist Vilfredo Pareto called the "circulation of elites."

Most alarming is American democracy becoming a gerontocracy. The Steuerle-Roeper Fiscal Democracy Index measures how much of the allocation of government revenues is determined by current democratic processes and how much by prior decisions establishing permanent programs running on autopilot. The portion of the federal budget automatically spent by choices made years ago is approaching 90 percent.

An aging population is devouring an increasing portion of national resources -- federal revenues dispersed by the entitlement state to provide Social Security and Medicare to the elderly, the nation's past. This will worsen. Because government is more important to its elderly beneficiaries than to any other age cohort, a higher percentage of the elderly vote compared to any younger cohort.

For complacent Americans, a less dynamic, growth-oriented nation seems less like an alarming prospect than a soothing promise of restfulness. In a great testimonial to capitalism's power, "The Communist Manifesto," Karl Marx wrote: "All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify. All that is solid melts into air."

Complacent, because comfortable, Americans have had enough of that.
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The face of young American workers, their jobs and where they work is changing.

By 2018, employers will see as many as five generations working side by side. More than 60 million baby boomers will exit the workforce, and, by 2025, only 40 million new workers will enter to replace them. Advancements in technology will help alleviate some labor shortages but not in all sectors. Estimates suggest millennials could make up as much as 75 percent of the U.S. workforce by 2025.

Young workers today are more likely to be underemployed, earning less, living at home with their parents, delaying marriage and dependent on technology. They are less likely to be affiliated with a political party or connected to religion.

Here is what we also know. Todays young workers are highly engaged with their work. Additionally, the jobs of todays young workers are more mobile than they have been for any other generation. Good jobs can be as easy to locate as a good internet connection, whether you are in Albion or Atlanta, McCook or Miami, Lexington or London.

As the mobility of jobs continues to increase, communities must ask how they can become more attractive to young workers. Community vibrancy is an ever-increasing factor in todays job marketplace as workers can often choose from where they work instead of simply locating to where jobs are located.

The attraction, retention and development of young workers is vitally important for communities hoping to remain relevant in the rapidly expanding and diversified economy of the 21st century. It is with this focus in mind that community leaders across the state of Nebraska have developed strategies to target this talent pool through attraction and retention efforts, including a specific priority to ask young workers what the community can do to make it more attractive as a place to live and work.

Yet, no one community knows all the best practices in attraction, retention and development of young talent, and leaders and communities are constantly faced with limited resources. As such, a concerted statewide coalition of leaders working together, sharing best practices and resources across the state, to focus the spotlight on young talent and vibrant communities together is the next step in making sure we are at the forefront for young workers.

Young Nebraskans Week will be a carefully curated series of speakers, discussion panels, workshops and networking opportunities hosted by communities across the state that celebrate the talent, insight and energy of young professionals working in Nebraska while also exploring the intersection between cultures and cities.

Developed by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and modeled after Lincolns Young Professionals Groups annual YP Week, Young Nebraskans Week aims to concentrate our states focus on growing, retaining and developing our youngest members of the workforce. We know that highlighting the best of what Nebraska offers is how we win the fight for young talent and helps to keep Nebraska prosperous.

As we launch Young Nebraskans Week in 2018, we will be working throughout the state with local partners to create a dynamic environment focused on young workers.

We will call upon industry, labor, chambers of commerce, economic development partners and many others to help make this initiative as strong as possible. We ask every Nebraskan to join our coalition in the fight to attract and retain young workers to our state.

Collaboration is the new competition.
As an equal rights advocate, I am spurred to action. As a voter who happens to be gay, I am beyond concerned. I am talking about a candidate for Legislature, Al Riskowski. He simply does not represent Nebraska values.

Let me explain his record. Back in 2015, when the second ruling for marriage equality took place, he said that it will be "seen as a ruling thats going to create many more problems for us as a nation than its going to solve." I would argue that nuclear war with North Korea creates more problems for us as a nation than two men getting married.

He and his organization, the Nebraska Family Alliance, also weighed in heavily during the debate for transgender student athletes getting simple access to locker rooms that conform to their self identification.

In 2013, the Journal Star quoted him during the NSAA debacle, saying: Our concern is that this type of policy can create so many difficulties for the school in so many different ways. Never mind specifically spelling out what those difficulties may be, other than the obvious that him and his ilk couldnt marginalize a student athlete anymore.

Lastly, is the so-called conscience clause for rules and regulations promulgated by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services for referrals of mental health patients.

I understand that its mainly the Nebraska Catholic Conference promoting suicide of LGBT individuals, but I would hope that Al Riskowski would support mental health awareness for all and not abandon patients in great need of consoling.

His absence in this debate is telling, and I definitely claim that a vote for Al Riskowski is a vote for bigotry. Nebraska, please dont let him further his legacy of hatred.

Luke Peterson, Lincoln
RACINE  Bluebirds and tree swallows may be attracted to the lakefront at Samuel Myers Park, thanks to a partnership between the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps and the City of Racine Health Department.

On Monday, Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps members mounted four nesting boxes on 5-foot-tall posts at Myers. The park on 11th Street, east of Main Street, has been the location for an ongoing habitat and park transformation work.

According to CCC officials, the organization teamed with the Health Department to build and mount the nesting boxes, specifically designed to draw bluebirds and/or tree swallows, as habitat for migratory birds traveling between temporal zones and continents.

In addition to helping encourage Racine to serve as (an officially designated) Bird City, the organizations hope the thriving bird populations will function as biological indicators of the health of the near-shore Lake Michigan ecosystem, the CCC stated. The locally based Hoy Audobon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, will be monitoring the birdhouses after installation.

The CCC has also been doing similar projects in the Milwaukee area, working with the U.S. Geological Survey, said CCC Director Chris Litzau. He said his organization built 19 nesting boxes for the Racine area and will be working with the Geological Survey to identify other sites where the other boxes can be mounted along the Root River, looking first at publicly owned lands.

The Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps is a local nonprofit organization that educates and trains young adults to complete public infrastructure redevelopment projects. It serves as the modern-day successor to the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration of the 1930s. It was conceived to address regional social and physical challenges in southeastern Wisconsin.
A long list of health care experts says the Republican bill to dismantle most of President Obamas health insurance program would be a disaster.

The American Medical Association is against it. Insurance providers are against it. Patient groups are against it. Sen. Bill Cassidys bill, coauthored with Sen. Lindsey Graham, would cut federal spending on Medicaid by amounts one consultant called jaw-dropping. If the bill passes, 21 million fewer people would have health insurance in 2026 than under current law, according to a study by the Brookings Institution and USC.

To which Cassidy says, in effect: Pay no attention to the experts. More people will have coverage, he promised last week. And we protect those with preexisting conditions  another claim many have contested.

It would be nice if we could turn to a trusted, nonpartisan referee to sort out these conflicting claims  something like the Congressional Budget Office, whose director was appointed by Congress Republican leaders to provide nonpartisan advice in just this kind of situation.

But Cassidy and Graham threw their proposal together so quickly that the CBO hasnt had time to study it. The budgeteers are scrambling to deliver a bare-bones report next week, but it wont include estimates of the bills effect on insurance coverage, premiums or the federal deficit  which was pretty much the main point.

Congress normally waits for those numbers before voting on an important bill like this. It also usually holds hearings to ask experts what they think. But with a Sept. 30 deadline under the rule that allows them to pass a bill with only 50 votes, Senate leaders decided to dispense with the niceties and plunge ahead.

As one GOP senator acknowledged, this bill is important mainly as an act of political symbolism  never mind that it would reshape the health care of millions of people.

You know, I could maybe give you 10 reasons why this bill shouldnt be considered, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, a crusty GOP elder, told reporters with disarming candor. But Republicans campaigned on this so often that you have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign. Thats pretty much as much of a reason as the substance of the bill.

On one level, this is just another story of partisan polarization and the erosion of the Senates tradition of slow, bipartisan legislating  the regular order Sen. John McCain complained was missing when he announced Friday that he would vote against the bill.

Its another step, as well, in the creeping marginalization of the CBO, which Republicans have grown to hate because its nonpartisan experts often deliver unwelcome news. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has derided the budget office as corrupt and called for its abolition, even though its current director is a Republican appointee. That conflict will continue as the Trump administration tries to steer a big tax-cut bill through Congress this fall.

In a broader sense, this is also a story about what some scholars have dubbed the death of expertise: the increasing willingness of politicians and ordinary citizens not only to dismiss what experts say, but to brand it as partisan claptrap if they disagree.

Thats not entirely a new phenomenon. The historian Richard Hofstadter wrote about it in his 1963 classic Anti-Intellectualism in American Life. But it has clearly escalated in recent years as partisan think tanks on both right and left have joined older, nonpartisan institutions in the battle of ideas, and as partisan cable networks have broadcast each sides arguments more widely with little regard to objective reality.

President Trump has contributed too, by rejecting propositions most other people consider to be facts. He once claimed that climate change was a hoax invented by China; and he has insisted that millions of people voted illegally on election day.

In this environment, it makes a certain kind of sense that a nonexpert has become the most effective spokesman for the fact-based healthcare opposition: ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel, whose infant son underwent open-heart surgery on his first day of life.

He argued on his show that Cassidys bill flunked the Kimmel test  that it would not guarantee healthcare to any child who needed it, regardless of family income.

Cassidy said Kimmel was wrong, and some on the right told Kimmel to leave policy to the policy wonks. But as if that werent ironic enough (given that Republicans have done their best to ignore the experts), the wonks have generally sided with Kimmel against Cassidy.

More people will have coverage, Cassidy promised.

Quite the opposite, say almost all of the nonpartisan experts.

We protect those with pre-existing conditions, Cassidy added.

Except his bill includes a provision under which states can allow insurers to charge higher prices to people with health problems.

As Cassidy noted in a March op-ed column, its important to get the facts right. Ronald Reagan said that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts, the senator wrote.

Actually, Reagan didnt say that. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the Democratic senator from New York, did. But its the right idea.
Everything youve heard about Mark Twain and me is true: I wont deny it. Twain and I have had a relationship for years.

An intimate companion in my academic work, Twains line  Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.  became my motto. As a resident of Connecticut, I have the good fortune to call myself a neighbor of Twains and can brag about being a regular visitor to his home.

In fact, its gone beyond that: Im now one of the trustees of the Mark Twain House and Museum. My husband knows about it and approves. As a professor of American literature, Michaels forged quite the relationship with Mark Twain himself over the years.

Is it odd to be talking about Twain as if he were still alive? Not really  not since Twain is publishing an entirely new, never-before-seen book on Sept. 26. Not many dead authors get to aim for the bestseller list. (Look, Im still aiming for my last book to get into paperback.)

Please understand that Twains death was not greatly exaggerated: Its not as if Samuel Clemens (the authors real name) has been found playing billiards and smoking cigars in his restored Hartford home. What has been discovered among his papers at the University of California Berkeley, however, are notes detailing characters Twain invented for the stories he told his children before bedtime.

A keen-eyed scholar unearthed these while researching a possible paper on Twain and food. He was given the pages because they contained the word oleomargarine.

Oleomargarine turns out to be both inedible and delicious. Its the name of the rotten little kid in The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine. The glorious book being published by Random House.

The new work exists because other people also have intimate relationships with Mark Twain, shockingly enough. The Caldecott medal-winning author and illustrator team of Erin and Philip Stead collaborated with Twains ghost and brought to life the story of an innocent, humble and resilient boy named Johnny.

Johnny is destined to become as much a part of Twain lore as Tom, Huck, Jim and The Mysterious Stranger.

Initially referred to as Our Luckless Hero and illustrated as a child of indeterminate ethnicity, astonishing sympathy and unsurpassed compassion, by the end of the tale, Johnny emerges as (spoiler alert) triumphant.

As Michael Meyer argues in his introduction to Twains 1869 The Innocents Abroad, (I told you my husband had his own relationship with the author) Twains characteristic concern is for the welfare of humanity, particularly the impoverished and the disenfranchised.

That concern is at the heart of Prince Oleomargarine.

Despite the grinding poverty and brutality of his lonely upbringing, you see, Johnny remains capable of the rarest of deeds: providing unprovoked kindness to others.

Twains newest hero possesses another rare skill: the ability to communicate fluently with animals. By speaking simply and from his heart, Johnny even learns how to make himself understood by the most savage of all creatures  human beings.

Twains signature ability to embody complexities  moral, economic and social  in straightforward terms without diminishing them is one reason this new book is clearly part of the Twain canon. As his co-author, Philip Steads playful interaction with Twain on the page  sometimes they agree but occasionally they are at odds  intensifies the pleasure of seeing the tale emerge from the fragments.

Young readers can hear the graver notes without losing track of the plot and older readers can, like Johnny, translate meaningful ideas into tangible actions.

Speaking of tangible, there are direct benefits, as well as indirect ones, attached to The Purloining of the Prince of Oleomargarine. As Peiter N. Roos, executive director of The Mark Twain House and Museum, says, We are both delighted and grateful to be receiving a small share of the royalties of the book, which will help us fulfill our mission as the primary steward of Twains legacy.

Stories from our childhood remain with us. Throughout our lives, they continue to influence us in subtle but profound ways. Ridiculing absurd rules, satirizing unjust laws and championing the idea that to be without money is not the same as being without worth, Twains works steadfastly remain examples of great American literature.

Join me in welcoming Johnny. Youll love him.
TOWN OF NORWAY  Ongoing dry conditions and hot weather have resulted in a burning ban in the Norway/Wind Lake area until further notice.

Wind Lake Fire Chief Rob Robins ordered the ban on Friday; he said it will remain in place at least until later this week, when some rain is in the forecast.

Robins said he was particularly worried about the abundance of brush, dry crops and harvest stubble in the town.

"Everything out there's like one big bale of straw," Robins said.

Other local fire chiefs said Monday that while they had not issued burning bans, the state Department of Natural Resources had issued advisories about the ongoing dry conditions and the potential for wild land fires.
RAYMOND  A Waukesha man has been charged after allegedly using drugs and parking his vehicle in the middle of an Interstate 94 off ramp.

Adrian Joseph Mata, 37, of the 500 block of Wood Street, was charged on Monday with misdemeanor counts of failure to install an ignition interlock device, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated-third offense, and a felony charge of possession of narcotic drugs, his second or subsequent offense.

According to the criminal complaint:

Deputies responded Saturday to a report of vehicle in the middle of the southbound Seven Mile Road ramp off I-94.

The driver, later identified as Mata, had a valid drivers license, but he was required to have an interlock device because of a previous OWI and his vehicle did not contain one. Mata was reported to have slightly slurred speech, spoke very quickly and was sweaty and allegedly told deputies he did not realize he had stopped in the driving lane.

Deputies reportedly found a short plastic straw and small bag corner in Matas vehicle. Mata allegedly admitted to possessing a narcotic suboxone pill, but not having a prescription. Mata reportedly told police he had crushed and snorted it about 30 minutes before being stopped on the ramp. He said he had taken the drug to deal with the effects of heroin withdrawal.

Mata allegedly failed sobriety tests and authorities found a wallet with a piece of paper containing a grey, partially crushed substance, which later tested positive for heroin. Two additional plastic bag corners, cut plastic straws and a blue glass pipe with a charred substance were also found, which deputies reported are devices used to ingest controlled substances.

Mata agreed to an evidentiary blood draw and reportedly submitted a statement saying: I am under influence of drugs. Its the reason Im under arrest.

Mata remained in custody at the County Jail as of Monday evening, online records show. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Oct. 5 at the Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
ANC faces dreadful choices as voters grow more sceptical

The outcome of the December conference will affect the ANCs subsequent election prospects more directly than any of its six preceding meetings since 1991.

South Africas governing African National Congress is caught between the mythological monsters Scylla and Charybdis as it heads towards its crucial 54th national elective conference in December. In choosing its new leader the partys factions could push its leadership succession battle to a finale that produces a credible winner and leads to the partys purported self-correction. But the process could just as easily split the party further and damage its already dented 2019 electoral prospects.

Either way, the ANC of 2017 faces dreadful choices.

Amid this comes the rallying call for unity at the conference.

But unity has become an over exploited catchall for ANC provincial power brokers and candidates. For unity to work beyond the conference, mountains of looting and corruption will have to be swept under a carpet of compromise and inclusion.

The most likely outcome is that South Africas cynical and savvy new electorate will be left underwhelmed which is why the outcome of the December conference will affect the ANCs subsequent election prospects more directly than any of its six preceding meetings since 1991. These were Mangaung (2012, Polokwane (2007), Stellenbosch (2002), Mafikeng (1997), Bloemfontein (1994) and Durban (1991). The last two  Mangaung and Polokwane  laid the foundation for the partys current woes.

Road to self-destruction

Previous leadership contests  structured equally by actual voting by delegates and deal making  have shaped the character of the organisation.

Jacob Zumas Pyrrhic 2007 victory in Polokwane to become ANC president brought in the fleeting belief that the ANC was reconnecting with the people and that it was set to drive radical change.

Its dramatic impact was matched only by the 1991 conference in Durban  held after the unbanning of the ANC but before it assumed power in the 1994 elections.

The contest in Durban was precarious. Different groupings  former exiles and political prisoners on the one hand, and those who had remained to lead the liberation struggle internally on the other  had to be accommodated. Compromises were reached. Among others, Cyril Ramaphosa became secretary-general and Jacob Zuma deputy secretary-general. This united front was accepted widely.

In 1994, Ramaphosa retained his position, while Thabo Mbeki slipped into the deputy presidency and Zuma became the national chairperson. Mbeki, Zuma and Ramaphosa now constituted a triangle of power that set the tone for turmoil in the decades to come. Mbeki leapfrogged Ramaphosa to become president of the ANC in 1997. The effect of this was to side-line Ramaphosa from the main succession line, and to open the door to Zumas ascendance. This in turn established the tracks for future power trysts and discreditation.

As the countrys president from 1999 Mbeki became maligned by the left for championing neo-liberal policies. Yet he won a second term. The resolutions at the 2002 conference showed a state that was confident of its abilities to eradicate the social scourges of the day. But Mbeki baulked at entrusting this project to his deputy Zuma who was already implicated in arms deal corruption. The only way to stop Zuma would have been to bring charges  a decision that was unpalatable in the prevailing climate because the charges would have come across as being politicised.

The transition from Mbeki to Zuma catalysed the process of self-destruction in the ANC. Zumas formal rise to power followed his involvement in the arms deal saga. Multiple scandals followed, including a rape case in which he was acquitted, and detailed allegations that he facilitated state capture by his networks of family and associates.

In his second term, Zumas loyalists bent on mobilising for their turn at the trough, entrenched their hold on power, fusing the ANCs succession contests with guarding access to political power and state resources.

The ANC has gone into all previous conferences reasonably secure about its electoral support. Leadership elections in the previous rounds have not been accompanied by concerns over whether or not the choice of leadership would pose any electoral risk.

Thats changed. Corruption in government has become a major issue for the electorate and public trust in state institutions is evaporating. This loss of support was evident in the 2014 and 2016 elections.

Yet, depending on the leaders it chooses, the ANC runs the risk of either ceding its outright electoral majority nationally, and even potentially in provinces beyond the Western Cape  the only province it does not run  to opposition coalitions. Or becoming dependent on questionable small parties to forge governing coalitions.

Opinion surveys over the last year all show a singular direction: the need to cleanse state of Zumaist influences, and minimal tolerance of corruption. Yet the ANC succession campaigns have been vacillating, often ignoring the dangling sword.

This means that for the first time since its unbanning the ANC requires foundational renewal and correction. Its supporters and general electorate are no longer content with conference resolutions that simply promise to root out corruption, as was the case in Mangaung 2012.

Quest for unity

These realities leave the ANC with unpalatable choices: does it maintain unity in its leadership contest and avoid angry fall-outs  and even another split? ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe assumes that unity can be infused by electing

a leadership that will send a signal that we are serious about stopping looting from our people.

Yet efforts to drive unity have put little emphasis on exorcising corruption and correcting the ANC.

Several unity initiatives have been aired since the run-up to the ANCs mid-year policy conference in June. For example, in a poorly sponsored initiative Zuma, as president, proposed that the loser of the presidential race automatically become the deputy president.

Subsequent bilateral meetings between ANC provincial executives have attempted forging united fronts in multiple guises. Proposed amendments to the ANC constitution (to be deliberated at the conference, just prior to the final nominations in December) include several options to accommodate a greater number of top ANC officials.

Even the ANC parliamentary caucuses stance in August 2017s opposition driven vote of no confidence was a manifestation of the unity above all mantra. It pointed to the type of ANC that might follow if unity prevails over the substance of governance.

Weaknesses that followed that vote included further declines in state-owned entities (South African Airways, and the power utility Eskom, for example), evidence of the capture of the National Treasury and attempted capture of the Public Investment Corporation, while private sector associates to the Gupta-Zuma network went into tailspins.

High stakes

None of the preceding conferences could prepare the ANC for the decisions, including leadership choices, that the December conference is required to deliver. The stakes are high and the delegates task unenviable.

They will be presiding over an ANC that squirms in Scyllas clutches, amid differences over the theme of unity. Simultaneously, they will be fighting to avoid the crosscurrents of Charybdis whirlpool. This, as the electorate demands that the ANC show integrity and accountability. Unity above all might entail unpalatable compromises. A post-Zuma order that still bears the Zuma imprint may not be good enough, even if keeps the ANC united.

Susan Booysen, Professor in the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
UNION GROVE  Union Grove High School hosted its third annual Broncos Business, Career & College Expo on Sept. 13.

The event featured approximately 70 businesses from Union Grove and surrounding areas. It was open to the public with an aim to assist students with career and academic planning.

It was really exciting to see and meet so many people from the Union Grove community, said Travis Wetzel, Union Grove High Schools new career and technical education coordinator.

There is so much benefit for our students and parents to be able to have so many professionals from several career clusters and college representatives here on one night, Wetzel said. One of our goals for the event is for students to connect with employers to arrange Career-Based Learning Experiences.

New this year was the addition of the colleges. There were about 28 different colleges represented. The Business, College and Career Expo was and will continue to be a must-attend event for Union Grove High School students, families and community members, Wetzel said. Regardless of students post-secondary plan, there was information for all students.

The fourth annual event is already being planned for 2018. Stay tuned to the school website for information to be posted for next years expo. We are always looking to add businesses. Wetzel says.

For more information, contact Wetzel at wetztra@ug.k12.wi.us and https://www.ug.k12.wi.us.




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SOMERS  UW-Parksides Assistant Professor of Biology Chris Noto, working with a team of other archaeologists and professors, assisted in the discovery of a new prehistoric crocodile species.

Around 95 million years ago, a giant relative of modern crocodiles ruled the coastlines and waterways of what would one day become north-central Texas.

Adults of the newly discovered and described species Deltasuchus motherali grew up to 20 feet long in life, and left behind bite marks on the fossilized bones of prey animals  letting us know that it ate pretty much whatever it wanted in its environment, from turtles to dinosaurs.

Thomas Adams, Witte Museum curator of Paleontology and Geology in San Antonio, Texas, and lead author of the paper described Deltasuchus as one of the top predators in its ecosystem.

Adams, along with co-authors Noto and Stephanie Drumheller-Horton, at the University of Tennessee, published the description of the new croc species in the latest issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

An urban site

An odd aspect of the find is that it was discovered in a place one normally doesnt think to look for ancient fossils  in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

The site that produced the new species was discovered in Arlington, Texas, in 2003 by amateur fossil hunters Art Sahlstein, Bill Walker and Phil Kirchoff. Dubbed the Arlington Archosaur Site, the area is undergoing rapid residential development, and paleontologists have been working with local volunteers and fossil enthusiasts to excavate the site over the last decade.

Deltasuchus motherali is actually named for one of those volunteers, Austin Motheral, who first uncovered the fossils of this particular croc with a small tractor when he was only 15 years old.

Deltasuchus is the first of what may prove to be several new species described from this prolific fossil site. The locality preserves a surprisingly complete ancient ecosystem ranging from 95 million to 100 million years old, and its fossils are filling in an important gap in our understanding of ancient North American land and freshwater ecosystems.

While most of Texas was covered by a shallow sea at this time, the Dallas-Fort Worth area was part of a large peninsula that jutted out into this sea from the northeast. This peninsula was a lush environment of river deltas and swamps that teemed with wildlife, including dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, mammals, amphibians, fish, invertebrates and plants.

Students involvement

Noto said UW-Parkside students have contributed to his research.

Parkside students have been involved in a number of ways, he said. I have had students come to Texas to do field work with me. Currently several students in my lab are searching through sediment samples for tiny fossils we would otherwise miss, and has the potential to add even more new discoveries.

I have a partnership with the Carthage Institute of Paleontology (located in the Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Kenosha) to provide internships for students to learn fossil preparation and lab techniques. Many of these students have conducted independent research resulting in numerous posters and presentations at conferences over the years.

A prehistoric gap

Noto spoke about the importance of the discovery. The Arlington Archosaur Site is a very important and unique fossil locality. It preserves a nearly complete ecosystem from a time in Earths history for which we have very little of a fossil record, said Noto. During the middle of the Cretaceous period terrestrial ecosystems in North America were undergoing a major change, which would result in new groups of dinosaurs and other organisms becoming dominant  animals like Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex.

But the story of how we got there, the timing of these changes and the players involved, is a story still waiting to be told. There is a growing record of this transition in the West, but we know virtually nothing about what was happening in eastern North America.

Discoveries from the AAS are helping to fill that gap and provide a much more comprehensive picture of what terrestrial ecosystems were like during this time. Despite nearly a decade of continuous excavation, we are just now able to study the fossils and put them into a scientific context. We can expect more new species to be described and other exciting discoveries to come.

Work on the site is supported by a grant from the National Geographic Society, which is funding continued excavations and study of this unique fossil locality.

Fossils from the site, including the Deltasuchus motherali bones, are part of the collections of the nearby Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas.
Civil construction completed at Tianwan 5

26 September 2017

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The containment dome of unit 5 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province was installed today, marking the reactor's entry into the equipment installation phase of construction, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said.

The dome is put in place at Tianwan 5 (Image: CNNC)

Installation of the 188-tonne dome was completed at 8.23am today and completes the civil construction phase of the project, CNNC said. The operation to lift the dome into place took less than one hour.

Construction of Tianwan Phase III - units 5 and 6 - was originally scheduled to start in early 2011. However, following the March 2011 accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant, the Chinese government suspended the approval of new nuclear power projects, including those two units.

The latest Five-Year Plan calls for construction of Phase III of the Tianwan plant to be accelerated. The State Council gave its approval for Tianwan units 5 and 6 - both featuring 1080 MWe ACPR1000 reactors - on 16 December 2015. First safety-related concrete was poured for unit 5 on 27 December 2015, with that for unit 6 poured on 7 September 2016.

CNNC said it plans to put both units 5 and 6 into commercial operation by the end of 2021.

Tianwan Phase I - units 1 and 2 - was constructed under a 1992 cooperation agreement between China and Russia. First concrete was poured in October 1999, and the units were commissioned in June 2007 and September 2007 respectively. Tianwan Phase II - units 3 and 4 - are similar to the first stage of the Tianwan plant, comprising two Russian-designed 1060 MWe VVER-1000 pressurised water reactors. First concrete for unit 3 was poured in December 2012, while construction of the fourth unit began in September 2013. Fuel loading began at unit 3 last month, with operation planned to start in February 2018. Unit 4 is scheduled to begin operating in March 2019.

The Tianwan plant is owned and operated by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, a joint venture between CNNC (50%), China Power Investment Corporation (30%) and Jiangsu Guoxin Group (20%).

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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MADISON  The Wisconsin Elections Commission may decertify the voting machines currently used in Racine County at a Tuesday meeting.

Reid Magney, the public information officer for the WEC, said that if the machines, the Optech IIIP-Eagle, were decertified, it wouldnt go into effect until immediately after the 2018 fall general election. In April, Racine County Clerk Wendy Christensen said that the spring 2017 election may have been the last for the outdated machines.

Christensen was out of the office Monday, but a staff member in her office indicated that the new voting machines would be ready for the fall 2018 election.

That means Racine County would likely be unaffected by the WECs Tuesday decision, which will require municipalities to stop using the hulking machines that have been around since the mid-1980s.

Technologically, its ancient, Magney said. These machines are built like tanks. They dont make replacement parts for them anymore, so very often clerks have to scavenge old machines to fix them.

Because of their age, the machines present absentee-ballot tabulation issues. Absentee voters have to fill out the ballots with a No. 2 pencil or a specialty pen in order to have the machine register their selections.

Magney said that voters often use a regular ballpoint pen or Sharpie because they worry their pencil vote will be erased and dont have the specific type of pen available. Those ballots then have to be remade by poll workers.

Thats whats supposed to happen, Magney said. Unfortunately, it doesnt always happen because its not always noticed. Poll workers get extremely busy on Election Day.

These issues can cause vote counting accuracy problems, according to Magney and Karen McKim, the coordinator of Wisconsin Election Integrity. McKim is in the midst of a public records request to attempt to have the ballots in four wards of Racine County from the November 2016 election recounted.

It will be very good when these machines are decertified, she said. Any computer can miscount at any time for any reason. Thats why we have county canvasses and municipal canvasses.

Put on notice

If Racine County replaces the Optech machines well in advance of the decertification date as expected, the countys voting process wont be affected. For other counties with greater budgetary constraints, the decision could prove more costly.

Its the commissions way of telling clerks who havent already started making plans to upgrade that they need to do so, Magney said.
Nuclear energy a priority for UAE, minister says

26 September 2017

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is confident that nuclear energy is the best choice to meet growing energy demand, energy minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said yesterday. The country, which expects to see its first nuclear power plant start up next year, is preparing to host an international ministerial conference on nuclear power.

UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei spoke to the press yesterday about the upcoming ministerial conference on nuclear energy (Image: United Arab Emirates Ministry of Energy)



The 2017 International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century takes place from 30 October to 1 November. It is organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in cooperation with the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and hosted under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy in collaboration with the UAE's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR).

Al Mazrouei said Abu Dhabi's hosting of the conference was a "recognition" of its "successful efforts" and "leading international position" in the development of its peaceful nuclear energy program. The minister pointed out that the under the UAE's Vision 21 - a national agenda set in 2010 - the country adopted a policy of diversification of energy sources in such a way as to reduce fuel and natural gas consumption. Its National Energy Strategy 2050, published in January, gives priority to nuclear energy and aims to promote the use of "environmentally friendly" energy over the next three decades.

The minister said the UAE is confident that nuclear energy is "the best choice to meet the growing demand for energy", and said its nuclear energy plant would contribute to meeting the country's electricity needs and support the goals of sustainable development.

Initial construction of the UAE's first power reactor, Barakah 1, was completed in May and operating company Nawah Energy Company is now awaiting approval from national regulators before the final stage of loading fuel and bringing it into service. Operations are scheduled to commence in 2018. This will make the UAE "the first country to implement a new peaceful nuclear energy program in three decades", the Ministry of Energy said yesterday.

Four Korean-designed APR-1400 pressurised water reactors are being built at Barakah for the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation. The plant is being built for the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation by a consortium led by the Korean Electric Power Company. Construction of Barakah 1 began in in 2012, with units 2, 3 and 4 following in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Unit 1, now over 96% complete, unit 2, now is over 85% complete, are both expected to start up in 2018 with units 3 and 4 expected to start up in 2019 and 2020, respectively. When complete, the power station is expected to deliver up to a quarter of the UAE's electricity.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Islam made an entrance in Africa from Asia in the 7th century. Nearly one-third of the total Muslim population in the world can be found in Africa. During the Hijarat, Muslims sought refuge in Ethiopia's territory having crossed Djibouti, Somalia, as well as Eritrea. Most Muslims who reside in the continent observe Sunni Islam. The Islam in Africa is dynamic and complex, and it is constantly redefined by prevailing political, social, and economic conditions. Islam enjoys a dominant presence in the Horn of Africa, much of West Africa, North Africa, and the Swahili Coast. The religion has however been met with resistance and criticisms in some nations of Sub-Saharan Africa.

1. Mauritania

Mauritania established itself as the Islamic Republic after it gained sovereignty in 1960. The 1985 Constitutional Charter identifies Islam as the state religion and Sharia as the law of the land. Muslim artisans and traders spread Islam to Mauritania's territory, and they were later joined by the founders of Islamic brotherhoods. The brotherhoods, namely Sufism and tariqa, particularly gained influence during French colonial administration. Mauritanian Islam has incorporated some traditional beliefs, and Muslims in the country believe in the existence of several lesser spirits which were changed from Pre-Islamic beliefs to Islamic spirits. 99.9% of the Mauritanian population are Muslims, nearly all of whom are Sunni Muslims adhering to the Maliki Madhhab.

2. Somalia

99.8% of Somalis profess the Islamic faith, and they are Sunni Muslims. Islam has been an important part of Somali's history for over 1400 years. Islam in Somali has for generations been dominated by Shafi'i jurisprudence, Ash'ariyah, and Sufism but Salafism has been gaining ground in recent decades. The city of Zeila is home to a 7th-century mosque named Masjid al-Qiblatayn, and it was constructed shortly after the hijra. Islam spread across Somali's territory and facilitated the growth of sultanates and republics that were at the center of trade, religion, and commerce such as Mogadishu, Hobyo, and Merca. Although the 1961 constitution made provisions for freedom of religion, it proclaimed the newly independent Somali as an Islamic state.

3. Algeria

99% of Algerians are Muslims, and they observe Sunni Islam and the Maliki School of jurisprudence. There exists a minority of Ibadi who mostly resides in the M'zab Valley region. Islam arrived in Algeria with the Umayyad dynasty in the wake of the invasion of Uqba Ibn Nafi. The indigenous Berbers accepted the religion in huge numbers, but it was not until the 15th century that the Tuareg finally became Muslims. The discrimination of Muslims by French colonial authorities inspired resistance movements and scholars such as Abdelhamid Ben Badis urged the native population to remain steadfast in Islam. Islam provides the Algerian society with its central cultural and social identity.

4. Morocco

99% of Morocco's inhabitants observe Islam, and they are Sunni in the Maliki school of thought. The introduction of Islam to Morocco is attributed to the Uqba Ibn Nafi-led Arab invasion in 680. Powerful Islamic dynasties subsequently reigned in the region for centuries. The persecution of minority Muslim sects during Almohad rule made Sunni Islam dominant in the nation. Salafi Islam has been gaining influence, and King Mohammed VI has been trying to curb this growing popularity.

5. Tunisia

98% of Tunisians adhere to the Islamic faith. The Tunisian Constitution requires that the country's president be Muslim and it appoints the government as the "guardian of religion." The most popular school of thought in Tunisia is the Malaki jurisprudence. All Tunisian public schools teach Islamic religious education, and the religious curriculum for the country's secondary school includes the history of Christianity and Judaism from the Islamic sources and perspective. There exists a small community of indigenous Sufi Muslims.

6. Comoros

98% 0f the inhabitants of Comoros are Muslims; most of whom are Sunni adhering the Shafi'i school of thought. Most of the Muslims residing in Comoros are Arab-Swahili although they are communities of Indian descent. Historical records have identified Arab merchants as well as exiled Zayidi Persian princess as the groups of people who introduced Islam to Comoros. Ruling Islamic families popularized the religion over the years. Hundreds of mosques populate the islands in addition to many madrassahs. Nearly all children enroll in Quranic School for a duration of two or three years during which they gain knowledge of Arabic linguistics and the rudiments of Islam.

7. Mayotte

97% of the residents of Mayotte are Muslims while the rest 3% profess Christianity. Almost all of Mayotte's inhabitants are Comorians who trace their ancestry to groups such as Arabs, Iranians, Malagasy, and Africans. The Comorians have traditionally been adamant to any form of religious change. Mayotte is said to practice a tolerant form of Islam.

8. Sudan

The Muslim community in Sudan is estimated to be 97% of its population. Muslims have a dominant presence in all of the regions except the Nuba Mountains region. The Sunni Islam adhered to in Sudan has been profoundly influenced by Sufism. Shia communities live in Khartoum. The major divisions occur between Sufi brotherhoods, especially among Ansar and Khatmia. Only the Darfur region has been spared of the existence of Sufi brotherhoods as found in other parts of Sudan. The Arabs, Nubians, Beja, Fur, and Zaghawa are some of the ethnic Muslim communities in Sudan.

9. Libya

Approximately 96.6% of Libyans follow the Islamic faith and particularly the Sunni branch. Islam took root in Libyas urban regions in the 7th century, but it was not until the 11th century that invasions by Bedouin tribes facilitated the conversion of nomads. The Islam observed in North Africa including in Libya feature native Berber beliefs. Orthodox Islam was particularly favored by Muammar al-Gaddafi, under whose leadership Sharia law was reinstated, the highly symbolic purification of mosques was carried out, the modest dressing was embraced, and activities considered immodest were banned. There exists a small minority of Shias and Ahmadis among Pakistani immigrants.

10. Senegal

94% of Senegal's population are Muslims, and they mainly observe Sunni Islam of the Maliki school of thought featuring Sufi influences. Islam has had followers in Senegal as far back as the 11th century. Sufi brotherhoods gained prominence during French occupation as the population sought religious authority in place of colonial administration. The major Sufi orders are the Mourides, Tijaniyyah, Pan-Islamic Qadiriyyah, and Layene. 95% of Senegals Muslims are participants of a Sufi brotherhood and the brotherhoods establish mosques although people are free to go to their preferred mosque.
Politics is often thought of as a male-dominated sphere. However, women in the highest political office is more common than people think. Here is a list of 10 female heads of state around the world.

10. Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel has served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2005 - 2018. She held variety of government positions, such as Minister for Women and Youth (1991) and Minister for the Environment (1994), prior to her appointment as Germany's chancellor. During the 2013 election, Merkel's party won the largest number of seats, and formed the government with the support of the Free Democratic Party.

9. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the first female president of Liberia, and also happens to be the first female leader in the continent of Africa. She came into office on January 16th 2016 after winning the 2005 presidential election. Sirleaf previously worked as a minister until a coup d'etat resulted in President Tolberts death. She was also a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, together with Tawakkol Karman and Leymah Gbowee.

8. Doris Leuthard

Doris Leuthard was President of Switzerland from 2010 - 2017. Leuthard was first elected president in 2010 and subsequently re-elected in 2016. She became a member of Swiss Federal Council following the resignation of Joseph Deiss. In 2009, Leuthard was elected Switzerland's Vice President, which helped put her on the path to the presidency.

7. Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina is the incumbent Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and was previously elected to the position in 1996 and 2009. Hasina first entered politics in 1981 when she was elected president of the Bangladesh Awami League. She was elected prime minister for the third time in 2014 and is the longest serving prime minister in Bangladesh's history.

6. Dalia Grybauskaite

Dalia Grybauskaite was President of Lithuania from 2009 - 2019, and the first woman to be elected president in her country. She previously held various government positions, such Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Finance Minister, prior to running for the presidency. She is often described as an iron lady. Grybauskaite is not married and has no children.

5. Simonetta Sommaruga

Simonetta Sommaruga is a Swiss politician who was elected Switzerland's president in 2015, and previously served as Vice President. Simonetta served as president between January 1, 2015 until December 31, 2015, when she was succeeded by Schneider-Ammann.

4. Theresa May

Theresa May was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and held office from 2016 - 2019. She is the second woman to ascend to premiership after Margaret Thatcher. May previously held various ministerial positions, such as Shadow Transport Secretary. She campaigned against Brexit (the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union), but after referendum results she asserted that she would not hold another referendum, stating Brexit means Brexit.

3. Michellle Bachelet

Michele Bachelet served as President of Chile from 2006 - 2010. She came into office for the second time on 11th March 2014. Between her two presidencies she was appointed executive director of United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

2. Marie-Louise Coleiro

Marie-Louise Coleiro has served as the President of Malta 2014 - 2019. She was a Member of Parliament between 1998 and 2014. Coleiro is the youngest president in Malta's history, and has sought to improve the country's economic and social conditions by establishing the Presidents Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, which advises the president on the living conditions of citizens.

1. Tsai Ing-wen

Tsai Ing-wen is the current President of Taiwan and the second to ascend to power from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Ing-wen is the first woman to be elected her county's president, and the first to have not previously held an executive position prior to serving as president. However, she did hold appointive posts, such as chairperson of Consumer Protection Commission and chair of the Democratic Progressive Party (DDP), before being elected president on January 16, 2016.
Sierra Leone is a country in western Africa with inhabitants of different ethnicities. Guinea borders the nation to the northeast, Liberia to the south-east, and to the south-west is the Atlantic Ocean. The country became independent from the United Kingdom on April 27, 1961. Sierra Leone has a moderately small number of languages compared to other African countries like Ghana or Nigeria. These languages are predominantly spoken in different provinces. Speakers of each of these languages are in nearly all the districts and regions in the nation. There exist 23 languages that are used in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone's many different communities have their native languages or variations of languages which they predominantly use for communication.

The Importance Of English Language In Sierra Leone

English is the official language in Sierra Leone and was brought to the country by its former colonizers. However, it is mainly used for formal business, governmental, and media purposes. Freetown is the capital city of Sierra Leone and was established as the home of the freed slaves from Nova Scotia, Jamaica, and America and they were all English speakings. Many more captured slaves in the Atlantic were brought and set free in Sierra Leone, although most did not understand the English.

The National Language Of Sierra Leone

Krio is the de facto national language in the country and a lingua franca spoken widely across the country. It is the Creole language based on English. It is the mother tongue of 10.5% of the residents but is spoken by 97% of the population. It is a form of Pidgin English with a blend of African words including Temne, Mende, and various local dialects. The Krio language is unifying factor and the primary language of communication used by different ethnic groups in the country and abroad. Although Krio is widely used across the country, it has no official status in Sierra Leone.

Other Indigenous Languages Of Sierra Leone

Other languages used in the country include Mende, Temne, and Limba. The second widely used language in the country after Krio is the Mende language. Approximately 29.5% of the population use Mende as a mother tongue and is a lingua franca in southern Sierra Leone. 37% uses Temne as a mother tongue and also as the main language in northern Sierra Leone. Some regions of the Capital and the Western Area also use Temne. Other languages used by Sierra Leoneans include Kono, Kuranko, Kissi, Fula, Limba, and Susu.

Bengali In Sierra Leone

The West African nation of Sierra Leone declared Bengali as the official language. The move was a recognition of the contributions of the Bangladeshi peacekeeping forces in the country's civil war. Bangladeshi forces, which constituted the largest part of the UN Mission, played a significant role in fighting the rebels during the civil war, which lasted from 1991 to 2002. However, the inhabitants of the nation do not use the language since it is just an honorary status for the language.

Revival Of The Krio Language Of Sierra Leone

During the colonial period use of Krio language was discouraged by the colonialist. However, after independence from Britain in 1961, educators and writers started a campaign of promoting the language. Some of the Shakespeares plays were translated to Krio by Thomas Decker, and he also composed poetry in the language. New Testament Bible was also translated to Krio in the 1980s. In the 1990s ministry of education started using Krio as a medium of instruction in some primary schools in Freetown. Usually, politicians give their speeches in the Krio language, and different radio station broadcast their programs in Krio as well.

Minority Languages Of Sierra Leone

Some minority languages are facing extinction in Sierra Leone, which has been a major concern. Languages such as Krim, Bom, and Sherbro are spoken only in Sierra Leone. These languages have features that are rare or not found in other languages, and they are almost extinct
The Republic of Gambia is a West African country surrounded almost entirely by Senegal except for the coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. It is located on the either side of the Gambia River. Gambia is the smallest country in the mainland Africa, covering an area of 4,127 square miles. It has a population of approximately 1.9 million people, belonging to a variety of ethnic groups. Each of the ethnic groups in the Gambia has their own language and tradition. The largest ethnic group is the Mandinka, followed by Fula, Wolof, and Jola. There are several languages spoken in the Gambia, with Mandingo being the popular language. Other languages include English, Fula, Serer, and Jola.

The Official Language Of The Gambia

English is the official language of the Gambia. Like most of the former British colonies, the Gambia retained the language of the colonialists. English was introduced during the colonial period and has been sustained even in the post-colonial period, being the primary language of instruction in schools. It is also used in businesses and commerce. However, English is only spoken as a first language by about 1,000 Gambians while 40,000 people speak it as a second language. Given that the country has a population of about 1.9 million people, English is clearly overshadowed by the indigenous languages.

The Most Popular Languages Of The Gambia

Mandingo

Mandingo is the most popular language in the Gambia, spoken as a first language by over 38% of the countrys population. It is the principal language of the Gambia and spoken mainly by the Mandinka people. Mandingo is a Mende language belonging to the Manding branch and similar to Bambara. It is also recognized as a minority language in Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso. Since it is spoken in many different countries, there are many different dialects of Mandingo, with some of the dialects completely different from each other. Mandinka language is commonly used in informal conversations. However, in areas dominated by the Mandinka people, it is the primary language of communication, including in public functions.

Fula

Fula is spoken as a first language by 21% of the Gambian population. It has a variety of dialects spoken in over 20 countries in West and Central Africa. The Fula language belongs to the Senegambia branch of the Niger-Congo languages. It is the first language of the Fula people and spoken as a second language by the various people in Gambia. The Fula people refer to the language as Pular or Pulaar. The Fula language has no official recognition in the Gambia but it is recognized as one of the countrys major languages.

Wolof

Wolof language is spoken by 18% of the population of the Gambia as a first language. It is mainly spoken by the Wolof people. Wolof also belongs to the Senegambian branch and originated as a language of the Lebu people. The Wolof dialects vary geographically and between rural and urban regions. About 75% of the population of Banjul, the Gambias capital, uses Wolof as the first language. In Serekunde, the largest town in Gambia, 70% of the population speak and/or understand the language despite the small number of ethnic Wolof in the town. Like Mandingo and Fula, Wolof is not used in formal education.
Councillors to debate senior pay levels  with option to save 186,000 on the table

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 26th, 2017

How much senior councillors should be paid will once again be back on the agenda this week, with 186,000 worth of savings possible for our Councillors if they so choose.

Councillor pay is often a controversial topic in the council chamber, with a meeting in March 2017 described as a shambles as Labour bungled an alternative budget proposal, and debates on it being described as a bloodbath.

We are told our previous headlines raised eyebrows in the Guildhall wondering how we calculated the figure above, with one councillor questioning our maths due to the large sums involved.

Councillor pay decision making is in theory taken out of councillors hands via the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW). The IRPW has allocated each council to a group dependent upon the population of the council area and sets differing senior salary levels for each group.

Wrexham falls within Group B with a population between 100,000 and 200,000 people.

The IRPW pay report is noted each time it comes before Councillors, and is the reason we report councillors are forced to take pay rises. There is an option for councillors to write to the Finance Officer to forgo part or all of their renumeration if they wish.

Wrexham is described as being in Group B for the purposes of determining senior salaries with a cap of eighteen (18) overall. This is fixed by the IRPW, however there are two sub levels, which is where the question of local discretion comes in, a new option available since 2016.

In the report before Full Council on Wednesday, which should see all 52 Councillors attending, the outcome of the Democratic Services Committee is being considered  with the recommendation reading Members consider the recommendation of the Democratic Services Committee in exercising discretion on salary levels, the recommendation being when setting the level of Senior and Civic Salaries to Members, the lowest level of remuneration as set out by the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) be paid achieving a total annual saving of 41,700.

Said discretion is explained as being available to provide councils with the flexibility to recognise the differing workloads of portfolio holders in the Executive and the specific workload and responsibilities of some Chairs.

The following explanatory table is included in the report:

The current maximum level of payments for members of the executive in Group B is as follows for Executive Board members:-

Level 1  29,100

Level 2  26,200

There are also two levels of renumeration for committee chairs, which are as follows:

Level 1  22,100

Level 2  20,100

Currently those on the Executive Board, excluding the Council Leader and Deputy Leader, are paid at the higher Level 1 salary rather than the lower Level 2.

In theory there is discretion for Wrexham Council to pay at lower levels, outlined in the below above, meaning a total annual saving of 41,700 or 208,500 over the usual 5 year term of a Council.

The table notes eight Executive Board members, rather than the ten at Wrexham Council  although readers should note two are the Leader and Deputy Leader.

As we have written previously the specific wording at the Scrutiny meeting omitted the mention of civic salaries, however the spirit of the meeting did imply they were considered as well as senior salaries, so the fate of the 4500 a year savings as the above table shows is unknown. Thus our headline total is the 208,500 minus the 22,500 five year view on the figures.

The report notes a Wales-wide picture, noting that the Scrutiny Committee was told no Local Authority within Wales had introduced differential salary levels dependent upon individual Lead Member portfolios. Likewise, it was told just two out of twenty two Local Authorities paid Senior Salary holders at the lower level within their Group and twenty at the higher level.

The report does not include the setting of the basic salary for councillors  which is 13,400  as that is entirely set independently by the IRPW.

Wrexham Councillors! We wrote about poor attendance at Exec Board, you were *requested* to attend that  note you are *summoned* for Weds! pic.twitter.com/1hZpI617ZR  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) September 25, 2017

The report asking members to consider the recommendation of the Democratic Services Committee will go before the Full Council at 4pm on Wednesday 27th September.

The meeting will be webcast live on the Wrexham Council website from 4pm on Wednesday 27th September.

*We have spent an hour on the phone previously trying to discover what happens if the Councillors hands are not raised to note that report, however we are still not able to get to the bottom of that.
End of 180 year era as Leader newspaper sold to Newsquest  along with 12 other NWN titles

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 26th, 2017

NWN Media Ltd, the publishers of the Wrexham Leader newspaper, has been sold to Newsquest after being in family ownership for over 180 years.

Newsquest is the second largest publisher of regional papers in the UK behind Trinity Mirror (who own the Daily Post) and the deal will see the last family owned style independent news group in Wales change hands.

Newsquest has been ultimately owned by Gannett Company Inc in America since a 1.5 billion takeover 1999. Gannett are the largest news publisher in the USA, publishers of USA Today and many other titles.

The local takeover news was broken via a tweet on the acquisition by Toby Granville from Newsquest:

Delighted to announce #Newsquest has acquired NWN Media Ltd  and welcome 13 North Wales titles including @leaderlive into the fold  Toby Granville (@TobyGranville) September 26, 2017

Shortly after a fuller statement was issued via trade publication HoldTheFrontpage.co.uk that notes an undisclosed offer for the company was unanimously accepted by the NWN board.

The thirteen titles sold are the Wrexham / Chester / Flinshire Leaders plus the big Leader for Wrexham and the Chester Standard, North Wales Pioneer, South Wirral Standard, Oswestry & Border Counties Advertizer, Rhyl Journal, Powys County Times, Denbighshire Free Press, Whitchurch Herald and North Wales Chronicle. The NWN printing operation is also included in the sale.

The extended joint statements by both Newsquest and NWN has comment from Newsquest Chief Executive stating: We aim to facilitate a structure whereby they can benefit from the resources that Newsquest can provide whilst enabling them to carry on doing what they do best  namely providing first class local content, and advertising solutions for the readers and businesses in their region.

David Faulkner, NWN Medias MD said This is good news indeed and I strongly believe it is the best way forward for our group of titles. Our brands continue to command significant loyalty in our market places and the added resource scale and investment potential that Newsquest will bring will be invaluable to our continuing profitability.

NWN have famously been one of the last independent regional newspaper groups in the UK, and have prided themselves on their family owned tag, dating back more than 180 years.

In the statement David Faulker tackled this point, saying Our company has always been proud to be locally owned but I believe that this is an important step into the future at a time when the media landscape demands creativity and innovation more than ever to ensure success.

This afternoon Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymrus North Wales AM, commented on the takeover saying: The Welsh media is already fragile and North Wales Newspapers was a rare example of a family-run firm with strong local roots in north-east Wales and across the border to Oswestry.

I hope the takeover will not mean any redundancies, although that seems inevitable given the nature of these acquisitions by the US-owned corporation. Its also important that the 13 titles continue to be published and printed here in Wales  NWN invested in new printing presses on Deeside and workers will want reassurances about their jobs.

Weve seen problems elsewhere in Wales, where Newsquest has axed jobs at its sub-editing hub in Newport after what was described by the National Union of Journalists as a brutal and disastrous experiment.

Major changes for Weekend Leader

In related news the Big Leader is partially changing its distribution model to new literally hundreds of pick up points all across the area. NWN said the number of copies distributed door to door will be adjusted to allow us to make these extra copies available.

Interestingly the notice states Research is showing that copies of the newspaper that are picked up are far more likely to be read in detail than those copies delivered through letter boxes.

The demand for the paper is described as huge and growing, and the move is apparently to help feed the appetite for the paper.
Plans formally submitted for 1.7m Cats Protection adoption centre on old fire station site

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 26th, 2017

Plans to demolish the towns old fire station and develop a 1.7m Cats Protection adoption centre, have been formally submitted.

In June 2017 Wrexham.com reported that Cats Protection were looking to relocate to the site of the former fire station on Bradley Road, with plans to demolish the building and create a new 1.7 million adoption centre

At the time the charity said they had outgrown its present adoption centre in Madeira Hill and believes the old fire station site is ideal for a new state-of-the-art centre with excellent facilities for felines in need of new owners.

Details within the applications design and access statement further explains that: The redevelopment of the site will provide the opportunity to increase activity and provide an improved quality of delivery to the towns population with improved visibility for the organisation.

The full planning documents for the proposed development have now been submitted to Wrexham Council, which if approved, could see demolition of the old fire station start next year with the new centre up and running by spring 2019.

The Bradley Road site has been vacant since 2016, when North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the Welsh Ambulance Service moved into a joint, multi-million pound facility on Croesnewydd Road.

Cats Protection are now proposing the former buildings at Bradley Road are demolished, with a new, single storey property built on the site with a gross internal area of 380m2.

This would be used to provide: Public, staff and back of house facilities to support the feline population which will be housed in a series of cat pens located to the rear of the main

building within the site.

A specialist isolation unit for new arrivals to be assessed and treated is also included.

The new building would also enclose a landscaped courtyard which will provide a therapeutic environment for the cat population. The building will also serve to act as a visual screen to protect and provide privacy to this area.

At the front of the site parking provision would also be created, with deliveries, refuse collections and maintenance vehicles set to use the rear of the property.

The applications design and access statement concludes: The former Fire Station site occupies a prominent position on the approach to the town centre from the south west

The scheme has been developed to provide a building of quality which reflects the ethos of Cats Protection and fitting for such a location. The layout, flow and materials of the design and buildings have been carefully prescribed by Cats Protection in such a way as to maximise cat welfare and operational efficiency

The single storey solution, massing and siting improves the setting of the listed buildings and will impart no harm to either these or the integrity of the adjacent conservation area.

We therefore respectfully advise that the proposal complies with current planning policy and should be supported.

The application is expected to be considered by Wrexham Councils planning committee at a later date.

If you missed our feature from almost exactly a year ago  we took a look inside the fire station after it had closed for the last time  you can see that by clicking here.
1.9 million people leave Kathmandu Valley in 20 days for Dashain

So far 1.9 million people have left for their homes for Dashain celebrations.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Southern Scholarship Foundation along with Florida A&M University are celebrating their partnership over the past 20 years.

The luncheon was held at their on-campus scholarship houses.

Since the partnership started back in 1997, more than 480 students have been a part of the program and 51 are currently being served at the university.

Interim president Larry Robinson and Scholarship Foundation president Shawn Woodin were keynote speakers at today's event.

FAMU leaders say the southern scholarship foundation saves students and their families on average more than $1,300 in living expenses. It operates 3 houses on the universities campus.
VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) - A Valdosta mother says she and her two-year-old daughter are struggling to feed themselves as they wait on food stamps that are several days overdue.

Donitra Mathis reached out to WTXL after she says the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services failed to send her food stamps, which she normally gets on the 21st of every month.

Mathis tells us Hurricane Irma ruined any food that she had, forcing her to go to food pantries since September 12th. She says she and her daughter both depend on these stamps to get through the month.

And despite contacting the Lowndes County DFCS office, she's not getting a clear answer.

"I struggle as an adult, but it's okay for an adult to struggle, because you can kind of survive on your own," Mathis explained. "But for a child, it's very depressing to have to say, 'Well, where is my next meal going to come for her?' I can kind of live without food for several days, but for her, I have to make sure she's growing."

We reached out to the Lowndes County DCFS office and state headquarters but were unable to get any comments.
38 injured in Bardiya and Ramechhap road accidents

At least 38 persons have been injured in two separate accidents in Bardiya and Ramechhap on Tuesday.
Seattle man awarded $500K for wrongful conviction is sent back to prison for gun, drug crimes
TOPPENISH, Wash. -- Tonight the City Council will decide whether to allow up to $500,000 be 
YAKIMA, Wash. -- Slowing growth in the craft brewing industry has contributed to a greater stockpile of hops nationwide, including the Yakima Valley.

As of Sept. 1, growers, suppliers and brewers had an estimated 98 million pounds of hops, an increase of 15 percent from the same period in 2016, according to figures released late last week from the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Agricultural Statistics Service.

And the amount of hops stock kept by growers and suppliers increased  by 30 percent to 64 million pounds  while the amount of hops in stock by brewers decreased by 5 percent.

A lot of (breweries) purchased hops based on 15 to 18 percent growth, which is what we experienced over the five years prior to last year, said Steve Carpenter, chief operating officer of YCH Hops, a hop supplier that is owned by local hop growers. Last year, we had 5 to 6 percent (craft brewery) growth. Carpenter is referring to 2016 figures from the Brewers Association, a trade association for craft brewers, which the group defines as small (under 6 million barrels of beer or less) and independent brewers that sell beer made with traditional or innovative brewing ingredients.

Last month, local hop supplier47 Hops filed for bankruptcy, stating that a number of brewers have delayed payment and delivery of hops under contract, prompting financial challenges. Brewers work with hop growers and/or suppliers to secure hops through contracts made years in advance.

However, the hop stock numbers do not tell the whole story, Carpenter said. Certain varieties, such Citra, are still in high demand and supply is still playing catchup. Citra is a hop commonly used in beer varieties such as India Pale Ale or IPA.

Youll find five different renditions of IPA at any size of craft brewer, he said.

Responding to continued demand for certain varieties while avoiding an over-supply situation will be an ongoing challenge for hop growers.

Keeping that balance and knowing what the demand is and matching your demand to the supply is our biggest challenge, he said. We dont always get it right. Theres such a moving target.

Every hop growers situation is different, but one possible scenario is to pull a low-demand variety in exchange for a high demand one, said Jaki Brophy of the Hop Growers of America, a Moxee-based hop growers trade organization.

Harvest of hops: Five things you probably don't know about hops...and one you do YAKIMA, Wash. -- Hop growers throughout the Yakima Valley started harvesting in the last week and are expected to continue through the end of 

The trend toward adding additional acreage will likely need to end. Total hop acreage in the U.S., according to USDA estimates, is expected to be at around 54,000 acres, close to double the acreage from 2012.

The industry will be looking to rebalance the portfolio, meaning that as preferences in varieties change, the acreage needs to reflect that, pulling out varieties decreasing in demand, rather than just planting acreage to add new acres, she said.

Growing international demand also may help deplete U.S. hop stocks, Brophy said.

Meanwhile, suppliers such as Carpenter are doing what they can  many brewers are now in the Yakima Valley to secure hops for the next few years  to prevent oversupply issues.

Carpenter said YCH Hops looks to Brewer Association figures to provide a benchmark.

If a brewery is attempting to order more hops than what recent growth figures dictates, then theyll recommend a smaller amount of hops for an initial order with the option of writing up a supplemental contract to respond to greater need.

What we try to do is do our due diligence on the front end, he said. That whole effort has helped us keep supply balanced with demand and reduced the need to do some major contract restructures.

Current hop stock figures do not include this seasons harvest, which will be wrapping up in the next few weeks.

According to an August USDA estimate, U.S. hop growers are expected to harvest 97.6 million pounds of hops this year. About 72 million pounds of hops  74 percent of all U.S. hops grown  are expected to come from the Yakima Valley.
Update: Kavre jeep accident death toll reaches 7

At least seven persons died and a child sustained critical injuries when a Bolero Jeep they were travelling in met with an accident at Shikharambote in Roshi Rural Municipality-3 of Kavrepalanchok on Tuesday.
ENGLAND

His great grandfathers brother was the prime minister of the United Kingdom in the earlier 20th century. A decade later, as British foreign secretary, he wrote the document known as the Balfour Declaration , which recognized the Jewish peoples right to a national home in the Land of Israel.

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But Lord Roddy Balfour never truly understood what his last name meant to the Jews and the importance of his relative, Lord Arthur James Balfour, until that rainy evening in the mid 1960s, when he got into a taxi in London with a rather unusual baggage.

Lord Roddy Balfour with his famous relatives portrait. In the last 20 years, people have often been saying to me, Its your Balfour declaration thats caused all the problems in the Middle East (Photo: Yaniv Halily)

I was coming home from Eton one evening, and Id collected a picture from my aunt. It was the days of the old cabs where you always put your luggage in an open place next door to the driver. I was on my way back to Paris and I had my school trunk in the car. So this driver spotted the name Balfour on the luggage tag and asked me was I anything to do with Arthur James Balfour. I said, Yes, Im his great great nephew. And he suddenly broke into sort of Hebrew song and said, This is incredible. This is the eve of the Passover, and this is my last fare and then Im going back to the east End of London to celebrate Passover with my family. When I tell them Ive had a relation of Arthur Balfours in the car, theyre going to just be amazed.

I was so taken with his singing and was very moved, as Id never come across this before. And in getting out and thanking him and him getting out of the car and embracing me, Id left the picture in the back of the cab. My father was going to kill me because it was a family picture. So I rang the lost property office and went up to Islington, and there was this picture wrapped in brown paper with string, saying Balfour on it, which I hadnt done. And this guy, who was on his way back for the eve of the Passover, had taken the trouble to get this Balfour picture to the lost property office and beautifully wrapped. Amazing. That was my first interaction with somebody Jewish who explained to me the importance of the declaration.

With a surname that is part of Israels history textbooks, and an aristocratic estate that looks like it was taken out of a fairytale, Lord Roderick Francis Arthur Balfour is the direct successor of Arthur Balfour, the British politician who was one of the first leaders in the world to support a national home for the Jews in the Land of Israel.

Lord Arthur James Balfour, the man behind the declaration (Photo: Getty Images)

Arthur Balfour was born in 1848. When he served as prime minister from 1902 to 1905, Britain was the first country to try to help the Jews find a homeland. Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain proposed to Theodor Herzl to provide a portion of British East Africa to the Jewish people as a homeland (the Uganda Scheme).

On November 2, 1917, a year after being appointed foreign secretary, Balfour wrote a letter to Lord Walter Rothschild, one of the leaders of the British Jewish community, which later became known as the Balfour Declaration. The letter was written after Zionist leaders Dr. Chaim, Weizmann and Nahum Sokolow asked the British government to acknowledge the Jews right to immigrate to the Land of Israel and recognize the Zionist Movements institutions there.

A rare show of support for the Zionist idea by a foreign leader, the declaration is seen as an important event in the history of the Jewish people. The Balfour Declaration was a ray of light in the dark history of Jews in the first half of the 20th century, following persecutions and pogroms and before the Holocaust which nearly eliminated the Jewish people. It was compared in the Jewish world to the Cyrus Charter, which marked the Jewish peoples return to their land after the First Temples destruction.

He was always known as Uncle

Arthur Balfour inherited the title of Lord from his father. He himself was childless, however, so the title was passed on to his brother Gerald and his sons. The current Lord Balfour is Roddy, his brothers great grandson, who not only holds the official title but is also considered Arthurs successor.

His luxurious home, in the county of Sussex, a 90-minute drive from London, is decorated with many items that used to belong to his famous relative, including an original wax seal of Queen Victoria and a ring with the official family symbol imprinted on it. The only thing thats missing, Balfour says, is a Torah scroll that Arthur received when he laid the cornerstone for the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem and which went missing over the years.

The Balfour Declaration

What did you know about Arthur?

I knew primarily that he got through a huge fortune, running this house, financing all his family, very poor investing. He was a philosopher, he was a man of letters, he was a very thoughtful politician. They always said the problem with Arthur is hes weak in the House of Commons because when hes asked questions, he says: On the one hand this, and on the other hand that.

He was always known as Nuncy in the family, like Uncle. Obviously, his memory was very revered within the family, other than the fact that he got through so much money. When he inherited it in the mid 19th century, I think he was one of the two or three richest bachelors in Britain.

Arthur Balfour never married, but the family knew about his liaison with Lady Elcho, who was married to his good friend Lord Elcho. When he died, he left houses, land and money to his brother and to his nephews and nieces. Some of this inheritance reached Roddy Balfour as well, although he stresses that he belongs to the poor, political side of the family.

The familys political branch produced another prime minister (Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil), two parliament members and a member of the House of Lords (the upper house of the British Parliament). But theres no need to feel sorry for Roddy Balfour: The palace of the Duke of Norfolk is not far from his house, and the duke just happens to be the brother of Tessa, Balfours wife in the past 46 years. Balfours four daughters stand to receive an impressive inheritance one day. One problem has yet to be solved though: The hereditary title is only passed down to sons. He tried to change it, his driver explained to me, but was unsuccessful.

A magnificent portrait of Arthur Balfour, from his days as prime minister, hangs alongside original works of art in the spacious parlor. It wasnt the political status which generated the subdued wealth reflected from every corner, which is typical of families of old money. The Balfour family became very rich when India was a British colony. One of the family members, James Balfour, made his fortune in India, where he developed engineering infrastrctures for the British empire. He returned to Scotland, where the family originally came from, and built luxurious estates which the family still owns to this very day.

Almost everything you see around you belongs to the family, through an inheritance or marriage, Balfours elderly driver tells me as we make our way to the family estate, on the top of a green hill.

Working for the Rothschild family

Roddy Balfour was born in London on the exact same year as the State of Israel. His father, Eustace, was in charge of the business operations of a large British engineering company in France, and Roderick was brought up abroad.

I was brought up in Brazil at first and then in France, he says. I came to school in England. But in the summer holidays wed go and stay with all our cousins in Scotland and see these big houses, and therefore one was conscious of the whole family history because one was staying in these huge houses. In those days, Arthur hadnt been dead for more than 30 years or something, so one was conscious that hed been prime minister and that this was a big family who had achieved something in life. It wasnt something we thought about every day. We led a very suburban life in the suburbs of Paris.

But his surname dictated his path. He studied at Eton College, a prestigious boarding school for boys which has educated members of the royal family and boys who went on to become Britains prime ministers.

Its a select club, he says. We had marvelous tutors. I think its always attracted good people, good masters. In the old days, you got in there in a way because you were your fathers son. But you still got a very good education, and the idea was that you would end up in Oxford or Cambridge. In those days, it was much easier to progress. It was self-perpetuating, because you had big families who ran industrieswhether it was brewing, whether it was bankingwho had been to Eton, and they understood the education people had had at Eton, so it was natural for them to want to employ people whod had that training.

Balfour works as a tax consultant for wealthy people and large companies trying to avoid double taxation in their worldwide businesses. He experienced a sort of closure in one of his first jobs, working for the Rothschild family. In the 1980s he also worked for Nikanor, a company owned by Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz, who was recently detained over suspected bribery and fraud.

Lord Arthur Balfour during a visit to Palestine in 1925 (Photo: Getty Images)

Twenty-five years ago, Roddy Balfour opened the newspaper one day and saw that the Anglo-Israel Association had had a dinner for the 75th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. It had all the people who attended, and there was no Balfour there! he says. I thought that was strange, so I wrote to the Association and said: Whats going on? Do you know any of the Balfours? And they said no. So I said, Id be very pleased to get involved. I feel we should reconnect, the Balfour family, with the declaration. So Ive been involved in the Anglo-Israel Association in London for that 25 years.

The famous declaration is essentially a letter which was written following many debates in the British Cabinet and after many drafts. The original wording included the following sentence: His Majesty's Government accepts the principle of recognizing Palestine as the National Home of the Jewish people. The final version states: His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country. The last sentenced sparked a row, which we will get back to later.

"All that generation were very supportive (of the idea of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine), says Balfour, apart from (Edwin) Montagu, the Jew in the cabinet who opposed the declaration and thought that it would not help British Jewry.

We all knew that the Jews needed a home because of persecution, so it wasnt something to debate, it was just a fact of life. Later on, obviously, one realized what sort of amount of lobbying and battling needed to go on to get the declaration produced.

You have to look at Palestine as it was then. It was a desert, a mosquito-infested swamp. The Palestinians on the whole were looking after their goats and sheep. And so, after all, all of us who are of the Abrahamic faith, whether youre Christian or Muslim, were all brought up to believe in Moses and Abraham and then later on Jerusalem and Bethlehem. So the Holy Land is absolutely ingrained in the Old Testament, which we all read. All these things were so natural, so to put it down in the Holy Land didnt arouse a lot of discussion because that was the land of the Jews. That was what everybody thought. Nobody really thought about the Arabs as Muslims in those days with their separate religion.

I dont know what arguments there were about Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock and all that sort of stuff those years, and there was obviously a bit of resistance by the indigenous Palestinians. But when you look at it, there was just a huge uninhabited land basically. When these guys did the declaration, they had no possible incline that there would be this sort of invasion and birth explosion in the place, and they never knew Hitler was coming along and then the Holocaust.

The declaration was adopted after weeks of debates.

"It was a government thing. There was a big debate about where it should be in. There was the idea that it could be in Uganda originally. We were a primary recipient of victims of the pogroms here. They came to England, and then some of them crossed over to Liverpool, went off to the US.

Lord Arthur Balfour and the first military governor of Jerusalem, Sir Ronald Storrs (on his right) during a visit to a church in the city in 1925 (Photo: Getty Images)

So that was one of the reasons for this declaration, for this support for finding a solution for the Jews.

Yeah. I mean, we complain about the Muslims today arriving in their burqas or their hijabs, and not speaking English. But its slightly different. Theyve come here voluntarily, an awful lot of them. But the people from the pogroms arrived from the shtetls speaking Yiddish. They had no idea what English was, so they suddenly arrived on boats in England, unable to communicate with different religious habits, not wanting to do anything on a Saturday and just looking different. Exactly the same problem of integration. And I think they just made a very good case for the Holy Land, and there wasnt any real reason to resist it. This was an empty barren land, and the Israelis have done so much. All the kibbutz and draining the swamp and growing everything. Palestinians could have done that for themselves, but theyve never chosen to do so.

You keep what you conquer

Roddy Balfour is very supportive of the declaration and of the State of Israel, and he doesnt hide it.

We just knew that Jews live in Israel, it was just axiomatic. There was no debate about whether they should. Then of course we had the Six-Day War and I worked for the Herald Tribune in Paris at the time, and France was very pro-Israeli. There were massive demonstrations in Paris in favor of Israel, so I was very conscious then of this as well.

Obviously we were suddenly conscious of all these options when you had the Six-day War and Egypt trying to be opportunistic to wipe out Israel, and Israel just smashed them to pieces and took over the occupied territories, Sinai and the Golan and everything. And that to us seemed, you know, if you winthats what you do. You keep what you conquer, especially if its going to increase your security.

Its only really in the last 20 years where weve gone from nobody talking about the declaration to often saying to me, Oh, yeah, of course its your Balfour Declaration thats caused all the problems in the Middle East, to which I say, you cant really say that, because the world was a very different place when it was made, when it was posted to Lord Rothschild.

The Palestinian population has expanded, and one of the problems is that the Palestinians are not self-sufficient. They lived in the same land, they had the same opportunity, they can cultivate stuff, they could do whatever it is, but they dont seem to want to help themselves and I dont think they have any more right to Palestine than the Jews do, all the Abrahamic faiths. But they just do think of it in a different manner. I think it is really sad that they cant sort of get their economy together and dont seem to be politically motivated to do so. Its almost a sort of totalitarian idea: We will live in misery because we can then blame all our misery on Israel.

A lot of people blame the lack of leadership on the Palestinian side with this entire situation.

Well, theres leadership, but its leadership of the wrong sort. Its wanting to subjugate. I think its just very sad that we cant get these people to all work together in their respective territories to have economic wellbeing. You know, the Israelis dont want to rub out all the Muslims, but the Muslims do want to rub out the Israelis.

If Arthur Balfour were alive today and visited Israel, what would he think?

"I think the fact that weve had these terrible events, the Jewish persecution and the Holocaust, the genocide, and it offered a way if you could escape for somewhere to go and live with your own kind, I think it was a great thing to have done. I suspect Arthur and all that generation would be incredibly proud had they known what Hitler was going to do to the Jews, they would have been even more pleased with what they set in motion. But they wouldnt be pleased about the hopeless situation between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The central tenet in the thing about the indigenous population has rather gone out of the window in just increasing the settlements and evicting Palestinians. Not good politics, you know, for the rest of the world.

Lord Roddy Balfour in the living room of his estate (Photo: Yakir Zur)

Roddy Balfour has never actually seen the original declaration, which is in the British Library. Im ashamed to say I can never remember the wording of it, he says. I should know it by heart, but I dont.

In the coming months, however, he will be required to delve into its details repeatedly, when he takes part in many events in Britain marking the declarations 100th anniversary. The events will also be used to strengthen the already warm relations between Israel and Britain. British Prime Minister Theresa May, perhaps the most pro-Israel person who has ever lived on 10 Downing Street, is expected to deliver a special speech. Last December, in her first speech to Conservative Friends of Israel as prime minister, she stated that the Balfour Declaration had been "one of the most important letters in history."

The Palestinians, of course, see no cause for celebration. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas argued in the past year that the Balfour Declaration ultimately led to the Palestinian Nakba and urged the British government to apologize to his people. We ask Great Britain to draw the necessary lessons and to bear its historic, legal, political, material and moral responsibility for the consequences of this declaration, including an apology to the Palestinian people for the catastrophes, misery and injustice this declaration created and to act to rectify these disasters and remedy its consequences, including by the recognition of the state of Palestine, he told the UN General Assembly in 2016. This is the least Great Britain can do.

The British government refused to apologize . Balfour agrees, explaining the declaration was issued out of good intentions and there is no reason to apologize for the fact that reality did not turn out the way the Palestinians wanted it to.

At the end of the interview, he stands in front of his great-great uncles portrait, failing to hide his admiration. And then he remembers something. The first time he visited Israel, he came to Tel Aviv and discovered that the street named after General Allenby is longer than Balfour Street. I think it should be the other way around, he says.
Former US Congressman Anthony Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Monday for sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl, setting off a scandal that played a role in the 2016 US presidential election.

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Weiner, 53, started to cry as soon as the sentence was announced by US District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan. He pleaded guilty in May to transferring obscene material to a minor, and agreed he would not appeal any sentence of 27 months or less.

NY tabloid New York Post's cover detailing the affair

"I was a very sick man for a very long time, but I'm also responsible for the damage I have done," Weiner read from a prepared statement in court before he was sentenced. He said he was being treated, and asked Cote to spare him prison and sentence him to probation so he could continue treatment.

Weiner's lawyer, Arlo Devlin-Brown, said that while Weiner exchanged sexually explicit messages with many women, all of the others were adults, and noted the teenage girl contacted Weiner first.

Cote said she believed Weiner was suffering from an addiction, and was serious about being treated. However, she said it was important to deter others from committing similar crimes.

Weiner entering the courtroom (Photo: Reuters)

"There is the opportunity to make a statement that could protect other minors," she said.

Weiner declined to speak to reporters as he left the courtroom. He was ordered to surrender by Nov. 6.

The investigation into Weiner's exchanges with a North Carolina high school student roiled the 2016 US presidential campaign in its final days, when authorities found emails on Weiner's laptop from his wife Huma Abedin, an aide to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Abedin has filed for divorce. Weiner, who wore his wedding band at the sentencing, and Abedin have a son, Jordan, who is 5 years old.

Weiner and his soon-to-be ex-wife Huma Abedin, a Hillary Clinton aide (Photo: AP)

The discovery of the emails prompted James Comey, then director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to announce in late October that the agency was reopening its investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while she was US secretary of state.

Clinton has said the announcement contributed to her upset loss to Republican Donald Trump, who had accused her of endangering national security by using the private server.

President Trump fired Comey in May amid the FBI's probe into whether his campaign colluded with Russia to defeat Clinton, a claim the president has denied.

Uncovering Weiner's affair may have scuttled Clinton's presidential bid (Photo: AP)

Weiner represented parts of New York City in the US House of Representatives for 12 years before resigning in 2011, after it emerged that he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with adult women.

In 2013, Weiner ran for New York City mayor, but dropped out of the race when more lewd messages became public.
American-Israeli efforts to block the Palestinian Authority's request to join world policing organization Interpol as a member state suffered a setback Monday when the attempt to have the organization's Executive Committee block the move before it reached its general assembly failed.

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The American side has not yet given up, however, and was still attempting to convince the Palestinians to withdraw their own candidacy.

Israel had hoped Interpol's Executive Committee, which sets the general assembly's agenda, would decide not to put the Palestinian request on the docket on the grounds that "Palestine" is not a state according to Interpol's own parameters.

The Israeli argument was presented to the members of the organization, currently congregated in Beijing.

However, the committee failed to act on the request and the matter will now be brought before the general assembly.

Interpol's General Assembly will discuss Palestinian accession (Photo: Shutterstock)

The latest development will lead to two discussions. The first, set to take place Wednesday, will deal with the criteria according to which states may join Interpol, since current guidelines are not sufficiently clear.

The second debate will deal with the Palestinian Authority's specific request for acceptance to Interpol.

Jerusalem fervently hopes the first debate will adopt criteria strict enough to preclude any possibilty of a Palestinian accession before it is even brought before a vote.

Kosovo withdrew its own accession request Saturday, despite the US supporting it on principle. The withdrawal reportedly came following an American request based on the assumption Russia would torpedo it, as its ally Serbia is an adversary of the small southeastern European nation.

The American delegation to Interpol was of the opinion that should Kosovo withdraw its application, it would make it easier for them to get the Palestinian request denied.

Trump's administration will now endeavor to convince Abbas's delegation to withdraw their request (Photo: AP)

The Palestinian side has thus far turned a blind eye to American requests to follow Kosovo's example. Accession to Interpol remains a tall task, however, with the Palestinians needing a two-thirds majority in the general assembly.

Israel is nevertheless concerned Palestinian efforts will bear fruit if the matter comes to a vote, as Muslim and Arab countries will invariably vote in favor of their accession.

A fear of information leaking to terrorist groups

Israel's greatest fear is that Palestinian acceptance to Interpol would allow the latter to have arrest warrants issued for top Israeli officials, and for the Palestinian delegation to be privy to sensitive classified information regarding terrorism and its financing, which may then leak to Hamas or Fatah.

The Americans are aggressively pursuing efforts to deny the Palestinians accession to Interpol on the premise that such a unilateral move risks making it increasingly difficult to jumpstart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process again.

Two weeks ago the Americans were successful in convincing the Palestinians to withdraw their request to be a member state of the UN's World Tourism Organization, albeit after threatening the closure of Fatah's Washington offices.
An Israeli Haredi citizen was stabbed in his chest Monday during an altercation that broke out between Hasidic Jews in the Ukrainian city of Uman.

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The victim was said to be in serious condition and a medical helicopter is expected to fly the currently hospitalized 42-year-old Israeli back to Israel overnight.

Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg

The suspect who carried out the stabbing is believed to also be an Israeli and was arrested by the state authorities.

After the Hasid was rushed to the hospital in the city, local police launched a criminal investigation into the attack and arrested a 52-year-old man on suspicion of intentionally causing serious bodily harm, a crime which carries a maximum sentence in Ukraine of up to eight years in prison.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed that it had obtained information from the consulate in Ukraine about an Israeli who had been hospitalized in central Uman after being stabbed.
A terrorist shot and killed a Border Policeman and two civilian security guards and seriously wounded another Israeli near the settlement of Har Adar in the Jerusalem area on Tuesday morning. The terrorist was shot and killed by security forces.

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Magen David Adom paramedics treated three fatally wounded members of the Israeli security forces in their twenties and thirties, but had to pronounce them dead at the scene.

The Border Policeman was identified as Staff Sergeant Solomon Gavriya, 20, from Be'er Yaakov. Gavriya joined the Border Police 18 months ago. He is survived by his parents and three siblings.

Border Policeman Staff Sergeant Solomon Gavriya was killed in the attack (Photo: Israel Police Spokesman's Unit)

Head of the Be'er Yaakov Council Nissim Gozlan spoke about the deceased Gavriya. "He was injured in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem's Seam Zone just a year ago, but insisted on going back to the Border Police to defend the country only two months later," he recounted.

Gavriya's commander also spoke about the previous attack Gavriya was involved in. "He prevented a terrorist attack on the residents of Har Adar by pouncing on a terrorist, who then stabbed him. He insisted on returning to the service and his friends after recuperating," he said.

One of the security guards killed in the attack was identified as Youssef Ottman of Abu Ghosh.





Security guard Youssef Ottman

The second guard killed was later identified as Or Arish, 25, of Har Adar.

Security guard Or Arish

Military security coordinator Amit Steinhart, 33, of Har Adar was seriously wounded in the attack.

He was operated on in the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem and his life was no longer in danger. His injuries have thus been downgraded to moderate.

"The surgery was successful. The 33-year-old patient was hit by a bullet in shoulder and hip. One of the bullets hit his spleen and diaphragm, and after dealing with these two organs, a team of orthopedic surgeons removed the bullets. He's been completely stabilized, is breathing on his own and is now recuperating in Hadassah's emergency care unit. He was certainly very lucky," said head of the Department of General Surgery at Hadassah Prof. Alon Pikarsky.

The security checkpoint where the attack took place (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

The attack took place while a security force was opening the settlement's peripheral traffic route.

Palestinian day laborers were nearing the checkpoint at the back entry to Har Adar in the early morning when one aroused the suspicions of Border Police and civil security forces while he was still on the Palestinian side.

(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Forces then initiated the suspect arrest protocol and ordered him to stop.

When the terrorist realized he'd been made, he opened his shirt, drew a gun and fired at the guards and policemen at short range.

He was then shot dead by the Border Policemen.

Sergeant Major N., an additional Border Policewoman and Har Adar's military security coordinator reacted quickly, taking out the terrorist.

"I unloaded from the vehicle, cocked my weapon and shot him with six rounds. He immediately dropped to the floor," Sergeant Major N. recounted.

Photo: TPS

Terrorist reportedly assaulted wife

The terrorist, identified as Nimer Jamal, was a 37-year-old resident of Beit Surik with no record of security offenses, who held a work permit for the Seam Zone in the West Bank.

An initial inquiry into the attack uncovered Jamal suffered from severe personal and family issues, including domestic violence.

He was embroiled in a marital spat with his wife after reportedly physically assaulting her. She fled to Jordan, leaving him with the couple's four children.

Terrorist Nimer Jamal

Following the attack, IDF and Border Police forces encircled the terrorist's village of Beit Surik, only permitting to exit it for humanitarian reasons.

The Biddu riots (Photo: Elior Levy)

Subsequently, rioting broke out in the village of Biddu, near Beit Surik.

The riots that broke out in Biddu

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The weapon used in the attack was a regulation handgun reported stolen in 2003.

Security forces initially ruled out the presence of other terrorists at the scene, but have since made arrests in the terrorist's home village and the surrounding area, picking up Palestinians suspected of being involved in the attack in some capacity, including Jamal's brother.

The gun used in the attack (Photo: Israel Police)

Har Adar residents were asked to bring all Palestinian day laborers who have already entered the settlement to the local community center.

Residents say the laborers are incensed with the terrorist, saying, "What has he done to us, how will we work now?"

The head of the Har Adar council Chen Filipovich said that "Hundreds of laborers enter the community each and every morning. This is an abnormal, difficult incident, and we'll be drawing the requisite conclusions from it. I want to send a calming message: 'We'll continue working to maintain the calm, good environment.'"

Palestinian day laborers were rounded up in Har Adar (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Chief of Police Roni Alsheikh and Jerusalem District Commander Maj.-Gen. Yoram Halevy, as well as IDF GOC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Roni Numa and Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brig.-Gen. Eran Niv all arrived to the scene for briefings.

In addition, IDF forces from the Binyamin Territorial Brigade were roused to the area.

When asked about profiling the terrorist, who was a father of four with no record of security offenses, Alsheikh said, "You can't profile these terrorists."

"They're adult men or women, may be married, or they may be young. It can be anyone who decides they're fed up and tries to express their rage through an attack," he explained.

"We're still evaluating the situation. We're talking about the passage of laborers and Israeli society has needs of its own. Laborers are working with permits and the IDF itself considers it the chance of a normal life for Palestinians. We need to be sure no rash judgments are made," he cautioned.

(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Hamas, Fatah praise, Israeli officials condemn

Hamas welcomed the terrorist attack, saying, "The Jerusalem attack is a new chapter in the Al-Quds intifada. It underlines the fact any attempts to Judaize (the city) have failed on the ground. Jerusalem is Arab-Muslim. Its residents and youth will spare no effort to redeem it with their spirit and blood."

Meanwhile, Munir al-Jaghoub, a Fatah spokesman, said "Israel carries sole responsibility for Palestinian response to the crimes of the occupation."

"Should Israel persist in its aggression against the Palestinian people, it can expect the violence to continue, as the daily injuries our people suffer are the root cause of it."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the attack at the beginning of Sunday's cabinet meeting.

"This is a difficult morning with three Israelis murdered by a miscreant. On behalf of the government and the entire people of Israel, my condolences go out to the families of the deceased, and I also wish a speedy recovery to the settlement's military security coordinator who was also injured. The attack and its ramifications are still under investigation. What we can say now, however, is that the terrorist's home will be demolished, the IDF has already encircled his village and the work permits of his extended family will be revoked," he said.

"This murderous attack is a result of methodical incitement by the Palestinian Authority and other entities, and I expect Mahmoud Abbas to denounce the attacking rather than attempt to justify it. Security forces will continue working against the incitement and terrorism as they do every day, and we will conclude the inquiry into the specifics of this attack," he concluded.

"Before discussing any negotiations, the world should demand the Palestinian Authority stop incitement and fanning the flames of terrorism," said Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman in response to the terrorist attack.

"The Palestinian Authority continues inciting the murder of Jews and glorifying and extolling the virtues of murderers. This is a main reason why the atmosphere of incitement in the media and on social networks ends up leading to terrorist attacks against Israel's citizens," he added.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan spoke to reporters at the scene. "We're in an age of terrorism carried out by individuals, precipitated by incitement and ideological terrorism based on radical Islam and calls to 'kill the infidels.' When a terrorist has a valid work permit, you cannot be speaking about a national or territorial dispute. It only proves the conflict is religious, and not territorial," Erdan claimed.

"The policy of providing Palestinians with permits should be examined, but no hasty decisions should be made. Judea and Samaria should be under closure during the holidays because many Jews visit holy places, and so points of friction should be minimized," he added.

Erdan spoke at the scene (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

President Reuven Rivlin also condemned the attack, saying, In such difficult moments, our hearts go out to the families of those murdered, and we pray for recovery of those injured. Such a brutal terror attack once again shows the daily frontline on which our security forces stand, charged today with the most important mission  the safeguarding and defense of the citizens of Israel. We will continue to confront terror, and will reach all its perpetrators and supporters.

High alert ahead of High Holy Days

In the past few months, there has been a severe downturn in the number of attacks perpetrated by assailants from the West Bank or east Jerusalem.

The security establishment made preparations for a renewed wave of attacks during the High Holy Days, considered a sensitive time during which the wave of terrorism started two years ago.

IDF forces have therefore exerted increased pressures on local West Bank arms manufacturers, where dozens of turnery owners for self production of weapons were arrested and their shops closed.

Photo: TPS

The price of weapons, mostly Carlo riflesa local version of the Carl Gustav submachine gunhas soared from NIS 1,500 for a single gun to many thousands.

As in most attacks, initial working assumption is the Har Adar terrorist worked alone, without belonging to the ranks of any organization that guided him. More likely, he took advantage of the close proximity of Palestinian villages west of Jerusalem to Israeli communities in the area, such as Har Adar. In some cases, only hundreds of meters separate Israeli and Palestinians homes on a nearby hill.

Throughout the "lone-wolf attacker" intifada, the security establishment made it a point to support the policy of providing Palestinians with work permits, out of the desire to differentiate between terrorists and their families and the general population that has no involvement in terrorism.

In a special Rosh Hashanah interview, Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot spoke about Palestinians entering Israel to work and study.

"Cooperation with the Palestinian Authority is partial, but still to the benefit of both sides. The PA is in charge of the life of over 2.5 million Palestinians in Judea and Samarias areas A and B. Theres dialogue," Eisenkot said.

"Weve met a new phenomenon for the first timenot organized terrorism with proper weapons, but inspired terrorism," he added.

"We were able to restore security because were very experienced in dealing with terrorism. We operated in a determined and focused manner, while distinguishing the terrorist from the population and creating positive incentives for the majority of the Palestinian population. Every morning, over 900,000 young Palestinians go to study, while half a million work in Israel and Judea and Samaria. This is a positive dynamic and we have a distinct interest in preserving it: On the one hand to determinedly fight terrorism, while on the other to continue to allow better daily life for the population," he concluded his stance on the matter.

About a year ago, Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman unveiled the "sticks and carrots" plan, as part of which "green" villages that produced no terrorists would receive a range of benefits and relief measures, whereas "red" villages that produced a large number of terrorists will suffer punitive measures including revoking work permits for their family members.
MOSCOW - The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday denied allegations that its air strikes had killed civilians in Syria's Idlib province, saying that in the past few days it had only bombed Islamist militant fighters in the area.

Moscow said it was responding to allegations from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which on Monday said six civilians had been killed in the province, including a woman and a child.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also criticized Russia on Monday for the same reason, saying that recent Russian bombing in Idlib had killed civilians and moderate rebels and that this would be discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visited Turkey this week.

Major-General Igor Konashenkov of the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Russian and Syrian air forces did not bomb residential areas and accused the observatory of making up allegations and of sympathising with radical Islamist militants.

"In the last few days, after drone reconnaissance and confirmation via other channels, Russian planes struck 10 terrorist targets in Idlib Province," Konashenkov said.

"These were militant bases, ammunition stores, armoured vehicles, rocket systems, and workshops fitting out 'jihad jeeps' which were located a long way from residential areas," he said.

The targets struck had taken part in a militant offensive last week which surrounded 29 Russian military policemen who then had to be broken out in a special operation backed by air power, he added.
Iran's parliament will hold a closed-door meeting on Wednesday on the referendum in Iraq's Kurdish area, in which lawmakers will receive a briefing about Monday's vote.

The meeting comes as parliament speaker Ali Larijani on Tuesday criticized the vote. State television quoted him as saying there are "elements ... making provocations" in Iraq's Kurdish region.

Thousands of Iranian Kurds demonstrated into the early morning Tuesday to celebrate the vote.
Agitating doctors to continue protest throughout Dashain

Nepal Medical Association (NMA) has renewed its warning to continue its protest programmes including halting of all forms of medical services except emergency ones from all hospitals across the country citing the governments failure to make any concrete decision to address the demands of agitating doctors.
HABUR, Turkey  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Iraqi Kurds would go hungry if his country halts the flow of trucks and oil across the border with northern Iraq and warned that all military and economic measures were on the table against its neighbour.

The comments, some of the harshest yet from Erdogan about Monday's referendum in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, came as Iraqi troops joined the Turkish army for military exercises near Turkey's border with northern Iraq.

While initial results indicated overwhelming support for independence, Turkeylong northern Iraq's main link to the outside worldsees the referendum as a threat to its own security, fearing it will inflame separatism among its Kurdish population.
A decision to create a new committee comprised of representatives of parties from the coalition was reached at a meeting of coalition heads.

The committee will be tasked with drafting a new conscription bill and passing it into law as quickly as possible.

Two weeks ago the High Court struck down the amendment to the Conscription Law that allowed young Haredi men to draft dodge.
An Iraqi man preacher accused of recruiting fighters for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, including two believed to have killed more than 150 Iraqi soldiers in suicide bombings, went on trial in a German court on Wednesday.

Four alleged members of the Islamist network he had set up also stood trial.

Prosecutors say the 33-year-old preacher, identified as Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah A. in court documents, recruited at least seven individuals who ended up travelling to the Middle East where they fought alongside Islamic State militants.

Two died in two separate suicide bombing attacks against Iraqi army positions in 2015 in which more than 150 soldiers were killed, prosecutors said. The two recruits, identified as Mark and Kevin K, joined Islamic State in 2014.

The main suspect, known by the nickname Abu Walaa, which in Arabic means Father of Loyalty, and the four othersa Turk, a German, a Serbian-German dual citizen and a national of Cameroonwere arrested in November in raids in the states of Lower Saxony and North-Rhine Westphalia. They have been held in custody since then.

The defendants have chosen to remain silent during the trial.
Hundreds attended the funeral Tuesday afternoon in Beer Yaakov Military Cemetary to pay their final respects to Staff Sergeant Solomon Gavriya, who was one of three security personnel shot dead by a terrorist earlier.

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Delivering her eulogy in tears, Gavriyas girlfriend explained how she had learned of her loss.

Photo: Shaul Golan

Words cannot describe how much I loved you and just what a great person you were. This morning I woke up to the difficult news. I received a notification about a terror attack on the news in Har Adar, she recalled.

Solomon Gavriya (Photo: Police Spokesperson's Unit)

Two words I feared the most were on the screen. I continued to look, and I saw there was an attack in which three guards had been killed by a terrorist. Nothing prepared me for this. No one taught me how to live with a loss like of such magnitude. I never believed it would be the love of my life, she continued.

Gavriya's girlfriend (Center) (Photo: Shaul Golan)

The man who everyone knew there was no one like him, it didnt matter in what field, you were always the best, the most helpful, the most distinguished, the most you; just you. Friends, family and especially I cannot believe that this is real. How can such a flower be uprooted?

Photo: Shaul Golan

Photo: Shaul Golan

Only you know what I am going through. How can I go on without you, tell me. You were boundlessly loyal and loved. Even in your job you never complained...my hero. I want to believe that this is just a bad dream.

Photo: Shaul Golan

The two other casualties in the attack were civilian security guards Youssef Ottman, 25, of Abu Ghosh and Or Arish, 25, of Har Adar.

Photo: Shaul Golan

In October 2016, Gavriya suffered minor wounds in a stabbing attack near Mevaseret Zion. A year later, he was on the scene of the Tuesday terrorist attack in Har Adar where he was killed by Nimer Jamal along with the two other security personnel stationed there.

Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh also delivered his remarks at the funeral. Photo: Shaul Golan You made Aliyah from Ethiopia in 1999. You comrades tell of a frank, modest person who helped others. You carried out your job with endless determination and always lent a hand to others, Alsheikh began, before praising Gavriya for insisting on returning to complete his military service after recovering from an injury sustained during another terror attack in October 2016. You were injured but you couldnt handle the fact that your friends would bear the burden. That is how you were. Roni Alsheikh (Photo: Shaul Golan) Concluding his remarks, Alsheikh promised that terrorism would not succeed. We will get anyone who tries to harm our civilians. I salute you. Youssef Ottmans funeral also took place in Abu Ghosh after prayers services were held in a mosque. From there, attendants escorted Ottmans coffin to the local cemetery. Youssef Ottman during his military service in the Border Police (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Ottman's cousin was murdered in a 1997 terrorist attack in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market. Issam Ottman, Youssef's father, said his son was familiar with the terrorist who took his life. Ottman's cousin was murdered in a 1997 terrorist attack in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market. Issam Ottman, Youssef's father, said his son was familiar with the terrorist who took his life. Youssefs funeral was attended by Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev (Likud) and Opposition Chairman Isaac Herzog. Escorting Youssef on his final journey (Photo: Yishai Porat) We woke up to a horrible morning for the family and friends and for civilians. Two people went to workone was good and the other was bad. One loved life and the other came, with a weapon to murder, Regev said. What a huge difference between the two. The prime minister has said that we will destroy the terrorists home.





Yishai Porat, Itai Blumenthal and Elisha Ben Kimon contributed to this report.
Tehran vowed on Tuesday to stand alongside Baghdad and Ankara against the outcome of an independence referendum staged by Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq, a day after thousands of Iranian Kurds marched in support of the vote.

State media also quoted an army commander as saying that new missile systems were installed on Tuesday, a day after the referendum, in western provinces that border Iraqi Kurdish areas to "firmly respond to any invasion".

Iran, Iraq and Turkeycountries with Kurdish minoritieshave all denounced the referendum as a threat to the stability of a region already beset by conflict, while the United States has expressed similar disquiet.

Ali Akbar Velayati, the top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stepped up the pressure as the Iraqi government ruled out talks on possible secession for Kurdish-held northern Iraq and Turkey threatened sanctions.

"The Iraqi people won't stand silent. Iran and Turkey and other regional countries won't stand silent and will stand against this abhorrent deviation," Velayati was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency. "The Muslim nations will not allow the creation of a second Israel."
Frauke Petry, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany, said on Tuesday she was leaving the party in a major blow to its credibility just two days after it surged to third place in a national election.

The anti-immigrant AfD won 12.6 percent of the vote in Germany's election on Sunday, becoming the third-largest group in parliament and the first from the far-right to win seats in the Bundestag since the 1950s.

Petry, the highest-profile figure in the AfD's more moderate wing, had shocked other senior members by saying on Monday she would not sit with the AfD in the Bundestag (lower house) but rather as an independent member of parliament. Her husband, another senior AfD figure, is also leaving the party.

"We tried to change course but you have to realize when you reach a point when that is no longer possible," Petry, a 42-year-old chemist, told reporters in the eastern city of Dresden. "I have five children for whom I am responsible and ultimately you have to be able to look yourself in the mirror."

Petry has clashed with other senior members, arguing for the party to take a more moderate course to make it possible for it to join a coalition government.
President Donald Trump says it's time for all nations "to join forces to isolate to the North Korean menace."

He says all nations must act now for the denuclearization of North Korea.

Trump repeated praise he offered last week for China's reported breaking off of banking relations with North Korea.

There has been no official confirmation from China of such a step. China is North Korea's most important trading partner.

Trump was speaking at a press conference Tuesday after meeting the leader of Spain.

The Trump administration on Tuesday announced new sanctions against North Korean banks.
The Trump administration will allow no more than 45,000 refugees into the United States next year, officials said Tuesday, in what would be the lowest admissions level in more than a decade.

President Donald Trump is expected to announce the cap on refugee admissions following a lengthy debate within his administration about whether to go higher or lower. The figure represents the maximum number of refugees the US would be willing to accept. The actual number of refugees who move to the United States could actually be much lower.

The administration had been considering a ceiling somewhere between 40,000, which the Homeland Security Department recommended, and 50,000, the State Department's preferred level, according to officials. The new figure appears to be a compromise that Cabinet officials felt would be palatable to the president.

Still, Trump's stated hostility to accepting refugees and opposition among others in his administration mean the US may not intend to fill all 45,000 slots in the 2018 fiscal year that starts Sunday. The US hasn't taken in so few refugees in a single year since 2006, when 41,223 were allowed entry.
Between a rock and a hard place

The third phase of local level elections in Province 2 was completed peacefully on September 18, 2017 with the participation of the Rastriya Janta Party Nepal (RJPN). The election was held for 136 units in place of the 127 that was determined earlier. The counting of votes is in progress and results are coming in.
This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company.

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News

Yuma, Arizona - On Wednesday, September 27th, Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan will visit the Yuma Main Library, 2951 S 21st Drive, to present a $ 26,750 ceremonial check granted by the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, a division of the Arizona Secretary of State, under the Library Services and Technology Act, which is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The funds will be used to purchase several pieces of specialized assistive technology that can be used by children, teens, and adults with physical and mental developmental disabilities to launch the (Libraries Enabling Assistive Discovery) Technology Project at the Main Library.



This event is sponsored by the Yuma County Library District and Friends of Yuma County Libraries, Inc.



Wednesday, September 27th, at 11:00 a.m.



Main Library (Childrens Area), 2951 S 21st Drive, Yuma



All are welcome to attend this event! For more information, contact Sarah Wisdom, Community Relations Manager, at (928) 373-6483 or Hannah Stewart, Youth Services Manager, at (928) 373-6494.
Black marketeers getting impunity due to lack of proper law: Minister Mandal

Minister for Supplies Shiva Kumar Mandal has said that the black marketeers are getting impunity due to lack of proper law to take action against them.
New Delhi: The commerce and industry ministry has decided to set up a review committee to look into regulatory issues being faced by the industry, Union minister Suresh Prabhu said on Tuesday.

The decision was taken in a meeting convened by the minister with industry chambers including Ficci, PHDCCI, CII and senior government officials.

Prabhu said the interaction was mainly to look at ways through which both the ministry and the industry can work together to push the growth to higher trajectory by taking certain measures.

"We have decided to set up a regulatory review committee under the chairmanship of DIPP (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) secretary so that very quickly we can look into some of the issues which needed for growth," he told reporters after the meeting.

He said the issue of utilisation of capacity was also discussed.

Further, a government official said that the committee, which would have members from industry also, will look into all the regulatory issues which are affecting the industry.

It would help in promoting ease of doing business in the country, the official said.

The industry has raised issues related to certain laws, processes and the Goods and Services Tax.

The ministry has also decided to take regular feedback from the industry on implementation of measures on ease of doing business.

"We have also decided to monitor various investment proposals both foreign and domestic to fastrack the approval processes. We will make extra effort for that and work with states," an official, who did not wish to be named, said.

The official also said that the ministry has asked the industry to give a sector-wise report on ways to increase capacity utilisation, which is around 74 percent on average.

Capacity utilisation can be done both by increasing domestic consumption or exports.

Former Ficci president R V Kanoria, who attended the meeting, said that the major takeaway of this meeting was the confidence building which the minister was trying to do and that has "really enthused the industry".

The discussion includes "how we can get growth and employment back in the country...For some time we have seen that there have been pressures on Indian economy," he told reporters.

Ficci Secretary General Sanjaya Baru said that their main submission was that the confidence of Indian businesses should be boosted as growth has slowed down over a long period of time.

"Last 6-7 years, there has been a secular decline and therefore there are concerns about the nature of the growth process.

"So we said once the confidence builds up then automatically investments will increase," he said.

The meeting was attended by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, DIPP Secretary Ramesh Abhishek, Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia and Textiles Secretary.

Meanwhile, the CII in a statement said it raised several issues including focus on four main areas - investments, exports, MSMEs and employment.

The CII asked for cut in interest rates by 100 basis points over the next year to spur consumption; relaxation of fiscal consolidation targets for a year or two; lower corporate tax to 18 percent while removing all exemptions; expand coverage of GST to include electricity, oil and gas, alcohol and real estate at the earliest.

To boost exports, it suggested to allow commercial banks to lend more to SMEs and increase interest rate subsidy rate to 4 percent from 3 percent at present.

To generate jobs, it asked to reinstate fixed term employment for all manufacturing sectors and discourage arbitrary fixation of minimum wages without taking into consideration skills levels.
Mumbai: Anil Ambani-led Reliance Power is expecting to complete financial closure for its phase 1 of 750 MW liquefied natural gas (LNG) power project in Bangladesh in this financial year.

"Our efforts to put our 750 MW gas based project in Bangladesh is on track. We will be able to achieve financial closure in the current fiscal. We expect it to be commercially operational by March 2020," Ambani told shareholders during the 23rd annual general meeting here.

In the phase I, the company is developing 750 MW power project and 500 mmscfd LNG terminal with an investment outlay of nearly USD 1 billion which is the largest FDI in Bangladesh, he said.

Ambani said the company has also achieved a significant milestone with the issuance of letter of intent (LoI) for the first.

Reliance Power has signed an MoU with the Bangladesh government to develop 3,000 MW LNG project in Meghnaghat and 500 mmscfd LNG Terminal at Qutubdia Island in Bangladesh.

"This project will generate earning in dollar for the company as it will get dollar denominated tariff in this project. Its implementation will significantly enhance top line and bottom line of the company," Ambani said.

Talking about the growth opportunities, he said the sector is undergoing a consolidation phase and is offering a number of inorganic growth opportunities.

"We will continue to explore these to accelerate value accretive growth and exploit synergies with the existing portfolio. The company will also look for opportunities in the commercial coal mining," Ambani said.

He further said the company has been continuously bringing down its leverage by timely repayment of debts at holding company level and its subsidiaries.

"Leverage will reduce further with the company's continued focus on delivering excellence in operating performance in all its SPVs. The company is conservatively leveraged with a debt-equity ratio of 1.33:1, one of the lowest in the power sector," he said.

Ambani further said the company's risk management initiatives taken with respect to 4000 MW Tilaiya and 4000 MW Krishnapatnam project are well on track.

"This will effectively reduce future capex pipeline by Rs 56,000 crore," he added.
New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Tuesday warned its students against holding GSCASH elections.



A group of students have decided to hold election on Wednesday for the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) despite the university order issued earlier telling them not to do so.



The decision to replace GSCASH with Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) was taken during the 269th Executive Council meeting held on September 18.



The administration will hold election for student representatives, to be part of ICC, on September 29.



"This is to sensitise the entire JNU community that some students with the support of JNUSU are moving ahead with holding elections to non-existing GSCASH," a circular from the varsity Registrar read.



"There will be no parallel institution on sexual harassment cases in the same campus. The JNU administration hereby alerts the JNU community that efforts are being made to hold illegal elections to a non-existing body," it added.



A considerable section of students is opposed to the move of replacing GSCASH with ICC, mandated by the University Grants Commission, mainly because of the difference in both committees` constitution alleging a likelihood of its acting prejudicially.



Unlike GSCASH -- all members of which are elected -- the ICC would consist of nominated members along with the elected members.



Both the committees include teachers and students as members.
New Delhi: The Patiala House Court on Tuesday directed the joint commissioner of Delhi Police to appear before the court for not complying with its order to de-seal a five-star hotel suite where Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh told Delhi Police that the room should have been de-sealed by today, and consequently directed the Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police to appear before the court and explain the reason behind non-compliance of the order.

"Do you (police) want to initiate proceedings against yourself? I have already passed an order. You think of legal consequences. It can't go on like this," the judge snubbed the Delhi Police.

The court made the observation after the police filed a report stating that the results from the forensic laboratories were still awaited and some more time be given to it.

On September 21, Delhi High Court ordered Delhi Police to de-seal Hotel Leela's suite no. 345 and granted Delhi Police more time to file their final status report on the probe into the death of Sunanda Pushkar.

This is not the first time that Delhi Police has come under the fire of judiciary.

In the last hearing, the court had pulled up the Delhi Police for causing delay in the investigation and had granted them two weeks to complete their probe.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, earlier this year, on July 6 had filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court seeking a court-monitored enquiry into the mysterious death of Pushkar.

He has now demanded to make the Enforcement Directorate (ED) a party in the case and the matter has also to be investigated under the PMLA.

Pushkar, wife of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was found dead at a suite in a five star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014.
New Delhi: Delhi Police will on Tuesday file a compliance report in connection with its ongoing probe into the mysterious death of Congress leader Shashi Tharoors wife Sunanda Pushkar in a hotel suite in 2014.

On September 12, a Delhi court had directed the city police to de-seal the suite of a South Delhi-based five-star hotel suite where Tharoors wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead under mysterious circumstances in 2014.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh had asked the police to file a compliance report by September 26 while allowing it to take all required articles from the room for its investigation.

Earlier on September 4, the court had rapped the police for its lethargic attitude in its probe into the death of Pushkar while hearing a plea by the hotels management seeking de-sealing of the suite where she had died.

Due to the lethargic attitude of Delhi Police, the plaintiff [hotel] has already suffered a lot, the court had said, observing that in the name of investigation, a huge financial loss has been caused to the hotel.

The police had sought more time to complete the probe and said teams of forensic experts had visited the suite recently and collected various evidence, reports of which were awaited.

Till the reports clearly indicate no further requirement, the suite cannot be opened, the police had said.

The court had on July 21 ordered de-sealing of the suite within four weeks, saying the hotel cannot be put to unending hardship due to laxity on part of the police.

The court had, however, said the probe agency would be at liberty to visit the suite before filing a compliance report regarding de-sealing of the suite. It had also noted that no offence was found on part of the hotel.

Pushkar was found dead in the suite of Leela Palace Hotel on the night of January 17, 2014.

The suite was sealed on that night itself for investigation.

An FIR was registered by Delhi Police on January 1, 2015, against unknown persons under IPC section 302 (murder).

With PTI inputs
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley along with Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah will inaugurate an India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show 'Passage to Prosperity' here tomorrow.

The three-day event, sponsored by the US, will focus on better regional integration by strengthening economic ties between Afghanistan and India.

The event will highlight recently signed agreements, showcase Afghan companies and Indian innovation, and launch a forthcoming single-sector event series.

Special Charge d' affaires Afghanistan Ambassadr Hugo Llorens and Charge d' affaires US Embassy Mary Kay Carlson will also be present at the inauguration.

The show will feature Afghan entities from the economic growth, agriculture, health, education, gender and energy sectors seeking trade and investment opportunities with India, along with CEOs from major Indian and US companies. Consumer goods from Afghanistan like carpets, gemstones, marble, saffron, dried fruits and nuts will also be on display.

A senior US official said over 800 Indian companies have confirmed their participation in the trade and investment show, apart from around 240 Afghanistan vendors.

The official confirmed that the 'Passage to Prosperity' show was a deliverable from the Heart of Asia conference and "certainly the relationship between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as PM Modi's trip to Washington with President Donald Trump".

He informed that diversified American conglomerate General Electric has "expressed interest in pursuing some ideas or atleast exploring opportunities in Afghanistan".

The sixth edition of Heart of Asia conference, an annual regional gathering of Asian and other countries, was held in Amritsar in December last year.

"There has always been a natural trade partnership with India and Afghanistan. This is an opportunity to help Afghanistan's private sector grow a bit... Unlike the other trade shows we have had in the past, this is not just a one- off event. We hope to gain some momentum and use this as a platform to work long term," the US official said.

He said the US was exploring making the India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show an annual event and looking at Mumbai as the host next year, and confirmed that seven trade shows with Afghanistan have been held in India since 2014.

"Afghanistan is working very hard as a government to bring in investors as much as possible to make it a better marketplace and certainly a more desirable place for their trade partners around the region," the official said, adding that although security in Afghanistan has been an issue, it has not hampered entrepreneurs interested in the nation to reach out and forge partnerships.

Besides, the US official said "certain airlines or air cargo companies in India who are looking to go to Kabul to bring back carpets or food" and about 20 flights have run till now under the India-Afghanistan Direct Air Freight Corridor established on June 19.
New York: Loudmouth US President Donald Trump had once called Diana Spencer, Britain's late Princess, crazy, and even joked about giving her an HIV test.

In a series of radio interviews given to Howard Stern, Trump had openly expressed his admiration for Lady Diana, who according to him, was the third hottest woman in the world then.

In one of those interviews, Trump had boasted that he would have slept with the British royal without any hesitation, claimed a report published by Mirror.

During his regular conversations with Howard Stern - the transcripts and the audio recordings of which have surfaced now - Trump talked about his political aspirations, and, more importantly, his sex life.

In 1997, Donald Trump had told Stern that he would have had sex with Princess Diana without even hesitation.

During a November 1997 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Trump had talked about sending women to the doctor for testing before having sexual relations with them.

He also talked about her looks, saying that she was a woman with great beauty.

Interestingly, between the 1990s and early 2000s, Trump was a regular on the controversial radio program hosted by Stern, where the conversation frequently revolved around women and sex.

In the May 2000 interview, Trump told Stern that Princess Diana was third on his list of the 10 most beautiful women in the world.

She was really beautiful, and people didnt realize that beautiful. She was supermodel beautiful,'' he said.

She had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin, the whole thing, Trump added.

Shes magnificent. She was crazy but these are minor details,'' he said.

In the same interview, he ranked his then-girlfriend and now-First Lady Melania at No. 1 and ex-wife Ivana at the second spot.

Trump's list of world's most beautiful women also included actress Julia Roberts, Michelle Pfeiffer, Cindy Crawford, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Jamnagar: Eyeing the support of the influential Patel community, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit the campaign trail in the Patidar-dominated areas of poll-bound Gujarat.

Some members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the party's student wing, greeted him as he left Jamnagar for Rajkot this morning.

The Congress leader urged the NSUI members to work hard to bring the party to power in Gujarat.

Taking a dig at BJP governments in the state and at the Centre, Gandhi said if the Congress was voted to power, his party's government would function from Gujarat and not on orders from Delhi.

On his way, at Falla village in Jamnagar, locals welcomed him by raising the slogan 'Jai Patidar, Jai Sardar'. People were also seen wearing caps with the same slogan.

Gandhi, who is on the second day of his three-day tour of Gujarat, is slated to visit several villages and towns, such as Dhrol and Tankara that have a sizable Patel population.

The Congress is hoping to get the support of this decisive vote bank during the polls due later this year.

Yesterday, on the first day of his visit to the state, Gandhi was greeted by Hardik Patel, leader of the Patel quota agitation.

"A warm welcome to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat," Patel tweeted in Hindi yesterday when Gandhi landed at Dwarka.

Patel had earlier hinted that he may consider supporting the Congress in the Assembly polls to achieve the goal of reservation to the Patel community under OBC quota.

Gandhi had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over issues like note ban, GST, farm policies and 'Gujarat model' of development, during his campaign from Dwarka to Jamnagar yesterday.

He also expressed confidence about winning the upcoming Assembly elections, claiming that there was a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat and the people regretted having voted for the BJP.
Achyut Wagle holds PhD in economics and is currently a professor at the Kathmandu University School of Management. He is an econo-political analyst, writing for The Kathmandu Post for many years.
Karnataka HC senior judge who ordered CBI probe in Ishrat Jahan case quits

Ahmedabad: Karnataka High Court's most senior judge Jayant Patel, who had ordered a CBI investigation in the controversial fake Ishrat Jahan encounter case in Gujarat, on Monday resigned reportedly for not being elevated as Chief Justice.

Patel, the senior-most puisne judge of the Karnataka High Court after the chief justice, sent his resignation letter to Chief Justice SK Mukherjee.

It is believed Justice Patel, who was Acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court before being posted to Bengaluru, resigned in a huff over his transfer to the Allahabad High Court, where he would be the third most senior judge.

In fact, the Gujarat High Court Bar Association had even raised the non-appointment of Justice Patel with the Collegium and called it shocking. This was when he was transferred as a judge in the Karnataka High Court after being an Acting Chief Justice.

Justice Patel had not only ordered a CBI investigation in the controversial fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan but had also monitored the probe, which included looking into the role of officials of Intelligence Bureau.

He was sworn in as a judge of Karnataka High Court on February 13 last year, while he was appointed the Acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court on August 13, 2015.
Jamnagar: On the second day of his three-day Gujarat visit, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will interact with the rural dairy farmers as well as the intellectuals, businessman, and entrepreneurs of the state.

According to reports, the Gandhi scion will begin his day with a meeting with workers and supporters at Rampur Patia in Jamnagar district at 10:15 am, followed by another meeting with workers and supporters at Gandhi Chowk, in Dhrol municipality, at 11:00 am.

After the two meetings in Jamnagar district, Gandhi will then proceed to Morbi district to attend a Kisan Sabha in Tankara at 12:30 pm, followed by an interactive session with dairy farmers at Pipalia Raj village at 1:45 pm.

At 4: 30 pm, he will hold a meeting with elected cooperative representatives at Milk Plant, near Amarsar Railway crossing.

The day will end with an interactive session with intellectuals, businessmen, and entrepreneurs at Hemu Gadhavi Hall in Rajkot, scheduled to be held at 7:30 pm.

Arriving on Monday, the Congress leader kickstarted his three-day election campaign at Saurashtra.

After offering prayers at the Dwarkadhish Temple, Gandhi went on to address a road show in the city where he castigated the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)- led government over a range of topics including unemployment, agrarian distress, demonetisation, and goods and Services Tax (GST).

Gandhi's election campaign in Gujarat is part of the Congress party's poll campaign ahead of the assembly elections slated to be held later this year.

The much awaited assembly elections in Gujarat will be held towards the end of 2017 or January, 2018. The dates will be announced officially by the Election Commission few months prior to it.

With ANI inputs
Chandigarh: A seventeen-year-old boy was found hanging from the ceiling fan at his residence in Haryana's Panchkula town.

The case is again suspected to be linked with the dangerous online Blue Whale game.

Karan Thakur, a student of DAV School, Chandigarh, had apparently asked his mother to take him to a psychiatrist as he was getting addicted to a game, some media reports claimed.

His parents had found Blue Whale game installed on his phone.

The police have also found some notes and diagrams scribbled in his notebook in which the boy had written, "I should just die" and "I don't deserve this life".

However, no whale image was found carved on the boy's forearm, said the police.

Deputy commissioner of police Manbir Singh said, "While necessary investigations are being conducted into the matter, the parents of the boy today informed us that they found some diagrams and notes scribbled in the boy's diary, which raised suspicion that he could have been playing the Blue Whale Challenge," reported PTI.

The suicide cases due to Blue Whale Challenge had allegedly increased in India, making the government concerned over its rising threat. The apex court has also asked the government to put a complete ban on the deadly game.
New Delhi: As Haryana police ramps up effort to arrest Honeypreet Insan, her lawyer Pradeep Arya produced a CCTV footage showing a burqa-clad lady walking out of his South Delhi home.

This lady in question is allegedly Honeypreet.

In the footage, she is seen stepping out of an alley along with a male associate. She briefly halts to decide which route to take and then quickly walks away with the man.

This came on a day when the Delhi High Court reserved its order on an anticipatory bail plea filed by Honeypreet, who claimed threat to her life by drug mafia.

In her bail plea, Honeypreet had mentioned that her "father Ram Rahim has been falsely implicated".

Honeypreet, whose real name Priyanka Taneja, has been on the run since the rape conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Earlier today, the Panchkula Police searched Honeypreet's South Delhi residence at around 7 am. However, she was not found in the bungalow.

The 36-year-old was last seen flying alongside Ram Rahim in a special chopper immediately after his conviction.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh 'daughter' Honeypreet Insan 's anticipatory bail plea.

While pronouncing the order, Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal observed that the applicant was just seeking more time by moving such a plea.

Earlier in the day, the court advised Honeypreet to surrender saying, the "easiest way out" for her would be to surrender.

Honeypreet is wanted by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence following conviction of the Dera chief.

The Haryana Police has opposed Honeypreet's plea in the HC terming it as 'forum shopping'.

Ram Rahim adopted Honeypreet in 2009. Gupta claimed he married Honeypreet in 1999 on the direction of the Dera chief before filing for divorce in 2011.

Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chiefs adopted daughter Honeypreet tops the list of 43 persons wanted by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that followed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs conviction.

Earlier, a lookout notice was issued against Honeypreet Insan and Dera spokesman Aditya Insan, whose name also figures in the wanted list.

Police had said they had received several photos and videos so far, out of which 43 persons were identified and their photos uploaded in connection with the incidents of violence in Panchkula, which left 35 dead. Six persons also died in incidents of violence in Sirsa.

'Honeypreet Insan had illicit relations with Dera chief'

Dera chief's "adopted daughter" Honeypreet's ex-husband Vishwas Gupta on Friday accused them of having illicit relations and said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers and others.

Honeypreet Insan's former husband Vishwas Gupta has claimed that she never slept with him and every night she was with the Dera chief.

While accusing Honeypreet and Gurmeet of having illicit relations, Gupta said their father-daughter relationship was a sham to fool followers and others.

Revealing about his ex-wife and Gurmeet's illicit relationship, Gupta claimed that he saw Ram Rahim and Honeypreet in a compromising position in the Dera chief's "gufa" or private accommodation on the sprawling campus near Sirsa town in Haryana.

"The baba threatened to get me and my family eliminated if I uttered anything about what I had seen. My life was ruined," said Gupta, who has since remarried.

Gupta alleged death threat from the Dera chief, who was on August 28 sent to 20 years of imprisonment by a Panchkula CBI court for the rape of two female followers.
New Delhi: Honeypreet Insan, who has been on the run following the sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh in two rape cases, has alleged facing life threats from the drug syndicate of Punjab and Haryana, reported news agency ANI.

"Drug mafia is after me," Honeypreet said in her anticipatory bail application, adding that she is a law-abiding single woman with clean antecedents and is willing to join the investigation.

Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of the jailed Dera chief, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with incidents of violence that had followed Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape cases. She moved the Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking anticipatory bail.

The Delhi High Court will hear Honeypreet's anticipatory bail plea at 2:00 pm today.

In the meantime, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Hansraj Ahir said that 'criminal' Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of jailed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, must be arrested by the police.

When asked about the Honeypreet's anticipatory bail plea, Ahir, in a veiled attack said a criminal is a criminal, he or she will make efforts to escape the law and that no criminal should be spared.

"It is the job of the police and the security agencies to nab criminals. No criminal should be spared. Police is doing its work properly...We will arrest all culprits in this case," he added.

In an another development, the Panchkula police today conducted raids at multiple locations across the New Delhi in search of the elusive foster daughter of Dera chief. However, the raid did not yield anything

On September 18, the Haryana Police released a 'wanted list' of 43 people, over the violence unleashed after Ram Rahim's conviction in connection with two rape cases.

The list had Honeypreet Insan's name at the top.

Dera Sacha Sauda followers indulged in several acts of violence after a CBI court ordered Ram Rahim's conviction in connection with the two rape cases on August 25. The violence resulted in the death of 41 people and injuries to more than 250 others.
New Delhi: At a time when the police are making all possible efforts to trace Honeypreet Insan, the adopted daughter of jailed Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, her lawyer Pradeep Arya claimed Insan visited his office on Monday to sign the anticipatory bail application.

With the matter expected to come up in court on Tuesday, Honeypreet is most likely in Delhi currently. However, there is no confirmation on the same.

Speaking to ANI, Arya had said that Honeypreet was in constant contact with him and that he would move the Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking bail for his client.

"We will file a transit anticipatory bail in Delhi High Court on Tuesday and would request for an urgent hearing," he said.

"It took time for her to decide I guess. As soon she contacted us, we took necessary steps. Honeypreet came today in the afternoon at my office in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar to sign the bail papers," he said on Monday.

When questioned about Honeypreet's whereabouts, he said that he has no clue about it.

"Honeypreet is very upset with the conviction of Dera Chief and the irresponsible presentation of her relation with Ram Rahim. We are requesting for urgent hearing. Primarily she has been charged with treason. The charges framed against her are incorrect," he said.

As per Honeypreet's lawyer, case has been filed against her under section 151, 152, 153, 120B, 121A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The Haryana Police on September 18 released a 'wanted list' of 43 people, over violence lashed after conviction of the Dera chief in two rape cases. The list had Honeypreet Insan, on the top.

She has been missing since the day the Dera chief was sent to Rohtak Jail.

Haryana witnessed uproar by Dera Sacha Sauda followers after Ram Rahim was convicted in the rape cases by the special CBI court on August 25, leaving about 41 people dead and injuring more than 250 people.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: In a major boost to India, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday said that the administration of President Donald Trump will no longer tolerate terror safe havens anywhere in the world.

There can be no tolerance of terror safe havens, as global leaders, India and US have resolved to work together to eradicate this scourge, Mattis said without naming Pakistan during his talks with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Calling terrorism a common problem affecting the two countries, Mattis said, ''Our two countries recognise the threat that global terrorism poses to people throughout the world.''

A joint statement issued after their meeting called on the need for India and the United States to come together to combat the scourge of terrorism.

We appreciate India's leadership in the Indian Ocean region and seek to work together to build a resilient regional architecture, Mattis said.

Referring to the situation in the war-torned Afghanistan, the US Defence Secretary said, ''We value India's invaluable contribution to Afghanistan and welcome further efforts to promote democracy, safety and security in the war-ravaged Asian state.''

I congratulate India for the great work done in Afghanistan, Defence Secretary James Mattis said.

Responding to it, Sitharaman said, ''India will expand development activities to help stabilise the war-torn country, but there shall not be any (Indian) boots on the ground in Afghanistan."

Speaking to reporters, the Defence Minister said, ''India-US share strong and vibrant strategic partnership as world's largest democracies also share fundamental values and interests.''

Cooperation in defence equipment grew steadily over past years. the US is now a leading state-of-the art defence equipment supplier to India, the Defence Minister said.

Acknowledging the US' stand on terror, Nirmala Sitharaman said, ''Both countries recognise the importance of holding those who use terror as state policy to account and to dismantle infrastructure that supports terror.''

The two sides issued the joint statement following a meeting between Mattis, who is the first high-ranking official from the Donald Trump administration to have arrived in India, with Sitharaman here.

Jim Mattis will later meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSA Ajit Doval, and hold talks to explore ways to boost the bilateral strategic ties.

"This is a historic opportunity for our two democracies at a time of strategic convergence," Mattis had said upon his arrival here on Monday.

Jim Mattis is on a two-day official visit to India during which the spotlight will remain on combating the Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and multi-billion dollar defence deals with India, including the remotely-controlled 'unarmed' Guardian drones for the Indian Navy.

The trip comes weeks after Trump unveiled a new Afghanistan strategy and urged India to increase assistance to the war-torn nation's economy. He also chided Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

India, he said, has been a constant supporter of the fight against terrorists in Afghanistan.

"India, from our perspective, is clearly a pillar of regional stability and security. We share a common vision for a peaceful and prosperous vision in the Indo-Pacific region, one that's based on that strong, rules-based international order, and the peaceful resolution of disputes and territorial integrity," he said.

Mattis earlier laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate and inspected tri-service Guard of Honour at the South Block lawns.

He had earlier lauded India for contributing tens of thousands of dollars for building infrastructure in Afghanistan and training Afghan officers.

"They've been a great asset, and we would see them continuing along the lines they have already chosen, and looking for any other areas that they may believe appropriate to the relationship with Afghanistan," he added.

No nation has probably contributed more bilaterally than India in building that hope," he said.

Responding to a question on Pakistan, Mattis said it has come out recently again saying that they are fighting the terrorists. "I think Pakistan will find nothing out of line with India and the US alignment in the same fight," he said.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, who is the first high-ranking official from the Donald Trump administration to arrive in India, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and NSA Ajit Doval on Tuesday and hold talks to explore ways to boost the bilateral strategic ties.

"This is a historic opportunity for our two democracies at a time of strategic convergence," Mattis said upon his arrival here on Monday.

Jim Mattis is on a two-day official visit to India during which the spotlight will remain on combating the Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and multi-billion dollar defence deals with India, including the remotely-controlled 'unarmed' Guardian drones for the Indian Navy.

The trip comes weeks after Trump unveiled a new Afghanistan strategy and urged India to increase assistance to the war-torn nation's economy. He also chided Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

India, he said, has been a constant supporter of the fight against terrorists in Afghanistan.

"India, from our perspective, is clearly a pillar of regional stability and security. We share a common vision for a peaceful and prosperous vision in the Indo-Pacific region, one that's based on that strong, rules-based international order, and the peaceful resolution of disputes and territorial integrity," he said.

During his India visit, Mattis will lay a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate and inspect tri-service Guard of Honour at the South Block lawns.

He lauded India for contributing tens of thousands of dollars for building infrastructure in Afghanistan and training Afghan officers.

"They've been a great asset, and we would see them continuing along the lines they have already chosen, and looking for any other areas that they may believe appropriate to the relationship with Afghanistan," he added.

No nation has probably contributed more bilaterally than India in building that hope," he said.

Responding to a question on Pakistan, Mattis said it has come out recently again saying that they are fighting the terrorists. "I think Pakistan will find nothing out of line with India and the US alignment in the same fight," he said.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Newly-appointed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday ruled out the deployment of Indian troops in war-stricken Afghanistan.

Instead, India will expand development activities to help stabilise the war-torn country, said Sitharaman.

"There shall not be any (Indian) boots on the ground in Afghanistan," said Sitharaman while talking to reporters

Earlier today, the Defence Minister met US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis in New Delhi.

She said there was a growing convergence between India and the US over the issue of terrorism in the region and condemnation of those who use terror as an instrument of state policy.

"There can be no tolerance of terror safe havens, as global leaders India-US resolve to work together to eradicate this scourge," said Mattis.

Mattis, who landed in New Delhi on Monday morning, is the first cabinet member from Trump administration to visit in India.

Condemning terror havens, Mattis President Donald Trump will no longer tolerate terror safe heavens anywhere in the world.

Earlier in August 2017, US President Donald Trump unveiled his Afghanistan strategy, where he hit out at nations, including Pakistan, for sheltering terrorists.

India has already extended a $3-billion aid to Afghanistan and also provides training to its military and other assistance.

With Agency inputs
Dr KC launches 12th hunger strike

Dr Govinda KC began his 12th hunger strike on Monday, warning against passing the Health Profession Education (HPE) Bill with the provisions that favour a handful of institutions backed by some political party members.
Mumbai: The first Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari is expected to be commissioned by November-December, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra said on Tuesday.

The Scorpene-class submarine was handed over to the Indian Navy four days back by the Mazgaon Dock Limited, one of the key shipbuilding units of the Indian Navy.

"The Kalvari submarine has already been in the sea for sometime. Some 110 days of sea trials have been completed and more pre-commissioning sea trials are going on. We are expecting it to be commissioned by November-December this year," Vice Admiral Luthra said.

The submarines, designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS, are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited here as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy.

"The Indian Navy is keen on increasing indigenous components in shipbuilding activity. We have also increased the indigenous components in submarines as well. The components' share needs to be increased in weapons and sensors," Vice Admiral Luthra said.

He was speaking here at the commissioning of Indian Navy's ship Tarasa at the Naval dockyard here.

The Western Naval Command today commissioned INS Tarasa, which is a 400-tonne ship.

It was a much-needed addition in the Navy's fleet, Luthra said.
Beijing: Terming as "arrogant" External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's scathing attack on Islamabad at the UN for being the 'pre-eminent factory for terror', a state-run Chinese daily on Tuesday, in a grudging admission, said,"there is indeed terrorism in Pakistan".

"India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?", Swaraj said in her speech at the UN General Assembly.

"We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world. But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own people apart from terrorism? We produced scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists", she said referring to terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish- e-Muhammad.

In signs that her speech had ruffled feathers in Pakistan's "all-weather friend", state-run Chinese media termed it as "bigotry".

"There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the country's national policy? What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money or honour," said an editorial in the state-run daily Global Times.

"With the smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China," said the editorial titled 'India's bigotry no match for its ambition'.

India takes for granted that it should be "feared" by neighbours and wooed by the US and Europe, the editorial said, adding if smart enough, India should befriend China and respect Pakistan, preventing disputes from spilling over.

"She was also deemed by Indian media as having taken a veiled dig at China for blocking international efforts to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar," the report said apparently referring to Beijing's blocking of India's efforts to declare Azhar as a terrorist by the UN.

The editorial also made references to the 73-day standoff between India and China at Doklam in the Sikkim section which ended on August 28.

"India also seems to assess China's strategic hostility with its own logic: China's sound relations with Pakistan are to counter India. China's road construction in Doklam is to threaten the security of its Siliguri Corridor and China's Belt and Road initiative operates programmes with Pakistan and other South Asian countries to encircle India. In any case, India's interests always reside at the epicenter of this logic," it said.
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi's appeal to provide shelter to the illegal Rohingya Muslim refugees residing in India, hasn't gone down well with the government, with Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir saying, national interest should come first.

Gandhi, in an opinion piece published in a Hindi daily, called for not deporting Rohingyas from India, saying that the country should continue to provide them shelter.

In his article, the BJP MP urged the government to look back into India's rich history of helping the refugees and help the Rohingyas.

As the Member of Parliament from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh came under severe criticism, he took to Twitter to express his views on his article.

As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns, Gandhi tweeted.

My recent piece focused primarily on defining India's asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how we would accept refugees, his anotehr tweet said.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had last week reiterated that government is firm in its decision to deport Rohingya Muslim refugees to Myanmar.

The Centre has urged the Supreme Court not to interfere in the Rohingya issue as the move to deport them was a policy decision in the country's larger interests and that some of them were linked to Pakistani spy agency ISI and other terrorist groups.

The government had informed the Parliament on August 9 that according to available data, more than 14,000 Rohingyas, registered with the UNHCR, were staying in India.

However, some inputs indicate that around 40,000 undocumented Rohingyas were staying in India, mostly in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan regions.

As for the Rohingyas, I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns. September 26, 2017
New Delhi: ArcelorMittal`s interest in buying debt-ridden Indian steel companies could derail its planned $1 billion joint venture with Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), a steel ministry report showed.

State-owned SAIL said any such buyout by the world`s top steelmaker, controlled by billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, could violate its exclusive partnership arrangement for manufacturing steel for cars, the document seen by Reuters showed.

ArcelorMittal and SAIL signed their preliminary agreement in 2015 but there has been little progress due to disputes over terms. Earlier this month, the steel ministry drafted a status report for Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s office which shows the two are nowhere near close to ironing out their differences.

"ArcelorMittal`s stance has undergone significant change during July-August 2017 and that ArcelorMittal has opened up some of the previously agreed issues," the report said, citing SAIL`s objections at a meeting last month.

India, the world`s fastest growing steel market, is banking on the partnership to cut imports of auto-grade steel, which mostly come from Japan and South Korea.

ArcelorMittal, however, has been scrutinising debt-ridden Bhushan Steel Ltd and Essar Steel for a possible buyout, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The Luxembourg-based company, known for turning around troubled steel assets, is looking for a foothold in India.

SAIL, which has been in the red for nine straight quarters, hopes the joint venture will allow it to compete with local rivals such as JSW Steel and Tata Steel.

ArcelorMittal and SAIL did not respond to requests for comment.

SAIL has argued that ArcelorMittal`s stance over non-compete and exit clauses has further stalled discussions.

India`s think-tank NITI Aayog, chaired by Modi, which has been mediating talks over the delayed venture, proposed an exit clause of more than 10 years, with the firm choosing to leave giving the right of first refusal to the other company.

Both companies are negotiating to extend the preliminary agreement by six months after the first three-month extension lapsed on Aug. 21, the document showed.

The two companies have also not finalised a location for their plant and have been in talks with the state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Bhushan and Essar Steel are among 12 of the country`s top loan defaulters that lenders have taken to bankruptcy court.
New Delhi: Walmart India on Tuesday launched the second edition of Women Entrepreneurial Development Program (WEDP) as part of its women empowerment initiatives here.

Walmart India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walmart Stores Inc, has doubled the number of participants this year to 64 in a bid to promote women-owned business at its stores.

The program, which will be implemented by WEConnect International, aims to enhance the participants skills and capability to be able to build sustainable businesses.

Terming such initiatives strategic for the business, Walmart India President and CEO Krish Iyer said it was about creating shared value for the company, stakeholders and also for the society.

"The program is designed to help women entrepreneurs achieve higher levels of business growth and help make them more competitive and resilient in today's dynamic business environment," said Iyer.

Walmart in some countries along with India has introduced a women-owned business logo on the product sold at its retail centres to promote women empowerment.

The first edition of WEDP was launched in April 2016 in which 32 women entrepreneurs were selected. After training in professional and soft skills, Walmart India identified 11 of them as Walmart India suppliers.
Srinagar: Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) tried to help infiltrate 7-8 armed intruders into the Indian side in Jammu and Kashmir's Keran Sector in Kupwara district on Tuesday.

The attempt was foiled by the Indian security forces.

No casualties were reported from either of the sides.

About BAT

- BAT is comprised of the special forces of Pakistan.

- BAT acts under the cover of shelling by Pakistani troops.

- There have been several BAT attacks in the past in which Indian jawans have been beheaded or their bodies mutilated.

- In January 2013, Lance Naik Hemraj was killed and his body mutilated by a BAT.

- BAT also beheaded Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh. Constable Rajinder Singh of the BSF battalion had suffered injuries in the attack.
Srinagar: In a major success for the security forces, top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Abdul Qayoom Najar was on Tuesday killed in a gunbattle with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector.

He was trying to sneak into the Valley to take charge of the outfit.

Najar was wanted for his alleged involvement in more than 50 killings, including that of policemen in Hygam area of Sopore, in the past 17 years.

Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imtiyaz Hussain said, "Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC this morning."

"He was returning to Kashmir to take over the command of Hizbul Mujahideen in the wake of the elimination of top commanders of the outfit by security forces," he told PTI.

"Najar started his career as a terrorist with the killing of Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar in 2003," he said.

The officer said Najar was called to the base camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by his handlers in 2015 after he fell out with the Hizb leadership.

"He was now tasked with reviving the outfit in Kashmir in the wake of elimination of top militants," he said.

Earlier, on September 18, Abu Ismail, the Lashkar-e-Taiba 'commander' who masterminded the deadly attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims in July, was killed by security forces in Srinagar along with another Pakistani terrorist, police said.

The two were gunned down after a brief encounter that saw the duo running for their lives.

The other terrorist has been identified as Abu Qasim alias Chota Qasim.

(With PTI inputs)
Jammu: The Indian Army foiled the second infiltration bid by terrorists along the Line of Control in Uri sector of Kashmir in a span of two days on Tuesday morning. The encounter left one terrorist dead. The operation is currently underway.

One weapon has been recovered, said the Army.

The incident took place in general area Zorawar of Uri distict in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Army on Monday shot dead four terrorists in a prolonged encounter in the Uri sector, foiling terrorists' plans to carry out a 2016-like attack on an Army base in 2016.

"An infiltration bid has been eliminated in general area Zorawar of Uri sector. One terrorist has been killed," an Army official said.

The operation is on and further details are awaited, the official added.

With Agency inputs
Mumbai: Iqbal Kaskar, arrested in an extortion case recently, has told the investigating officers that Dawood Ibrahim used to fund Zakir Naiks NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Kaskar, brother of the fugitive don, was arrested on September 18 by the crime branch of the Thane Police.

Earlier in February 2017, Naik's chief financial officer (CFO) Aamir Gazdar had also said that Dawood funded IRF, Zee Media had reported.

Revealing details about funding of Naik's, Gazdar had said that "funding by Dawood used to take place through a mediator, Sultan Ahmed."

The Enforcement Directorate had arrested him on February 16, 2017, for alleged money laundering.

Meanwhile, Kaskar was taken into custody from his house in Nagpada area in Central Mumbai by a team led by encounter specialist and the anti-extortion cell's senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma.

He was deported from the United Arab Emirates in 2003 and is said to be operating his brother's real estate business in the city.

Kaskar was wanted in a murder case and the Sara Sahara illegal construction case.

However, he was acquitted in both the cases in 2007.

(With Agency inputs)
Mumbai: The Devendra Fadnavis government has set up a committee to study whether madrassas in Maharashtra are functioning as per the parameters set by the government.

The Muslim religious institutions have been using funds allotted by the state government to impart modern education apart from religious teachings to its students.

The committee, set up by the government, will scrutinize the government grants and funds being utilised by these religious institutions.

As per reports, the initiative has, however, irked a section of people and a political furore on the matter is expected anytime soon.

More details awaited.
Govt asked to scrap Budhi Gandaki deal with Chinese firm

Nearly four months after the government signed a contract agreement for the Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project with the China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC), a joint meeting of the Agriculture and Water Resources Committee and Finance Committee of Parliament on Monday directed the government to scrap the decision.
New Delhi: Ace comedian Sunil Grover may not have appeared on television for quite some time now, but that hasn't made him less popular. He will leave you in splits with his latest video which is bound to make you go ROFL. The 40-year-old star on Wednesday released online his latest song Daaru Pee Ke Girna.

By portraying the character of Billa Sharabi in the three minute and 15 second-long video, he can be seen taking a hilarious dig at the alcoholics and their lifestyle. Apart from delivering a relevant social message, the track is also amusing enough to tickle your funny bone.

Watch for yourself:

Some social media users are also speculating that the lyrics of the song point towards his former colleague Kapil Sharma.

For the unversed, Sunil left The Kapil Sharma Show after the Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon hunk reportedly misbehaved with him in an inebriated state while returning back to India from Australia in March.
New Delhi: Well, most of the B-Town recently took to Twitter to praise actress Deepika Padukones first look from her upcoming film Padmavati. But, when Anushka Sharma was asked to comment on the same, she had a very unexpected reply.

Apparently, Anushka wasnt aware of the recently-released poster and the reason behind it is really interesting.

You know, the place where I was shooting today, there was ZERO network over there. But I was very happy about it. This is because I thought that this kind of a world, where there is no network..there are no calls coming in and no messages coming in..You dont know what is happening in this world. Is there even such a place in the world? Yes, there is such a place and I was in this place for a while. It is right here, in Mumbai. I was very happy, I thought, this is such a good life, India.com quoted her as saying.

She added, So, that is why I dont know what has released today. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I have not seen anything. I will increase my knowledge a bit now. And the next time that I meet you guys (media), maybe we could discuss this a bit. However, for today, understand that I was shooting in a no network area where I did not get the required information.

We hope that she sees the poster soon enough to give us her reaction!

In the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial, Dippy will be seen essaying the character of Rani Padmini. The movie will also feature Shahid Kapoor as Rawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji.

Padmavati is slated to release on December 1 this year.
Mumbai: Aditya Pancholi and his wife Zarina Wahab have sent criminal and civil defamation notices to Kangana Ranaut, reports suggest. Well, this is not the first legal battle involving the Queen star. She was earlier dragged to court by Hrithik Roshan, who she claims was her former boyfriend.

Kangana, who was promoting her latest  Simran  a few weeks back, made explosive revelations and shocking statements during interviews. She spoke about her rumoured ex-flame Roshan and her mentor-turned-tormentor Aditya Pancholi.

According to a report in India.com originally attributed to Hindustan Times, Zarina said, Kya zaroorat thi yeh sab baatein karne ki film promotion ke liye (what was the need to talk about her past affairs to promote her film?). She would have let the past bury itself in the mud instead of flinging mud on people who once mattered to her. She should have let her work speak for her instead of digging up past affairs, thereby compromising not just herself but also several other individuals and families.

She really crossed [the limit] when she brought my daughter Sana into the picture. Her lie that she is younger than my daughter has been exposed, and both Nirmal (Aditya Pancholis real name) and I felt that she needs to apologise for dragging my daughters name into her publicity campaign. You know I cant understand this attitude of ingratitude. Im the kind of person whod be indebted to someone for a glass of water. She seems to have forgotten how much my husband and I did for her when she was new in Mumbai. Nirmal really went out of his way to introduce her to producers. I dont think he did even a fraction of this for our own daughters career, the daily quoted Zarina as saying.

While Hrithik has maintained stoic silence on this issue post Kanganas shocking confessions, the Pancholis have decided to hit back.

Zarina apparently wants Kangana to apologise to them publicly but will the actress pay heed?
New Delhi: Niranjan Hiranandani has been elected as the new president of realtors' body NAREDCO.

DLF's CEO Rajeev Talwar will continue as the chairman of NAREDCO, while Parveen Jain, who was president before Niranjan Hiranandani, will become vice-chairman.

Niranjan Hiranandani is the founder-chairman of Mumbai- based Hiranandani Group and CMD, Hiranandani Communities.

NAREDCO said in a statement that Niranjan Hiranandani has been elected as national president at the governing council meeting of the association held recently.

National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), a leading industry body of real estate sector, is under the aegis of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

"NAREDCO will work to help redefine the parameters of Indian Real Estate, given the transformation and reformatory steps taken by the government," Hiranandani said, adding that the association would provide all support and align with the mission Housing For All by 2022.

The association would focus on rationalising processes so that permissions and clearances for projects are received within set timelines, besides improving business viability and building capabilities for delivery of projects on time, he added.
Mumbai: Vikas Bahls Queen helped Kangana Ranaut resurrect her career and also grab her second National Film Award. And now, Baahubalis Avantika aka Tamannaah Bhatia is all set to reprise the role in the Telugu version of the film.

According to a report in Mid-Day, Tamannaah was initially approached for the Tamil remake but she chose to work with National Award-winning director G Neelakanta Reddy, who has been roped in for the Telugu version.

The tabloid quoted a source as saying, Tamannaah was approached for both versions, but she wasn't comfortable doing them simultaneously, since it involved working with different directors. She opted for the Telugu version. Also, given that the makers of the Tamil film were unable to arrive at decisions [pertaining to the filmmaking process] despite discussing the project with her for four months, she chose to go ahead with the Telugu version.

Expressing her happiness over being the chosen one for the role, Tamannaah said, Queen is an interesting film and I have been motivated by roles that help alleviate the image of women. I can't wait to start shooting next month. This is the first time that I will be working with Neelakanta Reddy.

Interestingly, Kajal Aggarwal will compete with her by essaying the character in the Tamil remake.

The much-appreciated film will also have Kannada and Malayalam remakes, report suggests.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu minister Sellur K Raju on Tuesday contradicted the claim of two his cabinet colleagues that no one was allowed to see late chief minister J Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation last year.

"All the ministers met her," he told reporters when asked if he had met Jayalalithaa during her 75 days of hospitalisation from September 22 last year.

Raju, however, refused to elaborate and said the death of 'Amma (Jayalalithaa)' was a huge loss. The cooperation minister said he was not prepared to say anything more on the issue.

"You must only ask the minister who had expressed that opinion," he said when pressed further on the claim by Forest Minister Dindigul C Srinivasan that AIADMK leaders had "lied" on the health condition of Jayalalithaa and none of them had seen her in hospital.

Srinivasan's comments have triggered a renewed demand by the DMK and other opposition parties for a thorough probe into the death of Jayalalithaa.

Addressing a public meeting in Madurai, Srinivasan had on September 23 apologised to the people, saying they had lied about Jayalalithaa's health.

He said no one was allowed to meet Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation and all those came were told by her close aide VK Sasikala's relatives that she was "all right".

Srinivasan had said that, afraid of Sasikala, party leaders lied so that people believed that Jayalalithaa was improving.

He had said that their claim of 'Amma' eating idli and tea was based on information given to them by Sasikala.

Endorsing his views, Commercial Taxes Minister KC Veeramani yesterday said the ministers were not able to see the late chief minister even one day.

At a public meeting in Vellore District, Veeramani, without naming Sasikala or her family, said, "Out of fear of this family... We would tell what we were told (by Sasikala's kin)..That Amma had two idlis, she spoke and that she is fine."

On the differing views of his colleagues, Revenue Minister RB Udhaya Kumar today said it was their individual opinion based on their experience.

Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals here on September 22, 2016, passed away on December 5.

The state government yesterday named retired judge of Madras High Court A Arumughaswamy as head of the inquiry commission to probe the death of Jayalalithaa.

A judicial probe was one of the pre-conditions of O Panneerselvam, the present deputy chief minister, for the merger of factions led by him and Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

After Palaniswami announced on August 17 that an inquiry commission would be constituted, the two factions merged on August 21.
Coimbatore: Demanding immediate supply of drinking water to areas in his constituency, Singanallur MLA N Karthick (DMK) along with his party workers and others held a dharna in front of the Corporation office here.

He blamed the city corporation for neglecting the constituency despite comfortable water position.

Though he personally appealed to the Commissioner and officials for releasing water on war footing, no action was taken, he alleged.

All of them were later arrested, police said.
Orlando: India's Aadhaar identity system rivals the growth of other platform innovations like Windows, Android or Facebook, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said.

Nadella, in his book 'Hit Refresh', which was released during the ongoing Microsoft Ignite 2017 conference, has praised India's leap forward in the digital and technological arena.

"Aadhaar now has scaled to over one billion people, rivaling the growth of other platform innovations such as Windows, Android or Facebook, the 50-year-old wrote in his book that hit the book stores today.

He praised the creation of the new digital ecosystem IndiaStack.

IndiaStack is a set of APIs (application programming interface) that allows governments, businesses, startups and developers to utilise an unique digital Infrastructure to solve India's hard problems towards presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery.

"China strategically used the global supply chain and their own domestic market to amplify their comparative advantage and bootstrap their economic growth, the India-born CEO noted.

"The combination of industrial policy, public sector investment, and entrepreneurial energy is what many other countries will also look to replicate from China's success. I see the beginnings of this in India with the creation of the new digital ecosystem known as IndiaStack, Nadella said.

"India is leapfrogging from once being an infrastructure-poor country to now leading in digital technology. IndiaStack ushers in a presence-less, cashless, paperless economy for all its citizens, said the Indian American CEO from Microsoft.

In his book, Nadella wrote that on a trip to Bengaluru he engaged in a conversation with Nandan Nilekani about IndiaStack and its future road map.

"Nandan is the legendary founder of Infosys, who went on to create a new startup working with the Indian Government- Aadhaar-the identity system that is at the center of IndiaStack," he said.

Nadella has also mentioned about Enlightiks, a startup that was acquired by Practo, a leading e-health company in India.

"I met the founder of Enlightiks on the same trip to Bengaluru. They are using the latest cloud technology and AI from Microsoft to create a state-of-the-art health care diagnostics service that can, for example, detect an Atrial fibrillation event before it happens because of the rich data going from the personal device of the patient directly to the cloud, he said.

"In turn, this cloud service can be made available to hospitals in Smaller towns or rural areas in India. Enlightiks also has plans to take advantage of IndiaStack to authenticate the user, accept payment, create portal medical records, and much more. This Indian innovation is now looking to expand in the US,?Africa and everywhere else, he wrote.

According to Nadella, this dynamic is not unique to China or India.

"I saw this across Chile, Indonesia, and Poland, and also in France, Germany, and Japan. Reflecting on my earlier visit to Egypt, it's clear they are investing in human capital," he said.
Hyderabad: Continuing their crackdown on the child bride marriage racket, the Hyderabad Police nabbed a Qazi and three more sheikhs from Arab in connection with the case.

As per a report, the Qazi is believed to be the main accused in the child bride racket case.

On September 20, the police busted a marriage racket in the city and arrested eight sheikhs and four Muslim clerics for being part of the plot. The arrested sheikhs hail from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar.



The clerics were held on the charges of cheating innocent girls in the name of marriage.

According to police, the sheikhs from Saudi Arabia had married two minor girls - Falakhnuma and Chandrayan Gutta - on a contract basis.

The police also arrested four lodge owners and five marriage brokers in connection with the case.

Days later, chief Qazi of Mumbai, Fareed Ahmed Khan, was also detained by the police for allegedly providing marriage certificate for the minor girl which helped an Omani sheikh to obtain a visa.

Several marriage rackets have been busted in the past by the police in Hyderabad which reportedly persuades girl's parents to get them married to sheikhs on a contractual basis by offering money.

(With ANI inputs)
Mumbai: The house of Bigg Boss has transformed into a love next of sorts for contestants who found their soul mates while participating in the popular yet controversial reality shows on Indian TV. Ever since the show was first broadcast in 2006, viewers have stood witness to a number of hearts blossoming romantically.

The eleventh season of the show is all set to be premiered this Sunday and host-cum-dost Salman Khan will be back on the small screen with his quirky one-liners and hilarious antics.

And as we await the eleventh season, lets take a look at contestants who lost their heart to fellow-inmates.

Here we go:

Season one

Aryan Vaid and Anupama Verma

The two grabbed eyeballs by exchanging sweet nothings in the very first season of Bigg Boss.

Season two

Rahul Mahajan and Payal Rohatgi/ Monica Bedi

Rahul tried to impress Payal until he got attracted to Monica. The trio was quite amusing.

Season three

Bakhtiyaar and Tanaz Irani

Real-life man and wife Bakhtiyaar and Tanaz saw their relationship meandering through turbulent times while they were inside the house of Bigg Boss. But in the end, it was all good for them as their bond only strengthened further.

Season four

Ashmit Patel and Veena Malik

The two went overboard expressing their affection for each other. The two made headlines for being a little too touchy ... oops...expressive than required.

Season five

Akashdeep Saigal and Pooja Bedi

The two got attracted to each other during their stay in the Bigg Boss house. They were struck by the cupid a little too soon than expected.

Season six

Rajeev Paul and Sana Khan

Despite the presence of his estranged wife Delnaaz, Rajeev Paul had fondness for Sana Khan.

Season seven

Gauahar Khan and Kushal Tandon

Kushal proposed to Gauahar on national television and thus displayed his love. The pretty lady gladly accepted his proposal.

Armaan Kohli and Tanishaa Mukerji

Tanishaa and Armaan never admitted to being in love while they were inside the house. But their PDA spoke volumes about their equation.

Season eight

Gautam Gulati and Diandra Soares

They made for an unusual couple. Diandra upped the hotness quotient of the show by locking lips with Gautam in front of the other contestants.

Upen Patel and Karishma Tanna

Upen was smitten by Krishma, who was already in a relationship with someone else. Nonetheless, Karishma too admitted to being in love with him.

Season nine

Keith Sequeira and Rochelle Maria Rao

Real-life couple Keith and Sequeira handled their relationship beautifully despite little tiffs. Of course, their off-screen chemistry reflected on screen and they proved a little too hot to handle quite a few times.

Prince Narula Yuvika Chadhary/ Norah Fatehi

Prince had often expressed his fondness for Yuvika but the lady seldom paid heed to his feelings. After her eviction, Prince got quite friendly with Norah and was often spotted with her.

Kishwer Merchant and Suyyash Rai

Kishwer and Suyyah were in a relationship for over five years when Bigg Boss happened to them. They handled all the problems in a matured way and proved that they were truly in love by being together through thick and thin.

Season Ten

Manveer Gujjar and Nitibha Kaul

Manveer and Nitibha were poles apart. They hailed from diametrically opposite backgrounds yet there was some spark between them.

Monalisa and Manu Punjabi / Vikrant Singh Rajpoot

Monalisa and Manu were committed to different people but shared a great chemistry. They even looked good together. But then Manu was engaged to Priyanka Saini and Monalisa was dating Vikraant Singh Rajpoot. Eventually, Monalisa confessed her love for Vikrant and the two got married in the house of Bigg Boss. Their marriage was solemnised in presence of the inmates, Monas mother and Vikrants sister. Moreover, their marriage was aired on National TV.
Living as refugees

Today, millions of people around the world face serious difficulties owing to statelessness, says UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Statelessness and the right to equal protection (R2P) are two very distinctive tribulations in the modern history of the world.
Mumbai: Latest buzz suggests that controversial daily soap Pehredaar Piya Ki which was pulled off air after a directive from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in the month of August, will be back with its second season.

The show featured Tejasswi Prakash Wayangankar as Diya and child-artiste Afan Khan as Ratan Maan Singh, a mismatched married couple.

And now speculations are rife that Saath Nibhana Saathiya fame Rohit Suchanti will essay the role of Ratan Maan Singh. Initial reports suggested that Shantanu Maheshwari if the Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa fame will be roped in for Ratans character but looks like Rohit had an upper hand.

According to reports, the character of Ratan will be shown returning to India after education abroad. The story will revolve around the complex relationship between Ratan and Diya. To make the story intriguing, the makers are also planning to introduce another female character as Ratans new love interest, reports suggest. So this would mean that Pehredaar Piya Ki 2 will deal with love-triangle.

For the uninitiated, heres what had happened:

A string of complaints to the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC)were made against the show which revolved around an 18-year-old girl marrying a nine-year-old boy under bizarre circumstances. Online petition were filed to ban the show and then the makers decided to change the time slot from prime time 8 pm to late night 10 pm.

However, following massive criticism for promoting regressive content, the show was abruptly stopped from being telecast. The decision to pull the show off air was reportedly taken under pressure from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Produced by Shashi Sumeet Productions, the show also starred Parmeet Sethi, Kishori Shahane, Jiten Lalwani, Suyyash Rai and Anjali Gupta in pivotal roles.

(With IANS inputs)
Varanasi: Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus of the Banaras Hindu University, state Power Minister Shrikant Sharma announced on Tuesday.

Sharma alleged that some outsiders created trouble at the prestigious university.

Speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader assured that the state government will take strict action the guilty.

Tension prevailed at the BHU campus here after an agitation by woman students, protesting molestation of a student, turned violent late on Saturday when police used force to disperse the protesters.

The violence erupted after some students, protesting against the incident on Thursday, wanted to meet the varsity's vice-chancellor at his residence.

Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn on Tuesday submitted a report in connection with Saturday`s lathicharge on protesting students in BHU and blamed the university administration for the violence.

Gokarn has in the report, sent to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, said that BHU did not deal with the victim`s complaint in a sensitive manner and did not handle the situation on time, said a senior administrative official.
Varanasi: Girish Chandra Tripathi, the Vice-Chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University, has categorically denied any police crackdown on girl students who were protesting against incidents of eve-teasing at the varsity recently.

Speaking to DNA, BHU V-C rejected reports that girl students of the varsity were lathi-charged by police.

"There was no police action on girls, it was only the outsiders engaged in violence who were attacked by police," Tripathi said.

Tripathi further claimed that the recent violence at the prestigious university was the handiwork of ''outsiders'' with ''vested interests.''

The incident of sexual harassment that led to protests by students was created by outsiders with vested interests who had an eye on the Prime Ministers visit to Varanasi, he claimed.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah and several top political leaders have strongly condemned the alleged police crackdown on girl students at the BHU and called for exercising restraint.

Allaying concerns regarding the situation at the BHU, the Vice-Chancellor said that everything is "normal" on campus and whatever has come to the public domain is a propaganda by "outsiders".

Notably, protests erupted in BHU after a female student was allegedly molested by three bike-borne men on the campus on Thursday evening.

"When I became the VC of this university in 2014 there was a much bigger agitation going on here, more than 100 boys were admitted to hospital at that time. Things happen on campus, you cannot stop these things. This time, the matter has been taken out of context because of outsiders. Outsiders, including political parties, have created a negative situation to destroy peace on campus," Tripathi said in a telephonic conversation.

When quizzed about the safety of girls students inside the campus, the BHU V-C said, ''Ours is the only university that is completely covered by CCTV cameras. We got them installed long ago. In fact, when cameras were being installed the same girls who are protesting today came to us and said that cameras will disturb our privacy. There are 65 points already covered in the campus, which have CCTV cameras installed, there is no question of lack of security."

Referring to a charter of demands, including the deployment of women security guards, which the agitating students had given to BHU administration, the V-C said, "As a policy, we can only have ex-military men as security guards on the campus. However, we have initiated the process of getting women guards."

Importantly, the UP government had yesterday removed the Lanka Station House Officer, Circle Officer and an Additional City Magistrate (ACM) for failing to handle the situation at the BHU recently.
New Delhi: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Tuesday announced to withdraw its indefinite strike in Darjeeling after the Centre promised to discuss all contentious issues, media reports said.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had earlier in the day urged the GJM chief Bimal Gurung to end the more than 100-day long protest and invited him for talks.

"In a democracy, dialogue is the only way out to resolve any problem. Solution can be found through restraint, mutual dialogue and within the legal ambit," he said.

Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba has been directed to hold an official level meeting within a fortnight to discuss all related issues.

"I have been pained immensely by what has happened in Darjeeling Hills. I appeal to the GJM and its leader Bimal Gurung to withdraw the ongoing bandh and to help create a conducive atmosphere for allowing normalcy to return to the area, particularly in view of the festive season," Singh said.

At least 11 protesters were killed and many others were injured during clashes with the police at the peak of the turmoil.
Kolkata: To keep a tab on any untoward situation during the Durga Puja, the West Bengal government has decided to set up a 24-hour control room at the state secretariat.

"The control room will be operative starting Tuesday and will continue till October 5 (Lakshmi Puja)," a senior government official told PTI.

"The control room is scheduled to be headed by a joint secretary-level officer and an officer from the state Disaster Management Department," he said.

The official shared the contact number to be dialled in need - (033)22143526.

"Anyone can call up to inform about any incident. Our officers will immediately take necessary action. Our officers will be in touch with the police stations. The police stations will be informed about the incident," he said.
Kabul: Attacks in two neighbouring provinces in Afghanistan killed at least five policemen, Afghan officials said on Tuesday, while a sixth policeman died in a gunbattle with the Taliban in another province.

In western Herat province, two police officers died in a roadside bombing while in neighbouring Farah province, three were killed when a bombing targeted their checkpoint.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks but officials in both provinces blamed the Taliban.

Insurgents have been active in both Herat and Farah as the Taliban stepped up their attacks against Afghan security forces across the country this year.

Jelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor in Herat, said that along with the two who died in the attack there, three other officers were wounded.

The police were on a routine patrol in Ghoryan district when the bomb exploded on Tuesday, he added.

In Farah province, where the three officers were killed, Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said insurgents attacked the checkpoint and triggered a gunbattle that lasted for two hours.

And in yet another report, district police chief Rahmatullah Khan said that one policeman and six Taliban were killed in a gunbattle overnight in northern Takhar province, in Khoja Ghor district.

The Taliban claimed that their fighters had seized several checkpoints in the district, but Khan said security forces were able to push back the insurgents and regain control of the security checkpoints.
Beijing: China warned on Tuesday that a conflict on the Korean peninsula would have "no winners", after North Korea accused US President Donald Trump of declaring war on it.

China hopes Washington and Pyongyang realise that their war of words "will only increase the risk of confrontation and reduce the room for policy manoeuvres", foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing.
Kirkuk: Authorities in Kirkuk declared a curfew an hour and a half before polls closed in a Kurdish independence referendum on Monday as jubilant Kurds celebrated a vote that has raised fears of a new outburst of ethnic conflict.

Kirkuk`s Kurds had earlier flocked to polling stations in the ethnically-mixed city to vote to split from Iraq, singing and dancing, while many other residents stayed away.

Opposition to the vote has been simmering among the Arabs and Turkmen who live alongside the Kurds in the northern Iraqi city and there had been rumours that the vote would not take place in mixed areas.

On Monday afternoon, Iraqi security forces were deployed at key locations and access in and out of the city was closed when the curfew was imposed at 4.30 pm.

An unnamed Iraqi SWAT team officer stationed near the governorate said these were preventative measures, to keep the situation under control.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzanis decision to include Kirkuk in the independence referendum was widely seen as a move to consolidate Kurdish control in a city claimed by the KRG and the Iraqi government.

The vote is expected to deliver a comfortable "yes" for independence, but is not binding. There have been international warnings that it could lead to more regional bloodshed.

At the Shorja polling station in a Kurdish neighbourhood, one of two where media were allowed to film by the electoral commission, jubilant Kurds of all ages arrived to vote in traditional dress.

Today is the birthday of Kurdistan, said Abu Bakr, an older Kurdish man. Today is a holiday, a festival.

Men wearing grey or light brown trousers and vests and women in long robes in vivid colours and headscarves, queued to vote and then showed off their ink-stained fingers before heading outside to join the throng of people singing and dancing.

People brought their families, eager to include their children in a historic moment. A father handed his ballot to his infant daughter, who dropped it into the box herself.

Independence is our dream and our right, said Hajal Ahmed Hussein. We deserve a happy life.

BLACK FLAGS, EMPTY STREETS

The 244 ballot boxes were only distributed around the city, where 800,000 were registered to vote, late on Sunday night, several days after they arrived. Rumours were rife that voting might not be held in mixed areas and at least one Kurd was killed in a pre-referendum clash.

Governor Najmaddin Kareem had called on voters of all ethnicities and religions in Kirkuk to vote and Nechirvan Barzani, KRG`s prime minister, said the Iraqi flag would continue to fly in Kirkuk after the referendum results.

Polling stations across Arab and Turkmen areas in the city were far less crowded than in Kurdish areas. Normally bustling shopping districts in non-Kurdish areas were shuttered, storefronts locked and with barely anyone in sight.

In the Shiite Turkmen neighbourhood of Tiseen, the streets were largely empty, save for a few black flags marking the sombre month of Muharram observed by Shiite Muslims.

In another nearby Turkmen neighbourhood, Kurdish electoral commission officials at the Kindi polling station told Reuters 800 of its 3,018 registered voters had cast their ballots by midday, including "many" Arabs from the area abutting the Governorate building, known as Al Muhafatha.

But an Arab resident of the area said neither he, nor any of his neighbours had voted. We want Kirkuk to stay one country, under one capital, Baghdad, said Abu Dumour whose family were some of the original Arab residents of Kirkuk.

This referendum will split our city.

At eight polling stations in Arab and Turkmen neighbourhoods, Reuters reporters saw mostly Kurdish voters, wearing their traditional costumes arrive in groups to vote. Several buses were seen outside these polling stations.

Most were empty by mid-afternoon. Officials at the various stations said between 200 to 2,000 of roughly 3,000 registered voters had shown up to vote by 4pm.

Three Arab residents voted at a polling station in a Shi`ite mosque in the Arab neighbourhood of 1 Hozeiran around 4pm. The only other people there were several Kurdish electoral officials and two dozen members of the Asayish Kurdish security force.

Nearby, Reuters reporters interviewing Turkman residents of the neighbourhood who did not vote saw a convoy of Kurdish celebrants drive through the deserted streets. They held large Kurdish flags, out their car windows and wielded light machine guns.

"We just want peace in our city, we don`t want any violence," said Abu Ayad, one of the Turkmen interviewed, saying he did not vote because he wants Kirkuk to remain part of Iraq and because Turkmen party leaders had called for a boycott.

Two Christian men from Baghdad were seen leaving a polling station in a Turkmen area, amid dozens of Kurds. The pair said they both voted for an independent Kurdish state, because they want Kirkuk to be part of the Kurdish region.

"We havent gone back to Baghdad in 10 years because were scared of them, said Abu Suzanne. Let us join the Kurdish state, they will take care of us Christians."



Kurdish crowds were seen near the governorate building celebrating even after the curfew came into force.
New Delhi: The United States wants a diplomatic solution to the escalating nuclear crisis with North Korea, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday, toning down the shrill rhetoric between the two countries.

"We maintain the capability to deter North Korea`s most dangerous threats but also to back up our diplomats in a manner that keeps this as long as possible in the diplomatic realm," he said in New Delhi after talks with his Indian counterpart.

"That is our goal, to solve this diplomatically, and I believe that President Trump has been very clear on this issue," the US defence chief said.

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have become embroiled in a bitter war of words after the North detonated its sixth nuclear bomb and test-fired intercontinental missiles -- saying it needs to defend itself against the threat of a US invasion.

Pyongyang`s nuclear weapons ambitions -- including a suggestion last week that it could test an H-bomb over the Pacific -- has increased international fears of conflict.

Alarm over Pyongyang`s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes dominated this year`s gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.

Mattis said the United States was continuing to put pressure on the North`s leadership through diplomatic channels.

"We continue to maintain the diplomatically-led effort in the United Nations. You have seen unanimous United Nations Security Council resolutions passed that have increased the pressure, economic pressure and diplomatic pressure, on the North," he said.
WASHINGTON/BANGKOK: US President Donald Trump will meet with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha at the White House on Oct. 3, the White House said in a statement.

"The President and Prime Minister will discuss ways to strengthen and broaden bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region," the statement said.

Confirmation of the visit is the latest sign of warming ties between Bangkok and Washington. The relationship between the two had cooled after the Thai military took power in a 2014 coup.

It follows a visit to Thailand by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in August - the highest level visit by a U.S. official since the 2014 coup.

"The meeting of the two leaders reflects the importance of the strengthening of the alliance between Thailand and the U.S.," the Thai Prime Minister`s Office said in a statement.

"The two countries will discuss ways to forge ahead in becoming strategic partners for the benefit of both nations equally and sustainable,"

Prayuth and members of his cabinet will also be meeting with representatives of Thai businesses in the United States during the three-day visit.

Thailand is often cited as the United States` oldest ally in Southeast Asia and the United States has been urging the region to do more to cut funding streams to North Korea.

Tensions have mounted on the Korean peninsula since North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3.

The United States has said it believes North Korean front companies are active in Thailand and it is trying to encourage the Thais to shut them down, but Thailand last month said trade between Thailand and North Korea had dropped by as much as 94 percent over the past year.
Man shot dead in Rautahat; two suspects arrested

An unidentified group shot dead a 24-year-old man at Paroha Municipality-2 in Rautahat district on Monday.
Baghdad: Iraq on Sunday executed 42 Sunni Muslim militants convicted on terrorism charges ranging from killing members of security forces to detonating car bombs.

The biggest mass execution this year in Iraq came after Sunni suicide attacks killed at least 60 people near the southern city of Nassiriya, a Shi`ite area, on Sept. 14, prompting Shi`ite demands for tougher judicial action.

Amnesty International criticised the move, saying on Monday that "mass execution is a shocking display of the Iraqi authorities` resort to the death penalty to try to show they are responding to security threats".

"The death penalty is an irreversible and reprehensible punishment that should not be used in any circumstances and there is no evidence to show that it deters crime more than any other means of punishment," Amnesty said in a report.

The Justice Ministry said on Sunday the 42 had been hanged at a prison in Nassiriya, three months after 14 other militants were executed following convictions for terrorism.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for three suicide attacks targeting restaurants and a security checkpoint near Nassiriya.

Relatives of victims were invited to witness Sunday`s executions, the justice ministry said.

"Despite all the pain inside me after losing my two brothers in the suicide attacks, when I saw the terrorists dangling from the rope I felt relief," said Fadhil Abdul Ameer from Nassiriya.

Islamic State`s self-declared caliphate, declared in 2014 after it captured wide areas of northern and western Iraq, effectively collapsed in July when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces captured Mosul, the group`s de facto capital in Iraq.

But recent deadly bomb attacks in Baghdad and other cities show the jihadists remain capable of guerrilla-style warfare, a tactical shift away from seeking territorial conquest.
Yangon: Bodies of 45 Hindus have been discovered in three mass graves in the Myanmar's conflict-torn northern Rakhine state, the officials said blaming Muslim insurgents for the killings.

Rakhine state has been in a turmoil since August 25 after Rohingya militants launched deadly attacks on police posts.

Border Guard Police Maj. Zayar Nyein told Associated Press that two of the graves, that were found on Monday, contained bodies of 20 females and eight males.

The government's Information Committee said on its Facebook page that all eight males were boys, including six who were under 10 years old. It said another mass grave was discovered 200 meters away on Monday that contained the bodies of 17 more Hindu villagers.

Police have blamed the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army insurgent group or ARSA.

Security forces say the bodies are among about 100 Hindus missing since ARSA attacked at least 30 police outposts August 25.

There was no immediate way to independently verify the government's assertions.

The ARSA is the group whose raids on police posts in August triggered a military backlash that resulted in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing for Bangladesh.

Rights groups say there is overwhelming evidence that the Army is using its crackdown on militants to systematically purge the 1.1-million strong stateless Rohingya from its borders, as per PTI.

More than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since August 25.

Rohingyas, who trace their roots back generations in Myanmar, are a stateless minority who have mostly been stripped of their citizenship in the predominantly Buddhist country.
Washington: A last-ditch attempt by US President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans to dismantle Obamacare collapsed as a third GOP senator has announced her opposition and left the proposal short of the votes needed to pass.



Senator Susan Collins on Monday joined two of her colleagues John McCain and Rand Paul in rejecting the latest bill to end the Affordable Care Act -- popularly known as Obamacare. The move came as a major setback to Trump who spent the past week trying to rally support for an attempt to fulfil a seven-year-old Republican promise, the Washington Post reported.



The President had made undoing Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law a top priority since the 2016 campaign.



The bill, sponsored by Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and Lindsay Graham, aimed to eliminate key portions of Obamacare, including the system whereby citizens are fined if they do not obtain health insurance and government subsidies are provided to insurers to expand Medicaid.



"Everybody knows that's going to fail," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch, who led a five-hour hearing on the bill on Monday afternoon. "You don't have one Democrat vote for it... So it's going to fail."



Senator Collins, one of three Republican senators who opposed the last repeal attempt in July, described the latest plan as "deeply flawed". She expressed concern about cuts to Medicaid as well as the rolling back of protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions.



"Sweeping reforms to our healthcare system and to Medicaid can't be done well in a compressed time frame, especially when the actual bill is a moving target," Collins said.



McCain, who killed the last repeal effort with a dramatic middle-of-the-night vote, faulted Republicans for trying to pass sweeping healthcare legislation without the participation of Democrats or extensive public deliberations.



Paul had previously said he would oppose the bill because it did not go far enough in repealing the health law. On Monday, he continued to denounce it as a "fake repeal".



Republicans hold a 52-to-48 advantage in the Senate. They can lose only two votes from their party and still pass legislation with the help of a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence, the Post reported.



Senator Ted Cruz already withheld his support and requested changes to the bill.



Before Collins's announcement, Trump expressed frustration that Republicans had talked for years about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act but failed to deliver now that a Republican was in the White House.



On the "Rick & Bubba Show", a radio programme, Trump singled out McCain, calling his vote in July "a tremendous slap in the face of the Republican Party".


Can someone be too intelligent to be jailed?

Apparently, yes.

Lavinia Woodward, a 24-year aspiring heart surgeon from Oxford University, was described as a "highly-intelligent individual" who does not deserve a prison sentence.

Presiding judge Ian Pringle QC on Monday handed over a 10-month suspended prison sentence to Woodward at Oxford Crown Court.

Last year, Woodward, in a fit of drunken rage and under the influence of drugs, stabbed her boyfriend Thomas Fairclough in the leg with a bread knife. She also attacked him with glasses, a jam jar and a laptop. The incident took place at Christ Church College.

Judge Pringle called Woodward, an extraordinary able young lady with no prior history of criminal offence and that the incident should be treated as a one-off case.

He called the 10-month jail sentence too severe for Woodward since it could mean the end of her medical career.

He also referred to the prosecution's observation states Woodward genuinely felt guilty about the entire episode and wanted to confess her crime.

The judge also took into cognizance that Woodward suffers from emotional and eating disorders and alcohol drug dependence, stated few media reports.
Islamabad: A Pakistani intelligence officer has accused his own spy agency of "protecting" terrorists and filed a petition in a court here requesting for a thorough probe in the matter, a media report said today.

Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Shahzad, a serving assistant sub- inspector of Intelligence Bureau (IB), has accused his senior officers of not taking action against terrorism suspects.

In a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), he requested the court to refer the matter to the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for a thorough probe, Dawn reported.

The IHC Registrar's Office fixed the petition before Justice Aamer Farooq who referred the case yesterday to Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, with a note that the matter may be transferred to Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui since an identical matter is pending in his court, the paper quoted a court official as saying.

In the petition filed through his counsel Masroor Shah, Shahzad claims that he reported against terrorist groups from various countries but no action was taken.

"However, to the petitioner?s utter dismay, no action was ever been taken by IB in this respect despite concrete evidence provided to it in the form of the intelligence reports," the petition says.

"Upon thorough intelligence gathering process, it transpired that certain high officials of the IB themselves are directly involved with the terrorist organisations having linkages with hostile enemy intelligence agencies," it reads.

It goes on to say that the matter was even reported to the IB director general, who also did not take any steps.

It claims some IB officials travelled to Israel and had direct links with Afghan intelligence which, it was found later, had links with another terrorist group from Kazakhstan.

"These terrorists used to disguise themselves as citrus dealers in Kot-Momin and Bhalwal, Sargodha. The business was a mere camouflage," the petition says.

The petition claims that the son of joint director IB (Punjab) was dealing with the said terrorist groups.

It also names certain IB officials who are allegedly on the payroll of foreign intelligence agencies which include a joint director general, directors and deputy directors.

Shahzad said he "has been running from pillar to post including approaching the prime minister of Pakistan to raise this issue of national security."
Har Adar: A Palestinian opened fire at Israeli security personnel at the entrance to a West Bank settlement on Tuesday, killing three and wounding another before being shot dead, police said.

The attack, which came as US envoy Jason Greenblatt was due in Jerusalem for talks on relaunching the moribund Middle East peace process, drew condemnation from Israeli officials who called for action from the Palestinian leadership.

It also occurred in the middle of the Jewish high holiday period, when Israeli-Palestinian violence has erupted in the past, and led police to order reinforcements to prevent further unrest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded a clear condemnation of the attack from Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, adding that the gunman`s home would be demolished and Israeli work permits withdrawn from his extended family.

The target of the attack was Har Adar, a well-to-do settlement northwest of Jerusalem, high in the hills close to the Green Line that separates the occupied West Bank from Israel.

The windows of the guard booth at its northern entrance, where Palestinian day labourers are required to undergo security checks, had been shattered by the shooting, an AFP correspondent reported.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP that the gunman, who had a permit to work in the settlement, had concealed himself among other Palestinian labourers.

"He hesitated and then all of a sudden, several metres (yards) before a security check, pulled out a nine millimetre weapon and opened fire directly at the two private security guards, who were shot and killed directly at the scene," Rosenfeld said.

"He also opened fire to a border police officer that was also located here.

"And another two officers, that were standing approximately where we are at the moment, responded, opened fire and shot and killed that terrorist."Israel`s Shin Bet internal security service identified the gunman as Nimer Aljamal, a 37-year-old father of four from the nearby Palestinian village of Beit Surik with no previous "security background".

Rosenfeld described Aljamal`s profile as "very unusual" by comparison with others who have carried out lone-wolf attacks during a wave of unrest that has hit Israel and the Palestinian territories over the past two years.

He said there would have to be a security review of work permits for Palestinians to work in Israel and the settlements, with thousands granted.

Netanyahu called on the Palestinian president to condemn the attack.

"I expect (Abbas) to condemn the attack and not try to justify it," he said.

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza, hailed the attack as "revenge for the crime of occupation against our people."

The UN envoy to the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov condemned both the attack and the Hamas reaction.

"It is deplorable that Hamas and others continue to glorify such attacks, which undermine the possibility of a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis," he said.

Police named the border policeman killed as Solomon Gavria, 20.

Har Adar resident Steve Leibowitz, 65, said the settlement`s proximity to the Green Line had always made it feel safe.

"This place is quiet. We`re inside the West Bank but we have a border fence and we feel as though we are inside Israel and safe," he told AFP.

"Until today I haven`t locked my doors in years. Now I will be locking the doors."

The latest attack comes nearly two years after a wave of unrest broke out.

The violence had greatly subsided in recent months but Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman warned in a briefing to the cabinet earlier this month that the risk of new attacks was ever present.Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said the Palestinian leadership needed to take action or there would be no point in following up on the US initiative to relaunch peace talks.

"The terrible attack at Har Adar is the Palestinian reception for US envoy Jason Greenblatt," she said.

Hotovely renewed the Israeli government`s call for the Palestinian Authority to stop paying allowances to the families of those who lost their lives carrying out attacks.

The issue is a deeply divisive one, with many Palestinians seeing those killed carrying out attacks against the "occupation forces" as martyrs, while Israelis see them as "terrorists".

West Bank settlements are a source of significant tensions between Israel and the Palestinians and have been a major sticking point in peace talks.

The UN envoy told the Security Council on Monday that Israel continues to build settlements "at a high rate," in defiance of Security Council demands for an end to their expansion.

The international community regards all Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, as illegal.

They are seen as major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.
Islamabad: Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif will today appear before a court here to face the corruption references filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Panama Papers scandal.

The Accountability Court in Islamabad, which is hearing the corruption cases against the Sharif family, last week summoned Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law capt (retd) Safdar to appear before it on September 26.

It is pertinent to mention that the Sharif family had skipped a court hearing on September 19 to defy the cases.

Sharif, who returned to the country yesterday, is likely to be accompanied by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including federal ministers, at his first appearance before the accountability court.

Heavy security arrangement have been made around judicial complex in view of the hearing.

Sharif was in London from August 31 to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

Sharif, 67, decided to return after consultations with senior party leaders including his younger brother and Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in London, party officials said.

He had stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him on July 28 from continuing in his office for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children.

The NAB has filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his sons -- Hassan and Hussain, daughter -- Maryam, son-in-law -- Safdar, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Accountability Court in Islamabad and Rawalpindi recently.

The anti-graft body last week froze the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court.

Earlier, Sharif skipped a court hearing last week to defy the cases. His family has alleged that the cases are politically motivated.
Habur: President Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that Turkey could cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world, intensifying pressure on the Kurdish autonomous region over its independence referendum.

Erdogan spoke shortly after Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara could take punitive measures involving borders and air space against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over the referendum and would not recognise the outcome.

Voting began on Monday despite strong opposition from Iraq`s central government and neighbouring Turkey and Iran - both with significant Kurdish populations - as well as Western warnings the move could aggravate Middle East instability.

Erdogan, grappling with a long-standing Kurdish insurgency in Turkey`s southeast, which borders on northern Iraq, said the "separatist" referendum was unacceptable and economic, trade and security counter-measures would be taken.

He stopped short of saying Turkey had decided to close off the oil flow. Hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day come through the pipeline in Turkey from northern Iraq, but he made clear the option was on the table.

"After this, let`s see through which channels the northern Iraqi regional government will send its oil, or where it will sell it," he said in a speech. "We have the tap. The moment we close the tap, then it`s done."

Yildirim said Ankara would decide on punitive measures against the KRG after talks with Iraq`s central government.

"Our energy, interior and customs ministries are working on (measures). We are evaluating steps regarding border gates and air space. We will take these steps quickly," Yildirim told Turkish broadcasters.

Iraqi soldiers arrived in Turkey on Monday night to join a drill on the Turkish side of the border near the Habur area in the southeast, Turkey`s military said in a statement. Iraq`s defence ministry said the two armies started "major manoeuvres" at the border area.

HABUR GATE

Local media said Turkey had blocked access to the KRG via the Habur border crossing with Iraq. Ankara`s customs minister denied this, saying Habur remained open but with tight controls on traffic, according to the state-run Anadolu agency.

However, Erdogan later said traffic was only being allowed to cross from the Turkish side of the border into Iraq.

Maruf Ari, a 50-year-old truck driver, was one of those who had crossed back into Turkey early on Monday morning. He said a closure of the gate would ruin his livelihood.

"If the border is closed it will harm all of us. I`m doing this job for 20 years. I`m not making a lot of money. Around 1,000 lira ($285) a month. But if the gate is closed, we will go hungry."

The United States and other Western powers also urged authorities in the KRG to cancel the vote, saying it would distract from the fight against Islamic State.

"We will continue to take determined steps and the Kurdistan Regional Government must take a step back. It is an absolute must," Erdogan said.

Shares of Turkish Airlines , which has direct flights to northern Iraq, tumbled 6.5 percent, underperforming a 1.78 percent decline in the BIST 100 <.XU100> index. Turkey`s currency, the lira , also weakened.

Turkey took the Kurdish television channel Rudaw off its satellite service TurkSat, a Turkish broadcasting official told Reuters.

Turkey has long been northern Iraq`s main link to the outside world, but sees the referendum as a grave matter for its own national security. Turkey has the region`s largest Kurdish population and has been fighting a three-decade insurgency in its mainly Kurdish southeast.



PARLIAMENT VOTE

On Saturday, Turkey`s parliament voted to extend by a year a mandate authorising the deployment of troops in Iraq and Syria.

Still, Turkey is unlikely to make rash moves when it comes to sanctions against the KRG, said Nihat Ali Ozcan, a professor of political science and international relations at TOBB University of Economics and Technology.

"Closing the border gate, cancelling international flights and, at the final step, cutting the pipeline can be discussed," he said. "Military pressure can be used directly or indirectly."

The Turkish army launched military exercises involving tanks and armoured vehicles near the Habur border crossing a week ago and they are expected to continue until at least Sept. 26. Additional units joined the exercises as they entered their second stage

Turkey`s military said in its statement that the third phase of the drill would be held on Sept. 26, and that Iraqi soldiers who arrived on Monday night would join.

The military has also in recent days carried out daily air strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq, where the group`s commanders are based.

The PKK launched its separatist insurgency in 1984, and more than 40,000 people have been killed since. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

In a travel warning, Turkey strongly recommended its citizens in the Iraqi Kurdish provinces of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniya leave as soon as possible if they are not obliged to stay.
New Delhi: US efforts to stop North Korea has reached a 'dead end and any more pressure on Pyongyang could lead to a war, Russia warned on Tuesday.

The tool of sanctions has almost been exhausted, the express.co.uk quoted Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the non-proliferation department, as saying.

He said that any military conflict would have a 'catastrophic consequence'.

His comments came after North Korea said that the US had declared war on the country and it reserves the right to take countermeasures.

The White House has rejected the Pyongyang suggestion, calling it 'absurd'.

Russia is reportedly working "behind the scenes" to find a political solution to the crisis.
New Delhi: The United States want to resolve the escalating nuclear crisis with North Korea diplomatically, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday.

"We maintain the capability to deter North Korea`s most dangerous threats but also to back up our diplomats in a manner that keeps this as long as possible in the diplomatic realm," he said in New Delhi after talks with India`s defence minister.
Nepali worker found dead in South Korea

A Nepali migrant worker was found hanging in Vasansi Suwon, Gyeonggi Do of South Korea on Monday.
District of Columbia: The White House on Monday rejected claims that the United States has declared war on North Korea as "absurd" in the latest exchange of barbs and insults between the two nuclear powers.

"We have not declared war against North Korea and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd`" said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. More than 93% of voters cast their ballots in favor of independence in the Iraqi Kurdistan referendum. The results are preliminary as only 282,000 ballots have been counted so far, the electoral commission of Kurdistan told RIA Novosti.

Counting continues, 282,017 ballots have been counted. 93,29% of voters voted in favor of independence, 6,71% voted against, the commission said.

Official results will be published September 28.

According to latest data, over 3,3 million people took part in the referendum  a turnout of 71,16%.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The United States says its deeply disappointed that Iraqi Kurds held a referendum on independence Monday, calling the vote unilateral, The Washington Post reported.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says the move will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdish region of Iraq. She says it will also complicate the ability of the regional Kurdish government to work with Iraqs central government and neighboring countries.

Still, Nauert says the U.S. wont alter its historic relationship with Iraqi Kurds because of the referendum.

Nauert also says the U.S. opposes moves by any parties to change boundaries in Iraq. She says the Islamic State group and other extremists are hoping to exploit instability and discord.

According to latest data, over 3,3 million people took part in the referendum  a turnout of 71,16%.

Official results will be published September 28.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The delegation of Armenias Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan, which includes lawmakers Armen Ashotyan, Armen Rustamyan, Vardevan Grigoryan and Lena Nazaryan, who are currently on an official visit to Georgia, had a meeting with the countrys President Giorgi Margvelashvili on September 25.

During the meeting, Mr. Babloyan thanked the Georgian president for the high-level reception.

Numerous issues related to various sectors of Armenian-Georgian cooperation were discussed.

Mr. Babloyan namely told the Georgian president that the Armenia-Georgia friendship group has been formed in the Armenian Parliament, led by the Parliaments Vice-Speaker. Mr. Babloyan said the Parliament is ready to do its best to deepen the Armenian-Georgian relations even more.

Speaking about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Mr. Babloyan in part said: Armenia greatly values Georgias role in regional security matters in South Caucasus and expects Georgias balanced stance in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. In our view, there is no alternative to the peaceful solution of the NK. The Nagorno Karabakh conflict, being a human rights issue, can be solved only through the free self-determination of the people of Artsakh.

Mr. Babloyan mentioned that Azerbaijan arms race is a serious threat for all countries in the region.

The Georgian president thanked Armenia for assisting in tackling the wildfires in their country, and said he is sorry that similar disasters happened in Armenia too.

Speaking about the Georgian-Armenian diplomatic relations, President Margvelashvili mentioned that the progress in relations is obvious, and Georgia is always ready to discuss any matter with Armenia and enhance relations in all sectors.

Speaking about the NK conflict, the Georgian president in part said: Our brotherly heart hurts for the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict. One thing is certain, that for us, small nations, such conflicts can be devastating. We pray for regional peace.

Later on the same day the Armenian delegation had a meeting with Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian-Russian healthcare forum kicked off in Yerevan, with pressing issues of mutual interest in the agenda.

Armenias healthcare minister Levon Altunyan and Russias healthcare minister Veronika Skvortsova are participating in the forum.

The Armenian minister delivered opening remarks at the event, stressing that healthcare is the foundation for the national security of the entire society, and the social-economic development.

Minister Altunyan said a wide range of issues will be discussed during the forum, including the migrants health issues and anti-smoking issues, the Russian experience of which is of interest for Armenia.

We will discuss the issue of a single policy for pharmaceuticals within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, he said.

Russias healthcare minister Veronika Skvortsova said the forum has become a traditional platform which contributes to the formation of common principles of the healthcare systems of both countries and enables to work within the framework of the common Eurasian policy and in other international organizations.

The Russian minister also invited her Armenian counterpart to participate in the Fight against Tuberculosis 1st global ministerial conference in Moscow in November.

H.E. Ivan Volinkin, Russias Ambassador to Armenia, said the forum is a good chance for doctors of both countries to exchange experience, show the directions which Armenia and Russia have achieved successes.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Armenias minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan hosted Iraqi minister of agriculture Falah Hassan Zaidan to discuss the agenda of the Armenian-Iraqi cooperation, press service of the Armenian ministry told Armenpress.

During the meeting the officials discussed improving the legal framework aimed at attracting bilateral investments and boosting trade.

Minister Karayan presented the reforms in Armenias investment environment. He proposed to the Iraqi side to consider Armenia as a platform to enter the Eurasian big market.

The meeting also touched upon the cooperation development prospects of the two countries in tourism field. The Iraqi agriculture minister said Armenia can be very attractive and interesting with its historical and beautiful tour sites for Iraqi tourists.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan on September 26 hosted Russian minister of healthcare Veronika Skvortsova, press service of the Armenian government told Armenpress.

PM Karapetyan said the Armenian and Russian healthcare agencies have practical and constructive cooperation which is in accordance with the logic of mutual relations of the two countries. The PM welcomed holding the 3rd Armenian-Russian healthcare forum in Yerevan, as well as talked about the ongoing reforms in the healthcare field which aim at creating modern, qualified and targeted healthcare system and forming regional platform for healthcare business.

The Russian minister expressed satisfaction over the process of works of the 3rd healthcare forum, stating that the agenda includes issues of bilateral interest. According to her, the forum is a good platform to outline the future cooperation directions in the field of healthcare.

The sides also discussed issues relating to expanding the partnership. PM Karapetyan said the initiative and implementation of programs in pharmaceutics, organization of healthcare business both in bilateral and multilateral formats are prospective. In her turn the Russian minister said the Russian side is interested in developing the partnership in these fields and expressed readiness to discuss the further joint steps. The sides agreed over holding regular mutual visits which will enable to get acquainted with the reforms in the healthcare systems of the two countries, the development trends and the activity of medical facilities.




YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government continues the discussions with Rasia FZE over the construction of Iran-Armenia railway, Vahan Martirosyan  minister of transport, communication and information technologies, told reporters on September 26, adding that the abovementioned company is committed to attract an investor for the project, Armenpress reports.

We have a contract with that company which must bring an investor to Armenia for construction of the railway. I had two meetings with the company director, proposed to accelerate the process, otherwise the state will revise the contract. We move step by step, the discussions continue, the minister said.

Iran-Armenian railway construction project requires 3.2 billion USD.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The tender for the construction works of the 2nd part of Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Georgia border interstate highway is over, Vahan Martirosyan  minister of transport, communication and information technologies of Armenia, told at a press conference, reports Armenpress.

He said the construction works of the 1st part of the highway from Vanadzor to Alaverdi launched a year ago. He informed that the works on Vanadzor-Alaverdi part continue in high speed and quality. The tender results for construction of the route from Alaverdi to Georgia border part have been summed up, the contracts will be signed by the end of the year. I assure you we will have a good, wide and high-quality highway, the minister added.

The highway is being reconstructed by the loan resources attracted by the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on September 26 received Russian healthcare minister Veronika Skvortsova who arrived in Armenia to take part in the 3rd Armenian-Russian healthcare forum, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guest President Sargsyan attached importance to holding the traditional healthcare forum which, according to him, is a good platform to develop the mutual partnership between the public and private healthcare institutions of the two countries, to discuss relevant issues of the field and to make an exchange experience.

The challenges in the healthcare field are among the most pressing challenges in the contemporary world and they are beyond the healthcare systems of separate states. These complex issues relate to almost all spheres of socio-economic life. Thus, such professional discussions and exchange of experience can only be useful, the President said. He attached importance to the issues included in the agenda of the forum, as well as issues relating to the reforms of the healthcare field, integration processes of the field within the EAEU. Serzh Sargsyan wished success to the forum works.

In her turn the Russian minister thanked for organizing the healthcare forum in Yerevan and said the formed productive cooperation already enables to record certain outcomes of a joint work which will be discussed at the forum.

Veronika Skvortsova shared impressions from the visit to the upgraded Hematology Center after R. Yolyan. She said with satisfaction that Russian leading healthcare centers also had their contribution to the establishment of new department and laboratory created by the great efforts and initiative of the First Lady of Armenia, preparation of specialists and installation of the latest technologies.

The Russian healthcare minister considered this year symbolic since Armenia and Russia mark the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties and the 20th anniversary of Treaty on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance.

During the meeting the Russian minister presented the priority directions of the development of Russian healthcare system and the programs, talked about the new directions of cooperation with Armenia, the opportunity of experience exchange.




Chandan Kumar Mandal is the environment and migration reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering labour migration and governance, as well as climate change, natural disasters, and wildlife.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Iraqi Kurdistans independence referendum at this stage firstly aims at receiving dividends, expert on Arabic studies Armen Petrosyan told Armenpress, commenting on the referendum held in Iraqi Kurdistan on September 25.

Referendum doesnt mean independence yet, it supposes a long process in legal, legislative and political fields. In any case, declaring independence of the Kurdish state in the northern Iraq is a matter of time. International actors will reckon with this over the course of time, he said.

Commenting on the reactions and actions of major regional powers, Armen Petrosyan said at this stage they are mainly warnings to the Iraqi Kurdistan not to take sharp steps. Petrosyan said Iraqi Kurdistans position is such that it seriously depends on neighbors. If neighbors close the land, air border, Iraqi Kurdistan will face serious economic problems. We cannot rule out the direct interference, all chances exist for that, but at the moment I think major actors try to hinder the independence process, he said.

As for Armenias interests in the context of this process, the expert said these developments have two-sided meaning. Firstly, its positive that the Iraqi Kurdistan referendum becomes another precedent in line with the Arsakh issue. In addition, Armenia has economic opportunities with Iraqi Kurdistan. And finally, the Kurdish issue is concerning for Turkey, and this means a new problem for Turks.

On the other hand, this event puts a beginning of a process in the Middle East, in our region on forming new states through the violation of territorial integrity of states, he said.

Armen Petrosyan said Armenia must carefully follow the developments for making right decisions in accordance with the situation.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on September 26 received member of the French National Assembly (lower house of the parliament) Olivier Dassault, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guest in Armenia, President Sargsyan said interparliamentary cooperation plays a key role on strengthening the Armenian-French unique ties. He said with satisfaction that the relations between the two friendly states are effectively developing in all spheres, stating that the deepening of Armenian-French commercial ties is among the priorities of the bilateral agenda making it in line with the high level political relations.

President Sargsyan and the French MP attached importance to the productive activity of Armenia-France interparliamentary friendship groups aimed at strengthening the centuries-old friendship between the two peoples and the interstate ties, as well as the close cooperation within the frames of international organizations.

Highlighting the role of Olivier Dassault and his family in Frances public-political life, the Armenian President expressed hope his visit to Armenia will contribute to further intensifying and developing the Armenian-French friendly ties.




YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Russias healthcare minister Veronika Skvortsova and members of her delegation visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on September 25. The Russian delegation was accompanied by Armenias healthcare minister Levon Altunyan and several officials.

The officials laid flowers in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and later visited the Genocide Museum.

After touring the museum, the Russian minister signed the guestbook: I am shocked, and greatly hopeful that mankind will never again repeat such madness.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. While on an official visit to Georgia, Speaker of Armenias Parliament Ara Babloyans delegation met with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili on September 26, press service of the Armenian parliament told Armenpress.

During the meeting the sides in particular discussed the development of economic mutual relations between the two countries. Armenia and Georgia have chosen different directions of international integration, however, this cannot hinder the development of mutual partnership of our countries: it can supplement and positively affect the further deepening of economic ties and expanding the regional cooperation, Speaker Babloyan said.

Ara Babloyan said in recent years concrete directions of economic partnership have been formed between Armenia and Georgia which mainly include the fields of transport, energy, tourism and reprocessing of agriculture products. He highlighted the importance of deepening decentralized cooperation. Speaker Babloyan, however, said the trade-economic potential is not being fully utilized. Ara Babloyan assured that the parliamentarians are ready to launch necessary legislative initiatives aimed at solving the problems of concrete fields.

In his turn the Georgian PM highlighted with satisfaction the steadily developing Georgian-Armenian ties, stating that it is necessary to increase the volumes of trade turnover worth 400 million USD. He attached importance to the high level mutual visits. Giorgi Kvirikashvili especially highlighted tourism field as one of the most important fields for the development of bilateral cooperation. He said its necessary to prepare joint tour packages given the rich historical-cultural heritage of the two countries. The Georgian PM also assured that Georgia is open to discuss the cooperation development opportunities with Armenia in all domains.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Within the frames of a working visit to St. Petersburg, Eduard Sharmazanov  Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, met with Alexey Sergeev - Secretary General of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Council on September 26, press service of the parliament told Armenpress.

The meeting was also attended by Armenian parliaments permanent representative to the CIS IPA Hayk Chilingaryan.

During the meeting the sides discussed issues relating to organization of the upcoming session of the CIS IPA Council. Vice Speaker Sharmazanov said the Armenian delegation is actively engaged in the IPA works and committees.

Eduard Sharmazanov expressed gratitude to Alexey Sergeev for the support to organizing the event dedicated to the 130th anniversary of orientalist, expert on Armenian studies, founding president of the academy of sciences of Armenia, academician Joseph Orbeli.

The sides also touched upon the integration processes in the CIS region. In this context, Sharmazanov said the positive impact on Armenias economy after joining the EAEU is already noticeable.

As for the regional affairs, Sharmazanov said the conflicts in the CIS region must be solved exclusively through peaceful means taking into account the principle of peoples compulsory expression of will.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of Joint Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), says he is sure that in case of a threat against one of their member states, all other member states will fulfill their commitments.

Member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization  Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan have signed the relevant agreement, a CSTO Charter was adopted, which implies that in case of a threat against one member state, the other member states shall fulfill their commitments, Sidorov said at a September 26 press conference.

The fundamental particularity of the CSTO is that the member countries have willingly assumed commitments, that if someone is threatened, others help. Today, even in my worst nightmare I cannot imagine someone failing to fulfill [commitments]. Big or small in volume, but they will fulfill, he said.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. CSTO Joint Chief of Staff Anatoly Sidorov says the upcoming military exercises of the organizations shouldnt be viewed as a direct response to NATOs recent military exercises.

We closely follow the developments around the CSTO territory and we try to respond adequately, Sidorov told a September 26 press conference when asked whether or not the military exercises are a response to NATOs drills.

During the press conference Sidorov also presented the scenarios of the military exercises in Armenia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

We will hold the military exercises in the following scenario: The situation is escalating in the CSTO borders. The CSTO leadership is trying to settle the situation with politics, however it fails. A decision is made to use force. During the subsequent deepening conflict a unification of troops is being made, transportation to a relevant territory and implementation of joint actions. Afterwards conditions for peaceful settlement appear and the CSTO collective forces join the peacekeeping mission in the framework of the UN mandate, he said.

He mentioned that representatives of international organizations and diplomatic missions will follow the military exercises in both Armenia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

He didnt rule out that NATO observers might observe the drills at some phase.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan on September 26 visited the ministry of foreign affairs, state service of emergency situations and Shahumyan regional administration and introduced the newly-appointed heads to the staff of those institutions, press service of the Artsakh Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The Artsakh President wished them productive work, expressed gratitude to the former heads of the abovementioned structures for their activities.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Armed Forces conducted live-fire military exercises with SMERCH heavy multiple rocket launchers. Zinuzh, the official TV program of the defense ministry, will air a special broadcast about the exercises on September 30.

The system is designed to defeat personnel, armored, and soft targets, targets in concentration areas, artillery batteries, command posts and ammunition depots etc.

The launchers can fire various types of rockets.

Armenia had acquired the systems from Russia.
YEREVAN, 26 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 26 September, USD exchange rate up by 0.15 drams to 478.04 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 3.12 drams to 564.85 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.03 drams to 8.30 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.28 drams to 643.92 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 16.81 drams to 19877.17 drams. Silver price down by 0.23 drams to 260.51 drams. Platinum price down by 118.44 drams to 14247.38 drams.
NRB staff launch protest

Employees of the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the central bank, have launched a protest after the board of directors allegedly amended the compulsory retirement policy, paving the way for staff to work even after they complete 30 years of service.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS/ARTAKHPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regularly visits the prisoners that are linked to the Karabakh conflict, communication officer of the ICRC Mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, Eteri Musayelyan said, commenting on the statements by the relatives of Azerbaijani citizen Dilham Askerov, who is serving a prison sentence in the Republic of Artsakh.

According to its mandate, the ICRC visits persons under arrest to conduct a monitoring of their prison conditions, the conduct toward them, as well as with the aim that they are given the opportunity to establish contact with relatives, noted Musayelyan. However, the prisoner himself decides whether or not to make use of the opportunity given to him to always reply to the relatives letters. So, there are cases when the prisoner may not wish to write letter, and the ICRC respects the prisoners wish.

Dilham Askerovs brother on Monday complained that they have had no information about Askerov since March.

Theyre telling us that Dilgam doesnt want to write letter, speak via video link, Dilhams brother had said earlier.

Remind, that Dilham Askerov was charged under 7 articles of the NKR Criminal Code and Shahbaz Guliyev - under 5 articles. The defendants are charged for espionage, illegally crossing of protected state border performed by organized group without proper documentation and approval, illegal carrying of firearms and ammunition as an organized group, kidnapping by means of violence, which puts in danger life or health, the use of weapons against a minor performed by organized group, murder interfaced to kidnapping performed by organized group, motivated by ethnic hatred. Dilham Askerov is also charged with a murder of two persons performed by organized group, motivated by ethnic hatred.
HIGHTSTOWN, N.J.East Coast News has announced it recently partnered with Love Shack in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to donate essentials to those in need after the devastation from Hurricane Harvey.

The hurricane affected tens of thousands of people, along with their homes, businesses, and more.

"It was extremely important for our company to get involved with the relief efforts, said a representative for East Coast News. We have many customers, partners, friends, and family members in the region, and we want to be a part of the recovery."

East Coast News collected essential items from all three office locations and had them shipped to the Love Shack store, who then loaded a trailer and drove to the area. Clothing, toiletries, toys, household items, non-perishable foods and water were all gathered.

"ECN went above and beyond and provided a trailer full of boxes filled with essentials that have all been donated to the Salvation Army and will help our Texas friends recover after this tragedy, said a representative for the Love Shack. We couldn't ask for a better partner to do this with!

East Coast News, one of the largest distributors of adult toys, novelties and accessories, has warehouses in New Jersey, Florida, and California.
Pictured: Glamory Hosiery (left) and Andrew Christian (right)

LAS VEGASThe fall edition of the Altitude Intimates Show kicked off its two-day run Monday at its new host hotel, Paris Hotel and Casino.

The new location saw lingerie exhibitors and pleasure products companies housed in the same room, with the novelty companies in their own Sexy Studio area.

Mens fashions received a bit more attention than usual at a trade show, with Gregg Homme, Andrew Christian and Male Power among the exhibitors. Even Xgen Products announced a new collection of D.C. super hero-themed briefs and boxer briefs, featuring the logos and color schemes of Batman, Superman and The Flash.

In the Gregg Homme booth, Eric Boisvert, owner and creative director, and Sales Director Mimi Aguilar explained that the mens sector of lingerie is a growing market, and that niche fetish items are helping drive that growth.

The trend right now is to be fetishy, and people are exploring and expressing that through the fetish fashion industry, Boisvert said.

Aguilar noted that many designers, even in the mens fashion sector, have always had edgier designs, but previously they catered more to the gay man.

Now, all types of men are willing to try new things, she said. Nobodys afraid to not try new things now, and its helping the market.

Andrew Christian is a mens underwear brand that primarily caters to gay men, but company reps Christopher Yoo and Chris Sapienza said straight men are becoming more aware of the brand and what it has to offer.

This season, Yoo said, mesh pieces and prints are doing well for the company, as are edgier pieces including singlets and harnesses.

Yoo noted that social media and the internet are making items more accessible to mainstream consumers, who no longer must enter an adult store to try lingerie for men, making them a little more apt to try something new. He and Sapienza also said men are starting to care more about what they are wearing underneath their clothes, too, helping drive market growth.

Within the gay market, men have always cared about how their underwear looks and feels and how it appeals, Yoo said.

Men are starting to create their outfit from the inside out, focusing on the underwear first, Sapienza said.

Male Power had several of its newest collection on display at the Male Power/Magic Silk booth at Altitude, including its Pride Fest and Hoser collections.

Even hosiery companies had items for men: The Glamory Hosiery boothwhich typically caters to plus size and tall womenhas gender-neutral designs that appeal to cross dressers, trans women and athletes.

Hosiery for men is becoming very popular in Europemen are wearing hosiery with shorts and more therebut its also become popular with athletes of all types all over the world, said Timothy Gettler of Glamory Hosiery.

All of the hosiery items (which are primarily thigh-high stockings that can be worn with or without a garter belt) fit sizes as small as a dress size 4, and up to a 40-inch thigh or a 40-inch inseam, which is roughly a size 32 dress.

Many of the items can also help with medial issues for men and women, Gettler noted, including restless leg syndrome by providing compression and stimulating blood flow without the bulkiness of traditional medical compression items.

In addition to mens items, several companies also showcased their holiday collections at the show. Santa-inspired outfits were on display in Roma Costumes, Coquette and Elegant Moments, while deep greens, dark maroons and more were seen in creations from Seven Til Midnight and Dreamgirl.

Fantasy Lingerie unveiled its newly revamped Vixen collection (see more about that here), and debuted its Premiere collection, inspired by the Hollywood sirens of 1930s cinema. With names like Jean and Harlow, the pieces come in white and black, as well as a rich wine color.

And fetish-inspired items were not limited to mens collections on display. Pianola Lingerie launched its new Plus Size collection of boxed lingerie that features everything from wet look fabric to accents of fringe, metallic zippers and decorative pulls and more.

The bondage and fetish looks are going very mainstream, and we have everything needed to accessorize this collection with crops, chips, BDSM kits and more, said company rep Heather.

And Xgen Products provided the sweet ending for buyers looking for something new to add in their store: Candy Panties. These licensed panties feature the logos of popular candies, including Sugar Daddy, Tootsie Roll and Junior Mints. Other new collection are the Teachers Pet line, which features schoolgirl-inspired separates, and new Latex Wear itemsgloves are finally available in the line, said President Andy Greenand the ranges bestsellers are now available in hot pink.

The Altitude Intimates Show continues through Tuesday. For more, visit AltitudeShow.com.
LOS ANGELESWebbilling on Tuesday shared insights about its ongoing collaboration with Stripchat and other cam sites that have enjoyed increased revenues thanks in part to the companys advanced payment gateway.

Webbilling asked Eva Zankel, B2B senior sales manager at Webbilling, and Jim Austin, head of business development for Stripchat, for their feedback about the endeavor.

It has been a really great and productive experience from our end and according to Stripchats and other cam sites feedback, it seems theyre sharing the excitement of the strong increases achieved, Zankel said. Even if were totally open for newly set up companies and absolutely enjoy working with promising sites in their early stages, its naturally a breeze to work with professionals on the other end like weve done with said companies.

Austin said Stripchats cooperation with Webbilling has been flawless so far.

Integration has been quick and easy and the support the we received has been outstanding, he said. Id like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Eva and the entire Webbilling team for their dedication and professionalism.



Since the integration of Webbilling on our platform we have seen a dramatic increase in revenue from the DACH market with regard to first purchases, as well as an increase in LTV and customer satisfaction.

Austin noted the revenue bump came instantaneously.

Since weve started with Webbilling in April 2017, theres been an immediate and also steady growth of revenue via webbilling.com, Austin continued. Were talking a very impressive monthly average of +57 percent so far. June to July 2017 even made for a 67 percent increase in revenue from the DACH region.

Besides these strong numbers speaking for themselves, I highly recommend Webbilling as they truly have the pulse and expertise considering that market. The DACH region or Europe altogether will therefore swiftly add to your bottom line when working with them.

Zankel said Webbilling has seen this trend on other cam-focused sites.

In case of these sites theres been a 22 percent average since beginning of our cooperation regarding revenue directly, she revealed. The kicker however, both companies have nearly or totally increased their income sixfold over the course of the past five months alone.

The consensus is that these numbers underline payment solutions, especially Webbilling.coms offers, to be essential for cam sites, according to Webbilling.

Absolutely, said Austin. Working with Webbilling, specifically targeting the DACH/European region and accordingly German, Swiss or Austrian users for example, decreases chargeback issues in a strong fashion (which one might know from the U.S. market).

SEPA direct debit is mostly used and only 27 percent of customers turn to credit cards. Webbillings Smart Combo solutions seem to make for some magic here, too.

Zankel explained that Webbillings smart combo solution offers local and desired payment methods initially instead of credit cards.

For example Germany has SofortBanking, its Ideal in the Netherlands and Przelewy24 for Poland, Zankel added. After any first transfer customers would effortlessly continue to pay with SEPA DirectDebit for any coming transactionswhile theres even no need for further user interaction at this point.

It doesnt stop there though. Webbillings team has just revised the responsive payment page, allowing our merchants to explore even more freedom. One example would be to customize form styles in accordance with your corporate design.

Zankel said for more information to contact her via [email protected]
Four MILFs share a thirst for young and sexy girls. Abella Danger gets a chance to interview celebrated fashion designer Sandy Fantasy, who invites her into the bathroom and answers questions as she soaks in the tub. Nice seduction scene. Abella gets into the tub with her and thats where all the sex takes place, including some pussy-bumping underwater.

Wide-eyed blonde Kylie Page finds that she needs a good divorce lawyer, so she contacts infidelity settlement expert Alexis Fawx. Kylie wants to clean out her husbandHe cheated on the wrong fucking person. Alexis is smooth and slick and Kylie is pretty but dumb as a rockand their dialogue exchange is quite funny. Seducing her isnt hard. Kylie confesses that Ive never had a woman touch me down there. When Alexis goes to work on her pussy with fingers and tongue she has the younger woman screaming.

Alice March needs a tutor and Vicki Chase is recommended. The subject is Shakespeare and they get into discussing Romeo and Juliet. Alice fantasizes about Vicki making a move on her. Vicki picks up on whats going on and starts coming on to her. Vicki takes charge with her tongue work and makes Alice love it. I could study all night, she gushes.

Grad student Abby Cross gets hired by the DAs office to do psychological evaluation on a woman involved in a case. Its Cherie DeVille, and shes nuts, totally paranoid, constantly freaking out. They sent me a student! In the internship! Shes convinced shes being bugged and that someone is watching them, so she tells Abby, youre my new lesbian lover. She seduces her aggressively, since Abby has never done this before. Cherie as always is hot but also very funny. Everyone is well directed by Stills by Alan.
Climate Alliance states are on track to reach a 24 to 29 percent reduction in emissions by 2025, fulfilling their contribution to the Paris Agreement targets.

Between 2005 and 2015 Alliance states reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent (compared to a 10 percent reduction by the rest of the country).

During that same decade, the combined economic output of Alliance states grew by 14 percent (the rest of the country grew by 12 percent). On a per capita basis, economic output in Alliance states expanded twice as fast as in the rest of the country, showing that climate action and economic growth go hand in hand.

Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that North Carolina would join 13 states and Puerto Rico in the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition opposed to President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change.Their goal is reducing their states' share of the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to hit Paris Agreement targets. Thirteen of the member states have Democrat governors; two have Republican governors.Cooper said in a press release.Cooper said.Roy Cordato, senior economist and resident scholar at the John Locke Foundation, isn't impressed.Cordato said.Cordato said.Shelly Carver, a spokeswoman for Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said the state has increased reliance on clean-burning natural gas to meet energy needs as it lowered the use of coal and has steadily reduced its greenhouse gas emissions for years.North Carolina's energy actions already are expected to meet Paris Agreement reduction goalsCarver said.Meeting the Paris Agreement goals could cost the U.S. economy $3 trillion and 6.5 million industrial sector jobs by 2040, according to research by National Economics Research Associates Economic Consulting.If all of the Paris Agreement commitments were followed, global temperature would fall by a mere .306 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, according to a peer reviewed paper by climate skeptic Bjorn Lomborg.The Paris Agreement was voluntary and lacked enforcement mechanisms to ensure participating countries would stick to their commitments. Signatory nations could set their own reduction goals, which allowed China, the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases, to shun any reduction pledge until 2030.Cooper said a U.S. Climate Alliance report released Wednesday found its member states are collectively on track to meet, and possibly exceed, their portion of the U.S. commitment.Cooper noted that he signed into law House Bill 589 , Competitive Energy Solutions for North Carolina, which could roughly double North Carolina's solar generation over the next four years.North Carolina has the second-highest volume of installed solar capacity of all states. Cooper credits a range of state policies, including the N.C. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard. REPS requires investor-owned electric utilities to source 12.5 percent of their energy needs through renewable energy or energy efficiency measures by 2021.Critics say REPS forces utilities to buy more costly solar power, and that expense is pushed onto consumers. State policies Cooper hailed as helping to expand the solar market include a federal PURPA law. Under the state's implementation, PURPA extended some of the nation's most generous provisions to solar developers, with taxpayers left picking up the higher costs.In addition to North Carolina, the bipartisan U.S. Climate Alliance includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?

Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.

Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
Jimmy Kimmel Has No Moral Authority On Health Care Just Because His Son Had Heart Surgery. Here's Why. On Tuesday evening, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel spoke from the heart once again about Obamacare. Citing his baby son's experience with open heart surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), Kimmel tore into Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who appeared on Kimmel's show months ago and vowed not to flunk the "Jimmy Kimmel test." What was the Kimmel test? According to Cassidy: "Would the child born with a congenital heart disease be able to get everything she or he would need in that first year of life...even if they go over a certain amount?"Cassidy insists that the new bill he's pushing with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) doesn't violate that test - he's saying that the bill mandates that states certify that they provide "adequate and affordable care" in order to waive certain essential health benefits mandated by Obamacare. But the test itself was fatally flawed from the first: it assumes that the government is the best venue for addressing these concerns. It isn't. Medicaid coverage, which expanded dramatically under Obamacare, does not guarantee that a baby will get everything the baby needs in the first year of life - supplemental charity at hospitals like Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, where Kimmel's son received his surgery, does. In fact, many patients at CHLA are illegal immigrants, who aren't covered by Medicaid at all. The big question isn't government-sponsored coverage, but bringing down the prices of health care and health insurance through competition.In fact, President Obama's signature health plan doesn't pass the Kimmel Test either, as even Vox.com acknowledges.That's Cassidy's mistake for buying into the Leftist model of health care provision.But Kimmel didn't stop there. Instead, he invoked his son's health situation to suggest socialized medicine as a solution. He explained:I am politicizing my son's health problems, because I have to ... somehow Japan and England and Canada and Germany, France, they all figured health care out, and don't say they have terrible health care, because it's just not true.To ignore the health care cost and rationing problems in France and England and Canada and Germany and Japan is simply ignorant.But Kimmel's argument is absurd on every level.It's absurd on a logical level: having a child with a heart condition doesn't make you an expert on health care anymore than it makes you an expert on heart surgery. I should know - as I've said before (and only in response to Kimmel's invocation of his own son), my daughter received open heart surgery at a year-and-a-half old at CHLA, at the hands of the same magnificent doctor Kimmel used. So by this logic, my opinion should be treated with precisely the same kind of moral weight Kimmel's is. But I don't think that the fact that my daughter had her heart fixed at CHLA is what grants me credibility to talk about health care. Reading health care law does. Studying health insurance schemes does. Speaking with my wife, who works inside that health care system as a doctor (including at CHLA from time to time) and thus knows the system from the inside, does.Kimmel's invocation of his son is also absurd on a moral level: Kimmel's son didn't lack health care. Neither would anyone else who needed surgery at CHLA. That's because CHLA is a charity hospital with an endowment of hundreds of millions of dollars. Emergency heart surgery is not denied to babies based on ability to pay. The cost may just be extraordinary on the other end. Dr. Vaughn Starnes, the doctor who operated on both our children, isn't in the business of denying dying babies surgery because their parents lack coverage. That would be true whether the parents picked up the check or the hospital did or the state did. Cost allocation is not the same thing as treatment availability.But emotional appeals do big business in politics. So Kimmel has been granted outsized authority on an issue upon which he admits he has little expertise. That's foolish of the media, foolish of the American people, and foolish of Kimmel.
On its face, the wording sets up the theoretical possibility [that] a student could be accused of misconduct, be found responsible, appeal, win on appeal and then face a never-ending string of new hearings, new findings, and new appeals.

When a woman tells you she's been assaulted, believe her. ... Nothing about due process says to a rape survivor, 'I believe you'. ... How can we assure each survivor that we believe her while also insisting on an impartial investigative process?

When it comes to defending themselves against accusations, college students are fighting an uphill battle. Today, students accused of misconduct are often subjected to long and invasive investigation processes without the right to legal representation, to question witnesses, or to be presumed innocent until proven guilty-all basic due process procedures to which every student should be entitled.These abuses of due process have been fostered by the Title IX adjudication policies that came out of the Obama administration via the 2011 "Dear Colleague" letter. The letter provided rigid and authoritative "guidelines" that required colleges to employ a "preponderance of the evidence" standard when judging cases of sexual misconduct.That standard meant students could be penalized, suspended, or expelled if it "is more likely than not that sexual harassment or violence occurred"-a far cry from the traditional "clear and convincing" or "beyond a reasonable doubt" standards employed in courts of law. Consequently, in order to appear compliant with the new guidelines, college and university officials were incentivized to implement shoddy investigation processes in order to find the accused guilty.Fortunately, protecting due process may become easier since Betsy DeVos' announcement that the Education Department will rescind the 2011 Dear Colleague letter. And on Friday, September 22, the Department of Education released interim guidance that allows colleges to use the "clear and convincing evidence" standard. This eliminates many of the perverse incentives universities had to find accused students guilty.Still, even with the Education Department ending the requirements, universities may keep their Obama-era policies (some universities have explicitly confirmed their intention to do so).That is unfortunate, since the current situation is egregious. To shed light on the lack of due process on college campuses, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) released a report , entitled Spotlight on Due Process, analyzing the disciplinary policies of the top 53 universities in the country. The results were dismal.In its evaluation, FIRE defined "ten fundamental elements of due process," and graded each university according to how it met those standards. Among the criteria were the right to cross-examine witnesses and the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty.Sadly, none of the universities' adjudication policies received an "A" grade. Among its findings, FIRE reported that only 42 percent of universities require investigators or "fact-finders" to be impartial. Additionally, in the investigation of sexual misconduct cases, 79 percent of the universities met very few due process standards and received either a "D" or an "F" grade.Even in North Carolina, which has enacted one of the strongest student due process laws in the country, the major universities fared poorly in the FIRE report. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received a "D" for its handling of sexual misconduct cases; Duke University received a "C," and Wake Forest University received an "F" grade.North Carolina's 2013 Students and Administration Equality (SAE) Act protects public university students' right to legal counsel and requires universities to report the number and type of investigations it conducts. Yet Duke and Wake Forest, as private universities, are not subject to its protections. Even UNC-Chapel Hill is exempt from this law in non-sexual misconduct cases, because of its use of student courts. (It is the only one of the state's public institutions that is exempt.) Consequently, students at Duke and Wake Forest (and, in some cases, at Chapel Hill) have no right to consult a lawyer if accused of an offense that could negatively impact their futures.Moreover, Duke students recently received another blow to their due process rights. According to a new provision in the student conduct handbook , students who have already been exonerated of any wrongdoing can still be subjected to ongoing accusations and investigations. An article in The Herald Sun , the main Durham, NC newspaper, explains:Many have argued that this sort of policy subjects students to an unfair " double jeopardy ," the absence of which has long been a cornerstone of our legal system.Students at UNC-Chapel Hill don't have to suffer such incessant scrutiny, yet there is plenty wrong with its adjudication policies. FIRE's report notes that a UNC student accused of sexual misconduct is not considered innocent until proven guilty; is given little to no time to prepare for hearings; does not receive written notice of allegations; has no right to see or present all relevant evidence; and can be expelled without a unanimous vote from the disciplinary panel.And even though not all North Carolina universities are included in FIRE's report, individual cases suggest that other institutions have similarly unfair procedures. For example, in 2014, a student accused of sexual assault at Appalachian State University filed a lawsuit against the school and three of its administrators for denying him his due process rights.That Appalachian student, Lanston Tanyi, claimed that the university only permitted him to have a graduate student as an advisor-while his accuser had formal legal representation. Tanyi's grievances included the way that the university did not provide him with sufficient notice of the allegations against him and that he was not allowed to present witnesses to help prove his innocence. This and other cases illustrate the deficiencies in North Carolina universities' adjudication policies.Such incidents have become almost commonplace since the Dear Colleague letter was issued. At times, it almost seems as if the letter has permitted radical gender activists to unleash a sexual "Reign of Terror" on American campuses. For example, an entire fraternity at the University of Virginia was suspended after a 9,000-word Rolling Stone article falsely accused them of gang-raping a woman; the article has since been retracted, the journalist lost her position, and Rolling Stone has had to pay millions for lawsuits Furthermore, it has created an entire profession of sexual harassment administrators and activists. Andrea Pino, a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who claims she was raped twice while in college, has made a career out of the "anti-rape" movement. Pino is co-author of the book We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out-though some question the legitimacy of her story.And many administrators were not forced to implement the Dear Colleague letter policies against their wills, as the sentiments expressed in the letter mirror their philosophies.For instance, the president of Davidson College, Carol Quillen, openly rationalizes the abuse of due process. She suggests in the Charlotte Observer that unconditionally believing alleged victims and protecting the due process rights of the accused are of equal importance:Quillen overlooks the fact that there is an important difference between showing compassion to an alleged victim and unconditionally accepting an accuser's claims. And she is hardly alone in academia. It is unfortunate that those who hold such influential positions in academia suggest that respecting one student's rights may be in tension with showing empathy to another.Despite the radical academic climate that rejects reasonable due process protections, there are steps that can be taken to prevent violations from happening in the future.First, alumni, trustees, student groups, and legislators should pressure administrators to consult FIRE's report in order to see where improvement is needed and then make policy changes accordingly.Second, students can help protect civil liberties at their schools by participating in b . As members of the network, students will have resources to educate themselves in current threats to their due process rights, and will be provided with the opportunity to advocate for those rights at their universities.In North Carolina, it may be appropriate for the General Assembly to revisit House Bill 777 , which was introduced last session. If passed, the bill would permit the cross-examination of witnesses and would require using the "clear and convincing" standard, rather than "preponderance of evidence" standard, when determining whether a student is culpable of sexual assault.A willingness to compromise the fundamental rights of students should not be condoned. Now that Secretary DeVos has removed the worst mandates of the Dear Colleague letter, and now that FIRE has shed light on the extent of procedural abuses, state and university officials have the responsibility to rectify injurious policies and provide all students with "basic procedural protections."
One killed in Morang bike accident

A person died and another sustained critical injuries after a bike they were riding on met with an accident at Belbari Municipality-11 of Morang district along the East-West Highway on Tuesday.
Kasper Kubica wants to know what the hell these companies do.

For example, a company with the catchy name 84.51 describes itself thusly:

"We make people's lives easier. Simple idea, right? Not exactly. We define 'people' as our associates, customers, clients and the communities we serve, and we work hard to achieve a deep, personal understanding about all of them. Implementing the learnings  to make their lives easier  is the hard part. Whether it's shown through offering unparalleled workplace culture and benefits, providing targeted and useful content or using data to help retail strategies come to life, we have the tools to ensure that, depending on which people we're serving, we can make it work."

And here's Kubica's musings on Meltwater:

Meltwater is a company with a simple product: A database of media contacts. These contacts are otherwise hard to find, as most reporters don't want every "disruptive" startup out there calling them to beg for a story. Yet for a few thousand dollars a year, Meltwater will give you reporters' emails and phone numbers  placing you one step closer to that elusive "Featured On:" banner.

It's a simple product. It has a simple value proposition. It should not be difficult to explain to potential customers.

And yet, the first thing you see on Meltwater's Web 20.17 parallax-ed bootstrap-ed responsive home page is the title card confidently declaring "Welcome to Outside Insight". Behind it, a video plays, showing, in order: A laptop being placed on a desk. A globe resting on a shelf. A coffee cup being set down. A clock ticking.

What?

Perhaps we'll see what this company does, what their product is, if we scroll past the first fold "See how you can use media intelligence to inform strategy, connect with your audience, and measure success." A button invites us to try a demo, but doesn't bother to mention what this might be a demo of  clicking it takes us to a contact form, which seduces us with the promise, "Learn how to take your PR and social media marketing programs to the next level".

At this point, I've given up. I'm back to Google, back to searching for a database of media contacts, because even though I came to the Meltwater page knowing exactly what I wanted, I have no idea what they offer.
US officials say intelligence efforts found no evidence of an Iranian ballistic missile launch after President Donald Trump tweeted about a launch reported from an Iranian-run news broadcast, according to CNN.

Trump  who has said he likes to "know the facts" before making a statement  referenced the questionable report, while seemingly criticizing the Iran nuclear deal. "Iran just test fired a ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel," he tweeted. "They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!"

Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel.They are also working with North Korea.Not much of an agreement we have!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

The report is likely to have shown footage of a previous Iranian launch. "As far as we can see, it did not happen," a Trump official  who did know if the president received an intelligence briefing before the tweet  told CNN.
Highest Paying Careers in the U.S.

Looking to Make Bank? These Are the Jobs for You

Maybe you've got a lot of mouths to feed, or bills to pay (hello, credit card debt) or maybe you've just always dreamed about owning a nice car and a big fancy house. Whatever your motivation, the fastest path to financial success is to make money  lots and lots of money. And while you can certainly do that as a rock star or professional athlete, you're no longer a teenager and those dreams have probably died. The surest way to make the big bucks is the old-fashioned way: lots of education and hard work in a lucrative industry. It won't be easy, but the payoff at the end will put you in some of America's most coveted highest paying careers, earning top dollar and paying a boatload in taxes.

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Now, you may be asking yourself, "what is the highest paying career?" While certain professions in finance and medicine might immediately come to mind, there are a few lesser-known professions that also hold the potential for lofty salaries. To give you a better idea of the highest paying professions, we did a little research and tallied up the average annual wages for the highest paying jobs in the U.S. workforce as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2019 (the most recent figures available).

However, we should note that we made a slight change. Since most of the highest paying careers in the U.S. are in the medical field, we've grouped doctors and surgeons together to avoid this list becoming "10 reasons why you should've studied more in high school science and gone to med school."

Without further ado, here are the highest paying careers in the United States.

Highest Paying Careers in the U.S.

10. Financial Managers

Average annual wage: $127,990

Training time: 5+ years

Of course, when one thinks of lucrative jobs, finance quickly comes to mind. After all, it makes sense that those who are responsible for keeping an organization's money in order would be earning a decent dollar for their essential expertise.

Financial managers work in a variety of industries from corporations to insurance. To become a financial manager you will require a bachelor's degree in finance, economics or business. In addition, many will work for at least five years as an auditor, financial analyst or accountant before making their way up to the manager level. In terms of schooling, the University of Chicago is known for its strong finance programs.

9. Marketing Managers

Average annual wage: $134,290

Training time: 4+ years

It's not just about what you're selling, it's how you sell it. The prestigious world people like (the fictional) Don Draper worked in back in the 1950s is still prestigious, and one of the highest paying. However, the highest-paid marketing managers don't just work in advertising and promotions, they work in securities and commodity exchanges, too.

Marketing, in general, is a field where the required education is a bit cloudy. Many businesses want you to have a bachelors degree in marketing, but years of experience  and an eye-catching portfolio  can help elevate you to the level of marketing manager. One of the best marketing schools in the country is The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

8. Petroleum Engineers

Average annual wage: $137,170

Training time: 4+ years

Despite the drop in oil prices as of late, those who know how to extract liquid gold, like petroleum engineers, are still paid extremely well. Still, the industry is volatile. Earnings often depend on how the price of oil is doing, but employment is still expected to grow over the next few years.

If you want to go down the rocky road of the oil and gas industry, your best bet is to go to school for petroleum engineering and then work in co-op programs during the completion of your degree. One of the top schools in the country for petroleum engineering is the University of Texas at Austin, which has the added benefit of being in oil country. Oh, and breakfast burritos, yay!

7. Airline Pilots, Co-Pilots and Flight Engineers

Average annual wage: $140,340

Training time: 6+ years

Want to have your office above the clouds, get free travel and make lots of money? Easy, become a pilot. Well, maybe easy isn't the best word to use. Becoming a pilot requires a bachelors degree in an aviation-related discipline, a commercial pilot's license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. You'll also need several hundred hours of pilot-in-command experience, specialized training in specific tools and devices, as well as regular physical and mental testing. It's all pretty expensive and time-consuming, and it can take 10 years or longer before a newly minted pilot starts making serious cash flying the longer scheduled passenger flights.

Airline jobs are expected to grow over the next few years, but less than average. Jobs will mostly arise as a result of many current pilots reaching the required retirement age of 65. There's not really an undisputed champ when it comes to the best school for aviation, but Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana is known to be pretty good.

6. Architectural & Engineering Managers

Average annual wage: $140,760

Training time: 4+ years

Not all, architectural and engineering managers are building mansions or bridges  although many do. Some of the highest-paid architectural and engineering managers likely work in the oil and gas industry and focus on the transportation of crude oil through a network of pipes. But with lower gas prices, Americans who work in this profession are making significantly less than they were a couple of years ago. However, according to the BLS, this profession is projected to grow at an average rate over the next few years, as infrastructure requires upgrades across the country.

Becoming an architectural and engineering manager requires a bachelors degree and at least five years of experience working in the industry. A good college to go to is Pennsylvania State University.

RELATED: How to Deal With Workplace Anxiety

5. Computer & Information Systems Managers

Average annual wage: $142,530

Training time: 4+ years

Millions of Americans have come to rely on the internet for almost everything in their personal and professional lives, which means that if any business wants to succeed today, they'll need to be tech-smart. Some small businesses may be able to get by with a few online platforms that make things easier, but bigger companies need IT managers who can plan, coordinate and direct everything that has to do with computers  that's where computer and information systems managers come in.

There's a huge demand for people that can work these types of jobs, so as a result, they're highly paid. To become an IT manager, you'll need to do a bachelor's degree in a computer or information science field and it's a good plan to start by working in IT support. One of the best schools for this field is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

4. Nurse Anesthetists

Average annual wage: $167,950

Training time: 6 years

First of all, yes, there are male nurses, and it turns out they're making bank. Also known as "advanced practice registered nurses," these men and woman coordinate patient care and, in certain states, offer primary and specialty healthcare. Their specialty, of course, is administering anesthetic, typically to prepare a patient for surgery. If you're willing to put in the time and find the prospect of having people's lives in your hands exhilarating, nurse anesthetists might be the career for you.

Nurse Anesthetists must earn a Masters Degree at an accredited institution. One of the best is at Virginia Commonwealth University.

3. Chief Executive Officers

Average annual wage: $189,600

Training time: 6+ years

Being a CEO is a stressful job with plenty of responsibility, but it's also the highest-paid job you can get without doing a decade of schooling. Many Americans claim to be CEOs for businesses big and small, according to BLS numbers. If you want to become a top-level CEO, youll need a hell of a lot of experience in the industry and probably a bachelor's degree followed by an MBA  about half of America's top CEOs have one. Want another route to CEO? Jump on the startup trend and start something cool.

Stanford is known as one of the best universities for an MBA in the U.S.

2. Dentists and Orthodontists

Average annual wage: $151,850 (Dentists), $208,000 + (Orthodontists)

Training time: 8 years

Do you see a beautiful smile when someone flashes their pearly whites? What you really should be seeing are dollar signs instead of teeth because dentists and orthodontists make big-time moolah. Outfitting your kids with braces allows orthodontists to rake it in, making orthodontistry the sixth highest paying job in the United States.

But orthodontist jobs are relatively scarce, with only 6,600 recorded in the workforce, according to BLS. Dentists don't make quite as much, but there are a lot of them in the country (132,800), which could signify more openings. Another plus about becoming a dentist or an orthodontist? One of the best schools in the country is the University of California in Los Angeles, so you'll get to soak up the rays during study breaks.

1. Doctors and Surgeons

Average annual wage: $203,880 - $267,020

Training time: 11+ years

If you want to bring home the bacon (and help people too), your best bet is the medical profession  but it wont come easy. It takes at least 11 years to become a doctor and more than 12 for certain specialties. But when you finish, you'll probably be paid extremely well. Eight out of the top 10 highest-paid jobs in the U.S. are in the medical community (orthodontists and CEOs are the exceptions), so youll be paid handsomely for your efforts.

Within the medical field, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, general surgeons, obstetricians and gynecologists, psychologists, and anesthesiologists are at the top of the pay scale. If youre a top shooter, one of the best med schools in the country is Harvard Medical School.

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One of the organizers of Serbia's much-protested LGBT pride parade has moved to Calgary, and is now speaking out about the difficulties refugees face proving their cases.

Boban Stojanovic escaped to Canada from Belgrade, Serbia, last year with his partner, after he was attacked in the middle of the city mid-day. Despite recognizing his attackers, he says Serbian police failed to investigate and bring them to justice.

"That was like last straw and I decided, OK, I will leave," Stojanovic told The Calgary Eyeopener on Monday morning.

Listen to Stojanovic's full interview about anti-gay persecution in Serbia:

His multiple complaints to police  none of which were solved  helped prove his refugee claim, that he was being persecuted in Serbia due to his sexual orientation.

"I was lucky, ironically lucky, because my claim was accepted based on 23 pages of unsolved cases and almost 1,000 pages of evidence," Stojanovic said.

"I was activist, I was visible, I was present in media, and everything that's happened to me, it was like public," he said.

"But so many people don't have this experience, so for them, it's still to be quite hard."

'Can't imagine'

Stojanovic helped organize the city's pride parade, which from 2009 to 2014 was banned by the government.

"I think that people in Canada can't imagine the situation that Canadian government ban pride," he said.

Since re-allowing it, the parade drew heavy police presence as protection against violent anti-LGBT protests. Stojanovic and fellow activists faced violence and threats as a result of their work  and for simply trying to survive.

Proving you're gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual, and that you're being persecuted as a result, can be incredibly challenging, especially because showing you are can get you killed in many countries, he said.

'Need some time for healing'

Many LGBT refugees couldn't do public activism or even have a relationship in their home countries. So paperwork or even testimonies about that discrimination can be next to impossible to collect.

Story continues

"I think that when we came here ... we need some time for healing," Stojanovic said. "It's also huge challenge how to survive and how to have this time for healing."

Earlier this year, new guidelines were put in place by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to ban "graphic questions" about sexual acts, among other topics considered inappropriate and trivializing.

Stojanovic is speaking at the Prairie and Northwest Territories LGBTQ+ Newcomers Settlement Conference, taking place on Monday and Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Calgary.

He'll be sharing his experience and speaking more about the challenges LGBT refugees face when landing in Canada and applying for protection.

With files from The Calgary Eyeopener
Chatham resident Lucy DeFraeye has been without running water for one week.

She lives in one of 13 well-water homes in Chatham-Kent that have black water spewing from their taps. She thought discoloured water was bad enough until last Sunday when nothing came out of the taps at all.

Her story and the similar stories of her neighbours prompted Maude Barlow, chairperson of the Council of Canadians, to visit Chatham-Kent and support the residents in their battle for answers and clean water.

Residents believe that the impact of the North Kent wind turbine construction is behind the black water. The construction, involving pile-driving, has residents believing black shale and hazardous materials have leached into their well water.

"I cry everyday, I just cry, I can't believe someone would do that to another human being and keep doing it," said DeFraeye, who blames the sediment for clogging up the well, trapping the water inside.

Samsung and Pattern Development, the two companies behind the project, deny the construction has anything to do with the well water quality. The company says it has investigated and surveyed the site with no evidence of harm to the groundwater quality.

"The magnitude of the vibrations of the work has no consequences on the wells," said Storer Boone, who studies the impact of wind turbines on the ground for the companies involved in the wind turbine project.

Barlow said she isn't buying it. Barlow said she fully supports wind turbine energy but not when "people's lives, health and water are at risk."

Barlow, who has seen water abuse in countries around the world and is the author of several books about the water crisis in Canada, said she has one message for the folks living in Chatham- Kent.

"You're probably in for a long fight, but you have to do it because this is your future, this is the future of your children and grandchildren, the future for water, it's the future of the ecosystem," she said. "If we don't come together and say no now, it is going to be destroyed in this area."

Story continues

That is exactly what Kevin Jakubec, spokesperson for Water Wells First, plans on doing.

"We will continue trying to get the people in positions of power," he said. "We feel this is an absolute threat to our well-being to our children's well being."

Jakubec is also encouraging anyone in Chatham-Kent with well water to document the water and get a base line testing. He said the message is pretty clear: "We will not stop fighting."

Samsung has asked the court for an injunction after protesters blocked the entrance of the site. A judge is expected to issue a ruling Thursday.

In the meanwhile Lucy DeFraeye has completely lost hope she will see water run from her tap again.

"She's done, it's done," she said.
Virtual Reality

Colleges Using AR/VR to Educate Homeowners on Disaster Clean-up

The Hope4Homes mobile app provides video tips, virtual reality scenarios and other resources for dealing with flood-damaged property.

Experts estimate that hurricane-destroyed homes could take years to rebuild. A small team of IT leaders in higher education and experts from the building trades hope to expedite the work with an augmented and virtual reality (AVR) training program intended to draw people to the trades who previously would have considered it "dirty, underpaying and uninteresting."

Hope4Homes is the brainchild of Jack Werner, a master home inspector for the National Association of Home Builders. Recently, Werner and Todd Feehan, head of Dad's Plumbing in Oklahoma, approached Oral Roberts University CIO Mike Mathews to explore the possibility of setting up an AVR-based trade school that taught students the ins and outs of home inspections, plumbing and related disciplines. Mathews created some demo technology, which, he said, "blew their minds."

Since then, three hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Maria, have swept through parts of the country, and the initiative changed its immediate goal to helping people who were devastated by the storms.

Working with 3Dream Studios, a visual marketing company, the group designed a mobile app that 3Dream developed in partnership with the university.

Hope4Homes, an app for Apple iOS and Google Android devices, includes video tips from Werner on dealing with flooded and damaged homes, such as how to repair water-damaged drywall and deal with mold. Other guidance resources are included from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Weather Channel. Eventually, repair coverage will also include electricity, drywall and landscaping.

The AVR scenarios are being developed at the university, which is using Unity, Eon Reality and TalentQuest technology for other AVR projects at the Oklahoma campus, including learning content for its Global Learning Center. The AVR experiences for the Hope4Homes project will work with inexpensive headsets from Google and HOMiDO, as well as others.

In addition, beginning on Sept. 26, 2017, Werner will be hosting a series of weekly webinars through the mobile app to introduce the technology to users and walk people through the various aspects of their home reconstruction.

"Ultimately, AVR can reduce the time it takes to train people on pertinent skills by 1,400 percent," stated a charter for the program. "This is extremely important as people are making critical decisions to move back into their homes before understanding what to look for."

"This is an incredible story that shows how education can truly package innovative solutions that meet world issues," Mathews noted.

The latest sponsors for the project include Houston Community College and Carousel Industries, an IT systems company.
DRUZBA 2017: Pakistan, Russia hold joint military drill

Published: September 26, 2017

The second edition of DRUZBA 2017 (Friendship-2017), a joint military exercise between special forces of Pakistan and Russia was held in Minralney Vody, Russia. The exercise set the stage for translating political goodwill between both countries into a substantial partnership especially in the field of defence.

Key Facts

The joint exercise DRUZBA 2017 focused on counter-terrorism operations, hostage and rescue, cordon and search operation. It aimed to enhance and further strengthen military ties between two countries and share Pakistan Armys experience in war against terrorism. It also involved experience sharing and develop coordination in carrying out practice combat tasks in a mountainous environment, including operations against illegal armed groups.

In recent years, Pakistans ties with Russia have moved past bitter Cold War hostilities and chill in the relations between Pakistan and US. This comes especially at time when President Donald Trump warned Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists which has further pushed it towards Russia and China. The first edition of the exercise was held in at the Army High Altitude School in Rattu, northern Pakistan. Russia also started selling weapons to Islamabad.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2017

Category: Defence Current Affairs

Topics: Defence  DRUZBA 2017  Indian Military Exercises  International  Military Exercises  Pakistan-Russia

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Patients bear brunt of docs strike

Hundreds of thousands of patients across the country were deprived of health services for the fourth consecutive day on Monday due to an ongoing strike by doctors who are protesting against a government plan to introduce a new law that aims to rein in negligent medical practitioners.
In a case chillingly similar to the Koh Tao murders, that received international and publicity, four more Burmese men stand accused of murder in Rangong in a case that has garnered little public and international interest.





In this case, four Burmese migrant workers were arrested over the murder of a 17 year old Thai female high school student on the night of September 28th 2015.





According to the police Mr Moe Zin Aung, 19, Mr Zaw Lay, 25, Mr Mang Sane, 20 and Mr Kyaw Soe Win, 18 confessed to taking part in the brutal stabbing of Miss Orawee Sampaotong.





However, like Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, who confessed to the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in Koh Tao, the men say they were tortured into confessing and after receiving legal representation retracted their confessions. The police accused us of murdering a girl and when we denied the claims we were strangled and punched in the neck said Kyaw Soe Win on behalf of himself and the other suspects.





According to interviews with the suspects, relatives and lawyers, the four were tortured on the days they were arrested 20th  24th October 215. The alleged abuse includes being blindfolded, threatened with a gun, and suffocated with a plastic bag as well as being kicked in the genitals. Kyaw Soe Win stated that the police dictated the confession to the suspects, and said that they were forced to sign the confession out of fear.





The murder took place close to the Thai border with Myanmar, the victims mother is from Myanmar, and her father is Thai.





After a month of investigations after the girls body was discovered the police had made no arrested, however, on the 20th of October while fishing near Kurraburis sea port, over 100 kilometres away from Ranong province, 2 Myanmar migrant brothers were arrested and investigated by the Thai police, along with 2 other Burmese migrant workers.





The police investigation team confirmed that the murder took place at 21.37 on the 28th of September 2015, however, the suspects Thai employer stated that the suspects worked until after 8pm that night and provided CCTV as evidence. As with the Koh Tao case the suspects families believe their sons are innocent along with migrant community leaders who believe, like Koh Tao, if the suspects were guilty they would have run away never to return.





Like Koh Tao the police case leans heavily on DNA evidence. The police say the victim fought off her attackers before she was killed and their DNA was found under her fingernails. As with the Koh Tao case mystery surrounds this investigation, why did it take so long for the police to test the DNA and what happened to the CCTV footage of the men? After the arrests the accused employer handed over his CCTV footage of the men working, but the police now state that the CCTV did not contain images of their suspects. The employer said I dont understand and I am very surprised that my employees disappeared from the CCTV after I handed it over to the police, I saw them with my own eyes, its just not possible.





As part of their evidence the police pointed to scars found on the face of Mr Moe Aung and believe they resulted from the victim defending herself, however fellow migrants confirmed that the scars were a result of a bicycle accident a few days prior. One of the suspects parents said she knew her son had been tortured info confession as soon as she visited him in custody, he looked so tired she said, and very very afraid.





In a further twist to the tale, two of the suspects are under the age of 18, they lied on their permit papers in order to gain entry to work in Thailand. Their defence lawyers believe they should be moved to a youth detention centre, as a DNA test confirmed the pair are between 15 and 16 years old.





The Myanmar government is aware of, and is paying attention to the case. They have visited the suspects and have offered support to their families. The court hearing has been postponed many times while the defence team prepare for the trial.





Since the murder the FED (Foundation for Education and Development) has prepared documents, witnesses and evidence for the case. The Defence lawyers team have prepared 20 witnesses for the trial including the Thai employers, relatives of the suspects, migrant community leaders, special Thai police and members of the Thai National Human Rights Commission. The defence team has also collaborated with local NGOs, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, the Lawyers Council of Thailand, Human Rights Lawyers Association and the Myanmar Embassy in Thailand. The Thai National Police have prepared 17 witnesses and evidence, including crime medical experts, Thai national police officers and social workers from funeral services.





The Ranong case is very similar to the well-known and well publicized Koh Tao murder case, however the general public are not aware of this case as the victim was not a visiting Western tourist and this area of Thailand is not as well known as Koh Tao, popular with western tourists and therefore does not generally catch the attention of the international press.





Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand to this day are facing many problems regarding human trafficking, labour abuse and exploitation, extrajudicial killing and in many cases injustice. The Ranong and Koh Tao cases are not unique. This sort of treatment is problematic for hundreds of thousands of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand.





The FED strongly believe the 4 migrant workers in the Ranong case are scapegoats and thus innocent. Urgent funding is needed to ensure a fair trial and the FED in association with the Samui Times are asking the public to help.





If you would like to make a donation to give the men the best opportunity of a fair trial, the FED, the only source of funding for the men, can take donations to the following bank





Account Name: Foundation for Education and Development Account number: 806-207521-9





Name of Bank: Siam Commercial Bank Public Com.Lt





Banks address: 97/11, Rajdhamri Road, Lumpini Pratuwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.





Thailand Banks swift Code: SICOTHBK





Address of the Account Holder: 20, Moo (4), T. Khuk Khak, Takuapa, Phang-Nga, Thailand 82220.





Having followed both cases the Samui Times hopes that the public will be generous and that this story is widely spread. International media pressure and public support is essential if there it to be any hope of justice for migrant workers who find themselves accused of murders in Thailand with no means to defend themselves, helped only by organisations who solely rely on publicly donated funds.

The Samui Times has been threatened with court action for defamation and computer crimes in its reporting of one missing Russian girl on Koh Tao and the death of a Belgian woman that otherwise would have gone unreported and for labelling Koh Tao Death Island.





The Samui Times would like to see justice in these cases, transparent trials and thorough investigations into the seemingly endless suspicious deaths in Thailand and calls for fair trials for all migrant workers, rather than attempts to hush the media, who dare to shine a light into the darker side of the Kingdom.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
A third convict, found to be a courier, receives life sentence and 15 strokes of the cane





A drug trafficker convicted of a capital offence was sentenced to death in the High Court, although he had been certified by the Public Prosecutor to have cooperated with the authorities.





In the first such case here, the court found that Hamzah Ibrahim, 54, was not a courier, after a joint 16-day trial with two other traffickers.





Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, the court has the discretion not to impose the death penalty, if the convicted offender is a courier and has also been issued a certificate stating he cooperated with authorities.





But Judicial Commissioner Hoo Sheau Peng ruled that Hamzah's role "went beyond that of a courier".





"Hence, although the PP (Public Prosecutor) issued a certificate of substantive assistance, the alternative sentencing regime was not available," she said in judgment grounds last week.





Another man in the joint trial for trafficking in 26.29g of heroin, Muhammad Farid Sudi, had also been certified to have "substantively assisted the Central Narcotics Bureau in disrupting drug trafficking activities".





Farid, who delivered the drugs to Hamzah and acted as no more than a courier, escaped the gallows with the mandatory life sentence and 15 strokes of the cane.





Another accomplice, Tika Pesik, had not been certified as a courier and was sentenced to death.





Farid and Tika had arranged for Farid to deliver two packets of heroin to Hamzah on Dec 20, 2013.





Farid did so during a drive from a Senja Road multi-storey car park to Dairy Farm Road.





Hamzah claimed trial to a single capital charge of possessing heroin for the purpose of trafficking.





During the trial, Deputy Public Prosecutors Wong Woon Kwong and Sarah Shi argued that Hamzah was not a courier and had received the drugs intending to pack them into smaller packets for sale.





Hamzah, defended by lawyers Luke Lee and Sukdave Singh, contended that he was merely a courier.





But, in light of all the evidence, such a claim would be "unsustainable", noted Judicial Commissioner Hoo.





"It was evident that Hamzah's purpose after taking delivery of the drugs was to sell the drugs," she said, noting that he had brought along smaller empty plastic packets to repack and sell the drugs.





The judge also found that Tika could "not in any way be described as a courier", as she had coordinated the supply of drugs and had got Farid to deliver the drugs to Hamzah, among other things.





"Moreover, the PP did not issue Tika with a certificate of substantive assistance," added the judge in imposing the mandatory death sentence.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

The Straits Times, K. C. Vijayan, September 26, 2017
The State Department has designated Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for their ties to ISIS. The designation imposes strict sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of Americans or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.

These designations seek to deny Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie the resources they need to plan and carry out terrorist attacks. All of Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsies property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.

In July 2016, Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie were arrested during raids in South Africa for their links to ISIS. At the time of their arrest, the twin brothers had been plotting attacks targeting Jewish individuals and institutions and foreign embassies, including the U.S. Embassy in South Africa. Both Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie attempted to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS and recruited others to join the terrorist group. Tony-Lee Thulsie also communicated with individuals linked to ISIS to discuss how to build and obtain explosive devices for the purpose of carrying out attacks.

These designations notify the U.S. public and the international community that Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie have committed or pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism. Terrorism designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of U.S. agencies and other governments.

These designations are part of a comprehensive U.S. strategy to defeat the terrorist threat, wherever it lurks.
The network of fake-news producers that Russia has employed to weaken the United States and the European Union is now operating at full speed on Catalonia, according to detailed analyses of pro-Kremlin websites and social media profiles by this newspaper.

One of the news stories about the Catalan crisis, illustrated with a picture of Franco.

After undercover campaigns in favor of Brexit and the leader of the French right-wing party National Front, Marine Le Pen, as well as the far-right in Germany, the Kremlin is using the Catalan crisis as a way to deepen divisions within Europe and consolidate its international influence. It appears in the form of websites that publish hoax stories, the activity of activists such as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and a legion of bots  millions of automated social media accounts that can turn lies into trending topics.

An inaccurate news story published by RT.

It is no coincidence that RT, a news outlet financed by the Russian government that functions as a propaganda organ for the Kremlin, is using its Spanish-language portal to spread stories on the Catalan crisis with a bias against constitutional legality. Since August 28, it has published 42 articles on the crisis in Catalonia with inaccurate headlines such as The European Union will respect the independence of Catalonia but it will have to pass through an adhesion process. RT usually publishes information and analysis that transmits the view of the Russian government on the war in Syria, and provocations from North Korea or Donald Trump. It also usually echoes the message of activists such as Julian Assange that align with the interests of Moscow.

On October 12, RT published a story including a tweet from Assange in which the Australian predicted Europe will birth a new 7.5m nation or a civil war, and which, according to analytical tools was shared by 1,700 people on Facebook and Twitter. Assange has, in fact, become the principal international agitator in the Catalan crisis, sharing opinions and half-truths as if they were news. Data from Audiense, which analyzes social media, shows Assange has been mentioned 940,000 times in Twitter in September alone, the vast majority of those mentions containing hashtags on the independence issue including Catalonia, 1oct (the date of the planned vote on independence in the region), Cataloniareferendum, 1o, and Rajoy  the latter a reference to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

An army of bots

In a week in which the Spanish judiciary and the government disarmed the logistics of the illegal referendum, the most influential tweet on the issue, according to media monitor NewsWhip, was published by Assange on September 15 at 6.46pm. I ask everyone to support Catalonias right to self-determination. Spain cannot be permitted to normalize repressive acts to stop the vote, the tweet read. The message was retweeted more than 12,000 times and received 16,000 likes.

Messages on social media usually go viral over the course of several days because the act of sharing a message depends on the decision of followers in several countries. But in the case of the tweet from Assange, as with many of his messages on the social media platform, it received 2,000 retweets in an hour and obtained its maximum reach  12,000 retweets, in less than a day. The fact that the tweet went viral so quickly is evidence of the intervention of bots, or false social media profiles, programmed simply to automatically echo certain messages. A detailed analysis of 5,000 of Assanges followers on Twitter provided by TwitterAudit, reveals that 59% are false profiles.

This week, former CIA analyst Edward Snowden, currently in exile in Russia, joined Assange in his cause. Washington is certain that Snowden, who participates in videoconferences on security and electronic espionage, collaborates on a regular basis with Russias secret services. On September 21, Snowden tweeted The Spanish crackdown on inconvenient speech, politics, and assembly in #Catalonia is a violation of human rights. This message was retweeted almost 8,000 times in less than 24 hours and received 8,000 likes.

Barcelona and Tiananmen Square

One of Assanges tweets to have the greatest impact in the last seven days (2,200 retweets and 2,000 likes) included a screenshot and a link to article by a firm ally of the Russian view in the United States  Justin Raimondo, director of the website AntiWar, and an anti-globalization activist who has supported Trump. The article  headlined In Catalonia: A Spanish Tiananmen Square?  compared the protests in Barcelona with the Chinese repression in 1989, which lead to the death of hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

What the West is facing is the prospect of a Tiananmen Square incident taking place in its very midst  an act of violence that, far from ensuring the legitimacy of the authorities in Madrid, would quickly delegitimize them in the eyes not only of their own countrymen but of the entire world. Catalonia would become the collective embodiment of Tank Man, with the Madrid authorities taking the role of the despots of Beijing, Raimondo wrote.

It was Assange who, on September 10, used the famous image of the Chinese protests of 1989 of a lone figure facing up to a line of tanks in the streets of Beijing. Spain, this wont work in Catalonia, wrote the activist. Assange tweeted and retweeted the Raimondo article four times, achieving 4,078 retweets almost immediately.

In recent days, anonymous Twitter profiles with thousands of followers and dedicated to promoting Russian propaganda have used this same comparison between Barcelona and Tiananmen. Examples include @Ian56789 with 30,300 followers, or @UncleRuthless with 5,179 followers, both of which are suspect because they usually retweet stories or contain links to articles published by public and private Russian media outlets such as RT or Sputnik.

The comparison between Barcelona and Tiananmen was also made by European academics in the Russian orbit such as Richard Wellings (@RichardWellings has 16,100 followers), a regular commentator on RT and Sputnik. Wellings, who works at the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank in London, has traditionally been very critical of the sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of its intervention in Ukraine and has argued at various conferences that are readily available on YouTube that the West is now entered a period of decadence. Wellings retweeted the message of Assange and later shared an article from the UK daily The Independent with the headline: The scale of repression over Catalonia is exposing the crisis of the Spanish state.

Catalonia, alongside Ukraine and Syria

The definitive proof that those who mobilize the army of pro-Russian bots have chosen to focus on the Catalan independence movement can be seen in the fact that Catalonia has begun to appear in the list of regular topics on social media alongside Syria, Russia, Ukraine, Trump, Hillary Clinton and the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

Hashtag analysis from Hamilton 68.

This is reflected by the results of the Hamilton 68 tool developed by the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a project of the German Marshall Fund created in the wake of Russian meddling in the US elections. This tool permanently monitors 600 pro-Kremlin accounts, both real and false. In 48 hours from Wednesday to Friday last week, one of the most-used hashtags employed by these profiles was #Catalonia, behind others including #HerpesHillary and #Trump.

According to this tool, one of the media outlets most widely shared by these pro-Russian profiles was AntiWar, home to the opinion article comparing Barcelona and Tiananmen. Other articles shared by the same social media profiles included Jews provoked the wars in America or Hillary Clinton is like Herpes.

The digital armies of the Kremlin aim to make news stories with exaggerated or fake claims go viral to exacerbate a crisis and create division within the United States and Europe, something that ends up benefiting Moscow. These online warriors make use of websites that resemble serious news outlets that they create or use to house content that they later share.

One of the most popular is DisobedientMedia.com, which claims to be an investigative news site but is actually dedicated to promoting conspiracy theories, including one linking Hillary Clinton to a pedophile ring. According to the US thinktank Atlantic Council, the employees of this alleged media outlet have also published fake news stories related to the German election campaign including articles alleging German Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed ISIS fighters to enter Europe to gain more military power.

Now this site has used the same means and the same people to spread information about the crisis in Catalonia, interacting on many occasions with Assange himself. On September 15, it published a fake news story including claims that the cancellation of the Catalan referendum had put in doubt Spains membership of the European Union, that Spain had curtailed liberty of the press and that Amnesty International had condemned the fact the region could not celebrate the illegal referendum. The story concluded with a photo of the former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco on his horse and with the pieces author, Elizabeth Lea Vos, noting the lasting influence of Franco in Spanish politics.

In another example of pro-Russian sites spreading fake news, Russia News Now, a portal that resembles a real news site, ran a story titled: EU: Catalonia can, Crimea cannot. Under a photo of the European parliament, the article claimed that the EU had given the go-ahead for the secession of Catalonia from Spain but opposed Crimea breaking with Russia.

The article stated: The inhabitants of Catalonia have the right to determine their future by democratic means  as stated today in a statement by the deputies of the European Parliament. However, that wording came from a press statement from the parliaments European United Left-Nordic Green Left, which holds 52 seats of a total of 761 in the chamber. The statement, which was limited to criticism of the Spanish governments law enforcement measures in the face of the illegal referendum, was also published by other pro-Kremlin sites such as Fort Russ and News Front.

Official version: This is an internal matter

Officially, the Kremlin maintains that the independence crisis in Catalonia is a matter for Spain, as stated recently by Russian government spokesperson Dmitri Peskov.

This is an internal matter for Spain and we do not see any possible involvement in any way, said Peskov, according to Spanish news agency EFE.

In June, after meeting with Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Alfonso Dastis, Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov said: There is national legislation and there are a number of international commitments.

We accept that the internal processes of Spain must be based on these principles, he added in response to a question on the issue.

Traditionally the Kremlin has avoided making any controversial statements regarding these types of crisis, although it works in parallel in a discrete manner in favor of its interests. In recent months it has promoted the UKs breakaway from the EU, the electoral campaign of Le Pen in France and the rise of the new right-wing German party Alternative for Germany, which picked up 12% of the vote in Sundays election in that country, thus entering parliament for the first time.
Spain has systematically failed to comply with European regulations aimed at limiting pollution in cities since the regulations were created in 2010. The countrys largest urban centers have failed to meet these limits and experts conclude that stronger pollution-prevention plans are needed, in addition to restrictions that are only applied when pollution is at its highest.

Smog over Madrid in March 2017. ULY MARTIN

Madrids City Council has just announced that in 2018 the Spanish capital will implement permanent traffic restrictions to try and comply with Brussels, which has two case files open on Spain for this reason. Traffic is the main cause of the low air quality in and around Spanish cities.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment published a report evaluating air quality in Spain in 2016, which will be sent to the European Commission. Although the ministry indicates that air quality has slightly improved since 2015, the departments analysis continues to detect violations of the European standard, which sets limits for major pollutants.

Traffic is the main reason for the low air quality in Spanish cities

Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 )  the most problematic pollutant, which causes respiratory problems and is emitted from exhaust pipes  is found in excess levels in seven urban areas of Spain. According to the report, those metropolitan areas are Barcelona and Valles-Baix Llobregat in the northeast region of Catalonia; Madrid and Henares in the center of the country; Valencia on the Mediterranean coast; Granada in the south; and San Sebastian de la Gomera in the Canary Islands. In all cases, except in the case of the Canary Islands, the violations are mainly due to traffic.

The northern Spanish city of Bilbao was left off this list, despite its previous inclusion, but the Basque governments own reports claim that the northern region also exceeded the annual limits.

Chronic non-compliance

Miguel Angel Ceballos, of Ecologists in Action  an organization that also monitors this problem annually  says Madrid and Barcelona have settled into chronic non-compliance.

They have failed to comply year after year with regulations since enforcement began in 2010, he says. Ceballos applauds Madrids new plan since it adopts measures for permanent reductions of contamination. Barcelona does not have those ambitious goals, he says.

Last February, the European Commission sent a final warning to Spain for the constant non-compliance with the limits of atmospheric pollution of nitrogen dioxide  which, Brussels stated, poses a serious health risk  in Madrid and Barcelona.

Spain has failed to comply year after year with regulations since enforcement began in 2010 Miguel Angel Ceballos, environmental activist



Spain has also failed to limit PM 10 particulate matter, which also comes from traffic and industry. But the environment ministry stresses that only one area exceeded the annual limit for PM 10 in 2016: central Asturias, in Spains northwest. Spain also needs to monitor tropospheric ozone, which is more difficult to fight against as solar radiation plays a role along with traffic and industry. The ministry said in its report that in 2016, the situation was similar to that of previous years, although there is a small decline in the number of areas that exceed the target values.

We have slightly improved the quality of our air compared to 2015, says the ministry in conclusion. The problem, according to Ceballos, is that the situation can be reversed in the future for meteorological reasons. This means all the good work could be undone if there is a bad year with many thermal inversions in winter and high temperatures in the spring. That is why he is calling for structural measures to be put in place.

English version by Debora Almeida.
Carles Puigdemont on French television: "The man who is making Europe quake."

With five days to go before a planned independence referendum that has captured global attention, Catalan authorities are continuing to lay the groundwork for a vote that Spanish courts have suspended on the basis it is unconstitutional and illegal.

On Tuesday, acting on orders from the chief prosecutor in the region, the Catalan regional police, the Mossos dEsquadra, began visiting the schools that are likely to serve as polling stations on Sunday, in order to identify and take details from school officials. Among the information they will be collecting is who is in charge at each education center, and whether they have received any instructions from the regional education department to take part in the planned October 1 vote.

The first step toward a referendum like Quebecs or Scotlands is to oust Rajoy from office

Pablo Echenique, Podemos

Officers have also been ordered to take control of the education centers and civic centers that are expected to serve as polling stations. With the buildings sealed off or guarded by police, the aim is to make the vote impossible. The public prosecutor is yet to announce when the regional police will take control of the buildings, but it is possible, according to sources from the the prosecutors office, that it will be on Friday evening at the end of the school day, thus avoiding the occupation of the sites by volunteers or activists.

Despite the escalating confrontation, new statements by Catalan officials suggest a possible change of scenario after October 1.

The Catalan government, which is run by a nationalist coalition called Junts pel Si (Together for Yes) with support from the small radical CUP party, has been pledging to declare independence unilaterally as soon as the referendum is held, if Yes wins and regardless of the turnout.

The form the regional police will complete about polling station sites.

But on Monday night, Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont said on French television that if Yes wins on Sunday, he wants to open up a transitional period for talks with Spain and the European Union.

Asked by the interviewer on LCI whether this means that you will not go ahead and declare Catalonias independence, but make a call for dialogue first, Puigdemont answered affirmatively.

Of course. We are committed to implementing the outcome, and if it is Catalonias will to be an independent country, Catalonia will begin its journey as an independent country. But above all, we want this process to be negotiated, agreed to, especially with Spain. It will be essential, on October 2, for the Spanish state to want to agree on how to handle this transition.

The statement reflects how division over the benefits of a unilateral declaration of independence has reached Catalonias governing parties, which have little in common outside the referendum project.

Carles Campuzano, the parliamentary spokesman for PDeCAT  the larger of the partners that form Junts pel Si  said on Tuesday that such a declaration does not show up in his partys platform, and that it is absolutely ruled out no matter what the outcome on October 1.

Catalan independence does not materialize in three days

Carles Campuzano, PDdeCat

Catalan independence does not materialize in three days, said Campuzano. Instead, the central and Catalan governments should open up talks about the conditions that derive from the outcome of the ballot. This is what makes political, democratic and institutional sense.

This view clashes with CUP, a small anti-capitalist party that wants immediate independence from Spain. The CUPs support has been pivotal to Junts pel Si ever since the 2015 regional election, when the latter failed to secure a clear majority.

Spains leftist protest party, Podemos, on Monday defended an alternative route out of a major political crisis.

Podemos does not share a unilateral declaration of independence in any case, said Noelia Vera, adding that it is also a mistake to storm printing presses and seize ballot papers  all that does is add fuel to the fire.

Their solution: a negotiated referendum with legal guarantees. The first step towards a referendum like Quebecs or Scotlands is to oust [Prime Minister Mariano] Rajoy from office, said party organization secretary Pablo Echenique.

Former PM Felipe Gonzalez admitted that the situation in Catalonia is what has worried him the most in the last 40 years

Felipe Gonzalez, who was Spains longest-serving prime minister (1982-1996), on Tuesday admitted that the situation in Catalonia is what has worried him the most in the last 40 years.

The former Socialist leader, who took Spain into the European Economic Community, called it a dramatic state crisis and compared Catalonia with Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro lost the election and invented a parallel constituent assembly  alluding to the breakaway laws that were fast-tracked inside the Catalan parliament on September 6 and 7.

Gonzalez said that he is open to reforms to Spanish legislation, and that he is convinced that a solution can be found among democrats.

English version by Simon Hunter and Susana Urra.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.26

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Andrew Schofer is looking forward to visiting the region with his fellow co-chairs in the coming weeks.

Regarding the visit program, Schofer told Trend that we have no further details at this time.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) intend to travel to the region at the beginning of October.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

A possible meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, has become the research topic for many experts.

According to many experts, a potential meeting this year can reduce the likelihood of renewed armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This was particularly noted in an article by Carey Cavanaugh, former co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, and Paul B. Stares, published on the website of the US think tank Council on Foreign Relations.

The fact that Washington for many reasons is interested in stability in the South Caucasus region is beyond doubt. However, many experts think that the US should demonstrate greater commitment to the peace process around Nagorno-Karabakh.

In particular, this will help to prevent the resumption of hostilities, which will have an impact on the entire region, including neighboring Georgia that depends on gas supplies from Azerbaijan. Intense fighting could disrupt the regions energy transportation network, which also carries Azerbaijans resources to US allies in Europe.

For Washington, greater instability in the South Caucasus would further complicate already strained relations with Russia, Turkey, and Iran, says the article.

Meanwhile, there are evidences that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means is a priority for the administration of US President Donald Trump.

The interim US Minsk Group co-chair, Ambassador Richard Hoagland, stepped down on August 28 and was immediately replaced by Andrew Schofer, most recently the charge daffaires at the US mission to the UN offices in Vienna, Austria. Nevertheless, US Secretary of State Rex Tillersons August letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker has led to speculation that this special envoy position may be cut as part of his pending reorganization of the State Department," - said the article.

"Even if the position remains, Schofer may not be put forward for ambassadorial rank. This would place the US mediator in a visibly inferior position to his Russian and French counterparts and could be interpreted as signaling warning US interest in or support for the OSCE settlement process, wrote Cavanaugh and Stares in the article.

Both men were present this week in New York, but did not meet. Instead, they spoke before the General Assembly and used their presentations to underscore their principal irreconcilable demands (self-determination vis-a-vis territorial integrity), to recount massacres and war crimes committed against their people, and to blame the opposite side for instigating the April 2016 clash. While each leader spoke briefly of a commitment to peaceful resolution of the conflict, their messages illuminated how distant that goal remains, says the article.

However, according to experts, this months meetings in the US have provided an excellent occasion for other diplomatic delegations, as well as Turkey and Iran, to meet on the margins of the UN General Assembly and further explore how best to address the challenges posed by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The General Assembly also presents an opportune moment for the new US administration to reconfirm its commitment to performing a vital role in this peace process, says the article.

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, Sept. 26

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

Washington may soon diminish its role in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to Russia.

In his letter to Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Bob Corker, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson suggested abolishing the posts of around 30 special ambassadors of the US Department of State, including those who deal with the Syrian crisis and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the OSCE Minsk Group as part of the reorganization of the Department of State.

In particular, the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, part of the Department of State, will retain the staff and functions of the senior representative in the OSCE Minsk Group. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs will continue to perform these functions, the letter said.

On one hand, this proposal was expected. Even during the election campaign it was clear that US President Donald Trumps administration will focus on the countrys internal affairs and will pay less attention to the interference in the internal affairs of other countries as opposed to the previous administration.

On the other hand, in fact, Washington has recently passed the initiative to settle the conflict to Moscow. At the same time, Washington stressed that the US and Russia have rather the same positions and approaches to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Moscow is well acquainted with the situation in the region. Moreover, the Kremlin has leverage over the Armenian authorities, which is a necessary element in advancing the peace process. For more than 20 years the international community has unsuccessfully urged Yerevan to withdraw troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

In recent years, Moscow has been actively involved as a mediator in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Russia, having partner relations with other countries in the region, can also influence the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from the point of view of restoring relations with Ankara.

Taking into account the abovementioned, Russias participation in the peace settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can become successful and can lead to real progress, that is, less active participation of Washington can not negatively affect the negotiation process.

It will be rather a negative trend for the US itself, which may lose some influence in such a strategically important region as the South Caucasus.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

Trend:

During the Tourism EXPO Japan 2017 exhibition, held in Japan on September 14-21, the Armenian side, resorting to another provocation, tried to place on its stand materials promoting the illegal regime created in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry, told Trend Sept. 26.

Thanks to the timely intervention of the Azerbaijani embassy in Japan, it was possible to prevent the possibility of turning an international tourist exhibition into a platform for political propaganda, Hajiyev said.

He added that there was a stand of Azerbaijan at the exhibition, during which the Japanese public was informed about the tourism potential of Azerbaijan.

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.
PM Deuba reaches Oman

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday reached Muscat, the capital of Oman, on his way home after participating in the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

The United States is committed to the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta told reporters in Baku Sept. 26.

He noted that OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are expected to visit the region soon.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs try to help in solving the conflict by organizing a meeting between the conflict parties, added the diplomat.

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, Sept. 26

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order to provide funding for complete renovation of facades and communication systems of 35 multi-storey apartment buildings in the city of Neftchala.

Under the presidential order, three million manats are allocated from the Presidential Contingency Fund for the renovation works.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to newly elected President of the Republic of Singapore Halimah Yacob.

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Your Excellency as you start your activities as President of the Republic of Singapore, said President Aliyev in his letter.

I hope that we will make joint efforts to develop friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Singapore, he noted.

I wish you the best of health, happiness, success in your activities for the development of friendly people of Singapore, added the Azerbaijani president.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

I extend my sincere congratulations to you on the victory of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union alliance, which you lead, in the parliamentary elections, said President Aliyev in his congratulatory letter.

This victory is the expression of the German societys support for the policy you conduct and demonstration of trust and confidence in you personally, noted the president.

I hope that we will continue to make joint efforts to strengthen and expand friendship and political, economic and humanitarian relations and successfully maintain mutually beneficial bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany, said President Aliyev.

I wish you the best of health, happiness, and success in your activities for the welfare of the friendly people of Germany, added the head of state.
Details added (first version posted on 11:42)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today received a delegation led by President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro Vesna Medenica.

The head of state recalled his recent meeting with Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic in New York, and also emphasized his successful visit to Montenegro.

President Aliyev hailed good political relations between Azerbaijan and Montenegro, pointing out successful development of economic ties, including bilateral cooperation in the field of investment making.

The head of state underlined the importance of expanding bilateral relations in other areas, and expressed his hope that the visit of President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro Vesna Medenica to Azerbaijan will contribute to the expansion of cooperation between the law enforcement authorities of Azerbaijan and Montenegro.

President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro Vesna Medenica noted that members of the Montenegrin delegation were deeply impressed by great development processes in Azerbaijan.

Saying that Montenegro is following Azerbaijans economic accomplishments with great interest, Vesna Medenica underlined that all this was achieved thanks to the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, who has rich experience.

Hailing mutually beneficial cooperation between the supreme courts of the two countries, Vesna Medenica noted that fruitful discussions on prospects for bilateral cooperation were held during her visit to Azerbaijan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

Trend:

Italy supports Azerbaijans territorial integrity, newly appointed Azerbaijani Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Azerbaijan Augusto Massari said.

Massari made the remarks at a meeting with Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov in Baku Sept. 26, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Congratulating the ambassador on the beginning of diplomatic activity in the country, the minister wished him success in expanding military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy.

Expressing satisfaction with the beginning of his activity in Azerbaijan, the diplomat stressed that he would make every effort to develop the Azerbaijan-Italy relations, as well as military cooperation.

Stressing that Italy supports the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the norms and principles of international law, Massari stressed that Italy supports Azerbaijans territorial integrity.

During the meeting, the military-political situation in the region, the ways of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were discussed.

Moreover, the current state and prospects for the development of military cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries and within the NATO programs were also considered.

Hasanov and Massari also exchanged views on regional security issues at the meeting.
Headline changed, details added (first version posted on 12:17)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today received NATO Secretary Generals Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai.

On behalf of NATO, James Appathurai expressed gratitude for the countrys reliable partnership with the organization. He also thanked Azerbaijan for its great contribution to the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.

President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan is committed to supporting international peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan. The president noted that Azerbaijan cooperates with Afghanistan not only within NATO but also on a bilateral basis in various fields, including in the economic and investment spheres.

During the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO, exchanged views on the current state and prospects of negotiations on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

President Aliyev added that the Armenian side is imitating negotiations.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

A delegation led by Kristian Vigenin, special representative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) for South Caucasus, met with Bahar Muradova, vice speaker of Azerbaijans parliament and head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE PA, a source in the parliament told Trend.

At the meeting, Muradova said that as a result of work with the representatives of parliaments of the OSCE member countries for many years, Azerbaijan has serious experience of cooperation in eliminating the difficulties and problems that arise in the OSCE region.

She noted that delaying the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict threatens the OSCE region as a whole.

Therefore, those who have all the necessary capabilities and mandate should contribute to the problems solution, Muradova said.

Kristian Vigenin, in turn, said the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a matter of great importance on the agenda of the OSCE PA.

Vigenin said the visit of OSCE PA President Christine Muttonen to South Caucasus in early September once again confirms that all possible measures should be taken for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

OSCE PA is ready to support any steps that can be taken to resolve the problem peacefully, he noted, adding that OSCE PA cannot accept preservation of status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and turn a blind eye to this problem.

OSCE PA must achieve a solution to the problem, Vigenin said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

Trend:

The United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has launched an economic development and community capacity program in the village of Jojug Marjanli. The United States rehabilitation activities in Jojug Marjanli started to take shape following a visit to the village by USAIDs Mission Director, Mikaela Meredith in February 2017. At that time, Meredith participated in a government-led diplomatic visit to Jojug Marganli to assess the situation of the internally-displaced persons and determine how the international community might assist with rehabilitation efforts. At the direction of USAID, East West Management Institute (EWMI), which closely coordinates with the Ministry of Economics to implement the Socio Economic Development Activity (SEDA) project, identified the village as needing socio-economic rehabilitation.

On June 29, 2017, EWMI visited Jojug Marjanli in order to determine ways the U.S. government might address the social and economic needs of the local community. Following the assessment and several rounds of meetings with Jojug Marjanli executive authorities and local community members, Jojug Marganli residents requested EWMIs assistance to construct a tworoom feed grinding facility equipped with feed grinding, hay shredding, and seed sorting capabilities. The facility will have a positive impact on the development of cattle-breeding and agricultural activities in the community. Currently a Community Development Council, which consists of community elected volunteers, is trained and mobilized to co-manage the implementation of this project and similar future rehabilitation projects.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Azerbaijans Textile Producers and Exporters Association plans to appeal to the countrys government for reduction of customs duties on the import of textile accessories, Mehriban Akhundova, chairperson of the association, told Trend.

She said that currently high customs duties are one of the main problems the textile industry faces.

These accessories are not produced in Azerbaijan, and high customs duties on their imports affect the cost of finished products, Akhundova said. This reduces our competitiveness compared to China, Pakistan, where there are no import duties on accessories, chemicals, yarn and cotton. In Azerbaijan, an import duty of 15 percent is applied for the import of thread, buttons, synthetic fiber and yarn. As a result, many companies cannot enter foreign markets.

Akhundova noted that these problems affect the domestic market as well.

Due to high import duties, a lot of garment factories are currently idle, Akhundova said. Today, finished products imported from Turkey, China and Pakistan are much cheaper. If the duties were lower, we could produce the same clothes in Azerbaijan under local brands.

She noted that the Textile Producers and Exporters Association also plans to submit appeals to the Azerbaijani government to receive benefits when paying utility bills.

We are going to present to the Azerbaijani government the experience of other countries where textile enterprises are provided with privileges for electricity, water and gas, Akhundova said. For example, in Turkey, textile enterprises work around the clock, and at night they have certain benefits when paying utility bills.

She added that reduction of production cost will allow the Azerbaijani textile industry to become more competitive both in domestic and foreign markets.

Azerbaijans Textile Producers and Exporters Association was established July 2017 on the initiative of entrepreneurs operating in this sphere.
Omani DPM says Nepal carries strategic importance

Omans Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahad bin Mahmood Al-Said has said that Nepal has high strategic value and suggested visiting Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to reap benefit out of the development of its two giant neighbours India and China.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.26

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The memorandum of understanding signed between Russian Trade and Economic Development Council (RTEDC) and Irans government-owned IDRO (Industrial Development & Renovation Organization) doesnt envisage financial burden, a source in RTEDC told Trend.

The MoU was signed on Sept.19 during the opening of the b2b session at IDRO. RTEDC delegation visited Tehran as part of the business mission of Chelyabinsk region to Iran.

"This is a framework agreement and doesnt envisage financial burden," noted the source.

The document envisages promotion of joint projects of Russian and Iranian companies in the spheres of oil and gas, transport, industrial renovation, high technologies, energy, technical and analytical cooperation, said the source without specifying which companies will cooperate in the mentioned fields.

"The agreement was worked out for several months. The sides expressed confidence in the further development of industrial cooperation and investment projects between Russian and Iranian companies, thanks to the agreements reached," said the source.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Azerbaijans Ganja Automobile Plant and Belarus Minsk Tractor Works (MTW) OJSC signed a strategic cooperation agreement that opens up possibility for the Azerbaijani enterprise to start production in Turkey, a source in the Ganja Automobile Plant told Trend Sept. 26.

The agreement signed for an effective cooperation in assembly and sale of MTW OJSC products, in particular, involves expansion of the brands presence and increasing sales through establishment of a joint representative office in Turkey for further promotion of tractors in the Turkish market.

The agreement was signed by Fedor Domotenko, director general of Minsk Tractor Works (MTW) OJSC, and Kamran Nazarov, executive director of the Ganja Automobile Plant.

Following the signing of the agreement, Chairman of Supervisory Council at Ganja Automobile Plant Khanlar Fatiyev noted that today the expansion of goods exports from Azerbaijan is one of the main directions in development of the countrys economy, as it has repeatedly been stated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The launch of production in Turkey creates an opportunity for exporting Azerbaijani products to foreign markets.

Fedor Domotenko explained that Azerbaijan will be producing Belarusian tractors in Turkey.

New equipment will be supplied from Azerbaijan, Domotenko said.

The signed agreement also envisages delivery of 460 Belarus tractor repair kits for further sale of assembled tractors to agricultural producers in Azerbaijan, the source noted.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Azerbaijani Textile Producers and Exporters Association intends to conduct the large-scale work on the promotion of local brands, Mehriban Akhundova, chairperson of the association, told Trend Sept. 26.

She added that consumers will be able to see the advantages of local products in comparison with foreign ones.

"At present, cheap clothes and bed linen imported to Azerbaijan from China are mainly produced from synthetic fabrics, which is harmful to the human body, whereas our goods are produced from 100 percent cotton yarn and fabric," she said.

"We will continue to promote local textile products in the future," Akhundova said.

The Azerbaijani Textile Producers and Exporters Association was established in July 2017 on the initiative of entrepreneurs operating in the textile industry.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, 10,900 tons of cotton fiber were produced in Azerbaijan in January-August 2017, which is by 26.8 percent more than in the same period of 2016.

During the reporting period, 10.34 million square meters of cotton fabric, 262,400 sets of bed linen, as well as other textile products were produced in the country during the reporting period.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Uzbekistan transferred the state share in the authorized capital of JSC "Uzmetkombinat" to the trust management of SFI Management Group, Uzbekistan Today reported.

According to the agreement, all the deputies of the chairman of "Uzmetkombinat" will be appointed and dismissed from their positions by the supervisory board on the proposal of the SFI Management Group. The company will also be able to make proposals on changing the organizational structure and structure of the company's executive office.

At the same time, the plants chairman of the board will be elected by the general voting of shareholders. Further the office will be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in agreement with the president of Uzbekistan.

Moreover, the structure obtained a new management. A number of regional companies were reorganized into the branches of the JSC "Uzmetkombinat."

JSC "Uzmetkombinat" is the only authorized body for the procurement of scrap and waste of ferrous metals in the country. Calculations for the surrendered volumes are carried out at a contract price, determined on a market basis.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 25

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

A mission of the World Bank (WB) has arrived in Baku to get acquainted with progress on the Rail Trade and Transport Facilitation Project, the WB Baku office told Trend.

The mission is headed by Jacques Bure.

This is a regular mission and it will be in Baku until the end of the week, said the WB office.

Trend was told that during this period, experts plan to familiarize with the implementation of the rail project of WB in Azerbaijan.

The WB project supports the implementation of program of development of Azerbaijani railways, aimed at improving railway services in the country, developing trade and attracting transit cargo between Europe and Central Asia.

The initial amount of WB financing for this project was $450 million, with a total cost of $795 million. In June 2013, the WB Board of Directors approved additional funding worth $220 million, which is aimed at upgrading the signaling, centralization and blocking system for the East-West corridor on the section from Baku to the border with Georgia.

Meanwhile, a review mission on implementation of the Second Azerbaijan Rural Investment Project (AzRIP-2) arrived in Baku on Sept. 25. The mission led by Satoshi Ishihara will also be in Baku until the end of this week.

Implementation of the second phase of agricultural investment project started in 2012. The projects cost is $53.6 million, and additional $50 million were allocated in 2014 as part of additional financing. It is estimated that 1,270 micro projects will be implemented as part of the project, and about 3.5 million people will be beneficiaries of the AzRIP-2 project.

This project was created on the basis of results of the first phase, which increased the income of 600,000 farmers, improved irrigation services for 700,000 people and provided 150 rural residents with safe drinking water. The project covers five main zones  Shirvan Plain, Mugan-Salyan, Nakhchivan, northern and northwestern zones.

Azerbaijan joined the World Bank Group in 1992.

In total, the WB allocated about $3.5 billion for implementation of more than 50 projects in Azerbaijan. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is also a part of the WB Group, issued loans for Azerbaijan in the amount of $470 million for implementation of 56 projects.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.26

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

For the foreseeable future, Asia-Pacific region will be the primary outlet for OPEC and Middle Eastern export barrels, said OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo.

In his video message to the participants of the 33rd Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference in Singapore, Barkindo pointed out that until the year 2040, Asia-Pacific imports will expand and the Middle East exports are set to increase.

Crude exports from the Middle East to the Asia Pacific region are expected to increase by 7.5 million barrels per day (mb/d) between 2016 and 2040, rising from 14.5 mb/d to 22 mb/d. So, for the foreseeable future, we can count on the Asia-Pacific region to be the primary outlet for OPEC and Middle Eastern export barrels, he added.

However, according to OPEC secretary general, for these growth scenarios to materialize, there will be a need to see a rebalanced and stable oil market so that industry investment can return to sufficient levels necessary to secure future supply.

I am here to confirm that the future outlook for the global oil market is improving with each new day thanks to the ongoing dedicated efforts of the 24 OPEC and non-OPEC producing countries who, through the Declaration of Cooperation, are contributing to the rebalancing of the global oil market, he added.

Barkindo invited all Asian stakeholders to join OPEC and participating non-OPEC countries in efforts to restore a sustainable stability to the market so that that OPEC and its non-OPEC partners can continue to ensure a steady supply of oil and gas to help fuel Asias future economic growth and provide prosperity for its future generations.

On May 25, OPEC member countries and non-OPEC parties, Azerbaijan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Sultanate of Oman, the Russian Federation, Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of South Sudan agreed to extend the production adjustments for a further period of nine months, with effect from July 1, 2017.

The reductions will be on the same terms as those agreed in November.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.26

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is strategic for Italy and Europe, because it contributes to security of supply, said TAP Managing Director Luca Schieppati.

He made the remarks during the Italian Energy Summit.

Schieppati noted that TAP is the gas pipeline connecting Italy with the natural gas fields of the Caspian Sea, starting from Azerbaijan, Italian media reported.

TAP also makes an important contribution to security of supply and guarantees a more reliable, safe and flexible gas market with better raw material prices, he said, adding that it will meet the demand of seven million families in Balkans and Western Europe.

TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.

The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south.

TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).

TAPs shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.26

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The "amazingly strong" global demand for oil this year, especially out of emerging market economies, is likely to continue, according to Janet Kong, Eastern Hemisphere Chief Executive Officer of integrated supply and trading at BP.

The balance is definitely underway on the support from OPEC production cuts. We believe the process will likely continue into year-end. Demand is very strong and that provides a positive backdrop for the market, she told CNBC TV channel.

Earlier, OPEC said in its September Oil Market Report that in 2017, world oil demand growth was revised higher by around 50,000 barrels per day (b/d).

The upward revision is a result of betterthan-expected performance from OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ) America and Europe in 2Q17, according to the report.

"Hence, world oil demand growth is now pegged at 1.42 million b/d, with total global consumption at 96.77 million b/d," said the cartel.

World oil demand growth for 2018 was also revised up by around 70,000 b/d from the previous months report; it is now anticipated to be 1.35 million b/d, with total global consumption of around 98.12 million b/d.

On May 25, OPEC member countries and non-OPEC parties, Azerbaijan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Sultanate of Oman, the Russian Federation, Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of South Sudan agreed to extend the production adjustments for a further period of nine months, with effect from July 1, 2017.

The reductions will be on the same terms as those agreed in November.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The $40-$60-a-barrel band is expected in the world market in the long term, Arzu Azimov, chief executive officer of SOCAR Trading, trading house of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR, told Financial Times.

The $40-$60-a-barrel band was a new reality of the market that global producers needed to embrace, he said.

"That corridor will last a lot longer," Azimov added.

The price for December futures of the North Sea Brent oil mix increased by 2.74 percent to $58.42 per barrel, while the price for November futures of WTI oil increased by 2.15 percent to $51.75 per barrel Sept. 26.

The price of the AZERI LT CIF oil, produced at the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of oil and gas fields, was $60.51 per barrel at the Italian port of Augusta on Sept. 25.

Prior to that, the cost of Azeri Light CIF oil exceeded $60 per barrel on July 13, 2015.

SOCAR Trading, headquartered in Geneva, was established in late 2007 by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sept. 26

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmen government condemns terrorism in all its forms, Aksoltan Atayeva, permanent representative of Turkmenistan to the United Nations, said.

Atayeva made the remarks during general political discussions at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a message Sept. 26.

Turkmen government recognizes that the prevention of terrorism is one of the most important components of ensuring national, regional and global security, the message said. In this regard, Turkmenistan welcomes the establishment of the new UN Office of Counter-Terrorism.

According to the message, implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals is one of the key areas of Turkmenistan's strategic cooperation with the UN.

Turkmenistan also confirmed its readiness to seek new approaches and ways to overcome the challenges facing humanity, as well as firm commitment to the cooperation with the UN.
Poll alliance with like-minded parties: RJP-N

Taking the cue from the third phase of local level polls, the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) has decided to forge electoral alliance with parties that could amend the statute.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov discussed over phone a number of issues related to development of the Russia-Turkmenistan relations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a message.

The sides reviewed the calendar of meetings to be held at the high and highest levels.

Their phone conversation was held on the initiative of the Turkmen side.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Uzbek officials exchanged views on current international and regional problems with Simon McDonald, permanent undersecretary and head of the Diplomatic Service at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a message Sept. 26.

The sides reviewed the current Uzbekistan-UK relations in the political, trade, economic, investment, cultural, humanitarian and other fields.

Large-scale reforms underway in Uzbekistan open up new opportunities for enhancing cooperation between the two countries in all areas of mutual interest.

An Uzbek government delegations upcoming visit to the UK was mulled as well during the meeting.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Tashkent has hosted the 2nd Uzbek-Russian Business Forum, titled New Cooperation Horizons, with participation of business circles of the two countries, Uzdaily reported.

Russian delegation was led by Vladimir Padalko, vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia.

The delegation included representatives of 40 companies from 18 regions of Russia.

Russia and Uzbekistan are moving along a single trajectory to improve the economic model of development, said Padalko at a plenary session. Our forum is designed to support the producers in their intention to cooperate with one another and create joint competitive production in domestic and foreign markets.

Padalko noted that the development of relations with Uzbekistan positively affects the socio-economic situation in many regions of Russia.

Sahib Saifnazarov, deputy minister of foreign trade of Uzbekistan, noted that the trade between Uzbekistan and Russia this year may reach $5 billion.

Trade turnover between the countries amounted to $4.2 billion in 2016.

Saifnazarov said the Uzbek companies are ready to expand supply of automotive, fruit and vegetable, textile as well as leather and shoe products, building materials to Russia.

He noted that oil and oil products, metal products and mechanical engineering products are the main import items of Uzbekistan.

During the forum, Russian and Uzbek chambers of commerce and industry also signed an agreement on cooperation in international commercial arbitration and mediation.

The sides also signed a roadmap for implementation of provisions of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Russian-Uzbek and the Uzbek-Russian business councils for 2018-2019.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

An Iranian official has said that his country in collaboration with Venezuela and Syria will build an oil refinery in the Arab country.

The head of Iran's Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), Mansour Bazmi, has said that Iranian companies will design and provide the required equipment for the construction of various units in the refinery with a capacity for producing 140,000 barrels per day, IRNA news agency reported.

He added that the factory in the first phase is expected to process 70,000 barrels of oil on a daily basis which will increase to 140,000 barrels in future.

Saying that the refinery is expected to be constructed in Syrias city of Homs, he added that the output of the plant will include gasoline and diesel as well as other oil products.

According to the official the construction of the refinery is expected to cost about $1 billion and the Iranian, Venezuelan and Syrian consortium seeks foreign investment in the project.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Azer Ahmadbayli  Trend:

On Saturday Washington has received a clear message from Tehran that it would not deviate from its regional policy and missile programs development  things that mostly concern US administration.

President Hassan Rouhani vowed on Friday that Iran would boost its missile capabilities despite warnings from Washington that it is ready to ditch a landmark nuclear deal over the issue.



"Whether you like it or not, we are going to strengthen our military capabilities which are necessary for deterrence," Rouhani said on state television. "When it comes to defending our country, we will ask nobody for permission."

Following his words, Iran on Saturday tested a new medium-range missile. It is capable to reach Israel and US bases in the Gulf, the sources in Iran claim.

President Rouhani also touched upon other regional issues: "Whether you like it or not, we are going to defend the oppressed peoples of Yemen, Palestine and Syria," he said.

President Trump, in turn, attacked the JCPOA one more time, saying that the U.S. doesnt have much of an agreement after Tehran conducted a ballistic missile test.

Knowing President Trumps common attitude to Iran as a whole and to JCPOA in particular, there is a good reason to believe that the latest events are most likely to double the chance for US to disrupt the nuclear deal.

Iran has clearly delineated its position. It has deliberately thrown down the gauntlet at the moment when it seemed that US has remained lonely in its desire to change the JCPOAs status-quo. Hardly had the row ended after President Trumps tough criticism at UN General Assembly as Tehran started it all over again.

Irans actions could inspire someone, but to a greater extent it is coming at the wrong time.

The UK is, by default, the closest political and military ally of US regardless of what party is sitting down at the British Parliament. It used to support the US initiatives in different cases and in different times of history. Winston Churchill called it a special relationship in his 1946 speech. It showed itself in Korea at the beginning of 1950th, in 2003 during the US invasion to Iraq, in Libya, Afghanistan, etc.

This time Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson limited himself with soft criticism like I am extremely concerned and Iran to stop its provocative acts.

But, who knows, how it will be taken next time if Iran continues its courageous actions.

Tehran should think twice before launching its next ballistic missile.

There is an old saying: dont rock the boat. Iran is now trying the international communitys patience and risks finding itself in a fair way of losing the hard-gained support.
Tehran, Iran, Sept. 26

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

The United States denial of Irans recent missile test is merely a political measure to prevent the image of Irans military power growing with Western audience, a political activist in Iran says.

The denial was a desperate move which stems from the fact that the United States cannot stand Iran grow in military power, Hamid Reza Taraqi, international affairs director at the Islamic Coalition Party, told Trend Sept. 26.

On Friday, Iranian state TV aired a footage that it said belonged to the test firing of a recently developed missile, the Khorramshahr. On Monday, the White House dismissed the missile test as fake.

US intelligence radars and sensors "picked up no indication" of an Iranian ballistic missile launch in the days surrounding a reported test, according to a Trump administration official familiar with the latest US assessment.

Iranian reports that the nation tested a new ballistic missile so far does not appear to be true, the official said, adding, "As far as we can see, it did not happen."

President Donald Trump tweeted about the apparent launch on Saturday: Iran just test fired a ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!

Taraqi, in the meantime, said Iran does not need to show any reaction to the White House denial, because the message has already been communicated to them. It is clear how hard the US and Israel are shaking in their boots after the missile test.

Last Friday morning, the missile was unveiled during a military parade in Tehran, attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and senior military officials.

The Khorramshahr, which is Irans third type of missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers along with the Qadr-F and Sejjil ballistic missiles, is capable of carrying multiple warheads.

According to Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a senior commander with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, the Khorramshahr missile has become smaller in size and more tactical and it will be operational in the near future.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

Armenia may revise an agreement with Iranian company Rasia FZE on construction of the Armenia-Iran railway, Vahan Martirosyan, minister of transport, communications and information technologies of Armenia, said at a press conference Sept. 26.

This was no big surprise, since the illusory nature of the project itself was evident from the very beginning. Investors are in no hurry to put money in a project that is so problematic because of a heap of economic and, most importantly, political problems.

The issue of restoration of railway communication between Russia and Georgia through Abkhazia wont be resolved until the situation, which emerged after the August 2008 war in Georgia, changes.

In addition, the railway infrastructure, demolished after 1992, requires huge financial injections, and no investor familiar with the real prospects, or rather, the hopelessness of the railway project, is ready for that.

Armenias last hope  to sign an agreement with Rasia FZE, a private Iranian company, which was supposed to attract an investor for the construction of the railway  also faded.

There is no progress and we met with representatives of the company with a proposal to speed up all procedures, otherwise Armenia is ready to revise the agreement with Rasia FZE, Martirosyan said.

The minister noted that according to preliminary agreements (the discussion has been going on for several years), Rasia FZE was supposed to conduct research and submit a project to investors, but the process was delayed.

According to preliminary estimates (the final feasibility study for the project is not yet available), the cost of the project is $3.2 billion. No one will invest such funds in a project that is doomed to failure. By the way, Armenia, for its part, for several years has tried to attract private investors to construction of the Iran-Armenia railway, but to no avail, either.

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Elmira Tariverdiyeva is the head of Trend Agencys Russian news service
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez later on Tuesday, the Department of State said, at a time of heightening tensions between the old Cold War foes, Reuters reported.

Their meeting in Washington comes ten days after Tillerson said the United States was considering closing its embassy in Havana, in response to alleged incidents causing physical harm such as hearing loss and nausea in U.S. personnel.

Cuba has denied any involvement in the incidents, which have threatened its already fragile detente with its northern neighbor. Rodriguez last week urged the U.S. not to politicize the matter and to cooperate with the investigation.

The U.S. is also expected to soon issue more restrictive regulations on trade with and travel to Cuba, following President Donald Trumps announcement in June that he was partially rolling back the detente agreed by his predecessor Barack Obama with the Communist-run island.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week, Trump called Cuba corrupt and destabilizing and said he would not lift the U.S. trade embargo on the Caribbean nation until it made fundamental reforms. Cuba described his comments as unacceptable and meddling.
PKK terrorists killed three migrants and injured two others in eastern Agri on Monday, according to a military source, Anadolu reported.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said PKK terrorists opened fire on a minibus carrying migrants when they entered Turkey via an illegal route.

After the attack, the driver and others on the minibus ran away, the source added.

An operation has been launched to capture the terrorists on the run and minibus passengers.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015. Since then, it has been responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 26, 2017 - 16:41 | World, All

A military officer in President Rodrigo Duterte's personal protection team was found dead Tuesday morning in his quarters at the president's official residence compound, the head of the security team said.

Brig. Gen. Lope Dagoy, commander of the Presidential Security Group, told reporters there were no signs of foul play when the body of Maj. Harim Gonzaga, 37, was found with a gunshot wound to his chest by his wife at around 8:50 a.m. inside their quarters at Malacanang Park.

"We really cannot speculate. It's hard to say if it's a suicide case, when we do not have all the data to conclude (as such). It can also be an accident. We leave it up to the (the police)," Dagoy said.

Gonzaga belonged to the operations section of the Presidential Security Group, which takes charge of all their personnel's movements, according to Dagoy.

Dagoy said he presumed Duterte was at the "Bahay Pangarap" (House of Dreams), located within the same compound but quite distant from where the shooting happened.

"I only informed the special assistant of the president, Secretary Bong Go, of the incident. So, he might have relayed it already to the president at this time," Dagoy said.

Duterte, who usually spends the weekends in his home city of Davao on Mindanao island, is scheduled to attend the 120th anniversary celebration of the Department of Justice and the 56th anniversary of the Philippine Constitution Association on Tuesday evening in separate venues in Manila. He had no public activity on Monday.

Dagoy quoted Gonzaga's wife, who is also a member of the presidential security escort, to have said that the family had no problems or issues.

Dagoy said aside from his wife, Gonzaga is survived by his two children.
Rs4.25b estimated cost of federal legislature

A study conducted by the Parliament Secretariat has estimated that Rs4.25 billion is required annually for overall management of federal and provincial parliaments.
By May Masangkay, KYODO NEWS - Sep 26, 2017 - 18:17 | Arts, All

A sequel to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's climate change documentary and a Japan-China collaboration by renowned Chinese director Chen Kaige are among the highlights of the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival, organizers said Tuesday.

This year's festival, from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, will open in the Japanese capital with the film "Fullmetal Alchemist," directed by Fumihiko Sori and based on a best-selling Japanese comic series about two brothers' journey.

The fantasy-action film features Ryosuke Yamada, a member of Hey! Say! JUMP, a Japanese pop idol group.

To commemorate 30 years of the festival, "Ku-Kai (Legend of the Demon Cat)," directed by Chen will also be shown as a special opening film. The work is based on a best-selling Japanese novel by Baku Yumemakura and features Japanese and Chinese stars including Shota Sometani, Hiroshi Abe and Huang Xuan.

The festival will close with "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power," directed by Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen. It is a follow-up to "An Inconvenient Truth," an Oscar-winning film released in 2006.

Gore, known for his environmental activism, won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with a U.N. panel on climate change. He is scheduled to come to Japan for the festival.

Fifteen entries for the main competition section, which goes with the top Tokyo Grand Prix award, were selected from 1,538 titles from 88 countries and regions.

A five-member jury will be led by U.S. actor and filmmaker Tommy Lee Jones. Among the entries are two Japanese films and works from other parts of Asia, Europe and the Middle East, such as "Aqerat (We the Dead)" an entry from Malaysia about the plight of the persecuted Rohingya minority group in Myanmar fleeing to Malaysia.

The two homegrown films are "The Lowlife," based on a novel by porn actress Mana Sakura, and "Tremble All You Want," a romantic comedy featuring Japanese actress Mayu Matsuoka.

Takahisa Zeze, director of "The Lowlife," said his film aims to shed light on the personal life of a porn actress and tackle how "porn videos have become a subject close to our day-to-day lives in Japan." Zeze's "Heaven's Story" won a critics' award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011.

In the "Asian Future" section, 10 films from budding directors in Asia and the Middle East, such as "The Right to Kill" of the Philippines and "Someone from Nowhere" of Thailand, will be featured.

Takeo Hisamatsu, the film festival's director, said in a press conference announcing the lineup that this year's event reflects three visions of making movies more "expansive, empowering and enlightening."

One of the programs scheduled is a live performance of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra to the original "Godzilla" movie from 1954.

As with last year, the festival will have a section highlighting Japanese animation, featuring Keiichi Hara, whose "Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai" won the jury award in the feature films category at the 2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France.

The film is based on the comics by the late Edo culture researcher Hinako Sugiura and tells the story of O-Ei, female painter and the daughter of famed Edo-era ukiyoe painter Katsushika Hokusai.

"Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai" will be screened during the film festival, along with some of Hara's noted works including two movies of Japanese animation series "Crayon Shin-chan."

"I am thankful for this opportunity," Hara said, adding that he is eager to hear what foreign viewers will say about his films. He went on to say, "I hope that this festival will someday have a competition section for animation films."

For the fourth straight year, there will be a special event featuring kabuki, with a performance of "Otokodate Hana no Yoshiwara" by actor Ichikawa Ebizo as well as the screening of "Gate of Hell," a Japanese film which won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, in 1954.
By Christine T. Tjandraningsih, KYODO NEWS - Sep 27, 2017 - 00:19 | World, All

Convincing local residents to evacuate is a problem frequently faced by Indonesian disaster management authorities when a volcano is about to erupt.

Some residents stubbornly refuse to leave the danger zone because they are worried about their livestock. Others fiercely insist on staying in their villages because they want to take care of their plantations and worry that their houses might be looted.

In some cases, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho warned, failure to evacuate has proved fatal.

He recalled how scores of villagers were killed by the eruption of Mt. Merapi in Central Java Province some years ago after refusing to evacuate over concerns for their cattle.

"In Indonesian culture, people have special relationship with their cattle," the senior government official said.

Such an experience then becomes a reference for the government to deal with people in other impending volcanic disasters, including with villagers living on the slopes of Mt. Agung, on Bali island, amid signs of an imminent eruption.

Last Friday, the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Agency raised the status of Mt. Agung to the highest level and recommended that people keep away, while on Tuesday, the Mt. Agung Observatory said the volcano "is exhibiting heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption."

As of noon Tuesday, a total of 75,673 residents living within the "red zone" -- a radius of 9 kilometers from the peak and 12 km from the peak in certain parts of the volcano's slopes -- had been evacuated.

Uniquely, the number of evacuees declines in the daytime and goes up again at night.

"In the daytime, many return to their villages to feed their cattle and check their plantations. At night, they return to their temporary shelters," Sutopo said.

Komang Kantun, 42, is among those who return home in the daytime.

"Two days ago, I returned home to check," Kantun told Kyodo News from a sport stadium in Semarapura, one of the biggest concentrations of evacuees, in Bali's Klungkung Regency, where he is sheltering with his family.

His house is located in the village of Sebudi, only about 6 km from the crater, inside the danger zone. But he had to put aside his fears of possible eruption for the sake of his family's assets, although tectonic and volcanic earthquakes are getting more frequent every day.

Villagers in Sebudi were the first to be evacuated after Mt. Agung's status was raised to top alert because it was the closest to the volcano.

Kantun's elderly neighbor Ketut Purna refused to evacuate his five grandchildren.

"They have bicycles and when Mt. Agung erupts, they can run away very fast, racing with the hot clouds," the man in his 90s said with a smile.

Purna himself was reluctant to evacuate and his children had to force him. In his opinion, the volcano "will not erupt in the near future because only tremors occur and no white smoke or flame of fires has been seen like in 1964."

The 3,142-meter volcano last erupted in 1964, killing about 200 people. Its 1963 eruption killed 1,549 people with an additional 200 later killed by the flow of cold lava caused by heavy rains.

Purna witnessed those two eruptions, in which his father and three nephews were killed by being buried by lahar, a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water.

Sutopo, however, has seen that despite a few stubborn villagers, many decided to evacuate by themselves and did not depend on the government's assistance during the first days of their stay in temporary shelters.

During the process of evacuation, he was astonished by the spirit of generosity showed by unaffected villages outside the danger zone, likening what they did to what Japanese people are known to do in cases of natural disasters.

"They lent their land for the evacuees' cattle with about 2,000 cows having been accommodated, so the latter don't need to risk their lives, returning home to feed their cattle," Sutopo said. "Some opened their houses to accommodate evacuees and cooked food for them."

For most Balinese Hindus, Mt. Agung is the most sacred mountain that provides them life.

They believe the volcano does not erupt without good reason and after it does, people living on its slopes return home to till their land which has become more fertile as a result.

"And when someone is killed during the eruption, it is a kind of sign from Gods to follow them," Purna said, giving his own reason why he prefers to stay at his village even though an eruption is imminent.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 26, 2017 - 03:00 | All, World

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday slammed U.S. President Donald Trump's recent threats as a declaration of war against the country and said Pyongyang reserves the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers in self-defense.

"This is clearly a declaration of war," he told reporters in New York, referring to Trump's remark over the weekend saying that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's leadership "won't be around much longer."

"Since the United States declared war on our county, we have every right to make countermeasures including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers" even when they are not flying in North Korean airspace, he said through an interpreter.

North Korea's top diplomat made the comments as Washington and Pyongyang have traded barbs for the past several days over the North's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Trump's labeling last week of Kim as "Rocket Man" on "a suicide mission" and his threat to "totally destroy" the country prompted a string of harsh words between the two countries.

Ri noted the sincere wish in the international community that the war of words will not turn into action, but went on to claim it was the United States who first declared war.

"In light of the declaration of war by Trump, all options will be on the operation's table of the supreme leadership of the DPRK," he said, referring to his country's formal name -- the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Ri was in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, at which he delivered a speech on Saturday stating that Pyongyang will take "merciless pre-emptive action" if there is any sign of a U.S. military attack on it, while asserting that Trump, not Kim, is the one on a "suicide mission."

Kim on Friday threatened to take the "highest-level" of retaliatory action against Trump, which Ri said "could be the most powerful detonation of an H-bomb in the Pacific Ocean."

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that an escalation of rhetoric between the two countries increases the risk of miscalculations, his spokesman said.

"Fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings. We want to reiterate that the only solution for this is a political solution and I would also reiterate the secretary general's call for statesmanship," Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

In defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, North Korea on Sept. 3 conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test, saying it was a hydrogen bomb that can be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

There is increasing speculation that Pyongyang may carry out yet another provocative act around the founding anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Oct. 10.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution toughening sanctions against Pyongyang in response to its latest nuclear test.

Trump also announced Thursday new unilateral U.S. sanctions taking aim at North Korea's weapons programs by sanctioning banks and other entities or individuals that trade with the country.
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Paris (AFP) - The focus this week of a referendum in Ireland and a supreme court challenge in South Korea, abortion is still banned in some 20 countries worldwide, while others have highly restrictive laws in place.

On Thursday in South Korea the supreme court will consider repealing a law where abortion is illegal except for instances of rape, incest and when the mother's health is at risk.

And in Ireland on Friday voters will decide in a referendum on whether to repeal their own law, which outlaws abortion unless there is a real and substantial risk to the mother's life.

Here is a snapshot of the global situation on abortion in countries where the laws are the most restrictive.

- Total ban -

Predominantly Catholic Malta is the only European Union country to totally ban abortion, imposing jail terms of between 18 months and three years if the law is broken.

Abortion is also banned in Andorra, the Vatican and San Marino, which are in Europe but not the EU.

Globally there are total bans in Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Laos, Madagascar, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Philippines, Palau, Senegal and Suriname.

In El Salvador the internationally criticised criminalisation of those found to have terminated pregnancies has led to women being jailed, some serving terms of up to 30 years.

- Restricted -

Many countries allow abortions in cases where the mother's life is deemed to be in danger.

A partial list includes: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Myanmar, Oman, Paraguay, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Venezuela, West Bank/Gaza and Yemen.

Last September Chile ended its strict ban, which had been in force for decades, when then president Michelle Bachelet signed into law legislation to decriminalise abortion in certain cases, including on health issues.

In Brazil a bill is under consideration in congress that would ban access to all abortions, even in cases of rape and for women whose lives are in danger.

Story continues

Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, abortion is also illegal in the province of Northern Ireland except when the mother's life is in danger. The British government said in June 2017 it will fund abortions in England for women arriving from Northern Ireland.

Other countries also allow abortions only in cases of rape or threat to the mother's or baby's health.

In EU member Poland, which has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the bloc, a new bill, which could pass in parliament where conservatives have a majority, would outlaw abortion except in cases where the mother has been raped or is a victim of incest.

In the United States abortion was legalised nationwide in 1973, but has been under pressure since Donald Trump became president, with some Republicans seeking restrictions.

The US state of Iowa in early May signed into law a ban on abortions once a foetal heartbeat is detected, which occurs as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. The Midwestern state now has the strictest legislation on abortion in the US.

(Sources: Guttmacher Institute, World Health Organization, Center for Reproductive Rights, AFP)
Now that Maine Senator Susan Collins has publicly announced her opposition to the Graham-Cassidy bill, the latest GOP effort to repeal and replace Obamacare looks finished.Political critics and pundits will blame her decision on everything from CBO scores, to health care concerns, to her seeming lack of loyalty to the Republican Party. But there's really only one reason why Collins rejected this and all the other GOP Obamacare replacement bills this year: Poverty. Maine is a poor state. The latest Census data shows that Maine has the second highest rate of people taking some form of public assistance. Even compared to its fellow rural New England states, Maine's economy is growing more slowly. And Maine is still the state with the oldest average age per resident, putting health care costs more on center stage. Medicaid is thus a major lifeline in Maine, with about 20 percent of the state's population enrolled in the program , according to my calculations. By contrast the neighboring state of New Hampshire with virtually the same total population , has only about 14 percent of its residents on Medicaid. Maine is addicted to Medicaid. Obamacare brought a major boost to the number of people now on Medicaid. So Maine is addicted to Obamacare.And Maine is not alone. Another likely "no" vote now is Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkowski, just like when she voted against the Obamacare replacement bills earlier this year. Even though Maine and Alaska are literally on opposite sides of the continent, they share extremely similar economic woes. Medicaid is also a major lifeline in Alaska. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 32 percent of all children in Alaska are covered by Medicaid, and nearly a third of all federal funds Alaska receives are for Medicaid. But again, this isn't only because of health costs. It's about the poverty that comes with states like Alaska and Maine that are dominated by rural territory. The U.S. Census Bureau says Maine is the most rural state in America. And Alaska is close behind with 59 percent of Alaskans living in rural areas where the economy has not kept up with the relative strength of urban areas. Rural Americans are much more likely to be disabled, which many believe is not a result of health issues but a lack of economic opportunity as people who are discouraged in their search for work are more likely to file for federal disability benefits. The ACA's Medicaid expansion has left the country with a whopping 74.5 million Americans currently on Medicaid , according to the latest government reports. That's almost double the 39 million Americans who were on Medicaid just as recently as 2007. And it's a lot of constituents all over the country who now serve as a virtual line of defense for Obamacare. In states where those poorer Americans are counterbalanced by richer residents, their senators can afford to cast votes that would wipe out large parts of the Medicaid expansion or risk transferring the added Medicaid funding to block grants to the states. That's not the case in states like Maine and Alaska where the rural poor populations dominate the scene, even Republican senators simply don't want to take that chance. Collins and Murkowski aren't going to join in any vote to rescind or cut that aid without a lot of solid cash coming from somewhere else to make up for it. We know the Republicans are trying to do just that by sweetening the Graham-Cassidy's bill's items for states like Maine and Alaska. But for elected leaders who need to get re-elected, the existing bird of the ACA's Medicaid expansion is probably worth two future congressional promises in the bush. You could throw Kentucky in the same basket as Maine and Alaska, because that state is heavily rural and has 28 percent of its population on Medicaid. But Republican Senator Rand Paul says his reasons for opposing Graham-Cassidy are based on his strong libertarian beliefs and the fact that he says the bill doesn't live up to them. Either that's true, or Senator Paul is finding an ideological excuse to hide the fact that his intentions are exactly the same as Collins' and Murkowski's. Of course large states like California and New York have a lot more total people on Medicaid and every other form of public assistance. But they also have a lot of wealthy and upper middle class residents and varied economies with heavy industry, financial services, and high tech firms represented all over their states. Yet as big as they are, those states don't get to send their senators to D.C. with any more inherent power than senators like Collins and Murkowski from two tiny states with a combined population smaller than Brooklyn.So how do we fix this?Many decades of economic decline for the bulk of America's rural states can't be reversed by Obamacare, Medicaid expansions, or anything short of a more sweeping economic revolution in America. But there are ways to get some economic progress for states like Maine and Alaska through better health care and health coverage policies.Those ideas include:1) Tax breaks for rural area health care One way to ease health care costs for the poor in rural areas and boost their employment opportunities is to make all out-of-pocket health care expenses spent in designated rural areas 100 percent tax deductible with no maximums for all but the richest 1 percent of American customers. That should attract lots of new clinics and even hospitals to rural areas where the need for more health care choices is already a problem regardless of cost. And with those new clinics and hospitals would come a lot of new job opportunities in everything from construction to support staff. 2) Move more government offices to rural areasEver wonder why the massive Department of Agriculture is headquartered in the decidedly non-agricultural bastion of downtown Washington, D.C.? What about the Energy Department and the EPA? You get the point. It's past time to move so many of the government offices and jobs meant to service rural America to... rural America. Not only will this improve the local job picture in those areas, but it would probably save taxpayers money on all those trips some of these D.C-based government workers take out into the field.3) Regulation reliefStates like Maine and Alaska are burdened with the high cost of meeting federal environmental and educational requirements and other unfunded federal mandates. No one is saying the states should be allowed to welcome polluters or drastically reduce education requirements. But it's the height of Washington arrogance to believe that's exactly what would happen if it weren't for the wiser heads of D.C. taking control. As long as Washington takes more and more power from the states, the more the states will seek handouts like the Medicaid expansion in return.Obviously, there's a lot more that needs to be done to lift up the Maines and Alaskas of this country. But these are the kinds of policies that could actually lead to self-sustaining growth. Health care costs and the entire Obamacare repeal debate are just sideshows in poorer parts of this country that need an entire economic makeover, not an insurance battle.We can either enact those kinds of sweeping policy changes for these states or forever doom them to serious poverty and addiction to D.C. handouts.Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter@jakejakeny. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. Now that Maine Senator Susan Collins has publicly announced her opposition to the Graham-Cassidy bill, the latest GOP effort to repeal and replace Obamacare looks finished. Political critics and pundits will blame her decision on everything from CBO scores, to health care concerns, to her seeming lack of loyalty to the Republican Party. But there's really only one reason why Collins rejected this and all the other GOP Obamacare replacement bills this year: Poverty. Maine is a poor state. The latest Census data shows that Maine has the second highest rate of people taking some form of public assistance. Even compared to its fellow rural New England states, Maine's economy is growing more slowly. And Maine is still the state with the oldest average age per resident, putting health care costs more on center stage. Medicaid is thus a major lifeline in Maine, with about 20 percent of the state's population enrolled in the program , according to my calculations. By contrast the neighboring state of New Hampshire with virtually the same total population , has only about 14 percent of its residents on Medicaid. Maine is addicted to Medicaid. Obamacare brought a major boost to the number of people now on Medicaid. So Maine is addicted to Obamacare. And Maine is not alone. Another likely "no" vote now is Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkowski, just like when she voted against the Obamacare replacement bills earlier this year. Even though Maine and Alaska are literally on opposite sides of the continent, they share extremely similar economic woes. Medicaid is also a major lifeline in Alaska. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 32 percent of all children in Alaska are covered by Medicaid, and nearly a third of all federal funds Alaska receives are for Medicaid. But again, this isn't only because of health costs. It's about the poverty that comes with states like Alaska and Maine that are dominated by rural territory. The U.S. Census Bureau says Maine is the most rural state in America. And Alaska is close behind with 59 percent of Alaskans living in rural areas where the economy has not kept up with the relative strength of urban areas. Rural Americans are much more likely to be disabled, which many believe is not a result of health issues but a lack of economic opportunity as people who are discouraged in their search for work are more likely to file for federal disability benefits. The ACA's Medicaid expansion has left the country with a whopping 74.5 million Americans currently on Medicaid , according to the latest government reports. That's almost double the 39 million Americans who were on Medicaid just as recently as 2007. And it's a lot of constituents all over the country who now serve as a virtual line of defense for Obamacare. In states where those poorer Americans are counterbalanced by richer residents, their senators can afford to cast votes that would wipe out large parts of the Medicaid expansion or risk transferring the added Medicaid funding to block grants to the states. That's not the case in states like Maine and Alaska where the rural poor populations dominate the scene, even Republican senators simply don't want to take that chance. Collins and Murkowski aren't going to join in any vote to rescind or cut that aid without a lot of solid cash coming from somewhere else to make up for it. We know the Republicans are trying to do just that by sweetening the Graham-Cassidy's bill's items for states like Maine and Alaska. But for elected leaders who need to get re-elected, the existing bird of the ACA's Medicaid expansion is probably worth two future congressional promises in the bush. You could throw Kentucky in the same basket as Maine and Alaska, because that state is heavily rural and has 28 percent of its population on Medicaid. But Republican Senator Rand Paul says his reasons for opposing Graham-Cassidy are based on his strong libertarian beliefs and the fact that he says the bill doesn't live up to them. Either that's true, or Senator Paul is finding an ideological excuse to hide the fact that his intentions are exactly the same as Collins' and Murkowski's. Of course large states like California and New York have a lot more total people on Medicaid and every other form of public assistance. But they also have a lot of wealthy and upper middle class residents and varied economies with heavy industry, financial services, and high tech firms represented all over their states. Yet as big as they are, those states don't get to send their senators to D.C. with any more inherent power than senators like Collins and Murkowski from two tiny states with a combined population smaller than Brooklyn. So how do we fix this? Many decades of economic decline for the bulk of America's rural states can't be reversed by Obamacare, Medicaid expansions, or anything short of a more sweeping economic revolution in America. But there are ways to get some economic progress for states like Maine and Alaska through better health care and health coverage policies. Those ideas include: 1) Tax breaks for rural area health care One way to ease health care costs for the poor in rural areas and boost their employment opportunities is to make all out-of-pocket health care expenses spent in designated rural areas 100 percent tax deductible with no maximums for all but the richest 1 percent of American customers. That should attract lots of new clinics and even hospitals to rural areas where the need for more health care choices is already a problem regardless of cost. And with those new clinics and hospitals would come a lot of new job opportunities in everything from construction to support staff. 2) Move more government offices to rural areas Ever wonder why the massive Department of Agriculture is headquartered in the decidedly non-agricultural bastion of downtown Washington, D.C.? What about the Energy Department and the EPA? You get the point. It's past time to move so many of the government offices and jobs meant to service rural America to... rural America. Not only will this improve the local job picture in those areas, but it would probably save taxpayers money on all those trips some of these D.C-based government workers take out into the field. 3) Regulation relief States like Maine and Alaska are burdened with the high cost of meeting federal environmental and educational requirements and other unfunded federal mandates. No one is saying the states should be allowed to welcome polluters or drastically reduce education requirements. But it's the height of Washington arrogance to believe that's exactly what would happen if it weren't for the wiser heads of D.C. taking control. As long as Washington takes more and more power from the states, the more the states will seek handouts like the Medicaid expansion in return. Obviously, there's a lot more that needs to be done to lift up the Maines and Alaskas of this country. But these are the kinds of policies that could actually lead to self-sustaining growth. Health care costs and the entire Obamacare repeal debate are just sideshows in poorer parts of this country that need an entire economic makeover, not an insurance battle. We can either enact those kinds of sweeping policy changes for these states or forever doom them to serious poverty and addiction to D.C. handouts. Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny . For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.



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On Monday, newly installed Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi published a letter in the London newspaper Evening Standard apologizing for the ride-sharing giant's many mistakes.

On Monday, newly installed Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi published a letter in the London newspaper Evening Standard apologizing for the ride-sharing giants many mistakes.

While Uber has revolutionised the way people move in cities around the world, its equally true that weve got things wrong along the way. On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologise for the mistakes weve made, Khosrowshahi wrote.

We will appeal this decision on behalf of millions of Londoners, but we do so with the knowledge that we must also change. As Ubers new CEO, it is my job to help Uber write its next chapter, he continued.

Read the full letter here.

The open letter comes just days after the citys transport regulator Transport for London (TfL) refused to renew Ubers operating license in the British capital when it expires on September 30. The company has 21 days to appeal the decision, and is allowed to continue working and driving throughout the process.

It also comes after an Uber-initiated online petition in response to the possible ban that calls for a reversal of TfLs decision; the petition has racked up over 750,000 signatures so far.

Echoing Khosrowshahi, Uber's Head of Cities for the UK Fred Jones joined BBC Radio 4s Today Programme, and said Uber is looking to better understand TfLs concerns, particularly its driver background checks and how it reports serious incidents to the police.

Also on the radio program was London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who said while he wants the city to be a place for new technology, operators like Uber must play by the rules.

Uber also wants to meet with and talk to TfL so that it can further improve the way it operates. One of the main reasons why it lost its operating license was because of a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications, said Londons regulator.

Story continues

Uber began its London operations five years ago, but the company doesnt experience the same type of competition as it does in other cities. Its biggest rival Lyft, for example, has yet to expand to the U.K. Uber claims that about 3.5 million people use the ride-hailing service in London, with 40,000 drivers on its platform in the city.

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UML likely to forge electoral alliance with CPN (MC): Nepal

CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has insisted on the need of an alliance among the leftist forces in the upcoming federal and provincial elections.
A Delaware federal jury on Wednesday ruled that Plantronics Inc.'s use of distributor agreements did not violate U.S. antitrust laws, rejecting rival GN Netcom Inc.'s claims during a weeklong trial that the headset maker had monopolized the market for sales to North American call centers.

A Delaware federal jury on Wednesday ruled that Plantronics Inc. s use of distributor agreements did not violate U.S. antitrust laws, rejecting rival GN Netcom Inc. s claimsduring a weeklong trial that the headset maker had monopolized the market for sales to North American call centers.

The panel deliberated for just over an hour in Wilmington before returning its verdict in favor of Plantronics, which had withstood a $3 million sanctions ruling for deleting evidence in the four-year-old case. Ultimately, the jury said, the Santa Cruz, California-based Plantronics use of so-called Plantronics-only distributors, or PODs, had not allowed it to control prices and box competitors out of the market.

Plantronics announced the verdict shortly after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, saying that it was now putting the matter behind us.

Today s verdict in favor of Plantronics validates our position that Plantronics has always operated fairly and lawfully in a highly competitive marketplace and that the claims brought by GN Netcom are without merit, Joe Burton, Plantronics president and CEO, said in a statement.

GN said that it was considering an appeal but that the decision had not impacted its bottom line for 2017.

GN had accused Plantronics in 2012 of developing its POD program in violation of the Clayton and Sherman Acts. According to GN, Plantronics developed its POD program around 1997, in response to increased competition for headset sales to call centers in the United States and Canada.

Eventually, GN said, Plantronics had enticed 80 percent of specialized independent distributors to enter agreements barring them from selling competitors headsets or purchasing competing products directly from the manufacturer. In 2012, Plantronics accounted for 75 percent of all headset sales to U.S. call centers, bringing in $713 million in net revenue, GN said in its complaint.

Plantronics contended that the PODs were actually pro-competitive. The firm said that no distributor was forced to enter the exclusive agreements and that they could be terminated at any time.

Story continues

The company ran into trouble last summer after U.S. District Chief Judge Leonard P. Stark of the District of Delaware found last summer that Don Houston, Plantronics senior vice president of sales at the time, had ordered employees to delete corporate emails during discovery, wiping out potentially thousands of documents that could have helped GN build its case.

Houston left the company in July.

The bad-faith spoliation cost Plantronics $3 million in sanctions and another $2 million in attorney fees and costs, according to the company s regulatory filings. Stark also narrowed the scope of the company s unsuccessful motion for summary judgment earlier this year and instructed the jury at trial that it was allowed to infer that the deleted communications would have worked against Plantronics defense.

In other words, your role is to determine whether Plantronics spoliation tilted the playing field against GN, he said, according to a written copy of the final instructions presented to the jury at trial.

If so, the permission given to you by the court to infer that the missing documents would have been relevant and helpful to GN and/or harmful to Plantronics is designed to allow you to balance that playing field, should you feel it is necessary.

The spoliation issue, though, seemed to have little bearing on the jury s final determination. The panel knocked out GN s three claims for monopolization and restraint of trade under the Sherman Act and another for exclusive dealing under the Clayton Act.

As of Thursday afternoon, GN had not yet appealed the verdict.

The case was captioned GN Netcom v. Plantronics.

GN was represented by Christopher S. Finnerty, Jeffrey S. Patterson, Michael R. Murphy and Morgan T. Nickerson of K&L Gates and Joseph J. Farnan Jr., Brian E. Farnan and Michael J. Farnan of Farnan LLP.

Plantronics was represented by Jonathan M. Jacobson, Chul Pak, David H. Reichenberg, Robert Corp and Yuan Ji of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Jack B. Blumenfeld, Rodger D. Smith II and Jennifer Ying of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell.
canada

When Amazon put out its call for cities to submit bids to be the site of the company's second headquarters, the wording was deliberate: Amazon would be considering proposals from not just cities in the US, but from all North American cities.

Many Canadian cities  from Toronto and Ottawa to Vancouver and Calgary  are all planning on placing bids to host Amazon's next headquarters.

While some see the complications that would come with Amazon placing its HQ2 across the border, some Canadian cities like Ottawa see an opportunity to distinguish themselves.

"Amazon has something like 9,000 engineering jobs they can't fill. [Canada's] immigration policy is much more liberal," Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told the New York Times. "That's where we have an advantage."

Canada is not as affected by political turmoil, and there's less uncertainty about changes coming to immigration laws as there is in the US. In an interview with the CBC, a former Amazon exec described Canada as "more welcoming" when it comes to immigration.

Tech companies in particular have come out strongly against proposed immigration law changes in the US, as it directly affects their business. In April, more than 160 companies, including Amazon, filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit challenging President Trump's March immigration orders. On Sunday, a new immigration ban was announced, and experts say it will be harder to fight in court.

There is also a large degree of uncertainty about the future of the H-1B visa program, which tech companies often use to hire foreign nationals to work in specialized areas. In April, Trump signed the "Buy American, Hire American" executive order which required agencies to suggest reforms to the H-1B program "as soon as practicable."

Ottawa's mayor's comments are just the latest in a series of moves by city officials in towns across the continent to lure Amazon to their neck of the woods. Watson also made a visit to Amazon's hometown of Seattle earlier in September, to try and gather support for his cause and get a sense of what the company needs from a hometown.

Story continues

"It's like 'The Amazing Race,'" Watson said. "You've got this cast of characters running toward the Holy Grail."

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Oil prices edge lower but hold near recent highs

Investing.com - Crude oil prices edged lower on Tuesday, but remained close to multi-month highs amid optimism that the market was well on its way towards rebalancing.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dipped 24 cents, or around 0.5%, to $51.98 a barrel by 3:35AM ET (0735GMT). It traded as high as $52.43 intraday, a level last seen since April 19.

Meanwhile, Brent crude futures, the benchmark for oil prices outside the U.S., shed 28 cents, or about 0.5%, to $58.15 a barrel. It reached a 26-month peak of $58.88 earlier in the session.

Futures rallied more than 3% on Monday as traders cheered ongoing signs that the market is starting to rebalance.

Oil prices have gained roughly 20% from their June lows, meeting the definition of a bull market, as data showed strong compliance from major producers with their supply cut agreement and as talk grows of a likely extension of the deal.

OPEC and non-OPEC compliance with the deal to curb output rose to 116% in August, a strong increase from the 94% compliance achieved a month ago.

In May, OPEC and non-OPEC members led by Russia agreed to extend production cuts of 1.8 million barrels per day for a period of nine months until March 2018 in a bid to reduce global oil inventories and support oil prices.

Russias energy minister suggested that January is the earliest date that an extension to the global accord can be considered, although other ministers suggested such a decision could be taken before the end of this year.

The committees next meeting is set for November 29 in Vienna, just a day ahead of OPECs regularly scheduled meeting.

Turkey's threat to cut off a major pipeline that carries oil from from Iraq's Kurdistan region to the outside world provided further support. The pipeline to Turkey's port of Ceyhan usually pumps between 500,000-600,000 barrels per day.

Elsewhere, in the U.S., market participants mulled over data showing the number of oil rigs continued to decline, suggesting a possible tightening in domestic production.

Story continues

Oilfield services firm Baker Hughes said its weekly count of oil rigs operating in the U.S. declined by 5 to 744, marking the third weekly decline in a row.

The weekly rig count is an important barometer for the drilling industry and serves as a proxy for oil production and oil services demand.

Investors now looked ahead to weekly data from the U.S. on stockpiles of crude and refined products to weigh what the impact of recent storm activity was on supply and demand.

Industry group the American Petroleum Institute is due to release its weekly report at 4:30PM ET (2030GMT).

Official data from the Energy Information Administration will be released Wednesday, amid forecasts for an oil-stock gain of around 2.3 million barrels, which would mark the fourth weekly increase in a row.

Demand for U.S. crude has weakened in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which forced the closure of nearly 25% of U.S. refining capacity.

Elsewhere, gasoline futures were at $1.669 a gallon, down 0.3%, while natural gas futures added 0.5% to $3.003 per million British thermal units.

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This morning, North Korea announced that it interpreted a tweet from President Donald Trump as a declaration of war. That jolt comes at a time when there is growing uncertainty about Americas diplomatic rosterand, particularly, whether U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley might replace former Exxon-Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.

There are many signs that Tillersons position within the Trump administration is tenuous, but on North Korea in particular, theres a space between Tillerson and Trump that Haley has seemed happy to fill. While Tillerson has repeatedly called for peaceful negotiationswithout much obvious progress towards themHaley has been rallying support for harsh new sanctions against North Korea, while frequently echoing Trumps heated threats.

Weeks after the U.N. sanctions passed, Tillerson said that North Koreas relative silence meant they were ready for negotiations, a stance reiterated in a mid-August Wall Street Journal op-ed. Even by late August, after several fresh North Korean missile tests, Tillerson was still emphasizing the quest for peaceful talks.

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Haley, meanwhile, has more vigorously backed the Presidents militant rhetoric, and even added flourishes of her own. In an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council in early September, she was stern, warning that our countrys patience is not unlimited and saying that Kim Jong Un was begging for war. More recently, she cosigned one of Trumps most notorious threats, assuring CNN that Trumps promise of fire and fury was not empty.

In the same interview, she also said that, if diplomatic efforts fail, Im perfectly happy kicking this over to General Mattis, because he has plenty of military options. Few seem to have noted the curious implication that the decision is somehow hers to make.

Haleys role is in many ways inherently more public, and therefore bombastic, than Tillersons. But she has also taken on more behind-the-scenes responsibility than previous ambassadors, such as attending meetings alongside Trump and Tillerson at this months U.N. General Assembly. That has renewed rumors that Haley might take over Tillersons job, but both Tillerson and Haley have denied any desire for change.

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What that means given current tensions with North Korea is hard to discern, though. Tillersons calmer approach makes him a good cop alternative to the vitriol and threats coming from Haley and Trump, leaving a path to de-escalate a situation thats clearly near a breaking point. But theres almost no sign of progress towards the peace talks he has continually called for. If Tillerson isnt on his way out the door, he certainly isnt doing much to rebut long-running and widespread claims that hes a lame duck Secretary of State with little power or influence.

Haley cant entirely fill that void from her current officebut she has shown herself more than willing to try.

Correction, Sept. 25, 2017: An earlier version of this article misstated Haleys chain of command. As a member of the Presidents cabinet, she reports to Trump, not Tillerson.
Shares of companies with ties to U.S. defense spending, including Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Boeing (BA), fell on Monday despite newly intensified rhetoric from North Korea regarding the possibility of war with the U.S.

Shares of companies with ties to U.S. defense spending, including Lockheed Martin LMT and Boeing BA, fell on Monday despite newly intensified rhetoric from North Korea regarding the possibility of war with the U.S.

North Korea Tensions

North Koreas foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said on Monday that the U.S. had declared war on his country, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The foreign ministers claim was reportedly in response to a Saturday flyover of U.S. bombers and fighter jets near North Koreanorth of the Demilitarized Zoneand a tweet from President Donald Trump.

But the U.S. has a different view of those flights, and President Trump took to Twitter TWTR Saturday to rebuke the North Korean foreign ministers statements to the U.N. over the weekend.

This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat," Defense Department spokesman Dana White said in a statement over the weekend. North Korea's weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community.

The North Korea minister told reporters on Monday that North Korea had every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers, even if they are not yet inside the air-space border of our country. The official said that every possible option for a North Korean response is on the table.

Ri Yong Ho also said if North Korea takes action against U.S. military planes that the question of who will be around much longer will be answered then.

U.S. officials were quick to respond and try to curb the further escalation of tensions. We continue to seek a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, State Department spokesman Justin Higgins said. "No nation has the right to fire on other nations aircraft or ships in international airspace or waters.

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White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also responded and said that claims that the U.S. declared war against Kim Jong Uns regime were absurd.

Defense Stocks

Despite the revved up and continued war of words between Washington and Pyongyang, shares of some of the biggest U.S. aerospace and defense companies fell.

Lockheed Martin stock dipped 0.41% while Boeing saw its stock price fall 0.85%. Shares of Raytheon RTN fell 0.54%, while General Dynamics GD and Northrop Grumman NOC stock experienced more marginal declines.

Defense ETFs,including the PowerShares Aerospace & Defense ETF PPA, the SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF XAR, and the iShares US Aerospace & Defense ETF ITA all fell by about 0.50%.

Aside from defense stock dips, the iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund ETF EWY, which tracks South Korean companies, fell by 0.65%.

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Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) CEO Richard Smith is retiring during the companys current data hacking mess.

Equifax CEO Retires Amid Data Hacking Mess

Source: GotCredit via Flickr

The Equifax CEOs retirement will also have him leaving behind the role Chairman of the Board. The Board of Directors at Equifax have chosen Mark Feidler to serve in the role of non-executive Chairman of the Board.

EFX says that Paulino do Rego Barros, Jr. will be serving as its interim Equifax CEO until it can find a replacement for Smith. It will be considering candidates both inside and outside the company while searching for a permanent replacement for Richard Smith.

InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

Despite retiring, the former Equifax CEO will still be staying with the company. He has agreed to serve as a unpaid advisor to ensure a smooth transition to the next CEO.

The cybersecurity incident has affected millions of consumers, and I have been completely dedicated to making this right, the former Equifax CEO said in a statement. At this critical juncture, I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move the company forward.

The saga of the Equifax data hack started earlier this month when it revealed that the private information of 143 million people had been stolen. This included names, addresses, Social Security Numbers and more.

Shortly after the data breach was revealed, DoNotPay set up a chatbot that could automatically sue Equifax. Some people have even been considering freezing their credit and setting up fraud alerts to protect them.

EFX was then called out on its poor security website for the data breach by a software engineer. This person created a fake version of the website to show how easy it is for hackers to mimic the original and steal information. It even fooled Equifax, which linked to the website in a few Tweets.

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EFX stock is down 1% as of Tuesday morning and is down 12% year-to-date.

More From InvestorPlace

As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

The post Equifax CEO Retires Amid Data Hacking Mess appeared first on InvestorPlace.
By Dustin Volz and John McCrank

(Reuters) - Equifax Inc (EFX.N) said on Tuesday that Chief Executive Richard Smith would leave the company and forgo this year's bonus as criticism mounts over a massive cyber attack that has plunged the credit-monitoring firm into crisis.

Smith's departure is the latest development following Equifax's Sept. 7 disclosure of the breach, which has prompted investigations by multiple federal and state agencies, including a criminal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Some observers said the move was a positive first step, though several U.S. senators looking into the cyber attack said the departure failed to remedy damage to the up to 143 million Americans whose data was compromised.

"A failure of this magnitude must have consequences," said Paul Rosenzweig, a former Department of Homeland Security official who advises companies on cyber security. "If the Equifax CEO had retained his job, cyber security would be seen as a joke everywhere in corporate America."

Equifax said in a regulatory filing that it might claw back some of Smith's compensation for this year, depending on results of the board's investigation into the breach, which the Atlanta-based company has said occurred between mid-May and July.

Smith is still eligible for $18.4 million in retirement benefits, regardless of the results of the internal probe.

The company's statement said that Smith, 57, had retired, though he and company representatives did not respond to requests to elaborate on the reason for his departure.

"At this critical juncture, I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move the company forward," Smith was quoted as saying in the statement.

The breach has already prompted the departures of Equifax's chief information officer and chief security officer, which were disclosed on Sept. 15.

Some corporate governance experts said the board's probe into the attack could lead to more changes at the helm of the company.

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The board of directors and leadership has to figure out how much damage has been caused and what needs to be done. Maybe someone on the board needs to be removed," said Brent Longnecker, head of compensation and corporate-governance consulting firm Longnecker & Associates.

Equifax shares closed nearly 1 percent higher at $106.05. They have fallen around 30 percent, losing about $4.5 billion in market value, since the attack was disclosed amid criticism from consumers, politicians and security experts over the company's response to the hack.

"The newly appointed Non-Executive Chairman states up front that the board is 'deeply concerned' about the cyber incident and he apologized directly for the breach," said Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with Cowen Group, in a note for investors.

"This is the type of mea culpa that plays well on Capitol Hill."

It is rare, but not unprecedented for a CEO to depart following a massive hack. Target Corp (TGT.N) CEO Gregg Steinhafel left the retailer in 2014 after a high-profile breach that exposed credit cards and data on tens of millions of shoppers.

In this case, Equifax and Smith agreed to let the company defer decisions related to "any obligations or benefits" owed to him until the board's review of the breach is complete.

Smith last year earned $14.96 million in total compensation.

HEARINGS

The company named Paulino do Rego Barros, 61, who was most recently president of Equifax's Asia-Pacific operations, as interim CEO. Board member Mark Feidler was appointed non-executive chairman.

Smith has been called to testify at several congressional hearings. Several lawmakers, including Democratic U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown said they still expected Smith to appear.

"The American public deserves answers about what went wrong at Equifax and what the company plans to do going forward," Warren said in a statement.

A U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee spokeswoman said Smith would still testify at an Oct. 3 hearing. A Senate Banking Committee spokeswoman said that panel's plans to hear from Smith on Oct. 4 have not changed.

An Equifax spokeswoman said the company would continue to cooperate with lawmakers.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner said at a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the situation at Equifax was a "travesty" and Smith's departure did not do enough to remedy the harm suffered by consumers.

"I question if Equifax even has the right to continue providing these services," said Warner, who co-chairs the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus.

Three Equifax executives, including the chief financial officer, are also under fire for selling $1.8 million in stock three days after the company said it detected the breach on July 29.

Equifax has said its executives were not aware of the breach when they sold their stock.

(Reporting by John McCrank in New York, Dustin Volz in Washinton; Additional reporting by Diane Bartz and Pete Schroeder in Washington, Ross Kerber in Boston, Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar, Meredith Mazzilli, Jim Finkle and Cynthia Osterman)
Weigh the merits

Modern bureaucracies, it is said, are formed on the basis of merit and technical competence.
By Dustin Volz and John McCrank (Reuters) - Equifax Inc said on Tuesday that Chief Executive Richard Smith would leave the company and forgo this year's bonus as criticism mounts over a massive cyber attack that has plunged the credit-monitoring firm into crisis. Smith's departure is the latest development following Equifax's Sept. 7 disclosure of the breach, which has prompted investigations by multiple federal and state agencies, including a criminal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice. Some observers said the move was a positive first step, though several U.S. senators looking into the cyber attack said the departure failed to remedy damage to the up to 143 million Americans whose data was compromised. "A failure of this magnitude must have consequences," said Paul Rosenzweig, a former Department of Homeland Security official who advises companies on cyber security. "If the Equifax CEO had retained his job, cyber security would be seen as a joke everywhere in corporate America." Equifax said in a regulatory filing that it might claw back some of Smith's compensation for this year, depending on results of the board's investigation into the breach, which the Atlanta-based company has said occurred between mid-May and July. Smith is still eligible for $18.4 million in retirement benefits, regardless of the results of the internal probe. The company's statement said that Smith, 57, had retired, though he and company representatives did not respond to requests to elaborate on the reason for his departure. "At this critical juncture, I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move the company forward," Smith was quoted as saying in the statement. The breach has already prompted the departures of Equifax's chief information officer and chief security officer, which were disclosed on Sept. 15. Some corporate governance experts said the board's probe into the attack could lead to more changes at the helm of the company. The board of directors and leadership has to figure out how much damage has been caused and what needs to be done. Maybe someone on the board needs to be removed," said Brent Longnecker, head of compensation and corporate-governance consulting firm Longnecker & Associates. Equifax shares closed nearly 1 percent higher at $106.05. They have fallen around 30 percent, losing about $4.5 billion in market value, since the attack was disclosed amid criticism from consumers, politicians and security experts over the company's response to the hack. "The newly appointed Non-Executive Chairman states up front that the board is 'deeply concerned' about the cyber incident and he apologized directly for the breach," said Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with Cowen Group, in a note for investors. "This is the type of mea culpa that plays well on Capitol Hill." It is rare, but not unprecedented for a CEO to depart following a massive hack. Target Corp CEO Gregg Steinhafel left the retailer in 2014 after a high-profile breach that exposed credit cards and data on tens of millions of shoppers. In this case, Equifax and Smith agreed to let the company defer decisions related to "any obligations or benefits" owed to him until the board's review of the breach is complete. Smith last year earned $14.96 million in total compensation. HEARINGS The company named Paulino do Rego Barros, 61, who was most recently president of Equifax's Asia-Pacific operations, as interim CEO. Board member Mark Feidler was appointed non-executive chairman. Smith has been called to testify at several congressional hearings. Several lawmakers, including Democratic U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown said they still expected Smith to appear. "The American public deserves answers about what went wrong at Equifax and what the company plans to do going forward," Warren said in a statement. A U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee spokeswoman said Smith would still testify at an Oct. 3 hearing. A Senate Banking Committee spokeswoman said that panel's plans to hear from Smith on Oct. 4 have not changed. An Equifax spokeswoman said the company would continue to cooperate with lawmakers. Democratic Senator Mark Warner said at a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the situation at Equifax was a "travesty" and Smith's departure did not do enough to remedy the harm suffered by consumers. "I question if Equifax even has the right to continue providing these services," said Warner, who co-chairs the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus. Three Equifax executives, including the chief financial officer, are also under fire for selling $1.8 million in stock three days after the company said it detected the breach on July 29. Equifax has said its executives were not aware of the breach when they sold their stock. (Reporting by John McCrank in New York, Dustin Volz in Washinton; Additional reporting by Diane Bartz and Pete Schroeder in Washington, Ross Kerber in Boston, Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar, Meredith Mazzilli, Jim Finkle and Cynthia Osterman)
Equifax said credit card numbers were compromised for some 209,000 US consumers during the hack, as were credit dispute documents for 182,000 people (AFP Photo/Damien MEYER) (AFP/File)

New York (AFP) - Equifax chief executive and chairman Richard Smith stepped down Tuesday in the wake of a massive hack of the consumer credit rating service.

The company tapped longtime Equifax executive Paulino do Rego Barros as interim chief executive while it undertakes a search for a new leader following the massive data breach from mid-May through July that was disclosed earlier this month.

The hack resulted in the theft of personal information from 143 million US customers.

The origins of the attack are not known, but analysts say it could have been directed by any number of cyber-criminal groups or nation-states, for financial gain or for espionage purposes.

Smith will "retire" from both roles effective immediately, the company said.

"At this critical juncture, I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move the company forward," Smith said.

Mark Feidler, a board member who was named non-executive chairman, said the board is "totally focused" on the cyber-security incident.

Equifax disclosed the breach September 7, saying hackers obtained names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver's license numbers from the database, potentially opening up victims to identity theft.

The company said credit card numbers were compromised for some 209,000 US consumers, as were credit dispute documents for 182,000 people.

The breach is seen as one of the worst ever, because of the sensitivity of the data leaked and the potential for identity theft.

A regulatory filing on the shakeup Tuesday said Smith would waive any right to an annual bonus under his contract and would provide "reasonable assistance" to the company without compensation for 90 days.

- 'Not real accountability' -

Senator Elizabeth Warren said Smith's departure does not diminish the need for answers about the breach and its consequences.

"I've called for Equifax executives to be held accountable for their role in failing to stop this data breach and hiding it from the public for 40 days," the Massachusetts lawmaker said in a statement.

Story continues

"It's not real accountability if the CEO resigns without giving back a nickel in pay and without publicly answering questions."

Warren said she still expects Smith to appear before congressional hearings on the incident.

"The American public deserves answers about what went wrong at Equifax and what the company plans to do going forward," she said.

Last week, two other Equifax executives, its chief information officer and chief security officer, stepped down as the company began its review of the hack.

The US Federal Trade Commission and congressional investigators have opened probes into the incident and the FBI said it was "tracking the situation as appropriate."

Equifax is also facing a slew of lawsuits from consumers, investors and businesses who rely on the service.

Some analysts said the delay in reporting the breach to the public raised troubling questions, and stock sales by senior executives during that period added to those concerns.

An Equifax spokesperson said the executives who sold shares "had no knowledge that an intrusion had occurred at the time they sold their shares."
Equifax admitted UK consumers' data might have been unlawfully accessed - AP

The chairman and chief executive of Equifax, Richard Smith, has stepped down from the credit reference agency, following the massive data breach that resulted in the data of 143 million US customers being exposed.

Mr Smith's departure comes hot on the heels of two other senior executives  the chief information officer and head of security  less than two weeks ago, and amid an internal investigation into the hack as legal claims against the agency mount.

As well as the 143 million US customers whose data was unlawfully accessed between mid-May and July, with details stolen including bank and social security numbers, birth dates and driver's licence numbers, up to 400,000 UK consumers were also affected by the attack.

Although Equifax's UK systems were not accessed in the breach, a file containing British consumers' data had been stored in the US between 2011 and 2016. However, Equifax has said the file did not contain any addresses, passwords or financial information.

For the "fewer than 400,000" UK consumers affected, Equifax said it would offer them a free identity protection service.

High-profile hacks

On announcing his decision to retire, Mr Smith said: "The cybersecurity incident has affected millions of consumers, and I have been completely dedicated to making this right.

"At this critical juncture, I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move the company forward."

Mark Feidler, an independent director for Equifax since 2007, has been named the new non-executive chairman. He said: "Speaking for everyone on the board, I sincerely apologise".

Paulino do Rego Barros Jr, the president of Equifax's Asia Pacific region, is taking on the role of interim chief executive officer, although Equifax said it has begun a search for a new permanent chief executive.

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Megyn Kelly, the unlikely new star of NBC, makes her morning show debut on Monday with Megyn Kelly Today, a daytime program being launched as part of the Today franchise. It's a surprising new gamble for the former Fox News personality, whose profile has skyrocketed in the past few years as she's sparred with Donald Trump and insisted on the whiteness of Santa Claus on the conservative network.

The New York Times has a new profile on Kelly, examining her vision for a morning show and the shaky prospects for success. Here's what to expect from the show.

Lots of celebrity guests. And other kinds of guests, too.

Kelly envisions the show appealing to Middle American audiences, and as is typical of the morning show format, there will be lots of celebrity guests to hold viewers' attention. And not just young celebs; next week's program will include appearances by stars like Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman and Jane Fonda. There will also be segments about "regular people," according to the Times piece.

Presumably these interviews will not be quite as tense as Kelly's back-and-forth with, say, Newt Gingrich.

It won't be too Trump-heavy.

Kelly was one of Trump's recurring antagonists during the 2016 campaign season. She directly asked Trump about his history of misogynistic comments while moderating a 2015 debate; Trump was enraged, and infamously claimed there was "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." The Trump-Kelly feud lingered as a bizarre sideplot during an already ugly election. In early 2016, Trump refused to participate in a debate moderated by Kelly. The pair later met face-to-face at Trump Tower.

Related: Megyn Kelly's low ratings are making the right very happy

Kelly, it seems, is putting all that behind her. "It was such a year of nonsense, and in some ways even a year of torment," she tells USA Today. As for the show: "We'll definitely be talking about major developments out of Washington, but its not going to be the Trump channel. I just dont think thats what people are looking for." The goal is to remain topical without obsessing over the dizzying political news cyclea tough balance to strike.

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Megyn Kelly

Carlo Allegri/Reuters

It won't be too political, either

According to the Times profile, Kelly does "not plan to talk all that much about politics." In fact, she seems a bit eager to focus on lighter topicslifestyle segments, celebrities, etc. "Politics has never been something thats important to me," the television host tells USA Today. Wait, what? Kelly covered politics for Fox for years, usually from a conservative bent but increasingly sparring with powerful conservative men, including Trump and Newt Gingrich, as the election season dragged on. The ugliness of the election clearly took its toll on Kelly, who, according to a recent profile in The Atlantic, had to bring an armed guard with her during a family trip to Disney World.

Kelly wants the new show to be "fun and uplifting"not adjectives that generally come to mind when you think of political news in 2017.

It will be up against steep competition.

Kelly's show is set to air during the 9 a.m. hour, unlike her last NBC show, which aired at night. The steep competition will include Live with Kelly and Ryan, which is hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest and which similarly revolves around a constant flow of celebrity guests. But Kelly told the Times she won't be paying too close attention to the ratings.

Kelly won't spend her time reassuring children that Santa Claus is white.

That 2013 clip became embarrassing fodder for outrage-hungry bloggers. But those days might be past. Politically speaking, NBC is a drastically different universe than Kelly's previous home, Fox News. "NBC is not going to let her roll her eyes at black activists, or tell her audience that Santa is white," Caitlin Flanagan notes in a lengthy Atlantic profile of the television host. These days, liberals (and feminist commentators in particular) don't know quite what to make of Kelly. Whether the new show succeeds or not, that is unlikely to change.

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The damage caused by Hurricane Maria has crippled Puerto Ricos pharmaceutical industry, which could lead to critical shortages of certain drugs and medical devices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a warning issued late Monday.

We are aware of several other instances where we may soon face critical shortages if we dont find a path for removal or ways to get production back up and running, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. This is both a short- and long-term issue. We need to ensure access to these critical treatments for the Americans who need them, but also recognize the important role that the medical product industry plays in helping Puerto Rico sustain its economy and help in its recovery.

The FDA said it is working with other agencies to restart the pharmaceutical industry in Puerto Rico to avoid a drug shortage. Since Friday, the FDA has been working to limit the loss of drugs critical to American patients due to a lack of refrigeration, storage and transportation, according to the agency.

Even before Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, a team of shortage experts worked with companies that have drug manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico to assess the potential impacts on their facilities to avoid shortages of critical medical products, the FDA said.

Now officials are working to assess the damage and pinpoint which drug manufacturing facilities could still operate on generator power. Hurricane Maria knocked out power to the entire island and took most of its telecommunications network offline. It could take months for all Puerto Ricans to get power. In the days following the hurricane, thousands of Puerto Ricans have been searching for ways to find phone service or Wi-Fi to get in contact with loved ones.

Gottlieb also announced he is creating a new task force to handle hurricane-related shortages of drugs and medical devices.

The drug industry has a large presence in Puerto Rico with dozens of drug and device manufacturers operating on the island, including Abbott, Baxter, Merck, Novartis, and Pfizer thanks to a now expired federal tax incentive Section 936 that encouraged drug companies to move there.

The industry is critically important to Puerto Ricos economic recovery; its responsible for nearly 90,000 jobs on the island. About a quarter of all pharmaceutical drugs exported from the U.S. are made in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Ricos drug manufacturing industry is also an essential supplier of pharmaceuticals and medical devices that thousands of U.S. hospitals and outpatient clinics use daily, including cancer drugs, immunosuppressants used by transplant patients, and devices needed for people with diabetes.
General Motors is building its newest generation of self-driving test cars at a factory in Michigan.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) shares jumped to their highest level in more than three years after analysts at Deutsche Bank upgraded the stock to a buy and hiked its price target.

In a note to clients Monday, Deutsche Banks Rod Lache wrote that GM has quietly taken a lead in the race to build self-driving vehicles. That development may surprise investors, he said. GM is on track to have autonomous cars ready for commercial deployment within quarterspotentially beating competitors by years.

We believe that businesses built off of this platform will ramp much faster than is widely expected, Lache said.

Deutsche Bank set a new price target for GM at $51, up from a prior $36.

GM jumped 2.5% to $40.38 in recent trading. The stock hit an intraday high of $40.64, its best mark since December 2013.

By Deutsche Banks estimates, around 60% of urban households could find a better deal in using autonomous taxi services compared to owning a personal vehicle. Automakers like GM will see the early potential of self-driving vehicles sooner rather than later, according to the investment bank.

Deutsche Bank believes that GMs mobility business is worth about $30 billion, a valuation that Lache described as too big to ignore. He expects GM to eventually see the merits of spinning off its venture into new technologies, including self-driving vehicles and ride-sharing services.

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Jimmy Kimmel

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Monday expressed cautious optimism about the apparent death of the Graham-Cassidy healthcare legislation.

With Sen. Susan Collins of Maine coming out against the the Graham-Cassidy bill on Monday, it appears that the measure is dead  ending Kimmel's week-long run of impassioned attacks on the legislation.

Kimmel gave one more monologue on the subject Monday night, saying that after speaking out last week he met hundred of people at events over the weekend that thanked him and told him Obamacare saved their lives.

The late-night host pointed to polls showing that more American preferred the Affordable Care Act to the Graham-Cassidy proposal. He also highlighted Republican lawmakers' message on Obamacare.

"They don't care what you think, they want you to think what they think. That's why they keep calling Obamacare a disaster, you hear that word a lot," Kimmel said. "Obamacare definitely needs work, but think about it: did anyone have to convince you Hurricane Harvey was a disaster? No, because it was a disaster. If someone has to keep telling you something is a disaster, it probably isn't."

Kimmel also thanked Sen. John McCain for coming out against the bill on Friday.

"The truth is, John McCain probably saved the Republican Party by doing this," Kimmel said. "Because if you think Graham-Cassidy is unpopular now, wait until people have to live with it  or not live with  then who gets blamed? The Republican Party."

After defending himself against criticism from outlets like Fox News, Kimmel brought up Collins' defection and the apparent death of Graham-Cassidy.

"Thank you Senator Collins, you know Maine needs affordable healthcare more than almost any state. You know the sewers up there are filled with child-eating clowns," Kimmel said, referring to the hit horror movie "It."

"The best news is now I can go back to talking about the Kardashians," he said.

Kimmel originally threw himself into the midst of the debate in May after his newborn son Billy needed to have open heart surgery hours after his birth. The legislation being debated at the time would have undermined protections for people with preexisting conditions and allowed insurers to reinstitute lifetime limits on healthcare payments.

Story continues

GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana told Kimmel that any Obamacare repeal and replace legislation had to preserve those protections, dubbing it the "Jimmy Kimmel test."

When Cassidy helped roll out the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill earlier in September, Kimmel slammed the Louisiana senator, since the bill allowed the erosion of those protections.

Watch below:

NOW WATCH: Why you won't find a garbage can near the 9/11 memorial





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To the parade of horribles likely to occur if the latest Republican plan to repeal Obamacare succeeds, add two more: health care jobs would dry up and recessions would likely end up worse.

S&P Global Ratings analyzed the Cassidy-Graham bill, which would repeal most of the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and found a sizable list of problems it would cause. Among other things, the bill would leave states and cities with a major funding shortfall. It would also cut employment by 580,000 jobsmostly in the health care industrysince federal health care funding would plummet starting in 2027. This comes after other researchers have determined that the bill would bump millions of Americans off the insurance rolls and once again allow insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions dramatically higher rates.

One problem S&P highlights would arise from changes in the way Washington administers Medicaid, which is currently an open-ended entitlement program available to all who qualify. Federal Medicaid payments to the states normally rise during a recession, since thats when people lose jobs and more need public insurance. In that way, Medicaid is a stabilizer that provides more stimulus when the economy needs it most. But the Cassidy-Graham bill would change Medicaid to a block-grant system, with states getting a fixed amount each year and nothing extra during recessions. The legislation would result in more acute fiscal pressure on the states in economic downturns, S&P believes.

States would probably feel more pain well before a recession came along. The shift in Medicaid from federal to state control would require each state to set up new rules and agencies necessary to dole out the money and comply with federal regulations. The law is supposed to go into effect in 2020, but that wouldnt allow nearly enough time for state legislaturesmany of them part-time  to accomplish something so complicated. The bill wont work, writes Timothy Jost, emeritus professor of law at Washington & Lee University. The states cannot possibly design and implement new programs to replace the ACA marketplace subsidies and Medicaid expansions by 2020.

Story continues

Costumed as the grim reaper, a protestor opposed to the Republican health care bill waits prior to a hearing by the Senate Finance Committee on the Graham-Cassidy health care repeal, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Even if that were plausible, the sharp cutback in Medicaid funding overall would produce a variety of unhappy consequences. Some of the ramifications S&P predicts:

Rural areas would probably suffer more because theyve gotten a larger share of funding under the ACA. So unwinding the ACA, by contrast, would concentrate cutbacks there.

Revenue would decline for some health care providers, simply because there would be fewer people with health insurance seeking care. Many for-profit providers would have the agility to deal with that, but intense pressure could hammer nonprofits. We would expect  a sharp rise in charity care and bad debt, S&P says.

Health care providers might charge more, because theyll be looking for ways to make up for lost volume. States administering Medicaid will have less negotiating power than they do now.

Providers would also be more aggressive about cutting costs. This means smaller staffs, reduced services and possibly lower quality at hospitals, outpatient centers, and nursing homes.

A fiscal cliff would arise in 2027, because all funding under Cassidy-Graham ends in 2026. The idea is that Congress will have to come up with a new funding mechanism between now and then. Until that happens, however, states would be subject to massive uncertainty. This subjects states fiscal trajectories to considerable political risk, S&P says, Because Congress will have to reauthorize block grant funding before 2027 for the federal funds to flow to the states. This could cost taxpayers directly. Rating agencies like S&P, Moodys and Fitch base ratings on municipal bond issues on the predictability of revenue, and the less predictable it is, the lower the rating. Lower ratings mean issuers have to pay more to borrow, with the extra money coming from taxpayers.

If Congress didnt extend Cassidy-Graham or come up with something new, thats when health care employment would start to contract. The Brookings Institution estimates that 32 million fewer Americans would have insurance come 2027, which means demand for care would declineas would the health care workforce. S&P estimates that overall, the bill would kill 580,000 jobs, most of them after 2026. That would reduce economic activity by $240 billion.

The Cassidy-Graham bill, arguably the worst of several deeply flawed GOP efforts to kill Obamacare this year, seems to lack enough votes to pass the Senate. But the bills undaunted backers are twisting arms and offering deals in the hope of persuading moderate Republicans leaning against the bill to back it. If the Senate approves the bill, the House will probably pass it as well, and President Donald Trump has said hell sign it. Then the real trouble begins.

Read more:

Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman
Megyn Kelly kicked off her heavily promoted NBC morning show on Monday with a bit of synergy for network peer Will & Grace  and an awkward joke that left some online scratching their heads.

During a segment with the cast of Will & Grace  including stars Debra Messing, Will McCormack, Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally  Kelly invited a superfan of the groundbreaking comedy named Russel Turner to meet his television idols. Is it true that you became a lawyer  and you became gay  because of Will? Kelly asked in a joking manner. Turner responded in good humor: I look at Will Truman, Im like, He has it made: lawyer, best apartment in New York City, and gay? he quipped. Come on, trifecta.

Kelly then revealed her show was awarding Turner two free tickets to a live Will & Grace taping in Los Angeles, an announcement which left the fan and the audience giddy with excitement. Said Kelly as the crowd applauded: I think the Will & Grace thing and the gay thing is going to work out great!

Online, many pointed out that the segment created an incredibly awkward bit of television.

Here is Megyn Kelly telling a gay #WillAndGrace superfan, "I think the 'Will & Grace' thing and the gay thing's gonna work out great." ???????????? pic.twitter.com/KyN9kVQ0rK  Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) September 25, 2017

Megyn Kelly is every mom trying waaaaay to hard to "relate" to her gay son but instead just makes it waaaaay worse pic.twitter.com/dh2sSi2kVq  Will Kellogg (@Will_Kellogg) September 25, 2017

"I think the Will & Grace thing and the gay thing are going to work out great," Megyn Kelly said to a gay W&G superfan this morning. Really.  Kevin Fallon (@kpfallon) September 25, 2017

I see things are off to a solid start over on Megyn Kelly's new show... https://t.co/fOUoaX0Yyu pic.twitter.com/DmMhvzX6km  Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) September 25, 2017

Kellys segment with Will & Grace also touched on the cultural impact the NBC sitcom had when it premiered, and the host cited former Vice President Joe Biden who said: no other show had as much effect, as calling peoples attention to gay rights.

It was surprising and incredibly gratifying, co-creator David Kohan said in response. We never set out  there was nothing  we were not an ideological thing. We were not set out to posit ideas into the zeitgeist. We were trying to do a show with four characters and trying to be funny. It was very satisfying. It gave a sense of something else was accomplished here.

Megyn Kelly Today airs in the 9:00 a.m. ET hour of NBCs Today. To kick the series off, the host attempted a joke to indicate a change in direction. We will be dissecting the latest tweet from President Trump, she told her audience before knowingly backtracking: Oh no, we will not do that. We will not be doing that. The truth is, I am kind of done with politics for now.
By Michelle Nichols and Christine Kim NEW YORK/SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's foreign minister said on Monday President Donald Trump had declared war on North Korea and that Pyongyang reserved the right to take countermeasures, including shooting down U.S. bombers even if they are not in its air space. Ri Yong Ho said a Twitter message by Trump on Saturday, in which the president warned that the minister and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "won't be around much longer" if they acted on their threats, amounted to a declaration of war. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders on Monday denied the United States had declared war, calling the suggestion "absurd". Speaking earlier in New York, where he had been attending the annual U.N. General Assembly, Ri told reporters: "The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country." "Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country. "The question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then," Ri added. On Saturday, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighters flew east of North Korea in a show of force after a heated exchange of rhetoric between Trump and Kim over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. "That operation was conducted in international airspace, over international waters, so we have the right to fly, sail and operate where legally permissible around the globe," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning said on Monday. North Korea, which has remained technically at war with the United States since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce and not a peace treaty, has been working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the U.S. mainland and conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test this month. FEARS OF MISCALCULATION Pyongyang, which has pursued its missile and nuclear programs in defiance of international sanctions, accuses the United States of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies. However, recent rhetoric from both sides has been unusually harsh, raising fears of miscalculation that could have massive repercussions, even though U.S. officials have repeatedly stressed the administration prefers a negotiated solution. The latest round of heavy verbal salvoes began when Trump threatened in his maiden U.N. address last Tuesday to "totally destroy" North Korea, a country of 26 million people, if it threatened the United States or its allies. In an unprecedented direct statement on Friday, Kim called Trump a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard" he would tame with fire. Kim said North Korea would consider the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history" against the United States and that Trump's comments had confirmed Pyongyang's nuclear program was "the correct path". Ri told the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday targeting the U.S. mainland with its rockets was inevitable after "Mr Evil President" Trump called Kim a "rocket man" on a suicide mission. On Twitter late Saturday, Trump replied: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!" On Monday, White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster defended Trump's rhetoric, saying he agreed with the U.S. president that the risk was that Kim Jong Un might fail to realize the danger he and his country were facing. McMaster voiced confidence that the United States could, for example, impose a military blockade if it chose, perhaps even as a part of a multinational effort. But he acknowledged risks of escalation with any U.S. military option. "We don't think there's an easy military solution to this problem. There's not a precision strike that solves the problem. There's not a military blockade that can solve the problem," he said, adding that ultimately it would come down to an international effort. Still, McMaster told a conference hosted by the Institute for the Study of War, Washington was concerned a nuclear-armed North Korea capable of hitting the United States was likely to engage in "nuclear blackmail," for instance to try to achieve its goal of getting U.S. troops off the Korean peninsula. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said it was vital Seoul and the United States handle the situation "with astuteness and steadfastness ... to prevent a further escalation of tension or any kind of accidental military clashes in the region which can quickly spiral out of control." "There cannot be another outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula; the consequences would be devastating," she told Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. CALLS FOR RESTRAINT Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the most senior serving U.S. official ever to visit Pyongyang, said it was "important to lower the temperature" of rhetoric. "I'm kind of concerned about accidents of some kind that might happen," she said. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the only solution to the crisis was a political one. "Fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. China, North Korea's neighbor and main ally, which has nevertheless backed U.N. sanctions over Pyongyang's nuclear program, called for restraint on all sides. "We want things to calm down. It's getting too dangerous and it's in nobody's interest," China's U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told Reuters. "We certainly hope (the United States and North Korea) will see that there is no other way than negotiations to solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula ... The alternative is a disaster." China's said it was vital that everyone implement all North Korea-related U.N. resolutions, which call for both tighter sanctions and efforts to resume dialogue. Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking to British Prime Minister Theresa May by telephone, said he hoped Britain could play a constructive role in achieving a peaceful solution via talks, Chinese state media said. Defense experts said North Korea would have difficulty shooting down a U.S. bomber with missiles or fighter planes given its limited capabilities, and if it tried and failed, would appear weak. "It is unlikely to take such a risk," said Bruce Bennett of the Rand Corp think tank. "So this sounds like another attempt by North Korea to 'deter by bluster' U.S. actions the regime does not like." Ri warned on Friday North Korea might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean, in what would be North Korea's first atmospheric nuclear test. Experts said such a move, while perhaps not imminent, would be proof of North Korea's ability to successfully deliver a nuclear warhead on a missile. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York, Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Christine Kim in Seoul; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom, Idrees Ali, Doina Chiacu, Phil Stewart and Matt Spetalnick in Washington, Zhu Zhang in Beijing, Elizabeth Piper in London and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; Writing by Philip Wen and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Grant McCool and James Dalgleish)
A retired U.S. general said a Pentagon war scenario showed a conventional war with North Korea could result in about 20,000 deaths per day in South Korea , according to the Los Angeles Times . Meanwhile, a retired U.S. Navy admiral sees a 50/50 chance of a conventional conflict with North Korea although much less likelihood of a nuclear war. On Monday, North Korea's foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, accused President Donald Trump of declaring war against the hermit regime and threatened that the North has the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even if they are flying in international airspace. Last week, Ri told reporters the regime might detonate a hydrogen weapon in the Pacific. Up to now, the North's nuclear tests have been underground.Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Logan told CNBC on Monday, "Obviously North Korea is a threat." And he pledged the U.S. military will defend "both U.S. homeland and our allies against that threat."Defense experts expressed skepticism the North would have an easy time shooting down advanced U.S. military aircraft."North Korea's air defenses are not great," said Ian Williams, associate director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. "That's actually one area of missile technology where they haven't made huge advances in the past few years."Analysts told CNBC the North's new KN-06 surface-to-air missile system could provide some protection for the regime and looks like Russia's S-300 air defense system. That said, not a lot is known about KN-06's radar capabilities. It has been trotted out at military parades, and Pyongyang's state media declared the anti-aircraft weapon operational in May. Over the weekend, the U.S. Air Force said B-1B Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighter jets flew in international airspace over waters just east of North Korea. The U.S. flexing its military muscle follows heated rhetoric recently between North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un , and Trump, who last week in an address at the United Nations said that the U.S. could "totally destroy North Korea." The B-1B bombers flew from the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, where the U.S. has military bases and an estimated 6,000 troops. Also, the U.S. has around 25,800 troops stationed in South Korea, as well as approximately 50,000 service members in Japan . "Right now it's still a lot of words, and it's a lot of words by two leaders that tend to bluster a bit," Williams said. "One of them, particularly Kim Jong Un, if he feels that conflict is inevitable ... then his strategic position is one where he would gain a lot by taking the first move."Ret. Navy Adm. James Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, put chances of a nuclear war with North Korea at 10 percent and the chance of a conventional conflict with the regime at 50/50, according to the Times. The admiral told the paper a war could potentially start if North Korea fires a missile that strikes on Guam or lands near the U.S. territory. It could potentially result in the U.S. striking back against North Korea with Tomahawk cruise missiles, as it did on a Syrian government airbase after a chemical attack in April. And while Syria just took the blow, Kim Jong Un might respond more forcefully to avoid looking weak, including possibly firing artillery at U.S. military posts in South Korea. Also, the Times said there's a possibility the North Korean dictator could resort to more drastic action, including even smuggling a nuclear weapon aboard a ship to a location where it could cause massive casualties. He also could use an aircraft to drop the weapon."We are closer to a nuclear exchange than we have been at any time in the world's history with the single exception of the Cuban missile crisis,'' Stavridis told the Times.The paper said a Korean war could start with something such as "a relatively minor incident at the demilitarized zone ... or a provocation that develops into a conventional war and then escalates."Nonetheless, some believe tension in the past after such incidents didn't produce outright war."Things are certainly very tense," said Dean Cheng, a defense expert and senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, the Washington-based conservative think tank. "The North Korea of right now is arguably seen as a real threat in a way that even in 2010 we didn't view it that way."Experts say a lot of the North's military capabilities are ballistic missile-based weapons. Besides nuclear weapons, the North also is believed to have a large stockpile of chemical weapons.According to Williams, the North's ballistic missiles are "use or lose assets" so its leader Kim would have an impetus to go first, which "ultimately raises the risk of conflict and the chance of miscalculation. It's hard to know what's going on in his mind, but that's my fear." The recent expansion of the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea could help reduce the threat of missiles, however, it probably won't help much in the greater Seoul area . About 25 million people, or half of the country's population, lives in the greater Seoul area. The exact range of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is believed to be up to 200 kilometers (124 miles), although THAAD was installed about 227 kilometers (or 135 miles) away in Seongju."South Korea has devoted a fair amount of effort to building shelters, conducting civil defense drills and things like that," Heritage's Cheng told CNBC. He added that there's no reason to assume the North Koreans would not try to hit apartment buildings or other civilian targets.The CSIS expert said there's also a risk the U.S. could push the North Korean regime leader "too hard and over the brink in terms of paranoia." The North's propaganda has threatened in recent months to attack the U.S. homeland with nuclear-armed missiles. The regime also has conducted at least two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, including one in July that experts said proved the North is capable of reaching half, if not most, of the continental United States , including major East Coast cities such as New York and Boston. Even so, the threat to South Korea is especially alarming for Seoul residents since the city is close to the North Korean border. The North is said to have thousands of underground locations where it stores rockets and other weapons as well as tunnels that could allow it to quickly enter South Korea."They've had pretty much since 1953 to burrow and dig and tunnel," said Cheng.The Heritage expert described how the North Koreans have dug "hardened artillery sites" that are essentially bunkers with armored doors with a slip to stick artillery tubes through. He said the regime has thousands of these along the Korean DMZ and within range of Seoul.Nuclear weapons the North could use obviously bring added risks but even without them the loss of life could be significant.A Pentagon war scenario estimated there would be about 20,000 casualties in South Korea each day in a conventional war, the Times report said, quoting Rob Givens, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general who was once stationed on the Korean peninsula."Too many people have the view that it would be like the invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan, or like combat operations in Libya or Syria, but it wouldn't be remotely that," Givens told the Times."There is only one way that this war ends," he added. "With North Korea's defeat  but at what cost?"Williams said the 20,000 deaths per day estimate seems a realistic estimate particularly for "the very beginning of the war, particularly if there wasn't much preparation or warning time."Added Williams, "The scale of an artillery barrage [from the North] initially would be pretty massive. You'd be looking at several thousand rockets and artillery pieces being fired over the course of several hours." Experts add that the use of chemical or biological weapons by the North, though, could produce even heavier losses in South Korea. By some estimates, the hermit regime has the world's third-largest chemical weapons stockpile  up to 5,000 metric tons of chemical agents. Logan, the Pentagon official, declined to comment when CNBC asked about estimated casualties on the South Korean side.The South is seen as particularly vulnerable to a saturation attack, using short-range Scud and other missiles targeting Seoul. There's also the possibility of an attack using submarine-launched ballistic missiles, with a recent Japanese report indicating the North is close to completing a larger submarine capable of firing multiple missiles. Read the full article in the Los Angeles Times . WATCH: US-South Korean war games could further inflame Pyongyang A retired U.S. general said a Pentagon war scenario showed a conventional war with North Korea could result in about 20,000 deaths per day in South Korea , according to the Los Angeles Times . Meanwhile, a retired U.S. Navy admiral sees a 50/50 chance of a conventional conflict with North Korea although much less likelihood of a nuclear war. On Monday, North Korea's foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, accused President Donald Trump of declaring war against the hermit regime and threatened that the North has the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even if they are flying in international airspace. Last week, Ri told reporters the regime might detonate a hydrogen weapon in the Pacific. Up to now, the North's nuclear tests have been underground. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Logan told CNBC on Monday, "Obviously North Korea is a threat." And he pledged the U.S. military will defend "both U.S. homeland and our allies against that threat." Defense experts expressed skepticism the North would have an easy time shooting down advanced U.S. military aircraft. "North Korea's air defenses are not great," said Ian Williams, associate director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. "That's actually one area of missile technology where they haven't made huge advances in the past few years." Analysts told CNBC the North's new KN-06 surface-to-air missile system could provide some protection for the regime and looks like Russia's S-300 air defense system. That said, not a lot is known about KN-06's radar capabilities. It has been trotted out at military parades, and Pyongyang's state media declared the anti-aircraft weapon operational in May. Over the weekend, the U.S. Air Force said B-1B Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighter jets flew in international airspace over waters just east of North Korea. The U.S. flexing its military muscle follows heated rhetoric recently between North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un , and Trump, who last week in an address at the United Nations said that the U.S. could "totally destroy North Korea." The B-1B bombers flew from the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, where the U.S. has military bases and an estimated 6,000 troops. Also, the U.S. has around 25,800 troops stationed in South Korea, as well as approximately 50,000 service members in Japan . "Right now it's still a lot of words, and it's a lot of words by two leaders that tend to bluster a bit," Williams said. "One of them, particularly Kim Jong Un, if he feels that conflict is inevitable ... then his strategic position is one where he would gain a lot by taking the first move." Ret. Navy Adm. James Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, put chances of a nuclear war with North Korea at 10 percent and the chance of a conventional conflict with the regime at 50/50, according to the Times. The admiral told the paper a war could potentially start if North Korea fires a missile that strikes on Guam or lands near the U.S. territory. It could potentially result in the U.S. striking back against North Korea with Tomahawk cruise missiles, as it did on a Syrian government airbase after a chemical attack in April. And while Syria just took the blow, Kim Jong Un might respond more forcefully to avoid looking weak, including possibly firing artillery at U.S. military posts in South Korea. Also, the Times said there's a possibility the North Korean dictator could resort to more drastic action, including even smuggling a nuclear weapon aboard a ship to a location where it could cause massive casualties. He also could use an aircraft to drop the weapon. "We are closer to a nuclear exchange than we have been at any time in the world's history with the single exception of the Cuban missile crisis,'' Stavridis told the Times. The paper said a Korean war could start with something such as "a relatively minor incident at the demilitarized zone ... or a provocation that develops into a conventional war and then escalates." Nonetheless, some believe tension in the past after such incidents didn't produce outright war. "Things are certainly very tense," said Dean Cheng, a defense expert and senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, the Washington-based conservative think tank. "The North Korea of right now is arguably seen as a real threat in a way that even in 2010 we didn't view it that way." Experts say a lot of the North's military capabilities are ballistic missile-based weapons. Besides nuclear weapons, the North also is believed to have a large stockpile of chemical weapons. According to Williams, the North's ballistic missiles are "use or lose assets" so its leader Kim would have an impetus to go first, which "ultimately raises the risk of conflict and the chance of miscalculation. It's hard to know what's going on in his mind, but that's my fear." The recent expansion of the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea could help reduce the threat of missiles, however, it probably won't help much in the greater Seoul area . About 25 million people, or half of the country's population, lives in the greater Seoul area. The exact range of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is believed to be up to 200 kilometers (124 miles), although THAAD was installed about 227 kilometers (or 135 miles) away in Seongju. "South Korea has devoted a fair amount of effort to building shelters, conducting civil defense drills and things like that," Heritage's Cheng told CNBC. He added that there's no reason to assume the North Koreans would not try to hit apartment buildings or other civilian targets. The CSIS expert said there's also a risk the U.S. could push the North Korean regime leader "too hard and over the brink in terms of paranoia." The North's propaganda has threatened in recent months to attack the U.S. homeland with nuclear-armed missiles. The regime also has conducted at least two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, including one in July that experts said proved the North is capable of reaching half, if not most, of the continental United States , including major East Coast cities such as New York and Boston. Even so, the threat to South Korea is especially alarming for Seoul residents since the city is close to the North Korean border. The North is said to have thousands of underground locations where it stores rockets and other weapons as well as tunnels that could allow it to quickly enter South Korea. "They've had pretty much since 1953 to burrow and dig and tunnel," said Cheng. The Heritage expert described how the North Koreans have dug "hardened artillery sites" that are essentially bunkers with armored doors with a slip to stick artillery tubes through. He said the regime has thousands of these along the Korean DMZ and within range of Seoul. Nuclear weapons the North could use obviously bring added risks but even without them the loss of life could be significant. A Pentagon war scenario estimated there would be about 20,000 casualties in South Korea each day in a conventional war, the Times report said, quoting Rob Givens, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general who was once stationed on the Korean peninsula. "Too many people have the view that it would be like the invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan, or like combat operations in Libya or Syria, but it wouldn't be remotely that," Givens told the Times. "There is only one way that this war ends," he added. "With North Korea's defeat  but at what cost?" Williams said the 20,000 deaths per day estimate seems a realistic estimate particularly for "the very beginning of the war, particularly if there wasn't much preparation or warning time." Added Williams, "The scale of an artillery barrage [from the North] initially would be pretty massive. You'd be looking at several thousand rockets and artillery pieces being fired over the course of several hours." Experts add that the use of chemical or biological weapons by the North, though, could produce even heavier losses in South Korea. By some estimates, the hermit regime has the world's third-largest chemical weapons stockpile  up to 5,000 metric tons of chemical agents. Logan, the Pentagon official, declined to comment when CNBC asked about estimated casualties on the South Korean side. The South is seen as particularly vulnerable to a saturation attack, using short-range Scud and other missiles targeting Seoul. There's also the possibility of an attack using submarine-launched ballistic missiles, with a recent Japanese report indicating the North is close to completing a larger submarine capable of firing multiple missiles. Read the full article in the Los Angeles Times . WATCH: US-South Korean war games could further inflame Pyongyang



More From CNBC


By Richard Lough PARIS (Reuters) - Qatar's foreign minister said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump was stepping up efforts for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in the Gulf. Trump initially took a hard line against Qatar, calling it a high level sponsor of terrorism after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt shook the region by cutting political and trade ties with the small state in June. The action suspended air and shipping routes with the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which is home to the region's biggest U.S. military base. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told reporters in Paris that he had seen a "greater desire" from Trump to fix the stand-off through discussion. "He has stated very clearly that he doesn't want to see conflict among friends. So there is a determination by the U.S. to solve this by dialogue." There was no immediate comment from the White House. In Trump's initial comments in June, he suggested he had helped plan the Qatar action with Arab leaders, though last week he said he expected the dispute to be solved quickly. The nations say Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatar's leaders deny. Al-Thani said Qatar was doing well economically despite the sanctions, but said the Arab action was actually driving Qatar closer to Tehran, something Doha has acknowledged in the past. "They said Qatar was now closer to Iran. By their measures they are pushing Qatar to Iran. They are giving Iran, or any regional force, Qatar like a gift," he said. "Is that their objective, to push one country, a GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) member state toward Iran? This is not a wise objective," he added. Al-Thani said Qatar's position over Syria had not changed. Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have backed Syrian rebels, despite their differences. "After eight months, after the militarization of the (Syrian) revolution, this is when Qatar decided to take a side. We decided to stand with the people," said al-Thani. "Our position - will it be changed because blockading nations have a dispute with us? That would mean our principles that we are fighting for our worthless. Our position and the values which we have stuck to from the beginning have remained the same. War criminals need to be held accountable," he added. (Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Andrew Heavens)
Red Hat Inc RHT reported second-quarter fiscal 2018 non-GAAP earnings of 77 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate as well as managements guidance by a dime. The figure increased 38.7% on a year-over-year basis primarily driven by strong top-line growth and operating margin expansion.



Revenues increased 20.6% year over year to $723.4 million, primarily driven by strong subscription revenues and cross selling of cloud-enabled technology. The figure was better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $699 million as well as managements guided range of $695-$702 million.



Revenues (adjusted for currency impact) increased 20.1% year over year to $720.6 million. The company noted that 79% of the revenues (as compared with 81% in the year-ago quarter) came from the channel, while 21% came from direct sales force (as compared with 19% in the year-ago quarter). The year-over-year change in mix was driven by a number of deals that were closed by the companys direct sales team.



Americas, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) revenues increased 20.2%, 21.3% and 18.1%, respectively. Almost 57% of the bookings came from Americas, 24% from EMEA and 19% from APAC.



Red Hat, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Red Hat, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Red Hat, Inc. Quote

Based on the strong first-half fiscal 2018 results, management again raised fiscal 2018 guidance.



Shares climbed 3.35% in after-hour trading. Red Hats stock has gained 57% year to date, substantially outperforming the 24.5% rally of the industry it belongs to.





RHEL, Emerging Products Drove Top Line



Subscription revenues (88.1% of revenues) increased 20% year over year to $637.6 million. When adjusted for currency impact, revenues increased 19.6% to $635.1 million.



Infrastructure related subscription revenues (67% of total revenue) increased 14% from the year-ago quarter to almost $487.4 million. Management stated that growth came on the back of strong demand for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).



Application development & emerging technologies (OpenShift and OpenStack) subscriptions revenues (21% of total revenue) surged 44% year over year to $150.1 million. Revenues when adjusted for currency impact increased 43%.



During the quarter, Red Hat expended partnership with Microsoft MSFT with plans for new initiatives aimed at enabling enterprises to more easily adopt containers. The extended collaboration now supports Windows Server containers on OpenShift, OpenShift Dedicated on Microsoft Azure and SQL Server on both RHEL and OpenShift.



Training & services revenues (12% of total revenue) advanced 25% from the year-ago quarter to $85.8 million. The growth was driven by consulting projects for OpenShift and Ansible.



Recently, Red Hat announced the availability of Ansible Tower 3.2, which includes several new and enhanced features. The company also launched a new offering that provides support for the open source Ansible Engine. This product is also available with a new networking add-on and includes full integration support for Arista, Cisco Systems Inc CSCO, Juniper Networks Inc JNPR and VyOS technologies.



Cross-Selling Key Catalyst



Red Hat noted total 66 deals over $1 million in the quarter. Within these deals four were greater than $5 million. Moreover, the company renewed all top 25 largest deals at approximately 115% of prior deal value.



Management noted that 61% of the deals included one or more components from the companys application development and emerging technologies offerings. Top verticals within the deals greater than $1 million were financial services, government and other mainstream customers in sectors such as retail, energy and transportation.



Operational Details



Non-GAAP gross margin contracted 30 basis points (bps) from the year-ago quarter to 86.4%.



Adjusted operating expenses, as a percentage of revenues, decreased 390 bps to 60%. On a reported basis, operating expenses, as a percentage of revenues, decreased 510 bps driven by lower sales & marketing expense (down 370 bps), general & administrative expense (down 80 bps) and research & development expense (down 60 bps).



Non-GAAP operating margin expanded 360 bps to 26.4% due to lower operating expenses. Moreover, the figure was better than managements guidance.



Balance Sheet & Cash Flow



Red Hat ended the quarter with cash, cash equivalents & investments (including long term) of $2.31 billion as compared with $2.30 billion at the end of the previous quarter.



The company generated operating cash flow of almost $143 million compared with $258 million in the previous quarter.



Furthermore, Red Hat repurchased 800K shares worth $75 million during the quarter. The company had $499 million under its current share repurchase program.



Acquisition



During the quarter, Red Hat announced the acquisition of Permabit Technology Corporation, a provider of software for data deduplication, compression and thin provisioning. The addition of Permabits technology into the RHEL platform helps Red Hat to offer more efficient storage options to its customers.



Guidance



For fiscal 2018, Red Hat forecasts revenues to be in the range of approximately $2.880-$2.90 billion up from previous guidance of almost $2.79-$2.83 billion. Management expects the renewal rates to be around 120% for the fiscal year.



Non-GAAP operating margin is anticipated to be 23.8%, 20 bps better than previous guidance.



Red Hat now expects fiscal non-GAAP earnings to be in the range of $2.77-$2.79 per share, up from prior guidance of $2.66-$2.70.



Operating cash flow is still expected to be in a range of $880-$900 million, up from $850-$870 million.



Moving to the third quarter outlook, Red Hat projects revenues of $730-$737 million, while non-GAAP earnings is expected to be 70 cents per share.



Non-GAAP operating margin is expected to be 23.7%.



Red Hat carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Story continues

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If the Republicans in Congress want to try again to pass a health care bill, maybe they should make it about health care.

Three Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act failed spectacularly this year  including the latest, the Cassidy-Graham bill  because they werent really about health care. They were about money. Sure, the two are inextricably linked, but if your goal is to slash federal spending so you can cut taxes, then label your bill the Great American Tax Cut Act and promote it that way. Apparently there are enough smart voters to tell its a sham when you label something a health care bill but what you really do is eliminate care in order to save money.

Democrats made one giant mistake when they passed the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, in 2010: They hurt some people in order to help others. The law helped millions of low-income Americans who couldnt otherwise afford health insurance get it. But Obamacare punished middle-income Americans  especially those between the age of 50 and 64  who bought individual policies and earned too much to qualify for subsidies under the ACA. Their premiums skyrocketed and some had their plans canceled, because they didnt comply with new ACA rules. President Barack Obama earned the Politifact Lie of the Year award in 2013 for his claim that if you like your health care plan, you can keep it.

The competition for future Lies of the Year would have been intense had any one of the three GOP health care bills passed this year. Their backers claimed the bills would push health care costs down, improve coverage for people covered under Obamacare today and create more efficiency. But the main goal of each bill was to drastically cut federal spending on Medicaid, the health program for the poor. Obamacare expanded Medicaid, and the GOP scheme was to roll back that expansion, and go further.

Under each of the three bills, the number of uninsured would have soared, with estimates ranging from 22 million to 32 million addition people lacking coverage during the next decade. By definition, that is not health care reform.

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Learning from Obamacare

The lesson of Obamacare was the old medical oath: First, do no harm. So if the GOP ever produces an actual health care bill, its first aim should be to keep coverage levels where they are, at a minimum. Its second aim should be lowering costs for everybody, including those covered by government plans and those covered by private-sector plans. Getting costs under control would by its very nature help more people afford health care coverage, and lessen the burden on taxpayers who support Medicaid and other federal health programs.

Tackling the chronic rise of medical costs in the United States wont be easy, but its not impossible, either, and plenty of smart reformers have ideas. The government could come up with new ways to incentivize private-sector providers to lower costs, giving the free market a nudge to do what its best at. Providers should be rewarded, for instance, for offering the best care at the lowest price instead of offering the most care, regardless of outcome. This requires much better ways of measuring quality and long-term results. But isnt this the kind of thing Silicon Valley is supposed to excel at? Isnt artificial intelligence about to provide the ability to do remarkable new things? Isnt there an app for that?

Universal health care

The United States also ought to be moving toward universal health care coverage, which would have economic benefits and is the modern standard in every other advanced nation. Universal coverage doesnt mean a single-payer system dominated by the government, which frankly doesnt seem plausible in the United States any time soon. Instead, we could get there by relying more or less on the system we have now  including employer-provided care  while instituting some kind of new government backstop as last-resort catastrophic care for the unfortunates who still lack coverage. No less a conservative stalwart than economist Milton Friedman proposed this in 2001.

Meanwhile, stabilizing the Affordable Care Act would be the responsible thing to do, until Congress comes up with something that is legitimately better. That means enforcing all provisions of the law, committing to all the funding mechanisms and promoting it thoroughly so people know how to sign up. The ACA is far from perfect, but if Republicans abandoned their white-whale obsession with killing it, they could pursue other reforms that would actually help people, and businesses.

Finally, if Republicans are intent on reeling in Medicaid, they should pursue that on its face. Medicaid spending is, in fact, on an unsustainable trajectory, just like Medicare and Social Security. Its inevitable that at some point, Congress will either have to cut funding for these entitlement programs, or raise taxes to pay for all the benefits that have been promised. So addressing Medicaid spending isnt inherently evil.

The problem is doing it sneakily, which is what the Republicans have been doing all year, by dressing up sharp Medicaid cuts as the Better Care Reconciliation Act and other nonsense. Ya wanna cut Medicaid, guys? Then call it what it is. Meanwhile, it would be nice if you could think about fixing the health care problems we still have, at some point.

Confidential tip line: rickjnewman@yahoo.com. Encrypted communication available.

Read more:

Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman
The world-famous French TGV would be part of an Alstom-Siemens merger (AFP Photo/PHILIPPE HUGUEN) (AFP)

Berlin (AFP) - France's Alstom and Germany's Siemens have a deal ready to sign that would merge their rail businesses in the face of Chinese competition, German business daily Handelsblatt reported Monday.

Alstom, which makes the French TGV high-speed train, confirmed Friday that it was talking to Siemens about a possible railway tie-up, but said no decision had been taken.

Handelsblatt however, citing "insiders" familiar with the deal, said Monday the two groups have overcome past reservations about a joint venture with a "balanced agreement acceptable to both sides.

But Siemens has also been courting Canadian firm Bombardier, whose European operations are based in Berlin, and the two companies have their own detailed plan for two joint ventures covering rolling stock and signalling.

The Munich-based group's supervisory board is set to meet Tuesday to discuss the two options, Handelsblatt reported, while Alstom's executive board will also meet.

- Waiting for board meetings -

Both companies declined to comment on the report when contacted by AFP, but a source familiar with the talks backed it up, adding that the firms would make a statement on their plans once the boards have met.

Siemens and Alstom discussed a rail tie-up in 2014-15, but the French firm decided in the end to partner with General Electric, selling its energy division for 9.5 billion euros ($11.3 billion) to become a rail specialist.

A joint venture would bring together the engineering giants that make their countries' flagship high-speed trains, including the world-famous TGV.

Siemens would hold the presidency of the supervisory board under the plans, leaving Alstom chief Henri Poupart-Lafarge in place as chief executive.

The German firm brings in 7.8 billion euros of revenue annually from rail, while Paris-based Alstom boasts sales of 7.3 billion euros.

Combined, they would be more of a match for the 18.1 billion euros in revenue at Chinese giant CRRC, which is eyeing Skoda Transportation in the Czech Republic as a potential foothold in Europe.

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Handelsblatt reported that European authorities were expected to smile on the deal as it would create an EU-based champion on global markets.

French government officials under President Emmanuel Macron are especially keen on creating an "Airbus for rail", and according to media reports have pushed for the idea in talks with their opposite numbers in Berlin.

French business daily Les Echos reported last week that Paris recently sent an envoy to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Before winning a fourth term in office Sunday, Merkel gave her "green light" to deepen the discussions, the French daily reported.

A Franco-German deal would limit competition concerns in Germany compared with a Siemens-Bombardier tie-up -- and mean fewer politically difficult job cuts, according to Handelsblatt.
After the merger, a bigger T-Mobile with a faster network could take on AT&T and Verizon.

By Chris Nolter

Sprint (S) chairman Masayoshi Son has had his eye on T-Mobile (TMUS) for five years or more, and could finally realize his goal of creating a revved up competitor to AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ). The carrier might bear a stronger resemblance to T-Mobile than to Sons Sprint, however.

I would look at is almost as a super T-Mobile that is within striking distance of AT&T and Verizon, said Roger Entner of wireless consultancy Recon Analytics. Knowing [T-Mobile CEO] John Legeres mantra of we will not stop I dont think he would relent." T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekcom AG reportedly aims to have control of the merged company. If it ends up with control, Entner says to expect the surviving telecom to look like a bigger version of T-Mobile.

Shares of Sprint dropped 8.2% to $7.82 on Monday, following a big run-up on Friday. The carriers market cap came to $31.3 billion after the decline. T-Mobile fell 1.8%, or $62.89, with a market capitalization of $52.3 billion.

The post-merger telecom would have a nearly $88 billion market cap and $68 billion in debt, JPMorgan calculates.

Sprint and T-Mobile had 31.5 million and 36.2 million postpaid subscribers including phones and tablets, respectively, at the close of the second calendar quarter. The combined 67.7 million still trails AT&T and Verizon, with 77 million and 109 million subscribers..

Son has been aiming to shake up the U.S. telecom since Softbank invested $20.1 billion in Sprint in late 2012. The telecom and tech mogul aimed to bring the aggressive competition to the U.S. that Softbank had deployed in Japan.

Sprint and T-Mobile initially dropped merger discussions in 2014 after Obama administration regulators made clear they would object to the deal.

Donald Trumps presidential win in November opened the door for Sprint to pursue T-Mobile again, although there is still no guarantee that the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission will sign off on a merger that eliminates one of the four national wireless carriers.

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"The competitive pressure would not subside, Entner suggested. I think there would be a little more rationality. While the company would make aggressive bids to win customers, he suggests T-Mobile would not go to the lengths that Sprint has. For instance, with the launch of the new iPhone 8 in September, Sprint launched a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

Although T-Mobile was previously an aggressor in free iPhone trade-ins, this year it refrained. The carrier offered a $300 discount with a trade-in, and recently announced that it would provide subscribers of its unlimited family plans with free Netflix (NFLX) subscriptions.

Sprint and T-Mobile would have a massive portfolio of wireless spectrum. Their combined 318 MHz of spectrum of wireless licenses is nearly double AT&Ts more than 150 MHz and trumps Verizons more than 100 MHz of spectrum.

The excess capacity would allow the carriers to offer higher speeds, although Entner suggested that at a point the benefits would plateau. The number 1 application is video, he said. Once youre faster than [the speed requirement for] high-definition video, if not 4k video, where is the point from a user experience?
Donald Trump has been accused of declaring war against North Korea

A top North Korean diplomat has accused Donald Trump of declaring war against the rogue nation.

He said that The Presidents tweeting stating that Kim jong-Un wont be around much longer amounted to a declaration of war by the United States.

Foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said that Mr Trumps statement gives North Korea every right under the UN Charter to take counter-measures, including the right to shoot down American bombers, even before they have entered the airspace of North Korea.

Mr Ri said that the world should clearly remember that the U.S. first declared war.

Mr Trump attacked the foreign minister on Twitter on Sunday.

Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

The tweet came after Mr Ri told the United Nations General Assembly that it was inevitable that Pyongyang would fire its rockets at the US mainland after Mr Trump called Kim Jong-un rocket man.

Ri Yong Ho was speaking just hours after US Air Force bombers flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.

Last week The President said he was prepared to totally destroy North Korea, calling Kim Jong-un a rocket man on a suicide mission.

He made the statements in a fiery speech to the UN headquarters in New York, threatening the complete destruction of the country if it does not abandon its drive toward nuclear weapons.

In a wide-ranging speech, Mr Trump also reaffirmed his desire to put America first; addressed the threat posed by international terrorists such as Isis; slammed the embarrassing nuclear deal with Iran, which is described as economically depleted; and described the US as a compassionate nation in relation to the refugee crisis.

Mr Trump, who has previously warned of fire and fury if Pyongyang does not back down, said: The scourge of our planet today is a small group of rogue regimes that violate every principal on which the United Nations is based.

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They respect neither their own citizens nor the sovereign rights of their countries.

If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few then evil will triumph.

When decent people and nations become bystanders to history the forces of destruction only gather power and strength.

No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the wellbeing of their won people than the depraved regime in North Korea. It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans and for the imprisonments, torture, killing and oppression of countless more.
Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone arrives to testify behind closed-doors as part of the House Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone said Tuesday he's "aware of no evidence whatsoever" that Trump's campaign coordinated with Russians during the 2016 election.

Stone spoke to the House intelligence committee for more than three hours as part of the panel's probe into Russian interference in the election. Afterward, he told reporters that the majority of lawmakers' questions focused on his communications with Guccifer 2.0, the unnamed hacker who has taken credit for breaking into Democratic National Committee email servers. He said questions also focused on communications he had through an intermediary with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Stone has long denied that he worked with Russian officials to influence the presidential election. In a lengthy and combative statement released Monday night ahead of the interview, Stone said "there is one 'trick' that is not in my bag and that is treason."

Stone, a Republican strategist who has known Trump for many years and informally advised him during the 2016 campaign, has denied that he had advance knowledge of the leak of former Clinton Campaign chairman John Podesta's emails and says he never colluded with Assange, who released Podesta's emails on his website.

"While some may label me a dirty trickster, the members of this committee could not point to any tactic that is outside the accepted norms of what political strategists and consultants do today. I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support," he wrote in the statement.

He also released a series of supporting documents Monday evening, including direct messages he exchanged with Guccifer that he calls "innocuous."

The direct messages on Twitter, exchanged over a monthlong period, show Stone first congratulating Guccifer for being reinstated on Twitter after he was kicked off, and asking that the account retweet a tweet about how the election could be rigged against Trump. Guccifer writes, "I'm pleased to say that u r great man .... please tell me if I can help u anyhow."

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Stone doesn't respond again until several weeks later, when Guccifer asks him about an article on a Democratic turnout model. Stone replies "pretty standard."

On WikiLeaks, Stone said he was kept apprised of Assange's plans to release the Podesta emails by a journalist he said served as an "intermediary."

He said after the interview that he wouldn't release the name of the journalist, and that was the one question he wouldn't answer in the interview. He said he didn't want to reveal the source of that information because it was "off the record."

Speaking to reporters after Stone, California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, said there was "one area" where Stone refused to cooperate and the committee may have to subpoena him. He didn't say what area that was.

Stone has been heavily critical of Schiff ever since the Democrat suggested in March that Stone had a direct line to Russian hackers based on Stone's August 2016 tweet "it will soon be the Podesta's time in the barrel." Several weeks later, Assange released Podesta's hacked emails.

Stone said in the statement that tweet had nothing to do with the release of emails, but was out of frustration after Podesta's counterpart on the Trump campaign, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, resigned.

It's unclear if Stone will be called to Capitol Hill again. He said he'd had minimal contact with the Senate intelligence committee, which is also investigating the Russian meddling. He also said that he has had no contact with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is also conducting an investigation.

The House panel will also interview former Trump staffer Boris Epshteyn this week, according to a source familiar with the interview. The person declined to be named because the panel's meetings are private.

Epshteyn, who grew up in Moscow, worked a short time in the White House press office. He left in March and now works as a political analyst for right-leaning Sinclair Broadcasting.

The interviews come as the House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into the meddling and scrutinizing the spread of false news stories and propaganda on social media. The Senate intelligence committee will speak to officials from Twitter Thursday, also behind closed doors.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is also investigating the Russian meddling. In a letter Monday, the chairman and top Democrat on that panel asked the CIA to provide the committee with the same materials that have been provided to the Senate intelligence committee.

Russian interference falls "squarely within the Judiciary Committee's jurisdiction," wrote Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.
An illuminated sign appears in a Lyft ride-hailing car in Los Angeles, California, U.S. September 21, 2017. Picture taken September 21, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

By Eric Auchard and Costas Pitas

FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) - Lyft, Ubers closest U.S. rival in the taxi-hailing business, met repeatedly with officials from London's transport regulator over the past year, a sign it may be targeting the city for international expansion.

Transport for London (TfL), which oversees taxi and private hire car operators, published details of the meetings with Lyft executives in response to a UK government freedom of information request in July.

If Lyft enters the London market Uber would face its first well-funded competitor in Europe when it is trying to overturn a decision by TfL not to renew its license. Lyft has raised around $2.6 billion in financing, including an investment round of $600 million in April, according to funding tracker Crunchbase.

Lyft's investors include automaker General Motors (GM.N).

London's transport regulator on Friday said it would not renew Uber's license to operate, citing the firm's approach to reporting serious criminal offences and background checks on drivers.

Lyft has already signaled it is looking at expansion outside the United States. Chief Executive Logan Green told the Associated Press in August that Lyft planned to go international "in the not too distant future".

A Lyft spokeswoman declined to comment on the timing of any expansion moves or the nature of Lyft meetings with London officials. It now operates ride services in more than 600 cities, covering as much as 95 percent of the U.S. population.

Four TfL officials met with Lyfts Chief Strategy Officer Raj Kapoor and Michael Masserman, its director of international government relations, in December 2016. Three unnamed members of the Greater London Authority were also present, according to TfL documents. Lyft presented details of its business model in that meeting.

Subsequent follow-up-conversations took place between TfL's Director of Transport Innovation Michael Hurwitz and Lyft executives Kapoor and Masserman over the phone in December and in January, TfL documents showed.

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This was followed by another meeting between the three in New York in March.

We regularly talk to companies around the world about innovation that could improve transport in London," Hurwitz, said in a statement.

(Reporting by Eric Auchard and Costas Pitas. Editing by Jane Merriman)
By Makiko Yamazaki and Sam Nussey

TOKYO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Western Digital Corp said on Tuesday it will seek an injunction to block the sale of Toshiba Corp's prized semiconductor business to a rival group, upping the ante in an acrimonious battle with its chip venture partner.

The latest legal action by the U.S. firm, which jointly invests in Toshiba's main chip plant, comes in the wake of the Japanese conglomerate's decision last week to sell the semiconductor unit to a consortium led by Bain Capital LP.

The $18 billion agreement with the Bain group is, however, still unsigned, with Toshiba telling its main banks this week that Apple Inc, a member of the consortium and an important client, had yet to agree to key terms.

Western Digital's injunction is being sought with the International Court of Arbitration, where the California-based company, which argues no deal can be done without its consent, initiated proceedings against its partner earlier this year.

A panel of three arbitrators may be formed as early as this week and a decision on the injunction could come late this year, which would be before any deal is finalised, a source familiar with the matter said, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of the mattter. A final ruling on the dispute is not expected before 2019.

The highly contentious auction process underscores how high the stakes are as rival suitors, the Japanese government and Toshiba's creditor banks all squabble over the world's second biggest producer of NAND memory chips.

For Toshiba, a signed deal would come not a moment too soon as it needs to raise billions of dollars to cover liabilities arising from its now bankrupt U.S. nuclear unit Westinghouse before the end of the financial year in March. If it fails to do that, it could be delisted.

Even if Toshiba manages to sign the deal with the Bain group imminently, it is still cutting it fine as regulatory reviews often take six months.

For its part, Western Digital, one of world's leading makers of hard disk drives, paid some $16 billion last year to acquire SanDisk, Toshiba's chip joint venture partner since 2000 and sees chips as a key pillar of growth.

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At some points during the nine-month auction process, the consortium backed by Western Digital and which also includes KKR & Co had looked liked it was the front-runner to win. But the U.S. firm, whose relationship with Toshiba has rapidly deteriorated, would not agree to limits to any future stake in the chip business that Toshiba had demanded, sources have said.

Just last week, Western Digital filed a fresh arbitration request seeking to stop Toshiba from investing in a new chip facility in Yokkaichi, Japan, unless SanDisk was also allowed to invest.

Toshiba said in August it decided to invest in the new line without Western Digital as they "failed to reach agreement" on joint investment.

Western Digital previously sought an injunction from a California state court to block any sale of the chip unit without its consent. The court ordered Toshiba in July to give Western Digital two weeks' notice before any deal is closed.

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki and Sam Nussey; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
By Makiko Yamazaki and Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) - Western Digital Corp said on Tuesday it will seek an injunction to block the sale of Toshiba Corp's prized semiconductor business to a rival group, upping the ante in an acrimonious battle with its chip venture partner. The latest legal action by the U.S. firm, which jointly invests in Toshiba's main chip plant, comes in the wake of the Japanese conglomerate's decision last week to sell the unit to a consortium led by Bain Capital LP and South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix. The $18 billion agreement with the Bain group is, however, still unsigned, with Toshiba telling its main banks this week that Apple Inc, a member of the consortium and an important client, had yet to agree to key terms. Western Digital's injunction is being sought with the International Court of Arbitration, where the California-based company, which argues no deal can be done without its consent, initiated proceedings against its partner earlier this year. A panel of three arbitrators may be formed as early as this week and a decision on the injunction could come late this year before any deal closes, a source familiar with the matter said, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of the mattter. A final ruling on the dispute is not expected before 2019. The contentious auction has underscored how high the stakes are, as rival suitors, the Japanese government and Toshiba's creditor banks all squabble over the world's second biggest producer of NAND memory chips. For Toshiba, a signed deal would come not a moment too soon as it needs to raise billions of dollars to cover liabilities arising from its now bankrupt U.S. nuclear unit Westinghouse before the end of the financial year in March. If it fails to do that, it could be delisted. Even if Toshiba manages to sign the deal with the Bain group imminently, it is still cutting it fine as regulatory reviews usually take at least six months. STAKES HIGH Western Digital said in a statement that Toshiba's decision had been disappointing, given that it had made major concessions. These included giving up its participation in the consortium it was part of, leaving KKR & Co and a state-backed fund, the Innovation Network of Japan (INCJ), as the main investors. It also gave up on a plan to take a future equity stake. It said it was vehemently opposed to a Bain deal, arguing that the inclusion of SK Hynix, a rival chipmaker, heightens the risk of technology leaks and introduces the risk that the deal may not clear regulatory reviews, unlike the KKR/INCJ bid which does not include a chipmaker. Toshiba declined to comment. Western Digital, one of world's leading makers of hard disk drives, paid some $16 billion last year to acquire SanDisk, Toshiba's chip joint venture partner since 2000. It sees chips as a key pillar of growth and is desperate to keep the business out of the hands of rival chipmakers. Just last week, Western Digital filed a fresh arbitration request seeking to stop Toshiba from investing in a new chip facility in Yokkaichi, Japan, unless SanDisk was also allowed to invest. Toshiba said in August it decided to invest in the new line without Western Digital as they "failed to reach agreement" on joint investment. Western Digital previously sought an injunction from a California state court to block any sale of the chip unit without its consent. The court ordered Toshiba in July to give Western Digital two weeks' notice before any deal is closed. (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki and Sam Nussey; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Early Monday, North Koreas foreign minister said that Donald Trump had declared war on the Asian country. Later, when asked if the White house viewed President Trumps words as a declaration of war, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders replied, Not at all. We have not declared war on North Korea, and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd.

As a part of North Koreas assertion that the U.S. had ratcheted up tensions to a militaristic level, foreign minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters outside the United Nations in New York on Monday morning, The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country, according to reporting by multiple news outlets.

The North Korean official also said that the country now has the right to shoot down American military aircraft in its defenseeven if they are outside the countrys air space.

Its never appropriate for a country to shoot down another countrys aircraft when its over international waters, Sanders told reporters at Mondays White House press briefing in response. Our goal remains the samewe continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Mondays tension comes after after President Trump threatened to totally destroy North Korea in a U.N. General Assembly speech on Sept. 19. He insulted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the prepared remarks, calling him rocket man.

Kim responded by insulting the U.S. president in a televised address, saying he would surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire. North Koreas foreign minister followed up over the weekend with even more strong words, telling General Assembly that targeting the U.S. mainland with rockets was inevitable.

In response, Trump took to Twitter on Saturday, tweeting Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they wont be around much longer! Todays remarks by North Korea were largely in reaction to that tweet.
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani and Russian military commandos have launched joint counterterrorism drills in the mountains and forests of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia.

The two-week exercise dubbed "Friendship 2017" involves more than 200 mostly special forces from both countries who will conduct joint "hostage rescue" and "cordon-and-search" operations, according to the Pakistani military.

"The joint exercise will enhance and further strengthen military ties between the countries and share the Pakistani Army's experience in war against terrorism," it added.

Meanwhile, nearly three-week joint air force exercises hosted by China with Pakistan are due to conclude this week. A spokesman for the Chinese Air Force described them as "routine" exercises.

Pakistan's deepening political, economic, and defense ties with traditional ally China and its emerging new alliance with Russia come amid Islamabad's increasingly uneasy and strained relations with the United States.

The tensions stem from persistent U.S. allegations that Pakistan is not doing enough to prevent terrorist groups on its soil from undertaking deadly attacks against U.S. troops in Afghanistan or from undermining peace-building efforts in the war-ravaged country.

Bilateral ties have plunged to new lows following U.S. President Donald Trump's policy speech last month that accused Islamabad of not ending terrorist safe havens on its soil. U.S. officials have also threatened, among other punitive measures, to degrade Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally.

Islamabad promptly rejected the charges, saying no sanctuaries exist on Pakistani soil because of sustained security operations. It asserted Washington was "scapegoating" Pakistan because of its own "failures" in ending the Afghan war.

Pakistan hosted the inaugural round of the counterterrorism drills with Russia late last year, their first-ever joint military exercise.

The drills stem from a defense cooperation agreement the two countries signed in 2014, lifting a long-running Russian embargo on arms sales to Pakistan.

The deal paved the way for the sale of Mi-35 combat helicopters to Islamabad, despite objections by India, Moscow's longtime ally and Pakistan's archenemy.

The October 4 conclusion of the drills is expected to coincide with an official visit to Russia by Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said the visit is a regular high-level exchange between the two sides that "has set the stage for translating political goodwill into a substantial partnership, in particular in the field of defense."

-- By Voice Of America
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- B2Gold Corp. (TSX:BTO) (NYSE AMERICAN:BTG) (NSX:B2G) (B2Gold or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Company has completed construction of the Fekola mill and commenced ore processing, more than three months ahead of schedule and on budget, at the Fekola Mine. Gold is now in the circuit and the first gold pour is anticipated by mid-October 2017. The Company expects to achieve commercial production and produce between 50,000 to 55,000 ounces of gold by the end of 2017. In addition, the Company announces it has completed a new Life of Mine (LoM) plan for the Fekola deposit that projects higher mill throughput and annual gold production, and lower projected operating costs per ounce and all-in sustaining costs (AISC) per ounce of gold than the original (4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA)) plan in the Optimized Feasibility Study (OFS). The new LoM plan was completed based on the expanded 5 MTPA mill throughput and takes into account an early start-up, increased processing throughput, and improved open-pit design and scheduling versus the OFS (see table below).



New Fekola LoM Plan Highlights:

A comparison of the OFS and LoM is as follows:

Parameters1 OFS  4 MTPA

(June 2015) New LoM  5 MTPA

(September 2017) LoM Gold Production (million ounces) 3.45 3.45 LoM (years) 12.5 10 Gold Production: LoM (000 ounces) 276 345 Gold Production: Years 1-3 (000 ounces) 333 400 Gold Production: Years 1-7 (000 ounces) 350 374 Operating Cash Cost: LoM (US$/oz) 552 428 Operating Cash Cost: Years 1-3 (US$/oz) 464 357 Operating Cash Cost: Years 1-7 (US$/oz) 418 391 AISC: LoM (US$/oz) 752 664 AISC: Years 1-3 (US$/oz) 717 604 AISC: Years 1-7 (US$/oz) 661 643

No material change to Feasibility Mineral Reserves with the new resource model, pit and phase designs, and production plan. The contained Mineral Reserve remains 3.34 million ounces 2 contained in 43.8 million tonnes at an average grade of 2.37g/t

contained in 43.8 million tonnes at an average grade of 2.37g/t No material change to mining production or fleet size

Processing throughput increased to 5 Mtpa vs. 4 Mtpa in the OFS

Significant upside in mine life and ounces produced exists within current resource, with further potential as adjacent and other targets are developed

1Gold production, cash operating costs and AISC are presented on an average annual basis

2Mineral Reserves are reported on a 90% attributable basis

The Fekola Project has been built using the same construction team that had previously completed four gold mines, on schedule and on budget, for B2Golds predecessor company (Bema Gold Corporation) and B2Gold. Prior to construction, the Company recognized the exploration potential beyond the initial reserves and decided to build the Fekola mill with a 25% design capacity to allow for future expansion of the mill throughput from 4 MTPA to 5 MTPA for an additional expenditure of approximately $18 million. Due to the success of the Fekola Mine construction (more than three months ahead of schedule and on budget) and further exploration success at Fekola, the Company decided to expedite the expansion and complete it during the construction phase rather than post construction. The Fekola Project remains on budget; total cumulative forecast construction costs for the project (from inception to completion) include pre-construction sunk costs of approximately $41 million, feasibility study construction costs of $462 million and $18 million additional costs for the mill expansion to 5 MTPA. Additionally, another $20 million is expected to be spent on relocating the village of Fadougou.

In 2018, the Fekola Mine is now projected to produce between 400,000 and 410,000 ounces of gold at an operating cost of approximately $354 and AISC of $609 per ounce of gold.

Exploration

B2Golds exploration team believes the expansive Fekola property has the potential to host additional large Fekola-style gold deposits. Surface exploration, regional drilling and geophysics to date have identified numerous targets.

The Company has drilled approximately 2,800 aircore, reverse circulation and diamond drill holes totalling 180,000 metres. Approximately 75% of the drilling has focused on exploration drilling with the remainder on in-fill drilling. Based on the successful results to date, the Fekola Mine and regional exploration budgets for 2017 have been increased by $3.8 million to $15.4 million.

The resource identified to date from drilling below and to the north of the Fekola reserve boundary combined with the near-pit portion of the Kiwi zone (to the north) could add 900,000 ounces (2/3 in the indicated category) and is being further drilled to potentially move resources from the inferred category into the measured and indicated categories. Drilling further to the north of the reserve pit boundary has identified additional gold mineralization near surface and in some deeper holes. This indicates the potential to increase the gold resources and ultimately expand the planned Fekola reserves further to the north.

Deeper below the Kiwi zone is the down-plunge extension of the main Fekola ore body. Drilling in this zone (Fekola Deeps) has intercepted Fekola-type gold grades over large intervals. If the on-going drilling between the near surface Kiwi zone and Fekola Deeps continues to encounter good grade gold mineralization, there is the potential for the Fekola pit to ultimately become much larger to exploit both the Kiwi zone and a portion of Fekola Deeps by open pit. The Fekola Deeps zone remains open further to the north further down dip and has the potential to be exploited by underground mining.

The Company anticipates another large exploration budget (approximately $15 million) for Fekola in 2018, for in-fill drilling, further exploration drilling at the Kiwi and Fekola Deeps zones and regional exploration. The Company anticipates announcing results from the 2017 drilling program in November 2017.

Update on the Fekola Shareholder Agreement and Mining Convention

In 2016, pursuant to applicable mining law, the Company formed a new 100% owned subsidiary company, Fekola SA, which now holds the Companys interest in the Fekola Project. Upon signing of a shareholders agreement between the Company and the State of Mali (the Fekola Shareholder Agreement), the Company will contribute a 10% free carried interest in Fekola SA to the State of Mali. The State of Mali also has the option to purchase an additional 10% of Fekola SA which it has confirmed its intent to exercise. The Company has signed a mining convention in the form required under the 2012 Mining Code (the Fekola Convention) that relates to, among other things, the ownership, permitting, reclamation bond requirements, development, operation and taxation applicable to the Fekola Project with the State of Mali. The Company recently finalized certain additional agreements with the State of Mali including the Fekola Shareholders Agreement and an amendment to the Fekola Mining convention to address and clarify certain issues under the 2012 Mining Code. The Fekola Mining Convention, as amended, will govern the procedural and economic parameters pursuant to which the Company will operate the Fekola Project.

About B2Gold Corp.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, B2Gold Corp. is one of the fastest-growing intermediate gold producers in the world. Founded in 2007, today, B2Gold has five operating mines (four in production and one in pre-production), and numerous exploration and development projects in various countries including Finland, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Namibia, Mali and Burkina Faso.

Based on current assumptions and updates to B2Golds current year guidance and long-term mine plans, the Company is projecting consolidated gold production in 2017 of between 530,000 and 570,000 ounces (including estimated pre-commercial production from the Fekola Mine of between 50,000 and 55,000 ounces); and in 2018, significantly increasing to between 925,000 and 975,000 ounces, with the inclusion of the anticipated first full-year of commercial production at Fekola.

ON BEHALF OF B2GOLD CORP.

Clive T. Johnson

President and Chief Executive Officer

Qualified Person

Tom Garagan, Senior Vice President of Exploration for B2Gold, a qualified person under NI 43-101, has approved the exploration information contained in this news release.

Peter D. Montano, P.E., the Project Director of B2Gold, a qualified person under NI 43-101, has approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

For more information on B2Gold please visit the Company website at www.b2gold.com or contact:

Ian MacLean

Vice President, Investor Relations

604-681-8371

imaclean@b2gold.com

Katie Bromley

Manager, Investor Relations & Public Relations

604-681-8371

kbromley@b2gold.com

This news release includes certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including projections of future financial and operational performance; statements with respect to future events or future performance; production estimates and guidance, including the Companys projected gold production of between 530,000 to 570,000 ounces in 2017 (including pre-commercial production from Fekola of between 50,000 and 55,000 ounces) and projected gold production of between 925,000 and 975,000 ounces in 2018; projected operating and production costs and guidance; estimates of capital expenditures and planned investments and budgets; and statements regarding anticipated exploration, development, construction, production, permitting and other activities of the Company, including: the Fekola Project being approximately three months ahead of schedule and beginning production in October 2017; the first gold pour at Fekola being by or about mid-October 2017; Fekola achieving commercial production and producing 50,000 to 55,000 ounces of gold by the end of 2017; Fekola producing between 400,000 and 410,000 ounces of gold at an operating cost of approximately $354 and AISC of $609 per ounce of gold in 2018; the estimates, projections and anticipated results in the OFS LoM plan and the new LoM plan, including the projection in the new LoM plan of higher mill throughput and annual gold production, lower operating costs per ounce and AISC per ounce compared to the OFS; the Fekola Project being on budget; the estimated pre-construction and construction costs at Fekola and the cost to relocate the village of Fadougou; the State of Mali exercising its option to acquire an additional 10% interest in the Fekola Project, for an aggregate 20% interest; the results of future exploration; the potential to identify additional mineral resources and to convert existing and new mineral resources into mineral reserves and to extend anticipated mine life; the potential to extend the current Fekola LoM by 3 years and 900,000 ounces; the potential for mineralization to extend north of the current Fekola resource and for exploration to expand the resource at Fekola; the potential to extend the Fekola pit to the north and mine a portion of Kiwi and Fekola Deeps zones by open pit or underground; exploration plans including future drilling; future cash flows; the amendment of the Fekola Mining Convention; expectations of future growth and profitability and the adequacy of capital for continued operations. Estimates of mineral resources and reserves are also forward-looking statements because they constitute projections, based on certain estimates and assumptions, regarding the amount of minerals that may be encountered in the future and/or the anticipated economics of production, should a production decision be made. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as expect, plan, anticipate, project, target, potential, schedule, forecast, budget, estimate, intend or believe and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could, should or might occur.

Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond B2Golds control, including risks associated with the volatility of metal prices and the Companys common shares; risks and dangers inherent in exploration, development and mining activities; uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates; risk of not achieving production, cost or other estimates; risk that actual production, development plans and costs differ materially from the estimates in the Companys feasibility studies; risks related to ore purchase commitments; the ability to obtain and maintain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for mining activities; risks related to environmental regulations or hazards and compliance with complex regulations associated with mining activities; the ability to replace mineral reserves and identify acquisition opportunities; availability of financing and financing risks; risks related to operations in foreign and developing countries and compliance with foreign laws; risks related to remote operations and the availability adequate infrastructure, fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs necessary for mining operations; regulatory, political and country risks; the final outcome of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources audit; as well as other factors identified and as described in more detail under the heading Risk Factors in B2Golds most recent Annual Information Form and B2Golds other filings with Canadian securities regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), which may be viewed at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively. The list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Companys forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur. The Companys forward-looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

Non-IFRS Measures:

This news release includes certain terms or performance measures commonly used in the mining industry that are not defined under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), including cash operating costs and all-in sustaining costs (or AISC). Non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not be comparable to similar measures employed by other companies. The data presented is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS and should be read in conjunction with B2Golds consolidated financial statements. Readers should refer to B2Golds management discussion and analysis, available under B2Golds corporate profile at www.sedar.com and at www.sec.gov or on its website at www.b2gold.com, under the heading Non-IFRS Measures for a more detailed discussion of how B2Gold calculates such measures.

National Instrument 43-101

Cautionary Note to United States Investors:

The Company has prepared its public disclosures in accordance with Canadian securities laws, which differ in certain respects from U.S. securities laws. In particular, this news release refers to mineral resources, indicated mineral resources and inferred mineral resources. While these categories of mineralization are recognized and required by Canadian securities laws, they are not recognized by the SEC and are not normally permitted to be disclosed in SEC filings by U.S. companies. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part of a mineral resource, indicated mineral resource or an inferred mineral resource will ever be converted into a reserve. In addition, reserves reported by the Company under Canadian standards may not qualify as reserves under SEC standards. Under SEC standards, mineralization may not be classified as a reserve unless the mineralization can be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time the reserve determination is made. Accordingly, information contained or referenced in this news release containing descriptions of the Companys mineral deposits may not be compatible to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of U.S. federal securities laws, rules and regulations. Inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty 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. Historical results or feasibility models presented herein are not guarantees or expectations of future performance.

Currency: All amounts in this news release are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated.

The Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American LLC have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by the Company.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bluestone Resources Inc. (TSX-V:BSR) ("Bluestone" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an exploration activity update from the Cerro Blanco gold project in Guatemala.



Exploration activities incorporates three key areas: 1) Cerro Blanco deposit; 2) Cerro Blanco project area; and 3) Structural Geology.

Bluestone's President & CEO Darren Klinck commented, "We are pleased to have a number of exploration initiatives underway at Cerro Blanco. This work represents the first geological related work on the project in more than four years and will form important contributions to the Feasibility Study as well as our objective to identify near-term opportunities for resource expansion.

Cerro Blanco Deposit

An analysis of the current resource model by Garth Kirkham, P.Geo. of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd. (as per February 7, 2017 BSR press release) has identified several priority target areas. These represent areas that are under-drilled and are either adjacent to, or exist as targets, within the resource envelope. The Company is proposing an initial Phase 1 drill program that will consist of more than 5,000 meters of diamond drilling, and is expected to commence in October 2017 to test these targets, expand resources, and increase confidence and continuity.

In addition, an underground channel sampling program commenced in July. Work to-date from this program confirms the veins observed are consistent with the resource model which has been based on surface drill results previously completed by Goldcorp. The mapping and sampling has also identified several new mineralized structures which are not currently included in the resource model. More than 280 channel samples have been collected from targeted areas within the three kilometres of the underground workings at Cerro Blanco. Sampling is still underway and a full complement of results are expected to be received in the coming weeks. This program represents the first physical geological work done on the project in more than four years.

Cerro Blanco Project Area

A reconnaissance program has been initiated targeting untested structures outside of the known limits of the current resource. Multi auriferous anomalies defined by historical geophysical, geochemical data and drill data have identified mineralized corridors that range between 150 and 500 meters which is consistent with the mineralized envelopes at Cerro Blanco. The initial program will assess the larger scale potential of the land package through a combination of systematic grid-based soil sampling, geological mapping and prospecting, augmented by the geophysical data. This systematic form of exploration is planned to cover the prospective tenements package. Figure 1 below displays the interpreted geological setting of the project area along with five target areas recently identified outlined in yellow.

A photo accompanying this press release is available here: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c67b6ab1-c82f-412b-b60a-a7b5444e26c0

Structural Geology

The Company has engaged Warren Pratt, Ph.D. from SGM Ltd. to conduct a structural review of the Cerro Blanco project. Work commenced in July and is expected to continue for the coming months. The objective of the work program is to conduct a full structural analysis of the Cerro Blanco project. Data from the structural geology work will be directly applied to the Feasibility Study already underway in the areas of ore-reserve estimation, geotechnical, mine planning and water management. In addition, this information will be a valuable guide for exploration activities in the broader Cerro Blanco project area as well as further enhancing our understanding of the Mita geothermal project. Work underway has consisted of core relogging and underground structural mapping. This has highlighted several folds, which are now believed to be important controls for mineralization. Ongoing work is targeted at creating wireframes of individual veins and vein zones to constrain resource calculations.

About Specialised Geological Mapping Ltd (SGM)

SGM Principal, Dr. Warren Pratt, has a PhD in Structural Geology from the University College of Wales and brings extensive worldwide experience in a great variety of geological terrains, including epithermal systems. Dr. Pratt is fluent in Spanish and has a strong mapping background, including a decade of British Geological Survey training. In 1994 he won the Presidents Award of the Geological Society of London for detailed thematic mapping. Since 1995 he has worked extensively in Au, Ag and Cu exploration, including consulting on World Class mineral deposits (e.g. Navidad, Argentina; Kupol, Russia; Ventana Gold, Colombia).

Qualified Persons

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 (NI43-101) and reviewed and approved by David R. Gunning, P. Eng., Vice President of Operations, and a Qualified Person.

Garth Kirkham, P.Geo., of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd. is the Qualified Person, as defined in National Instrument 43-101, responsible for the geological information as reported herein. He has read and approved the relevant technical portions of this news release.

About Bluestone Resources

Bluestone Resources is a mineral exploration and development company that is focused on advancing its 100% owned Cerro Blanco gold and Mita geothermal projects located in Guatemala. The Cerro Blanco deposit is a classic hot-springs-related low-sulfidation quartz-chalcedony-adularia-calcite vein system. It is localized along a complex fault intersection created during late Miocene-Pliocene tectonic extension within the active Central American volcanic arc. The district is very prospective for precious metal mineralization with further possibilities for hot springs-related, low sulfidation gold-silver deposits.

The Cerro Blanco Gold Project economics, as disclosed in the Company's Cerro Blanco Preliminary Economic Assessment which is available at www.sedar.com, and updated mineral resource estimate for Cerro Blanco indicates a robust project with an expected nine-year mine life producing 952,000 ounces of gold and 3,141,000 ounces of silver. Initial capital expenditures estimated in the PEA to fund construction and commissioning is estimated at US$170.8 million with All-in sustaining cash costs (as defined per World Gold Council guidelines, less corporate general and administration costs) estimated to be US$490 per ounce of gold produced.

Bluestone is well financed with approximately US$35 million in the treasury (as of August 31, 2017). The Company trades under the symbol BSR on the TSX Venture Exchange.

On Behalf of Bluestone Resources Inc.

Darren Klinck

Darren Klinck

President and Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Bluestone Resources

Phone: +1 604 646 4534

info@bluestoneresources.ca

www.bluestoneresources.ca

Cautionary Language

The Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

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.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release 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 (collectively, forward-looking statements). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that Bluestone Resources Inc. (Bluestone or the Company) believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, without limitation: the proposed timeline and benefits of the Feasibility Study; statements about the Companys plans for its mineral properties; Bluestones business strategy, plans and outlook; the future financial or operating performance of Bluestone; capital expenditures, corporate general and administration expenses and exploration and development expenses; expected working capital requirements; the future financial estimates of the Cerro Blanco Project economics, including estimates of capital costs of constructing mine facilities and bringing a mine into production and of sustaining capital costs, estimates of operating costs and total costs, net present value and economic returns; proposed production timelines and rates; funding availability; resource estimates; and future exploration and operating plans are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to Bluestone and often use words such as expects, plans, anticipates, estimates, intends, may or variations thereof or the negative of any of these terms.

All forward-looking statements are made based on the Companys current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. Generally, these assumptions include, among others: the ability of Bluestone to carry on exploration and development activities; the price of gold, silver and other metals; there being no material variations in the current tax and regulatory environment; the exchange rates among the Canadian dollar, Guatemalan quetzal and the United States dollar remaining consistent with current levels; the presence of and continuity of metals at the Cerro Blanco Project at estimated grades; the availability of personnel, machinery and equipment at estimated prices and within estimated delivery times; metals sales prices and exchange rates assumed; appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in economic analyses; tax rates and royalty rates applicable to the proposed mining operation; the availability of acceptable financing; anticipated mining losses and dilution; success in realizing proposed operations; anticipated timelines for community consultations and the impact of those consultations on the regulatory approval process.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Bluestone. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: risks and uncertainties related to expected production rates, timing and amount of production and total costs of production; risks and uncertainties related to ability to obtain or maintain necessary licenses, permits, or surface rights; risks associated with technical difficulties in connection with mining development activities; risks and uncertainties related to the accuracy of mineral resource estimates and estimates of future production, future cash flow, total costs of production and diminishing quantities or grades of mineral resources; risks associated with geopolitical uncertainty and political and economic instability in Guatemala; risks and uncertainties related to interruptions in production; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Companys expectations; uncertain political and economic environments and relationships with local communities; risks relating to variations in the mineral content within the mineral identified as mineral resources from that predicted; variations in rates of recovery and extraction; developments in world metals markets; risks related to fluctuations in currency exchange rates; as well as those factors discussed under Risk Factors in the Companys Amended and Restated Annual Information Form.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made, and except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Bluestone disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although Bluestone believes that the 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 their inherent uncertainty. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.
Hong-Kong, currently estimated to be fourth most densely-populated region in the world,

Choice C:

Hi All,Originally a trading port,turned into a dependent territory of Great Britain in 1842 and was transferred to China on July 1st, 1997.This sentence is giving some information about Hong Kong. These information include:1. Hong Kong is originally a trading port.2. Currently it is estimated to be the fourth most densely-populated region in the world.3. It turned into a dependent territory of Greta Britain in 1842.4. It was transferred to China on July 1st, 1997.On carefully reading this sentence, we notice that all information given about Honk Kong are independent. They are not related anyway except for the fact that all these information are about the same place Honk Kong. Since, choice A is incorrect for the reason already discussed in the thread, we need to find an answer choice that provides all these information.Hong-Kong, currently estimated to be fourth in the list of the most densely-populated regions in the world, was originally a trading port thatThis is the correct answer choice and the explanation for the same has already been provided in previous discussions. This choice does not change the meaning of the sentence in any way. Except for choice E, all the answer choices convey the intended meaning.Choice C presents all the information that we get from the original sentence. In this clause that turned into dependent territory, that stands for a trading port and what is that trading port? Honk Kong is that trading port. So its telling the same thing in a different way. All the information remains the same. So there is no change in meaning in choice C.Hope this helps.Shraddha_________________
Sorry! The requested post has been removed or deleted by its author.
Legit.ng gathered that men of the Ghana police service have declared a Nigerian man wanted after his wife was found murdered barely a month after their wedding.

According to a post shared on Facebook by Onyebuchi Ememanka, a young lady was found dead barely two weeks after her traditional marriage.

The lady identified as Vera Udechukwu, had moved to Ghana to join her husband, Jerry Ugochukwu Ohale, after their wedding in August, and had been planning their white wedding before she was found murdered on September 10.

Her family has since been contacted, and an inquiry into what could have led to her death has been launched, especially after it was discovered that her husband may have fled.

Late Vera died barely a month after joining her husband in Ghana.

READ ALSO: Pretty Nigerian lady dies a month after getting married (photos)

Sharing the touching story, Onyebuchi wrote:

Ladies and gentleman, in the interest of justice and public safety, I am compelled to make this sad story public. I simply could not stomach it. The story was brought to my attention by a friend and I am convinced that the public should know about it and be on guard.

Miss Vera Udechukwu is, sorry, was an indigene of Oba in Anambra State. She was 24 years old. She met and fell in love with a young man called Jerry Ugochukwu Ohale, an indigene of Urualla, Ideato in Imo State. The guy is based in Ghana. They decided to get married.

Late August this year, they did their traditional wedding at Oba and the girl joined the husband in Ghana immediately after and they started planning their white wedding. Then tragedy struck!

READ ALSO: Man loses wife 38 days after their wedding

Late Vera Udechukwu was reportedly murdered in Ghana

Barely two weeks after the traditional wedding, precisely on the 10th of September 2017, Vera was murdered in cold blood. The Ghana Police authorities discovered her body and managed to establish contact with her family in Nigeria. The family was contacted the next day, September 11, 2017.

The intriguing part is that the husband, Jerry, is nowhere to be seen. The Police in Ghana has since launched a manhunt for him. They suspect he has fled Ghana and returned to Nigeria. Preliminary investigations by the Ghana Police show that the girl was brutally tortured to death. She was killed in the most gruesome circumstances. Many questions arise. Who killed this young lady? Could it be her husband? Why is the guy on the run? Why has he disappeared?

Meanwhile, the girls family is naturally distraught. They dont understand how their daughter whom they barely gave out in marriage barely few weeks ago is now dead. As we speak, the family is battling to retrieve the corpse of their daughter from the Police in Ghana and send the body home to Nigeria for burial. Sadly, the girls family is not even sure of what their in-law does for a living. Their daughter simply told them that he is an international businessman.

READ ALSO: Man dies barely three days after his wedding while travelling with his new wife

The couple were barely married for a month before the lady was allegedly murdered.

Please share this post. Let it go viral. Let the world hear this story. Lets put the murderer under pressure. The family has requested that any person who sees the guy anywhere should immediately contact the Police.

Meanwhile, my apologies for the gory pictures. I just couldnt help it. May God bring justice to the murderer of this young girl whose only offence was to agree to marry someone who lives abroad.

Finally, dear young ladyyouyes, you. That guy who lives abroad that you lose sleep overyes, that one you call everydaysends you moneydo you know him well? What does he do for a living?

Sad! RIP to her!

Meanwhile, watch this video to see what Nigerians expect before entering into a relationship:

Source: Legit.ng
Legit.ng gathered that some students who stay in some of the hostels in the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, have cried out over their living conditions.

According to reports, some hostels in the school have been taken over by bedbugs, leaving most of their mattresses infected.

An undergraduate of the school identified as Michael Kalis Oluwatobi, shared the photo in a Facebook group, saying they had to leave their mattresses outside, hoping the infestation will reduce.

Oluwatobi also suggested a total fumigation of their hostels, as that would help take care of the bugs permanently.

The students have resorted to taking their mattresses outside to try to get rid of the bedbugs.

READ ALSO: UniLag's medical students cry out over living conditions

See a screenshot of the post below:

Na wa!

Meanwhile, watch this video of when rats allegedly sent President Buhari out of the office:

Source: Legit.ng
The IRGCs showcase of newly acquired weapons systems has been easily linked in the global media to a period of growing tensions between the Iranian regime and the US government under the leadership of President Donald Trump. Trump delivered an address to the United Nations General Assembly last week in which he reiterated his opposition to the nuclear agreement negotiated by his predecessor, but also underscored his hardline position on the Iranian regime as a whole, rebuking it for its regionally destabilizing activities and illicit missile tests, and stating that a time will come when the Iranian people face a choice to throw off that regime.

Trumps Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani maintained a more peaceful tone in his speech to the same gathering the following day, stating that Tehran was committed to upholding the nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. But this tone was undermined later in the week when Rouhani spoke before the military parade that included the unveiling of the Khorramshahr missile. As he has done on several other occasions, the Iranian president, who is regarded by some Western leaders as a relative moderate, promised that the Islamic Republic would continue its missile development and military buildup and would not seek permission from any other country.

According to Iranian military and paramilitary officials, the Khorramshahr missile is capable of covering a distance of 1,250 miles and carrying multiple warheads, although the officials were not specific about what types of warheads they were referring to. Nevertheless, the overall category of weapon is typically designed to be capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, and is described accordingly in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which was passed alongside the implementation of the JCPOA and called upon Iran to avoid work on ballistic missiles.

Nonetheless, by some accounts the regime and specifically the IRGC have carried out more than a dozen launches of those weapons since the conclusion of nuclear negotiations. And as Fox News has reported, on Friday the regimes state media outlets broadcast images that allegedly depicted the successful launch of the Khorramshahr missile, perhaps the most advanced weapon of that type to be manufactured inside the Islamic Republic.

The state media broadcast and the public display of the S-300 missile system suggest that the intended audiences for related propaganda are domestic as well as foreign. Such actions could be viewed as a means of presenting a strong domestic image and intimidating pro-democracy activists who are by some reports becoming more active in spite of recent security crackdowns. Last week, Iranian expatriate groups led protests against Rouhanis presence at the UN General Assembly and used the event to call attention to more than 10,000 protests that are known to have taken place throughout the Islamic Republic over the past year.

On the other hand, it is also possible to view the recent propaganda displays as efforts to rile up a hardline base. Indeed, this is essentially the purpose of Defense Week, although the factor of intimidation is very likely a contributing motivator for the regime. Rouhani has actively contributed to the rhetoric of Iranian hardliners on multiple issues. In his speech at Fridays military parade, he reaffirmed not only Irans commitment to ballistic missile development but also its exertion of strength and influence in the broader Middle East.

Whether you like it or not we are going to help Syria, Yemen and Palestine, and we will strengthen our missiles, linking the two issues in what may have been an advance reference to a strike that would subsequently be carried out in Syria near the Iraqi border. The Associated Press reported upon that strike on Sunday, once again drawing upon Iranian state television, which claimed that the strike had been carried out by an IRGC drone, destroying bases and vehicles belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, in Deir el-Zour Province.

As the Syrian Civil War has seemingly been winding down, this province has been widely described as a likely focal point of Iran-US tensions as different parties compete for influence within the countries that effectively link the Islamic Republic to the Mediterranean. Deir el-Zour is reportedly a major junction for a planned supply route leading from Tehran through Baghdad, to Damascus and Beirut, the home of the Hezbollah paramilitary group that is controlled and largely financed by the Iranian regime.

The Iranian strike in this area may have served legitimate strategic aims, but it is generally recognized that these aims are at odds with Western interests in the same region and in the Middle East as a whole. As such, by calling attention to the strike and to Tehrans supposed commitment to a long-term presence in Syria, the regime is also highlighting its declared role as an obstacle to American influence. In this sense, the strike further underscores the familiar propaganda purposes of Defense Week.

But also, in the wake of the JCPOA and the wind-down of the Syrian Civil War, this years Defense Week may also be seen as an opportunity for Tehran to boast of its supposed economic and political influence, as well as its claimed military strength. With this in mind, it is worth noting that the New York Times quoted Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh as saying on Monday that he approved of other oil-producing nations efforts to collectively reduce output, but he expected more to be done in the future.

Such input is especially significant the efforts Zanganeh was referring to were part of an agreement, negotiated among members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, plus Russia and several other oil-producing countries, which specifically excluded Iran from being subject to the defined production limits. The negotiating process was stymied for months by Irans insistence on being exempted from cuts until it restored the output levels it had enjoyed before the imposition of US-led sanctions, which were alleviated under the JCPOA. Saudi Arabia, a fellow OPEC member and chief regional rival of the Islamic Republic, objected to this condition for some time before ultimately relenting.

Since the output cuts have been in effect, Iran has drawn close to its self-declared pre-sanctions market share, but its self-reported totals have never exceeded the roughly four million barrels per day that the Iranian oil industry set as a target. There was evidently nothing in Zanganehs latest comments to suggest that Iran is prepared to begin contributing to the limits. Regional rivals are likely to be annoyed by fact that this ongoing lack of commitment has been paired with Zanganehs demands for even greater effort from the rest of OPEC. This annoyance may be further amplified by the oil ministers statement that the oil cartel should consider demanding cuts from Nigeria and Libya, both of which were exempted alongside Iran in the original agreement.

At roughly the same time that the Oil Ministry was dictating to the rest of OPEC, the state-run National Iranian Oil Company gave the impression that it was continuing to expand production, according to Bloomberg. NIOCs latest public statements specifies plans to increase its total output of crude oil and condensate by the end of the year, from its current declared exports of roughly 2.6 million barrels per day. The statements also describe the development of new oil fields, which will presumably bring new heavy-grade crude to the market and thereby partly counteract the output cuts being pursued by fellow OPEC countries.

The Bloomberg report specifically links the NIOC statements to the increasingly assertive Iran policy of the US government, as well as the American presidents UN speech and his possible intention to undermine the nuclear deal. This is to say that the report suggests the Islamic Republic is boasting about its economic plans in order to convey the impression that it is unaffected by Western pressure, thereby adding an economic dimensions to a week of notably heightened rhetoric against Irans regional and global adversaries.
Mrs. Irai was initially imprisoned for 6 years, which was later reduced to 5 years by consolidating her sentences. Then her sentence was reduced to 30 months imprisonment because of Nowruzs amnesty.

Golrokh Ebrahimi Irai, Human Rights Defender and wife of Arash Sadeghi was arrested on September 6, 2014. In April of 2015, she was sentenced in Branch 15 of Tehrans Revolutionary Court on charges of insulting holy sanctuaries, propaganda against the regime, blasphemy, which was based on an unpublished story criticizing stoning as well as the belief that stoning is sacred. Her sentence was confirmed in Branch 54 of the Appeals Court, but she was not present at this trial.

Amnesty International took up her cause. They stated, Iranian authorities must immediately repeal the conviction and sentence of Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, a writer and human rights activist who is due to begin serving six years in prison on charges including insulting Islamic sanctities through the writing of an unpublished story about the horrific practice of stoning.

Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said, The charges against Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee are ludicrous. She is facing years behind bars simply for writing a story, and one which was not even published  she is effectively being punished for using her imagination. He added, Instead of imprisoning a young woman for peacefully exercising her human rights by expressing her opposition to stoning, the Iranian authorities should focus on abolishing this punishment, which amounts to torture.

She was arrested on October 24, 2016, by security forces and was transferred to Evin Prison.

Other charges include her refusal to wear a hijab and promoting others to not wear the hijab, as well as sharing photos with her husband on Facebook, opposition to retaliation order, signing a statement in opposition to the death penalty, participation in gatherings to support political prisoners, and meeting with Political prisoners.

Mrs. Irai once suffered from a severe illness. She was sent to jail without a full medical treatment, and now needs medical treatment.
If Trump decertifies Iranian compliance, then Congress must vote to impose the crippling sanctions on Irans banks and oil exports. If Congress does that, then the nuclear deal will indeed be over.

Frances President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the importance of staying in the Iran deal in his UN General Assembly speech. Renouncing it would be a grave error; not respecting it would be irresponsible, he said.

Still, after his speech he told reporters, Is this agreement enough? No, it is not, given the evolution of the regional situation and increasing pressure that Iran is exerting on the region, and given increased activity by Iran on the ballistic level since the accord.

France and the UK oppose reopening the Iran deal, but they are open to trying to pressure Iran to agree to supplemental fixes to it, such as removing the sunset provisions that limit Irans stockpile of low-enriched uranium and the number of advanced centrifuges they can assemble, and addressing Irans testing of ballistic missiles.

Western defenders of the nuclear deal say that the US can punish Iran for its testing of missiles, human rights violations, and support for terrorism. The Iranians say that these issues were not covered under the JCPOA.

Irans envoys complained that America was not living up to its end of the bargain, soon after the deal was implemented in January 2016. In April, 2016, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told the New Yorker that the US was obligated to assure European banks that there will be no penalties for doing business with Iran. However, the Treasury Department still maintains sanctions against working with Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps. Zarif added that if one side does not comply with the agreement then the agreement will start to falter.

Trumps threats to exit from the deal has Irans leaders talking tough, but so far, new US sanctions have not prompted the Iranians to walk away. Still, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said this week at the UN that there is no renegotiating the deal struck in 2015.

According to his article for Gulf News, Eli Lake, American journalist and former senior national security correspondent for Newsweek believes, At this point Trump should consider appointing a special envoy for fixing the Iran deal. He says,Trumps new envoy should be someone with years of experience in arms control and international law. In other words, it should be someone like John Bolton, the former acting US ambassador to the United Nations.

However, Bolton has opposes the nuclear deal, and recently published his plan for withdrawing from it. Additionally, it is said that Bolton has a reputation for not playing well with others. However, since appeasement policies havent worked, a tougher negotiator may be necessary.
Bolton conducted the interview during a rally on September 20th that was coordinated by the Organization of Iranian-American Communities (OIAC), and members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), against the visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York. While Rouhani was inside the building, hundreds of protesters outside waved Iranian flags, chanted and held signs that said free Iran.

Bolton and several other current or former U.S. politicians who favor a tougher stance on Iran also spoke at the rally, including independent former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel.

President Trump told reporters last week he has decided on a plan of action, but he has yet to provide specific details. He has twice re-certified the Iran nuclear deal, but his strong speech at the UNGA last week seems to point to his not re-certifying it again, next month.

In his address to the UNGA last week, Rouhani claimed, We never threaten anyone but we do not tolerate threats from anyone. Our discourse is one of dignity and respect. And we are unmoved by threats and intimidation. We believe in dialogue and negotiation based on equal footing and mutual respect.

Rouhani called Trumps remarks an ignorant, absurd and hateful rhetoric filled with ridiculously baseless allegations.

It will be a great pity if this agreement were to be destroyed by rogue newcomers to the world of politics: the world will have lost a great opportunity, Rouhani said.

When asked if he was concerned about a potential nuclear breakout if Trump decertifies, Bolton said, I think its more likely that the ayatollahs are violating the deal already and will get a nuclear capability more quickly if we stay in the deal.

Bolton penned an article in National Review, last month at the behest of former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon. In it, he detailed a plan hed drafted, to exit the nuclear deal with Iran.
In a deal brokered with regime forces, ISIS militants were given an order to exit Hama to Idlib, but ISIS militiamen rebelled against the orders, and refused to withdraw from Hamas eastern rural zone.

Irans Alalam News Network broadcasted a video clip showing aircraft carrying guided missiles, saying that they belonged to Irans Revolutionary Guard.

Although specific locations were not identified, missiles targeted Badia posts in Syria. Several Iranian news outlets reported that the attacks took place near the Syrian-Iraqi border, destroying vehicles, military equipment, and ammunition.

Iranian aircraft hovered over the south-eastern Damascus countryside, reaching to the west of Abu Kamal area in Deir al-Zor border with Iraq, according to Syrian opposition sources based in Deir al-Zour.

Only recently has there been Iranian aerial activity in the area near Deir al-Zour. Sources say that usually the surveillance aircraft belongs to Syrian regime forces and Russian air fleets. However, Tehran had announced that they were employing new weapons in Syria.

As well as the short-range missiles launched from Iran to the Deir al-Zour area, Tehran also announced the launch of drones near the coalition forces at the US occupied Al-Tanf base in Syria.

In the video, two simultaneous images of the missiles trajectory can be seen. The first image is taken from a camera installed in the front, the second image came from from a reconnaissance aircraft. A tank was one of the targets that were hit, meaning that the guided missiles have anti-armor capability.

The US military destroyed an Iranian reconnaissance plane that tried to approach the Al-Tanf camp,

The Al Waleed border crossing is known in Syria as Al-Tanf. It is one of three official border crossings between Syria and Iraq. Al Waleed is close to the westernmost point of Iraq and the northeastern-most point of Jordan, in the desert Badia region. It serves as the main border checkpoint on the highway between Damascus and Baghdad. The Al-Tanf checkpoint is on the Syrian side of the border, in Homs province.

The Washington-led coalition uses the Al-Tanf military base to train rebels belonging to the Free Syrian Army to fight against ISIS terrorists along the Syrian-Iraqi border.
Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani claimed victory in the referendum vote for independence and called for a "dialogue" with the Iraqi government.

In a televised address, Barzani said "negotiations are the right path to solve the problems, not threats or the language of force. He added, "we assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad."

On Monday, Iraqi Kurds voted on an independence referendum despite objections from the government in Baghdad, neighboring countries, and the United States.

At the voting centers in the Kurdistan Regional capital, many voters wore traditional clothes and carried Kurdish flags. Some said they believed this vote could be the start of their dream for independence coming true.

One man named Mohammad carried his young son and a flag at a voting center in the northern city of Irbil. He told VOA, It is a true day for us  We have been waiting for 100 years for this. It is beautiful.

Several areas reported peaceful scenes of large numbers of people voting. But before the last voter entered their decision, Iraqi leaders had already sent troops to areas disputed by Iraq and the Kurds seeking independence. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi promised to take all necessary measures to keep all of Iraq united as one.

Iraqi Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani has continued to challenge the countrys leadership in Baghdad. On Sunday, he said the independence vote was the will of the Kurdish people and out of his hands.

"Independence will allow us not to repeat past tragedies, he added. The partnership with Baghdad has failed and we will not return to it."

A representative for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the decision to hold the vote in disputed areas especially destabilizing.

"The Secretary-General regrets that the opportunity for serious negotiations  between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, based on the constitution and in a spirit of partnership  were not fully seized prior to this move," the representative said in a statement.

Heather Nauert is a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State. She said the United States is "deeply disappointed" with the decision to hold a vote for only one group of people. Nauert added that the U.S. relationship with the Iraqi Kurds would not change. But the vote will "greatly complicate" Kurdish relationships with the Iraqi government and neighboring countries, she noted.

Masoud Barzani told VOA's Persian Service last week that after the vote, the Kurdish government would begin talks with Iraqi officials. The discussion would include issues like borders, division of natural resources and a timeline for independence. Barzani said the process of separating Kurdistan from Iraq would take about one to two years.

Before the vote, Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi ordered the Kurdish region to give control of its border crossings and airports to his government. He also called on other countries not to import Kurdish oil.

Neighboring Iran, Syria and Turkey all have large Kurdish populations. The Iranian and Turkish governments have expressed disapproval for the independence vote. They fear it could give support to similar separatist movements in their countries.

Turkey has battled Kurdish rebels seeking independence in its southeast region for 30 years. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would close a border crossing with Iraq and could move to block oil exports.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem rejected the vote and said that Syria only accepts a unified Iraq.

Im Pete Musto.

Heather Murdock reported this for VOA News with help from the Persian Service. Pete Musto adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Do you think Iraq should let the Kurdish region become an independent nation? What affect do you think that will have on the rest of the Middle East? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

referendum - n. an event in which the people of a county, state or area vote for or against a law that deals with a specific issue

dialogue - n. a discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement

negotiation(s)  n. a formal discussion between people who are trying to reach an agreement

allow  v. to permit something

tragedies  n. very bad events that cause great sadness and often involves someone's death

destabilizing  adj. causing something, such as a government, to be unable to continue existing or working in the usual or desired way

opportunity  n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

prior  adj. before

disappointed  adj. feeling sad, unhappy, or displeased because something was not as good as expected or because something you hoped for or expected did not happen

complicate  v. to make something more difficult or less simple

separatist  n. a member of a group of people who want to form a new country or religion that is separate from the one they are in now
Russia will block access to Facebook next year unless the social network follows a law requiring the use of Russian servers to store personal data of Russians.

The threat was made by Roskomnadzor, the agency overseeing communications, information and media in Russia.

Alexander Zharov is head of the agency. He said companies that do not follow the law will no longer work in the Russian Federation, according to the Interfax news agency.

There will be no exceptions, he said.

The announcement came several days after Facebook said accounts with Russian ties bought advertising related to the 2016 U.S. election. Facebook has agreed to share the ads with U.S. Congressional investigators.

Several Russian opposition groups have also used Facebook to organize protests and share political messages.

Zharov also said that Facebook has a large number of users in the Russian Federation. He added that Facebook is not unique, however, and there are other social media websites that Russians can use.

When asked about Roskomnadzors demands for Facebook, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the American company had to follow the law like everyone else.

Last November, the Russian agency blocked access to LinkedIns website. It said LinkedIn was guilty of violating the law. The law was approved by President Vladimir Putin and enacted in 2015.

Twitter, another social network, had already told Roskomnadzor that it would use servers in Russia by June or July of 2018.

Im Susan Shand.

Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English based on Reuters news reports. Hai Do was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

access - n. permission or the right to enter, get near, or make use of something or to have contact with someone

exception  n. a case where a rule does not apply

enact  v. to become part of the law
3 A Hindu woman, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, holds her baby as she sits inside a refugee camp set up for Hindu refugees near Kutupalong, Bangladesh.
Micro Focus International plc operates in the enterprise software business in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Canada, France, Japan, and internationally. It offers infrastructure software products that are managed on a portfolio. The company's product portfolio includes sector-agnostic products, such as application modernization and connectivity solutions that help customers to unlock the value from core business applications for modernization, which enable a transformational journey to deliver ongoing value and flexibility from IT investments, on or off the mainframe; application delivery management solutions that helps customers to increase velocity, remove bottlenecks, and deliver high-performing applications to support their digital business; and IT operations management solutions for service assurance, automate the service fulfilment life cycle, and strengthen IT service governance. It also offers CyberRes, a security solution that helps enterprises to create cyber resilience through detecting threats, securing data and applications, and protecting identities, which enables customers to adapt and evolve for the future; and information management and governance solutions that helps customers to analyze, understand, and control data to derive value and manage enterprise risk. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Newbury, the United Kingdom.
General Mills, Inc. manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. It also supplies branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries; and manufactures and markets pet food products, including dog and cat food. The company markets its products under the Annie's, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Blue Basics, Blue Freedom, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, EPIC, Fiber One, Food Should Taste Good, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gardetto's, Go-Gurt, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Haagen-Dazs, Helpers, Jus-Rol, Kitano, Kix, Larabar, Latina, Liberte, Lucky Charms, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Oatmeal Crisp, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Totino's, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Wilderness, Yoki, and Yoplait trademarks. It sells its products directly, as well as through broker and distribution arrangements to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, e-commerce retailers, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, convenience stores, and pet specialty stores, as well as drug, dollar, and discount chains. The company operates 466 leased and 392 franchise ice cream parlors. General Mills, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. The company primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals, as well as oil and gas. Its assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Tyrone and Chino in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. The company also operates a portfolio of oil and gas properties primarily located in offshore California and the Gulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2021, it operated approximately 135 wells. The company was formerly known as Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and changed its name to Freeport-McMoRan Inc. in July 2014. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
The following companies are subsidiares of Textron: AAI Corporation, AAI Services Corporation, ALSTOM Gears, Able Aerospace, Able Aerospace Services Inc., Able Engineering & Component Services, Aeronautical Accessories LLC, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company LLC, Arctic Cat, Arctic Cat ACE Holding GmbH, Arctic Cat France SARL, Arctic Cat GmbH, Arctic Cat Inc., Arctic Cat Production LLC, Arctic Cat Production Support LLC, Arctic Cat Sales Inc., Arctic Cat Shared Services LLC, Arctic Cat UK Ltd., Arkansas Aerospace Inc., Avco Corporation, Aviation Service servis letal doo Ljubljana, Aylesbury Automation, B/K Navigational Equipment sro, BELL TEXTRON ASIA (PTE.) LTD., Beech Aircraft Corporation, Beech Holdings, Beechcraft Defense Support Holding LLC, Beechcraft Domestic Service Company, Beechcraft Germany GmbH, Beechcraft International Holding LLC, Beechcraft International Service Company, Beechcraft New Zealand, Bell Textron Canada International Inc., Bell Textron Canada Limited/Limitee, Bell Textron Co. Ltd, Bell Textron Inc., Bell Textron Korea Inc., Bell Textron LLC, Bell Textron Miami Inc., Bell Textron Prague a.s., Bell Textron Rhode Island Inc., Bell Textron Services Inc., Bell Textron Supply Center BV, Bell Textron Technical Services Inc., Benzlers, Brazaco Mapri Industrias, Burkland, Cessna Aircraft Company, Cessna Citation European Service Center SAS (99.9%; 1 share  Textron France SAS), Cessna Dusseldorf Citation Service Center GmbH, Cessna Finance Corporation, Cessna Finance Export Corporation, Cessna Mexico S de RL de CV, Cessna Spanish Citation Service Center SLU, Cessna Zurich Citation Service Center GmbH, Citation Parts Distribution International Inc., Cushman Inc., Datacom Technologies, David Brown Group, Doncaster Citation Service Centre Limited, E-Z-GO Canada Limited, Energy Manufacturing, Flexalloy, HBC LLC, Hawker Beech de Mexico S de RL de CV, Hawker Beechcraft Argentina SA , Howe & Howe Inc., Howe and Howe Technologies, Industrial Technology Inc., InteSys Technologies, International Product Support Inc., KSB Annecy SAS, Kautex (Changchun) Plastics Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Chongqing) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Guangzhou) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Pinghu) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Shanghai) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Wuhan) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex Corporation, Kautex Craiova srl, Kautex Germany Holding GmbH, Kautex Inc., Kautex Japan KK, Kautex Shanghai GmbH, Kautex Textron (UK) Limited, Kautex Textron Benelux BVBA, Kautex Textron Bohemia spol sro, Kautex Textron CVS Limited, Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG, Kautex Textron Iberica SL, Kautex Textron Management Services Company de Puebla S. de RL de CV, Kautex Textron Portugal  Produtos Plasticos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Kautex Textron de Mexico S de RL de CV, Kautex Textron do Brasil Ltda., Kautex of Georgia Inc., Kaywood Products Corp., Klauke, LCI Corporation International, LLC Textron RUS, Maag, McCord Corporation, Mechtronix, Medical Numerics Inc., Midland Industrial Plastics, MillenWorks, MillenWorks Themed Technologies, MotorFist LLC, OPINICUS Simulation and Training Services LLC, OmniQuip International, Opinicus, Optical Boring Co., Opto-Electronics, Opto-Electronics Inc., Overwatch Systems, PEINER Umformtechnik, Pipistrel, Pirelli Tyres - General Rubber Goods (GRG) division, Premiair Aviation Maintenance Pty Ltd, Progressive Electronics, Ransomes, Ransomes Inc., Ransomes Investment LLC, Ransomes Jacobsen France SAS, Ransomes Jacobsen Limited, Ransomes Limited, Ransomes Pensions Trustee Company Limited, Replacement Part Solutions LLC, Response Technologies LLC, Rotor Blades Limited, Sukosim Verbindungselemente, TRU Simulation & Training Spain SL, TRU Simulation + Training Inc., TRU Simulation + Training LLC, TekGPS Engineering Srl, Textron Airland LLC, Textron Atlantic LLC, Textron Aviation Australia Pty. Ltd., Textron Aviation Canada Ltd., Textron Aviation Defense LLC, Textron Aviation Finance Corporation, Textron Aviation Inc., Textron Aviation Prague Service Center sro, Textron Aviation Rhode Island Inc., Textron Aviation Services de Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Capital BV, Textron Communications Inc., Textron Far East Pte. Ltd., Textron Finance Holding Company, Textron Financial Corporation, Textron Financial Corporation Receivables Trust 2002-CP-2, Textron Fluid and Power Inc., Textron France Holding SAS, Textron France SAS, Textron Global Services Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment UK Limited, Textron IPMP Inc., Textron India Private Limited , Textron Innovations Inc., Textron International Inc., Textron International Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Limited, Textron Management Services Inc., Textron Motors GmbH, Textron Motors North America Inc., Textron Outdoor Power Equipment Inc., Textron Realty Corporation, Textron Shared Service Centre (Canada) Inc., Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., Textron Sweden AB, Textron Systems Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Canada Inc., Textron Systems Corporation, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK (Holdings) Limited, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK Limited, Textron Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Textron UK Pension Trustee Limited, Textron Verwaltungs-GmbH, Turbine Engine Components Textron (Newington Operations) Inc., United Industrial Corporation, Westminster Insurance Company, Williams Machine & Tool, and Zhenjiang Bell Textron Aviation Services Limited.

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Apple may have just updated its MacBook lineup with models sporting 7th-gen Intel Core Kaby Lake chips a few months ago. But it looks like theres a possibility that new models with 8th-gen Intel Core Kaby Lake Refresh processors are on the way.

A series of listings in the Geekbench database suggest someone is running the benchmarking tool on MacBook Pro models with an Intel Core i5-8250U quad-core processor and 8GB of DDR4-2400 memory.

Theres always a chance that someone has entered false information, but if the details on Geekbench are accurate, it seems that the benchmark has been run on several computers with Apple motherboards and macOS software (with some results listed for a machine running macOS 10.12.6 and others for macOS 10.13).

Its probably best to take the actual benchmark scores with a grain of salt, but they seem to fall somewhere between the scores for a mid-2017 MacBook Pro with a 13 inch display and a dual-core Kaby Lake processor and those for a 15 inch model with a quad-core Kaby Lake chip, at least when it comes to multi-core performance.

That makes sense, since the Core i5-8250U is a 15 watt quad-core chips that has a lower TDP than the 15 inch MacBook pros Core i7-7700HQ 35 watt quad-core processor but it has twice as many CPU cores as the 13 inch MacBooks 15 watt Core i5-7267U dual-core processor.

Im not sure what to make of the name that shows up in Geekbench: MacBookPro 14,1 could be an indicating that the notebook has a 14 inch display. Or it could just be a placeholder name since other MacBook laptops are listed in Geekbench with more descriptive names like MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2017).

Update: It probably doesnt mean much.

geekbench (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)

thanks anonymous!
Hi Everyone! I'm so excited for you to join us in this design discussion. Also, as Jura mentioned above, please come out to support the DC Design House this month! The designers have created some truly amazing spaces, and there is something there for everyone. Also benefitting a great cause, The Children's Medical Center.

Now it's time to get to your questions...
Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff Jennifer Smiley helps a man who is overdosing in the Drexel neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 3, 2017. (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times)

Reining in the Opioid Crisis

Americas seemingly insatiable desire for opioids is driving up overdoses to a level beyond what has ever been seen before.

Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50.

Based on preliminary data, approximately 64,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses last year, according to the Department of Justice. This is up 23 percent from 2015, when 52,000 people died of overdoses.

The majority of these deaths can be attributed to opioids, including illicit fentanyl and its analogues, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

That would be the highest drug death toll and the fastest increase in that death toll in American history, Sessions said during a speech to law enforcement officers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 22.

Pennsylvania has been hit hard by the crisis, with an average of 13 people dying of an overdose per day last year. The states fatal overdoses jumped 37 percent from 2015 to 2016.

These trends are shocking, and the numbers tell us a lotbut they arent just numbers. They represent moms and dads, brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends, Sessions said.

Most often an opioid addiction starts with a prescription pill obtained through a friend or family member. It can take just one painkiller like oxycodone, or an anti-anxiety medication like Adderall, for some people to get hooked.

A typical scenario is that, once hooked, the addict will exhaust all options to obtain more prescription pills, and once that becomes too difficult or too expensive, heroin becomes the drug of choice.

Now, however, heroin is laced with synthetic derivatives such as fentanyl, which is mostly made in China. Fentanyl, originally developed as a painkiller and an anesthetic, is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin. Two milligrams of fentanyl is a lethal dose for a non-opioid user.

A police officer in Eastern Ohio suffered an overdose after brushing what he thought was white powder from his uniform after a routine traffic stop, Sessions said. The powder was fentanyl.

The synthetic carfentanil is less common but much more deadly; it is used as an elephant tranquilizer and is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine, according to the DEA. Even a few specks of airborne powder can be fatal.

So, overdoses are increasing, the death toll is rising, and emergency services are using more and more Narcan to revive patients. Narcan is an opioid-blocker than can often revive an overdose patient within minutes.

Between 2013 and 2014, there was a 79 percent increase in deaths related to synthetic opioids, according to the 2016 Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) heroin report.

Sessions said prescription opioid addiction costs the economy an estimated $78 billion a year, while illicit drugs cost about $193 billion a year.

President Donald Trump has said stemming the drug crisis is a priority for his administration.

Its a tremendous problem in our country, and were going to take care of it as well as it can be taken care of, Trump said at a press briefing in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Aug. 8. Nobody is safe from this epidemic that threatens young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural communitieseverybody is threatened.

He said federal prosecutions will increase again, after decreasing by 23 percent between 2011 and the end of 2016.

So they looked at this scourge, and they let it go by, Trump said, referring to the Obama administration. And were not letting it go by.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price said, during a press briefing on Aug. 8, that a vaccine for addiction is being developed and that the agency is looking into alternatives to narcotics for pain treatment.

On the law enforcement side, Sessions announced that $58.8 million has been allocated to strengthen drug court programs and to help public health agencies address prescription drug and opioid abuse.

Combatting this poison is a top priority for President Trump and his administration, and you can be sure that we are taking action to address it, Sessions said on Sept. 22.

Sessions said around $24 million will be awarded to 50 cities, counties, and public health departments to create comprehensive diversion and alternatives to incarceration programs for those impacted by the opioid epidemic.

An additional $3.1 million will be awarded by the National Institute of Justice for research and evaluation on drugs and crime. The research priorities are heroin and other opioids and synthetic drugs.

Another $22.2 million will go toward treatment for veterans and $9.5 million toward juvenile programs.

Two months ago, Sessions said the Department of Justice arrested more than 400 people in the largest health care fraud takedown in American history.

More than 100 of these defendants have been charged with opioid-related crimes, including many doctors. This was also the largest opioid-related fraud takedown in American history, Sessions said.

A week later, the department seized AlphaBay, the largest darknet marketplace for selling drugs.

This site hosted some 220,000 drug listings and was responsible for countless synthetic opioid overdoses, including the tragic death of a 13-year-old in Utah, Sessions said.

In August, Sessions announced the formation of a unit that will investigate the overprescribing of opioids within the health care system.

This is an urgent problem, and we are making it a top priority, Sessions said. The best long-term solution is prevention. The best action is not to start. Just say no.
White House Denies Claims That US Declared War on North Korea

WASHINGTONWhite House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Monday, Sept. 25, denied that the United States had declared war on North Korea.

Weve not declared war on North Korea. And frankly, the suggestion of that is absurd, Sanders said.

North Koreas foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, had said earlier in the day that a tweet by President Donald Trump over the weekend was a declaration of war.

In the tweet, Trump referred to Ris speech at the U.N. General Assembly, in which he said that North Korea would make its rockets visit the entire U.S. mainland.

In his response, Trump said that if Ris comments reflected those of North Koreas dictator Kim Jong-Un, they wont be around much longer!

Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

Ri also said that the communist dictatorship intends to shoot down U.S. bombers in international airspace. Ris comments came just days after he said in his U.N. speech that the Norths nuclear weapons program is almost completed.

Last week Trump spoke in his speech at the U.N. against North Koreas missile program, calling on other nations to stand up against it.

President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd Annual UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 19, 2017. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

North Koreas reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life, Trump said.

He said that while the United States has great strength and patience it could totally destroy North Korea if forced to defend itself or its allies.

North Korea has fired two ballistic missiles over Japanese airspace into the Pacific Ocean. Earlier this month, the regime also conducted an underground nuclear test.

Ri in his speech said that North Korea successfully completed a test of a nuclear weapon that fits on the warhead of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The ICBM marked with the sacred name of the DPRK flew over the universe above the endless blue sky, the warhead of our rocket left its trace on the blue waves of the Pacific Ocean and the tremendous explosion and vibration of the hydrogen bomb were recorded by this planet, Ri said in an apparent reference to an ICBM test earlier this year where the missile left the atmosphere, and its nuclear test earlier this month.

Experts say that the ICBM was destroyed when it re-entered the atmosphere.

An Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron prepares to take off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Sept. 23, 2017. (Staff Sgt. Joshua Smoot)

On Sept. 23, the United States and South Korea conducted military exercises in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers were accompanied by fighter jets in the exercises.

The Pentagon said the flight was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea that any U.S. fighter jet or bomber has flown in the 21st century.

That operation was conducted in international airspace, over international waters, so we have the right to fly, sail, and operate where legally permissible around the globe, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning said Sept. 25.

Its never appropriate for a country to shoot down another countrys aircraft when its over international waters. Our goal is still the same: We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsulathats our focusdoing that through both the most maximum economic and diplomatic pressures as possible at this point, Sanders said.

Earlier this month, the Security Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest nuclear test. The sanctions prohibit the sale of natural gas to the North and limits the amount of crude and refined oil that can be sold to reclusive country.

Separate from the resolution, Chinas Central Bank instructed Chinese banks to stop providing financing to North Korea.

Fight Against Communism

In Trumps speech to the U.N. on Sept. 19 he called out a number of regimes, including North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.

He called out communism and socialism as being responsible for the economic and political crises, as well as the suppression of the people, in Cuba and Venezuela.

From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure, Trump said.

Ri said that North Korea stands with Cuba and Venezuela in defense of socialism.

With reporting by Charlotte Cuthbertson
Could herbicides that were sprayed during the Vietnam War still be causing health problems?

Exposure to Agent Orange sprayed during the Vietnam War has been linked to increased levels of certain hormones in women and their breastfeeding children decades later, potentially putting them at higher risk of health problems, according to a new study in Science of the Total Environment.

Previous research has shown a link between exposure to herbicides that contain chemicals called dioxinssuch as Agent Orangeand prostate cancer in men. The new study, by researchers at Kanazawa University in Japan, reveals for the first time the impact of dioxin exposure on women and babies.

"Dioxin hotspots in the South of Vietnam are of the most severely polluted regions in the world," said Prof. Teruhiko Kido, lead author of the study from Kanazawa University, Japan. "We know exposure to dioxins has an impact on our hormone levels, and we wanted to know if this was being passed through generations and potentially putting babies at risk in these areas."

Agent Orange is one of the dioxin-contaminated herbicides that were sprayed during the Vietnam War and used in different industrial and agricultural activities. Their use has resulted in hotspots of dioxin contamination, with concentrations of the chemical two to five-fold higher in affected areas in southern Vietnam than in non-contaminated regions.

Dioxins are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)they interfere with how hormones send messages to each other around the body. EDCs have been implicated in causing birth defects, cancer and neurodevelopment disorders. In particular, dioxins have an effect on a hormone called Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is responsible for male and female characteristics in humans. Dioxins put these out of balance, leading to health problems and disfigurement.

"Decades of industrial development and chemicals released during the Vietnam War have led to high levels of dioxins in the soil and atmosphere and people are absorbing these chemicals from the food they eat and the air they breathe," said Prof. Teruhiko Kido. "We know dioxins have an impact on our hormones, so we wanted to see whether they were being passed from mother to baby."

In the new study, the team assessed 104 women with their newborn babies from two carefully selected locations. They chose a region in northern Vietnam, which was not occupied by the United States Air Force, and Bien Hoa, an industrial city where the Americans stored approximately 50 percent of Agent Orange and where there were at least four leaks in 1969-1970. Despite the natural elimination of dioxins in the past five decades, environmental and human samples around this area still contain high levels of the chemical.

The scientists analyzed the level of dioxin in the mothers' breast milk, and tested non-invasive samples of saliva from the babies for levels of the hormone DHEA. The results showed a nearly three-fold increase in DHEA in babies from the dioxin hotspot compared to non-contaminated regions. This was linked to dioxins being transferred from mother to baby through their umbilical blood and breast milk.

"Our study confirms how sensitive and vulnerable children are to the environmental toxins their parents and even earlier generations have been exposed to," said Prof. Kido. "There is a lot we still don't know about what this means for children's health and what the long term impact could be, but studying people in these dioxin hotspots gives researchers the chance to understand the implications better."

Prof. Kido and the team plan to follow the children in the study up to the age of 10 to assess more accurately the endocrine impact of dioxin exposure during pregnancy and early life.

More information: Le Thai Anh et al. A relationship in adrenal androgen levels between mothers and their children from a dioxin-exposed region in Vietnam, Science of The Total Environment (2017). Journal information: Science of the Total Environment Le Thai Anh et al. A relationship in adrenal androgen levels between mothers and their children from a dioxin-exposed region in Vietnam,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.264
Physician and healthcare professional advocates from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) are joined by rheumatology patients on Capitol Hill this week to urge lawmakers to address the significant drug cost and access issues affecting millions of Americans living with arthritis and other rheumatologic diseases. More than 100 advocates met with Congressional and Senate leaders and staff today to advocate for meaningful legislative reforms that would lower biologic drug costs and make life-changing therapies and treatments more accessible to the 54 million Americans living with rheumatic diseases.

"All across America, people living with chronic illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis are routinely denied timely, life-sustaining and clinically appropriate treatments because of cost or access issues," said Sharad Lakhanpal, MBBS, MD, President of the American College of Rheumatology. "We are urging Congressional leaders to come together around common-sense reforms that will ensure their constituents can access and afford the therapies and services needed to avoid long-term disability, remain active in the workforce and their communities, and maintain quality of life."

Rheumatology advocates urged Congressional leaders to support legislative fixes that would help address the following issues impacting patient care:

Specialty Drug Co-Pays: Health insurers are increasingly making biologic and biosimilar therapies unaffordable for patients by placing them on so called "specialty tiers," which requires that beneficiaries pay a percentage of the drug's cost rather than a fixed co-pay amount. These patients are often faced with the choice of paying hundreds of dollars per month in co-pays for biologic therapies, or reducing or skipping their medications due to cost concerns. ACR advocates are urging Congressional leaders to support the Patients' Access to Treatments Act (H.R. 2999), a bipartisan bill recently introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) that would require health plans to limit patient cost-sharing for drugs placed on specialty tiers.

Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Pricing Practices: As the go-between hired by insurers to manage drug benefit programs, Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) were originally created to control drug costs by negotiating discounts on the behalf of patients. However, PBMs have recently become incredibly effective at keeping much of the savings for themselves by often pocketing the difference between the fees they charge to pharmacies and the prices they negotiate from manufacturers - prices that are almost always kept secret. This secrecy drives up co-pays and out-of-pocket costs for patients while delivering record profits to PBMs. ACR advocates are urging Congress to consider requiring PBMs to be more transparent about their payment practices and make it harder to hide the true cost of prescription drugs from patients.

Medicare Therapy Caps: ACR advocates are also urging members of Congress to support the bipartisan Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2017 (H.R. 807 and S. 253) which would repeal once and for all the Medicare therapy caps scheduled to go into effect in 2018. This arbitrary payment cap would severely limit access to vital rehabilitation services like physical and occupational therapy for Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic diseases. Though Congress has come together to delay implementation of the caps more than 13 times since they were first introduced in 1997, they have yet to be permanently repealed.

"I'm encouraged by the dedication and enthusiasm on display from our members today, as well as the positive reception we received from legislative offices," said Dr. Angus Worthing, Chair of the ACR's Government Affairs Committee. "Many Congressional and Senate leaders recognize that drug costs are a significant problem; now we need them to come together around practical solutions that will bring relief to our patients. I'd like to thank all of our advocates for coming out this week and supporting policies that will truly make a positive difference for the millions of Americans living with rheumatic diseases."

The advocacy appeals to Senate and Congressional leaders come as arthritis patient and provider advocates throughout the nation recognize September's Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month.
Bathing in pure colour can have effects on the body and mind. Author provided

Red makes the heart beat faster. You will frequently find this and other claims made for the effects of different colours on the human mind and body. But is there any scientific evidence and data to support such claims? The physiological mechanisms that underpin human colour vision have been understood for the best part of a century, but it is only in the last couple of decades that we have discovered and begun to understand a separate pathway for the non-visual effects of colour.

Like the ear, which also provides us with our sense of balance, we now know that the eye performs two functions. Light sensitive cells known as cones in the retina at the back of the eye send electrochemical signals primarily to an area of the brain known as the visual cortex, where the visual images we see are formed. However, we now know that some retinal ganglion cells respond to light by sending signals mainly to a central brain region called the hypothalamus which plays no part in forming visual images.

Light but not vision

The hypothalamus is a key part of the brain responsible for the secretion of a number of hormones which control many aspects of the body's self-regulation, including temperature, sleep, hunger and circadian rhythms. Exposure to light in the morning, and blue/green light in particular, prompts the release of the hormone cortisol which stimulates and wakes us, and inhibits the release of melatonin. In the late evening as the amount of blue light in sunlight is reduced, melatonin is released into the bloodstream and we become drowsy.

The retinal cells that form the non-image-forming visual pathway between eye and hypothalamus are selectively sensitive to the short wavelengths (blue and green) of the visible spectrum. What this means is that there is clearly an established physiological mechanism through which colour and light can affect mood, heart rate, alertness, and impulsivity, to name but a few.

For example, this non-image-forming visual pathway to the hypothalmus is believed to be involved in seasonal affective disorder, a mood disorder that affects some people during the darker winter months that can be successfully treated by exposure to light in the morning.

Blue light has been claimed to reduce suicides on train stations. Credit: FsHH

Similarly, there is published data that show that exposure to bright, short-wavelength light a couple of hours prior to normal bedtime can increase alertness and subsequently affect sleep quality. Poor quality sleep is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern society and is linked with increased risk factors for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. There is some concern that the excessive use of smartphones and tablets in the late evening can affect sleep quality, because they emit substantial amounts of blue/green light at the wavelengths that inhibit the release of melatonin, and so prevent us from becoming drowsy.

That's one effect of blue/green light, but there is much more research to be done in order to back the many claims made for other colours.

Experiencing colour

I lead the Experience Design research group at the University of Leeds where we have a lighting laboratory especially designed to evaluate the effect of light on human behaviour and psychology. The lighting system is unique in the UK in that it can flood a room with coloured light of any specific wavelengths (other coloured lighting usually uses a crude mixture of red, green and blue light).

Recent research by the group has found a small effect of coloured light on heart rate and blood pressure: red light does seem to raise heart rate, while blue light lowers it. The effect is small but has been corroborated in a 2015 paper by a group in Australia.

In 2009 blue lights were installed at the end of platforms on Tokyo's Yamanote railway line to reduce the incidence of suicide. As a result of the success of these lights (suicides fell by 74% at stations where the blue lights were installed), similar coloured lighting has been installed at Gatwick Airport train platforms. These steps were taken based on the claim that blue light could make people less impulsive and more calm, but there is little scientific evidence yet to support these claims: a three-year study (forthcoming) by Nicholas Ciccone, a PhD researcher in our group, found inconclusive evidence for the effect of coloured lighting on impulsivity. Similar studies are underway in our laboratories to explore the effect of colour on creativity, student learning in the classroom, and sleep quality.

It is clear that light, and colour specifically, can affect us in ways that go far beyond regular colour vision. The discovery of the non-image-forming visual pathway has given a new impetus to research that explores how we respond, both physiologically and psychologically, to colour around us. The increasing availability and use of coloured lighting that has resulted from advances in LED technology has added to the need to carry out rigorous research in this field, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate claims for the effects of colour that are supported by data, from those that are based on intuition or tradition.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Amnesty International stages refugee protest outside the Spanish Congress



ARCHIVED ARTICLE

On Tuesday Amnesty International staged a public protest in front of the Spanish Congress in Madrid to heighten the plight of refugees seeking a new life and the failure of the Spanish government to take in the quota agreed by member states of the EU.

Amnesty positioned photographs of refugees around the Congress in a protest entitled, "Rodea el congreso de personas refugiadas", surround the Congress with refugees, part of the acts to promote a photographic exhibition showing the work of Samuel Aranda, winner of the Premio Ortega and Gasset 2016, and World Press Photo 2012, and Maria Jou Sol, this exhibition dedicated to the topic of refugees and their plight.

Amnesty International says that the worlds system for protecting refugees is broken. Worldwide, more than 21 million people have been forced to seek sanctuary abroad. Governments have a duty to help them. But most rich countries are still treating refugees as somebody elses problem. Hiding behind closed borders and fears of being flooded, they have conveniently allowed poorer, mainly Middle Eastern, African and South Asian countries, to host an incredible 86% of all refugees.

And by ignoring most appeals for humanitarian aid, they have left UN agencies so broke they cant even feed many refugees properly anymore.

This has to change, now.

Spain has only reached 11.4% of the figure to which the government made a commitment, well below the EU average.

But this country is by no means alone in falling dramatically short of the targets established, and in the EU as a whole only 27,695 refugees from Syria and Iraq have been re-housed, representing a paltry 17.5 per cent of the 160,000 who were supposed to be making new homes within the European Union.

In Spain the total of refugees admitted over the last two years has climbed slowly to just 1,980 out of the 17,337 committed to, but the Minister for the Interior, Juan Ignacio Zoido, claimed recently that this is due to their not being qualified applicants rather than to any reluctance to allow them in on the part of the national government. Similarly, in July Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, the vice-president of the government, stated that an extra effort would be made to welcome 500 refugees per month over the summer, but the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alfonso Dastis, explains that due to procedural difficulties this has not been possible.

As well as Syria and Iraq, other countries from which refugees are to be accepted include Eritrea, Yemen, Afghanistan and Mali, and all EU countries suffer the same bureaucratic hitches as Spain to a certain extent. But Germany had managed to welcome almost 8,000 people by the start of September, and other countries exceeding or approaching the Spanish figure were France (4,278), the Netherlands (2,357), Finland (1,950), Sweden (1,903) and Portugal (1,415).

On the other hand, leaving Spain in a more favourable light, some countries such as Hungary and Poland have refused to re-house any of the refugees at all.

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JPSA chairman Howard Dembovsky has warned Gauteng motorists about an SMS and email campaign which targets individuals with stagnated traffic fines.

Dembovsky said a company called Syntell, which contracts services to traffic authorities, has launched the campaign which it states is on behalf of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA).

It seeks to rake in monies applicable to stagnated traffic fines issued by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, said Dembovsky.

Syntell previously did similar with traffic fines issued by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act, against which a national directive ordering the withdrawal of stagnated matters exists, he said.

Infringements

The latest email campaign is sent from a [email protected] address, and contains recipients names, ID numbers, vehicle details, and a list of outstanding AARTO infringement notices.

In numerous instances, the fines listed date back five years, to 2012, when the JMPD ceased unlawfully violating Section 30(1) of the AARTO Act by posting bogus AARTO infringement notices it had captured on its systems since April 2010 by ordinary domestic mail.

Dembovsky said it appears the RTIA is waiting for alleged infringers to make written representations to it in order to have the stagnated fines withdrawn or cancelled.

This is done with the apparent hope that less-informed motorists will pay these stagnated fines.

It adopted the same tactic in the previous matter where the JMPD acted unlawfully  until the JMPD and the RTIA found themselves being threatened with litigation if they did not administratively cancel all of the outstanding unlawful fines the JMPD had issued, said Dembovsky.

He said that most of the infringement notices referred to in the emails have stagnated, and the associated threats were extortive.

The threat which repeatedly appears in these emails stating that you will not be able to renew your vehicle or driving licence whilst an enforcement order is outstanding is, while not patently untrue, not only extortive in nature, but is an empty threat since no enforcement order may be lawfully issued on an arbitrary basis.

An example of what the header of the traffic fine email looks like is below.

Now read: Gauteng to clamp down on illegal Uber and metered taxis
These ships are dedicated to sovereignty missions and to protect French interests in the Antilles (French West Indies) and Guiana maritime area. One of the missions for the two PLGs will be securing the waters around the Guiana Space Center where the European Space Agency (ESA), the French space agency CNES (National Centre for Space Studies), and the commercial Arianespace company conduct regular launches from Kourou. Other missions will include the fight against illicit trafficking (fisheries police, narcotics trafficking), the protection of life and property at sea and fight against pollution.



Displacing 750 tonnes, the PLGs are able to accomodate 14 people (special forces for example) in addition to 24 crew members. With a length of 60 m and a width of 9.50 m, a draft less than 3.2 meters, the vessel are able to operate in shallow waters including the Kourou river. The patrol vessels can reach speeds of 21 knots with an endurance of 12 days at 12 knots.



Contacted by Navy Recognition in 2015, a DGA official gave the following additional details:

 PLG have two shaft lines, the propelling power will be about 6 MW, capable of crossing at least 3500 NM at 12 knots.

 The weapon stations for secondary weapons will be able to receive a choice of small caliber machine guns of 12.7 mm or 7.62 mm. PLG is also equipped with water cannon. (A Nexter Narwhal 20mm RWS is fitted at the bow).

 The two on-board RHIBs will be identical. They will have an aluminum hull and a length of about eight meters.

 PLG will have several sensor systems (radars, projectors, optronic system) enabling it to intervene at any time, day or night.


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Ararat Mirzoyan expresses condolences to Mevlut Cavusoglu over Istanbul explosion

Warner Bros. to direct 'Constantine' sequel after Keanu Reeves' request

Iranian lawmakers sharply criticize Aliyev

Ambassador-at-Large: Azerbaijan's attacks on Armenia are a terrorist attack

Germany needs to diversify its business interests in Asia to reduce dependence on China

Ronaldo: I feel betrayed

Estee Lauder plans to buy Tom Ford brand

Head of U.S. Treasury Department says sanctions against Russia should remain in force even after war in Ukraine

New feature in beta version of WhatsApp for Android: One account can be used on multiple devices

Natasa Pirc Musar to become Slovenia's first woman president

IMF: World economic outlook even bleaker than predicted

Pashinyan: Azerbaijan calls Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh 'our citizens' and at the same time shoots at them

World Cup 2022: Final Danish national team bid announced

Turkish Interior Minister announces arrest of suspect in attack on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul

Serie A: Juventus beat Lazio (video)

Valery Karpin: There was a call from Armenia, I listened to the offer

Alpine to make 3 electric crossovers

Number of injured in Istanbul blast rises to 81

Paul McCartney sells guitar for $77,000 to support Ukraine

Erdogan says preliminary findings after Istanbul bombing point to terrorist attack

Erdogan says number of victims of Istanbul bombing rises to six

Authorities forbid TV channels to broadcast from Istanbul bombing site

Istanbul blast: Governor reports 4 dead and 38 wounded

Media: Terrorist attack considered as one of versions of bombing in Istanbul

Blast in Istanbul: victims reported

Reuters: National Bank of Ukraine prepares banking system for power outages

Explosion hits pedestrian street in Istanbul
YEREVAN.  Armenians living in Syria are in danger solely by the Kurds.

Father Antranig Ayvazian, Primate of Dzhezire Diocese of the Armenian Catholic Church of Syria, told the aforementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

We have self-defense detachments in our region; the only danger comes from the Kurds, he said. Kurds enter schools, seize Christians homes, fields, demolish schools.

The [Syrian] state is trying to help us. We hope that the [Syrian] army will eventually be able to control the entire region and restore our rights.

In Fr. Ayvazians words, however, Syria is an irreplaceable country for Armenians.

We have nowhere [else] the freedoms that we have in Syria, he noted. We hope that if some of the [Syrian Armenian] emigrants return, we will find again and restore what we have lost.
Shirwan Zirari, the spokesperson for the Kurdistan Independent High Referendum and Election Commission, informed that more than three million people voted in Mondays referendum on the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan, reported Rudaw news agency.

Even though the election precincts were officially closed at 7pm local time, voters who were still waiting in line were given the opportunity to cast their ballot also after the closing of these polling stations.

The Kurds, who are about 40 million people, are the largest ethnic group without a country of their own. They primarily live in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

Iraqi Kurds are the closest to gaining independence. Iraqi Kurdistan, which is the unofficial name of the Kurdistan Region, has a broad autonomy status within the boundaries of Iraq.
The United States warned that an independence referendum Monday for the Kurdish Regional Government( KRG) to break away from Baghdad will "increase instability," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

She noted that the United States is deeply disappointed that the Kurdistan Regional Government decided to conduct a unilateral referendum on independence, including in areas outside of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The United States' historic relationship with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region will not change in light of today's non-binding referendum, but we believe this step will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people."

Heather Nauert said that "the unilateral referendum will greatly complicate the Kurdistan Regional Government's relationship with both the Government of Iraq and neighboring states. The fight against ISIS is not over, and extremist groups are seeking to exploit instability and discord. We believe all sides should engage constructively in a dialogue to improve the future of all Iraqis. The United States opposes violence and unilateral moves by any party to alter boundaries.

According to her, the United States supports a united, federal, democratic and prosperous Iraq and will continue to seek opportunities to assist Iraqis to fulfill their aspirations within the framework of the constitution.
STEPANAKERT.  The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regularly visits the prisoners that are linked to the Karabakh conflict.

Communication officer of the ICRC Mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, Eteri Musayelyan, informed about the above-said commentingat the request of Armenian News-NEWS.amon the statements by the relatives of Azerbaijani citizen Dilgam Asgarov, who is serving a prison sentence in the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR).

According to its mandate, the ICRC visits persons under arrest to conduct a monitoring of their prison conditions, the conduct toward them, as well as with the aim that they are given the opportunity to establish contact with relatives, noted Musayelyan. However, the prisoner himself decides whether or not to make use of the opportunity given to him to always reply to the relatives letters. So, there are cases when the prisoner may not wish to write letter, and the ICRC respects the prisoners wish.

Dilgam Asgarovs brother on Monday complained that they have no information on Asgarov since March.

Theyre telling us that Dilgam doesnt want to write letter, speak via video link, he noted.

Azerbaijani citizens Shahbaz Guliyev (born in 1968), Dilgam Asgarov (born in 1960), and Hasan Hasanovwho was killed by the Armenian armed forces while rendering these saboteurs ineffectivehad illegally crossed the NKR state border on June 29, 2014, and they were armed with weapons and ammunition. The three had entered the territory of the Shahumyan Region of Karabakh, and as spies, to collect information and carry out espionage.

On July 4, 2014, they had kidnapped and subsequently murdered Karabakh citizen Smbat Tsakanyan, 17, whose body was found on July 15, 2014, and with gunshot wounds, in a forest at the Shahumyan Region.

In addition, on the evening of July 11, 2014, Hasanov had killed Armenia capital city Yerevan resident Sargis Abrahamyan (born in 1971), and severely wounded Armenias Dzoraghbyur village resident Karine Davtyan, on the Vardenis-Karvachar Highway. Hasanov was armed and he resisted arrest; as a result, he was neutralized by the NKR special forces. Guliyev and Asgarov, on the other hand, were detained, and they faced trial in the NKR.

Asgarov was charged with espionage; unauthorized border trespass; kidnapping and violence against a minor, committed by an organized group; murder committed by an organized group motivated by ethnic hatred; and attempt of murder of two persons, committed by an organized group, motivated by ethnic hatred.

Guliyev was charged with espionage; unauthorized border trespass; kidnapping and violence against a minor, committed by an organized group; and murder committed by an organized group motivated by ethnic hatred.

And on December 29, 2014, the First Instance General Jurisdiction Court of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic sentenced Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev to life and 22 years, respectively, in prison.
YEREVAN.  Being in Georgia on an official visit, the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA) delegation, led by chairman Ara Babloyan of the parliament, on Monday met with President Giorgi Margvelashvili of Georgia.

During the meeting numerous issues relating to different spheres of the Armenian-Georgian cooperation were discussed, the NA informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. Presenting the directions of Armenian-Georgian parliamentary activities, Babloyan particularly noted that an Armenia-Georgia Friendship Group has been formed in the NA, and that it is ready for active and comprehensive work. The Head of the Parliament stated that the NA is ready to do its utmost for further deepening Armenian-Georgian relations.

Speaking about the avenues for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict, the RA NA chairman particularly noted: Armenia greatly evaluates Georgias role in the South Caucasus regional security issues and expects Georgias balanced position in the process of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. To us, the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has no alternative. The Nagorno-Karabakh problem, being a problem of human rights, can be resolved only through the free self-determination of the people of Artsakh. Also, the Head of the RA Parliament stressed that the arms race unleashed by Azerbaijan is a serious threat for all countries in the region.

Thanking Armenia for assisting the Georgian people during the recent fires in Georgia, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, for his part, expressed regret that similar disasters recently occurred in Armenia, too.

Speaking about Georgian-Armenian diplomatic relations, the President of Georgia specifically noted that the progress is apparent in relations between the two countries already for 25 years, and that Georgia is always ready to discuss any matter with Armenia and further develop relations between the two countries. Furthermore, Margvelashvili expressed satisfaction with the development of cooperation between the legislatures of Armenia and Georgia. And touching upon the Karabakh conflict, the President of Georgia noted as follows: Our brotherly heart aches for the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict. One thing is for sure: Similar conflicts can be destructive for small nations. We pray for peace in the region.

On the same day, the RA NA delegation met also with the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II.
Azerbaijans not carrying out the decisions by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) may lead to its expulsion from the Council of Europe (CoE), wrote Kommersant newspaper of Russia.

According to the paper, the CoE Committee of Ministers is for the first time preparing a petition to submit to the ECtHR Grand Chamber, since the Azerbaijani authorities refuse to carry out the ECtHR decisions, and the procedure was launched against Azerbaijan.

Kommersant recalled that if a country violates Article 46 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, it may be expelled from the CoE.

Azerbaijani authorities refuse to release opposition activist Ilgar Mammadov, despite the ECtHR decision that his detention was unlawful and politically motivated.
YEREVAN.  President Serzh Sargsyan on Tuesday received Veronika Skvortsova, the Russian Minister of Health, who is in Armenia to attend the 3rd Armenian-Russian Healthcare Forum in capital city Yerevan.

First, the President underscored the holding of this event that has already become traditional, press office of the President informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The healthcare sectors challenges in modern world are among the most severe challenges, Sargsyan noted, in particular. For that reason, such professional discussions and exchange of know-how can only be useful.

Skvortsova, for her part, stressed that productive cooperation between Armenia and Russia enables to achieve certain results of joint work.

And at the ensuing talk, the Russian minister of health spoke about the new directions of respective collaboration and the opportunities for sharing corresponding experience between the two countries.
Russia has not violated the intermediate nuclear force (INF) treaty and it has no intention of quitting it, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministrys non-proliferation and weapons control department, Mikhail UIyanov, told a news conference on Tuesday, TASS reported.

"Attempts to have a discussion (with the US) have failed so far. Russia has not violated the treaty and it is not going to quit it," he said.

Ulyanov said that all of the US charges against Russia over suspected violations of the INF treaty were groundless.

"The Americans are very superficial in their conclusions and evaluations," he said. "Weve heard such charges for the past two years but the United States has not presented any proof to back up its accusations at least one occasion. Thats not the way of doing business in international relations."

"It remains unclear what we are to refute," he went on to say. "In the meantime our own criticism addressed to the United States remains unanswered.

It is necessary to settle controversies over the INF treaty as soon as possible.

"We are prepared for such a discussion with the Americans. As soon as the new US administration is ready for this, we will take part in it," Ulyanov said.

Washingtons withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Irans nuclear program will trigger a headache for everyone, he went on.

"If Americans dont like something about this agreement, this is not a reason to ditch it. If the US choses this path, all of us will have a severe headache," the diplomat said.

The diplomat stressed that this will be "a very bad example for North Korea." "It will show Pyongyang that the attempts to make agreements may be disrupted by key participants of deals without any pretext," he added.
Steve Jobs' sandals sold for more than $200,000

Armenian PM accuses Azerbaijani leader of terrorizing Armenian civilians

Azerbaijan shells Armenian positions on border again

OPEC downgrades its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2022

White House: Biden and Xi Jinping agree on Blinken's visit to China

CNN: CIA chief Burns meets with SVR director Naryshkin in Ankara

Turkish FM Cavusoglu thanks Ararat Mirzoyan for condolences

Putin signs decree allowing stateless persons to serve in Russian army

Airbus CEO: There is no question of them breaking off trade ties

Armen Grigoryan receives Igor Khovayev

Britain and France sign agreement on strengthening cooperation on illegal migration

US updates its sanctions list for Russia: Milur Electronics LLC, an Armenian company listed

Potatoes prices grow by 20%: expert claims agriculture collapse in Armenia

Peskov says Russian-American talks in Ankara initiated by Washington

Morgan Stanley: UK and euro zone economies are likely to face recession

Xi Jinping hopes for comprehensive dialogue between NATO, the EU and the US and Russia

Japan proposes to deploy Australian nuclear submarines

Biden calls talks with Xi Jinping at G20 summit frank

WB: Debt levels among low- and middle-income countries soared in 2021

Xi Jinping: China does not intend to challenge the U.S.

Scholz: Adopting a joint G20 summit statement is a tough task

Biden and Xi Jinping oppose use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Nikol Pashinyan receives Russian co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group

IMF head warns of risks for world economy because of rivalry between China and US

Irakli Garibashvili: Georgia is ready to promote in every possible way the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Red Wings airline launches direct flights from Makhachkala to Yerevan

Olaf Scholz: EU should expand its cooperation with Southeast Asian countries

Global Leadership Foundation will visit Armenia

Kurdistan Workers' Party denies its involvement in Istanbul terrorist attack

NATO Secretary General says they must not make mistake of underestimating Russia

IRGC resumes strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan

French and German central bank heads call for speeding up EU capital markets union

Control of U.S. House of Representatives depends on several tight races

Artsakh FM speaks with his Transnistria counterpart

Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus say they cannot accept migrants

Cavusoglu thanks Mirzoyan for condolences on terrorist attack in Istanbul

Xi Jinping and Joe Biden begin first face-to-face meeting in Bali

Zelenskyy arrives in Kherson

Armenian Defense Minister: After expiration of contract service 5 million drams will be provided to servicemen

Turkey refuses to accept U.S. condolences after terrorist attack in Istanbul

Defense Ministers of Georgia and Azerbaijan sign military cooperation plan for 2023

Russian Foreign Ministry denies reports about Lavrov's hospitalization in Bali

Yellen hopes Biden and Jinping meeting leads to engagement on macroeconomic issues

Russian Defense Ministry confirms violation of ceasefire in Artsakh by Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Artsakh MOD denies accusations of Azerbaijani MOD

Azerbaijani Defense Minister holds talks in Georgia

Armenian MOD denies another lie of Azerbaijani MOD

Germany warns its delegation about Egyptian spies at COP27

NSS of Armenia reveals channel of illegal migration

Azerbaijani State Security Service announces disclosure of 'Iranian spy network'

Politico: Indonesia, hosting G20, lobbies West to soften criticism of Russia in final communique

Ararat Mirzoyan expresses condolences to Mevlut Cavusoglu over Istanbul explosion

Iranian lawmakers sharply criticize Aliyev

Ambassador-at-Large: Azerbaijan's attacks on Armenia are a terrorist attack

Germany needs to diversify its business interests in Asia to reduce dependence on China

Head of U.S. Treasury Department says sanctions against Russia should remain in force even after war in Ukraine

Natasa Pirc Musar to become Slovenia's first woman president

IMF: World economic outlook even bleaker than predicted

Pashinyan: Azerbaijan calls Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh 'our citizens' and at the same time shoots at them

Turkish Interior Minister announces arrest of suspect in attack on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul

Alpine to make 3 electric crossovers

Number of injured in Istanbul blast rises to 81

Paul McCartney sells guitar for $77,000 to support Ukraine

Erdogan says preliminary findings after Istanbul bombing point to terrorist attack

Erdogan says number of victims of Istanbul bombing rises to six

Authorities forbid TV channels to broadcast from Istanbul bombing site

Istanbul blast: Governor reports 4 dead and 38 wounded

Media: Terrorist attack considered as one of versions of bombing in Istanbul

Blast in Istanbul: victims reported

Reuters: National Bank of Ukraine prepares banking system for power outages

Explosion hits pedestrian street in Istanbul

Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin calls for Turkey to be recognized as sponsor of terrorism

Bloomberg columnist says Japan may be preparing for war with China

Reuters: U.S. to demand EU colleagues to continue aid to Kyiv at G20

Washington Post: U.S. intelligence believes UAE tried to interfere in U.S. politics

Yeni Safak: Turkey increases sales of winter products, blankets in EU by almost third since beginning of year

Fox News: Trump has been silent on social media for over 24 hours amid Republican failures

Lebanon extradites to Iraq relative of Saddam Hussein

Financial Times: Kyiv plans to nationalize more private companies

U.S. Senate declares 'death' of Republican Party after congressional elections

Head of U.S. Customs resigned

President of Georgia Zourabichvili says about 100 thousand Russians settled in country

CNN: Democrats to retain control of Senate after congressional elections

Alen Simonyan: We are truly and sincerely committed to the peace agenda

Artak Beglaryan: Genocidal purpose is apparent

French maritime services rescue more than 140 migrants trying to swim across English Channel

Biden says he is satisfied with results of midterm elections in U.S.

Slovenia holds second round of presidential elections

'Witch' burned alive in India, 14 arrested

COVID-19 cases are expected to surge in Germany this winter

Dollar makes worst showing in week since early days of COVID-19 pandemic

Macron confirms France's readiness to support normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku

Germany withdraws from Energy Charter Treaty

Is Jordan country that has not supplied arms to Armenia?: 'The press usually has reliable information'

European Commission approves nationalization of Russian Gazprom's German subsidiary

Pashinyan: If the state interferes with the exchange rate unnecessarily, the economy will only suffer

U.S. to work with strategic coalition of Southeast Asian countries

Armenian PM: To reform army, it is necessary to make military service more attractive

Defense Ministry: Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire at Armenian positions

Putin and Raisi discuss topical issues of the bilateral agenda
YEREVAN.  Photos of everyday events and shared common memories, captured on both sides of a closed border by young Armenian and Turkish photographers, are available in a powerful photo book called #BridgingStories. The book was launched Tuesday in Armenias capital city of Yerevan, bringing together the mentors and several of the young photographers whose work is included in the volume, the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. It is the capstone of a U.S. Embassy-sponsored project that included a photojournalism camp and exhibit last summer with the same name, #BridgingStories, aimed at bringing young Armenian and Turkish photographers together to develop their photojournalism skills.

Twenty-four young Armenian and Turkish journalists gathered in Dilijan in August 2016 for intensive training led by international and local experts, including Armenian photojournalist Anush Babajanyan, Turkish photojournalist Serra Akcan, and American National Geographic photographer John Stanmeyer. Participants then returned to their homes and spent months photographing their communities, working closely with their mentors. Many of the photos were displayed in an exhibit last January at the NPAK/ACCEA gallery in Yerevan.

The photos they took, some of which are compiled here, are powerful visual stories. They show life as it is  the good and the bad, the joyful and sorrowful, the poignant and the day-to-day, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr., writes in the opening pages of the newly released book. The young photographers share stories of their families, their communities, and their own lives. Through their visual stories we see the similarities in the lives lived on both sides of the Armenian-Turkish border.

But, of course, an exhibition can only reach so many eyes. Expanding on the project, and again with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, this #BridgingStories book was created, a permanent record of the development of a relationship between neighbors who are now friends, mentor John Stanmeyer writes in the books introduction.

Thank you to all the young photographers involved, said U.S. Embassy Charge dAffaires Rafik Mansour, who spoke at the book launch. It is through your art, through your eyes, that we can see bridges of understanding being built. And with this book, your work will continue to reach new audiences and spark new discussions.

Copies of the book will be made available to various libraries around Armenia. Look for them soon in the U.S. Embassys five American Corners in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Charentsavan, and Kapan.
YEREVAN.  The Council of Europes decision in relation to Azerbaijan was quite logical, head of Armenian delegation to PACE Arpine Hovhannisyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Earlier Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe warned the Azerbaijani government about the consequences for not fulfilling the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights.

Hovhannisyan, vice speaker of the Armenian parliament, emphasized that Azerbaijan had not released Ilgar Mammadov in contrast to the judgment of the European Court.

During the debates on Azerbaijan at the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and in the Monitoring Committee, the wording was a subject of the discussion. At the proposal of one of the delegates, the resolution, that will be included in the agenda of October 10 meeting, will contain to immediately release Ilgar Mammadov phrase, she explained, adding that the Council of Europe's executive body should take more effective measures.

She expressed the opinion that sanctions may be imposed on Baku, if the Azerbaijani authorities, in the end, do not dare to release Mammadov.

The Secretariat was instructed to prepare a draft interim resolution on the Ilgar Mammadov case which will give formal notice to Azerbaijan of Committee of Ministers' intention to submit to the European Court the issue of failure by the country to fulfill its obligation under Article 46  1 (failure to comply with the decision of the European Court) of the European Convention.

This article has never been applied in relation to the member states so far.
The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) salutes Iraqi Kurdistans referendum on independence and its results, where the people voted for three provinces of northern Iraq to become part of the sovereign Iraqi Kurdistan.

As it was noted, Iraqi Kurds cast ballots in a controversial independence referendum Monday as tensions between Iraq's largest ethnic minority and the Iraqi government in Baghdad intensified. The first results should be known within 72 hours.

Iraq has been beset by war for generations now, and this peaceful expression of free will from the people of Iraqi Kurdistan should be respected as a basic human right to help create a better future for the Kurds and all the other groups in the region, including the Christian and other minorities, Assembly Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian said, Armenian Assembly of America reported.

This type of expression of popular will demands that we respect the process, and democracies should be supporting peaceful exercises of self-determination consistent with universal human rights in and similar to Iraqi Kurdistan, they added.

The Kurdish people have treated Armenians who reside within its territory in Iraq well throughout the years. There are just a few of us in Kurdistan. But thanks to God, we have been given most of our rights, Ishkhan Milko, an Armenian member of the Duhok Provincial Council, told Rudaw, We have a seat in the Kurdistan parliament as well as a seat in the Duhok Provincial Council.

Many Armenians ended up in northern Iraq as a result of deportations during the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Even though some Kurdish communities were exploited and encouraged by the Turkish Ottoman regime to attack the caravans of Armenians, many Kurds refused and instead rescued them from death.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) - Get Free Report founder Bill Gates is as famous for his immense charitable giving as he is for sparking a personal computing revolution in the 20th century.

Gates and his wife, Melinda, started the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the 1990s under the belief that "every life has equal value." Since its inception, the Gates Foundation has racked up a $40.3 billion endowment and has to date given $41.3 billion in grants.

You might not be the richest man in the world like Bill Gates with his massive $91.3 billion net worth, but there are ways to give back just like he does.

Know What You Need and What You Don't

Bill Gates has a $150 million, 66,000-square foot lakeside Seattle mansion complete with a pool boasting its own underwater speaker system, according to Business Insider. But he knows what he needs and what he doesn't. And with a net worth like that, Gates could undoubtedly afford more than one high-end swimming pool.

"Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point," Gates told the Telegraph in 2013. His sprawling home is far larger than most Americans could fathom, but it still represents less than 0.2% of his worth. His charitable donations - which topped $28 billion to the Gates Foundation in 2016 - represent about 33% of his overall wealth.

Find a Passion

In the U.S., the Gates Foundation "seeks to ensure that all people - especially those with the fewest resources - have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life." Abroad, the Gates Foundation "focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to life themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty."

For the Gates' Foundation, the mission is broad. But for an individual donor, developing a strategy is paramount to giving in the most meaningful ways. Forget donating to your alma mater, the teary-eyed kid at your stoop or the groups with the most pitiful soundtracks during afterhours programming.

Instead, ask what problem you want to solve and what causes you value, said financial planner Bridget Sullivan Mermel to Time Inc.'s (TIME) Money. Next, think about what's within reach, both geographically and financially. Find a group that fits your individual goals in charitable giving and donate what makes sense for you.

Pay Attention to Results

It's easy to write a check and rest on your laurels, but it's better to pay attention to what the group you chose did with your money. Did they write you a letter thanking you for your gift? Did they communicate results from your donation? Was it all just another plea for money? Keep track of the organizations that were positively impactful so your next donation can change as many lives as possible.

In 2013, Gates set out to fund the reinvention of the condom for next-generation use. But a few years later, Gates acknowledged it was a lousy use of charitable funds. The Foundation learned a lot, Gates has said, but ultimately never implemented a new design to the mass market.

Surround Yourself With the Right People

Recent research suggests that power doesn't corrupt as many might surmise. Rather, "power leads people to act more generously toward future generations" over time, according to a study at the University of Michigan. Those in power were more likely to choose future reform over immediate relief, suggesting a longer-term view of fixing the world's problems. So spending your free time with others in power could prove a good idea.

Gates and Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) - Get Free Report (BRK.B) - Get Free Report CEO Warren Buffett, who are close personal friends, started the Giving Pledge and successfully recruited hundreds of the world's wealthiest to donate a majority of their wealth to charity before they die. The combined net worth of all those who have signed the Giving Pledge as of 2016 was $731 billion.
I'm really proud Bodak didn't have a male feature. It's nice to see a solo female rap record gain this much success without a heavy weight male 'co-sign' on the record.

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It's nice to see a female rapper in general who didn't need the validation of a male rapper or a crew of male rappers in order for her to be successful.

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That tweet is so passive aggressive.

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its not

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stop wishing for the rest of the world to harbour as much spite and venom

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go to bed Jill.

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LOL

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Do people call her Bardi?

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i heard in an interview that her nickname is bacardi, so probably

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She reps blood. Cardi becomes Bardi

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New Yorkers are so basic, nobody cares.

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lmao they rly can be so corny

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you sound broke!!!



(lol jk, so am i)

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what does this have to do with money sis???? like...

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sorry you're not one of us :(

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Damn Cardi truly is a cultural phenomenon. I checked ha tag and shes slaying



I love ha so much

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Props to Nicki admitting defeat. Lol jk. But no really.



Go Cardi!!!

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they've definitely had some shitty encounter behind the scenes. cardi went on a longwinded snapchat rant all in her feelings in june talking about another female artist who she looked up to and who apparently treated her like she was a nobody when they met.





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Didnt she also get a lil quiet during her Breakfast interview when they asked about her?

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She was probably treated that way bc she shouldnt have been all #teamremy after the whole fiasco earlier this year. Which is funny, bc she really didnt need to considering she eclipsed that tri-state felon from the moon and back.

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ehhhhh that's speculation. she doesn't say anyone's name. there are a handful of famous female singers she could be talking about tho, so..

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nicki is a new yorker?? why did i think she was from the caribbean or something lol

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She's Trinidad born and Queens raised

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why is this a big deal?

i know she's a new artist

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she's the second female rapper ever and the first since 1998 to have a number one



Edited at 2017-09-26 04:15 am (UTC)

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WHAT B*TCH WORKING AS HARD AS ME

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Congratulations @iamcardib for having a #1 record in the country that's not as easy as it seem this huge May u have continued blessings  Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) September 25, 2017



Congratulations 2 Cardi B and her dream team! Takes a Team to make a Dream come tru  #moneymoves #1 pic.twitter.com/kkszUWZseC  LOLA (@GangstaBooQOM) September 25, 2017

Other female rappers congratulated her as well. She seems like a shitty person, but it is a much bigger deal for her and women in rap than it is for other artists who are usually getting number ones.

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yeah i was gonna post missys tweet!

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Missy is such an icon. I don't ever remember her having any beef with anyone or shading any woman in the industry. I remember for awhile her twitter bio was "i hope one day every female MC can join me on stage" or something. I love her. I hope she gets the VMA vanguard award, it's well deserved and long overdue.

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She deserves it pretty much more than everyone who's received.



The fact that JT, Pink, and Rihanna have one before her 



Forgot Ye has one too smh



Edited at 2017-09-26 12:45 am (UTC)

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missy is a fucking legend. <3

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I love Missy. She's a sweet person.

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Still surprised she never had a #1 by herself. I thought maybe Super Bass did at least.



Proud of Bodak for reaching it (but her as a person is disappointing) but maybe this means we can get more new artists at the top.



Probably wishful thinking.

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.@IAmCardiB sitting atop the Hot 100 redefines the type of woman who is afforded mainstream rap success https://t.co/2cJ2oHrokM  Pitchfork (@pitchfork) September 25, 2017

But also the glowing coverage is a bit much considering she was literally unapologetically making racist comments yesterday. A writer at pitchfork was even unironically talking about how she's woke.

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rite the fact that she doubled down on it is what kills me... there's no shadow of a doubt that she's a racist asshole and yet we still get these 'omg she doesn't knoooo better' comments..

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mte

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edgy

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take your daughters to bed, dave!

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radical

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I'm excited. Yes to this movie.

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I've only ever seen the directors cut of Blade Runner. Saw it in a film class when I was 18, so I obviously thought it was ~GENIUS~.





still love it, too

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I meant the final cut*

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Alternate versions drive me nuts. If you don't know what you want before you start your movie, don't start the damn thing.

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The original cut, with narration, is unwatchable to me. I think its wild how just that little switch makes it crap for me, or one of my favorite films.

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I've never seen the original and now knowing that there's like 20 different versions of it, I'm not sure I will be able to.

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just see the final cut. its the one ridley scott had 100% control over.

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these days, thats not a good thing.

ie Alien Covenant...Prometheus...

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I've seen the theatrical and the directors cut. but the fact there are so many versions, and people will argue about which are best, drives me nuts, and has weirdly kept me from embracing Blade Runner. I'm curious about this one, and I love Harrison so I'll see it, eventually. But I really hope there don't end up being 5 versions.

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I'm more excited for this movie than any new Ridley Scott movie.



... that is unless a Legend sequel gets made.

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We'll get an alternate forreal cut when either Ridley dies or we hit the 40th anniversary and they need to sell the box set

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I've only ever seen the final cut. I did look up the original theatrical ending on youtube once, but once was enough lmao.



I'm really excited for 2049 but with a $185 million budget, R rating, and a nearly 3-hour run time, they better pray that the reviews and WOM are amazing.

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Omg  Please, please lemme have this just for once. Please let Blade Runner 2049 be really good, iconic, clean, rad and powerful etc. I would buy the blu ray with dem extended scenes up to 4+ hours etc.

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hated the original Blade Runner, but i'm excited to see this???

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For everyone saying the multiple versions of BR turns them off, The Director's Cut and Final Cut are basically identical save for some re-coloring, and touched up effects.

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remember when she told ppl to shut up, respect tr*mp, and give him a chance?

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did she now? lol jesus

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I mean she's in with the Russian and Turkish government what do you expect

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yup...also remember when cops found drugs on her and she blamed it on the black kid? good times.

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she looks great here!

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Are these old outtakes?



They dont look like the Lilo Ive seen in the last post, we haven't seen her look like that in years.

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Right? I'm just like 'HOwwwwww...??' because that's not her face anymore so unless these photos were from several (several) years ago I don't see how even photoshop could have fixed that mess.

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Right? I legit just Googled her dumbass a couple weeks ago, and she looks as tragic as ever.

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Photoshop exist, I highly doubt she looks like this.....especially now that she owns her own club. I don't know why health wise she would consider that a good idea given her past struggles with partying and addiction

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The jacket is from the current F/W17 collection, so the picture must have been taken within the last 6 months

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YO! I saw this on IG (why I'm still following her idk) and I legit gasped. Best she's looked in years. I think I actually see some of the old Lindsay in there.

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Opening a chain of nightclubs seems questionable for someone who's struggled with sobriety.



But she looks good on the cover.

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MTE

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yeah mte. hopefully she won't be all that involved in it?

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Right? Not a smart business venture.

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wow she actually looks kind of natural here

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Remember when ONTD thought red hair would restore her looks? It didn't happen.

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That's a pretty pic!

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keep it

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that is a really good cover



/everything nice i had to say

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Which warlock is she fucking to look like this (outside of using Photoshop, obviously)?

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She needs to never go back to blonde or any other color that isn't her natural hair color.

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she's about 8 years too late on fans thinking she just needs red hair again...

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I can't imagine her still having a chance of a comeback now, even if she was serious about it.

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Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, right, and jury member Maina Kiai announce the Right Livelihood Award laureates in Stockholm Sweden, Tuesday Sept. 26, 2017. Projected in the background clockwise from top left the laureates are, Khadija Ismayilova, Azerbaijan, Colin Gonsalves, India, Yetnebersh Nigussie, Ethiopia, and Robert Bilott, USA. (Janerik Henriksson /TT via AP)

The "Alternative Nobel" was given to four people Tuesday for their "courageous work" in human rights, public health and good governance.

The prize foundation announced the 2017 winners as Indian human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves, Azeri journalist Khadija Ismayilova and Ethiopian lawyer Yetnebersh Nigussie. American environmental lawyer Robert Bilott was given an honorary award. The three others share a cash award of 3 million kronor ($374,000).

The award's official name is the Right Livelihood Award. Gonsalves was cited "for his tireless and innovative use of public interest litigation over three decades to secure fundamental human rights for India's most marginalized and vulnerable citizens."

The Stockholm-based award committee said Ismayilova had shown "courage and tenacity" in exposing corruption in her native Azerbaijan "through outstanding investigative journalism in the name of transparency and accountability."

Nigussie was tapped "for her inspiring work promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities."

The award committee cited Cincinnati attorney Bilott "for exposing a decades-long history of chemical pollution, winning long-sought justice for the victims, and setting a precedent for effective regulation of hazardous substances."

In a statement issued by the foundation behind the Right Livelihood Award, the recipients said they were honored to get the prize that is awarded once a year.

It "comes at a time when India is going through a dark period and human rights activists are under siege," Gonsalves said, while Bilott hoped the award would help "spread awareness and recognition of the urgent need to take further steps to protect our drinking water, and the ability and power of local residents and communities to ensure that such steps are taken."

Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honors efforts that prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.

Named after the Buddhist concept of Right Livelihood, the prize has been given in the past to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, human rights activists Bianca Jagger from Nicaragua, and Swedish children's book author Astrid Lindgren.

Last year, the prize went to the Syria Civil Defense group, also known as the White Helmets, together with activists from Egypt and Russia, and Turkish independent newspaper Cumhuriyet.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Indentation on a two-dimensional mechanical metamaterial. Credit: AMOLF

Mechanical metamaterials, which exhibit unusual properties such as shape morphing and programmability, have been found to display further surprising features. When the materials are a step in size larger, new rules seem to apply. This was discovered by researchers at AMOLF, Leiden University and the University of Amsterdam. Their findings will be published in Nature Physics on 25 September.

"In standard materials such as a rubber band, we understand what happens when you add more material," says first author Corentin Coulais. "If you make the rubber band twice as long, then it is twice as easy to stretch. That is basic mechanics. But mechanical metamaterials are different. The exact opposite can happen. For example, we discovered that a long metamaterial can actually be stiffer than a short one."

Until now, the research into metamaterials was focused on relatively small systems in which aspects such as programmability are easily investigated. "However, we suspected that different effects would occur in larger systems," says Coulais. "We have now studied that extensively."

As a postdoc in the group for Mechanical Metamaterials of Martin van Hecke, Coulais examined a relatively simple strip of metamaterial together with Leiden University master's student Chris Kettenis. This unidimensional metamaterial, built up from stiff elements that can rotate slightly with respect to each other, unexpectedly became stiffer when its length was doubled. The striking scale effect also occurred in the case of the more complex two- and three-dimensional metamaterials.

The strip of metamaterial used in the experiments. Credit: AMOLF

The team also discovered that there was also a characteristic length scale that marked the transition from small to large. Coulais says, "We see that above this scale, the special functionality of the metamaterials wears out, so to speak. The special effects of the geometric structure become spread out."

Coulais emphasizes that only the design of the metamaterial is responsible for the characteristic length scale. Take, for example, the influence of the flexibility of the pivot points between squares. The intrinsic properties of the rubber that the metamaterial is made from are not relevant. "This really is a new physics phenomenon that we have now been able to reproduce in computer simulations as well."

It is clear that designers of metamaterials should take the characteristic length scale into account. However, this does not limit the possibilities, says Coulais. "On the contrary, the new physics that we now describe in Nature Physics actually introduces a whole new range of possibilities."

Another consequence of the scale effects also came to light. When the material is larger, a small offset in the position of the pressure point will give rise to a completely different response of the material. This opens possibilities to design materials that incorporate different types of behavior. An example is a material that can be both flexible and stiff depending on how it is constricted. Coulais is now employed at the Institute of Physics of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), where he is continuing his pioneering work with his own research group. "There is still a lot to discover about these unusual materials."

More information: Corentin Coulais, Chris Kettenis and Martin van Hecke, A characteristic length scale causes anomalous size effects and boundary programmability in mechanical metamaterials, Nature Physics, 25.09.17 online, DOI: 10.1038/nphys4269 Journal information: Nature Physics

Provided by AMOLF
The rainforest has a wealth of valuable commodities but has been protected for decades from private industry and is home to several indigenous tribes

The Brazilian government backed off a controversial proposal to authorize private companies to mine a sprawling Amazon reserve Monday after blistering domestic and international criticism.

President Michel Temer's office will issue a new decree Tuesday that "restores the conditions of the area, according to the document that instituted the reserve in 1984," the Ministry of Mines and Energy said in a statement.

Last week, environmental activist group Greenpeace said at least 14 illegal mines and eight clandestine landing strips were already being used by miners in the Denmark-sized reserve known as Renca in the eastern Amazon.

Greenpeace said this showed the risks faced by Renca even without Temer's earlier proposal for ending a ban on large-scale foreign mining in the mineral-rich region.

Temer's decree signed on August 25 on opening up Rencarich in gold, manganese, iron and copperwas suspended days later after an international outcry.

The president had argued that lifting restrictions would allow Brazil to boost its struggling economy and also push the hugely destructive illegal mining operations out of business.

In announcing the government was formally withdrawing the decree, the mining ministry insisted that the conditions that led to the measure in the first place were "still present."

"The country needs to grow and generate jobs, attract investments for the mining sector, including to exploit the economic potential of the region," it added.

The rainforest has a wealth of valuable commodities but has been protected for decades from private industry and is home to several indigenous tribes.

Critics of Temer's decree included international environmental groups, the Catholic Church and even supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who is Brazilian.

The 'world's lung'

The Renca reserve is home to the indigenous Aparai, Wayana and Wajapi tribes and vast swaths of untouched forest, covering more than 17,800 square miles (46,000 square kilometers).

Environmental groups say opening up Renca, part of the "world's lung," to mining would accelerate the advance of private mining and deforestation of preserved areas.

"The cancellation of the degree shows that, no matter how bad it is, no governing politician is absolutely immune to public pressure," said Marcio Astrini, public policy coordinator for Greenpeace Brazil.

"It is a victory of society over those who want to destroy and sell our forest."

He added: "Renca is just a battle. The war against the Amazon and its different peoples, promoted by Temer and big agribusiness, is still on."

Since taking power in 2016 after the impeachment of his leftist predecessor Dilma Rousseff, Temer has taken a series of controversial environmental measures, including reducing the size of a natural sanctuary and freezing the cession of property titles to indigenous people.

At the United Nations last week, Temer told the General Assembly that Brazil plays a leading role in environmental protection.

"Brazil is proud to have the largest coverage of tropical forests on the planet. Deforestation is an issue that concerns us, especially in the Amazon. To this issue we have dedicated attention and resources," he said.

But following a recent meeting of more than 1,000 environmental scientists in Brazil, the head of the Society for Ecological Restoration told AFP that the international scientific community has "deep concern" about the country's environmental policies under Temer.

 2017 AFP
Credit: iStockphoto.com

Using X-ray techniques, scientists are developing an analysis tool that can more accurately predict how sulfur compounds in a batch of crude oil might corrode equipment an important safety issue for the oil industry.

The results of these ongoing experiments at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will improve industry guidelines. The goal is to characterize the types of sulfur that are most critical to identify in the oil, in order to better anticipate the potential for corrosion rates.

A team of researchers from Chevron and the University of Saskatchewan are performing a series of studies at SSRL to closely examine forms of sulfur in crude oil.

"By looking at crude oil with a combination of X-ray spectroscopy techniques, we were able to examine and describe the complex chemistry of the sulfur compounds with high specificity," said Monica Barney, a materials research engineer at Chevron.

Complexities in the Data

Nearly a million barrels of oil are processed on a given day at Chevron's major refineries throughout the United States, and the sulfur present in the oil can react with the metals in various types of equipment and cause damage. These reactions are something engineers must consider to ensure safe and reliable processing.

But high sulfur concentrations don't always correlate with high levels of corrosion, or the other way around, and this makes it difficult to anticipate how corrosive a particular crude oil will be.

"We can measure the concentration of sulfur, but it doesn't tell you about the reactivity," says Barney, who is leading the studies. "Knowing the type of sulfur in crude oil is critically important for predicting properties related to corrosion."

The collaboration began when Barney was working on a separate corrosion study at SSRL. After collecting the data, the Chevron team was struggling with how to interpret the complexities they saw in the results.

In an online search, they came across a diagram developed by two professors at the University of Saskatchewan, Graham George and Ingrid Pickering, while they were on the staff at SSRL. They have conducted molecular biology and toxicology experiments at the SSRL synchrotron for years.

The diagram showed spectroscopy information gathered from the superimposition of data on many sulfur types, similar to what's seen in crude oil. It showed how comparing an overall spectrum to a library of standards could identify individual types of compounds.

"When I came across this figure, I thought, 'This is it. This is what we need.' It's what we'd been seeking for yearsa characterization method that could quantify the amounts of each type of sulfur," Barney says.

The idea was to use the same techniquesulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopyto measure and determine the types of sulfur in crude oils.

Barney soon began collaborating with George and Pickering to find a solution. Both worked previously in the oil and gas industry, and Barney says their expertise was a perfect match with what Chevron wanted to study.

With this analysis method, the team developed an approach to examining the crude oil with "tender X-rays," which occupy the middle ground between high-energy and low-energy X-rays.

Tuned to the correct energy, X-rays allowed the researchers to collect detailed information about the sulfur and its chemical neighbors and help tease through the overlapping information generated by similarities in the sulfur compounds.

Understanding Sulfur Chemistry

The large number of various sulfur compounds present in the crude oil, each subtly different from the others, makes the results from most types of characterization techniques difficult to interpret or even inconclusive.

The X-ray absorption spectroscopy work at SSRL allows the scientists to see a precise description of the crude oil's sulfur chemistry.

"This is an example of using state-of-the-art spectroscopy for a real-world application," George says.

This work is part of a larger collaboration at Chevron that is using several other techniques to understand the chemistry of sulfur in crude oil. The experimental data from several chemical characterization methods are combined and compared to data from corrosion studies and predictions from computer modeling.

More information: Julien J. H. Cotelesage et al. Insights into the Nature of the Chemical Bonding in Thiophene-2-thiol from X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy, The Journal of Physical Chemistry A (2016). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6b05874 Ingrid J. Pickering et al. Chemical Sensitivity of the Sulfur K-Edge X-ray Absorption Spectra of Organic Disulfides, The Journal of Physical Chemistry A (2016). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6b06790
Students and a scientist at the University of Vermont have discovered 15 new species of 'smiley-faced' spiders--and named them after, among others, US Senator Bernie Sanders. Credit: Glynnis Fawkes

A scientist at the University of Vermont and four of his undergraduate students have discovered 15 new species of "smiley-faced" spidersand named them after, among others, David Attenborough, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

You won't find them in Washington, DC, Hollywood, or Vermontbut on Caribbean islands and other southern spots you might now get a glimpse of Spintharus davidattenboroughi, S. barackobamai, S. michelleobamaae, and S. berniesandersi as well as S. davidbowiei and S. leonardodicaprioi.

"This was an undergraduate research project," says Ingi Agnarsson, a spider expert and professor of biology at UVM who led the new study. "In naming these spiders, the students and I wanted to honor people who stood up for both human rights and warned about climate changeleaders and artists who promoted sensible approaches for a better world."

The study was published September 26 in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

WHY BERNIE?

Until now, the beautiful, yellow, smiley-faced spiders in the genus Spintharus named for a smiley face pattern on their abdomenshas been thought to have one widespread species "from northern North America down to northern Brazil," Agnarsson says.

However, when a research team from the Caribbean Biogeography Project ("CarBio")spearheaded by Agnarsson and Greta Binford at Lewis & Clark Collegeexamined spiders from Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, Florida, South Carolina, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Colombiathey discovered that one widespread species was actually many endemic species. Using CarBio genetic work, and the Vermont students' painstaking photography and lab work, the teamwith support from the National Science Foundationwas able to identify and formally describe fifteen new species. "And if we keep looking, we're sure there are more," Agnarsson said.

Each student who helped describe the spiders also got to name a few of themand some were named for beloved family members, "but we all named the Bernie Sanders spider," says Lily Sargeant, one of the students who worked on the project, and who graduated from UVM last year. "We all have tremendous respect for Bernie. He presents a feeling of hope."

Female Bernie Sanders spider -- Spintharus berniesandersi -- in a lateral view. Composite photo created by undergraduate students in Ingi Agnarsson's laboratory at the University of Vermont. Credit: Agnarsson lab

"That spider species will be named after Bernie forever," says Ben Chomitz, another of the student researchers.

"Our time on this earth is limited," says Lily Sargeant. "But I think that ideas are not that way. It is my hope that through naming that spider after Bernie we can remember the ideas that he has at this pivotal point in the life of our nation."

For student Chloe Van Patten, her naming process goes back to what she calls a high school "obsession" with actor Leonardo DiCaprio. "I'm over my crush, but now that he's involved in environmental issues, I love him even more. So I named a spider after him hoping that if he read our study," says the recent UVM graduate, "he might go out to dinner with me and talk about climate change."

CONSERVATION CONCERNS

The Caribbean region has long been known to scientists as a major global hotspot for biological diversity. The leading spider expert on the Spintharus genus in earlier decades, Herbert W. Levi (1921-2014), had concluded that differences he observed in these spiders across a wide swath of geography represented variation within one species. But newer molecular techniques deployed by the project's leaders, Agnarsson and Binford, show otherwise. "These are cryptic species," Agnarsson says. "As Dr. Levi's work clearly showed, they're hard to tell apart by looking at them." But the DNA data are clear: these spiders have not been interbreedingexchanging genesfor millions of years.

"Thoughts about conservation change dramatically when you go from having a common, widespread species to an endemic on, say, Jamaica that has very specific conservation needs," Agnarsson says.

"All the sudden we have fifteen-fold increase in diversity in this particular groupjust because we did a detailed study," says Agnarsson. "That tells us something about biodiversity in general. The more we look, the more we discover." Conservation biology, the team notes, fundamentally depends on good taxonomy, since preserving one widespread species is a radically different task than protecting the precise habitat of a genetically isolated, local species.

The Vermont students saw their lab work in a broad cultural light. "I'm a second-generation American and I'm black," says Lily Sargeant. "It is through a diversity of perspectives that we achieve innovation in science and I appreciate how much the Obamas value diversity."

"Here's the thing," says UVM scientist Ingi Agnarsson, "we need to understand and protect biodiversity in its many forms, and we felt compelled to recognize leaders that understand this."
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

If wine is cultivated in an area where forest fires occur more often, such as in Australia or Southern Italy, aromas that make the alcoholic drink unpalatable can develop in the finished product. Until now, it wasn't known why this is so and what happens at the molecular level. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is now describing the reason why the smoke aromas are stored in the grapes and is thus showing the way for growers to eliminate this degradation in quality.

In the case of wine production, it is not initially clear whether there was a fire near the vineyard from which the grapes come. Only when opening a bottle of wine is a strong off-note perceived. "The smell and taste of such a wine is then often described with the term ash or ashtray," says scientist Katja Hartl. "This leads to a strong reduction in the quality of the wine."

Those now thinking of barrique-produced wines, which taste "smokey" to some people, will learn from the scientist that it's not comparable to that. Yet what's happening in the fruit? A study got to the bottom of this smoky taste and is now described by Professor Wilfried Schwab and his team from the Professorship for the Biotechnology of Natural Products at the TUM in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Give the aroma sugar!

Aromatic substances are volatile and in nature are attached to sugar, for example in plants. The aroma can be retained or stabilized with this sugary compound. The aromatic substance can then once again be detached from the sugar and released. This process is called glycosylation. It describes a series of chemical or enzymatic reactions, for example, in which carbohydrates are bound to small, hydrophobic compounds such as aromas. An enzyme called glycosyltransferase is responsible for this.

If grape vines are exposed to bush fires, as happens more often in Australia, Southern Italy and California, the grape vine absorbs the smoky aromas via its leaves and fruits. In the plant, the off-notes are then linked with sugar molecules by a glycosyltransferase - a protein that acts as a biocatalyst. This link with sugar molecules makes the smoky off-notes more water-soluble. As a result, the grape vine stores the now no longer volatile smoke aromas.

Smoke aromas are assimilated instead of resveratrol

But why does the glycosyltransferase process these foreign substances? The team led by Prof. Schwab has an explanation for this as well: "Actually, the job of glycosyltransferase is to process the resveratrol." Because resveratrol, a substance with a health promoting effect, is naturally contained in the grape vine and in terms of its structure resembles the smoky aroma molecules. As long as the grapes haven't been harvested yet, the stinking smoke molecules are bound and the ashy smell and taste can't be noticed.

During fermentation, however, the wine yeast added by the fermentation process once again separates the sugar molecules and the smell develops. "Therefore, it only becomes apparent in the finished wine that the vineyard was exposed to a fire and the final product is of poor quality," first author Katja Hartl explains. Because the glycosyltransferase ensured that foreign aromas that are not desired by the customer were incorporated with the smoke molecules.

"We now know how such a taste can develop," Prof. Wilfried Schwab says. "In the next step, we can try to cultivate either grape vines with less glycosyltransferase. Or we'll add a second sugar to prevent the release of the bad aromas." Alternatively, yeasts that are not capable of releasing the smoke aromas could also be used during fermentation. The gene responsible for this could also be removed, which, however, consumers here in this country tend to reject.

The investigation of the molecular mechanism leading to the formation of undesirable aromas in wine is now allowing vintners to take various counter-measures to ensure the quality of the alcoholic beverage.

More information: Katja Hartl et al, Glucosylation of Smoke-Derived Volatiles in Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is Catalyzed by a Promiscuous Resveratrol/Guaiacol Glucosyltransferase, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2017). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b01886 Journal information: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
The white line represents the present-day Mediterranean coastline, blue regions show the submarine area in case of a 2km Mediterranean sea level lowering as it was proposed during the Messinian salinity crisis and red circles show the location of volcanic provinces whose activity was enhanced during the Messinian (the size of the circle is proportional the activity augmentation). Credit:  UNIGE

We already know that climate change influences such Earth processes as erosion and fluctuations in sea levels. But do surface processes in turn have an influence on volcanic activity? This was the question raised by geologists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE, Switzerland) and international collaborators. The researchers analysed volcanic data from the Messinian salinity crisis in the Mediterranean Sea, when the Strait of Gibraltar was blocked and the Mediterranean temporarily isolated from the Atlantic. After observing a sharp rise in volcanic activity during this period, and testing various scenarios, the geologists concluded that the increase in magmatic activity could only be explained by the almost total drying out of the Mediterranean. These results, published in Nature Geoscience, reveal the influence of surface processes, largely controlled by climate, on volcanic activity.

It is known that the Strait of Gibraltar was temporarily shut during the Messinian Era (more precisely, from 5.96 to 5.33 million years ago) and that the Mediterranean Sea was isolated from the Atlantic. In fact, as far back as the 1970s, scientists have found layers of salt several hundred metres thick on the seabed. The only explanation is that there was very limited connection between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The scientists also discovered huge underwater canyons dating back to the same period, hollowed out by rivers running over land that is now submerged, suggesting that the sea level was much lower at the time. This also points to the massive drying up of the Mediterranean with enormous geographical and climatic disruption across the entire basin. This hypothesis, however, continues to be a source of debate.

Nevertheless, a team of UNIGE-led geologists has provided new evidence of the Mediterranean's drying up and the forcing of surface processes on magmatic activity. "We understand that what happens at the Earth's surface, such as a sudden sea level lowering, causes the pressure to change at depth and has an effect on magma production," says Pietro Sternai, researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences in UNIGE's Science Faculty. Given that the salinity crisis was capable of generating these changes in pressure, the geologists, working on the hypothesis that the Mediterranean dried out, studied the changes in volcanic activity during this period.

When a volcano erupts, the magma cools on the Earth's surface and the minerals crystallise. Based on these silent witnesses of volcanic activity, the scientists were able to establish that there were 13 eruptions around the Mediterranean between 5.9 and 5.3 million years ago. This is over twice the average activity, which is around 4.5 eruptions over a longer time length encompassing the salinity crisis. Why is the figure so high? "The single logical explanation," suggests Sternai, "is the hypothesis that the sea dried out, since this is the only event powerful enough to alter the Earth's pressure and magmatic production over the entire Mediterranean."

The geologists used numerical models to test the hypothesis that the Mediterranean dried up. They reproduced the history of the charging and discharging of the weight of water and sediment in the Mediterranean as it was drying out. Then they calculated the changes in pressure at depth and the impact on magma production.

Two scenarios were examined: The first factored in the salinity crisis with drastic lowering of the sea level, and the second excluded the drawdown. "The simulations showed that the only way to account for the proven increase in volcanic activity was that the level (and thus the weight) of the Mediterranean Sea dropped by about two kilometres," explains Sternai. "I leave it to you to imagine what the landscape looked like."

In addition to providing further evidence of the drying out of the Mediterranean, the research also demonstrates the impact of climate change on the deep Earth. Climate change influences magmatic production, in particular via the effects on erosion and hydrology, which modify the pressure exerted at the Earth's surface on the deep layers. Although we have been aware of the impact of volcanism on the climate for quite some time, the results presented in the study have disclosed that the opposite is also possible. "This pioneering work opens up new perspectives for interdisciplinary studies about the coupling between the solid Earth and the fluid Earth, andfor exampleinvolving volcanologists, geomorphologists and climatologists," concludes Sternai.

More information: Pietro Sternai et al. Magmatic pulse driven by sea-level changes associated with the Messinian salinity crisis, Nature Geoscience (2017). DOI: 10.1038/ngeo3032 Journal information: Nature Geoscience
Researchers from five countries analyze remnants trapped in rainforest sediment to reconstruct 1 million years of Atlantic rainforest history. Credit: Daniel Antonio / Agencia FAPESP

In early August 2017, a team of scientists from the University of Sao Paulo (USP), the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil and France's Development Research Institute (IRD) began drilling boreholes and analyzing sediment removed from the Colonia Crater, a depression located in southern skirts of Sao Paulo City, with a diameter of 3.6 km, depths of up to 450 m and an area of 10.2 km2. Their aim was to reconstruct the past 1 million years of the biosphere and Atlantic Rainforest biome in that area.

"Accumulation of sediment was possible throughout the Quaternary [the past 2.6 million years] because of the bowl shape. The 50 m of sediment we're sampling will contain records of the last 800,000 to 1 million years," said Andre Oliveira Sawakuchi. Sawakuchi is a member of the project team and heads the Gamma Spectrometry & Luminescence Laboratory at USP's Geoscience Institute.

Equipment for the lab was purchased with Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) support, and this lab is one of the facilities where the materials will be analyzed. "The analysis will be done in labs at USP and in countries like Switzerland, France, the United States and Germany," said Marie-Pierre Ledru, a researcher at IRD, who shares the coordination of the project with Sawakuchi.

The researchers are analyzing the cores for any microbes, pollen, isotopes, greenhouse gases and algae, as well as for other items trapped in the sediment. All this is evidence of the variations in the amounts of sunlight received by the planet that caused the many glacial-interglacial cycles in the history of the planet and the impacts of the wet and dry periods on the Atlantic Rainforest.

"The questions we try to answer have to do with these natural cycles that are part of the Earth's climate. In the past 800,000 years, there have been glaciations roughly every 100,000 years. Our research project has several fronts, and we will obtain a wide-ranging analysis of this period," said Patricia Roeser, another member of the project team and a researcher at the European Center for Environmental Geoscience Research & Education (CEREGE) in France.

The sediment samples collected from the Colonia Crater are very rich with information concerning what occurred in the area and how the Atlantic Rainforest biome responded to climate change. By analyzing the organic compounds and isotopes (forms of chemical elements) in the sediment, the researchers can determine a great deal about the type of plant cover and even the composition of the rain that fell thousands of years ago.

"Plants absorb isotopes of hydrogen from rainfall, so the vestiges of plants trapped in the sediment represent a kind of climate archive," Sawakuchi said. Another source of information about the past of the Atlantic Rainforest is the pollen found in sediment cores, from which the scientists can draw conclusions regarding flora diversity.

Analysis of the gases trapped in the pores of the sediment enables the investigation of the subsoil communities of microbes, which produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

"Research of this kind has been done for temperate forests, but very few tropical areas have been studied in this way," says Ledru. "The information obtained relates not just to the forest itself but also to the amount of rainfall and to the periods of more intense drought and rain."

The project is being carried out in three stages. The first is drilling and core sample collection. The second is the analysis of greenhouse gases and microbiology. "The drilling site is 100 m from our mini-laboratory. The material comes to the mini-lab, where the samples are divided up into smaller subsamples. We must do this fast to avoid contamination. The samples are then shipped to researchers in several countries," said Roeser, who is responsible for in situ analysis.

This third stage involves the analysis of remnants such as isotopes, pollen and algae by experts at research centers in several different countries. "After that, the cores will be returned to Brazil for storage in USP's archive," said Ledru. "It's an interdisciplinary project with 17 researchers who specialize in different areas."

The research project, called Tropicol, is not the first to study the vegetation in the Colonia Crater. The area has been studied since the 1960s, but the initial focus was on how the crater was formed, probably by a meteorite. Studies focusing on climate and vegetation began in the 1980s.

"There isn't a lot of research of this kind in the world," Roeser said. "Continental deep drilling to study microbial activity, as opposed to oceanic surveys, began less than ten years ago. The first results showed a link between glacial-interglacial cycles and types of microbial communities. We're curious to see the results of the analyses, which will show whether this is also the case for the Colonia Crater."

Drilling in 2014, as part of the Thematic Project "Dimensions US-BIOTA Sao Paulo", produced 14 m cores of sediment, recording the past 250,000 years. In this case, the scientists discovered that there was a lake in the crater for a long period. They estimated that the change from a lake to a marsh occurred approximately 120,000 years ago.

"We know the sediment is rich in pollen and organic matter, all of which is good material to study the evolution of the Atlantic Rainforest," Sawakuchi said. "Another interesting fact is that at depths below 11 m, we find lake-bottom sediment layers. Most of the crater's sedimentary infill is of this kind, meaning that the crater was a lake for a large proportion of its lifetime."

The crater is also known to have a maximum thickness of 450 m of accumulated sediment. "The future goal is to drill down to collect cores from these 450 m," Ledru said. "It will then be possible to sample the basement rock at the bottom of the crater in order to define whether it really was caused by a meteorite impact. Satellite images of the crater leave no doubt, but this study will bring confirmation from the rock," Ledru said.

She added that the material that has been collected from the crater can be used in new studies concerning climate change and the Atlantic Rainforest.

"For future research, we're interested in studying how changes in solar energy affect biodiversity, creating processes of extinction and species emergence. These processes are still poorly understood. We don't have answers about the natural extinction processes, and we're currently experiencing a mass extinction largely caused by humans," Ledru said.

The planet is undergoing a new phase of the solar cycle, wherein the Sun's activity becomes more intense at intervals of approximately 11 years, while at the same time, greenhouse gases are at high levels. "It will be important to determine the effects of these variations in solar energy on the tropical forest underlayer," Ledru said. "We can then know how energy variations may impact future extinctions and specie emergences, making a link between the past and the present era in which human activity is creating something completely new on Earth. It's still only a new research possibility. Studies of climates, paleoclimates and paleobiology need several indicators, such as those captured in the Colonia Crater."

Provided by FAPESP
Credit: Academy of Finland

Researchers from Finland and Taiwan have discovered how graphene, a single-atom-thin layer of carbon, can be forged into three-dimensional objects by using laser light. A striking illustration was provided when the researchers fabricated a pyramid with a height of 60 nm, which is about 200 times larger than the thickness of a graphene sheet. The pyramid was so small that it would easily fit on a single strand of hair. The research was supported by the Academy of Finland and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of China.

Graphene is a close relative to graphite, which consists of millions of layers of graphene and can be found in common pencil tips. After graphene was first isolated in 2004, researchers have learned to routinely produce and handle it. Graphene can be used to make electronic and optoelectronic devices, such as transistors, photodetectors and sensors. In future, we will probably see an increasing number of products containing graphene.

"We call this technique optical forging, since the process resembles forging metals into 3-D shapes with a hammer. In our case, a laser beam is the hammer that forges graphene into 3-D shapes," explains Professor Mika Pettersson, who led the experimental team at the Nanoscience Center of the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. "The beauty of the technique is that it's fast and easy to use; it doesn't require any additional chemicals or processing. Despite the simplicity of the technique, we were very surprised initially when we observed that the laser beam induced such substantial changes on graphene. It took a while to understand what was happening."

"At first, we were flabbergasted. The experimental data simply made no sense," says Dr Pekka Koskinen, who was responsible for the theory. "But gradually, by close interplay between experiments and computer simulations, the actuality of 3-D shapes and their formation mechanism started to become clear."

"When we first examined the irradiated graphene, we were expecting to find traces of chemical species incorporated into the graphene, but we couldn't find any. After some more careful inspections, we concluded that it must be purely structural defects, rather than chemical doping, that are responsible for such dramatic changes on graphene," explains Associate Professor Wei Yen Woon from Taiwan, who led the experimental group that carried out X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at the synchrotron facility.

The novel 3-D graphene is stable and it has electronic and optical properties that differ from normal 2-D graphene. Optically forged graphene can help in fabricating 3-D architectures for graphene-based devices.

More information: Andreas Johansson et al. Optical Forging of Graphene into Three-Dimensional Shapes, Nano Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03530 Journal information: Nano Letters
Credit: University of Michigan

Understanding what causes and predicates the bribery of government officials by high-level corporate executives has always been tricky. Self-reporting, even on anonymous surveys, is unreliable and data hard to come by.

Jordan Siegel, associate professor of corporate strategy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, and Yujin Jeong of American University examined a trove of information released in South Korea that sheds light on when companies are likely to engage in bribery.

Siegel and Jeong used court verdicts from two high-profile bribery trials, publicly available financial information, and a social network of the country's leading business families to find patterns of behavior that can help predict when a company may resort to bribery.

"Once we put it together, there were some obvious patterns that were staring straight at us," Siegel said. "It wasn't the same companies paying the most in bribes every year. It varied. And we found that it wasn't the firms that were most secure in status or had low status, but ones that had high status and were encountering economic difficulties."

The government of South Korea released extensive documents after the trials of former presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo. Both received bribes from business groups during their terms in office from the 1980s and early 1990s, and the documents provided detailed information on who paid what to whom and when.

Chun and Roh were tried for corruption and ordered to pay back millions, and a significant number of business group leaders were found guilty of corruption charges.

Siegel and Jeong then looked at social network relationships involving the country's leading business families.

"Marriage is a way in which powerful families have come together to form long-lasting ties," Siegel said. "Business in many cultures is based on trust, particularly in emerging economies. So we built a relational database based on the marriage ties between the families that controlled businesses."

They found that when a company with high statuswith many connections in the relational databaselagged behind its industry peers financially, that company was more likely to choose large-scale bribery as a nonmarket strategy.

"When you're in a high-status position you want to stay there," Siegel said. "There were a number of benefits to high status in terms of government support and you want to continue to have your children be part of the elite. There's really a high return to keeping your status and a big downsideprofessionally and personallyto losing it."

The study is one of the first to use empirical data to show how social dynamics can contribute to illegal corporate activity. It also can serve as a guide to government and media watchdogsespecially in emerging economiesand give them an idea of which companies to more closely monitor.

"There are fewer monitors and watchdogs in many places that need them, so knowing what kinds of specific conditions create ripe conditions for bribery can be a big help in simply knowing where to start looking," Siegel said.

More information: Threat Of Falling Hight Status And Corporate Bribery: Evidence from the Revealed Accounting Records of Two South Korean Presidents: drive.google.com/file/d/0B16dM  SWt5ZzM3UWlfVk0/view
The two halves of a mock Orion spacecraft arrive at Kansas State University's Ice Hall in August. After the capsule frame arrived at the Manhattan campus, the kinesiology research team -- including graduate and undergraduate students -- finished the construction. Credit: Kansas State University

A mock space capsule has landed in Kansas State University's Ice Hall. In this built-to-scale model of the Orion spacecraft, "astronauts" practice emergency escape maneuvers while a university kinesiology team studies their health and fitness levels.

It's all part of NASA's plan for further human exploration of the solar system, from a Mars mission to a deep space mission.

The university research teamled by Carl Ade, assistant professor of exercise physiology, and Thomas Barstow, professor of exercise physiologyhas partnered with the Johnson Space Center in Houston to tackle a major challenge for these long-duration space missions: the return to earth.

"Maintaining astronaut health is critical to NASA missions, and we need to be able to keep astronauts safe in flight and during landing," said Ade, who has previously studied astronaut health. "By knowing fitness and health standards, we can determine types of in-fight interventions to keep astronauts healthy on long-duration missions that can last several years."

Ade and Barstow are using a two-year NASA grant to study the strength, cardiovascular health and aerobic capacity that astronauts need for an end-of-mission landing or an emergency escape.

That's where the model Orion spacecraft fits in. After a deep space mission, the Orion spacecraft will land in the ocean and astronauts must perform a quick emergency escape. Astronauts must get out of their chairs, climb a ladder out of the capsule and get into a life raftall difficult tasks after several months in zero-gravity environments. Microgravity is tough on astronauts' bodies and can deteriorate skeleton, muscle and cardiovascular systems.

There's an added challenge: Astronauts must do all of these tasks while inside a capsule that is rocking on the waves of an ocean. All in all, it creates a jolting return to earth.

"We want to determine if astronauts need to reserve a certain level of strength or cardiovascular capacity during flight so that they can land safely after a one- or two-year mission," Ade said. "The model capsule lets us test that in a way that is translatable and allows NASA to apply it directly to future missions."

Ade and the team are studying research participants as they perform the same tasks in the model capsule as astronauts would during an emergency escape. Participants wear special equipment that takes physiological measurementssuch as muscle activity, oxygen uptake, heart rate and blood pressureto determine what kind of stress the body experiences during an emergency escape.

The mock-up Orion capsule is constructed to the exact dimensions as the real version. The research team traveled to Johnson Space Center to make measurements, look at blueprints and develop a way to create the space capsule in Kansas. Local manufacturing companies helped with the design and frame. Once the capsule frame arrived at the Manhattan campus, the research teamincluding graduate and undergraduate studentsfinished the construction.

"We have a great group of graduate and undergraduate students who have come together and helped us with all aspects of this project, from construction to testing," Barstow said.

The project can help the general population as well. During deep space missions, astronauts must maintain their physical and cardiovascular capacity in a confined space with few medical resources. If the researchers can find possible interventions with these restrictions, they could apply the same methods to clinical patients or possibly geographic areas without access to medical facilities and resources.

"If we can figure out how to keep an astronaut healthy in this extreme environment, we can translate that to life on earth," Ade said. "This research is really helping both individuals: the astronaut and those here on Earth."

The research is a continuation of nearly 10 years of NASA-funded research to improve astronaut health and determine fitness standards.

"Our goal is to provide information on how fit an astronaut needs to be when they leave so that when they get to the destination or when they return to earth, they will be strong enough to perform mission tasks, even after several months in a zero-gravity environment," Barstow said.
In the era of a renewed spotlight on offshore tax havens, a new study suggests U.S. tax reporting rules still make it easy for corporations to quietly shift and shelter profits in low-tax jurisdictions, avoiding public scrutiny.

Reviewing 12 years of public reporting data for U.S. multinationals, researchers found companies with more extensive operations in known tax havens were much more likely to group and report their foreign earnings by broader categories, rather than reporting by individual country. It is perfectly legal. U.S. corporate tax rules require companies to disclose which countries they are operating in. But the companies don't have to provide details as to how much they are earning in each place. Instead, they are allowed toand usually doreport their foreign earnings more generally, such as by region, continent or even "total foreign earnings."

That makes it harder for watchdogs and other stakeholders to track earnings and ask hard questions, including which companies may be attempting to dodge higher taxes, by claiming more earnings in lower-tax havens.

Rather than pointing out potential tax cheats, "we are more interested in whether outsiders can learn anything about these activities from the information companies must provide. I think the quick answer to that is, 'Not too much, unfortunately,'" says Ole-Kristian Hope, the Deloitte Professor and a professor of accounting at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Prof. Hope conducted the study with Herita Akamah of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Wayne B. Thomas of the University of Oklahoma.

The researchers are not aware of any other large-scale study like theirs. The study analyzed financial reporting data between 1998 and 2010 for every company incorporated in the U.S. Researchers manually sifted through the information to catalogue the countries where firms said they operated and compared that to how they disclosed and grouped their earnings.

In addition to their main finding, the study also found that larger companies, those working in natural resources, retail, or in industries with low competition were especially likely to stay vague about where they were claiming their earnings.

The results support calls by some policymakers and non-governmental organizations for U.S. tax authorities to require country-by-country earnings reporting in order to identify companies' tax avoidance practices.

"Just as in other aspects of firms' disclosure practices, most multinationals are loath to disclose something that may work against them, unless they are absolutely forced to," Prof. Hope said.

Reports show the use of tax sheltering has grown significantly over the last 20 years. The use of sheltering in key tax havens has shifted from just over 13 percent of foreign earnings among U.S. multinationals in 1998, to nearly 26 percent in 2010, according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data. An estimated $100 billion a year has been lost in tax revenue due to use of tax havens by Fortune 500 companies, reports the U.S.-based Citizens for Tax Justice.

The paper will be published in the Journal of International Business Studies.
The hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria highlight the potential for the climate system to cause loss and damage. A new study clarifies the definitions of "loss and damage" from different perspectives, which is a key issue now that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, is encouraging the creation and implementation of actions to address loss and damage from climate change.

Loss and Damage (L&D) has been debated at climate negotiations for decades. In the early days of the UNFCCC, small island states called for an international insurance pool covering residual damage associated with rising sea levels that couldn't be prevented by mitigation and adaptation efforts. The L&D issue is complex and sensitive, involving climate change impacts and risks and their effects on developing countries that are more vulnerable to climate change.

Despite the challenges, L&D has now entered the formal architecture of the UNFCCC. First, in 2013, there was the establishment of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts. Then, in 2015, the Paris Agreement established a separate article on L&D and confirmed the long-term existence of the WIM. But what does addressing L&D actually mean? And, in particular, how might efforts to minimise and address L&D from climate change impacts differ from existing efforts under "adaptation?"

The official documents do not provide clear answers to these questions. "Strategic ambiguity" has arguably been fundamental for successful agreement between countries. But now, researchers and practitioners are starting to ask how they can address L&D, and many are confused about what this might involve. Experts have begun to develop concepts and frameworks for L&D policy, but until now, there has not been an empirical research study to analyse expert opinions.

"Given this rather confusing landscape, we hope our work will provide important clarity on the range of perspectives on L&D in order to move the discussions forward. Especially since the way we speak and think about these matters has implications for actions on the ground," says lead author of the study, Professor Emily Boyd at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies.

"As scientists, we found ourselves asking 'what kind of research might be relevant to inform L&D policy?' But it is hard to identify specific research gaps when some of the policy discussions are quite vague. This led us to start asking people working on L&D what it meant to them, and we realized that we were getting a range of rather different answers," says co-author Dr Rachel James, from the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford.

"As we began exploring these different perspectives, we also realized areas of commonality such as the relevance of climate risk assessment and monitoring and evaluation and the importance of research-policy dialogue to identify and prioritize research questions," says co-author Dr. Richard Jones from the Met Office Hadley Centre.

In the study, a number of stakeholders across science, practice and policy (such as UNFCCC negotiators, climate scientists and economists) from both industrialised and developing countries were interviewed about their viewpoint on L&D. Four perspectives on L&D emerged:

Adaptation and Mitigationwhere stakeholders highlight all human climate change impacts as potential L&D and have the opinion that current UNFCCC mechanisms for adaptation and mitigation are sufficient to address L&D. Risk Managementwhere stakeholders view discussions around L&D as an opportunity to work towards comprehensive risk management by building on existing efforts under disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and humanitarian work. Limits to Adaptationthis viewpoint is centred around the limits to adaptation, and how to deal with residual L&D that cannot be, or has not been, avoided through mitigation or adaptation. Stakeholders suggest that L&D applies to impacts of any climate-related event, not just those directly linked to climate change, and have a focus on vulnerability. Existential perspectiveThe viewpoint where L&D discussions represent a means to highlight the importance of addressing the inevitable harm which climate change will impose on vulnerable countries, populations, cultures and ecosystems. There is also discussion of compensation, whether monetary or non-monetary.

"By identifying that there are different perspectives on L&D, we can move toward creating a shared platform for future research and policy work. We found it especially interesting that there was no clear dividing line in terms of perspective variation between stakeholders from industrialised and developing countries, which could have been expected in light of the risks associated with climate change and extreme events."

Emily Boyd notes that it is the complexity surrounding the meaning and use of L&D which is important to highlight. "Even if countries might be reluctant to acknowledge that there are different perspectives in political climate negotiations, we see it as key that policy makers are aware of these diverse viewpoints. Otherwise, we think that it will be very hard to move forward and develop this policy space," she concludes.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

(Phys.org)A pair of researchers, one with Louisiana State University, the other the University of Michigan has conducted a study on the benefits of proactive policing and have found an example where removing it appeared to lower crime rates. In their paper published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, Christopher Sullivan and Zachary O'Keeffe outline their crime data analysis for a time period when proactive policing was halted and describe what they found. David Weisburd with George Mason University offers a short history of studies done on proactive policing in the same journal issue and compares them with what the researchers in this new effort found.

Most people know that the bulk of crime in industrialized countries occurs in areas where poor people live and that more often than not, such areas have a high population of minorities. Because of that, police departments have focused a large share of their resources on such areas. In recent times, police have adopted a practice called proactive policing in which they engage heavily with people in their jurisdictionstopping people, asking questions, making arrests for minor offenses, etc. The aim is to prevent serious crime, rather than arrest or prosecute after the factbut some have accused the police of targeting minorities. Studies indicate, Weisburd notes, that such tactics do help reduce crime rates. But in this new effort, the researchers have found an example where the opposite was true.

To learn more about the possible benefits of proactive policing, the researchers studied New York City crime data for the period 2013 to 2016 and then specifically during a seven-week period in late 2014 and early 2015. The latter period followed protests regarding police brutality leading to the death of Eric Garner. During those seven weeks, all proactive policing was halted.

In studying the data, the researchers found that reports of serious crimes, such as murder and robbery fell by 3 to 6 percent during the lull. This, they suggest, offers evidence that proactive policing not only does not prevent crime, it actually causes more crime. It is possible, they suggest, that citizens living in areas that are heavily policed grow angry at being targeted and thus feel justified in breaking the law.

More information: Christopher M. Sullivan et al. Evidence that curtailing proactive policing can reduce major crime, Nature Human Behaviour (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-017-0211-5 Abstract

Governments employ police to prevent criminal acts. But it remains in dispute whether high rates of police stops, criminal summonses and aggressive low-level arrests reduce serious crime. Police officers target their efforts at areas where crime is anticipated and/or where they expect enforcement will be most effective. Simultaneously, citizens decide to comply with the law or commit crime partly on the basis of police deployment and enforcement strategies. In other words, policing and crime are endogenous to unobservable strategic interaction, which frustrates causal analysis. Here, we resolve these challenges and present evidence that proactive policingwhich involves systematic and aggressive enforcement of low-level violationsis positively related to reports of major crime. We examine a political shock that caused the New York Police Department (NYPD) to effectively halt proactive policing in late 2014 and early 2015. Analysing several years of unique data obtained from the NYPD, we find that civilian complaints of major crimes (such as burglary, felony assault and grand larceny) decreased during and shortly after sharp reductions in proactive policing. The results challenge prevailing scholarship as well as conventional wisdom on authority and legal compliance, as they imply that aggressively enforcing minor legal statutes incites more severe criminal acts. Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour

 2017 Phys.org
The volunteers timed themselves walking along paths that the researchers designed to capture a variety of slopes, ground surface roughness, and vegetation densities. Credit: Michael Campbell

Every year, tens of thousands of wildland firefighters risk their lives to save timber, forests and property from destruction. Before battling the flames, they identify areas to where they can retreat, and designate the best escape routes to get from the fire line to these safety zones. Currently, firefighters make these decisions on the ground, using expert knowledge of fire behavior and assessing their ability to traverse a landscape.

Now, a University of Utah-led study has developed a mapping tool that could one day help fire crews make crucial safety decisions with an eagle's eye view.

The new study is the first attempt to map escape routes for wildland fire fighters from an aerial perspective. The researchers used Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to analyze the terrain slope, ground surface roughness and vegetation density of a fire-prone region in central Utah, and assessed how each landscape condition impeded a person's ability to travel.

"Firefighters have a great sense for interactions between fire and landscape conditions. We hope to offer to them an extra tool using information collected on a broad scale," says lead author Michael Campbell, doctoral candidate in the U's Department of Geography.

Department of Geography professor and co-author, Philip Dennison, adds, "Finding the fastest way to get to a safety zone can be made a lot more difficult by factors like steep terrain, dense brush, and poor visibility due to smoke. This new technology is one of the ways we can provide an extra margin of safety for firefighters."

The findings were published online Sept. 26, 2017, in the International Journal of Wildland Fire.

Mapping escape routes

Firefighters identify escape routes by assessing the landscape on the ground. The three conditions that determine how efficiently a firefighter can move through an area are terrain steepness, or slope, vegetation density, especially of plants in the understory and ground surface roughness, such as a boulder field or a well-maintained dirt road.

By plugging the effect of slope, ground surface roughness and vegetation density on travel rates into a route-finding algorithm, Campbell successfully identified the most efficient routes for thousands of simulations. Credit: Reproduced and modified from Campbell, et al. 2017, with permission from CSIRO Publishing.

The study used a combination of LiDAR, geographic information systems, and human volunteers to examine how landscape conditions impact a person's ability to travel within Levan Wildland Management Area in the foothills of Utah's Wasatch Mountains.

The volunteers timed themselves walking along 22 paths that the researchers designed to capture a variety of slopes, ground surface roughness and vegetation densities. The researchers compared these travel times to LiDAR-derived estimates of the three landscape conditions along the transects, and extracted their effects on travel rates.

The analysis revealed that the fastest travel rates with respect to slope are slightly downhill, and going steeper uphill or downhill reduces travel speed on average. As vegetation density increases, travel rate decrease and as ground surface roughness increases, travel rates also decline.

"A lot of it is intuitive; if you're walking through dense vegetation, you're going to move more slowly than you would through a field of grass. But we found that no-one had quantified just how much vegetation density or surface roughness can slow you down," says Campbell.

After assessing travel impedance, Campbell ran thousands of simulations evaluating potential escape routes within the study area. He chose random starting points representing a crew location, and random end points representing a safety zone. By plugging the effect of slope, ground surface roughness and vegetation density on travel rates into a route-finding algorithm, he successfully identified the most efficient routes.

Quantifying landscapes from the sky

Currently, firefighters base all of their decisions on ground-level information using fire safety protocols, such as the Incidence Response Pocket Guide. The guidelines recommend avoiding steep slopes, dense vegetation, and rough ground surfaces when designating an escape route.

"It's built into the safety protocol, but there are no numbers behind it. What is steep? Is it steep uphill? Downhill? What is dense vegetation?" asks Campbell. "Using LIDAR information, we were able to turn it from these subjective judgement calls into something more robust and quantitative."

The study is the first attempt to map escape routes for wildland fire fighters from an aerial perspective. Campbell ran thousands of simulations evaluating potential escape routes within the study area by choosing random starting points representing a crew location, and random end points representing a safety zone. Credit: Reproduced and modified from Campbell, et al. 2017, with permission from CSIRO Publishing

LiDAR is unique in that it has the ability to map both understory vegetation and ground surface roughness at very high levels of precision. The technology is sensitive enough to pick out individual bumps, rocks and boulders on the ground surface with a resolution of 10 cm per pixel.

The result of a LiDAR data collection effort is a 3-D 'point-cloud' containing millions of points that record the longitude, latitude and elevation of the structural features that make up a given landscape. When combined with the LiDAR-derived landscape conditions, firefighters can apply existing route-finding algorithms to the data to identify the path of least resistance.

Bringing the technology into a wildfire

LiDAR data currently aren't well-suited to real time mapping of evacuation routes, because they can take a long time to process and coverage is limited in some regions. However, land managers in areas with high wildfire risk could prepare the data ahead of the fire. With the LiDAR information in hand, firefighters could run the route-finding software to identify escape routes in real-time.

"The goal is to turn this into a tool that can be implemented in a realistic sense," says Campbell. "Because our work is sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service, we hope to get our tools into the hands of people on the ground, and turn it into something that's used in a fire-fighting scenario."

Bret W. Butler of the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, Montana also contributed to this work.

The release was based on Campbell, M.J.; Dennison, P.E.; Butler, B.W. (2017) A LiDAR-based analysis of the effects of slope, vegetation density, and ground surface roughness on travel rates for wildland firefighter escape route mapping. International Journal of Wildland Fire. DOI: 10.1071/WF17031.
The comparison of the existing synthesis method and the newly developed synthesis method by Professor Hong. Credit: UNIST

A recent study by researchers affiliated with UNIST has presented a new way to advance the click chemistry. This has applications in the synthetic chemistry of new drugs and the development of functional high molecules and bio-imaging.

In the study, the research team has introduced a new synthetic method to obtain a novel triazole structure used for the production of drugs and high molecules. This breakthrough makes it possible to produce triazoles using water as a solvent at room temperature, instead of using a high-temperature organic solvent.

This study was led by Professor Sung You Hong in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST in collaboration with Dr. Goncalo J. L. Bernardes' group at University of Cambridge, Professor Sebyung Kang in the School of Life Sciences, as well as Professor Jung-Min Kee, Professor Jan-Uwe Rohde and Professor Wonyoung Choe in the School of Natural Science at UNIST.

The name triazole refers to any of the heterocyclic compounds with molecular formula C 2 H 3 N 3 containing five atoms within the ring structure. The presence of three nitrogen hetero-atoms in five-membered ring systems defines the class of triazole. One of these is the 1,4-substituted 1,2,3-triazole compounds, a new synthetic method developed by Karl Barry Sharpless, the 2001 Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry, and has been widely applied in various fields, such as pharmacology, biology, and materials science.

The Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is a chemical reaction to access 1,2,3-triazoles, yet it suffers from the low regioselectivity. The Sharpless group demonstrated an elegant copper-catalyzed method to yield 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in high yields under the mild conditions. The copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) has become the key example of click chemistry and has been widely utilized in medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, polymer chemistry and materials science.

In 2005, ruthenium-based chemistry to access complimentary 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles was reported. Yet, the RuAAC is often sensitive to air and moisture and it requires elevated temperatures.

In the study, the research team reported nickel-catalyzed cycloaddition reaction to afford 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles. The reactions proceed in water and air at room temperature. Authors employed nickelocene precatalyst and Xantphos ligand to react the building units, an organic azide and an alkyne.

"The NiAAC reaction is performed under the mild reaction conditions. Therefore this approach can be applied in various research fields including chemical biology and materials science," says Woo Gyum Kim in the Combined M.S/Ph.D. of Energy and Chemical Engineering, the first author of the study.

More information: Woo Gyum Kim et al, Nickel-Catalyzed AzideAlkyne Cycloaddition To Access 1,5-Disubstituted 1,2,3-Triazoles in Air and Water, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2017). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b06338 Journal information: Journal of the American Chemical Society
Uber wants the Quebec government to renew a pilot program that allowed it to operate in the province over the past year

Uber threatened on Tuesday stop services in Canada's Quebec province in mid-October, saying proposed new ride-sharing regulations aimed at leveling the field with taxis are too onerous.

"We are going to have to cease our operations in Quebec on October 14," Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, director general of Uber Quebec, told a press conference, but calling for negotiations to find a solution that would allow the company to stay.

The Uber executive accused the Quebec government of "trying to impose old (taxi) rules on a completely new technological model," saying "major changes" in the regulations would force Uber to effectively operate like a taxi company with full-time drivers.

Under the new regulations unveiled last Friday, he said, Uber would not be able to attract and retain part-time or occasional drivers.

Guillemette urged the government to reconsider its position and renew a pilot program that allowed Uber to operate in the province over the past year, without any changes.

At the same time, he offered to negotiate with authorities in the coming months to try to solve the deadlock.

The original one-year test program, which is slated to end mid-October, required Uber to collect and pay taxes on each trip made by its drivers.

It also capped the time worked by all drivers to a total of 50,000 hours per week.

Quebec Transportation Minister Laurent Lessard said at the time that it allowed taxi and Uber drivers "to compete on a more balanced playing field."

Last week, the government renewed the pilot but with stricter conditions that would require Uber drivers to undergo 35 hours of trainingthe same as taxi driversand a criminal background check by police.

Uber vehicles would also be required to undergo annual safety inspections.

The announcement Tuesday comes after London transport authorities last week said they would not renew Uber's license to operate in the British city when it expires, due to public safety concerns.

Company CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has apologized for "mistakes" by the US company but vowed to appeal the decision.

Uber has seen its global popularity explode since it launched in 2009 in San Francisco, but also faces bans in other major cities including Cape Town, Mumbai, and New Delhi.

 2017 AFP
A company that wants to build and operate a large terminal to export coal from the western U.S. to Asia was denied a key permit by Washington state on Tuesday because of environmental concerns.

The Department of Ecology rejected a water quality permit that Millennium Bulk Terminals sought because the proposed facility near the city of Longview would have caused "significant and unavoidable harm" to the environment. The department cited effects to air quality, noise pollution and tribal resources, among others.

"There are simply too many unavoidable and negative environmental effects for the project to move forward," Ecology Director Maia Bellon said in a statement.

Millennium Bulk Terminals has long hoped to build a facility along the Columbia River to handle up to 44 million tons of coal a year. Trains would carry the coal from Montana, Wyoming and other states, which would be loaded onto ships headed to Asia.

William Chapman, the president and CEO of Millennium, said the company will appeal the decision and expects "a fairer and more consistent interpretation of the law."

"Multiple recent decisions by the agency seem biased against the Longview community, and particularly blind to the need for employment opportunities in Cowlitz County," he said in a written statement.

Environmentalists, tribes and others have fiercely opposed the projectwhich could increase U.S. exports of coal by 40 percentbecause of concerns about global warming, coal dust pollution and potential damage to fisheries on the river. Several of those groups lauded Tuesday's decision.

"The state did the right thing today, standing up for clean water, public health and the Pacific Northwest's iconic endangered salmon runs," Power Past Coal co-director Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky said in a statement.

Businesses, some labor groups and other supporters say the project would create jobs, add tax revenue and boost the local economy. The governor of Wyoming, the nation's leading coal-producing state, previously traveled to the Pacific Northwest to pitch the importance of coal exports to the governors of Washington and Oregon.

Kris Johnson, president of the Association of Washington Business, criticized the process that led to the decision, saying that the project has faced "unprecedented regulatory hurdles."

"We need companies to invest in manufacturing, construction and infrastructure to support trade," he wrote in a prepared statement. "Instead of turning away investment, our leaders should be encouraging responsible growth."

Montana's attorney general said he plans to review the decision to make sure the law has been followed.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said that despite Washington's decision, "Wyoming will continue to work towards a plan that allows for the safe transportation of coal through coastal ports."

An environmental review released in April by Washington's ecology department and Cowlitz County analyzed potential harm to fish habitat, wetlands, water quality, local communities and more. Of 23 environmental areas, 19 would face harmful effects, and some could not be offset or reduced, officials said at the time.

The review found that coal dust pollution from trains would not be major because emissions levels would be below state and federal standards, but pollution from locomotives would raise the cancer risk for one low-income neighborhood.

Residents also would see more noise and traffic delays at rail crossings without a quiet zone or other measures, the study said. At full capacity, the project would add 16 more trains through the area and increase the number of ships by 1,680 a year.

Gov. Jay Inslee said he was confident that state ecology officials "based their decision on sound science and in accordance with the law."

"It's absolutely critical that all projectsparticularly of this scaleundergo an objective and extensive review that ensures they are able to meet the standards necessary for protecting our land, air and water," he said in an emailed statement.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
NRF Comments on NAFTA Renegotiation

Below is a statement delivered today by National Retail Federation Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold during a press briefing conference call on the North American Free Trade Agreement conducted by NRF, the American Petroleum Institute and other business organizations.

NAFTA Press Briefing Conference Call

September 22, 2017

Jonathan Gold

Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy

National Retail Federation

Thank you Jack. NRF appreciates the opportunity to participate in todays press briefing.

NRF is the worlds largest retail trade association. We represent everyone from the single store operator to the large big box retailer to pure play ecommerce retailers and everyone in between. Retail is the nations largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs  42 million working Americans. About 7 million of those jobs are directly or indirectly related to trade.

We fully agree that after 23 years the NAFTA needs to be examined and updated. Since the agreement was negotiated over two decades ago, it does not reflect todays global value chain or many new ways of doing business in the global economy. A number of its provisions affecting old ways of doing business need to be updated and modernized to reflect todays business environment as well as what may come in the future.

NRF and its members are very supportive of NAFTA, as well as other free trade agreements that not only open up sourcing opportunities for retailers to provide high quality products to U.S. consumers, but those that also open foreign markets for U.S. retailers to sell U.S. made goods to foreign consumers.

U.S. retailers are the primary direct link between American families and farmers, workers and producers in the United States, Mexico and Canada. This economic activity supports about 14 million U.S. jobs, in farming and manufacturing as well as a wide range of services sectors.

NAFTA has supported these jobs by freeing much economic activity between the countries of unnecessary burdens, and by helping to grow the U.S. economy in general.

Over the two decades of its existence, NAFTA has eliminated high tariffs in all three countries.

It has helped to create new value chains that enable each country to contribute to the cost of production of key consumer goods, ensuring that the prices of those goods to American families are as competitive as possible.

As such, it has supported U.S. economic growth by providing U.S. producers and consumers with extra income to spend in new, growth-generating ways.

We must ensure that NAFTA modernization truly is a modernization of the agreement. A withdrawl from NAFTA should not be a consideration at all. We strongly support the Do No Harm principle by which the administration is following. This includes continuing to knock down barriers among the countries, while ensuring that proper investment protections remain as a key part of the agreement.

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Microsoft Outlines Teams Vision and Skype for Business Plans at Ignite

Today, Microsoft indicated that the Microsoft Teams client will eventually replace the Skype for Business Online client in the near future.

Earlier this month, leaks from Microsoft had suggested that Microsoft Teams would become more than just an Office 365 collaboration workspace for conversations and contacts. It would also get the voice-over-IP capabilities of Skype for Business Online to enable phone calls, as well as meetings capabilities.

Today, those ideas were confirmed by Lori Wright, general manager for Microsoft Teams and Skype product marketing. In an announcement, she outlined Microsoft's vision for Teams as a more refined "intelligent communications" solution compared with Skype for Business, which is Microsoft's Office 365 unified messaging service for voice, video, chat and presence.

Wright also moderated a Microsoft Ignite session on Monday that provided more details about those roadmap plans, titled "Microsoft 365: Transform your communications with Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business" (which is available on demand here). The session included information about how IT organizations might be affected by the general transition toward Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft's main announcements today included:

The Microsoft Teams client will eventually replace the Skype for Business client

The two clients currently are interoperable, with common presence, messaging and calling capabilities

The Microsoft Teams client now has audio conferencing capabilities at the preview stage

The Microsoft Teams client will be getting additional calling features in the coming months, including "inbound and outbound calls to PSTN numbers, hold, call transfer, and voicemail"

Intelligent communications is more useful than unified communications

The Skype for Business Online service and the Skype for Business Server product will continue to be supported by Microsoft

A new Skype for Business Server product is expected in the second half of 2018

The transition to Microsoft Teams won't necessarily be burdensome for IT organizations because it's possible to run Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams concurrently

Microsoft also offered an indication of progress for Teams. Wright said that in less than six months since its release, Microsoft Teams has been used by 125,000 organizations worldwide.

Intelligent Communications

In the talk, Wright claimed that advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning were leading to technologies beyond traditional unified communications. She defined this next technology as intelligent communications. It'll be a technology that can maintain the full context of meetings, with no language, visual or hearing barriers. After a meeting, it can send a meeting summary with action items, she said.

To achieve this vision, Skype is becoming the backend cloud infrastructure powering Microsoft Teams. Microsoft is taking the capabilities in Skype for Business and combining it with Teams for one client experience. Wright added that the Skype for Business client will go away over time.

The session included a demo of Microsoft Teams, highlighting its extensibility to add access to Microsoft and "third-party" applications, such as adding Survey Monkey or Adobe Crowd Access apps, using the Tabs feature. The Tabs feature also enables the addition of chat bots. The addition of apps doesn't compromise security, it was claimed.

Marc Pottier, a principal lead program manager at Microsoft, also spoke during the session. He discussed using the Microsoft Teams Contents Tab to migrate Skype for Business content. In an update, sent via e-mail on Sept. 29, he clarified what can be moved as follows:

We will not be importing conversations from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams at this time. While we will bring over contacts from SfB, conversations are a bit more complex to handle as we don't support persistent chat in Skype for Business. As a result, users will be able to resume conversations with their contacts -- but will only see messages they sent from Teams, not from SfB.

It used to be that presence was different between Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business, but Microsoft has combined that functionality, he added.

Organizations can use the Call interface in the Microsoft Teams client to create a speed-dial list of contacts or they can get an overall alphabetical list of contacts, as well as a call history. Voicemail gets pulled from Exchange, Pottier added. Microsoft Teams has an enterprise voice feature that makes it a single application to do all of a person's calling and collaboration, he added.

Meetings can be scheduled via Outlook, if wanted, and they can be joined using any mobile device. Microsoft also wanted to create a mechanism to capture all of the content in a meeting event, so Microsoft Teams is getting an "access recording" feature. The recording will appear in the particular Teams conversational channel. The content of the meeting gets stored in the cloud and is automatically closed captioned. Users also get access to a full transcription of the meeting. They can search for a keyword and then jump to a part of video where that word was uttered. The idea is that users can catch up on meetings if they missed them, Pottier explained.

Pottier added that all of the features he showed were either in the Microsoft Teams product currently or were at the preview stage.

Skype for Business Server and Transitioning

The move from the Skype for Business to the Microsoft Teams typically elicits three questions from organizations. People want to know how the switch will affect Skype for Business Server. They want to know if Microsoft Teams is ready for use by their company. Lastly, they want to hear how Microsoft will help with the transition, said Bob Davis, corporate vice president of Office 356, during the Ignite session. Davis earlier served as part of Microsoft's IT team, and also was "one of the founders of Office 365," he said.

The answers to those questions were then outlined by Ben Canning, director of program management for Skype and Teams, during the Ignite talk. He said that Microsoft is just as committed to the next Skype for Business Server as the organizations currently using Skype for Business Server products. The next Skype for Business Server product is targeted for "Q4 of next calendar year," Canning said. He added that Microsoft also plans to refresh the Skype for Business client at that time. Microsoft expects some organizations will want to house their voice communications on their own premises, he added, so Microsoft is supporting the server product.

Canning claimed that Microsoft Teams is ready for use now by organizations. It's built from the ground up on Office 365 and supports mobile access with conditional access security and mobile application management. It delivers persistent chat and has a retention policy for communications, including e-discovery and audit capabilities. Events are journaled and logged from across SharePoint, Exchange, OneDrive and others, he added.

IT pros will be getting a new Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business Admin Center portal for management purposes. It'll have tools such as Call Analytics and Call Diagnostics, Pottier indicated.

Calling information won't change for the organizations that invested in Microsoft's Calling Plan, Canning said. Existing Skype for Business phone devices will continue to work, he added.

Organizations can run Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business side by side, Canning said, adding that it's "a great way to roll out Teams in your organization." Organizations can have some users on Microsoft Teams and some users on Skype for Business. IT pros have control over when Microsoft Teams gets rolled out, and there's no lengthy migration or weekend downtime necessary, he added.

Microsoft also announced a new Skype Room Systems partner building Skype for Business conferencing devices. Lenovo plans to produce a new Skype Room Systems device, called "Smart Hub 500," which will be coming in "early 2018," Canning said. Skype Room Systems products are also currently available for preorders from Crestron, Logitech and Polycom. Also coming are "cloud video interop capabilities" within Microsoft Teams provided by Blue Jeans Networks, Pexip and Polycom, according to Microsoft's announcement.

Microsoft Teams includes a T-Bot for training end users. They can ask it how to chat, for instance. The T-Bot gets smarter over time, Canning claimed.

To get organizations going, Microsoft launched a new FastTrack website today. It's at aka.ms/skypeandteams.
Owning a condo is a common aspiration in Singapore. Or a sign that youre one of the miserable lot with a household income of, say, $12,001 a month  then its your only option because you cant buy a flat. Well dont panic (because that should come after you learn the price). Heres how much you better have in that bank account:

Singapore at dusk - Marina Bay Suntec

Image Credits: Suntec City, Nicoll Highway, Sheares Bridge at Dusk, Paul Ho, iCompareLoan.com

Before we begin, a note on Executive Condominiums (ECs) and loans

For those of you buying ECs, note that you can still get government housing grants (if you meet all the usual qualifying criteria).

Remember that ECs are HDB properties, for the first 10 years. But the key thing to know is that, even though ECs are HDB properties at the start, you cannot use HDB concessionary loans to buy ECs. You will need a bank loan for an EC, just as described below.

The payment breakdown on your FIRST AND ONLY condo, before taxes

Lets look at the basic costs of buying a condo, if you own no other properties. Well also leave out the taxes for now.

Banks are able to loan a maximum of 80 per cent of your condos valuation or price (whichever is lower). This is known as the Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio. The other 15 per cent can be paid through cash, your CPF Ordinary Account (CPF OA) funds, or a combination of the two. The remaining five per cent must be paid in cash.

Assuming the condo costs $1.6 million, this is how the breakdown would look like:

Securing the OTP  $80,000, or five per cent of $1.6 million

Signing the Sales and Purchase (S&P) agreement  $240,000, or 15 per cent of $1.6 million. This can come from your CPF OA, or a combination of cash and your CPF monies.

Upon sales completion, or developers request if the condo is still under development  $1.28 million, which will come from the bank

Adding the applicable stamp duties

The list of stampe duties include:

Story continues

Buyers Stamp Duty (BSD)

The BSD is:

 One per cent on the first $180,000 of your property price

 Two per cent on the next $180,000

 Three per cent on the remaining amount

So if the property price is $1.6 million, the BSD comes to $1,800 + $3,600 + $37,200 = $42,600

The BSD can be paid with cash, CPF, or a combination of the two.

Additioanl Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD)

If you are a Singapore Citizen (SC), there is no ABSD as this is your first property.

Singapore Permanent Residents (PRs) pay five per cent ABSD for their first property, and foreigners pay ABSD of 15 per cent.

Mortgage Stamp Duty

This is $500, and can be paid in cash or from your CPF. Some banks subsidise the mortgage stamp duty as a bonus.

Property tax

For owner-occupied condos (we assume this is the case for your first property), the tax rate depends on the Annual Value (AV) of your home, as determined by IRAS. The AV is the expected rental income that you could generate from renting out the property every year.

The tax is a tiered system (e.g. nothing on the first $8,000 of AV, four per cent on the next $47,000, six per cent on the next $15,000, and so forth). You dont really need to crunch the numbers manually, just use the IRAS calculator, once the AV is known.

(If you want to know the AV in advance, ask the property agent, or look at the rental rates of surrounding properties).

We will assume our mass-market condo has an AV of around $42,000, which is quite typical for most suburban condos. This comes to an annual tax of around $1,400.

Other miscellaneous fees

Other fees include conveyancing (the legal paperwork), which costs about $2,000 to $3,000. Depending on the law firm, you may be able to pay this with your CPF.

In addition, you may have to pay a valuation fee of between $300 to $500 (unless the condo is under development, in which case the bank will usually accept the developers valuation). This has to be paid in cash, but some banks will subsidise the cost.

There may be other administrative fees such as loan processing, which varies between banks; but these seldom amount to more than $500.

Finally, you need to factor in maintenance fees. This is around $250 to $400 a month for many condos. The amount you pay depends on the size of your unit, and the number of units (the more units there are, the more the maintenance cost is spread out. Thats why some people avoid condos with small numbers of units).

Total amount needed for your first condo, including taxes:

After including the taxes, heres what youll need:

Cash needed on hand for down payment  $80,000

Cash needed in CPF (including various fees and taxes)  Approx. $285,400

All in, you will need $365,400 set aside for your first condo, before the banks financing comes in.

(For those of you who are buying a second condo, follow us on Facebook; well continue this in a follow-up article).

But thats not all: you also need to make sure your income qualifies you

To get the full 80 per cent LTV, you need to earn enough; just having a few hundred thousand set aside isnt enough.

All banks follow the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) framework. The TDSR restricts your loan repayments to 60 per cent of your monthly income, inclusive of other loans.

For example, say you earn $7,000 a month, and you have personal loans and a car loan that take up $2,000 a month in repayments. Your total home loan repayment is curbed at $4,200 (60 per cent of your monthly income)  $2,000 (your existing debt obligations) = $2,000.

If your home loan repayment woukd exceed $2,000 a month, you will be asked to take less than the full 80 per cent LTV. Youll have to make up the difference in cash. For example, if the bank only gives you 60 per cent LTV on a $1.4 million condo (inclusive of taxes), you would be facing a downpayment of $560,000.

This is why, in the year before your home loan application, you should always pay down your debts aggressively.

Ouch, thats a lot of money

It is, but well help any way we can. For example, when it comes to the legal fees, we may be able to find you a cheaper law firm. $1,000 to $1,500 may not seem like much in the context of these numbers; but remember its stilla four digit sum. Likewise, we may be able to help you find a bank that wont rip you off with high administrative fees, or insist you pay for little things like the valuation.

Speak to one of our mortgage experts at iCompareLoan, and well find you a better deal, for free. In the meantime, stick with us as we head to the next part of this series.

The post Condo Buyers Guide Part 1: How much does it cost to buy a condo in Singapore? appeared first on iCompareLoan Resources.
Kurdish leader Massud Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi engaged in a war of words Tuesday a day after the Kurds staged an independence referendum in their autonomous region. Abadi said in Baghdad, a staunch opponent of the Kurdish move, that he would not negotiate on the back of the referendum result -- expected to be a resounding "yes". But in Kurdish regional capital Arbil, Barzani in a televised address urged the Iraqi premier "not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems". "We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad," he said. "The referendum is not to delimit the border (between Kurdistan and Iraq), nor to impose it de facto," Barzani added. The Kurdish referendum went ahead despite both Iraqi and international opposition. The vote is non-binding and will not lead automatically to independence, but is seen by the Kurds as a major step towards a long-cherished dream of statehood. Abadi was not in a negotiating mood Tuesday. He said he would ban "international flights to and from Kurdistan" in three days unless its airports at Arbil and Sulaimaniyah were placed under his government's control. Iraqi Airways and carriers including from Germany, Iran, Jordan and Turkey currently operate regular flights there. Abadi ruled out negotiations on the back of the referendum result. "We will not abandon the unity and sovereignty of Iraq because this is a national duty," he said. "The government will impose its authority in accordance with the constitution. We remain engaged in talks, but we will not negotiate on the basis of the referendum." In the Kurdish areas, the result is not in doubt, with people expecting a big "yes" to independence. In Arbil, a night of fireworks, flag-waving and dancing followed Monday's vote. "We made a Kurdish state today," Arbil resident Ahmad told AFP. "We're Kurdish people, we're not Arab, we're not Persian, we're no one else... We're Kurds and we'll remain Kurds forever." Polling was peaceful, but increased tensions between Iraq's Kurds and their neighbours raised fears of unrest. Abadi had declared before the vote he would take "necessary measures" to protect Iraqi unity, and he was due to meet parliament members on Wednesday. Lawmakers passed a resolution Monday to send troops to disputed areas where the referendum took place, but there have been no signs of a deployment yet. - Turkish warning - Analysts say Baghdad was unlikely to seek a confrontation now, especially as Iraqi forces continue battling the Islamic State group in its final bastions. Turkey, concerned the vote could stoke the separatist ambitions of its own sizeable Kurdish population, repeatedly condemned the referendum. On Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Iraq's Kurds risked sparking an "ethnic war". "If Barzani and the Kurdistan Regional Government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war," he said. Erdogan had warned on Monday that Turkey would shut its border with Iraqi Kurdistan and threatened to block key exports from the region through Turkey. Erdogan even suggested the possibility of a cross-border incursion similar to the one Turkey carried out against IS and Kurdish fighters in Syria. Iraqi soldiers on Tuesday were seen taking part in Turkish military exercises launched last week in the southern province of Sirnak near the Iraqi border. Monday's vote took place across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan -- Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk -- and in disputed border zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk. - Kirkuk curfew lifted - A curfew was lifted early Tuesday on parts of Kirkuk city, where it had been imposed on the centre and non-Kurdish neighbourhoods over fears of unrest. Officials reported that turnout for the referendum was 72 percent, with 3.3 million of the 4.58 million registered voters taking part. Participation was only 50 percent in Sulaimaniyah province, the home base of political forces opposed to Barzani. His opponents have accused Barzani of seeking to empower himself through the vote, and said he should have accepted a UN-backed plan to postpone the referendum in favour of negotiations with Baghdad. The United Nations and United States had urged Barzani to cancel or postpone the vote, with Washington especially concerned it could hamper the fight against IS in which Kurdish peshmerga forces have been vital. - 'Political chaos' - Issam al-Fayli, a political science professor at Baghdad University, said he did not expect any immediate confrontations. "There will be some minor incidents but the crisis should in the end remain under control," he said. Iran, which like Turkey has a large and restless Kurdish population, also opposed the referendum. Ali Akbar Velayati, chief foreign policy adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said after the vote it would sow "political chaos in the region". Left without a state of their own when the borders of the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, the Kurds see themselves as the world's largest stateless people. The non-Arab ethnic group number between 25 and 35 million spread across Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.
The leader of Colombia's ex-rebel group FARC has warned in a letter to President Juan Miguel Santos that his government was failing to meet its obligations under a peace deal signed last year. Rodrigo Londono urged Santos to comply fully with the Havana peace accords, accusing him of breaching the "minimum guarantees" of the pact they signed last November to end Latin America's oldest conflict. In the letter published by FARC on its website on Monday, Londono said the government had yet to release all FARC prisoners accredited to a commission set up under the deal, and had failed to suspend arrest warrants for FARC members. "There are thousands of ex-combatants...who do not receive the monthly payment of 90 percent of the minimum wage" which had been agreed, and they still had no access to health care, he said. Londono called on international guarantors of the peace deal, including the UN and the Vatican, to ensure "the great work of peace stays afloat." And he urged Colombians "not to remain impassive in the face of this grave situation". FARC relaunched as a political party in early September, with a change of name to the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force. Londono was elected the party's leader at its first congress. Santos on Tuesday presented a list of 51 judges who will participate in a special court system set up under the peace deal to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate crimes carried out during the conflict. The half-century of conflict left some 260,000 people confirmed dead, 60,000 unaccounted for and seven million displaced.
By Brendan O'Brien ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Protests in St. Louis over the acquittal of a white former policeman who killed a black man could impede the city's bid to attract Amazon.com's second headquarters, academics and business executives said. Marked by scuffles, teargas and property damage, the protests have been unfolding as the city, which has a history of social unrest, is vying for the lucrative Amazon deal. "There is no good timing for something like this and it will have an impact," said Didi Caldwell, founding principal with Global Location Strategies in South Carolina, which helps companies choose locations for new businesses and expansion. Amazon, the world's biggest online retailer, said this month that it planned to build a $5 billion second headquarters that could bring 50,000 new jobs to the winning city. An Amazon spokesman declined to discuss the site search. In its call for proposals from cities, Amazon said a "compatible cultural and community environment" that included diversity, a high quality of life and stable business climate were key. The company intends to make a decision in 2018. William Collins, a Vanderbilt University economic historian who has studied the aftermath of the 1960s race riots in the United States, said the impact on a city's ability to draw new employers depended on how companies view such incidents. Does it suggest a deeply rooted problem that's likely to make living, working, and investing in a particular location less attractive or less profitable than alternatives? If so, it can have lasting implications, Collins said. A September 16 ruling found former St. Louis policeman Jason Stockley, 36, not guilty of first-degree murder in the 2011 killing of Anthony Lamar Smith, 24. 'NATIONAL ISSUE' In August, after clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, over plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, regional economic development officials wrote to site selection companies saying the violence did not define the city. St. Louis Economic Development Partnership officials said they were aware of racial tensions highlighted by the protests but argued that the problem was not unique to St. Louis. "The protests, although the timing of them was not the best for St. Louis, are really indicative of a national issue that needs to be looked at," the partnership's Chief Executive Sheila Sweeney said on Thursday. The day before, protesters at a high-end shopping mall blocked traffic and chanted, "No justice, no profits." Other cities that have indicated they are in the running for the Amazon site include Seattle, Dallas, Houston and Denver. Charlotte, North Carolina, which saw riots last year after the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer, has not seen business opt against moving there. Officials, who noted that the city's efforts to break down bias led to the protests, said quantifying any lasting impact was difficult. "It's a troubling challenge of our time," said Dianne Chase, spokeswoman for the Charlotte Regional Partnership, a public/private economic development organization trying to attract Amazon. "We're not alone, it's most unfortunate to say." St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson declined to speak on the issue, but told reporters this week that the city had a legacy of institutional racism and needed to move forward with more jobs and stronger civilian oversight of the police. St. Louis is touting its central U.S. location, riverways, interstate highways and rail lines, vibrant technology environment and urban setting, as its main attractions. While the city is a transportation hub with a low cost of living, good housing stock and access to research universities, the unrest could hurt its chances even if it made Amazon's final list, said Global Location Strategies' Caldwell. Companies looking for locations will never announce they have eliminated a city for reasons like racial unrest, but that would likely be the case, she said. St. Louis residents expressed concern on social media over economic impact related to the unrest. People were saying, 'Unless the city cleans up its act, well never get Amazon,' said Lindenwood University economics professor Howard Wall. "Sometimes the economics are sort of a wash and it just becomes about where am I more comfortable doing business and living," Caldwell said. The St. Louis metro area has been a hot spot for the national debate over racial bias in law enforcement since Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was killed in 2014 by a white police officer in nearby Ferguson. The Brown shooting sparked riots and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Additional reporting by Chris Kenning in Chicago and Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Ben Klayman, Toni Reinhold)
Photo of Tan Cheng Bock: Yahoo News Singapore

UPDATE: The Workers Party said it will not be able to raise its adjournment motion on the Presidential Election at the next parliamentary sitting on Monday (2 October) after the topic was not picked in a ballot.

Former presidential candidate Tan Cheng Bock said on Tuesday (26 September) that his constitutional challenge against the term count of the Elected Presidency (EP) has ended with no legal costs payable to the government.

The government had wanted the court to order $30,000 costs against him initially, Tan said in a post on his Facebook page.

Last month, Tan lost lost his appeal case against a High Court ruling on his constitutional challenge to the timing of the reserved PE.

But my lawyers vigorously resisted and argued for a public interest cost order instead. After reading our submissions, the Government changed their mind and consented to no order as to costs, Tan added.

For such an order, the court can spare an unsuccessful plaintiff who has filed a legitimate complaint, from paying costs to a government defendant in a case of general importance and public interest, Tan highlighted.

Tan said that when he pursued his legal case, many had cautioned him not to waste money as he would stand to lose and pay the government thousands of dollars in legal fees.

However, the Governments dismissive attitude towards genuine answer-seekers like myself, and MP Sylvia Lim in Parliament in November 2016 and February 2017 was simply unsatisfactory. Win or lose, I was determined the Government should answer our questions.

Referring to the advice given by the Attorney-General on the term count of the EP, Tan said his case has also led to some answers.

We heard the AG tell the Court: PM never said that the AG advised PM to start the count from President Wee. What PM said is that the AG advised (that) what the Government was proposing to do was legitimate and the AG never advised the Government that President Wee was the 1st Elected President, Tan said.

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The start of the count of the five terms of EP was purely a policy decision, which the Court cannot review, Tan said. As such, AGs advice to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was ultimately irrelevant, Tan highlighted.

There are still other questions that remain unanswered by the government, according to Tan.

For instance, why did the Government tell Parliament they took AGs advice if AGs advice was irrelevant? Why invite MP Sylvia Lim to go to Court if it was, all along, a policy decision? Shouldnt reasons for policy decisions be explained in Parliament? Tan argued.

Tan added that Lim intends to raise the questions in Parliament and he hopes that she gets the chance to do so.

The Workers Party said in a statement on Tuesday, however, that Lim will not be able to bring up her adjournment motion Counting from President Wee Kim Wee or President Ong Teng Cheong for Reserved Presidential Election  Policy Decision or Legal Question? at the next parliamentary sitting on Monday (2 October). It was the second time in a row that WPs motion was not picked in a ballot.

Related stories:

Workers Party fails for second time to raise parliamentary motion on Presidential Election

Tan Cheng Bock: Halimah Yacob to assume the most controversial presidency in Singapores history

Presidential Election 2017: Tan Cheng Bocks appeal dismissed
Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam wants to appear in person at his trial for a shootout with police in Brussels last year that led to his capture after four months on the run, Belgian prosecutors said Tuesday. Abdeslam, the only surviving alleged member of the Islamist gang that murdered 130 people in the French capital in November 2015, was arrested three days after a gun battle with police in March last year that left several officers wounded. Belgian judges have ordered the 28-year-old, who is in custody in France awaiting trial for the Paris attacks, to stand trial in Brussels along with his alleged accomplice Sofiane Ayari, with the case due to start on December 18. "Contrary to what was thought, he has said he wants to come and attend his trial," a spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office told AFP. Abdeslam, a Belgian-born French national, is charged with "attempted murder of several police officers in a terrorist context" over the shootout at a flat in the Forest district of Brussels. He and Ayari fled the flat but police caught up with them in the gritty Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, shooting Abdeslam in the leg. Investigators suspect that Abdeslam's arrest precipitated the suicide bombings targeting Brussels airport and metro system four days later by jihadists who feared that they too would be captured before they could carry out their plot. The Islamic State group claimed the Paris and Brussels attacks and French and Belgian police believe the same terror cell plotted both assaults. A lawyer in the Brussels case told AFP that hearings are scheduled over four days, ending on December 22. Eric Van Der Sypt, spokesman for Belgian prosecutors, said the task now was to arrange the conditions -- both legal and in terms of security -- for Abdeslam's transfer to Belgium. He could be the subject of a loan to Belgium during the trial, but "the French will want guarantees about his return", Van Der Sypt added.
WASHINGTON/BANGKOK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha at the White House on Oct. 3, the White House said in a statement. "The President and Prime Minister will discuss ways to strengthen and broaden bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region," the statement said. Confirmation of the visit is the latest sign of warming ties between Bangkok and Washington. The relationship between the two had cooled after the Thai military took power in a 2014 coup. It follows a visit to Thailand by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in August - the highest level visit by a U.S. official since the 2014 coup. "The meeting of the two leaders reflects the importance of the strengthening of the alliance between Thailand and the U.S.," the Thai Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. "The two countries will discuss ways to forge ahead in becoming strategic partners for the benefit of both nations equally and sustainable," Prayuth and members of his cabinet will also be meeting with representatives of Thai businesses in the United States during the three day visit. Thailand is often cited as the United States' oldest ally in Southeast Asia and the United States has been urging the region to do more to cut funding streams to North Korea. Tensions have mounted on the Korean peninsula since North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3. The United States has said it believes North Korean front companies are active in Thailand and it is trying to encourage the Thais to shut them down, but Thailand last month said trade between Thailand and North Korea had dropped by as much as 94 percent over the past year. (Reporting by Eric Beech in WASHINGTON and Panu Wongcha-um in BANGKOK; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Michael Perry)
US President Donald Trump will host Thai junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha at the White House next Tuesday, in a personal triumph for a Thai autocrat who was shunned by Barack Obama's administration for his regime's dismal rights record. Ties between the long-time allies were strained by Prayut's 2014 military coup, which ushered in the former democracy's most authoritarian government for a generation. But Trump's administration has started to reset relations with the junta government, dispatching high-level diplomats including the secretary of state, whose predecessors under Obama had noticeably avoided the kingdom in the wake of the coup. "President Trump looks forward to reaffirming the relationship between the United States and a key partner and longstanding ally in Asia, the Kingdom of Thailand," the White House said in a statement late Monday. Speaking to reporters in Bangkok on Tuesday, Prayut said the two leaders would discuss "security, trade and investment, and regional problems", adding that he expected the talks to be held in a "cordial climate". Human Rights Watch lambasted the October 3 visit, which follows an invitation Trump extended during an April phone call, as the latest sign that the US president has "shamelessly thrown human rights considerations out the window". "Doubtless Trump fails to realise that this propaganda victory for Prayut and the junta will come at the expense of the people of Thailand, who will pay for it in the form of intensified repression and human rights abuses when the general gets home," said HRW's Asia director Brad Adams. - 'Not taking sides' - Thailand's military has suspended democracy for more than three years, outlawing street protests, jailing dissidents and intensifying prosecutions under a draconian royal defamation law. In response to the coup, the US trimmed back military aid and distanced itself from the regime. But relations are on a better footing under Trump, with US Secretary State Rex Tillerson in August becoming the highest-level US official to stop in the kingdom since the 2014 coup. He was warmly received by a beaming Prayut. The thaw comes amid Washington's concerns of rival superpower China's growing clout in the region. Beijing woos its smaller neighbours with massive investment packages free of pressure to safeguard human rights or democratic principles. With US relations put on ice after the coup, Thailand's generals have cosied up to China, welcoming infrastructure investment and arms deals. On Tuesday Prayut tried to allay suspicions that the meeting with Trump was a realignment of alliances. "Please don't consider this as me taking a side," he said. "We are cooperating with all superpowers, and both large and small countries." Prayut has promised a return to democracy but the timetable keeps slipping and there is currently no scheduled date. Even if a poll is eventually held, it will be organised under a new junta-drafted charter that significantly curbs the power of elected politicians and enshrines the military's oversight of any future government for the next 20 years. The two leaders may find they have much in common when they meet next week. Like Trump, the straight-talking and often bellicose Prayut enjoys berating the media and speaking off the cuff at length -- including during weekly "Bringing Happiness Back to Thailand" speeches that are broadcast on all channels.
Undeniable skateboarding OG Eric Dressen satisfies his need for speed and for back truck destruction in the latest part from Santa Cruzs Right to Exist video to hit the web. It always brings the hype seeing new Dressen footage and as usual he charges here, making the coping screech like only a few can.

Watch it, grab your board, go out and skate fast
On Tuesday, President Trump said something about Puerto Rico that was sort of right. And no, not just the bit about it being an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. Of the American locales that have been hit by hurricanes in recent weeks, he wrote in a series of tweets, Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble. Its old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks, which, sadly, must be dealt with.

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One way of interpreting Trumps tweet salad is that he was saying the wreckage of Hurricane Maria was somehow Puerto Ricos faultthat because its fiscal situation was so bad, Puerto Rico somehow deserved the deluge or that the damage was somehow amplified by the territorys level of debt to GDP. Obviously, that would be a shameful message for a president to send at a time when millions of Americans lack electricity and other services and are waiting for relief.

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The more charitable and hopeful way of reading Trumps tweets is that Puerto Rico needs to be rebuilt and reconstructedand that unfortunately, it must do so at a time when it is already crippled by the interest payments it must make to banks and bondholders. And (work with me here) the damage should lead people to seek a more dramatic solution to Puerto Ricos debt issues. Simply put, it wont be possible to reconstruct Puerto Ricos infrastructure, economy, or society without reconstructing its finances. If thats what Trump was going for, its dead-on.

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Puerto Rico wont be in a position to rebuild unless it is able to deal with the banks and Wall Street on a pretty aggressive basis.

Wall Street and the banks do, indeed, have to be dealt with. And perhaps they need to be dealt with in the same way that Trump has dealt with banks, Wall Street, and real estate lenders throughout his career: by telling them to take a hike and settle for far less than they expected.

Indeed, debt haircuts, restructuring, and lenders writing off large quantities of debt are an essential part of the real estate industry.

They need to be a more essential part of the government bond industry.

Heres the problem. Before the storm, Puerto Rico was essentially dyingour own Greece in the Caribbean. Prolonged public debt crises are remarkably debilitating and cast a pall over the future. Puerto Rico has been in recession for a decade. With no economic growth, its economy labors harder every year simply to come up with the money needed to make interest payments. Because of a lack of investment and opportunities, people increasingly decide there isnt much of a future. And so they stop making babies. The U.S. had a small baby bust in the wake of its Great Recession. In Puerto Rico between 2008 and 2015, the number of births fell by nearly one-third.

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Or they simply leave. And as Henry Grabar notes in Slate on Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have voted with their feet. This flight only exacerbates the debt problem: There are fewer people working and consuming to generate the taxes and revenues necessary to service debt, which leads to more cuts in investment. Which makes building a future in Puerto Rico even less appealing.

How does the hurricane impact this calculus? Well, it exacerbates the problem.

Given that many of Puerto Ricos systems were decrepit and outdatedthe island generates electricity by shipping in oil and burning itthe destruction presents an opportunity not simply to rebuild, but to build a more effective and resilient one. But that takes a lot of money. And the reconstruction cant be funded simply with insurance payments or even with whatever handouts the Republican Congress will provide.

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Bondholders dont pause for weather. In order to stay current on debt, entities in Puerto Rico have to keep making interest paymentseven when theyre not collecting revenues. Some of the first cash that Puerto Ricos power authority and other government agencies get from insurance or government aid will be funneled to the pockets of bondholders.

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The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, which provides electricity on the island, has $9 billion in debt and was in bankruptcy before the hurricane hit. Each year, it is on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars of interest paymentsall before it can spend a penny on fuel, salaries, upkeep, or transformation. (PREPAs investor relations website, like the power supply, is offline.) Simply put, it wont be in a position to rebuild unless it is able to deal with the banks and Wall Street on a pretty aggressive basis.

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The same holds true for Puerto Rico at large, which has $73 billion in debt. This in a territory with a GDP of $103 billionPuerto Rico is about the size of Mississippi and about as poor. Again, the first $3 billion to $4 billion of revenue Puerto Rico generates each year goes to pay interest without making a dent in the total. Puerto Rico couldnt afford those payments before the storm, and it certainly cant afford them now.

Is this sad landscape what Trump had in mind with his tweets? OK, I doubt it. But Puerto Rico doesnt just need a haircut of 15 to 20 percent on its debt, which is common in bankruptcies. It needs a buzz cut with large chunks of debt either forgiven, wiped out, written off as uncollectable, or assumed by the federal government. Thats how its problems can be dealt with. Will Trump deal with them?
Cyber attacks have become a common ongoing issue for small businesses. Entrepreneurs need to be proactive. Here are 10 things small businesses should do immediately to protect their websites from a cyberattack.

How to Protect Your Website from Cyber Attacks

Back Up Your Data

Maintaining tested backups of your website content is critical to protecting your site from damage due to a compromise, Neill Feather President at SiteLock, LLC told Small Business Trends.

 Use the 3-2-1 backup strategy: Maintain three copies of your data, on two different mediums, with one being stored off site.

If you havent done so, look into the cloud as one of these mediums.

Use the Phone

Protecting your small business website from a cyberattack is about using older technology too. Call to verify financial requests. It takes a few extra minutes but can save you the headache of being hacked.

Manage Your Passwords

Criminals cant get in when you keep the door to your online business properly locked. Strong passwords are the key to good cybersecurity. Use two factor authentication, upper and lower case letters, numbers and at least one special character.

Companies should require employees utilize a password management application and to never reuse passwords across applications or sites, Feather says.

Check them for compliance today.

Update Your Software

Small business websites are big parts of marketing for brick and mortar and online stores.

Updating your software helps you to stay ahead of cybercriminals. Mandatory update policies are a must for every small business. Managed hosting or automatic updates are logical choices for open source software like WordPress.

Stay Informed

Staying current on the news that can affect your small business helps. Reading cybersecurity ezines can help you stay ahead of emerging trends and know what to look out for.

Utilize Firewalls

According to Feather, SiteLock research reports small business websites experience 22 attacks per day, or 8,000 attacks annually. He stresses the need for good firewall protection to repel them.

He says two are best  one to protect employee and customer records and one geared to website traffic.

Apply SSL

If you dont have this certificate for your small business website, you need to get it. It establishes an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. Translation? SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption is a type of gold standard for cybersecurity.

Tweak Your Wireless Network

Wireless networks are everywhere. They arent the most secure but you can tweak one quickly to strengthen it. Disabling the service set identifier (SSID) on the router hides your network from prying eyes.

Scan Now

Your business website should include a daily malware scan and automatic malware removal, Feather says. An updated version of any malware scanner is your first line of defense. If you havent looked to see if these are working on your system today, do it now.

Start Gamification

If you havent started already, start thinking about contests and games that will make cyber security awareness fun at your small business.

Finding ways to encourage employee interaction over cybersecurity keeps everyone on their toes.
Senators are now wondering if small businesses were impacted by the fake account scandal that continues to plague Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC).

Late last week, Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire, wrote a letter (PDF) on behalf of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship addressing its concerns with the scandal.

In it, she writes to Wells Fargo CEO Timothy J. Sloan, Given the significant number of small business customers using Wells Fargo products, I am concerned about your recent statement that your review of Wells Fargos operations could yield additional problems with the banks practices.

Sloan recently revealed that the fake accounts scandal could be far worse than originally reported. In fact, more than 1.4 million more fake accounts may have been created. And the fraud extended beyond just one unit of the bank.

Hes also told the press in interviews that he promises to continue investigating the scope of the fraud conducted by Wells Fargo.

Shaheen is concerned because more than three million small businesses are Wells Fargo customers. The bank is the largest lender participating in the Small Business Administrations 7(a) loan program. These are SBA-backed loans procured through a third-party lender like Wells Fargo.

Small businesses around the country rely on lenders, such as Wells Fargo, to provide products and services that help them grow, succeed and maintain financial security. As the impact of this controversy continues to be revealed, I request that you provide me with information regarding your review of Wells Fargos practices as it relates to small business lending, Shaheen wrote to conclude her letter to Sloan.

Wells Fargo CEO Scheduled to Testify Before the Senate

The head of Wells Fargo is expected to testify in October before members of the U.S. Senate. He may be pressed for answers specific to the Small Business Committees questions prior to that appearance.

The Wells Fargo fake accounts scheme was first uncovered by a 2013 report by the Los Angeles Times. In it, the scam was described simply: To meet quotas, employees have opened unneeded accounts for customers, ordered credit cards without customers permission, and forged client signatures on paperwork.

Thousands of employees at Wells Fargo allegedly participated in the fraud and last year, the former CEO of Wells Fargo, John Stumpf, resigned.
The sale may be completed early next year, according to reports.

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The sale of U. S. Steel Kosice seems to be nearing its finale. Its owner, the American steel producer U.S. Steel Corporation, reportedly agreed to selling the plant to the He Steel Group for $1.4 billion (some 1.17 billion).

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The Chinese company is expected to take over the company currently employing nearly 10,000 people, at the beginning of next year, the Sme daily reported.

It is also expected that several He Steel Group managers will move to Kosice. No layoffs are planned for now, Sme wrote.

U.S. Steel Corporation and the He Steel Group will close the deal in the following weeks.

We dont comment on speculations, U.S. Steel Kosices spokesperson Jan Baca told the regional daily Korzar.

The whole deal may be prolonged and difficult as it will have to be approved by the anti-monopoly authorities not only in the European Union, but also in Turkey, the Trend economic weekly reported.

Read also:

Read also: USSK remains in Kosice, for now Read more

In addition, the validity of a five-year memorandum between the Slovak government and U.S. Steel will expire next March. If U.S. Steel had wanted to sell the steelworks before this date, they would have had to pay a fine of $15 million. Robert Ficos government has already said that in the case of a sale, it will try to obtain a minority share in the steelworks, Trend wrote.

The sale was delayed in early September, when the management of the American steelworks met with Chinese managers in China, Korzar wrote. The managment subsequently flew to Kosice and informed the local managers about the outcome.

The Americans and the He Steel Group signed a memorandum of understanding in January, giving the latter the right to exclusive talks with U.S. Steel. There were other companies interested in the Kosice-based plant, including the Czech Moravia Steel Group and another Chinese company called CEFC, which already controls a 50-percent share in J&T Finance Group.

While the Chinese company will purchase the Kosice steelworks for more than 1 billion, it will have to invest more money into it as the plant is burdened with old investment debts. In the past nine years the Americans have invested some 820 million in Kosice, mostly into environmental measures. Most of the machines are outdated, originating from the 1960s, Sme reported.
Policy

California State Assembly Passes Resolution in Favor of Net Neutrality, E-rate

The California State Assembly has passed Assembly Joint Resolution 7, a measure pressing the federal government to support net neutrality.

The measure signals the assembly's support for net neutrality, open internet access, E-rate and other policies and urges President Trump and the United States Congress to show their support as well, declaring that "the legislature views these as high priorities for California and the country and opposes any federal efforts to rescind or block them," according to information released by the body.

"In the coming weeks and months, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be debating a variety of issues and it is my hope that AJR 7 will encourage them to seriously discuss the importance of protecting net neutrality, the FCC's Lifeline Program for low-income consumers and the E-rate program for schools and libraries," said Kevin Mullins, speaker pro tempore of the assembly, in a prepared statement. "It is my hope that members of Congress and the FCC Commissioners will work to protect these programs and AJR 7 provides them with ample rationale for their decisions."

"We are thrilled that AJR 7 has passed," said John Cradler, CUE legislative consultant, in a prepared statement. "Its success underscores CUE's focused advocacy efforts on preserving important programs and policies that insure equal access to the Internet and related technology."
The title in English would be The Emperor Showa. And his Majesty's Mausoleum is named the Musashino no Misasagi, thus the long title: ...
AfD prominent members

The shocking rise of Germanys far-right AfD party suggests a turning point in German politics.

Angela Merkel won her fourth consecutive election on Sunday  but the real surprise was the performance of the Alternative fur Deutschland who polled 12.6% of the votes to win 88 seats in parliament. In 2013, they did not win a single seat.

The rise of the far-right in Germany is ascribed in part to Merkels promise to open the doors to refugees. Some experts estimate around 10,000 people arrived into Germany every day in 2016.

Although the AfD was founded in 2013 as an anti-Europe party, it has found greater success after shifting its focus to Islam and immigration. It now has MPs in 13 of Germanys 16 state parliaments.

So who are the most controversial figures in the party?

Alexander Gauland

Alexander Gauland, a top candidate of the anti-immigration party Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) (REUTERS/Stefanie Loos)

The AfDs candidate for Chancellor, Alexander Gauland, is currently under police investigation on suspicion of inciting racial hatred. He is a former member of Merkels CDU party, under the conservative wing.

Recently, he suggested Germans take pride in the military achievements of the Nazis and has called for the country to reclaim its past. He has also been under fire for his talk of disposing SPD politician Aydan Ozoguz (who has Turkish roots) in Anatolia.

Gauland was the partys co-founder and also is also its spokesperson. Previously, he has said of his party: We are not the allies of the right-wing extremists, but we are the allies of the people who have these concerns.

Alice Weidel

Alice Weidel, another top candidate of the AfD. )REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay)

Weidel refers to herself as a classic liberal, but she stands for more than a couple of controversial policies.

Her party wants to close Germanys borders, leave the Eurozone and crack down on immigration.

Weidel, who owns a house in Switzerland and has previously lived in China, is an ex-Goldman Sachs banker and a mum of two. She is known for being the first openly gay leader of a party which opposes gay marriage.

When Germany legalised same-sex marriage, AfDs website ran an obituary saying: In deep sorrow, we say goodbye to the German family, whose constitutional protection was buried by the representatives of the people at the German parliament.

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Despite her globetrotting past, shes previously made various xenophobic remarks about refugees.

Bjorn Hocke

Bjoern Hoecke of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AFD). (REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke)

Bjorn Hocke has a big interest in family policy.

As a young person, he was part of the Junge Union (Union for young people supporting the CDU and CSU parties) which was known for being liberal and progressive. Now, Hocke regularly serves as one of the main speakers for the AfD party.

He opposes sex education in schools and wants an end of society experiments that run outside the typical, heterosexual family lifestyle. He thinks returning to Germanys old currency, the Deutsche Mark, will encourage the end of the European debt crisis and also supports a crackdown on immigration.

Hocke has also declared the Berlin Holocaust Memorial was a memorial of shame, which led to attempts to exclude him from the party.

Andre Poggenburg

Andre Poggenburg of the AfD party. (REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay)

Andre Poggenburg is chairman of the party in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt and was a leading candidate for the districts state elections.

Poggenburg, a prominent member of the AfD party, is known for using Nazi vocabulary in speeches and denouncing Muslims as terrorists. He describes himself as a national conservative and faced criticism in 2016 for blaming the Munich shooting on Merkels open refugee policy.

In June 2017, he was subject to an official warning from the party after a leaked Whatsapp conversation showed him using far-right phrases. He had allegedly used the phrase Deutschland den Deutschen (roughly: Germany for the Germans) which was a commonly used slogan of the far-right NPD party  one that AfD tries to separate itself from.

Beatrix von Storch

Member of the European Parliament Beatrix von Storch speaks at a press conference of the Germanys far-right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party in Berlin. (REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke)

Von Storch is best known for her comments on shooting refugees, which she later tried to water down by saying the use of firearms against children is not permitted although women are a different matter.

A Member of the European Parliament, Von Storch previously worked as a banker and a lawyer. Her grandfather worked as a minister in Hitlers government.

In February 2016, members of the left-wing group Peng Collective threw a pie at her at a party meeting in Kassel in response to her anti-refugee comments.

Josef Dorr

Josef Doerr, local leader of the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) (REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski)

The national chairman of the AfDs regional associations, Dorr used to be a special school teacher. He was also a member of the Junge Union and was active in the CSU for 23 years. He is most known for this role in the AfD Saar, which was threatened with closure after it was found to be working closely with far-right organisations. However, these attempts were unsuccessful, and the association remains today.

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South Europe bonds lag as euro hardliners bound for German government
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors accused the justice minister on Tuesday of interfering in a criminal investigation involving two senior government officials. They said they had asked the top judicial watchdog to look into comments that Tudorel Toader made about their inquiry, in a country that Transparency International and other bodies say has one of the worst records on graft in the European Union. There was no immediate comment from Toader, whose Social Democrat-led government triggered the largest street protests in decades in February by trying to decriminalise several corruption offences. The prosecutors from the DNA anti-corruption agency said on Friday they had opened a criminal investigation into Deputy Prime Minister Sevil Shhaideh for suspected abuse of office in a land transfer case. The DNA also asked parliament to approve an investigation into European funds minister Rovana Plumb linked to the same case. Both Shhaideh and Plumb denied wrongdoing. Prosecutors said in a statement they suspected both of helping in 2013 to illegally transfer 324 hectares (800 acres) of prime land near the Danube river from the state to the county council of Teleorman, which then leased it to private operators. They said the transfer was done through government bills, which prosecutors said contravened the constitution as well as laws concerning state property and national waters. Justice minister Toader, when asked about the case on Tuesday, told journalists that judges not prosecutors should be the ones to look into whether bills were used properly. "The justice minister's comments over an ongoing criminal investigation are ... a form of interference in prosecutors' activity," DNA said in a statement. It said it had asked the Superior Magistrates Council to look into whether his words "could effect the independence of the judicial system", as he was in effect questioning the legality of their work. In August, the European Commission expressed concerns that a planned judicial overhaul which would give the politically appointed justice minister more control over the justice system would undermine Romania's progress in fighting graft. The leftist Social Democrats won an election in December, a year after losing power following street protests after a nightclub fire killed 64 people and triggered widespread anger over corruption and impunity. They came into office promising to raise wages and pensions continue to top opinion polls. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
By Ed Stoddard JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A group of 36 Dutch tourists were flying out of South Africa on Tuesday after they were robbed at gunpoint on Sunday in a brazen heist while travelling from Johannesburg's main international airport to their hotel, officials said. The incident is an embarrassment for South Africa, a country keen to promote itself as a tourist destination but scarred by violent crime. Tourism accounts for 3 percent of GDP and is seen as a bright spot in an otherwise moribund economy. Journalists saw the group pull out of the hotel in a bus under police escort after they met with South Africas police minister and tourist minister as well the ambassador from the Netherlands. "We'll bring these criminals to book. We'll find them," Police Minister Fikile Mbalula told journalists after the meeting. The bus was stopped on Sunday night by a vehicle with police markings and one man in police uniform with five accomplices in civilian clothing robbed the tourists at gunpoint. Nobody was shot but two people were injured, police said. Dutch ambassador Marisa Gerards said most of the tourists had to cut their visit short because all of their belongings were taken. Ironically, she said many of the tourists had booked this organised trip out of safety concerns. South Africa entices tourists with first-rate infrastructure, sunshine, beaches, wildlife and an exchange rate that makes its food and wine cheap by global standards. But a jobless rate of over 25 percent and glaring income disparities have worsened its problems with violent crime. The murder rate is 34 per 100,000 people, according to data released by police last year, almost seven times the rate in the United States. (Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
By George Obulutsa and Humphrey Malalo NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan police used tear gas and batons on Tuesday to disperse protesters who say election officials should be sacked before the re-run of a presidential vote because they favour President Uhuru Kenyatta. Several volleys of tear gas were fired near the election commission headquarters in central Nairobi, a Reuters witness said. When protestors regrouped, officers fired more tear gas and beat some with batons. By mid-afternoon calm had returned. Raila Odinga, who lost his presidential bid on Aug. 8, will get another chance after the Supreme Court annulled the election citing irregularities and ordered a fresh vote within 60 days. However, Odinga has accused the election commission, known as the IEBC, of being a puppet of Kenyatta's ruling Jubilee party and said he will not participate in the Oct. 26 re-run if election officials are not sacked and prosecuted. The court did not find any individual responsible but said institutional failings had led to irregularities and illegalities in the transmission of election results. The election commission has asked the opposition to call off protests until the IEBC has explained the various measures being taken to "enhance the credibility and integrity" of the vote. "IEBC cannot begin the process of an honest election as long as those responsible for the irregularities and illegalities are still lurking in its corridors," Odinga told reporters. "IEBC has refused to dismiss or suspend them. That is why we are today beginning these peaceful campaigns to force them out by public pressure so the process of a fair election can at last begin," he added. Last week Kenya's chief prosecutor ordered investigations into 11 election board officials including its chief executive, Ezra Chiloba, as well as a lawyer and campaigner who worked for Odinga. Speaking as protestors gathered outside his office, Chiloba said he would not resign. "I have (a) responsibility before me and I have to discharge that responsibility," he told Kenya's KTN television network. Some Kenyatta supporters also took to the streets in Nairobi but there were no clashes between the two sides. In the port city of Mombasa, a crowd gathered at local election office, chanting: "No reforms no elections. Chiloba must go!" The Kenyan government in a statement accused "mobs of hooligans" of taking advantage of the protests to destroy property and said "a number of criminals" had been arrested and would be taken to court. CHARGE OF SUBVERSION Underscoring the rising tensions, a newly elected opposition lawmaker was charged with subversion at a court hearing in Nairobi on Tuesday. Paul Ongili Owino was arrested after a video clip of him speaking while campaigning for Odinga emerged on social media in which he called Kenyatta a son of a dog. The prosecution said those words were "calculated to excite disaffection against the presidency". Ahead of Tuesday's demonstrations by the opposition National Super Alliance coalition, Kenyatta had said violence would not be tolerated. "People are free to demonstrate but they must ensure that they do not destroy other people's property," he said. "Let them not think that they will break into other people's shops and interfere with the daily routine of other Kenyans. That, we shall not allow," he said. In the western city of Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold where some 3,000 protestors gathered, one protestor, vegetable market vendor Hellen Aketch said: "I will support anything that assures me of the validity and the safety of my vote in the upcoming elections." "I have closed (my) business today and I am ready to do it again so long as some sanity is realised among those who hold public office." (Additional reporting by Joseph Akwiri in Mombasa, Kenya; Writing by David Lewis and George Obulutsa; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - A Libyan coast guard vessel fired shots and boarded a humanitarian ship in the Mediterranean on Tuesday, demanding that the migrants on board be handed over to them, a spokesman for the Mission Lifeline charity said. "The Libyan man said: 'This is our territory,'" said Axel Steier, a spokesman for the German-based charity that performed its first rescues on Tuesday. "After a while, they fired shots," he said, probably into the air or sea. No one was wounded. Afterward two Libyans boarded the Lifeline ship to try to persuade them to hand over some 70 migrants they had just taken off a wooden boat in international waters. "We told them we don't return migrants to Libya. After a while, they gave up," Steier said. The two men spent about 15 minutes on board, he said. A Libyan coast guard spokesman in Tripoli declined to comment, saying he was seeking information. Italy's coast guard, which coordinates rescues, did not respond to repeated telephone calls. It was the latest incident reported between the Libyan coast guard and humanitarian rescue ships operating off North Africa. Financed, trained and equipped by Italy, the Tripoli-based coastguard is intercepting a growing number of migrant boats. Last month, the Libyan coast guard ordered a Spanish rescue vessel to sail to Tripoli or risk being fired upon, though it later let it go. The worsening security situation has prompted several groups to halt rescue operations, and those who remain tend to patrol further from shore. This year the Libyan coast guard had stopped 16,567 people before they were rescued and taken to Italy, according to the International Organization for Migration. But overall departures are down more than 20 percent and they dropped more than 80 percent in August after an armed group in Sabratha clamped down on smuggling. Italy is counting on the Libyan coast guard together with the Tripoli and municipal governments to put a halt to migrant arrivals from a country that has been torn by civil war and factional fighting since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The policy has been harshly criticised by humanitarian groups because of the dire conditions of Libya's detention centres and the inhumane treatment of migrants in general in Libya. Despite recent declines in departures, almost 1,000 migrants were rescued on Tuesday. Save the Children's Vos Hestia ship picked up some 750 people in six different rescues, a spokeswoman said, and the Lifeline had more than 200 on board. SOS Mediterranee's Aquarius ship picked up 20 Libyans on Monday. "There is no longer any work in Libya and you risk being attacked," a 26-year-old Libyan rescued told members of the SOS crew. "It is impossible to live in Libya, it has become too dangerous." (Reporting by Steve Scherer Additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
Sky News

Dua Lipa has denied reports she will be performing at the World Cup opening ceremony, saying she will only visit host nation Qatar when it improves its record on human rights. The 27-year-old pop singer made a statement on Instagram stories after she had been linked to a performance at the opening ceremony next week. "I will be cheering England on from afar and I look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup."
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria's government has produced much more power in recent months as the army recaptured natural gas fields from militants, the electricity ministry said on Tuesday. Bassam Darwish, head of the electricity ministry's planning unit, told Reuters that the amount of gas the petroleum ministry provided to fuel power plants has nearly doubled since last winter. "There had been a very big problem with securing fuel and we went through a difficult winter... We have seen an improvement," Darwish said. "After the liberation of any area, the workers of the energy sector directly go in and repair facilities." With the help of Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, the army has driven rebels from Syria's main urban centres in western Syria and marched eastwards against Islamic State. Syrian troops with their allies pushed into the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zor last month, after steady advances against Islamic State insurgents across the central and eastern desert. Several gas fields have fallen back under government control since last year. Electricity supply has been highly restricted and irregular across various parts of the country during the six-year war. Improving it would help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad restore economic growth in territory the government controls. Since early in Syria's multi-sided conflict, Damascus and the electricity ministry have worked with friendly states to help keep the power system running, Darwish said. "Contracts were signed with Russia, with China, with Iran... that enabled us to continue working in the past," he said. Earlier this month, Iran signed deals with Damascus to repair and build power plants, a potentially lucrative move for Tehran that points to its deepening economic role. During the visit by Syria's electricity minister to Tehran, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding that includes restoring a main control centre for the Syrian power grid. The deals also involve a contract to supply power to Aleppo city. Darwish said the meeting led to "signing very important contracts" with Iranian energy company MAPNA, with strong support from the Islamic Republic. Under the deals, Iran will make payment easy for the Syrian government, whose economy has been battered by war and Western sanctions, he said. "The contracts... are based on payment facilities from the Iranian side," he added. "We expect very big contracts to come out of the MoU that was signed... very large numbers, always with preferential terms for the Syrian side." Shunned by Western powers, Damascus has been looking to friendly states to play a major role in rebuilding the country. Iran will build an oil refinery in Syria after the war ends, the head of downstream technologies at Iran's Research Institute of the Petroleum Industry was quoted as saying on Tuesday. In January, Iran's government and entities close to its elite Revolutionary Guards signed major telecommunications and mining deals with Damascus. Since at least 2012, Iran has provided critical military support to the Damascus government, helping it regain swathes of the country. Iran experts say Tehran is now looking to reap a financial dividend. Before the war in Syria, "power cuts and blackouts were almost non-existent," Darwish said. The government produced less than 20 billion kilowatt hour last year, down from 50 billion in 2011, he said. "It was constantly declining because of the lack of fuel," in addition to destruction in the electric system and energy sector, including power plants and oil wells, he said. Darwish estimated that direct damages in the power sector throughout the war amounted to between $4 and 5 billion. Indirect losses resulting from the lack of electricity to various sectors, residential zones, and institutions, had reached nearly $60 billion, he said. "This shows us...the scale of the efforts that will have to be very big to restore the electric system," which will also require very large investments, he said. "This issue is related to the availability of funding, which is currently the main obstacle," he said. The government was doing all it could, "but the size of the damages is big." (Reporting by Kinda Makieh in Damascus; Writing by Ellen Francis in Beirut; editing by Mark Heinrich)
UC-III U-boat WWI Germany AP

AP

An intact German World War I submarine containing the bodies of 23 people has been found off the coast of Belgium, authorities said Tuesday.

Western Flanders Governor Carl Decaluwe told The Associated Press that the find on the floor of the North Sea is very unique.

Its quite amazing that we found something like this, Decaluwe said. The impact damage was at the front, but the submarine remains closed and there are 23 people still onboard.

The UB II-type dive boat that was found is 27 meters (88 feet) long and 6 meters (almost 20 feet) wide, and is lying at about a 45 degree angle, between 25-30 meters (82-98 feet) below the surface.

From the damage to the front of the vessel, it appears that the sub may have struck a mine with its upper deck. Two torpedo tubes have been destroyed but the lower tube is intact and closed.

Video images show the submarine encrusted with barnacles and seaweed. It is also adorned with fishing gear, including nets.

Decaluwe said the U-boat was found by researchers. He declined to provide details about its location until the site has been protected. He has contacted the German ambassador because we need to see what can do with the remains.

Around 18 U-boats were stationed with the Flanders Flotilla in Bruges between 1915 and 1918. Thirteen of them were destroyed.

Its the 11th such wreck to be found in Belgian waters.

Allied warships and cargo ships were easy pickings for the German subs that were launched from Bruges, just across the English Channel.

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For the second straight year, the University of North Georgia (UNG) has placed in the top 50 of best online Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree programs in the nation, according to the online journal College Choice.

The rankings counted a number of factors, including program accreditation, national reputation, cost of tuition, and early career salary levels of program graduates. A composite score was computed by balancing academic excellence with earnings based on a return on investment.

The publication, an independent source that helps students and their families find the right college for a chosen profession, ranks UNG 43rd in the nation, with a score of 73.54 (out of 100) and tuition average of $245 a credit hour. College Choice says UNG is highly ranked as a regional university and its online presence offers nationally available, high-quality online programs.

"The Nursing Department at UNG offers an affordable, Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing-accredited RN to BSN program for current registered nurses who desire to further their career with a BSN," the articles states. "Graduates are prepared for professional nursing practice in primary, secondary and tertiary settings as well as to care for individuals, families, and communities as clients."

"We are so pleased to be recognized by College Choice again this year," said Becky Murck, RN-BSN program coordinator. "The program provides a high-quality educational experience for adult learners. We have excellent, experienced, and committed faculty that are invested in student success."

Murck said the online format allows greater flexibility for the working registered nurse. Students have individualized pathways to meet course outcomes for the clinical courses as well as the option of obtaining clinical hours online or through direct patient care.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for registered nurses is projected to grow 16 percent from 2014 to 2024, far outpacing the average for all occupations. Growing rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity, an aging baby boom population living longer than past generations, and an increased emphasis on preventative care are the main reasons demand for nurses with advanced training will remain high.

The role nurses play in the healthcare field is changing; with doctors in short supply, nurses are shouldering more responsibilities. Employers are now looking at a BSN as a minimum requirement for the job, a prerequisite The American Association of Colleges of Nursing now recommends.

Nurses with a BSN command higher salaries, and the degree is essential for leadership positions, nurse practitioner programs, and graduate degrees.

For more information about the RN to BSN online degree program at UNG, visit the website.
Nicole Pitterson was struck by a familiar feeling when she spotted the Jamaican section in a local grocery store, shortly after arriving at Virginia Tech.

Ive never lived anywhere before where in the regular grocery store I could find things that I grew up with, said the Jamaican native and assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Education in the College of Engineering.

Just weeks into her first semester at Tech, Pitterson said the moment summed up the culture shed found at the university.

Its like, the feeling you belong, but also, we want people to be different. We want you to bring whats you, Pitterson said.

Pitterson is one of 15 faculty hires from underrepresented communities to join Virginia Tech this school year, which is more than double the number from each of the five previous years.

The growth comes during a year in which the university has enacted several hiring initiatives aimed at realizing its commitment to InclusiveVT, supporting the campuswide mission of doubling the underrepresented student population by 2022, and promoting the connection between diversity and excellence. Senior faculty members lead the Advance InclusiveVT efforts that support best recruiting practices, unconscious bias training for all search committees, and the Future Faculty Development program, which began in 2011 and brings underrepresented graduate students within two years of completing their Ph.D. to campus.

There is an abundance of qualified, diverse candidates, both newly minted doctoral students and senior faculty. These new initiatives will provide opportunities for them to engage with Virginia Tech in order to experience the vibrancy and innovation that characterizes our university, said Menah Pratt-Clarke, vice president for strategic affairs and vice provost for inclusion and diversity.

We believe these will be selling points to candidates who might not otherwise consider applying to Virginia Tech, she said.

The recent hiring of Patrice Dickerson, currently the assistant executive dean for strategic recruitment and diversity at The Ohio State University, reflects the new focus on faculty diversity. She will be joining Virginia Tech in October as the director of faculty diversity recruitment in the Office for Inclusion and Diversity. There will also be trained diversity advocates on all search committees and additional support of the Future Faculty Development program.

The character of the university has won over candidates like Pitterson, who said she knew little of Virginia Tech prior to being nominated for the Future Faculty Development program. It only took one visit to campus, however, for her to be impressed by the environment.

Id been in different parts of Virginia, but Id never been to Blacksburg, she said. Theres a different culture here. I feel like people here are just genuinely nice and helpful and friendly.


Editor's note: This 2010 Virginia Tech Magazine story profiles Addison Caldwell, the university's first student. As Virginia Tech announces a new brand platform, Caldwell's journey connects with those who followed him.



In 1991, Virginia Tech learned that William Addison "Add" Caldwell tramped 26 to 28 miles across two mountains to reportedly become the first student of Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (VAMC, today's Virginia Tech) when VAMC opened on Oct. 1, 1872. But since the publication in 1972 of D. Lyle Kinnear's "The First 100 Years: A History of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University," there has been some question about why Caldwell registered that day.

Curiosity or intention?

"There is a completely unverified legend that Caldwell's appearance at the college was motivated more by curiosity than by any intention to enroll as a student," Kinnear wrote. "Certainly he had not been nominated for a state scholarship by his county superintendent of schools, as it sometimes has been asserted. Whatever his real motive may have been, immediately he was given a state scholarship by the faculty and enrolled as the first student in Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College."

Anyone who has traced Caldwell's path to Blacksburg by participating in the Caldwell March, a trek by the Corps of Cadets that breaks the first student's walk to campus into two 13-mile stretches, one in the fall and one in the spring, would argue that a 26-mile hike is a lot of energy to invest in mere curiosity.

And records in the Library of Virginia provide a strong argument against Kinnear's conclusion that Caldwell did not have a scholarship before arriving in Blacksburg.

On Dec. 6, 1872, Virginia Gov. Gilbert C. Walker instructed the Committee on Public Instruction to ascertain from VAMC President Charles L.C. Minor the number of students, the date of matriculation, and the counties from which they were appointed. He also requested information on the number of students whose expenses were not defrayed by the state. Minor complied on Jan. 8, 1873.

In his report, Minor noted scholarship status beside the name of each student, with two scholarships identified. An "A" designation meant that the student was a county school board appointee, and a "B" identified a student "enjoying the same privileges by appointment of the faculty under authorization of the executive committee of the board of visitors." A "C" indicated a student paying his own tuition.

An "A" follows Caldwell's name. With scholarship in hand, it is more likely that he made the long walk from Craig County with the sole purpose of registering as a student.

Was he the first?

Some people question whether Caldwell actually was the first student to register, a question made difficult to answer because the university's records burned in the early 1900s.

Support for Caldwell's place in Virginia Tech history can be found in Minor's 1873 report, which records students by day of matriculation and not by alphabetical order. The first name on the list for Oct. 1 is that of William Addison Caldwell. An oral tradition also exists in Craig County that he was the first student, according to county historian Jane Johnston.

Who was he?

Born on Jan. 10, 1856, Add Caldwell grew up on a farm in the Sinking Creek community of Craig County, the second of nine children. When he was 16, he and his older brother, 18-year-old Milton M. "Mic" Caldwell, left their home and walked to Blacksburg, according to Mic's daughter, the late Katherine Caldwell Mendez.

Mic, however, waited until Nov. 2 to register. His name on Minor's list is followed by a "B." Both teenagers, then, had state scholarships, although from different appointments, to apply to the $30 tuition and $10 fees.

Another brother, Frank, enrolled in 1874, but neither he nor Mic graduated. Add did, but he took an extra year to complete the three-year program in agriculture, finishing with VAMC's second graduating class. A report card indicates that he excelled in written compositions, military tactics, and farm work; was "satisfactory" or nearly so in French, natural history, and composition and rhetoric; and was "tolerable" or worse in mathematics, chemistry, and bookkeeping.

During college, he joined the Maury Literary Society and attained the rank of second sergeant of VAMC's Company B. On graduation day, Aug. 9, 1876, he was elected secretary of the class alumni association.

After graduating, he worked as a schoolteacher in Craig County and then as a clerk at Norfolk and Western in Roanoke, Va., where he was described as a well-known and popular employee. He moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, around 1898 and worked, probably as a salesman, for several large wholesale firms.

Sometime before 1910, Caldwell's health declined. Doctors told him that salt air would be good for him, so he secured a job as a clerk at a Wrightsville Beach, N.C., hotel. "I have not been here long enough to tell whether the salt air is going to benefit me or not. I am feeling about the same, no worse, no better," he wrote Mendez on June 15, 1910.

A few days later, he sustained a severe head injury when he fainted. He died on June 29, 1910, in a Wilmington hospital. His funeral was held in his mother's home -- by then she had moved to Radford, Virginia -- and he was buried in the family cemetery nearby.

Today, the Add Caldwell Lounge in G. Burke Johnston Student Center, the library's e-catalog (known as Addison), a statue, and the Caldwell March remind us that education meant so much to a teenage boy that he hiked 26 miles and struggled through an extra year of classes. In doing so, he forged a path for thousands of students who turn to the state's land-grant institution to acquire the skills and knowledge that can lead to a richer life and better future.



This story first appeared in fall 2010 version of the Virginia Tech Magazine. It was written by Clara B. Cox, the former director of publications for University Relations.
Citigroup Inc. is one of the worlds largest financial institutions. It is the 13th largest bank globally by assets and 8th by market cap with operations in consumer and institutional banking. In the US, Citigroup is the 3rd largest bank by assets and one of the Big Four deemed systemically important and too big to fail.

Citigroup Inc. was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York. The bank was run by Samuel Osgood who led the company with success for many years, even throughout the War of 1812. The bank was later renamed the National City Bank of New York in 1865 and by 1895 is the largest bank in the US. In 1913 it was the first contributor to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a few years later it began to expand into overseas territories.

The bank became the First National City Bank of New York after another merger in 1955 and then later, the New York part was dropped off as part of the 150th-anniversary celebration. By 1974 the company is known as Citicorp which is still the operational branch of the business and a global banking powerhouse. A merger with Travelers insurance group in 1998 resulted in the name Citigroup but the joint venture did not last. By 2002 Travelers was publicly traded once again but Citigroup retained the new name.

Today, the company is headquartered in New York, New York but boasts more than 200 million customer accounts in 160 countries worldwide. As of mid-2022, it operated 2,649 branches in the United States, Mexico, and Asia. The company reports nearly 725 branches in the US and 1499 in Mexico with the rest scattered throughout its territory. Total annual revenue topped $75 billion in 2022.

Citigroup is a diversified financial services holding company that owns Citicorp among other assets. The companys mission is to serve as a trusted partner providing responsible financial solutions to its clients. Citigroup provides financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. The company operates in two segments, Global Consumer Banking (GCB) and Institutional Clients Group (ICG).

The GCB segment offers traditional banking services including deposit and saving accounts, credit cards, personal loans, home loans, and investment services. This segment operates through local branches and digital means. The ICG segment offers wholesale banking products and services to corporate, institutional, public sector, and high-net-worth clients.
Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. provides natural gas compression services and equipment to the energy industry in the United States. It fabricates, manufactures, rents, and sells natural gas compressors and related equipment. The company primarily engages in the rental of compression units that provide small, medium, and large horsepower applications for unconventional oil and natural gas production. As of December 31, 2021, the company had 2,023 natural gas compression units in its rental fleet with 418,041 horsepower. The company also engages in the design, fabrication, and assembly of compressor components into compressor units for rental or sale; engineers and fabricates natural gas compressors; and designs and manufactures a line of reciprocating compressor frames, cylinders, and parts. In addition, it is involved in the design, fabrication, sale, installation, and service of flare stacks and related ignition and control devices for the onshore and offshore incineration of gas compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gases. Further, the company offers customer support services for its compressor and flare sales business; and exchange and rebuild program for small horsepower screw compressors. Its primary customers are exploration and production(E&P) companies that utilize compressor units for artificial lift applications; E&P companies that focuses on natural gas-weighted production; and midstream companies. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Midland, Texas.
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.
Humana Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health and well-being company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail, Group and Specialty, and Healthcare Services. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It also has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits. In addition, the company provides commercial fully insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits comprising dental, vision, and other supplemental health benefits; and administrative services only products to individuals and employer groups, as well as military services, such as TRICARE T2017 East Region contract. Further, it offers pharmacy solutions, provider services, and home solutions services, such as home health and other services to its health plan members, as well as to third parties. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 17 million members in medical benefit plans, as well as approximately 5 million members in specialty products. Humana Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 13125882 Canada Inc., 211 E. Russell Road LLC, 4458664 Canada Inc., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES ASIA PTE. LTD., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES BORROWER S.C.A., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES LLC, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES MIDDLE EAST FZE, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES SERVICES LIMITED, ASTRUM IT GmbH, Accudyne Industries Acquisition S.A r.l, Accudyne Industries Canada Inc., Accudyne Industries S.A r.l., Air Dimensions, Air Dimensions Inc., Albin Pump SAS, BOC Edwards Global Low pressure Air business, CISA S.p.A., Cameron-Centrifugal Compression, Comercial Ingersoll-Rand (Chile) Limitada, Comingersoll-Comercio E Industria De Equipamentos S.A., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Dosatron International SAS, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Proprietary Limited, FlexEnergy Holdings LLC, Frigoblock Grosskopf Gmbh, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First (UK) Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings II Inc., GD Global Holdings Inc., GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., GPS Industries, Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp (Canada), Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Limited, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica SL, Gardner Denver Inc., Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver International Inc., Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Investments Inc., Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan Ltd., Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte. Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia s.r.o., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH (f/k/a ILMVAC GmbH), Gardner Denver Thomas Inc., Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Ghh-Rand Schraubenkompressoren Gmbh, HASKEL EUROPE LTD., HASKEL HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, HASKEL INTERNATIONAL LLC, Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, Haskel France SAS, Haskel Sistemas de Fluidos Espana S.R.L., Hibon Inc., Highspeed Newco LLC, Hingerose Limited, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, INGERSOLL RAND ITS JAPAN LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHANG ZHOU) TOOLS CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHINA) INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND CHINA LLC, INGERSOLL-RAND COMERCIO E SERVICOS DE MAQUINAS E EQUIPAMENTOS INDUSTRIAIS LTDA., INGERSOLL-RAND DE PUERTO RICO INC., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL COMPANY B.V., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL SP. Z O.O., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL U.S. INC., INGERSOLL-RAND PHILIPPINES INC., INGERSOLL-RAND SPAIN S.A., INGERSOLL-RAND U.S. HOLDCO INC., IR HPS Holdco. Inc., ITO Emniyet, Ingersoll Rand Cyprus Investments Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Finance LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Investments LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Ventures LLC, Ingersoll Rand Hong Kong Investments Limited, Ingersoll Rand Inc., Ingersoll Rand Investments (SG) Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Investments B.V., Ingersoll Rand Schweiz Investments Gmbh, Ingersoll Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (Australia) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (China) Investment Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Guilin) Tools Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Hong Kong) Holding Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (India) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Ab, Ingersoll-Rand Air Solutions Hibon Sarl, Ingersoll-Rand Beteiligungs Und Grundstucksverwaltungs Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Colombia S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited (Uk), Ingersoll-Rand Company South Africa (Pty) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Cz S.R.O., Ingersoll-Rand De Mexico S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Equipements De Production S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Industrial Ireland Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International (India) Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Italia S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Italiana Manufacturing S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Korea Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Korea Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments II S.A R.I., Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Luxembourg Industrial Company S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Machinery (Shanghai) Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Malaysia Co. Sdn. Bhd., Ingersoll-Rand S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Services And Trading Limited Liability Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Singapore Enterprises Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand South East Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Superay Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technical And Services S.A.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Technologies And Services Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Tool Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Trading Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Vietnam Company Limited, Instrum Rand JSC, Interflex Datensysteme, Ir Canada Holdings Ulc, Ir Canada Sales & Service Ulc, Ir France Sas, Kryptonite corp, Lawrence Factor Inc., LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MILTON ROY (HONG KONG) LIMITED, MILTON ROY (UK) LIMITED, MILTON ROY EUROPA B.V., MILTON ROY EUROPE SAS, MILTON ROY INDUSTRIAL (SHANGHAI) CO. LTD., MILTON ROY LLC, MILTON ROY US PURCHASER INC., MP Pumps Inc., Maximum AG Technologies Inc., Maximus Solutions, Mb Air Systems Limited, Nash Elmo, Officina Meccaniche Industriali Srl, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Plurifilter D.O.O., Pt Ingersoll-Rand Indonesia, Robuschi, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, SEEPEX, Seepex (M) SDN, Seepex Australia Pty Ltd, Seepex Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mit Beschrankter Haftung, Seepex France S.a.r.l., Seepex GmbH, Seepex Inc., Seepex India Private Ltd., Seepex Italia SRL, Seepex Japan Co. Ltd., Seepex Nordic A/S, Seepex OOO, Seepex Pumps (Shanghia) Co. Ltd., Seepex UK Ltd., Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Shanghai Ingersoll-Rand Compressor Limited, Shenzhen Bocom System Engineering Co., Superay, Syltone, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, Tamrotor Marine Comp AS Norway, Tecno Matic Europe s.r.o., Thomas Industries Inc., Trane Technologies, Tri-Continent Scientific Inc., Vacuum and Blower Systems division, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zaxe Technologies Inc., Zeks Compressed Air Solutions Llc, Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, Zinsser NA Inc., and crayon interface.

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First Republic Bank was founded by Jim Herbert with the intention of providing exceptional levels of customer service. It was his belief that customer service would set the bank apart and create a profitable investment for its shareholders. After 35 years, his vision has proven true with a 25% CAGR that continues to this day. The initial enterprise value has grown from only $8.8 million in that time, to over $19 billion making it the 14th largest bank in the US. First Republic Bank was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

First Republic Bank with its subsidiaries operates in two segments and provides personal banking, business banking, and wealth management services to individuals, families, organizations, and small businesses in the United States. The companys services are available in-person at one of the more than 80 offices or via ATM, online, mobile, and debit cards.

The company offers deposit products including checking and saving accounts, money market, and CDs as well as a range of lending products. The full range of lending products includes but is not limited to residential mortgages, home equity lines of credit, commercial real estate and construction loans, and personal and business loans.

The companys wealth management services include advisory services, online investment management, trusts, estate planning, and alternative investments as well as insurance and foreign exchange. The online brokerage service is available to all clients and can be accessed at any time via a web browser or mobile device.

First Republic Bank operates a network of more than 80 deposit-taking branches and 12 wealth management offices. The network is located primarily in California with additional branches in major metropolitan areas and two destination locations that include Portland, Boston, Palm Beach, Greenwich, New York, and Jackson, Wyoming.

First Republic Bank has proven its worth over the year by maintaining a consistently strong capital level, asset quality, and liquidity position. Its prudent management has allowed it to weather market ups and downs while commanding investment grade ratings for its bonds and preferred stock.
Four polls released Sunday/Monday give Roy Moore a double-digit lead over Sen. Luther Strange in Tuesday's runoff for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate race in Alabama.

Alabama-based Cygnal, in conjunction with L2, gives Moore a 52 to 41 lead over Strange. Emerson college has it 50-40 Moore. Data analytics firm Optimus has Moore at 55%, with Strange at 45%. Finally, Trafalgar Group, who did an especially good job predicting Donald Trump's win last November, gives Moore a 16 point lead, 57% to 41%. Despite Mr. Trump's support of the appointed Senator, these margins indicate a Moore victory is likely on Tuesday.

Polls are open Tuesday from 7AM to 7PM local time, meaning results should be available starting at 8PM Eastern Time. The winner will face Democratic nominee Doug Jones in the December 12th special general election. The winner there will complete the term of former Sen. Jeff Sessions, now U.S. Attorney General. This seat is next up for its regular election cycle in 2020.
NEW YORK  Target Corp. is raising its minimum hourly wage for workers to $11 starting next month and then to $15 by the end of 2020, a move it says will help it hire and keep the best employees and make shopping a better experience for customers.

The initiative announced Monday is part of the discounters overall strategy to improve its business, which includes remodeling stores, expanding its online services and opening up smaller urban locations.

Target quietly raised entry-level hourly wages to $10 last year from $9 from the previous year, following initiatives by Walmart and others to hike pay in a very competitive marketplace. But Targets increase to $15 per hour far exceeds not only the federal minimum of $7.25 but the hourly base pay at Walmart, the nations largest private employer, and plenty of its retail peers whose minimum hourly pay hovers around $10. Now Targets raise could force some rivals to match the pay.

We see this not only as an investment in our team but an investment in an elevated experience for our guests and the communities we serve, Brian Cornell, CEO of Target, told reporters on a call Friday.

The changes come as theres more attention on hourly wages. Thousands of workers have protested to call attention to their financial struggles and to fight for $15 an hour. The election of a Republican-controlled Congress dampened hopes of an increase in the federal minimum wage, but advocates have continued to press at the state and local level.

At the same time, competition for lower-skilled workers has heated up. As shoppers get more mobile-savvy, retailers want staffers who are more skilled at customer service and in technology such as using iPads to check out inventory. But with the unemployment rate near a 16-year low, the most desirable retail workers feel more confident in hopping from job to job. Some 75 percent of hourly retail workers now change jobs within a year, compared with 50 percent during the Great Recession, according to Korn Ferry Hay Group, a global consultancy group.

Thirty-two percent of all first jobs in the U.S. are in retail, according to the trade group the National Retail Federation, and stores overall have more job openings now than they did a few years ago.

Hourly pay at restaurants and hotels is up 3.5 percent from a year earlier, a much better raise than the 2.5 percent gain for all employees. For workers at transportation and warehousing companies, where e-commerce growth is fueling hiring, pay is up 2.7 percent in the past year. Retailers, however, have lifted pay just 1.8 percent in the past year. That may be spurring more workers to leave for better opportunities: Separate government data shows the number of retail workers quitting their jobs this year and last is at the highest in a decade.

The average hourly pay for cashiers is now $10.14, according to the Korn Ferry Hay Groups survey of 140 retailers with annual sales of at least $500 million. The survey was conducted in May. A year ago, it was $9.79.

Target says its minimum hourly wage of $11 is higher than the minimum wage in 48 states and matches the minimum wage in Massachusetts and Washington. It says the pay hike will affect thousands of its more than 300,000 workers, but it declined to quantify the percentage of its workforce. It said the increase to $11 per hour will apply to the more than 100,000 hourly workers that Target will be hiring for the holiday season.

Target declined to say what the average pay will be for its hourly workers with the increased wages.

Ken Perkins, president of research firm Retail Metrics LLC, called Targets decision astute.

Target is really trying to gain market share in an environment where there is tremendous upheaval, Perkins said. But he believes only a few dozen healthy retailers, such as Best Buy, Home Depot and Walmart, could mirror what Target is doing.

Craig Rowley, head of the retail practice at Korn Ferry Hay Group, estimates that retailers devote 5 to 8 percent of their annual sales to store hourly labor costs.

Target is seeing signs that its turnaround efforts are starting to win back shoppers.

In August, it reported that a key sales figure rose in the second quarter, reversing four straight quarters of declines, and its online sales jumped 32 percent. The company also boosted its earnings expectations for the year. Target is spending $7 billion over three years to remodel old stores, open small ones in cities and college towns and offer faster delivery for online orders. It is also adding more clothing and furniture brands.

Walmart has also been benefiting from its investment in its workers. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer has seen lower turnover and improved customer service scores. Its namesake U.S. division reported a 1.8 percent increase in revenue at stores open at least a year during its fiscal second quarter, marking the 12th straight period of gains. Walmarts wage investments, however, did take a big bite out of profits.

Target reiterated its third-quarter and full-year profit guidance, and said it would update investors early next year about how higher wages will affect long-term profits. Its shares initially fell Monday, but regained that ground and were little changed.

___

AP Economics Writer Chris Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.

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Follow Anne DInnocenzio at http://www.Twitter.com/adinnocenzio
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration spent months hashing out new travel restrictions on more than a half-dozen countries, determined to avoid the chaos that accompanied President Donald Trumps first travel ban. But critics say its a mystery why some countries are included and they believe Venezuela and North Korea were added to provide legal and political cover for what they say remains a Muslim ban.

The new restrictions covering citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen  and some Venezuelan government officials and their families  are to go into effect Oct. 18.

As for the previous version, which expired on Sunday, the Supreme Court on Monday announced it would cancel arguments scheduled for next month to give both sides time to consider the implications of the new one. They have until Oct. 5 to weigh in.

Trumps efforts to restrict entry into the U.S. have been the subject of lawsuits almost since the moment he announced the first travel ban in January, and the latest version is sure to attract new legal challenges  though experts are divided on how they might fare.

Avideh Moussavian, senior policy attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, said she saw little difference between the earlier bans and the new policy, despite the addition of two non-Muslim countries.

What remains the same is the discriminatory core of these bans which were always designed to exclude Muslims from the United States, Moussavian said.

But Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration expert at Cornell University, said the latest version is narrower and better explained, including about how the government decided which countries to target.

The third time may be the charm for President Trumps immigration travel ban, Yale-Loehr said.

Administration officials have stressed the latest version is the result of a lengthy process, and based on an objective assessment of each countrys security situation and willingness to share information with the U.S.

The restrictions are based on new baseline factors such as whether countries issue electronic passports with biometric information to prevent fraud and report information about potential terror threats. That baseline was shared with countries across the globe, and they were given 50 days to comply.

Those that failed to satisfy the objective process of measuring whether countries met the baseline are now subject to new restrictions.

The countries that ultimately were included on the list fall into three basic categories, officials said.

 Some, like Iran and Syria, pose legitimate national security threats to the U.S. and refuse to cooperate with U.S. consular investigations.

 Another category includes countries like Yemen and Libya, where local authorities have sought to be as cooperative as possible but lack full control over their territory and the basic ability to provide the information the U.S. wants. In those cases, officials said, the U.S. tried to stress that inclusion on the list wasnt an indictment of those nations commitment to fighting terrorism.

 The final category includes countries like North Korea and Venezuela whose citizens dont necessarily pose a major threat to the U.S. but where the administration wanted to send a message that the governments broader actions are unacceptable.

Critics said the inclusion of some countries appeared to be largely symbolic and intended to combat perceptions that the ban is targeting Muslims.

The new visa sanctions on Venezuela, for instance, apply only to officials from five government security agencies and their immediate families. Still, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro labeled the move a form of political and psychological terrorism.

The restrictions on North Korea will have little impact because so few of its citizens visit the United States. North Koreas authoritarian government doesnt allow most of its 24 million people to travel abroad, except in special cases such as for jobs that bring in foreign currency or for participation in sporting events.

Indeed, according the State Department, in 2016 the U.S. issued just nine immigrant visas and 52 non-immigrant visas to citizens of North Korea.

David Heyman, who served as a Homeland Security official in the Obama administration, said that relative to Trumps first two travel ban attempts, the latest order seems much more rigorous and with the greater review and interest in an interagency policy. But he said the most pressing threat remains home-grown extremists.

If were looking to protect America from the terrorist threat, which is the motive behind this order, this continues to miss the point, Heyman said.

The American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement: President Trumps original sin of targeting Muslims cannot be cured by throwing other countries onto his enemies list.

The inclusion of Chad, which has been a major player in the fight against Boko Haram, raised eyebrows. In its proclamation, the administration said that while Chad is an important and valuable counterterrorism partner, its government does not adequately share public safety and terrorism-related information. It also noted several terrorists groups are active in the country.

Chads government said it learned with astonishment of the U.S. governments decision and could not understand the official reasons for this decision which contrasts with Chads constant efforts and commitments in the fight against terrorism at regional and global levels.

The Homeland Security Department largely left it up to U.S. embassies in potentially affected areas to gather information about whether their host countries were supplying needed information and cooperating enough with authorities to enable the U.S. to properly vet citizens.

Some embassies pushed back to try to get their host countries removed from the list, concerned that inclusion would negatively affect relations between the U.S. and those countries, administration officials said. In some cases, the embassies sought to explain to Homeland Security that the host country was already cooperating and providing the information the administration said it needed. The officials who commented werent authorized to discuss the deliberations with reporters and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Turkey was one of the countries that the administration considered adding to the list, but ultimately decided against, one U.S. official said.

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Josh Lederman in Washington and Hyung-Jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report.
A fourth criminal trial started Monday for former jail guard Enock Arvizo, this time on charges that he raped a woman inmate near a courthouse holding cell.

In an opening statement, prosecutors described a March 2015 sexual assault that took place in 2nd Judicial District courthouse as the woman, wearing shackles and handcuffs, awaited a probation violation hearing.

Arvizo has been convicted in previous trials of attempting to kiss one inmate and raping another in a courthouse elevator. He resigned from the Metropolitan Detention Center shortly after allegations were raised.

In her testimony Monday, the woman told jurors that another corrections officer escorted her to the restroom as she awaited her court hearing. After returning to the courtroom, she realized she left important paperwork in the restroom. This time, she asked Arvizo to take her to retrieve it.

Arvizo, she said, led her into an area outside of the courtroom with inmate holding cells and a restroom. There, she said, he kissed her and forced her to perform oral sex before raping her.

I just was confused, she said on the witness stand. Like why is this happening to me? Out of all people, like why me?

Worried about possible retaliation from other corrections officers, she decided not to report the assault right away, she said. She was soon moved to another facility where she reported the assault to an attorney.

Arvizos defense lawyer argued in his opening statements that when the woman finally raised allegations against Arvizo, it was too late to gather any evidence, like courthouse video footage or a sexual assault examination.

There simply is not enough evidence in this case to sustain a conviction, he said.

Lane also questioned, like he has in previous trials, why the woman chose to report to an attorney known to sue institutions like MDC.

Arvizo is charged with two counts of criminal sexual penetration and one count of battery. His trial before 2nd Judicial District Judge Briana Zamora is expected to take two to three days.
SANTA FE  Los Alamos National Laboratory says there was no risk of an accidental nuclear reaction in a recent safety violation where plutonium limits were exceeded during casting work at the lab.

The incident on August 18, 2017 was not a criticality accident, a lab spokesman said in a statement.

Our workers self-reported the fact that certain administrative limits were exceeded. There was never any risk of a criticality accident.

However, because of the Laboratorys focus on adhering to our safety rules, we suspended the workers qualifications until they completed the appropriate re-training.

A criticality accident is an uncontrolled nuclear fission chain reaction that produces a potentially fatal blast of radiation. The lab spokesman said Monday there has not been an actual criticality accident at Los Alamos in more than 60 years.

But a longtime lab observer and critic says the error reported publicly by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board this month was not trivial, considering the labs history of safety issues and a federal mandate that LANL ramp up production of plutonium pits, the triggers for nuclear weapons.

Its hard to assess how serious it was, said Greg Mello of the Albuquerque-based Los Alamos Study Group. We dont have enough information.

But given the scrutiny and the labs repeated problems with criticality and the impact on the (labs) mission, its a serious screw up. No pits have been produced since 2011 and the lab is supposed to make 80 a year by about 2030.

Mello said the labs casting work on the shell of a pit  the focus of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Boards recent report  was a showcase operation and focus of a great deal of management attention and expectation.

They really have struggled to get this right, he said.

In 2016, LANL was the only one of the Department of Energys nuclear facilities to receive a failing red, or does not meet safety expectations, safety rating for criticality.

No comment has been available from the DOEs National Nuclear Security Administration, of which the Los Alamos lab is part.

The DNSFBs recent report says that on Aug. 18, the crew that had cast the pit shell moved it into a location that already contained plutonium metal, exceeding plutonium limits. When too much plutonium is put in close quarters, a criticality reaction can take place. In this case, the violation was discovered three days later when the shell was moved again.

The DNFSB report said this was the first shell cast in the facility in about four years and the second time that a restarted operation encountered conduct of operations issues related to the criticality safety of material movements shortly after resuming nuclear work.

At a June DNFSB hearing in Santa Fe, a top NNSA official said a study was considering whether plutonium work should be continued at Los Alamos or moved elsewhere by adding capabilities at other weapons complex sites. The same official said criticality safety at Los Alamos is making progress but not where we need to be.

But New Mexicos two Democratic U.S. senators  Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall  recently amended the latest defense budget bill to require the Trump administration to meet a number of necessary requirements, including certification from the Secretary of Defense, before it moves pit production away from Los Alamos.
To listen to the commentary, Donald Trump used an inappropriate term at the U.N.  not just Rocket Man, but sovereignty.

It wasnt surprising that liberal analysts freaked out over his nickname for Kim Jong Un and his warning that wed totally destroy Kims country should it become necessary. These lines were calculated to get a reaction, and they did. More interesting was the allergy to Trumps defense of sovereign nations.

Brian Williams of MSNBC wondered whether the repeated use of the word sovereignty was a dog whistle. CNNs Jim Sciutto called it a loaded term and a favorite expression of authoritarian leaders.

It was a widely repeated trope that Trumps speech was a giant gift, in the words of BuzzFeed, to China and Russia.

In an otherwise illuminating piece in The Atlantic, Peter Beinart concluded that Trumps address amounted to imperialism. If so, couched in the rhetoric of the mutual respect of nations, its the best-disguised imperialist manifesto in history.

Trumps critics misrepresent the speech and misunderstand the nationalist vision that Trump was setting out.

He didnt defend a valueless international relativism. Trump warned that authoritarian powers seek to collapse the values, the systems, and alliances that prevented conflict and tilted the world toward freedom since World War II.

He praised the U.S. Constitution as the foundation of peace, prosperity and freedom for the Americans and for countless millions around the globe.

The Marshall Plan, he said, was built on the noble idea that the whole world is safer when nations are strong, independent and free.

Just window dressing? Trump returned to similar language in his denunciation of the worlds rogue states.

When critics dont ignore these passages, they say that they contradict Trumps emphasis on the sovereignty of all nations. Theres no doubt that theres a tension in Trumps emerging marriage between traditional Republican thinking and his instinctive nationalism. Yet he outlined a few key expectations.

He said, repeatedly, that we want nations committed to promoting security, prosperity and peace. And we look for them to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation.

Every country that Trump criticized fails one or both of these tests. So, by the way, do Russia and China. Hence Trumps oblique criticism of their aggression in Ukraine and the South China Sea.

Trumps standards arent drawn out of thin air. A consistent nationalist believes in the right of every nation to govern itself. Moreover, modern nationalism developed alongside the idea of popular sovereignty  i.e., the people have the right to rule and the state is their agent, not the other way around.

Trumps core claim that the nation-state remains the best vehicle for elevating the human condition is correct; it is what makes self-government possible. If the alternative is being governed by an imperial center or transnational authorities, the people of almost every nation will want  and fight, if necessary  to govern themselves. See the American Revolution.

The U.N. is hardly an inappropriate forum for advancing these ideas. The Organization, the U.N. charter itself says, is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members. To the extent that the U.N. is now a gathering place for people hoping the nation-state will be eclipsed, its useful to remind them that its not going away.

All that said, there were indeed weaknesses in the speech. First, as usual, Trumps bellicose lines stepped on the finer points of his message. Second, even if sovereignty is important, it cant alone bear the weight of being the organizing principle of American foreign policy. Finally, Trumps foreign-policy vision is clearly a work in progress, as he accommodates himself to the American international role he so long considered a rip-off and waste of time.

Trump is adjusting to being the head of a sovereign nation  that happens to be the leader of the world.
The Santa Fe National Forest is asking northern New Mexicans to celebrate National Public Lands Day on Saturday by volunteering to work on popular trails that need a little TLC, or simply take advantage of the third fee-free day of the year to visit your favorite forest sites.

Last year, more than 200,000 volunteers at 2,600 locations across the country accomplished an estimated $18 million in public land improvements as part of National Public Lands Day, the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands, according to a news release.

The Santa Fe National Forest this year is offering two volunteer opportunities to get outside with friends and family while practicing environmental stewardship:

 Project No. 1 is work on the Lower Winsor Trail in the Espanola Ranger District (park on south side of Hyde Park Road near Santa Fe ski area). Meet at Chamisa Trailhead by 8:45 a.m. for 9 a.m. orientation. Trail work includes elevating the trail through a narrow section of the canyon. Return to trailhead by 3 p.m. RSVP to Dean Fry at 505-490-8959 or email thedeanfry@gmail.com

 Project No. 2 is work on the Cabra Loop Trail near Los Alamos in the Espanola Ranger District. Meet at the trailhead near Los Alamos Cemetery at 9 a.m. Trail erosion issues will be addressed by constructing water bars, grade dips and nicks. Return to trailhead by 2 p.m. RSVP to Jennifer Sublett at 505-753-7331 or email jasublett@fs.fed.us for tool assignments and questions

Organizers advised that long pants, long sleeves, above-ankle boots, and leather gloves are required for trail improvement work. Remember a daypack with lunch, water, and sunscreen. Hardhats and tools will be provided.

Fees at all national forests and grasslands will be waived at many day-use sites, such as picnic grounds, non-reserve campgrounds and developed trailheads.

Visitors should contact the appropriate district office to confirm which sites are included in the fee waiver.

Coyote Ranger District can be reached at 575-638-5526; Cuba Ranger District, 575-289-3264; Jemez Ranger District, 575-829-3535; Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District, Pecos 505-757-6121, Las Vegas 505-425-3535; Espanola Ranger District, 505-753-7331.

We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com.
JERUSALEM  A Palestinian gunman killed three Israelis and critically wounded a fourth outside a West Bank settlement before he was shot dead Tuesday, dealing a new blow to the efforts by President Donald Trumps Middle East envoy to restart long-stalled peace talks.

The early morning shooting, which took place as Palestinian laborers were lined up to enter the Har Adar settlement, was one of the deadliest attacks in a two-year spasm of violence. While Israeli leaders condemned the attack, the gunman was identified as a lone assailant motivated by personal problems, leaving Israel with limited options for responding.

Trumps envoy, Jason Greenblatt, said he was horrified by the attack. All must stand against terror! he wrote on his Twitter page.

Greenblatt has been shuttling between the sides in search of a formula for restarting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. But eight months after Trump took office, there has been no tangible progress, and the administration has said it needs more time to draw up a proposal.

Greenblatt, who arrived in the region Monday, is scheduled to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the coming days.

He is sure to get an earful from the Israeli side, which has long accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of inciting violence and complained about his practice of giving stipends to the families of people killed in clashes with Israel, even attackers.

Before talking about any kind of negotiations, the world must demand of the Palestinian Authority to stop its incitement and encouragement of terror, said Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Abbas office remained silent on the attack. But in the past, while criticizing violence, Abbas has said such attacks are the result of frustration after decades of Israeli occupation.

Israel holds the responsibility for any Palestinian attack because these attacks come as reactions to the Israeli crimes against our people, said Munir al-Jaghoub, a midlevel official in Abbas Fatah party, in a social media post.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Abbas to condemn this attack, not try to justify it.

He said the attackers home would be demolished and that permits allowing members of his extended family to enter Israel to work would be revoked. Israeli forces also prevented residents of the attackers nearby village, Beit Surik, from exiting, and arrested three of his brothers.

Such tactics are standard Israeli responses. But in the past, they have been short-lived, and it is unclear what other options Netanyahu would have.

Both Israelis and Palestinians who knew the attacker, Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Jamal, including his own family, said they were shocked by the shooting.

We were surprised when we heard the news this morning, because we had no prior knowledge of anything and we know nothing, said his uncle, Issa Jamal.

Israels Shin Bet security service played down ideology as a motive, saying the attacker was plagued by personal issues.

It said its preliminary investigation indicated there was significant violence in his family, adding that his wife had recently fled to Jordan to escape his abuse and left him with their four children.

In a message to his estranged wife that he posted on Facebook, Jamal praised her and called himself a bad husband.

I was very jealous and Ive done terrible things in the community, he wrote. I ask you to forgive me and take care of the kids.

Har Adar is an upscale community west of Jerusalem, straddling the line between the West Bank and Israel. The settlement is known to have good relations with its Palestinian neighbors and typically allows in 100 to 150 Palestinian laborers each morning.

Residents said Jamal was well-known and well-liked.

Drora Bardichev, said Jamal had worked in her home for four years and that he was almost like family. She said he had talked about his family troubles and his wife leaving for Jordan.

I cannot believe that it is him, she tearfully told Channel 10 TV. He was our friend. I cant believe it is him. I am in total shock.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker approached the back gate entrance of Har Adar, among dozens of Palestinian day laborers who were being checked by security forces. Police said he was acting suspiciously and asked him to stop, and he then opened fire at close range before being shot dead.

The dead were identified as Solomon Gavria, a 20-year-old policeman, and two private security guards  Yousef Othman and Or Arish, both 25. A fourth man was critically wounded, but listed in stable condition after having two bullets removed.

The victims represented a cross section of Israeli society. Gavria came from a family of Jewish Ethiopian immigrants in southern Israel, Arish was a resident of Har Adar, and Othman lived in Abu Ghosh, a nearby Arab village inside Israel.

Othmans father, Issam, said his son loved everyone.

There was no difference between Jews and Arabs for him, he said. He knew what his role was. Its to guard, to secure both sides  the Jewish side as well as the Arab side.

Since September 2015, Palestinians have killed 51 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks.

While Israel has said Palestinian incitement fueled the attacks, many were carried out by individuals like Jamal who were struggling with domestic and emotional issues and whose acts were subsequently cloaked in nationalism.

In Palestinian society, attackers are often lauded as martyrs, and political leaders are cautious about condemning their acts.

Israel has struggled to contain these lone wolf attacks because they have not been carried out by organized militant groups.

Gazas Islamic Hamas rulers praised the attack but stopped short of taking responsibility for it. In a statement, the group called the assault a heroic operation that was a natural response to Israeli aggression against Palestinians and proved that the Palestinian uprising was still alive.

In Gaza, about 300 Hamas supporters marched Tuesday night to celebrate the attack.

Israeli forces have killed more than 260 Palestinians since 2015. Israel says most of them were attackers and others died in clashes with Israeli forces. Most of the attacks have been stabbings against security forces, primarily in the West Bank.

The frequency and intensity of attacks has lessened in the past year or so, but Tuesdays shooting, coming between the Jewish new year and the somber Yom Kippur, threatened to ignite them anew. The attacks broke out during the 2015 holiday season.

___

Associated Press writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed.
LONDON  Brexit talks havent yet made sufficient progress to begin negotiating a new relationship between Britain and the European Union, European Council President Donald Tusk said Tuesday. But Tusk said hes now cautiously optimistic about the way ahead.

After meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May in London, Tusk said he believed Britain had finally abandoned its unrealistic having a cake and eating it approach to Brexit.

Britain triggered a two-year countdown to leaving the EU in March, but since then talks have made little progress. Negotiators are meeting in Brussels this week for a fourth round of discussions, as EU officials warn Britain that time is running out.

Britain is keen to start discussing future trade and security relations with the bloc, a move that would alleviate some of the uncertainty rattling the British economy. But EU officials say those talks cant happen until there has been sufficient progress on the terms of the divorce.

In a bid to break the logjam, May made a conciliatory speech Friday in Florence, Italy, saying the U.K. would be willing to pay into EU coffers during a two-year transition phase after it formally leaves the bloc in March 2019.

Tusk said Tuesday he felt Britain had finally abandoned an unrealistic belief that it could leave the EU while keeping all the advantages of membership.

I feel cautiously optimistic about the constructive and more realistic tone in the prime ministers speech in Florence and of our discussion today, Tusk said after meeting May at 10 Downing St.

There is no sufficient progress yet, but we will work on it, he added.

Other EU officials also gave a cautious welcome to Mays speech, but said more details are needed. Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Monday he was keen and eager to understand how Mays words would be turned into a negotiating strategy.

Mays office said the Florence speech had been intended to create momentum in the talks and it was important for EU negotiators to now respond in the same spirit.

The EU insists it wont discuss future relationships until it has guarantees on Britains outstanding financial commitments, on the rights of more than 4 million EU and British citizens affected by Brexit and on the status of the Irish border.

EU leaders are to assess at an Oct. 19-20 meeting whether Britain has made sufficient progress on the divorce arrangements for negotiations to move on. Its likely they will decide its too soon and will reassess the decision in December.

In another sign of Britains more conciliatory tone, U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tried to reassure eastern Europeans that they will remain welcome. Brexit will end the automatic right of EU nationals to live and work in the U.K., and that has left many of the 3 million EU citizens in Britain worried for their futures.

Johnson told Romanias Agerpres news agency that the estimated 500,000 Romanians currently in Britain are hugely valued members of our society.

We would be crazy to let them go back to Romania, we want to ensure  their rights are protected, said Johnson, who is on a visit to the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia.

Johnson also seemed to have changed his tune since July, when he said the EU could go whistle if it wanted a big exit payment from Britain.

Were putting some money on the table, Johnson said, adding that Britain would continue to honor our commitments to the EU.

___

Alison Mutler in Bucharest, Romania, contributed to this story.
New Mexico has received almost $27 million from the U.S. Energy Department as part of a settlement reached over a radiation release that forced a nearly three-year shutdown at the federal governments only underground nuclear waste repository.

State officials and the agency signed the agreement in early 2016 over dozens of permit violations stemming from the 2014 release of radiation at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad two years earlier. At the time, the total $74 million settlement was the largest ever negotiated between a state and the Energy Department.

Gov. Susana Martinez said in a statement Monday that the settlement was meant to hold the federal government accountable for mistakes made at the repository and at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where workers inappropriately packed a container of waste in which the contents reacted. The container burst after it was placed underground for permanent disposal.

Twenty-two workers at the repository were exposed, and monitors at the surface recorded low levels of radiological contamination. Officials maintained that nearby communities were not at risk.

The settlement was first outlined in 2015 but months of negotiations followed. The agreement calls for the Energy Department to funnel millions of dollars toward road improvements and environmental projects in New Mexico. The state initially proposed more than $54 million in penalties against the federal agency and its contractors for numerous violations at the lab and waste dump, which is known by its acronym, WIPP.

Im pleased that well be able to use these funds to further strengthen the safety of WIPP and the surrounding communities, the governor said. I look forward to seeing these projects completed, and I know they will help us keep improving our relationship with WIPP.

Aside from road and water infrastructure improvements, the settlement called for increased sampling and monitoring of storm water runoff around Los Alamos and regular compliance reviews to ensure the facilities have implemented changes.

Some critics have argued that the federal government should have funded the projects anyway.

With the $26.8 million in funding announced Monday, state officials are planning for pavement resurfacing projects along U.S. 285 between Carlsbad and Vaughn as well as other roads in southeast New Mexico.

Shipments to the repository resumed earlier this year after an expensive recovery effort, but Energy Department officials have said a new ventilation system needs to be installed before the pace of disposal work can increase.

Federal auditors also recently raised concerns about the facility running out of room for the tons of waste left over from decades of bomb-making and nuclear research. The waste includes radioactive tools, gloves, clothing and other debris.
Santa Fe entrepreneur Alan Webber announced Tuesday that he will run for mayor of Santa Fe.

He is the sixth announced candidate. Incumbent Mayor Javier Gonzales announced earlier this month he would not seek a second term. I believe in public service, today more than ever. Im running to be of service to the people of Santa Fe, Webber said in a news release.

The 69-year-old Webber has never held political office before, but ran in the Democratic primary for governor in 2014 and placed second to Gary King in a five-way race, earning 23 percent of the vote. He was popular in Santa Fe County, earning 51 percent of the vote  garnering nearly double the number of votes for King.

Webber said Santa Fe is an amazing place made up of amazing people. But some things arent as good as they should be, his announcement statement said.

Santa Fe and New Mexico got hit hard by the Great Recession. And while other cities and states around us have come roaring back, our economy still hasnt recoveredand may never be the same. Were not immune to economic change and were not immune to social and political change.

Webber said that theres divisiveness and a lack of trust in Santa Fe city government that needs to be addressed. I think Santa Fe is ready for a real conversation, with itself and about itself, he said.

City Councilors Peter Ives, Joseph Maestas and Ron Trujillo all have thrown their hats into the ring for the mayors race, and so have school board member Kate Noble and Harvey Van Sickle, a property manager and operator of a moving company.

Webber says he will run a privately financed campaign instead of seeking the available $60,000 in public campaign dollars. He potentially can bring a lot of money to the campaign.

Webber, who moved to Santa Fe in 2003, is founder of One New Mexico, a non-profit group that works toward improving the state economy, and co-authored four books. In 1985, he started Fast Company, a business trade magazine that was sold five years later for a reported $340 million. Prior to that, he was managing editor and editorial director of the Harvard Business Review.

Webber is a graduate of Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he studied English.
We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
The Bell 412 helicopter fleet based at Rygge and Bardufoss are to be maintained in Patrias facilities in Arlanda.



We are very proud and happy for this contract which shows the trust we have gained with the NDLO, says Peter Orjes, Managing Director at Patria Helicopters AB.



Patria Helicopters AB is part of Patria Group and focuses on helicopter life-cycle support covering a full range of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and supply services for helicopters, their components and equipment as well as helicopter upgrades and modifications.



Bell 412 SP is a twin-engine multi role helicopter, most commonly used in Norway to support the Army transporting personnel and equipment. They are also used for ambulances, search and rescue, forest fire extinguishing, surveillance, reconnaissance and mobile command units.

The Royal Norwegian Air Force flies a fleet of 18 Bell 412SP utility helicopters since 1989.
June 21, 2017

On May 29, Iranian law enforcement officers along with staff from the presidency confiscated a building in east Tehran used by Mahmoud Ahmadinejads bodyguards. In response, the former presidents office issued a statement putting the responsibility for any potential harm to Ahmadinejad on the administration of President Hassan Rouhani, the judiciary and the Ansar-ul-Mahdi Corps, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) unit tasked with protecting top officials including presidents, judiciary chiefs, parliament speakers and lawmakers. Ansar-ul-Mahdi

On the same night, Ahmadinejads office also launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for a new office for his bodyguards. It said that in response to increasing calls from across the country, it was introducing a joint bank account under the names of Ahmadinejad and his former vice president, Hamid Baghaei, for public donations. Of note, Baghaei and Ahmadinejad both registered to run in the May 19 presidential elections  and both failed to gain the Guardian Councils approval.

Amid the ongoing controversy, the Reformist Etemaad Daily on June 1 cited the presidential administration office as saying that the building in question was state property and seized after three years of illegal use by Ahmadinejads security team.

As another war of words was in the making, some pro-government media outlets began publishing articles and cartoons mocking the ex-president and accusing him of engaging in fundraising for his own political purposes.

Ali Akbar Javanfekr, the spokesman for Ahmadinejads office, told Al-Monitor, They introduced the bank account after supporters from across the country contacted [us] and expressed concerns about the security of the ex-president. He rejected the announced reasons for the confiscation of the building, saying, Based on a piece of legislation ratified under ex-President Mohammad Khatami [1997-2005], all incumbent governments are bound to provide an annual budget and support the civil and administrative activities of ex-presidents.

Critics say Ahmadinejad did to his Reformist predecessor precisely what he is now objecting to  pointing to how his government ordered Khatami and his team to evacuate their state-provided offices. They also argue that Ahmadinejad should provide for his own security team, asking why public coffers should be used for such a purpose.

Javanfekr, however, dismissed these arguments, telling Al-Monitor, President Khatami used a four-story building during seven years of Ahmadinejads term [2005-13] and evacuated it of his own will in the last year [of Ahmadinejads second term] when another office was suggested to him in the Jamaran district [in the north of Tehran] by Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Javanfekr added, Though the current government has put some hurdles before Ahmadinejad, it still provides Khatami with full security measures. That is in addition to the annual budget [which the government allocates to former presidents], and even in one case, paying the entire cost of renovation works at Khatamis Baran Foundation.

It appears that since his failed bid to run for a third term, implicit restrictions on Ahmadinejad have increased, such as apparent limitations on his public appearances. The confiscation of his bodyguards office and the fact that they are members of the IRGC also points to political maneuvering being at play.

It was not until June 10 that the Ansar-ul-Mahdi Corps said in a statement that it is the responsibility of the presidency to support protective measures in regard to former presidents. Although the statement confirms that based on the Iranian military code, the Ansar-ul-Mahdi Corps is tasked with protecting officials, it warned both sides to keep the force out of their political feud.

In other signs of pressure on the former president, former Ahmadinejad adviser Abdolreza Davari was detained and transferred to Evin Prison to begin serving a two-year sentence only two days after the building confiscation. Davari was in August 2015 found guilty of insulting the supreme leader after allegedly posting comments against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on his Facebook page. He insists that his Facebook account was hacked. Following Davaris detention, Javanfekr in a June 1 post on his Telegram channel accused the judiciary of being biased against pro-Ahmadinejad journalists and media activists.

Meanwhile, the conservative website Raja News has in past weeks posted several videos on its Telegram channel showing people protesting against Ahmadinejad at some of his public appearances. The last video, posted June 9, was apparently from the funeral of the victims of the June 7 terrorist attacks in Tehran, showing some among the crowds chanting slogans against Ahmadinejad and in support of Khamenei. It is not clear why Raja News later deleted that specific video. Photos released after the public funeral also show Ahmadinejad sitting among ordinary mourners rather than the area allocated to senior officials.

Al-Monitor put the question of whether Ahmadinejad has been put under implicit restrictions to Javanfekr, who responded, Theres a feeling that such a policy is in place, though it is never told publicly or officially stated.

On May 31  two days into the crowdfunding campaign  the semi-official ISNA news agency reported that at least 1 billion rials ($30,807) had been raised. Dolat-e Bahar, Ahmadinejads unofficial website, has published numerous photos of receipts with notes of support from his backers. The website on June 5 said that enough money has been raised to cover the expenses for a new office for Ahmadinejads bodyguards and that additional funds  which it said were still pouring in  would be allocated to charity. Javanfekr declined Al-Monitors request that he elaborate on the specific amount of money that has been received so far.
Competent regulators in the United States could approve a potential merger of T-Mobile and Sprint in a matter of weeks after the transaction is officially proposed, Barclays analyst Amir Rozwadowski wrote on Monday as part of the banks latest note to investors. While industry watchers remain reluctant to provide highly specific predictions regarding the possible outcome of this major consolidation involving two out of the fourth largest mobile service providers in the country, Barclays is seemingly convinced that the timing of the deal could hardly be any better and if such a tie-up is to ever be approved by the federal government, now would be the time to push for it.

As one of the main factors facilitating the hypothetical deal, Barclays mentioned a more relaxed regulatory landscape thats currently present in the U.S. The Trump administration advocates managing various industries with a light regulatory touch and the wireless segment is no exception to that approach which stands in stark contrast to how the White House tackled the possibility of Sprint and T-Mobile merging under former President Obama. The previous administration effectively stopped SoftBank from bidding for T-Mobile even before the Japanese tech giant and Sprints parent seriously explored such an idea, essentially stopping any major consolidations in the wireless industry under its watch. The situation is significantly different several years later, not only in terms of the dominant political climate in the country but also in regards to T-Mobile and Sprint themselves; the two wireless carriers went through numerous changes in recent times and its Deutsche Telekom thats now alleged to be the buying party in a potential deal, with T-Mobiles parent supposedly being set to control the majority of a consolidated entity should SoftBank agree to a tie-up.

The two have been negotiating over a potential merger for several months now following the end of the FCCs quiet period mandated by the recently held spectrum auction. According to recent reports, both are relatively close to agreeing to a preliminary deal and could officially announce their intentions to merge as early as this year. Such a transaction would be subject to approval from the U.S. Department of Justice and possibly Federal Trade Commission, neither of which have yet commented on how likely theyd be to approve it.
1. Yes. The ordinance goes against state law and is not in the best interest of the cities.

2. Yes. At the very least, it should be amended to give police officers some discretion.

3. No. Voters approved the ordinance by large majorities; the councils cant ignore that fact.

4. No. The petition process has to be given a chance to work. Leave the ordinance alone.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say how the cities should move forward regarding the ordinance.

Vote

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EV

It all started with France whose shock decision to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel cars within its borders starting 2040 took everyone by surprise. That happened less than three months ago, and in the meantime, the United Kingdom has joined the camp, with further reinforcement of the idea coming from Scotland as well.More recently, with just one day left until the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show, China announced it too was taking into consideration a similar act. The conditions aren't clear yet nor is whether the authorities would go ahead with it, but considering China's boomingbusiness, it wouldn't be a surprise if they did.China is currently the world's largest car market, which means any changes there would have a dramatic impact on the whole industry. With over two million passenger cars registered during last year, the U.S. state of California is a major player as well, accounting for more sales than France or Italy, for example.The Golden State is a well-known advocate of clean mobility, and it shouldn't surprise anyone if it were the first U.S. jurisdiction to act drastically on curbing pollution coming from passenger cars. And according to Mary Nichols, chairman of the California Air Resources Board, that's precisely what Governor Jerry Brown might do."I've gotten messages from the governor asking, 'Why haven't we done something already?'" Nichols said in an interview with Bloomberg , referring to the China decision. "The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California.""To reach the ambitious levels of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, we have to pretty much replace all combustion with some form of renewable energy by 2040 or 2050," she continued. "We're looking at that as a method of moving this discussion forward."That information provides us with an approximate time frame as well, and it seems to match those proposed by France and all the other countries so far. And even though California is not a sovereign entity, it still has plenty of means to enforce the ban if it gets the go-ahead.Every passing day makes it sound as though the noose is tightening around the internal combustion engine's neck. It may get a rather long period of agony, but its fate could be sealed over the coming years if more governments adhere to these bans.
Well, for one thing, Harris couldn't help himself and dropped more than one Porsche comparos in his track stint - the journalist got to hoon the Huracan Performante on the Knockhill Racing Circuit, so the supercar couldn't keep anything secret.We're talking about a tight British track and we know that those caring about the technicality of the circuit come in much fewer numbers than the fans who want to know the answer to a crushing question: did he drift it?Since we wouldn't want to ruin the fun of the clip, we'll refrain from throwing such spoilers your way.For one thing, the Performant incarnation of the Huracan has enough of a spoiler. Keep in mind that V10 animal packs ALA (that's Sant'Agata Bolognese's active aerodynamic system). Nevertheless, given the kind of speeds the said circuit limits a car to, the otherwise serious downforce asset delivered by the said hardware can't really be put to the test.As expected, the 5.2-liter heart of the Lambo receives its fair share of praise from Harris. Truth be told, it's amazing how Lamborghini managed to hold on to natural aspiration in this era of forced induction and hybrid propulsion.That's right - the Brit does get to use each and every one of the mid-engined animal's 640 ponies, with this obviously resulting in a glorious soundtrack.Nevertheless, the majestic voice of the Huracan Peformante has to be witnessed in person, with the decibel experience delivered by the machine deserving a special place in the garage that is our heart.Oh, and by the way, you'll have to head over to the Top Gear website for the 3:42 video that showcases the fiery man and machine mix we discussed.
EV

kW

Supercharger access used to be free of charge as well, but with the introduction of the Model 3, only the older cars will keep that privilege. It won't matter, though, as that wasn't the network's main selling point, but its excellent coverage as well as the unparalleled charging rates.Europeanmakers - or should we say "planned EV makers," because they don't really have anything to show for right now? - are lagging behind with a very heterogeneous network of charging stations belonging to different companies and using different standards, all while providing low charging outputs.Things are set to move forward in this respect pretty soon with the Ultra-E project leading the way. The initiative from a conglomerate of carmakers and infrastructure specialists looks to build a network of charging stations capable of delivering rates of 350that would link Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Austria.Now, we learn of another major development that would affect the entire continent - well, at least its western and central part. Two of the most significant charging networks in Europe - Allego, who is part of the Ultra-E project, and Fortum Charge & Drive, a Finnish energy company that also deals in charging stations - have announced the signing of an agreement to work together toward a "pan-European open" network.The current EV charging landscape in Europe is fragmented," commented Anja van Niersen, CEO of Allego. "Cross border mobility and long distance is difficult for the EV driver. As many car manufacturers bring significant new full electric vehicles to the market, the need for home charging, smart public charging and ultra-fast charging on-the-go increases. By joining forces with Fortum Charge & Drive we are able to offer aligned services throughout Europe. Together we can be the largest provider of open and interoperable charging solutions.Indeed, 2019 promises to be the year when EVs storm the European markets as Mercedes-Benz and the Volkswagen Group launch their first dedicated battery-powered models. By that time, Tesla's Model 3 should also become available for export, becoming another vehicle that could make use of the new stations.This alliance might have another side consequence: turning the CCS charging standard - which both companies share - into the winner of the ongoing battle with CHAdeMO, the other variant used particularly by the Asian-made EVs available in Europe (most notably the Nissan LEAF and Kia Soul EV).
Theres nothing official from Tata Motors to support the hearsay, but Bloomberg cites people with knowledge on the matter. From the report: Tata "will consider purchases of luxury marques that fit with its current portfolio, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. These being said, wait till you hear some of the brands the mothership of JLR is allegedly targeting for buying.Bloomberg highlights that Fiat Chryslers Maserati and Alfa Romeo divisions are prime candidates, but such a scenario wont happen in the near future. The reason is Sergio Marchionnes recent comment on the House of the Trident and the most overhyped Italian automaker of them all, saying that the two automakers are too immature to be ousted from FCA for big money.The cited publication also brings into question Ducati , whose sale would support the Volkswagen Groups post-Dieselgate comeback. Thats not feasible either, thanks in part to repeated negative answers from both Ducati and Volkswagen. Whats more, German trade unions have blocked the sale of the Italian motorcycle manufacturer which is controlled by luxury brand Audi.If Tata Motors somehow manages to get its hand on Maserati, Alfa Romeo, or Ducati, then the most likely course of action is to put the automaker under the control of Jaguar Land Rover . The British group has seen a bit of a renaissance thanks to the continuous infusion of cash from Tata, and for what its worth, JLR is breaking sales records with each passing year.In addition to a new automaker, Tata Motors is also interested in purchases of technology companies that would boost the companys efforts to roll out electric vehicles and autonomous driving systems.
SUV

Well, they do say the first step is the hardest, so we expect the battery-powered models to start pouring once the I.D. electric hatchback hits the dealerships. The model was first introduced last year and is scheduled for a 2019 release strictly for the European market.The second concept shown to this point is the I.D. Crozz which debuted in Geneva, but came back bigger (not really) and better at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this month. The crossover is slated for a 2020 debut, following closely in the I.D.'s footsteps.Finally, Volkswagen's known electric ambitions end with the I.D. Buzz electric minibus, a modern reinterpretation of the classic model that was such an iconic image of the hippie movement. This one, however, shouldn't become available sooner than 2022, leaving a huge gap that will undoubtedly have to be filled with something.A slide from an internal presentation leaked earlier this year showed two more models under wraps in between the Crozz and the Buzz. They were called Lounge and AEROe, with the former seemingly looking like another SUV or wagon, and the latter suggesting the shape of a sedan.Now, we find out (via VWVortex ) that Volkswagen has also applied for the "I.D. STREETMATE" trademark, which might point toward another electric model we know nothing about. With such an unpredictable naming scheme (the I.D. is just that, the Crozz and Buzz seem similar, but then you have the AEROe which is partially capitalized, and just when you thought it couldn't get any more confusing, you get the very conservative "Lounge" nameplate), it's hard to tell what to expect from the STREETMATE.If (and, at this point, it is in "if") it turns out to be a vehicle, the most logical assumption would be that it's a small city car, possibly in the vein of the smart or maybe just a tad large, like the Volkswagen Up . At the same time, though, it could be any other type of product that bears the I.D. name, even though so far that tag hasn't been used for anything other than EVs.As we've said, there isn't really that much time left for Volkswagen, so expect to find out more about its electric program soon. Whether includes a model called STREETMATE or not, that remains to be seen.
A two-part Boston Globe Spotlight investigation into the tracking of aircraft registrants and pilots with criminal ties found an overwhelming lack of scrutiny on the part of the Federal Aviation Administration. The investigation puts the FAA in the crosshairs for being unable to assist law enforcement with connecting U.S.-registered aircraft to the persons who actually own thempotentially an important piece of evidence in terrorism, drug trafficking and international corruption investigations. A Los Angeles DEA agent who investigates narcotics-related aircraft said the dummy ownership makes it harder for him to draw a direct connection between drug dealers and their product, according to the Globe report. Globe reporters found that of the 314,529 aircraft registered with the FAA, 54,232 are registered using methods potentially calculated to make it harder to trace aircraft ownership, and 7,610 are registered to companies known for providing trust services to non-U.S. citizensallowing subversion of FAA rules requiring that U.S. aircraft be registered to U.S. persons.

The Globe also found the FAA has almost never revoked the pilot licenses of suspected terrorists or people convicted of serious crimes. Several suspected terrorists were found holding FAA licenses when a computer scientist used the FAA airmen directory and public terrorist watch lists as sample data to test a search algorithm, not expecting to get any matches. In all, [Mark] Schiffer and his company, Safe Banking Systems of New York, confirmed eight matches between FAA-approved airmen and various watch lists, said the Globe report. In one exceptional case, a pilot convicted of attempting to smuggle spare parts for the F-14 Tomcat to Iran didnt just keep his license. Tabib, a veteran airman who at one time piloted private flights for the designer Gianni Versace, pleaded guilty and served time in federal prison from July 2007 until January 2009. Yet, according to court records, the FAA issued him an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, the highest-level license for pilots, just three months after his release, allowing him to fly large jets, says the Globe article.
The Vintage Air Rallys next event will run for six weeks from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Lakeland, Florida. Setting off from the southern tip of Argentina on March 1, 2018, the group expects to fly 9,000 miles, passing through 19 countries, and arrive in Florida just in time for Sun N Fun. For fifteen teams with the fortitude and access to a pre-WWII era airplane, the costs of participating in Ushuaia2USA (U2U) are fully covered by the sponsors. All costs including travel, shipping, accommodation, food, fuel, permits, fees, immigration and insurance are covered, say the event promoters. Vintage Air Rally Director Sam Rutherford said, This is a unique journey and we want to invite everyone in the world to join us. U2U is totally free, so were looking for characters with character who want to join us. Vintage Air Rally isnt about smart hotels. Its about grit (and glory), going to places usually out of reach. If youre someone who thrives on adventure, excitement and derring-do then this is for you.

Rutherford and the Vintage Air Rally previously organized the Crete2Cape Vintage Air Rally, which took place in November 2016, and saw teams of planes re-create the 1920s aviation pioneer route across Africa, from Crete to Cape Town. Of the 19 aircraft that set out from Crete, Greece, on Nov. 12, 2016, 14 survivors arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, after 8,000 miles and over a month of flying. The pre-WWII aircraft were the first to land at the Egyptian Pyramids at Giza in 80 years and the first to receive permission for level overflight of Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Image Credit: @Beatrice De Smet
Officials at the Federal Election Commission are reaching out to political ad buyers, among others, to solicit more comments about potential new disclosure rules, Axios has learned. At this point, most of the FEC's efforts are around gathering ideas about ways to modernize outdated disclosure laws.

Within the FEC and on Capitol Hill, a few other ideas expected to be considered (they're still very far off from actual implementation):

Requiring all online political ads to carry disclosures Creating a database of all political ads Banning programmatic (automated) political ads from being sold

Why it matters: The past election cycle showed just how much modern campaigns lean on programmatic advertising to reach voters and donors with persuasive ads that could push them to vote one way or another.

The back story: Per Borrell Associates, $800 million was spent on automated advertising on Google and Facebook during last year's election. The Trump campaign spent nearly as much money on programmatic ads as they did on TV ads.

Where it gets tricky: It will be hard for the six-person commission, usually divided equally among party lines, to come to a consensus around this, according to sources within the FEC, meaning that any major disclosure efforts would have to come from Congress.

Republican commissioners have traditionally approached regulations around election disclosures with hostility, and in order to push measures forward, two of the three Republican commissioners would need to break with party lines, because a Democratic commissioner seat is vacant at the moment.

Timing: The commission is accepting comments for 30 days. After that, FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub tells Axios, "I think things are moving fast and we need to get moving fast."

Focus on the Hill: The commissioners are also keeping an eye on an idea being floated by Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Mark Warner on Capitol Hill to build out some sort of database of political ads. The big questions around who would keep it, maintain it, and be able to access it are still being worked through. But at this point, any actual mandates would need to come from Congress, not the FEC.

Focus on the Valley: "These are issues that the commission needs to hear from people in tech community," says Weintraub. "I'm hoping we'll hear from Facebook, Google, Twitter and the rest of the tech community who have a lot of expertise to share."

"It is the technology companies that have the resources and knowledge to make meaningful disclosure a reality. They should be leading the way," says Jason Rosenbaum, the director of digital advertising for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and former Director of Elections and Advocacy Media at Google

The database push: Based on comments to the FEC and lawmakers' statements, one possible outcome would be to require publishing platforms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter to turn over all their metadata to the commission, which would keep it and make it searchable through the FEC's website.

The FEC would require platforms to keep ads on their sites for a certain amount of time and would link back to those ads from a searchable FEC database. Congress would need to pass a law to make publishing platforms comply.

Speed bump: Several sophisticated political ad buyers tell Axios that they don't believe Facebook has the technology yet to house all of those ads on a single page, something Mark Zuckerberg announced the platform would require last week. (The Trump campaign, for example, tested 40-50,000 different ads every day during the election.)

Others worry that laws that aren't carefully thought through could make things worse.

"Targeted free speech is no different than megaphone free speech," says Gary Coby, who managed advertising for the Trump campaign. "If and when foreign governments aim to influence our elections, they must be stopped. But, Congress, Facebook, and the FEC, should be careful to avoid unintended consequences that end up censoring free speech and hampering the democratic process."
Amid criticism of the Trump administration's response to the devastation in Puerto Rico resulting from Hurricane Maria, FEMA administrator Brock Long said the priorities were to "take care of people and stabilize the situation and do everything we can to sustain life."

"This is a logistically challenging and very unique event that the United States hasn't seen for a very long time, if ever," Long said. He cited the strength of the storm, Puerto Rico's weak infrastructure and the fact that as an island, and with airports heavily damaged, Puerto Rico is harder to reach with resources. Airlifts are supplying some areas that remain cut off after the storm.
Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that it will lift its ban on female drivers in June 2018, per the New York Times. The move is a victory for women's rights groups who have long campaigned for the ban to be overturned, and marks the end of what has long been known around the world as a symbol of the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia.

Between the lines: Despite the advancement, the country still has a ways to go in helping society adjust to the change. As the NYT points out, the kingdom has no processes in place to teach women how to drive or to obtain drivers licenses. Police will also need to be trained to interact with women, something that men and women in their Saudi society rarely do.
Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee won't run for re-election next year, according to the Tennessean newspaper. Corker says he wants to act "thoughtfully and independently" for the rest of his term without worrying about running for re-election.

Why it matters: Corker is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was a reliably GOP establishment vote. According to the Tennessean, Corker had "agonized" about running again in the face of a possible challenge from more conservative Republican opponents.
A South Korean news magazine with photos of Trump and Kim Jong Un is displayed at the Dong-A Ilbo building in Seoul. Photo: Ahn Young-joon / AP

The U.S. issued sanctions against 8 North Korean banks Tuesday, ramping up the pressure on Kim Jong-un's regime to roll back its nuclear program, per CNN. The Trump administration also slapped sanctions on more than two dozen people linked to North Korea's financial network, operating in China, Russia, Libya, and the UAE.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, "This further advances our strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve our broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearized Korean peninsula."
Trump speaks at a dinner with conservative grassroots leaders in the Blue Room of the White House. Photo: Shealah Craighead / White House

President Trump was in an unapologetic mood last night, dining on beef Wellington with conservative grassroots leaders in the Blue Room, joined by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and White House aides Marc Short, Kellyanne Conway and Nick Ayers.

A source in the room told all-terrain Jonathan Swan: "He was very juiced up about tax cuts... very bullish on passing tax reform, and he was specifically calling it a tax cut."
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Sunday that the Armenian government has not yet asked it for additional multimillion-dollar funding needed for completing an ambitious project to upgrade Armenias main highways stretching over 550 kilometers to Georgia and Iran.

The North-South transport project worth an estimated $1.5 billion is aimed at facilitating the landlocked countrys access to the Georgian and Iranian ports. It was also meant to enable Iran to use Armenian and Georgian territory for large-scale freight shipments to and from Europe.

In 2009, the (ADB) agreed to lend Yerevan up to $500 million for the first phase of the road upgrades.

Only two highways connecting Yerevan to the towns of Ararat and Ashtarak have been expanded and repaved to date, costing $60 million. Their total length of is just over 30 kilometers.

Work on about 120 kilometers of other roads running further southeast and northwest of the Armenian capital is due to be finished in 2019. It is financed not only by the ADB but also the European Investment Bank, the European Unions lending arm. In 2015, the government also borrowed $150 million from the Kazakhstan-based Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) to rebuild a 20-kilometer road running through Armenias highest mountain pass close to the Iranian border.

According to Shane Rosenthal, the head of the ADB office in Yerevan, the Manila-based multilateral lending institution has so far disbursed $330 million in loans for the ongoing roadworks.

In an interview with RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am), Rosenthal said the government has not yet made plans for reconstructing the national highways that mainly pass through the mountainous Vayots Dzor and Syunik provinces in southeastern Armenia. It is therefore not known when the project could be fully implemented, he said.

The government has a lot of priorities and its going to have to decide which is a higher priority: completing this road corridor or investing in education or public services provided in other areas, argued Rosenthal.

Speaking in March, Transport and Communications Minister Vahan Martirosian also could not say when the expensive project will be completed. Martirosian, who joined the government in October 2016, admitted that some of the planned roadworks have fallen behind schedule due to poor management. He insisted, though, that the project as a whole has not been a failure.

Some Armenian media and civil society groups have alleged corrupt practices during its slow implementation. Rosenthal insisted that the ADB has seen no evidence of corruption among relevant government officials or contractors.
26 September 2017 10:06 (UTC+04:00)

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 152 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on September 26.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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26 September 2017 17:57 (UTC+04:00)

The killing of two-year-old Zahra and her grandmother is a crime against humanity, said Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

Yildirim made the remark at a meeting with Azerbaijan`s ambassador Faig Bagirov, who is completing his diplomatic mission in Turkey.

The two-year old Azerbaijani toddler was killed together with her grandmother Sahiba Guliyeva by the Armenian armed forces on July 4 during the shelling of the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli region. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to a hospital and was operated on.

The Turkish PM added that Turkey always stands by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, especially concerning the return of the refugees and displaced persons to their homelands.

Yildirim sharply condemned Armenia`s provocations at Azerbaijan`s state border.

Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

For more than two decades the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict fails to be resolved due to Armenias unconstructive position and unwillingness to engage in negotiations with Azerbaijan.

Binali Yildirim also hailed the seven-year activity of the Azerbaijani ambassador and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Azertac reported.

They exchanged views on economic cooperation between the two countries, including Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, TANAP and other international projects and multifaceted cooperation in the non-oil sector.

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26 September 2017 13:37 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan and Russia enjoy great potential for developing relations in the fields of pharmaceutics and industry, in which cooperation will be advantageous for both.

Russias trade representative in Azerbaijan Eldar Tlyabichev stressed that the cooperation in the field of pharmaceutics is on rise, but the sector offers opportunities for further growth.

"We have repeatedly noted the expansion of our trade turnover, the development of agrarian relations between our countries, but there are other sectors, one of which is pharmaceutics," he told Trend.

Currently, a joint plant Hayat Pharm for medicine production is being built in the Pirallahi Industrial Park, where two more pharmaceutical plants are being constructed.

The foundation of the Hayat Farm was laid in November 2016. The plant is a joint venture with a group of companies R-Pharm (Russian Federation), Vita-A LLC (Azerbaijan) and Azerbaijan Investment Company (AIC).

The total preliminary investment in the project exceeds $70 million. The plant's capacity will be 22.5 million packs, or 500 million tablets and capsules. The plant should be producing finished products by late 2019.

Tlyabichev further mentioned that the industrial sector, transport and ICT are among the promising areas.

Azerbaijan has large industrial capacities, therefore, there is much to work on, he said adding that there are also great prospects in the field of transport, and with the implementation of the NorthSouth Transport Corridor, these prospects will increase even more.

The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and roadroute for moving freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia.

The corridor is planned to transport 6 million tons of cargo per year at the initial stage and more than 10 million tons of cargo in the future.

Touching upon ICT, the trade representative stressed that today Russia has great achievements in the field of accessibility of Internet services and Azerbaijan can benefit from Russias experience.

Tlyabichev also positively assessed appointment of the trade representative of Azerbaijan to Russia, stressing that this step will expand cooperation between the two countries.

Ruslan Aliyev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ateshgah Insurance Group, was appointed the first trade representative of Azerbaijan to Russia.

Trade representatives main mission is to take measures to expand Azerbaijan`s economic and trade relations with Russia, protect economic interests of Azerbaijan, increase export of Azerbaijani goods and services, promote Azerbaijans business environment and investment opportunities.

Azerbaijan seeks to open its second Trade House in Russias Arkhangelsk region as well, meanwhile the first one was opened in the Belarusian capital Minsk, on May 26.

Besides, Azerbaijani business center will be built in the Astrakhan region soon. The Center will promote Azerbaijani products in the Russian market. The interested Russian companies will have opportunity of concluding long-term contracts with specific suppliers from Azerbaijan. Thus, the construction of the center will contribute to the effective development of trade and economic relations between business entities of both countries.

A national shopping center of Azerbaijan, Baku Plaza, is planned to opened in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Baku Plaza will provide a number of services. Ateliers, repairs and tailoring, dry cleaning, beauty salon and grocery stores will operate at the Center.

Azerbaijan is one of the main economic partners of Russia among the CIS countries. The trade turnover between two countries amounted to almost $2 billion in 2016. Interregional cooperation plays an important role in the development of Russian-Azerbaijani trade and economic relations and the increase in trade turnover.

At present, enterprises of 71 regions of the Russian Federation cooperate directly with Azerbaijan. Fifteen regions of Russia have relevant agreements with Azerbaijan on trade and economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation.

The trade turnover with Russia amounted to $951.32 million in January-June 2017, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

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26 September 2017 13:55 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan, which currently works to develop its car manufacturing industry and encourages interior purchases within the country, may produce tractors in Turkey.

The Ganja Automobile Plant and Belarusian MTZ-Holding signed a strategic cooperation agreement, which allows Azerbaijani enterprise to deploy production in Turkey.

The document also allows for the export of Azerbaijani products to foreign markets.

The agreement signed for the purpose of effective cooperation in the field of assembly production and sales of MTZ products, in particular, involves expanding the geography of the presence of the brand and increasing sales through the establishment of a joint office in Turkey to further promote tractors in this market.

The agreement was signed by General Director of the holding Fyodor Domotenko and Executive Director of the Ganja Automobile Plant Kamran Nazarov.

Domotenko noted that Azerbaijan will produce Belarusian tractors in Turkey. "New equipment will be supplied from Azerbaijan," he said.

Following the signing ceremony, Khanlar Fatiyev, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ganja Automobile Plant, noted that today the expansion of exports from Azerbaijan is one of the main directions for the development of the national economy.

The signed agreement also presupposes the delivery of another 460 tractor sets of Belarus for further sale of the tractors to agricultural producers of Azerbaijan.

The Ganja Automobile Plant, established in December 2004, currently assembles Belarus tractors and MAZ, KAMAZ and Ural cars.

In addition to tractors and cars, the Plant manufactures various attachments for Belarus. The equipment manufactured at the enterprise is issued with a guarantee for one year, as well as its high-quality service in all regions of the country.

In 2006, Ganja and Minsk automobile plants inked an agreement on manufacturing and sale all kinds of trucks and tractors of the Minsk Automotive Plant in Azerbaijan.

In 2010 Ganja Automotive Plant, Minsk Automotive Plant and German Haller company signed an agreement on installation utility equipment by the German company to the automobile division of the Ganja Plant.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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26 September 2017 12:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Commercial says energy drinks give wings to those who want to be active and have a zest for life -- but at what cost?

To some, the candy cigarettes of the 21st century are dangerous elixirs, while others consider them magic potions of vitality. Energy drink consumption represents a global public health problem, especially among adolescents and young adults.

Energy drinks are widely promoted as products that increase alertness and enhance physical and mental performance. Marketing targeted at young people has been quite effective.

These drinks are also the most popular supplement consumed by Azerbaijani teens. Today, next to teenagers even adults become energized with drinking a jar of this allegedly cool and stylish energy drinks.

The global energy drink market was worth $39 billion in 2013 and is forecast to reach $61 billion by 2021 -- however, manufacturers say nothing about the dangers of energy drinks.

To get to the bottom of this sugar-packed can, Trend spoke with Deputy Chairman of the Health Committee of the Parliament MP Musa Guliyev. The expert claims that the massive dissemination of energy drinks in Azerbaijan, especially among young people, issue that is of concern to the society.

Before discussing how energy drinks affect your body, one needs to know what theyre made of. Here are some of the most common supplements found in popular energy drinks, and what they do:

Taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that is naturally produced by the human body. However, the version found in energy drinks is manufactured.

Guarana. Guarana comes from a plant native to South America. Amazonians have used it for a long time to increase alertness and energy.

Ginseng. Ginseng has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb and is believed to increase energy, have some anti-fatigue properties, relieve stress, and promote memory. The chemicals in ginseng are nothing thats naturally created by the human body, so having this in a drink could possibly be risky for some who are sensitive to these chemicals.

B Vitamins. Vitamins B6 and B12 dont absorb well when taken orally, so the small amounts placed in most energy drinks will likely have little chance of producing the desired effect.

Taking into account the fact that both energy and sugar and caffeine are the same as taurine in energy drinks, overuse can lead to heart attacks and increased blood pressure, sleepiness and hysteria.

Energy drinks "may pose danger to public health," warns the World Health Organization. Children "should not consume" them, says the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The main point is that, energy drinks contain a large amount of caffeine and sugar and overuse can lead to heart attacks and increased blood pressure, insomnia and hysteria. A large amount of caffeine literally sucks all the juice out of our body and has a negative impact on the nerve system. The caffeine is slowly eliminated from the body, although it effects our organism last for about 3 hours. Besides, caffeine is addictive. Caffeine is also a good diuretic, so the use of these drinks after exercise is undesirable. They can lead not only to deterioration of health, but also to the loss of life.

That being said, some researches show that these drinks may cause insomnia, and possibly interfere with proper drug action of certain medications such as insulin, oral hypoglycemic agents, blood thinners, and diuretics.

Guliyev said that recently sudden deaths from energy drinks have increased.



Complications of energy drinks among young people and adolescents have risen all over the world, including in Azerbaijan. The damage of these drinks to the developing organisms is even bigger. These drinks have a negative effect on people's psychological condition, the cardiovascular system, or metabolism. These drinks cause nervous breakdown, and people who accept them do not sometimes control their activities, the MP explained.

Guliyev suggests implementing some measures to restrict the sale of energy drinks in Azerbaijan, although it is impossible to fully prohibit their sale.

Energy drinks should be included in the list of products subject to exclusion rate, and additional exclusion rate should be imposed to prices, said the chairman, believing that in this case, the teenagers will not be able to buy them.

The MP thinks that the advertising of energy drinks should also be prohibited and their sale should also be regulated and licensed under the sale of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.

Chairman of the Water Producers' Union, Dovlat Mammadov, in turn, offers complete elimination and prohibition of the sale of this product.

Three cups of energy drinks are equal to half a liter of vodka. Therefore, these drinks also cause traffic accidents. Today, young people are drinking to drive off their sleep. But these drinks do not work. After its consumption one feels excessive energy due to the chemicals, but after 4-5 hours they feel fatigue and sleep. Therefore, most drivers sleep while driving. If you look at the car accidents, most of them have energy drinks inside, he explained.

Energy drinks are not recommended for pregnant women, children and adolescents. In addition, these beverages have negative effects on people suffering from high-blood pressure, glaucoma, cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders and neuroses or who suffer from an allergy to caffeine. Doctors do not recommend to mix them with alcohol.

For now, theres not enough evidence to definitively say whether or not energy drinks are bad for you.

So, if you are a student preparing for exams, an employee in your laden days, an athlete training for competitions and a clubber and the one who are tired but want to be peppy, there are plenty of other ways to wake yourself up and keep energized, number one being getting a good nights rest to begin with.

Even a cup of coffee is probably a better choice because you are not adding a bunch of other supplements to your caffeine intake.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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26 September 2017 18:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Another meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers organized by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs has been held in New York last weekend.

The meeting was not distinguished by loud statements  Elmar Mammadyarov, Edward Nalbandian, the co-chairs (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk discussed the current situation in the conflict zone and exchanged views on the settlement of the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Foreign Minister Mammadyarov stated that Azerbaijan supports the interesting proposals of co-chairs for continuation of substantial negotiations on the settlement of conflict, and noted that Azerbaijan always stands ready for logical negotiations to achieve the soonest resolution.

One of the most important issues addressed at the meeting was the organization of a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents in the near future.

Either way, the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers in New-York made its contribution to the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijani political scientist Fikrat Sadikhov said generally, the meeting was positive.

"The Azerbaijani minister said that there were some constructive suggestions from the co-chairs. Although the meaning of these proposals were not disclosed, judging by our ministers statement, there are very interesting positive nuances that can be discussed at the forthcoming meeting of the presidents of two countries, he said in an interview with Azernews on September 26. If so, this meets our interests, and is an important outcome of these negotiations for us.

Sadikhov also reminded Nalbandians recent statement about the alleged return of five occupied regions to Azerbaijan, and words of the former U.S. co-chair of the Minsk Group Richard Hoagland about the necessity of liberation of seven occupied regions.

If the negotiations continue in this direction and these questions are on agenda of the two presidents, this will be a positive factor, the expert said.

Sadikhov also spoke about the meeting planned to be held between Presidents Aliyev and Sargsyan.

I think the meeting will take place, but it, of course, should have constructive and substantive nature. It should be held not for the sake of a meeting but for addressing specific issues that meet the norms and principles of international law, he noted. That is, the release of the Azerbaijani territories captured by Armenia, in the first stage.

Sharing his views on Armenias future attitude in the settlement process, the expert suggested that the country will be evasive, will try to delay the negotiation process, and try to shy away from a constructive meeting.

Nevertheless, if the co-chairs will put some influence and pressure  it [Armenia] will have nowhere to go. Sooner or later it will sit down at the negotiating table and will do what needs to be done, Sadikhov said.

Political scientist, MP Rasim Musabayov, in turn, thinks that there is no need to talk about any progress in the negotiations following the New-York meeting.

The parties listened to what the co-chairs of the Minsk Group are working on, agreed to host them in October, and depending on whether it will be possible to bring together the positions of the parties in October  to consider the issues of the presidents meeting, he said.

The expert, however, does not believe the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents to take place in the near future.

Taking into account that Serzh Sargsyan ends his term in spring, I have a big doubt that there is the point in this meeting, Musabayov noted.

He added that taking into account the fact that Serzh Sargsyan is already on the way out, there is no point to talk with him, given the position and the non-constructive policy that he takes.

The meetings of Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers and Presidents on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have not yielded any tangible progress so far due to the unconstructive position of Armenia on this issue.

The Armenian government continues to play for time and avoids substantive negotiations in order to preserve the inadmissible status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is obvious that the international community and the OSCE Minsk Group in the first place should exert pressure on the occupier country, make it withdraw troops from 20 percent of Azerbaijans occupied lands, and then continue peaceful negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in order to stop this dangerous hotbed in the South Caucasus.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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26 September 2017 09:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order to provide funding for construction of the Shorkand-Beshtali-Banka-Shirvanli road in Neftchala District.

Under the presidential order, 21.5 million manats are allocated from the state budget for construction of the road connecting 21 residential areas with a total population 37,000 people.

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26 September 2017 10:38 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

A memorial plaque to the National Hero of Azerbaijan, Viktor Seregin, has been unveiled in Kharkiv, Ukraine after restoration.

The ceremony was attended by Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ukraine Azer Khudiyev, Honorary Consul of Azerbaijan Afgan Salmanov, representative of the Kharkiv City Council Boris Butyrin, author of the memorial plaque Seyfaddin Gurbanov as well as Seregins family members, Azertac reported

Khudiyev noted the importance of preserving memory of those who gave their lives for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The ambassador expressed gratitude to Seregin`s family and promised to give them necessary support.

Victor Seregin was a first class pilot, commander of the MI-8 helicopter, who died on January 28, 1992, while carrying out a task to save civilians in Shusha during the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

His crew managed to take hundreds of children out of the war zone. In November 1992, Victor Seregin was awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan (posthumously).

The plaque made by People's Artist of Ukraine Seyfaddin Gurbanov, was installed by Dostlug company in 2004 on Viktor Seregins house.

In April 2017, vandals destroyed the plaque. Later, in accordance with the decision of the Kharkiv City Council, the plaque was restored and installed in its original place.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims to Azerbaijan. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

Although the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan in 1993, they have not been enforced during these 24 years. However, the UN Secirity Council hasn't taken any decisive actions in this regard yet.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist
26 September 2017 10:49 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish armed forces have started joint military exercises in Georgia.

A computer-assisted command and staff training 'Eternity 2017' is taking place at the NATO-Georgian Joint Training and Evaluation Centre in Krtsanisi province near Tbilisi.

The main purpose of the military exercises is to organize protection of energy and infrastructure projects. The military staff of the three countries will exchange advance experience during the one-week military exercises.

The exercises consider a scenario of operation for protection of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in a crisis situation. BTC pipeline carries oil from the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli field and condensate from Shah Deniz across Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The pipe links Sangachal terminal on the shores of the Caspian Sea to Ceyhan marine terminal on the Turkish Mediterranean coast

The exercises will last until September 29.

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey that enjoy the friendly and fruitful relations are actively working to strengthen their trilateral military and defense cooperation in a sustainable manner.

In recent years, the three countries relations reached the level of strategic partnership and play an important role in ensuring peace and stability, sustainable development, the welfare of the three nations.

During the trilateral meeting of the countries' defense ministers in May 2016, the parties reiterated the importance of enhancing the combat readiness of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkeys armed forces, trilateral development of military education and training, development of cooperation on cyber security, and further improvement of trilateral exercises on the protection of oil and gas pipelines.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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26 September 2017 12:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Baku has arranged an official reception on the occasion of the country`s National Day.

Saudi Ambassador Musaid bin Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al-Salim, addressing the event, spoke about the developing history of the country.

The ambassador emphasized that fraternal relations combined Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, adding these bonds based on mutual respect, common history and sincerity. The diplomat highlighted the role of national leader Heydar Aliyev in establishing these ties, Azertac reported.

"King of Saudi Arabia Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev have great services in development of bilateral relations, he added. The diplomat also noted Saudi Arabia applauds declaration of year 2017 a Year of Islamic Solidarity by President Ilham Aliyev.

The ambassador further said efforts to strengthen relations between the two fraternal countries and nation would continue.

Economy and Industry Minister Shahin Mustafayev, on behalf of the Azerbaijani government, congratulated the people of Saudi Arabia and wished peace and tranquility.

The minister highlighted successfully developing relations between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia in the fields of politics, economy, and culture.

As for close cooperation within the international organizations, the minister said reciprocal visits of officials of both countries stood on the base of these successful relations. He noted President Ilham Aliyev`s visits to Saudi Arabia, as well as the activity of Joint Commission on Cooperation between the Governments of the two countries gave contributions to boosting ties.

The event was attended by officials of state and government, MPs, representatives of diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan, public representatives.

Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991.The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Riyadh was opened in 1994, and since 1999, the embassy of Saudi Arabia has been operating in Baku.

The economic relations with the increased interest in investment strengthened and expanded over the past years. Several companies of Saudi Arabia operate in various fields in Azerbaijan.

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26 September 2017 11:28 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

NATO and Azerbaijan have a trustworthy partnership, said James Appathurai, NATO secretary generals special representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

He made the remarks addressing an event, titled Presentation of the Third Stage of Jeyranchol Project: Prospects for Projects of the Trust Fund to be implemented in Azerbaijan in the future in Baku on September 26.

Appathurai noted that Azerbaijan supports the peacekeeping activities carried out as part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan and other regions.

Both Azerbaijan and NATO benefit from this cooperation, he said adding that NATO highly appreciates the cooperation with Azerbaijan.

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26 September 2017 11:31 (UTC+04:00)

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro Vesna Medenica in Baku on September 26, Azertac reported.

The head of state recalled his recent meeting with Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic in New York, and also emphasized his successful visit to Montenegro.

President Ilham Aliyev hailed good political relations between Azerbaijan and Montenegro, pointing out successful development of economic ties, including bilateral cooperation in the field of investment making. The head of state underlined the importance of expanding bilateral relations in other areas, and expressed his hope that the visit of President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro Vesna Medenica to Azerbaijan will contribute to the expansion of cooperation between the law enforcement authorities of Azerbaijan and Montenegro.

President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro Vesna Medenica noted that members of the Montenegrin delegation were deeply impressed by great development processes in Azerbaijan.

Saying that Montenegro is following Azerbaijan's economic accomplishments with great interest, president of the Supreme Court Vesna Medenica underlined that all this was achieved thanks to the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, who has rich experience.

Hailing mutually beneficial cooperation between the supreme courts of the two countries, Vesna Medenica noted that fruitful discussions on prospects for bilateral cooperation were held during her visit to Azerbaijan.

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26 September 2017 12:07 (UTC+04:00)

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai in Baku on September 26, Azertac reported.

On behalf of NATO, James Appathurai thanked the Azerbaijani government for its reliable partnership with the organization, as well as for Azerbaijan's significant contribution to the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.

President Ilham Aliyev underlined Azerbaijan's commitment to supporting international peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, saying Azerbaijan builds relations with Afghanistan not only within cooperation with NATO, but also enjoys bilateral cooperation with the country in a variety of fields, including in economic and investment areas.

They praised Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation, and exchanged views on the current state and prospects of the negotiations on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

President Ilham Aliyev said that the Armenian side is limiting the talks and doing its utmost to stop the process.

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26 September 2017 12:13 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has congratulated Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, as the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union alliance, which she leads, claimed a victory in the parliamentary elections.

I extend my sincere congratulations to you on the victory of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union alliance, which you lead, in the parliamentary elections, the Azerbaijani President said in his letter.

This victory is the expression of the German society's support for the policy you conduct and demonstration of trust and confidence in you personally.

I hope that we will continue to make joint efforts to strengthen and expand friendship and political, economic and humanitarian relations and successfully maintain mutually beneficial bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany, the head of state said.

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26 September 2017 17:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The industrialization, infrastructure modernization and human capital were the key topics of the recent trip of President Ilham Aliyev to the eastern-southern regions of the country.

Within the visit to Neftchala and Salyan regions, both lying south of the Kura River, President Aliyev viewed cotton plantations, attended opening of several facilities and inaugurated the newly-constructed highways.

The main accent of President Aliyevs speech after touring of the newly-opened Neftchala Industrial District was the policy of industrialization, which according to the head of state is being successfully implemented in Azerbaijan.

The President stressed the need to take into account creation of industrial zones in other regions of the country when drafting next years public investment program and urged entrepreneurs and businessmen living and operating in the regions, to actively participate in the creation of industrial zones.



"The investments invested in the production areas here [the opened Neftchala Industrial District] are made by the private sector. Of course, as I have already noted, the state will constantly provide its support. The state chose this territory, implemented infrastructure projects, built modular structures, mobilized entrepreneurs, and allocated loans on preferential terms so that they can do a good job," the head of state said.



The government allocated 20 million manats for the creation of the Neftchala Industrial District, while the private sector invested 45 million manats through loans and own expenses, and thisshows the manifestation of public-private partnership, the President said

There is great interest from the regions entrepreneurs. The products, which are produced here and will be produced, will help us to replace the import. Now our main goal is to strengthen local production and reduce dependence on imports, he said.

The creation of this industrial district is actually the beginning of a new stage of work done in this direction, said President Aliyev, pointing to large industrial centers opening in Baku, Sumgayit and Ganja.

Now a large industrial zone is being constructed in Mingachevir city, said Ilham Aliyev, noting that the implementation of such projects in small towns is also very significant.

After the big cities, the first industrial zone was created in Neftchala region. In the near future two more industrial zones will start functioning in the Masalli and Hajigabul regions.

The largest enterprise of the Neftchala Industrial District is the joint automobile plant of the "Azrmas" - "Iran Khodro", with a capacity of about 10,000 cars per year. The project worth $15 million will produce four Iranian car brands  Dena, Runna, Soren and Samand starting from 2018.

As a result of the activities of this plant, we will to a certain extent eliminate dependence on imported cars and, at the same time, export opportunities will be created, he said, praising that the creation of this plant is a manifestation of the Iranian-Azerbaijani partnership.

Following Neftchala, the head of state headed to Salyan, where visiting this region for the eighth time of his presidency.

Here, the head of state opened a new rural road Chukhanli-Ganjali-Piratman-Parcha Khalaj-Seyidan, which will play a very important role linking several villages.

Where there is a road, there is development. Roads are socially-oriented project and economic projects, the President said, adding that road projects will continue to be successfully implemented in the future.

In accordance with the state programs of social and economic development of the regions, the state targeted measures to modernize the road infrastructure in recent years. The volume of work on the construction and reconstruction of roads is growing year by year.

Currently, along with the investments of international financial structures connected with the reconstruction and improvement of the country's road transport infrastructure, the country implements large-scale projects at the expense of the state budget. Now the main focus is directed on repair and reconstruction of internal roads connecting villages and settlements in the regions.

President Aliyev emphasized that the road infrastructure is related to the development of agriculture, since farmers find it difficult to supply their products to markets.

Saying that important steps are being taken in connection with agriculture in Salyan, the President noted that work on the restoration of cotton-growing is well underway.

The cotton industry has remained very insignificant until 2016, when the state announced the sector among the priorities to boost the non-oil economy. As cotton is a valuable money crop, the state has set a course to restore the industry and now is providing huge support to this sphere.

Cotton has been planted on 7,000 hectares. This is a great achievement, and steps should be taken to increase industrial production, he said.

Currently, cotton is grown in more than 20 regions of the country with a 10-time increase in just two years. In 2015, cotton was sown only on 17,000 hectares, while this year the area has reached 136,000 hectares.

As part of the one-day visit President Aliyev also launched the 110/35/6 kV Neftchala substation, viewed newly-renovated Neftchala Central District Hospital, as well as attended ceremony to supply water to cultivated lands and visited cotton plantation.

In Salyan, the head of state attended the opening of the 110/35/10 kV Garagashli substation, inaugurated new building of Salyan city secondary school No 2 and Flag Museum as well as toured seawater desalination complex.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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26 September 2017 14:55 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The recent regional trip of President Ilham Aliyev was appointed to Neftchala and Salyan regions of the country. Here, the President familiarized with the works conducted within the framework of the State Program for the Development of Regions.

MP Bakhtiyar Sadikhov, commenting on the visit, noted that development of the regions is focus of the Presidents attention, which is evidenced by his frequent visits to the regions.

Sadikhov further mentioned that works aimed at improving the living standards of citizens are being actively implemented in recent years.

Great attention is paid to the modernization of the road infrastructure, in particular, construction and reconstruction of highways. In the regions and in the country as a whole, the road and transport infrastructure is being improved, and large-scale projects are being implemented at the expense of the State Investment Program, the MP stressed.

Sadikhov underlined that the president's recent regional tour will give a powerful impetus to the development of agriculture as well, and stimulate citizens working in this direction.

"Creation of an economic system based on various forms of ownership, transition to market relations and integration into the world economy ensured a sustainable socioeconomic recovery in the country," the MP said, further adding that Azerbaijan has developed a new economic strategy within the framework of the State Program for social and economic development of regions, the successful implementation of which sets a positive tone for all important processes taking place in the cities and villages of the country.

Overall, the regional program has influenced the strategic development of Azerbaijan, he added.

President Ilham Aliyev signed in February 2014 a decree approving the "State Program of Social and Economic Development of the Regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2014-2018".

The State Programmes on regional development, which is identified as a priority in the socio-economic development of the country and plays key role for ensuring of regional balance through effective utilisation of oil and gas revenues, have contributed to the stepping up business activity of the people, further expansion of entrepreneurship in regions, implementation of infrastructure projects, creation of new enterprises and facilities to produce competitive and export-oriented goods in compliance with international requirements, and have improved considerably qualitative indicators characterizing the citizens wellbeing.

In this context, the objective of "State Program of Social and Economic Development of the Regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2014-2018" is to increase the employment level and improve living standard through the sustainable development of the non-oil sector, ensurance of balanced development of the regions, improvement of communal services and infrastructure facilities, creation of new jobs and establishment of new enterprises.

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26 September 2017 14:28 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Italy supports Azerbaijans territorial integrity, said Augusto Massari, the newly appointed Italian envoy.

Massari made the remarks at a meeting with Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov in Baku Sept. 26, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Congratulating the ambassador on the beginning of diplomatic activity in the country, the minister wished him success in expanding military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy.

Expressing satisfaction with the beginning of his activity in Azerbaijan, the diplomat stressed that he would make every effort to develop the Azerbaijan-Italy relations, as well as military cooperation.

Stressing that Italy supports the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the norms and principles of international law, Massari stressed that Italy supports Azerbaijans territorial integrity.

During the meeting, the military-political situation in the region, the ways of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were discussed.

Moreover, the current state and prospects for the development of military cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries and within the NATO programs were also considered.

Hasanov and Massari also exchanged views on regional security issues at the meeting.

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26 September 2017 17:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Oil prices were trading around their highest level in over two years, amid Turkeys threat to cut crude flows from Iraqs Kurdistan region following the independence referendum.

On Tuesday, Brent crude was trading at around $58.60 per barrel in London, having on Monday hit $59.49, which was its highest since July 2015, according to Reuters. U.S. crude futures CLc1 slid 25 cents to $51.97 a barrel, after hitting a five-month high of $52.43.

Kirkuk, controlled by the Kurdish forces, produces close to 400,000 barrels a day, which makes up almost 10 percent of total Iraqi oil production. The KRI is said to hold 45bn barrels of crude reserves, or around a third of Iraqs total reserves.

Turkey repeated a threat to cut off the pipeline that carries 500,000-600,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude from northern Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

This potential loss, combined with 1.8 million bpd of output reductions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC producers, raised concerns of tighter supply.



Moreover, investors positively reacted to results of the meeting of the OPEC and non-OPEC Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee held on September 22 in Vienna.

The meeting participants expressed satisfaction with the level of implementation of the oil cut deal, while further oil cuts were among the topics of the talks.

To avoid the oversupply, Libya and Nigeria, which have been exempted from obligations, promised to freeze or even slightly reduce production after reaching a certain level of production.

A source in the OPEC reported that the parties to the historical oil deal considered the prolongation of production cuts after March 2018 for a period of three to six months, but consensus has not yet been reached on this issue.

Following the meeting, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak stressed that it is best to make a decision on this issue not earlier than January.

Over 8 months that the agreement is operating, the surplus of global oil reserves decreased by 168 million barrels and now stocks exceed the five-year standard by only 170 million barrels, according to Novak.

The fate of the deal after March 2018 will be discussed at a regular meeting in Vienna on November 30.

However, analysts are skeptical about further price gains due to higher oil output from the United States.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said production from wells in shale formations would rise for a 10th month in a row in October.

I do expect the deal to be extended beyond its expiry in March 2018, as it will be necessary to keep stocks drawing down, Non-Resident Fellow for Energy at the Brookings Doha Center, and CEO of Qamar Energy (Dubai) Robin Mills told Azernews, adding that the compliance to the deal may weaken, though.

The expert forecasted Brent oil prices in 2018 to be averaging around $55-58 per barrel.

OPEC and other major oil producers such as Russia and Azerbaijan reached an agreement in December 2016 to remove 1.8 million barrels a day from the market.



OPEC and its partners decided to extend its production cuts till March 2018 in Vienna on May 25, as the oil cartel and its allies step up their attempt to end a three-year supply glut that has savaged crude prices and the global energy industry.

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26 September 2017 10:34 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Turkey and Iraq have announced launch of a joint military exercise on the Turkish-Iraqi border following a controversial referendum in northern Iraq.

Turkey started its military maneuvers in southeastern Silopi region on September 18, a week ahead of the referendum on independence in northern Iraq, Anadolu Agency reported.

The Kurdish Regional Governments (KRG) held a controversial independence referendum in northern Iraq, including areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, on September 25. Although the final results are expected within three days, bulk of the voters reportedly said Yes.

Along with Baghdad, Turkey, the U.S., Iran and the UN have all spoken out against the poll, saying it will only distract from the ongoing fight against Daesh and further destabilize the region.

The Turkish General Staff said the third phase of the military exercise will start on Tuesday jointly with the Iraqi military in the Habur border gate, also known as Ibrahim Khalil border crossing, on the Turkish-Iraqi border in Silopi district of Sirnak province.

The area sits to the north of the Syrian and Iraqi borders and contains the Habur border crossing, which provides the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq with its main access point to the outside world.

Across the Syrian frontier from Silopi lies territory controlled by the PKK/PYD. Counter-terrorism operations targeting the PKK on the Turkish side of the border are ongoing, the statement said.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the EU and U.S. as well as Turkey, although only Turkey has designated the PKK/PYD as a terror group in Syria, where it is used by the U.S.-led coalition to fight Daesh.

Earlier Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would take political, economic, commercial and security steps against the KRG.

The U.S. State Department said last week the referendum would preclude the possibility of negotiations with the Baghdad central government and present a high cost for "all Iraqis, including Kurds.

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26 September 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The United States has not declared war on North Korea, US Department of State East Asia and Pacific Affairs Bureau spokesperson Katina Adams told Sputnik on Monday.

Going further, she stressed that no country is allowed to fire on another nations' aircraft or ships if they are in international space or waters.

"We continue to seek a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Adams said.

The statement comes a few hours after North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Monday the DPRK has every right to "take countermeasures against the United States, including shooting down American strategic bombers outside the DPRK's airspace, as Donald Trump declared war" on the Asian country.

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26 September 2017 09:53 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to newly elected President of the Republic of Singapore Halimah Yacob.

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Your Excellency as you start your activities as President of the Republic of Singapore, said President Aliyev in his letter.

I hope that we will make joint efforts to develop friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Singapore, he noted.

I wish you the best of health, happiness, success in your activities for the development of friendly people of Singapore, added the Azerbaijani president.

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26 September 2017 15:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

U.S. President Donald Trump's hints that he may soon abandon the nuclear deal with Iran have caused a great concern in the world. Even critics of the nuclear agreement have expressed concerns about the possibility of a unilateral withdrawal without any clear evidence.

During his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, Trump described the deal as one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into and pledged once again to take action on it.

The U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program will be a headache for everyone, said Mikhail Ulyanov.

"If the Americans do not like something in this agreement, this is not an excuse to let it down. If the U.S. follows this path, we will all have a lot of headache," the Director of the Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry said at a press conference held on September 26.

Trump has previously expressed his interest in not certifying Iran's compliance with the deal, which requires the administration to prove to the U.S. Congress every 90 days that the nation is abiding by its requirements.

Although a decision to decertify Iran would not immediately cancel the deal, it could become a reason for the Congress to reimpose sanctions on Iran. This, in turn, might lead to Iran's exit from the agreement, raising the risk of proliferation.

European Union's top foreign affairs official Federica Mogherini earlier emphasized the deal's importance following a high-level meeting of countries involved in the agreement this week.

Tillerson later indicated that while Iran was in technical compliance with the accord, the Trump administration's concerns were more political.

Previously, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that the nuclear deal cannot be renegotiated.

This issue must be understood by the American officials, he said, adding that either the JCPOA will remain as it is in its entirety or it will cease to exist.

The president added that if the U.S. pulls out of the nuclear deal, Irans commitments would no longer exist and it would be free to pursue a new path.

The Iran nuclear deal was negotiated in July 2015 between Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany. By ratifying the plan, Iran agreed to scale down its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

At the same time, the U.S. retains sanctions against Iran on the missile program, human rights and on suspicion that Tehran sponsors terrorism.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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26 September 2017 15:01 (UTC+04:00)

Turkeys EU Minister Omer Celik has described the decision to include the disputed Iraqi city of Kirkuk in the recent Kurdish independence referendum as "Barzani's call to turn Iraq into a new bloodbath".

"The referendum, contrary to what [KRG leader Masoud] Barzani claims, will not bring stability to the region nor be useful for Kurds future," Celik said during a live televised interview with Turkish channel A Haber in Ankara, Anadolu Agency reported.

Celik emphasized that it will be a blow, not just to Kurdish people, but to the other ethnic minorities willing to live together in Iraq.

The referendum, which was boycotted by Turkmens and Arabs, was held on September 25 in Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaymaniyah provinces, the contested province of Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmatu district in Saladin province and Khanaqin district in Diyala province.

Celik said the referendum was conducted "in an unhealthy way," and called it "a disaster".

"To include Kirkuk in the poll is another suggestion from Barzani to turn Iraq into another bloodbath," the EU minister said.

The final results of the controversial poll, in which roughly 72 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots, are expected within three days.

Earlier President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would take political, economic, commercial and security steps against the KRG.

Along with Baghdad, Turkey, the U.S., Iran and the UN have all spoken out against the poll, saying it will only distract from the ongoing fight against Daesh and further destabilize the region.

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26 September 2017 18:51 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Russian diplomat stated that terrorists, not the Syrian government committed the Khan Sheikhoun chemical attack last April.

Damascus has never violated its obligations within the framework of the elimination of the chemical arsenal, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministrys Non-Proliferation and Weapons Control Department, Mikhail Ulyanov stated at a news conference on September 26.



"We are keeping a close watch on the situation. There is a huge amount of evidence implicating the terrorists, who set off a sarin bomb on the ground for provocative purposes, knowing the blame would be pinned on Damascus," TASS cited Ulyanov as saying.



"In fact, there is not a single violation by Syria, no one has ever found any chemical substances concealed from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)," he said.

The diplomat stressed that a number of countries were using the chemical dossier as a tool for "achieving political goals, as a means of putting pressure on Damascus," resulting in a split of the OPCW.

He went on to say that experts refuse to visit the scene of the alleged April 4 chemical attack in Syrias Khan Sheikhoun although the security situation allowed this.

The diplomat said "this arouses indignation" that neither investigators from the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission nor experts from the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism have visited Khan Sheikhoun and the Shayrat airbase.

"They are refusing to do this," Ulyanov stressed. "But according to our data, the security situation permits access to this area," he added.

"A report of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism on Khan Sheikhoun and Shairat (air base) will come on October 26. We will study this report, will assess its quality and how serious the investigation was or whether this was once again far-removed from reality. Then we will be able to draw conclusions, as the mandate expires in mid-November, and we will determine whether there is any sense in extending it," the diplomat explained.

Earlier, the UN commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria accused the official government in Damascus of using chemical weapons.

The report, published in Geneva on Wednesday, claimed that chemical agents were used, among other things, in Khan-Sheikhun. According to OPCW experts, sarin or other similar nerve agent was sprayed in the city on that day.

On April 4, the National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria reported about 200 wounded and 80 victims of chemical weapons attack in Khan-Sheikhun city of Idlib province. The oppositionists blamed government troops of Syria for the attack. The command of the Syrian army rejected accusations in its address and laid the blame on the militants and their patrons.

Following the April attack, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an air strike against the Assad-controlled air field. The strike became the first direct military action the U.S. has taken against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's six-year civil war. As many as 59 missiles were fired, according to the Pentagon.

Bashar Assad claimed that there was no chemical attack, but a provocation to justify the strike at Shayrat airbase. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem stated that the Syrian government troops have never used or intend to use chemical weapons against civilians and against terrorists.

The stocks of chemical weapons were successfully exported from Syria. In January 2016 the OPCW announced the complete elimination of the country's chemical industry.

In 2013, the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize for chemical disarmament of Syria.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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26 September 2017 16:59 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Irans air defense base has deployed its missile systems along the countrys western frontiers with Iraq, a move aimed at responding to violations.

Brigadier-General Alireza Elhami, the deputy commander of the air defense base of Iran, has said the move is aimed at covering the troops of the regular army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who have staged separate drills in the border areas, Tasnim news agency reports.

Elhami added that the forces of the air defense base are prepared to give resolute response to any move aimed at violating his countrys borders.

Ground forces of the Iranian regular army launched massive war games along the countrys western frontier areas hours after the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) started similar drills dubbed Muharram in the northwestern regions on September 25.

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26 September 2017 18:28 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the two Central Asian nations, continue their efforts to resolve issues that caused strained relations in past.

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev is expected to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan, Kyrtag reported with reference to the presidential office.

"Almazbek Atambayev's visit to Uzbekistan will take place on October 5-6," the presidential administration said.

President Atambayev will visit the neighboring republic for a working visit. The two presidents will hold discussion on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.

An Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan-2017 business forum and exhibition will be held in Tashkent within the framework of Kyrgyz leaders visit.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyevs visit to Kyrgyzstan on September 5 of the current year was the first by an Uzbek leader in 17 years.

Along with the signed border agreement, the sides voiced desire to reconsider the water and energy issues which caused controversy in the past.

A number of recent diplomatic meetings between Kyrgyz and Uzbek officials have indicated a significant improvement in bilateral ties between the two countries.

The parties also stressed that one of the key factors of Central Asias well-being is the integrated use of water and energy resources, taking into account the interests of all the states of the region. The importance of open dialogue and the search for mutually acceptable solutions in this sphere were underlined in this regard.

The two countries trade turnover rose by twofold in the first half of the current year and it is expected that the volume of bilateral trade will total $280 million in late 2017.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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26 September 2017 10:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Israir Airlines and Tourism, an Israeli airline based at Sde Dov Airport (SDV) in Tel Aviv, will carry out flights to Baku.

Company CEO Uri Sirkis announced about this at a meeting with Azerbaijans Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nazim Samadov.

The flights will be carried out from Tel Aviv to Baku starting from October 2, three times a week, as part of tourist packages, the Ministry reported on September 25

Sirkis and Samadov noted the importance of flights for mutual increase in tourism turnover. The parties also agreed on mutual activity in the field of marketing.

Azerbaijan is one of the few Muslim countries that have robust mutual relationship with Israel.

The Israel-Azerbaijan partnership is not only based on political, economic and energy cooperation, but also two nations share cultural ties, due to a fact that a large Jewish community lives in Azerbaijan. Todays friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Israel are built on centuries of shared Jewish-Azerbaijani coexistence.

The strategic relationship between the two countries covers cooperation in trade and security matters, cultural and educational exchanges. The two also cooperate closely in the field of energy. Israel buys 40 percent of its oil from Azerbaijan.

A total of 1,513,000 overseas visitors visited Azerbaijan, also known as the Land of Fire, in the seven months of 2017. The figure shows a 24-percent rise compared to 2016.

For the past 10 years, the number of tourists visiting Azerbaijan increased by five times. In 2016, the number of tourists visiting the Land of Fire amounted to 2,242 million people and this is 11.7 percent more than in 2015.

Azerbaijani people are well known for their hospitality while the countrys nature with its climate, beauty and uniqueness mesmerizes even the most claimant tourists.

The country with rich ancient history has thousands of places to visit, ranging from the capital to the unique villages lost in the clouds. Baku, where past and modernity, East and West have intertwined cannot leave indifferent any traveler. Warm Caspian Sea, sandy beaches and delicious Caucasian cuisine attract tourists to Azerbaijani resorts day by day.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
26 September 2017 17:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The Old City, the historical core of Baku, will host a festival dedicated to World Tourism Day on September 27.

The event will be held at much loved symbol of the city Maiden Tower from 11:00 to 18:00, Trend Life reported.

Embassies of more than ten countries will present their national pavilions to promote their tourism potential.

Holding of the festival near the Maiden Tower is symbolic, since first what tourists want to see in the capital city is this majestic and mysterious monument. This cylindrical eight story structure of 29.5 meter high is rising in the south-eastern part of the fortress of Icherisheher.

Since 1980, people around the world celebrate the United Nations (UN) World Tourism Day- September 27. This date was chosen as on that day in 1970, the Statutes of the UNWTO were adopted.

The adoption of these Statutes is considered a milestone in global tourism. The celebration aims to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





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The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided to set up a Biotechnology Industry Promotion and Assistance Centre (BIPAC) to extend financial support for industrial research and development programmes under public-private or public partnerships.

The Government has prepared a roadmap for the creation of an ecosystem to spur investment in the biotechnology sector and facilitate industrial development.

The first meeting of the reconstituted Kerala Biotechnology Board (KBB) earlier this month approved several schemes to promote research and entrepreneurship and provide start-up support. The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided to set up a Biotechnology Industry Promotion and Assistance Centre (BIPAC) to extend financial support for industrial research and development programmes under public-private or public partnerships.

BIPAC would have a targeted funding mechanism involving a Scheme for Entrepreneurial Promotion, Refining and Industrialization Support (SEPRIS) in the initial stage and a Scheme for One-time Start-up Support (SOSS) in the subsequent phase.

Under SEPRIS, entrepreneurs would be given a grant of 500,000 for developing proof of concept of their proposed venture, followed by an entrepreneurship development fund up to 25 lakh. SOSS, on the other hand, seeks to support start-ups with a seed money assistance up to 25 lakh.

BIPAC will be a facility to support the final stage of industrial development which often turns out to be an insurmountable obstacle for many entrepreneurs, says Prof. G.M. Nair, Advisor, Kerala Biotechnology Commission. Providing seed money at this juncture is critical for an input-intensive industry like biotechnology which requires heavy investment on equipment in the initial stage, Prof. Nair said.

Principal Secretary, Science and Technology, Mr. Suresh Das said the funding support was designed to minimize the risks associated with commercialization of products. We have received positive feelers from industrialists willing to invest in the State.

The KBB meeting approved a scheme to foster industry-academia partnership in biotech research. It also decided to launch the Chief Ministers Career Advancement Programme in Biotechnology to enhance the research capabilities of young faculties and scientists. An industrial training scheme for biotech post graduate students and industry associateship programme for faculty/mid-career scientists to work in industry are other schemes on the anvil, reports The Hindu.

If all goes well, Kerala can hope to gain a foothold in the biotech industry sector within a matter of two to three years, Prof. Nair said.
Karisma Unveils Her Charisma Through Her Peacock Look Bollywood Wardrobe Dona

Karisma Kapoor attended a launch event in New Delhi on Sunday and, as always, carrying a very bright and vibrant look.

She wore a peacock green dress by Manish Arora. The dress had amazingly printed peacock art all over its body, making the look as beautiful as ever.

The peacock designed maxi dress looked quite classy, especially with the Chinese collar. She matched the attire with black kitten heels and a pair of 'leafy' dangling earrings from Minerali Store.

Karisma carried her charisma in the bright and classy attire, making her style book not just appear stylish but also mesmerizing.

Here goes some of her latest looks.
Myer chief executive Richard Umbers faced criticism from Mr Lew. Credit:Josh Robenstone But he remains "bitterly disappointed' with the department store. He was particularly scathing of Myer's recent decision to create floors within their stores for discounted stock, some of which he reckons is three years old: "The Salvation Army wouldn't take in the stock", adding that one would be "horrified if you saw what was going on out there". Lew points to the fact that Myer told the market in March there would be no more discounting. In defending his move in March to buy Myer shares, he implied that in effect that he had been hoodwinked by the management's positive market statements that the department store chain was "on the up and up".

Lew has both patience and determination. He said Myer made no mention at the time of the impending crisis with its investment in Topshop, which ultimately was placed into administration in Australia. Nor, says Lew, did Myer mention the extent of the troubles inside its Sass & Bide brand. Asked if he thought Myer had breached any continuous disclosure provisions, Lew deftly skipped a response. He revealed instead that he had been originally approached by Topshop in Britain about doing something with the Australian business at the same time Topshop spoke with Myer. Lew went to the UK to meet Topshop's founder, Sir Philip Green, but rejected the opportunity to become involved in the Australian franchise. Myer mistakenly  with the benefit of hindsight  embraced the concept.

Lew was less prepared to say what happens next. The wily retailer appears to be keeping his powder dry for now  happy to shoot from the sidelines. He suggests some of the problems stem from the fact that the chief executive is not a retailer and neither are any of the board directors and he noted that many experienced retailers have left the company. "It has lost a lot of good retailers and is being run primarily by consultants. The business has got too much of what the consumer doesn't want," he said. However, there is no point in Lew suggesting it can't be saved. Lew sat in as a minority shareholder in Country Road for years of its underperformance before ultimately selling out for a good price. Since then the business has been revived.

He needs someone to take Myer out for a good price or do it himself  a move that carries plenty of risk. Lew has both patience and determination. "I am not in the business of losing money," he reminded analysts and media on Monday. He may need to be prepared give that patience a good work-out. It is widely believed Lew entered the Myer register in the belief that South African based Woolworths (the owner of David Jones) had been sniffing around Myer with an eye to a bid.
Victoria's Department of Justice and Regulation will be joined at 50 Franklin Street by the Carlton Justice Service Centre, with both government bodies consolidating from different locations.

The building has remained largely empty since ASX-listed call centre group Salmat moved out in February.

50 Franklin Street, Melbourne, has about 11,500 square metres of net lettable area.

The hyperactive Singaporean investor bought the 18-level city office late last year for $51.5 million from 11 individual strata owners.

Listed Singaporean property player Lian Beng has leased an entire building in Franklin Street to two Victorian government departments.

Colliers International director of office leasing Edward Knowles negotiated the 10-year lease on a gross-per-square metre rate between $500 and $550. Savills Australia were conjunctional agents.

The building has about 11,500 sq m of net lettable area.

"It is understood the new tenant will increase the base building's NABERS energy rating from 1.5 stars to three-plus stars throughout the tenancy term," Mr Knowles said.

Lian Beng, which has a market capitalisation on the Singapore stock exchange of about $209 million, has been an active player in Melbourne this year.

In July, the group sold a development site at 596 St Kilda Road for $34 million to a Taiwanese developer after obtaining a development permit for a 19-level building with 170 apartments.
Australia is the third most popular global destination for international students studying abroad, which has triggered a wave of investment into accommodation that is considered a growing property investment asset class.

After a record-breaking 2015, when $US14.9 billion was globally invested, the sector has grown from a niche investment into a global asset class.

Studio 8 in Ryde, Sydney. The existing supply of student accommodation in the eight Australian capital cities is less than 11 per cent of the full-time student population.

The national amount of sales to date is worth close to $500 million, equating to 1321 beds. It is fragmented, but is on the radar of developers with UniLodge, HRL Morrison and Urbanest among the bigger owners and managers of beds.

According to the latest research from Savills Australian Student Accommodation Market Report, Australia is the beneficiary of international students from a number of South East Asian countries.
A shareholder vote on the $11 billion merger of Australia's two biggest gambling companies, Tabcorp and Tatts, will be unable to proceed according to plan.

Tatts shareholders had been due to vote on the proposed tie-up next month, on October 18, but that timeframe appeared to be shot down on Tuesday when the national competition tribunal ordered further hearings starting on October 24.

Tabcorp and Tatts argue the $11b merger will make Australia internationally competitive. Credit:AAP

The tribunal is reconsidering the mega-merger after the competition watchdog won a Federal Court appeal against an initial approval.

Neither Tabcorp nor Tatts had made an announcement to the stock market by 4pm about what the latest tribunal orders would mean for investors.
Australia has large untapped pool of potential deceased organ donors that could save the lives of hundreds of patients waiting on transplant lists, suggests a new study published Monday in the Medical Journal of Australia. Less than 2 per cent of Australians die in a way that allows them to donate their organ. Most deceased organ donors come from brain-dead patients, but the number of donations after circulatory death (DCD) has been growing. In 2016 DCD made up one-quarter of all deceased organ donors. The researchers analysed DonateLife data of patients who died in an intensive care unit or emergency department across the 75 Australian hospitals between July 2012 and December 2014. They identified DCD patients whose organs were donated, those who would have been ideal DCD donors but did not have their organs donated, and patients who met a set of expanded criteria to become DCD donors but did not become donors.

Of 8780 DCD patients, organ donation was not discussed with the families of 61 per cent of ideal potential donors (193 patients) and 72 per cent of those expanded criteria cases (313 patients). "That's potentially another 416 kidney transplants, 117 lungs, 41 livers and seven potential heart transplant recipients," senior author and intensive care specialist at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne Professor David Pilcher said. If 60 per cent of these families had consented to organ donation Australia's donation rate would have jumped from 16.1 per million population in 2014 to 21.3 per million population, the researchers reported. Surgeon Amanda Robertson works on a donor kidney at Melbourne Private Hospital. The lost pool of patients could have meant 416 kidney transplants. Credit:The Age "We know these patients are out there, and we know that finding this potential pool of donors will impact the lives of organ recipients," Professor Pilcher said.

They were typically older, dying of non-neurological conditions and were more likely to have chronic diseases compared to actual donors. "Historically many of them wouldn't have been considered for organ donation," professor Pilcher said. Their conditions may have prevented some of their organs being healthy enough to donate, but they could perhaps donate one or two, Professor Pilcher said. "They may have terrible lung disease but could donate kidneys," he said. The study's expanded criteria also lifted the age of potential donors, lengthened the time-to-death after patients were taken off cardio-respiratory support, and relaxed some exclusions like smoking history and renal risk factors.

"There has been an assumption that people who have chronic conditions or certain lifestyle choices can't be organ donors, but often they can and should be considered," Professor Pilcher said. "Some people who were smokers don't have lung disease and in theory someone who was a drinker could become a liver donor. "It just increases the level of complexity when it comes to assessing their suitability to make sure there is not damage or disease to that organ," he said. A donor heart re-animated and beating in the ex vivo perfusion rig, after circulatory death. Increasing the pool of potential DCD patients could mean more hearts available for transplant. Credit:St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney There was no standardised DCD suitability criteria, and it was hard to predict when patients would die after being taken off life support, which could be stopping many doctors from considering them for organ donation, the study authors said.

They recommended assessing all end-of-life patients in intensive care units for organ donation. "We'd like to see a situation where considering a person for organ donation becomes a routine part of end of life care [in ICUs]," Professor Pilcher said. "It doesn't change the way we treat a patient or whether a person would be taken off cardio-respiratory support ... it changes the timing of that conversation," he said. Circulatory deaths fit with what most Australians understand death to be, Dr Sam Radford, the Organ and Tissue Authority's deputy state director of DonateLife in Victoria, said. "The heart stops, breathing stops and blood-flow to all parts of the brain and body stop," he said.

DCD also encompassed a wider ranges of conditions than brain-dead donors, including stroke, spinal cord injuries, liver disease, heart attack, and fatal infections. A number of hospital ICUs have already adopted routinely considering organ donation referrals for patients nearing death, and Australia is now ranked sixth in the world for the number of DCD per million population. Dr Radford said clinicians were increasingly recognising DCD donors, and acknowledging that outcomes for patients who received DCD organs were good. "We've got a responsibility to transplant recipients to explore all opportunities so they have the best chance at a good outcome," he said. 1400 Australians and their families are at any one time waiting for a transplant.
"Making people safe is not necessarily what they want  they want to be valued," Singh says. "They would rather fall over and be loved and loving than tied down in a geri chair and not be allowed to fall over. We've moved away from physical restraints but simply replaced them with pharmacological restraints." As it currently stands, it is little wonder many of the 170,000 Australians in aged care feel as though a part of themselves "is lost". We are an ageing population, all heading in the same direction, but the picture painted of life as we near the end is rather bleak. Physical treatment is provided but too often there is little consideration for the human or their quality of life. One aged care resident told Fairfax last week that she had spent $800,000 on a deposit to get her room and yet received meals that looked liked regurgitated vegetables on a pallid piece of toast.

Those with dementia are just given the kitchen slops. In aged care facilities, psychotropics are frequently used (their use is even higher among those with dementia), up to 80 per cent of residents have chronic pain and about 40 per cent are suffering depression. People who have been married for 60 years are not allowed to sleep in the same bed and beloved pets are forbidden for hygiene reasons. "No one ever died of cat hair as far as I know but lots of people die every day from loneliness," Singh remarks. "Not allowing people to have a care-giving role is really detrimental to them physically and mentally." Similarly, by trying to keep people safe via physical or psychotropic restraint, telling them when to get dressed, what to eat, when to take pills and who they can sleep beside or touch, we remove autonomy. "I think we have completely misconstrued what's important in people's lives," Singh says. "A sense of autonomy prevents us from allowing that in our own lives and yet we impose that on other people. We think we're doing good for them because we're keeping them safe ... ironically, we're destroying the last years of their life and the ability to contribute to people around them."

Dr Bill Thomas, a Harvard-trained geriatrician, is vocal in his belief that people are being treated rather than cared for and they are dying because of it. "He said what we need to give back to people is the ability to care for others and love others," Singh says of Thomas. "He brought in plants and animals and all sorts of other things. He showed that, by doing that, he was able to reduce mortality and infection rate and increase happiness ... the idea was giving back the ability to care for others and be a part of something that was bigger than themselves." This applies even to those with dementia, which is about 85,000 of those in aged care homes. "Somebody who is demented  all they have left is the moment," Singh says. "So, if I put my hand on their shoulder and touch them, will they feel that human touch? Will they perceive the smile on my face or will they feel happy if they hear a piece of music or taste a piece of chocolate. Is there any pleasure in this moment right now?" If there is joy, then there is quality of life.
The ACT has failed to halve the learning gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and will likely miss its 2018 school attendance targets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

A report into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander outcomes in Canberra schools shows Indigenous students are two to three years behind their peers in NAPLAN with little improvement recorded in reading or numeracy since the standardised test was introduced in 2008.

A new report shows Indigenous students in Canberra schools are two to three years behind their peers in NAPLAN. Credit:Greg Newington

Canberra's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students were more likely to classify as exempt from the test than Indigenous students interstate with withdrawal the main reason for non-participation.

The territory's own strategic plan for education aimed to halve the learning gap by 2017 - a target that will almost certainly be missed.
Police are investigating after a suspicious fire destroyed the clubhouse at a private boys school in Tingalpa overnight.

The building on Villanova College's playing fields on Manly Road was engulfed in flames by the time fire crews arrived just after 10pm.

A sport clubhouse has been destroyed in Brisbane's east.

Police closed nearby roads as six fire crews battled the blaze for more than an hour.

A crime scene was set up and investigators visited the site on Wednesday morning.
Clive Palmer's personal assistant says she doesn't know the current whereabouts of the businessman's elusive nephew and hasn't made any travel bookings for him since late March.

Sarah Mole appeared in the Federal Court in Brisbane on Tuesday, after Queensland Nickel's liquidators called her to testify under oath about her contact with Clive Mensink.

Sarah Mole, who is the personal assistant to Clive Palmer, arrives at the Federal Court in Brisbane. Credit:Darren England

Under questioning by the special purpose liquidators' barrister Tom Sullivan QC, Ms Mole said she hadn't made any further arrangements for Mr Mensink or anyone to visit him after March 27 this year.

Asked if she knew where he was currently, she replied: "No, I do not".
The shirt worn by Korean woman Eunji Ban was saturated with blood when she was found dead, jury members have been told as they were shown gruesome photos of her beaten body.

The court heard her face was so swollen and deformed a paramedic could not tell whether she was male or female.

On Tuesday morning, forensic police officer Sergeant Carl Streeting described a series of photos taken of the crime scene set up after the body of the 22-year-old woman was found under a tree in Brisbane's Wickham Park on the morning of November 24, 2013.

Slain Korean student Eunji Ban.

Alex Reuben McEwan, 23, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Ban in the Brisbane CBD.
Two men have died after their plane crashed into a turf farm south of Brisbane.

Emergency services were called to the scene at Allenview, in the Scenic Rim, after a person on a neighbouring property saw the plane "come out of the sky and crash", Detective Inspector Garry Brown said.

Police look over the wreckage at the scene of a light aircraft crash at Allenview, Tuesday, September 26, 2017. Two men are dead after a light plane crashed on a turf farm south of Brisbane. Credit:AAP

"A witness has observed a plane flying above the turf farm here, and its gone into a bit of a spiral and crashed into the middle of the turf farm," Inspector Brown said.

"It was one of the neighbours that saw the plane crash, but a couple of other people got to the aircraft first."
A 73-year heat record that tumbled in a south-east Queensland city could be topped again by the weekend as the state braces for soaring temperatures.

On Monday Ipswich sweated through its warmest September day since 1943, with the mercury reaching 38.2 degrees, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Rick Threlfall said.

The maximum was forecast to be higher on Thursday with 40 degrees expected, which would be the city's hottest-ever September day, surpassing the 1943 record of 39.2.

Brisbane could escape the pinnacle of the sweltering conditions, with the Bureau of Meteorology watching whether a cooling sea breeze would reach the river city in time on Thursday.
A prostitute who used kinky sex to distract a client on a cocaine bender so two men could rob him is being sentenced for his manslaughter in Brisbane.

The bound and naked body of Gregory John Hudson, 57, was found in his friend's townhouse at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast on October 23, 2014.

Gregory John Hudson was found dead inside a residence in Varsity Lakes. Credit:Queensland Police

On Tuesday, the Brisbane Supreme Court heard Milan Chante Walker pleaded guilty to his manslaughter, burglary and robbery in company even though he had lethal levels of cocaine in his system.

Accomplices Lee Benjamin Feld and Benjamin Samy Ghobrial pleaded guilty to the burglary and robbery in company offences.
Washington: North Korean government officials have been quietly trying to arrange talks with Republican-linked analysts in Washington, in an apparent attempt to make sense of US President Donald Trump and his confusing messages to Kim Jong-un's regime.

The outreach began before the current eruption of threats between the two leaders, but will likely become only more urgent as Trump and Kim have descended into name-calling that, many analysts worry, sharply increases the chances of potentially catastrophic misunderstandings.

"Their No. 1 concern is Trump. They can't figure him out," said one person with direct knowledge of North Korea's approach to Asia experts with Republican connections.

Overnight, Trump again warned North Korea that any US military option would be "devastating" for Pyongyang, but said the use of force was not Washington's first option to deal with the country's ballistic and nuclear weapons program.
Irbil, Iraq: As jubilant Iraqi Kurds celebrated their vote on independence from Iraq, shooting off fireworks and parading in cars festooned with Kurdish flags late into the night, their neighbours conducted military exercises on the region's borders and threatened to cut its oil trade, raising the threat of military intervention if it secedes.

Monday's vote played out on a historic day for several million Kurds in northern Iraq, and was a pivotal moment in the Kurdish dream of a politically independent state.

Fireworks explode in the sky as Iraqi Kurdish men celebrate in the streets after polls closed in Idlib, Iraq, on Monday. Credit:AP

While officials said the vote would not be tabulated until at least Tuesday, it was expected to be overwhelmingly in favour of independence for Iraqi Kurdistan, the semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq.

Already, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he would not hold talks with the Kurdistan Regional Government about the results.
Berlin: The resurgent German far-Right looked in danger of imploding within hours of its electoral triumph on Monday, as one of its most prominent new MPs announced she was leaving her party and would sit as an independent.

Frauke Petry stunned colleagues at a press conference when she announced she would not take up the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party whip in parliament.

The AfD became the first far-Right party to win seats in the Bundestag since 1961 after it came third in Sunday's general election, which left Angela Merkel in place as chancellor despite her coalition suffering losses.

The AfD is on course to win 94 seats in parliament with 12.6 per cent of the vote. But Ms Petry lashed out at colleagues, accusing them of condoning racism and turning the AfD into a protest party.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Bill English. Credit:AP And it's also true that the AfD won 13 per cent of the vote, giving it some 90 seats in the Bundestag. That gives it the third-biggest share, after Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats and the centre-left Social Democrats. But we need a sense of proportion about this. The overall result of the election is that the government won the largest vote share, and in all likelihood Merkel will now enjoy a fourth term as chancellor. This would make her the first chancellor since the reunifier of modern Germany, Helmut Kohl, a colossus of 20th century politics, to win four terms. German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Credit:AP This is a remarkable feat of continuity, not a right-wing revolution. And while the AfD's haul of 90 seats sounds impressive, the Bundestag has a total of 630 seats. All the other parties have vowed not to ally or cooperate with the AfD. This should isolate its MPs, rendering them powerless to legislate.

A professor of politics at Germany's Mainz University, Jurgen Falter, says that rather than being a "cause for concern", the parliamentary debut of the AfD represents "a normalisation of German politics after our history". Till now, Germans didn't have a way of talking openly about the problems of immigration. Now they do. Till now, Germany was the only major democracy in Europe that did not have a far-right party. Now it does. Taken together with the outcome of the other election last weekend, New Zealand's, these results are actually extraordinary not for any radical disruption so much as for their conspicuous continuity. This is supposed to be the great disruption, the era of tumultuous change and triumphal populism, the time of Trump and Brexit, Le Pen and Hanson. But these two developed democracies have instead produced a strong counterpoint - pro-incumbent electorates have delivered continuity and stability. Like Merkel's election to a fourth term, New Zealanders have delivered a likely fourth consecutive term to National, the centre-right party. National has turned in an uncannily steady performance in its four wins - it won 45 per cent of the vote in 2008, then 47, another 47, and now 45 once again.

Do the German and NZ experiences offer lessons in how other countries can manage to avoid the worst excesses of the new populism? One strong clue - Germany and NZ have experienced solid economic growth. "People are doing well" under Merkel explains Michael Broening, a policy analyst at an institute aligned with the rival Social Democrats, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Unemployment has hit a record low 5.7 per cent. "There just isn't this desire for fundamental change". And in NZ, where there is not even a hint of any new populist movement, the doyen of the country's analysts, Colin James, explains simply: "Because things are going along sort of okay here." The economy is not charging ahead but "it's been chugging along and the workforce participation rate is high and the unemployment rate is low". Immigration is a contested issue, and there is a veteran populist politician, Winston Peters, who wants a drastic cut to the intake. But Peters "is nothing like a Trump or a Le Pen or an AfD or even a Hanson - he's populist, but he's more centrist and he's mild," says James. Which is probably just as well because National didn't win enough seats for a majority and Peters' NZ First party is its likely coalition partner and in a strong negotiating position. What of the much-publicised new Labor leader, Jacinda Ardern? She did benefit from a growing concern with inequality but fell well short of victory. Her initial poll surge was not sustainable, says James, and, importantly, she was subject to an old-fashioned economic scare campaign by National, a campaign so untruthful that James calls it "awful". But there's nothing new or populist about that - old-fashioned political deceit.
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They followed the footsteps of a fallen hero.

Hordes of do-gooders from the borough and beyond gathered in Red Hook on Sunday to commemorate a local firefighter who lost his life after running from Brooklyn to Manhattan to help victims of the 9-11 terrorist attack.

Participants of the 16th-annual Tunnel to Towers 5k run and walk honored first responders to the tragedy including the late Stephen Siller, a firefighter from Park Slope who dashed through the BrooklynBattery Tunnel wearing 60 pounds of gear in order to reach the falling Twin Towers, where he died that day. More than 30,000 people hit the streets to follow Sillers route at this years fund-raiser, which drew people  including firemen and women  from across the globe, according to organizers.

There were runners from Indonesia, Sweden, Croatia, and Israel, and firefighters from the U.K. and Australia that ran in full gear, the same way Stephen did, said Catherine Christman, Sillers cousin and a member of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which aids first responders as well as military members.

Attendees mingled at a post-race block party following their trek, with live music, food, and games. The day was a fitting tribute to Siller, according to Christman, who said each years event allows her and other family members to celebrate their fallen relative with the community he died serving.

What happened on 9-11 was a personal family tragedy, and we put our heads together to come up with a fitting tribute for a man who was full of energy, loved to laugh, and committed to doing good in this world, she said. This event captured that spirit.
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Its the only way forward.

The Department of Transportation must downsize a two-way Dumbo street to one-way because it is too narrow to handle all of the cars, making it dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians to traverse, demands a local residents petition to the city.

Its unsafe. What Dumbo has turned into, in terms of popularity and population, simply doesnt support the two-way traffic, said Jamel Talbi, whose petition to make Washington Street between York and Front streets one-way contained 134 signatures by press time.

The resident furthered his campaign to transform the once single-lane road back into a one-way street with a Sept. 14 presentation to Community Board 2s Transportation Committee, arguing that it is nearly impossible for two large cars to pass one another after 6 pm, when parking on both sides of the street opens up. The stretch currently bans weekday parking from 8 am to 6 pm on one side but allows all-day metered parking on the other.

Talbi is worried about motorists hitting neighborhood youngsters and other vehicles that stall on the street as their drivers wait for cars to pass by, he said.

Its a safety concern for a lot of us who have kids in the neighborhood, the local said.

The committee voted to recommend changing the section to one-way 80, with three abstentions.

The city changed the block to two-way in 2010, according to a Brownstoner report. But Talbi charged that residents have flooded the surrounding area ever since, due to an influx of new apartment buildings and the opening of nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park, causing increased congestion.

When the traffic pattern changed, I dont think anybody anticipated just how many people would be coming in as tourists or how many people would live in the neighborhood, with all of the buildings that have come up, he said.

Committee members agreed, sharing their own experiences with overcrowding on the stretch.

If you take a taxi and get out on Washington Street you block traffic, said Ciro Scala, a panel member. What I think youre asking for is a common sense approach to quality of life.

If downsized, the street would likely cater to Downtown-bound traffic, since its preceding blocks also run in that direction.

The issue next goes before the Department of Transportation, where traffic experts will study solutions to ease traffic on the stretch. If the agency determines its return to one-way is viable, reps will return to the community board to present their thoroughfare-conversion plan for a vote.
Bank of Ireland Positive Ageing Week was kicked off yesterday by social media personality, James Kavanagh and his mum, Margaret.



The theme is Back to the Future and with over 250 Bank of Ireland Positive Ageing Week events taking place across the country participants can look forward to everything from veterans fencing, quizzes and a tea dance to Tai Chi and social media masterclasses. Some exciting headline events include public lectures by Professor Rose Anne Kenny of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) and the Mercers Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA), and Nutritional Consultant Gaye Godkin.



Age Action and Bank of Ireland are asking people to have some fun with older friends and relatives by getting creative and sending a joint a Positive Ageing Photo on their social media channels and use #PAPped. They can support older people in Ireland by texting PAP to 50300 to donate 2.Text costs 2 and Age Action will receive a minimum of 1.63 from each donation. Bank of Ireland has pledged to match each 2 text donation for the first 25,000 donations which will go towards Age Actions Care and Repair programme.



Speaking yesterday, James Kavanagh said, "My family, including my parents, are particularly active on social media. For me, its about empowering my parents generation to become active online and avail of the many opportunities that come from being connected. My Mum is a very youthful 65 year-old and has embraced technology; she is very active on Snapchat and Instagram and is great role model for older people. And thats what Positive Ageing Week is about  were celebrating the older people in our communities who are role models for all of us, regardless of age."

Head of Seniors at Bank of Ireland, Dawn Bailey added, "Bank of Ireland is delighted to be back on board supporting Positive Ageing Week 2017. There is a busy calendar of events from Cork to Donegal, with a Bank of Ireland branch in every county hosting a coffee morning."

She continued, "At Bank of Ireland, we are committed to supporting our older customers. Age Action is one of our three flagship charities and we work very closely with them to empower the older generation. We encourage as many people as possible to sign-up for the free events taking place nationwide."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Over half (52%) of Irish employees think that new fathers in their organisation do not take the full parental leave they are entitled to, according to Hays Irelands new Gender Diversity Report.'

The Irish specialist recruiter surveyed 250 men and women working in specialist and technical roles across Ireland.



According to the report, 38% of fathers fear an adverse impact on their finances if they take their full entitlement, while 28% said it was because fathers think they may be viewed as less committed to their career.

Furthermore, the report found that more than half of all employees (57%) agreed that there is some form of gender equality or equal opportunity imbalance at their organisation. While three-quarters of both men and women feel they have the opportunity to promote their skills and progress their careers in their workplace, over a third of female respondents said they feel they do not have the same career opportunities as their equally capable male colleagues. While 59% of men said they believed their female colleagues were paid and rewarded in an equal manner, only 17% of women agreed.



To tackle this, 60% of survey respondents said that better communication from senior management was the most important way to raise awareness of their organisations diversity and inclusion programmes.



Commenting on the report, Hays Ireland Managing Director, Richard Eardley said, "There is certainly room for improvement. While an organisations employees all need to work together to create a workplace culture that welcomes diversity and inclusion, its ultimately up to senior management to properly formulate and execute diversity programmes. Our survey shows that employees are looking for that guidance."

He added, "At the core of a successful diversity programme is an ethos that allows for meaningful career advancement even for those who choose to work flexible hours or remotely. This helps to undo some of the older stereotypes that suggest flexible working is purely for women, or that it hinders professional development and earning potential. Creating this culture gives peace of mind to new mothers and fathers, encourages them to take the leave theyre entitled to, and ultimately helps to make the organisation more attractive."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
It was announced today that 12 high-growth ambitious companies have started the Irish Stock Exchanges's 2017 IPOready programme, which will equip them with the capital raising, investor relations and management skills needed for a successful IPO.



The 2017 programme, supported by Enterprise Ireland and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), builds on the success of the initial IPOready programme, from which a group of 9 high-growth, high-potential Irish companies graduated last year. These IPOready graduates have raised over 120 million in debt and equity financing and created over 600 jobs since completing the programme.



This year's programme participants include 24 CEOs, CFOs and COOs who will benefit from a 15-month programme of structured support to develop their ability to attract capital from domestic and international investors and scale their businesses. The companies come from a wide range of sectors including technology, financial services, medtech and engineering sectors across the island of Ireland.



A major new feature of the 2017 programme is that ISIF, the Irish States 8bn sovereign development fund, has joined as a programme partner to provide each participating company with one-to-one interaction with their investment team and to assess potential investments in the companies.



Commenting on the programme, Head of Equity at the ISE and IPOready Programme Director, Orla O'Gorman said, "We are delighted to welcome 12 exciting new ambitious companies to our IPOready programme. A key challenge for Ireland is to enable companies which have the ambition and the potential to be in a position to access capital markets to raise permanent financing to scale their business."

She added, "IPOready is designed to address that challenge by delivering the knowledge and skillset required to raise strategic finance. The graduate companies from our inaugural programme went on to raise over 120m in debt and equity financing and create over 600 new jobs and I look forward to seeing our new participants achieve similar success."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
New Horizon hosted a state level intercollegiate Fest - "SARGAM2017". It is a cultural extravaganza, providing a platform for young and creative minds, to bring out their hidden talents in the true spirit of healthy competition.

Dignitaries on Stage:

Dr. Edwin Christopher - Principal, New Horizon College, Kasturinagar

Dr. Bodhisatvan, Principal, New Horizon College, Kasturi Nagar

Dr. Mohan Manghnani, Chairman, New Horizon Educational Institution

Dr. P.G. Diwakar, Scientific Secretary from ISRO

Dr. Manjunatha, Principal, New Horizon College of Engineering

Ms. SargamManghnani, Chief co-ordinator, SARGAM

The Sargam-17 was inaugurated by Dr. P.G. Diwakar, Scientific Secretary from ISRO on the 22nd of September 2017 at 10.30 am. In his address to the audience, he shared few of their contributions to society like:

Tracing the source of the lost River Saraswathi and thus serving the water needs of the people of Rajasthan.

Working towards developing 70% of India's rural areas, by means of helping the ministry of agriculture to equip the farmers with knowledge of the right time to sow and harvest.

They also help the country in planning to meet the basic needs of the people well in advance and then export the surplus stock.

Supporting fishermen to identify the exact areas and places to fish through the space survey thus reducing their time and energy spent and improving economic standard of living.

Providing recommendations to improve the infrastructure in the urban areas thus improving the quality and standard of living.

Chairman's Announcement:

Dr. Mohan Manghnani, Chairman of New Horizon Educational Institutions has signed an MOU with Schneider Electric and the French Ministry of Education for the exchange program of faculty and students. He extended an open invitation to all the students and faculty members to avail of this golden opportunity.

New Horizon Cup: State Level Inter School Basketball & Volleyball Tournament
'A night of terror and fear': Coptic Christians face attacks after social media post offends local Muslims

Christians face charges of inciting sectarian strife and insulting Islamic leaders, after their comments on social media caused some Muslims in their village to riot.

The social media posts of two young Coptic men from the village of Ezbat El-Sheikh Nageim in Upper Egypt have sparked protests in their village by Muslims who believe the men to have insulted Islam. According to a report by World Watch Monitor, as many as 100 protesters were initially detained for attacking Coptic-owned homes and shops, churches and injuring several Copts. 19 are still being held.

The social media posts in question date from May 2017 when 28 Copts were killed in the Minya bus attack. In response to the attack, Bassem Abdel-Malak Fahim, 25, accused some well-known Islamic leaders of inciting people to attack Christians and criticised the Egyptian government and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for opposing Islamic extremists in Libya but not those within Egypt.

Although Fahim deleted the post the next day, it was shared by his friend, Mina Younan Samuel, 25, and was seen more than three months later, on September 6, by some Muslims in the village.

Coptic villager Adel Girgis told World Watch Monitor that the post 'spread among the Muslim villagers, and all people in the village were talking about this post, saying it was an insult to Islam. They then begin to insult and threaten us while we were walking in the village streets, and hit two Copts'.

Fahim and his father sought sanctuary in Cairo while Minya security officials occupied the village between September 10 and 14 at the request of a Coptic leader, Gawargious Abdel-Saied Aziz. However, as soon as the security officials withdrew, violence again broke out.

'At 9pm, a great deal of Muslim villagers gathered and began to attack us,' said Girgis. 'The situation was very terrible for all of us. They attacked Coptic-owned homes randomly, they hurled bricks and stones at the homes, destroying the windows and doors of these homes, destroying and looting the properties'.

The targets of the attack included a church, homes, shops and vehicles on a street with only Coptic residents. Girgis said three Copts were injured in the evening's protest before the security officials were forced to return and make arrests. The arrest of up to 100 protesters was ordered, in addition to that of the two men behind the social media posts was ordered. However, having fled the village, they are yet to be detained.

One Coptic mother described the attack on her home to World Watch Monitor: 'It was around 10pm and we were sleeping when we were suddenly woken up by the sound of broken windows. They were pelting our home with bricks and stones, they were shouting 'Allahu Akbar' [Allah is the greatest].'

'We were very scared. I have two children  one of them aged two and the other aged eight months  who experienced a night of terror and fear.'

Since the protest, an attempt has been made to broker peace between the village's Muslim and Coptic residents by, the Minya governor, Essam el-Bedawi, the Minya head of security and a number of parliamentarians.

The governor urged that Egyptians should not be divided: 'There are parties whose purpose is to destabilise the security and stability of the homeland and those people will never succeed in their quest. Egypt will remain strong and proud, despite the spiteful and disloyal people. You [Christians and Muslims] should stand united against any attempt to undermine the good relations between you.'

On the same night as the meeting, Bassem Abdel-Malak Fahim also attempted to placate those his post had angered, posting an apology on his Facebook page: 'I did not mean to offend any religious or public figures, but rather terrorism and terrorists, the enemies of the homeland,' he wrote. 'I deleted that post from that date, and I did not write anything after it. I affirm my love and respect for all Christians and Muslims, and everyone in my dear country.'
How you can talk to your friends about Jesus

The days of Billy Graham-style mass evangelism rallies might have gone, in the West at least. But what will replace them?

According to Rico Tice, who pioneered the widely used Christianity Explored course, the answer lies in personal faith-sharing by Christians among their friends  and he's endorsing a new resource designed to help them do just that.

Introducing The Word One to One, Tice speaks of the changes in the social landscape even since he joined the staff of All Souls, Langham Place in 1994. While there were 'blocks' on the path to faith such as people thinking Christianity was untrue or irrelevant, today 'our friends are on a totally different road. It's not presuming they're heading towards faith, we're a post-Christian culture'. Now more than ever, he says, 'they need an individual who links them to Christian faith'.

The Word One to One was designed by Richard Borgonon with Rev William Taylor of St Helens, Bishopsgate. It's a set of booklets introducing seekers to Jesus through John's Gospel. On the left hand page is John's Gospel, in plain, clear English, broken up into manageable chunks. In the middle section are questions and comments, which may be used in different ways  perhaps interactively, or rhetorically. And all the answers are on the right hand side, so there is no embarrassment if someone does not know the answer.

The idea behind it is for Christians to sit down with their friends and talk through the booklets together  and Tice describes it as the 'silver bullet' churches need for evangelism today. Meetings can take place at home, in an office or even in a coffee shop. Each episode lasts about 20 to 25 minutes, so they are ideal for busy people.

Borgonon himself has a long track record as a Lloyds of London insurance executive, including as chairman of a Lloyd's broking firm. He now runs his own broking and consulting company but spends most of his time sharing the Bible with senior city executives.

Borgonon says: 'In 10 years, everyone who I have done The Word One to One with has said in some form "Why has no one ever shown me this before?" Is that not damning of us as Christians? We are a biblically ignorant age, people simply do not know what the Bible has to say.'

He tells Christian Today: 'Generally , the vast majority of Christians would not be able to open their Bibles and lead someone to Christ.

'Christians tend to think that evangelism is the job of the "professional" , employed church team member. We tend to have no concept that we have a ministry for sharing the Gospel with our unique circle of contacts, and if we do realise it, generally we don't know how.'

The Word One to One, he says, is 'simply the gospel, in a socially accessible form', adding: 'In an age of serious biblical ignorance it seems that the Lord is putting the gospel back where the gospel belongs  in the hands of ordinary believers to share with their contacts.'

Borgonon says people are surprisingly receptive to the approach. In 10 years, he says: 'Once someone has seen the first 18 verses, only one a year hasn't wanted to go on and meet again, and then only six have stopped before finishing the whole book.' Many, he says, have found the book to be 'life-changing' and some who initially declined had changed their minds.

'One executive came back after two years, saying he had been in the gym on the treadmill and he realised he was on the treadmill of his life and didn't have a clue of where he was going. But he thought, "The Bible has probably got answers  I should buy Richard a coffee and see what it actually says!"'

The resource  it's not a course, Borgonon stresses  has been used very effectively as part of an evangelism strategy. However, he's keen to say it's not just a technique. Those who agree to sit down over the booklet do so 'not because of anything you said, but rather the Lord is already at work in their lives, like that little grain of irritating mustard seed'. 'It's never about the Christian  it's all about the Lord being at work,' he says.

It's a welcome corrective. If this is, as Tice says, a 'silver bullet' for evangelism, it's because Christians are taking the initiative in talking about Jesus  and God is blessing what they do.

For more about The Word One to One, click here.
'In our grief, we call on God to strengthen us to resist evil.' The Bishop of Manchester on the suicide terror attack

Today is a desperately sad day. Manchester is famous for its music culture, and last night's attack is a direct assault on our desire to meet peacefully and enjoy seeing our favourite stars in person.

It is especially tragic that the terrorist should have sought out an occasion when many of those present were young girls and their parents. This is a new low in the dreadful litany of terrorist atrocities.In times of tragedy my faith brings me back to the cross. To the one who suffered there for the sins of the world and who knows in his own body the agony of suffering. He gives us no easy path out of our pain; instead he assures us that he is there by our side.

Today, we are full of shock, of grief, and of anger. In our grief we call upon God to extend his everlasting arms to those whose lives have been cut short; in our shock we call upon him to reach out with his embracing arms to comfort those who have been scarred in body or in mind; in our anger we call upon him to strengthen us with his mighty arms, to resist evil and build us through love of one another into an ever closer unity across our rich diversity.

I'm touched by the determination of Manchester people to stand together, and ask that the generosity of spirit already shown by so many to those affected will not dwindle in the passing days, but be there for all who need it for as long as they need it.

No element within our community is the problem. Every group in our community is part of the solution. Together we will face down the terrorists, rebuild our public places and our private lives, and continue to the the city that God has called us to be: diverse, energetic, imaginative and kind.

The Right Rev David Walker is Bishop of Manchester. Follower him on Twitter @BishManchester.
Labour is 'lukewarm' to Christians, admits party's faith envoy

Labour has a 'lukewarm' attitude to Christians, one of the party's senior figures has admitted.

Stephen Timms, MP for the East Ham area since 1994 and the party's faith envoy, told Christian Today that people of faith don't feel as welcome in the Labour party as they should and called on leaders to tackle the issue.

In an interview at Labour's annual conference in Brighton he said the party 'desperately needs' more religious people.

'There is this sense of "please leave your faith at the door when you join us. You're very welcome to join us but please we're not interested in your faith",' he told Christian Today.

'I don't think that is good. I think we need to be much more welcoming of people who are absolutely clear that their whole identity and certainly the starting point for their politics is their faith.'

He said Christians and people of other faiths bring something unique to politics and 'the reality is you won't find it anywhere else'.

'I think there are really indispensable and vitally important qualities that believers bring to political debate and political practice and we just can't manage without them.

'We need to make sure they welcomed in a wholehearted way, not in a rather lukewarm way which is what seems to be the case at the moment.'

It comes as Labour battles accusations of antisemitism as it struggles with its welcome of different faith groups.

A fringe meeting at the conference in Brighton described as a 'thinly veiled call to purge Jews' where speakers called for Jewish groups to be 'kicked out' of the party. Research released on Tuesday revealed the party was eight times more likely than others to have politicians with antisemitic views.

Analysis of more than four million social media posts tracking anti-Jewish rhetoric from two thousand political candidates found Labour figures made up 61 per cent of total incidents.

Timms is the party's faith envoy under leader Jeremy Corbyn and was formerly chief secretary to the Treasury under Tony Blair and under work and pensions minister under Ed Miliband.

As one of the more prominent faith voices within the Labour party, Timms said it was 'an appalling cheek' for the Conservatives to claim they are the party committed to family and values.

'We are the party of values,' he said.

Asked whether he was depressed seeing the tide of evangelical support for Donald Trump in the US, Timms said it was 'incomprehensible' that any Christian would vote for Trump.

But he added he was excited and not depressed at the state of the Church in the UK.

'If you look around you find more and more people seeing that the Christian faith has got some answers to questions that are really quite pressing and that no one else seems to have answers to. I find that very encouraging. I think that augurs well for the future.

'I'm not saying tomorrow, or next week, will be any different but I do see the tide turning.

'Church attendance in London is going up. My hunch is that will be the case across the country more widely in due course.

'I certainly think the impact of the churches today is probably greater than it has ever been in my lifetime. If you see the growing number of situations where the churches are making a really positive impact - I don't think we've seen anything like this in my lifetime.

'So I certainly don't feel depressed I feel encouraged.'
Labour's 'shame': Party 8 times worse than others for antisemitism

Labour has 'shamed' itself after extensive research revealed antisemitism was eight times worse than in any other party.

Analysis of more than four million social media posts tracking anti-Jewish rhetoric from two thousand political candidates and office holders showed 80 per cent were from progressive left-wing parties including the Greens, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats.

The research followed the international definition of antisemitism adopted by the British government and the College of Policing and used a supercomputer to scan the posts.

It showed Labour made up 61 per cent of total incidents - eight times more than any other party.

It comes after the Labour party conference hosted a fringe event called 'Free Speech for Israel' where speakers called for the Jewish Labour Movement and other Labour-affiliated Jewish groups to be 'kicked out' the party.

Jeremy Newmark, chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, described the meeting as a 'thinly veiled call to purge Jews from the Labour Party'.

In a statement he said: 'The group whose meeting provided an arena for this hate speech was allowed to advertise it official Party literature. That is far from the zero tolerance on antisemitism that the leadership have promised.'

The findings were published ahead of a vote by Labour delegates on changing the party's constitution to tackle antisemitism on Tuesday.

The Campaign against Antisemitism, which published the research, said Labour had 'compounded' its problems by failing to address antisemitism and by shrouding all disciplinary matters in secrecy following Baroness Chakrabarti's report.

'At a time when it would seem unthinkable for an elected official of a political party to publicly make a racist statement against other minority communities, it seems acceptable in many parties to make such statements about Jews,' said Joe Glasman, head of political and government investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism.

'Our most striking finding is not just that the supposedly "anti-racist" Labour Party stands shamelessly above other parties in the number of incidents, but that it has failed to take meaningful action against brazen offenders. We often hear in Labour's defence that cases of antisemitism are isolated, but this research shows the degree to which the rot has become widespread amongst senior figures.

'Any political party wishing to be taken seriously as an anti-racist party must treat antisemitism with zero tolerance and expel offenders publicly and transparently. Actions, as ever, will speak louder than words, and we will judge all political parties by how they now address the cases our research has highlighted.'
Tenessee church shooter was 'a deep Christian believer' says friend, as usher who tackled him is hailed as a hero

A friend of the 25-year-old who is accused of shooting and killing one woman and injuring several others at a Tennessee church, has described the suspected gunman as a 'deep Christian believer' who lacked aggression.

Emanuel Samson is accused of pulling into the car park of the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch on Sunday morning before opening fire.

A neighbour of the suspect and a friend of six years, 20-year-old Dejuan Martin, said that he was shocked by the shooting, telling ABC News that Samson is 'a normal guy'.

He said: 'I didn't believe it. I never thought he'd do something like this.'

Martin described the alleged killer as passionate, outgoing and a 'pretty warm-hearted' person.

Police have said that the motive is under investigation, and the US Attorney's Office says a federal civil rights investigation has been opened.

Police said Samson had allegedly been to this church  which has racially diverse parishioners  one to two years ago.

Four guns believed to be Samson's were recovered: two at the church and two from his car, police said.

Samson is being charged with one count of murder, with additional charges pending.

Melanie Crow Smith, a 39-year-old a married mother of two, was killed during the attack and Samson  a bodybuilder born in Sudan  was arrested at the scene.

He opened fire at the church on Sunday as the service was ending, having been seen in the car park wearing a neoprene mask. His rampage was brought to an end when a church usher, Robert Engle, tackled him and despite being struck on the head by Samson's pistol forced him to shoot himself in the leg.

Engle then ran to his car, where he had a pistol, and held Samson at gunpoint until police arrived.

Engle downplayed his heroics yesterday.

'I ask everyone to pray for the victims, family members of the victims, our church community. Please pray for healing. Also, please pray for the shooter, the shooter's family and friends. They are hurting as well,' the 22-year-old said in a statement.

'The real heroes are the police, first responders and medical staff and doctors who have helped me and everyone affected,' he added.

But Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said: 'He's the hero. He's the person who stopped this madness.'

The church's pastor, Joey Spann, and his wife Peggy were also shot. Church member Minerva Rosa, who applied pressure on Spann's wound, praised Engle, saying: 'He's amazing. Without him I think it could be worse. He was the hero today.'

Meanwhie, funeral services have been arranged to take place tomorrow for Melanie Crow Smith.
We touched down in Texas before the waters had receded. Tens of thousands who evacuated didnt need to see their homes to know how bad it wasthey were living it.

Some of the images we hold of being American are so common that they pepper everyday talk: the rugged individual; the lone ranger. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, I saw ample evidence of American resolve. But I also saw, again and again, that Americans in need are never alone.

When I met him, Mayor Adan Chapa of Aransas Pass, near Corpus Christi, still hadnt been home. His house and restaurant were both flooded. Most of his belongings were probably destroyed, but there he stayed at the command center, moving three times to escape the flood waters, all while overseeing neighborhood rescue efforts. He wasnt alone. In Beaumont, Texas, as the floodwaters rose, a team of volunteers came to the aid of a rescue boat getting swept away in the current, standing in high water to pull it to safety.

There are countless stories just like these, of first responders, relief workers, and even citizens moonlighting as flatboat captainswhen they helped one, they turned around and headed back to help another. Every act showed that we are a nation not of passive well-wishers, but of active helpers. We act to answer prayers.

Accompanying this gritty effort, help arrived in a distinctly American way. We have a long history of embracing and reinventing technology. So while the iPhone may only be ten years old, people in Houston were readily adapting mobile technology to communicate with neighbors, find and rescue stranded families, and deliver everything from food to generatorsall to people whom they didnt even know. Nextdoor, a neighborhood social network, helped people share news, request help, and offer assistance in their area. Congressman John Culberson told me that his brother was saved by reaching out to neighbors on this app. Snapchat users seamlessly converted the Snap Map feature to a down-to-the-block chronicler of Harveys destruction and local responses. Sketch City mapped shelters and updated which needed supplies or volunteers in real time. During the storm, teams of developers built digital tools that directly helped volunteers and first responders save lives.

As Hurricane Irma bore down on Florida so soon after Harvey, and, soon after, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the federal government will respond the same way by getting people what they need: food, water, shelter, and power. But while emergency aid staves off immediate disaster, how do we help people rebuild?

As we saw in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Washington can help, but it works best by playing a supporting role to the front-line volunteers removing soaked sofas and mold, the builders and local banks helping families rebuild homes, and the doctors donating their time to help the worst-hit get healthy again. Louisiana, Texas, and Florida, like America, are built and renewed by the people. So Congress will fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as much as necessary, but we must also reform our aid system to focus on people, not process.

Weve already passed legislation to cut dramatically the amount of paperwork that families and small businesses must fill out to receive disaster-recovery grants and to improve our technology so that we can quickly process claims and reduce wait times. We should also explore better ways to build housing for familiesperhaps by working with modular housing-construction startups that produce homes on a large scale faster and cheaper than a construction industry, already plagued by labor shortages, can manage. We could even integrate some of the apps invented by people who experienced Harvey firsthand into our national relief efforts.

In all this, we should remember that the real work isnt done by systems or agencies or aid packages, but by the American people. Theyre the ones who came by with a boat when nobody else could. Theyre the ones who put others before themselves. Theyre the great company of neighbors who, every day, are still proving that there is no tragedy we cant overcome.

Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images
The FBI released its official crime tally for 2016 today, and the data flies in the face of the rhetoric that professional athletes rehearsed in revived Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend. Nearly 900 additional blacks were killed in 2016 compared with 2015, bringing the black homicide-victim total to 7,881. Those 7,881 black bodies, in the parlance of Ta-Nehisi Coates, are 1,305 more than the number of white victims (which in this case includes most Hispanics) for the same period, though blacks are only 13 percent of the nations population. The increase in black homicide deaths last year comes on top of a previous 900-victim increase between 2014 and 2015.

Who is killing these black victims? Not whites, and not the police, but other blacks. In 2016, the police fatally shot 233 blacks, the vast majority armed and dangerous, according to the Washington Post. The Post categorized only 16 black male victims of police shootings as unarmed. That classification masks assaults against officers and violent resistance to arrest. Contrary to the Black Lives Matter narrative, the police have much more to fear from black males than black males have to fear from the police. In 2015, a police officer was 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male was to be killed by a police officer. Black males have made up 42 percent of all cop-killers over the last decade, though they are only 6 percent of the population. That 18.5 ratio undoubtedly worsened in 2016, in light of the 53 percent increase in gun murders of officerscommitted vastly and disproportionately by black males. Among all homicide suspects whose race was known, white killers of blacks numbered only 243.

Violent crime has now risen by a significant amount for two consecutive years. The total number of violent crimes rose 4.1 percent in 2016, and estimated homicides rose 8.6 percent. In 2015, violent crime rose by nearly 4 percent and estimated homicides by nearly 11 percent. The last time violence rose two years in a row was 200506. The reason for the current increase is what I have called the Ferguson Effect. Cops are backing off of proactive policing in high-crime minority neighborhoods, and criminals are becoming emboldened. Having been told incessantly by politicians, the media, and Black Lives Matter activists that they are bigoted for getting out of their cars and questioning someone loitering on a known drug corner at 2 am, many officers are instead just driving by. Such stops are discretionary; cops dont have to make them. And when political elites demonize the police for just such proactive policing, we shouldnt be surprised when cops get the message and do less of it. Seventy-two percent of the nations officers say that they and their colleagues are now less willing to stop and question suspicious persons, according to a Pew Research poll released in January. The reason is the persistent anti-cop climate.

Four studies came out in 2016 alone rebutting the charge that police shootings are racially biased. If there is a bias in police shootings, it works in favor of blacks and against whites. That truth has not stopped the ongoing demonization of the policeincluding, now, by many of the countrys ignorant professional athletes. The toll will be felt, as always, in the inner city, by the thousands of law-abiding people there who desperately want more police protection.

Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Ahead of the Budget charities have urged the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, to address anomalies in the tax system that they say are holding charities back.

The Charity Finance Group has urged the government to set up a working party in partnership with charities to look at how irrecoverable VAT could be eliminated.

CFG said that Brexit means that it is likely that charities are going to need to do more to support beneficiaries, despite increased cost pressures, but that the government also had the opportunity to address issues related to irrecoverable VAT.

Irrecoverable VAT, the gap between what the sector pays and the amount it receives, is estimated to be 1.5bn. The government has previously indicated that the European Union rules make it difficult to address the issue.

CFG said: The tax system should be fair to charities, and resources should not be wasted due to complexities within the VAT system that was not designed with the unique position of charities in mind.

The government has previously set up rebate schemes for particular types of charities, including hospices, blood bikes and search and rescue charities.

It has also called on the government to eliminate insurance premium tax for charities and increase business rates relief for charities in its submission to the Treasury ahead of the Autumn Budget, which takes place on 22 November.

Wider strategic review

The Charity Tax group has also called on the Chancellor to address the issue of irrecoverable VAT and called for a wider strategic review.

In its submission it said: Many charities have taken over, or are willing to take over, the delivery of public services outsourced by governmental bodies, often because they are best placed to do so. However, the current system creates a disincentive to this outsourcing because the charitys charge to the public body will include the charitys irrecoverable VAT thereby increasing the public bodys costs by 20 per cent.

It suggested that the government take forwarded recommendations from the Office of Tax Simplifications Review of VAT.

CTG also called on the government to establish a proposed HMRC Charity Tax Forum working group to look at the cumulative financial burden on charities.

Replace EU funding with grants

Separately the Association of Charitable Foundations backed NCVO, Acevo and UK Community Foundations call for EU funding for charities to be replaced.

In a letter to the Chancellor, Carol Mack, chief executive of the ACF, said: Currently, UK charities alone receive around 300m per annum from the EU. It will be important that in any successor programmes, funding is made accessible to charities and social enterprises, so that they can make an even stronger contribution to the UKs future prosperity and social cohesion.

ACF told government that it should consider making funding available as grants.

Voluntary sector organisations overwhelmingly prefer grant funding and believe it provides increased scope for personalisation and innovation, it said. Additionally, it is likely to be significantly better value-for-money for government to design and deliver than a payment-by-results approach.

It said several of its members have offered to help the government design successor funds to maximise their effectiveness and where possible, alignment with philanthropic funding.

ACF also backed NCVO, Acevo and UKCFs suggestion that dormant assets should be used to endow community foundations.




The Conservative Party is deeply suspicious of civil society despite wanting to be charitable, Stephen Doughty MP tells Labour Party Conference fringe.

Doughty, Labour and Co-operative MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, was speaking at the event on Rethinking International Development, which was put on jointly by Charities Aid Foundation and the Barrow Cadbury Trust. The event asked the question "Can growing civil society abroad help secure Britain's international influence?"

He said: "There is a real stark contrast about the approach we took as a Labour government in the way we wrapped things in DFID. Both in support for NGOs here and in developing countries directly.

"It is very different from the approach we've seen from the Tories because in reality they are deeply, deeply suspicious of civil society, both here and abroad. And this sort of bears itself out in many different ways."

He questioned why they were so suspicious, adding that they were very charitable and generous, and that a lot of DFID's current policies, such as Aid Match, is all about making money go further, which he says is "fantastic".

Justice

But Doughty, who has previously worked for Oxfam, said it comes back to the idea of justice.

He said: "But for me the big divide has always been understanding of charity versus understanding of justice. We can all give and do fantastic work but fundamentally you come to a point of asking why are people living in these situations? Why are people living in poverty? Why is climate change ruining lives? Why has HIV and AIDs spread in the pandemic way it has? These come back to questions of justice."

He likened the scenario to a metaphor he said he heard from a former boss, who said that you should treat poverty as this big ditch in ground.

"We can throw rocks into it which starts to fill it up and that does some good, but actually there is a JCB on the edge of the ditch digging it out. What you need to do is get in the cab and turn the engine off," he said.

Doughty said that it is about "not just delivering an immediate response to poverty and injustice but also changing structures, economics, and inequalities."

He said: "For me there is a big distinction between a Labour approach to these issues and a Tory approach, which is one of charity versus justice. And obviously I want to see justice."

Doughty was speaking on the panel alongside Roberta Blackman-Woods MP, shadow minister for international development, and former shadow minister for civil society, as well as Lord Collins of Highbury, opposition spokesperson for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It included Adam Pickering, international policy manager at CAF, and was chaired by Sara Llewelin, chief executive of the Barrow Cadbury Trust.

Lobbying Act 'regressive'

The panel were widely in agreement about the need for reform of the Lobbying Act and expressed disappointment that the recommendations made in Lord Hodgson's review will not be acted on. Pickering said that these actions could be seen as "being regressive".

Lord Collins of Highbury said: "The party responsible for the Lobbying Act has caused many important voices to be lost from the public debate.

"I want to see the long overdue reforms from the Hodgson review being implemented. I think those are the minimum changes we should see."

Religious charities an issue within government

A question from the audience asked the panel if the "systematic targeting of Muslim charities is an early indication of that slippery slope of restrictive civil society?"

In response, Doughty said "Is it deliberate and systematic? I'm not entirely sure, but there does seem to be an unreasonable additional level of suspicion of organisations with anything to do with Islam or Muslim in their name. It is wrong, an organisation should be judged on their standards.

"I think there is an issue there. But there is a wider issue within government about religious organisations more generally."

Civil Society Media is hosting its NGO Insight 2017 conference on 28 November 2017. For more information, and to book, click here.
Turning Point's chief executive, Lord Adebowale, has warned that the disability sector is facing a "difficult time" because of government cuts.

Adebowale, a crossbench peer who is also chair of Social Enterprise UK, was speaking at a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference yesterday, when he said that beneficiaries of learning disability charities such as his were at serious risk because of the pressures facing disability charities.

He said: Organisations like mine are facing a difficult time at the moment. The issues facing us are going to be about the costs of providing our service safely while facing massive cuts.

We need to work in partnership with local government but Im very worried about the viability of many of our services frankly.

Social Vaule Act needs teeth

He also called on a potential Labour government to put teeth back into the Social Value Act.

Adebowale said the legislation, which came into force in 2013, was a potential game changer but had been watered down in its passage through Parliament.

He said: It was one of the fastest acts to pass through the Palace of Westminster, which is usually a cause for concern. If something goes through Westminster that quickly, you know on the way out it has had a lot of its teeth taken out.

The Co-operative and Labour Party councillor Emma Hoddinott said: I know as a local councillor that two thirds of councils are not using the act.

Adebowale said he would like to see a commissioning model that is not about procurement or contracting but is based around the needs of individuals and communities using the service.

He outlined four tests for which he said all public commissioning processes should pass:

Power transferred

People being listened to

Design of service has to be explained in a sentence

Outcomes have to be at worst co-designed, at best designed by the service user

A government review of the Act is due to take place this year. Charities minister Tracey Crouch said in response to a Parliament question in July that an announcement would be made in due course.
The inclusion of North Korea and Venezuela in President Trumps latest border security directive has reignited a debate in the media: When does a Muslim ban stop being a Muslim ban? The latest round of coverage shows reporters and editors have hedged their bets.

The addition of two non-Muslim-majority nations doesnt make the directive any less of a Muslim ban, as recent stories have noted. But the same reports struggled to capture that impression in headlines and shorthand descriptions. Leads in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, and Reuters variously called the new directive a travel ban and travel restrictions, and retroactively applied the same antiseptic language to the policys previousmore overtly anti-Muslimincarnations.

The Times:

President Trump on Sunday issued a new order indefinitely banning almost all travel to the United States from seven countries, including most of the nations covered by his original travel ban, citing threats to national security posed by letting their citizens into the country.

The Post:

The Trump administration announced new restrictions Sunday on visitors from eight countries  an expansion of an existing travel ban that has spurred fierce legal debates over security, immigration and discrimination.

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Major outlets didnt use Muslim ban as ubiquitous shorthand in news coverage when the president announced in January that citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries would no longer be permitted to enter the US. But most news organizations were careful to put faith front and center as consciously and concisely as possible.

ICYMI: The lesson journalists should take away from Spicers rebranding

Those who didnt were roundly criticized. When Wall Street Journal Editor Gerard Baker instructed his newsroom to avoid mentioning Islam in descriptions of the ban, the newsroom fought back. One inside source told Politico that Bakers instructions amounted to an unconscionable whitewash.

Back then, the editorial board of the Times said that Trumps Muslim ban is cowardly and dangerous. Yesterday, however, the same editorial board called the most recent iteration a travel bandespite arguing that it was almost identical in form to the January version. That change of wording seems to mirror the presss coverage in general: As time has passed and the ban has been challenged in court and altered by the government, the phrase travel ban has risen.

So why is Muslim ban out and travel ban in? One reason might be news organizations cagey approach to accuracy in a climate of media mistrust.

I think its kind of complicated, says Greg Sargent, an opinion writer at The Washington Post, in an interview with CJR. On the one hand, you dont want to oversimplify in a way that does violence to precision. The complication is to not let them get away with submerging the real motive behind the policy.

While absolute accuracy is always a virtue, it should sharpen, not blunt, media scrutiny of the government.

Sargent, among others, cites evidence that Trump promised a targeted Muslim travel ban throughout his campaign. Subsequent tweaks shouldnt cloud those origins. The American Civil Liberties Union, the International Refugee Assistance Project, and others have stressed that the new travel order is still a Muslim ban. They argue the press shouldnt shy away from saying so.

Trump just released Muslim Ban 3.0, late on a Sunday night. Tell @realDonaldTrump that you will not be distracted. #NoMuslimBanEver  ACLU (@ACLU) September 25, 2017

Travel ban sounds almost trivial, says Naureen Shah, senior director of campaigns at Amnesty International USA. For Shah, the term also obscures a key distinction between Trumps executive order on immigration from majority-Muslim countries and his order banning all refugees from entering the USdistinct policies that are often conflated.

Outlets from the Times to Breitbart have suggested that the new, broader immigration policy is an administration attempt to show the courts that border security, and not religion, is the animus behind the restrictions. The White House says the countries on this latest list are there because they failed to comply with US government requests to share information on their citizens.

But that logic is a stretch given Trumps campaign rhetoric, the fact that hardly anyone travels to the US from North Korea anyway, and wording that limits Venezuelas inclusion in the ban to the countrys rulers and their family members.

Theres a strong faith element with some other things thrown in that are pretty mystifying. It has a feeling of lets throw in a few things to confuse; as a smokescreen, says Ann Cooper, a long-time foreign correspondent and international director of Columbia Journalism School. As a journalist Im not going to write that it is a Muslim ban, but I am going to give space to experts who can explain why they think it is [a Muslim ban].

Theres no question Muslim ban is an imprecise term. Its clearly not a ban on all Muslims coming into this country, and it applies to people who are not Muslims, says John Daniszewski, Associated Press editor at large for standards.

But the phrase is hardly less precise now than it was at the beginning of the year, when it was used much more widely in the media. Muslim ban has always been shorthand for the idea that the countries it covered were singled out based on their majority faitheven if it didnt cover all majority-Muslim countries. The addition of two non-Muslim-majority countries has hardly diluted the bans original intent given that Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and another newcomer, Chad, are also included. When Trump tweaked the policy in March, the Times editorial board referred to it as a Muslim ban lite. Why cant the latest version be a Muslim ban plus?

The press should at least find a replacement term that adequately conveys the policys foundational principles. The ACLU used Muslim ban 3.0. Sargent of The Washington Post has recently called it a thinly veiled Muslim ban in his opinion writing. And on the news side, the APs Daniszewski says its fair to describe it as a ban on immigration from six majority Muslim countries and two others. (Hes yet to confirm that wording with AP editors.)

Whatever shorthand we use, journalists need to be careful to put faith squarely in the picture. Travel ban doesnt adequately do that.

I do think people should still be calling it a Muslim ban, says Shah from Amnesty International. When we change the language of the ban to match the Trump administrations, were playing along with whats clearly a litigation and public relations strategy on their part.

ICYMI: Dancing around the word racist in coverage of Trump

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
People read on mobile phone while waiting for the train in Tianjin railway station.

Chinese authorities said on Monday that they have handed down maximum fines to the operators of three major social-media platforms in the country for failing to deal with pornography, violence and other banned content on their sites.

The affected platforms are Baidu's online forum Tieba, microblogging site Weibo and Tencent's massively popular social app WeChat. In August, authorities had said the respective operators were under investigation for cybersecurity violations.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, the watchdog that monitors online activities, issued a notice saying tech giants Baidu and Sina Weibo were handed maximum fines under the new cybersecurity law for "failing to fulfill their management duties" in dealing with pornographic and violent content, as well as information that "promotes ethnic hatred."

Separately, the watchdog's Guangdong office issued a similar notice that handed the same maximum fine to Tencent.

The regulators did not specify the maximum amount that the companies could be fined. But under the new cybersecurity guidelines that went into effect earlier this year, it could be up to 500,000 yuan ($76,000)  a relatively small amount for Baidu, Tencent and Weibo. For context, Tencent's total revenue for 2016 was $21.9 billion.

Tencent and Weibo did not immediately return CNBC's requests for comment.

A Baidu spokesperson referred CNBC to a statement the company made in August when regulators began their investigation. In the statement, the company apologized and said it would work with authorities to rectify the situation and improve the platform's information verification efforts.

Separately, Facebook -owned messaging service WhatsApp seemed to be functioning properly Tuesday morning after it earlier appeared to have been blocked again on the mainland. Users had said then that they were unable to access the service without a virtual private network (VPN) connection that usually helps to bypass censorship.

Some reports indicated the service may have been unavailable since September 20. WhatsApp was previously blocked by China in July before it resumed service.

Facebook did not immediately return CNBC's request for comment.

In January, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology embarked on a 14-month campaign to "clean up" China's internet connections by March 31, 2018. The ministry had said that, while China's internet access service market is facing "a rare opportunity for development," there are also signs of "disorderly development" needing to be rectified.

New cybersecurity measures went into effect in June in a move touted by Beijing as a milestone in data privacy regulations, but critics said authorities hadn't provided enough information about how the wide-reaching law would be implemented.

In recent months, China has raised the pressure on the country's internet space in what some say is an attempt to exert control in the lead up to the Communist Party Congress next month.

Beijing doubled down on its crackdown of the domestic internet in July, after news had emerged that Apple pulled several VPN services from the local version of the App Store in a move that was met by a wave of online criticism.

Reports also said that authorities went after China's top live-streaming services in July.

 CNBC's Barry Huang contributed to this article.
"It's been a helluva ride the last five years," Nick Taranto, co-founder of ingredients and recipe delivery service Plated, which just sold to Albertsons Companies for $300 million, tells CNBC on "Power Lunch." "And to all the haters out there, we did it," adds Taranto, nodding and smiling. It's a dream-worthy exit for Taranto and his co-founder Josh Hix, especially given the "haters"  people who thought the pair were crazy for pursuing the business  and the hundreds of investors who declined to give them money. Though Plated eventually raised close to $100 million in venture capital, according to Taranto, it was no easy road, he tells CNBC Make It. "We have knocked on literally hundreds and hundreds of doors and 97 percent of the time it's a 'no,'" says Taranto. "For every hundred people you talk to raising money, only three will say yes and that's just the harsh reality ... you're going to get rejected."

Plated cofounders Nick Taranto and Josh Hix (L to R). Photo courtesy Plated

What was key for Taranto and his co-founder, Hix, was to continue to believe. Rejection, even repeated rejection, "doesn't mean your idea is bad or you yourself are personally stupid, it just means you have to persevere through it and find the right people who are going to buy in to you and your vision," Taranto tells CNBC Make It. "Dealing with rejection is  it's a necessity, especially in the early stages."

We have knocked on literally hundreds and hundreds of doors and 97 percent of the time it's a 'no.' Nick Taranto co-founder of Plated
Far Eastern Group, one of Taiwan's largest conglomerates, is weighing acquisition deals in China, as prices for assets in overcapacity sectors have become "competitive," the company's chairman said on Tuesday.

But Far Eastern Group Chairman Douglas Hsu said his company wasn't necessarily rushing into deals.

Price wasn't the only issue, Hsu told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on the sidelines of the Forbes Global CEO Conference in Hong Kong.

"The big point you have to really have to consider is if you can withstand the excess capacity and for how long will this excess capacity will continue to be there," Hsu added.

The Chinese government has been implementing supply-side reforms in the industrial sector, but buyers of those assets still need to be able to manage any excess capacity, he said.

While some companies Far Eastern is looking at have to deal with the excess capacity, others need management changes to adapt to a global market, he said, adding that companies broadly need to evolve as technology advances, he said.

With over 200 companies under its fold, Far Eastern Group's total assets are valued at $75.8 billion and run the gamut from cement and textiles to retail.
White House aides regularly used personal devices for official business, while at least six close advisers to President Donald Trump occasionally used private email addresses, both Politico and the New York Times reported on Monday, citing sources.

Former chief of staff Reince Priebus tried to stop the "rampant" use of personal devices for official business, asking aides in a July meeting to store personal phones in secure lockers or leave them at home, Politico reported, citing meeting attendees.

Priebus' request was largely ignored, the Politico report said, citing six current and former administration officials, advisors and people who correspond with the White House.

The New York Times also reported, citing current and former officials, that at least six of Trump's closest advisers used private email addresses for White House business.

That included Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Stephen Bannon and Priebus, while other advisers, including Gary Cohn and Stephen Miller sent or received at least some emails on personal accounts, the New York Times report said, citing officials.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement on Monday, noting that personnel had been given instructions on the proper handling of electronic communications.

"All White House personnel have been instructed to use official email to conduct all government related work. They are further instructed that if they receive work-related communication on personal accounts, they should be forwarded to official email accounts," she said.

The White House told NBC News that it wouldn't comment further on the matter or on the nature of the emails which were sent and received.

The news comes a day after Kushner's lawyer confirmed that he had used a personal email account to communicate with White House officials.
Iraqi Kurds wave the Kurdish flag as they celebrate in the streets of the northern city of Arbil on September 25, 2017 following a referendum on independence.

The move rattled not only Baghdad but the region's neighbors in Turkey and Iran, which both have large Kurdish populations. Kurds have long sought to carve out an independent state in the region.

The semiautonomous Kurdish region in Iraq's northeast went ahead with the referendum on Monday, despite objections from the central government in Baghdad and much of the international community. The vote is non-binding, but gives Kurdish leaders a mandate to start negotiations with Iraq, a provocative step that could spark clashes and choke off oil supplies.

Tensions over an independence vote in Iraqi Kurdistan boosted oil prices to more than two-year highs on Tuesday and could unsettle markets for weeks to come.

What [the Kurds] are bracing for is either more bluster or some short-term punitive measures.

Following the referendum, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to shut down a pipeline that transports about 500,000 barrels of oil per day from Iraqi Kurdistan to Ceyhan, Turkey. That daily volume is just shy of the total supply reductions that a group of oil exporters led by Russia made this year in order to help OPEC drain a global crude glut.

"The saber-rattling from Erdogan really spooked the market," said John Kilduff, founding partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital. "This is the first time we've seen oil threatened as a diplomatic weapon for a while."

prices surged 3 percent on Monday as Kurds went to the polls, hitting a 26-month high of $59.49 early on Tuesday. U.S. crude topped out at a five-month peak of $52.43. Prices fell on Tuesday as traders took profits and concern around the referendum eased, Kilduff said.

The region is likely to see a cycle of escalation before tensions ease, said Ayham Kamel, head of Middle East and North Africa practice at Eurasia Group, a risk consultancy.

Iraq oil infrastructure. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

The Iraqi government has asked oil traders to stop dealing with the Kurds directly and ruled out talks on a Kurdish exit. Iran closed its border and halted flights to the Kurdish region, and Turkey is threatening sanctions.

Still, all parties are wary of stoking economic crisis and ethnic violence, Kamel said.

"The most likely outcome is not going to be a permanent shutdown of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline because that would completely shut down the Kurdish economy and undermine the stability of the region, which is not a primary target of either Baghdad, Ankara or even Tehran," he said.

Iraqi Kurdistan has built positive, bilateral relations with its neighbors, so severe economic sanctions would hurt all sides, said Bilal Wahab, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Kurdish oil generates the revenue that Kurds use to buy food from Iran and Turkey, pay Turkish construction firms to develop its cities and fund trips to Istanbul by Kurdish tourists, Wahab notes. The Anglo-Turkish oil company Genel Energy is one of the biggest players in Iraqi Kurdistan.

"What [the Kurds] are bracing for is either more bluster or some short-term punitive measures," Wahab said.
Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton called Tuesday for better disclosure from companies whose computer systems have been hacked.

Speaking as the Equifax hack controversy continues to swirl, Clayton said the current level of information coming from companies is inadequate and posing dangers on multiple fronts.

"Companies should be providing better disclosure about their risk profile. Companies should be providing sooner disclosure about intrusions that may affect shareholder investment decisions," the regulatory chief said during testimony before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. "Across our markets there should be better disclosure as to the cyber-risks we face."

Clayton said he couldn't speak on the Equifax matter specifically. But he said disclosure is a general problem that impacts both consumers and investors.

"We expect people to constantly assess," he said. "When they have notice of a cyberbreach we expect people to constantly assess whether that breach is material to investors, and when they determine that it is, make appropriate disclosure promptly."
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba said on Tuesday it invested an additional 5.3 billion yuan, or $807 million, to increase its stake in logistics firm Cainiao Smart Logistics to 51 percent.

Prior to the deal, Alibaba held 47 percent of Cainiao, it said in a press release. The deal would give Alibaba an additional seat on Cainiao's board, raising its total to four out of seven seats.

The deal is expected to be completed in October.

Alibaba added that it expects to invest 100 billion yuan, or $15.2 billion, over the next five years to boost its global logistics network. The company said it wants to fulfill orders on the mainland withing 24 hours and within 72 hours globally.

Credit Suisse acted as Alibaba's financial adviser and Morgan Stanley advised Cainiao, the statement said.
Chobani plans to help seven food and beverage companies challenge their respective industries the way the Greek yogurt maker disrupted the yogurt industry.

In its second year, the Chobani Food Incubator brings companies ranging from young start-ups to more established companies together one week a month for four months. They will participate in workshops and mentoring events with Chobani employees and receive $25,000.

This year's participants are Chloe's Fruit, a company that whips up soft serve and ice pops using only three ingredients; Farmer Willies, which makes gluten-free and less sugary ginger beer; Grainful, which produces frozen entrees and meal kits featuring steel-cut oats; LoveTheWild, which produces frozen fish meals; Pique Tea Crystals, which uses super plants to make tea; saffron product maker Rumi Spice; and Snow Monkey, which makes a plant-based ice cream.

The companies were selected out of more than 550 applicants based on a combination of product quality and mission, including bringing nutritious and affordable food to more people, said Jackie Miller, director of Chobani Food Incubator.

"It was not so long ago that Hamdi [Ulukaya] was in the trenches building Chobani," Miller said of the founder of the yogurt company. "He's very motivated by the idea of paying it forward."

Rachel Geicke and Mariana Ferreira, co-founders of Snow Monkey, said they're on "cloud nine" to be selected. They graduated from Boston University in 2015 and 2016, respectively, and took the homemade plant-based ice cream recipe they created in college to start their business.

So far, their ice cream is available in 200 stores in 12 states, including Whole Foods, Wegmans and small natural grocery chains. They're planning on using the money from Chobani to help them increase production.

More importantly, Geicke said, they're excited to work alongside their role model.

"Even prior knowing about the Chobani incubator, we've always been huge fans of the company," Geicke said. "They've been a role model, and we want to revolutionize the frozen food aisle the way Chobani revolutionized the yogurt aisle."

Chloe Epstein, co-founder of Chloe's Fruit, said she hopes to tap Chobani for tips on taking on Big Food. She and her co-founder created soft serve in 2009 by blending fruit, water and a touch of organic cane sugar. They now operate a flagship store in New York City and sell frozen pops in 10,000 grocery stores across the country.

Despite the company's growth, Epstein said, she wants to learn about marketing from Chobani.

Jacqueline Claudia, founder of LoveTheWild, has similar goals. Her company farms fish and freezes them with sauce that can be cooked in the oven. She said the product is natural and sustainable, but the challenge is shedding the stigma around frozen fish.

"Frankly speaking, that's one of our biggest challenges," Claudia said. "The seafood industry has been training people that you don't go to the freezer aisle for premium fish where fish sticks don't even say a species."

She compared selling people on the idea of quality frozen seafood to selling people on the idea of Greek yogurt. Chobani has done "an incredible job" of building the category, and Claudia wants to to hear any tips the company has.

That is exactly what Chobani is looking for when it selects companies for the incubator.

"There's a lot of innovation and great missions and purposes, and the companies are well-poised to take the advice and expertise we give them," Miller said. "We think we can add real value to them as they grow."

The program starts Tuesday and runs through December.
watch now

Declines in some of the stock market's highest-flying technology stocks may have investors second-guessing, so CNBC's Jim Cramer took to the fundamentals to help explain the drops. For example, recent talk of Apple's iPhone 8 sales being worse than expected has weighed on shares of Apple as well as its suppliers. But Cramer said the worries were overblown, comparing the stock of Apple to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, who inspired the term "GOAT," or "Greatest of All Time." "Apple is GSOAT, the greatest stock of all time. Alright, it's no FANG, GSOAT, but come on, you get it," the "Mad Money" host said. "When you flit in and out of it based on rumors, just like betting against Ali, you'll most likely lose. Hey, you know, Ali had 56 wins, five losses, 37 knock-outs. By my count, Apple's got a much better record." Overall, Cramer attributed the selling in top-performing tech stocks like Apple to mutual and hedge funds wanting to rake in solid quarterly profits, not critical problems at the companies. "Let's ask ourselves, did these high-flying tech stocks get too expensive? You could argue that at various times, like Muhammad Ali, they're going to lose a few rounds. Hey, listen, every stock occasionally gets knocked to the darned canvas," Cramer said. "But then they're going to go back up, because there's no issues that I've been able to find involving the fundamentals."

Off the Charts With A Familiar Name

Eli Lilly production Frederick Florin | AFP | Getty Images

While the market may seem fairly steady, Cramer has noticed some major rotations swaying stocks below the surface as geopolitical tensions grow more strained. "The truth is we're in unfamiliar territory here," the "Mad Money" host said. "While I'm pretty sanguine about the broader market, I can't blame anyone who wants to fall back on some nice, safe, steady-eddy companies with stocks that you can trust." That's why Cramer turned to technician Tim Collins, his colleague at RealMoney.com, to see what could be ahead for old-line pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly , a familiar stock with a solid track record. Eli Lilly's daily chart doesn't exactly make the stock look stable, tracking its journey from July, when it was $84 a share, to mid-August, when it fell to $77. But shares have since climbed back to around $84, a rebound that Collins argues is part of a long term pattern.

VMware Exec Talks The New Hardware Economy

Sanjay Poonen, COO, VMware Scott Mlyn | CNBC

Twenty years ago, the hardware economy was responsible for massive hard drives and clunky PCs. But one VMware executive told CNBC that there's a new iteration at work. As more and more companies turn to cloud-based solutions in order to cut costs and connect with an increasingly digital world, Sanjay Poonen, VMware's chief operating officer of customer operations, said many are embracing a hybrid approach to the new technology. "As you think about companies and their future, they have to decide how much data center capacity they want to use now," Poonen told "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer on Tuesday. "Some people feel they run a data center very well. We can help them modernize it with software, and that's what we do very well. Some of the companies say, 'Listen, I don't want to expand a lot of my data centers. I want to use the new hardware economy.' If you talked about the hardware economy 20 years ago it was Dell , HP , IBM , Fujitsu , Cisco . The new hardware economy is not just those players, but [Amazon Web Services], [Microsoft ] Azure, Google, IBM."

Red Hat CFO: Cloud Transformation

Eric Shander, CFO, Red Hat Scott Mlyn | CNBC

Red Hat CFO Eric Shander offered a similar sentiment to Poonen's in a Tuesday interview with Cramer, where he told the CNBC host that companies are blending cloud capabilities. "Everybody's talking about it being a hybrid cloud world," Shander said. "I can tell you, whether it's on-premise, off-premise, they're looking for optionality, they're looking for multiple cloud providers, they're looking for flexibility." After Red Hat, the leading provider of open-source software for enterprise in the world, issued a strong earnings report that topped Wall Street estimates, Shander highlighted a sea change in the cloud computing space. The CFO said Red Hat has been investing in application development and emerging technologies, which made the software colossus $150 million in the latest fiscal quarter. "Every single industry is transforming," the CFO told Cramer. "And not only that  there is an IT implication related to that. They're looking for agile development and that's where a lot of our technologies are helping enable that."

The Benefit of the Doubt

Finally, Cramer examined Carnival Co rp . The cruise line's earnings withstood the expected harm of a stronger-than-expected hurricane season, and the "Mad Money" host had an idea why. "The most valuable currency in this business isn't dollars. It's not gold. It's not even bitcoin. It's the benefit of the doubt. When the market realizes that a CEO deserves it, their stock tends to catch fire," Cramer said, pointing to Carnival CEO Arnold Donald. "If there's one thing we can bank on, it's that he's not going to be tripped up by some storms, even really bad ones." Cramer pointed to Donald's handling of the Costa Concordia catastrophe, which resulted in 32 deaths, as well as the Zika and Ebola crises. "Donald seems ready for any disaster and he always seems to have a back-up plan," Cramer said. "In fact, Donald raised the low end of his forecast DESPITE the hurricane damage and actually indicated that there was only a 1 percent cancellation rate. People are just lining up to go on these things. In short, the recent weakness? Another chance to buy."

Lightning Round: Flying & Charging
While the market may seem fairly steady, CNBC's Jim Cramer has noticed some major rotations swaying stocks below the surface as geopolitical tensions grow more strained.

"The truth is we're in unfamiliar territory here," the "Mad Money" host said. "While I'm pretty sanguine about the broader market, I can't blame anyone who wants to fall back on some nice, safe, steady-eddy companies with stocks that you can trust."

That's why Cramer turned to technician Tim Collins, his colleague at RealMoney.com, to see what could be ahead for old-line pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly , a familiar stock with a solid track record.

Eli Lilly's daily chart doesn't exactly make the stock look stable, tracking its journey from July, when it was $84 a share, to mid-August, when it fell to $77. But shares have since climbed back to around $84, a rebound that Collins argues is part of a long term pattern.

"Just look at that strong, extremely upward-sloping floor of support underneath," Cramer said, pointing to the green line. Every time Eli Lilly approached that floor in the last month, it swiftly bounced higher.

Collins also noticed the stock's On Balance Volume, a tool that predicts changes in a stock's path by measuring volume flow. Trading volume can help technicians tell when a stock's moves can be trusted by measuring how much the stock is being bought and sold on a given day.

Eli Lilly's On Balance Volume has held above its 13-day moving average, a sign that big institutions are gobbling up shares and driving the stock higher.

This happened in June, but the stock peaked at $84.25. That became a ceiling of resistance, eventually sending the stock down. However, shares of Eli Lilly broke above $84.25 this Monday, triggering a wave of buying and pushing the On Balance Volume line up.

"At these levels, Collins likes that Eli Lilly has two very clear floors of support underneath. It's got one at $84.25 and one at $82.75. Even better, because the stock recently started hitting new highs, it has no real ceiling of resistance," Cramer said.

But Collins said Eli Lilly's weekly chart paints an even better picture.

The pharma giant's stock has been trading in a range of $77 to $85 for most of 2017, testing the bottom and top levels to form a bullish W pattern, which usually suggests shares can go higher.

Collins believes that if Eli Lilly can break out above $85, less than $1 away from where it closed on Tuesday, the stock could climb to $90 or $92 a share by the end of the year, and even $100 a share by Memorial Day.

If the stock can't top the $85 level, Collins suggested waiting for a pullback and buying shares when Eli Lilly is close to its $77 to $79 floor of support.

"Bottom line: the charts, as interpreted by Tim Collins, who's been red-hot, suggest that Eli Lilly could have a lot of upside here, with not as much potential on the way down," Cramer said. "As I've said, I am a huge fan of Lilly the company, and in a chaotic world, you could do a lot worse than this high-quality big pharma company."
Ari Lewis was a high school student in Long Island, New York, when he bought his first bitcoin in 2012. It cost less than $10, he recalls.

This May, as the price of a single bitcoin climbed towards $2,000, Mr Lewis graduated from Ohio's Case Western Reserve University with a business management degree and a new job: co-founder of a small cryptocurrency investment fund called Grasshopper Capital. Eight wealthy people invested a total of $2.2m, lured by the soaring value of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Earlier this month, Mr Lewis was claiming a 90 per cent return between August and the start of September because of extreme short-term volatility. Since then bitcoin has dropped 15 per cent. He said he could not discuss his current returns but reiterated: "We are long-term investors."

According to Mr Lewis, there was not much competition six months ago. "Now . . . it seems like everyone and their mother are starting a fund."

Many of the new cryptocurrency funds that have sprung up call themselves hedge funds, but few have the infrastructure or level of experience to qualify as such, neither have they attracted many sophisticated institutional investors or shown signs they are doing much to hedge their long positions.

UK research outfit Autonomous NEXT has counted 68 crypto hedge funds. Their strategies range from investing in "initial coin offerings"  which raise money by selling investors digital tokens in exchange for cryptocurrencies  to holding bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum and Litecoin.

According to a quarter of the 200 global fund managers surveyed by Bank of America Merrill Lynch recently, bitcoin is also the world's most crowded trade, leaving many vulnerable to a switch in the market.

Vitor Constancio, vice-president of the European Central Bank, last Friday called bitcoin "an instrument of speculation" and said its sharp rise in value was akin to the 17th-century tulip craze.

Yet despite the uncertainty, new fund managers have piled in.

"I feel like we're in those Wells Fargo wagons travelling west," said Zach Hamilton, an early investor in cryptocurrency Ripple. Mr Hamilton opened a long-only hedge fund, General Crypto, to outside money in early 2017. He declined to disclose assets under management, but said the fund was targeting $25m.

Mr Hamilton said he and his California-based partner invest based on the companies behind the cryptocurrencies. "We're trying to strip away all of the speculative value," he said. "I love crashes. That's great for me."

Some funds report returns that any hedge fund manager would dream of. Altana Capital's Digital Currency Fund was up about 413 per cent this year to the end of August.

In comparison, hedge funds of all strategies have returned about 5.5 per cent in the year to the end of August, according to the data provider eVestment.

At the same time, some regulators now have their eye on whether the spiralling value of cryptocurrencies is entering bubble territory. There is also the question of whether swings in these volatile markets leave poorly hedged funds at risk.

China has already banned ICOs and its biggest bitcoin exchanges are closing. UK regulators have raised a warning flag and earlier this month Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, called bitcoin "a fraud".

A few cryptocurrency funds have been backed by institutional investors, lending some credibility to the sector. Polychain Capital, which invests in cryptocurrencies and ICOs, has a $250m hedge fund, according to founder and chief executive Olaf Carlson-Wee. Some of Silicon Valley's best known venture capitalists, including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia, have invested.

Other Silicon Valley names include Meta Stable, a hedge fund originally opened in 2014 and worth $60m in gross assets, according to regulatory filings. It was co-founded by Naval Ravikant, chief executive of start-up website AngelList.

Pantera Capital, an institutional bitcoin investor, set out to raise $100m for an ICO hedge fund earlier this year.

Some of the smaller funds that have emerged cater to family offices and wealthy individuals, and are geographically diverse. Solidus Capital, a crypto hedge fund that holds funds offshore and currently has its headquarters in Mexico City, opened to family offices and high net-worth individuals from the Latin America region in May. It holds six types of cryptocurrency with third-party custodians, but also does some limited margin trading during major macroeconomic events, and plans to offer a vehicle for ICO investment.

Carlos Mosquera Benatuil, a Solidus general partner originally from Venezuela, declined to disclose assets under management, but did say that the passive strategy offered to outside investors had returned some 25 per cent to date.

The founders of BitSpread, a London-based fund with offices in Singapore and San Francisco that runs a market-neutral, arbitrage strategy in bitcoin, began trading their own money in 2014. It returned about 200 per cent over three years, according to chief executive Cedric Jeanson.

Since opening to outside capital on May 9 this year, BitSpread manages about $20m and is up 27 per cent to the end of August, it said. The fund intends to expand from 15 to 25 staff by December, according to Mr Jeanson.

But some of the biggest names in hedge funds remain unconvinced, from Ray Dalio, founder of the world's biggest hedge fund Bridgewater, to legendary hedge fund manager Julian Robertson.

Of bitcoin, Mr Robertson said: "I've never understood it and I don't think I'm going to."

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Chuck Rosenberg, acting head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, will leave effective October 1, NBC News has confirmed.

The New York Times reported, citing law enforcement officials, that Rosenberg had become dismayed with President Donald Trump, believing he has little respect for the law.

A former federal prosecutor and Obama administration holdover, Rosenberg previously served as chief of staff to fired FBI director James Comey.

In a July email obtained by NBC, Rosenberg told his staff that "we have an obligation to speak out when something is wrong."

His email came after Trump made remarks in a speech that seemed to encourage police officers to treat suspects roughly.

Rosenberg wrote in his email that the president's comments "condoned police misconduct." He listed values that he said were central to how law enforcement professionals should behave. Those included "Rule of Law, Respect and Compassion, Service, Devotion, Integrity, [and] Accountability."

 NBC News contributed reporting.
Twitter clarified on Monday why it did not take down a tweet by President Donald Trump which threatened North Korea, saying that it was newsworthy.

Over the weekend, Trump tweeted that North Korea "won't be around much longer." It appeared to amount to a threat. The company's policy says that users "may not make threats of violence or promote violence, including threatening or promoting terrorism."

Trump's tweet was taken as a declaration of war by North Korea. The rogue state's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said: "Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country."

TWEET

The U.S. president is very vocal on Twitter and is often involved in controversies online. Many have wondered why Twitter has not clamped down on tweets that appear to violate the company's policy.

Twitter explained the reasoning. It said that it holds all accounts to the same rules when assessing if tweets violate policy. One of the considerations is "newsworthiness" and if a tweet is of public interest. The company said that it has "long been internal policy" and that it will soon update its public-facing rules to reflect it.

TWEET

The White House has since issued a statement denying that Trump's tweet amounted to a declaration of war.
The abrupt departure of Equifax 's chief executive officer on Tuesday has not dampened the criticism of the company since it disclosed a massive data breach earlier this month.

As in other recent corporate scandals, the departure of Richard Smith was swift if not inevitable. The credit reporting company said he was retiring effective immediately and he wouldn't get a bonus for this year, though he is eligible to walk away with at least $18.4 million in pension benefits.

Some said Tuesday his departure should have happened more quickly. Wells Fargo dispatched its former CEO last year, one month after regulators said thousands of its employees opened millions of fake deposit and credit card accounts to meet aggressive sales goals.

Target 's former CEO held on for four months before leaving in May 2014 in the wake of a major data breach at the retailer in late 2013. But Anthem's CEO did not leave that company after a 2015 data breach that exposed personal information for 79 million people. The second-largest U.S. insurer recently settled with victims of the hack for $115 million, the biggest data breach settlement yet.

What struck people as different about Equifax's situation was the company's bungled response to its crisis. For starters, Equifax waited 40 days from the time it discovered the breach in late July to its public disclosure on Sept. 7.

Waiting 40 days "is pushing it," said Nathan Taylor, a cybersecurity lawyer at Morrison Foerster who has represented big companies in data breaches. Equifax's hack affected as many as 143 million people, including personal identifying information such as Social Security numbers, names and birth dates. That number amounts to more than half the U.S. adult population.

"They had to have known this was going to be an area of focus," added Taylor.

Adding to Equifax's woes, the part of its website devoted to consumers worried about protecting their information was glitchy at first, and there was confusion over Equifax's customer dispute resolution rules. The management appeared slow to react with a cohesive message or customer outreach plan.

"Speaking for everyone on the board, I sincerely apologize," Mark Feidler, the new chairman of Equifax's board, said Tuesday, adding it had formed a special committee to look into the data breach.

Worse, says Yale School of Management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the company appeared to have no clear CEO succession plan. It named Paulino do Rego Barros, the president of its Asia-Pacific region, as interim chief while it conducts a search for a permanent successor. "This is far less a frustration with the frontier of technology but rather just old fashioned missteps and terrible preventative practices," he said.

Even Smith's fate, characterized as retirement, didn't sit well. Smith has been scheduled to testify about the breach in the House and the Senate next week, and his sudden departure made lawmakers react angrily.

"A CEO walking out the door just days before he is to appear before Congress is an abdication of his responsibility," Sen. Brian Schatz said in a statement Tuesday. Equifax's spokeswoman said Smith was still scheduled to make those appearances next week.

The board's move is being interpreted as a way to get out ahead of what is anticipated to be a major grilling by lawmakers. "The new standard with boards now is 'how badly will we look compared to other unnamed CEOs in front of Congress?'" said Michael Peregrine, a corporate governance lawyer at McDermott Will & Emery.

At the very least, Equifax's shares responded positively to the news on Tuesday, in the sense that they turned positive for the first time in a while. The stock has lost 26 percent of its value since the beginning of September. The shares closed Tuesday higher after spending most of the day lower on the Smith retirement news.

Smith, who joined Equifax in 2005 after 22 years as an executive at General Electric, is staying on in an unpaid role to assist the company for 90 days, Equifax said in a securities filing. His total pay for 2016 was $14.9 million, according to the filing, including a $3 million bonus he might have been eligible to get this year as well. The rest of his 2017 compensation won't be decided until the conclusion of an independent review.

"This is akin to an oil tanker spill," Taylor said. "It doesn't matter if the captain had 12 hours of sleep and tons of training, people are going to be watching everything you do."
You often hear about the top-notch employee perks at Facebook: Its headquarters in Menlo Park offers free meals, dry cleaning and even a barber shop.

What you don't often hear about are the contract workers, from bicycle mechanics to cafeteria workers, who keep everything running.

Full-time employees "have free laundry, haircuts, free food at any time, free gym," Maria Gonzalez, a janitor at Facebook, tells The Guardian. "It's not the same for janitors. We just leave with the check."

And despite Facebook's minimum wage of $15, which it established for all of its contractors in 2015, the paychecks don't go far around San Francisco, where the cost of living is 62 percent higher than the U.S. average.

One contractor, Jiovanny Martinez, can't make ends meet with just his wages from the tech giant. The security guard at Facebook also drives Lyft and works as a park ranger to support his family, The Guardian reports.
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open Tuesday as technology stocks looked set to recover from Monday's sell-off.

Nasdaq 100 futures rose and the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rose about 0.4 percent in premarket trading.

Stocks closed lower Monday after a ratcheting up of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and a sharp decline in information technology stocks, which posted their worst day since August 17.

North Korea's Foreign minister said Monday that one tweet from President Donald Trump over the weekend was a declaration of war. Pyongyang said it now had the right to take countermeasures, which could include shooting down U.S. bombers even if they are not in North Korea's air space. The U.S. administration responded saying that such an accusation was "absurd."

On the data front Tuesday, investors will be watching for flash services PMIs (Purchasing Managers' Index) due at 9:45 a.m. ET, new home sales numbers for August out at 10 a.m. ET and consumer confidence levels, also out at 10 a.m. ET.

On the earnings front, Darden Restaurants reported adjusted quarterly earnings that matched estimates, while revenue topped forecasts. Carnival is also scheduled to report ahead of the open, while Nike is set to report after the bell.

In Europe, the pan-European was up 0.07 percent.

Oil traded lower after hitting multi-month highs Monday. U.S. crude oil traded just below $52 a barrel.
intelligence community's assessment is that Iran is in compliance right now with the international nuclear deal.

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The nation's top military officer said Tuesday that despite elevated tensions and threats from Pyongyang, the U.S. has not detected any unusual military activity by North Korea. "While the political space is clearly very charged right now, we haven't seen a change in the posture of North Korean forces," said Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We watch that very carefully." Dunford, speaking at his reappointment hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, also said the U.S. military has "postured our forces to respond in the event of a provocation or a conflict. We also have taken all the proper measures to protect our allies  the South Koreans, the Japanese, the force as well as Americans in the area." The general also agreed with the contention that the primary motivation for North Korea having nuclear weapons is for regime survival. He said a pre-emptive military strike on North Korea, which some have suggested as an option, poses serious risks.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford Tom Williams | CQ Roll Call | Getty Images

"When we do something, we shouldn't assume at that point that we can control escalation. So we need to think about this in terms of what might happen, as well as what we would want to happen." Dunford also said the greater Seoul area, with about 25 million people, is especially vulnerable because of its proximity to North Korea. He also said there are about 250,000 Americans on any given day in the Seoul area who also "would be threatened by the rockets and the missiles along the border." In May, President Donald Trump nominated Dunford to a second two-year term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest-ranking military officer and the principal military advisor to the president, secretary of Defense and National Security Council. President Barack Obama originally appointed Dunford in 2015. Meantime, there's been heated rhetoric recently between North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, and Trump, who last week in an address at the United Nations mocked Kim as "Rocket Man" and said the U.S. could "totally destroy North Korea." Kim responded to Trump by calling him a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard." The hermit regime followed it up by releasing a propaganda video this week showing its missiles attacking a U.S. aircraft carrier and U.S. military planes. Also, North Korea foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, on Monday accused Trump of declaring war against the nation and threatened that the North has the right to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even if they are flying in international airspace. The North's foreign minister previously told reporters the country might detonate a hydrogen weapon in the Pacific. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) asked Dunford about his confidence in the assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency that North Korea will be able to "reliably" reach the U.S. mainland with a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile by the end of 2018. The senator added that the agency had once forecast it wouldn't be until 2020 that the North would have the capability.

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"Whether it's 3 months or 6 months or 18 months, it is soon," Dunford responded. "We ought to conduct ourselves as though it's just a matter of time and a matter of very short time before North Korea has that capability." Dunford also agreed with Inhofe that it's especially difficult to get intelligence on North Korea even with the U.S. military's aerial snooping capabilities. "The North Koreans over time have buried much of their capability underground, which creates new challenges," said the general. "There's also some specific weather challenges in North Korea that limits our collection at various periods of time." Besides satellites, the U.S. uses reconnaissance aircraft to monitor the North Koreans along with other means. However, Dunford indicated that the U.S. military has faced other challenges over time in constantly tracking North Korea because of needs it sometimes has in other hotspots around the globe. "Part of it also has been the competing demand for a limited amount of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance," said the general. "Certainly over the last 18 months, we have increased our collection against North Korea. But for a long period of time we had decreased our collection against North Korea." Dunford also was asked about North Korea perhaps sharing its missile and other military technology with Iran. "We have looked at the nexus quite a bit," said Dunford. "I'm not sure we've seen any transfer of nuclear technology, but we certainly have seen missile technology and a wide range of other weapon systems that they have exported or expertise that they have exported outside of North Korea." The Obama-era Iran nuclear deal and Iran's increased military presence in other countries also came up during the hearing. There's a congressional requirement that the administration provide an assessment to Congress of Iran's compliance with the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) every 90 days. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) asked the general whether it was in America's national security interest to keep the JCPOA. Dunford said it was the intelligence community's assessment that Iran is "in compliance right now. Therefore, we should focus on addressing the other challenges  the missile threat they pose, the maritime threat they pose, the support of proxies, terrorists, and the cyber threat they pose." Even so, the general said he doesn't plan to publicly share the advice he will give to the president on the Iran nuclear deal until Trump has announced a decision. The Trump administration has certified Iran's compliance twice under the law, and the next deadline to provide an assessment is Oct. 15. Trump, who had been sharply critical of the Iran nuclear deal, has indicated he's made his decision on whether Iran is in compliance but hasn't shared it. In his written testimony to the Senate panel, Dunford said Iran hasn't changed its "malign" activities since the 2015 Iran nuclear deal went into effect. However, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) asked the general if Iran had "increased the pace or scope of their malign activities." "I think you can argue that they (Iran) have certainly in Syria," Dunford responded. "It's been relatively consistent in Yemen with regard to their support for the Houthis, and clearly their support for Lebanese Hezbollah has been at a high level for some period of time. And you can argue over the last few months, whether it's related to JCPOA or not, that Iranian activity inside Iraq has certainly increased as they look to the end game in Iraq." Finally, Dunford said if U.S. forces are threatened by Iran "they are both postured and capable of effectively responding."

WATCH: Why Twitter won't take down Trump tweet considered 'declaration of war' by N. Korea
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After the re-election of Germany's Angela Merkel to a fourth-term in power, the hard task of political negotiations to form a coalition government has begun and could take weeks, if not months. Talks are reported to have begun between Merkel's conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the smaller, pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens. Badly wounded in the election, the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) said that it would become the main opposition party and would not join any coalition, even if talks stumble between Merkel's conservative bloc and the smaller parties  which have conflicting views on issues ranging from the environment to European integration. Ralf Stegner, deputy leader of the SPD, reiterated that point to CNBC, saying the "door is closed" on any renewal of the "grand coalition," particularly after his party fared so badly in the election. It gained 20.5 percent of the vote, down from the last election in 2013 when it received 25.7 percent.

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"The door is closed and the voters have spoken," Stegner told CNBC on Monday. "And now I think it's clear that we have to regain strength as the opposition and that's what we want to do." Calling the election result a "black day" for social democracy he said voters "were very clear that we have to go into the opposition." On Monday, Merkel said in a press conference she had heard the SPD's comments on becoming the main opposition rather than a junior partner in a new coalition, but said that "nevertheless, we should remain in contact." With a so-called "Jamaica coalition" (so named because of the party colors involved) looking like the only possibility for Merkel, negotiations could prove tough, especially with the FDP's opposition towards more economic integration in the euro zone. The SPD's Stegner said it was time for the political parties to show what their made of. "Now we have the CDU/CSU, the Greens and Liberals (the FDP). We have four parties that have talked a lot about their ideas for modernizing Germany and now they can show whether they can do that not only in campaigns but in government," he said.

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The only party firmly shut out of any coalition deal is the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, whose anti-immigration and anti-euro stance has attracted many voters but alienated other political parties. Although the AfD has become the third largest party in Germany, garnering 12.6 percent of the vote, it is viewed as politically toxic and no party will make an alliance with it. Whatever the make-up of a coalition government, Merkel is now weaker according to Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and could be less effectual in Europe, particularly against a backdrop of proposals  by French President Emmanuel Macron  for greater economic integration in the euro zone. "The big changes (after the election) are two-fold. First, simply, Merkel is in a much weaker position, even if she makes a coalition with the SDP or 'Jamaica' (the FDP and Greens) either way, she's much more like the Netherlands now with a multi-party coalition, in the German upper house she won't have a majority now, so she's in a much weaker position," Posen told CNBC Tuesday. "Secondly, if the FDP - the so-called Liberals - are part of the coalition we should expect a slightly harder line on Europe in terms of bailouts which means that some of our aspirations for what a Merkel-Macron (French President Emmanuel Macron) engine could have done for Europe are probably reduced in likelihood or in scope." Throughout Tuesday, Germany's main political parties  including the AfD, Greens, SDP and FDP -- are holding meetings and are due to make statements.
Alphabet 's Google unit later this week will make its shopping service a stand-alone business within Google's operations and require it to bid against other sites for ad placement at the top of search results, says a person familiar with the company's plans.

The company will make the change to try and satisfy European antitrust regulators and avoid further fines, said this person, who requested anonymity in exchange for details about the plan. The plan was previously reported by Bloomberg.

The shopping unit would remain part of Google, but would not be integrated with the search business as it is today. The way that shopping ads are displayed may also be slightly redesigned.

In June, EU regulators fined a record 2.4 billion euros ($2.7 billion), the largest doled out by Brussels for a monopoly abuse case, following a seven-year-long investigation.

Regulators claimed that the company abused its search market dominance to give its Google Shopping service an advantage over other retailers.

Google, which makes most of its money from advertising, has argued that the European Commission's theory "just doesn't fit the reality of how most people shop online."

"They reach merchant websites in many different ways: via general search engines, specialist search services, merchant platforms, social media sites, and online ads served by various companies," Kent Walker, Google's general counsel, said in a blog post.



Europe is continuing to investigate two other charges, including whether the Android mobile operating system is being used to promote other Google products at an unfair disadvantage to rivals.

 CNBC's Karen Gilchrist and Reuters contributed to this report.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike waves an Olympic flag while being applauded by Japanese athletes during the Tokyo 2020 flag tour festival for the 2020 Games at Tokyo Metropolitan Plaza in Tokyo, July 24, 2017.

Japanese banks plan to introduce a digital currency ready for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as they respond to the threat from China's Alibaba , which recently launched its mobile-phone payments service in the country.

A consortium of banks, led by Mizuho Financial Group and Japan Post Bank, has won support from the country's central bank and financial regulator to launch the J Coin, an electronic currency to pay for goods and transfer money using smartphones.

The J Coin would be convertible into yen on a one-to-one basis, operating via a smartphone app and using QR codes to be scanned in stores. In return for providing the service for free, the banks would benefit by collecting more data on consumer spending patterns.

"I think this electronic money is quite ahead of [credit and debit] cards, because when you use the cards the shops pay a certain fee," Yasuhiro Sato, president and chief executive officer of Mizuho Financial Group, told the Financial Times.

Meanwhile, MUFG has been developing a blockchain-based alternative called the MUFG coin. However, there have been recent discussions between the top banks about the possibility of MUFG joining the J Coin initiative.

"We are aware of the issue or concept [of J Coin], however, we would like to refrain from answering," said MUFG when asked about the talks. "We want MUFG coin's results and know-how to be used across Japan, including by other banks, but have not decided on what concrete measures to take."

Several big Japanese banks have been lobbying their government and regulators about the danger of Alibaba's Alipay service being launched recently in several cities including Tokyo, which they argue will allow data on Japanese consumers to be sent to China, according to a presentation seen by the FT.

Their plan is to showcase Japan's fintech capability at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when hundreds of thousands of tourists are expected to visit Japan. Mr Sato added that it would work best if all banks worked together on the project. "We shouldn't grab the idea for ourselves, we should have open innovation," he said.

The J Coin is designed to wean the Japanese off their heavy dependency on cash, which accounts for 70 per cent of all transactions by value. That is higher than any developed country, which have on average reduced cash utilisation to only 30 per cent.

"We like cash, because Japan is a very safety-conscious country," said Mr Sato. "But cash is not so productive so we have to change the structure from cash to electronic money."

The banks have privately estimated that the new system could add an extra 10bn to Japan's economy by reducing the costs of handling cash and cutting settlement fees for retailers and consumers. They plan to unveil their J Coin plan in the next few days.

Hironori Kamezawa, chief information officer of MUFG, told last week's FinSum conference in Tokyo that Japanese banks were getting serious about the threat of digital disruption.

"We have a strong sense of urgency and a sense of crisis in the banks of the situation facing us," said Mr Kamezawa, adding that the MUFG coin was being tested by 1,600 of the bank's senior staff. "I use it myself to settle the bill when I go out for a drinks party."

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Oil prices near $60 a barrel could stabilize the energy market and signal for investors to invest and develop petroleum fields, according to a senior executive at a major Iranian state-owned oil company.

Saeid Khoshrou, director of international affairs at the National Iranian Oil Company, told CNBC on Tuesday that low, fluctuating prices in the oil market gave investors the wrong impression.

When oil prices hover near $60, "a lot of investors maybe can invest on developing petroleum fields, but when it's $45 or $40, it's a different story," Khoshrou told CNBC's "Capital Connection."

Brent was trading around $59 a barrel on Tuesday afternoon in Asia trade, while U.S. light crude was around $52.

"I think something around $60 would stabilize the market," he said, adding the price point is "good enough to attract investors to the field, especially in the Middle East, where there are a lot of low cost fields that can easily ... be developed, feed the market (and) meet the requirement in the market."

Iran's energy exports suffered previously under international sanctions imposed amid concerns that it was developing nuclear weapons. Those sanctions were lifted earlier this year, allowing the OPEC producer to export oil to the international energy market.

The lifting of the sanctions, along with Iran's low cost of production and untapped energy reserves, make the country a potentially attractive investment destination. But some experts suggest that many major firms are not ready to commit to Iran deals.

Currently, on average, Iran's cost of production is around $10 per barrel, according to Khoshrou, and he pointed to the ratio between Iran's oil reserves and production capacity as an indication of why the country is a good prospect for oil investors.
Entrepreneur Mark Cuban started with just a few $20 bills in his pocket.

At age 23, he graduated from Indiana University and set off for Texas "with $60, hole in my floorboard, case of oil in the trunk & a floor to sleep on in Dallas," he tweeted in July.

By age 32, the entrepreneur had already earned his first million: He had sold his first company, MicroSolutions, to CompuServe for $6 million.

Less than 10 years later, he sold his second company, Broadcast.com, to Yahoo for $5.6 billion and became a self-made billionaire.

Cuban has some tips for those looking to build wealth, including what not to do. Don't pursue any get-rich quick schemes, he wrote on his blog in 2008: "There are no shortcuts. NONE."
Nike delivered a mixed bag of results on Tuesday, posting strong sales growth in its international geographies, particularly China. But wholesale revenues continued to decline in North America into the fiscal first quarter.

In a competitive retail environment, Nike has been seen as racking up expenses, favoring discounts and heavy spending to grow its direct-to-consumer business.

Nike said on Tuesday, though, that it's been working to cut costs, reporting that selling, general and administrative expenses fell 1 percent, to $2.9 billion, in the first quarter.

The athletic footwear and apparel retailer's stock was falling more than 3 percent after market close on the news. Shares had initially climbed near 3 percent.

Here's what Nike reported, compared to what Wall Street was expecting, based on a Thomson Reuters survey of analysts:

Earnings of 57 cents a share, excluding items, compared with a forecast profit of 48 cents per share.

Revenue was $9.07 billion, versus an estimate of $9.08 billion.

"This quarter, we captured near-term opportunities through our new Consumer Direct Offense," CEO Mark Parker said in a statement.

"Looking ahead to the rest of fiscal 2018, we will ignite NIKE's next horizon of global growth through the strength of our brand, the power of our innovative products and the most personal, digitally-connected experiences in our industry," Parker added.

Nike's first-quarter net income fell to $950 million, or 57 cents per share, from $1.25 billion, or 73 cents per share, one year ago. The 24 percent drop in quarterly profit could be attributed to gross margin decline, a higher effective tax rate and other expenses, Nike said.

Excluding certain items, Nike earned 57 cents a share, topping analysts' estimate of 48 cents per share, according to a Thomson Reuters survey.

Total revenue was $9.07 billion, about flat when compared to the same period last year.

Revenue for the Nike brand was $8.6 billion, up 2 percent on a currency-neutral basis, while sales for Converse were $483 million, down 16 percent and driven lower by declines in North America, the company said.

Nike added that it repurchased a total of 15.3 million shares for about $849 million during the first quarter, part of its four-year, $12 billion buyback program, which was approved in 2015.

As of Aug. 31, 2017, Nike has repurchased 95 million shares under the program, for $5.3 billion. A lower average share count this quarter helped the company offset other expenses, Nike explained.

Looking to its product categories, Nike saw the highest sales, or $5.5 billion, in footwear. Nike's apparel revenue came in at $2.7 billion for the quarter, while equipment revenue was $420 million.

In June, Nike revealed plans to cut about 2 percent of its global workforce, also trimming its geography segments from six to four: North America; Europe, Middle East and Africa; Greater China; and Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

Nike's Greater China segment in the first quarter brought $1.1 billion in sales, up 9 percent from a year ago. North America sales came in at $3.9 billion, down 3 percent and weighing on Nike's overall results.

"The decrease in revenue was a function of short-term promotional headwinds in the broader marketplace," CEO Parker said on the company's earnings conference call about Nike's domestic sales.

Nike's Asia Pacific & Latin America revenue rose 5 percent, while Europe, Middle East & Africa sales were up 4 percent for the quarter.
During the past few months, many clients have asked how we feel about the market risk related to the launch of missiles by North Korea. This question and similar ones about geopolitics have become more common than at any time since the financial crisis. Therefore, it seems useful to articulate our approach to the risk embedded in macro and geopolitical incidents.

While the number of major economic, geopolitical, or environmental events that occur today of the scale which rattle world markets may not be greater than the past, one factor is definitely true: we are more geo-centric as a society. The dissemination of information on each phenomenon, whether it's a coup, earthquake, hurricane, terrorist attack, currency collapse or deadly virus, is both immediate and ubiquitous thanks to the internet and social media.

Disturbing images of world events capture much more of our consciousness today, since they are virtually unavoidable. While it would seem obvious that this "mind-share grab" alone would affect trading patterns, sentiment and confidence, we, amazingly, have not seen an overall increase in downward moves following disastrous or alarming situations.

One way to think about the stock market is as an open forum of thousands of buyers and sellers who collectively set the price for each stock as the present value of the stream of expected future earnings. This process incorporates all the risks that these multitudes of traders perceive.

After 9/11 some investors believed that the market began to embed a new "terrorism" discount to all financial assets, due to this previously unrecognized risk. Since 2001, we have witnessed a steady stream of both terrorist attacks and natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes) across the globe. If the market adjusts to each new reality, it is reasonable to assume that its discounting methodology now includes a broader range of external dangers.

If we look at some cases of the market response to "crises" over the past several years, one sees how the selloffs are followed by returns to prior levels. As an example, following the two recent missile launches by North Korea, the S&P 500 dropped only 2 percent, and recovered almost immediately.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancelor Angela Merkel during a press conference at Elysee Palace on August 28, 2017 in Paris, France.

The unexpectedly strong showing of a far right, anti-immigrant, anti-euro party in Germany's election on Sunday could exert a widely damaging impact on Europe's economy, analysts told CNBC.

The European Union is pursuing reforms aimed at expanding economic and monetary integration and strengthening defense, in an effort led by French President Emmanuel Macron. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was widely viewed as partnering his efforts.

However, the two leaders' plans have been handed a blow by Merkel's unconvincing win at Sunday's election, according to Mark McFarland, chief Asia economist at Union Bancaire Privee, a Swiss private bank.

"I think what you've got now as a result of the election is the likelihood [Merkel] doesn't survive four years," McFarland told CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Tuesday, referring to the chancellor's election term.

Furthermore, Merkel will find it increasingly difficult to implement consistent policies as "she is ultimately answering to a broader coalition of political opinion, and she has the opposition harking at her in the Bundestag on a regular basis," he added.

Ultimately, those factors would undermine Germany and France's vision for the euro zone project, McFarland said.

Sunday's election saw a surge in voter support for the Alternative for Germany party , which openly opposes immigration and participation in the euro zone. Votes for the AfD increased 7.9 percentage points from the previous election in 2013 to reach 13.3 percent of the total  the largest rise among all of the country's political parties.

The strong showing means that a populist, far-right party will enter Germany's parliament for the first time in around 70 years.
Corporate America is willing to invest money on a longer-term basis under President Donald Trump than the previous "anti-business administration" of Barack Obama, real estate mogul Sam Zell told CNBC on Tuesday.

"Bluntly, the only way I can square anything is I focus on what gets done, not what's said," the billionaire said on "Squawk Box." "On a measure of what's gotten done, I believe there's been very significant change since Trump was elected in November, and change that is positive."

Zell points to deregulation and promises of tax cuts and massive infrastructure spending as major positives for business.

"Just think that all of a sudden there are no industries that are pinata[s] of the president," Zell said, referring as an example to what he called Obama's campaign against fossil fuels.

While specializing in real estate, Zell said his Equity Group Investments has branched out to energy and health care. Since Trump was elected president, he said EGI has purchased refineries and hospitals. Zell started the private investment firm more than 45 years ago. He also chairs five NYSE-listed companies.

In a CNBC appearance in May, he called himself a former Democrat, saying he's more of a Republican lately  conservative on fiscal matters but liberal on social issues.

"I'm more optimistic than I was six months ago. But I'm not ready to party," Zell told CNBC on Tuesday, adding the current business environment is not one of buy anything and win. Investors need to pick carefully, he added.

While warning the economy may be getting "long in the tooth," Zell said continued improvement in underlying economic growth continues to "surprise" him.
Senate Banking Committee member Bob Corker warned on Tuesday that people should be careful about how they handle emails that reference Equifax following its massive data breach.

"All I know is I'm not responding any emails that I get from Equifax, worried that I'm going to be phished and all my data is going to be stolen," the Tennessee Republican said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "I've told my entire family, please do not respond to anything that has Equifax on it."

The senator spoke as Equifax shares were halted in premarket trading pending an announcement. The company later said its CEO, Richard Smith, had "retired."

Smith is scheduled to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Oct. 4.

Corker declined to discuss issues directly related to the breach of data for up to 143 million people.

The stock has suffered since the credit reporting company revealed the hack on Sept. 7, nearly six weeks after it discovered the intrusion.

Since the breach was announced, two other top executives have retired.
The Senate will not hold a vote this week on the crippled Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, GOP lawmakers said Tuesday, kicking the issue into possibly next year, or even later.

The decision came a day after Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, effectively doomed the so-called Graham-Cassidy bill to defeat by saying she would join two other GOP lawmakers in voting against it. Republican leaders could only afford two defections if the bill was to pass.

The move to table the legislation is the latest in a series of embarrassments for Republican leaders. They have repeatedly failed to convince enough members of their own party to support a repeal bill, despite the GOP long promising passage of such legislation to voters.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a lead sponsor of the bill, said the Senate would revisit his legislation after it tries to pass tax reform legislation.

"We're gonna come back to this after taxes," Graham said at a news conference.

Graham tried to put a brave face on the move, saying his bill offered a much better alternative to what he called the failure of Obamacare.

"It's not a matter of if, only a matter of when," Graham said. "We're on a path to pass Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson."

But he also acknowledged that the rush in the past several weeks to pass his bill, without a traditional series of committee hearings on its details, may have played a role in its failure so far.

"With a process that gives more attention and time, we will repeal and replace Obamacare with a block grant [bill] called Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson," Graham said, referring to the funding structure of the legislation.

"We're going to have time to explain our concept, we'll have a better process, and we're going to take this show on the road."
German industrial group Siemens is likely to decide on Tuesday to pursue a multibillion-dollar rail merger with French rival Alstom rather than Canada's Bombardier , two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The three major train and rail technology groups active in Europe have been looking at combining their businesses as larger Chinese state-backed rival CRRC embarks on a global expansion drive.

"I think Alstom will make it," one of the people said on Monday. The second person said Siemens' supervisory board would decide the matter on Tuesday, also describing Alstom as the front-runner.

Siemens, Alstom and Bombardier declined to comment.

Siemens and Alstom are strong in high-speed intercity trains with their ICE and TGV models. Siemens is also the leader in signalling technology, while Bombardier - whose transportation headquarters are in Berlin - is stronger in commuter and light-rail trains.

The Franco-German deal would come just as plans by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron for closer integration may be undermined by Merkel's weak showing in Sunday's national election.

It would also represent a reconciliation of sorts between Siemens and Alstom, which snubbed the German company in 2014 to sell its energy division to General Electric in a deal that also saw Paris take a 20 percent stake in

Alstom, under a temporary agreement with construction group Bouygues .

Siemens Mobility is expected to be merged into Alstom, in which Siemens would hold 50 percent plus one share, while the chief executive would be Alstom's current boss Henri-Poupart Lafarge.
A man consults his mobile phone in the Rwandan capital of Kigali.

While China snakes its influence in technology across the African continent, one of its smaller neighbors has also been making inroads in countries far from home. South Korea, one of the Far East's technological powerhouses, claims to have a stronghold in the central African country of Rwanda. The unlikely story begins with KT Corporation (KT), a South Korean telecoms giant, which started helping to form the backbone to Rwanda's communications infrastructure a decade ago. The state-owned company currently builds and operates ICT services in Rwanda's public and private markets, and provides a 4G service in partnership with the Rwandan government.

Surprising common ground

Korea re-opened its embassy in the Rwandan capital of Kigali in 2011 after closure due to conflict. "Surprisingly there is a great deal of common ground between the two countries," Lee Dong Ku, deputy chief of mission at the Korean embassy in Rwanda, told CNBC. South Korea shares a common geography and history with Rwanda which sets the relationship apart from other international players. For starters, both countries are small and mountainous with few natural resources, which in turn means a greater focus on innovation.

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South Korea and Rwanda have also both suffered under colonial rule and experienced devastating conflict following independence: the Korean war of the early 1950s and Rwanda's 1994 genocide against the Tutsi tribe. "This shared experience in modern history strikes a chord with Korean people," Lee said. Rwandans in turn look towards South Korea's "quick recovery from conflict," and "fast-paced socio-economic development," Claudette Irere, director general for ICT at Rwanda's Ministry of Youth and ICT, told CNBC. According to a profile of Rwanda's ICT sector released in December 2015, the field recorded an average growth that year of 16 percent, steaming ahead of the rest of the economy which grew at 6.9 percent. In 2015, the ICT sector contributed 3 percent to the country's gross domestic product.

Ambitious future plans

Rwanda is ambitious in its development of technology, a key tenet of its Vision 2020 plan launched at the turn of the century to transition the country towards a middle income economy. The Rwandan government has laid at least 4,500 km of fiber optic cable to bring broadband across the country, and aims to produce 100 ICT companies valued at more than $50 million each by 2030.

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KT told CNBC that Rwanda is a favorable business environment not least for its promotion of ICT but also its "stabilized government and economic environment" with a low corruption rate in comparison to other African nations. KT added that it hopes that its base in Rwanda will "act as a regional hub in Pan-Africa business" as the company expands in the region "based on Rwanda's successful case." South Korea is not the only international player in the Rwanda's technology space, with other foreign investors including India, Japan and South Africa. But according to Irere, South Korean firms are among the top five telecom companies currently in operation and the country is the biggest player in Rwanda's cloud services space.

Then-South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak (R) shakes hands with Rwandan President Paul Kagame (L) during a meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on May 31, 2008.
MIGUEL RIOPA | AFP | Getty Images

Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington D.C. Tuesday, leaving behind a growing dispute in the streets of Catalonia. Rajoy arrived in the United States Monday for a visit aimed at deepening ties with a country that is "a friend and an ally" of Spain. However, the timing might not be the best given the growing division between Spaniards ahead of a referendum on Catalonia's independence due Sunday. "There's a feeling among the Spanish public that President Trump is averse to Latinos and the Spanish language," Charles Powell, director for the Elcano Institute, a think-tank based in Madrid, told CNBC over the phone.

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Shortly after taking office, Trump ordered to take down the Spanish-language version of the White House website. Trump has also vowed to build a wall in the Mexican border  something that Spaniards seem to disapprove of. Data collected from the Pew Research Center last July showed that Trump's approval ratings in Spain are quite low, and similar to those given to former President George W. Bush when he left office. The latter had been seriously criticized for his foreign policy decisions, including the war in Iraq. By contrast, Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, was very popular among Spaniards. Tweet 1 According to Powell, during their joint-press conference, Rajoy and Trump will likely promise to further coordinate the fight against terrorism and there's the possibility that Trump might comment on the situation in Catalonia. The Spanish region aims to carry out an independence referendum Sunday, but the national government believes that this goes against the constitution and it is therefore illegal. The issue is not new with Catalonia calling for a clear break from the rest of Spain since 2012. "So far, Rajoy's strategy of fully relying on legal means to stop the vote seems to be working, with the Catalan police collaborating with national police forces in their actions against the referendum," Antonio Barroso, deputy director of research at Teneo Intelligence said in a note last week.

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"Many decades of economic decline for the bulk of America's rural states can't be reversed by Obamacare, Medicaid expansions, or anything short of a more sweeping economic revolution in America."

Another likely "no" vote now is Alaska's Senator Lisa Murkowski, just like when she voted against the Obamacare replacement bills earlier this year. Even though Maine and Alaska are literally on opposite sides of the continent, they share extremely similar economic woes. Medicaid is also a major lifeline in Alaska. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 32 percent of all children in Alaska are covered by Medicaid, and nearly a third of all federal funds Alaska receives are for Medicaid.

But again, this isn't only because of health costs. It's about the poverty that comes with states like Alaska and Maine that are dominated by rural territory. The U.S. Census Bureau says Maine is the most rural state in America. And Alaska is close behind with 59 percent of Alaskans living in rural areas where the economy has not kept up with the relative strength of urban areas. Rural Americans are much more likely to be disabled, which many believe is not a result of health issues but a lack of economic opportunity as people who are discouraged in their search for work are more likely to file for federal disability benefits.

The ACA's Medicaid expansion has left the country with a whopping 74.5 million Americans currently on Medicaid, according to the latest government reports. That's almost double the 39 million Americans who were on Medicaid just as recently as 2007. And it's a lot of constituents all over the country who now serve as a virtual line of defense for Obamacare. In states where those poorer Americans are counterbalanced by richer residents, their senators can afford to cast votes that would wipe out large parts of the Medicaid expansion or risk transferring the added Medicaid funding to block grants to the states.

That's not the case in states like Maine and Alaska where the rural poor populations dominate the scene, even Republican senators simply don't want to take that chance. Collins and Murkowski aren't going to join in any vote to rescind or cut that aid without a lot of solid cash coming from somewhere else to make up for it. We know the Republicans are trying to do just that by sweetening the Graham-Cassidy's bill's items for states like Maine and Alaska. But for elected leaders who need to get re-elected, the existing bird of the ACA's Medicaid expansion is probably worth two future congressional promises in the bush.

You could throw Kentucky in the same basket as Maine and Alaska, because that state is heavily rural and has 28 percent of its population on Medicaid. But Republican Senator Rand Paul says his reasons for opposing Graham-Cassidy are based on his strong libertarian beliefs and the fact that he says the bill doesn't live up to them. Either that's true, or Senator Paul is finding an ideological excuse to hide the fact that his intentions are exactly the same as Collins' and Murkowski's.

Of course large states like California and New York have a lot more total people on Medicaid and every other form of public assistance. But they also have a lot of wealthy and upper middle class residents and varied economies with heavy industry, financial services, and high tech firms represented all over their states. Yet as big as they are, those states don't get to send their senators to D.C. with any more inherent power than senators like Collins and Murkowski from two tiny states with a combined population smaller than Brooklyn.

So how do we fix this?

Many decades of economic decline for the bulk of America's rural states can't be reversed by Obamacare, Medicaid expansions, or anything short of a more sweeping economic revolution in America. But there are ways to get some economic progress for states like Maine and Alaska through better health care and health coverage policies.

Those ideas include:

1) Tax breaks for rural area health care

One way to ease health care costs for the poor in rural areas and boost their employment opportunities is to make all out-of-pocket health care expenses spent in designated rural areas 100 percent tax deductible with no maximums for all but the richest 1 percent of American customers. That should attract lots of new clinics and even hospitals to rural areas where the need for more health care choices is already a problem regardless of cost. And with those new clinics and hospitals would come a lot of new job opportunities in everything from construction to support staff.

2) Move more government offices to rural areas

Ever wonder why the massive Department of Agriculture is headquartered in the decidedly non-agricultural bastion of downtown Washington, D.C.? What about the Energy Department and the EPA? You get the point. It's past time to move so many of the government offices and jobs meant to service rural America to... rural America. Not only will this improve the local job picture in those areas, but it would probably save taxpayers money on all those trips some of these D.C-based government workers take out into the field.

3) Regulation relief

States like Maine and Alaska are burdened with the high cost of meeting federal environmental and educational requirements and other unfunded federal mandates. No one is saying the states should be allowed to welcome polluters or drastically reduce education requirements. But it's the height of Washington arrogance to believe that's exactly what would happen if it weren't for the wiser heads of D.C. taking control. As long as Washington takes more and more power from the states, the more the states will seek handouts like the Medicaid expansion in return.

Obviously, there's a lot more that needs to be done to lift up the Maines and Alaskas of this country. But these are the kinds of policies that could actually lead to self-sustaining growth. Health care costs and the entire Obamacare repeal debate are just sideshows in poorer parts of this country that need an entire economic makeover, not an insurance battle.

We can either enact those kinds of sweeping policy changes for these states or forever doom them to serious poverty and addiction to D.C. handouts.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
A "disappointed" President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted several "so-called Republicans" whose opposition to a controversial Obamacare repeal bill likely dealt it a fatal blow.

Trump's comments came shortly before Republican senators were set to begin a lunch where they are expected to decide whether to proceed with a vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill, despite expectations it would fail.

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"We don't know why they did it," Trump said of the trio of senators, Susan Collins of Maine, John McCain of Arizona and Kentucky's Rand Paul, who have said they will vote "no" on Graham-Cassidy.

"We are disappointed in certain so-called Republicans."

But Trump also promised: "At some point there will be a repeal-and-replace" bill that he could sign into law.

Republicans hold 52 seats in the 100-member Senate and would need at least 50 GOP senators to vote for the bill for it to pass, assuming a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence.

The deadline for passing the bill is Saturday.

After that, the budget reconciliation measure being used to fast-track the bill  and pass it with only a simple majority instead of the normal 60-vote minimum  will expire.

Monday's announcement by Collins that she would be the third GOP senator to buck party leaders on the bill was just the latest in a series of embarrassing failures by Republican leaders in their efforts to pass Obamacare repeal legislation.

It would be unusual for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to hold a vote on a bill that his party was backing but is fated to lose.

However, it is possible that some GOP senators who support the bill will want the opportunity to publicly vote "yes" on the legislation to show constituents their commitment to repeal.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told MSNBC on Tuesday that she did not believe McConnell would call for a vote.

Murkowski, whose vote against a prior Obamacare repeal bill in July helped kill it, would not say how she would vote on Graham-Cassidy if a vote occurred.

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Collins' announcement that she would oppose the bill came right after the Congressional Budget Office said that Graham-Cassidy, if it became law, would lead to millions more people who currently have health insurance becoming uninsured.

The CBO also said that the bill would slash spending on Medicaid  the joint federal-state program that offers health coverage to primarily poor people  by a whopping $1 trillion.

"The CBO's analysis on the earlier version of the bill, incomplete though it is due to time constraints, confirms that this bill will have a substantially negative impact on the number of people covered by insurance," Collins said Monday.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his administration's handling of disaster recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, a week after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria.

"We are literally unloading water and supplies on an hourly basis, and we're going to be deploying navy ships," Trump said during a joint news conference with Mariano Rajoy, the visiting president of the government of Spain.

"As we speak, FEMA, our great first responders, and all available federal resources, including the military, are being marshaled to save lives, protect families and begin a long and very, very difficult restoration process," Trump said.

He also pointed to comments from Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rossello, praising the administration's response.

"Rossello just told me this morning, the entire federal workforce is doing great work in Puerto Rico. And I appreciated his saying it. And he's saying it to anybody that will listen," Trump said.

Earlier in the day, the president announced that he will visit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Oct.3, two weeks after the Category 5 storm left nearly all of Puerto Rico without power or radio communications.

The Trump administration has faced growing criticism for the pace of its response.

"The Trump administration's response to the destruction in Puerto Rico has been wholly inadequate," Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said in a recent statement. "A territory of 3.5 million American citizens is almost completely without power, water, food, and telephone service, and we have a handful of helicopters involved in DOD's response. It's a disgrace."

Officials on the U.S. commonwealth have warned that the island faces an impending "humanitarian crisis" unless more supplies and rescue workers are deployed.
Having Trump's full backing will be crucial for Republican lawmakers in the coming months as they move beyond the broad brushstrokes of a plan and start negotiating difficult details, such as ways to raise revenue and which popular deductions to eliminate. The White House and House GOP leadership have insisted the new deadline for getting tax reform done is the end of the year.

"The Republican failure so far on health care makes it more difficult for Republicans in Congress to screw up tax reform," the person recalled Trump saying. "He talked about health care a fair amount, but he was most animated by tax cuts, tax reform."

But on tax reform, several people who have spoken with Trump say the real estate mogul-turned president is deeply engaged. One person who dined with the president at the White House on Monday said he lit up when the conversation turned from the flailing Graham-Cassidy health-care bill to the path forward for taxes.

Trump has been an uncertain partner in advancing the GOP leadership's legislative agenda at times. He called one version of the Republican health care bill "mean;" stunned lawmakers  and his own Cabinet  by cutting a deal with Democrats to raise the nation's debt limit; and expressed sympathy for the undocumented children of illegal immigrants.

President Donald Trump supports the framework for tax reform that the so-called Big Six will unveil Wednesday, according to two senior administration officials, cementing Republicans' pivot to tax reform following the demise of the health-care bill.

Senior administration officials said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Director Gary Cohn met with Trump on Monday to discuss the details of the tax framework. Trump has pushed for lower rates for corporations and so-called pass-through businesses, saying as recently as Sunday that he would prefer a 15 percent corporate rate.

The Big Six framework is expected to outline a 20 percent rate instead, according to several people briefed on the plan. The White House had also called for a 15 percent rate for pass-throughs; the plan will likely end up at 25 percent, two people familiar with the contents said.

Trump is slated to deliver a speech on tax reform in Indiana on Wednesday and is expected to argue that reforming the tax code is essential to delivering on the populist message that drove his campaign. The administration is framing tax cuts for businesses as essential for encouraging companies to bring money back from overseas  and ensuring that they stay in America in the first place. They will also argue that big reductions to the business tax code will result in more jobs and higher wages for workers.

"If we do this, we will create millions of new jobs for our people, and bring many, many businesses back to our shores," Trump said Tuesday before a meeting with members of the House tax-writing committee. "We won't see companies leaving our country, firing their people, and going and then selling their product, by the way, back into our country with no tax and no retribution. That will all stop."

The president also previewed a few key details of the tax framework, which he said would include doubling the standard deduction that households are allowed to take, as well as expanding the child tax credit.

According to an Axios report, the plan will raise the bottom tax rate for low-income households from 10 percent to 12 percent, as proposed by House GOP leadership. However, doubling the standard deduction could offset that change  and potentially eliminate the tax burden for some households. The White House is planning to pitch the measure as a "zero tax rate" on low-income families.

Trump will also continue pressuring vulnerable red-state Democrats to get on board with tax reform. Indiana's Democratic senator, Joe Donnelly, will travel with the president for Wednesday's speech. Donnelly was also in Indiana last week for Vice President Mike Pence's address on tax reform.

Donnelly has introduced a bill that he says will penalize companies that outsource jobs. He said he has discussed the effort with both Trump and Pence.

"I believe tax reform should include policies that will benefit working and middle-class families, create new jobs, and protect existing jobs," Donnelly said, in a Tuesday statement. "I'm pleased the president has been supportive of my proposal to address the outsourcing of American jobs, and I am hopeful that any tax reform proposal includes measures that support American workers as well as the middle class and encourage domestic investments."
Twitter is experimenting with doubling the length of a tweet from 140 characters to 280 characters.

The company wrote in a blog post on Tuesday it was rolling out 280-character limit tweets to "a small group" of users who tweet in languages that may have had issues with trying to fit everything they want to say.

"We understand since many of you have been Tweeting for years, there may be an emotional attachment to 140 characters  we felt it, too," Twitter product manager Aliza Rosen wrote. "But we tried this, saw the power of what it will do, and fell in love with this new, still brief, constraint."

Shares of Twitter rose more than 1 percent in extended trading following the news, after declining more than 2 percent during the regular session.

Japanese, Korean and Chinese are excluded from the expanded tweets because the characters allow people to say a lot more with fewer characters. For example, Twitter saw that only 0.4 percent of Japanese character tweets have 140 characters, but 9 percent of all English letter tweets use the entire space. The average Japanese character tweet is 15 characters, but English writers use 34.

"Our research shows us that the character limit is a major cause of frustration for people Tweeting in English, but it is not for those Tweeting in Japanese," Rosen said. "Also, in all markets, when people don't have to cram their thoughts into 140 characters and actually have some to spare, we see more people Tweeting  which is awesome!"

Twitter did not answer whether President Donald Trump will be given access to the longer tweets, but said the feature is going out to a "random sample," so it's certainly possible.

A tweet from CEO Jack Dorsey shows what the new character limit looks like.

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Uber is announcing a few notable changes today, starting with a new feature that allows drivers to offer an additional layer of feedback to unruly riders. Working off the assumption that no one likes IRL confrontation, drivers can now choose from a preselected list of reasons to explain why they rated a passenger as less than five stars. So the next time you take too long getting in the car, or you have a loud phone conversation in the back seat, you'll be hearing about it from your Uber driver.

The update will ask drivers "what went wrong" if they select a four-star rating or less. They can then choose from a list of reasons: "wait time," "patience," "number of riders," "attitude," "wanted new route," or "other." If a rider gets the same "tag" twice within 30 days, a notification will appear when they open the Uber app to let them know that their behavior is affecting their rating.

According to Uber, drivers often complain that poor rider behavior can be a major cause of stress, especially during UberPool trips. Drivers have always been able to rate riders after the trip, but now they will be able to leave specific feedback that Uber can then surface to riders so they can improve their rating. Whether riders take the criticism to heart or dismiss it as patronizing, though, remains to be seen.

Oh, the irony

The irony, of course, is that Uber is announcing this new feature at a time when its own reputation has suffered from series of damaging, self-inflicted controversies and scandals. A cascading series of reports of a toxic workplace, hostility toward its female employees, secret programs to evade the authorities, and more have served to blunt the startup's momentum. The company's new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, was forced to publicly apologize for Uber's many transgressions after London officials declined to renew the company's license to operate in that city.

More from The Verge:

Dubai starts testing crewless two-person flying taxis

Porsche just made a 680-horsepower plug-in hybrid wagon

BMW is set to offer a pad to wirelessly charge your car

These changes are part of the company's overall "180 days of change" apology tour that it hopes will help shore up its relations to its drivers and riders. (Previous announcements have included a tipping option for drivers and more freedom to decline trips.) Uber sent an email outlining the changes to drivers today, signed by Uber's general manager for the US and Canada, Rachel Holt, and head of driver experience, Aaron Schildkrout.

Most of the changes announced today relate to UberPool, a service that's seen by many at Uber as core to the company's mission of improved transportation, but has been plagued by poor feedback from riders and drivers. Riders are lured in by cheaper fares, only to become aggravated by frequent detours to pick up new passengers. Drivers complain that UberPool often means more work without necessarily more pay.

An additional flat fare for each added passenger

To help sweeten the load for drivers, Uber will now offer an additional flat fare for each added passenger they pick up during an UberPool trip. Uber says it will be shouldering a meaningful portion of the added cost of these trips through a reduction of the service fee the company applies to each trip. Still, the upfront fare a rider receives on an UberPool trip will be the fare he or she pays, regardless of whether there are additional pickups or not. The pickup fare will range from $0.50 (in Miami) to $1.00 (in San Francisco), depending on the city. Assumedly, this is because the demand for UberPool is higher in San Francisco than Miami.

Uber is also rolling out a feature that it's been testing in select cities to improve routing for UberPool trips. Previously, the app would direct drivers to take expressways and other routes that were perceived to be faster, despite an increased number of turns. Now drivers will be directed to more direct routes with "20 percent fewer turns," Uber says. Also, riders will be prompted to walk to the closest corner or intersection for more convenient pickups, to further reduce the number of turns drivers have to take.

The same goes for drop-offs, where UberPool riders are being let out at a proximate corner rather than the exact address of their destination. Uber calls it "dynamic drop-offs," but the result is pretty plain. If you want those cheaper carpool fares, you're going to have to be cool with a lot more walking.
North Korea appears to have boosted defenses on its east coast, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said, after the North said U.S. President Donald Trump's tweet had declared war and that it would shoot down U.S. bombers flying near the peninsula. (Reuters)



*Why Twitter won't take down Trump's North Korea tweet (CNBC)

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, revealed she will vote against the Graham-Cassidy bill that would repeal and replace major parts of Obamacare, likely dooming Republican efforts to get rid of that health-care law. The non-partisan CBO said the Graham-Cassidy bill would leave "millions" more uninsured. (CNBC)



*Last-ditch Obamacare repeal could kill more than 500,000 jobs, cost $240 billion in lost economic activity: S&P (CNBC)

*Cramer rips Trump and Congress for dropping the ball on tax reform (CNBC's Mad Money)

Republicans plan to release an outline of their tax-reform plan tomorrow, offering some of the first concrete details of a proposal they hope can accelerate American economic growth. Six top White House officials and lawmakers have led the GOP proposal to overhaul the U.S. tax system. (CNBC)

The Supreme Court signaled it may dismiss a challenge to Trump's controversial travel ban after the White House announced tailored restrictions on eight countries that legal experts said stand a better chance at holding up in court. (Reuters)

The U.S. ramped up its response to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, even as Trump brought up the island's struggles before Hurricane Maria struck  including "billions of dollars" in debt to "Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with." (AP)



*Hurricane Maria caused as much as $85 Billion in insured losses: AIR Worldwide (WSJ)

White House aides regularly used personal devices for official business, while at least six close advisers to Trump occasionally used private email addresses, both Politico and the New York Times reported on Monday, citing sources.

The SEC chairman will face questions from Congress today after the agency acknowledged that it was a hack victim. Jay Clayton, who has been at the head of the SEC since May, is not likely to face calls for his removal since the breach happened a year ago before he was sworn in. (AP)



*SEC hackers accessed authentic data used by companies in tests: Sources (Reuters)

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told China there was a need for it to "guarantee fair and reciprocal treatment for U.S. firms," during a visit to Beijing, where he tried to strike an upbeat tone amid trade tensions between the two countries.

The Facebook ads that Russian operatives purchased to try to influence U.S. voters during the 2016 election highlighted the Black Lives Matter movement and other hot-button issues, said a person familiar with the situation. (CNBC)



*Facebook's stock just had its worst day since November (CNBC)

In today's GOP Senate runoff, bombastic conservative Christian candidate Roy Moore faces the appointed, business-backed incumbent Sen. Luther Strange. Despite Strange's support from the Chamber of Commerce, GOP Senate leaders and President Trump, Moore has consistently led in the polls. (CNBC)

Walt Disney is testing the first major redesign of its retail stores in seven years, adding interactive experiences and live streams of theme park parades to lure consumers tempted by online shopping. It's launching a new shopping website. (Reuters)

Amazon's (AMZN) Alexa digital assistant will be integrated with its Amazon Music service as of today on both iOS and Android. Earlier this year Alexa surpassed mobile as the No. 1 way Amazon Music users listen. (WSJ)
U.S. government debt prices were lower Tuesday morning but moved little after investors heard from the U.S. Fed chair Janet Yellen.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury notes , which moves inversely to price, was higher at around 2.237 percent, and the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was higher at 2.779 percent.

The Federal Reserve may have overstated the strength of the labor market and the rate of inflation, leading to monetary policy ahead that will be easier than previously thought, Yellen said Tuesday. The market was barely changed after Yellen's speech.

"She seems to be a lot more cautious than" after the FOMC meeting, said Ian Lyngen, head of U.S. rate strategy at BMO. Lyngen had seen a turn in the equity market while awaiting Yellen's speech.

"The market has now priced in a December move," Lyngen added.

In an auction of Treasurys which closed Tuesday afternoon, $26 billion in two-year notes auctioned at 1.462 percent, with 45.6 percent at high yield and a bid-to-cover of 2.88.
[The stream has ended.]

President Donald Trump held a joint news conference Tuesday with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy following a White House visit.

He addressed efforts to stop end North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and the response to devastating hurricane damage to Puerto Rico, among other topics.

Read more:

The Trump administration just cranked up pressure on North Korea
Dubai is pushing for more foreign direct investment but the last thing it needs is more luxury, high-end hotels, according to the chief executive of the country's investment development agency.

Fahad Al Gergawi, chief executive of the Dubai Investment Development Agency (Dubai FDI), told CNBC Tuesday that the emirate wants more accessible, smaller and low-key accommodation in order to attract a wider range of tourists.

The city state is well known for hosting the world's most luxurious hotels, including the distinctly-shaped Burj Al Arab Jumeirah (Dubai's only seven-star hotel) along with the Jumeirah Beach hotels, the Four Seasons Resort Dubai, Raffles Dubai and Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, to name just a few.

Even fashion houses have got in on the act with famous brands hosting luxury hotels, including Palazzo Versace Dubai, Gucci Hotel and Armani Hotel Dubai.

Needless to say, Dubai's tourism industry is booming and accounts for around 20 percent of the emirate's gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Dubai FDI.

Its stock of hotel rooms rose by 5 percent in 2016 to cross the 100,000 mark; while the year also marked the opening of more luxury hotels, Dubai is crying out for average hotels that can cater for 'normal' families, according to Al Gergawi.

"We're looking at tourism to be upgraded from where it is now, from 104,000 rooms to 245,000 rooms and that will increase the flow of visitors," Al Gergawi told CNBC. "Dubai ranked number five in terms of visitors' numbers at a city level globally, so there is room for development and focusing on families and three and four star hotels."

Calling Dubai a "tourism hub," Al Gergawi said the emirate wanted to attract more visitors, not only the "glitzy and glamorous but also families who will tend to stay longer."

"The three and four-star focus is to give variety but also to reduce costs and overheads on investors and market rates. We have one of the highest occupation rates of almost 86 percent but we still think there is room to develop."

Asked whether there are too many high-end hotels, Al Gergawi said there had been "for a while, yes."

"Usually, you have the five-star hotels at the top of the pyramid but for a while we've had the pyramid upside down with a lot of five-star hotels. We're not saying we're stopping five-star (hotels) but we want to focus on three and four-star hotels that appeal to more market segments and families."
watch now

Oath, the Verizon -owned parent company of Yahoo, is releasing for free some of its most important internal software, which the company has long used to make recommendations, target ads and execute searches. The Vespa software solves a common but surprisingly difficult problem: quickly figuring out what to show a user in response to input, like when they type text into a box. Oath uses it in around 150 applications, including Flickr, Yahoo Mail and the main Yahoo search engine (specifically for components like entities, local results, images and answers to questions). It handles 3 billion native ad requests every day. "The typical case is you don't know what you want to serve, but you have 20 billion pictures and you want to find the right ones," Jon Bratseth, a distinguished architect at Yahoo who led Vespa's development, told CNBC in an interview. Vespa, which is now live on GitHub with an Apache 2.0 open-source license, can easily be added to different applications, making it suitable for use at big companies like Amazon, Facebook and Google that need to do different kinds of processing on different sets of data. The release is the most important for Yahoo since it open-sourced the code for the Hadoop big data software in 2006. Hadoop has since come to be at the center of two public companies, Cloudera and Yahoo spin-off Hortonworks . Today people at lots of companies can contribute to technology that's still widely used at Yahoo, and build their own systems using Hadoop.

How Yahoo built it

Big tech companies regularly open-source their software. But if there's powerful software at the heart of a company's biggest revenue centers, it can take a while to come out into the open, and Vespa is no different. Vespa dates back to the early 2000s. Yahoo already had web search technology, first through a partnership with Google and later through its 2002 Inktomi acquisition. What Yahoo didn't have was technology for delivering search results and recommendations on content that falls outside traditional web search results. In 2003 Yahoo acquired Overture, which included its partner AltaVista as well as a lesser known search engine called AllTheWeb.com. After the deal, the roughly 30 AllTheWeb people were given a year to build software that could perform certain functions quickly before web pages were shown to end users. The system also needed to be easy to set up, run and tweak, so that it could be applied to a variety of applications without much trouble. In around 2005, the AllTheWeb team worked with Yahoo's shopping team to adopt the new system. It required less management time, freeing up staffers to build new features. "After that, we had a proven use case -- and that was a complicated one," Bratseth said. "More and more teams in Yahoo started using our system by themselves, because it made business sense. They would offload a lot of the problems they had to take care of themselves." So Bratseth's team started expanding the powers of Vespa. They made it capable of handling input other than users' strings of text; over time it could also personalize content based on what users had clicked on in the past, which is valuable in cases when users haven't typed in anything. They also changed Vespa so that it could take direction from machine-learning algorithms.

Yahoo distinguished architect Jon Bratseth. Source: Yahoo

For the last five years, the Vespa group, based in the Norwegian city of Trondheim, has gone through the code and rewritten different parts to make the whole thing work better, Bratseth said. They still have more work to do -- they're looking to integrate Vespa deeply with TensorFlow, the Google-led open-source artificial intelligence software framework. Last week while Bratseth was visiting Oath headquarters in California, he met with people from Yahoo's Flurry division. They wanted to start using Vespa because they believed it could power a new feature for generating revenue: letting mobile app makers start running "house ads" that can promote their own offerings. Poola Sreenivas, a software engineering director who has been at Yahoo for nine years, asked Bratseth -- today one of 10 or so AllTheWeb employees who remain at Oath today -- if there was a way to see how long it takes for Vespa to do its thing. Because at web scale, every extra millisecond that a consumer has to wait matters. Vespa can hook into Oath's internal monitoring software, Bratseth said, but it also has a way to connect with third-party monitoring tools. "So you can do metrics and so on," Bratseth said. Now people outside Oath can use the code as they wish, and get help from the very people who made it.

Related video: What is Hadoop?
Types of obituaries

The Missourian publishes two types of obituaries  family obituaries and life stories.

A family obituary is the version submitted by a funeral home or family. Please see the submission form for details on cost and deadlines. Family obituaries

A life story is a closer look at a person's life and involves a reporter contacting family and friends. Life stories are based on newsworthiness and consent of the family. Life stories.
October 2020 brought a lighter-than-usual crop of patches. For the first time in recent memory, there were none at all for Internet Explorer or the (Chromium-based) Edge browser. The cumulative updates went in with few reports of problems, although there were many complaints about printers not working after the update.

Strange things happened, though, outside the usual monthly patching schedule. The day after Patch Tuesday, Microsoft announced a(nother) fix for a security hole in the HEVC codec  CVE-2020-17022  distributed, once again, only through the Microsoft Store.

HPs Secure Click Enterprise started falling over immediately after installing this months Windows cumulative updates. HP released a Win10 update-friendly version a couple of days later. It continues to astound me that a mainstream product from a major manufacturer isnt tested before the cumulative updates roll out.

There was a security hole plug specifically for Visual Studio programmers, CVE-2020-17023.

Then theres the security patch for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce, CVE-2020-16943, that was announced but never appeared. Its still missing in action. Something in there about counting chickens before theyre hatched.

As usual, we had dire warnings galore from the usual patch-right-now sources (Microsoft warns beeeelions of customers to patch immediately!). As usual, we havent seen any immediately exploited security holes, with the possible exception of SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019.

The usual grab-bag of bugs

Every month for the past year or two, weve seen a big accumulation of bugs arrive on the heels of Patch Tuesday. This months no exception. You can see a motley collection of blocked update error messages, error codes, blue screens, crashes, and peripheral problems in Mayank Parmars article in Windows Latest, Lawrence Abrams piece for BleepingComputer, Venkats rundown in Techdows, Gunter Borns post in Borns Tech and Windows World, and countless parrot sites around the web.

I dont see any particular pattern to any of it, which has become increasingly common. New patches just seem to bring along a trove of unrelated bugs, any one of which can be hugely frustrating  but none of which seem to be particularly widespread.

The one exception: Ive seen many reports of printers that stop working after the latest cumulative update gets installed. In every case Ive seen, pulling the plug on the printer and plugging it back in solves the problem  an easy task for individuals, not so much for admins.

'Windows cant verify the publisher of this driver software'

Some people are reporting an unexpected error when installing certain drivers. Microsoft describes the situation in the Resolved issues portion of the Windows Release Information Status page:

When installing a third-party driver, you might receive the error, Windows cant verify the publisher of this driver software." You may also see the error No signature was present in the subject when attempting to view the signature properties using Windows Explorer.

This issue occurs when one or more of the following is present in a driver package:

An improperly formatted catalog file is identified during validation by Windows. Starting with this release, Windows will require the validity of DER encoded PKCS#7 content in catalog files. Catalogs files must be signed per section 11.6 of describing DER-encoding for SET OF members in X.690.

A driver catalog file extension is not one of the supported extensions.

Thats a feature, not a bug. Microsoft suggests that you contact the driver manufacturer and ask for an update. If your hardware vendor isnt real interested in keeping up with Windows 10, well, jokes on you. Gunter Born puts it succinctly: Windows is a huge hardware exterminator, rendering still working devices as electronic waste, because drivers can no longer be installed.

'Optional' .NET previews arent optional any more

Weve seen this problem for several months, and it still hasnt been fixed.

Windows Update doesnt handle the .NET Preview monthly rollups the way you (or at least, I) would expect. Cumulative Update previews have to be manually approved by clicking a Download and install link. .NET Previews dont even offer the option.

Theres a convoluted set of rules about Windows automatically installing .NET Previews. @abbodi86 has unrolled the behavior this way:

The new .NET Previews are nothing different from all previous non-security .NET cumulative updates. They just have the term Preview in label.

If youre a seeker (click Check for updates in Windows Update), the .NET Preview update will be installed regardless of your other settings.

If you arent a seeker, when a normal update scan takes place, one of two things will happen. (1) If the previous .NET Security update is not yet installed, the .NET Preview update will be flagged as potentially superseded, and Windows Update will not offer it. (2) If the latest .NET Security update is already installed, the .NET Preview update will be installed.

If that isnt confusing enough for you, @abbodi86 has full details here.

I have no idea why Microsoft thinks that its preview (i.e., not-yet-ready-for-prime-time) patches should be installed on machines without any warning or opt-out capability. But there you have it.

Microsoft pulls back on potentially unwanted PWA apps

When is a PUP installer not a PUP installer? When its a Windows beta, of course.

Somebody at Microsoft decided it would be a good idea to jury-rig some beta test versions of Windows 10 so they automatically installed the new PWA (progressive web app) versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. Several beta testers took umbrage at an operating system that cavalierly installed potentially unwanted programs. A couple days later, Microsoft changed course, claiming that the pushy behavior was a bug.

Right. Sean Hollister at The Verge has details.

Office 2010 and Exchange Server 2010 hit end of life

As of Oct. 13, both Office 2010 and Exchange 2010 fell off the support cycle. You wont get any more patches. A pity, really, because Office 2010 (in spite of its interface peculiarities) was a real workhorse. Patch Lady Susan Bradley has details.

Version 20H2 (or is it 2009?) rolling out

Microsoft is starting to make Win10 version 20H2 available for the masses  although you have to click Download and install to get it. At least, thats the theory.

Considering version 2004 had almost no new worthwhile features, and 20H2 has fewer still (theme-related shading on Start tiles? Alt+Tab switching Edge tabs? Puh-lease), the push to 20H2 is now under way. Think of it as yet another cumulative update, except it doesnt plug any new security holes.

If you ever needed a concrete example of why twice-a-year upgrades for Win10 make absolutely no sense at all, now you have it.

Patching problems? Hit us on AskWoody.com.
Sometimes, big news can take a while to process.

I've been spending the past several days thinking about last week's revelation that, yes, Google is buying a piece of HTC. The announcement wasn't quite the bombshell lots of folks were expecting  y'know, the "HOLY HELL, GOOGLE ABSORBED ANOTHER ENTIRE PHONE-MAKER!" variety  but it's still pretty darn significant.

Google, as you no doubt know by now, paid a whopping $1.1 billion to bring a bunch of HTC's smartphone brainiacs into its employ. Most of those people were apparently already working with Google on the company's Pixel products. So in other words, Google hired its own dedicated team of former contractors to help create its future devices.

I probably don't have to spell out how that supports the signs of grand ambition we saw at the start of Google's Pixel journey. "If you're looking at Google's Pixel as 'Just Another Android Phone,'" I wrote last fall, "you're missing what really matters." You know what I'm getting at, right?

The Pixel program picked up where the short-lived Motorola ownership experiment left off, but with one key difference: This time, Google is creating and controlling devices completely on its own terms  and without any pre-existing parameters or limitations. This time, the phone-making organization is very much a part of Google itself and not a sprawling separate company with its own baggage. And this time, as I wrote almost exactly one year ago, the stakes are especially high:

With the way Google's projects and priorities are evolving, Android by itself ... is no longer guaranteed to address all of the company's future-looking goals. And Google is no longer willing to sit back and watch helplessly as others manipulate and distort its broader vision.

So that brings us back to today. Spending a cool billion on some of HTC's smartphone-making assets obviously gives Google more gas to create and fully develop its own hardware products. From a business perspective, we know why Google wants that. What we don't know  and what I'm not yet entirely convinced of  is how much difference that extra fuel will make.

A smartphone's quality is but a tiny piece of the overall puzzle

Think about it: Nitpicks aside, Google's Pixel phone has basically been a critical success from the start. Even a year after its debut, the phone has remained a standard of comparison to which all other Android devices are held  and generally not to their benefit. That's mostly due to the Pixel's prowess in areas where other Android device-makers can't (or won't) compete.

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Significant as that is, though, ask an average non-tech-obsessed smartphone user what they think about the Pixel  and all you're likely to get in response is a glossy-eyed stare. Google may be positioning the Pixel as a mainstream device and even marketing it as such, to a degree, but it hasn't yet managed to break through that Samsung-scented wall and make its phone impactful in any broad and practical sense.

That's a critical challenge  and one all the engineering talent in the world can't help overcome. We've seen countless incredible phones come and go almost unnoticed in the realm of Android, particularly here in America. Their quality is but a tiny piece of the overall puzzle and almost becomes irrelevant. Without ubiquitous availability and an effective marketing message, hardly anyone sees, thinks about, or buys the damn things  and they drown in obscurity without ever making a meaningful splash.

If you want your device to matter to the masses, you've gotta get it on store shelves

The first-gen Pixel was confusingly touted as a "Verizon exclusive" in the U.S., which meant no other carrier would sell it in its stores or online. Sure, you could buy the phone directly from Google and use it on practically any network, but that doesn't mean much in a big-picture sense (nor is it something most people would realize without taking the time to research the subject). Silly as it may seem to those of us in the know, the vast majority of folks in the States  nearly 88% of all smartphone shoppers, according to a late-summer analysis by The NPD Group  still buy their phones from carriers.

The resulting reality is simple: If you want your device to matter to the masses, you've gotta get it on those store shelves  all of 'em, not just a single carrier's. You've gotta make sure people see the device and can readily purchase it everywhere, and you've gotta make sure they know why it's better than the more familiarly branded alternatives.

I don't know that it's fair to expect Google to achieve anything on that scale with its first attempt at a holistic and mainstream-ready phone. And I don't know that Google itself intended or expected to achieve anything close to that level right out of the gate, either. All signs suggest the company had more modest goals with these early go-rounds  and that the inevitable full push into competing-for-major-market-share status has yet to begin.

What remains to be seen is if that's a challenge Google will eventually be able to master  and if so, how long it'll take for that moment to arrive. We already knew Google could create a fantastic Android phone. Having some of HTC's finest minds in-house will undoubtedly make those efforts more efficient, but it's the next step that'll provide the most pivotal and uncertain test of all.
Iain Duncan Smith is a former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, founded the Centre for Social Justice, and is MP for Chingford and Woodford Green.

As the dust settles on the Prime Ministers speech in Florence and the media moves on, there remains a need to start to fill in the grey areas of the Governments Brexit policy  particularly the options on the setting and delivery of the agenda.

Lets start with the statement that there will be an implementation period of up to two years. This is apparently needed because British business wants to have time to get its systems right, and the civil service has to ensure that all the controls and checks are in place from border control to beef imports. If this is all about the practicalities of implementation, then I understand extra time may be required, (although the need for our officials to do what they are doing must be checked), but this period must be defined and kept tight.

None the less, there is a lack of clarity about what our relationship with the EU would be during this period. Now this is the most critical point.

Under the rules of Article 50, the UK leaves the EU at the very end of March 2019 with  or, just as importantly, without  settled arrangements concerning the UKs or the EUs future relationship. The only way to change this timetable is for all 27 EU nations (plus the UK) and the EU Parliament to agree. This means unless there is some new agreement, the UK will outside the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), and also outside the Single Market and the Customs Union.

Thus any relationship during this period would be between two legally sovereign powers  the UK and the EU. However, Michel Barnier has suggested otherwise, reiterating the demand that the UK subject itself to the suzerainty of the ECJ. I note that following the Florence speech David Davis said that we will not be beholden to the rulings of the ECJ during the implementation phase. If that is so, then it is important that all ministers repeat this, otherwise they risk creating greater confusion.

It is critical domestically that we stick to the Article 50 timetable, or many people will feel they have been misled. After all, Brexit must mean democratic control of policy residing within the UK legal democratic framework, and not within a supranational arrangement which would amount to sovereignty-lite, or sovereignty without meaning.

What worries a number of people in this context is that, at present, the EU Withdrawal Bill still has no commencement date, at which point the new laws and regulations set by Parliament will come into force. Unless it is written into the face of the legislation that this date will not be later than the last day of March 2019, many will wonder if the Government really does intend that the UK leaves the EU at the end of the Article 50 process. Worse, the EU will have noticed this element of the Bill, and may feel emboldened to resist all further progress because they will suspect that the Government is uncertain. We need to put this right at once, so that we have a baseline to focus on.

There was some further scratching of heads after the speech  for, as I understand it, Government briefing said that the UK will now focus during the talks on establishing implementation period arrangements before March 2019. Worryingly, this briefing apparently went on to suggest that this period itself would be used to negotiate a new free trade arrangement (FTA)energ. This I find deeply troubling. Surely the only way to get a proper agreement is to insist that the EU thrashes out our future trade arrangements with us before the end of March 2019. I fully recognise that there may continue to be elements of detail to be completed, but unless there is at least a clearly-settled Heads of Agreement between the UK and the EU agreeing the crucial framework of a deal, the two year implementation period will be used by the EU to delay departure.

The Article 50 deadline is a critical component in the discussions. Now that the Prime Minister has made her speech indicating that the UK meet our financial obligations, the EU has to respond. Instead of making mealy-mouthed utterances and threatening statements, they need to start the negotiations on trade. To make this happen, we need to put some pressure on them. To do that, two critical factors need to be engaged.

The first is that we publicly, and through strong cabinet leadership, make it clear that we are going to throw resources at the plans for leaving the EU without an agreement. We need to up the pace dramatically on the process, giving regular public updates on progress.

Alongside this move, we need to say to the EU that we expect it to respond to the Florence speech with a guarantee that we will now discuss a trade agreement. We should say that the EU has to make that decision by December  or we will assume they do not intend to do so, and that we must make the necessary arrangements to leave without a deal. This is important, because we will need all the remaining time to reach such an agreement but, if no FTA is forthcoming, then we must be ready to leave under WTO terms. If the EU does not then accept what would be a reasonable offer from the Government, it will be clear to everyone that it has no real interest in genuine post Brexit co-operation. If that is the case, it is best to establish it early.

All negotiations need to establish the real intent of the other party early on. Setting limits is an important device in establishing intent. However, having indicated in this case that we could be flexible about money, we should not now accept any answer from the EU other than that we will now start discussions on trade. We are not supplicants begging for favours from the EU. As the Prime Minister has said, we are interested in an arrangement that suits us both. The arrogant behaviour of the EU so far, bordering on the deliberately offensive, is a bluff that we need to call. After all, the UK is the fourth largest economy in the world, with the third most potent armed forces and a global reach in terms of trade and cooperation that is second to none. If they want to behave in this manner towards an ally and friend who has been a member of the EU for 40 years, and is the second largest economy in the EU, then it were best that we established this now.

Instead of listening to the bleating of the CBI, we should recognise that further delay is not in our favour. For instead of business holding back investment for 18 months, the risk is that, unless the implementation period starts with a clear agreement on our future trading relationship already in place, firms are unlikely to wait for up to 40 months. Business needs a clear sense of direction, and as early as possible. Better to have a clean break early than a prolonged process with a complicated and disagreeable ending. Furthermore, the Commission hopes that if it can string the UK along for long enough, it will have longer to try and make it advantageous to set up British-based businesses within the the EU.

In conclusion, any agreement must not bind future Governments. While, clearly, any UK Government will wish to cooperate with the EU as an ally, areas of foreign policy, such as defence, border control, judicial authority, agriculture, fisheries, environment, energy, trade policy must be fully returned to the UK. A series of binding side deals would be unacceptable.

We are, I believe, poised at a critical moment. As we wait for a somewhat weakened Angela Merkel to re-enter the negotiations, we must either decide we want decisiveness and clarity and set the agenda, or bend the knee and hope for the best. Ninety per cent of the worlds growth is going to be outside the stultifying protectionism of the EU by the time the next few years pass. If we believe as I do that the UK is ready for a British renaissance, then we need to be bold, determined and clear.
Major cruise lines will cut back in the Chinese market next year, as market capacity is estimated to be down 13.3 percent, according to the 2018 China Market Report by Cruise Industry News.

Almost all operators in the Chinese market are trimming capacity back, citing supply concerns as well as the ongoing travel restrictions to South Korea.

Projections include all mainland Chinese ports and Hong Kong.

Among those adding capacity in 2018 will be MSC Cruises, with the arrival of the Splendida on a seasonal basis, as well as Norwegian Cruise Line, which is poised to operate the Joy in the market year-round.

Those cutting back will include Costa Crociere, which is re-deploying the Victoria to Europe.

Princess Cruises will follow suit, sending the Sapphire to Europe and then Singapore seasonally, while the Majestic Princess will sail out of Taiwan in the spring, followed by a short peak China summer program and winter 2018-2019 in Australia.

Royal Caribbean is also trimming capacity. The Mariner will reposition to the Caribbean, while the Ovation spends more time outside of the Chinese market.

About the 2018 China Market Report

The 2018 China Market Report by Cruise Industry News is the only resource covering the future trajectory of the Chinese and Asia-Pacific cruise industry, presenting the past, present and future in a concise 95-plus page PDF download.

It is the only forward looking and independently-researched data available on the Chinese cruise market.

Cruise Industry News profiles all the major cruise lines operating in Asia, from Carnival Corporation to Royal Caribbean and local operators.

In addition, there are discussions with leading Chinese travel agents about the charter model and pricing trends, port news and updates from across the region, and a look at the fleet of ships in Asia through 2027.

There is also exclusive analysis and statistics of the Asia-Pacific market going back to 1998 and supply projections through 2027, in addition to a break-down of Asia-Pacific and China by operator and market capacity. Click here to learn more.
Azamara Club Cruises announced today that it has entered into an agreement to purchase a sister ship (the current Adonia from P&O Cruises) to Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, with delivery taking place in March 2018.

"We are pleased to expand our portfolio by 50%, allowing us to visit even more regions of the world through the acquisition of this sister ship," said Larry Pimentel, President and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises. "Our loyal guests and travel partners have asked for this expansion for a long time; we are very pleased to deliver this to them."

The new addition, the Azamara Pursuit, is comparable in size to the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, the company said.

The ship's decor will be updated to match the brand's upmarket position. These updates will be similar to the renovations recently introduced on the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, bringing guests the experience of a boutique hotel at sea.

The sale will be completed in March 2018 and Adonia's last cruise as a P&O Cruises ship will be D804 leaving Barbados on February 23 and ending in Barbados on March 9, 2018.

Guests booked on any Adonia cruises after March 2018 will be contacted directly either by P&O Cruises or their travel agent.

P&O Cruises SVP Paul Ludlow said: During her time with us Adonia has captured the hearts of many thousands of P&O Cruises guests. She has ventured into new ports of call around the globe and has negotiated Icelandic Fjords, European rivers and Caribbean coves. We will ensure that these discovery itineraries are continued on other ships in the fleet."
Dream Cruises has partnered with Alipay to launch the full suite of mobile payment options at sea, giving guests greater convenience by allowing them the options of spot payment, self-checkout and auto-debit with Alipay or AlipayHK, the newly launched Hong Kong version of Alipay which supports transactions in HKD, the company said.

The partnership builds on Dream Cruises commitment to innovation and Genting Cruise Lines long-term partnership with Alipay which dates back to 2015 when Star Cruises became the first cruise line to accept Alipay spot payment onboard its fleet.

The solution was rolled out on Sept. 24, allowing guests aboard the Genting Dream to use their Alipay and AlipayHK to settle cabin charges at any time during their trip or automatically self-checkout by pre-authorizing the amount chargeable to their Alipay wallets. Guests can also use their Alipay wallets when they shop and dine onboard. The mobile check-out solution will also be introduced on the World Dream in November.

As Asias first luxury cruise line, we are constantly looking for innovative solutions that cater to the ever-evolving needs of our guests, said Thatcher Brown, President of Dream Cruises. Access to funds and a frictionless payment experience is paramount for our travelling guests, especially in todays technology-driven, mobile-first environment. We are delighted to progress our long-standing partnership with Alipay by launching the full range of Alipay mobile payment options on Genting Dream; where our guests from the dual-homeports of Hong Kong and Guangzhou will enjoy the unparalleled convenience of instant checkout with Alipay wallets.

Carl Su, Vice President of Ant Financial said, As the first cruise line company to support Alipay, Genting Cruise Lines has been an important partner for Alipay in the continued pursuit of customer experience excellence. We are excited to provide a seamless and comprehensive payment experience for guests onboard Genting Dream. Starting from 24 September, Alipay and AlipayHK users have the freedom to choose from a full-range of convenient payment options best-suited to their needs. Guests can travel worry-free and have an even more memorable cruise vacation. That is the common goal for Alipay and its partners.
Companies that collect data on citizens in European Union (EU) countriesl need to comply with strict new rules around protecting customer data. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets a new standard for consumer rights regarding their data, but companies will be challenged as they put systems and processes in place to maintain compliance.

Compliance will cause some concerns and new expectations of security teams. For example, the GDPR takes a wide view of what constitutes personal identification information. Companies will need the same level of protection for things like an individuals IP address or cookie data as they do for name, address and Social Security number.

The GDPR leaves much to interpretation. It says that companies must provide a reasonable level of protection for personal data, for example, but does not define what constitutes reasonable. This gives the GDPR governing body a lot of leeway when it comes to assessing fines for data breaches and non-compliance.

Time is running out to meet the deadline, so CSO has compiled what any business needs to know about the GDPR, along with advice for meeting its requirements. Many of the requirements do not relate directly to information security, but the processes and system changes needed to comply could affect existing security systems and protocols.

What is the GDPR?

The European Parliament adopted the GDPR in April 2016, replacing an outdated data protection directive from 1995. It carries provisions that require businesses to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens for transactions that occur within EU member states. The GDPR also regulates the exportation of personal data outside the EU.

[Related: -->How to prepare for the approaching General Data Protection Regulation]

The provisions are consistent across all 28 EU member states, which means that companies have just one standard to meet within the EU. However, that standard is quite high and will require most companies to make a large investment to meet and to administer.

Why does the GDPR exist?

The short answer to that question is public concern over privacy. Europe in general has long had more stringent rules around how companies use the personal data of its citizens. The GDPR replaces the EUs Data Protection Directive, which went into effect in 1995. This was well before the internet became the online business hub that it is today. Consequently, the directive is outdated and does not address many ways in which data is stored, collected and transferred today.

How real is the public concern over privacy? It is significant and it grows with every new high-profile data breach. According to the RSA Data Privacy & Security Report, for which RSA surveyed 7,500 consumers in France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the U.S., 80% of consumers said lost banking and financial data is a top concern. Lost security information (e.g., passwords) and identity information (e.g., passports or driving license) was cited as a concern of 76% of the respondents.

An alarming statistic for companies that deal with consumer data is the 62% of the respondents to the RSA report who say they would blame the company for their lost data in the event of a breach, not the hacker. The reports authors concluded that, As consumers become better informed, they expect more transparency and responsiveness from the stewards of their data.

Lack of trust in how companies treat their personal information has led some consumers to take their own countermeasures. According to the report, 41% of the respondents said they intentionally falsify data when signing up for services online. Security concerns, a wish to avoid unwanted marketing, or the risk of having their data resold were among their top concerns.

The report also shows that consumers will not easily forgive a company once a breach exposing their personal data occurs. Seventy-two percent of US respondents said they would boycott a company that appeared to disregard the protection of their data. Fifty percent of all respondents said they would be more likely to shop at a company that could prove it takes data protection seriously.

As businesses continue their digital transformations, making greater use of digital assets, services, and big data, they must also be accountable for monitoring and protecting that data on a daily basis, concluded the report.

What types of privacy data does the GDPR protect?

Basic identity information such as name, address and ID numbers

Web data such as location, IP address, cookie data and RFID tags

Health and genetic data

Biometric data

Racial or ethnic data

Political opinions

Sexual orientation

Which companies does the GDPR affect?

Any company that stores or processes personal information about EU citizens within EU states must comply with the GDPR, even if they do not have a business presence within the EU. Specific criteria for companies required to comply are:

A presence in an EU country.

No presence in the EU, but it processes personal data of European residents.

More than 250 employees.

Fewer than 250 employees but its data-processing impacts the rights and freedoms of data subjects, is not occasional, or includes certain types of sensitive personal data. That effectively means almost all companies. A PwC survey showed that 92% of U.S. companies consider GDPR a top data protection priority.

A new survey conducted by Propeller Insights and sponsored by Netsparker Ltd. asked executives which industries would be most affected by GDPR. Most (53%) saw the technology sector being most impacted followed by online retailers (45%), software companies (44%), financial services (37%), online services/SaaS (34%), and retail/consumer packaged goods (33%).

Who within my company will be responsible for compliance?

The GDPR defines several roles that are responsible for ensuring compliance: data controller, data processor and the data protection officer (DPO). The data controller defines how personal data is processed and the purposes for which it is processed. The controller is also responsible for making sure that outside contractors comply.

[Related: -->GDPR requirements raise the global data protection stakes]

Data processors may be the internal groups that maintain and process personal data records or any outsourcing firm that performs all or part of those activities. The GDPR holds processors liable for breaches or non-compliance. Its possible, then, that both your company and processing partner such as a cloud provider will be liable for penalties even if the fault is entirely on the processing partner.

The GDPR requires the controller and the processor to designate a DPO to oversee data security strategy and GDPR compliance. Companies are required to have a DPO if they process or store large amounts of EU citizen data, process or store special personal data, regularly monitor data subjects, or are a public authority. Some public entities such as law enforcement may be exempt from the DPO requirement.

According to the Propeller Insights survey, 82% of responding companies say they already have a DPO on staff, although 77% plan to hire a new or replacement DPO prior to the May 25 deadline. That hiring doesnt stop with the DPO. About 55% of the surveys respondents reported that they had recruited at least six new employees to achieve GDPR compliance.

How does the GDPR affect third-party and customer contracts?

The GDPR places equal liability on data controllers (the organization that owns the data) and data processors (outside organizations that help manage that data). A third-party processor not in compliance means your organization is not in compliance. The new regulation also has strict rules for reporting breaches that everyone in the chain must be able to comply with. Organizations must also inform customers of their rights under GDPR.

What this means is that all existing contracts with processors (e.g., cloud providers, SaaS vendors, or payroll service providers) and customers need to spell out responsibilities. The revised contracts also need to define consistent processes for how data is managed and protected, and how breaches are reported.

The largest exercise is on the procurement side of the houseyour third-party vendors, your sourcing relationships that are processing data on your behalf, says Mathew Lewis, global head of banking and regulatory practice at legal service provider Axiom. Theres a whole grouping of vendors that have access to this personal data and GDPR lays out very clearly that you need to ensure that all of those third parties are adhering to GDPR and processing the data accordingly.

Client contracts also need to reflect the regulatory changes, says Lewis. Client contracts take a number of different forms, whether they are online click-throughs or formal agreements where you make commitments to how you view, access, and process data.

Before those contracts can be revised, business leaders, IT, and security teams need to understand how the data is stored and processed and agree on a compliant process for reporting. A pretty sizable exercise is required by the technology groups, the CISO, and data governance team to understand what data fits within the firm, where its being stored or processed, and where its being exported outside the company. Once you understand those data flows and the impact on the business, you can start to identify the vendors you need to be most focused on both from an information security perspective, how you manage those relationships going forward, and how you memorialize that in the contract itself, says Lewis.

The GDPR might also change the mindset of business and security teams toward data. Most companies see their data and the processes they use to mine it as an asset, but that perception will change, says Lewis. Given GDPRs explicit consent and firms needing to be much more granular in their understanding of data and data flows, theres a whole set of liabilities that now exist with the accumulation of data, says Lewis. Thats quite a different frame of mind both for legal and compliance, but maybe more important for the way the business thinks about the accumulation and usage of that data and for information security groups and how they think about managing that data.

Data is leaving the firm in all kinds of ways, says Lewis. While the CISO and the technology groups need to be able to track all of that, you also need to put protection in place. Those protections need to be spelled out in the contract so the outside firms understand what they can and cannot do with the data.

Lewis notes that by going through the process of defining obligations and responsibilities, it prepares a company to handle GDPR compliance operationally. If one of your vendors says, You were hacked last night, did they know who to call and how to respond as part of meeting the regulatory requirements, he says.

The 72-hour reporting window that the GDPR requires makes it especially important that vendors know how to properly report a breach. If a vendor was hacked and youre one of thousands of clients, do they notify your procurement department or an account person or someone in accounts receivables? It could come in all kinds of ways, says Lewis.

You want a clearly defined path in the contract for the information to get to the person in your organization responsible for reporting the breach. A regulator is not going to say you shouldnt have had a breach. They are going to say you should have had the policies, procedures, and response structure in place to solve for that quickly, says Lewis.

Larger companies might have thousands of contracts to update. Complicating that challenge is that it needs to be done late in the compliance process. Before you can define responsibilities and responsibilities, you must know exactly what data you have, where and how it is processed, and the data flows. Thats left a lot of institutions racing toward the deadline trying to complete the technical and operational issues and having to play catch-up on putting the right contract in place to enforce that. A lot of firms have not done any renegotiation of contract terms.

That begs the question: What happens if the contracts arent all in place by the May deadline? Lewis sees several risks to not completing the contracts:
Years ago the typical hacking scenario involved a lone attacker and maybe some buddies working late at night on Mountain Dew, looking for public-facing IP addresses. When they found one, they enumerated the advertising services (Web server, SQL server and so on), broke in using a multitude of vulnerabilities, then explored the compromised company to their heart's content. Often their intent was exploratory. If they did something illegal, it was typically a spur-of-the-moment crime of opportunity.

My, how times have changed.

When describing a typical hacking scenario, these days you must begin well before the hack or even the hacker, with the organization behind the attack. Today, hacking is all crime, all the time, complete with bidding markets for malware, crime syndicates, botnets for hire, state actors, and cyber warfare gone amok.

Here are the nine biggest threats facing today's IT security pros.

Threat No. 1: Cyber crime syndicates

Although the lone criminal mastermind still exists, these days most malicious hacking attacks are the result of organized groups, many of which are professional. Traditional organized crime groups that used to run drugs, gambling, prosecution, and extortion have thrown their hats into the online money grab ring, but competition is fierce, led not by mafiosos but several very large groups of professional criminals aimed specifically at cyber crime.

Many of the most successful organized cyber crime syndicates are businesses that lead large affiliate conglomerate groups, much in the vein of legal distributed marketing hierarchies. In fact, today's cyber criminal probably has more in common with an Avon or Mary Kay rep than either wants to admit.

[Related: FireEye 2.0: Cyberhumans as a Service]

Small groups, with a few members, still hack, but more and more, IT security pros are up against large corporations dedicated to rogue behavior. Think full-time employees, HR departments, project management teams, and team leaders. And it's all criminal, no more funny messages printed to the screen or other teenage antics. Most operate in the open, and some -- like the Russian Business Network -- even have their own Wikipedia entries. Kind of makes you wish for yesteryear, doesn't it?

Specialization and division of labor are at the heart of these organizations. A single mastermind, or an inner circle, will run the collective. Sergeants and subdivisions will specialize in different areas, with an arm dedicated to creating malware, another dedicated to marketing, another that sets up and maintains the distribution channel, and yet another in charge of creating botnets and renting them to other evildoers (see below).

It's little wonder why popular IT security practices just don't work against today's malware, given that cyber crime has evolved into a multilevel, service-oriented industry with the blatant goal of fleecing companies and people out of their money and intellectual property.

Threat No. 2: Small-time cons -- and the money mules and launderers supporting them

Not all cyber criminal organizations are syndicates or corporations. Some are simply entrepreneurial in nature, small businesses after one thing: money.

These malicious mom-and-pop operations may steal identities and passwords, or they may cause nefarious redirection to get it. In the end, they want money. They initiate fraudulent credit card or banking transactions and convert their ill-gotten gains into local currency using money mules, electronic cash distribution, e-banking, or some other sort of money laundering.

It's not hard to find money launderers. There are dozens to hundreds of entities competing to be the one that gets to take a large percentage cut of the illegally procured loot. In fact, you'd be surprised at the competitive and public nature of all the other people begging to do support business with Internet criminals. They advertise "no questions asked," "bulletproof" hosting in countries far from the reaches of legal subpoenas, and they offer public bulletin boards, software specials, 24/7 telephone support, bidding forums, satisfied customer references, anti-malware avoidance skills, and all the servicing that helps others to be better online criminals. A good number of these groups make tens of millions of dollars each year.

Many of these groups and the persons behind them have been identified (and arrested) over the past few years. Their social media profiles show happy people with big houses, expensive cars, and content families taking foreign vacations. If they're the slightest bit guilty from stealing money from others, it doesn't show.

Imagine the neighborhood barbeques where they tell neighbors and friends that they run an "Internet marketing business" -- all the while social engineering their way to millions to the consternation of IT security pros who have done just about everything you can to protect users from themselves.

Threat No. 3: Hacktivists

Whereas exploit bragging was not uncommon in the early days, today's cyber criminal seeks to fly under the radar -- with the exception of the growing legions of hacktivists.

IT security pros have to contend with an increasing number of loose confederations of individuals dedicated to political activism, like the infamous Anonymous group. Politically motivated hackers have existed since hacking was first born. The big change is that more of it is being done in the open, and society is acknowledging it as an accepted form of political activism.

Political hacking groups often communicate, anonymously or not, in open forums announcing their targets and hacking tools ahead of time. They gather more members, take their grievances to the media to drum up public support, and act astonished if they get arrested for their illegal deeds. Their intent is to embarrass and bring negative media attention to the victim as much as possible, whether that includes hacking customer information, committing distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, or simply causing the victim company additional strife.

Political hacktivism is most often intent on causing monetary pain to its victim in an attempt to change the victim's behavior. Individuals can be collateral damage in this fight, and regardless of whether one believes in the hacktivist's political cause, the intent and methodology remain criminal.

Threat No. 4: Intellectual property theft and corporate espionage

Most IT security pros have to contend with the large group of malicious hackers that steal intellectual property from companies or perform straight-up corporate espionage. Their method is to break into a company's IT assets, dump all the passwords, and over time, steal gigabytes of confidential information: patents, new product ideas, military secrets, financial information, business plans and so on. They pass along valuable information to their customers for financial gain, and they stay hidden inside the compromised company's network for as long as possible.

To reap their rewards, they eavesdrop on important emails, raid databases, and gain access to so much information that many have begun to develop their own malicious search engines and query tools to separate the fodder from the more interesting intellectual property.

This sort of attacker is known as an advanced persistent threat (APT) or determined human adversary (DHA). Few large companies have not been successfully compromised by these campaigns.

Threat No. 5: Malware mercenaries

No matter what the intent or group behind the cyber crime, someone has to make the malware. In the past, a single programmer would make malware for his or her own use, or perhaps to sell. Today, there are teams and companies dedicated solely to writing malware to bypass specific security defenses, attack specific customers, and accomplish specific objectives. They're sold on the open market in bidding forums.

Often the malware is multiphased and componentized. A smaller stub program is tasked with the initial exploitation of the victim's computer, and once securely placed to ensure it lives through a reboot, it contacts a "mothership" web server for further instructions. Often the initial stub program sends out DNS queries looking for the mothership, itself often a compromised computer temporarily acting as a mothership. These DNS queries are sent to DNS servers that are just as likely to be innocently infected victim computers. The DNS servers move from computer to computer, just as the mothership web servers do.

Once contacted, the DNS and mothership server often redirect the initiating stub client to other DNS and mothership servers. In this way, the stub client is directed over and over (often more than a dozen times) to newly exploited computers, until eventually the stub program receives its final instructions and the more permanent malicious program is installed. This setup makes it very difficult for IT security pros to defend against their wares.

Threat No. 6: Botnets as a service

Botnets aren't just for their creators anymore. Having more than likely bought the malware program that creates the bot, today's owners will either use the botnet for themselves or rent it to others by the hour or another metric.

[Related: Next-gen IoT botnet Hajime nearly 300K strong]

The methodology is familiar. Each version of the malware program attempts to exploit up to tens of thousands of computers in an effort to create a single botnet that will operate at the creator's bidding. Each bot in the botnet eventually connects back to its command and control (C&C) server(s) to get its latest instructions. Those instructions often include dropping off a ransomware program. Botnets have been found with hundreds of thousands of infected computers.

Now that there are so many active botnets (tens of millions of infected computers each day), botnet rentals are fairly cheap, meaning all the more problems for IT security pros.

Malware fighters will often attempt to take down the C&C servers or take them over so that they can instruct the connecting bots to disinfect their host computers and die.

Threat No. 7: All-in-one malware

Sophisticated malware programs often offer all-in-one, soup-to-nuts functionality. They will not only infect the end-user but also break into websites and modify them to help infect more victims. These all-in-one malware programs often come with management consoles so that their owners and creators can keep track of what the botnet is doing, who they are infecting, and which ones are most successful.

Most malicious programs are Trojan horses. Computer viruses and worms have long since ceased to be the most popular types of malware. In most cases, the end-user is tricked into running a Trojan horse that's advertised as a necessary antivirus scan, disk defragmentation tool or some other seemingly essential or innocuous utility. The user's normal defenses are fooled because most of the time the web page offering the rogue executable is a trusted site they've visited many times. The bad guys simply compromised the site, using a host of tricks, and inserted a few lines of JavaScript that redirect the user's browsers to the Trojan horse program.

Threat No. 8: The increasingly compromised web

At the most basic level, a website is simply a computer, just like a regular end-user workstation. In turn, webmasters are end-users like everyone else. It's not surprising to find the legitimate Web is being littered with malicious JavaScript redirection links.

It's not entirely a matter of webmasters' computers being exploited that's leading to the rise in web server compromises. More often, attackers find a weakness or vulnerability in a website that allows them to bypass admin authentication and write malicious scripts.

Common website vulnerabilities include poor passwords, cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, SQL injection, vulnerable software and insecure permissions. The Open Web Application Security Project Top 10 list is the authority on how most web servers get compromised.

Many times it isn't the web server or its application software but some link or advertisement that gets hacked. It's common for banner ads, which are often placed and rotated by general advertising agencies, to end up infected. Heck, the malware guys sometimes buy ad space on popular Web servers.

Because many of the evildoers present themselves as businessmen from legitimate corporations, complete with corporate headquarters, business cards and expense accounts, it's not always so easy to separate the legitimate ad sources from the bad guys, who often begin advertising a legitimate product only to switch out the link in the ad to a rogue product after the ad campaign is under way. One of the more interesting exploits involved hackers compromising a cartoon syndicate so that every newspaper republishing the affected cartoons ended up pushing malware. You can't even trust a cartoon anymore.

Another problem with hacked websites is that the computers hosting one site can often host multiple sites, sometimes numbering in the hundreds or thousands. One hacked website can quickly lead to thousands more.
If youve seen the TV series "Person of Interest," then you might recall that during the opening narration from Season One, Harold Finch would say, You are being watched. The government has a secret system, a machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it. I designed the machine to detect acts of terror but it sees everything.

I was reminded of that when I saw a GIF that appears as if it could be a Chinese version of the show. Except it is not fictional TV. It is a CCTV clip showing current surveillance in China. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), facial recognition technology, GPS tracking and 20 million CCTV cameras, Chinas sadly named Sky Net system demonstrates just how creepy real-time surveillance can be.

According to a documentary that ran on China Central Television, the security cameras use facial recognition to identify each person and then overlay a popup of personal information on the screen by the person. Descriptions include details such as age, gender, and other features such as clothing color. This happens in real time.

The system knows who is who because Chinese people are reportedly given a photo national ID by the age of 16, and the data is stored in the Chinese governments database. That makes it easy to tag and track people. The stored data from the CCTV footage can later be searched, allegedly for wanted individuals. The police are notified if the system identifies criminals in the database.

The advanced surveillance system also identifies vehicles, tagging them with types, colors.

You can watch the surveillance video on the Daily Mail website.

The Daily Mail went as far to call this the worlds most advanced video surveillance system. Whether that is true or not, most governments dont brag to the general public about how advanced their surveillance is. The Chinese government released the surveillance video allegedly so the people in China can see how the monitoring system can help people search.

Sky Net surveillance system

China began building its nationwide surveillance system Sky Net in 2005. It was upgraded several times, but by 2015, Sky Net covered 100 percent of Beijing. The same year, China launched Operation Sky Net to hunt down fugitive corrupt officials. The newly released surveillance video is part of Sky Net, but Chinas Operation Sky Net 2017 is allegedly aimed at hunting down corruption suspects abroad.

Mission creep happens everywhere, and facial recognition technology in Shenzhen started being used to identify jaywalkers; names and pictures go up on a screen. Facial recognition is even being used in public restrooms. For example, in restrooms at Beijings Temple of Heaven Park, you have your face scanned before a machine spits out a 24-inch strip of toilet paper. It will not dispense more to the same person until nine minutes have passed.

Orwellian nightmare: Citizen Score

In 2015, China moved ahead with its plan of a social credit system, better known as Citizen Score, which was linked to 1.3 billion Chinese citizens national ID cards, and scored each citizen on their behavior. The ACLU said the system leveraged all the tools of the information ageelectronic purchasing data, social networks, algorithmic sortingto construct the ultimate tool of social control.

A Citizen Score, tied to credit scores, could go down if a friend in social media did or said something the government considered inappropriate, by buying certain video games, posting political comments without permission or posting anything that might embarrass the Chinese regime.

Other examples of surveillance in China date back to at least 2008 when taxicabs were fitted with video cameras and satellite technology that transmits a live audio feed of what is being said in the cab back to a computer for monitoring and linguistic analysis. Radio Free Asia added, In some cities, the cameras automatically take at least one picture of every occupant as a back-up in case of later criminal activity.

In 2013, NPR reported that Chinese state security agents privately confirmed turning cellphones into listening devices. Phones were used to eavesdrop, track movements and arrest activists or criminals. Since then, weve learned that law enforcement in other countries, including the U.S., resort to the same tactics.

I dont know about you, but I was creeped out by the video showing how advanced surveillance in real time can be. The question is, does China really have the most advanced video surveillance system, or is it the only government that is willing to go on record and admit it?
Three Massachusetts men pleaded guilty last week to orchestrating a sophisticated multistate ATM robbery spree, netting them $500,000, including more than $170,000 stolen from a credit union ATM.

David Barker, 39, Efrain Montero, 41, and Jonathan Santos, 35, of Lawrence, pleaded guilty to indictments charging them with the burglary and attempted burglary of thirteen ATMs and commercial businesses, according to the Essex District Attorneys Office.

Assistant District Attorney Philip Mallard said the men scouted for ATM locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The men travelled in a stolen van to targeted ATMs and used tools access them. Wearing masks and dark clothing, two of the three men neutralized the alarm and security system, while the third man looked out for police. After cutting wires to the ATMs security system, they waited and listened on a scanner to be sure that police had not been alerted.
Pa. Dems could flip the House of Reps. Here's what that might mean
Halliburton Company provides products and services to the energy industry worldwide. It operates in two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services that include stimulation and sand control services; cementing services, such as well bonding and casing, and casing equipment; completion tools that offer downhole solutions and services, including well completion products and services, intelligent well completions, and service tools, as well as liner hanger, sand control, and multilateral systems; production solutions comprising coiled tubing, hydraulic workover units, downhole tools, and pumping and nitrogen services; and pipeline and process services, such as pre-commissioning, commissioning, maintenance, and decommissioning. This segment also provides electrical submersible pumps, as well as artificial lift services. The Drilling and Evaluation segment offers drilling fluid systems, performance additives, completion fluids, solids control, specialized testing equipment, and waste management services; oilfield completion, production, and downstream water and process treatment chemicals and services; drilling systems and services; wireline and perforating services consists of open-hole logging, and cased-hole and slickline; and drill bits and services comprising roller cone rock bits, fixed cutter bits, hole enlargement, and related downhole tools and services, as well as coring equipment and services. This segment also provides cloud based digital services and artificial intelligence solutions on an open architecture for subsurface insights, integrated well construction, and reservoir and production management; testing and subsea services, such as acquisition and analysis of reservoir information and optimization solutions; and project management and integrated asset management services. Halliburton Company was founded in 1919 and is based in Houston, Texas.
The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. Brown Investments Incorporated, Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft mbH, Ambidexter GmbH i.L., Argent Incorporated, BHW - Gesellschaft fur Wohnungswirtschaft mbH, BHW Bausparkasse Aktiengesellschaft, BHW Holding GmbH, BT Globenet Nominees Limited, Bainpro Nominees Pty Ltd, Baldur Mortgages Limited, Bankers Trust Investments Limited, Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc., Berkshire Mortgage Finance, Betriebs-Center fur Banken AG, Better Financial Services GmbH, Better Payment Germany GmbH, Borfield Sociedad Anonima, Breaking Wave DB Limited, Cardales UK Limited, Cardea Real Estate S.r.l., Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Asset Management Company Limited, Cathay Capital Company (No 2) Limited, Cedar (Luxembourg) S.a. r.l., Chapel Funding, China Recovery Fund LLC, Consumo Srl in Liquidazione, D B Investments (GB) Limited, D&M Turnaround Partners Godo Kaisha, DB (Barbados) SRL, DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Asing) Sdn. Bhd., DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad, DB Alex. Brown Holdings Incorporated, DB Aotearoa Investments Limited, DB Beteiligungs-Holding GmbH, DB Boracay LLC, DB Capital Markets (Deutschland) GmbH, DB Cartera de lnmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Chestnut Holdings Limited, DB Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., DB Delaware Holdings (Europe) Limited, DB Direkt GmbH, DB Elara LLC, DB Energy Trading LLC, DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equity Limited, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology SRL, DB Group Services (UK) Limited, DB HR Solutions GmbH, DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB IROC Leasing Corp., DB Impact Investment Fund I. LP., DB Industrial Holdings Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DB Industrial Holdings GmbH, DB Intermezzo LLC, DB International (Asia) Limited, DB International Investments Limited, DB International Trust (Singapore) Limited, DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Partners Limited, DB Investment Resources (US) Corporation, DB Investment Resources Holdings Corp., DB Investment Services GmbH, DB London (Investor Services) Nominees Limited, DB Management Support GmbH, DB Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB Nominees (Jersey) Limited, DB Nominees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, DB Omega BTV S.C.S., DB Omega Holdings LLC, DB Omega Ltd., DB Omega S.C.S., DB Operaciones y Servicios lnteractivos Agrupacicm de lnteres Econemico, DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Holdings Limited, DB Print GmbH, DB Private Clients Corp., DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd., DB Re S.A., DB Service Centre Limited, DB Service Uruguay S.A., DB Services (Jersey) Limited, DB Services Americas. Inc., DB Servizi Amministrativi S.r.l., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Products Inc., DB Trustee Services Limited, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB UK Bank Limited, DB UK Holdings Limited, DB UK PCAM Holdings Limited, DB US Financial Markets Holding Corporation, DB USA Core Corporation, DB USA Corporation, DB Valoren S.a. r.l., DB Value S.a.r.l., DB VersicherungsManager GmbH, DB Vita SA., DB lmmobilienfonds 5 Wieland KG i.L., DB lo LP, DBAH Capital. LLC, DBCIBZ1, DBFIC Inc., DBNZ Overseas Investments (No.1) Limited, DBOI Global Services (UK) Limited, DBR Investments Co. Limited, DBRE Global Real Estate Management 18 Ltd., DBRMS4, DBRMSGP1, DBUK PCAM Limited, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ2 S.a. r.l., DBX Advisers LLC, DEBEKO lmmobilien GmbH & Co Grundbesitz OHG, DEE Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, DEUKONA Versicherungs-Vermittlungs-GmbH, DEUTSCHE BANK AS., DI Deutsche lmmobilien Treuhandgesellschaft mbH, DISCA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DWS Alternatives France, DWS Alternatives Global Limited, DWS Alternatives GmbH, DWS Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, DWS Beteiligungs GmbH, DWS CH AG, DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Far Eastern Investments Limited, DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, DWS Group Services UK Limited, DWS Grundbesitz GmbH, DWS International GmbH, DWS Investment GmbH, DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment S.A., DWS Investments Australia Limited, DWS Investments Hong Kong Limited, DWS Investments Japan Limited, DWS Investments Shanghai Limited, DWS Investments Singapore Limited, DWS Investments UK Limited, DWS Management GmbH, DWS Real Estate GmbH, DWS Service Company, DWS Shanghai Private Equity Fund Management Limited, DWS Trust Company, DWS USA Corporation, Deposit Solutions, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Capital Holdings New Zealand, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Foreign Investments New Zealand, Deutsche (New Munster) Holdings New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Access Investments Limited, Deutsche Aeolia Power Production Societe Anonyme, Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (UK) Limited, Deutsche Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Deutsche Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Australia Limited, Deutsche Bank (Cayman) Limited, Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) SA, Deutsche Bank (Uruguay) Sociedad Anenima lnstitucien Financiera Externa, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Americas Holding Corp., Deutsche Bank Europe GmbH, Deutsche Bank Financial Company, Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency Incorporated, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., Deutsche Bank Mutui S.p.A., Deutsche Bank Mexico. S.A., Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Deutsche Bank Polska Spelka Akcyjna, Deutsche Bank Representative Office Nigeria Limited, Deutsche Bank S.A, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Limited, Deutsche Bank Societe per Azioni, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Delaware, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation, Deutsche Bank. Sociedad Anenima Espanola, Deutsche CIB Centre Private Limited, Deutsche Capital Finance (2000) Limited, Deutsche Capital Hong Kong Limited, Deutsche Capital Markets Australia Limited, Deutsche Capital Partners China Limited, Deutsche Cayman Ltd., Deutsche Custody N.V., Deutsche Domus New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Equities India Private Limited, Deutsche Finance No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Foras New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur lmmobilien-Leasing mit beschrenkter Haftung, Deutsche Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Group Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Deutsche Group Services Pty Limited, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Deutsche Grundbesitz-Anlagegesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Holdings (BTI) Limited, Deutsche Holdings (Grand Duchy), Deutsche Holdings (Luxembourg) S.El r.l., Deutsche Holdings Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 3 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 4 Limited, Deutsche India Holdings Private Limited, Deutsche India Private Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services (Ireland) Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services Limited, Deutsche International Custodial Services Limited, Deutsche Investments (Netherlands) N.V., Deutsche Investments India Private Limited, Deutsche Investor Services Private Limited, Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd., Deutsche Leasing New York Corp., Deutsche Mexico Holdings S.a. r.|., Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Limited, Deutsche Mortgage & Asset Receiving Corporation, Deutsche Nederland N.V., Deutsche New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Nominees Limited, Deutsche Oppenheim Family Office AG, Deutsche Overseas Issuance New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Postbank, Deutsche Postbank Finance Center Objekt GmbH, Deutsche Private Asset Management Limited, Deutsche Securities (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Securities (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities Asia Limited, Deutsche Securities Australia Limited, Deutsche Securities Inc., Deutsche Securities Israel Ltd., Deutsche Securities Korea Co., Deutsche Securities Mauritius Limited, Deutsche Securities SA. de C.V.. Casla de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Services (Cl) Limited, Deutsche Services Polska Sp. z o.o., Deutsche StiftungsTrust GmbH, Deutsche Strategic Investment Holdings Yugen Kaisha, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited, Deutsche Trustee Services (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad, Deutsche Wealth Management S.G.I.I.C. SA., Deutsche lmmobilien Leasing GmbH, Deutsches lnstitut fur Altersvorsorge GmbH, Durian (Luxembourg) S.a. r.l., EC EUROPA IMMOBILIEN FONDS NR. 3 GmbH & CO. KG i.l., Elizabethan Holdings Limited, Elizabethan Management Limited, European Value Added I (Alternate GP.) LLP, Fiduciaria Sant Andrea S.r.l., Finanzberatungsgesellschaft mbH der Deutschen Bank, Funfte SAB Treuhand und Verwaltung GmbH & Co. Suhl "Rimbachzentrum" KG, G Finance Holding Corp., German American Capital Corporation, Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer LandstraBe GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Miesbaden LuisenstraBe/Kirchgasse GbR, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF l Manager S.a.r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul lnkasso GmbH, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo lll Initial GP Limited, MEF I Manager. S. a r.|., MIT Holdings Inc., Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgagelT Inc., MortgagelT Securities Corp., OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentIe", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, PADUS Grundstcks-VermietungsgeseIlschaft mbH, PB Factoring GmbH, PB Spezial-lnvestmentaktiengesellschatt mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Plantation Bay. Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank lmmobilien GmbH, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, RREEF, RREEF America LLC., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisers Private Limited, RREEF Management LLC., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables. LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermielungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sharps SP l LLC, Stelvio lmmobiliare S.r.l., Suddeutsche Vermeigensvewvaitung Gesellschaft mit beschrenkter Haftung, TELO Beleiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Umited, VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., lmmobilienfonds BuroCenter Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, lmmobilienfonds Wohn- und Gescheftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, and norisbank GmbH.

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Community Bank System, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Community Bank, N.A. that provides various banking and other financial services to retail, commercial, and municipal customers. It operates through three segments: Banking, Employee Benefit Services, and All Other. The company offers various deposits products, such as checking, savings, and money market deposit accounts, as well as time deposits. It also provides loans, including consumer mortgages; general purpose commercial and industrial loans, and mortgages on commercial properties; paycheck protection program loans; installment loans that are originated through selected dealerships and are secured by automobiles, marine, and other recreational vehicles; personal installment loans and lines of credit for consumers; and home equity products. In addition, the company offers broker-dealer and investment advisory; cash management, investment, and treasury services; asset management; and employee benefit services, as well as operates as a full-service insurance agency that offers personal and commercial lines of insurance, and other risk management products and services. Further, it provides contribution plan administration, employee benefit trust, collective investment fund, retirement plan administration, fund administration, transfer agency, actuarial and benefit consulting, VEBA/HRA, and health and welfare consulting services. Additionally, the company offers wealth management, retirement planning, higher educational planning, fiduciary, risk management, trust, and personal financial planning services; and investment alternatives, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and advisory products, as well as master recordkeeping services. As of January 24, 2022, it operated approximately 215 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts. Community Bank System, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in DeWitt, New York.
Yiren Digital Ltd., through its subsidiaries, operates as an online consumer finance marketplace that connects borrowers and investors in the People's Republic of China. It offers loan facilitation services; and post-origination services, such as cash processing, collection, and SMS services. The company's loan products portfolio includes unsecured consumer loans; secured consumer loans, which include secured financial leasing, auto-secured, and property-secured loans; and small business loans. It also distributes short-term cash management, mutual fund investment, insurance, and securities and stock products. In addition, the company provides online investor education services, which include a range of asset allocation and investment topics, and various types of training programs on wealth planning, market insights, and investment strategies; consultancy; information technology support; referral; and IT, system maintenance, and customer support services. Further, it is involved in the provision of services for financing lease and insurance brokerage businesses. The company offers its products through www.yxpuhui.com, and a wealth management website and mobile application. As of December 31, 2021, it offered approximately 6,500 mutual fund products and 500 insurance products. The company was formerly known as Yirendai Ltd. and changed its name to Yiren Digital Ltd. in September 2019. Yiren Digital Ltd. was founded in 2012 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. Yiren Digital Ltd. is a subsidiary of Creditease Holdings (Cayman) Limited.
EPAM Systems, Inc. provides digital platform engineering and software development services worldwide. The company offers engineering services, including requirements analysis and platform selection, customization, cross-platform migration, implementation, and integration; infrastructure management services, such as software development, testing, and maintenance with private, public, and mobile infrastructures for application, database, network, server, storage, and systems operations management, as well as monitoring, incident notification, and resolution services; and maintenance and support services. It also provides operation solutions comprising integrated engineering practices and smart automation; and optimization solutions that include software application testing, test management, automation, and consulting services to enable customers enhance their existing software testing and quality assurance practices, as well as other testing services that identify threats and close loopholes to protect its customers' business systems from information loss. In addition, the company offers business, experience, technology, data, and technical advisory consulting services; and digital and service design solutions, which comprise strategy, design, creative, and program management services, as well as physical product development, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality. It serves the financial services, travel and consumer, software and hi-tech, business information and media, life sciences and healthcare, and other industries. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
United Parcel Service, Inc. provides letter and package delivery, transportation, logistics, and related services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States. The International Package segment provides guaranteed day and time-definite international shipping services in Europe, the Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, and Africa. This segment offers guaranteed time-definite express options. The company also provides international air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, distribution and post-sales, and mail and consulting services in approximately 200 countries and territories. In addition, it offers truckload brokerage services; supply chain solutions to the healthcare and life sciences industry; shipping, visibility, and billing technologies; and financial and insurance services. The company operates a fleet of approximately 121,000 package cars, vans, tractors, and motorcycles; and owns 59,000 containers that are used to transport cargo in its aircraft. United Parcel Service, Inc. was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United states and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance. The Business Insurance segment offers workers' compensation, commercial automobile and property, general liability, commercial multi-peril, employers' liability, public and product liability, professional indemnity, marine, aviation, onshore and offshore energy, construction, terrorism, personal accident, and kidnap and ransom insurance products. This segment operates through select accounts, which serve small businesses; commercial accounts that serve mid-sized businesses; national accounts, which serve large companies; and national property and other that serve large and mid-sized customers, commercial trucking industry, and agricultural businesses, as well as markets and distributes its products through brokers, wholesale agents, and program managers. The Bond & Specialty Insurance segment provides surety, fidelity, management and professional liability, and other property and casualty coverages and related risk management services through independent agencies and brokers. The Personal Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance covering personal risks, primarily automobile and homeowners insurance to individuals through independent agencies and brokers. The Travelers Companies, Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in New York, New York.
The following companies are subsidiares of UnitedHealth Group: 1070715 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, 1st Avenue Pharmacy Inc., 310 Canyon Medical LLC, 4C MSO LLC, 4C Medical Group PLC, 5995 Minnetonka LLC, ABCO International Holdings LLC, ACN Group IPA of New York Inc., ACN Group of California Inc., AHN Accountable Care Organization LLC, AHN Central Services LLC, AHN Target Holdings LLC, AMIL International S.a.r.l., APS  Assistencia Personalizada a Saude Ltda., ASC Holdings of New Jersey LLC, ASC Network LLC, ASC Operators-East Bay LLC, ASC Operators-San Francisco LLC, ASC Operators-San Luis Obispo LLC, ASC Operators-Santa Rosa LLC, ASC Operators-South Bay LLC, ASV-HOPCo-SCA Cornerstone LLC, ASV-HOPCo-SCA Florida LLC, AbleTo Behavioral Health Services P.C., AbleTo Inc., Accurate Rx Pharmacy Consulting LLC, Administradora Clinica La Colina S.A.S., Administradora Country S.A.S., Administradora Medica Centromed S.A., Advanced Surgery Center of Clifton LLC, Advanced Surgical Center LLC, Advanced Surgical Hospital LLC, Advocate Condell Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Advocate Southwest Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.C., Advocate-SCA Partners LLC, Aliansalud Entidad Promotora de Salud S.A., All Savers Insurance Company, All Savers Life Insurance Company of California, Alliance Surgical Center LLC, Allina Health Heart and Vascular Surgery Center LLC, Allina Health Surgery Center-Brooklyn Park LLC, Aloha Surgical Center LLC, Ambient Healthcare Inc., Ambient Holdings Inc., AmeriChoice, AmeriChoice Corporation, AmeriChoice of New Jersey Inc., American Health Network of Indiana Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Indiana II LLC, American Health Network of Indiana LLC, American Health Network of Kentucky LLC, American Health Network of Ohio Care Organization LLC, American Health Network of Ohio II LLC, American Health Network of Ohio LLC, American Physicians Inc., Amico Saude Ltda., Amil, Amil Assistencia Medica Internacional S.A., Angiografia e Hemodinamica Madre Theodora Ltda., Anne Arundel-SCA Holdings LLC, Anne Arundel-SCA Surgicenter LLC, Antelope Valley Surgery Center L.P., Analisis Clinicos ML S.A.C., Apothecary Holdings Inc., AppleCare Medical Management LLC, Aquitania Chilean Holding SpA, Arcadia JV Holdings LLC, Arcadia Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., ArchWell Health LLC, ArchWell Health MSO LLC, ArchWell Health Professional Services Holding Co., ArchWell Health Professional Services of Alabama LLC, ArchWell Health Professional Services of North Carolina P.C., ArchWell Health Professional Services of Oklahoma LLC, Archwell Health Professional Services of Arizona LLC, Archwell Health Professional Services of Nebraska LLC, Arise Physician Group, Arizona Physicians IPA Inc., Arlington Surgery Center LLC, Aspectus Inc., Associacao Lusiadas Knowledge Center  Health Education and Research, Audax Health Solutions LLC, Aurora Hospitalist P.C., Austin Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., Avella Specialty Pharmacy, Aventura Medical Tower Surgery Center LLC, Avery Parent Holdings Inc., Aveta Inc., AxelaCare Intermediate Holdings LLC, AxelaCare LLC, B.R.A.S.S. Partnership in Commendam, BOSC Holdings LLC, BSC Holdings LLC, Ball Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Banmedica Colombia S.A.S., Banmedica Internacional SpA, Banmedica S.A., Barranca Surgery Center LLC, Beach Surgical Holdings II LLC, Beach Surgical Holdings III LLC, Beach Surgical Holdings LLC, Beaver Medical Group P.C., Bedford Physicians Risk Retention Group Inc., Behavioral Healthcare Options Inc., Beltway Surgery Centers L.L.C., Benefit Administration for the Self Employed L.L.C., Benefitter Insurance Solutions Inc., Bergan Mercy Surgery Center LLC, Bergen-Passaic Cataract Laser and Surgery Center LLC, Bessler MD PLLC, Bind Benefits Inc., Bind LH Holdings Inc., Bind Re Inc., Birmingham Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Birmingham Outpatient Surgical Center LLC, Bloomfield ASC LLC, Blue Ridge Day Surgery Center L.P., Blue Ridge GP LLC, Blue Ridge Properties LLC, Boca Raton Outpatient Surgery & Laser Center LTD., Bordeaux Barbados Holdings I SRL, Bordeaux Barbados Holdings II SRL, Bordeaux Barbados Holdings III S.r.l., Bordeaux Holding SpA, Bordeaux International Holdings Inc., Bordeaux UK Holdings I Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings II Limited, Bordeaux UK Holdings III Limited, Bosque Medical Center Ltda., Brandon Ambulatory Surgery Center LC, BriovaRx Infusion Services 102 LLC, BriovaRx of Florida Inc., BriovaRx of Maine Inc., BriovaRx of Massachusetts LLC, CCEC Anesthesia Management LLC, CDC Holdings Colombia S.A.S., CLISA  Clinica de Santo Antonio S.A., CMO  Centro Medico de Oftalmologia S/S Ltda., CMS  Central de Manipulacao e Servicos Farmaceuticos Ltda., COI  Clinicas Oncologicas Integradas S.A., Cabin Enterprises LLC, Cabin Holdings LLC, California Medical Group Insurance Company Risk Retention Group, Camp Hill Ambulatory Centers, Camp Hill-SCA Centers LLC, Capital City Medical Group L.L.C., Cardinal Holding Company LLC, Care Improvement Plus Group Management LLC, Care Improvement Plus South Central Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus Wisconsin Insurance Company, Care Improvement Plus of Texas Insurance Company, Care Logistics LLC, CareMount Dental Member LLC, CareMount Health Solutions ACO LLC, CareMount Health Solutions Employer LLC, CareMount Health Solutions LLC, CareMount Holding LLC, CareMount Medical Foundation Inc., CareMount Value Partners IPA LLC, Carr PLLC, Casa de Saude Santa Therezinha Ltda., Castle Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Castle Rock SurgiCenter LLC, Catalyst360 LLC, Catamaran 2 Unlimited Company, Catamaran Finance Ireland Unlimited Company, Catamaran S.a.r.l., Cedar Park JV Partners LLC, Cedar Park Surgery Center LLC, Cemed Care  Empresa de Atendimento Clinico Geral Ltda., Center for Quality Improvement LLC, Center for Restorative Surgery at Maple Grove LLC, Center for Surgery of North Coast L.P., Central Indiana Care Organization LLC, Central Ohio Care Organization LLC, CentriHealth Corporation, CentrifyHealth LLC, Centro Medico Hospitalar Pitangueiras Ltda., Centro Odontologico Americano S.A.C., Centro de Entrenamiento Capacitacion en Reanimacion y Prevencion Limitada, Centro de Servicios Compartidos Banmedica SpA, Centromed Quilpue S.A., Centros Medicos y Dentales Multimed Ltda., Centura-SCA Holdings LLC, Centurion Casualty Company, Channel Islands Surgicenter L.P., Channel Islands Surgicenter Properties LLC, Charleston Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Charleston Surgery Properties LLC, Charlotte Surgery Center LLC, Charlotte Surgery Properties LTD., Charlotte-SC LLC, Chatham Orthopaedic ASC LLC, Childrens Surgery Center LLC, Citrus Regional Surgery Center L.P., Claims Management Systems Inc., Cleburne Surgical Center LLC, Clinical Partners of Colorado Springs LLC, Clinton Partners LLC, Clinica Alameda SpA, Clinica Bio Bio SpA, Clinica Ciudad del Mar S.A., Clinica Davila y Servicios Medicos S.p.A., Clinica Iquique S.A., Clinica Medico Cirurgica de Santa Tecla S.A., Clinica Portoazul S.A., Clinica San Felipe S.A., Clinica Santa Maria S.p.A., Clinica Sanchez Ferrer S.A., Clinica Vespucio S.A., Clinica del Country S.A.S., Coachella Valley Physicians of PrimeCare Inc., Coalition for Advanced Pharmacy Services Inc., Cobranzas Banmedica SpA, Cogent Healthcare IPA of New York Inc., Cogent Healthcare Inc., Cogent Healthcare Management of New York Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Arizona P.C., Cogent Healthcare of California Prof. Corp., Cogent Healthcare of Georgia P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Illinois LLC, Cogent Healthcare of Iowa P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Jackson MS LLC, Cogent Healthcare of Jacksonville LLC, Cogent Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Missouri Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Montana P.C., Cogent Healthcare of New Jersey P.C., Cogent Healthcare of North Carolina P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Oregon P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Pensacola L.L.C., Cogent Healthcare of Tennessee P.C., Cogent Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Cogent Healthcare of Washington P.C., Cogent Medical Care P.C., Cogent Patient Safety Organization Inc., Cogent/Endion Medical Care of New York P.C., Collaborative Care Holdings LLC, Collaborative Care Services Inc., Collaborative Realty LLC, Colmedica Medicina Prepagada S.A., Colonial Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Colorado Innovative Physician Solutions Inc., Colorado Springs Surgery Center Ltd., Comfort Care Transportation LLC, Comprehensive Hospital Physicians of Florida Inc., ConnectYourCare Inc., ConnectYourCare LLC, Connecticut Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Connecticut Surgery Properties LLC, Connecticut Surgical Center LLC, Consorcio Regenero S.A., Constructora Inmobiliaria Magapoq S.A., Consumer Wellness Solutions Inc., Continuum Physicians Group Inc., Continuum Physicians Group of Washington PLLC, Cornell Surgicenter LLC, Cornerstone Surgery Center LLC, Cornerstone Surgicare LLC, Corpus Christi Endoscopy Center L.L.P., Country Scan Ltda., Critical Care Physician of New York P.C., Critical Care Physicians of Illinois LLC, Critical Care Physicians of New Jersey PC, Critical Care Physicians of Pennsylvania P.C., Cross Timbers Surgery Center LLC, Cypress Care Inc., DBP Services of New York IPA Inc., DSP Flint Real Estate LLC, DSP-Building C LLC, DTC Surgery Center LLC, DWIC of Tampa Bay Inc., Dallas Inpatient Specialist PLLC, Danbury Surgical Center L.P., Day-Op Surgery Consulting Company LLC, Definity Health, Dental Benefit Providers Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of California Inc., Dental Benefit Providers of Illinois Inc., Denton Endoscopy Surgery Center LLC, Denton Surgery Center LLC, Derry Surgical Center LLC, Diagnostico Ecotomografico Centromed Ltda., Diasnostico por Imagenes Centromed Ltda., Digestive Disease Center L.P., Dilab Medicina Nuclear Ltda., Diplomat Blocker LLC, Diplomat Corporate Properties LLC, Diplomat Pharmacy, Diplomat Pharmacy Inc., Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy Great Lakes Distribution Center LLC, Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy of Chicago LLC, Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy of Ft. Lauderdale LLC, Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy of Los Angeles County LLC, Distance Learning Network Inc., Divisadero Holdings LLC, DocASAP Inc., DocASAP India Technologies Private Limited, DocASAP US LLC, Doctor + S.A.C., Dry Creek Surgery Center LLC, Dublin Surgery Center LLC, Duluth Surgical Suites LLC, Durable Medical Equipment Inc., E Street Endoscopy LLC, EM Orange Tree LLC, EP Campus I LLC, EPIC Health Plan, EPIC Management Services LLC, East Bay Endoscopy Center L.P., East Brunswick Surgery Center LLC, Echo Locum Tenens Inc., Electronic Network Systems Inc., Elual Participacoes S.A., Emerald Coast Surgery Center L.P., Emisar Pharma Services LLC, Emmaus Holdings LLC, Emmaus Surgical Center LLC, Empire Physician Management Company LLC, Empremedica S. A., Endion Hospitalist North P.C., Endion Hospitalist of Western New York P.C., Endion Medical Healthcare P.C., Endion Medical Services P.C., Endoscopy Center Affiliates Inc., Enterprise Life Insurance Company, Equian, Equian LLC, Equian Parent Corp., Esho  Empresa de Servicos Hospitalares S.A., Everett MSO Inc., Excelsior Insurance Brokerage Inc., Executive Health Resources Inc., Executive Surgery Center L.L.C., Eye Clinic Oftalmologia Clinico Cirurgica e Diagnostico Ltda., Eye Specialists Surgery Centers LLC, FMG Holdings LLC, Family Health Care Services, Family Home Hospice Inc., Ferrell Physician Services P.C., Fideicomiso Clinica Barranquilla Portoazul FA-517, First Coast Orthopedic Center LLC, First Family Insurance LLC, Florence Surgery Center L.P., For Health Inc., For Health of Arizona Inc., Fort Sutter Medical Building a California Limited Partnership, Fort Worth Endoscopy Centers LLC, Fortified Provider Network Inc., Foundation Surgery Affiliate General of Huntingdon Valley LLC, Foundation Surgery Affiliate of Huntingdon Valley L.P., Franklin Surgical Center LLC, Freedom Life Insurance Company of America, Freeway Surgicenter of Houston LLC, Frontier Medex Tanzania Limited, FrontierMEDEX Inc., FrontierMEDEX Kenya Limited, FrontierMEDEX US Inc., Fundacion Banmedica, GLBESC LLC, GRANTS PASS SURGERY CENTER LLC, Gadsden Surgery Center LLC, Gainesville Surgery Center L.P., Gainesville Surgery Properties LLC, Genoa, Genoa Healthcare Inc., Genoa QoL Wholesale LLC, Genoa Technology Canada Inc., Genoa Technology Inc., Genoa Telepsychiatry Inc., Genoa of Arkansas LLC, Gladiolus Surgery Center L.L.C., Glenwood Surgical Center L.P., Glenwood-SC Inc., Global One Ventures LLC, Golden Gate Endoscopy Center LLC, Golden Outlook Inc., Golden Rule Financial Corporation, Golden Rule Insurance Company, Golden Triangle Surgicenter L.P., Grandview Surgery Center LTD., Greater New Haven ASC LLC, Greensboro Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Greenville Surgery Center LLC, Greenway Surgical Suites LLC, Grossmont Surgery Center L.P., Grove Place Surgery Center L.L.C., H&W Indemnity SPC Ltd., H.I. Investments Holding Company LLC, HCP ACO California LLC, HCentive Technology India Private Limited, HFHS-SCA Holdings LLC, HMG Holding Corporation, HMG Holdings LLC, HMP of Baltimore  USH P.C., Harken Health Insurance Company, Harrison Endo Surgical Center LLC, Hawthorn Place Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Hays JV Partners LLC, Hays Surgery Center LLC, Health Care-ONE Insurance Agency Inc., Health Inventures Employment Solutions LLC, Health Inventures LLC, Health Plan of Nevada Inc., HealthCare Partners ASC-LB LLC, HealthCare Partners Affiliates Medical Group, HealthCare Partners Management Services California LLC, HealthCare Partners RE LLC, HealthEast Surgery Center-Maplewood LLC, HealthFirst IPA Inc., HealthMarkets Group Inc., HealthMarkets Inc., HealthMarkets Insurance Agency Inc., HealthMarkets LLC, HealthMarkets Services Inc., HealthSCOPE Holdings Inc., HealthScope Benefits Inc., Healthcare Solutions Inc., Healthplex America LLC, Healthplex Dental Services Inc., Healthplex I.P.A. Inc., Healthplex Inc., Healthplex Insurance Company, Healthplex of CT Inc., Healthplex of DC Inc., Healthplex of MD Inc., Healthplex of ME Inc., Healthplex of NC Inc., Healthplex of NJ Inc., Healthplex of TX Inc., Heartland Heart and Vascular LLC, Help Seguros de Vida S.A., Help Service S.A., Help SpA, Hemonefro  Hemodialise e Nefrologia Ltda, Highlands Ranch Healthcare LLC, Home Medical S.A., Honodav SpA, Hospice Inspiris Holdings Inc., Hospitais Associados de Pernambuco Ltda., Hospital Alvorada Taguatinga Ltda., Hospital Ana Costa S.A., Hospital Santa Helena S.A., Hospital de Clinicas de Jacarepagua Ltda., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of Broome County PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Binghamton P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Buffalo P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Newburgh P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Nyack P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physician of New York - Patchogue P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Alabama  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Alabama  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Alaska  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Alaska  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Goodyear Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Nogales Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Phoenix II Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Phoenix Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Sierra Vista Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Tucson II Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona - Tucson Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arizona  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arkansas  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Arkansas  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Buncombe County PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Apple Valley PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Bakersfield PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Camarillo PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Crescent City PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Fairfield PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Fremont PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Grass Valley PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Jackson PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Oceanside PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Oxnard PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Salinas PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - San Bernardino II PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - San Bernardino PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - San Leandro PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Sonoma PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Stockton II PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Stockton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Thousand Oaks PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California - Vacaville PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of California  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Colorado - Brighton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Colorado - Denver PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Colorado  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Colorado  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut - Manchester LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut - Rockville LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut - Wallingford LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Connecticut  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of DC PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of DC  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of DC  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Delaware  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Delaware  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida - Ft. Lauderdale LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida - Jacksonville II LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida - Jacksonville LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida - Palm Coast LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Florida  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Fredericksburg LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia - Atlanta PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia - East Point PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia - Lavonia PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia - Savannah PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Georgia  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Hawaii - Kealakekua Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Hawaii  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Hawaii  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Idaho - Nampa PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Idaho  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Idaho  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois - Downers Grove LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois - Elmhurst LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois - Rockford LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois - Winfield LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Illinois  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana - Clinton LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana - Mishawaka LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana - Terre Haute LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Indiana  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa - Cedar Rapids PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa - Mason City PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Iowa  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas - Topeka LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas - Wichita II LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas - Wichita LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Kansas  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana - Alexandria Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana - Bossier City Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana - Lake Charles Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana - Shreveport Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Louisiana  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maine - Bangor PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maine - Lewiston PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maine  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maine  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Cheverly PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Cumberland PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Frederick PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Laurel PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland - Rockville PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland P.C., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Maryland  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Brockton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Dorchester PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Framingham PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Holyoke PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Natick PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Norwood PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Springfield PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Stoughton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Taunton PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts - Worcester PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Massachusetts  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Alpena PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Dowagiac PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Escanaba PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Grand Blanc PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Grayling PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Kalamazoo PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Plainwell PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Port Huron PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Saginaw PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan - Tawas City PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Michigan  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Minnesota  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Minnesota  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Mississippi LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Mississippi  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Mississippi  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Missouri - Bridgeton Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Missouri - Richmond Heights Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Missouri  TCG Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Missouri  TCS Inc., Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana - Billings PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana - Butte PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana - Miles City PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana - Missoula PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana  TCG PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Montana  TCS PC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Multiple Practice Sites LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nebraska  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nebraska  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada - Henderson Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada - Henderson II Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada - Las Vegas Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada - Las Vegas II Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada  TCG Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Nevada  TCS Bessler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Hampshire  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Hampshire  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of New Jersey - 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Rockwall PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Round Rock PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio II PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio III PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio IV PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio V PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio VI PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Antonio VII PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - San Marcos PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Texarkana PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas - Tyler PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas  TCG PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Texas  TCS PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Utah  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Utah  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Vermont  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Vermont  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Alexandria LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Front Royal II LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Front Royal LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Mechanicsville LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Midlothian LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Richmond II LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Richmond LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia - Winchester LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Virginia  TCS LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Arlington PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Auburn PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Bellingham PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Bremerton PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Burien PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - Coupeville PLLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Washington - 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Casper LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Wyoming  TCG LLC, Hospitalist Medicine Physicians of Wyoming  TCS LLC, Hospitalists Management Group LLC, Humedica, Humedica Inc., Hygeia Corporation, Hygeia Corporation Ontario, IEC Holdings LLC, IHD Holdings LLC, INOV8 Surgical at Memorial City LLC, INSPIRIS of Texas Physician Group, Illinois Independent Care Network LLC, Imagen Technologies Inc., Impel Consulting Experts L.L.C., Impel Management Services L.L.C., InTouch Pharmacy LLC, Indiana Care Organization LLC, Indiana Endoscopy Centers LLC, Inland Surgery Center L.P., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3001 S.A., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo 3600 Ltda., Inmobiliaria Apoquindo S.A., Inmobiliaria Clinica Santa Maria S.A., Inmobiliaria Vinamed Ltda., Inmobiliaria e Inversiones Alameda S.A., Inpatient Services P.C., Inpatient Specialists of California P.C., Inspiris, Inspiris Inc., Instituto Radium de Cammpinas Ltda, Inter-Hospital Physicians Association Inc., International Healthcare Services Inc., Inversiones Clinicas Santa Maria SpA, Ironman Holdco Inc., Ironman Intermediate Holdco LLC, Isapre Banmedica S.A., JPM Healthcare LLC, Johnston Surgicare L.P., Joliet Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Jordan Ridge Family Medicine LLC, Joyable Inc., Kansal Inc. A Professional Corporation, Knox Diagnostic Imaging Center LLC, Kokomo Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, LDI Holding Company LLC, LDI Management Services LLC, LGH-A/Golf ASTC L.L.C., LHC Group, La Esperanza del Peru S.A., Laboratorio ROE S.A., Laboratorios Medicos Amed Quilpue S.A., Landmark Group Holdings LLC, Landmark Health Holdings LLC, Landmark Health LLC, Landmark Health NY IPA LLC, Landmark Health NY PO LLC, Landmark Health Technologies Private Limited, Landmark Health of California LLC, Landmark Health of Massachusetts LLC, Landmark Health of North Carolina LLC, Landmark Health of Oregon LLC, Landmark Health of Pennsylvania LLC, Landmark Health of Washington LLC, Landmark India LLC, Landmark Intermediate Holdings LLC, Landmark MSO LLC, Landmark Medical of Idaho PC, Landmark Medical of Massachusetts PLLC, Landmark Medical of Tennessee PC, Landmark Primary Care LLC, Laser Acquisition Holdings III LLC, Leehar Distributors LLC, Lemhi Ventures Fund I LP, Lemhi Ventures Fund II LP, Level2 Medical Services P.C. Alaska, Lexington Surgery Center Ltd., Liberty Anesthesia Services LLC, LifePrint Health Inc., LifeWell. Ltd. Co., Lifeprint Accountable Care Organization LLC, Limestone Medical Center LLC, Litomedica S.A., Logan Surgical Suites LLC, Lotten-Eyes Oftalmologia Clinica e Cirurgica Ltda., Louisville S.C. Ltd., Louisville-SC Properties Inc., Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center at Oakbrook Inc., Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center at Oakbrook L.P., Lusiadas - Parcerias Cascais S.A., Lusiadas A.C.E., Lusiadas Algarve S.A., Lusiadas S.A., Lusiadas SGPS S.A., Lutheran Campus ASC LLC, MAMSI Life and Health Insurance Company, MCNA Health Care Holdings LLC, MCNA Insurance Company, MCNA Systems Corp., MD Ops Inc., MD-Individual Practice Association Inc., ME AHS UC LLC, MGH/SCA LLC, MHC Real Estate Holdings LLC, MIAMI SURGERY CENTER LLC, MSLA Management LLC, Main Line Spine Surgery Center LLC, Managed Care of North America Inc., Managed Physical Network Inc., Mansfield Endoscopy Center LLC, March Holdings Inc., March Vision Care IPA Inc., March Vision Care Inc., March Vision Care of Texas Inc., Marin Health Ventures LLC, Marin Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Marin Surgery Holdings Inc., Marlin Holding Company LLC, Maryland Ambulatory Centers LLC, Maryland-SCA Centers LLC, Massachusetts Assurance Company Ltd. PIC, Massachusetts Avenue Surgery Center LLC, McKenzie Surgery Center L.P., MedExpress Primary Care West Virginia Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care Alabama LLC, MedExpress Urgent Care Inc. - Ohio, MedExpress Urgent Care Maine Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care New Hampshire Inc., MedExpress Urgent Care of Boynton Beach LLC, MedSynergies, MedSynergies LLC, Medical Clinic of North Texas PLLC, Medical Hilfe S.A., Medical Support Los Angeles Inc., Medical Surgical Centers of America Inc., Medical Transportation Services LLC, Melbourne Surgery Center LLC, Memorial City Holdings LLC, Memorial City Partners LLC, Memorial Houston Surgery Center LLC, MemorialCare Surgical Center at Orange Coast LLC, MemorialCare Surgical Center at Saddleback LLC, Mesquite Liberty LLC, Metro I Stone Management Ltd., Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee, Midlands Orthopaedics Surgery Center LLC, Midwest Center for Day Surgery LLC, Mile High SurgiCenter LLC, Mississippi Medical Plaza L.C., Mobile Medical Services of New Jersey PC, Mobile-SC LTD., Modality Accountable Care Organisation Limited, Moen M.D. P.C., Mohawk Surgery Center LLC, Monarch Management Services Inc., Montgomery Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Monument Health LLC, Moore Orthopaedic Clinic Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Morris County Surgical Center LLC, Mt. Pleasant Surgery Center L.P., Multiangio Ltda., Murrells Inlet ASC LLC, Muskogee Surgical Investors LLC, Mustang Razorback Holdings Inc., My Wellness Solutions LLC, NAMM Holdings Inc., NPN IPA Washington PLLC, NSC Channel Islands LLC, NSC Greensboro LLC, NSC Greensboro West LLC, NSC Lancaster LLC, NSC Seattle Inc., NSC Upland LLC, Naperville Surgical Centre LLC, National Foundation Life Insurance Company, National Pacific Dental Inc., National Surgery Centers LLC, Navigator Health Inc., Nebraska Spine Hospital LLC, Neighborhood Health Partnership Inc., Netwerkes LLC, Nevada Pacific Dental, New Orleans Regional Physician Hospital Organization L.L.C., New West Physicians Inc., New York Proton Management LLC, Newton Holdings LLC, Niagara Hospitalist P.C., Nomad Buyer Inc., North American Medical Management California Inc., North Coast Surgery Center Ltd. a California Limited Partnership, North Dallas Surgical Center LLC, North Kitsap Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, North Puget Sound Oncology Equipment Leasing Company LLC, Northern Nevada Health Network Inc., Northern Rockies Surgery Center L.P., Northern Rockies Surgicenter Inc., Northern Utah Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Hills JV Partners LLC, Northwest Medical Group Alliance LLC, Northwest Spine and Laser Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Surgicare LLC, Northwest Surgicare Ltd. an Illinois Limited Partnership, OC Cardiology Practice Partners LLC, OCC MSO LLC, OSB  Tecnologia e Servicos de Suporte Lda., Omesa SpA, OmniClaim LLC, Oncocare S.A.C., One World Surgery, Ophthalmology Surgery Center of Dallas LLC, Optimum Choice Inc., Optum Bank Inc., Optum Biometrics Inc., Optum Care Inc., Optum Care Networks Inc., Optum Care Services Company, Optum Care of New York Management Inc., Optum Clinics Holdings Inc., Optum Clinics Intermediate Holdings Inc., Optum Compounding Services LLC, Optum Digital Health Holdings LLC, Optum Direct To Consumer Inc., Optum Financial Inc., Optum Frontier Therapies Holdings LLC, Optum Frontier Therapies II LLC, Optum Frontier Therapies LLC, Optum Genomics Inc., Optum Global Solutions Colombia S.A.S., Optum Global Solutions India Private Limited, Optum Global Solutions International B.V., Optum Global Solutions Philippines Inc., Optum Government Solutions Inc., Optum Growth Partners Holdings Inc., Optum Growth Partners LLC, Optum Health & Technology Holdings US Inc., Optum Health & Technology Hong Kong Limited, Optum Health & Technology India Private Limited, Optum Health & Technology Servicos do Brasil Ltda., Optum Health & Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd., Optum Health & Technology US LLC, Optum Health Plan of California, Optum Health Services Canada Ltd., Optum Health Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Optum Health Solutions UK Limited, Optum Health and Technology FZ-LLC, Optum Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services LLC, Optum Inc., Optum Infusion Services 100 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 101 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 103 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 200 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 201 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 202 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 203 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 204 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 205 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 206 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 207 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 208 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 209 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 301 LP, Optum Infusion Services 302 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 305 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 308 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 401 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 402 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 403 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 404 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 500 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 501 Inc., Optum Infusion Services 550 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 551 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 553 LLC, Optum Infusion Services 554 Inc., Optum Insurance of Ohio Inc., Optum Labs Inc., Optum Labs LLC, Optum Life Sciences Canada Inc., Optum Management Consulting Shanghai Co. Ltd., Optum Networks of New Jersey Inc., Optum Operations Ireland Unlimited Company, Optum Oregon MSO LLC, Optum Palliative and Hospice Care of Pennsylvania Inc., Optum Palliative and Hospice Care of Texas Inc., Optum Perks LLC, Optum Pharma Services Holdings Inc., Optum Pharmacy 601 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 700 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 701 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 702 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 704 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 705 LLC, Optum Pharmacy 706 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 707 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 800 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 803 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 805 Inc., Optum Pharmacy 806 Inc., Optum Public Sector Solutions Inc., Optum Rocket LLC, Optum SCA CS JV Holdings LLC, Optum Senior Services LLC, Optum Services Inc., Optum Services Ireland Limited, Optum Services Puerto Rico LLC, Optum Solutions UK Holdings Limited, Optum Technology LLC, Optum UK Solutions Group Limited, Optum Venture Global Partners II LP, Optum Venture Global Partners LP, Optum Venture Partners II LP, Optum Venture Partners III LP, Optum Venture Partners LP, Optum Washington Network LLC, Optum Women's and Children's Health LLC, Optum of New York Inc., Optum360 LLC, Optum360 Services Inc., Optum360 Solutions LLC, OptumCare ACO New Mexico LLC, OptumCare ACO West LLC, OptumCare Clinical Trials LLC, OptumCare Colorado ASC LLC, OptumCare Colorado LLC, OptumCare Colorado Springs LLC, OptumCare Endoscopy Center New Mexico LLC, OptumCare Florida CI LLC, OptumCare Florida LLC, OptumCare Holdings Colorado LLC, OptumCare Holdings LLC, OptumCare Management LLC, OptumCare New Mexico LLC, OptumCare New York IPA Inc., OptumCare Portland LLC, OptumCare South Florida LLC, OptumCare Specialty Practices LLC, OptumHealth Care Solutions LLC, OptumHealth Holdings LLC, OptumHealth International B.V., OptumInsight Holdings LLC, OptumInsight Inc., OptumInsight India Private Limited, OptumInsight Life Sciences Inc., OptumRx Administrative Services LLC, OptumRx Discount Card Services LLC, OptumRx Group Holdings Inc., OptumRx Health Solutions LLC, OptumRx Holdings I LLC, OptumRx Holdings LLC, OptumRx Home Delivery of Ohio LLC, OptumRx IPA III Inc., OptumRx Inc., OptumRx NY IPA Inc., OptumRx PBM of Illinois Inc., OptumRx PBM of Maryland LLC, OptumRx PBM of Pennsylvania LLC, OptumRx PBM of Wisconsin LLC, OptumRx PD of Pennsylvania LLC, OptumRx Pharmacy Inc., OptumRx Pharmacy of Nevada Inc., OptumRx of Pennsylvania LLC, OptumServe Technology Services Inc., Oregon Healthcare Resources LLC, Oregon Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Orlando Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., OrthoNet Holdings Inc., OrthoNet LLC, OrthoNet New York IPA Inc., OrthoNet West Inc., OrthoNet of the South Inc., OrthoWest MSO LLC, Orthology Inc., Orthopedic Center of Palm Beach County LLC, Orthopedic Surgery Center of Palm Beach County LLC, Orthopro Management LLC, Ovations Inc., Owensboro Ambulatory Surgical Facility Ltd., Oxford Benefit Management Inc., Oxford Health Insurance Inc., Oxford Health Plans CT Inc., Oxford Health Plans LLC, Oxford Health Plans NJ Inc., Oxford Health Plans NY Inc., P2P Link LLC, PCCCV Inc., PHC Subsidiary Holdings LLC, PHYSICIANS DAY SURGERY CENTER LLC, PMI Acquisition LLC, PMSI Holdings LLC, PMSI Settlement Solutions LLC, POMCO Inc., POMCO Network Inc., PPH Holdings LLC, PPH Management Company L.L.C., PPH-Columbia Inc., PPH-Gardendale Inc., PS Center LLC, PacifiCare Health Systems, PacifiCare Life Assurance Company, PacifiCare Life and Health Insurance Company, PacifiCare of Arizona Inc., PacifiCare of Colorado Inc., Pacific Cardiovascular Associates Medical Group Inc., Pacific Casualty Company Inc., Pacifico S.A. Entidad Prestadora de Salud, Panama City Surgery Center LLC, Park Hill Surgery Center LLC, Parkway Surgery Center LLC, Patient Care Associates L.L.C., PatientsLikeMe, Patrimonio Autonomo Nueva Clinica, Payment Resolution Services LLC, Peninsula Eye Surgery Center LLC, Penzo Enterprises LLC, Peoples Health, Peoples Health Inc., Perham Physical Therapy LTD, Perimeter Center for Outpatient Surgery L.P., Pharmaceutical Technologies LLC, Physician Alliance of the Rockies LLC, Physicians Health Choice of Texas LLC, Physicians Health Plan of Maryland Inc., Physicians' Surgery Center of Downey LLC, Pinnacle III LLC, Plano de Saude Ana Costa Ltda., Plus One Health Management Puerto Rico Inc., Plus One Holdings Inc., Pocono Ambulatory Surgery Center Limited, Polar II Fundo de Investimento em Participacoes Multiestrategia, Polo Holdco LLC, Pomerado Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Pomerado Outpatient Surgical Center L.P., Post-Acute Care Center for Research LLC, Practice Partners in Healthcare LLC, Preferred Care Network Inc., Preferred Care Network of Florida Inc., Preferred Care Partners Holding Corp., Preferred Care Partners Inc., Preferred Care Partners Medical Group Inc., PreferredOne, PreferredOne Administrative Services Inc., PreferredOne Insurance Company, Premier Choice ACO Inc., Premier Surgery Center of Louisville L.P., Premiere Medical Resources LLC, Presidio Surgery Center LLC, Prime Health Inc., PrimeCare Medical Network Inc., PrimeCare of Citrus Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Corona Inc., PrimeCare of Hemet Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Inland Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Moreno Valley Inc., PrimeCare of Redlands Inc., PrimeCare of Riverside Inc., PrimeCare of San Bernardino Inc., PrimeCare of Sun City Inc., PrimeCare of Temecula Inc., PrimeDoc St. Francis P.C., PrimeDoc of Richmond P.C., ProHEALTH Care Associates L.L.P., ProHEALTH Care Associates of New Jersey LLP, ProHEALTH Medical Management LLC, ProHealth Physicians ACO LLC, ProHealth Physicians Inc., ProHealth Proton Center Management LLC, ProHealth/CareMount Dental Management LLC, Procura Management Inc., Professional Coverage Services PLLC, Progressive Enterprises Holdings Inc., Progressive Medical LLC, Promotora Country S.A., Pronounced Health Solutions Inc., Prosemedic S.A.C., Prospero Benefits Management LLC, Prospero Care Management LLC, Prospero Management Services LLC, Providence & SCA Development LLC, Providence & SCA Off-Campus Holdings LLC, Providence & SCA On-Campus Holdings LLC, Providence & SCA Outreach Markets Holdings LLC, Pulse Platform LLC, QoL Acquisition Holdings Corp., R Cubed Inc., RABessler M.D. P.C., ROC Surgery LLC, ROCS Holdings LLC, RX Ricardo Campos Ltda., Rally Health Inc., ReMedics LLC, Real Appeal Inc., Redding Surgery Center LLC, Redlands Ambulatory Surgery Center, Redlands-SCA Surgery Centers Inc., Reliant MSO LLC, Reliant Medical Group Inc., Reliant Medical Group The Endoscopy Center LLC, Research Surgical Center LLC, Resonancia Magnetica de Colombia Ltda., Resonancia Magnetica del Country S.A., RightCare Solutions Inc., River Valley ASC LLC, Riverside Corporate Wellness LLC, Riverside Electronic Healthcare Resources Inc., Riverside Medical Management LLC, Riverside Surgical Center of Meadowlands LLC, Riverside Surgical Center of Newark LLC, Robert A. Bessler MD PLLC, Rockville Eye Surgery Center LLC, Rocky Mountain Health Maintenance Organization Incorporated, Rush Oak Brook Surgery Center LLC, SC Affiliates LLC, SCA AHN JV Holdings LLC, SCA Alaska Surgery Center inc., SCA Athens LLC, SCA Austin Holdings LLC, SCA Austin Medical Center Holdings LLC, SCA Aventura Holdings LLC, SCA BOSC Holdings LLC, SCA Bloomfield Holdings LLC, SCA Cedar Park Holdings LLC, SCA Clifton LLC, SCA Colorado Springs Holdings LLC, SCA Community Service Foundation, SCA Cottonwood Holdings LLC, SCA Danbury Surgical Center LLC, SCA Denver Holdings LLC, SCA Development LLC, SCA Duluth Holdings LLC, SCA Duncanville Holdings LLC, SCA Duncanville MSO LLC, SCA ESSC Holdings LLC, SCA Englewood Holdings LLC, SCA Global One Holdings LLC, SCA Greenway Holdings LLC, SCA Grove Creek Holdings LLC, SCA Guilford Holdings LLC, SCA Hays Holdings LLC, SCA Health Value Enterprise LLC, SCA Heartland Holdings LLC, SCA High Point Holdings LLC, SCA HoldCo Inc., SCA Holding Company Inc., SCA Holdings Inc., SCA IEC Holdings LLC, SCA Indiana Holdings LLC, SCA Lutheran Holdings LLC, SCA Maple Grove Holdings LLC, SCA Mohawk Holdings LLC, SCA Murrells Inlet LLC, SCA Northern Utah Holdings LLC, SCA Northwest Holdings LLC, SCA Outside New Jersey LLC, SCA Pacific Holdings Inc., SCA Pacific Surgery Holdings LLC, SCA Palisades Holdings LLC, SCA Pennsylvania Holdings LLC, SCA Pinnacle Holdings LLC, SCA Premier Surgery Center of Louisville LLC, SCA Providence Holdings LLC, SCA ROCS Holdings LLC, SCA Rockledge JV LLC, SCA Rush Oak Brook Holdings LLC, SCA SSSC Holdings LLC, SCA Sage Medical LLC, SCA Sage Medical MSO LLC, SCA San Diego Holdings LLC, SCA Skyway Holdings LLC, SCA South Ogden Holdings LLC, SCA Southwestern PA LLC, SCA Specialists of Florida LLC, SCA Specialty Holdings of Connecticut LLC, SCA Stonegate Holdings LLC, SCA Surgery Holdings LLC, SCA Surgicare of Laguna Hills LLC, SCA Teammate Support Network, SCA West Health Holdings LLC, SCA Westgreen Holdings LLC, SCA Woodbury Holdings LLC, SCA eCode Solutions Private Limited, SCA of Clarksville Inc., SCA-Albuquerque Surgery Properties Inc., SCA-Alliance LLC, SCA-Anne Arundel LLC, SCA-Applecare Partners LLC, SCA-Bethesda LLC, SCA-Blue Ridge LLC, SCA-Bonita Springs LLC, SCA-Brandon LLC, SCA-Castle Rock LLC, SCA-Central Florida LLC, SCA-Charleston LLC, SCA-Chatham LLC, SCA-Chevy Chase LLC, SCA-Citrus Inc., SCA-Colonial Partners LLC, SCA-Colorado Springs LLC, SCA-Connecticut Partners LLC, SCA-DRY CREEK LLC, SCA-Davenport LLC, SCA-Denver LLC, SCA-Denver Physicians Holdings LLC, SCA-Derry LLC, SCA-Doral LLC, SCA-Downey LLC, SCA-Dublin LLC, SCA-Encinitas Inc., SCA-Eugene Inc., SCA-First Coast LLC, SCA-Florence LLC, SCA-Fort Collins Inc., SCA-Fort Walton Inc., SCA-Franklin LLC, SCA-Frederick LLC, SCA-Freeway Holdings LLC, SCA-Ft. Myers LLC, SCA-GRANTS PASS LLC, SCA-Gainesville LLC, SCA-Gladiolus LLC, SCA-Glenwood Holdings LLC, SCA-Grove Place LLC, SCA-Hagerstown LLC, SCA-Hamden LLC, SCA-Hilton Head LLC, SCA-Honolulu LLC, SCA-Houston Executive LLC, SCA-IT Holdings LLC, SCA-Illinois LLC, SCA-JPM Holdings LLC, SCA-Kissing Camels Holdings LLC, SCA-MC VBP Inc., SCA-Main Street LLC, SCA-Marina del Rey LLC, SCA-Mecklenburg Development Corp., SCA-Memorial City LLC, SCA-Memorial LLC, SCA-Merritt LLC, SCA-Midlands LLC, SCA-Midway Management LLC, SCA-Mobile LLC, SCA-Mokena LLC, SCA-Morris Avenue LLC, SCA-Morris County LLC, SCA-Mt. Pleasant LLC, SCA-Naperville LLC, SCA-Naples LLC, SCA-New Jersey LLC, SCA-Newport Beach LLC, SCA-Northeast Georgia Health LLC, SCA-PORTLAND LLC, SCA-Palm Beach LLC, SCA-Palm Beach MSO Holdings LLC, SCA-Panama City Holdings LLC, SCA-Paoli LLC, SCA-Phoenix LLC, SCA-Pocono LLC, SCA-Practice Partners Holdings LLC, SCA-River Valley LLC, SCA-Riverside LLC, SCA-Riverside Partners LLC, SCA-Rockville LLC, SCA-Sacred Heart Holdings LLC, SCA-San Diego Inc., SCA-San Luis Obispo LLC, SCA-Sand Lake LLC, SCA-Santa Rosa Inc., SCA-Somerset LLC, SCA-South Jersey LLC, SCA-Sparta LLC, SCA-Spartanburg Holdings LLC, SCA-St. Louis Holdings LLC, SCA-St. Louis LLC, SCA-St. Lucie LLC, SCA-SurgiCare LLC, SCA-Swiftpath LLC, SCA-VERTA LLC, SCA-VLR Holdings Company LLC, SCA-Wake Forest LLC, SCA-Western Connecticut LLC, SCA-Westover Hills LLC, SCA-Winchester LLC, SCA-Winter Park Inc., SCA-Woodlands Holdings LLC, SCAI Holdings LLC, SCLHS-SCA Holdings LLC, SCP Specialty Infusion LLC, SHC Atlanta LLC, SHC Austin Inc., SHC Hawthorn Inc., SHC Melbourne Inc., SJ East Campus ASC LLC, SRPS LLC, SSSC Holdings LLC, SVHS-SCA Florida JV LLC, Sacred Heart ASC LLC, Saden S.A., Sage Medical Prof. LLC, Salem JV Holdings LLC, Salem Surgery Center LLC, Salveo Specialty Pharmacy Inc., San Diego Endoscopy Center, San Diego Sports and Minimally Invasive Surgery Center LLC, San Francisco Endoscopy Center LLC, San Luis Obispo Surgery Center a California Limited Partnership, Sand Lake SurgiCenter LLC, Santa Barbara Endoscopy Center LLC, Santa Cruz Endoscopy Center LLC, Santa Helena Assistencia Medica S.A., Santa Rosa Surgery Center L.P., Santos Administracao e Participacoes S.A., Sanvello Health Holdings LLC, Sanvello Health Inc., Sanvello Health Limited, Scanner Centromed S.A., Seashore Surgical Institute L.L.C., Seisa Servicos Integrados de Saude Ltda., Senate Street Surgery Center LLC, Senior Benefits L.L.C., Serquinox Holdings LLC, Servicios Integrados de Salud Ltda., Servicios Medicos Amed Quilpue S.A., Servicios Medicos Bio Bio Ltda., Servicios Medicos Ciudad del Mar Ltda., Servicios Medicos Santa Maria Ltda., Servicios Medicos Vespucio Ltda., Servicios de Entrenamiento en Competencias Clinicas Ltda., Serviclinica Inmobiliaria S.A., Serviclinica S.A. Ex Los Leones La Calera, Servisalud Inmobiliaria S.A., Servisalud S.A. Ex Los Carrera Quilpue, Shark Holdings P.C., Sierra Dental Plan Inc., Sierra Health Services Inc, Sierra Health Services Inc., Sierra Health and Life Insurance Company Inc., Sierra Health-Care Options Inc., Sierra Home Medical Products Inc., Sierra Nevada Administrators Inc., Sistema de Administracion Hospitalaria S.A.C., Small Business Insurance Advisors Inc., Sobam  Centro Medico Hospitalar S.A., Sociedad de Inversiones Santa Maria SpA, Solstice Administration Services Inc., Solstice Administrators Inc., Solstice Administrators of Alabama Inc., Solstice Administrators of Arizona Inc., Solstice Administrators of Missouri Inc., Solstice Administrators of North Carolina Inc., Solstice Administrators of Texas Inc., Solstice Benefit Services Inc., Solstice Benefits Inc., Solstice Health Insurance Company, Solstice Healthplans Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Arizona Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Colorado Inc., Solstice Healthplans of New Jersey Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Ohio Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Tennessee Inc., Solstice Healthplans of Texas Inc., Solstice of Illinois Inc., Solstice of Minnesota Inc., Solstice of New York Inc., Solutran LLC, Somerset Outpatient Surgery L.L.C., Sound Inpatient Physicians Inc., Sound Inpatient Physicians Medical Group Inc., Sound Inpatient Physicians of Ohio LLC, Sound Inpatient Physicians of Texas I Inc., Sound Inpatient Physicians  Michigan PLLC, Sound Intensivists of Nevada RBessler M.D. PLLC, Sound Kenwood Hospitalists of Cincinnati Inc., Sound Kenwood Hospitalists of Cincinnati LLC, Sound Physicians Advisory Services Inc., Sound Physicians Alaska Hospitalist Group LLC, Sound Physicians Anesthesiology of Texas PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Arizona Inc., Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Georgia P.C., Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Illinois LLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Kansas LLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Kentucky PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Louisiana Inc., Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Michigan PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Nevada Bessler PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of South Carolina LLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Southern California P.C., Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Texas PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of Washington PLLC, Sound Physicians Emergency Medicine of West Virginia PLLC, Sound Physicians Holdings LLC, Sound Physicians Intensivists of Arizona Inc., Sound Physicians Intensivists of Georgia PC, Sound Physicians Intensivists of South Carolina LLC, Sound Physicians Intensivists of Virginia LLC, Sound Physicians Intensivists of Washington PLLC, Sound Physicians Palliative Care of Maryland P.C., Sound Physicians Telemedicine Inc., Sound Physicians of Florida IV LLC, Sound Physicians of Georgia III P.C., Sound Physicians of Hawaii Inc., Sound Physicians of Idaho PLLC, Sound Physicians of Illinois LLC, Sound Physicians of Indiana LLC, Sound Physicians of Iowa PLLC, Sound Physicians of Kankakee Illinois LLC, Sound Physicians of Massachusetts II P.C., Sound Physicians of Massachusetts Inc., Sound Physicians of New Jersey LLC, Sound Physicians of New York PLLC, Sound Physicians of North Carolina PLLC, Sound Physicians of South Carolina LLC, Sound Physicians of Wyoming LLC, South Arlington Surgical Providers LLC, South County Surgical Center LLC, South Sound Inpatient Physicians PLLC, Southern California Medical Practice Concepts LLC, Southland Hospitalists P.C., Southwest Medical Associates Inc., Southwest Michigan Health Network Inc., Southwest Surgery Center LLC, Southwest Surgical Center LLC, Space Coast Surgical Center Ltd., Spartanburg Surgery Center LLC, Specialists in Urology Surgery Center LLC, Specialized Pharmaceuticals Inc., Specialty Benefits LLC, Specialty Billing Solutions LLC, Specialty Surgical Center LLC, Spectera Inc., Spectera of New York IPA Inc., Sports and Spinal Physical Therapy Inc., St. Cloud Outpatient Surgery Ltd. a Minnesota Limited Partnership, St. Cloud Surgical Center LLC, St. Louis Cardiovascular Institute LLC, St. Louis Specialty Surgical Center LLC, Stonegate JV Partners LLC, Stonegate Surgery Center L.P., Summer Street ASC LLC, SunSurgery LLC, Surgery Center Holding LLC, Surgery Center at Cherry Creek LLC, Surgery Center at Cottonwood LLC, Surgery Center at Grove Creek LLC, Surgery Center at Kissing Camels LLC, Surgery Center at South Ogden LLC, Surgery Center at St. Vincent LLC, Surgery Center of Boca Raton Inc., Surgery Center of Colorado Springs LLC, Surgery Center of Des Moines LLC, Surgery Center of Easton LLC, Surgery Center of Ellicott City Inc., Surgery Center of Fairfield County LLC, Surgery Center of Fort Collins LLC, Surgery Center of Lexington LLC, Surgery Center of Louisville LLC, Surgery Center of Maui LLC, Surgery Center of Mt. Scott LLC, Surgery Center of Muskogee LLC, Surgery Center of Rockville L.L.C., Surgery Center of Southern Pines LLC, Surgery Center of The Woodlands LLC, Surgery Centers of Des Moines Ltd. an Iowa Limited Partnership, Surgery Centers-West Holdings LLC, Surgical Care Affiliates, Surgical Care Affiliates LLC, Surgical Care Affiliates Political Action Committee, Surgical Care Partners of Melbourne LLC, Surgical Caregivers of Fort Worth LLC, Surgical Center of Greensboro LLC, Surgical Center of San Diego LLC, Surgical Center of South Jersey Limited Partnership, Surgical Center of Tuscaloosa Holdings LLC, Surgical Eye Experts LLC, Surgical Health LLC, Surgical Health of Orlando LLC, Surgical Hospital Holdings of Oklahoma LLC, Surgical Management Solutions LLC, Surgicare LLC, Surgicare of Central Jersey LLC, Surgicare of Jackson LLC, Surgicare of Jackson Ltd. a Mississippi Limited Partnership, Surgicare of Joliet Inc., Surgicare of La Veta Inc., Surgicare of La Veta Ltd. a California Limited Partnership, Surgicare of Minneapolis LLC, Surgicare of Minneapolis Ltd. a Minnesota Limited Partnership, Surgicare of Mobile LLC, Surgicare of Mobile Ltd., Surgicare of Oceanside Inc., Surgicare of Owensboro LLC, Surgicare of Salem LLC, Surgicenters of Southern California Inc., Symphonix Health Holdings LLC, T.M. Carr M.D. P.C., THE SURGICAL CENTER OF THE TREASURE COAST L.L.C., THR-SCA Holdings LLC, TeamMD Holdings Inc., TeamMD Iowa Inc., TeamMD Physicians of Texas Inc., TeamUP Insurance Services Inc., Tecnologia de Informacion en Salud S.A., Texas Health Craig Ranch Surgery Center LLC, Texas Health Flower Mound Orthopedic Surgery Center LLC, Texas Health Orthopedic Surgery Center Alliance LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Alliance LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Bedford LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Chisholm Trail LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Irving LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Las Colinas LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Preston Plaza LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Rockwall LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Southwest Fort Worth LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Waxahachie LLC, Texas Health Surgery Center Willow Park LLC, The Advisory Board Company, The Alaska Hospitalist Group LLC, The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company, The Eye Surgery Center of the Carolinas L.P., The Intensivist Group of Langhorne LLC, The Lewin Group Inc., The Outpatient Surgery Center of Hilton Head LLC, The Polyclinic MSO LLC, The Surgery Center of Easton L.P., The Surgical Center of Connecticut LLC, Thomas Johnson Surgery Center LLC, Three Rivers Holdings Inc., Three Rivers Surgical Care L.P., Tmesys LLC, Topimagem Diagnostico por Imagem Ltda., Touchpoint Health Plan, Trails Edge Surgery Center LLC, Trauma Surgery Affiliates LLC, Travel Express Incorporated, Treasure Valley Emerald Properties LLC, Treasure Valley Hospital Limited Partnership, Tri-City Medical Center ASC Operators LLC, Tri-County Surgery Center LLC, Trinity Cardiovascular Care PLLC, Tufts Health Freedom Insurance Company, Tufts Health Freedom Plans Inc., Tuscaloosa Surgical Center L.P., U.S. Behavioral Health Plan California, UCSD Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, UCSD Center for Surgery of Encinitas L.P., UCSD Surgical Center of San Diego LLC, UCSD-SCA Holdings I LLC, UCSD-SCA Holdings II LLC, UHC Finance Ireland Unlimited Company, UHC International Services Inc., UHC of California, UHCG Holdings Ireland Limited, UHCG Services Ireland Limited, UHCG  FZE, UHG Brasil Participacoes S.A., UHG Holdings UK IV Limited, UHG Holdings UK V Limited, UHG Holdings UK VI Limited, UHIC Holdings Inc., UMR Inc., UPHT-SCA Holdings LLC, USHEALTH Academy Inc., USHEALTH Administrators LLC, USHEALTH Advisors LLC, USHEALTH Career Agency Inc., USHEALTH Funding Inc., USHEALTH Group Inc., USMD ASC IV1 LLC, USMD ASC IV2 LLC, USMD Administrative Services L.L.C., USMD Affiliated Services, USMD Holdings Inc., USMD Hospital at Arlington L.P., USMD Hospital at Fort Worth L.P., USMD Inc., USMD PPM LLC, Unidad Medica Diagnostico S.A., Unimerica Insurance Company, Unimerica Life Insurance Company of New York, Unison Health Plan of Delaware Inc., United Behavioral Health, United Behavioral Health of New York I.P.A. Inc., United Group Reinsurance Inc., United Health Foundation, United HealthCare Services Inc., United Medical Park ASC LLC, United Resource Networks IPA of New York Inc., United in Advancing Health Equity Foundation, UnitedHealth Advisors LLC, UnitedHealth Group Employee Assistance Fund, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated, UnitedHealth Group International Finance Ireland Unlimited Company, UnitedHealth International Inc., UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services LLC, UnitedHealthcare Benefits Plan of California, UnitedHealthcare Benefits of Texas Inc., UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of California Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Georgia Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio Inc., UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas L.L.C., UnitedHealthcare Consulting & Assistance Service Beijing Co. Ltd., UnitedHealthcare Europe S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare Global Medical UK Limited, UnitedHealthcare Inc., UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of America, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of New York, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of the River Valley, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Designated Activity Company, UnitedHealthcare Integrated Services Inc., UnitedHealthcare International Asia LLC, UnitedHealthcare International I B.V., UnitedHealthcare International II S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International III B.V., UnitedHealthcare International III S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International IV S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International VII S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International VIII S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare International X S.a r.l., UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance Company, UnitedHealthcare Parekh Insurance TPA Private Limited, UnitedHealthcare Plan of the River Valley Inc., UnitedHealthcare Service LLC, UnitedHealthcare Specialty Benefits LLC, UnitedHealthcare of Alabama Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Arizona Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Arkansas Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Colorado Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Florida Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Georgia Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Illinois Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Kentucky Ltd., UnitedHealthcare of Louisiana Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Mississippi Inc., UnitedHealthcare of New England Inc., UnitedHealthcare of New Mexico Inc., UnitedHealthcare of New York Inc., UnitedHealthcare of North Carolina Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Ohio Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Oklahoma Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Oregon Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., UnitedHealthcare of South Carolina Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Texas Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Utah Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Washington Inc., UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Mid-Atlantic Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Midlands Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Midwest Inc., UnitedHealthcare of the Rockies Inc., Unity Health Network LLC, Upland Holdings LLC, Upland Outpatient Surgical Center L.P., Urgent Care Holdings Inc., Urgent Care MSO LLC, Urology Associates of North Texas P.L.L.C., VERTA MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC, VPay Benefits Corporation, VPay Inc., VPay Intermediate Holdings LLC, Valley Hospital L.L.C., Valley Physicians Network Inc., Vascular Labs of the Rockies ASC LLC, Vascular Labs of the Rockies PLLC, Via Vitae MSO LLC, Vida Integra S.p.A., Vida Tres S.A., Virtua-SCA Holdings II LLC, Virtua-SCA Holdings LLC, Vivify Health Canada Inc., Vivify Health Inc., WESTMED Practice Partners LLC, Wake Forest Ambulatory Ventures LLC, Walnut Creek Endoscopy Center LLC, Walnut Hill Surgery Center LLC, Wauwatosa Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Wauwatosa Surgery Center LLC, Wayland Square Surgicare Acquisition L.P., Wayland Square Surgicare GP Inc., Waypoint Minnesota PC, WellMed Medical Management Inc., WellMed Medical Management of Florida Inc., West Coast Endoscopy Holdings LLC, WestHealth JV Holdings LLC, WestHealth Surgery Center LLC, Western Connecticut Orthopedic Surgical Center LLC, Westgreen Surgical Center LLC, Wilson Creek Surgical Center LLC, Winchester Endoscopy LLC, Winter Park LLC, Winter Park Surgery Center L.P., Woodbury Surgery Center LLC, XAS Infusion Suites Inc., XLHealth Corporation, XLHealth Corporation India Private Limited, divvyDOSE, divvyMED LLC, eCode Solutions LLC, gethealthinsurance.com Agency Inc., hCentive Inc., inPharmative Inc., naviHealth Care at Home LLC, naviHealth Coordinated Care LLC, naviHealth Coordinated Care SC P.C., naviHealth Holdings LLC, naviHealth Inc., naviHealth Michigan HBPC P.C., and naviHealth SM Holdings Inc..

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Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Frost Bank that offers commercial and consumer banking services in Texas. It operates in two segments, Banking and Frost Wealth Advisors. The company offers commercial banking services to corporations and other business clients, including financing for industrial and commercial properties, interim construction related to industrial and commercial properties, equipment, inventories and accounts receivables, and acquisitions; commercial leasing; and treasury management services. It also provides consumer banking services, such as checking accounts, savings programs, automated-teller machines (ATMs), overdraft facilities, installment and real estate loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, drive-in and night deposit services, safe deposit facilities, and brokerage services. In addition, the company offers international banking services comprising deposits, loans, letters of credit, foreign collections, funds, and foreign exchange services. Further, it acts as a correspondent for approximately 171 financial institutions; offers trust, investment, agency, and custodial services for individual and corporate clients; provides capital market services that include sales and trading, new issue underwriting, money market trading, advisory, and securities safekeeping and clearance; and supports international business activities. Additionally, the company offers insurance and securities brokerage services; and holds securities for investment purposes, as well as investment management services to Frost-managed mutual funds, institutions, and individuals. It operates approximately 157 financial centers and 1,650 ATMs. The company serves energy, manufacturing, services, construction, retail, telecommunications, healthcare, military, and transportation industries. Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. was founded in 1868 and is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.
The following companies are subsidiares of Ecolab: AO Ecolab, Abednego Environmental Services, Abednego Environmental Services LLC, Abednego Mexico Holdings LLC, Abednego de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Alcide Corp., Anios America S.A., Anios Diffusion SAS, Anios Manufacturing SAS, Aqua Environmental Limited, Bioquell, Bioquell Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Bioquell Global Logistics (Ireland) Ltd., Bioquell Holding SAS, Bioquell Inc., Bioquell Limited, Bioquell SAS, Bioquell Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd., Bioquell Technology Canada Ltd., Bioquell UK Limited, Bro-Tech Limited, CALGON LLC, CID LINES NV, CID Lines, CID Lines Beijing Animal Hygiene Co Ltd., CID Lines France Sarl, CID Lines Iberica SL, CID Lines LLC, CID Lines Mexico S.A. DE C.V., CID Lines R&D NV, CID Lines Sp. z o. o., CORPAK MedSystems, Cascade Water Services, Champion Technologies, Chamtech L.L.C., Chemlawn, Chemstar Corporation, Cirlam BVBA, Copal Holding NV, Copal Invest NV, Cymru Holdings Limited, DERYPOL SA, DMD, E&M Bio-Chemicals LLC, ECOLAB NL 10 B.V., ECOLAB PEST FRANCE SAS, EPN Water Col Ltd., Ecolab (Antigua) Ltd., Ecolab (Aruba) N.V., Ecolab (Barbados) Limited, Ecolab (China) Investment Co. Ltd, Ecolab (Fiji) Pty Limited, Ecolab (GZ) Chemicals Limited, Ecolab (Guam) LLC, Ecolab (Proprietary) Limited, Ecolab (Schweiz) GmbH, Ecolab (St. Lucia) Limited, Ecolab (Taicang) Technology Co. Ltd., Ecolab (Trinidad and Tobago) Unlimited, Ecolab (U.K.) Holdings Limited, Ecolab A.E.B.E., Ecolab AB, Ecolab AU2 Pty Ltd, Ecolab Acquisition LLC, Ecolab ApS, Ecolab Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Ecolab B.V., Ecolab Bahrain S.P.C., Ecolab CDN 2 Co., Ecolab CDN 4 ULC, Ecolab CH 1 GmbH, Ecolab CH 2 GmbH, Ecolab CH 3 GmbH in Liquidation, Ecolab CH 6 GmbH, Ecolab Chemicals Limited, Ecolab Co. Compagnie Ecolab, Ecolab Colombia S. A., Ecolab DE 1 GmbH, Ecolab Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab Digital Center Private Limited, Ecolab EOOD, Ecolab East Africa (Kenya) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Tanzania) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Uganda) Limited, Ecolab Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Ecolab Engineering GmbH, Ecolab Europe GmbH, Ecolab Export GmbH, Ecolab FR 1 SAS, Ecolab FR 4 SAS, Ecolab Finance Company Designated Activity Company, Ecolab Food Safety & Hygiene Solutions Private Limited, Ecolab G.K., Ecolab Global Business Services LLC, Ecolab GmbH, Ecolab Gulf FZE, Ecolab HK 1 Limited, Ecolab HK 2 Limited, Ecolab Hispano-Portuguesa S.L., Ecolab Holding Italy S.r.l., Ecolab Holdings (Europe) LLC, Ecolab Holdings Inc., Ecolab Holdings Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Ecolab Hygiene Kft., Ecolab Hygiene d.o.o., Ecolab International SDN BHD, Ecolab Israel Holdings LLC, Ecolab JVZ Limited, Ecolab Korea Ltd., Ecolab LLC, Ecolab LUX & Co Holdings S.C.A., Ecolab LUX 1 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 2 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 4 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 7 Sarl, Ecolab LUX Sarl, Ecolab Limited, Ecolab Ltd., Ecolab Lux 10 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 12 SCA, Ecolab Lux 13 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 14 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 15 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 16 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 17 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 9 Sarl, Ecolab Lux Partner LLC, Ecolab MT Holdings LLC, Ecolab MT Limited, Ecolab Malta 1 Limited, Ecolab Malta 2 Limited, Ecolab Malta GPS, Ecolab Manufacturing IE Limited, Ecolab Manufacturing Inc., Ecolab Manufacturing UK Limited, Ecolab Maroc Societe a Responsabilite Limitee, Ecolab NL 11 B.V., Ecolab NL 15 BV, Ecolab NL 16 B.V., Ecolab NL 23 B.V., Ecolab NL 3 BV, Ecolab Name Holding Limited, Ecolab New Zealand, Ecolab Peru Holdings S.R.L., Ecolab Pest Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab Philippines Inc., Ecolab Production Belgium B.V., Ecolab Production France SAS, Ecolab Production Italy Srl, Ecolab Production LLC, Ecolab Production Netherlands B.V., Ecolab Production Poland sp. z o.o., Ecolab Pte. Ltd., Ecolab Pty Ltd., Ecolab Quimica Ltda., Ecolab S. de R.L. de C.V., Ecolab S.A., Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Ecolab SAS, Ecolab SIA, Ecolab SNC, Ecolab SRL, Ecolab Sdn Bhd, Ecolab Services Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Services Malaysia SDN. BHD., Ecolab Services Poland Sp. z o, Ecolab Sociedad Anonima, Ecolab Sp. z o, Ecolab Spain Services S.L.U., Ecolab Temizleme Sistemleri Limited Sirketi, Ecolab U.S. 2 Inc., Ecolab U.S. 6 LLC, Ecolab U.S. 7 LLC, Ecolab US 1 GP, Ecolab USA Inc., Ecolab Viet Nam Company Limited, Ecolab Water Holding LImited, Ecolab a.s., Ecolab d.o.o., Ecolab s.r.l., Ecolab s.r.o., Ecolab y Compania Colectiva de Responsabilidad Limitada, Ecolab-Importacao E. Exportacao Limitada, Ecolabone B.V., Ecolabtwo B.V., Endoclear Equipamentos Medicos Hospitalares Ltda., Enviroflo Engineering Limited, Food Protection Services, GCS Service, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd., GallayTrac Pty. Ltd., Georgia-Pacific - Paper Chemicals Business, Gibson Chemical Industries, Green Harbour Mainland Holdings Ltd, Henkel-Ecolab, Hicopla SL, Holchem Laboratories, Huntington Laboratories, Hydenet SAS, INTERNATIONAL WATER CONSULTANT B.V., Immobiliare R.E.O.P.A. SRL, Instrunet Hospital SLU, Jianghai Environmental Protection Co., Jianghai Environmental Protection Co. Ltd., KATAYAMA NALCO INC., Kay BV, Kay Chemical Company, LHS (UK) Limited, Laboratoires Anios, Laboratoires Anios S.A.S., Laboratoires Anios-Distribution SAS, Les Produits Chimiques ERPAC Inc., Lobster Ink, Lobster Ink Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Lobster International S.A., MOBOTEC AB LLC, Master Chemicals OOO, Meratech Rus Group LLC, Microtek Dominicana S.A., Microtek Italy S.R.L., Microtek Medical B.V., Microtek Medical Holdings, Microtek Medical Holdings Inc., Microtek Medical Inc., Microtek Medical Malta Holding Limited, Microtek Medical Malta Limited, Midland Research Laboratories, NALCO (SHANGHAI) TRADING CO. LTD., NALCO AB, NALCO ACQUISITION ONE, NALCO ACQUISITION TWO LIMITED, NALCO AFRICA (PTY.) LTD., NALCO ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., NALCO BELGIUM B.V., NALCO CHINA HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO COMPANY OOO, NALCO DANMARK APS, NALCO DE MEXICO S. de R. L. de C.V., NALCO DELAWARE COMPANY, NALCO DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, NALCO DUTCH HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO EGYPT LTD., NALCO EGYPT TRADING, NALCO ESPANOLA MANUFACTURING S.L.U., NALCO ESPANOLA S.L., NALCO EUROPE B.V., NALCO FINLAND MANUFACTURING OY, NALCO FINLAND OY, NALCO FRANCE SAS, NALCO FRANCE SNC, NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO HOLDING B.V., NALCO HOLDING COMPANY, NALCO HOLDINGS G.m.b.H., NALCO HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, NALCO HONG KONG LIMITED, NALCO INDUSTRIAL OUTSOURCING COMPANY, NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (NANJING) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (SUZHOU) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (THAILAND) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES CHILE LIMITADA, NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO INVESTMENTS U.K. LIMITED, NALCO ISRAEL INDUSTRIAL SERVICES LTD, NALCO ITALIANA HOLDINGS S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA MANUFACTURING S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA SrL, NALCO KOREA LIMITED, NALCO LIMITED, NALCO MANUFACTURING BETEILIGUNGS GMBH, NALCO MANUFACTURING LTD., NALCO NETHERLANDS B.V., NALCO OSTERREICH Ges m.b.H., NALCO OVERSEAS HOLDING B.V., NALCO PAKISTAN (PRIVATE) LIMITED, NALCO PHILIPPINES INC., NALCO PORTUGUESA (QUIMICA INDUSTRIAL) UNIPESSOAL LDA, NALCO PWS INC., NALCO SAUDI CO. LTD., NALCO TAIWAN CO. LTD., NALCO TWO INC., NALCO U.S. HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO UNIVERSAL HOLDINGS BV, NALCO WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, NALTECH INC., NANOSPECIALTIES LLC, NLC PROCESS AND WATER SERVICES SARL, Nalco (BN) SDN BHD, Nalco (China) Environmental Solution Co. Ltd., Nalco Anadolu Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Nalco Canada ULC, Nalco Company LLC (1), Nalco Contract Operations LLC, Nalco Deutschland Manufacturing GmbH, Nalco Japan G.K., Nalco Libya, Nalco Middle East FZE, Nalco Polska Sp. z o. o., Nalco Production LLC, Nalco Real Estate GmbH, Nalco Schweiz GmbH, Nalco US 1 LLC, Nalco Wastewater Contract Operations Inc., Nalco Water India Private Limited, Nalco Water Pretreatment Solutions LLC, Nalco Worldwide Holdings S.a.r.l./B.V., National Wiper Alliance Inc., Nigiko, Nuova Farmec S.r.l., Oksa Kimya Sanayi A.S., Oy Ecolab AB, PT Ecolab International Indonesia, PT Ecolab Technologies and Services, Purate business - AkzoNobel, Purolite, Purolite (China) Co. Ltd., Purolite (Int.) Ltd, Purolite (Pty) Ltd, Purolite AG, Purolite GmbH, Purolite Ileri Kimyasal Ticaret Ltd, Purolite KK, Purolite LLC, Purolite Ltd, Purolite NZ Limited, Purolite Private Limited, Purolite Pte. Ltd., Purolite Pty Ltd, Purolite S. de R.L. de C.V., Purolite SAS, Purolite SRL, Purolite do Brasil Ltda, Purolite s.r.o., Purolite sp. z o.o., Purolite C Corporation, QazSorbent LLP, Quantum Technical Services LLC, Quimicas Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Quimiproductos S.A. de C.V, RP Adam Ltd, Research Fumigation Co., Royal Pest Solutions, Shield Holdings Limited, Shield Medicare Limited, Soluscope International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Soluscope SAS, Swisher Hygiene, TechTex Holdings Limited, Technical Textile Services Limited, Terminix, Ultrafab, VanBaele Hygiene AG, Wabasha Leasing LLC, Zhe Jiang Purosoft Home Appliances Sale Co Ltd, and vanBaerle Hygiene AG.

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HDFC Bank Limited provides banking and financial services to individuals and businesses in India, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and Dubai. It operates in Treasury, Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, Other Banking Business, and Unallocated segments. The company accepts savings, salary, current, rural, public provident fund, pension, and Demat accounts; fixed and recurring deposits; and safe deposit lockers, as well as offshore accounts and deposits, overdrafts against fixed deposits, and sweep-in facilities. It also provides personal, home, car, two wheeler, business, educational, gold, consumer, and rural loans; loans against properties, securities, rental receivables, and assets; loans for professionals; government sponsored programs; and loans on credit card, as well as working capital and commercial/construction equipment finance, healthcare/medical equipment and commercial vehicle finance, dealer finance, and term and professional loans. The company offers credit, debit, prepaid, and forex cards; payment and collection, export, import, remittance, bank guarantee, letter of credit, trade, hedging, and merchant and cash management services; insurance and investment products. It provides short term finance, bill discounting, structured finance, export credit, loan syndication, and documents collection services; online and wholesale, mobile, and phone banking services; unified payment interface, immediate payment, national electronic funds transfer, and real time gross settlement services; and channel financing, vendor financing, reimbursement account, money market, derivatives, employee trusts, cash surplus corporates, tax payment, and bankers to rights/public issue services, as well as financial solutions for supply chain partners and agricultural customers. The company operates 6,378 branches and 18,620 automated teller machines in 3,203 cities/towns. As of March 31, 2022, it had 21,683 banking outlets. The company was incorporated in 1994 and is based in Mumbai, India.
Ennis, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells business forms and other business products in the United States. The company offers snap sets, continuous forms, laser cut sheets, tags, labels, envelopes, integrated products, jumbo rolls, and pressure sensitive products under the Ennis, Royal Business Forms, Block Graphics, Specialized Printed Forms, 360 Custom Labels, ColorWorx, Enfusion, Uncompromised Check Solutions, VersaSeal, Ad Concepts, FormSource Limited, Star Award Ribbon Company, Witt Printing, B&D Litho, Genforms, PrintGraphics, Calibrated Forms, PrintXcel, Printegra, Falcon Business Forms, Forms Manufacturers, Mutual Graphics, TRI-C Business Forms, Major Business Systems, Independent Printing, Hoosier Data Forms, Hayes Graphics, Wright Business Graphics, Wright 360, Integrated Print & Graphics, the Flesh Company, Impressions Direct, Ace Forms, and AmeriPrint brands. It also provides point of purchase advertising for large franchise and fast-food chains, as well as kitting and fulfillment under the Adams McClure brand name; and presentation and document folders under the Admore, Folder Express, and Independent Folders brands. In addition, the company offers custom printed, high performance labels, and custom and stock tags under the Ennis Tag & Label brand name; custom and stock tags and labels under the Allen-Bailey Tag & Label, Atlas Tag & Label, Kay Toledo Tag, and Special Service Partners brands; custom and imprinted envelopes under the Trade Envelopes, Block Graphics, Wisco, and National Imprint Corporation brands; and financial and security documents under the Northstar and General Financial Supply, and Infoseal brands. It distributes business products and forms through independent distributors. The company was formerly known as Ennis Business Forms, Inc. Ennis, Inc. was incorporated in 1909 and is headquartered in Midlothian, Texas.
Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides newborn, maternal-fetal, pediatric cardiology, and other pediatric subspecialty care services in the United States and Puerto Rico. It offers neonatal care services, such as clinical care to babies born prematurely or with complications within specific units at hospitals through neonatal physician subspecialists, neonatal nurse practitioners, and other pediatric clinicians. The company also provides maternal-fetal care services, including inpatient and office-based clinical care to expectant mothers and unborn babies through affiliated maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists, as well as obstetricians and other clinicians, including maternal-fetal nurse practitioners, certified nurse mid-wives, ultrasonographers, and genetic counselors. In addition, it offers pediatric cardiology care services comprising inpatient and office-based pediatric cardiology care of the fetus, infant, child, and adolescent patient with congenital heart defects and acquired heart disease, as well as adults with congenital heart defects through affiliated pediatric cardiologist subspecialists and other related clinical professionals; and specialized cardiac care to the fetus, neonatal and pediatric patients. Further, the company provides other pediatric subspecialty care services through pediatric subspecialists, such as pediatric intensivists, pediatric hospitalists, pediatric surgeons, and pediatric ophthalmologists, as well as pediatric ear, nose, and throat physicians; and support services in the areas of hospitals, primarily in the pediatric emergency rooms, labor and delivery areas, and nursery and pediatric departments. As of February 17, 2022, it operated a network of approximately 2,700 physicians. The company was formerly known as MEDNAX, Inc. and changed its name to Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc. in July 2022. Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is based in Sunrise, Florida.
BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.
GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the creation, discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals R&D, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare. The company offers pharmaceutical products comprising medicines in the therapeutic areas, such as respiratory, HIV, immuno-inflammation, oncology, anti-viral, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, anti-bacterial, and dermatology. It also provides consumer healthcare products in wellness, oral health, nutrition, and skin health categories. The company offers its consumer healthcare products in the form of nasal sprays, tablets, syrups, lozenges, gum and trans-dermal patches, caplets, infant syrup drops, liquid filled suspension, wipes, gels, effervescents, toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes, denture adhesives and cleansers, topical creams and non-medicated patches, lip balm, gummies, and soft chews. It has collaboration agreements with 23andMe; Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.; Novartis; Sanofi SA; Surface Oncology; Progentec Diagnostics, Inc.; Alector, Inc.; and CureVac AG., as well as strategic partnership with IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. The company was formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline plc and changed its name to GSK plc in May 2022. GSK plc was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Brentford, the United Kingdom.
The following companies are subsidiares of Marsh & McLennan Companies: 8WORKS INC., 8WORKS LTD, A. Constantinidi & CIA. S.C., A.C.N. 000 951 146 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 001 572 961 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 076 935 683 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 102 322 574 Pty Limited, ACE Insurance Agents Limited, ACE Insurance Consultants Limited, ACE Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Limited, AD Corretora de Seguros, AFCO Premium Acceptance Inc., AFCO Premium Credit LLC, Access Equity Enhanced Fund GP LLC, Admiral Holdings Limited, Agnew Higgins Pickering & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd, Aldgate Investments Limited, Aldgate Trustees Ltd, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, Alpha Consultants Limited, Alta SA, Altius Real Assets (GP) LLC, Amal Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Anda Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd, AssetVal Pty Ltd, Assur Conseils Marsh S.A., Assurance Capital Corporation, Assurance Services Corporation, Australian Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Australian World Underwriters Pty Ltd., BBPS Limited, Barney & Barney Orange County LLC, Beaumonts (Leeds) Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Services Limited, Beneficios Integrales Oportunos SA, Benefitfocus Inc., Blue Marble Micro Limited, Blue Marble Microinsurance Inc., Bluefin, Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, Bluefin Insurance Services Limited, Boulder Claims LLC, Bowring (Bermuda) Investments Ltd., Bowring Marine Limited, Bowring Marsh (Bermuda) Ltd., Bowring Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Bowring Marsh Asia Pte. Ltd., Bowring Marsh Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Bowring Marsh Limited, Broderick Piller Pty Ltd, Broker 2 Broker Limited, BuildPay LLC, Burke Ford Trustees (Leicester) Limited, C.T. Bowring Limited, CMC-Belgibo NV, CPRM Limited, CPSG Partners LLC, Carpenter Marsh Fac Chile Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Carpenter Marsh Fac Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Carpenter Marsh Fac Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.C., Carpenter Marsh Fac Re LLC, Carpenter Turner Cyprus Ltd, Carpenter Turner S.A., Cascade International Holdings C.V., Cascade Regional Holdings Limited, Central Insurance Services Limited, Charter Risk Management Services LLC, Chartwell Healthcare Limited, Chronos Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Claims and Recovery Management (Australia) Pty Limited, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Limited, Client Provide Limited, Colombian Insurance Broking Wholesale Limited, Consultores 2020 C.A., Cronin & Co Insurance Services Limited, DVA - Deutsche Verkehrs-Assekuranz-Vermittlungs GmbH, Dawson Insurance, DeLima Marsh S.A. - Los Corredores de Seguros S.A., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Managing General Agency Corporation, Dovetail Technology Service India Private Limited, Draw Connect Limited, Draw Create Limited, Draw Group London Limited, Eagle & Crown Limited, Echelon Australia Pty Limited, Echelon Claims Consultants Sdn Bhd, Echelon New Zealand Limited, EnBW Versicherungs Vermittlung GmbH, Encompass Insurance Agency Pty Ltd., English Pension Trustees Limited, Epsilon (US) Insurance Company, Epsilon Insurance Company Ltd., Eustis Insurance & Benefits, Evolution Management Ltd, Exchange Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Exmoor Management Company Limited, Faulkner & Flynn LLC, Freedom Trust Services Limited, GC Genesis LLC, GCube Insurance Services Inc, GCube Underwriting Limited, Gama Consultores Associados Ltda., Gem Insurance Company Limited, Global Premium Finance Company, GrECo International Holding AG, Gracechurch Trustees Limited, Gresham Pension Trustees Limited, Group Promoters Pty Limited, Guy Carpenter & Cia (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter & Cia. S.A., Guy Carpenter & Co. Labuan Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company AB, Guy Carpenter & Company Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Guy Carpenter & Company Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company GmbH, Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd./Guy Carpenter & Compagnie Ltee, Guy Carpenter & Company Participacoes Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company Private Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Proprietary Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Pty. Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A. (Uruguay), Guy Carpenter & Company S.A.S., Guy Carpenter & Company S.r.l., Guy Carpenter (Middle East) Limited, Guy Carpenter Bermuda Ltd., Guy Carpenter Broking Inc., Guy Carpenter Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter Insurance Brokers (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Guy Carpenter Japan Inc., Guy Carpenter Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, HAPIP GP 2009 LLC, HAPIP GP LLC, HSBC Insurance Brokers International (Abu Dhabi) LLC (in liquidation), Hamilton Bond Limited, Hansen International Limited, Hayward Aviation Limited, INSIA Europe SE, INSIA SK s.r.o., INSIA a.s., INSURANCE BROKERS OF NIGERIA LIMITED, IRC Asia Insurance Brokers Limited, InSolutions Limited, Industrial Risks Protection Consultants, Ingeseg S. A., Ingeseg S.A., Insbrokers Ltda., InsurTech Alliance LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC [BAHRAIN BRANCH], Insure Direct - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers LLC, International Loss Control Services Limited, International Risk Consultants (Asia) Limited, Invercol Limited, Irish Pensions Trust Limited, Isosceles Insurance (Barbados) Limited, Isosceles Insurance Company Limited, Isosceles Insurance Ltd, Isosceles PCC Limited, J&H Marsh & McLennan Limited, J.W. Terrill Benefit Administrators Inc., JI Holdings Limited, JIB Group Holdings Limited, JIB Group Limited, JIB Holdings (Pacific) Limited, JIB Overseas Holdings Limited, JIB UK Holdings Limited, JL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co. KG, JLM Verwaltungs GmbH, JLT (Insurance Brokers) Limited, JLT Actuaries and Consultants Limited, JLT Advisory Limited, JLT Affinity Colombia Solutions SAS, JLT Agencies Limited, JLT Asesorias Ltda, JLT Asia Holdings BV, JLT Asia Shared Services Sdn Bhd, JLT Belgibo, JLT Benefit Consultants Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Bermuda Ltd, JLT Brasil Holdings Participacoes Ltd, JLT Chile Holdings SpA, JLT Colombia Retail Limited, JLT Colombia Wholesale Limited, JLT Consultants & Actuaries Limited, JLT EB Holdings Limited, JLT EB Services Limited, JLT Employee Benefits Holding Company (PTY) LTD, JLT Employee Benefits SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Financial Planning Limited, JLT France Holdings, JLT Group Services Pty Limited, JLT Holdings (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Holdings (NZ) Limited, JLT Independent Insurance Brokers Private Limited, JLT Insurance Agencies Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited ( Shanghai Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Beijing Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Guangzhou Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers SA, JLT Insurance Group Holdings Ltd, JLT Insurance Management Malta Limited, JLT Intellectual Property Limited, JLT Intellectual Property [UK Branch], JLT Interactive Pte. Ltd., JLT Investment Management Limited, JLT LATAM (Southern Cone) Wholesale Limited, JLT Latin American Holdings Limited, JLT Life Assurance Brokers Limited, JLT Management Services Limited, JLT Marine (Pty) Ltd, JLT Mexico Holdings Limited, JLT Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., JLT Netherlands BV, JLT Norway AS, JLT PLA, JLT Pension Trustees Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Holdings Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Limited, JLT Peru Reinsurance Solutions Limited, JLT Peru Retail Limited, JLT Peru Wholesale Limited, JLT QFM Services Limited, JLT RE Brasil Administracao e Corretagem de Resseguros Ltda, JLT Re (French Branch), JLT Re (Northern Europe) AB, JLT Re Argentina Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.U., JLT Re Labuan Limited, JLT Re Limited, JLT Re Pty Ltd, JLT Reinsurance Brokers GmbH, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited [French Branch], JLT Risk Management Limited, JLT Risk Solutions AB, JLT Risk Solutions AB Branch - Germany, JLT SA IB Holdings Company (Pty) Limited, JLT SCK Affinity Administracao e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., JLT SCK Corretora e Administradora de Seguros, JLT Secretaries Limited, JLT Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerlii A.., JLT Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., JLT Specialty France, JLT Specialty Insurance Broker A/S, JLT Specialty Limited, JLT Specialty Limited [DUBAI BRANCH], JLT Specialty Pte. Ltd., JLT Towner Insurance Management (Anguilla) Limited, JLT Trust Services (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Trustees (Southern) Limited, JLT Trustees Limited, JLT UK Investment Holdings Limited, JLT Vantage Risk and Benefit Consulting Private Limited, JLT Wealth Management Limited, JLT do Brasil Corretagem de Seguros Ltda, JLTPCS Holdings Pte. Ltd., JMIB Holdings BV, JSL Securities Inc., Japan Affinity Marketing Inc., Jardine IBR Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson (Proprietary) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Australia Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada Inc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited (UK Branch Office), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Consultants Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc., Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Holdings Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Unlimited Company, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Korea Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited [Macao Branch], Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS (Dubai) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS SA, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Sdn Bhd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Valencia y Iragorri Corredores de Seguros SA, Jardine Pension Trustees Ireland Limited, Jardine Risk Consulting Co. Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited [Macao Branch], Jardines PF- Consultoria Em Gestao De Risco Limitada, Jelf, Jelf Commercial Finance Limited, Jelf Financial Planning Limited, Jelf Insurance Brokers Limited, Jelf Limited, Jelf Risk Management Limited, Jelf Wellbeing Limited, John Lampier & Son Ltd, Johnson & Higgins (Bermuda) Limited, Johnson & Higgins Limited, KESSLER & CO AG, Kepler Associates Limited, Kessler & Co Inc., Kessler Consulting Inc., Kessler Prevoyance Inc., Key Underwriting Pty Limited, Kroll, Lambert Brothers Holdings Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Employee Benefits) Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Hong Kong) Ltd, Laterlife.com Limited (in liquidation), Lavaretus Underwriting AB, Lavaretus Underwriting AB (BRANCH - Denmark), Libra Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Lloyd & Partners Limited, Local Government Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Lomond Macdonald Limited, Lynch Insurance Brokers Limited, M&M Vehicle L.P., M.P. Bolshaw and Company Limited, MAG JLT SpA, MERCER ALTERNATIVES LIMITED, MM Risk Services Pty Ltd (for dissolution), MMA Mid-Atlantic Employee LLC, MMA Securities LLC, MMB Consultores S.A., MMC (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd., MMC 28 State Street Holdings Inc., MMC Borrower LLC, MMC Brazilian Holdings B.V., MMC Capital Inc., MMC Cascade Regional Holdings LLC, MMC FINANCE (EUROPE) LIMITED, MMC FINANCE HOLDINGS LTD, MMC Finance (Australia) Limited, MMC Finance (Singapore) Limited, MMC France Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., MMC GP III Inc., MMC Group Services sp. z o.o., MMC Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, MMC Holdings (New Zealand) ULC, MMC Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC International Finance (Barbados) SRL, MMC International Holdings LLC, MMC International Limited, MMC International Treasury Centre Limited, MMC Middle East Holdings Limited, MMC Poland Holdings B.V., MMC Realty Inc., MMC Regional Asia Holdings B.V., MMC Regional Caribbean Holdings Ltd., MMC Regional Europe Holdings B.V., MMC Regional LATAM Holdings B.V., MMC Securities (Europe) Limited, MMC Securities LLC, MMC Treasury Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC UK Group Limited, MMC UK Pension Fund Trustee Limited, MMOW Limited, MMRC LLC, MOW Holding LLC, MPIP III GP LLC, MPIP IV GP LLC, MPIP V GP LLC, MPIP VI GP LLC, Mangrove Insurance Europe PCC Limited, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC Limited, Manoel Management Services Ltd, Marchant McKechnie Insurance Brokers Limited, Marine Aviation & General (London) Limited, Marsh & McLennan (PNG) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agencies AS, Marsh & McLennan Agencies Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency A/S, Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Marsh & McLennan Agency Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency Pty Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Argentina SA Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh & McLennan Colombia S.A., Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Funding Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Asia Pacific Treasury Center Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies BVBA/SPRL, Marsh & McLennan Companies Finance Center (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies France S.A.S., Marsh & McLennan Companies Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies Regional Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Services B.V., Marsh & McLennan Companies UK Limited, Marsh & McLennan Europe S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan GP I Inc., Marsh & McLennan Global Broking (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Holding GmbH, Marsh & McLennan Holdings (Canada) ULC, Marsh & McLennan Holdings Inc., Marsh & McLennan Incorporated (for dissolution), Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings II, Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Limited, Marsh & McLennan Insurance Services Limited, Marsh & McLennan Ireland Limited, Marsh & McLennan Management Services (Bermuda) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Risk Capital Holdings Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Servicios S.A. De C.V., Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Canada Limited, Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Corporation, Marsh (Bahrain) Company SPC, Marsh (Beijing) Risk Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Marsh (China) Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh (Insurance Brokers) LLP, Marsh (Insurance Services) Limited, Marsh (Malawi) Limited, Marsh (Middle East) Limited, Marsh (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh (Pty) Ltd, Marsh (Risk Consulting) LLP, Marsh (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Marsh A/S, Marsh AB, Marsh AG, Marsh AS, Marsh Advantage Insurance Holdings Pty Ltd, Marsh Advantage Insurance Pty Ltd., Marsh Africa (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Argentina S.R.L., Marsh Associates (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Austria G.m.b.H., Marsh Aviation Insurance Broking Pty Ltd (for dissolution), Marsh B.V., Marsh Botswana (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh Brockman y Schuh Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Marsh Broker Japan Inc., Marsh Broker de Asigurare-Reasigurare S.R.L., Marsh Brokers (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh Brokers Limited, Marsh Canada Limited/Marsh Canada Limitee, Marsh Company Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Compensation Technologies Administration (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Isle of Man Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Malta Limited, Marsh Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Marsh EOOD, Marsh Egypt LLC, Marsh Emirates Consultancy LLC, Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokerage LLC, Marsh Employee Benefits Limited, Marsh Employee Benefits Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, Marsh Eurofinance B.V., Marsh Europe S.A., Marsh FJC International Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh For Insurance Services S.A.E., Marsh Franco Acra S.A., Marsh GSC Servicos e Administracao de Seguros Ltda., Marsh GmbH, Marsh Holding AB, Marsh Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Marsh Insurance & Investments LLC, Marsh Insurance Brokers, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Macao) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Private) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers AO, Marsh Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh Insurance Consulting Saudi Arabia (in liquidation), Marsh Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC, Marsh Intermediaries Inc., Marsh International Broking Holdings Limited, Marsh International Holdings II Inc., Marsh International Holdings Inc., Marsh Investment B.V., Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited, Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited (UK Branch), Marsh Ireland Holdings Limited, Marsh Israel (1999) Ltd., Marsh Israel (Holdings) Ltd., Marsh Israel Consultants Ltd., Marsh Israel Insurance Agency Ltd., Marsh Israel International Brokers Ltd. (in liquidation), Marsh JCS Inc., Marsh Japan Inc., Marsh Kft., Marsh Kindlustusmaakler AS, Marsh Korea Inc., Marsh LLC, Marsh LLC Insurance Brokers, Marsh LLC [Ukraine], Marsh Lda., Marsh Limited, Marsh Limited [Fiji], Marsh Limited [New Zealand], Marsh Limited [PNG], Marsh Ltd. [Wisconsin], Marsh Management Services (Bahamas) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Dublin) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Labuan) Limited, Marsh Management Services (MENA) Limited, Marsh Management Services (USVI) Ltd., Marsh Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Management Services Guernsey Limited, Marsh Management Services Inc., Marsh Management Services Isle of Man Limited, Marsh Management Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Marsh Management Services Malta Limited, Marsh Management Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., Marsh Management Services Sweden AB, Marsh Marine & Energy AB, Marsh Marine Nederland B.V., Marsh Medical Consulting GmbH, Marsh Mercer Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Marsh Nest Inc., Marsh Oman LLC, Marsh Oy, Marsh PB Co. Ltd., Marsh Philippines Inc., Marsh Privat A.I.E., Marsh Private Client Life Insurance Services, Marsh Pty. Ltd., Marsh Qatar LLC, Marsh RE S.A.C. Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh Rehder Consultoria S.A. (MRC), Marsh Rehder S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Marsh Resolutions Pty Limited, Marsh Risk Consulting B.V., Marsh Risk Consulting Limitada, Marsh Risk Consulting Ltda., Marsh Risk Consulting S.L., Marsh Risk Consulting Services S.r.L., Marsh Risk and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd, Marsh S.A. Corredores De Seguros, Marsh S.A. Mediadores de Seguros, Marsh S.A.S., Marsh S.p.A., Marsh SA [Argentina], Marsh SA [Belgium], Marsh SA [Luxembourg], Marsh SA [Uruguay], Marsh SIA, Marsh Saldana Inc., Marsh Saudi Arabia Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Marsh Secretarial Services Limited, Marsh Semusa S.A., Marsh Services Limited, Marsh Services Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Marsh Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Szolgaltato Kft., Marsh Takaful Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Treasury Services (Dublin) Limited (in liquidation), Marsh Treasury Services Limited, Marsh Tunisia S.a.r.l., Marsh UK Limited, Marsh USA (India) Inc., Marsh USA Borrower LLC, Marsh USA Inc., Marsh Uganda Limited, Marsh Venezuela C.A. Sociedad de Corretaje de Seguros, Marsh Vietnam Insurance Broking Company Ltd, Marsh Zambia Limited, Marsh Zimbabwe Holdings (Private) Limited, Marsh d.o.o. Beograd, Marsh d.o.o. za posredovanje u osiguranju, Marsh for Insurance Services - Jordan, Marsh i-Connect (Pty) Ltd, Marsh s.r.o., Matthiessen Assurans AB, Mercer (Argentina) S.A., Mercer (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer (Austria) GmbH, Mercer (Belgium) SA-NV, Mercer (Canada) Limited/Mercer (Canada) Limitee, Mercer (China) Limited, Mercer (Colombia) Ltda., Mercer (Danmark) A/S, Mercer (Finland) OY, Mercer (France) SAS, Mercer (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer (Ireland) Limited, Mercer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Mercer (N.Z.) Limited, Mercer (Nederland) B.V., Mercer (Norge) AS, Mercer (Polska) Sp.z o.o., Mercer (Portugal) Lda, Mercer (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer (Sweden) AB, Mercer (Taiwan) Ltd., Mercer (Thailand) Ltd., Mercer (US) Inc., Mercer Administration Services (Australia) Pty Limited, Mercer Africa Limited, Mercer Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Mercer Asesores de Seguros S.A., Mercer Asesores es Inversion Independientes S.A. de C.V., Mercer Broking Ltd., Mercer Career Unipessoal Lda, Mercer Consultation (Quebec) Ltee., Mercer Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Mercer Consulting (France) SAS, Mercer Consulting (India) Private Limited, Mercer Consulting B.V., Mercer Consulting Group Inc., Mercer Consulting Holdings Sdn. Bhd., Mercer Consulting Limited, Mercer Consulting Middle East Limited, Mercer Consulting S.L.U., Mercer Consulting Venezuela C.A., Mercer Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Mercer Corretora de Seguros Ltda, Mercer Danismanlik Anonim Sirketi, Mercer Deutschland GmbH, Mercer Employee Benefits - Medicacao de Seguros Unipessoal Lda., Mercer Employee Benefits Limited, Mercer Financial Advice (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Financial Services Limited, Mercer Financial Services Limited liability company, Mercer Financial Services Middle East Limited, Mercer Global Investments Europe Limited, Mercer Global Investments Management Limited, Mercer HR Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer HR Services LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, Mercer Holdings Inc., Mercer Holdings Inc. [Philippines], Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltda, Mercer Human Resource Consulting S.A. de C.V., Mercer ICC Limited, Mercer Investment Consulting Limited, Mercer Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mercer Investment Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Investments (Australia) Limited, Mercer Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer Investments (Japan) Ltd, Mercer Investments (New Zealand) Limited, Mercer Investments LLC, Mercer Ireland Holdings Limited, Mercer Italia Srl Socio Unico, Mercer Japan Ltd., Mercer Korea Co. Ltd., Mercer LLC, Mercer Limited, Mercer MC Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer Master Trustees Limited, Mercer Mauritius Ltd., Mercer Oliver Wyman Holding B.V., Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Outsourcing S.L.U., Mercer Pensionsfonds AG, Mercer Pensionsraadgivning A/S, Mercer Philippines Inc., Mercer Private Investment Partners IV General Partner S.a.r.l., Mercer Private Markets AG, Mercer Private Markets Advisers (US) AG, Mercer Services Poland Sp. z.o.o., Mercer Sigorta Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Mercer South Africa (Pty) Limited, Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited, Mercer Switzerland Inc., Mercer System Services LLC, Mercer Technology Acquisitions Limited, Mercer Treuhand GmbH, Mercer Trust Company LLC, Mercer Trustees Limited, Mercer WorkforcePro LLC, Mercury Insurance Services Pty Ltd, Moola Systems Limited, Mountlodge Limited, Muir Beddal (Zimbabwe) Limited, NERA Australia Pty. Ltd., NERA Economic Consulting GmbH, NERA Economic Consulting Limited, NERA S.R.L., NERA SAS, NERA UK Limited, NERA do Brasil Ltda. (for dissolution), National Economic Research Associates Inc., NetComp Insurance Corp., Neuburger Noble Lowndes GmbH, Normandy Reinsurance Company Limited, Northern Alliance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), OWL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co.KG, OWL Marine Verwaltungs GmbH, Oliver Wyman (Bermuda) Limited, Oliver Wyman (Hong Kong) Limited, Oliver Wyman AB, Oliver Wyman AG, Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Inc., Oliver Wyman B.V., Oliver Wyman Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Oliver Wyman Consultoria em Estrategia de Negocios Ltda., Oliver Wyman Energy Consulting Limited, Oliver Wyman FZ-LLC, Oliver Wyman Group KK, Oliver Wyman Inc., Oliver Wyman LLC, Oliver Wyman Limited, Oliver Wyman Limited Liability Company, Oliver Wyman Limited/Oliver Wyman limitee, Oliver Wyman Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pte. Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pty. Ltd., Oliver Wyman S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman S.A.S., Oliver Wyman S.L., Oliver Wyman S.r.l., Oliver Wyman SNC, Oliver Wyman SPRL/BVBA, Oliver Wyman Sdn. Bhd., Oliver Wyman Services Limited, Oliver Wyman Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman sp. z o.o., Omega Indemnity (Bermuda) Limited, Organizacion Brockman y Schuh S.A. de C.V., Osbornes Insurances Oxford Limited (in liquidation), PFT Limited, PI Indemnity Company Designated Activity Company, PT JLT Reinsurance Brokers, PT Jardine Lloyd Thompson, PT Marsh Indonesia, PT Marsh Reinsurance Brokers Indonesia, PT Mercer Indonesia, PT Nexus Asia Pacific, PT Oliver Wyman Indonesia, PT Quantum Computing Services, PT Quantum Investments, PT Quantum Support Services, Pallas Marsh Servicos Ltda., Pavilion Alternatives Group (Singapore) PTE. Ltd, Pavilion Financial Corporation Holdings UK Limited, Pavilion U.S. Investments Holdco LLC, Pension Trustees Limited, Pensionsservice Benefit Network Sverige AB, Perils AG, Personal Pension Trustees Limited, Pet Animal Welfare Scheme Limited, Portsoken Trustees (No. 2) Limited, Portsoken Trustees Limited, Potomac Insurance Managers Inc., Premier Pension Trustees Limited, Premium Services Australia Pty Limited, Professional Claims Handling Limited (in liquidation), Profund Solutions Limited, Promerit AG, Promerit Hungary Kft, Promerit Schweiz AG, Pymetrics Inc., R G Ford Brokers Limited, R R B Beratungsgesellschaft fuer Altersversorgung mbh, R. Mees & Zoonen Holdings B.V., Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters LLC, Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters Limited, Resource Benefit Associates, Rightpath Reinsurance SPC Ltd., Risk Management Australia Pty Limited, Rivers Group Limited, Rockefeller Risk Advisors Inc., Rutherfoord International Inc., SAFCAR-Marsh, SBJ Holdings Limited, SCIB (Bermuda) Limited, SCM Global Real Estate Select GP LLC, SCM Infrastructure General Partner S.a r.l., SCM International Private Equity Select III GP LLC, SCM LT General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE II GP Ltd., SCM PE II Scotland GP Ltd, SCM Strategic Capital Management (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., SICAR Marsh S.a.r.l., SME Insurance Services Limited, Sail Insurance Company Limited, Scalene Re Ltd, Seabury & Smith Borrower LLC, Seabury & Smith LLC, Secure Limited, Sedgwick (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Consulting Group Limited, Sedgwick Dineen Group Limited, Sedgwick Financial Services Limited, Sedgwick Forbes Middle East Limited, Sedgwick Group, Sedgwick Group (Australia) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Group (Bermuda) Limited, Sedgwick Group (Zimbabwe) Limited, Sedgwick Group Limited, Sedgwick Internationaal B.V., Sedgwick Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Singapore) Pte Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes (UK) Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Group Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Limited, Sedgwick Overseas Investments Limited, Sedgwick Private Limited, Sedgwick Re Asia Pacific (Consultants) Pte Ltd (for dissolution), Sedgwick Trustees Limited, Sedgwick UK Risk Services Limited, Sedgwick Ulster Pension Trustees Limited, Settlement Trustees Limited, Shanghai Mercer Insurance Brokers Company Ltd., Shorewest Insurance Associates LLC, Sirota Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Sirota Consulting UK Limited, Smith Long Term Disability Management Group Inc., Societe d'Assurances et de Participation Guian SA, Software Underwriting Systems Limited (in liquidation), Southern Marine & Aviation Inc., Southern Marine & Aviation Underwriters Inc., Sudzucker Versicherungs-Vermittlungs GmbH, Sumitomo Life Insurance Agency America Inc., Sylvite Financial Services, TBX Solutions Limited, Talent Tech Labs LLC, The Benefit Express Holdings Limited, The Benefit Express Limited, The Carpenter Management Corporation, The Insurance Partnership Holdings Limited, The Insurance Partnership Services Limited, The Positive Ageing Company Limited, The Purple Partnership Limited, The Recovre Group Pty Ltd, Thomsons Online Benefits (HK) Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits Inc., Thomsons Online Benefits Limited, Thomsons Online Benefits Pte Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits S.R.L, Torrent Government Contracting Services LLC, Torrent Insurance Services LLC, Torrent Technologies, Torrent Technologies Inc., Tower Hill Limited, Tower Place Developments (West) Limited, Tower Place Developments Limited, U.T.E. AMG, U.T.E. Marsh - Caja Castilla La Mancha Junta de Comunidades, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus (in liquidation), U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus 2012, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Vila-Seca 2010, UAD BB Marsh Lietuva, Vezina & Associes Inc., Vezina Assurances Inc., Victor Insurance Europe B.V., Victor Insurance Holdings Inc., Victor Insurance Italia S.r.l., Victor Insurance Managers Inc., Victor Insurance Managers Inc./Gestionnaires d'assurance Victor inc., Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd., Victor O. Schinnerer & Company Limited, Victoria Hall Company Limited, Wellnz Limited, William M. Mercer (Canada) Limited/William M. Mercer (Canada) Limitee, William M. Mercer AB, William M. Mercer Comercio Consultoria e Servicos Ltda., Wortham Insurance & Risk Management, everBe SAS, and realright GmbH.

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Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., through its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells wood and concrete construction products. The company offers wood construction products, including connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shearwalls, and pre-fabricated lateral systems for use in light-frame construction; and concrete construction products comprising adhesives, specialty chemicals, mechanical anchors, carbide drill bits, powder actuated tools, fiber-reinforced materials, and other repair products for use in concrete, masonry, and steel construction, as well as grouts, coatings, sealers, mortars, fiberglass and fiber-reinforced polymer systems, and asphalt products for use in concrete construction repair, and strengthening and protection products. It also provides connectors and lateral products for wood framing, timber and offsite construction, structural steel construction, and cold-formed steel applications; and mechanical and adhesive anchors for concrete and masonry construction applications. In addition, the company offers engineering and design services, as well as software solutions that facilitate the specification, selection, and use of its products. It markets its products to the residential construction, light industrial and commercial construction, remodeling, and do-it-yourself markets in the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.
The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. C.V., Productos SAS Management B.V., Punch N.V., Punica Getranke GmbH, Q O Puerto Rico Inc., QFL OHQ Sdn. Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC.

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Nabors Industries Ltd. provides drilling and drilling-related services for land-based and offshore oil and natural gas wells. The company operates through five segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. It provides tubular running, wellbore placement, directional drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD), equipment manufacturing, and rig instrumentation services; and logging-while-drilling systems and services, as well as drilling optimization software. The company also offers REVit, an automated real time stick-slip mitigation system; ROCKit, a directional steering control system; SmartNAV, a collaborative guidance and advisory platform; SmartSLIDE, an advanced directional steering control system; and RigCLOUD, which provides the tools and infrastructure to integrate applications to deliver real-time insight into operations across the rig fleet. In addition, it manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and other drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools; and provides aftermarket sales and services for the installed base of its equipment. As of December 31, 2021, the company marketed approximately 301 rigs for land-based drilling operations in the United States, Canada, and in 20 other countries worldwide; and 29 rigs for offshore platform drilling operations in the United States and internationally. Nabors Industries Ltd. was founded in 1952 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500<sup></sup> urban office real estate investment trust ("REIT"), is the first, longest-tenured, and pioneering owner, operator, and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology, and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, with a total market capitalization of $31.9 billion as of December 31, 2020, and an asset base in North America of 49.7 million square feet ("SF"). The asset base in North America includes 31.9 million RSF of operating properties and 3.3 million RSF of Class A properties undergoing construction, 7.1 million RSF of near-term and intermediate-term development and redevelopment projects, and 7.4 million SF of future development projects. Founded in 1994, Alexandria pioneered this niche and has since established a significant market presence in key locations, including Greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. Alexandria has a longstanding and proven track record of developing Class A properties clustered in urban life science, technology, and agtech campuses that provide our innovative tenants with highly dynamic and collaborative environments that enhance their ability to successfully recruit and retain world-class talent and inspire productivity, efficiency, creativity, and success. Alexandria also provides strategic capital to transformative life science, technology, and agtech companies through our venture capital platform. We believe our unique business model and diligent underwriting ensure a high-quality and diverse tenant base that results in higher occupancy levels, longer lease terms, higher rental income, higher returns, and greater long-term asset value.
OFG Bancorp, a financial holding company, provides a range of banking and financial services. It operates through three segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and Treasury. The company offers checking and savings accounts, as well as time deposit products; commercial, consumer, auto, and mortgage lending services; financial planning and insurance services; and corporate and individual trust, and retirement services. It also provides securities brokerage and investment advisory services, including various investment alternatives, such as tax-advantaged fixed income securities, mutual funds, stocks, and bonds to retail and institutional clients; and separately-managed accounts and mutual fund asset allocation programs. In addition, the company engages in the insurance agency and reinsurance businesses; administration and servicing of retirement plans; various treasury-related functions with an investment portfolio consisting of mortgage-backed securities, obligations of U.S. government sponsored agencies, and U.S. Treasury securities and money market instruments; and management and participation in public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities. Further, it offers money management and investment banking services; and engages in the asset/liability management activities, such as purchases and sales of investment securities, interest rate risk management, derivatives, and borrowings. The company operates through a network of 50 branches in Puerto Rico and 2 branches in USVI. OFG Bancorp was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Cardinal Health, Inc. operates as an integrated healthcare services and products company in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It provides customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and patients in the home. The company operates in two segments, Pharmaceutical and Medical. The Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical, and over-the-counter healthcare and consumer products. The segment also provides services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers for specialty pharmaceutical products; operates nuclear pharmacies and radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities; repackages generic pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter healthcare products; and offers medication therapy management and patient outcomes services to hospitals, other healthcare providers, and payers, as well as provides pharmacy management services to hospitals. The Medical segment manufactures, sources, and distributes Cardinal Health branded medical, surgical, and laboratory products and devices that include exam and surgical gloves; needles, syringe, and sharps disposals; compressions; incontinences; nutritional delivery products; wound care products; single-use surgical drapes, gowns, and apparels; fluid suction and collection systems; urology products; operating room supply products; and electrode product lines. The segment also distributes a range of national brand products, including medical, surgical, and laboratory products; provides supply chain services and solutions to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, and other healthcare providers; and assembles and sells sterile, and non-sterile procedure kits. The company was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.
The following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., CICL Corporation, COC I Corporation, Catapult Genetics, Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Coley Pharmaceutical Group Inc., Continental Pharma Inc., Covx, Covx Technologies Ireland Limited, Cyanamid Inter-American Corporation, Cyanamid de Argentina S.A., Cyanamid de Colombia S.A., Distribuidora Mercantil Centro Americana S.A., Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., Esperion LUV Development Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Farminova Produtos Farmaceuticos de Inovacao Lda., Farmogene Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Ferrosan A/S, Ferrosan International A/S, Ferrosan S.R.L., FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Foldrx Pharmaceuticals, Fort Dodge Manufatura Ltda., G. D. Searle & Co. Limited, G. D. Searle International Capital LLC, G. D. Searle LLC, GI Europe Inc., GI Japan Inc., GenTrac Inc., Genetics Institute LLC, Greenstone LLC, Haptogen Limited, Hospira, Hospira (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Hospira Adelaide Pty Ltd, Hospira Aseptic Services Limited, Hospira Australia Pty Ltd, Hospira Benelux BVBA, Hospira Chile Limitada, Hospira Deutschland GmbH, Hospira Enterprises B.V., Hospira France SAS, Hospira Healthcare B.V., Hospira Healthcare Corporation, Hospira Healthcare India Private Limited, Hospira Holdings (S.A.) Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc., Hospira Invicta S.A., Hospira Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, Hospira Ireland Sales Limited, Hospira Japan G.K., Hospira Limited, Hospira Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hospira NZ Limited, Hospira Nordic AB, Hospira Philippines Inc., Hospira Portugal LDA, Hospira Produtos Hospitalares Ltda., Hospira Pte. Ltd., Hospira Pty Limited, Hospira Puerto Rico LLC, Hospira Singapore Pte Ltd, Hospira UK Limited, Hospira Worldwide LLC, Hospira Zagreb d.o.o., ICAgen, Idun Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Santa Agape S.A., InnoPharma, InnoPharma Inc., International Affiliated Corporation LLC, JMI-Daniels Pharmaceuticals Inc., John Wyeth & Brother Limited, Kiinteisto oy Espoon Pellavaniementie 14, King Pharmaceuticals Holdings LLC, King Pharmaceuticals LLC, King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development LLC, Korea Pharma Holding Company Limited, Laboratoires Pfizer S.A., Laboratorios Parke Davis S.L., Laboratorios Pfizer Ltda., Laboratorios Wyeth LLC, Laboratorios Wyeth S.A., Laboratorios Pfizer Lda., MTG Divestitures LLC, Mayne Pharma IP Holdings (Euro) Pty Ltd, Medivation, Medivation Field Solutions LLC, Medivation LLC, Medivation Neurology LLC, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Medivation Services LLC, Medivation Technologies LLC, Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Meridian Medical Technologies Limited, Monarch Pharmaceuticals LLC, Neusentis Limited, NextWave Pharmaceuticals, NextWave Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, P-D Co. LLC, PAH USA IN8 LLC, PF Americas Holding C.V., PF Asia Manufacturing B.V., PF PR Holdings C.V., PF PRISM C.V., PF PRISM Holdings S.a.r.l., PF Prism S.a.r.l., PFE Holdings G.K., PFE PHAC Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Pfizer Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Wyeth Holdings LLC, PFE Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) LLC, PHILCO Holdings S.a r.l., PHIVCO Corp., PHIVCO Holdco S.a r.l., PHIVCO Luxembourg S.a r.l., PN Mexico LLC, PT. Pfizer Parke Davis, Parke Davis & Company LLC, Parke Davis Limited, Parke Davis Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Parke-Davis Manufacturing Corp., Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc., Peak Enterprises LLC, Pfizer, Pfizer (China) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, Pfizer (Wuhan) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer AB, Pfizer AG, Pfizer AS, Pfizer Africa & Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Veterinarian Products & Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer Anti-Infectives AB, Pfizer ApS, Pfizer Asia Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Pfizer Atlantic Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Australia Holdings B.V., Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pfizer Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., Pfizer Australia Pty Limited, Pfizer B.V., Pfizer BH D.o.o., Pfizer Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer Biofarmaceutica Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Pfizer Biologics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Pfizer Biologics Ireland Holdings Limited, Pfizer Biotech Corporation, Pfizer Bolivia S.A., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pfizer CentreSource Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Chile S.A., Pfizer Cia. Ltda., Pfizer Colombia Spinco I LLC, Pfizer Commercial Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Commercial Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Commercial TRAE Trading Kft., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare AB, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare GmbH, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Ltd., Pfizer Consumer Manufacturing Italy S.r.l., Pfizer Corporation, Pfizer Corporation Austria Gesellschaft m.b.H., Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Pfizer Croatia d.o.o., Pfizer Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Development LP, Pfizer Development Services (UK) Limited, Pfizer Domestic Ventures Limited, Pfizer Dominicana S.R.L, Pfizer ESP Pty Ltd, Pfizer East India B.V., Pfizer Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer Egypt S.A.E., Pfizer Enterprise Holdings B.V., Pfizer Enterprises LLC, Pfizer Enterprises SARL, Pfizer Europe Finance B.V., Pfizer Export B.V., Pfizer Export Company, Pfizer Export Holding Company B.V, Pfizer Finance Share Service (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Financial Services N.V./S.A., Pfizer France International Investments, Pfizer Free Zone Panama S. de R.L., Pfizer GEP S.L., Pfizer Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer Global Supply Japan Inc., Pfizer Global Trading, Pfizer Group Luxembourg Sarl, Pfizer Gulf FZ-LLC, Pfizer H.C.P. Corporation, Pfizer HK Service Company Limited, Pfizer Health AB, Pfizer Health Solutions Inc., Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, Pfizer Hellas A.E., Pfizer Himalaya Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Holding France, Pfizer Holding Ventures, Pfizer Holdings Corporation, Pfizer Holdings Europe Unlimited Company, Pfizer Holdings G.K., Pfizer Holdings International Corporation, Pfizer Holdings International Luxembourg (PHIL) Sarl, Pfizer Holdings North America SARL, Pfizer Hungary Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Inc., Pfizer Innovations AB, Pfizer Innovations LLC, Pfizer Innovative Supply Point International BVBA, Pfizer International LLC, Pfizer International Markets Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer International Operations, Pfizer International S. de R.L., Pfizer International Trading (Shanghai) Limited, Pfizer Investment Capital Unlimited Company, Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd., Pfizer Investment Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Ireland Investments Limited, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 1 LLC, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 2 LLC, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Ireland Ventures Unlimited Company, Pfizer Italia S.r.l., Pfizer Italy Group Holding S.r.l., Pfizer Japan Inc., Pfizer LLC, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Limited, Pfizer Laboratories Limited, Pfizer Laboratories PFE (Pty) Ltd, Pfizer Leasing Ireland Limited, Pfizer Leasing UK Limited, Pfizer Limitada, Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Luxco Holdings SARL, Pfizer Luxembourg Global Holdings S.a r.l., Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer MAP Holding Inc., Pfizer Manufacturing Austria G.m.b.H., Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizer Manufacturing Holdings LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Services, Pfizer Medical Technology Group (Belgium) N.V., Pfizer Medicamentos Genericos e Participacoes Ltda., Pfizer Mexico Luxco SARL, Pfizer Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pfizer Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Animal Health and Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer New Zealand Limited, Pfizer Norge AS, Pfizer North American Holdings Inc., Pfizer OTC B.V., Pfizer Overseas LLC, Pfizer Oy, Pfizer PFE ApS, Pfizer PFE AsiaPac Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Pty Ltd, Pfizer PFE B.V., Pfizer PFE Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Belgium SPRL, Pfizer PFE Brazil Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE CIA. Ltda., Pfizer PFE Chile Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Colombia Holding Corp., Pfizer PFE Colombia S.A.S, Pfizer PFE Commercial Holdings LLC, Pfizer PFE Croatia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer PFE Finland Oy, Pfizer PFE France, Pfizer PFE Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Ireland Pharmaceuticals Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco 2 S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Pfizer PFE Limited, Pfizer PFE Luxembourg S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Mexico Holding 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE Netherlands Holding 1 C.V., Pfizer PFE New Zealand, Pfizer PFE New Zealand Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Norway Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE PILSA Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Peru Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Peru S.R.L., Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer PFE Private Limited, Pfizer PFE S.R.L, Pfizer PFE Service Company Holding Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer PFE Singapore Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Singapore Pte. Ltd., Pfizer PFE Spain B.V., Pfizer PFE Spain Holding S.L., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding 2 S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Switzerland GmbH, Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 2 B.V., Pfizer PFE UK Holding 4 LP, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 1 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 2 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 4 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 5 LLC, Pfizer PFE spol. s r.o., Pfizer PFE Ilaclar Anonim Sirketi, Pfizer Pakistan Limited, Pfizer Parke Davis (Thailand) Ltd., Pfizer Parke Davis Inc., Pfizer Parke Davis Sdn. Bhd., Pfizer Pharm Algerie, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma PFE GmbH, Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceutical Trading Limited Liability Company (a/k/a Pfizer Kft. or Pfizer LLC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Limited, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Pfizer Pigments Inc., Pfizer Polska Sp. z.o.o., Pfizer Private Limited, Pfizer Production LLC, Pfizer Products Inc., Pfizer Products India Private Limited, Pfizer Research (NC) Inc., Pfizer Romania SRL, Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A. (Belgium), Pfizer S.A. de C.V., Pfizer S.A.S., Pfizer S.G.P.S. Lda., Pfizer S.L., Pfizer S.R.L., Pfizer SRB d.o.o., Pfizer Saidal Manufacturing, Pfizer Sante Familiale, Pfizer Saudi Limited, Pfizer Seiyaku K.K., Pfizer Service Company BVBA, Pfizer Service Company Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Services 1, Pfizer Services LLC, Pfizer Shared Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Shareholdings Intermediate SARL, Pfizer Singapore Holding Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Spain Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Specialties Limited, Pfizer Strategic Investment Holdings LLC, Pfizer Sweden Partnership KB, Pfizer TRAE Holdings Kft., Pfizer Trading Polska sp.z.o.o., Pfizer Transactions Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Transactions LLC, Pfizer Transactions Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer Transport LLC, Pfizer Ukraine LLC, Pfizer Vaccines LLC, Pfizer Venezuela S.A., Pfizer Venture Investments LLC, Pfizer Ventures LLC, Pfizer Worldwide Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Zona Franca S.A., Pfizer spol. s r.o., Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn S.A. de C.V., Pharmacia Brasil Ltda., Pharmacia Hepar LLC, Pharmacia Holding AB, Pharmacia Inter-American LLC, Pharmacia International B.V., Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia Limited, Pharmacia Nostrum S.A., Pharmacia South Africa (Pty) Ltd, PowderJect Research Limited, PowderMed, Purepac Pharmaceutical Holdings LLC, Redvax, Renrall LLC, Rinat Neuroscience, Rinat Neuroscience Corp., Roerig Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Roerig S.A., Sao Cristovao Participacoes Ltda., Searle Laboratorios Lda., Serenex, Servicios P&U S. de R.L. de C.V., Shiley LLC, Sinergis Farma-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Site Realty Inc., Solinor LLC, Sugen LLC, Tabor LLC, The Pfizer Incubator LLC, Therachon, Thiakis Limited, Treerly Health Co. Ltd, US Oral Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Upjohn Laboratorios Lda., Vesteralens Naturprodukter A/S, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AB, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AS, Vesteralens Naturprodukter OY, Vicuron Holdings LLC, Vinci Farma S.A., W-L LLC, Warner Lambert, Warner Lambert Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Warner Lambert del Uruguay S.A., Warner-Lambert (Thailand) Limited, Warner-Lambert Company AG, Warner-Lambert Company LLC, Warner-Lambert Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Warner-Lambert S.A., Whitehall International Inc., Whitehall Laboratories Inc., Wyeth (Thailand) Ltd., Wyeth AB, Wyeth Australia Pty. Limited, Wyeth Ayerst Inc., Wyeth Ayerst S.a r.l., Wyeth Biopharma, Wyeth Canada ULC, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare LLC, Wyeth Europa Limited, Wyeth Farma S.A., Wyeth Holdings LLC, Wyeth Industria Farmaceutica Ltda., Wyeth KFT., Wyeth LLC, Wyeth Lederle S.r.l., Wyeth Lederle Vaccines S.A., Wyeth Pakistan Limited, Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Limited, Wyeth Puerto Rico Inc., Wyeth S.A.S, Wyeth Subsidiary Illinois Corporation, Wyeth Whitehall Export GmbH, Wyeth Whitehall SARL, Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) Limited, Wyeth-Ayerst International LLC, and Wyeth-Ayerst Promotions Limited.

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TransUnion provides risk and information solutions. The company operates in three segments: U.S. Markets, International, and Consumer Interactive. The U.S. Markets segment provides consumer reports, actionable insights, and analytics to businesses. These businesses use its services to acquire new customers; assess consumer ability to pay for services; identify cross-selling opportunities; measure and manage debt portfolio risk; collect debt; verify consumer identities; and mitigate fraud risk. This segment serves various industry vertical markets, including financial services, insurance, tenant and employment, collections and services, technology, commerce and communication, public sector, media, and other markets. The International segment offers credit reports, analytics, technology solutions, and other value-added risk management services; and consumer services, which help consumers to manage their personal finances and consumer credit reporting, insurance and auto information solutions, and commercial credit information services. This segment serves customers in financial services, retail credit, insurance, automotive, collections, public sector, and communications industries through direct and indirect channels. The Consumer Interactive segment provides credit reports and scores, credit monitoring, identity protection and resolution, and financial management solutions that enable consumers to manage their personal finances and take precautions against identity theft. This segment offers its products through online and mobile interfaces, as well as through direct and indirect channels. The company serves customers in approximately 30 countries and territories, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, India, and the Asia Pacific. The company was formerly known as TransUnion Holding Company, Inc. and changed its name to TransUnion in March 2015. TransUnion was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Tucows Inc. provides network access, domain name registration, email, mobile telephony, and other Internet services in Canada, the United States, and Europe. It operates through three segments: Fiber Internet Services, Mobile Services, and Domain Services. The Fiber Internet Services segment provides fixed high-speed Internet access services to individuals and small businesses primarily through the Ting website, and other billing solutions to small internet service providers. The Mobile Services segment offers mobile phones and retail telephony services; and professional services, including implementation, training, consulting, and software development and modification services, as well as operates Mobile Services Enabler platform that provides network access, provisioning, and billing services. The Domain Services segment provides wholesale and retail domain name registration services; portfolio services; and value-added services, such as hosted email, Internet security services, Internet hosting, WHOIS privacy, publishing tools, and other value-added services for end-users under the OpenSRS, eNom, Ascio, and Hover brands. The company was formerly known as Infonautics, Inc. and changed its name to Tucows Inc. in August 2001. Tucows Inc. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AFD.TECH, AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Accenture (UK) Limited, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Agencia Interativa Ltda, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture B.V., Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BPS Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A., Accenture Canada Holdings Inc, Accenture Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Limited, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co. Ltd, Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Pty Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SASU, Accenture Customer Services Ltd, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Delivery Poland S.p. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance II Limited, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services S.r.l., Accenture Financial Advanced Solution & Technology S.r.l., Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Global Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Global Engagements Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Limited, Accenture Global Services Limited, Accenture Global Solutions Limited, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc, Accenture Holding Brasil Ltda, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SASU, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services B.V., Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture International B.V., Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea B.V., Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Lithuania UAB, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Marketing Services LLC, Accenture Marketing Services Limited, Accenture Middle East B.V., Accenture Minority I B.V., Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi Pty Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations GmbH, Accenture Operations S.p. z o.o., Accenture Operations Services Private Limited, Accenture Operations Services Sdn Bhd, Accenture Outsourcing S.r.l., Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations B.V., Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru SRL, Accenture Post Trade Processing SASU, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture Qiyun Technology (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture S.p. z o.o., Accenture S.p.A., Accenture SASU, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sdn Bhd, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services and Technology S.r.l., Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Single Member S.A. Organization Information Technology & Business Development, Accenture Solutions Co. Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions S.p. z o.o, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc, Accenture Sub III Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions S.r.l., Accenture Technology Solutions SASU, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures B.V., Accenture Technology Ventures SPRL, Accenture Tecnologia Consultoria y Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co. Limited, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Ltda, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Advoco, Agilex Technologies Inc., Alfa Consulting, Allen International, AlphaBeta Advisors, Altevie Technologies S.r.l., Altima, Altima (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Altima Asia Ltd, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Altius Consulting Limited, Altius Data Solutions Private Limited, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Apis Group Pty Ltd, Appaloosa Technology SASU, AppsPro, AppsPro, Arca, Arca Ingenieros y Consultoria S.L., Arca Telecom S.L., Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Artio People (Payroll) Pty Ltd, Artio People Pty Ltd, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Automation Partners Pty Ltd, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda , Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Avieco, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, BRIDGEi2i, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Zhidao Future Consulting Co. Ltd, Benext, Berico Technologies LLC, Bionic, Bionic Solution LLC, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Bow & Arrow, Bow & Arrow Limited, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, Byte Prophecy Private Limited, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CS Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, CS Technology (UK) Limited, CS Technology Group LLC, CS Technology LLC, CadenceQuest Inc., Callisto Integration Europe B.V., Callisto Integration Europe Limited, Callisto Integration LLC, Callisto Integration Ltd, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc, Certus Solutions Consulting Services Limited, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, ClearEdge Partners, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Ergo, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Founders Intelligence, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Headspring, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, King James Group, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision LLC, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations  Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Olympus Systems Corporation, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, T.A. Cook, TXF LLC, Tambourine, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis AG, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zestgroup, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut.

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GoDaddy Inc. engages in the design and development of cloud-based technology products in the United States and internationally. The company provides domain name registration product that enables to engage customers at the initial stage of establishing a digital identity. It also offers shared Website hosting products that provide various applications and products, such as web analytics, Secure Sockets Layer certificates, and WordPress; Website hosting on virtual private servers and virtual dedicated servers products, which allows customers to select the server configuration suited for their applications, requirements, and growth; managed hosting products to set up, monitor, maintain, secure, and patch software and servers for customers; and security products, a suite of tools designed to help secure customers' online presence. In addition, the company provides presence products, such as Websites + Marketing, a do-it-yourself mobile-optimized online tool that enables customers to build websites and e-commerce enabled online stores; a range of marketing tools and services designed to help businesses acquire and engage customers, and create content, as well as search engine optimization that helps customers get their websites found on search sites; and social media management services. Further, it offers business application products, such as Microsoft Office 365, email accounts, email marketing, and Internet-based telephony services; online store capabilities that allows customers to transact business directly on their websites; GoDaddy Payments, a payment facilitator; and point-of-sale (POS) devices, as well as software for POS. The company serves small businesses, individuals, organizations, developers, designers, and domain investors. GoDaddy Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.
The following companies are subsidiares of Caterpillar: Advanced Tri-Gen Power Systems LLC, Anchor Coupling Inc., Asia Power Systems (Tianjin) Ltd., AsiaTrak (Tianjin) Ltd., Banco Caterpillar S.A., Berg Propulsion International Pte Ltd., Bucyrus, Bucyrus Australia Surface Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Holdings Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Limited, Bucyrus International (Chile) Limitada, Bucyrus International (Peru) S.A., Bucyrus Mining Australia Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Mining China LLC, Bucyrus UK Limited, Cat Rental Kyushu LLC, Caterpillar (Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar (China) Financial Leasing Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Machinery Components Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (HK) Limited, Caterpillar (Huainan) Machinery Service Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Langfang) Mining Equipment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Luxembourg) Investment Co. S.a r.l., Caterpillar (NI) Limited, Caterpillar (Newberry) LLC, Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Logistics Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar (U.K.) Limited, Caterpillar (Wujiang) Ltd., Caterpillar (Xuzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Zhengzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar Acquisition Holding Corp., Caterpillar Americas C.V., Caterpillar Americas Co., Caterpillar Americas Funding Inc., Caterpillar Americas Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Asia Limited, Caterpillar Asia Pacific L.P., Caterpillar Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Asset Intelligence LLC, Caterpillar Belgium S.A., Caterpillar Brasil Comercio de Maquinas e Pecas Ltda., Caterpillar Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Brazil LLC, Caterpillar Castings Kiel GmbH, Caterpillar Centro de Formacion S.L., Caterpillar China Limited, Caterpillar Commercial Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Commercial LLC, Caterpillar Commercial Northern Europe Limited, Caterpillar Commercial S.A., Caterpillar Commercial S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Commercial Services S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Communications LLC, Caterpillar Corporativo Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Cote DIvoire, Caterpillar Credito S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., Caterpillar DC Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Digital Services & Solutions SARL, Caterpillar Distribution International LLC, Caterpillar Distribution Services Europe B.V.B.A., Caterpillar East Real Estate Holding Ltd., Caterpillar Emissions Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH, Caterpillar Energy Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions S.A., Caterpillar Energy System Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Engine Systems Inc., Caterpillar Equipos Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Eurasia LLC, Caterpillar FS (QFC) LLC, Caterpillar Finance France S.A., Caterpillar Finance Kabushiki Kaisha, Caterpillar Financial Acquisition Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Aftermarket Solutions Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Australia Leasing Pty Limited, Caterpillar Financial Australia Limited, Caterpillar Financial Commercial Account Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Corporacion Financiera S.A. E.F.C., Caterpillar Financial Dealer Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Funding Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Caterpillar Financial Leasing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial New Zealand Limited, Caterpillar Financial Nordic Services AB, Caterpillar Financial Nova Scotia Corporation, Caterpillar Financial OOO, Caterpillar Financial Receivables Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Renting S.A., Caterpillar Financial SARL, Caterpillar Financial Services (Dubai) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services (Ireland) plc, Caterpillar Financial Services (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Argentina S.A., Caterpillar Financial Services Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Financial Services CR s.r.o., Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Services GmbH, Caterpillar Financial Services India Private Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Leasing ULC, Caterpillar Financial Services Limited Les Services Financiers Caterpillar Limitee, Caterpillar Financial Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Caterpillar Financial Services Netherlands B.V., Caterpillar Financial Services Norway AS, Caterpillar Financial Services Philippines Inc., Caterpillar Financial Services Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Financial Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, Caterpillar Financial UK Acquisition Funding Partners, Caterpillar Financial Ukraine LLC, Caterpillar Fluid Systems S.r.l., Caterpillar Fomento Comercial Ltda., Caterpillar Forest Products Inc., Caterpillar France S.A.S., Caterpillar GB L.L.C., Caterpillar Global Investments S.a r.l., Caterpillar Global Mining America LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Equipamentos De Mineracao do Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Global Mining Equipment LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Expanded Products Pty Ltd, Caterpillar Global Mining Germany Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining HMS GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong AFC Manufacturing Holding Co. Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Global Mining SARL, Caterpillar Global Mining U.S. Parts LLC, Caterpillar Global Services LLC, Caterpillar Group Services S.A., Caterpillar Holding (France) S.A.S., Caterpillar Holding Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Holdings Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Hungary Components Manufacturing Ltd., Caterpillar Hydraulics Italia S.r.l., Caterpillar IPX LLC, Caterpillar IRB LLC, Caterpillar Impact Products Limited, Caterpillar India Private Limited, Caterpillar Industrial Inc., Caterpillar Industrias Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Industries (Pty) Ltd, Caterpillar Insurance Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Insurance Company, Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., Caterpillar Insurance Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Finance Designated Activity Company, Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg I S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg II S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Product SARL, Caterpillar International Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Services del Peru S.A., Caterpillar Investment Limited, Caterpillar Investment One SARL, Caterpillar Investment Two SARL, Caterpillar Investments, Caterpillar Japan LLC, Caterpillar Latin America Services S.R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Panama S. de R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Servicios de Chile Limitada, Caterpillar Latin America Support Services S. DE R.L., Caterpillar Leasing (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar Leasing Chile S.A., Caterpillar Leasing GmbH (Leipzig), Caterpillar Leasing Operativo Limitada, Caterpillar Life Insurance Company, Caterpillar Logistics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Logistics (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Logistics Inc., Caterpillar Logistics ML Services France S.A.S., Caterpillar Logistics Services China Limited, Caterpillar Luxembourg Group S.ar.l., Caterpillar Luxembourg LLC, Caterpillar Luxembourg S.a r.l., Caterpillar Machinery Nantong Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence, Caterpillar Marine Power UK Limited, Caterpillar Marine Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Maroc SARL, Caterpillar Materiels Routiers SAS, Caterpillar Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Mexico S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Mining Canada ULC, Caterpillar Mining Chile Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Motoren (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG, Caterpillar Motoren Henstedt-Ulzburg GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Rostock GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Verwaltungs-GmbH, Caterpillar Netherlands Holding B.V., Caterpillar North America C.V., Caterpillar Operator Training Ltd., Caterpillar Overseas Credit Corporation SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Investment Holding SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Limited, Caterpillar Overseas SARL, Caterpillar Panama Services S.A., Caterpillar Paving Products Inc., Caterpillar Paving Products Xuzhou Ltd., Caterpillar Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Power Generation Systems (Bangladesh) Limited, Caterpillar Power Generation Systems L.L.C., Caterpillar Power Systems Inc., Caterpillar Power Ventures International Ltd., Caterpillar Precision Seals Korea, Caterpillar Prodotti Stradali S.r.l., Caterpillar Product Services Corporation, Caterpillar Propulsion AB, Caterpillar Propulsion International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Italy S.R.L., Caterpillar Propulsion Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar Propulsion Production AB, Caterpillar Propulsion Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Singapore Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar R&D Center (China) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe LLC, Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe Servicios S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Reman Powertrain Indiana LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Drivetrain LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Renting France S.A.S., Caterpillar Reynosa S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar SARL, Caterpillar Services Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Servizi Italia Srl, Caterpillar Shrewsbury Limited, Caterpillar Skinningrove Limited, Caterpillar Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd., Caterpillar Special Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Switchgear Americas LLC, Caterpillar Switchgear Holding Inc., Caterpillar Tianjin Ltd., Caterpillar Torreon S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Tosno L.L.C., Caterpillar Transmissions France S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Holdings Ltd., Caterpillar Tunnelling Canada Corporation, Caterpillar Tunnelling Europe Limited, Caterpillar UK Employee Trust Limited, Caterpillar UK Engines Company Limited, Caterpillar UK Group Limited, Caterpillar UK Holdings Limited, Caterpillar Undercarriage (Xuzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Used Equipment Services Inc., Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc., Caterpillar Work Tools B.V., Caterpillar Work Tools Inc., Caterpillar World Trading Corporation, Caterpillar Xuzhou, Caterpillar of Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar of Canada Corporation, Caterpillar of Delaware Inc., Centre de Distribution de Wallonie SPRL, CleanAir Systems, Downer Freight Rail, ECM Railway Evolution Romania s.r.l., ECM S.p.A., EDC European Excavator Design Center GmbH, EMC Holding Corp., EMD International Holdings Inc., ERA Information & Entertainment (BVI) Limited, ERA Mining Machinery Limited, Electro-Motive Diesel Limited, Electro-Motive Locomotive Technologies LLC, Electro-Motive Technical Consulting Co. (Beijing) Ltd., Energy Services International Limited, Equipos de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Eurenov S.A.S., F. G. Wilson (Proprietary) Limited, F. Perkins Limited, FG Wilson (Engineering) Limited, GB Holdco (China) Inc., GFCM Comercial Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., GFCM Servicios S.A. de C.V., Gremada Industries - Assets, Hong Kong Siwei Holdings Limited, Inmobiliaria Conek S.A. de C.V., JCS Co., Kemper Valve & Fittings Corp., Leo Inc., Locomotive Demand Power Pty Ltd., Locomotoras Progress Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Lovat, M2M Data Corporation, MGE Equipamentos & Servicos Ferroviarios, MWM, MWM Austria GmbH, MWM Benelux B.V., MWM Energy Australia Pty Ltd, MWM France S.A.S, MWM Real Estate GmbH, MaK Americas Inc., MaK Americas Inc. (Canada), Magnum Power Products LLC, Marble, Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH, Mec-Track S.r.l., Metalmark Financial Services Limited, Motoren Steffens GmbH, Nippon Caterpillar LLC, P. T. Solar Services Indonesia, PT Caterpillar Finance Indonesia, PT. Bucyrus Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia Batam, PT. Caterpillar Remanufacturing Indonesia, Perkins Engines, Perkins Engines (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, Perkins Engines Group Limited, Perkins Engines Inc., Perkins Group Limited, Perkins Holdings Limited LLC, Perkins India Private Limited, Perkins International Inc., Perkins Japan LLC, Perkins Limited, Perkins Machinery (Changshu) Co. Ltd., Perkins Motores do Brasil Ltda., Perkins Power Systems Technology (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines LLC, Perkins Small Engines Limited, Perkins Technology Inc., Progress Metal Reclamation Company, Progress Rail Arabia Limited Company, Progress Rail Australia Pty Ltd, Progress Rail Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Equipamentos e Servicos Ferroviarios do Brasil Ltda., Progress Rail Equipment Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Holdings Inc., Progress Rail Innovations Private Limited, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems GmbH, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems S.r.l., Progress Rail International Corp., Progress Rail Leasing Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Progress Rail Locomotivas (do Brasil) Ltda., Progress Rail Locomotive Canada Co., Progress Rail Locomotive Chile SpA, Progress Rail Locomotive Inc., Progress Rail Maintenance de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Progress Rail Manufacturing Corporation, Progress Rail Raceland Corporation, Progress Rail Rocklin Corporation, Progress Rail SA Proprietary Limited, Progress Rail Services Corporation, Progress Rail Services Holdings Corp., Progress Rail Services LLC, Progress Rail Services UK Limited, Progress Rail Switching Services LLC, Progress Rail Transcanada Corporation, Progress Rail Welding Corporation, Progress Rail Wildwood LLC, Progress Rail de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pyroban Group, Pyroban Group, Pyrrha Investments B.V., Pyrrha Investments Limited, S&L Railroad LLC, SCM Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., SPL Software Alliance LLC, Sabre Engines, Servicios de Turbinas Solar S. de R.L. de C.V., Shandong SEM Machinery Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines (Beijing) Trading Services Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines (Thailand) Ltd., Solar Turbines CIS Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Canada Ltd./Ltee., Solar Turbines Central Asia Limited Liability Partnership, Solar Turbines EAME s.r.o., Solar Turbines Egypt Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Europe S.A., Solar Turbines India Private Limited, Solar Turbines International Company, Solar Turbines Italy S.R.L., Solar Turbines Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Solar Turbines Middle East Limited, Solar Turbines New Zealand Limited, Solar Turbines Saudi Arabia Limited, Solar Turbines Services Company, Solar Turbines Services Nigeria Limited, Solar Turbines Services of Argentina S.R.L., Solar Turbines Switzerland Sagl, Solar Turbines Trinidad & Tobago Limited, Solar Turbines West-Africa SARL, Tangshan DBT Machinery Co. Ltd., Tecnologia Modificada S.A. de C.V., Towmotor Corporation, Traction & Mining Motor Repairs Pty Ltd, Turbinas Solar S.A. de C.V., Turbinas Solar de Colombia S.A., Turbinas Solar de Venezuela C.A., Turbo Tecnologia de Reparaciones S.A. de C.V., Turbomach, Turbomach Endustriyel Gaz Turbinleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited, Turbomach France SARL, Turbomach GmbH, Turbomach Netherlands B.V., Turbomach Pakistan (Private) Limited, Turbomach S.A. Unipersonal, Turbomach Sp. Z o.o., Turner Powertrain Systems Limited, UK Hose Assembly Limited, Underground Imaging Technologies Inc, United Industries LLC, VALA Inc., Vasky Energy Ltd., Wealdstone Engineering, Weir - Oil & Gas Division, West Virginia Auto Shredding Inc., Western Gear Machinery LLC, Wetland Sustainability Fund I LLC, Williams Technologies, Yard Club, Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Sales Co. Ltd., and okyo Rental Ltd..

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Tyler Technologies, Inc. provides integrated information management solutions and services for the public sector. The company operates in three segments: Enterprise Software; Appraisal and Tax; and NIC. It offers financial management solutions, including modular fund accounting systems for government agencies or not-for-profit entities; utility billing systems for the billing and collection of metered and non-metered services; products to automate city and county functions, such as municipal courts, parking tickets, equipment and project costing, animal and business licenses, permits and inspections, code enforcement, citizen complaint tracking, ambulance billing, fleet maintenance, and cemetery records management; and student information and transportation solutions for K-12 schools. The company also provides a suite of judicial solutions comprising court case management, court and law enforcement, prosecutor, and supervision systems to handle multi-jurisdictional county or statewide implementations, and single county systems; public safety software solutions; systems and software to automate the appraisal and assessment of real and personal property, as well as tax applications for agencies that bill and collect taxes; planning, regulatory, and maintenance software solutions for public sector agencies; software applications to enhance and automate operations involving records and document management; and data and insights solutions. In addition, it offers software as a service arrangements and electronic document filing solutions for courts and law offices; software and hardware installation, data conversion, training, product modification, and maintenance and support services; and property appraisal outsourcing services for taxing jurisdictions. The company has a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services for cloud hosting services. Tyler Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
United Rentals, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities. The specialty segment rents specialty construction products, including trench safety equipment consists of trench shields, aluminum hydraulic shoring systems, slide rails, crossing plates, construction lasers, and line testing equipment for underground work; power and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment, such as portable diesel generators, electrical distribution equipment, and temperature control equipment; fluid solutions equipment for fluid containment, transfer, and treatment; and mobile storage equipment and modular office space. This segment serves construction companies involved in infrastructure projects, and municipalities and industrial companies. It also sells aerial lifts, reach forklifts, telehandlers, compressors, and generators; construction consumables, tools, small equipment, and safety supplies; and parts for equipment that is owned by its customers, as well as provides repair and maintenance services. The company sells used equipment through its sales force, brokers, website, directly to manufacturers, and at auctions. The company operates a network of 1,360 rental locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. United Rentals, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
CA, Inc., doing business as CA technologies, develops, markets, delivers, and licenses software products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Mainframe Solutions, Enterprise Solutions, and Services. The Mainframe Solutions segment offers solutions for the IBM z Systems platform, which runs various mission critical business applications. Its mainframe solutions enable customers enhance economics by increasing throughput and lowering cost per transaction; increasing business agility through DevOps tooling and processes; increasing reliability and availability of operations through machine intelligence and automation solutions; and protecting enterprise data with security and compliance. The Enterprise Solutions segment provides a range of software planning, development, and management tools for mobile, cloud, and distributed computing environments. It primarily provides customers secure application development, infrastructure management, automation, and identity-centric security solutions. The Services segment offers various services, such as consulting, implementation, application management, education, and support services to commercial and government customers for implementation and adoption of its software solutions. The company serves banks, insurance companies, other financial services providers, government agencies, information technology service providers, telecommunication providers, transportation companies, manufacturers, technology companies, retailers, educational organizations, and health care institutions. It sells its products through direct sales force, as well as through various partner channels comprising resellers, service providers, system integrators, managed service providers, and technology partners. The company was formerly known as Computer Associates International, Inc. and changed its name to CA, Inc. in 2006. CA, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Caribbean telecoms provider Cable & Wireless Communications (C&W) has begun the successful restoration of mobile services to Dominica.

The island's infrastructure, including its communications networks, suffered significant impact from Category 5 Hurricane Maria, which made landfall in Dominica last week. The company has also extended free credit to help mobile customers communicate with family and friends.

As the devastating winds of Hurricane Maria died down, there was little or no news coming from the island of Dominica to allay the fears of families and friends overseas. The announcement by C&W on the partial restoration of its mobile network means for the first time many concerned families and friends will be able to check on their loved ones in Dominica.

John Reid, C&W's CEO, said, "I'm hugely proud of our employees who have worked night and day to begin to bring our mobile network back online. While the situation on the ground in Dominica is grave, the passion of our employees to restore our mobile services enabling critical communications, as well as helping the broader relief efforts, has been truly inspiring."

Customers with access to internet are asked to monitor social media and to listen to local radio stations that are currently on air for important updates on the progress of restoration efforts in the various communities and additional services that Flow will be able to provide once its store re-opens.

The Company's restoration efforts follow on the heels of its establishment of an engineering hub in Antigua designed to accelerate the restoration of impacted networks from this year's highly active hurricane season.

The company has also launched its C&W Charitable Foundation with an initial donation of US$500K to help with the Hurricane relief efforts across the region and a Regional Text-to-Donate Campaign to raise additional funds.
RBC Capital Markets upgraded its stance on Tullow Oil to 'outperform' from 'sector perform' and lifted the price target to 260p from 200p.

The bank said Tullow is gaining momentum as it re-starts the development of the TEN fields offshore Ghana and resolves the Jubilee turret issue.

"Combined with a firmer oil price these fields should underpin a year-end refinancing that allows management to redirect investors' attention towards its value creation (Guyana and Kenya) and harvesting (Ghana and Uganda) activities."

Over the weekend, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea concluded its three-year assessment of the Ghana/Cote dIvoire border dispute and its ruling, that the border remains to the west of the TEN fields, has released the brakes on the stalled development. RBC now expects Tullows updates on 8 November and 10 January to focus on the business returning to normal.

It thinks likely initiatives include the completion of the TEN development drilling campaign and the re-start of infill drilling on Jubilee. RBC reckons Tullow could be targeting a year-end exit rate of more than 100,000 barrels per day, up from its first-half average of 82,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day. It also sees potential for resource growth in October, when Tullow drills its first high-impact exploration well offshore Suriname.

"With debt under control and a tight rein on spending, exploration and development campaigns should now drive sustainable growth. Having been shunned by many investors, the stock has some catching up to do, and given its oil price leverage we expect Tullow to outperform many of its peers in the current, rising oil price environment."

At 1300 BST, the shares were up 2% to 193.30p.
Faced with opposition by the courts and a public outcry, the government of Brazil has officially cancelled plans to open up a vast natural reserve in the Amazon to commercial mining.

President Michel Temer of Brazil signed a decree in August which saw the protected area known as the National Reserve of Copper and Associates opened up to commercial mining, but was vehemently condemned from the get-go by activists and celebrities who believed the area would suffer badly.

Following the criticism, the government amended the decree in order to bar mining in conservation or indigenous areas within the 46,000sq km large reserve straddling the northern states of Amapa and Para.

With a size larger than that of Denmark, the reserve was thought to be rich in gold, iron and manganese and other minerals.

Yet even then, a later court order was issued requiring that the Brazilian Congress be consulted first before any change was made to the reserve's status, finally leading Brasilia to bin the decree altogether.
The cost of travelling to Spain is expected to rise by an additional 5% to 10% next year due to the weakness of sterling, even as other Mediterranean destinations regain the favour of holidaymakers, said Thomas Cook .

Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, chief executive Peter Fankhauser said that Spain's newfound popularity due to security concerns elsewhere was another factor driving prices higher.

Demand was so strong that the travel operator was facing a shortage of beds, he said.

Indeed, as a result Spanish hoteliers were "taking a bit of an advantage" of increased demand; however, according to Frankhauser those higher profits were being reinvested in improving their facilities.

Meanwhile, on the opposite shore of the Mediterranean, there was evidence of people returning to Turkey and Egypt, which were "wonderful destinations" that offered "great value for money".

Last month, the travel agent had resumed selling holidays in Tunisia to British clients for the first time since the attack on Sousse in 2015.

Trips to the North African country were set to restat in February 2018, after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office eased its travel advice to the region.

Thomas Cook added that it informed customers as well as possible about the potential risks of travelling so that they can then take better-informed decisions themselves on where they want to travel to.
Puerto Rico's mountain of debt is casting a shadow over the island's recovery efforts post-Hurricane Maria, even as governor Ricardo Rosello urgently seeks federal funds to assist in reconstruction efforts.

In May, the US territory had already been forced to declare a form of bankruptcy because its finances were more than $70bn in the red.

Now, not only was the electricity and communications grid on the brink of failing, fears were that the havoc wrought by the storm might lead to another exodus of residents, further hampering Puerto Rico's economic future.

On Tuesday, Rosello made precisely that point, explaining how the island's population had fallen by 8% since 2010 to approximately 3.4m, the BBC reported, and warning of the risk of another wave of emigration.

Earlier on Wednesday, in a response that some observers criticised for showing little empathy and five days after the hurricane hit the island, US president Donald Trump tweeted: "Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble.

"It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars [...] owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with."

Possibly in response to criticism of his handling of the situation on the island, which some described as a growing humanitarian crisis, Trump later said he would visit the island in a week's time.

Trump added that "tremendous amounts" of relief supplies were landing on an hourly basis, a claim which some observers took issue with.

Puerto Rico "is very important to me," Trump reportedly said later on Tuesday.

"I grew up in New York so I know many Puerto Ricans."
European stocks are holding in the black despite the multiple political and geopolitical hotspots on traders' radars amid market chatter relating to the increased uncertainty in Germany in the wake of the country's elections at the weekend.

One particular focus of markets on Tuesday was who might replace - or not - German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.

Against that backdrop, as of 1203 BST the benchmark Stoxx 600 was up by 0.04% or 0.15 points to 384.05, alongside a flat Cac-40 at 5,267 and an advance of 0.10% or 12.42 points in the Dax to 12,607.27.

In parallel, euro/dollar was at a one-month low, trading off by 0.50% to 1.1790.

Commenting on the situation in German politics specifically, Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK, said: "Short of a Merkel defeat last weekends events couldnt really have been much worse from a political stability point of view as the populist AfD became the third largest party in the German parliament.

"In any event the prospect of a quick resolution appears unlikely given that there is a state election in Lower Saxony next month which is expected to take priority."

Catalonia's upcoming illegal independence referendum was also very much on traders' minds, even if it was no longer in the headlines. Thus, in a research note sent to clients, analysts at Citi said: "We continue to think the vote is unlikely to lead to Catalonia's exit from Spain (Catalexit), and that snap regional elections in Catalonia will follow.

"We stress, however, that the risk of even larger confrontations between the two sides post-referendum is rising."

In the background, for the moment at least financial markets appeared to be keeping their composure when it came to all things having to do with North Korea, with the Japanese yen and gold futures both slipping lower, especially the latter.

Dollar/yen was to be found at 111.87, up by 0.17% on the day, alongside a 0.34% dip in gold futures to $1,306.90/oz. on COMEX.

On the economic front, INSEE's business climate index for manufacturing index drifted lower to a reading of 110 for September after printing at 111 in the month before. However, Claus Vistesen, chief Eurozone economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics noted the improvement seen in some of the lead indicators included in the survey.

Meanwhile, INSEE's headline business confidence gauge was at 109.0, unchanged from the month before but below the 110.0 forecast by consensus.

Still on the agenda for later in the day, European Central Bank chief economist Peter Praet was scheduled to speak at the European Parliament's annual research conference in in Frankfurt, 1300 BST.

Stateside, the focus was set to be solidly on Fed speak, with at least four top officials set to take to the podium throughout the morning, followed by a keynote address from chief Janet Yellen herself at the National Association for Business Economics in Washington DC, at 1745 BST.

Thyssen Krupp raised 1.4bn via a placing with institutional investors before its merger with Tata Steel.

Uniper labelled Finnish rival Fortum's takeover approach last week as 'hostile', adding that it rejected a first attempt in July.

In other potential M&A news, Siemens would probably announce on Monday its intention to pursue a tie-up with France's Alstom, instead of Canada's Bombardier, Reuters reported citing two people familiar with the matter.
Renault Captur

The recently unveiled Renault Captur is a premium SUV with crossover DNA. The Captur (pronounced as Capture) will rival the likes of Mahindra XUV500 and the Hyundai Creta in the Indian market.

The Renault Captur looks upmarket and stylish and is built on the Duster platform. The India-spec Captur is engineered significantly at the company's R&D centre in Chennai.

The crossover boasts of premium features like the smart access card and engine start button. Additionally, there is a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system which features radio and Bluetooth technology, voice recognition (for iOS), maps along with temperature and time display.

Recommended Video Jeep Compass Launched In India - DriveSpark

On the safety front, the Captur is equipped with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Brake Assist (BA). Renault says the Captur is certified for offset frontal and lateral crash.

Expected Launch Date: October 2017

Expected Price: Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh

Renault RBC MPV

Renault India's next launch after the Captur will be a 7-seater MPV code-named RBC. This MPV will rival the likes of the successful Maruti Ertiga in the market.

Despite having an MPV in Renault India's product lineup, the Lodgy has not been very successful. The Maruti Ertiga and Toyota Innova have proven to be strong models. To take on this segment, Renault plans to launch a new MPV.

The Renault RBC MPV is expected to feature a crossover DNA with flared wheel arches and muscular styling. The new MPV from Renault will be underpinned by the low-cost platform CMF-A and will be positioned below the Duster, making the new MPV a lot competitive in pricing.

Expected Launch Date: 2018

Expected Price: Rs 8 lakh to Rs 11 lakh

Renault Duster Facelift

Renault's European brand Dacia recently unveiled the all-new Duster. The new Duster or the facelift looks similar to the styling of the current model but looks evolved and fresh.

The new Duster is expected to be roomier with a redesigned cabin. Renault has moved the windshield ahead by 100mm, giving more room inside the cabin. Renault is expected to offer both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive layouts in the new Duster.

Apart from the design, the new Renault Duster is expected to come with new features on the inside as well. We expect a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a host of other comfort and convenience features.

Expected Launch: 2019

Expected Price: Rs 9 lakh to Rs 13 lakh

DriveSpark Thinks!

All the three upcoming Renault cars in India will be powered by the 1.5-litre petrol and turbo diesel engines and will be underpinned by the CMF-A platform. We expect Renault to price the model aggressively as it looks to retain its market share of 5 percent and probably increase it.
Klaas Kielstra of the Dutch Province of Friesland and Mayor Kwon Young-Jin of South Korean city of Daegu signed an agreement to intensify their cooperation on water technology.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the World Water Cities Forum in Gyeongju, South Korea, on 20 September.

The World Water Cities Forum was part of the second Korea International Water Week and the first Asian International Water Week.

Mayor Kwon Young-Jin of Daegu at the opening ceremony of the Asia International Water Week in Gyeongju.

Asian and European markets

The city of Daegu is forming a cluster of Korean water technology firms and the agreement is to foster the contacts between Korean and Dutch companies.

"The agreement facilitates companies to enter the Asian and European markets," said Hein Molenkamp, managing director at Water Alliance. His organisation is based at the WaterCampus in Leeuwarden in the Province of Friesland. Molenkamp acts as liaison between the Dutch and Korean companies.

Waste water treatment

South Korea faces major challenges in the field of waste water treatment, according to Molenkamp. Korea seeks innovative treatment technologies, such as Anammox for the removal of ammonium and Nereda that uses aerobic granular biomass. It is also interested in the recovery of cellulose and other raw materials from wastewater.

In recent years, there has been regularly contact with the South Korean company K-Water that is very interested in the chlorine-free distribution of drinking water in the Netherlands.

During a recent visit to the Netherlands, we have introduced them to representatives of the Dutch water supply sector with knowledge and expertise in this area, Molenkamp added.

Support centres

To strengthen their contacts, both parties decided to open business support centres. These centres support Dutch companies to enter the Asian markets and Korean companies to enter European markets.

South Korean companies and knowledge institutions can also be linked to WaterCampus Leeuwarden that includes Wetsus, the scientific research centre on water technology.

WaterCampus also houses applied research facilities, such as the Water Application Center and several demo sites where new technologies can be tested on waste water and drinking water.

Future visits

During the forum South Korea was invited to participate in the European Water Tech Week that will take place in Leeuwarden in September 2018.

A delegation of K-Water will attend the Amsterdam International Water Week in the Netherlands 31 October and 1 November.

Read also on this website

 Water Tech Fest: Lets make disruptive water technology happen, 26 May 2016

 7th World Water Forum: Buzzing Dutch delegation very active at World Water Forum in Korea, 21 April 2015

 7th World Water Forum: K-Water and Deltares sign MoU on joint projects on integrated water management, 14 April 2015



More information

Water Alliance

Leeuwarden, the Netherlands

+31 58 284 90 44

www.wateralliance.nl

K-Water

Daedeok-gu, South Korea

+82 1577 0500

www.kwater.or.kr
By Elliott Negin

A third of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) Science Advisory Board, an influential panel that reviews the science the agency uses in formulating safeguards, could be succeeded by climate science-denying, polluter-friendly replacements when their terms expire at the end of this month.

The board, which has been in existence for nearly 40 years, is traditionally populated by bona fide scientists from academia, government and industry who volunteer to serve three-year terms. This time around, as first reported by E&E News, at least a dozen of the 132 candidates vying for one of the 15 open seats reject mainstream climate science.

But thats not all. There are at least 10 other equally inappropriate candidates on the list, and not all of them are scientists, despite the fact that its supposed to be a panel of science advisors.

EPA Gives Notice to Dozens of Scientific Advisory Board Members, Plans to Offer Buyout to 1,200 Employees https://t.co/B54q5aMX9Y @foe_us  EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) June 23, 2017

Among the 12 climate science deniers are Weather Channel co-founder Joseph DAleo, who wrongly claims global warming is due to natural oceanic, solar and volcanic cycles; and former Peabody Energy science director Craig Idso, now chairman of his familys Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change, who insists there is no compelling reason to believe that the rise in [average earth] temperature was caused by the rise in carbon dioxide. DAleo, Idso and six of the other climate-fact-challenged candidates are affiliated with the fossil fuel industry-funded Heartland Institute, which has a long history of misrepresenting science.

The other 10 unsuitable candidates consistently side with industry when it comes to protecting the public from toxic hazards, regardless of the scientific evidence, and falsely accuse the EPA of being unscientific to try to undermine its credibility.

Soot Makes You Live Longer

One of the 10, toxicologist Michael Honeycutt, failed to secure a seat on the EPAs seven-member Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee when he was nominated for one last fallwith good reason. Over the last decade, Honeycutt, who heads the toxicology division of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, rolled back the states relatively weak protections for 45 toxic chemicals, including arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde and hexavalent chromium, the carcinogen that made Erin Brockovich a household name.

Honeycutt also has attacked EPA rules for ground-level ozone (smog), which aggravates lung diseases, and particulate matter (PM) (soot), which has been linked to lung cancer, cardiovascular damage, reproductive problems and premature death. In October 2014, Honeycutt argued that there would be little to no public health benefit from lowering the current [ozone] standard because most people spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors and systems such as air conditioning remove it from indoor air. And despite the overwhelming scientific evidence directly linking fine soot particles to premature death, Honeycutt testified before Congress in June 2012 that some studies even suggest PM makes you live longer.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Another industry-friendly nominee, Kimberly White, is senior director of chemical products at the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the countrys largest chemical manufacturing trade association. Representing the interests of 155 corporate members, including chemical companies Dow, DuPont and Olin; pharmaceutical firms Bayer, Eli Lilly and Merck; and petrochemical conglomerates BP, ExxonMobil and Shell, the ACC has delayed, weakened and blocked science-based health, environmental and workplace protections at the state, national and even international levels.

For example, the ACC has lobbied against establishing federal rules on silica dust exposure and disclosing the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. It has been instrumental in limiting community access to information about local chemical plants. And it has played a key role in quashing government efforts to regulate bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting chemical used in plastics and can linings; flame retardants, which have been linked to birth defects and cancer; and formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. White downplayed formaldehydes risks in a September 2016 blog on the ACC website.

The ACC also lobbies to weaken existing environmental safeguards. In written testimony for a House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing last February, for example, White charged that the EPA uses irrelevant or outdated data and procedures when drafting new regulations.

Who Needs a Cleaner Environment?

Finally, three of the pro-polluter candidates are economists with a distinct corporate tilt: Richard Belzer, whose clients include the American Chemistry Council and ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences; Tony Cox, whose clients include the America Petroleum Institute, Chemical Manufacturers Association and Monsanto; and John D. Graham, dean of Indiana Universitys School of Public and Environmental Affairs, who is currently doing contract work for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers on fuel economy standards and the libertarian Searle Freedom Trust on regulatory reform. All three emphasize the cost to industry to reduce pollution, discount scientific evidence of the risk of exposure, and ignore the benefits of a cleaner environment.

Perhaps the best known is Graham, who ran the Office of Management and Budgets (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for five years during the George W. Bush administration. His appointment to that position was hotly contested because in his previous job, directing the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, he routinely understated the dangers of products manufactured by the centers corporate sponsors by using questionable cost-benefit analyses.

As predicted, Graham applied that same simplistic, industry-friendly calculus at OIRA, which oversees all government rulemaking, and at the tail end of his tenure in 2006, he unsuccessfully attempted to standardize risk assessments across all federal agencies. Public interest groups and the scientific community, spearheaded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, came out in full force against the idea, and a National Research Council (NRC) committee unanimously rejected it as fundamentally flawed.

Economists like Graham are frustrated because the EPA has been conservative about risk, said Center for Progressive Reform co-founder Rena Steinzor, who wrote a stinging indictment of Grahams government-wide proposal in a May 2006 issue of Inside EPAs Risk Policy Report: The EPA gives more margin to safety. That drives economists crazy. They think it leads to over-protection. But there are not many examples of chemicals that turn out to be less harmful than we thought.

Foxes Advising the Foxes in the Henhouse?

Putting climate science deniers and industry apologists on the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) would not only undercut the panels legitimacy, it also would provide cover for the corporate shills now in key positions at the agency, starting with Administrator Scott Pruitt, who has the final say on who is selected, and Nancy Beck, a deputy assistant administrator who most recently worked for the American Chemistry Council, and before that, for Graham at OMB.

The Science Advisory Board has been providing independent advice to the EPA for decades, ensuring that the agency uses the best science to protect public health and the environment, said Genna Reed, a policy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. SAB members have always been eminent scientists who are committed to the often-challenging public service of working through complex scientific topics to help guide EPA decision-making. They are the EPAs scientific compass. The agencys mission to safeguard our air and water will be further compromised if Administrator Pruitt winds up selecting these unacceptable candidates.

Elliott Negin is a senior writer at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Huffington Post.
Protestors showed up to the National Petroleum Councils meeting in Washington, DC on Monday to

call out Secs. Rick Perry and Ryan Zinke for their controversial stances on climate change.

After an activist expressed, climate change is killing people, the Secretary of Energy

remarked in the conference room full of oil industry representatives and executives that fossil fuels save lives.

This industry is leading the world in affecting the climate and affecting the climate in a positive way, Perry said, according to

Bloomberg. Im proud to be a part of this industry. You want to talk about saving lives, thats what we are doing.

The former Texas governor praised Texas efforts in reducing carbon dioxide and other pollution and that U.S. liquefied natural gas, which produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to coal, is replacing dirty coal plants.

He also insisted that energy access saves lives in Africa, an industry talking point, Bloomberg noted.

It upsets me when some guy stands up and says, What are you going to do, youre killing people,' Perry said to applause. No sir. You want to kill people, you take energy away from them and you see how those north African countries will be treated.

Some of the fossil fuel industrys biggest names, including Exxon Mobil and Shell, were present at the annual meeting.

Great event w/ @SecretaryZinke & others today at the National Petroleum Council mtg Together we will achieve #AmericanEnergyIndependence pic.twitter.com/NZ0TFKCbgn  Rick Perry (@SecretaryPerry) September 25, 2017

According to Bloomberg, the protestors were removed from the hotel conference room after their remarks.

The

Trump administrations environmental PR problem has been under heavy scrutiny in the wake of devastating Atlantic hurricanes that destroyed parts of Texas, Florida and the Caribbean.

Earlier this month, Perry dismissed the link between climate change and its effect on extreme weather after Hurricane Harvey wrecked Houston.

We can line up scientists on both sides of this, he told

CBS News, but this is not the time to be having this conversation.

Rather, Perry said, the focus should be on helping

Hurricane Harvey victims.

Everyone wants to run to the climate change debate, but that is very secondary at this particular time, he said.

This week happens to be Washingtons inaugural 

National Clean Energy Week, an event touted to bring together high-profile elected leaders and national clean energy organizations for substantive discussions around commonsense solutions that directly address Americas need for abundant, reliable forms of energy.

Perry is one of the featured speakers at Tuesdays star event, the Symposium & Demonstration Fair on Capitol Hill.

But environmental organizations

criticized the weeklong event as an ultimate corporate greenwashing experience.

In a

letter addressed to members of Congress, the groups called out some of the sponsors of National Clean Energy Week as some of the dirtiest actors in the energy industry, such as the American Gas Association, American Petroleum Institute, Biomass Power Association, Energy Recovery Institute (garbage incineration), and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

The letter was signed by organizations including

350.org, Friends of the Earth and Oil Change International.

The climate crisis is real, and these clean energy claims are phony, said Dr. Mary Booth, director of the

Partnership for Policy Integrity, a nonprofit that applies science to inform clean energy policy. Were writing Congress to remind it that clean energy doesnt come out of a smokestack. Congress must keep its hands off Americans wallets when these super-polluters come asking for clean energy subsidies.
The fate of the U.S.

solar industry now lies in President Trumps hands after the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled Friday that two bankrupt solar companies, Georgia-based Suniva and Oregon-based SolarWorld, were harmed economically by cheap imports of panels and cells.

According to

POLITICO, Trump is likely to impose tariffs on foreign solar panels to advance his America First agenda, to help revive the ailing coal sector and to penalize Chinese solar manufacturers.

The domestic solar industry has skyrocketed in recent years thanks to imported panels mostly from China and other parts of Asia. Consequently, the solar industry warns that a tariff could threaten tens of thousands of U.S. jobs (solar accounted for

1 in 50 new jobs in 2016), drive up prices and cause the number of system installations to plummet.

Analysts say Sunivas remedy proposal will double the price of solar, destroy two-thirds of demand, erode billions of dollars in investment and unnecessarily force 88,000 Americans to lose their jobs in 2018, Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association said.

Foreign-owned companies that brought business failures on themselves are attempting to exploit American trade laws to gain a bailout for their bad investments, Hopper said about Suniva, whose majority owner is in China, and SolarWorld Americas, a subsidiary of Germanys SolarWorld.

A bipartisan group of governors from Nevada, Colorado, Massachusetts and North Carolina also spoke against the levy.

The requested tariff could inflict a devastating blow on our states solar industries and lead to unprecedented job loss, at steep cost to our states economies, they wrote in a

letter.

At a time when our citizens are demanding more clean energy, the tariff could cause America to lose out on 47 gigawatts of solar installations, representing billions of dollars of infrastructure investment in our states.

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, issued a similar statement.

This decision gives President Trump and his fossil fuel allies a blank check to crush the solar revolution that we are experiencing in the United States, he said. The surge in wind and solar deployment that is happening across the United States is the greatest force for blue-collar job creation in a generation. But with the solar tax credits expiring in four years, we must do everything we can to support the growth of solar investments and installations and the tens of thousands of jobs that come with them. President Trump should not use this decision as an excuse to kill the solar industry under the guise of domestic manufacturing.

Furthermore, Trumps decision could cost affect the American taxpayer, as

Bloomberg reported:

The U.S. offers incentives to encourage people to use clean energy, paying owners of solar-power systems a tax credit equal to 30 percent of the total installation costs. More expensive panels leads to higher costs, and that means taxpayers could be on the hook for about $1.23 billion more, according to an estimate from Cowen & Co. analyst Jeffrey Osborne.

Even the conservative Heritage Foundation is against solar tariffs.

The tariffs requested by Suniva and SolarWorld will make solar products and services in America more expensive and less competitive by removing inexpensive, often imported choices from other solar companies and their customers, Heritage trade policy analyst Katie Tubb

wrote.

Trump, who has vowed to protect U.S. manufacturers from unfair imports, has not given a firm decision on the matter following the ITCs 4-0 vote last week.

The President will examine the facts and make a determination that reflects the best interests of the United States, White House spokeswoman Natalie Strom said in a

statement. The U.S. solar manufacturing sector contributes to our energy security and economic prosperity.

Suniva praised the ITCs vote and called on the president to implement a tariff that prevents China and its proxies from owning the sun.

The ITC will now develop a course of action to recommend to Trump by Nov. 13.
BEER-SHEVA... September 26, 2017 - Strict regulations for keeping confidential data secure often make it difficult for caregivers to get the information they need. As a result, a majority of medical staff surveyed have accessed an electronic medical record (EMR) system using a password improperly supplied by a fellow medical staffer.

Published in Healthcare Informatics Research, the "Prevalence of Sharing Access Credentials in Electronic Medical Records" is the first study to examine EMR access among medical providers. EMRs store extensive, highly sensitive information about patients, including personal, demographic and financial data. Healthcare organizations also use EMRs for billing, appointment-scheduling and managing critical life-supporting devices.

In the study, researchers gathered survey responses from 299 medical professionals, including residents, medical students, interns, and nurses. The research team included researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), Harvard Medical School, Duke University, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, and the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel.

Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of the 299 participants claimed to have used another medical staff member's password to access an EMR at work. More than 57 percent of participants (171 out of 299) estimated they have used someone else's password an average of 4.75 times.

Of the medical residents, all (100 percent) say they had at one time obtained another medical staff member's password with their consent. Within the student and intern groups, 77 percent and 83 percent (respectively) used someone else's access credentials because they said they "were not given a user account."

Similarly, 56 percent of students and almost 70 percent of interns cited that their user access had inadequate permissions " to fulfill my duties" so they had to ask for someone else's access credentials. Only half of the nurses surveyed (57.5 percent) reported using someone else's password.

"The strength of an information security system is determined by the strength of its weakest link," says researcher Dr. Florina Uzefovsky, an associate professor of developmental psychology at BGU and member of its Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience. "Even a single breach may render an information system ineffective."

Breaching patient privacy -- which is protected under the strict Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules in the United States and International Standards Organization (ISO) criteria in Israel and other countries -- can result in large fines if reported. In addition, an EMR system attack could seriously disrupt healthcare operations and cause direct injury to patients, such as with the manipulation of a prescription or medical device.

Consequently, HIPAA requires healthcare organizations to establish and enforce comprehensive security policies, which include clear definitions of each worker's role and access privileges. Organizations must also supply a way to authenticate the identity of each worker, control his or her access to relevant data and audit editing.

"Medical staff must provide timely and efficient care while maintaining patient confidentiality," says the primary investigator, Dr. Ayal Hassidim, at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center. "This may sometimes cause conflict between their duty and their obligation to meet security regulations."

The researchers offer a number of recommendations. First, attaining access credentials needs to be less difficult and time-consuming. For example, in Israel -- where junior staff turnover clinical rotations weekly -- medical school students, interns, and other new employees often resort to using another employee's credentials to fulfill their duties while going through the strict, lengthy registration process.

The researchers recommend that understaffed hospitals, especially during on-call hours, may need to delegate administrative tasks and extend EMR system access to para-medical, junior staff, interns, and students. Nurses, who generally carry out more precisely defined duties, are more likely to have the EMR privileges they need. An understanding of the requirements of the medical staff and extending broader access privileges can actually lead to less password sharing and better medical data protection.

Lastly, the researchers recommend adding an option for each EMR role that grants maximum privileges for one-time use only. When this option is invoked, the senior physician and a protected health information (PHI) security officer would be informed. This would allow junior staff to make urgent, lifesaving decisions under formal retrospective supervision without having to sneak onto the EMR.

###

The other researchers participating in the study include: Dr. Ayal Hassidim, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center; Dr. Tzfania Korach, Harvard Medical School; Drs. Rony Shreberk-Hassidim and Elena Thomaidou, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center; Shahar Ayal, Ph.D., Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Israel; and Dan Ariely, Ph.D., Duke University.

About American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision: creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. As Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) looks ahead to turning 50 in 2020, AABGU imagines a future that goes beyond the walls of academia. It is a future where BGU invents a new world and inspires a vision for a stronger Israel and its next generation of leaders. Together with supporters, AABGU will help the University foster excellence in teaching, research and outreach to the communities of the Negev for the next 50 years and beyond. Visit vision.aabgu.org to learn more.

AABGU, headquartered in Manhattan, has nine regional offices throughout the United States. For more information visit https://aabgu.org/.
Researchers from Finland and Taiwan have discovered how graphene, a single-atom-thin layer of carbon, can be forged into three-dimensional objects by using laser light. A striking illustration was provided when the researchers fabricated a pyramid with a height of 60 nm, which is about 200 times larger than the thickness of a graphene sheet. The pyramid was so small that it would easily fit on a single strand of hair. The research was supported by the Academy of Finland and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Chinese Taipei.

Graphene is a close relative to graphite, which consists of millions of layers of graphene and can be found in common pencil tips. After graphene was first isolated in 2004, researchers have learned to routinely produce and handle it. Graphene can be used to make electronic and optoelectronic devices, such as transistors, photodetectors and sensors. In future, we will probably see an increasing number of products containing graphene.

"We call this technique optical forging, since the process resembles forging metals into 3D shapes with a hammer. In our case, a laser beam is the hammer that forges graphene into 3D shapes," explains Professor Mika Pettersson, who led the experimental team at the Nanoscience Center of the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. "The beauty of the technique is that it's fast and easy to use; it doesn't require any additional chemicals or processing. Despite the simplicity of the technique, we were very surprised initially when we observed that the laser beam induced such substantial changes on graphene. It took a while to understand what was happening."

"At first, we were flabbergasted. The experimental data simply made no sense," says Dr Pekka Koskinen, who was responsible for the theory. "But gradually, by close interplay between experiments and computer simulations, the actuality of 3D shapes and their formation mechanism started to become clear."

"When we first examined the irradiated graphene, we were expecting to find traces of chemical species incorporated into the graphene, but we couldn't find any. After some more careful inspections, we concluded that it must be purely structural defects, rather than chemical doping, that are responsible for such dramatic changes on graphene," explains Associate Professor Wei Yen Woon from Taiwan, who led the experimental group that carried out X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at the synchrotron facility.

The novel 3D graphene is stable and it has electronic and optical properties that differ from normal 2D graphene. Optically forged graphene can help in fabricating 3D architectures for graphene-based devices.

###

The research was carried out at the Nanoscience Center (NSC) of the University of Jyvaskyla, the National Central University of Taiwan and the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center in Taiwan.

Inquiries

Professor Mika Pettersson, tel. +358 50 310 9969, mika.j.pettersson@jyu.fi

Associate Professor Wei Yen Woon, tel. +886 927 374 826, wywoon@phy.ncu.edu.tw

Reference

Andreas Johansson, Pasi Myllyperkio, Pekka Koskinen, Jukka Aumanen, Juha Tapio Koivistoinen, Hung-Chieh Tsai, Chia-Hao Chen, Lo-Yueh Chang, Vesa-Matti Hiltunen, Jyrki Manninen, Wei-Yen Woon, and Mika Pettersson, Optical Forging of Graphene into Three-Dimensional Shapes. Nano Lett., DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03530 http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03530

Photo: A pyramid made from graphene. A similar structure was made experimentally by using laser irradiation in a process called 'optical forging'.

Press contact:

Academy of Finland Communications

Communications Specialist Leena Vahakyla

tel. +358 295 335 139

firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi
(Boston)--Julie Palmer, ScD, associate director of Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center, professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, and associate director for population sciences at the BU-BMC Cancer Center, is the recipient of the 2017 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Distinguished Lecture on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities funded by Susan G. Komen.

Palmer received the award prior to delivering her presentation "Reducing racial disparities in breast cancer mortality: modifiable etiologic factors, risk prediction, and outcomes."

The award recognizes an investigator whose novel and significant work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the etiology, detection, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of cancer health disparities.

Palmer was honored for her work on the etiology of breast cancer in African American women. She is one of the original architects in designing and implementing the Slone's Black Women's Health Study and has served as a leader of the study since its launch in 1995. She spearheaded efforts to collect and use DNA from the study participants for analyses of genetic susceptibility.

A major goal of her research is the reduction of breast cancer mortality in young African American women by identification of modifiable factors that influence development of hormone receptor negative breast cancer. Her research has provided convincing evidence that breastfeeding reduces risk of hormone receptor negative breast cancer and that, in the absence of breastfeeding, higher parity is associated with an increased risk of receptor negative disease. Palmer received her BA degree from Brown University, a MPH from Boston University School of Public Health and a ScD in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.

"I am honored to accept this award. It is my hope that my work will lead to prevention and earlier detection of breast cancer in African American women, and a reduction in the existing disparity in mortality from breast cancer," said Palmer.

The mission of the AACR is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication and collaboration.

###
CSIRO has secured access to one of the world's most sophisticated high-performance satellites, giving Australian scientists direct control over which data the satellite collects over our region and placing the national science agency at the forefront of Australia's civilian space science sector.

Due for launch later this year, the NovaSAR satellite will provide CSIRO and the wider Australian research community with access to an advanced form of radar technology known as S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar, or S-band SAR, which provides high resolution images of Earth from space.

Developed by UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), and with a payload supplied by Airbus UK, this S-band SAR technology is a significant advancement on current civilian satellite capability.

It enables images to be taken day and night, and through cloud cover, which is especially useful in tropical zones and cloud-affected areas.

CSIRO and SSTL have agreed to a 10 per cent share of 'tasking and acquisition' time on the NovaSAR satellite. Under the terms of the agreement, worth $10.45 million over seven years, CSIRO has the right to direct the satellite's activity over Australia, download and process data, and make these data available to the wider research community.

Some practical applications for NovaSAR satellite data and associated research projects include:

Rapid natural disaster identification, monitoring and assessment after cyclones, floods, earthquakes, pollution and oil spills

Improved infrastructure and agriculture mapping in Northern Australia

Monitoring crops and assessing factors such as plant biomass and soil moisture

Detection of illegal deforestation

Flood risk assessment

Monitoring shipping routes and detecting illegal activity

Australia's Federal Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Arthur Sinodinos, said the agreement was a timely investment in Australia's space capability.

"Australia is one of the largest users of Earth Observation from Space data world-wide, with satellite data underpinning more than 100 state and federal resource mapping and environmental monitoring programs across Australia," Minister Sinodinos said.

"This agreement will allow CSIRO, via its national facility management capability, to strengthen Australia's delivery of excellence in science and innovation. It will help CSIRO lead our nation's development in the technical and analytical capability of modelling, monitoring and analysing our natural resource management and approaches to infrastructure."

"This will also lead to better and more informed support for policy and decision-making and, ultimately, our economic development as a nation."

Dr Dave Williams, Executive Director of Digital, National Facilities and Collections at CSIRO, said the deal represented a significant investment in Australia's space capability.

"The aim is to manage the NovaSAR satellite as a natural extension of the significant role CSIRO already plays in managing a range of National Facilities, on behalf of the Australian community of scientists and for the benefit of the nation," Dr Williams said.

"Because we'll be able to direct the satellite's activity, it provides significant opportunities to support a wide range of existing research, further develop Australia's earth observation data analytics expertise, and create new opportunities in the field of remote sensing."

These new opportunities hold potential for building stronger research partnerships between the government, universities and the wider space industry in Australia.

In developing the NovaSAR-S technology, Commercial Director of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, Luis Gomes, said the NovaSAR-s system provided revolutionary technology to deliver imagery at any point on the globe. "Our partnership on the NovaSAR mission with CSIRO will greatly enhance Australia's sovereign Earth observation capability," Mr Gomes said.

"The NovaSAR-S technology enables data collection 24/7, regardless of daylight or weather conditions, which is particularly important for this continent with an area with a tropical climate and a large coastline territory.

"We look forward to working with CSIRO as one of our key partners over the next seven years to provide cutting-edge geo-spatial data for Australia's benefit."

CSIRO and space

CSIRO is Australia's national science agency. For 100 years it has delivered positive impact from science and technology, including a successful history in the space sector.

The NovaSAR satellite will be managed in the Space Program of CSIRO's Astronomy and Space Science group. This team already successfully manages the Australian Telescope National Facility (ATNF) comprising Parkes, the Compact Array and ASKAP. Collectively, these are just one of the National Facilities owned and operated by CSIRO for the nation's research community.

We understand the power of Earth observation data to inform policy, manage natural environments and generate agricultural and industrial development opportunities.

Our partnerships with industry are delivering breakthrough innovations that support supply chains, from imaging and sensor technologies to autonomous robotics, new materials and manufacturing processes.

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About CSIRO: CSIRO is Australia's largest research agency. CSIRO uses applied science and research to solve problems and make a difference to the economy, society and the environment. We also manage important research infrastructure like the Australia Telescope National Facility, the Marine Research Vessel (RV Investigator) and the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre. CSIRO collaborates with industry, government and universities in Australia and around the world.

For more information: http://www.csiro.au

About SSTL: Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is the world's leading small satellite company, delivering operational space missions for a range of applications including Earth observation, science and communications. The Company designs, manufactures and operates high performance satellites and ground systems with 500 staff working on turnkey satellite platforms, space-proven satellite subsystems and optical instruments. Since 1981, SSTL has built and launched 50 satellites for 20 international customers.

For more information: http://www.sstl.co.uk

Download our full multimedia package at https://db.tt/VqeRynAlSM or https://cloudstor.aarnet.edu.au/plus/index.php/s/1P1gpx5RDjPehE6 (same content at both locations)

Spokespeople are available for interviews prior to embaro via our media contact Owen Craig

Spokespeople from CSIRO and SSTL will be available for interview in person at the signing of a collaboration agreement at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide:

Date: Tuesday 26 September 2017 Time: 2pm-2.30pm Adelaide Time (1.30pm AEST)

Where: CSIRO Stand in the Exhibition Hall of the International Astronautical Congress, Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide SA
Could herbicides that were sprayed during the Vietnam War still be causing health problems?

Oxford, September 26, 2017 - Exposure to Agent Orange sprayed during the Vietnam War has been linked to increased levels of certain hormones in women and their breastfeeding children decades later, potentially putting them at higher risk of health problems, according to a new study in Science of the Total Environment.

Previous research has shown a link between exposure to herbicides that contain chemicals called dioxins - such as Agent Orange - and prostate cancer in men. The new study, by researchers at Kanazawa University in Japan, reveals for the first time the impact of dioxin exposure on women and babies.

"Dioxin hotspots in the South of Vietnam are of the most severely polluted regions in the world," said Prof. Teruhiko Kido, lead author of the study from Kanazawa University, Japan. "We know exposure to dioxins has an impact on our hormone levels, and we wanted to know if this was being passed through generations and potentially putting babies at risk in these areas."

Agent Orange is one of the dioxin-contaminated herbicides that were sprayed during the Vietnam War and used in different industrial and agricultural activities. Their use has resulted in hotspots of dioxin contamination, with concentrations of the chemical two to five-fold higher in affected areas in southern Vietnam than in non-contaminated regions.

Dioxins are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) - they interfere with how hormones send messages to each other around the body. EDCs have been implicated in causing birth defects, cancer and neurodevelopment disorders. In particular, dioxins have an effect on a hormone called Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is responsible for male and female characteristics in humans. Dioxins put these out of balance, leading to health problems and disfigurement.

"Decades of industrial development and chemicals released during the Vietnam War have led to high levels of dioxins in the soil and atmosphere and people are absorbing these chemicals from the food they eat and the air they breathe," said Prof. Teruhiko Kido. "We know dioxins have an impact on our hormones, so we wanted to see whether they were being passed from mother to baby."

In the new study, the team assessed 104 women with their newborn babies from two carefully selected locations. They chose a region in northern Vietnam, which was not occupied by the United States Air Force, and Bien Hoa, an industrial city where the Americans stored approximately 50% of Agent Orange and where there were at least four leaks in 1969-1970. Despite the natural elimination of dioxins in the past five decades, environmental and human samples around this area still contain high levels of the chemical.

The scientists analyzed the level of dioxin in the mothers' breast milk, and tested non-invasive samples of saliva from the babies for levels of the hormone DHEA. The results showed a nearly three-fold increase in DHEA in babies from the dioxin hotspot compared to non-contaminated regions. This was linked to dioxins being transferred from mother to baby through their umbilical blood and breast milk.

"Our study confirms how sensitive and vulnerable children are to the environmental toxins their parents and even earlier generations have been exposed to," said Prof. Kido. "There is a lot we still don't know about what this means for children's health and what the long term impact could be, but studying people in these dioxin hotspots gives researchers the chance to understand the implications better."

Prof. Kido and the team plan to follow the children in the study up to the age of 10 to assess more accurately the endocrine impact of dioxin exposure during pregnancy and early life.

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Notes for editors

The article is "A relationship in adrenal androgen levels between mothers and their children from a dioxin-exposed region in Vietnam," by T. Kido (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.264). It appears in Science of the Total Environment, volume 607-608, issue 32-41 (June, 2017), published by Elsevier.

Copies of this paper are available to credentialed journalists upon request; please contact James Palser at J.Palser@elsevier.com or +44 0 1865 843237.

About Science of the Total Environment

Science of the Total Environment is an international journal for publication of original research on the total environment, which includes the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and anthroposphere. The total environment is characterized where these five spheres overlap. The total environment is studied when data are collected and described from these five spheres. By definition total environment studies must be multidisciplinary.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Scival, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, more than 35,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com

Media contact

James Palser

Elsevier

+44 0 1865 843237

J.Palser@elsevier.com
Oxford, September 26, 2017 - An increase in hospitalization and death in elderly patients with heart failure could be associated with changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure, according to a new study in Environment International. The authors of the study say elderly with heart failure should avoid fog and low cloud in the winter as a preventive measure.

Previous research has shown that changes in the weather can affect the health of vulnerable people - for example, heat waves and cold spells have been shown to increase disease and even lead to death in people from low-income neighborhoods. The new study, led by researchers at Universite Laval and Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, reveals the impact of changes in temperature and air pressure on heart failure patients.

"We know that doctors rarely take the weather forecast into account when treating or making recommendations to heart failure patients," said Prof. Pierre Gosselin, lead author of the study from Universitie Laval in Canada. "So with the extreme differences in temperature due to climate change, we wanted to show how the weather is becoming a more relevant factor. Our study shows that exposure to cold or high-pressure weather could trigger events leading to hospitalization or death in heart failure patients."

Treating heart failure patients is expensive: according to the Institut Canadien d'Information sur la Sante, people over 65 accounted for 78 percent of patients with the most expensive hospitalization costs per diagnosis between 2011 and 2012 in Canada. Of these, the cost of heart failure ranked third and was estimated at CAN$276 million.

In the new study, the team assessed 112,793 people aged 65 years and older that had been diagnosed with heart failure in Quebec between 2001 and 2011. Patients with heart failure were identified in the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System (QICDSS) database using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

The participants were followed for an average of 635 days. During this time, the researchers measured the mean temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and air pollutants in the surrounding environment and studied the data to see if there was an association.

The results showed a higher risk of hospitalization or death in the winter period of the year (October to April) compared to the summer period (May to September).

The researchers noticed that the risk to experience hospitalization or death of heart failure cause was increased of 0.7 percent for every 1C decrease in the mean temperature of the previous seven days. They also found that the risk of heart failure incident increased by 4.5 percent for each increase of 1 kPa in atmospheric pressure.

In other words, a drop of 10C in the average temperature over seven days, which is common in several countries because of seasonal variations, is associated with an increased risk in being hospitalized or dying of heart failure of about 7 percent in people aged over 65 diagnosed with the disease.

During the follow-up period, 21,157 heart failure events occurred, representing 18.7 percent of the people studied. In total, 18,309 people were hospitalized and 4,297 died. In some cases, hospitalization and death occurred the same day. The researchers calculated this to 0.03 percent of patients experiencing an incident per day, which extends to about 1500 hospitalizations or deaths over a 10-year period, or 150 events per year.

Prof. Gosselin and the team suggest that elderly with heart failure should be given support and access to preventive measures, especially since managing heart failure is expensive for society. He commented: "Our study suggests that exposure to cold or high-pressure weather could trigger events leading to hospitalization or death in heart failure patients. This means that they should avoid exposure to fog and low cloud weather in winter as they often accompany high pressure systems."

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Notes for editors

The article is "Effects of climate and fine particulate matter on hospitalizations and deaths for heart failure in elderly: A population-based cohort study," by P. Gosselin (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2017.06.001). It appears in Environmental International, volume 106, issue 257-266 (2017), published by Elsevier.

Copies of this paper are available to credentialed journalists upon request; please contact James Palser at J.Palser@elsevier.com or +44 0 1865 843237.

About Environment International

Environment International is an international, multidisciplinary Journal with a specific focus on the impacts of human activities and environment on human health. It serves as a platform for academics, practitioners, regulators, and policy makers to share and discuss insights into how our human activities and the environment shapes and impacts human health now and in the future. In doing so, it also brings forward opportunities to minimize health risk and maximize resilience.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, Scival, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, more than 35,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com

Media contact

James Palser

Elsevier

+44 0 1865 843237

J.Palser@elsevier.com
But a majority of Democrats want Congress to move on to other issues

Boston, MA - According to a new POLITICO/Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health poll, more than two-thirds (71%) of Republicans want Congress to try again to enact an alternative to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In contrast, a majority of Democrats (57%) believe Congress should move on to other issues.

The poll also shows that for Republicans repealing and replacing the ACA tops the list of domestic priorities for Congress to work on during the rest of 2017 (53% saying it is an "extremely important priority").

"What many missed is how important it is to Republicans to try one more time to repeal and replace the ACA," say Robert Blendon, co-director of the poll and Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "The consequence is a willingness on the part of congressional Republicans to vote on Graham-Cassidy, which is the remaining alternative plan."

One other plan of interest to Democrats is replacing the current health insurance system in the U.S. with a single-payer system, in which all Americans would get their health insurance from one national government plan. The public is evenly divided on this plan, with most Republicans opposing it (62%) and most Democrats favoring it (60%).

Of significance for the future debate, when you change the term from "single-payer" to "Medicare for all Americans," public support increases substantially from 45% to 66%.

The caveat which may prove critical in the years ahead is the resistance by a share of the public to paying additional taxes for these alternative health plans. When asked if they would still favor these alternative plans if it meant their own taxes would increase, support falls to less than a majority in both descriptions -- 31% for a single-payer system vs. 44% for a national plan like Medicare.

Among other alternative options to the current legislation is allowing people between the ages of 55 and 64 to have the choice of purchasing Medicare coverage. This is supported by eight in ten (81%) of the general public, including 79% of Republicans and 80% of Democrats.

Overall, the top domestic priority for the public as a whole is for Congress to take action to lower prescription drug prices, an item not currently being debated in Congress.

An overwhelming majority of the public (88%) favors the federal government negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of prescription drugs for seniors on Medicare.

However, support substantially declines if it means that because of these government-negotiated lower prices some pharmaceutical companies might choose to not sell certain prescription drugs to seniors through Medicare. This is a consequence which has been raised in prior national debates. When given this scenario, only 38% of the public favors government negotiations of prescription drug prices for those on Medicare.

Another possible way of reducing prescription drug costs and giving consumers more choices is allowing importation of prescription drugs and medical devices that have been approved by countries with different standards such as Canada and European countries, but have not been approved for safety and effectiveness by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.

Americans are divided on this potential solution to lowering prescription drug prices, with more favoring (51%) than opposing (42%).

Another health issue addressed in the poll is the controversial question of taxing soda and sugary beverages to raise money for pre-school and children's health programs and to help address the problem of obesity. The general public supports (57%) this tax measure, although it is opposed by more than half of Republicans (53%).

View the complete poll findings.

Methodology

These polls are part of an on-going series of surveys developed by researchers at the Harvard Opinion Research Program (HORP) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in partnership with POLITICO.

The research team at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health consists of: Robert J. Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis and Executive Director of HORP; John M. Benson, Senior Research Scientist and Managing Director; Logan S. Casey, Research Associate in Public Opinion; and Justin M. Sayde, Administrative and Research Manager. The research team at POLITICO was led by Joanne Kenen, Executive Editor, Health Care at Politico/Politico Pro.

Interviews were conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,016 randomly selected adults, ages 18 and older, via telephone (including cell phones and landlines) by SSRS of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. The interviewing period was August 30 - September 3, 2017. The data were weighted to reflect the demographics of the national adult population as described by the U.S. Census.

When interpreting these findings, one should recognize that all surveys are subject to sampling error. Results may differ from what would be obtained if the whole U.S. adult population had been interviewed. The margin of error for the full sample is 3.8 percentage points. For questions asked of half-samples, the margin of error is 5.3 percentage points.

Possible sources of non-sampling error include non-response bias, as well as question wording and ordering effects. Non-response in telephone surveys produces some known biases in survey-derived estimates because participation tends to vary for different subgroups of the population. To compensate for these known biases and for variations in probability of selection within and across households, sample data are weighted by household size, cell phone/landline use and demographics (sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, and region) to reflect the true population. Other techniques, including random-digit dialing, replicate subsamples, and systematic respondent selection within households, are used to ensure that the sample is representative.

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Visit the Harvard Chan School website for the latest news, press releases, and multimedia offerings.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory to people's lives -- not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 faculty members at Harvard Chan School teach 1,000-plus full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as America's oldest professional training program in public health.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Preschool instructors appear to lack the knowledge, skills and confidence to effectively teach their young students science - a problem that is likely contributing to America's poor global performance in this crucially important subject.

A first-of-its-kind study by Michigan State University researchers found that early childhood educators' self-reported ability and enjoyment was high for literacy, but much lower for science and math.

Further, while 99 percent of preschool teachers engaged in literacy instruction three to four times a week, that figure fell to 75 percent in math and only 42 percent in science.

Only 38 percent of U.S. fourth-graders were proficient in science in 2015, according to a report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

"Providing quality early-childhood science education is one way to improve the very low science achievement of U.S. elementary school children," said lead author Hope Gerde, associate professor in MSU's Department of Human Development and Family Studies. "However, it seems the preschool teachers in our study were more confident of their ability in literacy than in science - likely creating a gap between children's literacy development and science skills."

The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, is published in the journal Early Education and Development.

Gerde and colleagues studied 67 Head Start classrooms for children ages 3-5. This early childhood period is a time when kids begin developing knowledge and skills for science, she said, adding that preschool children have the capacity to engage in and learn from scientific thinking.

The study is the first to examine preschool teachers' "self-efficacy" - or their belief in their ability and enjoyment for an academic area - in literacy, math and science.

Gerde said preschool teachers may struggle with science due to lack of quality training, preparation or an aversion to science. Teachers may also feel pressure from policymakers and school administrators to focus on literacy - to the possible exclusion of science.

Importantly, the study found that only teachers with high knowledge and skills for science - not literacy or math - created quality scientific opportunities for students, such as providing science materials and engaging children in science experiences in the classroom.

"If we are to improve U.S. children's science learning," Gerde said, "we must provide quality opportunities, in teacher education programs and professional development offerings, for early childhood teachers to develop knowledge and skills in science."

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Co-authors are MSU researchers Steven Pierce, Kyungsook Lee and Laurie Van Egeren.
At least every few weeks since the early 1960s, scientists have set out from Newport, Oregon, to sample ocean conditions for what has become one of the most consistent, longest-lived, and scientifically valuable ocean monitoring programs on the West Coast of North America.

The scientists travel due west along what is known as the Newport Hydrographic Line, gauging temperatures, salinity and many other factors at regular intervals along the way.

This week NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center and Oregon State University received a major international award for jointly maintaining the Newport Line for more than 50 years, yielding new scientific insight into climate patterns such as El Nino and La Nina, salmon returns, ocean currents and much more.

Research based on data from the Newport Line has led to more than 120 scientific publications, the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (called PICES) noted in the presentation of its PICES Ocean Monitoring Service Award (POMA) at its annual meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, on Monday.

The award "recognizes organizations, groups and outstanding individuals that have contributed significantly to the advancement of marine science in the North Pacific through long-term ocean monitoring and data management," PICES said.

The international organization specifically cited the late Bill Peterson, a well-known oceanographer at the NWFSC's Newport Research Station who died in August, for his dedication to maintaining the Newport Line in recent decades. The nomination was supported by international organizations including the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

"This is a tremendous honor for NOAA Fisheries, but most importantly a great recognition of Bill's devotion to the Newport Line and all the critical science that it has produced through the decades," said Kevin Werner, Director of the NWFSC. "Without the Newport Line, and without Bill's support, we would not know nearly as much about the ocean off the Pacific Northwest - how it changes, how it works and what that means for those of us who live here."

Sampling along the Newport Line was instrumental in tracking and helping scientists understand unusually warm ocean conditions in recent years that led to unprecedented changes in marine species off the Pacific Northwest. By tracking conditions and the type of zooplankton found along the line, Peterson and other researchers have also learned how to better estimate salmon returns to the Columbia River and other parts of the Northwest.

The Newport Line is one of the few such longstanding ocean monitoring programs on the West Coast, said Hal Batchelder, a former OSU professor and now Deputy Executive Secretary of PICES. "It's remarkable how long it has continued and how many scientists have benefited from its data," he said.

The roughly 200 people at the PICES annual meeting in Russia bowed their heads in silence on Monday in memory of Peterson and his contributions to the Newport Line.

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NASA's Aqua satellite provided an infrared look at Hurricane Maria's cloud top temperatures and found the coldest cloud tops and strongest storms were facing east of the center and away from the U.S. However, Maria is a large hurricane. On Sept. 26, the National Hurricane Center reported that hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles (165 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 240 miles (390 km).

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Hurricane Maria on Sept. 25 at 2:11 p.m. EDT (1811 UTC) and analyzed the storm in infrared light. Infrared light provides scientists with temperature data and that's important when trying to understand how strong storms can be. The higher the cloud tops, the colder and the stronger they are. So infrared light as that gathered by the AIRS instrument can identify the strongest sides of a tropical cyclone. The AIRS image clearly showed the bulk of strong storms in Maria's northeastern quadrant as well as in the storms surrounding the eye.

Cloud top temperatures in thunderstorms around the eyewall as cold as minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). Storms with cloud top temperatures that cold have the capability to produce heavy rainfall.

On Sept. 27, the National Hurricane Center noted "the satellite presentation of Maria has continued to slowly degrade over the past 24 hours, as deep convection is now confined to the southeastern portion of the circulation."

AIRS data also showed cooler sea surface temperatures, which are expected to help weaken Maria.

At the same time as the AIRS image, another instrument aboard Aqua called MODIS, or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer took a visible light image of Maria. In the visible image, Maria's eye was covered by high clouds.

Warnings in Effect on September 26, 2017

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) posted a Storm Surge Warning for Ocracoke Inlet to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Bogue Inlet to the North Carolina/Virginia border, and for the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds.

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Cape Lookout to west of Ocracoke Inlet, and north of Cape Hatteras to Duck, North Carolina.

At 11 a.m. EDT on Sept. 26, the National Hurricane Center reported that tropical-storm-force winds nearing North Carolina's Outer Banks. Storm Surge and Tropical Storm Warnings were in place from North Carolina to Virginia.

Status of Hurricane Maria

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Maria was located near 33.6 degrees north latitude and 73.1 degrees west longitude. That's about 175 miles (285 km) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The latest minimum central pressure estimated from reconnaissance aircraft data is 971 millibars.

Maria was moving toward the north near 7 mph (11 kph) and NHC said this general motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast on Wednesday, Sept. 27. On the forecast track, the center of Maria will pass east of the coast of North Carolina during the next couple of days.

Maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph (120 kph) with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Maria is forecast to become a tropical storm within the next day or so.

NHC Key Messages About Maria

The National Hurricane Center shared Key Messages about this large hurricane:

1 Maria is forecast to continue moving northward, paralleling the U.S. east coast for the next 36 hours, and will likely bring some direct impacts to portions of the North Carolina coast through Wednesday where a tropical storm warning is in effect.

2. Storm surge flooding, especially along the sound side of the North Carolina Outer Banks, is expected, and a storm surge warning and watch are in effect for portions of eastern North Carolina.

3. Swells generated by Maria are affecting much of the east coast of the United States. These swells are also affecting Bermuda, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

For forecast updates on Hurricane Maria, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

More information about AIRS can be found at airs.jpl.nasa.gov

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A new paper published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society has identified and named 15 new species of spider in the Caribbean. Given the vernacular names "smiley faced" spiders due to the distinctive markings on their backs, the new species have been given names including S. davidattenboroughi, S. barackobamai, and S.leonardodicaprioi.

Although the Caribbean region is recognized as a hotspot for biodiversity, many species remain understudied. The "smiley faced" spider is a key example of this. Despite having profuse variation in its distinct colour patterns it was, until recently, thought to be one species with extensive variation. However, the first molecular study of 'smiley faced' spiders has revealed that there are many more species within the genus, of which 15 are described in the paper.

The discovery of these new species not only changes our estimates of biodiversity, but has a big impact for conservation biology. Each species now requires elevation of its conservation status and, as each new species of "smiley face" spiders has its own unique "smile," the newly distinguished variation may become a source of local pride. (Researchers collected specimens from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Lesser Antilles, Florida, South Carolina, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Colombia.)

Alongside titles honouring family members and pets of the paper's authors, many species are named after notable figures. Some of the most recognisable names include:

Spintharus barackobamai

In honour of former President Barack Obama the authors of the paper named this species to honour "the dignity, humanitarianism, statesmanship, and respect" they considered Obama to have brought to the oval office.

Spintharus berniesandersi

Named for former presidential candidate and U.S. Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders, this species was named to honour a politician the paper characterizes as "a tireless fighter for human rights and equality, and environmentally aware social democracy."

Spintharus davidattenboroughi

Named after the naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, this species was titled to honour his "extraordinary effort to enlighten the public about the wonders of the natural world, to make humanity care about nature, and for inspiring countless people to pursue the study of biology."

Spintharus davidbowiei

The article authors named this species to honour "the great artist David Bowie who passed away prematurely in 2016, but whose music will continue to inspire the generations to come."

Spintharus leonardodicaprioi

This species is named in tribute to the actor Leonardo DiCaprio for his "amazing acting, and, in particular, for his leading role in bringing awareness of the perils of global climate change to the public and politicians."

Spintharus michelleobamaae

The authors of the paper named this species in honour of Michelle Obama, "who has long fought to defend human rights, fairness, and equality for all, with her characteristic dignity and grace."

"This was an undergraduate research project," says Ingi Agnarsson, associate professor and curator of invertebrate collections in the department of biology at the University of Vermont, who led the new study. "In naming these spiders, the students and I wanted to honor people who stood up for both human rights and warned about climate change--leaders and artists who promoted sensible approaches for a better world."

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The paper "A radiation of the ornate Caribbean 'smiley-faced spiders', with descriptions of 15 new species (Araneae, Theridiidae, Spintharus)" is available at: https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx056/4222834/A-radiation-of-the-ornate-Caribbean-smiley-faced

Direct correspondence to:

Ingi Agnarsson Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Curator of Invertebrate Collections, Department of Biology, University of Vermont

109 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405

E-mail: iagnarsson@gmail.com

To request a copy of the study, please contact:

Daniel Luzer

daniel.luzer@oup.com

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(Portland, Ore.) Sept. 25, 2017 - Researchers at Portland State University found benzene and other potentially cancer-causing chemicals in the vapor produced by butane hash oil, a cannabis extract.

Their study raises health concerns about dabbing, or vaporizing hash oil - a practice that is growing in popularity, especially in states that have legalized medical or recreational marijuana.

Dabbing is already controversial. The practice consists of placing a small amount of cannabis extract -- a dab -- on a heated surface and inhaling the resulting vapor. The practice has raised concerns because it produces extremely high levels of cannabinoids -- the active ingredients in marijuana.

The process of making hash oil also is dangerous because it uses highly flammable and potentially explosive butane as a solvent to extract active ingredients from marijuana leaves and flowers. In July, two people in Portland, OR, died in an explosion and fire at a home where butane hash oil was being manufactured.

"Given the widespread legalization of marijuana in the USA, it is imperative to study the full toxicology of its consumption to guide future policy," said Rob Strongin, a Portland State professor who led the study. "The results of these studies clearly indicate that dabbing, while considered a form of vaporization, may in fact deliver significant amounts of toxins."

Strongin and his team analyzed the chemical profile of terpenes - the fragrant oils in marijuana and other plants - by vaporizing them in much the same way as a user would vaporize hash oil.

Terpenes are also used in e-cigarette liquids. Previous experiments by Strongin and his colleagues at Portland State found toxic chemicals in e-cigarette vapor when the devices were used at high temperature settings.

The dabbing experiments produced benzene - a known carcinogen -- at levels many times higher than the ambient air, Strongin said. It also produced high levels of methacrolein, a chemical similar to acrolein, another carcinogen.

Their findings were published in the Sept. 22 issue of "ACS Omega," a journal of the American Chemical Society.

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About Portland State University (PSU)

As Oregon's only urban public research university, Portland State offers tremendous opportunity to 27,000 students from all backgrounds. Our mission to "Let Knowledge Serve the City" reflects our dedication to finding creative, sustainable solutions to local and global problems. Our location in the heart of Portland, one of America's most dynamic cities, gives our students unmatched access to career connections and an internationally acclaimed culture scene. "U.S. News & World Report" ranks us among the nation's top 10 most innovative universities. http://www.pdx.edu | @PSUinfoandnews
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Sept. 26, 2017 -- Research!America's 22nd annual Advocacy Awards will pay special tribute to The Honorable John Edward Porter, Research!America Chair Emeritus, for his decades-long commitment to advancing medical and health research. Porter served as a U.S. Congressman from the 10th district in Illinois from 1980 to 2001 during which time he chaired the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Washington, D.C., where Porter will receive the Research!America 2018 Legacy Award, thereafter to be named in his honor.

"John Porter is the epitome of a champion and highly influential leader for medical and health research," said The Honorable Michael N. Castle, chair, Research!America. "Throughout his long and stellar career, he has worked tirelessly to help speed discoveries in medicine and improve the lives of millions of Americans. We are pleased to celebrate his many accomplishments by honoring him with this award and know it will inspire many others to become champions for research."

Other 2018 Advocacy Award winners announced today, with additional awardees to be named in the coming weeks, are Roger I. Glass, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Fogarty International Center and associate director for international research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recipient of the Geoffrey Beene Builders of Science Award; Shari and Garen Staglin, founders of One Mind, One Mind Institute (IMHRO), and Bring Change2Mind, recipients of the Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award; EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, recipient of the Paul G. Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award; and Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, recipient of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Award for Sustained National Leadership. The annual Research!America Advocacy Awards program was established by the Board of Directors in 1996 to honor outstanding advocates for medical, health and scientific research.

"The 2018 honorees are exceptional in their commitment to bolstering our nation's scientific enterprise, both at home and abroad, leading and championing innovative research and the patient voice to raise awareness of the importance of medical research," said Mary Woolley, president and CEO, Research!America. "We applaud their achievements in advancing life-saving medical and health discoveries to improve the lives of people worldwide."

The Honorable John Edward Porter has served as a member of the Research!America board since 2001, 12 of those years as chair and now chair emeritus. Porter was a U.S. Congressman from the 10th district in Illinois for 21 years, serving on the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations and chairing the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, which allocates funding for the NIH and other health-related federal agencies. He was instrumental in doubling the funding for the NIH over five years. In 2014, the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center, a state of the art facility at the NIH, was dedicated in his name. Porter is also the recipient of the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, the Academy's highest honor. He is a senior advisor in the international law firm Hogan Lovells LLP.

Roger I. Glass, M.D., Ph.D., who will receive the Geoffrey Beene Builders of Science Award, is director of the Fogarty International Center and associate director for international research at the NIH. In these roles, Glass oversees an extensive portfolio of grants and awards that support training of global health researchers and facilitates NIH's research and training partnerships abroad. Dr. Glass's research expertise is in the prevention of gastroenteritis from rotaviruses, noroviruses and cholera. He has maintained field studies in India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Mexico, Israel, Russia, Vietnam, China and elsewhere, and created a team of epidemiologists and virologists that spearheaded global efforts to research and introduce rotavirus vaccine worldwide. Dr. Glass is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Charles C. Shepard Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award, presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for his 30-year career as a leader in scientific research, and the 2015 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal Award for his novel scientific research in the prevention of gastroenteritis from rotaviruses and noroviruses.

Shari and Garen Staglin, founders of the Staglin Family Vineyard, will receive the Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award for their commitment to accelerating cures for brain disorders through scientific research. Shari and Garen have actively given back to the community and supported charitable causes for 45 years. Their focus on brain health research is the result of their son Brandon's diagnosis of schizophrenia in 1990. Brandon is now director of marketing and communications at One Mind Institute and his sister Shannon is president at the Staglin Family Vineyard. The Staglins founded One Mind, One Mind Institute and Bring Change2Mind to address brain disorders and stigma. For the last 23 years their annual Music Festival for Brain Health, along with their other advocacy efforts, have raised over $280 million for brain health research.

The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases has been selected to receive the Paul G. Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award. Rare diseases affect more than 30 million Americans, and there are fewer than 500 approved treatments for the 7,000 rare diseases that exist. The EveryLife Foundation was founded in 2009 to improve the regulatory process for drug development, from clinical trials to approval, by working with patient organizations, industry, academic scientists, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the NIH to spur insightful scientific analysis and dialogue, expand grassroots support, and ultimately bring about key policy changes. The Foundation played a pivotal role in securing passage of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law in 2016.

Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., will receive the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Award for Sustained National Leadership for his far-reaching work in the areas of neglected tropical disease (NTD) research and vaccine development. Dr. Hotez is dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine where he is also professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology. He serves as the director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, where he leads a unique product development partnership for developing new vaccines for hookworm infection, schistosomiasis, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and SARS/MERS, diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. In 2006 at the Clinton Global Initiative, he co-founded a Global Network for NTDs to provide access to essential medicines for hundreds of millions of people. Hotez was among the first to predict Zika's emergence in the U.S. and is recognized as an authority on vaccines. He is an outspoken leader of national efforts to educate the public about vaccines amid growing misconceptions about them, and he has appeared on BBC, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. Hotez is founding Editor-in-Chief of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

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For more information about the 2018 Advocacy Awards Dinner, visit http://www.researchamerica.org/advocacy_awards.

About Research!America's Advocacy Awards Dinner

The annual Research!America Advocacy Awards program was established in 1996 by the Board of Directors to honor outstanding advocates for medical, health and scientific research. Recognized individuals and organizations are those whose extraordinary leadership efforts have been effective in advancing our nation's commitment to medical, health and other scientific research. The awards dinner will take place on March 14, 2018, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.researchamerica.org/advocacy_awards.

About Research!America

Research!America is the nation's largest nonprofit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, Research!America is supported by member organizations representing 125 million Americans. Visit http://www.researchamerica.org.
Researchers evaluate the effects on the medical students who took part in the study

CANCER is on the rise and the need to be empathetic when giving a patient their diagnosis and throughout treatment is imperative. Now, a collaborative study, with a Huddersfield professor, has enabled future doctors to experience some of the challenges patients living with skin cancer can face to develop a greater empathy for their patients.

Professor Nigel King is an Associate Dean of Research within the School of Human and Health Sciences and together with experts from Queen's University Belfast and University College Dublin, a study has been published in the British Journal of Dermatology that explores how temporary skin tattoos might influence a medical student's personal understanding of a malignant melanoma diagnosis.

Melanoma or skin cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK claiming over 2,500 lives every year. Over 15,000 patients will be diagnosed with melanoma cancer every year, a diagnosis that can be daunting for a patients and their loved ones.

Medical students from Queen's University Belfast were encouraged to wear a highly realistic temporary tattoo of a malignant melanoma for 24 hours before listening to an audio account of a patient sharing their experience of what it was like to discover a melanoma. They then recorded their own thoughts and experiences and took part in in depth interviews with experts.

Professor King's role was to contribute his methodological expertise to the design of the study and particularly the analysis of the interview transcripts and audio diaries. He said this relatively inexpensive simulation undoubtedly encouraged the students to consider the person behind the illness and enabled them to develop a greater empathy.

"For all of the students who took part it was a powerful experience," said Professor King.

"The melanoma temporary tattoo provided a profound experience because one thing you don't often realise until you have melanoma is, compared to other cancers and diseases, there is a physical sign of it. Meaning if you have it, you are constantly reminded you have got it," he said.

The British Journal of Dermatology said that while nothing can fully simulate the emotional impact of receiving a cancer diagnosis, this has been a novel way to help doctors understand what it feels like to have a visible skin disorder and how this can attract unwanted attention from strangers, leaving people feeling self-conscious.

Professor King and colleagues now hope to repeat the study with other groups such as nursing students to see if it achieves the same degree of positive response.

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"Parliaments in autocracies, that is an apparent contradiction in terms", says Dr Anja Osei, democracy researcher at the University of Konstanz. Nevertheless, these "electoral autocracies" exist, and there are many of them: countries that hold elections and have formally introduced democratic structures, but are de facto ruled by an autocrat or a family dynasty. Which political function do these parliaments exercise in autocracies? Are they just a facade or do they indeed exercise an influence on policy-making? Might they even pave the way for real democratisation in the country? To investigate these questions, Dr Anja Osei was awarded the renowned ERC Starting Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). She will evaluate parliamentary debates and conduct surveys among the Members of Parliament in seven African countries - five autocracies and two democracies. Her project "Do Legislatures Enhance Democracy in Africa" will be funded with around 1.5 million euros from the ERC Starting Grant.

"In the nineties, we observed a wave of democratisation in Africa. Many former dictatorships set up, at least formally, a multi-party system" Anja Osei says. "Some became successful democracies; however, a host of countries experienced no real change to their power structures. They have remained rather stable autocracies", says Osei. The resulting question for democracy research is which effect the introduction of a multi-party system, elections and parliaments has on these countries. Do they stabilize and legitimize authoritarian rule, or do they contribute to more democracy at least in the long run?

These questions have so far not been sufficiently answered-: "We simply do not know enough, we do not have any data: Who are the persons who have a seat in these parliaments? Are legislatures in authoritarian demographically representative and to what extent do legislators act in the interest of their constituents? Which policy decisions are taken, and in which areas does the opposition have a say in decision-making?" Anja Osei gives a few examples. Her research project aims to gather exactly such data and create a basis for further research on electoral autocracies. Anja Osei's research team will monitor and analyse parliamentary debates in electoral autocracies on the one hand, and conduct a survey among the Members of Parliament on the other hand, asking questions such as: How do government and opposition interact? How do they view their role?

"We will evaluate parliamentary debates in Cameroon, Gabon, Tanzania, Togo and Zimbabwe for a year each and use the democratic states of Botswana and Benin as control cases", Anja Osei says. In order to gain access to the parliaments, she will collaborate with scientific and institutional partners in each of these African states. The political researcher from Konstanz can draw on her previous experience: During the project for her post-doctoral qualification (Habilitation) she conducted research on networks of the political elite in Africa.

ERC Starting Grants are a renowned research funding programme run by the European Research Council. ERC Starting Grants are designed to support excellent junior researchers at the career stage in which they are starting their own independent research team or programme (two to seven years after completing their doctorate). Starting Grants can amount to up to 1.5 million euros and be awarded for a period of 5 years.

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Facts:

- ERC Starting Grant for Dr Anja Osei - Project: "Do Legislatures Enhance Democracy in Africa" - Total funding: 1.5 million euros - Duration: five years - Evaluation of parliamentary debates and surveys among Members of Parliament in electoral autocracies in Africa - Scope: seven projects in Cameroon, Gabon, Tanzania, Togo and Zimbabwe as well as the two democratic states of Botswana and Benin as control cases.

Contact

University of Konstanz

Communications and Marketing

Phone: + 49 7531 88-3603

E-Mail: kum@uni-konstanz.de
Computer scientists at the University of Nottingham and Kingston University have solved a complex problem that has, until now, defeated experts in vision and graphics research. They have developed technology capable of producing 3D facial reconstruction from a single 2D image - the 3D selfie.

Their new web app allows people to upload a single colour image and receive, in a few seconds, a 3D model showing the shape of their face. People are queuing up to try it and so far, more than 400,000 users have had a go. You can do it yourself by taking a selfie and uploading it to their website.

The research - 'Large Pose 3D Face Reconstruction from a Single Image via Direct Volumetric CNN Regression' - was led by PhD student Aaron Jackson and carried out with fellow PhD student Adrian Bulat both based in the Computer Vision Laboratory in the School of Computer Science. Both students are supervised by Georgios (Yorgos) Tzimiropoulos, Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science. The work was done in collaboration with Dr Vasileios Argyriou from the School of Computer Science and Mathematics at Kingston University.

The results will be presented at the International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV) 2017 in Venice next month.

Technology at a very early stage

The technique is far from perfect but this is the breakthrough computer scientists have been looking for.

It has been developed using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) - an area of artificial intelligence (AI) which uses machine learning to give computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed.

The research team, supervised by Dr Yorgos Tzimiropoulos, trained a CNN on a huge dataset of 2D pictures and 3D facial models. With all this information their CNN is able to reconstruct 3D facial geometry from a single 2D image. It can also take a good guess at the non-visible parts of the face.

Simple idea complex problem

Dr Tzimiropoulos said: "The main novelty is in the simplicity of our approach which bypasses the complex pipelines typically used by other techniques. We instead came up with the idea of training a big neural network on 80,000 faces to directly learn to output the 3D facial geometry from a single 2D image."

This is a problem of extraordinary difficulty. Current systems require multiple facial images and face several challenges, such as dense correspondences across large facial poses, expressions and non-uniform illumination.

Aaron Jackson said: "Our CNN uses just a single 2D facial image, and works for arbitrary facial poses (e.g. front or profile images) and facial expressions (e.g. smiling)."

Adrian Bulat said "The method can be used to reconstruct the whole 3D facial geometry including the non-visible parts of the face."

Their technique demonstrates some of the advances possible through deep learning - a form of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks to mimic the way the brain makes connections between pieces of information.

Dr Vasileios Argyriou, from Kingston University's Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing, said: "What's really impressive about this technique is how it has made the process of creating a 3D facial model so simple."

What could the applications be?

Aside from the more standard applications, such as face and emotion recognition, this technology could be used to personalise computer games, improve augmented reality, and let people try on online accessories such as glasses.

It could also have medical applications - such as simulating the results of plastic surgery or helping to understand medical conditions such as autism and depression.

Aaron's PhD is funded by the University of Nottingham. His research is focused on deep learning applied to the human face. This includes 3D reconstruction and segmentation applied to the human face and body.

Adrian Bulat is a PhD student in the Computer Vision Lab. His main research interests are in the area of face analysis, human pose estimation and neural network quantization/binarization.

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PHILADELPHIA (September 26, 2017) - Elderly, chronically ill people experience frequent changes in health status that require transitions among health care providers and settings. Significant attention has been focused on coordinated transitional care models that assure continuity of care, prevention of hospital readmission, avoidance of complications, and close clinical treatment and management. But specific transitional needs of obese people who need to be transferred to nursing homes for post-acute care are often overlooked.

A study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) illustrates the challenges of transitioning persons who are severely obese to a nursing home after an acute care stay and, specifically, the experiences of hospital discharge planners. "Barriers in Transitioning Patients with Severe Obesity from Hospital to Nursing Homes" has been published in the Western Journal of Nursing Research.

The researchers found that patient size and perceived availability of bariatric equipment can act as barriers to discharging obese patients to nursing homes. Failure to move patients who are severely obese out of hospitals into post-acute care has the potential to lead to poor outcomes associated with extended hospital stays. These include an elevated risk for hospital adverse events and increased cost.

"Given increasing obesity rates, health care delivery systems must be prepared to provide necessary resources and all levels of care, including transitions for hospitalized patients who are severely obese needing nursing home care post-discharge," explains lead-author Christine K. Bradway, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, Associate Professor of Gerontological Nursing. "Understanding the unique nursing and transitional care needs of patients who are severely obese and optimizing their transitional care experiences is an increasingly relevant area of study."

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Co-authors of the study include Holly C. Felix, PhD, MPA and Xiaocong Li, PhD(c), both of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health; and Tonya Whitfield of Hornby Zeller Associates. The study was supported by the Translational Research Institute grants UL1TR000039 and KL2TR000063 through the National Institute of Health's National Center for Research Resources, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and the Research Committee of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing.

About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world's leading schools of nursing. For the second year in a row, it is ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS University, and has four graduate programs ranked number one by U.S. News & World Report, the most of any school in the United States. Penn Nursing is consistently among the nation's top recipients of nursing research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram & YouTube.
New study the first to map escape routes for wildland firefighters from the air

Every year, tens of thousands of wildland firefighters risk their lives to save timber, forests and property from destruction. Before battling the flames, they identify areas to where they can retreat, and designate the best escape routes to get from the fire line to these safety zones. Currently, firefighters make these decisions on the ground, using expert knowledge of fire behavior and assessing their ability to traverse a landscape.

Now, a University of Utah-led study has developed a mapping tool that could one day help fire crews make crucial safety decisions with an eagle's eye view.

The new study is the first attempt to map escape routes for wildland fire fighters from an aerial perspective. The researchers used Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to analyze the terrain slope, ground surface roughness and vegetation density of a fire-prone region in central Utah, and assessed how each landscape condition impeded a person's ability to travel.

"Firefighters have a great sense for interactions between fire and landscape conditions. We hope to offer to them an extra tool using information collected on a broad scale," says lead author Michael Campbell, doctoral candidate in the U's Department of Geography.

Department of Geography professor and co-author, Philip Dennison, adds, "Finding the fastest way to get to a safety zone can be made a lot more difficult by factors like steep terrain, dense brush, and poor visibility due to smoke. This new technology is one of the ways we can provide an extra margin of safety for firefighters."

The findings were published online Sept. 26, 2017, in the International Journal of Wildland Fire.

Mapping escape routes

Firefighters identify escape routes by assessing the landscape on the ground. The three conditions that determine how efficiently a firefighter can move through an area are terrain steepness, or slope, vegetation density, especially of plants in the understory and ground surface roughness, such as a boulder field or a well-maintained dirt road.

The study used a combination of LiDAR, geographic information systems, and human volunteers to examine how landscape conditions impact a person's ability to travel within Levan Wildland Management Area in the foothills of Utah's Wasatch Mountains.

The volunteers timed themselves walking along 22 paths that the researchers designed to capture a variety of slopes, ground surface roughness and vegetation densities. The researchers compared these travel times to LiDAR-derived estimates of the three landscape conditions along the transects, and extracted their effects on travel rates.

The analysis revealed that the fastest travel rates with respect to slope are slightly downhill, and going steeper uphill or downhill reduces travel speed on average. As vegetation density increases, travel rate decrease and as ground surface roughness increases, travel rates also decline.

"A lot of it is intuitive; if you're walking through dense vegetation, you're going to move more slowly than you would through a field of grass. But we found that no-one had quantified just how much vegetation density or surface roughness can slow you down," says Campbell.

After assessing travel impedance, Campbell ran thousands of simulations evaluating potential escape routes within the study area. He chose random starting points representing a crew location, and random end points representing a safety zone. By plugging the effect of slope, ground surface roughness and vegetation density on travel rates into a route-finding algorithm, he successfully identified the most efficient routes.

Quantifying landscapes from the sky

Currently, firefighters base all of their decisions on ground-level information using fire safety protocols, such as the Incidence Response Pocket Guide. The guidelines recommend avoiding steep slopes, dense vegetation, and rough ground surfaces when designating an escape route.

"It's built into the safety protocol, but there are no numbers behind it. What is steep? Is it steep uphill? Downhill? What is dense vegetation?" asks Campbell. "Using LIDAR information, we were able to turn it from these subjective judgement calls into something more robust and quantitative."

LiDAR is unique in that it has the ability to map both understory vegetation and ground surface roughness at very high levels of precision. The technology is sensitive enough to pick out individual bumps, rocks and boulders on the ground surface with a resolution of 10 cm per pixel.

The result of a LiDAR data collection effort is a 3-D 'point-cloud' containing millions of points that record the longitude, latitude and elevation of the structural features that make up a given landscape. When combined with the LiDAR-derived landscape conditions, firefighters can apply existing route-finding algorithms to the data to identify the path of least resistance.

Bringing the technology into a wildfire

LiDAR data currently aren't well-suited to real time mapping of evacuation routes, because they can take a long time to process and coverage is limited in some regions. However, land managers in areas with high wildfire risk could prepare the data ahead of the fire. With the LiDAR information in hand, firefighters could run the route-finding software to identify escape routes in real-time.

"The goal is to turn this into a tool that can be implemented in a realistic sense," says Campbell. "Because our work is sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service, we hope to get our tools into the hands of people on the ground, and turn it into something that's used in a fire-fighting scenario."

Bret W. Butler of the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, Montana also contributed to this work.

The release was based on Campbell, M.J.; Dennison, P.E.; Butler, B.W. (2017) A LiDAR-based analysis of the effects of slope, vegetation density, and ground surface roughness on travel rates for wildland firefighter escape route mapping. International Journal of Wildland Fire. doi: 10.1071/WF17031.

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Tuesday, September 26, 2017

If youre like most people, discussing your mortality is one of the last things you want to do. We know its true, because despite the fact that humans have a 100% mortality rate, fewer than 30% of adults do any end-of-life planning: wills or trusts, advanced medical directives or pre-need funeral planning.

But what if we could put some fun into funeral planning and preparing for end-of-life issues? Thats what Before I Die festivals are all about. The first one was held in 2013 at the University of Cardiff in Wales, followed by a second one in 2014.

This festival about dying  for the living  features theater, art, movies, panel discussions, field trips, Death Cafes and other events designed to get people to address their own mortality. Tapping into popular culture, performing arts and other outside-the-box activities help open the door to serious discussions.

Before I Die festivals are part of a growing social movement to foster reflection about how we as individuals and as a society manage death and dying. By providing space and opportunities to openly discuss end-of-life issues, we can improve the percentage of those who plan ahead and take action before someone dies.

The first Before I Die festivals in the United States took place in 2016, in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the spring and in Louisville, Kentucky, in the fall. Louisville will be doing a second festival October  November 2017. The first one in the western United States will take place in Albuquerque October 20-25, 2017.

Kel McBride, coordinator of Before I Die Louisville , is working to engage younger people in the discussion. Its tricky to engage those who dont think theyre going to die. You need to get them in the right context, one thats fun. You need to meet people where they are.

The first Before I Die Louisville Festival had 17 events over a month, and more than 700 people participated. Activities included a historic cemetery tour, a poetry night, a Death By Chocolate event, and a conference that featured renowned death educator Stephen Jenkinson. Their second festival, October 7-22, 2017, adds a Drink to Your Death discussion in a pub, a theater production of Tuesdays With Morrie, music and discussion with musicians who play for the dying, and a daylong symposium on November 4.

In Indianapolis, 800 people attended 28 activities over three days. That festival was sponsored by the University of Indiana School of Nursing with a grant.

The Before I Die ABQ Festival will take place over six days all around Albuquerque, with most events low-cost or free. They include a tour of the Office of the Medical Investigator (the real-life CSI in New Mexico); Prelude to Eternity, a party in a cemetery; an art show titled Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: A Celebration of Cremation and Art; a movie double feature of Harold and Maude and The Seventh Seal; a ghost tour with paranormal investigators taking visitors to haunted buildings downtown; a yoga class, From Child Pose to Corpse Pose; and a series of panel discussions and Death Cafes at numerous locations around town.

Before I Die ABQ Festival sponsors include:

The festival is timed to take place after the celebrated Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and before Halloween and Day of the Dead observations. Would any of these activities be of interest to you? New Mexico is beautiful in October! Learn more and register for events at www.BeforeIDieABQ.com .

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Tuesday, September 26, 2017

On September 21st, MicroTech was notified it had been awarded a Field Communications Multiple-Award, Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract by the Department of the Interior (DOI)/Interior Business Center, Acquisition Services Directorate. The addition of this $3 billion ID/IQ contract further advances MicroTech's business strategy to expand its communication offerings to the U.S. Government.

Through the Field Communications contract MicroTech will provide Government customers a full array of field communications commodity products and professional services. MicroTech will be engaged with the customer through the full lifecycle of field communications, including the planning, designing, implementation, maintenance and decommissioning of their systems.

"MicroTech is looking forward to bringing our unique technical solutions to the DOI and other government customers under this contract to support their critical communications requirements," says Tony Jimenez, Founder, President and CEO of MicroTech. "This award builds on our already successful business in the communications market, and allows us to better leverage our strengths in solving our customer's challenges", Mr. Jimenez added.

This contract allows MicroTech to offer services in any of the 50 states and the territories, and be available to the DOI and other federal agencies including but not limited to the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, United States Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy.

MicroTech now holds 26 multiple-award type contracts with dozens of Federal State and Local Government Agencies through which MicroTech provides a broad range of innovative technologies and state of the art Professional Services and Solutions.
MA and PhDs in French and Francophone studies (with Assistantships/Tuition waivers) - Spring 2018 / Fall 2018

 Venez etudier avec nous-autres ! 

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette offers one of few graduate programs in the United States specifically in Francophone Studies by providing students the opportunity to study all the regions of la Francophonie individually and as a whole.

The university itself is located in the heart of Cajun Louisiana, a cultural crossroads joining many areas of the contemporary Francophone world that share historical and linguistic roots. The natural beauty of the landscape provides a fitting setting for the cultures unique heritage and multicultural diversity.

The breadth and reach of the courses and approaches offered in the Masters and doctoral programs reflect this diversity and richness and make the experience at UL Lafayette unique. Our dynamic, innovative, and interdisciplinary program regularly provides courses on the literatures, cinema, and cultures of France, Belgium, Quebec, Acadia, Louisiana, the Antilles and Haiti, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Maghreb. The graduate program in Francophone Studies was the first in the United States to design courses on Louisiana Cajun and Creole languages, as well as courses on Belgian Francophone literature.

Students from all over the Francophone World come together at UL Lafayette to explore the rich variety, hybridity, and creolisation of the global Francophonie using a variety of approaches. The facultys theoretical interests cover womens and gender studies, migration, transgression, medieval studies, postcolonial, visual studies, etc. Special attention to the professionalization is also a major component to this program, with workshop and semester-long seminars to be successful on the job market (in and outside of academia).

Financial support is available for graduate students primarily through the university graduate assistantships and fellowships, which are available to foreign nationals as well as to U.S. citizens. To request application materials for these positions, please contact the Graduate Coordinator loic.bourdeau@louisiana.edu in French or English.

To Apply: http://gradschool.louisiana.edu/prospective-students

French and Francophone Studies Program Information: http://languages.louisiana.edu/French/index.html

We encourage applicants to contact any French and Francophone Studies faculty member to discuss any research interests: http://languages.louisiana.edu/French/fr_faculty.html
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Organisers of the English Winter Fair say bovine TB restrictions could hit the number of entries to this Novembers event.

New rules brought in last year mean animals from the low risk area travelling to a high risk area for gatherings are required to carry out post-show testing and remain on the holding for 60 days.

The English Winter Fair managed to secure a dispensation for the 2016 event by segregating cattle from the high and low risk areas, but no such solution is available this year.

It is a big blow for us as it will be for other show organisers and what I expect to see is farmers from low risk TB areas having to choose to attend one show this winter rather than competing at a number of events, said English Winter Fair organiser Richard Williams.

So far our livestock entries are good but we wont know the true impact until they close at the end of October.

The legislation, enforced from April 2016, require farmers in the Low Risk Area of England to arrange for post-movement testing of cattle coming from the rest of England and from Wales.

With more than half of new bovine TB infections in the Low Risk Area linked to cattle purchased from higher risk areas, introduction of the compulsory post-movement testing is thought to provide greater confidence that the Low Risk Area can become and remain officially TB-free.

New challenge

All livestock shows across the UK are affected by the restrictions which, importantly, dont impact on those animals going direct to slaughter from the event.

We will probably see farmers from low risk TB areas who want to take cattle to a number of shows splitting their showing team, sending some animals to one and some to another.

Or farmers will choose to attend one winter fair with stock which then wont be able to travel to another.

Its a new challenge for the English Winter Fair to deal with, but Mr Williams says the draw of the event will still be strong.

Our diversity gives us a certain degree of protection, with the National Pedigree Calf Show as well as a fully stocked carcass hall and products competition taking place over the two days.

We always see good competition among pig and sheep producers, and offer something for the general public with our Christmas Country Fair.

'Huge collective effort'

Commenting on the TB measures, Farming Minister George Eustice said: "We are presiding over a huge collective effort to eradicate bovine TB in England.

"Our comprehensive strategy is clear: the disease can only be defeated by taking coordinated action on cattle movements, cattle testing and badger control.

"The cattle measures introduced in April helps protect against cattle-to-cattle transmission and bring the Low Risk Area closer to achieving TB freedom."
Ninety lambs have been stolen from a North-east Scottish farm, and police are now appealing for witnesses as farmers across the UK experience heavy losses due to a creeping wave of livestock crime.

The Suffolk Cross lambs were stolen between 10pm on Saturday, September 9 and 3pm on Friday, September 22, in a field beside Balnamoon Farm, Crossroads, Keith.

The livestock is valued at a low four-figure sum.

Inspector Neil Campbell said those responsible would have known what they were doing, would likely have used trained dogs to gather the sheep and used a large vehicle, possibly twin decked to remove them from the field.

He said: "I would appeal to local farmers and those further afield to be extra vigilant with their livestock and ask that anyone who may have been in the area and saw any unusual activity should contact the police immediately."

Livestock crime

Attacks on livestock in the UK is becoming 'more and more of a problem' as rural police stations face closure, according to a report.

The cost of rural crime in the UK reached 42.5m in 2015 and farming unions across the UK have asked the government to increase funding to help fight the rise in incidents.

More than 1,000 rural police stations in the UK closed between 2000 and 2012, directly impacting the level of surveillance.

It is thought that many stolen livestock are destined for the illegal meat trade.

September livestock crimes

In September alone, there has been four prominent livestock crime cases with a combined total of over 300 animals missing.

On 19 September, sheep rustlers stole 14 sheep and 22 lambs from a farm in North Yorkshire.

On 13 September, a farmer took to social media to express her horror when she found out that 178 of his pigs were stolen.

Sheep rustlers struck North Yorkshire twice in two separate incidents on the weekend of the 9 and 10 September.

On the 2 September, rustlers stole more than 100 sheep from two farms in Powys, Wales.

'Soft target'

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has previously warned that farmers should not be seen as a 'soft target' for criminals.

The NFU said that the result is an increasing fear of crime in rural areas and significantly lower satisfaction levels in the police than the national average.

The NFU, in its report, has found there is no standard protocol across police forces for combatting rural crime, with some forces not even treating rural crime as serious crime.

Anyone who has recently been offered any Suffolk Cross lambs for sale or is aware of their whereabouts should contact Police Scotland on 101, using reference 0276660917, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you wish to remain anonymous.
The Shadow Defra Secretary has explained that Labour can be the 'party of farmers' as two recent events showcased Labour's policies on farming and the environment.

The SERA Sunday Lunch Conversation on Sunday (24 September) and the NFU's fringe debate on the future of and food and farming after Brexit at the Labour Conference in Brighton on Monday (25 September) showed a glimpse into Labour's policies and ambitions for the British farming industry .

Shadow Defra Secretary Sue Hayman stated the importance of the food and farming agendas to Brexit negotiations.

She said: "I dont want the farm-to-fork industry to suffer as a result of the Brexit process."

She championed the rights of smaller farmers in the Brexit process, saying: "We have to make smaller farming more innovative, profitable and diversified to make it attractive to young."

"I dont want to see my hill farmers in Cumbria go under, that would be absolutely criminal," she explained.

"We are losing small farms in this country at a huge rate in a way thats not happening in Scotland. Why is that?"

Ms Hayman also said the party is committed in reintroducing a seasonal workers scheme if a Labour government was elected.

"Crucially, we will allow EU workers employed across farming, fishing and food manufacturing to remain in Britain, and reinstate the vital Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme, supporting a long term and sustainable workforce."

The Shadow Defra Secretary also explained that she would like to strengthen the remit and powers of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to "protect farmers."
Northern Ireland meat industry could decline by 21%, with exports to the EU "collapsing" by over 90%, if the UK reverts to WTO trading conditions in the event of a failure to agree a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.

The beef and sheep industry body for the region fears huge losses from any switch to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules after Brexit, saying a transition much longer than the two years offered by Prime Minister Theresa May would be required to minimise disruption.

The body has thus called for a five-year transition period after Brexit, putting pressure on the Democratic Unionist Party, on whose votes Theresa Mays government depends for a parliamentary majority.

These are the findings of a new report commissioned by the Livestock and Meat Commission.

The report gauged the impact on the Northern Irish beef and sheep meat industry of moving from EU to World Trade Organization (WTO) trading conditions under two scenarios.

Two scenarios

The first scenario is what the report calls "WTO Equivalence", where the UK and EU impose reciprocal tariffs on each others imports based on the current EU Common External Tariff, as well as an assumption that there would be mutual recognition of veterinary and other technical standards.

The second being an unilateral "Open-Door" trade policy whereby the UK reduces its tariffs on imports from major agricultural producers but without any reciprocal agreements in place.

The report found that if the UK adopted a unilateral Open-Door trade policy, Northern Irish beef and sheep meat output would decline by 21%, as exports to the EU collapsed by over 90%.

However, even under WTO Equivalence, whilst output could rise marginally in the short-run, as domestic consumption displaced EU imports, gains would be eroded by declining consumption in the longer-term due to higher prices, and exports to the EU would still fall by over 90%.

Tariffs

The report also found that tariffs for meat sales are substantial, ranging from 40% to around 100%.

Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) are estimated to amount to a 3% tariff equivalent under WTO Equivalence and 5.7% under an Open-Door trade policy.

The report states that farm profits decline in both scenarios, particularly when combined with reductions in farm subsidies.

The report concludes that if an Open-Door trade policy was adopted, the viability of beef and sheep farming across large swathes of Northern Ireland would be seriously threatened, with grave consequences for the wider Northern Irish rural economy.

The report makes recommendations for policy-makers. It said they should agree interim Single Market (EEA) and Customs Union membership for at least 5 years post-Brexit to negotiate the "finer details" of the eventual deal.

It said this would allow policy-makers to develop the required infrastructure, with a mid-way review to examine whether enough progress has been made.

'Cyprus-type model'

As a last resort, the livestock commission said a "Cyprus-type model" for cross-border trade should be considered if WTO trading came to pass.

This is because the island of Cyprus is within the EU, but only the southern half is recognised as within the Single Market.

Consequently, there are special rules regarding the trade of goods between the southern half and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

However, the report also notes that whilst a Cyprus-type model could help to facilitate trade reasonably close to existing levels, potential obstacles remain.

'Costly and disruptive'

Commenting on the report LMC Chief Executive Ian Stevenson said the report shows that WTO trading conditions would be "complex, costly and disruptive".

The most viable solution for safeguarding the future of the industry is not only a UK-EU post-Brexit comprehensive free trade agreement, but until then to have a 5-year transition period with a mid-way review, to avoid an interim deal simply being a stay of execution for the industry, Mr Stevenson explained.

Michael Haverty, lead author of the study, said an Open-Door trade policy would have a "devastating impact" on the industry both domestically and internationally.

He said: Whilst a Cyprus-type model highlights the need for contingency planning, the ideal outcome remains avoiding WTO trading conditions by agreeing interim Single Market and Customs Union membership for 5 years post-Brexit, incorporating a mid-way review, to negotiate and implement a more considered longterm agreement.
Small farm businesses across Wales are being invited to take part in the second year of the highly successful The Princes Farm Resilience Programme, run by The Princes Countryside Fund.

Proven to help small farms improve their way of working, the programme will provide free business support, skills and planning tuition, and one-to-one guidance to 20 small livestock and mixed family farm businesses.

The programme will be running at two locations in Wales  one in Dolgellau, Gwnyedd and one in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire. Applications are open until the 31st of October.

Feedback from participating farms has been unanimously positive, with farmers who have completed the programme feeling significantly more optimistic about the future of their farm business.

Ed, a farmer from Shropshire who took part in the programme last year, said: Id definitely recommend the programme to others. Its helped us clarify the direction we want our farm to go in, and its so important to make time and attend things like The Princes Farm Resilience Programme  in these uncertain times you have to be proactive and forward thinking, and the programme provides you with so much valuable information.

'Biggest challenges'

The programme aims to tackle some of the biggest challenges being faced by small farm businesses across the UK.

Developed off the back of The Princes Dairy Initiative, which has helped strengthen the UK dairy supply chain since 2012, the 1.5million programme will support up to 300 farm businesses this year.

Farmers will be given the skills to evaluate their viability and make informed decisions about the future by using the Business Health Check Tool.

The programme also brings together like minded family farm enterprises in local networks so they can review their current activity, and identify opportunities and improvements that can be made on-farm to build resilience.

Planning the future

Claire Saunders, director of the Princes Countryside Fund said: We are thrilled to be bringing The Princes Farm Resilience Programme to more locations this year, building on the excellent response to its first year.

The skills training and expert advice provided by the programme help farmers to cope with the many challenges that their businesses face, and allow them to plan for the future more confidently.

Research commissioned by the Fund and carried out by the University of Exeter into the future of the small family farm in the UK revealed a steep decline in numbers since the beginning of the century, and declining farmgate prices has led to the average farm income falling below 20,000 for the first time since 2007.
Nine police forces team up to improve prosecution of rural offenders
The Undercover Team Went To Meet...

According to Pinkvilla, ''The TV channel's undercover team went to meet Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the president of the Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena.''

Recommended Video Padmavati: Deepika Padukone UNIBROW look to become TREND; Know Here | FilmiBeat

The Reported Posed As An Agent

''One of the reporters posed as an agent from a Bollywood production house and said he has plans to make a film on the fictitious romance between Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and the wife of a Rajput general.''

What Happened Next

''Gogamedi connected the reporter to one of his agents in Mumbai, Umed Singh. "You can talk to Umed Singh. He will speak to me on the phone from there. He's our organisational convener. You talk to him or ask him to speak to me. Just note down his number.''

Paid Attacks For Publicity

''The reporter met the agent in Mumbai who said that there will be STAGED attacks on the sets of the film (proposed film on Aurangzeb) done for publicity.''

How The Attacks Will Take Place

"Some people from outside will barge in. They'll create some trouble. The sets will not be burned down. Two to four people will be beaten up. Vandalism will be recorded."

You Need To Pay Rs 1.5 Crore

"That will be done throughout India and across the world. If you want 50 people for a month to protect (the sets), they (filmmakers) will then have to pay Rs 1.5 crore," added Singh.''

Fifty People Would Be There

''The reporter then asked, "Rs 1.5 crore from whom?" "From you," Singh replied. "Fifty people will remain there for you all the time," he added.''

On Future Attacks On Padmavati

''It's safe in Mumbai. But it was burned down in Kolhapur," said Singh.
Bigg Boss 11 Contestants

It is said that even if the contestants' names are leaked, the makers would replace them, irrespective of them signing the contract!

Recommended Video Bigg Boss 11 : FULL LIST of Contestants | FilmiBeat

Bigg Boss 11 Makers Plan

According to a source, about 30 contestants have been finalised. But the makers have put them on hold! But in spite of this, a few names are still doing the rounds. Check out the probable contestants' list...

Bigg Boss 11 Probable Contestants List: Vikas Gupta

The Bigg Boss makers are in talks with Lost Boy Productions' Head, Vikas Gupta. It has to be recalled that Vikas made headlines because of the controversies with Parth Samthaan (who was part of Vikas' show, Kaisi Hai Yaariyan) and Gauri Arora. Recently, Sunny Leone also confirmed that her friend, Vikas Gupta is going to be part of BB 11.

Dinchak Pooja

YouTube sensation, Dhinchak Pooja aka Pooja Jain has also been approached for the show. Pooja lives in New Delhi. Selfie Maine Leli Aaj, Swag Wali Topi, Daaru are few of her popular songs. She is popular due to the songs that she records for fun. Her songs are weird and low on lyrics, but are fun to watch!

Shilpa Shinde

It was said that Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain actress, Shilpa Shinde demanded a whopping amount to be part of Bigg Boss 11. The actress was in news for her fight with Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain makers. CINTAA had also banned her from working on Television.

Priyank Sharma

Winner of MTV Splitsvilla, Priyank Sharma is also reportedly a part of Bigg Boss 11. Priyank has a crazy fan following amongst the youth and is the latest youth icon.

Abrar Zahoor

The actor and model, Abrar Zahoor, who was seen on Neerja, is also apparently part of the Colors' reality show.

Benafsha Soonawalla

Another name that is doing the round is MTV VJ Benafsha Soonawalla. She was in the news for dating Varun Sood.

Natalia Kayy

London based model, Natalia Kayy has also apparently been confirmed contestant of Bigg Boss 11.

Pearl V Puri

Phir Bhi Na Maane Badtameez Dil actor Pearl V Puri has also been approached for the show. He was in news as he was linked to all his co-stars.
Ever since he was a kid Tom Cruise wanted to work for the Colombian drug cartels? Not quite, but American Made, based on the true story of commerical airline pilot turned international criminal mastermind Barry Seal, hits a lot of the same beats as GoodFellas, though it misses some it tries to hit, too. By the time Barry, in his gleeful voiceover narration, says, The money was coming in faster than I could launder it, I felt like Id seen this all before, and better.

Barry is, in the typical way of stories like this, a bit of a prodigy, and a bit bored with the mundane world. Hes a hotshot, the youngest ever commercial pilot or somesuch for TWA but hes basically a bus driver on short-haul routes, ferrying people from one dull place to another. Its not very exciting. He gets a bit of a thrill with the petty delinquency of smuggling Cuban cigars in his cockpits  I guess pilots werent searched much in the late 1970s, when hes getting away with this?  but the real fun comes after he is approached by CIA agent Monty Schafer and recruited to fly missions over South America taking spy photos (not in TWA planes, obviously). One thing leads to another, as tends to happen when you fall down rabbit holes of espionage and clandestine operations, and soon Barry is acting as a bagman in transactions between the Company and Panamanian strongman  and CIA informant  Manuel Noriega, and then hes smuggling drugs into the US for the Medellin cartel, which leads to (after hes caught) becoming a DEA informant. And then comes the Iran-Contra scandal

One crime leads to another when you fall down rabbit holes of espionage and clandestine operations



Director Doug Liman (Jumper ) and Cruise (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back), as Seal, are reteaming here after their huge 2014 success, the sci-fi Edge of Tomorrow, which also saw the actor taking on a character who is less than totally likable. But Cruises Edge character was merely a coward, one who learned how to be brave because he had no choice. The charm and the humor Liman and Cruise deploy for Barrys adventures feel kinda inappropriate, as charming and as humorous as they are, for a movie about such outrageous levels of corruption and outright lawless banditry from the US federal government. I mean, these are the events that have led to the conspiracy theory  which isnt quite so farfetched and is supported by some good evidence, some of which we bear witness to here  that the CIA was actively involved in importing cocaine into the United States in the 1980s, and that the agencys activities were in large part responsible for the crack cocaine epidemic. (See also: the intense 2014 film Kill the Messenger, which details the work of one journalist in the 1990s who uncovered the story.)
Red Bull junior driver Pierre Gasly will make his F1 race debut in Malaysia this weekend after Toro Rosso confirmed he will take Daniil Kvyats place alongside Carlos Sainz for the next Grands Prix.

The move, which comes amid a difficult season for Kvyat during which he has scored just four points to Sainzs 48, will allow Toro Rosso and parent company Red Bull the chance to make a more informed decision on their 2018 driver line-up, according to team principal Franz Tost.

"Scuderia Toro Rosso was established by Red Bull to bring youngsters from its Junior Programme into Formula 1 and that's what we are doing by giving Pierre this chance, said Tost.

He is the next in line at Red Bull for this opportunity and he has shown that he deserves it, having taken the 2016 GP2 title and this year being very competitive in the Super Formula series in Japan. He really has a valid chance of winning the title, as he is only half a point behind the leader.

The driver switch gives us an opportunity to make a more informed decision regarding our 2018 driver choices. For a variety of reasons, some of them due to technical problems, but others being mistakes of his own making, Daniil Kvyat has not really shown his true potential so far this year, which is why we are standing him down for the next races. This will give us the opportunity to evaluate Pierre on track during a proper race weekend."

Gasly, 21, has acted as Red Bulls reserve driver in 2017, driving the RB13 at the post-race tests in Bahrain and Hungary. He currently lies second in the Japanese Super Formula standings with two races at Suzuka remaining, but as well as going for that crown he will also now have the chance to prove he belongs in F1.

"I would like to thank everyone who has helped me get this chance in my motor racing career and specifically, Red Bull, Dr. Helmut Marko and Scuderia Toro Rosso, said the Frenchman.

This is a great opportunity for me. I feel as ready as I can be, having had to be prepared for anything in my role as Red Bull Racing's third driver this year. I will do my best to perform well with Scuderia Toro Rosso during these coming races."

In a statement, Toro Rosso added that the driver switch should not be considered a permanent parting of the ways with Kvyat, saying "This is not a case of goodbye for our Daniil, as he still remains part of the Red Bull Family."

However, Toro Rosso's ambiguity over how many races Gasly will remain in the car means it is not currently known if and when Kvyat will return to the cockpit, though the fact that the Super Formula season finale takes place on the same weekend as the United States Grand Prix suggests the Russian may return for Austin.
France plans to phase out the use of the weedkiller glyphosate by 2022, its government has announced.

Christophe Castaner, a French government spokesman, said on Monday (25 September) that the herbicide would be banned for all uses in France over concerns it may cause cancer.

However, he later rowed back on these comments, saying that the government is committed to seeing significant progress on all pesticides by the end of President Emmanuel Macrons five-year term.

See also: Grower to farm without glyphosate in three-year trial

Frances environment minister Nicholas Hulot has already indicated that the country plans to vote against a proposal to renew the licence for glyphosate for 10 years in an EU vote to be held later this year.

The countrys stance over the weedkiller has angered its farmers, who warn that a glyphosate ban would kill conservation agriculture, increase the weed burden, ramp up costs and dent crop yields, resulting in higher food prices.

No viable alternatives

The FNSEA, Frances biggest farming union, released a statement on Monday following a meeting with Mr Hulot.

It said: The FNSEA has reminded the French agriculture ministry that, as things stand, there are no irrefutable scientific reasons that would justify a ban [on glyphosate].

Its out of the question that if Europe says Yes to the authorisation of glyphosate, France takes a unilateral position aiming to say No.

We cannot seriously ban glyphosate without credible, cost-effective alternatives.

The FNSEA added that French farmers needed efficient and pragmatic solutions to care for their crops, adding that zero-till farming would not exist without glyphosate.

The union hit out after 250 farmers blocked the Champs-Elysees in protest over its countrys stance.

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsantos Roundup herbicide, was classified as probably carcinogenic to humans in a report by the UNs International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2015.

However, assessments by the European Chemicals Agency and the European Food Safety Authority have concluded that glyphosate is safe.

German election

Meanwhile, the result of the German elections has cast further doubt over how the country will vote on the re-authorisation of glyphosate.

Angela Merkel, leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union, won a record fourth term as Chancellor, albeit with a reduced majority.

Ms Merkel is holding talks to form a coalition government, which could involve the pro-business Free Democrat Party and the Greens. Germany abstained in the last vote on glyphosate owing to disagreements within its coalition government.
GoPro to unveil its new Hero 6 Black action camera on September 28: Live stream and more News oi -Samden Sherpa GoPro Hero 6 Black will be able to shoot 4K footage at up to 60 frames per second, and 1080p footage at up to 240 fps.

If you are an avid GoPro fan then there is some good news for you. Well the U.S. based company has just announced today that it is hosting a launch event on September 28th, in San Francisco, California. CEO Nick Woodman will be present and the event will start at 9 AM PT.

While the company did not make it clear what product it was going to launch, it has been suggested that the company will unveil the new Hero 6 Black camera. GoPros are known to be the best action cameras available in the market and they do deliver very high-quality videos. The latest offering or the flagship camera from the company is the Hero 5 Black. However, it looks like the new camera will soon take its place.

As of now little is known about the upcoming Hero 6 Black, but reports suggest the design will be similar to that of Hero 5 Black. Basically, GoPro's new camera will carry over the Hero 5 Black's design like being waterproof up to 33 feet out of the box and more.

But most of the changes will be found under the hood. The major one though as reported by The Verge will be in the shooting capabilities. The camera will now be able to shoot 4K footage at 60 frames per second, which professional users have been asking for a long time. The camera will also shoot 1080p footage at 240 frames per second meaning it can capture slow-motion footage that is 10 times slower than real time.

Apart from these, the upcoming Hero 6 Black will reportedly be much faster, offer better transfer speeds, and feature enhanced digital image stabilization and low-light performance. Hero 6 Blac will be featuring an all-new in-house chip known as GP1.

Hero 6 could go on sale that same day and will probably come with a price tag of $499 (approximately Rs. 32,624) GoPro might also announce its plans to expand the rollout of Fusion, its consumer 360-degree camera as well as updates to the Karma drone. The products are also likely to be part of this event.

Besides, the company will be live-streaming the event and you can watch it here or bookmark the page.

Best Mobiles in India
Design and display

Being a flagship smartphone, the Nokia 8 features an unibody design and is made using a block of 6000 series aluminum. The smartphone is claimed to have undergone a 40-stage process of machining, anodizing and polishing in order to make it look premium. The smartphone has the IP54 rating that makes it splash proof. When it comes to the display, the smartphone flaunts a 5.3-inch IPS 2K display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

Hardware

Under its hood, the Nokia 8 features an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC as the other high-end smartphones those are already available in the market. This processor works in conjunction with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory that can be further expanded up to 256GB using a microSD card. A 3090mAh battery powers the Nokia 8 from within along with support for Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology.

Dual rear cameras

The Nokia 8 has a dual-rear camera setup with the Carl Zeiss branding. The Nokia 8 flaunts a 13MP dual-lens rear camera setup with RGB and monochrome sensors. This camera module is accompanied by OIS, PDAF, IR range finder and f/2.0 aperture. The smartphone also has a 13MP selfie camera with PDAF, display flash and a similar aperture.

Software

HMD unveiled the Nokia 8 in August with the stock Android similar to the Nokia 6, Nokia 5 and Nokia 3. The device runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box and will soon receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update as well.

Connectivity and other features

The connectivity features on board include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0 and dual SIM with the hybrid SIM card slot. The Nokia 8 comes with other features such as Liquid Cooling, Dual-Sight and Nokia OZO Audio. The Dual-Sight feature will let users click photos and videos using both the front and rear cameras at the same time and this is another notable feature of the Nokia 8.

Price and availability

The Nokia 8 is priced at Rs. 36,999 and will be available via the online retailer Amazon India and offline stores. The device will go on sale starting from October 14.
42nd ECS simulator gets a facelift

By Senior Airman Ashley N. Steffen, 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published September 25, 2017

DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- The 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron celebrated a re-opening of their EC-130H Compass Call flight deck simulator, Sept. 22, 2017.

The upgraded flight simulator features the EC-130Hs new glass cockpit which allows the pilots to keep up with the aviation community and civilian advances.

"With this upgrade, we are now capable of flying and navigating safely around the world for the foreseeable future," said Maj. Christina Lakey, 42nd ECS assistant director of operations and evaluator pilot.

The upgrade not only allows military pilots to keep up with the modern advances in aviation but it also provides a safer and cheaper way of training flight deck aviators.

"We are allowed to do maneuvers in the sim that would be dangerous to do in the actual aircraft," Lakey said. "Making us more proficient with any situations that would happen in flight, for instance, we practice shutting down engines and dealing with engine fires and inclement weather."

The system went under a $10.5 million renovation to improve training, crew confidence for deployments and mission readiness.

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Mattis Travels to India to Emphasize 'Enduring U.S. Commitment'

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2017  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is traveling to India to underscore the enduring U.S. commitment to its strategic partner, Defense Department officials said.

The four-day trip marks the first time a cabinet member from the current administration has visited India, where Mattis will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and newly appointed Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The secretary also will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the India Gate to recognize the valor and the heroism of 82,000 Indian soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II in the fight against militarism.

En route to India, Mattis told reporters traveling with him that the United States and India are two great democracies with shared common goals that make them natural partners.

Shared Partnership

"We have a historic opportunity to set a refreshed partnership between our nations, and it's a partnership built on respect, trust, and the shared values of democracy, freedom of expression and human dignity," he said. "And our vision aims to support an open, just and rules-based global order."

The secretary said he would discuss with Modi's government joint efforts to advance common goals through a broader strategic exchange of views, "basically putting meat on the structure,  not only in terms of U.S.-India partnership, but how the United States and India can work together to build partnerships across the region."

India, from the U.S. perspective, is "clearly a pillar of regional stability and security," Mattis said. "We share a common vision for a peaceful and prosperous vision in the Indo-Pacific region, one that's based on that strong, rules-based international order, and the peaceful resolution of disputes and territorial integrity," he added.

Expanding Cooperation

The U.S.-India defense cooperation has steadily expanded in recent years, underpinned by common objectives and goals in the region, the secretary said, adding that such cooperation will benefit both economies while reducing any legacy or trust issues between the two democracies.

DoD's designation of India as a major defense partner reflects the progress made in strengthening joint security cooperation, Mattis noted.

"My goal on this trip is to promote pragmatic progress between us and our defense partnership, delivering defense interoperability, aligned with Prime Minister Modi and President [Donald J.] Trump's direction," Mattis said, adding that in the wide-ranging new relationship, security is one of the key strategic pillars.

"This is a historic opportunity for our two democracies, a time of strategic convergence," he said. "We will be working on this trip and in the future to bring our bureaucracies up to speed by underlining our commonalities in our approaches and our objectives."

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Army divested Black Hawks reach Afghanistan

By September 25, 2017

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- U.S. civilian and military personnel gathered in Huntsville Sept. 15 to load the first two UH-60A Black Hawks onto a C-17 en route for Afghanistan. The aircraft were delivered to Kandahar Airfield Sept 18.

This initial transfer is part of the U.S. Army's effort to modernize the Afghan Air Force.

More than 150 Black Hawks, divested from U.S. Army stock, will be shipped to Afghanistan over the next five years, according to Giovanni Estrada, the Afghanistan country program manager at the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command at Redstone Arsenal. The Army Black Hawks will replace the AAF's aging fleet of Soviet Mi-17 aircraft.

Estrada is one of many individuals and organizations across the globe who have been hammering out the details for the last 18 months to coordinate this historic transfer under the Black Hawk Exchange and Sale Transaction (BEST) divestiture program.

"We all came together - sometimes on a daily basis - in teleconferences and working group meetings to work out how we would not only get the aircraft to Afghanistan, but also how to train Afghan pilots to fly them as soon as possible," said Estrada.

While it was a monumental effort with an urgency that saw scores of agencies throughout the world working around the clock, it is well worth the effort.

Brig. Gen. Thomas Todd, the program executive officer for Aviation, called the delivery timely as the AAF has taken more responsibility for providing their own airlift.

"The high utilization and accelerated attrition rate of the Mi-17 fleet has made the transition to Black Hawks essential to the Afghan forces' ability to maintain a high operations tempo as they battle against insurgent forces," said Todd.

"What's happening this evening is the direct result of the dedicated efforts of PEO Aviation, USASAC, AMCOM and other organizations that have worked tirelessly to execute the delivery of an incredible capability and combat multiplier to the Afghan Air Force," said Todd, the program executive officer for aviation. "This transfer of UH-60s along with the training of Afghan pilots is vital to developing their ability to meet their growing demand for air support."

AAF UH-60 training is ongoing at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and a class at Kandahar airfield will kick off in early October.

Delivery of more than 50 Black Hawks have been funded by Congress this year. Delivery of the remaining helicopters will rely on Congress approving funds every year to keep the program on track.

While testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February, Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of NATO's Resolute Support Mission and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, said offensive capability will break the stalemate in Afghanistan, and the Afghan security forces' key offensive capabilities are their air force and their special forces.

Nicholson told the Senate panel "Congressional approval of funding for the Afghan Air Force is key to improving the offensive capability of the Afghan national defense and security forces, [and] there is an urgency to this request in order to get these aircraft and aircrews into the fight as soon as possible."

He also testified that "as a result of our training, equipping and partnering, the 17,000-strong Afghan special forces are the best in the region. They now operate independently on roughly 80 percent of their missions."

"Of the 98 U.S.-designated terrorist groups globally, 20 operate in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, along with three violent extremist organizations," Nicholson told the senators.

Nicholson said the main objective in Afghanistan is to keep the country from being used as a safe haven from which terrorists can attack the United States and its allies.

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U.S. Army-led NATO Battle Group on deterrence mission in Poland

By Capt. John Strickland September 25, 2017

BEMOWO PISKIE, Poland -- In a small town near Orzysz, Poland, a new multinational Battle Group has a big mission. The U.S. Army-led Battle Group Poland is one of four new NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) units that have been stood up this summer as a part of NATO's biggest reinforcement of its collective defense in a generation.

The intent of the new Battle Groups is to reinforce NATO's eastern flank and help deter future incursions while working in conjunction with host nation defense forces.

"We need to be prepared to fight," said Lt. Col. Christopher L'Heureux, Battle Group Poland Commander. "You can't have deterrence without capability. We have to be ready, be trained and be lethal."

THE ENHANCED FORWARD PRESENCE MISSION

With the relatively recent Russian incursions into Crimea and Ukraine, NATO heads of state and heads of government decided at the 2016 NATO Warsaw Summit that a stronger military presence was needed in the Black Sea Region in order to deter any future incursions. The result was four uniquely structured, multinational battle groups that have been tailored both geographically and to host nation requirements, as well as several other factors.

Each eFP unit is led by a framework nation but is comprised of multinational forces and capabilities. In addition to the U.S.-led Battle Group in Poland, there is Battle Group Latvia led by Canada, Battle Group Lithuania led by Germany, and Battle Group Estonia led by the United Kingdom.

"NATO's new enhanced Forward Presence is an example of burden sharing," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 18. "Four battlegroups involving 15 European Allies are deploying to the Baltic States and Poland, sending a clear signal of solidarity."

Less than 400 days after the NATO Summit in Warsaw, the fourth and final Enhanced Forward Presence battle group was declared operational by the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in August.

BATTLE GROUP POLAND

L'Heureux commands the U.S.-led Battle Group in northeast Poland that consists of approximately 1200 Soldiers, many of whom come from U.S. Army Europe's 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The remaining portion of the deterrence force is provided by a reconnaissance troop from the U.K.'s Light Dragoons and a Romanian air defense artillery battery.

"It is definitely a unique mission and one that we all take seriously," said L'Heureux. "Every nation, every Soldier here brings a unique capability to the fight and we've been working every day to ensure we are credible and capable force."

The Battle Group was stood up in April and was welcomed by some of Europe and Poland's most prominent political and military leaders, including U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander Europe,; Poland's President Andrzej Duda; and Polish Minister of National Defense Antoni Macierewicz. President Duda issued a meaningful statement on the significance of the Battle Group's presence in Poland.

"It's not an exaggeration to say that this moment has been awaited by generations of Poles since the end of the Second World War," Duda said as he addressed the entire Battle Group at the arrival ceremony in April. "Those were generations of Poles who dreamed about us becoming political members of a just, solidarity-based, democratic and free Western world."

Since their arrival, the Battle Group has participated in numerous training events to improve the interoperability of the participating nations, as well as larger exercises in the region. For example, the Battle Group participated in the U.S. Army Europe-led exercise, Saber Strike, in June, which served as its validation exercise just two months after arriving to Poland.

During Saber Strike, the Battle Group demonstrated its ability to integrate with host nation forces as well as integrate with other battle groups when the Soldiers conducted a road march through the Suwalki Gap to link up with Battle Group Lithuania, and with the Lithuanian Iron Wolf Brigade to conduct a joint river crossing.

Battle Group Poland's movement through a strategically important piece of terrain to link up with another Battle Group demonstrates the speed and freedom of movement of NATO forces, which adds to the collective defense of the nations along NATO's Eastern Flank.

"We've done a huge amount of work over the last six to seven months," said U.K. Maj. Noel Claydon Swales, Commander, A Squadron, Light Dragoons, who provide deep reconnaissance for Battle Group Poland. "As a Battle Group we have achieved a huge amount here."

Most recently, the Battle Group conducted an alert exercise, Bull Run II, to test their speed of assembly, freedom of movement and collective defense of the area.

The drill integrated all members of the Battle Group and the host nation Polish Army 15th Mechanized Brigade as the units moved towards the Suwalki Gap to rehearse defensive operations in local terrain.

"One of the objectives for Bull Run is to practice the things that we have to do as a Battle Group to get out of the door and into a defense," L'Heureux said, "to practice what we would have to do in the case of a conflict or rising tensions."

The first rotation of new forces into the Battle Group will occur latter this fall when the Romanian, U.S. and U.K. elements conduct their transition. Additionally, Croatian military elements will arrive in the fall to bolster the Battle Group and provide a few more capabilities to the unit.

"We were asked to put in the foundations for house," Swales said. "I think as a Battle Group we've put the foundation in, we've put the walls up and we've put the roof on. Now it's up to the next rotations to fill that house."

(Editor's note: This article is one of a series of topics that will be presented as individual Warriors Corners by Army officials during an upcoming conference, hosted by the Association of the United States Army, from Oct. 9-11.)

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Idaho National Guard builds bridges with Royal Cambodian Armed Forces

By Capt. Robert Taylor, Idaho National Guard September 25, 2017

BOISE, Idaho -- A team of subject matter experts and senior leaders from the Idaho National Guard were in Cambodia from Sept. 9 -17 working and learning with members of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

The mission was part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program and included members from both the Idaho Army National Guard and the Idaho Air National Guard. The program facilitates the exchange of ideas, capabilities, training and experience between a host country and a state's National Guard.

"We go over with the attitude that we're going to take some things that we know and share it with them and also elicit the same from them," said Maj. Brady Johnson, bilateral affairs officer for the Idaho Army National Guard. "The experiences they've had in their training and deployed environments are a benefit to our Soldiers and Airmen as well."

During the subject matter expert exchange, Soldiers and Airmen experienced in medical, engineer, convoy and legal operations interacted with Cambodian soldiers who are preparing to deploy to several countries with the United Nation's National Peacekeeping Mines and Explosions Remanences of War Clearance program.

Soldiers from both armies and Airmen from the 124th Fighter Wing completed first aid and convoy operations classes together. They also built bridges out of chopsticks and popsicle sticks to explore basic bridging concepts and discussed legal issues that both militaries deal with.

The interactions and engagements between the American and Cambodian forces were as important as the lessons themselves.

"We gave them a lot more information that they are going to leave with, but the biggest benefit was building relationships with the Cambodian army," said Staff Sgt. Ramon Montes. Montes, a Twin Falls resident, is a member of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team's engineer battalion and was the team's convoy operations subject matter expert.

Montes said that he realized that if Cambodian soldiers were more comfortable with him as a person they would be more likely to share information with him. Throughout the week, he made it a point to talk to individual soldiers and to learn something about each one.

"I tried to find something they are interested in and talk to them about it so it didn't feel like I'm just a stranger from another country giving them information just to 'check a block,'" Montes said.

Tech. Sgt. Davis Nguyen, a member of the 124th Fighter Wing's 190th Fighter Squadron, was one of three medical specialists from Idaho who participated in the mission.

"This has been a very unique trip," Nguyen said. "It brought me out of my confort zone. It was an amazing feeling to immerse ourselves with the Cambodian people."

"Their lifestyle is a lot different than ours," he said. "The way they learn, the way they operate is different than what we are used to back in the United States. It really gave me a much better appreciation of how people in a different country live."

Nguyen has never deployed but said working in a remote location with limited resources is similar to what he'd expect during a deployment. In addition to working with a foreign nation's army, he also enjoyed working with the Idaho Army National Guard for the first time.

"We are going to continue to exchange information with each other, not just with the Cambodians," Nguyen said.

As a team of subject-matter experts worked closely with their counterparts during the week, Col. Michael Garshak, the Idaho Army National Guard's chief of staff, met with the country's senior military officials as part of a senior leader visit.

"Every time we send Soldiers to Cambodia, they fall in love with the country," Garshak said. "I can see why. The Cambodians are appreciative and welcoming to us."

Idaho and Cambodia have participated in the State Partnership Program together since 2009. Each year, the Idaho National Guard makes roughly six to nine similar trips to Cambodia and provides approximately 40 Soldiers and Airmen the opportunity to participate.

Johnson said that the feelings between the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and the Idaho National Guard are mutual, which makes for a strong partnership between the two. Senior leaders from the Royal Armed Forces will visit Idaho later this month.

"While we may have only built bridges out of chopsticks, that exercise can be seen as a metaphor for the bigger picture of what we accomplished this week," said Maj. Lauren Tschampl, 124th Fighter Wing staff judge advocate. "We built a strong bridge between the Idaho National Guard and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces that will surely stand the test of time."

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NATO and partners exercise disaster response in Bosnia and Herzegovina

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

25 Sep. 2017

Disaster response personnel from 34 NATO and partner countries gathered in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Monday (25 September) for this year's exercise of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC).

The exercise was opened by NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, Mr. Sorin Ducaru, and the Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Dragan Mektic.

"This exercise will help improve international cooperation in countries ranging from Spain to Serbia, from Bulgaria to Belarus and from Croatia to Pakistan", said Mr. Ducaru. "It will give responders the opportunity to test state-of-the-art technologies in relief operations."

In the next five days, around 1200 participants from NATO and partner countries will test international cooperation and interoperability in disaster response, including water rescue and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) detection, protection and decontamination.

The exercise will provide the opportunity to test and employ projects supported by the NATO Science for Peace (SPS) Programme. These include a capacity building project in the field of emergency response in the Western Balkans, the "Next Generation Incident Command System," and a telemedicine system to increase medical support in disaster-affected areas by remotely engaging medical experts from assisting nations.

Several international organisations and NGOs will also be involved in the exercise, including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the European Union, the NGO Save the Children and the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"In short, this exercise will demonstrate the real value of NATO's network of partnerships", said Mr. Ducaru.

This is the 17th international field exercise organised by the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and the first one hosted by Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Colorado

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170925-13

Release Date: 9/25/2017 11:14:00 AM

From Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Colorado (SSN 788), the 15th submarine of the Virginia-class, Sept. 21.

The submarine's sponsor is Annie Mabus, daughter of the 75th Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

The ship began construction in 2012 and is scheduled to commission in spring 2018. This next-generation attack submarine provides the Navy with the capabilities required to maintain the nation's undersea superiority.

"Colorado's delivery brings another Block III Virginia-class submarine to the fleet within budget. The submarine's outstanding quality continues the Program's tradition of delivering combat ready submarines to the fleet," said Capt. Mike Stevens, Virginia-class submarine program manager. "The Colorado is the most capable Virginia-class submarine bringing advanced capabilities and technology to the Navy fleet."

Colorado is the fifth Virginia-class Block III submarine. Block III submarines feature a redesigned bow with enhanced payload capabilities, replacing 12 individual vertical launch tubes with two large-diameter Virginia Payload Tubes, each capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles. This, among other design changes, reduced the submarines' acquisition cost while maintaining their outstanding warfighting capabilities.

The submarine will be the fourth U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned with the name Colorado. The first Colorado was a three-masted steam screw frigate that participated in the Union Navy's Gulf Blockading Squadron that fought in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher with then-Lt. George Dewey serving as her executive officer.

In the early years of the 20th Century, the second Colorado (ACR-7) was a Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser that escorted convoys of men and supplies to England during World War I. The third ship of her name, the lead ship of the Colorado class of battleships (BB-45), supported operations in the Pacific theater throughout World War II, surviving two kamikaze attacks and earning seven battle stars.

Virginia-class submarines are built to operate in the world's littoral and deep waters while conducting anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface ship warfare; strike warfare; special operation forces support; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions. Their inherent stealth, endurance, mobility, and firepower directly enable them to support five of the six maritime strategy core capabilities - sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.

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Bonhomme Richard Arrives in Sasebo, Concludes Four Month Deployment

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170925-03

Release Date: 9/25/2017 8:47:00 AM

By MC2 Diana Quinlan, USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Public Affairs

SASEBO, Japan (NNS) -- The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) returned to Sasebo, Japan, after completing a four-month deployment in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR), Sept. 25.

While deployed to the South Pacific, Bonhomme Richard, with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), participated in the bilateral, biennial U.S.-Australia exercise Talisman Saber 2017, completed amphibious integration training (AIT), successfully certified during the 31st MEU's certification exercise (CERTEX) and completed an amphibious maritime warfare (AMW) evaluation.

Additionally, Bonhomme Richard conducted port visits to Australia's cities of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, during which many Sailors and Marines participated in community relations (COMREL) projects, including visits to children's hospitals and care centers for underprivileged and disabled members of the local communities. Alongside the multiple COMREL events, the crew also hosted several ship tours to allow Australian allies a look into life aboard a U.S. naval amphibious vessel.

"Our blue-green team worked extremely hard day-in and day-out during this deployment, executing a multitude of exercises and certifications while fulfilling their regular shipboard duties," said Capt. Larry McCullen, commanding officer of Bonhomme Richard. "Each Sailor and Marine helped strengthen a longstanding relationship with our allies through their hard work and positive community interactions. I am very proud of the dedication and perseverance they have shown throughout these four months, and it gives me great pleasure to bring them home safely - that is my number one priority."

Prior to returning to Sasebo, Bonhomme Richard completed the final 31st MEU offload in White Beach, Okinawa, marking the unit's farewell deployment aboard the ship, as Bonhomme Richard is scheduled to turn over duties in the 7th Fleet AOR with the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) in winter 2018.

"As this will be the last time we are in Sasebo for a significant period of time, let's do liberty right so you can enjoy your time, travel around Japan, and get ready for our homeport shift to San Diego," said McCullen during a shipboard Captain's Call with the crew.

As part of the all-hands, McCullen recognized several Sailors for their achievements throughout the deployment and for their commitment to the crew and mission.

"I was not expecting to be recognized," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Lakrisha Robinson, one of the nine Sailors who received a commanding officer's letter of appreciation. "I guess it just shows that when you do your job with pride, people are going to pick up on it and appreciate what you do."

While the crew was all together one last time before the end of the deployment, McCullen also disseminated information that would help the Sailors prepare for the transition from 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) to 3rd Fleet's naval forces.

"I know that it's tough being an FDNF Sailor, but the best things in life are those hard things that you go through and then when you look back on them, you're going to be very proud of your service in this Navy," said McCullen.

The Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (BHR ARG) consists of Bonhomme Richard, USS Green Bay (LPD 20) and USS Ashland (LSD 48). Bonhomme Richard, flagship of the BHR ARG, is forward-deployed to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to enhance partnerships and be a ready-response force for any type of contingency.

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Egypt court jails prominent opposition figure expected to run for president

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 06:59PM

In a likely bid to block his candidacy, an Egyptian court has handed down a jail term to a major opposition leader widely expected to challenge President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in next year's polls for offending public morals.

During his trial on Monday at the misdemeanor court of Cairo's Dokki neighborhood, Khaled Ali, who did not appear in the court, was sentenced to three months in prison and ordered to pay 1,000 Egyptian pounds (about $57) on bail for publicly making an indecent finger gesture.

The alleged offense took place back in January outside an Egyptian courthouse in the capital Cairo, where Ali and other attorneys had just won a major case against Sisi's government, obstructing its efforts to hand over the possession of the country's two strategic islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia.

Despite the ruling, the Egyptian president approved the transfer of the two islands to the Saudi regime, which finances Cairo with massive supplies of oil.

The Monday's verdict against the prominent opposition figure can be appealed but if it stands, it will prevent him from running for president.

This is while London-based rights group Amnesty International censured Ali's sentencing as a "politically-motivated" in a statement issued on Monday.

"Khaled Ali's politically-motivated conviction today is a clear signal that the Egyptian authorities are intent on eliminating any rival who could stand in the way of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's victory in next year's elections. It also illustrates the government's ruthless determination to crush dissent to consolidate its power," said Amnesty International's Head of North Africa Campaigns, Najia Bounaim.

The development came after an Egyptian court upheld earlier this month a life sentence issued to the country's former president Mohamed Morsi on charges of alleged espionage for the Persian Gulf kingdom of Qatar.

In the government's persisting crackdown on supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the court also upheld three death sentences handed down to the suspects in the case.

Morsi was convicted of espionage for Qatar in 2016 with prosecutors claiming that he had collaborated with secretaries and Muslim Brotherhood figures to leak classified documents to the government in Doha when he was in office. Morsi's chief of staff at the time, Ahmed Abdel-Ati, is also involved in the case. The two have denied the allegations.

Morsi served as Egypt's first democratically-elected president after the fall of former dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011. He was removed from office in a coup led by Sisi, who was the head of the armed forces at the time. Since Morsi's ouster, tens of thousands of Brotherhood members have been arrested and prosecuted while senior party leaders face death or life sentences.

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Indian troops kill four militants in disputed Kashmir

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 02:54PM

Indian soldiers have killed at least four militants during a two-day gun battle near the heavily militarized de-facto border in Kashmir, known as the Line of Control (LoC), which divides the Himalayan region between India and Pakistan.

A police statement said on Monday that three militants had been killed Sunday at three different locations.

"With killing of all the three terrorists who appear to be Pakistanis, a major terrorist attack was averted," read the statement.

Colonel Rajesh Kalia, an Indian army spokesman, said Monday that the fourth militant had been killed during the search operation of the region.

Sources said that four civilians and a soldier were also wounded during the shoot-outs.

Indian soldiers launched a massive search operation after they were tipped off on Saturday about the movement of armed men near the Line of Control.

Last month, three militants attacked a police base in the southern part of Kashmir valley, killing eight Indian soldiers. The attackers were also killed in the firefight.

The Muslim-majority region has witnessed an increase in mass protests and violent attacks since early July 2016, when Burhan Wani, a top figure in a pro-independence group, was killed in a shoot-out with Indian troops.

Over 100 people have lost their lives and more than 12,000 others injured in the ensuing crackdown.

Tensions are high in Kashmir, where the Muslim-majority population stages regular protests against Indian rule.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants and allowing them across the restive frontier in an attempt to launch attacks on Indian forces. Pakistan strongly denies the allegation.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both since the two partitioned and gained independence from Britain in 1947. The two countries have fought three wars over the disputed territory.

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Israel to construct 2,000 new settler units in occupied West Bank

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 02:44PM

Israeli officials are expected to advance plans for the construction of 2,000 new settler units in the occupied West Bank irrespective of the international outcry against the Israeli regime's land expropriation and settlement expansion policies in Palestinian territories.

An unnamed Israeli official told Israel's Hebrew-language Haaretz newspaper that the plans could be approved within the next week.

The official added that the plans would be advanced right after the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which ends on October 11, in case they failed to proceed next week.

Haaretz noted that one of the few plans expected to obtain the final approval was a plan for the construction of an additional 300 settler units in the Beit El settlement adjacent to the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January, the regime in Tel Aviv has stepped up its construction of settler units on occupied Palestinian land in a blatant violation of international law.

Less than a month before Trump took office, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2334, calling on Israel to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem" al-Quds.

About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed in 2014. Among the major sticking points in those negotiations was Israel's continued settlement expansion on Palestinian territories.

Trump backtracked on Washington's support for a "two-state solution" earlier this year, saying he would support any solution favored by both sides.

"Looking at two-state or one-state, I like the one that both parties like. I'm very happy with the one both parties like. I can live with either one," the US president said during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on February 15.

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Chinese vessels sail near disputed islands: Japan

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 05:28AM

Japan says Chinese coastguard ships have approached a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea, claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing, for the second time in less than a week.

Japan's coast guard said four Chinese vessels entered the waters surrounding the uninhabited islands  known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China  and were moving in the southwest direction on Monday morning.

The islets are controlled by Japan but are also claimed by China, which occasionally sends its coastguard vessels close to them.

China's State Oceanic Administration said in an online statement that the ships were "patrolling in Chinese waters off the Diaoyu Islands."

In a similar incident, four Chinese ships sailed near the islands on Thursday.

The islands, which lie about 220 kilometers northeast of Taiwan, are believed to be rich in natural resources. They were transferred by the United States to Japan's administrative control in 1971, triggering a territorial dispute with China, which claims the discovery and ownership of the islands since the 14th century.

Tokyo insists it had ownership of the islands from 1895 until its surrender at the end of World War II.

Japan says Beijing escalates regional tensions by regularly sending vessels near the island chain. It also accuses China of pushing to extend its military influence in the East China Sea and the western Pacific.

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Egyptian Saudi joint military exercise Faisal "11" wraps up in Egypt

Saudi Press Agency

Monday 1439/1/5 - 2017/09/25

Cairo, Muharram 05, 1439 H., September 25, 2017, SPA -- The Saudi Egyptian joint "Faisal 11" military maneuvers concluded in the Arab Republic of Egypt in the presence of the Commander of the Egyptian Air Force Lieutenant General Pilot Younis Al-Sayed Al-Masri and Commander of the Acting Saudi Royal Air Force Major General Pilot Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Otaibi and a number of officers.

The final exercises included shooting with live ammunition and a number of different aerial military tactics.

In a statement to announce the closing of the drill, the Saudi senior officer expressed pride of the stunning performance of all participants in the maneuvers, reflecting the professionalism and the strength of harmony in the performance of the tasks carried out by the two brotherly countries air forces.

-- SPA

16:47 LOCAL TIME 13:47 GMT

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At UN Assembly, Nicaragua underscores dialogue and negotiation as way to peace

25 September 2017  The Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the United Nations, Maria Rubiales de Chamorro, addressed the General Assembly's annual debate today, reflecting on the political will and action that must be undertaken to achieve a better and peaceful world.

"We must assume the commitment to continue fighting for peace, which is a global priority, of our peoples, and that the conflicts that arise in different regions of our planet can be overcome, through dialogue, through negotiation and, above all, free from the use or threat of use of force, which is what our peoples desire most, from the peoples of the great powers, to the peoples with small populations, small in development, but great, great in their values and in their history," she quoted the President.

Turning to UN reform, she pointed out that after 72 years, "our Organization has not been able to fully comply with the objectives set out in its Charter," saying that a "re-foundation" is urgently needed, including transformations of the Security Council to ensure that its composition and function reflects the geopolitical and economic realities.

Ms. Rubiales de Chamorro also underscored that ambitious actions are urgently needed to combat climate change. Concerned about the unprecedented record temperatures reached at the global level, she said "Developed countries must take the lead and change their unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and meet their financial commitments and technology transfers."

Noting that her country signed the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty, she underscored that verbal confrontation and threats of using nuclear weapons are unacceptable. "There is a need to advance in the commitment to eliminate nuclear arsenals in the world, until they disappear from our planet and utilize these enormous resources for the eradication of poverty," she stressed.

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Timor-Leste is vivid example of what UN can do in peacebuilding, Assembly debate told

25 September 2017  Timor-Leste, a country which the United Nations shepherded to independence from Indonesia 15 years ago, stands as a shining example of what the world Organization can achieve in establishing peace and stability, the country's president told the General Assembly today.

"The recent history of Timor-Leste vividly reminds us that when civil values, on which the very existence of the United Nations is built, take the lead  and inspire decisions  in the international scene, the UN and international law become powerful and decisive forces to settle conflicts and restore peace," Francisco Guterres Lu Olo said in a speech read by Delegation Chair Maria Helena Pires.

Actions by Portugal, Indonesia, Australia, and the United States, and the support of the European Union and other world powers, are "living proof of the United Nations' ability to save lives and help make the world a safe place," he stressed.

He highlighted his country's advances since independence in 2002 in peacebuilding and reconciliation at both national and international levels, sustainable development, health, education, and gender equality.

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Air Guard Assists With Receiving Area for Hurricane Relief Responders

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Chelsea Smith, 165th Airlift Wing

SAVANNAH AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ga., Sept. 25, 2017  Waves of first responders and their families shuffled through a 165th Airlift Wing reception center here over the weekend as part of Hurricane Maria relief processing and operations.

The wing's personnel support for contingency operations, or PERSCO, team staffed the 24-hour USO receiving area to provide relief for the relievers.

The area offered food, toiletries and assigned lodging for first responders arriving to and departing from the disaster area.

About 100 to 125 military, state and federal personnel circulated daily through receiving lines and ad-hoc lounge areas. They found spaces to decompress, recharge and prepare for future assignments. As of yesterday, half of the wing's 592 beds were filled.

"This is the first time a mass-scale reception area has been arranged at the wing," said Eva White, a wing lodging assistant. "We've been lucky to tap additional help from members of the 145th Airlift Wing, who were in Savannah initially to perform annual tour days but agreed to stand up and staff operations here."

PERSCO is composed of personnel and services staff from the 165th and 145th Airlift Wings, based in Georgia and South Carolina, respectively. They rotated on eight-hour shifts to handle incoming and outgoing people during the weeks-long effort. The center is scheduled to remain open until the wing discontinues hurricane relief operations, said Air Force Lt. Col. Sean Barnett, 145th Force Support Squadron commander.

"We've been drinking from a hose for the past couple of days," Barnett said. "We've received great support from members of the 165th Airlift Wing to help make this center flow as smoothly as possible."

More than 700 Air National Guard airmen are deployed to Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to support relief efforts. The Air Guard is working alongside state and federal partners to prepare equipment, supplies and airmen in support of various relief missions.

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DoD Continues Round-the-Clock Support Following Hurricanes in Caribbean

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2017  The federal government's priority is continuing to provide lifesaving and life-sustaining resources to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the wake of recent hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning told reporters today.

"The [Federal Emergency Management Agency] and its federal partners are in the lead and the Department of Defense is in support," Manning said, noting that about 2,600 DoD personnel are in the Caribbean.

"We continue to conduct 24-hour operations, aggressively conducting search and rescue operations, bringing additional essential commodities to the islands and restoring power at critical facilities with generators and the fuel needed to power them," he said.

Amphibious Ready Group

Among DoD efforts is the USS Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, which has conducted eight medical evacuations and 123 airlifts and delivered 22,200 pounds of relief supplies and cargo to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the spokesman said.

"Yesterday, they inserted Marine Corps and Navy teams in to Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, to conduct route reconnaissance, clearance of main roads and clearance of the airfield and associated taxiways," he added.

The ships also have deployed a disaster response team to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands to clean streets and distribute commodities, Manning said.

The USS Kearsarge Ambhibious Ready Group has inserted the Army's 602nd Area Support Medical Company and a Civil Authority Information Support Element to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, he noted, in addition to transporting supplies between St. Croix and St. Thomas.

"The U.S. Navy worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to reopen the port of San Juan, and [it] is open to support daylight operations," the colonel said.

U.S. Transportation Command is moving additional personnel and equipment, including eight UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to the San Juan International Airport in Puerto Rico to increase distribution capacity, he said.

Mobile Communications

DoD has also re-established the mobile communications tower to enhance air traffic control capability at St. Thomas International Airport, Manning said, and DoD's strategic airlift has delivered three FEMA urban search and rescue teams to Puerto Rico and meals and water to St. Croix, he added.

Additional urban search and rescue teams and key Department of Health and Human Services medical capabilities are scheduled to be delivered by DoD assets today, the colonel said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has conducted a preliminary inspection of the Guajataca Dam and is working closely with the Puerto Rico emergency managers as they continue to monitor and assess the dam, Manning said. Meanwhile, he noted, the National Guard continues route clearance, evacuation, improving communication and airlift support.

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Trump's New Travel Ban Targets Iran; Adds North Korea, Venezuela

September 25, 2017

President Donald Trump has issued new restrictions on people trying to enter the United States from eight nations -- adding North Korea and Venezuela to a list that also includes Iran -- to replace his expiring travel ban.

Trump signed a proclamation on September 24 implementing a range of restrictions that will apply to citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea, and Venezuela.

Limitations on citizens of Sudan were lifted while Iraqi citizens face enhanced scrutiny, or vetting, but will not be subject to travel prohibitions.

The new restrictions will go into effect on October 18, eight days after the court is due to hear oral arguments over the legality of Trump's previous ban.

"Making America Safe is my number one priority. We will not admit those into our country we cannot safely vet," Trump said a tweet.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif criticized Trump's order earlier on September 25, writing on Twitter: "Trump's fake empathy for Iranians rings ever more hollow, with his new and even more offensive travel ban against such outstanding citizens."

Zarif issued the statement from New York, where he has been attending sessions of the United Nations General Assembly.

The measures restricting travel to the United States include an indefinite ban on visas for citizens of countries like Syria.

A suspension of nonimmigrant visas for citizens of Venezuela will apply only to certain government officials and their immediate families.

Venezuela and North Korea are the only two non-Muslim majority nations on the list.

The previous ban, which sparked international outrage and legal challenges when enacted in March, expired on September 24.

The new policy may complicate the Supreme Court's review of the expired ban, which is scheduled for argument next month.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/usa-trump-travel -ban/28755142.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US Supreme Court Cancels Arguments on Travel Ban After New Policy

By VOA News September 25, 2017

The U.S. Supreme Court has canceled arguments on President Donald Trump's travel ban in light of a new order that was signed Sunday.

The announcement comes a day after Trump signed a revised travel ban order, implementing new restrictions for travelers to the United States from eight countries.

In an unsigned order, the court has asked both sides to weigh in by October 5th to decide what to do with the case. The court has been prepared to hear arguments about the legality of Trump's executive order, but the new revised version may call for a new case against it.

"What is going to happen in the Supreme Court now that the travel ban has changed?" asked Jeanne M. Atkinson, executive director of Catholic Legal Immigration at an immigration law and policy conference at Georgetown University Monday.

"I think if you stick around and listen today you are going to hear opinions going all different directions. It is a complex issue because of the changes in the travel ban  It's a new ban; it's going to have to be looked at on its own.

The new travel rules, which take effect on Oct. 18, affect citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

Refusal to share information

U.S. officials said these countries have refused to share information about terrorism and other issues with the United States.

The announcement late Sunday came as Trump's previous temporary ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority countries was expiring, 90 days after it went into effect. The earlier order had barred citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the U.S. unless they had a "credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."'

Reaction to the president's order from human-rights organizations and other groups that work with immigrants was swift, and largely negative.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said the latest version of the "Muslim ban" that Trump tried to introduce on taking office earlier this year was part of the administration's "ugly white supremacist agenda."

Trump said in the new proclamation: "As president, I must act to protect the security and interests of the United States and its people. The restrictions announced are tough and tailored, and they send a message to foreign governments that they must work with us to enhance security."

Sudan dropped from list

The new ban drops Sudan from the list but adds Chad, Venezuela and North Korea to the original six Muslim-majority countries.

"North Korea does not cooperate with the United States government in any respect and fails to satisfy all information-sharing requirements," the presidential declaration said.

Venezuela was cited for failing to cooperate "in verifying whether its citizens pose national security or public-safety threats." U.S. officials also said the Caracas government does not willingly receive Venezuelans deported by the United States.

Chad, a "valuable and important" counter-terrorism partner, failed to share terrorism-related and other public safety information, the proclamation said.

Reaction to new ban

Amnesty International lashed out at the new ban.

Since the last ban was "implemented 10 months ago, we have seen families torn apart and whole nations of people demonized for the crimes of a few," the human-rights group said in a statement Sunday. "The order was a catastrophe not just for those seeking safety but for those who simply want to travel, work or study in the United States. Today's action neither relieves this tension nor keeps anyone safe."

Trump last week called for a "tougher"' travel ban after a bomb partially exploded on a London subway.

"The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific  but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!" Trump wrote in a post on Twitter.

Aline Barros contributed to this report.

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Venezuelan Foreign Minister Dismisses US Travel Ban

By Margaret Besheer September 25, 2017

Venezuela's foreign minister has dismissed his country being added to the U.S. administration's travel ban and said President Donald Trump acted like the "world's emperor" at the United Nations General Assembly last week.

"As if he were the world's emperor, President Donald Trump used this rostrum built for peace to announce war, the total destruction of member states," Jorge Arreaza Montserrat told delegates at the annual U.N. gathering, which wrapped up Monday.

Last week, Trump warned North Korea from the same lectern that its current course could lead to its "total destruction."

"Today, we must report to the world that our people have been directly threatened by the president of the United States with the use of the most powerful military force that ever existed in the history of humanity," Arreaza said.

Reaction to Trump comments

Arreaza was referring to remarks President Trump made on August 11, saying he would not rule out a "military option" in Venezuela as the regime of Nicolas Maduro consolidates power.

The United States imposed sanctions that day on President Maduro and more than two dozen other former and current Venezuelan officials.

"Venezuela will always deal with the government of the United States with mutual respect," Arreaza said. "But as a free people, we are prepared to defend our sovereignty, our independence and our democracy under any scenario and in any way."

'New aggression'

At a news conference following his speech to delegates at the U.N., the foreign minister said the Trump administration's move to add Venezuela to its expanded travel ban was a "new aggression" and intended to play to public opinion in the U.S. against the Maduro government.

Arreaza reiterated that Venezuela is not against the idea of dialogue, saying his government is looking for channels to the U.S. administration.

"We have to stop the madness and the irrationality," he said.

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Ground Control to Major Bruce... or Sheila: Oz Finally Joins Global Space Race

Sputnik News

17:35 25.09.2017(updated 21:02 25.09.2017)

Australia is to establish its own national space agency to cash in on the US$330 billion aeronautical industry as well as harvest thousands of jobs, the government has announced.

Having been left behind in the race to space, the Australian government has now signaled it is to create its own space agency and attempt to capitalize on the growing sector with an announcement at the 68th International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, South Australia, on Monday, September 25.

Acting Minister of Industry, Innovation and Science, Michaelia Cash, said the sector was growing fast globally, and it was essential that Australia needed to be part of it. It estimates the global space industry is worth about US$330 billion.

"A national space agency will ensure we have a strategic long-term plan that supports the development and application of space technologies and grows our domestic space industry. The agency will be the anchor for our domestic coordination and the front door for our international engagement," Ms. Cash said.

Feedback from a review into the industry had overwhelmingly showed the need for a national space agency.

Reliance on the US

Astrophysicist Professor Alan Duffy said he hoped the announcement would be a boon for the number of Australian jobs in space, although no figure has been given at this stage as to how many it will eventually employ.

"We have longstanding ties with NASA, exploring space together and generating all of these jobs. And that's the key point of both the government's and Labor's plans, it is a jobs industry-first agency," Professor Duffy said.

"It's designed to create satellites and new uses for the images that come from those satellites, and I don't mean giant, bus-sized satellites of the '60s and '70s.

"Thanks to smart phones something the size of a toaster has the same capabilities as some of these historic launches. So we get to space cheaper and we can do more when we're there."

Until now, Australia has been largely reliant on overseas nations like the United States for its satellite and earth observation data.

At present Australia and Iceland are the only Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations without a space agency, according to the Space Industry Association of Australia.

 Sputnik

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China dispatches 2,609 policemen for UN peacekeeping missions, most among permanent members

People's Daily Online

By Sun Wenyu (People's Daily Online) 16:28, September 25, 2017

China has sent 2,609 policemen for United Nations peacekeeping missions so far, dispatching the largest number of peacekeeping personnel among the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

China sent its first peacekeeping force of 15 policemen on January 12, 2000, to East Timor, finishing the "debut" of its UN peacemaking mission.

Seventeen years later, China's peacekeeping forces have left their footprints in nine countries: Afghanistan, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Kosovo, Cyprus, Liberia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Haiti.

The security of a country relies on world security, and it is not supposed to be established on the insecurity of other countries. The comprehensive participation in international police affairs, joint promotion of global security governance, and cooperation to maintain world peace and stability have become an inevitable development of history.

All of the 300 members of China's standby police force of UN peacekeeping missions have been incorporated into the UN Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System, which means the force is ready to be deployed for overseas peacemaking missions at anytime.

Political instability, warfare, harsh climates, and medicine shortages are routine issues for peacekeeping troops. But these difficulties have never discouraged Chinese peacekeeping troops.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations of the UN, lauded Chinese peacekeeping troops after inspecting a drill of the force at the end of June. He believes that the Chinese force will do well and set an example for future missions.

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Chinese Soldiers Carry Out First Live-Fire Drills at New Djibouti Naval Base

Sputnik News

23:15 25.09.2017(updated 01:03 26.09.2017)

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA) fired live rounds of ammunition at its newly opened overseas military base in the Horn of Africa last Friday, the South China Morning Post reported Monday.

The Chinese base operated by the People's Liberation Army-Navy opened August 1 as the first foreign base under Beijing's command, Sputnik reported.

"The live-fire training will help explore a new training model for the overseas garrison," base commander Liang Yang said in a Chinese military report cited by SCMP. Humidity and high temperatures require the troops to adjust how they complete a variety of basic tasks, as well as how they use their weapons, SCMP said.

"This is the first time our soldiers stationed in Djibouti have left the camp to conduct combat training," Liang said.

The choice for troops to wear blue uniforms in the desert-like conditions, as depicted in photos published by the Hong Kong-based news outlet, shows there was not a major emphasis on keeping the live-fire drills clandestine.

The Chinese Defense Ministry pitched the base as a naval logistics hub and bastion for support of "naval escorts in Africa and southwest Asia," United Nations peacekeeping operations and general humanitarian aid. However, the troops' recent drills highlight that PLA forces intend to be able to "resist attacks from terrorists, pirates, local armed forces, or even foreign troops," analyst Li Jie told SCMP.

The US Navy's Camp Lemonnier sits on the southern edge of the Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport, while the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force operates a base a stone's throw from their US allies. The PLA-Navy's base is situated across the Gulf of Tadjoura in the small port city of Obock on Djibouti's northern coastline.

The former French colony also hosts a sizeable number of French Navy personnel within its borders. The French Foreign Legion built Camp Lemonnier before renting it to their US allies for use as a hub of counterterrorism operations following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US.

Shortly after the PLA-N officially opened its new base, the Chinese government-owned Procuratorial Daily accused Japanese tactical divers of approaching docked Chinese vessels.

 Sputnik

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DoD: U.S. Seeks Only Peaceful Denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2017  Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam and Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace over the waters east of North Korea, Sept. 23, Defense Department spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning said today.

In a show of force, Manning told Pentagon reporters, the aircraft flew north of the Demilitarized Zone, the farthest north any U.S. fighter or bomber has flown off North Korea's coast in the 21st century, underscoring the seriousness of North Korea's "reckless behavior."

He added, "The United States seeks only the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the end of threatening actions or provocations by North Korea. The Kim regime's actions will continue to be grossly overmatched by ours, and would lose any arms race or conflict that it initiates."

Commitment to Defense

This flight was in response to North Korea's escalatory launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles on July 3 and July 28, intermediate range ballistic missile launches over Japan on Aug. 28 and Sept. 14, and a nuclear test on Sept. 2, Manning said, all of which violate many U.N. Security Council resolutions.

North Korea must choose to stop isolating itself and stand down its nuclear weapons program, the colonel added.

"As always, our commitment is to the defense of our allies and our partners and remains ironclad," he said.

"We are prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from an attack," Manning said, "and are prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against the threat from North Korea."

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Pyongyang reserves right to shoot down US bombers, says North's foreign min.

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 05:21PM

Amid a war of words between Washington and Pyongyang, the North Koran foreign minister says his country reserves the right to take countermeasures against threats by the United States, including shooting down US strategic bombers.

Ri Yong-ho told reporters in New York on Monday that recent remarks by US President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly constituted a declaration of war against Pyongyang.

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country," Ri said, adding "Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country."

"In light of the declaration of war by Trump, all options will be on the operations table of the supreme leadership of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)," the minister said, stressing, "The question of who will be around much longer will be answered then."

The remarks come after in his first speech at the UN General Assembly, Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary.

Trump, who had formerly threatened Pyongyang with "fire and the fury like the world has never seen," renewed the threat at the UN, saying, "The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

He called North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, a "rocket man" who is "on a suicide mission."

Kim responded to Trump's UN remarks by saying that he "will consider with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history."

Speaking before the United Nations, Ri also said Pyongyang was ready for a preemptive nuclear attack against the US if needed.

"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN," Trump tweeted in response, adding, "If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

The renewed tensions come as there were military maneuvers held by US bombers over waters east of North Korea. The Pentagon said Saturday that its bombers from Guam and Okinawa, in Japan, had flown in international airspace over the waters in "a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat."

North Korea is under mounting international pressure over its missile and military nuclear programs and has been subjected to an array of sanctions by the United Nations. However, Pyongyang says it needs to continue and develop the programs as a deterrent against hostility by the US and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.

Russia and China have already warned that no military solution is available to the escalating crisis on the Korean Peninsula, saying the current standoff will only be resolved through dialogue.

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North Korea describes Trump's threat as 'declaration of war'

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 07:38AM

In an open letter to international leaders, a North Korean parliamentary committee has called for "sharp vigilance" with regards to the United States, saying recent remarks by US President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) constituted a declaration of war against Pyongyang.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's Parliament, released the letter on Sunday, condemning Trump's "ignorant" threats made during his UN speech, the official KCNA reported on Monday.

In his first speech at the UNGA, Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary.

The letter described Trump's comments as an "intolerable insult to the Korean people, a declaration of war against North Korea and grave threats to the global peace."

"If Trump thinks that he would bring North Korea, a nuclear power, to its knees through nuclear war threat, it is a big miscalculation and ignorance," read the letter.

The letter said that, "From the first day of his office, Trump has conducted high-handed and arbitrary practices, scrapping international laws and agreements," giving priority to the US's own interests "at the expense of the whole world."

Trump, who had formerly threatened Pyongyang with "fire and the fury like the world has never seen," renewed the threat at the UNGA, saying, "The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

He called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a "rocket man" who is "on a suicide mission."

In making that specific remark, Trump reportedly ignored some of his top aides, who had warned him that making personal attacks on the North Korean leader would backfire and destroy any chances of starting talks with Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Kim responded to Trump's UN remarks by saying that he "will consider with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history."

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho also said that Pyongyang was considering a powerful nuclear weapon test in the Pacific Ocean in response to Trump's threats.

Speaking before the United Nations, Ri later said Pyongyang was ready for a preemptive nuclear attack if needed.

Then on Saturday, Trump tweeted, "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

There were also military maneuvers held by US bombers over waters east of North Korea. The Pentagon said Saturday that its bombers from Guam and Okinawa, in Japan, had flown in international airspace over the waters in "a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat."

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Lavrov Believes North Korea's Nukes Will Deter U.S. From Striking Pyongyang

RFE/RL September 25, 2017

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he thinks the United States will not strike North Korea because it knows Pyongyang possesses nuclear weapons.

"The Americans won't carry out a strike on [North] Korea because it's not that they suspect, they know for sure that it has nuclear bombs," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia's NTV television that aired on September 24.

"I'm not defending North Korea, I'm just saying that almost everyone agrees with such an analysis," he added.

Tensions have been on the rise recently over North Korea's nuclear tests.

Earlier this month, North Korea carried out an underground test on a hydrogen bomb estimated to be 16 times the size of the bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

In response, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighter jets flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea on September 23. The flight was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea that any U.S. fighter jet or bomber has flown in the 21st century.

"Regarding this issue, President [Vladimir] Putin has repeatedly said it was impossible to imagine that the U.S., or someone else, has 100 percent information on all of the [nuclear] weapons" North Korea may have, Lavrov said.

In his first address to the UN General Assembly on September 19, U.S. President Donald Trump called leader Kim Jong Un a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission," while North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the same venue that Trump is a "mentally deranged person full of megalomania," who poses "the gravest threat to international peace and security today."

Lavrov, who in a speech to the United Nations on September 22 characterized the rhetoric as "a kindergarten fight between children," said that if the United States hasn't considered the North actually possessing nuclear weapons, "the situation could spiral out of control, so that thousands, dozens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of innocent people will suffer in South Korea, as well as in the North, certainly in Japan, with Russia and China nearby too."

Russia's top diplomat urged "suggestion and persuasion" to resolve the situation.

With reporting by NTV, AFP, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-usa-northkorea -nuclear/28755151.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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The United States Has Not 'Declared War' on North Korea - State Department

Sputnik News

21:37 25.09.2017

US Department of State East Asia and Pacific Affairs Bureau spokesperson Katina Adams has commented on the remarks by the North Korean foreign ministers, who said that Pyongyang is at war with Washington and has the right to shoot down US strategic bombers outside its airspace.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The United States has not declared war on North Korea, US Department of State East Asia and Pacific Affairs Bureau spokesperson Katina Adams told Sputnik on Monday.

Going further, she stressed that no country is allowed to fire on another nations' aircraft or ships if they are in international space or waters.

"We continue to seek a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Adams said.

The statement comes a few hours after North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Monday the DPRK has every right to "take countermeasures against the United States, including shooting down American strategic bombers outside the DPRK's airspace, as Donald Trump declared war" on the Asian country.

The tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have been escalating recently over Pyongyang's nuclear test. North Korea has been continuously performing missile launches and nuclear tests, all conducted in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The most recent test was made on September 15, when North Korea launched a ballistic missile, which flew over Japan before falling into the northern Pacific some 20 minutes after the launch.

 Sputnik

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US Declared War, Pyongyang Has Every Right to Take Actions - North Korean FM

Sputnik News

17:58 25.09.2017(updated 23:18 25.09.2017)

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Monday the DPRK has every right to "take countermeasures against the United States, including shooting down American strategic bombers outside the DPRK's airspace, as Donald Trump declared war" on the Asian country.

Ri stressed that the the "declaration of war" means that all options will be on the table for the North Korean leadership.

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our country," Ri said to reporters in New York as quoted by Reuters.

He went on by stating that Trump declared war on North Korea by claiming the DPRK's "leadership would not be around much longer." Trump made the aforementioned comment in response to Ri Yong's UN General Assembly speech.

Delivering a speech at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Ri stressed that North Korea would inevitably target the US mainland with missiles as Trump called Pyongyang's leader a "rocket man" on a suicide mission.

The development comes as US bombers flew in the international airspace off the North Korean eastern coast. Chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the move was made to showcase US military options available to Donald Trump.

The tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have been escalating recently over Pyongyang's nuclear test. North Korea has been continuously performing missile launches and nuclear tests, all conducted in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The most recent test was made on September 15, when North Korea launched a ballistic missile, which flew over Japan before falling into the northern Pacific some 20 minutes after the launch.

 Sputnik

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North Korea Claims US Has Declared War

By Margaret Besheer September 25, 2017

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Monday the United States has declared war on his country and Pyongyang would take counter-actions if threatened, including shooting down American war planes in the region.

Ri directly linked U.S. President Donald Trump's comments Saturday night on social media platform Twitter to the threat.

In a tweet late Saturday responding to Ri's United Nations General Assembly speech earlier in the day, Trump wrote: "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"

On Monday, North Korea's foreign minister responded:

"Given the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war," Ri told reporters outside his New York hotel. "All the member states participating in the United Nations and the whole world should clearly remember that it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country."

The North Korean foreign minister added, "we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers, even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country," he warned.

US responds

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said "We've not declared war on North Korea," adding that the suggestion is "absurd."

At the Pentagon, spokesman Army Colonel Robert Manning told reporters, "If North Korea does not stop their provocative actions, we (the military) will make sure that we provide options to the president to deal with North Korea. We have the right to fly, sail and operate where legally permissible around the globe."

On Saturday, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam escorted by F-16 fighter jets from a U.S. base in Japan flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.

Manning said the show of force, meant to display some of the military options available to President Trump, was "the farthest north of the demilitarized zone any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea's coast in the 21st century."

"We are postured. We are ready to fight tonight," the Pentagon spokesman noted, while declining to discuss any possible troop movements to the region in light of escalating tensions.

'Rocket Man'

Rhetoric between North Korean leaders and Trump has escalated in the past week, both during and on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Describing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "Rocket Man" on a suicide mission, Trump used his maiden address to the UNGA last Tuesday to warn the Pyongyang regime that its current course could lead to "total destruction."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called Trump a "dotard" expressing "mentally deranged behavior."

Ri threatened Saturday his country could conduct an atmospheric hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis responded Monday that if North Korea carried out its threat, "This would be a shocking display of irresponsibility toward global health, toward stability, toward non-proliferation,"

William Gallo and Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb contributed to this report

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'North Korea boosts defenses' amid tensions with US

Iran Press TV

Tue Sep 26, 2017 06:26AM

A South Korean report says North Korea has been reinforcing defenses on its east coast, amid a rising risk of a military confrontation with the United States.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said in a report on Tuesday that Pyongyang had been moving aircraft to its east coast and taking other measures to boost its defenses.

Tensions have recently significantly risen between North Korea and the US. The latter flew bombers over waters east of North Korea on Saturday, and Pyongyang said afterwards that it had every right to shoot down those planes.

North Korea has said that recent remarks by US President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly constituted a declaration of war against Pyongyang.

"Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country," North Korea 's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said on Monday.

In his first speech at the UN General Assembly on September 19, Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary.

Washington is opposed to North Korea's advancing missile and military nuclear programs. Pyongyang says it needs those programs as a deterrent against hostility by the US and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.

The unverified report by Yonhap further claimed that Washington appeared to have revealed the flight route of the bombers on purpose.

North Korea has not commented on the report. Neither has South Korea's National Intelligence Service.

War on Korean Peninsula would have no winner: China

Meanwhile, China on Tuesday warned that there would be no winner in a potential war on the Korean Peninsula.

During a daily news briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang expressed hope that American and North Korean statesmen could realize that resorting to a military solution would never be a viable way out of the tensions.

Lu also expressed China's displeasure at the escalation of the war of words between the US and North Korea.

Russia: Conflict on Korean Peninsula "catastrophic"

Also on Tuesday, a senior Russian diplomat said a conflict on the Korean Peninsula would have "catastrophic consequences."

Mikhail Ulyanov also said that Moscow was working "behind the scenes" to find a political solution to the North Korea crisis.

Ulyanov, who is the head of the non-proliferation and arms controls department at Russia's Foreign Ministry, said Washington's approach toward North Korea was at a deadend, adding the tool of sanctions against Pyongyang had almost been exhausted.

US says diplomatic resolution attempts continue

Separately, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday that Washington sought to solve the crisis "diplomatically."

"We continue to maintain the diplomatically-led efforts in the United Nations," Mattis told reporters during a visit to India on Tuesday.

He said that pressure on North Korea had increased following a United Nations sanctions resolution.

"You have seen unanimous UN Security Council resolutions passed that have increased the pressure... on the North, and at the same time, we maintain the capability to deter North Korea's most dangerous threats," he said.

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Merkel Hangs On For Fourth Term But Far-Right Has Historic Night

September 25, 2017

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative alliance has won a fourth term in power, election exit polls suggest, but will face a more volatile parliament after the far-right made historic gains.

Merkel's bloc of the Christian Democratic Party and the Bavarian-only Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) won between 32.5 percent and 33.5 percent of the vote in the September 24 national elections, according to polls conducted for public television channels ARD and ZDF.

If confirmed, the numbers are the worst result for the CDU/CSU alliance under Merkel's 12-year leadership.

The polls indicated that the bloc's outgoing coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD) led by Martin Schulz, garnered between 20 percent and 21 percent support -- a post-World War II low.

They also suggested that the far-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as Germany's third-strongest party with 13 percent to 13.5 percent support.

The rise of the AfD comes after shock election results last year, from Britain's vote to leave the European Union to the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, where nationalist and anti-immigrant parties made major gains.

Europe's establishment had hoped Merkel would restore liberal order but the results could force her to rein in plans to re-shape Europe together with France's Emmanuel Macron.

"Of course we had hoped for a slightly better result," Merkel said after her conservative bloc slumped in the polls from 41.5 percent at the last election in 2013.

But the pastor's daughter who grew up in communist East Germany was quick to add: "We are the strongest party, we have the mandate to build the next government -- and there cannot be a coalition government built against us."

AfD's performance means that the anti-immigrant party is on track to have a seat at the Bundestag for the first time ever.

It would also be the first time in 60 years that a far-right party would win representation in the chamber, but all other German parties have ruled out working with the AfD.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the party's headquarters in Berlin to protest AfD's entry into parliament. Similar protests were held in other cities, including Cologne and Frankfurt.

With a fractured parliament of six parties, the process of forming a coalition government could take months.

Addressing her supporters, she said that she would listen to the "anxieties" of voters of the AfD in order to win them back.

Schulz said the SPD would go into opposition, putting an end to the current coalition with Merkel's alliance.

"It's a difficult and bitter day for social democrats in Germany," Schulz told supporters. "We haven't reached our objective."

The AfD has grown in popularity in the midst of an influx of around 1 million mostly Muslim migrants and refugees.

The Greens, the Free Democratic Party, and the Left Party were also poised to pass the 5-percent hurdle to enter the Bundestag.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and the BBC

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/germany -merkel-election-fouth- term-afd/28755148.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Indian Army to Get Light Tanks Suitable for Quick Deployment at China Border

Sputnik News

16:46 25.09.2017

If imports are chosen over indigenous production for an immediate requirement, Russia's 2S25M Sprut-SDM could be India's first choice for light tanks as they have similar qualities as that of Indian Army's main battle tanks T-90MS.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  India's Ministry of Defense has initiated the process of acquiring light battle tanks which can be easily air-lifted to the mountainous ranges near the border with China. The Indian Army has been asked to formulate requirements for a light tank weighing up to 25 ton.

This development can be viewed in the light of the recent trial of 35-ton Xinqingtan light tank by China in the Tibetan Plateau. It is also an addition to the preparation being made by the Indian Army for acquiring fourth-generation warfare capability.

"There are two problems for transportation and operation of tanks on the China border. Firstly the road classification, that is load bearing capacity of the road infrastructure, is poor thus preventing deployment of heavier tanks (T-72, Arjun and T-90); secondly, the space available for exploitation is also limited to certain pockets," Rahul Bhonsle, a retired brigadier, and Delhi-based defense analyst told to Sputnik.

During the 73-day Doklam stand-off with India where more than 12000 PLA troops, 150 tanks, and artillery guns were reportedly involved, Beijing had displayed its capability to move tanks quickly near the Indian border. This has forced Indian military to revive its eight-year-old plan which was shelved in 2009 after detailed deliberation on technical requirement. The proposed light tanks will be capable of operating at heights of more than 3000 meters of Himalayan terrain, according to an official of Indian defense ministry.

"A light tank preferably should be 20-25 tons but also have the necessary armored protection and firepower capability to be of operational utility," Bhonsle explained.

India's state-owned Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) had been developing a light tank. If the project is taken forward, India would be manufacturing light tanks based on the indigenous technology. However, if the Indian Army sends in an urgent request, such tanks are likely to be purchased from Russia as India has already exhibited interest in Russia's 2S25M Sprut-SDM that is based on a chassis using the technology of BMD-4M and has fire control elements of the T-90MS main battle tank.

 Sputnik

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Mattis May Return to US Without Any Big-Bucks Orders from India

Sputnik News

16:00 25.09.2017

The US has offered to sell 22 Guardian reconnaissance drones to India but India is considering other options as its Navy is more interested in lethal UAVs. Experts have also warned that it would be futile for India to manufacture F-16 with the US.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  The visit of US defense secretary James Mattis to India has lost steam even before his arrival as it is highly unlikely that the two sides will make any significant announcement on defense deals.

Sources in India's Ministry of Defense told Sputnik that differences persist between the two sides on the proposed deal for the US-manufactured MQ-9B Guardian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and F-16 fighter jet.

"In June this year, the US State Department approved the sale of twenty-two Sea Guardian Unmanned Aerial System drones to India but it is non-lethal version. The proposal is not as per the expectation from the Indian side. The two sides are still trying to reconcile the differences," source said.

Indian Navy is in dire need of high-altitude, long-endurance drones which can be used for surveillance as well as in precision strike in Indian Ocean Region. However, the 22 UAVs offered by the US are non-lethal in nature which can fly non-stop for over 27 hours for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Therefore, the Indian Navy is now reportedly weighing an option on High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) from Israel, which India is quite familiar with. Israel is already supplying 10 Heron TP to India.

Meanwhile, US firm Lockheed Martin has shown its keenness to set up a production line in India for F-16 Block 70 combat aircraft along with its assembly line under the aegis of the bilateral Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), in case India commits purchase of single-engine fighter jet.

However, defense experts say that the F-16 is obsolete and has exhausted its potential for further development.

"Upgraded avionics cannot make the F-16 fly and maneuver better than the version of the aircraft with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), which alas is its other negative. PAF long ago passed on an F-16 to China for its aircraft designers to study and to reverse engineer many of its technologies. So this plane is an open book for India's two adversaries  bad situation for any "frontline" IAF aircraft to be in," Prof Bharat Karnad, a former member of India's National Security Council and security analyst, says in his blog.

Nevertheless, India's defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman, 19 days old in her current portfolio, expects some positive from the meeting. "Welcoming Hon'ble Defense Secretary of the USA, Gen James Mattis to India. Hope our engagement will strengthen strategic & defense cooperation between our two great democracies," Sitharaman said before Mattis' meeting with her and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

 Sputnik

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Iranian fighter jets fly across Iran's western airspace

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 25 September 2017 / 13:41

Tehran (ISNA)  Iranian fighter jets flew across the country's western airspace as part of a military drill to show their strong presence.

The Air Force's warplanes took part in a large-scale military drill along the country's western frontiers on Sunday evening.

During the military drill, codenamed Heidar-e-Karrar, the Air Force's jets flew over vast areas of western borderlands to provide logistical support for the Army Ground Force's rapid reaction units.

Various Army units have taken part in the drill, including the armored units, airborne division, drone squad, and the Ground Force's rapid reaction forces.

Military officials also carried out an evaluation of the Air Force's offensive power and the coordination among the Ground Force's airborne division, the Air Force, and the Ground Force at an operational zone near the city of Qasr-e Shirin, the western province of Kermanshah.

Heidar-e-Karrar war game kicked off on Sunday morning along Iran's western border areas in order to assess the Army's mobility readiness and offensive capabilities.

The maneuver is scheduled to be run for a week in the specified region.

End Item

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Iranian jets fly over western borders as drills continue

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 11:00AM

Iran's fighter jets have carried out numerous sorties over the country's western borders as part of joint military drills by the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) which continued for the second day on Monday.

Combat aircraft of the Army conducted surveillance and aerial maneuvers as they exercised providing cover for rapid reaction units on the ground, the Fars news agency reported.

The Army is holding its Heydar Karrar drills simultaneously with IRGC's Moharram exercises, in which special forces of Iran's ground, airborne and air forces are assessing their capabilities to coordinate operations.

The exercises feature aerial and electronic warfare and testing of drone, armored, rapid reaction, infantry and artillery divisions. The drills are meant to evaluate these divisions' combat readiness, coordination and response to possible threats.

The exercises are part of annual events to mark the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's invasion of Iran in 1980 which led to an eight-year war.

The IRGC's maneuvers, centered in the Oshnavieh border region, include artillery, armored and airborne units.

The country's northwest has repeatedly witnessed inroads by terrorist and anti-revolutionary elements and hence constitutes a focus of the IRGC's counter-terrorism operations. Clashes with PJAK militant groups based in Iraq are a frequent occurrence in the border area.

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Kirkuk governor declares overnight curfew after Kurdish independence vote

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 06:43PM

The head of police department in Iraq's northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk says the governor has imposed a curfew following the closing of polls in a controversial referendum on the independence of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region from the central government in Baghdad.

Brigadier Sarhad Qader said the security measure was adopted on Monday night to "protect the civilians and the communities" in the multi-ethnic city, located 230 kilometers (143 miles) north of Baghdad.

Qader says the curfew will be lifted at 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT).

On August 29, 22 of the 24 councilors present in the 41-member Kirkuk council voted in favor of holding the Kurdish independence referendum.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi described the vote by Kirkuk provincial council as a wrong move, adding that the planned referendum was illegal and worthless.

Iraqi government spokesman, Saad al-Hadithi, also lambasted the vote as "illegal and unconstitutional."

On September 14, the Iraqi parliament voted on the dismissal of 68-year-old Najmiddin Karim as the governor of Kirkuk province.

The provincial council, in return, condemned the decision; with its head Ribwar al-Talabani claiming only the council had the power to remove Karim.

Kurdish independence referendum turnout at 76 percent

Meanwhile, Iraq's Kurdish-language Rudaw television network, which is affiliated to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Massoud Barzani, reported that turnout in the Kurdish vote stood at 76 percent at 5:00 p.m. local time (1400 GMT)  one hour before polling stations closed.

Polling stations opened their doors at 8:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT), and closed at 6:00 p.m. (1500 GMT). The final results would be announced within 72 hours.

On Sunday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said the Damascus government doesn't recognize the Kurdish referendum, denouncing any measure that could break up neighboring Iraq.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened a military intervention in Iraq in response to the Kurdish vote.

"Our military is not (at the border) for nothing. We could arrive suddenly one night," Erdogan said.

The Turkish president said his country would take political, economic as well as military measures against KRG's steps toward independence from Baghdad government.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi told reporters on Monday that the Kurdish independence vote could "lead to developments and happenings that could affect all people of the region and especially Kurdish people."

Qasemi reiterated that Iran supports the "territorial integrity and democratic process" in Iraq.

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Iraq starts major military drills with Turkey along common border

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 04:50PM

Iraqi army has commenced major military drills with Turkish military along the common border after a highly controversial referendum on independence was held in the Arab country's Kurdish region in open defiance of the central government in Baghdad.

Iraq's Defense Ministry said in a statement carried by the Arabic-language al-Sumeria television news agency on Monday that "Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanmi, the army's chief of staff, announced the start of large-scale Iraqi-Turkish military exercises along the common border between the two countries."

The development came hours after Iraqi legislators demanded deployment of army troops to areas disputed with Kurds amid growing tensions between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), led by Massoud Barzani, over a non-binding referendum on the secession of the Kurdish region from Iraq.

Earlier in the day, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced that Iraqi army would take part in an Iraqi-Turkish military exercise along the common border.

The provocative vote, which was announced by the KRG earlier in the year, was held in the region much to the consternation of the international community, particularly the regional countries, that warned it could most likely throw the already violence-weary country into more trouble.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that Ankara would seal the border with the Iraqi Kurdistan over the contentious plebiscite.

The Turkish leader did not rule out the military intervention in Iraq's Kurdish region to counter the creation of a Kurdish state on its southeastern border, hinting that the would-be state could be a safe haven for Kurdish militants who fight against Ankara.

Turkey, among others, has strongly opposed the referendum from the beginning and has already warned that the disintegration of Iraq has the potential to turn into a major conflict.

Iran, for its part, has announced that it is opposed to the "unilateral" scheme for the independence of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, underlining the importance of maintaining the integrity and stability of Iraq and insisting that the Kurdistan region is part of the majority Arab country.

On Sunday, Iran also closed its airspace to all flights to and from the Kurdish region at the request of the Iraqi government.

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Iran, Russia presidents voice support for territorial integrity of Iraq

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 02:00PM

The presidents of Iran and Russia have expressed their support for Iraq's territorial integrity and national unity amid a highly controversial referendum on independence of the country's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, held a telephone conversation on Monday to discuss the latest developments pertaining to mutual relations and regional issues.

"[Improving] regional security and safeguarding Iraq's territorial integrity and national unity are very important and vital for the Islamic Republic of Iran," Rouhani said, adding that coordination and cooperation among regional countries could play a prominent role in this regard.

Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region kicked off an independence referendum on Monday in the face of strong objections from the central government in Baghdad and urgent calls from the international community to scrap the vote.

The voting stations are dotted across the three provinces of Erbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk that form the Iraqi Kurdistan Region as well as in the disputed bordering zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

Initial results are expected to be announced 24 hours after the vote. The non-binding vote on the secession of the semi-autonomous region has irked the central government.

The Iranian president held separate phone calls with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Sunday to discuss the independence vote.

Elsewhere in his conversation with the Russian president, Rouhani welcomed the development of Tehran-Moscow relations in all fields.

He added that presidents of Iran, Russia and the Republic of Azerbaijan would hold a meeting in Tehran in the near future to discuss issues of common interest.

"We attach significance to trilateral relations among Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan," the Iranian chief executive pointed out.

Rouhani also stated that Iran and Russia had a common stance on the crisis in Syria, adding, "[Protecting] the territorial integrity [of countries] in the region and [preventing] any change to borders are very important to the Islamic Republic of Iran and we are completely ready to continue cooperation for [holding] the next round of [Syria peace] talks in Astana."

Representatives from the Syrian government and foreign-sponsored armed opposition held the sixth round of peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana in September in a bid to resolve the Syrian conflict.

The negotiations were supervised by Iran, Russia and Turkey as the mediators of the talks.

Russia and Iran are the main international backers of the Syrian government in its battle against foreign-backed terrorists.

At Damascus' request, Iran has been providing military advisory support to the Syrian army in its counterterrorism operations.

Russia has been also carrying out an aerial campaign in Syria in coordination with Damascus since September 2015 to further boost the Syrian military's anti-terror fight.

Russia backs Iraq's territorial integrity: Putin

The Russian president, for his part, reiterated his country's support for the central government in Baghdad and Iraq's territorial integrity, IRNA reported.

Putin also indicated Moscow's resolve to boost all-out relations with Iran, saying that the speedy implementation of development projects currently underway between the two countries would help promote ties.

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Iraqi parliament demands troops be deployed to areas disputed with Kurds

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:46PM

Iraqi lawmakers have demanded deployment of government troops to areas disputed with Kurds amid rising tensions between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government over a controversial independence referendum.

Hakim Abbas Mousa Abbas al-Zamili, a legislator from the Sadrist Movement, said on Monday that the parliament had approved several tough measures in response to the contentious Kurdish independence vote.

He added that in line with these measures, Baghdad would have to act to "protect Iraq's unity and to deploy troops in all [disputed] areas."

Zamili further stated that the measures also called for the closure of all border crossings with the Kurdish region.

The Iraqi parliament considers the Kurdish independence referendum as "unconstitutional" and has called for punitive measures against all Kurdish officials and civil servants involved in it, the Iraqi lawmaker pointed out.

Kurdish referendum "declaration of war on Iraq's unity"

In a related development, Iraq's Vice President Nouri al-Maliki has called for a referendum on the unity of the entire Iraq, stressing that the Israeli-backed plot to partition Iraq had failed.

"All confirm the unconstitutionality of the referendum [for independence of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region], because it is clearly aimed at [undermining] the unity of Iraq. This vote would have serious repercussions for the future of Iraq in general and Kurdish region in particular," Maliki said in the capital Baghdad on Monday.

The Iraqi vice president also called on the central government in Baghdad to take legal actions against all those who support the Kurdish separation vote, stating that the policies adopted by Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, were meant to tear Iraq apart.

"The positions of Iraq's neighboring countries have been firm and clear concerning this illegal action," Maliki said, urging those countries "to boycott the Kurdistan region politically and economically and stop security cooperation with it."

Maliki had already denounced the Kurdish independence referendum in a meeting with US Ambassador to Iraq, Douglas Silliman, on September 17, warning that Baghdad would not tolerate the establishment of "a second Israel,"

Washington has already expressed its opposition to the referendum, arguing that it would weaken the Arab-Kurdish joint military operations that have managed to make Daesh Takfiri terrorist group retreat in both Iraq and neighboring Syria.

The White House has also warned that holding the vote in "disputed areas" would be "provocative and destabilizing," urging leaders of the Kurdistan region to call off the referendum and begin serious and sustained negotiations with Baghdad.

On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Baghdad would not allow the creation of an "ethnic government" in the Arab country.

Abadi also vowed that the Iraqi leaders would not allow the Arab country to return to "dark times" of the past, promising that he would also take the "necessary measures" to protect the unity of Iraq.

Also on Sunday, Iraq's central government called on the world countries not to purchase oil from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

According to a statement released by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office, the government also asked the Kurdish region to hand over control of international border posts and its international airports.

Abadi orders police to protect "citizens being coerced"

In a relevant development, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered members of Iraq's Federal Police Force "to protect citizens being threatened and coerced" in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

The development came after Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said on Sunday that the Damascus government did not recognize the Kurdish referendum, denouncing any measure that could break up neighboring Iraq.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened a military intervention in Iraq in response to the Kurdish vote.

"Our military is not (at the border) for nothing. We could arrive suddenly one night," Erdogan said.

The Turkish president added that his country would take political, economic as well as military measures against KRG's independence from Baghdad government.

"Let's see where and through which channels they will sell their oil. We have the valve. The moment we shut the valve, that's the end of it," he said.

Earlier on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi, had told reporters that the Kurdish independence vote could "lead to developments and happenings that could affect all people of the region and especially Kurdish people."

Qasemi reiterated that Iran supported the "territorial integrity and democratic process" in Iraq.

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Iraqi Kurdistan holds referendum in defiance of intl. community

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 25, 2017 05:50AM

Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region is holding an independence referendum in the face of strong objections from the central government in Baghdad and in defiance of urgent calls from the international community to scrap the vote.

A total of 12,072 polling stations have opened at 8:00 local time (0500 GMT) Monday where more than 5.3 million are eligible to vote. Polls will remain open for 12 hours.

The stations are dotted across the three provinces of Erbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk that form the Iraqi Kurdistan Region as well as in disputed bordering zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

Initial results are expected to be announced 24 hours after the vote.

The non-binding vote on the secession of the semi-autonomous region has irked the central government.

Baghdad on Sunday urged the world countries not to purchase oil from Kurdistan Region in response to the referendum hours after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed to take "necessary measures" to protect the unity of Iraq.

His remarks came after President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani urged "all Kurds" to go to the polls, saying his people's partnership with the central government in Baghdad had failed.

Protests against Kurdistan referendum

As the voting got underway in Kurdish-populated regions, Iraqis elsewhere took to the streets in protest, saying the referendum aimed to divide their country.

Hundreds of people protested in Al Khalis city of Diyala province, urging the central government to immediately intervene to stop the referendum.

According to Iraq's al-Sumaria news website, two towns in Diyala have not participated in the referendum.

A local source said Sadiyah, a disputed territory claimed by both Baghdad and the Kurdistan region, had announced that it would not hold the vote. The town of Mandali, 90 km east of Baqubah, also refused to organize the plebiscite after a ruling by its city council.

Iraqis also demonstrated against the referendum in Alqosh, stressing that it will remain an Iraqi town.

Neighboring countries have voiced their opposition to the Kurdish referendum plan.

Iran has denounced the "unilateral" scheme for independence, underlining the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity and stability of Iraq and insisting that the Kurdistan Region is part of the majority Arab country.

Also on Sunday, Iran closed its airspace to all flights to and from the Kurdish region at the request of the Iraqi government.

Turkey has also opposed the referendum and warned that the disintegration of Iraq has the potential to turn into a major global conflict.

The Kurdistan Region's referendum plan has also drawn large-scale criticism internationally.

Earlier this month, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged Iraqi Kurdish leaders to scrap the vote which he said would undermine the ongoing battle in the Arab country against Daesh.

On September 13, the Arab League rejected the plebiscite as an illegal measure that would pose further threats to security in the already volatile Middle East.

The European Union also cautioned political parties in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region against holding the independence referendum.

The US, which has deployed a contingent of military forces to a base in the Kurdistan Region, has also opposed the referendum.

However, many observers view the vote in line with a long-pursued Israeli-US agenda to partition regional states.

The Israeli regime has openly come out in support of the referendum, saying it endorses an independent Kurdish state.

Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki has reacted by saying that Baghdad will not tolerate the establishment of "a second Israel."

Ankara not recognizing Kurdistan referendum

As voting started, Turkey said it does not recognize the referendum and will view its results as null and void.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it would take "all measures" if the plebiscite generated threats to Turkey's national security.

"We stress again that we will take all measures arising from international law and the Turkish parliament's authority in the face of every kind of threat to our national security in Iraq generally," it said.

The statement stressed that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was threatening peace and stability in Iraq and the whole region.

The ministry also advised Turkish citizens in the three Iraqi Kurdish provinces to leave as soon as possible if they are not obliged to stay.

Turkey's Customs Minister Bulent Tufenkci said tight controls have been imposed on traffic at Habur border gate with northern Iraq.

Earlier, the NTV broadcaster said Turkey had blocked access into the country's southeast from northern Iraq at the Habur border gate.

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Vote Counting Begins In Kurdish Independence Referendum

RFE/RL September 25, 2017

Officials in the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq have begun counting votes in an independence referendum that the United Nations, the United States, and other Western powers warn could stoke new tensions throughout the entire region.

Baghdad has warned that it will fight to retain Iraq's unity, including by cutting off vital oil revenues to the northern Kurdish region.

But the president of the regional government, Masud Barzani, has said the nonbinding vote is the first step in a long process to negotiate independence for the region, which has been autonomous since 1991 and has played a major role in the war against Islamic extremists.

The ballots that voters were asked to considered had one question on it, written in Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic, and Assyrian: "Do you want the Kurdistan region and Kurdistani areas outside the [Kurdistan] region to become an independent country?"

Preliminary results were expected as early as September 26, and final results by September 28, the agency supervising the vote said. Still, there appeared to be little doubt there would be an overwhelming "yes" from the region's 5.3 million registered voters.

Local TV said 78 percent of eligible voters participated.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on September 25 that he ordered security forces "to protect citizens being coerced" in the northern Kurdish region.

Abadi said Baghdad would take the "necessary measures" to protect the unity of the country, warning that the vote ''could lead to ethnic divisions, exposing [the Iraqis] to disastrous dangers that only God knows.''

UN, Western Concerns

The United Nations, and the United States and other Western powers have expressed concern that the referendum would pull attention away from the war against Islamic State (IS) militants.

The referendum took place in the three provinces that officially make up the Kurdish autonomous region -- Dahuk, Irbil, and Sulaymaniyah -- and some neighboring areas.

These areas include disputed cities such as oil-rich Kirkuk, Makhmour, Khanaqin, and Sinjar, over which Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have established control while fighting against IS militants who captured large parts of Iraq in 2014.

"The partnership with Baghdad has failed and we will not return to it," Barzani told a news conference on September 24.

The referendum is also opposed by neighboring Turkey and Iran, both of which have sizable Kurdish minorities. Turkey has waged a war against Kurdish militants within its borders for years.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Ankara will take "all measures" under international law if the Iraqi Kurdish independence referendum generates threats to Turkey's national security.

The ministry said it did not recognize the referendum and accused the Kurdish regional government of threatening the peace and stability of Iraq and the whole region.

According to a statement published by Abadi's office, the Iraqi government has asked the Kurdish region to hand over international border posts and its international airports.

It called on foreign countries to deal with Iraq's central government in regard to airports and borders and to stop oil trading with Kurdish regional authorities.

Ankara Warns Of 'Chaos'

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme National Security Council spokesman Keivan Khosravi said the country halted all flights between the Islamic republic and Iraq's Kurdish region at the request of the government in Baghdad, Iranian state media reported.

Officials in Ankara said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin touched on the referendum during a telephone call on September 25, and that they agreed the vote puts strains on the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria.

Erdogan's office said that he and Iranian President Hassan Rohani also discussed their concerns about the vote in a telephone conversation, saying the referendum will cause "chaos in the region."

In brief statements about Putin's separate telephone talks with Erdogan and Rohani, the Kremlin did not mention the referendum.

Barzani said that he expected the strong reactions of the international community opposing Kurdish independence ''not to last forever'' after the vote is held.

He also dismissed concerns that the referendum could destabilize the region and pledged not to seek a redrawing of the region's borders.

With reporting by AP, AFP, IRIB, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kurdistan-iraq- independence-referendum/28755137.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Iraqi Kurds Hope to Cooperate With Turkey Despite Threats - Official

Sputnik News

22:22 25.09.2017

Iraqi Kurds hope to continue cooperating with Turkey despite the threats from Ankara, which strongly opposes Iraqi Kurdistan's independence referendum, Iraqi Kurdistan representative to Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States Xosawi Bebekir told Sputnik on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Since the announcement of a referendum in June, the Turkish authorities have repeatedly voiced protest against the move, calling on Erbil to cancel the independence vote. Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to shut down the border with Iraqi Kurdistan and halt oil transit currently going through Turkey in response to the referendum.

"The Iraqi Kurds are hoping to maintain cooperation with Turkey. The ties that we established have benefited both countries, especially Turkey," Bebekir said, answering the question about the potential impact of Ankara threats on the referendum.

Bebekir stressed that Iraqi Kurdistan was Turkey's second largest trade partner after Germany and Turkish companies owned about 40 percent of investments in Kurdistan. He added that Turkey significantly depended on the region in terms of energy as most of the Kurdish oil was moved through a pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

"The best thing that Turkey can do with regard to the independence referendum is to recognize Kurdistan," Bebekir said.

According to the region's representative, Ankara should stop blaming Iraqi Kurdistan and instead solve its own problems with Turkish Kurds.

Bebekir pointed out that the voter turnout was not affected by the threats.

"In my opinion, no threats influenced the vote, on the contrary, the stronger pressure made more people come to the referendum," Bebekir said.

Hisyar Ozsoy, the deputy chair of the Turkish opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in charge of foreign affairs, told Sputnik earlier on Monday that the Iraqi Kurds were unlikely to abandon the quest for independence, even given the threat of potential proxy conflicts engineered by Turkey or Iran.

Turkey's relationship with its Kurdish minority has been fraught with complications. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) urging for more rights for the Kurds in Turkey, has been involved in many clashes with Turkish security forces and is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara.

 Sputnik

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UN chief voices concern over 'potentially destabilizing effects' of Kurdish referendum

25 September 2017  United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern about the "potentially destabilizing effects" of today's referendum in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

"The Secretary-General respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and considers that all outstanding issues between the federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government should be resolved through structured dialogue and constructive compromise," his Spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General expects that United Nations-mandated activities across Iraq, including in the Kurdistan region, will be allowed to continue unhindered."

Last week, both Mr. Guterres and the Security Council voiced their concern that the referendum was scheduled to be held amid ongoing operations to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh)  in which Kurdish forces have played a critical role.

The referendum could also detract from efforts to ensure the safe, voluntary return of over three million refugees and internally displaced persons, they noted.

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Iraqi Kurds Vote in Independence Referendum

By Heather Murdock September 25, 2017

Iraqi Kurds Monday voted in an independence referendum that is widely expected to yield an overwhelming "yes" vote, even though the poll is facing objections from the government in Baghdad as well as neighboring countries and the United States.

At the polls in the Kurdistan Regional capital, many voters donned traditional clothes and carried Kurdish flags, saying they believed this vote could be the beginning of the realization of their dream for independence.

"It is a true day for us," said Mohammad, carrying his toddler son and a flag at a polling station in Irbil. "We have been waiting for 100 years for this. It is beautiful."

Precincts reported high turnouts and a peaceful vote, but before the last ballot was cast, leaders in Baghdad had already sent troops toward disputed areas claimed by both Iraq and Irbil. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed to take all "necessary measures" to preserve Iraqi unity.

Kurdish President Masoud Barzani has been consistently defiant, saying the independence vote was the will of the Kurdish people and "out of his hands."

"Independence will allow us not to repeat past tragedies," he said on Sunday. "The partnership with Baghdad has failed and we will not return to it," Barzani said.

Official results are expected Tuesday. A "yes" vote would not trigger a declaration of independence, but Kurdish officials hope it would lay the ground for secession negotiations.

Barzani told VOA's Persian Service last week that following the referendum, the Kurdish government would begin discussions with Iraqi officials on such issues as border demarcation, division of natural resources and a timeline for declaring independence. Barzani estimated the transition time would be one to two years.

The Kurds and the Iraqi government have long-running disputes over oil revenues and who controls several key cities in the region.

Before the vote, Prime Minister Abadi ordered the Kurdish region to hand over control of its border crossings and airports, and called on other countries not to import Kurdish oil.

Neighboring Iran, which, like Syria and Turkey has a large Kurdish population, stopped all flights to Iraq's Kurdish region.

The Iranian and Turkish governments have expressed opposition to the independence referendum over fears it could boost similar separatist sentiment in their countries.

Syrian state media quoted Foreign Minister Walid Moallem rejecting the vote and reiterating that Syria recognizes a unified Iraq.

Turkey has battled a three-decade insurgency by Kurdish rebels in its southeast and the Turkish Foreign Ministry dismissed the vote as illegal and illegitimate. It said countries should not recognize the Kurdish action and warned Turkey "will take every measure that emanates from international law" if terrorists seeking to exploit the circumstances resulting from the referendum threaten Turkish national security.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would close a border crossing with Iraq and could move to block oil exports.

Other nations, such as the United States, have said they oppose the referendum on the grounds it takes focus away from the battle against the Islamic State group.

VOA's Persian Service contributed to this report.

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In Bangladesh, UN refugee chief warns influx of Rohingya outpaces capacities to respond

25 September 2017  The United Nations refugee chief today called for ramped-up support for an estimated 436,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar in the last month, warning that the massive influx of people seeking safety far outpaces capacities to respond.

"Their situation remains desperate, and we risk a dramatic deterioration if aid is not rapidly stepped up," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a press release, following a visit yesterday to Kutupalong refugee camp and other areas along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border where people have made their own shelters on tiny slivers of land.

"Despite every effort by those on the ground, the massive influx of people seeking safety rapidly outpaced capacities to respond, and the situation has still not stabilised. More is needed, and fast, if we are to avoid further deterioration," Mr. Grandi said.

UNHCR has now airlifted three planes loaded with relief items into the country, and is distributing emergency shelter kits, kitchen sets and solar lamps.

Its experts are working closely with the Government of Bangladesh to set up an organised site with water, sanitation and other facilities, and to register the new arrivals. Other international agencies and civil society partners are also on the ground.

Mr. Grandi arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday to see conditions for himself. He spoke with families living in the camp near Cox's Bazar.

"They had seen villages burned down, families shot or hacked to death, women and girls brutalized. Many of the refugees said they would like to go home, but there needs to be an end to violence, and a restoration of rights inside Myanmar," Mr. Grandi said.

"Solutions to this crisis lie within Myanmar. But for now, our immediate focus has to be to dramatically increase support to those who are so desperately in need," Mr. Grandi said, stressing the importance of a proper registration system that could help ensure everyone is eventually able to exercise the right to return.

In the country's capital, Dhaka, Mr. Grandi was scheduled to meet several senior officials, including the foreign minister as well as the ministers for home affairs and disaster management and relief.

Mr. Grandi thanked Bangladesh for keeping the border open. "In today's world, that is something that cannot be taken for granted and should be appreciated."

Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said yesterday that a consignment of its emergency supplies for hundreds of thousands of refugee Rohingya children and their families has arrived in Dhaka.

The cargo plane arrived from Copenhagen with 100 tons of supplies comprising water purifying tablets, family hygiene kits, sanitary materials, plastic tarpaulins, recreational kits for children and other items.

"Safe water for drinking and washing is absolutely essential in order to protect them against diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases," said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh, warning that this is "a very real threat" especially amid the current heavy rains.

Other consignments  consisting of school bags, tents, early childhood development kits, family hygiene and dignity kits, tarpaulin and nutrition materials  were also on their way to Bangladesh.

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Mass Graves of Slain Hindus Found in Northern Myanmar

By VOA News September 25, 2017

Mass graves of dozens of slain Hindus have been found in Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state, according to government officials.

Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Minister Dr. Win Myat Aye told VOA's Burmese Service he witnessed another 17 bodies recovered Monday, after 25 bodies were found in two mass graves a day earlier. Aye said most bodies were of women and children, many with their hands tied, and some which had been beheaded.

Aye and a police chief both told VOA Burmese they believe the bodies belong to more than 100 Hindus who have been missing for a month.

The military, which said it discovered two mud pits with 28 Hindu corpses Sunday outside the village of Ye Baw Kyaw in northern Rakhine, has blamed Rohingya "extremist terrorists" for the killings.

Violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state, which has caused more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh and resulted in widespread claims of atrocities and ethnic cleansing, was a discussed frequently at the U.N. General Assembly last week.

VOA's Bangla Service spoke with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Saturday, who said that the concern of the international community is "one positive thing", though Bangladesh has been providing shelter to Rohingya who crossed the border without international support.

"Already we started by ourselves. We didn't wait for anybody's assistance. Whatever resources we have, we have already started giving them shelter, food..." she told VOA Bangla.

But she warned that more pressure must be put on Myanmar to take back their refugees.

"Yes, we have given them shelter, it is temporary. But Myanmar government should accept that they are their citizens and it is their duty to take them back and give them their, ensure them security and also give them their house and they should resettle these people," she said, adding that what the Myanmar government was doing was "barbaric".

Violence erupted there August 25, when a group of Rohingya militants attacked dozens of police posts and an army base in what they said was an effort to protect their ethnic minority from persecution.

About 400 people have been killed in subsequent clashes, and a military counteroffensive sent more than 400,000 people fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh.

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Why Myanmar's Government Won't Negotiate With Rohingya Insurgents

By Joe Freeman September 25, 2017

When the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army offered a month-long cease-fire on September 10 with the stated purpose of facilitating aid through the conflict zone in Rakhine State, Myanmar's response was swift.

"We have no policy to negotiate with terrorists," Zaw Htay, spokesman for de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, said on Twitter the same day.

Myanmar branded the group, known in shorthand as ARSA, a terrorist organization after it carried out deadly attacks on police and army posts on August 25, prompting a military crackdown that has caused more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh and resulted in widespread claims of atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

But as observers  and even ARSA members  have pointed out, Myanmar continues to negotiate with several ethnic armed groups fighting for more autonomy in its border regions. Some of them have also been called terrorist outfits, though not by the central government.

So why the apparent double standard?

The difference is in the way that Myanmar's government, and some of the ethnic armed groups themselves, view the legitimacy of the Rohingya struggle.

They don't recognize the Rohingya as one of Myanmar's many "national races," insisting they are immigrants from Bangladesh, despite generational roots. Negotiating with them could, indirectly, provide that recognition.

"They are not our ethnic groups. They claim to be ethnic. But we can't give [it to] them. In our history there is no Rohingya," said Nyan Win, a spokesman for the National League for Democracy, Suu Kyi's political party. "It is different from Karen or Kachin or Shan," he added, referring to three of the larger recognized ethnicities in Myanmar.

As for ARSA, they are just insurgents.

"They make trouble in Rakhine State, and [then] they said cease-fire. We don't understand what they mean," Nyan Win said.

He rejected claims that Myanmar treated ARSA differently because it remains the only Muslim armed faction in a largely Buddhist country that has struggled to contain anti-Muslim sentiment.

Though ethnic armed groups have fought against the same military cracking down on insurgents in Rakhine State, they have distanced themselves from ARSA.

"We do not recognize the term 'Rohingya'," Nai Hong Sar, the chairman of the UNFC, an umbrella organization representing a handful of ethnic armed groups, was quoted as saying earlier this month.

While the UNFC, which stands for the United Nationalities Federal Council, does not represent all factions involved in ongoing peace talks in Myanmar, its statement speaks volumes about the rare unity of views between the military, the government and some ethnic armed groups.

"As we've seen, the ARSA is a kind of terrorist group because of their activities," said Tar Bone Kyaw, the general secretary of the T'ang National Liberation Army, based in northern Myanmar and representing the ethnic Palaung people. He cited ARSA's alleged killing of civilians, which the group denies.

"The way they operate is like the acts of terrorists. So as for us we cannot regard them as a revolutionary group or something like that. So they are just terrorists. That is our view on the Rohingya organization," he said.

At the same time, he condemned the military operation in Rakhine State, saying it has cost "a lot of human life." The military has responded to such claims by insisting it is hunting terrorists not civilians.

Still, like other factions, Tar Bone Kyaw said the TNLA does not recognize the ethnic group.

"There is no 'Rohingya' in Burma. They are just Bengali. They came from Bangladesh. So they are not the indigenous ethnic people in Burma," he said, using another name for Myanmar.

Representatives of additional ethnic armed groups could not be reached on Monday.

The more than one million Rohingya minority in Rakhine State are denied citizenship, and ARSA says it is simply fighting for the group's basic rights. Myanmar's security apparatus has suggested it is trying to carve out an Islamic state in Rakhine.

While hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since August 25, the violence in Rakhine State has also affected Buddhists, Hindus and smaller non-Muslim ethnic minorities who have fled their homes or died in the fighting.

Myanmar's army on Monday says it discovered a mass grave of 28 Hindus in northern Rakhine State, blaming the murders on the Rohingya insurgents. ARSA refuted the accusations, Reuters reported.

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Ex-PM Sharif Returns To Pakistan Ahead Of Corruption Court Appearance

RFE/RL September 25, 2017

ISLAMABAD -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has returned to Islamabad after a month in London, arriving in the capital a day before his scheduled appearance at an accountability court over corruption allegations that led to his disqualification from office for life.

Upon his arrival at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Rawalpindi early on September 25, Sharif was met by several key allies from his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) political party.

They included National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, PML-N Information Secretary Mushahidullah Khan, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, and the prime minister's adviser on aviation, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi.

Sharif has been summoned by a court from Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to appear on September 26 in regard to three corruption allegations.

Those allegations stem from investigations into the so-called Panama Papers leaks in April 2016, when documents from a Panama-based law firm revealed that three of Sharif's four children owned offshore companies and used them to buy properties in London.

On July 28, Pakistan's Supreme Court disqualified Sharif from office for life, citing undeclared assets, and ordered a criminal probe into his family's wealth. He resigned shortly after the ruling and later left the country.

Sharif, 67, had been visiting his wife Kulsoom Nawaz in recent weeks in London, where she is undergoing cancer treatment.

Family members who were in London with Sharif, including his daughter Maryam and sons Hussain and Hassan, did not accompany him on his return to Pakistan.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, a political ally of Sharif who also has been summoned to appear before the NAB court, returned to Islamabad from London on September 24.

The NAB court issued arrest warrants for Dar after he failed to appear before the court on September 20.

Dar had been attending the UN General Assembly in New York with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for the past week.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and Dawn.com

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-sharif- returns-corruption-court/28755811.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Former Pakistani PM Sharif Appears Before Anticorruption Court

RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal September 26, 2017

Pakistan's former prime minister condemned an anticorruption court as he made his first appearance before the tribunal in Islamabad.

The case against Nawaz Sharif is the highest profile corruption prosecution in years in Pakistan, which has seen a handful of previous prime ministers investigated for corruption or other crimes.

Sharif's September 26 appearance in court was his first since he was disqualified by the Supreme Court in July following an investigation that found he had concealed financial assets.

The proceedings, which have captured widespread attention throughout the country, came a day after Sharif returned from London, where his wife is undergoing medical treatment.

Backers of Sharif chanted slogans inside the courtroom during his appearance. Sharif subsequently left, leaving his lawyers there to represent him.

At a news conference later, Sharif condemned the court's actions, and suggested the country's powerful military and security agencies were behind his prosecution.

"For God sake, let the country run according to the constitution. If the constitution gives the right to its people to rule this country, so accept this right. Don't target the elected leadership [of the people] under pretexts," he said.

"This is happening for the past 70 years," he said, referring to the period since Pakistan split from India in 1947.

The court also issued warrants for two of Sharif's sons, a daughter, and a son-in-law, and ordered them to appear before the tribunal next week.

Sharif is expected to be indicted on October 2 in connection with three corruption cases filed against him by Pakistan's anticorruption body earlier this month.

The allegations against the three-time former prime minister and three of his children date back to one of his previous stints in power, in the 1990s.

His political adversaries accused Sharif and his family of laundering money from Pakistan and using the wealth to buy properties in London.

Known as a strong supporter of civilian rule, Sharif has a rough relationship with the military, and his supporters and some political commentators suggest the powerful military was behind his ouster.

His family says the London properties were acquired as a settlement for investments they made with Qatar's royal family in the 1980s.

With reporting by AP and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-sharif-appears- anticorruption-court/28757772.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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South Korea to Boost Military Arsenal With Nuclear Submarines, Spy Satellites

Sputnik News

03:58 25.09.2017(updated 10:24 25.09.2017)

South Korea is considering boosting its three-axis defense program by building its own nuclear-powered submarines and acquiring spy satellites to counter the North Korea threat.

At their second bilateral meeting on Thursday, US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in committed to strengthen their combined defense posture against the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) through Seoul's acquisition and development of highly-advanced military assets, as well as through the deployment of US strategic assets in and around South Korea.

Following the meeting, Trump said it was "a great privilege" to talk to Moon and that the ongoing North Korean crisis was the most important issue he and his counterpart had to address.

"I am allowing Japan and South Korea to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the United States," Trump tweeted on September 5, after Pyongyang successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

During his presidential campaign, President Moon said that South Korea needed nuclear-powered submarines "in this era," pledging to make efforts to revise a nuclear cooperation deal with the US.

Prior to his meeting with Trump, the JoongAng Ilbo cited senior South Korean government officials as saying that Seoul and Washington have agreed in principle to let South Korea build nuclear-powered submarines. The Blue House dismissed the reports, however, saying that no agreement has yet been reached.

On Friday, a senior South Korean defense ministry official told YonhapNews that rather than buying such subs from the US, South Korea would acquire them "in the form of indigenous development." Experts agreed that South Korea had the capability.

"South Korea can build its own nuclear-powered submarines if it makes the SMART reactor, developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, smaller," Moon Keun-shik, a retired South Korean Navy captain, told YonhapNews. "In that case, South Korea will be able to launch its own nuclear subs within five years."

But to launch its own nuclear subs, Seoul will have to meet the cost of at least 1 trillion won ($880 million) for each, plus cover enormous annual maintenance costs, and secure a stable supply of nuclear fuel.

The South Korean government also reportedly plans to spend more money on surveillance assets including spy satellites and drones. Currently its military is dependent on the US for satellite information on DPRK missile bases and nuclear test sites.

South Korea's "three axis defense platform" strategy was first unveiled in late 2016 and involves three critical elements; The Kill Chain pre-emptive strike, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) scheme.

 Sputnik

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Russian, Pakistani Forces Launch Joint Exercise In North Caucasus

RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal September 25, 2017

Special forces from Russia and Pakistan have begun a two-week joint training exercise in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia.

At a September 25 opening ceremony attended by 200 troops and special forces commanders from both countries, Pakistani General Saeed Alamdar Houssein Shah said the exercises were "of great importance" to both Islamabad and Moscow.

"The drills are aimed at exchanging professional experience and to consolidate cooperation in the military sphere between Russian and Pakistani mountain units," Shah said at the opening ceremony in the village of Nizhny Arkhyz.

Vadim Astafyev, spokesman for the forces in Russia's Southern Military District, said the Druzhba 2017 drills would enhance cooperation in counterterrorism operations, hostage rescue missions, and cordon-and-search operations.

The drills are scheduled to continue through October 4.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, said Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is expected to visit Russia during the first week of October.

Pakistan and Russia signed a defense cooperation agreement in 2014 that provides for cooperation on promoting international security.

The accord also calls for intensification of counterterrorism efforts and arms control activities as well as strengthening military cooperation and sharing experiences in counterterrorism operations.

The two countries conducted their first joint exercises under the accord in September 2016  dubbed as Druzhba 2016 -- in the mountains near the Pakistani village of Cherat between the cities of Peshawar and Rawalpindi.

With reporting by AP, Dawn.com, TASS, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-pakistan-joint- exercises-caucasus/28755462.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Pakistan, Russia Begin 'Friendship 2017' Joint Anti-terror Drill

By Ayaz Gul September 25, 2017

Pakistani and Russian military commandos have launched joint counterterrorism drills in the mountains and forests of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia.

The two-week-long exercise dubbed as "Friendship 2017" involves more than 200 mostly special forces from both countries who will conduct joint "hostage rescue" and "cordon-and-search" operations, according to the Pakistani military.

"The joint exercise will enhance and further strengthen military ties between the countries and share Pakistan army's experience in war against terrorism," it added.

Meanwhile, a nearly three-week-long joint air force exercises China is hosting with Pakistan are due to conclude this week. A spokesman for the Chinese air force described them as "routine" exercises.

Pakistan's deepening political, economic and defense ties with traditional ally China and its emerging new alliance with Russia come amid Islamabad's increasingly uneasy and strained relations with the United States.

The tensions stem from persistent U.S. allegations that Pakistan is not doing enough to prevent terrorist groups on its soil from undertaking deadly attacks against American troops in Afghanistan or from undermining peace-building efforts in the war-ravaged country.

Bilateral ties have plunged to new lows following U.S. President Donald Trump's policy speech last month that accused Islamabad of not ending terrorist safe havens on its soil. U.S. officials have also threatened, among other punitive measures, to degrade Pakistan's status of a major non-NATO ally.

Islamabad promptly rejected the charges, saying no sanctuaries exist on Pakistani soil because of sustained security operations. It asserted Washington was "scapegoating" Pakistan because of its own "failures" in ending the Afghan war.

Pakistan hosted the inaugural round of the counterterrorism drills with Russia late last year, their first-ever joint military exercise.

The drills stem from a defense cooperation agreement the two countries signed in 2014, lifting a long-running Russian embargo on arms sales to Pakistan.

The deal paved the way for the sale of Mi-35 combat helicopters to Islamabad, despite objections by India, Moscow's longtime ally and Pakistan's archenemy.

The October 4 conclusion of the drills is expected to coincide with an official visit to Russia by Pakistan army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said the visit is a regular high-level exchange between the two sides that "has set the stage for translating political goodwill into a substantial partnership, in particular, in the field of defense."

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Iranian drones destroy Daesh bases in Syria's Deir ez-Zor

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 25 September 2017 / 15:25

Tehran (ISNA) - Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) drones have destroyed several Daesh bases on the Syrian border with Iraq.

According to an IRINN TV report on Sunday, during the IRGC operations carried out in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor province, many terrorists were killed in the attacks, which also destroyed large amounts of terrorists' equipment and weapons.

The report noted that the attacks were part of operations aimed at clearing the Syria-Iraq border of the Daesh terrorist group.

In June, the IRGC fired six medium-range ground-to-ground ballistic missiles into Daesh bases in Syria's Deir ez-Zor in retaliation for twin terrorist attacks in the Iranian capital Tehran, which killed 17 people and injured over 50 others.

End Item

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Russian Foreign Ministry Official Blames U.S. For Death Of Russian General

RFE/RL September 25, 2017

A top Russian Foreign Ministry official has asserted the United States is to blame for the death of a Russian general killed in eastern Syria over the weekend.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov's comments on September 25 were some of the bluntest to date as Russia-backed forces move dangerously close to U.S.-trained and -supplied forces in eastern Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry said a day earlier that Lieutenant General Valery Asapov had been killing amid shelling near the city of Deir al-Zor.

"The death of the Russian commander is the price, the bloody price for the two-faced American policy in Syria," Ryabkov, was quoted by state-run RIA Novosti and other news agencies as saying.

"The American side declares that it is interested in the elimination of [Islamic State]...but some of its actions show it is doing the opposite and that some political and geopolitical goals are more important for Washington," he said.

Moscow and Washington back separate military forces in the Syrian war, both of which are advancing against Islamic State (IS) militants in the east of the country near the Iraqi border.

There was no immediate response in Washington to Ryabkov's comments. The United States has made similar accusations against Moscow, asserting that Russian forces say they are targeting IS fighters, but are in fact targeting U.S.-backed forces.

Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power and Iranian-allied militias, have gained control of most of Deir al-Zor on the western side of the Euphrates River.

A U.S.-backed Kurdish-led militia, along with fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces, said on September 20 that their campaign to capture the IS stronghold of Raqqa, north of Deir al-Zor, was in its final stages.

With the two opposing forces fighting in close proximity to one another, fears have grown that U.S. and Russian air power could be drawn into the fight, and even end up facing one another.

Russia had warned the United States that it would retaliate immediately if Syrian government forces came under fire from the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led militia.

That led U.S. and Russian generals to hold a first face-to-face meeting last week in an effort to avoid accidental clashes and prevent a direct confrontation between the two sides.

Meanwhile, a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman said Russian planes targeted their fighters in gas fields not far from Deir al-Zor.

Brigadier Talal Silo did not specify the number of dead or wounded from the attacks.

The Russian military denied the accusations, saying it conducts accurate air strikes on targets "confirmed by multiple sources."

SDF fighters captured the war-torn country's largest gas field, Koniko, from IS militants on September 23.

Elsewhere in Syria, an activist monitoring group said that Russian air strikes had killed 36 civilians in the northwestern province of Idlib.

Russia, Turkey, and Iran earlier this month agreed to create a "de-escalation zone" in Idlib, an area under the control of opposition forces in the north.

With reporting by RIA Novosti, TASS, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/syria-russia-blames- us-general-death/28756381.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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New ship to support the aircraft carriers arrives in UK

25 September 2017

The second of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's new Tide-class support ships, RFA Tiderace, has arrived in Cornwall to begin a programme of customisation that will support 300 UK jobs.

The second of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's new Tide-class support ships, RFA Tiderace, has arrived in Cornwall to begin a programme of customisation that will support 300 UK jobs.

Like her sister ship RFA Tidespring, which arrived in April this year, the 39,000-tonne RFA Tiderace can carry up to 19,000 cubic metres of fuel and 1,400 cubic metres of fresh water in support of Royal Navy operations all over the world.

She has been designed to support the new Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, the first of which, HMS Queen Elizabeth, arrived in Portsmouth last month.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

"This year of the Royal Navy goes from strength to strength as we welcome yet another new ship into the UK's growing fleet. It's great to see RFA Tiderace join her sister ship RFA Tidespring in the UK today, and I would like to thank the Falmouth team for their important work."

The customisation work in Falmouth, which will install armour, self-defence weaponry and communications systems, will help to support 300 local jobs. The UK work content in the Tide Class programme as a whole, which is being delivered well within budget by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), is worth around 150 million, sustaining further jobs at 27 UK-based companies.

RFA Tiderace is expected to undergo around four months of customisation before beginning a round of final sea trials before entering service next year. Meanwhile, RFA Tidespring is expected to finish final sea trials in the coming weeks and enter service before the end of this year.

Sir Simon Bollom, Chief of Materiel (Ships) at Defence Equipment and Support, the MOD's procurement organisation, said:

"Like her sister ship, RFA Tiderace will perform a crucial role in supporting the Royal Navy's global mission in defence of the UK and her interests."

"I am proud to welcome Tiderace and her crew to Falmouth as part of the continued successful delivery of the Tide Class programme and look forward to welcoming the final two ships in the class over the coming months."

The Tide Class has a flight deck able to accommodate the large Chinook helicopter and offer significant improvements over previous RFA tankers such as double hulls and greater environmental protection measures.

Tiderace's arrival comes at a time when the Royal Navy fleet is growing, as encouraged by the National Shipbuilding Strategy announced earlier this month. Setting out to expand the fleet by the 2030s and generate regional prosperity for shipyards across the UK, the Strategy is ambitious in its approach.

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UN Says Russia Committing 'Grave Human Rights Violations' In Occupied Crimea

RFE/RL September 25, 2017

Agents of the Russian state have committed serious human rights abuses, including torture, since Russia occupied and seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, a UN human rights report says.

The rights situation in Crimea "has significantly deteriorated under Russian occupation," the UN Human Rights Office says in the September 25 report, also citing disappearances, infringements of the Geneva Conventions, and violations of international law.

It says that "grave human rights violations, such as arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, ill-treatment and torture, and at least one extra-judicial execution were documented."

"There is an urgent need for accountability for human rights violations and abuses and for providing the victims with redress," UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.

Russia seized Crimea in March 2014, sending in troops and staging a referendum denounced as illegal by dozens of countries, after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by mass protests in Kyiv.

Many Western countries have imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the takeover of the Black Sea peninsula.

The UN report says the Geneva Conventions and other international humanitarian and human rights laws were violated when Moscow replaced Ukrainian laws with Russian laws in Crimea and imposed Russian citizenship on tens of thousands of residents.

The imposition of Russian citizenship had "a particularly harsh impact" on residents "who formally rejected citizenship; civil servants who had to renounced their Ukrainian citizenship or lose their jobs, and Crimean residents who did not meet the legal criteria" for Russian citizenship and "became foreigners," the UN report says.

People without Russian citizenship who hold a residency permit in Crimea are now "deprived of important rights" and "do not enjoy equality before the law," it says. It said they "cannot own agricultural land, vote and be elected, register a religious community, apply to hold a public meeting, hold positions in the public administration, and reregister their private vehicle on the peninsula."

"Education in the Ukrainian language has almost disappeared from Crimea," the report says.

The report says hundreds of prisoners and pretrial detainees have been transferred to Russia, a practice it says is "strictly prohibited by international humanitarian law."

The report also says at least three detainees died after not receiving adequate medical care in custody.

In addition to seizing Crimea, Russia fomented separatism across much of Ukraine after Yanukovych's ouster and has supported separatists fighting against Kyiv's forces in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-un-human-rights -violations-ukraine/28755655.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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New UN report details grave human rights violations in Crimea

25 September 2017  The human rights situation in Crimea has significantly deteriorated under Russian occupation, a United Nations report says, detailing how residents there were affected when Ukrainian laws were substituted by those of Russia, including the imposition of Russian citizenship.

"Grave human rights violations, such as arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, ill-treatment and torture, and at least one extra-judicial execution were documented," notes the report published today by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

"The citizenship issue has had a major impact on the lives of many residents of Crimea," High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a press release.

"As the report states, imposing citizenship on the inhabitants of an occupied territory can be equated to compelling them to swear allegiance to a power they may consider as hostile, which is forbidden under the Fourth Geneva Convention," the High Commissioner added.

The report reiterates that the imposition of Russian citizenship affected tens of thousands of people, particularly three groups: those who formally rejected citizenship; civil servants who had to renounce their Ukrainian citizenship or lose their jobs; and Crimean residents who did not meet the legal criteria for citizenship and became foreigners.

"Persons holding a residency permit and no Russian Federation citizenship do not enjoy equality before the law and are deprived of important rights," the report says. "They cannot own agricultural land, vote and be elected, register a religious community, apply to hold a public meeting, hold positions in the public administration and re-register their private vehicle on the peninsula."

The report makes 20 recommendations to the Russian Government, urging it to respect "its obligations as an occupying power," uphold human rights for all, and effectively investigate alleged torture, abductions and killings involving members of the security forces and Crimean self-defence.

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Dissent, Criticism Stifled in Russia-occupied Crimea, UN Says

By Lisa Schlein September 25, 2017

A United Nations report finds a sharp deterioration in the human rights situation in Crimea since Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in March 2014, triggering the biggest crisis between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War.

In the most comprehensive report to date on Russian-occupied Crimea, the U.N. Human Rights Office report documents grave human rights violations between February 2014 and September 2017. It finds Russia, as the occupying power, to be in breach of multiple international humanitarian and human rights laws.

The report says most of these violations, including arbitrary arrests and detention, enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment, involve members of the security forces and Crimean self-defense, and have not been effectively investigated.

It says there is no accountability for these crimes, so violations continue with impunity. The head of the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Fiona Frazer, said dissent and criticism are not tolerated by Russian Federation authorities in Crimea.

"One way that is manifested is by the fact that criminal and administrative law that concerns offenses of separatism, terrorism and extremes are often used to stifle any such dissent and, also, in a way to restrict certain freedoms," Frazer said.

Thousands of Crimean residents have refused to live under Russian rule and fled to the Ukrainian mainland. The report says tens of thousands more who continue to live on the peninsula and did not assume Russian citizenship face hardships.

It says they have limited access to or are prevented from getting jobs and health care. It says they are stripped of property and political rights. In some cases, it says even Ukrainian citizens have been forcibly deported from the only home they have ever known.

The U.N. monitors note the deportation of citizens of an occupied territory is prohibited under international humanitarian law.

The United States and European Union imposed sanctions on Russia following its annexation of Crimea, and expanded them after Moscow instigated and has militarily supported a separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.

Russian officials argue Crimea was historically always a part of Russia. It was transferred to what was then the Ukrainian SSR by then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1954.

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Deputies seize an ounce of meth after I-26 traffic stop

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Henderson County Sheriffs deputies seized more than an ounce of methamphetamine and arrested two South Carolina residents after stopping their car for erratic driving on I-26 near the weigh station early Sunday, the sheriff's office said.

During the traffic stop at 5:15 a.m., deputies discovered the driver and occupant possessed approximately 34 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Deputies have charged Yesica Suheidi Moreno, 26 of Blacksburg, S.C., with felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, felony conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, felony maintaining a vehicle for controlled substances, operating a motor vehicle without a drivers license and failing to maintain lane of travel on a highway. Moreno was arrested and booked into the Henderson County Jail under a $10,500 secured bond.

Deputies also charged Kevin Matthew Grisson, 34, of Gaffney, with felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver methamphetamine, felony conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Grisson was arrested and booked into the Henderson County Jail under a $9,000 secured bond.
View Elizabeth Blau's LinkedIn Profile

Elizabeth Blau is a graduate of Cornell in Ithaca, New York - United States

After reviewing alumni nominations on a range of criteria, the MMH award committee has selected Elizabeth Blau, MS 97 to receive the 2017 Cornell MMH Outstanding Alumna of the Year award, presented by the School of Hotel Administration (SHA) and the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development. Blau is the founder and CEO of restaurant development company Blau + Associates, and is widely credited with transforming Las Vegas into the world-class culinary destination it is today. Blau will receive the award at the annual Cornell MMH Reception on Sunday, November 12, in New York City. We are thrilled to honor Elizabeth as the 2017 Cornell MMH Outstanding Alumna of the Year. She is an exemplary graduate of the Hotel Schools masters programan alumna who is making an imprint on the industry and passionate about helping our graduates launch their career paths, said Kate Walsh, dean and E. M. Statler Professor at SHA. Blau began her career alongside famed restaurateur Sirio Maccioni. As Maccioni expanded the Le Cirque brand to Las Vegas, Blau caught the attention of resort developer Steve Wynn. She soon took over as vice president of restaurant development for Wynns Mirage Resorts, where she innovated food and beverage options at The Bellagio by bringing award-winning chefs into Las Vegas flourishing dining scene. In the early 2000s, Blau was named executive vice president of restaurant development and marketing for Wynns next project, Wynn Las Vegas. In 2002, Blau used her extensive experience in the restaurant industry to found Blau + Associates, a firm dedicated to creating world-class hospitality experiences. The company quickly became a leader in restaurant development, with clients that include New Yorks Rainbow Room, Montage Resorts, NetJets, Celebrity Cruises, and Viceroy Hotels and Resorts, among many others. Blaus awards and accolades in the restaurant industry are numerous, and she is dedicated to serving both her industry and her community. She has appeared as a judge on Food Networks Iron Chef America, is an annual judge for Hotel Magazines best restaurants, and has been featured on the Travel Channel and the Martha Stewart Show. She was one of three investors on the third season of CNBCs Restaurant Startup alongside Tim Love and Joe Bastianich, and is a member of OpenTables advisory board. Blau passionately supports local organizations, including Communities in Schools and Three Square food bank, where she serves as the Culinary Council Chair to help eliminate hunger in southern Nevada. She serves as a trustee for the Culinary Institute of America, where she chairs the Education Policy committee, and also serves on the Global Advisory Board at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Blau makes a point to return to the Hotel School regularly to share her industry experiences with the next generation of Hotelies. She has been part of the Deans Leadership Series and Hotel Ezra Cornell, and is participating in the 2017 Deans Distinguished Lecture Series, speaking on Friday, November 10.
Whilst the average traveller spends $1,690 per trip, luxury consumers on average lavish $5,365 per trip according to the report. The different levels of spending become even bigger over the course of a year as luxury consumers take double the trips per year at just over 5.6, meaning a per annum outlay of over $30,000, or six times the average traveller's spend.

This gap is more likely to widen than diminish says the research, as wealth continues to accrue at the upper end of the income spectrum and luxury consumers prioritise experiential spending and put less emphasis on personal goods. The number of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) globally is expected to comfortably grow by double digits each year well into the 2020s, adding millions of luxury consumers into the market.

The report found that luxury consumers in the report's survey were also planning to take twice as many vacations on average, illustrating the continuation of current trends. A huge 16% of luxury travellers report planning 10 or more trips per year, compared to just 2.5% of the other consumers in the survey. A further quarter of the luxury travel sample plan to take between five and nine trips in the 12 months after the survey was taken, far above the 6.3% reported by lower income consumers.

These consumers are switching more of their discretionary spending into leisure travel, with developed economies leading this trend but transition occurring rapidly in emerging economies as wealth becomes more widespread. The change will affect luxury consumer behaviours as they book and once they travel. For example, the report notes that Chinese luxury consumers are shifting their spending away from shopping and towards activities and accommodation, with adventure and exploration increasing in importance as shopping falls.

Whilst high-end tours and activities should be one of the primary sectors to benefit given the importance they have to the travel experience, the changing emphasis of luxury traveller priorities means that hotels will need to think hard about how to appeal to these consumers. Luxury travellers ae now more focused on finding unique accommodation and so hotels will need to think about character and local interactions that can really add something to these consumers' trips while still continuing to provide a high level of service.

"Our research suggests that despite the challenges, it pays to focus on the luxury traveller. For the rest of the market they are also worth keeping a close eye on not just because of their profligate spending but also because they are at the forefront of trends and leading-edge consumers that can help us figure out where the wider market will head in the future," says Alex Hadwick, Head of Research at EyeforTravel. "The luxury traveller is at the forefront of a number of trends, including increasing the amount of disposable income they put towards experiential items and leading the charge for smartphone usage in the travel research and booking process. This, on top of their huge annual spend, means they are a critical segment to understand in the travel ecosystem."

This detailed report looks at the state of the overall market currently and breaks down individual country markets, luxury consumer behaviors and spending patterns, and gives you the major trends to look out for.

Become a member of EyeforTravel On Demand now and access the full report, which includes:

Country analysis of the major luxury travel markets in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East, covering both developed and emerging economies.

Unique proprietary data based on more than 2,000 luxury travel consumers.

Behavioral analysis of luxury travellers, including lead times, device usage, booking patterns, and spending habits.

Major trends and developments in the luxury travel market.

Data taken and analysed from nearly 100 different sources.

About Reuters Events

Reuters Events is a community where the worlds top online travel brands  from hotels to airlines, online travel agents, cruise, car hire firms and more  come to meet to drive forward growth and innovation in the industry.

We know that working in the turbulent online travel industry is as exciting as it is challenging. In this constantly evolving market place, we appreciate that keeping up with the pace of change can be tough, not to mention time consuming. You need the right information, contacts and strategic insight to succeed.

Established in 1997, by Tim Gunstone, we offer a diverse product portfolio including industry analysis, insights, research, webinars, reports and conferences to suit the needs of our clients.

Our clients read as a whos who of online travel. From major hotel brands to new startups, we help our 80,000 strong customer base make better decisions, build better brands, close the most lucrative deals and ultimately sell more of their product. After all, increasing travel brand profit margins in the cutthroat travel industry is the name of the game!

No other online travel intelligence provider has been charting the growth of online travel as long as we have. We were here at the inception of online travel and we know the industry inside out. Whats more, were a small, friendly team. Forget impersonal hierarchies, we like to get to know our customers and work towards their exact needs.

Meredith Pistulka

View source
Key Takeaways

Florida's prime office and industrial markets reported minimal impact from Hurricane Irmamainly temporary power outages, downed trees and minor leakage.

Except for the Florida Keys and certain parts of Jacksonville, flood and wind damage to Florida retail properties was also minimal. Certain retail segments, such as building supplies, food and fuel, should see a significant uptick in sales in the coming months.

Single-family residential properties bore the brunt of Hurricane Irma's destruction, particularly in the south, central and northeast regions of the state. As a result, demand for multifamily properties is expected to increase in the short term.

Hotel properties in the state's major markets have reopened for business, except for many in the Florida Keys. Demand may increase by an average 15% for the next four months as displaced residents, aid workers and construction workers seek accommodations. Longer term, the stigma of the hurricane could affect the state's tourism industry.

Overview and economic impact

Hurricane Irma made its initial U.S. landfall in the Florida Keys on Sept. 10 as a Category 3 storm, and later that day made a second landfall at Marco Island on Florida's west coast before barreling north through the state. Cities on both coasts experienced flood surges and extremely strong winds.

Both short- and long-term preparation significantly minimized Irma's impact on commercial properties. Evacuation plans, emergency fuel and power supply arrangements, as well as contingency plans, were critical short-term preparedness factors. Long-term preparation consisting of enhanced building codes and infrastructure readiness was critical to the state's ability to both withstand damage and assess how quickly infrastructure and power losses could be restored.

For commercial properties, building-level preparation was key in minimizing damage. Approximately one-third of the 240 office buildings managed by CBRE's Asset Services division were impacted by Irma. Of those affected, the majority experienced only power loss. A smaller portion (less than 5%) sustained water and wind damage.

Less than one week after the storm, almost 100% of Florida's mainland power grid and infrastructure (major ports, airports, roads and commercial districts) were operational. The relatively quick recovery minimized business losses.

Despite the hurricane's strength, initial damage assessments suggest that quick and decisive state and local government action, an emphasis on preparedness and upgraded construction standards minimized the potential long-term economic impact on Florida.

Florida's legislature estimates initial damage at between $25 billion and $45 billion. Tourism and agriculture, both strong drivers of the state's economy, were impacted by the storm. The impact on agriculture likely will be more severe due to destruction of crops. Florida's thriving tourist industry likely will see a much shorter-term lull. Overall, Florida's economy will remain largely unaffected by Hurricane Irma over the long-term, as there was minimal commercial property damage and no long-term loss of power.

Source: CBRE Hotels

Prior to Irma, Florida recorded year-over-year job growth of 2.6%almost double the national averageand had an unemployment rate of 4%. This strong economic environment going into the storm will likely lessen disruptions within the labor market.

Source: CBRE Hotels

Florida's building code may have been the X factor

Florida's preparation for a major hurricane has been more than 20 years in the making. Since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the state has worked diligently to upgrade its building codes in order to protect real estate assets from hurricanes. The state now has the strongest building codes in the U.S. that are a benchmark for hurricane protection nationally. Construction standards have been enacted to withstand wind speeds of up to 175 miles per hour or a Category 5 hurricane.

Source: CBRE Hotels

In addition to wind speed standards, South Florida has invested heavily in pump systems and building standards that enable easy and efficient flood drainage. Irma hit parts of South Florida, including Miami's Brickell CBD, during a high tide that exacerbated the storm surge. Nonetheless, by the end of the first day of the storm, Brickell had no standing water. Upgraded building standards ensured complete drainage by the next day, and businesses reopenedwithin three days after the storm.

Minimal office damage reported

Florida office buildings withstood Hurricane Irma relatively well. From wind-resistant glass, to sump and discharge pumps, to strategic placement of vital building systems, the office sector was well-prepared. According to many of the state's top office landlords, major Florida markets largely experienced minimal building damage: fallen trees, landscaping issues and minor leakage through window seals and roofing from heavy rains and wind. CBRE Research findings indicate that most damage was minor, with repair costs likely to be less than the insurance deductible for many properties. Additionally, CBRE Asset Services reported that 95% of its 240 managed office buildings in Florida were back in service after power restoration and repair of minor damagewithin 48 hours after the storm. The remaining 5% were operational within 72 hours.

According to CoreLogic's 2017 Storm Surge Report, of the top 10 metropolitan areas most at risk for storm surge, six are in the state of Florida. Office inventory in these Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSA's) accounts for approximately 43% of the total office inventory in the state. Despite this risk, and the temporary storm surges that occurred in several of these CBSAs, resiliency strategies employed in these markets proved overwhelmingly effective in the face of a seemingly catastrophic event.

Given that there was no major tenant displacement and only minor business disruption due to extensive power outages, no near-term increases in short-term leases are expected. Tenants who experienced the greatest disruptions were those who had not established the proper fault-tolerant networks and built-in redundancy plans to ensure business continuity in the face of prolonged power outages. On the capital markets front, sales transactions are moving forward following some minor delays due to the impending storm and subsequent assessment of impact.

Industrial supply chain infrastructure back in business

Most of the state's industrial buildings had little to no damage. CBRE 's assessment, as well as surveys conducted by several publicly-traded REITs, found no major storm damage to major industrial portfolios, including those held by Prologis (173 buildings), DCT Industrial (34) and EastGroup Properties (23).

Florida's industrial market had an average vacancy rate of 5% in Q2 2017, which is expected to fall further in the short term due to post-storm demand from disaster relief agencies and building supply companies.

Florida's supply chain was put to the test in the week before and the week after Hurricane Irma. There are no refineries or pipelines providing the state with direct access to petroleum products; rather, the state relies on fuel deliveries from ports. All of Florida's major ports were reopenedwithin two days after the storm, bringing needed fuel to the state.

Retail sales expected to increase for key goods

A dramatic increase in gas and food sales is expected to continue for the next two months of an active hurricane season. Big-box stores should perform well in the short term. Home goods, building supply, discount and sporting goods stores all provide needed supplies to help state residents and businesses withstand large storms. Building-supply companies should see an uptick in sales and a challenge in maintaining inventory, as repairs to residential structures begin.

Property damage to retail buildings across the state was mainly comprised of downed trees, debris, minor leakage and damaged signage. Impacts to retail property are based on CBRE's managed properties as well as assessments by several publicly-traded REITs. Other than power outages, there was no major damage reported by Kimco Realty (63-building retail portfolio), DDR Corp. (60 buildings), Kite Realty Group Trust (35) and Weingarten Realty (31).

While most of the state's retail properties did not incur significant damage, retailers in certain areas of Jacksonville and the Florida Keys were impacted to a greater degree. In the San Marco area of Jacksonville, many local shops and restaurants were flooded, with shutdowns from a few days to ongoing. In the Florida Keys, many businesses remain shuttered or destroyed. Florida Governor Rick Scott is providing additional support to this area, with the ambitious goal of having the Keys open for business by the end of October.

Extensive single-family sector damage will increase multifamily demand

Extensive single-family sector damage will increase multifamily demand

Single-family residential properties bore the brunt of Hurricane Irma's destruction. According to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, as of September 19, a total of 452,205 Hurricane Irma claims were filed with estimated insured losses of $2.7 billion. Of those claims, 392,967 or 86.9% were for residential property. The highest number of claims have come from south, central and northeast Florida. Much of the media coverage has suggested that a majority of the damage has occurred in low-rise apartment buildings and has run the gamut from minor water intrusion to lost roofs and partial wall collapses.

Increased demand for multifamily product is expected due to the extensive single-family home damage. Prior to the hurricane, Florida's six primary MSAs had year-over-year rent growth, led by Orlando (4.8%), Tampa (1.8%) and Miami/South Florida (1.7%), according to CBRE Research. The short-term increased demand, coupled with any completion delays, should keep rent growth positive across Florida's major markets.

Demand for temporary housing of construction workers will further buoy apartment absorption, especially in the hardest hit areas. Prior to the storm, the state had a shortage of high-skill construction workers, which was increasing labor costs. Florida's Construction Workforce Taskforce reports that prior to the hurricane, many contractors and subcontractors in search of higher margins left the single-family housing market and focused on luxury multifamily projects. The increased demand on the single-family side will put further strain on the construction sector but may encourage additional in-migration to fill these in-demand roles, which in turn will increase multifamily demand.

Hotels likely to get a near-term boost

The hotel industry is exposed not only to the physical risk of property damage, but the economic risk of a decline in tourism due to natural disasters. South Florida's economy is highly dependent on tourism. Areas most heavily affected, like the Florida Keys, face the danger of stigmatization by tourists for some time. In the near term, hotels are uniquely positioned to provide shelter for those displaced by the storm.

The Florida Keys had approximately 10,000 hotel rooms before Hurricane Irma. Since then, the Keys remain closed to tourists, but many hotels hope to reopen in time for the busy fall and winter seasons. Officials hope to fully reopen the Keys for tourism by late October. Most hotels in Naples and Marco Island are closed while operators assess damage and make repairs. Most hotels in Jacksonville, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Ft. Myers, most of Miami, Miami Beach and the Orlando area have reopened and are accepting guests.

Looking at hotel data from four comparable disasters, we find that demand rose by 10% to 40% in the surrounding markets in the month after the event. Demand was still up an average of 15% four months after the event because of displaced residents, FEMA staff, emergency personnel and construction workers needing accommodations. Growth rates by market will vary from Hurricane Irma's aftermath, with Miami likely to see the largest increase in demand. Nearby cities like Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach may also see demand from displaced residents.

An important long-term risk to the hotel industry following disasters is stigma related to traveling to a disaster-ravaged area. Stigma results in the reduction in lodging demand because of psychological and emotional barriers to travel. Markets may be stigmatized for protracted periods of time. After hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, demand fell below previous levels for extended periods. While some of this effect may be a result of economics and/or reduced lodging capacity, it is also likely that stigma negatively impacted people's choices to travel.

About CBRE Group, Inc.

CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world's largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2021 revenue). The company has more than 105,000 employees (excluding Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE serves a diverse range of clients with an integrated suite of services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.

Spencer Levy

Chairman, Americas Research & Senior Economic Advisor at CBRE

+1 617 9125236

CBRE Hotels
Red Roof Launches First Soft Brand The Red Collection

Following comprehensive consumer research, Red Roof has launched The Red Collection, the first soft brand in the company's 44-year history, with the opening of the first property, The St. Clair Hotel in Downtown Chicago. Red Roof's research found that today's upscale economy travelers are not looking for hotels that are identified as "trendy" or "hip"which they equate with expensive and fleeting. Instead travelers are looking for modern, accessible and affordable properties with enhanced amenities in the hearts of cities they love, prime locations near the things they love to do. The Red Collection is a portfolio of upscale economy to midscale unique hotels that are hyper-local, drawing inspiration from the local vibe and culture of the city centers in which they are located.

"There is already core equity in Red Roof," says Andrew Alexander, President, Red Roof. "Building on our strong brand base, this is a perfect time to grow our portfolio with our first soft brand, The Red Collection. In today's environment, soft brands allow companies to enter new channels, expand business models and meet specific demands of the new traveler. The Red Collection will give our existing guests unique, more upscale value options while enticing new guests to experience our brand in a new way in the hearts of cities they love."

Red Roof's research found that the majority of guests in the upscale economy segment are willing to pay between an extra 10 and 50 dollars per stay for enhanced amenities and loyalty incentives. Additionally, the top three drivers of hotel consideration were affordable rates, proximity to local activities and attractions and free Wi-Fi. Consumers even cared more about those attributes than free breakfast. The Red Collection, and its first property, The St. Clair Hotel, is designed to meet those needs.

"Our research was eye-opening and instructional," notes Marina MacDonald, Chief Marketing Officer, Red Roof. "Listening to guest feedback and translating those thoughts, ideas and expression into real world action is already a hallmark of Red Roof. We did the same with this research; it allowed us to parlay traveler responses into the introduction of The Red Collection. We have created a new city center hotel experience, one that is notably different from the traditional Red Roof location but still offers the value that consumers demand."

The Red Collection is also attractive to not only consumers but to franchisees as well. "The Red Collection gives existing and new franchisees an opportunity to diversify and invest in unique city hotels with the support of a strong, respected brand and management team," says Phil Hugh, Chief Development Officer, Red Roof. "Our new soft brand provides alternative business opportunities and additional avenues of growth in high demand locations."

Tentatively scheduled to open in 2018 at the corner of St. Clair and Ontario, The St. Clair Hotel is the first of many future properties in The Red Collection portfolio. On top of offering an authentic, hyper local experience in Chicago, one of the most popular travel destinations in the United States according to Red Roof's research, The St. Clair Hotel allows guests to stay in a modern hotel with decor and amenities they would expect from a major city hotel, but at an affordable rate. The vibe starts with a welcoming lobby, featuring plush high tops, outlets for multiple devices and network connectivity. Every room has silky, upgraded bedding, spa-inspired bathrooms with multi-flow showerheads and complimentary Seattle's Best Coffee.

The St. Clair Hotel will also uphold popular guest initiatives, including Fast. Free. Verified. Wi-Fi, a pet-friendly policy at no additional cost and participation in RediCard, while offering guests an economic rate so they can save money for experiencing the shopping, dining and sightseeing of Chicago. The hotel sits just one block from the Magnificent Mile, Chicago's premier destination for shopping and dining. Guests will be just steps away from popular retailers, the historic Water Tower and the iconic Chicago River. Upcoming plans for The St. Clair Hotel include an enticing fine dining restaurant in the lobby to be announced, scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2018. Other cities being considered for The Red Collection are New York, Las Vegas, Charlotte and Austin.
NAVIS Identifies New Direct Channel Strategy that Doubles Bookings

Top reservation sales and marketing technology provider for the hospitality industry reveals an all-new channel strategy thats disrupting the status quo, outlined in a new ebook and being showcased at upcoming events

In their continuing effort to help lodging operators drive more profitable reservations, NAVIS has released a new e-book titled, The Holistic Approach to Direct Bookings: Integrating Online and Offline Efforts to Increase Revenue. The 18-page guide, available for download at https://learn.thenavisway.com/open-ebooks/direct-bookings-the-holistic-approach, is a must-read for hotel and vacation rental ownership and management.

Jeff Robertson, the companys VP of Marketing will also be sharing insights on the provocative topic as a featured speaker at two upcoming New York events: The Direct Booking Summit in New York City on September 28th and Cornell Research Summit in Ithaca on October 6th.

There is a lot of talk about direct bookings, but nearly 100% of mindshare has been focused on driving more online bookings, explains Robertson. And too often the focus is solely on more  more campaigns, more website traffic, and more online bookings. Of course, all direct channels matter, but online alone is very inefficient when only a small percentage convert. Instead of just continuing to invest to drive more, you could be achieving millions more in revenue with an investment in the demand you already have. When systems are put in place to track and nurture guests along the path to purchase, hoteliers and property managers can yield nearly twice the revenue from their existing demand. Having your web and phone channels work together will, ultimately, achieve the greatest results.

Direct bookings are often considered the holy grail for hospitality marketers  that hasnt changed. What has evolved is the definition. Direct bookings existed long before OTAs came along, even before websites existed, yet, the industry continues to see online bookings as the top priority, even though they account for less than half of all the direct bookings. On top of this, most hotels are offering deep loyalty discounts to drive guests to book web direct, further undercutting profits. It is time to reexamine the effectiveness of this trend, and the NAVIS guide offers some disruptive food for thought. Some of the findings exposed in the e-book may surprise even the most seasoned industry experts. Highlights include:

Addressing the biggest myths about direct bookings

Questions you should be asking about your digital marketing

Which channels outperform all others

The dangers of the status quo

Which guests exactly are your low hanging fruit

How to make your online and offline strategies work holistically

To download your complimentary copy of The Holistic Approach to Direct Bookings: Integrating Online and Offline Efforts to Increase revenue, please click here or visit https://learn.thenavisway.com/open-ebooks/direct-bookings-the-holistic-approach.

About NAVIS

NAVIS is the No. 1 reservation sales and marketing platform for the hospitality industry. Because we believe technology should make you money, not cost you money, we developed our game-changing Revenue Performance Platform to transform teams into revenue makers, enabling them to drive, capture and convert more direct bookings. We deliver actionable guest insights so departments can seamlessly sell and market together. The result is always a dramatic increase in direct sales and profit. We guarantee it.

Founded in 1987, NAVIS is a privately held company with headquarters in Bend, Ore., and growing offices in Orlando, Fla. and Reno, Nev. The company has been awarded Top Workplaces by The Oregonian for four consecutive years, one of the 2016 Top 100 Workplaces in Central Florida, and one of the Northern Nevada Human Resources Association's 2017 Best Places to Work.

To learn more visit TheNavisWay.com.
Its about to be a very big week for New York rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. One of the genres most talked about newcomers, Boogie will de dropping his debut LP, The Bigger Artist, on September 29th, and will come to us through Highbridge The Label and Atlantic Records. While theres more than enough excitement for the 21-year-old emcee to chew on at the moment, he recently revealed how one of his music dreams never materialized when it came time to ink a record deal with a major name. In truth, he was secretly hoping to be picked up by Jay-Z and Roc Nation.

Diddy reached out, Khaled reached out, a lot of people reached out [] I think the only person that hasnt reached out to try to sign me, when everybody was looking to sign me, was probably JAY-Z, he said during an interview with Montreality. I aint feel no type of way, but I felt like, Damn, because I always [dreamed] about something like that. That was just one of my goals. But after a while, I had to wake up and realize, Damn, I could become bigger than that, feel me.' Though attaining the kind of career that Hov has made for himself and blessed the hip-hop community with is a lofty goal to be sure, the pieces might be in place for Boogie to take the first steps towards hitting that target.

His label, Atlantic was listed, as of May 2017, as No. 1 in overall market share among the big three of Universal, Sony and Warner. Theyve also now got a new hitmaker on their hands, with Cardi B becoming the first unassisted female emcee to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since 1998, when Lauryn Hill last did it. The recent success for them has effectively counteracted their bungling of high-quality hip-hop acts in the past, such as Lupe Fiasco and Action Bronson. Its still too early to pronounce A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie the next success story from the vaunted record label, but if the teases of promise shine through on his upcoming full-length project, the sky is the limit for the New York artist.

Boogie
I acted not only unlawfully but immorally, and if I had done the right thing, I would not be standing before you today, he said, crying during his statement. The prosecutors are skeptical that I have truly changed and I dont blame them, he said. I repeatedly acted in an obviously destructive way when I was caught. The 15-year-old victims story was first published in The Daily Mail about a year ago, which led to a full-on investigation into Weiners extra curricular activities. Judge Denise L. Cote of Federal District Court in Manhattan labeled the former politicians transgression as a serious crime that deserves serious punishment. Though Weiners lawyers say that hes been receiving effective treatment for sex addiction, Cote wouldnt budge on her tough stance during the sentencing. The difficulty here is that this is a very strong compulsion, she added. The third such incident was the last straw, coming after two very public disclosures and the destruction of his career on two occasions.

During the aforementioned probe, officials from the F.B.I. also discovered many emails on Weiners laptop that belonged to his then-wife, Huma Abedin, who was holding down the position of senior aide to Hillary Clinton. This revelation led to former F.B.I. director James Comey to spearhead the opening of a new inquiry into Clintons treatment of official emails, something she stated is partly responsible for her failed Presidential bid. In addition to the jail time, Weiner must also pay $10,000 in fine money, which he must surrender by November 6th.

I was a very sick man for a very long time, he said after the decision had been levied. Ive had a disease but I have no excuse, he continued. I accept complete and total responsibility for my crime. I was the adult.
Love him or hate him, Blac Youngsta is one of the more cartoonishly hilarious figures in the world of hip-hop today. Whether hes dropping another video on Instagram that features him either a) spending money or b) stroking money, feuding with another one of his rap music colleagues or simply just occupying his own niche in the marketplace via his music, theres never a dull moment when it comes to Youngstas output. In his latest social media update, the man behind Im Innocent is definitely not looking for any features on upcoming projects, thank you very much.

In a video clip that was making the rounds online late last night/earlier this morning, Blac Youngsta is seen sitting on a couch, idly sending messages on his smartphone. When asked if hes copping any features down the road, presumably for his previously mentioned mixtape project, the rapper responds with a smile and a coy response: I dont wanna do no features with nobody. He positioned himself on a pedestal above those who may have wanted to collaborate with him, adding, I dont f**k with none of these n****s, Im like Drake. Black Drake. Theres a sly, winking quality to his response that would necessitate not taking too much of what he says seriously, but that last line about the Toronto rapper may hit a nerve for some people. Drake has been mocked in some social media circles in the past for not being totally or authentically black, as witnessed by a piece from The Atlantic that was published in 2011. At one point, the author attempts to explain what real blackness is:

Real blackness in commercial rap often requires hyper-masculine claims to dangerous ghetto experience, sexual power, and conspicuous consumption. Critics argue that commercial rap is nothing more than actors performing racist stereotypes of black male deviance in a soulless attempt to cash in. The key point here is that racial authenticity is not merely racialit depends on a particular version of dominating manhood for its cultural and commercial appeal.

All that aside, Blac Youngsta is clearly having fun with the concept, seemingly to tease his upcoming mixtape F**k Everbody 2. He had a lot to say lyrically with Im Innocent and, by the looks of things, the rapper still has a lot to get off his chest for his next full-length release. Check out our exclusive interview with him below!

Blac Youngsta
The Bronx rapper really is the hottest in these streets.

Photo Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images



December 4, 2015: Love & Hip-Hop to Insta-Celeb

Cardi B stars in the 6th season of Love & Hip Hop: New York and her social media accounts start to really blow up, amassing five million followers on Instagram.

Cardi B caught a lot of licks on her come up, quickly pivoting to a 42nd street stripper to a Vine/Insta-celeb, to a reality star, and now to a chart-topping solo female rapper. Emerging from her Highbridge South Bronx roots with a desire to rise above the poverty she was born into, and bring her family along with her, she isnt like every other viral celebrity who expects a gilded sponsorship deal after their 15 seconds of fame. In a feature piece by The Fader, Cardi remarks: A lot of people think Im just a dumb a, like, hoe a b because I cant talk English properly and its just, like, yo if I was dumb, I would not be in the position that Im in. Its just like damn everybody wanna be famous but, like, people dont realize being famous dont make you like rich. Like, yo you really gotta work to get rich.

March 7, 2016: GBM Vol. 1

Cardi first began to toe the line between charismatic, big-mouthed reality star and respected rap icon with the release of Foreva off of her first mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music Vol 1. The track was an incredibly lucrative example of Cardis ability to spin viral catchphrases into lyrical gold. In her early Love & Hip Hop days, she warned a man she was interested in that if a girl have beef with me, she gon have beef with me foreva. Striking a chord with women around the world who didnt forgive and forget as easily as society instructs them to, Foreva started to gain mainstream traction instantly after it was dropped.

January 20, 2017  February 2017: GBM Vol. 2, Atlantic Signing

Following the success of her followup mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Vol. 2 including a remix feature on Lick by Migos rapper and now-boyfriend Offset, Cardi signed a multi-million dollar deal with Atlantic records. In her Fader feature, Cardi recounts her decision to side with the label: I had a lot of deals on the table but like they gave me the best offer, the one that I dont have to owe them much, and they just gave me a lot of money so I took it, said the Sauce Boyz rapper. They gave the right number, so I chose them. It was significantly more than other [deals]. I heard a lot of good things and they was really eager to work with me so I was just like, if they want to give this money then its because theyre really gonna work hard for me. People dont understand that they signed me because I put out a free mixtape and it sold so much and it was free, like, the numbers dont lie. Its right there.

With label-mates like Kehlani, Curren$y, Missy Elliot and Ty Dolla $ign, Cardi proved shes a force to be reckoned with and a certified rapper, not just a reality star with a smartphone and an Instagram account.

June 16, 2017: Bodak Yellow release

Cardis real come up started when she released her debut single with Atlantic, Bodak Yellow inspired by Kodak Blacks 2014 hit No Flockin. Thus, it also felt organic and perhaps even surprising, given how quickly it followed suit from her Lick remix which boasted a feature from an already-poppin rapper  on paper, should Lick have blown up first?

The record boasted of her newfound wealth, while reminding listeners that although she now wears designer threads, shes still not someone to fuck with, Said little b, you cant f with me, If you wanted to/These expensive, these is red bottoms, these is bloody shoes/Hit the store, I can get em both, I dont wanna choose.

June 22, 2017: Hot 100 Entrance

Only one week after its release, Bodak Yellow broke through the Billboard Hot 100 and debuted at No. 85.

August 7, 2017: Top 20 Debut

Cardi proved she really does make money moves as her hit single Bodak Yellow broke the top 20, moving up to No.14 on the Hot 100 Chart. The rapper took to Instagram to announce her success to the #BARDIGANG.

August 14, 2017: Top 10 Debut

Bodak Yellow moved to crack into the Top 10, jumping from No. 14 to No. 8 in just one week.

September 1, 2017: Bodak Yellow Goes Gold

September would prove to be an incredible month for Cardi B, as she made an Instagram announcement once more regarding the success of Bodak Yellow. Captioning a screenshot of the streaming charts, Cardi wrote, Number 1 song streaming in the country thank you motherfuckers :)Thank you for streaming ,buying ,spinning and sharing THANK YOU BARDIGANG.my project will be coming soon .

The single also went GOLD on the SAME. DAY.

September 2, 2017: Top 3 Debut

Bodak Yellow holds its own at No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a meteoric (and unheard of) rise for a relatively-unknown rapper who was brand new to the mainstream charts.

September 16, 2017: Cardi Hits No. 2

Cardis hot single creeped up to nab the coveted No. 2 spot. The rapper took to social media to express her gratitude, exclaiming: Thank you so much for making Bodak Yellow No. 2 on the [Billboard chart]. I cant believe this s and, just to know that I might make it to No. 1, its just like, I dont know, like, its a crazy feeling.

September 17-24, 2017: Bodak Yellow Co-Signs Flood In

Cardi has some serious star power hyping up her single and her status as a respected rapper. While on tour, Janet Jackson incorporated the banger into a choreographed dance routine and Cardi was beyond impressed. She posted a video of the icon dancing to her hit captioned, The type of shit you can only dream of. Have to thank the Queen Janet Jackson for showing BODAKYELLOW LOVE !!

RiRi, the new queen of Fenty beauty also posted a clip of the song to her Instagram, featuring a young toddler bopping hard and mouthing the words to Cardis Bodak Yellow. Captioned me af, we can only guess that the Wild Thoughts superstar throws down to the smash-hit single.

Rap icon J. Cole also took to social media to shout out Bodak. Tweeting to his nine million followers, Also Cardi b I seen your breakfast club interview, loved it. Dont put all that pressure on your album. You already won. Just drop & repeat, he voiced his support for Cardis come-up and the Bronx rapper was understandably overwhelmed. She responded with, Is this real :)Son my heart is smiling  Well who am I not to take J cole advice

This well-publicized support no doubt contributed to the singles recent climb to the top.

September 25, 2017: No. 1

Bodak Yellow rise to the No.1 spot was equally prompted by Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift fan-armies uniting for a common goal keep Cardi B from dethroning Taylor Swifts Look What You Made Me Do, and keep the No.1 slot for a female rap solo track to be claimed by Minaj, and Minaj alone. However, all the refreshing and re-streaming in the world couldnt keep Cardi off of her current winning streak and the NYT-dubbed rap anthem of the summer claimed the No.1 top spot once and for all.

Bodak Yellow is the biggest song in America. Its also the first song to claim #1 by a -solo- female rapper since Lauryn Hills Doo Wop (That Thing) in 1998.

Cardi B
Chance The Rapper is still riding the way of 2016s Coloring Book. The album was a monumental step for Chance, earning him critical and commercial acclaim, as well as bringing his career to new heights. While it may have been a while since weve received new solo music from the Chicago rapper, it turns out that hell be visiting his good friend, Stephen Colbert, to premiere some new music tonight.

Stephen Colbert took to Twitter earlier today to announce tonights special guest, Chance the Rapper. In the tweet, he also revealed that hell be premiering some new music. TONIGHT: @StephenAtHome sits down with the legend that is @chancetherapper before he performs NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD MUSIC. it reads. Both Stephen Colbert and Chance the Rapper have previously worked together on the intro video for the Emmys this year.

While 2017 has been scarce in terms receiving music from Chance, its looking like he may be gearing up for something in the near future. The last release we got from Chance was at the end of 2016 with Jeremih, for their collaborative tape Merry Christmas, Lil Mama. While its been less than a year since that dropped, whos actually going to complain about a new drop from Chance?

There seems to be hints that well be getting some new music from Chance in the near future. Earlier this month, photos surfaced of Young Thug and Chance in the studio. The two have previously collaborated on Chances Mixtape off of Coloring Book and their loose single Big Bs earlier this year. Donald Glover also revealed that the collaborative project between himself and Chance will probably happen.

Despite not dropping any new solo music recently, Chance has been dominating nonetheless. He took over the summer alongside DJ Khaled, Quavo and Lil Wayne for Im The One. He came out during DJ Khaleds set at the iHeartRadio festival along with Quavo to perform the song.

Aside from the good news that has been coming his way, hes also been involved with some legal trouble. Last week, a fan of his sued a concert promoter that held one of his shows after she tripped on an unsecured chain backstage. He also got hit with lawsuit prior to that for copyright infringement. Jazz musician, Abdul Wali Muhammad, claims that Chance sampled a significant portion of his work for the song Windows. Hopefully, that ends up getting settled soon.

Peep the tweet below:
The DMV has more than a few rappers right now that are putting on for their city, although its safe to say most are straddling the underground, generally underrated, with small(er) but loyal followings. Chaz French fits the bill, as do artists like Goldlink, Phil Ade, Shy Glizzy and Jay IDK, all of whom Chaz has shown support for, on social media and beyond (beyond = IRL). Thus, not only are these artists fanbases extremely loyal, these artists are loyal to each other theyre not dragging each other down. Obviously, if were talking DMV, Wale cant be left out of the conversation, but as a sizeably bigger artist than the ones previously mentioned, the context for him isnt the same.

Chaz, who is signed to Motown, delivered a stand-out album in July, although it flew under the radar for most (he did get a Pusha T shout out, which is nothing to scoff at). Were hoping that this new freestyle, which Chaz did off top at our NYC office, will encourage any hesitant listeners to return to True Colors, which boasted 17 tracks and collaborations with Shy Glizzy, BJ The Chicago Kid, Curren$y, Casey Veggies and more. Hes followed it up with a music video for Way Out too, but apart from that, Chaz has been keeping a relatively low profile since the summer release, connecting with fans through live performances and social activity. It looks like hes getting the itch to drop more music though, he recently contemplated to his twitter followers, Another album soon yea ?

While you wait on that, if you havent been formally introduced to Chaz yet, consider this freestyle it. Chaz absolutely kills this light, jingly beat (production is handled by our in-house video editor and producer, Loa Gaze), with a song thatll have you feel like your sinking deep into a couch after an indica-heavy joint, while Chaz fills your mind with social awareness from low-income families, to drug usage and more.

Click play and let us know what you think. Check back in with us next Tuesday for Trae Tha Truths HNHH Freestyle Session (#002).

Quotable Lyrics

Papa rather pop a pistol

Papa end up back in prison

Papa gotta beat the system

Mama suffer, mama struggle

Mama gotta be a Christian

Mama gotta make up for what Daddy couldnt did, or didnt
Mike Free might be best known for producing hits for 2 Chainz, Big Sean, YG, Trey Songz, and a many others, but it looks like hes readying a new project of his own for later this year. Earlier today, the California producer decided to come out of nowhere & release the projects first single called She Ready featuring Dave East & Teeflii.

Going in over the West Coast-sounding production from Mike Free, Dave kicks things off with some slick, NYC bars, rapping about his woman being ready for some late night adventures & pleasures, while TeeFlii handles the catchy, sexually-driven hook. I see you peekin, but you aint speakin/ Checkin aint cheatin/ Fat Ass and big titties she ready/ And you normally get it she ready/ She bend over and touch her toes touch her toes, Teeflii croons on the hook.

Highlighted by its club-ready production & Daves aggressive bars, She Ready is a strong introduction into the solo career of West Coast producer Mike Free. And if this isnt enough, Mike says his next single will feature Gucci Mane, which were definitely anticipating.

Take a listen and let us know what you think. If youre a fan, be sure to show your support on iTunes.

In other related news, Dave East is coming off the release of his debut album this year called Paranoia, which dropped back in June. He just announced the other day that its sequel, Paranoia 2, is already on the way. So stay tuned, more from the NYC spitter is coming soon. Paranoia 2 on the way. Im about to hit em back to back. East said in a recent interview, Probably before Halloween, Ima come with another one. One more EP and then [its] album time, like my real debut Probably like end of the year [or] top of the year. Thats when youre gonna be hearing about the title and all of that.

Quotable Lyrics:

You pay attention to the wrong shit asking who Im on the phone with

Im just tryna see how that thong fit

She can feel it in her chest like bong rip

Tryna slide up out the spot before the song switch

She got a walk that let me know she ready

Leggings on i can see it from the front thats how i know its heavy

She got a body make you spend it all

Weather vacation or in the mall she know that we finna ball

 Dave East
Formerly known as Royce Rizzy, rising ATL artist 24hrs has spent the past couple years working on recreating his sound & image, and hes done a good job at that, having collaborated with the likes of Yo Gotti, Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla Sign, Gucci Mane, and Juicy J to name only a few. Earlier this year, the multi-talented crooner found some commercial success with the song What You Like with Wiz Khalifa & Hit-Boy, but thats just one of the many releases this year. In fact, dating back to last September, 24Hrs has released 5 projects in total, including 12:AM, Sunset Blvd, 24Hrs In Tokyo, Not Open Late, & most recently his Night Shift EP, which dropped back in May, but thats still not where it ends. On Monday morning, the multi-talented artist announced that he had another project dropping Monday night called 12 AM In Atlanta with DJ Drama, and alas here it is right on time.

Laced with 11 tracks in total, the sequel to last years 12:AM project features guest appearances from MyNamePhin & Madeintyo, the latter of which appears on the song Figure It Out. Meanwhile, production is handled by the likes of Hit-Boy, DJ Marc B, Nard And B, Murda Beatz, G Ry, Slicklaflare, and more with DJ Drama & his Gangsta Grillz stamp serving as the tapes host.

In addition to this tape, 24hrs revealed to us earlier this year that he also has another project with Ty Dolla Sign on the way called 24 Dollas AND another tape with Hit-Boy called 24 Hits. Its unclear at the moment on when either of those projects will be dropping, but this Gangsta Grillz tape should definitely hold us over in the meantime.

Stream/download the new 11-track effort and let us now what you think! Whats your favorite record?
Remember when Gucci Mane teamed up with the Texas rapper, Evander Griim, at the beginning of the year to drop Right Now?

Well if its been off you radar, get ready to bang it once again because Lil Yachty has come through to share his version of the track calling it a teen mix. The song and beat arent much different, but were presented with a dope little bar from Lil Yachty rapping about making $300K and girls loosing their manners.

Yachty and Griim have been touring together over the summer hitting up east coast cities as well as showing west coat love, so the collaboration comes as no surprise.

Yachty and I have gotten pretty close to each other in the past couple months just making hella records together and doin helllllla shows together, Griiim tells Complex on the two bulking up the track. One day, boom, there was his teen mix for Right Now.'

Although we love the remixes, its safe to say wed love to see Yachtys upcoming mixtape, Lil Boat 2, a little more. The young rapper teased fans with an Instagram post that shows off some beats from the upcoming mixtape. The video sees Yachty jumping around on stage and crowd surfing while confetti pours everywhere, beaded braids and all.

Yachty took to Twitter to shout out the Bodak Yellow rapper saying, Congratulations to Cardi B, Cant Nobody Stop Your Shine! The tweet seemingly came in light of the fact that the female rappers most popular track has hit number one in the U.S.

If weve learnt anything in the latest string on rapper Twitter feeds, maybe Cardi will give thanks to the love and well be blessed with a Yachty x Cardi track to top off the start of Fall. This could also be wishful thinking.

Quotable Lyrics

Big booty clap back just like jello

Shoot like mellow

Boom like Metro

Clear this whole section out, right now

Buy your house off section eight, right now
Leave it to a childrens show thats adapted from a 105-year-old German book to cause controversy for too much phallic imagery.

Thats exactly what happened to Studio 100, the makers of the kiddie series Maya The Bee, who have publicly apologized after a hidden drawing of a penis was spotted by a U.S. parent, who later posted an image of the discovery on social media. Other parents who saw the shared picture were equally outraged, dragging both Studio 100 and Netflix, one of the shows streaming distributors, for the egregious oversight. The streaming giant, while refraining from commenting on the matter, has since removed the episode of Maya from their catalog. The amazing part? This episode in particular was first broadcast in 2012. Surely countless children (or maybe their parents) have been scarred in the process.

The drawing of the penis, etched on a log in the background of a scene, obviously results from a very bad joke from one of the 150 artists working on the production, a spokesperson for the production company told the BBC. This is indeed unacceptable to Studio 100 as owner of the brand and all its affiliates and doesnt reflect the quality of our work and our values. The Paris-based company added that it was very sorry and that it was taking all suitable technical measures to remedy the situation. The shows producers are supposedly looking for the culprit out of their pool of artists from France and Asia who worked on that particular episode, according to Deadline. At last word, the perpetrator could be facing some stiff legal punishment if caught.

Sexually suggestive images or text have been popping up in childrens shows and family friendly feature films for decades. One of the more famous example happens in 1991s An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, where a doodle of a penis can fleetingly be seen. Disneys animation team also drew the ire of parents in the VHS aftermarket when the word sex was supposedly spelled out in the clouds when an adult Simba collapses on a mountain ledge, plant bust blowing into the air and forming the letters as a result. Moral of the story: kids shows and movies are bad influences, just like more grown-up fare.

Maya the Bee
Cardi B has ascended into what may have been unthinkable territory when she first embarked on a music career: being a female emcee with a number one hit single. Today, the news broke that her major hit Bodak Yellow has knocked off Taylor Swifts Look What You Made Me Do to take a stranglehold of the No. 1 slot on the Billboard Hot 100. Its definitely record-setting stuff for Cardi, who becomes only the second female rapper to top the chart without a featured artist, the first being Lauryn Hill with her single Doo Wop (That Thing) in 1998. Shes also the first female soloist to go No. 1 with a debut single without any accompaniment since Meaghan Trainor di it with All About That Bass back in 2014. Its a big moment for the former reality TV star and her beau, Migos member Offset, was ready to celebrate it on social media.

The rapper, who recently had himself featured on the new Macklemore track Willy Wonka, shared his elation via a video that he shared on social media, flexing hard for his boo after she recorded the milestone. Yall hos cant f**k with my bitch, he exclaimed, further lending his voice to shine a bigger light on her accomplishment. All those muscled arm emojis should tell you all about the rappers mood, which Id categorize as proud AF.

The occasion was definitely a reason to go all out in terms of a celebration, which is just what Cardi did, holding a blowout at the Atlantic Records offices Monday following the official announcement. Lots of champagne was on hand for those in attendance, which gave way to the rap empress addressing the cameras with some on-the-record thoughts about her achievement. Thank you everybody. Im very happy, Im very honored. Especially because my familys here, she said. At first, I kept coming to the label like why is my shit not playing on the radio? I do not understand whats going on!. Theyre like  you gotta keep working hard to get that big record. oh, Imma give yall a record!' You can check out the rest of her statement here and peep a short video of the festivities at Atlantic below, courtesy of Angela Yee.

Offset
Its still Monday by a few minutes so you know what that means a new R-Mean release is upon us. And since the Wu-Tang Clan just recently announced that the release of their new album Wu-Tang: The Saga Continues will feature an appearance by R-Mean himself on a song called Gd Up with Method Man, he figured its only right he pay homage to the legendary rap crew by hopping on a slew of classic Wu-Tang instrumentals for this weeks #MeanMonday series.

Over GZAs 4th Chamber, Method Mans Bring The Pain, and Wu-Tang Forevers Heaterz, the Armenian assasin does what he does best, and thats spit some serious bars, referencing RZA, Sway, Jay Elect, and more in the process. That racism shit is detrimental/ Im hip hop my heart beats is RZA instrumental/ My ventricles have 36 Chambers, veins built with cuban links chains R-Mean spits.

For those keeping count, this weeks freestyle serves as the 39th #MeanMonday release, following up R.M.E.A.N. & Real One recently, and its pretty dope one to say the least.

Take a listen to the 3-minute lyrical onslaught and let us know what you think. You may need to give this a couple spins in order to catch all the lyrical wordplay, but thats definitely not a bad thing. Look for more #MeanMonday releases to be on the way, including its forthcoming mixtape as well. Stay tuned.

In other related news, Wu-Tang Clans: The Sage Continues album drops October 13th, and can be pre-order now on iTunes. Those of you who take advantage of the early purchase will receive two new songs for free, including People Say with Redman and Lesson Learnd, which dropped last Friday along with the projects tracklist (see here).

Quotable Lyrics:

Im the 13th apostle turn street to gospel

72 virgins serve mean and brothel

Earth deep like fossils

Rooted in this game through word speak Picassos

Beautifully I paint this the 5th mean angle

Each verses got 16 sistine chapels
Forget being up in everyone elses business  Wendy Williams might want to check on her husbands tea cup for a minute.

via GIPHY

The Daily Mail is reporting that the TV hosts husband, Kevin Hunter, has been engaging in an extramarital affair for over a decade. The 46-year-old kept man has supposedly been seeing Sharina Hudson, a 32-year-old massage therapist in an affair that has been going on for a long time. In fact, hes apparently been splitting his time between the mansion he and Williams live in in New Jersey and a secluded suburban house that he bought for his mistress, which is located just nine miles down the road. Talk about a short commute.

Hunter and Williams have been married for 20 years and have a teenage son, Kevin Jr. Kevin Sr. manages Williams career and heads a production company that is owned by both of them. According to the report, Hunter has been juggling his affections for both women, neither of whom he has fallen out of love with. There is evidence to support his see-saw activities as of late too  after a romantic Barbados getaway with Williams, Hunter was photographed spending time with his mistress back in Morristown, New Jersey.

With all this in mind, the spokesperson for Wendy Williams, Ronn Torossian, has categorically denied this report, saying that her husband was not having an affair. One plus one does not equal three, he proclaimed. To add to that, Williams seemed to be in the throes of romantic bliss when she last spoke to People, shortly after T.I.s bikini picture shout out.

Williams spoke about her husband recently  seen in the holiday snaps  when she talked to People about her revealing bikini photos, which showed off her surgically enhanced figure. We were having the time of our lives. We totally thought we were by ourselves, she said. I dont care when people talk about the way I look, because as long I love what I see when I get out of the shower, as long as [my husband] loves what he sees when I slip into bed, and as long as my son is not embarrassed by overweight or underweight mommy, Im good. However, a source for the Mail stated that Kevin is with Sharina three or four times a week, often staying over. Theres been no official comment from Williams herself.

Wendy Williams
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
Kolkata, Sept 26 (IBNS):Walmart India,the wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart Stores Inc., on Tuesday announced the launch of the Second Edition of the Women Entrepreneurship Development Program (WEDP).

The program aims to enhance the participants skills and capability to be able to build robust and sustainable businesses.

The program will be implemented by WEConnect International in partnership with TTC Global and Amity University with funding from Walmart. During the program, the WOBs will undergo capacity building training, mentoring and technical support customized to the needs of their businesses.

These training modules will cover all key areas for better understanding of and running a business  marketing, finance, business strategy, operations, legal and compliance, social networking, among others.

The WOBswould be in different product categories located in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Mahashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

Announcing the launch, Krish Iyer, president & CEO, Walmart India, said, "I am extremely delighted to announce the second edition of the Women Entrepreneurship Development Program soon after the successful graduation of the participants of the first edition. We have ramped up the program and doubled the number.The program is designed to help women entrepreneurs achieve higher levels of business growth and help make them more competitive and resilient in todays dynamic business environment. For Indias growth story to translate into shared prosperity for allof its people, we need to lay down a strong foundation to make the eco-system more inclusive We are moving the needle by doing our part through diversity in the supply chainto help create a pipeline of women suppliers for the industry as well as for Walmart India, as we continue to grow in the country.

Walmart has an ongoing commitment to empower women around the world and help WOBs succeed and grow.

In September 2011, Walmart launched the Global Womens Economic Empowerment (WEE) initiative, a five-year initiative to use its unique size and scale to improve the lives of under-served womenaround the world.

As part of the initiative, Walmart committedto source $20 billion from women for its U.S. business and double sourcing from WOBs internationally. While the company achieved the $20 billion sourcing goal for the U.S. in late 2016, Walmart continues to work toward the international goal to double sourcing from WOBs in other markets.

Jenny Grieser, Senior Director of Womens Economic Empowerment for Walmart, said, "We are thrilled to be able to roll out the second edition of the WEDP program as it strengthens

our commitment to economically empower women. Empowering women is the right thing to do for the community and it also makes good business sense."

WEConnect International is leading theoverall coordination and conceptualization of the training program, as well as selecting and assessing the needs of the participants. Amity University is customizing the training curriculum as per requirements in addition totraining the participants.As a knowledge partner, TTCGlobal is responsible foridentification and selection of high potential WOBs.

Parul Soni,Country Director, WEConnect International in India, said, WEConnect International believes in a world in which women have the same opportunity as their male counterparts to design and implement business solutions that create wealth and ensure the sustainable prosperity of their communities. The Women Entrepreneurship Development Program matches beautifully with our vision and we are excited to launch the second edition. We hope the curriculum will help us achieve this objective.

During the program that lasts through July 2018, the women entrepreneurs will undergo a structured capacity building training, mentoring and technical support customized to the needs of their businesses and delivered through various formats, including classroom sessions, workshops, field trips, webinars etc.

They will be taught a number of aspects of running a business and making it sustainable in addition to life skills, social media marketing, operations, replenishment, logistics, supply chain, product marketing, financial planning and resource management, negotiation skills, among others.

The first edition of WEDP was launched in April 2016.


Kolkata, Sept 23 (IBNS) Noodle bar Wai Wai has expanded its wings and opened an outlet in Kolkata on Prince Anwar Shah Road opposite South City Mall.

For years, Wai Wais instant noodles were popular amongst school and college going students. Taking the next step the noodle brand brings to you Wai Wai City - a made to eat noodle bar  giving your favourite noodles an appetizing make-over in various style, flavours and toppings to choose from.

This brings the brand closer to the consumer, giving them multiple options along with making the space a preferred nook for friends to catch up and enjoy their favourite snack.

The menu offers an array of noodle dishes cooked in interesting styles influenced by Oriental flavours, giving noodle lovers a host of new ways to consume this cult snack.

The live kitchen has four types of noodles such as Classic, Chopsuey, Roasted and Pan Fried, seven customised sauces, which are, Soy Garlic, Kung Pao, Masala Fusion,Hot Garlic, Pepper Soya, Spicy Teriyaki, Schezwan Chilli, eighteen vegetables, ten toppings and five add-ons to choose from.

It is an aromatic experience as well as a visual treat to see each dish being prepared with fresh ingredients right in front of your eyes. The menu takes you through an Oriental journey with its Signature Selection for you to binge on, such as Bang Bang, with spicy Schezwan Chilli sauce and Kung Pao Delight  served with pan fried noodles and piquant Kung pao sauce.

Other highlights from the menu include flavourful fusions like the momosa, the Wai Wai Bhel, and the delectable zucchini masala fries.

The noodle bar creates a lively and inviting environment, detaching it from the city outside and providing a quirky tangent to the contemporary design elements.

Choosing to take the path less travelled, the outlet deviates from sticking to the standard quick service restaurant layout by moving on to creating a functional space without compromising on the fun through its colourful graphics.

Indias first in its category, the chain promises a noodle bar experience. The QSR format has already started to roll out through the franchise channel, with an estimated expansion investment of INR 250 crore and 1500 outlets over the next five years across multiple markets.

Wai Wai City will be spread across the following formats - food courts, self-standing kiosks, standalone outlets, highway formats and an integrated format. These formats will be developed across malls, information technology (IT) parks, offices, airports, hospitals, colleges, high streets, etc. It will offer noodles in a host of flavours at pocket-friendly prices.

Speaking on the launch, Varun Chaudhary, Executive Director, CG Corp Global said, Wai Wai City is an endeavour to bring the brand closer to its customers in a more tangible manner. We wanted to come up with something that evokes nostalgia in people, taking them back to their school and college days when Wai Wai noodles was the favourite snack."

Raghav Gupta, of Yashna Projects LLP, (Developer agent for West BENGAL) said: It is more special in our part of country.Its the first outlet in Kolkata and second in West Bengal, many more are coming up is days to come. We are happy to bring Wai Wai more closer to the people of Kolkata."
On September 21, 2017, Security Forces (SFs) killed an 'area commander' of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified as Podiyam Bheema, during an encounter in the forests between Pidmel and Palamdgu villages under Polampalli Police Station limits in Sukma District. SFs later recovered the dead body of the slain Maoist along with three country-made firearms, explosives and other materials. The slain Maoist was handling operations in at least 10 villages in the area.

On September 18, 2017, two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter in the Rasantong forest area of Sukma District. The encounter ensued when SFs on a search operation were fired upon by the Maoists. SFs later recovered two guns, 13 detonators, a radio set, a wireless set, codex wire, batteries, solar plates and some other material from the encounter site.

On August 13, 2017, SFs killed two Maoists, including a 'deputy platoon commander' identified as Podiyam Sunna, during an exchange of fire between Maoists and the SFs under the Kistaram Police Station in Sukma District. SFs also recovered a gun and a country-made pistol from the spot.

On June 24, 2017, a CPI-Maoist 'commander', identified as Korsa Mahesh, was killed in an encounter in the Tondamarka Forest area of Sukma District. The slain Maoist carried a reward of INR 800,000 on his head.

On April 24, 2017, a Maoist cadre was killed in the Burkapal area of Kalapattar in Sukma District.

On January 27, 2017, a Maoist cadre was killed in an exchange of fire with SFs in a dense patch of forest under Fulbagdi Police Station limits in Sukma District. SFs recovered one .303 rifle from the encounter site.

These eight fatalities among Maoists have been recorded in Sukma District in the current year, thus far (data till September 24, 2017). On the other hand, SFs have lost at least 41 of their own personnel in four incidents. With this, the Maoists have managed to restore their dominance, registering a staggering 1:5.12 kill ratio in their favour in the current year, after conceding their superiority marginally in 2015 and to a large extent through 2016. During the corresponding period of the previous year, SFs had eliminated at least 21 Maoists while suffering 10 losses, yielding a positive kill ratio of 1:21. Through 2016, the ratio was 1:3.54 in favour of the SFs. The ratio stood at 1:1.07, marginally in favour of SFs in 2015.

Since its formation on January 16, 2012, the Sukma District has recorded more SF losses - 126 - as compared to the Maoists, at 78, establishing a kill ratio of 1:1.61 in favour of the Maoists. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, Sukma is one of seven Districts (among 28 from where fatalities among both SFs and Maoists have been reported since January 16, 2012) in which SFs have suffered greater losses as compared to the Maoists. Moreover, Sukma has recorded the maximum number of SF fatalities, at 126, for any District across India, since January 16, 2012; with Bijapur, also in Chhattisgarh, standing a distant second, with 52; followed by Gadchiroli in Maharashtra with 39 fatalities.

Significantly, the worst ever attack by the Maoists targeting SFs, across all Maoist affected regions in India, had taken place at Tarmetla village near Chintalnad under the Konta Block, one of the seven Blocks of the undivided Dantewada District, which is now among one of the three tehsils (revenue units) of Sukma District. The incident in which 75 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and one State Policeman were killed occurred on April 6, 2010.

Incidentally, the two worst attacks targeting SFs in the current year across all Maoist affected regions in India, were carried out in Sukma. On April 24, 2017, when Maoists killed at least 25 CRPF personnel and injured another six in an ambush at Kalapattar in the Burkapal area of Sukma District; and the March 11, 2017, incident when the Maoists killed 12 CRPF personnel and injured another four when they ambushed a Road Opening Party (ROP) in the forests near Kottacheru village under the Bhejji Police Station in Sukma District.

Meanwhile, there is a significant dip in fatalities among civilians in the current year, after these had risen in 2015 and 2016. Nevertheless, civilians in Sukma continue to live in fear of the Maoists. In attempts to terrorise civilians, the Maoists have abducted many and, in some cases, killed them. On March 10, 2017, for instance, a former Sarpanch (head of Panchayat, a local-self Government institution), identified as Madvi Dula (55), was killed by CPI-Maoist cadres after being abducted on March 9, on suspicion of being a 'Police informer', in the Tokanpalli Forest area under the Chintagufa Police Station in Sukma. More recently, on September 16, 2017, a group of armed Maoists abducted 10 villagers, including woman Sarpanch Podiyam Muye and Deputy Sarpanch Podiyam Komal, of Chintagufa village in Sukma District. Later, in the night of September 20, 2017, the Maoists released all of them, after subjecting them to a 'jan adalat (People's Court)', in which they were warned not to 'help' the administration in carrying out development activities in remote areas. They were also threatened not to attend meetings held by the District administration to address grievances of villagers.

Unsurprisingly, Sukma is listed among the 35 worst Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)]-affected Districts identified by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), across the country.

Sukma was carved out of Dantewada as a separate District on January 16, 2012, and is spread over a geographical area of 5635.79 square kilometres, of which around 3,500 square kilometres (more than 75 per cent of its total area) is under thick forest cover. The forest cover, terrain and geography of the District provide the Maoists distinct tactical advantages, allowing them to establish disruptive dominance over much of the area. In addition, the District abuts the Maoist-afflicted Bastar, Bijapur and Dantewada Districts of the State to the north and west; the Malkangiri District of Odisha to the east; and the Khammam District of Telangana to the South, making it more formidable challenge for SFs in their hunt for the Maoists.

In a worrying development, media reports published on September 9, 2017, suggested that the 'commander' of the Maoists' 'Battalion No.1', Madvi Hidma (36), who was allegedly involved in most of the major incidents in the District, including the April 24, 2017, Burkapal ambush, the May 25, 2013, Jeeram Valley ambush, and the April 6, 2010, Chintalnad ambush, among others, has been promoted to the Central Committee (CC) of the CPI-Maoist, the second most powerful body of the outfit, after its 'Politburo'. Intelligence agencies are, however, reluctant to confirm Hidma's elevation in the absence of any documentary evidence in Maoist publications or seized correspondence. Hidma belongs to the Muria tribal community of the Bastar region and was born at Purvati village in Sukma. His ascent reportedly came as a reward for his successes in the fight against SFs in the area, providing the lone 'bright spot' in an otherwise murky battle field across the country where the Maoists are facing several reverses, including in their epicentre of dominance in Chhattisgarh.

Recent, albeit occasional, Maoist successes against SFs have provoked strengthening State responses after the Burkapal debacle. The Government has decided to deploy a fresh squad of 2,000 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) personnel in and around Sukma. Though the Central Government has not disclosed actual strength of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) deployment in Maoist affected areas, varying media reports indicate that around 44 CoBRA teams (of the total 154) are deployed in Chhattisgarh for operations, and all of them are in the Bastar region comprising seven Districts - Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur and Sukma. In addition, 20,000 State Policemen are deployed in the Bastar region. The SF leadership has also reviewed the lapses that facilitated recent debacles, and sources indicate that tactical and administrative procedures are being modified to ensure that such failures are not repeated in future.

Sukma remains one of the last surviving Maoist bastions in the country, with much of their operational strength intact. The District is among the most poorly connected and under-developed, even by the Bastar Division's low standards, and SFs confront extraordinary difficulties operating in its tough terrain, and in a population where the Maoist - and in particular, Hidma's personal - influence is substantial, and where the Maoist intelligence networks is likely stronger than that of the State.

Image: Wikimedia Commons
New Delhi, Sep 26 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, on his birthday.

Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter to greet the senior Congress leader.

"Warm birthday wishes to our former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. May he lead a long life filled with good health," his tweet read.

Singh turned 85 on Tuesday.

A noted economist, Singh served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014.
Image: twitter.com/MyFellowIndians

Varanasi, Sep 26 (IBNS): The victim in the Benaras Hindu University (BHU) molestation case has alleged that the guards didn't take any action even when approached for help, in a formal complaint, according to reports.

According to the FIR, the incident took place at 6:20 pm on Sep 21, the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit.

In the FIR, lodged a day later, the girl alleged, "I was passing by Bharat Kala Bhawan at 6.20 pm. I was wearing salwar suit. Suddenly, two motorcycle-borne youth came and inserted their hands inside my suit. They then sped away. Due to fading light, I could not recognise the registration numbers."

She further added, "While I was almost unconscious and weeping, my friends, approached guards but their reaction was strange. They made sarcastic remarks on why we move outside after 6 pm. This even as the incident took place hardly 10 metres away from where the guards stood."

The complaint also read that while a male student described the assailants by the colour of the t-shirts they were wearing, the security guards didn't pay heed.

The incident has caused a widespread outrage on the campus, with several students staging a demonstration in front of the vice-chancellor's house.

The BHU on its part said in an official statement that the protests were politically motivated, to malign the image of the university during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit.

Students have also taken a swipe at the state government, questioning the effectiveness of its anti-Romeo squad.

A student was quoted as saying by the Times of India, "When this government came, we were happy that it wants to eliminate stalkers who have become tormentors of many of us in the past. But here we realise, that neither the guards, nor the police, even the SSP has done anything since last six months to even frisk men at BHU if they are consuming liquor or moving around with weapons. Had their anti-Romeo force been working, we wouldn't have to face this situation."

The situation has forced the university to advance the holiday dates, from Sep 28 to Sep 25.

Classes will resume from Oct 3.

Image: twitter.com/MyFellowIndians
New Delhi, Sep 26 (IBNS): The Delhi High Court agreed to hear on Tuesday afternoon the bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, a suspected accomplice of arrested Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for her role in the spiralling violence after the arrest of the godman convicted in rape cases, media reports said.

Honeypreet Insan aka Priyanka Taneja's lawyer has pleaded for a trasit anticipatory bail for three weeks before the court. Honeypreet was projected as the adopted daughter of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The bail plea by Honeypreet's lawyer revealed that Gurmeet's adopted daughter is in Greater Kailash area of South Delhi.

Honeypreet is also accused of conspiring the violence which occurred in Panchkula and Sirsa, immediately after Gurmeet's conviction, that killed 30 odd people.

A lookout notice has been issued for Honeypreet Insan by Haryana Police on September 1.

Honeypreet is the "adopted daughter" of the convicted chief, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping two of his female followers.

The Dera chief also broke down during the verdict and urged the judge to lighten his sentence, but was eventually granted 20 years, 10 years each for sexually exploiting two females.

In addition, the judge also ordered the dera chief to pay Rs 15 lakh compensation each to both the victims.
New Delhi, Sep 26 (IBNS): HRD ministry on Tuesday summoned vice chancellor of Benaras Hindu University (BHU), GC Tripathy, over the ongoing campus violence related to an alleged sexual harassment of a girl student, media reports said.

VC Tripathi has already left for Delhi on Tuesday morning.

However, a university spokesperson said the quarterly meeting of executive council was pre-scheduled for which the VC has gone to Delhi to attend.

A protest was started on the night of Septemver 21, following an alleged sexual harassment of a student of visual arts near Bharat Kala Bhawan, a Times of India report said.

The girl alleged that she was assaulted by three bike riders and added that the campus security guard, who was standing within 100 metres, didn't react.

In its statement, the BHU said that the protests were politically motivated, to malign the image of the university as prime minister Narendra Modi was visiting Varanasi at that time.

According to the FIR, the incident took place at 6:20 pm on September 21, the eve of Modi's state visit.

In the FIR, lodged a day later, the girl alleged: "I was passing by Bharat Kala Bhawan at 6.20 pm. I was wearing salwar suit. Suddenly, two motorcycle-borne youth came and inserted their hands inside my suit. They then sped away. Due to fading light, I could not recognise the registration numbers."

She further added, "While I was almost unconscious and weeping, my friends, approached guards but their reaction was strange. They made sarcastic remarks on why we move outside after 6 pm. This even as the incident took place hardly 10 metres away from where the guards stood."

The incident has caused a widespread outrage on the campus, with several students staging a demonstration in front of the vice-chancellor's house.

Students have also taken a swipe at the state government, questioning the effectiveness of its anti-Romeo squad.

Several students, including girls, were injured on Saturday night when the police allegedly used force to remove the protesters from outside V-Cs residence.

The ongoing incident has forced state chief minister Yogi Adityanath to intervene; he has asked for a detailed report.

The Uttar Pradesh government has removed three additional city magistrates and two policemen in connection with baton-charge on students in Benaras Hindu University in Varanasi, according to media reports on Monday.

Meanwhile, the police on Monday has filed a first information report (FIR) against nearly 1000 BHU students for arson, media reported.

The situation has forced the university to advance the holiday dates, from September 28 to September 25.

Classes will resume on October 3.
Srinagar, Sep 26 (IBNS): Security forces on Tuesday shot dead one militant after foiling an infiltration bid in Zorawar area of Uri sector near Line of Control of North Kashmir.

According to reports, army shot dead a foreign militant who was trying to cross into the Indian side.



A Srinagar-based defence spokesperson told IBNS that the militant's body has been recovered along with a weapon.



He further said clearing operation is on in the area.



Since Sunday, four militants were killed at Kalgai village, near the Line of Control in Uri sector.



Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri
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New Delhi, Sep 26 (IBNS): A woman in a hijab in South Delhi, caught on CCTV, has been speculated to be arrested Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's suspected accomplice, Honeypreet Insan, media reports said.

Honeypreet Insan has been charged for her role in the spiraling violence after the arrest of the godman convicted in rape cases.

The CCTV footage, which has been handed over to police by a neighbour of Honeypreet's lawyer who lives in South Delhi, shows a woman wearing a hijab with a bag dangling from her arm.

At 7 on Tuesday morning, police had arrived at Honeypreet's residence in Great Kailash of South Delhi but failed to find her.

Honeypreet Insan aka Priyanka Taneja's lawyer has pleaded for a transit anticipatory bail for three weeks before the court. Honeypreet was projected as the adopted daughter of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The bail plea by Honeypreet's lawyer revealed that Gurmeet's adopted daughter is in Greater Kailash area of South Delhi.

Honeypreet is also accused of conspiring the violence which occurred in Panchkula and Sirsa, immediately after Gurmeet's conviction, that killed 30 odd people.

A lookout notice has been issued for Honeypreet Insan by Haryana Police on September 1.

Honeypreet is the "adopted daughter" of the convicted chief, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping two of his female followers.

The Dera chief also broke down during the verdict and urged the judge to lighten his sentence, but was eventually granted 20 years, 10 years each for sexually exploiting two females.

In addition, the judge also ordered the dera chief to pay Rs 15 lakh compensation each to both the victims.
New Delhi, Sep 26 (IBNS): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi on Tuesday took a stand on Rohingya issue, completely opposite to the central government, saying the Rohingyas should be treated humanely, media reports said.

Gandhi, in an editorial to Navbharat Times, proposed for an asylum to tackle the Rohingya crisis, contrary to what the Modi government earlier stated.

In an interview to NDTV, the young BJP MP said: "I've called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns."

The central government, on a contrary view to Gandhi's comment, had already said they want to deport the Rohingyas as they are a threat to the national security.

The Centre, days ago, filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that the presence of Rohingyas Muslims in the country poses national security threats as intelligence reports suggest links of a section of the immigrants, branded stateless in Myanmar, with Pak-based terror groups.

According to reports, the Centre also told the apex court that whether or not Rohingya refugees should be allowed to settle in the country be left to the executive.

The top court had asked the government to file an affidavit following a petition against the deportation of the illegal immigrants to Myanmar.

The Centre said in the apex court: As far as Rohingyas are concerned, they claimed to have entered from Myanmar using porous border between India and Myanmar. The total number of such illegal immigrants into our country would be more than 40,000 approximately as on date.

Rohingya presence in the country has serious national security ramifications and it poses national security threats. Illegal influx of Rohingyasinto India started in 2012-13 and inputs suggest links of some of the immigrants with Pak-based terror groups. 

The Supreme Court has granted Centre time till October three to submit its response to petition filed by Rohingyas opposing proposed deportation.

Reacting to the Rohingya issue on last Thursday, home minister Rajnath Singh said it is irrelevant to criticise the central government when Burma (Myanmar) is willing to take back the illegal immigrants, media reports said.

"If Burma is willing to take them back, why criticise the central government?" Singh raised a question on Thursday, lashing out at opposition parties.

The home minister even stated that the Rohingyas are not the refugees but illegal immigrants.

"There is a process of attaining the refugee status but none of them (Rohingyas) have gone through it" Singh said.

He even denied to term the ongoing Rohingya crisis as a Human Rights issue.
Srinagar, Sep 26 (IBNS) A terrorist, believed to be the longest surviving in the region, was killed Tuesday morning while infiltrating into Kashmir Valley from Lachipora area of Baramulla district along the Line of Control, said defence officials.

The slain militant, who was earlier a Hizbul member, has been identified as 'most wanted' commander Qayoom Najjar.

Defense sources confirmed to IBNS that the militant killed in Uri was carrying a 10 lakh rupees bounty on his head. He was a commander.

Qayoom was a resident of Sopore area of Baramulla district and was one of the longest surviving Kashmiri militant commanders, officials said.

Qayoom until 2015 was affiliated to the Hizbul Mujahideen group but he broke away from the outfit and formed his own Lashkar-e-Islam which carried out a series of attacks on mobile towers in Sopore town and killed several former militants and Hurriyat activists for their alleged links with government forces.

Later that year he had crossed over to Pakistan.

Kashmir police said it is a big success for forces and big blow for militant outfits, especially to Hizb ul Mujahideen.

(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
Patna, Sep 26 (IBNS): The Congress on Tuesday removed its Bihar chief Ashok Chaudhary with an immediate effect, media reports said.

The decision came from the Congress party after Chaudhary accused party members of creating rebellion against him.

The former Bihar chief had earlier said that the party members are wrongly accusing him of trying to split the party.

Presently, the Congress, who fought the 2015 assembly election in the state forming a grand alliance with the Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has 27 out of 243 seats.
On September 18, 2017, the third and final phase of local level elections was held for 136 local units including one metropolitan city, three sub-metropolii, 73 municipalities and 59 rural municipalities in the eight Districts of Province 2 in Nepal. Of the 2,664,950 registered voters, 73 per cent cast their votes. The voting concluded peacefully though there were some reports of pre-poll and post-poll violence. Pre-poll violence included:

On August 29, 2017, three Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) cadres were injured when they tried to obstruct an assembly of Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) cadres in Janakpur Sub-Metropolis of Dhanusha District

On September 5, 2017, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was exploded by elements from the Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (Krantikari) at the CPN-UML mayoral candidate's home in Lahan, Siraha District.

After the polling, on September 19, 2017, two cadres of the CPN-UML were injured in a clash with the Nepali Congress (NC) cadres at the vote counting center in Brindaban Municipality of Rautahat District; and on September 20, 2017, a cadre of RJPN was killed in a clash with cadres of NC in Katahariya Municipality of Rautahat District in an election row.

After an interregnum of 20 years, the first round of local level elections had been conducted on May 14, 2017, in 34 Districts of Province Nos. 3, 4 and 6, to elect representatives in 283 local level institutions, including four metropolitan cities, one sub-metropolitan city, 92 municipalities and 186 rural municipalities. 71 per cent of registered voters took part in these elections. The last local elections in Nepal had been held in May 1997.

The second phase of local level elections was held on June 28, 2017, for 334 local units including one metropolitan city, seven sub-metropolitan cities, 111 municipalities and 215 rural municipalities in 35 Districts of Province 1, 5 and 7. 73.69 per cent of voters cast their votes in the elections. Nepal has a total of 77 districts in seven provinces.

Significantly, RJPN took part in the third phase of the local elections held on September 18, 2017. RJPN was formed on April 20, 2017, by merging six prominent Madhesi parties, including the Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), Sadbhavana Party (SP), National Madhes Socialist Party (NMSP), Madhesi People's Rights Forum-Republican (MPRF-R), Tarai Madhes Sadhbhavana Party (TMSP) and Federal Sadhbhavana Party (FSP). RJPN had boycotted the first and second rounds of polls. The Madhesi parties have been demanding an amendment to the Constitution adopted on September 20, 2015, to change the demarcation of Districts and constituencies before the holding of local level elections.

On August 16, 2017, in order to bring the agitating RJPN onboard the election process, Parliament began clause-wise discussion on the Constitution Amendment Bill registered by the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led Government on April 11, 2017. Further, the ruling parties - NC and Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist Center) -added nine local units on August 18, 2017, including three new local units in Sarlahi; two in Rautahat; and one each is in Saptari, Parsa, Dhanusha and Bara Districts of Province 2, where the third phase of local level polls was held on September 18, 2017. Nevertheless, the Parliament session held on August 21, 2017, could not endorse the Constitution Amendment Bill, as opposition parities including CPN-UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) voted against it. Out of 553 lawmakers present in the voting, as many as 347 lawmakers voted in favor of the Bill while 206 lawmakers voted against it, failing to reach the two-third majority required for constitutional amendment.

Earlier, due to simmering tensions Madhesi parties had refused to take part in local polls. However, on August 24, 2017, at a press conference organized by the party in Kathmandu, RJPN announced its decision to take part in the local level elections. RJPN Coordinator Mahantha Thakur noted: "Sixty-four per cent people's representatives have accepted that the Constitution, which some forces boasted had endorsement of 90 per cent majority, is flawed and there is a need to amend the Constitution. Even though the Constitution Amendment Bill was defeated in the Parliament, the agendas of rights and identity that the RJPN has been raising were established in the Parliament." Thakur also noted that the Government had granted 'martyrdom status' to those who were killed during the agitation for amendment to the Constitution, compensation to those who lost their properties in arson attacks, and monthly allowances to those who sustained serious injuries, among other Madhesi demands conceded.

Further, in order to end the negative practices and exploitation of Madhesi areas, and to formulate policy and programs for implementation in order to empower the Madhesi communities, the Parliament passed the Madhesi Commission Bill unanimously on September 8, 2017, which the Government had presented on November 13, 2016. Yet to be formed, the Commission will recommend special programs to empower Madhesi communities, which have lagged both economically and socially. The Bill includes the operation of awareness programs for the protection, promotion and empowerment of the Madhesi Community, and the Committee is to recommend measures for the protection of the Madhesi language, script, culture, history, religion, art and literature. According to the Bill, the Commissioner is to be appointed out of candidates who have spent at least ten years in the welfare of Madhesi Community, and with experience in the protection and promotion of human rights and people's empowerment.

Meanwhile, on September 12, 2017, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba declared, "We failed to push the Bill through the Parliament but NC has not abandoned the issue. The Bill will once again be put to vote in Parliament after the local elections. NC is committed to fulfilling the demands of the Madhesi communities." Reaffirming his pledge to amend the Constitution and promising to do it under his party's leadership, Prime Minister Deuba had stated, on September 15, 2017, that NC would leave no stone unturned to empower the Madhesi people by amending the Constitution.

Earlier, taking the country one more step towards the implementation of the Constitution, the Constituency Delimitation Commission (CDC) formed on July 20, 2017, headed by former Justice of the Supreme Court (SC) Kamal Narayan Das, submitted its report on August 30, 2017, in line with its mandate to carve out 165 constituencies across the country for election to the House of Representatives. The number of constituencies for provincial elections will be 330, as the Constitutional provision requires two constituencies for each federal constituency. A copy of the report was submitted to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. According to CDC Chairman Das, 90 per cent weightage was given to population and 10 per cent to geography while carving out the constituencies "after thoroughly considering factors like geography, population distribution, social diversity and laws regarding electoral constituency." The CDC has also made sure that one District has at least one constituency. Of the total 165 electoral constituencies, 78 are in 20 Tarai Districtswhich make up 47.27 per cent of the country's total geography. The CDC was initially given 21 days to complete its task. Its term was extended by 15 days on August 16, 2017. As per the Constitution, the new constituencies carved out by the CDC cannot be altered for another 20 years and the CDC recommendations cannot be challenged in any court of law.

On the other hand, on September 4, 2017, the Supreme Court directed the Government to hold all types of elections, including the provincial and parliamentary elections, by January 21, 2018. As per the new Constitution, local, province and parliamentary elections needed to be completed by this date. As a result, on September 13, 2017, the Government decided to hold elections in the provinces and for Parliament in two phases, on November 26, 2017 and December 7, 2017. On September 14, 2017, a day after the Government's decision, the Election Commission charted out the details of Districts going to polls in the first and second phases. The Election Commission announced that, out of 77 Districts, 32 across the seven Provinces, would go to polls in the first round on November 26, 2017 and the remaining 45 Districts on December 7, 2017.

As part of the preparations to hold the upcoming provincial and parliamentary elections, the Election Commission finalized the design of the ballot papers to be used for the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system, on September 22, 2017. A board meeting of the Election Commission endorsed the design, paving the way for printing the ballot papers. The Election Commission estimates that it has to print 34 million ballot papers for the upcoming elections. Election Commission Commissioner Narendra Dahal observed, "The printing of ballot papers is a time taking job. So, we are beginning to print the ballot papers for PR category from September 26."

On September 20, 2017, the Nepal Constitution had completed two years since its passage, and has now entered its third year. Despite its fractious drafting and political differences that persist across the country, there has been gradual progress towards resolution, and a systemic embedding of a culture of democratic and negotiated settling of disputes, with no evidence of the extreme violence that had afflicted the country in more than a decade of insurgency and the transformative changes the national polity underwent during this troubling phase. The successful completion of local level elections has paved the way for provincial and Parliamentary elections later this year, indicating that the country's political transition is likely to be completed in the foreseeable future, and the sway of the Constitution would be fully established.
Image: Screengrab from YouTube

New Delhi, Sep 26 (IBNS): Air travel in India may soon become paperless, according to reports.

"The aviation ministry is linking the databases of airlines and airports with passenger IDs such as Aadhaar and passport numbers for this," a Times of India report reads.

Upon its completion, passengers will require bio-metrics to prove their identity, as opposed to the prevailing practice of producing ID cards.

"We have set up a special unit in Airports Authority of India for giving shape to this 'digi yatra' programme. Airport operators, especially from Bangalore and Hyderabad, are part of this as they have done a lot of work in this field. We will soon know the indicative cost of the project and time frame in which it can be implemented," aviation secretary R N Choubey was quoted as saying by the network.

"Airlines will also be able to know the last level the missing flyer was at in case he does not report for boarding in time," Choubey added.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Central Industrial Security Force have already stopped tagging handbags in at least 17 airports.

According to reports, a trial run will be conducted in another 10 airports, including Ranchi and Pune.

Image: Screengrab from YouTube
New York, Sept 26(Just Earth News): Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres has condemned on Monday's attack against a convoy of the United Nations mission in northern Mali that killed three Bangladeshi peacekeepers.

Guterres reaffirmed the UN's determination to support efforts aimed at restoring lasting peace and security in Mali and urged the Government and the signatory armed groups to expedite the implementation of the peace agreement, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Media reports said a convoy of the UN Multidimensional lntegrated Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) hit an explosive device while traveling in the Gao region. At least, three Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed and five others were seriously injured.

The Secretary-General recalls that Security Council resolution 2374 of 5 September 2017 provides for the imposition of sanctions against entities or individuals obstructing the implementation of the peace agreement and attacking United Nations personnel, the statement said.

The Secretary-General extended his condolences to the Government of Bangladesh and to the bereaved families, and wished swift recovery to the injured.

Photo MINUSMA/Marco Dormino

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Sept 26(Just Earth News): Only a reformed United Nations and a greater commitment from wealthier countries to help the developing world can confront athe overwhelming challenges of our times,a Mozambique told the General Assembly on the last day of its 72nd annual general debate on Monday.

We live in a world confronted by challenges that demand global responses, Delegation Chairman Antonio Gumande said. The relevance of the UN, the lodestar of multilateralism, over the last 72 years of its existence has always rested in its ability to reform and re-invent itself to respond more suitably to the challenges of continuously changing world it serves.

He warned that multiple and complex challenges threaten to constrain gains already made in fostering global peace and stability, stall and reverse advances made in fostering social and economic wellbeing, and cause irreversible damages to our planet.

The experiences we gained and the challenges we faced in the implementation of other globally agreed development goals in the past underline the need for a greater commitment of our development partners to scale-up and honour their assistance and for funding pledges made for climate resilience, mitigation and adaptation, as well as for disaster prevention efforts, he stressed.

This support is of paramount importance to mitigate the effects of climate variability whose devastating effects have been laid bare in several Member States of this august body in the last two months, he said.

UN Photo/Cia Pak

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Sept 26(Just Earth News): The United Nations is crucial to tackling the plethora of problems confronting the world a from the Democratic Peopleas Republic of Koreaas (DPRK) nuclear programme to global development and climate change a but it can and must do better, New Zealand told the General Assemblyas 72nd annual general debate on Monday.

The United Nations is unique in its ability to convene the world in order to tackle problems that require collective action, the Head of Delegation Craig Hawke said. Widely recognized rules, buttressed by an effective United Nations, are the best guarantors of our security and our economic well-being, particularly for small States.

Guarantees are also the best means of ensuring decent treatment and decent conditions for the worlds citizens, thereby reducing conditions that lead to unrest, conflict and misery, he added. But we all recognize that the United Nations can do better, and to do so must be more relevant, effective and fit for purpose, he declared, noting that Secretary-General Antonio Guterress reform agenda provides an opportunity to make this a reality.

Important work lies ahead for us to reform the development and peace and security pillars. The United Nations needs to invest a much greater proportion of its resources and effort in preventing conflict, rather than focusing primarily on the consequences of conflict, he concluded, calling for management reform.

It is our sincere hope that reform can achieve our collective goal of better reflecting the ideals of the UN Charter and, ultimately, ensuring that the UN delivers better outcomes for our generation and those to come.

UN Photo/Cia Pak

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Sept 26(Just Earth News): Continuing settlement expansion, most notably in occupied East Jerusalem, is making the two-State solution increasingly unattainable and undermining Palestinian belief in the international peace efforts, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council on Monday.

In addition to illegal settlements, the practice of demolishing Palestinian structures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and displacing Palestinians undermines the prospects of peace, said Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

Briefing the 15-member body on the latest developments, Mladenov reported that since June, Israels illegal settlement activities have continued at a high rate, a consistent pattern over the course of this year. Activity during this period was concentrated primarily in occupied East Jerusalem, where plans were advanced for over 2,300 housing units in July, 30 per cent more than for the whole of 2016.

The reporting period witnessed the eviction of a Palestinian family in Sheikh Jarrah, residents for over 50 years, after a protracted legal battle. The building is located in a section of the neighbourhood in which several settlement plans were among those promoted in July.

The United Nations considers all settlement activities to be illegal under international law and an impediment to peace, the Special Coordinator stated.

He went on to note that violence persisted as one of the main obstacles to resolving the conflict. Although the reporting period was characterized by relatively low levels of fatalities, a number of incidents occurred, resulting in the deaths of 19 Palestinians and eight Israelis. Settler-related violence and punitive demolitions of Palestinians homes by the Israeli authorities also continued.

Continued violence against civilians and incitement perpetuate mutual fear and suspicion, while impeding any efforts to bridge the gaps between the two sides, said Mladenov.

I once again urge both Palestinians and Israelis to demonstrate their commitment to rejecting violence, inflammatory rhetoric and provocative actions.

UN Photo/Kim Haughton

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Sept 26(Just Earth News): The Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the United Nations, Maria Rubiales de Chamorro, addressed the General Assemblyas annual debate on Monday, reflecting on the political will and action that must be undertaken to achieve a better and peaceful world.

We must assume the commitment to continue fighting for peace, which is a global priority, of our peoples, and that the conflicts that arise in different regions of our planet can be overcome, through dialogue, through negotiation and, above all, free from the use or threat of use of force, which is what our peoples desire most, from the peoples of the great powers, to the peoples with small populations, small in development, but great, great in their values and in their history," she quoted the President.

Turning to UN reform, she pointed out that after 72 years, our Organization has not been able to fully comply with the objectives set out in its Charter, saying that a re-foundation is urgently needed, including transformations of the Security Council to ensure that its composition and function reflects the geopolitical and economic realities.

Rubiales de Chamorro also underscored that ambitious actions are urgently needed to combat climate change. Concerned about the unprecedented record temperatures reached at the global level, she said Developed countries must take the lead and change their unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and meet their financial commitments and technology transfers.

Noting that her country signed the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty, she underscored that verbal confrontation and threats of using nuclear weapons are unacceptable. There is a need to advance in the commitment to eliminate nuclear arsenals in the world, until they disappear from our planet and utilize these enormous resources for the eradication of poverty, she stressed.

UN Photo/Cia Pak

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Sept 26(Just Earth News): Timor-Leste, a country which the United Nations shepherded to independence from Indonesia 15 years ago, stands as a shining example of what the world Organization can achieve in establishing peace and stability, the countryas president told the General Assembly on Monday.

The recent history of Timor-Leste vividly reminds us that when civil values, on which the very existence of the United Nations is built, take the lead  and inspire decisions  in the international scene, the UN and international law become powerful and decisive forces to settle conflicts and restore peace, Francisco Guterres Lu Olo said in a speech read by Delegation Chair Maria Helena Pires.

Actions by Portugal, Indonesia, Australia, and the United States, and the support of the European Union and other world powers, are living proof of the United Nations ability to save lives and help make the world a safe place, he stressed.

He highlighted his countrys advances since independence in 2002 in peacebuilding and reconciliation at both national and international levels, sustainable development, health, education, and gender equality.

UN Photo/Cia Pak

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Sept 26(Just Earth News): Underscoring Peruas endurance in its combat against terrorism, corruption, as well as its vulnerability to the effects of climate change, the countryas Permanent Representative to the united Nations, Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, said today that the Organization is fundamental for a apeaceful and sustainablea future in Peru, the region and beyond.





Enduring such challenges, he said in his address to the General Assemblys annual debate, therefore means Peru welcomed special attention given to sustainable peace, and prevention of humanitarian crises, adding that access to weapons of mass destruction by terrorist groups is a real threat.



In addressing issues of climate change, he reaffirmed the nations commitment to the Paris Agreement, and the progress it could mean for a coastal country inundated by torrential rains wrought by El Nino, and the losses of biodiversity and ecosystems to extreme weather phenomena.



Turning to the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Ambassador Cuadra expressed concern about the threat of corruption at the global level, calling it an attack that erodes democratic governance and legal stability of our countries. He said corruption triggers disenchantment and distrust in institutions, and bolsters inequality.



Expressing concern for neighboring Venezuela during this heightened time of social instability, he said that while the answer to resolving the countrys crisis lies with Venezuelans themselves, the issue nevertheless requires international solidarity and support.



UN Photo/Cia Pak







Source: www.justearthnews.com












New York, Sept 26(Just Earth News): The United Nations refugee chief on Monday called for ramped-up support for an estimated 436,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar in the last month, warning that the massive influx of people seeking safety far outpaces capacities to respond.





Their situation remains desperate, and we risk a dramatic deterioration if aid is not rapidly stepped up, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a press release, following a visit yesterday to Kutupalong refugee camp and other areas along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border where people have made their own shelters on tiny slivers of land.



Despite every effort by those on the ground, the massive influx of people seeking safety rapidly outpaced capacities to respond, and the situation has still not stabilised. More is needed, and fast, if we are to avoid further deterioration, Grandi said.



UNHCR has now airlifted three planes loaded with relief items into the country, and is distributing emergency shelter kits, kitchen sets and solar lamps.



Its experts are working closely with the Government of Bangladesh to set up an organised site with water, sanitation and other facilities, and to register the new arrivals. Other international agencies and civil society partners are also on the ground.



Grandi arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday to see conditions for himself. He spoke with families living in the camp near Coxs Bazar.



They had seen villages burned down, families shot or hacked to death, women and girls brutalized. Many of the refugees said they would like to go home, but there needs to be an end to violence, and a restoration of rights inside Myanmar, Grandi said.



Solutions to this crisis lie within Myanmar. But for now, our immediate focus has to be to dramatically increase support to those who are so desperately in need, Grandi said, stressing the importance of a proper registration system that could help ensure everyone is eventually able to exercise the right to return.



In the countrys capital, Dhaka, Grandi was scheduled to meet several senior officials, including the foreign minister as well as the ministers for home affairs and disaster management and relief.



Grandi thanked Bangladesh for keeping the border open. In on Mondays world, that is something that cannot be taken for granted and should be appreciated.



Meanwhile, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) said yesterday that a consignment of its emergency supplies for hundreds of thousands of refugee Rohingya children and their families has arrived in Dhaka.



The cargo plane arrived from Copenhagen with 100 tons of supplies comprising water purifying tablets, family hygiene kits, sanitary materials, plastic tarpaulins, recreational kits for children and other ite



Safe water for drinking and washing is absolutely essential in order to protect them against diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases, said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh, warning that this is a very real threat especially amid the current heavy rains.



Other consignments  consisting of school bags, tents, early childhood development kits, family hygiene and dignity kits, tarpaulin and nutrition materials  were also on their way to Bangladesh.



Photo: UNICEF/Brown







Source: www.justearthnews.com








New York, Sept 26(Just Earth News): Although efforts over the past few years to reach a political solution to the Afghan conflict have led to little progress, the top United Nations envoy in the country today reported a renewed interest in political engagements for peace.





I am convinced that a political settlement is possible, Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, told the UN Security Council in his latest briefing, citing progress, still daunting challenges, and opportunities for political engagement.



We should not let another fighting season begin without progress towards substantive negotiations. Opportunities will be lost, with the cost paid in thousands of Afghan lives and at tremendous financial cost.



I appeal to the countries in the region to conduct a profound reassessment of their strategic interest and renew work towards a viable peace process leading to an Afghan-owned solution to the conflict. If requested, the United Nations stands ready to assist all parties to achieve this goal.



Mr. Yamamoto said the United States announcement in August of a continuing, conditions-based commitment has removed some uncertainties, while regional countries and key States are actively seeking to promote regional engagements for peace, adding that preparations leading to a peace process are complex and efforts must be pragmatic and flexible.



The security situation continues to be a major concern, he stressed, citing the persistence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or Daesh) in the east of the country, with new Daesh activity reported in the north as well as in Kabul, the capital, making the situation more complex.



The human cost of this violence is high, disproportionately impacting women and children, he said, noting that current Afghan security planning foresees that by 2020 Afghan forces will reach sufficient strength to reverse recent Taliban gains, while the Taliban continue to resist appeals to negotiate with the Afghan Government.



At the current rate of deaths due to conflict, by 2020 tens of thousands more Afghans will have been killed.



Mr. Yamamoto, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), reported some progress on key reforms, with the battle against corruption beginning to bear results after many years in which this debilitating issue was ignored.



There has also been progress on the organization of parliamentary and district council elections scheduled for next July. It is imperative that we hold the elections according to the plan, he stated, noting that timely elections will enhance the credibility of the political system.



Photo: Fardin Waezi/UNAMA











Source: www.justearthnews.com


















Beijing, Sep 26 (IBNS): Beijing has blocked instant messaging app WhatsApp in order to bolster online surveillance ahead of the upcoming Communist Party meeting, reports said.

The move comes as a setback for Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg, who was planning to re-enter the Chinese online market.

According to reports, Zuckerberg, who also own WhatsApp, is studying the Chinese language intensively as a preparation before entering the market in mainland China.

With the ban on WhatsApp, China also bid adieu to all Facebook products, as the main social media service was banned as early as 2009, with subsequent curbs in other products placed later.

Experts said that WhatsApp services were severely disrupted in the mainland by the government through the use of special technology.

However, users have expressed displeasure at the Chinese government's actions.

"Losing contact with my clients, forced back to the age of telephone and email for work now, one user complained on Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging site," an user stated on Weibo.

Another said, "Even WhatsApp is blocked now? Im going to be out of business soon."

The present Chinese government is infamous for taking down critics, often dealing with them in harsh ways.
Ottawa, Sep 26 (IBNS): At a time when the US is getting protective in trades, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, urged all the companies of the country to go global in conducting business, media reports said.

Trudeau urged the companies at a conference hosted by China's e-commerce giant Alibaba.

The prime minister has been supported aptly by Alibaba's chief executive Jack Ma.

Trudeau, addressing an audience of 36,000 Canadian business owners, urged them to "think big, think beyond our borders when much of the world is looking inwards, closing off, going protectionist every now and then".

The prime minister was quoted by the Star as saying: "Canada remains open and optimistic about the role we can play in the world ... The world is going to realize that No, no, we need to be engaged and open" the prime minister said at the conference."

"But if they are taking a lot longer to do that, then we have an advantage right now here in Canada he added.

Trudeau's comments assumed significance as the country is negotiating with the US in North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) presently.

The report even said the Trudeau government is aiming to make a trade deal with China, to strengthen the bilateral relationship.

"As we are in an exploratory talks with China, we are highlighting the values that are important  not just to us as a government, but as Canadians," the PM said.

Amplifying the words of Trudeau, Ma questioned the logic behind the efforts by several countries to stop the free trade across the geographical borders.

He said: "In the future there will not be made in Canada, made in America, made in China. Most of the products will be made in the internet."

Ma said that Chinese consumers have an appetite for the Canadian products and 1.5 billion Chinese people residing in Canada are the ambassadors of those products.

Alibaba, which was founded by Ma in 1999, is the world's biggest retailer since 2016 after surpassing Walmart.

The e-commerce company, which serves services through web portals, is presently operating in more than 200 countries.

(Reporting by Souvik Ghosh)
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Asia Vietnam Uses Water Cannons to Disperse Protest at Global Fashion Brands Supplier

Petrol bottles are seen near protesting camps set by villagers to block the entrance of Hong Kong's Pacific Crystal textiles factory after villagers accused the company of polluting local water in Hai Duong province, outside Hanoi, Vietnam July 13, 2017. / Reuters

HANOI  Vietnamese authorities on Monday used water cannons and electric rods to end a five-month protest by villagers blockading a textile plant that serves global fashion brands, an official and a villager said.

The blockade represents another challenge to the communist nations government over industrial pollution woes, at a time when Vietnam seeks more foreign investors to keep up one of the highest rates of growth in Southeast Asia.

Hundreds of people from the northern province of Hai Duong have maintained watch in shifts day and night since April to stop work at the Pacific Crystal Textiles mill, operated by Hong Kong-based Pacific Textiles.

Japanese clothing giant UNIQLO is among those affected by the stoppage, which has led Pacific Textiles to report a significant financial impact from the disruption.

On Monday, about 500 policemen used water cannons and electric rods to disperse around 200 villagers, said villager Bui Van Nguyet, who was one of the protesters.

Two people were injured as the policemen beat protesters and set on fire a field tent pitched in front of the plant, he added.

Its unimaginably evil, Nguyet, who vowed to keep fighting, told Reuters.

Talks with protesters had proved unsuccessful, said a local official, adding that Pacific Textiles had promised to ensure better environmental standards.

The villagers have set up the tent for several months already, said Truong Van Hon, head of the peoples committee office of Hai Duong province.

The investor [Pacific Textiles] has invested a lot and the environment ministry had done examinations and allowed the company to overcome the incident and invest more to ensure all environmental standards, he added.

The local authority would shut down Pacific Textiles factory completely if it fell short of environmental standards again, Hon told Reuters.

In a statement, Pacific Textiles said its staff were able to enter the factory on Monday, but it was not certain whether the issue had been completely resolved.

The factory opened in 2015 as a venture between Pacific Textiles and garment maker Crystal Group, with a reported initial investment of at least $180 million.

Villagers have accused Pacific Textiles of multiple discharges of waste water since last year. The company has said it only discharged waste water once, on Dec. 24, 2016, and has been taking steps to halt further discharges.

A local authority fined the company 672 million dong ($29,557.95) for the December spill, which breached limits for acidity and alkalinity balance and color, among other violations.

A toxic spill from a Taiwanese-run steel mill in central Vietnam last year sparked unprecedented protests.
Burma Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Politics and Crises: In Quotes

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during her diplomatic briefing on Rakhine State on Sept. 19. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Amid international criticism over her approach to the Rohingya crisis, Myanmar State Counselor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Daw Aung San Suu Kyi held a diplomatic briefing and televised it for domestic and international audience last week. In the same week, she gave rare interviews to selected media outlets, focusing on the countrys political situation, especially issues concerning Rakhine State.

The Irrawaddy has compiled noteworthy extracts from the three interviewswith the Washington-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) broadcast, the Nikkei Asian Review and the New Delhi-based Asian News International (ANI)which highlight the challenges facing her government.

Rohingya Crisis

Regarding the current situation in Rakhine State, it has never been good, even since we took office. However, the issue has needed to be handled more delicately, lately as it has received extra attention from the international community. It is more difficult to resolve any problem when all are watching it.  RFA

Its a humanitarian issue, which has risen out of long-term socio-economic problems and politics of course. In the Rakhine State, go back to the 19th century, and periodically trouble has broken out there between the Muslim community and the Rakhine community. And we have inherited this very complex problem and we have to deal with it and have to resolve it. So, obviously, it is not something we can do overnight.  ANI

Terminology Controversy

I think that instead of using emotive terms, this term has become emotive, and highly charged. Its better to call them as Muslims, which is a description that nobody can deny. We are talking about the Muslim community in the Rakhine state and other terms may be applied to that community but I do not see any point in using terms that simply inflame passions further.  ANI

Rule of Law in Conducting Security Operations

We have taken people to court if it has been found that they have broken the law or they have overstepped their conduct when they are carrying out their responsibilities. We have a very strong code of conduct that has been distributed to all the security forces and they have been instructed to follow them very closely.  ANI

If youre going to try to work in accordance with the rule of law, you have to have proper evidence, acceptable evidencenot just hearsay, or not just something that might be considered evidence. It has to be acceptable in a court of law.  Nikkei Asian Review

Repatriation of Rohingya Refugees

We can start quickly; it doesnt mean it will be completed quickly  we can begin any time, because this is nothing new. The criteria for the verification process [was] laid down in 1993 by the Bangladeshi and Myanmar government[s]; so theres nothing new and the Bangladeshi government has agreed to it. It can literally begin any minute  When it begins will depend as much on the Bangladeshi government as on us. We cannot go in and carry out a process in their country unless they are willing.  Nikkei Asian Review

Counterterrorism

Counter-terrorism is something that we have to take very seriously. And I have to confess that our country has not had experiments with regard to counter-terrorism.  ANI

We dont want to hurt those who are innocent and at the same time, we have to make sure terrorists are not allowed to carry on with their activities.  ANI

Personal Reaction

My true feelings are very very simple. I want peace and harmony in Rakhine. Its the responsibility of every government to maintain a position of integrity and fairness. We have to be fair to all communities. We have always maintained this that we dont condemn either of the communities. We condemn actions that are against the rule of law and that are against the humanitarian needs of all people. But we have never condemned communities as such.  ANI

The Relation of Development and Investment to Conflict Resolution

Socio-economic development is a very important part of the solution.  ANI

Those who are interested in the Rakhine situation from the outside will only focus on the Rakhine situation. But we have to carry on with the rest of the country  including the economy, health, education, development, peace process, everything. And we keep our eyes open to make sure that we are doing the best in every possible sector. Nikkei Asian Review

Its natural that they should be concerned about it. But they should step back a little and look at it coolly. They will be able to see that one of the reasons why we have problems like these is because of underdevelopment rather because of investments. So investments would actually help to make the situation better.  Nikkei Asian Review

International Criticism

Regarding how Myanmar people and the international community should view the current situation of Myanmar, I think they should view with a complete sense of responsibility. But what our citizens should know is that the main responsibility lies on them if they want their country to develop and have peace. But at the same time, they cant ignore the international community. The world today is like a village. You cant stay unconnected, and it is important to get along well with the international community. This is also a responsibility for your country. So, you have to take responsibility for your country, and global citizens also have to take responsibility for this world. If all have a sense of responsibility, there will be problems for no one. However, we cant always see this sense of responsibility.  RFA

Foreign Policy

We will maintain our policy of trying to establish friendly relations with all countries all over the world. Of course, we are always aware that Myanmar is not just Rakhine.  Nikkei Asian Review

Peace Process

Frankly speaking, I didnt envisage how the countrys peace process would go on; I believe it will be successful, but it will take time. Looking at other peace processes, none of them were smooth. So speaking of the peace process, there is no peace because there were the factors that caused discord from the very beginning. Removing those factors will never be fast.  RFA

Citizenship Law

It is up to the Parliament whether or not to amend a law. The Parliament is the representatives elected by the people. To amend a law is not a flippant matter. If we are to face the reality as it is, I expect there will be intense controversy over whether or not to amend it.  RFA

Rise of Nationalism

Hatred is never good. Promoting hatred in the name of Buddhism is quite contradictory to the Buddhas teachings. Lord Buddha never supported hatred.  RFA

Relationship With the Military

It is normal.  RFA

There is appropriate engagement now. And I always try to cooperate on some issues.

Weve already said that well work toward national reconciliation. Weve not criticized the Tatmadaw for being the Tatmadaw. Weve only said that we dont agree with this or that action carried out by it.  RFA
Burma Hindu Refugee Shares Eyewitness Account of Maungdaw Violence

A refugee camp of self-identifying Rohingya in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, September 20, 2017. / Reuters

YANGON  Rica, a 25-year-old Hindu woman from Kha Maung Seik village tract in northern Rakhine State, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that she had escaped abduction by militants from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and recounted her experience from Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh, where she has sought safety.

From Yangon, this reporter spoke to Rica on the phone in Bangladesh about her ordeal, which began on Aug. 25, but the details of which remain unable to be independently verified, because access for journalists to the region has been severely restricted. On that day, ARSA militants conducted coordinated attacks on 30 border police outposts, and, she claims, raided several Hindu villages. Armed with swords and guns, Rica estimates that they captured around 100 non-Muslims in Maungdaw Townships Kha Maung Seik. The victims, bound and blindfolded, were marched to a forest near the village of Yebaw Kya, before being executed, she said.

My husband knelt to the ground and a man chopped his neck with a machete right in front

of us, she said. Other womens husbands were also executed in the same way and buried there.

Before they killed the men, Rica said that the militants accused the Hindus of being the same as the Arakanese. She said that they brought up issues of citizenship, pointing out how the self-identifying Rohingya Muslims had been made stateless, but that Hindus and Buddhists were able to obtain identification documents.

Rica said she was among eight women who were spared, but whose ID cards were burned, and who were selected to convert to Islam, prepare for marriage, and travel to Bangladesh. As the mother of young children, she explained that she cooperated so as to protect them.

On the way, she said that she stayed in the forest with the militants, as well as in the abandoned village of Bawtala, and that she was forced to pray with them.

Rica said that when government troops were spotted, ARSA members torched their hideout and that she had witnessed them looting from the bodies of the deceased.

Once they crossed the border to Bangladesh on Aug. 28 or 29she does not remember the exact dayRica said that Bangladeshi authorities separated them from the men who had taken them. Soon after their arrival, other displaced Hindus noticed a bindi on her forehead and recognized her clothes, and managed to bring Rica and the other women to where they were staying.

There are some 400 Hindus sheltering across the border in Bangladesh. They join around 480,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims, who have fled clearance operations by the Myanmar Army which immediately followed the ARSA attacks.

In the days that followed, the eight women contacted their relatives by borrowing phones and told their stories. At that time, Maungdaw district administrative official U Ye Htut told this reporterduring a government-organized tour of the areathat he and other border police officers were not able to immediately verify any allegations of of mass killings, saying that searching for bodies in the Kha Maung Seik area was still unsafe.

But over the weekend, Hindu community leader U Ni Mal, assisted by other locals, unearthed some 45 bodies, which the government has claimed belong to some of the missing Hindu villagers.

On Tuesday, U Maung Ba, a teacher within the Hindu community who is in Kha Maung Seik village tract, told The Irrawaddy that they had not uncovered any new burial sites near Yebaw Kya village, and were still trying to contact the escaped Hindu women now in Bangladesh.

Rica said, I can show them every single burial site there [in Kha Maung Seik] when I come back to my area.

Meanwhile, Rica explained that she and the other women have been awaiting contact from the Myanmar government since arriving in Bangladesh. She said that as she was not educated, she was not familiar with what an embassy was or how to reach out to Myanmars embassy in Bangladesh.

As far as I know, Myanmar government officials did not come to meet us here, she said.

The Irrawaddy phoned the Presidents Office spokesman U Zaw Htay on Monday, but he declined to comment and directed questions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministrys permanent secretary U Kyaw Zeya said that he was trying to speak with Myanmars envoy to Bangladesh.

At this time, it is too early to reveal our plan. We are aware of their safety concerns, he said, referring to the women. Understand the situation, please, as we are now talking about safety measures for them.

Rica remains focused on returning home to Maungdaw, and said she is anxious for the day when she expects the Myanmar authorities will take her back to Rakhine State, and out of the camp.

If possible, I want to go back home right now. Help us, please, she said.
Burma Malaysias Dissent on Myanmar Statement Reveals Cracks in ASEAN Facade

Rohingya refugees wait to receive aid in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. / Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia  Dissent surfaced again in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) after Malaysia disavowed a statement issued by the blocs chairman, the Philippines, as misrepresenting the reality of an exodus of 430,000 self-identifying ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar.

The grouping of 10 nations in one of the worlds fastest growing regions has long struggled to reconcile conflicting interests in tackling issues such as Chinas claims over the South China Sea and the crisis facing the Muslim minority.

The Philippines, as chair, tolerates the public manifestation of dissenting voices, the Philippine foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The move showed a new level of maturity in pushing ASEANs principle of consensus when dealing with issues affecting national interests, it added.

Malaysia had made its position clear in several ASEAN meetings in New York, the ministry said, adding that it had to also take into account the views of other members, however.

On Sunday, Malaysia disassociated itself from the ASEAN chairmans statement on the grounds that it misrepresented the reality of the situation and did not identify the Rohingya as one of the affected communities.

Myanmar objects to the term Rohingya, saying the Muslims of its western state of Rakhine state are not a distinct ethnic group, but illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Senior diplomats and foreign ministers of ASEAN nations discussed the contents of the statement on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York before it was published, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Malaysian government sources said.

No consensus was reached by the ASEAN foreign ministers, however, said two Malaysian government officials aware of the discussions.

The chairmans statement released by the Philippines did not reflect Malaysias concerns, said one of the officials, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Malaysia has objected once before to a similar statement on the crisis in Myanmars western Rakhine state, but Sundays response was unexpected, as the grouping has an overriding policy of non-interference in domestic matters.

Myanmar must halt atrocities which have unleashed a full-scale humanitarian crisis, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman urged on Sunday.

Viable and long-term solutions to the root causes to the conflict must be found, he said in a statement.

Dissent Reflects Strain

Malaysias dissent, however, only reflects strained ties in ASEAN, said Shahriman Lockman, a senior analyst with the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in the countrys capital.

Whats truly exceptional here is not Malaysias move to dissociate itself from the statement, he told Reuters. Its the failure of the Philippines to attempt to reflect the views of all ASEAN member states.

In the statement, the foreign ministers condemned the attacks on Myanmars security forces and all acts of violence which resulted in loss of civilian lives, destruction of homes and diplacement of large numbers of people.

More than 400 people have died and 430,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims have fled Rakhine, where an Aug. 25 attack on military and police outposts by militants provoked a military offensive the United Nations calls ethnic cleansing.
Burma Myanmar Govt to Redistribute Vacant Land

Farmers in Naypyitaw. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW The Myanmar government is developing a plan to redistribute vacant or fallow plots of land to rural landless people willing to farm the land.

The Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Dr. Aung Thu told The Irrawaddy on Monday the government had obtained US$4.19 million from the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT)a multi-donor fund established in 2009 to improve the lives and prospects of smallholder farmers and landless people in rural Myanmarfor the plan.

Well start the plan within one or two months to provide land to landless people, Dr. Aung Thu told reporters in Naypyitaw, adding that state and regional governments were already holding meetings.

The minister said authorities in Magwe, Mandalay, and Sagaing regions and Chin State had proposed suitable land for a trial project with LIFT but his ministry had not yet decided where to begin the pilot.

LIFT donors include the United States of America, Britain, Denmark, Australia, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and funds are managed through the UN Office for Project Services (UNFOPS).

He could not comment on how candidates would be chosen and how land would be redistributed.

U Soe Myint, agricultural minister of Magwe Region, said the regional government had seized nearly 13,000 acres of unused land from two private companies in Minhla Township, and would distribute it to people without land, smallholder farmers, and those who did not receive compensation for previously confiscated farmland.

We have to give back land to original owners, and will give the surplus to those wishing to be engaged in farming, said U Soe Myint. But they have to perform well within four years, otherwise well take back the land.

Farmer rights activist U Myo Thant of 88 Generation Peace and Open Society welcomed the governments plan to provide free land, but said that the government should be transparent about the population of landless people as well as the amount of available land.

It is important that land is not confiscated from other farmers, said U Myo Thant.

He suggested land redistribution should take place in the mountainous areas home to ethnic minorities, not just Myanmars plains. No matter where lands are reclaimed, it is important that locals voices are listened to, he said.

The government of the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League (AFPFL) performed large-scale land redistribution after independence, according to lawyer U Kyi Myint. The government limited landowners to 50 acres and handed surplus land to farmers or smallholders.

In the AFPFL era, communist and socialist beliefs were strong. The [proceeding] government Burma Socialist Programme Party didnt distribute land, but enacted laws to protect farmers. The U Thein Sein government annulled all the laws protecting farmers, and introduced new laws to protect cronies, he said.

Farmers sold their land as they got a good price. Later, land prices increased exorbitantly, but farmers had already sold their land and got nothing. They faced hardship and were forced to work in foreign countriesmostly Thailand and Malaysia. Many have come to places like Hlaing Tharyar [industrial zone], he said.
Burma Nationalists Urge Citizens to Support Govt Response in Rakhine

Nationalists gather in Mandalay to support the governments response in Rakhine. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

MANDALAY  Nationalists from Mandalay Region gathered on Tuesday and urged the international community not to interfere in the internal affairs of the country, referring to the recent unrest in Rakhine State.

About 3,000 nationalists from Mandalay and the surrounding areas including Kyaukse, Meikhtila, Bagan and Naypyitaw joined the event at Mandalays Manawyaman grounds, where the crowd also showed their support for State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her government.

The crowd held signs that read No Rohingya and Save Rakhine, while others held photos of the state counselor that said We Stand With You.

There are many pressures from the international community toward our country and our government. We are here to let the international community know that we are standing with our government to protect our ethnic people and our country, said U Aye Paing, a legal advisor of the former Ma Ba Tha association.

He added that he believed international pressures would be relieved if Myanmar citizens came out in support of the leadership.

At the event where nationalists gathered to condemn the violence in Rakhine State and the international communitys response to it, ultranationalist monk U Wirathu was also seen. U Wirathu did not give a speech to the crowd, however, he wrote on his Facebook page that he was attending the event to show that there are no Rohingya in the country, referring to the fact that the self-identifying Rohingya are not granted citizenship by the government and are commonly referred to as interlopers from Bangladesh despite having lived in the country for generations.

According to the event organizers, the regional government gave permission for the gathering but on numerous conditions including that attendees not use the words Rohingya, Bengali, Kofi Annan, or Yanghee Lee.

Apart from voicing support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy government, those speaking at the event slammed her and her government for oppressing nationalists, referring to the banning of Ma Ba Tha as an organization and the recent arrest of nationalist monks in Mandalay.

The nationalists also voiced their disagreement with suggestions set out by Kofi Annans Rakhine State Advisory Commission and the international community.

We strongly disagree with amending the 1982 Citizenship Act, which the commission recommended, said lawyer U Win Kyi in his speech.

The speakers also warned the media not to publish fake news or news biased toward the Muslim community.

There are many Buddhists and Hindus suffering in [Rakhine] State. But we do not see that in the news, only the suffering of Muslims, said U Myo Chit, another nationalist speaker.

Since violence broke out in Rakhine State on Aug. 25, some 430,000 self-identifying Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh, while some 30,000 Arakanese and Hindus have fled to other areas within the state.
News UN Chief to Brief Security Council on Myanmar on Thursday

Myanmar Vice President Henry Van Thio addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, U.S., Sept. 20, 2017.

UNITED NATIONS  United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will publicly brief the Security Council on Thursday on violence in Myanmar, which he has described as ethnic cleansing, after seven countries on the 15-member body requested the meeting.

Sweden, the United States, Britain, France, Egypt, Senegal, and Kazakhstan requested the meeting.

In preparation for Thursdays public meeting, the council will be briefed behind closed doors on Tuesday by UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman, diplomats said.

Some 436,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar since Aug. 25, when attacks by self-identifying Rohingya militants triggered a military crackdown.

US President Donald Trump wants the UN Security Council to take strong and swift action to end the violence, Vice President Mike Pence said last Wednesday.

The council has already met twice behind closed doors since the crisis began and earlier this month issued an informal statement to the press condemning the situation and urging Myanmar authorities to end the violence.

Diplomats say the Security Council could consider adopting a formal statement if the situation does not improve, but China and Russia are unlikely to agree to stronger action that would require the adoption of a resolution they could veto.

A Security Council resolution would need nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, Britain and France.

Myanmar said earlier this month it was negotiating with veto powers China and Russia to ensure Myanmar would be protected from any Security Council action.
Tuesday, Sep 26th, 2017 (10:00 am) - Score 2,550

The European Commission has published a new study from IHS Markit and Point Topic, which summarises the current state of broadband coverage across Europe and measures how close the EU is to achieving their Digital Agenda goals (i.e. 30Mbps for all, with 50% subscribed to 100Mbps+ by 2020).

At this point we should say that many of the headline figures in this report have already been covered in past progress updates from earlier this year (here and here) and similarly the information is based on data collected to the end of June 2016, which is now quite out-of-date. However the earlier studies focused exclusively on the 28 EU counties, while this one also includes data from Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.

Key Findings * In the 12 months to the end of June 2016, 12.8 million new EU households gained access to high-speed broadband delivered via Next-Generation Access (NGA) networks * By mid-2016, high-speed NGA broadband services (at least 30Mbps download speeds) were available to 75.9% of EU households. * Very-high-speed-DSL (VDSL / FTTC) continues to be the key driver of NGA coverage growth across the EU, increasing by 7.1% points and reaching nearly a half (48.2%) of EU homes. * 4G LTE networks expanded at a fast pace and covered 96% of EU households by the end of June 2016. * The gap between rural and national NGA coverage is closing, but remains significant with only 39.2% rural households across the EU having access to high-speed broadband services.

We dont plan to go into too much detail here because to do so would be to repeat what weve already written in the two prior articles (linked above), although the report does note that broadband network operators across Europe continue to focus their deployment strategies on upgrading existing copper networks (e.g. VDSL2 / FTTC) instead of investing in the typically more expensive deployments of fibre optic [FTTP/H] networks.

Alzbeta Fellenbaum, Principal Analyst at IHS Markit, said: Since 2013, VDSL has been the fastest growing fixed broadband technology tracked by the study, and some countries have seen dramatic year-on-year growth in VDSL. For instance, VDSL coverage in Italy more than doubled during the twelve-month period to mid-2016, as coverage increased by 33.6 percentage points. Iceland, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia also witnessed double-digit growth in VDSL coverage during the twelve-month period to mid-2016.

However as the coverage of VDSL reaches maturity (its already around 90% in the UK) then we can expect to see more movement towards full fibre FTTP/H ultrafast broadband services, as well as future hybrid-fibre upgrades like G.fast and DOCSIS 3.1. Signs of this are already very evident in the UK (here and here) and Virgin Medias existing EuroDOCSIS network can already do 350Mbps.

Such upgrades will be essential if the EU ever hopes to stand any chance of achieving their next non-binding goal for all European households to get a minimum Internet download speed of 100Mbps+ by 2025, with businesses and the public sector expecting 1Gbps+ (here).

The following table summarises the United Kingdoms position across various different technologies vs the EU 28 average, which includes a useful breakdown for rural coverage. Take note that the figures for 4G (LTE) Mobile appear to reflect population rather than geographic network coverage.

UPDATE 27th Sept 2017

The now almost customary comment from rural FTTH provider Gigaclear has just dropped.
Tuesday, Sep 26th, 2017 (4:08 pm) - Score 1,467

The European Unions move in June 2017 to scrap roaming charges for mobile calls, texts and data / internet services (here) has resulted in operators reporting a huge rise in data traffic due to travellers, which has multiplied by between 3-6 times this summer compared with last year.

Some of the increase in data traffic reflects the natural year-on-year trend in ever rising consumption, although a new update from the European Commission (EC) confirms that a substantial part can be attributed to the new roaming rules.

The EC also conducted a study of citizens in each of the EUs member states during late August 2017, which found that 71% are aware roaming charges ended on 15th June 2017 (falls to 63% in the UK) and this rises to 86% amongst those who have travelled since 15th June.

Survey Highlights * The share of travellers who used their mobile data while roaming as often as at home doubled among those who had travelled after 15 June 2017 (31%) compared to the ones who had travelled during the months before (15%); * The share of travellers who never used mobile data abroad halved after 15 June 2017 (21%) compared to the months preceding that date (42%); * In general, restrictive mobile use abroad is diminishing with less travellers switching off their phones (12%) as compared to before 15 June (20%); * However, compared to mobile phone use in their home country, 60% of travellers still restricted their mobile phone use when travelling in another EU country since 15 June 2017.

Its worth reminding readers that free roaming (Roam Like At Home) means that anybody choosing to use their Mobile (SIM) to make calls, text or use data while roaming around the EU should be able to do so for the same price as they pay their UK operator (i.e. no extra roaming charges), although there are some caveats for data usage above a certain level.

However the implementation has not been perfect and some operators did appear to impose restrictions on Mobile Broadband use (here).

Andrus Ansip, VP for the Digital Single Market, said: We see that people are keen to use their phones like at home when travelling in the EU without the fear of a bill-shock. And mobile operators are investing in networks to meet increased demand. Our new EU telecoms rules will encourage such investments; they should be adopted by the European Parliament and Member States as soon as possible.

A copy of the surveys findings, which includes individual studies from each member state including the United Kingdom, can be found here.
The question in the US today is whether Silicon Valley's biggest players need the same grilling usually reserved for Wall Street.

Who remembers life without big tech companies? Google can now answer our every question, Facebook lets us keep in touch with far-flung friends and family, and Amazon fuels our love of books and, particularly in the US, most any other physical product you could want.

Yet, concerns about whether these companies, every present in our lives, are becoming too big, too data-collecting, is manifesting from consumers to Congress and is the news of the day in Washington DC, where this writer happens to be spending the week.

The three giants have a combined market cap of US$1.6 trillion, but are as unmonitored as they are influential, the public says.

A USA Today poll says 76% of American adults believe technology companies are getting too influential in everyday people's lives, with 52% saying it's a bad thing, and only 24% saying it's a good thing.

The biggest concern about technology companies acquiring a non-technology company is monopoly occurring (30%), redundancies and job losses (19%), decreasing quality (13%) and data privacy compromise (12%).

More specifically, USA Today reports the public don't trust Facebook's algorithms about just what it chooses to show, and not show, from your friend's updates, whether Google's search links are trustworthy and have integrity, and whether Amazon.com will put regular brick-and-mortar retailers out of business.

US lawmakers are now placing these big players under scrutiny, claiming antitrust laws which applied to railroads and oil companies didn't touch disruptive tech companies, examples of American innovation, which enjoyed the faith and enrapture of the American public and legislators while appearing to propel them into a digital future.

A precedent has been set in Europe where Google has been fined US$2.7 billion, with regulators claiming the search engine giant unfairly advantaged its own shopping facilities in its results. Google denies the allegation.

Facebook is itself being quizzed by investigators over the sale of US$100,000 in Russian advertising during the recent US Presidential campaign. In response, Facebook says it will change how it sells political advertising.

Meanwhile, Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods for US$13.7 billion is being flagged by some Democrats as monopolistic.

The tech companies, in turn, deny wrongdoing and claim pressure will hamper growth. While the current US administration does not appear, at this time, interested in curtailing their size, political analysts say future White House contenders have little to lose by running a campaign against bigness.

The writer is currently in Washington DC, attending Splunk .conf 2017 as a guest of the company.
Senzaki joins Weploy, based in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, from workplace messaging app, Slack.

At Silicon Valley Senzaki recruited for companies including Google, Facebook and Skype.

Slack is a great place to work, but it's a different company from when I first joined. I started as employee number 46 and a little over 2.5 years later, when I left, it had grown to over 800 employees. Unfortunately, after successfully setting up the Melbourne office, there was no longer an immediate need for me to continue to be based in Australia, Senzaki said.

I had just returned from presenting at Myriad, a tech conference in Brisbane. I was on a high from spending time with so many passionate entrepreneurs, and I couldn't see myself going back to working in a large, corporate setting.

I'm most alive when I'm solving problems in a start-up. I took a couple months break to return back home to San Francisco and establish my own consulting business. Meanwhile, I kept up conversation with Weploy and kept hearing about the awards they were winning and positive impressions they were making in the community.

There were other companies that expressed interest in having me join full-time, but Weploy was really the only option that I could see myself becoming a part of. I've formed a special place in my heart for the Australian start-up ecosystem and I want to partner with others to help it grow and succeed.

The future of work is one that will allow the employee to take more control over their career development and environment. It is less about certifications listed on a CV and more about your experiences and credibility through your network. We all have a digital footprint.

We can look up reviews for employers online, as well as create our own online profiles with recommendations and portfolios of our work. More transparency allows us to be honest about what we can offer and what we want. With more people choosing the gig economy over a traditional job, people are finding more freedom to make their job work for them, and not the other way around.

Nick La, co-founder of Weploy, said: We needed a head of Talent Acquisition and Weployee Experience as we knew it was really important for us to not only acquire the best available talent but also nurture the community and continue growing the community alongside Weploy's growth.

Marissa brings a world of wealth in technology and recruitment experience and expertise from some amazing brands including Slack. Our next major milestone, which we're already in the middle of rolling out, is expanding nationally and within 12 months, having an international presence.
Czech cyber security company Avast has had to backtrack again on information that it has released so far about the compromise of CCleaner, a Windows utility, that was loaded with malware after a hack.

In the latest post from its threat intelligence team, Avast said its conclusion, that only four days of data were on the hacked server due to it running out of space, was incorrect.

"However, further investigation revealed that the attackers backed up the data from the crashed CnC server to another server before rebuilding the database," the team wrote in the latest post which was dated 25 September.

The team also said that its claim that the attackers may have been from China was wrong; the company said it was now of the opinion that the attack may have originated in Russia or the eastern part of the Middle East/Central Asia and India.

of the compromise of CCleaner, software that Avast acquired when it bought its creator Piriform, broke on 17 September throughby Cisco's Talos Intelligence Group.

Following that, there have been three posts by Avast, with the company having to correct itself more than once; it claimed that the malware's second-stage payload was not delivered to anyone but had to admit this was wrong once Talos issued a second post with evidence that the payload had reached a number of targets (graphic on right).

Talos listed Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, HTC, Samsung, VMware,Akamai, Sony, Singtel, D-Link, O2, Vodafone, German gaming and gambling company Gauselmann, Linksys, Gmail, MSI, Dynamic Network Services and Epson.

In its latest post, Avast said it had now found that:

The total number of connections to the CnC server was 5,686,677.

The total number of unique PCs (unique MAC addresses) that communicated with the CnC server was 1,646,536.

The total number of unique PCs that received the second-stage payload was 40.

Another claim by Avast in this post was that "despite there being a large number of tech/telco companies in China, Russia and India, there are no companies from these countries on the list of companies targeted by this attack".

This post by Avast may not be the last, with the team writing, "Our security team has reached out to all companies proven to be part of the second stage, and were committed to working with them to resolve the issue fully.

"Obviously, the fact that the second-stage payload has been delivered to a computer connected to a company network doesnt mean that the company network has been compromised.

"However, proper investigation is in order and necessary to fully understand the impact and take remediation actions. From our side, we continue working on getting access and analysing the additional stages of the payload (post stage 2). We will post an update as soon as we learn more."
The CSIRO says it has secured access to one of the world's most sophisticated high-performance satellites, giving Australian scientists direct control over which data the satellite collects over the region, and putting the national science agency at the forefront of Australia's civilian space science sector.

Developed by UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology  and with a payload supplied by Airbus UK  the satellite will give the CSIRO and the wider Australian research community an advanced form of radar technology known as S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar, or S-band SAR, which provides high resolution images of earth from space.

The CSIRO says the S-band SAR technology is a significant advancement on current civilian satellite capability, enabling images to be taken day and night, and through cloud cover, which is especially useful in tropical zones and cloud-affected areas.

Under the deal  worth $10.45 million over seven years  the CSIRO and SSTL have agreed to a 10% share of 'tasking and acquisition' time on the NovaSAR satellite, which is due for launch later this year.

The deal gives the CSIRO the right to direct the satellite's activity over Australia, download and process data, and make these data available to the wider research community.

Dr Dave Williams, executive director of digital, national facilities and collections at CSIRO, said the deal represented a significant investment in Australia's space capability.

"The aim is to manage the NovaSAR satellite as a natural extension of the significant role CSIRO already plays in managing a range of National Facilities, on behalf of the Australian community of scientists and for the benefit of the nation.

"Because we'll be able to direct the satellite's activity, it provides significant opportunities to support a wide range of existing research, further develop Australia's earth observation data analytics expertise, and create new opportunities in the field of remote sensing."

The CSIRO says some of the practical applications for NovaSAR satellite data and associated research projects include:

Rapid natural disaster identification, monitoring and assessment including after cyclones, floods, earthquakes, pollution and oil spills;

Improved infrastructure and agriculture mapping in Northern Australia;

Monitoring crops and assessing factors such as plant biomass and soil moisture;

Detection of illegal deforestation;

Flood risk assessment; and

Monitoring shipping routes and detecting illegal activity.

Science Minister Arthur Sinodinos said the agreement was a timely investment in Australia's space capability.

"Australia is one of the largest users of earth observation from space data world-wide, with satellite data underpinning more than 100 state and federal resource mapping and environmental monitoring programs across Australia," he said.

"This agreement will allow CSIRO, via its national facility management capability, to strengthen Australia's delivery of excellence in science and innovation. It will help CSIRO lead our nation's development in the technical and analytical capability of modelling, monitoring and analysing our natural resource management and approaches to infrastructure.

"This will also lead to better and more informed support for policy and decision-making and, ultimately, our economic development as a nation."

Sinodinos said the new opportunities had the potential to build stronger research partnerships between the government, universities and the wider space industry in Australia.

In developing the NovaSAR-S technology, commercial director of SSTL, Luis Gomes, said the NovaSAR-s system provided revolutionary technology to deliver imagery at any point on the globe.

"Our partnership on the NovaSAR mission with CSIRO will greatly enhance Australia's sovereign Earth observation capability," Gomes said.

"The NovaSAR-S technology enables data collection 24/7, regardless of daylight or weather conditions, which is particularly important for this continent with an area with a tropical climate and a large coastline territory.

"We look forward to working with CSIRO as one of our key partners over the next seven years to provide cutting-edge geo-spatial data for Australia's benefit."
Cloud-based services can increase the efficiency of your business operations, improve cash flow and bring many other benefits.

Theres no doubt about its capabilities and advantages. However, did you know that cloud service providers differ in their approach to data security and use of technology? These differences may seem minor at first, but they could have an enormous impact on the accessibility, privacy, availability, and integrity of your sensitive data.

If youre thinking of migrating to the cloud, here are the top 10 features you need to be on the lookout for from your cloud service provider:

1. You need up-time guarantee

The potential impact of downtime can be severe.

Look for a cloud service provider who clearly documents the amount of downtime thats allowed on your platform. Dont assume that your definition of downtime matches theirs. Ask your potential provider to explain a few downtime reimbursement scenarios to you before you sign up for their services.

Here at Zettagrid we guarantee you uptime and backs up our claims by offering financial rebates. We have several levels of redundancy to ensure that our systems deliver high uptime even during maintenance and upgrades.

2. You need complete control

Apart from looking for a complete service level agreement (SLA) backed cloud solution, search for cloud providers that offer you a higher degree of control and flexibility.

At Zettagrid were committed to giving our customers better and more control. Our services allow you to retain full control of every aspect of your virtual data centre environment.

3. You need a customised solution

To make the most of the cloud without wasting resources, find out if the provider allows you to customise your solution to suit your needs. You may not need everything that is packaged up for you and your business.

Zettagrid cloud is easy to use, secure, and scalable, but the best part is that you only spend on the resources you use.

4. You need ease of use

In order to quickly and cost-effectively drive business outcomes, youll need a portal thats easy to setup and navigate. An easy-to-use and intuitive portal makes it simpler for you to quickly manage your IT resources online.

The Zettagrid portal gives you the power to configure your system as you wish. Its simple to use and adjusts to the dynamic IT needs of your business.

5. You need amazing price to performance

Many cloud providers charge their customers for several items like IOPS, GETs, and PUTs. Its hard to make sense of all these additional charges on your bill. Instead of trying to decode the costs listed on your bill, look for a provider that charges you a fixed charge month after month.

Thats Zettagrid offers simple and predictable billing. Say goodbye to invoice shock or unexplained charges.

6. You need to avoid lock-in contracts

Not all cloud service providers live up to their SLAs. If they lock you into a contract, you might have to stick with them even if they dont meet your requirements.

Zettagrids love or leave it policy makes it easier for you to do decide whether you still want to continue using our outstanding services. Youre never locked in. Thats just how confident we are in our capabilities.

7. You need local data storage & support

Many cloud service providers dont advertise where their data centres are. They may store your data overseas and even move your data without notifying you.

With Zettagrid, we host your data locally in Australia, with zones in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. We make sure we keep your data safe by complying with Australian Privacy Principles.

8. You need data sovereignty

If your data is stored overseas, your rights over your data come second to the rights of the organisation thats minding your data. This is something you ought to consider when looking for a provider.

We understand this principle at Zettagrid and make sure your data remains safe right here in Australia.

9. You need backup and replication options

Look for a service provider that offers you a quick and easy way to backup, replicate, and restore data from the cloud. That way youre always protected, no matter what.

Zettagrid gives you the opportunity to choose the right backup and replication solutions for your business so you can avoid harmful data loss in the event of an unexpected business outage. That way your business can quickly recover and have your business operations restored.

10. You need real-time metrics

Sometimes, its challenging to manage virtual environments because of their complexity. Find a provider that offers you real-time metrics. They will show you how well your virtual environment is performing and let you easily find and remediate performance issues.

Zettagrid offer real-time metrics with real-time control, 24/7.

If youre ready to transform your business with the latest cloud solutions, find out more about transitioning to Zettagrid.

Call us at 1300 597 656 or visit zettagrid if youd like to leverage the power of the cloud.
Dallas, Texas, 09/26/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/

Fitness trackers like the Fitbit have become popular in recent years. People use them to monitor their heart rate, keep track of how many steps they take, and help them get more restful sleep.

Recently, a womans Fitbit may have helped the police bring her killer to justice.

According to a CNN report, the womans husband called 911 in December 2015, claiming that an intruder had tied him up and tortured him, then shot his wife when she returned home from a yoga class. However, when investigators analyzed her Fitbit, the husbands story didnt match up with the devices data.

Pedometer Feature Pokes Holes in Husbands Story

One of the Fitbits main features is its pedometer, which tracks how many steps a person takes in a 24-hour period. Fitbit users can set daily step count goals to ensure they are getting enough exercise during the day.

The husband claimed that he left for work but had to return home to retrieve his forgotten laptop. He told police that he heard noises upstairs and knew it couldnt be his wife, as shed left the house for a yoga class. He claimed he investigated the sound and found an intruder. The intruder allegedly tied him up. Minutes later, the husband said his wife came home, and the intruder shot her. She died from her injuries.

However, police analyzed the Fitbit device the wife was wearing. Based on where her body was when she died, police determined there were just 125 feet between the garage and the spot where she died. However, her Fitbit showed that she had walked a distance of 1,217 feet between the time she entered the house and the time she was killed.

The police also used the husbands computer activities to piece together evidence about the case. Although the husband claimed he pressed his homes alarm in response to seeing the intruder, he sent his supervisor at work an email saying he would be late to the office due to an alarm going off. Obviously, this is an unusual and suspicious move, as most people wouldnt stop to send an email to their boss in the middle of a home invasion  especially after their wife had just been shot.

Tech Helps Police Solve Crimes

This is not the first time investigators have used technology to discredit a suspects story. In a separate case, a judge has given prosecutors the okay to introduce recordings from an Amazon Echo device. Prosecutors claim the Echo recorded a murder as it occurred.

Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/25/us/fitbit-womans-death-investigation-trnd/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/07/tech/amazon-echo-alexa-bentonville-arkansas-murder-case/

Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyer

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Broden & Mickelsen, LLP

2600 State St Dallas, Texas 75204

Main Phone: (214) 720-9552

source: https://www.brodenmickelsen.com/blog/fitbit-fitness-tracker-solves-a-crime-dallas-criminal-defense-lawyer/

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New York City, NY, 09/26/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/

Pregnancy and childbirth are supposed to be joyous times in which mothers and parents look forward to welcoming a new addition to their family. These should never be times of fear or anxiety. Unfortunately, medical mistakes can cause expectant parents to experience health complications that can have lasting consequences both for a mother and her baby.

Medication mistakes injure a shocking 1.5 million Americans every year. These medication errors kill 100,000 people each year. When a doctor, pharmacist, or other health professional makes a prescription drug mistake with a pregnant woman, they endanger both the mother and the unborn child.

Pregnant Mother Given Wrong Medication

Its devastating to think what can happen when an expectant mother is given the wrong medication. For one woman in Canada, a potentially deadly drug mixup could have cost her the life of her unborn child.

According to Canadian media, a 21-year-old mother-to-be was given misoprostol, a medication used to induce labor in women who are full-term with their pregnancy. Misoprostol is associated with serious complications, including uterine rupture during labor. The Canadian mother was only 36 weeks pregnant and was supposed to have received a suppository for group B streptococcus  a routine drug given to prevent an infection that can be passed from mother to child during birth.

Types of Medication Mistakes

Medication mistakes can happen in a variety of ways and at any point in the chain of distribution from the manufacturer to the doctor to the pharmacist.

Confusing drug names  According to the Medication Error Reporting Program, mixups involving drugs with similar sounding names accounts for up to 25 percent of all drug errors.

 According to the Medication Error Reporting Program, mixups involving drugs with similar sounding names accounts for up to 25 percent of all drug errors. Dispensing the wrong medication  In other cases, doctors or pharmacists give a patient the wrong medication. This can happen when a doctor or pharmacist confuses one drug for another or simply makes a mistake. It can also occur when a pharmacist gives a drug to the wrong patient.

 In other cases, doctors or pharmacists give a patient the wrong medication. This can happen when a doctor or pharmacist confuses one drug for another or simply makes a mistake. It can also occur when a pharmacist gives a drug to the wrong patient. Dispensing the wrong dose  When it comes to prescription drugs, even a misplaced decimal point can be deadly.

 When it comes to prescription drugs, even a misplaced decimal point can be deadly. Drug interactions  Not all medications work well together. When a patient is given two or more medications that produce dangerous side effects, a patient can become very ill or even die due to drug interactions.

Contact a NYC Medication Mistakes Lawyer

New York City medication mistakes lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter states, Pregnant mothers should be able to count on their health care providers to safeguard their health and the health of their unborn baby. Drug accidents are almost always entirely preventable. There is no excuse for these types of medication mistakes.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a doctors negligence or a medication mistake made by a physician, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, or hospital, get in touch with a New York City medication mistakes lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your case.

Media Contact:

Aviation Accident plaintiff attorney Jonathan C. Reiter.

T: 866-324-9211.

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Prior results cannot and do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future case. Recoveries always depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case, the injuries suffered, damages incurred, and the responsibility of those involved.

Sources:

source: https://injuryaccidentnews.jcreiterlaw.com/2017/09/22/medication-mistakes-lawyer-discusses-medication-mistakes-pregnancy/

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A liposuction procedure turned nearly deadly for a 45-year-old woman in England, according to a new report of her case.

The woman developed a condition called fat embolism syndrome, a rare but dangerous complication that can arise from the operation, according to the report, published today (Sept. 25) in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

Fat embolism syndrome refers to a condition in which a globule of fat gets into a person's bloodstream and blocks off blood vessels, thus preventing blood flow, the authors wrote in the report. The condition is "notoriously difficult" to diagnose, and symptoms usually don't begin until 24 to 72 hours after the initial event. If left untreated, it can lead to inflammation throughout the body and organ failure. [27 Oddest Case Reports]

In the woman's case, she underwent liposuction on her knees and lower legs. The goal of the surgery was to remove some of the bulk from her legs so that it would be easier for her to walk, the authors wrote. The surgery was uneventful, and afterward, she was transferred to another unit of the hospital to be monitored while she recovered.

Within 40 hours of the surgery, however, doctors noticed that something was amiss: The women's heart started racing, she became drowsy and her breathing slowed, causing a buildup of carbon dioxide in her blood, according to the report.

The woman was transferred to the intensive care unit, where doctors performed a battery of tests to figure out what was wrong, the authors wrote. But "currently, there are no gold standard nor validated diagnostic criteria for [fat embolism syndrome]," according to the report. In other words, there's no clear way to diagnose the condition. Indeed, recognizing the condition "remains a significant clinical challenge for most physicians even though it was first recognized as early as 1873," they wrote.

The doctors who treated the woman wrote that diagnosing fat embolism syndrome often depends on ruling out other problems. In addition, certain risk factors can increase a patient's likelihood of developing the condition, they wrote. In the woman's case, a high body mass index, swelling in the legs and the removal of a large amount of fat were all risk factors, according to the report.

Fat embolisms caused by liposuction are rare, the doctors wrote in the report; only a few cases have been documented in the medical literature, none of which took place in the U.K., where the woman was treated. Instead, fat embolisms are most commonly linked to bone fractures and major traumas, such as serious car accidents. Liposuction is "generally a safe procedure," the doctors added.

The woman was kept in the intensive care unit for 12 days, where she was placed on a ventilator to help her breathe for the first eight days, according to the report. The doctors noted that there aren't any specific treatments for fat embolism syndrome; instead, patients are given supportive care until the body recovers on its own.

The woman was sent home two days after being moved from intensive care to a less intensive ward, according to the report. When the doctors checked in on her two months later, she was doing fine and had recovered well, they said.

Originally published on Live Science.
Introduction

(Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty)

Humans have enlisted animals to help fight their wars since prehistoric times, and some of the worlds earliest historical sources tell of battles between ancient warlords in horse-drawn chariots. Dogs and horses were probably the first animals used in war, and many are still used today in modern military and police tasks.

But, an even wider range of creatures have been used to fight human battles throughout history. Here we count down some of the unwitting animals that have been recruited to fight in both ancient and modern warfare.

Related: What Really Happens to Fighting Bulls After the Fight?

Pigeons

(Image credit: U.S. Army)

Pigeons have been used to carry messages since at least the 6th century B.C., when the Persian king Cyrus is said to have used pigeons to communicate with the distant parts of his empire. Like many species of birds, pigeons have an innate homing ability that is thought to be based on their sensitivity to the direction of the Earth's magnetic field. Some specially bred homing pigeons have found their way home from more than 1,800 miles (2,900 km) away.

Because of this ability, pigeons have been used to carry messages for conquerors and generals throughout much of human history. But, their homing superpower only works one way: usually the birds need to be transported to where they will be used, to fly back home with a message.

During the four-month Siege of Paris by Prussian forces in 1870 and 1871, Parisians trapped inside the city used messenger pigeons to communicate with their compatriots outside. The French military used hot air balloons to send hundreds of caged homing pigeons over the enemy lines, where they could be collected and used to send microfilm messages back into the city. The use of messenger pigeons reached its peak in World War I, just before the widespread adoption of radio, when more than 200,000 messenger pigeons were used by Allied forces alone.

One of the most famous wartime pigeons, named Cher Ami, earned the French "Croix de Guerre" for delivering 12 messages between forts in the Verdun region of northern France. The plucky bird made his last message delivery despite having suffered serious bullet injuries, and is credited with saving the "Lost Battalion" of the U.S. 77th Infantry Division, which had become cut off by German forces.

Another group of 32 pigeons earned the British Dickin medal for animal valor during the D-Day invasion of World War II, when Allied soldiers kept radio silence and relied on the pigeons to relay messages.

Bears

(Image credit: Solo/Zuma)

Bears appear a few times in the history of warfare, but one bear in particular became famous for his exploits against the Germans during World War II.

Voytek was a Syrian brown bear cub adopted by troops from a Polish supply company who purchased him while they were stationed in Iran. The bear grew up drinking condensed milk from a vodka bottle and drinking beer. When the Polish troops were moved around as the war progressed, Voytek went too: to battle zones in Iraq, Palestine, Egypt and then Italy.

Soon, Voytek had grown to weigh more than 880 pounds (400 kg) and stood more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall. In time, he was enlisted as a private soldier in the supply company, with his own paybook, rank and serial number, and eventually rose to the rank of corporal in the Polish Army. In 1944, Voytek was sent with his unit to Monte Casino in Italy, during one of bloodiest series of battles of World War II, where he helped carry crates of ammunition.

In his later years, Voytek lived at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, where hed been stationed with his adopted supply company at the end of the war. He became a popular public figure in the United Kingdom, and often appeared on childrens television shows until his death in 1963.

Elephants

(Image credit: Erica Guilane-Nachez/Adobe)

Elephants, the largest land mammals on Earth, made their mark in ancient warfare as creatures capable of devastating packed formations of enemy troops. Elephants could trample enemy soldiers, gore them with their tusks and even throw them with their trunks. They were often armored against enemy weapons, or had their tusks tipped with iron spikes. Some even carried a raised fighting platform on their backs for archers and javelin throwers.

Elephants were first used in war in India around the 4th century B.C., many centuries after wild Asian elephants first began to be tamed there around 4500 B.C. Elephants breed slowly and the captive herds were small, so wild males were usually caught and trained to be war elephants. In 331 B.C., the invading armies of Alexander the Great encountered the war elephants of the Persian Empire for the first time at the Battle of Gaugamela. The elephants terrified Alexanders soldiers, but that didnt stop them from winning the battle, and soon Alexander added all of Persia's war elephants to his own forces.

In 280 B.C., the king Pyrrhus of Epirus borrowed more than 20 African war elephants from the Egyptian king Ptolemy II, to attack the armies of the Roman Republic at the Battle of Heraclea in southern Italy. The elephants helped to rout the Romans, but by the time of the battle of Asculum the next year, the Romans had developed anti-elephant wagons covered in iron spikes and troopers were specially trained to attack the elephants with javelins. Pyrrhus also won that battle against Rome, but with huge losses among his troops, giving rise to the term "a Phyrric victory." The Romans also faced elephants in the Punic wars against Carthage, and in the Second Punic War (201-218 B.C.), the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca led war elephants over the Alps to attack Italy from the north. Many animals died during the crossing.

Later, the Romans used war elephants themselves in their conquests in Spain and Gaul, where they were known for their terrifying psychological effect on undisciplined "barbarians." War elephants were also used in the Roman invasion of Britain under the Emperor Claudius in 43 A.D. Ultimately, elephants proved unsuited to war  they were too vulnerable to massed weapons, and too likely to panic: the terrified giant beasts often caused as much damage to their own forces as they did to the enemy.

Elephants continued to be used as war animals in Asia and India until recent centuries, and some animals continue today in ceremonial military roles, but the emerging use of cannons eventually ended their role in combat.

Camels

(Image credit: U.S. Library of Congress.)

Camels still serve as military patrol mounts in the deserts, mountains and wastelands of several regions of the world. Although a camel cannot charge as fast as a horse, they are valued for their ability to endure long marches in harsh and sometimes almost waterless conditions.

Archaeologists think camels were first tamed as pack animals and as herd animals for milk and meat in North Africa and the Middle East around 3,000 years ago. The first recorded use of camels in war is in 853 B.C., when the Arab king Gindibu fielded 1,000 camels in an allied army united against the Assyrians at the Battle of Qarqar, in modern-day Syria. In later centuries, the Parthian and Sassanid Persians sometimes armored their camels entirely, like cataphract heavy horse cavalry.

From the 7th century A.D., Arab, Berber and Moorish camel troops were an important part of the Muslim armies that conquered the Middle East, North Africa, and southern Spain. Foreign camel troops were often employed in the European colonial armies of the 18th and 19th centuries, in the Middle East, Africa and India. Several countries still maintain units of camel cavalry descended from those colonial forces.

In World War I, both the Ottoman and Allied forces in the Middle East included camel cavalry among their forces. Camels were also used in the Arab rebellion against Ottoman rule in the Hejaz region of the Arabian Peninsula, with the aid of the British Army officer T.E. Lawrence, known as "Lawrence of Arabia."

Dogs

(Image credit: U.S. Army)

Dogs may be man's best friends, but they can also be fearsome opponents. The first dogs of war were probably hunting dogs that joined their masters in raids on hostile human communities. Since then, large dog breeds have served on battlefields, as scouts and as defensive sentries for everyone from the ancient Egyptians to Native American peoples.

One of the earliest accounts of dogs fighting in battle comes from the early kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor around 600 B.C., where a pack of Lydian war dogs routed and killed a number of invaders.

The Roman legions bred their own war dogs from an ancient mastiff-like breed known as the Molloser. They were mainly used as watchdogs or for scouting, but some were equipped with spiked collars and armor, and were trained to fight in formation.

Today's dogs of war are mainly limited to the battlefield roles of messengers, trackers, scouts, and sentries alongside human handlers. They are also used in military policing tasks, such as the U.S. militarys bomb-sniffing dogs in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Horses

(Image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty)

No other animal has played so great a role in the history of warfare as the horse. Archaeologists have found evidence of the use of horses by raiding nomads as early as 5,000 years ago on the steppes of central Asia and eastern Europe, where it is thought horses were first domesticated.

Several "kurgan" burial mounds across an area from Ukraine to Kazakhstan, some dated to as early as 3000 B.C., hold the remains of horses that were sacrificed at the death of their nomad rider and buried alongside him, along with bridles, saddles, and weapons. Later burial mounds from the same region, dated to around 2000 B.C., hold the earliest horse-drawn chariots.

The use of horses in war is also documented in ancient historical documents, including the War Panel of the Standard of Ur, from the Mesopotamian city of Sumer in around 2500 B.C., which shows horses or donkeys pulling a four-wheeled wagon. From around 1600 B.C., the powerful Hittite civilization in Anatolia were famed for their use of horse-drawn war chariots as a stable platform for fighting with bows and spears. And in the centuries that followed, chariots were in use from ancient Egypt to ancient China.

One of the worlds earliest war stories, Homers "Iliad," from around 800 B.C., describes the heroes of the Trojan War driving to battle in horse-drawn chariots, before dismounting to fight on foot. Troy itself, Homer said, was famed for King Priam's magnificent herds of horses  and the trick of the Trojan Horse sealed the fate of the city.

The invention of an effective saddle and stirrup, along with larger breeds of horses that could carry a rider in heavy armor, gave mounted warriors a decisive edge. Simple stirrups were used in India and China from around 500 B.C., and the use of heavily armored mounted warriors, known as cataphracts, developed in the Median and Persian kingdoms of ancient Iran at about the same time.

Horses and mounted cavalry have played a major part in almost every major war ever since  from the nearly nonstop wars of the post-Roman world, to the Hun and Mongol invasions, to the Muslim conquests and the Crusades; in the New World, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Crimean War, where the Light Brigade made its famous charge; and in the many colonial and territorial wars waged around the globe in recent centuries.

The extensive use of horses in combat did not end until the era of modern warfare, when, trucks, tanks and machine guns began to make the creatures obsolete. Several horse charges were carried out during World War I, but only a few were used in World War II. One of the last instances of horses in warfare was a successful charge by the Savoia Cavalleria, an Italian horse regiment, against Russian infantry at Isbushenskij, on the Eastern Front, in 1942.

Dolphins

(Image credit: U.S. Navy / Public Domain)

The U.S. Navy has been training bottlenose dolphins to carry out marine patrols since the 1960s, after they were identified for their intelligence and military aptitude in a program of tests of 19 different types of animals, including birds and sharks.

A dolphins main military asset is its precise echolocation sense, which lets it identify objects underwater that would be invisible to human divers. Dolphins also use their eyes underwater, but by emitting a series of high-pitched squeaks and listening for the echoes that bounce back, they can make a mental image of objects they cant see.

U.S. Navy dolphins are deployed with teams of human handlers on patrols of Navy harbors and other shipping areas to look for threats such as marine mines, or "limpet bombs" attached to the hulls of warships. The dolphins are trained to spot strange objects and report back to their human handlers with a type of "yes" and "no" response. The handler can follow up on a "yes" response by sending the dolphin to mark the object's location with a buoy line.

These mine-marking abilities came in handy during the Persian Gulf War and in the Iraq War, when Navy dolphins helped clear mines from the port of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq. U.S. Navy dolphins are also trained to help people having difficulty in the water, and to locate enemy divers or swimmers. But, the Navy denies rumors it has trained dolphins to attack, or to use underwater weapons.

Bees

(Image credit: Randy Montoya, Sandia National Laboratories)

The ancient Greeks and Romans are among many ancient peoples known to have used bees as tiny weapons of war. Attackers would sometimes catapult beehives over the walls of besieged cities, and the defenders of Themiscyra, a Greek town famous for its production of honey, defeated the attacking Romans in 72 B.C. by sending swarms of bees through the mines that had been dug beneath their walls.

The Romans seem to have an especially bad history with bees. In 69 B.C., the Heptakometes of the Trebizond region in Turkey tricked invading soldiers under the command of the Roman general Pompey by leaving hives filled with poisoned honey along the route of their march. Chemists now think the poison was a grayanotoxin that can form in honey, which is rarely lethal to humans but makes them very sick, and the Heptakometes were able to easily defeat the vomiting, intoxicated Romans.

At the Battle of Tanga, in German East Africa (now Kenya) during World War I, both the invading British forces and the defending Germans were attacked on the battlefield by swarms of angry bees, which caused the British attack to fail when a swarm drove off one of their infantry regiments. British propaganda from the time portrayed the bee attack as a fiendish German plot that used trip wires to aggravate the hives of the insects.

During the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s, Viet Cong guerillas were said to have carefully relocated wild hives of the Asian giant honeybee, Apis dorsata, along the trails used by enemy patrols. One fighter would wait nearby until a patrol approached, before setting off a firework near the hive to aggravate the bees and attack the enemy soldiers.

Cattle

(Image credit: Martin Harvey/Evolve/Photoshot/Zuma)

Stampeding cattle are one of nature's irresistable forces. They have been used many times in the history of warfare in attempts to crush opposing forces  but often with mixed results.

At the Battle of Tondibi in West Africa in 1591, the defending army of the Songhai Empire opened the engagement with a charge of 1,000 stampeding cattle against the lines of Moroccan infantry  a tactic that had worked in the past against enemies who had no guns. But the Moroccans did have guns, which spooked the cattle. The creatures stampeded back into the Songhai army, who lost the battle and eventually lost control of their empire as a result.

In 1671, the Welsh buccaneer Henry Morgan (later Sir Henry, and the British governor of Jamaica), led an army of 1,000 pirates and freebooters to attack the Spanish colony of Panama City. The Panamanians had only 1,200 troops to defend the city, but they also deployed a herd of 2,400 wild cattle, which they planned to stampede into the pirate army.

But, the pirates stationed themselves behind a patch of swampland, which made the Panamanian cavalry and cattle charges impossible. The wild bulls were finally released late in the battle, but the pirates managed to divert the stampede by waving rags at the charging bulls, and eventually shot down all the poor beasts with muskets.

Morgan and the pirate army went on to capture and sack Panama City, which burned down a few days later, after several mysterious fires broke out. It was rumored that Morgan himself ordered the city to be burned so his drunken pirate army would be forced to move on elsewhere.

Mosquitos

(Image credit: Keystone Features/Getty)

Late in World War II, the German military forces in control of Italy ordered the flooding of the Pontine Marshes south of Rome, in an effort to create a malaria-filled swamp that would slow the Allied advance. The marshes had been drained in a major development project in the 1920s and 1930s. But after Italy changed sides in 1943, and German forces took control of the country, they ordered the pumps that kept the marshes under control to be stopped.

Soon the marshes started to fill with brackish water, which pro-Nazi scientists had foretold would encourage the return of the malarial mosquito species Anopheles labranchiae to the marshes, as well as causing long-term damage to the agriculture of the region.

Over the months that followed, the Allies and Germans fought several "Battles of the Swamps" in the Pontine Marshes, as the water and mud got deeper and amid worsening outbreaks of mosquito-borne malaria that badly affected soldiers on both sides.

But in the end, the mosquitos and malaria were not enough to stop the Allied advance. After the war the Pontine Marshes were drained once more, and the region has been free of malaria since the 1950s.
In one of the rock-cut tombs, archaeologists made a rare discovery: a jar full of bones from nine headless toads. The toads had been decapitated before they were buried with the dead, possibly as a way to prepare the animals to be "eaten."

Finding a tomb that's been sealed for thousands of years is always a treat for archaeologists especially when that tomb contains a jar of headless toads.

That's what archaeologists discovered inside a 4,000-year-old burial in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced yesterday (Sept. 25).

The excavators think the jar might have been a funeral offering to feed the dead in the afterlife.

In 2014, archaeologists were excavating at a Bronze Age cemetery of more than 60 rock-cut tombs in Jerusalem's Manahat neighborhood. They discovered a sealed tomb, and after they rolled back the stone that was covering its opening, they found one poorly preserved human skeleton. The person had been buried lying on their back among intact ceramic bowls and jars. Based on the style of the pottery, the researchers think the tomb likely dates to the early part of the Middle Bronze Age (about 4,000 years ago). [See Photos of the Burial and Headless Toad Remains]

One of the jars held a heap of small bones from nine toads that had all been decapitated.

"It is impossible to determine what role the toads played, but they are clearly part of the funerary rituals," Shua Kisilevitz, one of the excavation directors with the IAA, told Live Science.

Kisilevitz added that during this period toads were a symbol of regeneration for people in Egypt (the neighbors and sometimes overlords of the ancient Canaanites who lived in the Levant). But it's also possible that the toads had a more practical function: At the time, the dead were often buried with offerings that would serve them in their passage to the afterlife.

"Food offerings are a staple of burial customs during this period, and there is a possibility that the toads were indeed placed in the jar as such," Kisilevitz said.

The fact that they were decapitated is another clue: One way to prepare toads for eating is to remove the head and edges of the limbs so that the sometimes-toxic skin could be removed, Kisilevitz added.

While rare, the jar of toads isn't entirely unprecedented. Kisilevitz said she knows of a Late Bronze Age tomb at Wadi Ara in the north of Israel that also included a vessel with decapitated toads.

Dafna Langgut, an archaeology researcher at Tel Aviv University, found that the vessels in the Manahat tomb came into contact with date palms and myrtle bushes, which do not grow naturally in this area. The researchers think it's possible that these trees and bushes were planted in a special orchard where funeral rituals for food offerings to the dead were held.

The findings will be presented Oct. 18 at an archaeology conference at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Originally published on Live Science.
Two letters written by Albert Einstein detailing his thoughts on some of the most famous theories in physics are going up for auction this week, according to Nate D. Sanders Auctions, which is auctioning off the letters.

Einstein wrote the two letters to his friend and scientific sounding board Michele Besso. One letter outlines Einstein's early thoughts on a grand unified theory, while the other, written much later, is a bit more philosophical, asking what can be known and whether some physical theories can ever be proved.

The bidding for each letter starts at $60,000. Sam Heller, a spokesman for the auction house, said the letters came from a private collection, whose owner didn't want to be identified. [8 Ways You Can See Einstein's Theory of Relativity in Real Life]

In one of the letters, written by Einstein in Gatow, a district of Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 5, 1929, he detailed his thoughts on the so-called grand unified theory in physics. At the time, Einstein was in Gatow attempting to escape the rush of publicity  the press and thousands of well-wishers  surrounding his 50th birthday; he was staying with a friend and physician named Janos Plesch, according to Albrecht Folsing's biography of Einstein.

Albert Einstein wrote this letter about grand unified theory on Sept. 5, 1929, while he was in Gatow, a district of Berlin, Germany. (Image credit: Nate D. Sanders Auctions)

At that point in his life, Einstein was working on unifying gravity and electromagnetism, as he felt that both were underlying manifestations of a deeper theory. He didn't succeed  physicists still haven't managed to do it  but the letter illustrates the directions he thought might be fruitful for solving the theory. Notably, he dispensed with parts of quantum mechanics, which describes the behavior of particles in a probabilistic way, as illustrated in one part of the letter:

"However, the very best thing, on which I have worked for days and half the nights, speculating and making calculations, is now completed and lying in front of me, compressed into seven pages with the title 'Unified Field Theory.' It looks antiquated, and the dear colleagues, including you, my dear, will initially stick their tongues out as far as possible. After all, these equations do not contain Planck's constant h." [Einstein Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Famous Genius]

Planck's constant, which determines the relationship between energy and wavelength, appears in most quantum mechanical theories, and in the late 1920s, Einstein wasn't as enamored of the theory as many of his physicist colleagues were; he felt that the statistical nature of quantum mechanics was a problem for the theory. In other words, in many quantum mechanical applications, you can find a probability that a particle will be in a given place, for example, but you can't say for sure exactly where it is. Einstein thought that meant the theory was incomplete.

Einstein says as much in the letter: "But once they have clearly reached the performance limit of the statistics craze, people will remorsefully return to the time-space concept, and then these equations will constitute a point of departure." Basically, he thought that his work might be a first step in finding a unified theory not based on probabilistic calculations, the way quantum mechanics is, but rather something more akin to classical theories like mechanics, where, for example, the location of an object can be specified exactly.

Einstein claimed to have found a way to include a "distant parallelism" when describing space-time. Distant parallelism, which states that parallel lines never meet, is a basic premise of the Euclidean geometry most people learn in school. But Euclidean geometry doesn't always occur in geometries used in some general relativistic calculations. That particular methodology ended up not producing a unified theory.

The second letter was written much later, on April 15, 1950. By that time, Einstein was in Princeton at the Institute for Advanced Study, where he would remain until his death in 1955. This letter also talks about general relativity. One sentence seems to speak of a relationship to God: "There is one thing that I have learned in the course of a long life: It is devilishly difficult to get closer to 'Him', if one does not want to remain on the surface."

But to say Einstein was speaking of God would be a misreading, said Galina Weinstein, a historian of science who authored "Einstein's Path to the Special Theory of Relativity" (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017). Weinstein said the "Him" reference has little to do with religion.

"Einstein does not talk about what connections with God he had (or didn't have). He only talks about unified field theory," she told Live Science in an email. The rest of the paragraph bears this out; the discussion is about his mathematical technique for coming up with something like a unified theory that could reconcile gravity with both electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. (That, too, proved to be a dead end.)

The Nate Sanders auction house has sold other Einstein memorabilia, Heller said. In August, the firm sold a 1938 letter from Einstein to Besso lamenting the agreement British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed with Germany for $31,250, and an autographed copy of a famous photo of Einstein sticking out his tongue sold for $125,000 in July.

The auction will continue until Thursday (Sept. 28) at 8 p.m. EDT for the letter about a unified theory and the one that mentions God.

Originally published on Live Science.
Its finally happening all over again! Kiss your iPhones for the last time because Google is coming for them.

Writing for Mashable, Raymond Wong says With HTC, Google could finally have the firepower to destroy the iPhone. (Tip o the antlers to Catalin Blitz.)

OK, look, we know it was so on when Google made the Nexus One with HTC in 2010 and it was show time when Google bought Motorola in 2012 and then it was, uh, some other gung-ho thing last year when Google made the Pixel

BUT.

Pencils and pants down, people, because NOW HERE in 2017 we are really, 100 percent for sure talking about the thing happening with the Googles and the iPhone doom and whatnot. Thats money you can take to the bank.

And the bank will say This is not money, this is ridiculous technology pundit pablum that gets circulated almost every year and never comes true. Also, you need to pull up your pants if youre going to bank here. Weve called security.

With Android, Google has already won the mobile war at least, when it comes to software.

If you add up all the ones and zeros of the Android installations around the world, they add up to more than the ones and zeros of iOS installations so Google won.

Googles next mission is way more challenging, though, and it will probably take a long time

Actually making any real money off of it.

The search giant must find a way to dethrone Samsung as the premier Android phone maker and finally compete directly with the iPhone.

[Sean Connery voice] Thats the Chicago way to roll an open mobile operating system! They license your operating system for years on end and give you a whole bunch of users, you send one of theirs to the morgue!

Wait, what?

Its all about control.

If only there were another platform that was built from the ground up with that level of control and had the results to show for it. OH, WELL.

Seriously. Android fans have been hailing the vast Android ecosystem for yearschoice!and now its all about shivving Samsung and closing it all up. Nnkay.

Buying HTC makes perfect sense.

Mmm-hmm, just like buying Motorola.

Wong says this will be different because Google would have direct control over all manufacturing. See, theres always a really good reason why this is the year Google will destroy the iPhone.

See also: Linux on the desktop.

Google sent a message with the Pixel, and only a fool would be blind to it: Its getting serious about building its own phones to run its own software.

Because open always wins.

Wait, did we say open? Sorry, we meant closed.
Narendra Modi: A Political Phenomenon

Narendra Damodardas Modi has emerged as the indisputable champion of the Lok Sabha Election 2014 by delivering the partys best results ever in the general election of India. Modi, who worked as a tea-seller in his childhood, has come a very long way to have excelled in the report card of the worlds largest-ever electoral exercise. He will now serve the nation as the Prime Minister, with the goal of implementing the Gujarat model of development throughout the nation.

He took the oath as the Prime Minister of India in a lavish affair on 26 May 2014.

Narendra Modi governed Gujarat for 13 years as its Chief Minister. He was selected by L K Advani, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in 2001 to give a direction to the election campaign in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Modi was elected as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on 7 October 2001, and was been the longest-serving Chief Minister of the state. In the 2012 Gujarat legislative assembly election, he won his fourth consecutive term as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

A career that started as an errand runner for the RSS (Hindu Right wing group) is now perhaps on the way to reach its zenith. Yes, Narendra Damodardas Modi has walked quite a distance wearing unflinching confidence on his sleeves. The former Gujarat Chief Minister and Indias current Prime Minister candidate is a fascinating case study as the man opens up equal number of avenues for his critics as well as admirers. The man is admired for his economic policies and growth scenario in Gujarat, but he also bears flak for the dismal state of the Human Development Index in Gujarat.Now, since he has become the Prime Minister of India, lets have a deeper look into Narendra Modis biography.

Humble Beginnings

The idea of struggle was never very distant for Modi. He used to run a tea stall till the time RSS inducted him as a full-time member. With whatever minimal training he received from the partys associates, he surged ahead and exhibited enough capability to be given the charge of the ABVP (the student wing of RSS). His diligence and dedication towards the party hardly ebbed despite the fact that he was simultaneously pursuing a Masters degree in Political Science. This average student from Vadnagar tutored himself to take greater steps on a national level.

Family

Although there isnt enough about Modis personal life in the public domain, the political discourse sometimes throws up bits of facts and stories. He was born into a middle class family of six in Vadnagar in Mehsana District (then Bombay state) to Damodardas Mulchand Modi and Heeradben Modi. He was bethrothed when quite young, but chose to walk away from the marriage and has remained a bachelor.

Early days in Politics

Narendra Modi was drawn to politics in his early teens and was a member of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). During the 1960s India-Pakistan war, even though he was only a young boy, he volunteered to serve soldiers traveling through railway stations. As a youth, he became a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a student body involved in anti-corruption. After having worked full time with them, he was then nominated as its representative in the BJP. Modi was also a campaigner in the RSS during his years in college and took on the task of encouraging the party members. Partnering with Shankersingh Vaghela, Modi began a strong cadre base in Gujarat. Narendra Modi has come from a humble background and is known for his simple lifestyle. He has a reputation of being a workaholic and introvert. Mr. Modi has tried to change his image from that of a Hindu Nationalist politician to that of a sincere administrator.The party began getting political attention and formed a coalition government in April 1990. After this, the BJP came to power in Gujarat in 1995. During this period, Modi was responsible for the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra and a similar trek from Kanyakumari in Southern India all the way up to Kashmir in the north.A careful observation of his rise to the national podium would evince how he remained glued to his fundamentals  continuing agitations during the nationwide Emergency, organizing Murli Manohar Joshis Ekta yatra (journey for unity), and impressing everyone with electoral strategy ahead of the 1995 state elections. As BJP tasted victory, Modi relished his newly ordained post of the partys General Secretary. The workaholic and loyal sevak moved to New Delhi to take up the new responsibility of managing the partys activities in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Three summers whizzed past and Modi already had the post of National Secretary of the BJP under his kitty.

First Stint as Chief Minister of Gujarat

Times were turbulent in Gujarat with allegations of corruption and poor governance doing the rounds. After Shankarsingh Vaghela left the BJP, Keshubhai Patel was made Chief Minister of Gujarat and Modi became General Secretary of the party in Delhi. Weak handling of the effects of the Bhuj Earthquake in 2001 prompted the BJPs national leaders to seek a new candidate as chief minister, after the removal of Keshubhai Patel. In October 2001, Modi was brought in to fill the vacuum and made Chief Minister of Gujarat despite his lack of experience in governance. Initially, the BJP was not very keen on having him at the forefront and the party was contemplating the position of deputy CM for him, which he refused. He wrote to Advani, and the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, stating that he was either going to be fully responsible for Gujarat or not at all. In July 2007, he became the longest-serving Chief Minister in Gujarats political history.In the Gujarat legislative assembly elections of 2012, Narendra Modi won the constituency of Maninagar over the Indian National Congress, with a majority of 86,373 votes. The BJP won 115 out of the 182 seats and formed its government in Gujarat. This was Narendra Modis fourth term as the Chief Minister. The following year in March, he was appointed as member to the BJP Parliamentary Board which is the highest decision-making body of the party. He was also nominated as a member of the partys Central Election Committee.

Taking Tough Calls

His rift with the VHP started to show after his much-criticized decision of demolishing 200 illegal temples in Gandhinagar. This was just the trailer. Modi was also vocal about PM Manmohan Singhs reluctance to revive anti-terror laws. He called for invoking tougher laws in states following the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Time and again, he has judiciously chosen issues to pontificate and attack the central government. In the wake of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, Modi brought up the issue of security along Gujarats coast. The UPA government acted upon this immediately and sanctioned construction of 30 high-speed surveillance boats. Recently, he came down heavily on the Central government for its weak approach towards Chinese incursions in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh and infiltration by Bangladeshis on the Indo-Bangladesh border.

Criticisms

The Modi government came under bitter criticism following the 2002 Gujarat riots that betrayed the prevailing communal harmony within the state. Investigations were ordered into alleged abatement of crime. Modis image suffered a quake as a common consensus was established that pointed fingers at the chief minister for allowing communal violence in the state. Some demanded his prosecution for promoting enmity among different communities during the riots. His way of functioning has also been the topic of much debate in the political arena with commentators and subject-matter experts lambasting him for carrying the DNA of fascist leadership. His critics call him a self-centered autocrat who doesnt care a hoot about the BJP. The Gujarat chief minister finds himself in the bad books of analysts as he is also accused of twisting facts to suit political motives on more than one occasion.In June 2013, when Narendra Modis was appointed as the chairman of the national campaign committee, L K Advani submitted his resignation escalating his objection against Modis appointment. But, the BJP leadership remained rigid on its choice to put Modi in front of 2014 campaign.

A self-made man

Besides being a revered orator and a prolific writer, he is also a caring son and a man with his brand of humour. Those who have been associated with him for long are of the opinion that the idea of power is exciting to him.

Next time you wonder how he could garner so much of national attention, think of this. He underwent a rigorous training in the US on public relations and image management.When it comes to taking lessons on brand building, Modi says theres no greater inspiration than Mahatma Gandhi. His eulogies about Gandhi come from the fact that He spoke of Ahimsa but carried a stick. He never wore a cap but the world wears a Gandhi Topi. Modis careful metamorphosis from a Hindutva party man to a pro-development leader and change maker speaks volumes for his image-building ability. His two-year long escapade into the Himalayas and co-mingling with the yogic sadhus gave him a fair understanding of Hinduism. That partly explains why people listen to him in rapt attention when he talks of ideologies.

Face of Development  Favorite among the leaders of India Inc.

Modi frequently refers to his P2G2 (Pro-people good governance) formula to substantiate his claims on holistic development. Some observers are of the opinion that Gujarat has been able to improve its agricultural output despite being a semi-arid state. The credit is given to the Gujarat governments measures to scale up groundwater projects and initiatives to increase the use of micro-irrigation.India Inc. is almost unanimous in their verdict. They want Narendra Modi as the next PM. Reason? They seek a strong leadership that has a clear road-map and actionable plans ready for execution. Indian business leaders from Ratan Tata to Mukesh Ambani seem to be convinced that for India to come out of its Gross Domestic Paralysis, a visionary and decisive leadership is essential. Empirical evidence suggests that Gujarat has been able to position itself as a lucrative destination for investment. Under his aegis, according to a political commentator, the level of corruption receded and technology parks have seen the light of the day. His iconic call for Minimum Government and Maximum Governance has frequently struck the chord with the masses.

Ranking in Forbes

In 2015, the Forbes magazine has ranked Narendra Modi at ninth position as the most powerful person in the world. In 2014, Modi ranked 14th in the same list. The magazine said about Modi that the PM presided over 7.4% GDP growth in the first year in office and has also raised his profile as a global leader, especially during his visits with Xi Jinping and Barack Obama. It also added that managing 1.2 billion people requires more than shaking hands and now Modi must pass his partys reform agenda and keep the fractious opposition under his control.With so many brand images of Narendra Modi existing in a juxtaposed manner, it is to be seen which one suited his greater agenda and helped him in winning the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Narendra Modi Facts and Information
by Larissa Faw , September 25, 2017

Uber has had a lot of skeletons in its closet - toxic workplaces, sexual harassment, and espionage - that eventually ended with the ouster of CEO Travis Kalanick. Now, with a new CEO in place ( Dara Khosrowshahi) Uber board member Arianna Huffington and the firms senior vice president of leadership and strategy Frances Frei joined CNBC Julia Boorstin during Advertising Week New York to talk about how they are transforming Uber's internal and external culture.

"I have never seen a better case of burning out and acting out," says Huffington. "If you don't fix the culture there is going to be consequences for the business."

Uber's primary goal - and problem - was hyper growth at all costs. This enabled misbehavior. Harassment was accepted if the person delivered on their end. Now, "No brilliant jerks allowed," says Huffington. It was a really important message to send to people to make it clear that there is a new policy. For instance, the War Room has been renamed the Peace Room.

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Uber is also partnering with Harvard to rethink corporate culture. When we think of diversity, "we need to think of inclusive diversity." If we don't bring out "your specialness and my specialness," then nothing will change, says Frei. Bringing in academia will provide an outsider viewpoint needed for a tech-focused company.

This inner soul-searching has uncovered a number of insights about the company. More than three thousand people at the firm were working in managerial positions for the first time. These people weren't necessarily qualified or adept leaders. In fact, everyone who left Uber during the past few years did so because of their manager.

"Who is to blame? It is the managers or did we not set up managers for success?" asks Frei.

Uber needed to encourage workers to collaborate as team members. Each business unit acted in siloes. Some managers had relationships "pairwise" but no relationships across the company.

Also there wasn't a complete understanding of the strategy throughout the company. Employees were making hundreds of discretionary decisions each day without grasping the larger strategic narrative. Graciousness was in short supply. Employees, for instance, would text one another in the meeting. "There were 10 meetings going on and I was only attending one of them," jokes Frei. She studied whether this was a Millennial thing. No, it was an Uber thing."

"If we can fix those, this will be a rocket ship," says Frei. These changes will be implemented immediately. "If you don't move rapidly, it will never happen. Search your mind for a large organization doing a five-year change process," Frei challenges.

Gender is a key priority to rebuilding Uber. "If they aren't hospitable to women, it won't be a good culture," says Huffington. If you are a young mother who has to pump in bathroom when there is plenty of room for ping pong tables, she points out, this isn't hospitable for women. Still, many of these broader issues are designed to improve the workforce for all employees. Flex time, for instance, isn't just a woman's issue. "It is not working for men, it's not working for women, it's not working for polar bears," jokes Huffington.

Uber briefly discussed the recent decision in London to suspend its license. We have 40,000 registered drivers serving 3.5 million riders. This suspension "doesn't seem like great solution for them," says Frei, adding Uber is "quite hopeful there will be a resolution." The company will be able to operate in London while under appeal. And Khosrowshahi sent out an internal memo outlining his new collaborative foundation saying "We need to learn to build more trust in the cities and contribute to the cities we are working in."
by Jess Nelson , September 25, 2017

Another day, another email hack that a company kept hidden from customers for months.

Deloitte confirmed on Monday that the global accounting firm was a victim of a cyber attack that infiltrated the companys email system, stored on Microsoft Azures cloud platform. The hacker infiltrated the companys email server via an administrators account that did not have two-step verification.

Deloitte first discovered the attack in March, as reported by The Guardian, but hackers may have had access to Deloittes email system as far back as the end of 2016.

The full extent of the data breach is still unknown, but it could have wide-ranging repercussions. As one of the largest private firms in the United States, Deloitte works with large brand-name companies and government entities alike -- all of which may be impacted.

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In addition to emails that may have contained sensitive information, the breach may also have exposed usernames, passwords, IP addresses, and confidential business documents.

The news of Deloittes breach comes on the heels of Equifaxs announcement that 143 million Americans had their personal information stolen, including social security numbers, in a data hack in May.

The financial sector is getting an unprecedented wake-up call in case any had grown complacent -- with targets in just a matter of weeks being one of the big four accountancy firms, one of the 'big three' credit monitoring agencies, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, says John Christly, chief information security officer at security company Netsurion.

Christly says that every organization must take the stance that they either have been or will soon be breached.

In addition to two-factor authentication, he recommends that organizations implement effective monitoring solutions that intelligently detect incidents and respond quickly to them.
by Wayne Friedman , September 26, 2017

Local TV station inventory from programmatic TV advertising platform AdMore will now be available to Mediaocean systems.

Inventory from 1,200 local station and national network television affiliates will be available.

Beginning in the fourth-quarter period, AdMore's deal with Mediaocean's media-management platform -- Spectra -- will allow an "unwired" network to be purchased in the software advertising provider's National Media workflow, according to the companies.

The deal is intended to help national brand marketers deepen their reach into more targeted market segments for more cross-platform buys.

Mediaocean says its cross-media platforms handles $140 billion in global media budgets, spanning both traditional and digital media. Mediaocean has more than 80,000 media agencies, advertisers and media sellers clients worldwide.

AdMore says it has relationships with more than 1,200 local broadcast stations as well as cable systems, syndicators and networks.

Earlier this summer, Mediaocean struck a deal for media-measurement company comScores demographic data to be included in its national TV-buying systems.
by Sara Guaglione , September 26, 2017

While media companies tend to spin off their broadcast and publishing arms to operate as their own entities, Raycom Media and Community Newspaper Holdings are merging.

Both Raycom and CNH are owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, based in Montgomery. Under the merger agreement, CNH will operate as a Raycom Media subsidiary. CEO of CNH Donna Barrett will continue to run the newspapers and report to Raycom CEO Pat LaPlatney.

Raycom owns or operates 65 TV stations and two radio stations, covering 44 markets in 20 states, mostly in the South.

CNH owns more than 110 newspapers, websites and niche publications in 22 states. Its biggest brands include the Joplin Globe in Missouri, The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Massachusetts, and The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

In the seven markets where Raycom Media's broadcast stations and CNHI's newspapers overlap, the publications will be sold.

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LaPlatney told TVNewsCheck the merger will combine administrative operations, such as accounting, finance, IT, legal and human resources. The companies are located around the block from each other in Montgomery, by the RSA Tower.

CNH will also produce more video, according to LaPlatney, who said Raycoms digital media hub in Atlanta will provide international and national news for the CNH papers, as well as Raycom's websites.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, September 26, 2017

Consumers should only be able to proceed with federal video privacy lawsuits when information about their viewing behavior is sent to a "natural person," as opposed to an outside company's computer system, ESPN argues in new court papers.

ESPN makes the argument in a new attempt to convince the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to dismiss a class-action complaint filed by Chad Eichenberger, who alleges that the company sent his Roku serial number, combined with data about videos watched, to Adobe. Eichenberger argued that these alleged transmissions violate the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits companies from transmitting personally identifiable data about people's video viewing activity.

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ESPN is now asking the 9th Circuit to rule that Eichenberger can't proceed because he didn't allege that he suffered a "concrete" injury -- such as "personal embarrassment" at having his movie history made public.

"The 'disclosures' at issue, as alleged in the complaint, took place entirely at the electronic level, and there is no allegation that any natural person -- much less the public at large -- ever actually learned what video selections plaintiff chose to watch," ESPN argues in papers filed late last week. "The complaint thus wholly fails to allege any 'actual harm.'"

Congress passed the Video Privacy Protection Act in 1988, after a newspaper obtained and published the video rental records of Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork. ESPN argues that lawmakers' intent was to protect against embarrassment.

"As was repeatedly emphasized during Congresss consideration of this legislation, the embarrassment that the VPPA sought to protect against arises only when other people -- and, worst of all, the public at large -- learn what a particular persons viewing choices are," ESPN writes.

The company adds that Eichenberger doesn't allege that he "ever suffered embarrassment, harassment, or any other adverse consequence" as a result of the transfer of data "from ESPNs servers onto Adobes servers."

For his part, Eichenberger says Congress also was troubled by companies' ability to create "information pools" -- like digital dossiers -- about consumers. "Congress specifically enacted the VPPA to prevent the disclosure of video-viewing habits to third parties so it could be added to such compilations," he argues.

The dispute also presents a separate issue for the appellate court -- whether Roku serial numbers are personally identifiable information. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Zilly in Seattle dismissed Eichenberger's lawsuit in 2015 on the grounds that the serial numbers are not the type of personal data that is covered by the federal video privacy law. Eichenberger previously asked the 9th Circuit to reverse that ruling.

The appeals court is expected to hold a hearing Oct. 3 in Pasadena.
by Larissa Faw , September 26, 2017

As attention to digital media has focused on waste, fraud, and poor creative, brands are increasingly turning to in-the-moment experiences.

With that in mind, trend tracking shop PSFK is launching The Future of Advertising 2018 playbook to help brands and their agencies develop temporary and pop-up experiences that engage audiences, build awareness and drive sales.

At a Tuesday panel session in New Yorks SoHo district, PSFK's Piers Fawkes, Scott Lachut and Adriana Krasniansky discussed the playbook.

Itimportant to coordinate brand experiences to make it easier for consumers to engage with a brand and integrate it into their routine. An emotional experience surrounds a consumer by providing a level of meaning not conveyed through typical digital ads, says Lachut.

Still, there must be a digital strategy to complement pop-up activations.

Also, it's necessary to familiarize (or re-familiarize) customers to a brand by framing it within the context of partners, peripheral activities, or larger cultural understandings. Brands can no longer take a back seat to culture, in all of its forms, says Lachut. "Consumers expect brands to have a perspective."

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And brands should encourage participation by creating - or curating - unusual environments. Last summer, Grey Goose introduced a pop-up pastry shop Boulangerie Bleue with breads inspired by the French ingredients that comprise Grey Goose vodka. Cheetos gained widespread attention with a pop-up restaurant, The Spotted Cheetah, this summer.

Most successful activations come from digital-first brands, like Casper, Harry's, and AirBnB because they understand the need to align with like-minded partners. For instance, REI and climbing gym Momentum recently teamed in Colorado to offer gym members a curated selection of REI climbing gear as well as REI-branded workshops.

Brands must invite audiences to learn about a brand's processes and intentions, as well as its impact on the industry and community. Fancy Feast, for instance, dispelled rumors about the pet food's production process via a restaurant experience that introduced Fancy Feast chefs and innovators who made human meals using the same sort of ingredients used in its cat food. Guests were also able to take home meals for their cats.

The report will be released October 2 at PSFK.com/future-of-advertising.
Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and its contractor, Aloha-based In Line Commercial Construction, were fined $37,500 for asbestos violations during renovations at the schools Oregon National Primate Research Center in July 2016.

According to the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), The violations likely released asbestos fibers into the air and exposed the public. Prolonged exposure to asbestos can lead to serious health problems including pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma, and asbestos-related lung cancer.

We do hundreds of projects each year, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first accidental release of asbestos on OHSU property, said spokeswoman Tamara Hargens-Bradley.

The university was negligent because it did not hire a licensed asbestos abatement contractor nor did it have an accredited inspector survey for asbestos before the renovations occurred.

The universitys facilities division is in charge of buildings and ensuring any work done to them is in line with safety and environmental regulations. In the past, licensed asbestos contractors have been hired for work.

Although we have robust asbestos management processes in place, as a result of this incident we have implemented new mitigation strategies, including increasing the number of construction inspectors overseeing our project work, stated Hargens-Bradley.

In Line Commercial Construction did not safely handle the removal of the asbestos. Instead, it stored the asbestos-contaminated waste in uncovered boxes and disposed of it at a landfill that isnt authorized to take asbestos.

This asbestos exposure case isnt the only one in Oregon. Twenty-two known sites across the state contain asbestos. From 1999-2015, 716 residents died from mesothelioma  an annual average of 11 people per million.

Throughout history, many jobsites in Oregon increased workers chances of exposure. These included industries like shipbuilding because of the heavy use of asbestos on ships throughout the 1970s, chemical plants because of its heat-resistant properties, paper mills because of its use in building materials and equipment, and manufacturing because it was part of the construction process.

Asbestos fibers are known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma cancer, and asbestosis, said the Oregon DEQ. There is no safe level of exposure.
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What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder was what the Holy Bible in Mark 19: 6 says about marriage.

However, when one of the sons of Grace Omaboe, popularly known as Maame Dokono, and his ex-wife from Trinidad & Tobago decided to break up their marriage, the celebrated actress said she was actually glad it happened.

Even though she didn't openly say she supports divorce, she walked on air when the two gave up on their marriage, and her reason is that she wanted a Ghanaian wife for her son.

We were all in London for the wedding but after some time it broke up and then I said well I am happy that it has broken down, she said last week Wednesday while reacting to a NEWS-ONE question during a press screening of her upcoming film, 'My Very Ghanaian Wedding'.

She said she had a beautiful Ghanaian doctor for the son who lives in New York.

However, he didn't accept her choice and won't succumb to the usual trend in Maame Dokono's family, where she and her husband always select spouses for their children.

Maame Dokono was speaking about her son's marriage in public because her family story is similar to that of her upcoming film which is set for cinema release on October 6.

I am particularly interested in this film because I find myself in there. I really went for it because I have experienced this situation. My son who lives in New York wanted to marry and usually the father and I will select a Ghanaian woman for all our children but this son said no and he got married to someone from Trinidad & Tobago. We were all in London for the wedding but after some time it broke down and then I said well I am happy that it has broken down. This time, I am going to give you a Ghanaian medical doctor, a very beautiful girl then he goes for another white girl. A pure white. When I read the script I said ah this is my situation I will do it, she told a section of the Ghanaian media but won't mention the son's name.

The upcoming film which talks about marriage and Ghanaian culture is directed by Helel Smith. It delves into how culture and traditions play a key role in the society and how it binds people together.

According to Maame Dokono, Ghanaian traditional wedding is more important than the white wedding in the church. She, therefore, encouraged young people never to shy away from traditional marriage, as she emphasized the need to always marry in the presence of one's family.

Mama Dokono went off local TV screens for some time but she says, I'm back. Actually I wanted to take a little bit of rest after going through politics. I wanted to hide a little so I visited my children outside and since I came back I have been acting.
United Television (UTV), one of Ghana's first free-to-air nationwide televisions, has received nine nominations at this year's edition of the Radio and Television Personality (RTP) Awards, BEATWAVES has gathered.

UTV has been a major force to reckon with in the media landscape barely four years in its existence. It has also churned out insightful and compelling programming, with focus on excellent delivery on air.

The nominees for this year's awards were unveiled at a ceremony held at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Accra last Tuesday.

Tweneboah Kodua, UTV morning show (Adekye Nsroma) host, has been nominated under TV morning show host of the year. UTV is also up for the TV station of the year, UTV's Heritage Africa host Adwoa Yeboah Adjei has also been nominated under the female presenter of the year category.

Three of the station's presenters, Agya Kwabena, Ama Sarpong Kumankuma and Afia Adutwumwaa Morrosa, were nominated for male and female TV newscasters of the year awards. 'Pa2Pa', a local television series on UTV, was also nominated for TV local series of the year.

Finally, UTV received nominations in the following categories -TV station of the year, TV morning show of the year, TV programme of the year and TV news programme of the year.

During last year's edition of the awards, Adjoa Yeboa Adjei walked home with the best TV development show host of the year, while UTV's morning show, Adekye Nsroma, grabbed the best television morning show of the year.

A popular local television series on UTV, 'Cow & Chicken', won TV local series of the year. The media group of the year 2016 also went to Despite Group, owners of UTV.

The RTP Awards recognises outstanding media personalities who exhibit exemplary leadership towards building a vision and a future for Ghana's media platform.
Renowned radio and television presenter Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey popularly known as Abeiku Santana says that Nigeria cannot compare itself to Ghana when it comes to tourism.

He explained further that his comments are backed by the fact that Ghana is a very peaceful country which is safer for tourists and its citizens as well compared to Nigeria.

The Tourism Ambassador made this statement at the maiden world Tourism Day Gala , held at the El-Wak stadium in Accra. organised by Car rentals Association of Ghana and Kaya tours.

In a separate chat with ghanacreativearts.com , editor (Nii Attractive Mustapha ) he revealed that in Ghana, tourism is the fourth GDP earner after gold, cocoa and crude oil.

The programme was attended by diplomats, the second-lady Mrs Samira Bawumia and some prominent chiefs.

The Occasion witnessed food Bazar, Exhibition of Cars , Art Crafts , Fabrics and Clothing among other Creative handiworks.

In his welcome address the President of the car rental association Mr Seth Yeboah Okine thanked the President of Ghana for his initiatives to drive the tourism sector in Ghana.

Speaking to the gathering , the CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority, Mr Akwasi Agyeman emphasized the need for stronger collaboration among the private sector partners.

The Ghana Tourism Authority which is the implementing agency and regulator of the ministry has outlined a number of projects which will boost Ghana's tourism products on the continent, he maintained.

In her address the second lady of the Republic of Ghana , Mr Samira Bawumiah reiterated the fact that " wear Ghana , Eat Ghana , See Ghana and Feel Ghana " campaign by the media ministry of the government will strengthen the country's socio-Economic potentials and urged all to embrace it.

The President of Ghana Tourism Federation Okatakyie Nana Anim appealed to the government to give some tax reliefs and exemptions in the tourism sector.

Watch video below


Popular Congolese musician Kanda Bongo Man, who is billed to perform at this year's African Legends Night concert slated for Saturday, September 30, will arrive in Ghana on Thursday morning with members of his band.

He will be welcomed by the organisers of the event  Global Media Alliance  at the airport to the Accra City Hotel, where he will be lodging till he departs from Accra on Sunday after the show.

The Congolese musician is expected to tour some selected radio and television stations to promote the show.

He will also pay a visit to the sponsors of the event to interact with them and also autograph copies of his CDs for the sponsors.

The event which is expected to pull thousands of music lovers to the venue to witness the thrilling performances is anticipated to be a party which will bring together a large number music fans in Ghana, Togo and Ivory Coast.

Kanda Bongo Man, who has millions of followers throughout the world, will be performing at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra on Saturday night, and the demand for tickets has overwhelmed the organisers.

The songwriter and record producer will be sharing the stage veteran Ghanaian highlife musicians such as Abrantie Amakye Dede, Daddy Lumba and a few others.

Kanda Bongo Man, whose music has attracted a large following, according to the organisers, has a surprise package for patrons of the event.

The organisers stressed that the event will also create the platform for some of the biggest local artistes to perform.

Kanda Bongo Man last had a show in Ghana in the late 90s, and for him African Legends Night will offer a platform to reconnect with his Ghanaian fans.
You may not know what can come out of the mouth of radio presenter and musician, Blakk Rasta but there is no doubt that it will be controversial.

The irreverent man who was forced to apologize after claiming about 80 percent of Ghanaian Parliamentarians smoked marijuana has over the years earned a reputation for speaking his mind no matter what.

Now he says he wants to be an Agric Minister should marijuana be legalized in Ghana?

Blakk Rasta has been one of the strongest advocates for the legalization of marijuana and has used several platforms to try to sell the benefits of such a move especially with revenue generation.

According to the presenter, who is currently pursuing his Doctorate Degree in South Africa, he would solve Ghanas problems if he becomes the Agric Minister.

I am not bragging but if given the mandate as the Agric Minister I would solve Ghanas economic challenges with Indian hemp. Weed has helped to save the economy of so many countries like Jamaica and even America, he told showbiz.

Asked how he was going to execute his plan, Blakk Rasta said government can regulate the policy with state controlled farms where there can be effective monitoring.

Government can then export the marijuana from these farms and make millions of dollars from it.

If a small country like Jamaica with a population of less than two million can legalize weed and make so much money out of it then Ghana can make trillions by legalizing it, he said.

The legalization of marijuana has gained attention in recent times with many prominent personalities urging government to consider it.

Among them is former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, who says it a way to combat drug abuse and illegal trafficking. The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Standards Authority, prof. Alex Dodoo has also made similar calls.

Blakk Rasta fells vindicated now. Ghanaians had a problem with me when I said marijuana should be legalized because 80 percent of MPs use it. I was invited to Parliament but today Kofi Anan, Pro. Dodoo and a host of others are singing the same song, Blakk Rasta has released a song titled Kofi Anan says, urging government to legalize it.

After being away from radio for over a year, Blakk Rasta disclosed that he will be coming back on air next month

He is currently out with a song titled 'Kofi Annan Says' that calls for the legalization of the banned substance.

Kindly listen to the song below!

https://soundcloud.com/user-168295290-700846614/blakk-rasta-kofi-annan-says
Reggae musician, Abubakar Ahmed, known in Ghanaian showbiz circles as Blakk Rasta, an ardent advocate for the legalization of marijuana in Ghana says he is disappointed that Ghana has still not legalised the substance known locally as wee.

According to him, Ghanas collapsed economy can be revived through the foreign exchange we can generate from exporting wee.

In an interview with host KMJ on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, Blakk Rasta bemoaned the stereotype associated with those who use the herbs.

Stereotype and Prejudice has made it difficult to penetrate the fibre of our society. I am really disappointed. Jamaica [and other countries] decriminalized it. And in their first year, millions of dollars came in.

"Ghanas marijuana is the best in the whole world. They should legalize it. We would stop borrowing and begging from other countries he maintained.

The Reggae musician revealed that, in the marijuana world league table, Ghana has the best thus its export can transform the economy.

When asked if he would collect signatures to back his campaign, he said that would be an exercise in futility.

Rather, Blakk Rasta believes talking about it on the radio will help change the minds of Ghanaians about the benefits of marijuana.

I have made songs about it. A petition is just a paper. Been on the radio and talking about it is more than a petition. Do you know who listens to the radio? Petition is just a thrash piece of paper. Whats a petition to the voice of Kofi Anan? He queried.

But in a quick rebuttal, Lawrence Asiamah-Hanson popularly known as Bulldog on the same Daybreak Hitz show debunked Blakk Rastas assertions noting that legalizing marijuana use is not the panacea for our economic woes.

He explained that inasmuch as Blakk Rasta has underscored the major advantages, legalizing marijuana will spell doom for Ghana.

With every issue, there is bad and good. Our brains as a nation havent grasped the goodies these herbs will bring. The time is not right to legalize. We would end up in a mess. Until we are all intellectually on that level, this is not the right time he stressed.

I dont have a problem with the legalization but are we ready for all the things it comes with. We cant even tackle refuse and you want to talk about weed legalization? he quizzed.
Founder and Leader of the Hub of Worship Ministries, Joan Amorin has called on government to initiate national events that will bring together young people to offer true worship to God.

Ms Amorin made this known at a spirit filled event held in Accra dubbed Liberty worship concert, its about time children and youth of Africas Ghana rise to a national occasion to worship the Almighty God she said.

The event that assembled hundreds of young people to stand in worship saw music ministration from promising contemporary Gospel Artists like Kingz Kid, Donne Eli and Perez Music.

Others are Terrys Guss Williams, Mrs. Evelyn Doe and a special praise session dubbed praisonomic led by Rasheed Tara.

This maiden event which has been earmarked to take place annually was hosted under the theme Liberated.

God has blessed young people to lead and takeover territories, Ghanaian youth have a mighty task to contribute to the development of the Ghana (world) but we have mostly invested our time and energy into numerous deviant conducts.. lets devote just a little more time for God and we will see much enormous changes Ms Amorin indicated.

She beseeched the first family of the Republic of Ghana, Ghanaian Parents, Ministers of God among others to always seize the opportunity to lead and guide the youth, our youth are going astray, very way word and we seem unconcerned, we do not care, what the next generation of our motherland are up to, Ghana looks insecure if we do not shape the youth now.

Hub of Worship Ministries is a Non-Profit Organization that seeks to reach the minds of believers and non-believers in the most exciting ways through worship and God-centered programs. To change the minds of non-believers, renew that of existing believers in order to walk in His path of righteousness.
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Damaging gender stereotypes are ingrained from the age of 10. That is the conclusion of the first study to draw together data from high, middle and low-income countries across different cultures about how tweenagers perceive growing up as a boy or girl.

Researchers interviewed 450 children aged 10 to 14, plus a parent or guardian, from 15 countries, including Nigeria, China, the US and South Africa. They found that across all cultures, early adolescents were fitted with a gender straitjacket that has lifelong consequences linked to an increased risk of health problems . These are particularly perilous for girls.

What weve learned is that theres more commonality than differences in 10-year-olds across the world, says Robert Blum of Johns Hopkins University in Maryland and leader of the study, which is published this week in a special issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. We were very surprised to see such universality of the myth that boys are strong, confident and leaders, while girls are weak and incompetent, who should be quiet and follow.

One main finding showed that boys and girls are encouraged to lead separate lives in early adolescence. Parents in many cultures  particularly in low to middle-income countries  intervene at puberty to quash their childs relationships with the opposite sex.

At this age, the world shrinks for girls, while it expands for boys, says Blum. Girls are more likely to stay close to home, while boys are given free rein to explore and experiment unsupervised.

This is profoundly problematic, but thats what gets played out everywhere, even in most liberal societies, says Blum.

In many places, the pressure of these stereotypes leaves girls at higher risk of leaving school and experiencing early pregnancy and sexual violence, and encourages reckless and risky behaviour in boys.

In some countries, boys faced sanctions for attempting to defy the status quo. For instance, boys in Delhi said that they expected beatings from their parents if they associated with girls. They were taught that they wouldnt be able to control their sexual urges, says Blum. Some boys reported that abuse of girls was natural because of these urges.

There were some positive findings. In Shanghai, for example, interviews revealed increasing support for girls to prize traits such as educational achievement and career development.

Too often, we address gender norms late in adolescence when they are well established and have started to have negative impacts on health, says Sarah Keogh at the Guttmacher Institute in New York. This study shows that gender socialisation happens much earlier than that.

Blum says it is possible to change stereotypes , citing altered attitudes and laws combating sexism in Europe and North America. But he says it requires the knowledge of how and when these gender myths are ingrained. Exposures to gender stereotypes start in infancy, he says, but early adolescence may be the ideal time for interventions.
Mr Okatakyie Amankwaa Afrifa

25.09.2017 LISTEN

Mr Okatakyie Amankwaa Afrifa, a son of former Head of State, Gen. Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa, has suggested that churches across the country could be taxed, and the money used to sustain the free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

According to him, though there have been calls by some Non-governmental organizations for government to increase VAT by 2.5% purposely to fund the policy, it would be proper if churches across the length and breadth of this country paid what he called "church tax" as a subvention solely for the support of the free education policy.

In his own estimation government generating GHC1.3 billion a year from the increase in VAT alone cannot cater for all three years, in addition to expanding infrastructure of SHSs.

According to him, if churches across the country paid a percentage of money they generate into funding this policy, the policy would be sustained and the children of members of these churches will continue to benefit from the programme.

Addressing journalists in the Western region, over the weekend, Okatayie Amankwaa noted that successive governments will only abandon such a social intervention due to lack of funds, adding that with a strong financial muscle, continuity of this laudable initiative will not collapse.

Okatakyie Afrifa, who is also the Western Regional Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) was of the firm belief that the introduction of a revenue generation regime to cater solely for this policy will reduce the tendency of successive governments abandoning it in the future.

The Akufo-Addo led government, earlier this month launched a flagship programme, the free SHS, starting with the 2017/2018 academic calendar.

Many were the arguments mainly from the opponents of government that there were no funds to roll out the policy, an argument the NPP vehemently downplayed.

In the run up to the 2016 general elections, the party, led by the current President, Nana Akufo-Addo, gave countless measures to sustain the policy, amongst them was the use of the proceeds from the countrys oil.

Interacting with the media, the General Manager of Dynamite FM in Tarkwa, Okatakyie Amankwaa Afrifa, applauded the implementation of governments pro poor policies especially the free SHS.

He also congratulated President Akufo-Addo and government for honoring their promise of implementing free SHS policy.

According to him, since education is one key tool in bridging the gap between the poor and the rich, the policy will in the future eradicate extreme poverty and hunger from the Country.

However, he advised that such a great initiative will need a strong financial support or else its sustenance will be defective.

He also commended government's intention to use part of the proceeds of our natural resources to fund the free SHS policy, but however urged government to back this with a Legislative Instrument to let it stand any political transitions.

Okatakyie Afrifa urged all Ghanaians especially the people of Western Region and educationists to support the smooth implementation of this policy and further urged them to resist any attempt by future governments to scrap the policy.
Founder of Junior Shapers Africa, Ethel Adjorlolo Marfo, was on Saturday honoured at the 28th edition of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) Awards ceremony.

She received the CIMG President's Special Award.

A citation presented to Ethel Adjorlolo Marfo stated, You are a multi- passionate social entrepreneur who is proudly Africa's First Male Child Development Activist.

You founded Junior Shapers Africa ( JSA), a social enterprise that seeks to champion the proper upbringing of the boy child and aspire them to become responsible men and supporters of the empowered modern African woman.''

An elated Mrs. Marfo said, I am thankful to CIMG Awards for recognizing my efforts in raising responsible boys to build stronger homes and communities for a better Africa. I am inspired to do more and I am looking forward to impacting more boys across Ghana and our continent with our effective behaviour shaping programs at JSA.

In all, about 41 institutions were honoured by CIMG at the awards night held on Saturday.

Profile of Ethel Adjorlolo Marfo

Ethel Adjorlolo Marfo is a social entrepreneur who is passionately Africa's 1st Male Child Development Activist. She provides grooming and mentoring for boys between 6-16 years to aspire to become responsible men with high standards of integrity and solid supporters of the modern African woman.

Ethel is the Founder & CEO of Junior Shapers Africa, a social enterprise championing male child empowerment in Africa.

Other enterprises founded by Ethel include: Salon Cuties, a niche salon children and Ghana Mompreneurs Club, a business support network for moms combining business and early years of motherhood.

Hirtheto, Ethel worked as a Public Relations and Marketing Professional for the following organizations: Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd, Aviation Social Center Ltd, The Spelling Bee Ghana.

She was also a former employee of Citi 97.3FM in Accra.

Ethel is married to Mr Kwasi Marfo. The couple is blessed with three lovely girls.
A special unit of the National Security at the Flagstaff House, has picked up the Volta Regional Coordinator of National Security, Appiah Fenteng, for his alleged involvement in smuggling.

Mr. Appiah Fenteng, who is currently in cells at the Regional Police Headquarters, was arrested in the early hours of today [Monday], at Tsito in the Ho West District of the Volta Region.

Appiah Fenteng, who was said to have been sacked from the Ghana Police Service for his involvement in an alleged armed robbery, was appointed at the beginning of the year to head the Region's Security unit; a portfolio many believed he was not fit for.

Deep-throat sources at the Flagstaff House disclosed to globalfmonline.com that Appiah Fenteng was dismissed at the rank of a Corporal; a rank many believed didn't qualify him to be the man to lead the security unit in the Volta Region.

In an interview with some businessmen and women who purchase their wares from Togo to sell at the regional capital, Ho, they alleged that Appiah Fenteng asked them to notify him anytime they wanted to purchase goods; and has since been extorting various sums of money (of not less than 500 Ghana Cedis) from them any time they brought in goods from Togo.

The regional security capo, on Sunday September 24, going by same modus operandi, allegedly tried to extort money from a businesswoman.

The victim, apparently could not pay up, and he (Appiah Fenteng) impounded her wares and ordered that same be sent to Accra, during which journey the vehicle broke down on the Tsito stretch.
Following Ghanas historic victory over the weekend in the maritime boundary dispute with neighboring Cote d'Ivoire, Adansi Asokwa Member of Parliament, Kobina Tahir Hammond, has been speaking exclusively to Citi FM about the behind-the-scenes-roles he played in the eventual Executive decision that took the stand-off with the Ivoirians to the International Tribunal on The Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in 2014.

In his interview with Citi FM, Mr. Hammond also used the opportunity to explain how his behind-the-scenes-involvement somewhat caused colleague New Patriotic Party top members to wrongly accuse him of being in bed with the Mahama government.

I went to the Flagstaff House to see President John Mahama on this matter that has now become the success that the whole country is celebrating today, Mr. Hammond told Citi FM.

He added, I have followed this matter from my days when I was at the Ministry of Energy to when I was in opposition as Ranking Member and thereafter and I can confidently say that the outcome has been worth the pursuit.

On Saturday, ITLOS resolved in Hamburg, Germany, the three-year-long dispute between the two West African neighbors over the Cape Three Points oil and gas fields [and the surrounding fields] in favor of Ghana at the Tribunal's final sitting on the matter, brought by Ghana.

The judgment came as huge relief to both the government of Ghana and the major oil and gas companies whose investments in the disputed territory were, prior to Saturday's decision, precariously at stake.

For instance, in April 2015, ITLOS ordered a number of provisional measures which forced Ghana to suspend the drilling of new oil and gas wells in the disputed territory, pending the outcome of the litigation. That decision caused Ghana's TEN field to begin production with 11 of the planned 24 wells, as no new wells could be drilled until the dispute was settled.

Again, Ghana's public purse  which has so far raked in over 3 billion dollars since the country began commercial oil production in 2009  would have taken a devastating hit had the ITLOS judgment found Ghana in breach of the territorial waters of her western neighbor, Cote d'Ivoire, and the consequences would have been grave.

For instance, if the ITLOS decision had gone against Ghana, the Ghanaian government's Free Senior High School policy, which took off early this month with an ambitious plan to educate some 400,000 qualified Junior High School leavers for free in its first year of implementation alone, would have suffocated. This is because the Nana Addo administration has said revenue from oil and gas, as well as earnings from other mineral resources, will go into funding the policy, which is expected to eat up some 400 million Ghana cedis in its first year of implementation.

As Ranking Member on Energy, Mr. Hammond, was a full-time critic of the John Mahama administration, often slamming the government for its management of Ghanas oil and gas resources. He was also a religious critic of the Mahama government's handling of the nation's most recent power sector crisis that crippled many businesses.

Mr. Hammond tells Citi News in an exclusive interview that in the course of his work as Minority Spokesperson on Energy, he stumbled on a very disturbing allegation that made him panic.

He said credible local and international sources had told him that the government in Accra was negotiating possible settlement of the maritime dispute in a way that could see the government in Abidjan walk home with a significant portion of disputed oil-and-gas-rich territory.

The former Deputy Energy said upon hearing the claims he immediately sought audience with President Mahama in order to ascertain the veracity of the allegations.

He told Citi News that in what was his first and last visit to the Flag Staff House during John Mahama's tenure, he advised the President strongly against taking any decision to settle the dispute out of court.

It was at that meeting that the President told me that he will take steps to have the dispute with Ivory Coast referred to the ITLOS for settlement, Mr. Hammond said on the phone from London, from where he monitored Saturdays judgment.

My mission to the Flagstaff House was clear. Tell the President what I knew about the dispute and to, as Ranking Member, counsel him not to settle for anything that could make us worse-off.

Under pressure from this reporter to disclose further details of what the President Mahama said to him about the allegations, Mr. Hammond pleaded what he called Presidential Privilege, saying it barred him from making additional disclosures.

Mr. Hammond told this reporter that true to the President's assurances to him at the closed-door-meeting, he was informed days later that Ghana had indeed dragged Ivory Coast before the ITLOS over the maritime dispute.

Asked if he felt vindicated by the outcome of the litigation, the Adansi Asokwa MP said, I wont call it vindication. Ill say I have always known  based on the work we did during President John Kufours era  that the oil is ours. I knew, having worked under President Kufuor as a Deputy Minister for Energy, that there was no way Cote d'Ivoire was going to take away what is rightfully ours.

According to Mr. Hammond the outcome of the ITLOS decision should be a devastating shame to all those NPP people who have used his meeting with President Mahama as evidence that he was in bed with the governing NDC at the time.

As an outspoken Ranking Member, Mr. Hammond was seen by many as a natural future Energy Minister in the event of Nana Addo's victory at the 2016 polls. However, eight months after the NPP won the elections, Mr. Hammond remains an ordinary Member of Parliament without any ministerial appointment. Sources say his exclusion from Nana Addo's government stems from accusations he was in bed with President Mahama's government, claims he vehemently denies.

So all those who think I was mixing up with John Mahama and his people must be ashamed by now. All those people who were moving from one place to the other with all kinds of gossip about must have been embarrassed by the decision. They ought to have known that I was working for Ghana.

He added, I just could not comprehend that the Ivoirians, considering all we knew about them, the work we were doing, so belatedly, were laying claim to Ghana's oil.

Former President Mahama was not immediately available to comment on Mr. Hammond's claims, although he issued a statement on Saturday in which he named a number of prominent people who, he said, played significant roles in the ITLOS victory. Mr. Hammond was not mentioned in the statement.

I am proud of the results and salute my brother President Alassane Ouatarra that we did not allow this litigation to mar the cordial relations that exists between Ghana and La Cote D'Ivoire.

Ghana owes a debt of gratitude to the following- former Attorney General & Minister for Justice Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, Deputy Attorney General Dominic Ayine, Solicitor General Helen Ziwu; International Counsels Professor Philippe Sands Q.C. and Paul Reichler; Fui Tsikata and team from Reindorf Chambers; Hanna S. Tetteh, Kofi Buah, Nii Osah Mills, Jane Ahetor and Dr. Joseph Kwadwo Asensuo; Theo Ahwireng and team from Petroleum Commission; Thomas Manu and team from the GNPC; Kojo Efunam and officials of the EPA; Kwame Mfodwo & Professor Martin Tsamenyi from the Maritime Boundary Secretariat; Alex Tait of International Mapping Associates; members of the former Cabinet who endorsed my decision to proceed to ITLOS, and others too many to mention, John Mahamas statement said.

The Special Chamber of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) ruled in favor of Ghana in the three-year-long maritime dispute between the country and Cote d'Ivoire on Saturday.

In a unanimous decision, the Tribunal found that contrary to the claims of the government in Abidjan, Ghana did not violate Cote d'Ivoire's maritime boundary in anyway.

The Chamber also rejected Cote d'Ivoire's legal argument that Ghana's coastal lines were unstable. The panel also found that Ghana's oil and gas exploration activities in the disputed basin did not violate Cote d'Ivoire's sovereign rights.

Justice Boualem Bouguetaia, President of the Special Chamber, who read the judgment, accepted Ghana's argument that the equidistance method of delineation of the maritime boundary was the most appropriate in the circumstances.
Former Health Minister, Alban Bagbin dismisses claims he erred when he signed a contract for the supply of 200 ambulances for which the first 30 delivered were found to be defective.

The Nadowli West Member of Parliament (MP) said he is ready to face the law if the agreement is found to be problematic.

Interacting with journalists in the Upper West Regional capital of Wa, Mr Bagbin said issues government has found with the contract borders on implementation.

Related Article: Special Aide to National Security capo got contract for 2.4m useless ambulances

Did they say any clause in the agreement is bad, he asked.

The defective Ambulances parked at the naval base

The Health Ministry in 2012 awarded a 2.4 million-Euro contract to a company owned by the special aide to former National Security Advisor, Joseph Nunoo Mensah.

Out of the 200 ambulances to be procured through Big Sea Trading LLC, 30 of the vehicles supplied were found to be unfit for purpose.

Current Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu said he will forward the appropriate documents to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to probe the matter.

Related Article: Ato Forson breaks silence on defective ambulance saga; defends role

Sections of Ghanaians have called on the government to prosecute persons who played a role in the award of the contract.

But Mr Bagbin, who was Minister of Health in the John Mahama administration at the time the contract was signed said, it will be unfair for his name to be mentioned when people are talking about the implementation of the contract.

Is there anything wrong with the agreement I signed?

The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament said, even though the agreement was vetted by the lawyers and technical team of the Ministry of Health, he is ready to be held responsible if there are issues with the contract he signed.
Ghana would have had a much lower yield on its 2015 and 2016 Eurobonds, if its case with Ivory Coast over the maritime boundary was not in existence.

This was revealed by a former Finance Minister Mr Seth Terkper, who told host of Citi Breakfast Show Bernard Avle, that the dispute between the two countries led to the high yields Ghana got on the two bonds.

 ..At the time we are relying on the work the technical team was doing to show that we were confident. To some extent that most of the investors believed and were able to do this bond, it affected the yield and the rate. Sometimes when you are talking about the rate you wish you had bonds it is a very prime example of a sector that is beyond control which could affect the yields or the price paid for them, this was a real factor. He said.

The revelation follows the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea(ITLOS)s ruling on the case over the weekend.

Yield on 2015 & 2016 Eurobonds

Yields on Ghanas last two bonds, the fourth and fifth Eurobonds were the highest recorded in the history of the country.

The yield on the 2015 Eurobond for example was 10.75 percent, against government's initial target of 8.5 percent while that of 2016 was at 9.25 percent.

The World Bank's guarantee of 400 million dollars at the time, on the 2015 bond as well as plans by government to set up an infrastructure fund to use proceeds from the country's Eurobonds played a key role in Ghana getting 10.75 percent interest, which was to be higher.

The high yield at the time were attributed to Ghanas economic challenges.

Reacting to concerns over the high yield of 10.75 percent in 2015 Mr Seth Terkper had said Ghana remains the only sub-Saharan African country that is able to raise a fifteen year bond at such a yield and asked critics not to compare a 10 year bond to the current 1 billion dollar 15 year Eurobond.

They were comparing a 15 year bond to a 10 year bond that is comparing apples to oranges. I think they would have served the Ghanaian public well if they have checked. There is a sub  Saharan country that was able to raise a 15 year bond in the first place and was able to roll it at a lower yield and thirdly under the circumstances which the markets find itself now. Now we are going to use the bond to refinance 90 day bill.

ITLOS case impact on Eurobonds

But speaking on the Citi Breakfast show the Former Finance Minister Mr Seth Terkper stated that the rates were extremely high due to the dispute between the two countries and the uncertainty at the time of the outcome of the case.

The fact that it was so significant that usually before we do what is called the final descriptions, where a series of questions are asked of the Minister of Finance and one of them in 2015 and 2016 in particular was whether the Minister for Finance believed or had any information that suggests that Ghana would not win the case.

Ghana dragged Ivory Coast to ITLOS in September, 2014 after negotiations with Ivory Coast over the disputed boundary broke down.

ITLOS however on September, 23, 2017 ruled that there had not been any violation on the part of Ghana on Ivory Coast's maritime boundary.
The Ghana Prisons Service says it is liaising with some organisations to complete a structure at the Nsawam Prisons to enable inmates to continue their education while they serve their term.

According to the PRO of the Service, DSP Vitalis Aryee, the structure will afford the prisoners the opportunity to have from basic to Senior High School education.

He said the Service is also working on allowing inmates access to distant tertiary education as the facility does not currently have the structures to support that.

This issue has become topical after five candidates presented by the Nsawam Medium Prison for this year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) passed out with flying colours.

One candidate passed with distinction with the other four obtaining between aggregate 10-15, however, their dream of furthering their education ends at this point as the facility has no structures to provide the inmates with senior high school education.

As it stands, the inmates will have to wait until they finish serving their term before they can continue their education. Some may not get the opportunity because they are on death row.

According to the DSP Aryee, 21 candidates with the Bostal Institute who also passed the BECE have been placed by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and some have started schooling.

The Bostal Institute is not a prison but a correctional facility and the kids there are not up to 18 years. They dont have a record after they have done their time," he said.

They are day students and they go to the schools that they were placed and they come back in the evening," he explained.

Commenting on the issue, Jonathan Osei Owusu, Executive Director of POS Foundation, an NGO highlighted the challenges prison inmates are facing but congratulated them for making the most of the opportunity given them.

He said the timing of the debate is right because once the inmates have been given the opportunity to write the exam, then it is equally important to propose that they are given the opportunity to further their education.

This is important so that when they come out they will not go back to the same crime to cut down on the recidivism. Regarding the way forward, I will put the call at the doorstep of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and government.

For that matter getting one senior high school in the prisons to give access to those who have passed will benefit the state and improve its security," he said.

Reformation through education

On whether the inmates can be reformed through education, he said the issue is not only about their education, health and congestion but the need to give the prisons justice.

Mr Osei Owusu said although the Justice For All programme is doing its best to give inmates justice, it is time to consider those who can be reformed through education.

He advised government to concentrate on providing the prisoners vocational, technical and technological education as it wont cost the country much.

One good thing that will help if we are able to do this is that the inmates have lots of time on their hands and when they are engaged they will be useful to society.

They can use their time to produce quality things society will use and so if they come out because they are already skilled it will be easy to find jobs and reintegrate.

He also touched on the issue of discrimination by society in how it treats ex-convicts saying people should stop the stigmatization.

Mr Osei Owusu also called on other NGOs and donor agencies to help in the call to set up the facilities of learning in the prisons.
Kigali (AFP) - Police have charged Rwandan opposition leader Diane Rwigara, who was detained at the weekend along with her mother and sister, with "offenses to state security and forgery," according to a statement issued Monday.

Rwigara, who was blocked from challenging President Paul Kagame in August elections, is one of several opposition figures arrested earlier this month.

Police said the three women were detained Saturday, having already been held and released earlier in September on suspicions of tax evasion.

"During ongoing investigations, police uncovered credible evidence linking the trio to offenses against state security," a spokesman said in the statement.

It also cited a "refusal to cooperate" and the public disclosure of confidential information, without providing further details.

In an interview with AFP the day before her arrest, Rwigara said she was the victim of political persecution.

"I am being punished for standing against oppression and speaking my mind. My family is suffering because of this; otherwise it would be an amazing coincidence that such charges are coming up after I decided to speak out," she said.

Rwigara is the daughter of Assinapol Rwigara, an entrepreneur who made a fortune in industry and real estate, and a main backer of Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front (FPR) during its efforts to topple the Hutu extremist regime in 1994, ending the Rwandan genocide.

Diane Rwigara later distanced herself from the FPR after her father's death in a car accident in 2015, which she has claimed was an "assassination".

The refusal to allow her to run against Kagame, who won the August 4 election with 99 percent of the vote, on claims of procedural irregularities was widely criticised by Western governments and rights groups.
The Ghana Maritime Authority is to go ahead with the planned increment in safety charge at the ports. Citi Business News can confirm shipping lines will pay 50 cents up from the current figure of 15 cents.

A notice to shipping lines from the Authority sighted by Citi Business News stated that with effect from 1st October, safety charges at the ports will be increased.

Some shipping lines who have spoken to Citi Business News said that the charges were astronomical.

According to them, they have been slapped with an increment of 233 percent and have threatened to pass on the cost to their clients.

But speaking to Citi Business News the Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Kwame Owusu said they will not back down with the increment.

This one dollar was subsequently negotiated with pressure from shipping lines and forced my predecessor to move the one dollar to fifteen cents. That action is illegitimate from the standpoint of the country's laws. It didn't go to parliament and I have always said that if it was in China, anyone of us acting on that will be hanged or shot. So the shipping lines came, forced the guy with all kinds of agitations, he stated.

The GMA boss added, So when I took over in March I realized what was happening in April. So I took the law, I invited all stakeholders and my directors here have no idea how that amount was arrived at because they were not party to it. So when I asked them to give me basis for moving one dollar to fifteen cents they were not able to tell me how they come up with that.

Meanwhile Mr. Owusu explained that the current fees being charged the shipping lines which is 15 cents per vessel, was illegal because parliament has approved 1 dollar per vessel.

Fifteen cents out of one dollar, that's illegal. Illegitimately, they have operated on that and fed on that, cheating the Ghana government over a period. They have been operating on this price since 2012 so I have not increased it since I came.
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has justified the decision for all commercial banks to have a minimum capital level of 400 by December 2018.

Responding to a question on having a separate capital level for each bank based on their categorisation, Dr. Ernest Addison said the increase in capital requirement to 400 million was influenced by current developments in the economy.

According to him, a bank that can mobilize adequate resources and finance big ticket transactions is crucial in being able to deliver that transformation and this is why we are emphasizing the strength of the capital of the banks.

So yes, if you think that you are operating in niche market that does not require that you should have a 400 million level of capitalization you can choose to go for a savings and loan license, Dr Addison added.

He believes there would not be a turning back on this decision to for every bank to meet the new capital levels of 400 million by December 2018.

Bank consolidation

Dr Addison also disclosed that some banks are currently in talks to merge or be acquired.

He explained that this is based on some formal communication with the Central Bank as some banks strategise to meet the minimum requirement.

The Governor is of the view that the recapitalisation of these banks should be market driven rather than being forced by the regulator.

Let the market decide on the way forward in achieving the capital requirement, he said noting that BoG is prepared to help struggling banks to recapitalise.

Some banks have already disclosed to JoyBusiness that there are in talks with other financial institutions over a possible takeover.

The Managing Director of HFC bank Anthony Jordan recently told JoyBusiness that opened some informal talks with another bank to acquire it. He added that the move is based on the growth plans of the HFC.

The Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Henry Oroh has also told JoyBusiness they are open to any discussion that could see them acquire another bank to help that institution meet the new capital levels.

It has been projected by analysts that about 20 banks may struggle to meet these new requirements.

Troubled banks

The Governor during a press engagement Monday also noted that the remaining banks that were having issues with Capital Adequacy Ratio have improved their position to satisfactory levels.

On banks that are yet the meet the 120 million capital requirement, Dr. Ernest Addison said all the banks have made some progress in this area also.
The Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Peace Council (NPC), Right Reverend (Professor) Emmanuel Kwaku Asante says, the economic potential of the youth in the country are hugely undermined by illiteracy, unemployment and some pockets of violence conflicts in some parts of the country.

Rev Emmanuel Asante said it is always difficult when we talk about peace and achieve peace whiles the majority of the youth in the country are unemployed and wallowing in poverty.

According to him, the situation as it is, is a threat to the national security for which he urged to the government, chiefs, religious bodies, civic society organizations and other institutions to help arrest the situation.

Rev Emmanuel Asante said this when he was delivering his message at the Brong-Ahafo Regional Peace Council symposium to mark this years International Peace Day celebration in Sunyani.

It was attended by Civic Society Organizations, Religious bodies, security agencies, politicians, Chiefs and Queen Mothers, market women and school children.

The Day was under the Theme, Together for peace, Respect for safety and Dignity for All.

Touching on the theme, the Peace Council Chairman stated that, whiles the theme itself is a call for reflection on peace; it also calls for our attention to the threats and challenges of peace, security and safety of all people at the global level, in our sub-region and especially in Ghana.

Presenting a paper on the effects of violent conflicts on economies and nations, Mr. Emmanuel Ansu Twum, the Head of United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) Field Unit , Sunyani said, it effects are deaths, problem of reconstruction, Refugees problem, poverty and unemployment.

Mr. Ansu Twum said these conflicts can only be minimized if not eradicated if steps like dialogue, committed and sincere leadership, even distribution of resources, promotion of rule of law, protection of fundamental human rights, equal access to qualitative education, provision of gainful employment for the youths and payment of adequate remuneration to Civic servants which can help to minimize corruption and violent conflicts in the long run, are taken seriously.

He commended the NPC, the media, security services and various Civic Society Organizations in Ghana for the immense efforts being marshaled to keep the stability and peace in Ghana.
Ghanas tourism industry is expected to witness a massive boost as it prepares to host the first African Air Expo.

The Aerospace and Aviation Exhibition for West Africa, scheduled for October, will bring together major players in the Aviation industry under one turf.

About 150 companies providing aviation-related services are expected to display latest innovations in the sector.

The companies expected to exhibit various products include government departments, airport companies, airlines, flight school academies, charter solutions cargo handling services, military and defense among others.

Aviation Minister, Cecelia Dapaah said the country stands to reap a windfall from the event if companies in the recreational industry re-positioned themselves.

All these airlines that operate in Ghana will be coming in, meaning there will be lots of people coming in as businessmen, investors and tourists, she told journalists in Accra Monday.

She said the events participants will sleep in hotels, eat Ghanaian food and make merry all in Ghana.

At least over 3,000 people are expected to arrive in Ghana for the programme, a development the Minister believes will bolster the tourism industry.

The Airshow is being organized in partnership with 4M Events, organizer and host of Lyon-Paris airshows.

4M Events General Manager, Didier Mary explained the organization settled on Ghana to host the programme because it has one of the fastest growing aviation industries in the sub-region.

The Airshow will be held at the Kotoka International Airport and there will exhibition hall for display of latest technologies in the industry.

The Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company assured they are ready to host the show.

He observed the event and exhibitions will not interfere with regular flight schedules and activities at Ghanas only international airport.

The Airshow is expected to position Ghana as the hub of aviation on the African continent.

The Exhibition will take place from the 24th to the 26th of October.
26.09.2017 LISTEN

The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in the Ashanti regional has hinted of a massive demolishing exercise in all swampy areas in the region to save lives and property.

Ashanti regional Coordinator for NADMo, Hon. Kwabena Nsenkyire made this revelation on Otec FM after floods destroyed properties worth billions of cedis and rendered about 300 people homeless at Kronum in the kumasi metropolis following yesterdays heavy downpour.

A landlord from the area who was a former transport commissioner for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Islam Alhassan earlier told Otec FMs Kwaku Anane Jr. that the situation was worse and needs the intervention of the National Disaster Management Organization.

I was not affected by the floods so I will shelter some of the victims in my apartment as we wait on NADMO to find a lasting solution to the problem, he said.

However research indicates the flooding was caused by chocked gutters in the area.

Regional NADMO Coordinator, Hon. Kwabena Nsenkyire has however vowed to forestall another disaster with a massive demolishing exercise at flood prone areas in the region.

He advised that houses and other legal structures should be erected about 20 to 50metres away from water bodies to minimize the effects of flooding.

I will not hide it from you, surely, no matter what will happen there should be a demolishing exercise because when there is a disaster, innocent tenants suffer and landlords are nowhere to be found so Landlords should be alert that the demolishing will take place, he warned.

I think we have to protect our water bodies, he added.

Mr. Kwabena Nsenkyire bemoaned the poor performance of some city and sub-metro Engineers, pointing out that after the demolishing, city and sub-Metro Engineers who did not perform their duties will be held responsible, I will personally write to the various Assemblies to take them on.

We wont allow disaster like what happened at Asokore Mampong to repeat itself. People have blocked water ways with with illegal structures. What kind of nonsense is that,  he fumed.

He therefore urged the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive , Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi to order Assembly Members to enforce by laws.

According to him, houses with more than 15 people from hence forth will have to show their disaster plan to NADMO for clearance.

Hon. Kwabena Nsenkyire also disclosed that they have sent a document to Parliament for the passage of a Legislative Instrument (LI) which will extend the powers of NADMO to embark on demolishing exercises.

He explained that though NADMO has the power to demolish, they are limited by law but the passage of the LI would grant them full power to operate.

He disclosed that places which are likely to be affected by the proposed demolishing exercise are Atwima Nwabiagya, Atwima Kwanwoma and Obuasi where some projects have been suspended by the organization.
General Overseer of Christian Hope Ministry at Ohwim in Kumasi, Dr. Bishop Francis Amankwah has called on legislator to pass a Law that will ensure the prosecution of people who disparage the free SHS policy and other beneficial government policies.

According to him, the introduction of the Free SHS policy by presdient Akufo-Addo has helped to reduce the financial burden on parents and guardians, but unfortunately some Ghanaians and politicians are denigrating the policy with propaganda.

The free SHS policy is not meant for any political party or group of people, it is for all Ghanaians and anybody who wants it to fail is evil, he stressed.

Now by the grace of God, Ghanaian children through education are is wise as well as enlightened and cannot be influence by cheap propaganda, he added.

Bishop Francis Amankwaa noted that the beginning of every implementation comes with challenges but with prayer and support from Ghanaians, government can sustain the policy.

The implementation of the free Senior High School policy was the NPPs flagship campaign promise but was met with mixed reactions from Ghanaians when its implementation was riddled with some challenges.

Many have lauded the policy as an intervention that will reduce the number of school dropouts in the country and provide free access to students from poor backgrounds.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo speaking at New York during the 72nd UN Assembly Meeting said the free SHS has provided opportunity for 90,000 Ghanaian children and decreased the number of dropouts.

But speaking to Otec News, the Minister advised politicians to be truthful and stop the propaganda or government enact a Law to prosecute propagandist who speak against the policy.

Why is it that someone is doing something beneficial and we want to play propaganda with it. When someone brings a good policy, let us all support the person. If something is not right about it and you want to criticize, it must be done constructively so that the person will better it, he concluded.
Virgin America air steward and arts graduate Molly Choma started working for the popular airline straight out of college.

But the decision to take to the skies didn't mean putting her creative talents to bed -- far from it. For the past nine years, Choma has been photographing behind-the-scenes shots of her Virgin America colleagues as they criss-cross the skies.

The photo series -- playfully hashtagged #TheSecretLifeOfVirgins on Instagram and Facebook -- has taken off. Using the difficult lighting and the confined space to her advantage, Choma takes atmospheric and striking photographs, capturing the moments the public don't normally see.

What started as a personal passion project has lead to an array of opportunities for Choma. Come January, she'll be heading to the 2018 Winter Olympics to photograph the USA Bobsled and Skeleton team -- and she's been photographing the Nigerian Bobsled team.

Family heritage

Choma photographs her colleagues on board the plane.

"There was always a camera around my house," Choma tells CNN Travel. "My mom wasn't a photographer, but she always had a camera and I always liked to play with it. She would enroll me in little photography classes at rec centers."

Choma takes after her mother in more ways than one.

"My mom was also a flight attendant," says Choma. "She used to work for Pacific Southwest Airlines -- and it was that cool, hot pink, retro era of flight attendants -- but there are no pictures of it!"

San Francisco-native Choma says she "fell into" flight attending.

"I was applying to jobs in Hong Kong and New York, all kinds of things that would take me far away," she says. "I just wanted to experience something different."

Choma fell into flight attending, but now she loves it.

Choma initially saw Virgin as a stepping stone, hoping to return to an arts career post-Recession.

"It was a really bad time to graduate with an art degree," she recalls. "When I started at Virgin I thought it would be two years, and I didn't even tell anyone what I was doing, because I felt like I needed to be a 'true artist' or something like that. So now it's just kind of ironic that it's come a little bit full circle in that regard."

When she began air stewarding, Choma remembered her mother's career -- and the lack of photographs documenting her travels. Choma wanted her colleagues' families to have snapshots of this period of their lives -- so she decided to start taking her camera to work.

"I like taking pictures of my friends and the thought that their kids will have pictures of them," Choma says.

MORE: Vintage air attendant fashion: From 1930 to now

Recording history

Choma captures behind the scenes at Virgin America.

Choma and her colleagues are close and she loves photographing the moments they share.

"We've grown up together," Choma says. "We've gone through breakups and marriages, deaths in the family, babies -- and with this job you have to show up to work no matter what."

Capturing this friendship on camera remains important to Choma -- but her project took on a new angle -- and a sense of urgency -- after Alaska Airlines announced in March 2017 that it had purchased Virgin America.

Come 2019, the iconic airline will be no more.

"When our airline got purchased it just kind of drove it home for me to preserve the culture that we grew up with," says Choma.

"We are like a family, so when they made the announcement that it was going to dissolve into nothing, it became kind of a priority to bring my camera to work and preserve images before it's gone."

MORE: Is Bette Nash the world's oldest flight attendant?

Challenging conditions

Choma has mastered photographing in confined spaces.

Photographing on board a moving plane is no mean feat -- it took time for Choma to get the high quality images she records today.

"It's definitely been a learning curve," she says. "It's a very small dark space, with really limited light."

Choma -- who brings her professional-grade camera on board in her lunch bag ("I don't actually have room for lunch anymore") -- has learned to love these difficult conditions.

"The challenges are really fun," she says. "I only have the camera, I don't bring lighting or anything like that, so it's just really learning how to take advantage of the light that is there, rather than the light that isn't."

Life on board a plane is also notoriously unpredictable.

"Sometimes I'd have a perfect shot, and then we'd hit turbulence and then it would just have to wait," she recalls. "So there's all these extra factors too!"

"And obviously you don't want to shoot the public," she adds, "So we'd be ready for the shoot and someone would come by to use the rest room, and you'd have to pause."

Many of the published photographs are candid moments of the stewards in-situ -- but sometimes Choma asks her colleagues to recreate scenes she spotted earlier in the flight.

"A lot of it is taking opportunities [to photograph] when things are a little bit slower, based on things that are happening when it's a lot faster," Choma explains.

MORE: Coolest cabin crew uniforms ever?

Success story

Choma also worked at Virgin's HQ for two years.

A few years ago Choma's photography caught the eye of the big guns at Virgin -- and she spent two years working in the company's headquarters, honing her craft taking photographs for the company.

"I loved what I learned at the headquarters," Choma says. "But when you're a flight attendant, you have a flexible schedule and what I really wanted to do was a lot more travel photography."

Choma returned to flying -- and to her impromptu in-flight photography.

Meanwhile, in her spare time, she has been working up an impressive portfolio of travel and sport photography.

"The flight benefits and the work schedule has lead me to pursue these opportunities that I would never have thought I'd be so passionate about," says Choma.

MORE: Meet the youngest female commander of a Boeing 777

Public reaction

Being an air steward involves being able to put on a smile during a crisis.

Surprisingly, Choma says no passenger has ever asked her why she is taking photographs.

"I can tell that people notice that I'm carrying a large camera along the aisle, rather than say, a ginger ale or something!" she says. "But no one has ever asked what I'm doing."

Air stewards have to be ready to deal with anything that comes their way -- but Choma says that doesn't mean they can't have fun.

The photographer is a big fan of the viral air steward videos that have taken off on social media.

"It reminds me of so many of my friends," she says. "The guy doing the Britney Spears one was so cute. If people only knew that we were dancing to Britney Spears while we were waiting for the front tire to get fixed or something, maybe they would join in on the fun too!"

This ability to find the humor in the everyday -- and to put on a smile in a crisis -- defines life as an air steward. It's these little moments that Choma hopes she can capture for posterity.

"It just goes back to being a family and making the best of bad situations," she says.
The advent of the 2017 Presidential and General Elections in Liberia has brought about exciting times for Liberians both at home and abroad. This excitement stems from the fact that for a lot of Liberians, this is a time where one can freely choose sides and express their political will [of sorts].

Of recent, we see lots of people distracting themselves from the key strategic imperatives of the 2017 elections in Liberia and are rather focused mainly on debates as if debates alone can make someone win an election. We do not know how soon they have forgotten that Hilary Clinton did win all the debates in the 2016 US presidential election but - lost to Donald Trump.

Now, what is important to note is that the US has more sophisticated electorates than Liberia and - more people do pay attention to the debates than in Liberia but then, the results in those elections showed that while Hilary Clinton was winning the debates, Trump was winning the votes.

What is more stupefying in Liberia is that fewer than 10% of the electorates really pay attention to debates of any kind. Actually, most of those who listen to the debates already have a side and only want more reasons to support their side; but the debates rarely swing 1 per cent of those paying attention.

Besides, in the case of Liberia, if we want to decide the elections by debate, we say please end the process and give the presidency to Dr. H. Boima Fahnbulleh. It is that simple. Who amongst the 20 candidates can stand Dr. Fahnbulleh in any kind of debate? Even if the debates were in Kissi, Dr. Fahnbulleh would win Joe Boakai or if it were in Bassa, he would win Brumskine.

Additionally, Dr. Fahnbulleh is the person with the most history of the struggle with an understanding of the issues that confront us, but is he a leader? If leadership is not by educational attainment or oratory skills, then let the Liberian people decide who is better fit to lead them. And from some internal polling that we have seen, the Liberian people seem to be looking for someone who they believe loves this country.

In such a case, there is no amount of debating that can make that case; the people have lived with each of these candidates and have followed their track records and know whose life story demonstrates love for country. The ordinary people believe that if someone loves this country, everything else will fall in line.

Heres free advice to the strategists and campaign consultants: stop spending your energy on the least important things and focus more on what matters. Most, if not all of the debate coordinators have partisan leanings and all the responses at the debates are rehearsed anyway - so what is all the fuss about? The recent withdrawal of the PUL from the process underlines this fact. You and your candidates should be spending time making your case to the Liberian people who do not have TV, Radio or internet and, also do not have the time to listen or watch.

The Liberian Presidency is More than a Debate! Got it?
You do not need a higher education to understand that the structure determines the process and throws up the leadership to drive it to fruition. In order words the leader must be able to drive the process. Leadership and process go together. Process is a function of the goal that a group or a nation has set out to achieve.

The structure determines the basis and the direction of the process and throws up the leader at the peak of the pyramid to drive it to a desired end. It means that only a good structure can throw up a leader that can drive its own peculiar process to achieving its set goal.

Let's take a break from the theory for now. Many people do not understand or appreciate that Nigeria is the product of a structure designed to achieve a purpose. They hardly appreciate that the goal set forth by the structure we agreed to across board leading to Independence remains the only structure that can achieve the national goal of building a nation where no man is oppressed!

They cannot seem to relate with the fact that we have not launched another country nor another structure for which the international community can hold us accountable ever since. The confidence of the international community rests on your avowed aims and objectives, and the fact that they could testify that your structure could lead you to the goal you sought. This is what gave them confidence to deal with you, ie,extend trade credit and loans. The process of governance was only secondary, through the structure,a leadership is thrown up that is well versed with the objective and goal because there is no other way itself can exist but maintaining the delicate balance of this structure in leading the process.

This is precisely why the international community still remembers your original structure, its anthem, flag etc because that is what you have given them and they know that you cannot change it without creating imbalance in the process thereby deviating from the set goal.They expect that all fine tuning by the leadership will have to follow the same principle to maintain a clear gaze at the goal.

With the above in place, do you think there will ever be a leadership struggle in Nigeria? No. A stable structure already completes the job of throwing up the right leader. What brings about leadership struggle is unstable structure that is unsure of what the leader should do or where the nation is going and how it gets there. It is only unstable structure that allows the leader to waste time looking downwards to grapple with intervening variables like ethnic and religious biases,race and creed.

There is no time to look forward to the goal. Indeed we can say that it always remains a fallacy to call such people leaders because unstable structures are incapable of throwing up leaders! What you have is anything but leaders. To qualify to be a leader, the structure that throws you up must be stable as earlier publicized at independence because without such across the board confidence you could not even have been admitted into the comity of nations in the first place. As a way of illustration your structure must have directly or indirectly endorse such pillars as Human Rights,Child rights,Gender,Free Trade,Etc. This will ensure that you do not end up becoming a liability to your neighbours.

A leader understands the role to be played in driving the process to the desired end. So a leader understand the process, the big picture, what is going on, why and can explain it to the led. A "leader" who does not understand the big picture cannot drive process.A "leader" who understands the big picture and cannot explain it cannot drive the process to logical conclusion since leadership is an outward process that connects the led. So you cannot say you do not wish to debate in an election process because leadership is primarily by the word before symbolism can follow to deepen it. So such people cannot truly be called leaders because you cannot lead from behind.

So to lead you must have a proper grasp of the history of your country and must be willing at no notice to communicate it as well as relate it to the goal and your choice of strategy to reach it. So a leader drives the process through his mouth and must be capable of educating the citizens and foreigners on what he is set to do ,what he is doing and how it relates to the goal as well as what he has done and how it has advanced the goal.

So from the fore going there cannot be leadership struggle for this position in Nigeria. But first thing now is to get us back to a stable structure that would guarantee the elevation of a leader at the apex. It cannot happen with this present structure as we should by now have realized. It cannot also happen if we politicize it. Remember that whatever we throw up under this faulty unbalanced and unstable structure cannot be a leader because too many intervening variables exist and must first be trashed out. I have earlier explained that Nigeria has a stable structure related to the name itself. This structure cannot change without changing the name.

This structure is encompassed in the independence constitution of 1960-1963 and it is the very basis of our existence as a country marching towards integration in nationhood with a view to arriving at the ideal society where " though tribes and tongues may differ,in brotherhood we stand" Of course we know that this ideal state will be rewarding because only then can we be in tune with the prayer we made at Independence: " Oh God of all creation ,grant this our one request. Help us to build a nation where no man is oppressed. And only this stage can get us the crown: "And so with Peace and plenty,Nigeria may be blessed"

So it cannot be a matter of politics thrown up by this deformed structure. It cannot be by dialogue promoted by those you now call leaders who are not ,because,leadership without a national purpose is just dealership! Even today's follower ship may not be capable of proper focus in these things because wrong leadership has elevated the irrelevant to the national stage in their endless groping for relevance. So the easiest way is to go back to regionalism and return untouched those sections of the constitution of 1963 suspended by Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi in 1966. Since Ironsi did not suspend the Regions,General Gowon's creation of States should have also followed the Regional boundaries. But Gowon acted during war exigencies, and now that the civil war has ended ,it was expected that the period of Reconstruction,reintegration and rehabilitation should have returned the structure to its ideal form to give effect to the famous "no victor no vanquished" phrase but it was not done. What it means is that the socio political and economic imbalance resultant of this lapse continued to distort the match to nationhood until it overflowed at this time when economic recession, tribal, and religious separation resonates.

To this end,the next stage in the healing process would be to align boundaries of States and local councils within these 3 Regions. Then hand over the administration of States to Regional Assemblies. States can be run as if they are provinces. Regional Assemblies may not tamper with the States except in line with their own priorities which must align with the said constitution of Nigeria.

Before I conclude here let us be reminded why this issue is not to be politicized. Because a faulty structure can hardly throw up a lasting solution or leadership since it is incapable of doing so by law. The structure and its leaders being products of the same deformity they seek to abrogate may face problems in this quest. What we need is just to retrace our steps to the time when the ideal structure existed and every other thing begins to fall in shape. Our priority now is not the election of a leader, not restructuring in the classical debate and committees but just doing the right thing so that we can do things right.

* Mr Nworisara aspired to be President of Nigeria in 1992 under the defunct Social Democratic Party ( S.D.P.)
26.09.2017 LISTEN

The 7th Slow Food International Congress brings together a large number of delegates from across the world. A total of 400 food activists hailing from 90 countries will convene in the Chinese city of Chengdu from September 29th to October 1st this year.

Given the nature of this event and the commitment of Slow Food to protecting the environment, the organizers first goal is to decrease the events environmental impact. Slow Food International and Slow Food Great China are both engaged in tackling this challenge.

Since 2006, Slow Food has paid great attention to reducing the environmental impact of its events. Terra Madre Salone del GustoSlow Food's biggest biannual event in Turinis designed so as to minimize its ecological footprint through a holistic approach named Systemic Event Design.

With the Slow Food Congress upon us, we are aware that the greater part of the event's carbon footprint relates to the CO2 emissions generated from the transportation of guests and speakers to China.

This is why Slow Food has chosen South Pole Group as a partner to ensure that the event can be certified as Carbon Neutral by offsetting the emissions generated by the Congress.

The total CO2 emissions of the Congress have been calculated using the sophisticated, user-friendly online tool developed by South Pole Group, which derives emission factors from reliable sources such as Defra . The collaboration with South Pole Group will also allow for Slow Food to compensate these emissions as far as possible.

The emissions generated by the Congress, including flights to and from China, will be compensated for through the Huoshui Grouped Small Hydropower project. This project, located in underdeveloped areas of rural China, contributes to greenhouse gas mitigation by generating hydroelectric power as a clean alternative to the burning of fossil fuels. It is made up of 95 small individual power plants, which use the flow of rivers to generate clean electricity.

The hydropower plants are spread across four provinces, 67 in Chongqing Municipality, 9 in Yunnan Province, 13 in Sichuan Province and 6 in Guizhou Province.

These areas comprise of some of the most disadvantaged and least developed communities in China and are home to diverse ethnic minority groups, each with their own culture and traditions. About 80% of the workers in the company are from ethnic minorities. The project improves local air quality, creates training and employment opportunities and provides water channels that improves farming.

Among the central themes of Slow Food International Congress will be the challenge of climate change. Agriculture and food production represent one of the main causes of climate change, but Slow Food believes they must also be part of the solution.

China is crucial to the world's food system and can play a decisive role in tackling this global challenge. The International Congress will reflect Slow Foods approach to environmental sustainability and social innovation.
The 3rd annual convention of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) has ended in Wilmington, Delaware, with members adopting a resolution aimed at strengthening democracy and the rule of law in Liberia, and empowering Liberian journalists.

The convention assembled score(s) of current and retired journalists from across America, Liberia, and other parts of the world under the theme: The Rule of Law: Recipe for a Stableand Peaceful Liberia.

ALJA, in its resolution,called on the Liberian Government to ensure that all Liberians and foreigners, irrespective of their status or stature within the territorial confines of Liberia, strictly adhere to the statutory and constitutional provisions of Liberian laws at all times. ALJA encouraged all Government Officials and other power brokers to set examples, by obeying the law, including basic traffic regulations while driving in all parts of the country.

ALJA in a press release issued on Friday, September 21, 2017 urged the Chairman and members of the Liberian National Elections Commission (NEC) to conduct the ensuring October 10th presidential and legislative elections in a free, fair and transparent manner as a means of catalyzing peace and stability in the country and removing any iota of doubt surrounding its eventual results.

The Association further calls for continuous partnership and collaboration between the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and ALJA aimed at building the capacity of Liberian journalists and empowering them, especially beginning media practitioners.

The resolution concludes with a commendation from the Convention to ALJAs National Vice President, Joe Mason, and members of the Association Communications Committee for their hard work in establishing the Associations website (www.aljaonline.org) and also encourages the Committee to further explore setting up additional media outlets, especially within the electronic broadcast sector, so as to enable ALJA reach out to as many people as possible in further disseminating the cardinal aims and objectives of the Association.

Meanwhile, a new corps of officers to steer the affairs of ALJA for the next two years was elected and subsequently inducted into office. Those elected were Messrs. Moses D. Sandy, National President; Joe Mason, National Vice President; and Charles Crawford, National Secretary General. The positions of National Assistant Secretary General and National Treasurer were not contested during the elections due to non-aspirants. The convention, however, resolved to fill the vacant positions during ALJAs first post-convention teleconference.

National President Sandy and Vice PresidentMason were re-elected for a second term. They were initially elected on October 17, 2015 in New Castle, Delaware, during the ALJA 2015 annual National Convention held in the state. This years annual convention brought together nearly forty Liberian journalists from various states in the US and Liberia, West Africa.

Members of the Liberian delegation to the convention were the PUL President, Charles Coffey, eminent broadcast journalist, E. Blamo Robinson formerly of the Liberia Broadcasting System (L.B.S), and Mrs. Lisa Dahn Tehmeh of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL). Also, on the delegation was Mr. Jutonu Kollie, Director of News at Prime Communications Network. Liberias premier comedian and broadcast journalist, Quincy T. Juwle, who is currently visiting the US graced the occasion.

ALJA was founded in 1998 and the organization seeks to foster and consolidate companionship amongst its members and their American counterparts. Also, the Association is committed to the advancement of press freedom through media development and training in Liberia; and the principles of good governance in Liberia through media advocacy.

Signed: ____________________

Charles Crawford

National Secretary General

Approved: _____________________

Moses D. Sandy

National President
26.09.2017 LISTEN

Photo illustration by Jeff Boyer / Times Union

Humanity Sadly Lacks in Koreas

In 1905, Japan made Korea its protectorate. Under the Japanese, Koreans were deprived of land and food, forced into labor, forbidden to publish newspapers, required to adopt Japanese names and worship Shinto shrines, victimized by medical experiments, bullied in school, insulted, raped, tortured and killed.

Some Koreans rebelled. Thousands traveled north to Manchuria, becoming guerrilla fighters to combat the Japanese occupation. Many, including Kim Il Sung, were attracted to Communism's promise of equality. As North Korea's future first president (1949-94), Kim insisted on creating a self-reliant North Korea, independent of foreign influence.

Some Koreans fled, including Syngman Rhee, who unsuccessfully tried in 1905 to convince U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to preserve Korean independence. As South Korea's first president (1948-60), Rhee was anti-Communist, English-speaking and Christian, a religion whose message of equality appealed to Korean lower classes oppressed by the Japanese and traditional Korean hierarchy. Yet Rhee was violently authoritarian and corrupt. He incensed the U.S. by trying to sabotage Korean War armistice negotiations.

Some Koreans cooperated with the Japanese, including Park Chung Hee, who fought within Japan's Imperial Army against Korean guerrillas. As South Korea's third president (1963-79), Park secured economic aid from Japan, pushed for more U.S. troops, bribed U.S. legislators for military aid, imposed martial law and authorized nuclear weapons development before yielding to U.S. pressure.

When World War II Allies liberated Korea from Japan, Soviet troops in the North were rapaciously cruel to Koreans until Stalin, of all people, ordered Soviets to behave. Meanwhile in the South, because of noble U.S. intentions of treating Japan with respect, U.S. leaders infuriated Koreans by initially allowing hated Japanese officials to continue governing Korea.

Popular left-wing movements became increasingly shunned by the U.S. military government, which found it easier to work with conservative, wealthier, right-wing Koreans who spoke English and had typically cooperated with the Japanese.

Like a magnet, the peninsula grew polarized. In the North, those suspected of supporting Japanese, Americans, or Korean upper classes were executed or fled. In the South, those suspected of supporting left-wing movements were executed or fled.

With the Korean War's outbreak, atrocities continued on both sides. U.S. troops were revolted by South Korean atrocities against suspected Communists, yet U.S. forces carpet-bombed street after street of North Korea, dropping napalm and pulverizing most cities and residences.

After the war, North Korea was engulfed by the brutal, hypocritical leadership of Kim Il Sung, whose commands for non-selfish labor fed his selfish desire to be worshipped as the all-perfect Father, a compassionate Santa Claus whose molten iron grip mercilessly punished the population. Koreans who didn't believe Kim Il Sung was magnificent learned to fake it. Even the USSR and China favored stationing U.S. troops in South Korea to deter Kim.

Like a sick, abusive parent, Kim sealed off North Koreans from the world community. Even Russians were considered too dangerously liberal. Using thousands of informers, Kim bred a climate of distrust and psychological isolation and divided North Koreans into a hierarchy of castes based upon loyalty.

Until the 1990s, South Korea also suffered under dictatorships. It continues to rank low in gender equality. Its impoverished economy lagged behind North Korea until the 1960s when Park sent South Korean troops into the Vietnam War, thus winning millions of dollars annually in U.S. aid and jumpstarting South Korea's "economic miracle."

Meanwhile, when the USSR dissolved in 1991, North Korea's foreign aid nose-dived and North Korea plunged into horrific famine.

In 1994, Kim's son, Kim Jong Il, continued the pathological policies as North Koreans dropped dead from starvation. If you sold the frame of your required Kim Il Sung portrait to buy food, you'd be executed. If you crossed the border in search of food, you'd be executed. Yet all were required to worship the Kims as benevolent gods rather than ungodly frauds.

Since 2011, the grandson, Kim Jong Un, has continued state oppression, with an estimated 80,000 to 120,000 languishing in political prison camps and eating corn stalks. Violence and sexual abuse of women are routinely allowed. Meanwhile, across the border, more than 44,000 South Koreans, primarily women, underwent surgery in 2010 to Westernize their eyelids, an operation popular in the 1950s among Korean prostitutes eager to attract American GIs.

Kim Jong Un's current interest in nuclear weapons has unclear purposes: To wage aggressive war? To ward off U.S. aggression? To raise his self-image? Or to use as a bargaining chip for aid? For an end to U.S.-South Korean military exercises or South Korea's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system?

Korea's history is complicated, with good and bad not neatly dividing along geographical or ideological lines. What is clear is that violence, whether of oppression or war, has neither helped good defeat evil nor helped Koreans better their lives. Like so many of us, perhaps what Koreans need more than military capacity is social capacity: the will to refrain from following cruel orders, the spirit to engage openheartedly in cooperative dialogue, and the heart to understand that none deserve mistreatment.

Kristin Christman is author of Taxonomy of Peace. https://sites.google.com/site/paradigmforpeace

This article was first published in the Albany Times Union.
All over the world, there is a serious shortage of new global age diverse and techno-savvy CEOs.

Here are the three reasons and the critical transitory factors:

Recliner Mounted: During the last millennia, in the age of scarcity when mediocrity was sufficient to guarantee rapid success; CEOs were formally attired, big, tall and robust; they came with firm handshakes, all smiles with bright, shiny teeth personalities. Most had little or no knowledge of the business operation itself, but they were experts and savvy in wheeling and dealing shenanigans. They roamed the business empires. They made their mark, but added little or nothing to the creative processes necessary for continued growth and prosperity. Small or medium size enterprises were not important at all. Only mega businesses existed.

Floor Runners: As we approached the year 2000 the CEO picture was changing. By this time, CEOs were faced with fierce competition and were forced plunge into the organizations operations and could be seen casually marching around the floors of the organization encouraging people to improve performance while keeping an eye on securing their own mega bonuses for improvements. Process improvement became the buzz phrases for the period. These transitions benefitted businesses all over the world.

Formula Drivers: Today, enriched in the age of abundance, where for every new idea there are thousands of better ones, the new global age CEOs are seen only as great symbols of superior performance. As we approach the third decade of our new millennia, they have become uniquely invisible; they blend among the pack with the flat hierarchical organization.

They are the real experts; they know what to do and how to get it done; they are committed and dedicated to their craft, working inside and outside the organization; the 9-to-5 formats are gone and around-the-clock global interaction is the norm. Sometimes you see them and sometimes you don't; they are the phantom force and their presence is always felt within the organization.

They are leaders because they lead; they are CEOs because they can execute as chief executive officers; they do not require a business card title or a corner office to tell them what to do. They have the most powerful technology at their fingertips and they are aware of every action, reaction, and every counter action taking place within the organization. They are global age CEOs and the most sought after human resource today.

How do you become a global age CEO? A strategic plan of action

Mastery of Pressurized Distillation:

Distillation of foggy ideas, illusionary detection, and even at times, hallucinations are all critical to sequentially form and transform raw ideas into vision. Its a good thing for mind to drift in aimless wander. These lose ideas are gifts of growth and we must cherish them, play with them and stack up piles of unusual observations because such thoughts end up creating true vision. Anybody capable of dreaming can create and develop vision. Job titles, cubicles and corner offices seriously hinder such processes.

Equally, an entire floor lined up with swinging hammocks is not needed in order to gain innovative advancement or superiority of ideas. What is needed instead is a companywide philosophy that embraces open challenges to any and all ideas, including the current enforcement of the so-called vision of the firm. High pressure distillation is required. True CEOs will learn to discover the real truth about the corporate vision. They, with the help of their team, will determine direction and implement bottom line plans to reach their goals. They will no longer join the majority of organizations all over the world who are occupied in some weird endless chase without any serious advancement?

Fact: Most firms have a single minded money making notion, twisted to look like a vision.

Study: Detroit Auto Industry, Kodak and compare them to winners like Apple, LinkedIn

Action: Challenge and find deeper and more intricate meaningful aspects for the firm.

Mastery of Prismatic Crystallization:

Various styles and types of vision, once crystallized properly, define success and super-success. The crystallization process demands that we create a three dimensional version of vision. A true vision is visible and almost touchable whereby there are central points of discussions and reviews, evaluation and refinements. This is where the next generation of the greatest global success stories will be found. When personal ownership of vision is in place and hidden in the file drawers of the founders, the so called vision is untouchable and it becomes a corporate taboo to peek. Challenging the so called vision is unheard of.

Today, foggy and non-sequential after thoughts identified as crystallized vision is where the majority of organizations are stuck. In these organizations, finger pointing becomes the norm and lacks of sales or funding becomes the main mantra with all blamed on human performance and talent issues. Those fancy slogans claiming the organizations vision that are framed across cubicle should be replaced by open discussions across the organization.

All aspects of the organization should be open for debate, challenge, dialogue, and evaluation. The corporations claiming never being stuck are rather on a silent rotation to oblivion due to the lack of clarity and pending rectifying actions. It is time to calibrate prismatic crystallization and grab the vision and make sure all can see it and manage it.

Fact: Many organizations only after bankruptcy discover that it was their lack of vision

Study: Radio Shack, GM, WorldCom and compare them to winners like Airbnb, Google

Action: Call a big meeting on this subject and moderate an open and candid debate

Mastery of Rapid-fire Execution:

Frequently the greatest concepts and crystallized visions remain dormant collecting; they lie around and collect dust because of lack of execution. Entrepreneurial talent is wasted when brilliant minds, with real clarity, lack execution or operational skills or vice versa. New global age thinking coupled with the execution of these ideas is so critical today. We must take advantage of the abundance of too many brilliant ideas. When entrepreneurs are not executives or executives are not entrepreneurial a new style of operational merging is required. It must become our mission and passion to discover global age execution.

We must mandate rapid-fire actions all across the board because it is the depth and knowledge that make rapid fire execution a normal high performance process. Unskilled teams will not be able to operate in this arena and as such fall into a death trap. The organization and its teams must operate like a well written and directed ballet, where roles are clear and executed to perfection.

Fact: Often the best ideas of an organization have the worst of downstream executions

Study: Volkswagen, Sears, Xerox and compare them to winners like Dyson, Tesla

Action: Daydream all day, but execute every second.

Whats on your agenda?

CEO Wanted:

All over the world, there is a deep and silent realization that current corporate affairs are not headed in the right direction. Equally true is the fact that there is a major revolution of restless entrepreneurial talent anxiously waiting to energize their own spin to fix the problems and bring local-global prosperity. Also In this void there is a critical shortage of bold new global age executives with has the talent, skill, and where-with-all to lead their organizations in this new and demanding environment.

Mentorian Worldwide Forum will debate such topics in 2018. Its time to identify the core issues, rectify and apply solutions. It is time to team with like minded forces and create unheard of before successes and acquire global age thinking, knowledge and execution. The world is changing must faster and management performance needs a turbo boost.

Advanced Study: National Mobilization of Entrepreneurialism

Author:

Naseem Javed is founder of Mentorian Worldwide and now leading a worldwide movement on how to create supremacy of innovative excellence and business leadership performance via high speed mass market penetration strategy implementation modules. His latest work on Expothon Strategy is getting global attention. A corporate philosopher, he also conducts special CEO Executive Workshops and Global Age Strategy Sessions to create more powerful marketable High-Value Global Corporate Assets.

Naseem is a world recognized authority on corporate nomenclature, global and image and identity complexities, and cyber presence, a world-class speaker, syndicated columnist and author of several books. He is building a global network of high quality Mentorian Ambassadors http://www.mentorian.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naseemjaved
It is imperative on all countries that embrace the political concept called democracy to also uphold the doctrine of rule of law whereby the laws of the land deal with all the citizens equally. Under a democratic state, the fundamental laws are entrusted intothe hands of the judiciary that sees to it that the rights of every citizensare protected. It is only through the activities of the law court that a person could be tagged a victim of a crime. Until the court of law declares a person a culprit in a case, no individual under any circumstance has the liberty to stumble upon the rights of that personnot even when he/she had been convicted.

Ghana as a country embraces democracy over 23 years ago and had since successfully transferred political power from one government to another without violence though some misunderstanding popped up especially in the 2012 general election which landed unto the feet of the supreme court. The judiciary however, has in several occasions resolved issues amicably among individuals, corporate bodies and governmental institutions but can the institution (judiciary) be trusted in its activities? Why should individuals in the country take the law into their own hands and deal with people who are to be sent to the law court to be judged by law for whatsoever crime committed? Has the judiciary failed to execute its responsibility properly?

It has been recorded in the history of thecountry whereby people were lynched for crime committed especially when there is no cop or people who pity others on humanitarian grounds are present and one major incident to talk of is the death of Maxwell Mahama, a captain of the Ghana arm forces who was lynched to death for being mistaken as a thief. One may therefore ask; why do people resort to instant justice as it is usually called, that is meted out to people by civilian when such people are found to be thieves?

Should these actions by the civilians be condoned? If I should attempt to answer these questions I would blatantly say our institutions are not working as they supposed to do. I oft time say our institutions are not working simply because an armed robber could be apprehended, sent to court and no proper justice would be meted out to him/her.

There are several instances whereby people who were caught red-handed in robbery act were left by the court because no concrete evidence was produced by the accusers and such convicted people come back to continue their malicious act.

This has brought the idea of instant justice into the minds of the civilians to deal with people who engage and are caught in such acts. People resort to these instant justice system because of some perceptions or experience they have about the judiciary. If our judiciary as an institution of the state is working perfectly, people who would be caught in these malevolent acts would be handed to them (judiciary) straight away because they (civilians) know that proper punishment would be meted out to such criminals to deter them (culprits) or other people from committing same crime. We must keep our institutions working if not civilians would take the law into their own hands and do whatever they like.

Most importantly, it appears to me that the institutions that are mandated to protect the rights of the citizens sometimes take the law into their own hands and do whatever they like. This actions by the military may always incur the displeasure of civilians who also avenge their anger whenever they get the chance. I am not in any way justifying the barbaric impudence of civilians in dealing with culprits or whatsoever but the fact still remains that a soldier without his/her ammunition is as poor as a bloody civilian as they normally say.

There are thousand and one occasions where these professionally trained forces who are expected to know better have meted out even more of such gruesome cruelty on some poorly helpless innocent civilians and men of substance have not only shamefully kept mute on it but have unfortunately without any wisdom come out with strong defense.

Just as we all condemned the unfortunate demise of our gallant soldier, let us also talk to our security forces to be very circumspect and professional with the way sometimes they handle civilians simply because they are soldiers for it is often said what is not good for the goose is equally not good for the gander. Institutions such as the Judiciary, WAJU, CHRAJ and others that are to see to it that peace prevails in all areas of human lives must be strengthened so that their duty would not be undermined by civilians.

Your friend,

Simon HorsenyoHator
ACCRA, Ghana, 20 September 2017 - The Ministry of Communications Ghana and AB2020 are excited to announce the Tech in Ghana Conference, Accra.

Following the success of the first conference held in London in February 2017, Tech in Ghana will showcase groundbreaking local innovations and provide a platform to highlight, discuss and stimulate the growth of Ghanas digital development.

Pulling together some of the brightest minds at the forefront of technological advancement and key industry players and influencers, Tech in Ghana will be hosted at the Accra Digital Centre on the 21st and 22nd November 2017.

The Conference aims to:

Bring together the government, private sector and SME communities to highlight activities, innovations and opportunities for collaboration, and to encourage the development of Ghana's tech ecosystem.

To showcase Ghanas locally developed, world-class technology to potential clients and investors.

To provide a platform for dialogue between Government and industry, and the opportunity to share knowledge and promote industry growth.

To promote and encourage business and investment within the tech community.

Honourable Minister for Communications Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, who will open the event, said: The Ministry of Communications is proud to host the first Tech in Ghana conference in Accra. As the Ministry drives forward the governments Digital Ghana agenda to revolutionise public service delivery, we want to engage with stakeholders from across the vibrant Ghana tech ecosystem and explore how we can work together collectively in making Ghana a leading tech hub in the sub region. Its Digitime in Ghana!

Tech in Ghana will take a glimpse in to how technology is shaping traditional industries such as Banking, Agriculture, Health and Education; how players in the start-up ecosystem are disrupting norms and building local solutions; and how policy makers and regulators are responding to the emerging Fintech landscape.

With engaging and interactive dialogue, a tech village exhibition, live demos and networking, Tech in Ghana will lift the lid on what happens inside Ghanas tech hubs, give insight into who is investing in Ghana tech, and highlight the initiatives and resources that are available to support tech business communities and young people with an interest in digital entrepreneurship.

Confirmed and invited partners include the National Communications Authority (NCA), Uber Ghana, MEST, Farmerline, Vodafone Ghana, National Information Technology Agency (NITA), IPMC, Tech & Business Hubs Network, Accion, Ghana Investment for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Ericsson, Facebook, Google Ghana, J Initiative, GSMA, OMG Digital and Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications.

To register interest, exhibit, sponsor or find out more visit:

www.TechInGhanaConference.com
26.09.2017 LISTEN

The United Nations General Assembly in New York the European Union and the United Nations have launched a EUR 500 million Spotlight Initiative to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative was launched by the EU High Representative / Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica, together with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.

Speaking at the launch, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated: It is a harsh but true reality  1 in 3 women will face violence throughout their lifetime. Violence against women and girls devastates lives, and causes pain across generations.

The Spotlight Initiative is truly historic, he added. This Fund is a pioneering investment in gender equality and womens empowerment. When we shine a spotlight on the empowerment of the worlds women and girls, everyones future is brighter.

EU High Representative Federica Mogherini noted: The European Union is committed to combatting all forms of violence against women and girls, as they undermine our core fundamental rights and values, such as dignity, access to justice and gender equality. We need first to ensure that we keep women and girls safe, in order to empower them to deploy their full potential.

Commissioner Mimica added: "Violence against women and girls is one of the greatest injustices of our time, which crosses all borders, generations, nationalities and communities. It deeply touches our hearts and our minds. And it is a serious barrier to any society's full development potential. To make a real change, I invite all partners to join our Spotlight Initiative for a world in which all women and girls can truly shine!

The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative is supported by a multi-stakeholder trust fund, with the EU as its main contributor in the order of half a billion Euro, which is open to other donors.

Over the next few years, comprehensive programmes will be implemented to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, such as sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices; trafficking and economic (labour) exploitation; femicide; and domestic and family violence. Core areas of intervention will include strengthening legislative frameworks, policies and institutions, preventive measures, access to services and improving data gathering in Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean.

2

Consistent with the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Spotlight Initiative will apply a rights-based approach, and give particular attention to the most marginalised women and girls in order to leave no-one behind. It will aim at galvanizing political commitments at the highest level and at providing large-scale targeted support, as well as at building new partnerships. It will also raise awareness of the widespread, persistent and detrimental impact of violence against women and girls.

Background

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread and devastating human rights violations across the globe. It affects all societies, cutting across generational, socio-economic, educational and geographic boundaries. Overall more than a billion lives today are touched by violence. It is estimated that 35% of women have experienced violence at some point in their lives. This figure is as high as 70% in some countries.

Moreover, more than 700 million women worldwide were married as children before 18. Of those women, more than 1 in 3or some 250 millionbefore the age of 15. At least 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation in 30 countries.

This scourge is a barrier to gender equality, women's and girls' empowerment and overall sustainable development, and an impediment to the achievement of the SDGs.

The Spotlight Initiative is an expression of the same political will that was demonstrated by the international community in adopting the SDGs, with standalone Goal 5 on Gender Equality and specific targets on ending violence against women and girls, as well as mainstreaming of gender equality across the entire SDG framework.

The New European Consensus on Development, the EU's new global approach to sustainable development for the years ahead, also underlines the commitment of the EU and all its Member States to gender equality.
Luanda (AFP) - Angola's new president, Joao Lourenco who will be sworn in Tuesday, is a former general who spent several years in the political wilderness after angling for the top job in the 1990s.

Since then, Lourenco, 63, convinced key regime players he was the right man to succeed Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled the oil-rich southwest African nation for 38 years.

As the deputy president of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) -- and defence minister until July -- Lourenco is now "part of the inner circle of power", said Didier Peclard, an Angola specialist at the University of Geneva.

The MPLA won last month's election, carrying Lourenco to power as the party's presidential candidate.

It was something of a turnaround for a man whose ambition nearly ended his career in the 1990s when Dos Santos hinted he might stand down. Lourenco failed to hide his desire to succeed him.

Dos Santos, believing the former general was being opportunistic, forced Lourenco into several years of "political purgatory", according to Peclard.

His apparent flirtation with resignation had been merely "a political manoeuvre to bring those in the party with ambitions out of the woodwork, and Joao Lourenco paid the price," he said.

Following the recent election, Lourenco sharply criticised opposition parties who questioned the authenticity of his victory as he sought to smooth the path to his inauguration day.

"These political groups, by protesting in their sole interests against these so-called procedural irregularities, have violated electoral laws," he said earlier this month.

Soviet education

Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco was born on March 5, 1954, in Lobito, in western Angola.

As a young man, he fought against the then colonial power Portugal. After Angola won its independence in 1975, he fought in the civil war that erupted between the MPLA government and UNITA rebels.

rightSide#photo1

Like Dos Santos, Lourenco studied in the former Soviet Union, which trained a number of rising young African leaders during decolonisation.

He became political chief of the armed wing of the MPLA in the civil war -- a Cold War proxy conflict that drew in Cuban forces to fight alongside the MPLA, while CIA-backed militias did battle against them.

In 1984, he was appointed governor of the eastern province of Moxico, Angola's largest, quickly rising through the MPLA hierarchy.

The ex-artillery general later led his party's group in parliament before becoming deputy speaker of the National Assembly.

His appointment as defence minister in 2014 secured his position as Dos Santos' favoured successor.

Now that he will be president, his main challenge may be Angola's shift to free-market capitalism at a time when volatile oil prices are taking a heavy toll on the crude-dependent economy.

'Hardline MPLA general'

"(Lourenco) has a reasonable reputation as a moderate, not an extreme character," said Soren Kirk Jensen of the Chatham House research group in London.

"He is probably the right person to be the bridge as Angola goes through a transition."

Rumours abound that Dos Santos had hoped to hand over the reins of power to one of his children, one of whom, Isabel dos Santos, is Africa's first woman billionaire according to Forbes magazine.

But Jensen said that "there is speculation that high-ranked people in the party put their foot down against this".

Opponents of the all-powerful regime believe Lourenco offers little hope for real change in Angola.

Activist and journalist Rafael Marques de Morais, a leading regime critic, said Lourenco was, at heart, "a hardline MPLA general".

Former political prisoner Nuno Alvaro Dala said that, under Lourenco, "power in Angola will continue to be militarised".

Lourenco is married to Ana Dias Lourenco, a former minister who also represented Angola at the World Bank. They have six children.

burs-pa-bgs-gw/ser
Accra, Sept. 22, GNA - Committal proceeding for three persons, including two policemen, allegedly involved in the robbery of a bullion van belonging to the GCB Bank Limited at Mame Krobo in the Eastern Region has began at an Accra Central District Court.

The proceedings, which was to enable them to stand trial at a High Court was however halted when two of the accused persons informed the court that they were not well and not in the right frame of mind to answer questions from the court.

General Lance Corporal Daniel Kissi Abrokwa told the court that his father was sick and that he was not in the right frame of mind to answer questions.

In the case of Hafisu Mohammed, aka Danjuma, a mechanic, who the court claimed had not complained to it, said he had chicken pox all over his body.

The court therefore adjourned the committal proceedings to September 29 for continuation.

The court presided over by Mr Stephen Owusu however completed the committal proceedings in respect of General Corporal Solomon Elvis Mensah and he is expected to stand trial at the High Court on October 23.

General Corporal (G/C) Mensah, who pleaded alibi, said although he knew the town where the incident took place, he could not tell the exact spot where the robbery happened.

He admitted that G/C Abrokwa was a friend and that whenever his phone develops a faulty he puts his chip in his (Abrokwah) phone.

According to G/C Mensah, Abrokwah, on the day of the incident told him to accompany him to collect an amount of GH2,500 from one Sule, who purchased charcoal from him.

G/C Mensah said Abrokwah promised to give him GH300 out of the amount.

He further told the court that he and Abrokwah joined Danjuma's taxi and they went in search of the said Sule but to no avail.

According to G/C Mensah whiles returning from their journey, they were stopped by a Police vehicle and they were informed that they were under arrest.

G/C Mensah said they became confused because they were not aware of any robbery incident, adding that, they struggled and exchanged words with the arresting officers.

However, after a few explanations, they surrendered their AK 47 rifles to them.

The accused persons are General Corporal Solomon Elvis Mensah, General Lance Corporal Daniel Kissi Abrokwa and Hafisu Mohammed, aka Danjuma, a mechanic.

They are being held on the charges of attempted robbery, conspiracy and murder. Mohammed has been charged with conspiracy.

The pleas of the accused persons have been reserved by the court.

The facts, as presented by prosecution earlier, indicated that, the police officers were stationed at Donkorkrom.

The officers hatched a plan of robbing the bullion van and on August 16, last year, the police officers, who were on duty at the GN Bank and GCB, discussed the robbery with Mohammed, who was a friend to the two and also a taxi driver.

The officers then armed themselves with AK 47 rifles and laid ambush at a spot between Tease and Mame Krobo at about 1030 hours on that fateful day.

Mohammed drove his taxi with registration number 1860-09 towards Ekye Amanfrom to monitor the arrival of the bullion van.

The prosecution said 20 minutes after the bullion van arrived, Mohammed signalled the police officers, who then opened fire, killing the driver of the van.

Prosecution said a police officer on board the van, who got injured, managed to return fire compelling the two robbers to take cover in the bush. They then called Mohammed, who picked them up with his car in their bid to escape.

The Police Command at Donkorkrom got wind of the robbery incident and mobilised men, who arrested the three accused persons on board the Taxi.

The prosecution said two AK 47 rifles, 23 rounds of ammunitions, a cutlass, and two metal bars were retrieved from the taxi.

The deceased's body was deposited at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for autopsy.

Three other occupants of the bullion van, however, escaped unhurt whiles the policeman on guard was treated and discharged at the Donkorkrom Presbyterian Hospital.

Meanwhile, the two Police Officers had already been sentenced to 36 months jail terms each for escaping lawful custody by an Mpraeso Circuit Court.

GNA

By Joyce Danso, GNA
Accra, Sept. 22, GNA  The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, on Friday, inaugurated a Five-Member Committee to investigate the wanton sale of State and Public lands between 2013 and 2016 without recourse to the head office of the Lands Commission.

The Committee, which is chaired by Dr Opoku Adusie, the Deputy Director of the Ghana Standards Authority, is required to submit its report to the Chairman of the National Lands Commission in two weeks.

Mr Benito Owusu Bio, a Deputy Minister of the Ministry, during the inauguration of the Committee, tasked them to investigate the 24 land transactions in the prime areas in Accra, given to private developers without proper procurement processes.

The Committee is also to investigate 25 land transactions, which were declined, as well as investigate the veracity of some of the transactions, which were conducted based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Works and Housing to the purported Lessees.

The Deputy Minister noted that, under the MoU, the Lessees were just required to build some apartments for the Government in exchange of the lands at the prime areas.

He said: 'Investigate whether or not the method for the selection of the purported Lessees followed the due procurement process as stipulated in the Public Procurement Act, 2003, (Act 663) and the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, 2016, (Act 914)'.

Mr Owusu Bio asked the Committee to ascertain whether or not the principle of value for money was considered as the basis of the MoU since the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission was not engaged to assess and advice on the market value of the lands.

He entreated the Committee to assign very clear reasons to decisions taken on those transactions, in order to cure any mischief, perceptions and speculations.

The Committee is supposed to submit recommendations on the preparation of a National Policy to regulate redevelopment and in-filling schemes on State and Public lands across the country.

It is to advise the Government on the lifting of the ban on State and Public lands allocations and any other issue as the Committee may deem credible and fit to investigate.

The rest of the Committee members are; Professor Felix Hammond, Mr Kofi Dankwa Osei, Mr Alex Quainoo and Alhaji Sulemana Mahama.

GNA

By Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
Accra, Sept. 23, GNA - Mr Kwasi Adu-Gyan, the Director-General of Advance Information Technology Institute of the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence (AITI-KACE), has called for the localisation of the internet space in Ghana, as is being done in the rest of the world.

"We needed to go further to ensure that we can also have our internet facility and activities of the internet localised to influence our culture, because our culture is being adulterated because of the internet," he said.

Mr Adu-Gyan made the call at the Silver Jubilee Anniversary of the Internet Society (ISOC) Global, and 20 Years Anniversary Celebration of ISOC Ghana Chapter.

He said the internet was influencing the public in so many ways and having knowledge on it could help to get the best out of it.

'We need to take the opportunity now to develop and localise our activities so that we don't end up paying for global internet service in the near future," he added.

Mr Marcus Adomey, the President of ISOC Ghana, said the Society, which was incorporated in 1996, would work together to promote internet in Ghana by organising a training on Cryptography and Bitcoin.

'As part of the celebration, on October 7, we plan to meet engineers in Ghana and introduce them to Internet Engineering Task Force (ITF) because it is only the western world that contributes to the development of the standards of the internet.

"So ISOC has decided to encourage researchers and engineers to participate in the use of ITF, to see how best we can contribute to the work of ITF," he said.

He said from October 23 to 27, workshops and conferences would be organised in three tracks to build internet services, network monitoring and computer security incidence response team.

It would also organise training for ladies in the market to use internet to do business as well as train web developers to develop websites, which were compliant for the visually impaired.

Mr Kenneth Adu Amanfo, the Acting Director of IT, National Communications Authority, charged ISOC and its partners to look at the area of research and put in more efforts to be able to advice government and private sector appropriately so as to employ the right tools and measures to have a safe internet.

"We need to also research on freedom of expression online. But as professionals, as much as we know that the internet has to be free, we also have to ensure that we put in the controls so that the internet is also safe, to come out with policies, guidelines, and best practices for government," he said,

Mrs Awo Aidam Amenya, the Chief Executive Officer of J Initiative, said children needed to be involved in internet governance conversation.

'If they get to engage and understand and learn what goes on within the space, they know that there is a place to report to when they encounter a challenge in the space and even some adults are yet to learn these skills including the ethics of being online," she said.

Mr Albert Antwi, the Cyber Security Advisor, Ministry of Communications, said: 'We are also looking at the transformation which is going on in our own ecosystem and that is where the younger generation can be encouraged to look at the available opportunities and how best to take advantage of them'.

He said the anniversary would also see the training of community members in some deprived areas on ICT.

GNA

By Iddi Yire, GNA
Tema, Sept.23, GNA - A leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tema Central, Lawyer Aubrey Aidooh, says any quest by President Akufo-Addo to be re-elected in 2020 has started on a winsome foot already.

According to him, over 90,000 children that gained admission into the Free Senior High School's programme, will naturally have their sympathies with the President.

'These children who would have otherwise never gone to school because of poverty but thanks to Free SHS, they are in school. In 2020, when most of them would have graduated and ready to go to the university, who do you think they will vote for?' Lawyer Aidooh asked in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema.

He added that it was not only the 90,000 children who had been potentially won over by the good policies of President Akufo-Addo but their parents, siblings and even their friends and well-wishers.

Lawyer Aidooh said the 90,000 students were just among the first batch of children that were benefiting from Free SHS, and that in the remainder of the four years of the Akufo-Addo government, more children would be enrolled in school for free.

'From generation to generation, the NPP will win hearts and minds with the Free SHS,' Lawyer Aidooh said.

The Free SHS policy began rolling out on the 12th of September, 2017 and within just nine days, admission to SHSs around the country had increased by over 90, 000 students.

President Akufo-Addo told the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, the 21st September, that the 90,000 would have missed on the opportunity to have secondary education if it had not been for Free SHS.

The NPP government has made it clear that in spite of foreseeable challenges with the implementation of the Free SHS, it was prepared to brave it for the sake of the Ghanaian child and the nation's future.

President Akufo-Addo had said funding for the programme would be sourced from the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) which is part of funds from Ghana's petroleum rent and proceeds.

'The NDC's incessant requests for sources of funding have been shown to them; they should calm down and remain in opposition while the NPP build this country for all of us,' Lawyer Aidooh said.

GNA
26.09.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Sept. 23, GNA - First Atlantic Bank (FAB) says it has finalised an agreement with Advanced Finance and Investment Group (AFIG Fund) to invest in the Bank.

AFIG Funds' investment in First Atlantic Bank will strengthen its (FAB's) capital and accelerate its transition to becoming a market leader.

A statement from the Bank said the Fund's investment was subject to regulatory approval.

First Atlantic Bank transformed from a merchant bank to a universal bank in 2011 and has, progressively, become one of the most established local banks with an extensive footprint and a robust financial position.

Commenting on the announcement, Mrs Karen Akiwumi-Tanoh, the Chairman of the Board of the Bank, said: 'We are glad to have attracted the backing of AFIG Funds at this critical phase in our growth. We have been engaged with AFIG Funds for several years and are delighted to have gained their confidence in our business model and prospects.'

'This investment will go a long way in strengthening our capital base and will better position us to continue delivering excellent service to our customers. We also expect to benefit from AFIG Funds' experience of investing in and building banks across Africa,' she added.

Mr Papa Madiaw Ndiaye, the Chief Executive Officer of AFIG Funds, said: 'We are pleased to build a partnership with a bank of this calibre, which has a diversified reach across key segments of the economy. This investment cements the longstanding relationship between both institutions.'

He said the partnership with First Atlantic Bank takes place at an important stage in Ghana's economic evolution given the new government's plans and ambitions, particularly in terms of restoring investor confidence.

'As an international investor, we pride ourselves on timing our investments to ideally coincide with periods of great promise in the target country. We are also delighted to partner with a reputable institution like First Atlantic Bank, especially at a time when the Bank of Ghana has taken bold steps to strengthen the banking sector,' he said.

'We believe that First Atlantic Bank has the capacity to become one of the leading banks locally and possibly in West Africa, thanks to the quality of its board and management team, as we have known its MD/CEO, Mr Odun Odunfa, and other members of the board and management team for many years,' Mr Ndiaye added.

GNA
26.09.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Sept. 24, GNA - Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, a former Chairperson of the African Union (AU), has reiterated the need for Africa to be self-reliant instead of depending on aid.

She said African governments must improve revenue collection, manage expenditure, increase production and improve trade.

Dr Zuma was speaking at the BlackGold Lecture and award series organised by the BlackGold, publishers of both the Corporate Guardian and the Business Week in Accra.

The event, which was under the theme: 'Good Governance for the African Renaissance,' was organised to honour and award Dr Zuma with the BlackGold Order of Merit for her contribution to Africa's development.

She was awarded with a Trophy, a Medal, a Memento and a Queen's Regalia from the queenmothers of the Ga State.

Dr Zuma said ensuring the creation of a non-sexist society by governments was what was meant by good governance.

She said girls and women constituted more than 50 per cent of Africa's populations, adding that their inclusion, participation, empowerment and development were, therefore, a democratic and human rights imperative, which made economic, cultural and social sense.

She said Africans must adopt the right mind-set by believing in themselves and their progressive cultures while discarding the elements that were no longer relevant.

'We have to adopt a mind-set that we shall not be defined by our past or present, but reach for the future we want, and build that future today. It is a mind-set we must instil in ourselves and in the generations after us,' she added.

The former AU Chairperson noted that though there were things that were terribly wrong; the irony of a rich continent with poor people, the poverty and underdevelopment that seem endemic, conflicts that had gone on for too long and claimed too many lives, with new challenges like terrorism and climate change, African must never, for a moment, think that these issues were the natural condition for Africa.

'It is our mind-set that does not allow us to be told by others what are good for us, but an Africa who charts and drives its own path. A mind-set that tells our history and promotes our heritage is tangible and a mind-set that Africa will be great again and shall rise again,' she said.

Dr Zuma commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for implementing the Free SHS Policy.

Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II, the Okyehene and Chairman of the occasion, encouraged Africans to embrace science and technology in development planning.

He said Information and Communication Technology was fast developing the world by helping to combat problems such as corruption and mismanagement of resources.

The Okyehene said the world was moving in one direction, where science and technology was rapidly changing lives, improving health systems and increasing productivity in all sectors.

GNA

By Amadu Kamil Sanah, GNA
NAIROBI, Kenya, 25 September 2017, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- As political uncertainty continues to hang like a cloud over Kenya, concerns about the impact on the economy are surfacing. Indeed, the extended election period is slowing the growth of the country. And while the government had projected the economy would expand by 5.9% this year, already first quarter growth was just 4.7% .

Amid these concerns it's more important than ever for the private sector to up its game in partnering with government to drive progress and strengthen confidence in the country. From education to sustainability and employment, private companies are key to driving positive change in the country.

When we partner together significant strides can - and in fact already have - been made.

Using tech to transform education

The education space is a good example of an area in which the sub-Saharan region as a whole has made significant strides. According to Caerus Capital's report, Business of education in Africa , sub-Saharan Africa has the best record of improvement of any region since the Millennium Development Goals were established in 2000.

Though we are coming off of a low base, the statistics contained in the report are indeed promising. Total enrolment of primary school-age children rose from 91 million in 2000 to 158 million in 2014. Similarly, in secondary education, the number of pupils enrolled jumped from 24 million in 2000 to 56 million in 2014.

Samsung has committed itself to forming part of this success story by enhancing learning in schools through the use of technology. In order to do this it had to take into consideration some of the unique challenges facing education in Kenya such as lack of electricity, learning materials and access to basic technology.

With this in mind, Samsung donated a Solar-Powered Internet School (SPIS) to Arap Moi Primary School in Kajiado County in 2014. The goal of the initiative was to strengthen the efforts of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in integrating ICT in primary schools and ultimately boosting education in more rural areas.

As its name suggests, the primary advantage of the SPIS, is its ability to power technology in the classroom using energy generated by the sun. Equipped with laptops, a printer, electronic board, and most importantly, internet access, it's a powerhouse designed to create interactive learning experiences for both educators and learners.

Since its launch, the SPIS has benefited, not only Arap Moi, but also nine other schools in the region, including the Kiserian Nakel, Naro Moru, Nkoroi, Ole Kasasi, Oloosurutia, Olteyian and Rongai Primary Schools.

Enhancing learning, improving performance

Fast forward a year and Samsung extended its involvement in the education space, partnering with Starehe Boy's Centre to launch its innovative Smart School Solution in a more urban classroom environment. In essence, the solution consists of a management tool which delivers content to students and allows for the sharing of screens inside the classroom, while at the same time enabling teachers to track student progress and conduct group activities in real time. It also features a learning management system which provides access to e-books and learning apps.

About more than just exposure to technology, the Smart School plays a role in increasing learner engagement, enhancing learning retention and encouraging a more stimulating academic environment. At the end of the day it helps learners to perform better both inside and outside of the classroom.

Combating global warming

Beyond education, Samsung has also set its sights on helping to reduce the harmful effects of global warming.

According to the Ministry Of Environment and Natural Resources, coverage in Kenya is currently sitting at 7%. The goal, however, is for this to increase to at least 10% by 2020.

To help work towards this goal, Samsung recently partnered with Friends of Karura Forest and Kenya Forest Service to help grow forest coverage in Karura Forest specifically, and Kenya in general.

As part of this commitment, 5 000 trees are being planted in the forest this year and 5 000 in 2018. 200 benches and picnic tables have also been donated towards the sustainability of the initiative.

Reducing unemployment

Perhaps most exciting is that the benefits of a project like Karura Forest will extend beyond the reduction of the effects of climate change. It also has a positive impact on the surrounding communities, in particular the Huruma and Deep Sea informal settlements that border the forest to the north and south, from which residents have been employed to plant the 10 000 trees donated by Samsung.

With all of the incredible progress that has been made, Kenya is poised to become a shining star on the African stage - but now more than ever private companies and government alike need to ensure we are partnering together to keep driving the country forward.
26.09.2017 LISTEN

Partners of Nature Africa (PONA), an NGO in afforestation and rejuvenation of Galamsey sites, has started the plantation of rubber seedlings on reclaimed sites at Peminase in the Ejisu Juaben Municipal of the Ashanti region.

With the support of Bercof Company Ltd, and Fredko Consult, plantation companies, the Organization has planted two hundred seedlings of the species believed to have high economic benefits at Peminase on pilot basis.

According to the Operations Director of Partners of Nature Africa, Forster Amofah, the trial of the rubber plant is an attempt by Partners of Nature Africa to ensure maximum benefits to the members of the catchment areas of project.

We realized that the rubber plantations mature by the sixth year and can begin yielding financial benefits to the people whilst serving as environmental protection measure, Mr. Amofah said.

He added that, the community can harvest the rubber for the next forty years before finally cutting it down as timber.

He expressed appreciation to Bercof Company Ltd. and Fredko Consult for offering support towards the reclamation exercise embarked upon by Partners of Nature Africa.

He disclosed that PONA had already reclaimed a land area of about forty acres at Peminase and Akyease in the Ejisu Juaben in the Ashanti Region and still counting.

He appealed to government, corporate bodies and philanthropists to support the effort at reclaiming Galamsey-destroyed lands that can be transformed into economically-viable terrains.

Mr. Alex Ofori, C.E.O. of Bercof Company Ltd, stated that his companys support for the project is their contribution to making the environment of Ghana serener and suitable for the citizens.

He pledged to build partnership with Partners of Nature Africa in its efforts.

For his part, Mr. Frederic A, Koranteng, C.E.O. of Fredko Consult, said they would continue to develop seedlings to support the project to ensure more communities in the country benefit from the rejuvenation exercise.

Partners of Nature Africa has, since 2016, been engaged in activities aimed at restoring areas destroyed by Galamsey activities.

The Organization has toured some 250 communities in the Eastern, Western, Central, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Northern regions of Ghana and has begun its reclamation exercise in the Ashanti region
The Chief Fisherman of Gomoa Nyanyano, Nana Afful Awotwe II has appealed to government to dredge the gateway through which the lagoon enters the sea to allow water from the lagoon flow freely into the sea to avoid the incidence of death in that fishing community. According to him, the tributary is so choked that it blocks the lagoon from flowing into the sea.

Speaking in an interview, he told a reporter of Journalists for Community Development (JCD), that due to the copious volumes of water that get blocked in the lagoon, people are easily drowned in the lagoon with the least mistake. He said last year alone, six people were drowned whilst this year, four people have so far been drowned.

As if by coincidence, not too long after the arrival of the reporter, the police also arrived to remove a dead body which had been swept ashore by the sea. The fisherman said the problem has been reported to the authorities but no solution has been reached He however appealed to government to expedite action to help address the problem.

He revealed that Nyanyano has no landing sites for canoes in the community. According to him, this has often led to the destruction of their canoes and nets durring windy and rough tidal conditions. "During such periods, the sea also carries our canoes away", he added.

Again, Nana Afful said there are more than three hundred people engaged in salt minning activities in Nyanyano. Unfortunately, anytime the volume of water in the lake increases, it causes flooding in the area, thereby making it impossible to engage in salt mining activities. He bemoaned that situation negatively affects the livelihood of the people and asked government to urgently called for assistance.

On illigal fishing, the chief fisherman expressed worry about the manner in which some fishermen use unorthodox means (chemicals, lights, etc) for fishing. He asked government to pay attention to illegal fishing with the seriousness it deserves. He referred to illigal minning and the seriousness that government attaches to it and asked for the same attention for illigal fishing, explaining that both practices have a negative and destructive affect on the environment as well as the wellbeing of the people.

He therefore condemned the practice of illigal fishing and said perpetrators should be brought to book. He said government should fight illigal fishing with all the seriousness it deserves untill the practice is completely brought to an end. According to him, the authorities are not doing enough in dealing with the menace in this country. He charged them not to relent in their efforts in fighting the menace.

The fisherman expressed his disappointment and said when perpetrators of this illigal act are arrested, they are left off the hook. He sighted an instance and said somewhere this year, the minister for fisheries charged the fishermen to arrest and hand over any fisherman engaging in that practice to the police.

According to him, his men arrested some of them and handed them over to the police. Unfortunately, when they were arraigned before court, that same minister told the court to release them and return all their equipment to them. He said the action by the minister was disappointment them, describing it as a disincentive to the process of fighting illigal fishing in the country.

Concluding, Nana Afful asked the authorities to immediately take steps to address the problems of the choked lagoon and the lack of landing sites to help resolve the mayhem that is aflicting their business and the people of the community.
The Hague (AFP) - Lawyers for 100,000 victims of a 2006 toxic spill in the Ivory Coast will seek Wednesday to persuade a Dutch court to take up their class-action suit for compensation.

It is the latest in a slew of legal actions brought against the Dutch-Swiss commodity trader Trafigura following the disaster in Abidjan, the west African country's commercial capital.

"The Amsterdam court must decide whether they can take up the suit brought by our clients and whether Dutch law is competent to rule on Trafigura's responsibility," said lawyer Bojan Dekker.

In August 2006, toxic residues on board the Panamanian-registered Probo Koala freighter were prevented from being offloaded for treatment in Amsterdam's port.

The ship was instead sent to Abidjan, where the waste was dumped on the city's garbage sites and in at least 18 locations.

Over 500 cubic metres (18,000 cubic feet) of spent caustic soda, oil residues and water killed 17 people and poisoned thousands, Ivorian judges said.

But last year a similar suit brought by a foundation which said it represented some 100,000 victims was thrown out, when judges from the Amsterdam District Court said they were unconvinced by the claim.

The judges ruled in November "it could not be established" that the Netherlands-based foundation, calling itself the Stichting Union des Victims de Dechet Toxiques d'Abidjan et Banlieues did in "fact represent the claimants nor how many claimants there are".

Trafigura has always denied any link between the waste and the subsequent deaths and wave of sickness.

In 2007 however it agreed a settlement with the Ivorian government for 152 million euros ($180 million), although only 60 percent of registered victims are estimated to have received compensation.

A second out-of-court settlement was agreed in 2009 for 33 million euros involving 30,000 people to be paid in Britain. But funds for 6,000 of them were misappropriated before the payout happened.

But in 2011, a Dutch court rejected a case brought by the environmental group Greenpeace, calling for Trafigura to be prosecuted in The Netherlands for the events in Ivory Coast. The court ruled that none of the victims lived in The Netherlands and that the spillage had occurred outside the country.

Dutch media have also cast doubt on whether this latest legal action will succeed.

A decision on whether the court will take up the case is not likely before six weeks, the lawyer Dekker said.

UN experts warned last year that many Ivorians still suffered from skin problems and respiratory issues, and had not received "an adequate remedy" for the effects of the spillage.
General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the government to render an unqualified apology to the erstwhile John Mahama administration for branding it incompetent.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia said Ghana could not have emerged victorious in the four-year-old maritime boundary dispute over ownership of oil fields with Cote DIvoire, without the input of competent lawyers in the Mahama government.

The International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on Saturday gave its ruling on the long drawn out maritime boundary dispute between Ghana and Ivory Coast, accepting Ghanas arguments in the matter.

Ghana argued that the equidistance rule should be used in delimiting the maritime boundary between the two countries.

The ruling ensured that Ghana retained the boundary that has its key oilfields, among them the Tweneboa, Enyira and Ntome (TEN) fields.

But after a four-year-old legal tussle, the Special Chamber said Ghana did not violate its neighbours sovereign right.

The Chamber said Ivory Coast did not produce a resounding argument that, bilateral talks held over the matter were not meaningful.

But speaking on Adom FMs morning show Dwaso Nsem Tuesday, Asiedu Nketia said the outcome of the protracted dispute has vindicated the NDC.

He could not fathom why the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) which claimed to have the competent men relied heavily on the former Attorney-General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong and others for such a high-profile case.

This, Asiedu Nketia noted, proves the NPP's so-called competent men of women are just over-hyped.

General Mosquito as he is popularly called paid glowing tributes to late President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills and former President John Mahama for the various roles they played in securing the favourable.

He cited how the two leaders resisted pressure to withdraw the case and maintained support for the ITLOS process until the judges retired to write their judgments last year.

Asiedu Nketia said the NDC is proud to have played a leadership role in securing this legal victory and securing these important resources for the country.
President Akufo-Addo returned home from the U.S. yesterday after attending the 72nd United Nations (UN) General Assembly meeting in New York.

He was welcomed on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Service Chiefs, the Chief of Staff, the Minister of Information, Defence, National Security, Interior, Aviation, Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as senior government officials.

Whilst in the US, the president gave a speech on behalf of the government and people of Ghana, outlining his government's vision to fully reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN.

He told the Assembly that Ghana was making progress socially, economically and democratically, assuring that the country would continue to remain a beacon of democracy and stability on the African continent.

Our institutions of state are growing stronger, and we have made more progress with our economy than at any time since independenceand we are working to open up opportunities for progress and prosperity for all our citizens, he stated.

President Akufo-Addo underscored in his maiden address at the UN as Head of State of the Republic of Ghana, We want to build a Ghana beyond aid and we are determined to realise our potential and make Ghana a prosperous nation,

He further advocated for the urgent reformation of the world body to deepen and promote international cooperation, peace and security. We cannot continue to preach democracy and fairness around the world; we cannot insist on peace and justice around the world, when our global organisation is not seen by the majority of its members as having a structure that is just and fair, President Akufo-Addo observed.

It is, indeed, seen by many as helping to perpetuate an unfair world order, he stressed.

The president used the occasion to rally the African continent to shed its cloak of poverty and assume its rightful place on the world stage.

We believe it is time Africa comes of age and holds its rightful place on the world stage. This Africa will be neither a victim nor a pawn. This Africa will be honest to itself and to the world, and this Africa will shed its cloak of poverty and become prosperous, articulated.

President Akufo-Addo, who led a strong government delegation to the UN session, took part in other side events, delivering a speech on the theme, Africa Beyond Aid, at the 5th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development at the Earth Institute, Columbia University in New York.

President Akufo-Addo, together with eight other African leaders, held talks on US-Africa relations with the American President, Donald Trump.

He was awarded with the 2017 Africa-America Institute's (AAI's) National Achievment Award on behalf of Ghana and its people.

The award was in recognition of Ghana's status as a free and democratic country in Africa.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent
The family of Yakubu Razak, a COCOBOD staff, who was killed recently by armed robbers, has called on the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Walewale in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region, who is the chairman of the District Security Executive Committee (DISEC), to immediately launch an investigation into the incident.

According to the family, their son was unfortunately murdered at about 7.00 pm on Monday, September 18 2017.

It said that Yakubu Razak was a law-abiding citizen and an official of the COCCOBOD in the Central Region, who took leave to visit his family at Walewale.

On that faithful day, he travelled to the market center to buy medication from a pharmaceutical shop. He moved on his bicycle towards the family house after buying his medications. Unknown to him, armed robbers had stormed the place to rob an MTN mobile money vendor, and owing to the escape of their target, they began shooting sporadically which hit him in the chest.

We are demanding investigations into the incident, and for justice to be served in this dastardly act. On 12th July 2017, there was an attack on women who were travelling to Walewale from the Bulbiya Market at about 9.00 pm. They were beaten and robbed off their monies and mobile phones, it said.

The family stated that there have been several armed robberies in and around Walewale.

They accused the Police Service of failing to apprehend a single individual, indicating that the sheer negligence and disregard for precious lives has contributed to the rise in armed robberies and murders in Walewale.

If the Police Service had not slept on their job and acted appropriately on the previous attacks, the recent incident in which Razak died would not have happened. He left behind three children and two wives in such an untimely, unfair manner.

The head of Bishanaayiri family, Mr. Bishanaaba, who petitioned the DCE, demanded an investigation into the murder of Razak Yakubu to bring the perpetrators to book.

This is necessary to dispel the notion of residents of the district that the police in the area have been compromised and shield criminals.

We are respectfully requesting feedback on preliminary investigations into the incident within one week of receipt of the petition. We intend to pursue this issue to the national level to its logical conclusion.

From Eric Kombat, Walewale


Two Nigerian girls, who were trafficked into Ghana to engage in prostitution, have been saved by First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo.

Nkechi aka 'Obolo' and her son, Emmanuel David aka 'Ndubisi, both Nigerians, trafficked the girls to Sokoban Wood Village in Kumasi to engage in prostitution.

The Office of the First Lady in Accra has provided the two girls, aged between 17 and 23, with shelter.

Obolo and Ndubisi have also been arraigned before court based on a directive from the office of the First Lady.

ASP Regina Eleanor Mintah, the Ashanti Regional Anti Human Trafficking Unit Commander, refused to disclose the identities of the victims.

Speaking in an interview with DAILY GUIDE, she said Ndubisi had been remanded into prison custody for two weeks by the Circuit Court in Kumasi.

She said the same court, presided over by Ekow Mensah, had granted Obolo bail on health grounds to reappear in court in two weeks' time.

ASP Mintah disclosed that Obolo and her son, Ndubisi, are Nigerians who operate a drinking bar and restaurant at Sokoban Wood Village in Kumasi.

She said the mother and son also use the social media to lure young Nigerian girls to Ghana with a promise of securing them decent jobs.

Ndubisi, the police chief, managed to convince the young girls to travel to Ghana.

The accused persons therefore took care of their travel expenses.

Upon their arrival in November 2016, Obolo and Ndubisi could not provide the young girls with the decent jobs.

They allegedly forced the young girls to engage in prostitution and kept the proceeds.

After realizing that Obolo and Ndubisi were just using them to make money, the young girls fled from Sokoban Wood Village in Kumasi to Accra.

Luckily for the young girls, they met one of the security personnel of the First Lady and narrated their ordeal to him for immediate assistance.

The First Lady's Office was informed about the case and quickly ordered for the arrest of the suspects to face the law and provided shelter for the girls.

ASP Mintah said her unit quickly raided the Sokoban Wood Village after they were informed of the unfortunate case by the Office of the first lady.

During the dawn raid, which took place in July, this year, Ndubisi was arrested but Obolo was nowhere to be found, the police officer noted.

She said the police later managed to arrest Obolo.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi


About 200 members of the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange Phone Dealers and Shoe Sellers Associations and others on Monday demonstrated against WB Impex, Managers of VVIP Transport Service for making arrangements to eject them.

Robert Tang, CEO of WB Impex has made moves to get the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to eject us from the land which shares common boundaries with the VVIP terminal, claiming he owns the place as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the assembly, the leaders of the traders, Jackson Amponsah and Daniel Osei told the media.

As early as 7am, the traders assembled at the Circle interchange, popularly referred to as Dubai.

Clad in red arm bands, they shouted 'Ghana must stay, China must go to express their displeasure.

They claimed Mr Tang took the matter to court last year but his suit was dismissed for lack of merit.

We are surprised that he cannot remain within his area but wants to lay claim to the area allocated to us by the AMA.

They called on the AMA to bring Mr Robert Tang and his group to order, saying any group of persons trying to push this dirty deal in the name of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) should accordingly advise themselves.

Why will a foreigner claim that he owns a parcel of land belonging to government and make moves to champion a cause that will jeopardize the future of our children and us as home-makers, they declared.

The Head of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) of the AMA at Circle, Moses Abor gave assurance that efforts will be made to ensure that both parties live amicably.

He equally urged Mr Robert Tang to be content with his present location as any moves to eject the traders would not succeed.

Osei Agyemang, Chairman of the Circle-Tip Toe Lane Traders Association, wondered why a Ghanaian will front for foreigners to oppress his own people and called for investigations into the matter.

The chairman, who is also an Executive Member of Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), called on the demonstrators to remain calm for their concerns to be addressed.

DAILY GUIDE's visit to the area showed clear demarcations in the area.

By Solomon Ofori


A 12-year-old boy won the heart of a cabinet minister for gaining admission into a senior high school with aggregate eight  but a Municipal Chief Executive, unenthused about the boy's rare feat, rubbished a move by the media to bring the wonder kid into the limelight.

The boy was spotted among some first-year students at the Navrongo Senior High School (NAVASCO) when the Minister for Water and Sanitation and Member of Parliament (MP) for Navrongo Central, Joseph Kofi Adda, visited the school among some second-cycle institutions in the Upper East region to observe the implementation of the government's fee-free education policy.

Whilst Mr. Adda, together with the Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari, was addressing the students in a hall, the boy, who mentioned his name as Jeremiah Ngambire and said he hailed from Pelungu in the Nabdam District, told Starr News in a whispered interview he was 12 years of age and that he gained admission this year on an aggregate eight obtained at the Lovely Home Academy, a private school in the Central region.

When Starr News took the boy to the dignitaries as they were about to leave the hall, an enthralled Kofi Adda held the boy warmly close and asked him what programme he had been admitted to pursue. Science, he replied. The minister, then, pulled out a complimentary card from his chest pocket and handed it out to the student. Give this to your parents, the MP said. I want you to read medicine and be my doctor in the future, he added as the hall smiled and cheered.

But the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Kassena Nankana, Williams Aduum, shocked many after he dragged the media into a telephone row to dispute the relevance of a proposed publicity for the boy.

Discoveries of this nature will inspire youngsters in basic schools if they hear about them, hence a move by Starr News to make it known to the public- but first to extract more details from the boy as to how he came by the exploit.

He could not readily provide contacts to his parents, but he mentioned that his family lived at Sokabiisi, a suburb of Bolgatanga, the Upper East regional capital. There was hardly time to get more information at that moment than just the name of the residential area he mentioned as the minister's convoy was heading in a hurry for the Sandema Senior High/Technical School- the next school on the tour list.

After the trip, Starr News placed a telephone call to the headmistress in charge of NAVASCO, Francisca Yizura, to help reestablish contact with the boy so he could give a clear direction as to how his parents could be traced in Bolgatanga. She agreed.

But about an hour later, she gave Starr News a call, saying the MCE had requested to speak on the intended publicity. The MCE, speaking through the headmistress's phone apparently from her office, questioned the motive behind the move to project the boy. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing special about a boy being in a senior high school at 12 years and that any interview engagement with him would only distract his studies.

What is new about it? Would you go round and interview all the students who have been placed in various schools? We have exceptional children that start school early. We have students who are 20 years and are in form one. You can be four and you start primary one, he argued strongly.

The MCE also claimed the student was nervous and shedding tears at the headmistress's office after he was told a journalist was coming to interview him.

Starr News managed to trace a mobile contact to the proprietor of the boy's immediate-old school, Rev. James Ayarega. He provided a link to his father, Shadrack Ngambire, who confirmed his son's age and the aggregate he got.

His mother was once a volunteer teacher in one of the government schools at Kakiase, a community under the Bole District. He was born on 31st August, 2005. The secret is God. He started school when he was 3 years. The child too, by God's grace, likes learning. He started primary school in 2011. God being so good, they realised that he was doing well; so, from primary one he was given double promotion to primary three and from primary three he was jumped to primary five, the father said.

Before his visit to NAVASCO, the minister had taken his tour to the Bolgatanga Senior High School (BIG BOSS), the Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School (BOGISS) and the Notre Dame Minor Seminary Senior High School.

He described the takeoff of the Free Senior High School Policy (FSHSP) in the region as smooth and told fresh students everywhere he went that the policy had brought relief to legislators nationwide.

Please, be serious and studious. Work hard and make sure we do what we can to help our country to develop and to prosper. Every day, you should also say a prayer for Nana Akufo-Addo to have long life and be strong for the government to survive to be able to get money to help you to pay the rest of your school fees the next two years coming and for your younger ones who are coming.

We MPs now can sleep. If we had no free SHS, tomorrow you (fresh students from Navrongo) would be in my house. Now I can rest. We are here to beg you to do the right thing for your own good. Do the best you can. Make your parents happy. Make your schools proud. And serve better Ghana well, Mr. Adda told the students.

The Upper East Regional Minister, who all through the tour also grabbed his turn to address the students each time after Mr. Adda had finished speaking, underscored the need for the students to manage their time seriously, saying golden opportunities were attracted to only those who valued punctuality and cherished discipline in general.

-Starrfmonline
Head of the Addictive Disease Unit under the Department of Psychiatry at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Logosu Amegashie, has shot down calls for the decriminalisation of cannabis, popularly referred to as wee.

According to him, legalising cannabis in Ghana will do a lot of harm than good since most of the discussions in the public have all been based on moral justification and exaggeration of the effects of the marijuana, with scientific evidence thrown out of the window.

Recently, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Prof Alex Badioo, called for the legalisation of marijuana.

He made the call when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament yesterday to answer some infractions in their audited report.

The CEO stated that the economic potential of marijuana for the country is huge, emphasizing that it is about time authorities came up with a firm decision on taking advantage of the herb.

He clarified that in advanced countries like the United Kingdom, United States of America (USA), marijuana use is legal.

In UK, for instance, one can purchase nicely and neatly packaged marijuana from stores for both medical and social use. Even though Ghana does not need the medical use of the drug, it will gain immensely from its exportation if it is legalised, the GSA boss claimed.

However, Mr Amegashie was of the view that in all this for legalisation, he who feels it, knows it. If they feel there is nothing wrong about it they can legalise, decriminalise or liberalise whatever they want to do, they should give roll to their family and family members to smoke just one month, I say this one so that the implication nobody tells them. They should give Ghana marijuana to mother, father, children, uncle, everybody to smoke for one month so they don't have problem then they should come again.

Mr Amegashie made the appeal during Ghana Recovery Walk at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region on Saturday to create awareness on drug addiction in the country.

The awareness was organised by Hopeful Way Foundation, in collaboration with Recovery Ghana Consortium (RCG).

He explained that the content of marijuana in Ghana is very high as compared to the refined substance in western countries, adding, Therefore, the call for legalisation of Ghana marijuana is something serious they shouldn't have talk about it. It's like the people calling for the legalisation do not know what they are talking about.

Mr Amegashie mentioned that all persons with substance use disorders should be made to receive protection and treatment which is accessible, available and affordable than wholly prosecution.

Ghanaians must understand that substance use disorder is a disease therefore they should help reduce incidence of substance use in Ghana through accessible, available and affordable treatment and rehabilitation for substance users, he stated.

He called on government to build more rehabilitation centres across most parts of the country than decriminalisation of marijuana.

Mr Amegashie mentioned that that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) should be made to cover treatment of drug abuse in order to reduce the cost of rehabilitation in the country.

About 30 percent of out-patient visits to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital each year were marijuana-related. About 10 percent of admission cases at the hospital are also marijuana- related.

Marijuana is said to contain psychoactive chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which psychiatrists have identified as a major cause of psychotic illness or simply madness.

From Vincent Kubi, Ashaiman
Last week the President sought to put the obsessive debate raging over the placement of the apostrophe in Founders Day to rest. And he did so, like his immediate two predecessors, by authorising 21st September as a public holiday in honour of Ghanas first Prime Minister and President while at the same time indicating his intention to seek legislation to declare August 4th Founders Day to commemorate the founding of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in 1947.

Ghana already has a Founders Day called 6th March 1957 when the country came into being, so one wonders why we need another one. Far from settling the issue, this latter move runs the risk of reinforcing the perception that the President and his henchmen are pre-occupied with revising Ghanas history to bolster the reputation of Dr JB Danquah.

Macaulay revisited

In his contribution to the debate on Ghanas Founders, the eminent, emeritus Professor of History, Robert Addo-Fening, likened the current efforts to rewrite our history to the 19th century Whig Interpretation of [English] history pioneered by Thomas Macaulay whose adherents according to him, study the past for the sake of the present, not in an effort to understand the past for the sake of the past.

Although it is my sense that the professors barbs were directed at supporters of the late Presidents Atta Mills Founders Day, set against the efforts of the current government, it rather looks like our President is the modern-day Macaulay, who like his alter ego, believes that in the struggles that marked our history, there had always been a side that was right; that it was this right side alone that had served the cause of progress. Like Macaulay, who credits the Whigs with English democracy, for our President, Dr Danquah and his collaborators who met in Saltpond on 4th August 1947 are those to whom the country owes its democratic foundations. It is they, the victors of the 2016 elections, who now seek to exploit their majority in parliament to rewrite history in their favour.

But as the good professor averred history is not a figment of the imagination. It is not about what we thought happened; nor is it about what we wished had happened. It is about what really happened and its objective interpretation based on empirical evidence available to us in the form of documents, eye witness accounts or other forms of analyzable survivals from the past.

Founders were at the Old Polo Grounds

So, lets examine the evidence for the Presidents decision to institutionalise August 4th as Founders Day. First, Ghana became a constitutive and declaratory sovereign state on 6th March 1957. And its founders surely, must therefore be those who superintended its creation: the beautifully robed Archie Casley-Hayford, Komla Gbedemah, Nathaniel A. Welbeck, Kwame Nkrumah, Kojo Botsio and Krobo Edusei who stood on the dais at the Polo Grounds, alongside ex-servicemen and the ordinary mass of people to witness the transfer of power from the ancien regime, with the symbolic lowering of the British Union Jack and the hoisting of Ghanas new flag high into the skies, as we finally cast off the yoke of colonialism after 500 years of slavery, plunder and illegal occupation.

While much of the rest of world was euphoric, and joined in the celebrations on the most exciting day in the countrys history, the UGCC members now being touted as founders boycotted the birth of our new, sovereign state. How then, could they claim the mantle of Founders?

Self-government was conceived before UGCC

The argument by proponents of the 4th August holiday that the founding of the UGCC marked the conception of the idea of self-government has no historical basis in fact. Indeed, when then Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, the noble Lord John Hope, introduced the second-reading of the Ghana Independence Bill in the UK House of Commons in January 1957 he said: [t]he first step towards self-government [in the Gold Coast] may be said to have been taken in 1925 [when] a new Constitution was made which reconstituted the Legislative Council so as to include elected members. On this basis the 8th of April 1925 when the Guggisberg constitution was promulgated could more legitimately be declared Founders Day.

The first soundings of self-government for the Gold Coast, however, came as far back as 1866 when King John Aggrey of Cape Coast challenged the authority of the Governor. He was quickly deported to Sierra Leone by the colonial authorities and later dethroned. His was followed by the Sierra Leonean Dr. Africanus Beale Horton who in 1868 advocated self-government for the Gold Coast consisting of two independent nations: The Kingdom of Fantee, from the Sweet River near Elmina to the borders of Winneba and The Republic of Accra, stretching from Winneba to the Volta River (including West and East Akyem), and extending north to the southern borders of the Ashanti Empire.

It is clear from the fragments of historical evidence available that 4th August 1947 was not seminal in the agitation for self-government. To which the next response is, but the efforts of King Aggrey, Africanus Horton,The Fante Confederation and Aborigines Rights Protection Society were limited in scope to the colony. While it is true that UGCCs demands for self-government theoretically extended beyond the colony to include Ashanti, prior to Nkrumahs arrival its own campaigning efforts were limited largely to the coastal areas.

Even so, their writ did not extend to the Northern Territories (NT) area which was still a Protectorate. It was only after the 1951 elections that the NT were fully integrated and became part of a CPP-led Legislative Assembly. That still excluded British-administered Togoland which only secured representation after the 1956 UN Plebiscite and the national elections that followed.

In other words, the first time when all parts of modern day Ghana came together constitutively as an integrated whole was in the 1957 Parliament which makes moving the founding to 1947 a historical fiction at best and an absurdity at worst.

The founding of a new, sovereign state

The outgrowth of the anti-colonial struggle was a new sovereign-state, with its own constitution that for the first time bound together its various ethnicities and nations from Apollonia in the West to Ho and Hohoe in the East, across Ashanti in the centre to Mamprusi in the North under a new, internationally-recognised citizenship with an independent sovereign currency. And the architect of this is indisputably Kwame Nkrumah who bequeathed to us a unitary sovereign-state with its own flag, anthem and coat of arms; the right to elect our leaders and decide how we govern ourselves, sign-up to bi/multi-lateral treaties and international conventions with other sovereign nations and for the first time, the power even to declare war on behalf of all the ethnicities huddled in that geographical space.

If the opposition had their way there would be no unitary state and given their position on the UN plebiscite, TransVolta may now be part of Togoland and Ashanti an independent state. But for Kwame Nkrumah, todays sovereign nation-state, Ghana, as we know it, would not exist. Nkrumah's place as Founder is incontestable.

Revisionism and the dangers of the plural

To argue, as the President does that those who were implacably opposed to the sovereign state that emerged on 6th March 1957 are its founders is simply unconscionable. It is a historical fabrication; an intellectual fraudulence that must not be allowed to stand.

How is it possible for the UGCC Founders or the so-called Big Six to be the nations founders when they are unrepresentative of the effort or the diversity of contributions that made self-government possible. It is a travesty of history to confer founder-status to Obetsebi Lamptey while leaving out Kobina Sekyi; Dr JB Danquah but no J E Caseley-Hayford; Edward Akufo-Addo without John Mensah Sarbah; or William Ofori-Atta in preference to Sir Nana Ofori Atta I. That cannot be right.

There is no Gonja, Ashanti or Ewe among the UGCC Founders or the Big Six. Yet Nana Agyemang Prempeh IIs role in acquiescing to the incorporation of the Confederacy into the Gold Coast was pivotal to the eventual creation of the sovereign state that emerged in 1957 but he is not a Founder in the Presidents proposition.

Once you plump for the plural in Founders, they need to be exhaustive and diverse or you risk interminable rows and dangerous divisiveness over whose contribution is worthy of inclusion and whether the pantheon of Founders is sufficiently representative.

A debate frozen in aspic

Finally, all of this freezes the founding of nations - which is not a one-shot affair - in time, but a continuous process with upheavals and cataclysms that alter a nations character, culture and structure over generations. Ghana today is as much a product of former President Rawlings, for good or ill, as it is Kwame Nkrumahs, so why is he left out?

Furthermore, the founding of a nation is not only the job of politicians. The roles of Theodosia Okoh who designed the Flag, Philip Gbeho who composed our anthem, and Amon Kotei who created the Coat of Arms that is the seal of government and which President pins on his lapel daily, are just as important. Above all, the masses of ordinary workers and ex-servicemen who altered the tide of opinion and enabled the creation of a new, sovereign-state along the lines Kwame Nkrumah set out, are founders too.

Building our own Walhalla

These people helped mould a national identity and history and if we want future generations to learn about our national heroes instead of revising the past to selectively prop-up our personal heroes, we should dispense with the proposed holiday to commemorate the founding of the UGCC  because we already have such a day on March 6th - and build a proper monument to ALL our past and present 'founders'.

Something along the lines of the Bavarian Walhalla in Regensburg that memorialises Great German achievers from Alfred the Great and King Ludwig, Martin Luther and Johannes Gutenberg, Charlemagne and Bismarck, Gauss and Copernicus, Beethoven and Wagner to Goethe, Schiller and Einstein and Sophie Scholl who defined the essence of Germany and what it means to be German. That is how we honour our national heroes and be inclusive - not partisan!

Delhi

September 2017

"I arise each morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savour the world. This makes it hard to plan the day" - E.B. White
The popular NDC serial caller, Frank Kwaku Appiah popularly known as Appiah Stadium has been arrested by police in the Ashanti Region.

According to sources, the NDC serial caller was arrested for allegedly tagging President Akufo-Addo a drug addict.

He is currently at the Kumasi Central Police Station assisting with investigations.

The vociferous supporter of the (NDC) has since rendered an unqualified apology to the President after he claimed in an audio that has gone viral that the President smokes marijuana, popularly known as wee.

He even had the backing of General Secretary of the opposition NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia who maintained Appiah only expressed his opinion.

General Mosquito as he is popularly called said he would be very surprised if President Akufo-Addo uses the security to intimidate the security caller.

But it seems his advise fell on deaf ears following Appiah Stadium arrest.

Expect more.


The Author

26.09.2017 LISTEN

The best way to describe the Ghanaian educational system pictorially is to use the pyramid. The base of the pyramid which represent the basic education is very broad but as one ascends it, the number of students reduces.Cost of education, access to and lack of information with regards to educational opportunities and facilities, inadequate educational institutions and skewed curriculum are the realistic causes of this hurtful reality.

The basic school curriculum is exceedingly skewed to the disadvantage of potential artisans in the future. The basic education curriculum as it is now does not cater for the varied differences among pupils. It does not give room for sufficient psychomotor development and practical work. Most of the activities are cognitive and tends to strengthen memorization and instrumental learning.It does not seek to assist pupils to relate what they learn to practical daily life.

Most artisans in Ghana, whether carpenters, masons, mechanics, phone repairers, etc especially in the 'informal sector' had some form of basic education. But here is the problem; most of these artisans are good at what they do. Their choice of fields were in no means influenced by the basic education they had. Most of them were in fact either basic school drop outs or ended their education after the basic school.

These were people who could not do more of the memorization so were seen not to be academically good. It becomes mindboggling when a supposed bad student who drops out from school because of poor academic performance goes to learn how to repair television and does it skillfully well. Some of these folks can dismantle and re-assemble mobile phones. How on earth can such a person be described as being intellectually poor? Much of the basic school curriculum provisions are abstract and some teachers do not do well to teach from concrete to abstract. It does not seek to help the pupil to identify and develop their aptitudes. The curriculum is much of the pupil being fed with information and later asked to reproduce. Little is done about mining what the pupil has within.

The curriculum does not seek to identify a pupils potential and develop it further. So a pupil who cannot cope with the abstract concept and intense memorization will not find the basic school safe for his or her development.The education system should be organised in such a way that at least, after the six-year primary school which should be made seven years, the pupils aptitudes,capabilities, strength and weaknesses are known, guided and developed.

The number and relevance of some of the subjects account for this worrying situation. When there are too many subjects relative to the age and development of the pupil, little time is allowed for practical work. Teachers, knowing there are a lot of subjects to teach, will dominate the class with teacher centered approaches and methods of teaching which will not elicit the potentials of the learners. A practical example is the situation at the lower primary ( class 1  3).The average age of a pupil in class one is six years. For that of class two will be seven and eight for a class three pupil. In the lower primary, the pupils are supposed to do seven examinable subjects : English Language, Mathematics, Ghanaian Language and Culture, Natural Science, Creative Arts, Information and Communication Technology and Religious and Moral Education.

Physical Education is done as a non-examinable subject. Since it is not examinable and no exercises can be presented as evidence of work output, most teachers do not take pupils through P.E. lessons .Most of these subjects are pencil and paper subjects. Creative Arts which is to bring out the diverse creative skills in pupils is reduced to drawing in exercise books. Pupils are rushed through Mathematics just because there are more subjects to be dealt with and exercises must be done as a proof of teaching. The number of subjects also affects the time allocated to the teaching and delivery of subjects which can adversely go against the effective teaching of the subject.

It will be very prudent to bring down the number of subjects at the lower primary to at most five. This will give spacious room to the practical teaching of the subjects. Possibly, English Language which should specifically focus strictly on speaking, reading and writing; Mathematics which should have three continuous periods a day to allow the teacher to patiently take pupils through basic mathematical operations and Ghanaian Language which should also have eyes on reading, writing and story-telling.Life Skills should be re-introduced to focus on basic survival skills, development of the pupils talents and should be very practical. Environmental and Social Studies should also be a body of learning to teach the pupil how to relate to the physical environment and the people in it.These five subjects cater for all the domains of the pupil.

When further changes are made at the upper primary to suit the pupils intellectual, psychological and physical development, and the curriculum structured not to just feed pupils with information and demand its reproduction from them but also elicit and develop his or her potentials. Before the pupil gets to the junior high school, such a pupil together with the teachers and parents will know the inherent capabilities. So the system will be designed in such a way that, at the junior high school all pupils will not be made to go through the same mill but special attention will be given to all manner or categories of pupils. It will be very much proper to increase the primary school from six years to seven years to allow for further development of the child.

No pupil should be deemed as not fit and unqualified for the senior high school after the basic education just because he or she did not pass the Basic Education Certificate Examination. If pupils cannot cope with the academic work in the basic school and therefore considerable number of them do not make it to the next step on the academic ladder then the entire education system must be looked at again. The picture painted simply shows a system designed to suit a section of the countrys educands and if one cannot cope with this kind of memorise and reproduce system of education, then the system cannot accommodate him or her.

Strategic effort must be made to change this skewed education system: turning most students to rote learners especially at the basic stage to a system where each and everyones academic needs will be catered for and also aim at the holistic development of the learner. There should be a pictorial representation not like that of a pyramid but that of a tree where after basic education being the trunk, everybody will have a place like the trees branches and not be rejected because he or she could not pass the exams.

Okota-Wilson Nicholas

[email protected]
Accra, Sept. 25, GNA - Mr Ebenezer Twum Asante, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Ghana, has emerged the Marketing Man of the year, 2016 at the 28thEdition of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) National Performance Awards in Accra.

Mrs Abiola Bawuah, Chief Executive Officer, UBA was adjudged the Marketing Woman of the Year, 2016.

Other award winners included Mr Clifford Duke Mettle, Director Marketing and Alternate Channels, Unibank, was Marketing Practitioner of the year, while Ms Lorlornyo Nuworsu, Client Relations Officer, NHIA was the Marketing Student of the year.

The awards covered eight major areas: Personalities, Hall of Fame-Elites, Hall of Fame, Media, Products, Business organizations, Category and special category.

The theme for the event was: 'Cause Related to Marketing: A Panacea for National Behavioural Change.'

Mr Asante, in his acceptance speech, commended the organisers for the honour and recognition of his hard work and he dedicated the award to the united MTN family for their hard work.

He said MTN Ghana believed that its operations needed to affect enterprises to improve on their connectivity and enhance the lives of Ghanaians.

Mr Kojo Mattah, the National President of CIMG, said as a responsive professional body, they sought to use the profession and expertise to bear on the issues that affected the environment in which they operated.

He said this in most cases underpins the programmes and events and this consideration was what informed the choice of the theme.

'We hope by this marketers and corporate Ghana can incorporate into their sales and marketing strategies related to marketing to help bring about behavioural change that work against our progress as a nation,' he added.

He said when all make a conscious effort at this; marketers shall be contributing to a worthy cause.

He expressed the hope that together 'we shall continue to impact our dear nation in various ways that will make the future brighter for our children and the generation after them'.

Toyota Ghana Ltd picked up the Motor Firm of the year 2016 and Melcom Group Ltd notched the Retail Outlet of the year 2016.

Vanguard Assurance Company won Insurance Company of the year.

Ethiopian Airlines won the Airline of the year (International) and Africa World Airline won Airline of the year (Domestic).

GNA

By Morkporkpor Anku/ William Fiabu, GNA
Kinshasa (AFP) - The United Nations said it is "gravely concerned by the use of lethal force" by Congolese security forces during a public protest in which a young girl died.

The defence and security forces reportedly fired warning shots to disperse demonstrators in Bukavu in the east of the country on Monday, according to MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It said an eight-year-old girl on her way to school was reportedly hit by a stray bullet and subsequently died.

Locals were protesting against instability and repeated cases of armed robbery.

"Defense and security forces have an obligation to use force only as the last resort...," said Maman Sidikou, the head of MONUSCO on Monday.

"Alleged violence perpetrated by protestors should never be an excuse for the use of lethal force."

MONUSCO said it has received credible reports of additional casualties and the United Nations Human Rights Office is investigating.

General Louis-Second Karawa, police chief of the South Kivu province, said Monday's protests had left a 14-year-old boy dead and 53 people injured, including nine police officers.

The police station and local administrative office in the district of Panzi was also set on fire.

Bukavu is the regional capital of South Kivu province, which lies on the border with Rwanda.

The east of the country has been prey to attacks by rival armed groups for more than 20 years.
London (AFP) - Nigeria's president is under no obligation to disclose his medical condition even though he has spent most of the year being treated abroad, one of his ministers said on Tuesday.

Muhammadu Buhari has spent lengthy periods in London since January, sparking speculation about his fitness to govern -- and also questions about who was footing the bill.

The 74-year-old former army general has said only that he required blood transfusions and had never been as sick in his life.

Claims from political opponents that he had prostate cancer have been denied but civil society groups still want to know whether tax-payers' money was used for the private treatment.

Buhari's information minister suggested the silence was not unusual, just hours after the president returned to Abuja from another round of check-ups in the British capital.

"It's not strange at all for a sitting president to be ill and it's not strange either for the state to take care of his medical bill," Lai Mohammed told AFP in an interview, without elaborating.

"I think there's so much speculation as to what he's been treated for.

"I think we would rather respect his privacy. If Mr President feels like telling the world his ailment, so be it. I don't think he's under an obligation to tell anyone."

The health of Nigeria's head of state is a sensitive issue. Former president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua fell ill and died while in office in 2010, sparking months of political turmoil.

Buhari's mystery illness also comes as political parties and potential candidates jockey for position ahead of the next presidential election in 2019.

Buhari's women's affairs minister Aisha Alhassan claimed earlier this month that he had said he would only serve one, four-year term of office.

But Mohammed, who was spokesman for Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) that unseated Goodluck Jonathan at the last vote in 2015, refused to be drawn.

"If he's going to run that's left to him but right now, his major preoccupation is delivering on all his electoral promises," he said.

Buhari returned to Nigeria in late August after more than 100 days away. He has since been met with a rising tide of support in southeastern Nigeria for a breakaway state of Biafra.

The government last week formally proscribed the main separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), after repeated clashes with the security services.

IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu is currently on bail pending the resumption of his trial in Abuja next month on charges of treasonable felony.

Kanu's supporters say he has not been seen since the unrest.

Mohammed, who said the group had been banned because it had "crossed a line" from legal protest, said he suspected the separatist leader was "in hiding".

But he added: "He's not being held by government at all."

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Kampala (AFP) - Lawmakers brawled in Uganda's parliament on Tuesday over long-serving ruler Yoweri Museveni's attempt to stay in power by removing presidential age-limits.

MPs shouted, shoved, threw punches and lobbed documents in a fight between ruling party politicians and those from the opposition. At least one MP brandished a chair and attempted to hit his opponent over the head.

Tensions were high over a plan backed by members of President Museveni's party to table a constitutional amendment scrapping age limits, which would clear the way for the 73-year-old to run for a sixth consecutive term in 2021.

Speaker Rebecca Kadaga struggled to control the brawl which broke out after one of the MPs from the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) -- many of whom were wearing red headbands to protest the proposed amendment -- accused a government legislator of threatening him and of sneaking a gun into the chamber.

The behaviour was no more decorous outside parliament, where police fought running battles with students angry at the proposed amendment.

Hundreds of students at the country's main Makerere University once again defied a blanket ban on protests and marched around campus wearing the red ribbons that have become a symbol of defiance.

Some demonstrators lit barricades and erected makeshift roadblocks as they faced volleys of tear gas from armed officers backed by military police.

Student leader Colins Tumukunde said the constitution was "the soul and character" of Uganda, and they must fight to protect it.

"Our constitution is not written in pencil, it cannot be amended just like that," he said.

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United Nations (United States) (AFP) - US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Tuesday she will tell South Sudan's leaders when she visits Juba next month to seize a final chance for peace and quickly revive a political deal to end the three-year war.

President Donald Trump last week announced that Haley, his high-profile ambassador to the United Nations, would travel to South Sudan and to the region to push for an end to conflict.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Haley said peace efforts in South Sudan must show progress in the coming weeks after a 2015 deal backed by the United Nations never took hold.

"This is the last chance at salvaging the peace agreement in South Sudan," Haley said.

"The different parties to the conflict must use the next several weeks to commit themselves to this process and to conclude it," she added.

There has been growing impatience with President Salva Kiir as the humanitarian crisis in the country worsens, with 7.6 million people now in need of aid.

In a shift, the African Union last week warned that it will consider sanctions unless there is progress towards a political deal under a new peace drive led by the seven-nation IGAD regional group.

The new initiative, backed by the Security Council, is expected to hold its "revitalization forum" for South Sudan in the coming weeks, in what is shaping up as a test for Juba's leadership.

UN envoy for South Sudan David Shearer told the council that the "government appears emboldened by its recent military gains, including in some key strongholds of the SPLA in opposition loyal to Riek Machar."

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly 4 million people have been forced to flee their homes in the conflict that has stirred ethnic rivalries between Dinka, Nuer and other groups.

The war began when Kiir accused Machar, his former deputy, of plotting a coup. Heavy fighting flared in Juba last year when Machar returned to the capital under the terms of the peace deal.

Machar has since been residing in South Africa and regional countries, at the request of the United States, are preventing him from returning to South Sudan.
Rome (AFP) - Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar met Italy's defence minister and security chiefs in Rome Tuesday, bolstering his stature as a key player in international efforts to stabilise his troubled country.

Forces under Haftar's command provide backing for a Tobruk-based adminstration that controls much of the east and south of the oil and gas-rich country.

Former colonial power Italy has hitherto been the strongest backer among Western allies for the UN-recognised Government of National Unity, which is based in Tripoli and sees Haftar as an arch foe.

But that did not prevent Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti from hosting the commander, a one-time ally and later armed opponent of Libya's late dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The meeting was not immediately confirmed by Italian officials but reporters camped outside the defence ministry said Haftar had spent three hours inside.

The unity government has struggled to establish its authority beyond the capital in a country scarred by conflict since the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of Kadhafi.

Amid the chaos, Libya has become a launchpad for hundreds of thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe and a base for militants aligned with the Islamic State (IS) group.

US drone strikes launched from Italy on Sunday killed 17 people at an alleged IS transit camp south of the city of Sirte, according to the US military.

The attacks, the first announced since US President Donald Trump took office in January, compounded hopes the IS threat in Libya had been neutralised when the group's forces were expelled from Sirte last year.

At surprise talks in Paris in July, Haftar and the unity government's head, Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, agreed to a ceasefire and elections in the first half of next year.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travelled to Benghazi last month to meet Haftar and the general was in Tunisia on Monday, meeting President Beji Caid Essebsi, who offered to act as a mediator between rival Libyan factions.

Italy has invested heavily in Sarraj's fledgling government and has said it could lead a post-stabilisation peace force in its former colony.

But it has grown frustrated by the weakness of the administration and has reportedly recently turned to dealing directly with militia groups in a successful effort to stem the flow of migrant arrivals.

Libya expert Mattia Toaldo said Haftar's presence in Rome, reflected the growing influence of Interior Minister Marco Minniti, the architect of the migration strategy, "and the intelligence services who always thought the relationship with Haftar was important".

With Italian naval forces engaged in training and support of the Libyan coastguard, dialogue with Haftar takes on added importance, Toaldo added.

"Remember the threats he (Haftar) made in August about Italian ships, they've all but disappeared now."
The entire members of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), who were appointed during the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, have announced their resignation en bloc from the Commission.

The Chairman of the Commission, Kwesi Botchwey, made the announcement at a meeting with President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday.

The commission is made up of 24 members.

More soon.



By: Sammi Wiafe/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Ag. Executive Director of National Service Scheme Hon. Mustapha Ussif has visited the Dawhwenya farms on Tuesday 26th September. The visit was to support and supervise personnel at the farms as they begin the harvest of the 250 Arches of maize farm.

Speaking to the media, Hon. Ussif said he was impressed by the yield on the farm. He added, "close to 1000 bags have been packed and we are looking forward to hit 15000 bags after harvesting on all our farms."

He added, the Scheme only concentrated on Maize and Poultry this year but will venture into other cereals and animal husbandry in the next year.

He also used the opportunity to thank Government for releasing a budget of Gh25,000,000 to support the Scheme programs such as Youth in Agriculture, reviving the borehole drilling unit and other entrepreneurship programs.

In conclusion, "the Scheme has so far posted over 5000 personnel to support the agriculture sector. Some of this personnel where posted to support Planting for Food and Jobs, the Scheme's farms, Private and state owned farms.

In his company was the Ag. Deputy Director in charge of Finance and Administration, Madam Gifty Oware-Aboagye and Director of Project for the Scheme, Madam Dorinda Agar.

Harvesting is currently ongoing on the 600 arches land at Ejura in the Ashanti Region, 150 arches at Yeziesi, Tatala and 60 arches in Damango all in the Northern Region, 150 arches at Brenam in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Sherifa Gunu, Irene Logan, Flowking Stone, Ellen Kyei White, Joel Orleans, Louisa Annan and Mizter Okyere have been enlisted as our Ambassadors for World Child Cancer for Korle Bu Hospital, Accra, and Kumasi Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital

This years grand edition will be the climax of our annual programs with a cultural exhibition themed Out of Africa' to promote the rich African cultural heritage and businesses from 19th to 21st October 2017, at the UK Centre for Carnival Arts, and culminating in the Kente Fundraising Gala to be held on the evening of Saturday, 21st October 2017 at Venue 360, 20 Gypsy Lane, LU1 3JH.

As part of Ghana Society UK's health initiatives, they partner with World Child Cancer to raise awareness and fundraise to support children with cancer in Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals to enable the creation of a center of excellence and improve the awareness of childhood cancers in Ghana to encourage earlier diagnosis.

Around 1,300 new cases of childhood cancer are expected in Ghana each year. Korle Bu & Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital have been the main tertiary centers in Accra and Kumasi respectively in the country.The number of cases diagnosed in Ghana is increasing each year as awareness of the disease increases, and encouragingly, these two have been the main referral centers to a growing network of units around the country. Access to healthcare services is limited for much of the population so there remains a large number of children who are currently not able to access a diagnosis and may never receive any support.

The UK Governments Department for International Development (DFID) has announced that World Child Cancer has been selected to run an Aid Match Appeal this autumn. This means that any donations made by UK residents, between September and December will be doubled by the UK government. This match funding will support the work in Ghana for a further 3 years and enable WCC to increase their impact.

Guests include His Excellency Ghana's High Commissioner to UK & Ireland and First Lady, Hon. Minister of Tourism Culture & Creative Arts Ghana, The Lord- Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, The High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Luton, Lord and Lady McKenzie, Kelvin Hopkins and Gavin Shuker MP
The Minority in Parliament is demanding some answers over government's decision to fly to China, the country's highly-enriched uranium.

The opposition lawmakers in a statement Tuesday said they want to know the role played by both China and America in the overall agreement.,

Minority Ranking Member on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said their demand is in line with transparency and good governance ethics required of every government.

While reminding government of its obligations to several other agreements yet to be ratified by Parliament, the Minority shall be pursuing this very important development in the spirit of transparency and good governance, consistent with the view taken by the apex court of the land, the statement said.

Below is the statement:

Minority Statement on the handing over of Ghana's Highly-Enriched Uranium to China

President Akufo-Addo revealed during his address to the United Nations 72nd General Assembly on Thursday the 21st of September, 2017 that: "Three weeks ago, highly-enriched uranium was flown out of Ghana back to China, signaling the end of the removal of all such material from the country. Our nuclear reactor has, subsequently, been converted to use low-enriched fuel for power generation. A world, free of nuclear weapons, must be in all our collective interest.

Considering the recent Supreme Court decision in the GITMO 2 case when interpreting Article 75 of the Constitution of Ghana, it is clear that this arrangement which has been shrouded in utmost secrecy ought to have received Parliamentary ratification at the very least before handing over our highly-enriched uranium to the Chinese if that is the path we consider to be in our strategic national interest.

The Minority in Parliament is, therefore, requesting that the Government of Ghana submits to Parliament the full details and true nature of the agreement with the Chinese and the Americans who appear to have funded the operation.

While reminding Government of its obligations to several other agreements yet to be ratified by Parliament, the Minority shall be pursuing this very important development in the spirit of transparency and good governance consistent with the view taken by the apex court of the land.

Signed,

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP)

Ranking Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs.
I will keep fighting till contraception acceptance and use becomes the LIFELINE to the DEADLINE of all, and in doing so countless lives will be saved. I count on all to help us to help 360 says Joseph Senyo Kwashie Executive Director CAFAF-GHANA

World Contraception Day takes place on September 26th every year. The annual worldwide campaign centers on a vision where every pregnancy is wanted. Launched in 2007, WCDs mission is to improve awareness of contraception and to enable young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.

Thus, Community And Family Aid Foundation joins the International Community in celebrating this special day. We are equally committed to laying a solid foundation to pave way for the acceptance and use of a range of contraceptives. We believe from choice there is a world of possibilities. Life is a matter of choice and not a chance. As human beings, as time changes and the world of work, relationships, including our sexual orientation patterns changes, the means to appreciate a new sense of belonging will remain crucial at all costs.

With so many birth control options available, choosing a most suitable form can be discouraging for many teens. Therefore having adequate knowledge and experiences in the use and application of the right contraceptives is the best choice one can make. We must all join the clarion call to reach out to the unreached with decisive and behavior change messages that triggers positive response and contributes to the growing acceptance of and the use of contraceptives.

Both in Ghana and across the globe different effort are pursued to offer people the platform to make the right choice, thus, as active sexual human beings, it remains relevant to close the gap of living the dream for which reason the use of contraceptive is paramount. Ghanas population is projected to double beyond 50 million by 2050. Which is good yet what matters is the preparation and provision to meet the unmet needs of this generation to come.

We have come of age where contraceptives use must become the order of the day. Steps are needed urgently than before to stem the tides toward eroding the wrong perceptions, norms, and stigma associated with contraception. As it stands currently, we have extremely short falls and gaps in our National Sexual Reproductive And Right Policies that needed to be addressed to meet our generation needs.

Aside that, practical approaches to confronting the problems head on comes next for which reason the use and availability of a range of contraceptives matters. These must be affordable, accessible and available to all at every given time to ensure no one is left behind. We have a stake in fulfilling the demands of the Sustainable Development Goals (DGS) especially the health related indicators in the Agenda 2030 fold.

As the world comes to the cross road, this 26th September, years 2017 celebration is a wakeup call to deepen our steps and efforts of ensuring contraceptives provision issues are taken seriously with all the attention it needs. What matters, matters and so we have to rise to the challenges.

Life is a choice and not a chance; we must offer people the right choice to make, understand them their needs, and be there to support them make the right choices. Contraceptives equally makes the difference, thus, must not fail those who opt for contraceptives to safe guide their lives for improved health, life and productivity 360.
The development and growth of every serious country is dependent on the prioritization of education which is solid, well structured and transformational. Education has opened a lot of doors and has often been regarded as the master key.

 Education is the most powerful weapon to you can use to change the world Nelson Mandella.

All those that were deviant to education in one way or the other have recounted their great ordeal and regret of their villain act. Education also promotes effective governance and complete adherence to rule of law.

Fast forward Free S.H.S Program,

Governance is a continuous process and as such the total good and well-being of the citizenry is the ultimate concern. Previous governments must be commended on their enormous contribution which ranges from the building of schools in the rural and urban centers, provision of exercise books, provision and improvement in science resource centers, provision of modern infrastructural and educational facilities towards the realization of this right.

His Excellency Nana Akuffo Addo president of the republic of Ghana must be commended for the bold step taken to implement the most popular campaign promise Free Senior High education. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest Benjamin Franklin. He has lost battles with this campaign promise but as I often say  Consistency bear good fruits, this same battle gave him a resounding and enormous victory in the December 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The statuesque has been changed and Africa need change leaders to transform the continent Change is the end result of all true learning Leo Buscaglia.

The implementation of a policy of this nature would encounter challenges as we have been exposed to, placement challenges, network challenges to mention but a few, the skeptics will critically assess the program for proper implementation and the pessimist shall veer in but we must debacle the microscopic political lenses used in our quest to implement a policy that has been accepted with strict alacrity.

CAVEAT

Albeit the need for free education, the following factors must be critically considered;

THE BLUEPRINT OF THE FRE S.H.S POLICY.

A detailed plan of the successful implementation of the free S.H.S policy must be a public document to warrant thorough scrutiny and analysis of the policy. The document must be spelt out properly and clearly to disambiguate any hurdles therein. The free S.H.S policy must reach everyone including the less privileged and marginalized in society.

To ensure the successful implementation of the free S.H.S policy requires investment. There must be clarity on how the policy is going to be funded to avoid any unforeseen challenges to collapse this special policy as we have experienced same in time past. The investment must form the governments primary responsibility and priority to ensure that every child of school going age access the facility irrespective of their socio-cultural strata. The government must take a strong stand to ensure the sustainability of this project because; weak financial systems will underpin the success of the much touted educational policy. Allocation and disbursement of funds must be on the calendar to avert challenges going forward.

A bi-partisan approach must be taken to include chiefs and opinion leaders to ensure the success of this educational policy.

RESTRUCTURING OF OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.

The curricular of education must be reviewed to reflect modern trends.

Our educational system must undergo changes to reflect modern trend of effective teaching and learning. We must have a viable educational policy, the current educational system only focuses on teaching and passing exams and as a result producing illiterate intellectuals. Mr. President, we need results driven and an innovative way of improving teaching and learning which must be taken a shift of our current educational system that produces graduates who are a burden and liability to both parents and the state

b. The methodologies used in teaching in our various institutions is outmoded and must be revisited. The teacher and learner materials in our various educational institutions is woefully inadequate and are not efficiently used but often abused and as such practical knowledge of our education is lacking.

Mr. President, standards must be set to assess teaching and learning to monitor progress.

The current educational system lack the competence to identify potentials in a respective subject area to help harness and build on those potentials, Education is what remains after one has forgotten what was learned in school Albert Einstein.

Mr. President if our current educational system is well structured, the various Senior High Schools will produce identify and produce qualified personnels to be recruited into specific disciplines such as, Medicine, Pharmacy, Agriculturalist, Marketers, Architectures, Accountants etc. but due to misplaced priorities and our inability to identify potentials a lot of skillful personnels are going to waste.

Mr. President, the fall in standards of our education is as a result of Corruption in our educational system is a virus which you need modern and skillful scientist to profess solutions to the sector. Free S.H.S succeeds if the endemic corrupt prone educationist are identified and cast out.

Mr. President focus on the quality of our education to help attract the children of you and your appointees and other men of high repute.

CRITICAL ATTENTION TO TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character that is the goal of true education Martin Luther King Jr.

Mr. President, technical and vocational education must be prioritized since it is the only form of education to help address the growing unemployment which is very catastrophic to our peace and security you are bedeviled with. In the world of work, technical education only produces graduates with employable skills and that must be our focus. Over 20% 0f youth population of about 200 million in sub-saharan Africa is unemployed or in low paid or precarious jobs (African economic outlook, 2010)

Mr. President, you must invest in technical and vocational institutions to address the challenges of, inadequate facilities, poor research materials, poor laboratories, faulty mechanical tools and equipment due to bad attitude towards maintenance culture.

Mr. President, National science, technology and innovative village must be established as the silicon valley of United states of America to accelerate science and technology education as promised by P.N.C in the 2016 manifesto.

Mr. President, it is only true technical education that we can build and develop the already indigenous technology used by our brothers and sister in Tarkwa, Prestea, Bogoso, Dunkwaw and other villages who engage in galamsey. Mr. President I am a citizen not a spectator and no citizen should be happy about how our arable lands have deteriorated due illegal mining activities, I am also not a spectator and as such abhor the leveraging of our natural resources to the Chinese of the tune of nineteen billion cedis.

We must build the capacity of our destabilized youth to mine and the government must be the ultimate buyer to build refineries to refine these minerals to be sold at an expensive price to the outside world and generate foreign revenue. The days of the repatriation of aides given to us must end.

PROVISION AND IMPROVEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE.

One thing is very common with African leaders, they all want to be eulogized for building but they all hate to maintain. One of the many challenges confronting our educational system is deterioration of our schools, majority of schools especially those in the villages are death traps.

Mr. President, rural children are the major casualty when it comes to poor or nonexistent educational infrastructure which is very critical to the sustainability of the free S.H.S policy.

Mr. President, continuous renovation works must be done and our school blocks must be up to standard to accommodate pupils, our classrooms are not conducive to encourage teaching and learning a problem that offsets students in their learning faculties.

Mr. President, access is factor that must be critically be looked at. There must be continuous building to accommodate the deficit as in infrastructure and also student to teacher ratio in the classroom.

In conclusion, if all the above factors raised are adhered to, then free education is a need and a priority.

Thank you.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has warned Goldstar Airline and Global Ghana Airlines against starting commercial operations since they have not yet been given approval to do so.

The GCAA issued the warning after it said it came to its attention that: Goldstar Airline has advertised flight operations from Accra, Ghana to destinations within Africa and other parts of the world, while Chicago-based Global Ghana Airlines also advertised flight operations between Accra, Ghana and Chicago, USA.

Director-General of the GCAA Simon Allotey said in a statement that the two advertisements are misleading and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority takes a very serious view of this.

The GCAA has, thus, advised the general public not to conduct any business with these companies, as they do not have the necessary approvals from the GCAA to commence such air operations.

The GCAA said it will abide by its mandate in ensuring that stakeholders in the aviation industry in Ghana conduct their air transportation business in a safe and secure manner in accordance with national laws, GCAA regulations, international standards and recommended best practice.
Members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ashanti Region, are demanding the immediate release of one of their own, Appiah Stadium , an activist and a serial caller, who was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly defaming the President, Nana Akufo-Addo.

We demand the immediate release of Appiah Stadium from police custody now in the interest of the stability of the State, a statement by the party's Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer, Yaw Brogya Genfi has said.

He also gave government a 24-hour ultimatum to release Appiah Stadium or face their wrath.

The release of Appiah Stadium from police custody is non-negotiable, as such we give the Akufo-Addo government 24 hours to produce him or we take every means possible to get Appiah out, he added.

Appiah Stadium was arrested for suggesting in a recent audio that went viral, that the President, Nana Akufo-Addo smokes marijuana [wee].

The Police in the Ashanti Region however arrested him on Tuesday following orders from the National Headquarters in Accra.

The Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Juliana Obeng, also told Citi News that We got instruction from the national headquarters to help them with the arrest of Appiah Stadium and that is exactly what we have done.

As I speak to you, Appiah Stadium is on his way to the national CID headquarters. When we arrested him, immediately we put him in a car off to Accra, she added.

Appiah Stadium apologizes

Meanwhile, Appiah Stadium has reportedly apologized for his comment, admitting that it was inappropriate and false, and that he had no evidence to prove it.

Below is the full statement from the NDC:

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS

YOUTH WING

ASHANTI REGION

September 26, 2017

For Immediate Release

FREE APPIAH STADIUM NOW!!!

1. We demand the immediate release of Appiah Stadium from police custody now in the interest of the stability of the State.

2. The Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer has confirmed the arrest of Appiah Stadium without a cause.

3. According to the Police, they were directed from ABOVE to arrest Appiah and send him to Accra.

4. His arrest has no basis in law and we find it as an attempt to suppress FREE SPEECH.

5. We have witnessed criminal attacks on the Courts and Security Appointees in Ashanti Region where the Security of the State allows these miscreants to walk freely from Justice.

6. We have witnessed lawlessness to the hilt in the Ashanti Region exposing the weakness of our Security Agencies in the face of political power.

7. If President Akufo-Addo wants to re-criminalize FREE SPEECH, he can sponsor a legislation on it to Parliament  until that is done, we will not allow any citizen to suffer for Speaking his mind in this country.

8. The NDC YOUTH in Ashanti Region demands the release of Appiah Stadium Now.

9. The release of Appiah Stadium from police custody is non-negotiable as such we give the Akufo-Addo government 24 hours to produce him or we take every means possible to get Appiah out!

Thank you.

Signed

Yaw Brogya Genfi

(ASHANTI REGIONAL YOUTH ORGANIZER)
26.09.2017 LISTEN

Under this years umbrella initiative of France & Ghana:1957-2017 moving forward together which marks 60 years of bilateral relations between the two countries, the French Embassy in Ghana in collaboration with Campus France and Institut Francais is organizing a two-city education fair in the month of October 2017 dubbed Study in France Fair.

The first event will be held on Wednesday 4th October 2017 in Accra at the One Airport Square, behind Marina Mall. This will be followed by the second event on Friday 6th October 2017 at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

The fair in both cities will have representatives from all the top universities and tertiary institutions in France in attendance to answer questions from the participants and also give insight into education in France, from courses of study, medium of tuition, admission requirements to scholarships.

Some of the confirmed participating French universities are Centrale Nantes (Engineering school), Ecole Polytechnique (Engineering), Edhec (Business School), Essca (School of Management), Essec Business School, ICN Business School and Isa Lille (School of Agriculture and Bio-engineering). Others are Montpellier Business School, Network N+i (Consortium of Engineering Institutes), Sciences Po (Political and Social Sciences), Sciences Po Bordeaux (Political Science), Toulouse Business School and Universite de Lorraine (All University disciplines).

Expected audience at both events will include Ghanaian high school and tertiary students, graduates and students of colleges, post graduate candidates, administrators of educational institutions, members of the academic fraternity and other professionals interested in studying in France.

Speaking about the fair, Daniel Doe, Coordinator for Campus France Ghana said we are excited to be putting together this fair this year and more importantly having it in two cities, Accra and Kumasi. We are hopeful of getting people living outside these two cities to attend the fair as it presents a perfect opportunity to know all about pursuing tertiary or higher education in France and its benefits.

On his part, Dr. Jean Luc Mure, Head of Cooperation at the French Embassy in Accra, highlighted the unique role of education in the development of a country and reiterated the commitment of the Embassy of France in Ghana in deepening the bilateral relations between Ghana and France on all levels, with education as a strategic area of cooperation.

Admission to the fair is free and registration is currently open on Eventbrite ( https://www.eventbrite.com/e/study-in-france-fair-2017-registration-37730563130?aff=ehomecard ).

For more details about the fair, send your enquiries to [email protected] or visit http://www.ghana.campusfrance.org/en/ . You could also contact the French Embassy in Ghana on Facebook: ( https://www.facebook.com/france.ghana/ ) or call 0307 001156.

The 2017 Study in France Fair is supported by Prompt Communications.
Accra, Sept. 26, CDA Consult  President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has revealed that his government is done with the Co-ordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the Constitution, in Article 36(5), requires the President of the Republic to submit to Parliament within the first two years of his administration.

However, this time, we have worked to ensure it is completed within the first year of my tenure of office. Cabinet has approved it for submission to Parliament. That will happen in the next session of Parliament that begins next week.

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Tuesday, when the Chairperson, Director General and members of the National Development Planning Commission presented the draft National Development Plan to him.

The President noted that the plan which has been submitted to him presents my government and subsequent governments with a daunting task, not so much the implementation, but to stay on track and ensure we have the desired outcome. We must be able to monitor our progress, and redirect our paths when we seem to be deviating from them.

With Ghana having celebrated its 60thindependence anniversary in March this year, President Akufo-Addo noted that in comparison to the likes of Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, countries which gained their independence around the same time as we did, it is evident that we should be further along in our national life than we currently are.

He continued, We must, therefore, make rapid progress, and do things to ensure that we achieve it.

Without pre-empting the contents of the plan, President Akufo-Addo in stating some of his aspirations was hopeful of a Ghana with a strong, buoyant economy that will provide decent jobs for all; and that our school leavers from secondary and university will not spend an inordinate amount of time, as they do now, to get a job or create one for themselves and for others.

He added further that he was hopeful of that being a Ghanaian will be associated with tangible benefits, such as free basic education, a good healthcare system, the rule of law and security in the country; and that, reciprocally, the citizens will exude levels of discipline and professionalism that engender efficiency in the management of our institutions and the development of our society, amongst others

President Akufo-Addo was reassured that these aspirations meet substantially those of the National Development Plan submitted to him, plan you are submitting, adding that we all agree that we must build a Ghana Beyond Aid.

One thing which is certain, according to the President, is that we must not and cannot fail in taking up this journey. We need to seek out those who are not yet convinced and bring them on board; and we need to have people to champion the different aspects of the plan, in particular the key milestones. We must figure out how we sustain the interest of key constituents, especially the youth, who will be at the helm of affairs in the not too distant future.

President Akufo-Addo, on behalf of the people of Ghana, government, and on his own behalf, expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chairperson for the policy direction provided, and to the Director General, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, for the organisational and technical leadership that got this document out.

From the little I know of the operations of the Commission, I am aware that each and every one of you, the members of the Commission, have made significant input into this document. Your experience and knowledge have no doubt been brought to bear in the drafting of the document. I wish, again, to thank you all for the contribution you have made, he said.

President Akufo-Addo also expressed his sincere appreciation for the collective decision you have made, without the compulsion of law, to submit your collective resignation to allow the principle of new King, new Law to operate. It is a mark of high patriotism and I am grateful for it.
Daily Guide has learnt that, the Bolgatanga Polytechnic at Sumbrungu, in the Upper East Region, is currently faced with a problem of low enrollment of fresh students for its courses for the 2017/2018 Academic Year.

The Bolgatanga Polytechnic, established in 2002 is among two Polytechnics in the Country that were not elevated to the status of Technical Universities in 2016. Tamale, Sunyani, Kumasi, Koforidua, Ho, Cape-Coast, Accra and Takoradi Polytechnics were elevated, leaving Wa and Bolgatanga.

In 2016, when government decided not to elevate the Bolgatanga Polytechnic to a Technical University on Technical grounds, the Schools Authorities feared that, if the status of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic remained the same, then, the Polytechnic will be faced with a possible decline in the number of students applying to study there.

The fear of the Authorities has materialized, as students that would have applied for the Higher National Diploma Courses at the Bolgatanga Polytechnic and later do a top-up in a University of the choice, now have the opportunity to apply for Degree Courses in the Technical Universities.

Checks have revealed that, in the 2016/2017 Academic Year, the Bolgatanga Polytechnic admitted over 600 fresh students to read various Higher National Diploma (HND) Courses at the Bolgatanga Polytechnic.

Unfortunately, the Bolgatanga Polytechnic cannot boast of attracting same number or even higher, as the checks also revealed that, the School has so far admitted less than 500 fresh students for the 2017/2018 Academic year.

This wouldnt be the first time the Bolgatanga Polytechnic has recorded a decline in the number of fresh students after its glorious days, however, insiders believe that, the 2017/2018 decline, if nothing new happens, would the most drastic in recent time.

The Registrar of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic, Zangu-Rana Ibrahim Yakubu, confirmed the decline in the number of fresh admissions for 2017/2018 Academic Year in an interview he granted to Tanga Radios Morning Show the Agenda. He even painted a more gloomy picture about the Bolgatanga Polytechnics future admissions, than this Daily Guide Reporter had imagined.

Zangu-Rana Ibrahim Yakubu called on government to pay a special attention to the development of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic so as to keep it in operation.

Apart from, the governments decision not to elevate Bolgatanga Polytechnic, the Polytechnic itself has not been loud in the media as other Polytechnics, now Technical Universities, that are seriously advertising and promoting their brands through all forms of media, just to become attractive to the youth and parents.

Again the Bolgatanga Polytechnic has not been so visible and piercing enough to get the attention of the youth and parents in the Upper East Region.

Apart from the few challenges mentioned, Daily Guide can confirm that there is an increasing crave for Nursing and Teacher Training Colleges among the Youth and endorsed by many parents. The claim has always been that, after Nursing or Teacher Training College, a job is assured.

There is also the invasion by Public and Private Universities, as well as some recently elevated Technical Universities, as they advertise their Courses and sponsorship opportunities in the various local media houses in the Upper East Region.

Unfortunately, Bolgatanga Polytechnic cannot boast of an effective advertising connection with the local media, than its competitors coming from outside the Upper East Region.

Meanwhile, Daily Guide is reliably informed that, the Schools Authorities are taking steps re-brand and position the Bolgatanga Polytechnic to closer to the Youth, and make it an attractive and the best choice for any student seeking to read an Industry related Course.
Ghanaian lawyer and former Executive Director of Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, has suggested that it was wrong for the police to handcuff a serial caller of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Appiah Stadium, for allegedly accusing the President of smoking 'wee'.

According to him, the president will be extremely unhappy over the development.

The Police in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday afternoon arrested the known serial caller in handcuff, for circulating an audio in which he accused the President Akufo-Addo of using a banned substance.

He is currently being transported to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Accra for further interrogation.

Appiah Stadium

But Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, who is a cousin of the President, and a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a Facebook post on the matter, said the arrest went against all that he [President Akufo-Addo] stands for.

These things shouldnt happen. I can see the president being extremely unhappy about any citizen being arrested for allegedly insulting him. It goes against all that he stands for. I may not be privy to the details, but I know whatever the justification the President will not like this one bit, he said.

He added that, He [Appiah Stadium] could have been invited without the handcuffs. Very unnecessary; uncool.

Nana Akufo-Addo, who served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice under the John Kufuor government in 2001, led the government to ensure the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law that saw government controlling private media.

The repeal, which was largely praised by media owners and practitioners, de-criminalizes libel, and gives citizens the option to use civil means to check the practice of journalism in Ghana.

Many have said that, the repeal of the law, despite a positive stride, has resulted in irresponsible reportage and inappropriate content across some media platforms in the country.

But addressing the press in July, President Akufo-Addo said he did not regret his role in repealing the Criminal Libel Law even though he is one of those who has suffered the most from insults.

I know there are some who take issue with the media on several fronts and even go as far as criticizing me for my part in the repeal of the criminal libel law because it has made the media too free. Even though I have been one of the greatest victims of the irresponsible section of the media those who have created an industry from spewing falsehood and outright fabrication against my person, I don't regret my role in the repeal of the old discredited law, he said.

Meanwhile, the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, ACP David Eklu, has told Citi Eyewitness News that their actions is grounded in law, and that they expect Appiah Stadium to give clarification on his claims against the President.

He said they had monitored the audio and the comments on social media, and that they did not need the approval of the Presidency to cause the arrest.
26.09.2017 LISTEN

I know that many people have spoken and written about the current situation of things in Nigeria, especially the agitation for a referendum to enable Nigerians determine for themselves whether they still want to live together as one big populous country or whether the different ethnic groups that make up the country now want to go their separate ways.

Many of the people who have so far contributed to this conversation point to the fact that some sections of the country like the East are grossly marginalized in the distribution of government appointments and largess because they were involved some 50 years ago in a civil war that cost the country so much in human and material resources. For that reason, they insist that it is either the country is restructured from what it is now, or it would be dismembered and the different ethnic groups can go their separate ways.

In all of these considerations however, it is rather disturbing that the core reason Nigeria finds itself in this dilemma has not been considered or addressed by those who are saddled with the responsibility of finding a solution to the trouble with the country.

I think the main reason Nigeria finds itself in this dilemma is that there are two divergent sets of social arrangements that find it as difficult to merge as it is for water to merge with oil. One must float on top of the other.

The northern states of the country practise feudalism as their social norm, because of their history and geography. Feudalism was also practised in the European countries before the age of industrial revolution.

On the other hand, the southern states practise republicanism, also because of their history and geography. But because space will constrain me from dealing with these issues of history and geography in details here, anyone who cares can read it up in books.

Britain knew about this social dichotomy when it gracefully amalgamated its Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 and called them Nigeria. For some unexplained reasons, Britain believed that the new country would pull through in about its first hundred years. And it wouldnt really matter if the country disintegrated after 100 years of the experiment to live together  if its ethnic components found it desirable to disintegrate.

So, the inability of its leaders to smoothly fuse a feudalistic social system and a republican social arrangement is the main reason Nigeria has remained a problem to itself, and all kinds of agitations have arisen in the wake of this challenge.

The practice of feudalism in the north implies that a few very rich families are the owners of the land  stretching through the north. But the north is also ambitious to extend its territorial influence to the south. The majority of non-land owners are contracted to farm on the land, as in the case of herdsmen who walk all the way from the north through to the south, grazing their cattle in any farm of their choice, ready to make trouble if the farm owners resist their incursion. Or they may get into the army in order to serve the interest of the land owning families. The land owners who are the rich families are the ones who make the laws and everyone else is expected to obey.

That is why you find that in the north, for instance, when a poor man steals something as little as a chicken or a goat because he is hungry, the law demands that he is amputated. But when a man in a high position like a governor steals billions of dollars of the tax payers money, nothing happens to him. When a woman who is widowed or separated from her husband has sex with another man, the law stipulates that she has committed the crime of adultery and should be stoned to death but the man who committed the crime with her has no case to answer. In this part of the country, the law does not recognize pedophiles and a man of seventy years is free to marry a young girl of twelve if her parents are in support.

Talk of democracy.

I remember that some years ago, there was the case of a young girl in the north. Her parents wanted her to marry a man about three times her age, a man who already had two wives. She refused. They forced the marriage on her because they were poor and needed the suitors money. The girl reluctantly agreed but had her own ideas which many Nigerians later considered as awful.

The wedding took place. Afterwards, the new bride was asked to cook dinner for her husband and six of his friends who were his guests for the night. This girl secretly called the daughter of the first wife, gave her some money and asked her to buy some quantity of rat poison for her. Unsuspectingly, the little girl bought the rat poison, gave it to the new wife and left. The bride finished preparing the dinner, spread the rat poison in the food and served her husband. The man and all his guests died after eating the food.

It was a test case for the Nigerian judiciary when the case went to court. And I remember that some charity organisations stood up to be counted in support of the girl who they insisted acted out of frustration. That, they pointed out was the evil outcome of a forced marriage. I am not sure if the case has yet been disposed of, even as I write.

A former governor of a northern state who is now a senator was in the news a few years back for marrying a 14 year-old girl from Egypt. Many women from the south protested against the marriage of an elderly citizen to a girl who was young enough to be his grandchild. There were associations of lawyers and there were associations of doctors who came out in their droves to protest on the Senate grounds, threatening to take the senator to court.

But while they were at it, some delegates of widows from the north surfaced on the grounds of the Senate asking what the Senator did wrong. They said it was their religious culture and their leader narrated how she married her husband when she was only nine, stayed with her mother-in-law until she was 14, and then she knew her man and had her first child at 15. As she was speaking she had nine children for her husband. She spoke glowingly about the senator, remembering how much he helped widows when he was the governor. With this defence, the protesters dispersed and the matter came to closure.

These are just a few isolated examples.

The baseline is that the practice of feudalism in the north has created a two class social system of very rich families and very poor families. In between is the military which the very rich families use to maintain peace in the land. That is why, for instance, today there is the presence of the military code-named Egwu Eke II (Dance of the Python) in the eastern part of the country. This and the other military dances across the country are manifestations of feudal practice.

On the part of the southerners, the social practice is republicanism. There is an upper class  who own private jets, several posh homes in the country and abroad and whose children attend choice schools and universities. There is the lower class who cannot afford to pay their rents easily or train their children in school unless they sell their ancestral land or economic trees. Between these two is the middle class. The difference is that the republican way of life, unlike feudalism, creates a scope for social fluidity. So, a child who is born by poor parents is not stamped with poverty. If he is wise and struggles hard, he can attain the highest position in the land and even become the President of his country.

Such social fluidity is not the norm in the north. For the majority of people here, you are born rich, you live rich and you die rich. You are born poor, you live poor and you die poor. There is no scope for social mobility. That is why, for instance, after everything General Abacha was said to have done during his four-year reign of terror and all the money he was said to have stolen, his son still has the audacity to want to run as governor of his state. You are born rich, you live rich and you die rich.

But new families in the north are now beginning to go to school and attend universities. The old order is being challenged in some ways. So, rather than let go the system, new sets of laws that will protect the interest of the nova riche are being put in place. For instance, the ordinary citizen in the north is being indoctrinated with the idea that western education is poison and not good for anything, and yet the children of the rich families are going to American and European universities to study.

Be that as it may, it is important to note that there were two fallouts from this feudal system of the north. First is that the condition had created a massive opportunity which the southerners explored before now, which is why so many southerners, especially from the east flocked into the north and saw the place as their new found business heaven. The second is that because there is a tendency for the feudal system to create a two-class society of very rich and very poor families, its influence in the south became a social disaster.

Many hard working southerners who should have belonged to the middle class became lured into anti-social behaviours like armed and bank robbery, kidnapping, cultism and ritual murders because they didnt want to be counted among the poor families of Nigeria. They wanted to be seen or counted among the rich and influential in the society.

This fact accounted for the proliferation of crimes in the south in recent years, especially after the election of Dr Jonathan as President in 2011. The election of a southerner as President of Nigeria was seen by the north as a major shift in power structure and a possible threat to the social order in the north. And as result, as many as twelve northern states immediately responded robustly to this shift by totally embracing the Sharia Penal Code.

Given these indices, why would anyone subscribe to the idea that Nigeria must remain a united country, whether or not the citizens like it? Insisting on it is like conquering your own people and forcing them willy nilly to accept the harsh conditions shoved down their throats by a civilian army of occupation. Nigerian political leaders certainly wont like to create such an impression in the name of democracy.

Yes. It is obvious that there are two very different social ways of life between the south and the north. But if Nigerians decide to remain together because they feel it will pay them better to do so as the gateway to the African economy, then their leaders must recognise the underlying factors that militate against a union of the south and the north. They must address this issue intellectually and intelligently.

And again I think the solution can only be in the states being given financial autonomy, as it is in America. Every state should have the right to explore whatever it has in its land, make its own laws, own its own police force, manage its own schools and hospitals, its own factories and business outfits, build its own roads and its own transportation system and so on, and pay something like 20% of its annual budget into the federation account for the maintenance of structures like the Army, the Central Bank and the Immigration.

Beyond that the governor of a poorer state can court and befriend the governor of a richer state and thus make a way for their people to trade or do business to their mutual benefit. Take a state like Gombe for instance. If the governors of Gombe and a state like Imo are close friends, their people will be encouraged to become friends too. They will be inspired to trade and do business across their two states. A state like Taraba can get medical doctors from states like Anambra or Rivers to manage its hospitals and get easterners to explore what can be done in terms of business between Taraba and, say, Abia people. And no one needs to fight about such mutual relationships.

But first of all, the APC government of General Buhari must summon the political courage to call for a plebiscite to enable Nigerians decide for themselves whether they want to remain together or whether they want to go their separate ways.

There is every possibility that more Nigerians would want to stay together. Consider the population of those agitating to dismember the country. If indeed more Nigerians want to stay together as one country, then the will of their leaders will be strengthened in the knowledge that they are executing the mandate of the people who elected them into public office. But the politicians must summon the courage and the political will first, knowing that this would be the most critical decision they would have to make to save Nigerians from frustration and self harm.

The people who are calling for a breakup of the country are doing so because they want the government to restructure the country, not because they see a breakup as a panacea to the problems of the Igbo or any other dissatisfied ethnic group. Indeed, judging from my interviews of, and interaction with some of them, what they envision is that Nigeria should have become as economically and socially stable as Singapore, Malaysia, United Arab Emirate and other countries which attained self rule about the same time with Nigeria and utilised their oil wealth to provide basic infrastructure for their people.

Nigeria should have had 24/7 electricity supply by now. The country should have had good high ways, well equipped schools and hospitals that would spare the people the shame of seeking medical attention abroad. Nigerians should have been obeying traffic lights when they turn red. The sanctity of life should have been respected. But that is not the case after 57 years of self rule. This is why some agitators see the country as a zoo.

Some of us who live abroad feel the shame.

One young Nigerian in my workplace recently asked me why white people dont respect us, Africans. I had to explain to him. These people know us well. You are a graduate from your country. You come here to become a dishwasher in a public kitchen. You come here to become a cleaner on the streets, and in restaurants. You come here and begin to wash dead bodies. And you are a university graduate, coming from a country that is widely touted across the world as rich in oil and other mineral and human resources. Why would white people respect us?

But if our leaders had used our money to build good roads, good industries and factories, well equipped schools and hospitals and so on, some of the rich white people would be sending their children to study in Nigerian universities. Some of the white people would be coming to Nigeria to look for work. That is the only time they will begin to respect us both at home and abroad. I had to explain to the young man why we are in the soup we find ourselves, even overseas.

But all that can change when APC leaders stop chasing the shadows in the name of fighting corruption and begin to address the main issues that are keeping Nigeria down despite the much touted rich resources that nature endowed it with. These are political issues. And they demand political solutions.
Khartoum (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday demanded a "thorough investigation" into clashes last week between residents of a Darfur camp for the displaced and Sudanese forces in which five people died.

Washington's call comes just two days after it lifted a travel ban against Sudanese travelling to the United States and ahead of a decision by President Donald Trump on whether to permanently lift a decades-old US trade embargo on Sudan.

Friday's clashes, which the United Nations earlier said had killed three people and wounded 26, erupted when residents of Camp Kalma protested against a visit by President Omar al-Bashir to the war-torn region.

In a statement on Facebook, the American embassy in Khartoum said it was deeply concerned by the "excessive use of force" by government forces in the clashes at Kalma in South Darfur.

"The United States calls on the government of Sudan to immediately launch a thorough and transparent investigation of the incident in which Sudanese security forces reportedly fired upon IDPs (internally displaced persons) resulting in five deaths."

"The United States reminds the government of Sudan that its security forces must respond with restraint when dealing with protests, even if provoked."

Last week Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on genocide and war crimes charges related to the Darfur conflict, toured the region urging locals to give up their weapons.

The clashes at Camp Kalma, which houses more than 125,000 people displaced by the conflict, came as he visited nearby villages.

The Darfur conflict began when ethnic African minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of economic and political marginalisation.

The UN says the conflict has killed about 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million, most of whom now live in large camps.

On October 12, Trump is due to decide whether to permanently lift American sanctions against Sudan.

Although Washington imposed the sanctions in 1997 over Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militant groups, it argues that the conflict in Darfur has been a factor in keeping them in place.

Khartoum insists that the conflict in Darfur, a region of the size of France, has ended.

On Sunday, Trump removed Sudan from the list of countries facing a US travel ban.
The National Democratic Congress stands at a crossroad. The race for the flagbearership is not the only question it has to wrestle with. There are other important questions about values, democracy and reconciliation. Not sure the depth of analysis that went into their current stance re the Kwesi Botchwey report, but they seem to believe that concealment does more to help their cause than transparency and confrontation. I genuinely think thats a huge mistake. But thats a different conversation. For now, lets focus on the current impending implosion that might be triggered by the already heated flagbearer contest. My focal lens is on Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin. Will he become the flagbearer of the NDC in 2020? I don't know for a fact, I hope he is given a chance. But truth be told if he continues to present his case the way he has started, he is likely to shoot himself in the foot. There are three reasons why I think Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin might not be successful at his bid, should he perpetuate the current narrative.

REASON #1.

The Ghanaian voter over the years has resoundingly rejected to the "personal savior" complex that has characterized certain political campaign messages. Case in point is the PPP. Dr. Nduom, in my view, is extremely competent. I have no doubt he will make sound decisions running a government. But whether or not he will be a successful president, is debatable. Why? Because governance is a team sport. Despite the focus on individuality during electoral contests, the party that subtly and subliminally emphasizes group capability has had greater effect on voter perception. What does this mean in practice? If you, as the candidate, are the predominant voice making a strong case for your own candidacy, you have lost that advantage of subtlety and subliminal influence. Better to sell a team/group message than a me message. And this is exactly the issue I had with the PPP narrative during the 2016 election. There was too much emphasis on the business and entrepreneurial success of Dr. Nduom as a person, because the narrators assumed wrongly, that his skill set could easily translate in a wholesale fashion, into the political arena. There is evidence in extant literature that show such arguments to be fallacious. But its not the fallacy thats the problem. Its the simplicity of it that is worrying. I am hearing the same message by Hon. Bagbin. He seem to be overstretching a certain syllogism, that (a) He has mentored two presidents; Nana Addo and John Mahama, (b) the mentor has even more capabilities than the protege, and so (c) he, Hon. Bagbin, being the mentor, will be a better president if not a good one. Fallacy.

REASON#2.

Second reason why I think Alban Bagbin might lose the bid if he continues on this path is this: The prevailing sentiments at the grassroots within the NDC is anger. Following the humiliating defeat and emerging issues of corruption, the grassroots is looking for scapegoats to hold accountable. The person who can harness this strong tide of sentiments to make a compelling argument for change, will be the candidate of choice. Not change in candidature necessarily, but change in the agenda that led to the humiliating defeat. So it might as well be John Mahama who could articulate this change, if he can convince the grassroots of his remorse, repentance and lessons learnt. So the tacit arrogance by some who think the Mahama influence is over will have a shock of their lives if they ignore this fact.

REASON # 3.

Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has blatantly gone against the 46th Law of power according to Robert Greenes seminal book, The 48 Laws of Power. Law No. 46: NEVER APPEAR TOO PERFECT.

Observance Of The Law



Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.

CONCLUSION

1. How the NDC manages this slippery slope will inform the Ghanaian populace whether they can be trusted again to run the affairs of state.

2. Concealment is a bad idea. Confronting the issues in the Botchwey report may be explosive in the short-term but may open the door for genuine and authentic conversation about values and the right path for reforms.

3. John Dramani Mahama is the candidate to beat in this contest. Hon. Alban Bagbin and the other contenders face an uphill task against a remorseful Mahama, if Mahama shows remorse and humility. If not, the race will be much murkier.
Former Finance Minister Seth Terkper says his fiscal decisons cannot be blamed for the 2016 defeat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He told Joy News Emefa Apawu Monday every decision he took was well-thought out and properly vetted by government before it was implemented.

He said he could not have afforded to dole out money to people when the country was going through some critical moments in its history.

We couldnt keep the Single Spine Salary Structure at 70 percent including arrears, about 60 percent excluding arrears without doing something about it. You had to take some difficult measures, he explained.

Many former government officials have been blamed for what has largely been described as the abysmal performance of the NDC in the 2016 presidential poll.

Some of the critics who were in the past regime have laid part of the NDC's defeat at the Finance Minister's door step because of what they described as his "rigid policies."

Public Sector Accountancy lecturer at the Accra Technical University, Dr Ibrahim Zubairu said Mr Terkper failed to appropriately respond to the then opposition NPP's claim about the mismanagment of the economy.

But Mr Terkper said he is pleased with his performance as the Finance Minister and that of the government.

He said despite a difficult power crisis which plunged the country into darkness, his government was able to put in adequate measures to solve the problem.

He believes the energy sector may not have been given a clean bill of health if he had not taken some of the decisions he took during the period.

I am happy with what we left behind, he said, adding, that the nation faced significant setbacks with the dumsor.

Mr Terkper stated no economy could withstand the experience Ghana went through in the hands of its West African neighbour.

Also in 2016, the Finance Ministry allocated more of the of oil money to Capacity Building (83 million), whereas Agriculture which is the backbone of the economy was allocated 27.6 million.

Mr Terkper explained his decision should not be miscontrued because it was guided by the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, one of the strictest laws which regulated the two sectors he allocated the monies to.

The Budget allocation is approved by Parliament and we should be careful in just taking Capacity Building as a headline as it could have benefitted the Agric Sector, he said.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline | Abubakar Ibrahim | [email protected]